Dark Secrets Ch4
Okay, so this is all I have for now. I'm going to try and have more up soon, as well as update my other stuff. Thanks for reading through this. It means a lot that I'm able to share my insanities without being judged... for the most part! haha
Chapter 4
Gathered around the conference room table, Elizabeth, John, Teyla, Rodney, Carson, and Kate were studying the copies of all the notes that they had received, trying to figure out how to handle the situation that had recently presented itself. Studying a copy of the notes, Kate was the first to speak.
“Mirac was exiled to this planet?”
”Apparently.” Elizabeth answered.
“So basically, what you’re saying is that there is now a very slim chance that this is not just a coincidence?” Kate asked before turning back to her folder.
“Basically, yeah.”
“What did this Mirac guy do that was so bad?” John asked, looking through the folder that was in front of him.
“From what we’ve been able to determine, he was able to find a way to become immune to the Wraith’s feeding process.” Elizabeth told him.
“So what’s the problem with that? It would seem to me that that would be okay with the others. It would be a major advantage to them. ” John inquired, confused to why this information was so horrible.
“Here’s the kicker,” Elizabeth started, “his methods were unethical. But that’s not what’s so horrible. He was working with the Wraith.”
Stopping midway flipping through his folder, Rodney’s, along with the other’s, attention was immediately drawn to Elizabeth. “What?”
“At first, it started as a study of a deceased Wraith guard that was procured. He set out to do what he did, but the other Ancients had better methods in mind.”
“How did he go against the others?” This time, it was Teyla who was trying to understand.
“In his experiments, he began using human test subjects. However, many of his experiments started exhibiting multiple complications, then death.”
“What kind of complications?” Carson asked after flipping through some of the pages in the folder. Judging by the look on her face, everyone knew that what Elizabeth was about to say, wasn’t going to be present.
“It varied by the subject.” Elizabeth told them. “But most of the cases involved the human subject’s physiology beginning to mock that of a Wraith’s. When their bodies couldn’t adapt, they died. Others began to take on traits and/or characteristics of a Wraith. Some, like the experiment’s done on Teyla’s people, began to tap into the Wraith telepathic network.” Beginning to understand the complexity of the case at hand, Rodney was next to speak.
“But how was…” Rodney didn’t even get a chance to finish asking his question before Elizabeth stepped back in and finished it for him.
“He able to do this? He was a geneticist, among other things. He was able to manipulate DNA on a subatomic level.”
“But that’s impossible. Genetic manipulation on that level just isn’t able to be preformed accurately, let alone done in the first place.” Carson said, arguing from his medical perspective.
“Not for us maybe, but for the ancients, it could have been like riding a bicycle. Assuming of course they had bicycles.” John said. Getting back on subject John quickly resumed learning about Mirac. “You said he was a geneticist among other things. What else did he do?”
“Well, from what we’ve been able to determine, he was also a physicist.” Elizabeth said, leaning forward and placing her hands on the table.
“Why did this Mirac join forces with the Wraith?” Teyla asked, unsure of why such action would be taken.
“Apparently,” Elizabeth started, “he didn’t like the way the war was going. Actually, I can’t say I blame him. But he was basically already on his third strike with the other Ancients. When he presented his idea of using the Stargate as a bomb on Wraith inhabited worlds, he lost it. After that, he actually managed to overtake the control room and incapacitate the ones in there. Mirac was able to destroy two worlds before he was stopped.”
“Okay. I get why he’s so bad. But what does that have to do with the attack and Stackhouse?” John asked after hearing this information.
“Well, he was a high ranking scientist among the Ancients before he started turning toward less ethical methods. But Rodney can tell you more about that than I can.” Elizabeth responded, looking towards Rodney, who didn’t really know what she was talking about at first.
“Huh?” Rodney asked, the confused look still painted on his face.
“Rodney.”
“Oh, yeah.” Rodney said, realizing what Elizabeth had meant. “Uh, in the Milky Way, the ancients left repositories on certain worlds with their database contained inside them. When General O’Neill was still apart of SG-1, he managed to have both databases downloaded into his brain. Now, the Asgard were able to remove the information before it killed him and we were able to learn a lot. Even though the first device’s power source was depleted, it was still extracted and taken to Area 51 for study.”
“I’m sorry,” Teyla said, “Area 51?”
“It’s a super-secret base back on Earth where they do a lot of top secret research and development.” John explained. Noticing the nod from Teyla, which indicated that she now understood a little more, Rodney resumed his portion of the briefing.
“The scientists doing the research discovered an almost undetectable energy signature still radiating from the device. That signature matches perfectly with the beam thing that came through the Stargate.”
“But that still doesn’t explain what’s happening with Stackhouse.” John interjected, slightly agitated.
“Yes, well, I was just about to get to that before I was rudely interrupted. According to the file that was attached to the gate address, Mirac was doing research in transferring his consciousness, or at least a copy of his consciousness into another vessel.”
“Vessel?” Carson asked, not entirely sure of what Rodney had meant.
“You know, another body or a computer for instance. Anything with the capacity to hold some type of information. Anyway, it’s possible that this is where the Asgard got the idea of transferring their consciousness into their cloned bodies.” With what Rodney had just said beginning to click, Carson immediately realized the situation.
“So the erratic brainwaves on Sergeant Stackhouse’s EEG weren’t his.”
“What?!” John asked, completely confused.
“That could possibly explain why Stackhouse has been hearing and seeing things.” Kate said, looking around at everyone in the room.
“What could?” John once again asked, still confused and still being ignored.
“Possibly,” Rodney started, “but this all speculation at the moment. We need more information before anything definite is said.”
“Okay, if I have to ask WHAT one more time, I’m gonna shot somebody.” John told them, aggravated, confused, and concerned.
“General O’Neill didn’t show any signs that something was wrong at first; it took some time. But at the moment, it’s believable that the funky brainwaves on Stackhouse’s EEG are actually parts of Mirac’s thoughts and memories trying to break through.” Looking towards Kate and Carson, Rodney began speculating on the cause. “Now, basically both times that Stackhouse went bonkers was when he was in pain or very relaxed, right?”
“Despite your choice of words, yes.” Kate told him, slightly agitated about Rodney’s wording.
“But the point is,” Rodney began, “the hallucinations Stackhouse has been experiencing are possibly a result of thoughts and memories that have been downloaded into his subconscious trying to integrate into his conscious mind. Perhaps even trying to takeover completely.”
“What are you saying?” John asked, trying to comprehend what Rodney was telling them. “This guy digitally stored his marbles to transfer later and finish his dark and evil work?”
Beginning to go into one of his moods, Rodney became increasingly annoyed. “ I don’t know. Maybe he hoped something like this would happen ten thousand years sooner so he could have an intelligent conversations with himself.”
“Keep it up McKay.” John replied with his own annoyance showing in his voice.
“Gentlemen!” Elizabeth intervened before a fight broke out. “We need to keep cool heads this situation. Fighting won’t help anything.”
“I really don’t know why this happened, but I kinda have a theory on how it happened.” Rodney said, regaining his composure.
“Please, do tell.” Kate urged.
“About two and a half years ago, SG-1 came across a planet that had a piece of Ancient technology that holographically displayed the genetic makeup of a test subject and then could be used to alter their DNA. The dark side of the experimentation of this was seen in the population, who were being experimented on by the Goa’uld Nirrti. She was on a quest to create the perfect human host. Perhaps the same thing happened with this situation. A device was created using both aspects of the Ancient machines.”
“Is there anything that we can do to resolve the situation?” Teyla asked.
“To be honest, I’m not sure.” Elizabeth answered, the anxiety clearly painted on her face and in her voice.
“I can run some more tests to see if anything shows up.” Carson told them, making a few notes for reference.
“Did you not say that it is possible that Sergeant Stackhouse is experiencing Mirac’s memories?” Teyla inquired, the look on her face indicating she was thinking.
“Yeah.” Rodney replied, not really sure where she was going with this. “Why?”
“Would it not be possible for Dr. Heightmeyer to try hypnosis to see if anymore information could be obtained?”
Both Elizabeth and Kate happened to glance up at the same time upon hearing Teyla’s proposal.
“That could possibly work.” Kate said, thinking it over. “By digging, for lack of a better term, into Stackhouse’s subconscious, maybe we could finally find out why this happened.”
“Why not?” John said, immediately beginning to like the idea. “It worked with Teyla.”
“It’s worth a shot. For all we know, this could only be the first in a wave of attacks or maybe an invasion.” Elizabeth told them. “Carson, after you run your tests, work with Dr. Heightmeyer on the hypnosis.”
“Right.” Carson began. “Something is still unclear to me though. How did whoever know that there was going to be someone in the path of the beam?”
“Oh yeah, I almost forgot.” Rodney cut in. “Judging by the damage in the gate room, I was a little curious myself. I found that there were two energy signatures. One, had the shield not been raised, was powerful enough to do a lot of damage. Maybe even destroy the control room; creating a chain reaction that could have destroyed the entire city. And we know all know about the other one.”
“How did you figure out that the entire city could have been destroyed?” John asked, extremely confused as to how all of the explained events could have occurred.
“Well, from the energy readings, the resulting explosions in the gate room would have caused catastrophic structural damage causing the jumper bay to collapse in on top of the control room. The drones in the jumpers would have caused even more damage, making its way to the naquadah generator in the control tower. Not to mention to add the devastation when the energy waves would have made their way to the Zed P. M. Now if we had three full charged…” Rodney explained but was cut off by Elizabeth.
“Okay, we get it.”
“Right, sorry. Anyways, I figure it was a double shot. Both the weapon and the other thing fired through at the same time. Just incase one plan failed the backup would work. Obviously, the shield held back worst one but was drained, therefore letting the bad one through.”
“We don’t know how this will affect Stackhouse in the long run. So lets get moving before we loose anymore time.” Elizabeth said, absorbing the information.
“Uh, just one more thing.” John started as everyone began to stand up and the doors to the conference room opened. “Who gets to explain all of this to Stackhouse?” Judging by the different areas that were covered in the briefing, it was clear that it was not going to be an easy job for just one person.
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Adam was restless. As he lay in bed, sweat was beaded across his forehead. Tossing around, he could feel that something wasn’t right, despite the fact that he wasn’t conscious.
He was walking the halls of Atlantis. But something was different somehow. He felt like he wasn’t in control of his body. Like there was someone or something controlling him. That wasn’t the only thing that was different. There was more activity going on. Suddenly, he stopped. Peering around the corner, he what he saw shocked him on some level. The three Atlanteans from his vision earlier where standing there. Again the scenario played out, but from an alternate perspective. Meeting in the same spot, the desperate conversation began.
“The Wraith have begun another attack on the city. Where is Mirac?”
“He managed to elude us as the attacks began. We don’t know where he is.”
“He must be restrained immediately. If he escapes and makes contact with the Wraith, the information he stole will be lost forever.”
Adam felt himself look down. Down at the stunner he was holding. He could feel himself raising the weapon, aiming and firing.
With his eyes snapping open, Adam glanced around at his surroundings. He was in his quarters. Everything appeared to be normal. Throwing the covers off of him, Adam got up and headed to his bathroom. Turning on his sink, he splashed the cold water on his face, trying to recompose himself. Turing off the water, he grabbed a nearby towel and began drying his face. However, he nearly fell when he glanced in the mirror. The face that stared back at him was not his own but the face of Mirac.
Jerking awake into a sitting position, Adam tried to catch his breath as the sweat rolled down the side of his face. ‘Am I really awake this time?’ he asked himself. Judging by the way his heart felt like it was about to beat out of his chest, he quickly determined he was. Putting his hand over his heart, Adam got a chill when his hand touched his chest. Despite the fact that he was hot and covered with sweat, his hands were cold, which, he figured, could not be good. Glancing over to his window, Adam could tell that it was late evening. The setting sun still cast a faint orange glow on t he water, the sensation calming him for a split second. His peace did not last long though as a knock on his door shattered the quiet. Getting up, Adam didn’t even bother reaching for his shirt as he made his was to the door. Opening it, he was surprised to see John and Elizabeth standing there.
“Sergeant, are you okay?” John asked, noticing how Adam appeared.
“Yes, sir. Just a bad dream.” He told him while rubbing his forehead. “Is everything alright, sir?”
John looked to Elizabeth to start when he didn’t really know how to.
“Sergeant, do you mind if we come in?” She asked.
“No. Not at all.” He replied, stepping aside to let them in. “I’m sorry for not being dressed.”
“Don’t be.” Elizabeth told him. “Uh, you might want to sit down for this. It gets kinda complicated at times.”
“What does?” He asked while sitting down on the edge of his bed, not sure of what she was talking about.
“First off,” John began, “we may have partially figured out what’s been happening to you.”
Instantly, Adam was fully awake.
“Mirac, the person in your visions, was an Ancient scientist.” Elizabeth told him. “He worked on finding ways to fight against the Wraith. But his methods were less that perfect.”
“Basically he was on the ‘three-strike’ plan working on his ninth strike.” John said, adding his own, simplistic view of the situation.
“From hearing about your vision, I assume it’s safe to say that you know he alluded capture during an attack on the city.”
Nodding, Adam let everything sink in. “But why am I seeing these things?” Adam asked, the worry clearly heard on his voice.
“Apparently, Mirac was researching on transferring his consciousness. We believe that the beam was emanated by the device that was created for the transfer. Combined with another device, whoever fired it into the Stargate was trying to destroy us.”
“Is that all?” he asked, looking up at them.
“No,” Elizabeth said. “There’s more but it’s still being translated.”
“Dr. Beckett wants you to come by for a few tests. Then, Dr. Heightmeyer wants to try to hypnotize you to see if there is any more information that we can learn.” John told him.
“Sergeant, I can only imagine what you’re going through and that this is a lot for you to process. But we believe that this is the only way to find a way to reverse what has happened.” Elizabeth said. “I’ll also get you a copy of what we know and anything else we learn after the translations have been finished.”
Nodding, Adam got up and grabbed a shirt and headed toward the door.
“Thank you. For everything.” He told them.
“Where are you going?” John asked, confused.
“To see Dr. Beckett. Now’s a good of a time as any.”
“You really need to rest, Sergeant.” Elizabeth objected.
“No offense ma’am, but I really don’t see that happening right now.”
“Okay.” She said, nodding that she understood. Pulling on his shirt, Adam began heading towards the infirmary.
Looking towards John, Elizabeth received one of his signature looks. With that, they left Adam’s quarters and headed in the opposite direction.
Lost in thought, time passed quickly for Adam as he made his way to the infirmary. When he arrived, he found Carson sitting at his desk looking over some charts that were in front of him. Unsure as to how aware Carson was of his presence, he cautiously gained his attention.
“Dr. Beckett?” Adam called, not wanting Carson to cause himself any injury by startling him. Turning, Carson gave Adam a smile.
“Sergeant, you’re starting to be seen in here far too often.” He joked. Suddenly noticing that Adam was wearing a pair of jogging pants, a sleeveless shirt and no shoes, he automatically knew why he was there. “So I take it you’ve been informed, then?”
“Yes, sir. Dr. Weir and Colonel Sheppard just told me.” Adam told him, walking over to one of the beds. “They said you wanted to do some more tests?”
“Aye. First off, I want to take a few blood samples. I assume you also know about wanting to try the hypnotherapy?”
“Yeah.” He said, sitting down on one of the beds. “Forgive me for being skeptical, but I really don’t see how that’ll work.”
Placing a needle next to Adam on the bed, Carson reached for one of the rubber straps that was close to him and tied it around Adam’s upper arm. Searching for a vein, Carson did his best to try and explain.
“Well, I’m not a psychiatrist, but the way I understand it is that we’re going to see if you can tell us something you know that you don’t realize you know. I’ve seen it done when we used the procedure on Teyla. Dr. Heightmeyer can tell you more about it than I can.” He explained, giving Adam a smile. Placing the needle next to Adam’s skin, Carson hesitated before proceeding. “Ready?”
“Yeah.”
After pressing the needle into Adam’s vein, Carson attached one of the three test tubes to the line and began to fill them. When all three were full, Carson removed the needle and pressed a small wad of gauze over the puncture hole.
“If you don’t mind me asking,” Adam began, “what exactly are you looking for?”
“To be honest, I don’t really know. But I’ll know it when I find it.” Carson told him, placing a piece of medical tape over the gauze. Noticing the dark circles that were under his eyes, Carson realized that the stress had started to take its toll on Stackhouse. Taking in the fact that Stackhouse was probably not getting the sleep he needed, Carson decided to wait before putting the younger man through anything else. “You know, I’m just going to hold off on those other tests.”
Adam let out a slight sigh of relief after hearing those words. To be honest, he really didn’t feel like being poked and prodded, despite the fact that he wanted to find out what was happening to him.
“Are you sleeping well?” Carson asked, placing the vials of blood next to the equipment on his desk. Turning around, Carson didn’t even need an answer. He just wanted to hear it from Adam.
“No”. Adam admitted. “At night, I just toss and turn. And when I do finally fall asleep, I have these weird dreams that wake me up.”
“If you’d like, I can give you something to help you sleep.” Carson offered.
“Thanks, but no thanks.” He told him. “Honestly, I feel like I’m on enough meds to open my own pharmacy.”
Smiling, Carson gave him an understanding look. “If you change your mind let me know.”
“Thanks doc. Is there anything else?”
“At the moment, no. Just try and rest. And go talk with Dr. Heightmeyer when you can.”
“Yes, sir.” With that, Adam got off the bed and made his way out of the infirmary. Watching him leave, Carson couldn’t help but feel sorry for what he was going through. Turning his attention back to the vials of blood that were on his desk. Carson proceeded to prepare for the various tests he needed to do.
Walking down the corridors, Adam wasn’t sure where he was planning on going next. He thought about making his way to the gym, to see if he could try to exhaust himself so he could sleep. Other places popped in his head also. The control room, the mess hall, even the jumper bay. Just to take his mind off of everything else. Finally his destination came to him. Hoping it wasn’t to late in the evening, Adam made his way to the transporter. Once in the chamber, he pressed the screen indicating the closest transporter to Dr. Heightmeyer’s office. After the short trip, Adam proceeded down the hall and in no time came to Kate’s door. Pressing the crystal to open the door, Adam stuck his head in to see if Kate was around. Noticing that she was at the window and didn’t seem to be aware that he was there, Adam decided to knock to alert her of his presence.
“Dr. Heightmeyer?”
Turning away from the window, Kate gave Adam a smile. “Adam. Hi.”
“Is this a bad time?”
“Of course not. Come on in.” Making his way out of the door’s threshold, Adam made his way to the chair near the window. Sitting down, he glanced out at the two visible piers of the city, illuminated with a mix of the city’s lighting, the stars, and the miniscule sunlight that shone above the horizon. “Peaceful isn’t it?”
“Yeah.” Adam replied, not taking his gaze away from the view.
“What’s on your mind?” Turning to face Kate, Adam thought about how to word the many different thoughts and questions that were jumbled together in his brain.
“I was hoping I could talk to you about a dream I had earlier.”
“Go on.” She told him, leaning forward to hear him better.
“It was like the vision I had.” He told her, leaning his head down so he was staring at the floor. “The one where I was in the hall with the three Atlanteans. But, it was from a different perspective. I was holding the stunner. Then I woke up, or so I thought. I went to splash some water on my face but after I did, the face in the mirror wasn’t mine, it was Mirac’s. Then I really woke up. That’s when Dr. Weir and Colonel Sheppard came.”
“To be honest, I don’t know what to tell you. It could be his memories trying to integrate into yours. I’m sorry I can’t be more helpful but this really isn’t my area of expertise. But I am glad you came to talk to me.” Kate said. “Is there anything else?” Nodding, Adam lifted his head.
“I was kind of hoping you could maybe explain the hypnotherapy to me a little better. Dr. Beckett tried his best but I’m still unsure of how it works.”
“Of course,” Kate began. “Simply put, we’re gonna try to pull information from your subconscious mind. Which is what basically happens when you’re asleep anyways. That’s why, half the time, it’s hard to remember dreams. All they are is just your mind attempting to sort through events of the day, or trying to plan out what needs to be done the next day.”
Trying to comprehend the information, Adam just let it sink in before moving on.
“How exactly will you do it?”
“Well, Dr. Beckett will give you something to help you relax and will also monitor your vital signs. Then I’ll talk you through it. It’s really easy.”
“Can you give me your honest opinion?” Adam asked, after hearing the other bit of information.
“I can try.” Kate replied, surprised by the amount of concern and uncertainty in his voice.
“Do you think this will help find out what’s wrong with me?”
“I don’t know. I hope so.” Kate told him, give him a smile for reassurance. “We can deal with this tomorrow. Right now, you need to rest.”
“Dr. Beckett said the same thing.” Adam told her with a small laugh.
“And he’s right. So now you have two doctors whose orders you need to follow.”
Nodding, Adam got up and headed for the door. Starting back towards his quarters he began to think about what Kate had just told him. Adam desperately wanted to be cured of whatever it was that was happening to him. But most of all, he needed to try and rest.
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Morning came more quickly than Adam had hoped. Despite the fact that he only got about an hours worth of sleep, Adam got up and took a hot shower before quickly dressing into a dark blue short sleeved shirt and a pair of blue jeans then headed towards the infirmary. When he arrived, he was kind of nervous when he saw that not only were Dr. Beckett and Dr. Heightmeyer were there, John, Elizabeth, and Teyla were also there. He knew, however, that they were there for support and to see what kind of information he would be able to tell them. Teyla was the first to notice his arrival in the infirmary.
“Sergeant. How are feeling?” She asked, everyone turning to face him as she did so.
“Fine.” He replied. That was a lie. He was very tired, and very uncomfortable with everyone staring at him. Kate was the next to speak up.
“Are you ready?” she asked.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.” He said, making his way over to the bed where everyone was gathered. After sitting down, Adam took off his shirt then situated himself so he was in a lying position. Next, Carson placed an IV in his left arm then proceeded to attach a few leads on Adam’s temples and a few on his chest. Moving to his side, Kate sat down next to him on the bed, a small flashlight in her hand.
“If at anytime you want out, just say so and we’ll administer a low-grade electrical shock.” Kate told him. “Dr. Beckett will also be monitoring your brain activity throughout the process.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He told her after she basically explained why he was attached to so many different wires.
With a nod, Kate signaled Carson with the sedative. Inserting the syringe into tube connected to the IV, Carson emptied its contents into Adam’s bloodstream.
“Dr. Beckett is giving you a mild sedative to help you relax. Now I want you to take a deep breath and focus on the light, letting your mind go blank.” Clicking the light on, Kate shone the light into Adam’s face. Clicking it off, Kate continued. “Now close your eyes and concentrate. Think back to your dream. You told me it was like your vision.”
“Yes.” He told her, the sedative clearly taking effect.
“Tell me what you see.”
“The three Atlanteans. They’re standing in the hall talking about Mirac escaping.” Watching him carefully, John, Elizabeth, Teyla and Carson were taking in what Adam was seeing. Turning his head slightly to the side, Adam continued. “I’m moving closer to them. I… I also have something in my hands.” Adam began to breathe heavily as soon as he realized what it was. “It’s a stunner. I can fell myself activating it.”
“Okay. Adam, focus on what happens after the Atlanteans have been stunned.” Kate told him, not wanting Adam to become too distracted.
“I’m walking over to them, staring at them. Now I’m going down the hall. There’s also a beeping sound coming from a small device. I think it’s some sort of communicator.”
“Can you tell us about the communication?” Kate asked, helping Adam keep his focus.
“It’s…” Adam’s voice trailed off as his head suddenly fell to the side. Moment’s later, Adam’s body was rocked by mild jerks.
“Carson!” Elizabeth cried out. Instantly Carson was by Adam’s side checking to see what had happened. Carson’s attempt to check Adam’s pupils proved to be impossible because of the movement and the fact that his eyes were rolled back in his head.
“He’s having a seizure!” Carson said, reaching for another syringe that he had placed with the other equipment he had. During all the excitement, no one noticed the change of the pattern on the monitor displaying Adam’s brainwaves. Before Carson had the chance to uncap the other syringe, Adam’s body stopped moving. Suddenly his eyes opened and began staring around the room and at the people around him.
“Stackhouse?” John asked, worried about his officer, just like everyone else was.
“Not exactly.” Despite the fact that it was Stackhouse’s voice, it wasn’t Stackhouse. Chills began to crawl down John’s spine as he stepped in front of Elizabeth, closer to the bed. “I have to admit, it’s good to see my old home again. Sadly, it will not be around much longer.” Trying to make sense of what ‘Stackhouse’ was saying, Elizabeth thought she should try to get some answers.
“Who are you?” She asked?
“You already know the answer to that. Doctor Weir.”
“Let me guess, Mirac?” John guessed.
“Correct, Colonel Sheppard.” ‘Mirac’ said, maneuvering into a sitting position on the bed.
“You know who we are?”
“Of course.” He told John.
“So why are you doing this?” John asked, inching closer to the bed. Staring into Stackhouse’s eyes, John could see his answer before he even said it.
“Easy. For revenge.” No sooner had he confirmed John’s suspicions, Mirac hit John with enough force that it knocked him back and to the floor. Taken by surprise, everyone in the room acted on instinct and backed away. Taking advantage of this, Mirac pulled out the IV, then grabbed all the wires connected to him and jerked them off. Jumping off the bed, Mirac made his way to the door or the infirmary.
Recovering from the hit, John pulled himself off the floor and tackled Mirac before he could leave. While Elizabeth and Kate kept their distance, Teyla rushed over to John in hopes to help him. Behind Elizabeth, Carson rummaged through the mess that had been made; searching for the syringe he was reaching for earlier. Finding it, he immediately uncapped it and tried to find the right moment to use it. Managing to wrestle John off of him, Mirac once again turned to the door but this time was stopped by Teyla.
“It would be a shame for me to kill you. Step aside.”
“No.” Was all that Teyla told him. Noticing that Carson had the syringe, she intended to keep Mirac in place. However, that plan wasn’t so easily executed.
“Very well.” He told her. Immediately, he advanced towards Teyla, but did not count on her superior fighting skills. As Mirac struck, Teyla grabbed his arms and twisted them behind his back. Using her leg, she then hit Mirac behind his left knee, forcing him to the floor. While Teyla had him at bay, Carson used the moment to his advantage. Rushing over, Carson jabbed the needle into Stackhouse’s neck and quickly pressed the plunger. Within seconds, the liquid began to take effect. Stackhouse went limp in Teyla’s arms as she released he grip on him. As Carson grabbed Adam under his arms, Teyla grabbed his feet and they carried him to the nearest bed. After they had placed Adam on the bed, Elizabeth turned her attention immediately to Sheppard.
“John!” She cried as she rushed to help him up. “Are you alright?”
“Yeah. I’ve had worse days.” He said regaining his composure. Grabbing a cloth, he began wiping the blood that flowed from his nose as he turned his attention to Carson. “It’s a good thing you had that extra sedative near by, doc.”
“The only problem, Colonel,” Carson began, looking up to John, “it wasn’t a sedative. It was a stimulant.” Turning his attention back to Adam, Carson reattached the EEG monitor. After Elizabeth had tended to John, everyone gathered at a safe distance and stared at Adam’s unconscious body on the bed.
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Chapter 5
Nearly an hour had passed since the incident in the infirmary. John’s injury looked worse than what it actually was and thankfully his nose wasn’t broken. After getting checked out and making sure that Adam was secure, John made his way into Elizabeth’s office. There he found Teyla and Kate joining her. Noticing his arrival, Elizabeth immediately turned her attention to him.
“John. How are you?”
“I’m fine,” he said, taking a position behind Teyla, “nothing serious. I just won’t be able to smell anything properly for a while. Kid’s got a good arm on em; I’ll give him that.”
“How is Sergeant Stackhouse?” Teyla asked, turning around to look at John.
“Well, I think he was just starting to come around when I was leaving. But I’m not sure.” No sooner had John finished talking and propped himself up against the wall, Carson came across the catwalk into Elizabeth’s office carrying his data pad, trying to catch his breath as if he had rushed to get there. Looking over to Carson, John raised an eyebrow at him. “Didn’t I just leave you?”
Giving a slight smile, Carson acknowledged. “Yes Colonel, you did. But this is very important.”
“What’s wrong?” Elizabeth asked, now at full attention.
“I just got the results of Stackhouse’s blood work. There is an anomaly throughout parts of his DNA.” Carson explained, handing the data pad to Elizabeth.
“What kind of anomaly?” Kate asked after taking a quick glance at the pad.
“From what I can make out, it appears to be similar to the ATA gene. However, I don’t really know yet. I’ll keep running tests to see if I can determine anything further.”
“I didn’t think Stackhouse had the gene.” John said, looking kind of confused.
“He doesn’t. And he never received the gene therapy.” Carson explained.
“What about Stackhouse?” Elizabeth asked, looking up, her eyes meeting with Carson’s.
“Poor lad doesn’t remember a thing. His last clear memory is of me administering the sedative. I haven’t told him about this. If you ask me, he’s been through enough as it is.”
“Good idea.” Elizabeth agreed, returning her attention to the data pad.
“So where do we go from here?” Kate asked, breaking the momentary silence.
“I guess the only logical step would be to dial the address and see what we get.” Elizabeth said, turning to look at John. “What do you think?”
“I think that’s what would be best. Ultimately, it’s your call. But I think Stackhouse needs to be there when we do.” Noticing Elizabeth’s nod of agreement, John then turned his attention to Carson. “Where is he now?”
“He mentioned going to the south-west pier to try and clear his head. He left right after I did.”
“We need to find out what’s going on and soon. I mean, who knows how this will affect Stackhouse more than it already has.” Elizabeth stated, matter-of-factly.
“Right. I’ll go track down Stackhouse and meet you back in the control room.” John said, turning to leave.
“Carson,” Elizabeth started, standing up, “keep running tests to see what you can find out. Keep us informed.”
“Right.” Carson said, and then exited the door behind him.
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Leaning against the railing, Adam stared at the water. The soft ocean breeze that ruffled his hair mixed with the setting sun gave Adam sense of tranquility. The first moment of real peace he had felt since this whole ordeal began. Lost in thought he didn’t even hear John come up behind him. Not wanting to startle the young man, John made his presence known by knocking on the wall.
“Sergeant?” Instantly, Adam returned to reality and snapped to attention at the sound of his C.O.’s voice.
“Colonel!”
“At ease, Sergeant.” John told him, walking closer to Adam. As he got closer, Adam relaxed slightly but suddenly noticed how red John’s nose was. Walking next to Adam, John propped himself on the rail with his arms and leaned over the side to stare into the ocean below. “How are you?” He asked, turning his attention away from the water and to Adam.
“I’m fine, sir.” Adam said. “Sir. I need to apologize. I don’t remember what happened but Dr. Beckett told he about what went on. I feel terrible about what I did.”
“Stackhouse, nobody blames you for what’s going on. In all of this, you’re the biggest victim, so there’s no reason to apologize.”
Hearing John’s words brought a bit of relief to Adam.
“However, I do have to ask,” John began, “have you ever played baseball or football? Cuz you’ve got a pretty powerful arm on you.”
Adam couldn’t help but smile. “No, sir.” Even though he had been on a few missions with him, he could now see why everyone respected Sheppard so much. He could find a silver lining in every cloud, despite the situation, and still know how to do his job without hesitation.
“Come on. We’re about to dial the address and Weir thought you should be there.”
“Yes sir.” As John began to walk up the small set of stairs, Adam turned to follow him. But as he did, he suddenly became dizzy. Turning back to the railing to keep from falling, Adam’s view of a peaceful-looking city changed. The control tower’s gleaming light suddenly became dark, buildings disappeared and others changed their appearance and the clear sky filled with dark clouds with lightning striking the lightning rods place throughout the city. But as quickly as it appeared, the scene changed back to the view he was looking at just moments before. Shaking his head trying to make sense of what happened, Adam was certain that he could smell a wisp of sulfur in the air.
Noticing the lack of company behind him, John turned to see Adam supporting himself against the railing. “Sergeant, are you okay?”
“Yes, sir.” Adam said, recomposing himself, “I just got lightheaded for a second.”
“Is that all?” John asked, concerned.
“I saw a flash.”
“A flash of what?”
“It’s hard to explain,” Adam began, “It was the city, but different. Then again, maybe I’m starting to go crazy.”
“Hey, we’re gonna get you through this. Besides, I can’t have one of my best officers goin AWOL on me.” John told him, trying to lighten Adam’s mood. “Come on. Weir’s waiting for us.”
“Yes sir.”
With that, Adam followed John and pushed the confusing image to the back of his mind. With no thoughts going through his mind, the journey to the control room seemed to be instantaneous, aside from the fact that the transporter was used. When they reached the control room, Adam was relieved to find that the stares that he was getting wherever he would go finally stopped.
Chapter 4
Gathered around the conference room table, Elizabeth, John, Teyla, Rodney, Carson, and Kate were studying the copies of all the notes that they had received, trying to figure out how to handle the situation that had recently presented itself. Studying a copy of the notes, Kate was the first to speak.
“Mirac was exiled to this planet?”
”Apparently.” Elizabeth answered.
“So basically, what you’re saying is that there is now a very slim chance that this is not just a coincidence?” Kate asked before turning back to her folder.
“Basically, yeah.”
“What did this Mirac guy do that was so bad?” John asked, looking through the folder that was in front of him.
“From what we’ve been able to determine, he was able to find a way to become immune to the Wraith’s feeding process.” Elizabeth told him.
“So what’s the problem with that? It would seem to me that that would be okay with the others. It would be a major advantage to them. ” John inquired, confused to why this information was so horrible.
“Here’s the kicker,” Elizabeth started, “his methods were unethical. But that’s not what’s so horrible. He was working with the Wraith.”
Stopping midway flipping through his folder, Rodney’s, along with the other’s, attention was immediately drawn to Elizabeth. “What?”
“At first, it started as a study of a deceased Wraith guard that was procured. He set out to do what he did, but the other Ancients had better methods in mind.”
“How did he go against the others?” This time, it was Teyla who was trying to understand.
“In his experiments, he began using human test subjects. However, many of his experiments started exhibiting multiple complications, then death.”
“What kind of complications?” Carson asked after flipping through some of the pages in the folder. Judging by the look on her face, everyone knew that what Elizabeth was about to say, wasn’t going to be present.
“It varied by the subject.” Elizabeth told them. “But most of the cases involved the human subject’s physiology beginning to mock that of a Wraith’s. When their bodies couldn’t adapt, they died. Others began to take on traits and/or characteristics of a Wraith. Some, like the experiment’s done on Teyla’s people, began to tap into the Wraith telepathic network.” Beginning to understand the complexity of the case at hand, Rodney was next to speak.
“But how was…” Rodney didn’t even get a chance to finish asking his question before Elizabeth stepped back in and finished it for him.
“He able to do this? He was a geneticist, among other things. He was able to manipulate DNA on a subatomic level.”
“But that’s impossible. Genetic manipulation on that level just isn’t able to be preformed accurately, let alone done in the first place.” Carson said, arguing from his medical perspective.
“Not for us maybe, but for the ancients, it could have been like riding a bicycle. Assuming of course they had bicycles.” John said. Getting back on subject John quickly resumed learning about Mirac. “You said he was a geneticist among other things. What else did he do?”
“Well, from what we’ve been able to determine, he was also a physicist.” Elizabeth said, leaning forward and placing her hands on the table.
“Why did this Mirac join forces with the Wraith?” Teyla asked, unsure of why such action would be taken.
“Apparently,” Elizabeth started, “he didn’t like the way the war was going. Actually, I can’t say I blame him. But he was basically already on his third strike with the other Ancients. When he presented his idea of using the Stargate as a bomb on Wraith inhabited worlds, he lost it. After that, he actually managed to overtake the control room and incapacitate the ones in there. Mirac was able to destroy two worlds before he was stopped.”
“Okay. I get why he’s so bad. But what does that have to do with the attack and Stackhouse?” John asked after hearing this information.
“Well, he was a high ranking scientist among the Ancients before he started turning toward less ethical methods. But Rodney can tell you more about that than I can.” Elizabeth responded, looking towards Rodney, who didn’t really know what she was talking about at first.
“Huh?” Rodney asked, the confused look still painted on his face.
“Rodney.”
“Oh, yeah.” Rodney said, realizing what Elizabeth had meant. “Uh, in the Milky Way, the ancients left repositories on certain worlds with their database contained inside them. When General O’Neill was still apart of SG-1, he managed to have both databases downloaded into his brain. Now, the Asgard were able to remove the information before it killed him and we were able to learn a lot. Even though the first device’s power source was depleted, it was still extracted and taken to Area 51 for study.”
“I’m sorry,” Teyla said, “Area 51?”
“It’s a super-secret base back on Earth where they do a lot of top secret research and development.” John explained. Noticing the nod from Teyla, which indicated that she now understood a little more, Rodney resumed his portion of the briefing.
“The scientists doing the research discovered an almost undetectable energy signature still radiating from the device. That signature matches perfectly with the beam thing that came through the Stargate.”
“But that still doesn’t explain what’s happening with Stackhouse.” John interjected, slightly agitated.
“Yes, well, I was just about to get to that before I was rudely interrupted. According to the file that was attached to the gate address, Mirac was doing research in transferring his consciousness, or at least a copy of his consciousness into another vessel.”
“Vessel?” Carson asked, not entirely sure of what Rodney had meant.
“You know, another body or a computer for instance. Anything with the capacity to hold some type of information. Anyway, it’s possible that this is where the Asgard got the idea of transferring their consciousness into their cloned bodies.” With what Rodney had just said beginning to click, Carson immediately realized the situation.
“So the erratic brainwaves on Sergeant Stackhouse’s EEG weren’t his.”
“What?!” John asked, completely confused.
“That could possibly explain why Stackhouse has been hearing and seeing things.” Kate said, looking around at everyone in the room.
“What could?” John once again asked, still confused and still being ignored.
“Possibly,” Rodney started, “but this all speculation at the moment. We need more information before anything definite is said.”
“Okay, if I have to ask WHAT one more time, I’m gonna shot somebody.” John told them, aggravated, confused, and concerned.
“General O’Neill didn’t show any signs that something was wrong at first; it took some time. But at the moment, it’s believable that the funky brainwaves on Stackhouse’s EEG are actually parts of Mirac’s thoughts and memories trying to break through.” Looking towards Kate and Carson, Rodney began speculating on the cause. “Now, basically both times that Stackhouse went bonkers was when he was in pain or very relaxed, right?”
“Despite your choice of words, yes.” Kate told him, slightly agitated about Rodney’s wording.
“But the point is,” Rodney began, “the hallucinations Stackhouse has been experiencing are possibly a result of thoughts and memories that have been downloaded into his subconscious trying to integrate into his conscious mind. Perhaps even trying to takeover completely.”
“What are you saying?” John asked, trying to comprehend what Rodney was telling them. “This guy digitally stored his marbles to transfer later and finish his dark and evil work?”
Beginning to go into one of his moods, Rodney became increasingly annoyed. “ I don’t know. Maybe he hoped something like this would happen ten thousand years sooner so he could have an intelligent conversations with himself.”
“Keep it up McKay.” John replied with his own annoyance showing in his voice.
“Gentlemen!” Elizabeth intervened before a fight broke out. “We need to keep cool heads this situation. Fighting won’t help anything.”
“I really don’t know why this happened, but I kinda have a theory on how it happened.” Rodney said, regaining his composure.
“Please, do tell.” Kate urged.
“About two and a half years ago, SG-1 came across a planet that had a piece of Ancient technology that holographically displayed the genetic makeup of a test subject and then could be used to alter their DNA. The dark side of the experimentation of this was seen in the population, who were being experimented on by the Goa’uld Nirrti. She was on a quest to create the perfect human host. Perhaps the same thing happened with this situation. A device was created using both aspects of the Ancient machines.”
“Is there anything that we can do to resolve the situation?” Teyla asked.
“To be honest, I’m not sure.” Elizabeth answered, the anxiety clearly painted on her face and in her voice.
“I can run some more tests to see if anything shows up.” Carson told them, making a few notes for reference.
“Did you not say that it is possible that Sergeant Stackhouse is experiencing Mirac’s memories?” Teyla inquired, the look on her face indicating she was thinking.
“Yeah.” Rodney replied, not really sure where she was going with this. “Why?”
“Would it not be possible for Dr. Heightmeyer to try hypnosis to see if anymore information could be obtained?”
Both Elizabeth and Kate happened to glance up at the same time upon hearing Teyla’s proposal.
“That could possibly work.” Kate said, thinking it over. “By digging, for lack of a better term, into Stackhouse’s subconscious, maybe we could finally find out why this happened.”
“Why not?” John said, immediately beginning to like the idea. “It worked with Teyla.”
“It’s worth a shot. For all we know, this could only be the first in a wave of attacks or maybe an invasion.” Elizabeth told them. “Carson, after you run your tests, work with Dr. Heightmeyer on the hypnosis.”
“Right.” Carson began. “Something is still unclear to me though. How did whoever know that there was going to be someone in the path of the beam?”
“Oh yeah, I almost forgot.” Rodney cut in. “Judging by the damage in the gate room, I was a little curious myself. I found that there were two energy signatures. One, had the shield not been raised, was powerful enough to do a lot of damage. Maybe even destroy the control room; creating a chain reaction that could have destroyed the entire city. And we know all know about the other one.”
“How did you figure out that the entire city could have been destroyed?” John asked, extremely confused as to how all of the explained events could have occurred.
“Well, from the energy readings, the resulting explosions in the gate room would have caused catastrophic structural damage causing the jumper bay to collapse in on top of the control room. The drones in the jumpers would have caused even more damage, making its way to the naquadah generator in the control tower. Not to mention to add the devastation when the energy waves would have made their way to the Zed P. M. Now if we had three full charged…” Rodney explained but was cut off by Elizabeth.
“Okay, we get it.”
“Right, sorry. Anyways, I figure it was a double shot. Both the weapon and the other thing fired through at the same time. Just incase one plan failed the backup would work. Obviously, the shield held back worst one but was drained, therefore letting the bad one through.”
“We don’t know how this will affect Stackhouse in the long run. So lets get moving before we loose anymore time.” Elizabeth said, absorbing the information.
“Uh, just one more thing.” John started as everyone began to stand up and the doors to the conference room opened. “Who gets to explain all of this to Stackhouse?” Judging by the different areas that were covered in the briefing, it was clear that it was not going to be an easy job for just one person.
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Adam was restless. As he lay in bed, sweat was beaded across his forehead. Tossing around, he could feel that something wasn’t right, despite the fact that he wasn’t conscious.
He was walking the halls of Atlantis. But something was different somehow. He felt like he wasn’t in control of his body. Like there was someone or something controlling him. That wasn’t the only thing that was different. There was more activity going on. Suddenly, he stopped. Peering around the corner, he what he saw shocked him on some level. The three Atlanteans from his vision earlier where standing there. Again the scenario played out, but from an alternate perspective. Meeting in the same spot, the desperate conversation began.
“The Wraith have begun another attack on the city. Where is Mirac?”
“He managed to elude us as the attacks began. We don’t know where he is.”
“He must be restrained immediately. If he escapes and makes contact with the Wraith, the information he stole will be lost forever.”
Adam felt himself look down. Down at the stunner he was holding. He could feel himself raising the weapon, aiming and firing.
With his eyes snapping open, Adam glanced around at his surroundings. He was in his quarters. Everything appeared to be normal. Throwing the covers off of him, Adam got up and headed to his bathroom. Turning on his sink, he splashed the cold water on his face, trying to recompose himself. Turing off the water, he grabbed a nearby towel and began drying his face. However, he nearly fell when he glanced in the mirror. The face that stared back at him was not his own but the face of Mirac.
Jerking awake into a sitting position, Adam tried to catch his breath as the sweat rolled down the side of his face. ‘Am I really awake this time?’ he asked himself. Judging by the way his heart felt like it was about to beat out of his chest, he quickly determined he was. Putting his hand over his heart, Adam got a chill when his hand touched his chest. Despite the fact that he was hot and covered with sweat, his hands were cold, which, he figured, could not be good. Glancing over to his window, Adam could tell that it was late evening. The setting sun still cast a faint orange glow on t he water, the sensation calming him for a split second. His peace did not last long though as a knock on his door shattered the quiet. Getting up, Adam didn’t even bother reaching for his shirt as he made his was to the door. Opening it, he was surprised to see John and Elizabeth standing there.
“Sergeant, are you okay?” John asked, noticing how Adam appeared.
“Yes, sir. Just a bad dream.” He told him while rubbing his forehead. “Is everything alright, sir?”
John looked to Elizabeth to start when he didn’t really know how to.
“Sergeant, do you mind if we come in?” She asked.
“No. Not at all.” He replied, stepping aside to let them in. “I’m sorry for not being dressed.”
“Don’t be.” Elizabeth told him. “Uh, you might want to sit down for this. It gets kinda complicated at times.”
“What does?” He asked while sitting down on the edge of his bed, not sure of what she was talking about.
“First off,” John began, “we may have partially figured out what’s been happening to you.”
Instantly, Adam was fully awake.
“Mirac, the person in your visions, was an Ancient scientist.” Elizabeth told him. “He worked on finding ways to fight against the Wraith. But his methods were less that perfect.”
“Basically he was on the ‘three-strike’ plan working on his ninth strike.” John said, adding his own, simplistic view of the situation.
“From hearing about your vision, I assume it’s safe to say that you know he alluded capture during an attack on the city.”
Nodding, Adam let everything sink in. “But why am I seeing these things?” Adam asked, the worry clearly heard on his voice.
“Apparently, Mirac was researching on transferring his consciousness. We believe that the beam was emanated by the device that was created for the transfer. Combined with another device, whoever fired it into the Stargate was trying to destroy us.”
“Is that all?” he asked, looking up at them.
“No,” Elizabeth said. “There’s more but it’s still being translated.”
“Dr. Beckett wants you to come by for a few tests. Then, Dr. Heightmeyer wants to try to hypnotize you to see if there is any more information that we can learn.” John told him.
“Sergeant, I can only imagine what you’re going through and that this is a lot for you to process. But we believe that this is the only way to find a way to reverse what has happened.” Elizabeth said. “I’ll also get you a copy of what we know and anything else we learn after the translations have been finished.”
Nodding, Adam got up and grabbed a shirt and headed toward the door.
“Thank you. For everything.” He told them.
“Where are you going?” John asked, confused.
“To see Dr. Beckett. Now’s a good of a time as any.”
“You really need to rest, Sergeant.” Elizabeth objected.
“No offense ma’am, but I really don’t see that happening right now.”
“Okay.” She said, nodding that she understood. Pulling on his shirt, Adam began heading towards the infirmary.
Looking towards John, Elizabeth received one of his signature looks. With that, they left Adam’s quarters and headed in the opposite direction.
Lost in thought, time passed quickly for Adam as he made his way to the infirmary. When he arrived, he found Carson sitting at his desk looking over some charts that were in front of him. Unsure as to how aware Carson was of his presence, he cautiously gained his attention.
“Dr. Beckett?” Adam called, not wanting Carson to cause himself any injury by startling him. Turning, Carson gave Adam a smile.
“Sergeant, you’re starting to be seen in here far too often.” He joked. Suddenly noticing that Adam was wearing a pair of jogging pants, a sleeveless shirt and no shoes, he automatically knew why he was there. “So I take it you’ve been informed, then?”
“Yes, sir. Dr. Weir and Colonel Sheppard just told me.” Adam told him, walking over to one of the beds. “They said you wanted to do some more tests?”
“Aye. First off, I want to take a few blood samples. I assume you also know about wanting to try the hypnotherapy?”
“Yeah.” He said, sitting down on one of the beds. “Forgive me for being skeptical, but I really don’t see how that’ll work.”
Placing a needle next to Adam on the bed, Carson reached for one of the rubber straps that was close to him and tied it around Adam’s upper arm. Searching for a vein, Carson did his best to try and explain.
“Well, I’m not a psychiatrist, but the way I understand it is that we’re going to see if you can tell us something you know that you don’t realize you know. I’ve seen it done when we used the procedure on Teyla. Dr. Heightmeyer can tell you more about it than I can.” He explained, giving Adam a smile. Placing the needle next to Adam’s skin, Carson hesitated before proceeding. “Ready?”
“Yeah.”
After pressing the needle into Adam’s vein, Carson attached one of the three test tubes to the line and began to fill them. When all three were full, Carson removed the needle and pressed a small wad of gauze over the puncture hole.
“If you don’t mind me asking,” Adam began, “what exactly are you looking for?”
“To be honest, I don’t really know. But I’ll know it when I find it.” Carson told him, placing a piece of medical tape over the gauze. Noticing the dark circles that were under his eyes, Carson realized that the stress had started to take its toll on Stackhouse. Taking in the fact that Stackhouse was probably not getting the sleep he needed, Carson decided to wait before putting the younger man through anything else. “You know, I’m just going to hold off on those other tests.”
Adam let out a slight sigh of relief after hearing those words. To be honest, he really didn’t feel like being poked and prodded, despite the fact that he wanted to find out what was happening to him.
“Are you sleeping well?” Carson asked, placing the vials of blood next to the equipment on his desk. Turning around, Carson didn’t even need an answer. He just wanted to hear it from Adam.
“No”. Adam admitted. “At night, I just toss and turn. And when I do finally fall asleep, I have these weird dreams that wake me up.”
“If you’d like, I can give you something to help you sleep.” Carson offered.
“Thanks, but no thanks.” He told him. “Honestly, I feel like I’m on enough meds to open my own pharmacy.”
Smiling, Carson gave him an understanding look. “If you change your mind let me know.”
“Thanks doc. Is there anything else?”
“At the moment, no. Just try and rest. And go talk with Dr. Heightmeyer when you can.”
“Yes, sir.” With that, Adam got off the bed and made his way out of the infirmary. Watching him leave, Carson couldn’t help but feel sorry for what he was going through. Turning his attention back to the vials of blood that were on his desk. Carson proceeded to prepare for the various tests he needed to do.
Walking down the corridors, Adam wasn’t sure where he was planning on going next. He thought about making his way to the gym, to see if he could try to exhaust himself so he could sleep. Other places popped in his head also. The control room, the mess hall, even the jumper bay. Just to take his mind off of everything else. Finally his destination came to him. Hoping it wasn’t to late in the evening, Adam made his way to the transporter. Once in the chamber, he pressed the screen indicating the closest transporter to Dr. Heightmeyer’s office. After the short trip, Adam proceeded down the hall and in no time came to Kate’s door. Pressing the crystal to open the door, Adam stuck his head in to see if Kate was around. Noticing that she was at the window and didn’t seem to be aware that he was there, Adam decided to knock to alert her of his presence.
“Dr. Heightmeyer?”
Turning away from the window, Kate gave Adam a smile. “Adam. Hi.”
“Is this a bad time?”
“Of course not. Come on in.” Making his way out of the door’s threshold, Adam made his way to the chair near the window. Sitting down, he glanced out at the two visible piers of the city, illuminated with a mix of the city’s lighting, the stars, and the miniscule sunlight that shone above the horizon. “Peaceful isn’t it?”
“Yeah.” Adam replied, not taking his gaze away from the view.
“What’s on your mind?” Turning to face Kate, Adam thought about how to word the many different thoughts and questions that were jumbled together in his brain.
“I was hoping I could talk to you about a dream I had earlier.”
“Go on.” She told him, leaning forward to hear him better.
“It was like the vision I had.” He told her, leaning his head down so he was staring at the floor. “The one where I was in the hall with the three Atlanteans. But, it was from a different perspective. I was holding the stunner. Then I woke up, or so I thought. I went to splash some water on my face but after I did, the face in the mirror wasn’t mine, it was Mirac’s. Then I really woke up. That’s when Dr. Weir and Colonel Sheppard came.”
“To be honest, I don’t know what to tell you. It could be his memories trying to integrate into yours. I’m sorry I can’t be more helpful but this really isn’t my area of expertise. But I am glad you came to talk to me.” Kate said. “Is there anything else?” Nodding, Adam lifted his head.
“I was kind of hoping you could maybe explain the hypnotherapy to me a little better. Dr. Beckett tried his best but I’m still unsure of how it works.”
“Of course,” Kate began. “Simply put, we’re gonna try to pull information from your subconscious mind. Which is what basically happens when you’re asleep anyways. That’s why, half the time, it’s hard to remember dreams. All they are is just your mind attempting to sort through events of the day, or trying to plan out what needs to be done the next day.”
Trying to comprehend the information, Adam just let it sink in before moving on.
“How exactly will you do it?”
“Well, Dr. Beckett will give you something to help you relax and will also monitor your vital signs. Then I’ll talk you through it. It’s really easy.”
“Can you give me your honest opinion?” Adam asked, after hearing the other bit of information.
“I can try.” Kate replied, surprised by the amount of concern and uncertainty in his voice.
“Do you think this will help find out what’s wrong with me?”
“I don’t know. I hope so.” Kate told him, give him a smile for reassurance. “We can deal with this tomorrow. Right now, you need to rest.”
“Dr. Beckett said the same thing.” Adam told her with a small laugh.
“And he’s right. So now you have two doctors whose orders you need to follow.”
Nodding, Adam got up and headed for the door. Starting back towards his quarters he began to think about what Kate had just told him. Adam desperately wanted to be cured of whatever it was that was happening to him. But most of all, he needed to try and rest.
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Morning came more quickly than Adam had hoped. Despite the fact that he only got about an hours worth of sleep, Adam got up and took a hot shower before quickly dressing into a dark blue short sleeved shirt and a pair of blue jeans then headed towards the infirmary. When he arrived, he was kind of nervous when he saw that not only were Dr. Beckett and Dr. Heightmeyer were there, John, Elizabeth, and Teyla were also there. He knew, however, that they were there for support and to see what kind of information he would be able to tell them. Teyla was the first to notice his arrival in the infirmary.
“Sergeant. How are feeling?” She asked, everyone turning to face him as she did so.
“Fine.” He replied. That was a lie. He was very tired, and very uncomfortable with everyone staring at him. Kate was the next to speak up.
“Are you ready?” she asked.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.” He said, making his way over to the bed where everyone was gathered. After sitting down, Adam took off his shirt then situated himself so he was in a lying position. Next, Carson placed an IV in his left arm then proceeded to attach a few leads on Adam’s temples and a few on his chest. Moving to his side, Kate sat down next to him on the bed, a small flashlight in her hand.
“If at anytime you want out, just say so and we’ll administer a low-grade electrical shock.” Kate told him. “Dr. Beckett will also be monitoring your brain activity throughout the process.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He told her after she basically explained why he was attached to so many different wires.
With a nod, Kate signaled Carson with the sedative. Inserting the syringe into tube connected to the IV, Carson emptied its contents into Adam’s bloodstream.
“Dr. Beckett is giving you a mild sedative to help you relax. Now I want you to take a deep breath and focus on the light, letting your mind go blank.” Clicking the light on, Kate shone the light into Adam’s face. Clicking it off, Kate continued. “Now close your eyes and concentrate. Think back to your dream. You told me it was like your vision.”
“Yes.” He told her, the sedative clearly taking effect.
“Tell me what you see.”
“The three Atlanteans. They’re standing in the hall talking about Mirac escaping.” Watching him carefully, John, Elizabeth, Teyla and Carson were taking in what Adam was seeing. Turning his head slightly to the side, Adam continued. “I’m moving closer to them. I… I also have something in my hands.” Adam began to breathe heavily as soon as he realized what it was. “It’s a stunner. I can fell myself activating it.”
“Okay. Adam, focus on what happens after the Atlanteans have been stunned.” Kate told him, not wanting Adam to become too distracted.
“I’m walking over to them, staring at them. Now I’m going down the hall. There’s also a beeping sound coming from a small device. I think it’s some sort of communicator.”
“Can you tell us about the communication?” Kate asked, helping Adam keep his focus.
“It’s…” Adam’s voice trailed off as his head suddenly fell to the side. Moment’s later, Adam’s body was rocked by mild jerks.
“Carson!” Elizabeth cried out. Instantly Carson was by Adam’s side checking to see what had happened. Carson’s attempt to check Adam’s pupils proved to be impossible because of the movement and the fact that his eyes were rolled back in his head.
“He’s having a seizure!” Carson said, reaching for another syringe that he had placed with the other equipment he had. During all the excitement, no one noticed the change of the pattern on the monitor displaying Adam’s brainwaves. Before Carson had the chance to uncap the other syringe, Adam’s body stopped moving. Suddenly his eyes opened and began staring around the room and at the people around him.
“Stackhouse?” John asked, worried about his officer, just like everyone else was.
“Not exactly.” Despite the fact that it was Stackhouse’s voice, it wasn’t Stackhouse. Chills began to crawl down John’s spine as he stepped in front of Elizabeth, closer to the bed. “I have to admit, it’s good to see my old home again. Sadly, it will not be around much longer.” Trying to make sense of what ‘Stackhouse’ was saying, Elizabeth thought she should try to get some answers.
“Who are you?” She asked?
“You already know the answer to that. Doctor Weir.”
“Let me guess, Mirac?” John guessed.
“Correct, Colonel Sheppard.” ‘Mirac’ said, maneuvering into a sitting position on the bed.
“You know who we are?”
“Of course.” He told John.
“So why are you doing this?” John asked, inching closer to the bed. Staring into Stackhouse’s eyes, John could see his answer before he even said it.
“Easy. For revenge.” No sooner had he confirmed John’s suspicions, Mirac hit John with enough force that it knocked him back and to the floor. Taken by surprise, everyone in the room acted on instinct and backed away. Taking advantage of this, Mirac pulled out the IV, then grabbed all the wires connected to him and jerked them off. Jumping off the bed, Mirac made his way to the door or the infirmary.
Recovering from the hit, John pulled himself off the floor and tackled Mirac before he could leave. While Elizabeth and Kate kept their distance, Teyla rushed over to John in hopes to help him. Behind Elizabeth, Carson rummaged through the mess that had been made; searching for the syringe he was reaching for earlier. Finding it, he immediately uncapped it and tried to find the right moment to use it. Managing to wrestle John off of him, Mirac once again turned to the door but this time was stopped by Teyla.
“It would be a shame for me to kill you. Step aside.”
“No.” Was all that Teyla told him. Noticing that Carson had the syringe, she intended to keep Mirac in place. However, that plan wasn’t so easily executed.
“Very well.” He told her. Immediately, he advanced towards Teyla, but did not count on her superior fighting skills. As Mirac struck, Teyla grabbed his arms and twisted them behind his back. Using her leg, she then hit Mirac behind his left knee, forcing him to the floor. While Teyla had him at bay, Carson used the moment to his advantage. Rushing over, Carson jabbed the needle into Stackhouse’s neck and quickly pressed the plunger. Within seconds, the liquid began to take effect. Stackhouse went limp in Teyla’s arms as she released he grip on him. As Carson grabbed Adam under his arms, Teyla grabbed his feet and they carried him to the nearest bed. After they had placed Adam on the bed, Elizabeth turned her attention immediately to Sheppard.
“John!” She cried as she rushed to help him up. “Are you alright?”
“Yeah. I’ve had worse days.” He said regaining his composure. Grabbing a cloth, he began wiping the blood that flowed from his nose as he turned his attention to Carson. “It’s a good thing you had that extra sedative near by, doc.”
“The only problem, Colonel,” Carson began, looking up to John, “it wasn’t a sedative. It was a stimulant.” Turning his attention back to Adam, Carson reattached the EEG monitor. After Elizabeth had tended to John, everyone gathered at a safe distance and stared at Adam’s unconscious body on the bed.
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Chapter 5
Nearly an hour had passed since the incident in the infirmary. John’s injury looked worse than what it actually was and thankfully his nose wasn’t broken. After getting checked out and making sure that Adam was secure, John made his way into Elizabeth’s office. There he found Teyla and Kate joining her. Noticing his arrival, Elizabeth immediately turned her attention to him.
“John. How are you?”
“I’m fine,” he said, taking a position behind Teyla, “nothing serious. I just won’t be able to smell anything properly for a while. Kid’s got a good arm on em; I’ll give him that.”
“How is Sergeant Stackhouse?” Teyla asked, turning around to look at John.
“Well, I think he was just starting to come around when I was leaving. But I’m not sure.” No sooner had John finished talking and propped himself up against the wall, Carson came across the catwalk into Elizabeth’s office carrying his data pad, trying to catch his breath as if he had rushed to get there. Looking over to Carson, John raised an eyebrow at him. “Didn’t I just leave you?”
Giving a slight smile, Carson acknowledged. “Yes Colonel, you did. But this is very important.”
“What’s wrong?” Elizabeth asked, now at full attention.
“I just got the results of Stackhouse’s blood work. There is an anomaly throughout parts of his DNA.” Carson explained, handing the data pad to Elizabeth.
“What kind of anomaly?” Kate asked after taking a quick glance at the pad.
“From what I can make out, it appears to be similar to the ATA gene. However, I don’t really know yet. I’ll keep running tests to see if I can determine anything further.”
“I didn’t think Stackhouse had the gene.” John said, looking kind of confused.
“He doesn’t. And he never received the gene therapy.” Carson explained.
“What about Stackhouse?” Elizabeth asked, looking up, her eyes meeting with Carson’s.
“Poor lad doesn’t remember a thing. His last clear memory is of me administering the sedative. I haven’t told him about this. If you ask me, he’s been through enough as it is.”
“Good idea.” Elizabeth agreed, returning her attention to the data pad.
“So where do we go from here?” Kate asked, breaking the momentary silence.
“I guess the only logical step would be to dial the address and see what we get.” Elizabeth said, turning to look at John. “What do you think?”
“I think that’s what would be best. Ultimately, it’s your call. But I think Stackhouse needs to be there when we do.” Noticing Elizabeth’s nod of agreement, John then turned his attention to Carson. “Where is he now?”
“He mentioned going to the south-west pier to try and clear his head. He left right after I did.”
“We need to find out what’s going on and soon. I mean, who knows how this will affect Stackhouse more than it already has.” Elizabeth stated, matter-of-factly.
“Right. I’ll go track down Stackhouse and meet you back in the control room.” John said, turning to leave.
“Carson,” Elizabeth started, standing up, “keep running tests to see what you can find out. Keep us informed.”
“Right.” Carson said, and then exited the door behind him.
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Leaning against the railing, Adam stared at the water. The soft ocean breeze that ruffled his hair mixed with the setting sun gave Adam sense of tranquility. The first moment of real peace he had felt since this whole ordeal began. Lost in thought he didn’t even hear John come up behind him. Not wanting to startle the young man, John made his presence known by knocking on the wall.
“Sergeant?” Instantly, Adam returned to reality and snapped to attention at the sound of his C.O.’s voice.
“Colonel!”
“At ease, Sergeant.” John told him, walking closer to Adam. As he got closer, Adam relaxed slightly but suddenly noticed how red John’s nose was. Walking next to Adam, John propped himself on the rail with his arms and leaned over the side to stare into the ocean below. “How are you?” He asked, turning his attention away from the water and to Adam.
“I’m fine, sir.” Adam said. “Sir. I need to apologize. I don’t remember what happened but Dr. Beckett told he about what went on. I feel terrible about what I did.”
“Stackhouse, nobody blames you for what’s going on. In all of this, you’re the biggest victim, so there’s no reason to apologize.”
Hearing John’s words brought a bit of relief to Adam.
“However, I do have to ask,” John began, “have you ever played baseball or football? Cuz you’ve got a pretty powerful arm on you.”
Adam couldn’t help but smile. “No, sir.” Even though he had been on a few missions with him, he could now see why everyone respected Sheppard so much. He could find a silver lining in every cloud, despite the situation, and still know how to do his job without hesitation.
“Come on. We’re about to dial the address and Weir thought you should be there.”
“Yes sir.” As John began to walk up the small set of stairs, Adam turned to follow him. But as he did, he suddenly became dizzy. Turning back to the railing to keep from falling, Adam’s view of a peaceful-looking city changed. The control tower’s gleaming light suddenly became dark, buildings disappeared and others changed their appearance and the clear sky filled with dark clouds with lightning striking the lightning rods place throughout the city. But as quickly as it appeared, the scene changed back to the view he was looking at just moments before. Shaking his head trying to make sense of what happened, Adam was certain that he could smell a wisp of sulfur in the air.
Noticing the lack of company behind him, John turned to see Adam supporting himself against the railing. “Sergeant, are you okay?”
“Yes, sir.” Adam said, recomposing himself, “I just got lightheaded for a second.”
“Is that all?” John asked, concerned.
“I saw a flash.”
“A flash of what?”
“It’s hard to explain,” Adam began, “It was the city, but different. Then again, maybe I’m starting to go crazy.”
“Hey, we’re gonna get you through this. Besides, I can’t have one of my best officers goin AWOL on me.” John told him, trying to lighten Adam’s mood. “Come on. Weir’s waiting for us.”
“Yes sir.”
With that, Adam followed John and pushed the confusing image to the back of his mind. With no thoughts going through his mind, the journey to the control room seemed to be instantaneous, aside from the fact that the transporter was used. When they reached the control room, Adam was relieved to find that the stares that he was getting wherever he would go finally stopped.