Skipping several steps, almost dropping the ZPM a few times, I descended to the control point level. And immediately realized that things were bad.
The monitor, as thin as good humor, no longer showed various fluctuations of green shades. Yes, there were numerous markings in the Ancient language on it, but the very fact that the city map was full of numerous red markings did not please me.
The siren methodically invaded my brain, adding panic to what I saw.
Atlantis was sinking. I don't know why, but the city's shield had shrunk to the size of the central spire, while the rest of the city-ship was either already underwater or about to be.
What's worse, the lower levels of the tower were also flooded. The very levels where the ZPM room was located!
I was on Sudaria for no more than six hours! Based on the time I spent in the city and the area of Atlantis that was flooded, I thought I had at least two or three days!
What happened?! Why?!
It's unlikely I have time to look for answers. The central spire is rapidly flooding. The ZPM room is still out of the water, which means I have time.
But I have to hurry. The nearest teleporter in the lower part of the tower turned out to be inaccessible – it's probably already flooded and outside the shield. Which, damn it, is rapidly being destroyed!
At the moment, only fractions of a percent of the required power remained. Water is already around the central spire. The only thing preventing it from rushing in at the speed of Niagara Falls is the quality sealing methods of the buildings.
Classic "it used to be better!" in action.
There is only one option – to run down the stairs.
If I skipped a couple of steps going down the stairs from the jumper hangar to the gate hall, now I was jumping down almost half a flight of stairs. I was no longer afraid of falling and breaking my neck – the personal shield was still active. But dropping the ZPM was quite possible.
I wonder if it can be broken? If so, will I be vaporized immediately, like being close to the epicenter, or not?
I need to hurry.
Running, skipping steps and flights of stairs, my body rushed to the base of the tower. There was no time to think about what was happening. First, the ZPM will take its place, then I can figure out who is to blame and what to do.
For some reason, I felt that the answer to the first question would be my own name. How – I don't know. But there's clearly no one else in the city.
Or… no, the Ancients wouldn't have "hired" me first and then crapped in the well I had to drink from.
I only had one more flight of stairs to overcome and run to the center of the tower to get to the ZPM room when, jumping off the stairs, I crashed into the water glistening above the floor of the floor I needed.
Ice-cold, damn it, water, the level of which reached my knee in an instant.
What?!
So, things are really bad if the lower floors of the spire are starting to flood?
Damn it! Why do I feel cold, I'm under a shield?
It clicked in my head – the shield lets air through. Most likely, it's not even about the water temperature, but the air temperature.
And the column of steam that burst from my mouth confirmed the guess.
Looking at the dark water, illuminated from within by the still working lights in the rooms, I thought for a couple of seconds about what to do next.
It's not too late to return to the hangar, dial the gate address, and escape. To hell with Atlantis, it can't be saved anymore. Everything down there is flooded, including the ZPM room! To replace the discharged ones with working ones, I would have to expose the wiring contacts carrying a voltage level that would make a short circuit seem like a salvation. Which I most likely wouldn't feel.
Memory helpfully suggested ancient physics experiments we conducted in school. Seawater is an excellent conductor of electricity because salts of various elements like sodium, calcium, and other metals are dispersed in it. Any non-hermetic device that ends up in saltwater is instantly rendered useless. So, even if I manage to get to the ZPM room without drowning, if I manage to remove the old batteries from the distribution unit, the city's power system will react with seawater and…
"Stop panicking, damn it!" I shouted to myself, taking the first steps into the water. Well, as much as I could. It was already up to my knees.
I wouldn't say I was ever the best swimmer in the world, but estimating how long it would take me to wade – running would no longer be possible, to the coveted room, I concluded that I would still have to swim. I think there is still air in the ZPM room, I just need to get there.
The ocean was relentlessly cramping my limbs. Taking a couple of steps back, I ordered the shield to turn off with my mind. As soon as the green haze around me disappeared, I unbuttoned my jacket, taking it off. And immediately shoved the ZPM under my shirt.
The device seemed to radiate heat, which wouldn't hurt me. Mentally asking the shield not to explode, I attached it to my pants. The personal device worked as expected. Well, you were afraid… Even the energy in the ZPM remained. Probably.
I returned to the water.
Another step, another… The ZPM room, if the plan on the Ancient scanner is to be believed, is just one level below. I can walk there!
But walking is not an option, I'll suffocate.
But swimming…
A strange feeling – there's an ocean around, and it's icy, and I'm dry… my brain categorically refused to accept this as a given. So, without thinking, I took a deep breath and dived.
The water resisted, as if trying to throw me back, push me out. I looked at the handheld device, memorizing the movement map to the ZPM room. After that, I threw the scanner aside and, clinging to the steps, began to descend.
The pressure was increasing, but I had no other choice. The only chance of salvation is to power the city. If I don't do it in time, I'll drown, because hoping to float up inside the building, and in complete darkness – is a great stroke of luck. Truly incredible.
Hoping for the best is too late. Only rely on your own strength. I myself asked the Ascended not to interfere, didn't I? Well, here's the result.
Although, they wouldn't have helped anyway.
The shield around me was now glowing green. I guess the stronger the impact, the brighter it becomes. Which is good. I am, damn it, a Green Lantern! Let the oceanic depths fear me, a boiler the size of the Titanic!
The scene was simply grim. In the middle of a futuristic city, surrounded by flooded high-tech, a man glowing like a Christmas tree swims into the darkness.
I reached the coveted doors when my lungs were already starting to burn from lack of oxygen. Why is everything running out so fast?! I'm in a young body, from my army youth! I used to swim and even beat a few guys from the sports company in breaststroke!
Starting to slowly release air through a thin crack from my lips, I finally managed to grab onto a lamp near the door. The panel at the entrance didn't even think about reacting to my movements in front of it, let alone lighting up. Damn it!
"Normal heroes…"
Somehow prying off the decorative plate, I tore it off and looked at the extinguished crystals. Three pieces vertically in a row. Well, take one out, short the other two… I remember the expedition did something similar in a similar situation.
Taking a deep breath, I dived.
Damn builders! Why doesn't this lock work underwater?
It didn't work. Not on the first try, not on the second.
I still had hope that this room was not flooded, as it was one of the main compartments of the city. But it's not opening!
And it became really scary here. If the door doesn't open, I'll simply drown. The corridor is already flooded, as is the floor above me. There's no chance of getting out of here alive. And as soon as Atlantis is completely flooded – turn off the lights, throw a grenade. The pressure will simply crush me. My ears are already ringing – the water, rising from below, is pushing oxygen upwards, compressing it several times. A classic example of compression formation in the combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine.
However, there is still a chance. I don't feel the water current towards the door leading to the ZPM room, which means either it's already flooded there, or the compartment's integrity is intact. The chances are about the same as meeting a living Ancient in the city.
I don't have much exhaled air left. As soon as it runs out, panic will begin. Whether I want it or not, my brain will realize imminent death, and the dance with tambourines will begin.
I'm doing something wrong with the crystals. Which one should I take out and which ones should I short? There are only two options – either short the bottom and central ones with the top one, or the top and middle ones with the bottom one.
Wait! What if I had to swap them?!
Exactly!
I had to take out one crystal, swap it with the central one, and then short with the central one.
It didn't work the first time.
But as soon as the top one was in the middle's place, the console lit up with internal lighting! And that's something!
Shorting the crystals, a frame from the series.
It worked. And it didn't even kill me with electricity. Good thing the circuit didn't burn out. Oh, thank you builders for providing a safety margin. The door leaves opened, showing me an empty room.
The resulting stream of water literally pulled me into the ZPM room. Hitting my head on the central triangular pedestal, where the modules were supposed to be, I, cursing my own carelessness, tried to stand up. At the same time, I was genuinely happy for the stale, but still air. Or rather, its remnants: despite the considerable size of the room, water was pouring in very vigorously. I need to stop this at all costs.
Fortunately for me, the shield helped resist the water this time too. But I only managed to reach the console and lock the doors when it could hardly help me.
Looking around, I realized that there was a little air under the very ceiling. Not resisting the pushing force, I floated up there, greedily drawing air into my lungs.
Everything is fine, everything is fine.
There's only a little bit left!
I just need to swap the ZPMs and everything will be wonderful…
Oh, damn it!
It suddenly became cold. So much so that I barely managed to close my mouth in a scream so as not to swallow water.
My body felt squeezed from all sides by a vise. It became so cold that even the heat emanating from the ZPM didn't help.
The pushing force seemed to have lost faith in itself.
Just like I lost faith in the reliability of the personal shield – thanks to the lighting in the compartment, I could see the device slowly sinking. Clearly, it had discharged. Wonderful, simply wonderful.
I have no more than a minute to live.
Surfacing, I rewarded my lungs with a portion of oxygen, then pushed off the ceiling with my hand and dived.
Pinching my nose with my free fingers, I tried with all my might to "push" into my head. For some reason, I remembered that this "clearing" helps to get rid of excess pressure at great depths.
If it helped, I didn't notice it.
My eyes stung and it was harder to find the way to the central pedestal than a drunk graduate in the summer.
But I still reached the ZPM storage.
The ZPM room. A frame from the series. The man is an Ancient named Janus. The woman is the leader of the human expedition, Elizabeth Weir. The situation occurred during an episode with time travel. In the center is the main power node of Atlantis.
The air I managed to swallow will last me, well, for a minute at most.
So, without delay, I pushed off the power node and swam to the required console. There are only two of them in the room, but I only need the one to the left of the entrance. Preparing for the trip for the ZPM, I learned how to extract them from the installation.
After ten seconds, when the air in my chest was already burning, all three modules crawled upwards. As expected, all three ZPMs were not glowing – they have no energy. Just three dull yellow crystals.
Swimming up to them, I pulled the nearest one upwards, extracting it from the socket. There was almost no air left, I wouldn't have time to escape before drowning anyway. All that remains is to hope for the thoughtfulness of the Ancients' algorithms and their short-circuit protection system.
I took the "Quindozim Treasure" I brought with me from under my shirt and immediately placed it in the empty socket.
Nothing. The crystal should light up when connected.
So why is this damn thing as dark as my prospects?
Damn it! Dark spots were already appearing in my eyes. What if this ZPM is empty?! I didn't even think to check it before connecting it!
My body almost stopped obeying, cramped. My vision blurred, even the slow release of carbon dioxide from my lungs didn't help. That's it, I've arrived…
Idiot! You have to lower it! Just press it so it goes into the socket! The expedition also fell for this trick during the first crystal replacement!
Gently pressing the crystal, I felt it give way under my pressure and slide into the depths of the installation.
Excellent.
So, what's next?!
My ears were pounding, as if some unknown blacksmith intended to use my head as an anvil. Nothing changed, except the lighting became brighter.
Something is going wrong. I missed something.
I need time to think.
I let the air lift me to the ceiling because my arms and legs no longer obeyed. Preparing to swallow another gulp of oxygen, I pursed my lips, ready for them to slip out of the water...
But they just touched the ceiling. There was no more air pocket... It seems the seal here isn't perfect.
Damn it!
I made it! I got the ZPM! Why should I drown! My vision began to darken. My chest burned with fire, and no matter how much I tried to prolong my agony by exhaling air from my mouth in a thin stream, I came to the understanding that it was time to put an end to my fate. Damn it! To waste my life so miserably! Such a chance! And such an end.
Damn these Ancients!
When all the air left their lungs, and my almost breathless body began to sink to the floor of the room, amidst the darkness before my eyes, I saw a tiny point of light.
Well, that's enough playing. Time to head for the light at the end of the tunnel.
On the shore of the Lantian continent, a group of Ascended gathered again.
"That's all," said Ganos Lal. "As I predicted, he didn't make it."
"We all foresaw this," echoed the leader of the Ascended. "Shortsightedness ruined him."
"Launching the gate using the city's computer was a big mistake," Melia agreed. "He had a ship with a reserve of energy. He should have used it."
"To boast about saving energy with batteries connected in parallel, to know that it led to the death of the expedition, but at the same time to allow such a shameful blunder," Ganos Lal shook her head. "Hippaphoralkus overestimated the descendants of his genetic line too much."
"On the other hand," said the leader, "Mikhail obtained an almost fully charged ZPM. The shield is recovering. The central computer will soon start the room dehumidification system."
"A pity about this brave boy," from the height of her age, Melia, for whom, like all the Ascended, time flowed quite differently, could afford such a liberty. "We could have intervened and saved him. Since the Milky Way is cut off, the Alterans won't stop us."
"We don't know if they died. And until this is reliably determined, there's a chance we'll be punished for interfering. Our community doesn't need that. Therefore, I will stop anyone who tries to break the rules of the Ascended!" the leader warned. "Because of one person's actions, not all should suffer. Mikhail did his job according to our plan. The energy reserve will last for almost three thousand years in standby mode. During this time, one of our descendants will come for the city..."
He turned and walked towards the forest, not finishing his sentence. The others followed him, when, suddenly, the entire community stopped. Instantly, they received a message about what had happened.
The rules are being broken. Right now.
The leader turned, looking at each of those present. Ever since one of them committed one of the highest violations, the leader preferred to keep them all in sight. After all, to intervene, one would have to separate from the community.
And then it would immediately become clear that one of them had conceived something. And who it was. There would be no need to waste more time searching for the culprits.
But all members of the community were here now.
While the rule was being broken.
The leader turned his gaze to the dimension that the Ascended occupied. He had a guess as to who was responsible for this. But no, Ran, the only Ascended from the Asgard race, continued her own business, ignoring what was happening.
Then who?!
Looking closely into the ocean depths, the leader realized that he had missed the moment of the influence of higher energy on reality. He sharply turned his head and looked at Ganos Lal.
"What did you do?" he demanded an answer.
"I don't understand what you're talking about," she replied. "I just prepared a program to search for addresses leading to weapons against Orai."
"I know the plan!" the man said impatiently. "It was developed for our descendants! But why do I see that the city has started dehumidifying the rooms! Now, not after the designated time for the automation to work?!"
"It can't be!" Ganos looked towards the flooded city. "What... What's happening?! Who's doing this?!"
"I think I know," Melia said. And her tone boded no good. "I think I'll need the help of some of us to finally resolve the issue and..."
"It's too late," Ganos Lal said with hatred in her voice, looking at the leader. "It's all done! We have to intervene!"
The man looked for a long time through the ocean depths at the long-abandoned city that was coming back to life.
"I'm sorry," he said, not hiding his disappointment. "But we no longer have the right to do so. It's all done."
"A well-timed moment," Melia assessed. "When we thought it was all over, an intervention occurred."
"This again," Ganos Lal said irritably. "They never learn... We have to do something!"
"Unfortunately," the leader repeated, "this is a mortal's business. If we intervene, we will break the rules. And the community will be under attack again. I will not allow it. We have all made huge sacrifices to achieve enlightenment. Does anyone wish to renounce Ascension, eliminate the violation of the rules, and find the path to Ascension again? But this time independently, so that no one can reproach us for circumventing the rules."
Only a spiritually enlightened being could ascend. Once upon a time, this could only be done independently. But only until one of the Ascended in the Milky Way found a way to bypass the rules. She began to help those close to Ascension to take the final step towards this state.
And she made a terrible mistake.
Now only she, as punishment, could help them ascend. And at the same time watch as billions die because of her mistake. But it is unknown if Oma Desala is alive. Therefore, the only option is to comprehend the path of Ascension independently. Which even for the prepared takes most of their lives.
The leader looked at his wards. None of them were willing to risk their position.
"So, we'll just swallow this?" Ganos Lal asked. "Create a precedent, instability within the community?"
"No," the leader replied. "We cannot intervene. But we can still do something. You won't be able to fool us so easily. Not anymore. I will make sure of it."