Authors Note: Okay, um just to let you know there's a completely pointless little conversation right in the middle of this chapter, sorry, I couldn't help myself! You'll see what I mean when you read it.

CHAPTER FOUR: PLATE PROBLEMS

Scully woke up back in her jail cell with a pounding headache and pins and needles. Whatever that gun had to knock her out really hurt.

She rolled over and sat up, she saw Sheppard sitting up against a wall. He was definitely paler than he'd been before but he didn't look any older. So much for the wraith feeding theory.

"You okay?" he asked her.

"I was just about to ask you the same question," said Scully and frowned as she realised she could feel a bruise forming on her head where the wraith had thrown her across the room.

"I think I owe you thanks," Sheppard told her.

Scully stared at him for a moment. "I created a distraction for you and you didn't do anything!"

Sheppard stared right back at herm obviously a bit confused.

Mulder paced around the clearing as the doctor (who'd turned out to be a scientist, not a medical doctor) fiddle with his white hand held machine and radio.

"That should do it!" announced McKay tapping his radio on. "Sheppard, can you hear me?"

Silence

"Sheppard come in."

The radio remained silent.

"Why can't I contact him?" McKay asked no-one in particular. "That's it, I'm finding his life sign!"

Mulder watched curiously as McKay once again fiddled with his white machine. Dots appeared on the screen.

"What's that?" asked Mulder.

"It's picking up life signs. I've got his, I just need to know how high up he is, it's probably why I can't contact him."

McKay did something else to the device.

"What?! No nonononono! I highly doubt that. What's he doing up there? No wonder I can't contact him!" complained McKay.

"What's wrong? Where's Scully?" asked Mulder anxiously.

"This thing is saying Sheppard's gone way up into space! Which he wouldn't have done! Uh oh," muttered McKay.

"He's taken Scully up in to space?!" exclaimed Mulder angrily.

"Um… actually I don't think Sheppard would have taken her up there… in fact I highly doubt it."

"So what's going on? Where's Scully?" demanded Mulder.

"She's probably up there too, but as I was saying I don't think Sheppard took her up there, my scanners just picked up a wraith hiveship in orbit," explained McKay.

"A what?!"

"I told you," said Scully. "How the wraith supposedly feed is scientifically impossible so it therefore cannot happen."

"Yeah, well, aerodynamically the bumble-bee can't fly," retorted Sheppard.

"Yeah, I know that, the size and weight of their body compare to their wing size aerodynamically makes it impossible for them to fly, but that has nothing to do with wraith," Scully reminded him.

"No, but it does show how scientifically made laws aren't perfect," Sheppard replied.

"So?" asked Scully wearily.

Sheppard shrugged. "So the bumble-bees go on flying and the wraith go on feeding."

Weir stared at Zelenka. "It transports people to parallel universes?!"

"Yes. Slightly differently to the quantum mirror SG-1 encountered, giving it different rules," Zelenka told her.

"How is it different?" asked Weir.

"Well, its got a much more stable way of reaching a parallel universe, it is possible for it to reach more then one universe, but it's programmed so it can connect with only one universe at a time. But as I said, that gives it different rules to the quantum mirror. While with the quantum mirror it takes a minimum of forty-eight hours before effects of being in a parallel universe start, and that's only if you meet yourself. But from what I read from this machine the effects come sooner or later depending on how alike the two universes are," Zelenka explained.

"So if they have gone to a universe with a SGC similar to ours who have sent an expedition to the Pegasus galaxy the effects would come sooner?"

"Exactly. What effects occur will also be different from the mirror, I cannot find out exactly what they would be but worse case scenario, where there's only a slight difference between universes, effects will begin with in the first two hours and the traveller may be dead in 24 hours. Also it makes little difference if you meet yourself or not."

Weirs eyes opened wide. "24 hours?! And the best case scenario?"

"Bets case scenario there's a big difference between universes and effects start in the first few days and the traveller will die in just over a week."

"I'd prefer not to take the risk, I need you to get them back within 24 hours," Weir told him.

Zelenka nodded. "I have a team of scientists working on it. I also have more bad news; some wraith have gone through the device."

"Wraith! How?!"

"Sheppard's team got the device from a planet with wraith on it, I have readings from the device that say some wraith definitely got though, possibly even a whole hive," Zelenka told her.

"That's not good. I need as many scientists as we can spare working to get them back!"

"And, Elisabeth?"

"Yes?"

"If any of the wraith die from our universe, the effects may come sooner, and the wraith have different body structures so from what we've learned it seems that the wraith can stay in a parallel universe for up to a year before they feel the effects."

"They can't kill wraith?! I need this fixed now. Please hurry!" exclaimed Weir.

Zelenka gave her one final nod before running off.

"Damn," said Sheppard as he heard wraith once again coming to his and Scully's cell.

"What?" asked Scully.

"They're coming back, and they're gonna be really pissed at you now," Sheppard reminded her.

"Well maybe next time they'll think twice about throwing people around rooms!" said Scully.

"I doubt it," muttered Sheppard.

The wraith came around the corner and walked straight into the cell, one of them shoved Sheppard aside and the other two grabbed Scully.

Scully barely had time to protest before they dragged her off.

Sheppard paced in his cell wondering how the hell he was going to get out of this mess. McKay would know by now about the hive but he had no way of reaching it, and Sheppard was prepared to bet that the other FBI agent, Agent Mulder, would kick up one hell of a fuss if his partner disappeared.

A short scream pierced the silence.

Sheppard paused in his pacing to swear violently.

"Uh oh," said McKay.

Mulder stared at him. "What? Have you found Scully yet?"

"Um, I have no way of knowing which life sign's her because, unlike Sheppard, she doesn't have a locator. But one of the life signs just flickered."

"You said one disappeared before," Mulder reminded him.

"Yes that means something on the ship died. This life sign just flickered," McKay told him.

"Is Scully up there?" asked Mulder persistently.

"I told you, I don't know! All I know is that Sheppard is." McKay studied Sheppard's life signs for a second. "I think he's pacing, he's probably in a prison cell."

At that point Teyla and Ronon came into the clearing.

"He's still not back," reported Ronon.

"I sense a wraith hiveship in orbit," announced Teyla.

"Yes, I realise that. My scanner picked it up a little while ago, Sheppard's on it. I would have told you sooner but Mr FBI over here wanted information on his partner," McKay replied.

"I think it's perfectly reasonable to what to know what's happening to her considering you've just told me that your friend's taken her up to an alien spaceship!" exclaimed Mulder.

"I did notsay that! I said Sheppard wouldn't have taken her up there!" snapped McKay.

"Well he obviously has!" Mulder retorted angrily.

Ronon stepped in threateningly. "Sheppard wouldn't take someone to the wraith."

"Ronon," said Teyla warningly.

"He's accusing Sheppard of taking someone to the wraith!" growled Ronon.

"He's a bad tempered FBI agent, ignore him," McKay advised.

"He is worried about his friend," Teyla told them both.

"He is standing right here!" complained Mulder.

The Starplate started glowing. Mulder stared at it. The Starplate shot out a beam of light at a tree, and the tree was no more.

Mulder almost dropped the plate. "What the…?"

"Rodney, what was that?" asked Teyla.

"Errm, according to my scanner it seems, well, the scanner says the tree was just transported to our universe," announced McKay.

"So we just missed a chance of getting back?" asked Ronon.

"Hmm. Yes I think so, um… Agent… Mould?"

"Mulder," Mulder corrected irritably.

"Yes, that right. I need to look at the Starplate," McKay told him, clicking his fingers expectantly.

Mulder didn't move.

"He wants you to give it to him," explained Teyla.

"He's not getting it," replied Mulder.

"What?! I need it to help get us back home!" whined McKay.

Mulder folded his arms. "You're not getting it 'til Scully gets back safely."

McKay's jaw dropped. "You mean you won't give it to me until your partner gets back?"

"That's right," Mulder confirmed. "No partner, no plate."

Authors Note: heh bumble-bees. sorry about that I'd just read a quote form someone, it went like this... "Aerodynamically bumble-bees shouldn't be able to fly, but the bumbles don't know this so they go on flying anyway." -Discalimer: its not my quote. okay... cause of my aweful number of reviews from the last chapter I won't post the next chapter until I get some... Mwa hahaha haaaaa (thats my evil laugh).