Lt. Harlin set the cloaked Jumper down in a field on the perimeter of the protected zone as the sun disappeared below the horizon. The occupants searched the sky over where the town would be. They were startled when several Wraith Darts flew overhead toward the town. Moments later, the Darts exploded.
"What the…?" Harlin muttered. He brought the HUD up and they looked from the image before them to the scene outside.
The HUD showed them one Hive ship and two cruisers high above the planet. Hundreds of pinpoints of light indicating Darts were swarming down to the surface. In rapid succession, clusters of them brightened then disappeared from the display. They saw corresponding flashes of light in the sky. The occupants of the Jumper strained to see where the fire was coming from on the ground.
"The town is there, is it not?" Teyla compared the HUD image to the ground in the distance.
The Lieutenant picked up a set of binoculars and put them to his eyes for a few seconds before passing them to Elizabeth. He pointed in the direction they were all looking. "Yeah, it's straight in front of us. We saw it when we were descending."
"I don't see any fire at all." Elizabeth adjusted the focus for a moment before giving up and handed the binoculars to Teyla. "What kind of weapon is it?"
"Will you let go? I need to see…" McKay lurched into the cockpit, a Marine Sergeant supporting him. He leaned over the controls and peered out. The HUD dissolved away as Harlin moved out of the pilot's chair to allow him to sit down. "Cernan's doing this?"
Elizabeth glanced at him. "Are you okay, Rodney?"
"No, I'm still numb and tingling all over, but…" McKay looked around then back at her. "Oh, no. It's Sheppard, isn't it?"
"Yes. Ronon told us he shoved Cernan out of the Chamber and sealed the door. He said you fixed the weapon." Elizabeth stared at him. "You did, didn't you?"
"Bloody idiot! It was never broken. The weapon always worked. It just kills the operators. I didn't get a chance fix that." He threw her a grim look before turning to the view outside again. McKay put his hand on the control to power up the Jumper.
"Sir, Col. Sheppard said to land and stay put. He wasn't sure if he could control the weapon well enough to tell friend from foe." Harlin said with urgency.
The astrophysicist paused then nodded. The HUD came up again. There were fewer Darts, but the two cruisers were maneuvering into position directly over the town. They were closing in.
"The Wraith are very angry. They want to destroy the town, everything." Teyla said without emotion. She had witnessed this kind of destruction before.
Elizabeth leaned forward. "Oh, no."
"Give me those." McKay turned and pointed to a pile of instruments in the rear of the Jumper. One of the Marines passed over a data pad and a sensor. He divided his attention from the sky outside to the HUD to the data pad.
They saw two small explosions high above the town that the HUD pinpointed to be within the cruisers. Seconds later, the ships exploded, the blasts lighting up the entire countryside.
"Geez. Was that high enough, Dr. McKay?" Harlin asked.
McKay glanced at the data pad and HUD. "Just."
"What do you mean?" Elizabeth asked.
"If the explosions were too close to the town, the shock wave could cause a lot of damage." McKay responded, still watching the HUD. He pointed to it. "Look, the Hive ship is leaving."
"It's getting away." The Sergeant moved to get a better view.
"Sheppard must be…" McKay stopped and glanced at Elizabeth. She was staring at the sky outside.
They watched the HUD intently. The Darts were all gone, either obliterated or returned to the Hive, which was moving off slowly, but picking up speed.
"Damn." McKay put the binoculars to his eyes. "It might have been out of range before he could target it."
"I am sure he is fine." Teyla laid her hand on the other woman's shoulder.
"We need to get back to town." Elizabeth finally tore her eyes from the sky. "Rodney?"
"Yes, yes. Lieutenant?" The HUD disappeared as McKay quickly moved to the seat behind the pilot's and let him sit down again.
Harlin powered up the Jumper and it began to rise. Before it got ten feet from the ground, they saw another explosion. They didn't need the HUD to see the Hive ship begin breaking up. Pieces of it quickly became massive meteors streaking across the night sky.
"Well, I'll be. He got it." The Lieutenant slowed their ascent. They all studied the images.
"Where is the debris falling?" Elizabeth watched the sky.
"At least a couple of hundred miles on the other side of the town. He must have waited until it was far enough away to cause no damage on the ground." McKay was studying sensors.
Elizabeth turned to Harlin. "Go."
"Yes, Ma'am. We'll be there as soon as I can get this bucket moving."
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Elizabeth and Teyla were out of the Jumper before the ramp touched the ground. Two of the three Marines kept pace. They hurried into the Temple and ran to the door of the Chamber, scattering Cernan and the Wardens. Ronon stopped pacing when he saw them.
"Where is he?" Elizabeth looked from Ronon to the door.
"Still in there. The door hasn't opened yet." He turned and pushed on the door. "Somehow, he got it to open when the Keeper was in there by himself. Sheppard tossed the old man out and closed the door again."
Governor Wyndan ran up, closely followed by Trineer and several Wardens. "The Ancestors be praised! All of Arunia owes Col. Sheppard a debt too great to repay."
Ronon glared at them. "Get the door open!"
McKay staggered up, aided by Harlin.
"We cannot open the door." Wyndan's elation disappeared. "It can only be opened when the Keeper opens it or..."
"Dies." McKay finished.
"That means he could still be alive." Elizabeth looked from Wyndan to Trineer. "Rodney, John opened it from out here before. Can you see how?"
McKay looked around the door and ran his hands over the wall on either side. He shook his head. "There may be something here, but I can't get it to work."
Both men had sadness and pity in their eyes. Trineer bowed his head. "We are so very sorry, Dr. Weir. No Keeper has survived a Wraith attack for more than three thousand years."
Teyla touched her transceiver. "Col. Sheppard? Can you hear me?"
McKay continued to look around the door for an external way in. "Colonel?"
"John? Please open the door." Elizabeth stood near the door and tilted her head, trying to will it open for them.
It silently opened. McKay and Elizabeth stopped dead just inside. Sheppard was standing at the console, right hand on the ATA sensor. He said nothing, but his left arm was extended towards them, hand up. The room was bathed in a soft glow and they felt, rather than heard, a humming.
"John?" Elizabeth didn't move. "Are you alright?"
"I'm okay. Rodney, get your gear." He dropped his left hand to grip the edge of the console, but didn't turn.
"Why, what's wrong?"
"I can't power it down." Sheppard's voice was deceptively relaxed. He glanced around and saw their confusion. "This thing works like a…a… it reloads instantly. There should be a safety that prevents it from discharging and cycles the energy back into storage. The safety allows the Keeper to safely power it down, but isn't working. The cycle is just creating a charge that kicks back and kills the Keepers."
"Really?" McKay craned his neck trying to see the console. "How could you possibly…?"
"Rodney!" Elizabeth glared at him.
"Oh, sorry. I'll be right back." The astrophysicist hurried away through the crowd of people around the door, dragging the two Marines with him.
"John, do you need anything?" Elizabeth stayed at the door.
"This may take a while. I could use a chair."
"Immediately, Colonel." Wyndan turned to Trineer, who was already talking to two of the Wardens. A high-back, wooden chair quickly appeared next to Elizabeth.
She took it in and set it next to him. He gingerly touched it with the back of his hand before spinning it around and straddled it. "Thanks."
"Okay, stand back. Let me through." McKay's voice was raised as he pushed his way into the room. He was carrying his data pad and a bag of other equipment. He stayed near the wall as he looked at Sheppard and the pedestal.
"Are you alright?" She bent to study the Colonel's face closely. She saw a muscle in his jaw tightening.
"Yeah…" He leaned away when she reached out to touch his arm. "No, no, don't touch me. This thing is live and I might be, too."
"Live?" She drew her hand back in alarmed. "John!"
He added quickly. "I'm fine. It's just a little…uncomfortable."
"What about the rest of the room?" McKay jumped away from the wall and looked around nervously.
"It's okay, Rodney. It's only the console and I'm the only one in contact. Just don't touch me or this console." Sheppard paused. "How are you feeling?"
McKay set his gear down and wiggled his fingers. "Still tingling all over."
"Can't you just take your hand off it?" Elizabeth asked.
"No, it'd overload the controls." Sheppard blinked and frowned at the console.
"Probably has to complete the shut down sequence." McKay peered at the console from several feet away then around the room. "Can you just fire it into the air?"
"Tried that. I think it has failsafe programming. It needs a target." Sheppard looked from McKay to Elizabeth. "A Wraith target."
"Really?" McKay pointed at the wall in front of the pedestal. "Can you open that?"
The panel in the wall opened again and the lights came up. Several gasps came from the doorway. They heard the murmur that started in the anteroom when the door opened to reveal a living Sheppard growing into chatter. Wyndan and Cernan came into the room, several others jostled for a view behind them.
"Elizabeth, tell them to leave. You go, too. I don't know how long I can hold this." At first glance, it appeared he was relaxed, leaning forward against the back of the chair with his right hand still resting on the ATA sensor pad. It was his left hand that gave away the stress he was under. It gripped the back of the chair tightly enough to whiten the knuckles.
"John…" She leaned in close.
"I'm okay. It's just hard to focus with a big audience." He flashed a grin at her. "There's a lot of juice in here with no place to go and I have to contain it until Rodney figures this out."
Elizabeth went to the door, but stayed inside. She spoke quietly to Wyndan as she motioned Harlin to approach. "Governor Wyndan, Col. Sheppard and Dr. McKay need quiet. Would you move your people out of the room, please? Lieutenant, see if you can get everyone cleared out of this area. Then, have the Jumper ready to go, just in case."
"We will pray to the Ancestors for success." With one more look inside, Wyndan and Trineer began to move their people away.
"Yes, Ma'am." Harlin nodded and went to work with his men.
"Dr. Weir…" Teyla stepped forward with Ronon.
"John doesn't need any distractions until Rodney finds the problem and fixes it." Elizabeth almost whispered. "Stick around and make sure no-one tries to get in."
She walked back to Sheppard. He looked up at her with narrowed eyes and shook his head. The door closed, cutting them off from the outside. He laid his left arm across the top of the chair back and rested his forehead on it. His eyes closed and he took a deep breath. She was relieved to see him relax a little.
McKay stared at Sheppard for a long moment. He pointed to writing on the wall next to the open panel and spoke softly. "Elizabeth? Think you can take a look at these? There might be something that can help."
"Yes, of course." She nodded and walked over to the wall. After briefly studying the symbols, she pulled her PDA from her jacket pocket. Elizabeth soon became immersed in the Ancient writing, but turned to look at the Colonel every few minutes.
After a minute, McKay stopped and walked over to the pedestal. "Can you, by any chance, start running the diagnostic again?"
Sheppard lifted his head and shook it. The HUD came up again. "I can't start the diagnostic, but will this help? I may be able to tell you if you get close."
"Sure. Okay." McKay returned to touching the probe to the crystals and reading the data pad and glancing back at the display.
The Colonel settled his head on his arm again.
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"John?" Elizabeth almost whispered. She was worried when he hadn't spoken or moved in more than an hour.
"Mmm?" He lifted his head and blinked at her. "How's it going?"
"This is incredibly complex!" McKay continued checking the crystals as he spoke. "I've ruled out a few of the pathways, but I haven't found anything indicating a safety yet. You haven't felt anything?"
Sheppard just shook his head.
"Anything there, Elizabeth?"
"Nothing that would really help so far, Rodney. It starts off saying the Guardian is from the Ancestors and protects the people here from the Wraith. Then it talks about the role of the Keeper." She searched the Colonel's face. He looked tired. "John, how are you holding up?"
"I'm good." He raised one corner of his mouth in a lopsided grin. "I spent six months learning how to meditate, remember?"
Sheppard repositioned his arm on the back of the chair and, closing his eyes, rested his head on it. Elizabeth turned back to the writing.
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Teyla sat on the floor with her back to the wall. They had moved to the room with the etchings to keep the Arunians as far away as possible. She faced the door to the anteroom, but watched Ronon prowl back and forth. He would occasionally stop and stare at the closed door to the Chamber.
"What are they doing in there?" He finally said.
Teyla looked up at him. "Ronon, Dr. McKay must be sure that Col. Sheppard can safely shut down the weapon. Otherwise, it might kill him."
"I know that. Why is it taking so long?" He turned to look at her. "Don't answer that."
She got up and stretched. The room outside was empty, but she caught a glimpse of the Wardens standing guard in the hallway beyond.
"Teyla?" The transceiver crackled.
"Yes, Lt. Harlin?" She answered quietly.
"Anything?"
She shook her head as she responded. "No, nothing yet. Is everything quiet out there?" She knew Harlin and his men were still with the Jumper in the square in front of the building.
"There's quite a gathering, but very quiet. They're just waiting. I'll let you know if anything stirs. Harlin out."
Teyla looked at the symbols and pictographs on the wall. She started to walk around the room, looking for the beginning of the text.
Ronon followed her gaze. "Can you read that?"
"I will try." It was better than just sitting, or pacing.