Stargate Rejects

Nick stepped into the empty infirmary the next morning.

"Can I see the surprise now?" He asked William. William chuckled and held up a syringe.

"Yup. Here it is."

Nick groaned. "A needle. Great. So my surprise is that I get a shot?"

"I think you'll be happy once you get it," William replied. "Now come sit down." He patted the surface of the examining table.

Nick sat down nervously. "What's it for?"

"What, you want me to ruin the surprise?"

Nick glared.

"Fine, fine. Over the past few months, I've been working on an experimental gene therapy." William paused for dramatic effect. "I've found a way to recreate the Ancient gene."

Nick's eyes widened. "Really? And it works?"

"In simulation, yes."

"So... it hasn't actually been tested."

"Well, no," William admitted. "That's why you're here."

"You're going to test an experimental method of DNA manipulation on me?" Nick was starting to worry a little. "Is that even legal?"

"Everything's legal in the Pegasus galaxy," William pointed out.

"I'm not sure about this," Nick said.

"Alright. You're free to go."

Nick was surprised that William was giving up so easily. "Really?"

"Sure. We'll test it on Blackington. I just thought you'd want the gene before him."

Nick sighed. "Fine," he said, holding out his arm. "If I get sick from this, you'd better fix me."

Beckett grinned. "That's my job," he replied, and plunged the needle into Nick's arm.

Nick checked his watch as he sat down the the cafeteria. It had been 53 minutes since his needle, and so far he didn't feel any different. He glanced across the room. Tyson was sitting at a table with Chris, talking animatedly. Nick couldn't help feeling a tiny stab of jealousy. His own table seemed remarkably lonely all of a sudden.

"Can I sit here?" A high-pitched voice asked. Nick tore his attention away from Tyson and Chris. A woman was standing in front of him. She was petite and pretty, with shoulder-length blonde-and-brown hair and a bright smile.

"Of - of course," Nick stammered. He wasn't used to people approaching him, let alone asking to sit with him.

She nodded and took the seat across from him.

"I'm Dr. Cassadee Pope," she introduced herself. "I'm a botanist."

"I'm Nick. Nick Wheeler. Uh, Dr. Nick Wheeler. I'm, uh, an astrophysicist, Stargate expert, wormhole physics expert, uh..." Nick was pretty sure he was rambling, and decided that shutting up was the best course of action. Absent-mindedly, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small device he'd found in an Ancient lab a while ago, and began turning it over and over in his suddenly sweaty palm.

Cassadee just smiled. "You're on Major Ritter's Gate team, aren't you?"

Of course. She wanted to talk about Ritter. What else?

"Yeah, I am."

However, Cassadee took the conversation in a different direction than he'd expected.

"So that means you've been off-world, right?"

"I, uh. Yeah, I mean, a few times. It was... yeah. Yeah, I have."

She smiled, a slightly dreamy look in her eyes. "What was it like?"

Nick could picture the image forming in her head: exotically beautiful alien landscapes, with rainforests and waterfalls and cute fuzzy alien animals.

"Uh. It was. No, it was kinda, uh. I got kidnapped. There were monsters and stuff. And, uh, it was kinda like Earth, only scarier. Cause, you know, the Wraith and stuff." He was getting frustrated with his inability to form proper sentences around her. Talking with William or Ritter, he could do. Yelling at incompetent scientists or annoying military officers, he could do. Forming theories and solving problems and arguing with Blackington, he could do. Keeping a casual conversation going with an attractive stranger? Not so much.

"Oh." Cassadee's face formed an adorable pout. "Is it too dangerous for botany teams?"

"Um. Probably, yeah. I mean, maybe when we know a bit more about this place, then we can start sending out research teams and stuff but, uh, for now it's kind of - oh my God."

A strange sensation was spreading throughout his body, pressure building in his chest. He clutched his chest with the hand holding the Ancient device, and the small object suddenly lit up, attaching itself to him. Cassadee stared at him, eyes wide.

"What -?" she started.

"The gene therapy," Nick murmured. "It worked." He stared down at the small glowing object that had attached itself to his chest, and grinned.

"Gene therapy?"

"Dr. Beckett found a way to artificially create the Ancient gene. I was the first test subject. It just started to work."

"Wow, you volunteered to test it? That's pretty brave," Cassadee said. Nick couldn't help feeling a little bubble of pride rising in his chest.

"Nah, not really," he said, in a tone that clearly indicated that it was. He experimentally picked up a spoon and tapped his forearm. It couldn't make contact.

"Awesome!" he exclaimed. "It's like a personal force shield!"

"Wow," Cassadee said, reaching over to try to touch his arm. Her hand was halted several centimeters away from it. She giggled. "That's so cool!"

Suddenly, Tyson approached the table, grinning. "Hey, Wheeler, guess what?"

"What?" Nick asked.

"Chris is thinking of sticking around Atlantis for a while." Tyson's smile widened, and Nick had to fight the urge to reply sarcastically.

"That's good," he said.

"Yeah. I'm thinking of asking him to be on our team."

Nick couldn't keep silent. "Don't you think you're rushing into things? You only met him yesterday. You haven't known him long enough to trust him that much." Or to like him that much, the voice in his head added.

"I know, I know. I'm not asking him yet. I just feel like he'd be a good person to have on our team. He knows lots about the Wraith, he's good at getting around Pegasus - he was on the run from the Wraith for two years, and they never caught him - and he's a great fighter. He was showing me some of his moves in the gym earlier. He's awesome!"

Nick watched Tyson's face for a wiggle of the eyebrows, a wink, some sign that he wasn't just talking about combat moves. Nothing. Nick couldn't help feeling an odd sense of relief. But there was still that stupid grin, the way Tyson was looking over at Chris' table every so often, the way he was going on about him as if he'd never met someone so interesting in his entire life. Nick held back a sigh of frustration.

"Alright," he said, because he didn't know what else to say.

"Awesome," Tyson replied. "I'm glad you approve." He turned to walk away.

Nick made a split-second decision.

"Cassadee," he said (raising his voice slightly to make sure that Tyson could hear), "Would you like to have dinner with me tomorrow night?"

Cassadee, who was oblivious to the tension behind Nick and Tyson's brief conversation, smiled.

"I'd love that," she replied.

Nick turned his head just as Tyson was turning around. For half a second, their eyes met, and then Tyson was on his way back to Chris' table.

"I have to go, uh, talk to Dr. Beckett," he said to Cassadee. "I'll see you tomorrow."

And with that, he picked up his tray and left the mess hall, feeling both triumphant and sickened by the disappointment that had been reflected in Tyson's blue-gray eyes.

Fifteen minutes later, Nick arrived in the infirmary. William was bandaging Dr. Siska's arm and chattering excitedly (Nick caught the words "Saporta" and "last night" before deciding that he really didn't want to know).

"Beckett!" Nick called across the room.

"Wheeler," William replied, without looking up.

"Your gene therapy worked!"

"Of course it did," William replied, but Nick caught the mixed expression of pride and surprise on his face. William finished tying Siska's bandage and sent him on his way with a smile and a "be more careful next time".

"Now," he said after Siska was gone, "What's wrong?"

"What do you mean?" Nick said, trying to sound confused.

William just folded his arms and raised his eyebrows.

"Okay, fine. I think Ritter likes Gaylor and I just asked Cassadee Pope out to dinner."

William paused for a second, thinking. "Cassadee Pope the botanist?"

"Yeah."

"She was in here the other day. She's cute."

"That's not the point!"

"All I'm saying is that if Ritter isn't interested, she's not a bad second choice."

Nick sighed. "I suppose you're right." If he was honest with himself, he'd been hoping to hear something more along the lines of Don't be silly, of course Ritter likes you, anyone could see that, but William was far too sincere for that.

"Of course I'm right." William smiled and patted Nick on the shoulder. "Give Cassadee a try. You might really like her. Besides, Ritter's a cocky bastard."

Nick couldn't argue with that.

"Now," William continued, "I should check to make sure the gene therapy isn't having any side effects on you. Hop under the scanner."

Nick nodded obediently and stretched out on the examination table. William started up the scanner. After a few seconds he stopped it.

"That's weird," he murmured.

"What?" Nick sat up, terrified. His mind spun out of control, imagining every horrifying side effect possible.

"The scanner isn't getting any readings."

"Why is it -" Nick stopped in mid-sentence and snapped his fingers. "I know what's wrong."

"What?"

"I'm wearing an Ancient force shield. It's probably blocking the radiation from the scanner."

"Take it off, then."

Nick reached for the device, but several centimeters away from his chest, he found his hand unable to get any closer to the device.

"I, uh, I can't."

"Why not?"

"The force field won't let me."

William sighed. "Can you get if off some other way?"

"How?"

"I don't know. I'll do some research, but for now you can go back to work."

"But what if I'm dying? Your gene therapy could be slowly mutating me into a giant mouse, for all I know."

William rolled his eyes fondly. "You'll be fine, Nickolas. Go find some more Ancient technology to play with."

"If I die, it's your fault."

William just smiled and guided Nick out the door.

Almost an hour had passed before Nick was back in the infirmary, pale and wide-eyed.

"Oh my God, William," he whispered, dropping his head into his hands. "I'm going to die."