Chapter 3

The joy and excitement they all felt at finally getting to the lost city fades quickly when they discover that they're deep under the sea and the shields keeping them safe are going to stop working sooner rather than later. It seems too cruel to Jeannie that them finding Atlantis will be the thing that destroys it, though it probably would have happened anyway, just not as fast. They've already found so much amazing technology, and now they have to turn it all off again because it could cause their death.

The reason for this is that the city needs three ZPMs to work. They only have one nearly depleted ZPM and some naquadah generators. Jeannie's starting to wonder if it would be safer to just leave the city and return only when they've found another ZPM. At this rate they're going to drown along with the city and it will all be for nothing.

Is this going to be her last day alive? But no, she can't think like that because she and Rodney are the ones who will have to save them all. They're responsible for so many lives. (Actually Elizabeth is their leader, so technically she will have to take the blame or the praise, but Jeannie knows that everything rests on their shoulders. She doesn't blame Elizabeth, but they will be the ones to save them,they will have to be the ones to think of something.)

The other scientists are doing all they can to help as well, but there seems to be nothing useful. Rodney and Jeannie are both wearing matching sets of stressed expressions, trying to work out something, anything, that can help. The similarities between them are more pronounced than ever, and their underlings - or so Rodney likes to call them – are visibly starting to panic.

Rodney is flailing more than usual, and Jeannie has seen her brother snap at more people than usual, which isn't that weird, but still catches her eye. There're doing everything they can to conserve energy, but it won't be enough. Also, the more they use the technology to find something to help, the more they use power and the more time they lose.

A team of soldiers have gone off world in search of a ZPM, because while they don't have enough power to go back to earth they still have enough to travel in the Pegasus Galaxy. Jeannie and Rodney secretly agree that there is no hope of them returning before it's too late. At least the 'gate has an Iris so they're relatively protected from invading forces, but they're losing energy fast and the naquadah generators aren't going to be enough. (Neither of them brings up Jeannie's bridge idea. It isn't even near being finished and would just create false hope)

John Sheppard is one of the soldiers. Jeannie has taken a liking to him, but she tell that something about him is irritating Rodney. It's the only thing that would explain the way he keeps keeping an eye on him. She can't tell what it is, but secretly she thinks that her brother is jealous that the pilot has the strongest gene they've discovered since Jack.

Currently they are arguing about who will have to go tell Elizabeth about their imminent death and their plan for evacuation. You would think they're trying to get the other to do it, but in fact they both want to do it. Rodney because in his mind it would mean that he is the one in charge, or at least Jeannie thinks that is his reason. Jeannie herself wants to tell Elizabeth because she is closer to her and could provide more comfort.

They're interrupted right as Jeannie is about to win (because there is no way she would give up before she won).

"You will do it together, or I will do it for you!" An accented male voice shouts loudly, shocking everybody in the vicinity. Jeannie turns to look at the speaker incredulously, Rodney following her lead. It's the short fuzzy-haired Czech who is their second in command and whose name Rodney can never get right.

Jeannie sighs, "You're right, Radek." She turns back to Rodney and gives him a pointed look.

"But-"

"No, we're going to tell her together." She doesn't wait for him to start protesting again and takes his arm so she can drag him along. She can see him shoot a poisonous look at Radek from the corner of her eye, but considering the Czech's gaze is equally murderous she decides to let it go.

Elizabeth has set up her office right by the control room, so it isn't hard to find it.

"Please tell me you've got some good news."

She doesn't sound hopeful, which is to be expected, and Jeannie gives her a sympathetic smile. There isn't a need to sugarcoat it, not with Elizabeth, so she just gets straight to it.

"Sorry. It looks like the shield will stop working and there's nothing we can do to stop it."

Rodney takes a step forward, his hands rising as he prepares to explain. "It would have kept going for years if we hadn't come here," he butts in, eager to show off their knowledge, "It's been shrinking to conserve power and by now it's only a thin shell between these buildings and the water. Places further from the stargate have already been flooded."

"Even occupying this room is draining energy," Grodin chimes in. Jeannie hadn't even noticed that he'd come with them until now.

"We need to evacuate as soon as possible," she continues, looking Elizabeth straight in the eye to convey the seriousness of the situation. "In fact, as soon as Sumner gets back and says it's safe, we should leave."

Elizabeth looks between them helplessly. "You're saying we have to abandon the city?" The city creaks in answer, a steady rumbling that isn't yet strong enough to move them, but enough to garner attention, as if encouraging them to leave as soon as possible. They all look around nervously. Rodney answers when it becomes clear that nothing more will happen.

"The sooner we leave, the longer that shield holds."

Things only get worse after that. Jeannie and Rodney stay in the control room while Elizabeth and Grodin go to see how fast other parts of the city are flooding. The city is sacrificing itself to keep protecting the rooms closest to the stargate. Now their only hope is to wait for Sumner and his team to return and they and do nothing worthwhile in the meantime.

"Rodney," Jeannie speaks up quietly after a few minutes of silence have passed. Rodney doesn' pause in checking the controls.

"What it it?" he asks distractedly, a faint tinge of annoyance in his voice as always.

Jeannie hesitates, "Do you really think the bridge idea will work? I mean-"

"Stop being so stupid," Rodney cuts her off, "Tell me what you've got to say, stop getting such idiotic ideas and then get back to work. I knew I was the only one working seriously," he rambles, still fiddling with the control panel and not even turning to look at her. But Jeannie can tell that her words affect him by the way his shoulders hunch in on themselves.

She continues as if he hadn't said anything. "I just... It's just an idea. It's not even complete yet," she sighs, running a hand over one of the panels. Rodney still doesn't turn around and stays silent, which is unusual enough that Jeannie knows he's taking everything she's saying right now very seriously.

"When I came up with this theory," she pauses, taking a calming breath to easy her nerves, "I thought it wouldn't change anything, I mean, there wasn't anything I could use it on. Even now I..."

"...You?" Rodney prompts when she doesn't continue, turning around with a glare.

"I don't think it's going to work," she finishes quickly, staring straight ahead and not blinking at all. There. Now she's said it. At first she'd decided not to say anything about it, because Rodney had seemed so excited about it. It would solve all their problems and they would finally be able to protect themselves properly from the Goa'uld. But that won't happen if she can't get it to actually work.

Rodney huffs and turns back to the DHD. "Really, next time could you not waste my time." He continues muttering under his breath, leaving Jeannie to just stare at him. This goes on until Elizabeth and Grodin come back.

"How are we doing?" She spares a glance at Jeannie who still hasn't moved.

"Don't mind her, she's just being stupid." Rodney clicks one last button and then turns around dramatically. "As for the city, it looks like it's trying to do everything it can, but catastrophic failure is inevitable."

"Not in my wildest dreams did I hope to find the lost city of the Ancients so completely untouched, so pristine, and we have no choice but to walk away from this?" Elizabeth sighs as she settles next to Jeannie.

"In order to save it," Rodney reminds her pointedly.

"To save it for whom? We don't have enough power to send a message. As far as Earth is concerned, we're just going to be missing, presumed lost." Jeannie takes action then, taking Elizabeth's hand and squeezing it.

"Don't worry, we can still come back when we've found a power source," She chances a look at Rodney, who is deliberately looking away, "Or... Maybe we won't need to if we can get my bridge theory to work."

"That would definitely be better," She leans into Jeannie for small comfort, "We have no idea what's out there, Colonel Sumner still isn't back and we've yet to hear from him."

Rodney doesn't bother to sugar-coat the truth, "We can't wait any longer. It's time to go, now."

Elizabeth takes her hand back and gives a small smile of gratitude to Jeannie. She nods at Rodney resolutely and steps onto the balcony, keying her hand-held radio and taking a breath to steady herself before making the call.

"Attention, all personnel. This is Weir." She pauses as the city shook enough to make them stumble to the controls. "Stand by for immediate evacuation." She turns around and gives Rodney a resigned look. "Dial the gate"

Rodney doesn't waste any time and goes over to the DHD, intent on doing just that. He's entered two chevrons already when another signal comes in. "We've got incoming wormhole."

"I'm reading Lieutenant Ford's identification code," Grodin informs them.

Elizabeth seems to sag with relief before gathering herself. "Let'em in."

Grodin opens the Stargate and Sheppard steps out of it, followed by the other marines and also people dressed in animal skins and the like who seems to be badly frighted but also curious about the city around them. Jeannie looks behind them, looking for Sumner. She lets out a

"Step in folks, move away from the puddle," the Major tells them, sounding like a tourist guide. Elizabeth rushes down the stairs so she could reach the gate room, meeting John in the middle. Her face is scrunched up in worry.

"Major Sheppard!" She tries to get his attention, huffing out a breath. "Major Sheppard, who are these people?" she asks accusingly. Jeannie feels her heart give a thump in sympathy. They all know that they're going to die here, there's nothing they can do about it now, but these people had a chance to live before they came here. Now they're all doomed.

"Survivors from the settlement. We were attacked. Sumner and some of our men were taken." Sheppard answers in that nasally drawl of his, or that's how Jeannie has heard Rodney describe it.

"What's going on?" He looks around as he finally notices the city's shaking.

Elizabeth tears John far enough away that Jeannie can't tell what they're saying any more, so she turns her attention back to her brother.

"How long do we have?" she asks without preamble, ignoring the look Rodney gives her. He sighs before answering.

"You know how long we have. The shield is collapsing," he says scathingly, though he still manages to sound worried and nervous at the same time. "It doesn't matter when, it's going to happen. It could be a matter of minutes or even seconds by now."

"So where do we go? There's no saying we'll be safe no matter where we end up if the first place we went to was attack so easily."

Sheppard takes that moment to walk into the control room, a small boy in his hands. He doesn't get the chance to open his mouth to explain before the city stars shaking enough that almost all of them lose their balance and fall to the floor. Jeanne can hear the sound of crates and boxes falling. The message 'SHIELD FAILURE IMMINENT' flashes on the computer screen closest to her. It feels like they're in an elevator that was slowly rising. Jeannie looks at Rodney incredulously. Rodney looks back at her with the exact same expression, slowly morphing into glee.

Grodin gets up first and quickly heads to the DHD. "I'm dialing an address."

Elizabeth looks up at them from the floor below them, "No wait!" She calls out, her expression wondering.

"She's right," Rodney and Jeannie chorus, and they're not in the least bothered by it as they rush over to their computers to check what they already know.

"We're moving!" Sheppard says incredulously, still holding onto the boy. Light, actual sunlight, pours in from the windows, and the internal lights come on as well, illuminating the city.

Jeannie walks over to the window as if in a daze, mesmerized by the water running down the glass. Rodney and the others follow her wordlessly, gazing out at the sea in awe.

"We're on the surface," A marine who had been part of Sumner's team says almost breathlessly.

Elizabeth stops next to Jeannie, a beatific smile gracing her features. "I was hoping for another day. Looks like we just got a whole lot more than that. Let's not waste it."

And for a moment, it seems like everything will be alright again, as if Colonel Sumner and a few of his team members haven't been abducted by aliens. As if they aren't stranded in the middle of an ocean with no land in sight, with no defence to speak of, visible to all who care to look.