11

Finding Friends

Two years, one month and fourteen days after the second homecoming.

"So," Strom stated coldly as his eyes bored into the Czech scientist. "You are telling us that, despite everything you've found at the weapons facility and despite all the research that has been translated, you still can't understand the process of creating a single drone?"

Zelenka managed a faint, strained smile as he adjusted his glasses. "It is-," he looked somewhat frustrated, "-it is an intricate process. It's not a straight forward operation."

The French representative of the IOA committee leaned forward in his chair and fixed the scientist with a glare. "You've had months to figure it out. You are supposed to be the best of the best around here – you and your team."

"Ladies and gentlemen," General Landry broke in calmly. "Since you've all been reading the continuous reports made by the team, I am sure that you are all aware that there has been progress but no breakthroughs – yet."

"It is not good enough," the Russian representant argued. "We need those drones. We needed them yesterday!"

"Yes," the Chinese woman spoke up, "-the Lucian Alliance,"

"Can be kept in check," Landry interrupted seriously and turned to Radek. "Thank you, Doctor Zelenka. Please continue the research as you see fit and notify me if there is anything you need that might speed up the process."

"There is one thing," Radek said. "I would like to talk to Rodney about it."

OOOOOO

Two years, three months and twenty days after the second homecoming.

Colonel Ellis narrowed his eyes as the Apollo was brought out of hyperspace at the outskirts of the Ori home galaxy. Every time they ran supply runs, or just patrolling the area, he was itchy and guarded. He didn't know which enemy he feared the most; the Wraith for sucking the life out of humans, the Goa'uld for invading their hosts body, taking control over it, or the religious fanatics who followed the teachings of the ascended Ori. He shouldn't be concerned about any of them; not anymore. The Goa'uld had been defeated by SGC and the Wraith army was still in a bit of a disarray after the failed attempt to conquer Earth and the Ori was supposed to have been erased from the universe.

He reasoned that he preferred the Wraith, all they wanted was to feed; it was plain and simple. The Ori, on the other hand, had been manipulative, calculating and evil in a very disturbing way. However, this was the third run he'd done after Adria had told them that the Ori had been killed and, like on the other trips, there was no sign of any lingering Ori. Even though Tomin kept a tight leash on the teachings of the Ori nowadays, Ellis wouldn't be surprised if Adria somehow found a way to break free of the hold Morgan Le Fay had over her and start all over again.

"It seems life is still normal around here," Major Henderson offered as he put the ship in orbit around planet.

Ellis nodded, pursing his lips into a thin line, clearly skeptical. "Let's hail our friend Tomin anyway," he stated. "Tell him we're here with supplies."

"Should I alert our IOA representative and her diplomatic cohorts that we have arrived?" the Major asked curiously.

Ellis harrumphed. "By all means, the sooner they start their evaluation of this place, conduct the interviews, make a threat assessment and whatever they're going to do here, the sooner we can leave."

The Major frowned. "If you don't mind me asking, sir? What do they hope to gain from this little excursion?"

Ellis shook his head. "I have no idea, Major. I have no idea."

OOOOOO

Two years, five months and fifteen days after the second homecoming.

Rodney shot up in bed, startling Jennifer in the middle of the night.

"Good God-," he mumbled as he reached for his phone.

"Rodney? What are you doing?" Jennifer mumbled tiredly. "Do you know what time it is?"

"That untraceable call?" he began triumphantly, grinning like a maniac. "I think I know how to trace it."

Exasperated she ran a hand over her face and then began to rub her temples. She'd had a stressful day at the practice the day before and dealt with a lot of difficulties that still riled her up. The little, sleep she'd managed to get hadn't helped to sort out her emotions or soothe her nerves.

Oblivious to her emotional state, Rodney speed-dialed a number on his phone and urged the man at the other end to pick up.

"It's in the middle of the night, Rodney," a voice drawled.

"Finally," McKay fired back. "Are you at the base?"

John Sheppard rolled his eyes at the blunt directness coming from the other end. "Yeah, I just got back from a mission. I am in the infirmary and a nurse is glaring at me from the other end of the room."

"Oh," Rodney said. "Are you okay?"

"I will be, thanks for asking," came the sarcastic reply.

"I'm sorry, I don't have time for small talk. Look, are there any ships nearby? I need to be beamed over straight away. I think I can solve the mystery with the unknown caller."

"Already, Rodney?" Sheppard quipped. "It's been over a year."

"Answer the question – can you get me over there?" he pushed.

"Can't you book a flight like a normal person?" John replied sourly.

"I am trying to but my booking agent isn't exactly forthcoming at this hour," came the sarcastic reply.

John grimaced in frustration. "I'll give it a try, Rodney."

Jennifer Keller gave him a sympathetic look. "Did he hung up on you?" she asked.

Rodney got out of the bed and put on his slippers. "I need to-,"

Jennifer frowned as he was whisked away in a beam of light before her. She broke into cunning smirk and shook her head. "He's going to love that," she said to herself.

Samantha Carter schooled her mirthful expression the best she could as the Canadian scientist showed up in his pajama on the bridge of her new ship. "I like your attire," she said brightly.

He scowled at her, not the least amused. "A little warning next time?" he said.

"Actually, I was in the neighborhood and John said it was urgent," she replied.

"Well, maybe not that urgent," he said sarcastically. "Can I have five minutes?"

OOOOOO

"Finding anything interesting down here?" Evan Lorne asked as he made his way across the damaged corridor deep down in Atlantis previously flooded sections.

Daniel Jackson turned around as the Colonel neared. "A lot of things actually. Maybe not what I was originally looking for in terms of clues about the whereabouts of the secret ancient facilities - but from an archaeological point of view-," he trailed off with a careful smile.

Lorne returned the smile as he nodded. "Yeah, this city still has a lot of secrets. It's funny, you'd think we've explored every inch of it, turned every stone, looked at every nook and cranny."

"You've figured out a lot, despite all the distractions you've had with the Wraith, the Genii, ailing people in the galaxy, the travelers, the rough Asgards and the replicators just to name a few things," Daniel pointed out.

"I suppose-," Lorne drawled, giving him a faint dimpled smile, "-when you put it like that, we've covered a lot of ground."

Daniel watched two scientists walk by and trailed them with his eyes until they stepped around a corner. "How's it going with all the people turning the place upside down for you?" he asked carefully.

Lorne sighed wearily. "I don't know. There's a lot of permits to be signed, a lot of red tape, quarrelling parties, a fight for money and then some," he admitted. "I don't know what I expected but it wasn't this," he gestured with his hands around the corridor. "I am a pilot - a soldier on the field if you want - but I'm not really cut out to be a diplomat."

Doctor Jackson smirked. He had a feeling that Evan was the perfect choice for the role as a liaison officer. Lorne knew Atlantis like the back of his hand, he knew what the city could and couldn't do, he had the ancient gene so he knew how the interfaces worked and he had been the SIC to Colonel Sheppard for four years. Daniel also knew that Lorne could get along with anyone when he had to and the archaeologists old team mate Samantha Carter, who'd been in charge of the expedition for a while – before the IOA decided to kick her out – had nothing but high regards for him.

"Doctor Jackson?" the Colonel called.

Daniel shook out of his musings. "I'm sorry, I got caught up in something. I do from time to time. Jack always hated that but he'd warm up eventually when it helped him out of sticky situations."

Evan chuckled. "SG-1," he said fondly. "Don't you miss it? The old times? The gang? All the crazy rumors the new recruits spread about you."

It was Daniel's time to chuckle. "Sometimes," he admitted. "But, you know, life has to go on. I've risked my life on a mission more times than I can count. Right now, I am grateful for the respite and the opportunity to study the ancients at home. If you knew how many times, I've tried to coddle my way to Atlantis the last few years."

Lorne looked at him but said nothing as he had a feeling that the good doctor wasn't finished.

"Yeah, I miss the team but there is a time and place for everything," he reasoned somberly. "Teal'c is home and Jack is running Homeworld Command. Sam's priding herself on her new command, overjoyed with the new features George Hammond has got," Daniel trailed off and a fond expression spread over his face. "Vala is- I don't know, always around somewhere I guess. Yesterday, I found her on a scavenging hunt in the catacombs down here."

Lorne looked amused. "Well, she wouldn't get off this place without passing security," he said.

"Oh, you'd be surprised at how skilled that woman is when it comes to smuggling," Daniel hinted sarcastically.

Silence settled over the corridor for a moment and then Daniel nodded. "Actually, I am glad that you came down here. I think I can use your help."

Lorne smirked, having a fair idea what he was needed for. There wasn't many with the ATA gene present nowadays. Most of the things in the city was already up and running and could function with various interfaces. However, some systems still lay dormant, waiting to be activated, in the old lab sections deep within the city.

Evan shrugged casually. "Happy to help, just lead the way," he offered.

Daniel couldn't help but to smile as he began to walk through a closed off section. He had seen the slight hesitation in Lorne's startingly blue eyes for a fleeting moment so he knew the Colonel wasn't looking forward to help activating some slumbering ancient technology but, Lorne being Lorne, he'd obviously help out anyway he could without protest.

The archeologist was used to a Colonel – now General – with a lot of ideas and opinions. And, in all fairness, his successor Colonel Mitchell could be strongly opinionated when it came to it as well. Scientists, like good old Bill Lee could be hesitant at times while others, like Rodney McKay, could be whiny, egoistical and downright impossible to work with at times. It was nice to once in a while be able to ask for help and get it.

OOOOOO

During the year since the call had first come in, Carter had taken the George Hammond around the galaxy to search for DHDs that might have stored a part of the next serialized sequence of gate activations whenever the ship wasn't destined for a mission. Unfortunately, the information collected had been vast and the search somewhat effortless. Since the SGC hadn't received another call, the solution to whoever had wanted their attention in the first place had become nonprioritized.

Now that McKay was so insistent that he'd found a way to retain the information that had been missing, Colonel Carter had beamed Rodney onboard the George Hammond and then followed him to SGC to meet up with a sleepy-eyed Doctor Lee.

Brainstorming together, weighing several options together, factoring in different calculations and theories, they'd finally reached a conclusion they'd never considered the last time.

Lee stared at McKay skeptically. "Wow," he said. "I was so certain it was the Wraith."

"We will never be able to dial directly to them," Sam pointed out. "It's too far out."

Rodney blanched as he thought about how long time had passed since the original call. "We promised to aid them," he recalled in a subdued voice. "What if we build a super-naquadria generator?"

"You know how unstable that is," Lee protested. "We could end up blowing up the entire mountain and then some."

John Sheppard chose that moment to hobble into the room on crutches, coming straight from the infirmary.

Sam took in his pale skin, bruised cheek and stiff posture. "Ah, does Carolyn know you are here?" she asked curiously.

"You look like a walking dead," Rodney blurted.

"Nice to see you too, Rodney," Sheppard bit back sarcastically. "Now, tell me – because I am dying to know – who the caller is?"

"Askula," Rodney returned. "We said we'd be there for them and then we took off with Atlantis to another galaxy. They must have been trying to dial our gate first – but it's off the grid – then somehow, they managed to find Earth's gate address."

"It must have been stored in the ancient database," John deduced. "I mean, think about it, they are the gate builders."

Sam studied him for a moment. "What you are suggesting can mean only one thing; the people of Atlantis-,"

Sheppard nodded as he interrupted her. "-they did one final dial out. They dialed the city from Antarctica to send a courier back."

"We had it all wrong," McKay realized. "The two jumpers in Askula's jumper bay, those who belonged to Atlantis. They weren't left behind in the battle, they came back through the stargate."

"Aesculapius," Sam spoke up suddenly.

"Who?" Sheppard wanted to know.

"Aescula-," Rodney began and then looked up at John who was still standing in the middle of the room. "Askula."

John frowned. "Whatever you've come up with, I need to hear it from the beginning, Rodney."

Sam and Rodney shared a look, both looking too excited for Sheppard's liking.

"I can't believe I didn't connect the dots," Sam mused.

"The ghosts," Rodney mumbled. "Dadan's people were afraid of the ghosts in Askula." He began to snap his fingers. "Aesculapius was a God of medicine in ancient Greek mythology."

"Says here that he could reawaken the dead," Lee volunteered as he googled the name. "He practiced medicine too and got killed, then he returned as a God. At least that's the short version of it."

"So, what are you suggesting? That Askula is an ancient Medical and Research center?" John asked. The question directed at McKay.

"You have to admit that it makes sense," the scientist replied.

"Okay, I am intrigued but that doesn't give us an answer to why they called us and how to make contact with them now," John pointed out.

"I'll call the General," Sam said seriously.

"Let's go to the control room," Lee suggested.

OOOOOO

To be continued