Thanks for the review, I had though of time travel, though a good idea, not where I was heading. This is more twisted and dastardly.
Stargate Atlantis: The Day After
Chapter 2 - World of Ruin
After five exhaustive hours of looking at the sensors, and communications. Rodney delivered his report. "The communications, and sensors are working." Rodney said.
"But how could that be possible?" Caldwell asked.
"You think maybe there was an pandemic." Keller suggested.
Everyone turned to look at Jennifer. Hoping that Earth didn't suffer a global pandemic wiping out more than six billion people.
Marks came in on the comms.
"Colonel Caldwell, I've got some odd chatter on an AM frequency." Marks announced.
"Let's hear it, pipe it through." Caldwell requested, his attention wearing thin.
After a second a voice could be heard.
"My name is Robert Neville. I am a survivor living in New York City. I am broadcasting on all AM frequencies. I will be at the South street seaport every day at Midday, when the sun is highest in the sky. If you are out there -- If anyone is out there . . . I can provide food, I can provide shelter, I can provide security. If there's anybody out there -- anybody, please . . . you are not alone."
The broadcast ended and the speculation resumed.
"Who is this 'Robert Neville'?" Rodney McKay asked.
"I've heard of him, he's a virologist, or at least he was. He hasn't been heard from in a couple of years." Dr. Keller replied.
Colonel Sheppard was the voice of reason.
"There's no use wondering 'what happened?'. We need to go down there." Sheppard reasoned.
"What do you propose? We have no idea what went on down there over the last couple weeks, Earth may have been compromised by an alien organism or someone could have attacked." Caldwell surmised.
"All the more reason, I can take the puddle jumper we have in the port 302 bay down in stealth mode, and I'll go in HAZ-MAT." Colonel Sheppard compromised.
Caldwell gave in. "Gear up, and be ready to go in one hour. I'll have some teams assemble to go check out Stargate Command. But be advised, if something happens, we can't pluck you out of trouble, the transporters are being overhauled."
"Hopefully we won't need them." Sheppard commented, then nodded and escorted Rodney out.
Ronon was waiting outside to door. "What'd he say?" Ronon asked.
"We're going down to Earth, be ready to go in one hour." Colonel Sheppard replied. "Gear up we leave in one hour."
Daedalus 302 Bay - One Hour Later
"Okay kids, keep you hands and feet inside the jumper at all times, until it has come to a complete stop." Sheppard said as he boarded the flying cigar-tube.
As the jumper left the bay, Colonel Caldwell gave some final orders.
"Stay in stealth mode, and do not engage anyone. You're there for reconnaissance." Caldwell reminded.
"Understood, sir." Sheppard confirmed.
The jumper entered Earth's atmosphere, and soon the New York City Skyline could be seen behind a fading sunlight.
"There it is, the City that never sleeps." Colonel Sheppard remarked.
Ronon gave a look of confusion, Teyla noticed.
"It means that most of the people are always awake." McKay explained.
"You don't know that." Sheppard retorted.
"Yeah, well, it sound like it needs a freakin' nap." Ronon said unimpressed.
Jennifer chuckled.
"You think that's bad, it's also called the 'Big Apple'." Sheppard added. "Over six million live there . . . or at least they used to live there."
Ronon chuckled at the nickname.
The jumper streaked into the expanse between skyscrapers.
"What the . . .?" Sheppard started.
"Is that what I think it is?" Jennifer asked.
Draped over a skyscraper was a giant covering with a symbol on it. Due to the decreased light they didn't notice what it was until the lights from the jumper hit it.
"Bio-hazard? When did this happen?" Sheppard asked.
Sheppard activated the link on his headset.
"Daedalus, this is Sheppard. We have a Bio-hazard here in Manhattan." Sheppard warned. "The place looks cleaned out, there's no way it was an epidemic." Sheppard advised.
"What about an attack from orbit?" Caldwell suggested.
"It doesn't look like it was an orbital attack either." Sheppard reported.
Sheppard brought up the HUD to check for life signs in the vicinity. There were about a dozen.
"Colonel Caldwell, we have some life signs not to far away, we're going to check it out." Sheppard advised, and brought the jumper in for a landing.
The door opened with a whine, and a thud.
Colonel Sheppard lead the way with his P-90, then Ronon, Teyla, Rodney and Jennifer.
They walked for three blocks before Sheppard pointed towards a building with a gaping hole in it. By now the fading sun had completely disappeared behind a nearby skyscraper.
"How could this have happened in the last few weeks?" Sheppard wondered aloud, but brushed it off with his military training, and filed everyone inside where the dozen life signs were detected.
The hallways were dark, muggy, and smelled of mold. Off in the distance there was a trickle echoing.
Sheppard looked at Teyla, who then stepped forward in an attempt to make contact.
"Hello?" Teyla called.
A low growl soon accompanied the trickle, then stopped.
Ronon didn't like it, he drew his gun and set it to kill.
"Do not be afraid, we are here to help." Teyla called, then it grew silent, the sound of the trickle seemed to grow louder, and amplify the silence.
Then it happened: a humanoid shape lunged from the darkness, shrieking.
It's eyes were bloodshot, it had no hair on it's head, and only wore severely tattered pants.
Ronon shot it down, and then the one screaming creature, who now lay dead on the ground, turned into a dozen screaming monsters emerging from the darkened corners of the building.
"Oh, crap." Rodney mourned.
"BACK TO THE JUMPER!" Shepard shouted as bullets began to fly.
Rodney and Jennifer lead the way, Sheppard, Teyla and Ronon provided withdrawing cover fire.
Once back onto the street, Sheppard and his team made a mad dash for the jumper.
"What was that?" Rodney asked.
"I don't know, but we're not waiting around to find out." Sheppard said.
"Maybe Caldwell wasn't too far off the mark, it was an alien attack." Ronon guessed.
"It does not matter. Run!" Teyla urged, then paused to spin around and fire on the encroaching mob. Several fell dead, but it seemed more had joined the ranks of the unknown creatures.
Soon the jumper could be seen, safety was not too far away. But then something fell on the jumper, a large object, and the impact caused an explosion that destabilized one of the surrounding buildings, causing a significant amount of debris to fall on it, further damaging it.
"You have got to be kidding." Rodney shrieked.
"We'll have to stand our ground." Sheppard said, but by now the numbers were closer to two or three dozen.
As the strange creatures got closer Sheppard prepared for his last stand.
don't ask me why there's suddenly a jumper in the Daedalus 302 bay, I'm working up to something.