A/N: Hey everyone, been a week, how's it going? Didn't forget about me? No? Ok, good.

Disclaimer: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea is soo not mine. Wish it was. It's Jules Verne's as if you didn't know. I love that book, a certain character here, not so much.

Chapter 7-Atlantis, We Have a Problem…a few

"Ai! laurie lanter lassi surinen!" Hermiod muttered as he sat at his elevated station onboard the Daedalus in the engineering room.

"Uh, what is it?" Dr. Novak asked, wishing she knew the Asgard language but on second thought realized it wasn't necessary to know what he was saying.

"We have a complication." He blinked and glanced back down, "Several."

Lindsey walked over and took a look at the screen, "Can that be right?"

Hermiod turned his head, "Azg…" but stopped going off and replied, "It is."

She backed a step away from the temper-prone Roswell grey, as a few of the staff liked to call him when he wasn't around, and activated the communication system to the bridge, "Colonel Caldwell, This is Novak in engineering."

"Go ahead, Doctor. I've been waiting for your report."

"Well, you're not going to like this, sir."

"I won't know that unless you tell me." He sat in his chair on the bridge anticipating what she was going to say, it was implied in her voice. If there was one thing he knew, it was how to read his crew. A captain had to have that skill in times of danger.

Novak fought back a hiccup that she thought she had overcame and proceeded to relate to him what Hermiod had now displayed on the large screen.

---

"Hey, you didn't nod off, did you?" Alexa Stroh set down a cup on a small stand next to Radek who had propped his head up with his arm.

He jolted his eyes open at the sound of her accented voice, "No, my eyes are tired from staring at this screen so much." He motioned to the display on Garin Trelio's computer.

"Mmhmm. I leave for fifteen minutes and you slack off." She smirked as she drank from the cup she brought for herself.

"That is not true. I was going to thank you for the coffee, but after that remark, I don't believe I should." He stirred the coffee with the little red straw she put in. He smelled something other that coffee that he couldn't place.

"Next time you can fetch your own then. The thanks I get for going through the trouble of adding a little something." She responded light-heartedly.

"What are you talking about?" He eyed the black coffee, now noticing it shined a little green when the light hit it.

Alexa sat down at his desk where she was still reviewing the surveillance footage, "Try it."

He kept an eye on her as he took a tentative sip and tasted it slowly. His eyebrow raised as he recognized the flavor, "Anise?"

"No. Well, in a way, but it's much more than that."

He took another sip, "Mint… wormwood…Alexa! You didn't !" His eyes glazed with astonishment, apprehension, and amazement.

"Ahh, you have it now, then?"

"Absinthe! How did you… but we're working!"

She held back a laugh, "For one, it's not actually absinthe, there is no alcohol. It is my own concoction. I'm saving the real bottle."

Radek let himself relax, "I was going to get angry at you if this coffee was spiked. But since it isn't, I won't." He smiled at the thought of past memories.

"Good to know. And it is also interesting how from two sips you recognized the flavor." She organized a few notes she had.

"I grew up in Prague, there are many places that serve it. You said you made a non-alcohol version? How?" He shut down the console, having found nothing to signify anything different about it.

"I have my brewing secrets, you have yours. I can't make it here without the ingredients so I have a limited supply of it, and of course the real bottle." She started to play the footage where she had stopped it.

"One of these days I'll figure you out. Never thought you'd be a drinker." He stood and retrieved a small kit from the back of a cabinet.

She kept her eyes on the screen, "Only in moderation. Getting drunk is for young people in college."

Back over at Garin's console, he opened the kit, "We do have important things to do." He pulled out a small brush and a tin of power and began dusting the panel.

She saw him out of the corner of her eye, "Resorting to lifting fingerprints?"

"What must be done, must be done." He cut a piece of film to just fit on the hand-sized panel and carefully applied it to avoid air bubbles.

Alexa was quiet so as not to disturb him. If the first attempt was foiled, there wouldn't be another one. He lifted the material off and put the protective covering on it.

He lifted it to the light and said quietly, "This is going to be interesting."

"Why?"

"Well, before we put it in storage, we didn't clean the panel."

"Fingerprints wouldn't last thousands of years." Her eyes were still focused on her own work.

"But they would last months."

Alexa barely heard his last comment as she rewound the footage a few seconds and went through frame by frame. "Now that is interesting. Can't believe we didn't see that before…"

Radek set the film down in a folder and walked over to her, "See what?"

"Here, in the bottom right corner," She went back a few frames and forward one. "Did you catch that?"

"Yes. Camera malfunction I would assume."

"Maybe a power surge?"

"Run a power diagnostic. Simpson should be free to help. I'm going to run these prints, if we're not going to get anything from the footage, it could be our only lead."

"Alright. I'll tell Dr. Weir." The assumption of Chief Scientist duties Radek was displaying didn't get lost on her. It was what he always did when McKay was away, at his approval.

---

Elizabeth was walking down hallway towards the science quadrant when she spied a certain French anthropologist coming out of a door at the end. He was coming her way and waved at her, she waved back and without it seeming she was changing directions, turned right down a different hallway. He was one thing she didn't have time to fight off at this particular moment.

She heard her headset click, "Dr. Weir, it's Stroh."

"I was just going to check on your progress. How is it?"

"I've come across a twenty minute skip in the security footage; I want to run a power diagnostic with Simpson."

"You have my permission."

"Thank you. Zelenka is on his way to analyze the fingerprints he lifted from Garin Trelio's computer."

"Sounds as if you have it under control."

"Yes, ma'am. Anything from the Daedalus yet?"

"No, I expect to hear something any moment." She continued to move down the hall, nodding to other Expedition members as she went.

"I will keep you updated on what we find." Alexa walked into the lab where she knew Simpson would be working in that day.

"As would be expected. I want this solved."

"I do as well. It's very odd."

"Not as bizarre as a few other things we've been through."

"That is true. Hopefully it stays that way."

"Somehow I doubt it. These situations always find a way to surprise me. Until later, Weir out."

The link shut down and Elizabeth took another right, passing by the wall of windows that overlooked the ocean below, where she had sent AT:1 under only a few hours earlier. She diverted her eyes and made sure she looked straight ahead.

It was always hard, knowing that any team she sent out might not come back, but it was a feeling shoved back behind the daily activities of keeping the city functioning. She knew she was fooling herself if she pretended the particular team that was out of communication didn't mean more to her.

Dr. Weir walked into the transporter and exited outside her office, where a stack of work was waiting for her when her headset clicked again.

"Dr. Weir, it's Colonel Caldwell."

She turned into her office and closed the door behind her, heart picking up pace in anticipation, "Yes, Colonel? What news do you have?"

"I'm afraid we have been unable to locate Sub 1. Hermiod and Dr. Novak have informed me our sensors are continuing to be distorted."

"That is not what I wanted to hear."

"It gets worse. They have also informed me the area surrounding the fissure where the sensors could not detect anything has increased since this morning."

"If we can't detect them, we can't use the Asgard transportation technology to beam them out."

"Unless they decide to radio in any time soon. Hermiod could then use the radio to locate them."

"If it's not distorted, and if they can get through."

"Sounds like we're playing a what-if game here, Doctor. I'll have my crew continue to work on this problem."

"We'll be in touch, Colonel. Thank you."

"It's what we're here for. Caldwell out."

She humphed after the link was deactivated, he sounded sincere. She thought about how he wanted to take military command of Atlantis, but he was above wanting to get it through the loss of the main team. She remembered the first trip back from Earth when it seemed as if John and Rodney went too close to that star and they lost communication with them, she saw the downcast look in Stephen Caldwell's eyes and how he diverted his gaze from his crew. Interesting.

She opened a direct link, "Zelenka, it's Dr. Weir. We have news."

---

"How's it going Rodney…'s?" John looked up from his sitting position in between the front and back section at the copy standing by the wall fiddling around and over at the original who was becoming more and more quiet.

"Given the fact that we're still stranded without communication 20,170 meters below the ocean's surface. I'd say not good. At all." The mega-McKay as the other had dubbed him responded harshly.

"1.2101… leagues." Rodney said as he was picking at his shirt sleeve.

"Hmm?" Copied McKay wiped sweat from his brow, the heat having increased over the past few minutes.

"1.210103192 nautical leagues. Verne was an idiot…" He stopped for a now persistent dry cough, "20,000 leagues my ass, never even went that far…" His eyes fluttered closed and opened again.

Teyla and John looked at each other, Teyla shaking her head gently to warn John not to go too far in his retort.

He commented, "Never read that book."

"Don't. Read it as a kid, expected Nemo to get to 20,000… only reached 4… false advertising." He didn't have any eye contact as he spoke, still absent mindedly picking at his sleeve.

"Not everything can be what it seems on the surface." Teyla responded as the alternate version of Rodney McKay moved to the front of the submarine, keeping quiet, but listening to every word. He seemed to be slowing down a bit.

"But when you title a book '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea' you shouldn't start the sub collapsing at 4." He mumbled, following up with another cough.

"It collapsed?" John's eyebrow raised.

"No, would have been a better ending though."

John looked around at their own sub hearing a subtle creek, "I prefer happy endings."

"You know how much he went to describing every little organism he came across?"

"Why don't you tell me?" He wanted to keep Rodney talking, no matter what he was ranting about.

"Every crease…color…shape…scratch, felt like I was reading a marine biologist's thesis…" His head tipped forward.

"Rodney?" Teyla asked, also knowing they needed to keep him awake, not knowing if he had a concussion or not.

"Hmm, what?"

Teyla prodded, "You were saying."

"Saying what?"

John responded, "Verne, biologists, little creatures…"

"Oh right…some glowed…some shimmied…" his eyelids closed again as he went silent.

"Rodney? Stay with us, don't make me order you."

He gave no answer to the Colonel's prompt and Teyla swiftly went to him.

She picked up his wrist, felt his neck, and checked under his eyelids. She nodded back to John, signifying a short answer.

It was the one he hoped it would be. He saw and heard something fall in the front of the sub by Ronon and he started to stand.

Teyla scowled at him, "Do you think that is a good idea?"

"It's only a few feet. Stay here with our Rodney." He used his hand to brace himself on the opened dividing doors and walked the few steps into the front, Teyla keeping a disapproving eye on him the whole time.

He saw him standing with a large cover to the front console looking rather lost, "Rodney?"

"Yup, still here, for some reason." He looked up to see the Colonel and the look in his eyes, "What's going on?" He set the cover on the ground, unable to re-attach it.

"He's not awake anymore."

Copied Rodney sighed, rubbing Ronon's large hand across his face, "Not what I was hoping there."

"Me neither. How are you … doing?"

"If you're talking about our present situation, I think it sucks. Well, the overall suckiness is a fact. If you're talking about my particular problems, well, that's another matter altogether."

"So you're holding up then?"

His anger rose, "Holding up? I finally get my mind separated from that psycho's only to find myself being an invader? And I'm supposed to be holding up? If I wasn't so damn busy, I'd…"

"You'd what?"

Copy-Rodney got suspiciously quiet, "I don't know." He rubbed his abdomen.

"Yes you do." John sat down in the seat behind the pilot's seat.

"For once, I don't. This is bizarre, even for Atlantis. How did… umm…"

"You deal with the Trelio incident after?"

"Yea. What happened?"

"The first week after he woke up was in the infirmary was strangely fine. It all didn't hit until after Beckett released him. It wasn't… pretty for a while. It took time, but he got through it."

"Fabulous." He snipped. "If we get back to Atlantis-"

John cut him off as he wiped his forehead, the heat was starting to get unbearable, "When."

"Fine, when we get back, I'm going to be… extracted aren't I?"

John had been avoiding the subject of that future. "There's nothing else to do."

"Course not… What the hell did I do to be messed with like this…"

"Hey, I'm not bright as a daisy here either."

"But at least you're awake. The original is back there, passed out, most likely dying, again, I remind you. Then me with my situation, in combination, I've been messed with immensely since I've been in this galaxy."

"Hey, I actually did die." John rubbed the right side of his neck, where a certain Iratus bug had latched itself to all that time ago.

"True. SG teams would have no hope of getting health insurance from a civilian company, that's for sure."

John was thinking now. If Rodney didn't make it, if he did die…which he hoped wouldn't happen… it would hurt the city too much to loose him, hurt him too much… but they would have a slightly less experienced version…

But that wouldn't work. Not with the body he was residing it at the time.

They could just keep him stored…

But that wouldn't be right either, would it? To be stored like an artifact, pulled from the shelf when needed.

The Asgard have cloning technology…

Hmm.

"Colonel? Hello, you're spacing out there."

"Oh, yea. Insurance would really suck." He glanced over where Teyla had set a piece of Ancient tech down earlier. He was curious about it actually, just didn't want to give in to Rodney's demands before. It was just within his reach.

He leaned over and picked up the small red, pear shaped device for the first time. It was remarkably still cool to the touch despite the heat of the sub, "It all seems to trivial now."

"What does?"

"Rodney was trying to get me to activate this thing, I wouldn't because the last time I became what can be described as a hairless cat."

Ronon-Rodney spun around, "What?"

"The other piece of tech caused all my hair to fall out."

"You're serious?" A grin passed through Ronon's lips and developed into full-blown laughter.

"It's not funny!"

"Yes it is," He doubled over, "Oh man. I can imagine it! No wonder why you're hair seemed shorter, I couldn't place it…" He continued to below despite John's remarks until he started to chuckle a bit himself.

John felt the device warm up and looked down at it. He ran his thumb over the top and a piece of the metal slid to the side to reveal three small buttons. "Huh."

"What?"

"It opened."

"Really?" Rodney's expression of child-like wonder at new technology passed over Ronon's face and he crouched down in front of the seated Colonel. "What is it?"

"He didn't know. There was something about it being found in a lecture hall."

"Give me that." He took it from John's hand, "Hmm."

"Hey! I was looking at it."

"He couldn't activate it?"

"No."

"And you did within seconds."

"Yuh huh."

"Weird."

"Ya think?"

"I wonder what it does." He looked down at it, completely absorbed.

"Well, we have other things to worry about right now." John took it back from Rodney's copy.

"Right. Getting back to it now." He turned and went back to work.

John hunkered down into the chair, his thumb caressing the cool casing. There was one button that was octagonal, one was a square, and one a triangle. He was still a little wary of it after what happened the last time he used a small device, but this certainly wasn't a little square box. It was even a different color.

He pressed the square which was on the left of the row.

Immediately from the tapered end, a twelve inch tall image was produced of an older looking man standing in front of a large screen, his mouth moving as the image on the monitor changed.

"Umm, Rodney?"

"What?" He turned around and saw the hologram in the air. "Huh."

"Cool."

Rodney walked to John's side to see the image from the correct side, "Do you see that?"

"See what?" He ignored the strange feeling he always got talking to a copied Rodney McKay in Ronon Dex's body.

"On the screen behind him."

John peered closer and said astonished, "No way."

"Is there volume on that thing?"

"I don't know."

"Well, think 'volume' or something."

John focused and in a moment they could hear the man speaking. "Really cool. Think this is useful?"

"Oh yea." Rodney looked at the image of their submarine behind the Ancient and listened closely to the description of the outer hull. "Is there fast forward by any chance?"

John thought and the image sped up much like on a television screen. "Have an idea of what this is?"

With his eyes never moving from the screen he answered, "Judging by the fact it was found in a lecture hall, I'd say that Ancient was a professor giving a class on the design of the submarines and some student recorded it."

"Lucky us."

"About time we got a break. Wait, wait, wait. Go back."

The Colonel did a few seconds and played the recording. "Did he just say 'spares compartment'?"

Rodney grinned, "Oh yea. Can you enlarge it?"

"I can try." John started thinking and the hologram increased dramatically in size to about five feet high.

"Perfect." Rodney said in awe, completely sincere as he stared at the image on the screen behind the Ancient Professor. "We might just get out of here yet."

He had John replay the segment again and went to the left corner of the front of the submarine.

He knelt and inspected the floor. It looked all the same except for a small area, no bigger than the diameter of his pinky finger. It was slightly lower than the surrounding area, and would easily be passed over if someone didn't know it was there. He pressed down on it and a panel slid open revealing an area in the floor.

He knew what to look for, and found it within a few seconds. He carefully brought it out of the hole, turning to John, "Damn cool."

John was still in the chair, not feeling too keen on moving anymore. His body protested too much. "Let's get this working then."

"Yes, yes." Copy-Rodney quickly went to the main console, gingerly set the replacement part down on the pilot's seat, and after a few moments carefully removed the fried main power conduit.

John called behind him, "Teyla?"

She answered from around the wall dividing the two sections, "Yes, Colonel?"

"I have good news."

"Oh?" She walked into the front to see Ronon popping a part into the console.

"We found something to replace the fried part in that compartment over there." He pointed, "Nice, huh?"

She smiled, "Very. How did you manage to do that?"

"This thing," John held up the red recording device, "Some Ancient kid taped his teacher talking about the subs."

She teased him, "So you finally gave into the temptation of new technology?"

"Yep."

She got more serious, "Did you think that if you did in Atlantis we could have been back by now? Rodney has not woken up yet."

John's retort was cut off by a very happy Copy-Rodney, "It should work now. Fire it up."

Colonel Sheppard stood quickly as he could and switched to sit in the pilot's seat, immediately activating the sub.

The regular lights came back on, "So, when I activate the communication system it's not going to happen again, right?"

"It better not."

Ronon-Rodney and Teyla waited with baited breath as John activated the communications.

He looked around, the lights were still on, "Atlantis. It's Colonel Sheppard and Sub 1. We have a problem." He thought again, "A few."

A/N: No way it's going to be that easy, right? I mean come on folks, it's me here. We're only at chapter 7, though I mentioned it was going to be shorter than Phantom Thoughts, but that was 14. Then again, I could pull something completely not like me and have it that easy, wouldn't that just be like me anyway? Muahahaha.

Hang on, still a while to go either way…

Keep feeding the bunnies like you have, they are very happy and smiling. Look, they're so cute! White and fluffy…

wait… that one's barring its teeth at me… Oh no it's …. Ahh! -pulls out sword and swings at it, but it keeps attacking, gets back to computer-

Run away! Run away! Run away!

(alright, got a little carried away there. Gold star for whoever figures out what movie I watched this Sunday… a lot… once through, then two scenes subtitled in Japanese, then with subtitles by William Shakespeare but I fell asleep (sacrilege I know) so I restarted it. So that was at least 4 and a half hours. It was great! Have to love Special Edition DVD's.

And another gold star for whoever knows what Hermiod was saying or what language… I know it's not Asgard, I don't know Asgard, so anyone who does can give me some Asgard curses to substitute)