The Other City von T L Kay
Kate was waiting in the embarkation room an hour later to meet Jack as he led the expedition through the gate.
“General O’Neill,” she said, ignoring his frown at his temporarily reinstated title, “welcome to Praesidium.”
Jack smiled. “These are some sweet digs,” he said.
She laughed. “Yes they are sir. We have a team poking around, but we’d love some company.”
He nodded. “Maybe we’ll get unpacked first.”
“Well your office is this way.” She indicated a room beyond the command room, much like Elizabeth’s in Atlantis.
He sighed. “I haven’t had an office for awhile…I liked it that way.”
Kate laughed. “Well as you yourself stated, you won’t be here very long.”
Jack smiled. “Dare to dream,” he said before going off to his office.
Kate smiled as she watched him go. She was beginning to think she was really going to like this mission. She continued to stand there as the other personnel trouped through. It gave her the chance to inspect the gate. She had noticed when she was in Pegasus the differences between those gates and the Milky Way gates. The Andromeda gate was equally unique. It was larger than the Pegasus gates, but smaller than the Milky Way ones. The constellations were the same as the Pegasus ones, though they lit up red as opposed to blue. She had just begun to count the symbols to see how many there were when something clicked in her head.
“Jack!” she yelled, abandoning her post by the gate and quickly rushing over to his office.
“What is it?” he asked, concerned, thinking something had gone wrong.
Kate smiled. “I remembered something.”
Jack sighed. “Don’t do that to me Sheppard, I thought we were being attacked or something.”
“Sorry,” she said sheepishly.
“All right, what did you remember?”
“A gate address, to a planet where the scientists were working on a way to stop the Wraith.”
“But you still don’t have any idea of what that is?”
Kate shook her head. “I’m still coming up empty. Maybe if I was there…?”
Jack smiled. “Oh all right. I suppose you’ll be wanting to go now?”
She smiled.
“You just want to fly the puddle jumper, don’t you?”
Kate laughed. “Is it that obvious?”
“Go. Get your team and go find out if there was a point to this mission.”
Kate paused at the door. “You don’t think it’ll have been worth it even if we don’t find a weapon against the Wraith?”
Jack looked around, past the windows to space beyond and smiled. “I guess exploration for exploration sake is ok.”
She smiled. “What a concept.”
“You’re good to go,” said Jack from the command room.
Kate and her team were waiting in the jumper bay in one of the ships. Radek had already had a thorough look around and approved. Evan had wanted to fly, but Kate beat him to it, promising that he could fly the return trip.
“Open the door Radek,” she said.
Zelenka hit the button that opened the hatch above them and Kate eased the jumper up into the gate room.
“Here’s hoping you find something,” said Jack.
“Something useful,” Kate amended.
“Yes, that.”
Kate smiled as she guided the jumper through the gate. They came out the other side in space and followed the energy readings they were picking up down to the surface. As the cloud cover cleared they got a view of the planet, and it wasn’t pretty.
“It looks like something bad happened here,” said James, peering over Kate’s shoulder through the window.
The surface of the planet was a wreck of old fallen buildings and other rubble. The air was thick with dust and smoke, as if the destruction had just happened, but based on the state of damage Kate guessed that it had happened a long time ago.
“I’m gonna put us down near the city there,” said Kate, guiding the jumper to what seemed to be the outskirts of the city. “All right I don’t trust this place, we’re sticking together,” she said when they had landed and opened the rear hatch.
“I agree,” said Evan, looking around warily.
They stepped out of the jumper and were immediately struck by the air. It was like walking into an oven of thick, pungent air. It was breathable, but just barely.
“We’re gonna make this quick,” Kate coughed.
The others nodded.
“Do you have any idea what happened here?” Radek asked her.
She shook her head. “Whatever it was had to have happened after Adrianus left, because I think that I would remember something like this. Maybe not at first, but definitely after being here, and I’ve got nothing. The last time he was here this place was whole.”
They moved out, heading into the city in a tight little group.
“Are you getting anything Radek?” Lorne asked.
The Czech shook his head in bemusement. “I’m getting some strange residual energy signals, but it seems to be coming from everywhere.”
“Whoa!” said James, swiveling around and bringing his gun up as if he had seen something.
“What is it?” asked Kate, turning in the direction he was looking.
“Something moved down there.” They were looking down a side street. “It looked human.”
“Hello?” Kate started to say, but only got out “Hel—” before a hand was over her mouth. She fought off Evan’s hand and turned to face him. “What is going on?”
“We need to get out of here right now.”
“Why?” She had never seen him look so terrified.
“Just trust me, I’ll explain it all, but we need to go now.”
She nodded. “All right.”
They turned and headed back to the jumper, Lorne constantly increasing their pace. They were almost there when they heard it; a scuttling sound that Kate would have said was bugs if it didn’t sound so metallic. She turned to look back but Evan grabbed her arm and pulled her forward. They were full out running by the time they reached the jumper, Lorne raced in and went right to the pilot’s seat. The others had barely made it into the ship before he closed the hatch and took off. It was only then that Kate realized that Zelenka looked as freaked out as Lorne.
“What is going on?” she asked again as they shot into the air.
“Dial the gate,” Lorne said, ignoring her question.
“Damn it Evan, what is going on?”
“Dial the gate and I’ll tell you.”
With a sigh she complied, she would yell at him later. “Now would you like to tell me what was so dangerous down there?” Kate asked when the wormhole was established.
“I should have noticed it right away from the energy readings,” said Zelenka.
“I knew I had recognized the material those buildings were made out of, but it wasn’t until Captain James said that he saw movement that it connected,” said Lorne.
“What?”
“The only thing that would have survived in that atmosphere long term.”
Things were starting to line up in Kate’s head, but she couldn’t believe that they were saying what she thought they were saying, and she said as much.
“I’m afraid so,” said Zelenka.
Lorne shook his head miserably. “Replicators.”
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