Chapter 5
The few hours of sleep passed far too quickly for some and not fast enough for others. McKay found it difficult to sleep. His mind churned through what he'd seen in the programming. He knew Sam was right in that they all needed to be rested and clear-headed. He was also very aware that Sheppard would be stretched to the limit to keep the systems running while he, they, worked. The astrophysicist forced himself to relax. Power nap. He'd long used power naps during times of high pressure. A couple of hours and he'd be able to work twice as fast.
In his quarters, Sheppard had no trouble at all. As he took off the holster and sat down to remove his sneakers, he absently wondered how being mentally tired could feel more draining than physical weariness. Even the sunlight streaming through the windows didn't prevent him falling asleep the second he stretched out on the bed.
Five hours later, Ronon stood at the partially open door to Sheppard's quarters. Prying the doors open was relatively easy, but coaxing them closed again was quickly given up as a waste of time. The colonel hadn't even bothered to try. A MALP rolling by wouldn't have disturbed him.
"Sheppard." The Satedan's deep voice rumbled. He very briefly debated a more physical way to waken his friend, but dismissed it. He spoke louder. "John."
Sheppard's eyes blinked open and it took him a moment to orient himself.
"It's almost time."
John lifted his head to peer at Ronon then looked at his watch. His voice was thick with sleep. "Yeah. I'm awake. Give me a few minutes."
"Sure." Ronon leaned against the half open door.
"Sit down." John said as he rolled off the bed and headed to the bathroom. Protesting muscles made him grunt as he pulled off his shirt.
Ronon waited until he disappeared through the door before entering and dropping onto a chair.
True to his word, less than ten minutes later they were on their way. Sheppard was now dressed in his customary black BDUs and his hair was still wet from a quick shower.
"Col. Carter, this is Sheppard." He knew she and McKay were waiting to hear from him.
"This is Carter. What's your status, John?"
"Ronon and I are on our way to the mess hall for something to eat, then down to the chair room."
"Very good. I want to schedule fifteen minute breaks every two hours."
"What?" McKay interrupted. "Two hours?"
"Yes, Rodney." Sam replied firmly. "John, let me know when you're in position."
"Will do." He pressed his transceiver to deactivate the vox.
In the control room, Sam turned to McKay. "Rodney, every two hours."
He frowned at her, still not following. "Why? That's not enough time to get anything done. I don't need…"
"It's to give John a break, not you." She suppressed a groan. "He can't get up and walk away whenever he pleases."
Realization was slow. "I suppose, if we have to."
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The day passed in cycles of frantic activity punctuated by periods of anxious waiting for anyone involved in cleaning up the city's programming. It was only anxious waiting for everyone else. The need to let Sheppard get out of the chair every couple of hours was understandable but stressful. A solid fifteen minutes was used getting in then prepping to close down each time.
The military planning for the worst, and hoping it would never happen, joined in the search for the source of the viruses and patrolled. Civilian personnel not working on the problem at hand were pressed into the search as well. At Sheppard's insistence, it was mid morning of the next day before Sam called a halt. The last session had gone five hours straight, and three longer overall than she intended. They knew McKay reached a critical point in one area of the code so stopping would have meant redoing a large chunk of work.
She looked at the scientists around her. "Time to call it a night, well, morning, everyone."
Rodney exhaled noisily, not happy with the need to stop but acknowledging it was necessary. He turned to check that the others were ready for the power down then entered a few commands on his laptop. "Okay, we're ready."
Sam nodded and tapped her radio. "Col. Sheppard. You can power down now."
"Acknowledged." John responded. A moment later, the lights went out again.
Sam glanced at her watch and grimaced. They'd been at it for more than twenty hours. "Okay, folks. It's 1025 hours. We'll start again at 2000 hours."
"What? That's…" McKay started to complain but stopped at her look of warning.
It was a couple of seconds before anyone moved. Even though it was expected, the Ancient systems going offline was jarring. Slowly, everyone stood up and left, leaving Sam, Rodney and Radek to wait for the debriefing she wanted at the end of each day's work.
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Sheppard sat forward on the chair. He hunched over and pressed the heels of his hands onto each side of his forehead.
Ronon was already standing, waiting to beam out. He went closer. "You okay?"
"Yeah. It's just a headache. Sitting around all day isn't my idea of fun, and that chair is hard as a rock." He dropped his hands and slowly got up.
"Are you sure you're okay?"
"I'm fine. I just need to stretch my legs." John waved him off then adjusted his radio. "Apollo, this is Sheppard."
"This is Maj. Johnson, Colonel. Col. Ellis just beamed down. What can we do for you?"
"Can you give us a lift up to the Gate room, Major?"
"No problem, Sir. Now?"
"Whenever you're ready. Thanks."
"Glad to be of service, Sir."
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McKay paced the conference room, full of nervous energy that screamed the need to get back to work. He was not good at being on someone else's schedule, especially when the stakes were so high. Only the firm instruction from Sam to keep a lid on it prevented him exploding. He finally flopped into a chair.
Teyla, Zelenka, Lorne and Ellis were already sitting around the table. Each had a plate with sandwiches and fruit in front of them. The mess hall had been keeping the Gate room well fed and an enterprising cook's assistant jury-rigged electricity to keep a sizeable urn of coffee hot.
When Sheppard and Ronon entered, Rodney opened his mouth to speak but stopped when he saw his friend. Despite several hours of sleep, the colonel was not a good color. A laptop, plate of food and a half full coffee cup were arrayed in front of Rodney. Instead of speaking, he grabbed the cup and downed half of the hot liquid.
"Colonel, Ronon." Sam acknowledged their arrival. She pointed to the table of food. "The mess hall just sent up fresh coffee and sandwiches. Help yourselves before we start."
Ronon didn't need to be asked twice. He piled a plate high with food, and grabbed a bottle of water before sitting down. Sheppard picked up a single sandwich, an orange and two bottles of water. He drained one as soon as he eased into a chair.
When everyone was settled, Sam looked at Rodney. "Where are we at?"
He gulped a mouthful of food. "Mmm, I think we've found all of the affected areas of programming. I've started to rewrite code on the operating system. It doesn't appear the intent was to destroy the city. It's more like they wanted to disrupt only the access to anything that needs to be activated by the Ancient gene."
"And, to shut down the system." Zelenka added.
"Yes, well, I thought that was obvious." McKay retorted snidely. He looked around the table. "The viruses targeted individual operations, turned them off and blocked the ability to activate them again."
"How bad is it?" Lorne ventured. The glare he got from the chief scientist made him regret asking.
"It's disastrous." He cocked his head toward John. "If it weren't for our resident super user, we would be up the proverbial creek without any hope of finding a paddle."
They all turned to Sheppard, who was intent on the orange he was peeling. He noticed the silence after a moment and looked up. "What?"
"Haven't you been listening?" McKay demanded.
"Yes, Rodney. I can eat and listen to you at the same time." He replied evenly as he pulled the last of the peel off the fruit.
The astrophysicist frowned at John then cleared his throat before continuing. "Right. Very good. It's perfect timing, actually. Atlantis is on a new planet. The Wraith, and even the Genii don't know where we are. Disable our ability to use the Ancient technology and we may have to abandon the city. With the Gate bridge in operation, it leaves the place wide open to squatters.
"You would leave again?" Teyla asked, deeply troubled by the thought.
"No." John answered just before he popped a segment of orange into his mouth.
Sam shot him a side long glance. "It is possible we would be recalled to Earth if we couldn't resolve this. Only as a last resort, though."
"So, you'd destroy the city and leave the galaxy." Ronon's disappointment was obvious.
"No, it…" Sam stopped cold and looked at Rodney. "The self-destruct."
"Oh, my God." The color drained from his face. The others watched as he quickly typed on his ever present laptop. After several seconds, he threw his hands up. "I can't tell for certain, but it's unlikely the self destruct can be used. It's tied into the city's systems and would only work…"
They all turned their attention to Sheppard, who was chewing on another segment of orange. He swallowed. "If I'm in the chair. It won't come to that."
"No, it won't." Sam hurriedly agreed. She looked around the table, stopping at Ronon. "We aren't leaving if I have anything to say. And, at the moment, I don't see any reason to. Now that we know what we need to do it's just a matter of doing it as quickly and efficiently as we can."
"Yes, I'm working on the main operating system while everyone else…is working on minor functions and sub-routines." McKay said with a dismissive air. "And, after they're finished, I'll go through and correct their mistakes."
Sam quietly cleared her throat. "Yes, Rodney."
"If someone was planning to take over, how would they be able to fix the programming without Col. Sheppard?" Teyla asked.
"They must have figured out some way." Sam shook her head. It was a question puzzling her, too. "Given the resources the Trust seems to have, and the fact someone was able to get here to plant the viruses, they must have had something in mind. We're just speculating here. It could be the intention was for us to remove as much technology as possible on the Apollo and then just nuke the city. There are some factions on Earth that would like us to pull out of the Pegasus Galaxy completely and leave no way for the Wraith to get to Earth."
"What now?" Col. Ellis asked.
"We get back to work." McKay replied as if he were talking to a clueless teenager.
"But, not right now." Sam wondered if Rodney would ever get past the insult, but doubted it. There was too much work to be done and they'd barely scratched the surface. She glanced at John before ending the discussion. "Alright, we'll start again at 2000 hours."
"Let me know if you need anything, Colonel." Ellis said to Sam then tapped his transceiver. "Apollo, this is Ellis. I'm ready to beam."
Sam stopped John as everyone began to leave. "Can I have a word with you?"
"Sure. What's up?" He replied as he leaned against the table.
She studied his face. The work light in the room cast shadows that made it difficult to get a good look at him during the short meeting but she could now see the fatigue, and something else. "Are you alright? Do you need more time?"
John scratched the back of his head and dropped into a chair. "Nah, I'm fine. It's just a headache."
Sam's eyes narrowed as she tried to decide if he was being completely honest with her. She decided not, but there wasn't much she could do about it. "Rodney told me that by all rights, you shouldn't be able to initialize the city's technology."
"Well, he's wrong."
Curiosity overcame her reluctance to push further. "He and Evan said they couldn't feel anything, that it was more like trying to flip a dead light switch than what they normally feel. Is that what it's like?"
He looked away, frowning. The throbbing in his head was only marginally better for the food. Trying to answer this was not exactly what he wanted to be doing right now. He drew in a deep breath and blew it out again, hunting for a good analogy. "You're a pilot, right?"
"Yes." Sam replied slowly, wondering where this was going. She sat down again, too.
"Flying the city was like flying the biggest damn C-17 you can imagine." John realized she'd probably never flown a Globemaster. He massaged the right side of his forehead as he spoke. "When you're flying a jet or 302, you can feel the aircraft, right? You feel the aircraft, the speed, attitude, how well she's performing, if anything, anything at all, is out of kilter. You just feel it and know. Well, multiply that by about ten to the power of, oh, a thousand and you may come close to what it's like. When I was landing the city, I knew everything that was going on. I knew the altitude, the speed, how much power I was using. I knew how to use the minimum amount of power to land safely. It's really subtle, but the technology tells you. Don't ask me how."
It had been some time since she'd piloted a jet or 302, but Sam had a little better understanding of what he meant. There was nothing else that felt precisely the same. She tried to imagine that feeling on the scale of Atlantis. Then she tried to add the fact that Sheppard was sitting in a windowless room deep in the base of a tower, eyes closed, no gauges, readouts, HUDs or any other input normal to flying to let him know what was happening.
"Wow," was her only response.
"Right now, it's like I'm trying to do it blind, deaf and numb from the neck down."
Sam finally felt she had a small inkling of how difficult this was for him. Initializing and keeping the main operating system, minor systems, subroutines, even the lights, active and accessible for hours at a time had to be utterly exhausting. No-one could continue with just six or so hours of rest. "It looks to me like you need more than a few hours sleep. Do you want more time?"
"No, I'm fine." He said a little too quickly and looked away again.
She pushed. "An extra hour or two won't hurt, John."
"We're sitting ducks." He pushed back. "I'm fine."
"John."
"Look, I'll let you know if I need to stop. Okay?"
He was right. It was vital that the city be up and running as quickly as possible. Sam reluctantly agreed. "Okay, but I don't want you to hesitate."
"I won't. Thanks."
They stood up and began to walk out.
"John." Sam stopped him.
"Yeah?" He raised an eyebrow at her.
"Swing by the infirmary before you turn in." She saw his consternation. "Just to be on the safe side, I want Dr. Keller to check you out."
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The doctor sat on a tall stool at the monitor to study Sheppard's scan again. Something caught her eye during the test but her attention wavered when he moved and she turned to tell him to hold still. It was probably just a light reflecting off the screen, but Jennifer wanted to be certain.
The scan started at the top of his head and the flash she wanted to see happened in the first few seconds. It appeared to be evidence of abnormal activity but it faded quickly and was gone. She backed it up and watched again. It was definitely there.
Jennifer waited for image to make its way down his body and back to his head, closely watching for anything else. Nothing. There was nothing out of the ordinary. Whatever she'd seen on the first pass was gone on the second. She sat for a moment, thinking about what the tiny glow might have been.
She frowned at the device. Rodney likened it to a firewall, but, whatever the reason, the programming for the Ancient medical equipment was isolated from the rest of the city. She was grateful for that. Col. Sheppard needed to undergo the scan again as soon as he was available. If his accessing the systems was having an adverse affect on him, she needed to know. Just in case, Jennifer thought, it wouldn't hurt to run a diagnostic on the scanner. She typed the necessary commands and waited for the results.
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"Still got that headache?" Ronon asked John as they descended the stairs near the chair room.
The mess hall was keeping them and the Marines in the area supplied with food, coffee and water. Sheppard was moving a shade more slowly and spoke less each time he left the chair.
John tapped his radio to turn off the vox before answering. There was no sense in the others hearing idle chit-chat. He tore open a blister packet of Tylenol, threw the tablets into his mouth and washed them down with several gulps of water. "Yeah."
"Carter wouldn't mind if you stopped now." Ronon peered at his friend.
Sheppard checked his watch. "I'm okay. We've got only a couple more hours. Besides, I'd have to listen to McKay gripe. What's worse?"
Ronon thought for a second then nodded. He wasn't buying it for a second but knew arguing was useless. "You're right. McKay would be worse."
What John didn't want to say was that listening to Rodney waffle on for hours would be highly preferable right now. Telling Sam that this was like being deaf and blind and without any kind of sensation was true. It was nothingness. It was like being in deep water on a pitch black night. There were no reference points, no way of knowing where he was or what he was doing. He needed the chatter over his transceiver and Ronon's quiet movements to keep him from getting lost.
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"No. No. No. No. No!" Each word was louder than the last as McKay shot out of his chair. He swung around, glaring at the people around him. He was angry and made no effort to keep his voice down. "Who did that? Who the hell is messing with the primary operating system?"
"Rodney." Sam hissed at him. She turned off the vox on her radio.
There was silence while everyone either tried to shrink into nothingness or glanced furtively at those around them. McKay homed in on a technician who was hunched down and looking very miserable.
"You! Didn't I tell you to leave the operating system alone?"
"Yes, Sir. I was…I just…I'm…"
"Rodney." Sam said quietly, but with more urgency. Trying to stop him, she reached out to touch his arm.
He pulled away from her. "What was your assignment?"
"Transporters, Dr. McKay."
"McKay." She said as she stood up, trying to get his attention.
He fixed the young man with a look that could kill then turned to her. "Everyone here…"
"McKay." Sheppard's tone was quiet but it startled them.
Sam cringed as she activated the transceiver again. Up until now, the conversation had been sparse, quiet and welcome. "John, are you alright?"
"Yeah. Just tell Rodney not to shout." They could hear the strain.
McKay's anger instantly deflated. He said guiltily, "Of course. Yes. Sorry."
"John, we're going to shut down. Can you give us a minute?" Sam asked quietly.
"Is it time?" He asked.
"Yes. It is for today." Sam ignored Rodney's accusatory stare. They'd been working for more than fifteen hours and were tired. She knew most, if not everyone here, skipped sleep to hasten the work by studying back ups of the programming. That's what she'd been doing. Out of the last 72 hours, it was highly probable none of them slept more than ten hours in total. She just hoped Sheppard was getting more. Dr. Keller recommended he spend a maximum of twelve hours a day in the chair, and even that was pushing it. They'd already gone far over that recommendation.
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Ronon felt stiff and achy from the long hours of doing nothing more than sitting as quietly as possible. He told Col. Carter he would stay with Sheppard, babysitting she said with only a very small amount of humor. She realized Ronon might be better used somewhere else, but also knew that John wouldn't be able to order him around. The only other person she would want there was Teyla, who was in no condition to be that far from the infirmary under current circumstances.
The hardest part for the big Satedan was staying awake. Sitting still hour after hour in semi-darkness and relative quiet was very difficult for him. Between visits by the patrolling Marines, the only noise was occasional chatter from the control room and the quiet hum of the city when Sheppard was in the chair. After a while, Ronon realized that even the hum was…less than normal and a slightly different pitch.
Sheppard was almost completely motionless while he was in the chair. It often appeared to Ronon like he might be sleeping. Then he would watch closely and see his fingers move ever so slightly on the ATA pads or a muscle in his jaw jumping with tension.
Ronon knew Carter would be calling time in an hour or so, but it was hard to stay alert. The handheld electronic game Sheppard gave him held his attention for the first hour, but that was it. His eyes were getting heavy again.
"No. No. No. No. No!"
The Satedan was jolted out of his stupor by McKay's sudden outburst. He jumped up and crossed the room in two strides.
John screwed his eyes shut then blinked a couple of times, glancing at Ronon once. He was pale and breathing fast, trying to shake off the unexpected and loud disturbance without letting his control falter.
"You okay?" Ronon whispered.
"McKay." John said weakly as he looked at Ronon again and nodded then closed his eyes, took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. A moment later, he answered Sam. "Yeah. Just tell Rodney not to shout."
When Sam gave him the all-clear, John deactivated the chair but stayed in the chair. He was regretting the fact that he didn't listen to Ronon's suggestion to stop earlier. His brain felt like someone had stirred it with a spoon. Or a fork. Or something. It was like the time he'd gotten falling down drunk after a mission that, well, there was no use in bringing up a messy failure from so long ago.
John realized Ronon was waiting for him to move, but found the thought of standing up a little daunting. He'd spent the last three days connecting the city to its brain, but couldn't connect his own to his muscles.
When he didn't move, Ronon leaned down to look at his face. "Sheppard?"
He licked dry lips and tried to swallow. "Yeah."
"Col. Sheppard? Ronon?" Sam asked. "Is everything okay?"
Ronon decided everything was not alright. He adjusted his transceiver. "Col. Carter, I think…"
"Yeah, fine. Can we get a ride?" Sheppard interrupted, suspecting Ronon was going to say he should be in the infirmary. He knew he was going to be there soon enough, but wanted a minute to collect himself first.
"Sure. Stand by."