"I would have thought of this a lot sooner if you'd said something about it before," Sheppard grumbled, staring at the artifacts sitting side by side.
"I told you, I don't spend a lot of time in my room. I figured it had been going for days and I just hadn't been around to notice," Rodney said, checking the various readings he was receiving. "The bigger question is, why would someone make two identical devices that cause a time loop on a totally random day?"
"Maybe the day isn't totally random," the colonel said with a shrug.
Rodney looked at him. "Alright, let's hear it. Do you have some brilliant theory?"
Sheppard shrugged again. "Maybe they used it when they made a mistake. Take our problem with Cooper, for example. If one of the Ancients was shot, the others might have tried to restart so they could fix the events before they happened."
"And you think the devices remember the date they were supposed to work and turned on by themselves?" he asked. "Wouldn't they have gone off every year, then? Considering the place they were last, I doubt anybody had the knowledge or the resources to shut them down."
"We both have the gene, right? Maybe we activated them when Teyla brought them back."
"So how do we deactivate them?"
Sheppard shook his head. "We've got some C4."
Rodney gave him a look. "Oh, yes, the universal problem solver. Just blow it up! Do you have any idea what might happen if we just destroy these? We might permanently trap ourselves in this loop."
"Well, fine, do you got any bright ideas?" the colonel snapped.
Rodney frowned, staring intently at the devices. He checked his watched and his anxiety seemed to mount. "We've got ten minutes before the next loop. I don't really want to go around again."
"We might have to. At least we'll still know the stuff we know, just keep thinking."
The scientist began to pace, muttering to himself. "Can't just 'think' it off... Control crystals, maybe?" He picked up one of the devices, turning it over in his hands. "I don't see how to open it."
Sheppard lifted the other one and likewise examined it. There didn't seem to be any seams or hinges, no sign that the object could be taken apart. That wouldn't make much sense. These things had to operate somehow, and Ancient devices, much as Sheppard liked to think so, didn't run on some magic mojo. Something this powerful had to have some kind of interfacing.
"This looks like a button," he finally said, pressing his thumb into the circle at the center. It didn't budge, so he pressed harder.
"Colonel - careful!"
"It is a button!" he said happily, and the device opened up like a flower in his hand. "Hey, look - mini control crystals."
"Really?" Rodney pressed down on his own button and his similarly opened. "Then if we just take these out, the loop should stop." He reached for the little glass-like pieces, but he never touched them.
. . .
This time, when Sheppard woke up, he dove for his laundry and seized the time-looper. Without pausing to make any modifications, he took off running for Rodney's room. He hoped he wasn't too late, that the idiot hadn't already started.
His heart sank upon entering. The scientist was sitting triumphantly next to a dismantled Ancient device, the crystals shining in his hand. "No more Wednesday!" he crowed.
"Rodney, you moron!" Sheppard growled. "What about Cooper?"
His smiled faltered. "I-"
"We still don't know what's happening! What if she walks in there today and they shoot her again? We don't get another chance!"
"Will you calm down? We still have a few hours to think, we can do this," Rodney said, though his voice was on a higher pitch. "Why would they choose her over everyone else?"
"I think the question is why do they choose her over no one else," said the colonel as he began to pace. "When she's not there, everything's fine. It's something about her, I just don't know what it is."
"Is it the way she walks?"
"That's dumb."
"Oh, come on, give me some credit here."
Sheppard shook his head, closing his eyes as he pictured the scene. "She always has bare arms. Her uniform shirt is MIA, but Teyla always has a tank-top on, too. It's not because she's a woman. It's not because she's an intruder. I can't..." His eyes snapped open, the answer hitting him with the weight of a blue whale. "The tattoo."
Rodney's brow furrowed. "What?"
"Her tattoo, the triangle on her shoulder. It's always visible, she's the only one who has it." His excitement mounted. "It makes so much sense! Every time the guards see it, they immediately get on the defensive, telling Magtok to get behind them like they're protecting him. That triangle must be an evil sign for their people."
"See, this is why I never got into the tattoos," said the scientist, already pulling apart Sheppard's time device. "I had a really Catholic grandma who always told me tattoos were signs of pagans or devil worshippers. Good thing I listened."
Sheppard looked at him. "Yeah. I'd have expected you to forsee yourself going to a different galaxy and encountering people who don't even know what a pizza is."
"There are people back on Earth with the same reservations about skin markings. It's not a silly thing to be concerned about."
Sheppard had already tuned out. "Whatever. I need to make sure everything's ready today. Also, I'm borrowing this." He snatched Rodney's jacket off a chair, ignoring the scientist's protests, and headed out of the room.
. . .
His foot was tapping a hundred beats per minute. It was making Lorne antsy, but he couldn't help himself. Cooper hadn't been assigned to the team of soldiers, which meant she'd either come in on her way out of the gym, or she wouldn't come in at all. He hoped he'd catch her in time, before the Aorans had a chance to see the triangle.
Pleasantries were exchanged. Elizabeth smiled graciously, totally oblivious to what had been happening for over a week. The old Aoran leader smiled, complimenting the place like he had every damn day.
And then he saw her. Cooper was just walking into the room. Without bothering to warn anyone, Sheppard broke formation and took off up the stairs. He could hear Elizabeth falter, then continue so as not to bring attention to him. She'd question his actions later. Cooper herself looked surprised, stopping as he ran to her. "Sorry, sir, I lost track of time and-"
"Here." He shoved the jacket at her, making sure to cover up the tattoo. "Put it on."
She made a face. "Sir, isn't this Rodney's?"
"You can take a shower later. Put it on, that's an order."
Looking concerned now, she pulled her arms through the sleeves. "I don't understand, sir. What's going on?"
"I'm making a new rule," he said, relaxing now that the plan was complete. "No visible tattoos. You don't have that thing covered up, you don't go anywhere. Understood?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good. Go to your quarters and don't come out until the Aorans are gone. I'll come help you find your uniform shirt later."
She raised her eyebrows. "How did you-"
"Just go."
She hesitated, then nodded and exited the Gate room. Sheppard breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, things could go back to normal. Or, as normal as they ever were in Atlantis.
