"I'm filtering the life signs indicator to detect only larger animals," reported Lome.
Rodney did the same, and the riot of color, which had previously indicated dozens of iguanas and assorted marine life in intertidal rock pools, vanished. "Small favors," he muttered.
"The iguanas are not likely to have any interest in the lab." Geisler leaned forward in his seat to offer unsolicited reassurance. "In any case, the force field will keep them at bay."
"Assuming there are no fluctuations in the power levels or the coverage," Rodney said, glancing over his shoulder. "Jurassic Park was safe, too, until the power went out."
The paleontologist's normally ruddy complexion turned a deep red. "Don't talk to me about that worthless piece of celluloid. The gross misconceptions it perpetuated in the name of entertainment…"
Glimpsing Teyla's attempt to mask a smile, Rodney was forced to recall his own vocal objections to Back to the Future. Of course, his points of contention had been rooted in hard science, as opposed to a few prehistoric bones and a lot of conjecture surrounding a few pieces of amber and some mosquitoes.
"I liked that movie," Ronon contributed from Jumper Two.
"The raptors kicked ass," added one of the Marines.
"Rodney, I am transmitting the frequency modulation algorithm to you now," said Radek over Geisler's continued grumbling.
"Receiving." Rodney activated Jumper Three's shield and began making the necessary adjustments to allow it to merge with the lab's force field.
"…every one of you is so bloody convinced that they're reptiles when in fact-hello, what's this?" His rant forgotten, Geisler peered out through the windshield and up at the greenery piercing the sunlight. "My word, that's amazing. They shouldn't be able to survive in the harsh saltwater conditions this close to the coast."
Trying to follow his gaze, Teyla asked, "Are you speaking of the plants, Doctor?"
"I am indeed." Geisler got to his feet and leaned over the center cockpit console for a closer look. "The flax and other succulents that we saw outside are understandable, but those tree ferns growing over there-this is all very indicative of a constant stream of freshwater through the cavern."
Which surely would be a fascinating find if the trees were in any way related to their mission objective, Rodney thought, until Geisler added, "It suggests this area is still connected to the underground river that services the sinkholes we saw on our first visit. I suspect it's subject to partial flooding on a regular basis °"
In which case Rodney's priority upon entering the facility would be to determine whether the frequency of the force field expelled water. In the meantime, he focused on the HUD's readings of the lab building itself. "The component materials not encased in rock appear to be a combination of standard Ancient materials and something considerably older."
"As I noted on our earlier visit, the architectural form of some of the ruins is remarkably similar to the Ancient structures we've found in the Milky Way Galaxy." Geisler was practically vibrating with impatient enthusiasm. "The Ancients must have had a rationale for choosing to come to Pegasus when they left Earth. It stands to reason that they had other cities here-cities in excess of one hundred and fortyfive million years old."
An intriguing thought, certainly, but it didn't quite add up. "If the dinosaurs had been here that long," Rodney pointed out, "it stands to reason that they would have evolved, at least enough that we wouldn't recognize them so easily."
"Not necessarily," Geisler argued. "Evolution isn't spontaneous or automatic; it's driven by the survival needs of a species. These animals existed for an extremely long time on Earth, even through various ice ages and continental drift. There's no evidence to suggest they would have naturally become extinct had it not been for the catastrophic K-T event. It's entirely plausible that they've maintained a stable, healthy population here without outside intervention."
"What is a K-T event?" Teyla asked.
Yet another case of a misleading acronym. While Geisler explained what was in fact the Cretaceous Paleogene event-a massive comet that impacted the Yucatan peninsula and wiped out a large chunk of life on Earth sixty-five million years ago-Rodney edged Jumper Three through the frequency-matched force field without so much as a bump.
"Don't mean to be ignorant, Docs." One of the Marines spoke up from the back. "But what do the dinosaurs have to do with this Ancient lady, Lilith? I mean, what was she doing here?"
"That's what we're here to find out " There was only one area under the force field that was large enough to accommodate both jumpers, so by default it became their landing zone. Rodney guided the craft in to settle on a largely barren rock surface inside the smaller cavern that acted as a sort of vestibule. While it also featured a collapsed section exposed to the surface, minimal sunlight penetrated a veritable screen of mosses and delicate maidenhair ferns. Shutting down the jumper's shield, he signaled to the sergeant nearest the hatch controls. "Go ahead and open it up."
Almost immediately, a sharp odor found its way into the cabin. Rancid butter, Rodney's brain labeled it, although if questioned he'd deny having any prior experience with which to make that determination. Teyla's nose wrinkled. "It is similar to the aroma we encountered at the Stargate."
"The force field repels solid objects. Air, as you've noticed, gets through just fine." He climbed to his feet and grabbed his pack as he headed for the hatch.
As the Marines fanned out around them in the twilight, Rodney joined Radek at the outer wall of what Rodney had mentally labeled the `modem' facility. The foliage inside the force field had thrived just as well as its counterparts on the outside, a mass of ferns vying for space along those sections of the wall in receipt of the scant sunlight. This indicated that water vapor and plant spores had also found a way in, and it made him wonder exactly what the force field was repelling. "There is an entrance here," said Radek, stepping close to an unobtrusive doorway. Experimentally, he tapped a few keys on the control panel mounted beside it. "It does not appear to respond to inputs."
"To a lesser man, that might present an obstacle." The force field served as proof that the laboratory had power, and Rodney had dealt with enough of these types of controls to know which conduit directed the failsafe. He pulled a screwdriver out of his pack. Ignoring Radek's admonishment that he might trip some sort of defensive response, he worked the tool's head into the seam between the panel and the wall and slid it down the narrow gap until it caught. "Bingo." He levered the handle up and felt the conduit give way. The doors snapped open exactly as he'd expected, while behind them a brief shimmer indicated the force field had dropped.
"It seems you have missed your calling as an Ancient cat burglar." Radek aimed his flashlight into the dim space.
"I doubt the owners will press charges" Nevertheless, Rodney waited for Ronon and Teyla, weapons ready, to enter first. The life sign detector showed nothing of interest, but they'd learned long ago not to rely on `warm fuzzies,' as Sheppard and Lorne called such dubious indicators of security.
The lab's interior, lit by a dull ambient glow, appeared to be divided into sections. The area they'd entered featured a row of darkened computer terminals against the far wall and not much else. Rodney and Radek traded a glance and each headed for a terminal. Despite Radek's attempts to activate it, his screen remained stubbornly silent. When Rodney put his hand down on a console, however, the entire row came to life.
"Go ahead. Be smug about your acquired gene." Radek's grumble had little bite. "Is this a database?"