John and Lorne were ensconced in Sheppard's office when Elizabeth waltz in waving a stunner, "He fixed it!"
Both officers had immediately straightened from their relaxed poses to address their leader, "Ma'am?" and "Elizabeth?" respectively.
"Ronon. The placebo stunner! Apparently he fixed it as soon as I gave it to him. This whole time he had a working stunner!"
Lorne hadn't been informed about a placebo stunner; but from the look on his commander's face, not only had he known about it, but he was currently kicking himself for thinking Ronon wouldn't have noticed it was dysfunctional.
"Jeez!" John sighed and then motioned for Lorne to rid the extra chair of its current load of files.
As soon as the Major had cleared the chair, Elizabeth actually flopped into it. "When Carson released him, Ronon came to my office to thank me and return the stunner. I said he was welcome and when he didn't immediately leave, I asked him if there was anything else and he said actually there was.
Ronon suggested a weapons check. When I asked why he just shrugged and said something about false sense of security leads to death. I guess I looked sufficiently confused as he just shrugged again and asked me if I had felt secure having a stunner in my office... he continued without waiting for me to reply and said that my stunner had been useless therefore I had been defenseless thus my sense of security was false.
I must have been gapping at him by then because he grinned and said not to worry he had fixed it as soon as it came into his possession; but for the safety of the expedition we really should consider checking confiscated Wraith weapons, not only when we first bring them back to Atlantis but periodically to make sure they're still charged."
"He makes a good point..."
Cutting John off Elizabeth stated, "This one was supposed to be unfixable, completely broken whist trying to reverse engineer!
You know how Rodney is always complaining about his staff..." Elizabeth slapped a hand over her mouth while Evan and John just grinned.
Quickly changing the subject. "Anyway, the security camera in the hall caught a little of what he was doing. You and Carson missed a scalpel."
"No way! Where?"
"Not sure but Carson, who isn't very happy with me right now, thinks it was in the side of the mattress because laundry said there was a cut in the cot sheet. But that's not the worst of it! The video shows him walking out the door towards where some medical equipment was being stored. Then later a stunner beam flashes out the door in the same direction.
He scavenged off a piece of medical equipment! Then he tested the stunner on the same piece. Carson determined the whatever it is, is now completely fried. How am I going to explain to the IOA why we need a replacement piece, a very expensive piece no less, when I gave him the stunner?"
Silence was her only answer for a moment until Major Lorne began, "On the bright side, we now know that Ronon can fix..." at Elizabeth's glare Evan stumbled, "I mean that might appease the IOA a bit, Ma'am."
Elizabeth was in mid-huff when all their radios went off signaling the eminent return of SGA4, three pairs of eyes met and all moved towards the gate room after a simultaneous, "I'm on my way."