The Descended Ones (Part 1)

_ Prologue _

Something was wrong. It wasn't just the headache. He's had plenty of headaches before, so that clearly wasn't the problem. He felt a little odd, though. Like he had been floating in water, caught in a current. It was a feeling of disorientation.

Damn! he thought. I should'a had a V-8.

He tried to open his eyes, but they were heavy. Suddenly, he felt nauseous and thought that he just might throw up. Somehow, he didn't. He wouldn't lose his dignity by doing the unthinkable, especially if he was in a room with other people. He didn't hear anyone present with him but that didn't mean they weren't there.

He forced his eyes open...and there was the ceiling. It looked familiar to him. He was in a room he had been in before. He was also aware of things he normally would not be aware of, like the operations of the entire city and how it was moving...That was when Lt. Colonel John Sheppard realized exactly where he was. He was sitting in the Control Chair in Atlantis and no one else was in the room with him. The problem with that was he didn't know how he got there.

"What the hell...?" he said out loud. He swallowed as he tried to recall the events that led him to sitting in the Chair in the first place. Was Atlantis really moving?

The radio in his ear came to life. "Sheppard!"

It was Rodney McKay. Sheppard hoped he had some answers. "Rodney, what the hell is going on?"

"Whatever you do, don't get out of the chair! We're in hyperspace and no one seems to know what happened, so if you make any sudden moves until we can figure out what happened, we'll not know where we are until we collide with a meteor or a planet! Or a sun! So just don't get up!"

Sheppard frowned. "I have no intention of getting up. I think we're pretty much on cruise right now anyway, 'cause I can't tell where we are or where we're going." He stopped. "Crap. Weren't we on earth?"

"Colonel Sheppard, it's Richard Woolsey." A pause came over the radio. "As far as we're able to determine, Atlantis is not only no longer on earth, but as Dr. McKay already told you, it's in hyperspace heading back to the Pegasus Galaxy."

Sheppard let out an irritated sigh. "He told me we were in hyperspace," he confirmed, "but he didn't say anything about our heading! How did this happen?"

"We're...not certain. We're still looking into it, and others are still regaining consciousness."

"Regaining consciousness?"

"Colonel Sheppard, we'll talk about it when we know more and when we can actually have a meeting about this. Right now, everyone who is conscious is doing their part to restore order. You need to remain in the Chair. Dr. McKay assures me that when we arrive at our destination, you're going to have to bring us in for a landing."

"Come on. I should be able to get us out of hyperspace now, can't I? At least to see where we are."

"That is a bad idea!" McKay snapped over the radio. "I already told you about the dangers of jumping out of hyperspace when we have no idea where we are. Meteors, planets or even a sun could be right in our path. Trust me, Sheppard. There are other factors going on here that you don't know about yet and I haven't got time to go into them at the moment, so if you don't mind, I've got work to do."

Sheppard sighed. "Well, can somebody tell me how long I've been in this Chair?"

"Twenty-four hours, give or take," Woolsey replied.

He whistled. "Son-of-a-bitch," he cursed. "No wonder I have a headache. I could use some coffee...and maybe a sandwich."

"We'll get you out of that Chair momentarily, Colonel Sheppard. And you'll get that coffee as well."

With nothing better to do, Sheppard sat back and stared up at the ceiling. "Wouldn't really need to get me out of this Chair if there were cup holders." He glanced at the arms of the Control Chair. "Cup holders would be nice."

There was no reply over the radio.

The briefing room was full, and Sheppard wasn't sure he liked it. Richard Woolsey was there at the head of the table, looking even more grim than he ever had. Rodney McKay was glaring at his laptop as if it had offended him. For all Sheppard knew, maybe it did. The man was brilliant, but he got awful cranky over the smallest things. Of course, the current situation was no small thing. Teyla Emmagan and Ronon Dex were seated quietly at the table, but Ronon had his eyes narrowed at a couple of newcomers who were crashing the party. They were from the International Oversight Advisory, otherwise known as the IOA, and as far as Sheppard was concerned, they weren't a welcome addition to the meeting. If anything, he expected them only to complicate matters fully.

Harris Johanson was the man who spoke for the IOA on Atlantis. He had already hinted at taking over Atlantis if Woolsey and he didn't see eye to eye. Sheppard didn't trust the man. Johanson had a military background and could hold his own, but he had some political clout to back him up, too. He was also the man that Ronon wouldn't stop glaring at. The woman with Johanson was Patricia Manor, and even though she was good to look at, Sheppard had already had one run in with her that made him want to toss her off the balcony. She was not nice, to put it mildly.

Radek Zelenka was also at the table, and he nodded a greeting to Sheppard as he took his seat. Sheppard wasn't sure what to expect at the meeting. He had been relieved by Dr. Carson Beckett - who was now in the Chair - and then grabbed some much needed coffee and a bite to eat. As he took his chair, he could feel the two IOA members glaring daggers at him. What the hell did I do now? he thought.

"I think we've wasted enough time," Johanson snapped before anyone could bring themselves to speak. He cast a whithering glare in Ronon's direction before continuing. "This meeting shouldn't take long, Mr. Woolsey, because frankly there is only one option open to you right now. Stop Atlantis. Turn it around. Head back to earth."

McKay let out a very loud sigh. "We've already told you that we can't do that."

"You people are in a lot of trouble. It takes a lot of balls to disobey direct orders and head off to the Pegasus Galaxy when you were told to stay put. Do you really think you can just continue taking what doesn't belong to you and live above the law? You have a day of reckoning coming to you. This could be that day."

Woolsey didn't seem to be phased by Johanson's hostility. "I'm afraid your prophetical day of reckoning will not be happening today. At least not until we undo what has been done. Colonel Sheppard has not yet been informed of the details that we currently know of. Of course, we're still sorting out the details, but we do know a few things. One of those being that we certainly did not go against orders, remove Atlantis from the earth's ocean and set a course back to the Pegasus Galaxy. Had we truly done such a thing, we would have planned a lot better than to leave abruptly without stocking up on necessary supplies and leaving key personnel behind without giving them ample time to settle affairs." He glanced at McKay when he said that.

Sheppard noticed and frowned. What was that about?

"We have a situation. Atlantis has been attacked. We did not make preparations to leave earth, Mr. Johanson. Someone else, however, did. Dr. McKay believes that this is happening because of the Ancients."

"The Ancients," Johanson snorted. "I hear a lot of talk about them, but have never seen any proof of their actual existence."

McKay blinked. "No proof of their existence? Look around! Where do you think this city came from? A cracker jack box?"

"This city -"

Woolsey interrupted Johanson. "Let's not lose sight of this meeting. As I was saying, a program of sorts was activated without our knowledge. Several key members were...taken over and the rest of us were affected by some kind of pulse that went throughout the entire city. Everyone - except for those who had been taken over - lost all consciousness and for twenty-four hours, we remained that way. In the meantime, those who were possessed made use of their time by bringing Atlantis into hyperspace on a course back to the Pegasus Galaxy."

This was the first that Sheppard had heard of this. "Really?"

Woolsey confirmed with a nod. "Yes, Colonel. Really."

"So...what you're saying is...we've been hijacked?"

Again Woolsey nodded. "That is correct."

"Ah, well...crap!"

_ _
_ 1 _

"Effective immediately, all military and non-military personnel will be reassigned as the IOA move in to reassess the usefulness of Atlantis."

The announcement from General Jack O' Neill about floored every one gathered along the stairs of the Control Room five months after Atlantis had set down in the San Fransisco Bay. Most of those present had dreaded that the announcement would come, but even so, they were not prepared for it. Sheppard noticed several IOA members grouped together, wearing their superior looks and smirking as if they had just won a major victory. Particularly Harris Johanson. He turned his head, made eye contact with Sheppard and maintained his smirk, adding a slight nod of victory. Sheppard wanted to deck him one.

Once the announcement was made and every one began to spread out, heading back to carry on with their specific tasks, Sheppard made a beeline for O' Neill with a vengeance. He was firmly convinced that what just happened wasn't right in the least. McKay was right there beside him - obviously feeling the same way judging from the angry look on his face - and as they approached, O' Neill glanced in their direction. He turned and headed for Elizabeth Weir's office...At least it used to be her office a few years ago. In spite of how long she had been gone, Sheppard could hardly bring himself to think of it as Richard Woolsey's office. To be fair, however, the man who was once a member of the NID was now the current head of the Atlantis expedition, and had been for almost two years.

Was being the optimal word.

Not willing to be deterred, Sheppard and McKay both decided to follow O' Neill into Woolsey's office. Unfortunately, there was a slight problem. Johanson seemed to have the same idea. He stepped inside, still smirking, and stood beside O'Neill as if he really belonged there. That was just creepy. Sheppard and McKay stood off to the side as if they were sizing the two up as opponents. Woolsey himself had just taken his seat behind his desk, wearily looking up at them and he wondered to himself if this day couldn't get any worst.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" he inquired, feeling defeated.

Before anyone could say anything, Johanson replied first. "You can get out of my chair, for starters."

Woolsey glared up at him.

Sheppard shook his head. "This isn't your office yet, Johanson. By the way, where are your interns? Aren't they always flocking around you like chicks on a farm?"

"If those chicks want to eat," Johanson said, "then they've got to answer to the big bird in the pen. Atlantis will be the best training ground for them."

"They won't know their way around the city!" McKay exclaimed. "None of you will! You...you'll be like a bunch of children playing in a candy shop. You're going to break things, and trust me, you don't want to do that with the city this close to San Francisco!"

"That's why you and several other key people will stay on temporarily to guide us along."

"There's a place I'd like to guide you, alright..."

Sheppard glanced at him. "Rodney..."

"Oh, come on! Please! Like I'm the only one here who wants to tell these morons where they can go? I've had it up to here with all of their arrogance. They have no idea what they're doing! Many of the things they've taken a part are more than likely irreplaceable. They've got no business tampering with technology they know nothing about!"

"That may be," Woolsey said softly, "but the fact remains. As General O' Neill has already announced...the IOA is now in charge of all operations in Atlantis."

"For the most part, all of that is true." O' Neill shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "They are going to have complete authority here, including the final decision on what to do about Todd." He glanced at Sheppard as if to say he could have come up with a better name than that for the Wraith prisoner. "But you've still got a few months before you leave Atlantis. As Mr. Johanson has said, many of you will stay on as observers, to lend a hand when needed."

"Observers!" McKay shouted. "Do I look like someone who stands around to observe?"

"No. You don't. But you're going to try it out anyway."

"I don't have to accept this!"

"Yes, you do. It's either that or you can take a walk."

McKay glared at him. Then as if he came to a decision, he abruptly turned and stormed out of the office. Sheppard watched him go, suddenly concerned for the genius. He wondered if there was something else bothering him. McKay seemed to be more cranky than usual.

O'Neill looked at him. Then, he turned to Woolsey and Johanson. "This office is still yours," he said to Woolsey, "and will be until the dust finally settles. That could take some time judging from all the excitement around here. That being the case, I don't believe there will be any reason for a pissing contest from either one of you. Am I making myself clear?" He glared at Johanson as he said that.

Johanson smirked. "I shouldn't have to tell you, General O' Neill, but I don't answer to you."

"No, you don't, Big Bird, but the men who will be stationed here to protect you and your team do and you can sure as hell bet that I can make your life a whole lot more difficult if I so choose."

"Point taken." The look on his face made it clear that he didn't care much for the Big Bird title.

"Good." He turned to Woolsey and nodded. "I'll be in touch." He turned and headed for the door. As he expected, Sheppard followed him. He slowed his pace to let the man walk beside him. "Colonel," he said.

"General," Sheppard returned.

"I seem to recall about six years ago, you were reluctant to join the Atlantis expedition."

Walking down the stairs together, Sheppard shrugged. "I wouldn't say reluctant. Maybe I just wasn't motivated until I sat in the Chair in Antarctica."

"How's your motivation now?"

"Well, sir, I'm not afraid to say that right about now, it just sucks."

O' Neill stopped and turned to face him. "There's always Stargate Command, John. I can get you a posting there. You can still go out and do what you did in the Pegasus Galaxy. Just a little more closer to home."

Sheppard sighed. "With all due respect, sir, Atlantis is my home."

"Atlantis never belonged to us, Colonel."

"Then, why the hell did we go out there and risk our lives in the first place? There are people in the Pegasus Galaxy who need our help. We don't know what the Wraith are doing while we're stuck here battling with BS from the bureaucrats. General...Atlantis is more my home than any other place I've ever visited. But I'm not the only one who feels that way."

O' Neill paused. "It's out of our hands."

"At least tell me what the IOA really plan on doing with Atlantis." He scowled when he saw O' Neill's hesitation. "Come on, General. That bit about reassessing the usefulness of Atlantis is just a load of crap and we both know it."

The General paused. "They want to dismantle it. Break it down. Make it so it can't be used against us. At the same time, all of the major pieces of technology will be sent to Area 51 for further research."

Sheppard swallowed. He felt sick. "You've got to be kidding me."

"Do I look like someone who kids?"

Sheppard didn't answer.

"My offer still stands. Think about it. There's time." With that, O' Neill turned and walked away.

For the first time in his life, Sheppard didn't have any idea what his future held. One thing was for certain. There was nothing bright in it.

Grinning because he was in complete control of the situation at hand, Johanson decided that it was time to put the plan in motion. He stepped out of Woolsey's office, took out his cell phone and made a call. "Cheryl..." he said when the person he was calling answered, "are you ready for that special job I have for you?" He smiled when he heard her eager reply. "Good. Then, let's meet and get it done. It's time to make history."

Teyla Emmagan had just put Torren down for a nap when she heard someone at her door. She expected it to be Sheppard or Ronon, but when she opened the door, she discovered to her surprise that it was three of the IOA interns. The interns, Sheppard had told her, were worst than the IOA members because they would do what they had to in order to get good marks. The more marks, the better the chance to rise up in ranks. Not that the IOA had ranks. They were really nothing more than glorified political diplomats. They had a rule for everything.

Teyla looked at her visitors with curiosity. They were very young, late teens or early twenties. Two of them were women, the other a man. They looked at her with just as much curiosity as she regarded them. One of them, however, had to excuse herself and step away to answer her cell phone. She ended up walking away on some type of urgent request.

"It's okay," the young man said to the other woman. "We don't need her. We'll fill her in later."

The woman nodded. Then, she smiled at Teyla. "Hi. I'm Doreen Stills. This is Jed Meers."

Teyla smiled patiently at them. "Yes. We met a few weeks ago when you arrived with Mr. Johanson and Miss Manor."

"Well," Meers began with a wide grin, "this city is so huge, I barely remember meeting anyone." Then, he pointed excitedly at her. "But how can I forget you and Ronon Dex! I think you guys are awesome...though I probably shouldn't admit that out loud too much. It would be frowned upon by, well, you know. Those in authority above us."

"Yes, well...thank you for the compliment."

Doreen glared at Meers with a look that told him to keep his mouth shut. Evidently, she thought she was running the show. She turned back to the Athosian woman. "Teyla..." She smiled sweetly. "As you know, we really don't know all that much about you or your people. You know...your culture. Your lifestyles. Your transition into an alien city run by people from another galaxy. We would like to get to know you better. You and Ronon Dex. We'd like to broaden our understanding of you and in return, share ourselves as well. After all, we're going to be here for a while. There is so much to learn. Would you be willing to help us out?"

Teyla looked at them suspiciously. "Perhaps another time. I've just put the little one to bed and-"

Doreen blinked. "Little one? Little one what?"

"Torren. My son."

She blinked again. "You have a child?"

Teyla looked at her. "Yes. I do."

Meers shook his head at his intern partner. "How could you not know that, Doreen. That was in the report."

"What report?"

"Oh, it's nothing. The IOA has plenty of files on you and, well, everyone on Atlantis, and we're charged with knowing everything there is to know." He chuckled and waved a fist playfully. "Hence are inquisitive nature. How can we get to know you without asking too many intrusive questions?"

Doreen tried not to sigh too loudly. Somehow she had missed that file. "Don't worry about any report, Teyla. All reports are pretty much just the ones that Mr. Woolsey sends to GC. They eventually come to the IOA...and then, to us."

Meers grinned sheepishly. "The interns. Yeah!"

Teyla really had no idea what to make of him. "I see. Still...perhaps we can meet at another time. How about breakfast on the Terrace? The view is wonderful."

"Well, I think that would be absolutely perfect."

Doreen nodded once. "I agree. Breakfast it is then. Will you be...bringing the little one?"

Teyla decided that keeping her child out of the reach of the IOA was suddenly a top priority. "No," she said, "absolutely not." Then, she went back into her quarters, the door closing behind her.

"I miss you," he said into his phone, leaning against the railing as he stared out at the San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge.

"Rodney," Jennifer Keller's voice spoke to him in his ear, "it's only been three days."

He frowned. "What? Don't you miss me?"

There was a pause. He imagined she was giving him one of her sly grins. "Of course, I miss you," she said. "I just..." She stopped.

"What?"

She sighed. "I wish you were here."

There was a catch in her voice, and he was surprised that he had actually caught it. Usually, his mind would be so wrapped up in equations or death defying dilemma's that he wouldn't notice. But this time, he did notice. He swallowed. "Jennifer...are you alright?"

"It's my dad. He's not doing so well and I...They said he isn't going to be with us for much longer, Rodney." She took a deep breath. "I think they're right."

"Oh, no. Oh, no...Jennifer, I am so sorry. I..." He stopped. He cleared his throat and straightened his posture, even though he knew she couldn't see him. "Okay, look. There's a lot of nonsense stuff going on here at Atlantis, so I'll take a little time for myself...and come out to see you."

"You don't have to do that. I'm sure you're busy."

"Hey. You know what? I want to. I really, really want to. Busy or not. Nothing is too important for...for my girl. You know?"

He thought he heard a smile in her voice when she said, "Thank you. That would be wonderful."

"Great. Well...can't really come to you in a jumper. Guess the IOA would frown on that, so I'll catch a quick flight and be there in the morning."

"I'll pick you up."

"Okay. Great. It's a date..."

"Good-bye, Rodney. I love you."

He blinked. His head felt light and his hands were beginning to sweat, but in a good way. He was still not used to these feelings, but he knew he wanted more of it. "Bye, then." He swallowed. "I love you, too." He put his cell phone into his pocket and looked out toward the bridge, deep in thought.

Then, he noticed someone was standing with him. He turned his head.

Ronon nodded once. "Hey."

McKay nodded back, hoping the Setedan hadn't listened to his side of the phone call. "Hey."

They were both quiet for a moment. Then, Ronon said, "Dr. Keller's dad isn't doing so hot?"

"What?" McKay demanded. "Were you listening to my conversation? My private conversation?"

Ronon shrugged. "Well, sure. I don't know what she said...but I heard everything you said."

"What? How long were you standing there listening to me, Ronon? Do you make it a habit to eavesdrop on people's private discussions?"

"Since the first day I became a runner, I learned to listen real well."

"Well, you're not a runner any more, so stop listening!"

Ronon paused. Then, he shrugged again. "Okay. Whatever."

"Fine!" McKay snapped and glared at the Golden Gate Bridge as if it just offended him.

There was a long pause.

Finally, Ronon cleared his throat. "Listen...I haven't got anything to do. If you want someone to go with you to help Dr. Keller...you know, with her dad and everything...I'd like to come along. If you don't mind."

McKay looked at him suspiciously.

"It's not like that. Dr. Keller and I are friends. I'm not going to take her away from you. Besides, she loves you."

"That's right. She does."

"So...Do you want me to come or not?"

McKay nodded. "Yes. Sure. Why not? I'm sure Jennifer would appreciate that you would want to show her support."

Ronon nodded back. "Okay then. I'll go."

"Good."

They fell into silence, keeping to their own thoughts, and looked at the bridge together. Deep down, however, McKay felt grateful that Ronon wanted to help.

Johanson met with his best intern, Cheryl Matire. She was the brightest of them all and that was why he chose her for this mission. She smiled at him eagerly when she saw him, but she wondered why there were two Marines with him.

"What do you want me to do?" she asked him as he came to walk by her side.

He gently grabbed her arm, leading her along. "Come with me. There's someone I want you to meet."

With the Marines following behind, Johanson led his best and brightest intern down a series of corridors. They came to the detention center where a series of cells were. Most all were empty except for the one he led her to. There was a forcefield in place, however, to keep the Wraith that was inside from escape. The Wraith's eyes never left Johanson as they entered. He was fully aware of the two Marines and the young woman, but his interest peaked at Johanson.

Cheryl stopped with the Marines right behind her, startled at the sight of the Wraith.

Johanson didn't mind. He moved ahead of her and came to a stop directly in front of the cell's forcefield. He smiled grimly at the Wraith inside. "Todd, I presume."

The Wraith called Todd nodded once imperceptibly. He took a brief moment to try to see into his visitor's mind. He saw many things...and it made him smile. "Greetings to you...Remington Harris Johanson."

Johanson smirked. "I do believe that you and I are going to become...friends."

"Indeed." Then, Todd laughed.

_ _
_ 2 _

Zelenka didn't care much for the IOA presence around him. In his native Czech language, he occasionally rattled off a string of curses because of the woman at his side who represented the accursed coalition. Whether he considered it as fortunate or not, Patricia Manor had no idea that his disgruntled demeanor was aimed directly at her. He and his team - curse McKay for leaving - were in the midst of turning over everything they had to the new caretakers of Atlantis and they were not happy about it at all.

Zelenka kept his eyes focused on the monitor of his laptop on his work station as he worked, aware of the annoying woman peering over his shoulder. The others around them at their own stations in the Control Room had their IOA shadows as well. He cursed some more.

"You seem to be very passionate about your work," Patricia told him, smiling encouragingly at him. "That's always so refreshing to see."

He took the pencil out of his mouth and turned to regard her as if she were a bug under a microscope. A dead squashed bug, for that matter. "What?" he said impatiently.

"I said you're very passionate about your work. That's a very attractive quality in a man." She smiled at him.

He glared at her, wishing she would just shut up and let him work. He sighed and looked at the notes in his notebook. Then, he blinked. Did she just say that she finds me attractive? He turned his head slightly to look at her again. She really was a pretty woman, but unfortunately she was also IOA. Anything IOA was simply not attractive. He cleared his throat. "Yes, well...I do happen to love my work. The last five years of my life have been amazing." He looked around, sadly shaking his head. "Unfortunately, that's all about to end."

Patricia leaned toward him. "Maybe it doesn't have to end."

"What do you mean?"

"You could stay on. We're still going to need many of your staff to help us even after the transition."

"That may be...but I'm afraid one of them won't be me. After this, I'm done. If we can't be out in the Pegasus Galaxy, keeping our planet and those we left behind safe from the Wraith, then there's nothing left for me here." He made eye contact with her. "You'll find that that's the consensus around here."

Patricia frowned. "Oh. Well...I'm very sorry to hear that."

He nodded. Then, he went back to work. That was until a shout came from his left from Chuck Campbell, one of the technicians. "Dr. Zelenka! I think you should see this."

Sighing impatiently, he moved away from his station and moved toward one of the main monitors on the wall. Campbell was at the work station, frowning at the monitor with what looked like growing concern. Major Lorne, who had been standing off across the room, joined them when he saw the commotion. The monitor showed an interior schematic of the city. A red flashing dot had recently begun to show when it wasn't there seconds before.

Campbell tapped at it with a worried frown. "I don't think that's supposed to be doing that."

"It's nothing," Zelenka said with a shrug. "Probably just a glitch in the system." In spite of what he said, he moved in for a closer look, aware of Patricia standing closely beside him.

Lorne nodded his head toward the blinking dot on the screen. "Why is it doing that?"

"Like I said...probably a glitch." Suddenly he tensed and cursed in Czech.

"Something tells me that's not really a glitch."

Zelenka abruptly turned and made a bee-line for Woolsey's office. Stunned, Lorne and Patricia trailed behind. They followed him directly into the office where Woolsey looked up from his desk.

"Doesn't anybody believe in knocking any more?" he asked, knowing he wouldn't get an answer.

Zelenka got right to the point. "We need to get Atlantis out into space. Now!"

Woolsey frowned. "Dr. Zelenka, believe me. I share your concerns, but you know as well as I do, that isn't possible."

"With all due respect, there will be no San Francisco if we do not get Atlantis out of here now."

Lorne and Woolsey suddenly looked concerned. Patricia just looked confused.

"What are you saying?" Woolsey demanded.

"Something in Janus' secret lab is causing an unusual amount of energy back into the ZPM. It's overloading the unit! If we don't stop it, it will be just as if we've been hit by several nuclear bombs."

Sheppard was trying to make his foul mood go away by running along the terraces of the city. The view was always spectacular, but right now, that was the only good thing about being back on earth. The view. After all, he didn't have anything on earth that was his. He was from earth. He was born and raised on the big blue ball. But there was nothing to keep him there. In his heart, he already missed the Pegasus Galaxy, and that even surprised him. He hadn't realized he would miss being out there against an alien race bent on keeping humans as livestock. That was what bothered him the most...He had been making an actual difference. Not just for earth, but for other people who lived on other far distant planets.

Now he wasn't doing a damned thing but getting mad.

So he ran.

McKay had stormed off the other day and no one knew if he was even going to be back. Sheppard felt that he was actually proud of the guy for standing up against the IOA. He found himself wondering why he wasn't responding in the same manner. Johanson hadn't been happy about it and made a personal vow to keep McKay off Atlantis forever. A mistake, of course, because McKay's genius got their butts out of the fire more than once. Not that he would admit that out loud.

He came around a corner and had to come to a stop because someone was standing directly in his path with her arms folded across herself. Coming to a stop, Sheppard could see that he could be in for a bit of trouble.

"Teyla," he said with a nod.

"John." Teyla uncrossed her arms, dropping her hands to her sides. "You have been avoiding me."

Sheppard let out a sigh and moved to lean against the railing. "That's not entirely true." He paused. "I've been avoiding everybody."

She moved to stand next to him. "What is troubling you?"

"Aside from the fact that we're stuck here on earth, not going back to make a difference, and all of us are going our separate ways?" He shrugged. "Not a damned thing."

"I'm sorry. I realize how hard this is on you."

"On me? What about you, Teyla? You must feel pretty bad being stuck here with Kanaan worrying about what's happened to you and Torren."

She paused in thought. "I have to believe that we will be going back. Otherwise, it will have all been in vain. Or perhaps it will only seem that way, but sometimes the absence of a purpose can make us forget how much good we have done."

Sheppard looked at her. "Well, one way or another, I'll get you back home. I promise."

"John, you do not have to promise me anything."

"If you and Ronon get stranded here because of bureaucratic bullcrap from the IOA, I'm not going to let that stand. And I can think of quite a few people who feel the same way." He was about to say more but was surprised to see Woolsey, Johanson and Patricia heading right for them. "Something's going on."

"What?" Teyla asked, curious. She turned her head to follow his gaze.

That's when the others reached them.

"Colonel," Woolsey said without hesitation, "we have a serious problem. Dr. Zelenka discovered a massive powersurge flowing directly into the ZPM. He says if he can't stop it, it will cause an explosion that will rival Hiroshima."

"What?" Sheppard exclaimed. "When did this happen? Can he stop it?"

"At the moment, he can't. The power surge is coming from somewhere in Janus' secret lab."

"Well, can't he find out what's causing it and shut it down?"

"That's the problem. The room is sealed shut and we can't get inside. From what Dr. Zelenka can tell, when the power surge began, the room went into a lockdown mode. It sealed itself. So the problem is, if we can't get in there and shut it down within twelve hours, we're all going to die." He looked grim. "And we'll take San Francisco with us."

Johanson glared. "Unless this is a trick and you're trying to find an excuse to go back to the Pegasus Galaxy."

Sheppard wanted to ignore him, but what he had said bothered him. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"You're scientist suggested taking Atlantis back out into space. So who's to say that isn't the plan all along?" Johanson took a menacing step forward. "You bring the city out to space, stop the so called bomb threat, and then open up a hyperspace window to return back to Pegasus."

"You know what? You're out of line and you're really starting to piss me off." Before the man could respond, Sheppard turned to Woolsey. "Okay, so here's what we do. We take a jumper and go get McKay, then -"

"That man is not to step foot anywhere in this city," Johanson interrupted. "He made that decision when he left."

Teyla shook her head. "He left for a family emergency. Not because -"

Sheppard raised a hand. "Teyla, it doesn't matter, because I'm still in charge of the military presence here and I say we get McKay,and bring him back to fix this. I'll take a jumper out and be back before you know it."

Woolsey shook his head. "Colonel, I think you should stay."

"Why?"

"Because we may need you in the Chair if we have to leave in a hurry. We can get Dr. Beckett to fly the jumper." He paused. "No offense to Dr. Beckett, but I think your presence here at this time is more required than his."

Sheppard nodded. "Okay. That makes sense. I'll have Major Lorne go with him."

"I can go, too," Teyla replied.

"Great. Then, let's get it done." He headed back into the city with the others following behind.

McKay and Ronon had gone to Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, by flight, but they had been joined by one other person. Ronon had decided to invite Amelia Banks. McKay hadn't known what to think about it. It had thrown him off guard, but on the other hand, if Ronon was busy looking at Amelia, then he really wouldn't try to take Jennifer away from him. Jennifer had picked them up from the airport. She was surprised to see Ronon and Amelia but appreciated their support. She sat in the back seat while Ronon and Amelia sat in the front. Ronon drove, assuring everyone that he had driven quite a bit the last time he visited earth with Sheppard.

At the Keller household, Jennifer's relatives came and went, dropping by to offer any help or comfort, bringing lots of food. The family were also appreciative of the support from Jennifer's colleagues, though many of them could not take their eyes off from Ronon. They had never seen anyone like him.

Jennifer had introduced briefly her friends to her father, whom expressed his gratefulness to them for their kindness to his only daughter. He reached out and grabbed a hold of McKay's hand, squeezing it affectionately. "Now...you, young man, must be...must be the one responsible for...the happiness in my...little girl's eyes." He nodded, making eye contact with him. "Even though she's sad for...my current state of affairs...I know she's at least thinking...of you...You have my blessing..." He nodded once, smiled and sat back into his pillows with a contented sigh.

"Really? I do?" McKay inquired, not knowing what to do or say. He looked at Jennifer for help.

She smiled and gently took his arm. "Come on, Rodney. I'll take you to get something to eat."

"Okay, but...but I want to know what you mean by blessing," McKay said, turning back to Jennifer's father. To his amazement, he found that the man had fallen asleep. "Oh."

Jennifer took him into the kitchen. She packed some food into a basket, took McKay by the hand and led him outside into the backyard. Hand in hand, they seemed to be heading for a path, which went into the woods.

"Where are we going?" he asked her.

She smiled at him. "You'll see."

They continued down the path in silence, which was hard for McKay. Usually he rattled off about bugs and allergies, but with Jennifer, he was actually quite content. Judging from the look on her face, she seemed to be as well. She led him further along the path and suddenly off from it. They went through some wooded area and abruptly, the sky was ahead of them. McKay put his hand up before his eyes to shade them from the sun, and when he did, he realized they were standing on a cliff overlooking miles of rolling hills with mountains in the background. The sight was breath taking.

"Wow," McKay said, "that's...that's pretty amazing."

Jennifer sat down on the rocks and set the basket down beside her. "My father used to take me here when I was a little girl." She paused. "I felt so small. Here I was, just a little girl in a very big place."

McKay took his time sitting next to her. He wanted to make sure there were no bugs nearby.

"I always felt so tiny in this place. Like I was just a little speck who couldn't possibly make any kind of a difference in a place where it's so easy to be overlooked." She paused to take in the view. "My father told me that in this place, it was just the opposite. It wasn't me that was overlooked, but this huge place I was standing in. He told me that it was easy for him to ignore where we were as long as I was with him. In watching me here, he saw that where we were made a difference and because of it...it would enable me to make a difference, too."

McKay smiled at her. "You make a difference, Jennifer, every where you go. I shouldn't have to tell you that you've made a difference in me."

She watched him. "Oh, really? In what way have I made a difference in the life of Dr. Merideth Rodney McKay?"

"Well...I think I'm just a little bit nicer than I used to be." He showed her a tiny space between his thumb and forefinger. "Perhaps not a lot, but just enough where I come out of the shell I've been living in."

"You have a shell?"

"Oh, come on. All arrogant great scientific minds have some kind of a shell." He paused. "I'm...I'm really just surprised that of all people, you were the one who managed to get inside." He shrugged. "I know I'm not the easiest person around to get to know. I mean, let's face it. If I weren't me and met me, I don't think I could be friends with me, much less strike up a conversation. Of course, if there were two of me and we got into a conversation - almost like the time when we met replicators like us - I'll bet we could talk for hours. Maybe even days."

She laughed and shook her head. "You are something else, I'll tell you that." She hugged him. "Thank you for coming."

They sat in silence for a while, enjoying the view and each others company. Jennifer opened the basket and shared the food. As they partook of it, McKay glanced at her. "Jennifer," he began, "do you...do you have any idea what you would like to do now that Atlantis is going to be used by the IOA?"

She thought about it for a moment. "Well...I guess there really is no going back, is there?"

He frowned. "No."

"To be honest, I don't want to think about it. Right now, I'm here for my father. I'm not going any where."

"Really? Oh, well...then...then, I won't think about it either. How's that? You'll be here for your father, and I'll be here...for you."

She smiled at him. "That would be nice."

It almost was nice, until McKay almost choked on a mouthful of food when a jumper decloaked right in front of the cliff they were enjoying a picnic on.

_ _
_ 3 _

Dr. Carson Beckett had managed to find a small clearing where he could land the jumper. He, Lorne and Teyla waited a short time for Jennifer and McKay to join them. Once they were inside, Beckett cloaked the jumper just in case someone from the Keller residence came looking for Jennifer. Lorne reclosed the hatch.

"Rodney," Beckett began to say in his thick accent, "we don't have much time. We have to get you back to Atlantis as soon as possible."

McKay snorted. "I'm not going back. I'm sorry to have wasted your time, Carson, but you made this little trip of yours for nothing. Besides, there isn't any type of catastrophe that could make me come back. I am completely done with Atlantis."

"I wouldn't be so sure. You don't know what's happened."

"The only thing that's happening there is that it's being overrun by pompous bureaucrats who have absolutely no idea what they're doing. If I were you, I'd leave. Go back home to your mom, for all I care."

Beckett sighed. "My mom thinks I'm dead and you should bloody well know that." Then, he shook his head. "But that isn't the point right now."

"Then, do tell!"

"Atlantis is about to blow up," Teyla told him. "Is that the short version you needed to hear?"

Jennifer frowned. "Blow up? What do you mean?"

"The ZPM is reacting to some kind of power surge," Lorne tried to explain. "In short, from my understanding, it's being overloaded. If the overload continues, it will detonate the city and the resulting explosion will take not only Atlantis but San Francisco as well."

McKay almost laughed. He smiled at them and waved a confident hand in the air. "No, no, no. What you've just described is impossible. There is no possible way to overload a ZPM. There's too many safeguards built in by the Ancients. You'd be hard pressed to rig a ZPM to blow up. I could do it, of course. It's child's play really, but it's just not going to happen. So go on back to Atlantis and tell everybody that it's all a big mistake."

Lorne shook his head in disbelief. He thought he remembered that the Goa'uld had tried to rig a ZPM to explode back on earth when O' Neill took command of Stargate Command as General, but he decided not to mention that. "Are you kidding me? Do you think we'd come all the way down here to tell you that a mistake is going to destroy Atlantis and everything around it?" He leaned forward. "We've got less than twelve hours!"

"Eight hours now," Beckett said with a sigh. "It took us over four hours to get here."

"Rodney," Teyla said, stepping closer to him. She placed a hand on his arm and looked into his eyes. "We're not making this up. Something in Janus' lab has triggered this, so whatever can be done to stop it must be in there. You're the only one who stands a greater chance at stopping it. Dr. Zelenka can't even get back into the lab. He needs your help."

"He can't get into the lab?" McKay scowled. "Well, why not?"

"Because when the bloody overload began," Beckett snapped, "the lab sealed itself shut. Are you coming or not?"

Jennifer looked at him. She rubbed his back affectionately. "I think you'd better go. If anyone can stop it, it's you."

McKay frowned. "But what about you?"

"I'll be fine. I know you want to be with me, Rodney, but lives are at stake and you really are the best chance at stopping it. So go stop it and come back to me. Okay?"

He paused. "Okay...I'll go."

"Is Ronon here with you?" Teyla asked Jennifer.

Jennifer nodded. "Yes. I'll tell him to come if you can wait a moment."

Beckett sighed. "I don't mean to be indifferent to your own personal grief, Dr. Keller, but we need to go so as soon as you get him, the better."

"Okay." She kissed McKay and then hurried off to find Ronon.

McKay watched her go. When he couldn't see her any more along the trail, he turned back into the jumper only to find Beckett, Lorne and Teyla watching him.

"What?" he demanded. "It's not like I haven't been kissed before." He turned to Beckett indignantly. "And by the way, she's a better kisser than you could ever be."

Beckett rolled his eyes. "It figures you would still remember that so easily."

Teyla and Lorne exchanged looks. Lorne could only shake his head. "Why is it whenever there's major trouble, we always seem to have to rely on Dr. McKay to get us out of it?"

"You have some explaining to do," Patricia said, glaring at Sheppard. She had intercepted him in the corridor out side of the mess hall as he was on his way to check on Zelenka's progress.

Sheppard came to a stop, slowly turned around and looked at the IOA woman. He idly wondered where Johanson was, but then realized he really didn't care. "Explaining to do about what?" he inquired as calmly as he could. He really didn't like the IOA. They gave him a headache.

"We've seen your files. We know of your accomplishments. I'm sure that while others would applaud your bravery and heroism in the face of insurmountable odds, there are others still who see you from what you really are. A glory hound. All guts and glory." She took a menacing step closer to him. "You don't even care about who you hurt or who you get killed in your quest for fame and fortune, do you, Colonel Sheppard?"

"I wasn't sure before, but now I am." Sheppard glared back at her. "You really don't have any idea what you're talking about."

"I know exactly what I'm talking about. I'm here to see you pay for what you did. There isn't a place in this city where you can hide from me or the truth. I'll have it all. And then I'll have your head on a silver platter."

He stepped back and frowned. This woman had an axe to grind with him and he had no idea why. "What am I supposed to be paying for exactly?"

"Colonel Marshall Sumner." She glared defiantly at him. "Does that name ring a bell?"

Sheppard froze. He swallowed hard at the memory. When they first discovered the Wraith, one of the first casualties of war had been Colonel Marshall Sumner and by his own hand. "Yes, I remember him."

"You killed him."

"I did."

"For glory and fame. So you could be the head of the military presence on Atlantis. You won't get away with that. I'll see to it personally."

He sighed. "You've got it all wrong. I don't do any of this for fame and glory. I shot Colonel Sumner because the Wraith were torturing him! Draining years of his life by inches!" He shook his head. "I saw the look in his eyes. He didn't want to go out that way."

"So you made the decision yourself. And you shot him. You killed him."

He nodded. "I shot him. I ended his torment. I let him die with dignity and honor. Believe me, there's nothing dignified or honorable about dying by the Wraiths hands." He scowled. "You sound like this is personal. Who was Colonel Sumner to you anyway?"

"Colonel Sumner," Patricia said through clenched teeth, "was my uncle."

Before Sheppard could think of a response, she turned and walked away. With no other choice before him, he turned and continued to Janus' secret lab where he found Zelenka.

"You've been at it for eight hours, Radek!" Sheppard exclaimed. "Didn't opening the door the first time have to do with some kind of music?"

Zelenka glanced at the hallway, which ended with a wall that should have been a doorway. Or at least a doorway in the wall from which a person could pass through. But for some reason, the wall felt as solid as it looked. McKay and Dr. Daniel Jackson had worked together at finding a way - using three light fixtures - to sound out some kind of code. The chimes had sounded, and if correct, they would have made it possible for anyone to walk through the wall, thereby entering the secret lab of Janus.

In theory, it still should have worked that way.

"Unfortunately, Colonel," Zelenka said with a shake of his head, "the same variation Dr. McKay and Dr. Jackson used is no longer working. In fact, none of the six variations are working, so this puzzle is no longer a simple solution." He glared at the laptop he held in his hands as if it had a secret and wouldn't tell him. "We've tried everything!"

"We could blast that wall to hell!"

"No, we couldn't. We've already gone over that. This isn't just about getting through the wall. There's some kind of forcefield around the interior of the lab. This means, we could blow a hole in the wall, but the forcefield would only still be there. I think we should use the Chair and get away from earth as fast as we can. The Daedalus should be able to beam us out of here if we don't have time to stop it."

"Well, most of Atlantis has been evacuated, with the exception of those who really need to be here." Sheppard let out a deep sigh. "Don't worry about that. I managed to get rid of most of the IOA, too, but we still have Atilla the Hun and his minions."

Zelenka glanced up at him. "We may have another problem."

"What?"

Zelenka paused. "The power surge might get worst if we try to activate the Chair. We could blow up the city by attempting to leave."

Sheppard scowled. "You've gotta be kidding me, Radek! Don't even joke about that."

"Do I look like I'm joking?"

"Where the hell is McKay!"

"Look, I've been trying to get us in there. If he can do any better, then now would be the time!"

As if on queue, McKay's voice came over the intercom. "Sheppard! What the hell did you guys do?"

Sheppard frowned, tapping his ear piece. "What do you mean, what did we do? We didn't do anything! Janus did...or something in his lab did."

"Carson tells me the lab is sealed."

"Carson is right. It is. We can't get in. Zelenka tells me that blowing the wall up won't even get us in there because of the forcefield."

"Forcefield? There's a forcefield in the lab? When did that happen?"

"How the hell should I know. When are you getting here?"

"Carson's parking the jumper now. I'll be there in a few minutes."

"That's just great." He looked at Zelenka. "You might as well get back to the Control Room. McKay might need you there to monitor our situation."

Zelenka nodded, muttered in Czech and stormed off. Sheppard put his hands on his hips, glared at the wall and said, "Crap."

"It's the only plan we have, General," Woolsey said grimly. "With Colonel Caldwell ready to beam us onto the Daedalus, at least we'd have that to fall back onto if this should fail."

General O' Neill smiled reassuringly at him from the viewing screen in the Control Room. "That's not going to happen, Richard. The Daedalus has other matters to attend to. I have another avenue of assistance I can give you. She'll be contacting you soon."

Woolsey frowned, puzzled. "She?"

"General," Johanson began, taking a step closer to the screen, passing Woolsey, "I want you to know that I intend to lodge a formal complaint about Richard Woolsey's command, and his entire expedition team. That includes all of the military presence on Atlantis."

O' Neill looked at him. "Johanson, shut up."

Johanson stared. "Excuse me."

"Let me put another way...if you don't shut up, I'll order the military presence - every single one of them - to throw your ass over the highest terrace." He focused his attention to Woolsey. "Richard, you do what you see is absolutely necessary to get Atlantis safe. If you have to take her back to the Pegasus Galaxy to stop this thing from happening, go for it. But expect help soon. You're not alone in this."

After the connection was gone, Woolsey approached Johanson, Patricia, and their aides. "Whatever you may believe, I assure you, the danger is real. You may want to remove yourself from Atlantis to save yourselves."

Johanson glared at him. "We're not going anywhere."

"Suit yourself."

At that point, Zelenka appeared, cursing up a storm in Czech. He took his station and noticed that Patricia came over to stand beside him. He tried not to think about it as he set his laptop on his work station. By this time, McKay should be at the secret lab.

They were all there. Sheppard, Teyla, Ronon, and McKay. McKay looked at his monitor as he stood in front of the wall, frowning. He looked at Sheppard, frowned again and shook his head, muttering to himself.

"Can you get us in there or not?" Sheppard asked impatiently.

Mckay frowned. He sighed and pointed at the light fixtures. "Hit the fixtures."

Sheppard shook his head, but he did as McKay asked. He tapped them so that three chimes sounded.

"Okay...now do that again, but the other way."

"Rodney...Zelenka already did this."

McKay rolled his eyes. "I'm sure he did, but even six simple variations have to be in a certain sequence. Just humor me."

Sheppard exchanged looks with Ronon and Teyla. Then, he tapped the fixtures again, going the other way.

McKay nodded with satisfaction. "Okay. Good. That's very good. Now...tap it again the original way."

Sheppard wanted to hit him. "What original way are you talking about?"

"The original code. The first one you just did."

"And why am I doing that?"

"We just reset the code so that it will work again. Will you please just trust me and do it?"

Ronon couldn't help but grin as he looked at Sheppard.

Sheppard took a deep breath. He hit the fixtures again.

"Okay...now follow me." McKay walked right into the wall...and through it.

Sheppard blinked. Maybe it was that simple. "Okay...let's do this." He followed.

Ronon and Teyla followed behind.

A few seconds later, the four of them were standing in the lab. McKay was at a control panel, but something was wrong. "No, no, no, no. Oh, no."

Sheppard didn't like the sound of that. "Rodney..."

"I was afraid of this. When you said Zelenka detected a forcefield, I thought it was to keep us out, but we went through it like butter."

"So if it doesn't keep anyone out..."

As a test, Ronon turned as if he was going to head back out. Immediately, he met heavy resistance and was thrown backward to the floor. "Damn," he said as Teyla helped him up.

"It's meant to keep us in the lab," Teyla replied grimly.

Sheppard glared at McKay. "Can you shut off the forcefield and stop whatever the hell is going on with the ZPM?"

McKay looked at his laptop and then at the monitor on the workstation he was at. "Yes...I can. But it's going to take some time." He put the laptop down and began to work on Janus' control panel.

"You better know what you're doing, Rodney," Sheppard said.

McKay rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on! How many times have I pulled our bacons out of the fire? Trust me, okay? I know what I'm doing." He suddenly looked happy. "This might even be over quicker than I thought. All I have to do is reroute the power surge...and slow it down...Oh, and right here, I can turn off the force field with a simple click of a button." He pressed it.

An indicator on the monitor screen went from green to red.

"Oh, no." He got up and backed away from the station.

Ronon, Teyla and Sheppard couldn't help but be bothered by what just happened.

"Rodney, what the hell did you just do?" Sheppard asked.

Before McKay could respond, all four of them vanished in a bright white flash of light.

_ _
_ 4 _

At the Control Room, Zelenka was working at his work station...or more to the point, he was waiting for McKay to tell him what to do. McKay always told him what to do. When he didn't get any instructions, he began to worry, only because it was completely uncharacteristic of McKay not to be telling him or anyone else for that matter what to do.

That's when Campbell, who was checking over the life signs detector on the main monitor, noticed something unusual. "Uhm...Dr. Zelenka...they're not here."

Zelenka tried to ignore the alluring presence of Patricia Manor as he glanced toward Campbell. "They're not here? Who's not here? And what are you doing?"

"I was monitoring life signs to see how many people we still have in the city, and if we need to get more of them evacuated...but that's when I saw this." He pointed at the screen.

Zelenka moved his chair closer. "Is that the lab?"

"Yes, it is." He turned to look at Zelenka. "A few seconds ago, there were four life signs in there. Now, there aren't any."

"Then...they left the lab."

"They didn't walk out of the lab, doctor. If they had, we'd be able to trace them. They just blinked out...as if they vanished."

Zelenka slapped his ear piece. "Dr. McKay." There was no response. "Dr. McKay...Colonel Sheppard? Teyla?" No one answered his call. He abruptly got out of his chair and headed for Woolsey's office. He was dismayed to find that Johanson was there as well, but that really couldn't be helped. "Mr. Woolsey, we might have a problem."

Woolsey looked up at him. "You mean...another problem? Or a slight variation to the problem we already have?"

Zelenka hesitated. "I'm not sure...but Colonel Sheppard, Dr. McKay, Teyla and Ronon are not in the lab. And according to our life sign detectors, there not anywhere in the city."

"What?"

"They're just gone!"

Woolsey rose to his feet. He tapped his ear piece. "Major Lorne, I need you to take a team to the lab and start a search for Colonel Sheppard and his team. Leave some men at the lab. I'll be sending Zelenka there to see if he can't try to figure out what is happening."

"Understood," came Lorne's response.

Zelenka headed for the door.

"Hold on," Johanson growled.

Zelenka stopped. "What is it? We're rather busy around here."

"I'm coming with you. This charade has gone on long enough."

"You call it what you want. This charade is going to kill us if we don't stop it!"

Zelenka left the office, and Johanson followed.

When they were gone, Woolsey tapped on the ear piece. "Major Lorne..."

"Go ahead," came Lorne's voice.

"I've got an idea."

Major Lorne sent his men out to protect Zelenka in the lab and to search the city for Sheppard and his team. After all, if there had been a threat to the team, they had to be prepared for that same threat to be real for Zelenka. Lorne headed for what they called the Zero Point Module room. Without wasting any time, he headed right for the triangular table which housed three ZPM's, of which only one of them was currently working. In fact, it was being filled with power from something no one understood from Janus' secret lab.

He tapped his piece. "Mr. Woolsey, I'm looking at the ZPM now. You do realize that if I take it out, we'll lose the cloak and we'll be seen."

Woolsey's voice came back. "I'm well aware of what might happen. I just don't want there to be a massive explosion. So in light of the risks, Major Lorne, I think allowing ourselves to be seen in the Bay outweighs the deaths of millions of people. Don't you?"

"I do."

"Then take out the ZPM."

Lorne took a deep breath and began to activate the panel to release the ZPM.

Zelenka and Johanson arrived at the lab to find two marines standing at attention in front of the wall. Johanson glared at them and then looked around. "Where the hell is this lab you've been talking about?" he demanded to know.

Zelenka pointed at the Marines. "It's behind them."

"Nice try. There's nothing but a wall behind them."

Zelenka snorted, walked in between the guards...and through the wall. Johanson stared after Zelenka in astonishment. Up to this point, he had actually believed that everything which had been happening was a scheme to get Atlantis back to the Pegasus Galaxy. He still believed that. But perhaps there was something else going on.

He took a deep breath and headed for the wall...and he walked right through it. Amazed, he stopped and simply stood there to take a look around. "Well, I'll be a son-of-a-bitch," he said softly.

"I wouldn't blame your mother for your disposition if I were you," Zelenka told him as he began to look at the monitor at a station where McKay had left his laptop. He thought he saw the source of the power surge but then realized that the actual source was hidden. However, it was somewhere in this lab and he intended to find it. As to what happened to McKay and the others, he could only hope it wouldn't happen again.

He sat down at the console and began to carefully trace the power surge. He found a program that was protecting the source, and also noticed something else. He tapped his ear piece. "Mr. Woolsey, I'm in the lab and I have discovered that the force field I detected earlier is gone. I believe it deactivated itself once whatever happened in here with Colonel Sheppard and his team happened."

There was a pause. "What about the power surge?"

"I'm tracing the source. I believe it is coming from a device somewhere in this lab. If you give me a few moments, I should be able to locate it and see about shutting it off."

"That's good news, Dr. Zelenka. I'll have Major Lorne hold off on taking out the ZPM."

Zelenka blinked. "You ordered Major Lorne to pull out the ZPM? You have to stop him! With this type of surge, pulling out the ZPM could have a negative effect! Like a spark, it could blow up prematurely!"

"Alright, I'll tell him to stop...if it's not too late."

Zelenka turned to glare at Johanson as if it were his fault. He cursed in Czech. Then, he said, "That's the problem with people today. There are no discussions. Simply orders and plenty of mistakes. Where's the communication?"

Johanson just looked at him.

"Major Lorne," Woolsey said urgently into his ear piece, "I implore you to stop what you're doing immediately. Do not take out the ZPM!"

In the ZPM room, Lorne was just about to take it out. He had his hands on it, but he stopped. "Is there a problem?"

"It seems that there is," Woolsey replied in his ear. "It seems that if you pull it out now, it might explode earlier than if it were to remain in the module housing unit. So whatever you do...do not remove it."

Lorne took his hands off from the ZPM and pressed a button. He watched the ZPM disappear back into the generator. "Good timing, Mr. Woolsey."

"Tell me about it."

Zelenka was just about to find the source. His eyes grew wide as if he was about to discover a great treasure. Johanson paced around the room with his arms folded across his chest. He tried to look at everything. There was so much to take in.

"Did you find what you're looking for yet?" he asked.

Zelenka waved at him impatiently. "No. Now be quiet. I'm on to something here."

Johanson glared at him. Suddenly, there was a bright flash of white light. He blinked and put his hands over his eyes. "What the hell was that?" he demanded. He blinked again and found that his eyes were trying to adjust. Someone was standing in front of him. At first he thought it was Zelenka, but then he thought it was Ronon.

It was Ronon. Without a word, Ronon leveled his gun at him and stunned him. As Johanson fell to the floor, Ronon turned to Zelenka and fired a shot at him, too. Teyla and Sheppard pulled the unconscious man off from the chair and dropped him onto the floor. McKay sat down without a word and began to type on his laptop. Then, he turned to the control panel and commenced work there.

Sheppard and Ronon exchanged looks with each other. Then, they walked out of the lab. Once they saw the Marines, Ronon shot them both. He and Sheppard dragged their unconscious bodies back into the lab.

"Mr. Woolsey, this is Colonel Samantha Carter of the George Hammond standing by to assist you," replied a smiling Carter from the monitor screen in the Control Room. "I have a present and would like to beam it down to you if you don't mind."

Woolsey looked startled. "Why, thank you, Colonel. I can't imagine why you would be sending a gift. I'm just glad you're available to help us out." He hesitated. "In fact, we do have a snag. It seems we've lost Colonel Sheppard and his team. They don't seem to be anywhere in the city."

Carter looked concerned. "That's odd. I'm sorry to hear that. What can we do from up here?"

"Just continue to stand by. I see no reason for you to send anyone down here to assist us. Any time we're dealing with something that belonged to Janus, you never know what's going to happen. Everything is just completely unpredictable at this point."

"Well, let me beam down that gift."

"Can't that wait?"

"I'm afraid not. General O' Neill was very adamant about getting it to you at all costs. He said it was a top priority." She nodded to someone off screen. Then, she smiled at Woolsey from the screen. "It should be perched right onto your desk. We've refined beaming technology to near pin-point accuracy. If that item isn't on your desk, I'll retire to a desk job."

"Thank you again, Colonel. I appreciate your help."

"You're welcome."

The transmission ended and the screen went back to displaying the schematics of the city. The life signs detectors were still showing, and he immediately noticed that there were six life signs in Janus' lab.

"Major Lorne," he began...but he didn't get to finish what he had been about to say. A bright white light appeared around them all and then vanished. When it did, they all dropped to the floor in unconsciousness. In fact, it worked that way throughout the entire city. Everyone who wasn't in the secret lab lost consciousness. Even Todd in his cell dropped to the floor.

When the pulse ended, Sheppard, Ronon and Teyla left the secret room. McKay remained behind to continue his task. Ronon and Teyla wordlessly went up to the Control Room. Sheppard headed for the Control Chair. McKay's fingers worked furiously over the console panel. The surge was stopped, but it had also done it's duty. The ZPM was fully charged. It wasn't a power surge but a power supply.

Sheppard sat in the Chair. It came to life and reclined. He thought of the destination they needed to get to and brought the city to life. Outside, the city rose out of the water and took to the skies. Once it rose high enough, the cloak was gone and the shields were at full power.

In her command chair on the George Hammond, Colonel Carter stared in astonishment as the city began to break free from the earths entry. "Why didn't they tell us they were breaking free?" she asked no one in particular. She glanced to one of her men. "Hail them."

"I'm trying," the man said, "but they're not responding."

"Keep trying." She rose out of her seat and stepped closer to the screen. She watched as the city came out and broke free from earths orbit. Suddenly, a hyperspace window opened and Atlantis went into it. Then the window closed, and the city was gone.

_ _
_ Epilogue _

"Ah, well, crap," Sheppard replied, after hearing about the hijack. "If there's one thing I can't stand, it's possession. So who possessed us and why?"

McKay shook his head. "We weren't exactly possessed. More like...our brains received a download that temporarily gave us a new program to follow. Once it was carried out and the program had run its course, it became obsolete and deleted itself."

"Are you saying some kind of computer program was installed into my brain and caused me to be a part of this hijacking?"

"Yes." He scowled at the look of disbelief on Sheppard's face. "Oh, come on. It's not far fetched, you know. Our brains are like computers, and Janus obviously didn't have any problem learning how to do it. Besides, something similar did happen to me, if you recall. And it's also not unlike what happened to General O' Neill."

"So Janus is responsible?" Ronon asked. "This thing that happened is because of him?"

"It would seem so. It happened in his lab."

"The question we should be asking," Woolsey began, "is why now? Why did this happen now?" He paused as he leaned forward. "Just before the four of you took over Atlantis and set us on a course back to the Pegasus Galaxy -" Johanson let out a snort of disbelief to which Woolsey pointedly ignored. "- you were in the lab. Suddenly, you disappeared. As far as we know, you were no longer any where to be found on Atlantis. Do you have any idea where you were? Obviously, wherever that beam took you, it's where this download happened."

Ronon shrugged. "I don't remember anything, really. I thought we were in the lab."

Teyla pursed her lips in thought. "Actually, I do recall that the room we were in was bigger than Janus' lab. It was dark. Lights were just coming on...and there was someone there."

McKay snapped his fingers. "Yes, there was. She was laying on a table...without any clothes."

Everyone looked at him.

"What? Well, she was. I'm not making that up."

Sheppard sighed. "There was no naked woman, Rodney."

"Actually, there was." Teyla paused. "The lights were still coming on, but I saw her, too. I thought I recognized her, but then...that's when the download must have happened."

Woolsey looked at Ronon and Sheppard. "Do either of you recall seeing this woman?"

"I don't remember anything," Sheppard said vehemently.

Ronon shrugged. "I didn't see her. But I think I heard McKay say, 'Is that a naked woman?'"

"I did not!" McKay denied.

Woolsey sighed. "But you didn't see anything in this room that might give you an idea of where you were."

They all shook their heads.

"Look," Sheppard began, leaning forward, "I don't know where you think we ended up, but wherever it was, it has to be somewhere in the city. Maybe the room we were in shielded our life signs and you only thought we were no longer on Atlantis. Where else would this beam send us to?"

Woolsey nodded thoughtfully. "That is a possibility. However, our course is set back to the Pegasus Galaxy. We've tried to stop it and turn around, but we cannot change course. So we'll continue on our way until we get to wherever it is we're heading for. Perhaps once we arrive, we'll get some answers. In the meantime, I think we should see if we can locate this room here, and Dr. McKay, we have several days before we get to our destination. Do what you can to see if you can re-take control of the hyperdrive. If there is nothing else, this meeting is concluded."

As the meeting broke off, McKay was one of the first ones out the door without so much as a word to anyone. Sheppard watched him go. "What's his problem?" he asked no one in particular. "Is it just me or doesn't he seem more surly than usual?"

Teyla and Ronon exchanged looks.

"Dr. Keller's father is not doing too well," Teyla explained to Sheppard. "He was there to offer his support...but we called him back for this crisis."

Sheppard sighed. "Oh, man. And Dr. Keller isn't with us. She's still back on earth." He nodded in understanding. "That's another thing we'll have to figure out. Making contact with earth again, but we won't have any way to dial back to earth. We don't even know where we're going."

"Does it matter?" Ronon asked. "As long as it's the Pegasus Galaxy, who cares?"

Sheppard nodded toward Johanson. "He does."

Several days later, Atlantis came out of hyperspace. Sheppard was in the Chair. It wasn't that he didn't trust Beckett for this part, but he preferred to do this himself. McKay, Chuck, Zelenka, Teyla, Ronon, Woolsey, Johanson, and Patricia were in the Control Room. Two of Johanson's aides were also there, trying not to be in the way.

The second they came out of hyperspace, McKay and Zelenka discovered where they were heading for. A planet that was a pretty big blue ball, much like earth. In the Pegasus Galaxy, they were used to planets with very low population and back water technology, which usually comprised of a hoe and a rake...All of that was due to the cullings from the Wraith.

McKay and Zelenka exchanged looks.

Woolsey noticed. "What is it?"

"There's a population on this planet," McKay said softly. "At least a few million people."

"There's technology, too," Zelenka replied. "More advanced than any of the other people we've come across in this galaxy before."

"If that's true," Teyla began thoughtfully, "why haven't the Wraith culled this planet?"

McKay looked excited. "If I'm reading this right, the Wraith don't even know about this planet." He was astonished at his discovery. "It's cloaked."

"Cloaked?" Ronon pointed at the screen. "We can see it. Why wouldn't the Wraith be able to?"

"Because we are using Ancient technology. Look, there is a huge power source down there, and whatever it is, it's cloaking the entire planet from the Wraith and anyone else who doesn't have Ancient technology. That's why there hasn't been any cullings before now."

Chuck cleared his throat. "Uhm, Mr. Woolsey...we're being hailed from the planet."

Woolsey blinked. "What?" Then, he straightened his posture. "Very well. Let's hear it."

A second later, a man appeared on the screen in place of the planet. He was smiling and seemed overjoyed at making contact. Without any hesitation on his part and before anyone could speak, he said, "People of Atlantis, it is with great pleasure that I welcome you home to the homeworld of the Ancients."

Meanwhile, in the Chair, Sheppard was unaware of what had transpired in the Control Room. He did, however, feel as if the landing on this new planet would proceed without a hitch. He concentrated on the task at hand, filled with confidence. After all, he had done this before and under more extreme conditions than this.

Suddenly, the Chair stopped and caused him to sit up. He blinked and looked around the room. Only one thing was clear to him. The Chair had stopped working and yet he could still feel the city just breaking into the atmosphere of the planet. This was no longer a cakewalk. This was suddenly very extreme because if he didn't regain control, the city of Atlantis could very well burn up in the atmosphere.

"Ah, crap!" he exclaimed.

TO BE CONTINUED...