Stargate Atlantis: Latitude

Chapter 2 - A New World

The lights flickered back on, dimly, fluttering slightly like a damaged striplight.  John and Rodney sat still, slowly relaxing as they realised they really had survived their descent.  John began to speak, cleared his throat and tried again.

"Good job, Rodney."

Rodney gave a quick nod of his head in acknowledgement, not trusting his voice. He wondered when his white-knuckled hands would release their grip on the padding of his seat.

John was already unbuckling his belt.  "C'mon, McKay!" he said, with his characteristic chirpy grin, "Let's see what's out there!"

How does he recover so quickly from stuff like this? thought Rodney.  He looked down at his hands, took a deep breath and let go.  His hands shook as he undid his seatbelt but they quickly steadied as it occurred to him to check their location on the display.  He tapped the screen.  No response.  He tried various other controls, tapped each screen in turn but the consoles remained determinedly lifeless.

"Looks like we've got lights and very little else," he said.

John looked down from his position standing on his chair. "Let's hope this releases manually, then!" He reached up to the circular hatch and gripped the hand wheel firmly.  Bracing one foot on the seat and one on the wall of the tiny ship, he heaved as hard as he could on the wheel, but felt no movement at all.

"Need some more muscle here!" he said.

Rodney climbed up next to John and took hold of the hand wheel.  They both put all their strength into turning it.  "Maybe it turns the other way!" said John through gritted teeth.  There was a very slight shift and they renewed their efforts, only for the wheel to suddenly spin freely, whereupon they both lost their balance, let go and landed awkwardly, sprawled across the two seats.

"I think that did it!" said John, getting to his feet.

He pushed the hatch open and it flipped over and clanged down against the outer surface of the hull.  John reached up and pulled himself through, then his hand appeared again, reaching down and Rodney, with John's help, hauled himself through the opening.

The cold brightness of the light made them screw up their eyes as they slid down the side of the pod and onto the ground.  It was good to breathe fresh air but they both began shivering in the chill bite of the wind.

The landscape, under a slate-grey sky was harsh, unforgiving.  Mountains swept up in glaciated curves to rocky, snow-clad peaks, their slopes clad in brown tussocky grass and wiry heather, with patches of sharp scree here and there.  Where they had landed there were small, stunted thorny trees, which lined the banks of a shallow river, icy, frothing water rushing over the rocks, threading away into the far distance to where Rodney could see a long, narrow lake, cold white light reflecting off its surface.

Rodney took a few steps away from the pod, stumbling over tufts of coarse grass.  He looked up at the mountains looming either side of him, he thought about the image of this planet on the display screen, how far north they were, how very far away the Stargate.  He felt his breathing begin to quicken in panic, his throat begin to tighten; the landscape was so vast and he was so small.  The harsh wind cut through his clothes and he began to shiver harder, wrapping his arms around his trembling body, his panic mounting.

"McKay!  Rodney!"

He felt a touch on his shoulder, and he spun round, nearly losing his balance until two hands were under his elbows, supporting him.

"Breathe, Rodney!"

He found he was looking into John's reassuring eyes and he worked to slow his breathing, gaining control over his panic.  He wasn't alone; they were in this together.