Atlantis

[SiphonTalvesh]

Re: Atlantis

To that Jacobs pulled out a small disk, pressing a few buttons on his pad, and said disk became a small sphere that lifted off the ground.

"You could say we do. We can send this through, and scout the immediate area. The we can order it back to see if it can pass, though I think we'll find it can. As for your earlier comment, that Stargates require a containment ring, that's what the gate itself is, a conductor and container for the wormhole energy. This though, this doesn't seem to require that. Which gives me pause for concern, because anything with that kind of power would be a really bad thing to make angry. Oh, and you might want to look out the window over there, pretty sure we're on the surface, not sure when that happened though."


Ariana found the piece she tossed at the anomaly simply vanished inside of it, not to be seen again. It seemed to have passed through harmlessly enough, but that would remain to be seen once the probe went through.

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Atlantis

Ariana shrugged lightly. "Point is, it isn't that far removed from things you consider normal. Set it up then, sending that probe out is at least something we can do while we see if they'll return on their own."

 

[Copper]

Re: Atlantis

"Well, hopefully we can just follow your tracks back, at least for now. Baring that, I'll go airborne and see if I can't spot it from there." She'll walk along beside him, checking her pace to match his limping gait.

"Again with you and the time travel. Maybe something like this happened when you were in Atlantis and you just don't remember it," she offers, actually giving the matter some thought while they're walking. "Or maybe we should talk to Aya when we get back. Maybe she knows." Either way really hinges on them getting back. Again, she keeps an eye out while they walk. The last thing they need right now is for his blood to attract another one of those big and nasties, or something bigger and nastier, before they get the chance to get back through the portal.

 

[SiphonTalvesh]

Re: Atlantis

Jacobs shrugged again.

"True, still though. Anything with that kind of power I don't want to be on it's bad side. Ah, here we go."

The probe lifted, and then flew through the anomaly. A moment later they got a slightly distorted picture back, showing a nearly desert like landscape with a few small trees and plants dotting the landscape. Once it gained some altitude, they could see other creatures roaming about, grazing on the plants, seemingly oblivious to the probe.




Siphon nodded.

"Aya knew about these portals for sure, same as the hologram recording. I'd bet she can tell us something for sure, maybe even confirm if what I suspect about all this being familiar is true. A thought though ... how long do you figure we've been here for?"


His pace gradually increased as his body healed more, blood no longer seeping out, and each step seemed sturdier than the last. Still, she could tell he was moving slow for him, not risking over doing it.

 

[Copper]

Re: Atlantis

Him getting steady is a good thing and so is not overdoing it is probably good. Once they're back in civilization he can act as irrational as he wants.

"Well," and she'll look at her watch and provided it even works, will give him the approximate time from when she departed Atlantis. "And no one's come looking for us, so I don't think we've been gone an hour yet. There, at the very least. Time might work a little differently here, since I had to find your ass and now we're hiking back to the portal."

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Atlantis

Ariana watched the picture the probe sent back carefully. "Yeah, I don't really see anything worth mentioning myself. More creatures over there, but they don't look the kind to rip wraith limb from limb, fortunately. Try sending the probe back over here, then we can scout it out further." She said, pointing to a stand of sparse trees. "If I found myself in a place like that, I'd head for the cover of the trees. We may have some luck in there."

 

[SiphonTalvesh]

Re: Atlantis

Jacobs nodded, commanding the probe to re-enter the anomaly, and when it did, it was back inside the city a moment later. Right after it did though, the anomaly seemed to expand slightly, then shrink a good portion, no longer as large as it was. At this, Jacobs frowned, staring at the readings.

"The magnetic field it is giving off is weakening. I don't think there's much time before it fades for good, and my guess is once that magnetic field dies, so too will this anomaly. If they aren't back by then ... they'll be trapped forever. I don't think we can chance going through ourselves, that might weaken it further."



Siphon half shrugged.

"Unless there's some kind of dilation field time should pass exactly the same. Ah, I think this should be the last of the hills."


They reached the final crest, and sure enough, the anomaly was in the dip between hills. As they started down, Siphon glanced up, and what he saw made him freeze solid for a moment. His hand grasped Sho's shoulder, and he simply pointed.

The anomaly seemed to bulge outward, almost expanding again, before suddenly collapsing to nearly half it's previous size before stabilizing out again. It's glow was notably diminished in the fading light, and it seemed more transparent than before.

"Is it me ... or is that anomaly weakening?"

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Atlantis

Ariana nodded, having taken a step back when the rift started acting up, just in case. "Yeah, guess we wait, then. Any news of other wraith in this place?"

 

[Copper]

Re: Atlantis

"Well, if it is, let's get the hell out of here," she states. They should make good time, but if need be, she'll tailwind the two of them for a little extra bit of a burst, not having any real desire to have the thing collapse on them.

 

[SiphonTalvesh]

Re: Atlantis

Jacobs shook his head.

"No, looks like they're all dead, which is the first bit of good news since we arrived."


He stopped when the anomaly began to expand and fluctuate rapidly, and she could hear him mutter, "come on guys, get your asses back here."




As they made their way, the anomaly began to rapidly fluctuate, and Sho could hear Siphon let loose a curse.

"We're not going to make it. Unless ... Well you always said you wanted to use me for a fall cushion, now's your chance. Get close and run in time with me, I'm gonna try to blast us through the thing."

She heard him mutter under his breath "and probably break another rib, but who's counting. Beats staying in this hell hole."

 

[Copper]

Re: Atlantis

"Just don't crash us into much on the other side," she mutters back, taking a deep breath and nodding, working on getting her footfalls to drop in time with his. It was a bit of a feat, given he usually ran faster than she was, but the injuries did slow him down a little, which gave enough of a pause for her to make it work.

 

[SiphonTalvesh]

Re: Atlantis

The two ran as best a speed as they could manage, the anomaly continuing to rapidly pulse. When they were a few dozen meters away, it began to flicker, losing color rapidly and growing smaller. Letting loose a curse, Siphon aimed his hand down, twisted his body and used his other arm to twist Sho with him, and then fired a small shock blast from his hand into the ground.

Almost immediately, they went airborne, hurtling through the air and just before the anomaly gave on final gasp, they hit the event horizon, vanishing through it.




The anomaly began to rapidly pulsate, it's time coming to an end. Just as it was seeming it was about to close, suddenly two figures came hurtling through at incredible speed, one using his body to cushion a female from impacting the wall, his own back and side slamming into the wall behind Ariana with a thud. A moment later, the anomaly surged one final time, and then snapped shut with a colorful display and a snapping sound. Jacobs shot over, already checking on the two, seeming to recognize them, something confirmed a moment later.

"About damn time, you two OK?"



Siphon and Sho came flying through the anomaly, the former using his own body to shield her from impacting the wall. He hit it with a thud, the impact force enough to make him loosen his grip on her, settling her down onto the floor even as he half slid down it himself. She was probably a little bruised even with the cushioning, but they were home again. And that was when she heard Jacobs, someone she hadn't seen in six months speak.

 

[Copper]

Re: Atlantis

Siphon definitely hears the "Ohshit" as she realizes that it's closing. Pinching her eyes shut as she feels Siphon change the angle that they're at, she lets herself relax while at the same time, gripping tightly at him. They were either going to make it or they weren't. No going back now.

Even with Siphon between her and the wall, the impact was enough to rattle her teeth. Probably a good thing that he had cushioned her. At that speed, she'd have broken several somethings, no doubt about that. She found herself on the floor, looking at the somewhat familiar walls of Atlantis, something she was grateful to see. Twisting around as she heard a male voice speaking to them, her eyes squint a little, allowing memory to catch up with her.

"Banged up, but I'll live. Take a look at Siphon. He was in worse shape before the crash landing." She turns back around and pokes him on the knee, not quite with each word, but close. "And this is why we leave the flying to the experts." The poke turns into an affectionate pat. "But you did get us home...ish. I'd say you've earned a coffee break."

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Atlantis

Ariana ducked back slightly as the pair flung through the portal, glad she had already taken a step back. Fromt he looks of it, the man was being taken care of quite handily, so she focused on the woman instead, offering her a hand up.

"Just in time, you two were pretty lucky. From what we can tell, we cleared the rest of the wraith out, as well as some rather large and toothy beast." She explained, half smiling.

 

[Copper]

Re: Atlantis

It takes a minute or two for Sho to acknowledge the offered hand, but she'll take it and let Ariana help haul her to her feet. One thing the other woman might notice is that Sho's lighter than she looks. It might be the way she's getting up, but Ari doesn't have as hard a time as she might think helping the other woman up.

"Are we sure all of the Wraith are gone?" She dusts herself off once she's fully on her feet. "I'm not asking about big ugly because, well, I doubt we'd be sitting her chatting if it weren't." She chuckles. The question is more directed at Jacobs than Ariana, but she seems fine with whomever answers her. Looks like introductions are going to wait in lieu of business, unless plans change.

 

[SiphonTalvesh]

Re: Atlantis

Jacobs nodded.

"No sign of Wraith left on the internal sensors, looks like the bunch we took out in the control room were the last of them."


Meanwhile one of the other Averans had moved down to check on Siphon, who slowly got to his feet with help. Once up, he twisted slightly, the sound of bone popping back into place in his back audible.

"Yeah yeah, sue me, least we're back in one piece. I'd call that a successful crash landing."

Siphon said this with a smile, seeming a bit steadier on his feet as he nodded to the others.

"No worries, Talvesh is working on the bodily repairs. Wait, you said the wraith made it to the control tower?"


Jacobs nodded.

"Yes, we took care of them, though there was a woman, an Ancient I believe. She .. well she incinerated them, seemed to take a lot out of her doing it, and one of the Wraith tried to feed on her which is I think what caused her to ... Hey where the hell are you going?"


At the mention of the wraith trying to feed on her, Siphon was half down the hall already heading for the control room. Jacobs threw his arms up in a 'what the hell' motion before turning to Sho.

"There something I don't know about that I should? What's got him all fired up suddenly?"

 

[Copper]

Re: Atlantis

"Well, aside from being one of the few remaining Ancients to have actually lived in the city, she was, and he probably still considers her, his wife." Sho's wearing that grin of hers that says she could be jerking his chain, but at the same time, the tone of her delivery indicates that she's being utterly serious. "We'd best get after him. Last thing we need is him hurting himself rushing to her side."

She'll start for the control room as well, pretty much assuming that it's in the direction that she and Siphon were not coming from, though if there's any twists and turns to the corridors, she'll need them to guide her.

"This is a new face," she states as she walks, indicating Ariana and that someone should do introductions, be it the girl herself or one of the Averans.

 

[SiphonTalvesh]

Re: Atlantis

Jacobs looked dumbfounded at her.

"Christ almighty, you're serious aren't you. This story I HAVE to hear, cuz he's said nothing before about this woman."

 

[Copper]

Re: Atlantis

Anyone watching Sho would get the impression that if she weren't walking along, she'd have shoved her hands in her pockets and would be rocking back and forth on her feet. As it stands, she just shakes her head with another chuckle. "That's because he didn't remember until we ran into her here. Near as I can tell, on one of Siphon's jaunts, he wound up here, at the height of Atlantis, and spent some time here. It's coming back to him in fits and spurts, but there's obviously a reason he doesn't remember all of it, so we're keeping it that way, capice?"

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Atlantis

Ariana followed along, nodding at the request for introductions. "Ariana, nice to meet you." She said simply, staying silent for the conversation between the two, not having anything to add.