Author's Note: How exciting! Thank you for the kind reviews! (I just checked my stats - there are 101 people who get an email every time I post anything; no wonder it gets so many 'hits' so quickly!) Interestingly enough, I'm not at all sure where this story is going - it seems to be writing itself. I think I'm as anxious as anyone to find out what happens next…

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

3. Trapped

The four of them stared out at the storm, aghast. Ronon finally nodded, "That might be wise."

Turning back inside, Sheppard stated, "We might as well check the rest of this place out, since we're stuck for the time being." The others set down their 'finds' on the floor near the main entrance, where they could be easily located.

"Shhhhh!" McKay stood stock-still and held up a hand for quiet. "Does anybody else feel that?"

The others looked at him quizzically until Teyla's eyes widened slightly. "Do you mean that…humming sound?"

Rodney, still hypervigilant, squinted his eyes in concentration and nodded. "Yes; the low-pitched vibration…"

Ronon slowly turned full circle, his weapon unholstered as he stared at the ceiling. "It's getting louder."

Suddenly metal shutters clanged down over all the doors and windows leading to the outside. Rushing to the erstwhile entrance, McKay scrutinized its makeup while Ronon and Teyla tried unsuccessfully to pry it open.

"You might as well give it up," sighed the scientist, slapping the metal with the palm of his hand. "It's some sort of blast shielding. I'd guess that the building's sensors interpreted that lightning strike as a near-miss attack, and went into defense mode. That vibration we felt was the machinery being activated after millennia of disuse. I suspect that, when the Ancients occupied this building, it would have slammed shut instantly." Hands on hips he sighed, disgusted, "We certainly won't be leaving that way."

"Then we'll just have to find another way out," answered Sheppard as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"And how do you propose we do that?" McKay huffed indignantly.

Sheppard gestured with his right crutch at the opposite wall. "Three doors we haven't opened; might as well start now. There might be a back door or a switch to let us raise the shields." He smiled lopsided at the astrophysicist. "I'll even let you pick the first one."

McKay, torn between curiosity and a sarcastic reply, eventually let his curiosity get the better of him. Scrutinizing the remaining doors, he finally opted for the door to the right of the chamber with the ZPM and palmed it open. "After you," he commented with a half-bow and a gesture towards the opening. Sheppard shrugged and hobbled through.

This chamber had clearly been barracks-style living quarters; bunk-beds lined one wall, while miscellaneous chairs, tables, bookshelves and cabinets stood against the other. A barracks-style bathroom stood off to one side while, on the opposite wall, a heavy metal plate was clearly visible outside what would have been a beautiful picture window. Laying out the blueprint mentally, Sheppard imagined that it probably had a splendid view of the front courtyard and the mountains beyond, 'When the visibility was more than twelve inches,' he concluded ruefully.

Both McKay and Ronon were examining this shield as thoroughly as the one in the front hall, and coming to the same conclusions. "Nope. Not getting out this way," commented the alien specialist.

Teyla, meanwhile, was exploring the remainder of the room. "This appears to be sleeping quarters for a sizeable force."

"Probably military," said the colonel, easing himself onto one of the chairs and propping up his leg on another nearby. "Given the sheer number of weapons in the ZPM room."

Rodney stared about speculatively. "Or it could be a military contingent guarding the building."

"Whoever they were, they left in a planned fashion, and believed they would be coming back." Sheppard let his eyes slide shut, if just for a minute.

McKay turned to reply, but found himself momentarily at a loss for words. Slumped like that with his eyes closed, the LTC looked eerily like he had when the eratus bug had been attached to his neck; somehow…vulnerable. It was disturbing to think of the man as human. He shook himself and continued, "And what makes you think that?"

Without moving, he waved unseeingly towards the bunks. "Every bed made, with corners sharp and pillows fluffed. No personal effects anywhere in view - no posters, no letters, no dishes, nothing. They had time to pack. Yet, the fact that the bedlinens are here, as are the devices in the other room, lead one to conclude that the occupants expected someone to return someday."

Teyla nodded. "Perhaps when the Ancients summoned everyone to Atlantis, before abandoning this galaxy altogether…"

"That would make sense." Sheppard roused himself, sitting up and reaching for the crutches that he'd set aside. "Well, if we're done in here, we have two more rooms to check out." Ronon slipped a hand under his shoulder to help the pilot struggle to his feet.

"Perhaps you should rest here while we examine the rest of the edifice." Teyla was clearly concerned about the colonel's stamina.

"Nah, I'm good," he grunted as he balanced again on the crutches. "Tell ya what, Teyla; why don't you choose next?" He hobbled back into the anteroom with the others trailing behind.

Teyla pointed to the door across the hall. "Very well. That one." The Athosian was used to making decisions, and truly didn't care which room the group explored next. The door opposite was merely the first that caught her eye.

This time Sheppard did the honors, placing his hand on the control box and eliciting a satisfying whoosh as the door slid ajar. Before he could enter, however, he was unceremoniously edged aside by an exuberant Rodney McKay. "Now this is more like it!" he exclaimed as he rubbed his hands together.

This chamber was, in shape, a mirror image of the one they had just left. However, instead of beds and chairs, the room was lined with lab equipment. The wall without the window had a line of tables jutting out at right angles to the wall, with about four feet of space between one and the next. The countertops were of some impervious plastic material, and each base housed cabinetry and equipment storage space. Sheppard was uncomfortably reminded of his college chemistry lab, the one he had blown up about halfway through freshman year. Hobbling away from those unpleasant memories, he went to inspect the shielding that had obscured this window as well, finding it just as impenetrable as the others.

McKay, meanwhile, had tuned out the rest of the world. Booting up one of the Ancient computer terminals, he began scrolling through the data. "This building…was some sort of top-secret research lab, I think. The data here is clearly from ongoing military experiments…"

Sheppard hobbled over to where the scientist had perched on a lab stool. "That would explain the location of this place; nestled into the mountain like it is, it would be almost impossible to spot from the air, especially given the speed at which Darts usually travel. The weather conditions make it practically invisible from the ground."

"And the Armory and barracks would be for ground defense if it were discovered," added Ronon as he came up.

"If this place were filled with people that important, wouldn't they have an escape route in case of attack?" Teyla asked pragmatically.

Ronon nodded. "It would certainly be wise. Of course, the exit might be hidden."

"Well, we still have one more doorway to try," suggested the colonel, heading back out. "Come on, Rodney, we're wasting daylight."

Irritably the scientist joined them and snarked, "How can you tell?"

"Good point," murmured Dex to Teyla, too low for anyone else to hear.

As they made a beeline for the last portal, McKay paused and stared at the first room they'd entered. Tapping a finger to his chin thoughtfully he pondered, "But what is the console in the center chamber for? The one with the ZPM?"

Sheppard patted him on the shoulder. "I'm sure you'll figure it out. Let's give this a try, shall we?" Without further ado, he opened the last door and groaned.

It was a stairwell.

The stairs, although well lit, were quite steep and disappeared rapidly into the depths. Rough-hewn stone, they appeared to have been carved from the very mountain itself. Ronon slid his eyes sideways at Sheppard, "You know, maybe two of us should check this out, while the other two remain up here. Save time that way."

The colonel nodded slowly. "You may be right…"

Rodney interrupted, gesturing at the room they had just departed. "I volunteer to stay up here for the time being; I'd love to go through that lab in greater detail, and I still need to get the ZPM out."

John looked over at the excited scientist and found the corner of his mouth turning up in a grin. "I guess I'll ride shotgun up here as well; make sure you don't electrocute yourself or something."

McKay rolled his eyes, "As if. I'll have you know that…"

"It was a joke, McKay."

Rodney stopped mid-protest and snapped his jaw shut on the next words. Confused, he said merely, "Oh." Turning on his heel, he headed for the control chamber.

Shrugging, Ronon turned to Teyla, "Shall we?"

Teyla nodded, then turned to the colonel. "We shall bring help if we reach the outside," she stated solemnly. Then she started down the stairs, one hand steadying herself on the wall, her giant shadow only two steps behind. Sheppard watched until they were well out of sight, then sighed and limped to join Rodney.

By the time the colonel entered the console room, the astrophysicist had become a one-man hive of activity. He had discovered a hidden data port on the main terminal and was busily accessing data, then running to other machines in the room to confirm what he had just translated. Sheppard quickly determined that he could be of little help, so used his crutches to lever himself to a sitting position against the wall just inside the door. Letting his head lean back, his eyes closed once more of their own volition as his exhaustion overtook him.

McKay, meanwhile, had barely registered the fact that someone else had entered the room. This device was fascinating! Clearly not experimental, it appeared to be central to the building's defence system. Yet over 80 percent of its power was doing something else, and he was stumped as to what. After pouring over the specs he'd dug up for over an hour, he straightened, suddenly aware of a crick in his back. Rolling his shoulders to try to ease the spasm, he glanced cursorily around the chamber. His eyes lighted on Sheppard, back against the wall, mouth hanging open, and was struck once more by how… mortal he appeared. Lines of tension at the lip corners and in the center of his forehead attested to the pain the man was obviously feeling. Fine beads of sweat also bore witness to the suffering he had carefully hidden while awake. McKay glanced at the now-filthy bandage on the splinted right leg, and reflected that it probably should be changed. Still, they hadn't carried the supplies with them since they weren't planning on being gone that long. He considered using some linens from the bunkroom, but was hesitant to introduce millennia-old bacteria into a fresh wound. Sighing, he turned back to his work. 'If this console controls the building's defenses, then maybe I can raise the shields manually. I'll concentrate on that right now.'

In the background he could hear the comforting sound of Sheppard snoring.

TBC…..