Stargate Atlantis: Harm's Way

"Sheppard, do you read? Sheppard, copy?"

The voice was Rodney McKay's, hissing over the PA and sounding all over the city like a lost soul. Atlantis was plunged into darkness as a massive power disruption had killed every system. Even the emergency lights were pale, pale pools of flickering amber, barely discernible in the overwhelming gulf of darkness.

The silence was eerie. The tension was palpable.

In one sure moment Todd had moved to his feet as the force field around his cell collapsed in a wink of blue light. It only took a second for him to break the cell's lock and open the door. It only took a second for him to step out of his prison and slither past the two guards who were advancing, scouring the cell with the bright lights of their P90s.

The cell was already empty.

Todd had fled.

He ran down the darkened hallways, pausing to listen, to smell, to taste the air and determine the whereabouts of the humans who would surely be hunting him. Freedom was intoxicating, but the need to feed was stronger still. Weakened as he was Todd was an easy target. He needed to replenish his depleted stores of energy before he could escape.

He considered carefully, listening to the voices darting around the air from the PA until they fell silent. With a cold, cold smile he selected his target and made his way to his meal.

XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX

"Sheppard! Shep…oh."

"Make it fast, Rodney!" John Sheppard urged, flinging himself onto the Ancient Chair. Sluggishly the Ancient device responded, reclining and emitting a low light as power began to course through it. A low hum made the military commander's joints ache and he pressed his palms to the arm pads, trying to access more power and restore the city. "All teams! Search the city! Todd is to be apprehended alive. Attention all personnel. We are in lock down. Stay where you are until further notice!" John issued commands through his earpiece. He heard them relayed over the city's PA system, but his voice sounded even harsher and was interspersed by static.

"Todd's loose?" Rodney exclaimed, on his hands and knees at the base of the Chair, his lap covered in wires and crystals faintly glowing like a tangled string of Christmas lights. "There's a Wraith loose in the city? The city should be detecting that and initiating—"

"I know! It's trying! Make it quick! What do I need to do?"

"You're doing it! Just concentrate and I will do the rest as I hobble the interface! The city should reboot after that on its own. Tell it to behave!"

John smirked a moment, but grew solemn. "Crap." He closed his eyes, body tense, wanting nothing more than to be searching for Todd, to be active but instead he was forced to sit in the Chair and communicate with a very cranky city. The odd connection between man and machine commenced, as his strong ATA gene directed the city's limited AI in ways that he couldn't begin to explain or understand. "Concentrate on what, exactly?"

"Power," Rodney supplied. "Think of increasing the ZPMs loading from the secondary systems. Tell the city to enact basic protocols. I don't understand why this keeps happening," he grumbled.

"Could I locate Todd with this thing?" John asked, adjusting his body on the hard confines of the Chair. He licked his lips, tried to relax into the interface as he closed his eyes.

"No, at least not while we barely have power. One thing at a time!" Rodney snatched his radio off the floor. "Zelenka! Anything! Hello!"

XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX

Radek Zelenka grabbed his radio as Rodney's voice cawed from it. "Negative. I can't access anything but the atmospheric controls at this point! Amelia?"

The young woman looked up from her console, flashlight in her mouth until she removed it to speak. "Nothing here either. It's dead in the water."

"And we're sitting ducks," Radek sighed. "I'll try re-routing what I can to your section but it will take some time."

"We haven't got time! Todd's on the loose!" Rodney's voice blared from the radio.

"What?" Radek looked round at the encroaching darkness as Amelia Banks drew her sidearm. Even Chuck Campbell paused in his ministrations to stare round at the darkness where anything could be hiding, even a Wraith. A very hungry Wraith which probably wouldn't stop at one victim. "In that case I shall have what power I can find re-routed to you immediately!"

XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX

John tried to relax in the Chair, guiding the tendrils of power to where he wanted them to go. He tried to subsume all concerns as he concentrated on getting the city up and running once more. There was a strange pain in his side but as the power slowly, so slowly charged the pain lessened. "We can't have the 'Gate inoperable. We can't leave Woolsey out there."

"Out where?" Rodney asked, flinging open the panel on the Chair and quickly accessing controls. It was a mishmash of Ancient and Earth technology but he was used to this kind of mishmash and worked quickly, fingers nimble.

"He is meeting with the Genii on neutral ground."

"What? And you let him go?"

"It was his decision and we need the intel."

"When is he due back?"

"Two hours. Will the 'Gate be operational in that time?" John looked over, opening his eyes as Rodney hadn't answered, but his silence was answer enough. "Crap," John whispered, settling back and closing his eyes once more.

"Crap," Rodney echoed, shaking his head and trying to work faster.

XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX

P90 lights were beams shining down dark hallways, chasing back the shadows and the gloom. The beams crisscrossed and separated to illumine each step as teams made their ponderous way across the expanse of the city. With the transporters inoperable it was a time-consuming search of hallways, stairwells and rooms that weren't locked and inaccessible.

"God I hate this," Evan Lorne mumbled, sweeping his light ahead of him. Door after door was barred to him, since the panels were inactive and the doors lacked handles or knobs except for the larger communal areas which were full of frightened people that had to be reassured before the team could advance. "I'm sure he's cleared this deck by now."

"We need to be certain, major. Remember he has been both a guest and a prisoner so he knows Atlantis well," Teyla Emmagan reminded. She did not mind the loss of power, as Kanaan and her infant son would be locked in their room and therefore safe.

"He's hungry," Ronon Dex stated. The three exchanged a grim look, knowing all too well what that would mean for some hapless denizen of the city. The need to find the Wraith was growing more desperate by the minute, before someone became his first meal.

"Well, I doubt he'd stop in the cafeteria. Let's move on," Evan decided, grimacing at his poor attempt at humor.

"I still cannot sense him," Teyla stated, frustrated.

"Teldy, copy? Status?" Evan asked, talking into his radio. With his commanding officer effectively incommunicado the second in command took the reins in defense of the city.

In another section of Atlantis a squad of marines paused, an attractive blond woman at their head. She pulled her radio closer to her mouth, gaze darting everywhere in the darkened labs. "Nothing so far, sir. Level C is secure as far as we can tell. All of the labs are either vacant or locked down."

"Acknowledged. Proceed. Reynolds report."

On the upper levels Jason Reynolds and his team stopped, boots clomping to a standstill on the iron grids. "Nothing, sir. Level A is clear so far and all balconies are locked down. Should we proceed to the higher areas?"

"Negative. Head back down to the Gate room and await orders. Beckett, copy? How's that scan coming?"

Carson Beckett nearly jumped at the almost garbled voice issuing from his radio. He lifted it to his mouth, glancing at his staff. "If you're referring to the life-signs detector I've almost got it calibrated to eliminate all signals except for Todd's."

"Almost? That's not good enough, doc. We need that intel now," Evan remarked. He gestured and the team cautiously turned a corner. Blackness preceded them and followed them. The emergency lights flickered to life, casting amber pools across the gloom, but were quickly doused once more as the power failed.

"Can we contact Sheppard, or McKay?" the doctor asked. He was standing in a pool of light provided by a flashlight and the life-signs detector, a white brightness of lab coat amid the darkness of the infirmary.

"Negative. They are engaged in trying to revive the city and our comms are down. We're working our way to you, doc." Evan sighed. "Do you sense anything yet?" he asked, turning to the woman beside him.

Teyla paused, concentrating. "No. I do not sense him yet. He is masking his presence quite well, which is disturbing to me. I should be able to sense him because he is within the city. Perhaps he has ventured out of the city or into another section entirely."

"No. He'll be close, or near the 'Gate to effect an escape once we're up and running," Ronon reasoned. "But until then…"

"He could be anywhere," Evan finished for the Satedan. "Hiding, or waiting for an opportunity."

"Or feeding," Ronon added with a scowl. His grip tightened on his big gun, and he felt the comforting weight of his sword at his back, the knife at his hip and assorted other weaponry.

The team advanced with renewed determination.