Stargate Atlantis: S7 The Fossil Key
Part Four: Trophic Cascade4
The city rose.
Atlantis lifted off the ocean floor, shaking off the sediment and grit like a lady demurely shaking out her skirt. Water plumed all around and the displacement sent waves crashing in every direction. The shield hummed. It was a pink gem rising through the blue-green waters, heading for the surface as surely as a flower turns its head towards the sun.
The surface was beckoning. Atlantis had been asleep for too long and she was ready to reclaim her rightful place in the galaxy. All of her parts were whole and joined and filled with power. Her able pilot was guiding her effortlessly as the mind and machine connection was almost seamless now.
The star drives purred under his touch, responding to his commands which rendered the controls all but useless. His fingers glided over the arm pads but it was his mind that was really directing the spaceship now to rise and ready itself for battle.
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The city rose.
John reclined in the Ancient Chair, tense but otherwise at ease. He was in complete control. The city was bending to all of his wishes; obeying his every command and it was almost a turn-on, if it had been a woman. He smirked at the thought. His fingers glided over the controls but it was his mind that was directing the ship now. His ATA was bonding with the city's interface and together they would raise the city and take on the fuglies.
Only if necessary. John had a plan and was determined to see it through, convinced it would work. He felt Moira's grasp on his arm and it centered him, calmed him. She trusted him to do the right thing; to get them to safety and he vowed that he would. He would protect her at any cost, at all costs.
John licked his lips. "Rodney, on my mark initiate your program. I'm going to send a counter-measure to limit the blast radius so don't worry. Copy? ETA is three minutes." He opened his eyes to see Moira watching him, worry on her pale face. Her brown eyes were huge, pupils enlarged despite the lights in the room. "Sweetheart? Are you sure you're okay?"
She blinked. "John? Yes."
He frowned. He reached over and touched her cheek. "We'll get some food and then into bed soon, I promise. Relax, Moy. No one is going to hurt you ever again."
"Shouldn't you be flying the city?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah." He smiled at her expression and closed his eyes. "Here we go, baby. Give yourself to me. Give me everything…I'll make you do every little thing for me, everything you want and were too timid to ask I'll make you do and you will beg for more."
"Um, John?" Moira asked. His voice was low, gruff and sent a sensual shiver along her skin. Her fingers moved along his arm. "You're talking to the city, right? John?"
He smiled in response.
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The city rose.
Rodney McKay watched in awe as the power levels rose and Atlantis came to life. He could feel the sheer magnitude of the star drives. Although primarily a city first and foremost Atlantis was a spaceship, and the engineering feat was astounding. Rodney could almost imagine hearing the water crashing around them as the city flew upwards, escaping the water.
He scowled as John's voice sounded in his ear. "Copy that! Three minutes? Is that an arbitrary number or an actual time? Never mind, I'll be ready!" He stared at the containment field, but had to shield his eyes as the lights were spinning now and too bright. In the middle was the Penning trap, spinning wildly and rising off the floor like a beacon.
Rodney checked the monitors. He swore. "John! It has to be now! We're approaching critical mass too quickly! John!"
"Negative, Rodney! We haven't cleared the ocean yet!"
"Too bad! If this goes critical it won't matter if we're clear or not! I'm initiating the sequence now!"
"No! Belay that! We need to clear the ocean first!"
"We can't wait, John! It's going critical now! Initiating sequence! You better have those counter measures ready now! Now!"
Rodney grabbed the console as the room shook. He squinted, turning away as the light was unbearable and a whining filled the air. With a pop the containment field shot the Penning trap upwards and out of the city.
He traced it with the computer, following its path through the city, up through the city's spire. It was moving impossibly fast, gaining more power as it sped along. In mere seconds it would smash through the tower and cut a hole in the shield, disrupting the interface and creating a power vacuum that would drown them all.
Rodney braced himself for the tremendous blast and imminent doom.
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The city rose.
Carson ignored the shaking walls and wailing alarms. He ran into the infirmary, mind racing over what he would need to help Moira. She needed fluids, possibly even plasma and he eyed the IV drip. It would be awkward dragging that through the city. A shot would be better. He moved to the medical cabinet but froze.
The bed was empty, but the restraints on them remained. They were lined with dried blood.
A shiver stole up Carson's back. He stared, shocked at the memory of what he had done. He had been trying to help Moira and eliminate whatever had been causing the hallucinations but instead something had taken over and he had tortured her. He had broken the Hippocratic Oath of do no harm and he wondered if his friendship with Moira had been irreparably broken as well.
A wave of emotion threatened. He forced it down, concentrating on what he could do now; not what he had done in the past. He glanced at the array of pills in the cabinet, knowing some of them would help calm him and control his horrified responses. But it wasn't time for that now. He needed to remain clear-headed. He looked away from the cabinet, deciding what to do.
Nevertheless his gaze remained locked on those bloody restraints.
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The city rose.
"Brace yourself!" Jason shouted. He grabbed onto a console in the control room, eying the screen as it displayed a graphic of Atlantis rising through the ocean towards the surface.
"How much time?" Amelia shouted, holding onto a table. She stared at another monitor displaying the enemy ships. They were closer now, almost over the ocean where Atlantis was rising. One ship had descended from orbit and was perilously close to the lower atmosphere. "They're in position! If they fire we are done for! Colonel Sheppard, do you read? They'll see us if we breech the surface!"
"What's that?" Ronon looked round as a rumbling superseded all over sounds, even the alarms that were pinging in unison. He hastened to the window to see the pink shield that was protecting them from the water begin to shimmer and shake like a snow globe. "The shield's failing!"
"What? Shit!" Jason ran to his side to see the odd effect. "Colonel Sheppard! The shield is failing and we are still under water! Doctor McKay, do you read? McKay?" Static buzzed in his ear and Jason swore. He ran to the monitors. "I'm detecting a massive power surge out of the lower levels and it's rising…it's rising through the city's tower!"
"McKay." Ronon left without another word.
Jason tapped his earpiece. "Colonel Sheppard, do you read? We are approaching ZPM overload! Colonel!" Jason shook his head, out of his element now as everything was happening at once and he had no control over anything.
"Fuck this! I'll get him out of that damn Chair!" Amelia rose and ran out of the control room.