Title: Be Prepared

Chapter 3: Figures…

By ellymelly

Disclaimer: It has been brought to my attention that I don't own anything – so, uh, I don't...

They saw, they explored, they got stuck – as you do…

Five hours later and Mckay, Sheppard, Zelenka, Ford, Teyla, Daniel and Carter found themselves beamed up onto Thor's shiny new ship. There appeared to be no ground beneath them – the planet of Atlantis moving slowly below. Daniel and Carter were calmly chatting, the Atlantis team – not so much.

"Nice ship you've got here." Said Daniel, running his hand over the smooth support railing.

"And is that a new holographic display system?" smiled Carter.

"Indeed."

Colour started to return to several faces.

"Is it new?" inquired Daniel.

"It was finished two months ago."

"What's it called?" Ford – always being one for names.

"The Enterprise." Another awkward silence took hold of the crew. Daniel and Carter exchanged looks.

"It's nice." Said John. Thor beamed.

"I have input the co-ordinates Colonel Carter gave me. We should arrive in half an hour."

Half an hour later the group was standing in the transporter room. Daniel and Carter clutching a nearby railing.

"You know," said Daniel, gripping it so hard his knuckles had turned white, "we're about to exit hyperspace – you might want to think about holding on."

"Oh please," assumed Mckay drawing on his infinite knowledge, "this ship has inertial dampeners. We shouldn't feel a –" everyone except Daniel and Sam landed on the ground in a heap.

John rolled painfully onto his side, "Ow." The Atlantis team looked lividly at Mckay.

"Hmm… my mistake."

Through the holographically clear walls of the ship they could see a planet and above it, a giant ship. It was so unbelievably huge that it made The Enterprise look like a Puddlejumper. Everyone stared in awe.

"Nice." Contributed John, developing his extensive vocabulary.

Ford's eyes swelled, "That is one big piece of space junk."

"Never have I seen anything like this." Teyla said, picking herself off the floor.

Thor's voice came over the ship's intercom, "All my sensors indicate viable life support on board. Prepare for transport."

"Wait!" cried John hurriedly, "We don't even know wha –"

Beam

"Nevermind."

They had all been transported aboard what they presumed to be the giant ship. Only problem was that there were no lights on…

Daniel ran into something, "It's dark…"

"Oh thank you for pointing that out." Said Mckay, if possible, made more annoying by the encroaching darkness.

Carter had heard that Sheppard had the Ancient's ability to think things into happening, and seeing as though they were on an Ancient space craft… "Major Sheppard thi –" But all the lights had already gone on.

"Ah," came Beckett from behind, "I think that was me."

"Excellent." Said John, "Don't do it again."

"Sorry."

"Hey!" exclaimed Carter, moving over toward the wall, "I recognize that."

Ford took a closer look. "It's a transporter."

"Let's check it out." John led the team cautiously forward. A few minutes later they were all trying to squeeze into the same transporter. They made it – just. On the wall appeared the schematics of the ship, one section was glowing a faint pink.

"Hey that's cool…" Daniel moved to touch the screen.

Beckett, John, Teyla, Ford and Zelenka all yelled at once, "Don't!"

"Don't do tha –" but Mckay's warning, like the others, was much too late.

Flash

"O' fabulous." Sighed Beckett as their location on the screen shifted.

"What'd I do?" said Daniel defensibly.

"You transported us somewhere on the ship." Mckay pointed out the difference on the touch screen. "Hence, 'it's a transporter'.

"That's not so bad." Mckay eyed Daniel through slightly narrowed vision.

Ford, who was standing closest to the screen, thought he'd found a way he could be of use. "Look, I'll get us back. I burned the location into my mind." What Ford didn't see was his elbow about to touch a little red button on the wall next to the screen.

Whoosh

Suddenly everyone found themselves suspended in the plummeting lift.

"Mckay!" yelled John in hope of an explanation.

"It also doubles as a lift!" he turned with the best of his ability to face Ford, "What did you do!"

"You know," said Daniel, looking pale, "I'm a little uncomfortable with small areas."

"Figures, an archaeologist with a fear of enclosed spaces." Zelenka merely shrugged at Daniel's glare.

"I did nothing!" declared Ford to the unbelieving lift.

"Here." said Mckay, pressing another button next to Carter at which the lift started to plummet faster. "Oh. I presumed that would help."

"Well you presumed with my life." Snarled Carter as he withdrew his hand.

For absolutely no reason at all – all the lights suddenly went off.

"Ah!" was most people's response.

"Sorry!" confessed Beckett. "I didn' mean to!"

"There." said John as the lights returned momentarily – before vanishing once more… "Stop that!"

"Wasn' me."

"Oops." Mckay closed his eyes and the lights returned. "There. Problem solved." Barely a second was allowed to pass when the lift was plunged yet again into darkness. "Carson!"

"It's a primativ' defense mechanism. I can' help 't Rodney." To everyone's relief, the lights were finally permanently restored.

Ford watched his gun drift past. "How come we're floating?"

"It's one of the more immutable laws of Newtonian physics."

Ford looked blankly at Mckay, "And what happens when we reach the bottom?"

"Bad things."

Major Sheppard closed his eyes and thought hard. After several minutes the lift was brought to a gentle stop. "Now that's more like it." John whispered as the transporter doors slid open and everyone leapt out.

"Let's take th' stairs next time."

Daniel looked behind him at Beckett, "Agreed."

The traumatized group had not gone far when metallic sounds reverberated off the walls of the hall in front of them. Daniel and Carter raised their P90's real fast in response to its suspiciously Replicator-like nature.

Mckay jumped away from her in fright. "Ah!"

"What are you doing?" inquired John casually, not yet bothered to raise his own.

"Replicators." Hissed Carter.

A look of disbelief shot across his face, "We're in another galaxy…" Disbelief changed to concern as the sound was heard again, only this time, it was more of a scratch than a Replicator buzz.

"I don't think that's a Replicator."

Carter looked at Daniel, "I'm going to check it out."

"I'm going to come with you." she agreed before the two hurried off down the hall toward the sound.

"Ford," commanded Major Sheppard, "you go with them. And don't touch anything."

"Yes Sir."

The sound they had been hearing was found to come from underneath a control panel not far down the corridor. Carter bent down to take a look – three beady black eyes blinked happily back.

"Well hello there."

"What is it?" came Ford's nervous voice from behind.

Daniel narrowed his eyes, "I'm unsure."

Carter clicked her radio into action, "Major Sheppard, we've located the source of the noise."

"It's a cute little critter." interrupted Ford.

"Little alien critter." corrected Daniel nervously.

"It looks like a bit of a mouse crossed with a pompom crossed with a cat and it's pink." explained Carter, still on radio, "It has three black eyes, four feet and a tail with a tuft on the end."

Back in the transporter Mckay was frowning trying to picture this.

"Cute." replied a relieved Sheppard.

Carter extended her hand out to it. The creature hopped over – blinking all the way. Carter beamed. "I'm calling it Scarabs."

"No, you can't keep it." said Daniel sternly.

"Aww… it's cute." Ford bent down and also extended his had, "Look at this… OW!" Scarabs bit Ford on the hand – hard. In return he jumped up, hitting his head on the control panel above. "It bites!"

"It didn't bite me."

"Ah guys…" Atlantian words had filled the display panel on the consol which Daniel attempted to interpret.

"What's it say?" said Carter, ignoring the injured Ford.

"Shield raised."

"Major," Carter tapped her radio once again, "we have a few problems. It seems that Lieutenant Ford has raised the vessels' shields."

"You said a few?" responded Sheppard, rolling his eyes in disbelief.

"We can't get them back down."

"Oh that's bad." muttered Mckay from over near the transporter.

"How so?"

Zelenka looked at Beckett, "If we don't get those shields down, Thor can't beam us back."

"Really?" said John, raising his eyebrows.

Mckay let his drop. "Really."