Disclaimer: I don't Stargate Atlantis or anything related to it.

'Rodney, come in,' Elizabeth Weir bade him. 'What is it you wanted to see me about?'

McKay sat down opposite her. 'Elizabeth, it's about Major Greene.'

'Rodney, I told you she's staying on Atlantis. You need to put aside whatever problem you have with her and deal with it.'

He looked incredulously at her for a moment. 'Well, the problem just got bigger,' he finally said. She remained quiet waiting for him to elaborate. 'It's about that device Major Lorne's team found. Early this morning Major Greene touched it and it, well, for lack of a better explanation, activated.'

'And?' She obviously expected more from him.

'And, um, I don't know.'

'Rodney, how can you not know what happened. You were there, were you not?'

'Yes, well, there was some Ancient text that said she's now inhabited by the Soul of Sha'ell, but I don't know who or what that is and she felt fine so she went to bed.'

Elizabeth sighed and eyed McKay curiously. 'And you've not spent all night trying to figure this out?'

'What was the point? I need my sleep too and if she was fine with it, so was I. It's not like I'm the one being possessed here!' He was beginning to get out of hand.

'It's okay, Rodney. I understand. Just, see what you can find out and report back to me when you know something concrete, okay?'

He was out the door suddenly with barely a good bye. Weir smiled to herself at his typical behavior.

: P

'Sha'ell,' McKay repeated to himself several times. 'How hard could this be? It's not like there's a whole freaking large Ancient database to search for something that's not even guaranteed to be there. Major Greene, next time you get curious, make sure I'm nowhere near you,' he said exasperated.

Greene glared at him pointedly. 'Have you forgotten I'm the one who has to worry about this? And if I'd known, I wouldn't have touched the bloody thing anyway. Besides, it didn't do anything when I helped move it in here. How was I suppose to know it would do that!' she said, making her point.

McKay turned away from the computer. 'You're right. What changed?' He was not angry, more curious. Greene shrugged when he looked her way. 'Huh, this is . . is . . do you have the gene?' Greene shook her head. 'Then, I guess I just don't understand why . . .' It was like a light bulb went off in McKay's mind. Turning toward the box he said, 'Unless it was designed to activate for someone without the gene.' Rodney activated his headset. 'Colonel Sheppard, could you come to the lab please?'

'Be right there,' Sheppard's voice answered. 'And you better have a good reason.'

'Dr. McKay, what are you doing?' Major Greene asked.

He smiled, 'Testing my theory.'

'Care to share?'

'Nope.'

'Thought not,' Greene said sitting impatiently.

Several moments later Sheppard arrived to a sulking Major Greene and a fully absorbed in his research McKay. Sheppard cleared his throat as neither acknowledged his presence. 'You needed me, McKay?'

'Colonel Sheppard, glad you could make it,' McKay answered. 'If you'd be so kind as to touch the box?'

Sheppard raised an eyebrow. 'Why?'

'Because I asked you to. Now touch the box.' Sheppard did not move. 'It's perfectly safe, I promise. Major Greene already has the honor of activating it, and she's still here so you'll be just fine.'

'Okay,' was the drawn out response. Nonetheless, he finally acquiesced to the request and touched the box. Nothing happened for several moments. 'Am I done?'

'Huh? Oh, um, yes. Thank you, Colonel.' McKay replied distractedly. His nose was nearly touching it he so close to the box as he examined it.

'Later, Rodney,' Sheppard called as he reached the door. A bright flash filled the room similar to how it had when Greene activated it. This time, the flashing text stopped. Sheppard turned around, 'What the . . .'

'Oh, God. I think I'm blind. Colonel Sheppard, Major Greene, are you there?' Rodney asked, tears streaming from his eyes.

'McKay, didn't your mother tell you not to stand so close to flashing objects?' Sheppard asked as Greene found the scientist a chair to sit in. 'What happened?'

Rodney blinked rapidly for a moment trying to get his bearings. 'Well, by the looks of it, you deactivated the device.'

'And this proves your point how, McKay?' Greene wondered out loud.

'Touch it and leave the room,' he instructed the major. She shrugged and did as she was told. A familiar flash occurred. McKay smiled smugly. 'See, it's activated again.' He was trying to stop seeing spots, but that did not stop his gloating.

'And what does it mean?' Sheppard asked, wanting McKay to spell it out for them.

'When you moved the box, both of you were touching it. I think we can safely assume that it recognized Sheppard as having the gene, so it couldn't activate. However, when Major Greene touched it without the presence of the Ancient gene, it activated,' he explained.

Greene sat down by McKay. 'Why the delay in activation though. Why did we have to leave the room?'

'My best guess is that there's some kind of proximity detector.'

'So, it doesn't do anything until the person is far enough away to not notice it, or at least be less likely to notice it,' Sheppard mused.

'Precisely.'

'Well, that's handy. But what is it, McKay?'

He looked at the other man. 'Do I have to keep repeating myself? I don't know what it is,' he replied hotly. 'For all I know, it's some sort of anti Wraith weapon.' All three of them looked at each other. Rodney put a hand to his forehead. 'Of course, that's exactly what it must be.'

'So, I just activated something meant for the Wraith? What's going to happen to me?' She staggered briefly as if she were dizzy. Sheppard caught her.

'Major Greene, you and I are going to pay the good Doctor Beckett a visit,' he said.

As the military personnel left the lab, McKay turned back to his computer. He now had something with which to narrow his search. With any luck, he would find mention of it in regards to anti Wraith technology. It was a stretch, but it was more than he had to work with before.

While McKay was engulfed in his research, Dr. Carson Beckett was using a battery of tests to try and find anything wrong with Major Greene. Sheppard had left her with Beckett in search of Dr. Weir. As Beckett was finishing his tests, Sheppard and Weir arrived.

'Carson,' Weir inquired, 'have you found anything?'

'Aye,' the Scottish doctor responded. 'I've found a great deal.'

'And?'

'I'm afraid, Doctor Weir, the patient is in perfect health, beyond perfect perhaps.'

Sheppard looked confused. 'Maybe this is the obvious question, but how? She could barely walk when I brought her in.'

'That may be, Colonel,' Beckett replied, 'but I have found nothing wrong with her. Now, I am waiting on some test results, mind, but every indication is that she's fine.'

Greene sat up slowly on the bed. 'Then why does my head still feel like it's going to explode?'

Right on cue, McKay's voice came over their headsets. 'Not to interrupt or anything, but I think I found something.'

Weir responded, 'Go ahead, McKay.'

'Well, it seems Sha'ell was an Ancient known for her ability of seduction, kind of like Hathor in Egyptian mythology. Since Hathor was a Goa'uld and was killed by SG-1 . . .'

'McKay,' Sheppard snapped.

'Right, sorry. It seems Sha'ell was killed by the Wraith before she could ascend. Somehow the Ancients were able to trap her soul in the box to use as a weapon against the Wraith; however, records indicate the box was then lost after the Ancients assigned to transport it were ambushed off world.' McKay sighed after finishing. 'Unfortunately there is nothing that explains how Major Greene was able to activate it without being a Wraith, or how we might help her.'

Those in the infirmary shared a look of concern. 'Rodney, is there any information to indicate what will happen to Major Greene?' Weir asked.

'Um, no,' he answered slowly. 'Since it looks like they never had a chance to use the weapon, I don't think the Ancients even knew exactly what would happen either. I hate to say it, but I think we just need to wait and see unless Beckett's found something.'

'Thanks, Rodney,' Weir said. Turning to Beckett, she asked, 'Anything?' The doctor shook his head. 'I guess we wait and see then. Colonel, you may go back to what you were doing. Carson, if you find anything at all . . .'

'I'll let you know, Doctor Weir.' Elizabeth nodded and left with Sheppard. Turning to Major Greene, Beckett said, 'Now, lass, I'd like to keep you here for observation.'

She groaned. 'Lucky me.'

'Aye, indeed.'

End Chapter 2