Radek shifted uncomfortably as he watched Carson administer the therapy to Kavanagh. He wasn’t looking forward to receiving the treatment himself – the very idea that his DNA would be rewritten gave him fits, never mind the fact that Radek hated needles – but he couldn’t quite hide his amusement when Kavanagh whined like a baby as he was injected.
Sometimes he wondered just how Kavanagh had managed to be placed on the expedition. Thus far, he had made no favorable impression on Radek. The man was self-centered, foolish, and complained about everything while taking blame for nothing. Radek rolled his eyes at the man’s, “Ow! What are you trying to do? Jam the needle in until it comes out the other side?”
Carson scoffed. “It was barely a pinch and you’re already done, so off with you.”
Scowling – Kavanagh’s default setting, in Radek’s opinion – Kavanagh rolled his sleeve down. “So how long before I know this worked?”
Carson had already explained this several times that Radek had heard as he had waited, which meant Kavanagh had as well. Still, Carson went over it once more, and with more patience than Radek would have believed possible. “There’s no way to be sure. With Dr. McKay, it took a few hours, but I haven’t heard back from everyone yet. Just be careful around Ancient technology for a day or so until we can be sure the therapy took, or not. And before you ask, the gene therapy either takes, or it doesn’t. Far as I can tell, there is no middle ground.”
Still grumbling, Kavanagh left the infirmary. Radek let out a sigh of relief. “Finally, he is gone.”
Grinning, Carson patted the bed and Radek dutifully took a seat. “Aye, he is a bit of a handful, isn’t he?”
“You do not even know half of it,” Radek assured as he held out his bare arm. Turning his face away as Carson picked up the syringe, he tried to relax. “Please, be quick.” A pinch, and a feeling of pressure as Carson gave him his dose and it was over. “Thank you,” Radek sighed, flexing his fingers. Giving Carson a conspiratorial look, he added, “I am glad I do not have to go off world. Would hate to always be poked and prodded.”
Clasping Radek’s arm, Carson chuckled. “No worries, lad. As long as you stay out of trouble, we will keep the poking to a minimum. Afraid of needles?”
Radek nodded emphatically. “Unreasonable, I know. I cannot help it.” Hopping down, he couldn’t quite contain his curiosity. “How many have received treatment now?
Carson cleaned up after himself and sighed. “Well, Elizabeth’s had her shot, but it didn’t take. You’re the last of the science departments to get one, and this afternoon Mac and I are starting on the military contingent. We felt it best to have you lot done first, since you are the ones who are dealing with Ancient technology the most. Major Sheppard agreed, mostly because there are several of his men who have the gene naturally, so he has a few pilots already. He’s eager for more, though, and understandably so.”
Radek nodded. “Makes sense. What is ratio so far, do you know?”
Carson shook his head. “No idea, lad. It seems to be completely random, and like I told Kavanagh, we haven’t heard back from everyone that’s received the therapy yet.”
“Will let you know if anything changes,” Radek promised.
“Thank you, lad. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some paperwork to finish before lunch.”
“Of course. Must go back to lab, too, before Rodney explodes,” Radek quipped.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“I just heard back from Sergeant Stackhouse,” Mac said, poking his head into Carson’s office. “His ATA took, so since he was the last to receive the therapy, anyone who hasn’t noticed any changes probably won’t.”
Putting his pen down, Carson sighed and stretched his arms over his head. “Right then. Thanks, Mac.”
Nodding, Mac headed back to work, leaving Carson to his thoughts. Tapping his earpiece, he began the arduous task of calling in people to come in to draw blood so he could attempt to figure out why the therapy was only partially effective.
Deciding to get a head start, Carson pulled up the results of the tests he’d already run. He was looking at each of the three ATA groups: natural carriers, those with successful gene therapy, and those who had rejected the ATA gene. It was a very small pool, but it was a start. He methodically poured over each strand, taking careful notes as he went.
Carson spent the next few days immersed in his data, only pausing long enough to eat and sleep, leaving the day-to-day medical care to his staff. A thought was niggling at the back of his brain that wouldn’t quite form but bothered him all the same. All around him, ever since they had arrived in Pegasus, he had noticed changes in the members of the expedition. Some were relatively minor and understandable, considering their situation. And it wasn’t something that was really blatant, either. He wondered whether he ought to discuss things with Kate to see if she had noticed anything, or whether it was his own imagination. After all, they were a long way from home and it was only natural that people would form bonds of friendship under their circumstances. But was that all it was? Carson wasn’t at all sure anymore.
Especially when he kept stumbling over that particular marker he had found. Several times now, he had found matches in that DNA mutation. So far, they appeared to come mostly in identical pairs, and were never the same from one pair to the next. He was baffled as to what that might mean, but his gut was telling him he was on to something. Something important.
Could those markers have anything to do with what he was seeing all over the city? Hearing Mac’s laughter from the other side of the infirmary, Carson looked up to see the man talking to Major Lorne. He smiled, then suddenly remembered an article Rodney had given him just prior to their leaving Earth. Pushing his chair back, he hurried to his desk and rifled through the drawers in search of that paper. After a couple of minutes of rummaging, Carson finally found it and sat down to read. He had only glanced at it before, but as his eyes roved over the pages, he knew he was on the right track. If friendship was partially determined by DNA, then perhaps those markers he had found determined a deeper connection.
Putting the paper back in the drawer, Carson got to his feet. “Mac,” he called out, getting his attention.
“Aye? What is it, Carson?” Mac was still smiling widely, his focus still partially on Major Lorne who had turned around, too.
“Would you mind terribly giving these results a look? I need a second pair of eyes to make sure I’m not missing anything,” Carson hedged.
“Sure, I’ll be right there.” Mac sighed and shot Evan an apologetic look. “Sorry, Evan, but it looks like I have to get back to work. I’ll see you later, yeah?”
“Of course,” Evan replied, then added to Carson, “Later, doc.”
Carson waved him off, his mind already back on his data. He felt a little uneasy, pulling Mac into this, as one of the pairs Carson had found was for Mac and Evan, whatever it meant. Clearing his throat, he came to a decision and hurriedly pulled the results of their tests from the group. Better be sure of the findings, he figured, before potentially messing with their lives.
Mac settled behind the computer Carson had been working at and immediately got to work, Carson hovering close by. “Well that’s weird,” Mac said after a while. Glancing at Carson, he frowned. “I’ve never seen anything like it before. Are they all like that?”
Carson nodded grimly. “Aye, seems so. Did you notice any pattern?” he asked as nonchalantly as he knew how.
For an answer, Mac pulled up four sets of results, which happened to be Rodney’s and John’s, Miko’s and Carson’s own. Pointing at the markers, Mac said thoughtfully, “The marker here is new to me, though it appears to have a mutation of some sort. The mutation between Major Sheppard and Dr. McKay is the same, as is the one between Dr. Kusanagi and yourself. But the two pairs are completely different from each other. Far as I can tell, there’s several that match up, but also a few of the ATAs, be it natural or therapy, that have a marker but no one with a matching mutation. It’s rather disconcerting, to be honest.”
“You’re not wrong, there,” Carson muttered under his breath. With a sigh, he added, “Any thoughts on what it means?”
Mac shook his head. “No, but since it’s related to the ATA gene, I wonder whether the Ancients mentioned it in one of their logs.”
“Aye, I was wondering that myself. You up for helping me research?”
Flashing a grin, Mac nodded. “Of course. This is a mystery that needs solving because not knowing is killing me.”
“There’s one more I’d like you to look at before we begin,” Carson said as he reached over Mac to pull up Teyla’s results. He had asked her permission to run a DNA test on her as well, in hopes of finding some answers, but he hadn’t had much luck. He had found something odd with hers, however, that had him just as stumped as the mystery markers.
Peering back at the screen, Mac frowned. “What are these?” he asked, pointing at the very spots that Carson had noticed. Teyla had mostly human DNA, but there was something there that was both completely foreign and vaguely familiar to Carson. He just couldn’t pinpoint why or how.
“I was hoping you might have an idea. Maybe this is what is normal for Pegasus humans, who knows. It just seemed strange to me to have the Athosians look so similar to us – or the Ancients for that matter – and yet have these discrepancies. So far, I haven’t managed to convince any of the other Athosians to part with their blood, so I have nothing to compare it to.”
Mac frowned, seemingly trying to remember something, then shook his head. “No, we don’t. I was trying to think if we did any bloodwork on the Athosians who were injured during the rising, but all we had was a few bumps and bruises, and a broken bone or two.”
“Aye, well, maybe in time then, eh?” Carson sighed, feeling weary. Perhaps it was time for a break.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Evan put down his tray and sat down opposite Mac. “So what did Carson want?” he asked, popping a french fry into his mouth. They were starting to run low on the perishable foods, so unless they came across some potatoes on one of their trade missions, this might be the last chance for them. Evan sincerely hoped they would find something comparable, because fries were one of his guilty pleasures.
Mac grinned and his eyes lit up. “It seems we have a bit of a mystery on our hands with the ATA gene. Carson found some oddities that we can’t explain, so we’re going to go through the Ancient database to see if there are answers to be had there.”
Evan chuckled. “You seem pretty into the whole mystery thing.”
“Aye, but of course! That’s what science is all about, isn’t it? Solving the great mysteries? Finding answers where there were none?”
Evan quirked his brows. “Always enjoyed Sherlock Holmes,” he quipped. “So the game’s afoot, huh?”
Mac’s laughter reached his eyes, and the sound thrilled Evan. “Indeed it is, Watson, indeed it is,” Mac said with a wink that made Evan’s cheeks flush. “Starting tomorrow, at any rate.”
Evan nodded and opened his mouth to say something, but before he could speak, Kimberly all but fell into Mac’s lap. “Hey, you two,” she said with a grin as she wrapped her arms around Mac’s shoulders. Evan felt a stab of jealousy at the easy interaction between them, but he firmly stamped it down. He had no right to feel any such thing, after all.
Mac put his arm around Kimberly’s waist as she said, “How’s my favorite doctor?”
Laughing, Mac rolled his eyes conspiratorially at Evan. “You only say that now, Kim, because it was Carson who did your last post-mission exam. When it’s my turn, he’ll be your favorite again.”
Kimberly shrugged, an unrepentant smile on her face. “You have a point.”
Ioan joined their table, carrying both her tray and his. He mouthed, ‘Sorry,’ as he tilted his head toward Kimberly and Mac, who bantered easily. Evan gave a shrug and a ‘What can you do,” look, to which Ioan grinned knowingly.
Leaning in, Evan whispered, “How’d it go?” Ioan and Kimberly had taken a jumper to the mainland earlier that day, ostensibly to do some reconnaissance, but Evan knew better.
Ioan’s eyes cut to Kimberly. “She’s really something,” he said sotto voce. “We found a little beach not too far from here and talked for hours.”
Raising a skeptical brow, Evan murmured, “Just talk?”
Shooting his brother a narrowed glance, he shook his head. “Yes, Evan,” he said, half-annoyed, half-exasperated. “Just talk. I don’t want to screw this up by going too fast. It already feels like I’m on a fast train here,” he admitted.
That, Evan could understand all too well. Their attention was drawn by Mac’s, “So do you guys have any plans for tonight?”
Ioan shook his head. “No, not really. Well, nothing beyond typing a quick report on the recon we did earlier,” he said.
Kimberly groaned. “Yes. I have to finish the report for Rodney. It’ll take me most of the night to finish.”
“How about you, Evan?” Mac asked, sounding hopeful.
Meeting the other man’s eyes, Evan found it difficult to look away, so he didn’t. “No plans as of yet, why?”
Mac shrugged. “I thought perhaps we could watch a movie? Relax for an evening while we can before we get swept away in either research or some emergency or other.”
Kimberly slipped off Mac’s lap and began eating her dinner. From the corner of his eye, Evan could just see her looking between him and Mac with amused interest. He did his best to ignore her. To not let his thoughts dwell on why she might be amused, or why she had that knowing look on her face. Clearing his throat, Evan smiled. “Sounds like fun. What did you have in mind?”
Mac waved his hand. “Whatever you want to watch, really. I’m open to anything.”
And couldn’t that be taken up for interpretation, Evan thought. Casting his memory back to the extensive library that Vala and the rest of SG-1 had managed to put together before they left, Evan grinned. “I’m sure we’ll figure something out.”
The four of them chatted easily over the rest of dinner until Ioan and Kimberly had to get back to work, leaving Mac and Evan alone at the table. Mac leaned back in his chair as he watched Evan closely. “So have you figured out what you want to watch yet?”
Evan shook his head. “No, not really,” he admitted.
Getting to his feet, Mac chuckled. “Well, come on then. Why don’t we go to my room and we’ll figure it out from there?”
Swallowing hard, Evan nodded. Up until now, they had only spent time together in public areas. They hadn’t ventured to apartments at all, and while the prospect of being alone with the man enticed Evan, it also made him nervous. The pull he felt toward Mac, though, seemed to trump everything, and Evan found himself nodding agreement before he could think better of it.
Mac grabbed his laptop and booted it up as soon as they got to his room, then handed it to Evan. “Be my guest. I’ll be right back,” he said before disappearing to the bathroom, leaving Evan to his thoughts. Scrolling through the library of movies on the central database that everyone had been hooked up to, Evan tried to focus on just finding a movie.
He had just settled on Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom when Mac returned. Glancing at the screen, Mac grinned. “Ohh, good one. Haven’t seen that in a while.”
Offering him a pleased smile, Evan relaxed a little. At least he had made a good choice. Placing the laptop on the small table in front of the sofa, they watched in companionable silence for a while. It took Evan a bit to realize that Mac was paying more attention to him than he was the movie. Shifting, he shot a questioning look at Mac.
Mac shrugged. “Nothing. Was just thinking I’m glad you’re here.” Ducking his head, Evan twisted his fingers in his lap as Mac continued, “I’d like to get to know you better, Evan.” The man sounded sincere and his voice was so tender that it made Evan raise his eyes to find Mac smiling at him in a way that had something inside Evan melt away.
Clearing his throat, Evan gave a small smile of his own. “I think I’d like that, Mac, but…” At Mac’s concern, Evan hurriedly added, “I’d appreciate it if we could take things slow. It’s… been a while.”
Mac shifted in his seat so he faced Evan and leaned forward, reaching for his hand. With his thumb stroking the back of Evan’s hand, he met Evan’s eyes thoughtfully. “Tell me about him,” Mac prodded gently.
Surprised, Evan gaped at him. “How did you know it was a ‘him’?”
Light laughter spilled from Mac’s lips and he looked genuinely amused as he teased, “Because unless I’m very much mistaken, and that rarely happens, you are as gay as I am.” Turning more serious again, he gave Evan’s hand a squeeze. “So what happened to him?”
Swallowing hard, Evan fought back the emotions that welled up inside of him. Both those that still belonged to Jim, and those that had started to be all Mac’s. His voice barely above a whisper, Evan told Mac everything about Jim. How they had been together for three years before he had asked Jim to marry him. How they had planned out their future, only for it to be snatched away one night by a drunk driver, two months before their wedding.
“Oh, Ev, I’m so sorry.” Mac released Evan’s hand only to pull him into a comforting hug. “I’m so, so sorry. How long ago was that?” Mac murmured in his ear as he held him.
Evan closed his eyes, breathing deep. He felt completely overwhelmed by it all. The way Mac smelled, how it felt to hold him in his arms, and to be held? “Five years,” Evan croaked, clenching his eyes shut. Had being in Jim’s arms ever felt like this? Evan couldn’t remember and that made it all worse.
They sat like that for a long time and the credits were rolling when they let go. Scrubbing his face, Evan cleared his throat several times in hopes of pulling himself together. “Sorry,” he muttered.
Cupping Evan’s cheek, Mac smiled sadly. “You have nothing to be sorry for, love.” Evan blinked in surprise. “Ah, sorry. I probably shouldn’t have,” Mac said quietly as he pulled his hand away.
Shaking his head, Evan quickly stopped Mac’s movement. “Don’t. It’s… it’s okay.” And it was. More so than Evan was willing to admit. Ioan was right. No matter what happened between him and Mac, it was time for Evan to take a chance and risk his heart again. Carefully and slowly, baby steps all the way, but still a chance.
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