Disclaimer: Want it, need it, but don't own it. All this Stargate stuff (unforunately) belongs to MGM studios and such, whatever.

A/N: My other story "FaLL oUT" doesn't seem to be too popular so I've decided to write this and update it while finishing "FaLL oUT" on the sidelines before posting the rest of its chapters. Okie doke? Oh yeah, got the inspiration from a drawing on DeviantArt by Calcitrix titled "Uncle Rodney". =P Well… go look at it already!

P.S. I'm gonna try one of my early writing styles =P I think I get a little too serious w/my writing sometimes.

::-:SGA:-::

TRIPLE TERROR

By Sandy Toes

::-:SGA:-::

Chapter 1: Underground

The silence of the darkness was suddenly broken with the sound of a heavy door sliding aside. Instantly, three small, white beams pierced the black of the room and cut through the heavy air with ease. They traced along the walls of the room, giving the three explorers a vague impression of what was inside. Although the picture was incomplete, they deemed it safe and a fourth, brighter light joined those that danced along the wall.

"Well this is certainly different," McKay's voice echoed in the darkness, the room obviously being much bigger than they had predicted. At the echoing quality of the scientists voice, the three small lights danced a little faster along the walls and ended up pointing in one direction where they could no longer reach solid mass and disappeared a short way into the darkness.

"Yeah, why didn't everything come on when I entered?" Sheppard asked, his eyes slowly adjusting to the lighting and scanning the area before him. "I thought this place was Ancient."

"It is!" McKay hissed, his much brighter light stuck on the wall of the room, searching up and down along the patterns of the Ancient markings, looking for a panel to pop open.

"Perhaps the power source has been depleted," Teyla offered, moving a bit away from Sheppard.

"Or maybe someone sabotaged this place before leaving," Ronon grunted from the darkness. He had attached a light to the end of his own gun when they were back on the jumper, but upon entering the room had removed the nuisance, realizing it made it hard to aim. Now all that was visible of the Satedan was the red glow of his own sidearm.

"Hmm, I don't think so," McKay said. The scientist had just found a panel and was prying off the cover from the wall. "There wasn't much in the database about this place, but the Ancients," McKay grunted as he pulled off the panel completely, "emphasized that this place was crucial to the survival of the planet's inhabitants. Gotcha!" McKay had shone his light into the array of crystals and wires and immediately got to work.

"Well it didn't do a very good job," Sheppard now moved closer to McKay, his P-90 lowered as he walked up behind his friend. "There's nothing living up top and this is the only structure underground."

"At least the only one we are aware of," Teyla said. "The database did not offer much, and the information is over ten-thousand years old. Many things have changed since then."

"You saying someone could be living down here?" Ronon asked, backing up towards his teammates at the unsettling implication.

"It is a possibility. I doubt the Genii are the only civilization to have migrated underground in order to escape the Wraith."

Sheppard looked away from McKay for a moment, "Teyla's right. We best be on our guard." Ronon grunted in agreement and they heard his gun power up. Whether or not he had set it to stun or kill was unanswered.

"Ah ha!" McKay exclaimed from his panel, and the others looked to him. "Now all I have to do is… presto!" There was a small clink and the room was instantly brightened. However, the primary lights within the small space that the team occupied were not the only lights to be activated. There was the sound of industrial lights coming on as row after row of large, luminescent lights continued to brighten up the facility.

"Wow," Sheppard exclaimed, turning around at the sound and looking out into the rest of the facility.

Bringing light into the room ultimately eliminated the dark and enlightened the humans as to what was exactly held beneath the earth. Currently, the Lanteans stood on a small balcony with control consoles all around them, although only a few were lit up and sending out readings. In the middle of the balcony there were three pedestals facing each other in a triangle. Each pedestal had two dimly lit ovals on a small panel (obviously for someone's hands) and a circle etched into the metal at their base where someone would most likely stand.

Although the balcony was small and encompassed by stone, a part of it rounded out into the main part of the facility. Just standing at the railing of the balcony, Sheppard was able to see that the facility went on for probably miles under ground. The balcony was located only a couple meters from the ceiling of the facility, so one had a sense of superiority as they looked over the city fifty feet below them. Stretching out from the balcony were buildings and roads that formed an underground city. The homes were apartment like, although some seemed to be for wealthier families as they had what could be interpreted as a yard.

Roads separated the metal structures and it appeared that homes were on the outskirts of the large city, as further down the roads ran along large skyscraper-like buildings. Sheppard could barely make out green patches were dirt had obviously been brought in from above and plants grew for nutrition. There was no sign of life, and the air was eerie as the team stood there, looking out into the ghost town.

"Amazing," Teyla whispered, stepping up beside the colonel, whom had moved to the edge of the balcony.

"Yeah," Ronon grunted, standing a little ways away from McKay protectively. His sidearm was still unsheathed, learning long ago that just because something looked dead did not mean it was always so. "You think anyone's still living here?"

"If they are," McKay finally chimed in, only giving the city a glance before dropping his rucksack and pulling out his laptop to interface with one of the consoles, "they've been living in darkness for a very long time. It doesn't look the lights have been used much since the Ancients left this place." McKay plugged his computer into one of the consoles and immediately got to work in deciphering the importance of the information before him.

Ronon took a look at the door they entered through, the long hallways they had traveled down were now also illuminated, before concluding it was safe for the moment and stepping over to Sheppard to Teyla.

"I don't think we can get down there," Sheppard commented, looking over the railing and scanning the surface of the stone for stairs or a transporter. "We might have to use the climbing gear."

"Jumper would be easier," Ronon said, he too looking for any hint of stairs.

"Would it not be difficult to the get the jumper down here? I do not think those hallways are large enough," Teyla said, turning away from the railing and staring at the two men.

Sheppard shrugged and his eyes followed along the ceiling right above them. "Maybe there's a hidden door that lets them in. I mean this place was built by the Ancients and I doubt they walked everywhere. No sign of transports, so jumper's the only logical way to get around."

"Yes, well I don't think we're meant to get down there from here anyway," McKay called over from his console. The others looked at him. When he motioned for them to come over, they followed and watched as they stared down into the tablet reading off the data. "I've managed to get some information on this place, although I'm not completely certain what it's for yet. Apparently, they housed the people from the surface down here to protect them from the Wraith. When they realized the Wraith weren't so easily fooled, they did something to distract them. It doesn't exactly what, but the computer's having trouble translating all of the data. I think someone was right to suspect someone sabotaged this. Or at least, tried to hide what they were doing."

McKay turned back to his team, his face momentarily grim, then another clicked into his mind and before anyone could comment he quickly stated, "However, I do know how we can access more of the systems. Apparently the Ancient's were careful to make sure that no Wraith could gain access to the information. So, they built those," McKay indicated the three pedestals with a wave of his hand.

"All we need is three humans, at least one with the Ancient gene, and hands!" McKay wriggled his own fingers and gave a look to his three teammates. They took the hint and began to move over to the pedestals. It wasn't that hard to figure out what to do and they stood within the circles on the floor and Teyla, Ronon, and Sheppard held their hands hovering over the ovals.

McKay turned back to his laptop and tapped a few commands in before returning to his friends. "Okay, now don't put down your hands until I say. Your palms will be scanned, which will be like entering a password, and the computers will open up. Hopefully, we'll get some Ancient intel."

Sheppard gave McKay a skeptical look, "Are you sure this is safe? I mean, what happens if it doesn't take our-"

"Don't worry, if something does go wrong I'm sure it's nothing I can't fix…" McKay held an optimistic smile on his face, which only worried Sheppard more. After all, McKay could get a little carried away when it came to gaining vital information. However, he supposed if it wasn't them, McKay would just come back with some eager scientist to power up the facility completely.

"Okay, everyone ready?" Sheppard asked, looking at Ronon (who looked like he couldn't really care) and Teyla, (who held a reassuring smile) whom both nodded at the man.

McKay rubbed his hands together excitedly, "Okay, now on three… 1...2...3!" Ronon, Teyla, and Sheppard all pressed their palms firmly against the ovals at the same. Immediately, the device reacted and circles beneath their feet lit up. McKay didn't have time to react as a flash of light swallowed up his friends and the scientist was momentarily blinded.

Rubbing his eyes once the light had subsided, McKay blinked a few times and finally abashed the small white circles that danced before his eyes. Looking up at the pedestals, McKay had to squint before his vision became clear and the objects before him were no longer fuzzy.

"Sheppard…?" McKay questioned, seeing that his friends were no longer standing at the panels. "John!" McKay tried again, straightening up and looking around frantically, but seeing no one on the balcony with him. Just as McKay was about to move to the railing (to make sure no one had been flung over board) there was another flash of light from the pedestals.

Feeling a bit relieved at the prospect that his friends had been returned to him, McKay soon felt a lump raise up into his heart and his throat, his blue eyes settling on the unconscious bodies lying at the base of the pedestals. "Oh I am so screwed."

::-:TBC:-::

Hope ya like it! Reviews are always appreciated, thanks for reading!