Half an hour later and the team came through a large gateway into a town square lined on three sides with houses and shops. Market stalls backed onto a green running up the middle of the square, ending with an oval mound surrounded by stone pillars that reminded Carson of Stonehenge. Behind this the final side of the square was a sheer cliff from which protruded a building of Lantean design with a door wide enough for a jumper. It wasn't overly large and looked more like the remains of a small outpost rather than a full settlement, at least from the outside. There were also a dozen drones circling around it like vultures. Every few seconds one would shoot up into the sky before returning to the mass and it was this display that had led them through the eerily deserted town. McKay held up his scanner before pointing across the square.
"There, that's what we're looking for"
"You think?" Ronon replied in a sarcastic tone and Rodney rolled his eyes.
"Whatever is over riding the gate is coming from in there"
"Where is everyone?" Beckett asked as the team cautiously approached the outpost.
"Hiding no doubt" Teyla suggested. "Perhaps they had watchers at the gate and thought we were Wraith?" It definitely seemed likely as carts, baskets and stalls had all been abandoned along the square. It was as if the entire Town had suddenly dropped what they were doing and run.
"So they shoot at anyone who comes through the gate? Seems a little extreme?" John said as he continued to track the drones in their aerial display.
"It's what I'd do" Ronon stated and the others turned to look at him, "What? Enough people don't come back and eventually no-one would bother coming here, not even the Wraith"
"So you think the villagers are the survivors of the ship crash, hiding from the wraith?" Teyla asked
"It's possible" Ronon said, "We've met others who hide their technology to avoid Cullings" All of them were reminded of how innocent the Genni had looked when they first met.
"But that does not explain the gates apparent override" Teyla said.
"Well, if the drones don't get you but you still can't leave it would definitely add weight to the 'kill everything' theory. But if you're trying to stay hidden why build your village right next to a Lantean outpost? Furthermore, why send a distress signal at all?" Rodney asked.
"Well, you said it was a thousand years old..."
"986"
"...maybe they just forgot to turn it off?" John theorised as they approached the outpost doors.
"It just doesn't make sense" McKay complained.
"No, it doesn't" John agreed as they drew up next to the main doors to the outpost.
As he reached for the door control the mechanical whine of the drones altered and everyone froze as the weapons dropped from the sky. John raised his gun but before he could pull the trigger the glowing missile he was aiming at lost power and thumped into the earth less than 2 feet from where he stood. The rest of the drones did the same and the team watched as the supposedly deadly missiles bounced over the ground and lay still.
"Ok, there is definitely something weird going on" John nudged the nearest drone with his toe but it remained inert. He looked to McKay who looked confused and merely shrugged. Sheppard tried for the door control again but before he even got close to touching it the main entrance opened and the interior lights came on, albeit intermittently.
"McKay, you sure what we need is in here?" John asked as he eyed the empty corridor that led deeper into the outpost.
"Absolutely" Rodney replied with only mild apprehension.
"Ok then" and with that John signalled Ronon and Teyla forward and led his team into the building.
Immediately inside the ceiling shot up and disappeared in the gloom, forming an impressive entrance hall. Yet after a dozen or so metres the roof closed in and they found themselves in a normal Lantean corridor lined with closed doors. The air was close and oppressive and after a few more metres they came to another sealed bulkhead.
The control panel flickered in time with the lighting and the others automatically stood guard as McKay pulled out his tablet and stepped up. However, as soon as he reached forward the door opened.
"Ok, that's just a wee bit creepy" Beckett said and, guns raised, John and Ronon stepped through, followed by the two doctors, with Teyla covering the rear. They found themselves in another hall, slightly smaller than the first, with display screens on the walls flickering as they ran through read-outs. The consoles had seen better days, some were covered in sheets but others were in pieces and those remaining seemed only partially functional. The back wall was taken up by two large doors and mounted between them stood a bank of empty stasis chambers.
However, in the centre of the room was the unmistakable sight of a control chair laid out at full power. In the light shining from above they could clearly see the occupant had their eyes tight shut in concentration. The young woman had short blonde hair and an angular face. She was around 5 foot 7 and wore a dark uniform John didn't recognise. It had several ominous stains and he could see improvised bandages through the open jacket. She was also breathing hard and obviously struggling with whatever she was trying to make the device do. With no one else in sight Sheppard lowered his gun and stepped onto the platform holding the chair. The overhead light cut out immediately and the chair righted itself. The woman continued forward and jerked to her feet. She blinked several times before focusing on John.
"Hi there" John said carefully, mindful of the fact that she was still standing beside an active chair. "We're here about a distress call?" he finished and the confused girl gave a slight smile.
"You took so long" she murmured before falling forwards and John caught her instinctively.
"Beckett!" He called but the good doctor was already moving. John cradled her head as Carson directed him to lay her down. McKay looked over the nearest display and hit two buttons which caused the Control chair to fully power down and the room lights stabilised.
"Doc" John's voice was calm but full of concern as he held up the hand that had been supporting the woman's head. It was smeared with blood. Carson swore and pulled supplies out of his kit as his new patient mumbled and tried to sit up again.
"It's alright dear, just lie still, we're here to help" He said as he pushed her back down gently and pressed a handful of gauze to her scalp. "I'm Carson and this is Colonel Sheppard, Ronon, Teyla and that's Rodney" He moved slightly so she could see where McKay was fiddling with the console which also allowed him to inspect her neck for any damage. He let out a tiny sigh of relief when he didn't feel anything immediately wrong. "Can you tell us your name?" She blinked several times as her uneven pupils tried to focus on them.
"Lexia Bainen, General, 5th Fleet" She replied in an automatic voice similar to the one John would use to recite rank and serial number. The word 'fleet' caught his attention but he raised his eyebrow more at 'General'. She seemed a little young for such a title.
"Well, nice to meet you General. I don't suppose that was you shooting at us?" Sheppard asked as he moved out of Becketts way and her brow furrowed. She tried to follow everyone's movement as Ronon went back to watching the door and Carson started to check her for other injuries.
"Sorry, Wraith kept following, I couldn't tell...I stopped" She broke off and blinked several times, "energy signature. Weapons Fire. Non-wraith. " She stared at the gun in Ronon's hand as she spoke and tried to sit up. Carson tried to push her back again.
"You should stay down" He said firmly.
"I hit my head" She stated but continued to move anyway, although she didn't stop him from treating her wound. She took several deep breathes and swallowed hard as she closed her eyes and lent back against the side of the chair.
"Do you feel nauseous?" he asked and she wrinkled her forehead in confusion, "Do you want to be sick, vomit, throw up?" he tried to clarify. Lexia swallowed hard again and shook her head very carefully.
"Not as long as you avoid mentioning it" she muttered and closed her eyes again.
"Do you know what happened to the villagers?" Teyla asked but before she could receive an answer the console in front of McKay bleeped. Given recent events it wasn't surprising that he jumped yet Lexia's reaction was more of a shock. She gasped, levered herself upright in a heartbeat and tried to move forward. She only managed half a step before her legs buckled, causing John and Carson to catch her again.
"The doors" She said as the two of them lowered her back to the floor. Carson checked her pulse as her head lolled and was relived to feel a beat that was steady, if a little fast. She rested her head back against the chair. "They won't understand" she muttered as her eyes flickered. Before anyone had a chance to figure out what she meant the console bleeped again, the lights dimmed and the large doors behind the chair opened.
The lights came back up and the team could see the missing towns folk crammed into the space behind. Their clothes wouldn't have gone amiss on the Mayflower but the most important thing John noticed was that those in front wore armour and carried what looked like flint lock rifles. Teyla and Ronon brought up their weapons as the doors in the corridor also released and McKay moved so those with guns were between him and the new comers. It took a few seconds for the guards to register their surrounding and in that time John placed himself between Beckett, his patient and the new threat.
Then the shouting started.
