Title: Alien Devices
Author: SlayersGrl
Summary: The team finds an Ancient outpost on a deserted planet. Strange devices
and an unexpected encounter may provide them with exactly what they've been
looking for. But are they willing to pay the price?
Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Stargate Atlantis or any of its
characters... I'm simply writing for entertainment and because the plot bunnies
won't leave me alone.
Author's note: Sorry for the delay. School has been really busy lately and I've had a small case of writer's block again. But it's Spring Break and I finally have time to write. It's kind of odd really… I got totally trashed the other night, but it seems to have reopened the creative floodgates.
And I'm not entirely happy with this chapter. It's a little short, but I figured I should post something since it's been awhile…
Chapter 5: Deadline
Jack sat at his desk and wearily rubbed his tired eyes. The sudden appearance of the Atlantis team had instigated a wave of telephone calls as he had reported the situation to all the top officials in Washington. Of course, this had been followed up with a mountain of paperwork. This was the part of his job he absolutely could live without. But he was finally done.
Deciding he had earned a break, Jack decided he'd go check up on how the visitors were doing. He figured the most obvious place to find them was in the infirmary. Walking in a few minutes later, Jack was just in time to witness Major Sheppard attempting to negotiate with one of the nurses.
"Come on. All I want is some food. Since you wouldn't let Ford bring me anything, at least let me go to the commissary."
The nurse never even looked up from her observation of one of the machines situated by the bed. "You know you aren't allowed to leave the infirmary until you've been cleared by the doctor. But if you want, I can have someone bring you something."
Sheppard sighed in frustration. His plan wasn't working out so well… He really just wanted to get out of the infirmary. He was finally back on Earth and there were plenty of things he'd rather be doing than sitting around waiting for some doctor to tell him he was perfectly fine. "I'd only be gone fifteen minutes."
The nurse continued to ignore him. She had heard it all before. Nobody liked to stay in the infirmary, but that didn't mean she'd let them leave before they were cleared. "Honestly, you're as bad as the General…" she mumbled to herself.
"You say that like it's a bad thing," Jack said from his position by the door.
She was startled by the familiar voice and almost dropped her clipboard she had been writing on. "General, I didn't realize you were there…"
"I just thought I'd drop by and see how the major was doing," he replied, smiling to show there were no hard feelings about the previous comment. He knew he could be a little… difficult… at times.
Realizing the general probably wanted to talk to Major Sheppard, the nurse quietly left the room to attend to other things around the infirmary. She could finish her readings later.
"So, how do you feel?" Jack asked.
John quickly replied, "I feel just fine. There's nothing wrong with me. I don't see why I have to stay here."
Jack chuckled at that. "Nothing wrong… right… You only died today."
He almost missed the mumbled response. "Wasn't the first time…"
Jack sighed. Death seemed irreversibly linked with the Stargate program. There was no denying that what they did had its risks. But ironically, the finality of death had become a little less final. The dead didn't always stay dead… No one was ever really prepared for what they had sighed up for. And Jack had been the one to talk the Major into joining their strange little club of intergalactic adventurers. He pulled up a chair and sat down next the infirmary bed. "I'm sorry about all this."
Sheppard was thrown off by the statement. "What do you mean?"
"I mean getting you mixed up in all of this. If I hadn't talked you into accepting this mission, none of this would have happened."
John thought for a few minutes. It would be convenient to blame this whole mess on General O'Neill. But ultimately, it had been his decision to go. "There's nothing to be sorry about sir. I wanted to go. And I'm glad I did. Sure, there are some moments I'd rather forget… but I wouldn't trade this experience for anything. You were right. Anyone who would turn down an opportunity to go through the Stargate is crazy."
Jack nodded at his honest reply. "Well, it's nice to hear I'm right about something." He then stood up. "I'd better go check and make sure Carter hasn't killed Dr. McKay yet. Try not to drive the staff too crazy. Just remember that they carry sharp pointy needles and they know how to use them."
Sheppard chuckled to himself as the general walked out the door.
Daniel was just about to enter Carter's lab when he heard raised voices coming from within.
"Look, there's a chance it'll work…"
"A chance in hell! Even with the new naquada reactors, there's still no way to produce enough power to open a stable wormhole back to the Pegasus Galaxy. We'd never be able to maintain it long enough to send a traveler through."
"I don't hear you coming up with anything better."
"Because there's nothing here on Earth that can match the energy output of a ZPM."
Daniel decided he had better interrupt the verbal sparring match before it escalated into childish name calling. "Hey guys," he said as he casually entered the room. "How's it going?"
"Daniel," Sam replied, thankful for the distraction. She had almost forgotten how frustrating it was to work with Dr. McKay. "Please tell me you have something."
He smiled apologetically. "Sorry… I couldn't find anything useful in my texts." He could practically feel the tension mounting between the two scientists. They had been trying to come up with a way to open a wormhole back to Atlantis for over eight hours now. "Why don't you two take a break? You're no good to us if all you're gonna do is argue over who's right."
"You heard that…" McKay replied, glancing over at Carter. "I guess we have been acting a little… childish. All ideas are valid ideas, whether they hold merit or not…"
"Is it that hard for you to apologize?" Carter snapped. She was tired of dealing with his arrogant attitude.
McKay sighed. "Alright, I'm sorry I dismissed your ideas so quickly. I'm just…frustrated, I guess. I want to find a way home." Rodney suddenly realized what he said and hurried to correct his last statement. "I mean, back to Atlantis. I'm gonna go get some food now…" Then he hurriedly fled the room.
As Rodney walked towards the mess hall, he thought about what he had said. Since when did he start to think of Atlantis as home instead of Earth? But as he thought about it, he began to wonder if Earth had ever really been home. All he had here was a lonely apartment and his research. Atlantis had that and so much more. It was a chance of a lifetime, not only to learn more about the Ancients and their technology, but to learn more about himself. For the first time in a long time, he actually had friends and even people he considered like family. It made sense that he would want to return there as soon as possible.
As soon as possible… Rodney paused to think about that statement. Why did he suddenly have the feeling there was a time element involved in all of this. Then it dawned on him. "Oh crap!" He immediately changed directions and headed back the way that he came.
Sam and Daniel were startled to see Dr. McKay appear in the doorway so soon after he left. "That was fast," Carter said upon noticing him.
"What?" Rodney asked, confused by her response. Then he remembered that he had said something about going to get food. "Oh, right. I never made it there. Look, I came to tell you that we only have a little over," he paused as he glanced down at his watch, "17 hours to find another option to get us home."
"Why?" Daniel asked.
"Because then we'll be officially overdue to check in."
"And they'll send a team to find out what happened to you," Sam continued, catching on to what Rodney was saying. "They'll walk right into the Wraith."
