A/N:
Essentially, 'Aundama' is a story about friendship but it is 'M' rated due to violence, torture, nudity and allusions to male rape. You are warned!
Title – from my own story, 'To Sleep, Perchance to Dream'.
Aundama - Part One
"…among those who wish to Ascend, there is a word that means something more than simple friendship. It goes deeper… much deeper… a profundity that is eternal and without bounds, encompassing such ideals as loyalty, trust, respect, selflessness and sacrifice… aundama. It does not merely describe the friendship but also the emotion behind that friendship. And often transcends that love between a man and a woman. To lose that, all that, is to be in a state of osaundama. Often this is a result of a physical barrier. Death. A friend moves away. Or we can put up our own mental barriers. An argument perhaps. Hatred. Envy. Suspicion. Mistrust. Elitism. Or… unworthiness, guilt."
Atar-Sir, Ingoria
-oAo-
He shivers.
It is cold here.
And even a Wraith, like a human, feels the cold.
No.
Not the cold. The reason is… no, not the cold.
Death. And… souls. And a Wraith feels that more than a human. Or not? Assumes this is so… But there is still more about humans that he does not know…
Shivers again.
Dead flesh. The taint in the air. Discernible just. Through the chemical odour. And more disgusting to a Wraith that a human. Dead flesh. Decaying nourishment. That cannot be touched. And he turns up his nostrils to shut out the stench.
Shivers again.
Fear?
Ah… might be… possibly… Some anxiety certainly. Capture would not be… ideal. He laughs to himself, quietly, under his breath. Black humour… for how would he explain this? Body snatching to be added to Wraith atrocities? He half chuckles, imagining their puzzlement. Well, if they'd accepted his offer of help, but… they did not… so now… he is here… and now he curses, for they will discover that he has learnt to cloak a Wraith ship, and… well, that he has… 'adopted' other technology… if he is caught… ha!... a mind going round in circles… this accomplishes little.
It is cold here. But he understands practicalities. Cold to preserve. This seems an ill way to treat the dead, however. And contradicts his perception that they were inclined towards ritual, to ceremony, to honour. He shakes his head. He will never, never comprehend humans.
There is the drawer. He recognises the script. Handwritten and neat. He pulls at the handle that gives with a jerk. Growls a low curse. Too much noise. Gentle. Gentle now. And slides the drawer out to full length.
The length and breadth of a human.
For the drawer holds a human. It's form clear under a crisp, blue sheet.
He shivers again. No. Not the cold… this is… and he is uncertain…
He grunts dully and pulls the cover away.
And breath leaves him.
He grips the drawer tight with both hands. Shutting his eyes to drive out the sight before him.
What is this? What is this? He… he was not prepared for this. A Wraith feeling… A sound as a deep sigh grates and traps in his throat. A Wraith feeling… emotion. Human emotion? Feeling… what is this?... grief for a human? This… cannot be so… cannot be… but the Gift was strong here… he always knew that.
No more. It would be expedient to leave now.
Even so, he allows his eyes to linger moments longer over the body. Naked, and blue with the cold and death. Dark and yellow bruises. The surgical cut, a black line below the ribs. The wound at the thigh. The damaged wrist. Marks of how the human had suffered in those last few days. Though the face… even with signs of injuries still apparent, calm and peaceful now… as if in sleep. And… this is… curious. He tilts his head. Eyes narrowing. Studying the face. He has seen the expression of humans in death, when they have been fed on by Wraith. He knows it is horror. He knows it is terror. This is… strange to him. This… quietness.
And he shakes the thought off. For this is still repulsive to him. Such sustenance should be warm… should be vibrant… should be vital. But…
That is not why he is here. He quickly places his feeding hand on the naked chest. And assesses. As if listening. It is not too late. That is good. Nods. Satisfied. He notices a label attached to one toe. Snatches at it in disgust and throws it down.
It rattles and scratches on the concrete floor.
What is that? Another faint noise… A human would not hear it. The human who made it might even have thought he was silent…
The Wraith sniffs. The quiver of nostrils. A familiar scent.
Ronon Dex is not nearly careful enough, is he?
The flicker of a red light in the semi-darkness.
Nothing for it. Beam all three up then.
-oAo-
This wasn't right. This just so wasn't right.
Black silky sheets.
Tied to a bed-rail with… fine silver chains…
Hell! What was he doing last night?... because, honestly, he couldn't remember a thing… and couldn't focus to remember either… and the headache out of hell… he'd been drugged?... Focus, John, focus… the last thing he could remember was… Jeez… nothing… except missions out of Atlantis… days, weeks ago… nothing detailed… nothing that could have led to this… Damn!… he was military commander of Atlantis… to get himself into this… situation… and they would have taken pictures for sure… yeah… you could bet on that… a joke, maybe? a prank?... Ronon? Rodney?... they'd never go this far… would they? They'd never think this one up?... then… it was blackmail… Well, John Sheppard, just say goodbye to that military career… he just wasn't going to talk… or… or… he really had asked for this, paid for this?... no… no… he just wouldn't… he must have been pretty damned drunk…
His head and eyes hurt enough. Blinking hard. The room so very dark. A faint sickly yellow glow from an inset in the ceiling did little for lighting. Black walls too. Well, that had to be… kinky. But enough slack in the chains… so he could look under the sheet… though he could hardly dare look… but he was wearing a simple white smock thing… now that wasn't right either… not that he was disappointed or anything… just wasn't expecting that… sort of relieved… though perhaps… they just hadn't got down to business yet… but this chain again… attached to a real heavy duty headboard… thick and chunky… and the bed, kinda weird… clinging to every contour like a water bed… yet leathery… seriously designer stuff… and probably seriously expensive… and the chain so long, he could actually sit up and shuffle to the edge… in fact… a tug… but… it didn't give… it didn't break… still… not pinned down… not entirely helpless… not entirely at the mercy of just anyone… and he shook his head to rid himself of the image… the image of some black-leather-clad… no!... just you stop that, John Sheppard!…
He rubbed the bridge of his nose in an attempt to ease his head, and then his sense of smell kicked in. Damp rotted vegetation. Once, in training, he'd had to conceal himself for six hours in a compost heap… that same memory… every damned time he stepped into a Wraith ship…
"You slept well, Colonel Sheppard?"
He turned sharply.
And there was Todd.
Silhouetted against the open door. Standing like some English butler. With a breakfast tray.
And Sheppard didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He just had to be dreaming… hypnotised?... but if they ever thought Todd could ever be a turn on?... so the drugs they'd given him… hallucinogenic, huh?... well… sort of clever… but why was he imagining Todd?... or they'd given him truth drugs… well, they weren't working either… he was a million miles from reality right now… he'd slipped into an alternate universe somehow?… yeah, that had to be it…
"I thought you might be… hungry?"
And Todd entered the room, turning on more lights with a thought and setting down the tray on the bedclothes beside Sheppard. With some uncertainty. Peering with just a hint of apprehension through those silver trellises of his.
Almost… penitent? And why shouldn't Todd damn well be sorry?
But why wasn't John feeling angry? The last time he'd seen Todd was threatening the life of Woolsey. And the last news he'd had of Todd was hightailing his butt in his Wraith dart, leaving the Daedalus - and its crew – as a convincing imitation of a nuke aimed at M6H 987. Though he couldn't say why he wasn't angry exactly… he certainly felt drained… and the sight of the food wasn't helping… so perhaps he had been drugged, sedated, whatever… and that had taken the edge off anything like anger…
"Todd?"
"Yes, John Sheppard?" As if nothing at M6H 987 had ever fucking happened. Perhaps this was an Alternate Universe. Perhaps none of that had ever happened. But how could there ever be an Alternate Universe where Todd was serving him breakfast?
And hell! He was hungry! Ravenous. Weak. Faint. Energy zapping hunger. He just could cram the whole lot in five seconds flat. But this dream, whatever it was, was getting weirder. The tray… cereal… in those little boxes… milk… fresh milk… not the preserved stuff you get on Atlantis… fresh orange juice… yogurt… warm pancakes still steaming… eggs sunny side up… coffee… the smell… the smell… he could believe he'd gone to heaven but this was… a Wraith ship… so they had those Star Trekkie things now?... that materialised food?... and Todd was going to fatten him up?... No. No. That's not how they did things… straight into the cocoon…
"Todd…?" Out with it. "Todd! You left my people to die… two hundred of them!… not… not… for God's Sake!... you want me to take part in some… damn tea party? I should be killing you!"
And yeah, he was angry now, loud and breathless with the stuff, flushed red with the fury, punctuating every word with the pointed finger of one hand, pulling at the chains that clinked and jerked at the bedposts, feeling their tug at his wrists, moving sharply towards Todd, nearly upsetting the tray. If he surprised himself by the sudden venom in his voice, he was doubly surprised by its effect on Todd, who actually took a step back. A brief flicker of alarm in the Wraith's face moments before he was able to do impassive again. And it was satisfying to let rip. Even if it did hurt his wrists. Even if he knew it was all ridiculous and hopeless to do so and could never be anything more than an empty threats.
Todd was about to speak. But Sheppard wasn't about to give him that chance.
"And don't you dare try justifying what you did!" Spitting out the words. "That. Can. Ne-ver. Hap-pen! You can never, ever, justify that!"
"You must understand-"
"- No! No! You can't explain this away! And… and you might as well kill me now, because if I ever get free from here, so help me, you are one dead Wraith!"
Todd then made some sort of guttural noise from down low in his throat.
Ok… perhaps that was a mistake.
Ok… perhaps he hadn't meant that quite like that. Perhaps he should really be talking his way out of this, instead of digging himself in deeper… getting himself fed on… simmer down, John…
Perhaps he was lucky today and Todd was still prepared to talk…
"The episode at M6H 987 was, if regrettable, totally necessary. It was the only way to destroy the Attero weapon, in view of the fact that, Ronon Dex, had, in turn destroyed the Daedalus weapon's systems."
"It was his fault? You could have let me on board! You threatened Woolsey before then… you were going to kill the crew one by one if that was what it took to get those co-ordinates!"
"Events…" and the Wraith shrugged. "Your people survived, did they not?" He might as well have asked 'what's the problem here?' "It can be of no surprise to you, that I could not trust you, that I had only your word, John Sheppard, that you had not, indeed, been responsible for activating the Attero device."
"Yeah, my word, huh?"
Todd turned away towards the door and fell silent. Was that then some sort of apology? Some sort of agreement that they were never going to be able to trust one another. Or… the discussion was simply over?
"And since you're into explanations… you're gonna have to explain… all this too…" and Sheppard waved a hand over the tray, over the bed, rattling his chain. He was going to say VIP treatment, but hey, he was still tied up.
"All this?" And Todd turned back, blinking. He'd clearly been deep in thought. "These are my quarters. I thought you would be more comfortable here. Please. You should eat before it becomes cold. That is usual for humans is it not? To-"
"-To hell with the food, Todd! What am I doing here? And anyhow, where did you get all this stuff from?" His mind couldn't somehow prioritise his questions. He needed to know now why he was here but he was so hungry that the food really was that important and he couldn't take his eyes from the tray. So he was being tortured? Soon it was all going to be whisked away…
"Grimwalds-"
"-No! No!" Changing his mind again. "Why am I here?" Because, damn, he still couldn't remember. "Why are you doing all this? I know you Todd! You never do anything unless-"
He stopped.
"Grimwalds?" His eyes narrowed. His voice hoarse with the question. "Did you say… Grimwalds?"
Grimwalds.
A chain of small grocery stores in and around Colorado Springs. Jeez! It was all over then. They'd finally gotten to Earth. Via Atlantis? And Todd had betrayed them at last? Like they always imagined he would. Sheppard swallowed hard.
"Yes. I think that was the text written above the door," recalled Todd, matter-of-factly, inscrutable, as if reading Earth store signs was the most mundane thing in two universes for a Wraith to do.
"Don't… don't tell me that you've been to… Earth?"
"Indeed. Yes." Todd calm and patient to explain. And still unreadable. Sheppard's mind, though, racing, racing…
Please not to feed. Not to feed. And Todd had led a whole fleet of Wraith ships… and that's how he'd ended up here? Had he been on Earth? Got captured? Why the hell couldn't he remember? He ran his hand through his hair. No obvious cuts… nothing… not concussed…
"How?... Atlantis?... How did you find the location?" His question nothing more than a horrified whisper.
"It was not difficult-"
"-The Daedalus navigation systems," finished Sheppard, nodding in understanding. "And you didn't… you haven't…?"
"Invaded your home planet? No." A slight smile. He'd been reading John's face. Though that wasn't difficult by a long shot. "Tempted yes. But even with all the ships of my alliance at my disposal, a little impossible, do you not think? And then soon, perhaps, we are to receive Dr. Keller's cure, so it would be pointless… For the time being, I intend to keep Earth's location safe. Known only by me."
"Well, that's… that's good to hear…" said John doubtfully, "but you know…" and he shrugged, "that's just too much info for one Wraith… I will have to kill you…" and both Todd and John looked down at the chains. Or die trying, thought John, weakly.
"Hmm… The chains are for your protection. I would not want you wandering all over the ship. There are Wraith on board who do not possess… will power."
"And you do? Well, thanks."
"Not at all," offered Todd, bowing slightly, missing the sarcasm. "Please… eat," he encouraged, holding out two open palms. John hesitated. A little put off maybe by the sight of Todd's right palm and its open maw. And all this charity and kindness on the part of Todd… was downright… not… right. Though he was craving for the juice. He was so thirsty and empty. Like he hadn't eaten in days. But he still needed answers too and there were too many crowding, hammering into his brain at this moment.
"So… I'm not… your prisoner?" he asked, still eyeing up the untouched tray.
"Not… entirely."
"So how did I get here? I just walked on, huh? How come I don't remember?"
"There was an… incident. And I recovered you from it."
"Do I have to thank you for that too?"
"Without a doubt." And the Wraith bowed in acknowledgement again.
"And I was on Earth? Don't tell me you just went there to shop for breakfast?... Damn! You fed too, didn't you?"
"The human in question, and there was only the one, left a most disagreeable… flavour," and the Wraith breathed with a heavy wheeze at the memory and his eyes flicked black. Todd had obviously had been pissed off then.
"Sorry to hear that." Though Sheppard wasn't.
"What you humans would say… possessed low morals." So that made it ok? Oh hell! This was Wallace all over again. And Sheppard would rather not remember that.
"You could tell?"
"He was attacking a female of your species. I am sorry this offends you, but I was in need of sustenance for what lies ahead, as much as you." And he indicated to the tray with his head and hands again in invitation, still urging John to eat.
"And what lies ahead exactly?" And John also looked at the tray, mournfully, with its food now gone cold.
"I intend to find Dr. McKay."
-oAo-
"Yes, but Wraith? Here?" asked O'Neill, a second time, still staring down at the empty drawer. The first time followed by a ten second pause to recover from the shock and disbelief at the possibility that Wraith had actually been to Earth. And he involuntarily shivered. With the cold, of course.
"There's no other explanation, sir," replied the young lieutenant, who'd been the first on the scene.
"That's a little… ghoulish?" He asked with a grimace. Not that Wraith weren't anyway. "Didn't think they were into dead bodies?"
"Ronon Dex disappeared too," the soldier added.
"It appears the energy signature detected matched that of Wraith beaming technology," pointed out Cameron.
O'Neill looked up at the ceiling. "Got through a mile of granite, steel and concrete?" Cheyenne Mountain was supposed to withstand a virtual direct nuclear hit after all.
"The tech guys say they must have been able to augment power to the beam somehow, and the morgue is on the highest level-" began the lieutenant.
"-Yeah, yeah, ok," O'Neill not wishing to know any more detail than that.
"Think it's the Todd guy?" asked Cameron. "Somehow located us when he was… 'helping' out?"
"Yeah, looks like it," he replied grimly. "But how did he get past all the damn satellite sensors?"
"They've learnt how to cloak?"
"Yeah, looks like that as well."
"Get the base on red alert?" asked Cameron.
O'Neill sighed. "Yeah. I guess. And everyone who needs to know… well… they now need to know." But he put such little sense of urgency into his voice, that Cameron raised a questioning eyebrow. "Though…" and O'Neill shrugged, "I dunno… shouldn't we already be swarming with the guys?"
"Todd working alone?"
"It feels that way."
"From Earth? This must somehow tie up with the forensics report… that Sheppard had been held on Earth… the fingernail samples-"
"-Yeah, ok!" said O'Neill, raising his voice slightly, because he didn't want to go into that either. "Better get forensics down here too… to confirm it. But what the hell would Todd want with…" and he didn't want to say Colonel Sheppard, deceased, either.
And this had all happened on his watch.
He should be fishing right now.
Time off from Washington after a lightning visit to SGC en route. But suddenly, illness and family bereavements had led to a general shortage of… well… generals… so an afternoon's inspection had turned into something like an extended tour of duty. And this had all started with Colonel Sheppard turning up in another Galaxy, on Earth, where he was not supposed to be. And with no apparent means of getting there. And now it the Wraith's turn, whether that turned out to be Todd or not, was yet to be proven… he sincerely hoped they were only dealing with a solitary Wraith here with an agenda of his own. The whole Wraith race ( is that what they were called?) would be a whole different ball game to attempt to neutralise. But one day, one day, that was going to be inevitable… right now, globally, every satellite, comms. and recon. system needed to be up and running… every contingency plan had to be in a state of readiness… just in case this turned out to be something bigger that a missing scientist, a dead Colonel and one Wraith commander. There probably was a plausible explanation for all of this other than the imminent invasion of Earth. Hell, they'd better be…
Cameron tapped his radio in response to a call. "Mitchell, here… Yeah… I'll tell him… Got a request, sir, to attend a scene of crime. Don't know if you want to come? Incident at a local Grimwalds. A young lady assaulted. And reported being rescued by… an alien… who beamed down out of nowhere… described as tall, dressed in black, long silver hair, fangs, pale face with a tattoo. And there's a body… who looks a hundred and one."
"Well, I wouldn't normally… I mean do people believe in all that UFO stuff?" They gave each other significant looks. And Cameron smirked. "But this sounds kinda interesting…"
"Yeah. Think I might agree there, sir. Since it appears, the alien, in question, also went shopping…"
-oAo-
"McKay is missing?" Well… hey… so was he now, he imagined.
"Yes. You do not remember?" The Wraith did not expect it. A memory. When John Sheppard was… 'recovered.' When prompted. 'Where is Dr. McKay?' 'McKay?... Rodney?' The voice slurred. The mind unclear. 'Yes.' And the Wraith had hesitated to use the scientist's first name. 'Yes. Rodney.' 'I dunno… I dunno…' And John Sheppard had fallen asleep, too exhausted.
"You still cannot remember?"
"No. No. I can't." And Sheppard looked down at the food again. Puzzled. Trying his hardest to recall.
"Please eat," urged the Wraith once more. And John obliged by reaching for the juice. As if downing it in one would help…
"What happened? And… why do you need to find him?"
"He has discovered something of interest to me, and to those who hold him, I imagine it is of equal importance."
Todd stooped down and pushed the tray closer, inviting John to choose another item. His eyes… his eyes actually full of genuine concern. Or making a pretty good attempt at faking it.
John shook his head.
"You must eat. I have told you." But John continued to ignore him. Why was the guy plying him with food at a time like this?
"Someone holds him? You know that? You saw who took him?"
"Yes. But I was too late to prevent it."
"You were there?"
"I was… watching."
"Spying you mean. Look, how about telling me the whole story," without being so damn cryptic and Sheppard having to wheedle it out of him little by little. "You must know who they are then? And Atlantis must be looking for him too? And you still haven't explained how I got here exactly?"
"You did indeed give pursuit. But at some point, you must have been captured yourself."
"I must have?"
"You eventually re-appeared some days later on Earth. Injured. And… alone."
"On Earth? Alone?" And Sheppard was suddenly fearful for Teyla and Ronon.
"The Athosian Teyla Emmagan was not on this particular mission. Attending to her child who had fallen sick. Neither was the Satedan Ronon who had injuries from a previous mission. Besides Dr. McKay and yourself, there was a group of some eight or nine earth soldiers led by your Major Lorne. Dr. McKay wandered away from the main group, despite instructions not to do so. By the time, the abductors took Dr. McKay, you, as I, were too far away to prevent it. Major Lorne especially so. You and four others, being the closest, followed through the Gate. The four Earth soldiers have not been seen since. And neither has Dr. McKay."
"And I couldn't tell anyone what had happened… to the others? Or whether I found Rodney? Or how I turned up back on… Earth?"
"No. You could give no such indication. You were too… unwell. Though it was apparent from the little you did say that you had, in fact, discovered Dr. McKay's whereabouts."
"You know all this? You must have been in contact with…"
"Earth. Atlantis."
"Right," nodding slowly, because that was still a concept he was finding it tough to come to terms with.
"As I have already related to you, the information that Dr McKay stumbled across on that planet is of great importance to me. It is essential that I was…"
"…in on things…"
"I offered assistance but in their ignorance, it was refused."
"Only refused? Didn't try and blast you out of the sky? And so you've kidnapped me in the hope I'll tell you this stuff before I got well enough to tell Atlantis or Stargate Command?"
"That is… partly the reason why." Those black-yellow eyes not nearly veiled enough. Hiding something. Hiding something.
"Well, you must be feeling gutted that I don't remember a thing." Though John himself wasn't exactly happy about it either. "So what happens now? You going to let me go?"
"No."
"No?"
"No. It is my intention to help you remember." And why did that sound ever so slightly like those old movies - ve have vays of making you talk? Todd was going to torture him after all? Didn't feel like Todd's style somehow. Hopefully that wasn't Todd's style somehow.
"And how is that going to work?" He just knew he wasn't going to like the answer.
"It will be necessary for me to access your mind." And that made his gut tie in a knot. And why did Todd have to be so damn pragmatic about all this. As if, the tray of food, Sheppard turning up on Earth, and a Wraith probe were so normal.
"You… can do that? Just like a Queen, huh?" John pulled a face. That had to be top of a list of reasons to hate Wraith Queens. Because… well, that hurt… A lot.
"Yes. I have that ability."
"Looks like I don't have any choice, do I?" Always like Todd. Always like Todd. Driving a hard bargain.
But this was for Rodney, after all.
Todd bowed again. "I can do this with or without your acquiescence. I prefer the former." Yeah, you bet.
"And if you do not resist, the… pain is greatly reduced." Well, thanks.
"So this is just like regressive hypnotherapy, right?" Or even… Spock. With his mind meld.
"I am not familiar with the term." There was a silence. "There is a pressing need to commence this immediately?" Todd closer. Breathing heavy and noisy. Expectantly, searching Sheppard's face. Hoping for agreement. Willing to answer questions to get it. But… growing impatient.
"Right. They have a head start."
"You were missing for five days. Two more days following that… indisposed."
"So…" and an awful realisation was dawning on him… the maths just wasn't adding up, "so that means you got to Earth… in… what, two days flat?"
"Weapons aren't the only things that the Ancients were careless enough to leave in secret labs."
He was saying no more than that.
"A super vamped up hyperdrive, huh?" Rodney had been working on that sort of possibility off and on for the past two years. Or Todd had even discovered a super stargate. Either way, this ability to travel a whole lot faster, along with the knowledge of Earth's location, was all dangerous stuff to be in the hands of Wraith. Was there anything this Wraith didn't know now? Sheppard really was going to have to kill him.
"Not willing to do a deal on that then?"
"You really have nothing to bargain with," answered Todd dryly.
"Guess not… How about I don't kill you later?"
"Hmm…" and with that note of disapproval, Todd moved the tray to one side.
"I guess that doesn't work for you either."
Todd leaned against the bed, kneeling with one knee beside Sheppard… practically touching. And Sheppard flinched at the close proximity. Todd's face… Todd's face, well, he really looked like he wanted… to feed… but any Wraith up close looks pretty much like that… partly because, well, they usually did want to feed… would Todd do that?... would he do that now?... he wouldn't set all this up just to feed now?... perhaps to feed later… find out about Rodney and then feed later?... what would be stopping him?... well, John Sheppard wouldn't, that was for sure… helpless and tied up… would Todd do that after everything they've been through together?... going soft and sentimental, huh, Sheppard?... Todd owed him nothing… And Sheppard had threatened him enough since their time in the Genii cell together… had threatened him even in the last hour… not a good move…
"And," Sheppard coughed, "you have no idea who these guys are?" This was stalling and he knew it. Rodney would be proud of him. Damn! What was he being asked to do here? It wasn't so much the hand on the temple, though that was bad enough, but the whole trust thing. He was going to have to trust a Wraith. This Wraith. Todd. Again… When he'd handed over the co-ordinates for M6H 987, they'd even been trust then, trust that Todd wouldn't turn round and kill the Daedalus crew after all. This should-trust-you-but-can't-won't-don't-trust-you-relationship they had was fast becoming a real pain…
"That is something else that I wish to discover. Are you ready now?" Todd clearly impatient. Better not push this. Yet still Sheppard hesitated. Even… even unconsciously, cautiously moving ever so slightly further back onto the bed.
"And what happens… after-"
"-Colonel! No more questions!" Todd's patience snapped and his voice boomed out into the room causing Sheppard to start. "Or I shall be compelled to call for assistance!" And then, apparently, he regretted the outburst. Instantly conciliatory.
"I understand your misgivings."
This is how he works… soft buttery words... no, sly, snakey… snakey a word?... snakey words. And snakey eyes. Leering at you in that creepy Wraith way of his… A snake coiled on a branch ready to drop down from the tree… looks at you that way… that way… so it always feels like… you've no alternative… you have to trust him… but a bait's been laid and he's about to haul you in…
"And I will be frank with you… this will not be a pleasant experience and may be a somewhat prolonged process… extremely exhausting… this is why I wished you to take nourishment first… but… I believed you too would want to find your friend?" Concern, huh? False freaking snake in the grass concern.
"Yeah… I do." But… Todd's still evaded the question… what freaking happens later?
And the Wraith shifted forward and held up his hand in readiness.
"Then… we begin?"
-oAo-