Chapter 6 – Answers to Questions Unasked
"Anything new to report?" Elizabeth walked back into the Gate Room after taking an hour-long meal break to discuss strategy with Major Lorne, who was hot on her heels.
"Well, we've narrowed down the timeframe where our team could be." Carson rose to greet her.
"And that is?"
"About ten thousand years in the past." Radek answered, sounding less emotional than he had been a few hours ago.
"How did you figure this out?"
Carson chuckled. "Actually we have the Atlantis database to thank for this wee bit of information."
Elizabeth furrowed her eyebrows in puzzlement. "Please explain?"
"While my people were looking into the astrophysics of what may have happened, Carson looked into the Atlantis database." Radek stood and stretched the kinks out of his back.
"Yes, I checked the database, and found a few notations referring to some strange people from the future. As you know, the Ancients did not want anyone to time-travel. They had a healthy fear of what could happen to the timelines, paradoxes, et cetera." He stopped a moment to see if Elizabeth and Lorne were keeping up with him. "Well, about a year before the Lanteans abandoned the city, there is a reference to three men and two women who came through the gate a stayed for a few days. I cannot find any reference to their identities, but the record does say that the strangers have a great knowledge of the layout of the city and its systems. And that three of the people can work many of the systems."
"That would be Sheppard, Rodney, and Melody since they all have the ATA gene." Elizabeth was cheered by this news. "Now, any ideas on how we may get them back?"
"The database didn't say what happened to the people. We can only hope that somehow they will be able to get their hands on a puddle jumper that Janus has modified with his time travel drive like the one the other Elizabeth Weir had found." Carson moved back to his console to continue searching the database.
"What are you looking for now, Carson?"
"We still haven't gone through some of the records of that period, so I'm hoping to find some more information about our people."
Elizabeth moved closer to look over the doctor's shoulder and whispered in his ear. "How is Radek doing?"
Carson turned his head slightly to answer her quietly. "He's a lot better since we discovered this news. It at least gives him a wee bit of hope that Mel isn't lost to him forever. Again."
"Carson, I think I have it!" Radek's joyous shout startled both Elizabeth and Carson.
"What do you mean, son?"
"I went back through a subfolder in the one you were looking at before, and this message popped up." Radek pointed at the folder that was blinking on his laptop.
"Is it safe to open?" Elizabeth was remembering the virus the Wraith had given the computers.
"It should be, since Rodney wrote the algorithm for the encryption!" Radek was beaming.
"So this is a ten-thousand year old file in the Atlantis database that was written by Rodney?" Elizabeth was trying to sort it all out.
"Yes, and if I open it, we may find out what happened to our team," Radek sat back down in his seat and clicked the file open.