Chapter Two
While Ford and McKay continued searching for the ZPM, Beckett, Teyla and Sheppard were conducting a little search of their own. Sheppard still couldn't get over the fact that there was something most definitely alive here.
"I thought this place was supposed to be uninhabited," Beckett repeated for the fifth time as they carried on walking down the track in the direction of the unknown person, who had ran as soon as they were spotted.
"It is," Teyla confirmed simply, concentrating on the path before them.
"Then how do you explain what I saw?" Beckett interrupted, obviously rattled by the whole ordeal.
"The Wraith?" Sheppard supplied, finally finding something to contribute to the conversation. "They make you see things that are not there."
"No Major," Teyla answered looking back to him. "I sense no Wraith here."
Sheppard stopped walking and looked down to the forest floor with a contemplative look on his face and frowned as he looked back up to her, then across to Beckett on his left. "You were hallucinating?"
"I know what I saw Major," Beckett said, raising his voice ever so slightly which made his accent even more prominent. "Besides…you saw it too."
"Okay," Sheppard said slowly, resuming his current walking pace. "We're all hallucinating."
"Do you not think that the MALP would have picked up any trace amounts of hallucinogenic compounds in the atmosphere when we sent it through?" Beckett reasoned.
"Well, it's not perfect."
"It's designed for this sort of thing."
"Perhaps McKay broke it," Sheppard countered.
Teyla was growing slightly frustrated with the escalating argument between the two. "Doctor, Major." Both men stopped talking long enough to let her get a word in. "If it is an individual we are seeking, I am no doubt sure that they are frightened by our arrival. Raised voices and anger will not aid the situation."
Sheppard knew deep down that Teyla had a point and glanced to Beckett, who shared the same expression, knowing the medical doctor knew it well enough too. With that, they shut their mouths, cast their gaze down to the floor and carried on walking.
"Wow, it's huge."
"Huge isn't the word."
"Then what would you call it?"
"Well. Enormous," McKay answered as both he and Ford stared at the large structure before them, McKay had to strain his neck just to look halfway up it. "I think it may be some sort of temple."
"A temple?" Ford asked as he did exactly the same thing, this was very impressive even for an old piece of rock and clay or whatever the hell it was composed of. He looked to McKay who looked like a kid in candy store. "What use would there be for a temple on an uninhabited world?"
"I doubt it's always been this way," McKay countered quickly, not looking away. He couldn't wait to tell Elizabeth about this, they would most definitely have a field day with this kind of thing, especially as something inside him was telling him that this could be where they would find the ZPM. "I wonder what treasures are inside." Mostly, he said it to himself.
"One way to find out," Ford said, intending to push past him in order to get to the entrance.
"Don't be absurd," McKay replied looking at him as if he had grown a second head. "My other thought was." He paused dramatically. "I also wonder what evil things there are inside."
"Relax, this place is uninhabited."
That didn't help calm Rodney in the least and he considered the young Lieutenant with extreme scepticism, not that he was that kind of person. At least, that's what he tried to tell himself and looked up at the temple once more for good measure, a plan formulating in his brilliant mind. "Tell that to the face who was peering at us from behind the trees."
That dawned on Ford and his eyes widened ever so slightly as he also looked at the surrounding forest around them then back to McKay. "Good point, I think we should regroup with Major Sheppard."
"Excellent suggestion," McKay said as professionally as he could muster. Ford tightened his grip on the P90; sometimes it was a comfort to be armed to the teeth, especially on creepy worlds such as this. Most people would have thought that uninhabited worlds wouldn't have been as much as a problem but in fact it was the complete opposite. There was just something extra creepy about whole planets with no use. It was kind of like all the planets in the solar system, they proved no purpose and had no life. Well Mars had water and stuff but what use was that to them?
"Ford, sometime today would be great."
One more look at the impressive looking temple and one more look at the surrounding forest, who knew what kind of things could have been lurking inside. Ford looked at McKay who'd already started walking back the way they came. "Coming," he replied but not before checking the extra P90 clips were at hand. "I have a bad feeling about this," he muttered to himself as he trailed behind McKay.