AN: OK, I'm astounded by the number of people who want to have a T-shirt clad Sheppard in their kitchen fixing dinner… Of course, now that I think about it, that doesn't sound half bad…

SPOILERS for "Trinity"

SUMMARY: After the events in "Trinity", Sheppard and McKay's relationship is strained at best. But is stranding them in a remote lighthouse with only Zelenka as referee going to help them work things out? And what about the dead scientist who used to own the place?

DISCLAIMER: The following story is a work of fanfiction, and as such is for fan enjoyment only. All recognizable characters/settings are the property of their respective owners. No copyright infringement is intended, and no profit is made.

Deus Ex Machina

By KerrAvon

5. A Late-Night Visitor

"That meal was…incredible, Colonel." Radek was almost speechless as he and Rodney cleared the table.

"Yes," commented McKay. "Who knew vegetables could be so good?"

"And good for you," added John with raised eyebrows as if mimicking a mother, schooling his face to complete innocence.

"I never really bought that 'Eat your greens' theory," replied Rodney with a bit of his old snark.

"Your loss," shrugged the soldier noncommittally. "Hey, when you two get tired of playing 'mad scientist', the bunkrooms are upstairs. They're all pretty much identical; I'm taking the one overlooking the front entrance, so I can keep an eye on things. There are three other rooms; take your pick." So saying, he rose, deposited his dishes in the sink, and left the room. He'd done the cooking; someone else could do the dishes. "I'd better get started on those OERs," he threw over his shoulder as he left.

Taking security seriously, particularly in light of the limited support available from the village, he did a sweep of each floor as he headed to his room. The only sound besides the low conversation coming from the kitchen and the gratifying sounds of china clinking as it was being washed was the rain pounding on the cliff outside. The windows and doors were secure on the first floor, so he hit the library next. After assuring that the windows were shielded there as well, he decided to procrastinate on his paperwork by browsing the books.

"This looks like the ticket…" he murmured as he pulled out a well-thumbed volume of ghost stories and relaxed into a padded chair. "Just the thing for a 'dark and stormy night'." Propping his feet up, he settled down for a good read.

Some time later, he was unsure as to how long, he was uncomfortably aware of the sensation of being watched. Sharply glancing up from the tome in his lap, he surveyed the room. Nothing seemed out of place, so after a few moments he shook his head and went back to his reading. "Must be the ghost stories…" he muttered.

He hadn't gone more than a few pages before the sensation struck him again. This time, without moving his head, he slowly raised his eyes and examined the room. Off to the side, peeking around the shelving, a small carrot-topped head could be seen from the corner of his eye. Sheppard slowly raised his face, only to watch the boy vanish. Keeping his voice low and non-threatening, he murmured "Come on out….I know you're there…I won't hurt you…" as he stood. A wary eye peeked at him, then disappeared. Lunging in the direction of the child, he stopped short as he rounded the bookcase. There was no one there.

Whirling, he looked behind himself, only to see nothing but books. A quick jog around the circumference of the library was unrevealing as well. 'Couldn't be the stairwell; I would've heard him!', he thought to himself as he reached for the door. He hadn't heard the boy exit or enter. Easing open the door, he winced as the hinges squeaked audibly in their usual annoying fashion. He paused and listened; no footfalls were audible. Taking the stairs two at a time, he headed to the first floor. Throwing open the door, two startled faces greeted him.

"Woah, Colonel, something wrong?" asked Rodney after he regained his composure. "We were just going up to see the rooms. I have a sensitive back…"

Not bothering to look at them, Sheppard peered around the scientists to examine the rest of the chamber and interrupted distractedly, "I don't suppose either of you saw a young boy, about seven or eight, maybe ten, red hair, about so high?" He held up a hand just below his chest.

"What are you talking about?" Rodney demanded querulously. When Sheppard fixed him with a glare, he stammered, "No…no, no one's come by…"

"Damn it!" Without further explanation, he jerked open the stairwell and headed back upstairs. He was halfway through searching the sleeping quarters when Zelenka and McKay finally caught up.

Leaning forward, hands on his knees as he caught his breath, Rodney gasped, "So…you want…to…tell us…what's going on?"

"Ahhh, I saw a kid in the library just a few minutes ago. He ran away before I could talk to him." Sheppard dropped to his knees and searched under the bed.

"A child?" stuttered Zelenka. "How could a child get in here? All the doors and windows are secure!"

Sheppard looked up and fixed him with an incredulous stare. "That was one of the things I wanted to talk to him about."

Rodney felt the question had to be asked, "Are you sure your mind wasn't playing tricks on you?"

"No, it wasn't. I saw someone," Sheppard's eyes glinted angrily. "He was watching me read down in the library. Rabbited when I spotted him." Throwing open the closet door, he continued, "I think he was one of the kids I from the village, the one watching the stickball game when I came out of the grocery. He must have followed me back." Deciding that this room was clear, he headed to the last bedroom on the floor. The two scientists trailed after him.

As he knelt to peer under the bed he said, "What really worries me is the fact that he got in here. There must be some way into the building that we aren't aware of." He opened the closet, then closed it in frustration. "Nothing!"

"Maybe he left the way he entered?" postulated Radek.

Sheppard, hands on hips, took a deep breath and blew it out. "Well, duh. That's the point. I need to know how he did it." Looking at the two men, he added, "You two go downstairs and recheck the doors, windows, and the security system. I'll check the upper floors for our guest."

Thirty minutes later the group reconvened in the main hall. "Everything's clear upstairs," reported John.

Zelenka shrugged, "Nothing is out of place down here."

"Security system hasn't been tampered with; it's operating perfectly." Rodney was concerned. "Are you sure you saw the kid? You know, when you first fall asleep the subconscious is particularly suggestible; maybe you just dreamt him from seeing him earlier."

"I think I know the difference between reality and dreams" John replied acerbically, then sighed. "Nothing more we can do tonight except keep an eye out for anything." He closed his eyes tightly and pinched the bridge of his nose. "And I am pretty tired," he finally admitted.

"We'll watch things down here. Why don't you get some sleep," suggested Radek gently.

Sheppard nodded absently. "Yeah…yeah, good plan." So saying, he turned and headed upstairs, wondering if his mind was playing tricks on him but refusing to admit it to himself or the others. 'Way to inspire confidence, Sheppard; start hallucinating. They're going to have a nice, padded room for you when we get back to Atlantis.' As he plodded up the stairs, his mind added with a smirk, 'Maybe they'll put soft restraints on my bed instead of those hard leather ones...'

Upon entering his room, he pulled the curtain aside and peered into the darkness. Pounding rain, jagged rocks, and a twisting path were all that he could see. Tiredly he rubbed his eyes and turned away, stripping off his jacket in the process. Sitting heavily on the bed, he pulled off his boots then, still mostly clothed, lay back on the still-made bed. "I'll just rest for a minute," he muttered, draping his arm over his face. "Then I'll get up and recheck the perimeter…" Within seconds he was sound asleep.

Since Rodney had shattered 'five-sixths" of a solar system while he was in trusting attendance, he hadn't rested much. He had hoped that a change of venue might improve things, but he was wrong. As he had for the last two weeks, within thirty minutes he was in REM sleep, the nightmares began, and he was on Doranda.

"The weapon's discharging to prevent a catastrophic overload," McKay cried out, slightly panicked as a nearby panel exploded.

"Alright, that's it. We're outta here," he heard himself saying.

McKay shook his head in denial, "It's not safe! The weapon's firing at random targets above the planet. This is the safest place to be right now!"

"The place isn't gonna be safe for very much longer!"

"I can bring it back under control! Just give me a second!" McKay frantically worked at the controls in front of him.

Grabbing his jacket and swinging the astrophysicist to face him, he yelled, "No you can't!"

Just then more panels erupted in brilliant showers of sparks, resulting in a single massive discharge as the containment field failed completely. The universe went to a blistering white.

John jerked upright, drenched in a cold sweat and panting heavily. He stared frantically at the unfamiliar surroundings until his brain dredged up where he'd gone to sleep.

"No!" he muttered, swinging his legs over the edge of the mattress. "We lived! We made it out before the thing exploded." Even saying it aloud didn't help much. It had been a very close thing, and he'd read enough SGC 'parallel universe' reports to wonder if, on a number of planes of existence, they didn't. Forcing himself to take slow, deep breaths, he grimaced in denial, "I am not going there." He glanced down and noticed that he was still mostly dressed. 'Well, I'm wide-awake now. Might as well recheck security before I try to go back to sleep.'

------------------

Sunlight streaming in his window awakened the colonel the next day, causing him to sit up in surprise. Just one nightmare? He must have been more exhausted than he thought.

The smell of fresh coffee wafted to his nostrils, proving that he wasn't the first up this morning. Quickly brushing his teeth and shaving, he hurried downstairs to find Zelenka happily puttering away over the stove.

As Sheppard entered, Radek smiled a welcome. "I have made coffee and biscuits," he commented, gesturing to the table. "Help yourself."

"Thanks," replied the pilot, pulling up a chair.

"It was the least I could do, given the meals you cooked yesterday," the Czech explained. "In my hometown I was considered quite a good chef."

As he took a bite, Sheppard had to agree. "Doctor Z, this is great. Your hometown was right." He lit into the food with gusto as Zelenka joined him.

They were almost through with the repast by the time McKay wandered in. "Nice of you to join us," remarked Sheppard as he leaned back in his chair.

"Nice of you to save me some," Rodney shot back, reaching for a biscuit and grabbing three.

"Sleep in?" prodded Sheppard..

"No," he gestured back in the direction of the basement as he took a huge bite, "I've been up for hours looking at Seinlein's theorems. Fascinating reading. Do I smell coffee, too?"

Zelenka chuckled, "Yes Rodney. Over there. I'm sure you'll help yourself."

McKay did just that, shoveling a second biscuit into his maw as he poured himself a cup. Sitting across from Sheppard, he deeply inhaled the aroma and closed his eyes in sheer bliss before taking a long sip. Eyes still shut, he sighed, "Radek, that's the best coffee in two galaxies."

The three ate in companionable silence for most of the meal. Finally, John queried, "So, what's on your agenda for today?"

McKay gestured with his cup. "Radek and I are going to run computer simulations before we work on the prototype. Dr. Seinlein was an inherently suspicious man, and placed what appear to be intentional errors within the more complex of his subroutines. We can't be sure we've cleared them all until we run them on our laptops."

"Why not use his computer downstairs?" asked Sheppard curiously.

"It probably has its own encrypted security measures and hidden malware to misdirect us," explained Zelenka.

Sheppard nodded. "I see." Pushing back his chair, he rose and headed for the stairs. "I guess it's paperwork for me, then, and I'm going to take another look around in the daylight. Call if you guys need anything. Trust me, I'll be happy to have an excuse." He shot them a crooked grin as he left.

The events of the previous night seemed almost dreamlike in the light of day, to the point that he almost believed it had been his imagination. Still, he'd feel better after one more unsuccessful search for a secret passage, this time in the daylight. Shrugging when he turned up empty-handed, he resigned himself and began working on his requisition list.

TBC….