AN: Ok, so I poked this chapter into submission after all! Well, kinda. This chapter is a bit shorter than the others, but it was either this or a really LONG chapter probably not posted until Monday; so I decided to give ye this! (In spite of current pain-in-my-butt-ness)

Chapter 7

When Dr. Zelenka had seemingly disappeared into thin air, for a moment, Klein, Teyla, and Ronon had all stood, disbelieving. Then in a flurry of motion, both Ronon and Teyla had begun a quick search of the cave, not that there was any place the Czech truly could have hidden. Ronon gave Teyla a glance, and she understood his meaning: get the scientist and his find to safety.

Teyla grabbed Klein and they began a mad dash towards the gate. Klein gripped the device - the size and shape of a medium textbook - tightly, tucked under his arm like a football. Neither spoke as they ran, both knowing that getting to the gate and establishing contact with Atlantis was imperative. They had to let Weir know about their missing man, to tell McKay that they had the contraption in hand that could have very likely been the cause of Colonel Sheppard's condition.

Ronon stayed behind to look for Zelenka; but due to the interference in the area, Teyla and Klein had no way of knowing if the ex-Runner was having any luck. Teyla's features were set in a grim expression as they drew close to the small clearing by the gate. Major Lorne looked up at them as they approached, and saw from the countenance Teyla wore that something had gone wrong. He motioned for the other members of his team to stay put while he moved forwards to speak with the arrivals.

"What happened?" the Major asked as the two drew up, breathing heavily. His question was to go unanswered, at least for the moment. The device in Klein's hands lit up like a fireworks display, startling everyone. The lanky scientist dropped the machine, as if burned; and as one all three of them backed away from the object on the ground. Lorne brought his P-90 up quickly. No one breathed.

"Major Lorne," Teyla said warily, "Are you all right?" His eyes snapped up from the device blinking on the ground to meet hers.

"I'm fine, I'm more concerned about the both of you, since you were the one transporting that thing," he replied. "I assume it came from that cave?" Teyla nodded, while Klein had gotten his sensor out. The three men at the gate had their P-90's in a ready position; not really aimed at anything... yet.

"The energy level has spiked," Klein said, staring at the readout. "I think we should all back as far away from this thing as we can." They had all been backing away slowly since it lit up; but now they quickly cleared a large circle around the thing, still blinking merrily. After they had cleared a twenty-five foot radius, the energy spike on Klein's sensor dropped off to nothing, and the lights on the device dimmed and went out. Still, no one moved.

"We need to contact Atlantis," Teyla told Lorne, who was now standing closest to the DHD. Still eyeing the device on the ground, the major nodded and began to dial out. In moments, the familiar blue puddle had filled the gate, and Teyla was hailing Atlantis.

"Atlantis, this is Teyla, are Dr. Weir and Dr. McKay there?" It was an eerily familiar situation.

"Right here, Teyla, go ahead," came the voice of Elizabeth Weir.

"What's going on? Have you had any luck? Is everything ok?" Though the team on the planet didn't hear Dr. Weir tell Rodney to relax, they all knew it was said.

"Teyla and Dr. Klein have come back with a device they got from the cave," Major Lorne reported.

"What is it?" McKay snapped.

"We don't know yet," Klein said. "It was dead when we took it out of the wall, no power readings at all. It had no effect on any of us. As we got close to the gate, it lit up and started to activate. Fortunately there were no discharges. We backed away, and it went dead again."

"Why did it activate?" Weir asked.

"Going based on McKay's theory, it might well have been because we got too close to Major Lorne," Klein said. "He has the ATA gene." As he spoke, Klein began to slowly approach the device. Lorne watched him intently, P-90 still at the ready, though aimed at the ground; the machine remained dead. "It doesn't seem to be reacting to my proximity," Klein reported. "Maybe this thing really is designed to defend against Ancients. We haven't had a chance to study it. We need better equipment than we have here now."

"Could we bring it here to Atlantis, if we keep all ATA personnel away?" Weir asked.

"No way!" came McKay's emphatic reply. "If it has that response to a person with the ATA gene, it might also respond to the proximity of Ancient technology here on Atlantis."

"It hasn't had any problems with the sensor," Klein said, but McKay was adamant.

"We can't take the risk," he said.

"We can not just sit by and do nothing, leaving Colonel Sheppard to continue on in his current state," Teyla pointed out.

"Don't you think we know that!" McKay yelled before Elizabeth's calmer, but no less concerned, voice came though.

"You're quite right," she agreed. "But I think Rodney's right - we can't bring the device here - and no one with the ATA gene can work on it."

"Ok, so Klein and Zelenka figure it out," McKay said. The irritation in his voice did not really mask his frustration. Everyone by the gate knew it was killing McKay to be sitting in the control room, not able to do the work himself, waiting for information to trickle in. In part because he hated to trust investigative research to anyone but himself; but moreover because he hated not being able to do something to help Sheppard. "We'll send through some equipment with some non-ATA personnel--"

"That is why we have returned so quickly," Teyla said, cutting McKay off and getting back to the question Lorne had posed before the device had distracted them all. "Dr. Zelenka is missing."

"What?" came McKay's panicked squawk in unison with Weir's concerned question.

"We were in the cave and Dr. Klein was extracting the device from the wall. Dr. Zelenka was at the back of the cave, and then he was gone," Teyla explained.

"Gone? What do you mean GONE?" McKay snapped. "People don't just disappear!"

"Ronon is looking for him," Teyla continued, though she doubted the news would do much to soothe Dr. McKay. "But due to the interference from the area, radio contact is difficult, a best."

"Dr. Weir, permission to assist Ronon?" Major Lorne asked. There was a long pause.

"Denied," came the reply. To most ears, Weir's voice held little evidence of her inner turmoil and frustration at the situation; but Teyla could hear it plainly. "I'm sorry, Major, but I don't want to risk sending anyone with the ATA gene out, in case there are any more devices around. We will send through equipment and personnel to assist both Dr. Klein and Ronon."

"Understood," Lorne replied.

"Disconnect the gate, we will dial in shortly," Weir said.

"Yes, Ma'am." Lorne deactivated the gate, and the wormhole fizzled out of existence. The group waited, mostly in silence, for nearly thirty minutes before the gate hummed to life again. During their wait, Teyla was sorely tempted to go and assist Ronon, but eventually decided against it. Night would be falling soon; and though she was nimble and accustomed to wild lands, this world was not her home. She did not know all if it's quirks and dangers. Ronon, as a Runner, had perfected certain skills that even the Athosians had never been forced to learn.

As the wormhole stabilized, their radios crackled to life.

"Teyla, Major Lorne," said Dr. Weir, "I don't suppose you've got any news for us?" They could detect just the barest note of defiant hope in her voice.

"Unfortunately no," Teyla said. "We have not heard from Ronon or Dr. Zelenka." She could almost see Dr. Weir nodding in acceptance of the information on the other side of the gate.

"Right, then," Elizabeth said. "Dr. Thompsen, Lieutenant Healy, and Sergeants Smith and Spinnicchia are on their way with some equipment for you."

"It should be enough to set up a temporary lab station and keep it well lit and comfortable through the night," McKay broke in. The tall, blonde form of Dr. Peter Thompsen made it's way through the gate, followed by the soldiers. All were carrying large cases full of equipment. There was never any questioning the fact that they would be working straight through the night.

"There are also additional night-vision equipment and other supplies for those going to join the search for Dr. Zelenka," Dr. Weir added. "Major, do I need to remind you that no personnel with the ATA gene are to go out in the search party?"

"No, Ma'am," Lorne responded. He would have been insulted at her notion that he'd need to be given any order twice; but they had both worked with Sheppard long enough that he understood her caution.

"Good luck, then," she said. Her voice was strained. Before the wormhole had collapsed, the group in the clearing had already begun setting up their new equipment. Klein put Teyla in charge of keeping the device far enough away from the activity until all the people with the gene were done assisting in the setup.

Only one member of Lorne's team at the gate did not have the ATA gene, so he took Healy, Smith, and Spinnicchia aside to gear up and prepare to join Ronon in the search for Dr. Zelenka.

In short order, the temporary lab was set up and brightly lit, and the search party had been dispatched. Teyla managed to raise Ronon on the radio, and he gave his location, reporting no luck in his search thus far. She let him know the soldiers were on their way to assist, concerned he might shoot them when they neared his position if he wasn't aware they were coming.

Thompsen and Klein dived into the work, desperately trying to decode the device on the table before them. Even though there was often tension between the military and scientific contingents on Atlantis, most of the scientists liked Colonel Sheppard. Some for no other reason then the fact that he could annoy McKay to no end, but most of them saw that he respected them and their work. He was a well liked man. And now, with Dr. Zelenka's whereabouts unknown, the need to uncover as much information as possible pressed heavily on them. At least among the scientists, Zelenka was even more well liked than the Colonel.

Overall, the situation encouraged them to work as quickly as they could. They labored through the night, but the contraption was just as stubborn as it's larger cousins in the clearing not so far away.

As dawn broke, Teyla once again attempted to contact Ronon and the search party. Lorne was patrolling the perimeter, being very careful to give the impromptu lab a very wide berth. He was passing by the path that led to the clearing with Geek-Henge, as Healy had dubbed it, when something drew his attention.

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End Notes: Ok, this story has OFFICIALLY taken on a life of it's own (five days ago, I was thinking this thing would be finished by now!). It's dragging me all over the map, but so far I'm holding on for the ride. Hope y'all are too! Next update prolly won't be till Monday. In the meantime... uhh... I dunno. Have fun?