Free STARGATE UNIVERSE: Air by James Swallow

fatigue pushed him to it. There were a few books, mostly unread. A tablet computer, for those moments when he awoke in the middle of the night with some insight. But little in the way of personal effects. When he left Earth for the first time to come here, there hadn’t been much he really wanted to keep. Nothing that could not be replaced, nothing of value, except…
    Except the picture. He sat on the bed and his hand strayed to the bedside cabinet without conscious thought on his part, opening the drawer to pull it out. The two of them in better times, arm in arm. That smile on his face that he’d always said was amazement at how lucky he was; and her grin, her laughing eyes. They’d been in Germany when it was taken, for her star turn at a concert with the Berlin Philharmonic.
    Rush ran his finger over the image and he felt his breath catch, his vision mist. The moment seemed so distant to him, but yet so close as well. How was it possible to be both things at once? The equation refused to resolve itself.
    He sighed and put the picture away again.
     
    Eli accepted his moment in the spotlight with what he considered to be good grace, and he ignored the voice inside his head reminding him that, if Rush was right, the whole reason the gate hadn’t opened today was because he’d missed out a decimal point somewhere.
    Chloe’s father picked up his glass and got to his feet. “I would like to propose a toast,” he began.
    “I’m flattered.” Eli gave a bashful smile. “But that’s not really necessary.”
    Armstrong shot him a look. “Not to you.”
    The grin fell off his face. “Oh.”
    Armstrong went on, scanning the faces of the men and women in the room. “When the proposal for the financing of this project first crossed my desk, I was not going to approve it.”
    Chloe’s expression became brittle, and she buried her head in her hands. “Oh my God, no…” she muttered.
    “It seemed clear to me at the time,” continued the senator. “There were enough terrestrial matters of importance that needed that kind of money.”
    Eli blinked as Chloe downed the remainder of the wine in her glass and helped herself to another. Her cheeks were taking on a blush of color, and he looked on, wondering where she was going with this sudden change in behavior.
    Armstrong was into full flow by now, and didn’t seem to be aware of her newfound thirst. “It was my daughter Chloe who reminded me that there is no greater endeavor than seeking an understanding of the universe in which we all exist.”
    Chloe glanced at Eli and spoke quietly to him. “Not in those exact words,” she whispered, before going for another quick refill.
    “It was also her idea to embed the Ancient mathematical proof in a medium that would give us access to brilliant young minds we would have otherwise overlooked.”
    Eli gaped. “You came up with the game thing?” Chloe is responsible for me being here? He had to admit, he hadn’t seen that coming.
    Armstrong’s daughter was clearly unhappy in the limelight, however, and suitably fortified with a few gulps of a nice Napa Valley white, she spoke up, intent on stopping her father from talking about her any further. “And so,” she piped, “to all of the brave men and women who have volunteered for—”
    A sound like distant thunder cut short her words. Eli felt it through the soles of his sneakers and the back of his chair, heard it in the clink of glasses and cutlery against plates. Overhead, the lights swayed slightly.
    “Okay.” Chloe asked the question on everyone’s mind. “What was that?”
    Young was out of his seat in a flash, snatching an intercom phone from the wall and pressing it to his ear. “Ops room, this is Young—”
    It happened again, and this time it was louder and closer, and it wasn’t sounding like thunder any more. Eli knew the noise of an explosion when he heard it. Particles of dust shaken free from the ceiling overhead rained down, catching in the