Author's Note: Thanks for all the glorious feedback! I couldn't believe that I got a review in less than ten minutes from posting! Wow, you guys are on the ball!

Disclaimer: Stargate Atlantis is not mine, and no profit is made from this story. It's for fan reading pleasure only. Enjoy!

THE CRASH

By KerrAvon

2. The Ruins

The night passed uneventfully except for the howling storm. Daybreak even managed to find a break in the weather; it was merely drizzling through the mist rather than pounding sheets of rain. Characteristically, McKay was the first up; having pulled the early A.M. watch helped. Clapping his hands together excitedly, he said, "Rise and shine, rise and shine!" as he passed out MREs.

Sheppard took his and cracked an eye open. "Beef Ravioli, huh? At least I get a brownie." Sitting upright, he winced a little as he shifted his right leg, but the pain was better than when it had initially been injured.

"How do you know that?" asked Rodney, tearing into his own packet and adding the water.

"Years of experience, m'boy, years of experience." He held up the brownie in triumph.

Breakfast continued in relative silence. "Beacon still going?" asked Sheppard, as they began to clean up.

"First thing I checked. Yep, still broadcasting. Help should be here as soon as Atlantis misses our report." McKay was absorbed in his scanner. His face lit up as he carefully twisted a dial. "It's still there. What say we go pick up a ZPM?"

"I'll need a couple of crutches first." Sheppard was matter of fact.

"You are not intending on accompanying us?" Teyla stared at him incredulously.

Ronon threw in his two cents. "That would be unwise. You are not mobile and are highly likely to reinjure yourself."

Sheppard shot them a glare. "Then find me something to use for crutches. There's no way I'm letting you go without me." When no one moved, he softened his stance. "All right. If it gets too difficult, or I slow you down, I'll be a good little boy and come back."

Teyla and Ronon exchanged a glance, then Ronon strode over to the rear compartment, returning momentarily with two crude, but functional crutches. "I made these last night on my watch," he commented. "Thought you might need them."

Sheppard inclined his head as he accepted them. "Sorry to be so…predictable."

Dex shrugged. "No problem."

Rodney strode up, already geared up, and began rolling his hand impatiently. "Come on, come on - we're wasting daylight."

Sheppard and Teyla stared at the astrophysicist in disbelief as she helped cover the pilot with a waterproof parka. "Do you mind?" He gestured to the crutches. "I might take a few minutes longer than usual."

McKay rolled his eyes. "See? That's exactly what we were talking about. We aren't even out the door and you're a hindrance."

"I'll do my part. You just lead the way." Sheppard was actually snarling by this point, so further objections were dropped. Teyla and Ronon exchanged an unspoken look which promised that they would both keep a close eye on their injured commander.

Outside Sheppard got his first good look at his untimely landing. The Jumper had clearly touched down on the far side of a wide gravel field and snowplowed its way to its current resting spot against a high rock wall, leaving a trench in its wake. Water had collected in the deeper parts of the trail overnight, highlighting their path. However, it was the structures the Jumper rested against that were truly impressive.

Sheppard let out a low whistle. "Would you look at that?" Towering above their craft's impromptu resting spot were monumental towers of clearly Ancient design, nestled into the cliff-face just beyond. Examining the geometrics of the city, he continued, "That would be nearly impossible to see from the air…"

"Then I guess our crash was fortuitous," McKay snapped. "Let's find a way in, shall we?" He began pacing the external city wall in a northerly direction. When no one followed him, he turned and practically stomped his feet. "Well?"

Sheppard looked quizzically at Dex, then flashed a crooked smile. "You want to tell him, or shall I?"

"You go ahead." The runner crossed his arms over his chest.

Sheppard, still firmly gripping his crutches with his elbows, cupped his hands to his lips to amplify his voice. "Hey Rodney! What's wrong with here?" He gestured towards the rather sizeable breach made by the Jumper when it impacted the city wall the night previously. Ancient buildings could be discerned through the mist beyond.

"What? Where?" Rodney scurried back as the other three watched bemused. As he caught sight of the opening, he rolled his eyes again. "Why doesn't anyone ever tell me these things?" He set off at a good clip to scramble through the defect. The remainder of the team exchanged grins, then set about helping Sheppard through.

On the far side, once they had cleared the rubble, the pavement smoothed out considerably. John rapidly got used to the makeshift crutches, and soon was hardly slower than the rest of the team. Rodney set off like a bloodhound, eyes glued to his monitor screen. "That way," he pointed towards a central building with a tall spire. They set off across the square, admiring the architecture as they went.

The scientist stopped in the doorway, still staring at his scanner. "This is definitely the place," he muttered under his breath. Reaching out, he palmed the door and let his gene take over. The entrance slid open with a satisfying 'whoosh'.

Inside, the lights came on automatically as the building sensed their presence. This time it was McKay's turn to let out a low whistle. The interior of the edifice was, if anything, even more impressive than its façade. The artificial lighting seemed to come out of the stonework itself, and spread out in an even glow throughout the room. The floor had a raised dais in its center, but no other markings. Four doors led off the main chamber, and would have accommodated people over 12 feet tall. Recalling the robot they had encountered in the depths of Atlantis (see 'Ghosts of Prague'), Sheppard found himself somewhat unnerved, but refused to let it show. Turning to the Chief Scientist, he asked, "So, which one?"

For his part, McKay was intently studying the readings as he went from door to door. Finally, he came back to the third and proclaimed with complete certainty, "This one. The power signature is strongest here."

Sheppard nodded and Rodney activated the portal and rushed inside. The remainder of the team followed a little more warily. The next chamber was almost as impressive as the anteroom, but in a different way. Ancient equipment lined the walls, seemingly inert and placed there for storage. The central console was 'live', however, and it was this device that Rodney's scanner seemed to be leading him towards. Once he reached it, the astrophysicist took one more reading and nodded.

"The ZPM is inside this piece of equipment," he proclaimed as he set his supplies on the floor. He set about scrutinizing the top and sides of the device, trying to determine how to access its core.

"What's it do?" Dex asked the smaller man curiously.

"Who cares?" replied Rodney with distraction. "I just know there's a zero point module inside."

"Shouldn't we figure out what it does before absconding with the thing?" queried Sheppard.

McKay sighed and leaned on the tabletop. "Look, there were no signs of life found on our orbital scan, so we won't be taking away someone's protective field. No matter what it does on this planet, what it will do on Atlantis will be infinitely greater." He turned towards Ronon. "It will aid in our survival," he stressed.

Dex glanced at the dubious LTC. "He has a point."

"Yeah, on top of his head. Find out what it does before you disconnect it McKay." Sheppard was emphatic.

Meanwhile Teyla had wandered over to inspect the items on the wall. "Colonel…are these weapons?"

"Let's see." Sheppard rapidly hobbled over to where the sleek instruments stood, row upon row, in their specific berths. Rubbing a hand lightly over the top of one, he was delighted to find it light up in response. Balancing on his good leg and maneuvering his crutches into his left hand, he extricated the firearm. "Sweet…" he murmured as he examined it.

Straight and true, an apparent site aligned with the far end of what he presumed was the 'barrel' of the gun, although it was solid rather than hollow. Knowing Dex's innate ability with multiple forms of weaponry, he tossed the device to the warrior as he asked, "What do you make of it?"

Ronon examined it with even more appreciation than the LTC. "Nice workmanship; could be quite useful. I'd want to make a few trials first, though."

"Well, not in here," snapped Rodney irritably. Not only had he failed to discover the function of the console before him, but he couldn't even determine how to get it open. The wind began to pick up outside, heralding the approach of the next storm.

"Let's get back to the Jumper before the rain starts up again," suggested Sheppard. "Now that you've found the place, you can bring a whole team of scientists back to check it out."

"Why don't we wait it out here? It's warm, well-lit, and dry; a rescue party will surely figure out where we've gone."

The colonel quirked a smile. "Because all our food is out there."

Rodney dropped his eyes as his stomach warred with his brain; his stomach won, much as Sheppard knew it would. "Point taken; let's go back."

Teyla suppressed a snigger; even their new addition appeared amused. Rodney pointedly ignored them as he stared at the wall for the first time. Gesticulating upwards, he suggested, "Why don't we haul a few of these things back for study? It'll give us something to do while we wait."

Sheppard nodded. "Fine, but no firing weapons in the Jumper, got it?"

"Sure, no problem," replied Rodney as he proceeded to shove as many of the smaller items into his rucksack as it could hold, then began gathering more into his arms.

Teyla and Ronon each snatched a half dozen different weapons from their storage sites, then nodded.

"Come on, Rodney. That wind's beginning to sound fierce." Sheppard, recognizing his own limitations, restrained himself from acquiring a gadget or two; instead, he comforted himself with the thought of confiscating a couple from Rodney once they were safely back at the Jumper. He hobbled towards the door to the antechamber.

Staring out the entrance into the courtyard was disconcerting; while technically it was only a little past noon, the illumination was that of late evening. The cloudcover and sheeting rain was so heavy as to actually block a majority of the sunlight, leading to an appearance of early dusk, punctuated by increasingly frequent bursts of lightning which, when gone, made the dimness seem that much more severe. "Whew. What a mess." Sheppard shook his head in resignation. "Still, it'll only get worse…" So saying, he steeled himself to enter the downpour, mentally cursing his own curiosity about the ruins. Just at that moment a brilliant flash of electrical energy struck the pavingstones outside, temporarily blinding the four visitors. As their eyes blinked clear, they could see the smoking divot left in the courtyard where the bolt had impacted. As he reconsidered their plan of action, Sheppard murmured, "Or we could wait out the storm here…"

TBC…..

AN: Can you believe that Sheppard would go exploring with a broken leg? Actually, we ARE talking about the man who had to answer a millenia-old Wraith distress beacon...