User:Quadraxis/Tao of Rodney

"Tao of Rodney" is an  episode  of the science fiction television series Stargate Atlantis.

Plot
Rodney McKay and a scientist crew (including Zelenka) are heading through a (recently) flooded area of the city, apparently "trekking through the city shutting off everything the Ancients activated while they were oh so briefly in control so we can stop the power draining from our precious ZPM" (Quote from Rodney McKay)

Rodney powers up the machine and is suddenly surrounded and circled by a giant spiral of what appears to be DNA or some sort of energy (Then subsequently gets hit by lightning) and stands there, surprised. Everything appears normal, except for the fact that Rodney just survived a few lightning strikes with no damage to his body.

Later, Rodney discovers that his hearing has improved greatly, and he overhears the team talking about him, so he walks over there (and you see the tablet PC he had with him slide into his hand as if by magic) and has a little rant (a very little rant.) An announcement comes over the Atlantis PA system calling Shepphard and his team to the gateroom/control room. There they receive a transmission from Major Lorne's team. They are under attack with enemy soldiers closing in fast. After they head out to start the rescue, Zelenka talks to Dr. Weir. He has discovered that the device is designed to manipulate human DNA (A DNA Resequencer, presumably)

Shepphard's team returns with Major Lorne and according to Rodney, he "thought 'wouldn't it be great if all their weapons jammed all at once?' and then it just happened". Dr Weir, of course, does not believe him, so he uses telekinesis to pick up Carson Beckett right off the floor. Everyone looks amazed. Weir orders Rodney to put him down, which he promptly does.

Rodney is in the infirmary on a bed, hooked up to a vitals monitor, and a few other machines. Apparently there is a dramatic increase in synaptic interaction throughout all the sections of the brain, much higher than normal levels. Weir mentions an incident at the S.G.C (Stargate Command) "just over a year ago" where they found a highly evolved being in stasis, caused by altering of the DNA by a DNA Resequencer by a Goa'uld named Anubis, designed to artificially accelerate the human physiology to the point of ascension.

Rodney stays a while in the infirmary, and then is let out with Ronon Dex keeping him company. He discovers he can read people's minds, so he heads to Dr Weir's office and "asks" permission to utilize the control chair of the city and reconfigure the power system's, to increase the maximize the efficiency of the ZPM usage, he says it will dramatically help the city's power usage. While he is fiddling with it, the lights in the DNA Resequencer lab where Zelenka is working on the device, to try and fix it (it was damaged in the initial explosions/lightning when Rodney had his DNA resequenced. He heads to the control chair to talk to Rodney, but Rodney is arrogant and keeps working. Zelenka heads back to the lab, very angry at Rodney. Weir is going over the research log that the ancients left behind when Sheppard walks in and asks how she's going with it, she says she's just getting to what she thinks might be the "good bit". Sheppard leaves, but before he goes, Weir says that they need to talk to Rodney right away.

They come into the control chair room and Rodney reads their minds. He realizes what is happening: If he does not ascend near the peak of the evolution, he will die soon afterwards. He is faced with a challenge and a choice: Ascend or die. A massive power surge starts going through the city - Zelenka is struck by lightning and badly wounded. He is rushed to the infirmary and has a massive wound, in very unstable and critical condition, with no pulse. Beckett prepares the "paddles" Rodney tells Beckett to "MOVE!" and Beckett protests that "the man is dying!" and Rodney goes "I know, just give me a second" - A look of concentration comes over Rodney's face as he puts his hands above the wound. It begins to heal very quickly. In a few seconds the wound is gone.

Rodney goes through some emotional changes, realising his fate is coming, he takes meditating lessons with Sheppard, to try and achieve the level of relaxation needed to ascend, so that he is ready when the time comes. He apologizes to Zelenka for being very mean to him during the past few years, and even calls him a "brilliant scientist". Zelenka is touched, and even a little confused as Rodney walks away. Rodney also speaks with Teyla and helps her with the "tea ceremony from the 1st anniversary of her fathers death." He comments that " I know you're not supposed to do it alone." Teyla appreciates this sudden and strange show of compassion and caring. He then finds Ronon and asks him about the scars on his back from the Wraith. He asks "are those like a badge of honour or a constant reminder of something you'd rather forget". Ronon responds "I try not to let the things I can't change bother me". Rodney hugs Ronon and squeezes him tightly for a few seconds, and then says.. "Hope you don't mind..." "...I just healed them." Rodney goes on an inventing spree, inventing a new type of math, a way to increase the shield power on the Daedalus and a (theoretical) hyper drive prototype for the Puddle Jumper

Eventually Rodney ends up back in the infirmary, as his body starts to die, (The advanced cerebral cortex is affecting the lower functions of the brain and his body is losing its natural ability to keep itself alive). Rodney and Sheppard have another go at the meditation, and Rodney slowly sinks to the required 0.03Hz level of activity.

He slowly goes to 0.01Hz and suddenly his eyes open and he grabs Beckett violently. He lets him go and relaxes back into the bed. No pulse. Beckett says they need to back him and get him on the ventilator. Weir says "He gave us strict orders to -" and Beckett cuts in "No, you don't understand. He just told me how to save him."

At the lab, they place Rodney in front of the controls, where he was resequenced before. The machine is turned on, and Rodney is returned to normal. Apparently (according to the now normal McKay) "The device was designed to manipulate your DNA, and it couldn't reverse the evolutionary process because everyone's DNA was different, it makes certain changes that cause the DNA to evolve, in-in ways specific to your own unique physiology." Zelenka cuts in: "In order to manipulate the DNA to its previous state, the program required a precise reference point." Beckett says "Fortunately we keep blood samples from all the Atlantis team members for base-length comparisons."

Rodney is back to normal, and is no longer "a dead man", however he has regrettably lost *all* his newfound powers. (That telekinesis could have come in handy.) The lost powers include the ability to understand the theoretical work he did while he was "advanced".

Possibilities

 * Its likely the DNA Resequencer in Atlantis was not destroyed in this episode, which leaves possibility for future exploration. They also now know how to stop the process. It is currently designed to accelerate the human physiology, but could it possibly be re-calibrated for other purposes, such as converting Wraith to humans like Dr. Beckett's retrovirus did, but a lot more effectively? Maybe even to change other parts of the DNA that could give humans a much larger strength, intelligence, or maybe they could experiment with healing abilities, using genes taken from wraith cells.
 * This episode also reveals the potential capability for Puddle Jumpers to use hyperspace travel in the future, while the drive itself was theoretical there is the chance that it may be created and installed for use in the future.

Trivia
The name may be a reference to The Tao of Pooh either directly, or indirectly through Willie Nelson's The Tao of Willie, which had been released at about the same time as the finalization of the third season of Atlantis.

External Link
Spoilers at Gateworld 3.14: Tao of Rodney