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Spoilers for: 'Before I sleep'maybe some others but mostly just that one.

Okay, this is a bit of a step back, explaining some of whathappened before the 1st chapter. The story will skip back and forth from the podkid's (as the stasis person has been dubbed) point of view and this kind.

Rodney Mckay and Lt. colonel john Sheppard, along with major Lorne, Lt. Healy, and radek Zelenka, were scouting an unexplored area in the east pier of Atlantis, their gun lights darting around the halls cautiously searching for any kind of evilish danger. Like the wraith. Or giant cloud-things of death. Or some other strictly Pegasus galaxy related type of monster.

The hall was very much like all the others in atlantis, only darker, as the power was not as strong in this section of the city. Sheppard grinned over at the two scientists in the scout party, Radek and Rodney, Radek practically jumping at every sound and strange object that came their way, though Rodney was a little bit more used to this kind of thing and was more absorbed in the energy readings on his little detector thing.

"First time exploring unknown and possibly dangerous parts of Atlantis, radek?" asked the rather obnoxious colonel, a grin plastered on his face.

The Czech frowned. "Um, Yes, actually. Vhy?"

"'cause your jumping like a rabbit."

"Ah. Yes, vell you cannot say I have no reason, colonel. Last time-"

"last time was a long time ago. Don't worry, I won't let any clouds of doom get you. Your safe with me." he said, smirking. He tossed his head carelessly in rodeny's direction. "So, Rodney. How's it going back there? Found any fascinating anonymous energy readings yet? Any ancient doohickeys? You know how much I just love those."

Rodney scowled up from his detector. "Sorry to disappoint you, colonel, but no. you know, I was actually starting to enjoy the quiet. Kind of hoping it would last over, I don't know, two seconds? Huh. Guess I was yet again proved hopelessly wrong, eh, sheppard?"

"Ah, come on, Rodney. You know you enjoy it."

"Yes, sheppard, the endless and unfailing sarcasm that accompanies your ever-so-faithful presence is my one true joy in my otherwise extremely stressful life. Do commence with the flow of your infamous and plentiful supply of words, I look forward to each pathetic mark of attempted wit with great anticipation."

Sheppard just smirked. Rodney did enjoy these things, though he tried to hide it. He was about to say something in response when Lorne suddenly spoke up from ahead of them.

"Which way sir?"he asked. john looked up and realized that they had come to a fork in the hall, one which went left and the other right.

"Okay, Lorne, you take Healy and zelenka down the left hall, I'll take Rodney down the right. You know the drill, proceed with caution and don't touch anything...ancientish."

"Ancientish? Brilliant one, colonel. We're in the city of the ancients. Could you possibly specify?"

"You know what I mean, Rodney, don't touch any potentially dangerous objects, don't touch anything you don't know what is. Am I clear?" john added with an intense stare at both the scientists, who each nodded. "Okay, move out. Just uh, contact on radio if you find anything."

Lorne nodded. "Will do, sir. Okay, boys, lets go!" He, Zelenka, and Healy headed there own way, zelenka mumbled something in Czech. as they walked.

Rodney and john headed down the right hall, Rodney tapping idly on his computer and John scouting for any danger. As they walked, john noted the atmosphere in the hall was getting hotter, the sweat already building on the back of his neck. He rubbed his hand to wipe it off, commenting to Rodney, "getting a little warm in here, isn't it?"

Rodney glanced up only briefly before turning back to the blue screen of his detector. "Yes, that would be because we are nearing the heating system that keeps us nice and toasty all throughout the city. It-whoa whoa whoa whoa.."

"What?" john asked, recognizing Rodney's way of saying 'I've found something'.

"I've just detected an energy spike north-east of our position, away from the heating generators and down..that hall." he explained, pointing in the direction of a hall which broke off from their current one.

"Let's go check it out, then. Lorne, come in."sheppard said, tapping his headset. As he explained the situation to the other team, Rodney tried to decipher the exact position of the spike. It appeared to be in what had seemed to be empty chambers when they had gone through the area, but then again they hadn't thoroughly explored it, only glancing in a few of the chambers as they passed through, as they had been heading toward a section of the city which, according to the database in the control room, was where the ancients held battle-practice sessions. That could mean weapons, which would very useful. As it had turned out there weren't any weapons, just practice rooms, like it had said in the database.

"Rodney" came johns voice, yanking Rodney out of his thoughts. "We'll wait here for Lorne and them, apparently radek 'found something', so they aren't that far away." he said with half-hearted disgust.

They stood around for about 5 minutes before they saw the three others trotting up to join them. Sheppard got up from his previous position of leaning on the wall and bounced on his heals.

"Okay. All you folks ready? No weird gadgets or fascinating little trinkets missing? Good. Let's go." with that he turned and strode confidently toward the branching hall, the two scientists right behind him and the others bringing up the rear.

About an hour and a half later, they were still walking. There had been a few rooms a long the way, all of which had been briefly looked through and found to be nothing out of the ordinary. A few labs (there were a lot of those), a couple of living quarters, nothing from which any energy spike could have come from. But those had been behind them, and it appeared now to john that all that was left was the long hall before them, leaving him sufficiently bored. Rodney and Radek seemed to be the only ones who weren't practically dying from a lack of something to do, as they seemed to have taken a sudden and intense interest in the detector in Rodney's hand, mumbling back and forth about..something. Mostly 'technical babble', as it was commonly known as, to john and the other two militaries. He was about to suggest turning back and getting a proper team together, which probably would be mostly consisting of scientists and a few guards for precaution, when rodney suddenly gave out with a triumphant "Ah Hah!" he flashed his infamous 'I'm a genius and I know it' smile. "The brilliant scientist figures it out once again."

Radek scowled briefly. "Hey! We both did." Rodney simply rolled his eyes before continuing. "Whatever. Anyways, we have found the location of the energy spike. It's fairly close, about a mile down the hall.I'm getting a few low energy readings from there. Huh. Wonder why we didn't pick it up before."

Radek pushed up his glasses (though they hadn't even fallen, it was simply a habit of his), and bounced on his heals, much in the same way the colonel had done. "Actually, it could be that our presence in this section of the city activated it, or the energy emitting from the device, whatever it is, could be so subdued that we didn't pick it up from the control room."

Rodney waved his hand dismissivly. "Yes yes yes, but whatever it is, we're not going to find it standing around and chatting, so, shall we?" he said, gesturing with one arm to the hall which stretched endlessly ahead of them.

John took the invitation and started walking along, the rest of them following behind. Another strange energy reading in the city of Atlantis. He sighed, wondering where this newest strange device or whatever would end them.

Review! review! review! review!...um...please? It keeps me typing. the next chapter is coming soon, I didn't do to bad this time, right:)