Of
Duty, Atonement, and Redemption—Chapter Eight
By
SGC Gategirl
xxx
For warnings, comments, summary, etc, please see part one.
xxx
"So, Doc, how's it going?" Major Lorne asked, casually leaning against one of the large supports for the hut wall as a white coat-clad Carson Beckett stepped into his now-empty waiting room.
Beckett glanced around, his eyes scanning the area before settling on Lorne, the weariness clearly evident. "Am I finished? I thought—"
"You're finished for today. I sent Anne to our overnight accommodations. She was beginning to fall asleep sitting here."
The Doctor's face quickly turned from curiosity and concern to annoyance. "That was a tad bit presumptuous on your part, Major," he began, his words heated, only to stop at Lorne's upraised hand.
"I know, I know. I should have talked to you first before making sure Halling had somewhere for us to stay overnight. And I know I should have asked you first before I told Anne to leave, but she was dead on her feet. I was worried you were going to have another patient if I didn't send her for food and sleep." Lorne paused, shifting forward so he was standing upright. He took a few steps toward the doctor before pausing again.
"I know you want to get home as soon as possible. You've been working yourself at a hectic pace. But, it's late and there're still a handful of people that need to see you. They can wait until the morning. We'll head back to Atlantis in the afternoon. It's only twelve hours more at this point."
Carson scowled. "I guess there isn't any way to talk ye out of this."
Lorne shook his head. "Already called home and let them know we were spending the night."
"And ye did that, when?" Beckett asked, a single eyebrow raised, a knowing expression on his face.
Lorne glanced away, heat rushing to his cheeks. "This afternoon. It was pretty obvious."
Carson stepped over to the chairs set along the side of the room, allowing his body to slump into the closest one. "This is a little more complicated than I originally thought."
"The check-ups?"
"Nae, those are easy. It's this disease, virus, whatever it is," he replied, his hand waving tiredly in the air. He took another step closer to Lorne as he continued. "I haven't seen anything like it and it's pretty potent. Knocked some of these folks for a loop, but they seem to be over the brunt of it. I just don't know why they didn't ask for medical assistance earlier, when it was limited to only a few people. Now, we may have to so a more thorough check of the entire Athosian population and Atlantis as well. I'm not sure how it'll react to the city's population."
"How contagious it is?"
Carson shrugged. "I don't know for sure, but these people I'm checking today should have been much better than they are. And most can't pinpoint when or where they may have contracted it. The test results I was going over yesterday gave me a little insight into this bugger, but not enough. It's not behaving as I thought it should. And," he added a little hesitantly, "I think—I'm not certain though—that there have been some deaths. The very young, the very old—those most susceptible. There's been some…talk among the Athosians, but nothing concrete."
"We need to tell Doctor Weir about this."
"Aye," Beckett said, nodding wearily. "But until we know more, I don't want to alarm her. It might be an isolated incident. I don't want to check everyone if we don't have to. A waste of time and resources."
"So, what's next?"
"I'm gonna have tae go to the jumper and let Elizabeth know what's going on and then finish the follow-up visits. Once I get everything back to the labs on Atlantis I'll know more."
"Are we in any danger?"
"I don't know," Carson shrugged apologetically, shoving his hands deep into his pockets. "I don't think so. We haven't come down with any of the symptoms since we were here last week and the cases were worse then."
Lorne nodded his head slowly. "Okay, Doc. We'll play it your way for now. So, do I want to know the symptoms?"
"Let's keep you in the dark, Major. You can be my yellow canary."
"Oh, thanks," Lorne said, rolling his eyes. "So if I get it then you'll know we're all contagious."
"You did say you wanted to help," Carson said with a smile, as he rose to his feet, shuffling over to the other man. "Point me to the jumper and I'll go and make that call."
Lorne threw and arm over Beckett's shoulders. "I'll do you one better. I'll give you a personal escort. I wouldn't want you to get lost."
The doctor tossed a scowl his way. "I think you might be referring to Colonel Sheppard's legendary skills on the ground. I, however, am quite good with directions."
"Consider it part of the service then, Doc."
xxx
Teyla, dressed in her workout clothes, her fighting sticks in hand, walked through the halls of Atlantis getting sidelong glances from everyone she passed.
The Atlanteans were strange. It was as if they had never seen skin before, and yet there were times when all her preconceived notions about them changed drastically.
Rolling her eyes as the head of yet another Marine turned, she rounded the corridor, her goal clearly in sight, light spilling from the open doorway and into the hallway. Stopping just outside the lab, she glanced in, her gaze settling on the figure hunched over the desk, two computer laptops before him, a hand resting on the keyboard of each. Papers covered the rest of the desk's surface, scattered in what looked like random piles, the corners of the sheets bent and standing on end. She spotted glimpses of silver wrappers peeking out from between the scribbled and marked pages. A white ceramic coffee mug sat off to the right side, nearly at the edge of the workstation, brown stains dried on the side.
Muttering to himself, Rodney McKay continued to work, fingers typing on the keyboards, his eyes snapping back and forth between the two devices, seemingly oblivious to her scrutiny.
Stepping into the room, Teyla slowly approached the desk making a conscious effort to make some noise as she moved. There was no point in scaring the scientist. Before she could reach her destination, however, he spoke, startling her, his voice cold.
"You wanted something?"
She narrowed her eyes, tilting her head to look at him a little closer. He had yet to glance away from the screens and toward her. When she didn't reply immediately, his bloodshot blue eyes finally rose to meet hers over the top of the computer. "You were standing there staring for quite some time. Obviously you wanted something."
"You missed our workout session," she said, choosing simplicity instead of confrontation.
"Oh," he replied, his eyes widening slightly before his eyes shifted once again, fixed solidly on the computer screen. His body twitched subtly. "That was tonight?"
Rodney McKay was a terrible liar. It wasn't that he was incapable of misdirection or speaking a falsehood. However, his own body always seemed to rebel against its most basic nature when he attempted it.
Before she could speak, he continued, his words bulldozing over whatever she was going to say—even though she had yet to formulate a response.
"Look, this is really a bad time. I'm in the middle of several projects and I can't exactly drop everything just to play Conan to your Xena. I barely have enough time to get the idiotic scientists to stop trying to blow up the labs on a regular basis I'm surprised I get a chance to work on my own research at all. I finally managed to string together a few spare minutes and I can't stop in the middle."
He paused, taking a breath before plunging forward once again, his tone a little less aggressive than it was at first, his volume substantially reduced. His eyes were fixed on the edge of the desk where the fingers of his right hand swept back and forth in short strokes against the cool, dark surface.
"Besides, it's not like I'll have any use for the training anymore. I've been thinking fieldwork might not be a good idea—at least in my case. I have more than enough to occupy my time here on the base without the life and death situations I find myself in on a regular basis."
"Doctor McKay," Teyla finally said, breaking in as the physicist took another breath. "Are you not making a hasty decision? You have nearly two more weeks before you are placed back on the mission lists. Might it not be advantageous to wait and see how you feel then?"
McKay shrugged, his fingers still in motion, his head down. "I don't think anything will change."
"You have already made up your mind."
"No," he replied, shaking his head and glancing up. "That's not it. I'm not sure the decision to remain on the team is entirely mine to make."
"Surely everyone can see how much you have done in behalf of the city and its inhabitants." Her forehead creased as she thought further. "Why would they not allow you to continue?"
"Not everyone blows up a solar system."
She inclined her head. "That is most certainly true. However, is it not the nature of all things to make mistakes?"
McKay turned away, the muscles in his jaw tightening, the muttered words barely reaching Teyla's ears. "It shouldn't happen with me."
Teyla opened her mouth to say something else, but he turned sharply, anger etched into his features. "Look," he said, "I don't have time for this…this…sharing thing we've started and I have even less time or desire to be beaten by a pair of sticks. So, if you don't mind, I'd like to get back to work."
Turning back to his computers, he bowed his head, pointedly ignoring her, his fingers tapping on the keyboards, his mouth set in a thin line.
Waiting several moments, Teyla finally nodded to herself, moving out, the clicking of the computer keys following her down the hall.
"So this might be an outbreak of some kind?" Doctor Elizabeth Weir said, glancing over her desk toward Colonel Sheppard who was sitting tensely in one of her quest chairs. The call had come in from Carson several minutes ago and when he'd given her a brief overview she'd asked him to wait, pulling Sheppard into the call as well.
"I dunna know for sure," came the Doctor's weary reply. "Once I get these round of tests to the lab and examined I'll know more, but it has got me a little worried."
"I thought you said in your report that it was nothing to be concerned about," Sheppard said.
"And I don't think it will be, but at this point I'd rather be cautious."
xxx
"So, what do you want us to do now?" Weir asked, leaning forward, her elbows on her desk.
"Nothing. I just wanted to give you and update and let you know that I was concerned. There's no need to put anyone into panic mode."
"We might want to halt off-world missions for the meantime, or at least until you can figure out what the problem is," she suggested, her eyes widening at Sheppard who nodded in agreement from his slumped position in one of the guest chairs in her office. He'd snagged one of the smaller statues and was twirling it in his hands. She shot him an annoyed glance, but he ignored her.
"I don't think that will be necessary, Elizabeth," Carson said. "It might be nothing—"
"But it might be something."
"But we've had no symptoms at all on Atlantis," Carson argued, a hint of weariness in his voice. "Right now it's confined to the mainland."
"Fine," Elizabeth said, nodding once. "We'll keep the missions as scheduled, but if you find out anything—"
"I'll let you know immediately, aye," Carson replied quickly.
"Okay. Thanks for the update, Doctor," Weir said. "We'll see you tomorrow afternoon. Stay well."
"Aye. That's my plan. Tomorrow then. Have a good night."
As Beckett signed off, Weir shut down the connection on her end, taking a deep breath as she looked across her desk at John. "This could be a problem."
"Maybe," he said, leaning back in his chair. "Beckett does seem worried, but no more than usual. It's probably some old childhood disease no one's seen in a while, that's all. The Pegasus' version of adult chicken pox."
"But that can be deadly."
"Not in most cases it isn't. More annoying than anything—at least that's what I've heard." Sheppard paused, taking a deep breath. "Do you still want us going out in the morning? I can delay the mission until Lorne and Beckett come back."
Elizabeth shook her head. "No. I want things to continue as is for now. If the doctor thought there was a chance of contamination then it would be a different story." She paused, pulling her worries and her thoughts together. "But let's be smart about this. If there's anything wrong, even if it's a minor complaint, I want you back here immediately."
"Fine." He shifted in his chair and slowly rose to his feet placing the figurine back where it belonged. His other hand reached up to rub at the back of his neck. "I should probably get myself together since we're shipping out early."
"Have a good night, John," she said, offering a tight, thin-lipped smile.
"You should get some rest. You look like you can use it," he said, pausing at the cusp of her office, glancing back over his shoulder, his body half-turned.
She nodded. "I will. I want to get through a few more of these reports before I call it a night."
John raised an eyebrow, his lips drawing up in a small smile. "Night." Turning, he strode out into the control room, speaking briefly with the techs on duty before ambling down the stairs and out of her sight.
Sighing, Elizabeth turned back to the reports. If she knew this job would involve so much red tape and paperwork, she might have thought twice about agreeing to come. But, given the opportunity to explore a whole new galaxy…that was a little hard to turn down. She just wished bureaucracy hadn't followed her here.
xxx
Rodney McKay glanced up, squinting at the cabinet across the room before dropping his gaze to his wristwatch. It was late—or early—depending on how you looked at it. The meetings he'd had, spread through the entire day, had taken up way too much time. And then Teyla had insisted on having a little heart-to-heart. Between all of the distractions, he hadn't gotten much done, which was why he was still in his office at 0200 in the morning.
If Carson could see him now…
He chuckled to himself, shaking his head as he turned back to this computer, his eyes on the screen, but not focused on the data displayed there.
Who was he kidding? As much as Beckett ranted and threatened and complained, it wasn't like he really cared about what he was doing or when he was working. Beckett's job was to keep him healthy enough for when they really needed him, for when they needed him to pull something out of his ass—not that it did much good as of late.
He'd found more references to other Ancient outposts and research stations. Some of them were strictly for medical research. He'd give those to Carson once he got back from the mainland, and let him figure out what everything meant and what was important. Several were military in nature—weapons research and storage. He had no clue about the rest, apart from the fact that the Ancients used these locations on a regular basis. Maybe they were meeting points, staging areas for attack fleets. He had to find out more about them before he could give any kind of mission recommendation.
But right now, he needed Sheppard's mission later today to go well. If the information he had on hand was even just remotely right, Zelenka should come back with a truckload of gadgets and gizmos. Some of them, he knew, would be exactly what he was looking for.
xxx
Radek Zelenka stumbled into the gate room, his heavy pack making him unsteady on his feet. He didn't really like going off-world. Too many uncertainties, too many variables, too many chances for something unexpected to happen.
But, he also knew that a lot of the situations the team encountered called for scientists. This was an opportunity of a lifetime, to work on alien technology in another galaxy—he just wished it was a little less hazardous to his health.
Colonel Sheppard, Teyla, and Ronon were already in the gateroom, waiting at the bottom of the stairs as he rounded the final corner.
"Ah, there's the good doctor now," said Sheppard with a tight smile. He turned, craning his neck to look upwards where Doctor Weir was standing on one of the balcony's overlooking the room below. "We're set to go."
"Dial the planet," she ordered, her expression serious. A few seconds later the wormhole connected, the puddle settling inside the lighted circle.
"We're receiving telemetry from the MALP on the planet," the gate tech said, studying the screen before him. There was another pause and Radek knew the camera was surveying the immediate Stargate clearing. "Looks clear, ma'am."
Weir nodded once. "It looks like you have a go. Be safe."
"Always," Sheppard said, already heading for the gate, his weapon drawn and at the ready. Ronon was only a few paces behind him. Teyla, however, was at his side, her concerned gaze looking him over.
"Are you ready Doctor Zelenka?"
He nodded hesitantly. "As ready as I'm going to be."
She offered him a smile and walked beside him toward the open wormhole. "We will protect you. Doctor. We have no intention of letting anything harm you."
"That's good to know, but I've also seen how often Rodney comes back in need of medical attention. Please do not be insulted if I do not believe you."
If anything, her smile widened. "We shall have to show you that we speak truth." She paused beside him, only a single step from the event horizon. "Are you prepared?"
He nodded and stepped into the cold wishing he was still curled up in his bed.
xxx
John Sheppard held the sensor in his left hand, scowling at the screen while his right hand held his P90 against his chest so it wouldn't bounce as they walked through the forest. That was one downside to having Zelenka on his team—he couldn't use Ancient devices, but at least he could interpret what came up on the screen.
"Colonel, are you still getting energy readings?"
He tried not to sigh as he rolled his eyes at the Czech's question. "Yes, for the fifteenth time."
"Are they changing? Increasing? Decreasing?"
"They're steady."
"Are we walking around in circles then? The reading should be changing." Zelenka shook his head, his voice dropping. "Rodney warned me about this."
John's eyes narrowed as he glanced over at the scientist. "About what?"
"Your substantial lack of direction on the ground. I did not believe it to be true, however. It is amazing that even with the Ancient device you still end up walking around in circles."
Trying not to let his annoyance and anger rise to the surface, John stopped, turning to glare at the scientist instead. "Would you like to try?"
"No, no," Zelenka grinned, his eyes showing his amusement. "I'm simply curious about the statistical improbability of a pilot unable to find his way on the ground."
John shifted his gaze, his eyes moving to glance at Teyla and Ronon who were remaining silent, although he could see they were enjoying Radek's teasing. "Fine. We might be walking in circles, but I'm not getting a direct signal to indicate much of anything, let alone an entrance. And if we don't find something soon we're going to have to turn around and head home."
Zelenka's gaze turned inward for a moment and John could swear that he could hear the scientist's mind working on the problem from across the clearing. "Have you tried scanning for additional power sources or energy signatures? We might not be looking for ZPM energy readings, but instead something else entirely." He paused, the scowl on his face quickly transforming to a tangible idea. "Have you tried looking for cloaking technology? The energy that is required to maintain an Ancient's cloak is very high but it also gives off a very distinctive signature. If the Ancients did not want to be discovered, they may have cloaked the entire base."
Part of John wanted to ask why they weren't looking for that in the first place, but he held his tongue.
Reaching around behind him, Zelenka unclipped his pack, letting Teyla catch it before it hit the dirt. He knelt down, digging inside, his hands pulling out a cable and his tablet PC. Sitting down on the dirt next to his pack, he fiddled with the computer for several moments, before wiggling his fingers toward Sheppard in a very McKay-like gesture. The physicist was rubbing off on everyone in the science department it seemed.
John moved closer, taking the end of the cord Zelenka handed him once he was in range, the fingers of the scientist's right hand continually poking at the touch screen. "Attach this to the scanner," he ordered without looking up. The other end was already plugged into the PC in his lap.
He complied, waiting for the scientist's next order. Zelenka scowled at the computer several times, his fingers hesitating over several keys before making a final decision. The scanner in John's hands immediately went dark.
"Ah, Radek…" John began, only to be waved off by the seated scientist.
"I'm rebooting the hand scanner. I wrote a patch asking the scanner to look for a very specific energy signature. Rodney will not like that I am altering the firmware, but we shall not tell him."
"How long until it reboots?"
"A few more seconds."
And sure enough, a few beats later the scanner lit up in John's hand, the screen showing an entirely different set of readings. "Whoa," he said, his eyes widening as he began to turn in a circle, watching as the readings changed. Zelenka stopped him with a hand against his leg, pulling the cable from the handheld.
"Now. What do you see?" He asked, tucking the cable away but hanging onto the PC. Teyla stepped forward once again to help him re-attach his pack.
"I'm not sure, but whatever it's picking up it's higher in that direction," John responded, lifting his hand to point back from where they came.
"Good. Let us find this base and bring back toys for the scientists to play with. It has been a long time since one of the teams have brought us anything worthwhile."
xxx
Carson sighed as the jumper touched down in the bay. They were later than they'd originally thought they'd be, an emergency call in the middle of the night giving him a late start in the morning after catching only a few hours of sleep.
One of the patient's he'd seen earlier in the day had been complaining of severe discomfort, his relatives clamoring at his door in the wee hours of the morning. He'd checked him over again, finally giving him some Tylenol to bring down the fever, and an injection to help with the nausea. He'd also fed him electrolyte-enhanced fluids to replace what he'd lost. It had been bad, but not life-threatening—at least not at this point.
Carson wanted to bring him to the infirmary on Atlantis to keep a closer eye on him, but until he knew more about what he was dealing with he was hesitant. As it was, he insisted on decontamination procedures for the three of them.
Just outside the cockpit window, he saw three members of his medical staff suited up in their gear, ready with the portable decontamination equipment. They'd set up a small location in the corner of the bay and would scrub everything down as well as the jumper in which they'd traveled. He'd also ordered Shelly Laurence, one of his nurses who'd accompanied them last week, to the infirmary for a check-up—just in case.
He had told Elizabeth he didn't think there was going to be a problem, but there was something in his gut warning him to take it slow. The initial test results had been inconclusive. He just hoped the new samples would shed more light as to what this little bugger was.
Now, with a case-full of samples by his side and a full-decontamination process still to come, the stress of the unknown washed over him. He had to get the samples to the lab and get his staff working on them immediately, but until they were clear he didn't want to risk the general population—just in case.
"Doctor Beckett?"
Lifting his head, he squinted through the forward window as he reached for the button to turn the radio on. "Doctor Biro? I didn't think you'd be here."
"Well, since there wasn't much else going on at the moment, I figured going through this little decontamination exercise of yours would be good practice. Besides," she added and Carson swore she had a broad grin on her face, although he couldn't be sure, "how often do I get the chance to see my boss with his knickers around his ankles?"
"Doctor…" he warned too shocked to be angry.
"The bay's clear and we have everything set up, so whenever you want to head on out we'll get started. I know you want to get those samples to the lab, and the quicker we get you cleared, the faster you can get back to work," she continued, bowling over whatever he was going to say. The medical team had already moved out of his view around to the back of the bay where they'd set up shop.
Beckett nodded once to Lorne who was sitting stiffly in the pilot's chair. They'd…argued…on the way back to Atlantis about the necessity of this whole process, but after a quick discussion with Elizabeth, she'd agreed to err on the side of caution.
The major concentrated for a moment and the rear door began to descend revealing the interior of a makeshift white plastic room, the rear entrance of the jumper cut off from the rest of the bay.
He hated this part.
xxx
Running a hand over his face, Rodney McKay leaned back, stretching the muscles in his back. He'd spent a good portion of the day so far deep in the bowels of Atlantis. About two hours after he'd finally pulled himself away from his laptop to get a little rest, he'd gotten the call from Swartson about power failures. As fast at they had been re-routing circuits, they couldn't seem to find the source of the problem.
Instead of sleeping, he'd headed back to the labs, running several diagnostics before sending repair crews into the city. It seemed some of the back-up systems were acting up, the interfaces with the Earth-based equipment the primary culprits. After everything the city had been through in the past few months, it wasn't a surprise. Many of their repairs had been patches of patches, temporary fixes until they had the time for more permanent solutions—time they'd never found.
So, here he was, elbow-deep in several control panels and systems, checking and double-checking each and every connection before closing up one and moving onto the next. Three other teams were spread out in various other parts of the cities—two per team—taking care of the primary systems that had been affected. Currently, internal communications was spotty at best, the Earth-based audio equipment suddenly deciding not to talk to the system built into the city. Where he was—deep in the under-belly of the main spire—he was lucky to be able to reach a few levels above his head. The thicker deck plating and power conduits running through this section were especially notorious for hindering Earth-based audio communication.
Every now and then he'd catch the garbled end of a conversation, but unless they came looking for him—or he heard his name in a message—he ignored it. He had the urge to turn the damn thing off just to stop the high-pitched static and white noise that squawked out occasionally, making him jump at the most inappropriate times. Unfortunately, one of the Marines had visited an hour or so ago, bringing several messages from the other teams. He'd also run up several levels earlier on when the frantic repetition of his name broke through the static.
This was no way to run a city.
In the next Daedalus run, he was going to ask for plumbers and electricians—anyone with a more practical application of their degrees, half a brain, and a willingness to be creative and think outside the box. A lot of the problems they ended up fixing were minor, but because most of the science department were paper-pushers instead of Mister Fix-Its, repairs were never done quite right—except for his, of course.
Digging into his pack, he pulled out a water bottle and a PowerBar, turning and shifting until his back was pressed against the nearest wall, the cool metal seeping through his shirt and jacket, his legs stretched out in front of him. Yanking the wrapper open, the silver tearing at an angle until the seam at the back halted its progress, Rodney bit down, nearly inhaling a third of the bar in one bite.
Popping open his bottle, he tilted it back against his lips, several mouthfuls of water washing down the peanut butter-flavored energy bar.
He hated this.
He'd spent the last eight hours trying to fix things that shouldn't have broken—if they'd been fixed correctly the first time—and he had several more hours yet to go. The other three teams were each on a different pier, working as quickly and as carefully as possible.
Rodney wished Radek was here, coordinating everything from the science labs and yelling at him, but the scientist was off-world exploring the places he should have been seeing. Releasing the breath he'd been holding, he gnawed off another piece of the PowerBar.
He was worried.
What if there was something on that planet they couldn't decipher? What if it was inhabited and the natives were hostile? Although, hostile natives were a given in this universe. What if they needed two people with the Ancient gene? What if they got lost? Rodney had firsthand experience with Sheppard's sense of direction.
But, it was out of his hands. All he could do was hope for the best and pray the database and his extrapolations from it were correct. After the last screw up, anything was possible.
Shaking his head, he quickly finished off his snack and the rest of his water bottle, stowing the garbage in his pack. Groaning as he shifted position, he slowly rose to his knees and get his feet back under him. Aiming a stern look at the open panel, he sighed and picked up his tools, getting back to work.
xxx
"This is it?" John Sheppard asked, disbelief thick in his voice.
Ronon turned to face the two men, all his senses on alert. He'd been jumpy since they'd arrived, but he wasn't sure why or what had set him off—and he didn't like not knowing.
Sheppard was staring at the scientist, confusion with a tinge of anger underlying his expression. He looked back at the device in his hands before glancing back up to the doctor.
"What did you expect?" asked Zelenka, his hands waving, his thin, brown hair unruly, his eyes wide behind the glasses that refused to remain in place. "You are the one holding the scanner. Are you telling me that you cannot read it?"
"I can read it just fine," Sheppard replied curtly, gesturing toward the rock face they were standing before with the hand that was still gripping McKay's scanner. It was odd, Ronon thought, narrowing his eyes as he watched Sheppard and Zelenka. Even though McKay wasn't here, he was. The scientific equipment Zelenka sported and used as easily as the other scientist was, in Ronon's mind, forever linked to the loud-mouthed physicist.
On the other side of the galaxy and McKay's personality overshadowed their every step. Maybe that was what was setting his senses on edge. He missed the complaining, the constant chatter that told him that everything was fine. Zelenka had the teasing part down, as well as some of the insults, but he didn't stand a chance against McKay's constant chatter.
Siding his eyes to his other teammate, he saw she was watching the other two men carefully, amusement fighting with exasperation on her face.
"I just thought there would be more here than a stupid hole in the hill, that's all."
"If you like, I can take several weeks and create great mountainous ruins for you to crawl through before reaching this point," Zelenka suggested. He turned to Ronon, incorporating him in the conversation. "Specialist Dex will be eager to help with the project, I'm sure. Would that be more to your liking?"
Sheppard scowled and Ronon had to hold back a laugh. What was it about the Atlantean scientists that gave them such balls on off-world missions? He'd thought McKay was the exception to the rule, but the more he worked with these people the more he realized it seemed to be a character trait of nearly the entire delegation. Although they might appear to be weak, there was a core of strength in each of them.
"Doctor Zelenka," Teyla said, drawing their attention, "is there more to the Ancient outpost?"
"Yes, of course," he replied, pushing his glasses back to the bridge of his nose absently. "I believe the 'hole in a hill' that Colonel Sheppard referred to is merely a portal through which we must enter the facility. I also believe this mountain is an image, a very sophisticated cloak designed to hide the outpost from prying eyes."
"But we found it." Ronon said.
"Yes, we did, but it we knew exactly what to look for—more or less."
"So, can we go in?" Sheppard asked, clearly anxious to do something more than talk and hike.
"It might be prudent to take more readings before walking into an outpost we cannot see."
"So, take more readings. We don't have all day." Sheppard began to move off, but stopped at Zelenka's voice.
"Colonel, I require your assistance."
"What?"
"Without ATA gene, I cannot use the hand scanner."
"For crying…" he began, his complaint dying on his lips. "Fine," he continued a moment later. "What do you need me to do?"
xxx
Elizabeth Weir swore she could still smell the decontamination cleansers as she walked into the infirmary several hours later. She's been a little surprised when Carson's request had come through earlier, especially since he'd been so adamant that there was nothing to worry about just fourteen hours earlier.
What had changed?
It made her all the more wary since she had three teams in the field; twelve of her people were out there, hopefully not spreading the next form of the bubonic plague.
Which was why she was here.
Maneuvering through the quiet room, one of the nurses glanced up from her PDA, flashing her a quick smile before turning back to the shelves she was organizing and inventorying. Weir offered a nod and a half-smile in return, her stride never hesitating, only pausing once she reached the doorway to Beckett's office.
She frowned, finding the room empty.
She turned back to the nurse. "Do you know where Doctor Beckett is?"
"He's not in his office?" she asked, taking a few steps toward her, confusion on her face. "He was there a few minutes ago."
"He's not there now. Do you have any idea where he might have gone?"
The other woman shrugged. "The lab, maybe? He's been arguing with them since he got back."
Elizabeth tried not to sigh. "Thank you," she said to the nurse before turning back to stand in the relative privacy offered by the closet-like office of her chief medical officer. She tapped her headset. "Weir to Beckett."
It took a few moments before he replied, his voice rushed. "Beckett here. What did ye want, Elizabeth? I'm in the middle of something."
"I came down here to get an update," she replied, trying not to let her annoyance drip into her voice.
"You're in the infirmary then?"
"Yes. Why?"
"Nae a thing," he replied quickly before taking a long pause. "Look, I'm sorry ye came all the way down for an update, but I don't have much to tell you. Let me finish some of these tests and then I'll come up and give you a report."
"I need to know what we're dealing with, Carson. We have teams in the field."
"Aye, I know. We haven't been able to figure everything out yet. I need more time."
"Do you know anything?"
Beckett hesitated. "I'd rather not say until I know more. I might be wrong."
"About what?" Her words were loud, forced out through clenched teeth. She swung around, glancing over her shoulder toward the center of the infirmary, wondering how far her voice had carried.
"Elizabeth," Beckett said, his tone level and pleading, urging her to listen. "Give me time and I'll answer all of your questions."
"Carson—"
"I'll come up as soon as I have something."
Weir sighed, knowing she couldn't rush him, but wanting to know immediately what her options were. "I'll be waiting."
"Aye, I know ye will."
xxx
After nearly an hour of readings, John Sheppard had had enough.
"Aren't you done yet?"
Radek shook his head, his hair moving with the motion. "There is still more data to analyze before we can enter. Elizabeth would not look kindly if you were injured because of a wrong assumption."
Sheppard tried not to sigh, instead opting to spit out his next question through his clenched jaw. "Do you know how to get in there?"
"Yes."
"Yes?"
"Yes, of course. I have known for some time how to proceed into the structure, but I was still attempting to ascertain the exact layout and purpose of the various—"
"You can get us in there now?"
Radek glanced up at him, his eyes wide. "Yes. Did I not just say that or was I imagining it?"
"Ronon," John said as the Satedan rose from where he'd sprawled an hour ago, "we're going in. I want you to watch our six. I'll let you know when the coast is clear."
The man nodded, his hand on the handle of his weapon as his gaze raked through the area around them.
"But Colonel—" Radek protested, but John refused to be put off any longer.
"The only way we're going to see what's in there is if we go. I appreciate your caution, but you're over-doing it. Sometimes an old Ancient outpost is just an old Ancient outpost."
Pulling the hand scanner from a pocket, be turned it on, pointing it in the direction that the strongest reading was coming from. He heard more than saw Zelenka scrabble to his feet, his tablet PC clutched to his chest. Raising his P90, Sheppard took a few steps closer, watching as the readings increased. He was nearly on top of the cloaking field. "Teyla, keep an eye on the good doctor."
"Colonel!" Zelenka protested again as the tip of John's weapon vanished.
He pulled it out, checking to make sure it was in one piece. Nodding, he positioned the weapon again, moving forward at a faster clip, feeling only a slight tingle as he stepped through—and into what looked like the Antarctic base.
Keying his radio, he spoke. "Can you read me?"
"Colonel, are you all right?" Teyla replied, her voice showing her concern. "You just disappeared."
"I'm fine. Bring everyone through, the coast is clear," he said, his eyes constantly surveying the room he'd stepped into. A stumbling step behind him alerted him to the presence of the rest of his team. Turning, he caught sight of Zelenka's awe-filled face, his eyes seeming to caress the architecture and the walls around them.
"Radek?"
When John didn't get an immediate reaction he repeated the scientist's name, before finally taping him on the shoulder. "Doctor Z."
"This is amazing, Colonel," he replied, shaking off the other man's hand, moving into the room, heading for the nearest panel. "It looks just like the outpost SG-1 discovered that led us to Atlantis. I would have thought this location would be different, somehow, since it was built for a different purpose."
"We think it was, " commented Sheppard. "Who knows, it could have originally just been an outpost and not a weapons development facility."
The scientist didn't answer as he stopped before one of the inactive consoles. After a moment he turned, his eyes fixed on John. "Would you…" He waved his hand as his voice petered off.
Sheppard rolled his eyes and lowered his weapon, nodding as he moved forward. "So, now you want me to turn it on."
"Of course," Radek said. "You are the one with the magic gene that talks to machinery."
Setting his hand on the top of the console he thought briefly, mentally asking the system to turn on. A few beats later and the lights flickered on throughout the entire facility, every panel lit from within, and each overhead light shining brightly.
"Thank you, Colonel," Zelenka said, already moving beside him, the computer he carried perched on the top of the console, wires already connecting it to the Ancient equipment. Sheppard stepped a few feet back, giving the Czech room to maneuver.
The screen on the tablet PC changed several times before settling down into an interface that looked just like the Atlantis mainframe.
Zelenka hummed for a moment before his fingers descended upon the device, poking and sliding and moving continually. He paused after a moment before his pointer finger savagely pushed at the screen and he nodded to himself.
"I am downloading the information contained in this mainframe to my PC. It shall take time to get everything copied over."
"You can get everything?"
"Yes, yes," Zelenka nodded. "Rodney thought it was best to take his computer since it has the most storage space—even before the additional memory he added yesterday afternoon. According to the one screen I pulled up, the main storage unit is down the corridor to the left."
"You found it already?"
"Yes." Radek's voice was level, his eyes narrowing as his brow furrowed a little. "Was it not what we were looking for? The computer can download while we investigate. No?"
Sheppard shook his head, not sure he should be happy, excited, exasperated, or angry. The Czech was not what he expected. Sure, they'd worked together before, but nothing had prepared him for this.
"Teyla, take point. Doc, you're with me. Ronon, you've got our six. Let's see what the Ancients left behind."
xxx
Teyla moved slowly around the corners, all of her senses on high alert. Since she had joined with these people, she had been on many different planets, in many different places, had walked in places where the Ancestors had been.
This was unlike anything she had seen before.
Substantially smaller than Atlantis, this facility seemed to have never been inhabited, its starkness and silence disconcerting.
Ghosts still walked its halls.
Glancing over her shoulder, Sheppard gave her a nod to continue, his eyes hard, continually scanning the area as he walked beside the scientist. Ronon followed several paces behind them, his weapon out and ready to be used at a moment's notice.
"Teyla," Doctor Zelenka said, drawing her attention. "You should see a door coming up at the end of the hallway. That should be the main storage area. Colonel, you may have to open the door."
The Colonel nodded, gesturing for her to pause while he moved around her. She kept pace with the scientist as they proceeded, stopping only when they reached the dead end the doctor mentioned.
"Anything I should know before I touch anything?" Sheppard asked, his question tossed over his shoulder as he examined the panel beside the door.
"No," Zelenka said, shaking his head. "I do not believe there should be any problem."
"You don't believe?" Sheppard said, turning around, his eyes narrowing. "Are you sure about anything?"
"Yes. There is no one here but us. Of that, I cam certain."
The Colonel's eyes rolled upwards before he turned back to the panel, placing his hand gently on its surface and closing his eyes. A few moments later the large doors before them slid open, stall air rushing out from the room they revealed.
The doctor moved around Sheppard, the lights coming up in the large room as they entered, revealing shelving—complete with Ancient devices. Zelenka muttered something in another language before moving once again, his fingertips brushing against the nearest surface.
"Wow," Ronon said from his position behind her. The one word certainly expressed her feelings.
But even through her feelings of elation and wonder, she felt guilty, sad even. After nearly two years of searching, they had finally found a cache of Ancient devices—some of which were probably weapons to fight the Wraith—and Doctor McKay was not even here to see it.
TBC
