Weir took Erony's proffered hand and shook it warmly. "I've given an IDC transmitter to First Minister Linnian. You may feel free to contact us whenever you wish."
"And please, rest assured that the secret of Atlantis will not be revealed." The woman hesitated, and for a moment she lost her queenly air. "I wonder if, I might speak with Dr. McKay alone?"
"Oh. Sure." Rodney's cheeks colored a little, and awkwardly he followed Erony out of the Jumper.
She dismissed her retinue and then it was just the two of them. "I, uh," McKay frowned, fumbling at the right thing to say. "You look magnificent. Really... Royal."
"You are a good people, you Atlanteans," she told him, "and you are a good man, Rodney McKay. Your honesty opened my eyes, made me question when before I remained silent." She moved closer, her voice dropping to a husky whisper. "I owe you more than I can say."
"I didn't do anything," he said, frowning. "You took the leap. You stood up for what was right. You're the good person, Erony."
She looked away. "I find myself wondering... If things might have gone differently here, what future there might have been for you and I. The chances we might have had." Erony gently touched his hand. "But the world changes. I am Lady Magnate, and the business of state never rests. My life is no longer my own."
Rodney managed a smile. "You're going to be great. Halcyon has a golden age ahead of it."
She sighed, and then by turns she became regal once again, falling into the role of ruler. "I have only one more thing to ask you, Dr. McKay. I beg you to be honest with me in this, show me the same truth you have in all our dealings." The Lady Magnate looked him in the eyes. "Will the Wraith return to my world?"
He wanted to lie to her, to tell her everything would be fine and that she would live out her rule in peace and prosperity; but instead the truth fell from his lips in a hollow rush. "We have no way of knowing if a signal got out to any other Hive Ships. There's nothing to indicate the Wraith are going to come here, but..."
Erony nodded. "Then we will fight them when they come."
She left him there on the deck, lost for words, and walked off to join her people.
The Puddle Jumper described a lengthy arc through the dawn sky and turned inbound toward the hangar that concealed the Halcyon Stargate. Sheppard had an easy smile on his lips as he worked the ship's throttle and yoke like they were second nature.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard Atlantis Air flight three," he grinned, "please put your seat backs and tray tables in a fully upright and locked position, and keep your hands and feet inside the Jumper until it has come to a complete stop..." He had to admit it; as harsh as things got, there was always something liberating about taking to the air, and no matter how far he traveled, no matter where John Sheppard went, getting some sky beneath his wings brought the world into sharp perspective.
"How are we getting back?" said Teyla. "The Stargate is sealed inside their bunker."
"Not any more," Sheppard replied. "Erony decided the Gate's been hidden away long enough." He pointed out the window. "Check it out."
Below them, the roof of the hangar complex cracked open and the massive silo doors retracted, dust and steam curling up from the mechanisms as they worked. From inside, a glitter of sunlight danced over an arc of brushed metal, and with the grinding hiss of a hundred pistons, the wide stone platform beneath the Great Circlet of Halcyon rose up into the dawn for the first time in hundreds of years.
The Stargate shone like a precious ring upon a cushion of limestone, the steely color of the naquadah bright against the shadows cast by the doors. At Sheppard's command, the dialing console flared and the symbol code for the city of Atlantis fed into the device, the electric blue chevrons locking in shimmers of chained power. The wormhole formed with a thunder of sound, the funnel of energy whipping into being, punching a hole through light-years of interstellar distance.
"Take us home, colonel," said Elizabeth, and Sheppard threw the ship into the shimmering pool of light.
James Swallow has written several novels, including Jade Dragon, Faith & Fire, the Blood Angels books Deus Encar- mine and Deus Sanguinius, the Sundowners series of `ste- ampunk' Westerns (Ghost Town, Underworld, Iron Dragon and Showdown), Eclipse, Whiteout, Blood Relative, and The Butterfly Effect. His short fiction has appeared in Stargate: The Official Magazine, Inferno! and the anthologies Silent Night, What Price Victory, Something Changed, Collected Works and Distant Shores.
His non-fiction features Dark Eye: The Films of David Fincher and books on scriptwriting, genre television and animation; Swallow's other credits include writing for Star Trek Voyager, Doctor Who, and scripts for videogames and audio dramas. He lives in London, and is currently working on his next book.
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