Settling In

Posted on Mon Aug 25th, 2025 @ 2:37pm by Colonel David Hawkins (Raynor) & Lieutenant Colonel Jonathon Raynor & Scarlett Hayes Dr. & Chief Petty Officer Marisa Harlan
Edited on on Wed Aug 27th, 2025 @ 7:01pm

Mission: The Lost City
Location: Atlantis
1567 words - 3.1 OF Standard Post Measure

[Atlantis Control Room – Current Time]

Raynor stood in the control room of Atlantis, the city now stabilized on the ocean’s surface. The transition had been rough, but the worst was over. Teams were already securing key sections of the city, and supply crates were being beamed down from the Gladiator, marking the beginning of their true settlement efforts.

He exhaled, hands resting on the ancient console before him. The sheer scale of what they had accomplished was starting to sink in. Atlantis was no longer just a legend; it was now their home.

His earpiece crackled to life.
"Colonel Raynor, this is Hawkins. We’ve begun offloading critical gear. Engineering teams are assessing power levels, but it’s clear this place is going to need a lot of work."

Raynor nodded, glancing at the display before him, showing various sections of the city lighting up. “Understood. Get the initial diagnostics running. We need a priority list of what systems we can bring back online first. Stargate Operations and shield integrity take top priority.”

There was a pause, then Hawkins came back on the line, voice as gruff as always.
"Copy that. Oh, and tell your Lieutenant that if one more crate of MREs ends up in a flooded room, I’m making him eat it underwater."

Raynor allowed himself the barest smirk. “We’ll start rationing his oxygen tanks then.”

One of their leading technicians cut in. “Sir, I’ve been running scans, and while the city’s main power grid is unstable, there are redundant systems still dormant. With enough time, we might be able to bring Atlantis to full operational capacity.”

“Time is something we’re short on,” Raynor said. “The second wave of our crew will be arriving soon, and we need to be ready.”

He turned to his assembled team, their expressions a mix of excitement and determination. “Alright, let’s get everyone together. We need to debrief on what’s been secured and lay out the next steps. Atlantis is ours now, but keeping it that way is another challenge altogether.”

He tapped his earpiece again. “Hawkins, and team leads, meet in the conference room in ten. We have a lot to discuss.”

With that, he squared his shoulders and took a final glance at the city stretching out before him. The adventure was just beginning.

[Primary Tower – Exploration Team]

Amy had sent out most of the security teams per Raynor’s orders and was leading a team out of the main cluster of towers. She was seeking a way to get onto the piers. She wanted to know if they could be used for runways. So far, she had only found door after door of crew quarters. Logging each one, she noted that most were suffering from prolonged water damage and would need to be cleaned up and cleansed before anyone could move in.

“Carter to Raynor,” she quietly said into her radio. She stood in the doorway of what appeared to be another Gateship bay. It was partly underwater, but her technician was fairly certain they could drain it.

Raynor’s voice came through after a brief pause. “Go ahead, Carter. What have you got?”

“Uh, yeah,” she said. “Seems to be another bay. It's at the base of the main towers, and the external door seems to be subsurface. Implies those shuttle things are capable of travel underwater as well.”

Raynor exhaled, considering the implications. “That’s a hell of a design feature. If those Gateships are built for underwater ops, they might be our best bet for scouting the submerged sections of the city. Mark the location, and we’ll prioritize getting that bay operational. I’ll send an engineering team to assist with the drainage. Keep me posted on what else you find.”

Nodding to herself, she backed out the door, closing it again and motioning for her squad to head down the other passage back at the fork they had just passed. “Understood,” she radioed back.

[Control Room – Overlooking Stargate]

Meanwhile, Scarlett had been looking around, seeing what she could learn from the city itself as well as its systems. Walking over to Raynor, she offered a warm smile.

“This city is amazing! There’s so much we can learn here—there’s labs and rooms galore.”

“That is one way of saying it,” John replied as he looked her over to see that she seemed almost giddy. He smirked slightly as the two walked through the control room to a balcony overlooking the gate room. What small amount of supplies that were brought on Gladiator had started to be beamed down.

“Don’t get too comfortable. Once we secure the place and the expedition team gets settled in, we are heading back to our little galaxy.”

[Engineering Bay – ZPM Control Room]

Marisa crawled out from underneath the platform which supported the ZPMs. Her face had streaks of dirt and grime along her forehead and cheeks, where she had scratched an itch. There were also some sort of cobwebs attached to her hair. Dark patches were evident on her coveralls near her armpits as well.

“Okay, let’s see if we were able to make the right connection. There was a bit of corrosion that needed to be cleaned up. T.J., start her up and see what sort of readings we can get.”

T.J.—short for Thomas James, part of the crew that came to Atlantis—made his way to the control panel and pressed the button.

Nothing happened.

Marisa, who had been waiting to see things light up, was disappointed. “Okay, that should’ve worked. Let’s check connections again.”

She moved to another panel to have a look, then after a few minutes, she closed it up and turned to T.J. “Okay, try it again.”

He pressed the button. Still nothing.

Marisa scratched her head, wondering what was going on. “T.J., have we checked the buttons and switches of the control board?”

“Actually… we haven’t,” T.J. said, looking sheepish.

“Gah, can’t believe I hadn’t checked that. Okay, let’s see if there are any replacements.” Marisa headed over to the supply closet they had come across while exploring.

[Lower Levels – Security Sweep]

Carter and her squad moved deeper into the city, staying in the lower levels as they moved. Her plan was to check for dangers—at least the ones she could recognize. They were slow and careful, checking each door and room and marking them with a red “X” only once they had been cleared. And so far, they had found… nothing.

Not a thing.

A fair amount of flood damage, and given the size of their expedition, much of the space wouldn’t be used.

They were getting bored. She was getting bored. The wonder of this place had worn off a few dozen rooms back. Lights flickered on as they moved through, and turned off after. Someone had over-packed and brought glow-in-the-dark markers. So they were marking the doors of the rooms they had cleared, and in the long hallway, it was a bizarre fluorescent hue.

[Control Room Conference Table – Later That Day]

Colonel Hawkins arrived in person, stepping into the main control room briefing alcove with a tablet in one hand and a half-finished cup of coffee in the other.

“Raynor,” Hawkins greeted, voice low. “We’ve got critical departments set up for temporary operation. Engineering says partial power is achievable within forty-eight hours. Logistics is rationing supply crates between expedition crews and critical support teams. We’re holding together, but this place is going to eat resources fast.”

Raynor didn’t look away from the map of Atlantis slowly populating on the central console. “It’s not permanent. Not yet. We hand it off once Phase One is done. Then we go home.”

Hawkins gave a slow nod. “Good. Then we agree. You’ve done your job, John. Time to let someone else crack open the rest of this city’s secrets.”

Raynor tapped a control and brought the Stargate’s status to the center of the console. Fully powered. Fully operational.

“Get the team prepped. We beam to Gladiator in twenty.”

“Yes, sir,” Hawkins replied. “I’ll get them moving.”

[Transporter Ring Pad – Moments Later]

The last of the SG team stood on the ancient transporter ring platform—Raynor, Hawkins, Scarlett, Carter, Marisa, and a few of their weary team leaders. Final diagnostics ran on secondary consoles. Behind them, Atlantis pulsed quietly, its mysteries locked behind dormant doors and half-functional systems.

“You sure you’re ready to hand it off?” Hawkins asked, stepping up beside Raynor.

Raynor’s eyes remained on the glowing spires of the city around them. “It’s not ours to keep. Just ours to find. Sucks but I get it. At least we got to answer and find one of the most interesting stories I enjoyed growing up."

"Dang it there was so much to be looked at. Maybe we'll return sometime in the future?" Marisa looking back once more towards the city which rose from the depths to a new life.

Raynor gave a short nod, eyes still on the rising city.
“No… I don’t think this’ll be the last time. Places like this don’t stay quiet forever.”

The transport beam shimmered around them, pulling the group back to the Gladiator.