Lee ran into the briefing room. "Sorry, sorry, I thought we had the time off so I was doing some gardening."

"Take a seat, Captain," Sam told her.

"Yes, ma'am, I am sorry if I had known—" She took a seat beside Mal.

"Relax, Captain, you did have the time off."

"Oh, then may I ask why we're here if we don't have a mission? And where are Van and Ollie?" Dr. McKay strode into the room. Lee frowned. "And why is Dr. McKay here?"

"We've fixed all the previous issues with the 306 and we'd like to do another test flight, that is why I am here," Rodney answered her.

"Yeah, I don't think so, the last test flight didn't go so well," Mal told him with a scowl. "I don't want a repeat performance."

"We've straightened out that little glitch, it's fine. The radio works too!" Rodney told him in a cheery voice.

Mal shook his head. "That's great, how's the hyperdrive?"

"It works. Look, we've fixed the malfunction. It will work this time."

Mal leaned forward. "Right, and what's your margin of error? I'd say there's a fifty-fifty chance I'll end up in another reality where I have to try and finagle my way back here. Either that or I wind up dead with Elias dancing on my grave. No thanks."

"I'd say there's more like a ninety percent chance of success." Rodney grinned at him.

"Uh-huh, sure."

"Okay, fine, eighty percent. Look, it works! You'll be fine!" Rodney insisted.

"We need this ship, Colonel," Sam told him. "If the Alliance gets out of control then the superior weapons and the hyperdrive will be important in any coming battles. If we don't test it then we'll never improve it."

"Then force some other flyboy to do it," he grumbled.

She grinned at him. "I'm rather short of flyboys with the appropriate clearance."

He groaned. "Fine, I'll do it but I'm not going alone this time."

"Agreed. Captain Kain will go with you."

"Oh, can I fly? Please?"

"Fine by me, I'll be happy to be a copilot," Mal told her.

"Yes, finally! This makes up for not getting to fly a Puddle Jumper. Thank you, General!"

Sam chuckled. "You're welcome, Captain. These manuals will help you to familiarize yourselves with the systems. Most of it will be the same, Colonel, but you should still look it over just in case."

Mal grabbed the manual. "All right, I'll take a look at it."

"When do we leave?" Lee asked Dr. McKay.

"Two days from now."

"You'll take off at 0900," Sam added. "Take these two days to prepare. You'll take off from RBA this way Dr. McKay and Dr. Zelenka can monitor everything. You'll make a short hyperspace jump and rendezvous with the Atlas and you'll return with them."

"Sounds good, General." Mal looked at Rodney. "Is there anything else we need to know before we trip the light fantastic?"

"Har har, you are funny, Colonel Hughes," Rodney replied dryly. "We fixed the radio issues and the hyperdrive issue, other than those things it's the same system as the last time you flew it. There will be no 'tripping' of anything."

"Can I get that in writing?"

"Enough, Colonel, you're both dismissed," Sam told them.

The moment they were out of the briefing room, Lee let loose with a delighted squeal and hugged the manual. "This is so exciting! I can't wait to fly that thing!"

"Goody for you, I for one would like to stay as far from it as possible. Have you noticed that in every other reality we've encountered we're all dead? It's rather disheartening to know that we're idiots who get killed in every other reality. Why are we still alive in this one? Is it skill or luck?"

"Wow, way to be a Debbie Downer, Colonel."

He shrugged. "It's the truth and it makes my brain want to explode to contemplate all of it."

She sighed. "I think maybe it's a little of both. Different decisions in those realities led to different outcomes. Oliver never leaves Atlantis, we didn't manage to escape, Nesrin is more of a bitch than she is here, it doesn't matter why things happened the way they did. What matters is that here, in this reality, we rock."

He shook his head. "I really thought that was leading up to some inspiring, heartfelt speech."

"You know me better than that. Come on, let's go sit our butts down and read these stupid manuals so we don't crash into a planet or something."

"Great, why are you flying again?"

"Because you don't want to." She linked her arm through his and dragged him to the commissary.

Lee let loose with a quiet whistle as she walked around the 306. "I'm so jealous you got to do the first flight."

Mal snorted. "It wasn't much fun, I can tell you that."

"Aww, come on, Colonel, how many people can say they got to visit an alternate reality? We're lucky."

"You got to have a visit with the Ancients, I was stuck in a whacked out version of our universe."

"Okay, you got me there. We also got to visit the other reality with the other Oliver. Still, it is interesting to see how different choices could affect our lives. Don't you think so?" she asked him.

"Nope, I'm good just worrying about the decisions that I make in this reality. I don't need to worry about what bad decisions alternate me is making."

"That is an excellent point. It's still interesting though."

"Interesting to know we die in every other reality, nope," he replied.

Dr. McKay walked up with a grin. "All right, kiddies, are we ready to fly? Atlas is in place and waiting. Let's go, chop chop!" He clapped his hands together before he started in the direction of the control room. "I'll be waiting!" he shouted.

"Guess we better get a move on it," Lee said. "After you, Colonel!"

"Right, let's get this fiasco over with." He climbed aboard and settled into his seat.

Lee climbed into the pilot's seat. "This is the nicest and most high tech thing I've ever flown." She sighed. "You know, since no one would let me fly one of the Puddle Jumpers."

He chuckled. "Maybe someday. Let's get this bucket in the air. The sooner we finish this damn thing the sooner we can go home."

"You are in good hands, Colonel, I will get us through this safe and sound!" Lee announced. "Flight this is Kalenka, we are prepped and ready to take off."

"Kalenka, you are cleared for takeoff," McKay answered.

"Understood, Flight." Lee did a final check and then began to taxi down the runway. "Here we go, Colonel."

Mal was glad he was behind her so she couldn't see his grin. For all his whining about having to do this again and the worry of what might go wrong, if he was flying he was happy. It was why he'd joined the Air Force, he loved to fly, had since he was a kid and he flew with his father. The smile slipped from his face. There had been so little time and so few memories with his dad before he was gone. The rest of his memories were of Elias' father. While he'd joined the Air Force mainly to get as far from Elias as he could, he'd also wanted to join because of his father. His dad loved to fly and when he'd been injured he'd been discharged from the Air Force, then there was the cancer. He released a long sigh.

"Colonel?"

"What?"

"Just making sure you were still alive back there, you've been very quiet," Lee replied.

He'd been lost in thought and he missed the take off. They were already climbing through the outer atmosphere. "Just enjoying the ride, Captain. I didn't get to do that the first time around, the last time I was doing the flying."

She laughed. "Happy to give you the time to enjoy yourself, sir."

"Kalenka, this is Flight, give us a status report."

"Doing fine, Flight. We're nearly to the start point for the jump," Lee told McKay. "Now that is a view," she said.

Mal grinned and stared down at the Earth below them. It was a beautiful sight.

"Flight, this is Kalenka, we have arrived at the jump point and I'm preparing to make the jump. I am entering the coordinates." There was a pause and the clicking of keys as she entered the coordinates into the computer. "We are ready for a go, Flight."

"You have permission for a go, Kalenka."

"All right, Flight, we are a go."

Mal took a breath. "I'd like everyone to know that if anything goes wrong there is nowhere McKay will be able to hide that I won't find him."

Lee chuckled. "Provided we can find our way back home, I'll help you."

"Hopefully that won't be an issue," McKay replied.

"Hold up, you said the damn thing worked, McKay!" Mal shouted.

"It does ... in theory."

"I will kill you," Mal muttered.

"All right, boys, let's find out whether Dr. McKay is going to live or die this day," Lee said. "Engaging hyperdrive." The window opened and Lee guided the ship into it. They exited and she gave a whoop. "Atlas, this is Kalenka, hyperspace jump was a success."

Static followed up her call. "Kalen ... wh ... you?"

Mal cursed. "Perfect, we're lost again."

"We are not lost," Lee insisted. "Atlas, we aren't reading you clearly, where are you?"

"I think the more important question is, where are we?" Mal grumbled.

"I'm trying to figure that out," Lee snapped back.

"Kalenka ... radio con ... minimal."

Lee cursed. "Something went screwy with the computer."

"Went screwy? Like what?" Mal asked her.

"I don't know what, but the damn thing is flashing at me. Something might have short circuited and it sent us off course."

"Perfect, how far off course?"

She sighed. "Well far enough that we're having issues making clear radio contact with Atlas, but not far enough that we're completely out of range." She tapped away at the computer. "I think we can get back, we aren't that far off course."

"Kalenka, do ... read?"

"There was a malfunction with the computer, Atlas, we were thrown off course. We are starting back to the rendezvous point. We will radio again when we're closer. We are at the edge of radio range."

"Copy, Kalenka ..." There was static and whatever else was said was lost.

"Right, let's get out butts back home."

"We better, I need to kill Dr. McKay," Mal told her.

Lee chuckled. "Yes, sir, happy to help you out."