CHAPTER FOURTEEN
THE PERSISTENCE OF MEMORY
The atmosphere in the city of Atlantis crackled with barely contained excitement. Personnel had rotated out of the base regularly for the past three weeks to spend a last few days with friends and family before going back to the Pegasus galaxy. At long last, the day had arrived. They all knew they went back to a war against the Wraith, but it was a cause they had committed to long ago.
"Bringing first ZPM online," Rodney announced.
His pompous manner fitted the jittery excitement in the city today, and no one in the control room bemoaned his methods. At a side-by-side terminal, Radek monitored the power distribution levels to the star drive and shield. Woolsey stood at the front of the control room by Chuck's station observing the technicians work in tandem to prepare the city for flight.
John and Carson waited off to the side until the science team brought all three ZPMs online and prepared the star drive. Then they would go together to the chair room, John to fly the city and Carson as backup in case a security situation called the colonel away. Jennifer had arrived minutes ago to tell Woolsey the infirmary was prepared for any emergency situations, but she hovered around the periphery of the room still, curious to experience the city take flight from the control room.
"Bringing second ZPM online."
After ensuring the Athosians in the city were all safe in their quarters, Teyla and Ronon joined their friends in the control room. They, most of all, anticipated this day when they would return to their home galaxy. The flight would take weeks – Woolsey decided against using the dangerous wormhole drive – but they were going back.
"Bringing third ZPM online."
The city hummed with full power running through the energy conduits. A cheer went up in the control room and echoed through radios as science teams throughout the city read the news on their computer terminals.
"Chuck, please patch me into city-wide communications." Chuck paused over the laptop connected to the Ancient systems console as a fresh screen popped up. "Is there a problem?"
"No, sir, but I'm getting a request from the George Hammond in orbit to activate two Asgard beams into the city."
John crossed the control room in long strides and spoke softly to Woolsey. "The IOA wouldn't change their mind at the eleventh hour …?" The expedition leader also looked unsure, but he nodded to Chuck.
"Beaming into the control room," Chuck announced.
All eyes focused on the balcony overlooking the gate room where the brilliant light of the beam materialized a figure. When the light cleared, Cassandra stood facing her friends and colleagues in the control room. She wore her base uniform and offered them a tight, yet warm, smile before turning to Mr. Woolsey. Her boss looked taken aback by her unexpected appearance, but regained his composure quickly.
"I trust the bar examinations went well, Cassandra."
"Yes, very well, Richard."
The smallest of approving smiles crept into the corner of his mouth. "And the second Asgard beam?"
"Transporting my belongings to my quarters."
"If everything is in order, and we're not missing any more personnel, let's proceed. Colonel Sheppard, Dr. Beckett, if you would make your way to the chair room. Dr. McKay, Dr. Zelenka, prepare to bring the star drive online."
On their way out of the control room, John and Carson welcomed Cassandra back.
"It's good to see you again, Cassie. That woman who took over while you were gone: insufferable."
Carson agreed, "Aye. She was a bit … tetchy."
Jennifer gave Cassandra a tight embrace, and even without his girlfriend's prompting, Rodney also welcomed her. "It is nice to have someone in the administration who really appreciates the value of my work and doesn't undermine me by submitting reports full of derisive comments to the IOA."
"It would be nice to have that on the science team," Radek muttered. "It is very good to see you again, bludný děvče."
Teyla bent her head to touch foreheads, and Cassandra responded likewise. "As the others have said, I am greatly pleased to see you again, my friend. My people will be equally happy for the opportunity to show you Athosian hospitality."
With all of her closest friends greeted and going about their work again, Cassandra turned to Ronon. A mask of indifference had fallen over his features, and he was as hard to read as he had been when they first met months ago. Steeling herself for whatever came, she approached him and asked quietly.
"Can we talk alone?"
She feared he would refuse, but he turned and led a path through the control room to the balcony beyond the stained glass door. Moisture clogged the air outside, but a steady ocean breeze swirled around the spires of Atlantis. She could see that he wasn't going to make this easy for her by his withdrawn posture and closed expression.
"I found out some interesting things while I was gone. Like the fact that everyone who has ever known me thinks I have a tendency to bury my head in the sand. That's an Earth phrase, I don't know if you …. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is: I thought I belonged on Earth, but that was just an excuse to avoid a much more difficult calling. I'm meant to be in the Stargate program, and I'm made to fight injustice wherever I see it."
"And that's in Pegasus?"
Cassandra felt so relieved to hear him speak and not sound furious at her that she almost laughed out loud with giddy happiness. "Yes. I'm back to fight for all the humans in the Pegasus galaxy just like the SGC fought for all the humans in the Milky Way."
Silence settled over them, not quite as companionable as before. She knew they had one issue yet unresolved.
"Ronon, are we okay?"
"I left Atlantis once, but things weren't what they seemed, so I came back. I can't really say anything since I did it too."
Cassandra crossed the space between them and leaned against the railing with her back to the ocean. She had missed his closeness, and though she would never have taken any job she didn't want for a man, she couldn't deny how wonderful it felt just to be near him.
"That's good. Not exactly what I meant, though."
Daring to be bold, she wrapped her fingers around the necklaces dangling at his chest. It was a familiar, intimate gesture that he recognized and responded to. She didn't have to tug to pull him down to meet her lips. The kiss was all his doing.
o o o
Cassandra reclined with her head on Ronon's shoulder. Outside the window, the elongated light of passing stars streamed over the city's cloak as blue streaks. This had been the view from every window and balcony of the city for eight days.
She stared at the drawing, The Memory of Kites, he had propped up on his nearly empty bookshelf where he stored his weapons. Knowing him as she did, she understood what a place of honor he had given her drawing.
"I get it, you know," he said. She raised her head and peered up into his green eyes. He must have read the doubt on her face. "You told me about your dream, and you talk about kites in your sleep. Your dream, it's not really a dream, is it?"
She shook her head. "I didn't know that, though, when I told you about it. It's funny how that dream is actually a memory, but it's the most symbolic dream I've ever had."
This was outside Ronon's realm of usual conversation, so Cassandra let it drop easily. It wasn't something she wanted to dwell on anyway. She would dream about kites her whole life, but she thought less so now that she had a future to look forward to instead of only a past to run from. They sat in comfortable silence, Cassandra staring at her drawing and Ronon nodding off.
John's voice crackling over the radio brought them back to reality. "Ronon, it's time."
"Time for what?" Cassandra asked.
"You'll see. Come on."
On the way through the city to wherever Ronon was leading her, Cassandra felt Atlantis drop out of hyperspace. No alarms or announcements followed as she would have expected. Instead, everyone they passed in the corridors continued working as if nothing unexpected had happened.
"What's going on? Why did we drop out of hyperspace?"
Ronon paused in front of an automatic door that opened onto a balcony high on one of the eastern towers – or what had been an east tower when the city was on Earth. She followed him into the open air beneath the city's faintly glowing blue shield. All the around, the sky was blank and black.
"We're in the void between the Milky Way and Pegasus," she observed.
Gently, Ronon took her shoulders in his hands and turned her around. She gasped. Cassandra gazed across the vastness of space at the beautiful galaxy before her. Like a blue splash of paint on a black canvas, it was a work of art on a cosmic scale. If she spent the rest of her life hovering between the galaxies, she would never tire of gazing at Pegasus.
"You're seeing Pegasus for the first time. What do you think?"
She hardly had the words to describe the inspiring splash of color, so she said the only one that sprang to mind.
"Kites."
THE END