CHAPTER 14 – RODNEY'S CONCLUSION
Rodney had indeed come to the same conclusion that John had. The stone portal would only activate if used or in the vicinity of someone with the ancient gene. Make that strong ancient gene. Rodney had gathered his team of scientists, lots of coffee, plenty of food and all the equipment he could think of and having brought Ronon back with him for the sole purpose of building an extremely large and extremely hot fire, he now stood ponderingly in front of the stone portal, at this stage - not really any closer to establishing just where in the hell, or where in the damn universe, Colonel John Sheppard had gone.
Zelenka was with him and busy feeding information at Rodney's request into his hand held computer. "Colonel Sheppard has the highest concentration of ATA gene in Atlantis Rodney, you know this. In order to simulate the same conditions as when he left to ... wherever... we need the same strength gene."
"Damn it, I know that Zelenka. I'm working on the gene strength now. I have to be precise. I think it was activiated because of his precise strength and I have a really bad feeling..."
Ronon stood nearby. He had refused to go back to Atlantis until John was found, and if his only task was to keep the fire roaring to shut Rodney's constant moaning about the cold up, then he would do it. But that didn't mean he had to like it. He continued to stare broodingly at the scientists and more than once Rodney had caught his eye. "Ronon, do you have to do that. You make me damned uncomfortable... staring like that. Can't you find - something to do? Anything. Just stop with the staring! It's not going to get the job done any quicker. In fact, my fingers are fumbling more just because I know you're watching. Go for a run for something - get rid of some of that energy."
"Can't Rodney. Until I know he's safe, I'll stay right here. So just do your damn job and stop whining..." Rodney cast one more aggrieved look his way then decided to shut up. Likely he'd pushed his luck as far as it was going to take him.
"I've got John's concentration here, all our levels are stored in the data base, but it's tricky. I need to ideally, use someone who has the nearest level and that would be Carson. But no point sending him through it - we need someone with the ability to try and get back - and we need someone on this end with the same ability, in case it all goes to hell in a handbasket."
"It would help Rodney, if we had any idea where this device took him.." Zelenka stopped what he was doing a moment to slant a look at Rodney.
"I'm getting a bad feeling about that... I think it is a time portal, I think it is one of the ancients fail safe devices that they loved to hide around the galaxy. It was likely designed to send someone back for a specific reason to either stop or start something so that our present could exist as it was meant to exist."
"That sounds a bit out there Rodney, for you?" Zelenka had paused again in his calculations to look at Rodney. "Did you find some sort of information about a time portal in the ancient data base?"
"There is mention of them Zelenka... but not where. Just that they were placed at certain points around the galaxy and have been placed there for specific reasons. You know how damn cagey these ancients can be when they want to keep their true intent hidden...When I get near it, I pick up something, remnants of history or tendrils of what has happened. Like a memory chip, but faded. I've been picking it up for the past hour and trying to piece together what it means. I think John was the one who had to go back - in time, likely somewhere on earth to stop something. He was chosen because of the concentration of his gene."
Ronon looked confused. "I don't get the whole time travel thing, so don't even try to explain it to me, but can he come back?"
"I would have to assume that if the ancients built this device for that purpose, then they built in the means for him to come back." Rodney's tone had developed that smugly superior quality that often made people want to hit him and Ronon's fist was beginning to itch about now.
"But would Sheppard be able to figure it out?" Ronon was pacing now. "Without you there to figure it out for him?"
"Well that Ronon, is the question I have been asking myself and come to the conclusion that I need to go there... to help him come back."
"If you're going McKay, I'm going with you."
"Brains and brawn... ok Ronon, I'll buy that. But it'll mean shooting you up with some ancient gene therapy - as soon as I get the concentration calculations perfect - myself also - I will need to increase my own concentration. And hope to hell that this theory I've come up with works." Rodney grimaced. He preferred to work in exact science, not some of the incomplete and often theoretical work that the ancients sometimes left for him to decipher.
"Not like you to doubt yourself Rodney" Zelenka looked curiously at Rodney.
"Not so much doubtful, just a little wary about where the information came from. If I'd come to it through scientific means, no problem with the whole trust thing - through less tangible means, such as vibrations and imprints - a little harder to put trust in this, especially for a scientist."
" Give me the gene therapy Rodney. Let's go get our boy." Ronon looked slightly relieved that they would finally be doing something.
"Let me get the therapy right and you'll be the first to get the needle. A word of advice Ronon? Likely we're going back in time. On earth. Lose your Satedan clothing. Find something decade generic such as jeans and a tshirt so that at least we have some show of fitting into whereever it is or whenever it is we end up."
He radioed Atlantis. "Elizabeth, I'm ready. I think I've figured it out..." She cut him off with a comment. "Yes Elizabeth, 'think' - no, I'm not sure. Working with ancient devices here...anyway - may I finish? I think it is a time portal and I also think, and this is a rather off the cuff theory given how I came about it - I think that Sheppard's gene activated it and he was sent back, likely to earth in another timeline to perform a specific task. No Elizabeth, I prefer not to explain exactly how I came across this particular theory. In summary? I will give Ronon and myself the required gene therapy to bring us up to the same concentration as Sheppard and try to go back to wherever he is.."
He looked bored now, waving his hands in the air, mimicking Elizabeth as she likely began a rant in his ear, and Ronon managed a small smile. He could quite imagine the squawking that was going on at the other end and was glad that he was not the recipient. "Yes Elizabeth, Zelenka will remain here to try and get us all back. He has all the necessary data and calculations. No Elizabeth, if we wait we may be too late. No, there's not much point telling us not to go - Ronon here is champing at thebit and he'll just ignore whatever you say and do it anyway."
He listened impatiently for a short while longer rolling his eyes at Ronon now. As soon as he shut the radio off he gestured that they could leave. "Let's go find us some gene therapy Ronon, and hope to hell that thing takes us to the same place as Sheppard, or we're well and truly screwed."
Ronon's forbidding scare did not manage to scare him as much as the thought of floating around in time without a paddle... some things were just plain frightening.