Machines whirred and hummed softly in the small room.

"Vectors aligned. All variables accounted for."

Sitting at her desk, Samantha Carter tapped the enter key on the terminal. "Here goes nothing." The test program booted up, several soft clicks issued from the four inch square steel box sitting on one corner of the desk.

For several seconds, nothing happened.

Carter stared at the box, willing something to happen.

The box clicked once more, then burst into flames.

Carter stared at the burning little box, watching her hopes go up in smoke. "Darn." Picking up the small fire extinguisher sitting between her feet, she swiveled her chair, blasting the flames out with a concentrated puff of CO2. "Fifth one today."

"Mrowl."

"I'm fine." Sighing, Carter reached down to stroke the orange and white striped tabby that brushed against her ankles. "I guess I won't be cracking the secrets of making ZPMs today." Setting down the bright red steel bottle, she clicked her desktop terminal off. "I really thought I'd got it that time."

"Murrr." The tabby leaned into the petting, turning its head to look at the door.

Which hissed open. "Hello? Sam? Oh, you are here." Blinking, Rodney stared blankly at Carter for a few moments. "So, um... Lunch."

"McKay, it's well past lunchtime."

"I know. You missed it."

"I didn't miss it, lunch happens at the same time every day." Carter continued to stroke the tabby, trying to ignore Rodney. It wasn't working too well; McKay was kind of hard to ignore.

"You might not have missed it, but the rest of the team did." He let that hang for a moment, before going on. "Remember?" He made a little twiddling gesture in the air with one finger. "Lunch? Today? All of us? Together?"

Groaning, Carter hung her head. She had promised to get out of the lab today. She'd kept that part of the promise, however, she'd spent the day cooped up in her quarters instead. "I forgot."

"Yeah, I had a feeling you might." Looking rather pleased with himself, McKay inclined his head a little. "Sheppard owes me a drink, I believe."

"You bet against me?" If it wasn't for the fact that it was Rodney she was talking about, Carter might have been surprised. Instead, she was just a little miffed.

The tabby yowled, peering out from between Carter's ankles to glare at the scientist.

"Woah, hey. Sam. Cat?" Pointing at the animal in question, McKay backed away slowly. "You know that cat hates me."

"McKay, please. He doesn't hate anyone." Carter rubbed her knuckles against the tabby's cheek affectionately.

"Oh, I beg to differ. That's why I came up with this." Tapping his headset, McKay continued to back towards the door. "Go plan 'A'... Now, please."

A second later, the door hissed open, and Teyla stepped inside. "Rodney, I do not think-"

"Ah ah ah. That's the beauty of plan 'A', you don't have to think." McKay gestured towards the rest of the room. "Just go. Go. Go go go go." Gesturing a little more franticly, he began lightly nudging Teyla forwards.

Sighing, Teyla obeyed. "Please forgive the intrusion Colonel." Walking a few measured paces forward, she knelt down and held out her hand. "Come here little one."

Staring at the woman for a moment, the cat crawled out from between Carter's ankles on his belly, scooting over so the new arrival could dote upon him.

"It's alright Teyla, I don't mind." Carter shot McKay a look. "Much. I don't think Jake minds either."

"Jake?" McKay almost scoffed. "You named him that? I thought for sure you'd have named him-" He broke off when he saw Carter's expression. "Wuh, well, it doesn't matter what I thought. What matters is that you broke your promise."

"I know, I know." Hanging her head, Carter mentally kicked herself for getting so caught up in her work. "But I-"

"A break from your work can only serve to benefit you in the long run." Teyla smiled, stroking the tabby's ears. "A chance to refresh your mind, and nourish your body, will in turn allow you to focus more fully on your tasks."

Carter mentally kicked herself again, this time for not cutting Teyla off. The woman really had a way with words that made it hard to argue with her. "It's not that I'm putting it off because I want to, but-"

The cat let out a low yowl. In the middle of a luxurious stretch, the feline had tilted his head back far enough that McKay's boots had come into view. Turning over onto his paws, the cat began inching towards the scientist.

Inching back a little quicker than the cat was moving, McKay tapped his headset again. "This is McKay; Go plan 'B'... Hello? Plan 'B' please?" Staring wide-eyed at the cat, McKay suddenly sighed, hanging his head. "Ok, fine. Go plan 'Batman'."

The door hissed open, and Colonel Sheppard stepped around McKay, kneeling down to stroke the cat's cheeks with both hands. "I win." Looking pleased with himself, Sheppard glanced up at the two women staring at him. "I bet him two drinks that I could get him to call it plan 'Batman'."

"Only because you were waiting until I said it." Flustered, McKay moved a little, until Sheppard was directly between him and the cat.

"Well it worked, didn't it?" Looking pleased with himself, Sheppard focused on stroking the cat, keeping its attention on him. "Didn't it, hmm? Maybe I should've let you hiss at him a little more before I swooped in to the rescue?"

"Look, guys. I appreciate all the effort you're putting into this, but I-"

"It's no trouble." Not looking up from the cat, Sheppard did what he did naturally; Used his sometimes-overly-casual nature to bring a discussion to a conclusion before the other party had a chance to disagree. "You'd do the same for any one of us, right?" He made it look so easy too.

"Yes, I would, but-"

"So, it's settled then." McKay clapped his hands together, smiling in that smug, self-satisfied way of his. "We're all going out on a picnic tomorrow." A low yowl turned his smug look into one of mild horror. "Oh no." He jabbed at his headset button for a third time. "Go plan 'C'."

"A picnic?" Carter blinked, not sure if her hearing was working properly. "I don't understand."

"What? No, I'm not going to change the name. Go plan 'C' already."

Smiling, Teyla stood up, brushing her knees off out of habit. "Mr. Woolsey insisted that everyone in Atlantis each take some time to themselves to relax, off planet somewhere." Her smile faded a little. "We were, of course, asked to sign up four days in advance."

"That sounds like Woolsey alright." Carter shook her head, still confused. "But why didn't I hear anything about this enforced vacation time?"

"I don't care what Sheppard told you, it's my plan. Go plan 'C'."

"Well, you have been locked up in your lab for about a week or so." Climbing to his feet, Sheppard smiled cheekily at Carter. "I can see how the pony express might have missed you."

Carter blinked. "Pony express?"

Teyla smiled again. "Doctor Zelenka drove a MALP through the hallways, with the notice and sign-up sheet taped to its side. Many were quite amused at the joke." Teyla's smile faltered. "Though Doctor Keller had to treat one person for a sprained ankle, I was told."

"Sprained ankle?" Carter glanced at Sheppard, who shrugged.

"Alright, alright! Go plan 'Ronan'!"

The door hissed open once again, Ronan stepped into the room, leaned down, and picked the yowling cat up by the scruff. "Got it."

Carter, Teyla, McKay, and Sheppard all stared. Even the cat looked surprised at the sudden turn of events.

Ronan stared back at everyone, shrugging. "What?"

"The plan is sound, I can personally guarantee that it will work." Durcan stood rigid, fists clenched at his sides. He had been arguing for an hour against three naysayers, and his feet were killing him. It would all be worth it; he had steadily picked apart the three's arguments, point by point. The tide was turning to his side, it wouldn't be long at all.

"And I still say it is a stupid risk." Benton, the first of the disagreeables, shook his head. "Not only does it have several unknown factors, you risk waking what could very well be a sleeping giant. The Wraith are giant enough, and hardly sleeping." A formerly tall man, he was stooped from the time he spent bent over plans and research, reducing his once imposing stature. Time had turned his stark black hair to a brittle, muted brownish-gray, making him look weak, and fearful.

"As I've said, the fact that they have yet to bring any serious firepower to bear is proof of a lack of this 'sleeping giant' you are so afraid of." Durcan knew that absence of evidence wasn't evidence of absence, he'd used that very argument to drive the second disagreeable, Mirelle, from the room in a fury not ten minutes ago. "In two years, nothing had been brought forward, nothing at all." It was still a viable tactic, at times.

"Giant or no, they still possess considerable military power." The third, and final, and probably easiest to deal with of the disagreeables, Reich. Blonde, middling of height and build. His watery grey eyes matched his resolve. Fearful, like Benton. Old, and said to be wise beyond measure. "Every encounter we have had stands to prove that we should not tempt fates." A pity the measure of the man fell far short of the myth.

"And the only real thing to fear is one squad." True, the group was legendary, known far and wide for its deeds, but it was only one squad. Four men were nothing to fear, against a well-supplied army. "I am confident that we can make the entire organization fold with this one, elegant gambit."

"And if it should fail?" Finally, the one man that needed, nay, must be convinced, spoke. "Have you considered what will happen to our people if your scheme should-" He broke off, chuckling and shaking his head. "You haven't even entertained the possibility that it will fail, have you?"

Durcan tried to straighten up, unaware that he'd been standing ramrod straight for the better part of an hour now. Everything was focused on making his point, with every fiber of his being, he drove on relentlessly. "There is no chance of failure. None whatsoever. I have planned for every single possibility, happenstance, and even the chance that the very sky will throw itself down upon our heads."

While the disagreeables either sputtered, or tried to form a counter-argument to that statement, the man that needed convincing shook his head again. No matter what the situation, Ladon Radim, current Chief of the Genii, was utterly unflappable. In truth, he'd only half-heartedly agreed to the debate because he believed it would amuse him. "As clever at you are Durcan, you are sometimes blind as an old man." He occasionally allowed clever or resourceful men under his command to test themselves against the Atlanteans, as a trial of fire of sorts. He mainly did this to weed out the stupid and over-ambitious, or to teach those that actually had potential a simple fact; Do not try the patience of those that would crush you, lest you anger them.

The people of Atlantis were one of those that could crush many a people, if they chose to do so. Ladon was very glad that they were a mainly fair and kind people. He didn't see himself as soft, oh not at all. He did, however, owe them for not only his current standing as leader of all Genii, but also for curing his sister of her illness. An illness that Genii medicine was unable to cure. He was also keenly aware that the Genii would not be able to withstand the brunt of an assault that a star-faring people could bring to bear.

Durcan was frozen, shocked. He hadn't expected Ladon to be so utterly against him, after spending the entire debate chortling at the political flailing of his opponents. After a year, a year of meticulous planning. Down to days, down to hours, down to the very minute that his assault would begin and end... He never would have guessed that it would end this way, before it had even begun.

"No, Durcan, you hear, but you do not listen." Ladon shook his head. "I have watched you, and listened to your words, but you have only seen what you wanted to. True, your plan is sound." Leaning back in his seat, Ladon tugged at his collar, irritated at a wrinkle in his lapel He was sure his sister had pressed the jacket for him that morning. Was it really nearly midday already? "It might even work... For a time. But I have seen first-hand what force these people can bring at a man. In the end, you would just bring against our people a force worse than the Wraith." He tugged at his collar again, trying to straighten out the wrinkle. "Remember, Kolya once thought the Atlanteans could be toppled too. We all know what happened to him."

Durcan sputtered now, once again, he'd heard the impossible, and simply couldn't comprehend it. "Worse than the Wraith? This one people, smaller than the Genii?" That was impossible, just impossible. The numbers simply couldn't add up to such a thing. He knew, he'd gone over them himself for weeks on end. The Wraith was the one, true, and only danger of its kind in the galaxy. Nothing else came close.

"Much worse than the Wraith, Durcan." Ladon slouched in his seat, less amused now. "While the Wraith would use us for food, the Atlanteans would decimate us. They would not stop until we could never fight back against them, ever again." Ladon knew this to be true. The Genii would never give in to an enemy, and the Atlanteans would only stop under two conditions; Surrender, which was impossible, or death, which was uncomfortably possible. "So, my answer is no. You may not have the men and resources you ask for."

Durcan began to tremble, either from shock, or more likely, from sheer fury. Blood trickled from his palms, seeping out from the cuts in his palms, flowing around the fingernails that had pierced his skin. Scarlet soaked into the dark gray uniform sleeves, staining them a rusty brown. He'd freshly pressed the uniform himself, pleased how the cut of it followed his muscles, adding to his look of calm confidence. He didn't wear the cap, even when not in the presence of higher-ups like Ladon, as it covered his coal-black hair, making his steel-grey eyes seem less piercing and imposing. None of that mattered to him now, his world had shattered around him, raining down on his head like fire and doom. This, was the end of his career in the Genii, he knew.

"And, and, dear Durcan... If you should try to go ahead with your plan despite my misgivings..." Ladon smiled. "The Genii will disavow any ties to you, and the men under your command... Unless you accomplish something." That was the trick. If Durcan was wise, he would quit while he was ahead, and would be a useful man in the future. If he was cunning, Durcan would try on his own and succeed, or at the least, fail with little loss of life, and learn something from it. If he was stupid, however...

His time remaining in the galaxy would be brief, and terrible.

Hearing that, Durcan spun on his heel, purposefully striding from Ladon's office. He'd heard what Ladon hadn't said aloud; Fail, and you are done. Succeed, and everything is yours. Plans began to unfold in his mind, quickly comparing themselves to his former line of strategy. Durcan was a brilliant tactician, able to do much more than any other Genii soldier, with half as much to work with. Given enough time, and manpower, he could work miracles.

It was a pity that he'd imagined the last half of Ladon's unspoken words.

Well, there it is. My second Stargate Atlantis fanfic. This one probably takes place a year or so after the last one, if my numbers are right. Maybe two.

Chuckle.

For those of you that are wondering, the last one was titled "Before Myself, Beside Myself" and mostly had McKay and Sheppard saving the day. Well, mostly McKay and a bit of help from Zalenka and Carson two. But Sheppard flew, and stuff... Yeah.

Or, is that 'Clone Carson'? Meh, either way.

Well, anyway. Questions, comments, and suggestions are all always welcome.

Until next time.