John bounced readily on the balls of his feet as the gate activated, rolling his eyes at the dramatic sigh Rodney gave. Despite the fact they were undertaking the mission based on his input it was clear the scientist was less than enthused about the quick turn around and the fact he still had unfinished work in his lab.

"Suck it up Rodney." He raised an eyebrow before directing his gaze back to the open wormhole.

Rodney narrowed his eyes, reaffirming the gun that sat loosely in his hands. "Not everyone has the burning need to fuel a lack of adrenaline and maybe If you took up a hobby that wasn't so lame as golf, you might actually-"

"McKay!"

Ronon's gruff voice stifled the rant and Rodney turned sharply, "I'm not saying I don't want to go on the mission, just that there are other ways to-"

"Just get through the damn gate!" Ronon shoved him roughly, sharing an amused look with Teyla as they followed behind him.

From the control room Woolsey bit back a smirk catching Sheppard's eye as the rest of his team disembarked, "good luck Colonel."

John waved his gun in recognition of the comment before exhaling and stepping through the wormhole; a trick he'd learnt early on. While most people thought to breathe in first it was actually a stronger instinct to inhale directly after exiting the gate, a small comfort he now took for granted as he transitioned easily between both sides.

Automatically scanning the area for his team, he noticed no immediate signs of danger and moved to join them. Fortunately the terrain was dense so they'd be able to use the thick forest as cover, slipping easily through the outskirts of the city undetected.

"Let's head out," he instructed, taking the lead as Ronon covered their sixes.

As predicted they made the journey without incident breaking through to the far end of the city in just under an hour. Keeping to protocol they secured their location a few hundred meters from the temple, remaining secluded in the shrubbery before it started to thin out. "Okay we should-" John went to order them forward but hesitated as Ronon prickled beside him.

"You hear something?" he questioned, immediately tensing. He knew from experience the man's hearing was impeccable as it was an asset he'd come to rely on heavily without question.

"Voices." The large Satedan warrior nodded towards the direction of the sound, "over there."

They crept quietly around, keeping cover behind the tree line until they located the source. From his position John could make out atleast six, maybe seven Genii clouding the entrance to the ruins.

"What! How did they get here?"

Rodney's hushed words grated loudly against his ears as he eyed the group. There was no evidence suggesting they'd located the coordinates through the same lab he and his team had discovered but that made little difference. However they'd acquired the knowledge they were here now and that was a problem. "I don't know but I'm not keen on finding out... let's get back to the gate."

He went to move but Teyla's firm grip held him steadily in place. The contact itself wasn't unusual but something about the way her fingers remained latched onto his arm set his nerves on edge. Glancing up, he immediately became alert to the concern written over her face and cocked his head in question, "Teyla?"

She nodded in the direction of the Genii force and he followed her gaze, finding the reason behind her stalled reaction with a sharp breath.

"What?" Rodney directed his attention to their line of sight, bringing his hand up to cover a muffled hitch, "Oh my god, is that-"

"Doctor Weir." Ronon glanced at John worried by how he might react to the news. It was no secret their last encounter with the former leader of Atlantis had left him in bad shape and while time had helped ease the man's self-destructive behaviour, another round might just send him back there permanently.

Instinctively he tightened the grip around his stunner, "what's the plan?"

"We do not even know for sure if that is the real Doctor Weir." Teyla hated the words as they pressed from her lips but felt the expressed need to share them. Given the last time they had seen Elizabeth she was not in possession of her true form it was unlikely this one was the 'real' Elizabeth Weir and it certainly wouldn't be the first time that they'd encountered a copy.

"Even if it's not her she could still have our Elizabeth's memories, not a good thing if she's working with them-" Rodney pointed to the group of Genii, more than a little disturbed by the scene. From their vantage point it was obvious she wasn't being held against her will and he couldn't fathom how they'd even met, let a lone forged something close to an alliance.

Ronon glanced at the men doing a quick mental assessment of the situation, "two on the right, three on the left plus those two. We could take them."

Teyla released her grip on their leader's arm seeking his approval with a note of concern, "John?"

He remained stoic finding words couldn't breach the lump nestled in his throat. He knew Teyla was right. The chances of it actually being her were pretty much non-existent but the foreign curls hanging loosely down her back and the way she stood animating her speech with gestures... it was all so, human.

"Sheppard!" Ronon's gruff voice pulled him from the thought and he swallowed dryly, pinching the bridge of his nose.

He couldn't go through this again.

Regardless of who she was or her intentions, it would break him.

McKay felt a strong wave of sympathy as he watched his friend struggle with the decision. It was rare to see the the usually efficacious man fall short of a response and it tugged painfully at his own hesitation, "look, maybe... maybe we should just go back. Tell Woolsey and-"

"You said it yourself, she's a threat." Ronon pointed out, slightly disconcerted with being the only voice of reason. If it came down to it he was prepared to take the necessary action himself but one way or another the situation needed to be dealt with before it escalated.

John closed his eyes taking in a steady breath. Ronon was right. They needed to take care of this, he needed to take care of it before the unanswered questions sent him spiraling over the edge. "We need to get her alone-" he pressed on his knees finding the strength to push himself up, "all I need is five minutes."

"And how exactly do you propose we do that?" Rodney felt his concern dither at the absurdity of the suggestion. There was no guarantee Elizabeth would respond receptively to their presence and sending Sheppard in alone was in his opinion, the worst course of action.

John dismissed his pessimism determined to get the situation over with, "I don't know but we'll think of-"

"John, look-" Teyla pointed to the entrance of the temple and he narrowed his gaze watching Elizabeth slip through the stone archway. The other Genni seemed to to have no interest in following her too preoccupied with setting up their perimeter which meant now was their chance.

"See Rodney, a little positive thinking never goes astray." He raised his head, sucking in a short breath. All he had to do was get inside the complex and knowing the Ancients as well as his did there was bound to be a back door somewhere.

"Okay, I'm sorry-" Rodney protested not in the slightest bit apologetic as he voiced his concerns, "as much as I'd love to claim the title of Mr. Optimistic here, this is a bad idea. The last time we rolled around in the hay with these guys they nearly killed us and what if she doesn't come quietly? What are you going to do then!?"

"Man's got a point." Ronon screwed up his face unsettled by the joint agreement. He didn't like siding with McKay over Sheppard but sending the man in alone was too risky, especially if his emotions ended up getting the better of him. "I say we take them."

John brushed a terse hand over his face realising the subtext that lay behind their concern; they thought he couldn't handle it.

Hell, maybe they were right.

After a moment of careful consideration he shook his head. At this point they didn't have a lot of options. Starting a fire-fight could get ugly not to mention raise the attention of the less than friendly locals and that was something he really wanted to avoid.

"If at all possible I'd like to get out of this without alerting the whole planet we're here." He turned to Ronon, knowing the larger man would follow the order despite his reluctance, "if things go south, I give you full permission to rain down on anyone who gets between us and the gate, satisfied?"

He nodded slightly and John clasped his gun without any further hesitation, "good. I'll be back in five."