Chapter 13

They walked back to the control centre where they encountered Rodney McKay. He was saying something that was obviously upsetting one of the technicians when he spotted Sheppard and Felix.

Rodney finished with the technician and then came right up to Felix and said, "Ah good — there you are. I need to see these ... Wraith blower up thingies you claim to have made."

Then he looked at Colonel Sheppard and asked rapidly, "You are finished with him? Oh good, then we can get to the lab and get started."

Felix and Sheppard managed to ask at the same time, "Get started with what?" They looked at each other and then back at McKay and motioned for Rodney to continue.

McKay looked exasperated and he said, "Reverse engineering those ... things of yours to knock down Darts — remember?"

Sheppard nodded his head in remembrance while Felix stood there stoned-faced and silent. McKay asked, "Sergeant? We have work to do? Hello?" and snapped his fingers while Felix came back to reality from his quick flashback.

He shook his head and answered, "Yea, right, um ... well, therein lays the one minor problem, sirs. I don't have any on me as I said, but I do remember how to do it, and if I remember correctly we already can do it here."

McKay was very intent at that revelation as he replied, "What? How? What can we do here?"

Sheppard held out his hand for Rodney to slow down and let Felix answer; "When I was in the chair earlier I had the majority of the city contents run through my head, and I seem to remember roughly what they look like. Hang on a second and let me draw it." With that he removed his FMP from his pant cargo pocket, opened it to one of two unused pages, and quickly drew one of the Atlantean drones.

He showed McKay the rough picture as McKay then looked at Sheppard in amazement and said, "My god — those are the drones!"

He looked at Felix and asked, "This is what your Wraith busters are made from?"

Felix answered, "Yep — only took me 10 minutes or so to do the modifications and put it back together, partially buried it so the sensor was able to spot the incoming nasty — presto chango — done like dinner."

McKay was still stunned at this new information and said slowly, "We have lots of these right here in the city. And we use them in their normal way only. Incredible!"

He looked at Sheppard and asked again, "So, can I borrow him for a bit, Colonel? Thanks." And took Felix by the arm and started dragging him towards their lab while chatting about the various other applications of the drones.

Sheppard yelled at Felix, "Don't forget to have a coffee and lunch, Sergeant, otherwise he'll work you to death."

He saw the raised arm of acknowledgement as Rodney dragged him down the hall almost running now with the excitement of a new toy.

Rodney and Felix got to the lab in under a minute — with McKay talking non-stop the whole way. Felix was actually listening to what was being said and asked and answered to — all by McKay. They didn't enter the lab as burst into it in a flurry of excitement — Radek was already placing a drone on a vacant table — well, a cleared off table.

McKay was just about hopping and dancing with the excitement, and then Felix grabbed McKay by the face and squeezed his cheeks together so his face was scrunched up. Rodney got all indignant until Felix let go and said, "Hey Doc — focus here. If you don't pay attention to exactly what I do and how — this thing flies away at Warp Factor 9 — and I'm pretty sure that Doctor Weir would be just a little bit pissed at you for allowing that to happen. Now, are you going to stay calm for about 10 minutes — please? Like you, I need to concentrate."