When she woke up, Evy felt the heavy weight of Carson's arm on her waist, keeping her in place, his body pressed against hers. It was the best feeling she'd had in a long time and she revelled in it for a little while. After returning from their shared off-world mission, a strange quiet had descended on Atlantis. Due to the high number of missions, often leading to dangerous and high intensity situations, Dr. Weir had called for a time out of at least a week, which meant more time for Evy and Carson to sneak away and spend as much time as they could together.

They'd found themselves sneaking into quieter parts of the city, relaxing, reading, talking and just normal things they would have done on earth and for a moment there was a comforting peacefulness. Even Kavanagh's near daily appearances in the library didn't get to her as much as they did before.

Their nights were still mostly spent in Carson's quarters and for some reason, no one had seemed to have noticed anything yet. If they had, at least they were polite enough to not mention it to either of them, giving them the luxury and liberty to explore what it was like to be together. It was the best week she'd spent in Atlantis so far and Evy sighed contentedly, leaning into the warm body next to her.

'Hello there.' A soft voice murmured into her hair. 'Just a little longer. Please.'

'Elizabeth called a meeting in a short while.' Evy whispered but she couldn't make herself remove the protective arm draped so warmly around her. The feeling of safety it provided her, hit her to the core.

'Let em rot.'

Evy smiled. 'I'll be sure to let her know.'

'Oh god, I just know what she'll say: "Always remember that this mission isn't about you. It's about all of us and all of humanity."'

'So you're telling me that I need to get out of bed for the rest of humanity?'

'No doubt about it.'

The hallways had been buzzing with activity as she had finally made her way to the conference room, nearly an hour later, stomach grumbling as Carson had convinced her that spending more time in bed with him was a fine idea as opposed to a hearty breakfast. New supplies had been delivered earlier that week so most of them were in pleasant moods, being able to restock on simple essentials such as their favorite brand of toothpaste or even a different kind of soap. Work was just beginning and Evy had zigzagged her way past people and machines alike. For a moment she spotted Storm somewhere among the crowds and his stare met hers, her face hardening as he blew her a sarcastic kiss. 'Fuck off.' She swore under her breath.

All the activity created a peculiar music that melted together with her steady pace as she nearly ran up the last steps. She was the last to arrive and gingerly greeted the crowd before her. Weir, Sheppard, Teyla, McKay, Ronon, Radek, Lorne and Kavanagh. The usual suspects and some extras, she thought to herself.

'Now that we're all here,' Weir started, looking pointedly at Evy,' let's get started. As we've probably already all noticed, the Wraith are becoming more bold by the day and nearly any planet we currently set foot on is or has been targeted.'

'Not this again.' Sheppard signed, looking from Dr. Weir to Teyla.

'No John, I am with you and I'm not suspecting anyone. We all know that the Wraith are desperate and attack harder every time.' She replied, putting the brakes on what could potentially turn into an argument. 'We need to find a better way to detect and defend ourselves and our allies. Better cross Stargate controls, if we are transporting our people and supplies off world. I am well aware of what we all signed up for, knowing the risks but I believe we are rapidly approaching critical levels and we need better counter measures and technology in place!'

'What are you suggesting then?' It was Mckay who spoke up first but from his jerky movements, Evy knew Kavanagh was ready to burst. From the look on his face, one might think he was carrying the weight of the galaxy on his shoulders.

'We are dealing with a complex security threat, we need to remember that, but that doesn't mean we need to find a solution on our own. Major Sheppard, not too long ago you and your team came across a planet where the people were far more advanced in technology than we've seen on many other planets. Can you elaborate a bit?'

Evy sat back and mentally prepared herself for a long sit when, instead of Colonel Sheppard, Dr. McKay took over and went on about a civilization they'd come across and the already high technological development they boasted. Supplemented by Radek's occasional information, it took them nearly half an hour before Teyla raised her hand to stop the onslaught of information. Looking around, Evy was relieved to see she was not the only one thankful for her interruption. Across the table, the last few minutes she'd spent glancing over at Kavanagh, whose face was slowly turning a deeper shade of red, like a volcano waiting to erupt.

'These are not people who will simply give up their secrets and technology. Their trust will need to be won a little at a time.' Teyla explained. 'They are likely to bargain for access to the Ancient technology and we know they will ask for either something of value or our knowledge in return. They've already asked us to help them with instrument-training, once we've found out what it does.'

'Well then why don't we do this.' Dr. Weir folded her hands in front of her on the table. She'd made it very clear that they couldn't afford to be caught off guard again and from the look on her face, she was ready to bargain hard. 'Send in two teams. Sheppard and Lorne. Sheppard, you get the negotiations back on track. I have no qualms in training them if, and only if, this technology can be beneficial to all of us. Lorne, you and your team scan the area and get the lay of the land. While we need them and their technology, those labs are hidden within their mountains and from what you've told me, no Puddle Jumpers can land there. We will need to go on foot and we will need to offer them what we can to get there.'

'Absolutely not!' The volcano had finally erupted, to Evy's secret delight, and Kavanagh was breathing fire. 'Ridiculous.'

'Excuse me?' With her eyes steely cold and the square of her shoulder, Dr. Weir made it clear she was demanding an explanation for his outburst. 'These people are open to making the equipment available to our researchers. Normally, I would not immediately say yes to a direct exchange when it comes down to knowledge but considering the strain our labs have been under, having an additional core lab with local researchers helping us, gives us a great chance for in-house knowledge sharing as well as a pair of extra hands.'

'You cannot be serious?' Kavanagh asked.

'Like a heart attack.' Elizabeth raised her eyebrows in surprise.

'This is ridiculous. You expect us to give these people training in something we don't even know what it does yet and you're happy to work with them? We don't even know them. We don't know if we can trust them. For all you know they're working with the Genii on developing a new nuclear warhead. I did not sign up for this suicide mission.'

Dr. Weir inhaled sharply. 'As a scientist at this base, you're not only responsible for finding out what the technology is for, you are responsible for getting it to work as well and writing the appropriate manuals on how to use it. We do not have the luxury of multiple technological teams to help us out so I am providing us with an alternative and I expect all of you to show support. We don't know them properly yet but Teyla has traded with them for many years and while I admit that the experience with the Genii has left us with a sour after-taste, there are those moments we need to take chances.'

A muscle in Kavanagh's jaw twitched and he ground his teeth together. 'We may have met with some success in the past but this is just shooting with hail. These people are not advanced. From what we've been told, they're as primitive as they come. They are closer to Athossian development than our own. Their knowledge, their voices will be drowned out within seconds when fighting up against our superior skills and technology.'

Teyla shifted in her seat and was about to open her mouth when the most unlikeliest of allies came to her defence and that of their soon to be host planet. McKay stood up and leaned his hands on the table. With an uncharacteristically loud voice he roared through the room. 'We cannot ignore the voices of the Athosians or any of the nations and the people we come in contact with. Diversification is essential to test our scientific theories because the technology we currently possess just isn't there yet. We cannot run scientific sequences or scenario's through our existing programmes and get meaningful results.' He straightened himself up and ran his hands through his hair in frustration. 'It is beyond hypocritical to think that just because we are from Earth, we have all the answers. There is more than enough for us to learn from others. To start with how to get to the damn machines in the first place.' By the end of his speech, McKay was out of breath and slightly red in the face. He sank back down into his chair while the rest of the table was left staring at him in wonder.

'That was... uncharacteristically noble of you Rodney.' Dr. Weir nodded at the man.

She knew she had to tread cautiously but a triumphant feeling surged inside of her when she spoke up. 'I agree with Dr. McKay.' Evy leaned forward. 'We need the locals. They have lived in these mountains and have been around this technology all their lives. They may not know what it does but getting there is troublesome enough and they understand the specific challenges of the terrain better than our team. If we block any kind of communication we will likely be missing out on important information.'

But Kavanagh was not put out by Evy's push back and slammed his hand on the table. 'There's no guarantee that there will be anything useful for us to learn from those machines or these people.' He shook his head and then turned to Dr. Weir. 'You are willing to risk our knowledge and our safety and for what? Another ridiculous mission that puts our people in danger?'

Before Dr. Weir could answer Evy was back up in arms and gave Kavanagh a withering glare. 'You are not the gatekeeper here but let's be honest, keep those gates closed and I can assure you, you're going to miss out on a lot of new perspectives.'

'What is that supposed to mean?' He asked.

'That's enough of that, this discussion is over.' Dr. Weir interjected before Evy could open her mouth. 'I've made my decision and that's final. Colonel Sheppard, assemble your team and prepare for departure. Dr. Kavanagh, I will expect full cooperation from you when the team returns and that's the end of it.'

A slight touch on her shoulder from Sheppard made Evy sit back and Dr. Weir continued the conversation but she could feel Kavanagh's eyes on her. Burning a hole in her head from the side. She'd challenged him openly for the first time in public and the way never took his eyes off of her made her cringe. Like her, he had been ready for a fight, even at a table full of peers.

An hour later, Evy found herself in the armory, suiting up, her backpack stuffed next to her. She ran her fingers over the rough, black fabric of her sleeves and was completely lost in thought when Sheppard appeared next to her, holding out a small torch for her, which she dutifully shoved in one of the left-over pockets. 'How do you do it?' She asked as she zipped up her jacket.

Sheppard handed her a backpack. 'What do you mean?'

'How do you prepare yourself for trips like this, with people like that,' she nodded in the direction of the conference room, 'knowing that there is so much we know nothing about.'

Sheppard shrugged. 'I guess I always focus on getting everyone home safely, in whatever way possible. Expect the unexpected and that desire to get people home is a powerful motivator, let me tell you. I try not to reflect too much on my own challenges because they distract me. The more I focus on the task at hand, the easier it is to switch, whatever is thrown at me. There will always be those people,' he briefly looked over his shoulder at a fuming Kavanagh who busied himself with shoving his gear into a similar backpack as Evy's. 'Who insist on things going perfectly. Nothing ever does, we are human after all, which makes us all a liability, one way or another. If you forget, you're labouring under false assumptions, so you need to keep your antennas up for anything that appears out of the ordinary. That's all.'

'That's all?'

'Well, I guess we all have to be a little mad but I always observe what's going on with a bit of curiosity. That way there's never a surprise I am rarely prepared for.'

'Sounds like a lot of work.'

'Then let me worry about it and you do what you're supposed to do.'

Her laugh vibrated in her chest. 'It's a deal.'