Chapter 2
The Stargate lit up as it dialed Earth. Abbie was excited; she was going to be able to speak with her father. It had been 3 months since Stargate Command had heard from or contacted Atlantis. This was one of the perks of commanding Atlantis; she got to speak directly to Stargate Command. It also, just so happened, to be under General Mitchell's leadership. The general was also her father. Smiling, Abbie heard the last chevron lock. A pool of blue water burst from the circle. The wormhole to Earth had been established. Abbie pushed the button on her communicator in her ear to speak.
"Stargate Command, this is Colonel Mitchell. We have successfully established a wormhole. We received your request to speak with me earlier from the Daedalus Mark 2. How can we assist you?"
"Well, you can drop the formalities, Abbie. Secondly, we need Atlantis to return to Earth. A few ships have appeared on our sensors, headed right for us. We could use the drones in Atlantis. You've got ZPMs, right? We have a few in Area 51, if you need them."
Abbie thought for a moment. Then she remembered how many ZPMs they had. "We have all we need. Dacey can use the chair, so I believe we are good to go. How are you anyway, Dad?"
"Well, Sam hasn't been home for a month, so I'm a little lonely. However, I have Daniel to spar with me and entertain me. You know how much he likes to party," General Mitchell said in a sarcastic tone.
Abbie laughed to herself. "Alright, in that case, I will see you in half an hour. We will boot up the wormhole drive and be home in time for supper. Atlantis, over and out."
Abbie walked back into the control room from the balcony. Her blonde hair fell from its ponytail as she came to a stop. Annoyed, she quickly put it back up. Turning to another officer, working on something on a laptop, Abbie said, "I need coffee before we enter a wormhole to Earth. Call me if you need me."
Abbie walked out and into a hall. Turning, she headed for a transporter. Once there, she pressed the mess hall's location on the map. The doors slid open and she stepped out. Walking for the nearest table, she spotted a coffee pot. The last thing she needed, most likely. Abbie knew what she needed most was sleep. However, time didn't stop and neither did her enemies. Whoever was headed for Earth apparently couldn't and wouldn't either. With that thought, Abbie poured herself a cup of coffee. It felt warm in her grasp. The liquid slid down her throat and gave her a spark of life. Invigorated, Abbie began walking back to the transporter. The doors opened and the map of the city appeared on the screen before her. Pressing her desired location with her free hand, Abbie sipped her coffee from the cup in her other. When the doors opened once again, she stepped out. Venturing to the front of the command room, she stopped. Swallowing another shot of coffee, Abbie turned to the officer at the controls for the wormhole drive.
"Ready? We need to get this show on the road."
"Yes, ma'am. Would you like to arrive where the ships are or in orbit around Earth?" said the officer, as he turned to his commanding officer.
"Earth will do. General Mitchell is expecting us; we wouldn't want to keep him waiting."
Nodding, the officer began pushing different crystals down and rearranging other ones. Looking down on the Stargate, Abbie pondered what could happen next. Atlantis could be recalled to Earth, only to arrive and be fired upon. There was no telling how fast the ships on sensors moved. They could be like an evil twin race of the Asgard. Or, they could arrive and meet a friendly race who wanted to become allies and only happened to be coming by Earth.
Abbie chuckled at that thought. It was way too optimistic. It was better to prepare for the worst. In the middle of her thoughts, Atlantis entered a wormhole. Blue streaks appeared outside the window as planets passed. Looking down at her coffee, Abbie realized it was probably cold. Shrugging, she took a gulp. Sure enough, it was cold. A grimace crossed her face. Oh well, she shouldn't waste the rest if she could just drink it. Bringing it to her lips, Abbie began to drink the rest. At that moment, Atlantis jerked forward. A scientist behind her, monitoring the wormhole, fell into Abbie. Spilling coffee everywhere, both women crashed to the floor. Abbie started to rise, just to be knocked to her knees by a second jolt.
Looking up from the floor, Abbie called, "What the hell was that? We didn't even exit the wormhole!"
Atlantis dropped out of the wormhole, soon after the second jolt. Scientists and officers alike climbed into their seats, to read the data. The first to report was a young female scientist in the back with a pad.
"We seemed to have been fired upon by the ships on sensors while in the wormhole. I can't figure out who exactly shot us though."
"What do you mean you can't figure it out? It says on the pad, correct?"
"Yes, ma'am, but the data itself makes no sense."
Sighing, Abbie firmly stated, "Pass me a pad; let me see." A pad, miraculously, made it to her hands quickly. The data was contradicting itself. The scientist was right, it made no sense. Then, like a lock and key, it clicked. The data made a horrible sense. "Oh no, this can't be…"
All the people in the command waited to hear what she realized, for no one else knew. Abbie said, with a sad and shocked tone, "The data isn't nonsense; you just have to think a little. It says, with a little interpretation, it is the Wraith. The Wraith, however, have a new card up their sleeve. They have Ori technology now and they are using it."
Atlantis shook once more, but everyone kept their footing. Abbie debated briefly what to do. What could she do? Would the drones have any effect on the new and improved Hives?
"Abbie to Dacey, respond," Abbie said into her earpiece. Dacey responded after a long moment. It was a relief she was alright. "Yeah, Abbie, what's up? I'm lucky I was sitting in the drone chair or I would have done a face-plant." Chuckling to herself, Abbie said, "Well, we are under attack by the Wraith. I was wondering if you could fire drones and monitor their effectiveness. Because, I honestly don't know if a drone will be any use, at the moment."
Abbie looked back down at her pad. A yellow dot, representing a drone, made its way across her screen. It slammed into the Hive. Dacey reported instantly, "It did something, but not much. I, pretty much, threw a pin at an elephant; it might hurt, but barely." Sighing, Abbie replied, "Then we better find a new weapon." With that, she turned to the officers. "Is the drive functional? Can we reach Earth, or are we stranded?"
"Atlantis sustained no major damage and can fly the rest of the way to Earth."
Nodding, Abbie said, "Do it," turning to the scientists, she said, "Find a way to enhance the drones and improve the shield. That is you main responsibility, now."
Scientists scurried from the room and officers worked on bringing the drive online once more. Breathing deeply, Abbie walked to the balcony overlooking the Stargate below. She looked down and began pressing different buttons on her pad. Each time she tried to get clear sensor readings, the pad came up with nothing. A grimace spread across her face.
Without another word, Atlantis's shield went up. A soldier informed Abbie the Wormhole Drive was ready. Nodding, she said, "Enter a wormhole. Take us home."
Blue streaks sped by once more. Abbie quickly became distracted. The Wraith would be nearly unstoppable with Ori technology. This thought caused Abbie's mood to darken. Another thought nagged at her; how did the Wraith manage to survive undetected for the past 30 years and get Ori upgrades? The Wraith were nearly destroyed last time Stargate Command had seen them. How had they survived? No planets in the Pegasus or Milky Way galaxy had been fed upon. Puzzled, Abbie considered it. She studied the blue streaks outside the window. The entire trip to Earth would take an hour. The hive had been on the fringe of the Milky Way galaxy and would get to Earth a little while after Atlantis, their Wormhole Drives were more primitive.
Abbie debated how to spend the next hour. She needed sleep but doubted she could under the circumstances. Turning to the scientist at the console, rearranging crystals, she nodded. He understood; he was in charge of the gate control room while she was gone. Abbie walked around a glass wall and down the stairs to the middle of the gateroom. Turning left, she headed through the corridors that all looked the same, in a way only a person who grew up here could. Finally, she reached the door she wanted and passed her hand an inch above the rectangle control crystals for the door. It slid open. Abbie stepped inside and immediately crashed onto the bed. Sleep deprivation forced her to fall fast asleep.
