The personnel in the gateroom stared expectantly at the gate, waiting for the Jumper to return. Sheppard, who had returned to the control room when the autopilot was engaged, was pacing in front of McKay.
"How long has it been?" Woolsey asked.
"Seventeen minutes." McKay answered glaring at Sheppard, who was ignoring how much his pacing was annoying McKay.
The room fell silent again as all eyes remained fixed on the gate. Suddenly the ring burst into life as a wormhole was established.
"Receiving an IDC." Chuck said. "It is SGA 8. Transmission coming through."
"Atlantis do you read?"
"Go ahead. This is Sheppard."
"We have the Jumper Sir."
"That's good. Mind telling me why you are late? I thought marines prided themselves on their timing." Sheppard replied.
"Well Sir, the Jumper had a bit of company when it came through the gate. We thought it was best to gate to a couple of other addresses before returning home."
"Good thinking Captain." Sheppard replied before Woolsey jumped in.
"Are you sure that you are not being followed?"
"Yes Sir. It was a small recon device that came through the gate after the Jumper. We blew it up, then gated away. We are confident that we covered our tracks."
"Very well. We are lowering the shield." Woolsey said, nodding to Chuck to deactivate the shield.
"McKay get up to the hanger bay and find out what happened after we lost contact, what followed the Jumper through and what type of force we are looking at." Sheppard ordered. "While you are at it, see if you can find any weaknesses in the enemy. Make sure you scan the data for any sign from our guys." Sheppard added. "Oh and find out just how they were able to find our cloaked Jumper."
"Would you like coffee with that?" McKay muttered as he left the control room before calling. "Zelenka! Hurry up."
As SGA 8 came through the gate in their Jumper, towing the one that had been on autopilot Sheppard radioed. "Captain when you are parked get down here ASAP for a de-briefing."
"Notify me when SGA 8 is ready. I had better start on the report." Woolsey said, before heading to his office.
Sheppard turned and started heading for the conference room. He noticed Major Lorne's team and Jennifer heading through the door. "Major, where are you going?"
"To the briefing Sir."
"Why?"
"To find out what is going on. I mean, we kind of kicked this chain of events off."
"None of what is happening is your fault." Sheppard said firmly. "Besides aren't you all meant to be resting?"
"The doc cleared us to be here."
"The same doctor who is currently not cleared to clear you or be here?"
"Sounds about right."
"Just go in there and sit down before you all collapse." Sheppard eventually responded before turning to Ronon. "I thought you were meant to be stopping the doc from working." He said when the others were out of earshot.
"She is just observing." Ronon answered.
"And this way he is able to keep a closer eye on her." Teyla added with a hint of a smile.
Before Sheppard could respond SGA 8 came bounding up the steps.
"Colonel." Captain Shaw greeted.
"Captain. Go take a seat in the conference room, I'll get Woolsey."
Woolsey eventually followed Sheppard into the conference room and took his seat at the head of the table. Getting straight down to business Woolsey said.
"So Captain, this remote drone that followed the Jumper through, was it armed?"
"There were no obvious weapons, but it looked very different to what we had seen before, so there could well have been some weaponry."
"So it did not fire on you?"
"No Sir."
"Let me get this straight you shot down an alien device, which showed you no hostile intentions."
"Sir it did not fire on us as we were cloaked. I was told that if the Jumper came through, to assume it was under attack."
"It's alright Captain, you followed the rules of engagement." Sheppard assured him as Woolsey furiously scribbled on his notepad. "I take it you completely destroyed whatever it was?"
"Yes Sir. I also assumed that just in case it had a transmitter you would not want us picking up the debris. So as soon as the gate de-activated we grabbed the Jumper and gated through to a backup site."
"I think I have found them." McKay exclaimed bursting into the room, typing on his tablet PC.
"Found who Dr McKay?" Woolsey asked, unable to hide the strain in his voice.
"Our team."
"Alive?" Sheppard asked.
"No way to tell for sure."
"Then how do you know you found them?" Woolsey asked.
"Using very complex analysis techniques, which you will have no hope of understanding." McKay explained smugly, before noticing the irate looks on Sheppard's and Woolsey's faces. "No offence." He added looking slightly apologetic. "Anyway the point is I know where the Jumper is and there is no hostile activity nearby."
"So we can just go in and get them?" Sheppard asked sounding hopeful.
"Colonel the last Jumper that went through was found by the enemy, despite being cloaked." Woolsey interrupted.
"Yes, but not because they can see through our cloak." McKay said as if explaining to a small child.
"And you know that because…?" Sheppard asked.
"The second we shut off communication with the Jumper, the hostile vessels stopped tracking it. If they could see through the cloak, the Jumper would have been shot down."
"So how did they find it in the first place?" Lorne asked.
"We were effectively sending out a homing beacon."
"The Jumpers don't have homing beacons." Woolsey said.
"I don't mean a homing beacon in the traditional sense. Look we were sending information to the Jumper and the Jumper was sending us the scans and pictures. They, that is these aliens, intercepted the data packet the Jumper was transmitting and used it to home in on the position."
"So as long as there is no communication, the Jumper is undetectable?" Sheppard asked for clarification.
"Yes."
"So we could just program the Jumper to go in, pick up the other Jumper and leave?" Sheppard questioned.
"No." McKay answered. "Well in principle yes, but the other Jumper is still cloaked. To pick it up will need to be done manually. We have managed to extend the cloak to cover the grapping hook, but the hooking will need someone at the controls."
"Then I do not believe that we can risk it." Woolsey said. "If the crew are still alive, then I am sure they can wait it out until the hostiles leave. Then we will go in and get them."
"Bollocks to that." Kenyon exclaimed. "We can't just leave them there."
"That decision is not up to you." Woolsey calmly responded.
"Look the Jumpers are clearly not detectable as long as they don't transmit, so it will be an easy in, easy out mission." Sheppard countered.
"Well he has jinxed it now." Young whispered to Lorne.
"You really want to risk more lives to rescue a team that we don't know are still alive?"
"Can I remind you, Elizabeth, McKay Carson, Ronon, Teyla and myself risked our lives to save you and General O'Neill, when your status was unknown." Sheppard answered. "We do not leave men behind. No matter what the risk is."
Woolsey took off his glasses and cleaned them, whilst considering his response. "Ok Colonel. One attempt and only one. If you can't get them this time we wait."