A Legacy left Behind - Initial encounters

Part 2

Oh, but no, the great Dr. Rodney McKay, Ph.D Ph.D had decided today was the day! The Chair absolutely had to be calibrated right now or the end was nigh! Honestly, the scientist was an outright prima donna drama queen when he had to have his way. He had stormed into the infirmary, loudly insisting the Major be immediately released so that he could sit in the Chair. They needed a system wide calibration RIGHT NOW because the power readings he was getting were not right.

The poor lad had gone bug-eyed at the scientist-shaped tornado glaring down at him, and shot a pleading look at Carson to save him.

The Major had been transferred to a bed at the infirmary during the night, when the stasis pod had finally seen fit to release its charge. They had him hooked to an IV and a monitor as a precaution. Carson had been relieved to see what the pod monitor had been reporting was true. The lad was as healthy as a male of his late twenties could be, and a quick scan had shown that all the broken bones had been healed as well; including the not quite healed one according to his medical file, had happened a month ago during training.

The lad had continued his peaceful slumber through the rest of the night until an hour ago. He had woken up to a nurse who was checking his temperature, given a pleasant and somewhat sheepish smile and asked for some breakfast. Carson had sent away the nurse for the requested meal and started to ask some questions about how he was feeling, when Rodney barged in.

It was either serving up the Major to the Unholy Force that was McKay or sacrificing himself, and Carson was fiercely protective of his patients. That was how he had found himself reluctantly following the head scientist towards the dreaded Chair. Because Carson knew despite all the drama Rodney managed to throw at everybody, the man must have a valid reason to be demanding a system check immediately and it most probably was that important.

..........

They had found out about this particular Outpost only about a year ago, when the Goa'uld System Lord Anubis had this bright idea to bring a fleet to try to conquer the earth. General O'Neill, who had a head full of Ancient database accidentally downloaded inside his head around about that time, managed to find this place. After a couple of minor miracles involving engineering and transportation rings, they had unearthed the Outpost enough for the General to go in and activate the defenses. Those defenses had put a stop to that battle. Then the whole project around the place was born; to explore and discover everything they could about it. But the structure and its worldly possessions had been somewhat reluctant in giving away their secrets.

The Terra Atlantus, according to Dr. Daniel Jackson- or the Ancient Defense Outpost according to everybody else, was an underground hexagonal structure, roughly the size of two football stadiums the best they could tell. Some of it was still covered in ancient ice and they were still discovering and excavating its outer reaches. What they had discovered and made viable for human occupation, was a sturdy structure made of a copper colored metal alloy that was decidedly alien. The hidden light fixtures were bathing the interior in soft pale blue glow where they hadn't installed fluorescent lights that were more suitable for their human sensibilities. There were habitable complexes surrounding the center of the building that came outfitted with their own amenities such as attached bathrooms, sleeping areas and in some cases small kitchenettes. All they had to do was replace the Ancient versions of millennia old beds and linen and it was ready to be moved into, by the happy band of scientists and their military minders. The middle of the building that had served as the Command Center in the past was now alive and reinforced with equal numbers of modern day screens, laptops, computers, power generators, data depositories and whatnot attached to each and every Ancient gadget that was there in the first place. They even had several platforms set up to take apart whatever fancy Ancient tidbit caught their eye.