Another Time Another Place

Another Time Another Place

Chapter 1

Stargate Atlantis!

Another Time, Another Place!

He couldn't understand why it wouldn't work. He had tried several simulations and everything seemed to be going fine. But actually conducting the real test all he ended up with was a whole lot of slop on a plate for trouble. You would think that with all the Ancient technology they had at their disposal and some technology they had taken from the Wraith that he could get something like this to work. It seemed so simple in theory and he was sure that with time he could perfect it. Doctor Rodney McKay gave his contraption a kick for good measure

"Owe! You stupid heap of junk!" he yelled hoping around on one foot

"Well that's certainly going to help." Sheppard said sarcastically having caught the last of McKay's tirade.

"Shut Up Major!"

"Now, now," Sheppard teased. "May I ask why you are kicking and yelling at inanimate objects?"

"Because said inanimate object won't work." he answered angrily still rubbing his sore foot.

"What is it anyway?" Sheppard asked, walking up to the strange contraption and fiddling with its parts.

Rodney limped over and slapped the Major's hands away

"Leave it alone before you break something." he snapped. Sheppard just raised an eyebrow.

"Oh I see you can kick it but I can't even touch it."

"Yes because it's mine, not yours." Rodney said then shook his head. Why was it whenever he was with this man they reverted back to children? "Go play with your own toys!" he added.

"Take it easy. I won't touch your damn … whatever it is!" John told him "What is it anyway?"

"It's complicated and you wouldn't understand." Rodney told him as he started putting his equipment away.

"Try me." John told him with a cheeky smile when all of a sudden a thought came to him. "Hey! We're on downtime right now. Don't you ever relax?"

"Yes I relax plenty. Now I have a lot to do so do you mind?"

"You still haven't told me what it is." John reminded him.

Rodney kept trying to evade his question, so John was more determined than ever to not let this drop. Besides it was always fun annoying his favourite scientist. Rodney sighed. He really didn't want anyone to know just yet what he had been working on. Especially Major Sheppard or Lieutenant Ford for that matter. But he also knew that Major John Sheppard could be like a dog with a bone when he wanted to be.

"Okay if you must know …" Rodney started but then hesitated.

"Yes?" John drawled out.

"Okay if you must know," Rodney started again "I was attempting to combine what we know about the Stargate's de-molecular process with Wraith beams, to hopefully make a Replicator!"

"Those techno bug's, I've read about in SGC mission files?" John asked incredulously. "It doesn't look like a bug. It looks more like a pop corn maker."

Rodney rolled his eyes

"No not Replicator's. A Replicator. You know like in Star Trek?" Rodney told him looking everywhere but at John.

"Let me get this straight." John said trying not to laugh "We are stranded in an Ancient city, up against a dangerous life sucking enemy and you're trying to make something out of a science fiction TV show."

"Yes, yes, yes laugh it up Major but if I succeed we'll never have to worry about running out of supplies." Rodney said indignantly. "Besides I'm doing this in my spare time. The little I have anyway."

John really didn't mean to laugh at him but here they were still trying to work out most of the Ancient technology and here's Rodney trying to create a whole new type of Technology. He looked over at Rodney as he mumbled to himself while roughly putting the contraption away. All in all it wasn't a bad idea but it just seemed a bit science fiction for him. He had to admit though that Rodney was right. It would come in handy if they were stuck here for years on end. Hopefully that wasn't the case. Hopefully they found a Z-PM and could contact Earth again. He shivered remembering the last time they had searched for a Z-PM. It ended up in a whole mess with him and Rodney being kidnapped then losing his ancient gene. Thank god that little crisis was truly over and done with now.

"What did you want Major?" Rodney asked bringing John back to the present.

"Oh nothing really. I just finished training with Teyla and thought I'd come and see what you were doing."

"You mean to say that you would see if you could annoy me."

"Would I do that?" John asked innocently.

"No, of course not," Rodney told him sarcastically as he walked passed him and out into the hallway.

"So I take it project Replicator is not working so well?" John asked following him out.

"In all the simulations I've run on the computer it works fine. But it is along way from practical use. That is of course unless you like to eat mush."

"We have bad enough food in the commissary and MRE's so I think you can count me out on the mush." John grimaced.