See the comments i made in the beginning of chapter 1 for the reasons I scrapped this book of the fanfic.
Departure
(this chapter needs to be rewritten, all nietzche references needs to be exchanged for some quote that would actually make daniel jacksson concerned)
Doctor Felix Hoglund stepped out of the elevator, he wast to find of the cold war vibe of the chaynee mountain facility, he didnt really enjoy having so much people around him either. Everyone seemed really tense and he didnt know a single one of them. Once out the elevator he followed his escort towards the 'gate room' he still now two weeks after receiving the brief not
really shake the feeling it was all an elaborate hoax. He had looked over the math on this stargate ad he had known for years that wormholes were theoretically possible, but that was far from being told that they not only existed but could be used for travel.
He suddenly saw afamiliar face in a corridor to the side, he stopped.
“mcKay!” he called, doctor mckay had been standing talking to a tall woman with short blonde hair in an air force uniform. Now he turned around.
“Hoglund” he said walking over to Felix. They shook each others hands, the blonde woman had coem with McKay also shook his hand introducing herself as “doctor Samantha carter”
“Doctor?” Felix said surprised, “I would have guessed a military title from the way you're dressed”
“I am also an air force colonel, and leader of Sg-1”
“oh yes I remember reading you name in the missions reports, its an honour to meet you colonel doctor carter”
“just go with sam or samantha will you?” she smiled.
“So this is all real?” Felix felt compelled to ask, McKay rolled his eyes, Felix had forgotten how condescending that man could be soemtimes.
“Yes this is all real, I can understand its a little hard to grasp at first” Carted said with a wide smile.
“Then there's an issue that I really need to run by the both of you”
“go ahead”
“The stargate according to to the files disintegrates into a energized matter stream just before the event horizon of stable wormhole to reintegrate you on the other side, right?”
“Yes, thats correct”
“Then is it really transporting you and not destroying you in one place an creating an exact copy at the destination?”
“That would be an issue should you conscientiousness disappear during the transit but you are aware throughout the transfer process.” McKay pointed out.
“How is that even possible, how can I be conscious if I have no physical body”
“Well its impossible to know for certain since the science is so beyond us but its likely that the stargate transfers your consciousness separate as energy and then places it back in the body at the point of reassembly.” McKay offered
“we also know that consciousnesses can exist without a physical body under certain conditions” Carter pointed out.
“Are we talking about a soul here Samantha?”
“I'm not really sure what we're talking about, the phenomenon is called ascension and its as far beyond the people who first built the stargates as the stargates are beyond us”
“interesting... I'll have to read up on that” Felix said “well now i have to run if i'm to catch up with my group, I'll see you later McKay, and nice to meet you Samantha” He hurried after his group.
“He's not half as bad as you made him out to be McKay” Carter pointed out.
“Oh yes he seems all charming at first but then he gets fascinated by something an goes of pursuing his own agenda letting everyone who depends on him down.” McKay looked really worried, “And You've just given him his new fascination”
“What do you mean”
“What do you think will happen when he reads up on ascension?”
“Doctor Jackson right?” A voice asked. Daniel looked up from his notes. There was a man standing in the door to his office, about middle length, dark blonde hair drawn up into a pony tail and a Pegasus expedition uniform denoting him as a member of the science staff. Daniel stood up and shook his hand.
“You must be one of the new guys” he said.
“Doctor Felix Hoglund” the stranger introduced himself.
“Scandinavian?” Daniel guessed sitting down motioning Hoglund to sit in the other chair.
“Yes Swedish actually, how did you know”
“Brytning och efternamn” Daniel answered in fluent Swedish.
“My accent and my surename? And here I thought I was fluent in English, ah well I guess I cant compete with a linguist”
“So what can I do for you doctor Hoglund” Daniel asked.
“I read the sg-1 mission reports and understood that you had been ascended, what the reports doesn't properly explain is how it happened, is it possible to ascend without the help of an ascended being or is it not?”
“I got to say I'm a little surprised, most people here just go blank when I start with my 'meaning of life kind of stuff' as Jack so politely put it, you're one of the first who seems genuinely interested in the subject”
“I live for knowledge, Dr Jackson, so everlasting life and all the knowledge in the universe have a certain appeal to me”
“Well I cant help you much, without being an ancient you cant ascend without the help of one who is already ascended, and even that only happens under extraordinary circumstances”
“Why is that?”
“Because they're really not supposed to help people ascend. Some, like Oma Desala, who helped me ascend, breaks the rules and does it anyway but I think there's a limit on how often they can do it without risking the wrath of the others”
“But she ascended you?”
“Yes, but only after I gave my life to save millions of innocent people, and I dont think she would have done it if I had done so expecting to be ascended”
“So it basically ends up a paradox the only people who can ascend are those who do not want to?”
“I hope our wisdom will grow with our power, and teach us, that the less we use our power the greater it will be.” Jackson said with a smile, and then when hoglund didnt reply looked a bit dissapointed.
“Sorry Jacksson, I have no idea” Hoglund admitted.
“Thomas Jeffersson”
“Oh, well not american so I wouldnt know... 'The world itself is the will to power - and nothing else. And you yourself are the will to power - and nothing else'” Hoglund replied with a grin. Jackson looked slightly discomforted.
“Nietzsche” he said “If you want to get on the good side of the ascended ancients I would avoid Nietzsche and Machiavelli... I also wouldn't quote the former around US military personnel, a few of them seem to believe Nietzsche was a nazi” Jacksson looked at his clock then stood up and grabbed his jacket “We should go down to stargate operations, this is going to be an historic day you know” Then he realized something “Did they let you go up here all by yourself?”
“The trick is acting like you have every right to be there” Hoglund smiled and stood.
They parted ways just outside Stargate operations Hoglund went to the gateroom and Jackson up the stairs to the controll room.
“Daniel” Brigadier General Jack O'Niell greeted him “I see you found our run away doctor”
“Yes he had some questions regarding ascension” Daniel said.
“Of course he did” muttered McKay over at his keyboard shooting a meaningful look toward colonel carter.
“So what do you make of him? Another egghead?”
“Eggheads don't quote Nietzsche at you, except maybe for the platitudes”
“So, God is dead?” O'niell aksed, meanwhile sergant siler came up and told mckay he was needed to hook up the ZPM.
“Which of course also goes for military personnel... No he spoke of will to power”
“and?”
“and Nietzsches writing on the subject was a major influence on a certain german disctator”
“I know you were right with the whole pyramids were built by aliens thing. But you know Hitler is dead...” When Daniel didnt respond jack looked worried “Please tell me Hitler is dead daniel,not some gould who can make himself return again and again”
“I would be very suprised if he was, no that it a perfectly good example of humans being just as evil. I may be reading way to much into a of statement, many people read nietzsche”
“But we're not sending many people into another galaxy”
“Only the best of the best...”
“No”
“No?”
“No you're not going with them”
“I wasnt going to ask”
“Of course not”
Hoglund entered the gateroom, the room was already full of people representing all the nations comitted to the endevour. Some military personel came though behind him and Hoglund had to step out of the way.
"Does anyone speak what these guys are speaking?" a young lieutenant asked openly the room mentioning to the people beside him.
"Nope but they are speaking Czech" Hoglund commented, another guy
wearing the Czech flag-patch and science colours, hurried up tot hem and
started translating, when he had gotten the lieutenant's message across
and the lieutenant has hurried of Hoglund turned to the Czech guy who
had known English.“Dobry den” Hoglund said in broken czech and extended his hand. “Felix Hoglund, Sweden”
The Czech doctor looked surprised but took his hand.
“Radek Zalenka, Czech republic” he said, then “Mluvíte česky?“
“Actually no, only hello, and the primary colours, lived next door to a czech exchange student back at the university” Hoglund smiled
“Well it's more than most do” Zalenka said and shrugged “Have you done this before?”
“Wormhole travel or wormhole travel to another galaxy?” Hoglund responded, he was starting to feel slightly ill.
“Either?”
“Not really no”
“Its funny a few months ago, I would have told anyone who asked extracting zero point energy was impossible and wormholes was...”
“...Science fiction. I know what you mean, I've spend half my life telling people modern physics doesn't really work that way, then again I have a nagging suspicion that for all the technical marvels of that thing” Hoglund gestured towards the gate “no one really understands the science behind it”
A few feet away from them two American airforce officers where greeting each other, one of them without a word showed he disliked the other. Zalenka saw where Hoglund had been looking.
“Major Shepard is a late addition to the expedition, just like yourself, I heard General O'neill had to order colonel Sumner to accept his as part os his force”
Hoglund opened his mouth to respond when doctor Elizabeth weir enter the gate room.
“Can I have everyone's attention please” she said loudly walking up to the ramp. Everyone went quiet. “All right here we go, we are about to try and make a connection, we've been unable to predict exactly how much power this is going to take...” upon hearing this Hoglund could help smiling, McKay will have hated, not being able to determine that. “ and we may only get the one chance at this so if we are able to achieve a stable wormhole, we're not gonna risk shutting the Gate down. We'll send in the M.A.L.P robot probe, check for viability and go. Everything in one shot.” she pasued for a moment, Hoglund observed her carefully, her rethorics were excellent, no wonder she was considered one of the best international negotiators in the world she continued “Now, every one of you volunteered for this mission and you represent over a dozen countries. You are the world's best and brightest; and in light of the adventure we are about to embark on, you are also the bravest. I hope we all return one day having discovered a whole new realm for humanity to explore, but as all of you know, we may never be able to return home. I'd like to offer you all one last chance to withdraw your participation.”
Hoglund knew everyone else was looking around them for people who backed out, of course none of them could do so in front of everyone else,a master stroke actually, this way Weir reinforced the idea that it was their own decision into everyone's mind while really imposing her own will upon them. He wondered if she knew it herself. If so then the nice kind doctor he had met on his interview was in fact one of the most dangerous people on the expedition, perhaps even more dangerous than Mckay, and way more dangerous than the stone faced colonel who was eyeing every person in the room. Hoglund didn't he kept his eyes on Weir, none of the others not even Zalenka, who's company he actually tolerated, really mattered, he threw one glance towards the colonel again, who met his eyes.
Fool, Hoglund thought, five minutes and he was already doing exactly what weir wanted him to do. He shoot a glance toward major shepard, the major was actually keeping his eyes fixed at weir, as well. A much smarter and more dangerous man than the colonel Hoglund was willing to bet.
“begin the dialing sequence” Weir simply commanded. And left the room. Hoglund felt himself swallowing as the gate begun spinning. Maybe this was just some elaborate hoax there was no way a ring no matter what material it was made of could actually make a wormwhole was there? But he really knew that it was not the case, no one used a massive bunker under Norad and some of the worlds most famous scientists for a hoax. The existence of the stargate program also explained where McKay had been the last couple of years.
He heard the colonel say something to the major and listened up.
“I'm sure you'll warm up to me once you get to know me sir” the major responded.
“So long as you remember who's giving the orders” the colonel said started walking away.
“That would be doctor weir right?” the major said with a smile. Smart enough to realise it but not smart enough to know when to shut up obviously, something of a joker, in both meanings of the words.
“Chevron eight is locked” a voice said over the intercom and a massive vortex of unstable energy burst forth from the circle. Everyone started applauding.
“They really did it” Hoglund whispered. The lieutenant from earlier had returned and stood a few feet away and now turned to Hoglund with a look of surprise.
“We do this all the time doctor” he said. “its nothing strange”
“That's because you dont understand the magnitude of what you do all the time Lieutenant...” Hoglund threw a glance at his name tag 'Aiden Ford' is said "...Ford" he added. He made a gesture of desperation with his hands “it's supposed to be impossible”
“Well its obviously not” the lieutenant answered and walked up to take his position in the military formation.
“Obviously” Hoglund muttered.
The Colonel started walking up the ramp bellowing orders at the top of his lungs.
“Let's go, people. We don't know how much time we've got. Security teams one and two, you're up first. All other personnel will follow on our signal. Once on the other side, keep moving, clear the debarkation area. On my lead.”
Hoglund scoffed, he'd met colonels who could whisper and still get obeyed, this sumner figure was beginning to feel like a caricature.
“Hold on Colonel” he heard a voice say. Weir re-entered the room picked up her backpack and walked up the ramp to him. Hoglund grabbed his own pack. “We go through together” weir said. Good of her not to let herself be run over by the military detachment, not so good to openly challenge them. Time would tell if here strategy would win out. The colonel responded something but Hoglund was to far away to hear it. It seemed he had agreed because Weir fell in right behind him. She paused right before the event horizon before taking one last look back against the control room and walking though it and Hoglund suddenly realised it was the first time she passed through the gate to, well he could understand her hesitation better than she probably could. Hoglund was hoping he'd manage to get though the gate before throwing up of anxiety. Funny he had heard people call him cold and callous, he didn't feel that way, just because he didn't show his feelings didn't mean he didn't feel.
“Expedition team move out” He heard general O'Niell say over the intercom, Shepard and Ford paused before the event horizon too and said something to each other before ford jumped backwards through it. Not the way Hoglund would've done it, the gate should conserve the momentum after all, or the energy principle would start breaking down. But thej again the leiutenant had done this before.
Shepard gritted his face and stepped through.
The last soldirs passed though quickly after him, they had probably all done it before, then the civilians started moving, McKay came running down to walk though as the first science team member, show of, Hoglund thought. Then he was awarded as McKay stopped before the gate, Hoglund walked up next to him.
“You haven't done it?”
“Shut up, Hoglund” McKay responded.
“What happened to being the greatest expert alive on this thing?” Mckay shot him an irritated glance then stepped though. Hoglund grinned his anxiety gone, if McKay did it, it was obviously perfectly safe. He stepped though the gate. Carter had been right he could 'see' the matter stream being transferred though a dark void, his mind active all the time, though not active as it usually was, this place made it hard to concentrate. He stepped out through the event horizon on the other side.
“Conservation of momentum” he said nodding to himself. “Any particle passing into the event horizon will thus also have to pass out. It's brilliant, and those rings must be quantum states of spatial displacement” Then he realised where he was. A large dark room two stories high all lit in a unearthly blue light.
“Everyone else find an open spot and park it” the colonel bellowed. Of course thought Hoglund if there wasn't enough space on the receiving end there was no telling what would happen. He wondered if McKay had studied the phenomenon, then again McKay wasn't as much curious as he was interested in getting credit. Inductive science wasn't his thing.
Hoglund walked down a few steps in the rear end of the room and put his pack down. Amazing, this place was obviously ten thousand years old yet it could've been left yesterday for all he could see. Weir said something in her com and a bottle cam rolling through the gate then it shut down.
Hoglund walked over to one of the lights, and layed his hand on it. It was cold. Hoglund searched his bag for his digital thermomenter, he increased the sensitivity of it and checked around the lightsource, there was no heat pattern, the light gave of no heat whatsoever or such infinitesimal amounts that his gear could not pick it up, At this setting his own breath would cause it to go wild... at this setting his own breath should cause it to go wild why didn't it? Exactly body temperature he realised. The air all the air was kept at a perfect temperature for human inhabitance. Impressive.
This city was doing things beyond the technology of modern man for such basic things as light and temperature, the people who built this city must have been so incredibly advanced.
“Can you help us with this?” a man from the science team asked Hoglund. He along with one of his colleagues was dragging a large crate.
“Sure” Hoglund said. Grabbing it and helping pushing it down a ramp “What is it?”
“Naquadah generators” the other scientist, a short dark haired woman, responed.
“Naquadah?”
“The material the gate is made up of, it is extremely fissionable, yielding enormous amounts of high grade radiation, but next to nothing of the low-grade slow decay variations” the first scientist explained. “How did you end up here if you haven't even been cleared to know of naquadah?”
“Kavanagh, dont be an ass” the female scientist retorted. “I'm Doctor Fiona Simpson by the way, and this is doctor peter Kavanagh ” she added to Hoglund.
“Doctor Felix Hoglund” Hoglund introduced himself.
“I've heard of you, you're the scientist who caused the breakdown of the swedish particle accelarator arent you”
“No I'm the guy who happened to be in charge when it happened to break down” Hoglund said through gritted teeth. “I'm also the guy who fixed it, with ducttape and wire I might add”
“And we're all very impressed” Kavanagh retorted. Hoglund suppressed the desire to sigh, he wondered how many socially maladjusted geniuses that had come through the gate. This guy was even more unpleasant than McKay, McKay at least didn't get that he was being obnoxious this guy just didn't seem to care.
“What is that?” doctor Simpson, broke into their verbal sparring. She released the crate and started walking down the hallway towards a beam of light somewhat different than the ones given of from the light fixtures. “Oh my god” she said as she came up to what appeared to be window.
Hoglund caught up with here, then realised she had put it quite well.
“Atlantis indeed” he gasped.
“How is this even possible” Kavanagh asked, “Judging from the distance to the surface there shouldn't be any sunlight piercing to this depth.”
“You're assuming this sun has the same properties as out own” Hodlund pointed out. Kavanagh nodded.
“Of course a higher energetic wavelength will lead to a greater amount of photon tunneling.and thus greater illumination at a greater depth”
“Perhaps that is why the city is sunken in the first place, if the light is energetic enough it may not be very pleasant” Simpson suggested
“If it was that bad it wouldn't have liquid water” Hoglund corrected her. The realised something “Assuming that is water”
“Some kind of silicide then?” Simpson put forward.
“You are still just basing it on the assumption the sun is sufficiently energetic not to allow liquid water” Kavanagh pointed out.
“True without breaking the surface its nearly impossible to try the spectral properties of the sun.”
“We're under water” one of the technicians came down the stairs and informed them”
“We know”
“Kavanagh, Mckay is looking for you” The technician informed him. “Down two flights of stairs” Kavanagh made an irritated sound then went in the direction the techinician had indicated. The technician introduced himself as Peter Grodin head technician for the mission.
“Maybe you two can tell me, how come the water pressure doesn't break the city at this depth its not exactly a battysphere.” The technician asked Hoglund and Simpson. It was a valid point, Hoglund scanned though the window down towards the city then saw it.
“Some sort of forcefield, ingenious, the amount of power required must be massive” Hoglund pointed out. Grodin looked a bit shocked at this statement.
“Don't you have a PhD too” Simpson asked
“Yes electrical engineering, how massive?”
“well if we do a diophantime approximation and say each of these skyscarapers is 300 meters high and has a base of 15 times 15 meters then each of them would have an outside area of 18000 square meters, say there are 150 of these spires that's a exposed area of nearly 3 million square meters, the gravity seems to be roughly the same as earth so the water pressure would be too, under at least a hundred feet of ocean its roughly 300 kilopascal so the force exerted at the structure of the city at any one given time is 810 billion newtons. Roughly the same as holding up 81million tonnes... metric tonnes” By now both Simpson and Grodin was staring at him.
“What?” Hoglund asked.
“And I guess that answers Kavanagh's question of why you are here” Simpson responded diplomatically.
“The reason I ask is that when we started up the control room earlier it seemed the energy reserves was quite low, one or two per mill of the capability.”
“Well that depends on...” Simpson began
“No” Hoglund cut her of “Go find McKay tell him this, it's better we assume we're in trouble and are wrong than the opposite” He looked out the window again and saw an air bubble release itself from one of the buildings “We are in trouble! Go!” he shouted. Grodin was already speeding up the stairs asking in his com where mckay was. “Simpson you go that way” Hoglund said pointing down the hall “find other members of the science team tell them to start shutting thing of, anything that is not necessary” I'll go the other and the do the same. They both took of in their respective directions.
Again parts of this may be salvageable, but parts will have to be rewritten as I make changes to the main character and attempt to add a villain in there somewhere.
to chapter 3
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