Here is the next chapter. I still don't own Stargate: Atlantis. I'd keep it going for as long as possible.
Thanks to Shorty McGee for the beta.
Chapter 2 - New Secret Lab
"Let me start the story." Rodney said, keeping Sheppard from starting the story.
"No!" Sheppard replied with some annoyance.
"Oh, come on." Rodney whined. "Why not?"
"Because you'll twist the story around to suit your needs." Sheppard replied.
"No I won't!" Rodney snapped.
"Yes you will." Sheppard threw a glare at McKay. "You always do!"
"Well, you can't tell the whole story." Rodney said with a gloating smile. "Which means, I have to tell some aspects of the story you don't know."
Sheppard thought for a moment. It was true that there were certain aspects of the story that Rodney knew that Sheppard didn't.
"You twist anything around, you answer to me." Sheppard threatened.
Rodney smiled with his usual arrogant grin. Apparently he wasn't intimidated by Sheppard's threat. He turned his attention to Ronon and Teyla.
"Well, as you know we found a lab that belonged to the Ancient scientist, Janus..." Rodney started.
McKay continued working on translating and searching the database within Janus's lab that Daniel Jackson found several months earlier. After Daniel was sent back to Stargate Command, McKay went back to work on searching and cataloging what the experiments were that had been found within the lab.
McKay went through the experiments Janus conducted against the council's wishes with little effort, or rather, Zelenka and the rest of the science team went through while Rodney looked through the database, not paying any attention to the science team. Other than telling them to shut up so he could concentrate on the data that Janus had on his experiments, among other important information that Janus didn't wish for anyone else to know.
The sun had already set and darkness covered the new planet that Atlantis sat on after fleeing from the weapons satellite built by the replicators to destroy Atlantis but failed. The only light they had was from the city, stars and the couple moons that orbited the planet.
McKay sat absent mindedly, strolling through the information. It took a while but he finally got through the encryption that was setup by the Ancient Scientist, but it was mostly due to Daniel's notes and research.
For the entire day and throughout the night, McKay read through the logs and found something that Zelenka found slightly interesting but not Rodney. But after several hours, nothing was interesting to anyone, anymore.
McKay and Zelenka were the last of the two scientists left in the lab while the others left for various other tasks they could be doing, like sleeping.
It wasn't long before exhaustion over came Zelenka, but mainly because McKay took all the coffee leaving Radek with none.
"We're not finding anything." The Czech scientist said in a weary tone.
"We haven't even scratched the surface yet." Rodney replied in his usual simple tone.
"We've been looking through the logs on everything Janus had," Zelenka retorted. "Everything he's put in his reports are things we already know. We've done more then scratched the surface. We've dug through the entire database."
McKay turned to the other scientist. "What about the time when you said that the logs were interesting?"
"That was while they were interesting." Zelenka shot back, then stood from his seat, taking his computer tablet with him. "I'm leaving. I need to report to Woolsey and I also need to sleep."
"If you leave now, I'm taking all credit when I find something." McKay smugly replied.
Zelenka stopped and thought about what Rodney just said before saying, "You'll try to take all credit anyway, if I'm here or not. Like you always do."
"No, I don't!" McKay snapped.
"Yes, you do." Zelenka replied.
"When have I ever done that?" McKay asked with irritation in his tone.
"Well, there was one time when..." Zelenka tried to say but Rodney didn't want to hear it.
"All right, I don't need to hear." McKay replied with annoyance laced within his words as his eyes kept looking through the data.
Zelenka released his annoyance when he exhaled, then headed to the entrance of the lab with the intent of reporting the progress of the search of the database, but mostly he wanted sleep. He was awake for the better part of thirty hours.
"What should I report to Mr. Woolsey?" Zelenka asked.
"That we are making substantial progress." McKay replied, never taking his eyes off the data he was reading.
"So, I should report that we found nothing." Zelenka replied.
Rodney turn to face Radek. "I never said that."
"That's what you usually mean." Zelenka pointed out. "When you say 'progress' you mean that you found nothing and have been stalled."
McKay scoffed and said, "I'm not even going to dignify that with a response."
Zelenka knew why Rodney wasn't even going to answer. He was stalled with the Replicator problem, which took him a little more then a week, and ten hours before he came up with FRAN. Friendly Replicator ANdroid.
McKay turned back to the database, but he came across something and called out to Zelenka. "Wait!"
Rodney's outburst stopped the scientist before he could leave the room. Zelenka turned around and walking over until he was over Rodney's shoulder. "What?"
Rodney was about to say something, but stopped when what he found wasn't what he thought it was. "Sorry, it's nothing."
Zelenka mumbled something incoherently, but more complained that Rodney was just messing with him but it was true that they didn't even look through the entire database. Radek didn't want to admit that he was wrong and Rodney was right about that. He'd never hear the end of it.
Zelenka was nearly out of the lab when McKay called over to him. "Wait, wait, wait."
This time, Zelenka didn't even move other then to turned around. "What?!" Zelenka demanded, getting agitated.
Rodney opened his mouth to speak but Zelenka didn't like the silent pause. "Sorry, I thought it was something, but it's nothing."
Zelenka grumbled a few more things about what McKay was but not loud enough for the Canadian scientist to hear. Zelenka barely made it to the entrance before McKay called for Zelenka, once again.
"Wait a second." McKay called over. "Come back."
"*Dám si ho zabít a skrýt tela, kde ji nikdo nemohl." Zelenka complained and turned to McKay, determined that this would be the last time. "What is it?!" He demanded, more annoyed then he was several moments ago.
"The jackpot." Rodney said with much excitement and the look of gleam on his face. This didn't go unnoticed by Radek and he moved back to the console and looked over Rodney's shoulder.
"What did you find?" Radek asked, but not with too much eagerness to let Rodney raise his hopes only to crush them.
Rodney started to read from the logs. "Looks like I found out where Janus had more secret labs and other planets he had them on. The jackpot is a lab that he was conducting experiments with some kind of drive, like the Alternate Reality Drive on the Daedalus we encountered, only much different."
"How different?" Zelenka asked, his tone suggested that he was more interested now but not by much.
"Well, it says right here." McKay sighed in annoyance and started. "I'll read.'This drive will allow us to fly circles around the Wraith ships'. Isn't that fascinating?"
Zelenka rolled his eyes at Rodney's sarcasm. "You could have just said, 'I don't know.' like a normal person, Rodney."
"I could've, yeah." Rodney casually responded.
It wasn't even a minute before a man entered the lab and looked around, carrying something in his hands that he kept concealed.
"How's the research coming, kids?" Sheppard asked.
"It's coming along great." Rodney responded. "We found a few more labs that Janus had on other planets, especially this one."
Rodney gestured to the screen to which Sheppard looked at it, and smiled.
"Yeah, Rodney. That makes sense." Sheppard didn't understand what was on the screen.
Rodney rolled his eyes and released his annoyance with an exhale. "It's Janus's notes on a secret lab that he had an experimental drive that he was constructing. I don't how it works but I think we should as least check it out."
"Well, let's report to Woolsey and see what he says." Sheppard said.
"Alright, but first things first, I'm starving. I haven't eaten in a while." Rodney said getting from his seat.
"I thought you took a break for something five hours ago?" Zelenka questioned. "And you were gone for two."
"I have a very active metabolism, you should know that." McKay replied.
"Why don't you turn it off for a while." John suggested in a joking tone. "It would save us a little extra food around here."
"Oh, very funny, Sheppard." Rodney mocked.
"I try what I can." John said, then pulled out what he had hidden, which caught Rodney's eyes. It was a chocolate pudding cup. John took notice of the look within McKay's eyes and held it out to him. "You should have it, McKay. After all, you are my best friend, the greatest man that has ever lived and the most...."
"I'm not buying it." Ronon said, cutting Rodney off from finishing his point of view.
"Neither am I." Sheppard replied, the look in his eyes said that he was really annoyed.
"What's so hard to believe?" McKay asked with as much innocence he could fake.
"Since when have I ever gave you complements like that?" Sheppard demanded.
"Uh..." Rodney clearly didn't have an answer for that.
"That's not what happened, Rodney." Sheppard demanded. "I told you not to twist the story around. Now say what happened or I will."
"Oh, fine." Rodney grumbled.
Sheppard pulled out a chocolate pudding cup, which caught Rodney's eyes. John noticed the look within McKay's eyes.
"Just got this in the mess hall."
"There better be one more." Rodney complained. "I had reserved the last one. And we won't get anymore until the Daedalus arrives next week."
John had already pulled the cap off of the cup. "Sorry Rodney, but I already got the last one and you didn't have your name on it."
All Rodney saw was red as he narrowed his eyes. Actually, all he saw was the pudding cup in Sheppard's hand. Then Rodney did something that not only did Sheppard didn't expect but hope for; he lunged at Sheppard, over a console, without any part of his body touching the console, with the intent of taking the pudding cup.
Sheppard moved backwards to the entrance and out of Rodney's reach, but that didn't stop the scientist. Rodney was back on his feet faster then anyone would expect but Sheppard had already ran out of the lab and down the corridor. McKay was hot on his trail, just barely out of John's reached.
Sheppard managed to say ahead of Rodney, running as fast as he could but also managed to move slow enough for Rodney to remain right where he was and right where Sheppard wanted him to be. Just barely out of reach.
The pursuit lasted for a while and Sheppard was getting worn out. John had manage to drag the chase on as long as he could but he knew that he couldn't last long. For the life of him, John couldn't figure out how Rodney could have so much energy to have ran as far as he did, despite that the last physical said that he wasn't in good shape.
With his energy running low, Sheppard did something that McKay was really annoyed with. He jumped to the side and Rodney nearly fell to the ground as he jumped at John.
McKay managed to get back to his feet and turned to look direct at the Colonel, and in time to see Sheppard stick his tongue into the pudding cup and managed to get a lot of the pudding into his mouth.
Ronon was grinning and barely kept himself from laughing. McKay only looked irritated.
"And I still can't believe you did that, Sheppard." Rodney sulked. "I mean, I called dibs on the last pudding cup."
"You weren't fast enough." John informed the scientist.
"I still called dibs!"
Teyla didn't really understood what they said had anything to do, and choose to vocalized her opinion. "I don't understand what this has to do with where you went."
"I'm getting to that." Rodney replied then proceeded with the story.
Saying Rodney wanted to hurt Sheppard was an understatement. All the way back to the lab, he kept thinking of ways that he could get back at Sheppard for the stunt he pulled with the pudding cup.
Rodney didn't even make it halfway to the lab before Zelenka came from around the corner, with Rodney's computer tablet.
"I found something on that drive Janus was working on and I think you'll want to see this."
"Ok, I'll take a look." Rodney grumbled, as he took the tablet for Radek and read over it. The basic information about the experiment was downloaded into the tablet and Rodney's eyes widen like a kid at Christmas time. "This is much bigger then I would thought. This could really help a lot. This drive would really be beneficial to us."
"I figured you'd be happy with this." Zelenka said with an excited grin.
"I'm ecstatic." Rodney said with delight. "This could be one of the greatest pieces of Ancient Technology since coming to the Pegasus Galaxy."
"What was this drive that Janus was working on?" Teyla asked with interest.
"It's like the Alternate Reality Drive on the Daedalus that was shifting through realities." Sheppard replied. "It would use the energy in subspace to power the drive and the ship could get to it's destination faster than a hyperdrive. You could also chose your destination, but you had to be careful unless you wanted to appear in a black hole."
"The drive was created with a capacitor that's constantly drawing power from subspace." Rodney started. "You could stop drawing power when you want but you can't draw any more power until you engage the drive and use the power you already have. The power flow is designed to be controled so it won't burn out but if power flow is increased, it takes longer for the drive to cool down. The good thing is that the drive doesn't engage on it's own."
"And like the Alternate Reality Drive," Sheppard explained. "Instead of shifting through realities, you would shift through different points in space. The more power the capacitor has the farther you can go."
"Unfortunately when the drive in engaged, it can't be engaged for a while." Rodney said. "Unless you want to burn out the drive and be stranded when you arrive at your destination."
"Something like that could be useful with the fight against the Wraith." Teyla surmised.
"What happened to it?" Ronon asked.
"That's the tricky thing." Rodney replied.
"How so?" Teyla asked.
"Well," Sheppard started with his portion of the story. "When we told Woolsey about the report and the experimental drive, he was excited in his own way and he responded in the same manner."
"Are you insane? Remember what happened when Dr. Jackson found that lab?" Woolsey responded. "Atlantis was attacked and the Attero device was stolen. In direct result of that, several Stargates were destroyed, thousands of people were killed, Atlantis was nearly destroyed and Todd took the Daedalus and nearly killed us."
Sheppard, Zelenka and Rodney sat in Woolsey's office, discussing the data and the recent experiment that Janus was working. Woolsey was obviously less then thrilled, especially because the last time new Ancient technology was found, it nearly resulted in complete disaster.
"Look, I'm not saying that someone won't come and cause trouble." Sheppard said. "But if this drive works as advertise, then we could get the Daedalus or the Apollo here when we need them. Even if they are back at Earth."
"Well, maybe not when we need them." McKay tried to say more, but the look from Sheppard kept him from saying anything else.
"I understand how much this new drive could help us, but need I remind you that the IOA would be hesitant about any new labs that we discover." Woolsey informed them. "And if you could give me anything that could prove that the incident like the Attero Device won't repeat itself, then I will sanction a reconnaissance to check it out."
"Unfortunately, we don't have enough information on anything else that Janus was conduction on that planet." Zelenka responded. "All we know was that Janus only conducted experiments with just that drive. If there was anything else he was working on..."
"Then he would have put anything else in his personal reports." McKay finished for Zelenka in an vile tone. "Thank you, Radek. The point is, the only way to know anything else is to go there and check it out. I mean, we don't have to take a lot of people, just enough that if anything goes wrong then the only people in danger are those in the lab."
"That's very comforting, Rodney." Sheppard commented.
"After the incident with the Attero device," Woolsey stated "I am hesitant to proceed with this. However, if any risk assessment can be minimized, then I will authorize for your go ahead."
"With Ronon helping Teyla at New Athos, than the risk assessment might not get as low as you would like." Sheppard replied as he stood. "But we'll take precautions."
That's it for the chapter. Please review for any and all input.
Translation for Zelenka: *I'll kill him and hide the body where no one could find it.