David Wilson - Brimstone

There was a pause, then Sheppard said, “So, what was it?”

“I never read it,” Cumby replied with a grin.

“Fair enough,” Sheppard laid a hand on the younger man’s shoulder. “We’re counting on you.”

Cumby nodded. “I’d better get ready then.”

The rest of the group dispersed slowly. When the room had emptied, Woolsey gathered the papers in front of him, tapped them on the table to straighten them, and stood slowly. He was the last to leave the room and his expression was grim. He hated sending a team into something so tenuous, and since there appeared to be no other course of action, he fell back on his paperwork. It didn’t help, but it kept his hands busy.

The team gathered early in the morning. Sheppard checked his gear twice, and then helped Cumby with his. He was a little nervous about taking someone he hadn’t personally worked with into the field on a potentially dangerous mission, but he kept his smile in place. Ronon and Teyla had been ready for at least half an hour, and the only missing team member was Rodney.

“Figures he’d be late,” Sheppard said. “He’s probably filling his pack with sunscreen, insect repellant and food.”

“I could go to his quarters and see if he’s ready,” Cumby said.

“I’ve already been by there,” Sheppard said. “Rodney is up. He’s just late.”

Cumby nodded. They waited in silence for a moment longer, and then they all turned at the sound of approaching footsteps.

Rodney burst into view, moving very quickly. He had his gear slung over his shoulder and his laptop tucked under his arm. He was grinning from ear to ear. It was the kind of grin you’d expect if a kid was running away from a school bathroom just before the firecracker took out a toilet.

Ronon frowned. “What’s wrong with you?”

Rodney cocked his head and his grin widened. “Absolutely nothing,” he said. “Why would there be anything wrong? Shall we get this show on the road?” But everyone just stared at him. “What?”

“We were supposed to leave ten minutes ago,” Teyla said.

“Sorry. I had to get a few things. We don’t want to be unprepared.”

“What things?” Sheppard said, expecting more of an answer than he really needed.

But Rodney surprised him. “Technical things. Aren’t we late already?”

Sheppard shook his head and let it go. “Okay,” he said. “So we’re all clear, we’re going through to look for the city. If we find it, we have priorities. First priority is to look for survivors and see if there’s anything we can do to help. If there are working ZPMs we’ll try to bring them back. If there is anything we can do to keep the city from crashing into the sun, we’ll give it a shot, but if it starts to get too hot — we get out. We’ll be heroes if opportunity knocks, but we aren’t going to put ourselves in any unnecessary danger. Understood?”

Everyone nodded.

“I did a little more research last night,” Cumby said as the gate began to spin.

“Yeah?” Sheppard said. “What did you find?”

“It wasn’t anything about the planet,” he said. “I researched more about the name of the city — Admah. It really was a city, not just a Biblical myth. It was in the Valley of Siddim, southeast of the Dead Sea, and was inhabited by the Canaanites. Historical records indicate that the city really was destroyed by fire.”

“Destroyed by whom?” Ronon said.

Cumby shrugged. “If you believe the Bible, then God,” he said. “It was destroyed by God. The historical records aren’t clear on what started the fire only that the city was absolutely consumed.”

“Nice story,” Ronon grunted.

The last chevron locked and they all watched as the gate came to life. The air within the circular portal shimmered. There was a strange sound like a heavy breath of air, and the center of the shimmering light bulged inward. It surged out from the center forming a swelling cylinder of light and then snapped back flat. The room seemed charged with energy when the gate opened, and every time it happened, it gave Sheppard a thrill.

“Receiving MALP telemetry,” Woolsey called down from Stargate Operations. “Atmosphere is acceptable, temperature… I hope you packed your sun block, Colonel, it’s going to be hot.”

From his position at the gate, Sheppard glanced up. “Tell me something I don’t know.” Then he turned and gave his team the nod, watching as one after the other, they stepped into the wormhole and disappeared. Woolsey watched until they had all passed through and the gate had shut down. He stood still for a few moments after they were gone, then turned to the technician on duty.

“Dial again in two hours for a SITREP — I want to keep a close eye on this one.”

He didn’t tell the man why he felt uneasy, but ignoring a warning of any type rubbed against the grain and now that the deed was done he couldn’t get it out of his head. His time in Atlantis had worked subtle changes in the way he viewed things and, though he still had to bite his lip at times to keep from speaking up, he’d learned to trust the instincts of those who served under him. Sheppard in particular. Still, it was one thing to trust Sheppard to do the right thing, but changing the cautious, careful nature of his personal world to accept that trust was a different thing entirely. He was working on it, but old habits died hard. He had to let one or the other rule his mind, and now that he’d made his decision, he had to find his own ways to deal with the mental fallout.

The gate stood silent and empty and he stared at it, wondering what was happening on the other side, but its giant eye stared back at him and held no answers. After a few moments, he turned away. He trusted his team, but there was nothing he could do to prevent his own fear. And he didn’t really want to prevent it, he realized — it kept him alert.

The team stepped into a dusty clearing, the MALP parked off to one side. They were surrounded by trees, but most of the branches were bare. There was a breeze, but it was hot and dry. The gate stood in a small valley between rolling hills and there was a stone tiled circle surrounding them, creating a perimeter that had once kept off encroaching plant life. But the trees and shrubbery were brown now — desolate and forgotten. The clearing was surrounded by the remnant of what seemed to be a terraced garden, the gate set into the stone at the lowest level, and several more flat, open levels rising like huge steps up to the right and left. Directly ahead, a trail wound off into the distance. It didn’t look as if anyone had traveled that way in a very long time.

“Cheery place,” Rodney said.

The team fanned out. Sheppard, Ronon and Teyla circled to either side, weapons leveled. They scanned to the right, left, and behind, watching for any sign of movement. Rodney switched on his scanner and began running sweeps of the area. Airman Cumby hovered close by and watched over his shoulder.

Rodney glanced up. “What are you doing?”

“I’m watching,” Cumby said. “I thought maybe I could help.”

“You thought that maybe by blocking sunlight or shielding me from deadly radiation with your body I might think more clearly? Or maybe you think you’ll see something I’d miss?”

“Let it go, Rodney,” Sheppard said. “Which way is it to the city? Have you got a lock on that power signature?”

Rodney eyed his screen, and then glanced up. “Straight ahead, down that trail,” he said. “I’m picking up several signatures, but they are weak, and not exactly like anything I’ve seen before. Something is out there.”