Les1- Hey I like Billy Joel-- it's McKay that doesn't!
:P
Dee- Wow. My ego-- it flies! Seriously, those are some kind words there, and I'm glad you think so.
anatoliaone1 - I saw what you wrote over at SGAHC, and I just wanted to say thanks-- that was very awesome of you.
Greywolf Lupous- a bone? Hm… well, I'll just tell you- if someone somehow managed to guess what was really going on-- I would be very, very surprised. Like, flabbergasted. So, my suggestion to you would be just… 'go with the flow', I suppose. (:
a golden starfish- I thought that was you! Good thing you like suspense, because, uh… well, just read on.

More?
(7)

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Turning the corner for my lab, I wondered if Carson could be right about his explanation for the sudden visions. I wanted him to be right- but his rationalization just seemed too easy. 'You need sleep.' Right.

I'd gone longer without it.

"Ah, there you are!" I heard Radek Zelenka call cheerfully before I saw him; I'd been staring down at my boots as I'd walked into the lab, lost in thought.

"Why are you so happy?" I asked grumpily. It's true, misery does love company. Not unusually cheerful foreigners.

"Where is your radio? I've been trying to contact you-- Oh, never mind." he interrupted himself as I remembered that I'd left it in my quarters this morning. I'd been a bit preoccupied, hadn't I? Rubbing his hands together excitedly, he went on, "I've found something Ancient. Something you should see."

I scratched my head hesitantly. Normally I'd be all for inspecting new stuff, but I was disconcerted with my episodes from earlier and I wanted time to brood. Something I'd been denied all morning. I waved at the MALP vaguely with my injured hand, "I've still got to fix -- "

"Oh, I finished it as I waited for you." He cut me off briskly. "Very simple. So, you will come with me to see them?"

"I've already seen the Bales," I said impatiently. "Lieutenant Ford's back with Beckett if you want company that badly."

"Bales," his brow creased in confusion that bordered on irritation. "I… I do not know what Bales are, but, what I have found are probably much better."

"As in more than one?" My interested was piqued almost against my will.

A grin started across his face, "Much more."

I remained doubtful, "I don't know, I'd still like to make sure you fixed the MALP correctly -- "

He frowned, saying, "Come on! It's ah, fun things I found!"

"Fun?"

Zelenka nodded quickly, his smile returning.

"I… could use some fun."

-

He led me to one of the transporters, pressing on the map for a previously unexplored portion of Atlantis and giving me a big grin.

I didn't return it.

The ride in the transporter was quick, and when the doors slid open Radek immediately took off down the hall, making me call, "Hey! Wait up!" as I chased after him.

He disappeared into a side room, and I cursed under my breath. Damn, he could be fast when he wanted to be… Finally catching up, I planned on giving Zelenka a speech on proper etiquette -- but ended up stopping short when I saw what filled the room.

"Whoa." was all I could manage. Not exactly brilliant, but it fit the moment.

Radek stood off to my left, still grinning, "It is something, isn't it?"

The room was jam-packed withbowling-ball sized machines. They covered the floor once you were about two feet in-- and the room wasn't small by any means. If I had to guess, I'd say there were about a hundred of them sitting in there.

The little machines looked similar to bowling balls too, the only difference being intricate etchings on their side and the metallic color of their casings.

"Yeah." I said, the side of my mouth lifting as I stepped through the doorway, "What are they?"

Zelenka shook his head, "I don't know for sure, but… I found this," I glanced over and saw him indicating a small portion of the wall next to him, covered in tiny writings of Ancient language that had actually been engraved into the wall. "and well, I believe the writing says they may be… toys."

I blinked in surprise, saying, "Really?" then bustled over and moved him out of the way so I could get a closer look at the inscription in question.

Ten minutes later I announced that the little machines might be toys.

Zelenka rolled his eyes.

Twenty minutes later, I determined that the writings were rules to a very complex game involving them. The instructions were written very sloppily, though, as if children had done it. So unfortunately, I couldn't really understand most of the juvenile wordings they used describing the game. Although I did conclude, rather uselessly, that if the balls made contact with one another, your team got a penalty.

I tired of deciphering the illegible instructions though, much more eager to find out what made the spheres 'tick'. Or if, in fact, they would even work after being left alone for ten thousand years. Probability suggested yes, but you never knew.

Radek had sat on the ground during my reading time, rolling a ball back and forth between his hands, obviously bored.

"Here. Lemme' see that." I said to him, turning away from the information on the wall and holding out a hand.

He continued pushing the ball back and forth, staring at me over his glasses. The look held a clear 'get your own.'

"Fine, fine." I sighed, walking up to the mass of spheres and reaching out for one.

The ball reacted immediately to my forged-ATA gene touch; the intricate designs lighting up in beautiful colors and shining brightly. I looked over at Zelenka, smirking, "I bet you wish yours did that."

He ignored me, pointing, "Look."

I glanced back down and was surprised to see the ball rise slowly from the ground of its own accord, finally floating lazily in front of my face. I lifted a hand, preparing to touch it again, but before I could, several compartments suddenly opened on the ball, and little transceivers poked out of them, revolving not un-like tiny satellites would.

"Whoa! Cool!" I exclaimed delightedly with a grin. "Man, I would've killed for a toy like this-- er, when I, um. When I was a kid, that is."

Radek, who was now standing, apparently decided to disregard my obvious slip of the tongue, instead saying eagerly, "I wonder… what would happen if we turned on two at the same time?"

My eyes brightened at the suggestion. "Now that's an experiment!"

I activated another one, and we were slightly disappointed to get the same results with this one as we had with the previous. I guess we secretly expected them to start shooting at each other with lasers or something.

"If they are part of a game, I believe they would probably have an inner score-keeper." Zelenka said suddenly, scooping his ball up from the floor and turning it around in his hands, "Maybe there is a way we could look up the last scores…"

I titled my head to the side, figuring out what he meant. "You mean find out how good the Ancients were at their own game from ten thousand years ago? Interesting prospect."

"Yes, I think so." He shrugged, "We may also figure out how to play the game."

"Quite right." I said, clapping my hands together enthusiastically and turning to leave. "Okay. I'm going to go grab some tools. I'll be back."

-

As promised, I returned quickly enough, and we spent the entire morning sitting on the floor, dissecting and scanning the spheres, occasionally muttering things to ourselves, and sometimes even letting the other in on what we'd found out. Mostly though, we typed things into our respective laptops, trying to crack the code of the game.

When lunch came 'round, we reluctantly left the spheres and headed for the mess hall, talking excitedly as we walked. My earlier visions had long receded to the back of my mind; I didn't want to, nor did I feel like figuring that out right now. I had new toys to play with! Er, experiments to work on, I mean.

"It's obvious they send their scores and/or penalties into a main computer that doesn't exist anymore."

"Obvious, yes, but I do not think the computer doesn't exist, perhaps we just haven't found it yet?"

I scoffed at his bad judgment, asking, "Don't you think they'd keep their 'score keeping' computer in the same room with the other parts of the game?"

He frowned thoughtfully, "That would be the logical thing, but maybe -- "

"No, the computer's gone." I waved a hand dismissively, wanting to move on from that topic. "But that doesn't matter," I insisted, "because we could make any of the computers on Atlantis work with them!"

From his frown and skeptical positioning of the eyebrows, I shrewdly deduced that he was doubtful. "It would take a bit of work, but I know I, er--we can do it." I amended. "Seriously, we'd just have to alter the spheres programs--"

"Rodney!"

Surprised at the sudden interruption, I turned to see Elizabeth jogging towards us, demanding, "Where have you been?"

Zelenka gave me a slightly sympathetic smile as he continued on to the mess hall, leaving me to face Weir alone.
After giving a dirty look to his quickly retreating back, I turned to Weir and started, "Elizabeth, I--"

"Where's your radio?" she asked, coming to a stop in front of me.

I reached a hand up to my ear, finding it curiously radio-less. Second time I'd been asked that question today, I realized. "Oh. I left it in my quarters -- "

She shook her head, waving a hand dismissively, "Never mind. Just -- you need to have your radio with you at all times." She gave me a look, crossing her arms over her chest. "You know that."

Frowning at the chastising way she spoke to me, I defended myself, "Of course I know that! I just… I was busy this morning with…" I tried to think of what to say, finally settling on a tactful, "Well, I just got preoccupied all right? It… uh, it won't happen again." Hopefully.

Elizabeth pursed her lips, obviously considering my words before she nodded. "Good. Now, how's the MALP situation coming?" she asked, "I was planning on sending that one out today… "

"Ah, yes." I said, glad with the turn in conversation, "Well, Kavanaugh somehow managed to load a virus in its program when he was going through some readings- just as I'd first suspected. Of course, I found the problem after many hours of painstakingly going through report after report--"

"You fixed it then?" she cut me off.

"It's fixed." I confirmed, only slightly put-out by her lack of interest in the work I'd done. Nothing new there. "I'll have it brought to the 'gate room for you."

She smiled appreciatively, "Good. That's all I wanted to know." Uncrossing her arms, she half-way turned, saying, "Now, go get your radio Rodney."

"Right." - after I grab some lunch, I added to myself, parting ways with Elizabeth and continuing to the mess hall.

My stomach growled hungrily as the smell of the mess hall reached my nose. Very bizarre. I usually never allowed myself to get hungry enough for my stomach to growl like that.
Walking up to the lunch line, I promptly filled my tray with unappetizing food I would've overlooked if I'd been on Earth and had more of a selection to choose from.

"McKay!" I saw Zelenka waving at me from his table with a big smile, surrounded by other scientists and no doubt telling them of the Ancient toys he'd found.

I grabbed a cup of ruby-colored Athosian juice, setting it precariously on my already full tray and turning around to join them.
I froze in mid-step; heart jumping up into my throat.

There, sitting next to Radek at the lunch table, was my long deceased father.

He wasn't there a moment ago, but he was there now. His dead eyes stared at me vacantly, apparently unbothered by the maggots crawling around them; the gray, decomposing skin of his face peeling away to reveal bones.

I couldn't breath. What? I couldn't think. This wasn't real.

But there he was, defying reality and continuing to sit between Radek and a scientist's name I couldn't remember right now even if I wanted to.

I glanced at Zelenka, who was still chattering away happily, unawares of the zombie-like figure beside him. The bright sun shone through the large windows around the room, lighting up their table, and making this whole event seem even more surreal.

Dad slowly rose to his feet, reaching a sickeningly thin hand out towards me, and though he wasn't nearly close enough to me for this to be possible, the smell of his decaying flesh assaulted my nostrils, triggering my stomach muscles to clench in protest as its contents threatened to rise.

I involuntarily took a step back, feeling ill. This wasn't happening, it simply was not happening -- because I know he's six feet under the ground in Robinson Hill Cemetery.

I remembered helping mom pick out the casket, I remembered it being lowered into the ground, I remembered speaking at the funeral, hell, I even remembered how uncomfortable my suit was that day! So, obviously, this wasn't real.

The hand continued to reach out for me though, a layer of skin from his decaying arm ripping away and falling onto the lunch table with a sickening 'plop.'

I had a vice-like grip on the tray in my hands, knuckles white, still unable to draw a breath.

As his dead eyes continued to bore holes through my own, long un-used lungs rattled with air they shouldn't be able to fill with, sending chills up my spine while allowing my father to moan, "Rodney…"

The tray slipped from my hands, crashing onto the floor, food rolling everywhere, juice splattering my pants and boots.

"Rodney…" he groaned again, his mouth hanging open to expose a rotting tongue.

I fled from the mess hall, not even hearing Radek call after me.

---

---

tbc