The Calm Before the Storm
Disclaimer—Don't own, but man I wish I did!! That would be SO cool.
Author's Note: Yes, firstly I am terribly sorry for the extremely long wait until I updated—it's completely inexcusable. Secondly, the entire fic has been completely revised and tweaked, so there are many changes throughout, especially in writing structure. Yep, so hopefully this new and improved version is more to everyone's liking. Thirdly, this used to be called "A Whole New Foe" yeah, I ditched the Aladdin reference, didn't really like it. Anyhoo, thanks--Lemons
Prologue:
Moonlight streamed through small skylights, a subtle indication of night, when the gate started dialing, signaling the incoming wormhole. In the center of a large, sunken room, stood the Gate—propped up and connected to the floor by a ramp. Circling the outer edges of the room ran a balcony, serving as an extension of the level above. Several hallways lead further into the complex, suggesting the central location of the Gateroom. A flight of stairs, situated next to the DHD, cascaded down from one side to allow travelers access to the remainder of the complex. Yet, the Gate itself, seemed to clash with the surroundings—the simplicity and rigidity of the architecture, with its bare walls and harsh angles, clashed sharply with the elegance and sophistication of the gate.
At the top of the stairs, a man dressed in all black, arms folded across his chest, leaned causally against the DHD. A top his blonde head rested a circlet of gold, sharply contrasting his sparse appearance. The gate finished dialing, and in a matter of a seconds several men exited—two bearing a stretcher that held to body of a man.
The group looked a little worse for wear, as if they had come off the loosing side of a fight, for indeed they had. Their uniforms betrayed their planet of origin; however they bared little resemblance to the standard 'Ladon abiding Genii' dress, but more of the rebel a la 'Kolya Genii' uniforms.
They carefully approached the foot of the stairs and looked up for instruction. The man in black flicked his gaze to the left as six figures silently approached. "They'll take it from here boys," he said. The stretcher exchanged hands and the man followed the monks down one of the passage ways, while the remaining Genii soldiers filed out to head to the infirmary and later the mess—signally their previous knowledge of the place.
Sighing quietly, the man mulled over the latest development as he walked behind the stretcher. Why did he not listen to me? He completely owes me for this. I told him that hasty revenge would end badly. I told him not to rush out at the first news. I told him that a well set trap never fails, that control was everything. Well, at least I didn't compile all of the Intel for nothing; I still have plenty of dirt on the Atlanteans, so perhaps he will listen to my ideas this time.
By now they reached their destination—a small room containing a rather large piece of ancient technology in the center. His scientists discovered its purpose and that sadly, the ancestors abandoned the prototype due to the threat of the Wraith. However, the man took pride in his ability to collect such treasures—a testament to his skill and ingenuity. As he watched the men position his friend inside, he thought back to the mission where he gained this device. They found it in some old ruins that proceeded to light up like crazy at his presence—however he'd long grown accustom to such responses. They didn't have a clue as to the reason for the place, but in his line of work everything was useful to someone. So he ordered his men to bring back everything from the lab, including this device. Later, one of the scientists discovered its purpose and with that knowledge he decided to keep this one for himself, since he never knew what would come in handy later on—and it did not do well to trade away all of the finer things. With all of the preparations completed, the minions backed away murmuring that all was ready.
"Leave us," replied the man with the circlet of gold as he approached the control device. Instantly responding to his touch, he felt a small chill go through him as he placed his hand on the controls. A gift from birth, once hated and the cause of pain, now provided a source of comfort and power. Now he didn't even think much to activate anything that much anymore, which give him an advantage in his line of work. After allowing the device to work for several minutes, he shut it down to hear stirring from the inside of the machine, and a few moments later a man walked out.
"Acustus, how nice of you to join the land of the living again," The man quipped looking into the face of his old friend.
--TBC--