-1The darkness could be comforting, it could also be oppressing. Tonight, with the cool of the ocean around her and only the murmurings of Atlantis in the air Elizabeth Weir wasn't quite sure what she felt. At the very least, she sighed, it was quiet.
After almost a week the ghosts of their latest adventure were beginning to fade. Another invasion, this time from an unknown enemy, appearing out of nowhere like the bogeyman and trying to steal their city away. Another enemy, another joyless victory. At this rate it would take nothing less than divine inspiration to keep them all safe and well. It had taken a few short hours for her people to rise up and defeat those who had invaded their home but that short time had cost them dearly.
Beckett's infirmary held many injured bodies that would awake groaning in the morning; Dr Biro's held three that would not. Three lives. That was the cost for keeping the city. It was a rather cynical to think of paying rent with lives but nevertheless some nights she did. Others, she wondered how much that price would rise and in the end whether even one was worth it.
It wasn't even the entire price. Not content with taking the city, their invaders had tortured everyone they could get their hands on, not physically, no, they were far more advanced than that. A little piece of metal into the side of their skull and the seven poor souls they'd captured were reliving the worst moments of their life. She'd held it in her hand as she looked at the broken forms of her people. So much pain from such a little thing.
Everyone who had suffered that was sent to Dr. Heitmeyer who said they were progressing, gradually. All except one.
Radek had refused to speak to her. Eventually Elizabeth asked him personally if he would go, just to try, he didn't have to speak about anything he didn't want to and then, with a hand on his arm, told him she was worried for him. As she thought it might, it had worked and he went. He went and sat in absolute silence for an hour.
Rodney's way of trying to cope with Radek's shift in personality was to attack the examination of the device as if it were wholly and maliciously responsible for everything that had every gone wrong in his entire life. Working with the desperate belief that somehow if he could just figure it out everything would be ok again.
He couldn't though. There wasn't much left over to begin with and what little they had to examine was far too delicate. Only one thing was certain, that it was neither Ancient nor Wraith and far beyond their own level of technology. Yet another thing to worry about.
At least Rodney hadn't needed any encouragement to go and see Dr. Heitmeyer. He walked in and talk for an hour, from the moment the door closed to the moment it opened again she didn't get a word in edgeways.
Elizabeth entered the kitchen in the dark and flipped the switch on the kettle before she tapped the switch for the light. Something didn't feel right. She wasn't alone in the room.
Light flashed in her eyes, pain exploded in her head.