Chapter 12
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Aria shrieked as she was pulled from under the Jumper console. "Keelah!" She exclaimed as she saw Ronon standing in front of her, with a smirk on his face.
"Didn't Weir tell you to stop doing that?" He asked her.
"What she doesn't know can't hurt her." Aria replied sheepishly. "Plus, I'm actually fixing it."
"Really?" Ronon quirked one of his eyebrows.
"There you are," Sheppard joined them. He took in the scene in front of him, Ronon turned to look at him. "Are you fixing it or breaking it?"
"I don't break Jumpers." Aria stood up with a huff. "I'm just—thinking ahead. Just in case. And I'm—fixing it."
"She's done breaking it." Ronon snorted.
"I'm not breaking it."
"Alright, kids, that's enough." Sheppard pulled her away from the console, with a smirk on his face. "We already talked about this, Victus." Sheppard reminded her. "The Jumpers are off limits."
"I know." She pouted.
Aria had taken a habit, out of boredom, to tweak with the crystals in the Jumper's systems. Initially, it was really to better understand the systems, how they operated. While doing so, she had been caught by some members of the expedition. It happened a few times, so much so that Dr. Weir had to have a talk with her. And made sure that Aria understood that unless it was authorized, she would not work on the Jumpers. To which Aria had agreed. Although, sometimes she did need a reminder.
"Two Wraiths cruisers." McKay said as they looked upon the screens.
"How far away are they?" Elizabeth asked him.
"A day. Maybe a day and a half. We're tracking them for some time now." McKay replied. "But, uh, the good news is it doesn't look like they're heading this way."
"Just passing through the neighborhood?" Sheppard questioned.
"Yeah, it looks that way." Rodney replied. But I just discovered something rather curious." He tapped the screen, zooming in on the cruisers. "Short but intense energy bursts passing between them."
"They're fighting each other?" Ronon inquired.
"Hmm. In my, uh, expert opinion, yes."
"That's good news for us, right?" Aria said.
"Certainly is. If there's any change in course at all, let me know." Elizabeth agreed and instructed him, before leaving.
"So, why did you stay really?" Aria asked Laura Cadman, as the latter was examining a panel in the wall.
"I thought you'd be glad I stayed around." Cadman smirked at her.
"I am, really." Aria replied. "I'm curious, that's all." She lifted one of her shoulders in a shrug. "Is it because of Carson?"
"Curiosity kills the cat, Aria. Ever heard of that?"
"I have actually." Cadman snorted at her words. "Hey, does that mean we can have another poker night soon?"
"Aren't you tired to lose every game?" Cadman teased her.
"Cadman? What are you doing here?" Both women turned to the person who just asked the question. It was Rodney.
Both Aria and Laura walked over to Rodney and John. "Well, it's good to see you too, Rodney."
"No, I thought you were leaving on the Daedalus." Rodney remarked.
"Yeah, I was, but something came up." Lieutenant Cadman explained. "I asked Colonel Sheppard if I could stay around a little while longer."
John looked smug; Aria huffed out a laugh while Rodney looked displeased by her answer. "Oh, well, that's fine."
"You okay with that?"
"Yeah, course it is, why wouldn't I be?"
"Colonel." Laura said before walking away.
"Lieutenant."
Aria walked past the two men; she patted Rodney's shoulder as she walked past him. "So, poker night?"
It was another slow day on Atlantis. Not much happening during those days. Boredom afflicted Aria more than not in those days. She was no stranger to them. She had plenty of those back in the Outpost. She always found something to do, because there was always work to do. Especially for her own survival. In Atlantis, her survival wasn't a priority anymore. She was safe and protected within the walls of the city. When she was working on her own personal project, designing her new collapsible Bo staff, she was focused on it. Every second of her free time was spent to design it, trying it out. Now, that was over, Aria had no new projects to work on. And nothing had piqued her interest ever since.
Her brain was constantly buzzing with new ideas concerning the Jumpers. She wanted to understand their systems and interact with the crystals. She wanted to find something that could be done with the Jumpers that may help the expedition in the long run. Maybe, she could find a way to cloak them while also shielding them, which so far had proven impossible. She wasn't giving up, though.
"We need to disconnect the ZedPM and switch to back up naquadah generators to prevent any possible dialing of the Gate to Earth."
McKay suggested as they were all in Elizabeth's office. Sheppard and McKay sat across Elizabeth while Ronon and Aria stood by the door. They had received a message that there was a bomb on Atlantis that could explode if they tried to dial Earth.
"I agree. In fact, as of this moment, all Gate activity should be suspended." Elizabeth nodded. "How many off-world teams do we have out there?"
"Just Zelenka and his team on M7G-677." Rodney replied.
"Well, unfortunately he's gonna have to sit tight until we sort this thing out."
"Stuck with all those kids!" Sheppard remarked, his arms crossed over his chest.
"Is the Daedalus still in range to relay a data transmission back to SGC?" Elizabeth questioned Rodney.
"Yes. They are, uh, holding a position that keeps them in range of both Earth and us."
"Ok, good. And send a message saying we received their warning and aborted the dialing."
"Ask them if they can give us a little more than just 'there's a bomb in Atlantis.'" Sheppard added to the demands.
"Maybe the Trust thinks this is the only way to make sure the Wraith don't get there." Dr. Weir suggested.
"Well, it's drastic but effective." McKay noted.
"What's worse is the Trust operative who planted the bomb probably did so under orders from the Goa'uld." Weir informed them. Aria and Ronon glanced at each other at this bit of information since none of them knew what the Goa'uld were.
"What?!" Rodney exclaimed.
"When did the Goa'uld get involved in this?" John asked her.
"Several months ago." Elizabeth answered. "They successfully infiltrated the upper leadership of the Trust, gaining a stronghold on Earth accessing government agencies from many countries."
"What's a Goa'uld?" Ronon finally asked.
"It's a slimy, snake-like alien creature—burrows into people's heads and takes control of their bodies." Sheppard explained.
"That doesn't sound pleasant." Ronon said.
"Not at all." Aria agreed.
"It isn't. I've read enough SG mission reports to know I don't want anything to do with them." John agreed.
Elizabeth turned to John, "I want you to organize some teams to do search of the city. Start with obvious sabotage points—power distribution centers—"
"I'll check primary and secondary systems for any anomalous energy readings that might indicate the presence of an explosive device." Rodney continued.
"And get Cadman to assist you—she's a bomb expert." John suggested to Rodney.
"She is?!"
"Yeah, one of the best, from what she told me." Aria told him.
"She'll be a big help." John glanced over his shoulder at Aria as he answered. She offered him a small smile.
"Good. Ask Colonel Caldwell to return to Atlantis to assist with the investigation." Weir ordered.
"Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa. If the Daedalus returns here, then you're effectively cutting off our communication with Earth." Rodney protested.
"Yes, I understand that, but if the person who planted the bomb is on board, we're gonna need to question them here—" She reasoned. "—Have them reveal the location of the bomb and how to dismantle it. Alright, let's get moving."
"Colonel Sheppard, how's it going?" Elizabeth's voice came over the comm.
Aria and a small team were on the South Pier looking for the bomb.
"Checking the East Pier power distribution centers. Still nothin'. We're headed to the West Pier now." John answered her.
"Ronon? How about you?"
"Checking the grounding stations. Also nothing." He replied.
"Aria?"
"In the South Pier. And nothing so far." Aria informed her.
"We've got eight other teams out there." Sheppard told her. "It's a big city—it's gonna take a while."
"Understood." Weir said. "Be advised: we got a second message relayed to us—"
The familiar sound of the gate being activated came on the comms. Everybody in the control room were panicking and rightfully so. Aria froze on her spot, waiting for what was to come. The ZPM had been disconnected, the dialing to Earth should not go through, Aria knew this. Still, knowing it was possible that someone could activate the gate from a distance, was a scary thought.
However, it had merely been a distraction. It was long enough for whoever dialed Earth, to active their transmitter. Giving away their position. The two Wraiths cruisers that were attacking each other, were now aware of their position and were now on their way to the city.
"How long before they get here?" Elizabeth asked Rodney, just as Sheppard and Aria joined them in the control room.
"A day, maybe a day and a half," McKay answered. "Depending on if they need to make a hyperspace pause along the way. We'll need to cloak the city again."
"Uh, even cloaked, the Wraith are gonna wonder where the beacon came from." Elizabeth pointed out.
"Well, then, we need a ruse. Umm—" Rodney paused, thought for a few seconds before snapping his fingers. "We'll take a transmitter and dump it along with some charred rubble on a beach on the mainland, and they'll think it's jetsam that washed up when the city exploded during the siege."
"Hang on, back up a second." Sheppard said. "Let me get this straight. You think our bomb guy did this?"
"Yes. It'd be easy for him to figure out that the Wraith were in the area." Rodney replied. "We've been tracking them for a while now."
"So, he gets the Gate to dial by itself in order to distract us so he can broadcast a distress beacon that'll be picked up by—"
"—by the Wraith, yes, I believe so."
"Okay, why?" John questioned.
"Well, maybe he wants to blow up the Wraith along with the city." Cadman suggested.
Rodney turned to her, "two cruisers. They're insignificant compared to all the hiveships that are still out there."
Aria exhaled, crossing her arms over her chest. "Well, we don't have much time, so whatever the connection is, let's try to figure it out before the cruisers get here." Dr. Weir said, before walking away.
Aria looked up at Sheppard. "I'll help with the mainland evacuation."
"I'd rather you stay here and help Rodney and Cadman figure this thing out." John shook his head.
"But I'm one of the best when it comes to piloting the Jumper." Aria protested.
"I know but you're also better with Ancient technology." Sheppard said. "Finding the bomb is our priority."
"Okay." She nodded at him.
Aria sat with Rodney and Laura in the control room. Three sets of eyes were better than two. They spent the entirety of the night to check the primary and secondary systems of the city. Physically searching for a bomb had proven unsuccessful so far. And it didn't seem, their current search was faring any better.
The night went away and was replaced by day. And still, they kept looking.
"Are we even sure there's an actual bomb?" Aria sighed, dropping her chin in the palm of her hand.
"Why would they mention a bomb if there wasn't any?" McKay rolled his eyes at her comment.
"There's plenty of ways to make a city explode." Aria retorted. "I mean you don't need a physical bomb to do so. What about the Dorandans device? There was on overload and then, it exploded. It wasn't an actual bomb."
"That's because there were no fail safes in place to shut down the weapon in case anything like that happen."
"And we do have fail safes in place?"
"Of course, we do."
"Are we sure there's still there?"
"What have you found?" Elizabeth joined them in the control room.
"Guess what?" Sheppard started. "Turns out there's no bomb after all."
"Uh, there's no actual explosive device." McKay corrected him. "The explosion will come, but, uh, from somewhere else. Now, with the Wraith on the way, we'll need to cloak the city, right?"
"Yes." Elizabeth answered.
"Well, in order to do that, we need to reconnect the ZedPM in order to supply the necessary power." McKay continued.
"And what about the Stargate?" She inquired.
"Ah—I've physically disabled the DHD. It won't be able to dial, so it won't be a problem." He explained. "Now, the ZedPM, however, will be. Now, as you know, the Zero Point Module controls the flow of massive amounts of power."
"Like a dam." Sheppard quipped.
"No, it's not like a dam, it's more like a—uh—actually, yes, it's like a dam." Aria and Sheppard rolled their eyes at that. "If you overload the dam, it breaks, which is why the Ancients put in place fail safes to prevent such a thing from happening."
"Like a spillway." Sheppard intervened once more.
"Could we just stick with fail safes?" Sheppard shrugged in response; Aria scoffed at him. "The problem is, our Trust operative figured out a way to rewrite Atlantis' operating system and disable the fail safes, but mask it in such a way that the city sensors didn't detect it."
"So, the dialing of Earth would cause the ZPM to overload." Elizabeth concluded.
"Oh, yeah! And given that dialing another galaxy requires tremendous amounts of power, we're talking catastrophic overload. I mean, the explosion would destroy not just the city, but, uh, most likely the entire planet."
"Can the fail safes be re-enabled?" Sheppard questioned him.
"Yes, but, uh, whoever it was who did this anticipated the possibility that it would be discovered and they put in place a code to block access to it."
"And I'm gonna guess that cracking this code isn't gonna be easy." Laura said.
"No, not at all. It is extremely complicated."
"But for now you've already disabled the DHD, so, it's impossible to dial Earth." Elisabeth said hopefully.
"Yes, he did." Aria nodded. "Problem is any number of systems can be used simultaneously to overload the ZPM. It'd be a gradual build-up and as effective as dialing the Gate."
"And we can't disconnect the ZPM because we need to cloak for when the Wraith cruisers arrive." Elizabeth said.
"Bingo!" Rodney pointed at her. "Which is why our bomber activated the distress beacon, alerting them. And that is how the Wraith coming to Atlantis is connected to detonating the bomb."
Elizabeth went back to interrogating the potential suspects. Now, that the bomb had been determined to not really be a device but more so their source of power itself. It all came down to finding out the code that would allow them to re-enable the fail safes.
Elizabeth believed Dr. Kavanagh to be the guilty one. Aria did not know much about him. She had barely interacted with him. She spent most of her time with McKay and Zelenka when she worked in the labs. All she knew was that Kavanagh wasn't very friendly. And it didn't seem he had many friends in the city.
"Could the cloaking cause the ZPM to overload?" Elizabeth asked worriedly.
"Yes, but I can, uh, turn off some of the systems to keep the power levels short of an overload." Rodney explained.
"Maybe we should start thinking about evacuating the city." Sheppard suggested.
"Well, there's not a lot of options there." Rodney noted. "Still, it can't hurt to have a plan ready, if we can think of one."
The situation was only growing dire, more and more as the hour went by. Kavanagh wasn't speaking, they were nowhere near to cracking the code, and the Wraith cruisers were getting closer. Aria didn't want to leave this city. She was certain that they would find a way to save it. This place was too precious for them to abandon. Aside from being the Ancestors' city, Atlantis had been their home. And leaving it behind was a painful thought.
The Wraiths were getting closer and Rodney had to reconnect the ZPM. The city was cloaked, and Aria monitored the power levels, making sure that they would not overload the ZPM. It almost seemed they were going to be alright.
"Uh, Rodney?" Aria called as an alert came on her screen. The power levels were increasing as she spoke.
"What?" He asked, annoyed.
"The city's inertial dampeners just began powering up." Aria told him.
"What?" Rodney jumped up and rushed to her side.
"I'm trying to shut it down but it's asking for the code."
"Get out of there." Rodney shoved her slightly to the side, and looked at the screen. "It's the star drive!" Elizabeth frowned at him, not understanding. "Look, the city, as you know, is just a giant spaceship with a star drive capable of faster than light travel, which means that it also has inertial dampeners."
"Yes, I know that." Elizabeth said slowly.
"One of the precursors of the star drive's power-up phase is the activation of the dampeners—ah, which may very well affect our cloaking. Look, but that's not the worst part of it."
"It'll overload the ZPM." Elizabeth concluded, nodding her head.
"Way overload it." Rodney confirmed it.
"How soon before it happens?"
"Thirty minutes at the most, and this city will be vaporized."
"We need to initiate some evacuation plans." Elizabeth said as they walked into the conference room.
"I told you; the Daedalus is our only option. We can't use the Stargate; we can't go the mainland." Sheppard listed out.
"I agree. We'll fit as many people aboard the ship as we possibly can—" Caldwell spoke.
"There is nowhere near enough room for everyone!" McKay argued.
"We're gonna have to make room." Sheppard retorted.
"No-no-no-no-no, you don't understand." Rodney shook his head. "The life support system can't handle that many people—not enough air to go around. They'd never make it back to Earth."
"What about another planet?" John suggested. "There's one nearby in this solar system, remember? The one we found the crashed Wraith cruiser. That took us fifteen hours by Puddle Jumper. It's a blink of the eye for the Daedalus."
"And then we could use the Puddle Jumpers to ferry the rest of the people."
"Quickest thing to do is get the code." Ronon spoke up, Aria glanced at him. He leaned on the table, 'just let me with Kavanagh, I'll get it from him."
"ZPM overload in twenty-four minutes." Aria said.
Elizabeth and John had a silent conversation, clearly deciding if torture was the best course of action. Aria was only growing anxious as the minutes ticked by. If they needed to flee it was now or never. Whether Kavanagh was or not the one who wanted the city to explode, getting the code might take longer than twenty-four minutes. Maybe the best course of action was to flee.
"Do it." Elizabeth agreed to it. Ronon glanced at John, who gave him a slight nod.
Some of the personnel and Athosians were evacuating the city aboard the Daedalus. Rodney and Aria were frantically shutting some of the secondary systems hoping to keep the power levels low. Still, time was running out.
"ZPM overload in ten minutes." McKay announced. "We should think about getting to the Jumpers."
Aria started to gather her things as he said those words, she saw Laura in the corner of her eye, hurrying to Dr. Weir.
Kavanagh wasn't the one behind the attack, after all. Colonel Caldwell had been the culprit all along. He had the access code and they could get it from him. But how long would that take? The power levels were now spiking, and still no access codes available. They needed to flee, now.
Fortunately, Ronon and John gave them the access code before it was too late. Although, Aria did not like that it had been so close to the end. Fail safes had been put back in place and the city was saved. Still, they needed a better system.
"Aria?" She heard John called her, from somewhere in the Jumper Bay.
"Up here!" Aria called back. "Not breaking anything."
Her eyes were glued to notepad she had in her hands; papers were strewn around her. That was the sight that welcomed him, when he joined her on the first floor.
"What's all that about?" John asked her as he sat down, starting to look at the papers.
"We need a better system." Aria replied. "One that can't be used against us, as an explosive device."
"Ah."
"See, I realized that the Ancestors were working at finding a power source as effective as a ZPM but not as hard to make." She started to explain. "I found in the DATA base many research projects concerning power sources but none had really come to fruition because, you know, they were under attack."
"The Wraith." He nodded.
"Exactly." Aria looked up at him. "So, instead of breaking anymore Jumpers, I decided I worked on making my own version of a ZPM."
"Your own version, uh?"
"Yes, one that can't be turned into a weapon against us."