Title: Isobel
Author:
bluedrgn52
Pairing: Eventual McShep, Isobel/Arik (my characters),
Implied Carter/O'Neill and O'Neill/Jackson (but I wouldn't classify
it as a cross over really, I shortly borrowed them and a few SGA
characters through out the story, but they're kinda
background.)
Rating: Eventually MA, but this is pretty much set up
and innocent.
Spoilers: It's pretty AU, but I'd say if you've seen
seasons 1,2 and 3 you're pretty ok. After that, I blur the lines a
bit.
Word count: 31,000 something at this point
Summary/Warnings:
You might go WTF at first, but it'll all be explained. Don't
worry. I made up a few characters and it's an AU. I think that's
about it.
Disclaimer: Just borrowing the characters, except for
Isobel and Arik, who are mine. :D
Author's Notes: I really miss
Dr. Weir, so she's in this one as the expedition leader still. It's
pretty much straight Atlantis AU, but follows the time line from the
show.
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Chapter 4
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Since coming back from Earth, Issa had become a regular on Sheppard's team. She had an uncanny knack for finding things and telling them which places were worth investigating. She added several planets to the database that hadn't been in there. When they asked her if they were safe, she replied that they had only been wiped out of the Ancient database because they were determined "too primitive" A lot had happened in 10,000 years, so she figured that they were worth checking out now. The team was stronger than ever, and even Sheppard was starting to warm up to Issa.
"I still think she's hiding something, but I think you're right Elizabeth." He said one morning while he was having his first coffee in Elizabeth's office.
"She's got a lot of knowledge stored in there. And she's part Ancient, which makes me think that she doesn't want to show us everything. She's probably just trying to protect us." Elizabeth said.
Sheppard took a sip and sighed. One of the perks about being able to gate into Earth whenever they wanted was that they had supplies they didn't think they'd ever have on a regular basis again. Sheppard was currently drinking coffee flavoured with Pumpkin Spice creamer. He was a flavour creamer man, but didn't want anyone but Elizabeth to know it. It might hurt his tough guy image.
"She got the probes working." John said stirring his coffee.
"Really?" Elizabeth asked.
"Really. She said that the next gate up, we'll test it. It should be able to report anything it finds, even if the gate is shut off. It'll just sit in self contained stasis until someone with the gene activates it." John said.
"No more MALPs." Elizabeth said.
"They were expensive too. SGC is going to shit themselves when they realize that Issa figured out in 2 months what they've been working on for more than 15 years."
Elizabeth chuckled. The SGC had a love/hate relationship with Issa.
"Well, we can test it out on today's exploratory mission. I was going to use a MALP anyway. We're going to one of the planets that the Ancients wiped from the database. If it's clean, your team can go through." Elizabeth said.
"Major Lorne's team should be going through to several planets this morning." Sheppard said taking another sip of coffee. "They're going to talk to everyone who has been friendly to us about relocating."
"It's a good idea. We'll see if they accept." Elizabeth said and sipped her coffee. "I didn't think I'd ever get good coffee again."
Sheppard chuckled and sipped his coffee.
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"So when are you going to tell Rodney that you like him *that* way?" Issa asked Sheppard later that day when they were together getting their gear set up for the mission in the afternoon.
"What?!" John asked shocked. "You do know we can't talk about that, right?"
"Oh please, it's a stupid rule and I'm not going to tell anyone." Issa said.
"I don't know. I'm not sure if he feels anything back." John said in a strangely vulnerable minute.
Issa smacked the back of his head. "Dumb, that's just plain dumb."
Issa had been watching them together since she first noticed the touches when she came back from Earth. She noticed. Anyone with eyes would notice.
"Ouch." Sheppard said and rubbed the spot on his head. "I am handling a gun here."
"The safety's on." Issa said checking the gear in her hand. "And you're pretty oblivious if you don't realize that he likes you too."
Sheppard shrugged and continued to look at his gear. "I wondered if I could take it somewhere once, but I kept thinking 'what if we get back to Earth?' I don't want to have to leave here." He said.
"Well, I can show you a lot of secret rooms around here that no one else knows about if you want. For, you know, extra storage spaces in case the city is ever under attack." Issa said and coughed.
"I might have to take you up on that." John said. Issa grinned. "C'mon, these are fine. Let's get the team and gear up."
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The probe worked beautifully and they stepped through to a world that smelled like spice and sun. There was a camp set up close enough that people from the gate could see it, but not so close that they could be attacked immediately from the Wraith gating in.
They walked toward it and realized that it was some sort of traveling band. Merchants and acts.
"It reminds me of the traveling circus." McKay said.
"It does, doesn't it?" Sheppard said.
They approached and Teyla gave the standard greeting. Ronon looked at the body guard by the entrance and raised his eyebrow. Sheppard just gave Ronon his best 'stand down' look.
"We've come to talk and trade." Teyla stated.
"We have many things to trade and many stories to tell." The man said in reply.
"Perhaps we can share and live peacefully."
"Perhaps." The guard stood aside and let them through.
"She's always so good at that." McKay said to Sheppard.
"That's why she's on the team. Otherwise we'd end up in jail a lot more." Sheppard said and smirked.
Issa coughed a little. "Sometimes I think you're all crazy, and Teyla is craziest of all to put up with you guys."
"Yes," Teyla said, "But now I have another woman on the team to rationalize the best, safest point and get it through their heads."
Issa laughed. They walked through the tents and found the standard Pegasus trade goods. There were also acts, people performing. It was very much like a circus.
"I've only been to one of these when I was a child. They came on Athos and we agreed to let them stay for the summer season. It was wonderful." Teyla said.
"I went with my father on a trading mission when I was a boy. We came across a group similar to this." Ronon said.
"Why don't we split up and check back in a half hour. See what we can find. Talk to people. Ronon, Teyla, go ahead that way. Issa, Rodney and I will check out this side. Keep in radio contact though." John said.
"As you wish." Teyla said.
They walked for a while, looking through the tents, seeing shows and items for sale. They stumbled across a tent that boasted a Dem'sa'e'sohsa (Pronounced Dem (like them, but with a D in stead of a TH) -say-ah-so-sa)
Issa looked at it and raised an eyebrow. "Want to check her out?" She asked.
"Don't tell me you actually believe in this stuff?" McKay asked. "Sheppard help me out here."
"So, 'Doctor of the improbabilities of the universe'," Issa said including quotation marks in her hand expressions, "Do you mean to tell me that you believed that you could have a fully grown daughter in less than 5 years, without having sex?" Issa retaliated.
"She's got a point." Sheppard said.
"Not helping!" McKay said then sighed. "Yeah yeah yeah. Go do your voodoo tent and come back here when you've regained your common sense."
Issa took a deep breath and walked into the tent. She expected to see smoke, a crystal ball and deep shades of red. Instead she walked what looked very much like an Ancient lab, with the dirt floor being an exception. A side curtain of bright blue hung on one wall.
"I was wondering when I would see you." A voice said. It sounded young.
"Hello?" Issa said, signaling Colonel Sheppard to stay behind her.
"It's alright Sheppard, I won't hurt her." The voice said again. Behind a wall stepped out a girl. She couldn't have been more than 10. She had long blonde hair and brown eyes.
"I'm Mera. I'm a Dem'sa'e'sohsa. In your speech, one would say I'm an Oracle."
"Fortune teller." Sheppard mumbled. "How did you know my name?"
"I could tell you I knew already, but I'll be honest and say that I overheard your colleges outside call you by name."
"An honest fortune teller." Sheppard said and smirked. He was with McKay on this one. It was all a bunch of voodoo, but at the same time, stranger things had happened in this galaxy than having your fortune told by a kid.
"Issa, please sit. I'd like to read your cards. I knew you'd be coming, but I wasn't sure if you'd come to see me. I'm pleased you have." Mera said.
"I can't pass up an opportunity to have my future told." Issa said smiling.
"I don't like to tell the future. I simply tell you about the path you are currently on. It's like ripples in a pond though. You can choose any path ahead of you. Especially if you know which path not to take. Most of it is common sense however." Mera said as she sat down. "But you intrigued me when I first got your cards. She who is an Ancient and yet not."
Sheppard looked slightly startled. Issa paled.
"What do you mean?" Issa asked.
"I know who you are already, but let me read the cards." Mera said. She shuffled the pack and held them together, chanting something in a speech neither Sheppard nor Issa recognized. She flipped the first card. They were like tarot cards, but not quite the same.
"What does it tell you?" Issa asked.
"No wonder he protects you. You carry his blood." Mera said glancing at Sheppard.
"How could you know that?" Sheppard asked.
"You still disbelieve? Perhaps when I am done with Isobel, you will let me read your cards John Sheppard?" Mera asked.
"Perhaps." Sheppard said, inclining his head slightly at her. He had to admit, he was intrigued.
Mera flipped another card. "You have a bright past." She said, "You are unique. So much responsibility for one who has only lived 5 years. Of course, you don't need me to tell you about your past."
Issa raised an eyebrow again. Flipping another three cards, Mera continued;
"You work hard to prove to others that you are able to accomplish your given tasks. Among those who doubt you, you try to show them that you are adept in your duties, and even surpass what they expect of you. You want to belong. You choose to fit in instead of show everyone you can surpass them, even though they all know it. That shows that you are humble, but not so much that you don't want to be respected. You doubt your abilities and they scare you. Especially the abilities you have that no one else does."
Mera flipped another three cards on the opposite side of the first three.
"You have accomplished much, but the hardest part is yet to come. You must make a choice between the many and one, but feel complied to help the one. It will define your future." She flipped another three cards vertically. "You have much to learn. You will learn it. You will save this galaxy from their biggest threat and you will create a new universe."
She folded her hands on top of the cards and looked into Issa's eyes.
"I normally don't tell people what I see of their future, because one change in that path will change it. You are different." Mera said, "You can give us all hope."
Mera took Issa's hands and held them. "You change us all. But…"
"But what?" Issa asked.
"But if you change from the path I have seen today, it will lead to destruction. Instead of saving this galaxy, you will destroy it. It is a lot of burden for one to carry. Especially one so young."
"You know something about that yourself." Sheppard said. Issa had forgotten he was there and jumped slightly at his voice. It seemed too rough.
"I do." Mera said with a slight smirk. "I have lived 1000 years in this body and I still do not know why I cannot age nor die."
"I find that hard to believe." Sheppard said. Mera shrugged like it didn't bother her.
"How will I know which path to take?" Issa asked.
"You simply follow your instinct. Do not waver from it." Mera replied.
"Thank you." Issa said and stood.
"Colonel Sheppard, if you would stay for one minute?" Mera asked.
"Go ahead. I'll find Rodney." Issa said.
"Ok."
Issa lifted the flap to the tent and walked out taking a deep breath, letting her eyes adjust to the brighter light of the outdoors. She searched for Rodney among the stalls and found him sampling some food.
"Should you be doing that with your allergies?" She asked him. He jumped, startled by her silent presence.
"You move like Teyla." Rodney said, puffing out a breath.
"I'll take that as a compliment. You haven't answered my question." Issa said.
"It's fine. Ronon already taste tested it." Rodney said, giving the woman in the stalls some coins that Teyla had passed out among them. "Besides I was hungry. You two were gone for over an hour."
"It couldn't have been that long." Issa stated.
"Look at your watch." Rodney said patiently. "And avoid the green ones. They're kinda like lemons."
Issa looked at her watch and picked up a red fruit that resembled an apple. She bit into it and found that it tasted more like a cantaloupe. She sighed and nodded at the vendor to include a bushel of the fruit in their purchases. It had been over an hour.
"Guess so. Shep is still with the Oracle chick." Issa said. "I don't think he believed her."
"And you did?" Rodney snorted.
"I don't know what to believe." Issa replied.
"C'mon, let's go find Hercules and Xena." Rodney said.
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They found Ronon and Teyla behind a tent that boasted they made their own sugar candies. Ronon was popping one in Teyla's mouth when Issa and Rodney walked up.
"It melts!" Teyla said slightly surprised.
"The best in the galaxy." The man behind the stall boasted.
"We'll take a bag." Ronon said. "Told you they were good."
"Hey guys." Issa said. McKay actually waved at them. Issa chuckled.
"Did you find anything of interest?" Teyla asked. "Where is John?"
"We ran across a Dem'sa'e'sohsa." Issa said. "Shep is with her still."
"Really?" Teyla asked looking excited and frightened at the same time.
"They don't come out much." Ronon said.
"I wouldn't have expected one to come here." Teyla said.
"She said she knew I was going to be here." Issa said. "If you believe in that type of thing."
Rodney snorted, but Teyla and Ronon looked stoic.
"One predicted the end of my world." Ronon said. "I was ten. It was the same trip that I took with my father. She who predicted couldn't have been more than my age at the time."
"Come with me now." Issa said, grabbing Ronon's hand and leading him back to the tent. Sheppard was just emerging from it looking slightly dumb struck when Issa came dragging Ronon with her.
"Go in." She told him.
"Why?" Ronon asked.
"Tell me if it's the same person." Issa said.
"That'd be impossible." Teyla stated.
"Nothing in this galaxy is impossible." Issa said and Ronon went in.
They waited a few minutes, trying to get Sheppard to tell them what the Dem'sa'e'sohsa told him, but he just shook his head. He was still processing it all.
Ronon came back out and it was the first time anyone on his team had seen him pale.
"She's the same." Ronon said. "The exact same."
"Holy Shit." Rodney said.
"Believe yet?" Issa said and paced pondering.
"How is that possible?" Rodney asked.
"I don't know. The Wraith can live a long time, but we know why. Why and HOW does this girl live and predict things. She *knows* things. Not just about the here and now and the future, but the past too." Issa said. "I don't understand. I don't think I can."
"Some things we are not meant to understand. Let's go home." Teyla said to the entire team. It had been a while since she'd seen Ronon and Sheppard shook up on the same day.
"Yeah." Sheppard said. "Home would be good."
They walked back to the gate in silence and went home.
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"It was unusual. She was right about everything so far. She knew things about me that no one would by just looking at me." Issa said to Elizabeth in the briefing.
"Do you think we'll be able to find her again?" Elizabeth asked.
"Most likely not." Teyla said, "Most who are Dem'sa'e'sohsa do not stay in the area for long."
"Shame." Elizabeth said.
"Maybe it's for the best." Teyla said.
"What about the planet otherwise?" Elizabeth asked.
"We didn't get around to much, other than the scan Rodney did with his new shiny PDA." Sheppard said.
"Which encompasses the whole planet in one scan thanks to Issa." Rodney bantered back.
"It does?" Teyla, Elizabeth and Sheppard all said at the same time.
"I thought I mentioned that." Issa said sheepishly.
"Hum…me too." Rodney said. They looked at each other and chuckled. "Anyway," He continued, "There are some pretty strange readings coming from underground. What is with those underground chambers and this galaxy?"
"Rodney." Sheppard said.
"Yeah, getting there." Rodney said, "Anyway it is Ancient tech. If we hadn't been distracted, I'd have suggested we go there, but other things happened before I could get the goodies."
"We'll just have to go back." Elizabeth said.
"Sure." Sheppard said.
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They gated through a week later. They had other planets to check out in the meantime. They came back and this time, the trading carnival people were gone. The planet seemed empty.
"Looks like no one is here." Sheppard said.
"No readings." Rodney said. "Same energy signature though."
"Picking up anything?" Sheppard asked Issa.
"Not yet." Issa said. "I don't feel anything right now."
"It's pretty far down in the ground." Rodney said.
"Let's go." Ronon said taking point. Rodney walked beside him; Sheppard took their six with Teyla and Issa in the middle.
"What exactly are we looking for?" Sheppard asked.
"It's masked somehow." Rodney said.
"Could it be a trap?" Sheppard asked as they got closer.
"No." Issa whispered and started running.
"No what?" They all started running to keep up with her.
"It's not a trap. It's a ship." Issa said running down a hill and into a small cave. "Though here."
"She's right." Rodney said, "The energy readings are getting stronger."
"A ship…as in warship?" John asked with a twinkle in his eyes.
"As in warship." Issa confirmed giving him a giant grin.
"I wonder if this one works." Rodney grumbled.
"It's not powered to maximum, but I can probably fix it. It's been in stasis for ten millennia." Issa said, wandering deeper into the cave.
"Perhaps we should proceed with caution." Teyla said, "These caves seem to be a large network and not explored in a while."
"Don't worry. It's fine." McKay said. "I did a scan when we entered."
"If you want, you guys can guard the entrance." Sheppard said.
"I think we will be fine." Teyla said and continued with them.
They walked down three more pathways, guided by whatever Issa was sensing and by Rodney's PDA. The general excitement boomed when they entered an Ancient corridor.
"Looks like we're in the right place." Ronon said.
"Looks like." Sheppard reiterated.
"This way." Issa said, rounding corners and leading them to a gigantic doorway.
"Through here." Rodney said, walking through a small door that was left slightly ajar.
"Looks like they left in a hurry. They didn't even lock up." Sheppard said, a bit nervous. "How long do you think it's been here? How many people do you think have been through here?"
"Who knows. But it's abandoned now. No life signs of any kind." Rodney said, almost giggling as he added, "even bacteria."
"I like conclusive scans!" Issa said defensively at Rodney picking on her tweaking of the PDA. "There have been several missions where bacteria have harbored and caused problems." She said as they walked though the door. They found the ship waiting there in the hanger. Gigantic cargo doors were above them, ready to open the roof and let the ship out. Except that the land had grown over them in the 10,000 years that had passed from when the building was built and where it currently stood. There was a lot of land over those doors.
"It's a Warship." Rodney said.
"It is. The last final model." Issa said.
"Wow." McKay said.
"Let's go check it out." Sheppard said.
They filed into the ship and went to the bridge first.
"It looks like it's intact." McKay said. Issa and he both had tablets out and were checking systems. "It seems like they just up and left it. I wonder why."
"I'll try to find out. Sheppard see if you can access the Captains logs." Issa said. "I'm going to go down to engineering and look at the stardrive. See if it's operational or not."
"I'll come with you. I have to check out a few of the main systems. Life support is obviously working, but there seem to be some minor rewiring to get things to work properly." Rodney said.
"Sure." Issa said.
"Ronon, go with the wonder twins." Sheppard said and Ronon rolled his eyes as he stalked after them.
"Teyla, come here?" John asked.
"Yes John, what can I do to help?" Teyla said. John looked at her. Teyla, quiet yet ever the helpful one.
"Can you come see if you can activate these systems after I initialize them?" John asked.
They set to work.
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Ronon followed behind Issa and McKay. He sighed. This couldn't be more boring. He hated missions where they were just investigating tech.
"Ronon, stop sulking. Come over here and I'll show you how this works so you don't have to blow up another ship if it falls into enemy hands." Issa said smirking. "I read the report about the Daedalus and how you opted to blow up the systems instead of pulling a few key crystals."
"I didn't have much of a choice. We were on a time limit." Ronon said shrugging.
"You did if you knew how to pull a crystal or two." Issa said. "This one here will disable the hyperspace drive. Now while this is in an Ancient ship, it's still the best one for the Daedalus too. They're based on a lot of the same technology."
"What about weapons?" Ronon asked.
"On the Daedalus, the consol is a bit different, but it's essentially the same principal. There are two crystals to pull here." Issa said. "These two will stop the weapons dead." She pulled them out.
She ran through a few more consoles with him until she felt he was efficient enough to not blow up another ship. McKay got the major systems up and running and Issa said that the hyperdrive was in prime condition.
"What's the weapons compliment?" Sheppard asked as he came in.
"We were just about to look it up." Issa said stepping to the weapons consol.
"Oh my god." McKay said, turning to face Sheppard. "It has a full armament of drones on board."
"How many?" Sheppard asked.
"All of them. Over 5,000." Rodney said.
Ronon looked positively thrilled.
"This ship never saw battle." Sheppard said. "I accessed the Captains logs."
"Why didn't they use it?" Issa asked.
"The log said that it had to be abandoned because the Wraith were too close. Instead of using it, they hid it. It has all their newest technology and they couldn't see it fall into enemy hands." Sheppard said. "They would rather stay in this galaxy and take their chances than watch it fall into the hands of the Wraith."
"Woah." Rodney said.
"What did you find?" Issa asked.
"It's got two chairs. One for weapons and navigation. One for something else. I can't figure out what."
"Stasis." Issa said looking up from the panel. "It's for stasis."
She ran out of the room, the rest of the team on her heels. She wound her way through the ship and turned the corner. The stasis pod chamber looked to be empty except for two flashing lights in the very front of the room. One was flashing red, the other blue.
"I don't understand." Issa said. "What do I have to do?"
She paused, went over to the pod with the blue light on it.
"We can't open them." Issa said.
"Why not?" Sheppard asked.
"We can open that one. She's dead." Issa said.
"Why not this one? McKay?" He asked.
"I don't know. It has some sort of interface. It looks like it needs a code of some kind. There's a hole here. Maybe a key?"
"Yes," Issa said, "And the key isn't on this planet."
"How do you know?" Teyla asked her. "Perhaps it is on this ship?"
Issa shook her head no. "No, they were too important. See how they're still young? They didn't age like the Ancients we've seen in stasis."
"Why?" Rodney asked.
"They created a new stasis. They knew that the Wraith could interfere with their current technology, so they created this to counter it. They are the guardians of the ship, only to awaken when the correct people come." Issa said.
"How do you… you know what, nevermind." Sheppard said shaking his head. She just knew, and that was starting to be good enough for him.
"We have to find the key." Ronon said.
"We can't just leave them there." Teyla agreed.
"I know where it is, but you aren't going to like it." She looked directly at Ronon.
"Where?" He asked.
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"Why would it be on Sateda?" Elizabeth asked. They were sitting in her office back on Atlantis.
"Well, we know that they had a lot of technology before the Wraith destroyed their planet." McKay said.
"Yes." Elizabeth stated, urging him to continue.
"We reversed engineered a lot of things from the Ancestors." Ronon said. "We made them our own, but still, a lot of the plans came from the library. Which was run by one specific family…"
"Who was a descended Ancient." Issa finished.
"If you think it's still there, go find it." Elizabeth said. She never was very comfortable with the idea of people being stuck in stasis.
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"We've got a science team looking over the ship Rodney. You won't miss out much." Sheppard said as Rodney grumbled about going to fetch a key instead of investigating the ship they found.
"It still needs a name." Rodney muttered.
"Remember that you're not allowed to name anything anymore?" Sheppard asked.
Rodney snorted as Issa walked up.
"What'd I miss?" Issa asked.
"Only how Rodney isn't allowed to name anything. Ronon coming?" Sheppard asked.
"Teyla is staying here. She's got the baby today." Issa said, "But Ronon should be along any minute now. What did you name that revoked your privileges?"
"The puddlejumpers. I wanted to call them gateships. They're a ship that goes through the gate. What could be more appropriate?"
"Puddlejumper." She stated and turned to Sheppard, "Yeah, he's not allowed to name anything. What are we naming anyway?"
"The Warship." Rodney said glaring.
"Well, it wouldn't keep with the Latin Mythology theme ya'll got going with the names of your ships, but we could call her Tiamat." Issa said.
"Babylonian mythology." Sheppard said. "Kinda fits her though."
"How do you know that?" McKay asked.
"I know a lot of things Rodney." Sheppard said lazily.
"Tiamat she is." Issa said smiling.
Ronon walked up behind them. "Let's go." He said.
The gate swooshed to life and they walked through. On the other side, there was Sateda, or what was left of it. Ronon got tense.
"The library is this way." He said as the gate switched off.
They walked in silence. Issa almost felt the pulse of something pulling at her. She walked next to Ronon, gently directing them without Ronon even realizing it.
"It's here." Issa said. "Somewhere."
"Let's find it." Ronon stated.
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They searched for almost three hours before they found it. Sitting in a box, tucked behind a bookshelf was a small wooden box. Issa fingered the inlay at the top, which was a glyph of the Ancient word – protect.
"It's here." Issa said. The rest of the team came over to her and looked over her shoulder. She opened it and it let out a soft hiss. "It's just sitting here after all this time."
Issa held the key in her hand. It was the same metal that the Ancients used. It felt warm in her hand. Suddenly she felt it. A flash of knowledge. She knew the code.
"We need to get back to the Tiamat." Issa said.
"Let's go." Ronon said, walking over parchment that had been strewn over the floors.
"We'll gate to Atlantis, fill in Dr. Weir and head out again." Sheppard said.
Issa put the key back in the box and put it in her pocket. Something so small that held so much. They headed back to the gate.
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End Chapter 4
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