Facing the Operative Word by AndromedaMarine

Time to Think

Rodney squinted at the blackened crystals that Zelenka had found wedged in the transporter control panel. "What the hell?" he muttered and yanked them out of their positions. "How'd those get there?"

The Czech scientist was pacing and grumbling words Rodney recognized (after many years of working with Radek) as Czech swear words. "I do not know. All I know is I tried to transport to the control room and it did not work. I checked the panel and those were there."

Rodney held the crystal in the Atlantean sunlight. "Well, they're not new. I don't think."

"Oh, don't start. A massive power surge – and I mean massive – is the only thing that could have caused this! Someone placed them there, Rodney."

"Hence the reason I said 'they're not new,' Radek," Rodney said as he slowly turned his head toward the Czech.

A few more Czech swear words tumbled Rodney's way. "I do not suppose there are extra transporter crystals lying around, eh?"

Even after six years of working with him Rodney still managed to get annoyed. "If there were I would not be here." He gathered up the blackened crystals and stomped away, leaving Radek to fend for himself. Rodney had absolutely no idea where extra control crystals for the transporters were, and frankly he couldn't care less until lunch rolled around, at which time he would have to walk for forty minutes to get to the commissary.

--

Carson made Elizabeth tear herself away from the infirmary to do some work in her office. She walked to the transporter and saw Radek's legs sticking out from a console. "Radek?"

The Czech sat up, knocking his head on something that at least sounded hard. He audibly said some swear words in Czech. He crawled out from underneath. "Elizabeth? What can I do for you?"

"Are the transporters working?"

Radek glared at the crystal panel. "This one is not. Someone has traded the working crystals for damaged, black ones. I am attempting to find extra crystals. How are you doing?" he asked, giving the diplomat a quizzical expression.

Elizabeth sighed. "Still horrible," she said. "I'm tired and Carson's making me do some work to get my mind off John, but that'll never be possible."

"Ah, I agree," Radek said. "I find my mind wandering to his situation when I least expect it. I am sorry but you will have to take the long way to the control room. Rodney is not making this any easier for me and lunch is getting close."

The leader smiled austerely. "I think a walk would do me some good." She said goodbye to the frustrated scientist and started her journey to the control room at a leisurely pace. It would give her time to think about John and the city. Elizabeth really had no idea what she would do if John didn't survive the coma. Carson had noticed a slight improvement – if any – in the colonel's physical condition. It gave her a miniature ray of hope through the darkness in which she was immersed and lost. It took her nearly an hour to reach the control room.

Rodney had conveniently left some food in her office (perhaps thinking it was the least he could do after not being able to fix the transporters) along with his mission report from MX9-423, the planet John was injured on. Elizabeth flipped through a few pages of it and decided that she didn't want to read it until she had all four reports – and if John didn't survive she would have Lorne read them in her place because she would be too distraught to complete it.

--

"Well, they can't have wandered away on their own!" Radek rebutted Rodney's vocalization of the Czech's incompetence. "I am telling you, Rodney, I cannot find any replacement crystals or the ones that were originally in there."

The head of science stared at the wall above his laptop. "Radek, just go and check the Ancient database. There should be something in there about replacement crystals."

"Other than what we've seen so far?" Radek muttered under his breath, but Rodney heard him.

"Yes," Rodney said through his teeth, "other than what we've seen so far. Out of my lab!"

The Czech scurried away, wondering who had taken the crystals and why.