A BEE IN THE BONNET by NotTasha
PART 9: STIR CRAZY
"Zelenka," Sheppard snapped as he strode into the lab.
The scientist leaped to his feet, his hair wild and his eyes large. "Major," he returned, fixing a smile as he stood beside one of the lit counsels.
"You find out anything yet?" Sheppard asked, as he made his way into the room, Teyla and Ford flanking him.
The smile fell. "No… nothing," the Czech stated dejectedly. He picked up the 'bee' from the examination device he'd been using, and glared at it. "I haven't been able to hit upon the initiation sequence."
"McKay figured it out in less than an hour," Sheppard pointedly stated.
"I'm not McKay," Zelenka returned, a snip to his voice. "And you've depleted the energy source. I'm doing the best I can."
Teyla threw Sheppard a knowing glance and stepped forward. "We understand that," she said consolingly. "We know you are doing everything you can. Have you made any progress in learning how to use it?"
The Czech shook his head abruptly, making his frazzled hair fluff about him. "I've tried every method we've used in the past. I can't get it to activate. And nothing will matter if it's out of power." He held the bee, discouraged. "It just won't give up its secrets. You haven't found Dr. McKay yet?" he asked, his eyes looking huge and doleful under the lenses.
Sheppard made a disgusted sound as he leaned against one of the counters. "No sign of him."
Rubbing the bee in his hand, Zelenka said softly, "I do hope he's all right. He must be hurt somewhere, otherwise he would have made himself known by now. Wherever he is, he must be frantic to be found."
"Damn it!" John exclaimed, feeling that same worry. "If I could just use that transporter, I could focus on him and get to him."
"Do you think that's wise for you, Major?" Zelenka asked. He didn't seem to want to say it, but the scientist spoke anyway. "Dr. McKay may be somewhere dangerous. Your appearance there may just endanger your own life."
"If he's someplace dangerous, then, I damn well better get to him," Sheppard returned, his voice softer than he might have expected.
"I really wish he'd had that personal shield with him," Ford commented, holding his hands stiffly behind his back. "If he had it, we'd know he was all right."
Sheppard paused at this comment, and turned to Zelenka. "Where is it?"
The Czech, still staring at the portable transporter in his hand, looked up at the Major. He gave Sheppard a perplexed look.
"The Personal Shield. Have you seen it lately?"
Zelenka considered this and shook his head.
"What about a re-charger? McKay mentioned something about a re-charging unit." Thank God, Sheppard thought. McKay might have curtailed his babbling, but hadn't been able to restrain himself completely.
The scientist puzzled for a moment, then set the bee where it had been. "I think I know what you're talking about." He strode across the room. "We found a device not too long ago. McKay mentioned that perhaps it was used for revitalizing Ancient Technology, but it seemed unlikely." Determined, Zelenka keyed open the bay where they kept their discovered-but-not-yet-quite-understood Ancient devices.
He opened the door to reveal dozens of objects, from mechanisms as small as the bee to others the size of a breadbox. Widgets, do-dads and gadgets of all manner crowded the space. They came in all colors and shapes – blue, green, yellow, rose, purple – tubular, rectangular, spherical, dodecahedron. Lights, handles and buttons augmented them. The stored objects looked like the contents of a toy box.
Muttering as he searched, Zelenka commented, "I am certain it is an oven or incubator. I thought the purpose was a means of heating its contents. Whether to hatch eggs, the sterilization of instruments or heating of food, I couldn't say."
As he rooted around, shoving one device aside and looking for one in particular, Sheppard and the others huddled close. "Dr. McKay thought it might be used for recharging devices," Zelenka continued. "But I thought it was just wishful thinking. His experiments with that theory proved unsuccessful." He frowned as he continued looking. "He just wanted to find a way to power his Personal Shield and…" Disgusted, Zelenka shoved himself away from the bay and stood. "It's not here."
"What's it look like?" Sheppard asked tiredly. Just what he needed – every time he was close to a solution, he got smacked upside the head.
"This size," Zelenka described, holding his hands less than a foot apart. "A clear, removable dome. A black base, flat with four legs. There's a propeller-like mechanism inside the base for agitating the contents to assist with the warming."
"Like a 'Stir Crazy'?" Sheppard asked, getting blank looks from all three. "You know, the popcorn popper? Hot oil? From West Bend? Melt the butter in the little compartment on top. You use the lid as a bowl." John shook his head, annoyed at Czech scientists, Athosians and Americans too young to remember the 'real' popcorn poppers of his youth – before microwave popcorn screwed it all up.
"Ah," Teyla responded, understanding. "We ate popcorn as we watched your video about Hail Mary."
"It was a football game, and yes, that was popcorn, but it was microwaved. Not the same. He turned to Zelenka and declared, "We'll find it."
The major glanced again at the bee on the counter, wishing he could will it into working. As he looked at it, the thing seemed 'different' somehow. He moved past Zelenka and picked it up. The 'wings' weren't quite right. They were higher on the insect's 'back'.
"What are you doing?" Zelenka asked impatiently as he watched Sheppard jam down on the fragile looking disks.
"Trying to make it work," Sheppard declared. It took more force to move them than it had in the past. His fingers ached with the effort, but the wings did move. For a moment they fit into their previous position, but they stayed in place for only as long as Sheppard shoved them downward. The moment he released the pressure, they moved back to their previous 'wrong' position.
"Please," Zelenka cried. "I'm trying to fix it! If you break it now…"
Sheppard ignored him, trying again – forcing the wings down – and then to pressing them together – as he had to make the transporter work. But, although he could get them down, they would not move inward.
"No power," Sheppard decided. "We have to find that re-charger."
"It's quite possible that it's not a re-charger," Zelenka reminded. "It's most likely a warming device of some sort."
"Could make popcorn, too, but I'm betting that McKay was right on this one."
"It didn't work for the personal shield," Zelenka griped.
"Maybe it wasn't designed for the personal shield." Sheppard clutched the bee in his palm. "Maybe it was made for this."
He lifted his head to McKay's room – the door that accessed the lab. Leave it to McKay to nearly LIVE in the laboratory. He smiled, realizing that if Rodney was trying to recharge that personal shield, there was one likely place for him to be performing the experiment.
888888888888888888
The state of the room honestly surprised Sheppard. He'd expected Rodney's quarters to be: either stark and bare – or a complete mess. Because, didn't mad scientists go either one way or the other? Clean to the point of absurdity, or a complete disorder to complement a crowded mind? What Sheppard found was a room very much like his own. – enough disorder to make the place looked lived in.
The wall of diplomas and accolades was a little creepy though
The bed had been loosely made – covers pulled up and little more. A jacket was thrown over a chair – a collection of electronic devices were scattered on a small table, apparently emptied from pockets. Sheppard grimaced as he picked up McKay's abandoned radio. He saw no visible personal effects, but they'd been allowed so few.
There was no time to think about rooting through the doctor's things – they were in search of a 'Stir Crazy'. And there it was, sitting in plain sight on a cabinet, looking like a popcorn popper with a turtle inside.
"That's it?" Ford asked, over his shoulder. "I guess it does look like one of those old fashioned corn-poppers."
"Old fashioned?" Sheppard echoed with a sneer in his voice, as he lifted the lid and pulled out the Personal Shield. He replaced the defunct device with the darkened bee, and then fit the lid back in place.
"How does it work?" Teyla asked, standing just behind his other shoulder.
Sheppard's hands stayed on the domed lid. "I don't know," he responded, looking to Zelenka who stood in Rodney's doorway.
"Try twisting the lid," the scientist suggested gamely. They tried a half dozen things, but nothing activated.
"Damn it," Sheppard growled, tired of disappointment after disappointment. Why did everything have to fail?! This was their chance! Get the bee working again! If he transporter worked, he could focus on Rodney and find him. Without it – without it -- He pushed and pulled and twisted everything he could think of, but the popper didn't pop. It sat there, pooped.
Frustrated to the point of rage, Sheppard grabbed the 'popper' by the handle-like flanges on the base and jerked it from the counter. "Make it work!" he ordered, swinging around to shove it at Zelenka.
He almost collided with Ford in his haste. The soldier stepped back, and stared. "Major," he said softly, his eyes on the popper.
Sheppard, who'd turned his attention on the wide-eyed scientist in the doorway, had to change his focus to the item in his hands – it glowed.
He held the popper, squeezing the flanges tightly, watching as the propeller-like agitator in the base started to spin. The 'bee' levitated and the whole thing glowed a pleasant periwinkle.
Sheppard finally allowed himself to smile. The thing seemed to vibrate in his hands, a gentle little buzz as the agitator whirled and the bee hovered above it – the bee's stripes taking on the merest glow.
Ford and Teyla leaned in, watching in fascination. Zelenka stepped closer, adjusting his glasses and blinking at the sight. The four of them said nothing – finally having a reason to hope.
A/N: I don't know where the popcorn references came from. Just live with it.