oOo
At current consumption we've got 24 hours of power left. After that there's no shield. No shield, no atmosphere. No atmosphere no…
Can we use the Stargate?
In order to dial the gate it needs to be calibrated to a specific location. We are lost…look we dropped out of hyperspace WAY too soon. I have no idea where we are...
oOo
Chapter 2: Adrift
"You have no idea where we are," John restated, trying to calm his racing heart.
There were just too many things to worry about, Elizabeth was in the infirmary, he was in charge and the city was loosing power rapidly. To make matters worse Commander Ellis was probably already at the new rendezvous site and Rodney was really and truly panicking…something that he rarely did. John knew that Rodney was melodramatic but as he looked at the scientist that he thought of like a little annoying brother, he could see real fear in Rodney's eyes. "…so what's the plan?"
"Plan?" Rodney asked as if John's question was the most ridiculous one in the world. "There is no plan. This was the plan, in fact this was your plan!"
"Yes it was my plan," John chastised, trying to keep the fear from his voice as well and allow the taunting about the impossible situation to come through. John hoped that that would snap Rodney out of his panic. "But come on Rodney, there has to be SOMETHING that you can do."
"You don't get it, do you?" Rodney snapped angrily.
"I get it," John replied as calmly as he could. "We're in the middle of space, with no way of knowing where we are because we came out of hyperspace too early and we can't dial the gate because the gate needs a fixed co-ordinate and.."
"..and that's it-" Rodney muttered, looking around his brain clearly working once more.
"What's it?" John asked, his heart starting to beat again with hope.
"Radek-" Rodney began turning to find the Czech a little bruised but otherwise no worse for wear. "-I need you to start running simulations-"
"Yes, yes Rodney-" Radek interrupted turning away. "-I see where you are going."
"Rodney-?" John asked, following Rodney as he walked to a control council that still had a working laptop on it.
"Shh…"
"Rodney!" John asked again, more forcefully this time.
"I said shut up for a moment…" Rodney snapped turning to face Radek. "-Radek, run simulations of our run through hyperspace against the star charts…"
"I know Rodney…"
"What's that going to do?" John asked as Radek started typing away furiously on several lap-tops.
"What's what going to do?" Rodney asked back, engrossed in his own data pad.
"Our hyperspace journey and the star charts…"
"By comparing the length of time we spent in hyperspace against the star charts I will be able to calculate exactly where we are." Rodney answered proudly, keeping an eye on Radek's calculations.
"How will that help us?" John asked, taking a step closer to Rodney, hoping that he would get a straight answer for once.
"Last year, one of the last standing goa'ulds named Ba'al managed to find a way to re-write the base code for the DHD's-"
"-and that will help us how?" John asked, hoping that Rodney had a point to make.
"This helps us because we know how he did it!" Rodney grinned and then realised that John needed more explanation. "Once I know where we area I will be able to fix our Stargate to our relative point in space and even though we're technically off the grid, I will be able to put us back on the grid and make the gate work again!"
"And then what?" John asked curiously, he liked Rodney's plan so far but it had a major hole in it. "We gate everyone back to Earth?"
"There isn't near enough power for that." Rodney scoffed, shaking his head in disagreement even though he realised where John was coming from.
"We do have a ZPM." John pointed out, his assessment instantly shot down by Rodney.
"Which is currently holding back the vacuum of space…" Rodney signed and shook his head. "..look we're just going to have to gate somewhere else in Pegasus."
"Where else could we possibly go?" Teyla asked, causing both John and Rodney to look at her.
"I don't know-" Rodney stated as though asking him was crazy. "-go ask Elizabeth."
"She has been taken to the infirmary." Teyla answered solemnly causing Rodney to start to freak out again.
"What?" Rodney exclaimed, horrified to learn that their fearless leader was out of commission.
"Dr. Keller doesn't know yet." John answered sombrely. "She said that she would have to get Elizabeth under a scanner."
..Elizabeth? -----is she going to be okay?
I don't know yet. She took quite a fall and her pupils are sluggish. I'm gonna have to get her under a scanner…I'll know more in a bit.
"Oh god…" Rodney muttered, slumping down into a vacant chair, snapping John out of his own thoughts.
"Rodney-"
"This is all my fault." Rodney mumbled, not listening to John.
"Rodney…"
"If I had only gotten the shield up faster…" Rodney rambled on. "…if only I had checked the numbers one more time…"
"RODNEY!" John shouted, catching the scientists attention. "We're all still alive because of you… you did good..."
"Right." Rodney agreed half-heartedly with a small nod. "But we still need a place to gate too."
"Is there anyone who would take on so many?" Teyla asked, looking between John and Rodney watching as they racked their brains for an answer.
"There's always the Genii." Rodney pointed out with a small smile.
"You have got to be joking." John exclaimed half in horror, half in shock.
"They are a logical choice." Teyla agreed. "They have bases all over the galaxy, we could continue our fight from there."
"And what about the city?" John asked, refusing to follow through on the logical train of thought.
"She'll be dead in space." Rodney stated sadly, confirming all their worst fears. "We're going to have to abandon her. There's nothing that we can do."
"What about the jumpers?" John asked furiously, listening as Radek mumbled something in Czech. "The drones? We just can't-"
"Hey," Rodney began thinking of something, catching Radek's eye. "-why didn't we think to use the drones in the first place?"
"They could not have gotten through the shield Rodney." Radek explained patiently.
"Yes yes," Rodney agreed. "-but what about when we moved the asteroid in place and brought the city to the surface again…why didn't we think to use a drone then??"
"I don't know Rodney," John stated, frustrated that he hadn't thought of using the drones to destroy the Asuran weapon. "But what about the jumpers? What if we flew them out of here."
"All of them?" Rodney asked, not liking this plan.
"Well, we have enough people with the training and the gene-" John began only to be interrupted by a very upset Rodney.
"Correction. Had." Rodney waited a fraction of a second before continuing. "Carson."
"Carson." John agreed with a sigh before continuing. "Okay, so we leave one behind, with the rest of the city…"
"Which will have to be destroyed."
"What?" John asked, furious that Rodney would even suggest such a thing.
"Well, we can't just let the Wraith get their hands on our FTL drive." Rodney pointed out with a sigh. "Look I don't like the thought of destroying our home anymore than you do but I can not in all good conscious leave the Wraith their version of the holy grail."
"The wraith are hardly a threat now-" John pointed out with a smirk. "-too much in-fighting between the different factions."
"Yes, but they are still a threat." Rodney argued. "And once word gets out that Atlantis is just drifting in space, what do you think they are going to do?? They are going to come together and unify to conquer their new feeding ground…..am I wrong?"
"No." John agreed with a sigh. "You're not wrong."
"Good." Rodney stated with a curt nod. "Zelenka, how are those simulations going."
"I think we have our location Rodney."
"Good, so we start the evacuations then." Rodney ordered with a relieved sigh.
"No." John stated firmly. "Not until we speak to Ladon."
"What about Elizabeth?" Rodney asked as John turned away.
"I'm going to see her now." John explained running his hand through his hair. "Listen, Teyla, gather a team together and stand by to go through the gate."
"Understood."
"And Rodney-" John began, watching as the tired scientist jumped to his feet. "-get that gate up and working."
"Right."
And with that, John left the control room hearing Rodney barking out orders to everyone who was still standing and ready to work.
A/N- Hey all! Weekly Monday update here! Hope you all enjoyed this chapter and will review it! Thank you to belanna30, tynut127, Sunny2006, HeartyJessica, KeeganPaige and darkmoonvampire for reviewing chapter 1. I hope you all will review this chapter, and HeartyJessica, do not fear this story is just how I want season 4 to go. Elizabeth/ Torri H. is being reduced to recurring status and nothing is certain about her future on Atlantis- even though Joe Mallozzi said that it was 'possible' that she would make an appearance later in season 4. Other than that, hope you all enjoyed this story and will check out the other Sparky stories that I have posted. Till next Monday (or sooner).
A/N2- I've corrected the chapter number…