entity

John awoke with a start and looked around his bedroom. Nothing. It was just another morning with him waking up spooked for no reason at all. Since home was the office, he didn't hurry to get out of bed. Instead, he lay there and stared at the ceiling for a while. When he finally did get out, he felt sluggish and tired. He wished he could go back to sleep. But lately, he just felt weird about falling asleep anywhere in the house.

A long, hot shower later, he pulled on a pair of jeans and old sweater and made his way downstairs, feeling a little more human. As he stepped outside to pick up the mail and paper, he briefly turned his face up at the sky and closed his eyes, relishing the feel of the warm sun, wishing he was lying somewhere on a secluded beach instead of smack dab in the middle of the city.

On the way to the kitchen, a quick shuffle of the mail showed a selection of bills, preapproved credit cards, and way too many fliers. A bright blue one caught his eye and made him laugh: a bunch of doctors at the local university were asking for people who might have had experiences of the supernatural kind. Quacks, he thought as he threw everything on the kitchen counter.

He switched on the small TV, then put on some coffee and sat down at the counter, opening the paper and keeping an ear on the news. When the coffee maker beeped, John got himself a cup. As his hand reached for the pot, he recoiled when an electrical socket nearby suddenly sent out sparks. He frowned at it, then turned around when the toaster suddenly jumped on the counter. John took a step back, away from the appliances, as the blender suddenly started to spin so fast that it hopped on the counter.

John came up against the refrigerator, unaware that he'd been moving back at all. He stilled when he felt the fridge begin to vibrate against his back. He turned around slowly and stared at the fridge. His hand reached out slowly to open the door. The handle was warm to the touch. He threw open the door. Inside, everything was dark and heaving. John tilted his head to the side, staring, eyes widening, mouth falling open.

The lights in the kitchen began to flicker. Everything electrical whirred in its place, threatening to break free from restraining electrical cords.

John shut the refrigerator door and backed out of the kitchen. In the living room, the TV was on, the stereo was playing, and the lights were switching on and off as John stared in shock. He made his way down the hall, lights flickering above him and sockets sending out sparks. Reaching for his coat, which was hung nearby, John slowly opened the door. Then he ran.

Rodney McKay downed the entire can of Coke in one long swig and threw it over his shoulder, smiling when he heard it hit the wastepaper basket. He turned the volume up on the wall-mounted TV and propped his feet up on a chunky heater that was currently doing a bad job of warming the office.

The door burst open and he looked around, annoyed.

"We've got to go, McKay," Sam Carter said, dropping a red motorcycle helmet in his lap. "Didn't you get my page?"

"I can't. He's just about to have sex with a robot, and he doesn't know." Rodney threw the helmet back up. He heard Sam catch it.

Sam walked around him and switched off the TV. She held a helmet in each hand, glaring at Rodney from behind the rectangular frames of her trendy glasses. He tried not to notice the fit of her partially zipped leather jacket or skin-tight black jeans. He was well aware that if he chose to make his noticing apparent, he would end up eating both helmets.

"I just got a call from Svetlana. There's been an incident at the public library on Fourth Street," Sam said, holding out the red helmet.

"Svetlana Markov needs to put her education to use and get a real job," Rodney said, getting up and heading toward the TV.

Sam shoved the helmet against Rodney's stomach, forcing him to hold it, and twisted his ear. "McKay, you're coming."

Rodney pulled away with a grimace. "Okay, ow. I need that to hear with, you psychopath."

"Something's happened at the library. Someone saw something," Sam said with an excited grin.

"Hmm," Rodney said thoughtfully. "Someone saw something, you say? You think that something might have been, oh, say, a book falling off a shelf?"

Sam reached out and twisted Rodney's nipple through his T-shirt.

"God! Okay! Fine!" Rodney screeched.

Sam smiled. "McKay, this is the first time there's been a sighting by someone who wasn't mentally unhinged, on drugs, or looking to make a quick buck. This could be the real thing. We've been tracking this thing for over a year, and now we finally might have it. Aren't you even a little excited?"

Rodney peered down at his nipple. "I think you pulled it off."

"It'll grow back. Come on."

It took them ten minutes to get to the library and the basement stacks. Rodney, hand rubbing absently at his chest, followed Sam in. Svetlana was taking readings. When she heard them come in, she acknowledged them with a quick nod before she immediately turned back to her scans.

"Good, you are here," she said briskly. "There is definitely something down here."

Rodney gave Svetlana a humoring look. "And are you seeing it right now?"

Svetlana rolled her eyes at him as Sam moved to her side, looking at the energy readings on her handheld.

"Hey, remember the last time you said that? It was the janitor in the utility closet having some private time with his vacuum," Rodney said.

Sam pointed. "You haven't seen these readings, McKay. They're off the scale."

"Oh, something's off the scale all right, just a little more blonde and Russian than ghostly," Rodney said.

Sam reached out threateningly and Rodney took a defensive step back, his hands covering both nipples. "Fine," he said hastily. "Off the scale. How interesting."

"Could we work now, please?" Svetlana said without looking up.

"Work. Fine. Yes." Rodney set down his bag. He'd only have to break the laptop out if there was something scannable that they needed to record. The three of them started making their slow way around the stacks. Other than paper strewn all over the floor, there wasn't much out of the ordinary. Svetlana and Sam had disappeared into the stacks, and Rodney chose an aisle at random.

"Read it, read it, read it, hated it," Rodney mumbled, looking at the rows of books. "Could have been working at Area 51, but no, let's go chase things that go bump in the night--"

He stopped and looked up as the lights flickered over head.

"Okay, that's--" Rodney started, just as Svetlana, one aisle away, said, "Readings are showing odd energy surge, straight ahead," which was followed by Sam's "Whoa!"

Rodney gulped at the tinge of panic in Sam's voice, then heard the clatter of her boots. He had to go in. A moment later, all three of them burst out of the stacks and into the main aisle, stopping dead in their tracks when they saw the large black cloud hovering above them.

"Do you see that?" Sam whispered.

"The big black cloud?" Rodney whispered back.

"Yeah," Sam whispered.

"No. I'm not seeing it at all," Rodney replied, earning an annoyed look from Sam.

Sam held up her camera and began to photograph the cloud.

Svetlana slowly turned to look at Rodney, looking a little queasy. Sam, as usual, remained totally focused as she continued taking her photographs.

"You don't know what it is, do you?" Rodney asked. It was a rhetorical question, but after all, Svetlana was supposed to be the expert. When Svetlana shook her head, Rodney muttered, "Great. Just great."

"We should make contact," Sam said, eyes bright. She gave Rodney a small shove. "Go on."

"First of all, how do you even know it's sentient? For all we know, someone might have had an accident making toast. And second, why do I have to be the one to do it?"

Sam thought it over. "Men have more upper-body strength."

"It's a ball of black smoke, not a jar of pickles," Rodney hissed.

Sam stuck her camera back in its bag and handed it to him. "Fine. I'll do it. So much for Mr. Fantastic."

Svetlana and Rodney watched as Sam took a few tentative steps forward and loudly addressed the cloud. "Hello. My name's Dr. Samantha Carter."

They watched as the cloud hovered for a moment before rising up to the ceiling and spreading across it.

"Oh no, look at this," Svetlana stuck the handheld in front of Rodney's face.

"Energy surge. Energy surge." Rodney gulped. "Okay, I'm smelling certain death here."

The lights began to flicker wildly. They watched as the cloud began to grow larger before lightning crackled across the room. Before Rodney could do more than drop Sam's camera case, all three of them were thrown across the room. A second later, he found himself flat on his back, staring at the ceiling. The cloud had disappeared.

Sam was scrabbling for the dropped handheld and then crawling over to Svetlana as Rodney continued to stare at the ceiling, mouth hanging open.

"We've got data!" Sam yelled. "Svetlana, take a look at this."

"Whatever it is, I don't care," Rodney said, sitting up. His skin felt tender and sunburned. "I quit. Getting charbroiled by unidentifiable entities was not in the job description."

"Rodney, I think we have enough data to build containment unit to hold this entity, if we can catch it. Indefinitely." Svetlana was smiling.

Rodney squinted at her. She looked as sunburned as he felt. "Oh?" he said.

Sam added, "Can you imagine that? We could actually catch it and take our research to the next step. This is big."

"You're serious about this?" he asked. The manic grins on their faces were catching.

He smiled. Fame--fortune--they could have it all. His research on grander things would have to take a back seat, not that it would be a huge drawback. Most of his thoughts were recorded on cocktail napkins and coasters. "Markov, I take back all that stuff I said about you being a drunk. Sam? Sorry about all those rumors."

Sam gave Rodney a hand up. "Let's get back to Svetlana's shop," she said. "I want to feed the handheld info into the computer and run some simulations."

"Here, take the keys. I have to talk to the librarian," Svetlana said. "I have overdue books."

Papers were graded, and he had no more lectures that afternoon. The freedom had made Rodney give into the temptation to disappear for a while--after all, it was such a nice, clear day. So he had pulled on his jacket, draped his scarf around his neck, and opened the window, appreciating for once that he, Sam, and Markov had lucked out on the worst office space, but the best escape route. With one leg out of the window, he reached for his bag. It was his bad luck that the door to the office had to open just then.

A man walked in and stopped. His hazel eyes were uncertainly looking at Rodney as he sat straddling the windowsill. Rodney stared right back, looking the man up and down. His clothes were casual and rumpled under a long black coat; his hair pointed in interesting directions. There was a familiar blue flier in his hand. To Rodney's knowledge, this was the best result the fliers had produced so far.

"Can I help you?" Rodney asked pleasantly, as if using windowsills as seating were completely normal.

"I'm not sure," the man said, giving Rodney a suspicious look. "I'm looking for Dr. Carter."

Rodney nodded. "Carter's not here right now, but I'm sure I can help you." He gave the stranger a long, appraising look. Even in his rumpled state, the man was extremely attractive--his unkempt hair was already growing on Rodney. The pale shirt under the coat was full of creases, and his demeanor was a little ruffled. Rodney tried to pull his mind away from the notion of rolling around in the hay with a man he hardly knew.

The man frowned at him. "Uh, yeah. It's in regards to this flier."

"Right, well, why don't you take a seat? I'm Dr. Rodney McKay, by the way." Rodney held out a hand.

The man accepted the hand, still looking extremely on edge. "John Sheppard."

Rodney couldn't help himself. He gave the hand a nice long, hard squeeze. John frowned at the unnecessarily long handshake and pulled away hard--so hard that Rodney lost his balance. He overcorrected, then fell backward. Luckily, it wasn't a bad fall--it was only a few feet down, and some shrubbery was nicely placed. Still, after he crushed the bushes and rolled off, he landed hard on his back.

"Hey, Dr. McKay!" he heard a student voice holler from somewhere. Rodney held up a hand in greeting, still lying on the ground.

Then John's tousled head popped out of the window above Rodney. "Is this a bad time for you?"

Rodney closed his eyes and groaned. When he opened them, a pair of forest-colored eyes was watching him suspiciously. "No, of course not. Why don't you fill me in on what you want to tell Dr. Carter?" Rodney asked, folding his hands and crossing his feet at the ankles.

John peered down at him. "Do you think maybe you might want to get up first?"

Rodney looked around. Actually, now that he'd gotten his wind back, he didn't mind the ground, although admittedly it was a little chilly. "No, no. This is good for me. Sometimes, I like to lie here and think about a lot of, um, deep...stuff. Things the Dalai Lama speaks of, mostly."

"You know, I'm sorry I wasted your time. I think I'll be going now."

Rodney sat up with a groan, spine cracking. "Okay, wait. I'm up, I'm up. Look, come on out here and we can go see her--Dr. Carter."

John frowned, giving the window a suspicious glance. "I'm not sure I..."

Rodney gave the man a steady look. "You've seen something, right?"

John seemed hesitant. "Yeah."

"Well, I can promise you I'm not exaggerating when I say my colleagues and I might be the only ones that can help you. So come on out here, because I can't wait around. I've got people looking for me."

"Do they have white coats?" John asked with a raise of an eyebrow.

Rodney stared and then smiled. "Oh, I see what you did there. Nice. Not just a pretty face." He stood up and brushed himself off. "Well. You coming or not?"

John gave the window a cautious look, putting a foot on the sill and jumping out. He landed mostly on his feet, then lurched straight into Rodney. Rodney put his hands out against John's chest, steadying the other man, and offered a little smile. John frowned and stepped back. Rodney nodded toward the street.

The walk to Svetlana's shop was a short one. John stayed tight-lipped and looked a little jumpy as he strode next to Rodney. He looked tired and worn out too, not that it even began to harm his appearance. No ring on his finger either, Rodney noticed--so at least a fifty percent chance he was single. Of course, how anyone could let a guy that looked like John Sheppard out of the house made no sense at all, so maybe the chance he was single was a little higher than fifty percent. Of course, there were other small details involved in the pursuit of a good man, but they weren't always important. Not as far as wishful thinking went.

When they arrived and John had been established as a potential client, Svetlana was quick to shut the shop down. She ushered them into the back and made some tea while Sam wired John up to things that looked unstable and dangerous.

When everything was ready, Rodney sat close to John as John explained the events that had taken place. Svetlana monitored the lie detector, and Sam videoed the whole thing. As John spoke, Rodney realized that this was big: electrical disturbances, flickering lights, possessed appliances, hot guys named John Sheppard. All of it was very, very big.

"...and then I opened the fridge door and there was this...I dunno, like a black cloud in it, only it wasn't like a cloud. It was like--" John gave up, shaking his head. "I don't know what the hell it was. Everything just went crazy. The toaster, the blender--everything was just going nuts."

Rodney looked shiftily to Svetlana and then John. "Not really what we've come to expect from the average kitchen appliance. Markov? What do you think?"

"Well, he is telling the truth. Or at least he thinks he is." Svetlana set the readout down.

John looked visibly annoyed. "Why the hell would someone lie about something like this?"

"Boredom. Insanity. Some people are just looking for a date." Rodney leaned back in his chair. "Not to say that you're one of these crazy people. Or looking for a date. Are you?"

John's face had a look somewhere between incredulous and utterly confused. He ignored Rodney and turned to the women instead. "Look, do you have any idea what's going on here? I mean, I'm starting to think I'm crazy."

Sam and Svetlana gave each other apprehensive glances before Svetlana pulled up a chair.

"We have been tracking similar apparition sightings for almost a year now. All we know for sure is that sightings have become more frequent in last few months. This is first time that one has actually happened in someone's home and not in large public space. Actually, is very exciting."

"You're only the second witness who hasn't been completely unhinged," Sam said. The look she gave Rodney was one of approval. This made two: first the librarian, and now John.

John licked his lips and gave an uneasy nod. "Well, I'm happy for you, but I've been sleeping on my friend's couch for the last four days and it's really beginning to piss him--and me--off."

Rodney took the opportunity to intervene. He got up and placed a hand on John's shoulder, giving him a manly shake. Much more muscle than was immediately evident lay within. There it was again: images of rolling around in the hay. He wondered why it was always hay. "What's the matter with you people?" he asked Sam and Svetlana rhetorically. "This man needs our help."

John wordlessly removed Rodney's hand from his shoulder as Rodney stood behind him, widening his eyes at Sam and Svetlana.

"Now, I suggest you both make some progress on that containment unit and I'll go check John out." Rodney closed his eyes momentarily before hastily correcting himself. "Go check John's house out."

To Rodney's annoyance, Sam was trying not to laugh at him. "Fine," she said. "Take the handheld. Give us a call if anything happens."

John unlocked the front door as Rodney got equipment out of his car.

"Let me go in first," Rodney yelled as he slammed the trunk shut and ran up the path. "I'm a professional."

"A professional what exactly?" John muttered, stuffing mail in his pocket. "Need any help with that?"

Rodney unslung the duffel bag and shoved it into John's hands. "Thanks," he said, switching on the gadget in his hand. "Okay. I'm going in."

John rolled his eyes as Rodney gallantly walked ahead. John kicked the door shut behind them and watched the other man walk around and observe the handheld device. In his Superman T-shirt, torn blue jeans, and a worn-out brown jacket, he didn't look like much of a scientist. His hair was a little scruffy, though, even if it was short, so maybe he would have the Einstein thing going on one day.

"Everything looks so normal," John said as he trailed Rodney around the house.

"Nice big place," Rodney said, his back to John. "Live here alone?"

"Uh, yeah," John said.

"No girlfriend?"

"No," John said, picking up a magazine from the floor and placing it on a nearby table.

"Boyfriend?" Rodney asked casually.

John scowled at the back of Rodney's head. "What the hell does that have to do with anything?"

Rodney turned around, looking serious and professional. "Look, I'm a scientist and I'm asking you these questions for a reason. They're all standard--standard questions."

"No," John said slowly. "I do not have a boyfriend."

Rodney gave a nod. "You know, I notice you were quicker to respond about not having a girlfriend. What's that about?"

John rolled his eyes, blowing out an irritated breath. "You know, you don't act like a scientist."

"Really? What do I act like?" Rodney asked, openly looking John up and down.

"A used car salesman," John said flatly.

Rodney blinked several times before smiling and turning away. "What's upstairs?"

"Just the bedroom," John said with a sigh. "But nothing ever happened in there."

"Really?" Rodney muttered. "What a crime."

John's mouth opened to air his objection but came out as a huff of surprised laughter. He shook his head and glared at the other man. "Dr. McKay. You came all the way across town--don't you think it might be a good idea to check out the kitchen? You know, where I actually saw the cloud?"

Rodney gave a small nod. John cocked a thumb at the doorway to the kitchen. Rodney went in, John following. The kitchen looked normal. Everything was clean, neat, and tidy; every appliance was in its place.

John frowned and pointed. "Son of a bitch. It drank my coffee!"

Rodney scanned the coffee maker. "Hmm. Sounds like an intelligent life form." Rodney picked up the empty coffeepot and sniffed it. "Doesn't smell like anything."

"It beeped. Before I saw the cloud, I made coffee, and the coffee maker beeped. Trust me, there was coffee."

Rodney waved the pot. "Well, it's completely empty now."

"I see that," John said, annoyed by his own frustration.

Rodney opened a cabinet. "You don't eat much, do you?"

John craned his neck as he looked in the cabinet. His mouth dropped open as Rodney opened another one, then another. All of them were completely empty. "What? No! This wasn't like this when I left it. There was stuff here. Noodles and pasta sauce and capers and--stuff."

Rodney gave a nod as he came to the fridge. "An apparition that eats people's food and drinks their coffee. I admit that that's a first." He deployed the handheld.

"Okay, let's, uh, let's do this." Rodney reached out slowly and opened the fridge door. "Oh my god. Hamsters must eat more than you."

John grabbed the edge of the door and opened it fully. The fridge, like the cabinets, was completely empty. "What the hell? No, there was stuff in here, there was food. But that thing was in here too."

John noticed the almost suspicious way Rodney was watching him. He shut the refrigerator door hard. "I'm not crazy. There was a black cloud in here. Before that, the appliances--the appliances all turned on and were dancing around. The blender was blending! The toaster was toasting! And when I walked through the living room on my way out, the TV was on--the lights--the stereo--everything. There were sparks coming out of the electrical sockets."

Rodney nodded, laying a hand on John's shoulder. "I don't think you're crazy," he said softly.

John looked at the warm and heavy presence on his shoulder, rolling his eyes. "Great. That makes me feel so much better."

John pushed past Rodney, the other man following him out of the kitchen and into the living room. John's hand seemed to shake a littler as he raked his fingers through his hair.

"I think I need to gather more conclusive evidence here before my colleagues and I can devise a solution for your situation," Rodney said.

John turned around wearily. "Fine. What do you want to do?"

"Spend the night," Rodney said with a nod.

John stared, finding the serious look on Rodney's face completely unbelievable. "You've got to be kidding me."

"What? It's for purely scientific reasons," Rodney said.

"You sure you're a scientist?" John asked. "Because I'm seriously having some doubts here."

"Well, that's probably because I don't really fit the scientist bill. You know, stuffy, boring, and uncharismatic."

John arched an eyebrow. "Right. You know what? Maybe it's time you left, Dr. McKay."

"And speaking of undeniably strong sexual attraction, I'm thinking we should probably meet up for dinner tonight or something," Rodney said casually.

"I don't think so," John said, folding his arms across his chest.

"Well, tonight's a little short notice," Rodney admitted. "But I'm very flexible. What do you say? We get together. Toss around a few ideas. A salad, maybe."

"No."

"It doesn't have to be salad," Rodney said with a shrug. "I don't even like salad. I was just thinking of your health."

John pointed to the door. "Out."

"Okay, fine. We don't have to eat if that's what you want," Rodney said as John grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the front hallway and the exit. "Look, at least call me if something else happens. My card--here's my card."

"Fine," John said, pushing Rodney out. Rodney pushed back in, popping his head through the small gap just in time to get a face full of coat.

"No kiss?" he asked, leaning in.

John grabbed his face and pushed it back out, shutting the door.

"Can I at least have my stuff?" Rodney's voice sounded muffled through the door.

John sighed and pressed his forehead across the door, wondering what was more dangerous: Rodney McKay, or a coffee-drinking cloud.

It was late in the evening when Rodney dropped by at Svetlana's Occult Shoppe. The door was open, although the CLOSED sign was in the window. Inside, Sam was sitting behind the counter, eating a slice of pizza and peering at her laptop screen.

Rodney sighed and pulled out a stool kept on the customer side of the counter. He sat down and grabbed a slice of pizza from the nearby open box. "Where's Markov?"

"On the phone," Sam said, looking up at him with a grin. "So, how did your date go?"

"It wasn't a date, it was an investigation," Rodney said flatly.

"See anything nice?" Sam asked.

Rodney sighed. "No. He's not that kind of girl."

They both grinned as Markov came out from behind the curtain. She gave Rodney a nod and went to stand behind the counter.

"Does this place actually make any money?" Rodney asked her.

"Would I be working part-time at the university if it did?" Markov asked.

Rodney gave a nod. "How come we never get paid for covering you when you're not here?"

"Because I do not ask you to offer service with a smile." Markov exaggerated her Russian accent. "That is American policy, not mine."

Rodney shrugged. "Guess that's fair."

"I just got a call. There has been another sighting," Markov said.

Sam frowned. "Really? That's three in one week."

"It is at the Grand Palace Hotel. Spooked some guests. We should take a look."

"Remember what happened the last time we took a look? We ended up looking like lobsters," Rodney said.

"Yes, but this time, we have a chance of catching it," Markov said seriously.

Rodney turned to Sam. "Has she been at the vodka again?"

Sam grinned. "We finished the containment unit and the temporary trap."

Rodney frowned and looked at his watch. "How long was I gone?"

As Rodney crept slowly down the corridor, visor pulled down over his eyes, he kept the nozzle aimed and ready to fire. It occurred to him that walking around a hotel in a cranberry-colored boiler suit with an unlicensed nuclear-powered vacuum cleaner strapped to his back was probably one of the least smart moves he had ever made.

"Splitting up is always a bad idea," he said into his headset. "Seriously, didn't those bad horror movies ever teach you anything? Splitting up means death, usually after being turned into a vampire or a zombie."

"Keep talking," Svetlana's voice crackled back. "I am sure you will be safe as long as you do not shut up."

"Yes, very funny, Svetlana," Rodney grumbled.

"Guys. Shut up!" Sam said, sounding excited. "I just saw something!"

"Define something," Rodney said, becoming a bit more alert.

"I'm not sure. It's not one of ours," Sam replied.

Rodney frowned. "What? What do you mean?"

Markov's voice said, "Is not one of the free-floating, dark entities?"

"It's a floater all right," Sam said. "Ugly little spud. It's less of a cloud and more of a blob, though. Crap. I just lost it. Keep a look out, guys. We seriously need to grab this one."

Rodney shook his head and rounded the corner into an adjoining corridor. Then he saw it. The blob was smaller than the entity they'd seen in the library. It seemed to be some kind of gelatinous apparition, almost transparent and yet tinged blue, hovering up near the lights and making them flicker.

"Sam," Rodney hissed. "It's here."

"Where's here?"

"Outside room thirty-eight," Rodney said quietly, his grip on the nozzle tightening.

"I'm coming. Try not to lose it," Sam ordered.

"What do you want me to do? Entertain it with amusing anecdotes about my childhood?"

"She said to try not to lose it, not drive it away, Rodney."

"Oh, great, a Russian comedian. My life is complete," Rodney said as the blob floated away from the ceiling.

"Oh, this...is not good," Rodney mumbled as the blob slowly began to scoot toward him. "Sam? Sam!"

Rodney pointed his nozzle and tightened his finger on the trigger, but the blob rushed toward him with amazing speed. For a moment, everything was freezing cold. Then it went black. When he opened his eyes, he was covered in cold, blue slime, shivering, and nauseated. Sam and Svetlana were on either side of him. As he blinked at them, Sam triumphantly held up the smoking trap: she'd clearly caught the entity.

He rolled onto the side, bile rising from his stomach.

"You okay?" Sam asked, rubbing his back.

Rodney made a face and extended his hand to Svetlana, who shied away rather than helping him up. "I got slimed."

They bundled him into the back of Svetlana's van, made a stop to move the entity into the containment unit in the basement of Svetlana's shop, and then brought him home. It took both of them to dump him in the shower, fully clothed. Rodney groaned, head against the tiles as the hot shower beat down on him. As nonproductive days went, this had been a real stinker. When the slime had been mostly rinsed off, he stepped out of the shower, half-heartedly dried himself off, and pulled on some sweats and a thick sweater. He was still shivering when he walked into the living room, so he grabbed the throw from the back of the couch, wrapped it around himself, climbed over the back of the couch, and slumped down, face first.

Svetlana sat in the armchair, watching him, and Sam sat on the floor. Both women, coffee mugs in hand, looked grim.

"How are you feeling?" Sam asked.

"Like I'm going to throw up," Rodney said, closing his eyes and burying his face into the cushion. "What the hell was that?"

There was silence, and it went on for too long, so he opened his eyes and looked at his friends. "What?"

"Something weird happened tonight, McKay," Sam said, placing her mug on the coffee table.

"That's not exactly news," Rodney said, reluctantly sitting up as he tightened the throw around him.

"McKay, before I saw that thing, I saw one of the hotel staff wheeling away a cart of food."

"So?"

Sam looked at Svetlana a little sheepishly.

"What?" Rodney urged.

"It had Jell-O on it. Blue Jell-O. And right before I found the entity, I was thinking about how I really wanted some," Sam said flatly.

Rodney looked at Svetlana. "Is she drunk?"

Svetlana made a huffing sound and leaned forward. "Rodney, we think it is a telepathic entity that can assume shape by using thought projections of others. This is not good."

Rodney looked at both women, his eyes widening. "It can turn into stuff we think about? You turned it into Jell-O?"

"Hey, be glad I wasn't thinking about the plutonium powering our packs. There wouldn't be enough of you to bring back in a paper bag," Sam said.

"You know, it can't be very intelligent if it chose Jell-O as its form," Rodney said.

Sam stood up. "We're going to go back and run some tests. You should call that guy--what's his name? Sheppard. If these apparitions can assume forms and there's one hanging around his house. he could be in danger. You think you'll be okay?"

Rodney sighed and flopped back down on the couch. "I just got slimed by blue Jell-O. I don't think the day can get any worse."

After his second restless night back home, John had given up trying to sleep. He rolled out of bed feeling like a crumpled piece of paper. He stood in the shower for a while, forehead pressed against the wall, as his body began to wake up. Since the disturbance, he had been functioning on as little sleep as possible. Every tiny noise in the house woke him up in an instant.

He'd kind of gone off coffee too.

He got dressed, went downstairs, poured himself a glass of orange juice, and left the kitchen. As he headed for the living room, he had what had become the usual creepy feeling on the back of his neck that someone was right behind him.

His answering machine was already blinking with a message--he'd probably been in the shower when the phone rang--so he played it while flipping through muted TV channels. He recognized the voice.

"Hello, John, this is Doctor Rodney McKay. There's been a serious development in your case and I was thinking maybe we could meet to talk about it. Meet me around noon at the park just around the corner from campus. It's very important and not just me trying to hit on you. I'll do that when I see you. Don't be late. I'm a very busy legitimate scientist. Okay, bye. Oh, and you have a very nice phone voice--seriously, most people just sound stupid."

John shook his head and laughed. The guy was a whack job, yet there John was, hitting the button to play the message again.

When John arrived at the park, he found Rodney sitting on a swing, slowly pushing himself back and forth, his arms around the chains of the swing. He held a book in his lap. John felt a small smile tug at the corner of his mouth, although he had no idea why. He came to a stop near Rodney and cleared his throat. Rodney looked up, a little surprised, and gave a small, pleased smile as he closed his book.

"So, I see you couldn't keep away," Rodney said.

John frowned. "You called me here to talk about the black cloud that drank my coffee and ate my food. Right?"

"Yes, absolutely. But it has to be in private at a fine restaurant," Rodney said seriously.

"Are you kidding me?"

"Well, when I say 'fine,' I mean the only reason it hasn't been shut down is because the clientele like the menu enough to risk food poisoning."

John glared at Rodney.

"Okay, fine. I'll cancel the reservation. Sit down. I've got something important to tell you." Rodney tilted his head toward the adjacent swing.

John eyed the swing for a moment before carefully sitting down.

"My friends and I had a run-in with another one of those entities. Only we found out something a little worrying."

John nodded, giving Rodney his complete attention.

"We think the entities have the ability to assume different forms based on the thought projections of anyone close by," Rodney said.

John watched the other man. Was this a joke? Rodney looked serious. "It can read minds and change into stuff?"

Rodney nodded. "Yes. You should probably move in with a physicist while the situation's being dealt with. That's my advice."

John smiled, giving a small shake of the head. "Seriously, this thing can read my mind and turn into something I think about?"

"Yes, which is why you should probably not think about me when you're on your own," Rodney said, going for serious, but breaking into a smile.

John stared at the other man. "You're a real weird guy, you know that? I mean, seriously weird."

"But you like it, right? What am I saying? Of course you like it."

John ignored the remark with an arched eyebrow. "Any idea what the hell that thing might have been doing in my refrigerator?"

"I'm checking on that. I think we should meet Thursday night at nine to talk about it," Rodney said, utterly serious.

John gave Rodney an amused look. "Rodney--"

Rodney held up a hand. "Um, excuse me, I'm a very busy man. I have students to dodge, colleagues to annoy, and weird, floaty, shape-shifting things to catch. You think I enjoy giving up my evenings, just to talk about possessed kitchen appliances? No, absolutely not. I'm making an exception for you because I respect you as a very attractive man with great hair."

John smiled, though he tried not to. "Are you on medication?"

"No, but I can be if that's what works for you," Rodney replied instantly.

"I'm probably going to regret this." John narrowed his eyes at Rodney and got up. "Fine. Thursday. Nine. Try not to be so weird."

"Sure. I'll even wear a tie," Rodney said with a grin.

John clamped his mouth shut against any more silly smiling, urging himself to not fall for strange men in Batman T-shirts. "I'll see you on Thursday, Rodney."

"What? No kiss?" Rodney called after him. His eyes were smiling along with his mouth.

John felt his face warm--an actual, honest-to-god blush. He turned around and walked away with a shake of the head.

"I'll pick you up on Thursday, then," Rodney yelled. "Nine o'clock. Remember, I'm all that stands between you and a coffee-guzzling cloud."

John smiled and kept walking.

When Rodney arrived at the campus office, Svetlana was silently working at her computer and Sam was in quiet conversation with a student. Rodney went straight to his desk and turned on the computer. The office remained quiet until the student left. Sam closed the door as Svetlana and Rodney turned around in their seats.

"Rodney, where were you? There was a faculty meeting this afternoon and we were all supposed to be there," Sam said, shuffling through the papers and books on her desk.

"I went to see John," Rodney said. "Why? Anything interesting happen?"

"Besides them threatening to nail the window shut? Not really. However, there is this." Sam found what she was looking for. She displayed a large map of the city.

"I see a map with black dots," Rodney said, leaning forward in his chair to get a better look.

"All the sightings this month," Svetlana said.

Rodney looked at the map again, noting the concentration of dots. "That's a lot of dots."

Sam nodded and sat down, wheeling her chair nearer to Rodney and Svetlana. "Another increase, McKay. Also, this morning, we got three calls about separate sightings. These were varying entities, of different shapes and sizes. Something's happening out there. The sightings are becoming more frequent."

"One of them attacked a man," Svetlana said. "I spoke to his family. They said doctors could have sworn he had been hit by lightning."

"Sounds like our library spook," Rodney said. "If they're getting dangerous, this could be a problem."

"Someone from the mayor's office came down to talk to us. Apparently someone saw our fliers," Sam said quietly. "I told them we were just researchers. I just hope they don't decide to carry out any random searches."

"That is easy for you to say," Svetlana said. "You are not Russian with a containment unit in your basement or plutonium-powered equipment. I get searched, I get deported. Or worse, I have to wear orange for a very long time."

Both Sam and Svetlana looked grim.

Rodney just gave a nod. He had more important things on his mind. "Oh, hey, guess what? I have a date."

John leaned back in his chair and stretched, eyes tired after staring at the laptop screen for so long. He shut it off, got up from the dining room table, and headed for the kitchen, which had become a bit of a worrying trip after he had discovered a cloud in his fridge. Of course, now he had to worry about it reappearing and turning into whatever was going on in his head.

John smiled with amusement as Rodney instantly popped into his thoughts. Could the man really be as much of an oddball as he seemed? After all, someone had employed him to teach students who held the future of the nation in their hands. He couldn't be that weird.

John was just about to reach for the fridge door when a sound from the living room stopped him. He frowned, then slowly turned and listened. It sounded like the TV, although he was sure he hadn't left it on.

He walked out of the kitchen and into the living room. The TV was on, but the picture was jumping, as if something was causing interference. John picked up the remote from the coffee table and flicked through the channels. All the stations were equally hard to view. A moment later, the screen went completely black, and he couldn't make it turn back on, despite repeatedly pushing the "power" button on the remote. John was still staring at the TV when the phone rang and made him jump.

"Shit," he muttered, annoyed at himself. He threw the remote on the couch and reached for the phone, but the phone flew away, as if snatched by someone. It smashed into the far wall and fell to the floor in pieces. John watched it, stunned. "Okay, that's not good," he mumbled. It was time to head back to his friend's house and his friend's incredibly uncomfortable couch.

He was halfway across the room when the cord from the telephone snaked across the floor and wrapped itself tightly around his ankles, pulling his feet from under him. John landed hard. He reached for the cord, hurriedly trying to free himself, when he found the power cord from his laptop slapping across his wrist, pulling it away from his ankle. John reached with his free hand to pry the power cord away, but it simply wrapped around his wrists, binding them both together.

"No!" John yelled as the cord tightened hard.

He headed for the hall, crawling on his side as best he could while trussed. But as he reached the threshold of the living room, the hallway began to fill with darkness.

"Crap." John changed position and pushed himself back into the living room, eyes on the dark hallway.

There was something different about this entity. It was larger than the one in his refrigerator had been--darker and thicker. John tried to rein in his thoughts as the darkness retreated into the center of the hall, forming into some kind of shape--a featureless human shape, John saw. It was nothing more than human-shaped black smoke. And it was slowly drifting toward John, the feet never touching the ground.

you...a host

John frowned when he heard the sound, if it was a sound at all. In fact, it was more like thoughts that had just appeared in his head.

"What?" John asked, moving back as the entity inched closer.

host

John gave a nervous nod. "Right. So, you talk. That's good, because we can...talk. Or, I can talk and you can do--whatever it is you're doing."

you will be my host

The words were sharper, and somehow John could sense a strong sense of purpose behind them.

"Host? That mean what I think it does?" John asked, because it didn't sound good.

I need this body

"No offense, but I was here first," John said.

I have chosen you

In one single swoop, the entity was suddenly hovering right by his feet. John stiffened, unable to move as his back touched the couch. He watched the entity's wispy hand stretch out toward him. John jerked his head back, eyes fixed on dark fingers that seemed transparent at the tips.

The hand hovered over his chest and then touched him, sending fire into his veins and making him scream. A moment later, without warning, the entity rushed backward. John lay on the ground, panting as he stared at the entity. The entity looked as though it was searching: its head was turning left and right.

he is here

The entity swooped at John again. He could see that this time, it was fractionally different, as though within the darkness there were darker lines, features, a cruel smile. A hand that looked more solid reached out and pointed as he closed his eyes against the pain in his chest.

I will return for you

In a tornado-like twist of wind, the entity seemed to fill the whole room with black before disappearing completely.

John let out a breath he had no idea he'd been holding. The cords around his wrists and ankles loosened and fell away. John shook off the bindings and turned onto his side, pulling his arms in close to his chest, where he could still feel the burn of the entity's touch. He felt sapped of energy, but he knew he couldn't stay there too long. In fact, it was likely that every moment he stayed just put him in more danger. With great difficulty, John got to his feet. He stumbled and almost fell as he made it to the hallway and searched for his car keys.

One hand still held close to the searing pain in his chest, the other clutching his long, black coat, John managed to make his way to the car. He sat there for a while, head pressed against steering wheel as he waited for the pain to subside. It was a long time before he felt composed enough to start the engine. His hands shook as he put the key in the ignition.

Instead of driving to his friend's house, as he had planned, he found himself heading for Svetlana's shop. It was deserted when he walked in, much like the last time he had visited. He wasn't surprised that the door was unlocked, even at this odd hour. He looked around for the owner, then headed toward women's voices coming from the back. They apparently hadn't heard the bell.

"...something is very strange. For every entity we have added to the unit, there has been a strange energy fluctuation and increase in energy output of entities. It is as if every addition makes the other entities stronger."

"Wait a second--this can't be right. It says here we've only got twenty in holding. I was sure the number was twenty-seven."

"Yes, that is the other thing. The entities we are holding have been reducing in number. First I thought perhaps the containment causes some kind of particle decay, but then I noticed that although the numbers are decreasing, the entities remaining have somehow become more--more charged. It is as if they are borrowing energy from each other."

"You think they're merging."

"And if we add more and they continue to merge, I think we will no longer be able to contain them."

"Great. We've managed to create mutant energy monsters."

John pushed aside the curtain. Svetlana and Sam stared at him, surprised.

"Hey," he said. "I think I need your help."

Rodney walked out of the elevator, eyes on the newspaper in one hand, his other hand rummaging through his pockets for the keys to his apartment. When he opened the door, he found the lights on and Svetlana and Sam seated at the kitchen table, cartons of Chinese food between them. Rodney looked at them, brow furrowed. He kicked the door shut and he headed to the table, helping himself to a shrimp from one of the cartons as he held the newspaper in front of Svetlana.

"What is it?" Sam asked as Rodney pulled up a chair and grabbed a carton.

"Sightings have made the paper," Svetlana replied, passing the paper to Sam. "This is very bad. I am moving back to Russia."

"It's not bad. You know what this means? A real research opportunity with good funding. When the university finds out we've already trapped over two dozen of these things, they'll finally move us into an office that has heating and air conditioning," Rodney said.

Svetlana rolled her eyes. "Rodney. When these people find our fliers all over the city, the police will be knocking on our doors first. Average American citizens are not supposed to have nuclear equipment their house. Average Russian residents in America are supposed to have them even less."

"Hey, I'm sure they won't take kindly to a Canadian with illegal components under his bed either," Rodney answered.

"Oh, please. You are Canadian. They will think you are harmless," Svetlana said with a snort.

"It's a common misconception," Sam said. "It'll cost us all in the long run."

Rodney and Sam shared grins as Svetlana stabbed the contents of a carton with her chopsticks.

Rodney was reaching for Sam's beer when the door to his bedroom opened, stopping him. He looked up with a frown, and a second later, John stepped out.

"Hey," John said, holding up a hand in tentative greeting.

Rodney got up from the table. "Hey. What are you doing here?" Things were looking up: John had seen his bedroom and hadn't run screaming. It was a start, anyway.

"Using your bathroom," John said with a tilt of the head.

"You came all the way across town to use my bathroom? Can't say I trust the sanity of that decision," Rodney said. The other man looked pale and worn out.

John offered a smile and shrug, and both men just stood there awkwardly, looking at each other, then avoiding each other's eyes under the scrutiny of Sam and Svetlana.

"Why don't you tell Rodney what happened?" Sam finally said.

Rodney looked to Sam and then back at John. "What? What happened?"

Cartons of food forgotten, they sat around the kitchen table, listening to John talk quietly. He looked unreadable, arms folded across his chest.

"And then it just disappeared," John said. "Before telling me it was going to come back."

"So, it's able to communicate telepathically," Rodney said. "I guess it is sentient after all."

"And apparently it's looking for a host," Sam said.

Rodney sighed and leaned back in his chair, going over everything they knew so far and coming up with only confusion.

"Okay, so--I'm a life form that exists as energy and I want a host because, what?" Rodney asked.

"Maybe it hates being a cloud," John said with a shrug. "Can't say I blame it."

"What I do not understand is that when the entity at the hotel attacked you, it did not injure you in the same way it injured John," Svetlana said, frowning at Rodney.

"Maybe the kind of damage it can inflict depends on the form it's taken at the time. It might also be limited to the strength of every entity. Remember the suntan we got from the first one?" Sam asked.

"Still doesn't make sense," Rodney said. "All of the entities we've encountered so far have caused similar kinds of injuries. Except for that one in the hotel. Not that I feel left out or anything."

Svetlana turned her attention to John. "You said the entity said 'he is here' before it left."

John nodded. "Yeah, it was kind of looking around, like it was distracted or something."

"I wonder who 'he' is," Sam said.

"I'm guessing it's no one we'd want to meet," John said dryly. "Besides, you've seen one cloud, you've seen them all."

"Do you think this thing that attacked you was the same one you saw before?" Rodney asked.

John seemed to think about it. "I don't know. This one was bigger."

"We should check out John's place again," Rodney said.

Sam nodded as she got up. "Tomorrow, after lunch. I've got lectures all morning. I miss one more, and my ass is fired. Come on, you're buying me a drink," Sam said, hauling Svetlana up by the arm.

Rodney watched both women wearily pull on their jackets. He was cheered: John didn't seem to be going with them. Sam gave a tired wave as they left.

Rodney turned his attention to John and smiled.

"So, what's the deal with you three anyway?" John asked.

"Deal?"

"Yeah. Let's just say I'm guessing you've all shared more than academic theories," John said slowly.

"Oh. You mean deal," Rodney said. "Well, the best way to explain it is that we have all slept with each other at some point, but I'm not allowed to talk about it."

"Ah," John said with a slight nod.

"What can I say? They used me and abused me, and now they keep me around for my brain."

"You guys known each other long?"

Rodney leaned back, taking a long think. "A few years. We used to work for the U.S. government on a big project, but we really didn't know each other then. After we joined the private sector, the three of us kept bumping into each other on a lot of projects. We all hated each other at first, but after a while it was oddly comforting seeing the same faces again and again. About a year ago I came to town for a conference and Sam told me there was a temporary position at the university, so I took it, and I'm still here. All three of us are."

"Trying to catch weird cloud things," John said with a smirk.

"Well, we all need a hobby," Rodney said. "What about you? I just realized that I don't know anything about you. I mean, you could be a Republican and it's too late because I've been taken in by the hair."

John rolled his eyes, but smiled nevertheless. "What do you want to know?"

Rodney shrugged. "I dunno. Who is John Sheppard? What does he like? What side of the bed does he sleep on?"

John closed his eyes and groaned. "Will you knock it off?"

"I'm sorry, it's like a disease," Rodney said holding up both hands. "So, tell me. I don't even know what you do."

John took a deep breath. "Well, I used to help design planes. Did some consulting work with the military for a while. Taught for a while." John's eyes sparked with humor. "And now I write books about planes, sometimes about numbers."

Rodney nodded. "So, I'm guessing you like planes."

"Just a little," John said.

"How come you're not a hotshot pilot or something?"

"My dad was a pilot, in the Air Force. I pretty much wanted to follow in his footsteps. Then he died, and I guess it took the shine off the whole thing," John said, his eyes on the table.

Rodney watched the other man, wishing he could say something to make the moment less awkward. "I wanted to be a pianist when I was kid."

John looked up and frowned. "What?"

"Pianist? Little guy that plays the piano?" Rodney said. "But I was told I wasn't creative enough, so I quit and chose science instead. I have no idea why I'm telling you this."

John smiled. "You know what I noticed? I think I'm getting used to the weirdness."

Rodney gave a nod. "Thank you, I think."

"You're welcome," John said, getting up and walking around the table as Rodney followed. "I should probably get going."

"You can't go back to the house," Rodney pointed out.

"I have a friend. He'll let me crash on his couch for a while," John said.

"Oh, um, I have a couch too, you know. And it's right over there," Rodney said with a tilt of the head.

John nodded. "Yes, it is."

"Feel free to stay. I promise not to put the moves on you," Rodney said, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "You know, unless you want me to."

John's mouth seemed to fight against a smile, lips clamping shut before he gave up and smiled anyway.

"Really, you can stay," Rodney said seriously. "No...no weird stuff."

John gave Rodney a long look, taking a tentative step forward as the other man watched him. "I dunno, I'm kind of beginning to like the weird stuff."

"I think that cloud zapped you harder than you think," Rodney said, noting how the space between them was closing.

"Maybe," John said, his eyes lingering on Rodney's mouth before he leaned in.

Rodney opened his mouth to the kiss, meeting John's tongue, tasting his lips, letting his hand snake to the back of John's neck, fingers curling into his hair.

"Left," John whispered between kisses.

Rodney pulled back, confused. "What?"

John smiled, his eyes gleaming. "I was just answering your question. I sleep on the left."

Rodney grinned and pulled John closer.

John hadn't kissed Rodney with the intent of going any further. It was simply something he'd wanted to do for a while now, to see what it was like. It was better than he'd imagined. Rodney kissed with a smile and joked between kisses. When the kisses deepened, he stopped joking and they stumbled from the kitchen to the bedroom. They fell on the unmade bed, among clothes and books. John stopped kissing Rodney to frown at a plate of half-eaten toast, but Rodney swatted it to the floor.

As John lay under Rodney, kissing him and unbuttoning his shirt, it occurred to him that Rodney was way smarter than he came across, because somehow he was getting them both naked and divesting the bed of everything but the things that were supposed to be there.

John laughed when Rodney's shirt opened to reveal a T-shirt that claimed that John was with a genius. Rodney just raised an eyebrow and told John he'd be eating his words soon enough.

Soon enough, John didn't really have many words left to eat because he was lying moaning on the bed, Rodney going down on him, sucking him off exquisitely slowly, his fingers pushing into John and making him gasp out as he held onto the bed sheets. He wanted to say words like "don't" or "stop" because when your body was coming apart the way his was, those seemed like the right words to say. However, all he managed was a strangled "Rodney" as the other man pressed two fingers deep into him and then drank him, climbing up and offering a salty kiss afterward.

John was flushed as Rodney kissed him, nipped at his lips, then covered the pink-tinged skin on John's chest, where the entity had left its mark, with his mouth. Rodney was hard against John as they rolled across the bed, smiling against each other's lips. Rodney took John's hand and guided it between them.

"Help me out?" Rodney whispered against John's mouth.

John gave Rodney a gentle squeeze and let go, lying back and letting his legs drop open, inviting Rodney to slip closer. He gave Rodney a smirk and the other man gave a little nod, whispering, "Okay."

Rodney leaned down for a kiss. John felt the other man balance on one hand as he reached over John to open a drawer somewhere near the bed. Rodney kept John's mouth occupied with kisses and whispered words as something popped in the background.

When John felt Rodney's cool, curious fingers invade him, he opened his mouth with a gasp. Rodney latched onto his lip with his mouth. Rodney continued to open him up, making John hold his breath until he had to gasp out in a mixture of shock and pleasure.

Rodney was mouthing words into John's neck as he finally pushed into him, slow and careful, with a muffled "fuck." For some bizarre reason, they were lying across the width of the bed, John's head almost hanging off the side. It made him laugh when he realized, then curse as Rodney thrust into him, his face flushed and sweating over John.

Rodney slammed into John a final time, John's head falling back, and came with a flurry of indecipherable curses. Then he fell in a spent pile.

They both lay there for a while, trying to get their breath back, unable to move. John, head dangling back, gave Rodney a light stroke on the back.

"Been a while?" he asked quietly.

Rodney laughed against John's shoulder. "God yes."

Once they had their motor skills back, John took a hot shower as Rodney wandered off to get food, once again wearing the T-shirt that rightly claimed his genius, along with a pair of bizarre blue boxers he had snagged from the floor.

When Rodney came back, John was wearing borrowed sweats and a T-shirt that claimed he was Mr. Fantastic, something that made Rodney's eyes brighten with mirth.

Rodney ate reheated Chinese and watched the news in bed. John, on the left-hand side of the bed, slept all the way through the night for the first time in days.

Rodney was having a good day. It could have been raining toads and the entire planet's supply of coffee could have run out and it still would have been a good day. It had started with him waking up with John's sleep-flushed face only inches from his own. Rodney thanked the entities that presided over them for providing this method of starting the day.

John slept as Rodney dressed for work, waking only when the bed dipped as Rodney sat down to tie his sneakers.

"Hi," John said, voice thick with sleep.

Rodney turned back to see half-lidded hazel eyes watching him. "Hello," Rodney answered with a smile.

John's brow furrowed as he noticed Rodney was dressed. "What time is it?"

"Eight-thirty. Did you know you talk in your sleep? It's very amusing," Rodney said.

John propped himself up on his elbows, looking at Rodney disbelievingly. "I do not."

"You were telling someone to quit hogging the popcorn," Rodney said.

"Okay, that's embarrassing." John fell back on the bed with a groan.

Rodney grinned and leaned down to press a kiss to John's mouth. It was supposed to be brief, but John's fingers were suddenly in his hair, tender and light, and their kiss deepened. They broke apart a moment later, breathless, and just watched each other curiously. Rodney suddenly felt an urge to call in sick for the first time in his life. So he took a deep breath and got up before the urge took over completely.

"Better go," he said. "Work and...things."

John nodded. "Okay. Listen, uh, thanks. For helping. With the spook and everything," he said awkwardly.

Rodney gave a proud nod before he made a somewhat clumsy exit from the bedroom--he almost walked into the door frame. Then he smiled all the way to work.

That afternoon, in his office, he hummed some tune he wasn't sure was real or made up as he balanced a student's assignment on his knee. She glared at him from amongst piercings and black mascara.

Rodney opened his mouth to speak when she cut in.

"How come you're so happy? Did you have sex or something?" his student, Kimberly, asked, turning up her pierced nose.

Rodney rolled his eyes. "Kimberly, that's a completely inappropriate question for you to ask me."

Kimberly folded her arms across her chest. "Did you?"

Rodney couldn't help but grin. "The best ever. Seriously, I think my fillings melted."

"Is it true you're sleeping with Dr. Rayner?"

Rodney frowned. "Who?"

"He's the really gay history professor. Walked around with toilet paper stuck to his shoe for a whole day once, without any idea. Guy's such an asshole."

"I'm sorry. Really gay? What exactly is really gay?"

"Well, there's three kinds of people. Really straight people who only do straight people. Really gay people who only do gay people. And really slutty people who do anyone," came the response.

"And I would be?"

"Really slutty people."

Rodney glared. "You're really not helping your grades by insulting me."

"Everyone knows you slept with Dr. Carter and Dr. Markov. Simultaneously."

"Everyone being the two other members of your experimental metal band, Broken Mojo?" Rodney asked snidely.

"Josh and Letitia know people," Kimberly said with a disdainful appraisal of Rodney.

"As in real people?"

Kimberly rolled her eyes with a snort. "You totally suck."

"Yes. Speaking of things that suck, your paper--"

"So, like, is this guy you're doing hot?"

"That's none of your business, but yes, he is so hot, I mean, oh my god, seriously." Rodney found himself giving his student a grinning nod.

"Does he know you chase ghosts?"

Rodney stiffened, feeling a little defensive. "They're not ghosts. They're unexplained phenomena."

"Josh says they have something to do with a government cover-up."

"Josh thinks KFC has something to do with a government cover-up," Rodney said flatly.

"Hey, listen, Dr. Sarcasmo, did you, like, ever notice how your stupid clouds started turning up after the city blacked out last year? That huge flash in the sky that NORAD said was like meteors or something? Yeah, right, meteors my ass. Like, how come no one ever even saw them coming or anything?"

Rodney shrugged. "Coincidence. It's not unknown for cosmic forces to cause power outages. Of course, if this paper is any indication, you'd have no way of knowing that."

"I thought you didn't believe in coincidences."

Rodney frowned at Kimberly, his brain ticking in that direction already. "I think we should get back to your paper and how it's helping this university lose funding."

"If it doesn't have anything to do with a government cover-up, how come there was a cop talking to Dr. Carter?"

Rodney frowned. "What are you talking about?"

Kimberly gave a smug look. "I was walking down the hall on my way here, and this guy in a suit was being taken to the auditorium to see her. I heard him talking to Dr. Carter. He said his name was Neil or something."

Rodney gave Kimberly an impatient look. "He said his name was Neil? You know, whatever you're smoking, you really need to lay off."

"Said he was looking for you too."

Rodney blinked at Kimberly. "Hmm. Really? That's interesting."

Rodney stared into space for a while before slowly getting up, picking up his bag, and taking his jacket and scarf from the chair.

"Kimberly," he said, heading to the window, "we're going to have to continue this later. In the meantime, please read a book on physics."

Rodney left, doing his best to ignore Kimberly's finger, which she stuck up at him in a parting gesture as he climbed out of the window. He figured big trouble was on the way if the cops were sniffing around. Also, what Kimberly had said about coincidences had a point--which was wrong on so many levels, considering that Kimberly was out to destroy any science she touched. Now, his mind was ticking over as he pondered her words.

Nevertheless, he made a small detour before driving to Svetlana's in record time. He had a hunch, and if he was right, then this was bigger than any of them could have imagined.

Svetlana was sitting at the counter, eyes on her laptop screen, when he walked into the shop.

"What are you doing here? What is that?" she asked, pointing to the large rolled-up posters Rodney put on the counter.

Rodney waved her questions away. "We need to start stowing some of our stuff. There was a cop on campus grilling Sam. We're next."

"Forget about that," Svetlana said. "We have other problems. Come, I want to show you power the grid readings."

Rodney followed her into the back, but they'd been there less than five seconds when the bell above the shop door sounded.

Svetlana sighed. "I'll get rid of whoever it is. You stay here."

Rodney looked at the small TV with the security feed, watching Svetlana approach the two men who had just walked in. One was tall, wide, black, and somber-looking, wearing a woolen hat that came down low on his forehead. He was dressed completely in black, long jacket zipped to the throat and hands behind his back as he surveyed the store. The other man was slightly shorter, but still at least six feet, and lean looking. His eyes were bright blue behind glasses, and he had light stubble on his face. His clothes were a little more casual than his friend's: blue jeans, black sweater, and suede jacket. However, the most noticeable thing about him was the blue flier in his hand. Rodney felt suspicion raise its head. He moved close to the dividing curtain, keeping an ear on the shop and his eyes on the TV.

"Can I help you?" Svetlana asked.

The shorter man smiled--a friendly, warm smile--and gave a small nod. "Uh, yeah. A friend of mine gave me one of these fliers after I told him about a little incident and I was wondering if you could help. You are Dr. Markov, aren't you?" he asked.

Svetlana nodded. "How did you know where to find me?"

The man's brows went up. Even Rodney, on the bad TV screen, could tell he was about to lie. "Oh, um, we called the number and were told we could find you here."

"Of course. How would you like me to help you?"

"Well, I was hoping you could tell me," the man said.

"Well, Mr.--?"

"Jackson. Daniel Jackson. This is, uh, Murray."

The other man gave a slow, polite nod.

"Well, Mr. Jackson, Mr. Murray, I cannot say whether I am of any help. I am simply part of a team researching unusual phenomena. The only help I can give you is statistical."

Jackson gave her a long look "That's odd," he said, stringing out the second word too long. "I was told that you and your team were able to catch one of these things. I really was hoping--"

"You have been misinformed," Svetlana said tersely.

Jackson nodded. "Apparently."

"Now, I am sorry, but I must ask you to leave. I have a lecturing job that I am required to be at," Svetlana said.

Jackson gave a small smile and nod. "Right. Of course. Thanks for your time."

Svetlana followed the men as they left and locked the door behind them, sighing with evident relief as Rodney walked out from behind the curtain.

"Okay. I think we are seriously fucked," Svetlana said. "I'll get the gear together. You call Sam."

Rodney pulled out his cell phone as Svetlana rushed past him into the back room.

"It's me," Rodney said when Sam answered. "News is, and I'm quoting Svetlana here, that we are seriously fucked."

"Oh, hey there. How are the kids?"

Rodney frowned. "What? What are you--are you with that detective?"

"Yeah, that's right," Sam said cheerily. "You're totally right about that."

"Shit," Rodney spat. "We've just had two men asking questions about the fliers. This is not good."

"Oh, I agree," Sam said, amiably. "Hey, listen, how about I call you back? I'm kind of in the middle of something."

"Okay, fine. Come to the shop as soon as you can."

"Okay," Sam said. "Bye then."

"Damn it." Rodney sighed and looked at the phone. "She's still with the detective," Rodney yelled.

Svetlana's head popped out from behind the curtain. She gave a nod. "Seriously, seriously fucked."

There was no telling how long Sam would be, so he began boxing up the smaller equipment while Svetlana went over the impending grid problems, until they heard a banging on the glass of the front door. A glance at the security monitor showed Sam, looking around suspiciously.

"We're in trouble. Some detective showed up at work and started asking about the fliers," Sam said as Rodney let her in. "He wanted to know exactly why we wanted to catch ghosts. He wants to talk to you guys too."

"There were two men asking me questions earlier, but they did not say they were police. Why would they not say anything?" Svetlana asked.

"I don't know, but we need to get rid of this stuff and do something about the containment unit. What's this?" Sam picked up one of the rolled-up posters on the counter.

Rodney snapped out of the current dilemma, remembering the Kimberly chaos theory. "Oh, right. Yeah, this, this is interesting," he said, rolling out the large sheet of paper on top of the trapping equipment. "Look familiar?"

Svetlana walked around the counter and stood opposite Sam and Rodney to get a closer, albeit upside-down, look. "It is a map of the city," she said, her tone indicating that this was self-evident.

"Right. Notice anything else?" Rodney asked, looking at a splattering of red dots.

Sam shrugged. "Sure, the red dots--those are most of the locations of our spook sightings."

Rodney pointed at Sam. "Yes. However, those are also the places that experienced serious power drainage during a blackout about a year ago."

Svetlana nodded. "I remember."

"Right, well, apparently, about a year ago, something very odd happened up there," Rodney said, pointing toward the ceiling. "Everyone thinks it was a meteor shower or something, and apparently it knocked out the power in the city. The interesting thing is that these entities started showing up some time after that blackout."

Sam was frowning at the map. "You think they had something do with the meteors?"

Rodney shrugged. "I have no idea, but the timing seems about right."

Svetlana was staring at Rodney, her face expressionless. "Aliens?"

Rodney rolled his eyes. "Oh, don't say it like I'm crazy."

"Hey, according to this, looks like one of the major points of a power drain was the Grand Palace Hotel," Sam said as she took a closer look at the map. "Maybe it was your Jell-O monster."

"Forget Jell-O monster. We have bigger problems. Come," Svetlana said, heading into the back of the store and then down into basement, Rodney and Sam following.

Svetlana stopped by the containment unit and pointed at the pressure gauge. "If the latest readings are correct, by tonight, this containment unit is not going to be able to hold what is inside any longer."

Sam looked at Rodney. "What do you mean? It's been doing fine so far," she asked.

"Apparently, they're feeding off the power of the containment unit, feeding off each other, getting stronger," Rodney said.

Sam stared at the containment unit. "How many are we down to?"

Svetlana hesitated, then took a deep breath. "According to the readings, there is only one entity inside here. By tonight, it will be strong enough to escape. It will destroythe containment unit and take the street with it."

"Oh, god," Sam said.

"Maybe this is what they have been doing since the blackout," Svetlana said. "Feeding, merging, becoming stronger."

"So what are we going to do? We can't let this thing blow up a whole street," Sam said, trying not panic.

"Actually, according to my calculations, the portion would be considerably larger than a street. I am thinking at least three blocks."

"What?" Sam and Rodney both almost yelled.

"Why didn't you tell me that part?" Rodney snapped.

"I was looking for the right time, okay?" Svetlana frowned with annoyance. "What did you expect? We are using nuclear-powered cells. Do you even both remember what physics is?"

"Great," Sam mumbled. "Just great."

"I have a plan," Svetlana said quietly.

"If it includes the words 'plane ticket' and 'Russia,' I'm right behind you," Rodney answered.

"My plan is, we shut down the containment unit and release the entity."

Rodney slowly got up. "That's a terrible plan, considering these things like going around frying people."

"We can't do that. It's too dangerous," Sam reasoned.

Svetlana sighed as if she was losing patience with a pair of infants. "Look. If we do nothing, then tonight, the entity will escape, causing massive explosion and creating a new Three Mile Island. However, if we shut down unit, entity will be released, but no explosion. Yes? Right now, all we can do is limit the damage."

Rodney looked at Sam but did not find a comforting expression on her face. He looked back at Svetlana and nodded.

Svetlana put her hands on her hips. "Okay, I will set the unit to shut itself down in ten minutes--"

"Ten minutes? Are you insane? It's the middle of the day," Rodney said, waving at the door. "Don't you think we should wait at least until the lunchtime rush is over?"

Svetlana rolled her eyes and muttered something in Russian. "The longer we leave it, the stronger it gets. We will take the traps and leave and while we are gone, the entity will be released. The entities have remained hidden for a long time, away from daylight. There is no reason for it to skip down the street and buy shoes."

"Yes, however, you failed to point out that this one is the result of twenty-seven clouds that ate each other," Rodney said. "There's no telling how dangerous it is."

Sam cut in. "Every second we leave it in there, it's getting stronger. We need to shut it down as soon as we can. Not in ten minutes. Not after the lunch rush. Now."

Rodney sighed and then nodded. "Fine. Do it."

Svetlana opened a panel on the side of the unit and punched some keys. When she was finished, she shut the panel door and gave the other two a nod.

"The traps are upstairs. We'll get them on our way out of here," Sam said.

They headed back up the stairs and into the shop, Sam leading the way. When she suddenly stopped, Rodney ran into her, and Svetlana ran into Rodney. Svetlana and Rodney both peered out from behind Sam to see what had made her stop.

"Hi there! Jack O'Neill. So nice to see you again, Dr. Carter," a gray-haired man said with a bright smile. "Not interrupting anything, am I?"

In Rodney's apartment, John sat down at the desk in Rodney's office and just stared. Open books, pages with coffee stains, pens with chewed ends, a piece of equipment that had been taken apart and now lay broken, wires exposed. It made sense. Rodney McKay was one of those boys. They didn't throw around a football much, but they did take apart anything that had blinking lights or made interesting noises. And they didn't always put it back together.

Getting up from the desk, John took a leisurely walk around the apartment, trying not to think about the thing that had promised to come back for him. After all, he wasn't at home. The entity probably wouldn't be able to find him here at Rodney's.

His chest still burned a little where the entity had touched him. When it had happened, for a moment, it had been like being opened up, staked in the heart. When it had pulled away, he had felt drained, weak, and invaded.

John stopped by the window, looking out onto the street, his palm idly rubbing against the fabric of the T-shirt where it lay against the burn.

Even though it was broad daylight, a lamppost flickered on, then off. John watched it as it flickered again. Then the next one did the same, then the next, and the next, all the way down the street.

The lights in the living room flickered next, before going out completely. John turned from the window and stared at the lights. The burn on his chest seemed to flare up, sharp and bright. John gasped against the pain, his hand going to his chest as he frowned.

Something was coming.

"Detective O'Neill, what are you doing here?" Sam asked and Rodney shut his mouth, the question remaining unasked.

"Actually, I was looking for Dr. Markov," O'Neill said, looking at Svetlana, who was shutting the door to the basement steps.

Svetlana nodded. "I am Dr. Markov."

O'Neill nodded and then turned his attention to Rodney. "Let me guess. You must be the elusive Dr. McKay. You're a hard man to find, Doctor."

"Well, that could just be a lack of motivation on your part," Rodney pointed out.

O'Neill smiled, raising an eyebrow. "Well, I'm glad I found you all here. Makes my job a little easier."

The three tensed as O'Neill stuffed his hands into his pockets and looked around. Rodney quickly looked across at Sam, widening his eyes and jerking his head toward the traps on the counter. Sam closed her eyes briefly, then quickly poked Markov with her finger.

When O'Neill stopped looking around, he found the three had moved to stand in front of the counter, Rodney with his hands in his pockets trying to look friendly and unthreatening, Sam next to him with arms folded and a defensive glare, and next to her, Markov, hands by her side, her expression unreadable.

"Nice place you got here," O'Neill said.

"Please ask your questions. We are busy people," Svetlana said. Rodney and Sam looked at her in surprise.

O'Neill's brow went up and he gave a slow nod. "I'm pretty sure Dr. Carter's already told you about our little talk."

"As a matter of fact, I haven't," Sam said.

O'Neill didn't look as though he believed her. He reached into his jacket and took out a familiar blue flier. By now, Rodney was heartily sick of them. From Sam's sigh, he figured she was too. O'Neill held it up for them to see, and they all stared at a terrible rendering of a dark, floating entity, which seemed more like a black blob of ink. "Says here you'd like to talk to anyone that's had a paranormal experience in the city--which is okay, I guess, only the stories I've heard are that you've been going around zapping up dark clouds. I guess what I'd like to know is exactly how you're fooling people into believing it. And if it's not just some clever trick, exactly what are you catching out there, and how the hell are you doing it?" O'Neill's dark brown eyes looked through all three of them at the same time with an unsettling intensity.

"Like I told you before, all we're doing is looking. Nothing else," Sam said calmly.

"I suppose that's what you two are going to say too," O'Neill said to Svetlana and Rodney.

"It's the truth," Rodney said. "We're just scientists, doing science-type things."

"Will that be all?" Svetlana asked pointedly.

O'Neill tilted his head, frowning. "Mind if I take a look around?" he asked, as though he hadn't just been.

"What for?" Svetlana asked.

"I'd like to satisfy my curiosity, I guess."

"Get a warrant," Sam said instantly.

"I can do that," O'Neill said, making it sound like a threat. "Of course, I can also take you with me right now if I feel the need, so maybe you should cooperate."

"Go ahead, arrest us," Sam said, earning stunned looks from Rodney and Svetlana. "But seriously? I don't think you have grounds to arrest us."

O'Neill looked just as surprised. He and Sam stood there for a moment, staring each other down. Rodney looked across at Svetlana, who looked suitably nervous.

"Anything else, Detective?" Sam asked.

O'Neill smiled and then gave a small shrug. "I'll be seeing you all again."

They watched him make his way out, step out onto the street, pull out a pair of shades, put them on, and casually walk away.

"Shit!" Sam said as she turned around and grabbed a trap from the counter.

Svetlana and Rodney followed her example, gathering up equipment.

"We can't just carry this out. He's probably still sniffing around," Rodney said as they headed for the door.

Svetlana glared at him. "Well, what can we do? The unit is going to go offline any minute. If we leave the traps and power packs here, the entity will go straight for them."

"Can we stop it from shutting down? Reset it?" Sam asked.

Svetlana looked at her watch and shook her head. "No time. We must leave. Now."

As they reached the door, it opened, and O'Neill stepped inside, taking his shades off. "Sorry, just one more thing."

"We're late for something," Sam said tensely.

"Yes, we must leave." Svetlana glared.

Rodney glanced toward the back of the store. "Right now."

O'Neill frowned. "This is only going to take a minute."

A loud clunking noise caught everyone's attention, making them all look toward the curtain that separated the storeroom from the shop.

"Shit," Svetlana whispered.

"What the hell was that?" O'Neill asked.

Sam was staring at the curtain. "We have to get out of here."

"What? Why?"

"Stop asking stupid questions unless you want to fry!" Rodney yelled.

O'Neill pulled out a gun, very smoothly and slowly. "I think we should all sit down and have a calm little talk."

"There's no time to sit down, you idiot!" Sam yelled.

"You're really not helping yourself by calling me names, Miss."

"That's Doctor," Sam said with irritation.

The lights in the room began to flicker. Everyone looked around as objects began to shake and sparks began to fly.

"You people want to tell me what the hell's going on here?" O'Neill asked, keeping his gun steady on the three worried-looking scientists.

Rodney figured it was time for the truth. "We caught some entities and now it's turned into a superentity, and it's coming out, probably looking for a snack," Rodney explained hurriedly.

Svetlana held up a trap. "This equipment uses high-energy cells, the source of which I am not at liberty to disclose right now, and when the entity finds them, it is going to have a very nutritious snack and become very strong." She spoke just as quickly.

"Did we mention it can fry people?" Sam asked. "We said that, right?"

O'Neill looked at them with an unreadable expression. "This is why I hate scientists."

A lamp by the counter turned on before the light bulb exploded and sparks sizzled. From the center of the floor, what looked like black gauze began to rise up.

"Oh, no," Rodney whispered.

They all watched as the cloud spread up to about seven feet in height and about four feet in width. Everyone backed away slowly, eyes on the entity as it hovered near the ceiling.

"I think it's looking at me," Rodney whispered.

"It doesn't have any eyes," O'Neill said with a scowl.

"Well, I'm working on the assumption that the top part is its head and it's not floating with its back--"

"Rodney!" Svetlana snapped.

"Sorry, sorry," Rodney mumbled.

The entity seemed to twist and widen, then swooped in low, the top of it bobbing close to Rodney. Everyone stilled, Rodney staring at it wide-eyed. Then, without warning, it rushed toward the ceiling and flattened out, turning the ceiling black for a second, before seeping through and disappearing.

Rodney gulped. He jumped when Sam's hand touched his shoulder. All three of them turned to look at O'Neill at the same time. Compared to them, he didn't look disturbed at all.

The door suddenly opened. Rodney recognized the men who came in: Jackson and Murray. Rodney heard a screech of tires outside as the two men joined O'Neill.

"What happened?" Jackson directed the question at O'Neill.

"We got some geniuses here, is what happened," O'Neill said flatly.

"Daniel Jackson is referring to the fact that we lost your transmission, O'Neill," Murray said.

"He's wired?" Rodney asked, pointing at O'Neill. “You're not cops, are you?”

Sam frowned at the intruders. "What the hell's going on here?"

The door opened again, and this time armed men in black filtered in. Rodney craned his neck. Outside, a van, its sliding door gaping open, was double-parked.

O'Neill pointed at Sam. "You kids got some explaining to do."

John fell to his knees, overwhelming pain in his chest. Rodney's apartment seemed to rumble beneath him. His breath caught in his lungs, the air thick and warm, his hand hard against the burning pain. He shut his eyes tight, doubling over.

The whole apartment felt as though hot desert wind was blowing through it. John turned his face away, feeling the breeze comb through his hair like burning fingers.

Then everything went silent and still. John opened his eyes. A dark mass vaguely shaped like a human stood in front, head tilted to one side. John stared back, grimacing against the spike of electric pain where the entity had last touched him.

The entity began to lose its shape, spreading, until John couldn't see anything but black and what looked like a glowing pair of eyes.

They sat at a long table in an otherwise empty, windowless room. The door was locked.

"I am thinking these people are definitely not police," Svetlana said quietly.

Rodney stared at her, arms folded. She sat next to Sam, on the opposite side of the table. "How the hell did you become a scientist?"

"By not climbing out of windows every five minutes," Sam said flatly.

Rodney sighed. "All I wanted was a steady paycheck. But no, I had to get caught up with a pair of lunatics chasing after ghosts."

"You jumped at the chance to grab some glory when it looked like we were getting somewhere," Sam said.

"Ah, yes. Glory. Behold, a small basement that smells of bad plumbing. Lucky me."

"Suck a lemon," Sam said snidely.

"Yes, very mature."

"Both of you shut up, please," Svetlana ordered.

They sat in quiet for a while before the door finally opened and O'Neill, Jackson, and Murray walked in. O'Neill stood the end of the table, his jacket and tie gone, hands in his pockets, face unreadable. His associates hung back in the dark shadows of the room. Rodney imagined that they had hoses or other torture devices at the ready.

"Well, it's nice of you to finally show up. Do you realize some of us suffer from hypoglycemia?" Rodney asked.

"Some of us need to use the little girl's room," Svetlana added.

"And the rest of us are wondering what kind of a cop keeps three people in the a basement of a derelict house instead of booking them and holding them in a jail cell," Sam said.

O'Neill pointed at Rodney first. "You'll get food after you answer some questions." His finger than moved to Svetlana. "Little girl's room, after questions." Then finally the finger pointed at Sam. "Good questions."

Sam smiled, taut and humorless. "Do I get an answer?"

O'Neill smiled right back. "Well, that depends on you."

"Military?" Sam asked.

O'Neill frowned, looking a little offended. "Like I said, you get your answers when I'm done."

Sam turned to Svetlana. "Military. Trust me, I know. My father and brother have the exact same annoying way of talking out of their a--"

"Hey! I can hear you," O'Neill snapped. "I'm standing right here."

"What's the military doing chasing shadows anyway?" Sam asked O'Neill.

"Old hat," Svetlana muttered with a snort, and Rodney grinned at her from across the table.

"Okay, look, here's the deal. I ask questions, you answer them, and maybe, just maybe, you don't spend the rest of this day and oh, let's say the next twenty years, in prison," O'Neill said.

Sam gave him a long, steady look and then rolled her eyes.

Rodney felt a little more worried. "So, you were asking?"

"Better." O'Neill nodded. "Now, ignoring the amount of illegal substances found on your properties, some of which our scientists said were not used in your...doohickeys--"

"Gee, what is that? A big military word?" Sam asked with a smile. "Or a big scientific word?"

Jack smiled back. "You know, I never figured that in this scenario, I'd find the Russian lady the least annoying."

"I don't think any of you grasp how serious this is," Jackson said, stepping out of the shadows and joining O'Neill.

"You bundled us into a van and shoved us into a dark room. Exactly what made you think we'd be greeting you with peals of laughter?" Rodney asked.

"Hey, you've been using nuclear material to build stuff in your basement!" O'Neill accused.

"Actually, it's her basement," Rodney said, tilting his head toward Svetlana.

"You were all in possession of illegal items." Murray finally spoke, though he stayed in the shadows. "The fact remains that you have broken the law. Refusing to answer our questions will not help you."

The three detainees squinted at the dark shadow that spoke the words.

Sam sighed and looked up at Jackson. "What do you want to know?"

"That thing in Dr. Markov's basement. What is it?" Jackson asked quietly. "And all the other stuff we took from you."

"Trapping equipment, power packs, and containment unit," Svetlana answered flatly.

"For what?" O'Neill asked, a hard edge to the question.

"You already know what," Sam said.

Jackson nodded, folding his arms across his chest. "Okay, in that case, exactly why were you trapping these things? I mean, are we really supposed to believe that it was all out of scientific curiosity?"

Sam, Rodney, and Svetlana stared at each other and then delivered identical frowns of confusion with a reply of, "Yes."

O'Neill and Jackson looked at each other, uncertain.

"And once your curiosity had been satisfied, you were going to...?" Daniel prompted, raising his eyebrows.

Sam shrugged. "Before we could gather any useful data, we found out the entities were too unstable to observe."

O'Neill gave a nod. "So you just let them back out."

"We had no choice," Rodney answered.

"They were feeding off the generator powering the containment field. They were getting stronger, cannibalizing each other. If we had left the entity in the unit, it would have been disastrous," Svetlana said, looking a little guilty.

Jackson gave O'Neill a worried glance. "The entities are cannibalizing each other?"

"Their primary goal seems to be to feed," Rodney said. "And I don't think they're beyond trying to feed off humans for energy."

"And I'm guessing the best source of energy is other well-fed entities. They feed, merge, grow, and keep going," Sam said.

Jackson nodded. "And they'll keep doing it until all the entities have merged into one huge superentity."

Sam cleared her throat. "Pretty much, yes," she said.

Rodney, Sam, and Svetlana watched as Jackson's face took on a worried look. O'Neill closed his eyes for a second. Rodney sympathized.

Jackson looked back at the group. "Is there a way of modifying your equipment to better capture and contain the entities?"

"Actually, we were kind of working with prototypes," Rodney said a little sheepishly.

"Yeah, but maybe you can make them better at holding the damn things," O'Neill said.

Svetlana shook her head. "No, that is the problem. To make it better at holding the entity requires more power. More power means the entities are able to grow stronger and again, there is danger of losing containment."

"I guess bullets won't work," O'Neill muttered.

"No," Sam said slowly. "But something else might."

"What?" everyone asked simultaneously.

"I might be able to tell you if you tell us what the hell is going on here. I get the feeling you know way more than you're letting on."

"No can do," O'Neill said. "Classified."

"Fine," Sam said, unperturbed. "Maybe it's time you read us our rights then."

O'Neill glared at Sam. He took a step toward the table, only to have Jackson block him and warn, "Jack."

Jack turned to Jackson. "Daniel?"

"Could I have a word please? Over there? Please?"

Jack's jaw clenched for a moment. "Fine." He turned to the three prisoners. "Don't go anywhere."

Sam made a face as Jack was pulled away by Daniel. Then she turned to Rodney. "How come you didn't tell them about John?" she whispered.

Rodney frowned. "I don't think they're interested in my personal life."

Sam shook her head. "I mean what happened to him."

"Oh, you mean the entity talking to him telepathically? Right, because that'll go down well. 'Oh, by the way, not only were we harboring a dangerous amount of plutonium and playing with particle accelerators, but the entity told my boyfriend it was going to make him a host. Please don't put me in the funny farm.'"

Sam raised her eyebrows and exchanged a look with Svetlana. Svetlana turned to Rodney. "Boyfriend?"

Rodney blinked. He'd been caught out. "Um, oh. Did I say boyfriend? I meant, uh...Well, my point is, I don't think we should blab everything. And like you said, I think they're holding out on us."

The looked to the huddle in the dark corner of the room, where Jack looked very annoyed and Daniel seemed to be trying to persuade him into something. Jack said something that made Daniel stop talking and glare.

Svetlana laughed. "That O'Neill should have his mouth washed with soap."

Rodney frowned at Svetlana. "You can lip read?"

Svetlana shrugged. "It is a hobby."

"What are they saying now?" Sam asked quietly.

Svetlana squinted. "Jackson thinks they should tell us. O'Neill says over his dead body."

"Suits me," Sam said.

"What is your problem?" Rodney snapped. "Didn't anyone ever tell you not to antagonize the ringleader?"

"I can't help it. I just can't stand these military men, with their 'oh look at me, I'm all...military,'" Sam said childishly.

"Are you on drugs?" Rodney asked and then turned to Svetlana. "Is she smoking weed again?"

"You do not even know for sure they are military," Svetlana said to Sam.

"Trust me, I can tell," Sam said flatly.

Jack and Daniel turned toward the group and headed their way, Murray trailing them. They all approached the table.

Jack had just opened his mouth to speak when the door opened and a man in black, gun in hand, entered. "Sir, I have a message."

Jack nodded, changed course, and followed him out of the room, leaving Daniel and Murray to watch over the three scientists.

Rodney looked up at Daniel. "Mind if I ask you a question?"

Daniel appeared cautious. "Sure, go ahead."

"The reason we're all locked up here--it wouldn't have anything to do with a huge power outage a year ago and some unexplained fireworks, would it?" Rodney asked. When Daniel's eyes widened slightly in surprise, Rodney let a smug smile linger at the corner of his mouth.

Daniel seemed as though he was trying not to give anything away, but his arms were folding in front of his chest just a little too tightly. "Sorry, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Look." Sam's voice took an uncharacteristically gentle tone. Rodney knew better than to be fooled, but this Jackson guy didn't. "These things are dangerous, and we don't know nearly enough about them. If you tell us what you know, we could help you."

"We have nothing to gain by lying," Svetlana added.

Daniel took a deep breath and nodded. "We'll see."

The door opened and Jack strode in, smug smile visible to all. He turned to Daniel and Murray.

"Hammond's sent down a friend of his--someone who might be a little more, uh, persuasive."

Rodney, Svetlana, and Sam looked at each other, worried.

"Who?" Daniel asked.

Jack shrugged. "Someone that's apparently dealt with them before. He's on his way down."

Sam glared up at Jack, and he gave her a winning smile. "Well, looks like you should've cooperated with me when you had the chance."

Irritated glances were still being passed around when the door opened again and a man, already glaring with disapproval, stepped inside. Rodney recognized him immediately.

Sam sighed. "Hey, Dad."

During the moment of shocked silence that followed, Jack's smug smile disappeared. Then he turned to Sam. "You're the general's daughter?"

Sam smiled sweetly. "No, I just like calling everyone 'dad.'"

Jack scowled with irritation.

Daniel stepped forward, confused. "Um, I'm sorry, what's going on here?"

General Jacob Carter smiled. "George thought I might have better luck here."

Jack shook his head. "I could have sworn that Dr. Carter's background check said nothing about you, sir."

Jacob shrugged. "Of course it didn't. Best way to keep your family safe."

Jack gave a nod, his face serious. "Right."

Jacob's stern gaze went to the three scientists. "You mind if I talk to them alone?"

"Uh..." Jack looked uncertain.

"I'll make it an order if that's easier," Jacob said with a friendly smile.

Jack sighed and then shrugged. "We'll be right outside."

When the door had shut behind Jack, Daniel, and Murray, Jacob turned slowly and looked at Sam, Rodney, and Svetlana and shook his head, disappointment clear on his face.

"I ought to lock you three up and throw away the key," Jacob finally said.

"Um--" Rodney started, but was shot down Jacob's vicious look in his direction.

Jacob looked at Svetlana. "Those two I expect this from, but you? I thought you had more sense than this. I'm supposed to feel safe in the knowledge that you'll stop them from acting like idiots."

Sam cut in. "Dad, that's not--"

"I'm not finished," Jacob snapped, and Sam shut up. He turned back to Svetlana. "Nuclear-powered machinery in your basement? Is this what you three left Area 51 for?"

"Actually, they kind of threw us out," Rodney muttered.

"I am sorry," Svetlana said, not looking at Jacob. "I did not mean to."

Jacob stared. "You didn't mean to? That's pathetic. Where the hell did you get a hold of all that stuff? Even I couldn't if I wanted to."

Svetlana smiled. "It was very difficult."

Jacob shook his head and gave a small laugh of disbelief as he sat down next to Rodney and looked across the table at Sam. "Your mother thinks you're a respectable lecturer in astrophysics, and instead you're building nuclear-powered ghost traps? Are you people sick of living on the outside? You really want to go to prison that bad?"

Sam sighed. "Dad, all the stuff they found was used safely and for scientific research. We never put anyone but ourselves in danger. It was all above board."

Jacob still looked worried. "You want to tell me what's going on here, Sam?"

Sam leaned forward. "We started chasing these entities a few months back. At that point, we weren't even thinking about catching them to observe them, but eventually we devised a way to catch them and contain them. Only it turned out that the entities can feed off the energy field the containment unit uses to keep them in, and all the individual entities coalesced into one big entity. So we had to shut down the unit and release it."

Jacob nodded and leaned back in his seat. "And that's it. There's no one else involved in this? No one asked you to build these traps?"

Sam frowned. "No. Why? Why would someone do that?"

Jacob ignored the question, apparently sunk in thought.

"Dad?" Sam prompted.

Rodney sighed. "Jacob, how about you just tell us why the military is so interested in this? It's obvious you all know more than we do."

"Well, what I tell you depends on one thing," Jacob said.

"What?" Sam asked.

"You think you can use your fancy toys to permanently destroy these entities?"

Sam looked at Rodney and Svetlana. It was the Russian scientist who nodded. "There is a good chance."

Jacob nodded. "Okay. You're in. I'll bring in the experts."

It was strange. John felt like he was dreaming, able to see everything, yet he could not move a muscle. Rodney's apartment looked as though a tornado had hit it, with everything strewn across the floor. John walked through the place, casting an eye over everything, yet he wasn't really doing anything.

He walked into Rodney's bedroom and opened the closet door, his fingers moving across the shirts hanging there. His hand settled on a black one and pulled it out.

He took off the T-shirt he was wearing, the one Rodney had loaned him, and put on the black shirt as he moved in front of the mirror.

He watched himself button the shirt slowly, never really feeling his fingers, the frown he felt in his mind never really appearing on his forehead.

Then he smiled, and he knew it wasn't him. The man in the mirror was smirking with satisfaction as he finished buttoning up the shirt.

"Better," said the voice that John knew wasn't his.

Rodney watched as Jack sat down, a pissed-off expression on his face. Sam gave him her best smile. Jack smiled back, his mouth briefly twisting into something without humor.

"So, um, where do we start?" Daniel asked, standing at the head of the table, Murray behind him.

Rodney raised his hand. "How about the power outage?"

Daniel gave a nod. "Right. Okay. Well, you were right. It's definitely related to the entity. There was never a meteor shower. That night, an alien ship orbiting Earth was blown up. The cover story was a meteor shower, when in fact it was debris from the explosion."

Rodney snorted. "An alien ship?"

Daniel looked a little embarrassed. "Yes."

Sam, Svetlana, and Rodney turned to look at Daniel. His expression was completely serious.

"The entities are alien?" Rodney asked, mouth hanging open in disbelief.

"Pretty much, yeah," Daniel said.

"Yes!" Rodney said, punching the air. "I knew some of that stuff they had us looking at in Roswell was too good to be Russian."

Svetlana shot Rodney an annoyed glance.

"Oh, uh, sorry, but, hey. Aliens!" he said with a grin.

"Uh, right, anyway," Daniel said, striving to get back on topic. "There's a race of aliens called the Ancients. A long time ago, they figured out a way to ascend to a higher plane of existence, one that doesn't require a corporeal form and allows them to exist as energy." The scientist looked at each other, amazed, as Daniel went on. "Now, some of them believe in complete noninterference with other species, and some of them help others to ascend to this new plane of existence. The idea is to help those who are apparently worthy of ascension. However, it seems that there are those that were able to ascend and shouldn't have been allowed to."

Svetlana frowned. "Why not?"

"With ascension comes great power," Murray said, his voice a low rumble. "Unimaginable power."

"They don't seem that powerful," Sam asked. "I mean, they only seem to have two aims: to feed, and to merge."

Rodney watched Daniel look across the table at Jack, who sat with his arms folded and an amused expression on his face. He gave Daniel a nod, and Daniel continued.

"Well, the entities you've encountered aren't in their ascended form. Rather, they're in a broken-down form of the original. It now looks as if they're strong enough to merge and become whole again."

"You mean, it's all one alien?" Rodney asked.

"Two," Jacob said. "There's two of them out there."

"They're feeding to get strong enough," Daniel said.

"What happens when they are whole again?" Svetlana asked.

"They'll try to find a way off this planet," Jacob said.

Sam shrugged. "So? Let them leave if they're so dangerous."

"It's not that simple," Jack said. "They don't particularly care how many people might get hurt on their voyage home. And if they ever reassemble themselves, they'll cause a lot of damage."

Rodney frowned, something suddenly clicking for him. He looked across at Sam and Svetlana, and he could see that they were already on the same page.

"Are these things telepathic?" Sam asked Daniel.

"Actually, that's a very strong possibility. Why?"

"Do these aliens take hosts?" Svetlana asked.

The room fell silent. Daniel exchanged a worried look with Jack and Jacob. "Not as far as we know. Why?" he asked.

"An entity attacked someone we know, one of our, uh, clients, and apparently, it telepathically told him that it was going to take him as a host," Rodney said carefully.

Daniel looked up at Murray in confusion, his mouth opening soundlessly.

Jack sighed. "Tell them about the snakes."

"Snakes?" Rodney asked, worried. "What snakes?"

"The Goa'uld," Daniel said. "They're a parasitic life form that take human hosts. These aliens we've been telling you about were Goa'uld once. One of them was helped to ascend by an Ancient. He then helped the other one to ascend too. As far as we know, ascended beings don't need a host, since they exist as energy."

Rodney scratched the back of his head, the worry beginning to intensify. "What if--what if they're not strong enough to return to their ascended form?"

"What if they have simply adapted?" Svetlana asked. "Perhaps having a host stabilizes the entity's form."

"Not to mention a constant supply of energy," Sam said.

"Oh my god," Rodney whispered. "We let that thing out."

"Rodney, we had no choice," Sam said. "It would have broken out anyway."

Rodney shook his head. "No, it's not that. John said the entity that attacked him promised it was coming back for him. Considering these things were scattered all over the place from space, it's safe to assume that the scattered parts are still attracted to each other over large distances. What if that thing can find John too?"

"Okay, back up. Who is John, and what the hell has he got to do with this?" Jack asked.

Rodney stood up, frustrated. "John Sheppard. The client we mentioned. He was attacked by one of these things. He's probably in danger. We have to leave, now."

"You're not going anywhere," Jack said.

"You don't get it. We just let out a supercharged part of an alien entity after effectively having helped it to regenerate. It's going to go out there and try to put all the pieces back together, and for all you know, having a host might just make it that little bit easier. We need to get to John before the entity does," Rodney said forcefully.

Jack looked across at Jacob. "Daniel and Teal'c can go check out this guy."

"I'll come with you," Rodney said quickly.

"I don't think so," Jack replied. "You're better off here."

"Or you can take him with you. Svetlana and I can work on the equipment," Sam said, giving Rodney a glance.

"We don't need to catch them," Jack replied. "We need to finish them off."

"I know," Sam said calmly.

"You're telling me you can fix the equipment to kill those things?" Jack asked.

Sam nodded. "That's exactly what I'm telling you."

Jack didn't seem convinced.

"Jacob--" Rodney started.

"Rodney, I can't misuse my authority just because you want to help out your friend," Jacob said wearily.

"He's, uh, more than a friend," Rodney said, his jaw clenching as he saw Jack's eyebrows climb a little. "What?" Rodney snapped.

Jack shrugged. "Hey, I didn't say anything." He looked to Jacob, who still seemed a little uncertain. "Your call, sir."

Jacob sighed. "Okay. Let's keep this low key. Daniel and Teal'c will go with Rodney. Bring this John Sheppard back with you. If one of our ascended friends is really after him, we should keep him close. Colonel? Take these two upstairs."

Jack nodded and got up. "Ladies?"

Sam and Svetlana got up, parting with supportive glances in Rodney's direction as he nodded at them.

Rodney looked at Daniel. "So, we have to wait for this Teal'c person?"

Daniel gave a sheepish look and turned to look at Murray. Murray stepped forward and took his woolen hat off, displaying a gold tattoo in the middle of his forehead.

Rodney nodded. "Your name's not really Murray, is it?"

As it turned out, no, his name was not Murray at all. His name was Teal'c, and he was a man of very few words, which made for a very lackluster conversation during the ride to Rodney's apartment.

"So, you'd die if you took that worm thing out?" Rodney asked as the car came to a stop.

"Indeed," Teal'c replied.

"No offense, but I think I'd rather be dead than having an evil tapeworm in my gut," Rodney said uneasily.

"Anyone else think it's a little dark?" Daniel asked, peering up at the building.

Rodney poked his head between Daniel's and Murray/Teal'c's seats, noting that the whole street was curiously dark. The sun was just beginning to set, and even though it wasn't fully dark yet, there was a distinct lack of lighting. "This...this looks bad."

"It might be an idea to wait for backup," Daniel suggested.

Rodney's head snapped toward Daniel. "What? No. He could be up there, in trouble right now."

Daniel considered, then made a decision. "Okay, let's go."

Outside, Rodney walked on ahead. Daniel made a call on his cell as Teal'c loomed silently nearby.

The inside of the building was dark, and when Rodney pressed the button for the elevator, nothing happened. "Looks like the power's gone," he said. "We'll have to take the stairs." He headed for the doors that led to the stairs. Daniel and Teal'c didn't follow him. Rodney stopped and looked at them. "What are you waiting for?" he snapped. They didn't seem to care that John was in danger.

"Look, we understand you want to get up there, but it might be too late. We've dealt with these...things before," Daniel said quietly.

Rodney nodded. "Concern noted. Let's go."

As Rodney grabbed the door handle, the lights flickered on for a brief second. The elevator shaft made a worrying sound of twisting metal. A moment later, there was a thundering, rumbling sound before a loud crash shook the floor. The three men turned back and stared at the closed doors of the elevator. Rodney backed away from the entrance to the stairs.

"Um, you know, considering you guys probably have more experience with this kind of thing, maybe you should go first," Rodney said, indicating the door with his finger.

Daniel's eyes narrowed slightly as he exchanged a look with Teal'c. Teal'c didn't seem surprised at all. He headed for the door to the stairs, and they fell into line behind him.

Rodney was gulping for air as they finally reached the top floor of the building. Suddenly, having an apartment above all the peons seemed to have backfired on him. Next to him, Daniel looked a little flushed, but Teal'c hadn't even broken a sweat. Maybe the tapeworm wasn't such a bad investment.

Rodney had just started to make his way toward his apartment when a hand on his arm stopped him. Teal'c stepped in front of him, his hand going into his pocket and retrieving something Rodney didn't recognize. Daniel joined Teal'c. He held an identical object. A moment later, they unfurled, raising their heads like mechanical cobras. Both men were clearly holding some kind of weaponry.

"This one?" Daniel asked, nodding to the nearby door.

"Yeah," Rodney said.

They slowly edged closer, but before Rodney could reach into his pocket for his keys, the door was wrenched from its hinges. It hit the wall across the hall and crashed to the floor. It was if an incredibly powerful unseen force had kicked it open from the inside.

Rodney gulped. "It doesn't usually do that."

Teal'c entered the apartment first, slowly and cautiously, weapon at the ready, Daniel following him, similarly prepared.

They were standing in the middle of the apartment, just looking around, when Rodney finally got up the courage to follow them in. The place was a mess: loose pages, books, and knickknacks were scattered across the floor, and a wind was blowing, as though all the windows were open. The lights flickered on and off.

Rodney stepped toward the bedroom to take a look through the windows, but Teal'c's hand shot out in front of him, stopping him as the bedroom door opened. Daniel and Teal'c trained their weapons at the open doorway, and Rodney watched as John slowly stepped from the room. He cursed himself for noticing that John had borrowed one of his fashionable black shirts, only it was unbuttoned and flapping in the breeze. His black jeans rode low on his hips, showing skin that Rodney could still feel on his fingertips. His hair was damp and his eyes glittered. His face looked flushed as he stared at each of the three men watching him, one after the other.

"John?" Rodney asked quietly. "Are you all right?"

John looked at Rodney, as if a little drunk or confused, and offered up a smirk, his eyes narrowing as he turned to Daniel and Teal'c.

"I have been waiting for you," John said arrogantly as Rodney frowned.

"Let me guess," Daniel said. "Anubis?"

John began to laugh. "The great Anubis is no longer so great."

"Ba'al," Teal'c said.

John's eyebrow quirked briefly. "Well done."

"Where's Anubis?" Daniel asked, weapon held steady.

"Anubis was weak. Old. I used the remnants of his corpse to regenerate. All that is left of him is thoughtless, aimless energy. All his knowledge and power belong to me. You failed. Miserably." John gave a smug, triumphant smile.

Daniel lifted his weapon slightly. "I don't think I believe you. You wouldn't be standing here talking to us if you had all that power--both yours and Anubis's."

As Rodney watched, fascinated despite himself, John sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. He was frowning, as if willing something to happen. Then he opened his eyes and stretched out a hand. The breeze picked up, and smudges of black that had seemed like shadows floated through the air and into John's open hand. He gasped and smiled, clenching his fist tight.

"I will be complete soon," John said. "And then no one will stop me--least of all you."

"I don't think so," Daniel said. He fired his weapon, which sent out a web of crackling electricity that danced around John's form, outlining it with stark white lines of energy.

Rodney looked on, horrified, as John staggered back. He'd never seen a weapon like that before. As he watched, Teal'c fired. This time John didn't stagger. He just breathed in and laughed.

"I should thank you," he said. "There are not many that possess the qualities of this host." He flexed his fingers in front of him, turning his palm up.

"What do you mean?" Rodney asked.

John gave Rodney a brief look but then immediately dismissed him. Instead, he spoke to Daniel and Teal'c. "I feel it in his blood."

"The gene," Daniel hissed to Teal'c. "Sheppard must have the gene."

John smiled, arching an eyebrow. "He will be the key to all that the Ancients built."

Teal'c responded by firing his weapon over and over. Daniel did the same. John spread out his arms and happily received the fire.

When Teal'c and Daniel finally lowered their clearly ineffective weapons, Rodney gave them the look he reserved for extremely stupid people. "Okay, tip for the future? Firing energy weapons at an energy-eating monster might be a bad idea."

John laughed and gave a nod. "You should listen to him." Then he threw his hand out toward Teal'c and Daniel, black waves rushing from his fingertips. The two men were slammed against the wall near the ceiling. They slid down and landed hard on the floor, then went completely still.

Then John turned his attention to Rodney. Rodney tried to swallow down the fear, his eyes widening as John neared.

"This host remembers you...fondly." John's mouth twisted in a sneer.

"I should hope so," Rodney said, stepping back as John neared. "After all, that is my shirt he's wearing.

"He desires you," John said.

"Really?" Rodney blurted. "I mean, uh, that's good to know. But not much use to me right now."

John took another step forward, and for a moment, Rodney thought he saw a dark shadow lift itself out of him. But then it slipped back in, making John gasp sharply. Could it be that the entity didn't have as firm a grasp on John as he was letting on? Rodney felt a spark of hope.

John fell to his knees with a thud, his hands bracing against the floor. Rodney watched, still cautiously keeping distance.

"John?" Rodney ventured.

John looked up, and from the look of confusion in his eyes, it was clear the one called Ba'al wasn't there.

Rodney went to John's side, kneeling down and holding onto his arm. "You okay?"

John shook his head. "There's something inside me."

Rodney nodded helplessly. "I know, I know."

"I want it out," John said, his voice rough.

Rodney didn't know what to say as John watched him, panic evident in his eyes.

"I don't know how," Rodney said quietly.

John swallowed and gave Rodney an uneasy smile. "You're a genius, right? Find a way. He's getting stronger, and I think he's beginning to like it in here."

"Well, tell him you were there first," Rodney said. He knew exactly where the sudden surge of anger in him had come from.

"He's not listening," John whispered, before he flopped against Rodney, as if the energy had completely left his body. Rodney looked at the top of John's head, unsure of what to do next, when suddenly he felt John's lips mouthing the material of his T-shirt. A second later, a pair of bright, gold-green eyes looked up at him with a knowing smile.

"You wanted him," John said, sitting up and pulling Rodney close. "And now you have a god."

Rodney could see Ba'al in John's face, the way the mouth lost all its humor and turned into a sneer. "No thanks. I think I'll stick with what I had."

The eyes narrowed and became cold. John pulled away and rose from the floor as Rodney gulped and got up.

"Then...die," John said, his voice twisted by Ba'al's ugly presence as his hand came out and he threw a wave of black mist at Rodney.

Rather than feeling like he'd been thrown against a wall, it was more like having a wall thrown against him. The air was knocked from his lungs, and he crashed hard into the bookshelves. He fell to the floor, books raining down atop him. He turned onto his back. He didn't even have enough breath to groan with pain. John was walking toward him, head tilted, a malevolent smile on his face.

"You humans break so easily," John said, his voice quiet.

Rodney moved back slightly, breath hitching, his bones protesting at the movement. He could taste blood in his mouth. The ache in his bottom lip told him what the source was.

John was smiling as his hand came out to reach for Rodney. Then he stopped. John was staring at his hand. For a moment, it was as though his hand had become blurred and then shadowed. Part of the shadow seemed to separate, a wisp curling away. John's focus became intense, and the wisp curled back into his hand.

John smirked at Rodney before a whirlwind twisted around his black-clad form and spread across the apartment. When it cleared, John was gone. Rodney felt a whimper escape him, and then he passed out

Somewhere far away, Rodney could hear the low murmur of familiar voices. Rodney, cracking an eye open, found he was looking at his bedroom ceiling. He sat up a little too quickly, and the room tilted. Rodney closed his eyes and stilled for a moment. When his head stopped spinning, he opened his eyes and swung his legs off the bed.

Everything hurt as he got up and made his way out. His muscles felt stiff and sore. His hand went to the back of his head and found a tender lump that made him wince.

The living room was a mess. The apartment door was still lying in the outer hallway. People he'd never seen before were milling around and touching things, scanning things with handhelds, taking recordings. By the window stood Jack, Teal'c, and Jacob. Nearby, Sam and Svetlana were in quiet conversation with a seated and bruised Daniel.

Sam spotted Rodney first and touched Svetlana's elbow to let her know, pulling her along and away from the four men.

"Hey, how do you feel?" Sam asked, placing a hand on Rodney's arm.

Rodney groaned and rubbed his face. "Well, let's see. I've got a possible prison sentence to worry about. My apartment has no door. My whole body feels like a bruise. Oh, and the nice man I had great sex with tried to kill me. I'm having a fine old time. How about you? Read any good books lately?"

Svetlana rolled her eyes. She tugged Rodney across the room and shoved him onto the couch. She sat on the coffee table, Sam joining her.

Rodney glanced over at their new friends. Jack looked pissed off, Jacob looked concerned, Daniel was grimacing, and Teal'c looked as if he was possibly in a coma.

"Dr. Jackson told us what happened," Sam said. "He said he saw John turn into that thing and disappear. Apparently the power in the building came back on ten minutes later."

Rodney nodded. "He's still feeding. I'm guessing he needs all the energy he can get to stop from destabilizing."

"Shouldn't he be getting stronger just by returning to his old form?" Sam asked. "I mean, the whole reason he's probably feeding is to hurry up the process."

Rodney shook his head. "No, I think I figured out why he needs a host and why he's sucking up so much power. Jacob said there were two of them, right? Well, the one that was in control, Ba'al, said that...well, he basically ate the other guy."

Sam and Svetlana both made disgusted faces.

"This Ba'al must have leeched everything he needed from the other alien, Anubis. However, I don't think he's been able to fully incorporate the other entity into himself. He didn't look very in control for a while back there. I think he's trying to keep up his strength so he can round up the rest of himself. Maybe having a human host is helping him to stay in one piece--a containment unit of sorts, but one he can walk around in and control, one that won't short out." Rodney looked expectantly at the women, waiting for comments.

Svetlana frowned and shook her head. "I hate the way you just pull this stuff from your ass, Rodney."

"Dr. Jackson said you spoke to John," Sam said carefully. "What did he say?"

Rodney swallowed, his mouth feeling dry. He shook his head helplessly. "The alien doesn't have any intention of leaving and John wants it out. Pretty predictable stuff." Sam leaned forward and squeezed Rodney's knee. He shook his head again, not wanting comfort. "Please tell me you came up with something."

Sam gave Svetlana a hesitant look and took a deep breath before turning back to Rodney. "Um, actually, we got nothing."

Rodney glared at Sam. "You told that guy you had something," he said jerking his head in Jack's direction.

"McKay, I was trying to help you out. I figured it was the only way they'd let you come down here."

Rodney sighed and nodded. "Okay, okay. Sorry. Well, do you have any ideas at all? There must be something we can do. I mean, if we can catch it, there's got to be a way to kill it."

"He's got a point there," Jack's voice cut in as he appeared behind the coffee table, earning an annoyed look from Sam. She watched as Jack was joined by Jacob and Teal'c. Daniel joined them last, getting up from his chair somewhat stiffly and limping over.

"Sam?" Jacob urged. "If there's a way we can get rid of Ba'al, now's the time for you to tell us about it."

Sam got up and nodded, offering a tight smile. "Well, actually--"

"There is a way," Svetlana cut in.

"There is?" Sam frowned at Svetlana and then realized her mistake. "Yes, yes, there is a way, as Dr. Markov is now going to explain to you."

Svetlana stood up too. "Our trapping equipment uses a small, concentrated burst of energy to lure the entity. We thought the entity was simply attracted to the energy output, but obviously, it was drawn by its need to feed. The entity is drawn to the burst, and when it is close enough, the traps use a strong energy field to contain and hold it. If we increase that initial burst of energy, instead of luring the entity, it could possibly be used to completely disperse it, especially since the alien is already in an unstable state."

There was silence as everyone mulled over the information. Rodney could already feel a vein throbbing hard somewhere in his head, preparing for an embolism of epic proportions.

"Is that true?" Jack asked, looking down at Rodney.

"Oh, it's true all right," Rodney said. "However, what Dr. Markov failed to mention was that if we set the bait too high, the traps will explode in our faces. The reason the energy burst used to lure the entities is so short is because if you leave it on too long, there's a chance the whole matrix might overload."

"So, that would be a no," Daniel said slowly.

"No," Svetlana mimicked Daniel's tone. "The matrix will not overload if we keep our eye on output."

"If the output is exceeded even by the smallest fraction for too long, it could blow the trap. It's an insane idea," Rodney said.

"Wait a second. I thought you said firing energy weapons at energy-eating monsters was a bad idea," Daniel said, brows furrowed.

Rodney gave the sigh of the long suffering. "So far, it seems that the alien finds it easiest to feed from places that have a consistent flow of energy. I'm guessing that a very big boom will make alien go splat because the sudden power surge will destabilize its already unstable state."

"So, Dr. Markov's right," Jacob said. "It could work."

Rodney jumped to his feet and virtually snarled. "I'm sorry, but are we forgetting one very important detail here? That alien thing is inside someone. To kill this Ba'al, we'll have to fire on John."

"No, you won't," Jack said. "You tell us how to operate the equipment. You don't have to do anything."

Sam stared at Jack and then Jacob. "I can't believe this."

"He's right, Sam," Jacob answered. "It's why we're here. We were sent to make sure Ba'al and Anubis are stopped before it's too late."

"You're going to kill an innocent man!" Rodney snapped.

"Ba'al has killed countless innocents and will kill many more if he is not stopped," Teal'c said quietly. "And for your friend to live as a host--that is not an existence."

Rodney sighed, shaking his head. "There's got to be another way--some way of getting the alien out."

"You said he needs a body to stay in one piece," Svetlana said quietly. "He will not give it up willingly."

"But he's having trouble holding on. I saw it myself," Rodney said. He turned to Daniel and Teal'c. "You saw it too."

Daniel sighed and looked at Jack. "He's right. Either Sheppard broke through for a few seconds, or Ba'al's not in complete control."

"Daniel, he's walking around with Anubis's power," Jack said evenly. "If he makes it off this planet, chances are, the next time we'll see him again is when he's back to blow it up. Especially if he's got that gene."

"What gene?" Sam asked.

"Now's not the time to go into that," Jacob said wearily. "Latest report is that the power's cutting in and out all over the city. He's on the move, and he's probably rounding up the last bits and pieces of himself. We have to stop him before he becomes too strong."

Rodney sighed and slumped down on the sofa, his hand going to the back his head, which felt as though it was going to fall apart.

"Rodney," Jacob's voice was gentle, but still with an edge of seriousness to it. "You don't know what this Ba'al's capable of. He's killed millions already."

Rodney looked up, a surge of guilt spreading through him already. "You can't use the equipment. It won't work."

"Why not?" Jack looked suspicious.

"As a safety protocol, we built and installed a small DNA recognition device," Sam admitted. "If anyone else touches the traps, they won't work. I mean, they're still dangerous; you just won't be able to fire them. Only we can turn them on. It's pretty neat."

"Neat?" Jack said tightly. "Well, gee, I guess it is."

"Actually, it is," Rodney said. "We're talking pretty high-tech stuff."

Jack said, "Forgive me if I'm not too overwhelmed by the neatness here. There's a crazed Goa'uld on the loose, and the only way we might have been able to get rid of it no longer exists."

"Huh," Svetlana said. "Maybe it is not so neat when you look at it that way."

"Lady, you're really beginning to push it," Jack said, pointing at her.

"Jack," Jacob warned before addressing Sam. "Can't you fix it so someone else can use it?"

"Sure," Sam said. "Given a week or two."

"We do not have that long," Teal'c said.

"It's a highly advanced piece of technology. It's not a bike saddle--you can't just swap it out," Rodney said, closing his eyes with a sigh. "That only leaves one option."

There was a moment of silence before Jack responded. "Forget it."

"You have a better idea?" Rodney snapped.

Jack frowned and looked at Jacob. "We could try getting the Asgard on the phone again."

"Not enough time," Jacob said with a shake of the head. He looked down at Rodney. "You really think you'd be able to do it?"

Rodney took a deep breath and looked at Teal'c. "You said he's already killed millions, right?"

"He has."

Rodney turned to look at Sam and Svetlana, the question in his eyes. Both women gave muted nods. Rodney sighed and looked down at the floor, wondering if he'd go crazy when the reality of the whole situation would set in. He'd just volunteered to hunt down his boyfriend.

"Davis," Jack said as a man Rodney didn't recognize came up to them. "Report."

Davis looked as though he had no good news. "There have been some major disturbances uptown--especially a hotel up there. The whole area's being evacuated and cordoned off, but it's only a matter of time before the media turns up and starts asking questions."

"Has Ba'al been sighted, Major Davis?" Teal'c asked.

"No visual yet, but all the activity's concentrated in that one area," Davis answered. "It's got to be him."

"Did you say a hotel?" Sam asked. "The Grand Palace Hotel?"

Davis looked at Sam. "Actually, that's the one. How did you know?"

Sam stared at Svetlana and then turned to look at Rodney. "That's where you got slimed by the Jell-O monster."

Davis opened his mouth to speak, but just let it hang open soundlessly until he could manage, "Jell-O...what?"

Daniel pointed to Davis. "What he said."

Rodney was getting up, his brain making espresso-machine sounds in his ears. "You're right. The Jell-O monster."

"I swear, one more person says 'Jell-O monster,' heads are gonna roll," Jack warned.

"Jell-O monster, of course," Svetlana said, ignoring Jack's glare.

"Sam," Jacob said impatiently.

"We got called down to the Grand Palace Hotel a while back, chasing the dark entities. That was the first time we saw one of them take on a different shape," Sam answered.

"Um...a Jello-O shape?" Daniel asked, looking unconvinced.

"That's it. These people are nuts," Jack said.

"You're telling me it can change into other things?" Jacob said, his voice rising enough to get the attention of other personnel in the apartment.

"We didn't mention that part?" Rodney asked.

"No, I guess it slipped your mind," Jacob said irritably.

"Oh," Sam said suddenly.

"What?" Svetlana asked.

"I just had a thought. We never actually saw it change shape," Sam said.

"So?" Rodney asked.

"So, we made the assumption that one of the dark entities turned into Jello-O monster," Sam said.

Rodney's finger came up and he opened his mouth to speak, but Svetlana stopped him. "There are two of them."

"I was going to say that," Rodney snapped.

"You think you might want to share with the rest of the class?" Jack asked, folding his arms across his chest.

"You said there are two aliens out there, right?" Sam asked. "Well, initially, we thought that maybe all of the entities had the power to shape-shift into whatever someone close by might be thinking of. However, it only actually happened once. Never with the dark entities."

"Right, which means there's two kinds of entities out there," Davis said with a nod.

Rodney pointed at him. This Davis guy caught on fast. Rodney approved. "Exactly. But what if the Jell-O monster is Anubis, or what's left of him?"

Jack stared at Rodney blankly. "Anubis is Jell-O? Well, that's great. Let's all get a spoon each, dig in, problem solved."

"Don't you get it?" Rodney asked, frustrated. "Whatever that Jell-O thing is, it's just residual energy. I was attacked by it, and it was nothing like being attacked by the dark entities. I just felt a little drained, exhausted. By the amount of slime it left on me, I'm guessing it did more damage to itself than it did to me."

"And? So? Therefore?" Jack said impatiently.

Svetlana looked at Jacob. "If Ba'al is strong and has all of Anubis's power--"

"Then what's he doing at the hotel?" Daniel asked.

Rodney nodded. "Exactly."

"Of course, now he has a host. He's stronger and probably has better control over his powers. You think he's going to finish off Anubis?" Daniel asked Jack. "A little one-on-one action?"

"Sounds like Ba'al," Jack said. He turned to Jacob. "Permission to--"

"Do it," Jacob interrupted. He nodded in Rodney, Sam, and Svetlana's direction. "Get them geared up, and get their equipment. This might be the only opportunity we have to get rid of Ba'al and Anubis."

In the dead of night, under sheets of hard rain, a line of black unmarked vehicles pulled into the city center under the glare of circling helicopters. People in black spilled out, weapons at the ready. As Sam, Rodney, and Svetlana stepped out of their van, they looked on in wonder: the whole place was completely empty of people, other than those involved with the operation.

"I don't see why we have to dress like commandos if everyone's been evacuated. It's hardly going to fool energy-sucking aliens," Rodney complained as he pulled the straps tight on his backpack.

Svetlana checked the small display on the firing nozzle as Sam pulled on a black baseball cap. "I don't know. I kind of like it."

The doors of the black van behind theirs slid open, and Jack, Daniel, Teal'c, and Davis stepped out, also dressed in black, all armed, although Rodney had told them that bullets were completely useless.

"You all set?" Jack yelled over the din of hard rain, wind, and helicopters as he approached.

"Well, that depends if the Jell-O monster shows up," Rodney yelled back, trying to ignore the cold rain hitting his face.

"And if Sheppard shows up?" Jack asked.

Rodney didn't say anything, but gave a reluctant nod.

"Let's move out!" Jack yelled to his team.

Jack, Daniel, Teal'c, and Davis walked on ahead, Sam, Rodney, and Svetlana following. Teal'c moved with utter confidence. He wasn't carrying the weaponry the others had. Instead, he had a long staff with some kind of mechanism at the top. Jack and Daniel walked with their heads together, having a conversation, and Davis was issuing orders into his headset. They had only walked past a the fountain in the middle of the city center when the large doors of the hotel blew open, flying out and over their heads, easily traveling a half block.

Everyone stopped in his tracks.

Jack made some kind of hand movements that his team clearly understood. The scientists were ushered backward, slowly and carefully, while eyes were kept on the doorway into the hotel.

"You are too late."

They all turned around and saw John suspended ten feet off the ground, near the huge fountain. Water sprayed down in graceful curves behind him; rain fell from above. John wore the long, black coat Rodney had first seen him in. But now, to Rodney's eyes, it looked almost robelike. Under it, his shirt was only partially buttoned. He had an arrogant smile across his face. His eyes were heavy-lidded.

"O'Neill," he shouted. "You have failed. Again."

"Yeah, nice to see you too," Jack shouted back.

"I thank you for this," John said, holding out his hands, smiling. "Much better." Then he turned to Rodney and smiled. "Do you not think so?"

Rodney tried not to flinch at John's voice, so different yet completely the same. He looked the same and yet looked nothing like the man he'd only recently met.

"I will have more power than perhaps any ascended being has ever had," John continued. "And all thanks to your pathetic attempt to kill me."

"I guess we'll have to try better next time," Jack replied.

John smiled. "What next time?"

He stretched out his arm, opening his palm, and the night became a little darker as it rushed toward them, knocking them off their feet, pushing them away, making them fly, depositing them on the edges of the city center.

Rodney groaned, his already bruised body asking for respite. Svetlana lay next to him. A few feet away, Sam sat up slowly.

"Great," Rodney mumbled. "Now my bruises have bruises."

Jack and his team were similarly getting to their feet as Rodney turned his attention to John, who floated down from the fountain edge and began to walk toward them in cocky strides, his coat billowing behind him. Rain ran down his ecstatic face. He offered a smile and then was surrounded by a whirlwind of black. He disappeared from sight, and seconds later, he reappeared at the top of the hotel steps, from where he looked down on them.

"It is time to end this, for once and for all. However, I will be a merciful god and let you choose the manner of your death. Choose your destructor," John said with a smirk.

"What the hell's he talking about?" Jack asked.

"I don't understand," Daniel said.

"Oh, shit," Rodney said, sudden realization dawning on him. He whipped around to look at Sam. "You know, we never considered that Ba'al might be able to use the Jell-O monster for purposes other than feeding. He said Anubis was just thoughtless, aimless energy. What if he can control it?"

"Crap," Sam said, looking at Svetlana.

"What?" Jack snapped.

"Don't think of anything," Sam yelled at them all. "Whatever you think of is going to turn up to kill us. Try to clear your minds."

"Interesting choice," John said with a pleased smile. "Goodbye. You will not be missed."

"Whoa! What the hell? We didn't think of anything," Rodney snapped. He looked at Sam and Svetlana. "Did you think of anything?"

Both women shook their heads. Rodney turned to look at the others. "Did you?"

"Nothing!" Jack yelled back.

"My mind is clear," Teal'c said.

Eyes turned to Davis, and he gave them all an annoyed look. "It wasn't me."

Everyone looked at Daniel.

"Daniel? What did you do?" Jack said, walking up to him.

Daniel shifted nervously. "I couldn't help it. It was the first thing that popped into my head."

"What?" Rodney snapped.

Daniel glared. "Look, considering the size of these things, it can't be that bad. I mean, they're pretty small."

"What's pretty small?" Jack asked.

Daniel swallowed, his eyes blinking away rain. "The Goa'uld."

Jack frowned and then nodded. "Right, how bad can it be? It's not like the little buggers are that big. Right? I mean, sure, flying, dangerous. But not big."

Teal'c was standing deathly still, staring into the sky. Then he pointed at a red light, hovering above one of the tall buildings.

"What is it?" Jack asked.

They all watched the red light as it moved slowly across the sky. Suddenly a second light appeared, identical in size. It was then they realized that the area around the lights was darker than the sky.

"Shit," Jack mumbled as watched.

Within a few moments, it was clear the destructor was a twelve-story-high snake with bright red eyes and a mouth that opened into a fanged square. It was slowly slithering its way closer to the city center and the hotel as John looked on with a satisfied smile.

"What the hell is that thing?" Rodney asked, his voice breaking.

"It is a mature Goa'uld symbiote," Teal'c replied, looking stunned.

"Oh, it's mature all right," Jack said, pointing his gun in the direction of the monstrosity.

Rodney held fast to the nozzle in his hand, watching the snake get closer and closer. It was only moments later that he realized that the sound of gunfire had started. The snake continued on, unaffected by the barrage of bullets that hit it as it closed in.

Rodney stepped forward then, ready to switch his trapping equipment on. Sam grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"It's just energy being controlled by Ba'al. A power surge might knock out the connection between the two and kill the damn thing," Rodney said. "It's our only chance."

"Don't be a hero, McKay. This isn't a jar of pickles," Sam said. "You could blow yourself up."

"Or turn into snake bait," Rodney said. "What's your preference?"

Svetlana stepped in between them, the firing nozzle firm in her hands and her intentions clear. "I designed them. I know how they work the best," she said holding up the nozzle.

"No," Sam said.

"If it blows up in my face, it kills us all," Svetlana reasoned. "But it will not kill millions. Yes?"

Sam and Rodney stared, but gave her reluctant nods.

"We'll be right behind you," Sam said.

Svetlana nodded. "Okay. Good. Drinks on me afterward."

"Count on it," Rodney said.

They watched Svetlana put distance between them. Jack sidled up to Rodney's side.

"What the hell's she doing?" Jack asked.

"Saving our asses," Sam replied, her eyes fixed on the other woman.

The snake was in the middle of the city center, and as it slithered closer, its tail whipped up, down, and across, smashing the fountain and sending debris everywhere.

They watched as Svetlana's oval backpack began to glow and her stance stiffened, both of her hands holding onto the nozzle as she raised it and aimed. Her body jolted as a stream of energy shot from the nozzle and hit the snake square in the face. A moment later came a bigger surge, large and bright. It hit the snake's head hard, pushing it backward. They could see Svetlana pin it in place with the beam of energy, her eyes on the display on the handle. Seconds later, the stream of energy shut off, sending Svetlana stumbling back.

Sam rushed to her side and held on. "Are you okay?"

Svetlana nodded, looking a little breathless. "Okay, now I know why that is bad idea. Worse than aerobics."

They watched the snake, wavering as if a snake charmer was putting it under a spell, the energy rippling down its scales in electric lines. Otherwise, it seemed unaffected.

"It didn't work," Rodney said, disappointment clear in his voice.

"I think you're wrong," Jack said. "Look."

They turned to look at the steps of the hotel, where John was standing, looking as though darkness was slipping in and out of him, hovering over and behind. Every time the darkness shifted, he seemed to spasm in pain. His angry eyes were staring at them all, his hand outstretched. Then he looked up at the snake, and wisps of darkness seemed to leave him for the larger entity.

"Guess they're more connected than I thought," Rodney said.

"McKay!" Sam's voice brought Rodney's attention back to the snake, which looked a little softer around the edges, a little less solid. Ripples appeared under its skin.

Rodney joined Sam and Svetlana. "Looks like a single burst's not enough to bring that thing down."

Sam was nodding. "And I think given enough time, they'll both be able to restabilize. We need to hit them with a stronger burst."

"Not without overloading the traps," Rodney said.

"How about more than one, then?" Sam suggested.

"How many are you thinking?" Svetlana asked.

"Let me guess," Rodney said. "Three?"

"Guess you are a genius, McKay," Sam said with a grin. She turned back to the others and gave them a nod.

"Hey," Jack said. "Good luck."

Rodney turned to look at John, caught up in a whirlwind of black wisps, the entity desperately trying to hold onto its power.

"Sorry," Rodney murmured under his breath before he took his place between Sam and Svetlana.

"On three," Svetlana said. "One. Two. Three!"

They all powered up, and Rodney felt the hum of power coursing through his bones. The rain was falling cold against his skin, but his hands were burning hot and his heart was beating fast. There were worse ways to die, he thought.

"Second phase, on my mark," Svetlana announced. "Now!"

The jolt was incredible as the burst of energy shot from the nozzle and straight into the snake. For a moment Rodney felt as though he was going to be knocked from his feet from the power of it, but he held fast.

"Okay," Svetlana said. "Hold it steady. Power down on three."

Rodney held on, waiting for the blessed number three, thinking of all the scattered atoms as a result of making the wrong move.

"One," Svetlana said, not soon enough for Rodney. "Two," she said, and Rodney's finger twitched. "Three!"

They powered down simultaneously, watching the snake closely. They weren't dead. Neither was the snake.

Rodney quickly turned to look at the steps of the hotel. John was gone. Had Anubis won? His heart heavy, Rodney turned slowly to look at the snake that would soon kill them all. They'd failed. The snake was still there. It hadn't dissolved.

The snake was completely still, frozen. At its center was a red glow, pulsing and growing. As it grew, the snake became more transparent, ripples coursing through its body. Parts of it began to expand and contract. The snake began making horrendous screeching sounds as it stretched in unnatural directions. Then the glow at its center spread quickly, lighting its body up from the inside. As they watched, the fire suddenly rushed back into the center of the snake, and the snake dissolved.

Everyone frowned.

There was a rumbling in the sky, deep and heavy.

Then it happened. A large explosion shook the earth and sky, throwing everyone to the ground. From far away, it probably sounded like thunder. It left their ears ringing and their bones shaking.

With the rain fell something else--something cooler and thicker than water. Rodney lifted his head from where he had landed and grimaced when he realized he was covered in inches of Jell-O. As he looked around, he saw that everything close by was covered in a substance that couldn't be made out in the dark of night, but that certainly tasted like Jell-O.

Nearby, Sam was helping Svetlana up. Rodney sighed and staggered over to them, not even complaining when they both embraced him at the same time.

They moved to a nearby piece of broken fountain and sank down on it, watching Jack, Daniel, Teal'c, and Davis wipe Jell-O from their faces as the rain began to slow.

"For this? I want the Nobel prize," Svetlana said.

"I just want a drink," Sam said, shaking her hair free of Jell-O slime. "You still buying?"

Rodney ignored them and stared at the empty steps where John had stood. He felt desolate. A hand rubbed his back comfortingly, and turned to look at Svetlana.

"I am sorry, McKay," she said.

Rodney nodded, heart heavy. There wasn't much else he could do.

The three of them sat there as other troops moved in. Jack stood talking to his team in a huddle before finally coming over to them. He looked down at the three, sitting on their fragment of fountain. He looked out of breath, as winded as they felt. Jack gave a nod and held out his hand to Sam. "Nice work."

Sam looked at the hand and nodded, taking it and giving it a firm shake. Jack smiled at Svetlana and shook her hand too. Then he looked at Rodney, clapping a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry about Sheppard, McKay."

Rodney sighed and got up. "Yeah, me too."

He walked off, looking at the great big puddles of Jell-O everywhere and the destroyed fountain. So much for first contact with alien life forms. He came a stop by the huge pile of goo where the snake and been, turning his nose up at the mess, which seemed thicker, slimier, and more pungent than what he had been hit by.

Then Rodney noticed something. He stepped closer to get a good look. First it looked as though four pale sticks were poking up out of the thick mound. A closer look showed four very still fingers.

They could've belonged to anyone, maybe one of Jacob's men caught in the blast. But Rodney was only thinking of one person. He stepped into the huge mess, slogging forward until it reached his knees and he was having trouble pushing past it.

"Hey!" He heard Jack's unmistakable voice.

Rodney stopped and looked across at his friends and Jack. "There's someone in here!"

Rodney stretched up and managed to reach the fingers, which were several feet off the ground. He scooped away handfuls of the thick stuff that surrounded them as others arrived. Then everyone was helping him. A head of damp hair became visible, and everyone moved faster.

It was John. He'd known it would be. Rodney grabbed him under his arm, pulling him up slowly. Other hands helped ease him from the mound of slime. They carried the unconscious man away from the mess, Rodney sinking to the ground with him so John's head and shoulders ended up in his arms.

Sam and Svetlana knelt opposite Rodney, Sam searching for a pulse. "It's weak, but it's there."

Rodney gave John a worried look. "God, look at him. He's blue."

"Rodney. Look around you. Everything is blue," Svetlana said flatly. She reached forward and gave John a few sturdy slaps on the cheek. John stirred with a quiet moan.

"John? Hey," Rodney said with relief.

John's brow furrowed, his body shivering in Rodney's arms. "You okay?" he managed. "Did I hurt anyone?"

Rodney stared. Somehow, he wasn't surprised that John's first concern had been for others. "No, we're all fine. You okay?"

John nodded slowly. "Cold."

Rodney looked up to see Jack, Daniel, Teal'c, and Davis watching John and the scientists. "What are you all standing around for? Someone get a blanket or a doctor or something."

Jack signaled Davis, who turned around and issued commands into his headset.

"Thanks for scaring the shit out of me. Worst first date ever," Rodney said, leaning down and pressing a quick, firm kiss to John's cold lips.

John frowned up at him. "Why do you taste like Jell-O?"

Sam, Svetlana, and Rodney were Jell-O-free, dressed in blue military BDUs, and sitting around a table in a windowless briefing room. The three of them and John had been flown up to Cheyenne Mountain with Jack O'Neill and the rest of his team. John had been taken away by medics. The scientists had been ushered away to clean and change.

Now they sat opposite Jack, Daniel, Teal'c, and Davis, all in their matching green uniforms. Jacob was sitting next to Sam and adjacent to a bald man at the head of the table, General Hammond, who had many questions and many looks that indicated what he thought of people.

"And what if they manage to rematerialize a second time?" he asked the scientists.

"No, even this time, both aliens energy patterns had probably degraded too much for them to successfully repair themselves," Svetlana explained. "It is why one tried to consume the other as an energy source. The blast we delivered to them was too massive and direct for them to have survived it."

"You don't know the Goa'uld, Dr. Markov," Hammond replied wearily.

"What about John?" Rodney asked. "Is he going to be okay?"

Hammond gave a nod. "I've been told he's fine, although Dr. Sheppard mentioned that he seems to have retained some of Ba'al's memories, while simultaneously losing some memories of the time Ba'al was using him as a host."

"That doesn't sound good," Sam said with a grimace.

Daniel was shaking his head. "It's certainly not very pleasant. However, it could prove useful, seeing as Ba'al was a particularly powerful system lord, and anything he might have known is still worth knowing."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait a second." Rodney frowned. "Dr. Sheppard? He's a doctor?" He looked around at everyone with a stunned grin. Everyone stared back with varying degrees of amusement. "What? It's a shock, okay?"

"Uh, so, sir, are you going mention the whole Jell-O thing to the president?" Jack asked with a smile.

Hammond offered up one of his expressions of how unimpressed he was and ignored Jack, not catching the small smirks on the faces of the rest of the team.

"Now, there's the matter of the illegal materials found in your homes," Hammond said, giving the three scientists a stern look.

"We didn't mean to," the three scientists replied in unison.

"Come on, General," Jack said. "They didn't mean to. They saved our asses from a Jell-O snake monster. That's got to count for something." Jack smiled winningly.

"Jack's right, George. They did save the day," Jacob said.

"General," Rodney said, trying to remember to remain polite. "You've taken away all of our equipment, we've agreed to hand over our research and work with your incredibly slow-witted scientists, and we've signed all of your forms. We're hardly going to go back out there and try to get our next plutonium fix."

"Right," Jack agreed. "And we should really be using their talents for doing some damage against the bad guys."

"Yes," Rodney said with a smile. "Unlike the military, which secretly tries to kill aliens in the midst of a civilian population, and then penalizes the more intelligent members of that population for their curiosity."

Jack's smile was replaced with a scowl. "Of course, sir, if you really think prison's the best place..."

John was putting on his jacket when there was a knock at the door. It opened before he could invite anyone in, and Rodney stepped into view. The other man was smiling. He definitely looked rather pleased with himself.

"Hey," John said with a smile.

"Well, hello," Rodney replied. "Doctor Sheppard."

John gave an indulgent smile. "You're not going to make me call you Doctor McKay, are you?"

Rodney shrugged. "Only if you want to."

"I think I'll stick with Rodney."

"Rodney would like that very much," Rodney said with a nod.

John held back a silly smile. "So, listen. Sorry I tried to kill you, back at your place," he said casually.

"Yes, most people just leave me messages on my phone, telling me to stop calling them," Rodney said. "But, uh, since I tried to kill you back, I guess we're even."

John nodded thoughtfully. "Well, at least we have something in common now."

Rodney frowned at John, then clapped his hands together as he stepped forward. "So, I guess you won't be needing my cloud-capturing services anymore."

"I guess I won't," John answered taking a step forward too.

Rodney sighed melodramatically, taking another step. "I suppose this is the part where you heartlessly walk away, out of my life, after having had the best sex of your life, and I perform genius feats of science to erase the memory of John Sheppard from my broken heart."

"I guess so." John gave a sympathetic nod as took a step and closed the gap between them. "Or, we could go on that date and have more of that best sex of my life."

Rodney smiled and leaned forward to steal a kiss, a warm, enthusiastic, and smiling kiss. John pulled Rodney closer, grabbing him by the front of his shirt and deepening their kiss, taking a full and long taste of the other man. He pulled away with a nip to Rodney's bottom lip.

"You don't taste like Jell-O anymore," John said thoughtfully.

"Why? You like that in a guy? Because I could do that, you know?" Rodney said with a satisfied grin.

John frowned. "You're a real weird guy, you know that?"

"But you like that, right?"

John's answer was another kiss.

- the end -