Chapter 2

* * * * * * * * * *

Earth, 1987

"Hey, Rodney!" He called out and Rodney abruptly halted his angry steps, forcing the students on the pathway to move around him and simply glaring when they complained. Surprisingly they shut up pretty quickly from the look, going on their way without further comments and for a moment Rodney looked disgustingly pleased with himself before his scowl once again made an appearance as he waited for Archie to catch up to him. Rodney had told him he'd be finishing up around this time, but it was clear he hadn't expected Archie to actually be there to meet up with him. If the angry look was anything to go by things hadn't gone well for the kid, and Archie grimaced in response.

"It didn't go well, then."

"It was a waste of my time, as if I have a lot to spare," Rodney huffed and set out on his driven pace again. "Those moron's wouldn't know an athlete if they were tackled by one."

"Or in this case, drowned by one," Archie supplied.

"My times were way better than some of the idiots they let on the team! What the hell kind of excuse is 'you're breast stroke isn't strong enough?' Of course it wasn't, I do freestyle and fly. What, they want me to specialize in each stroke now? That's ridiculous, I barely have time to sleep and practice as it is," Rodney dropped his flailing arms to his side and sighed in annoyance.

"Didn't you say that the captain this year is Cleveland?"

"Yeah."

"Well, that pretty much tells you why you didn't make the team then," Archie decided and squeezed Rodney's shoulder in support. The kid wasn't taking this too well, and though Archie couldn't relate, since he'd never had difficulty getting onto the teams he wanted, he knew that Rodney had really set his hopes to joining the varsity swim team. Personally Archie couldn't fathom why, unless it was for the women in Speedos, but as far as he knew Rodney had been training all summer around his time in the lab. The fact that he had been refused a place on the team the year before on the basis of his age made this even more disappointing for him. He would be impossible to deal with for the next few days.

Rodney looked at him then, startled, and Archie resisted the urge to roll his eyes and scoff. Honestly, the kid was so dense sometimes, despite his abnormal brilliance.

"What? What does Cleveland have to do with this?"

"Rodney, you marked his physics paper last week."

"Yeah, so, I marked a ton of papers last week."

"That paper was weighted for sixty percent of the final grade and you failed him on it."

"Well, if I did then he deserved it, you wouldn't believe some of the crap people tried to get away with," Rodney automatically defended himself and then he looked at Archie in shock. "They didn't let me on the team because he's upset about doing badly? Oh my god, that is so unfair!" He abruptly stopped and turned around, heading back towards the pool and Archie had to twist sharply and run a few steps to catch up before grabbing the kid's shoulder. Rodney wasn't particularly tall and he was still lanky and awkward, not quite grown into his body yet, but he was a fast bugger when he was focused. Right now he was angry as hell and he glared at Archie indignantly, and yeah, Archie could see why he'd be so upset about this, but he didn't have time for Rodney to run around and verbally demolish the entire team before focusing his vengeance on having every staff member in the building fired. He had a paper due the next day and he'd barely started it. He needed to get Rodney's mind focused back on him, a friend in need. He put on his most apologetic and angry face and stared back at Rodney, not letting go of his arm.

"Rodney, I know you're beyond pissed right now, but ruining every other persons chance to be on the team isn't the way to go about it. This is between you, Cleveland, and the coaches, not the team." He could tell he wasn't really getting through to him when Rodney lifted an eyebrow and gave him his patented 'and I care because' look. It was a look that irritated the hell out of Archie, but he ignored it because he had bigger goals in mind that couldn't be ruined just because he disliked the twirp standing before him.

"Okay, fine, then think about it this way: you're a year away from your first PhD and you've only been here two years-"

"And I'd probably have two PhD's by now if they didn't insist that I follow at least some of the official curriculum. At this rate I'll be here another four years." Archie refused to grind his teeth at the petulant tone. The reason they were trying to slow Rodney down, and Rodney was well aware of the fact, was because of what he could bring to the university. They wanted to reap the benefits of what he would discover, of the papers he would publish and the name he was already creating for himself. Hell, he was only seventeen and he had already been provided with his own lab…well, a shared lab with several other students and professors who had been around for years already, but his own space in the high-tech area regardless. Archie would kill to be given that space, and he was still applying for it, hoping that he would be given his grants for his own research to begin by the next year. He was a very smart guy, well ahead of most of his classmates, but compared to McKay he still had a long way to go. He was working on getting Rodney to help squeeze him in.

"Despite that, you are in a league of your own and everyone knows it. Let Cleveland have his revenge, because we all know that you're the one who's going to come out on top in the end."

"That's not the point; I should be on the team, I earned my place there, and they're acting like children. It's just as pathetic as every other team I ever tried to join, the jealous morons."

"Yes, they are. Are you going to drop to that level, or are we going to let bygones be bygones and simply shove your brilliance in their faces later?" Rodney looked towards the pool, his expression a mixture of longing, disappointment and anger. If there was one thing about Rodney that fascinated Archie more than his brains, it was his ability to change moods at the drop of a dime and how every one of his emotions was blatantly apparent. He had never met anyone so unable to hide his feelings, and it was intriguing. Archie spent so much time controlling his emotions and projecting what he wanted people to see, that simply watching Rodney hurt his mind at times. And as he watched the teenager now he could see that his reasoning was working. Good.

"Fine," Rodney announced suddenly and turned away from the pool. "This doesn't mean I'm going to just drop it though. If Cleveland thinks I'm going to walk away from this then he's wrong." Archie didn't doubt that, but he knew that Rodney would focus his anger around yelling and public insults to Cleveland's lineage dating back to the Stone Age. Rodney was the teaching assistant for two of his classes; he should have been threatening his grade instead of his bloodline. But Rodney wasn't Archie, and while he had an amazingly complicated brain, his social dealings were rather linear and uncreative.

"Come on, I'll drive you to your lab," Archie shook his keys lightly so they jingled, and Rodney looked at him and smiled that stupid, happy-go-lucky grin of his that he rarely showed to anyone.

"Thanks."

"No problem."

"No really, I mean it. You're a good friend, the best one I have actually, and uh, well…I just wanted you to know that." Oh Lord, cue soppy music now, Archie thought as he looked down into Rodney's blue eyes and smiled warmly.

"Well then, seeing as we're such good friends, you can thank me properly by helping me with the Littlemon essay," Rodney laughed and his grin turned into true amusement.

"You haven't finished that yet? Didn't that paper by Jerry Cheung help you out at all?" and they were off, Rodney spewing forth on things that he should consider for his work and Archie smiled smugly to himself as he unlocked his car. Most people had decided that Rodney was an annoying know-it-all, but they didn't have the capacity to realize that the kid was genuinely trying to help them out, not show off, and they sure as hell didn't have the foresight to use it to their advantage. He had and he did, and if that didn't make him the second smartest man in this university he didn't know what would.

* * * * * * * * * *

Atlantis, Present Day

`Twack! Thwak, Thwak, Twack Thump!

"Ow!" Rodney yelled and immediately dropped the stick in his right hand to rub at his left shoulder.

Thump!

"Ow! Teyla! I'm unarmed here!" He now rubbed his right arm where she had mercilessly continued her assault with her sparring sticks. Both of Rodney's lay on the ground by his feet now and he looked at her to see that she was calmly watching him with her weapons lowered to her sides. Oh, thank god! Did he ever not need more of a beating right now and he glared at her to prove his point. She didn't seem bothered by it and that annoyed him even more.

"You have done well today, Rodney. The practice is paying off."

"If by practice you mean our weekly sessions and my willingness to let you beat me with sticks then I'd have to say I disagree."

"Why?"

"I feel just as bruised this week as I did last week," he huffed, annoyed with his inability to defend himself against her attacks, even though he knew she was only trying to help him. They had begun these weekly sparring sessions a few months before because Teyla had felt they needed to spend more time together outside of missions. Apparently this was the most productive way. The only reason he hadn't called a halt to it right after it began was because he couldn't bear to hurt her feelings that way. And he knew, no matter what she would say to him otherwise, that she would be hurt that he didn't want to participate with her.

Curse his inability to say no to a good friend, and the fact that, despite his near continuous complaining, he had actually grown to look forward to their time together. Well, not the part where he was beaten to the ground, which was always a given, but simply spending time with her. That and it was a good way to relieve stress, something he was very familiar with…stress that is, not being beaten. Although that had become somewhat of a commonality in this galaxy too, now that he thought about it.

"You are forgetting that every week I am pushing you harder than the last. You should be proud of your accomplishments; most of the scientists in Atlantis only participate in defensive training because you order them to."

"Yes, well, the better to protect my team and all that," he turned away from her to hide his embarrassment at the compliment and grabbed their water bottles, passing hers over before taking a drink of his own.

"We have noticed and appreciate your efforts. Ronon has been contemplating teaching you the art of throwing knives," she smirked as he choked on his water. Ronon coming anywhere near him with knives, whether to teach him how to use them or not, wasn't something he was too enthusiastic about. Although, having his staff know that he was capable of pinning a fly to the wall from across the room with a mere flick of his wrist did seem appealing…

"Really?" She simply nodded, her grin growing wider. He huffed, "Right, well, I doubt that I would be able to learn it anyway, I mean knife throwing? The next thing I know people will want me to juggle fire while building a ZedPM with my toes. It's just not going to happen.

"I have full faith in you to succeed in whatever you apply yourself to."

"Well, uh, thank you. That's very nice…" he squirmed under the praise. Really, what was with all the compliments today? It's not like he'd been overly nice to her or anything this week…in fact, he distinctly remembered calling her a couple of names when she practically forced him to have a cup of juice instead of coffee at the last team meeting. Nobody gets between him and his coffee…except Teyla apparently because he had ended up with a cup of apple juice instead of his black heaven. Yep, he'd used some pretty strong words that day in regards to her…maybe he should say something nice now as well, seeing as she was being so…encouraging. Great! What was he going to say?

"You do things well to…you know, with the guns and the fighting thing…I particularly enjoy it when you beat the marines into submissive mush, that's always fun…" Moron, but she was smiling broadly now so he figured he'd said something right. Well, his job was done then. He nodded to himself and turned to grab his towel and handed hers over as well.

"Thank you."

"Yeah well, don't let it go to your head or anything."

"I meant for the towel." What?

"Oh, right. Well, we're good for the week then? I can go back to work now?"

"You may wish to shower first," she looked pointedly at his sweat soaked gym clothes and then back up to meet his eyes.

"Well, of course, though if I went to the lab like this people probably wouldn't want to get too close due to the smell factor. I could get a lot more work done that way."

They walked in comfortable silence a moment, heading towards their rooms, and he waited for her to ask the questions that he knew she had been trying to figure out how to ask their entire session. While they spoke during the actual training, Rodney usually found that concentrating on blocking was a better use of his energy than verbal banter. Of course, he was usually out of breath within the first fifteen minutes anyway and had to struggle through the next half hour. Why did he enjoy it again?

"How are you doing, Rodney?"

"Fine, fine. I mean, you have heard about the mission we're going on in two days right? How could I be anything but fine!"

"I was more concerned as to your feelings about the investigation."

"Oh, right." He shrugged, not really knowing what she wanted to hear. He wouldn't lie to her, because he respected her too much for that, but talk about his emotions? Not something he was very good at. "I'm good. It's not like I haven't been through this before."

"I don't think being through it before makes it any easier."

"No, it doesn't," he sighed. "If anything it's harder this time around," he found himself admitting for the first time and cringed at the way it sounded. Seriously, this is why men didn't have gushy talks about their feelings, they just ended up sounding stupid. But when he felt her hand on his arm he looked over, startled to see the compassion in her eyes.

"You have family here, friends." She seemed to know exactly what he was thinking about and he nodded in agreement, not wanting to say any more on the subject. Really, what more was there to say? The last thing he wanted to admit out loud was that he had had to move to a completely new galaxy to find the first place he had ever truly considered home. She seemed to understand that though, judging by the warmth in her eyes and the understanding that was transferred to him by the simple touch of her hand on his arm.

"And the investigation into Greenwall's actions? How are they progressing?" she asked and he shrugged.

"I don't really know. Major Thompkins and I haven't really spoken about it."

"They would not actually let him get away after the actions he took against you?" she sounded offended by the very thought and he couldn't help the bitter smirk that graced his lips as he continued to look ahead of them.

"I wouldn't be so certain of that. Greenwall has an uncanny ability to completely screw a person over when he puts his mind to it, and an even better ability to get away with it."

"There is strong evidence against him," she sounded so confident and he snorted, shaking his head negatively.

"There usually is." There was a long moment of silence as they approached their rooms, and Rodney could see his at the end of the hall. He didn't want to talk about this anymore, but he could sense she wanted to know more.

"I met him at school, we were in the same classes." He finally declared as they reached his door and he opened it, feeling guilty that he just couldn't open himself up and tell her. She was his friend, and he should be able to let her know things about him, but every time he tried he just stopped himself. Maybe one day, but as he looked at her now he knew that day wouldn't be today. She smiled softly at him and nodded her head in apparent understanding without him even having to say a word. The relief he felt was almost embarrassing, and he felt he should give her something in return for trying to help him with his problems.

He bowed his forehead to hers and Teyla, without hesitation, touched her forehead to his gently.

"You are a good friend, Teyla."

"As are you," she replied and they pulled apart, her smiling at him. How he had ever ended up with such a beautiful friend…beautiful in her soul that is, not that she wasn't attractive though, because she was, she really, really was, but that wasn't why he liked her. He'd known lots of beautiful women, but there were very few who had been truly beautiful.

He watched her walk down the hall and then quickly turned into his quarters, suddenly embarrassed by the depth of his thoughts. That was enough of that sentimental crap for the day. He needed a shower, food, and then he had to get back to work, and it was most definitely happening in that order.

* * * * * * * * * *

"Do I look like I care who did most of the work?" Rodney glared at the pair of scientists, noting that Dr. Sauder was turning an unhealthy shade of red as she glared at Dr. Keagan. Keagan had dragged her in front of him to demand that he be given more credit for the joint project they had been working on for the better part of two weeks. Keagan looked even more annoyed than Ashley did, but he halted his tirade when Rodney looked at him. It had been a rhetorical question, after all.

"You were placed on this project because the two of you are the most competent for the job. I had thought that you could work it out together, but apparently some people prefer to act as solo artists," he glared at Dr. Keagan again. "You are working on alien technology in another galaxy, Dr. Keagan, and let me repeat that in case you didn't understand me the first time, alien technology in another galaxy, and you're actually whining like a five year old about how much credit you think you deserve? I know exactly how much of an effort my people put into their work and I give full credit to those who deserve it. But I really don't care who stayed up later to work on this as long as the report that lands on my laptop is correct, efficient and actually worth my time to read." He ground his jaw at Keagan, who was beginning to lose his look of self-righteousness.

"Most of this work is so highly classified that it will not be recognized for years, possibly even decades, among the high and almighty academic or scientific populations on Earth, most of whom, I should add, I don't really care for to begin with. So, you will deal with this issue yourselves. Duke it out over a game of snap, drink each other under the table, hell, have a mud wrestling match for all I care, but do it on your own time so that you're not wasting mine!" He glared at them both, ignoring Dr. Sauder's blatant eye roll at his last comment. She cringed slightly when he levelled his glare at her because, despite this argument not being her idea, it was her problem and it had ended up in his lap when he had much more important things to deal with. She turned and headed back to the lab they were using for this project and Keagan, after opening and closing his mouth like a landed fish a few times, turned and followed her.

"Did you enjoy that?" He turned to Zelenka, who was working under the console a few feet from them. The Czech's frazzled head, complete with glasses, popped up from around the station and he grinned lopsidedly.

"Very much, I feel I learn more every day I work with you."

"You're a better man for it," Rodney agreed. "Make a note that Keagan should be kept on solo projects in the near future; the really good ones that everyone keeps lining up for." Radek snorted and disappeared back under his work, but the glint in his eyes told Rodney he already had the perfect projects in mind to help adjust Keagan's attitude problem. After all, Rodney couldn't have people on his staff that couldn't work together when necessary and as chief scientist, it was his duty to help his people grow as individuals. It was all about leadership, and he had it in abundance.

Without another word he left the lab and headed at his normal brisk pace to the gateroom. SGA-5 was due back momentarily, and he wanted to see what they had managed to dig up around the temples they had found on P3X-PR1. SGA-5 were notorious for bringing back really nifty life threatening devices, but Dr. Kwong had so far proven to be worth his PhD, as he hadn't yet brought any activated treats through the gate. Rodney was still having flashbacks to the time that Greenwall had brought the terrabomb through the gate and tried to kill them all.

"Who stole your wheaties this morning, McKay?" Sheppard asked as he materialized beside him from seemingly out of nowhere. Rodney glared at him, not because he was annoyed but for of the principal of the action.

"I'm sorry, we seem to have skipped a few important conversation starters there, such as the subject."

"You're marching around like Stormin' Normin and scaring my marines."

"If they're scared of me, then you're not doing your job very well."

"If they're not scared of you, then I'm not doing my job very well."

"You know, I might actually have to agree with you there. I can be a very intimidating man when I want to be." He grinned smugly to himself as a few choice memories came to the forefront of his mind. He didn't need Sheppard to help him intimidate the soldiers, not by a long shot, but it was rather fun knowing that the Colonel enjoyed it as much as he did. They walked in silence for a few minutes, and Rodney could sense that Sheppard was just giving him a few moments of peace before he began his not so subtle interrogation. Yesterday the Colonel had followed him out of that oh so insightful briefing, but he hadn't actually asked any questions and Rodney hadn't volunteered anything before he quickly disappeared into his research for the rest of the day. He was actually surprised that the man hadn't tried to find him before now, as it implied a level of restraint he didn't normally associate with the soldier.

"So, how's the investigation going?" Sheppard suddenly asked, avoiding eye contact and bouncing his steps a little to try and make the conversation appear more casual than it was. Rodney snorted at the man's antics. He wasn't used to people caring about his feelings, and it still made him uncomfortable.

"Oh you know, last night we all got together and bonded over a good pot of Athosian tea. Strat promised to report only my best qualities."

"That never worked for me back on Earth."

"It's all in the blend you use."

"I see that you don't need to use any tea with Major Thompkins."

"He prefers a good Moosehead." He really wasn't in the mood to discuss the investigation, and Rodney wasn't sure if he should be annoyed by his friend's tenacity or worried that it might pay off. "Major Thompkins and I have a bit of history, but he'll do his job regardless of any personal feelings, as I fully expect him to. If he didn't, I wouldn't have bothered associating with him in the first place."

"So, you're friends, but-"

"Friendship isn't the term I'd use."

"Then what would you-"

"Some things are none of your business, Colonel," he snapped suddenly, not knowing where the slight hostility had come from but unable to contain it, and then felt ashamed as Sheppard's posture stiffened from friendly casual to closed off in a second. Damn it! There were some things he just didn't want people to know about him, and dealing with people when you actually cared about their feelings and opinions was such a pain in the ass! Rodney scrambled around his brain for something to say that could fix his angry outburst. Sheppard hadn't been questioning him as the head of Atlantis, but as his friend and sometimes Rodney had trouble discerning the difference.

"Look, Colonel. John, I uhhh, what I mean to say is…look, some things are just not…" Oh, just say you're sorry for snapping at him, you moron! Rodney looked over at him and was startled to find the dark haired man grinning at him, and it was one of those stupid grins too, the ones where he really meant it and wasn't just putting on a show for people. Sheppard reached over and slapped his shoulder.

"Don't worry about it, Rodney, I know that beneath that tough, arrogant, asshole-ish exterior you're really a fun-loving marshmallow. You can tell me about Thompkins some other time." John Sheppard could change his emotions faster than a strobe-light, but despite his apparent ease with their conversation, Rodney could sense that John wasn't eager to let him keep his secrets.

"I think you've actually managed to make me nauseous, Colonel," he snapped as they entered the gate room and then stormed off to see what Dr. Kwong had discovered. It was with a sharp stab of annoyance that Dr. Strat suddenly appeared beside him and Sheppard moved off to speak with his soldiers.

"Good morning, Dr. McKay."

"It will be if nothing tries to kill us before lunch," he responded, speeding up his pace to get to his destination. Dr. Strat, tenacious little man that he was turning out to be, kept pace easily.

"I highly doubt Dr. Kwong would bring anything harmful back through the gate."

"I do as well, but as you reminded us so eloquently, it wasn't that long ago that an activated terrabomb came through the gate." He tried really hard to keep his annoyance out of his voice, but wasn't sure if he succeeded. He stopped in front of Dr. Kwong and the doctor looked a moment between Rodney and his tag along before launching into his report.

Rodney liked Dr. Kwong, he was a smart man and had a practical head on his shoulders. He had a great staff for the most part, but most of them couldn't be sent off world without a full platoon of soldiers to make sure they came back unharmed. As he and Dr. Kwong went over a quick detailing of what was found at the ruins, or not found much to both of their disappointments, Rodney felt the weight of people's eyes on his back from several areas around the room. He was used to working with people assessing his every move, and was therefore mostly able to ignore Dr. Strat as long as he didn't butt into the conversation. Having people acutely interested in the fact that Rodney was being watched so carefully, however, annoyed him. He looked around several times to glare at people, but he could never tell which ones were trying to eavesdrop. He hated it when people didn't concentrate on their work.

In the end, he and Kwong decided that the things his team discovered on P3X-PR1 would ultimately be studied by the archaeologists and anthropologists and that Kwong could go back to his work when Cadross suddenly materialized beside them, making Strat and Kwong jump in surprise. Rodney simply glared at the projection for interrupting their conversation, until he remembered that he had sent Cadross to watch Dr. Harkson's team while they were exploring some uncharted areas in the bowels of Atlantis.

"They have discovered what appears to be a ship bay for water submersible vehicles." Cadross informed him immediately, not even waiting for a demand from Rodney to know what was going on. Rodney didn't waste another second as he activated his headset.

"Harkson, stop whatever you're doing and tell me what's going on right now," he demanded. He listened for a few intense moments as the man stuttered out an explanation. Sheppard joined their group a moment later as Rodney finished his conversation with orders for the team to halt their exploration and wait for his arrival.

"So, this is it?" Sheppard asked, his eyes gleaming slightly in anticipation, as soon as Rodney finished giving Harkson orders.

"It would appear so, Colonel."

"Cool."

"I'm sorry, but would you care to explain to me what is going on?" Dr. Strat requested politely, not seeming at all upset about being left out of the group. Rodney, who was already walking away, stopped and looked back at the two men with an impatient glare, John at his side.

"Are you coming? I'll explain on the way," Sheppard grinned to himself as Kwong and Strat jumped and then rushed to join them as Rodney led the way towards the nearest lift. Sheppard, of course, already knew what was going on since Major Lorne had contacted him only moments before Cadross had appeared to interrupt Rodney's assessment of Dr. Kwong's finds.

Since their arrival in Atlantis and the subsequent search for supplies, and allies, there hadn't been much time to explore the city itself. Rodney's scientists had insisted there were greater discoveries to be found, but simple survival had forced the majority of their resources to be focused through the stargate. Still, Rodney had assigned three scientists to perform a careful study of the city's database, hoping to find something they could use against the wraith. It was during the mad scramble just prior to the siege that they had found hints of a submersible vehicle, which McKay had been insisting existed since they arrived in Atlantis.

Rodney hadn't been able to justify the expenditure then; the exploration of Lantia's oceans hadn't been deemed mission critical, and there simply hadn't been enough trained personnel to spare for an extended exploration of the city, even with the renewed contact from Earth. So the search for the submersible vehicles had been tabled, but that had changed after Griffin died, and ignited a new drive in the Canadian to find the Ancient's underwater vehicles. The submersibles wouldn't have saved Griffin, but they would have made Rodney's rescue at the bottom of the ocean much simpler. Frankly, after that incident, Sheppard would have insisted on finding the submersibles in the large city, even if he had to send teams room to room.

McKay had been pushing his teams hard to find this, and he was glad it was paying off. Maybe it would mean that the man could finally find some closure about the incident because, even though he hid it well, Sheppard knew it was always sitting at the back of the scientist's mind. Now it was just a matter of seeing what all the hard work had amounted to. According to Lorne, the bay was 'in need of a good garage sale,' but other than that their find was impressive. Apparently Harkson, the lone scientist with the group of marines, had begun drooling the moment the lights came on.

Rodney explained all of this as the group stormed down the corridor. Moments after leaving the closet taxi Rodney led them through corridors that Sheppard knew for a fact he had never been to. The pilot kept half of his attention on their surroundings, learning what he could from them and the rest of his attention on the conversation. It wasn't long before the simply inquisitive tone in Strat's voice changed, and John switched most of his attention back to the conversation.

"So, you sent your mobile hologram to keep tabs on Dr. Harkson." It hadn't been a question, and his tone made it sound like an accusation.

"Of course I did," Rodney responded, waving a hand around in exasperation and glancing in annoyance at the mouse haired doctor.

"So, you don't trust him." Ohh boy, Sheppard thought, getting ready for a verbal explosion of some kind or another. Kwong took a cautious step to the left, separating himself slightly from the group in case Rodney became really involved and a limb flailed too far. Rodney looked right down his nose at Dr. Strat, his eyebrows raised in his classic 'you must be the biggest moron ever' look and then snorted in derision.

"Of course I trust him! Do you think I'd send a team out with an individual that wasn't fully qualified to do his job? Dr. Harkson is a brilliant engineer and diagnostician with a rather disturbing acuteness for locating all of the best finds in this city." He jabbed a finger in the air to make his point and his stride lengthened as his irritation showed. "Not only is he fully capable of being on a city exploration team, but he also has a background in mountaineering and spelunking, not to mention a better than average training in first aid." Dr. Strat looked at Sheppard in shock at the way he was being addressed as Rodney rambled off Harkson's qualifications. Sheppard just grinned and then kept his gaze on the pathway before them.

"Then why did you send Cadross with him?"

"Because Harkson, despite the decent head on his shoulders, gets caught up in new discoveries and has a tendency not to inform me of an important find until five minutes after the fact. I am not going to be informed of such finds five minutes later by the military, no offence Colonel."

"None taken."

"Cadross simply allows me to make sure Harkson doesn't forget himself and get too carried away before the area can be properly assessed."

"I see. And your mobile messenger is still with the search team?"

"Yes, yes, yes, he's still there. He plugged himself into a relay port and had the holographic projectors in the ceiling of the gateroom produce his image. If Lorne is smart, a notion I'm still undecided about, then he would have Cadross check the area out for stability before allowing any further exploration. Ah, here we are," he exclaimed as they came around a bend to see a guard posted at an open door at the other end of the corridor.

The group fell silent and Rodney headed straight to Harkson, the two doctors following him, and began an animated conversation about the console the scientist had begun work at. The excitement on their faces reminded Sheppard of kids in a toy store, and he always worried when they got that gleam in their eyes.

He went and stood next to Lorne, who was looking around with alert interest. Dr. Weir would expect them to report in before dinner, which was just over five hours away. John had informed her of the situation as they left the gate room, because he knew that Rodney, much like Harkson, sometimes forgot the little details like obtaining permission from the big boss before letting the excitement of discovery get to him.

"Sir," Lorne greeted.

"Major," he nodded. They stood in silence for a minute.

"It's going to be a long afternoon." Lorne stated, looking over at the group of men who were waving their arms around.

"Zelenka, get down here and bring Miko with you…and Dr. Keagan," Rodney said the last name with a bit of annoyed reluctance. Soon this control room would be swarming with blue shirts and he noted that Dr. Strat was already being squeezed out of the way. Was that a cold shoulder Harkson had just shoved in his face? Interesting.

"Yep, a looong afternoon," Sheppard replied, watching the group across the way.

"Won't be long now," Lorne intoned

"Brace yourself," Sheppard warned, doing a silent count down in his mind.

"Major!" "Colonel" Both McKay and Harkson yelled simultaneously across the relatively large room, but it was Rodney who finished their demands with "don't just stand there mimicking statues, come make yourselves useful." They shared a look and rolled their eyes even as they each moved to their respective scientist. As John approached he was able to cast a look out through the large door that had been blocked by the band of scientists before and got his first glimpse of the bay beyond.

It was massive, and filled with a hell of a lot of things that John couldn't even begin to identify. Except for the vehicles, which were just…

"Nifty," he speculated, and Rodney looked at him with a delighted grin despite his next words.

"Nifty? Who says nifty? Grow up and come help me. The sooner we get this place properly assessed the sooner we can find you some toys to play with." And that was something John was only too willing to help with.

* * * * * * * * * *