Disclaimer: They aren't mine but I love them anyway.
Reason for writing: 1) I -hate- Irresponsible. 2) A plot bunny bit. 3) I love them all.
Reviews: Encouragement is treasured. Constructive comment adored.
Updates: I do have the whole story roughly outlined but it's still very much in-progress. I'll finish it soon, though, because otherwise I'll never be happy!


... beep ...

"What was that? What did you touch now?" McKay did not wait for a response as he evicted the technician from his spot in front of the laptop. Tapping at the keys he frowned, then turned and looked at the screen at the side of the control room. Obediently, the screen flashed up a star chart, highlighting one and then scrolling the Lantean designation beside it. Noting that it did not look familiar, McKay tapped out another command on the laptop and muttered about the latest linguistics teamwork as the translation spelled out the database entry slower than he could read it.

---------

"We've designated it M1K-993. The Ancients had a minor outpost there, shut down and abandoned early on in the war with the Wraith." McKay continued summarizing his information to Dr. Weir. Unfortunately, there wasn't much to say.

Weird mentally shuffled the reports she had been reviewing to one side before responding thoughtfully. "If they abandoned it early on, do you really think they'd have left something useful there?"

"Well, no, which is why it hasn't been put on the mission list yet. But that's not the point; the point is that right now, there is something there. And it's signaling Atlantis. Which means it isn't just something, it's something Ancient."

Carefully keeping her expression casual, Weir couldn't stop a smile at the gleeful tone McKay's chatter. It was not unlike the reaction of a small child discovering a new and interesting toy and the enthusiasm was good to see. "Add it to the MALP reconnaissance schedule then and yes, if it checks out ok, you can add it to the mission list." She was sure he hadn't expected anything else.

"Good, good and about the –"

"No." She knew what he was asking.

"But –"

"No. Now go away or I'll rescind permission for M1K-993 until the next fortnightly missions-meeting." Yes, there was the sulky expression again. Weir watched McKay depart and with a sigh, returned to the reports.

--------

"So what exactly are we looking for?" Sheppard picked his way through the debris that was scattered all over. Pegasus galaxy concrete he thought. But a city in ruins was a city in ruins, whichever planet it was on.

"I'm not sure exactly, it's emitting a subspace signal and it's... that way." Pointing to the right, McKay ignored the city, obviously built by some Pegasus Galaxy natives who managed to get fairly high on the technology scale before falling to the Wraith. Gaze glued to the data-pad, he started down a wide avenue that was clearer than the area around the gate and DHD.

Ronon and Teyla exchanged amused glances with Sheppard and they all followed, albeit with more care for their surroundings. The place seemed devoid of human or animal life and even the weed-like planets looked scraggly.

Behind them, in the opposite direction, two men in the Genii watched through simple binoculars until the Atlantis team turned a corner and was out of sight of the Stargate before one of them departed to report their observations to their leader.