A/N: We're back to our regular storyline now, I probably won't pick up on the current-day Atlantis plot again, but anything's open.

Chapter 13: The Gratuitous Pop Culture Reference Chapter

"So…what now?" asked Sheppard in a bored tone of voice.

McKay stood up from his seat on the on the floor next to the graph. "Well, first off we should focus on not changing anything. I we somehow screw up the timeline, the ramifications could be enormous."

"Like in 'Back to the Future!'" Sheppard offered, nodding sagely.

Rodney closed his eyes and gritted his teeth.
How many times must I tell you that movie is quite possibly the least accurate interpretation of time travel in existence?"

"But it was a good movie!" John protested.

"Oh please. A 'flux capacitor?' Hollywood isn't even trying to make it sound realistic. McKay ranted. He began to pace the ZPM room. "Furthermore, if the main character changed the way his parents met, the effects would be instantaneous, not gradual. It's the Grandfather Paradox, the most basic of time travel rules! And how can they expect-"

Sheppard cut off Rodney before he picked up too much steam. "It's just a movie, McKay, for entertainment's sake only, not meant to be subject to scientific analysis."

"But how can they expect me to be entertained if they can't keep the simplest principals a time travel straight?" he cried, throwing his hands up in exasperation.

"God, I'd hate to see you watch 'Star Wars,'" the major muttered to himself.

Unfortunately, Rodney picked up on the comment. "'STAR WARS!' Arrgh, what a massacre of science! Space is a vacuum! There is no air in a vacuum, therefore there cannot be explosions. The Death Star would implode! George Lucas must have cut high school physics or something."

Finally realizing his mistake, John now tried to tip the conversation back on track. "Alright, McKay, now focus and tell me what we need to do."

"Yes, right. Well, we'll need to find some place where no one ever goes so we don't interfere in the Ancient's history. Also, if we isolate ourselves then that decreases our risk of catching the plague. Although, if the pathogen is airborne, it probably won't make much of a difference where we are," Rodney finished morbidly.

"What about the mainland?" the major suggested.

McKay fixed him with a jaundiced glare. "How do you plan on getting there, swimming? We can't fly there using a jumper because we risk changing some major battle with the Wraith."

John arched an eyebrow. "Will one jumper really make a difference? I mean the Ancient forces were pretty much wiped out by the Wraith, what's to say it wouldn't have been shot down anyway?"

"We don't know that for sure! You'd be surprised to learn what kind of things can have a major impact on history. Ever heard of the butterfly effect?"

Sheppard thought for a little. It did sound familiar…"That movie about that guy who blacked out and could go back in time or something? The one with that actor who all the teenage girls obsessed over?""

McKay scoffed. "Nononono, not that 'Butterfly Effect!'" He stopped for a second, then began raving again. "God, that was a terrible movie. It almost rivals 'Back to the Future' in the way it horribly mangles time travel theory. But at least it-"

"Focus, McKay," the major warned.

"Of course. The real butterfly effect is the essence of chaos theory. In layman's terms, a butterfly flapping its wings in North America and it alters the course of weather in Asia forever." Seeing the utterly blank, confused look on Sheppard's face, Rodney waved his hand dismissively and added, "It's much too complicated to get into now, as we do not have enough time to devote to teaching you-"

"McKay!"

"Alright! Simply put, any little thing we change could have massive repercussions. Some damage has already been done just by our being here, but we should be able to minimize our impact if we really, really try."

After a short pause, John concluded, "Bringing us back to my original question: so what do we do now?"

Rodney's action was purely priceless. He blinked at Sheppard a few times, then glared, and then began to bluster loudly, wildly gesturing with his hands. "I just…you are…" He clenched his fists and let out a giant, exasperated, "ARRRRRRGH! I already told you! We are going to find someplace where we won't mess up history and/or get ourselves killed!"

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Sheppard strode purposefully out of the room. McKay stared after him in pure disbelief. I am truly surrounded by incompetence, and I will be lucky if I make it through this situation sane, never mind alive! he thought.


Well, that was pointless!