What Remained Behind
Engrossed in thought Samuel pocked in his food instead of eating it. He stared out of one of the big windows in the Atlantis mess hall and thought about the happening during this morning. After accidentally finding something abnormal in the city's main system he followed it's trace to one of the outer buildings and must have activated it because suddenly he faced the hologram of Dr. Rodney McKay.
He thought about the stories he had heard about him. Rodney McKay had left Atlantis after a few years and worked on some private project till he came back to the city when he was rather old. Nobody knew why he was allowed to come back to Atlantis because he didn't participate actively in the projects then. Rumours said that he was allowed to come back to see the city again before his days were over but he now knew the truth. He came back to install a hologram of himself that would last for about 48,000 years to bring John Sheppard back into his own time who had accidentally travelled into the future.
He had checked if the story McKay had told him was true and found the solar flare he had talked about and he knew the story about Lt Col Sheppard's disappearance. But it was a crazy plan and changing the timeline was dangerous. He knew he had to report this and remove the objects McKay had installed secretly in this building to bring it back to Earth along with all other things.
Instead of doing this he escaped to the mess hall to get an early lunch but the incident wouldn't leave him alone.
"Dr. Peller," Samuel recognized the voice and stood up to meet the eyes of the city's commanding officer.
"General," he nodded politely.
"I've heard that you abandoned your work and made a trip," Samuel looked into the General's serious face and swallowed.
"I've detected an anomaly in the system and located the source in one of the towers at the east pier. I haven't found the exact problem yet but it will be removed in no time," he partly lied about his discovery.
"Alright, but hurry and pick up your actual task as soon as possible. We have a schedule to keep up with," he observed the doctor closely.
"Understood," Samuel nodded and dropped his eyes to his food and then out of the window for a short moment before he looked the General in his eyes again.
"And don't forget that it's just a city," he said with emphasis.
"Yes, sir," he watched how he picked up a bottle of water and left the mess hall before he let himself drop back into the chair with a deep sigh. "Yeah, just a city."
After only eating a few bites of his mashed lunch he returned to the east pier and started disconnecting the devices. However, his work was constricted by the precautions Rodney McKay did to cover his work and his hologram that wouldn't stop talking.
„How many times do I have to explain to you that deactivating me will plunge the universe into chaos," the hologram stepped closer to Samuel.
"You're just a hologram and I don't need to listen to you," he tried to convince himself.
"If I had told McKay that there would be a person more stubborn than Sheppard he would have tried to find the glitch in my programme," he shook his head. "Seriously, I've told you what I have to do to save the galaxy from this fate," Samuel looked at him for the first time in about half an hour.
"The Pegasus galaxy can't be saved anymore it's lost. The decision is made and the humans will leave this place behind," Rodney was about to say something. "And time travelling is dangerous. You don't know if your plan will actually work and you could wreak havoc with it."
"He has worked for about 25 years on this plan and I know that it will work," he followed Samuel who was moving around the room but didn't say anything. "Then why don't you take the city to Earth? Why leaving such an advanced and amazing piece of technology behind?"
"We don't have enough power to fly the city to Earth. We need the power to dial Earth in a few days and to sustain the shield," he answered the hologram.
"And then you will leave this galaxy like cowards," Samuel stopped his work and looked at the hologram of Rodney McKay angrily.
"We've fought against the hybrids for about 300 years now and they've become intelligent and cruel enemies with an huge army. We lost to many people to continue this war and risk them finding Earth," Samuel looked at him intensely for another moment before he shook his head and turned back to his wok.
McKay observed him for a few minutes. "How many friends do you have lost during the time you've worked here?" Samuel stopped his work but didn't look at him. "I-well, my creator Dr Rodney McKay has lost all his good friends, his family in only a few years. They all died for nothing and the Pegasus galaxy had to face an enemy worse than the Wraith or the Replicators. I just want to fix what shouldn't have happened. John Sheppard should have never travelled 48,000 years into the future."
"And what difference would it make if one man won't get lost to the expedition?" the doctor raised his eyes.
"If he'll come back they will be able to rescue Teyla and destroy Michael's plan so that his hybrids won't be a threat to this galaxy," Samuel frowned.
"But then nothing here would happen and probably nobody would ever exist," he stated.
"I know," Rodney sighed. "Either you will exist in that timeline as well or not but it's for the good," he still seemed not convinced. "This galaxy will have a better future than this."
Samuel just looked at the hologram and thought about what he should do. "I'm sure that there is an alternate timeline were I'm listening to you and help you but it's not this one," he only said and pushed a few buttons on his data pad to shut down the energy source the hologram was linked with. He stared at it for a moment and then continued his work.
Dr. Samuel Peller pushed the buttons and dialed the gate that opened with a familiar sound. He watched how the people picked up their bags and moved the boxes with the Earth equipment through the gate patiently following the slow pace. The city's inhabitants finally leave the Pegasus galaxy…again. He thought bitterly.
He barely noticed the order from the General to the people to move faster and looked out of the window that showed the ocean of the planet. They had moved the city to the bottom of the ocean with enough power for the shield to hide it from their enemies. Samuel stepped onto the small balcony in the gate room and continued to observe the people. Some of them looked back before they finally stepped through the gate. Most of them had worked their entire life here just as him.
He thought back to the hologram of Rodney McKay. It had brought him sleepless nights and he questioned his decision several times and changed it just as much. He knew that his final decision was the right one. Nobody would ever know about this and everything would become as it should be.
As almost everyone was through he shut down the main power system and took his bag and went down to the gate room. He gave the General a nod that everything was done and the last few people moved to the gate. As he was almost touching the surface of the wormhole he turned his head and his eyes scanned the large room.
He smiled as he saw the hologram of Dr Rodney McKay looking down at him from the control room and nodded at him. He nodded back and Samuel stepped through the gate. Good luck.