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11/09/2005: "Nano Day 8"
Day 8 would have gone better if certain forces of life had not conspired against me. As it stands, I think I did all right. I've opened the file so I can start writing again, but there are too many people up here right now, and I've got a little bit of a headache. Normally I don't care, but right now I wish they'd all go away so I can have a quiet lab so I can concentrate and wallow in quiet and relative peace.
Word Count: 1224
Total Count: 9557
“This way,” McKay turned down another street, leaving Torn and Ronon to follow.
Torn eyed the ruins apprehensively. Not many dared to enter the ruins, for many reasons. One of them was out of respect for their fallen ancestors, another was to move on to another chapter in their history, some even said that returning could bring back the dreaded Deimos, but mostly it was because they were creepy.
There was no better word for it, demolished skyscrapers jutted up into the sky, their fragmented fingers resembling fingers of a skeleton. The walls of the old buildings were bleached with age, but the occasional scorch mark could still be made out in areas less exposed to the elements. Even though no one had lived there in over ten millennia, the whole place still reeked of death. When the wind blew through the buildings, Torn could swear he heard the moan of those killed by the Deimos.
The men he were guiding, the companions of the man who looked like the Schafer, did not appear to notice any of these things. The one they called McKay was in the lead, searching following some energy pattern on the device he’d been staring at when they first encountered the visitors from the Stargate. The other one, Ronon, was more silent, but did not share Torn’s hesitance in entering the ruins. He just kept glancing around, as if he were expecting an ambush around each corner.
“Exactly how many more twists and turns you plan on taking us on McKay?” Ronon grumbled. “The straightest path is always the easiest.”
“It’s not like This isn’t MapQuest!” McKay spat. “I’m trying to navigate this crazy maze as best I can. If you think you can do any better, by all means, be my guest.”
“We’ve been wandering around for almost an hour now.”
“Just keep your pants on, we’re almost there. I’d just rather not brave cutting through any of these buildings to save a few minutes. They don’t even look close to being structurally sound.”
“I thought we were almost there fifteen minutes ago.”
“Yes, but now we’re ever more almost there,” McKay said distractedly, eyes returning to his scanner. He suddenly stopped, causing Ronon to nearly run into him.
“What now?” The Satedan growled.
“We’re here,” McKay looked around them. They had navigated through narrow alleyways and what looked to have once been a highway complete with overpasses. If McKay had to wager a guess what the ruins around him once were, he’d have to wager Ancient suburbs. The shells of several dwellings of a decent size surrounded them. They were all in various states of disrepair and damage, some just a pile of rocks and corroded metal.
In front of him stood one of the more in-tact structures, with three out of it’s four walls still standing, and the roof in-tact. The architecture vaguely resembled that of Atlantis, but seemed to be some sort of off-shoot. Kind of like the roman pillars and marble tile you’d find in Suburbia America. Consoles, many of them smashed or long broken lined one of the walls, and a large object that reached halfway to the ceiling sat dead in the center.
“That’s it,” McKay stated confidently, moving forward, only to have his shoulder snagged by a large hand.
“Doesn’t look safe.”
“Pish posh, it’s got three walls and a roof. Couldn’t be more safe.”
“Didn’t you just say something about these buildings not being safe?”
“I was talking about those buildings. This one looks fine.” McKay shrugged his shoulder away from Ronon. “And what are you? My mother?”
“Sheppard told me to keep you safe.”
“No, he told you to keep me from blowing anything up. Look, no high explosives in my hand, just a little old scanner, and wait—” he fished into his pack and retrieved his laptop, “now there’s a computer.”
“What if it’s another weapon? How am I suppose to keep you from blowing that up?” Ronon fought not to smile as he saw McKay’s eye start to twitch. Sheppard was right, baiting the scientist was rather fun.
“Can we not go one hour without mentioning that damn thing? Look, scout’s honor I won’t accidentally turn it on if it’s a weapon of mass destruction. Daylight’s a wasting!”
Ronon shrugged, and McKay resumed his mad rush to investigate the new technology. Ronon started to follow, before realizing that their guide was not doing the same. He turned back to see the hunter hanging back.
“What’s wrong?”
Torn shook his head and approached Ronon cautiously. “It is nothing… just that being here makes me uncomfortable. There are rumors of spirits haunting the old city.”
“Spirits?” Ronon raised an eyebrow.
“Spirits of those killed by the Deimos. I try not to believe in old wives’ tales as such, but the air here is heavy. I do not like the feel of it.”
“I know what you mean,” Ronon admitted softly. The ominous feeling had not gone unnoticed by the former runner. He had been to many places when he was running from the Wraith, and had been to an abandoned city like this one once before. The feeling of unrest and ___ was just the same there as it was here. Still, he had his orders, even if they were unofficial. With that in mind he turned back to watch as McKay raced around the Ancient device.
“We only have a few hours before the sun will begin to set. Will he be done by then?”
Ronon snorted. “Don’t bet on it.”
“We should probably leave in hour, two at most. It is dangerous to travel at night. There are many creatures that roam the forests, and the terrain can be treacherous.”
“I’m sure he’ll be more cooperative if we mention the wild animals.”
* * * * *
The sun had started to sink down into the horizon by the time Sheppard and Teyla returned to the Elder’s house. They slipped in through the back door they’d used earlier, finding the kitchen empty. He’d radioed Ronon along the way, who reported that they had found the source of McKay’s mysterious energy signals, and that they would be back in the village before dark.
“We probably should have returned the normal way, Colonel Sheppard,” Teyla commented.
“Thanks, but no thanks. I’m avoiding my adoring public for a while. Wonder where Barclay is?”
“As I was saying, I do not believe he was expecting us to return in such a manner. It is more polite to use one’s front door. Or is that different on Earth?”
“Listen Teyla, next planet we find with a fifty foot statue of you, we’ll knock. Besides, he knows us, and knew we were coming back. What’s the harm?”
“Just a matter of manners Colonel,” she frowned at him. “Perhaps we should wait here or near the entrance. It would be impolite to go wandering around his home without an invitation.”
“I’ve been wondering,” Sheppard mused as he leant against the doorframe, “is this really his house? Naick made it sound more like a town hall.”
“It is both,” Barclay clarified as he entered the kitchen. “And you are all welcome to go where you wish. I assume you have talked to your leader.”
“Yup.”
“And what did she have to say?”
In the middle of the next line is when Little Hal had decided that I had written enough, TYVM, and ran out of battery, and refused to recognize that the AC adapter was plugged in. Hopefully the laptop will last me at least to the end of note taking season, if not the semester, before I have to send it off to Dell.