Rising by Sally Malcolm

Author:Sally Malcolm
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Science Fiction, (¯`'•.¸//(*_*)\\¸.•'´¯)
Publisher: Crossroad Press
Published: 2011-12-08T13:00:00+00:00

It felt as though everyone was holding their breath. No one was moving, everyone was talking in hushed tones, as if even their voices might drain more of the precious power that kept the ocean at bay. Or perhaps everyone was listening for the first signs of trouble, a creak or groan as the city began to drown in earnest.

Shaking herself, Elizabeth Weir banished the dismal thoughts and fixed her eyes more determinedly on the silent Stargate. They’d heard nothing since Lieutenant Ford’s last communication; Sumner’s team had made contact with the locals and would soon be able to determine if they’d found themselves a lifeboat. But Weir was beginning to worry that if they didn’t get back soon she would run out of time to explore other options. Weir was sure they’d find sanctuary somewhere out there, but what were the odds of it being on the very first world they visited? Slim, to say the least. And yet with the clock ticking they might have no choice. Beggars, as the saying went, could not be choosers.

That it should come to this… To find exactly what they’d dreamed of, and then to be forced to give it up within hours of arrival. How could she let that happen? Not for the first time since she’d stepped through the Stargate, Weir found herself wondering if someone else – Dr. Jackson, perhaps – would have been a better choice for mission leader. Someone with tactical experience, someone who might have some clue of what to do right now…

Behind her she heard footsteps slowing. She recognized them as Dr. McKay’s and turned to face him. While second-guessing herself was all well and good, she had an absolute duty to keep her worries to herself. These people deserved a leader, and that’s exactly what she’d give them.

McKay stood outside the small room where Weir had retreated, and was watching her with a somber face. At his side stood Dr. Grodin, equally grim.

“Tell me some good news, Rodney,” she said quietly.

He shrugged slightly and stepped into the room. “I can’t do that.”

And he wasn’t going to soft-soap it either, she liked that.

“We’ve successfully managed to interface two auxiliary generators,” Grodin offered, without great conviction, “but it’s nowhere near enough.”

Damn it. “This shield has held back the ocean for centuries—”

“And probably would have kept going for years more,” McKay cut in, “but our arrival changed that. Now it’s nothing more than a thin shell between the buildings and the water.”

“We stopped all exploring—”

“The damage was already done,” he snapped. “Another section on the far side of the city flooded an hour or so ago.”

“Even occupying this room is draining power,” Grodin added.

We came, we saw, we destroyed…

McKay shifted nervously, his gaze flitting between her and the gate, as if he dreaded what he had to say next. “We need to evacuate the moment Colonel Sumner reports back it’s safe.”

His words hung in the air for a long, heavy moment. At last Weir spoke, “You’re saying we have to abandon the city—”

“The sooner we leave, the longer that shield will hold.

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