PREVIEW: OBLIVION
Rodney centric gen. A snippet from the first chapter. It's 'Enemy at the Gate' but not as we know it...
For five long years he had dreaded this moment, they all had, John and his friends who were thousands of light years away from this moment. They had come close before once, but had prevented the Wraith from even leaving the Pegasus Galaxy, let alone making it all the way to Earth.
John knew then as he dodged around the pillars holding the bay apart, that he was the only one who could save mankind from the Wraith. Only this time, there would be no Daedalus to swoop in at the last moment and beam him from the jaws of death. That the Wraith had made it this far told him that the Daedalus had been disabled, possibly worse… All that he had was a small bomb that held a big bang and an even smaller trigger button.
His palms became sweaty and his heart beat sped up, but there was no flight possible, only the way onwards to his fate. He spotted a good landing place on a sloping wall at the edge of the bay where the small ship could be concealed long enough for him to blow the ship back to hell. He angled his tiny fighter up and steeled his resolve, then he checked his handgun was loaded and ready just in case and cut the engines.
xxx
Thousands of light years away at the edge of the Milky Way Galaxy, Rodney sat in the control room on Atlantis. The people all around him were working frantically and Rodney felt the tension thrumming through him as acutely as everyone else. The first waves of panic built in his chest, threatening to overwhelm him, but he fought them down as he busied himself on his computer, recalibrating the gate to their new location.
Radek sat helping Rodney nearby and in unison they worked at twice the speed.
"Done," Rodney announced.
"Dial Earth," Woolsey said.
Rodney stood up and went to the DHD, hammering the keys. The symbols on the gate lit as he touched the buttons in front of him, but then the lights winked out and both gate and DHD shut down with a disappointed groan.
The tension ratcheted up a notch and Rodney's hands began to shake. He glanced over at Radek and saw that his fellow scientist's face was pale, his expression grim.
"Try it again," Woolsey said unnecessarily.
Rodney had already begun, but no wormhole formed. Silence fell on the control room as heads looked up and fingers on keyboards stilled.
"You don't think they've already taken over the SGC?" Chuck asked in a small voice from where he had been shunted to the back of the Control Room by Rodney and Radek.
"Impossible," Rodney said. Then realisation dawned on him and he collapsed back down into his chair with wide, unseeing eyes. His mouth parted slightly and his face went a paler shade of ashen white.
Radek asked, "What's wrong?"
"They haven't made it to the SGC… They can't have… it's buried deeply underground and shielded so that they wouldn't ever find it on their scanners." He swallowed and suddenly became very calm. "They've begun their cull. As they can't get to the Earth gate, the Hive must have a Stargate onboard so that they could dial out and prevent anyone on Earth from escaping."
Woolsey looked confused for a moment, then was galvanised into action. "Keep dialling it, so that we can get through the moment their gate shuts down. We have to break through."
Radek nodded solemnly. "I'll create a programme to do so."
Woolsey turned to Rodney. "Dr. McKay, we need that hyperdrive working as quickly as you can."
Rodney shook his head. "I don't know what's wrong with it."
Woolsey softened his voice. "Well, find out. I don't need to remind you that the fate of Earth is in your hands now."
Rodney swallowed and his heart sank. Usually it was only Atlantis he had to worry about, but this time billions of people were now relying on him to pull a miracle out of thin air. He whimpered and blinked through watery eyes as his whole body began to shake. Then he quickly got a hold on his nerves, scrubbed a trembling hand over his face and pulled his computer nearer to start running diagnostics on the faulty hyperdrive. Every moment he wasted could be costing hundreds, if not thousands of lives on Earth.
He radioed the science labs and got them working on it too. Every breath he took could mean that someone on Earth had just breathed their last at the hands of the Wraith and that thought shook him to the core.
For five long years he had dreaded this moment, they all had, John and his friends who were thousands of light years away from this moment. They had come close before once, but had prevented the Wraith from even leaving the Pegasus Galaxy, let alone making it all the way to Earth.
John knew then as he dodged around the pillars holding the bay apart, that he was the only one who could save mankind from the Wraith. Only this time, there would be no Daedalus to swoop in at the last moment and beam him from the jaws of death. That the Wraith had made it this far told him that the Daedalus had been disabled, possibly worse… All that he had was a small bomb that held a big bang and an even smaller trigger button.
His palms became sweaty and his heart beat sped up, but there was no flight possible, only the way onwards to his fate. He spotted a good landing place on a sloping wall at the edge of the bay where the small ship could be concealed long enough for him to blow the ship back to hell. He angled his tiny fighter up and steeled his resolve, then he checked his handgun was loaded and ready just in case and cut the engines.
xxx
Thousands of light years away at the edge of the Milky Way Galaxy, Rodney sat in the control room on Atlantis. The people all around him were working frantically and Rodney felt the tension thrumming through him as acutely as everyone else. The first waves of panic built in his chest, threatening to overwhelm him, but he fought them down as he busied himself on his computer, recalibrating the gate to their new location.
Radek sat helping Rodney nearby and in unison they worked at twice the speed.
"Done," Rodney announced.
"Dial Earth," Woolsey said.
Rodney stood up and went to the DHD, hammering the keys. The symbols on the gate lit as he touched the buttons in front of him, but then the lights winked out and both gate and DHD shut down with a disappointed groan.
The tension ratcheted up a notch and Rodney's hands began to shake. He glanced over at Radek and saw that his fellow scientist's face was pale, his expression grim.
"Try it again," Woolsey said unnecessarily.
Rodney had already begun, but no wormhole formed. Silence fell on the control room as heads looked up and fingers on keyboards stilled.
"You don't think they've already taken over the SGC?" Chuck asked in a small voice from where he had been shunted to the back of the Control Room by Rodney and Radek.
"Impossible," Rodney said. Then realisation dawned on him and he collapsed back down into his chair with wide, unseeing eyes. His mouth parted slightly and his face went a paler shade of ashen white.
Radek asked, "What's wrong?"
"They haven't made it to the SGC… They can't have… it's buried deeply underground and shielded so that they wouldn't ever find it on their scanners." He swallowed and suddenly became very calm. "They've begun their cull. As they can't get to the Earth gate, the Hive must have a Stargate onboard so that they could dial out and prevent anyone on Earth from escaping."
Woolsey looked confused for a moment, then was galvanised into action. "Keep dialling it, so that we can get through the moment their gate shuts down. We have to break through."
Radek nodded solemnly. "I'll create a programme to do so."
Woolsey turned to Rodney. "Dr. McKay, we need that hyperdrive working as quickly as you can."
Rodney shook his head. "I don't know what's wrong with it."
Woolsey softened his voice. "Well, find out. I don't need to remind you that the fate of Earth is in your hands now."
Rodney swallowed and his heart sank. Usually it was only Atlantis he had to worry about, but this time billions of people were now relying on him to pull a miracle out of thin air. He whimpered and blinked through watery eyes as his whole body began to shake. Then he quickly got a hold on his nerves, scrubbed a trembling hand over his face and pulled his computer nearer to start running diagnostics on the faulty hyperdrive. Every moment he wasted could be costing hundreds, if not thousands of lives on Earth.
He radioed the science labs and got them working on it too. Every breath he took could mean that someone on Earth had just breathed their last at the hands of the Wraith and that thought shook him to the core.