Flickering Begins !

This is the story after" The Field Trip"

It all started right after I came home from Atlantis. I think everyone in that small room(infirmary) was so happy with what had happened, that they failed to realize on concentrating on their jobs.

I went down the steps in my house and looked out my front window.

"I think I should go and tell them what went wrong."

I got on my sneakers and a jacket, which happened to be my Stargate-Atlantis uniform and ran outside and down the driveway, I pulled out my contact radio and

spoke into it;

" John, have a Jumper ready, I'm coming over."

"Sure thing, what's so important?" he wondered.

"I'll tell you at Atlantis" I replied, remembering that's what the answer to most of my questions were.

"Got it, it should be there in less than 8 minutes flat!" he stated.

I waited and it came. I saw that McKay was driving the Jumper.

"Strange," I thought" he always comes with John."

I told him to open the door, I went in and said to him

" what things are happening at Atlantis since I had left."

"Well, everyone seems to be going crazy or something, because they say that you're there all the time, as if there's two of you or something, it's weird." Rodney explained.

Then he flew the Jumper to the gate, on the way there, John contacted McKay and asked him what he was doing.

"I'm heading for Atlantis, with Rachael like you told me to do."he replied.

"She's already here." began Sheppard.

"No that's impossible", McKay stopped the Jumper and said to John"If you don't believe me, talk to her yourself!"he bragged.

I said into my headset"Hello, I'm here with Rodney" I stopped and listened for a response.

I think it was John falling on the floor.

"Quick, hurry Rodney, we have to get to Atlantis, I have a theory on what's happening. He sat in the seat and said

" Hold on tight,it's going to be a bumpy ride" he warned me.

We sped through the gate and we arrived at last to Atlantis. We got out, then I saw everyone running around wild , like some lion was on the loose and they were running for their lives so they wouldn't get eaten.

"What's going on?" I asked Rodney, then I saw myself, only I was wearing Replicator clothes.

"That wasn't in my theory," I said out loud ,"come on let's go somewhere safe."

"Like the infirmary?, Carson's been trying to find a solution for all this crazy, running around." McKay quickly informed me.

"Perfect."

We ran there, and I saw Carson concentrating on something on his computer.

I motioned for Rodney not to disturb him and to try something subtle.

Rodney wrote a message on his Tablet screen and showed it to Beckett.

He looked at McKay then at me.

"Do you know if it will work?" he said to me, looking worried.

"I don't know, but it's worth a try. I told him my theory, that when McKay and Sheppard took me out of the "Oneness Chamber" the nanites he had found had spread to everyone in the room.

Carson told me that everyone was very excited, then when the nanites took affect, they somehow turned into robots controlled by the nanites from the "Oneness Chamber".

I told him to take anyone of their blood samples and see what I said was true. He did and told me I was right.

"I don't know how you know this stuff, but it's been helpful. then said

"What exactly is this "Oneness Chamber" Rodney?" he questioned.

"Oh, well it's supposed to bring the user's concentration levels very high, so they can think about bringing people back from the dead, like you." he explained.

"Wait, who used this thing last?"

"Me"I quipped.

"That's probably why you've been smarter, but I think this machine could have other uses." started Rodney.

"Ooh, like, let me guess, 1. a cloning machine 2. a nanites converter 3. a nanites gas maker 4. a brain...

"Wait a minute," interrupted Carson" the first three are possibly right, because those things have been happening around here, people seeing you, when your really in your house, the nanites in this blood sample, people running around crazy." said Beckett, finally understanding.

Then he looked at his computer, and saw exactly what he had just been talking about.

"How did that get there?" he questioned.

"Nanites!," I supplied" "they turned into your screen and wrote down what you explained.

"I think I should do a couple of tests on you Rachael, just to make me sure about something, is that alright with you?" he asked.

"Sure, but I thought you wanted me to solve this problem, before the third stage happens!" I announced, trying to get their full attention.

"What third stage" said Carson, not really listening to me, getting his test equipment ready.

"The first stage is being really happy, the second stage is running around, and the third stage is... flickering!" I expressed, desperately trying to get their attention.

"And where exactly did you get this information from, the Internet?" wondered Rodney.

"No, I read it, the coded Ancient Language said once Rodney built the chamber, they could carry out, now get this, their new master's plan, the Replicators plan in action."

"Why didn't you tell us this sooner?" McKay expressed, panicking and getting frustrated.

"I didn't know anything about the Oneness chamber, so I didn't bother"

"I thought it was my idea" mumbled Rodney.

"I guess not, sorry Rodney." I patted him on the shoulder.

"McKay, I want to test you too, I think you've also been infected with nanites!" Beckett stated.

"Oh sure, I don't think so." he announced, trying to get out of it.

Beckett told us to lay on the beds. I was thinking

What is he going to do?

Then he took my blood sample, he studied it for a minute, then looked at it under a microscope.

"Very strange" he muttered, then he checked Rodney's.

It was the exact opposite of mine.

Then he took our blood pressure, temperatures and heart rate.

Mine was very fast, he asked why, and I said I was scared, he reassured me that there was nothing to be afraid of, I tried to calm down, then I fell asleep.

He had probably subdued me to get a normal rating, I think it worked, because five minutes later, he came in and said that what he had concluded was true.

"McKay, you're fine, but I don't know why, but you should get some rest so I can talk to Rachael."

"Why?" he pondered.

"I don't want you getting outside this area, because I don't know what caused you to be affected, and don't want you to catch what they other may have." Carson told him, concerned.

"What about everyone else?," If your going to be dealing with them, then I'm going to my room." He left the room and started to run around.

"Oh No!" He cried.

Then I told him that he was going to his room.

"I don't know about that, anyways, your blood sample was different than the one I took to check for nanites, I think you somehow have control over what is happening." Carson pondered, getting suspicious.

"No, I don't, but I do know this, you are affected, I know this because when I was subdued, I dreamed I was in the forest on some planet, then I got shot with a stunner blast, but I was also injured, we got into the Jumper that took us there, you were in the the back with the back with me, trying to wake me up, then you looked like John, who flickered, like a hologram, and changed into Rodney, then Rodney turned into you and you turned into John, then you flew the Jumper back to Atlantis, then I woke up." I finished.

"So, you think that's going to happen in the third stage if we don't find a cure?" Beckett wondered.

"Yes, exactly," "Oh, no". Then I ran out towards the control room, leaving him there.

"What's happened?" he called out, anxiously.

"Flickering!" I screamed as I walked up to, what looked like Carter

"Carter" I addressed her.

Then she turned into someone else.

"I hope it's not what I think it is" I hoped it wasn't.

I looked for Carter on the floor, there she was, looking confused.

"Okay, well she might not be gone, but I have a feeling that the people I though of in that"Oneness Chamber" might be disappearing.

I ran to Heightmeyer and told her she might disappear soon, and for her to follow me, I also talked to Dr. Weir, Lt. Ford, and finally Beckett, I gave him the most time, because he was working on the cure.

He said that he might have the solution, once everyone that had been here, after I'd been in the chamber was in it, even him, that it would send them back to where ever they, and him had come from.

I said I would miss him, then ran to get the three people I'd forgotten to gather. I went to get John, Keller and my clone, and traveled back to the infirmary. I told them all what to do, concentrate really hard on getting themselves back. We practiced a few times, first I stood on a circle, with wires attached to myself and a helmet that measured my brain function activity. Rodney held the remote that turned on the "Oneness Chamber".

I concentrated very hard and then vaguely heard him telling me to stop. It worked!, everyone went inside the chamber, after they had did what I had on the circle and got their concentration levels high enough.

I was outside the chamber on the circle, and they were inside, the people I had imagined, not John, Keller, or Carter or Rodney.

McKay hit the switch, and I started concentrating, I could feel the others concentrating right through the glass walls of the chamber, once again I fell down and fainted.

Keller and John carried me to the nearest bed, and she took my pulse.

"She'll be okay, she's alive" Jennifer announced.

Rodney took that moment to shut off the machine and said" It worked again, well Keller you're the only doctor now, Carter's the commander and I'm hungry." he expressed.

John replied" That's Rodney alright."

He went to join him to the cafeteria, when Keller asked him to check if it worked, that everyone was back to-doing-work normal and also to pick her up a muffin.

"Got it" he nodded the dashed off to catch up with McKay.

Keller stayed by my bed until I was fully conscience, then asked me some questions, like "how are you feeling, are you hungry?"

"Good, it worked" I answered after the first question

"Yes, are you?" I replied after the last one.

"Yes, I'm getting John to bring me a muffin.

"John," I contacted him via radio. "I'm up and hungry, I'll come down and have a snack." I chirped.

"Sure, we're waiting."

"But what about Keller's muffin?" I pondered out loud.

"Oh, she'll get it soon." he assured me.

Then John arrived to deliver it to her.

"Thanks, John." she smiled warmly at him.

I went to move my arm and found it still hurt.

"Nanites?" I wondered.

"No, Beckett made sure they were gone, when you were sedated, he actually was injecting more Anti-Nanite remover, that's why you fainted, after they left your bloodstream, your arm still hurt from them being there so long." she kindly told me.

"Oh, well I'm still getting something to eat, I'll need my strength to get back home." I worried.

"I'll drive you" John offered me.

"Thanks, that's very nice of you to offer." I smiled. Then he and McKay helped me to the cafeteria, after I was full, I got another scan, Just in Case, it appeared normal, so I left and said goodbye, but after I took one last look around before I left, everyone was definitely back to normal, John thanked me for coming and was glad I'd solved the problem with my clone.

Inside the Jumper he turned around and said

"She was very different from you, not shy, unhelpful, never said " What do you need me for today?", I'm glad she's gone".

Then he flew the Jumper through the Stargate and then we were at my house.

"See you in a couple of weeks" said John.

"Do you know something I don't?" I suddenly wondered.

"Yes, but now is not that time, besides you know what we always say" I'll tell you more when we get to Atlantis" he drawled.

Then he left. I walked home and saw the Jumper disappear just as it was going through the Gate.

"Bye"I whispered before I went inside and thought

I wonder what the thing is that's going to make me come back in a couple of weeks, I'll just have to wait and see!"