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We won't break; we won't die;
It's just a moment of change…

~ OneRepublic, 'All We Are'

McKay seemed unsure, uncertain, as if he couldn't quite believe what he had done. Movements slow and tentative, still at the centre of commotion.

They almost couldn't believe it. Of him.

The dull-green depleted shield filled Elizabeth's hand, clutched tight like a talisman as she looked to the others, sharing an unspoken thought; that they had just passed a test, earned their right to Atlantis's legacy.

Somewhere above a candle flame danced, pale and ghostly in the light.

And there was a thoughtful smile on John's face, and he looked at McKay as if seeing him for the first time.