Stargate Atlantis/Recap/S02 E08 Conversion

"My body's mutating into a bug, how are you?"

- Sheppard practices his Gregor Samsa impresson

After being wounded in the arm by Ellia, Sheppard is rushed to the Atlantis infirmary, where Dr. Beckett is shocked to discover that...he's fine. He doesn't even have that nasty wound on his arm anymore, leading some to wonder just where all that blood came from. In fact, he's better than fine -- he can suddenly beat Ronon at running and Teyla at sparring, and is acting even more impetuous than usual.

The results of his bloodwork show that he was infected with the retrovirus Ellia injected herself with when she grabbed his arm. As it did with her, the virus is overwriting his human DNA with Iratus bug DNA. The result is to make him stronger and faster, but also more animalistic...and ever so slightly bluish. As Sheppard begins behaving ever more erratically, Col. Caldwell assumes military control of Atlantis.

Beckett proposes that if he can get his hands on some living Iratus bug stem cells, he should be able to use them to follow behind the virus and clean up its damage. To do this, though, they're going to need bug eggs. With Sheppard confined to his room and under constant guard, a team heads out to Iratus bug planet to track down their lair. Once there, however, they are unable to collect any eggs and manage to lose two Red Shirts in the process. Weir cancels any further missions.

Sheppard has by now degenerated to the state where he must be heavily drugged to remain lucid, and the rest of his team has to start thinking about saying goodbye. They are spared the potenially socially awkward by Beckett's realization that, since Sheppard is now mostly bug, he should be able to get close to the nest without arousing suspicion. He's at the point where he's emitting Iratus bug pheromones, so he should be able to walk right in and retrieve all the eggs they need.

Sheppard thinks this is a great plan (since the alternative is being a bug) and they hop him up on enough drugs to keep him Sheppard-y for about an hour. He manages to get the eggs just fine, but then loses control and they have to stun him as he runs back out of the nest. They drag him back to Atlantis where Beckett does his genetic magic and returns him to standard issue John Sheppard form.

Tropes

 * Blessed with Suck
 * Body Horror
 * Hellish Pupils: One symptom of the later stages of Sheppard's transformation.
 * Metamorphosis
 * Smart People Play Chess: in this case, Weir and Caldwell.
 * Solitaire: is on all the Daedalus and Atlantis computers, and apparently impossible to get rid of.
 * "Take That!" Kiss: Sheppard to Teyla after their sparring match. This is what convinces them that there might be something wrong with him.