DISCLAIMER – Stargate: Atlantis is the intellectual property of MGM/UA and associates. This story is a work of fan fiction that has been created for personal enjoyment only. I am not receiving compensation from any source, in any form, for the creation of this story.

Dr. Itzhak Perlman is my original character.

RATING – This story is rated T

ARCHIVE – If you would like to archive this story, you have my permission to do so. Please let me know where you're putting it, and I'll be happy. Thanks!

A/N – Yay! -hugs you all- I know I've already said this, but I am really, really pleased with the response this story has been receiving. I appreciate each and every one of you who is reading it and especially those of you who are thoughtful in leaving me comments. I'm really enjoying writing this story and sharing it with all of you.

Again, this is a slightly longer chapter than normal, with five scenes in it, but I guess I just had a lot to say. Enjoy

All Fun nd Games

8. Technical Difficulties

Rodney waited for the blackness to dissipate. He didn't panic quite so much this time, maybe because he knew the blindness was temporary. He lay still and kept his eyes open, anticipating the first dim light that would mean his vision was returning to normal. He felt mini-Shadow's small hand wrap itself around the first two fingers of his own right hand. He didn't even mind her touch as much as he'd done the first time. It was actually kind of nice to know he wasn't alone in the dark.

"Hey, Radek," he said. "Are you still here?"

"Yes," came the boy's voice.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"What'll happen to you and Shadow and Elizabeth when The Game ends?"

"We will be stored in the memory of The Game," mini-Radek said. "We will be here the next time you choose to play."

"What happens if I complete all six levels of The Game?"

"The Game ends."

"I mean, what happens to you? Will The Game store your data?"

The boy was quiet for several seconds. Finally, he answered, "No."

"Oh," said Rodney.

"This worries you?" mini-Radek said.

"Yeah, I guess. A little."

"Why?" asked the boy.

"Hey, are you supposed to be asking me questions like that?" Rodney said. He scrubbed at his left eye with the heel of his hand. "Shouldn't I be able to see by now?"

"Can't you?"

'If I could see, why would I be asking you about it? Everything's still black," Rodney said. "This better not be a malfunction. It'd be just my luck, to get myself trapped in a ten thousand year old machine with some kind of glitch. Would you even know if there was a malfunction?"

"Yes."

"Is there one?"

"I'm not aware of one," said mini-Radek.

"You'd tell me if you were aware of one, wouldn't you?"

"If you asked, of course I would."

"Okay, let's get one thing clear, right now," Rodney said. "I'm giving you standing instructions to tell me right away if anything – and I mean anything – seems abnormal to you. Don't wait for me to ask about it. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Yes," mini-Radek said gravely. "I understand."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Interesting…" Radek said for about the fifth time in as many minutes.

John watched the engineer with equal parts fascination and apprehension. He didn't doubt Radek's technical competence or his ability to solve problems, but he couldn't help being worried that something might inadvertently go wrong while the engineer worked on Rodney's machine. So far, this had been a Murphy's Law kind of day, and John figured it'd be too optimistic to expect things to change any time soon.

"Okay, I'll bite," John said. "What's so interesting?"

"Come. I'll show you," Radek said.

Obligingly, John joined the engineer behind the large device that was imprisoning Rodney. Radek had somehow connected his computer to the machine. He'd removed a panel on the machine's side, as well. John was amazed at how many crystals were inside the thing. He was glad it was Radek who had the task of figuring out what all of them were for, because he himself wouldn't have the faintest clue where to start.

John crouched beside the engineer. 'I always liked show and tell."

"You might not like this," Radek said. He touched the screen of his laptop with a forefinger. "Rodney's machine is using an incredible amount of power. More than it should, I think."

"Why would it be using so much power?"

"I'm not certain why it's doing that." Radek pressed his lips together in a pensive frown, and gazed candidly at John for several seconds before he spoke again. "Have you heard any more noises?"

"I thought I heard another explosion just a few minutes ago."

"So did I," said Radek. "I heard several, actually. Every time there is explosion, the device's power consumption spikes momentarily."

"Any idea why?"

"I have a theory. I think we can all hear the explosions because the device is really generating them. If it takes more power to generate the sound of explosions, it would explain the spikes."

"Can we all hear the explosions?" John wondered.

He looked across the room at the two doctors. John had helped Carson move Itzhak's limp body from under the table earlier so Carson could examine him. Now, Carson sat on the floor beside his colleague, watching over him.

The Scottish doctor looked decidedly uneasy when he heard John's question. He nodded slowly. "Aye, I heard them, too."

"Carson, do you hear anything besides explosions?" asked Radek.

"No," Carson said.

"Colonel, do you?"

"Nope. All I hear are the explosions," he said. "Have you been hearing something else, Radek?"

"Birds," Radek said. "That sounds insane, doesn't it?"

"No more insane than hearing explosions." said John.

"Perhaps it's the heat that's bothering me. I cannot concentrate properly like this." Radek rubbed a hand across his chest in a distracted gesture. "Don't you notice the humidity in here? It's…oppressive. Difficult to breathe."

'It's not even warm in here, Doc."

"Perhaps you don't think so."

"It truly isn't warm in here, Radek," Carson said. "If you're having difficulty breathing, maybe I ought to check—"

"No," Radek said firmly. "If both of you say it isn't hot, perhaps it isn't. Maybe it is only in my imagination, like the birds and the…the…"

"What?" John demanded.

Radek purposely covered his ears and closed his eyes. John saw the engineer's lips move as he softly counted to ten.

"Being in this room is like nightmare," Radek said, once he'd lowered his hands and opened his eyes. He didn't mention what he'd imagined he had seen or heard. Settling himself behind his computer again, he inhaled deeply and exhaled the breath in a huff of air. "What was I telling you before…that…happened?"

"You were telling me your theories about Rodney's machine."

"Yes, yes…of course. Something else I noticed about Rodney's machine is that it is connected to the other one." Radek waved vaguely at the second device. "Over there. It appears to be active, too, and that might also explain the power."

John eyed the machine on the far side of the room. "How can the second device be active? Nobody touched it."

"Maybe activating one device activates both of them."

"Got any theories about how to deactivate them?"

"I'm working on that. I don't want to remove the wrong crystals. I don't know what that might do to Rodney or to the machine," Radek said. "I could make things far worse than they are already."

"Do what you can," John said.

John realized how inane that statement sounded the instant it left his mouth, but he guessed it didn't matter much, as Radek apparently hadn't heard him anyway. The engineer was already immersed in the business of trying to shut off Rodney's machine.

John decided the best thing to do was to leave Radek alone so he could concentrate on what he was doing. John wandered back to Carson and Itzhak's corner of the room, and sat near the two doctors. Itzhak was stretched out on his back on the floor. John noticed Carson had folded the blanket and laid it aside. John's jacket, also folded neatly, was now serving as a makeshift pillow for the unconscious man.

Carson looked worried. "We don't even have to go offworld to get ourselves into loads of trouble, do we?"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

It had taken longer than Rodney would've liked for his vision to return after his second virtual death, but at last the darkness had faded and he could see properly again. He hadn't wanted to wait any longer to begin his third chance to get through the maze. Mini-Radek had gladly obliged him by returning their 'jumper to the maze's entrance.

Killing off the virtual Wraith was even easier this time than it had been the last time. Rodney realized he'd begun to anticipate the Wraith darts, and he was able to target them with very little effort. He was getting used to controlling the 'jumper and launching the drones.

Now, he only had a thousand metres of tunnel to go, and he would be facing the mines for the second time. On this attempt, he decided, he was going to make it to the other side without going up in a virtual blaze of glory.

If he was going to wash out of this level of The Game, something beyond the minefield would have to get him, because the part of him that absolutely hated to lose wouldn't allow him to get blown up by the spherical black mines twice.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Carson was worried; more worried than he cared to admit to anyone but himself. He and his friends were in the worst kind of predicament. Carson couldn't have dreamed up anything more frightening and bizarre than their current situation if he'd tried. It was a bit like something from a science-fiction movie, he thought. He'd never really cared for science-fiction.

Carson kept himself occupied by alternately checking on Itzhak and Rodney, and keeping an eye on Radek's progress with the machine. He did his best to ignore the distant sound of explosions and the periodic but not-so-distant whine of Wraith darts. He had to keep telling himself the noises were just sound effects, and were most likely generated by the machines, as Radek had said.

John, for his part, seemed not to notice the noises any more. The colonel prowled around the room restlessly like a caged animal. When Carson asked him what he was doing, he told Carson he was looking for the sealed box that Radek had said could be opened with the 'Ancient Rubik's Cube'. John said he wanted to know what the Ancients had been trying to hide in it.

Carson left the colonel to his perusal of the tables and shelves. Personally, Carson had absolutely no interest in discovering any more Ancient surprises. He'd had enough surprises today, and it wasn't even lunch time, yet.

"I can't do this!"

The note of utter panic in Radek's voice was enough to yank Carson out of his own musings. He and John moved at the same time, and within seconds they'd both joined the engineer. Radek stared at the two of them as if the sight of their faces were the last threads tying him to his sanity. Carson noticed Radek's hands were curled into fists so tightly that his knuckles had become white.

"Radek, are you okay?" John asked him.

"No, I am not okay," Radek said. "I can't…I can't do this. I'm trying, but I keep hearing…"

"Hearing what?" the colonel prompted.

"Water." Radek practically whispered the single word.

The engineer swayed slightly as if he were dizzy. Carson reached out to steady him. "Easy, lad," Carson said. "You know we're inside, don't you?"

"I think I know. We are in Atlantis."

"Aye, we are," said Carson. "Do you remember what you've been doing?"

Radek's features became intense with concentration. He was clearly fighting to maintain some degree of control over his own mind, and Carson silently applauded him for his tenacity. Carson was afraid, however, that the engineer was slowly losing the battle against whatever was affecting him.

Already, Carson could see Radek had developed the same symptoms as Itzhak; rapid, shallow breathing, dilated pupils, confusion, panic, and hallucinations. Those were the symptoms Carson would've expected to see in patients who'd been using hallucinogenic drugs, not in two healthy men who'd apparently done nothing more extraordinary than to enter a room full of unidentified objects.

The situation didn't make sense, but then again, not much about this day had been making sense to Carson.

"Carson, I…I think I remember," Radek said, after several moments of taut silence. "I was helping Rodney. I was trying to deactivate the machine, and there is something...something I have to remove."

Almost in slow motion, Radek turned away from Carson and back to the device. Carson realized he was holding his breath as he saw the engineer reach toward the open panel with a trembling hand. Radek slid his fingertips over the crystals.

Carson wanted to tell him not to experiment with the device any more. In Radek's current state of mind, it would be easy for him to make a mistake that might harm him, or Rodney, or both of them. They were all in enough trouble as it was, without adding to their difficulties.

"Radek, I don't think you ought to touch—" Carson began.

John must've had a similar thought, because at the same moment he warned, "Doc, you'd better not—"

Neither Carson nor John got the opportunity to finish what they'd intented to say. A distinct crackling noise issued from the device just as Radek closed his fingers around one of the crystals. Radek let out a startled yelp and scooted backwards, cradling his right hand in the palm of his left one.

For a moment, the engineer appeared completely lucid. "I think that was bad idea," he confessed. "The device generates a lot of energy."

Carson looked from John to Radek and back again. He did not like the way things were going, and by all accounts things weren't going to get better in a hurry. He addressed his friends with, "Now what are we supposed to do?"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The 'jumper lurched crazily, as if it had run into a particularly severe pocket of turbulence. Rodney was flying his ship through the first section of tunnel that led away from the spherical mines. He told himself that he should have guessed he'd encounter the next obstacle here. The problem was, the turbulence didn't seem logical.

Rodney could see nothing except the smooth walls of the maze, nothing that posed an obvious threat, yet he knew there had to be something out there. It was impossible to have turbulence inside an enclosed structure like this. If The Game were creating the scenario from his thoughts, it ought to know that, too.

Rodney glanced over at his two small passengers. Mini-Shadow seemed utterly petrified and close to tears. Mini-Radek looked grim. Rodney didn't like that look. When the real Radek wore that expression, it invariably meant trouble.

"Radek, what the hell is going on?" Rodney demanded of the little Czech, in much the same manner as he would have addressed his real-world counterpart.

The boy chewed his lip. "I don't know."

"Come on! This is your show. Don't tell me you can't predict all the twists and turns."

"Normally, I can," said mini-Radek, "but, something isn't—"

The 'jumper bucked again, harder than before, and mini-Shadow let out a high-pitched keening sound. She scrambled off the seat, scurried over to Rodney and tried to climb into his lap. Rodney held her at arm's length, suddenly impatient with the added distraction.

"Look," he said to mini-Radek. "Remember how you said all I need to do to leave The Game is consciously think about leaving it? It didn't work before, but I want to try it again. Can I do it now, in the middle of a level?"

"Y-yes," mini-Radek said, as he too began to slide down from the copilot's seat. "Normally, you could pause without completing the level, and return to it at later time, but—"

"But what?" Rodney demanded.

The little boy hunkered down on the floor and clasped his arms around his drawn-up knees. In a small, scared voice he said, "You asked me to tell you if something went wrong. I think…something is happening to The Game."

TBC
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