Brimstone

Chapter Thirty-eight

Both teams had gathered around the conference table for the debriefing. Woolsey sat at the head of the table. As usual, he had papers and a folder before him, and he shuffled through them as he gathered his thoughts. Teyla’s leg was in a cast, and several others appeared a bit the worse for wear. Still, they were back, and they were safe.

“So,” Woolsey said, glancing up at last. “This Saul has been imprisoning travelers in his city for a very long time. I find myself wondering how many of those creatures in the entertainment started life as simple visitors — how much blood was spilled.”

“For what it’s worth,” Sheppard said, “I saw no indication that they modified actual living beings. The ‘adversary’s’ seem to have been created from genetic material, blended from Wraith and races we’ve never even encountered.”

“That dragon, for one,” Rodney said. “I mean, who grows something like that?”

Woolsey stared at Rodney for a moment, and Rodney fell silent, looking a bit sheepish. “Well,” he said, “it was big.”

“Yes, Rodney,” Sheppard cut in. “We were all proud of the way you stood up to the dragon, and that charge out of the gate, I won’t forget that any time soon. But you were wearing a force field that literally removed you from any real danger.”

“You mean other than being left behind to be burned to a crisp by a sun? Or maybe you’re talking about how I got Teyla out of there? Sort of like Lancelot and Guinevere, wasn’t it? None of that was too risky; I mean, on a scale of one to ten…”

Ronon laughed. “You did a good job. You killed a dragon. Isn’t that enough?”

Rodney tilted his head to the side, as if caught halfway between two thoughts, clamped his lips together, and nodded. “I think that will be…fine.”

“If we could get back to the debriefing?” Woolsey said, clearing his throat. “We gained little from this excursion, other than information.”

“We have the lance,” Rodney said quickly, “and the visor. We’re analyzing them to see if any of the weapons technology can be adapted. I think we might be near some real breakthroughs.”

“That’s fine,” Woolsey said, “but we have storerooms full of artifacts and an entire Ancient database we’ve only begun to delve into. The last thing we needed was more to investigate.”

“But…” Rodney started.

Woolsey held up his hand. “Be that as it may,” he said, “I am going to consider this mission a success. We actually learned some things about the interface of the gates and the DHD, and thanks to Mr. Cumby, we have identified at least one warning message that — previously,” he glanced at Rodney pointedly, “we have overlooked.”

“I think we learned something about the Ancestors, as well,” Teyla said. “We’ve encountered them at their finest, and we’ve encountered them when they were so detached that nothing mattered but their ascension. These were very — human. They were flawed, and selfish, violent and in love with their own warped form of entertainment. They were far from perfect, despite their age, and the knowledge they’ve accumulated over the centuries. No matter how well a civilization starts out…its ending is determined by the culture that is shared.”

“They aren’t Gods,” Sheppard said. “They are beings, just like we are. They’ve been around a lot longer, they’ve learned things we haven’t, but they’re as prone to mistakes and flaws as any of us. Some of them found their way — others found…”

The door opened, and a young man stepped into the room.

“Sir, you asked me to call you when it was time.”

Woolsey nodded. He stood slowly. “If you will all join me in the control room?”

The others glanced at one another, then rose slowly and filed out. Woolsey came last. He still carried his papers, but he no longer pretended to be worrying about reports or paperwork.

As he entered the room, Woolsey said, “Go ahead, Colonel Caldwell, put it on screen.”

The screen flickered to life and the image of the city of Admah came into focus, relayed back to them via the long-range sensors of the Daedalus. The surface of the moon rippled with heat haze. The light from the star, very close, licked at the walls of the city and the air shimmered. Smoke rolled over the stones.

“It won’t be long now,” Woolsey said.

“Do you think anyone in there could still be alive?” Cumby said. “I mean, the city was built by the Ancients. Surely they have ways to seal themselves off — shields or some sort of — ”

“Nothing is going to save them,” Sheppard said. “They might still be alive, and they might even remain alive a little bit longer, but nothing survives that. Saul knew what he was doing when he chose his final act.”

“He never got to see it,” Rodney said.

They all turned to him.

“He was at the gate when I passed through. I fired at him with the lance. I don’t know if it killed him, but I’m sure he never made it back to the city. I think I also damaged the gate. It was closing when we leaped through. They really were trapped.”

“Nothing you could have done would have changed that,” Woolsey said. “They would have kept you there too if they could. They would have kept all of you. ”

Rodney nodded, but he turned back to the screen. They all watched as Admah and its moon reached the point of no return. The surface began to glow and then to crumble. Its descent toward the center of the sun sped up, and as they watched it began to melt, slowly at first, and then running like lava, until finally, in a flash of fire that filled the screen, it disappeared forever.

Sheppard stood very still. He thought of Mara, and remembered the last few moments they’d spent — the look in her eyes as she turned away and returned to Saul.

“Goodbye,” he said. “If there’s a better place, I hope you find it.”

The screen went dark. No one spoke as they turned and disappeared into the city. The gate stood large and empty, and Woolsey stared into that giant eye as if it had secrets he could read. Finally, he shook his head and walked away. As if noticing it for the first time, he turned to the paperwork in his hand. Somehow he thought he’d better get it finished soon. There was no telling when the next disaster might strike and he knew he had to be ready.