*Disclaimer: I own nothing but my original characters and ideas….and the plot bunnies in the corner. Please don't sue, I'm a poor college student that has no life and way too many video games.*

"Honesty is the best policy, but insanity is the best defense."

Air Part 2.5

Eli glanced around the Control Room quickly, taking in the group that had found itself in charge of the 'expedition', for lack of a better word. Lieutenant Scott stood a ways off near Professor Eppes. Chloe was standing off to the side with TJ the medic, just observing. Rush was seated on the bench along the wall, face pinched and muscles strained as the tension in the room rose with every passing second.

Everyone was in various states of shock. The reality of their situation was finally hitting them. They were hours away from death, possibly less. And with each second that passed it was closer.

Pressing a few buttons, Eli turned to the Kino that was floating just above eye level. "My head is pounding, heartbeat has accelerated," he was talking quietly, but still loud enough for his voice to carry in the near silent room. "It's getting harder and harder to breathe ..." Eli paused, face scrunching up as Scott paced behind him. Dramatically, he continued, "As our very lives are being vented out into space."
The Lieutenant stopped his pacing and angrily stomped over to the math student. "That is gonna get old very fast."

"This needs to be documented," Eli replied, not bothering to look in his direction.

Scott huffed angrily. "No-one's gonna see that!"

"How do you know?" Eli questioned, turning to him suddenly. The silence that followed was palpable. Everyone glanced around at each other, but seemed to fall short of actually looking. "We made it here; someone else could too. If we die, maybe this can help them to find out what happened to us."

"Yeah, well, we're not dead yet," Rush supplied loudly, voice taking on a bitter edge to it.

Wallace clenched his jaw for a moment, eyes meeting those of Chloe, the first friend he made since being abducted by the military. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but nothing came out and instead she returned her gaze to the floor. Several more seconds passed by before Eli turned back to the Kino. "I'm starting to have slightly blurred-"

"Eli!" Scott shouted at him, cutting him off completely.

"What?" The student replied indignantly.

Charlie could see Scott grabbing a tight hold of his temper and refraining from continuing down that road. Everyone was at the wits end, and tempers were beginning to flare. Biting his lip, Scott changed topic hesitantly, bringing them back to more pressing matters. "So, how are we gonna decide who?"

"I assume we're not gonna get any volunteers," Rush sounded just as forlorn as he did sarcastic.

"What's another day going to buy us?" Chloe asked, moving further into the room until she was right there in front of him.

"Time…" he replied, trailing off to almost a sigh. "To find a way to survive," holding a hand out to Johansen he asked quietly, nearly whispering, "May I see the list?"

TJ walked over to him, handing him the list that had been compiled of everyone on board. Nearly a hundred souls and they were going to have to choose which ones lived and who died. Charlie was reminded of the story he was forced to read back in High School. It was called The Lottery. An entire community gathering, taking slips of paper, the family with the black dot forced to draw again. Whoever received it the second time was stoned to death. They never gave a reason, and no reason given would explain such an action. He had hated that story.

"I marked the names of anyone injured," Lieutenant Johansen supplied quietly, guilt lacing her tone even though she knew it was necessary.

Rush sighed unhappily as he started to go down the list, names and dossiers flashing out at him. "Right. We'll have to find out people's skills, background, experience-"

"It doesn't take any special skills to die from asphyxiation!" Scott yelled angrily back at him, morally and ethically offended that he had to even take part in it.

"Look," Rush replied while standing and moving to address the entire room. "What I'm saying is, it shouldn't be someone with potentially valuable knowledge, or abilities we might need to help us survive beyond this."

Charlie could see Eli giving a wide-eyed look at the Kino. Chloe uncoiled from her position, arms coming down from the self-hug gesture as a fire started within her. Charlie had never seen her so worked up before, and now he understood why she was in such a powerful position, and it was not just because she was the Senator's daughter. "What, are you really suggesting what I think?"

Matt started to advance on the scientist and Charlie began to move closer towards the hall just in case a fight did break out. "A lot of people on this ship already wanna kill you."

"I don't care."

"You can't ask someone to sacrifice themselves, period!" Chloe shouted at him as TJ shifted uncomfortably next to them.

"Politicians ask military personnel to sacrifice themselves for the good of others all the time," Rush interrupted. Matt shook his head in disbelief before he moved back to his position by the wall. "If someone doesn't go in there and close that door, we're all gonna die," he gave Chloe a pointed look before continuing. "Period."

The silence in the room stretched on before Rush turned and retook his seat. He once again went over the list and Charlie felt a tightness in his chest he hadn't felt before. They were seriously considering playing executioner, but they had no choice. The young math professor felt sick.

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"Franklin is still working at the airlock controls locally but it doesn't look good, sir," Scott reported to the Colonel in what was quickly becoming his chambers.

TJ continued where he left off from her position sitting on the Colonel's bed. "Camile's explaining the situation to everyone on board."

"I'll do it," Everett's gruff voice broke the quiet in the room. TJ's eyes darted from his prone form to the Lieutenant's who was standing next to her.

"Sir?" Scott questioned, hoping desperately that he had misheard.

"This isn't the kind of thing I can ask somebody else to volunteer for."

Scott cut in, disbelief coloring his tone. "If we're gonna make it past this, we're gonna need you," he added the 'sir' almost as if an afterthought.

"I don't know about that," Young supplied with a scoff. "You're doing a pretty good job without me, Lieutenant."

"Yeah? Well, look at the mess we're in," his voice was raising, getting louder with each passing word as his chest tightened and the words tried to stick in his throat. "If that's not proof that we need you, then-"

"I'm not sure anyone should do it," TJ cut him off, eyes darting between the two as if unsure on whom to settle on. "I don't want someone sacrificing themselves for me. I say we figure this out together while we still have time, or we all die trying."

"I want you to both listen to me," Young grunted out as he tried to swing his legs over the side of the bed. It took a lot more effort than it should have, and it left him gasping in pain when he finally succeeded. This needs to be done and I'm doin' it."

Struggling to sit up properly, Scott turned away from him, refusing to watch a man he respected do something so stupid. TJ rushed to his side to assist him, afraid that he would do more damage to his already failing body. After several seconds of pain filled agony, he was finally able to sit up at the side of his bed. "Look, sir, you can barely stand."

"Help me," he grunts out, grabbing her arm and using her to pull himself upright.

"Look," TJ continued, eyes starting to mist over as the reality of the situation started to set in. "The paralysis is temporary - you know that now."

"Help me."

"You will recover," her voice was shaking now, along with her hands.

"Lieutenant," Colonel Young gasped out between clenched teeth. "I need your help."

Scott refused to look at him and instead chose to stare at the wall. "No, sir."

"I gave you an order!"

"I know," Scott replied finally turning to look at his commanding officer. Unable to stand any longer due to the pain, the Colonel fell back down onto the bed but managed to retain his seated position. "You can have me court martialed when we get home, but I am not gonna help you kill yourself."

Everett began to retort, but the words died in his throat as a distraught and disgruntled Miss Armstrong ran into the room. "My father's not in his room."

"We'll find him," Matt promised before he turned back to the medic. Pointing to Colonel Young, his voice turned to steel. "He does not leave this room."

Scott and Chloe jogged down the halls, occasionally slowing down to a speed walk before they continued their frantic pace. "He can't have gotten far," he tried to reassure her.

"I told him what was going on," Chloe supplied as they picked up the pace even faster.

Grabbing his radio, they moved into an almost run as the situation started to fully unfold. "Greer, this is Scott, come in?" When no reply came he tried again, nearly shouting as they started to run. "Greer? Greer, do you read? Senator Armstrong is missing - he may be headed your way."

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Greer stood at the entrance to the shuttle, hands raised in a placating manner as he stood in front of the engineer. Slowly, he reached for his radio and activated it. "He's here."

Franklin turned around at Greer's voice and raised his own hands as the Senator aimed the handgun towards them. Senator Armstrong was leaning heavily on the wall, skin pale and sweating profusely. "He's got a gun."

Releasing the radio, he returned his hand to the universal surrender position as he stared down the desperate man before them. "I don't wanna shoot you. I don't think you wanna shoot me."

Stumbling towards the soldier the gun wavered only slightly. "Get out of the way."

"Just give me a little more time," Franklin pleaded desperately. "Let me try and fix this."

Gesturing towards the open panel, the Senator replied with a strained tone. "I don't have much."

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Charlie was working on the console quickly, fingers flying in desperation. He searched for a change, for any improvement, for anything, but nothing was forthcoming. Charlie grabbed the radio even as his student took over the console, trying to find a solution, refusing to give up.

"Franklin," he said while activating the two way communication device. "I'm not seeing any change on our end. Whatever you just tried, it's not working." The words tasted like ash in his mouth.

"The problem's obviously mechanical," the Highland lilt came from behind him.

"No, no," Eli pleaded, still working frantically at the controls. "We just need a little more time."

"Eli," Charlie nearly whispered, placing a hand on his student's shoulder.

"No!" Eli shouted, shrugging the hand off and returning to the screen.

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Franklin pulled his tools slowly from the panel, slumping against the wall as he gazed at the floor in defeat. Greer shifted to see him better and their eyes briefly met, but it was enough to convey the message. "You can't fix it."

The scientist just shook his head slowly. Breath strained, Senator Armstrong lowered the pistol as if his arm could no longer take the weight and gazed meaningfully at the Sergeant. "Tell me what to do."

O0O~O0O~Page~Break~O0O~O0O

Chloe and Scott pulled short at the entrance of the shuttle, panting heavily from their sprint. They saw Greer first, just standing outside of the first doorway, gaze fixed on the small screen that showed the interior of the shuttled. Franklin was sitting in the corridor, and air of defeat about him. Senator Armstrong, though, was nowhere in sight.

It took Scott several seconds to realize what had happened, it took Chloe even less. "Dad! No, wait!" She pleaded as she ducked under the doorway and ran for the interior doors. But she was too late; the doors slid shut seconds before she could reach them. "Dad, no! No! No!" Banging on the doors, tugging at them, willing them to open, she begged.

The Senator could hear her, muffled though she was, but still he did not turn around. "Open the door! Please!" She screamed, turning to the scientist on the floor.

Anguished, Franklin turned from her, unwilling to see her grief. "I can't." The 'I won't, I'm sorry' was left unsaid.

Chloe turned back to the shuttle doors, scrapping and beating them until her nails bled and her knuckles bruised. "Please open the door!"

Scott moved towards Greer, the look on his face was one of disbelief. "He was dead on his feet," was the only answer he got for his unasked question.

"Dad! No!"

The Senator whispered, "I love you," softly as the oxygen in the room dropped. The words were unheard but not unseen as Greer watched from the screen, refusing to look away from what he had allowed to happen.

"Please open the door!" Chloe screamed even as Scott wrapped an arm around her to pull her away from the windows. Turning, she grabbed his radio in desperation. "Eli! Charlie! Stop him!"

"There's nothing I can do from here," Charlie answered helplessly from the Control Room as Eli and Rush listen, equally as helpless.

"Help him! Open the door! Please!"

Scott pried her from the door as the last of the air inside the shuttle escaped to the vacuum of space. From the window they can see as the Senator slumped in his seat, dying as his lungs tried and failed to breathe. It took more effort than he thought possible to pull her from the death grip she had on the door and they collapsed on the floor. Chloe sobbed into his tac-vest, repeating the word 'No' like a mantra as Greer stood vigil in the hallway.

Seconds later, the sobbing trickles off and dies completely as a rage she had never felt before consumed her. Ripping herself from the Lieutenant's hold, she barreled down the hallway even as he called out to her and gave chase.

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Rush glanced up and locked his solemn eyes onto to Eli's. "Well, at least he bought us a day."

He sounded so heartless, and Charlie wanted nothing more than to hurl the radio at him. That action though, was aborted before it could even completely form as Chloe raced into the room and hurtled herself into the scientist. Rush went flying over the bench and into the wall. Chloe wasn't finished though, and she started to hit and kick him, screaming the entire time.

Charlie rushed over to subdue her as Rush defended himself as best he could, but he didn't fight back. His hands slipped on her failing limbs, and he got elbowed viciously in the ribs, but he couldn't seem to pull her off of Rush. Just as he was about to take another hit, Scott ran in and grabbed her around the waist, lifting her completely off of the floor and away from the downed scientist.

"You! You did this!" Chloe screamed, struggling like a hellcat as Scott struggled to contain her. "You killed him! You killed all of us!"

"Chloe, stop!" Matt yelled as Eli watched in shock and Charlie rubbed at his tender ribs. "A little help here!"

TJ moved in quickly, grabbing Chloe around the front and blocking her view of Rush as she tried to soothe her. "Hey, hey, relax. Hey, Chloe."

"Get away from me!" She yelled, shoving TJ away and pulling herself free from Scott. "All of you!"

Charlie watched with trepidation as Rush stood and nervously approached her. He had never seen Rush nervous before, but after that display, even his older brother Don, would be hesitant. "M-m-miss Armstrong," her struggling ceased and she glared daggers at him. "You're in shock. Believe me, I understand. Everyone deals with tragedy in different ways. You're looking for someone to blame."

"I'm not looking," Chloe bit out savagely, her steps towards him halted as Johansen bodily blocked her.

Rush took a couple of halting paces back, but he still managed to hold his ground. "I'm sorry about your father. I truly am. He was a good man, and he certainly wouldn't have been my choice. But you must realize - none of this was my fault. I didn't create the situation that forced us here. There was no other way."

Chloe took a gasping breath before she seemed to sag into TJ, nearly passing out as the situation fully hit her. TJ helped her to the bench and set her down slowly before taking the spot next to her, stroking her arm in comfort. Chloe buried her head in her hands and sobbed as Rush squatted down before her.

"Miss Armstrong," Rush began again, softly. "I know you don't wanna hear this just now, but...but this ship...this ship could be the most important discovery mankind has made since the Stargate itself," beside her, TJ rolled her eyes in disbelief. Charlie shared her sentiment, having falsely assumed that Rush was going to say something at least a little more sympathetic. "You know, the Icarus Project was something your father truly believed in - enough to risk his career to support it."

Raising her head, Chloe glared at him through her tears. "What difference does it make if we all die?"

Rush paused as if unsure how to continue and Charlie wished he would stop talking all together. He only seemed to make the situation worse. Charlie himself had never been very good with people, but this just seemed so callous. "A number of people died during the attack on the base. Some of them I knew very well."

Bitterly, Chloe spit out words that were filled with acid. "I'm sure some had more value than others."

"As human beings," Rush continued, undeterred. "All of them were invaluable. Look, my point is: I promise you I will do everything I can to make sure no-one gave their life in vain. No-one."

Standing, he gazed down at her hopefully. "Please give me a chance."

Raising her head, she looked at him for a moment before she also stood up. Eyes narrowed and full of hate, she walked towards him, moving to the side at the last second, Chloe left the room solemnly. Rush gazed at her back, the expression on his face was one of genuine hurt.

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Camile looked around tiredly. The Storeroom was bustling with people who were sorting, tagging, and documenting what little supplies they had, and yet, even though it had been over several hours, they weren't even half done. As time went on, more and more people complained of headaches, shortness of breath, and dizziness. Now there were more people sitting then actually working, but Wray couldn't find it in herself to reprimand them let alone really care.

The steady thump-thump was what dragged her out of her thoughts and she turned to see Colonel Young walking with Greer towards her. He was limping badly, most of his weight supported by the rifle in which he was using as a makeshift cane. It couldn't have been comfortable, barely even practical, but Camile doubted that they had much else in which he could use.

"Colonel!" She exclaimed, surprised and pleased that he was up and about. His head injury had appeared gruesome and she thought that with all that blood, he couldn't have survived such a blow to the head.

Limping over to her, Young said in just a loud enough voice that she could hear, but no one else in the stock room could. "We've lost Senator Armstrong."

"Oh my God!" Camile nearly shouted, drawing the attention of several people, but a steady glare from Greer, hand resting on his rifle, had them turning quickly back to their tasks.

"He's bought us some time."

"To do what?" She asked, much quieter that time.

"Well, we're working on it. First up is trying to dial the Gate back home."

She was stunned silent for several seconds, before the pinched expression on his face had her blurting out, "Should you even be on your feet?"

"No," Greer cut in sharply, giving the Colonel a pointed look.

Young turned as if to chastise him, but didn't complete the action and instead ignored the outburst. "Well, I am on my feet and right now we're trying to get home. Camile, I need your help. You know these people. I need you to spread the word, try to keep things as positive as you can."

"I can do that."

"Good."

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Scott had been searching for Chloe in the explored areas of the ship, opening doors to private rooms one after the other before he just stopped in the middle of the hallway. It had suddenly hit him, and he knew exactly where she would be. And there she was, sitting on the floor of the observation room, in front of the huge windows that Rush had found earlier. She was gazing out to space, but with her back towards him, he had no idea what kind of state she was in, though he could guess.

He moved into the room, being neither loud nor quiet, as he sat down beside her, taking in the view that had enraptured him the first time he had been in this room. Though the situation was dire, and the most terrible thing had just happened, he couldn't help but find a sense of peace as the colors flew by and all of space was stretched out before them. He hoped Chloe was able to find the same sense of beauty and peace in it.

"I can't believe my dad has gone," Chloe broke the silence suddenly, still not taking her eyes off the window, and Scott turned towards her expectantly. "I watched him die, and I still just can't accept it."

Voice caught in his throat, Matt struggled for something to say. Nothing seemed appropriate enough, or right enough, or even just enough, to be able to convey how sorry he was. So he just went with his gut and hoped that it would help. "Tell me about him."

Chloe gave him a perplexed look, as if she couldn't reason out what he had said. "Why?"

"The man died so I could live. I'd like to know a little more about him," he urged.

She sniffled quietly before turning her gaze back to the windows. She wasn't strong enough to look at him if she was going to do this. "No matter how tired he was, or how long he'd worked, or what was going on in his life, he always had time to listen to me. I'd go on and on, but he never preached. He never told me what to do even though sometimes I wished he would. He would just listen, and then he would tell me that he loved me. The best part was, if I'd had a fight with my mom, he never took sides."

Scott smiled softly, humming in thought. He couldn't imagine loving somebody that much. A sudden realization hit Chloe, and her face fell as she started to cry again. "Oh God. My Mom. He was her whole life. She probably thinks we're both dead."

Matt took a second to gather his thoughts before he started speaking again, hoping for that perfect thing to say that would make it all better. "All I know is that he wanted you to go on."

"I know," Chloe replied tearfully.

They sat in silence for several more moments while the universe passed around them. Scott broke it with a sigh and spoke to her softly, as if afraid that she would brake if he breathed too loud. "I've gotta get back to the search. You gonna be OK?"

"I don't know."

"…Fair enough."

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The Control Room was nearly silent, the only noise was from the constant hum the ship gave off which was quickly turning into white noise, and the beeping from the consoles. Brody and Park were working over the same console; Brody with a PADD in his hand was double checking what he knew with what Lisa was doing. What they knew was not enough though as they weren't finding answers quickly enough.

Charlie was studying his screen with a single minded focus that Rush could never hope to achieve. Nicholas envied him that much, to be able to block out the entire world as his mind did marvelous things. Rush himself was unable to focus like that. Having grown up on the wrong side of Glasgow, the forgotten middle child of six children, the youngest in his class, and the smallest in school, Rush had been beaten and picked on mercilessly. Don't get him wrong, he gave just as good as he got, but when outnumbered and outmatched, there was only so much a boy could do.

The older he became, the worst it got until he had ended up in the hospital for the third time in one year, and he swore to get out. His body was a roadmap of long forgotten scars, and his dark past would not let him forget the world, lest he be taken unaware. Pulling himself from his thoughts, he sighed softly before Eli's prone form caught his ever shifting attention. "Eli?"

"What?" Wallace replied, lying down on the bench, eyes not leaving the ceiling. He had a strange apathetic look about him that Rush couldn't place.

"What are you doing?"

Sitting up slowly, Eli gave him a strange glare before he bit out his words. "I just watched a man die, OK?"

Rush continued to gaze at him for a moment before he turned back to his console, situation supposedly forgotten. Eli shook his head in disbelief, unbelieving that someone could be so cold. "Don't you even care?"

The raised question had Charlie glancing up from his console as the tension in the room rose rapidly. Rush swiveled his chair to face Eli, movements jerky as if angered by the question. "Of course I do-" the doctor snapped, displaying the most emotion Charlie had ever heard in the man. "But I'm also trying to learn as much as I can, as quickly as I can. That is, in addition to running nine separate searches of the database in the hope of solving our life support issues."

Once again he turned back to the console as if to say that the conversation was over. "Right," Eli mumbled guiltily as he stood and made his way over to the older man. "Found anything?"

The question was a peace offering, one that Rush took. "Destiny."

The word had everyone in the room looking at him in confusion. Even Brody and Park stopped long enough to figure out the perplexity that was Rush's mind. "As in ours?" Eli questioned softly, moving so he could lean against Rush's console.

"The name of the ship, translated from Ancient," Rush continued, uncaring of the audience he now held. "I've also discovered that they were never here."

"I thought this was an Ancient ship," the question was blurted out of Charlie's mouth before he could sensor himself.

Rush deigned him with an amused sort of look before he answered. "It is, but they sent it out unmanned, planning to use the Gate to get here when it was far enough out into the universe. But they probably learned to ascend before that time."

"Learned to what?" Charlie silently agreed with Eli's question.

"Ascension," Rush supplied unhelpfully. Eli just shook his head in confusion and Rush sighed quietly to himself before explaining. "It's a process whereby consciousness converts to energy and no longer requires physical form."

"That wasn't in the video!"

Rush smiled at Eli for a moment, thoroughly amused. "Oh, there's more than one video," he let the silence drag on for several more minutes before he turned back to his console. "We should get back to work."

Eli pushed away from the console, moving towards his professor, before turning back. "Sorry," he mumbled, apologizing for his earlier assumptions, for being a distraction, for not knowing…for everything. Rush just nodded his head slowly in understanding and forgiveness.

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Riley gazed at the screen in confusion before putting the Ancient words together. The answer was right there, in front of him the entire time. "Sir," he called out to Colonel Young as he and Greer were passing by. "I think I've got it. It wasn't even that hard to find - its right here in the dialing program."

"You sure?" The Colonel questioned.

"Yes. It's an eight symbol address."

Greer gave him a thoughtful look. "You mean you can dial this thing back to Earth?"

"There's no Point of Origin indicated but, still, there's only thirty-six symbols on this Gate. I'm assuming the ninth symbol represents some x-factor distance equation."

"Well, I don't care. Start dialing," Young said, cutting the kid off from his probably long winded equation.

"Sir, don't we wanna bring Doctor Rush in on this?"

"When you said this wasn't that hard to find?"

"No," Riley replied, unsure.

"Well, then, he probably already knows and didn't tell us."

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Charlie was studying the PADD Brody had handed him as Eli took his seat at the console. The silence didn't last long, broken by Eli, as usual. "Who is this Lucian Alliance, anyway?"

Rush made a huffing scoff noise, as he pulled his attention from the screen. Charlie discreetly listened in, as he was also very curious. "Where did that come from?" The Scotsman asked.

Eli gave a halting shrug before replying. "I just want to know how to blame for this."

"They're a human coalition," Rush started slowly, as if gathering his thoughts. Charlie was 87.4329% positive that if anyone else had asked the question, Rush wouldn't deign to give them an answer. Nearly everyone had a soft spot for Eli, including the horrible boogey man, Nicholas Rush. "Made up from various Milky Way planets, formed in the power vacuum left behind when the Goa'uld were defeated. They're criminals mostly," he shrugged, turning back to the screen before him. A confused expression crossed his features as he finished his sentence almost as if it were an afterthought. "A street gang with starships."

"How did they find out about Icarus. Wasn't it supposed to be, like, double secret?" Eli questioned, unaware of Rush's shifting focus.

"I suspect there was a leak somewhere. Someone working on the inside," he answered, reading and replying at the same time. Charlie didn't really care for Rush all that much, but the man should be given a medal for his multitasking abilities. They were almost unnatural. "The legend surround the ninth chevron has been floating around our galaxy for some time now."

Eli pushed several buttons discreetly as Rush turned back to him to explain. Charlie could see the Kino activating from his position and he smiled softly at his student. Of course Wallace would want the answer on tape. He used to even record his professor's lectures.

"We found that it meant various things to different cultures," Rush continued, unaware that he was on camera, as it were. "Some said it was a key to the universe itself. And once unlocked you would gain untold power. Now, if the Lucian Alliance knew that we'd discovered the address and a means to dial, they'd want it."

"This ship," Eli scoffed as Rush again started to press buttons on his console, shifting his focus in and out of the conversation.

"No, no, not literally. It's more to with what it's doing," he stood and approached Eli as the student sat fascinated with Rush's impromptu lecture. "The information it's capable of gathering."

"If you know how to use it," Eli supplied.

Rush bent down to the packs at Eli's feet, picking up his little note pad. "Yeah."

"That's what you're after, isn't it?" Eli questioned as a sudden realization hit him and Charlie both. "That's why you risked everything to get here. You think this ship is going to make you all-powerful or something crazy like that?"

"Eli…"Rush almost whispered, moving so he was standing right in front of the younger man. His tone of voice and expression were completely sincere. "If I could find a way to send all these people home safely and then return with a properly skilled team to pursue this mission as intended, why wouldn't I want to do that?"

"I don't know," Eli replied shaking his head as Rush made his argument.

"Uh-huh," Rush answered, turning so he could point at the inconspicuous Kino. "Now turn that thing off."

Charlie barely held back the snort and the subsequent chuckle that would have followed. "You saw that?" Eli questioned as Rush turned his back and smile softly. Eli let his fingers hover over the controls to the Kino but he didn't actually push a button.

Seconds after Rush sat down, his console started to beep urgently and Charlie's attention returned to his own to find the problem. "Oh, no, no, no, no, no," Rush mumbled even as Charlie watched as the energy of the ship started to fluctuate and then drop rapidly.

"What?" Eli questioned urgently.

"Someone's dialing the Gate!"

Rush jumped from his chair and darted out of the room. There was a stillness for half a second before everyone moved to follow, Eli grabbing the Kino on the way. As they came into view of the Gateroom, they could see the Stargate moving.

"Colonel Young," Rush's voice echoed across the room as he nearly shouted. "You're up."

"Nice to see you too, Rush. I did order you to report to me."

"Yes," Rush replied as an afterthought. "But what are you doing?"

"We're trying to dial Earth."

"That would be a mistake." Rush's tone took a bite to it.

"Riley thinks he's found the address for home," Colonel Young sounded not quite exasperated, but he was getting there.

Rush scoffed at him. "His understanding of Ancient is marginal at best!"

"With respect, Doctor," Riley cut in as the Gate continued to dial behind them. "I know enough to recognize a reference to Earth."

"He says the address wasn't that hard to find, Rush," Young's voice took an accusatory tone to it. Eli's Kino was floating above them, panning so it could see all of them.

"No, no. This is a complete waste of power."

"We have the address back. All we need is the right Point of Origin," Scott sounded confident and sure. Charlie wasn't so much.

Young cut in. "And we've got thirty-six tries."

"We barely have enough power to operate the main systems!" Rush shouted, hands fisting in his hair in frustration. "This ship simply doesn't have the capability to dial Earth."

"You see," Everett replied, stepping forward so he was invading the Scotsman space. "That's news to me."

"He didn't tell me that either," Eli added helpfully.

"Well, I've only just learned myself..." Rush turned to point to Eli. "And you know what I've been doing."

"Even if it doesn't work, the people aboard this ship need to see us at least try."

"So, what?" Rush turned back to Young. "You're going to drain what little power we have for the sake of morale? How ridiculous."

Nicholas' rant was ended prematurely as behind him the Gate stopped dialing and the illuminated chevrons went out. Before anyone could question it, the colors around them swirled and shimmered as the ship gave a shudder, exactly the same as what had happened when they first arrived. Seconds later, that was followed by the sound of engines shutting down, as if powering off.

The silence was palpable, broken, not by Eli, but by Lieutenant Scott. "What was that?"

Grabbing his radio, Young activated it. "Anyone near the observation deck?"

"Colonel," TJ's voice came over the radio, sounding winded. "It looks like we've dropped out of F.T.L."

"Because we were draining power?" Riley asked, worried that his actions caused the problem.

"No, no," Rush reassured him. "If I'm right, the Gate should begin to dial any moment."

As if obliging the doctor's will, the Gate lit up and started to spin again. When the first chevron locked, Scott turned to Rush in shock. "How did you know that?"

"The ship detected a Stargate on a planet within range that may have what we need."

Young stalked over to the scientist, standing shoulder to shoulder as the Gate stood before them. "What? Why the hell are there even Stargates out here?"

"The Ancients sent out a number of unmanned ships ahead of this one. They're programmed to gather data, resources, then manufacture Stargates and deposit them on habitable worlds. Any relevant information is relayed back here to help plot the course."

"You're telling me that the ship knows we're in trouble?" Young sounded skeptical, but Charlie wasn't so sure.

"Yes," Rush replied, pulling his gaze from the activating Gate, to the man beside him. "Because I told it we were. Essentially we're flying on autopilot. This ship may have stopped when it was within range of a Stargate regardless of our need, but I have reason to believe…" he trailed off, turning back to the Gate just as the event horizon formed and the wormhole whooshed out at them, startling everyone.

"So, what we need is on the other side of that wormhole," Young no longer sounded aggressive.

"An educated guess? Yes."

Sighing loudly, he started to limp towards the Stargate. "There's one way to find out."

"Sir," Riley shouted. "You can't do that. We have no idea what's on the other side."

"We can use the Kino to find out," Eli declared loudly, using the remote control to send the Kino into the wormhole.

"I expect that's the purpose of this device," Rush added.

Almost immediately a nearby console beeped and Park moved so she could see the screen. "I'm getting readings over here."

"What have we got?" Young questioned turning so he was facing the rest of the room.

"Temperature, gravity, atmosphere composition, barometric pressure..."

Riley picked up where she trailed off. "...oxygen, nitrogen, very little CO2, extremely low humidity. Habitable, but just barely."

Seconds later, the Kino sent back a visual image, and the others crowded around the console as the view of a desert landscape with rolling dunes occupied the screen.

"Good enough," Rush replied, hopeful.

Brody pressed several buttons on the other console. "Looks like four other addresses came up here too," frowning, Rush walked over to him to take a look. "They could be other planets within range. Maybe we should think about dialing them up and..."

"No, no, no," Rush mumbled, not worried. "They're locked out. The ship chose this one, the Stargate is open. All we have to do is step through."

"What we have to do is put a team together," Young's eyes met those of the scientist and Charlie felt like he was plopped into the middle of an adventure story.

"Doctor Rush," Brody said, pointing at the illuminated panel above the door. Everyone turned to look and it took Charlie only a few minutes to realize what it was. "Looks like our time might be limited," Rush supplied to those in the room who couldn't read Ancient.

"What is it?" Everett questioned.

It was Charlie who answered him. "It's a countdown. Just over twelve hours left."

"What happens then?"

"I suspect we jump back into F.T.L." Rush sounded very calm about it.

O0O~O0O~Page~Break~O0O~O0O

The group gathered in the Control Room, more people being added as requested. Charlie stood next to Eli, who was taking another picture with his phone, even as his Kino recorded the proceedings.

"Palmer is a geologist - obviously she should go," Rush's voice cut through the chatter, and everyone soon quieted. "Franklin and Brody are the best of the rest of what we have."

"Thanks for the ringing endorsement!" Franklin staged whispered.

"He didn't even mention me!" Volker shot back. He was of course, ignored.

"Franklin goes," Young cut in, stopping the argument before it could truly start. "The others stay. We're still gonna need good people working on the problem from this end."

Rush nodded in agreement. "I'd like to go," Eli's voice broke Charlie out of his thoughts and he felt an icy hand grip his heart.

"Really?" Young questioned as everyone turned to stare at him.

"If I can help, then..."

"Colonel Young, please," Rush cut in.

"What?" Eli snapped, affronted. "You don't think I can handle it? He's going!" He said, pointing at Franklin.

"I've been off-world before!"

"You have made a habit out of pulling our asses out of the fire," Young agreed. Turning, he gave a pointed look at Rush, but he was still addressing the college student. "Eli, you wanna go, you're going," Eli grinned at him as Young shifted focus. "The only one I'm questioning right now is you, Doctor Rush."

Laughing in disbelief, Rush gave him a patronizing glare. "Well, besides Palmer, I'm the only one who knows what we're looking for. We have twelve hours to find what we need and then get back on the ship."

"You're sure you can't stop it?"

"No," Rush mumbled. "We're just along for the ride for now."

"Well, then wouldn't we all be better off on the planet?"

Smiling, Rush replied. "Well, that's another reason why I should go - someone to assess whether long-term survival there is even an option."

"Right. OK." Turning, he addressed the rest of the group. "I want everyone clear that Scott is in charge of this mission. Let's gear up, let's find whatever supplies we have, and move out."

As the others began to disperse, Charlie approached the Colonel, Scott hanging just out of hearing range. "Colonel," he began hesitant. "Eli is my responsibility."

"I'm aware of that, Professor," Young said, turning so he could look down at the smaller man. Professor Eppes was shorter than him by nearly five inches, and younger than he expected. Working closely with scientists was a given when with the Stargate Program, even more so on Icarus, he had seen his fair share of geniuses and prodigies, so he had been expecting another person with multiple PhD's and a holier-then-thou attitude. Well, he got the multiple PhD part right at least.

Though the Colonel was doing his best to appear non-threatening, voice calm and gaze steady, the young professor still looked almost cowed. Eppes seemed to take a calming breath and looked the Colonel in the eyes. "Wherever he goes, I go."

Everett wasn't sure where the man had gotten his balls, but he respected him for it. Eppes didn't flaunt the fact that he was smarter than everyone else in the room, he didn't act like he was God's gift to mankind. No, in fact the kid was downright uncaring. He knew that he was smarter, he wasn't annoyed that no one else thought like he did, made the connections he made. Eppes just accepted it and did his best to explain, while other, such as Rush, would have been annoyed or even affronted.

Young stared down at the math genius, watching as he tried not to squirm. If Young remembered correctly the CalSci Professor didn't even want to be a part of the Icarus Project at all. He wondered briefly what made him change his mind, and then he remembered: Wallace. Eli Wallace was his responsibility. "Alright, you can go too," Eppes didn't smile, but he did sag in relief.

With his victory achieved, Eppes beat a hasty retreat, and Scott finally approached him, looking nervous. "Sir, about Eli…"

"He volunteered."

"They're not trained for this."

"Just like a lot of people we've got on this ship. I'm gonna need to know what they're made of."

"He'll slow us down," Scott wasn't just talking about his weight.

"Well, if he does, you send him back to the Gate. Listen, if we're gonna make it - and I'm not just talking about the next few hours - we're gonna need everyone on board to step up," Scott nods his head in understanding, turning to leave. "Lieutenant…Keep an eye on Rush."

O0O~O0O~Page~Break~O0O~O0O

Charlie entered the room behind the group, dressed much as his student, with an extra unclaimed military camouflage uniform over his attire. Rush was buckling his pack on, choosing to go without the vest like Charlie, while Eli stood next to Lieutenant Scott at the head of the group. Scott was the only one wearing his standard back gear, making him stand out.

Eli smiled softly at Matt, putting his hat on backwards, completely against regulations, making the professor smile. "Think there could be dinosaurs?" He heard Eli ask as he took up his position next to Rush.

Scott turned to him and smiled. "Anything's possible," he answered. Another half second passed and they broke into peals of laughter. The tension in the group lifted as the chuckling echoed in the room. Scott turned to smile at the Colonel who was at the back of the group. "We'll be back, sir."

"Good luck," Everett replied, sounding a little solemn.

Scott paused when he reached the Gate before stepping through. Eli followed shortly after with Greer, Palmer, Franklin, and a Marine that Charlie didn't recognize. Charlie was the second to last to step through, Rush bringing up the rear. Rush stopped at the event horizon, turning to look back at the Colonel. Young nodded to him once and Nicholas gave him a slight smile before he turned and confidently entered the Stargate.

O0O~O0O~Page~Break~O0O~O0O

Holy-Sweet-Mary-Mother-of-God. I'm finished. Freaking Finally. Okay, yes, I realize that this is long overdue. Reviews would go a long way in making me crank these out faster. Onto the actual AN I will be following the story line until about Water, in which case I will branch from the transcripts and put in a little of my own plot. After which, I will be deviating from the episode Justice, and then it will truly be mostly just me cranking out almost completely original chapters with the occasional transcripted episode in for posterity sake.

I will be using the episode Time, because that was one of my favorites, by far. The romancing won't begin for Charlie and Greer until after the episode Light…about chapter seven. But don't get me wrong, there will be flirting, definitely. Rush and Everett, will be probably around chapter ten, I'm thinking. Chloe and Matt will be in the lead with chapter six, possibly even five.

Chapter five is already in the works and I have two pages done…out of like an expected 40. Hopefully by the end of this week, possibly the next. Maybe even tomorrow if I'm feeling ambitious, people actually review, and if Skyrim would leave me alone with its shininess… just downloaded a Mod so my horse wouldn't be so retarded.

Reviews…pretty please.

-Theta

PS: The Lottery by Shirley Jackson was a fascinating short story that I actually enjoyed with my morbid humor. If you haven't read it I suggest you do, it's only like ten pages long.