A/N: Urg! First off thanks for everyone who has left a review for me, it is really helping my confidence. If anyone would like to add some suggestions feel free to. I've been having major computer problems as of late, constisting of hard drives, loud bangs, smoke and bad smells. As a result I have for the moment no access to the majority of my files and my computer keeps dying, so sorry about the delays. Anyways excuses excuses…

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Chapter 4

"So do we know what it is yet?" asked Weir as she walked into the science lab

"Ahhh no, not yet" replied Zelenka, looking up from a computer.

"So what do we know?" She asked, moving towards the device, which had been set up on a couple of benches next to the wall.

"Well actually…" he began, as he moved to join Elizabeth

"Very little I'm afraid" Interrupted a muffled voice.

Elizabeth shot Radek a puzzled look, to which he responded to by pointing over to the bench next to her, just as an exasperated McKay emerged from underneath it, where he was examining the machine.

"I still can't get it to work again, and I can't begin to understand what it is, until I can."

"We!" Chimed in Zelenka "Think it may have been damaged."

"Yeah, but that doesn't make any sense. I mean, I can't find anything wrong with it. For all intensive purposes, it should work."

"Yes but it doesn't" Zelenka reminded him

"Yes but it should"

"But it doesn't"

"Yes! I know that, but it should!" McKay replied, getting aggravated. "There's no logical reason why it isn't working. As far as I can tell, everything's where it should be, it's just not making sense."

"What about the power source?" Asked Weir

"The power was limited, yes, but it still should be more than enough to get it to work."

"But Colonel Sheppard mentioned something about a power surge back on the planet, could that have…"

"Yes, yes, yes, but that still wouldn't explain this. It was just a power surge, and besides it was still working after that, it wasn't until I took it off the wall that it stopped."

"Well then perhaps it's connected to the wall somehow, or even the planet." She suggested

"I've already thought of that. There was nothing there to indicate that it was connected anyway to the wall. There are no exposed leads or anything on the wall, or at the back of the device itself. The leaver was just simply holding it up. I mean it's no different to a… to a hook. It just…"

Rodney became lost for words, and sighed in despair.

"Just what?" asked Elizabeth, intrigued be McKay's puzzlement.

"I don't know. It just doesn't make any sense."

"Okay" she replied, slightly disappointed in the lack of answers she was getting. It wasn't too often that McKay got stumped. "Got any other ideas?"

Rodney, just stood for a while thinking, before turning to Radek for help

"Perhaps we could try to interface one of our naqueda generators with the device. Give it a bit more power, just to try to help it start back up again." Zelenka suggested.

"Ah, I don't think that would work, according to these readings there should be still be more than enough power to start it up again and have it working…."

"But… It can't hurt to try" Interrupted Weir, as she stepped in for a closer look. "Do it", she added, as Zelenka nodded and headed out of the lab in search for a generator.

"Keep me posted ok?" She told Rodney as she left the room.

Looking around at her, and then back to the device, he nodded slightly in frustration. "Right."

"Ok, I think that should do it." Said McKay, as he crawled out from behind the device. "What does it say?" He called over to Radek, who was standing nearby taking readings on his computer.

"Not much" He replied, as Rodney walked over to join him. "It hasn't really made a lot of difference, power levels remain much the same."

"Hmmm, and still nothing happens. Well I think we can rule that out as the problem." He said growing weary.

Taking a deep breath, they both looked back up to device. "Okay, lets think about this for a second. " Rodney started, as he moved towards it, thinking back to when he first saw it in operation. "It was producing a light from out the bottom…"

"Maybe the globe's bust?"

"Oh yes! That must be it! I'll just pop down to corner shop and buy another one, shall I?"

"Sorry, I was just…"

"As I was saying! It was producing a light. When I went towards it, it flashed and changed colour. Now let's say it was just a power spike, what would cause that?"

"In an empty cave? I can't think of anything, other than something must have interrupted the power flow."

"Yes, but what?"

"I don't know. To be honest, I don't think it has anything to do with it, I mean you said yourself that it was still working fine after that anyway." Said Zelenka.

"Yeah your right" replied Rodney, as the two of them just stood and stared in hopelessness at the inactive machine, just wondering what they could discover, if only it would start working again.

"Perhaps there's something in the Ancient database that I missed that could explain this. I'll look over it all again first thing in the morning." Radek said, as he headed towards the door.

"In the meantime, I need some sleep, this is giving me a headache. You coming?"

"No, no, I think I'll stay a bit longer." Rodney replied.

Shaking his head, Radek left the lab, leaving Rodney by himself.

Grabbing a chair, he sat down at bench at the opposite side of the room. Starring at the lifeless contraption, he thought back to the underground cavern. The whole thing just didn't make sense. After about 10 minutes of retracing their steps in his mind, Rodney still couldn't figure out what it could have been that caused the machine to stop working.

"Why wont you work!" He asked it, throwing his hands up in frustration, before letting them slam down on the table, remembering his injury too late to do anything about it. "Ow! Damn! Nice Work McKay!" he hissed angrily at himself. All the while clutching his arm painfully to his chest, waiting for the sudden sharp pain to subside. Rubbing his tired eyes, and brushing his hair back with his hands, he looked back at the device one more time, before calling it a night, however this time, he noticed something a little different. A little spark came shooting out the bottom of the device, where the light once was. Surprised, Rodney moved closer to investigate.

"Ok this is something. Why are you doing that?" He asked it, heading back to the computer to check the readings.

"Ok power levels are fluctuating. Why is that?"

Looking over at the device again, he saw the interface that he and Radek had left hooked into.

"Well that may have something to do with it" He replied to himself, as he moved forward to disconnect the naquada generator. Just as he finished, a beam of light shot out of the bottom from where he first noticed the sparks.

"Wow!" Rodney squealed as he quickly jumped away.

The light once again turned into an aqua blue, and had started to shimmer several inches off the floor, just like he had seen back on the planet.

Curiosity getting the better of him, Rodney moved towards it to get a closer look. As he crouched down looking at it, he had an urge to reach out and touch it. As his hand came closer, the pool of light slowly grew in size. Becoming aware of this, he quickly withdrew his arm and stood back up, but it was too late. The light was growing more rapidly, and it was moving in his direction. He attempted to activate his radio to call for help, but there wasn't time. Within seconds, the strange light had completely engulfed him, and there was nothing he could do.