Cracktastic
28 Nov 2006 06:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
misaffectionRodney followed the corridors of the Ancient city to where he believed the ZPM room would be. The layout of the place was almost identical to Atlantis, making him wonder whether the Ancients built their cities from flat-packs. Or maybe they grew them from crystals, like the Tok'ra had done their tunnels.
The door to the ZPM room slid open and he went in, his eyes immediately going to the familiar looking slab. Within the purpose-built holes glowed three ZPMs. Rodney froze on the threshold, breathless. Could they... was it possible... He crept to the slab, hardly daring to hope, and disconnected the first ZPM. It slid upwards with a soft hiss and he carefully removed it.
Placing the precious crystal on the floor, he removed his backpack and rooted through until he found his palm pc. Connecting the leads to the ZPM, Rodney watched the power indicator climb slowly. After a moment, the level held steady and he let out a deep breath and then giggled. The ZPM was still at around eighty percent capacity.
Rodney carefully wrapped the ZPM in a soft cloth and then placed it into one of the metal boxes he'd brought to transport them back to Atlantis. Even if the other two ZPMs were useless, the trip had been worth this one. He stood up and stretched as he walked round the slab to the next ZPM.
As he reached out there was a low rumble and then a blinding white flash that originated from all around him.
* * *
Lorne paced the main room and waited for Doctor McKay to contact him. He hoped it would be soon because he was getting seriously bored. He supposed it was his won fault; he'd been enthusiastic about this world in conference with Doctor Weir and he really should have known better. Still he doubted he'd be mind so much if they did get a ZPM.
There was a distance rumble like thunder heard a way off. Lorne glanced out of a window and frowned; the day was still clear. The rumbling increased so it was shaking the floor.
Lorne hit his comm. “Rodgers-” he started and then everything went white. When the light dimmed the whole world had changed.
Jerking round, Lorne found himself in a courtyard. The smooth floor was now cobblestones, the walls now made of stone blocks.
“What the...” Lorne muttered and went to hit his comm again. Only it was now longer there. Then he realised that instead of his P-90 he held a bow. He dropped it in shock. “Hello?” he called out. “Doctor McKay? Sergeant Rodgers? Major Flinch? Hello? Is there anyone here?”
A long and very complete silence told him that there wasn't.
* * *
“Heads,” Sergeant Rodgers guessed. Major Flinch removed his hand and laughed.
“Tails. Wrong again.”
“To be honest sir, I don't really care,” Rodgers said. “Tell you what, when we get back to Atlantis let's have a real game of chance and real winnings.”
“You have yourself a deal sergeant.”
Rodgers grinned and then noticed something. “Um sir...” He pointed at the city. Flinch turned round and stared. The city was glowing.
“Damn scientist,” he said. “What have they done now?”
There was a blinding flash like a silent explosion and the fallout rippled out like tidal wave. The long grass bent over in the wind, then sprang back to wave until it settled again. The colour that had been bleached from the world faded back in.
But the Stargate was no longer guarded by two solders. In their place stood two huge, black creatures with four legs, dog-like heads and eyes that glowed red.
* * *
Doctor Miko had just managed to get the Ancient database up and running when the screen flickered.
“Oh no,” she sighed as it went black.
“What's the matter?” Doctor Staten asked, putting down his laptop.
“Everything's gone,” Miko said. “I don't know why.”
“Well we have no way to telling how long this city has been abandoned,” Staten reminded her. “We can't expect everything to work perfectly straight off now can we?”
The lights went dim.
“Apparently not,” Miko said, looking round. The lights began to glow again. They got brighter and brighter.
“Okay, now that's not right,” Staten pointed out needlessly.
* * *
The room was lined with shelves and each shelf was lined with drones. Laura Cadman stood at the doorway to the room and looked round, feeling somewhat overwhelmed. There was probably enough drones in here to take every Wraith ship in the entire galaxy. She grinned at that thought.
In the centre of the room was something Laura hadn't seen the like of before. It was a thin column, roughly waist-high and topped with a smooth silver orb. She walked towards it. Remembering Rodney's words of advice, she didn't touch it, but she walked round, scanning the surface for any indication of use. She didn't find any.
Shrugging to herself, Laura started towards one of the shelve-covered walls. A soft, musical tone stopped her dead. She turned back to the orb and saw it was glowing gently.
“Oh shit,” she said aloud. The orb pulsed and then there was a sudden flash of light.
When the dots had cleared from Laura's vision she found herself in a completely different room. The floor was black and white tiles, the walls rough stonework and covered in tapestries. The was one window, tall with gauzy curtains billowing from an iron railing. Laura hurried to the window and found that there was a small balcony beyond. Then she realised that the balcony was somewhere very high up.
Gasping, Laura went to the wall of the balcony and glanced over. She was in a tower. Attached to what appeared to be the remains of a castle. Lifting her eyes, she took in the rest of her surroundings. The castle was on an island surrounded by a wide chasm.
“Oookay,” she said slowly. She put a hand to her holster, but it wasn't there. And she wasn't wearing her uniform anymore either. Rushing back into the room, Laura skidded to a halt in front of a full-length mirror.
There was a good reason she was in a high tower in a dress, wasn't there?
* * *
Rodney woke to a pounding headache and a slightly sick feeling. He pressed the heel of his hand to temple and rolled onto his side, fighting the nauseousness this action caused. Once it had abated, he got his knees under him and dragged himself to a kneeling position.
It was the feel of grass under the palm that braced his weight that brought Rodney's attention to his whereabouts. Pushing himself up, he looked round widely; he was in a clearing in what appeared to be wood. There was no sign of the Ancient city.
“What-?” he mumbled. He went for his comm but it had gone. “No. No, no, no.”
Where was everybody? More importantly, where was he? Rodney got slowly to his feet, still looking round. He saw nothing familiar and felt an overwhelming sense of panic. His immediate thought was for the lost ZPM, then he dismissed that thought as unworthy of him. He had led the team here and, like it or not, he was responsible for them. He had to find them, or his way back to the city. One or the other. Preferably both.
A faint sound caught his attention and he turned. At the tree line he saw something he'd noticed before and he walked slowly over it it. Tied up to a tree was a horse. A white horse, complete with bridle and saddle. It hadn't wandered off, it had been left here. But by whom?
Rodney checked round but saw no sign of any other person. He untied the horse and began walking. After several hundred yards he found himself looking down at a valley. His spirits were momentarily lifted by seeing the Stargate. At least that was still here. Then he saw what was guarding it. They were... what were they? They looked like giant dogs after a bad night out.
He stared down at the creatures, then looked at the horse. Then he scanned the other hills and wasn't really all that surprised to see a far off castle. Rodney was beginning to get a very bad feeling about this, a feeling that only increased when he noticed the scabbard attached to the saddle. There was a sword in the scabbard. It had a hilt that was gold and fancy and had two letters engraved into it.
They were “R” and “M”. His initials.
Oh yeah, a real bad feeling.
The door to the ZPM room slid open and he went in, his eyes immediately going to the familiar looking slab. Within the purpose-built holes glowed three ZPMs. Rodney froze on the threshold, breathless. Could they... was it possible... He crept to the slab, hardly daring to hope, and disconnected the first ZPM. It slid upwards with a soft hiss and he carefully removed it.
Placing the precious crystal on the floor, he removed his backpack and rooted through until he found his palm pc. Connecting the leads to the ZPM, Rodney watched the power indicator climb slowly. After a moment, the level held steady and he let out a deep breath and then giggled. The ZPM was still at around eighty percent capacity.
Rodney carefully wrapped the ZPM in a soft cloth and then placed it into one of the metal boxes he'd brought to transport them back to Atlantis. Even if the other two ZPMs were useless, the trip had been worth this one. He stood up and stretched as he walked round the slab to the next ZPM.
As he reached out there was a low rumble and then a blinding white flash that originated from all around him.
* * *
Lorne paced the main room and waited for Doctor McKay to contact him. He hoped it would be soon because he was getting seriously bored. He supposed it was his won fault; he'd been enthusiastic about this world in conference with Doctor Weir and he really should have known better. Still he doubted he'd be mind so much if they did get a ZPM.
There was a distance rumble like thunder heard a way off. Lorne glanced out of a window and frowned; the day was still clear. The rumbling increased so it was shaking the floor.
Lorne hit his comm. “Rodgers-” he started and then everything went white. When the light dimmed the whole world had changed.
Jerking round, Lorne found himself in a courtyard. The smooth floor was now cobblestones, the walls now made of stone blocks.
“What the...” Lorne muttered and went to hit his comm again. Only it was now longer there. Then he realised that instead of his P-90 he held a bow. He dropped it in shock. “Hello?” he called out. “Doctor McKay? Sergeant Rodgers? Major Flinch? Hello? Is there anyone here?”
A long and very complete silence told him that there wasn't.
* * *
“Heads,” Sergeant Rodgers guessed. Major Flinch removed his hand and laughed.
“Tails. Wrong again.”
“To be honest sir, I don't really care,” Rodgers said. “Tell you what, when we get back to Atlantis let's have a real game of chance and real winnings.”
“You have yourself a deal sergeant.”
Rodgers grinned and then noticed something. “Um sir...” He pointed at the city. Flinch turned round and stared. The city was glowing.
“Damn scientist,” he said. “What have they done now?”
There was a blinding flash like a silent explosion and the fallout rippled out like tidal wave. The long grass bent over in the wind, then sprang back to wave until it settled again. The colour that had been bleached from the world faded back in.
But the Stargate was no longer guarded by two solders. In their place stood two huge, black creatures with four legs, dog-like heads and eyes that glowed red.
* * *
Doctor Miko had just managed to get the Ancient database up and running when the screen flickered.
“Oh no,” she sighed as it went black.
“What's the matter?” Doctor Staten asked, putting down his laptop.
“Everything's gone,” Miko said. “I don't know why.”
“Well we have no way to telling how long this city has been abandoned,” Staten reminded her. “We can't expect everything to work perfectly straight off now can we?”
The lights went dim.
“Apparently not,” Miko said, looking round. The lights began to glow again. They got brighter and brighter.
“Okay, now that's not right,” Staten pointed out needlessly.
* * *
The room was lined with shelves and each shelf was lined with drones. Laura Cadman stood at the doorway to the room and looked round, feeling somewhat overwhelmed. There was probably enough drones in here to take every Wraith ship in the entire galaxy. She grinned at that thought.
In the centre of the room was something Laura hadn't seen the like of before. It was a thin column, roughly waist-high and topped with a smooth silver orb. She walked towards it. Remembering Rodney's words of advice, she didn't touch it, but she walked round, scanning the surface for any indication of use. She didn't find any.
Shrugging to herself, Laura started towards one of the shelve-covered walls. A soft, musical tone stopped her dead. She turned back to the orb and saw it was glowing gently.
“Oh shit,” she said aloud. The orb pulsed and then there was a sudden flash of light.
When the dots had cleared from Laura's vision she found herself in a completely different room. The floor was black and white tiles, the walls rough stonework and covered in tapestries. The was one window, tall with gauzy curtains billowing from an iron railing. Laura hurried to the window and found that there was a small balcony beyond. Then she realised that the balcony was somewhere very high up.
Gasping, Laura went to the wall of the balcony and glanced over. She was in a tower. Attached to what appeared to be the remains of a castle. Lifting her eyes, she took in the rest of her surroundings. The castle was on an island surrounded by a wide chasm.
“Oookay,” she said slowly. She put a hand to her holster, but it wasn't there. And she wasn't wearing her uniform anymore either. Rushing back into the room, Laura skidded to a halt in front of a full-length mirror.
There was a good reason she was in a high tower in a dress, wasn't there?
* * *
Rodney woke to a pounding headache and a slightly sick feeling. He pressed the heel of his hand to temple and rolled onto his side, fighting the nauseousness this action caused. Once it had abated, he got his knees under him and dragged himself to a kneeling position.
It was the feel of grass under the palm that braced his weight that brought Rodney's attention to his whereabouts. Pushing himself up, he looked round widely; he was in a clearing in what appeared to be wood. There was no sign of the Ancient city.
“What-?” he mumbled. He went for his comm but it had gone. “No. No, no, no.”
Where was everybody? More importantly, where was he? Rodney got slowly to his feet, still looking round. He saw nothing familiar and felt an overwhelming sense of panic. His immediate thought was for the lost ZPM, then he dismissed that thought as unworthy of him. He had led the team here and, like it or not, he was responsible for them. He had to find them, or his way back to the city. One or the other. Preferably both.
A faint sound caught his attention and he turned. At the tree line he saw something he'd noticed before and he walked slowly over it it. Tied up to a tree was a horse. A white horse, complete with bridle and saddle. It hadn't wandered off, it had been left here. But by whom?
Rodney checked round but saw no sign of any other person. He untied the horse and began walking. After several hundred yards he found himself looking down at a valley. His spirits were momentarily lifted by seeing the Stargate. At least that was still here. Then he saw what was guarding it. They were... what were they? They looked like giant dogs after a bad night out.
He stared down at the creatures, then looked at the horse. Then he scanned the other hills and wasn't really all that surprised to see a far off castle. Rodney was beginning to get a very bad feeling about this, a feeling that only increased when he noticed the scabbard attached to the saddle. There was a sword in the scabbard. It had a hilt that was gold and fancy and had two letters engraved into it.
They were “R” and “M”. His initials.
Oh yeah, a real bad feeling.
