Chapter 2: Screwed

Screwed! Screwed screwed screwed. Oh we are so very, very screwed!

Rodney had an impossible number of tasks to accomplish and the only thing that he could focus on as he was running through the halls of Atlantis, was how phenomenally, royally, unbelievably screwed they were! Except that it wasn't unbelievable at all. It should be. It really, really should be because things like this should not happen! And yet here he was again, thrust into the jaws of scientific insanity with the lives of everyone just dangling from his fingertips. Which was a phenomenally disturbing image when he focused on it.

He rapidly approached a corner in the hall and reached out to grip the walls edge to help propel him around it. He couldn't believe this was happening! He had checked the systems. Zelenka had checked the systems. Hell, half the scientific division and a good portion of the military contingent had checked these systems and nothing had ever alluded to this….this…just This! And he had no time, they were literally out of time! Without enough time (which, oh look, they had none of) he could only attempt a basic patch and he sincerely doubted his ability to pull it off. There was, almost literally, nothing he could do to stop this!

He had two more halls to get through and then he'd be there. It wouldn't be soon enough; at this point he would have preferred to be at the ZPM yesterday, and he seriously needed to find a personalized transporter. The ancients must have built one at some point! It would have been just the self-indulgent, egotistical, brilliant piece of technology that they would have developed in their spare time for shits and giggles. Except of course, they would have derived their satisfaction by hiding it from him! He'd never find it. And it would have been so useful!

He was fast approaching his last turn, already huffing, when a soldier who was quite possibly the largest man McKay had ever seen, stepped around the corner. The behemoth froze on the spot, stared a moment as Rodney sprinted towards him and then looked back down the corridor McKay was heading for.

"Make a hole! Now!" He hollered, his deep voice leaving absolutely no room for argument. If Rodney hadn't been so hell bent on not panicking and trying to save them all he would have probably thrown himself against the wall in compliance. As it was, when he rounded the corner he saw several people mashed up against the walls, some carrying things, others staring wide eyed as he approached. They were blurry as he sprinted past and then he finally stepped into the room that housed the ZPM.

He wheezed, about to cough out a lung, and as he staggered to the control console he mentally cursed Zelenka for choosing now, of all times, to be off playing footsie on the mainland. He should be the one sprinting around the city and securing the ZPM while Rodney focused on keeping them all alive back in the gate room.

He glared around the room quickly, assessing that he was alone. He couldn't disconnect the ZPM. It wouldn't do any good seeing as the power feeding the sub-light engines was coming from a source that was decidedly not his ZPM and, in a few minutes, he was going to need its energy.

"It could never be as simple as pulling the plug," he growled to himself as he went to task. "Couldn't just pluck out the battery, oh no. That would be waaay too easy. That just wouldn't happen. Not for me. No, it's always got to be about the excitement," he tapped fiercely at the controls, "and last second brushes with death! Far be it for me to cheat the ascended higher beings of their entertainment with something as mundane as an easy fix!" Ha! Okay. He stood back and assessed his work. There was no room for mistakes here, because the last thing they needed was for the unexplained power surge to somehow feed back into the ZPM and cause foreseen (at least for him) havoc. He also couldn't risk it being drained or damaged unnecessarily. But it was looking good. He just had a few more adjustments…Ha! He was brilliant.

He needed to get back to the control room.

He hated running.

He looked at his watch, swallowing thickly at the seconds ticking by. He'd given them fifteen minutes to get ready and he'd made sure that after the fifteen minutes they had a good four and a half to get themselves somewhere secure. He'd have to tell them what to expect soon, but he needed to get back to the control room first. That didn't stop him from activating his city wide comm. as he ran, retracing the steps he'd made only moments before.

"Attention. You have ten minutes to complete the Lock Down! I'll update as necessary. This is still not a drill!" He couldn't really hear himself speaking as he ran but he spared a moment to hope that he had been understood. His heavy, panicked breathing might have interfered with clear communications.

There was nobody in the hallway this time as he sprinted by, which meant nobody saw him partially crash into a wall when he didn't round the corner tight enough. It was the first mercy he'd received since this disaster began.

When he entered the gateroom he barely avoided colliding into Elizabeth as she was rushing out. She briefly looked up from the electronic pad she clutched and paused the conversation she was having on her radio.

"I'll be helping in the infirmary," she called over her shoulder as she passed him and then immediately went back to giving orders on her headset. She was gone before Rodney could even think of forming a response. It was probably for the best, since he barely noticed her as he moved up the stairs. Chuck was still sliding around in his chair between his two stations, his fingers quickly hammering over the controls as he worked and his face frozen in one of the most focused looks Rodney had seen on him yet.

Rodney felt chilled, a shiver running up his spine and his shoulders bunched painfully as he moved to a new station. He began pulling up the city schematics. He focused briefly on which engines were powering up, where they were located and then looked to the shape of the city, its weight distribution, its-

"Sheppard to Atlantis," the drawl that filtered through his headset briefly derailed his train of thought. Rodney noticed Chuck tense and look over at him and he waved the man off even as he responded to the Colonel.

"Yes yes, what is it?" He snapped, frowning at the readings. He needed to power up the inactive engines before they went off by themselves, and then maybe he could control the damage a little more. Oh, who was he kidding? They were so screwed.

"Oh, nothing much. Zelenka and I were just discussing your little situation over there and were wondering how its going. You've got a plan I hope?" Sheppard was using his 'I'm completely calm and not worried at all' tone, which Rodney had always believed came across as forced and not at all convincing. Apparently it didn't even work through the radio as he immediately picked up on the tension in the man's words. Or maybe Rodney was just better at ignoring the man's facade than most.

"Plan?" Rodney stabbed at the console, bringing up the engines power readings, and tried not to laugh hysterically.

"Yes, your plan. Elizabeth said that the sub-light engines were going to activate. If those engines are powering up that quickly then they're probably going to overload before they activate, so I can only assume that you will be launching Atlantis across the surface instead of letting the city blow up. What is your plan?" Rodney could picture the man asking this through clenched teeth as he tried to hide his frustration. At least he understood the true scope of the situation: blow up or go on the worst boogie board ride imaginable. The man wasn't as dumb as his hair made him look. To bad that at this point Rodney wasn't actually sure if he was setting his people up to be saved, or to suffer a massive fiery demise.

"My plan, Colonel, is to not die a horrible death!"

"McKay! Calm down and tell me." Rodney shook himself out of the impeding panic attack, took a deep breath, and pulled up the controls to the city shield, working quickly as he spoke.

"I'm hoping to use the shield to help cushion our landing," was all he snapped out. He really didn't have time to explain, considering a proper explanation, even the Cole's Notes version, would take longer than the average lunch break. Sheppard fell silent on the other end of the line and Rodney obsessively checked his watch. Crap, they were running out of time.

In fact, now was probably a good time to inform the city of what to expect. "I'm about to give a city wide explanation. Listen in on it," he spit out and, even as John was protesting, he cut the man off and activated the city communications system again.

"Attention everyone. This is McKay. Keep working as I talk people, we don't have time to stop. Power levels in three of the sub-light engines began building not very long ago. It cannot be shut down. There is not enough power to launch the city into the stratosphere, but there is enough to send the city an unknown distance across the waters surface. When this happens it will not be a smooth ride. I will give you adequate warning to get yourselves to safety. When finding a safe location make sure there is something secure to hold onto and that there are no loose objects around that can smash into you." He glanced at his watch. "You have seven minutes to Lockdown." He disconnected and Sheppard called back immediately. He'd roll his eyes at the predictability but he needed them to look at the monitors.

"Is there time to evacuate through the Stargate?" The man barked in his ear.

"Oh, gee, why didn't I think of that? Maybe because the gate locked down automatically when the engines started powering up," he snapped, and glared at the controls before him. The shield was set up to operate on land, not for space flight, and he cringed to think of the complications that was causing. He needed to set it up so that he could manually activate it after activating the engines. Christ what a mess.

"You can do this, Rodney." He checked his watch again and hey, no pressure or anything, but he didn't have time for anymore of Sheppard's pep talk.

"Busy now. McKay out."

"Rodney!"

He ignored Sheppard's protest as he scanned his readings once more and then finally began preparing the shield. If he was going to activate it, it needed to be at the precise moment. Not a moment too early or a moment too late. He couldn't just turn it on now because, hello, the massive amount of energy that would erupt from the engines when they activated would either: a) become trapped within the shield as the city launched, causing a blow back and sending waves upon waves of very bad heat rounding up from below them to scorch the city and atmosphere inside what should have been their bubble of safety. Or, b) do exactly what happened in step a), only after everything was scorched the shield would fail from the internal onslaught and Atlantis would probably sink from the resulting damage to the city base.

He looked at his watch. He looked at the shield readouts, his fingers beginning to ache from typing so fast.

He could do this.

oooOOOooo

Sheppard pushed the jumper to its limit and, not for the first time since arriving in the Pegasus Galaxy, wished he could fly just a little bit faster. It wasn't that he was greedy for speed, it was just that no matter how fast he could go in these situations, it was never fast enough. Sitting beside him, looking as grim as ever, Zelenka typed furiously. He was trying to access Atlantis's main computer to get more of an idea of what McKay was planning, since the man himself was being very tight lipped on the other end of the line.

When McKay had announced that he was going to use the shield Zelenka had frozen for a moment, eyes widening, and then gone back to his work. Sheppard wasn't ready to leave it at that though, and he turned his head to look at the man in the seat beside him.

"What?" He asked, and Zelenka looked back.

"What?" He looked honestly confused so Sheppard resisted the urge to snap at him. Now was not the time to let his frustration and impatience get the better of him.

"What's wrong with McKay using the shield to help with the landing?" Zelenka looked at him a moment, like he was surprised that Sheppard had picked up on the fact that he was worried about it. Then he pushed his glasses up his nose and turned back to his work.

"Nothing is wrong, so long as he does it properly." He explained, and then stopped talking. What was it about scientists that they resorted to partial explanations when speaking to non-scientists in dire circumstances? If Rodney had been in the shuttle right now Sheppard doubted he would have been able to get either man to shut up.

"If he does it properly? All he has to do is activate it, which last I checked was basically the push of a button."

"Yes, yes. Theoretically is very good idea. Practically it is a little more difficult." Zelenka announced and then cursed, sitting back from his station in defeat. It had been a weak hope that he'd be able to access the city's mainframe, but they had decided to give it a try anyway. It looked like it wasn't going to pan out.

"Zelenka!" Sheppard snapped. He needed to know what the hell to expect here, and he couldn't get that information from McKay, Weir or Lorne because he didn't want to risk distracting them from their work. Zelenka looked over at him, not looking overly impressed with the tone of the order but easily letting it roll off him. Sheppard was momentarily thankful the man rarely took anything personally.

"Rodney will need to override some safety algorithms and set several new parameters. Then he must activate it at precise moment where it will not trap sub-light propulsion blasts within, but be fully encompassing city before it hits water." Zelenka blinked slowly. "Is not very hard, McKay can probably do in his sleep." He announced and Sheppard frowned, turning back to look out the jumpers window. He was getting the distinct impression that Zelenka was lying through his teeth about the easy part of that very vague explanation.

"In his sleep," Sheppard heard himself echoing Zelenka's words and quickly snapped his jaw shut when the man looked over at him. Atlantis was looming larger and larger with every passing minute, but they still might not make it to her in time. They definitely wouldn't be in time to provide any useful aid and the tension in his shoulders was already driving a low level headache to his forehead.

They were silent for a few moments before McKay's loud and very demanding voice carried over their headsets and to the entire city.

"Attention Attention, this is McKay," he announced, as though people wouldn't figure that out the instant they heard that voice. "Cease your efforts at lockdown and secure yourselves. You have-" he paused a moment, "three and a half minutes. Secure yourselves." There was another brief pause. "This is not a drill." Rodney sounded distracted as he tagged that last line in there. It was an after thought, as though he was afraid people might think he was playing an elaborate joke on them and not get themselves to safety in time. Sheppard knew a lot of people had issues with McKay's personality at times, some even had issues with him being in charge, but he hadn't seen anyone ever question him when he used that tone of voice.

Sheppard took a few steady, deep breaths, trying to calm himself. He had never felt more useless. He hated feeling useless. Beside him Zelenka shifted, one hand resting on the chairs arm, his knuckles white.

"Sheppard! What's your ETA?" Rodney suddenly demanded, and a display immediately popped up on Sheppard's left.

"Three minutes," he announced. Huh, they'd been making better time than he'd thought.

"Pull back, Colonel," Rodney ordered and Sheppard instantly moved to argue, but it seemed McKay had expected this and was already continuing his orders before he got a chance to fully open his mouth. "If you get too close you could be in danger of the engines, or caught in the city's wake. If you become trapped in the shield while we're landing I can't predict whether or not the jumper will be able to maintain the speed of the city." He explained harshly.

"We will be like bug on windshield," Zelenka not so helpfully nodded his head in agreement. Sheppard glared at him. "Sort of," he amended, as if it made a difference. He pushed his glasses further up his nose.

"Did you hear me, Sheppard! John?"

"I heard you, Rodney. We'll maintain a safe distance." His throat was suddenly feeling all thick and clogged up, his words having a bit of difficulty getting out.

"Good. That's very good," Rodney muttered, more to himself but the line was still open. His breathing sounded loud in Sheppard's ear and he could hear furious typing going on in the background. Wait, typing?

"McKay! Are you secure?"

"What?" There was another brief pause before Rodney's answer rushed out, too quickly. "Of course! What kind of idiot do you take me for? Now leave me alone, I need to concentrate," he snapped and the line disconnected. Sheppard looked at Zelenka, who was looking grimmer by the minute.

"Somebody must initiate the engines, monitor status, and then activate shield," he informed Sheppard softly. John's jaw began to ache as he clenched his teeth.

They watched the city from a safe distance, which was just at the edge of the hot zone Zelenka had quickly mapped out for Sheppard.

"BRACE YOURSELVES!" Rodney suddenly shouted in his ear, making Sheppard cringe and Zelenka visibly jump beside him and they both sucked in loud breaths.

Sheppard stared hard, but at first nothing appeared to be happening. His heart was hammering in his chest and he began to entertain the idea that maybe (not for the first time) Rodney might have been wrong. Then the water around the city began shifting and bubbling. Little ripples on the ocean's surface that splashed the city walls like cresting waves. It started small enough that they could just see it even from this distance. Then the churning drastically increased, large waves began rippling out, steam began to rise like a fine mist around its base.

Sheppard breathed shallowly as he watched, his hands gripping the jumper's controls and forcing them to remain where they were. It was only moments after that that the city itself started to shift, tilting one way and then the other, before it began to rise shakily from the ocean. Sheppard was reminded of an old man who had fallen, and was weakly trying to push himself to his feet without the aid of a cane. It reminded him of what it must be like to learn how to walk again. His breath stuttered in his throat.

McKay said only three sub-light engines would activate. Apparently two of them were near the designated northern end of the city, as it rose from the water first. The southern end of the city dipped low, dragging for a moment and Sheppard saw the water reaching out for it like a massive hand, preparing to grab it and suck it back below the surface until the entire south end was drowned or snapped off. But then, with an apparent burst of energy, the southern end lifted and took the lead as Atlantis was suddenly shooting off. Airborne. The northern engines propelled its direction. White hot light flared in brilliant, brief bursts from beneath its metal and though the city was not actually touching the water's surface anymore, it was leaving a massive, frothy wake. It was probably visible from space.

It was incredible. It was horrifying. John stared mutely watching the city diminish in size as it flew away.

"Dobrý bože!" Zelenka whispered beside him, breaking the stillness in the jumper. Sheppard sucked in a deep breath, loosened his grip on the jumper's controls, and then pushed the jumper hard, needing to catch up to their city and people.

It took about thirty-seven seconds, before the almost blinding light coming from beneath the city cut out more abruptly than it had appeared. Then the entire mass of Atlantis started dropping like a stone. Apparently it took only six seconds for a city as magnificent as Atlantis to fall. Its descent was ungraceful as it crashed back into the water. But Sheppard had seen the blue-white glimmer of the shield as it sparkled to life immediately after the engines cut out. It only took three point eight seconds for the shield to fully activate.

The wave created when the city collided with the surface was massive. Tsunami proportions if Sheppard were to guess off hand and, at the back of his mind, he was relieved to note that it was heading away from the Athosian settlement on the mainland. Then the city, denying any possibility of a soft landing, skidded off the surface. It nosed up, crushing the wave it birthed only moments before by smashing back down a second time. The entire structure tilted, achieving a nearly impossible angle as it forcefully shoved massive amounts of water out of the way, before the rest of the city's belly followed suit.

John watched in horrified fascination, as it seemed to bob a moment like a goddamn fishing lure, before the mass distributed itself appropriately and just, sort of, sat down where it was. The shield collapsed. The water that had been trickling down its sides fell like rain, glinting in the sunlight. The ocean rushed in and surrounded the city, supporting it as it regained its' equilibrium until it was floating peacefully once more.

They watched.

Large waves were spreading away from the city, massive ripples that wouldn't die out for who knew how many miles. Sheppard stared at it. From this distance it looked like nothing had happened. The city looked like it did on any average day when he was returning from a flight to the main land, still, restful. But this stillness seemed unnatural.

Sheppard was aware of exactly how many people were inside its walls when it took off.

He slammed his hand on the Jumper's communication system.

"This is Sheppard, come in Atlantis!" He demanded, noting and then ignoring the steely tone of his voice as he kept the Jumper on a direct approach to his people. His friends. He waited five seconds for a response, giving them time.

"Atlantis, this is Sheppard. Respond!" He didn't wait the full five seconds for a response to his second hail.

"McKay? What's your status!" He demanded, icy fingers of panic running up his spine and he ruthlessly shoved them back down.

"Rodney!"

oooOOOooo

tbc.

Czech translation: dobrý bože: Good God.