Then Sheppard glanced around. “Is it just me or is anybody else reminded of Caesar’s Palace on steroids?”
“I was thinking a medieval Disneyland,” Cumby agreed.
“I like it,” Ronon said. “They appreciate a good fight.”
Teyla smiled, but said nothing.
“We have to find a way to contact Atlantis,” Sheppard said. “There’s something going on here, and I don’t like it. The hospitality seems genuine enough, but that storm sure rolled in conveniently.”
He glanced across at Rodney.
“We need you to find us a spot — any spot — where we can get a signal through when Atlantis opens the gate for a SITREP. Can you do that?”
“Of course,” Rodney replied. “I can tell you where that spot is right now.”
“Really? Well suppose you pry yourself away from the scanner for a minute and tell me.”
Rodney glanced up and glared. “It’s on the surface. In fact, it’s on the surface, outside the shield protecting the city, probably in that stone circle surrounding the gate.”
Sheppard folded his arms over his chest and scowled.
“What did you want me to say?” Rodney protested. “Maybe I could run around the city, broadcasting randomly in all directions and looking for a gap in their shield? ‘Can you hear me now?’ ‘Can you hear me now?’ I’m working on it. I’m sure we’ll find something — but there’s one thing holding me back.”
“What’s that?”
“People interrupting me to see if I’ve discovered something, when I should be working.”
“Just get us a link to Atlantis,” Sheppard snapped.
“What do you make of all those posters?” Cumby said, changing the subject. “Do you think any of those creatures could possibly be real?”
“Probably not.” Ronon’s hand dropped to the butt of his gun, and he sighed.
“Don’t sound so disappointed,” Sheppard grinned.
Ronon shrugged. “I’ve seen a lot of things, but nothing like any of those.”
“I guess it could be some sort of a movie,” Cumby suggested, “or a staged computer generated entertainment. Then again, until I came to Atlantis, I’d never seen anything like a Wraith either. And what was it Saul said when I asked about the creature on the poster? ‘It was one of a kind.’”
“Good point.” Ronon smiled, a feral baring of teeth. It was obvious that he wouldn’t be disappointed if one of the creatures turned out to be real, or for that matter if all of them did.
“This doesn’t make any sense,” Rodney muttered. He turned the scanner one way, and then another, frowning.
Sheppard drew closer, peering over McKay’s shoulder. “What doesn’t make any sense?”
“If there are storms up there like the ones Saul described, I’d be able to find some trace of them. I can’t. I can’t find a single anomaly in the pressure or weather patterns.”
“What if your signal isn’t reaching the surface?” Cumby suggested. “I mean, to scan for weather patterns, you’d have to be able to reach beyond the city…”
“I don’t know if it is or not, do I?”
“Wait a minute,” Sheppard cut in. “Are you telling me that you think Saul is lying about the storm?”
“Yes, I think they’re lying. That’s exactly what I think. I think they don’t want us getting to the surface, opening the gate, or contacting Atlantis. I think they don’t want us knowing why they knocked a moon onto a collision course with the sun. I think being here is a very bad idea, and I think we should be on our way back to the gate right this moment.”
“Okay then,” Sheppard said. “We need to find a way to get someone to the surface.”
“I’ll go,” Ronon offered. His hand had already dropped to the butt of his gun.
“Hold on,” Sheppard said. “I don’t want anyone roaring around, weapons drawn. They’re acting suspiciously, but so far they’ve offered no direct threat. I want to get in contact with Atlantis, but I don’t want to tip our hand until we’re absolutely certain we have no choice.”
“Oh, sure, they’re the perfect hosts so far,” Rodney said. “Other than the whole driving us into a sun thing, I can’t see any reason for complaint.”
Sheppard ignored him. “Our best bet is to go back into the city and mingle. They invited us to sample their hospitality and we’re going to do that. I want all of you to keep your eyes and ears open and find us a way back to the upper levels. We also need to see if we can get a feel for their motives. If there isn’t a storm, what reason could they possibly have for keeping us here? We need to find out why they’ve changed the city’s orbit, and how, or if, they intend to stop it.”
“Of course they intend to stop it,” Rodney cut in. “Or change it again. Why would anybody in their right mind launch themselves toward the sun if they couldn’t stop it?”
“Can you stop it, Rodney?” Sheppard leaned closer, trying to get a feel for what the man was studying so intently. “The planet, I mean. If you got into the system, could you change the course?”
“That would depend.”
“Depend on what?”
“Do you really want me to go into it? Whether the guidance system is intact. How much power they have diverted to the star drive. The age of the parts. How long they’ve been inactive. How much power is available. There are multiple ZPMs, and they seem to have plenty of power, but I don’t really know that until I get a chance to measure their charge. There are too many variables.” He scrubbed a hand across his face. “Right now I can’t even get into their system.”
“On Atlantis,” Teyla said, “there is access to the main computer system in almost every room.”
“Yes, yes,” Rodney said, rolling his hand impatiently. “We aren’t on Atlantis.”
“Dark, and light,” Teyla replied. “The cities are twins. I believe we will find the control panels here.”
Sheppard nodded. “Rodney, stay put and do what you can to get into their system, everyone else with me. Let’s see if we can’t find out a little more about these people — and whatever it is they’re up to here.”
Chapter Eleven
As Sheppard retraced their tracks, the sounds of the inner city floated back to him. The halls of the huge building spun off in all directions, but the heartbeat of the city pulsed in that single chamber. Voices and music echoed down the hall. The sound confused their ears, reverberating off the walls and polished floor. It seemed as if it were a part of the walls, its essence powering the people rather than the people creating the sound. The city had a presence all its own.
Eventually he caught the glitter of lights ahead and stepped out into the huge, pavilion-like chamber they had visited before. Coming into it from the opposite side, they had a view around the corners to the right and left that had not been afforded by the main entrance. The place was a labyrinth of sights and sounds. The young woman still danced on her raised platform and her eyes turned toward them briefly before she spun away and quickened her rhythm. As before, the musician did not look up, paid no notice to anything around him, least of all the dancer. His fingers sped on the strings of his instrument, matching her tempo. The two of them seemed to be joined in some way that went beyond the physical, two parts of one performance.
“Okay, we’ll find a central spot to use as a base of operations, and then spread out and see what you can see, learn, or figure out. Do your best to play along with whatever they have in mind; try to blend,” Sheppard said. “Anything you can find out might make a difference.”
The group wandered over to a long and sinuous bar behind which a small man shuffled bottles, bored and purposeless. He looked like he was killing time. Sheppard stepped up to the bar and leaned on it as he scanned the room. It was a quiet spot, for the moment, and seemed as good as any to take in the layout of the place.