RATING: PG13 - for some swearing
SEASON: Fourth Season - some time before "Missing"
MAJOR CHARACTERS: Team Fic - McKay, Sheppard, Ronon and Teyla
DISCLAIMERS: The characters, Atlantis, etc, all belong to Sony, MGM, Gecko, Showtime, the Sci-Fi Channel. 
SUMMARY:  The team checks out a "Marvel" in a vault.  McKay gets hurt
FEEDBACK: Yes please! comments and suggestions are greatly appreciated.
SPOILERS: small ones for episodes up to mid fourth season
DATE:  Complete December 2, 2007.  Some revising 02/29/08

Could Be Worse
By NotTasha

CHAPTER 1:  THE SIGNET RING

They stepped out of the Event Horizon and onto a carpet of leaves.  The air was crisp.  The sun was warm, in spite of the chill in the air.  The ground was covered with yellows and oranges and reds – a crackling riot of color.  Around them, trees shuddered in a breeze, whispering to one another.

Leaves sailed down from the canopy.  Singularly, they wafted.  In groups, they came down.  Here and there, seedpods that resembled maple keys helicoptered.

A stone wall led off in one direction, and a vine of squash-like vegetables followed it.  Something that might have been a pumpkin lolled near them.  And just beyond the wall, another tree was laden with apple-like globes. Its branches hung low as if beckoning them to pick.

It was the perfect image of autumn, an explosion of color like a Disney imaging of the season, like a Hallmark card.  It was all too pretty to be real, too right to be plausible anywhere outside of New England.

Sheppard stood on the verge of the Gate’s platform and breathed in deeply. He smiled at Teyla who returned the expression, and then turned to Ronon who was surveying the area warily as if he expected someone to leap out from behind the nearest tree.

McKay, between Teyla and Ronon, hunched as he checked his scanner, oblivious to the beauty of the day – or the possibility of any threat.  He muttered as he punched controls and then nodded.  “Yes, yes, I’m getting a power reading from that direction.”  And he pointed off toward a path that followed the wall. He cocked his head, adding, “Seems rather low tech, but definitely a sign of civilization.”

“The Bankiers are an industrial society,” Teyla explained.

McKay harrumphed, not impressed, and lifted his head to look around.  He moaned and muttered, “Great… just great.  This place is going to severely mess with my allergies, I can tell you that right now.”  He sniffed, then experimented with a sniffle.  “You can just bet they have some form of ragweed here.”

“Kinda doubt it,” Sheppard said, as he stepped forward.  Leaves crunched beneath his feet.

“It looks horrible to me,” McKay grumbled unhappily.

“Could be worse,” Sheppard stated.  When McKay gave him a sharp look, Sheppard added with a grin, “Could be raining.”

“Oh! Oh!  Don’t even start!” McKay snapped.  “If all these leaves get wet, they’ll be a breeding ground for mold spores.”  And he tried to sneeze at the mere thought of it.

Sheppard gazed toward the sky, seeing blue showing through the yellow and orange and red.  “Looks kinda pretty to me,” he said, smiling at Rodney’s annoyance.  “How about we find this city.”

Rodney sighed, saying, “I hope they’re advanced enough to have running water for a change.  The last few people we met up with were a bit backward.  No offence, Teyla.”

Teyla sighed at his statement and assured, “They are a civilized people.”

“Right,” Sheppard responded.  He fished around in his pocket and pulled out a small object.  “And this will get us in to see their head guy?”  He held the item toward Teyla.

The Athosian smiled. “The Signet of Kaleden will gain us entry to all areas of Bankier.”

“We’ll get to see their extra special secret machine?” Sheppard reiterated.

“Yeah,” Rodney responded.  “They’re very advanced.”

Teyla continued, undeterred, “You had best put it on your right index finger before we continue.  They are a people who honor their history and this ring is a symbol of their heritage.  It is said that the first settlers of this planet formed an inner circle and their descendants carry this signet.”

Sheppard stared at the ring for a moment.  It was inscribed with the Ancient symbol for “Controller” and decorated with abstract designs of vines and leaves. It had been found long ago in one of the labs.  Teyla had recognized it instantly, knowing of the Bankiers, and the item had been set aside until it was needed.

Word had recently reached them of an incredible ‘Marvel’ on the Bankier’s planet.  Apparently the Marvel had been a part of their history for the past three generations, but they’d kept mum about it.  It was only during a recent trading mission that a team from Atlantis had heard about it – a machine, an incredible machine of Ancient design.

Sheppard slid the ring onto his finger, feeling a little self conscious about the ornament.

With a disgusted snort, the Canadian said, “I don’t know why it’s him that gets to masquerade as royalty.   Honestly, it makes more sense if I’m the one who…”

“Not royalty,” Ronon explained gruffly.  “It must makes him… special.”

“Yeah… special,” Rodney echoed with a wicked smile.

Sheppard crinkled his brow and grumbled, “Hey!  We’re just trying to get to that secret vault.”  He lifted his hand, displaying the ring.  “Besides, it fits me.”  He smiled smugly at the scientist who frowned at him.  “Come on, let’s get going.  We’re on a deadline.”

Carter had insisted that they spend only minimal time at the site, discover exactly what was contained in the vault, decide it if was worth further investigation, and return.

Apparently, Sam had grown tired of missed meetings, and teams that failed to return on time.  It wasn’t as if they’d planned it for things to go haywire – sometimes, they just did.  Of course, she’d had experience in how things could badly and knew the importance of keeping her teams on schedule.

Sheppard took one more glance around at the setting and started down the steps, taking the lead.  McKay fell in behind, still studying the scanner.  Teyla and Ronon trailed them.

They made their way through the autumnal wood, shuffling through the scattering of leaves, rustling and crunching.  Sheppard recalled apple picking and pumpkin carving, and the smell of leaves burning in great heaps as lawns were cleared.

There was a strange odor in the air, but not the scent of burning leaves.  Undoubtedly part of the industrialization of the people, he realized.

He moved easily, enjoying the brisk weather, even as he glanced to McKay and noted him drawing a collar tight to his chin.  Rodney, realizing the scrutiny, gave him a disgusted look.  Teyla and Ronon kept moving, their gazes raking the land around them.

After a short walk, the town of Bankier came into sight and they paused to check it out.  The city consisted of a series of ugly, gray, squatty structures, with narrow streets running between.  Utilitarian looking, the town still found a way to show off, as weather-dimmed, orange and yellow flags flew from poles that surrounded the huddle of buildings.  At least, Sheppard thought, at least they tried.

The only remarkable structure was a glass pyramid.  It was the top of a central building and was decorated with red banners.  Teyla pointed it out as the seat of the Kaleden council.

Smokestacks rose from some buildings, belching blackness into the air.  The gentle breeze blew at the dark clouds, sending them onward and away, drawing dark bands over the tops of the orange/gold trees in the distance.

Behind the main buildings, lonely looking apartments rose.  Decked in yellows, their regular pattern of windows designated them as living quarters of some sort.

Sheppard frowned.  “Huh,” he muttered.  “Not the prettiest place I ever saw.”

Teyla nodded and stated, “They are known for their metalwork.”

“Yeah,” Ronon added.  “They make tools, simple machines.  That sort of thing.”

“Well,” Sheppard mumbled, “the place isn’t going to be appearing on the cover of Architectural Digest anytime soon.”

Rodney lifted his head and blinked at the place.  “So what?” he started.  “It isn’t pretty.  Progress usually isn’t.  I’m sure the town is set up in the most efficient way to use their resources.  I suppose it’s practical.”

They strode onward, along the path that led them from the beauty of the forest and onto the packed dirt that surrounded unpleasant looking place. They moved with a forced casualness, that meant to imply that they were no threat – that they had come here as friends.

Workers moved about in the alleyways, dressed in various shades of yellow and orange, looking like trees moving in the breeze.  The Bankiers walked without any great haste, loitering along the open space, like any workers on a break.

Stray leaves played about what appeared to be the main corridor of the city, and as they drew near, one of the workers lifted her head and gazed at them curiously.  She looked toward one of the buildings, and then back in their direction.  After seeming to come to a decision, she moved resolutely toward them.

“Have you come to trade?” she asked anxiously.  “Traders need to go to the rear entrance to the city.  No trading is allowed in the main thoroughfare.”

“We’ve come here to meet with someone in charge,” Sheppard told her.  When Teyla cleared her throat, he turned toward her, raising an eyebrow.  The Athosian dipped her head, indicating his hand.  “Right.”  Sheppard responded, and extended his right hand, showing off the ring.

“Oh!” the woman exclaimed and stepped back.  “I beg your forgiveness.  I didn’t know you were one of the Kaleden.”  She bowed and made a curtsey and then stepped back again.  “Forgive me.  Your clothing was unfamiliar to me.  I didn’t think that black…” She cut off her speech and bowed again.

Sheppard glanced to his companions to get their take on her response.  All of them looked puzzled – one appeared to be a little annoyed.  “Hey, no need for that,” Sheppard told her, snatching his hand away, and taking the ring out of sight.  “We’re just here to see someone in charge.”

She smiled thankfully and brushed a bit of her hair under her kerchief. “I will inform my superior.  He will send for someone who can speak to you.”  She curtsied again, turned swiftly and was gone.  The workers in the courtyard had come to a standstill during the conversation and were watching the scene unfolding before them, then slowly, a little like sleepwalkers, they went back about their business.

“Pleasant place,” McKay muttered.  “Everyone seems happy happy.”

“Yeah,” Sheppard responded as he turned about, taking in the gray of the buildings and the people.  And so, they waited.

Several minutes passed as they stood in the courtyard.  Ronon stood hipshot, his blaster holstered, but his hand never seemed far from it.  His eyes darted from one worker to the next as they scurried about.

Teyla watched as well, but with a different expression.  The Bankiers seemed desperate in their attempts to NOT look at the strangers, and yet they couldn’t help themselves from stealing glances.

Rodney continued to fuss with his scanner, his attention focused on the screen.  He’d hold up the device from time to time as he tracked a power signature, then give a little grunt in disgust as he figured out it wasn’t worth his trouble.

They waited.

Finally, a group of people hurried toward them through one of the narrow alleyways.  They were colorful amidst the gray of the buildings – their yellows and oranges were bright, obviously of richer materials.  The man in the lead was the orangest of the group, and donned a red stole over his shoulders.

“Oh,” the man with red shouted.  “Oh, oh, oh!”  He scuttled toward them, and made a quick bow as the others in his group gathered behind him.  “I am Winfield of the Kaleden,” he announced. “And have come to welcome you to our humble town.  I only hope that you will be happy amongst us.”

Sheppard answered the bow with a nod of his head.  “I’m Colonel Sheppard.  This is Dr. McKay, Ronon and Teyla.”  He gestured to the others as the mentioned them.  “We’re… happy to be here,” he added lamely because he didn’t know what else to say.

Winfield smiled, toothily and his gaze strayed toward Sheppard’s hidden hand.

With a sigh, Sheppard lifted his hand and displayed the ring.

“It is the Signet of Kaleden!” Winfield called out, sounding ecstatic.  “Brother!  Welcome, welcome!”  He extended his own hand to show off a similar ring – battered and dulled by the passage of time.  “You are family!” he declared happily, smiling so wide it hurt to look at him.

Behind him, his followers made sounds of astonishment and awe.

“We are so few,” Winfield went on.  “Only twelve.  It is good to find a brother such as you, after being separated for so long.”  And he lunged forward.

It was only a quick movement from Sheppard’s arm that kept Ronon from taking out the man.  Winfield swept up Sheppard in an embrace, laughing and crying at the same time.  “Brother!” he cried again.

“Yeah, brothers,” Sheppard said quietly, embarrassed by gesture and all it signified.  “Good to see you…” and patted Winfield on the back.

“You’ve never been here before?” the Bankier asked.

“First time,” Sheppard told him.  “Seems my part of the family… wandered.”

“And you have returned.  Your family must have wandered long ago.  We thought that there was only twelve.” Winfield smiled again, his eyes wet with tears.

“Yeah,” Sheppard replied, looking to his teammates.  “Go figure.”

“Please, please, let us show you our town,” Winfield continued.  “Let me take you to my house.  Let me introduce the others in the Kaleden.  They will be pleased – so pleased to meet you.  There shall be a great feast that will last many days.  There will be merriment and gaiety!”

“Hang on,” McKay said with a totally dissatisfied expression.  “We don’t really need… gaiety.  We just came to see the vault.”

Sheppard smirked at Rodney’s abrupt reply, but was rather pleased at his interruption nonetheless.

Rodney went on, “We were told that you had something ‘special’ that only certain people…” he glanced toward Sheppard’s ring, “And the people with them… were allowed to see.  We’re on a schedule.”

Winfield looked at McKay incredulously, so Sheppard added, “Yeah, the vault.  We’d like to see what’s inside.  We were told that you had some sort of machine.”

The people behind Winfield put up a murmur, and the official nodded.  “The vault!  Of course!  You’ve come to see Osoyoos, the Marvel of Bankier.”

“The Marvel,” Sheppard repeated, and glanced to McKay.  “It’s a marvel.”

Rodney poked at his scanner a few more times, obviously annoyed at Winfield’s disregard for him.  “I should hope so,” he murmured.  “I’ll have to research the name when we get back to Atlantis.  Osoyoos -- I wonder how they spell that.”

“Come, come and see!” Winfield scampered away and his retinue went with him, hurrying to keep up.  With a sigh, Sheppard took after them with a half-hearted jog.  The rest of the team followed.

They moved through the town, past buildings that loomed and glared down with heavy eyes.  All around was the steady hum of equipment at work, and the quiet drone of the people who labored at the machines.

They moved along one alley and then down another with Winfield walking quickly in the lead.  He twittered excitedly about one factory and then the next, telling of what was fabricated there and how efficiently each operation maintained its quotas.

“We exist on trade,” Winfield told them.  “We have some crops on our planet, but we trade for most of our food and other necessary items.  In exchange we create the comforts for their worlds, pots and pans, ovens and cleaning machines, cooking appliances, tools and devices of all kinds.  We can make almost anything.”

Sheppard glanced to Teyla who gave him a nod.  Apparently everyone in the Pegasus galaxy had a Bankier toaster oven, electric can opener and rug shampooer tucked away in a closet.

“Here,” Winfield said suddenly.  “Here it is, brother.”  And he stopped at the doorway of a building that looked pretty much like the rest of the structures that grumbled and rattled around them.

One of Winfield’s party opened the doors and they moved inside, into the din of working machinery.  All around them devices clattered, ka-chunked and clunked.  Belts whizzed over their heads, carrying devices from one end to the other.  People huddled over equipment, or tottered about on catwalks.  All about them, humans put together what looked like ugly little alarm clocks.

It was loud.  The clangor of equipment filled the room, and McKay reached for his ears and called, “Are there any earplugs?”

Winfield just gestured, pointing to the far wall.

The workers paused only long enough to give their visitors a startled glance, surprised to see people of such importance grace their factory.  Eyes followed Winfield, then took in the others.  The moment passed and they dipped their heads back to their work.

The group moved, finding narrow passages between working machines.  Winfield held his robes close as belts zipped past.  Rodney, alarmed, tucked his arms against his body and hurried through until they reached an inner wall, and another door.

“It is here,” their host proclaimed, pulling a chain from within his shirt and finding a key.

The lock ground as he turned the key, and he shoved at the door.  It opened with a groan, reveling darkness.  Winfield grinned at them, looking excited enough to faint.

“It’s been a while since anyone’s been in there,” Sheppard surmised.

“It has been at least a year,” Winfield told them.  “There is little reason to access the Marvel, and only the Kaleden are allowed to view it.”

“And people with the Kaleden,” McKay added snottily.

“If you are of his family,” Winfield told him.  “You are related?” he asked.

Sheppard glanced to his crew, from McKay, to Teyla to Ronon.  “Yeah,” he responded with little hesitation.  “Family.”

McKay snorted in amusement.

Winfield smiled, happily.  “Then we shall go.”  And he walked into the dark room.

Sheppard exchanged a glance with Ronon, not entirely happy with the idea. He was about to turn on the light on his P90 when Winfield clicked something within the room and the place illuminated.  The space was small, little more than a landing at the top of an enclosed stairway.

Winfield, just inside the space, smiled proudly.  He opened his arms wide and declared, “Now, Colonel Sheppard, let me show you the Marvel!”  And he turned to the stairs.  “Come!  You will be amazed.”

“Amazed,” Sheppard repeated, not impressed.   Finally, when Sheppard moved forward, Winfield made a gleeful little movement, and swooped to the stairs, leading the way.  With a sigh, Sheppard followed.

Rodney fell in line behind the colonel, moaning unappreciatively about the stairs. Teyla came in behind them.

Ronon stayed a moment longer, watching Winfield’s followers who remained outside of the door.  He narrowed his glance at them, waiting.

One of them, perhaps realizing that something was required of him, said in a soft voice.  “We shall not be accompanying you.”

“Why not?” the Satedan asked.

She looked anxious, glancing to the doorway, and then back at the big man.  “It is not for us,” she replied.  She touched the door as if she meant to close it.

Ronon glared and she stepped back.

“Ronon?” Sheppard’s voice came up from below.  “You coming?”

Winfield’s voice joined his.  “Really, we must keep moving.  Don’t worry about the door, fellow.  It opens from the inside.  We just must make sure that the workers don’t find their way into the lower levels.  No telling what sort of trouble they might get into.”

Ronon kept his gaze narrowed at the woman who held the door, but finally, he turned and started down the stairs after the others.


CHAPTER 2: DOWNWARD STAIRS

They strode downward, one level at a time, into the planet of the Bankiers. The clatter and noise of the factory floor grew fainter as they wended their way from one landing to another.  There were no doorways leading off, just stairs leading to platforms that lead to more stairs.  The flights wound around, enclosed with concrete-like walls, spiraling around an inner column.

After what seemed like far too long, Rodney finally piped up,  “How far down is this thing?”

“It’s only ten levels,” Winfield responded from in front, his voice echoing.

“Ten?” Rodney squeaked.  “How much further is that?”

“We’re nearly there,” Winfield assured as he hurried onward.  “You will be pleased.” 

Sheppard glanced over his shoulder to McKay who was huffing behind him.  Rodney just glared at him, and John smirked in response.

“I didn’t sign up for this,” McKay growled.

“Hey,” Sheppard returned.  “Back home you’d have to sign up with LA Fitness or Gold’s Gym to use their stair climber.  You’re getting your workout for free.”

The scowl deepened.  “I wouldn’t call this ‘free’,” Rodney returned.  “We’re going to have to go back up.  I know I’m not going to enjoy that part of this trip, and you can bet it won’t be fun for you either.”

Sheppard gave a philosophical nod.  True.  McKay was right about most things.

They rounded one more turn on the stairway and suddenly were presented with a dark open space.  “We’re here!” Winfield cried, and fluttered about, flipping some sort of switch, and then another.  Banks of lights illuminated along the walls.

Ronon turned his head sharply, as if he’d seen something move, but then brought his head forward again as he regarded Winfield.    Rodney was suddenly alert, looking around the room excitedly.  Above them, the low rumble of machinery could still be heard, but muffled through the layers of earth above them.

“It is of Ancient construction, is it not?” Teyla asked, coming alongside Rodney.

The scientist nodded excitedly.  “Yes, yes.”  He moved to the wall, and ran his hand along one of the designs.  “The rest of that was just… well shoddy industrial construction.  This is…”

“Lovely?” Teyla completed.

“Well,” Rodney paused, unsure of how to complete that thought, “It is obviously created by a much more advanced people.  Look at the details along the walls.”

Indeed the room was painstakingly ornamented.  Just as with Atlantis, it was obvious that the Ancients took aesthetics into account with their designs.  Where their home was all pleasing geometry, this room seemed to have a more natural theme.  Seams crawled up the wall like vines, and leaf-like panels dotted the area.  McKay took it in with a smile.

“Come,” Winfield said excitedly, confused by their delay.  “We are there.  We are here!”  And he bustled forward.  “Come!”

Rodney rolled his eyes and gestured to Sheppard.  The colonel sighed and followed as Rodney pointed his scanner around the room, searching for power signatures.  Teyla and Ronon fanned out, looking about into the dim corners.

Sheppard glanced toward them, wondering what had caught their attention.  Both were wandering toward the walls as if they were stalking something.  Suddenly Ronon stopped, and then caught Teyla’s attention.  They smiled at each other and made their way back toward Sheppard.

“What were you looking for?” John asked.

“Saw something moving.  Wanted to see what it was,” Ronon explained.

“And…?” Sheppard led off.

Ronon grinned and said quietly, “Lizards.”

Teyla smiled and nodded.  “They are rather… cute when seen up close.”

Sheppard sighed and shook his head, then returned his attention to Winfield who was already in the next room.  “It is here,” he called.

McKay was the first to pass the barrier.  He moved only far enough to see what was hidden, and came to a dead halt, uttering a quiet and awestruck, “Wow!”

Frowning in wonder, Sheppard followed, and came to a stop alongside Rodney.  His jaw dropped a little as he gazed in disbelief.  Tall, and bronze in color, it stood firmly and silently against the wall.

“What is it?” Ronon asked as he came round the divider.  “What?”  He frowned as he caught sight of what had stalled the others.  “I don’t…what is that thing?”

“A robot,” McKay responded, his voice light with amazement.  “A giant robot!”  And he sighed with delight.

CHAPTER 3:  THE OSOYOOS

“A robot?”  Sheppard stated, sounding a little alarmed.

Winfield held out his arms. “It is the Osoyoos!”

McKay rubbed his hands together, and looked at the robot with the greed of a child under the Christmas tree.  “Oh, this is… incredible!”

It was tall, at least seven feet in height – wide at the shoulders, barrel-chested, legs like tree trunks.  There was scrollwork and lovely details covering the big creation, and areas of some sort of transparent material that seemed destined to light up when the thing was activated.

The idea of activating the big thing gave Sheppard the willies. There were just too many things that could go wrong.

“Okay, McKay,” Sheppard said, his voice low and firm.  “Let’s take this slow.”

“Sure, yeah, fine,” McKay responded quickly, his eyes focused on the metal creation.

“Robot?” Teyla echoed.  “Is this a creature similar to the Replicators?”

“No,” McKay answered quickly.

“Yes,” Sheppard corrected.

“Okay,” McKay conceded.  “They are similar in that they are both created by humans out of non-living materials.  They’re basically computers, but otherwise entirely different.”

The explanation did not sit well with either the Athosian or the Satedan, and John already looked reticent about the whole thing.

“This is what you wanted to see?” Winfield asked, glancing from Sheppard to McKay, unsure of their reactions. “Is this, acceptable?” the official continued.

Ronon made a noise that sounded entirely negative.

“Yes, yes, yes,” McKay responded.

Winfield continued, “Do you wish to continue to examine the Marvel?”

“Yes,” McKay snapped. “Of course!”

Winfield waited for Sheppard to respond, and the colonel finally nodded.  “Sure,” he drawled.  He kept a close watch on McKay who seemed to be nearly dancing with glee.  “Don’t go overboard, McKay,” he said under his breath.

“Very well,” Winfield stated.  “I shall leave you here to continue your examination.  Do you wish your family to remain with you?”  And he glanced to Ronon, Teyla and then Rodney.

“They stay,” Sheppard remarked quickly.

Winfield nodded in response.  “Very well, but they are welcome to join me at the dining hall of the Kaleden if they hunger.  I can arrange for them to meet with other members if it would prove useful.”

“Maybe later,” Sheppard told him.

Winfield bowed to him and then bowed again before turning toward the exit and disappearing in a rustle of fabric.

They listened, hearing him climb the stairs.

“A robot!” McKay exclaimed once he was fairly certain that Winfield was out of range.  “A giant robot!” 

The robot ‘face’ was meant to look human, with two dim 'eyes', a slash of a nose, and a long slit that formed a sort of a mouth.  It was big and powerful- looking. It seemed, to Sheppard, altogether like every killer robot that he’d seen in the movies of his youth.

McKay, jittery with excitement, stepped toward it and Sheppard shot out a hand, “Wait,” he said.

Rodney fixed him with a disdainful look.  “I’m just going to check it out,” he told him.

“Let’s not activate it until we know a bit more about it, okay?” Sheppard said quietly.

“Activate it?” McKay groaned.  “Who said anything about that?  I just want to… check it out.”  He leaned toward it.

“I’m thinking we should be a bit prudent before we do anything that might put the giant killer robot into motion,” Sheppard told him.

“Killer robot?” McKay returned sharply. “Who said anything about it being a killer?”

Ronon folded his arms over his chest.  “Might be a killer?” he asked and glared at the thing.  “The Replicators were kinda bloodthirsty.”

“Yes, sure, but that was different,” McKay shot back.  “They were sentient and composed of microscopic nanites and this is…not.”

“Can’t really tell if it is sentient or not, can we?” Sheppard pressed.

“Well, no…”  McKay frowned.  “I highly doubt that a machine constructed like this would have that level if self awareness.  Of course, I can’t tell at this moment.  Not until I access certain systems and go through its database.”

“And so you can’t tell me if it is ‘evil’ or not, can you?” Sheppard went on.

McKay nearly stomped a foot.  “Of course I can’t tell yet!” he replied.  “ Just because it is a giant robot doesn’t immediately mean that it’s a killer.  Size does not equate to evil,” and he threw Ronon a glance before returning his gaze to Sheppard.  “You are judging without knowing anything.”  McKay crossed his arms over his chest as he sported a withering expression.  “That is just prejudice in its most vile form.”

“We’re going to be careful about this,” Sheppard went on.  “Don’t activate anything.”

“Oh, come on!” McKay returned.  “Don’t let a lifetime of bad creature features make you turn your back on this discovery.  It’s a robot -- a great big fabulous robot!  The Ancients designed it,” McKay cried, his voice high as he pointed to it.  “They wouldn’t make something dangerous, now would they?”  He winced, and his arm dropped as he thought.  “Oh,” he muttered.  “Yeah.  Replicators, nanovirus…”

“That ascension device that nearly killed you,” Sheppard added.

McKay gave him a curious look at that inclusion, but nodded and sighed.

“Just keep it easy today,” Sheppard insisted.  “We’re here to check things out.  We can come back later with a specialized team when we know what we’re looking at.  You probably have some robot specialists, don’t you?”

With a groan, McKay said, “Dr. Doherty.”  And then added, “But I’ll be returning with his team, that’s for certain.  Just because he spent his life studying robotics, their design, technology, manufacture and innovation, doesn’t mean he gets first crack at the thing.”

“We go slowly,” Sheppard told him.

McKay nodded, and started setting up his laptop.  “Sure, sure,” he responded as he jacked into the system.  “Let me have a look around.”  And he started typing.


CHAPTER 4: THE VAULT

Time moved slowly as McKay worked, checking the systems of the sleeping giant.  For a time, he typed rapidly, but the speed slacked off quickly, changing to a tentative sound.  He’d mutter and bemoan his lack of progress.

“That makes no sense,” he grumbled, poking again at the keyboard.

“What’s wrong?”  Sheppard responded.

“I should have been able to access the main database by now.”  He sighed and rubbed at his chin.  “Should have been able to pull up the basic command system at least.”

Sheppard shrugged.  “Probably better this way.  No telling what you could set off without meaning to.”

McKay scowled.  “I told you that I am keeping far from any systems that might cause a system activation.”

“Still…” Sheppard responded and shrugged.  He turned to Ronon and watched as he whacked at a couple of lizards with a stick that he’d found somewhere.  The little reptiles kept poking their snouts out at them.  They’d dart away as soon as they were discovered, disappearing into the crevices and crannies of the room.

They were small creatures, candy striped in green and purple, with little red tongues that flicked.  They watched with curious greenish eyes, until Ronon swiped at them, and they disappeared in a flash.

Dex missed again, and drew his blaster.

“Ronon,” Sheppard barked, cutting his movement short.  “Why don’t you and Teyla head back to the surface and see if you can find anyone who can give us information on this thing?  Winfield said he’d round up some folks for us.”  He inclined his head toward the big robot.  “Since, McKay isn’t getting anywhere.”

“It’s not for lack of trying!” Rodney spat out.

“Of course, if you could just wrap up this preliminary investigation, we could be going,” Sheppard stated.

“Oh!  Oh!” McKay suddenly exclaimed.  “I think I have something here!”

Sheppard frowned, and McKay instantly deflated.  “False alarm,” he said with a groan.

Ronon still glared at the hole where the little lizard had disappeared.  He raised his blaster toward it.

Teyla smiled.  “Meeting with members of the Kaleden would be helpful.”  And she touched Ronon’s arm as she moved past him.

Ronon seemed to weigh his options for a moment, but finally holstered his blaster and let his lizard whacking stick fall to the ground with a clatter.  “Yeah, sure.”

“We will check in when we discover any useful information,” Teyla commented, indicating her radio.

“We’ll do the same,” Sheppard responded, glancing to McKay.  “If we find anything…”

“Hey!” McKay yelped.  “I’m doing the best I can.  This whole system seems to be locked down.”

“For good reason, probably,” Sheppard mumbled.

Teyla smiled and said, “We will stay in contact,” and the two moved toward the back of the room, then their footsteps could be heard on the stairs.

John listened until the sound of their footfalls disappeared into the darkness and he turned toward Rodney.  The scientist still labored near the hulking automaton, clicking away at his laptop and looking frustrated as hell.

With a sigh, Sheppard realized he was rather glad.  He’d seen enough movies to know that giant robots were only trouble, and the thought of activating the thing in this cramped room filled him with a strange anxiety.

It was just a bad idea.  And if Rodney was being blocked, so be it.  If there were lucky, the scientist would tire and give up soon.  He hoped Ronon and Teyla discovered something quickly.  A glance at his watch reminded him that there were a little more than three hours left before they were to check in with Atlantis.

“Maybe it’s time we called it a day?” Sheppard asked.  “Seeing as we’ve managed to do mostly nothing since we found this thing.  We should catch up with Ronon and Teyla.  They’re probably getting some information.  And we can check the databases back home, then send Doherty back with people more prepared to deal with giant killer robots.”

McKay grumbled, “This is ludicrous!  I should have been able to access the database without…”  He brightened a little, and snapped his fingers.  “If I apply a low level of power to the system, it will allow me to access the…”

“I really don’t think that’s a good idea, McKay,” Sheppard replied.

“It’s totally safe,” McKay assured.  “It will be hardly enough power to keep a watch going.  Just enough to allow me to access some of its systems so I can pull up a basic schematic or find its database.  I can, at least, have some inkling of what this thing is for.”

Sheppard shook his head slowly.  “I’d rather not risk it,” he uttered.

“It won’t be enough power for him to move a pinky,” McKay countered.  “Come on, Colonel.  We have to come away with something!  And this device … he’s incredible!  If I could just find out what he’s all about…”

“He?”

“Well, he doesn’t look much like a ‘she’ does he?”

Sheppard grimaced a little.

“I mean a fembot might have been interesting,” McKay went on.  "Even that robot chick from 'Metropolis' was kinda hot."

“Fine,” Sheppard pronounced.  “Give it enough juice to get a look around, but the moment you see any sign of this thing trying to power up, you shut the thing down. You got that?”

“Yes, yes, got it.  What’s the problem?” McKay looked at him curiously.  “This ‘robot fear’ of yours isn’t like the ‘clown’ thing is it?  I mean, Coulrophobia is one thing, but Grimwade's Syndrome is altogether preposterous.”

“What are you talking about?”

McKay sighed, and muttered, “Not much of a Doctor Who fan are you?”

“Not so much.”

“Robotphobia!”  McKay banged a screwdriver on the metal casing of the robot.  “He’s not going to do anything.  He’s benign.”

“You don’t know what it was created for.  Maybe it was designed for killing people.”

McKay turned sharply toward Sheppard, holding the screwdriver tightly in his hand.  His mouth clenched and he looked as if he wanted to shout, but instead, he sighed and said, “It’s only going to be enough power to see if there’s anything stored in his systems.  He won’t even wake up.”

Sheppard paused, and finally nodded, signaling McKay that he could continue.

Rodney smiled and returned to his work, pausing only long enough to knock one of the reptiles off the top of his laptop screen.  “These stupid lizards are everywhere,” he muttered unhappily.

Yeah, Sheppard said with a sigh, flipping one head over tail with the toe of his boot.  He was a little sad that he’d sent Ronon away.  The cute little creatures were getting bolder now that the Satedan was gone.  He kicked another that was getting too close.

“Maybe they’re looking for something to eat,” McKay said after a moment.  “There doesn’t seem to be anything in here for them.  Do you think they’d like a cookie from an MRE?”

“McKay,” Sheppard grumbled.  “Just finish your experiment and let’s get out of here.”

“Right, right,” McKay returned as he punched a few keys on the laptop.  He smiled broadly as he ‘juiced’ the systems.  “Ah!” he cried. “ Oh yes, he’s loaded with information.”

“Are you sure you’re keeping it from activating?  I don’t know if this is such a good idea.”

“He’s fine!  Now, I’ll start downloading now… and… huh?”

“What?”  Sheppard responded, not liking the sound of that.

“It has quite a bit of power in its reserves.” Rodney quickly picked up his scanner.  “There, it’s registering now.  Wasn’t before.  That’s odd.”

“I don’t like odd, McKay.”

“You and me both.  Must be in a standby mode.”

“You didn’t just activate it?”

“No, I’m just trying to see more of what’s inside him.” He frowned.  “Ah crap!”

“What?”

“I lost it.  The connection,” McKay whined and went back to typing,  “At least I was able to download something,” he said petulantly.  “ Ha!  Docherty will be so jealous.  Imagine if we could create our own … robotmen.  We could have a whole army of them.”

Sheppard crossed his arms over his chest.  “The Replicators come to mind.”

McKay shook his head.  “This big fella isn’t going to hurt anyone, are you?”  And he settled a hand at the Osoyoos’ shoulder.  Immediately, he fluttered his hand away, crying out a quiet, “Ow!”

Sheppard leapt to his feet.  “What?” he called.  “What did it do?”

“Nothing… I…”  McKay sucked at his hand.  “It was one of those stupid lizards.  Son of a bitch bit me.”

Sheppard made a quick circuit of the robotman and caught sight of one of the striped lizards as it skittered across the floor.

“So stupid!” McKay grumbled, still fluttering his hand.  “I didn’t see it there.  I must have scared it or something.  Damn it!”  His eyes followed the direction that the lizard had taken.  "I hope I didn't hurt it."

“Let me see,” Sheppard said extending a hand.

McKay regarded his own hand a moment; frowning and then extended it to let Sheppard see the bite.  “Does it look infected?”

Sheppard gave McKay a fixed look at that question, then asked, “Does it hurt?”

“Of course it hurts!  It’s a bite, isn’t it?”  But he paused as he considered, and then added, “Okay not so much now.  But when that thing snapped at me, it really hurt.”

Sheppard regarded the little red mark between Rodney’s forefinger and thumb as he reached into a vest pocket.  “I’ll put some antibiotic on it,” Sheppard told him.  “Just in case.”

“Oh!  Better use some hydrocortisone or something,” McKay said worriedly as he felt about for his epi-pen. “If I start gasping and clawing at my throat…”

“Yeah,” Sheppard cut him off as he drew out his little first aid kit and pulled out a couple of packets.  “Hold still.”   He studied the mark for a moment, then declared, “It’s not much of anything.”  And he tore open the antibiotic packet with his teeth.

“I might be allergic,” Rodney cried, touching his free hand to his neck.  “Am I getting hives?  Are you seeing any swelling?”

“Nah,” Sheppard responded as he smeared a daub of the antibiotic over the little bite wound.

“My eyes might start closing up.  If I start wheezing…”

“I’ll keep an eye on you,” the colonel promised.  “Look, it hardly broke the skin and I don’t see any swelling around it.  You’d be having some sort of reaction from it by now, wouldn’t you?”

Rodney sniffled and shrugged.  “Probably.”

“And you said that it didn’t hurt any more.”

Rodney seemed to reflect on this fact a moment and then nodded.

Finished with administering the antibiotic ointment, stated, “You won’t even need a band aid.  It’s probably more frightened of you than you are of it,” Sheppard reasoned.

“Right,” McKay harrumphed, and then went back to his laptop.  Rodney clenched his hand as his gaze darted about.

John sighed and settled back to wait, hoping they’d be done soon.

CHAPTER 5: THE KALEDEN

Teyla and Ronon were settled at a table in the glass pyramid.  Winfield had explained that some believed the structure imbued any inhabitants with extra energy.  Fruit wasn’t supposed to rot, wine gained deeper notes, bread refused to go stale, humans could feel energy flow through them if they stood directly beneath the point.  But Winfield shrugged and said confidentially that it was all rubbish.  And he smiled, almost apologetically.

From here, they had a clear view of the autumnal countryside and the tall smokestacks around them.  Leaves fluttered and fled along the angled windows, getting stuck in the cracks.  Wind hissed and moaned.

They waited with Winfield, and tried to contact Sheppard and Rodney.  Frustratingly, the radios failed to reach them.

“Must be because they’re underground,” Ronon said with a shrug.

“Or it could possibly be the equipment all around us.”  Teyla shook her head and settled the radio on the table.  "Or the pyramid?"

"Doubtful," Winfield responded and, intrigued, pointed to the device. “The space, I think, is mostly a means of setting the Kaleden apart from the rest of the Bankiers." He sighed, a little sadly, and then asked, "That… thing… You can talk into it?  Are they supposed to answer?”

“Yeah,” Ronon responded.  “Supposed to.”

Their host looked like he wanted to say more, but at that moment, other Bankiers entered the room.   Winfield stood quickly and introduced two of the newcomers.  “This is Keremeos, she is the supervisor over the building and the vault below it.”

She was an older woman, with graying hair, and double chins.  Her face was fixed in a scowl and she sat down without saying a word.  She hardly looked at them.

A withered looking man came next, followed by a small group of yellow- dressed helpers, laden with books and papers.  Winfield introduced the man as Solly, the historian.  Solly sniffed and snorted into a handkerchief, looking put out at being summoned, but then he spotted Teyla and he smiled.

The servants carefully arranged the books near the historian and exited in a rush.

The newcomers looked at the others seated at the table, showing distain for the visitors and for Winfield as well.  Perhaps it was Winfield's youth – perhaps he was of a lesser family.  Keremeos and Solly wore more red than their host, and their raiment was finer.

Both sat with their hands folded on the table, allowing their rings to be shown off.  Winfield looked a little clumsy as he sat down with them, as if he wasn’t used to such things, and fixed his hands to look like theirs.

Once Winfield was properly seated, Keremeos spoke.  “You are not of the Kaleden.” Her voice filled with distain.

“We are of a Kaleden family,” Teyla responded calmly.

Solly tugged one of the big books close to him.  “You are not of the known families,” he declared.  “All families are listed here.”  He flipped pages, showing off the inscribed family trees that seemed to go back only a few generations.  “Here are our known families,” Solly stated, “Even those that have been in dispute.” And he gave Winfield a disdainful look before turning to Teyla and smiling a little lecherously.  "But sometimes," he said, there is room for new...members."

Ronon suppressed a growl.

Winfield cleared his throat nervously and said, “They are here to learn more about the Osoyoos and the history of the Bankiers on this planet.”

Solly touched another book.  “Here is all the information we have regarding the Osoyoos,” he said in a wispy voice.   “The Marvel has existed before time began.”

Keremeos corrected, “The creation date of the Osoyoos is unknown.”

“Same thing,” Solly said with hurt in his voice.

“It was found on this planet,” Winfield added, “After our people arrived.”

“That is unimportant,” Keremeos snapped, narrowing her eyes at Winfield.

“This is our planet,” Solly added.  “And has been for many generations.”

Teyla asked, “Has the Osoyoos ever moved, ever walked?”

Keremeos shook her head. “The Marvel cannot.  It has stood silently in my building.  That is where it belongs.”

“Since the beginning of history, it has waited,” Solly added. 

“It hasn't moved for as long as we've known about it,” Winfield added quietly.

"So you don't know how to turn it on?" Ronon clarified.

"I don't think it's possible," Winfield responded.

Teyla cleared her throat and asked, “Does anyone know why the Osoyoos was created?  What is its purpose?”

“It was created in the image of the Ancestors,” Keremeos continued.  “It is of their stature and might.”

Teyla and Ronon exchanged a glance, wondering how these people imagined the Ancestors.  It wasn’t pretty."

“The Ancestors were the greatest of all beings,” Solly added.  “The Osoyoos was created to celebrate their superiority over the common people.  And once the Marvel was completed, it was hidden from the eyes of people who did not deserve to see it.  Only the families of the Kaleden are allowed a viewing.”  He displayed his ring.  “We are the favored of the Ancestors.”

Ronon and Teyla both grimaced at these words.

“Excuse me,” Winfield interrupted.  “There are many stories that are important to the Bankiers.  Some, I believe are just stories,” the words were said timidly as he gazed at the other two.  “It was told to me, by my father and grandfather, that the Bankiers were ousted from their homeworld, and found a new home here,” Winfield continued doggedly.

“Your family is born of the workers, and of an occupation too foul to be spoken of in the company of a true Kaleden,” Keremeos continued.  “Your inclusion among us is disputed.”

Winfield fingered the ring on his hand.  “My grandfather was awarded the signet.”

Solly lifted his pointed head and stated, “We will discuss your family’s inclusion at our next council.  Perhaps it is time to reduce our number to eleven, unless of course, Colonel Sheppard would be our twelfth?”

“This is not helpful,” Teyla cut in.  “We are searching for information on the Osoyoos.  Any information you can provide us would be of great help.”

Solly frowned deeply, creating ravines across his face, and poked a stick-like finger at one book.  “All that is important is recorded here!”

Winfield sighed quietly, then spoke to Solly, “Tell them how the Marvel was discovered.”

The historian glared at Winfield, as if annoyed anyone dared to order him about.  He cleared his throat roughly and started thumbing through the pages of one particularly thick book, licking at his fingers with each leaf turned.  Keremeos looked pained as she sat back, and Winfield just looked tired.  Teyla and Ronon waited.

“Here it is…” Solly declared, reaching the beginning of a chapter.  The letters scurried across the page like bird tracks.  “It was during the black time that the greatest of discoveries was heralded,” he read, his voice reedy.  “-- during the days of the sickness and despair when all was thought lost for the mighty of Bankier.  Our forefathers, heady with their great intelligence, explored the mystifying Pit of Darkness beneath Building 12.  It was the wearers of the Kaleden who decided the site, and deeply into the ground they searched to escape the skahas, the horrible menace of our home.  Wise were the Kaleden, for they discovered the signet rings which told everyone that the Pit of Darkness was a creation of the Ancestors.  It was on the twelfth day, as they dug into the soil of planet that their pickaxes and shovels did contact the vault of the Ancestors, long buried.  In was discovered to be a great vault.  A cheer was heard throughout the land and the Kaleden decided the means of entry.  Their wisdom was rewarded and the vault was opened.  The Osoyoos was discovered and Kaleden did look upon it with admiration.  For many days our people did celebrate this finding and there was rejoicing, for it was hoped that means of escaping the menace was at hand, for many were the sick and many the dying by the skahas.”

Teyla leaned forward, resting a hand on top of Solly’s to quiet him. The historian looked up in surprise, and then smiled.

“What is this skaha?” she asked quietly.

Solly, momentarily flustered by the touch, said nothing.

Keremeos groaned and rolled her eyes.  “The skaha is the menace!” she repeated.  “Everyone knows about the menace and the death the skahas brought to us.”

“The vault did not protect the people as was hoped,” Winfield reminded.  “The Osoyoos did not provide what was hoped for.”

“We know this, Winfield!  The menace is gone,” Solly interjected, finally finding his voice.  “Long gone. The wisdom of the Kaleden freed us.”  He turned back to Teyla and Ronon.  “It was the discovery of the Osoyoos that gave us the encouragement to persevere and we beat back the menace.  All rejoice at the discovery of the Osoyoos!”

“The Osoyoos inspires us,” Keremeos included. “It reminds us that the Ancestors survived far worse than what we faced.  If the Ancestors might live on, than so shall we. We look upon the Osoyoos and remember.”

Solly frowned.  “If you let me continue, the menace was beaten back as our spirits soared.”  His voice rose in exhalation.   “We defeated the horrible skahas, and the menace was destroyed.”

“Hail the Kaleden for saving us all!” Keremeos called in a haughty voice, showing off her signet ring.

“Why didn’t just you leave the planet when you were having all this trouble?” Ronon asked.

Winfield blinked at him, and then said, “At that point, we didn’t know where to go.  We had trading partners who purchased our goods, but none would have us.  The skahas nearly destroyed our people.  If it wasn’t for the bravery of a few…”

“The wisdom of the Kaleden,” Keremeos included.  “Our forefathers saved us and we, the carriers of the signet, continue to watch over our people.”

Teyla looked tired as she eyed Keremeos and Solly.  She turned her attention to Winfield, wishing the younger Kaleden hadn’t bothered to bring in the other two.  “Winfield, explain the skaha to us,” Teyla demanded.

Winfield looked embarrassed and then said softly, “They are creatures of poison and death that destroyed all that they touched.  There was a time when they hurt many of our people, first by paralyzing and then, for those who did not find treatment, death followed.” He opened his hands saying, “They are…”

Solly broke in, declaring, “… creatures that live in shadow and are most horrible to look upon.  They look like death itself, and forever shall the colors of green and purple be shunned by the Bankiers.  Until the end of time, all of the Bankiers shall go about in red and orange and yellow.”

“Green and purple?” Teyla asked, standing up suddenly.  “The creatures… they are reptiles?” She held out her hands, approximating the size of the reptiles that they had seen.

Winfield nodded, “Yes, they are a type of reptile, that function well in cool places.  They are small and quick, but deadly."

“Enough, Winfield!” Keremeos cut him off.  “Let us not speak of this vulgarity!”

But Teyla and Ronon were already on their feet.  Chairs clattered to the ground in their haste and Ronon dashed the room.  The Satedan activated his radio and started calling for Sheppard to respond.

Winfield stepped in front of Teyla, halting her for only a moment.  “What’s wrong?” he demanded.

“Those lizards, your ‘menace’,” she growled.  “They are all throughout the vault and our friends are in there with them.”  And she pushed past the official to follow Ronon as the autumn leaves swirled around the windows.

CHAPTER 6: UPWARD STAIRS

“Okay, okay…” McKay said softly as he stopped and lifted his hands from the keyboard.

“What?” Sheppard returned.  The tone of McKay’s voice brought him to attention.  “You didn’t accidentally activate…”

“I haven’t done anything!” Rodney snapped. “It’s just…”  He paused, looking frustrated and concerned.  “I think my hand is a bit numb.”  Rodney stared at the hand in wonder and flexed it.

Sheppard scrutinized the scientist carefully, searching for telltale signs of an allergic reaction, because it’d be just their luck that McKay would have an issue with cute little candy-striped lizards.  After verifying that McKay looked normal (or at least as normal as was usual), he stated, “You’re probably just tired."

McKay looked at him as if he'd grown another head.

Trying again, Sheppard said,  "Maybe you’re getting carpal tunnel.”

McKay's jaw dropped.  “Oh!  Don’t even joke about that! There was a year in graduate school when I was sure that I had it.  I went about in splints on both wrists and… damn,” Rodney paused as he clenched and unclenched his hand.  “Seriously, I’m losing feeling.  My fingers hardly have any sensation.  It’s weird.”  He tried to massage them with his other hand, but frowned all the more.

“It’s probably nothing,” Sheppard assured.

“Yeah,” Rodney responded, his face bleak for a moment, but then replaced the expression of one of forced hopefulness.  “Okay, yeah… my hands need a rest, right?  I mean, I’ve been pulling late nights all week… well, all year.”

“That’s probably it,” Sheppard replied, drawing nearer.

“Okay, this is… weird.”   Trying not to look alarmed, Rodney stated, “It’s in this hand, too.  It’s… I’m not kidding.  My fingers don’t have any feeling in them.”  McKay had stopped trying to wring his hands, and was now holding them out in front of himself.  “I can almost feel it creeping to my wrists.”  And he looked up at Sheppard, fear touching his eyes.

Sheppard moved quickly, and grabbed McKay’s injured hand.  The area around the bite seemed normal, but Rodney’s hand was unnaturally cold.  John pulled his knife from its sheath.

McKay’s eyes went wide and he jerked his hand, trying to pull it loose.  “Leave the bite alone!” he cried.  “It doesn’t need to be cut out or anything!  It’s not that big a deal.  I can handle the numbness.  I was just…”

“I’m not going to hurt you,” Sheppard told him.  Carefully, he pressed the tip of the knife to the back of McKay’s hand, using the back of the blade so that the sharp edge didn’t pierce the skin.

“Stop it!” McKay insisted, still pulling.

Sheppard held him firm, watching as the skin indented beneath the blade.  “Do you feel that?” he asked.

“No… yes… yes…. I…” McKay stopped struggling, and watched in a morbid fascination as the point pressed against his skin.  He blinked in confusion and then looked up to Sheppard.  He shook his head.

Sheppard pulled back the knife and sheathed it in one quick move.  “We’re going,” he declared.

“Let me just get my data.” Rodney reached out for his laptop, but fumbled it.  Sheppard jerked him away.

“Now!” Sheppard declared, shoving McKay toward the exit.  He touched his radio, and shouted, “Teyla, Ronon, we’re headed toward the Gate.  Something’s happened.  You need to find information on those lizards.  Do you copy?”

“Wait,” McKay tried to dig in his heels and managed to snag his pack, getting it over one arm.  “It’s not that big a deal, right?  Let me at least shut down the computer and take it with me. I’ve downloaded some information and…”

But Sheppard was relentless, and plowed a shoulder into the back of the scientist, propelling him to the stairway.  “Teyla!  Ronon!  Respond!”

The radio remained silent. “Damn it,” John swore.

“It’s not that bad,” McKay’s voice quavered.  “Really, my hands are just a bit numb.  It’ll be fine.  I probably just have to shake them a bit.”  And he flailed his hands about.

“Yeah, I know…it’s nothing,” Sheppard said between his teeth.  “But let’s let Keller decide that.  Now, get moving.  We’ll come back for the laptop.”

“Okay… okay.  I’m moving.”  McKay gave up on moving his hands when one hit the side of the stairway.  He gazed at the hand that should have been throbbing, then, clutched it to his chest. Sheppard grabbed him by the elbow and came alongside him.

They started moving up the stairway.  Sheppard kept trying his radio, not wanting to be worried.  This was probably nothing.  Just get McKay back to Atlantis and let Keller have at him.  The numbness was probably just fatigue.  It wasn’t necessarily a reaction to the lizard's – he hated to consider the word ‘venom’.  He hurried Rodney, forcing him up the steps.

The ten flights of stairs downward seemed considerably longer when headed up.  “Ronon?  Teyla?” he continued to call over the radio.  There was no reply.

McKay huffed as he ran alongside the colonel.  “Hey, can we slow it down a bit?” he gasped.  “Seriously, I’m not made for this sort of thing.”

“Keep moving,” Sheppard demanded.  With each flight of stairs, the din of the machinery above them became louder.  The equipment rattled and groaned, and Sheppard set his mouth in a thin line, glad for the return of the noise – the louder the clatter, the closer they were to getting out.  They made it to another landing, and turning in a circle around the central core of the stairway.  More stairs awaited them.

He gave up on reaching Ronon and Teyla, and focused on keeping McKay moving upward -- trying to ignore the alarms going off in his head.  He glanced to Rodney’s hands, noting how they just sort of 'hung' from McKay's wrists.  Everything was fine, he reminded himself.  Just get back to Atlantis, and have Keller tell him that he panicked about nothing.

Then, suddenly, Rodney stumbled and would have fallen face first if Sheppard didn’t have a grip on his arm.  “My toe caught on the ledge,” Rodney explained.  Gasping, McKay struggled to get his feet beneath him.  His eyes were wide with fear as he whispered, “I can’t… my feet… I don’t think I can feel them anymore.”

Sheppard gave him another jerk to get him fully upright and shoved him with more urgency – up, up the stairway, they moved as quickly as they could.  Damn it!  Goddamn it!

Another flight surmounted, another turn, and they kept moving, Sheppard slightly in front, dragging McKay up the stairs with him.  Just keep moving, just keep going.  John kept his head half turned, keeping an eye on McKay, trying not to be concerned about every stumbling step.

The noise above increased – machines clattering and banging above them, so loud after the muffled hum of the lowest level.  They kept moving.

Something told him this was urgent.  This was nothing to be trifled with.  They had to move fast.  He yanked at McKay, knowing there was no time to waste.  Hurry.  Go faster.  Don't screw around!

Sheppard turned quickly, and rounded another landing – and slammed face first into an unyielding mass that had been moving just as quickly down the stairs.

888888888888888888

Teyla was unable to stop herself as Ronon came to a crashing halt.  She tried to spin around him, but the Satedan came to a sudden standstill and knocked her off her feet.  She fell hard onto the stairway.

Momentarily stunned, Teyla fought to get her bearings.  Ronon was already moving again, heading downward.  She sat up and peered down the flight of stairs.  Rodney and John were sprawled at the bottom.

“John,” she called, and was relieved to see both were moving, and appeared to be well but maybe a little addled.

“Sheppard!” the Satedan called as he reached the others.

Sheppard was blinking owlishly, hunching his shoulders in pain and rubbing his head.  “Ow…” he groaned.  “How… what the hell was that?  A train?  A Mac truck?”

“Me,” Ronon stated as he reached them.  “You should watch where you’re going.”

“You and me both,” Sheppard said, shaking his head to clear it.

Dex grabbed Sheppard’s hand and pulled him roughly to his feet.  “We got to go.  There’s trouble.  Radios couldn’t reach you.”

Sheppard staggered a moment, keeping a hold on Ronon.  “Yeah… wow… hang on a minute… I…”  Obviously still stunned, he ran a hand across his head.  “Damn… damn.”

Teyla hunched down beside McKay, and said urgently, “Rodney, we must leave this place.  It is unsafe.”  She reached out a hand to clasp his and was surprised by the chill of his skin and the fact that he did nothing to hold onto her.  “The reptiles that we encountered are…”

Something snapped alive in Sheppard, and he shook off his stupor.  “Rodney? Hey, you okay?”

Rodney closed his eyes a moment and opened them.  “Is everything supposed to be swimming?  I mean, is the stairway spinning to you?”

Teyla looked the scientist over quickly. “Has he been injured?”

Sheppard cast a glance at Dex.  “One of those lizards bit him.”

“Are you certain?” Teyla asked, alarm in her voice.

Sheppard looked shamefaced.  “It didn’t look like much of anything, but…”

“My hands!” McKay interjected.  “Totally going numb…I…” He held up his hands and grimaced as if he was straining to work them.  The hands remained still. “I need my hands,” he squeaked. His expression looked lost as he stated forlornly, “This is so not good.”

Grimacing, Sheppard asked, “You found out something about those lizards? How bad?”

“We don’t know a whole lot,” Ronon stated, his eyes on McKay.  “They are called skaha.  Winfield said something about paralysis and…” he let the sentence trail off as he changed his glace to Sheppard.  Their eyes met and Sheppard offered a short nod in understanding.

“Come on, Rodney,” Sheppard said, offering a hand.  “We’re going.”

Ronon moved in, grabbing McKay’s free arm and helping to get him to his feet.  McKay didn’t have time to find his balance, and his feet fought clumsily for purchase, but Ronon was already half-dragging him up the stairs.   With only so much room in the stairway, Sheppard had to fall behind.

“John,” Teyla called.

He paused in his pursuit of Ronon and Rodney, and looked to the Athosian.  She could see the worry in his eyes.

She let the other two gain a flight before speaking in a whisper, “Is he in any discomfort?”

Sheppard jerked his shoulders in an angry shrug.  “I don’t think so.  He says he’s losing feeling in his hands and feet. Other than that, I think he’s just scared, and probably banged up from that fall.”  Sheppard rolled a shoulder and winced.  “He’s probably not feeling it though so…I guess it could be worse.”

Teyla could not form a response.

So, Sheppard said softly,  “I take it this won’t end well.”

Rodney, Teyla realized, was not the only one who is frightened.  “We will return to Atlantis and all will be well.”

“Yeah,” Sheppard drawled.  “That’s what I keep telling him.”

She nodded sharply and the two followed the others up the last levels of the stairway.  Strangely, the constant roar of equipment seemed to lessen.  The machinery’s clattering became less omnipresent, it quieted and then nearly stopped.  Teyla glanced to Sheppard, not understanding – then, there was a loud BANG that rang through the stairway.

Ronon, ahead of them, picked up his pace, nearly carrying McKay as he hurried up the last staircases.  Sheppard and Teyla stayed directly behind him, running, rushing to the top.

Something wailed and screeched above them, it sounded like rending metal, as if something huge was being moved above their heads, scraping the floor and vibrating the stairwell.  Ronon paused, hanging onto McKay as the walls rattled.

“What's happening?” he asked, half turning to Sheppard.

“Keep moving,” Sheppard ordered – and Ronon obeyed, hauling McKay along with him.

They rounded another corner, and rushed up the last flight to the closed metal door that marked the exit.

Keeping a tight grip on McKay, Ronon gripped the knob and tried to force the door open, but it refused to give.  He tried again, pressing his weight into it, but it remained stubbornly shut.

Ronon battered the door with his fist, shouting obscenities to whomever might be on the other side, but the raucous factory was silent beyond that metal shield.  “Open the door!” Ronon bawled.  “Unlock it!  Now!”

But no one came and the door remained shut.  Teyla squeezed in beside Ronon and Rodney, forcing her way to the lock.  She tried it as well, but something blocked the door.

Sadly, she turned back to Sheppard, not wanting to impart the bad news – but it was obvious to all of them.

McKay sighed loudly as he stared at his hands.  He let his head dip as he muttered, “Oh, I am so screwed…”

CHAPTER 7:  TRAPPED

Sheppard made his way back to the landing where they’d settled Rodney.  He sat with his back against the wall, his legs stretched out in front of him and his hands in his lap.  He looked as if he were – stopped, still, strangely quiet.  His stark blue eyes were on Ronon as the Satedan pounded on the door again.  

It seemed that he was getting worse by the minute, unable to stand any longer, they’d propped him in the corner to keep him comfortable.

“The Bankiers are not going to let us out,” Rodney stated. 

“Doesn’t look like it,” Sheppard grumbled.  “We’ll keep trying.”

“It’s not getting us anywhere,” McKay commented.

Ronon snarled, twisting at the handle again.  “I’ll get us out!”  His knuckles were bloodied and bruised from his attempts to smash open the door, and he hadn’t stopped trying.

The door was warped, buckled from where Ronon had fired on it repeatedly with the blaster.  He’d fired and fired until the gun became hot and then finally sputtered and failed.  A hole was carved into the door, deep enough to break through the metal, but obviously something had been placed beyond the door, blocking them in and creating a surface too deep to burn through.  A couple dozen Bankiers must have moved that machine in place.

Bastards, Sheppard thought – rat bastards.

They’d been barricaded in.  And all Ronon had managed to do, in the end, was drain the power from his weapon and create a big gooey hole in the door that didn’t go all the way through.

“There should be another way out,” Ronon stated, hopefully, glancing to where Sheppard stood near McKay.  His stance illustrated his desire to move, to try anything.

Teyla, who stood a few steps below Dex, shook her head.  “We have seen no other exits,” she stated solemnly.  “And the stories of the Bankiers indicate that there was only one entrance to the vault.”

“Why the hell did they do this?” Sheppard spat out.  “What could they possibly gain by shutting us in here?”

Teyla looked morose as she stated, “I believe that Ronon and I are the reason this happened.”  She turned her glance on Rodney.  “We told them that we had seen the lizards, the skahas, in the vault.  The Bankiers seemed very concerned.”

“Cowards,” Ronon added.  “They sealed us in to keep the reptiles from getting out!”  And he pounded again on the door, viciously assaulting the heavy surface.  The stairway rang with his ferocity.

McKay watched him, just tilting his head slightly, his expression that of a trapped animal.  Ronon’s attempts continued to do nothing, and finally, when he paused, McKay whined, “We’re going to die here.”

“No, we’re not!” Sheppard’s responded quickly.  “We are getting out! Come hell or high water, we’re getting out!”

“Sure looks like we’re making progress,” Rodney muttered as his eyes darted about.

“Look, Carter is expecting us in three hours,” Sheppard rationalized.  “She’ll send the troops.”

The thought seemed to calm something in Rodney.  “Good… good…” he responded,  “Because, I was worried… about that.”  He paused and asked, “Three hours?”

Sheppard gave his watch a quick glance.  “Yeah, no time at all.”

McKay nodded slightly, looking down at his hands that sat still in his lap.  “Home for supper then?” McKay tried.

“No doubt.”

“Good, because… three hours…” McKay’s voice was soft.

Sheppard looked up at Ronon.  Dex stood above, his arms at his side, looking miserable and powerless.  Teyla opened her mouth to say something.

McKay didn’t have three hours.

John cut her off, saying quickly, “I hear Carter has been talking to the chefs.”

“What?  What about?” McKay looked at him quizzically.

“The menus.  She hasn’t been happy with them.”

McKay looked annoyed.  “What has she got against our mess hall?  Sure we could use more desserts.  I mean, the carrot cake is great, but why can’t we have more devil’s food, or maybe an Oreo Cake.  I used to love those.  They never make them here.  And would it kill them to try a German Chocolate cake from time to time, or a nice peach cobbler?”

“She’s been thinking about the main dishes.  She has a certain favorite that she’s been missing."  Sheppard grinned smugly.  "I heard she asked the guys whip it up tonight.”

McKay suddenly realized what he was getting at. “Oh, for the love of God, not lemon chicken!”

Sheppard shrugged.  “She’s the leader of this expedition.  She gets what she wants.”

Rodney sneered at him.  “Great… great… if I don’t die from the cute little lizards, or from starvation in this stairway, I’ll be dead from anaphylactic shock brought on by someone accidentally dribbling a little lemon sauce onto my lasagna.  That’s totally unfair!”

“Remember how Elizabeth kept insisting they serve liver and onions?” Sheppard reminded.  “She got her wish a couple of times, if I recall.”

“Yeah,” Ronon interjected.  “Wasn’t too bad once you got beyond the taste.”

“I understand it is full of … nutrients,” Teyla added, trying to get into the spirit of things.

McKay just looked up at them with a miserable expression.  “Oh, bite me!  You guys are annoying as hell,” he mumbled.

Sheppard looked to Teyla and then to Ronon. They all nodded.  “Yeah,” Ronon spoke.  “We are.”

McKay snorted, and Sheppard went back to Ronon’s side, trying to figure out if there was any way to get beyond that door.  It just wasn’t going to move. No matter how hard they tried, no matter how much they wanted it to open – the door was shut.  Sheppard glared at it, hating it, hating the useless hole that Ronon had carved, and hating the Bankiers and their solutions to a problem.

“Bastards,” he growled.  “Sons of bitches.”

Teyla met his gaze, her expression asking a question.  How long?  How long do you think Rodney has left?  Sheppard just grimaced, not wanting to guess – not wanting to know.  Maybe Carter would send a search party out early.  Maybe the Bankiers would realize the errors of their ways and open the door.  Maybe the skaha wasn’t a very poisonous one and the worst McKay would suffer is the pins-and-needles of a wraith stunner.

And all would be well.

Sheppard faced the door, as Ronon continued to work at it, trying to pry it with a knife, doing everything and anything that came to mind.  Teyla squatted down in front of the hole – she called for the Bankiers, her voice light, her voice friendly, hopeful, plaintive, insistent, demanding.  Her tone became hard and unyielding as her volume rose and her face became red.  She called again and again, demanding someone to answer her.

When no response came, she sat back on her heels and looked up at Sheppard, still wanting answers.

The space grew quiet.  It should never be that quiet when McKay was around.

Sheppard turned, finding Rodney slumping slightly, his head dipping.  “Hey,” John called as he hurried down the steps.  Quickly, he placed a hand on Rodney’s chest, forcing him back to the wall.  “Hey,” he said again, when McKay didn’t say anything immediately.

Rodney turned his head slowly to meet Sheppard’s gaze.  “What?” he responded without any force.

Sheppard tried not to show the worry that ate at him.  It was so strange to see Rodney so utterly still and quiet.  “How are you feeling?” he asked.

Wincing at the question, McKay responded, “You think anything’s changed?”

“Rodney,” Sheppard’s voice was firm.  “Just tell me how you’re feeling.”

With a strange, leaden shrug, Rodney told him, “I can feel it creeping – inch by inch. I can feel parts of me just… going away.   I…”  His shoulders shrugged again, his face contorting in misery.  “I feel… heavy.  Don’t think I can move my arms very well.”

“Maybe it’s not that bad.”  Sheppard tried to look encouraging.  “Have you tried moving lately?  Seems to me you’ve been just sitting around for a while.”

Rodney looked at him, then narrowed his eyes as he strained.  His brow furrowed as he lifted one shoulder.  It was a difficult looking move, as if he were trying to pull his arm loose from a terrible burden.  Finally, with a sloppy motion, a hand slipped off his lap.

“There. You were right.  I can still move my arm.”  Opening his eyes, Rodney smiled softly at that small victory, then looked to Sheppard.  Any sense of accomplishment vanished from his face when he caught the colonel’s expression.

Sheppard stared at McKay’s crumpled hand for a moment, where it rested beside him on stone stairway.

“It’s… it’s not so bad,” McKay tried to insist.  “It will probably clear up in no time.”  And he smiled most unconvincingly.

The assurance had no affect on Sheppard, who looked wretched as he watched his friend, and then turned away sharply to face the others.  “Anyone have any other ideas?” he asked tiredly.

“I say we figure out a way to drill a hole through this wall,” Ronon stated, “And start shoving lizards through it.  If they’re not going to let us out, they’d might as well suffer for it.”

Teyla moved down a few steps until she was beside Rodney and Sheppard.  She sat down beside McKay and asked plaintively, “Is there a control panel or crystals we can manipulate in order to open the doorway?”

With a slow shake of his head, Rodney reminded her, “The Ancients didn’t build this stairway.  The Bankiers constructed it.  None of my usual tricks will work.”

“Well think of an unusual trick,” Sheppard grumbled.

McKay nodded slightly, his expression soft and thoughtful.  “I’ll see what I can dredge up,” he replied.  “At least my mind still works.  Must be some way to get us all out of here.”  He sat silently, positioned like an abandoned rag doll.  He blinked as he thought, as he considered options.

Sheppard regarded McKay’s hand again, realized that it looked ‘uncomfortable’ in its current position, and carefully picked it up, feeling weird as hell about it.

“If you make me start hitting myself,” McKay stated in a tired voice, “I’m just going to be pissed and have to figure out some way of getting back at you.”

Sheppard smiled at the idea.  “Maybe next time,” he replied, and settled McKay’s hand on his knee, and gave it a pat because the whole situation felt so strange.

McKay stared at the gesture, focusing on Sheppard’s hand.  Perhaps he was as creeped out as Sheppard felt.  “Yeah,” Rodney went on.  “Yeah, I’d get back at you…somehow.  Of course if I can’t move that might be difficult considering my current circumstance, but I could always build a…” His expression changed – to something very familiar to the colonel.  A small smile played at his lips and his eyes seemed to brighten.  John could almost see the wheels turning inside that head.

“What?” Sheppard asked sharply.  “What are you thinking?”

“A robot,” McKay filled in.

“Yeah, right, so you’ll build a robot to get back at me.  Great,” Sheppard answered.  “Too freakin’ bad the big guy in the basement doesn’t work.  God, if we could just get that thing moving…”

“The ring,” McKay added, staring at the piece of jewelry on Sheppard’s hand.

Sheppard pulled his hand away and looking at the thing. “Yeah, if it wasn’t for this thing, we wouldn’t be stuck here now.”  And he made a movement to remove it.

“I didn’t get a good look at the ring earlier,” McKay went on.  “The Osoyoos has the same symbol on it.”

Sheppard sat back, wondering what he was supposed to get from that comment.  “Did it?” he tried.

“Colonel, the whole time I was working on the robot, you wanted me to stop, didn’t you?” Rodney’s statement was a simple enough one, but Sheppard felt an accusation.  “Everything I tried failed.”

“Rodney, you know as well as I do that it was a bad idea to turn that thing on.”

“But it should have worked.  I know what I’m doing colonel, and my efforts should have been successful. But, every time I tried to juice any system on the robot, you were standing beside it, wearing that ring, and thinking – ‘don’t do it’.”

“We have no idea if we can control it.  All they want to do is smash and destroy.”  He stopped talking, then returned his gaze to Rodney.  “You think I can activate it?”

Looking annoyed, McKay told him, “I think you were stopping me from accessing systems that I should have been able to get into in my sleep.  You locked me out, so I think you could do the opposite if you wanted to.”

“But can I control it?”  Sheppard asked.  “I mean, aside from bringing it on line… can I keep it IN line, just by thinking or commanding it?”

Rodney struggled a moment before saying, “I think so.”

That was good enough.  Sheppard stood and glanced to Ronon.  “Keep an eye on him,” he ordered and dashed down the stairs.

Teyla lingered long enough to rest a hand on Rodney’s shoulder.  She smiled warmly, before she too stood.

“What’s going on?” Ronon asked, his voice low.

“I believe we are going to activate a Giant Killer Robot,” Teyla said.  “And we will have an exit from this place, one way or another.”

And with that, she turned, and hurried after the colonel.

CHAPTER 8:  OF THE MILLION WAYS TO DIE…

Ronon worked, keeping active because he had to.  He couldn’t just sit and do nothing while McKay stopped moving, while McKay just sat there, incapable of lifting a hand.  It was disturbing.  It was wrong.  So he kept trying to open the door, hoping that Sheppard and Teyla returned quickly.

“Think you’ll get out?” McKay called from behind him.

Ronon grimaced.  “Working on it.”

“Because… I don’t see any change,” McKay responded.  “Would be nice to see… progress of some sort.”

“I’m working on it,” Ronon repeated with a growl.

“Hopefully the robot will work.  I really… I really should have gone with them.  I’m not sure Sheppard knows what needs to be done.  What if it doesn’t activate immediately?  He might need me.”

Ronon glanced to McKay.  The scientist was gazing down the stairs to where the other two had disappeared.  He looked as if it were difficult for him to even move his head.

“I should have gone with them,” McKay went on.

McKay wasn’t going anywhere.

“I’ll check the radio,” Dex told him.  “See if it’s working now.  You can talk him through it.”  And he clicked on the device.  “Sheppard, Teyla, do you read me.”  He waited, frowning but not surprised when there was no response.  The lower levels of the complex must have been out of range.  “Sheppard?” he tried again.

Instead, a different voice returned, “Hello?  Hello?  Is this right? Did I push the right button?  Hello, are you there?  Can you hear me?  Hello?  Hello?”

A red anger reached Ronon at the intrusion.  He snarled into the mic, “Who is this?”

“It does work!  This is amazing.”

“Who is this?” Ronon demanded again.

“Oh, it’s Winfield. I found Teyla’s talking device.  This is fantastic!”

“You trapped us in here!” Ronon roared, clutching his radio so tightly it was nearly smashed.   “Why?”

“Oh, oh…” the voice was dejected.  “That was Keremeos and Solly, and the others of the Kaleden.  It was their decision.  I didn’t agree with it.  They assigned workers to block you in.  Keremeos is upset that she had to send her factory workers away after that was done, and I understand they were very nervous at your attempts to escape.  It was disconcerting to them.”

Ronon snapped back, “Get us out of here… now!  You’re one of them.  Make them do it!”

There was a pause, and then Winfield said, “I don’t think you fully realize my position in the Kaleden.  My family is of a low status.  Our occupation is beneath them and our opinion means little.  I can’t exactly…”

“GET US OUT OF HERE!”  Ronon shouted.  “One of my team has been bitten by the creatures.  You will let us out NOW!”

“Oh dear… I… Oh dear, I’m sorry.  I’m so sorry.  I still can’t believe that the skaha were in the vault.  It’s impossible.”

“Didn’t you see the lizards when you were down there with is?” Ronon snapped.

There was a pause, then a shamed voice stated, “I wasn’t looking.  I should have.  But, there was no reason for me to suspect.  They’d been eradicated from this part of the planet.”

Ronon watched McKay, who seemed so helpless and immobile.  “They came back,” Ronon grumbled.

“Listen, Ronon, these are dangerous creatures.  Many of our people died during my grandfather’s generation.  Those that survived were left infirmed and unable to move for the rest of their lives.  It was horrible.  So horrible.”

McKay swallowed and closed his eyes, as if unable to face Winfield’s words.  Ronon just wanted to smash the Bankier in the face and shut him up.

“I’m sorry about your friend,” Winfield tried.

“Let us out of here!” Ronon insisted, watching McKay.  “We’ll get him home and he’ll be cured.”  The scientist opened his eyes a fraction, and looked back at Ronon, wanting to believe.

“That would be good, wouldn’t it?  Hey, have you seen more of the skahas?” Winfield asked urgently.

“No…” Ronon responded, and looked in the direction that Sheppard and Teyla had gone, knowing that they were getting into the midst of the lizards’ lair.

“Keep watch,” the Bankier urged.

Ronon turned away and groaned at the stupidity of the comment. He almost let Winfield know how ridiculous his warning was, but was cut off before he could speak.

“They will come.  They hunt by biting their prey and poisoning it.  Then they wait until their prey can no longer move.  They’ll seek it in packs, devouring it when it’s helpless.  They prefer to eat living tissue”

Beside him, McKay made a pathetic sound.  Ronon’s gaze instantly sought McKay, and wished the Canadian hadn’t heard.  “It’s not going to happen,” the Satedan told him.

“They’re coming?” McKay moaned, his eyes wide and terrified.  He glanced up and down and all around him.  “They’re coming to eat me while I’m still alive?  Oh God… oh God…I can’t… I can’t move.  They’ll…”

Ronon was already at his side, standing protectively and gazing down the stairs, searching out any sign of the creatures.  “They’re not here,” he insisted.

“They’re coming!” Rodney continued, his voice high.  “This is going to be horrible.  Oh God, this sucks.  This really really sucks.  Of the million ways to die in this galaxy, why am I the one that gets eaten by cute little striped lizards?  Why?”

“Calm down!  They will not get you!” Ronon insisted.  “McKay, listen to me! I will NOT let it happen.”

“Yeah, yeah, you’ll stop them, right?” McKay stated, trying to believe, but there was still a hysterical tone to his words.

Ronon kept his gaze on the stairway, watching the stairs, the walls, the ceiling, searching out any sign of moment.  He pressed a hand against McKay’s shoulder and wondered if he even felt its presence.  “I swear to you, McKay, they will not harm you.  Not while I still live.”

“Okay,” McKay’s response was just a quiet squeak.

Ronon touched his radio again.  “How do I stop them?” he asked the Bankier, realizing that a P90 or blaster probably wouldn’t do much good against them.  “How do I kill them all?”

“You can’t,” Winfield responded quickly.  It sounded like he was in movement.

“I will stop them, even if it means I have to stomp every one of them!” Ronon declared.

McKay snorted, and muttered, “Why is that not a surprise?”

“You can only kill so many that way,” Winfield told them. “There are too many.”

“There must be a way to stop them,” Ronon continued.  “How’d your people do it?”

“There is a way, yes,” Winfield replied. His voice came in huffs as if he were running.

“How do I do it?”

“You can’t,” Winfield said.  “You don’t have the proper materials.  A lowly family, known for eradicating unwanted pests, created a mixture that worked. The substance killed all the skahas that could be found, and they’ve been gone since that day – at least until now.   The recipe almost died out with the family, but one lowly branch still exists.”

Ronon gritted his teeth.  “Then, get it!  Who has the recipe?”

“That would be me,” Winfield said as he ran, “ I must go now, before the others know where I’ve gone.  They did not agree with my plan.  Goodbye.”  And Winfield ended the transmission.

Ronon made sure Rodney was as comfortable as he could be, considering the circumstances.  But all the while, the Satedan’s eyes never left the stairway.

He stood, waiting for the onslaught.

continue to Chapter 9:

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