CHAPTER SEVEN: COME ON, LET'S BLOW THIS JOINT

John strolled out of the infirmary, a free man, and nearly collided with a Rodney McKay who obviously hadn't slept enough to keep the glassy-eyed look at bay.

"Oh there you are, up and about. How are you feeling?"

John took in the positive tone, the barely contained impatience that hid just beneath the surface as the other man awaited a response. McKay clearly wanted something.

"I'm great," he responded, deciding to play along. "Slight headache, but on my feet. How are you?"

"Oh fine. Just fine." Rodney fell into step alongside him, and did the snap hand movement before asking innocuously, "Beckett release you back to duty?"

"Well, no marathon running, but yes, we're a go for light duty."

"Good, good." Rodney let another moment pass. "We need to go back."

"Yes we do," John agreed amicably, already knowing where Rodney meant. After the incident with the shuttle, though, John wasn't the one who would need convincing. "Why do you think we need to go back?" he asked, for clarity.

"Well, I have a theory. Several actually – but I've been thinking about why the Ancients would have a one way gate, pass-coded jumper and a chair defense platform on a base in the middle of nowhere."

"So, is that what you've been up doing all night?" John asked. "Theorizing?"

"Of course," Rodney looked at him innocently. "What else would I be doing? In case you haven't noticed, this city could use some real defenses – no offense to your considerable military expertise."

"None taken. And yeah, that is one of its flaws," John acknowledged. "What about that moon dust you brought back? I thought it looked pretty promising as an alternate power source."

"It was . . . on the moon. But the sample started degrading almost immediately once we brought it through the gate. Which is yet another reason to go back. We need a fresh sample.

"And let's not forget the outpost itself. They must have been protecting something pretty special if Atlantis was the only way in or out."

"Good point." John lifted his brows, liking the idea. "We really didn't do much exploring the first time around. Sounds like a mission. Time for the hard part."

Rodney nodded in agreement. "Weir."

"Okay, we're here. Why isn't this working?" Rodney demanded as he stared through the view screen at the outpost's outer bay doors. Weir had agreed to the mission on the condition that someone other than Sheppard pilot the jumper. She had also sent along an additional team of four which included a medical sciences officer to study the stasis chamber.

"Just picture it opening," John told him from the co-pilot's seat. "That's all I did."

Rodney tried again, frustrated and annoyed that he couldn't make this work. It didn't help that they had an audience behind them. "Are you sure that . . . ." He glanced over toward Sheppard fully prepared to tell him what he thought of his inadequate instructions, but the words died on his lips when he saw that the Air Force officer had closed his eyes. His brow furrowed slightly as if in deep concentration, and then Rodney caught movement in his peripheral vision. The bay doors were opening.

Rodney's mouth dropped. "How'd you . . . ?"

John looked uncomfortable. "There's something really weird going on here." His voice was soft so that only Rodney could hear.

"Weird how?" Rodney let the ship go in on auto. Keeping his voice low as well.

Sheppard's discomfort seemed to grow as he spoke. "The last time I did . . . that," he gestured back at the bay doors, "I got this . . . feeling . . . and a funny image in my head. It just sort of floated into my mind. I saw that same image later outside of that lab – you know where the door wouldn't open for you. There was another one in the alcove with the stasis chamber thing."

Rodney stared at him, trying to process what he was saying. "Have you seen it since then?"

John swallowed. "Yeah. Just now. What do you think it means? Am I going crazy here?"

Rodney took in the barely disguised worry in the other man's gaze. He often forgot that the Stargate program was all new to the major. The Pegasus galaxy and being a carrier of an Ancient gene that allowed him to use advanced technology probably exacerbated the situation.

Yet, despite all of that, Sheppard was the very last person he expected to lose it. He'd held it together as a Wraith-tic had tried to suck the life out of him while stuck in a wormhole that was going to turn them all to so many atomic parts in 38 minutes or less. He'd even willingly allowed his heart to be stopped. That was courage in Rodney's book.

And then suddenly, amid his musings, it all made sense. "It's imprinting on you," he said, excitedly. It explained everything. Even the door.

"What?" Obviously, that hadn't been the answer John had been expecting.

"Like the personal shield," Rodney tried to explain. "It only worked for me, remember? It was imprinted. You're probably the first person with the gene who's been here in millennia. The system imprinted on you, making you like a . . . a. . . caretaker of sorts."

Rodney felt a smile working its way over his face, glad to know that he wasn't somehow lacking in the ancient gene department. "You've been selected as the caretaker. Perfectly reasonable if this outpost really is some sort of secure facility."

"Right," John nodded, obviously not sure he liked the idea. "Hopefully full of the Atlantean version of James Bond type toys."

"Precisely."

"So, how do we find these special weapons that we're hoping are stashed around here someplace?" John asked fifteen minutes later when they'd gained entry to the lab once again. Everything remained just as they'd left it.

"If all else fails, we try the chair," McKay said, already headed to a console where he'd earlier connected in an attempt to download data.

"Fair enough," John acknowledged then turned toward the other four individuals who were along for the mission. "Ford, Teyla, why don't you show Henry and Erickson where the stasis chamber is then conduct a little recon? Check in every ten minutes, sooner if you find anything unusual." They knew the drill.

"Yes Sir," Ford replied alongside Teyla's silent nod of agreement. Henry and Erikson followed the two through the same door that they'd used previously.

John watched them go, and then began perusing the lab on his own. Rodney, leaning over his lap top was too engrossed to pay much attention to what he was up to.

Sheppard made a complete circuit of the room, resisting the urge to go through any of the other doorways that led off of the main area. He didn't want to leave Rodney alone in the lab. Things tended to go wrong on a fairly regular basis and he had no desire to tempt fate.

Idly, he reached into his vest and withdrew the life signs detector. One could never be sure since things like bodies in stasis and hibernating Wraith tended not to show up on the device.

He was glad though to discover that there were only 8 life blips showing. Markham and Stackhouse remained on the edge of the detectors field as they were back at the jumper – the only jumper in the bay. Two other blips weren't quite so far out. He figured them to be Henry and Erikson checking out the chamber.

The other two, aside from he and McKay, which were moving away from all of the other dots, were no doubt Ford and Teyla, scouting the place as he'd ordered.

"Find anything yet?" he called over to Rodney.

"It's still garbled," Rodney complained, looking down at the monitor in frustration. "Maybe it's pass-coded as well."

"Maybe it's me?" John offered.

"Yeah. Good point. Come try something for me." He directed John toward the side of the console where a series of tiny crystals were arranged in geometric patterns. "Touch here, there and then there."

John watched the demonstrated motion and then did as he was asked. There was an immediate subtle change to the console and Rodney's face brightened. "That did it! Perfect."

John was nudged out of the way and immediately forgotten as Rodney retook his position in front the console. He was again at loose ends, having no assignment other than security. He didn't particularly care to touch much of anything in the lab. With a gene that tended to turn unknown devices on, he had more than learned his lesson.

"Ford, how are things going with you and Teyla?" He keyed the radio and did the ten minute check in with his reconnaissance team.

"After that first section, the corridors are starting to slant down again," Ford said. "But it looks we may be leveling off. I'd estimate that we're possibly forty feet below the level of the lab."

"Roger that. Keep on moving." John left his second in command to his job.

"Drs Henry and Erikson? Are things all clear where you are?" he spoke to the other men who had been sent along. They weren't under his command, but he was responsible for their safety.

"We're taking readings still, Major," one of the men, Henry, explained. "This chamber really isn't all that different from the ones in the city."

"All right. Do you think three more hours is going to give you enough time to do what you need to do?" He reminded them of the relatively short time they'd been allowed for the mission.

"We'd really like to check out some of the other alcoves in this area – but yeah, we'll work with what we've got."

"Good man," John signed off, then checked in with Markham and Stackhouse.

"All clear here, Sir," was the response.

Great. John left his radio open as he did another visual sweep of the lab. His gaze settled on Rodney who communed with supreme concentration with his lap top. Nothing to do there.

"I'm going to try to the chair," he announced and headed for the device. The chair back in Antarctica had been very easy to use – almost like making silent wishes. It was even fully equipped with extragalactic star charts. Surely this chair should have some sort of schematic of the outpost. Maybe that way he could speed up their search – be home in time for supper with at least enough evidence to convince Weir to allow a longer investigation.

"Okay. . . Yeah. . . go ahead." Rodney only half-turned in acknowledgement.

John made a face as he stepped up onto the chair's platform then settled carefully into the ornate seat. A weapon of such power was something to be respected. It immediately reclined, as Antarctica's chair had, and John sensed more than saw that certain segments glowed blue indicating that the chair was primed and ready.

"Major! I think we've found something." Ford's voice sounded over the radio.

"What is it?" John asked, breaking his concentration away from the chair to talk to Ford.

"A body, Sir. Or at least what's left."

That got John's attention completely. "A body? What the hell happened?" he asked, hoping the young officer would have some idea by simply checking out the surroundings. But before Ford could respond there was a sharp clank that made John blink in stunned surprise.

A buzzing started fast on its heels. By the time he realized something was going on with those big mainframes surrounding the chair, his body was no longer his own and it was much too late.