Rewriting has it's perks – I had a completely different spin on this chapter, didn't like it, and set out to rewrite it. Not the first chapter in this fic for that to happen to. Hope you like it. Btw – Jules, your email bounced, so if you have another one, please let me know!
--//--
Thousands of little blue dots pulsed on the screen of the LSD nestled in his palm. For every one of those dots, Rodney had a theory. None of them would resolve getting Sheppard to safety as soon as humanly possible. Glancing worriedly at the curved back of his friend, Rodney pocketed the LSD. There was no point in staring at the screen when he could be actively doing something.
"I need the laptop." Rodney demanded his eyes still trained on the inanimate colonel. Zelenka, standing next to him, sighed loudly before grudgingly handing over the laptop.
He muttered something Czech under his voice, but the tone was universal. Rodney ignored him.
Teyla and Ronon paid the scientists little attention. Their frustration was evident through tensed muscles, coiled tight preparing for the inevitable moment that Sheppard would require their aid. Rodney and Zelenka began to talk animatedly, but both had tuned them out until Rodney perked up, his voice drawing their attention.
"This isn't good."
--//--
The corridor was dark, but the dim lighting along the sides was enough to cast a small shimmer of light off the layer of grime coating the floor beneath them. There was a slight chill to the air but there were no drafts. The stillness in the air seemed to absorb any sound. It was quiet down here.
Too quiet.
Twenty minutes earlier, the animated voice of Rodney managed to reach the ears of those in the gate room over the citywide speakers. Somehow, the scientist had found a way to tap into it from deep within the bowels of Atlantis. His message had been cryptic. It was enough for Elizabeth not only to send along Dr. Row, but Dr. Keller and herself as well.
"So…Dr. Row, is it?" Elizabeth smiled politely to the doctor traveling behind her, studying her feet with curiosity.
"Oh…were you talking to me?" The doctor replied, her voice carrying a hint of a British accent. The woman was unnaturally tall, and stick thin, her long platinum blonde hair traveling nearly to her waist. She wore it in a frazzled ponytail though some strands fell behind the large black-rimmed glasses perched upon her face.
Elizabeth shared a smile with Dr. Keller, who walked alongside the leader of Atlantis. Behind the three women were two marine escorts as well as Dr. Row's assistant, a young man who looked ready to turn tail and run.
"You've been on Atlantis now two months, am I right? How are you settling?" Elizabeth was struggling to keep her frazzled nerves at bay. The corridors they had been navigating since stepping out of the transporter had given her an unsettled feeling.
"It's quite refreshing." Dr. Row smiled back politely, though Elizabeth could tell her mind was elsewhere. The woman turned her attention back to her feet as they carried on. Elizabeth decided the better tactic would be to chat with Dr. Keller.
"And you?" She titled her head, gaining eye contact with the doctor. She was still new to Atlantis, only now beginning to get a feel for things.
"I'm adjusting. This place is so amazing." Dr. Keller said, then seemed to almost falter, as she allowed her eyes to stray to the walls surrounding them. Elizabeth realized she wasn't the only one feeling out of sorts about this place.
"Ma'am." A sharp retort carried from behind. One of the marines held up a fist while the other turned on the flashlight upon his P90. He pointed the weapon into the darkness in the direction from whence they came.
"What is it?" Elizabeth asked, instantly alert.
Silence greeted her. In that silence, she heard a whisper of a sound, but could not discern what it was.
Then Dr. Keller screamed.
--//--
Sheppard twitched.
There was nothing more than that.
Teyla looked to Ronon. Rodney and Zelenka noticed, too.
"You were saying?" Ronon prompted.
Rodney reluctantly switched his gaze from the colonel to the laptop in his hands.
"According to the Ancient database, as per usual, the Ancients were experimenting down here. This sublevel was specifically designed as a secret underground passageway for visiting officials and such. The problem was, they didn't think it was secret enough, so they laid out booby traps, er…protective barriers…." Rodney paused after the puzzled looks from Teyla and Ronon, before continuing, "Those barriers were designed to keep intruders out…specifically anyone without the Ancient gene."
"I do not understand. Then why is Colonel Sheppard trapped and we are not? He has the strongest gene of anyone on Atlantis." Teyla countered.
"Well, that's where the Ancients failed. Their experiments backfired on them. The barriers they set up to trap intruders did quite the opposite by targeting the Ancients instead. It says here that after the first ten deaths, they abandoned the project…and shut down this entire level."
"Do prdele!"
--//--
Breathing hard, her body shaking like a leaf, Dr. Keller stared upwards in terror. Elizabeth stood beside her in alarm, her hand upon Dr. Keller's arm. She studied the doctor before turning her gaze upon the ceiling.
There was nothing on the ceiling save a few beads of condensation forming along the structural supports.
Dr. Row's assistant in the meantime, had ducked into a corner in the slight bend of the corridor, his arms cowering over his head. He rocked back and forth, muttering and clutching at what was left of his hair upon the crown of his head. He was unresponsive to Dr. Row as she pleaded for him to get up and stop acting like an idiot. She sounded a little too much like one Dr. Rodney McKay.
The marine using the light from his P90 continued to cast the light about the corridor beyond. The light jerked from one spot to the next as he traced something that only he could see. His comrade stood at his side, urging him to report on what he was seeing. The second marine had even flipped on his own light from his P90, though failed to see whatever had captivated his comrade's attention.
Whatever was going on, it was affecting three of them simultaneously. The remaining three was simply dumbfounded.
Elizabeth made eye contact with Dr. Row.
The chill in the air wasn't the only thing to raise goose bumps on their skin.
--tbc--
I'm taking the liberty of assuming Dr. Keller has the Ancient gene.
Do prdele: according to an internet translator, this is the Czech equivalent of Shit!