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The Value of a Memory Is

Down the Rabbit Hole

Now they were back in the well lit corridor McKay seemed to have conquered his earlier fears and had relaxed a little. Scanner held loosely in one hand, he weaved a path ahead of the others, looking into the rooms to the left and right of the corridor.

"I'm picking up some unusual energy readings."

"Gee," said Sheppard, hating the rasp of his voice, "there's something new."

He was ignored. McKay swung dramatically to the right, then back to the left, engrossed in the scanner's display.

"McKay," he snapped irritably, his voice hoarse. "If you don't start walking in a straight line I really will have Ford put a leash on you."

The scientist snorted, but didn't lift his head from the scanner. "Always resorting to violence. Typical military mindset."

"There's rope in my pack," Ford volunteered optimistically.

"McKay," Sheppard growled.

"Alright." Blue eyes lifted briefly from the scanner to shoot him a glare. "We don't have to rush."

"You said…" Ford began, exasperated.

"I know what I said. But the closer we get to the Stargate the stronger the system becomes. This area is almost entirely stable and that gives us an opportunity." His eyes gleamed. "Just think what we could learn! An abandoned outpost powered by at least one ZPM and the possibility of back-ups, who knows how much technology locked away, and, oh, a couple of hundred Ancients as well!"

"One of whom tried to kill Major Sheppard," Teyla put in pointedly.

"Yes, well." He waved a hand dismissively, but dropped it with a guilty look when he caught Sheppard glaring at him. "I'm sure it was just a reflex from being woken too quickly." His gaze dropped back to the scanner. "Radek will be green when he finds out he missed this. Hell, the entire department…"

"Will geek out over it, I'm sure."

McKay shot him another pointed look. "They might if we had a better idea of what this outpost is for."

"You think there's anything here that could help us fight the Wraith?" Ford asked.

"Could be."

"Nothing external," Teyla noted. "If this outpost is shielded by the planet environment, there would be no need to protect it from Wraith attacks."

"True," McKay mused. "But there might be other weapons. Maybe some more personal shields. Or chemical weapons…"

A distinctly ill expression crossed Aiden's face. "Chemical weapons?" he asked, and swallowed. "I think I've had enough of the Ancient's experiments."

Though his gaze was still buried in the scanner, McKay's expression flickered, and Sheppard glimpsed both grief and guilt before it was plastered over with a breezy: "Nothing medical, not from what we've seen. The layout of the labs suggests something mechanical, not chemical. Of course," he added, looking purposefully at Sheppard, "if I could have a proper look…"

"McKay," he growled, warningly.

"Oh come on," the scientist wheedled. "Give me one good reason why we should pass this all up."

"Oh," he retorted, "I don't know, maybe because one of the inhabitants just tried to strangle me?"

"I can see why that might put you off," McKay admitted with a lack of grace. "But as long as we avoid accidentally switching off any more stasis chambers we should be fine. Major, this place is a goldmine in terms of discovery and technology."

"We have not yet found anything of importance," Teyla pointed out. "The laboratories appear empty."

"So far. But we've only explored a fraction of this place and even if the labs are entirely empty – which I doubt - that still leaves any knowledge in the computer as well as possible power source."

"But isn't that powering the stasis chambers?" Ford objected. "We can't just take it."

McKay rolled his eyes. "I wasn't about to suggest mass murder, Lieutenant. But there may be spares. And there is always the solution of waking them up."

"Not just now," Sheppard interrupted, rubbing at his throat. It felt sore to the touch and it hurt to swallow, and he knew there would soon be bruises beneath his fingers. "Let's speak to Elizabeth first."

"Ah, yes. What exactly are we going to tell her?" McKay was unable to hide the smugness from his expression. "We found an Ancient outpost and a couple of hundred Ancients but we don't have any real information because we got a little spooked?"

"One of those Ancients is now dead because of our eagerness," Teyla interrupted, her voice low.

McKay had the sense to back down, his eyes flitting to Ford. "I know," he admitted, soberly.

Sheppard sighed heavily. Despite his own misgivings – understandable, he felt, under the circumstances – McKay was right. The outpost had more potential than any previous discovery and to return to Atlantis empty handed made little sense. "Alright," he agreed, slowly. "We'll explore a couple of rooms. But no more stasis chambers, and I want you to keep a close eye on the power levels."

McKay made a satisfied noise. "Of course." His gaze dropped back to the scanner and he resumed his weaving path down the corridor.

His team followed, warily. Teyla moved with caution in every step, gazing at the rooms as they passed.

"I wish we knew why the inhabitants of this base are in stasis."

"Maybe they're hiding out from the Wraith," Aiden suggested. One hand rested gently on the butt of his gun. It had not gone unnoticed by Sheppard that the younger man's enthusiasm had evaporated after the death of the female Ancient. "This planet is pretty invulnerable."

"But why would they not return to Earth with the rest?" Teyla said, softly.

Ford shrugged. "Maybe they stayed to be protectors, like Chaya."

"But they've been in stasis all that time," Sheppard pointed out. "They don't seem to be protecting anything."

"Perhaps they did not know of the others leaving," Teyla suggested. "Or perhaps they chose to simply wait until they returned."

"Long time to wait." Sheppard glanced at McKay, but the scientist had disappeared from view, ducking around a corner in the corridor. "Dammit. McKay!"

The scientist had drawn to a stop outside a large, ornate door set into the right wall. Its surface was a golden color, and pretty blues and greens formed a large pane of glass in its centre. McKay was bouncing gently on his heels, and turned to thrust the scanner into Sheppard's view.

"Do you see that power burst? Something big is in here."

"More stasis chambers?" Ford asked.

"No, the pattern is wrong for that. But something…" Rodney trailed off, peering at the scanner, then looking up at Sheppard. "A couple of rooms," he said, then before anyone could protest he hit the panel and the door opened.

The view was spectacular in its emptiness. No bigger than the conference room back at Atlantis, the floors and walls were white, and scored with black lines in a large grid pattern. On the right wall there was a stone bench running along one side, and on the opposite was set a large window elevated several meters off the ground. Whatever lay beyond was shrouded in darkness.

McKay stuck his head through the doorway, glanced briefly at the scanner, then stepped inside. He trotted across to the window whilst his teammates followed, showing more caution.

Sheppard moved to the right and allowed one hand to trace across the surface of the bench. The marble was cool to his touch, but unlike the rest of the base it seemed mysteriously dust free. "What is this?"

McKay hemmed, standing on his tiptoes to peer futilely in at the dark window. "An observation room of some sort. There's a faint energy signature indicating some heavy duty power cables beneath the floor and…" His explanation trailed off, his gaze lifting to the ceiling. "Huh."

"Huh? Is that a bad 'huh' or a good 'huh'?"

"Hmm."

Sheppard rolled his eyes, then pushed back from the bench and followed McKay's gaze upwards. The scientist was staring with intense interest at the ceiling – specifically, at several oddly shaped funnel devices built into the corners, and a square metal grill at its center. "What are they?"

"I'll need a closer look." McKay glanced back at the window. "Whatever is in there should be of use."

There was a sudden, soft swishing sound. Sheppard turned to see Ford leap back from the left hand wall. One of the white tiles was suddenly moving forward.

"What the hell?"

"I only bumped it!" Aiden protested, taking several steps back.

The tile moved out further, revealing a thick shelf built into the wall at about two feet from the floor. It was both wide and long enough, Sheppard realized, to remind him of only one thing.

"It appears to be a bed," Teyla said, taking a cautious step towards the shelf. She reached out with one hand and patted the soft mattress.

"Curiouser and curiouser," Sheppard murmured.

Still stood below the window, McKay made a sudden, alarmed noise. "Lieutenant, I don't know what you just activated but the power input to this room has suddenly increased ten fold…"

It was Teyla's turn to raise an alarm. "Major!"

Feeling a sudden buzz of adrenaline spiked panic, Sheppard turned in time to see the great, ornate door slide shut. He crossed the room in several strides, but was too late to do anything except pound a fist against its surface. "Dammit!" Turning, he demanded of McKay: "Get it open!"

McKay, suddenly looking a little pale, gave several quick nods. "Right." Slipping the scanner back into his vest, he moved quickly to the door, his fingers scrabbling at its surface. "I need to get into this control panel. If I can reroute the override switch…"

"Major!" Aiden again, stood with one hand pointing upwards. The metal funnels in the ceiling were suddenly alive, venting a thick white smoke which curled downwards towards the rooms occupants.

Sheppard whirled around to where McKay had managed to lever off the door panel. The scientist's left hand was up to its elbow in wires. "I'm trying!" he snapped, before John could utter a word. "I…" A blue shower of sparks erupted from the panel, causing his hand to jerk backwards. "Dammit!"

"Get it open," Sheppard ordered him, turning to his team. The white fog was descending quickly, leaving the oddly sweet taste of aniseed on his lips. "Teyla, see if you can break the glass of that room. Lieutenant ," and he gestured towards the funnels with one hand, the other pressing his sleeve over his face.

Aiden nodded, clambering up on the bed quickly. Sheppard did the same, stepping up onto the bench to reach out blindly to the ceiling. There was a funnel just above his head, but it was now lost amidst the smoke. Fumbling, his hand connected with something oddly shaped and metal. The mist was making it hard to think, and his reactions seemed sluggish, his fingers unresponsive.

Below him, Teyla was hammering at the glass with the butt end of her P90, but though the muscles of her arms trembled with the effort it was having little effect.

"Try shooting it!" Aiden called out, before cutting off with a cough, his head and upper torso hidden from Sheppard's view by the fog.

"No!" McKay called out urgently. "Bad idea! If it's bullet proof the ricochet could…" He paused, coughing. "Could…"

"McKay!" Sheppard called out, alarmed, hearing the slur in his friend's voice. There was no response, but after a second he heard the soft sound of a body hitting the floor.

"Major Shep…" Another cough from Aiden, then Sheppard saw a dark figure fall past him. He reached out to try and grab the Lieutenant, only for a wave of dizziness to grip him. He stumbled, lost his footing, and fell into the white.