A/N: This is a rather short one again. I originally wanted it to be longer, but decided to keep it short. Hope you like it!

Chapter 61

2008

Jonas was talking to one of the village elders. She'd been sick early on and had survived the Plague. Sixty percent did. It wasn't a huge relief. It also meant that forty percent died. Keller was hard at work trying to find a cure, but without Beckett's help that wouldn't come easily. Even with Beckett there to help her, it might still take years.

Michael hadn't been caught yet and Evan couldn't help but wonder if they ever would. He operated in secret, even more so than Ba'al did, and he'd been quick enough to change his main base of operations once he'd realized his security system had been breached by McKay. Yes, the worlds on which people got sick became fewer, but the death toll was already in the millions. Nothing could bring those who'd lost their lives back. And it was their fault.

Jonas clapped the woman on the shoulder and nodding, smiling encouragingly at her, the way only he could. He'd somehow found the optimistic side of him again. Work, being away from his past, being with other friends, had done that. No matter how much damage these friends had caused in two galaxies. Jonas had decided to join them. First they'd brought the Ori to the Milky Way galaxy, as a result of which his people had perished. Then they'd awoken the Wraith and the Replicators and unleashed the monster that was Michael upon this galaxy. Really, their track record wasn't good.

But Jonas was here despite of that. This wasn't his home, the Tau'ri weren't his people, but he was here to help where he could, and Evan admired him for it. He'd made a place for himself without ever hoping to return home. His people had found refuge among the Larsans, helping them in rebuilding their society and adding their own to it. Those kids would greatly benefit from the Langaran experiences, Evan was sure of that, but this clearly wasn't the life Jonas was imagining for himself now. He'd made a new home with them, and he was starting to look happy once more.

No, Evan understood why Jonas had chosen to join the Tau'ri again. His people would be alright, whether he was there to help them or not, and he might help the rest of the galaxy by staying here and finding out as much about the Ancients as possible and helping people along the way.

Their eyes met and Jonas approached him. On the other side of the town hall, where all the sick had been brought, Woeste and Nabi were tending to patients, distributing water and food and medicine. "He says they're going to need more water," Jonas told him. "What we brought isn't nearly enough. The temperatures have been rising rapidly."

"Yeah, I noticed," Evan said, opening the zipper of his jacket a bit. It didn't bring a lot of relief. This was the last village on their trip and Woeste and Nabi were still looking at the patients. "Will you be okay here while I make another trip to Atlantis?"

Jonas nodded. "I'm going to check on the river again, gather some samples." The well had been declared clean according to Keller, which meant that the source of the Plague must be the river, which flowed through all the villages on their route. The river was used to irrigate the fields as well and accordingly it wasn't a big surprise that all these people here had fallen ill. Especially since, due to the heat of the past few weeks the well was nearly dried up.

"Take care, though."

Jonas smiled and shrugged. "Who do you think you're talking to?"

Returning the half-hearted grin, Evan clapped him on the shoulder and started moving toward the exit. "I'll see you in about two hours." It wouldn't take longer than that. Getting the water loaded onto the Jumper would take the longest, Evan gathered, but even that wouldn't cost him more that forty-five minutes.

The people lying on their backs to his left and right didn't even look up at him. The ones closest to the door were the new-arrivals. Yes, the illness had run its course for the most part, but there were always new people getting sick. When would this end? His eye fell upon a boy who couldn't be older than five, his blond curls sticking to his forehead as he lay there on a blanket. Pale as a sheet, and his eyes swimming with fever.

Evan swallowed hard and pushed the door open. There wasn't anything he could do right now, except get them more water as quickly as possible. The rest of his team would do their best to help the people around here.

He headed straight for the Jumper. He'd set it down just outside the town hall so they didn't have to carry the boxes of supplies that far. When he entered, he saw a light on the main console flashing. With a frown, he sat down in the pilot's seat and opened the log. The message had reached them about twenty minutes ago. Usually Atlantis just contacted them via radio. He'd heard that Zelenka was about to install an update on the city's communication system, however, which probably meant that voice messages had been taken out of commission for a few hours. Just another one of these avoidable glitches which happened all the time.

Closing the rear hatch and checking that nobody was in the way, he hit the button and text flashed across the screen within the cockpit.

Major Lorne,

requesting your presence at the ruins close to the Gate. Doctor Lorne would like your opinion on an artifact.

Lt. E. Johnson

Evan frowned at the message and leaned back in his seat. He couldn't quite shake the feeling that something was off. This planet hadn't been thoroughly searched, the Hoffan Plague was still raging and still breaking out in new places. Yes, fewer people were falling sick, but that didn't mean this world was safe. For all they knew, Michael's operatives might still be lurking here. So why would Woolsey allow Alex to come here?

But then again, this message had come from Atlantis, so why wouldn't it be true? It must be urgent, if Woolsey let Alex go on a mission. The man was exceptionally careful, but Evan also knew that he was keen on forwarding the science aspect of the mission once more, so how should he know what the other man was thinking. And Alex would never have agreed to go off-world if she didn't know it was safe or urgent.

This must be both.

Nowadays she was more intent on getting the research done than ever before, buried in work and translations. Maybe she'd found another clue to the puzzle of the three alien races, which had led her to the conclusion that this place might be of importance.

The burning sensation in the pit of his stomach remained however, as he started the engines, lifted the Jumper off the ground and started heading towards the ruins.

The ruins looked a lot like the Imperial Baths in Trier. They were in a better shape than the ones there had been, but the arches and the overall layout of the place reminded Alex vividly of the place where she'd worked as a tourist guide for a couple of months. The place where she'd met Evan on his birthday. They hadn't even managed to go there and really take it in again during their interrupted honeymoon two years ago.

She stepped out of the Jumper while Johnson turned off the engines and strolled over the burnt grass towards one of the walls that were still standing. Sometimes the Ancients had done this: built a place in a different style from Lantean architecture. A place without much technology and different from their usual design. There was no metal to be seen here. Just stone native to this world and high arches encircling what must have been the main bathing area.

She climbed on one of the broken stones and steadied herself on the wall to look down into what was left of the tiles down there. The villagers must have used this place as a quarry long ago. Some areas had been cleared of stone altogether so that just the foundations remained, while others were still mostly intact. Had this place been one for meditation and cleansing? One, which would eventually lead people to ascension? The layout of it alone was enough to stir her interest.

These ruins were unique in the sense that they were barely like anything she'd seen in the Pegasus Galaxy thus far. True, sometimes the architecture reminded her vividly of cities from antiquity or medieval times, but this place was old. The sandstone showed clear signs of exposure to the elements with cracks here and there and weeds growing inside them, slowly breaking what was left of the stone apart.. No wonder Evan wanted her to see this. But why the urgency? She turned around to see Johnson walking towards her, cloaking the Jumper as she went.

Alex frowned at her. "Didn't you say Major Lorne would be waiting for us?"

Johnson shrugged and looked up at the sky at the sound of an approaching Jumper. The almost high-pitched sound was immediately recognizable. The engine pods retracted as it began its descent to a spot some twenty feet to their left. It was an open area and probably always had been. Some sort of entryway into the Baths.

Putting a hand on her stomach, Alex climbed down the wall again and started towards the Jumper. Why was he late?

The cockpit was almost in front of her as he set down. He'd come alone. Why weren't the others with him? She waved at him with a frown and the smile he threw back at her almost looked insecure. Like he wasn't entirely sure of himself. He got up and started heading towards the rear hatch.

She heard footsteps behind her as Johnson approached her. "Why-" she began before a searing hot pain shot through her body. She lost her footing and fell against another body.

Johnson.

Alex blinked as darkness started to envelop her, creeping in at the edges of her vision. The last thing she saw was Evan running towards her, his eyes wide open, as he reached for his sidearm.

A/N: So… cliffhanger. Do you hate me now?