DISCLAIMER – Stargate: Atlantis is not mine. It is the intellectual property of MGM/UA and associates. I am not receiving compensation in any form, from any source, for the creation of this story. It is a work of fan fiction only, and no copyright infringement is intended.

Dr. Hanna Eriksson and Dr. Itzhak Perlman are my original characters. If you want to borrow them, just ask me.

RATING – This story is rated T

ARCHIVE – Feel free to archive this if you wish. Please tell me where it's going, and I'll be happy. Thanks!

SPOILERS – (Season 2) "Grace Under Pressure"

A/N – Sorry this has taken a bit longer to update than I'd planned. I got sidetracked by Real Life, creative complications, and yet another story idea. (go and read The Promised Land if you want to see my latest experiment) Anyway, thank you all so much for the great response you've been giving this story. I've been trying to reply to all my reviews, but I don't always get to them. If you don't receive a reply, please don't take it personally. I really do appreciate each and every one, especially those that offer constructive feedback.

Okay, I don't actually know what Dr. Biro's given name is supposed to be, so for this story, I've called her Carolyn. If anyone knows whether her creators have given her a name, can someone enlighten me?

I have no beta. All mistakes are mine.

All Fun And Games

14. Missing Pieces

This can't possibly be happening to me, Rodney thought desperately.

He peeked out from between his fingers, hoping beyond hope that he'd been hallucinating and that his 'jumper was not surrounded by water after all. Unfortunately, he hadn't been seeing things. The 'jumper was completely submerged.

Rodney thought hyperventilation might be a real possibility. He could already feel his breathing start to quicken. He fought to control it as best he could, but it was difficult considering his predicament. He'd been trapped in a 'jumper underwater in real life, and he'd nearly died that time. He didn't want to go through the experience again, even if it was in virtual reality. The first time had been scary enough.

"Sam Carter, where are you when I need you?" Rodney said.

Part of him expected a Game-generated image of the lovely colonel to appear. The last time he'd almost died in a submerged 'jumper, he'd had the most excellent hallucination of Sam to keep him company. Thanks to the figment of his imagination he'd thought was Sam Carter, he had managed to keep himself sane and alive until Radek and John had arrived to rescue him.

He had a feeling no one was going to rescue him this time around. He was on his own.

The kids weren't going to be much help. Mini-Radek sulked in the co-pilot's chair while mini-Shadow silently attempted to console him. Every so often, mini-Shadow pinned Rodney with one of her classic reproachful looks. Rodney reflected that the real Shadow was good at giving those reproving stares, too.

If The Game was getting all this stuff from his subconscious, it certainly knew how to make a bad situation worse. As if dealing with being trapped wasn't enough, he had to cope with game guides that had suddenly turned into brats.

While Rodney contemplated his misfortune, he failed to notice a very large creature swimming toward the sunken 'jumper.

It was mini-Shadow's panicked shriek that finally made him look.

The toddler was pointing at the forward portal with one delicately trembling finger. Rodney stared in the direction mini-Shadow pointed. He did not like what he saw. The shape of the creature was still indistinct, distorted by the water and the lack of light, but there was no mistaking the animal's size. The thing was huge. It was easily four times the size of the 'jumper.

"Sea monster. Well, that's just wonderful," Rodney said, unable to keep the sarcasm out of his voice. "What more could I possibly need to make this day any worse?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted saying them. The Game seemed to have an uncanny way of making his worst nightmares come true. He didn't want to encourage it. He had enough complications to deal with already.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

When John rematerialized in the white room at the beginning of The Game, he didn't spare the time to create anything or exchange witty repartee with the image of General O'Neill. The virtual general seemed put out that John once again declined his offer of virtual pie, but John didn't have time to worry about that. He left the general watching football and imagined himself out of The Game.

A minute later, John woke up in the Ancient room.

When he stepped away from the device and turned to survey his surroundings, he saw that he and Rodney were once again the room's only occupants. John guessed Carson must've made it to the Infirmary with the others while he'd been inside The Game, but he didn't want to leave that to assumption. Before doing anything else, John went to the door. It opened easily when it sensed his presence.

The corridor was empty. John breathed a sigh of relief at the thought that his friends were well away from the dangerous Ancient room. Evidently, Carson hadn't sent anyone else to keep an eye on John and Rodney, as he'd said he would. Either the doctor was too occupied with his patients to have asked anyone to go, or like John, he'd realized the room was too much of an unknown quantity to risk sending anyone else in just now.

Satisfied that the situation was at least partially under control, John turned his attention to the task for which he'd exited The Game. He could see the open panel on the side of the device that held Rodney. The metallic covering for the panel lay on the floor beside the device, exactly where Radek had placed it when he'd taken it off. Radek's computer was still there, too, with its little hard drive grumbling happily to itself.

John knelt to inspect the open panel. He already knew what he'd see when he looked at it. Exactly like the drawing in mini-Carson's picture book, the neat rows of control crystals had a conspicuous blank spot.

With the problem clearly established, John's next order of business was to work on the solution. He scouted the area surrounding Rodney's machine, hoping that Radek had simply set the crystal down after removing it. No such luck, of course. John didn't see it anywhere near the device.

He tried to recall whether he'd actually seen Radek put the crystal down, but his only really clear memory of the moment was an image of the engineer cradling his injured hand. The most logical assumption was that Radek had dropped the crystal, and unless he'd picked it up again, the thing had to be nearby.

John spent several minutes searching the floor as well as the surfaces and undersides of tables and shelves, but he couldn't find the missing control crystal anywhere. It was as if the thing had vanished into thin air, and wherever it had gone, it wasn't alone. In the course of his exploration, he'd noticed the Ancient Rubik's Cube was gone, too.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Carson thought that once he was back in the familiar territory of his Infirmary again, he would feel secure and in control. He had to admit he did feel a wee bit safer now that he was here, but as for the part about being in control, that was another matter. With their usual efficiency, Doctors Carolyn Biro and Hanna Eriksson had taken the situation into their own capable hands, and Carson found himself on the receiving end of all the attention instead of the giving end.

Carolyn, with her no-nonsense attitude firmly in place, promptly informed him that he wasn't to do anything until he'd been thoroughly examined. Radek and Itzhak would become Hanna's responsibility for the time being. Carolyn herself would see to Carson's welfare.

Carolyn shepherded him over to one of the beds, briskly pulled the curtain around it and proceeded to give him the once-over. He didn't particularly enjoy the experience of being examined, but he let Carolyn do it because he knew it was necessary. He reminded himself that it was Carolyn's duty as much as his own to make sure all personnel were fit and healthy, and that 'all personnel' included the Chief Medical Officer, too.

Carson refrained from talking to Carolyn while she worked on him. For the most part Carolyn was quiet as well, limiting her speech to typical requests of take deep breaths and I need you to roll up your sleeve and the like. Carson guessed that like him, Carolyn was trying to hear what was happening on the other side of the curtain, keeping alert for any potential difficulties.

At last, Carolyn took a step back and looked Carson in the eyes. She offered him a small smile of encouragement.

"Everything is fine, Carson," she told him. "We'll have to wait for the blood work before we know anything for certain, of course, but if you were exposed to something in that room it hasn't affected you like it did the others."

"I have a theory about that."

"I thought you might. What's your theory?"

"It's got to do with the cube," Carson said.

"The cube? That little thing Dr. Wolfchild took to the lab?" said Carolyn. "Honestly, I've been trying to figure out why you wanted us to bring it back here. I thought it was some sort of puzzle."

"Oh, aye, it's a puzzle all right. Radek says it's supposed to be an Ancient combination lock."

"But you think it's something else?"

"I know it's something else. It's something dangerous. I think touching the cube is how Itzhak and Radek got exposed to…whatever it is."

"You touched it," Carolyn pointed out.

"Aye, I did and I feel all right, but I've got a theory about that, too," Carson said. "I asked Dr. Wolfchild if he could test it particularly for foreign substances and toxins that'd only affect someone who doesn't have the ATA gene."

"You think the cube is some kind of weapon?"

"I do."

"We really don't need to stray far from home to get ourselves in trouble, do we?"

Carson couldn't help chuckling at Carolyn's rhetorical question. He said, "Do you know, I said the very same thing to Colonel Sheppard? We've got plenty of hazards right here in Atlantis, so even if you never go offworld, you still might have a wee adv—"

The rest of Carson's sentence was lost in a moment of surprise. He and Carolyn were both startled by a loud protest that came from beyond the curtain around the bed on which Carson sat.

It was Itzhak's voice they heard. "No, no, no, no…don't touch me! Stay away from me with that…that thing."

Hanna Eriksson's voice rose in volume to match that of her patient. She sounded anxious. "Please…please, stop struggling!" she entreated. "You know me. You know I would never hurt you."

Carson exchanged a worried look with Carolyn. He should've realized whoever attempted to treat Itzhak would have an uphill battle on their hands. He chided himself for his lapse in judgment in letting Hanna assume the responsibility. Hanna was an excellent physician and usually quite sensible. Nevertheless, even the most level-headed doctor couldn't reasonably be expected to maintain her professional detachment when it was her best friend she was taking care of.

Carson slid down from the bed he'd been sitting on. "Carolyn, if you're done with me—"

"I'm done," Carolyn said. "You'd better help Hanna. Meanwhile, I think I'll go to the lab and see if I can be of any use there."

"Go," Carson said. "Let me know if you find out anything."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-.

"Dr. Eriksson, what are you doing?"

The first image that had met Carson's eyes when he stepped into the curtain-enclosed space was the sight of Hanna with her gloved hands upraised as if she were trying to ward off danger. Carson thought Hanna's posture might have been understandable if there'd been any indication of a threat, but until Carson's arrival, the only other person with her had been Itzhak. At the moment, Itzhak was one of the least menacing specimens of humankind Carson had ever seen. He was curled up in a clearly self-protecting manner, and although he was giving Hanna a baleful look, Carson thought the overall effect was more pitiful than hostile.

"I've been trying to draw blood," said Hanna. "I didn't know it would be this difficult."

"What's the problem?"

"He won't let me near him because he thinks I want to hurt him. Dr. Beckett, you know I would never—"

"I know, love," Carson said. "Itzhak knows, too. He's just not thinking clearly right now."

Hanna was putting forth a valiant effort in maintaining her composure, though Carson guessed her emotions weren't far below the surface. She said, "He acts as if he doesn't even recognize me."

Carson placed a hand on Hanna's arm and drew her several steps away from the bed. "Whatever he's been exposed to is making him behave that way," he said. "We'll let him rest for a few minutes, and then I'll see what I can do about convincing him to let us get a blood sample."

Hanna nodded. "All right."

"Now then, why don't you tell me how you got on with Dr. Zelenka?"

"He was very cooperative about everything," Hanna said. She smiled tentatively. "Even the blood test. He told me he was having trouble breathing. His heart rate is a little higher than normal, but his airway is clear and his breath sounds are good. I didn't notice any injuries, either, except for his hand. Very minor burns on his fingers."

"Is he still complaining about being too warm?"

"Yes. His temperature is slightly elevated, but that wouldn't make him feel as warm as he says he is." Hanna frowned. "This might sound odd, but he and Itzhak are both presenting with several of the same symptoms as someone using psychedelic drugs."

"It's not odd to me," Carson said. "I was thinking the same thing earlier."

"What do you think is causing that?"

"I really don't want to speculate too much until we see the lab results."

"But, you have some idea, don't you? Do you think the effects are just temporary, or will we need—"

"Hanna…?" Itzhak's voice from behind them made Hanna pause mid-sentence.

Carson was astounded at how quickly Hanna turned when she heard her name. She closed the distance between herself and her friend in virtually no time at all.

"I'm here," she said. "I'm right here."

"Hanna." Itzhak stared at her as if he'd only just figured out who she really was. He reached toward her with a trembling hand. "Hanna, what are you doing here? You shouldn't be here. It's not…where…where are we?"

Hanna took his hand in hers. She said, "We're in the Infirmary."

"In…Atlantis?"

"Yes, in Atlantis. Do you remember what happened?"

"I was somewhere, but I don't know where. Carson was there. It was raining," Itzhak closed his eyes and added in a whisper, "I…I was really afraid. Nothing was making sense."

"You're safe now," Hanna told him. "Carson and I are right here. We want to help you. Will you let Carson draw a little bit of blood, so we can test it? We want to know what's making you sick."

Itzhak moved his head on the pillow in approximation of a nod. Carson counted this small gesture of assent as a breakthrough, because the way things had been going so far, he'd quite honestly expected Itzhak to put up more of a protest about having someone stick a needle in his arm. At the best of times, Itzhak had a healthy apprehension for the business end of any needle.

While Carson did his work, Hanna contributed by trying to distract her friend with a monologue about baseball. It was obvious to Carson that Hanna knew next to nothing about the sport, but her lack of baseball savvy didn't seem to matter, as her strategy turned out to be a good one.

"There," Carson said when he'd finished. "Now that wasn't so terrible, was it?"

'Hurt like hell," Itzhak mumbled. "Teach you how to do that properly when I'm feeling better."

Carson smiled. "I'm sure I'll get a great benefit from that," he said.

"Teasing?"

"Of course not. I'd never do any such thing," said Carson. "You rest now, all right? I'll come back and check on you in a bit."

"I'm going to sit with him for a while, if that's all right," Hanna said.

"That's fine," Carson said. "I'm going to the lab and then I want to look in on Radek. I'll be back here after that."

Hanna nodded her agreement, and Carson turned to leave. He'd only taken one step beyond the curtain around the bed when Hanna called him back.

"Oh! Carson, wait. There's something I almost forgot," Hanna said. "When you mentioned Dr. Zelenka just now, you reminded me. He gave me something, but I don't know what I'm supposed to do with it."

"What is it?" Carson said.

Hanna reached into the pocket of her clinic coat and removed something small. She held the object out to Carson. When he accepted it from her, he saw that it was a clear crystal like the ones that controlled most of the Ancient technology in Atlantis.

"Dr. Zelenka couldn't remember why he had it," Hanna said. "He thought it was important, though. He said Dr. McKay or Colonel Sheppard might know what it was for."

TBC
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