Time Immemorial

Chapter 8: The Plunge

July 16th
1920 Hours

"This is insane," Elizabeth hissed in a whisper as she pulled John aside.

"It makes sense," he countered in an equally low volume.

"Maybe to you!"

"Look: I get in, I grab the transmitter, I get out. Piece of cake."

"That's hardly a plan! John, I understand the need to learn everything we can about that signal, but now isn't the best time. There are at least ten unidentified contacts just out of sensor range nearing this City—"

"And I'll give you three guesses on who they are, but you'll only need one."

Elizabeth sighed. She had been forced to accept the same conclusion. It was just too coincidental that within several hours of meeting a new culture – one capable of air transport and one currently broadcasting a signal from within the City – that the otherwise quiet skies over Atlantis were suddenly seeing activity. It seemed the Lacedami had lied about possessing only one ship.

"What exactly could we gain from retrieving that transmitter?" she asked, not believing she was even considering this. It was one thing to send him into unknown circumstances, but it was far worse sending him into a situation they knew was hostile.

"For one, we could shut it off," the major said with a shrug. "Granted, the cat's already out of the bag, but if Rodney can decode the message, it might give us a lead on what to prepare for."

Elizabeth crossed her arms, not liking that she was unable to find a hole in his logic. "John," she began levelly. "We just discovered that these people are transmitting a signal to who-knows-where from right under our roof, knowingly and willfully compromising our trust – not to mention our safety. Now we think they've sent ships our way. If there was any doubt in our minds that these people's intent was malicious…."

"I'll be fine."

"I'm only saying that this should serve as a warning to stay as far away from them as possible – not to go marching into the lion's den." She ran hers fingers through her hair in exasperation. She let her gaze unfocus as she stared nowhere in particular. "But when has that ever stopped you before?" she asked rhetorically.

John noticed that her words were devoid of even the slightest hint of levity. This was a hard decision for her, given their past. While he wanted nothing more than to ease her concern, he knew he could simply not afford to yield on this issue.

"Go," Elizabeth said suddenly, as if she couldn't stand to think of it any longer.

John just nodded once in thanks, appreciative. He wanted to say something but knew words would do nothing to allay her anxiety. He turned to leave.

"Just… come back in one piece," Elizabeth said abruptly. "I need you with me, back here."

"There's no place I'd rather be," he said with that patented smirk. Looking into her eyes, he spoke softly and reassuringly: "I'll be careful."

John turned to go. "I'll be on comms!" he called back over his shoulder.

Elizabeth watched him jog down the corridor, away from the Control Room, and thought of that sideways grin. Damn him, she thought begrudgingly. And then, with all the willpower she could muster: be safe.

Jogging down the hallway, Major Sheppard noted the City seemed particularly hushed, empty, and cold. Perhaps it was the developing storm outside that darkened the ambience. Yeah, right, John thought to himself. And the fact that I might be about to piss off half-a-dozen, long lost, evil gladiators has nothing to do with it at all. Just keep it together, John.

For whatever reason, he felt the need to approach quietly. The two marine guards posted outside the entrance of the adjoining Lacedami guest quarters reassured him somewhat. "Anything out of the ordinary happen lately?" he queried.

"No, sir," Sergeant Gragowski answered. "It's been pretty quiet. They've been holed up in there ever since they went in."

Nodding, John stood before the closed doors, realizing that he had indeed come without a plan. And so he did the first thing that came to him: he politely knocked. If they didn't want to tip off the Lacedami that they were aware of their clandestine exploits, playing the role of hospitable host was the best course of action.

Several seconds was all John was willing to give them. After no answer, he waved his hand over the sensor, parted the double doors himself and stepped inside. To his surprise, he found nothing – or rather no one. Then, from behind another door further into the room came voices. The Lacedami must all have been in the adjoining guest room. Perfect, John thought to himself.

Allowing the doors behind him to shut, Major Sheppard began on the right side of the room and quickly worked in a counterclockwise fashion, looking for any piece of technology that might be capable of transmitting a signal. Several shed forearm greaves and other miscellaneous items lying on the furniture were the only indication the room had been occupied.

At approximately halfway around the perimeter of the room, however, he found something unexpected. It wasn't a transmitter, but rather a leather satchel thrown hastily under a desk. John replayed a mental movie of the six Lacedami's arrival on base. Frowning, he couldn't place the object with any of them.

His interest now piqued, John picked up the bag and placed it atop the desk. He opened the bag and ran his hands along the inside. Nothing. A roll of several sheets of parchment was the satchel's only contents. Unfurling the documents, he could see that their material and perhaps even their age matched that of similar documents in the Lacedami's mainland settlement. It wasn't the material, though, that sent chill down his spine. His jaw dropped as his eyes scanned the sheets' contents.

"Holy cow…" the major breathed.

There in his hands were 10,000-year-old maps – blueprints – of Atlantis. Every room, every corridor, every level was documented in excruciating detail on the scrolls. The old, faded ink threw into stark contrast the technological marvel that was the subject of the blueprints. Sheppard grew increasingly worried with each flip of the sheets. The Lacedami had somehow acquired intel – damn good intel – on Atlantis. But what bothered him more was a far simpler question: how did the satchel and its mysterious contents get here?

Suddenly, John's head snapped around toward the door linking the adjoining rooms. Voices again. This time they were louder. Clearly the Lacedami were in some sort of argument; despite their best efforts to remain quiet, their hushed spat still wafted through the thin door. In fact, John noted as he took a step closer, even though the conversation was in terse whispers, the six guests were making too much noise, more than seemed reasonable. Something didn't add up.

Listening for a moment longer, John was able to make out two simultaneous discussions. He was only able to discern several non-specific words, but in this instance quantity, not quality, was far more telling. He counted the voices.

There are more than six people in that room, John realized.

The major quickly stuffed the scrolls back into the bag. Still in his offworld uniform, he fished his life signs detector out of his vest, its glowing screen activating on touch. The device confirmed his fears. Between his ten and two o'clock positions, separated from him by only a door, glowed ten life signs – four more than his team had welcomed onto the base.

They had intruders.

"Elizabeth, come in," he said quickly, and quietly, into his earpiece. Putting the life signs detector down on a large table at the center of the room, he performed a cursory search of the remaining portions of the room. Still, no transmitter. Had he been watching the device's screen, he would have noticed four of the dots retreat to the far corners of the annexed space.

"Elizabeth," he radioed again impatiently. "Now would be a really good time to pick up the phone…."

Hearing a swooshing noise off his side, John spun to see the door part and reveal the second half of the Lacedami's guest quarters. Blocking most of his view, however, stood Commander Antigonos in the open doorway.

The two just stood there in tense silence, studying one another, daring the other to make the first move. Each man's face read guilt and surprise, like children who had just been caught with their hands inside the cookie jar.

"Go ahead, John," finally came Elizabeth's voice in John's ear.

The major didn't answer – couldn't answer. He simply stood his ground firmly, praying Antigonos wouldn't learn of his recent discoveries of the Lacedami's deceit. Even though a dozen feet separated the two, John suddenly was far more aware of this man's dangerous, volatile nature. For the first time, he actually felt credibly threatened.

"I thought I made clear that we were not to be disturbed," the commander charged, breaking the silence.

And I actually thought you weren't going to stab us in the back, John thought. Instead, he said dryly, "Just checking up on our guests, seeing if you need any towels or pillows." As he spoke, he casually sidestepped two paces to get a better look at the room behind Antigonos. Standing inside, not attempting to hide, were the five other Lacedami soldiers previously accounted for. The four bogeys remained out of sight.

"Major Sheppard, come in," Elizabeth's voice said once again. "What's going on?"

Once more, Sheppard was forced to ignore her call. He dared not turn his gaze from the Lacedami commander.

Antigonos seemed to evaluate the implications of the major's presence in his guest quarters for several moments before noticing the life signs detector still lying on the center table. He walked over to the device curiously.

John instinctively countered the move, but the commander arrived at it first. John silently cursed himself for leaving it in the open so carelessly. The commander simply could not discover what John had seen. Thankfully, the screen had darkened after a period of non-use. John breathed a small sigh of relief.

"Before you ask," the major noted, "yes, it's Ancient technology. I know you guys are big on that."

Reaching down to retrieve the device, John was once again beaten to the punch. Antigonos scooped the detector from the table and held it in his palm. To John's absolute horror, the screen lit up. He has the Ancient gene, the major recognized. It figures that bastard would be one of the lucky few.

Though John doubted the Lacedami leader had seen a life signs detector before, he knew the man was no slouch. Antigonos had probably understood the device's readout immediately.

John watched the man's reaction carefully. His face remained impassive as he read the screen. If Antigonos was looking at the same screen John had seen only moments ago, namely the four intruders whose existence John was not supposed to be privy to, the man gave no indication. John began to wonder if it still even displayed the four phantom signatures or if they had somehow moved out of range. There was just no way of telling without looking at the screen himself, but he couldn't risk stealing a glance, not with Antigonos watching his every response. No, John had to appear ignorant and unsuspecting.

Done with the device, the commander offered his Atlantean counterpart the detector. He watched John carefully as he did so, looking for a tell. The major gave him none, simply accepting the device and coolly placing it back within his vest without even a glimpse at its screen.

Satisfied, Antigonos nodded to himself. "No, there is nothing we need, Major Sheppard," he said tepidly, responding to John's earlier question.

John didn't need another excuse to leave. "Great. Let us know if that changes." He made for exit, eager to get the hell out of Dodge and report back. As he stepped through the door and out into the corridor, he turned one last time to look back inside the guest quarters. Oddly, he noticed Antigonos was no longer watching his every move; rather, his gaze was fixed off to his left, on a desk… rather on the satchel placed on top of the desk.

I left it on top of the desk, John realized with a sinking feeling. Shit. I found it hidden underneath the desk, put it on top to look through it, and forgot to put it back. He knows I saw what's inside. He knows we're on to them. Shit – shit, shit, shit!

It was then that their eyes met. It was only for a moment, but that was all either man needed. In that instant there was a flash of understanding. Then John's view of Antigonos suddenly vanished.

Jolted from his stupor by the thunk of the doors closing between them, John sprang into action. "Were these rooms — both these rooms — empty before Antigonos and his men were taken here?" he hurriedly asked the two marine guards.

Sergeant Elliot frowned, clearly confused by his CO's frantic demeanor. "Sure — I mean, I can't say for certain, sir, but the City isn't hosting any other offworld guests right now. All the guest quarters connect; it's not really standard procedure to check all twenty of them."

"Is there any way to lock these doors from the outside?"

"Uh, yeah, I think so—"

"Then do it. Do it now. And call for backup – I want at least eight more guys outside this door!" He took off at a sprint down the hallway, leaving the two utterly bewildered sergeants gaping at each other.

Antigonos remained staring at the closed door long after the major had left. He didn't acknowledge the presence of his two lieutenants as they joined his side. This unfortunate wrinkle would merely accelerate their timetable. Their plan would still be executed.

"All other forces report they are in place," Straton informed his commander.

"Good."

"Sir," the young Kyros spoke up. "It does not have to be this way. These people have done nothing."

"I will not discuss this matter again with you, Kyros."

But he boldly raised his chin and continued calmly. "You have taught us the history of our people, our galaxy. I have read about how it was in the days long ago. This is not what the Ancestors would have wanted—"

"You truly claim to know what the Ancestors had in their hearts and minds?" the commander challenged, turning on the young man. "Have you not read the ending to that saga? If you genuinely believe you know what is best for your people, more so than your people's own commander, then, please, I invite you to lead this operation." He stepped aside, offering Kyros a clear path to the door.

The young solider looked to the exit, then back to his commander, unsure.

"As I suspected," Antigonos spat, disgusted. "It is because people like you that the Lacedami culture is in ruins. Now fall in, perform your duty, and stay out of my way."

Then, to the eight other of his men: "Send in all forces."

Antigonos allowed himself a moment of reflection as his men took positions around the doorway. Perhaps he had been foolish to underestimate Major Sheppard's boldness, but he didn't let it trouble him for the same reason that he had invested a minimum amount of effort into this preliminary phase: he knew his people would simply annihilate any Lantean resistance. The major's cunning would only mean he would relish his downfall perhaps more than before.

He barely noticed as his men tore open the doors and took out the two marine guards with kill shots to the chest and head. The pair had been attempting to lock the door from the outside.

With a deep breath, Antigonos strolled into the empty hallway of what was soon to be his City and smiled. "Take the Control Room first. Eliminate anyone in our way."

John raced down the corridor on his way back to the Control Room. He felt as if Antigonos' eyes were boring into the back of his skull. He had his pride, but he also knew when to run. "Elizabeth, are you there?" he spoke rapidly into his mic between breaths.

This time, her response was instantaneous. "John, what's happening? Did you find the transmitter? I couldn't reach you—"

"Did Ford's Jumper already leave the bay?"

"Yes, but what-"

"Call them back, call them back now. Elizabeth, listen to me. You need to tell everyone to lock themselves in their quarters and stay there until we tell them it's safe to come out."

Elizabeth knew John well enough to realize that this rare urgency in his voice was not to be taken lightly. Even without knowing all the information, she trusted him to make the right call. Several seconds later, her voice could be heard across the citywide intercom. "May I have your attention, please. This is Dr. Elizabeth Weir. For your safety, I'd like to ask everyone to remain wherever they're at and to lock all doors. If you're currently outside or in a hallway, make your way to the nearest room, lock yourself in, and remain there until further notice."

Her voice returned in John's earpiece. "Now do you want to tell me why I just put the entire City in a panic?"

John bolted past several windows to the outside. He did a double take and skidded to a halt. Though the sun had set, the western pier below was illuminated from the City's lights. On it sat parked a small spacecraft, identical to its Raven twin he, Ford, and Bates has examined earlier. It seemed to materialize out of thin air. A handful of men poured out from its bay and jogged toward the City, weapons in hand. Further down the pier lied another, then another, the furthest of the three obscured partly by the falling rain. They all decloaked in sequence. He could only guess how many in total there were around Atlantis. His set his legs in motion once again and darted around the final corner into the Control Room.

"You know those radar contacts we thought were Lacedami ships headed for the City?" he answered Elizabeth dryly.

"Tell me we were wrong about them," she said hopefully.

"Only their location. They aren't headed here anymore." He spoke into his radio, but he was now close enough that she could spot his lips moving with his words. "They are here."

"Here?" Rodney echoed rhetorically. "As in, in the City?" While the technicians had been dismissed from the Control Room to their quarters, McKay, Teyla, and Elizabeth had remained.

Her eyes widening, Elizabeth had to fight the rising swell of terror within her. To her credit, she displayed none of it outwardly. "How many?" was all she asked.

"Hard to say," John answered, catching his breath. He rejoined the group. "I spotted three ships, six men each, plus at least one that somehow snuck in early. If we assume there are actually ten ships out there, that makes sixty guys, plus the six that were already here."

"Sixty-six Lacedami soldiers," Teyla tallied. "How many expedition members are in the City?"

Before Dr. Weir could answer her, the lights over their heads blinked out as another blackout engulfed them. Rodney let out a yelp. Elizabeth, now begrudgingly accustomed to the nuisance, ignored it. She had larger problems at the moment.

"About fifty expedition members, most of them civilian," Elizabeth finally replied quietly. She looked to John, who had clicked on his barrel-mounted flashlight. His grim expression matched her own, validating the simple conclusion she had arrived at: this wasn't good.

"We should relocate somewhere more defensible and not so out in the open," John's voice came in through the darkness. He looked at the small group around him huddled in the center of the Control Room. Between all of them, they had two guns and two knives – not exactly the arsenal with which he would choose to take on over sixty invaders. Besides, the enemy was out there, somewhere, doing who-knows-what. He was getting antsy just waiting around. He began to pace.

"Weapons locker," Teyla offered, hushed.

"Agreed," Sheppard said. "I think it's safe to assume their intentions are hostile. Let's head for the weapons cache; I'll have any available marines meet us there."

"Good. But before we go anywhere," Dr. Weir stated, making her way over to a console in the dark, "I want to initiate several lockdown procedures. Maybe we can stop these guys in their tracks before they even start—"

No sooner had she arrived at the console did the lights flicker on. The Control and Gate Rooms were once again fully illuminated. The change in lighting brought about a change in the room's character, and everyone looked warily around them, as if the scenery had somehow changed before their eyes during the period of blackness. It was quiet, still, the only sound the click of the major's flashlight as he turned it off.

Then, from the corner of his eye, John spotted a lone Lacedami sentinel, creeping quietly in the shadows of a hallway in the Gate Room below. He held a weapon. It was then that the man did something odd: he motioned toward his left arm, then his shoulder. John frowned. Oh, crap… the major realized.

He spun to look where the lone soldier was looking. Five more Lacedami soldiers were moving fluidly toward the Gate Room from an opposing hallway, also armed with Lacedami handguns. They weren't stopping. They burst onto the floor of the Gate Room and drew an immediate bead on the four expedition members above.

"Everyone, down!" John managed to call out before bullets began to whiz over his head.

TBC