Story Title: Atlantis Rising (yeah still working on a new and somewhat original title)
Chapter Title: Return from the Unknown
Author: Still me, but this is me during the middle of the night, so who knows what I'll actually be like!
Disclaimer: Don't own it, never will, don't sue. Simple enough, I think.
Author's notes: I just want to make sure that everyone knows that this takes place AFTER the episode suspicion. Teyla is off visiting her people, and that's why she's not here yet.
Also I apologize if these middle-type chapters seem slow that is because . . .well they are. I have to set up the stage so my players can act. In other words, you have to know just what the aliens are capable of. The pace, and action, will pick up soon. I promise. Like within a chapter or two. Oh and off-world visiting is also coming . . .
Thanks to kbandy and TTO. You guys are awesome! Oh and Kerry . . . don't worry there will be plenty of Sheppard (and others) angsty times in the very near future.
Rodney groaned in despair as his computer began to beep at him. He had tried every possible alley of tackling, and taking down, the alien device, but there was nothing he could find. No loopholes, no mistakes in programming. He hadn't even seen what he was supposed to be disarming. It was a hopeless situation at best, made even worse that he was tired. His dreams the past few weeks had been messy and unorganized. Nothing like his usual dreams. These had been happening ever since Beckett had injected the Ancient virus into him, almost three months ago. Sleep had not come easily after that and his dreams continued to haunt him during the day.
Setting the pen he had been chewing on down, McKay allowed his gaze to drift toward what they were assuming was stained glass. The bright colors shown with extra vitality as light from the outside and the light emanating off the gate meet, creating a collage of mismatched colors. Strangely, it was beautiful. Unique and bizarre, it hypnotized McKay, capturing his attention and allowing his mind to drift off to blissful sleep.
"Doctor, is everything okay?" Weir asked, standing behind Rodney, concern clearly on her face.
His mind snapped back with renewed clarity and he turned to answer Elizabeth with all the exhaustion and frustration that had accumulated over the past multiple weeks. "Oh, yeah, everything's just peachy. The city's dying. I'm stuck in thousand year old technology. I can't concentrate. Every little noise is setting me off. The bright red shield that is suppose to be protecting us is always there. We have a species who wants to kill us. If we go anywhere the Wraith will find us. And the one person who could help possible solve our problems is currently preoccupied." McKay motioned toward Amorina, who was still lying on her makeshift cot in the corner of the room. Beckett loomed over her with his three assistants scurrying about to comply with his orders.
Weir glared at Rodney, demanding a better answer, not even glancing in Amorina's direction. She remained quiet, allowing him to finish.
"And if I had any idea of what I was doing then this would be a lot easier."
"Don't you play around in the systems almost daily?" Weir questioned.
"It's surface stuff only, really. I haven't ever had the ability, or need, to dig any deeper. At this level of complexity if I hit one wrong system . . ." Weir nodded, she knew exactly what McKay was talking about.
"The thing is," Rodney's shoulders slumped and his head bowed. His voice lowered to a mere whisper and Elizabeth was forced to lean closer to understand him, "I can't fix it." He sounded tired and his eyes showed defeat when they rose to meet hers. "I need her to do anything."
Weir knew that at that moment McKay had, for the first time, been truly defeated and that he would be unable to effectively work. Looking him straight in the eye Elizabeth quietly said, "Rodney, go sleep." Before he could object, Weir continued, "You said yourself that there is nothing more you can do, so go rest. Even if it's only for a few hours."
McKay, however, disagreed. "I couldn't sleep, knowing that the second fall of Atlantis would be on my . . ."
"Doctor." Weir snapped, "How much time do we have before the shield completely collapses?"
He looked at her, "A day. Maybe two."
"Then you have time to rest."
"But . . ."
No," Weir stopped him, "I can not have you falling over in twenty hours when we'll need you the most. Just a few hours Rodney, that's all I'm asking." McKay mumbled an incoherent "yes" and sulked off toward his sleeping quarters.
Weir turned to her office, fully hoping to use the next few hours organizing people and thing for a quick evacuation, should they be forced to abandon Atlantis. Sheppard, who had seen the entire exchange, snuck up silently behind her, "You give good advice, you know."
"Christ!" Elizabeth jumped, and trying to control her breathing, spun around to meet her smirking military officer. "You really shouldn't sneak up behind people like that."
He shrugged, "At least you jump, Teyla never does."
"Do you often attempt to frighten Teyla?" Weir asked cautiously.
"As often as conveniently possible, but we're getting off the subject." He eyed her.
"We are?"
"Yes, we are." Sheppard answered, "You should take a bit of your own medicine and catch some sleep."
Weir crossed her arms, "but the evacuation plans . . ."
"Should be handled by someone militarily trained."
But . . " Weir protested.
'"Oh no, no," Sheppard grabbed her by the shoulders, "Ford and I can take care of it. You, however, have been up the longest out of anyone and it's time for bed!"
"Carson's been up longer." Elizabeth muttered under her breath.
"What did you say?" Sheppard asked, a gleam in his eye.
Against her better judgment, Weir decided to play along, "I said," she answered in a loud voice, "that Carson's been up longer than I have."
"Well, if Beckett wasn't trying to save Amy's life, he'd be next."
Having no decent response, Elizabeth remained silent and allowed herself to be led to her quarters.
xxxxxxx
"Five hours to Zero Hour, Doctor."
Carson jumped at the noise. His head snapped up from where it had been resting on the table top and his eyes opened, only to find Rodney standing before him.
"What's zero time?" Beckett asked, yawing as he did.
"That's Zero Hour, Carson."
"I don't care what it's called, just tell me what the bloody hell Zero Hour is." Carson snapped.
"Zero Hour is when the very last team evacuates." Weir broke in.
"And I suppose . . .?"
"Yep," Rodney answered, "You, me, Liz, Sheppard, and Amorina are the last ones." His face broken into a grin, "Congratulations Doc, that gives you another two hours to wake her up."
Carson sighed, and rubbed his face. "How long was I asleep?"
"Almost ten hours, Doctor." Weir answered, "And in the most uncomfortable position I've ever seen."
"You let me sleep ten hours." His voice lowered to a deadly growl.
"Yes I did, and you desperately need it." Weir snapped back, "now wake up our guest."
"But you said I had another . . ."
Elizabeth narrowed her eyes, "I did not, Rodney did. We need her awake, now." Beckett started to protest, but she held up a finger, silencing his argument, "I don't care what it takes Doctor, just do it."
"There was one thing I could try, but." Carson began, slowly.
"I don't care, just wake her up." Weir said.
"But it could cause serious damage."
"Doctor," Weir warned.
Beckett bit back any response. Reaching into his lab coat pocket, he pulled out a syringe and grabbed the nearest medical kit. Carefully pulling out two bottles, Carson set them before himself. One was filled with a clear, thick liquid; in the other was a pasty green substance. Holding the clear bottle before him, Beckett carefully measured out enough so it almost filled the syringe. Systematically, he placed the bottle back and held up the green one. Looking over at one of his assistants, he nodded and the nurse moved to prepare a sanitized spot on Amorina's neck. Measuring out only a very little bit of the green substance, he mixed the two. The two liquid combined very slowly, but as they did the colors changed. The once clear liquid became dark and green. The pasty liquid all but disappeared completely. Slowly, as the colored mellowed, bubbles began rolling up the sides of the syringe and the liquid began to boil. When now thick, lime green liquid began bubbling furiously, Carson moved to where Amorina was lying.
Lowering himself beside Amorina, Carson took a quick breath and prepared to inject the liquid straight into her neck. His medically trained hand shook, and as much as he tried to stop it he could not. Carefully he brought the syringe up to just underneath her ear and pressed the needle into a vein, preparing to inject the liquid, when her brown eyes opened and her hand shoot out, grabbing his forearm and effectively stopping him.
"Don't." She said, her voice hard and cold, "That could have been fatal." Her eyes hardened, to match her voice, "I thought you would have known that."
"I did." Beckett's expression was just was harsh. They remained locked in a silent standoff, neither wanting to admit they were wrong, until McKay broke the silence.
"As much fun as this little reunion is, Amorina your help is needed."
Sitting up, Amorina gracefully stretched and stood, "Of course. What have you accomplished?"
"Well . . . um . . . nothing so far, but I know something will come to me, soon." Rodney stammered, uncomfortable under the scrutinizing gaze of Amorina.
"You mean that in fifteen hours, you could not come up with anything worth mentioning." Her eyes narrowed.
"No . . . wait, how did you know how long it had been?"
Amorina sighed, "I always know the time, and I know exactly what went on when I was unconscious. But I guess that can't be helped. We'll start from the beginning." She said, and without looking back walked to the computer. McKay followed without comment.
"Do you think that's safe?" Beckett asked Weir, when they were alone. He turned to dispense of the mixture and replace the bottles and syringe back into the kit.
"Letting her free in our systems?" He nodded, "No, but I don't have much of a choice. We cannot allow Atlantis to fall. I doubt even the Ethosians would take us in. Not after how we treated them."
Carson nodded in agreement, "How should we . . ."
But his question was interrupted another explosion. The blast was completely silent but the white light that was emitted burned.
xxxxxxx
Amorina knew she had yelled "cover your eyes" when she saw the second device traveling through the gate. But, unfortunately, there wasn't enough time to explain and the blast hit before anyone was prepared. She doubted that many, if anyone, actually heard her. Amorina knew she was still mistrusted by almost everyone, except, perhaps, McKay, but in matters that they had no knowledge in she really wished that they would believe her and responded to the warnings she gave. Glancing toward Rodney, she knew immediately that he had minded her and shielded his eyes, the others, however, did not.
As soon as the first cries of "I'm blind!" rang out, Weir opened her eyes, and discovered that she too was blind. All she could see was snowy white. Everything the same, twisting color. Her eyes played games with her blindness, seeing colors that weren't actually there and warping them into shapes that made no sense. Trying to shut out the dizzying effects, Elizabeth shut her eyes, holding her hands to her head. Still swaying she gave up and attempted to make out anything.
The remainder of the crew could see nothing, but still they fought their blindness, their gazed eyes trying to focus on things they could not see.