Status: Completed 1/17/2009

Word Count: 1,217

As he always did, John awoke early. He looked up to see McKay sitting by the smoldering fire, and still rubbing sleep from his eyes, their eyes met.

"What are you doing up so early?" McKay asked as he glanced at his watch. "You still have," he held up a hand as he yawned then finished, "nearly two hours before it's time for the rest of you to get up."

Shrugging noncommittally, John replied, "Not tired anymore."

McKay eyed him skeptically and John was sure the scientist was considering questioning him on that. Instead, he merely shrugged and said, "Suit yourself." He yawned loudly once more before turning his attention to his data pad. Almost as an afterthought and without looking up, he waved towards the fire. "It's almost cold, but there's still some coffee left."

Considering it briefly, John decided against what had to be diesel strength coffee by now and settled for water from his canteen and a power bar. After finishing his breakfast, John spent the remaining time walking the perimeter of their small camp. At precisely 0600, he woke the others. He gave Teyla and Ford time to eat a quick breakfast then ordered them all to break camp and move out. Less than ten minutes later they were back on the trail.

As they started back on their trek, John called over his shoulder, "Let's try to keep the bickering to a minimum today, shall we?" He smiled at the look he was sure was on McKay's face as the scientist grumbled.

"Yes, sir," came Ford's reply. John could almost hear the smile behind the words.

The rest of the journey was made in silence, aside from the odd complaint about his feet from McKay. Three hours later, they could see the outline of the facility on the horizon.

Without breaking his stride, John asked, "McKay, how much further?"

"About another hour or so, I suppose."

While he would have preferred to keep going, John's bladder had other ideas. They took a short break to get a drink, a quick bite to eat, and to relieve themselves then continued on. Nearly an hour later, they arrived at their destination.

"Finally!" McKay babbled excitedly about the possibilities of what secrets were hidden within as he approached the building.

John stopped and held up his hand and made a fist, effectively halting Teyla and Ford. In his excitement, McKay paid no attention and was oblivious as he continued to walk. Sighing, John stuck out his arm and grabbed the scientist's pack as he passed him.

"Hold it right there, McKay."

Jerking to a stop, McKay stumbled. "What?" he asked impatiently.

"We need to check out the area first. Are you getting any readings that might indicate a force field or anything?"

Obviously annoyed, McKay opened his mouth to protest then wisely clamped it shut. "Fine." He held up his data pad, tapping on the screen a few times. Then he answered, "No. Nothing. Can we move on now?"

"No." John looked around by his feet then leaned over and picked up a large rock. "Not that I don't trust you," he said as he tossed the rock at the building. It bounced harmlessly off what looked like a door and fell to the ground. He shrugged at the impatient look on McKay's face. "Stay here," he told his team then he cautiously approached the building. Slowly, he reached out his left hand and touched the door. Nothing happened. Breathing a heavy sigh of relief, he turned back towards his team and waved them forward.

"Do your thing," he said as McKay stopped beside him.

Taking a step back, his P-90 pointed at the door, John watched as McKay studied the door. The scientist looked at his data pad then moved a little to the right and placed his hand on what looked to John like a hand scanner of some kind.

"Humph," McKay grunted. "That should have opened the door," he said in response to his teammates' unasked question.

"Maybe it requires someone with the natural ancient gene to open it," Ford remarked.

McKay threw the Lieutenant a dirty look, but said nothing.

John smiled, noting how Ford had emphasized the word natural. The young man never missed an opportunity to needle McKay. About anything and everything. Especially when it came to the subject that McKay was most sensitive about, the ATA gene. Taking several steps forward, John put his hand on the scanner as Rodney stepped aside.

At first, nothing happened and John began to wonder if the door had simply gotten stuck, or if it had been intentionally sealed. He was about to move his hand away and call it a day when the door slid open with a loud creak.

"What's that smell?" McKay asked, crinkling up his nose in disgust.

John too had noticed the foul odor. "Probably just musty from several thousands of years of disuse," he remarked as he pulled out his flashlight and switched it on. Carefully, he guided his team inside. The further into the facility they got, the more pungent the smell became.

They moved through the facility slowly, carefully examining each room they came to. Most of them were empty and appeared to have never been used; a few seemed to have been sleeping quarters and the rest were storerooms long since emptied of anything important.

There was something about the place that made John uneasy; he just couldn't put his finger on what that something was. The more they explored the facility, the more apprehensive he became. Looking back, he saw that Teyla and Ford seemed to have picked up on it as well. Faces hard, weapons gripped tightly, he could feel the tension emanating from them. Only McKay seemed blissfully unaware.

After nearly an hour of fruitless searching, they entered a very large room. The light from their flashlights was soaked up by the darkness. The persistent odor was stronger here and John nearly gagged. Hearing a retching noise behind him, John turned to see McKay doubled over, hands on his knees, head down. "You okay?"

McKay waved off his concern and stood up. "Fine." He flashed his own flashlight around the room, settling on a computer terminal a few feet to his right. "I think I can get the lights back on."

John motioned to Ford to follow McKay then whispered "Stand guard" to Teyla who nodded briskly and moved off. John had only moved a short distance when overhead lights flickered on. Though dim, they offered enough light to not need their flashlights anymore.

"Sorry," McKay said. "That's the best I can do."

John simply nodded and continued to walk. He could see that the room was even larger than he'd initially thought. The walls, what he could see of them, appeared to be lined with some type of holding tanks. In the dim light, he couldn't tell if they were empty or not. There were several more terminals similar to the one McKay was working at scattered around the room, as well as at least a half dozen exam tables. Suddenly, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. A slight movement in the far left corner caught his eye. John swore and yelled, "Fall back, now!"

TBC