She sighed with relief and felt a rush of admiration for Captain Hunter when he agreed to her plan and took control, but his disdain for their leader was not lost on Katherine, and neither was the absolute authority in his demeanour when he blatantly defied the order to keep silent.  Strangely, Dr. Heath didn’t seem to notice the Captain’s defiance, or perhaps she didn’t care; either way, she remained standing with arms crossed, engrossed in whispered conversation with Dr. Davis.<br/><br/>Looking around the room it was obvious tensions were high among everyone who hovered quietly in the infirmary while Dr. Pike scurried between patients and his testing equipment, but so far people seemed able to keep it under control. Still, for Katherine, the way the Captain looked at Dr. Heath spelled disaster, especially if the older woman didn’t stop making so many damned errors in judgement, and as she looked from one to the other, once again the idea that perhaps Dr. Heath was no longer the best qualified to lead their mission crept into her mind, but she pushed it aside...this wasn’t the time or place.<br/><br/>The Captain’s voice aroused her attention and Katherine met his gaze, pleased that he seemed to want her to team up with him. "Hmmm? Protective gear? Oh yes, of course!” She said without missing a beat then turned towards Dr. Pike to ask about that, but the good doctor already anticipated the request and pulled out three red hazmat suits, handing them to her, Captain Hunter and Garber.<br/><br/>He cleared his throat, then spoke rapidly. "Though it is true you have all been exposed to the pathogens it does not mean you are infected, so let’s assume you are not shall we? These suits will eliminate further risk of contamination, therefore under no circumstances should you remove them,” he said emphatically before grabbing a fourth for himself, but also to demonstrate how they work.  "Lucky for us, the Colonel saw fit to provide us with these suits designed by the Tau’ri, and they are easily the equivalent to a typical Level A Biohazard which means<em>nothing</em>is getting through them.”  He turned the suit around and patted the compact box like structure on the back, which had a black hose rising to the top of the head gear. “This here is the SCBA or 'self contained breathing apparatus' which should give you approximately twenty four hours of purified air provided you breathe normally, but be very careful. A higher than normal rate of respiration will impact this estimate significantly and you won’t have a lot of warning before the unit expires." Next, he turned over the black head gear and pointed to the tiny communication devices embedded around the clear faceplate. "See here? There are two devices built in, one is a local channel only so you may speak openly with each other provided you’re within 25 feet or so, then there is a voice activated two way radio which will allow you to communicate with the rest of us.” He set the suit aside. “Now, one last thing...you may become uncomfortably hot despite the air flow, so I suggest you remove any unnecessary clothing before suiting up.”<br/><br/>It all seemed so surreal and ominously disquieting, and as Dr. Pike gently took the suit from her hands to help her into it, Katherine’s stomach clenched and she swallowed hard against the rising panic constricting within her body.  With trembling fingers she hastily unbuttoned her blouse and shrugged out of it, leaving on only her black cotton tank top and jeans before stepping into the strange garment. Closing her eyes to fend off a momentary wave of claustrophobia as Dr. Pike lowered the head gear and sealed it, there was a split second of unnatural, muffled silence, punctuated only by the peculiar echoing sound of her own rapid breathing. Finally, the sensation of cool air washed over her skin as the doctor’s concerned voice came through the built in radio. “Are you ok Dr. Randall?”<br/><br/>She opened her eyes and fixed them on Captain Hunter, who stood a few feet away but exuded a sense of controlled strength and calm, and much like the very first day when she watched him be the first to enter the Stargate, his presence did much to assuage her fears and boost her confidence.  Unwilling to appear nervous in front of him, she took a deep breath, smiled slightly and nodded at Dr. Pike. “Yes, I’m ready Doc.”<br/><br/>After a few moments where they tested the communication systems, she and Garber fell in behind the Captain, waiting for his orders while Dr. Pike gave him instructions along with some basic medical supplies. A moment later they were moving.  Surprisingly, the suit was lightweight and comfortable. Each step required less effort than one might expect, but it was already somewhat warm and tiny beads of perspiration trickled down her neck as she struggled to relax and keep her breathing even.<br/><br/>The dimly lit corridors were eerily quiet and Katherine kept looking from side to side, hoping it wouldn't take long to find the others and that they would all be ok.  However, upon passing the observation deck, she stopped short. Staring back at her from the viewing window was motionless, inky blackness, which was impossible unless...the ship was no longer moving.<br/><br/>"Sir! Are you seeing this?" Garber shouted to Captain Hunter. "We've dropped out of F.T.L.!"<br/><br/>Knowing in her gut something was very wrong and that Dr. Rahimi was likely alone, without thinking, Katherine instinctively rushed forward towards the control interface room, only vaguely aware of the radio conversation that ensued.<br/><br/>Dr. Ning's panicked voice first sounded over the radio. "I'm in the hydroponics lab with Dr. Vashon who is complaining of headache and nausea. Do we wait here or should we make our way to the infirmary?"<br/><br/>Dr. Pike replied with calm reassurance. "No stay put, we will have our team come and escort you as soon as they've cleared the rest of the ship.” He paused. “Did you copy that Captain?”<br/><br/>Katherine moved at a jogging pace and didn't look back, because she assumed the Captain and Garber were following. Breathing harder now, the circulating air inside her suit became even warmer, and the jostling motion made it difficult to hear the conversation coming over the radio, but her mind was racing from the thought the ship was no longer moving and a deep sense of foreboding that someone may be in trouble. As she rounded the corner near the control room, her foot tripped over something solid and she lurched forward, letting out a startled cry, but someone grabbed her from behind to keep her from falling, most likely the Captain or Garber, she wasn’t sure which.  "Thanks," she said absently before looking down at her feet only to see Dr. Rahimi sprawled unconscious on the floor with a Kino remote clutched loosely in his right hand. The now familiar pallor of his skin left no doubt about his condition.<br/><br/>Glancing towards the now empty control interface room, she took a deep breath.  "I think we need Dr. Heath down here ASAP," she said quietly.