PART THREE
"That's the best we can do for now," John told Ronon as he looked down at the pile of ash-covered material. They'd removed as much of the black debris as they could, but a slightly weaker version of the signal remained on the members of the team. Rodney suspected the nanites were circulating through their bloodstreams.
"All right." Ronon looked longingly at the long over-shirt he'd worn during the mission to P72-548.
"I'm sure you'll get it back after we get it cleaned up," John offered, looking up at his taller friend. He gasped when a shadow flashed across his vision. For a brief moment, his friend morphed into something unrecognizable that seemed to be coming right for him. Just as quickly everything returned to normal.
Ronon frowned at him. "You okay?"
"Eyes." John gestured vaguely. Then, "Why don't you go help Jacobs and the other marines with whatever Rodney's got them doing."
Ronon hesitated, but eventually nodded and headed off. John turned and zeroed in on Rodney. He was bent over this tablet, hitting keys in between ordering the other techs and scientists around.
"I need to talk to you." John moved in alongside him.
"Busy right now. Trying to take back the city and figure out a way to contain our friendly neighborhood alien-invading technology."
John glanced around at the other scientists, then dragged Rodney a few steps away. "I need to talk to you now."
Rodney followed, but pierced him with an annoyed look. "What's so important?" he demanded, arms crossed.
"Is it possible this thing is linked to those nanites from the first year? The ones that caused hallucinations and brain aneurisms?"
"Maybe. Why?" Rodney looked at him, worry rapidly growing in his eyes.
"I may have been kind of seeing things." John shifted his gaze away, and then looked back at his friend. "I think it might be getting worse."
"Oh, God." Rodney looked terrified, but then his expression turned hopeful. "Maybe it's something else entirely. You did get that stuff in your eyes. Besides, you've got the gene. It shouldn't be fatal."
"I may have the gene," John murmured, 'but they don't." He gestured around the room behind them. "Is there anyway you can find out for sure?"
"Yeah. Yeah, maybe. I could use Teyla's help."
"I'll send her to you."
Hello? Is anyone there?
Radek, thank God! What's - ?
"Atlantis, this is Daedalus. Please respond." Caldwell cut across the chatter that almost instantly burst across the radio connection. They'd been monitoring the earth based radio frequencies for nearly an hour to receive little more than static. It was about time someone got their act together.
"Yes, Colonel Caldwell. This is Atlantis." All the voices except one fell to silence.
"Who am I speaking with?" Caldwell asked. He was fairly certain the accented voice belonged to the Czech scientist, but wanted to be sure who he was dealing with. If Woolsey or a military presence was not in control of the situation in the city, then he himself would have to take command.
"Uh... this is Dr. Zelenka." The other man sounded nervous. "We were only just able to get limited communications online. It would appear that-"
"I can appreciate your difficulties, Doctor. Where is Mr. Woolsey or in his absence, Colonel Sheppard?"
"I believe Colonel Sheppard and his team are off world. Mr. Woolsey should be in Operations, but we have been unable to reach anyone in the control room. "
"The Daedalus is docked on the East Pier. We haven't been able to gain access to the city either via the entry doors or by transporter."
"Really?" The doctor sounded more intrigued than worried. He began to converse rapidly with someone off-mic in rapid science-speak.
"Doctor?" Caldwell tried to regain the man's attention.
The conversation continued – something about disrupting beacons and possible passive negative shielding. Nothing that made sense or helped to solve the problem at hand. "Doctor Zelenka!" He raised his voice over the link to bring the other man back on task.
"Oh... uh, sorry, Colonel Caldwell, sir," Zelenka came back on the line. "Atlantis is in quarantine at a level that we were not previously aware of – likely due to bio hazard. The systems are on full lockdown, apparently even scrambling transporter beams."
"I seem to recall Atlantis previously went into quarantine because the system was too sensitive. Could this be the case now?"
"No, we don't believe so. Persons wearing protective gear are able to move about freely for the most part. This suggests that the contamination is real."
Caldwell pressed at his temples. "What is the source of the bio hazard?"
"We do not know."
Of course they didn't. Why wasn't he surprised? "Has the control room been compromised?"
"We do not know. We have only just begun to gather the data. At present, radio communications appear operative in only a quarter of the city. The central tower is not one of those areas."
"Do you have any suggestions as to a solution to this problem?"
"We are working to regain access to the database so that we may understand the system quarantine level, and perhaps find the source. We also wanted to reestablish communications to make sure that everyone is okay."
"I'm interested in finding out what is going on in that control room. We need to get eyes in there."
"Yes – that is on our agenda as well. The system is not allowing even protected personnel into the corridors near the control room. This suggests that control room is the source of the contagion."
Steven didn't like the sound of that. "How do you plan to gain access?"
"With a jumper, of course. We are planning to enter the jumper bay from an alternate entrance. Then, hopefully, the jumpers will be allowed to exit the bay and fly within the shield space around the city."
"Good plan. Two members of my crew are ATA gene carriers. Send a jumper out to me, and I'll handle the mission myself."
"Right now only Doctor Beckett and I have protective gear and functioning communication. Transporters are still off-line. And I must first-"
"Dr. Zelenka, I understand that you're looking for a scientific solution. However, extensive experience in military situations tells me that our first objective should be to find out what happened in that control room."
"Yes, but, it is necessary to –"
"Have I not made myself clear, Dr. Zelenka?"
"Colonel Caldwell, this is Carson Beckett..." Another voice sounded over the radio link.
"Good - you argue with him. I have work." Zelenka vanished off the line and Beckett continued.
"We need to determine what the contagion is so that we'll know best how to treat any affected persons. Right now we're in one of the science labs – it's the only place we can access the main frame to get the answers we need."
This was ridiculous. "And I need to know what's going on in that control room. In the absence of any other member of the Atlantis command structure, regulations are clear. The position falls to me."
The Scot muttered something Caldwell couldn't make out, then, "I'm sorry, but we don't have the time or the resources to run all over the city conducting errands for you just so that you can feel in command. We're going to finish what we're doing here, and then we'll contact you. Beckett out."
Caldwell sat for a moment, stung. He then toggled the communications switch on his command chair. "Marks, have Tyson, Wilson and Stevenson join me in Aft Stores." If hazmat would allow movement in Atlantis, then hazmat it would be. He made a mental note to have a word with Woolsey about his command structure.
Richard watched as Sgt. Owens passed out beverages to the scientists busily trying to regain access to Atlantis' systems. Owens moved toward Colonel Sheppard where he sat on one of the lower level steps. Sheppard was rubbing at his eyes, but paused briefly to wave the young man off.
"Are they bothering you?" Richard settled on the steps near Sheppard. It felt odd to be seated in such an unusual place. His back longed for the comfortable chair in his office.
Sheppard opened his eyes and looked at him. Richard tried not to wince at the reddened, speckled corneas.
"It probably looks worse than it feels." Sheppard looked away, focusing on the area in front of the gate where Teyla was waving one of Doctor McKay's scanners over the darkened ash. He had recently completed adjustments to the device's resolution.
"I certainly hope so," Richard replied.
"The important thing is that I can see."
Richard couldn't argue with that.
"So, what's he doing here?" Sheppard asked. Richard knew who he was speaking about without asking. He didn't even have to look toward the make-shift snack area where the retired colonel was helping himself to coffee and a Power Bar.
"Officially, he's the Home World Security liaison. Unofficially..." He allowed the word to linger. Sheppard would get his meaning. "You worked with him during the siege. What did you think?"
Sheppard seemed to consider the question. "He comes off as an arrogant SOB, but in the end... he was fair."
Richard had worked with the Colonel long enough to know that there was a lot more that wasn't being said. He considered him for a moment. "He spoke very highly of you in his final report."
Surprise at first, then embarrassment. "Well, you know. Shared experiences."
"Hmph." Richard raised an eyebrow. There was definitely something more there. But nothing that he was likely to get out of the other man without a fight. And he didn't get the chance, because Sheppard abruptly changed the subject.
"We need to go back." He said it like he knew he was in for an argument.
"That's an unnecessary risk at this point." Richard didn't like the idea of sending a team back into such a volatile situation with so many unknowns. They'd yet to even figure what this was. He was hoping that once they were back into the system, the database would have some information that would at least point them in a logical direction.
"Trust me, we don't want something out there that can do this to Atlantis. Our luck, the Wraith have a bead on it already. We need to figure out what else is in that cave and who is on the receiving end of that signal. We can't afford to ignore this and end up getting blind-sided."
The colonel was probably right, but Richard needed more to go on before sending anyone back to that planet. He couldn't justify the risk.
"Rodney!" Teyla's cry broke into their conversation.
"What? What is it?" Dr. McKay appeared near the balcony's railing for half a second, and then he was running toward the steps. Sheppard and Ronon were already ahead of him. Richard himself had only just gotten to his feet by the time McKay shot by.
McKay shouldered his way through his team mates to kneel on the floor beside Teyla. He took one look at the screen, and then snatched it from her hands. "Are you sure this is right?" he demanded as he pressed buttons and connected the hand held device to a cord coming out of his tablet.
"Of course, I am certain, Rodney. I did it exactly as you asked." Teyla wasn't perturbed by McKay's manner, but her brow was furrowed in concern.
"What's it say?" Sheppard asked, watching over McKay's shoulder as he tapped commands into the computer's display screen.
"Just give me a minute!" Rodney waved the other man off. "Trust me – you want me to get this right."
Sheppard bit back whatever response he was going to make, and waited.
McKay ignored him, just continued to press buttons and then just as suddenly as he'd started, he stopped. "It's nanites all right. Very similar to the ones we stumbled on in that Ancient lab the first year."
Richard frowned. He remembered that report very clearly. Those nanites had been encountered when samples had been released in a water damaged portion of the city. The miniature machines were programmed to attack non-ATA activated humans, causing terrible hallucinations, before the victim died of an aneurism. If he remembered correctly, death took place in a matter of hours.
He refocused on McKay, who was still speaking.
"These nanites are different in one small, but very important way – a portion of the programming that was dormant in the sample from the lab is active. If it's what I think it is, these nanites don't just kill non-Ancients, they'll kill anything human."
"But the sample from the lab..." Sheppard was arguing with McKay.
"The sample from the lab was likely modified by the Ancients so that they could safely examine it, maybe even develop a cure. Seriously, the Ancients may have had their careless moments, but they weren't stupid. How dangerous is it to study something that could kill everyone in the city in a matter of hours? It actually makes sense that they would have weakened it first. But it still doesn't change the fact that whoever programmed these things weren't just trying to kill non-Ancients."
"But they're still basically the same type of nanites. We can destroy them with an EMP."
"Which would likely work. Unfortunately, we are completely locked out of the main frame. We have no means of communication. We have no way to even ask for an EMP. Unless we figure something else out fast, everyone in this room, and I mean everyone," McKay pointed emphatically at himself, "is toast."
Caldwell focused on the city's outer doors as he led the team of four across the pier. Personnel, who had been moving about earlier, had been called back into the Daedalus as a safety precaution. True to Zelenka's word, the doors slid open obediently on their approach.
He worked to suppress a grin. Finally, this rescue mission was under way. He made a gesture toward Tyson, and they began the long trek toward the jumper bay.
"There's nothing you can do?" John demanded. "No way you can get a signal out of here? Nothing around here that can generate an EMP?" He focused intently on McKay. Sometimes the man had to be pushed, even in the face of certain death.
"Regrettably, no." Rodney pierced him with a look. "If I knew of a way, I would have done it already."
"What about the main frame? You didn't leave yourself a back door? Some kind of way you could sneak in? You've certainly tweaked the thing enough."
"Weren't you listening when I said the wireless was..." Rodney's eyes got that look. The one John had been hoping for. It meant he had an idea. "Unless..."
"Yeah?" John followed as his friend moved out toward the center of the gate room. Several pairs of footsteps followed them, but John's focus was all on Rodney.
"Remember when Helia first came to Atlantis?"
John nodded. How could he possibly forget the arrival of actual Ancients to the city?
"She did something and a console came up from right about here." Rodney waved his hands over the area he meant.
"I remember." John remembered it very well. That was when the shine came off of finally meeting real living Ancients. Shortly after that they'd been kicked out of the city.
"Well, that console is the Ancient version of a 'back door' into the main frame. I've been toying with the idea of trying to activate it, but it seemed impractical and... it's... never really worked for me and this is sort of a bad location to take things apart... and really what good is a back door when you're already in the control room, so..."
"Your point, Rodney?" John growled. Time was a bit of the essence.
"My point is, maybe it'll work for you and your magic gene."
"Right." John got the picture. He tried to visualize what he'd seen Helia do, and then closed his eyes and concentrated. Ancient tech was great in that if you could see the idea of something in your mind the software would do the rest. He felt something shift, and then the familiar sensation of connection – it was almost like sitting in the control chair, but not nearly so intense.
"It worked! I can't believe it worked!" Rodney's voice made him resurface.
"Oh ye of little faith." He tossed the teasing comment Rodney's way even as he blinked, amazed, at the console. His hands fairly itched to touch the smooth surface. After a moment, he reached up and allowed his splayed fingers to settle within the blue lighted portion of the panel. The words LET ME IN floated lazily through his mind.
The city's response was immediate. Ancient screens activated, bringing a return to the familiar scrolling symbols and backlit crystals.
"This is great!" Rodney immediately began jabbering. "Do you know what this means–"
"We're still locked out." Chuck's words from above deflated everyone. "The systems are back, but we can't get in."
"What? But..." Rodney sputtered.
Someone else yelled. "Dampening field is down. Radios are back!"
"Progress!" Rodney reached for his ear piece. "This is McKay to anyone in the city. We need an EMP generator to Operations and we need it now!"
"We are here, Rodney." John heard Zelenka's voice over the connection.
"Dr. Zelenka, where are you?" Colonel Caldwell's voice sounded over the radio link. John thought perturbed was a good word to describe his tone.
"Colonel Caldwell. We were not able to contact you via radio once you entered the city." Zelenka's tone came across as dry, and John thought he heard a Scottish brogue muttering something in the background, but Zelenka continued, "We are in a jumper hovering outside of control room."
John spun toward the stained glass and couldn't hold back a grin at the visage before him. Nothing could be more beautiful than Radek and Carson dressed in hazmat on the other side of the jumper's wide view screen.
"It's about time," Rodney grouched. "Did you happen to think to bring along an EMP generator big enough to –"
"It is already done, Rodney." The jumper was turning so that the back end of the ship was toward the control room. The back ramp was lowering as it went.
"It is?" Rodney's mouth quirked upward. "I've trained you well, Radek," he added as he moved toward his tablet before yelling at the upper level. "Everyone shut down your computers and any electronic equipment we brought from Earth. Do it fast and let me know when you're done."
"Yes, yes, of course, Rodney." Radek was muttering while the sound of laptops and other equipment being shut down, disconnected and stored in protected cases filled the room.
Once he'd gotten the thumbs up from all of the stations, Rodney did his own once over, before contacting the jumper. "Okay, Radek. Go."
The last time an EMP had been directed at the city, in the form of a nuclear explosion, John had been running like a bat out of hell to get his jumper away from ground zero. This time, the only indication that anything had happened was the soft chime that sounded before the city's systems truly came back online. Doors began opening and a cheer went up around the room.
John released the breath he'd been holding, and was just reaching to pat Rodney on the shoulder when the symbols on the gate lit up. The gate alarm echoed around the room.
"Unscheduled offworld activation!" The call came from the control area.
"Oh, what now?" Rodney grumbled.
John silently agreed as he fell into formation with the gathering security team. With an off-hand thought, he sent the console back beneath floor level.
"Do we have an identification code?" Woolsey asked as the event horizon settled into a placid blue puddle.
"No IDC." Rodney was the one who answered. "But something is coming through." Moments later the puddle sparked and flashed as an object splattered against the shield. Two more splats followed before the wormhole disengaged and the shield dissipated.
Silence hung over the room for several moments. John felt as if they were waiting for the other shoe to drop.
It did.
The symbols lit up.
"Aw crap," Rodney grumbled. "This is so not good."