Chapter Two
Rodney had got here early, of course. His laptop, research from the mission, report and notes were already set up and organised by the time Elizabeth walked in with Teyla (bang on time). Elizabeth looked faintly impressed with his supreme organisational skills, while Teyla inquired "did you not have anything to do in your quarters before you came here?"
"Huh?" Rodney asked intelligently, jerking his head up from his notes. "Oh, I, uh, never left."
The women exchanged a look Rodney couldn't decipher. Women had so many different and complicated glances and feelings. One could not approach them systematically and this, of course, was the reason Rodney had never had that much success with women. Apart from Katie. For some reason she had stuck with him, despite all of his (dare he say it) faults. Sometimes he felt he didn't deserve her sweet and tolerant ways, not that he'd ever admit it of course. Eventually, he was sure, she would start to see him as he truly was and then... Rodney shook his head at the futility of it all, and turned his attention to something far more pressing: his research.
"Find something of interest, Rodney," smiled Elizabeth as she sat down in her usual chair. Ugh, more interruptions.
Looking up with an exasperated look on his face he said briefly, "it's possible, but I need to cross-reference my notes with my previous research, which warrants my full attention so.."
"Well, let me know if you find anything."
"Believe me I will," Rodney assured her, his attention back on his work.
Soon Sheppard and Ronon arrived, and Rodney was forced to join in the de-briefing. Honestly, why they needed him here he had no idea. He always filed such detailed reports he was surprised Elizabeth had anything to ask him. He was just needed in so many places at once. As Rodney sat through Sheppard's usual unimaginatively military recount of events, he wondered where Dr Olson had got to. She was supposed to be here for some reason. Against his normal annoyance with any other learned person, Rodney couldn't help liking Eiva somewhat. it was probably her English blustering yet down-to-earth ways. The one thing that really bugged him about Eiva, though, was her abbreviation of her name: in his opinion the Russian Eiva was perfectly suitable.
"And what about you Rodney?" Elizabeth was asking him. "Do you think this Ancient outpost could have contained valuable defences?"
Rodney thought briefly (0.02 seconds to be precise). "Well it makes sense for the Asurans to destroy anything that could be used against them," Rodney mused. "From what I can see here, however..."
But he was broken off by Eiva blustering into the room, scattering armfuls of paper everywhere.
"Sorry I'm late," she panted. "I took a wrong turn and ended up in a broom cupboard. Then of course I couldn't get out..."
A giggle went around the room, and Sheppard chipped in "the Ancients had brooms? Who knew?"
"Well," began Jetta, but she was thankfully interrupted from what promised to be a tedious lecture by Eiva sitting down heavily beside Rodney, strewing papers all over his work. And spilling his coffee. Rodney rolled his eyes. From what he could remember of Eiva, she was somewhat of a scatterbrain, always dropping books and getting lost. When it came to missions, however, Sam had assured him of Eiva's competence. Whether he trusted that opinion or not remained to be seen.
"Sorry!" she gasped, attempting to mop the split drink up with a hankie. Who had a hankie any more?
"Just leave... it's fine," spluttered Rodney, trying to stop Eiva. She smiled apologetically and thankfully ceased spreading coffee stains only further over his notes.
There was a brief pause.
"So, Rodney," Elizabeth spoke up bravely, "what were you saying?"
"Ah yes." Rodney rifled through his notes and fished out a photo. He held it up so everybody could see. "This is an aerial photo taken by the UAV. Here," he said, pointing to a collection of dark grey building near the Stargate, "are the ruins we found. This photo is a close-up of the ruins." He held up another, shooting a glare to Ronon, who was pretending to fall asleep. "Now notice, the Asurans destroyed this complex to the south. But further north I got some very interesting readings..."
Suddenly John cut in. "Hey, remember that point everyone was on tenterhooks for?"
Rodney fumed, but before he could bite back Teyla interjected, presumably to prevent an argument. "What sort of readings were they, Rodney?"
Deciding that answering Teyla's question would currently be more beneficial, Rodney answered "power readings!" That made everyone sit up. "In fact the readings I got were almost completely off the chart. I think there could be a massive power source under there."
"I'm sorry, under?" Elizabeth asked.
"Yeah," John chipped in. "The structural integrity suggest most of the complex is situated underground."
There was a slightly stunned pause, and all eyes swivelled to John.
"You read that from my notes didn't you?" Jetta-Mai grinned in a frustrated way. Sheppard grinned smugly.
"I just wanted to see your face," he replied. Rodney rolled his eyes again. Honestly, those two...
"So what kind power source," Ronon rumbled from his corner. "ZPMs?"
Rodney beamed widely. "Actually, unless there were about a hundred in there then no."
"You're telling me..." Sheppard started.
"That we've found something more powerful than a ZPM? It's possible. So I just want to take a small team..."
"Ok, hold on there Rodney," Elizabeth interjected, "are you sure you want to rush into this? Remember what happened last time."
Rodney grimaced. Of course he remembered. You don't just forget blowing up a solar system.
"He blew up a solar system," John informed Eiva.
"Yes, thank you!" Rodney glared at John.
Eiva smiled hastily. "Oh, it's OK, I already knew!"
"How is that... anyway, don't worry, I won't press any buttons this time. I mean, we have to find a way in first of all."
Eiva turned to face him, a business-like look on her face. "Were there any inscriptions on the walls?" she asked. Oh crap. Rodney had been to busy taking readings to notice. Obviously sensing his dilemma, Teyla once again came to his rescue.
"I believe so, yes," she told Eiva. "In an Ancient dialect."
Eiva looked across to Elizabeth, and an understanding passed between them. Honestly, women and their looks…
"Dr Olson, if you could accompany Colonel Sheppard's team to M3X 842 tomorrow…"
Eiva nodded. "Of course."
"Right." Elizabeth stood in a final manner. "Dismissed."
Elizabeth rushed off as usual, probably to an important meeting or something. She really was too busy for her own good. Deciding that leaving was a good course of action. Rodney packed up his notes as the others filtered out of the room. Before he left, however, he noticed Eiva standing by the aerial photographs, an odd look of recognition on her face…