I'm afraid I've no excuses for the wait this time other than that this chapter turned out longer than I'd anticipated. Plus, the 2nd half of the 1st section gave me problems. Steve toyed with the idea of going in a certain direction, then at the last minute decided not too. Finicky wraith. Had to rewrite that. Then later Rodney and Dr. Weir started rambling about interesting but unnecessary stuff. Had to trim that out. Then...

Eh, you get the picture.

I've got so much cut stuff now that I'm toying with the idea of doing an 'outtakes' section...

But that would be far in the future! And so, without further ado...

Happy reading!

Disclaimer: I still don't own Stargate Atlantis, Steve, and/or any other SGA character. This story is for entertainment purposes only, and is strictly not-for-profit. The only things I own are: Dr. Mira Sheckle, The Glove, the plot, and other OC/plot-related bits.

Chapter Ten: Testing the Waters - Part Three

3 years, 48 weeks earlier

The pink light of an early morning sunrise was illuminating the mess hall's yawning occupants when Major Sheppard got the call saying Steve was awake.

"It's about time!" He thanked Geerman for the update, quickly finished his cereal, and headed down to the holding cell. When he arrived, Sheppard discovered, (to his vast relief), that everything appeared to have returned to normal.

Normal being Steve's typical behavior AFTER he'd received the glove…

The wraith was standing in a far corner of the cell, his back to the alcove, silently watching one of the marines posted along the closest wall. His posture was tall and relaxed, and he showed no sign of noticing his captor's entrance.

Par for the course, then. A decent start…

Nodding to Lieutenant Geerman, Sheppard emerged from the alcove and approached the cell, stalking its occupant slowly. The horizontal shadows slide mysteriously across his face, indulging the wraith's taste for dramatics. Cooperation on a non-glove project was as big a request as voluntarily letting himself be poked by needles. Knowing this, Sheppard wanted Steve in as good a mood as possible. Reaching the bars, he circled the cage, footsteps echoing, gaze fixed on his conspicuously unmoving target… Outwardly tranquil, Steve observed the guard, feigning obliviousness.

Still on par. Maybe leaning towards good…?

Sheppard stopped a few feet away, close enough that the wraith couldn't possibly deny his existence, but far enough that he didn't obstruct his view of Private Douger.

Steve didn't acknowledge his presence.

The Major raised an eyebrow. "Feeling refreshed after your nap?"

Abandoning the guard, the wraith's eyes narrowed lazily and swung their intense focus to Sheppard. His pale face languidly swung with them.

"I am your death," Steve hissed.

Whoa, creepy grin! Extremely Creepy Grin!

The translucent teeth vanished as deliberately as they'd appeared, and Steve's olive-eyed stare swept leisurely back to Douger.

Definitely a good start. Hiding his anticipation, Sheppard smiled flippantly, "I take it that's a, 'Yes?'"

No response. The wraith's posture emanated complacent smugness…

"'Cause you slept for almost thirty-six hours. I'd hate to think it wasn't enough."

Inhaling deeply, Steve flexed his feeding hand. The beads lining the glove's wristband glimmered briefly. "I have nothing new for your Dr. Weir yet, Major Sheppard." He blinked slowly, "Being… indisposed tends to hamper meditation."

Indisposed? Sheppard almost laughed, "Is that what you call it?"

Another slow blink. "A physical necessity. I regret any inconvenience."

The Major resisted the urge to shield his eyes from the glaring insincerity. "Yeah, I bet you do…" He gave a nonchalant shrug, "But I'm not here for memories today."

Still fixated on Douger, the wraith expelled a skeptical chuff, "Not after information. How unexpected. There's a first time for everything, it seems."

"Yeah. You practicing sarcasm is a good example."

Ivory hair swayed as the wraith cocked his head, considering the guard thoughtfully. By now, Private Douger looked distinctly uncomfortable. A smile flickered on Steve's lips, "What do you have in mind, Major Sheppard?"

Sheppard rested his hands on a horizontal bar. "Oh, I don't know…" he leaned forward invitingly, "What would you say to a field trip or two?"

A satisfied hiss filled the holding cell, and Steve swayed towards the bars, finally giving attention to his captor. From the corner of his eye, Sheppard saw Douger visibly relax. "I must confess, I've been getting a little bored in here, Major."

Noting the intensity in the wraith's eyes, Atlantis's military commander made a mental note: Bored wraith equals creepy staring. Ford would be SO happy.

"Perhaps this 'field trip' will involve the flooded lab?"

That was a blatant, multi-tonal hint if Sheppard had ever heard one. "Eventually," he confirmed, "But there'll be a couple stops first."

Steve snorted and stilled, suddenly wary. "Eventually is a relative term." He blinked suspiciously, "Have I not been accommodating recently?"

"Yes, you have," Sheppard agreed, "and Atlantis appreciates the gesture."

The wraith hissed softly, drawing out his next word, "Eventuuaalllly," a sharp chuff, "I will expect reciprocity." Fingers flexing, he rested his hands by Sheppard's. Amber beads glimmered dangerously as he stared challengingly through the bars.

Sheppard met the defiant gaze without blinking.

"Reciprocity must be earned, Steve."

Another hiss. Oval-pupils dilated in the lengthening silence… A minute ticked by. Two… Finally the wraith narrowed his eyes and glanced away.

"What sort of stops?"

Sheppard smiled, relieved by the surrender. He'd been starting to get worried. "Well…" he turned and began walking around the cage. With a rustle of leather, Steve fell into step beside him. "It's been a while since you paid Carson a visit."

"He has not requested any samples lately…"

"That's 'cause he was between projects."

"I see…" Steve's feeding hand trailed lazily along the bar, flirting with the invisible force field. "What aspect of my physiology does he wish to examine now?"

Sheppard shrugged offhandedly, "Nothing special. Just your brain."

A wry snort. "Your Carson has already scanned my brain."

"Yeah, but he hasn't scanned it while the organic tools are active. He wants to find out what they were doing to you."

Steve slowed a few moments. Then he swooped forward, cutting corners to catch up. Black coat panels snapped at his ankles. "You," his smooth voice hesitated, "wish to study the telepathic signals by placing me in close proximity to their source…"

Understanding the implied concerns, Sheppard nodded. "It's more like placing the source in close proximity to you. But… Yeah." Seeing the wraith frown, he quickly dropped the quibbling tone, "Look, Steve. This particular project is strictly voluntary. Refusing won't affect your chances of going to the flooded lab." Elizabeth had been quite firm on that point. "You can stop participating at any time."

Steve's olive eyes searched Sheppard's blue ones. His face tilted quizzically, "And…" his next words were skeptically laden with amusement, "I have your assurance as to the voluntary nature of this project?"

"No," the Major met his gaze seriously, "You have Carson's assurance."

Hissing, Steve slowly blinked, acknowledging the distinction. Then he glanced away, "I must consider this proposal…" The black glove withdrew from the bar, and they walked in silence for several minutes. Major Sheppard studied the ceiling and nodded to the marines they passed. He shot Private Douger a surreptitious wink…

After a while, the wraith's lichen brow furrowed delicately. "If I agree to participate in this project," Steve inquired, "will I be allowed to view the results?"

Sheppard had expected that question. "Seeing as it's YOUR brain being scanned…" He raised an eyebrow, "I don't see why not."

Steve pushed his ivory hair back with a translucent claw and gave a satisfied snort, "In that case," oval pupils slid towards Sheppard, "I will participate."

"Good! I'll tell Carson to reserve a seat for ya."

With a low hiss, Steve swerved closer to the cage's edge. His coat's faceted shoulder glittered as it brushed the nearest horizontal bar. "I take it the second stop on this 'field trip' is more obligatory than the first…?"

Major Sheppard nodded and kept walking. "Yup."

"What would it involve? More tests? Questions?"

"This one's a little bigger than that, Steve."

Pale lips twitched, revealing pointy teeth, "How big, Major Sheppard?"

Seeing the wraith was game, Sheppard poured on the flippancy. "About two stories tall. Round. Wormhole in the middle—" A disgusted growl cut him off. Sheppard sighed, "Fine. It's a trip through the Stargate."

Steve stopped walking and froze. "Leave Atlantis?"

"Yup. Thought you could use a chance to stretch your legs a bit."

A short pause. "And if I refuse?"

Frowning, Sheppard looked back. The wraith held himself rigidly in place, entirely focused on his captor. He did not look happy. He did not look curious. And, most importantly, he did not look cooperative. "Refuse?"

Steve's words snapped bitingly, "Yes, Major. What if I refuse?"

Sheppard's frown deepened. He hadn't expected to encounter resistance this quickly. Turning, he backtracked a step. "Are you refusing?"

Steve expelled a sharp chuff of air and backed up, maintaining the distance between them. "I am not a fool, Major Sheppard."

Sheppard stilled warily. Along the walls, marines shared uneasy glances. "I never said you were, Steve."

"Not in so many words, no!"

Disconcerted, (this was definitely NOT part of his plan), the Major lifted his hands non-threateningly. "Okay, then. In what way did I imply it?"

An irate, "Hiiissssss!" split the air. "The other of my kind! Where is he!?"

Whoa! Subject change! Sheppard shook his head, "I don't see—"

The wraith lunged like lightning, becoming a black and white blur. Light flared blindingly as he crashed into the metal bars by his captor's face. "He LEFT Atlantis with you!" An ear-splitting screech joined the angry snarl as razor-tipped finger guards gouged the silvery barrier. "He LEFT!"

An icy pit formed in Sheppard's stomach as wispy shadows, (tricks of the wraith's mind), coalesced in the holding cell. He understood now. Crap!

Steve abruptly stilled. Blue rippled over the force field as leather and ivory lurched to a halt. "Did you think it escaped my notice that he did NOT COME BACK!?!" Fully-dilated pupils, seething with an angry jumble of unidentifiable emotions, bored into Sheppard. "IT DID NOT!!!" Steve spat.

Flinching, the Major cursed himself. He should've predicted this. "That's an unrelated matter, Steve—"

The wraith hissed dangerously, "Now you expect me to willingly leave Atlantis without even questioning whether I'll return alive?"

"Whoa!" Sheppard mustered his own anger as the inky phantoms darted threateningly at him, "No one said anything about dying!"

"The other of my kind is dead!"

"I never said that!" (He was right, though.) "His fate isn't your concern!"

"Yet it's true!" Steve paused, panting heavily. The phantoms vanished as suddenly as they'd appeared. "He is dead. You would never allow him to escape alive, and I would have sensed his return. You killed him!"

Sheppard snapped his mouth shut. The ungloved knuckles gripping the bar were bone-white, and Steve's glittering shoulders were quivering with barely restrained emotion. The wraith was worried… Maybe even scared.

Best to wait the outburst out.

It was the right tactic. When he stopped responding, Steve spun away, hissing angrily. Retreating to the cage's brightly lit center, he froze under the bluish light, then bowed his head. His arms crossed as he visibly struggled to calm himself. After a few deep breaths, Steve's face lifted. He poised with his customary, eerie stillness.

"What assurance can you give that I will return from your 'field trip' alive?"

Major Sheppard frowned. The wraith's voice was flat and expressionless. Resigned… "Only my word." No response. "Look, Steve…" he circled the cell until he was facing its occupant head on, "I won't force you to go. You want to stay in Atlantis? It can be arranged. Security's against taking you off-world anyway."

Still no response… Stubborn alien!

Sheppard glared, deliberately tingeing his tone with irritation, "If I really wanted to kill you off-world, Steve, would I be standing here, asking you to come quietly?" he didn't wait for a reply, "No! I'd stun your ass! Drag you out of that cell! Kick you through the Gate, and slaughter you at my leisure! None of this 'Song and Dance' crap!"

He stopped to let his words sink in a moment.

In the silence, Steve's green eyes slit open, regarding his captor consideringly.

Finally. "Now, are you interested in hearing what the field trip involves, or not?"

Of all the responses Sheppard had predicted his tirade eliciting, Steve emitting a low, musical chuckle wasn't one of them. (Could wraith even BE musical?)

"Very well, Major Sheppard." The wraith drifted forward, a picture of cooperative pleasantness. "What does this 'field trip' involve?"

"That's better," Sheppard muttered. He rested his hands on a bar and leaned closer. Steve obligingly mirrored the motion. "One of my teams discovered an abandoned wraith facility. One of its computers still has power—"

"You wish me to interface and discover its purpose—"

"And to teach Dr. McKay how."

"Ahhh, yeeessss," Steve smiled smugly, "Your Dr. McKay…"

"Yessss," Sheppard mimicked, "My Dr. McKay." He pursed his lips disapprovingly. "I'll be honest, Steve. You've got yourself a problem there."

The smile faded slightly, "A problem?"

"Yeah," Sheppard frowned seriously. "See, McKay's not terribly happy with you at the moment. In fact, he said he never wanted to speak to you again." He grimaced, loading his voice with false regret, "I think you hurt his feelings."

Steve chuffed softly, olive irises darting away. "I fail to understa—"

"That's gonna make it hard to collaborate."

"Ahhh, I see…" The wraith hissed with pleasure, smiling widely once more. "You wish me to apologize for apologizing—"

"No," Having reviewed the footage of McKay's visit, Sheppard had no desire to even TOUCH that particular vipers' nest. Especially considering Steve's obvious enjoyment of the encounter. His gaze flicked to the wraith's feeding hand. "I want you to play nice and convince McKay to share his notes on that glove with you."

Oval-pupiled eyes narrowed pensively, and Steve pressed forward. His black form curled sinuously against the silvery bars. "What… exactly are you proposing?"

Major Sheppard crossed his arms and leaned closer, putting his face a handbreadth from the wraith's. "If you help with the computer without deliberately offending McKay," he raised an eyebrow warningly, "or making any escape attempts…"

He paused, intentionally drawing out the suspense.

Growling impatiently, Steve chuffed, and the orifices on his cheeks widened slightly. Pupils dilated as the glove's amber beads flared with light.

"Continue…" the word was a breathy hiss.

A cocky smile quirked Sheppard's lips, "I…" he slowly began, "will personally take you," he pointed at the wraith, "on a tour of the flooded lab."

The words had barely left his mouth when Steve barked, "Agreed!" and spun away from the force field. Ivory and black flared triumphantly about his lithe figure as he paced a tight circle. Suddenly, he whirled back to Sheppard, curling against the bars once more. "When do we leave?" Steve's eyes glittered with anticipation.

Sheppard shrugged disinterestedly, "Not sure yet." Leaning away, he glanced ruefully at the ceiling, "First I gotta convince Dr. Weir to let you come."

Accusing silence crashed upon the holding cell. The wraith's lips twisted in dismay as, along the walls, marines gaped in varying degrees of confused shock.

Sheppard merely shrugged. "What? It's not a big deal." Sighing, he looked at Steve, "I'm serious. Dr. Weir will be easy to convince." It was Sergeant Bates and Teyla he was worried about… "We'll probably leave sometime tomorrow." He turned, striding confidently for the alcove. "You just have fun with Carson, Steve."

An irritated hiss followed Sheppard up the stairs, "I expect you to deliver, Major."

Said Major scowled. Why did he suddenly feel jinxed?…

-------------------------------------------------

A few minutes later…

"Okaayyy. Who's responsible for that sign?"

"Hmm?" Dr. Weir looked up from her briefing notes. "What sign?"

Standing in her office doorway, Dr. Rodney McKay pointed at the jar of sparkling beads sitting on the side table by his hip and huffed in annoyance. "The 'Give a Penny, Take a Penny' sign. It's obviously a play on my, 'not a penny more, not a penny less,' comment from a few days ago. I demand to know who's making fun of me."

"No one's making fun of you Rodney," Elizabeth said.

"Yeah, McKay. You're being paranoid."

Coming in, Rodney shot Sheppard a suspicious glance. "It was you, wasn't it?"

Sheppard 'pshaww'ed innocently, "Naaah."

"Yes it was! It was you! I know that look!"

From her seat by Weir's desk, Teyla smiled placatingly, "I'm sure Major Sheppard's sign wasn't deliberately intended to offend."

McKay scoffed, "Well, I beg to differ." He pointed accusingly at the crisp, neatly calligraphied card resting by the innocent glass jar. "That's a malicious attempt to rub the Science Department's nose in the latest bead-sifting set back."

Elizabeth frowned wryly, closing her computer, "Ohhh, I wouldn't call it that…"

"Then what would you call it?"

"An artistic statement," Sheppard supplied, "A humorous comment on the ironic nature of life in the Pegasus Galaxy." Seeing Rodney roll his eyes skeptically, he shrugged, "You know. Literary metaphors. Simile. Creative license, and all that."

McKay snorted, "You are SO bull-shitting right now."

Major Sheppard nodded. "Yes, I am."

Standing up, Dr. Weir leaned across her desk, "The sign stays, Rodney." She raised an eyebrow, "Sheppard supplied the words, and when I saw them, the humor inherent in the situation amused me." She smiled, "I printed it up."

Rodney spluttered, "You?! But Elizab—"

"It's much more legible now," Sheppard muttered.

"Yes," Teyla smiled at Dr. Weir, "It looks very nice."

"Thank you, Teyla."

"Yo, guys. Sorry if I'm late." Lieutenant Ford walked in, grinning like a Cheshire cat. "I got held up by Dr. Sheckle's office."

Dr. Weir gestured to a chair, "You're right on time, Lieutenant. Have a seat."

McKay frowned, "What were you doing in Sheckle's off—"

"What's that you got there?" Sheppard craned his neck. Unlike McKay, it had not escaped his notice that Aiden's arms were conspicuously held behind his back.

Ford's Cheshire grin widened. The Lieutenant stepped forward, proudly revealing a tall, delicately worked, glass. Almost a foot high, it looked like a cross between a cocktail bowl and a martini cup. "Dr. Sheckle sends her compliments."

"I do NOT believe this," Rodney griped.

Someone had filled the top of the crystal vessel with a few handfuls of ancient beads. They'd then garnished the pile with the organic finger guards.

"Looks like a bowl of raw, shelled shrimp and caviar…" Sheppard muttered.

Rodney clapped a hand over his mouth, "Oh my God, you're right."

Teyla Emmagen looked at Sheppard and McKay quizzically, "What is caviar?"

"Raw fish eggs," Sheppard mused. He cocked his head consideringly, "See, it's the combination of sparkly orange spheres and grey, jointed curves that does it…"

"Must you be so explicit?" whined McKay, "That's disgusting,"

Holding it by its stem, Aiden carefully set his prize on Dr. Weir's desk. "Mira says it's another two gloves worth. The uh, can-openers were my idea."

"Why am I not surprised…" Elizabeth murmured. Smiling appreciatively, she pulled the oddly garnished crystal towards her. "Thank you, Lieutenant. I'll add the beads to the Penny jar later." She nodded towards the chairs, and Ford sat.

"Aww," McKay moaned, "Please don't name it that…"

"Too late," Sheppard quipped.

Sliding the glass to the side a bit, so she could see everyone, Dr. Weir sat. "Well, now that we're all here… Let's get started, shall we?" She rested her elbows on her desk, looking at Rodney. "Dr. McKay, I believe you found something."

Remembering their meeting's purpose, the scientist quickly brightened. "Yes! I did. Indirectly, that is." He grinned, hugging his data-pad, "I came upon it, in fact, in a very bizarre, roundabout fashion. It was very clever, if I do say so m—"

"Your discovery, Rodney," Elizabeth hinted.

"Okay, all right. The flooded lab." Eyes bright, Dr. McKay surveyed his captive audience. "As you know, I've been trying to extract and decode information relating to the glove from Atlantis's database. And, as you also know, until now, I've be woefully unsuccessful—"

"Is that what the lack of progress reports meant?" remarked Sheppard.

"Ha ha. Very funny."

Elizabeth looked at Sheppard warningly.

"Anyway, I finally identified a part of the database which I'm pretty sure contains information related to projects that were based in the glove-lab's section of the city. And, in the process of trying to decode that information, I learned something interesting." Rodney paused, obviously cueing an interactive response.

Teyla supplied it, "What did you learn, Dr. McKay?"

"What do you mean 'TRYING to decode?'" interrupted Sheppard.

"I'm getting to that!" Huffing in annoyance, Dr. McKay set his data-pad on an empty chair and straightened, "What I learned was this: Whatever was going on in that lab was classified. Highly. And I don't mean High high. I mean Super high."

Lieutenant Ford frowned, "How high is Super high?"

"Yeah, Rodney. I'm not familiar with that clearance level."

Rodney rolled his eyes long-sufferingly, "It's high. Look, try thinking of it this way," he raised his hands, gesturing for emphasis, "If ancient security levels were a color spectrum, with reds being lowest and blues and purples being highest," he paused to verify everyone was listening, then quickly pointed at the ceiling, "This would fall somewhere in the upper-ultraviolet range."

Dr. Weir pursed her lips, impressed, "That's high."

"Yeah, Super high," Sheppard quipped.

"That's what I said," McKay griped, "Why must I constantly repeat myse—"

Elizabeth cut him off, thoughtfully fingering the base of the crystal, "What exactly does this ultraviolet level mean?"

Dr. McKay blinked, momentarily derailed, "I beg your pardon?"

"How many people had this clearance, Rodney?"

"Oh, um…" he fidgeted, trying to regain his train of thought, "Not very many. One or two, maybe? Outside the project, that is… Of course, the people actually working on it had it too. But other than them, like, no one—"

"No one?" Dr. Weir frowned, "Not even their government?"

"Like I said. One or two people at the very top. No more."

"Sorta like a President, Vice-President only kinda thing," supplied Ford.

"Exactly," McKay announced, "Which brings me to—"

"Forgive me, Dr. McKay," Teyla Emmagen leaned forward in her chair, confused, "Why the need for such secrecy? If, as the glove's ability suggests, the ancients were trying to change the way wraith feed, would they not have wanted people to know? Surely it would have won them allies. Possibly… even a ceasefire…?"

Lieutenant Ford glanced at Dr. Weir, "That's a good point, Ma'am."

Dr. Weir nodded pensively, "It does seem a bit odd."

"Naah, it makes sense," interrupted Sheppard, "They were collaborating with a living wraith. That HAD to be unpopular. They'd lost the entire galaxy to these guys. The presence of a non-POW enemy in Atlantis would've been… Divisive."

"So, it's a controversial project," Chuckling, Lieutenant Ford shrugged dismissively, "but it was a success, right? Why not bring it out in the open?"

"Technically," McKay interjected, "We don't know how successful it was."

The four of them exchanged confused looks.

"The glove works, Rodney," Elizabeth pointed out.

"Yeah, it's feeding Steve right now," added Sheppard.

McKay heaved an exasperated sigh, "For all we know, that glove took centuries to develop. Plus, we've no idea what sort of resources went into making it. It could be totally impractical. I mean, they might've had to destroy an entire sun."

Ford gave a low whistle, "That's definitely impractical…"

"I doubt the ancients would've gone that far," Weir frowned.

"Yeah, but the wraith mi—"

"Look!" Annoyed, Dr. McKay flapped his hands in frustration, "This is all idle speculation. Can we go back to discussing what we DO know?"

"But we don't actually KNOW anything!" Sheppard griped.

"If you'd let me finish giving my report, you WOULD!" Seeing he had everyone's attention once more, Rodney clapped his hands together. "Now, as I was saying, the rarity of this Super high, ultraviolet security clearance means I've never run into it before. And the fact that it's ancient," he paused to emphasis 'ancient,' "Super high, ultraviolet security means it's ridiculously hard to crack. Now—"

"So that's what, 'TRYING to decode,' meant."

Rodney rolled his eyes, "Yes, Major. I've been TRYING to crack the ultraviolet security, which, I might add, was specifically designed to keep ancient hackers out."

"So you haven't actually seen any of the files yet," Dr. Weir clarified.

"No," McKay snapped, "I haven't—"

"Then how can you KNOW anything?" Ford asked.

Rodney just stared at him.

"Sorry…"

"As I was saying," McKay said with a huff, "When I realized searching for the flooded lab files directly was impractical—"

"Meaning you realized you couldn't get in," Sheppard quipped.

"—I started searching for files related to the lab's location. Inventory lists, P.I space allotments, repair and maintenance requests, etcetera."

Teyla leaned towards Sheppard in confusion, whispering, "What is a P.I.?"

"Principal Investigator," he murmured, "Someone in charge of a research project." Nodding thanks, she refocused on Rodney.

"Unfortunately," McKay continued, "Those files were inaccessible."

"You mean, they were also classified?" Dr. Weir guessed.

"Either that or purged. Believe it or not, I couldn't get close enough to tell." The scientist 'hmmph'ed in annoyance, "It was quite frustrating, actually." Staring into space, he snapped back to reality with a grin, "But I found a way around that. And before you ask," he quickly added, seeing Sheppard's mouth open, "by, 'found a way around that,' I mean I searched for lab related things they hadn't thought to classify."

Dr. Weir clasped her hands on her desk with interest. "Such as…?"

Rodney rocked forward on the balls of feet, looking ridiculously pleased with himself. "Programs!" he announced happily. "I searched for programs and subroutines involving Atlantis's infrastructure in and around the lab in question."

Lieutenant Ford looked at him in confusion, "How does that help?"

"By knowing what the city was doing, I can infer what was happening inside it."

"You mean like, analyzing power consumption."

Rodney nodded, "Along with monitoring system activation and various other variables, yes."

Understanding the concept, if not the technical details, Teyla smiled encouragingly, "And what did you find, Dr. McKay?"

"Yeah, Rodney," Sheppard smirked, "What do we KNOW?"

McKay shot him an annoyed glance. The Major blinked innocently.

"What we KNOW is this," Dr. McKay said, turning to Elizabeth. He pointed at the floor in a vaguely East pier-ish direction. "That wraith corpse liquefying in a bag in Dr. Beckett's morgue?" his gaze swept the room, touching on each teammate meaningfully, "He's supposed to be alive."

"Alive?" Aiden blurted.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive," McKay stated.

Dr. Weir frowned, "How do you know?"

"Atlantis's failsafe program." Seeing the others' blank faces, Rodney huffed, "The program designed to sink and ultimately raise the city. It originally contained a subroutine dealing with the flooded lab."

"What sort of subroutine," Elizabeth asked.

"One dealing with power management," the scientist crossed his arms importantly, "See, that lab was originally supposed to remain partially awake, drawing power at a rate ten times higher than the rest of the city. When Atlantis's ZedPMs reached a certain level of depletion, it was supposed to wake up completely."

"Reviving the wraith so he could leave," Dr. Weir guessed.

"Or continue his research," Ford added.

"Unlikely," Rodney sniffed, "Without ancients, the city wouldn't work for him."

Sheppard pursed his lips, "So the ancients always intended to let him go. Huh…" He shrugged dismissively, "Well, we know he wasn't a prisoner now."

"But then, why didn't he leave before they sank the city?" asked Ford.

"Perhaps he was a prisoner," Teyla suggested, "And the Ancestors were simply unwilling to let their discoveries be lost if they did not return?"

"Or he stayed behind to guard the lab," Elizabeth said. "We know the ancients originally intended to return to Atlantis. Maybe he decided to wait for them?"

McKay snorted disdainfully, "Given the ridiculous number of beads Dr. Sheckle has found, and the distinct lack of gloves, I'm guessing it's the latter. Think about it. Wraith are virtually immortal. The idea of taking a millennia-long nap while waiting for his collaborators to return probably didn't bother him—"

"Assuming he was assured of waking up from that nap," Weir interjected.

"Which, supposedly, he was."

"But he DIDN'T wake up," observed Ford. "He's goo!"

"Yes," McKay agreed dryly, "he's goo. Thank you Mr. Descriptive."

"Well, why is he goo?" Major Sheppard snapped, "What went wrong?"

Rodney's lips quirked in ironic amusement, "Believe it or not, the ultraviolet security went wrong."

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow, "How so?"

"Shortly before the city sank, someone modified the failsafe program." Before anyone could interrupt, McKay switched to lecture mode and elaborated, "From what I've gleaned from a few of the changes they made, I believe they were trying to increase efficiency in order to lengthen the life of the city. However, whoever was doing this obviously didn't have ultraviolet security clearance, because they didn't realize the importance of keeping power levels high in the flooded lab—"

"They cut the power?" Dr. Weir's eyes widened, slightly horrified.

"Slashed it," Rodney confirmed. "By 98%. Left just enough for the wraith's stasis pod. And that was only left 'cause Atlantis wouldn't LET them take it." He shook his head in disgust, "When the ZedPMs' depletion reached critical, the subroutine kicked in, like it was supposed to. However, with the new, totally inadequate power allotments…" Rodney raised his hands, fingers starbursting in a quick, jazz-hands motion, "Bzzzzt! Stasis pod turns bug-zapper. Everything shorted. I suspect the resulting, uncontrolled power surge caused a chain reaction that sweep the area, eventually taking out that section of Atlantis's shields."

"Let me get this straight," Elizabeth frowned, "You're saying, this last minute power-cut both killed the wraith AND caused the lab to flood in the first place?"

"As I said. Bzzzzt!" Repeating the hand motion, McKay added an exploding sound to the end of it. "Bug-zapper. Surge. Whhooooshhhh…"

"In other words," Sheppard interjected, "Yeah."

Lieutenant Ford was confused, "But why there? Why not cut power elsewhere?"

Mckay sighed, "They DID cut power elsewhere. They cut power everywhere. But, seeing as the wraith's lab was the largest, apparently extraneous waste—"

"It was one of the first things targeted," Sheppard finished.

"Exactly. And it was hit hardest."

Listening to this exchange, Teyla frowned slightly. "Forgive me if I am misunderstanding something. But would not this ultraviolet security have prevented unauthorized personnel from altering the flooded lab's settings?"

"That's a good point," Dr. Weir looked at McKay expectantly.

Murmuring agreement, Ford and Sheppard followed suit.

Rodney gave a short laugh, "You'd think that, wouldn't you? Unfortunately, whoever was meddling with Atlantis's power systems knew their stuff. They went straight to the mainframe. Bypassed security completely." He grimaced, suddenly sounding miffed, "Of course, they erased every conceivable trace of how they did it, so I've no way of duplicating the feat." He scowled, "Sneaky bastard…"

"Sneaky ANCIENT bastard," Sheppard corrected.

Rodney's scowl deepened.

At her desk, Dr. Weir 'hmmm'ed and fingered the crystal cup's stem. "Do we know why this mysterious ancient wanted to lengthened the submergence of Atlantis?"

"No." McKay's miffed scowl became an irritated grimace, "All we know is that the changes were last-minute, haphazard, and recklessly executed."

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow, "I see…"

Apparently done with the spotlight, Dr. McKay snagged his data-pad from his chair and sat. "That's it for me." Sheppard looked at him in surprise. "What? I don't hog the spotlight ALL the time." He shrugged, "Just most of it."

"Coulda fooled me," Lieutenant Ford muttered.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

While Rodney 'hmmph'ed and switched his data-pad on, Dr. Weir tapped her fingers together and glanced at the assembled teammates. "Any other thoughts on this discovery?" Sheppard and Ford both shook their heads.

"Not at the moment, Dr. Weir," Teyla Emmagen respectfully said.

"Well, then," Elizabeth continued, "Was there anything else we needed to discuss before SGA-1's next briefing?"

Waiting for this, Major Sheppard shot his hand up, "Prisoner's awake."

"'Bout time," Rodney grumbled.

Elizabeth looked at him meaningfully, "Have you had a chance to talk with him?"

In lieu of answering, Sheppard pointed at the tall glass and its pile of sparkly, caviar-esque, can-opener-garnished beads. "Carson's gonna need those shrimp soon. Steve agreed to be his guinea pig."

Weir frowned, surprised, "Just like that?" Given the wraith's prior experience with the activated, organic tools, she'd expected him to refuse Beckett's request.

"Well, I sorta had to promise that he'd get to view the data."

Elizabeth's lips quirked in sarcastic amusement, "Really? How generous of you."

Confused, Teyla glanced from Dr. Weir to her team leader, "Did Carson not say he already intended to share that information with the prisoner?"

"Yeah," Major Sheppard grinned, "But Steve didn't know that."

Rodney smirked, "You are evil."

"Damn straight. Oh, and Ford?" Sobering, Sheppard turned to his Lieutenant, "The creepy staring is back. Just a warning before your next guard shift."

"Thank you, Sir. I appreciate the heads up."

Clasping her hands, Dr. Weir leaned forward across her desk. She caught Sheppard's eye. "What about that other thing you were going to ask the prisoner?"

"Huh?" Dr. McKay looked startled, "What other thing?"

Sheppard played dumb, "Yeah, what other thing?"

Elizabeth's eyebrows lifting meaningfully.

"Oh. THAT other thing." Major Sheppard cleared his throat, "He agreed to that too. But," he crossed his arms, stating pleasantly, "I have to give him a tour afterwards."

McKay sniffed disdainfully, "A tour?"

Sitting straighter, Ford shifted warily, "What sort of tour, Sir?"

"A tour of the flooded lab."

Dr. McKay's eyes widened in outraged disbelief. "You promised a WRAITH a tour of the flooded lab!?"

Voice calm, Sheppard glared at McKay defensively, "Yes, I did."

"Well, what the HELL did you do THAT for!?"

"I believe," Teyla interrupted, "that what Dr. McKay wishes to know—" Rodney snorted derisively, causing the Athosian to shoot him a disapproving glance, "—is why you would consider taking such a risk." Teyla's brown eyes regarded the Major expectantly. "What has the prisoner offered to warrant such a concession?"

Sheppard met Teyla's gaze seriously. Her tone was cool, saying she was thoroughly against the idea, but apparently she was diplomatic enough to give him the benefit of the doubt. Nodding his gratitude for the courtesy, Sheppard addressed the group. "Steve has graciously agreed to accompany SGA-1 to M1X-347."

"Take him OFF-WORLD? Are you NUTS!? WHY would you—"

"AND," Sheppard raised his voice over Rodney's protests, "he's agreed to access the wraith outpost's computer for us." He looked pointedly at the furious scientist, "AND, I'm sure that if you asked Steve nicely—"

"Like HELL I will!"

"—He'd be willing to show you how to interface Earth tech. with it."

Unwillingly enticed by the concept, Dr. McKay snapped his mouth shut.

Lieutenant Ford glanced at his commander, "I assume you've thought this through, Sir…" he trailed off uncertainly.

"Yes, I have." Sheppard looked at Ford expectantly, "But…?"

Ford fidgeted uncomfortably, "What about escape attempts?"

"Good question. Normally my answer would be, 'That's what stunners are for.' However…" Major Sheppard turned to Elizabeth. "Obviously I can't know everything going on in Steve's head. But, having taken into account his eagerness to see the lab, I'm reasonably confident we won't have to worry about escape attempts."

Privately agreeing, Dr. Weir frowned, "'Reasonably' confident?"

"95%," he clarified.

"And the other 5%?"

Sheppard smiled, "That's what stunners are for."

Aiden chuckled while Rodney snorted in reluctant amusement.

"I do not wish to be a part of this."

All eyes turned to Teyla. In unison, they widened with shock. The Athosian was shaking her head, and her toffee complexion was noticeably paler than it'd been a minute ago. "I understand we can learn much from the prisoner. But we could also lose much. Every second that wraith is out of his cell is a risk. He is dangerous."

Major Sheppard sobered instantly. He'd been expecting reticence from the Pegasus native, but not this. Not fear… Scooting his chair close, he touched Teyla's arm reassuringly, "It'll be fine, Teyla. Like Ford said, I've thought this out thoroughly. Steve will have eight marines on him. He'll be surrounded by stunners at all times."

"That is not the point," Teyla frowned. Her gaze swept from Sheppard to Weir and back, then to Ford and Rodney, imploring. "He is WRAITH—"

"Ah!" McKay interrupted, "But a well-FED wraith! That makes him safer."

"I don't think it works that way, McKay," muttered Aiden.

"No!" Teyla agreed, "If anything, it is the opposite."

"Well, I suppose there's the regeneration boost—"

Dr. Weir silenced the tactless scientist with a glance, then looked at Teyla appeasingly, "What about Major Sheppard's plan worries you, Teyla?"

"The fact that we are having this discussion about a wraith," the Athosian's voice was thick with disbelief, "Have you all forgotten what he is?"

"No," Elizabeth firmly shook her head, "he's a prisoner who possesses valuable information. And who may be the key to understanding an alien species."

Teyla closed her eyes, her expression pained, "No, he is WRAITH."

"He's a CURIOUS wraith," Sheppard corrected, "And he's restrained."

Upset, Teyla breathed deeply, focusing on the ceiling, "He may be curious, gloved, and well-fed, but he is still wraith. He cannot be trusted."

"And we're not trusting him." Standing, Elizabeth moved out from behind her desk and crouched by Teyla's chair. "Extensive precautions are being taken to ensure the protection of personnel who have contact with the prisoner." Her voice lowered, radiating calm and sincerity, "I understand your concerns, Teyla. Please don't think that I've forgotten that the prisoner tried to feed on you when you first met."

Teyla closed her eyes, visibly composing herself.

While they waited, Sheppard frowned, remembering the icy horror of recovering from an explosion only to see Steve skillfully subduing the Athosian. He pictured the dark form sinking to the grass, kneeling, drawing its arm back in preparation for slamming the deadly feeding hand down on her chest. It'd been a chilling sight.

He didn't blame Teyla for wanting nothing to do with the wraith.

"I appreciate your concern, Dr. Weir," Teyla's eyes reopened, warm yet unreadable, "But the events of the prisoner's capture are in the past. I am simply uncomfortable with the idea of giving him too much leeway."

"And of being in his presence," Elizabeth murmured. "I know you haven't taken advantage of the few opportunities you've had to visit the holding cell."

Teyla's face dipped sadly in acknowledgment, "That too…" Hesitating, she shook her head, smiling self-deprecatingly, "To one who has not grown up with the fear, hearing stories of the wraith… It must seem silly—"

"No," Sheppard interrupted, "It doesn't."

Lieutenant Ford broke his silence, "Yeah, Steve gives me the willies."

Taking a cue from Ford, Dr. McKay added, "If it weren't for the insufferable surge of scientific curiosity, I wouldn't even ENTERTAIN the notion."

"And I wouldn't consider supporting said 'notion' if I didn't have confidence in Major Sheppard's ability to safely control the situation," finished Dr. Weir.

"I see…" Moved by everyone's support, Teyla frowned pensively.

Sensing the Athosian needed space, Elizabeth returned to her desk. Quiet settled over the office as Sheppard and Ford waited for their friend to sort her thoughts out. Unsure of what to do, Dr. McKay fidgeted uncomfortably with his data-pad.

Finally Teyla reached a decision. "I too have faith in Major Sheppard's abilities," she admitted. Turning, she nodded to Dr. Weir, "If you truly believe the prisoner should be taken advantage of in this way, I will accept your judgment. However," her gaze swept her teammates apologetically, "I must ask you to do this mission without me."

"Shouldn't be a problem," McKay shrugged.

Ford grinned, "Hey, no hard feelings. We'll tell ya all about it."

Sheppard winced, knowing what he had to say wouldn't be received well, "Ummm, actually… It's not as simple as that."

In the silence that followed Sheppard's words, Dr. McKay blinked. Then…

"What do you mean, NOT that simple!?"

"Yeah. Why can't she stay behind?"

"What if I wanted to stay behind?!"

"I'm sorry," interrupted Teyla, "But I do not understand the problem."

Seeing Dr. Weir give a slight nod, Major Sheppard mussed his hair and reluctantly elaborated, "You're one of my security precautions."

Teyla lifted an eyebrow, "A security precaution?"

Sheppard nodded, "I promised Sergeant Bates I'd take you, and if you don't come, we can't run this mission."

At the mention of the security chief, her expression darkened, "First I am a security risk. Now, a precaution. How is this possible, Major?"

Dr. McKay's eyes widened, "It's her ability to sense the wraith, isn't it?"

"Yes," Major Sheppard confirmed.

"But we shouldn't need that on M1X-347," Ford said, "It's uninhabited. There's no reason for the wraith to show up."

Rolling his eyes, McKay snorted scornfully, "Except for the abandoned WRAITH base, NO."

"But it's abandoned—"

"Like I said," Sheppard stated calmly, "It's a precaution." Smiling seriously, he turned to Teyla, "We need you to come because, if the wraith show up— Which I admit is extremely unlikely, given the state of the base—"

"I can alert you to their presence," Teyla sounded far from thrilled.

"Not JUST alert us to their presence," The Major leaned forward intently, "You can alert us instantly. That way we can stun Steve before he betrays our position."

"Assuming I sense them before he does."

Dr. Weir intervened, "The point is, Teyla. That you're the only person on this base who can, in any way, offset the prisoner's telepathic advantage."

Firmly supporting Bates on this matter, Sheppard held a hand up, "We won't force you to come, but we won't go forward without you."

The Athosian was torn, "I do not wish to delay progress—"

"You wouldn't be," McKay said, "Whatever I might learn from Steve, I'm sure I'd figure out on my own anyway. It's more like deciding not to speed progress up."

"Is that not the same thing?"

"No. Very different."

Teyla shook her head, unconvinced, "That may be, but I do not wish to hold Atlantis back." Closing her eyes, she breathed deeply, steeling herself for her next words. "I will go. But… I am not comfortable with this." Opening her eyes once more, she faced her friends with resolve. "I will need time to get used to the idea."

Major Sheppard looked at Teyla with respect. "Take all the time you need."

"I assure you, there's no rush," Dr. Weir added.

"Yeah," Aiden grinned. "Let Steve cool his heels a bit."

"We can't go back to M1X-347 for another twenty-one hours anyway," McKay quipped. He glanced about, muttering, "Stupid nocturnal predators…"

Relieved by her teammates' accepting responses, Teyla smiled. "Hopefully it will not take that long. I will endeavor to keep our current schedule."

Pleased with the relatively smooth resolution of the Steve matter, Elizabeth clasped her hands and rested her elbows on her desk. "Well. Seeing as Teyla is willing to accompany us to M1X-347, I see no reason to withhold authorization for the project any longer." She nodded at Sheppard, "You have permission to proceed, Major."

Major Sheppard smiled cockily, "Thank you, Dr. Weir."

"Now, are there any other concerns or questions relating to the prisoner or the flooded lab?" A quartet of negatively shaking heads was the expedition leader's answer. "Very well. Let's go on to the original debriefing, then…" Hooking her wavy hair behind her ears, she picked a folder off her desk and opened it.

"So," Dr. Weir said, smiling wryly. "Tava beans…"

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Thank you for reading! Please review! Again, things I'm working on specifically are: 1. Maintaining a Season 1 feel in the flashback chapters. 2. Keeping the regulars in character.