Parcae by Angela :D

Disclaimer: SGA and the quotes are not mine yada yada yada. Umm I'm just borrowing the SGA for a short while but I promise to give them back. I might have made up a few characters along the way but be assured they will remain within the confines of this story.

Season/Spoilers: Anything up to season 2 - The Tower.

Beta: The brilliant Marie. Thanks for your tireless efforts. You are the best verber in my world.

Chapter 1 - Exasperation

'There are certain events which to each man's life are as comets to the earth, seemingly strange and erratic portents; distinct from the ordinary lights which guide our course and mark our seasons, yet true to their own laws, potent in their own influences.'


Edward George Earle Lytton Bulwer-Lytton, first Baron Lytton

------

Some mornings you have the urge to stay in bed and now I was thinking I should have given in. From the moment I woke up this morning it was never going to be a good day.

-----

I knew the day was in the toilet when my laundry came back pink. That meant I had to wear pink boxers. That was only the second fiasco of the morning. I'd been treated to a lovely cold shower as well. Rodney had explained that it was something to do with the power fluctuations between the naquadah generators and ZPM.

Breakfast was not much better – after the shower, hot, hot, hot coffee was definitely on the agenda. With only 10 minutes until the mission that idea was scrapped as someone had drunk all the coffee. I couldn't wait around for a new batch to be brewed so I'd headed to the gateroom hoping that things would brighten up.

Standing in the middle of the village, I couldn't believe things had gotten worse. This was supposed to be an easy mission. A standard meet and greet. Nowhere in the plan for the day did it have "scientist goes missing".

-----

We had been here for a couple of hours and Rodney's patience had worn thin. Diplomatic missions weren't his thing so we had split up. Teyla and I discussed the possibility of trade while Ronon and Rodney were given a tour of the village. The village was primitive but not that much different from the other worlds we had visited. Natural, earthy colours; fabrics and building materials made from the local area.

Five minutes into the tour Rodney had left to relieve himself and now we couldn't find him. Trying to establish radio contact for the first 15 minutes had proved fruitless. Teyla and Ronon had scouted the area and not found evidence of McKay's presence anywhere. That had been an hour ago. Teyla had vouched for the people so it seemed he had gone and found himself some trouble.

Rodney knew the protocols for off world missions. I had drummed it into him. Always stay in radio contact. It was unlikely he had wandered too far. We had hiked 5 miles to get here with Rodney complaining the entire way.

"Why couldn't we have taken a puddle jumper?"

"Why did I have to come along, you know I have more important work to do in Atlantis?"

Ronon had turned around and growled at him before I'd had a chance to reply. That had quieted him for the last mile.

So now, that left us in the middle of the village, organizing a search party further out of the area.

Dammit Rodney where the hell are you? When I find you, being lost will be the least of your problems. Hey what is all that shouting about?

To my left, about 10 metres away, a group of the villagers were talking amongst themselves in serious tones. Every once in a while they nodded in our direction. I didn't have time for whatever that was. I'd just keep an eye on it. Focusing back on the problem at hand.

"Teyla, go back to the gate and get reinforcements. If we haven't found McKay by now we're going to need more help. Tell Weir we need a SAR. A couple of puddle jumpers wouldn't go amiss. Get Carson as well."

The way this day was going I was sure he was going to be needed. If not from the trouble Rodney had gotten himself into, then from me when I got a hold of him.

Teyla nodded and headed towards the gate. A few of meters away she was stopped. I looked at Ronon and inclined my head towards the crowd. Heads up, time to go. Ronon and I ended our planning and headed towards the throng. By the time we got there, the villagers and Teyla were engaged in a heated discussion. We could hear Teyla speaking in a soothing voice.

"I am sure this is a coincidence. I am going to the Stargate to get more help. We will also join you and search for the miss…"

An angry villager interjected. "It is your fault that he is missing. The other of your kind is gone, so he must have taken him."

Woah now. That didn't sound good. This was going entirely in a direction I didn't like. I tried to calm the crowd down. "Hey hey hey…who else is missing?"

Teyla and the rest of the gathering turned at my voice. There was not a lot of love coming from them.

"John, the chief's son is missing."

Oh crap. A bad day indeed.