"And after that?" Teyla was obliged to ask. "If your people travel back to your home galaxy, will anyone return?"
A mix of emotions flitted across the Earth woman's features. She clasped her hands before her. "I don't-"
Teyla held up a hand. "I understand that such a decision cannot be made here and now. And I understand as well that your world's leaders must act on their people's behalf. Just-please ask them to consider that even if Atlantis is lost, far more will be lost to my people and many others if your expedition ends. All that has been learned, the friends and enemies made…" A sudden feeling of hopelessness swept over her as she considered what it would mean to start over again: the merciless pursuits, the constant fear. Gathering herself, she finished quietly, "It should count for something."
For a moment, Weir looked away, an unusual reaction from her. "I know. All I can promise is that we'll do everything we can to make certain that this galaxy is not left to face the Wraith alone. It would be naive of my world's leaders to think that the Wraith, knowing of the existence of Earth and the many other worlds in our galaxy, would abandon their hope of turning their sights on us. It's in all of our interests to support you."
Before Teyla could ask the whereabouts of Colonel Sheppard and Ronon, the control room shuddered and the 'gate shut down. Steadying herself on the railing, she traded a look of alarm with an equally shaken Dr. Weir, who asked loudly, "What's happening?"
"Ma'am, the exogenesis machine has reached the asthenosphere" A tech called up a map on the main screen, which Teyla and Dr. Weir both approached. "It's sending seismic shocks through the planet."
"Did everyone in transit make it to the Alpha site before the 'gate shut down?"
"Yes, ma'am. The shutdown occurred due to an inbuilt safety protocol."
Weir touched her earpiece. "Dr. Beckett to the control room, please." Her request was punctuated by another shock, and she grabbed the closest console to brace herself. "Will the city be able to withstand all this?"
"The seismic activity, yes." A scientist moved to join them. "But the shocks are initiating seismic waves-like tsunamis, but on a much larger and continuous scale. We've got about an hour until the first one hits, so we'll need to increase power to the shields before then."
"Do it," Weir ordered. "Wait as long as possible, but do it. What about our ability to dial out again? Are these shocks going to interfere with our evacuation to the Alpha site?"
"Running a diagnostic now," reported the 'gate tech.
Colonel Caldwell charged into the control room, with Dr. Beckett not far behind. The officer was poised to ask a question, but waited as the scientist continued. "This exacerbates our power problem significantly. We'll have to maintain the shield at full strength indefinitely to protect against the nanites and the shockwaves. It's also possible that the system holding Atlantis in a fixed position may not be able to withstand the sustained pressure, in which case we're going to have to employ the inertial dampeners linked to the city's engines."
"How long do we have at full shield strength before the ZPM is depleted?"
"Assuming the shocks maintain their current magnitude, which we certainly can't guarantee"-the scientist ran a quick calculation, and then looked up, his eyes bright with concern-"just under thirty-five hours."
Caldwell rounded on Beckett. "Doctor, any information to offer?"
Studying the image on the screen, Beckett shook his head. "I'm afraid not," he admitted. When Caldwell continued to stare at him, he added, "Honestly, I'd be more specific if I could. All I get is occasional bits of secondhand memory, and they're limited by my understanding-or lack thereof-of the machine. For all I know, the planet might disintegrate right under us "
By now Teyla was rarely surprised at the capabilities of the Ancestors' technology. Still, the idea that such a small object could wreak so much damage was shocking and humbling.
"How are the Daedalus repairs coming'?" Dr. Weir asked.
The ship's commander was pensive. "As expected, and not much faster. No one ever considered trying to fabricate these kinds of parts in the field before now. Titanium is notoriously difficult to work with, and my maintenance group wasn't trained in metalworking. Thirty-five hours would be a wildly optimistic goal for completion."
"I was afraid of that."
"If we're very lucky, we might be able to finish machining the necessary parts just under the wire," Caldwell said. "When the crew evacuates with the last of the Atlantis personnel, I'll assemble a volunteer crew and take the ship to the planet at the edge of this star system. We'll install the new parts and get the hyperdrive operational, then meet up with you at the Alpha site."
He didn't voice the alternative. Repairing the Daedalus's interstellar engines would be difficult enough on Atlantis, but Teyla had journeyed to that nearby planet when then-Major Sheppard's team had come under attack from the `super-Wraith,' and she knew it to be less than hospitable. She could see in Dr. Weir's expression that the other leader detested the idea of dividing the group, but it was the best choice for them all.
"Off-world activation," the 'gate tech suddenly reported. "The system appears to be stable. I don't think we'll experience another automated shutdown." Teyla turned to see the wormhole engage. "It's Dr. Zelenka."
"Radek, this is Elizabeth. Please give us good news "
"Well…news is not the worst so far," Zelenka offered tentatively. "The Polrussons are leaving the areas that will be impacted by the removal of the ZPMs. However, I discovered new information in the Ancient database here about the nature of the force fields. They do not reinforce a rock face keeping back the water, as we had theorized. Instead, they are like huge cups, holding both water and land in place. Over the years, many faults have developed in the rock. Also, many of the ZPMs are nearing depletion. Once the first of them is removed, the power grid will be insufficient to retain land or water."
Dr. Weir seemed to process the implications quickly. "So it's all or nothing?"
"Yes." Teyla imagined the scientist walking in an absentminded circle as he talked. "The water is held in connecting reservoirs, each roughly the size of a large Earth nation. It is unlikely that we will be able to recover more than the first and last ZPMs in the chain. The others will be rapidly washed away."
"What if we sent more jumpers to collect the other ZPMs simultaneously?" Weir asked, automatically bracing herself when another tremor struck the city.
"Very dangerous," answered Zelenka. "Too dangerous. The ZPMs are deep underground. It would take too long to reach them, and any attempt to remove them even a moment early would disrupt the sequence."
"I see. But we could still get two?"
"If we are fortunate, yes."
Two modules would not save the city, Teyla knew. But the additional power would give them much-needed time to repair the Daedalus. Perhaps it would be enough.
Weir nodded, almost to herself, as if trying to restore her own confidence in order to encourage others. "Anything on the second exogenesis device?"
"I have run three different scans, and found no energy or material signature anywhere in the area to match that of the machine. I have checked the database, even though Atlas's device was not a sanctioned part of the project. There are some files about an experiment unique to Polrusso, but I have not been able to study them yet. I will endeavor to bring them back with me."
"Do that, Radek, but we're out of time. The exogenesis machine here appears to be running another program. We need to draw maximum power for the city shield." Weir glanced at Teyla. "I'm sending another jumper through to help you collect the ZPMs."
"I will go," Teyla said immediately, knowing her team would be called upon.