Author's Note: I stumbled on a writer's challenge that was to create a story involving a duck...this is what ensued. This first part is to introduce the film crew, don't worry they are not the focus of the fic. POV is the camera...hopefully that'll work out. This is set to the cast of season 4 –including Teyla. Anyway, thanks for reading and enjoy!

"Life is uncharted territory. It reveals its story one moment at a time." –Leo F. Buscaglia

Prologue

"Are you getting this?" the director asked wiping off the lens with a white handkerchief, "If you drop this camera...it's coming out of your paycheck."

His face filled the scope of the film as he made sure it had been perfectly cleaned. Finally the man stopped and placed the cloth back in the pocket of his brown plaid long sleeve shirt. The buttons were partly undone revealing a dingy grey t-shirt underneath. Covering his uncombed hair was a silly lopsided black beret. The man looked ridiculous...

"Stop filming me..." he suddenly griped into the camera as he madly pointed in front of him.

Gradually the view turned capturing a handful of the film crew who stood in slight awe. Only the sound guy moved as he struggled to ready his microphone as a group of military men entered the room. The camera focused on them.

"So General Landry..." the director said as he extended his hand to one of the men, "What can you tell me about traveling through the gate? How does it feel?"

"Well Todd, I think you're just going to have to find that out for yourself," he replied as they shook hands, "Control, dial the gate."

A loud noise suddenly echoed through the concrete room.

"That way," Todd called waving off in the direction everyone was now facing.

"Oh!" the cameraman acknowledged suddenly whipping around to capture the strange metal ring at the far end of the room.

Within moments an explosion punched through the ring's center, retracting back into a rippling pool of blue, which filled the space with an unnatural glow.

"Alright...just through there," General Landry motioned to the gate, "And you'll be there in no time..."

"You've got to be shitting me," a petite woman with black hair, pulled up into a ponytail, came into scene, "I am not setting foot through that freaky ass thing..."

The director suddenly walked over to her, but she pushed him away.

"This was not what I signed up for," she yelled at him, smacking her gum madly.

"Julia, the project...you must always think of the project..." Todd calmed her.

"You owe me," she furiously retorted as she crossed her arms.

"And me..." one of the other production members piped in.

"If you're going, might I suggest that you do it now," General Landry broke the mounting drama, "We don't plan on leaving the gate open forever."

"You heard the man!" Todd called as he ushered everyone up the platform.

The cameraman stopped for a moment as the reel zoomed in on the wavering surface of the gate. With a deep breath he plunged through after the rest of the crew. Slightly disoriented he popped out the other side. Weaving briefly he started to feel wheezy. Car sick, plane sick, train sick, boat sick...he really shouldn't have signed up for this job. Suddenly he shot over to the side of the room, hurling his lunch onto the floor.

"Ah man...Dean..." Julian called, "Don't vomit for the camera!"

"Don't worry," came Todd's voice, "We can edit it out during post production..."

Finished he stood with the camera and turned to see a line of people standing near the gate. Most of them were moving their heads, trying to stare off in different directions. Gradually a blonde woman came forward.

"Ah...do you want to visit the infirmary?" she quickly asked.

"That'd be..."

"No...no he's fine. I'm Todd Barrett, director," he interrupted, offering a handshake.

"Hello," she stepped back after the exchange giving a wary look to the camera, "I'm Colonel Samantha Carter, head of operations, and I'd like to be the first to welcome you to Atlantis."