Disclaimers: The usual suspects

Spoilers: None

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"Well, this was a collosal waste of my precious time." Rodney whined. "There isn't one salvageable piece of equipment or device here, much less a fully charged ZPM."

Looking around at the destruction, Colonel Sheppard said, "From the air it looked like a good place to check out. Besides, we haven't gone completely through it. There might be some areas that aren't a total loss." Rubbing his eyes from the dust, he continued, "Any idea what could've done this damage?"

"Do I look like a mind reader for things that happened thousands of years ago?" Irritated, Rodney picked a broken piece of metal and held it to his head and closed his eyes. "Hum, let me ..inhale the vibrations." He punctuated his snarkines with a waving of his free hand around before continuing. "I see a great and terrible battle with the Wraith..." He jumped startled as Ronon kicked a piece of the structure down from where he stood on a precariously tilted alcove.

"Then how come there is no damage outside?" Ronon asked in his emotionless voice.

"What?"

"There is no damage outside. It all started inside and ended inside."

Teyla fingered a burn mark on the way and said, "This is not from a Wraith weapon."

Rodney looked puzzled as he and the Colonel looked around.

"He's right Rodney. All of the damage is inside. Which tells me one of two things. One, they knew who ever and let their killers in. Or two, they did it to themselves for some reason. Either option I don't like. Is there any possible way to get any information off of any of their computers?"

Rodney gave him an irritated look and asked, "What part of 'nothing salvageable' did you not understand? And the Ancients didn't have computers per say."

"I heard you the first time Rodney, everything is busted. But, is it not possible that information could still be stored on data crystals, or whatever they used, that we could perhaps access from our Ancient devices?" Colonel Sheppard said more sharply than he intended.

Looking slightly chastised, but only slightly, Rodney admitted, "Perhaps. I'll go and look for something that resembles a data storage room. It makes sense that it would be located more to the center than on the outer rooms." Somewhat reluctantly he stepped toward a center hallway before stopping and looking around and asking, "Who's coming with me?"

Everyone was convienently looking away, and trying to become one with their surroundings.

"Well!" Rodney's voice sounded slightly outraged.

Colonel Sheppard grinned and said, "Why Rodney, I thought that you said you didn't believe in ghosts?"

Straightening in outrage, Rodney snapped, "I'm more afraid of unstable structural integrity than of ghosts Colonel."

"Whatever. Braddock, go along with him and tell him spooky stories while you help him search."

Oh gee thanks. I'm sure that she'll be a whole lot of help." Rodney said sarcastically, giving the Colonel a dirty look.

Jesse said nothing, but she also gave the Colonel a dirty look as she passed him on the way to Rodney.

The Colonel just smirked and gave her a slight nod of acknowledgement and said "Sgt."

"Colonel, was that wise?" Teyla asked seriously as they disappeared down the center hallway.

Still smirking, he looked at her and asked "Why not? She's not in charge of the kitchen anymore. What can she do besides bitch?"

"Ah, but I think that most of her friends and colleagues are still in the kitchen." Teyla said mysteriously and wandered off.

The Colonel watched her wander off with narrowed eyes as he mulled over what she'd said. As Specialist Ronon Dex walked up kicking rubble out of his way, Colonel Sheppard coughed at the raised dust pointedly, before asking, "So what do'ya think Chewie? Think she'll sic the kitchen on me?"

Ronon hesitated as he tugged on his goatee thoughtfully before saying slowly, "I don't know. Normally, I'd say that you'd better prepare for some long days of 'specially prepared' meals, but today, she's acting strange, even for her. She's oddly distracted and distant, and she keeps looking over her shoulder and listening. Something is bothering her besides what day it is."

Teyla returned to their side and said authoritively, "I agree, for all her joking, Jesse has always been the most aware of unspoken currents in the environment."

Colonel Sheppard got one of his displeased puppy dog looks and exclaimed, "What is this? Did all the women of Atlantis wake up and decide that it's 'Let's all be Cryptic and Mercurial Day'?"

"Excuse me?" Teyla asked with just the faintest hint of displeasure.

Sheppard winced at that, knowing that he'd said the wrong thing. He looked to Ronon for some help, but Ronon was coincidentally looking away, trying not to laugh. Suddenly a little hot around the collar, he reluctantly admitted, "Well, Weir was all snappy with me before we left, saying we had to be extra careful today. Funny thing was, she couldn't say why we had to be extra careful. Just said that the day felt wrong somehow."

Suddenly Ronon stiffened and his eyes sharpened. Colonel Sheppard noticed it with relief and asked, "Did you hear something Dex?"

Ronon just grunted and pulled out his weapon as he glided down a hallway. Coming to the end of it he stood head cocked, listening intently. Hearing nothing now, he turned back towards Sheppard and Teyla, holstering his weapon.

Sheppard gave him a look that said 'What' all the way down the hall. Ronon just shrugged. Apparently, the Colonel didn't feel like yelling in here either. He started slowly walking back down the hallway, vaguely uneasy. Being a runner for seven years, he'd learned to pay attention to that little niggle in the back of his mind that said something was wrong. Halfway back he stopped suddenly and turned his head quickly as he caught a flicker in the corner of his eye. There was nothing there though, except for shadows. There was something wrong with the shadows, but he couldn't quite grasp what. Maybe it was their shape, or their size, or their darkness? Did they seem to have depth? Uneasily he looked away and lengthened his stride to reach the others. All the while, firmly telling himself that he was not running. Setitians didn't run from mere shadows.

The Colonel eyed him for a moment before teasing, "Don't tell me that you're scared of ghosts also."

Ronon said evenly, "I'm not afraid of ghosts. ..But there is something wrong with this place."

"You feel it also?" Teyla questioned, uneasily looking around, trying to comprehend what made this place feel off, as Jesse had explained.

"What would make them destroy their own outpost?" The Colonel mused out loud.

"Isn't that why you sent McKay off in search of undamaged data crystals? To find out what, why and when?" Ronon asked calmly.

"Speaking of which, we haven't heard from them, or Bates in awhile." Pressing his COM unit, Sheppard broadcasted, "McKay, Braddock, Bates, everyone sound off." He let go and listened for responses.

"Bates reporting sir."

"Where are you?"

"Outside sir. Scouting the perimeter." His voice came in loud and clear, including the tension in it.

"Are you okay? You sound a little stressed."

"I'm okay sir. I just feel like someone is watching me sir."

The three looked at each other briefly, before Sheppard answered, "Well, start back. As soon as McKay and Braddock get back, we're heading to the jumper."

"Aye sir. On my way." Bates voice sounded considerably more relieved.

Sheppard again called, "McKay, Braddock. Where the hell are ya'll?" He refused to admit that he was holding his breath waiting for a response. After a moment, the COM unit crackled to static filled noise. Then off again, then back on. This time along with the static, a vaguely feminine sounding voice whispered, "John-boy."

Startled, Colonel Sheppard looked at the com unit a moment before tapping it back on, and snapping annoyed, "Braddock is that you? Stop playing spooky voices and get back here!"

"Sir?" a voice questioned crankily from across the room. All three spun, weapons out.

"Sir, it wasn't me. It must've been Bates." She slurred as McKay helped her step gingerly out of the shadowy center hall. Blood was running down her face and an arm, as she limped further out. "A piece of ceiling fell on me and busted my rig up. No way in hell for me to say anything unfortunately. Or you'd have had an earful by now. I don't care what Dr. Weir's memos said about appropriate language."

"And mine fell off trying to dig your useless soldier out from under the stuff. I told you that the structural integrity was suspect. By the way, nice of you to come and look for me. Not like I'm important or anything." Rodney snapped aggravated as he tried to carefully help Jesse walk.

Teyla and Ronon reached them first and helped her sit on a large piece of debris. Teyla gently examined the gash on her forehead, and the arm, which hung limply at her side before saying, "This gash looks deep, and the arm is dislocated and broken I believe. Maybe we should rest here, and bring a doctor here." Teyla said doubtfully.

Jesse said vehemently as she twitched violently in Teyla's hands, "No! I'm not staying here another moment than I have too. We found what you wanted sir, now let's get the hell away from these laughing voices."

Colonel Sheppard raised his eyebrows as he said carefully, "Laughing voices?"

Rodney wouldn't look at him as he nervously said, "Yes, yes. Out of this stinking deathtrap is more than fine with me. I've got plenty of work to do back at Atlantis."

Ronon simply stated, "I can carry Jesse back to the ship easily."

"Carry me hell! I walked here, an' I'm gonna walk back!" She slurred antagonistically, and stood up suddenly and swayed. Teyla and Ronon were immediately on different sides of her to keep her from falling on her stubborn ass.

Rodney observed on from a safe distance away, "Don't brain damaged people have unusual behavioral patterns?"

Jesse tried to focus her eyes on him as she hissed angrily, "Okay chubbie-wubbie, you want top throw down I will." Teyla and Ronon tried to hide the laughter in their eyes at that. Colonel Sheppard wasn't as successful as Rodney's chin went up in anger.

"Did you just call me chubbie-wubbie? I thought only infants used words like that!"

"Still fitss, don' it?" She slurred not backing down.

"John did you hear that? Demote her, or give her demerits or something." Rodney demanded aggravated.

"We've already had this discussion. I can't demote her without a lot of paperwork. And we don't give demerits in the military. That would be the boy scouts, I believe. And before you ask, punishment is usually KP duty, but do you really want her back in the kitchen doing lord only knows what to your food? Point in fact, this was her punishment, being on an away team."

"Her punishment? I thought it was mine!"

"Colonel, please! If we are not going to bring a doctor here, we need to get back to Atlantis now." Teyla emphasized in exasperation.

John looked at Jesse's pain filled face and said, "Alright people, let's get a move on and try and get off this planet before the sun sets." Tapping his COM unit on, he barked, "Bates, we're leaving now." Turning back to Rodney he continued, "Jesse obviously has a concussion. She doesn't know what she's saying, and probably won't remember it. So drop it."

Ronon, per norm, ignored what Jesse said and picked her up. He started striding towards the entrance. Outside, Bates came hurrying up, nervously looking over his shoulder. Colonel Sheppard looked over at where Teyla was trying to adjust Jesse's arm so that it had as little movement as possible for the trip back. Jesse groaned and gasped, "Just leave it the frak alone, and let's get back fast!" Her breath coming in shallow gasps and her face appearing even more gray in the late afternoon sunlight. Laying her head on Ronon's shoulder she asked, "Does anybody know if the puddle jumper has any kind of pain killer on it?"

Teyla answered seriously, "I do not believe that we should administer a painkiller if you have a concussion. We will leave that decision up to Dr. Beckett."

Jesse just growled and bit Ronon on the shoulder and said, "GO! I want off this planet."

Grimly everyone set off at a considerably more silent and faster pace than before. Even so, they did not reach the jumper until first dark. Ronon gently stood Jesse up, and she leaned heavily into his side and looked in the direction they'd come from. She said in a thin wheezy voice, "I don't think that we should let those people come with us."

Everyone spun at that and held their weapons ready if they had them. No matter how much they strained their eyes though, they didn't see anyone. Colonel Sheppard asked Ronon quietly, "Do you see anyone Dex?"

He answered uneasily, "No. No I don't see anyone." Looking down at the top of Jesse's head he tried to sound soothing as he said, "It's nothing, just the wind."

"There is something there, and I don't think we should take it with us." She insisted.

Rodney retorted nervously, "She's delusional. Let's just get out of here."

Bates' eyes darted around with nervous energy, "I'm with the geek on that. Let's just get out of here."

"Your wish is my command." Colonel Sheppard said with half-hearted sarcasm. "Everyone on board."

With everyone busy finding seats hurriedly, Jesse was the only one to see a small wind swirl aboard and die down in the shadows. She tried to say something in dread, but couldn't force anything out of her lips as she began to breathe in shallow pants. A force seemed to be sitting on her chest, compressing her lungs as her body began to shake with tremors. The last thing she heard was Teyla saying, "Colonel Sheppard, we need Dr. Beckett now."