Summary: Fourteen years have passed since the Battle of Sunnydale. Dawn and Willow are approached to join the Atlantis expedition. Little does Dawn known she has received another set of TV memories from Tom this time of a show called Stargate: Atlantis
Pairing: Dawn/Willow
A/U: Set in my Wrong Memory Verse, if you've not read the first one you might want to so as to know a couple small details.
Disclaimer: Joss Whedon owns Buffy. MGM owns Stargate
Chapter 1: Rising
"Greetings, Dr. Summers," General O'Neill said.
Dawn smiled; it had been fifteen years since Sunnydale had disappeared from the face of the Earth. She had gone on to get her Ph.D., which was why she was there that day being interviewed for a position on a scientific expedition.
"Hello, General," Dawn said as she sat across from the man.
"We've gone over your requirements and my people are impressed, especially Doctor Jackson," O'Neill said. "What makes you think you have the expertise to join this expedition?"
Dawn smirked. "Well. Why don't I show you?" She pictured the gate to the base clearly in her mind as she opened a portal and stepped through it. She noted the startled guard's reaction. "You might want to inform General O'Neill that his guest is here."
The guard nodded as he picked up the phone. "Yes, inform the General his guest is at the gate again."
~Willow~ Dawn telepathically projected toward her lover.
~I'm here, Dawn, waiting on your go ahead.~ Willow replied.
In the years they had been together the bond that Dawn and Willow shared had strengthened to the point that their understanding of the Key allowed them to talk to each other as well as others telepathically.
"Uh, he says if you can return the same way," the guard said. "It would be appreciated."
Dawn nodded. "Thank you." She pictured the general's office and opened a portal. She stepped through it to face General O'Neill.
"How did you do that?" O'Neill asked.
Dawn smiled. "Simple, magic. I'm far older than I look."
Giles and Willow had done a lot of research into the Key. They found references all the way back to ancient Sumerian culture. In fact they had found references that the Key may have been made by the Sumerian goddess Inanna or in fact was the goddess Inanna herself. Either way the Key was far older than they had believed though not as old as what Glory had alluded to.
Jack looked at Dawn skeptical at her explanation of how she had managed to disappear from his office. "Magic hunh? And according to my records your thirty two years old, but you don't look a day over twenty-two."
"Yes, magic," Dawn said. "And about my age. Both me and my wife, Willow, stopped aging when we were twenty two, or more slowed way down. Aren't really sure why though. For me that was ten years ago. For Will, that was sixteen years ago."
"Sure," O'Neill said. "Can you provide further proof of this magic?"
~Will, now.~ Dawn thought as she smirked at the General.
A portal snapped into existence and Willow stepped out of it.
"This is my wife, Willow Rosenberg-Summers. By the way may name is Dawn Rosenberg-Summers, not Dawn Summers," Dawn said.
O'Neill had seen several strange things in his time as part of SG-1. And it made him wonder if the two women in front of him might not be somehow related to the Ancients. It would explain their ability, since the Ancients, when alive, had been more advanced than human beings were and had physical powers that some might have been attributed to magic. "While I do not believe in magic, I do have experience with the unusual. And can have my people give you another theory on the origins of your powers. But that will come with clearance and signing an NDA."
"We already have clearance and don't need the NDA," Willow said. "In fact we have diplomatic status and high level clearance in pretty much every nation of the world as part of the work we've done in the past. Give the President a call. He will know of us. We already know about the Stargate program, our clearance runs higher than yours."
"A higher clearance than mine," O'Neill said and then he laughed.
"Uh, sir," Carter said as she walked through the door and handed O'Neill a file. "They do have a higher clearance than yours."
O'Neill flipped through the file and frowned. "Everything in this file is redacted."
"Yes, sir," Carter said. "At first I thought that was because it was a copy I requested for Mrs. Rosenberg-Summers," she indicated Willow, "and that I wasn't cleared for. But it's not. I contacted the Pentagon and they informed me that both Dawn Rosenberg-Summers and Willow Rosenberg-Summers along with several people in their organization have a clearance that is only superseded by the Pentagon and the President himself. They told me to tell you that you are not cleared for what is in their files, and to offer them a position on the expedition."
O'Neill sighed and nodded. "Well?" he asked looking at Dawn and Willow. "It looks like my hands are tied."
"Is the offer for both of us?" Dawn asked. "I won't go without Willow."
O'Neill looked to Sam who nodded. "Yeah, it's for both of you."
Over the course of the next three weeks Dr. Jackson learned that Dawn was on the expedition and had a Ph.D. in Ancient Languages and Mythology and that she spoke five languages fluently and could read and write several dead languages. If she wasn't going to Atlantis he would have asked O'Neill to hire her for the SGC. But since she was he taught her the Ancient's language.
Willow had spent the three weeks in Carter's lab learning about the technologies that the SGC had brought back. Some, like the zats, she thought could be useful to Buffy, Faith and the ISC.
Dawn smiled as she talked into the phone. "Yeah, Buffy were getting ready to ship out."
"How long do you think you will be gone?" Buffy asked.
"I don't know," Dawn said. "Depends on how long it takes us to find a power source that can power the Stargate to get us back. Willow and I are not going to try and open a portal to Earth till we know for sure that we can do it to other planets in Pegasus."
"Good thinking," Buffy said. "You and Willow take care."
Dawn smiled. "You and Faith take care also. And you tell my niece that I miss her" she said as she thought back on the last seven years. When Buffy and Faith had decided to become parents, Buffy had been artificially inseminated. The result had been her niece. Joyce Dawn Summers-Lehane.
"Joyce misses you, she asked when you were coming home," Buffy said.
"Tell her I will be there as soon as I can," Dawn said.
~Dawn, they're ready.~ Willow telepathically projected.
"Well I have to go," Dawn said. "Willow just told me their ready to try and dial Atlantis."
"Good luck," Buffy said. "I miss you already, you know."
"I know," Dawn said. "I miss you, too."
Five minutes later Dawn followed Major Sheppard into the Gate Room and walked over to Willow and smiled as the two kissed. They could tell that everyone's eyes had gone to them and inwardly their smile went larger.
"Colonel," Sheppard said.
"Can I have everyone's attention, please?" Weir said as Dawn and Willow turned with everyone else to face the leader of the expedition. "All right, here we go. We're about to try to make a connection. We have been unable to predict exactly how much power this is going to take, and we may only get the one chance at this. So if we're able to achieve a stable wormhole, we're not going to risk shutting the 'gate down. We'll send in the MALP robot probe, check for viability, and go. Everything in one shot. Now, every one of you volunteered for this mission, and you represent over a dozen countries," she looked at Dawn and Willow, "and even one international organization. You are the world's best and brightest. And in light of the adventure we are about to embark on, you're also the bravest. I hope we all return one day having discovered a whole new realm for humanity to explore. But as all of you know, we may never be able to return home. I'd like to offer you all one last chance to withdraw your participation."
Dawn looked to Willow and they nodded. They knew that the possibility they could not get home through the Stargate. They also knew that there was a possibility they might not be able to open a portal from that great a distance. Still they had chosen to go.
"Begin the dialing sequence," Weir said as she stepped off the ramp and moved over next to Willow and Dawn. "Ms. Rosenberg-Summers and Ms. Rosenberg-Summers."
"Please," Dawn said. "Call me Dawn and my wife, Willow. If you keep referring to us by our last name it will get confusing."
"Agreed," Weir said as the Stargate began to dial. "Why don't you follow me? Get a firsthand look at the dialing sequence?"
Dawn and Willow nodded as they followed Weir out of the Gate Room and into the Control Room.
"Chevron Three encoded." said a technician.
"Nice," O'Neill said.
Weir smiled. "Thank you. I believe you know Dawn and Willow."
"Chevron Four encoded."
"Their introduction is ingrained in my brain," O'Neill said. "If you can't get home they might be able to."
"I know," Weir said. "Remember you briefed me on their ability to open a portal to other locations."
"Chevron Five encoded," the technician said as McKay rushed in. "Chevron Six encoded."
"This is it," Weir said excited.
McKay nodded. "Yeah."
"Seriously, Doctor, calm down. You're embarrassing me," Weir said teasingly, giving a wink to Dawn and Willow, both of whom laughed.
"I've never been so excited in my entire life," McKay said.
"Chevron Eight is locked," the technician said as the wormhole activated.
"Wow," Willow said.
O'Neill squelched a pleased smile.
"Send the MALP." Weir said as the technician sent a command code and the MALP entered the Stargate. A dark image appeared on the monitor.
"We have MALP telemetry," the technician said.
"What is it we're looking at?" Dawn asked as McKay joined the technician at the controls.
"Switching to zero locks," the technician said.
"The radar indicates … a large room?" McKay said.
"Structurally intact?" Dr. Jackson said, incredulous.
McKay looked over the console. "Environmental sensors say there's oxygen, no measurable toxins. We have viable life support. It looks like we're not getting out of this." He smiled and headed out the door for the Gate Room.
Weir smiled and turned to O'Neill.
"Dr. Weir, you have a go," O'Neill said.
Weir nodded. "Thank you … sir." She turned and led Dawn and Willow back to the Gate Room just as Sumner and an initial team head up the ramp.
"Let's go, people," Sumner shouted. "We don't know how much power we've got. Security teams One and Two, you're up first. All other personnel will follow on our signal. Once on the other side, keep moving, clear the debarkation area. On my lead …"
"Hold on, Colonel!" Weir said as she snagged her pack and then motioned toward Willow and Dawn. "We go through together."
Sumner looked to Weir and understood why she would go through with him. She was technically his superior as this was her expedition. But Dawn and Willow, he didn't understand. But as it was her order he grudging agreed. "Fair enough."
Sumner readied his weapon and led his team through. Weir paused a moment and looked back at O'Neill and Daniel in the Gate Room. She nodded a farewell, and then stepped through the Stargate.
"Ready?" Willow asked.
Dawn nodded as they took each other's hands and walked through the event horizon. As they exited on the other side they noted how dark the room was.
"Dawn, Willow?" Weir said.
Dawn closed her eyes as magical energy began to crackle around her and then she shook her head. "I can sense no one else here. Will?"
Willow nodded in agreement. "Neither can I."
Sumner glared at Dawn and Willow. "Witches," he muttered under his breath as Sheppard came out of the wormhole. "Teams One and Two, secure the immediate area." He headed toward a door, which opened automatically at his approach. He turned back to the people exiting the wormhole. "Everyone else, find an open space and park it until instructed otherwise."
Dawn looked around and noticed the steps lighting up as Sheppard and McKay start to walk up them.
"Who's doing that?" Weir asked indicating the lights.
"Security teams, any alien contact?" Sumner said over the radio.
"Negative, sir."
"Team Four, negative, Colonel."
At the top of the stairwell, Sheppard headed toward what appeared to be a control room, as the lights continued to activate.
"The lights are coming on by themselves," Sheppard said.
Suddenly Dawn reeled back and Willow immediately grabbed a hold of her to steady her. "Dawn?" Willow asked.
"Memory," Dawn said.
~Another TV show from Tom's reality?~
Dawn nodded. ~Yes. The images are fleeting, just like they were when I first woke up all those years ago thinking I was him. Which is understandable. From my point of view it would have been eighteen years since I would have seen the television show.~
~For now let's keep this to ourselves,~ Willow said.
~Agreed,~ Dawn said.
"That's everyone," Sumner said as the last of the expedition came out of the Stargate.
"General O'Neill? Atlantis base offers greetings from the Pegasus Galaxy. You may cut power to the Gate," Weir said into the radio as a bottle of champagne rolled out of the Stargate as the wormhole deactivated. She leaned down to pick it up.
Thirty minutes later Dawn and Willow were helping Sheppard and McKay uncover the consoles in what looked to be the control room.
As Dawn walked by a monitor it lit up. "I didn't touch anything," she said.
"Relax, Dawn. It's like the entire complex is sensing our presence and coming to life," Weir said as she entered the room.
"This has got to be the control room," McKay said as he moved over to what looked like a DHD. "This is obviously their version of a DHD."
"Oh, obviously," Sheppard said, sarcastically.
"This area could be power control systems, possibly a computer interface—" McKay said as he moved to another console.
"Hey, hey. Why don't you find out?" Weir said.
McKay nodded. "Right."
"Dr. Weir, Colonel Sumner. Could you come down and meet me, please? We're three levels down from you," Sumner said over the radio.
"Right away," Weir said as she looked to Dawn and Willow.
"I guess everyone else will find out eventually," Dawn said. "Plus this would be a good test to make sure it's not something native to Earth that gives us the power to do is."
"Do what?" McKay and Sheppard asked.
Dawn smiled as she pictured Sumner in her mind and opened a portal. "Dr. Weir?"
Weir smiled at the look on McKay and Sheppard's faces. "Call me Elizabeth, Dawn."
"Elizabeth," Dawn said.
"Come along, Major," Weir said as she, Dawn and Sheppard stepped through the portal to stand in front of Sumner.
Sumner glared at Dawn. "Witches," he muttered. He then looked to Weir and nodded. "We've only been able to secure a fraction of the place. It's huge."
"So it might really be the lost city of Atlantis?" Weir asked.
"I'd say that's a good bet," Sumner said as he led them to a glass door.
"Oh … My … Goddess," Dawn said as she looked out the glass door at the sea. She looked upwards to see sunlight peeking through the waves above them. ~Willow, you have to see this.~
~Show me, Dawn,~ Willow replied and Dawn sent a mental image to her. ~Wow.~
"We're underwater," Weir said.
Sumner nodded. "I'd say we're under several hundred feet of ocean. If we can't dial out, this could be a problem."
"Colonel, Dr. Weir—" McKay said as he came jogging up.
"We're underwater," Sheppard said, excitedly.
McKay nodded. "Yes, I was just coming to tell you. Fortunately, there's some sort of a force field holding back the water," he said as he looked outside. "Oh, that is impressive, isn't it? Uh, Dr. Beckett has found something you should, uh, see," he turned and led them down the corridor and into another part of the city nearby.
They find holographic Ancient woman speaking on a platform as Beckett stood at the console.
"… in the hope of spreading new life in a galaxy where there appeared to be none. Soon, the new life grew and prospered. Here …"
"It's a hologram. The recording loops. This is my second time through," Beckett said, excitedly.
"What have we missed?" Sumner asked.
"Not much," Beckett replied.
"… exchange knowledge and friendship. In time, a thousand worlds bore the fruit of life in this form. Then one day, our people set foot upon a dark world where a terrible enemy slept."
Over the holograms head an image of the galaxy with individual star systems appear.
"Never before had we encountered beings with powers that rivaled our own. In our overconfidence, we were unprepared and outnumbered. The enemy fed upon the defenseless human worlds like a great scourge, until finally, only Atlantis remained."
The stars turned red to show the spread of the terrible enemy throughout the galaxy.
"This city's great shield was powerful enough to withstand their terrible weapons, but here we were besieged for many years. In an effort to save the last of our kind, we submerged our great city into the ocean. The Atlantis Stargate was the one and only link back to Earth from this galaxy, and those who remained used it to return to that world that was once home. There, the last survivors of Atlantis lived out the remainder of their lives. This city was left to slumber, in the hope that our kind would one day return."
The hologram stopped speaking and Beckett stepped away from the console as she disappeared.
"Huh. So the story of Atlantis is true. A great city that sank in the ocean," McKay said.
Beckett nodded. "It just didn't happen on Earth."
Dawn nodded. "The Ancient Greeks must have heard it from one of the surviving Ancients."
"I don't like the fact they got their asses kicked," Sumner said as Grodin entered and whispered to McKay.
Beckett stepped up to the console, activating the hologram. "Let's see again from the beginning."
"Stop. Turn it off," McKay said nervously as Beckett stepped back. "Power levels throughout the city are dropping like a stone."
"What does that mean?" Sumner asked.
"That if we don't stop everything we're doing right now, we are dead," McKay said as he hurried out with Grodin.
~Willow, stop whatever you're doing. Get everyone back to the gate. We may have to try and open a portal back to Earth," Dawn said as she followed everyone out of the hologram room.
~Why?~ Willow replied. ~Did you have another flash of memory?~
~No,~ Dawn said. ~Grodin just told McKay that the city is losing power.~
After everyone was gone a woman appeared in the room and looked toward the door. "Inanna has returned to Atlantis."
"Yes," said a man who appeared. "And the memories she has been given by the Powers could change the course of events."
Later everyone is back in the control room as McKay worked on his computer.
"Please tell me this is not my fault," Beckett said, nervously.
McKay rolled his eyes. "No."
"Thank you," Beckett said.
"From what we've been able to ascertain, the city is powered by three Zero-Point Modules. Two are entirely depleted, and the third is reaching maximum entropy. When it does, it will die too, and nothing can reverse that," McKay said.
Dawn looked to Willow who closed her eyes and magical energy began to crackle around Willow.
Willow sighed and nodded. "What he is saying is correct. Now that everything is coming online, I can feel the depletion of the power of Atlantis."
Sumner sighed. While he hated witches, at times they were useful; in this instance having a second opinion at least confirmed what was happening. "Just tell me the bottom line."
"The force field holding back the ocean has collapsed to its minimum sustainable levels. Look, you can see here and here where the shield's already failed and the cities flooded. It could've happened years ago. But … This section is likely more protected because of the Stargate," McKay said.
"What if it fails completely?" Sheppard asked.
"Not if, when. And then the remainder of the city that the shield is protecting will flood," Willow said. "Drowning every single one of us."
Weir looked at Sumner. "Colonel Sumner, you need to order your security teams to stop searching the city immediately."
"All security teams, fall back to the gate room," Sumner called into his radio.
McKay sighed. "That's not going to be good enough."
"All right, well, how much time do we have?" Weir asked.
McKay shook his head. "It's hard to say. Hours, maybe days, if we minimize power expenditure."
"What about our own power generators?" Beckett asked.
"We're working on that, but even with our most advanced, naquadah-powered generators, the equations are coming up far short," McKay said.
"Dawn, Willow can you get us home?" Weir asked.
"We haven't tried," Dawn said.
"Do what you need to prepare," Weir said. "In the meantime, we need to find more ZPMs."
"How do we do that if we can't search the city?" Sumner asked.
"If there were more here, we'd be able to detect them," McKay said.
Sumner nodded. "Can we use the Stargate?"
McKay looked to Dawn and Willow. After what he had seen earlier, their only chance to get home likely would rest with them. But even they weren't sure if it was possible. "At this moment the only way back to Earth may be Dawn and Willow," he said. "There's nowhere near enough power for the Stargate to open a wormhole back to Earth."
Dawn and Willow turned and left the control room and headed into the office that Weir had set aside for herself. "This probably won't work. You know that," Dawn said.
Willow nodded. "I know. But what else are we going to do?"
Willow and Dawn sat in the middle of the floor and tuned out the rest of the world as they began to meditate, reaching deep into themselves.
Five hours later Weir stood at the door watching as Grodin walked up. "How long have they been like that?"
"Since before Colonel Sumners, Major Sheppard and their team left," Weir said. "I know nothing about magic. So I haven't the foggiest what they are doing."
Dawn's eyes snapped open as a memory flashed before her eyes.
"Dawn?" Willow said as she opened her eyes.
"Memory," Dawn said. She looked to Weir. "Dial the gate, get them back, now!"
"Why?" Weir asked.
"They are about to be attacked, by the Wraith," Dawn said.
"How do you know that?" Weir asked.
Dawn sighed. "It's a very long and very complicated story."
"Well explain it to me, then," Weir said.
"Eighteen years ago," Dawn said. "I didn't exist. I was created through magic to hide something called the Key. In my creation something went wrong or maybe the Powers, a group of Ascended beings like the Ancients, did something. I was given memories of someone from another reality. A reality where my family and friends lives were one of a TV show. Using those memories I was able to make changes, and give everyone I love a happily ever after. Including Willow here."
Weir was obviously skeptical. But she had seen enough, with Dawn's teleportation portal, to be open minded. "What does that have to do with the team that is out and this Wraith?"
"It seems my life, my friends lives were not the only TV show I was given memories of. I was given the memories of another TV show called Stargate: Atlantis," Dawn said. "I just had a flash of one of those memories and it said these Wraith were going to come to the world they are on and take some of our people away."
Weir looked at Dawn and thought about it. She remembered a report she had read at the SGC how Jonas Quinn had because of a tumor become precognitive. It was possible something like that was happening here. Either way she would have to have Dawn checked out. Still the problem was without further information she could make the situation worse. She turned and walked into the control room, followed by Dawn and Willow. "Tell me some good news, Rodney."
McKay shook his head. "I can't do that."
"The shield has held back the ocean for centuries," Weir said.
McKay nodded. "And probably would've kept going for years more, but our arrival changed that. Now it's nothing more than a thin shell between the buildings and the water."
"We stopped exploring," Weir said.
"I'm pretty sure," Willow said. "The damage had already done."
McKay nodded in agreement. "Ms. Rosenberg-Summers is correct. The damage had already been done. Another section of the city, on the far side, was flooded an hour or so ago."
"Even occupying this room is draining power," Grodin said.
"We need to evacuate the moment Colonel Sumner reports back it's safe," McKay said.
"You're saying we have to abandon the city?" Weir asked as they heard creaking noises.
"The sooner we leave, the longer that shield holds," McKay said.
Weir sighed. "Do we have enough power to dial the gate again to contact Colonel Sumner?"
"If all you want to do is contact him, then no," McKay said. "Any power we use shortens the time the shield will hold. It's better if we hold off dialing out till were ready to leave, the sooner the better."
"They'll be captured," Dawn said.
"Dawn, while I will agree that what you believe you saw may come to pass. Without knowing more I just can't risk the lives here. If you have another flash, you let me know immediately," Weir said.
Hours later Grodin stood by a window looking at the city, holding a scanner as Weir and Dawn approached. "Here it comes."
"What are we looking for?" Weir asked as a part of the city glowed for a moment with a strange clunking noise, and bubbles erupted.
"There," Grodin said. "Another part of the force field just failed. I don't think we have much time."
Weir sighed nervously.
"I don't think we have much choice now," Dawn said.
Weir nodded as they walked back into the control room. "How are we doing? If we can just buy ourselves another day, maybe we could—"
"The city is sacrificing parts of itself in order to maintain these main areas, but catastrophic failure is inevitable," McKay said.
"Not in my wildest dreams did I hope to find the lost city of the Ancients so completely untouched, so pristine, and we have no choice but to walk away from this?" Weir said.
Dawn sighed. "Let me and Willow try and open a portal back to Earth. If it doesn't work we're going to have to find someplace else to go. Regardless of what I saw."
Weir nodded. "Try it."
Dawn turned and looked at Willow and they walked into Weir's office. They concentrated drawing on the energy of the Key to open a portal.
At the International Slayer's Council on Earth, Buffy sat with Faith as they watched Joyce play when a portal flickered for a brief moment and then vanished.
"Was that?" Faith said.
"One of Dawn or Willow's portals," Buffy said. "They must be trying to open a portal from where they are."
"Is there anything we can do from our end to help?" Faith asked.
Buffy shook her head. "No. Remember the Key is a part of them. No which on Earth has access to it as long as it resides in them. Even if a witch here could access it. They don't have the power, only Willow and Dawn do."
The portal flashed into existence again.
"Dawn!" Buffy yelled. "It's not working. It's only staying open for a second or two. "
"We know," Dawn yelled back. "Contact General O'Neill, tell him the city was submerged and the shield is collapsing. We may have to abandon it and with it our means of returning home."
"I will," Buffy said. "Stay safe!"
And then the portal closed again.
On Atlantis Dawn sighed and looked to Willow. "At least we got a message through."
"You got a message?" Weir said as she entered her office.
"Yeah," Willow said. "Dawn told her sister to contact General O'Neill and let him know what happened here."
Weir sighed. "That's good. At least they know. I notified the rest of the expedition that were evacuating. Dr. McKay is dialing the gate now."
"We've got an incoming wormhole," McKay called into his radio as Weir, Dawn and Willow walked into the control room just as the shield activated.
"I'm reading Lieutenant Ford's identification code," Grodin said.
"Let 'em in," Weir said with a glance at Dawn. Now she would find out if Dawn had been telling the truth. She turned back to look at the Stargate as Sheppard led a group of people through and started to herd them in the 'Gate Room.
"Step in, folks. Move away from the puddle," Sheppard said as Weir, Dawn and Willow hurried down the staircase.
"Major Sheppard! Major Sheppard, who are these people?" Weir asked.
"Survivors from the settlement. We were attacked. Sumner and some of our men were taken," Sheppard said.
"I told you," Dawn said as Weir sighed.
So far it looked like Dawn had been correct.
"What's going on?" Sheppard asked as he stared around at the shaking city.
Weir pulled Sheppard away from the refugees. "We are in no position to help anyone right now."
"What the hell's going on here?" Sheppard asked.
"We were about to abandon the city," Weir said.
"What about them?" Sheppard asked as he nodded toward Willow and Dawn. "Because going back there is a really bad idea."
"We tried to open a portal back to Earth," Dawn said. "We managed it only long enough to get a message through. The distance is too great. We need to be able to draw from the earth. The levels we need to open a stable portal to earth would require probably drawing power from the earth for months, maybe even years. And that is assuming that we don't use any magic during that time."
Weir sighed. "Also the shield is about to fail, and the ocean is about to come crashing in on us. Since Dawn and Willow do not have a way for us to return home. We need someplace else. Do you have a better place for us to go?"
Sheppard nodded and turned to a small boy. "Jinto, you have any other address we can gate to?"
"Yes, many," Jinto said.
"He's just a boy," Weir said.
Jinto smiled. "I am Jinto."
Sheppard grabbed Jinto by the arm and herded him up to the control room. "They're pleased to meet you."
"The shield is collapsing!" McKay said as the city shook free of the ocean bottom. It than began to slowly rise as Grodin headed to the city's DHD.
"I'm dialing an address," Grodin said.
"No, wait," Willow said as her magical senses told her what was happening, that the city was rising from the depths of the ocean.
"We're moving!" Sheppard said as the city broke through the surface.
Daylight streamed through the windows as the city continued to reach for the sky. Systems again turn on as Dawn, Willow, Sheppard, Jinto, Weir, McKay, Grodin, and Ford moved to a window. They watch as the lower portions of the city broke through the surface.
"We're on the surface," Ford said.
"I was hoping for another day. It looks like we just got a whole lot more than that. Let's not waste it," Weir said.
Sheppard smiled and nodded.
McKay turned and looked at a console. "The last Zero-Point Module is depleted, but limited power has returned now that our own generators aren't going to hold back an ocean. Life support systems are working, but the planet's atmosphere is breathable, well, notwithstanding the inevitable allergens."
"So now could our naquadah generator supply enough power to the shield for defensive purposes?" Weir asked.
McKay shook his head. "Not even close."
"On the surface without a shield? We're target practice," Sheppard said.
"We can't promise anything," Willow said. "But we'll try and see about a shield."
"Are you sure it would work," Weir asked. "You were after all unable to get anything other than a message to Earth through the portal."
"Hopefully a shield would require less magical energies," Willow said. "We'll have to test it out and see of course. That's why we can't promise anything."
Weir nodded.
"That's settled. Can someone tell me where the Wraith took Colonel Sumner and the others?" Sheppard asked.
"Even with the six symbols Lieutenant Ford provided there are still hundreds of permutations—" McKay said.
"720," Sheppard interrupted.
"Yes. I knew that, of course. I'm just surprised you did," McKay said, nonplussed.
"Take away the coordinates you can't get a lock on, and that's your one, and when you find it, send a MALP," Sheppard said.
"Major? A word," Weir said as he, Dawn and Willow followed her to the back of the control room.
As they neared what they thought was a window, a door to a balcony opened, surprising them all and they cautiously step outside.
"Wow," Willow said, marveling at the sight of the city.
"Let me guess. You're not going to let me rescue my people," Sheppard said as he looked at Weir.
Weir looked to Dawn. "Do you …?"
"Sorry," Dawn said. "I haven't seen anything else yet. I don't know."
Weir nodded and looked at Sheppard. "Major, you don't even know if they're alive."
"You don't leave people in the hands of the enemy," Sheppard said. "And the fact that we are having this conversation in semi-privacy lets me knows that you know damn well that it's wrong and it will totally undermine your leadership. So as ranking military officer—"
"All right, just shut up and listen to me for a moment, all right? Come on, what do we know about the Wraith? One of the few things we do know is that they are the enemy that defeated the Ancients. When we first began to use the Stargate we found on Earth, we got ourselves into serious trouble. Why?" Weir said.
Sheppard sighed. "I don't need a history lesson."
"Because the people in charge didn't consider the ramifications before they reacted," Weir said.
"They took our people. How am I supposed to react?" Sheppard said.
"And unless Dawn and Willow can get a shield in place, we are defenseless!" Weir said. "How do you know going off on some half-assed rescue mission isn't going to bring them all right back here to our doorstep?"
"Maybe it will … but it's the right thing to do. Why? Because it is," Sheppard said.
Weir sighed. "John—"
"If we're not going to do this, and I mean right now, let's just turn tail and pack up, because they're coming," Sheppard said.
"You don't know that," Weir said.
"He's right there. I know that much," Dawn said.
"Also, our people are in the hands of the enemy, Doctor. Do you know what that means? It is just a matter of time before the Wraith figure out that this is the base of our operation," Sheppard said.
"I just need more information. I mean, who knows? Maybe we could negotiate a peaceful—" Weir said.
"No," Dawn said. "There will be no peaceful ending to this." Suddenly she had another flash of Colonel Sumner being sucked dry of his life force by a Wraith. "To them we are only food."
"Food?" Willow asked.
Dawn nodded. "They are this galaxies version of vampires, literally."
"Vampires?" Willow said as Dawn nodded. "Great. And us with only one Slayer."
"I know," Dawn said.
Weir sighed. Regardless if she believed the file she had read on Dawn and Willow's background. About how their friends and family had been fighting a nightly war for years against the forces of darkness. One thing she did know was … "Is it possible they came because of you?" she asked Sheppard. "And that one of these people you brought back here with you tipped them off?"
"It's possible," Sheppard said dismissively.
"See, that is exactly the kind of snap decision I'm referring to," Weir said.
Sheppard shook his head. "They're not all bad people, and you know, if we're going to stick around here, we need friends."
Weir nodded. "Okay, I see your point. Now, you see mine. I will not authorize a rescue mission unless I am sure there's at least a remote chance of success. I'm not sending more good people, including you, to their deaths."
"Okay," Sheppard said as he left.
"Let me guess your vampire analogy was because of a vision?" Weir asked.
Dawn nodded. "Yes. I saw Colonel Sumner being killed. His life force being sucked out of him by the Wraith."
Later in the Gate Room; Willow, Dawn, Weir and McKay study a monitor display that showed only darkness.
"We're receiving visual telemetry," Willow said from where she sat at the console.
"I can't see anything," Weir said.
"No atmospheric readings at all," McKay said.
Sheppard and Grodin watched another monitor as they spot a small round point of dim light before it quickly rotated offscreen.
"Hey, what was that?" Sheppard asked.
"Rotate the camera," Dawn said as Willow nodded.
The camera rotated as it showed rocks floating in space and rings surrounding a planet. Then it rotated to show the Stargate floating in orbit above the planet, the wormhole still active.
"Well, there goes that MALP," McKay scoffed.
Sheppard nodded. "It's in space."
"It's in high orbit around a planet on the far side of the galaxy," McKay said.
"Are you sure this is the right address?" Weir asked.
"It's the only one we could get a lock on," Willow said.
Weir sighed as she looked at Willow and Dawn. "Could you open a portal to that planet?"
Dawn shook her head. "Not without knowing where we were going. To be able to open a portal we have to mentally picture who it is we are traveling to or even where were going. If we were on Earth I could take you to Cleveland or the Sunnydale crater or even the ISC headquarters as their all places I've been and can picture in my mind."
"I understand, without being able to visualize it, there is no way to get there. Willow, shut it down," Weir said as she looked toward Sheppard. "I'm sorry."
Dawn suddenly smiled as a memory flashed before her eyes. "We have a way."
"What?" Weir asked.
"Ancient ships," Dawn said. "There is a bay above us full of them. They were designed to fit through the gate. It also has a cloaking device. It would give us a tactical advantage."
Weir nodded. "All right, so assuming someone can fly one of them. It doesn't mean Major Sheppard can pull off a rescue."
Willow smiled. "With two powerful witches. One of which happens to be a seer, who can see the future. We have the advantage."
Weir sighed. "Alright, you have a go."
Later Dawn sat in the pilot's seat of one of the Ancient ships. They had tested her and Willow and it seemed that they had the best concentration of the Ancient gene to be able to pilot it.
Ford stepped between Willow and Dawn and spoke into his radio. "Gateship One ready to go."
"Gateship One?" Sheppard said from beside Ford. "A little puddle jumper like this?"
"It's a ship that goes through the 'gate—Gateship One," Ford said as Willow and Dawn rolled their eyes.
"Oh, no, no, no, that's all wrong," Sheppard said.
"Dr. McKay thought it was cool," Ford said.
"Oh, okay, well, it's official…You don't get to name anything, ever," Sheppard said.
"Flight," Dawn said into her radio. "We're go to launch."
"And it's going to be Puddle Jumper, McKay," Sheppard called out.
"Just go with it," Willow said. "We don't have time to argue about a stupid name."
"Uh…fine," McKay said. "Puddle Jumper, you are clear for launch."
"Dial it up," Sheppard said.
Willow leaned forward and dialed the jumper's DHD as the Stargate activated.
Dawn flew the jumper into the wormhole and exited into deep space.
"Wow. This is cool," Willow said. She looked over at Dawn. "It looks like you've got the hang of it."
Dawn smiled. "It flies like a dream. But something has been nagging me at the back of my mind. It also seems so familiar."
Just then a display appeared superimposed on the windshield in front of them, displaying lots of data.
"Did you do that?" Ford asked nervously.
"I believe so," Dawn said. "I wanted information on where we go. And the display appeared with information to make that determination."
"Okay, so how do we find them once we land?" Ford asked.
"Well, I've been thinking about that," Sheppard said as a small hand held device popped out of the wall next to Willow.
Willow pulled out the device and looked it over. "Interesting. I think this might be some kind of lifesigns detector. It's showing everyone here with us."
Dawn landed the jumper in the woods near some kind of building on the planet.
"Lock and load," Ford said as everyone exited the jumper.
Dawn grabbed the scythe and slid it into her back holster. She smiled briefly as she remembered when Buffy had given it to her.
"Who knows what kind of demons or vampires you might face in another galaxy." Buffy had told her. "Just make sure I get it back in one piece."
"All right, teams of two. Learn what you can and lay down your defenses as you see fit. I want to be able to light this place up if we have to," Sheppard said as he turned to Stackhouse. "Two clicks, you're clear to talk."
Stackhouse nodded. "Yes, sir."
"Do not engage the enemy," Sheppard said as he tapped Ford on the shoulder. "You're with me."
"Willow and I are coming with you also," Dawn said as Sheppard looked to her. "I have this nagging feeling that you will need us."
She, Sheppard, Willow and Ford made their way into the building and down a passage. They quickly hid as one of the Wraith moved past them.
"I thought getting in was going to be the hard part. That's the first one we've seen," Ford said as he set some C-4 into the wall and primed it when the coast was clear.
Willow studied the handheld device she took from the jumper. "This is showing only us and him."
They proceeded down a corridor and up to what looked like a Wraith cell.
"Major?" Teyla asked.
"Shh. Are you all right?" Sheppard said.
"How did you find us?" Teyla asked.
"Is my son alive?" Halling asked.
Sheppard nodded. "He's well and waiting for you," he said as he looked at who was in the cell. "Where's Colonel Sumner?"
"He was taken by the Wraith," Bates said.
"We don't know where," Teyla said.
"He is being fed on," Dawn said as everyone looked at her.
"Can you take us to him?" Sheppard asked.
"Yes," Dawn said. "I would need only picture him in my mind to open a portal. But the problem is that would reveal us to the Wraith."
Sheppard sighed as he clicked his radio twice.
"This is Stackhouse. Go ahead, sir," said Stackhouse over the radio.
"How about a diversion in a little bit?" Sheppard asked. "You're going to need to make some noise out there."
"Yes, sir."
Sheppard looked to Dawn and Willow. "Can you two portal them back to the jumper?"
"Yes," Dawn and Willow said.
Sheppard looked to Ford, Dawn and Willow. "You three get them back to the jumper."
Willow handed Dawn the lifesigns detector. "We'll get them out."
Dawn nodded. "I'm with you," she said as she looked at Sheppard. She unholstered the scythe.
Sheppard nodded as he looked at Ford and Willow. "Rig up enough C-4 to blow a hole and then Willow you open a portal and get these people out of here on my signal, all right? Dawn and I can find the Colonel with that," he indicated the lifesigns detector in Dawn's hand. "There aren't that many Wraith around. We should be able to do this. If we're not back in twenty minutes, blow the cells and get out."
Sheppard and Dawn moved down the corridor using the lifesigns detector to guide them.
"No offense but can't you get us even close?" Sheppard asked.
Dawn sighed. "As I told you all back on Atlantis. I have to picture where I am going or to whom," she said as she had a flash of memory and smiled. "I can get us close."
"How?" Sheppard asked skeptical. "A second a go…"
"I had a flash of memory," Dawn said. "You on a balcony overlooking Colonel Sumner and one of the Wraith." She pictured what she had seen in the memory and a portal flashed into existence and they stepped through.
They knelt down and looked through a skylight down into the room below. They saw a Wraith with her back to them, feeding on Sumner, who faced them.
Sheppard fired his weapon and shot the Queen in the back, then killed one of the warrior guards. The Wraith hissed in rage, her fingernails digging into Sumner's chest, drawing blood as she sucked more life from him.
Sheppard and Dawn watched as Sumner aged quickly and the bullet wounds healed on the Wraith's own chest. Sheppard shot the other guard, and then stared in curious horror at Sumner's almost skeletal condition.
"Kill him," Dawn whispered. "It is the only way."
Sumner stared at Sheppard and Dawn, looking extraordinarily old. He made a pleading sound in his throat and nodded to Sheppard.
"We can't save him," Dawn said, and she knew that to be true. It was too late. If she had only remembered all of this before Sumner, Sheppard and their team had left Atlantis. She could have prevented it. She cursed the fact that memories were fleeting once again.
Looking grim, Sheppard raised his rifle. He shifted his aim from the Wraith's head to Sumner's chest and shot him right through the Queen's hand as Sumner fell to the floor, dead.
The Wraith stared at her injured hand in annoyance just as a blue light surrounded Sheppard and Dawn, and they collapsed, stunned into unconsciousness.
"Bring them," the Wraith said.
Moments later Sheppard and Dawn were pinned by their throats on the table's surface by Wraith warriors.
"How's the hand feeling?" Sheppard asked as the bullet hole in her hand healed.
"Much better," the Wraith said as she flexed her hand.
"I'm sorry to hear that," Sheppard said.
The Wraith looked to Dawn and frowned as she spotted the life signs detector sticking out of Dawn's vest. "How did this come to you?" she asked.
"We don't remember," Sheppard said.
The Wraith snarled as Ford entered, shooting both her and the guards.
Sheppard rolled, keying his radio as he moved. "Light it up."
Dawn rolled and grabbed the scythe and came up in a fighting stance.
The Wraith screamed in outrage as explosions rocked the building.
In the area around the Wraith cells … "Get back," Willow yelled as she triggered the explosive device that Ford had thrust into her hand blowing a hole in the cell door. She then opened a portal and ushered everyone into it.
In the Wraith dining room the Wraith continued to scream as Ford shot more guards as they arrived.
Dawn twirled the scythe and then thrust the stake end into the Wraith. The Wraith did not dust as she had expected when she pulled the stake end out of the Wraith.
"How'd you find us?" Sheppard asked.
"Lucky guess," Ford said. "Her portal did make it difficult. Sir, let's go."
"Time to leave," Dawn said as she opened a portal.
"You don't know what you have done. We are merely the caretakers for those that sleep. When I die, the others will awaken," the Wraith said as she died. "All of them."
"What's she talking about? How many are left?" Ford asked.
Dawn picked up the life signs detector. Several dots appeared on the display, with more every second. She then looked up at the honeycomb above them. Hundreds of Wraith appeared to be awakening, one in each chamber. "We got to go, now!"
They turned and ran through the portal which exited into the forest in front of the jumper.
Sheppard paused as Willow herded the Athosians into the jumper. He looked up at the sound of Wraith ships approaching. "Start it up!" he said with a look at Dawn.
Dawn nodded and entered the jumper as several Wraith ships fly overhead.
"We have incoming!" Stackhouse and Sheppard said
The moment everyone was onboard Dawn closed the door and the ship lifted off.
"Everybody okay?" Sheppard asked.
"We are well enough," Teyla said.
"Hope that was the hard part," Ford said.
As they entered orbit, they saw several of the small Wraith ships flanking the Spacegate.
"Oh, crap. I don't think we've gotten to the hard part yet," Dawn said.
Teyla approached Dawn, Willow and Sheppard. "What can we do?"
"We're safe as long as they can't see us," Ford said from next to her.
Sheppard sighed. "They don't have to. There's only one way for us to go. The minute we activate the Stargate, they can start shooting blind and blow us away on our approach."
"Then how can we get through?" Ford asked.
Sheppard looked to Dawn and Willow. "Can you?"
"We'll try," Dawn said. "Major, if you would please take over."
Sheppard nodded as he and Ford switched seats with Dawn and Willow.
"Keep them busy for a moment," Willow said as they sat in the main compartment and closed their eyes.
The jumper decloaked and flew away from the Spacegate as several dart ships broke formation and gave chase.
"How long?" Sheppard asked.
His answer was a portal flashing into existence before them.
"Atlantis, do you copy?" Ford said into his radio.
"We read you," came Weir's voice.
"We are coming in hot," Sheppard said. "Can't get to the Stargate, the portal only other option."
"Understood," Weir said. "We're standing by, waiting for your arrival. Have Dawn and Willow close the portal the moment your through."
Just then one of the darts fired at the jumper just as it entered the portal. They exited the portal into the command center of Atlantis and the jumper came to an abrupt halt as the portal closed behind them.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Atlantis. Please remain seated till the Puddle Jumper's come to a full and complete stop," Sheppard said as Teyla and Halling exchange relieved smiles.
Later that evening the Athosians and expedition members mingle together in what has been set up as a mess hall.
Ford followed Sheppard to a quieter part of the balcony. "I guess this is home now."
Sheppard glanced toward Dawn and Willow. "For now."
Ford gestured to one of the buildings. "I'm thinking of a little place with an ocean view. Out of the way."
Dawn, Willow and Weir came up behind them.
"Major, Lieutenant, I thought the occasion merited opening this…compliments of General O'Neill," Weir said as she handed glasses to Ford and Sheppard.
Sheppard raised his glass in a toast. "Cheers," he said as they all took a drink. He then set down his glass, looking pensive.
"You did good, John," Weir said.
"I don't know about that," Sheppard said with a sigh as he looked at Dawn.
Dawn let out a sigh and knew the feeling. She too regretted not being able to save Sumner.
"Hey, there was no way either of you could have saved Colonel Sumner," Weir said noting the look on Dawn's face.
"We have to live with it," Dawn said as Sheppard nodded in agreement. "I don't know about Major Sheppard. But I'm a Slayer. I'm supposed to save people not kill them."
"If you hadn't done that," Willow said. "Others might have died."
"Others might still," Dawn said. "The one I killed awakened others. Others that will come for us."
"I'm beginning to think you were right," Sheppard said. "We haven't made us many more friends out there."
"No? Look around you," Weir said as they looked back at the crowd.
"I agree, Major Sheppard," Teyla said as she turned to face them. "Dawn." She approached them and put her hands first on Sheppard's shoulders and then Dawn's, leaning forward with a head bow. Hesitantly, both Dawn and Sheppard bowed as well, repeating the forehead touch. "You both have earned both my friendship and that of my people. With our help, you will make many more friends," She grinned at Weir and walked away.
"One more thing, Major, something I'd like you to sleep on. I have a few thoughts on it myself," Weir said.
"Thoughts about what?" Sheppard asked.
"Who the members of your team might be," Weir said.
"My team?" Sheppard asked.
Weir nodded. "Well, you are the ranking military officer now, or do you need to be reminded of that? We need to get back out there, do what we came to do."
"You realize that could get us into all sorts of…trouble, right?" Sheppard asked as they exchanged wry grins and leaned on the banister.
"I do," Weir said. "Now yours will be the only one designed as such. You will have six people on your team. I want Willow and Dawn both on your team including those you choose." She looked at Willow and Dawn. "I believe you, Dawn. Something I didn't when you first told me about the so called memories. But I do now. With that information, I think we will make more friends than enemies as you can try and make sure that everything turns in our favor."
"Just remember," Dawn said. "That the memories are still fleeting. It will take time for all of them to come back. When I went through this with Buffy and our friends. It took a while for the memories to unlock. But that is where being a seer will come in handy. Major, your hand, please."
Sheppard looked to Weir who nodded as Dawn took his hand and she received a vision.
"I see Teyla on your team. I see Ford and McKay also on your team. I see that one of us will fall by the wayside and will be replaced," Dawn said. "That's all that I see right now."