Big Brother – Chapter 2
Caldwell had been ferried back to Atlantis, with the Daedalus currently stuck on the mainland with just its basic systems – life support, communication – running. He only had one person that he wanted to see. He stormed into her new lab.
"Janine!" Caldwell shouted as he walked straight up to her.
"Hello to you to Colonel," she quipped.
"That was a little too close for comfort," he said. Janine looked at him, and then her eyes flashed behind him. He turned round to see that Rodney was also in the room. Rodney held his arms up in surrender, and turned back to what ever he was doing.
"I'm sorry. I didn't look at the wind direction; if I had I may have noticed the wind would blow the ship your way. But at the time, it didn't occur to me," she explained.
"It didn't occur to you? Janine, my whole entire crew could have been killed."
"You whine like a mule. You are still alive," she said and walked off. Rodney sniggered in the background.
"What?"
"Robin Hood Prince of Thieves quote," he explained. Caldwell rolled his eyes and left the laboratory.
"Well I thought it was funny," Rodney said to the empty room.
ONE MONTH ON…
It had taken a while for Janine to settle into Atlantis, but after three months she truly felt that she was one of the team. She had lost her escort, and was able to choose her own sleeping quarters. Many were surprised that she didn't choose one near Rodney, until she asked them, would they want to live next door to him? She had been socialising with some of the crew, and learnt a lot about what had been going on, and the suspicions people had.
She had been given access to certain files, and was able to read up on the wraith. The limited files that she 'borrowed' from Rodney had given her some information, but there was nothing on the background of these creatures, something that interested her. She had also been learning about the different planets that they had discovered and the friends and enemies they had made. The enemies were certainly more exciting than the friends. The Genii intrigued her, as despite fighting on the same side, they made an enemy out the of Atlantis team. It she thought it showed a sort of arrogance where by they felt they didn't need them. She guessed that it was not the last time Atlantis would see the Genii again.
Elizabeth had invited Janine to a meeting with Rodney and Sheppard, along with Elizabeth herself. It was unusual for her to be invited to meetings as she was not an important member of staff, but Elizabeth had insisted. Janine guessed that it must be a review of her findings so far. She had done much on the panel, but was currently stuck. She knew she needed something, she was just unsure what.
She had her file in hand, along with the laptop Rodney had lent her to use. She was a little nervous. It was the first time she had been in a meeting, and they would all be focused on what she has found. It was quite nerve-racking. But what worried her, apart from the nerves, was that she was unable to reactive the panel. But this was it.
"Janine, could you please come in," Elizabeth said inviting her in. Janine took a deep breath and entered the conference room. Sheppard and Rodney were sitting down with an empty seat in the middle, where Elizabeth moved back round to sit in. There was a single chair opposite them, where Janine sat herself. She placed the laptop on the side, and then got the file she had and passed copies to the three.
"So, what can you tell us about the panel?" Elizabeth asked looking at the file in her hands.
"Quite a lot really. It seems to be of similar design to the other ones already discovered around Atlantis, with the main control panel the same as the others. It made it a lot easier to navigate my way round the systems. I have problems translating some of the text, as it contained words that could only be roughly translated, with thanks to Dr Weir, but it means that I don't get the exact meaning, just a rough indication. I also learnt that the panel was once part of the set in the main control room, which would seem to me like it was very important to the ancients. The panel contains a crystal that none of the others seem to have." She clicked something on the laptop, and a diagram of the crystal appeared on the screen, spinning with information coming off of it. "This crystal seems to hold all the information required to operate the panel, and once attached to a power supply, I learnt a lot more about the panel's use."
"So what does it do?" Sheppard asked, his file on the desk, unopened.
"It seems to be connected to the systems such as the shield, communications, and defence. The crystal also holds information about the city's operating systems, and layout."
"So it's an advanced instruction manual?" Sheppard asked.
"No, much more than that. The programme requires this information to run. I think this program acts like our own personal ancient. I think, when it is fully functional it can help us when ever we require information about the city, and hopefully, as a defence system." With this comment, John raised an eyebrow.
"So when can we turn it on?" Elizabeth asked excitedly.
"Unfortunately, I have no idea how to get it to work. I have tried every technique available, and used the expertise of Rodney and Zelenka, and I still cannot activate the system. It's like something is missing. I just can't figure out what."
"How much time do you need to figure it out?" Elizabeth enquired.
"I'm afraid I've exhausted all information."
"Maybe, it needs to be connected to the other systems. Needing their systems to be able to operate," Rodney suggested.
"I thought of that, but when I looked at the operating systems, it didn't appear to require anything else. However, I was going to suggest that, as I have nothing else I can do on it. Maybe something will automatically activate once connected," Janine replied.
"If you believe that to be the next step, I grant permission to attach it to the system."
"If it does what you say, it will be very useful," Sheppard added.
"Yeah, I will be able to finally find my way around this place without getting lost," Janine added. Elizabeth smiled.
"Thank you Janine. I will have the panel moved to the main control room where you can continue to work on it. Lets hope that you can work out what is missing. This may be the most important find in Atlantis," Elizabeth theorised.
Janine nodded and collected her things and left the conference room. As she walked, Rodney caught up with her.
"That was good work," Rodney said as he put his arm around her shoulders. "The first meeting is always the worst. They get easier."
"I hope so. I was so worried that I would say the wrong thing or go too fast," Janine said.
"You needn't worry about that. They are so used to me mumbling explanations that they would easily hear you!" Rodney quipped.
A/N - Sorry this is so short, but I will get back to this. This part has been on my computer for ages, so I thought I would add it. I am getting back to writing my fics, so keep watch for more updates.