This story is based on my want as a Stargate fan for a legitimate conclusion to the Stargate franchise that I can be wholly satisfied with. There will be Twenty Episodes to total around a Season for each of the four stories that will contribute, one based on each of the Stargate television shows. Each Episode will be between 5 and 7 thousand words long and will be mostly focused on dialogue to drive the story forward, much like a script, but not completely. Each of these stories takes place in a shared universe, just like the television shows.

All books and comics related to the television shows are things I do not consider canon for the sake of this story. As such, this story will be assembled from wholly original ideas (and of course ideas for future seasons pulled from Joseph Mallozzi's blogs that I have iterated on).


STARGATE ATLANTIS: JOURNEYS FOR PEGASUS

Summary: Atlantis's business in the Pegasus galaxy is not yet finished. The Atlantis team will need to battle against conflict on all sides in order to finally defeat the Wraith and bring peace to the Pegasus galaxy.

New Episodes every Friday evening at 8PM EST


STARGATE SG-1: UPRISING

Summary: A young hacker exposes the Stargate program to the general public, throwing Earth into chaos. The flagship team of Stargate command must work together with him to bring peace back to the planet and finally make the Tau'ri into the Fifth Race that the Asgard envisioned.

Will premier Monday, September 12th

New Episodes every Tuesday evening at 8PM EST


STARGATE UNIVERSE: THE LEGACY COMMAND

Summary: After finally reaching a new galaxy, the team aboard the Destiny must work together to not only solve the mystery behind the CMBR, but contend with a new advanced alien enemy by finally bringing the Destiny to its full potential.

Will premier Monday, January 30th, 2017

New Episodes every Monday afterward at 8PM EST


STARGATE UNITY: INFINITE DESTINIES

Summary: Working based on a mysterious message, everyone has to work together to reach a new destination that is apparently far outside of their reach. There, they hope to finally find the truth behind the meaning of life.

Will premier Thursday, June 29th, 2017

New Episodes every Thursday afterward at 8PM EST for 5 total episodes


STARGATE ATLANTIS: JOURNEYS FOR PEGASUS

Written by Niko DelValle

Some ideas were borrowed from Joseph Mallozzi


PREVIOUSLY ON STARGATE ATLANTIS

The Wraith "Todd" informed the Atlantis Expedition of the existence of a ZPM-powered Hive Ship. Despite all of the ships dispatched, they were unable to prevent the ship from reaching Earth, and were forced to get help from Todd in the form of ZPMs they used to power a new technology on Atlantis. The Wormhole Drive. They were able to use the Wormhole Drive to travel to Earth, and with the help of Atlantis Recon 1, defeat the ZPM-powered Hive Ship with a nuke placed inside the ship after being transported through the Stargate. The fight forced Atlantis down to the planet's surface, where it was left in the San-Francisco Bay, with the power of their ZPMs almost completely depleted...


S06E01: Chronicles - Part I

Year 2010


John Sheppard stares out onto the water of the San Francisco Bay from a balcony on Atlantis. A beer is in his hand, and he takes a short and relaxed drink as he continues his lonely reverie. He continues to stare for a few short moments before yawning and sweeping his vision over to the Golden Gate Bridge.

"Bored?" Ronon Dex asks as he joins his friend on the balcony.

"Nope."

"Well I am."

"It's only been a month. You gotta relax. Have a beer! I brought a few…"

John gives the small cooler he brought with him a small kick in Ronon's direction.

"No thanks. It's been more than a month. I'm starting to get agitated."

"I can see that. But it's starting to look like we might be here a while, so you gotta-"

"If your leaders aren't going to let Atlantis go back to Pegasus, the least they could do is give us a way back."

"Yea, I know, you want to go and get back to fighting the Wraith. Everyone here understands that, okay? The Daedalus is still getting repairs. Once it's done, it'll come, and if you want to head back right away, I'm sure they'll be happy to take you."

"You sure they're going to let Teyla and me use the ship just for that?"

"Why not? You did die saving the planet after all. You're a hero! You should go spread that story around a little more. Hero worship can be pretty fun, you know? Coming back from the dead also happens to be pretty popular with my people. You should know that by now."

"Heh, I'd rather have one of your beers."

"Well, there you go. A plan of action. Now drink a beer and look at the bridge with me."

Ronon takes a beer and pops off the cap.

"It is pretty impressive. My people built a couple of things, but can't say they built anything like that…"

"You're people just didn't have as much style. They were all like you I bet. Very predictable. The ones we met certainly were. Uh… for the most part."

"Ha, you've got a point."

Both Ronon and John take a drink from their beers and stare out in silence for a few moments. They look at each other.

"You were lying before, weren't you?" Ronon asks.

"About what?"

"Not being bored."

"Okay, maybe I am bored. There's just nothing we can do about it right now. You just gotta-"

"…give McKay some time. I know. I've given him plenty of time. We're still here."

"Well, first of all, you gotta stop cutting me off like that. It's rude." Sheppard complains before changing tact. "Anyways, you know the situation. Using the Wormhole Drive drained power. The battle with the Wraith drained power. Hell, even landing drained power. The ZPMs are out of juice. There's nothing us non-geniuses can do about that. We're barely keeping the lights on around here, remember?"

"Hard to believe one of those things can last us so long and then we can eat it all away so quick."

"Well, you know what Rodney would say. Belief is not necessary."

"That's because it isn't." Doctor Rodney McKay says from down the hallway, looking up from his tablet is slight annoyance.

"What are you, bloody mary?" John asks.

"Ha ha, no. You didn't say my name seven times. But, I didn't come down here to chat."

"Huh. Is there a problem?" Ronon asks standing up straight abruptly. "Tell me there's a problem."

"What? No." McKay replies. "In fact, we've got the opposite of a problem. We've got a plan. Or, well, I've got a plan."

"Is a plan really the opposite of a problem?" Sheppard asks.

"This is no time for semantics, I've got a plan."

"You're going to need to clarify what kind of plan it is."

"What else would I walk all the way down here for? I've got a plan to get some new ZPMs."

"Is there somebody to shoot on the way?" Ronon wonders.

"Well, hopefully not, but… maybe?"

"Good enough for me. I'm in."

"Good to know. Are you two ready to beam up to the Daedalus? I already talked to Teyla. She'll join us up there."

"Hell yes." John replies throwing his bottle off the edge of the balcony. "I didn't know they had finished fixing it."

"Well, they did. Sorry for not keeping you in the loop on that one. I'll explain my plan once we get up there." He says, stepping toward them. He points toward the spot where Sheppard had just thrown his beer bottle from. "Good job polluting the planet by the way. That's not biodegradable, you know?"

"Well, sorry, it's just one bottle and we're in a hurry." John replies turning on his radio. "Daedalus, this is Sheppard, we're ready to beam."

"Got it. Beaming you up now." Came the response from Colonel Steven Caldwell. The three disappeared in a flash of light and appeared on the bridge. Teyla was present already, and gave Sheppard a nod.

"Good to see you all." Caldwell greeted them.

"Well, it's good to see you too." Sheppard replies. "I was starting to think the ship might be toast after that battle. Thought we might have to swing by to pick you up."

"Well, we're just fine, and now I gotta know what the plan is. McKay said something about getting new ZPMs for Atlantis?"

"We better not have to fly all the way to Pegasus and back McKay." Ronon warned.

"Well, sorry, but that's gonna be necessary."

"If I may ask, how did you manage to locate more new ZPMs in Pegasus from here Rodney?" Teyla inquires.

"I'm guessing it has something to do with why you requested Todd be brought on board." Caldwell says. "Not to mention all that equipment from your lab…"

"It does." Rodney says, not looking up as he continued to work on his tablet. "Woolsey did give you the green light on that by the way, right? I talked to him. Took a lot of convincing to get him on board with this whole thing, let me tell ya…"

"Yea, I already beamed him up from Area 51. The IOA was apparently not very happy about it. Zalenka too. He wasn't happy with being beamed up without warning."

"When are either of them happy about anything? That's why I didn't bother taking the time to explain in more detail to either of them. Luckily, they're pretty happy to accept any plan that gets Atlantis power again if I say we're in a hurry."

"Is Todd providing us with more ZPMs?" Teyla wonders. "If so, I question what you believe he will get out of it. If there is not significant benefit for him then we are taking a great risk by trusting any intelligence he might provide."

"What she means to say is… it's probably a trap."

"Well, he can get his freedom out of it, for one. But I didn't get this Intel from him anyways so we've got nothing to worry about. We just need his help." Rodney says. "But, uh, maybe we should continue this conversation in the briefing room."

"This should be good. Marks, take us out and get us on the way to Pegasus. Care to give him some more specific coordinates Doctor?" Caldwell wonders.

"Oh, yea, of course. Why don't you guys go ahead? I'll be right behind you." Rodney says going up to Major Marks and typing a bit on his computers, to Marks's obvious annoyance. "Okay, so we're going here… Got it?"

"Yea, I got it…"


Sometime later in the briefing room of the Daedalus…


"Okay Rodney, enough stalling. What's your brilliant plan?" Sheppard asks.

"Well, just like everyone else, you aren't going to like it." McKay says as he finished plugging his tablet into the board. "Radek, do you wanna take this one?"

"Do I wanna take this one?" Zalenka responds questioningly.

"Yea, you're right, what was I thinking?"

"I didn't say I wouldn't."

"Well, too late now. Blew your chance. Now I'm going to do it."

Zalenka curses annoyed in Czech as a response.

"Seriously, Rodney, what is the plan?" Sheppard inquires again.

"Okay, so you know how we've had so much trouble getting ZPMs over the years?" McKay asks.

"Yes, we are aware Rodney." Teyla answers calmly.

"Sorry, stupid question." Rodney admits as he changes tact. "Better question, remember Janus? Or, more specifically, his time machine?"

"Yea, we remember."

"Well, a long time ago, I read that mission file and I've been studying that machine in my off-time ever since."

"We have." Zalenka corrects him.

"Yea, yea… Anyways, while Zalenka still doesn't completely understand the device, working together we've managed to design a version for a bigger ship. Namely, the Daedalus."

"You want to go back in time to get more ZPMs?" Caldwell asks, clearly skeptical. "From who? The Ancients?"

"Well, no. No and yes." Rodney replies.

"Either way, time travel is generally a bad idea. Plus, this is sounding strangely familiar."

"While I admit that our work on the adaptation of the time drive to the Daedalus was inspired by the other Doctor McKay's work, this is not the same thing as that Parallel Reality Drive on the alternate Daedalus." Rodney explains. "We're moving through time, not other universes. Much safer."

"As far as I'm concerned, his other point still stands." Teyla states. "Do we not stand at risk of altering past events if we go back to contact the Ancestors? Is there even a guarantee they would provide us with what we need?"

"Well, no, that's why we're not going to talk with them." McKay says. "We also don't want to alter past events like you said. So, we won't be doing that either."

"Then what's your plan? Steal some?" Sheppard asks. "Cause that's also a bad plan."

"That's why we're not going to steal them either. Instead, we're going to go and find some that the Ancients were forced to leave behind during the war with the Wraith. That's why we need Todd." Rodney answers.

"Isn't that still stealing?"

"No. The Ancients left them behind to make sure their self-destruct went off."

"That doesn't explain why we need the wraith." Ronon comments.

"He was at the place I want to go ten-thousand years ago. I got the IOA to promise him his freedom if he can help me with this mission. More specifically, tell me when the Ancients leave, and what time the Wraith get there. That way, we can go in-between those two times." Rodney replies. "That way we just gotta walk in, take the ZPMs, and walk out. Also, because the Ancients destroyed this place, we can't alter any events by taking two of the ZPMs that are there and leaving the last one to the Ancients original plan of catastrophic overload. Simple."

"Sounds like it." Caldwell admits.

"Well, forgive me if I'm skeptical. These things never go as planned."

"But, they always end well, don't they?" Rodney asks. "Either way, we can't really pass this up. We need ZPMs for Atlantis. What happens if the ZPM runs out of the power necessary to maintain the cloak? What happens if the Wraith find another way to attack Earth?"

"Even if we do get these ZPMs, what's the chance your government lets us take the city back to Pegasus?" Teyla wonders. "As you said, the Wraith might attack Earth again, and it seems that the Wraith took out your planet's greatest defense during the attack. I highly doubt they will allow the expedition to return under these conditions."

"Yea, the things I've heard on that front… the chances aren't good." Caldwell comments.

"Pretty sure they're thinking of putting it on the moon." McKay replies.

"I'm sure they'll think about it." John says. "Either way, we could definitely really use those ZPMs. It's not like they'd give up on the Pegasus galaxy completely even if they did keep the city."

"Weren't you against this plan?" Ronon wonders.

"I still am. Time travel is a bad idea. I'm just saying I can see why they let it happen and it sounds like it's worth the risk. The Wraith do still know where Earth is, after all…" Sheppard says. "Plus, if you help with this, I'm sure they'll be even more willing to help kick the Wraith's asses."

"If you say so. Sounds like I might get to kill some Wraith, so I'm in anyways. Especially if it gets us back to Pegasus."

"I agree." Teyla says. "I will help, but I think Ronon and I agree that we will stay in Pegasus until your people have decided on Atlantis's fate. We have already been absent far too long."

"Well, these circumstances aren't the best, but I guess there's no real choice…" Sheppard says. "There is one thing I'm curious about. Why do we need the Daedalus for this? Why don't we just take the jumper?"

"What if we lose it? That's happened before." Rodney says. "We can't let the Wraith get their hands on that technology. We have no idea what they would do with it. Also, because the Wraith of ten thousand years ago haven't ever faced beaming technology, they don't have any countermeasures in place. If we get captured again, we can have the Daedalus beam us out."

"Okay, sounds like a plan then."

"Good! Then Radek and I will get to work on building the Time Travel Drive." Rodney says.

"You haven't built it yet?"

"We needed the ship to do that. We should be done by the time we get there. Sam also figured out how to convert the Asgard Shields to a cloak, so I'll be installing that little upgrade too."

"We, Rodney."

"Yes Radek… Geez, you can be really childish sometimes, you know that?"

"You have a go Doctor McKay." Colonel Caldwell says, standing up.

"Great! Let's go Zalenka."

"I am not a dog Rodney."

"I know, I know. You're just a lot like one."

The two scientists leave, continuing their usual bickering. As he leaves, Caldwell makes sure to add…

"The rest of you better settle in for the long haul."

"Ugh…" Ronon groans in annoyance.

"Guess we better head to the shooting range, eh Chewie?" Sheppard says patting him on the shoulder. "You're getting a little too antsy for my taste."

"Fine."

"I… will go locate my quarters and meditate." Teyla says.


Three weeks later…


"Did you run those calculations Radek?" Rodney asks as the duo sit in the engineering room of the Daedalus, which is flying in high orbit above a desolate planet below, dodging enormous asteroids as it goes. A large panel covers the new compartment where the Time Travel Drive is installed. McKay makes sure it is firmly in place before picking up his tablet. He is already in full combat gear and prepared to head out with the away team on the mission down to the planet, but feels he must make sure everything is working properly before leaving. "Yes, I sent them to your tablet."

Rodney examines them briefly.

"Good. Looks like we're ready to go." He got on the radio. "Bridge, this is Doctor McKay. We're ready. Just bring Todd in here so we can plot our course on the Time Travel Drive."

"You know, I'm really uncomfortable calling it a 'drive'." John responds.

"Well, then we can just call it a machine. Does that make you more comfortable? Seriously, don't worry about it. We've got this."

"Is this the new positive Rodney McKay?" Sheppard wonders. "Where's the doom and gloom?"

"It's my work John. It should never end in the worst case scenario when I have time to perfect it." Rodney answered. He adds a slightly whispered word that gets a small chuckle from Sheppard. "Mostly…"

"Todd is being sent down to engineering Doctor McKay." Caldwell says. "Make sure to tell me to activate the cloak before you turn that thing on. I don't want to appear in the middle of a Wraith fleet without a cloak."

"That reminds me! Make it very clear to Todd that if he betrays us again, I'll kill him." John says.

"I'm sure he knows but I'll tell him anyways. McKay out." McKay says. "Radek start the preliminary tests, would you?"

"Already on it."

"Oh, and make sure to test the-."

"Already done. It's fine."

"Got it."

The doors to engineering slid open, and Todd entered.

"You requested my assistance?" He asks.

"Don't mess with me. You already know why you're here, tell me when we're going." Rodney replies. "And Sheppard said he'd kill you if you betrayed us again. You can take those cuffs off by the way."

"I expected nothing less." Todd answers as his bonds are released and he is allowed entrance to engineering, with two guns from the soldiers pointing squarely at his back.

"Now, remember, we need to aim for the time period before your friends show up, but after the Ancients leave. Then we can come back and we'll let you go."

"I am aware. You should allow me to look over the designs for your device to make sure it works properly. I do not want us to get stuck somewhere we aren't supposed to be."

"It works. Don't worry about that, just give me what I need."

"Very well." Todd says, turning to the computers and entering the target time. "I am still coming with you, yes?"

"Yea, Sheppard would rather have you where he can see you."

"Understandable."

Todd finishes entering the data, and Rodney checks it before accepting the target with a nod.

"Hey, McKay, aren't we going to need space suits or something down there?" John asks as he looks out of the window on the bridge. "I don't see any trees."

"If we were going down there now maybe." McKay responds. "But we're going down there ten thousand years ago when there was a massive ocean and a mainland with plenty of vegetation."

"Where did it go?" Sheppard wonders.

"Remember the whole sun thing from the future? It's happening in this solar system too. The Ancients really know how to pick em." Rodney says. "Anyways, we're ready to go, you should engage the cloak now Colonel."

"That's not up to me Rodney."

"I wasn't talking to you. I was talking to Caldwell."

"The cloak's been engaged Doctor McKay." Caldwell assures him. "You may begin when ready."

"Beginning."

Rodney puts his tablet down and types a command into his computer before hitting the enter key. The buzzing noise previously sitting in the background of the room's soundscape suddenly grows to a din, and a beeping noise begins to pulse on and off. If one were to see the outside of the ship, it seemed that the Daedalus had just dived into a perfectly clear ocean and was spreading the water. Everything around them shifted. The planet was suddenly filled with water and the sunlight was a lot less intense.

"It looks like it worked. Scan for lifesigns Bishop." Caldwell ordered.

"I've got nothing on sensors, sir." He responded.

"Ships?"

"Nothing. Except for something on the planet's surface. It's got similar readings to Atlantis…"

"Sounds like what we're looking for." Caldwell said. "You should get moving Sheppard. We don't know how long we're going to be alone here."

John leaves the bridge at a run.

"Rodney, get down to the 302 bay now."

"Already on my way." The doctor responds.

"Todd's with you?"

"Yea."

"Ask him how much time we have before the Wraith show up."

Rodney asks. He then tells Sheppard.

"Todd says he can't know exactly when, but he thinks we have about twenty minutes."

"Hopefully that's enough time to get the ZPMs and then return to the jumper."

"I'm guessing that's not enough time to get back to the Daedalus." Caldwell says joining the conversation. "I'm going to hide the ship beyond sensor range so you can come out there to meet us."

"Sounds good." John says as he enters the 302 bay and boards a jumper they brought along with them. Ronon and Teyla are already on board as he takes the controls. Rodney and Todd arrive soon after, though Ronon makes sure he trains his gun on the Wraith the second he comes into view. "See you when we get back. Make sure to keep the lights on for us."

"Wouldn't think of turning them off. Good luck."

"Appreciate it. We're taking off now."

At John's command, the small ship leaves the floor of the Daedalus 302 bay and shoots out into space where it immediately cloaks. He then turns it towards the planet, directing it toward the Ancient outpost. The screens pop up a 3D-model of where they're going.

"Isn't that…?" John wonders.

"It does look incredibly similar to the city of the ancestors." Teyla comments.

"It's not Atlantis." Rodney says without looking up from his tablet. "We're near the turning point of the war against the Wraith. The Ancients are just starting to lose, so they want to build another city-ship to fight them with."

"They are unsuccessful." Todd comments. "Our scouts found the location of this base from data we lifted from one of their ships. Once we found out, we had to stop them. Once we arrived and detected no lifesigns however, we decided to investigate. It was a trap. Soon after we arrived, the timed self-destruct went off and destroyed nearly a dozen of our ships."

"Looks like you survived." John comments.

"Yes, I was in command of most of the hive ships that were destroyed. As such, I was in the rear and was unaffected by the explosion."

"How big an explosion is this exactly?" Ronon wonders.

"Really big." McKay answers. "These are ZPMs that the ancients decided to overload, remember? I still don't quite understand how they did it, but if you did figure it out, you could make a bomb capable of decimating the surface of a whole planet and anything in orbit. Where do you think all of those asteroids that were in the present came from?"

"That is what happened." Todd confirms.

"The planet does look a bit bigger now. Can't really tell." John replies.

"You wouldn't be able to with the naked eye as far as I know…" McKay responds.

"Anyways, we're getting close. I'll put us down in their jumper bay and we can run down to the power room. I'd prefer to get out of range of that self-destruct as quickly as possible."

"Run away from the big explosion. No one's ever thought of that…" Rodney trails off as he stands up. The jumper comes in over the central spire and descends into the jumper bay where the rear door opens up.

"Okay everybody, let's make this quick." John says.

"You stay ahead of us." Ronon orders Todd.

"Very well, though I do not know exactly where I am going."

"Just follow me." McKay says pulling out his lifesigns detector as he descends the ramp. Todd comes next, followed by the rest of the team. As they move throughout the incomplete city, the fact that it is not yet finished becomes more and more clear to them. Many walls are still open to the outside and almost all of the windows are yet to be installed, making the myriad corridors very drafty. The city also houses little in the way of décor or personality. Regardless, it doesn't take the team long to reach the power room. McKay makes quick work of ejecting two of the ZPMs.

"What's the countdown on that self-destruct Rodney?" John asks. "And why isn't there an alarm?"

"Looks like most of the city hasn't had the intercoms installed yet." Rodney answers as he heads to a computer. "It also looks like the self-destruct still has a bit over twenty minutes left. We should be fine."

"Hm…" Todd says.

"What?" Ronon asks aggressively.

"We did not hit my target time precisely."

"What do you mean?" Rodney asks as he stuffs the ZPMs into his bag.

"The self-destruct should still have thirty minutes according to my calculations." Todd says.

"Wait, so you mean…?" John asks.

"Sheppard! Two dozen Wraith Hive Ships just dropped out of hyperspace in orbit!" Colonel Caldwell says.

"Oh crap. Rodney, we gotta move!"

"I'm done!"

"Everybody back to the jumper!"

Before they can start running, Ronon shoves his gun into Todd's chest and pushes him against the wall before yelling an accusation.

"You did this on purpose, didn't you!?"

"No, of course not. I have no desire to change the past."

"Oh really? Why not?" John wonders. "I bet circumstances would really improve for you if your hive ships weren't destroyed. If they captured us, they would avoid the self-destruct, right?"

"I may not be completely satisfied with current events, but I guarantee you that not losing a few Hive Ships would do very little to change my standing with the Wraith when we exited hibernation. Besides, why would I want to change his life? My life is the only one that matters to me."

"I don't believe you."

"We do not have time for this." Teyla urges.

"She's right Ronon. Bring Todd with us, we can hash this out later." John says urgently. "Daedalus, we've gotta get our hands on a new jumper."

"What's going on down there?" Caldwell asks.

"Problems." Is Sheppard's only response. Rodney has more.

"Look, whatever you do, do not let the Wraith see that ship and don't use the Asgard beam more than once."

"Why not?" Caldwell wonders.

"What do you think would happen if the Wraith had countermeasures for the Asgard beams before we even met them? What would happen if they recognized us the first time they saw us? I personally don't want to find out."

"Fine. We'll play it your way."

"This is Sheppard's team out." John interrupted to get back to the matter at hand.

"I'll take the lead this time." Todd says with an off-putting grin as the group takes off. Suddenly, the city rocks with the impact of weapons fire. "They have detected our lifesigns! Their first target will be the central spire where your ship is!"

"Then hurry up!"

"It's too late! Stop!" Rodney calls out. The group halts.

"What do you mean?" Sheppard asks.

"There are no shields on right now! The jumper bay has almost definitely already been destroyed!"

"Then what do we do?"

"Gimme a second…!"

"Rodney! We don't have a second!" Another salvo of weapons fire rocked the city as the group struggled to keep their footing.

"Are there not additional jumpers elsewhere in the city? The underwater bay, maybe?" Teyla inquires desperately. Rodney begins snapping as he looks up with a grin.

"Yes! You're right! The underwater bay should have some extra jumpers, but there's no way we can make it…" Rodney says.

"How so?"

"The entire area is flooded. There are no windows yet, the entire thing is still under construction. We'd drown long before we reached it. We're doomed."

"Focus!" John urges grabbing McKay by the shoulders. "Does this thing have shields and weapons? We've gotta at least fight back. Though, I'd prefer to live."

"Yea, that would've been the Ancients first priority." He replies. "Wait… the Star Drive…!"

"You want me to fly the city?" John wonders.

"Yea! If you can get us of the surface, all of the water will run out of the jumper bay and we should be able to get down there." Rodney replies. "I doubt the city is spaceworthy yet though. Especially because of the damage from the Wraith ships…"

"It doesn't need to be spaceworthy as long as it can get off of the ground, right?"

"Right. I just need to plug back in the ZPMs long enough for you to complete the initial launch. Once we're in the air, we can pull the ZPMs again, run down to the jumper bay, and then we swing back around somewhere outside to pick you up."

"Good. We have a plan. I'll get to the chair room, you guys get moving. Except for you Todd, you're coming with me."

Todd gives a slight nod in acknowledgement.

"Very well." Teyla says as John flips around and starts running, quickly followed by Todd. "Let's hurry."

Teyla and Ronon also take off.

"Hurry up McKay!" Ronon calls back.

"I'm hurrying!" He calls back as he takes off at a run. He makes sure to complain under his breath as he does so. "Always with the running…"

The trip to the power room is constantly disturbed by the Wraith ship weapons fire from orbit hitting the city. Through the unfinished windows exposed to the open outside air, the team can see spires being hit by blue bolts of light. Explosions rip through these towers as several sections collapse under the intense bombardment. Luckily, they make it in decent time, and it doesn't take long for McKay to plug-in and reinitialize the two ZPMs.

"John! You're good to go!" Rodney yells into his radio. The response is almost instantaneous as the city begins shaking with the activation of the engines.

"I'm activating the shield!" John calls back from his place in the chair room. "Get to the jumper quick, we're not going to be able to hold it for long!"

Suddenly, Todd hides behind the side of the door to the chair room.

"Give me your weapon!" He urges. "They're here."

"What?" John wonders.

"Some of those explosions before were darts. We've been boarded. Now, give me your weapon!"

Reluctantly, John throws Todd his sidearm, which the Wraith immediately takes before opening fire onto the hallway outside where a small group of Wraith soldiers wait. They immediately return fire as the one at the forefront is taken down by Todd's gunfire. The sidearm quickly runs out of bullets.

"I will be back. I must retrieve a superior weapon…"

"They'll recognize you!"

"I will not allow them time to report that information."

"Damn it!" John curses as the city starts to lift off from the water. He can only hear the sounds of fighting through the open doorway as Todd slides into grabbing a Wraith stunner from the ground and shooting at the other Wraith. "Rodney, the city is high enough now! Get those ZPMs and run back to the jumper bay!"

"Working on it! So don't you dare say 'work faster'!" Rodney replies

"I wasn't going to."

"Sure you weren't."

"It doesn't matter, just get moving!"

"We're heading to the jumper bay now!"

"Good, I'm putting the city on autopilot. Pick us up towards the middle of the central spire! And I hate to repeat myself, but hurry up because our power isn't going to last long."

"I'm aware of that!"

"We are moving as quickly as we can John." Teyla chips in.

"Well, we'll meet you there." John says running to grab his pistol and holster it. He then emerges from the door with his P90 blazing, mowing down the remaining Wraith. "We gotta move. We don't want to miss our ride. We're going to meet them around the middle of the central spire."

"Yes, but first things first." Todd replies. He grabs a rifle-length Wraith stunner and executes any remaining alive. "Now we can do that."

"It really looks like you care about your people." Sheppard says sarcastically.

"They died a very long time ago." The Wraith counters. "I'll lead the way."

"So, I guess this means you don't really want to change the past?"

"The way I understand it, changing the past would mean that I would lose my place in the future. It wouldn't be me that benefits, but the version of me that is here. That is not a desirable outcome."

"I guess I can count on you to be selfish."

Todd chuckles as the head into a tunnel. It doesn't take them long to reach their destination and head out onto a balcony. John quickly feeds their exact location to Rodney and the others, who had reached the underwater bay and retrieved a jumper.

"We will be there soon John." Teyla assures him.

"How do you intend to board the vessel?" Todd asks. "If they approach too close, they will be hit."

"I'll jump."

"You cannot make a jump of the necessary distance. Only I can."

"You're still strong enough?"

"Luckily, I fed very recently when your people captured me. I will be fine."

"Good to know…"

"That still does not solve your problem."

"And I suppose you've got a solution?"

Todd chuckles again.

"Yes, John Sheppard, I do. I can throw you."

"Fat chance of that happening." John replies. The jumper pulls up as he talks and the rear hatch descends. It is quite a long distance between the railing of the balcony and the small vessel. "Can't you get any closer!?"

"No! We'll slam right into the city!" McKay calls back.

"I can leave you behind if you wish." Todd tells him.

"Ah, screw it, just do it…"

Todd does not hesitate and grabs Sheppard by the belt, tossing him over toward the ship. Ronon and Teyla catch his extended hands and pull him up.

"Can we just leave him?" Ronon asks as they pull him up.

"No, as much as I would like." John says as he heads for the front to take the pilots seat.

"I've got it." Rodney assures him, but John makes him move anyways. Todd does not take long to board and the group shoots upwards with cloak activated. The city is high enough that space is not a long distance away. But, they barely get any distance before the shield on the city fails, and the Wraith bombardment continues. John immediately starts swerving to avoid the weapons fire.

"What happens if the city is destroyed? Will the self-destruct still activate?" Teyla wonders.

"Yea, don't worry about it. The catastrophic overload has been programmed directly into the ZPM. Even if the city is destroyed, that thing will still go off. Don't worry about changing history or anything."

"Isn't it already too late for that?" Ronon wonders.

"Uh… I don't think so."

"That's reassuring."

"Well, as long as the Todd in this time doesn't have any reason to change his future actions, we'll be okay."

"Are you sure they can't see us?" John complains from the front. "I'm having trouble evading all of this."

"Just get out of reach of the city!"

"I'm trying Rodney! I keep getting cut-"

He is interrupted as the jumper violently shakes thanks to an impact from a Wraith weapon. They are in space at that point, but the shot had struck them almost directly, taking out their right drive pod and disabling the cloak. The shaking sends everyone inside flying around the compartment. John's head smacks into the console, Rodney flys into a wall, Teyla bounces off of the ceiling, and Ronon impacts the rear hatch. Todd is the only one that manages to hold on while all of the others except Ronon fall unconscious. The gruff man attempts to move, but is unable to stand.

"Well, it seems we are in quite the predicament…"

The radio turns on.

"Sheppard! This is Caldwell! We're reading that your cloak is gone! Should we beam you? Respond!"

"Hm…" Todd says.

"Hey, whatever you're thinking, if you do it… I'll kill you." Ronon says, trying to move unsuccessfully. The Wraith moves to the front compartment and retrieves Sheppard's radio. "Tell them to beam us back!"

"No, I don't think I will." Todd replies.

"I knew you were betraying us!"

"In fact, I wasn't before. But… this situation presents an interesting opportunity for me, you see. I would be foolish to pass it up."

"If you don't respond we will beam you now!" Caldwell says over the radio.

"Now, you will tell him to not beam us." Todd says bending down in front of Ronon.

"I'll kill you before that happens!" Ronon threatens.

"No, I don't think so. You will tell him that Doctor McKay is repairing the jumper and said that because of something you don't understand, beaming us from anywhere in this solar system would kill us all. If you do, I'll make sure you all come out of this situation alive. If you don't, I will kill all your friends. You know that isn't an empty threat."

Ronon remains silent for a moment as Todd depresses the activation button and puts the radio Ronon's lips. The Wraith extends his hand a bit towards Teyla as he waits.

"This is Ronon. Don't beam us… McKay said that doing that in this solar system would kill us. I don't understand why. He's… fixing the jumper. Ronon out."

Todd chuckles as he deactivates the radio before a response.

"Good. Good." He says as he stands up, and before Ronon can issue any further death threats, Todd shoots him with the Wraith stunner. Todd sits in the forward compartment to wait patiently as one of the Wraith hive ships approaches to retrieve the damaged jumper…


STARGATE ATLANTIS: JOURNEYS FOR PEGASUS

A Fan-Written Conclusion to Stargate: Atlantis

Stargate initially conceived by…

Roland Emmerich

Dean Devlin

Television Show originally created by…

Brad Wright

Robert C. Cooper

Writing ideas gleaned from…

Joseph Mallozzi

Written by…

Niko DelValle


All copyrights belong to their respective owners.


NEXT TIME ON STARGATE ATLANTIS

Atlantis Recon 1 has been captured by the Wraith of ten-thousand years in the past. Due to a betrayal by Todd, they have no hope of being rescued by the nearby Daedalus. Therefore, it is all up to them to break themselves out, and bring to a stop whatever devious plan Todd has in store… not to mention return to their own time without dire consequences.