Episode 1.2 Secrets

"I still don't understand why we all have to go," Rodney complained for the potentially hundredth time that morning.

Shepherd and Ronon exchanged annoyed glances, but Sophie answered. "You don't all have to go. I am more than capable of taking care of myself! I don't understand why the whole team should come."

"It's not about whether or not you're capable," Shepherd repeated his earlier protest. "But if something goes wrong, we want to be there."

"Do you really expect something to go wrong?"

"We never expect it," he explained, "that's why it's called 'going wrong'."

"I am sorry to have kept you waiting," Teyla apologized as she joined the rest of the group in the jumper bay. Her son was curled up asleep in her arms.

"You're bringing the baby?" Sophie questioned without thinking.

Teyla nodded. "His father will be most anxious to see him."

"Right," Sophie smiled and tried to quickly cover her gut response to the infant, "of course he will!"

"All right, let's go!" Shepherd headed onto the jumper and took the pilot's seat. Rodney automatically sat in the co-pilot's seat, while Teyla sat in the rear with her son. Sophie gave her a wide birth as she passed up into the front, and Ronon followed her forward.

"How long?" Ronon asked, leaning close to Sophie to whisper.

"How long what?" she whispered back.

"How long can you keep up the act with the kid?" He nodded back towards Teyla and her baby.

"The act?"

"You hate the kid."

"No I don't…"

He smirked. "You're a good liar, but not even you can hide how you feel about him."

"It's not just him," Sophie defended herself. "It's kids in general."

"You don't like kids?"

Sophie hesitated, not quite sure how to explain herself. "We don't mesh well," she tried. "They make me uncomfortable." Ronon laughed, and Sophie glared at him. "I don't expect you to understand. Just don't tell Teyla, okay? I want her to like me." Ronon grinned in a way that worried her. "You're not going to tell her, are you?" He shrugged. "Ronon…"

"Hey, what're you two plotting back there?" Shepherd asked over his shoulder.

Sophie quickly looked up, leaning away from Ronon and giving Shepherd her most innocent smile. "Nothing."

Shepherd glanced back at the two of them and shook his head. "Sure." He returned his focus forward, and Sophie turned back to Ronon.

"What did you mean when you said I was a good liar?"

"You like to keep secrets from us," he responded.

"Is that so wrong? Everyone has secrets."

"Yea, but I think you have more than most."

"Not really," she argued, "only those that are necessary." She analyzed him curiously. "You have secrets too."

"You like to think that, don't you?" he smirked.

Sophie frowned at his confusing response.

"You like secrets."

"I like figuring them out," she explained. "It's probably what makes me so good at my job."

"Don't waste time trying to figure out mine," he told her. "They're not for you."

She smiled. "And mine aren't for you."

He nodded and settled back into his seat.

"Coming in for the landing…" Shepherd announced.

Sophie readied herself for the impact; even though she'd been in the jumper a few times now, she still didn't feel comfortable with the landings. She felt Ronon's eyes on her, and realized he was laughing a little. She wanted to glare at him, but all her attention was devoted to clenching her teeth so as not to bite her tongue, and gripping tightly to the armrests of the chair to keep still on the shaky descent. She didn't breathe steadily again until Shepherd had completed the landing.

"What's the matter?" Shepherd smirked. "Nervous?"

Sophie unfastened her seatbelt. "Not nervous. A little nauseous."

"Is that a comment on my flying or Rodney's cologne?"

Rodney frowned.

"Rodney, why are you wearing cologne?" Sophie asked.

"Is it wrong for a man to want to be at his best?" Rodney responded.

Shepherd seemed prepared with a sarcastic retort, but Sophie quickly cut him off. "No Rodney, it's good that you take pride in your appearance and smell," she smiled. "There are some who might benefit from your example…"

"I'm going to assume that comment wasn't directed at me," Shepherd decided.

"Assume away."

Shepherd grunted and led the way off the jumper. Ronon stood to follow him, sniffing himself discreetly as he passed in front of Sophie. She grinned and fell in line behind him without saying anything.

"Okay, here's how it's going to go," Shepherd began instructions the moment they were all off the jumper. "Teyla's going to make brief introductions and then she's got the day off. Rodney and I are going to exchange some supplies with Teyla's people, and Ronon, you will stay with Sophie."

Ronon nodded and directed Sophie in the direction Teyla was heading. Shepherd and Rodney headed a different direction towards the area that had been set apart for farming.

"My people are most eager to meet you," Teyla told Sophie as they walked.

Sophie, who was walking on the other side of Ronon to keep distance between herself and Teyla's son, responded with a smile. "I'm excited to meet them as well."

"You must remember the Athosians are a simple people, quiet and proud in their own way," Teyla explained. "But they are quite friendly and eager to make new friends."

"I'm sure we'll get along well," Sophie decided. "How many of your people are there?"

"Not as many as there once were," Teyla informed her. "The wraith have been cruel to my village, but Atlantis has been greatly beneficial to those of us who remain."

They rounded a corner of trees and stepped into a wide-open meadow, which had been developed into a village. There were at least two-dozen small huts set up in a circle, and each of them had their doors open and welcoming. As they approached, Teyla's people curiously emerged from their homes to greet them. A young boy, clearly no older than fifteen by his facial features, ran towards them eagerly; Ronon met him with his fists raised playfully. The boy laughed as the two boxed briefly, and then Ronon tussled his hair.

"This is Jinto," Ronon introduced, "he's Halling's son." Sophie nodded. She had heard Teyla mention Halling on numerous occasions. Of course, she had completely forgotten that he had a son. "Say 'hi' to Sophie," Ronon instructed the boy.

"Hi," he greeted her, still smiling. "We've been waiting for you."

Sophie stood as tall as she could, wanting to appear mature, but the boy towered over her by at least six inches. She managed to smile, but felt insecure.

"Jinto," Teyla smiled at him and he moved over to greet her with the customary touch to the forehead.

"How do you feel about grown up kids?" Ronon asked Sophie under his breath.

"Grown up kids?" Sophie smirked. "Like you?"

Ronon frowned, but was quiet as though he were trying to figure out exactly what she meant.

"Jinto, where is your father?" Teyla asked the kid, who was openly staring at Sophie; his curiosity was evident.

"In the fields," Jinto answered. "Should I go and bring him here?"

"No, that will not be necessary," Teyla told him. "He will meet with Colonel Shepherd and Dr. McKay and then he will come here on his own." She glanced at Sophie. "Jinto, I wonder if you will perhaps do me a favor."

He nodded eagerly.

"Sophie is going to be writing about our people—about our histories and cultures. She will need someone to introduce her to the people and answer all her questions. I would do it myself, but I am eager to be with Kanaan…"

Jinto glanced at Sophie. "I can do it."

"I was hoping you would feel that way. I could not think of anyone better suited to be her guide." Turning to Sophie, she smiled. "Jinto will see to it that you have everything you need."

"Great," Sophie smiled at him, "thank you."

"If there is anything Jinto cannot provide you with, I will be with Kanaan." She smiled at Sophie, Ronon, and Jinto and left with her son.

"Why do you want to write about us?" Jinto asked Sophie.

"To learn about you and your culture," she explained.

"What about our culture?"

"Anything," Sophie shrugged, "everything."

"I can tell you most anything you would want to know," he insisted.

"I'm sure you could," Sophie smiled. She liked him more and more by the moment. As Ronon had described, he was a 'grown up' kid, and it made interacting with him enjoyable, rather than frustrating. "Why don't you start by telling me a little about your village here?"

"The people or the place?"

"Both," Sophie requested. "I want to know about the people, and how you function as a civilization. Is your village separated into families or perhaps by purpose? Are their farmers and hunters?"

Jinto frowned at her. "You ask a lot of questions."

"I must ask questions in order to find answers so that I may better understand everything," she told him. "Perhaps I am a little over-ambitious though for the moment. Let's take it slower.

Ronon smirked.

"What?"

"You couldn't slow down to save your life. You barely stop talking as long as you're awake," he laughed and patted Jinto on the back. "You didn't know what you were getting yourself into when you agreed to guide her."

Jinto grinned. "It's all right," he told Sophie. "I've been told I talk a lot also."

Ronon sighed. "Fine, you two have your talk. I'll come back later." He made eye contact with Sophie. "You'll be okay, right?"

"Of course."

Ronon waved to Jinto and headed off across the field by himself, leaving Sophie and Jinto to continue with her mission. Two hours later, Sophie felt that she had only barely scratched the surface of all she would want to know about the Athosians, but she had met nearly everyone in the village and she did feel that she had a solid starting base to begin her writings, so she finally dismissed Jinto from her side.

"If you need anything else, you can always come to me," Jinto told her. "I like talking about my people."

"I can see that," she smiled. "You have been very helpful."

"Good." He put his hands on her shoulders. "I will say goodbye now." He lowered his head as was customary, and Sophie stretched her neck up to touch her forehead to his.

"One more thing, Jinto," she put her hand on his arm as he turned to leave.

"Yes?"

"Can you explain that?" She touched her forehead. "What does it mean?"

"It is how we greet and leave one another," Jinto explained. "It is a gesture of respect and affection. It reminds us that we always have each other, and despite everything bad, it is enough."

"I like that," she smiled. "Thank you for telling me."

"Sure," he shrugged and ran off.

Sophie wandered away from the village and found a quiet spot beneath a tree to sit and work on collecting her thoughts. She had taken some notes while Jinto was talking, but now she expanded the notes into more coherent and complete explanations, while the material was still fresh on her mind. She was completely absorbed in her thoughts when one of the young Athosian men approached her.

"Forgive me if I am interrupting," he spoke softly.

"Not at all," Sophie smiled up at him. "I'm sorry, I remember meeting you, but I have forgotten your name…"

"It's Bain," he reintroduced. "You're Sophie?"

"Yes," she set aside her notebook and motioned for him to sit down. "How may I help you?"

He sat beside her, staying silent for a moment, and then began speaking quickly and quietly. "You have been asking a lot of questions about my people's history and way of life…"

"I have," Sophie confirmed. "Jinto has been very helpful."

"I am sure he has, but he is very young, and he cannot know everything."

"You couldn't be much older yourself," Sophie observed.

"Yet I am old enough to know much more, also my father would never hide secrets from me."

"And what is it you know?"

He looked around briefly to make certain they were alone. "There is a legend in our history…a whisper…"

"Oh?" Sophie's curiosity piqued. Legends and secrets never failed to excite her. "Would you tell it to me?"

"The legend tells of a treasure—something from the time of the Ancestors, which has remained hidden for thousands of years," he began.

"A treasure?"

"The legend does not tell of what the treasure consists," he explained, "but it is supposedly quite extraordinary and of vast value. Furthermore, if found, this treasure is meant to reveal information beyond all possible desire."

Sophie couldn't help smiling; the thought of buried treasure hidden away somewhere for centuries stimulated all aspects of her curiosity and desire. She assumed Bain shared her curiosity and desire or else he wouldn't be telling her about it. She urged him to continue and he did so eagerly.

"Many have gone looking for it, but none have succeeded," Bain told her. "Most have given up hope completely, but there are some…"

"Like you I assume?"

"Yes," he agreed, "I still hope that it may one day be uncovered."

"Bain, why are you telling this to me?"

He grinned. "You like secrets, like me," he explained, "I can tell."

"That's true," she consented, "but this is more than just a secret."

He hesitated. "True, which should make it that much more intriguing."

Sophie grinned. "It's strange that we have just met," she told him, "you know me so well."

"As I said, you're a lot like myself."

"There is still something you haven't told me," Sophie insisted. "What are you hiding?"

He looked around again, but this time he seemed to simply be avoiding her gaze. She waited quietly and he finally spoke again. "There are hints, clues if you will, as to how to find this treasure, but it is not simple."

"Finding treasure never is," Sophie agreed, "or else it wouldn't be secret."

Bain nodded. "So, will you look for it?"

"Oh, Bain, I don't know if I can," Sophie suddenly realized why he was telling her all this. "I'm interested, of course, but I'm not in charge of the missions. I'm very new to this team, and I'm not sure I could convince them to embark on a treasure hunt."

"You could try," he argued. "This could be an essential piece of history, which you could use for your writings."

"I realize that," she assured him, "but like I said, it's not my call."

Bain was clearly disappointed.

"I'll try," she told him.

"Really?" he looked a little more excited.

"I can't guarantee anything though," she warned him.

He stood quickly. "I should go. There are some who might not like me talking to you about this," he explained.

"Really?" Sophie knew he had been hiding something from her. She stood to be closer to his height. "Why is that?"

"There are those who believe secrets are meant to stay that way." He lowered his voice. "As I said, many have tried, and many have failed."

Sophie wasn't sure what he meant by "failed," but she didn't have time to ask before he had hurried away, and Shepherd joined her instead.

"I thought I told Ronon to keep an eye on you."

"I don't need a babysitter," Sophie told him.

Shepherd looked slightly abashed, "I didn't mean as a babysitter…I just wanted him to look after you. For safety."

"I was plenty safe," Sophie assured him. "I think I bored Ronon. He bailed pretty quick."

"Well, did you at least get a lot of good info for your research?"

"I did," she confirmed. "Jinto helped quite a bit, and then I had a very interesting conversation with a young man named Bain."

"Yea? Good."

"Actually, there was something I wanted to talk with you about…"

"Okay, shoot."

"Umm," Sophie hesitated. "Well…"

"Spit it out," he demanded. "What's the big deal?"

"How would you like to go on a treasure hunt?"

Shepherd just stared at her for a moment with his mouth slightly agape. Then he grinned and started to chuckle.

"I'm not joking!"

He stopped laughing, but he was still grinning more than Sophie thought necessary. "A treasure hunt?"

She nodded and clasped her hands together beneath her chin. "Please?"

"What are you, five?" He swatted her hands. "Stop that."

She put her hands down instantly, feeling more than just a little silly. Pouting had gotten her far with her brother, and consequently it had become one her automatic instincts when she wanted something. She had to remind herself that she was not speaking with her brother, but with a co-worker, or her boss rather. Standing up straighter and lifting one eyebrow, she hoped she would come off more professional.

"Colonel Shepherd," she began, "I would like permission to organize an expedition to search for an ancient artifact that has never been found…"

He smirked. "I think I liked it better when you were pouting." He readjusted his grip on his gun and motioned for Sophie to follow him back towards the village. "So, tell me more about this treasure hunt."

"John, this isn't a good idea," Teyla persisted.

"Why not?" He whined. "Come on, it's a treasure hunt!"

Sophie snickered. "Now who's five?"

Shepherd scowled at her, but Teyla was very serious. "It is not a treasure hunt, it is an Athosian myth."

"Haven't you ever been curious about it?" Shepherd baited her.

"No," she answered firmly. "I was taught that curiosity can be dangerous."

"That explains a lot," Sophie muttered under her breath. Shepherd heard her, however, and almost seemed to smile, but he was focused on appeasing Teyla's anxiety.

"It's harmless, Teyla," he assured her. "We're just going to do a little exploring and see what we can find. It's no different than any of other missions."

"No, not at all, except that for this one you are falling clues left by an unknown person from thousands of years ago to a place that may or may not exist. And even if you can interpret the clues there is no guarantee that whatever this treasure is will still be there at all."

"So many unknowns…" Shepherd grinned. "Makes it exciting, right?" He glanced at Sophie who nodded eagerly. "Look Teyla, if this really makes you uncomfortable, you don't have to be a part of the team. You are more than welcome to sit this one out."

She shook her head. "If this is your decision, I must be a part of it."

"Good, then let's go hunt some treasure!" He led the way onto the jumper, and the four others followed him. "Sophie, come sit up here with me!"

Rodney looked slightly aghast as Shepherd patted the arm of the co-pilot's chair. Sophie hesitated, not wanting to upset Rodney, but Shepherd urged her again and she took the seat.

"Isn't this Rodney's seat?" She whispered to Shepherd.

"It's the co-pilot's seat, and for this mission, you're the co-pilot," he explained. "It was your idea, and you're the one translating the treasure map."

Sophie liked the idea of having so much authority over one of their missions. It gave her an unexpected sense of belonging. So she glanced over her shoulder at Rodney, who had taken the chair behind her rather sulkily, and offered him a slightly apologetic smile before strapping herself in and facing forward to enjoy the ride from the very front. Shepherd maneuvered the jumper down into the gate room, and waved to those in the control room before backing the jumper through the Stargate.

"Are you sure about this address?" Rodney asked as they emerged on the other side of the gate. They had arrived in a deep forestry area, a thick patchwork quilt of green and brown. The sky was so clear it looked almost white, though there were no clouds, and there was no visible sign of a sun.

"Positive," Sophie answered. She glanced down at the piece of paper she had been translating from. It had been an Athosian heirloom, passed down for generations to the leader; Teyla had given it up reluctantly. She traced her finger over the first line of symbols. "This is the correct address."

"Okay, then let's find somewhere to make camp," Shepherd decided. "This could take a couple days."

"A couple days?" Rodney spoke up quickly. "No one said anything about a couple days! We're staying overnight? Where are we going to sleep? What are we going to eat?"

"Rodney, why do you think we packed so many extra rations?" Shepherd motioned towards the rear section where they had stored all the baggage.

"Come on Rodney, you know as well as I do that these clues are going to take a while to decipher completely," Sophie reminded him. "Not to mention these clues may only lead to the first step, which may then have a dozen other clues to figure out."

He let out a loud sigh and sank down in his chair.

"Do you think this planet's inhabited?" Ronon asked, leaning forward to see out the window.

"It's hard to tell with all these trees," Shepherd replied, "but it doesn't look like it." He brought up the HUD to evaluate the landscape. "There seems to be a clearing over in this area. It should make a decent place to camp."

"Now when you say 'camp'…"

"I mean camp, Rodney," Shepherd told him. "We've got tents."

"Tents?" Rodney sighed again.

"Don't worry, the dirt won't hurt you," Shepherd laughed.

Sophie secretly sympathized with Rodney. She hadn't camped since she was a little girl, and she didn't remember liking it much then, but she was determined to be brave and adventurous like the others and not whine like Rodney.

Shepherd directed the jumper towards the open space he had chosen and landed it in the clearing. Ronon and Teyla stood immediately and began gathering the supplies they would need to set up camp. Rodney collected his computer and other technological gear, while Sophie made certain she had gathered all the papers she had been deciphering. They disembarked from the jumper, and walked in a wide circle around it to find the best location to set up their camp.

"Here?" Ronon dropped his armload and planted his foot on top of the bundle as though claiming territory.

"Nope," Shepherd shook his head. "We're not setting up camp anywhere until we've checked out the immediate area. I want to know where I'm laying down at night."

Ronon withdrew his gun from its holster and set it to stun. "Let's go."

"Teyla, you stay with the two of them," Shepherd motioned to Rodney and Sophie.

"Stay?" She frowned. "Wouldn't I be better suited accompanying you and Ronon? Surely they do not need my help."

"It's not about help," Shepherd told her, "it's for safety."

"We don't need her protection," Sophie spoke up. "You checked the area for life signs and found nothing. We'll be fine."

Shepherd shook his head, "I don't want to leave you unprotected."

"We'll be fine," Sophie repeated.

"Yea, we'll be fine," Rodney echoed.

Shepherd looked uncertain, but allowed Teyla to join them. "You two will stay here," he told Rodney and Sophie. "No wandering. Got it?"

"Got it," Sophie and Rodney affirmed together.

Shepherd hesitated for one more moment before leading Teyla and Ronon off into the nearby circle of trees to explore. Sophie instantly sat down on a soft patch of grass and began studying the documents, trying to decipher more of the clues. The piece of information that had led them to this location had been at the center of the 'map,' and three smaller maps surrounded it, each with their own set of clues and directions. Based on the initial research she and Rodney had done, Sophie knew she needed to solve the clues for the central map in order to know which map to move onto next.

"I know there's something here we need to find," she mused aloud.

Rodney peered down at the map, over her shoulder. "Something on this planet?"

"Well, yes, obviously there's something on the planet, or else the map wouldn't have sent us here, but I mean there's something on the map that I'm missing," Sophie explained. "It led us to this planet, but what comes next?" She continued puzzling over the map. "This symbol here…" she pointed to it, "it shows up a lot, but this one is a little different…" She drew it on her sketchpad, carefully analyzing each of the details that differed from the original. "This line here, and this circle…" she smiled suddenly. "It's the next step."

"How do you figure that?"

"These added marks here are distances," she explained, "and these are directions." She stood suddenly. "I'm going to check it out."

"What?" He stopped her quickly. "You're not going anywhere."

"I have to see if I have these symbols right." She walked to the Stargate and used the symbols to decide which direction to go. "Do you have a compass?"

He handed it over rather reluctantly.

"All right, it says to go three hundred kilometers East," she deciphered, "and then five hundred South."

"Good, fine, when the others come back we'll do just that."

"I could be wrong though," she told him. "I want to check it out without them, just in case, so I don't waste any of their time."

"Shepherd told you to stay put," he reminded her.

"I'm not going far," she told him. "Look if you don't want to come with me, you can stay here and tell them where I went when they return."

"Oh sure, and when they return and see that I let you go off alone, I'll get a lecture from Shepherd. No thanks."

"So, you're coming with then?"

"Of course," Rodney sighed loudly, but packed up his main computer and followed Sophie East. "You'll need my help before long I'm sure."

Sophie doubted whether or not she would actually need Rodney's help, but she couldn't deny that she was glad he had agreed to join her. Despite her determination to see the treasure hunt through to the end, with or without help, she enjoyed the company.

The directions led them through the trees, in the opposite direction from where Shepherd and the others had gone. After a few minutes on mostly even ground, their direction took them down a steep hill. Sophie slid on the rocky ground, but managed to catch herself by clinging to a tree branch. Rodney kept his footing, but when he turned around to look at Sophie, he ran into a tree. He grumbled and swore under his breath.

"This is ridiculous."

Sophie laughed. "Just a wild guess, but when you were a kid, you never wanted to be a pirate did you?"

"A pirate?" He frowned. "Why would anyone want to be a pirate? They're dirty and they live on the ocean, and they're thieves."

Sophie laughed again. "They're also adventurous, and enjoy treasure hunts." She tripped on a tree root and stumbled again.

"You can't really be enjoying this, can you?" He helped her stand and pointed to the knees of her pants, which had been torn. "You're bleeding."

"Good observation."

"Maybe we should turn back," he suggested.

"No," she refused. "We're close."

"And you're hurt."

"It's just a scratch," she assured him.

"You're bleeding," he repeated.

"Not much." She gripped the tree branches along the way to keep herself balanced the rest of the way down the hill. "Just stay focused on our purpose."

Rodney continued mumbling to himself as the path evened out again and Sophie picked up their pace. He followed her, but continued looking backwards as if still longing to return to the jumper to wait for the others. After a few more feet, Sophie turned left and led Rodney South as the directions indicated.

"Did you bring anything to eat?" Rodney asked after a few more minutes of silence.

"It's barely been any time at all since breakfast. You can't possibly be hungry."

"I need to eat regularly to keep up energy."

"I have some power bars in my bag," she told him, "but I think you should save them until later."

"Later? How long do you think we'll be gone?"

"There's no way to know for sure," she explained. "It won't take us much longer to get there, but I don't know what to expect once we arrive."

Rodney let out another loud sigh, but stopped pestering her about the food or the distance for a short time. After nearly forty more minutes, Sophie stopped.

"Is this it?" he asked, whispering. "Are we here?"

"Why are you whispering?" she responded.

"I don't know," he looked around, pulling out his gun and holding it shakily in both hands.

"I don't think you need your gun," Sophie told him. "I don't think anyone's here."

"You don't know that."

Sophie ignored his paranoia and moved forward. "Do you see anything?"

"Nothing. This is a waste of time."

"You give up quickly."

"I'm hungry," he reminded her.

She pulled a power bar from her bag and held it out for him. He moved forward eagerly to take it from her, but when he stepped nearer to her, the ground beneath their feet suddenly gave way, and they fell through. The fall was not long, and the ground they fell onto was soft dirt, which kept them from serious injury.

"Not again…" Rodney groaned as he lay on the dirt for a moment, catching his breath.

"Again?" Sophie stayed still for a moment before forcing herself into a sitting position. "Do you fall down many dark holes, Dr. McKay?"

"It's been known to happen."

"We didn't fall that far," she observed. "I'm sure we can find a way out."

"After you."

Sophie stood and started inspecting the dark space into which they had fallen. "Maybe you could boost me up and I could get out…"

"And then how would I get out?"

"I can go for help," she told him, "and the others can come get you."

She encouraged Rodney to stand, but he didn't rush to help her out. "I don't think this is a good idea."

"Do you have a better one?"

"Radios?" he reached into his pocket to retrieve his, but pulled it out in pieces. "The fall…" he shook his head. "I must have landed on it."

"I left mine on the jumper," she told him.

"Great." He looked up towards the opening. "I don't think I'll be able to get you up there."

"We won't know until we try," she insisted. "Come on." They moved to stand beneath the opening in the ground. Rodney stared up skeptically, but Sophie was already readying herself. "Okay, in order for me to get close enough, I'm going to have to stand on your shoulders."

Rodney frowned. "Really?"

"Yea, or else I won't be tall enough."

"Okay…"

"Get down," Sophie instructed.

"Are you sure about this?" Rodney did as he was told, but his body was tense.

"Sure," Sophie responded quickly, "I used to do this with my brother all the time." She waited until he was low enough for her and then swung her legs over his shoulders until she was sitting there. "Okay, now when you're standing, I'll stand up."

"I don't think this is a good idea," he persisted.

"Stop worrying so much," she snapped. "Do you wan to get out of here or not?" He stood slowly and when he was at his full height, she started maneuvering herself into a standing position. "Now, just hold perfectly still…" she placed one foot on his shoulder and pressed her hands against his head for balance as she pulled her other leg up as well.

"Sophie…" Rodney's body started quivering.

"Don't move," she instructed. She straightened up slowly, carefully unbending her legs into a standing position. Rodney held onto her feet, hoping to be of some help, but his knees were giving out beneath him.

"Sophie…"

"Just hold still for one more minute…"

"I can't!"

"Yes you can."

"No…" Rodney gasped as his strength failed and he tumbled to the ground; Sophie landed sprawled out a few feet away from him. He recovered himself quickly and rushed to her side. "I'm so sorry! Are you okay?"

"Yea," Sophie moaned, "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" He reached out to inspect her. "Nothing's broken?"

"I don't think so." She took a few deep breaths before attempting to sit up, but though she anticipated some severe bruising, nothing felt seriously hurt.

"I'm sorry," he repeated. "I told you that wasn't a good idea. I'm not strong like Ronon. I don't do stuff like that."

"You did fine," she assured him. She smiled. "If it helps, I wouldn't have been tall enough anyway. Even stretching, I couldn't have reached."

"Really?"

She nodded. "At least we tried though, so now we know for sure to rule out that option."

"That's one way to look at it, I suppose."

"Now we just have to find another way out." Rodney helped her stand and she brushed off some of the dirt from her clothing. "Get the flashlight from the bag and let's see what's down here."

"Why do we need the flashlight?" Rodney pointed up. "It's still light outside."

"It'll be dark soon though."

"Not really." Rodney looked at her. "I can still see you fine. I think we should conserve the flashlights."

Sophie glanced away from him. "It's darker over there though…"

"Wait, why are we going over there?" Rodney stood firmly where he was as Sophie started drifting away from him.

"I told you that we need to find another way out!"

"Maybe we should just wait here for the others."

"They could be hours," Sophie reminded him. "Maybe longer if it gets dark first."

Rodney still didn't seem convinced.

"If you want to stay there and wait for them fine," Sophie decided, "but I'm going on to look for another exit." She retrieved the flashlight and flipped it on as she headed away from Rodney.

"Sophie…" Rodney called after her as she headed into the darkness. "Sophie wait!" When she didn't respond he threw up his hands with a shake of his head and followed after her. "This is not a good idea…" he muttered to himself as he hurried to keep up with her. Sophie glanced over her shoulder when she heard him muttering and smiled.

Walking on, they soon realized they had fallen into some sort of underground cavern. It was clearly manmade, dug out for a purpose, but whatever purpose it once held had disappeared with the years. Now it was no more than a dark hollowed out area with dirt walls and floor with wooden boards occasionally put up against the walls for extra support. Rodney doubted that the support was very solid anymore, and he told Sophie so repeatedly, but she continued on without stopping.

"There has to be an exit," she kept insisting.

"All I see is more darkness," Rodney insisted. "This is pointless."

Suddenly Sophie yelped and stumbled forward, dropping the light in the process. Rodney's instinct was to recover the flashlight that had rolled a few feet ahead, but his logical thoughts told him to check on Sophie first.

"Are you all right?"

"Yea…" she groaned as she pushed herself to her knees. "I tripped over something…" she felt around on the ground where she had fallen and her hands touched something solid. "There's something here. Get the light."

Rodney retrieved the flashlight and knelt beside her in the dirt, shining the beam towards her hands. Sophie brushed aside more dirt and revealed a carving half-buried in the dirt.

"The symbols…" she leaned closer and motioned for Rodney to lower the light so she could see better. "They're the same as the map!"

"How can you be sure? It's all Ancient, isn't it?"

"Well yea, but these specific symbols are on the map, it's like an identity marker." She pointed them out to Rodney. "It's the next clue!"

"Are you absolutely certain? It was almost completely hidden. Wouldn't the clue be more accessible?"

"It probably was once upon a time," she decided. "Who knows how long ago it was put here though!" Sophie took the light from Rodney and started looking around the surrounding area. "Here!" She stood and touched a place on the wall. "There used to be something here…plaster or ceramic of some sort. The clue must have been up on the wall, but it's been so long that it's nearly crumbled to pieces."

"Can you make it out?"

Sophie returned to the clue on the ground and carefully brushed away the rest of the dirt that still covered it. "Do you have something to write with?"

Rodney pulled a notebook and pencil from the bag he was carrying and handed it to her. Sophie quickly scribbled down what she had deciphered and then stood. She was smiling widely.

"How can you be smiling?" Rodney demanded. "We're stuck underground with no foreseeable way of leaving…"

"But we found the next clue!" She held up the notepad. "Shepherd will find us."

Before Rodney had a chance to argue, she had turned around and headed back to where they had fallen in.

"I thought we were looking for an exit?"

"We're not going to find one." Sophie shined the flashlight into the darkness. "You were right. It's dark as far as we can see. Let's go and wait for the others."

……

"Rodney? Sophie? You guys down there?"

"Yes!" They called together.

A moment later, Shepherd and Ronon's heads peered over the edge of the hole. "Whatcha doing down there?" Shepherd called down.

"The ground gave way Genius," Rodney called back.

"You were supposed to stay at the jumper," Shepherd reminded them. "The ground probably wouldn't have given way there."

"You don't know that for sure," Sophie argued.

"Valid point, but at least if you had fallen there it wouldn't have taken us nearly two hours to find you."

Sophie didn't have a come back, so she stayed silent and let Rodney speak. "How about you save the squabbling until after we're back on solid ground."

Shepherd and Ronon exchanged slightly amused glances. "Hold on." They vanished, but a moment later they returned with a long coil of rope and sent it down the hole. "Sophie, you first."

"A rope?" Rodney stared at it dubiously. "You expect me to climb that?"

"Though that would be undoubtedly entertaining, I was thinking you would just tie it around your waist."

"Tie it how exactly?" Rodney continued staring at the rope.

"Here, I'll take care of it," Sophie cut in. She slipped the rope around Rodney's waist and quickly secured it in a tight knot. "He's good to go."

Shepherd and Ronon started lifting Rodney up out of the hole, grunting unnecessarily loudly as they pulled hand over hand. Rodney squirmed the entire way up, which made Ronon and Shepherd nearly yell in their shared frustration. Rodney finally made it to the top, and the other two heaved him up over the edge.

"Give us a second to get this rope off, Sophie…" Shepherd called down.

"And to catch our breath…" Ronon added.

"Seriously Rodney," Shepherd laughed. "Maybe you should cut back on all those snacks…"

"I am not fat!"

"Never said you were…" Shepherd snickered and a moment later the rope dropped into the hole again. "Your turn."

Sophie secured the rope in a wide loop and sat on it like a seat. She held tightly the bag of supplies and tugged on the rope. "All set."

Ronon and Shepherd pulled at the rope with a sharp jerk, and she almost lost her balance. They quickly adjusted their pulling strength and brought her up more smoothly. At the top, Shepherd made sure Ronon had hold of the rope and then lifted her the rest of the way out.

"Sorry for the rough start," Shepherd apologized as she slipped off the rope and rested on the grass. "Your weight surprised us."

"My weight?" Sophie frowned.

"Yea, you don't weight like anything. It threw us off."

"I'm not sure if I should take that as a compliment or a criticism." Ronon and Shepherd looked at each other, but neither seemed to have an answer. Sophie ignored them. "Okay, we have the next clue…" she looked around. "Where's Teyla?"

"At the jumper…" Shepherd hesitated and suddenly took hold of Sophie's arm. "You're hurt."

"No I'm not," she disagreed.

"Umm, yea you are," he insisted. "You're bleeding."

"I am?" Sophie looked to see what he saw, but she couldn't twist around enough. "Where are you looking?"

"Right here…hold still." He touched a spot low on her back and when his finger connected with her bare skin she realized her shirt had torn. "See…" he pulled his finger away and showed her the blood.

"Oh…" Sophie frowned. "I didn't realize."

"Doesn't it hurt?"

"Not really," she answered. "Is it really bad?"

"Not bad enough for stitches, but bad enough that you should fee li."

"I have a really high pain tolerance."

"Clearly."

"So, where's Teyla?"

"At the jumper, I said," he repeated, "but now how about telling us what happened. How did you hurt yourself?"

"That probably happened when Dr. McKay dropped me."

"He dropped you?" Shepherd turned his accusatory glare towards Rodney, who promptly took a step back.

"It wasn't on purpose," he defended himself. "I'm not strong, okay? I couldn't hold her!"

"Really it wasn't his fault," Sophie agreed. "It was my idea to try standing on his shoulders to reach the opening, but he couldn't hold me."

"You couldn't hold her?" Ronon smirked. "She's like a feather."

"Well forgive me for not having muscles bigger than my brain…"

"It really wasn't his fault," Sophie reiterated.

"That's right…" Rodney confirmed.

"Regardless of how it happened, we should get you back to the camp and at least bandage that wound before it gets infected," Shepherd decided. "Teyla should be finished setting up camp by time we get there."

"Setting up camp?" Sophie shook her head. "No, that's not necessary. Dr. McKay and I found the next clue down there. We have a new gate address."

"A new gate address?" Shepherd moaned. "We just got here. I thought this is where we were supposed to be."

"It was, and now we must move on to the next location," Sophie explained. "It wouldn't be much of a hunt if the first clue took us to the prize, would it?"

"No, I guess not," he agreed. "Fine, let's hurry and get to Teyla before she puts too much work into the camp." He set off at a quick pace and Sophie fell into line behind him with Ronon and Rodney picking up the rear.

"Hey Sophie," Ronon spoke up suddenly, "come here for a minute."

She slowed down until she was walking beside Ronon. "What's wrong?"

"I just wanted to show McKay something," he told her.

"What?"

Before she could stop him, Ronon had lifted her off her feet and placed her on his shoulders. She squealed briefly from the shock and instinctively secured her hands in his hair as though she were riding a horse. He managed to hold his head up straight, and kept her balanced by holding on to her ankles.

"See?" He turned towards Rodney. "A feather."

"Is that really necessary?" Rodney complained.

"No!" Sophie assured him. "It's not at all! Ronon please put me down."

Shepherd stopped and turned around. "What's the hold up back there?" When he saw Sophie on Ronon's shoulders, he frowned. "What're you doing up there?"

"That is such a good question…" Sophie poked at Ronon's head. "He won't put me down…"

"He wanted to prove to me that he's stronger."

"Did that really need proving?" Shepherd grinned. "Come on Tarzan, put Jane down."

Ronon smirked at Rodney and lifted Sophie off his shoulders with ease and set her back on her feet. "Too bad I didn't fall in there with you. We would have been out of there in no time."

"Yes, and then Rodney and I wouldn't have found the next clue we need to proceed with our mission," Sophie retorted. She took a couple steps away from Ronon, walking close to Shepherd as they finished the walk back to the jumper.

"You found them," Teyla observed with a relieved smile as the group approached her. She had just finished setting up one tent and was prepared to begin on the second one.

"We did," Shepherd confirmed, "and sorry to tell you, but we're not camping here tonight."

"We're not?" Teyla glanced at the work she had already done and frowned.

"Rodney and Sophie have found the next address, so we're moving on."

"I see," Teyla nodded. "Then I suppose I should begin taking this down."

"Ronon," Shepherd nodded towards Teyla and Ronon quickly helped her tear down the tent, while Shepherd motioned Sophie towards the jumper. "Let's get a bandage on that cut of yours." Sophie followed him obediently, and Rodney trailed behind them.

"Are there any more power bars?" Rodney asked.

"What happened to yours?" Shepherd inquired

"She won't give me any."

Sophie rolled her eyes. "Don't listen to him. I gave him one an hour ago."

"There's a few in the box, Rodney," Shepherd told him.

"Ah, excellent…" Rodney hurried to retrieve the food.

"Okay, sit down here, and lift your shirt."

Sophie hesitated.

"Just enough for me to access the wound," he clarified.

"Oh, of course." Sophie sat on the bench where Shepherd had indicated and rolled her shirt up to the middle of her back. "Is that enough?"

"Yea, that's good." Shepherd cleaned her wound with supplies from the first aid kit, covered it with gauze, and then pulled her shirt back down. "All right, how about laying off the heroics for a while."

"I wouldn't exactly call climbing on Rodney's shoulders heroic…"

Ronon and Teyla joined the others on the jumper, carrying the packed supplies and Shepherd closed the jumper door once they announced they were ready to leave. Sophie took the co-captain's seat again to direct Shepherd; Rodney again sat behind her and this time Ronon joined Teyla in the back.

Shepherd placed his hands on the controls and started up the jumper. "Sophie, dial the gate."

Referring to the paper on which she had copied out the symbols that she and Rodney had discovered, Sophie punched in the address. The stargate flickered to life and Shepherd directed the jumper towards it.

"You know if we told Carter about this, she'd want us to send in a MALF before we fly to an unknown address…" Shepherd mentioned as he hovered the jumper just outside the stargate.

"You're probably right," Sophie agreed.

"So…" Shepherd glanced at her.

"So, we should probably just not mention this to her right?"

He grinned. "Right." He urged the jumper forward through the stargate.

……

"I can't believe we went all that way and went through all that just to end up exactly where we started," Rodney whined as he looked in the direction of the Athosian camp, which was a couple miles away from where they stood on the Atlantian mainland.

"Well, not exactly," Sophie tried to remain optimistic, while the others continued to complain. "We never would have found it if we hadn't followed the clues."

"Yea, that would've been a shame," Ronon grunted. Teyla didn't offer words, but her expression showed with whom she agreed.

"Now hold on there," Shepherd spoke up. "We all agreed this excursion was worth it, no matter what we found, or where."

"Thank you," Sophie smiled, but Shepherd tensed his jaw in a way that indicated he wasn't as calm as he pretended. "Okay," she quickly moved on. "Someone give me a hand here please…" she reached to lift the large flat boulder to which he clues had led.

"Here, step back," Shepherd stepped in and lifted the boulder for her. He set it aside and leaned in to inspect beneath the boulder. "There's nothing here."

Sophie shook her head. "We have to dig."

"Of course we do," Rodney sighed.

"Give me a shovel," Sophie held out her hand.

"Out of the way," Ronon stepped in and Sophie moved so he could take control of the digging.

Sophie stood beside Rodney and rocked anxiously on the balls of her feet while Ronon obliged. She grasped her hands together and chewed on her bottom lip. Shepherd took a second shovel after a moment and assisted Ronon with the dig.

"What do you think it is?" Rodney asked.

Sophie shrugged and didn't take her eyes away from the dig. She didn't' have to wait long before the shovels clinked against something hard. Ronon reached in and pulled out a small metal box. He held it and Sophie opened the latches on the box. The lid sprung open and everyone gathered around to peer in.

"A book?" Shepherd frowned. "We went through all this for a damn book?"

Sophie scowled at him. "What happened to 'no matter what'?" She carefully lifted the book from the box. She handled it delicately, afraid to damage something that was so priceless. She opened to the first page and smiled.

"What is it?" Rodney asked, trying to get closer to see.

"I can't be sure yet, but it's definitely in Ancient. It seems like a journal or something…"

"An Ancient journal?" Rodney reached to take the book, and Sophie glared as it slipped from her fingers into his hands. He started examining it immediately. "I can't even begin to imagine the wealth of information we may have just uncovered."

"We should get it back to Atlantis," Sophie decided. "We don't want anything to happen to it out here."

"She's right," Shepherd agreed quickly. "Put it away Rodney."

He seemed reluctant, but returned the book to the box and relocked it. Ronon handed the box off to Rodney to carry, so he could keep his gun in position as they headed back to the jumper.

"I can't believe we did it!" Sophie was nearly skipping. "We found it!"

Shepherd grinned at her. "I'm glad you talked me into it."

"Yea, it took so much convincing."

"Maybe not," Shepherd shrugged.

They reached the jumper and Shepherd led the way on board. Sophie instinctively headed towards the co-pilot's seat, but Rodney protested since she no longer needed to direct Shepherd. She took the seat behind Rodney without argument. Teyla, who had remained fairly quiet since they had found the final clue, once again sat in the back by herself.

"I just can't believe all those clues actually led somewhere," Ronon glanced at the box now in Sophie's hands. "I'm still not convinced it was worth it, but…"

"Oh trust me, it will be." Sophie stroked the box adoringly.