Violets in Vegas: Solitary Man

Two songs. There were two songs playing in my head, interweaving, intercutting with each other. I was getting knocked for six and I had to concentrate and not react. The Wraith can get inside your head, you see. I couldn't let Todd see what was in my head. I had to act on necessity, not emotion. I had to wipe my mind of everything and keep my cards close to my vest. I had to keep playing those two fucking songs until I got what I wanted.

7:37pm

"I've been through the desert on a horse with no name It felt good to be out of the rain…"

Detective John Sheppard stared dumbly. He was on his knees in a deep depression in the earth, in the middle of the God-forsaken desert fighting not for his life but for the life of the woman he loved. He was trying to subdue the only thing that could save her; a space alien that had nearly drained her of life and vitality and years. He stared dumbly as the knife entered the Wraith's gut. It should have been a disabling wound, almost a killing wound.

It would have killed a human. But this was no human. This was a Wraith, a horrible genetic amalgamation of human and Iratus bug, and it had just fed which rendered it stronger and able to heal super swiftly.

Todd chuckled. He backhanded John. The blow sent the man flying as he lost hold of the knife. Todd pulled the knife out of his stomach, threw it aside with contemptuous ease. "John Sheppard. You cannot kill me. You cannot defeat me. What do you hope to do?"

John rolled to his feet, wiping blood off his mouth. "I hope to kill you," he snarled, keen gaze tracking the knife as it lay embedded in the dirt near the mouth of the crater. The silver blade shone in the orange and purple light falling down from the otherwise pitch black sky.

Todd slowly moved towards him, as if he had all the time in the world. Which he did have. "You want to kill me? No. You want me to save your mate. But it is too late for that. Too late for the gift of life if I were inclined to bestow it."

John kept his emotions locked in a deep, dark place. "In that case I may as well kill you then," he said. His voice was calm, so calm and cold it made Todd stop in his tracks. John smiled, but it wasn't a pleasant smile. He balled his hands into fists and lunged at the Wraith, but instead of his hands he used his legs and gave the creature a vicious kick to the mid-section.

Todd fell backwards, startled by the unexpected move. He had underestimated the human in front of him. He was hard to read, even harder to control as his mind was nothing but a series of words and music and everything else was blocked, was hidden.

John didn't hesitate. He had the advantage, however briefly and he acted upon it. He threw himself onto Todd and began to pummel him, fists flying, knees squeezing the creature's torso under him. He looked round but the knife was out of reach and his gun was somewhere lost outside of the crater. John paused only to grab a big rock and slammed it down towards Todd's head, at that moment not knowing how far a Wraith's regenerative powers extended and not really caring.

Todd lurched and the rock hit the hard ground instead of his head. The impact jarred John's arms and Todd shoved the man off him. John flew, fell, rolled and sprang to his feet but he was suddenly alone in the crater.

John stared round, catching his breath, tasting blood. Aches and pain assaulted him but when he caught sight of Todd leaping out of the crater he followed, only pausing to grab the knife on the way. He began to climb out of the hole in the earth.

His progress was slow. He was leaving a bloody trail from his knee and his sore hands grasped at the dirt and the remains of a rope ladder from the excavation. It was painful, but John could ignore the pain. He hauled himself over the edge and rolled onto his back. The sky above him was a black mass as the auroras were fading in lazy waves of light. Although it was night the air was still warm and the wind whistled around him like hot exhalations.

He took a moment to catch his breath. To stare at the ominous sky and to wonder what it all meant. To wonder if McKay had succeeded in destroying the machine that had been triggered to open the rift in space/time. There was an army of Wraith just waiting to invade this reality, this world and John hoped that those plans had been dashed.

He had more immediate, personal concerns out here.

John moved to his feet, looking round and spotted the gun. "Todd!" he called. His voice sounded raw. It was snatched by the wind and lost in the desolation of the desert. John moved to the gun. He grabbed it, checked the clip. The weapon was a reassuring metal weight in his hand, familiar. It gave him confidence, as did the knife at his back, but he believed the gun would do more damage. At least he hoped it would.

There weren't many rounds left.

A coyote howled. He looked up suddenly and saw the Wraith heading away from him. Todd's motions were jerky but he was quickly recovering from whatever minor damage John had inflicted. John silently cursed to himself and began to hasten after him. He had to catch the creature.

It was Moira's only hope for survival.

Carson Beckett drove like a madman. Under normal circumstances he was the most cautious and law-abiding of drivers, but these weren't normal circumstances so he drove like the devil was after him. Which in a way, he was, but with any luck John would catch and subdue the devil and bring him to the hospital to save Moira O'Meara and the baby beginning to form inside her.

He had debated staying there, in the desert and trying to keep Moira alive with what limited medical supplies he had in his kit. Todd would be that much closer, after all. But more than likely she would have died before John could bring Todd to them, so Carson had opted to get her to a hospital where he could stabilize her and keep her alive. Even find a way to slow the inevitable progress of her death and wait for John to bring the Wraith to them.

It had been like being between a rock and a hard place. Each choice having its pros and cons, and Carson could only pray he had made the correct decision.

He chanced a look at Moira. She was slumped in the passenger seat. Only the seatbelt held her upright as her head lolled to one side. Her gaze vacant, unseeing but she was still alive. "Hold on, love! You keep fighting! You keep fighting for that wee babe inside you! John will get Todd and make him cure you! Hold on, Moira, please hold on!"

If he said it enough times she might believe it. He might. But he was a doctor and try as he might he couldn't pretend that things would be fine. That the baby or Moira or both would survive any longer.

He had seen other victims of the Wraith. The murdered remains were of dry, aged husks of what had been formerly vibrant human lives. He had seen the effect even a minimal feeding had on a volunteer to keep Todd alive when he had been confined in a cell. It took hours for the victim to recover from only a partial, quick feeding.

And Moira had been more than a partial, quick feeding.

Carson fought past the lump in his throat and sped through the desert. There were no city lights to guide him. No lights at all and he found that odd, disturbing. But he wouldn't let it distract him from saving Moira's life, from saving the baby's if he could. He was already going over what he would need and what inventory the nearest hospital would have that he could use.

He had to find a way to sustain her life, to keep her heart beating, her lungs breathing, to safeguard her brain and keep her viable until John brought the Wraith to them to heal her. He tried not to think of what to do then. He tried not to think of how they were going to force Todd to heal Moira, to restore what he had stolen from her. He would think of that when the time came. He would think of any contingencies that might crop up and be ready for them.

The car lights flickered but he kept driving.