SPOILERS for up to Season 2 Episode 2 "Aftermath"

A/N: After watching 2x2 "Aftermath", I began to theorize what would happen if Dr. Rush found another important room in the ship's database other than the bridge. In regards to reviews, I would greatly appreciate any feedback from you guys on my writing style. I am fine with you criticizing my form, but please don't "bash" the plot. Just keep that in mind as you read.

Thanks,

ParableOfTheLastTok'ra

DISCLAIMER: Just like the rest of us aspiring writers, I don't own any part of SGU. None. Nada. Zilch. Zip. Zero. You get the point.

Schhhhhhhrink, click. Dink! GRRRRRRRINNN-GKH. Shlump.

The ancient beige door groaned in protest as the lock disengaged and the heavy metal slid open for the first time in millennia. The darkness quickly fading as the overhead lights filled the room with a warm, soft glow. In the new light, Dr. Rush could see the newly revealed space. To the left of the door, there was another room, with an unlocked door. In the center, there were long raised rows that looked suspiciously like benches. Rush took a step forward, entering the mysterious room.

Walking towards the far end of the hall, he spotted a solitary console facing the evenly-spaced rows. As his pace quickened, the console drew nearer. While the terminal was of the usual design, there appeared to be some sort of power shortage to this display. Rush bent down to examine the power junction, and found a disappointing sight. Like several of the older displays aboard Destiny, the power relays for to this junction were fused from the ages without use. Turning away from the broken terminal, Rush walked towards the mysterious unlocked door. Gently pressing the toggle next to the doorframe, he watched as the door slid open with a satisfying swish.

This new room had better lighting than the first. There were several cubicle-like spaces, complete with a small console in each. A light metal divider separated the booths, with a retractable screen to the left of each cubicle orifice. Upon examination of the first console, Dr. Rush noticed that the power relay was fused in the same way as the one in the auditorium. Walking down the long row, Rush examined terminal after terminal, making his way down the hallway. With seven terminals inoperable, there was only one more to check. Taking a deep breath, he stepped inside the last booth. If this console was nonfunctional, than all the data from this memory bank could be lost. He gently toggled the power mechanism, only to be met with….nothing. The blank black screen reflected his angry face as he stormed out of the hall, then closed the larger door.

Walking back to the Control Interface Room, or "The Apple Core" as Eli had so eloquently dubbed it, Rush collected himself. There were hundreds of rooms that were completely exposed to the vacuum of space. The fact that one set of dead consoles should have no effect on him. But it wasn't the condition of the displays that irked him. It was the contents of that memory bank. He probably could override the locks if he spent the time, but that room was the only direct access point to a mysterious databank.

The room itself was quite a mystery in itself. When he had identified the bridge in the ship's records, it was quite obvious what it was. But this room was different. The auditorium could be roughly translated to "room of give", but he really didn't have any clue what it could idiomatically mean. The hallway with cubicles and consoles wasn't even listed. If he wasn't hiding the discovery of the bridge, he could have used help with translation issues. Maybe he should show Dr. Brody. What about Eli? Dr. Boyd had a degree in linguistics. Maybe she could help. He quickly brushed that off. Dr. Boyd was some religious freak. Who else could he ask? He could bring Dr. Jackson in using the stones, but then Colonel Young would be informed.

His train of thought derailed as he walked into the empty control room. Where had they all gone? There should be someone here at all times. Dr. Rush reached for his radio.

"This is Doctor Rush. Who's on duty in the Control Interface Room?"

Colonel Young's annoyed voice answered him. "Rush, get in your quarters."

He bristled at the command, his shields coming up faster than Destiny's ever could. "Excuse me?"

An equally brisk voice answered his. "That is an order, Doctor. We're in quarantine."

"Quarantine?" Rush tightened his grip around his radio, his anger building up every moment. "And exactly why wasn't I informed?"

"If you hadn't wandered off you would have been." The Colonel snapped back. "The radio does have a range limit."

Dr. Rush could feel himself ready to explode at the officer, but some little voice in his head kept annoying him. Don't risk your health over a petty argument. Pick your battles. He took a deep breath, and turned to walk towards his room.

"Rush? What's your 20?"

Before Dr. Rush could respond, their medic interrupted, sounding very much relieved.

"Don't bother, Colonel. The result came back, and Dr. Volker just has an acute case of food poisoning."

Rush couldn't help but chuckle. It only took something as simple as food poisoning to get everyone scared and put the entire ship on quarantine. It was strange that such a random thing would happen. Other than the occasional stomachache from bad food, there was almost never any sickness aboard Destiny. He'd have to ponder that later. Right now, what he needed was help.

Who should he ask? This wasn't the first time that he'd thought about it. Last time, he'd come up with nothing. Well, almost nothing. He still could ask Eli. The young genius might have sided with the Colonel against Rush, but he was the most trustworthy of his options.

As he planned his next investigation of the strange room, a rather amused sounding Colonel Young gave out an "all clear". Finally moving from the same spot in the Control Interface Room, Rush strode down the halls, towards his newest discovery. As he walked, he raised his radio, and called some help.

"Doctor Rush to Eli, come in please."

A few moments later, a sleepy sounding Eli answered. "What's up?"

Picking up his pace, Rush calmly responded to the query. "Please meet me on Deck 5, Sector 28, Corridor 36. I need your help."

After something that sounded like a muffled yawn, Eli gave in to the demand. "I'm on my way. Give me a few minutes."

Rush shook his head. Nothing could entice Eli more than a new discovery except for a good night's rest. He just hoped that Eli didn't sleep for too much longer. There was work to be done.

A little more than an hour later, Eli showed up at the entrance to the room, and paged inside.

"Hello? Dr. Rush?"

The door opened at Rush's command, and he stepped aside, allowing the young genius an unobstructed view of the auditorium.

Eli only had one word to say. "Wow"