It suddenly became cold. So cold that I barely managed to close my mouth in a scream so as not to swallow water.
My body was squeezed on all sides like in a vise. It became so cold that even the warmth coming from the ZPM didn't help me.
The buoyant force seemed to have lost faith in itself.
As had I in the reliability of the personal shield — thanks to the lighting in the compartment, I could observe how the device was slowly sinking. Understandable, it discharged. Lovely, just lovely.
I had no more than a minute to live.
Floating up, I rewarded my lungs with a portion of oxygen, after which I pushed off the ceiling with my hand and dove.
Pinching my nose with free fingers, I began to "strain" into my head with all my might. For some reason, I remembered that this "equalization" helps at great depths to get rid of excess pressure.
If it helped, I didn't notice.
My eyes stung, and finding the way to the central pedestal was harder than a drunk graduate in summer.
But I still reached the ZPM receptacle.
ZPM Room. Frame from the series. Man — Ancient named Janus. Woman — head of the Earth expedition, Elizabeth Weir. The situation occurred during the time travel episode. In the center — the main energy hub of Atlantis.
The air that I managed to swallow would last me, well, a minute at most.
So, without delay, I pushed off the energy node and swam to the right console. There are two in the room, but I need only 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 a dozen seconds, when the air in my chest was already burning, all three modules crawled up. As expected, all three ZPMs weren't glowing — there's no energy in them. Just three dull-yellow crystals.
Swimming up to them, I pulled the nearest one up, extracting it from the socket. Almost no air left, I won't have time to escape from here before drowning anyway. Only hope remains for the thoughtfulness of the Ancients' algorithms and their short-circuit safety system.
I took out the "Treasure of Quindozim" brought with me from under my bosom 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 starting to appear in my eyes. What if this ZPM is empty⁈ I didn't even think to check it before connecting!
My body almost stopped obeying, cramped with spasms. Consciousness was clouding, even slow release of carbon dioxide from the lungs didn't help. All done...
Piece of idiot! I need to lower it! Just press to make it go into the socket! The expedition fell for this trick too during the first crystal replacement!
Lightly pressing on the crystal, I felt it give under my pressure and slide into the depths of the installation.
Excellent.
So, what next⁉
My ears were pounding as if an unknown blacksmith intended to use my head as an anvil. Nothing changed, except the lighting became brighter.
Something is happening wrong. I missed something.
I need time to think.
I allowed the air to lift me to the ceiling because my arms and legs were no longer obeying. Preparing to swallow another portion of oxygen, I pursed my lips, preparing for them to slip out of the water...
But they just touched the ceiling. No air pocket anymore... Looks like the hermeticity here isn't perfect.
What a bitch!
After all, I made it! I got the ZPM! Why should I drown! My vision was starting to darken. My chest burned with fire, and no matter how much I tried to prolong my agony by releasing air from my mouth in a thin stream, the understanding came that it was time to put a cross on my fate. Damn it! To squander my life so incompetently! Such a chance! And such an end.
Damn the Ancients!
When the air from their lungs ran out, and my almost breathless body began to settle to the floor of the room, among the darkness in front of my eyes, I saw a tiny point of light.
Well, that's it, played enough. Time to go to the light at the other end of the tunnel.
***
On the shore of the Lantean continent, the group of Ascended gathered again.
"That's it," said Ganos Lal. "As I assumed, he didn't cope."
"We all foresaw this," the leader of the Ascended echoed her. "Shortsightedness doomed him."
"Launching the Gate using the city computer was a big stupidity," Melia supported. "He had a ship with energy reserve. He should have used it."
"Flaunting energy savings with batteries connected in parallel, knowing that it led to the death of the expedition, but still allowing such a shameful blunder," Ganos Lal shook her head. "Hippophoralkus overestimated the descendants of his genetic line too much."
"On the other hand," the leader said, "Mikhail obtained an almost fully charged ZPM. The shield is restoring. The central computer will soon launch the room drainage system."
"It's a pity for this brave boy," from the height of her age, Melia, for whom, like all Ascended, time flowed quite differently, could afford such frivolity. "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 perished. And until it's reliably clarified, there's a chance that we'll be punished for interference. This isn't needed by our community. Therefore, I'll stop anyone who tries to break the rules of the Ascended!" the leader warned. "Because of one's actions, all shouldn't suffer. Mikhail did his job according to our plan. The energy reserve will last almost three thousand years in standby mode. In that time, someone from our descendants will come for the city..."
He turned around and walked towards the forest, not finishing. The others followed him, when suddenly the entire community stopped. Instantly they received a message about what happened.
The rules are being broken. Right now.
The leader turned around, examining each of those present. Since one of them committed one of the highest violations, the leader preferred to keep them all in sight. After all, intervention requires separating from the community.
And then it will immediately become clear who planned it. And who it is. No need to waste time searching for the guilty anymore.
But all community members were here now.
While the rule was being broken.
The leader turned his gaze to the dimension occupied by the Ascended. He had an assumption about who exactly was to blame for this. But no, Ran, the only Ascended from the Asgard race, continued her affairs, ignoring what was happening.
Then who⁈
Carefully peering into the ocean depths, the leader realized that he missed the moment of 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 for searching addresses leading to weapons against the Ori."
"I know the plan!" the man said impatiently. "It was developed for our descendants! But why do I see that the city started draining the rooms! Now, and not after the due 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 didn't bode well. "I think I'll need help from some of us to finally resolve the issue and..."
"It's already too late," Ganos Lal said with hatred in her voice, looking at the leader. "It's all done! We must intervene!"
The man looked through the ocean depths for a long time at the long-abandoned city that was coming back to life.
"I regret," he said without hiding disappointment. "But we no longer have the right to do this. It's all done."
"Well-timed moment," Melia appreciated. "When we decided that everything was over, intervention happened."
"This again," Ganos Lal said irritably. "She just won't learn... We must do something!"
"Unfortunately," the leader repeated, "this is a matter for mortals. If we intervene — we'll break the rules. And the community will be under threat again. I won't allow it. We all made huge sacrifices to achieve enlightenment. Does anyone want to refuse Ascension, eliminate the rule violation, and find the path to Ascension again? But independently, so no one can accuse us of bypassing the rules."
Only a spiritually enlightened being could Ascend. Long ago, 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 helping those close to Ascension to make the last step on the path to this state.
And made a terrible mistake.
Now only she, as punishment, could help Ascend. And at the same time watch as billions die because of her mistake. But it's 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 life.
The leader looked at his charges. None of them intended 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 can't intervene. But we can do something. They won't get away with circling us around the finger just like that. No more. I'll see to it."
***
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