Chapter 1

"These are some lovely ruins you've got here, Rodney," John Sheppard said, staring around at the mass of stones strewn in the grassy meadow. He kicked one of the stones with the toe of his boot.

"This is absolutely bizarre," Rodney McKay said to no one in particular. He stared intently at the device in his hand and spun slowly in circles.

"Rocks are like that," Sheppard griped. He was rewarded by a snort of laughter from Ronon. The Satedan looked equally as bored as he felt.

"Would you tone the sarcasm down just a little? It's interfering with my energy readings."

Sheppard rolled his eyes in response. He watched McKay squat down next to a large, unnaturally square rock and study the readings on his handheld device as he hovered over it.

"McKay, are you done with your rocks yet?" Sheppard asked after a few minutes, losing his patience.

"No, I'm not done yet. We just got here. These rocks were obviously hand-carved, probably part of a small structure right around here," McKay explained, waving his arm in the general area the team was standing in. "Obviously, this was a very, very long time ago, which makes these energy readings I'm picking up extremely odd."

"What energy readings?" Teyla asked.

"From this big rock right here," Rodney answered, kicking the square rock in front of him. "The scanner shows that it's solid all the way through, which means the readings could be from some natural element in the rock or...now that doesn't make sense…the other rocks don't seem to be…"

Sheppard watched Rodney walk around the ruins, his voice trailing off into incoherent mumblings as he focused back on his scanner. The scientist retraced his steps back to the square rock and began digging into the dirt around the base.

"Teyla, stay here with Rodney and watch his back. Ronon and I are going to take a look around."

Teyla nodded, looking a little chagrined at being left with McKay. Sheppard and Ronon immediately headed toward a small grove of trees about 100 yards away. They walked along in silence, and Sheppard noticed Ronon looking into the trees on the right. The terrain seemed to get more rugged in that direction, the canopy of trees casting a shadow over the whole area.

"Why don't you check that area out?" He said, nodding his head in that direction. "I think I see some water up ahead. I want to take a look."

Ronon didn't answer, just grunted and dove into the undergrowth without a second glance. Sheppard shook his head at the man's enthusiasm and continued forward on the semi-trail they'd been following. A couple of minutes later, the trees thinned out and a small beach appeared at the edge of a huge lake.

Sheppard took a deep breath, almost gasping at the sight in front of him. The lake was incredible. It was deep blue, like pictures of mountain lakes in the Alps or Alaska that he'd never actually had a chance to visit but had always wanted to. The sandy beach was maybe 30 feet wide before the thick growth of trees popped up again. The blue lake lapped almost silently against the sandy shore, and fond memories of summer vacations spent waterskiing flooded John's mind as he gazed out across the glassy surface of the water. The sand tapered off behind him, leaving a small patch of grass before disappearing into the thick forest.

Like a little hidden beach. A cool breeze blew across the surface of the lake and John breathed in deeply. This planet suddenly seemed a lot more appealing. He would definitely have to recommend coming back here. It might even make a good Alpha site.

A passing cloud had covered up the sun, but the sun reappeared, making the blue color of the lake even bluer. He stepped closer until the water lapped gently against the edges of his boots. He peered into the water at his feet, noticing that it was foggy and not clear like he'd expected. He could barely see the sandy bottom only a few feet ahead of him

He was about to turn away and head back to the others when something in the water caught his attention. He leaned forward, trying to get a closer look. It looked like something metal was floating under the water, reflecting the sunlight overhead. It bobbed a few times, but never actually surfaced, then sank back into the foggy blue water. He looked for it for a few more seconds and was ready to give up when he caught sight of it again much farther away. He got a better look at it this time. It was perfectly round; too round to be natural. It was shiny, too, and caught the sunlight each time it bobbed.

Not bobbed. Moved. John had been in and around water enough to know that whatever the object was, it wasn't moving with the currents. It seemed to be moving under its own power, but what that power was, John couldn't say. There were a few large boulders on the beach jutting out a few feet into the water, and the metal ball seemed to be moving haphazardly in the direction of the furthest rock, so John climbed out onto the boulders to get a closer look. He squatted down on the rock and leaned forward, bringing his face close to the water. The metal ball had disappeared, but he knew it was close and he waited for it to resurface.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ronon walked out of the deep undergrowth and saw McKay still kneeling over the ruins, completely oblivious to the world around him. Teyla stood nearby, looking bored but continuously scanning the area. She smiled as she saw Ronon approach and the Satedan gave her a small wave. He heard a small, distant splash and turned toward the direction he had last seen Sheppard. Teyla had also heard the splash and she looked intently for the source of the sound.

"Where is Colonel Sheppard?" She asked.

"He was checking something out. He said he thought he saw some water."

Ronon and Teyla stared at the trees for a moment, waiting for Sheppard to appear. McKay glanced up, and Ronon wondered if he'd noticed the sudden apprehension of his teammates.

"Colonel Sheppard, it is Teyla. Please respond."

All three of them waited for his response, expecting the immediate sound of his voice, cheerful but slightly bored. Rodney stood up, staring toward the trees with his teammates when Sheppard did not respond.

"Sheppard?" Ronon asked, keying his mike. He began walking more quickly toward the path in the trees where he had last seen Sheppard. Teyla and Rodney followed close behind. Teyla continued to call for him on the radio as they walked through the woods, but John's continued silence ratcheted up the tension. They picked up their pace as they reached the little beach. Teyla and Rodney scanned the trees on the opposite side of the beach, but Ronon stepped up to the edge of the water.

The view was startling. Ronon wasn't sure if he'd ever seen water so blue. A light breeze fluttered across the water, breaking the smooth surface into tiny ripples. As the wind died down, he noticed the water continued to ripple. His heart stuttered in his chest.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Teyla jumped at Ronon's startled cry. She spun around as the Satedan crashed into the lake. She stepped up to the edge to see what had caused such a dramatic reaction in her teammate and gasped in shock.

"John!" She cried out. She could hear Rodney panicking besides her as Ronon swam out into the lake. John's limp body was floating face down in the water about 30 feet out. Ronon reached him in less than a minute, and Teyla watched him grab the colonel and flip him over so that he was face up. John did not react, obviously unconscious. Ronon swam back toward the shore, dragging his friend's body behind him.

She and Rodney ran out into the water when Ronon was close enough. Teyla grabbed one of John's arms while Rodney reached for his legs. John was a dead weight, but together, they helped Ronon get John out of the water and onto the beach. John's arms and legs flopped lifelessly. Teyla immediately dropped to the ground next to John's head, feeling for a pulse. His face was white and he had a deep, bloody gash in his forehead. Blood was dripping down his face and pooling into is left eye, but it was the slightly bluish tinge around his lips that sent fear lancing through her.

"Is he breathing? Is he dead?" Rodney was on his knees a few feet away in full panic mode. Ronon kneeled next to him and put his hand on Rodney shoulder. He seemed as if he was trying to calm the scientist down, but the fear on his face belied his feelings.

Teyla reached for the pulse point in John's neck, pushing hard, and almost sobbed with relief at the weak fluttering she felt there. She leaned forward, bending her head close to John's mouth. Her relief was short-lived. Her hand gripped his sopping wet vest.

"He has a pulse, but it is weak and he is not breathing. Ronon—"

"Going," Ronon answered before she had a chance to finish. He took off running back toward the stargate.