Short 26 - Reckless Behavior
Hope can be a tempting little thing. Oh, don't get me wrong, it's got its good points, as my acquaintance Saint Walker can tell you. But sometimes it goes wrong. Hope can deceive you, tempt you, twist you.
It can make you become bloody reckless.
Just as it did to me.
I slid and dashed around a corner in the Gothic structure around me, a necessary component to my compiler tucked under my arm. A powerful energy blast blasted apart the wall I had just moved beside. Behind me a loud voice screamed, "In the name of the Emperor, kill the xeno!"
Ah, the Imperium of Man. Always a lovely vacation spot...
...okay, not really.
"You bloody maniacs are getting on my nerves!", I shouted.
Well, okay, I just stole a valuable piece of technology. At least valuable to me. It's not like these crazy buggers were using it.
One figure with larger shoulder pauldrons than his head confronted me down the corridor. "Death to xenos!", he screamed while leveling his weapon. The sharp metal sounds behind me told me that the fellows pursuing me were lining up shots as well. I scanned around me. No open doors. No cover.
Trapped.
I couldn't wield the sonic disruptor due to the part I had to carry. No setting 42 shield for me. All I had was my trusty sonic screwdriver. I triggered it at the fanatic ahead of me. Sparks erupted from his... whatever it was, I don't bother keeping track of their bloody guns.
Undaunted, he pulled out a sword that looked like a chainsaw and charged at me. I charged as well and flexed to the side. A stinging pain sliced across my ribs from a near-hit, just enough to cut my suit and the tip of my flesh. I spun away and kept running.
I barely got to the next junction before weapons fire erupted behind me.
With the annoying pain on my lower chest I kept running on, ducking into side corridors whenever fire erupted behind me. I found stairs and ascended them. I could hear my pursuers coming up behind me. But I only needed a moment...
I got to the roof. I was home free, I just needed a...
The ground before me erupted in flame as heavy rounds stitched their way toward me. I jumped out of the way just in time, rolling to one side of the high arching structure. I stopped myself from rolling right off and scrambled to my feet in time to see another squad of troops having apparently beaten me to the roof. Bloody terrific.
So I kept running, trying to get to a ledge. I almost lost my grip on the device I was going through all of this trouble to snag as I fell over, avoiding more fire coming my way in the process. Luck had little to do with it at the moment; the Mechanicus probably wanted their little power stabilizer back in one piece. It was very rare technology from before that whole business with Horus. And I mean rare from even that era. Believe me, I tried to get a piece of it at that time. All I got for my troubles was a damaged TARDIS, a sprained ankle, and a hernia.
I scrambled to the end of the building. A look back told me I was surrounded. They were coming from all sides, their weapons raised. "Return the stabilizer and you will be given mercy!", one armored figure with a monocle-like piece on his head proclaimed.
"Oh come now, I know better than that. You lot don't do mercy," I retorted as I slipped my hand back into my pocket and changed out my sonic screwdriver for something else. "You don't even use this thing anyway. It's too delicate for your oversized guns and oversized engines. What is it with you lot anyway? Compensation?"
"If you return the device, you will die quickly," the mechanicus leader answered. "If you do not, well, the Inquisition will deal with you then."
"Oh, I'm shaking in my running shoes. Really," I answered blithely. I gripped the item in my free hand and sent a mental command through it. "I tried to be nice. I tried to offer you something of equal value! But noooo, you see that extra heart and it's all 'Death to the Xeno!' and such. One of these days I ought to hook up a text-to-speech device to the Golden Throne and see what your Emperor has to say about your lot's attitude these days..."
Bringing up the Emperor was like waving a red flag in front of a bull. One of the soldiers screeched, "Xeno scum! You'll die for that!"
They brought their weapons up. Indeed, they had an even better reason now, since they couldn't fail to hear the VWORP as the TARDIS materialized.
I jumped before they could fire. The TARDIS finished materializing a half second before I landed on the door after a twelve foot fall that knocked the wind out of my lungs. Gasping for air, my hand found the door handle and opened it. I fell into the TARDIS and face-planted on the walkway with the TARDIS' internal gravity taking over as I crossed the threshold. I snapped my fingers immediately and the doors shut behind me. Even as I tried to regain my breath, I scrambled to my feet and got to the TARDIS controls. The TARDIS door vibrated with weapons impacts as my hand found the activation lever and pulled.
VWORP VWORP VWORP.
By the second VWORP I collapsed and drew in several more breaths. I checked the cut in my suit and sighed. "Bloody Imperium," I grumbled. "I really need to stay away from that insane place." I held up the stabilizer. "But it's worth it." I looked up to where I had put Katherine's amethyst necklace. "One last step, dear. One last step."
It had taken time and lots of effort, but the quantum compiler was finally ready. All I needed was a power source.
A familiar-sounding voice sounded slightly irritated as it replied to my proposal. "So, let me see if I understand this?" Richard Woolsey, head of the Atlantis Expedition of Stargate Command, paced around his desk. `"You have knowledge of more ZPMs the Wraith took from the Asuran homeworld and you are willing to help us eliminate that threat in exchange for..."
"...for one of the ZPMs in question, yes," I replied.
"So what happened to that last one?" The smug tone could only come from Doctor Rodney McKay. "Wasted it on that ridiculous quantum compiler of your's?"
"Actually, it worked, McKay," I retorted, not bothering to look him in the eye. "It turns out there was a crystal I could use for the data translator."
"Oh really?" McKay's voice belied his skepticism.
"Don't make me get the citrus, McKay," I growled.
"Alright, enough, both of you." John Sheppard waved us both off. "How many ZPMs do they have?"
"Enough that when they hook them into a Hive ship, even your Asgard weapons won't be enough," I answered. "There has to be at least two. And I only want one."
Sheppard nodded at me and looked to Woolsey. "He's come through for us before. One ZPM is worth stopping the Wraith from becoming that dangerous."
Woolsey looked to be deep in thought for a moment. "I don't like it," he admitted. "It feels too reckless." He looked from me to Sheppard, locked in that familiar frown. "Colonel Sheppard, prepare your team and Major Lorne's. Doctor, do you have a Stargate coordinate for where this Hive is?"
"I've got something better," I reminded them.
Wraith soldiers screeched in rage before Ronon Dex's rather potent pistol barked out with energy, taking them out. Normally I have... issues with firearms, but I couldn't afford to be picky today.
At least it wasn't the size of those Imperium guns.
Behind us gunfire and energy fire roared. "Lorne's team is holding them off as best they can," Sheppard said, running up to join us with his spent firearm in his arm. "Any time, Doc."
"Right." I held up the sonic and sent out a pulse. The ship shook underneath us. "That should distract them. The emitters I left behind will fool them into thinking they have multiple intruders, not just us. It should buy Lorne some time." I brought the sonic up. "This way!"
The nine of us ran through the halls, Lorne's team in the rear and Sheppard's taking point. I pitched in with the sonic disruptor where necessary, cleaning up wounded Wraith and protecting their sides. With the sonic I guided us through the halls of the Wraith Hive ship. There were no living people left, simply corpses. At least in this sector of the ship, I should add. There were possibly other people aboard her, but that would take time to discover. Time we didn't have given the hundreds, indeed the thousands, of Wraith that could be aboard.
Teyla and Sheppard laid down fire as we entered the engineering section. Wraith soldiers toppled before getting shots off, leaving only full Wraith present. "You," one hissed.
"Hello again, my buggy little friends," I proclaimed sarcastically. "I'm afraid you're a rather naughty sort and can't be trusted with those lovely power sources." I gestured to the ZPM modules, glowing gold and stacked near an incomplete receiver for them. We had arrived just in time, it seemed.
The Wraith lunged and ran right into a Setting 4 blast that knocked them back. The guns of the rest of Sheppard's team fired and finished them off. I went to the pile of ZPMs. "Ah, here we are. Three. Not bad, eh? Two more for you lot."
McKay brought out the container cases he'd been carrying and began slipping them in. While he did so and while the others fought, I found a nearby control board and used the sonic on it, tearing through the Wraith computers as fast as I could get through their software and dealing with their usual counter-intrusion viruses in the process. "There we are." I held up the TARDIS remote triumphantly and summoned my TARDIS.
It didn't materialize.
I stared at the remote and tried again. Still nothing. "Oh, you buggers! You clever little buggers!" I went back to the controls. It seemed that after my prior run-ins with the Wraith, they had learned enough to set up their own quantum isolation field, but backed by salvaged Ancient-technology. Without someone in the TARDIS to open the Vortex Regulator I wouldn't be able to force the field down. That left going through their computers.
"Doc, any time!", Sheppard shouted over the rhythm of the gunfire. Ahead of him Lorne and his team fell back. "We've got a whole bunch of them coming."
"I'm working on it!", I shouted while going back to their computer interface. I started looking for their internal systems and the field generator they were using. "The Wraith haven't been using energy shields lately, have they?"
"Not that we've seen," McKay answered. "What? What's wrong?"
"Quantum isolation field. Looks like an Ancient power signature." I had to change connections as the Wraith counter-intrusion software took out one of my approaches. "It's keeping the TARDIS from getting out."
"Let me see..." McKay brought out his tablet and connected it to the Wraith systems. "What are you doing?"
"Turning it off remotely."
"No, that won't work."
"What, you have a better suggestion?", I asked heatedly.
"Of course I do. I need access to their power distribution."
I rolled my eyes. "Yes, because that will save so much time!"
"I don't see you coming up with any better ideas!", McKay shouted in reply.
"Hey!" Sheppard whistled. "Stop fighting and get us out of here, we're almost up to our necks in Wraith!"
I sucked in a breath. The truth was, McKay's idea was sound, if he had a good idea on where to shift the power. "Okay, I'm getting into their power distribution systems."
"Got it," McKay answered. "They're trying to boot me out. Can you...?"
"...I'm keeping the connection open." I kept my hands moving over the controls, tapping in commands and writing code to thwart the Wraith.
A slow rumble began to fill the ship. "Ha!"," McKay crowed. "There it goes!"
I held up my TARDIS control, very ready to mock McKay if it didn't work.
VWORP VWORP VWORP.
The TARDIS materialized in the middle of the room. "Good job," I conceded to him.
"I know," was his answer as he put up his tablet. "Alright, we need to go now!"
"Everyone into the blue box, now!", Sheppard yelled.
As Teyla fell back to the TARDIS the entire ship seemed to vibrate. "McKay, what did you do?", Ronon asked.
"Oh, I shunted the power into their hyperdrive. It's about... twenty seconds from overloading," he answered.
"Make that fifteen," I said, glancing at the screen. "Alright everyone, back into the TARDIS! Now! Come along, allons-y, tally ho!"
Lorne's team fell back next. Ronon entered ahead of McKay, leaving me and Sheppard. He began to fall back under protective fire from Lorne's men at the TARDIS door. I stood there, sonic disruptor up and force shield generated to absorb shots.
Sheppard got five steps away from the TARDIS and fell, crying out in pain as a Wraith blast got him in the hip. I dashed out of the TARDIS, sonic disruptor up, and held off fire with one arm while I used the other one to help Sheppard to his feet. "Thanks Doc," he rasped as I pulled him back into the TARDIS.
"Close the bloody door!", i shouted as I raced to the TARDIS control, keeping my feet despite the growing shuddering. I got to the TARDIS control and worked on resetting the coordinates.
"Three... two... one!", McKay called out as I worked.
As he finished saying "One!" I pulled back the activation lever.
VWORP VWORP VWORP.
"Why do we always seem to get out at the last second?", Teyla asked.
"Drama, my lady," I answered. "Drama."
I saw the Atlantis personnel off with their two prize ZPMs and moved the TARDIS off to finish my work. My hearts pounded with anticipation, but I would not be pushed into haste. I had to do this right.
The ZPM was plugged in. Systems checks were done for... an hour? Two hours? I forget how long. Every part was checked and triple checked and octuple checked. Everything was in ready order. Everything.
I moved the compiler to the space beneath the TARDIS control. "Here we go..." I whispered to myself. "It's time. It's time for me to fix things. Time to bring you back, my brilliant Companion."
Whatever moral or ethical issues there might have been about making a copy of a dead woman... I didn't care. I wasn't going to let that stop me. She had been taken unfairly. She had been taken too young. I was going to get her back. We still had a Multiverse to explore.
"Tally ho," I said to myself as I hit the switch.
Vreeeeee.
The machine came to life. Unlike before, where a depleted ZPM was barely sufficient, the fully-charged ZPM inside didn't cause any flickers of power or signs of failure. The machine continued to vreeee as the system read the quantum signature and began the process of turning the raw information into physical form.
The light on the compiler turned on. A field appeared below it. My hearts filled with joy as Katherine began to form inside of it. "Welcome back," I said, smiling.
I'd done it.
I'd gotten Katherine back.
I'd...
The machine let out a warning tone that made my hearts skip their beats. My eyes went to the control display.
CRITICAL DATA ERROR. DATA NOT TRANSLATING.
"No," I breathed. "No no no no... no you stupid machine! You worked before!" I took the controls and began altering the power flow. "Work! WORK DAMN YOU!"
Try as I might, the machine kept giving me the error. I'd raise power, I'd lower it, and then I turned it off. I checked and saw the data translator crystal was still in place, that it should still be working, with scans showing no signs of faults.
In frustration and rage I screamed inarticulately and hit the switch again. The vreeee sounded again.
The field formed.
A female figure began to appear within it.
It was working! It was working!
The next thing I knew, I was on my arse. Pain filled the front of my body and my ears rang from the explosion that had knocked me backward. I struggled to regain breath and to get back to my feet, shifting around. "No," I breathed ass soon as I regained air in my lung. Horrible realization filled me as I got up enough to scramble over to the compiler.
Or rather, what was left of it.
The power stabilizer I'd stolen from the Imperium Mechanicus had exploded from power feedback, wrecking the device. I... I couldn't understand why. I looked at the wreckage of the device it had taken me months to rebuild and fathomed trying to regain all of the parts, especially the rare ones. So much work, but why did it...
A glint of color came to my eye. I reached into the debris at my feet and picked up a shard of a crystal.
I felt sick to my stomach.
The data translator crystal, responsible for the process that shifted the raw data into information the compiler could turn to a physical form.
Finding a crystal that could move the necessary energy through it without destabilizing or warping itself had been an exhaustive process. In the end, I'd found only one such thing to be suitable.
Octarine crystal from the Discworld.
Bloody Narrativium.
I didn't think that at the time. I only thought of how I'd be replacing all of the objects that were irreplaceable. If my project could still work.
Of course it'd still work. I'd bloody well make it work. I was convinced of that as I reached for the quantum signature scanner and data storage device that held Katherine in it...
...the same one that was now a smoking, warped metal case.
"No," I rasped in horror, reaching and pulling the scanner out. It was hot to the touch, a warped lump of steel and plastics. The light that should have blinked red or green was dead. Still, maybe the data storage device inside was intact...! I took the screwdriver up and scanned. Hope filled me; all was not lost yet! I still had a chance. The data drive could still be intact. In fact, it was...
...utterly and completely destroyed.
I stood there for a moment as I let the horrible news sink in. The drive had been hit by the feedback. Completely. It was gone, unrecoverable, completely destroyed...
And just like that, all hope was lost. The data had been erased by the destruction. The quantum scanner's storage drive was... irreplaceable.
Katherine was gone.
And I couldn't get her back.
I couldn't get her back!
I screamed like a wounded animal and threw the melted device against the wall. With a raw scream of agony and rage and grief still roaring from my pained lungs I grabbed and threw the broken machine on its side. As my scream broke down into agonized sobs I fell to my knees. Frustration joined my grief and rage.
I'd come so close.
So close.