Chapter 5

The three of them headed down the hallways to the infirmary where they went over to a workstation that Carson had been working at. Beckett turned his laptop so it faced Felix and asked, "Do you understand what DNA patterns look like, Felix?"

Felix replied, "I have a basic understanding of them and I can understand if you explained something to me. What's with my blood, Doc? It is okay - isn't it?"

Beckett paused for a moment - Weir interjected with, "Just tell him, Carson."

Beckett continued, "You do know that certain genes do certain things, right?"

Felix replied, "Yeah."

Carson continued, "Okay then - with your blood work I found that you have the ATA gene. Do you know what that is?"

"I'll take a wild guess and say 'Air Traffic Ability'?" Felix answered with a questioning raised eyebrow and a sort of quizzical smile on his face.

Beckett smiled and replied, "Uh, no - not even close. The ATA gene is one of the genes of the Ancients, who are the people that built Atlantis - you're with me so far?"

Felix shrugged again and replied, "Kind of - is that a bad thing?"

Both Weir and Beckett soothed Felix by answering, "No no no no, quite the opposite in fact. It's a good thing that you have it, as you can help us a wee bit now. Colonel Sheppard is one of the people here that has that gene - he can probably explain it better than me. But I would like to ask you about the various gate travel you've done, as I think it may have affected your blood."

Felix squinted while looking at Dr. Beckett and asked, "Like what kind of 'affected' are we talking about here? Am I Wraith and don't know it? Because if I am then do me a big favour and kill me now."

Beckett shook his head and replied, "No, nothing like that at all - you are 100% clean of any Wraith or Goa'uld blood. But you have 2% ... something else I have never seen before. So I was wondering if I could run a few further tests and see what we come up with - if that's all right with you, Felix?"

Felix shrugged again and replied, "Why not - I'm kind of curious myself to what sort of freak I've become."

Beckett said, "All right then - take off your shirt and we'll get you hooked up for a detailed scan."

Beckett recited what was already known by the scanners about Felix; "Height 167cm, weight 60kg - that's all ye weigh? Yer a runt, laddie! Got to put some meat on those bones of yours, I'd say. Age late-thirties. Eyes blue, hair black, too many scars too count, no tattoos, no earrings or piercing, 20/15 eyesight, excellent hearing, reflexes within normal parameters, only the one broken bone that the x-ray could find, pulse low normal, blood count good, blood pressure very normal, and that's about all for that. Now, what I would like to do is an EEG and a short series of tests combined with the EEG. My assistant here will get you ready, run the EEG, we'll look at the results with you, and then we can do those short tests - okay?"

"Sure - let's do it."

"You sure are a willing subject for all of this, by the way."

Felix looked at Dr. Beckett and asked, "Do I really have a choice?"

Beckett paused and then smiled and said, "No, not really - but you already figured that out, I would say."

Felix replied, "I heard a long time ago: 'you can't beat inevitability' and it rings true more times than you can shake a stick at."

Felix lay back and dozed off while the EEG was administered and barely woke up when the sticky pads were removed from his scarred body. Beckett was watching from the observation room and noted to Weir who had joined him to watch Felix, "Ah, the lad is probably exhausted. Do we have any idea how long he was on his own in the wilds, Elizabeth?"

She handed him a folder that had just been printed off from the SGC and replied, "We finally got this from SGC ... He was out there for more than 2 years, cut off from any friendly people, barely surviving from what he has told us. So much pain in one person and nobody to help him - how he survived as long as he did Carson, I don't know how a person can do that. And then someone tortured him as well - most people probably would have given up, I would think."

Carson was reading the file quickly and added, "Well, according to this, he's definitely qualified to survive. Has Colonel Sheppard seen this file yet?"

Dr. Weir replied, "I was just on my way to see him at my office and I just felt I should see that he is behaving still."

Beckett nodded in the direction of Felix and said, "You can see for yourself."

"Look after him Carson - Major Lorne still wants to thank him and so does his team. Plus I have a feeling about him - there is more to him than he wants to reveal, and I don't think it is all bad."

"Will do, Elizabeth."

Felix woke up when Dr. Beckett returned to his side and apologized to him for sleeping; Beckett replied, "Ach, don't worry, lad - you've been under a lot of stress the past while."

Felix shrugged and said, "I guess."

Carson asked, "You don't think you've been under stress?"

Felix shrugged and replied, "It's all a matter of perspective, Doc. You either adapt - or die - plain and simple."

Beckett shook his head and said, "I'd say that you adapted well, then. All right - this test is a neural interface that shows you certain 'clips' for lack of better terms and I monitor your EEG reactions to what is ticking inside you - okay?"

Felix shrugged again and said, "Okay."

Beckett added, "I'm going to give you a very mild sedative to relax you, and the test will take about 1 hour. Is that all right?"

"Sure."

Beckett injected the sedative and Felix allowed it to put him into a sleep pattern so that the tests could start.

Then hell opened up inside Felix ... The nightmares came back.

After a bit Beckett told his technicians to put the restraining straps on Felix's wrists and legs as he was thrashing about a fair bit.

When the test was done Beckett just about dropped the printout of Felix's brainwaves during parts of the tests. As he was looking at the readout he muttered, "That can't be right," and checked the computer readout - the same reading as what he was holding in his hands. He tapped the side of his headset and called: "Elizabeth - could you spare a bit to come down here to the infirmary? I've got to show you and Dr. Heightmeyer something that you will find incredible with Felix."

"Okay Carson, Colonel Sheppard and I will be there in a couple of minutes."

He tapped his headset again and spoke; "Dr. Heightmeyer - could I see you in the infirmary for a wee bit? I have something here that I think you would find very interesting about our newcomer."

She replied, "I'll be there in a minute, Carson."

Weir and Sheppard arrived just before the beautiful blonde psychiatrist walked into the infirmary. Weir looked at Carson as he motioned the thereof them to his side office and showed them the EEG from the tests. Kate Heightmeyer looked at Carson and shook her head in amazement while Weir and Sheppard looked at Carson in wonder. Weir asked, "These squiggly lines represent something that has you two almost scared. So do we have anything to fear about our newcomer?"

Beckett replied, "No, I don't think so Elizabeth - but I think I know how he survived as long as he did."

Beckett showed them and explained, "Notice these first three frequencies representing stress. The figure for stress is a three."

Kate remarked, "Yes, low which is good."

Beckett continued slowly, "This was recorded during battle."

Kate blinked and said, "That can't be right - your equipment must be faulty."

Beckett shook his head; "That's what I though as well - checked and cross-checked three times - same every time. Now, here's the Alpha during the same period."

Kate opened her eyes wide and said, "Whew! A nine - that would be right - he would be scared."

Beckett replied, "But there is a paradox, Kate - there is a pattern but it is backwards to our normal thinking. We have here a man who was terrified, and his brain managed to compartmentalize the terror so he is able to function smoothly. Yet the whole process is overlaid with total fatalism, a clearly discernible condition that should negate any positive motivation ... Kate, nobody exists like this."

Sheppard and Weir looked puzzled and Sheppard asked Carson, "Could you put that in layman's terms please?"

Kate Heightmeyer responded, "Okay you understand fight or flight - yes?"

Sheppard and Weir both nodded in agreement.

Kate continued; "Okay - Felix didn't do either one - but he should have because he's human. Without belief there is no positive motivational factor - there doesn't appear to be any positives in his EEG readout."