Stargate Atlantis: I'm Alive

Chapter 2: Tail Spin

The gentle hum of the puddle jumpers engines filled the cabin as it shot from the gate and out into the atmosphere of the planet below. Shooting across the void and starting to circle about it. Behind it, the Stargate shut down with a hiss and continued it's orbit around the planet as it had for who knew how long.

Sheppard looked out from behind the windshield as he piloted the jumper into a lower orbit. With Dr. Mckay happily looking at the screens as they lit up with readings. Behind him Ronon sat leaned back in the chair, glancing over at Dr. Beckett who was sitting behind Sheppard. Tayla had stayed behind on this one, due to the fact she had matters to attend to on the mainland and Dr. Beckett had decided he needed to try and get out of the city.

"Look Doc, does not look too scary does it" the sarcastic tone filled the few moments of silence. A slight chuckle coming from the back, and not from Doc. Sheppard's eyes glancing back to see the smirk on Ronon's face. That was not helping the situation at all. All the while Dr. Beckett stayed silent and stood from his chair to stand in the space between the cabin and back of the jumper, looking out at the world below

"Interesting, this planet is around 90% land mass, near opposite of Earth" McKay half muttered as he looked ahead "Air is showing as safe, so how about we get a closer look" With a simple shift the jumper began to descend towards the planet. Sheppard so far, feeling maybe this won't turn out to be once again another failed attempt at exploring something peacefully.

As they dropped below the constant cloud line, into an area that seemed to remind Sheppard of the Pacific Northwest back on Earth the rubble began to appear "Damn, this place once took a hell of a beating" he said as they glided over the toppled buildings, and crashed cruisers of some kind "well, whoever these people are they look like they were advanced" Mckay said as he looked at the display screen, tapping it every now and then "Used to be, any signs of life?" Looking back up to the screen, Mckay half shook his head "jumpers having trouble reading life signs for some reason, but as far as I can tell.. no"

Ronon leaned forward "Wraith destroy them?" Sheppard nodded "That would be my guess, and I am also betting that they gave them one hell of a fight check out some of the downed ships, some kind of fighter I am guessing" he moved the jumper around slower, as Beckett leaned forward from where he stood to see better "Rodney check out the walls, and the roads" Sheppard moved the jumper up, pointing towards a long walled road looking structure that went North "Almost looks like the city was designed to keep the people in, everything else around it is just wilderness. "or keep something out" Beckett's voice holding a slightly concerned tone "Why did you have to say that?" McKay glaring back at the doctor who simply stayed silent.

"I don't know, but I find it interesting. Seems like pretty much the entire planet was untouched besides the city, and maybe there are more cities connected to it from these road things" Sheppard said as he began to direct the jumper past the city, following the "road" somewhat. McKay looked up "Sounds like maybe they were a bit more careful environment-wise that we Earthlings are" There was a collective chuckle from three out of the four men in the jumper, as Sheppard moved the shuttle just outside of the city wall.

McKay seemed to almost go pale as he rapidly began to look at the screen and to a scanner "Oh.. that's not good" Sheppard looked over him in an instant "What the hell do you mean not good?" "Not good as in, some kind of energy burst that I can not explain just pulsed from somewhere farther North," he said as he still continued to try and figure out what the screen was showing him "No way.." He looked back to the others "Only one thing can cause that kind of bur.."

He was cut off as the jumper shook violently, causing Beckett to half fall to the floor and everyone else holds to their seats "Rodney start talking!!" Sheppard attempts to try and regain control of the craft back under control futile as systems around him began to shut down "I am trying!! It.. it is causing all systems to shut down I don't know how or why but it is!" The engines of the jumper stalling into silence as the ship continued to shake " I am losing everything we are going down" Sheppard let go of the controls, reminding himself to tell Dr. Weir sorry for calling the idea of crash harnesses being added to the jumpers a stupid unnecessary idea. "Lock in everyone!"