Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate: Atlantis or any of its characters. I do, however, own Anna Lorne, Rachel Harrison, and all the original characters. Any similarity between these original characters and any other person, living or fictional, is entirely coincidental and not the intent of the author.

Prologue

Colonel John Sheppard strolled the corridors of Atlantis, nodding occasionally to the passing soldiers. Children darted out of a classroom, and he sidestepped them and continued on his way. The changes in Atlantis were drastic to him, and he remembered the early days. He'd been a major, then, and a hard-nosed US Marine Corp colonel, Marshall Sumner, commanded the military personnel. Now, the rebellious, unwanted major had lasted longer than anyone thought, and he commanded Atlantis's military contingent.

Operations on Atlantis had continued over the years, only changing as time and personnel changed. Just last week, General Caldwell brought a new group from Earth on his new ship, Daedalus III. This incarnation of the original Daedalus boasted stronger engines, more space, and some really cool technology. But, it was used more and more as an exploratory vessel and less as a warship. Not that it couldn't kick some serious tail. The weapons, all based on the Asgaard technology, had changed as well. Sam O'Neill spent the majority of her retirement working on new innovations based on technologies the gate teams brought back. It was the same job she'd held on Earth, and she loved it.

Sheppard's neutral expression darkened slightly as he thought about the Daedalus's arrival. News from Earth had not been encouraging. Tensions between superpowers had reached an all-time high, and the politicians raced to make peace before all-out war broke loose. Not that Earth hadn't changed as well. The United States still existed, but it had waned as a superpower. The IOA finally gave up trying to control Atlantis, but they weren't above isolating them. Even when the fervor reached its peak, the IOA refused to allow Elizabeth Weir to return to her home world to negotiate a truce. Sheppard shook his head at that. Weir was the best diplomat in two galaxies. She had over a hundred years of experience and had brokered agreements all over Pegasus. Yet, her own people didn't trust her. Granted, her own people thought her dead.

The control room buzzed with its normal activities as Sheppard made his way into it. On the way, he passed Anna Lorne and one of the new personnel from Daedalus. All these new people were young, fresh, and ready to face what Pegasus offered. Not that it offered the same amount of danger as before. Thanks to Todd and his help, the Wraith had retreated to the shadows and rarely caused problems for them anymore. Sheppard stepped into his office and considered that thought. Maybe Sam's weapons upgrades on the Daedalus had a little to do with that as well.

"Unscheduled off-world activation!" Chuck turned to a computer at his elbow and stared wide-eyed. "It's Earth."

Sheppard left his office. "Did you say Earth?"

"Yes, Sir." Chuck stared at the wormhole. "They're not scheduled to dial in for another three months."

"I know that."

Weir chose that moment to appear. "What's happening?"

"Earth, ma'am." Chuck moved to lower the shield, but he stopped. "We're receiving an audio transmission."

Weir nodded. "Let's hear it."

"Atlantis Base, this is Stargate Command." It was Walter Harriman's voice. "Do not, I repeat, do not send reinforcements through the gate. We are under attack at Cheyenne Mountain, and it is only a matter of time before we fail to defend the gate. We are at peace with this. The war that started a year ago has reached an impasse, and much of Earth has fallen victim to nuclear bombs." Shouts sounded in the background, and an explosion covered several screams. The gate shut down.

Sheppard whirled. "What war?"

Before anyone could answer him, Weir overrode his question. "Get that back open!"

Chuck stared at the controls in front of him as Sheppard moved toward the new woman from Earth. Lorne, who stood next to his wife, jumped forward when Chuck didn't immediately react to Weir's order. After three attempts to dial Earth failed, he stepped back. "I can't do that, ma'am."

It was so like Lorne to deliver such horrible news in a matter-of-fact way that also conveyed his regret. The new woman didn't answer Sheppard's question, and he also forgot about it. If they couldn't establish contact with Earth, that meant Cheyenne Mountain had been destroyed.

Weir appeared to be the only one not frozen in shock. "Get in touch with Caldwell." She looked around. "I want him bound for Earth and ready to give me a full report within the week."

Sheppard went into action. "I'm going."

"What?" Weir looked at him. "John, you can't just take off."

"It's only for a week at the most, and I have to know." He stared at her. "I'm going."

To her credit, she didn't argue with that. Sheppard honestly didn't know what he would have done if she'd refused to give her permission. He tapped his radio, knowing his needs were few. "Daedalus, this is Sheppard. Ready to beam up."

SGA SGA SGA SGA

Just three days later, Sheppard stood on the bridge of the Daedalus and stared at the planet circling outside. The healthy greens and blues of the world were gone, leaving only devastation. Caldwell sat behind him, stunned into silence. No one stirred. No one spoke. No one could.

Earth was dead. That truth echoed in their minds as loudly as Marks's announcement that sensors could not detect any life signs through the radiation. It was too thick. In time, the planet would survive, but no one lived to see it. The Stargate Program and all of the good it had done in its years of existence had not saved Earth from its hatred and greed. Sheppard felt tears well in the backs of his eyes and blinked them away. It didn't matter that several people on the bridge of the Daedalus openly wept. He would not weep. He had buried his entire family and left Earth behind years ago. But that was his decision. He had returned once in that time and had stood over the grave of his brother. But he no longer had any ties to anyone there. Now, he didn't even have a location. Now, all he had were memories.

Behind him, Caldwell stirred. "Set course for Atlantis."

"Yes, Sir." Marks punched the commands into the computer. Both men sounded broken.

Sheppard stood in place, unable to move until the ship entered hyperspace. Earth was dead. It was all that he could think. His home planet no longer existed. He turned from the blue streaks of hyperspace and stared at Caldwell. Until he saw it, he had refused to believe it. Now, he had no choice. "What happened?"

Caldwell stood and led him to the conference room that doubled as a ready room. When the doors closed behind him, he rubbed his face. "I'm not entirely sure. We were at war, yes. But you knew that. You tried to get the IOA to allow Weir to come back to negotiate."

"I knew tensions were high." Sheppard glared. "I knew war was eminent. But I didn't know we were at war."

"It was just some border skirmishes at first." Caldwell dropped into a chair, all pretense gone in the wake of what they'd just witnessed. "Since we left, the powers that be must have authorized a nuclear attack. That's the only thing that could have happened since that was already a threat."

Sheppard stood at the window, no longer seeing what lay beyond. "We've come all this way, and we still fall to a nuclear war." He shook his head. He had rarely felt so helpless in his life. Even when he'd been captured by the Wraith or the Genii, he still knew someone out there fought for him. When they had first gone to Atlantis, they had a place to call home. A place to dream of and to talk about. Now, that was gone. No matter how helpless he'd been in the past, he always had Earth and her people to defend. Now, he didn't even have that.

He spent the few days on Daedalus in his quarters, staring out the window and wondering how he would break this news to Elizabeth. She was more than a superior. She was a friend, and he loved her in a distant way. Whatever they might have had was no longer there, pushed away by years of denial and service. But she would take this news the hardest. Out of all the diplomats on Earth, she could have brokered the deal that prevented this fallout. She could have saved Earth.

Back at Atlantis, Caldwell beamed him to the control room and landed his ship on one of the city's piers. Sheppard waited until the light from the transporter had dissipated before looking around. Weir, Chuck, Lorne, and McKay waited impatiently. Teyla and Ronon stood in the background, their faces neutral. Suddenly, Sheppard understood what Ronon felt when he first discovered that Sateda had been destroyed. Unable to speak, he shook his head, telling them everything they needed to know at the moment.

Weir took the news like a blow to the gut. She even gasped a little. Lorne looked up and around before heading for a transporter and leaving the control room. Sheppard knew him well enough to know that he was headed for his wife. McKay just sat down, unable to catch himself when the chair behind him rolled away and he hit the floor. The shock was too great. Teyla looked at the floor, and Ronon clenched his fist like he wanted to kill something.

Finally, Weir drew in a deep breath and lifted her head. Tears stood in her eyes, but her voice was strong as she activated the citywide communications. "Attention, all personnel." Her voice echoed through the corridors, silencing even the most rowdy of children. "By now, you have all heard that we have lost contact with Earth. While we do not know the exact nature of the conflict, we know that Earth was embroiled in a global war. The Daedalus has just returned and confirmed our worst suspicions. The nuclear fallout is too severe to allow human life to exist on the surface. We do not know how many-if any-survived the war." She drew in another deep breath, and her voice shook when she spoke again. "Atlantis, we are alone."

~TBC