Chapter 13

The smile melted off Carson's face the minute he stepped back into his makeshift lab/infirmary. Once more assaulted with the dire situation of his desperately ill friends, his steps grew weary, the burden returning heavily to his shoulders.

Havis looked up from his project to meet the Scot's gaze. The once vibrantly colorful physician appeared pale, almost muted, as he delved back into another pile of Petri dishes. A fragile container slipped from his hand, clattering sharply on the metal tabletop and he stared at it in disgust. "This is no time to become clumsy," he scolded himself.

Whatever else he may have said was lost on Beckett, who's eyes sharply darted to the dish and then back out at the hallway from which he'd just come. Brows tightly scrunched, he appeared to have momentarily frozen, so completely lost in thought that he forgot to move before he suddenly jerked, snapping open his laptop. His fingers raced over the keys as he pulled up several files, barely stopping to read each as he then retrieved another.

Dr. Turner entered the room and spied his colleague dissecting pages of text, then rushing to Havis' table and rummaging through its contents before taking a pile of the Petri dishes back to his own. "Carson, what's going on?"

Snapping a slide under the microscope, he didn't stop to look up, "I think I know how to stop this."

"Really?" Carl took up the empty spot on the opposite side of the table, waiting expectantly for Beckett to explain.

Carson's blue eyes shot up to meet his, and a clear look of determination filled the physician's face. "It's all right here, lad, everything we've missed." He slipped another slide under the scope, displaying it on the view screen. A jumbled mass of platelets appeared in various shapes and sizes; not human looking at all.

"Whose are those?" Havis asked, studying the image before them.

"This one is Master Linton's from when he returned with the major." Grabbing another, he put it up on screen, "And this is Marlton's, before he left, and after his return."

The other men leaned forward, their mouths agape.

"It can't be that simple." Turner pulled Sheppard's blood work up and studied the results of each of his tests. "Son of a b….."

"Aye," Carson agreed, shaking his head.

Havis appeared momentarily dumbfounded, "I don't understand how that is possible."

"I'll explain on the way, but we must hurry now and get my people on the surface as soon as we can." Picking up his discarded radio from earlier, Carson signaled Ford. "Lieutenant, I need for you and Dr. Kavanagh to join me immediately."

"Sir? What about the gate?" the young lieutenant instantly replied.

"Oh, bloody hell," Carson grunted, running his hands distractedly through his hair, "I forgot about that. Is it still functional, lad?"

"We are almost finished. Last time I talked to Dr. Z, he gave us just a few more updates to complete."

"Will we still be able to dial out and back to the other city?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then stay put and get that gate finished. We'll come down to you."

"Doc, do we need to put the decon unit back up?"

"No, we only need to suit up. How long until you're finished, lad?"

"Actually, we have it almost completed. Fifteen minutes max."

"We'll meet you there." Carson clicked off his radio and tossed it onto the table. He didn't even notice when it skidded off the other side. Instead, he grabbed a hazmat suit and handed it to Turner, "We need to get them dressed." Turning to Havis, he started ticking names off on his fingers, "Because of their prior exposure to the other city, I will need Marlton, Dr. Linton, Connor, and her assistant, Brae."

Watching Havis quickly disappear out the door, he ducked back into the hallway. "Have them bring their suits," he requested and saw the figure nod before he stepped into the lift.

"Carson, are you going to tell me what we are doing? We can't leave their IV's in while they're suited up."

"I know." Chewing his bottom lip, he grabbed a syringe and loaded it with an antibiotic, jabbing each IV port and emptying the contents into his patients. "Pack a medical bag with everything we'll need to take with us. Once we're topside, we can reestablish their lines."

"Are you sure this will work?"

"It has to, lad, because we don't have any other options. If they continue as they are, Rodney and Teyla won't last much longer. And the Major," he sighed, "he may have a small chance." Taping a band aid on the back of Sheppard's hand over the needle site, Carson patted the sleeping man's face, "Major, wake up."

The sleepy figure stirred but didn't open his eyes. Another firmer tap caused one bleary eye to open. "Doc? What's goin' on?" he slurred.

"We have to go, and I need you to get in a hazmat suit."

The sleepy eye closed, opening at another tap to his cheeks. He blinked hard, trying to clear the fog in his brain from the drugs and illness raging throughout his system. Dragging himself to a seated position with help from his friend, he reached a shaky hand out for the blue gear, not bothering to ask why.

Carson worked on Rodney's unconscious figure next. The scientist was too far out of it to know what was going on. With a lot of tugging and pushing, he was encased in the gear, his hot feverish breaths steaming over the visor.

Five Krahns entered the room, three encased in the now familiar protective garb that the strangers had brought with them.

"Havis, I need Marlton and Master Linton to carry Dr. McKay down to the gate. Connor, can you and Brae handle Teyla?" The women nodded, both assisting him in getting the Athosian in the suit before placing her on a stretcher.

With the others geared up, Carson suited up beside Dr. Turner. "Ready?"

The dark scientist nodded. "We don't have any other options available that I can see."

"Right." Carson rummaged about the table top and then the floor in search of his missing radio. A pale blue hand appeared in front of him holding the missing object. "Thank you, Havis."

The man's face remained neutral as he glanced about the group, "What else can I do to help you, Dr. Beckett?"

"Help us down to the gate."

Havis nodded, picking up the medical bag, waiting for the others to pass.

"Lieutenant, are you ready?" Carson paged.

"Yes, sir, we are set to go."

"Got your suits on?"

"Affirmative."

"Then dial the gate for the other city because we are on our way."

The small lift could only accommodate one stretcher and two individuals at a time, so Beckett and Turner lugged a sluggish major down the stairs, not wanting to waste any time.

Sheppard clung to the men with what little strength he had while trying to keep his rolling stomach from another outburst. "Where we goin'?"

Gripping the weak hand that was wrapped over his shoulder more securely, the doctor nodded down to the gate, "Back to the surface."

The dark haired man glanced down to see McKay being carried to the open horizon, Teyla following. "Why?"

Reaching the main floor, Carson gripped the major more firmly, letting Turner take the medical supplies from Havis. With the group gathered, ready to go, he addressed them all. "The plague was released over 11,000 years ago, filtering down into the city, gradually mutating all of you from your original human appearance to your current state, correct?"

The Krahns nodded.

"While studying the blood work of each of you, I discovered that Master Linton's was the most evolved of any Krahn. And due to his continual exposure to the surface, he has become immune to the plague exposed in the atmosphere. But upon closer inspection, I noticed that of all his platelets are changing once more…back to our," he waved his hand to his team mates, "current state."

"He's becoming human?" Havis shook his head. "How is that possible?"

"Think of how the gates work- the string analogy. If we put the ends together, instead of following the entire loop, the distance of travel is greatly reduced while still traversing the same amount of space. The plague has filtered for centuries down into your cities, mutating on its own as well as in you. But above, it's exposed to the natural environment, which has eventually overridden it over the centuries. For us to become exposed to the air above, we will be breathing in the cure."

This time Connor interrupted the explanation, "You're saying it's safe to go above?"

"I believe if you do so gradually, like Master Linton, yes, I think so."

"So, why must you go now?" Havis asked.

Sheppard grinned faintly, squeezing Carson's shoulder lightly, "Because for us, it will be like going through the gate?"

"Very good, Major. Now, we need to leave." He gestured for the stretcher bearers to depart first, following them closely with Sheppard in tow.

Epilogue

Rodney lay in the infirmary, back on Atlantis, twiddling his thumbs. He really didn't have the energy to do anything else. When a paper airplane wafted gently across the room, landing with precision on his chest, he rolled his head to the side and spied the dark eyes of the major staring at him. "What?" His voice still sounded as though it was full of gravel even though he hadn't been sick in over forty eight hours.

"Just checking. You're awfully quiet over there."

The scientist's eyes drooped shut, not having enough strength yet to keep them open any great length of time. His left hand reached carefully across his chest to rest on the small plane. "How long?" he whispered.

"We've been back four days," Sheppard replied from somewhere closer than Rodney remembered.

Cracking his eyes back open, he discovered his friend trying to hoist himself on the bed next to his own. "Beckett's gonna have a cow if he sees you up."

That didn't stop his friend. Picking up the pillow from the head of the bed, he rested it on his knees, then propped his elbows on the soft padding, "He's off helping take Teyla back over to the village. She wanted to be with her people while she recuperated."

"Major…" Rodney grunted, looking past his friend's shoulder.

"Moo?" the dark haired man guessed with a grimace.

A slow smile spread over the sleepy Canadian's face. "I hear you're after my job," he said quietly to the Scot.

"Nay, lad. I've had enough excitement to last me for quite some time."

Carson patted the mattress Sheppard was sitting on, "Lay down before you fall down, lad."

Pulling a blanket up over his feet, the major plunked back onto the bed. "How come Teyla got to leave, but I have to stay here?"

"Do you really want Halling and the others looking after you? I thought you'd had enough of alien medicine."

Sheppard rolled his eyes at what he remembered going through over the past few days. Shifting on to his side, he watched the steady rise and fall of McKay's chest. "You did good, Doc," he whispered to Carson.

The Scot nodded and then grabbed a chair, taking a seat between the two beds, "Aye, but it was a little too close for me. If I'd only discovered what to do sooner…"

"You pulled one out of the hat. Usually that's McKay's or my job. Never second guess what you've done." Taking a deep breath, he let it out slowly, his own eyes drifting shut.

Beckett stayed put, listening to the sound of the two men sleeping. Certain that they wouldn't wake; he stood up and made his way to the wall unit, turning down the lights. "I can't believe I was complaining of being bored," he whispered, returning to his seat. "I'll never do it again."

The End

A/N Thanks for the beta help from Gaffer, Talbert, and Emergencyfan. You each stepped up and helped when I needed you.

Thanks to the rest of you for all of your kind notes and feedback. This has not been an easy story to write for some reason and I have to admit I'm so glad it's over!

Take care! You guys are great! Jen