Disclaimer - "Stargate" and all related characters are the property of MGM Television Entertainment

T – just in case

Chapter 1 – Unchained

Rodney sat alone in his lab. He was tapping away at one of the laptops and frowning. A forgotten mug of cold coffee was on the desk next to him.

It was 2am. He had remained while the other scientists bade him goodnight and left.

Rodney was not about to let this problem defeat him. He would stay awake all night if necessary.

Power was being drained from some of the systems. It was noticed when some of the lights across Atlantis began flickering and dimming and then going back to normal. It was quickly established that it was not a serious problem. No critical systems were being affected. Nevertheless it still had to be fixed.

"I seem to be the only one capable of doing any work around here or fixing anything broken or just broken by my incompetent staff," Rodney thought bitterly, as he unfocused his eyes for a moment and stared at the wall opposite.

"No-one seems to understand the concept of how a little problem can quickly blow up out of all proportions if not fixed straight away."

Rodney also knew that if he did not fix problems as they were found; the next day there will be another and another and another until it all became very serious.

He gazed back at the laptop screen. Across it a map of the Atlantis power distribution grid was displayed.

Both Rodney and his team had spent hours trying to locate the source of the drain. It was so intermittent and small that it had been impossible to pinpoint.

As Rodney stared a few more power drains flashed across the screen and then suddenly went back to normal. He quickly shook his head to clear the tired fuzz and began to work.

He traced the power lines throughout the city, keeping a map in his mind of the areas that had just been affected. There was no pattern to the drain and the power lines never came together in one point. He surmised that something or someone was siphoning the power away. But where it was going he and his team had not been able to figure out.

Suddenly a red glow appeared on the West Pier, it was in an area close to the Central Tower but low down and close to the waterline where levels of the city were still flooded.

Rodney sighed and rubbed his tired eyes, "Finally!" He thought, "Seems to be divine intervention, because I was just about ready to give up and call it a night myself."

He grabbed his tablet and downloaded the data from the laptop. He stood on shaky legs and grabbed the coffee mug. He sniffed at it and sampled some.

"Yuck!" Rodney said out loud as he grimaced and decided against downing the rest of the cold liquid.

He sighed once more, and headed out of the lab to the nearest transporter.

He was too tired to consider calling for any backup. His plan was just to get there, unplug whatever was in the area and then head back to curl up in well-deserved sleep. He could go back with a full team in the morning and try to figure out what the thing was and what it was for.

The West Pier transporter door hissed open and Rodney blinked down the corridor. It was fairly dark, but not dark enough to have to use a flashlight.

He checked the map on his tablet and staggered down the corridor.

He walked past several closed doors and then came to the room where the stolen power had been building.

The door was closed, so he waved his hand over the sensor. To his surprise it opened. Usually it took work like trying to open a safe to get into any of the unexplored rooms in the city. He was almost asleep on his feet, so did not think it was a little suspicious that it had been so easy.

He walked into an Ancient lab; now so familiar as they were all the same shape and size. In the centre was a control panel in front of a large cubic crate about waist high. Although the crate was fashioned from the same metallic brown compound the city was composed of.

Rodney did not think that it looked out of place, but perhaps he was too tired to notice or care. He just needed to turn this thing off and then he could get some sleep.

He walked across the room and plugged the tablet into the control panel.

Nothing happened.

"Hmmm," said Rodney out loud, "That's strange."

He tried every trick he knew to get the laptop to interface with the control panel, but still nothing happened.

Suddenly the top of the crate opened and bright white smoke drifted out from a sphere concealed within.

The smoke seemed to be creating it's own light and Rodney's tired eyes did not take too kindly to it. He squinted and began backing away. He remembered all too well the last time he encountered a swirling smoke creature. But this time he had no personal shield to protect him.

When the smoke was completely out of the crate, Rodney could see the sphere inside. It was clear as glass but held nothing inside (or at least nothing anymore).

The white smoke formed into one mass in front of Rodney and slowly began to form into the shape of a human; a female human.

He watched in silence and stopped backing away to see the spectacle.

The mist disappeared and now standing before Rodney was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his life. His jaw dropped in shock and awe as she looked at him. There were traces of the mist around her eyes and they flashed red sparks when she saw Rodney. She was still glowing even though she had formed into a woman. Her hair hung around her face in a bright halo. She wore a long sleeved white dress and white boots.

Rodney quickly closed his mouth as he had begun to feel a little stupid gawping at the former mist woman, "What… who are you?" He stuttered.

She continued to look at him, her eyes boring into him, searching and questioning without words. Briefly she looked away towards the door and it closed.

Rodney spun round to find he was now trapped. He hoped this woman was friendly.

She spoke, her voice was icy and hollow, "I am Illysia and you will pay for what you did to me!"

Rodney backed away in alarm, but was stopped when he ran out of room and felt his back pressed against the wall. He looked towards the door, but if she could seal it with a glance, he doubted whether he would be able to open it in time to escape.

She swiftly moved over to Rodney. He flinched and put his head down, closing his eyes in terror as she raised her hands to strike him.

When Rodney did not feel any impact after a few seconds, he dared to open his eyes and look at her. Her expression was now puzzled, "But you are not one of my kin. Although part of you has been changed to resemble them."

She lowered her hands slightly and Rodney sighed and relaxed.

She suddenly moved her right hand up and clamped it onto the side of Rodney's face. He squirmed and tried to wriggle free, so she placed her left hand on his chest and pinned him to the wall.

Rodney reached up to press his radio and call for help. She saw his hand twitch and looked across at the headset. It flew off and skittered across the floor behind her.

He tried desperately to break free as she stared at him, but she was too strong. The side of his face and chest were burning under her touch. He punched and kicked, but she was unyielding and did not budge an inch.

Eventually she released him and took her hand away from his face. Her expression was now one of fury, "So no-one here is of my kin anymore? I will still make you all pay for inhabiting this filthy place. I have been chained for too long, but I will finally have my vengeance and Atlantis will be nothing but ashes once I have finished!"

Rodney had one of his hands on his face and another on his chest inspecting them for damage. He did not find anything even though they still smarted and screamed as though he had been scalded. He had a sinking sensation that she was about to damage him in some other way.

Unfortunately he was right. She began to dissolve into the bright white mist once more. It began at her legs and head and slowly spread across her.

She brought back a semi-corporeal arm and slammed her fist hard into Rodney's stomach. He had no way of recoiling or flying backwards to lessen the force of the impact as he was still against the wall. All that he could do was bend over double and then sink onto the floor, as he was unable to breathe. The impact sent shockwaves of pain around his torso. He lay on his side and curled into a ball as he gasped and dragged in a laboured breath. With great difficulty he looked up, and through streaming eyes he saw the creature who had just assaulted him.

She looked down at him, her eyes terrible and without pity. The red mist around them glowed a more angry and brighter shade than Rodney had seen before.

She brought back a mist clouded leg and kicked Rodney savagely in the head. It snapped back and he lost consciousness.

She stared down at the man lying prone before her. He now had a large cut across the side of his forehead, which bled down the side of his slack face. He also had some nasty burns on his face and chest where she had touched him earlier. She had been able to block the images from his mind for now.

She could sense that he was still alive and was about to deliver a killing blow, but she was losing her strength. Her next kick passed right through him as her leg had become nothing but useless mist.

She screamed in frustration and fury as she completely dissolved and floated through the wall and out into the city.

TBC