A/N: Okay, so I failed miserably at getting this updated quickly, but apparently my muse was thrown into overdrive after watching "Adrift" and "Lifeline," so I've started a collection of character pieces based on those episodes. I will get the next part of this story up sooner than this chapter. Thanks!
On P2X-358, the stargate suddenly burst to life; moments later a lone Puddlejumper rocketed through and shot upward, roaring through the planet's atmosphere and into the vast expanse of space.
"Whew! That never gets old, does it?" Lorne exclaimed, the sensation momentarily overwhelming his concern over the situation.
"Yeah, it's fantastic; now could you focus on driving?" McKay was clutching his seat for dear life, his face a ghostly shade of pale.
"Rodney, he's going to need directions from you, you know," Sheppard's mouth twitched, but his eyes were hard.
Teyla, who was seated next to him, behind the pilot's seat, shot a cursory glance toward Ronon. The tall Satedan was actually standing in the back, gripping the sturdiest parts of the Jumper's internal anatomy to steady himself. He gave her a short nod and she smiled in return before turning her attention to the team's leader. John was holding up well enough, although she had seen him wince when he was strapping in; and there was something else, something Teyla couldn't place, a strange gleam in his eye that made her wonder what, exactly, he was thinking about. Frankly, it had her concerned.
"That's the moon, right up there," McKay gestured toward the large red satellite orbiting the planet they'd just departed.
"All right; what do I do?" Lorne paused with his hands over the controls.
"Just a minute," Rodney pulled out his handheld and quickly connected it to the Jumper's mainframe.
"McKay, we're coming up on it kind of fast," The major's fingers twitched nervously.
"I know that," the astrophysicist snapped, "This isn't as simple as point and click. What we're about to attempt is a variation on a free return trajectory; this is rocket science."
"Okay, I understand that…" Lorne quickly replied.
"As soon as we reach the moon's gravitational field, you're going to need to kill the power," McKay interrupted.
The major nodded tightly.
"Kill the power?" Teyla inquired delicately.
"Excuse me, who's the scientist here?" Rodney snarked rhetorically, "Please save your questions until after the presentation."
Teyla frowned, "I was just wondering if the artificial gravity would be affected."
"Everything but life support will be turned off," John shifted in his seat, "We'll need all the extra power we can get."
"Oh, well if that is the case perhaps…"
"Kill it now!" Teyla was abruptly cut off by McKay's barked order; and a second later, everything went black. The lights from the main console cast an eerie glow on the Jumper's interior. She felt herself suddenly rise in her seat until her body reached the stretching limits of the restraints, and marveled at the strange sensation.
"Thanks for the heads-up McKay," Ronon was hovering against the ceiling, rubbing the back of his head.
"I was going to warn you," Teyla smiled and shrugged.
"All right, since we had so much velocity going in, it should only be a matter of minutes before we make it around to the checkpoint," Rodney's eyes shifted from his computer to the Jumper's display and back again, "When I tell you, give it a good boost of speed and then kill it again."
"How will I know how much power to use?" Lorne watched the scientist out of the corner of his eye.
"I could give you the exact calculation, but I doubt you'd understand it, "McKay commented condescendingly.
"Thanks," Lorne's tone was decidedly sarcastic.
"Anytime," Rodney was just as facetious, "And to answer your question, the Jumper knows how much power to use."
"It knows?" John looked dubious.
"Yes, it's already been calculated into the program," McKay elaborated, "All the major has to do is activate it."
"Right," Lorne breathed, "I'll just think of 'The Flash'."
"Or the Roadrunner," Ronon offered from above.
Lorne gave Sheppard an inquisitive look, "Numbing alien minds again, sir?"
John threw up his hands defensively, "Hey, Looney Tunes is a huge part of American Culture."
"Which would certainly explain a few things," McKay mumbled under his breath.
John ignored the astrophysicist, "Besides, I would have picked Quicksilver."
"Mystique was way cooler," Rodney interjected.
Sheppard rolled his eyes, "She didn't have super speed; how does that help?"
McKay shrugged a shoulder, "She was hot."
It was not all that long ago when Teyla would have found such a conversation in the middle of a crisis strange. She had noticed the people of Earth's tendency to make jokes in the worst circumstances and had thought them to be unfeeling. It had been Elizabeth herself who had explained that they used humor as a defense mechanism, to keep their feelings at bay in order to do what needed to be done. She was not sure she entirely understood the concept, but now the Athosian simply joined in. "Is that not the blue woman who can change her body into that of another person?" She raised an eyebrow.
"McKay likes a little variety," Lorne smiled briefly.
Rodney snorted, "Yes. Ha ha, very funny; and if you'd take time away from your 'Let's harass the genius' routine, you'd notice that we are rapidly nearing our checkpoint."
The major was instantly alert, "Just tell me when."
John half turned in his seat, "Hey Chewie, you might wanna…"
"Bring all systems back online…now." Rodney jabbed his finger for emphasis.
Immediately, the Jumper whirred to life. A muffled thud followed by a grunt sounded from the back.
"You know, it might be a good idea to install some more seats in these babies," Lorne remarked offhandedly as he cut off the power again.
"Yes, so the next time we rewrite the laws of physics, everyone will be comfortable," McKay replied peevishly.
Lorne whistled long and low, "Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning."
Teyla eyed him quizzically, "Is it an Earth custom to rise from a certain area of one's bed?"
"Okay," Rodney held his hands up in the air in the 'I surrender' position, "Could we please conduct the psychopath convention at a later date? Some of us are trying to get work done."
John cleared his throat and tapped his fingers on the chair's armrest, "How much longer until we get there?"
"Hmmm, well, let's see," McKay scratched his head, "traveling at our current rate of speed we should be there in approximately…13.4 years."
"Rodney," Sheppard ground his teeth.
"Okay, okay! Once we fire up the power again it should take about a half an hour to reach the planet."
"And when will you turn the power back on?" Ronon had his arms crossed and his back to the ceiling.
"When we reach the point farthest away from Ontarik where we'll be able to make it to the planet without sucking the cells dry," McKay exhaled sharply in exasperation.
"I just wanted a little warning this time," Ronon looked at the scientist pointedly.
"You'd better grab a hold of something sturdy big guy, because I doubt you're going to get it," Lorne advised.
"It won't be long," McKay reported tersely.
"Hang on Elizabeth; we're coming," John whispered, unconsciously clenching his fists.
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