Authors Note: Gotta thank everyone who reviewed the first chapter. Lol I actually wrote it during a chem lecture and didn't think i would actually get alot of positive comments on it. So finally exams finished and i wrote the second chapter...so for all those people who have been bugging me to get another chapter done...abra kadabra..here it is...

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Chapter 2 – Something Lurks…

Except for the occasional thumping of a marine patrolling, the halls of Atlantis were always quiet at this time of night. There was no one to disturb him, to break him out of his silent contemplation over this piece of atlantian equipment that had yet to sing out to someone. Wires were threaded all over metallic casing and lead to a computer that was being watched with what some people would call anticipation but in reality there was nothing fixated on the readings that this little box gave out. A genius some would call him, but right now only one thing was on his mind, how to fix those broken relationships and not some piece of worthless junk that was giving out miniscule readings.

In his clenched hand was another piece of paper, one that looked like it had been read many times over in a debate with what to do with it. Finally he leaned over and tossed it into the bin. At the top of the letter the words "I Rodney McKay…"could be seen but the rest of it was smudged or scratched out.

Rodney settled back into his chair once more. He took one look at the readings and in the next second the "piece of junk" was against the wall and shattering into a million pieces. Sighing he walked over to the now broken equipment and bent down to take a look at the destruction he had caused. Carefully he picked up one of the shards and stared at it, turning it over and over in his hand. Each edge of the shattered equipment was different. Maybe he could piece it back together, but he knew he needed all the pieces and some of those were so small that even if he put it back together some things would still be missing only because he couldn't see them. As he turned the piece around, he sliced his hand on one of the edges. He dropped the piece in surprise and looked at the way the blood dripped off his hand and onto the floor. It fell slower than water, as if hanging there for a second, but then hit the ground or more precisely the shard. He watched as the blood stained his destruction.

Suddenly he saw a shadow in the corner of his eye, and turned his head to peer into the shadows. No one was there, maybe he had just imagined it but then he heard it, a low throaty chuckle that sounded like it was coming from all around him.

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Laura Cadman looked around her room at the expressions on the faces of the members of her old team. It was the middle of the night and they were all sitting around a card table with a bottle of what passed as alcohol on Atlantis.

"So you're telling me," Alex began, "that Rodney McKay has been left to fend for himself in this place, without any friends or support?"

Laura nodded her head "Yeah that's about it."

"None of the Scientists are talking to him?" Cassie added as she dealt out the cards for Texas Hold'em.

"Not that I can tell. From what I've seen if anyone needs any help or has a question, it goes to Zelenka."

A silence fell over the room as everyone looked at their cards. Brian fidgeted for a moment before reaching for his chips and laying down two, keeping quiet as he thought. Alex stared at Brian's bet and looked at his own hand.

"I fold." He slid over his cards back to Cassie and took a sip of his drink. "What about Sheppard? Has he been anywhere near those labs?"

Laura flipped her cards close in her hand and placed them on the table. "Only when called down to activate something but never in the same lab as McKay, actually not many people are ever in the same lab as McKay. I go in there sometimes, but I can't get him to open up to me." She reached over to her pile and grabbed four chips "I'll take that call and raise you two more." She took a sip of her drink and threw the chips into the middle of the table.

"So what do you think then?" Alex stared at her.

"Laura has raised, you going to call it Brian?" Cassie called over as she was letting the cards drop into her other hand.

Brian looked at his cards. "I see your raise and call it"

"Ok then two players." Cassie dealt out three cards and placed them face up on the table. "3 of hearts, 10 of diamonds, 8 of spades, your call Laura."

"What I think is," she grabbed two more chips and threw them on the table, "I call, what I think is that if someone doesn't do something McKay is gonna close up for good."

Brian threw down two more chips on top of the pile. "Are you sure that there isn't something else going on?"

Laura, Alex, and Cassie looked over at Brian who had talked for the first time about their topic. "Like what?" Alex said.

"I don't know something seems a bit off about his demeanor."

Everyone just blinked at him. "I think Brian here has had one too many to drink." Cassie reached over and grabbed Brian's drink trying to pull it away from him. Everyone started chuckling.

"HEY!" Brian tried to grab his drink back.

At that everyone broke out into full scale laughter and everything else was forgotten for the moment. Outside their room a solitary figure stood and just listened to the laughter and banter within. He remembered when his team had been like that. He shook his head and continued down the hall. He had paused when he heard the laughter, and wondered what they could be so happy about, but currently he just wanted to patrol the halls, to think, just think, about what was going on in Atlantis. John Sheppard was the military commander in Atlantis, and right now he couldn't be more angry or confused at one of the members of his team. He stopped at the next intersection and ran a hand through his unruly hair.

Looking down one of the corridors he saw that one of the lights was in the labs. Carefully he peered down at his watch. 0300, no one should be down here right now. He walked down the hall making sure to not make a noise. One of the scientists probably just forgot to turn off one of the lights. Cautiously he peered through the doors and saw the one scientist he was trying to avoid. McKay was in the lab with what looked like a broom and pan sweeping up broken shards of metal, wire, and glass. Why was he sweeping something up off the floor and why was he up at this time? Where were the other scientists? Should he go in? All these questions were rattling around in his mind as he watched McKay on the floor of his lab. No matter the question though one thing still remained, he was still mad at McKay or maybe he was mad at himself, he didn't know. He had trusted Rodney so much before the incident that it almost cost them. Was that man so blind by his pride that he didn't see that his calculations could have been wrong or was it his fault that he didn't see that there was a risk? Either way McKay had to learn that his pride was his downfall. John shook his head at the questions rattling around in his mind. He took one more look at Rodney on the floor and decided to walk on, there was no threat there so he better just continue his patrol.

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McKay looked up as he heard soft footsteps approaching in time to see a familiar shape pass his door. He sighed as he stood up cradling his badly wrapped hand; he would have to do something about that later. Trudging towards his desk he turned off his laptop and unplugged everything from it. Putting it under his arm, with a notebook attached with it, he looked around warily, and then made his way out of the lab.

As he walked down the halls he could feel a pair of eyes watching him, waiting for him to make a wrong move. His walking pace increased until he reached the transport. When the doors opened he jumped inside, and as soon as the doors closed he leaned against the wall. He closed his eyes and never noticed that tears fell faster than blood or water.