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"It should just be a technical glitch," Jack sighed. "Someone should be working on getting the lights back on." Siler was on duty and should be working on restoring the power. Jack hoped. And restoring the radios. Jack had already tried that and failed.
"I'm not sure there's anyplace on Atlantis that gets this dark," Ronon replied. "This is... dark."
Jack had been going over Ronon's -- thankfully brief -- meeting with the IOA committee. Working with Teal'c against the invading Wraith had smoothed that 'review' completely. Ronon had been waiting for the next dial-out to the Midway Station when Jack invited Ronon up to his office.
"I'm kind of surprised the emergency power hasn't kicked in," Jack commented. "With my luck, that's broken, too."
"Do you have any... portable lights in this room?" Ronon asked.
Jack snapped a finger. "A flashlight! Yes! There should be..." Jack opened the drawer that he used for miscellaneous things -- okay, Carter called it a junk drawer -- and started feeling through the objects in the drawer.
Okay. No, a yo-yo wasn't going to help. Jack wasn't sure if he should just empty the drawer or keep pawing through it. Maybe? He felt a long, cylindrical object. He wrestled it out from the bottom of the detritus and held it up in triumph. Which did no good, since it was pitch black.
"Okay, let's see if this works!" Jack muttered. One of those LED type flashlights, there was no obvious switch. He fumbled with the flashlight and finally realized he had to twist the one end.
"I could make a fire faster than this," Ronon commented dryly.
"Almost got it," Jack said, twisting anything that could be twisted. "Ah!"
It was the dimmest light he had ever seen but, in the pitch black, it was what they needed.
"Battery's almost dead," Jack admitted.
"Let's see if anyone is around," Ronon stood.
"Sheltering in place is standard operating procedure..." Jack snorted. Who was he kidding? "Okay, let's go."
Jack's dim light served as a beacon in the darkness. He soon had a small crowd following his dim light. He led the way to Daniel's office, knowing there would be candles there. If nothing else, there would be more flashlights in strategic places.
"Umm..." Jack realized that he had no way to light a fire once he found Daniel's candles. He hoped the candles were precious artifacts, Jack was going to use them as they had been intended to be used.
Ronon shook his head. "Let me look," he said firmly.
"Do what you need to," Jack said, standing back to give Ronon room to look around.
Jack wasn't sure what Ronon did, but he used a couple of objects in the office to create a spark, which -- eventually -- lit one of the candles. Once one candle was lit, they could light the other six they found.
They also found another flashlight that Jack handed over to Ronon.
"All right," Jack spoke to the group that had gathered around them. "Anyone not on a Gate team, stay here with two of the candles. There should be a near-by room where you can lock yourselves in. Anyone on a Gate team can come with me and Ronon, and we'll figure out if this is a foothold situation or just a technical glitch."
"Yes, sir! I'll take the non-Gate team folk with me." One of the SFs volunteered. "My partner and I'll keep watch on them."
"Good man," Jack said to the SF.
Ronon cracked his knuckles. "Let's go see what we can find."