Stargate Atlantis: Mind's Eye
"Sheppard! Sheppard, we're dropping out of hyperspace in three, two what the…" Rodney McKay's stern voice rose in alarm as the city of Atlantis was violently jolted. As the towering city-ship dropped into real space it spun, shaking like a toy in a giant's hand. Rodney swore, grabbing onto a console as people fell around him, shouting and exclaiming. The lights flickered. Alarms whined. People were righting themselves and Radek Zelenka was muttering in Czech as he accessed a computer.
"Sensors are off-line," the Czech physicist informed calmly.
"What the hell was that?" Richard Woolsey demanded as he clung to a console. The city veered sideways before righting itself with a jolt.
Rodney ignored him. "Sheppard! Some kind of shockwave hit us! The readings are off the chart when I can get them! Can you—"
"Gee, really? I hadn't noticed!" replied the military commander's acerbic voice.
John Sheppard was prone in the Ancient Chair, sequestered in the bowels of the city. His palms were pressed to the arm pads as he guided the massive ship through space. Utilizing the star drives and his powerful ATA gene the military commander was locked in a strangely intimate connection with the city. He had been flying the massive vehicle back home. Back to the Pegasus Galaxy after saving the Earth from the threat of a Wraith attack.
John's mind was full of images and emotions as the city spoke to him and he spoke back, directing the ship where he wanted it to go. Directing it where the city wanted to go, if truth be told. It was almost like a sentient being, and John had learned very quickly how to communicate with it and at the same time have the ship obey him. So far the trip had been smooth sailing, as he would exchange places with Carson Beckett and the doctor could fly the ship while John got some much needed R&R.
Except now the shockwave had interrupted the smooth connection between man and machine and had sent both reeling.
Beads of sweat trickled along John's brow and down his neck as he closed his eyes, concentrating as he tried to reestablish the connection. He flexed his fingers in a vain attempt to grab at the controls, but there were none. Wobbling like a top the city stalled, shields flicking dangerously and threatening to expose the entire population to the cold, raw vacuum of space.
"Sheppard! Bring it under control now!" Rodney ordered, moving between two consoles and typing on two keyboards like some demented writer. "I can only partially access systems here!"
"I'm trying!" John rasped. "Damn it!" John licked his lips, wishing for a beer but instead forcing himself to relax and get the ship back under his control. A rumbling could be heard under him and John wondered if a star drive was about to explode.
"Do you need Beckett to take over?"
"No! I'm fine. Just give me a minute! How off-course are we?" he snapped.
Rodney jumped to a third monitor, shoving aside a hapless technician. "Only by a few kilometers. A few hundred…or so, that is," he clarified. "I'm sending the course corrections now…but whatever you do don't go left because the sun is that way and as you well know I burn very easily."
"Got it. No going left unless we want a tan," John said. "Acknowledged."
"Have you located our planet yet?" Richard asked, regaining his composure as the city was flying more or less smoothly now. At least it was upright again, although bumping along like a roller coaster at times. Richard hated roller coasters.
"Yes. We're not far…not too far," Rodney muttered, but he appeared worried. Data was still sporadically flashing on and off the screens.
"What was that? An attack?"
"No. Sensors indicate it was something at the very edge of the galaxy. Maybe weeks, or even a month ago and we are only feeling the effects now," Radek answered. "There are no enemy ships in the area."
"An exploding star or collapsing black hole or a planetary impact event," Rodney theorized, pausing to consider the question. "I will need more data to determine exactly what the—"
"Later, McKay! Let's get this bird down first!" John interrupted, before the scientist could be distracted by the astronomical mystery instead of focusing on the problem at hand. "I've got her under control but we need to break atmosphere ASAP! There's a fault in one of the star drives and it won't hold out forever!"
"Acknowledged," Richard said. He wiped his brow, moving between three screens and skimming over the scrolling data on each screen. Most of it was incomprehensible to him. "As soon as we safely land I want you to scan for the origin of whatever that was. And I'll need a complete inventory of our ZPM output." He turned as Teyla Emmagan approached with concern on her pretty face and a fussing baby boy in her arms. "Once we've landed we'll have debrief on our next move. We need to reestablish our off-world contacts."
"I wish to contact my people as soon as possible," Teyla agreed.
"Of course. We will need all the intel we can get."
"How long have we been gone?" Ronon Dex asked, joining the group.
"Two weeks."
"No, more like two months," Rodney corrected. He looked up to see everyone staring at him. Even Teyla's son Torren was staring as if in surprise. Rodney shrugged. "Time is relative. The hyperspace window sped up our time but not time here. It passed normally while we were moving much, much faster in the matter stream not to mention the distance between our two galaxies plus the quantum…oh never mind." He eyed a monitor. "All systems are active. Sheppard, take her in."
"Acknowledged," John said. He shifted on the Chair, relaxing into the odd communion of man and machine. He was flying the ship with thought instead of physical controls, and although he had flown the much smaller Puddle Jumpers flying the entire city of Atlantis was quite different and challenging. And exhausting. John had never felt so tired in his life, not only physically but mentally. He had to maintain a sharp mental focus at all times while monitoring the ship's massive drives, trajectory, shielding and a hundred different things with mere thought.
The city tilted then sped towards a planet composed mostly of water. It was a blue sapphire ball amid the blackness of space, and John aimed straight for it. John flexed his fingers again, slowing the city to an almost leisurely approach. They broke atmosphere and a chorus of alarms began to blare. The lights flickered again and John found himself having to argue with the city to get it to slow down its descent.
"John, we're coming in too fast!" Rodney declared.
"I know! Hang on! She's a bit eager to land!"
"She's eager? What?" Rodney shook his head, exchanged a look with Richard who merely shrugged. Pilot lingo was impenetrable to both men.
"Yeah, hang on!" John gritted his teeth, shifting on the Chair again, fingers stroking the pads now as it trying to settle a wild horse. "Easy, baby, easy…nice and easy now, baby," he muttered. The city seemed to hum in John's ears, as if responding to his tone, his touch, or if it recognized that at last it was home where it belonged. The ship slowed, slowed, gently rocked as it descended through the clouds, a softly spinning disc in the sky.
With an almost gentle splash Atlantis hit the ocean's surface.
And subsequently began to sink.
"Crap! No, no no baby, what the hell is this now?" John muttered, gritting his teeth and trying to visualize the star drive systems. Trying to shut them down one by one and integrate the city's buoyancy with the stabilizing anchors. Trying to cajole the city to do what he wanted and how he wanted it.
"John, we're sinking!"
"I know, Rodney! Just hold on, will ya? She's a bit temperamental."
"She's a bit? I'm a bit! I can't get the lock down procedure there's too much interference and whoa!" The city tilted wildly, sending people flying again as it was nearly upending in the water, effectively sinking sideways.
Abruptly the city lurched and righted itself. As if setting its feet down several sections lowered and anchored themselves onto the ocean floor, keeping the city in place. An audible groaning commenced then fell silent.
"Setting locks into place," John said stiffly. Sweat was beading on his brow again, and his muscles were tensing, holding him rigid in the chair as if he was actually physically moving the ponderous machinery. "Grounding stations are …wow." The last word was an exhalation.
"Wow? What wow? Is there a problem?" Rodney asked.
"No….just wow. The…never mind." John regretted his quiet exclamation. He couldn't begin to describe the way the city was responding to him, was purring under his mind like a cat as he stroked the pads and relaxed into the confines of the Chair, tension gone suddenly. The city seemed to enfold him in its mechanical embrace, returning the favor as a warmth flooded John's extremities and calm soothed his mind.
He briefly wondered if this could be considered as sex, and he snorted in amusement at the thought.
"We're secure," Rodney announced, breathing a sigh of relief.
"Lower the shield. Sheppard, you did it!" Richard smiled. "We will need a full systems analysis and a full assessment of our current power levels and what we will require in the future."
"Not to mention when we contact Earth…or if," Radek noted. He removed his glasses and wiped them clean on his blue shirt.
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Richard decided, but the same worry filled his mind.
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John opened his eyes. At a thought the Chair righted itself from its reclining posture. John flexed his arms, moving to swing his legs over the side of the Chair. His clothes stuck to his back as he moved awkwardly to his feet. He staggered. He was abruptly dizzy and thirsty. As if now that the connection was severed he suddenly could feel every ache, every jolt, every need as he had been flying the ship for twelve straight hours and although he had the strongest ATA gene in the city he was still a human and not an Ancient.
He would have fallen had a hand not grabbed his arm and helped him remain standing.
"Easy, colonel, there you go." Carson Beckett steadied the other man. "You need to rest and replenish. Here."
"Thanks, Carson," John rasped, taking the proffered water bottle. He drank greedily, sloppily as water dribbled down his chin and onto his black clothes. He paused, frowning. "Water?" he asked, if only just realizing what the beverage was now that half of it was gone.
Carson smiled at his disappointment. "Yes, for now, John."
John scowled, but drank the rest of it. "I'm okay." He tapped his earpiece. "Woolsey, when?"
Richard's voice sounded tired, but calm. "The meeting? An hour, John. Get some rest first. We are stabilizing all systems and seeing to any damages."
"Be sure to eat something first, John," Carson advised, his Scottish voice full of concern. "I remember when I was flying this thing I became extremely peckish."
"Yeah, whatever. Okay. Thanks, doc. I could really use a cheeseburger."