Title: Rubik's Cube (cuz of the box...you'll see :D)

Summary: Dr. Beckett opens a mysterious box that could prove fatal, not to mention - enlightening...

Season: 1

Spoilers: Everything up to 'Poisoning the Well' (cuz that's all I've seen) :D

Disclaimer: Anything Atlantis already owns, I don't :D

Carson Beckett stared unseeingly out at the swirling oceans surrounding Atlantis, his mind as turbulant as the black waves crashing on the city. He knew, deep in his heart, that the events at Hoff were not his fault, that he had done everything he could to prevent it, but still - everytime he had a moment to himself, everytime he looked in the mirror, picked up a beaker, anything - a small voice inside his head kept insisting that he should have done something, anything, to prevent it. All those innocent people dead, including his sweet Perna, all because of their obsession with fighting the Wraith.

Beckett could still see her face, hear her voice. It haunted him when he tried to sleep, echoed through the empty corridors.

"Pearna." The wind caught the whispered word, carried it to the heavens, as Beckett heard the door behind him slide open. Beckett ignored it, expecting another 'it-wasn't-your-fault' lecture from Weir or Sheppard. He knew they meant good, but still -

What he wasn't expecting was to see a steaming cup of coffee held out in front of him. He also wasn't expecting to see Rodney McKay holding it. "Rodney?"

McKay shrugged. "It's kinda cold tonight. Figured you could use something hot, and since you're not sleeping anyway..."

Beckett took the cup gratefully. The two stood silent for a moment, sipping their drinks.

"This sucks," McKay said after a moment.

Beckett just looked at him.

"Here we are, supposed to save this entire galaxy from the Wraith, and we couldn't even save the Hoff from themselves." McKay leaned back, looking at Beckett critically. "And you know what the worst part is? Knowing that it was totally out of our hands. It sucks."

Beckett nodded in agreement, and the two went back to sipping their coffees. After a moment, McKay spoke again. "I found something interesting today in one of the research labs. I took it to the medical bay, in case you wanted something to do tonight."

"Thanks."

McKay nodded, then put his coffee cup on the railing, leaned back, and stretched luxuriously. "I'm gonna go to bed," he said. "Try to get a little sleep, okay?" Without waiting for an answer, he left the balcony. Beckett, watching through the window, saw him waving goodnight to Sheppard and Teyla, who were sitting against one of the walls, chatting. After a moment, and one more longing glance out to the ocean, Beckett headed to his lab.

The box was sitting on Beckett's table, just as McKay had said. It was plain black. Sitting beside the box was a sheet of paper. Beckett picked the paper up first. A sticky note was attached to it, and Beckett recognized McKay's untidy scrawl:

'Carson,

Found this Ancient text with the box. Took the liberty of translating it for you. Have fun - don't stay up too late.'

Beckett allowed himself a small smile before skimming through the sheet. It gave detailed and complicated instructions on how to open the box, which Beckett took as a bad sign, but no information on what was in the damn thing. Just to be safe, Beckett put the box into a quarantine box before following the instructions, and gently easing the box open.

The first thing he noticed was the sudden drop in temperature that registered on his computer when the box was opened. The second thing was the cloud of dense black smoke that somehow managed to work its way through the glass of the quarantine unit. It settled on Beckett's arm, solidifying into a large black bettle. As Beckett watched, oddly transfixed, the beetle scuttled up his arm and around his neck.

By the time Beckett's brain seemed to catch up, it was too late. Beckett reached around frantically to the back of his neck, trying to swat the beetle off, then let out an involuntary scream of pain as searing pain ripped down his back. Dropping to the ground as the world swam, Beckett tried desperately to clear his mind, which seemed to have suddenly taken on the mental consistancy of oatmeal. It was late, the lab was empty, and Beckett knew he had to get help - fast. Suddenly, he remembered John and Teyla, sitting in the gateroom. Heaving himself to his feet, Beckett stumbled out of his lab, stubbornly fighting off the tendrils of blackness creeping around his vision.

If I could just get to an elevator...After what seemed like forever, Beckett reached the elevator. He slapped the panel, feeling the elevator jerk as he collapsed to his knees, praying it wasn't too late.

"I still don't get it."

John Sheppard sighed in slight frustration. He loved Teyla to death, he really did, but explaining the inner workings of a television to an Athosian was not the way he would have liked to spend his evenings - especially since Sheppard wasn't entirely clear on how a TV worked himself.

"Okay, let's start at the beginning - " Sheppard paused for a moment to regather his thoughts, wondering if he couldn't just pass the whole thing off to Rodney - he knew the physicist was still awake. He looked around as a nearby elevator beeped, momentarily wondering if his apparent ability to control Ancient technology applied to people, too - then leapt to his feet as the elevator door slid open, revealing Dr. Beckett, slumped against the floor, apparently unconscious.