Chapter 11: So, no pressure then.
"How are we going to test this?" Lorne asked. He'd made it to the chair room inside of fifteen minutes to find it deserted except for Rodney McKay ... which made sense. If Evan was really going to be talking to Atlantis via the chair they could hardly have anyone else there to witness it.
"I ah ... haven't quite worked that out yet," Rodney admitted.
"How's this supposed to work again?" Lorne persisted, his mind working on the possibilities.
"As far as I can tell, through the open wormhole Atlantis will either be able to detect Sheppard or she'll 'call' for him – I don't know which. If he's within range ... and assuming he hears her he'll reply with whatever intel he can give us. If she's detecting him then ... well, either way Atlantis will then relay the information back to you so we can go get him." Rodney shrugged. "That's the theory anyway. I have no idea what sort of range we're talking about nor how we're gonna explain to Woolsey what we're doing or why we want to go to a specific planet."
"We'll work something out when we get to that," Lorne dismissed. "So to test it we really need a strong enough gene holder at the other end of a wormhole for Atlantis to detect, right?"
"Pretty much," Rodney agreed. "Hence my dilemma because as far as I know you're the only gene we have around here who's strong enough and we need you in the chair."
"How about General O'Neill?" Lorne suggested. "Dial Earth ... if Washington is too far away have him go to the SGC. If this is gonna work Atlantis will detect him and we'll know we're good to begin searching planets here."
"That's ...," Rodney broke off with a strange expression on his face ... surprise that Evan had suggested something that was actually pretty clever along with annoyance at himself for not having thought of it first. "That might just work. We explain it to Woolsey and General Landry by saying the amplifier and associated systems are able to send out a kind of ATA gene radar signal and, based on how it's returned, give us an indicator of Sheppard's location."
Lorne looked at Rodney sceptically but said nothing.
"I know," Rodney muttered. "That sounded flimsy even to me but unless you've got a better idea we're stuck with it."
"It'll be fine," Lorne replied. "Let's go speak to Mr Woolsey."
"Before we do that we should check to see if you can operate the chair," Rodney countered.
"And if I can't?" Lorne asked.
"You can," Rodney insisted. "I'm sure of it ... I don't think Atlantis would have set it up this way if you couldn't ... this whole plan depends on it."
"So, no pressure then," Evan said snidely. "Probably shouldn't have said 'if' then McKay – because that sounds like you're not sure."
"I'm sure," Rodney got that stubborn look on his face that usually announced he wasn't budging on his position bar anything other than impending death. "Just ... sit down ... see for yourself."
"Fine," Lorne muttered, eyeing the chair with a small amount of distaste. As far as he knew only Colonel Sheppard and Carson Beckett had sat in this particular chair and made it work. He wouldn't admit it to Rodney, but Evan was feeling a little apprehensive about being able to add himself to that exclusive group. Still, he wasn't going to find out unless he actually sat in the chair so ... stepping up the dais he turned, paused for a moment, and then sat down lightly.
Nothing happened.
"McKay," Evan glared at Rodney accusingly. "I thought you said –"
"Wait!" Rodney interrupted. "Just ... ah ... just think about flying a Puddle Jumper ... what you do when you connect to that system. This should be no different."
Lorne bit back on scoffing in disbelief but Rodney rolled his eyes anyway. "Just do it Major," he said impatiently.
Evan settled back into the chair and put his hands on the gel pads at the end of each arm. "Puddle Jumper," he muttered. "Right." Closing his eyes, he frowned for a moment as he tried to think what it was he actually did every time he flew a Jumper. It was so instinctive he wasn't sure he could explain it if Rodney had asked. "Imagine this is the pilot chair in a Jumper," he told himself. "I put my hands on the controls and then ...,"
"That's it!" Rodney's words accompanied the rush of information Lorne was getting from the now active chair. "Ah ... think about the solar system," he used his standard question to assess how much control the Major had.
Lorne didn't even couch a specific question ... the mental response to Rodney just putting the suggestion in his head was enough. Opening his eyes Evan looked up at the ceiling and the kaleidoscope of stars and planets swirling there in amazement. "Well, I'll be a ...," he trailed off. Looking at Rodney he shrugged. "I guess that works."
"I knew it would," Rodney was smug and Evan laughed.
"Sure you did McKay," he said, powering down the chair and getting up. "Woolsey," he announced, heading for the door.
oOo
"Let me get this straight," Richard Woolsey said as soon as Rodney had finished explaining what they wanted to do. "You want to dial Earth and see if this amplified 'gene user' radar system will pick up General O'Neill?"
"Yes Sir," Major Lorne answered for both of them.
"And if it doesn't?" Richard asked.
"Then it might mean the General is out of range or it might mean the system doesn't work," Rodney replied. "We'd have to get General O'Neill to the SGC and try again to confirm which."
"Aren't we due for a weekly dial in anyway?" Lorne asked.
"Two days from now actually Major," Woolsey replied, no one in the room surprised he'd have that detail readily accessible in his mind.
"So we report in early," Evan suggested lightly. "That way we haven't wasted ZPM resources if this doesn't work. We need to report Colonel Sheppard's disappearance anyway."
"Very well," Richard said after a moment's pause. "I assume you're ready to proceed right now?"
"Yes," Rodney said simply, for once understanding the adage that less really was more. Anything else he said would be unnecessary and could potentially result in creating suspicion about what they were really doing.
"Half an hour then," Woolsey decided. "I'll need to complete my reports since I wasn't expecting to send them today," he explained the delay before anyone could ask.
"Half an hour," Rodney agreed. "We can run a few more tests to make sure Major Lorne has full control of the chair."
"You can do that," Lorne countered. "I'm going to get dinner." Nodding to Woolsey, Evan strode from the office, sure that Rodney would only be a few paces behind him.
oOo
"Doctor McKay, we're about to dial Earth," Richard Woolsey's voice echoed in the chair room via the city's intercom system.
"Acknowledged," Rodney nodded to Lorne to power up the chair. "We're ready to go here."
"Connection established," Chuck reported.
They listened in as Richard Woolsey requested General Landry contact General O'Neill in Washington and informed him that Doctor McKay had a request of him. Luckily the time difference put them into early afternoon DC time.
"What's this about McKay," O'Neill's voice, relayed direct from the Pentagon sounded as impatient as it usually did when he was talking to Rodney.
"It's about finding Colonel Sheppard," Rodney bit back. "We need a strong ATA gene holder to test a piece of equipment we got from old Lantea. Last time I heard you're at the top of that list."
"What do you need me to do?" O'Neill's tone was more reasonable as he absorbed what Rodney was saying. He'd been informed of Sheppard's disappearance when Landry had made the call and understood McKay's drive to get his team mate back.
"Ah ... just pay attention I guess," Rodney said uncertainly. "Major Lorne is going to operate the chair here ... if the amplifier works as advertised he should get a report back that says you were detected on the other side of the wormhole."
"And if it doesn't work?" Jack asked pointedly.
"How do you feel about a quick trip to Cheyenne Mountain?" Rodney asked uncomfortably.
"The Apollo is in orbit," the General revealed. "It's doable."
"It is?" Rodney humphfed in surprise. "Ah ... okay, so let's try this from where you are for now ... see how it goes."
"I'm ... listening," O'Neill's tone was a little sarcastic.
"Okay Major," Rodney turned to Evan purposefully. "Activate the amplifier."
"Wait a minute," Lorne motioned for Rodney to cut the intercom for a moment. "How will we know if it's on?"
"I was assuming Atlantis would tell you," Rodney admitted.
"Right," Lorne closed his eyes to block out distractions. Thinking 'on' at the amplifier system Rodney and Radek had created, Evan paused for a moment. "Ah ... you should be able to use the amplifier now," he thought a little hesitantly. He didn't really expect to get an answer and almost jumped when Atlantis replied.
"We are ready Evan."
The chorus that was Atlantis sounded different now that Lorne was hearing it outside of dreams. In fact the sound reverberated through his head in a way he could see was going to get uncomfortable pretty quickly.
"Good to go, McKay," he reported.
"Okay ... um, see if you can detect the General then," through the again open intercom Rodney couldn't make his instructions any clearer than that.
"We have General O'Neill back on Earth," Evan explained how they'd set up the test, not sure what Atlantis would have been able to pick up from their previous activities within the system. "He's right up there on the ATA gene scale so if you're gonna pick up anyone other than Colonel Sheppard on the other side of a wormhole it'll be him."
"We will try," Atlantis replied.
Lorne felt the increased pressure from the chair immediately as Atlantis accessed the amplifier system he was actively controlling.
"Anything General?" Rodney asked over the intercom hopefully.
"Since I have no idea what I'm supposed to be getting, it's a little hard to tell," O'Neill pointed out.
"Try harder Major," Rodney told Lorne.
"You need to give it more," Evan dutifully passed on Rodney's real request to Atlantis.
"This will place additional strain on you Evan," the tones of the chorus transmitted concern. "We require your active connection to the system to allow us the freedom to fully utilise the Gate components."
"It's okay," Lorne thought back confidently. "I can handle it ... just do it quickly."
"Very well," Atlantis intoned.
oOo
John was left alone in his cell for hours after Vulture went to ask Ma'at his questions. He wasn't sure whether he really had made an impact on the other man ... it all came down to Aperio and what John knew of her. He was counting on her being unable to maintain the Ma'at facade once her most beloved started to question her. With any luck something she said would be a red flag to Vulture and John would be one step closer to getting himself out of there.
He was lying on the hard and narrow bed, staring at the ceiling when he felt it.
A familiar, tingling sensation on the edge of his mind. It was faint ... barely there at all. If he'd been doing anything active he might not have even noticed.
Atlantis!
"I'm here!" he yelled it out in his mind, striving to push the thought out as powerfully as he could, wishing that he'd had the foresight to practice doing something like that for just such an occasion.
The tingling was still there so he tried again. "Atlantis! It's John. I'm here ... on Earth ... in Antarctica."
The rattling of the door knob signalled the return of Vulture. John sat up abruptly, his attention taken away from the tenuous presence of Atlantis for a moment. He tried to hold on, to get it back, but the tingling whisper of sensation across his mind was gone.
"Damn it," he muttered, getting to his feet just as the door opened.
He didn't know how it was possible but maybe a rescue wasn't as farfetched as he'd been thinking.
oOo
Lorne flinched as Atlantis increased the push to reach out through the Stargate. His head was already hammering and this was just a test run.
"We sense the General," Atlantis finally reported, easing off on the power as soon as she'd judged their test successful.
"Rodney ... General O'Neill has been detected," Evan reported aloud.
"Whoa," the General's voice issued from the intercom at the same moment. "That's just ... disturbing," he said.
"What is?" Rodney demanded.
"For a second there I got that tingling 'Ancient tech' feeling," Jack revealed. "I guess that means it worked, huh?"
"It worked Sir," Lorne replied. "The systems detected you."
"So we can search for Sheppard now?" the General asked.
"Yes Sir," Lorne agreed.
"Mission accomplished then," O'Neill replied. "So ... if you don't need me anymore, plenty of important decisions just waiting to be made."
Lorne grinned at the older man's irreverent tone. "Thank you for your assistance Sir," he said.
"Yes General," Woolsey's voice added. "We'll report in next week as scheduled. Chuck ... close the connection."
Sharp pain slammed through Lorne's head as Atlantis abruptly renewed her access to the amplifier.
"Wait!" Lorne cried out, his words echoed by Atlantis shouting the same in his head.
"Major?" Woolsey's tone was puzzled.
"Don't close the wormhole," Lorne insisted. "Just ... give me a second here."
Turning his attention inwards, he continued. "What is it?" he asked.
"It is John," the chorus rejoiced. "He is on your planet ... we felt his presence on the very edges of our perception."
"Can you talk to him?" Lorne asked hopefully, the part of his mind not taken over by the chair not enough for him to even question the how.
"No ... he is ... gone," Atlantis said. "If we can continue to access the gate connection, and with your cooperation Evan, we can renew the link to John and determine his exact location."
"Okay," Lorne said simply. Speaking aloud again he reported to the Control Room.
"I don't know how it's possible Sir," he directed his comments to Woolsey and those still listening back at the SGC. "But Colonel Sheppard is on Earth ... right now."
