John ran through the halls of Atlantis, firing orders over the radio. He was suddenly aware of a second pair of pounding feet next to him, running in near-perfect rhythm. His brain flashed back to his teenage years, and days filled with driving drumbeats, then he pushed the pleasant memories out of his mind and forced himself back to the present situation. "I take it you heard?" he asked as they ran.
"I heard," Rodney snarled beside him. "Let's get there before something happens."
"Something already has," John growled. Rodney glanced up at him, saw that look on his face that he only got when he was getting fed information.
"Shit," he groaned as they ran faster.
They met up with Ronon and Teyla in the corridor outside the Infirmary. "How is she?" Teyla asked.
"Threatening self-harm," John said and keyed the sensor to open the door.
It came open and they walked into the room to find Lorne's team in a loose circle, all of them -- even Parrish -- holding a weapon onto the woman in the centre of the room. John stepped forward. "I see she's gotten worse."
"Yes, sir," Lorne said, his voice the deadly calm that told John more than anything that his training was kicking in. He was furious.
John rested a hand on the small of his back for just a moment, and Lorne drew a deep breath at the paternal contact. He nodded quickly, and then John turned his attention back to the figure. "Rodney?"
Rodney stepped forward. "Jennifer, what are you doing?"
Jennifer Keller stood there, her back unnaturally straight. Her eyes were huge and glazed, her face pale and coated with a fine sheen of sweat that turned her blonde hair dusty brown and plastered it to her skin. She held a loaded syringe in trembling hands, the wicked point positioned at her jugular.
Carson was standing in front of her, trying to talk her down and not having much luck.
"Carson?" John asked.
"Fever's at 105.3. We've got to get her cooled ---"
"Or her brain'll boil in her skull," Rodney finished.
Carson glared at him for a second, then sighed. "And that's insulin she's holdin' on herself. She's delirious, she doesn't know what she's doing."
Ronon looked at him. "I could stun her."
"With the point that close to her neck?" Rodney said. "She could inject herself as her hands tighten."
Carson shook his head. "And with her body weakened from the fever, the neural disruption of the stun might send her into seizures. No, we've got to get that away from her without seriously harming her."
"We can do it," John said. He stepped up beside Lorne. "That syringe won't get a millimetre closer." His eyes widened slightly as his head tilted downward.
Lorne nodded, watching as the confusion on Keller's face increased as the syringe was suddenly frozen by John's telekinesis. "McKay!" he barked. "Collins! Get that away from her!"
Two hands flashed forward. Two wrists pulsed with energy.
The wicked-looking needle was suddenly encased in crystal. A second later, a concussion blast knocked the syringe out of Keller's hand and onto the floor, where the needle shattered.
Keller yelped in surprise and then moaned, clutching her hand.
Collins' eyes went wide as Carson and Teyla moved to support Keller. "Did I break it?"
"Aye, lad, you broke her hand," Carson said. "But she'd rather have a broken bone than be dead from insulin poisoning."
"I will help you cool her," Teyla said as they led the ill woman deeper into the Infirmary.
Rodney walked over to Ronon and nudged him slightly. "Go with them."
Ronon looked at him, frowning slightly.
"She'll need you when she wakes up," Rodney pointed out.
Ronon smiled and headed after them.
John sighed and shook his head. "Hope Carson finds an answer to this fever soon, before anybody else comes down with it."
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