Stargate Atlantis

Season 5, Episode 2

"Stranger, Pt 2"

The city was quiet, bathed in blue moonlight and shadow. Alex sat on the edge of her bed in the holding cell, staring out into space, her face an expressionless mask and her eyes beholding nothing. The only thing that betrayed any sense of feeling were the tears that ran down her cheeks in never-ending streams. The guards stationed outside of her door would sometimes glance in through the small viewing window, and as time wore on their looks gradually became soft with sympathy.

At what time her visitor came Alex didn't know, but it was late– very late– when she heard the quiet voice on the other side of the door asking how she was, and the equally quiet answer that brought the concerned eyes of her guest to the viewing window. When the door hissed open she didn't move. It was like she was paralyzed, physically and mentally unable to move.

John stood in the doorway with his hands in his pockets, chewing his lip, watching the frozen woman before him. When he had stood there for what seemed like forever and she still did not acknowledge his presence, he sighed and walked slowly over to the bed, and sat down beside her, hands braced on the edge of the mattress.

"I'm sorry." He said, his voice low and hushed in the silence.

Alex blinked.

"The SGC is looking into whether you have any– other surviving family members."

"I don't."

John looked at her.

Alex swallowed, blinking as more tears made their way down her glistening cheeks, and her head turned slightly in his direction, her eyes lowering. "My mom died in a car accident when I was fifteen."

"Isn't there anyone else?" John asked. "Grandparents? Uncles?"

She shook her head. "No. No one."

There was silence again. John gazed at her, eyes drawn in sympathy. "I know it's been four years," he offered. "But we're going to do everything we can to get your life back."

"I don't want it back." Alex looked up at the ceiling, blinking away her tears.

That was not the answer he had been expecting. "You don't?"

"No. I don't want to go back to Earth." She looked at him then, and her eyes were dark with emotion. "I mean– let's face it. What kind of a life could I make there after everything I've been through? Everything I've seen?"

John's lips pressed together in understanding.

"I have nothing left to go back to anymore." She said quietly.

Licking his lips, John dropped his eyes, thinking hard. "Well," he finally said. "In the morning– which is in about–" he checked his watch. "Two hours, we'll see what we can do."

She turned her head away from him, dark eyes filling as she glanced to the side.

"Hey," he drew her attention back to him, and he hoped the sincerity he felt showed in his face. "We're going to do everything we can to help you. Okay?"

Blinking, she nodded, then pressed a hand to her cheek as a few new tears spilled from her eye. A shudder ran through her shoulders.

John glanced down, then back up at her. "I recently lost my dad." He said quietly. "We– weren't on the best of terms, but–" he paused, biting his lip as he watched her. Hesitantly he laid his hand over hers on the mattress. To his surprise it was as though that touch was the invitation she'd been waiting for. Her breath hitching, Alex leaned sideways, tentatively tipping her head to rest the side of it on his shoulder. For a moment they sat there, unmoving, neither sure if they had just crossed the other's boundaries. Then John released her hand, slid his arm free, and settled it around her shoulders. Her body relaxed, and for a long while John just sat there with her.

–SGA–

Sam sat at the head of the conference table, her hands folded in her lap as she sat back, her lips pursed in thought.

"I think we should offer her a place here at Atlantis." John said, leaning across the table towards her, his voice and expression earnest.

"I agree." Teyla nodded, and offered a smile as she addressed Sam. "She has nowhere else to go, and she could be a great asset to us."

"Maybe." Rodney conceded. "If we needed information on the Goa'uld."

Ronon glanced around at his teammates.

John snapped his fingers. "What was she a student for again?"

Rodney frowned. "Botany, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, yeah!" John turned to Sam again. "Don't we have something she could do in that department?"

Rodney's eyes lit up. "You know, Katie has been mentioning how she would like some help down in the lab."

Sam smiled patiently. "I know." She said. At the same time the door to the conference room hissed open, and Dr. Katie Brown entered, running her fingers through her red hair and looking slightly on edge at being called to a meeting. Sam nodded at her. "Dr. Brown."

Katie smiled nervously. "Colonel Carter." Her eyes found Rodney, and quickly dropped, a slight blush creeping into her cheeks.

John tipped his head and glanced at his scientist friend, and was amused to see Rodney shift in his seat and clear his throat, studiously avoiding eye contact with any of his teammates. John smiled.

"I've already spoken with Dr. Brown, and if she's willing, Alex will be her assistant down in the lab." Sam explained. She turned to John. "As long as she's positive she doesn't want to return to Earth."

"Oh, she's positive." John reassured.

"Okay." Sam stood. "Dismissed. Dr. Brown, if you'll come with me, I'd like to introduce you to your new assistant."

"Thank you, Colonel." Katie said, smiling. As she left with Sam, her eyes glanced over to Rodney again for the barest of moments. Then she was gone.

The three teammates shared a look as the scientist stood up. Ronon leaned back in his chair, threading his fingers in his lap with a small smile on his face. John stood, watching Rodney in amusement. "So," he said with a twinkle in his eye. "What was that all about?"

"Hm?" Rodney looked up, oblivious. "What was what?"

"That." John tipped his head, indicating the door Sam and Katie had just gone through. "Something going on between you two?"

"Oh, you know, nothing much." Rodney mumbled, busying himself shuffling papers and gathering them. "Just some dinner between friends and the like. Nothing serious."

A smile broke out on Teyla's face, and John looked delighted. "You fixed things between you, didn't you?"

Giving a long, suffering sigh, Rodney looked up in resignation. "No, nothing is fixed." He admitted, frustration lacing his voice. "But we are back to being friends, at least."

Ronon stood up. "It's a start." He commented.

Rodney looked up, his expression one of profound thought and hope. "You think?"

"Sure." John agreed. "The best relationships start with friendship, you know."

Rodney blinked. "Huh."

–SGA–

"Down here is where we study the plants the different teams bring back." Katie said, spreading her one arm to indicate the hot and humid room full of lush, green growing things. "There's evidence that a few of them might be of some value to us, but we haven't found anything monumental yet."

Alex turned, staring at the immensely varied flora. "This is amazing." She said, her eyes wide with awe.

"It really is." Katie agreed, a smile of satisfaction and contentment on her face as she surveyed her 'garden.' As her new assistant wandered the room, Katie watched with an expression of pleasure that someone else admired her work and had the same passion for plants that she had.

"So," Alex turned, pressing her gloved hands together as her eyes sparkled. "Where do I start?"

–SGA–

Rodney followed John, tripping over tangled tree roots as they made their way through what reminded John distinctly of a bamboo forest. The trees surrounding them were tall and slender, reaching towards the sky in many brown and red stalks. Long, slender leaves spread out into the air in brilliant yellow, red, and deep purple, whispering softly in the breeze.

"What are we even doing here?" Rodney complained as he tripped yet again. "There's nothing here; no energy signatures–"

"We're exploring." John answered, squinting up through his sunglasses to the forest canopy. There was a sudden slipping sound behind him and a startled cry. Turning quickly he discovered Rodney lying in the middle of a wet patch of leaves, looking distinctly annoyed. "You okay?" John asked.

Mouth set in a displeased, tight line, Rodney glanced up. "Yes." he spat. "No thanks to these!" Grabbing a handful of the long leaves he crushed them in his fist and held them up.

Waiting patiently while Rodney tossed the leaves aside and stood, John took a deep breath, feeling the fresh, cool air fill his lungs.

"Oh, nice."

He glanced at his friend.

Rodney looked up, and held his hand aloft. "Sap."

The corner of John's mouth quirked up. "Well," he offered helpfully. "Maybe you shouldn't crush the leaves when you pick them up."

"Yes. Thank you. I'll remember that next time." Rodney retorted. As they began their trek once again, he rubbed his hands furiously together to rid his palm of the milky-white substance.

"So," John ventured. "What exactly is going on between you and Dr. Brown, anyway?"

"Nothing." was the sullen reply. "She is finally talking to me again, at least. I don't know, I think I messed it up with her."

"Ah, give her some time. She'll warm up to you."

"See, that's the problem." Rodney held up his finger, jabbing it into the air. "She did, and I totally blew it."

John surveyed the forest before them as they walked. "You? Really?"

"Oh, ha ha. It was during the quarantine crisis. I was stuck down in the plant lab with her, and–" there was a pause as Rodney threw out his hand to keep his balance, another patch of wet leaves attempting to pull his foot out from under him. "Well, suffice it to say I was myself."

"Ah." Understanding filled John's voice.

"Oh, hey, look at that– I'm bleeding."

The curious, puzzled tone to Rodney's voice did nothing to calm the rush of concern as John spun around on his heel, half expecting to see the scientist turning pale and fainting just as a horde of enemies made their presence known. Instead he saw Rodney standing with a puzzled expression on his face, staring at the palm of his hand. A nasty scrape cut across the skin, blood welling up where the skin had peeled back in patches.

"When did that happen?" John exclaimed.

"I don't know." Rodney glanced back, the skin puckered between his eyes as John opened his pack and pulled out the first aid kit. "I thought I felt my hand hit something when I slipped a second ago, but…" he glanced back at his hand, the frown deepening when John wiped the scrape with a disinfectant wipe. "Huh."

"What?" John asked, peeling open a band-aid.

"It doesn't hurt."

"Well, maybe it wasn't too dirty, then."

"No," Rodney said. "I mean it doesn't hurt. It doesn't even sting."

John stared at him with a puzzled frown. Then he looked down at the hand. Mouth pursed in curiosity, he poked at the bleeding palm with his finger. "Feel that?" he questioned.

"No." Rodney looked up, blue eyes wide with wonder. He shook the finger of his uninjured hand. "Maybe…" Turning he looked around, searching the ground.

"What?" John watched in confusion.

Grabbing a handful of leaves, Rodney brought them back. "Hold out your arm." he instructed.

John pulled back. "Why?"

"Just trust me." Rodney waited until John hesitantly complied, and then he pulled out the pocketknife he had hidden behind his back and cut the top of John's forearm.

"Ow!" John yelled, snatching his arm back and staring as blood beaded along the line. He turned a marked frown upon his friend. "Hey!"

"Just– hold it out– thank you." Rodney then crushed the leaves in his hands and rubbed them until the milky-white sap started to run free. Then he spread it over the cut.

"What are you…!" John suddenly stopped, and a curious expression filled his face. "Huh."

Rodney looked up, his eyes wide and a half smile on his expectant face. "Well?"

Still staring at his arm, John flexed his hand and watched the cords move in his forearm under the cut. Then he poked at it. Hard. Looking up he blinked at his friend. "Cool."

–SGA–

The two botanists hunched over their respective spots at the lab table, studying the sap of the leaves under microscopes and going over test results and charts, occasionally drawing close together to compare notes before returning to their own work. John and his team had brought back armloads of 'bamboo' branches and loads of leaves, leaving the lab in a state of disarray for a little while.

Pausing in her studies, Katie pushed a strand of red hair behind an ear and glanced over at her assistant. Alex had thrown herself into the work in the plant lab whole-heartedly, and the last few days had been some of the best Katie could remember in a long while. It got terribly lonely sometimes, working by herself. Alex was full of energy and always laughing about something, and she had an underhanded type of humor that was both wry and ironic. Katie had found herself eventually opening up about her 'relationship' with Rodney, and found in Alex a close confidant and friend.

"I think he's insecure."

Looking up, Katie frowned. "What?"

"Rodney; I think he's insecure."

"Please." Katie chuckled, returning her attention to her microscope. "He's got an ego the size of a galaxy."

"Nn– about his work." Alex conceded. "But when it comes to a meaningful relationship, I think he's insecure. I mean, think about it: numbers and science he knows better than the back of his hand, right? But what about his social skills?"

"They tank."

"Right. And I think he knows they tank. Really tank. For someone who likes to be in control, that would have to be the worst thing in the world."

Katie thought about what Alex had just said, and slowly nodded. "I guess I could see that. But he did break if off with me; the classic line– 'it's not you, it's me.'"

"Maybe he really meant it." Alex mumbled, eyes pressed tight against the microscope's eyepiece.

Katie glanced at her. "You think?"

A grin flashed across Alex's face. "It's Rodney."

"It's who?" Sam asked as she entered the lab, a small smile on her face.

The two women glanced at each other, and chuckled. "Rodney." Alex said.

"Ahh– say no more." Sam's eyes widened knowingly. Stopping in front of their table she faced them, gesturing to the leaves and samples of sap. "So, what can you tell me?"

"Well," Katie moved out from behind her microscope, notes in hand. "These trees seem to be an evolved relative of Bambusa arundinacea– the Spiny Bamboo, or Thorny Bamboo–" At Sam's patient look she continued. "The leaves of that particular species of bamboo have been used for centuries to treat asthma, the common cold, etcetera– and it has a toxin that kills mosquito larvae when the parent isn't smart and lays its eggs in the stem."

Sam crossed her arms and tipped her head, her expression one of intense concentration and interest as Katie continued.

"This species seems to have very, very strong anesthetic qualities in its leaves– you just spread the sap on your skin, and the nerves are instantly numb– for hours."

Though her blue eyes sparked with excitement, Sam held her enthusiasm in check– for the time being. "Any drawbacks?"

Glancing at Alex, who couldn't stop grinning, Katie shook her head, a smile spreading itself on her face. "No. There are no harmful aftereffects that we can find, and because it only affects the nerves it comes into contact with there's no chance of administering an overdose, either. We'll have to do more testing on it, obviously, but–" she took a deep breath. "It's like the perfect anesthetic."

A grin finally flashed its way onto Sam's face. "Guys, this is incredible!" she beamed. "I don't have to tell you what an important discovery this is."

Glancing at one another, Katie and Alex laughed.

–SGA–

Late that night, as all of Atlantis slept except for a few night–owls, something shifted in the pile of branches left in the plant lab. Leaves rustled, and from under the protective foliage a soft, cotton-like cocoon split open, and several black legs pushed their way out.

The hallways were dark as it scurried along the floor. It had been in its cocoon for a long time, growing and maturing. It hadn't eaten in all that time.

Something came towards it, a group of several creatures– two males and a female, holding sticks. They talked quietly about their late-night sparring, and did not notice the many eyes looking down at them from the corner of the wall and ceiling where it had hidden itself. Their blood smelled hot, fresh, and the pain in its belly increased.

Cautiously it followed, keeping to the shadow of the ceiling. They split off into separate rooms, the doors sliding shut behind them, and it hissed in frustration. Then it found the vent; a way in to where it wanted to go. It was cool in there, with a slight breeze, and its legs carried it quickly through the dark tunnels and around the many bends and curves. Finally it found an opening, and slowly peered through. Below it was another one of those creatures, a male, laying still on his side and breathing evenly. Moving silently it crept from the vent, moving down the wall to the soft material the creature slept on. Slowly, cautiously, it crept even closer until the heat of blood was a hair's breadth away. Two grooved, hollow-tipped pinchers opened and extended– and then sweet heat was filling its belly. The creature never moved, sleeping peacefully.

Just then there was a heavy rumble of thunder, the signal that a storm had begun, and the creature started to roll, waking. At first he seemed to be about to drift away again– but then, from the corner of his eye, he saw it.

It clung to his neck fiercely, its hunger not yet abated, but as something struck it painfully upon its back it gave up the fight and let loose, scuttling away faster than the other creature could move and retreating back to its vent. The male could not follow, and it was glad– but it was still hungry.

–SGA–

Ronon joined John in the hall outside of the infirmary. "Hey," he greeted the half-awake man. "What's going on?"

"I don't know." John rubbed his one eye furiously, then scrubbed his hair. "Some kind of emergency."

Teyla and Rodney were already there, with Katie and Alex. Sam and Jennifer looked up from a young marine, lying back on the bed everyone was crowded around. "Colonel. Ronon." Sam greeted them, looking back down.

"What's going on?" John asked, his eyes falling to the object of everyone's attention. He recoiled at the sight of the two angry, large puncture wounds on the marine's neck. "Whoa! What the heck?"

"I didn't feel anything," the marine said, staring up at him with wide eyes. "I just woke up and saw this thing on my neck."

"What did it look like?" Sam asked.

"Um–" he swallowed, thinking as Jennifer probed the wounds. "It was black, with four really big eyes, and it had these really long legs– like a spider, only it had just four."

"How big was it?" Ronon asked.

"The size of a small dog?"

John grimaced, and rubbed his own neck. "Bugs." he muttered. "I hate bugs."

"Hey, do you feel that?" Jennifer asked, her brows furrowed as she poked her finger into the punctures.

The marine frowned. "Um– no."

As Jennifer straightened with a sigh, Ronon watched her quietly. "What?" he asked.

"The area around the puncture wounds is completely numb." she said. "What I just did should have caused him at least some pain."

"Is he going to be okay?" Sam asked, her arms crossed in concern.

Jennifer nodded. "It didn't drink too much blood, and I don't see any sign of permanent damage."

Rodney raised his hand. "Wait, wait, wait, wait– did you just say it drank his blood?"

Before Jennifer could answer, the marine spoke up. "Yeah, it did."

John quickly became all business. "Where did it go?"

The marine thought a moment. "After I hit it with my shoe it crawled up the wall and into the ventilation."

"Oh, great. So it's running loose in Atlantis." Rodney swept his hands up and dropped them.

Teyla's attention was pulled to the two botanists, who were frantically talking to one another with expressions that became more and more worried. A moment later Alex left the infirmary at a brisk jog.

"Where is she going?" Rodney asked.

"This thing has only just appeared, right?" Katie asked.

Jennifer nodded.

"Well," Katie glanced around at all the faces turned to her. "It had to have gotten here somehow. Maybe from another planet."

"Please," Rodney scoffed. "There's no way something like that could have made it through the gate unless–" he stopped, his eyes widening.

"Unless it was carried in on something or in something, something we brought back." Katie finished.

Ronon frowned, crossing his arms. Jennifer looked confused. "I'm sorry–" she said. "Am I missing something?"

"Four days ago we brought back a large amount of branches and leaves from the bamboo planet." Teyla explained, her face displeased. "It is possible that we brought the creature here ourselves,"

"Possibly in its larvae stage." Rodney added. One could see his mind racing, putting the pieces together. "Which would explain why it didn't show up right away and why we didn't see it when we brought the samples back."

Alex returned to the infirmary in a rush, her dark hair a mess and her breathing heavy. She held in her hands a rather large branch still covered in dozens of leaves. "Here." she said, still out of breath. Pushing aside the leaves she revealed a large, soft cocoon plastered to the stem, hidden by the thick foliage. It was torn open and empty.

"Oh boy." Rodney groaned.

"Were there any others?" John asked.

Alex shook her head. "No. This was the only one."

"Thank goodness!" Rodney exclaimed in relief.

Pushing her hair back behind her ears, Alex set the branch down against the wall and shook her finger, thoughts racing in her dark eyes. "You said you didn't feel it biting you, right?" she asked the marine.

He nodded.

More thoughts snapped in her eyes, and she began to pace. "What if this thing is like the Monarch Butterfly?"

Teyla frowned. "I– do not understand." she admitted.

"On Earth there's this plant called Milkweed." Alex explained, her hands moving as she talked. "It contains a toxin that makes most herbivores sick if they eat it. When the Monarch Butterfly is still a larvae it eats the Milkweed, and stores the toxins in its body. The stored toxin is what makes it poisonous to predators. Now, what if this thing does the same? What if it eats the leaves of this plant–" she pointed at the branch. "When it's a larvae, and stores the anesthetic in its body?"

"To use on its prey when it feeds as an adult!" Katie pointed excitedly at her.

Sam nodded, giving Alex and Katie a quick, approving glance. "That would explain it." she said.

"So anyone could be fed on and not know it?!" Rodney exclaimed in dismay. "Oh, this just gets better and better!"

"So how does that help us?" John wondered, chewing his bottom lip. "How do we catch it?"

Jennifer thought for a moment, pressing her hands together. "Well, it hardly fed enough for a creature its size." she said. "So it's going to go wherever there's food."

"Right." John turned to Sam. "If we have everyone in this building gather in one place–"

"We'll know right where it's going and can prepare for it." Sam nodded at him. "Let's do it."

–SGA–

The Gate room and control room buzzed with whispered conversations and expressed concerns. Armed soldiers guarded each room where personnel had been gathered, posted around the openings to each vent. Ronon stood by John and Teyla, his gun held ready. Rodney held his gun to his shoulder, an expression of fear on his face– yet he remained steady. When a scraping noise reached their ears they all spun, listening.

"Oh, no." Rodney moaned.

"I mention I hate bugs?" John asked with a hushed voice, his gun pressed to his shoulder. "Especially the ones that suck your blood?"

Ronon risked a slight smile while Teyla glanced at their leader from the corner of her eye. The air in the room became heavy with static-like fear and anticipation, everyone listening as the scraping noise grew closer and closer. Then it stopped.

Glancing at one another, John, Rodney, Ronon, and Teyla slowly advanced towards the vent the noise had been coming from. They stopped several feet away, eyes squinting as they tried to see into the darkened tunnel.

"Wait!" Ronon hissed. "There."

Light reflected off of four black eyes, waiting silently and still in the shadows. The marine had told them how big it was, but somehow, seeing it in person, its size still gave John a nasty shock. "Holy… moly." he whispered.

It waited, watching them. Sometimes it would pull back slightly, and then it would move forward, as if warring with its hunger and its instinct to stay hidden. It followed their every move, and two sharp, grooved pinchers starting to click together, its legs fidgeting and twitching. On a hunch John slowly, slowly moved closer– just a little.

It was enough.

Hunger winning out as a source of food moved within range the creature shot forward out of the vent, leaping with its four legs outstretched and its pinchers open, aiming for John's face. There were yells and screams and the rapid sound of gunfire and a terrible screeching– and then all was still.

John still held his gun to his shoulder, heart pounding fast in his chest. At the base of the wall a decimated black body lay, the remaining pieces of legs twitching, ooze and guts spattered against the wall and on the floor. There was a gagging sound somewhere in the room, and Rodney moaned, turning his eyes away from the sight.

Lowering his gun, John nodded, slowing his breathing. "Well," he said. "That went better than expected."

–SGA–

Teyla, Rodney, and Ronon sat in the commissary eating a late-night dessert. "I don't know about you," Rodney said, enjoying a bowl of ice cream. "But I am moving my bed out from under the vent in my room."

"Why?" Ronon asked with a mouth full of cake. "Thing's dead."

"Yes, but that's not the point–" Rodney started to explain.

Teyla smiled, then turned as a small form suddenly dropped into the seat next to her. "Hello, Alex."

"Hi," The dark-haired woman flashed everyone a smile, then leaned on the table conspiratorially. "You won't believe what Katie has."

Teyla tipped her head.

"She showed it to me after we closed up the lab today; it's a remote control spider." Alex grinned and held up her hands. "It's this big!"

Rodney stared. "She does? She has that?"

Alex nodded. "It's got these rubber legs on either side that wiggle as you drive it around."

The scientist blinked. "Huh."

Teyla laughed, shaking her head as she returned her attention to her carrot cake.

Ronon put his fork on his empty plate, brushed a crumb from his lip, and stood. "I'm gonna go to bed." he said. "'Night."

"Goodnight, Ronon." Teyla said warmly.

"Yeah, 'night." Rodney poked distractedly at his ice cream.

Jumping to her feet, Alex followed him, jogging to catch up, his long strides carrying him out of the commissary in no time. "Hey!" she called when she caught him in the hall. "Hey, Ronon,"

He paused as she reached his side. "Yeah?"

"Katie lent me the spider." Alex said, and a devilish light entered her eye. "Care to join in on a little prank?"

For a second Ronon stared at her, then the corner of his mouth curled. "On who?"

–SGA–

John sat up in his bed with his legs crossed before him, happily reading War and Peace and slowly munching on some chips from a badly crinkled bag next to him. As his eyes scanned the page he was unaware of two figures crouching outside his door, whispering quietly to one another.

"Okay," Alex whispered. "Now you just push this stick here to make it go forward."

"Spider's in position?" Ronon asked, holding the control in his hands.

She nodded, grinning. "Put it in place before he went in."

A quick, rare grin flashed across the Satedan's face. "Let's do it."

Still completely oblivious to the two conspirators at his door, John continued to read, sliding a potato chip from the bag and putting it in his mouth, crunching down contentedly. Then he heard a scraping noise. He froze mid-chew, his blue eyes growing wide. It was coming from the vent above him. Slowly he looked up– and a black creature with long legs landed on his face.

Ronon's face split into a grin of silent laughter, and Alex crouched beside him shaking, laughing into her hands as yells and crashes and all sorts of noise broke the silence within the room. It seemed to go on forever, and Alex held her ribs, tears rolling down her cheeks. Then all grew quiet again. Curious, she leaned close to the door to listen, when suddenly it opened, and a disheveled and panting colonel glared down at them with wild, blue eyes.

"You." he hissed.

Shrieking Alex scrambled back, gained her feet and took off down the hall with Ronon close behind. Their laughter echoed down the passageway. John stared after them, then looked down at the mangled, limp remote-controlled creature in his hand, its rubber legs dangling pitifully. A grin spread across his face, and he chuckled as he closed the door. "Kids."

–SGA–

Cast

Colonel Samantha Carter………Amanda Tapping

Lt. Colonel John Sheppard………Joe Flanigan

Dr. Rodney McKay………David Hewlett

Teyla Emmagan………Rachel Luttrell

Ronon Dex………Jason Momoa

Alex Hinata………Jessica Alba

Dr. Jennifer Keller………Jewel Staite

Dr. Katie Brown………Brenda James