Chapter 2 – Fusion

John stood next to Rodney's bed in the infirmary as the scientist absently curled his fingers under the seamless bright gold band encircling his neck. He tugged at it and grimaced. He had an IV line spiked into the back of his other hand and still looked pale and shaky after his recent collapse.

John asked, "How're you feeling?"

Rodney stopped fiddling with the metal and grimaced, "Tired, but surprisingly still very annoyed."

John could tell from Rodney's wide, frightened eyes and the way he continued to rub his hand around his throat that he was scared too. Who knew what the band doing to him?

John looked up as Dr Keller came over to them. She set her face in a stern expression and then softened as she glanced down at Rodney. She said, "We're just testing your blood at the moment. Aside from the exhaustion and low blood sugar level there's nothing else wrong with you that we can see."

John frowned across at her and gestured his hand down towards Rodney's neck, "What about that? Is it doing anything to him?"

Rodney jutted out his chin indignantly, "I am here you know! You could just ask…"

Jennifer gave him a tight smile and said, "The scanner doesn't work properly around him. Dr Zelenka is coming over with some more equipment."

"Hey, I could look at it for you." Rodney pushed himself upright in an attempt to get up, but John put a hand on McKay's chest and forced him back down.

"Not until we have more information. Don't want you passing out on us again now, do we?"

Rodney sighed in defeat and mumbled, "No."

Jennifer folded her arms across her chest as Rodney brushed the palm of his hand over the front of the smooth metal again. She suddenly reached down and firmly grabbed his hand away from his throat and laid it down on his chest. "Stop messing around with it. I can't see any way to remove it. There's no clip or join anywhere around the whole thing. It's not tight enough to restrict your breathing or the blood flow to your brain, but none of us know whether it might suddenly shrink."

John nodded grimly and then smirked at Rodney's current plight. "Looks like you're just going to have to live with your new fashion statement and a rather snazzy necklace for a while yet."

"Oh, the wit! You know, maybe it would be better if it did choke me so that I could get away from you!"

Jennifer furrowed her brow as she missed the sarcasm in his voice. She took Rodney's chin in her hand and tilted his face towards her. "Don't say that! We'll find a way."

"Maybe I can help?" An accented voice behind them asked.

Ronon and Teyla were with Dr Zelenka and they helped him wheel a trolley of equipment into the infirmary. They manoeuvred it next to Rodney's bed and stood back.

Teyla rounded on McKay and peered down into his face in concern, "Are you alright, Rodney?"

He replied angrily, "Why is everyone acting like I'm dying! Why are we even doing this in the infirmary? My lab would be better."

Jennifer rested her hand on his shoulder, "Rodney, you collapsed. I'm not letting you out of here until I'm sure you're alright."

"Well, I was fine until your lot stabbed the needle into the back of my hand and made a hole in my arm during the blood letting earlier."

John noticed Jennifer's hurt expression and flashed a warning look down at him, "McKay!"

Jennifer lifted her hand away and her mouth turned down even further in sadness as she looked at the ground. She walked around Rodney's bed and stood next to Zelenka as he waved a portable scanner along Rodney.

Teyla frowned and said in a soft and calming voice, "You should understand, Rodney, we are only concerned for your health."

He folded his arms across his chest and winced when it shifted the line in the back of his hand.

Radek stood right next to Rodney and angled the scanner down as close as he could to the metal band. McKay glared at him in annoyance while the other scientist tapped the screen a few times and muttered in Czech. He asked, "Anything?"

Radek peered over the top of the scanner and said, "No. It is scrambling the reading. Perhaps a form of radiation, but I cannot tell."

Rodney stretched up in an attempt to grab the scanner, but Zelenka was ready and lifted it out of reach while patting Rodney's hand down. "Can't I even have a look to see what it's doing to me?" His face fell and his eyes darted between the people standing around his bed in panic. "What if the radiation's scrambling my brain?"

John shook his head, "Why would Janus make something that hurts humans?"

Rodney gave him an incredulous look, "What the whole blowing up Stargates thing wasn't enough for you?"

John shrugged, "Well, he stopped that one…"

Rodney sighed dejectedly and moved his hands away from his chest and curled all of his fingers under the band around his neck. "Can you remove it before my brain dribbles out of my ears?"

Ronon was unfazed by the comment while several of the others flinched at the image passing through their minds. He grabbed a tool from the top of the trolley and walked over to Rodney.

John eyed the bolt cutters in Ronon's hands impassively. Rodney had started trembling in fear over what Ronon's intentions were with the lethal cutters. Jennifer saw Rodney quaking and her instinctual concern took over her and she rushed over to his side and held his upper arm.

John nodded at Ronon who drew the bolt cutters down towards Rodney's face, but then he stopped with the blades hovering close to the scientist. He set his face in a stern and angry expression which made Rodney even more fearful. He closed his eyes and Jennifer squeezed his arm gently.

John folded his arms across his chest and said, "It's not working."

Rodney cracked his shocked eyes open and looked confused, "What?"

Ronon shrugged and lowered the cutters away from the scientist, who had shrunk down into the bed as far as he could. "Worth a try."

Teyla elaborated, "The metal reacted to your Ancient gene. We thought we may be able to get you to release it on your own."

Rodney's eyes widened, "What, by scaring me half to death? Great plan. I wonder who's genius idea that was, Sheppard?"

John unfolded his arms and raised his palms, "It's not my fault your duff Ancient gene's playing up again."

Radek rolled his eyes and said, "Maybe you are curious about what it does and do not want to let it go."

"As much as I like necklaces and the constant threat of death hanging over my head, even I wouldn't be that stupid."

John raised his eyebrows and drawled, "Right. Even for a new scientific discovery?"

"Not one that could kill me at any moment!"

Ronon lifted the cutters again and said, "Might as well use these then."

Jennifer's eyes widened and she quickly said, "No! It's too close to Rodney's neck. If you slip… Also, if the band deforms it could crush his throat."

Rodney grimaced and covered his neck protectively with his hands. Ronon walked back to the trolley and lifted up another contraption. "What about this then?"

John nodded at the ring cutting tool. "That's better."

Jennifer called over a couple of nurses to help. Together they pushed Rodney's bed away from the wall and removed the pillows so that he was lying completely flat. She said, "I'll do it," and Ronon handed her the tool.

"Keep perfectly still," she said soothingly down to Rodney, who was looking at the people swarming around him in fright. Jennifer held the tool in front of his sightline and showed him. "Look, there's a cutting blade, but underneath there's a protector piece. When it cuts through the metal band the blade will hit the shield. You'll be fine. Just don't twitch."

She handed Rodney some goggles and he hastily put them over his eyes. Jennifer and all the nurses also put goggles on. Rodney's face relaxed a little and the nurses used their hands to hold the sides of his head and shoulders firmly to make sure that he did not shift.

Jennifer slid the protector shield under the metal band carefully and nodded down at Rodney. "Don't move."

She narrowed her eyes in concentration and gripped the band with the ring cutter. She then started turning the blade against the smooth metal around Rodney's neck. He grimaced and closed his eyes tightly.

Jennifer called out softly to him, "Open your eyes, Rodney."

He furrowed his brow and obeyed. He looked up at her face looming over him.

Suddenly he flinched and bent his knees up under the sheets. Jennifer quickly moved the ring cutter and only just got it away from his neck in time as he pulled against the restraining hands and lifted his arms up to rub his palms on his forehead. He shoved the goggles up into his hair as he covered his whole face with his hands and groaned.

Jennifer handed the tool to Ronon who was hovering behind her. The nurses released their grip from Rodney's head and arms and he rolled over onto his side and curled up with his hands pressed against his temples.

John rushed over and asked, "What happened? You didn't slip, there's no blood."

Jennifer shook her head and patted Rodney's arm. She asked him, "Where does it hurt?"

He moaned and rocked a little, but the tremors were already diminishing and he soon let go of his head and rolled onto his back. He looked up at Jennifer and Sheppard and mumbled, "Headache," through gritted teeth.

Radek was looking on from the corner of the infirmary and asked, "What about the metal? Did you cut it off?"

John ran his hand around the band still stubbornly encircling Rodney's neck and did not feel any grooves or see any marks from the recent cutting attempt. "No. It's still smooth."

Rodney groaned again and closed his eyes, "I'm doomed."

Radek shook his head and said confidently, "Not if I can help it. Get some rest, Rodney. I will look at Ancient Database and Janus' research we have decoded."

Jennifer smiled at the Czech scientist and then glanced down at Rodney. "I'm going to keep you in overnight to monitor you and get your blood analysis done. I'll get you some painkillers and something to help you sleep."

When Rodney was resting comfortably and all the others had left the infirmary, John got up from his chair next to Rodney's bed and walked into Keller's lab. He spoke very quietly and asked, "So what do you think, Doc?"

She pressed her lips in a thin line as she stared at the information scrolling up the laptop in from of her. She turned to him and said, "Honestly, I don't know. I've nearly finished my analysis of his blood sample and haven't found anything so far. The headache when we tried to remove it earlier is a cause for concern. I don't think we'd better try that again."

"What about if he's sedated?"

Jennifer shook her head, "We just don't know enough about how it's affecting his system yet. The scanner doesn't work on him and if he can't tell us when he's in pain, we could kill him."

John nodded sadly, "I know. I'm going to call Teyla and Ronon down to stay with him while I go and check on Radek."

He then looked in kindness down at Jennifer and said, "Keep at it, and don't give up hope."

She replied to his comment with a small smile and he walked away, leaving her with the data.

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TBC