The Scientific Method - by Rhiannon
Jul. 20th, 2006 02:03 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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sga_flashficThe Scientific Method
Author: Rhiannon -![[profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
rhian_morwenna
Challenge: Dark Side
Characters: Carson Beckett, John Sheppard, mention of other Atlantis residents
Pairing: Carson/John
Summary: He kept meticulous records of all of his research and experiments
Word Count: 954
Genre: Dark Fic, Character Study
Rating: PG-13 – adult themes
Spoilers/Timeline: Flashbacks to “Hide and Seek” and “Conversion”, mention of “Michael”
Disclaimer: I am not Martin Wood, Martin Gero, or any of the other producers/writers. Therefore, I own nothing.
Author's Notes: Written for the SGA Flashfic “Dark Side” challenge. Thanks tolvs2read for beta-reading this piece. Any remaining mistakes are my own.
He was, if nothing else, a scientist. He kept meticulous records of all of his research and experiments. Not all of his experiments had the outcome he desired, but the results were still interesting. Worthy of additional study. As he looked over the data on his computer, his mind wandered
Rodney was a perfect success. The retrovirus to incorporate the ATA gene into his existing genetic code had worked beautifully. He and Peter had joked while he bandaged Peter’s hand after Rodney used his newly-acquired gene to activate the personal shield and Peter had foolishly punched him. Hard.
“I'm thinking Mr. Invincible,” Peter quipped.
“Captain Untouchable,” he responded with a grin.
“Ooh, that's good!”
It didn’t matter that the ATA gene therapy had only a forty-eight percent success rate. There were no adverse effects in those who did not respond. Simply nothing happened, at least from what he could tell from his initial study, even after two years. It was like he had injected them with saline instead of the retrovirus. Now he only had to figure out why the retrovirus was ineffective in certain individuals, and maybe he could achieve a higher success rate…
John lay in the infirmary, incoherent, struggling against the restraints. The experimental retrovirus Ellia had administered to herself then infected John with when she bit him was raging through his system. Changing him into something…else. He had theorized that, based on the effect it had on Ellia, John would become a Wraith, but what actually happened was something unexpected. It seemed he was turning into an Iratus bug in human form.
He left the camera recording constantly, dispassionately documenting every change in John’s physiology, his mental status. The data would be useful later, when he had a chance to review it. Right now he had to find a way to reverse the changes John was going through, and soon.
He re-read his notes and the preliminary analysis of John’s ordeal that he had written six months ago. He was lucky that John’s condition hadn’t progressed so far that the inhibitors no longer worked, so that John could go on the mission to save himself. The Iratus eggs John collected were another invaluable asset to his research. He kept them with all of his other samples.
He sat next to John who was still restrained and sedated, but the stem-cell gene-therapy from the Iratus eggs was already working. The exoskeleton was no longer spreading. Soon it would begin to fade and John would be himself again.
He reached out and took John’s hand in his own, running his thumb over the rough skin, marveling at the texture. Rough yet pliable, like cartilage, and warm instead of the cool he expected. He wondered what those hands would feel like against him, running over his chest, the claw-like fingernails scraping his skin. To stare into those yellow, slitted eyes and have them staring back at him.
He brushed John’s hair off of his forehead as he leaned forward and brushed his lips over John’s, pulling back with a gentle swipe of his tongue. He licked his own lips, trying to commit to memory the unusual texture. He had longed to feel those lips against his own since he first saw John in Antarctica. He might never kiss those lips again, so he had to take the opportunity that had presented itself. As he pulled down the sheet to reveal John’s nude body, he told himself that he needed to see the extent of the transformation, to document it. The fact that he could admire John’s body without him even knowing it, to touch the alien skin, to caress John, was completely secondary.
He looked over at the refrigeration unit that held the various samples he had collected over the years. He had the original Wraith hand that John brought back from Athos and blood samples from Ellia. He even had more Wraith enzyme, extracted from Michael before he administered the retrovirus, along with blood and tissue samples.
There were also vials of the various retroviruses he had developed. Even if a particular version had not produced the results he had desired, he might find them useful in future research so he kept a sample of each version. Maybe he could eventually create a retrovirus that would enhance a human without the violent and disfiguring drawbacks. Perhaps, with enough time and work, he could succeed in creating a stronger human without creating a Wraith, the way Ancients had. He would learn from their mistakes.
He smiled at that thought, the culmination of his research. And none of it would have ever been possible on Earth. Nearly everything he now did would be considered illegal in most countries.
“You are the first human trial.”
“Well, why now? I mean, if it's possible, we need as many people with the gene as we could get,” Rodney eyed him suspiciously.
“Well actually, without proper FDA. approval, it was virtually impossible on Earth to... Let's just say it's, uh, legal here in the Pegasus Galaxy.”
“Wh...and completely safe?”
“As far as experimental gene therapy goes. I am manipulating your DNA. Here we go!”
He looked at the clock on his computer. Damn, it was already twenty-eight hundred hours. No wonder he was tired. He shut everything down, double-checked that the samples were locked up, and left for his room. He wondered if John was already there, waiting for him, in his their quarters. He smiled at the thought of a set of strong, warm arms to hold him, even while the part of his mind that never stopped working considered the possibility of using John as a test subject for his revised Iratus retrovirus.
Author: Rhiannon -
rhian_morwennaChallenge: Dark Side
Characters: Carson Beckett, John Sheppard, mention of other Atlantis residents
Pairing: Carson/John
Summary: He kept meticulous records of all of his research and experiments
Word Count: 954
Genre: Dark Fic, Character Study
Rating: PG-13 – adult themes
Spoilers/Timeline: Flashbacks to “Hide and Seek” and “Conversion”, mention of “Michael”
Disclaimer: I am not Martin Wood, Martin Gero, or any of the other producers/writers. Therefore, I own nothing.
Author's Notes: Written for the SGA Flashfic “Dark Side” challenge. Thanks to
lvs2read for beta-reading this piece. Any remaining mistakes are my own.He was, if nothing else, a scientist. He kept meticulous records of all of his research and experiments. Not all of his experiments had the outcome he desired, but the results were still interesting. Worthy of additional study. As he looked over the data on his computer, his mind wandered
Rodney was a perfect success. The retrovirus to incorporate the ATA gene into his existing genetic code had worked beautifully. He and Peter had joked while he bandaged Peter’s hand after Rodney used his newly-acquired gene to activate the personal shield and Peter had foolishly punched him. Hard.
“I'm thinking Mr. Invincible,” Peter quipped.
“Captain Untouchable,” he responded with a grin.
“Ooh, that's good!”
It didn’t matter that the ATA gene therapy had only a forty-eight percent success rate. There were no adverse effects in those who did not respond. Simply nothing happened, at least from what he could tell from his initial study, even after two years. It was like he had injected them with saline instead of the retrovirus. Now he only had to figure out why the retrovirus was ineffective in certain individuals, and maybe he could achieve a higher success rate…
John lay in the infirmary, incoherent, struggling against the restraints. The experimental retrovirus Ellia had administered to herself then infected John with when she bit him was raging through his system. Changing him into something…else. He had theorized that, based on the effect it had on Ellia, John would become a Wraith, but what actually happened was something unexpected. It seemed he was turning into an Iratus bug in human form.
He left the camera recording constantly, dispassionately documenting every change in John’s physiology, his mental status. The data would be useful later, when he had a chance to review it. Right now he had to find a way to reverse the changes John was going through, and soon.
He re-read his notes and the preliminary analysis of John’s ordeal that he had written six months ago. He was lucky that John’s condition hadn’t progressed so far that the inhibitors no longer worked, so that John could go on the mission to save himself. The Iratus eggs John collected were another invaluable asset to his research. He kept them with all of his other samples.
He sat next to John who was still restrained and sedated, but the stem-cell gene-therapy from the Iratus eggs was already working. The exoskeleton was no longer spreading. Soon it would begin to fade and John would be himself again.
He reached out and took John’s hand in his own, running his thumb over the rough skin, marveling at the texture. Rough yet pliable, like cartilage, and warm instead of the cool he expected. He wondered what those hands would feel like against him, running over his chest, the claw-like fingernails scraping his skin. To stare into those yellow, slitted eyes and have them staring back at him.
He brushed John’s hair off of his forehead as he leaned forward and brushed his lips over John’s, pulling back with a gentle swipe of his tongue. He licked his own lips, trying to commit to memory the unusual texture. He had longed to feel those lips against his own since he first saw John in Antarctica. He might never kiss those lips again, so he had to take the opportunity that had presented itself. As he pulled down the sheet to reveal John’s nude body, he told himself that he needed to see the extent of the transformation, to document it. The fact that he could admire John’s body without him even knowing it, to touch the alien skin, to caress John, was completely secondary.
He looked over at the refrigeration unit that held the various samples he had collected over the years. He had the original Wraith hand that John brought back from Athos and blood samples from Ellia. He even had more Wraith enzyme, extracted from Michael before he administered the retrovirus, along with blood and tissue samples.
There were also vials of the various retroviruses he had developed. Even if a particular version had not produced the results he had desired, he might find them useful in future research so he kept a sample of each version. Maybe he could eventually create a retrovirus that would enhance a human without the violent and disfiguring drawbacks. Perhaps, with enough time and work, he could succeed in creating a stronger human without creating a Wraith, the way Ancients had. He would learn from their mistakes.
He smiled at that thought, the culmination of his research. And none of it would have ever been possible on Earth. Nearly everything he now did would be considered illegal in most countries.
“You are the first human trial.”
“Well, why now? I mean, if it's possible, we need as many people with the gene as we could get,” Rodney eyed him suspiciously.
“Well actually, without proper FDA. approval, it was virtually impossible on Earth to... Let's just say it's, uh, legal here in the Pegasus Galaxy.”
“Wh...and completely safe?”
“As far as experimental gene therapy goes. I am manipulating your DNA. Here we go!”
He looked at the clock on his computer. Damn, it was already twenty-eight hundred hours. No wonder he was tired. He shut everything down, double-checked that the samples were locked up, and left for his room. He wondered if John was already there, waiting for him, in his their quarters. He smiled at the thought of a set of strong, warm arms to hold him, even while the part of his mind that never stopped working considered the possibility of using John as a test subject for his revised Iratus retrovirus.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-20 09:34 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-20 09:18 pm (UTC)I could have easily written this as gen, but the tiny amount of slash (could have easily been gen) shows that he would even be willing to experiment on a loved one.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-20 10:56 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-20 10:51 pm (UTC)It is scary how this could easily be what's going through his head, and I'm glad you saw this as plausible.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-20 11:27 am (UTC)I really like the show and characters, but lately i've been really enjoying these dark fics, and seeing how they fit in to show cannon ( which in some cases = scarily well). Bad me.
Very intresting read, thank you for writing it so well.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-20 10:58 pm (UTC)Exactly! Carson is a very likeable/loveable character, but he's done some terrible things. I'd like to ask the writers if a truly dark Carson is what they have in mind, or if they've really thought it through.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-20 01:16 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-20 01:33 pm (UTC)Great fic though... :o)
(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-20 11:07 pm (UTC)Or hope that John starts asking questions when he's given some sort of "routine" vaccination/injection.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-20 11:09 pm (UTC)Yay for creepy! That's exactly what I wanted. *evil grin*
If I've posted this twice, LJ has decided to mess with me right now...
(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-20 03:07 pm (UTC)Nice, chilling story!
(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-20 11:16 pm (UTC)I agree with the Dr. Mengele comparison, Carson passed borderline with his medical/scientific ethics a long time ago. I saw someone call Carson "Dr. Mengele Lite" a couple of months ago, and he's not so Lite anymore after Michael and Allies.
Thanks for commenting, and I'm glad I caused chills. *evil, sweet-Carson grin*
(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-21 12:14 am (UTC)Love your icon, BTW... :-)
(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-21 12:45 am (UTC)Thanks on the icon! This fic needed a Dark!Carson icon in the worst way. *g* Feel free to grab it.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-20 06:00 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-20 11:25 pm (UTC)I wanted to add that extra depth that we don't see in the show. I really hope he's on naive side and has left parked his ethics at the door out pure scientific zeal. While it's great to write him like this, having parked ethics in the Puddle Jumper bay and forgot about them, I truly hope that's not him.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-20 11:40 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-20 11:46 pm (UTC)We've seen Carson show remorse at his choices, but only well after something has happened and things have gone horribly wrong.
Thanks for commenting, and I'm glad you liked it!
(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-21 12:15 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-21 12:39 am (UTC)Paul McGillion
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