Blood Ties

Chapter eighteen

It was difficult to tell exactly when the debriefing had run off the rails. Negotiating was Elizabeth's bailiwick; nevertheless, she didn't enjoy playing referee between two of her own people. The intent of the meeting had been for Rodney, Radek, and Dr. Geisler to present their MIM-316 findings to the group of scientists that had been assembled to support the investigation. Instead, not long after Geisler had begun his account, Rodney had started a running commentary of his own, and it was clear his assessment of the mission was markedly different from his colleague's. More important, however, was the brutally judgmental attitude with which he delivered it. It was true that Rodney had never suffered fools politely, but Geisler was nobody's fool.

While Elizabeth didn't want to rake her chief scientist over the coals in front of his staff, her tolerance had limits. "Rodney, you'll have to forgive me for not being as familiar with dinosaur physiology as you are. If you don't mind, I'd like to hear what Dr. Geisler-"

"Elizabeth, the man is romanticizing them past the point of all reason. First and foremost, the dinosaurs' intelligence-although classifying their unique skill set as 'intelligence' is debatable-was obviously augmented by the Ancients."

Geisler bristled. "Such a callous and, frankly, ignorant dismissal of a remarkable evolutionary-"

"Did you just call me ignorant? Are you delusional or just oblivious?"

"Rodney!" Elizabeth shoved her chair back. "Everyone, please excuse us for a moment. Rodney, with me." She strode toward one of the louvered doors without waiting to see if he would follow.

Fortunately, he did. Once they were out of the briefing room and inside her office, she shut the door and rounded on him. "Did Geisler wrong you in some monumental way to deserve that? Those people aren't graduate students for you to terrorize. What the hell were you trying to prove in there?"

"People are being killed on Earth," Rodney fired back, unrepentant. "We don't have time to wax poetic about lost worlds."

"I agree that time is an issue." She folded her arms. "Stay here. I'll continue the meeting and call you when your input is needed."

"Excuse me?" He jumped on the perceived slight, though not in quite the way she'd anticipated. "Oh, I see. This is the new norm. I was excluded from the initial briefing with Carson about the iratus gene prevalence in humans, and now it continues."

"Is that what all this has been about? You're taking that omission as a personal affront?" Elizabeth pinched the bridge of her nose, feeling the first twinges of a tension headache. She'd probably have to go through this scene with John, too. Assigning him to work with Agent Larance rather than join his team on MIM-316 hadn't been her idea, but her dealings with the IOA had armed her with enough situational awareness to know that this was not a decision she could safely protest. Nonetheless, when Elizabeth hadn't instantly leapt to John's defense in the SGC jumper bay, the fleeting glance he'd given her had said plenty. As inscrutable as he often was, she recognized wounded pride when she saw it.

She could appreciate both men's feelings on the matter, up to a point. However.-..

Elizabeth stepped nose-to-nose with Rodney. "You need to accept the fact that not everything on this expedition can revolve around you," she said, her tone blunt. "There simply aren't enough hours in the day for you to be the chief scientist of this expedition, a full-time researcher running your own lab, and a full-time member of a gate team. Therefore, occasionally things take place on this expedition without your supervision or approval. Somewhere along the line you have to delegate and trust that your people know their jobs. At the moment, I personally would like to understand what happened on 316 from all perspectives, not just that of the person who speaks the loudest. So what will it be'? Can you find it within yourself to give your fellow scientists and teammates the respect they deserve, or do you need to stay here and sulk for a while, thereby missing yet more pertinent information that you can use to support an argument bordering on paranoia?"

She'd never seen Rodney honestly furious with her on a personal level, and she half expected to get her first demonstration of it right now. When he instead remained focused on the original offense, she realized she couldn't have been more wrong.

"There's no reason why Carson shouldn't have informed me," he insisted. "Officially or otherwise. It's not as if he never had an opportunity. How many times did we have lunch together?"

The supposed protest continued, but Elizabeth barely heard it, preoccupied with a dawning realization of just what all this was truly about. The relentless pace of the expedition was an inescapable reality. When they suffered a loss, there was never enough time to mourn properly, to come to grips with it on their own terms. They were simply thrown headfirst into the next crisis. At one time or another, the strain took its toll on all of them.

More than anyone else, Rodney had had a true peer in Carson. In addition to the sense of isolation he likely felt now, the iratus research must be reminding him on a regular basis that his friend hadn't confided in him about absolutely everything.

"…all it would have taken is an off-duty moment-"

"Rodney, you're never off duty," Elizabeth said, softening her tone.

As much as she sympathized with him, she couldn't be his armchair therapist. Not while her own conscience was weighed down with the task of telling her people that some of their friends or family might be among those who had been cruelly murdered on Earth. There were a number of Lilith cult victims who didn't fit the pattern that began at Wormhole X-treme, and Agent Larance had speculated that the Stargate program itself had been the link. Rather than spend a substantial amount of time on background checks, it had made more sense to question the Antarctic and Atlantis expeditions about the list of known victims.

Therefore, later today Elizabeth would have the unenviable job of distributing that list to the department heads, well aware of the strong odds that more than one city resident would read it and gasp in horrified recognition.

Absorbed in his own conflict, Rodney only blinked at her. They were rescued from the difficult silence by a rap on the glass door, where Katie Brown stood, looking somehow hesitant and excited at the same time.

Elizabeth forced a more pleasant expression and opened the door. "Dr. Brown, good afternoon."

"I'm sorry to be late for the meeting." The botanist twirled a data storage device between anxious fingers. "So many of the samples from 316 merit further study, and I only have two hands. That being said, I think I've already found something very interesting."

It was her presence rather than her promise of information that seemed to lift Rodney out of his fixation. As a rule, Elizabeth tended to be wary of intradepartmental relationships, but Katie seldom had to report directly to Rodney, and no one could find fault with the calming influence she often appeared to have on him.

Maybe this disaster of a meeting could be salvaged after all. "Why don't we join the others?" Elizabeth suggested, raising her eyebrows at Rodney in a pointed query. "All of us.

Slowly, as if realizing he'd just been pardoned, he nodded. The three of them headed for the briefing room in single file. Elizabeth heard the last vestiges of a shared laugh fade as she walked in with Rodney following. The expected awkwardness never gained traction, thanks to Katie's arrival; apparently others were aware of her effect on their chief scientist.

Acknowledging nothing and no one, Rodney reclaimed his seat. "Please continue," Elizabeth told Geisler, settling into her chair.

With a faint chill lingering in the air, Geisler cast a brief look of assessment at Rodney before beginning again. "I was telling the group that the evolutionary differences between Earth dinosaurs and the beings we encountered on 316 are too complex to have occurred over a period of only ten thousand years. DNA manipulation is certainly a possible cause, but that alone couldn't account for the magnitude of the changes we're seeing. These changes are evident in the genetic assays we've performed on several samples, including Dr. Brown's detailed botanical analysis."

At his wordless nod, Katie spoke up. "The vegetation samples are remarkably close to the modem equivalents of birch, elm, a few variants of orchid, and cycad." In marked contrast to Rodney, she glanced over at Geisler as if uncertain about overstepping her bounds.

"In my view," the older scientist said, "it seems probable that the Ancients saw something of value in the biota of the middle to late Cretaceous and chose to preserve it in the Pegasus Galaxy. Since this must have occurred long before the Wraith became a threat, I can only assume the Ancients were studying some aspect of the ecology that they thought might lead them to Ascension." He gave a small shrug. "It could be that their focus was not the raptors we met, but instead some other species that has since Ascended from the planet."

Clearly itching to jump in, Rodney managed to exercise some restraint. Elizabeth raised the issue that had to be on his mind. "That doesn't explain the more recent Ancient activity on 316. Your research in the city database showed that Lilith ran experiments there just prior to the Lanteans' abandoning the Pegasus Galaxy. Were you able to find any details about the nature of those experiments?"

Geisler shook his head. "Nothing beyond her name and a general reference to testing, both executed and planned. We can only speculate about the Ancients' motivations; all I know for certain is that they were forced to leave in a hurry and that Lilith intended to return."

"A sudden departure seems quite likely," Radek agreed. "The condition of the lab we explored-it was not the controlled shutdown state we found upon first arriving in Atlantis. No steps had been taken to cover or otherwise preserve equipment." He absently disassembled and reassembled a pen. "Not exactly a Marie Celeste, but very close."

Elizabeth decided to reward Rodney's forbearance and swiveled her chair in his direction. "What did you find in the lab's records?"

"I've only had time to skim the files so far," he said promptly. "There's no doubt that the Ancients transplanted a large representation of Earth's biota some millions of years ago, which would explain the existence of the extremely old Ancient structures. Lilith and other more recent Ancients were in fact working on the `empathic' gene, so to speak. It looks like they hoped to make humans immune from Wraith attacks by inducing a kind of dynamic emotive feedback. Essentially, any attempt to feed on a human would result in the Wraith experiencing the same terror, agony and, ultimately, death."

It was a fascinating idea, but was it practical? Had the Ancients who'd originally stocked the planet abandoned their efforts because of a lack of progress or because they'd opted to let natural evolution to take its course'? In either case, why had Lilith revisited the experiment'?

"A considerable number of the lab records are focused on botany," added Radek. While Rodney's gaze blanked, Katie's lit up, although she didn't voice her eagerness. She reminded Elizabeth of a young student who knew the answer to the teacher's question but was too shy to call it out.

"Dr. Brown, you said earlier that you'd found something of interest?" Elizabeth prodded.

Katie returned her smile. "Everything Dr. Geisler brought back from 316 is of interest. In particular, I think there's a lot to be learned from the ginkgoopsida."

Well, that wasn't a word that often came up in conversation. "I'm sorry?"

"A class of plants commonly known as ginkgoes," Katie clarified.

Rodney frowned. "Those rancid-smelling pods that were all over the ground?"

She nodded brightly. "Ginkgoes originated on Earth nearly three hundred million years ago. However, only one species survived the K-T extinction event. In fact, until a few years ago, only a single population of trees, located on Tian Mu Mountain in China, was known to exist. Instead of seeding, however, they spread from a type of basal root. On 316, the ginkgoes would seem to be mostly seeding."

What that meant in regard to their objective, Elizabeth hadn't a clue, but she trusted the botanist to come to the point soon. "Isn't ginkgo biloba one of those herbal supplements people take to enhance memory?"

"That's right. It's also used to relieve the symptoms of many types of brain dysfunction. I've been testing the active ingredients from the 316 ginkgoes-they're drastically more concentrated than their Earth counterparts. Up to ten thousand times stronger, in some cases. They also contain several dozen more active ingredients, most of which I haven't been able to identify yet, although I did recognize a few as being used in the treatment of genetic disorders." Completely in her element, Katie was almost beaming. "These plants have incredible potential for medical applications."

Her last comment seemed to go unnoticed by Rodney as he zeroed in on the one that had preceded it. "Genetic disorders?"

"Those trees were abundant in every area we visited on the planet," Geisler said. "Whatever properties they contain would have completely saturated the food chain."

"Did you say genetic disorders?" Rodney demanded. "How?"

Katie appeared more than willing to explain. "Well, some of these components can be used to trigger dormant genes. We often think of retroviruses in a negative context, but not all of them are bad. Take the ATA gene, for instance. The gene therapy Dr. Beckett developed is a retroviral trigger. The ginkgoes on 316 may contain ingredients that trigger any number of useful retroviruses."

Although the expedition would soon learn about the recent developments on Earth when the victim list began to circulate, only a few members had been fully briefed so far. Katie hadn't been included in that group, so it wasn't surprising that she'd taken a rather optimistic view of the possibilities. Elizabeth, by contrast, felt an uneasy sense of recognition begin to coil in her stomach.

Seeing that Rodney suddenly looked ill as well, Katie's oblivious enthusiasm faltered. "Did I say something wrong?"

"Useful retroviruses," repeated Rodney, making a visible effort to stay calm. "As opposed to, say, Wraith retroviruses?"

"Let's not jump to conclusions," Elizabeth warned, scanning the faces of the other scientists at the table. "Can I infer that you have several worthwhile lines of study to pursue at the moment?" Heads nodded. "Then I won't keep you any longer."

One of the traits she most appreciated in Atlantis's science team was its collective willingness to dive into any topic, no matter how arcane or fantastical, without hesitation. When she dismissed the meeting, the participants gathered their notes and began to scatter, leaving the room in huddled pairs and trios to discuss options. Rodney followed, cautioning them all in a raised voice to take adequate protective measures when handling any and all samples from M1M-316.

Geisler trailed behind, moving as though his aging joints had had enough excitement for a while. Seeing an opportunity, Elizabeth called after him. "Dr. Geisler, may I have a moment?"

He paused, fixing her with a rueful, knowing smile. "If you're feeling the need to apologize for Dr. McKay, it isn't necessary. You're not responsible for his behavior, and he's hardly the first forceful personality I've come across in my career."

"I appreciate that. Unfortunately, this is a different and more serious matter." Elizabeth slid a printout of the victim list out of a folder on the table. "The group Colonel Sheppard and the SGC are investigating on Earth appears to carry out its killings according to a specific ritual. They also seem to be focusing on family, friends, and acquaintances of Stargate program personnel. The reason I'm telling you this before I announce it to the expedition at large is that there have been some deaths reported in New Zealand and Australia that fit the pattern."

A look of alarmed comprehension sprang into Geisler's eyes. Elizabeth pushed ahead. "I'm very sorry to have to ask you to do this. I need to know if you recognize any of the names on this list."

Summoning a reserve of composure, Geisler reached for the printout. While he read it, Elizabeth found another file to occupy herself, not wanting to intrude on his awful assignment.

After a minute or so, he exhaled on a sigh. "None of my family, thank God," he said at last. "Three of these poor souls, though-I knew them through my research. I wouldn't have called them friends, but they were decent people and good at their jobs."

Elizabeth offered him a pen. Still shaking off the shock, he circled a name. "This one worked at the U.S. Antarctic Division supply depot in Christchurch. She could be quite the battering ram when it came to our equipment requisitions." He made another mark. "This one was a crewman on the Aurora Australis, a ship that transported researchers and cargo from Hobart down to the Antarctic base. I barely ever heard him speak, but he was a fine sailor. This last one…" The pen hovered over a third name. "I can't imagine how he fits into this. He helped me many years ago with an unrelated project and had nothing to do with the Antarctic program."

"How did you know him?" Elizabeth asked.

"He worked for the Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service as a guide in the Newdegate Cave. It's near Hastings, about two hours south of Hobart."

The bottom of the world, or at least about as close as one could get while remaining in a recognized country. Elizabeth remembered Tasmania as the starting point of her own Antarctic journey. Why, though, would a wildlife official have been targeted alongside so many others with links-direct or otherwise-to the Stargate program?

"It's interesting," Geisler said, his thoughts clearly elsewhere. "The Newdegate Cave bears a striking resemblance to the caves we found on M1M-316."