AN: Welcome aboard for a new adventure in the Pegasus Galaxy! Someone asked if I intend to build upon my previous stories and my answer is somewhat. I will probably write stories outside of that, and some that refer to events in the other stories. As always, your feedback is HUGE and I appreciate it greatly. You all are the motivation to do this so I thank you! I write for you guys and knowing what you like and don't like is important. There are some slight spoiler's and references to 38 Minutes and The Defiant One. It took me a little bit to come up with a new plot but I fleshed it out this morning and got started on it. I hope you all enjoy.

Keep Your Friends Close, Keep Your Enemies Closer…

Chapter One

One Gate, Two Gate

Major John Sheppard stared at the controls with a mixture of animosity and tired despair. His team had finished surveying a planet as a potential source of a ZPM. Their survey had turned up nothing but stones. He was dirty and sore and wanted to get back to Atlantis and sleep for a very, very long time.

"Major?" Lieutenant Ford turned to him, the question written across his face.

Sheppard shrugged, "It won't open."

McKay looked away from Teyla, and frowned at Sheppard. "What do you mean it won't open?"

"I mean it won't open." Sheppard drawled. He gestured at the gate which hung dead in space.

"Did you dial the right symbols?"

"No McKay, I didn't think to make sure I dialed right. I figured I'd let you have the honor of saving the day." Sheppard knew he and McKay sniped frequently but he wasn't expecting the wince that crossed McKay's face at his words.

Sheppard was about to ask what he'd said when McKay cut off his thoughts, "The symbols are right." Rodney muttered. He punched more of the buttons and waited expectantly. One second crawled into two, than three and still McKay stood rooted, watching for the typical splash of the event horizon.

Teylastudied themanxiously from the seat she was occupying to the rear of the men. The Ancient technology was unknown to her and though she trusted the men and women she had come to know from Earth, she was still uncertain about the Stargate's. This wouldn't be the first time they had been stuck in space and she was loath to relive anything close to that previous experience.

"McKay?" Sheppard prompted when Rodney failed to provide an explanation.

"I don't know." He answered, staring absently at the orbiting artifact that stubbornly refused to cooperate.

Ford wasn't pleased with his answer. "Aren't you supposed to know how these things work?"

McKay turned towards Ford, irritation lining his face, "I know how they work Lieutenant, that doesn't mean I can magic myself into space and figure out why this one isn't working."

"So…" Sheppard said, crossing his arms and pushing himself into the back of the chair, "We either wait for Atlantis to investigate why we're overdue, or…"

"We look for another way home." McKay finished.

"Yes." Sheppard confirmed.

"We won't be overdue for another day." Ford said. They had taken less time to account for the mysterious power reading. The planet was experiencing geothermal activities, a good source of power but nowhere near the output of a zero point module.

"Exactly." Sheppard confirmed. He knew what he wanted but as the leader of his team he needed input from the other members before deciding on a course of action.

Ford looked at McKay and Teyla. "There's got to be another gate nearby?"

"There might." Rodney answered, his attention turning to the controls. He tried a few buttons then poked Sheppard in the arm, "Major?"

Sheppard grinned. McKay had learned a lot and with his gene therapy had been able to do more with the Ancient's tech, but the Jumper was his specialty. He concentrated on a way home and a map coalesced in front of them. "Good enough?"

"I'd say so." Rodney was examining the route. "This is incredible, we should be there in less than a day. Atlantis will never know we had a problem." He enthused.

Teyla wasn't as excited. An unpleasant thought had occurred to her. "They won't know where we are. If anything happens…"

"Stop being so negative, nothing is going to happen." Rodney snapped, trying to assure her in his socially inept way.

Sheppard caught the dirty look Teyla fixed on McKay's back and bit back a laugh. "We'll be fine." He said. "We can leave a beacon in case they come looking for us." He leaned towards Rodney and lowered his voice. "We can leave a beacon, right?"

"Yes, yes." McKay said, working the controls. "Just like…" and he pushed one last button. Everyone felt the ship lurch slightly with the dispersal of a locator beacon. "That will track our position. They find the beacon, they find us."

"All right then, McKay, you want to fly?" Sheppard was tired and they had at least twenty hours of flight time in empty space. He might as well get some sleep while he could.

"Where are you going?" McKay asked.

Sheppard stood, pushing his hand into the arch of his back and trying to stretch against tight muscles. "I am going to take a nap." He stated.

"Oh."

John waved at his seat. "Have fun. Wake me in a couple of hours. And remember," he enunciated his words carefully, "Never fly and drink."

Teyla stared at his retreating back then looked at Ford and McKay in confusion. "Why can McKay not drink and fly?

John found himself in a cold room. He breathed out slowly, a puff of mist from the hot air being cooled instantly. He clapped his hands together trying to generate some warmth. The room looked like a ship's bridge. It was dark and dead, an air of danger permeated his senses. He walked cautiously, searching for any signs of life, and tripped, falling hard onto his belly. He pushed himself into a sitting position, rubbing his wrists that ached with pain after bearing the brunt of catching his weight. He glanced back to find what had tripped him. He sucked in air, and scrabbled back. A wraith's dead eyes were fixed upon him, almost accusatory. He felt his heart pounding and a clamminess spreading over his body. He had to get out of here, the wraith!

"Sheppard!"

John jumped off the bench, reaching for his gun.

Rodney leapt back, startled by the Major's sudden action. "Major?"

John's eyes focused on McKay. He was watching John with a stunned expression. "Bad dream." He said hoarsely.

McKay cleared his throat, "I got that."

John dropped himself back on the bench, rubbing his hands over his face, trying to eradicate the remnants of his nightmare. "What's our ETA?"

McKay continued to watch him. Sheppard looked like hell. Whatever it was, it must've been some dream.

"McKay." John said, uncomfortable under Rodney's stare.

Rodney jerked, "Sorry." He grimaced, "You sure you're okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I'm fine. ETA?" He prompted.

McKay shifted, "About that…"

Sheppard's face hardened. "About that what?"

"We've found something."

"What?" Sheppard had a bad feeling. "Let me guess…a wraith ship?"

McKay's jaw dropped, "How did you know?"

Sheppard couldn't help but think they ought to turn around right now and go back to the other gate. Something bad was up ahead; every sense he had was screaming it. "A little birdie told me."

McKay's brow furrowed, "This is serious."

John sighed. "I know. Come on McKay, let's see what's going on."

"You know their life signs won't register if they're hibernating." Sheppard argued.

McKay paled. "I know that, look…" He stabbed the read-out; "I think the Ancient's had a way of detecting them when they were hibernating. You see these three numbers?" McKay indicated the display, there was a large number to the left followed by two zeros.

"So what's the big number?" Ford asked.

"I think that's how many are dead." McKay replied, studying the ship before them. There were no signs of life; it hung in space, drifting and lifeless.

"That's a big assumption." Sheppard said. He was staring at it the same as all of them. He wanted intel on the Wraith, probably more than anyone, but he couldn't get past the earlier mission that had cost the lives of two scientists that should've never been placed in that position in the first place. Investigating a wraith ship was a lot more dangerous then he had believed and he wasn't willing to repeat that disaster.

"Major, there isn't anyone here that does not understand the risk." Teyla pointed out. She understood the Major's reluctance but they knew the stakes were high. The weight of the galaxies inhabitant's weighed on their shoulders.

Sheppard considered her words. He knew she was right but his earlier nightmare continued to haunt him. "What if they're dead? What killed them?"

"I don't know, but shouldn't we find out? It could be the weapon we need to save Atlantis and everyone else." McKay argued.

"I don't like this." Sheppard said. "This is a bad idea."

Ford disagreed with the Major and sided with McKay. They needed the information from the derelict ship. Whatever had killed those wraiths could only help them. "We need to find out Major. The Wraith will eventually find Atlantis, and when they do, we need to be prepared."

Sheppard looked at each member of his team. They were steadfast and certain. He sighed. He had nothing more than a bad dream to blame for his uneasiness. He didn't believe in much related to the paranormal and the dream could've come from their earlier venture into the downed ship. "Fine, we'll do this, but stay sharp. At the first sign of anything, we're out of there." He turned his gaze back to the hulk. "There's a landing bay, right?"

McKay nodded, "Basically."

Sheppard took a deep breath, steadied his shoulders and slid into the pilot's seat. "Let's go." To himself he mentally added a fervent wish that he wouldn't come to regret this decision.