2. Okay, SOMEBODY'S home

-BODY, body, body, the echo answered. But that was the only answer Sheppard got.

I'll try and raise them on the radio, he reasoned. He reached for the walkie-talkie on his belt, but it wasn't there.

"Goddammit!" he swore loudly. Now he had to go all the way back to his room to get the radio, He would have used the transporter, but he was afraid he would miss someone walking in the halls. He began to run the way he came.

The tracking device. Don't forget the tracking device! He remembered. That could help him locate someone. Providing there was someone to locate.

Maybe the Wraith kidnapped them all. Maybe the nanobot virus killed everyone in their sleep. No, but then anyone with the ancient gene would still be here.

The Major got so wrapped in these insane thoughts that he was hardly watching where he was running. He didn't notice one of the doors open ahead of him, and he bowled straight into a groggy Rodney McKay.

"Jesus, Sheppard! Watch where you're going!" McKay snapped as he got up and dusted himself off.

Sheppard's face lit up. "Rodney! You have no idea how happy I am to see you!"

McKay paused and gave Sheppard a strange look. "We see each other every day. Why would today be any different?"

"Well, y'see-" John paused. It sounded so stupid when he said it.

Now McKay was giving him an even stranger look. "Yeeesss…"

"I thought I was the only one left in Atlantis," he muttered as he turned red.

McKay let out a giant snort and asked, "You WHAT?" with a mixture of amusement and incredulity.

"Well, look around! No one's here!" Sheppard threw his arms up and looked around demonstrating the emptiness.

This remark earned a nonchalant shrug from Rodney. "So? They're all up already. Probably eating breakfast."

The major frowned. "McKay, on an average morning, when have you ever seen the halls this empty?"

'Average morning?' There's no such thing as a 'average morning' in Atlantis, McKay thought. But still… "Well, not really," he admitted. "But that doesn't prove a thing. You're overreacting, John." But McKay wasn't so sure. Sheppard wasn't exactly high-strung or excitable, and he was pretty worked up over this. "Look, if it makes you feel better, I'll go get my radio and you'll see that everyone is fine."

"Great. Just let me get my radio and the tracking device from my room." Sheppard dashed off.

Maybe Rodney's right, Sheppard reasoned with himself. I'm probably just jumping to conclusions. I mean, everyone in Atlantis gone except me and McKay? Sheppard tried to laugh it off but he couldn't shake his feeling of disquiet. Everyone's here and they're all okay he thought firmly. But he really didn't believe it.

Rodney sighed. Paranoid military types, he thought as he rummaged through his room looking for his walkie-talkie. He knew John Sheppard was far from a paranoid military officer, but he was sure acting like it now. He found the radio among a Pile of notepads and went out to the hall to wait for Sheppard.

I'll raise someone on the radio. Prove him wrong, he thought.

"This is McKay, does anybody copy?" he spoke into the radio. No response. He waited for a second and then tried again. Funny…

"Anything?" Sheppard asked as he came up from behind.

"No, but I only tried twice."

John turned on his radio and tried to hail someone, but to no avail.

"Believe me now?" Sheppard asked, starting to feel the strains of panic aclinging at him again.

"No… it still doesn't mean anything." McKay said uneasily. Granted, it was strange that no one was in the halls and the radio hails went unanswered, but that didn't prove that they were the only ones in Atlantis. "Let's check the mess hall. Someone's always in the mess hall. And that will convince you that we're all here. Besides, I'm hungry."