Being slow on the uptake, his first reaction was, 'Hunh, a cosmic jellyfish.' His second was a yowl because a tentacle was searing the flesh off his arm.
"Close the door Sir."
The mental command went out and the tentacle was severed. Sheppard tripped backwards and hit the opposite wall. He searched the hallway and found a stick from a long dead plant. He gently removed the gelatinous thing and flung it down the corridor.
"Acid or something corrosive. Take a Man-O-War's, hell fire sting any day." He stumbled back down the hall cradling his arm.
"Didn't these guys have a first aid kit or water?"
As he walked back into the lab, a panel opened up on the wall just inside the door.
"Ask and you shall receive." A first aid kit, Ancient style, appeared. He opened it up and rummaged through the contents. Half the stuff he did not recognize until he found a diaphanous material he could use as a bandage. It seemed to have an immediate soothing effect.
"Need to find a way out." A monitor on the wall blinked to life. A schematic of the level showed him an emergency exit.
"Great, right back down the hall where that thing is." Sheppard slid down the wall, fatigue, shock and blood loss overtaking him.
"Sir, you can't go to sleep."
"Yeah, I know."
He did anyway.
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"Sgt. Miller is reporting that Col. Sheppard and Dr. McKay's team have missed their check-in," reported the gate technician.
"Nothing in over an hour?" Weir asked more to herself than anyone in particular. "OK, let's get Sgt. Stackhouse's team and Specialist Dex ready to go and check that building." She looked at the technician in charge of communication and nodded.
"Hold on Ma'am. Dr. McKay was just spotted going into the Archive, alone."
"Rodney this is Dr. Weir. Do you hear me?" She waited patiently. "Rodney, please answer."
"Hello Elizabeth. Sorry, I was distracted. What can I do for you?"
"You've been out of contact for an hour. Where are Col. Sheppard, Pvt. Ryals and Pvt. Burns?"
"I don't know off hand, but we all left the research facility. I will give you a full report when I get back. McKay out."
"Dr. McKay? Did he just hang up on me?" Weir stared at the tech in amazement.
"I believe so Ma'am."
"Col. Sheppard? Col. Sheppard do you hear me?" No answer. "I want that town searched."
She did not need Spidey sense to tell her something was definitely not right.
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He bypassed the chairs and stood at a back alcove of the Archival Pavilion. A similar floor plate to the one in the Pavilion of Acquirement was in front of an interface. He stepped on.
"Welcome back Dr. Rodney McKay. This access port does not allow for interaction with the Archive…Something is differ…"
"Run diagnostic, whole Learning Center, commencing now."
All chairs shut down, as well as all the reinitialized Pavilions.
"Hey!" Annoyed voices rang out from those using the chairs.
He walked past the confused group.
"What did you do Dr. McKay?"
"There was an error. The Center will be offline doing a self-diagnostic. Contact me back at Atlantis when it is done."
McKay left the Pavilion ignoring the rumblings and searing glares of his colleagues. He walked past the city well and threw the trinket he had acquired at the lab into it. He then made his way back to the Stargate and his last two objectives on Atlantis.
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A/N: Now, I think Rodney is just being plain rude. Also, let's whisper those reviews so John can sleep. But please keep them coming, just Shh.