Title: Atlantis
Author: Tonia Barone
Rating: Teen
Spoilers: The Storm, The Eye, Underground (Genii knowledge yadda yadda yadda), blink-and-you-miss-it for Brotherhood
Disclaimer: Not mine, some else more important and rich owns them.
Notes: Thanks to jakisbishlygay for the beta, as always. Last part of chapter 8, finally. Now the REAL work begins on chapter 9 (Defiant One).
Summary: All things must end eventually. It is now time for the Genii to discover this fact of existance.
Her Protector has disengaged the final grounding station and now he, the Leader and the Genii leader are gathered in the control tower. Her Protector is doing a marvelous job at stalling under the pretense of needing the Leader's very long pass code. For all that he claims he is horrible at bluffing, he can lie with the best of thieves.
This allows two things to happen: the Genii time to flee with their stolen supplies and her Favorite and his Second time to plan an ambush.
But what is this? Oh no, they could not take her Protector from her; she wouldn't allow it. She is quick to inform her Favorite of this latest development, though he sees it at the same time as she had. He assigns her Protector's safety to his Second while he takes care of the Leader's captor, the Genii leader himself.
The Second takes care of the Genii guarding her Protector in short order and her Protector quickly ducks beside the dais the Doorway rests upon. This leaves just the Genii leader for her Favorite to dispatch.
The Genii leader is using her Children's Leader as a shield, obviously thinking that her Favorite would not shoot his Leader. What the Genii don't know is that her Favorite is an expert marksman. Her Favorite fires, the small metal projectile they use as ammunition digging deep into the Genii leader's left shoulder, just above the Leader's own shoulder. He drops her as he spins into the Doorway, propelled by the force of the hit.
As she disengages the Doorway, her Protector makes his way up to the control station he was working on earlier. She detects what he does and is worried: there is a disturbingly large wave—her Protector calls it a 'tsunami'—coming straight at her. Without the shield, there is naught she can do for her Children or for herself for that matter. The wave's size is sufficient enough to decimate her should it impact. She would, in effect, be killed, along with all those who resided within her at the time.
She prepares to open the Doorway on her own, fearing for the lives of her Children, when her Protector gets ready to activate the shield. She is not certain there is enough power gathered yet, but he would try. The Second points out that the Healer and the Warrior are still out in her halls, but she assures her Protector that they are nearly to the control tower. Her Favorite reinforces this by asking her Protector to wait just a few more minutes. There is time, she tells him, and he listens to her.
The Healer, the Warrior and the Genii woman arrive moments later. Her Protector wastes no time activating the power collectors, but it will be close. The wave is almost upon her when there is finally enough power for the shield. She raises it just as the wave reaches her and were she able, she would breathe a sigh of relief; that was too close.
Once the storms have passed, the Leader recalls her Children to her and she is glad. The Leader and her Favorite discuss the fate of the Genii woman while watching her Children return and she is uncertain how she feels about this. The Leader wishes to return the woman to her people, yet her Favorite is a bit more pragmatic about the likelihood of this easing the tensions between their two peoples. She, herself, agrees with her Favorite; it would be foolhardy to believe such an offering would appease the Genii.
Her Protector goes up to them and she would smile at his aggrieved tone at having to bandage his own arm. She is further amused by the fact that he has done it wrong; the bandage is supposed to be on the inside of his clothing, not the outside. This could not be helped; however, as the Healer is suffering from the mild concussion he received from the Genii woman.
Her Protector gives a report on her state of being when the Leader asks; adding that he has finally eaten for the first time in what is one of their Earth days. He states that, exempting the minor structural damage to the eastern pier, that she and himself are "just fine." That he spoke of the two of them together like this touches her, for few have viewed her as he does. Finally, he is beginning to see her as she truly is.
She turns her attentions to the Doorway as the Engineer returns. He is looking a bit more ruffled than is usual for him and he is muttering to himself in his native language. If she had more power, she would be able to understand him via the translator she holds. As he is looking so very worn, she prepares his rooms for his arrival: making sure the temperature is at his preferred level, the sleeping pad warmed, and the windows adjusted to block light from entering while still allowing the view afforded to these particular set of rooms.
When he finally arrives after having conferred with her Protector on her structural status, she opens the door for him. He pauses just inside, smiling at how she prepared his rooms. She can feel his gratitude even before he voices it and this pleases her. He has much work ahead of him, what with overseeing the repairs she will need.
Of course she prepares the rooms of her Favorite, her Protector and the others who remained with her during the storms. It is the least she can do in thanks for their hard work and the suffering they have suffered due to the Genii incursion.
Her Protector gives his thanks silently as he collapses onto his sleeping pad, physically and mentally exhausted by the stress of the last few days. The Leader and the Second also thank her in their own ways, as both are uncertain as to her true nature. The Warrior voices her thanks in the form of a prayer said in the language of her former Children and she responds by adjusting the air currents in such a way that the flames of the Warrior's meditation candles flicker.
The Healer is in the care of his staff and is currently confined to the infirmary. If the medical personnel find it odd that the Healer is always awake when they go to wake him themselves, they don't mention it. Not in front of him, at least. Secretly, however, they speak amongst themselves of how she cares for the Healer and his staff are glad for the assistance she gives.
Her Favorite, as always, is her greatest concern and she takes extra care when preparing his rooms for him. She wishes she had more power so she could initiate the small drones whose purpose is to clean up after her Children. While her Children have found the large laundry room, they have not found the specialized equipment used to repair worn and damaged clothing. The drones themselves come equipped with a special chemical formula that removes stains, something that her Favorite sorely needs. Difficult as it is to tell with his dark clothing, there are bloodstains in places.
He, like her Protector, is exhausted yet unlike the thinker he is unable to sleep. The horrors of the day have finally caught up with him and all he sees are the lives he has taken and the two that were lost. She soothes him as much as she can and distracts him by sharing several amusing antecedents from the time her former Children were with her. At last he falls into slumber, a small smile gracing his handsome face. She adjusts the temperature of the sleeping pad, then the room before locking the door and turning her attentions on the rest of her Children.
She has seen to the care of her most beloved Children and though she cares for all those who reside within her walls, this small group is especially dear to her. They are the ones largely responsible for her care and for that she is ever grateful. With the storms behind them, they should be safe with her once more. She will be more vigilant against possible invasion and will adjust the power allotment to allow her to run her sensors in the background of the other systems. She will do everything in her power to protect and warn her Children against future calamity. She prays that this is enough.