For Disclaimer see Chapter One

bailey1ak your a goddess, thank you.

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Lieutenant Laura Cadman juggled the tray ladened with sandwiches, drinks and fruit for two. She carefully palmed open the laboratory where she knew she'd find her friend, Dr. Orla Grant.

"Hey Prof, lunch," Cadman called out.

"Hey, Laura, I keep telling you stop calling me Prof. What did you bring?" Dr. Grant called from the other side of the lab.

"Roast beef sandwiches, water and fruit, and I know you're not a Prof, but you're smart and it annoys the hell out of Rodney when I call you that," Laura chuckled.

Orla moaned as she bit into her sandwich, "Awww thank god, I'm starving,"

"So what gives? Why'd we end up in here having lunch and not the mess hall?" Cadman asked between mouthfuls of her own sandwich.

"Well, Rodney has gone with the team on a mission, apparently to finish some negotiations. He was as mad as hell, couldn't see why he was needed, the people they're trading with for food are quite suspicious and only wanted to deal with the people originally involved, so he had to go. Ronon was just as annoyed. Anyway, the diagnostics that he wanted run take ages and can't be left. If the system crashes because it's not being watched then it needs to be started over, that's hours lost," Orla relayed.

"Fascinating as that is Orla, why you and not Zelenka?" Cadman said.

"Because, it's my turn. The last diagnostic like this was run when I was off world with Ronon and his team and Zelenka was stuck here, so my turn." Orla explained between mouthfuls.

"Is everything still on for this afternoon?" Cadman inquired, hoping it was she needed something interesting to do.

"Yep sure is, well, as long as this doesn't show anything bad that is," Orla grimaced.

"Remind me, what are we doing exactly?" Cadman smiled.

"Well, there has been a lot of Atlantis that's been under water for years, okay a lot of years. Some of it has been explored and to be honest not all of it with great results. Woolsey wanted a team to go into an area that's not been explored without ermm Colonel Sheppard," Orla winced knowing she shouldn't have added that last part.

"Without the Colonel? Why? He has the strongest gene marker in Atlantis," Cadman retorted.

"Well, apparently Woolsey and McKay believe Colonel Sheppard suffers from a disorder called "Itchy Finger", meaning he can't help but touch anything in front of him despite being told not to. Not my words," Orla replied.

"Wow, I think he's going to be a bit upset when they get back. When are they due back anyway?" Laura mumbled as she ate her last sandwich.

"Later today, I think, not sure. To be honest when I asked Ronon I never got a proper answer," Orla smirked.

"Oh, please. Don't tell me, it was before he swept you off your feet and made mad passionate love to you?" Cadman rolled her eyes emphasizing her pretend shock and amusement of her friend and the ever amorous Satedan.

"Actually he did, hence I have no real recollection of when their back," Orla tried to look professional but one look at Laura and they were laughing like school girls.

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Shortly after lunch Orla started collecting the items needed for her exploration in the basements of Atlantis. She knew that she and Dr. Ian Davies would be accompanied by Major Lorne, Lieutenant Cadman and two other Marines, she didn't know who yet.

Dr. Ian Davies was a scientist like herself, he was quiet, but a nice man. Orla shook her head; everyone was quiet compared to Dr. McKay. Ian Davies was just shy of six foot, a stocky man with a kind face. His short hair blonde was a little uncontrolled like Colonel Sheppard's. He had brown eyes and a slightly crooked smile which always made him seem just a little younger than his actual thirty two years.

Orla was glad to be going with Laura and Major Lorne; she trusted the pair implicitly and was grateful that they were patient towards scientists. Some of the Marines could be a little brusque. Though finding out that her "other" half was Ronon Dex always had an amusing effect. Just as Orla was finishing putting together the equipment they would need her radio activated.

"Dr. Grant, this is Mr. Woolsey, though I'm sure you already know that. Anyway I was wondering could you please join me in my office as soon as possible say ten minutes?" Woolsey demanded.

"Of course, Mr. Woolsey, see you in ten minutes," Orla replied.

"Oh, Orla, please bring Dr. Davies with you would you, thank you," Woolsey added.

Orla looked across the lab towards Dr. Davies; he'd seemed preoccupied and just a little nervous. He had been all day in fact, every time she looked at the man today he nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Dr. Davies, are you alright? I just had Mr. Woolsey on the radio; he would like us both in his office in ten minutes. Okay?" Orla asked.

"What! Oh, yes, of course," Dr. Ian Davies was definitely jumpy.

"Ian? What's wrong?" Orla tried to approach the nervous man hoping that whatever was causing his jitteriness would go before they went into an unknown area of Atlantis. She didn't like the idea of him being so skittish in a strange environment.

"Ermm, nothing, I… just wanted you to know that I respect you. I… would never hurt you or do anything to upset you," the man was babbling.

"Ian, please, calm down; I know that. What's wrong?" Orla was truly confused at his odd behaviour.

"Dr. McKay, he said. He said… I would, I… would get hurt if you did," Ian stammered, causing Orla to look totally baffled.

"WHAT!, hold on. Why would you get hurt Ian? Why would Dr. McKay say that?" She desperately wanted the man to calm down or at least, what was it Ronon says, "suck it up", before they went anywhere.

"Dr. McKay… said… if you got hurt, that… that Mr. Dex would kill us. If we mentioned it to you that, you would ask Mr. Dex to make us suffer," Davies stuttered almost panicking.

"Ian, when did Dr. McKay say this to you?" Orla was trying to keep calm but she was bursting with anger at her boss.

"This morning," Ian slumped into the chair and looked like a wounded animal.

"Ian, let me tell you something. If anything happened to me, Ronon wouldn't take it out on you, well not unless it was you that harmed me. That's why we have Marines; Major Lorne gets to take that flack," Orla tried to lighten the scientists mood. "As far as Dr. McKay is concerned, ignore him. I don't set Ronon on anyone but I might just get him to have a word with our boss," Orla stormed.

Dr. Ian Davies at that point took a huge breath and eventually the colour returned to his pale cheeks. Sometime he despised his job.

TBC... Please review