Autor's note: Chapter 2 of my own Stargate Atlantis story. I already had this one finished, so here it is. Chapter 3 will be up soon too. I hope that whoever reads this will enjoy reading it. I know the chapters are rather long, but I write fast and don't really pay attention to how much I've written until the chapter is actually finished. But than again, I like reading long chapters, and I hope you do, too.
Reviews are welcome, too! They keep me motivated.
Disclaimer: Since this is a fanfiction, it should be obvious that I do not own Stargate Atlantis or any of it's original characters and worlds.
I do own: Drew Ashford, the Wraith Queen, the Quenans, Kaos, the nameless Wraith, Nerio and Gabrielle. They are the creations of my own overly active imagination.
Chapter 2 – Dedication
Gun drawn, Specialist Ronon Dex paced around the holding cell, glaring at its two new acquired occupants, while Colonel Sheppard tried to get information from them concerning their hive ship and the failed culling.
So far, it wasn't getting them anywhere. The one he'd stunned refused to talk at all, merely following him with his eyes whenever he walked back into the Wraith's line of vision. Other than that, the Wraith was completely motionless.
The other one had spoken to them once, and it was, of course, nothing useful. An idle threat made by a prisoner who didn't want to lose face in front of his buddy. That's what he'd thought when the Wraith had said 'You've made a huge mistake by keeping us prisoner here'. Ronon agreed with that. As far as he was concerned, they should be dead, not alive. "They're not going to talk, Sheppard."
The Colonel shrugged once and let out a sigh. "You know what, I think you're right. Let's head back up, I still have to prepare for my little trip on the Daedalus."
Not deigning to look at their prisoners, they left the holding cell area, leaving the Wraith in the company of their five assigned guards.
As John walked off to his quarters, Ronon decided to work of his frustration with some sparring exercises. Dealing with the Wraith always made his blood boil. Made him want to wrap his hands around their necks and strangle them, as slowly as possible. Not that he'd ever done that, always blasting holes through them with his energy gun, but he could always fantasize about alternate killing methods.
As he walked down the corridor of the training rooms, he could hear someone was already working out. By the sounds of it doing a warming-up. He decided to go check out the moves of whoever was training right now.
He paused in the doorway, following the perfectly choreographed moves of the young lieutenant he'd taken on as his protégé a few months ago.
The young man had been newly added to the expedition back then, and he'd shown real potential for hand-to-hand combat. With some tips and advises and a tight training schedule, the lieutenant had made excellent progress, outshining most of the other military personnel from Earth in speed and agility. Especially when it came down to dealing out blows faster then his opponent could block.
He'd told Ronon that his motto had always been 'the best defence is to have a better offence than your opponent', and it seemed like the man really lived up to that.
"Nice moves, lieutenant Ashford. You keep improving by the minute."
"Thank you, sir." The lieutenant didn't pause his warming-up.
"Care to do some sparring when you're done with that?" He could sure as hell do with a worthy opponent right now to cool down his blood. And quite frankly, they didn't get much better than Drew Ashford. Except, of course, for Teyla, but with that baby getting bigger and bigger, she only worked out on fitness machines nowadays.
"No problem, almost done anyways."
Good. He looked forward to see how much Drew had improved since the list time they sparred. If he'd gotten any better, he would probably be doing more than just blowing of steam.
He would have to work his butt off to get down this opponent. And he couldn't wait to get started.
#
He'd been hoping to get some rest, enjoy some fresh air after another monotonous month in hyperspace, ferrying back and forth between Earth and Pegasus.
Not that he minded doing some exploring for a change, but all Colonel Steven Caldwell really wanted, was some time away from the Daedalus, walking through the halls and corridors of that miraculous city called Atlantis.
Now he was on his way again, not two hours after he dropped out of hyperspace and got in orbit around Atlantis's planet.
From what he'd been told, the Wraith could be planning on destroying the planet he was heading to now, so the shields were put up at maximum capacity, and weapons were on stand by.
Too bad Colonel Sheppard hadn't been able to get more information from those Wraith they'd imprisoned.
"We'll be dropping out of hyperspace in two minutes, sir," his second-in-command said.
"Very well, weapons at the ready, we have no idea what we're getting into."
They were not alone when they dropped out of hyperspace. At the other side of the planet's orbit, a hive ship was scanning the planet's surface, looking for survivors amongst their own kind. There were none. The cruiser was blasted to smithereens, the darts were totally disintegrated after crashing down, and there were no life signs among the gate-city at all.
The Queen was about to send out a swarm of darts to cull the other settlements on the planet, when another ship got in orbit as well, loading it's weapons against her hive.
Calling back the fighters, the hive ship broke orbit and opened a hyperspace window, disappearing from view.
"The hive just broke orbit, sir, it's getting into hyperspace."
Now, why would they do that? Steven wondered. "Let them go. What's the status on that city near the gate?"
"It's completely deserted, sir, looks like the townspeople either got to Atlantis, or to one of the other settlements on the planet."
Colonel John Sheppard stood in front of the huge bridge-window. "And that hive ship didn't send out any darts at all to the planet? Everything is still intact?"
"Yes, sir, the moment we got into orbit, the hive ship took it's leave."
"And they also didn't cull anyone before we got here?" Steven asked.
"No, sir, but the scanners showed that they were about to send out some darts right before we showed up. Apparently, our arrival made them change their minds."
For as far as he knew, that wasn't very typical. "Does this strike you as normal Wraith behaviour, Colonel Sheppard?"
John turned around, with a puzzled look on his face. "No, sir." He seemed to be in thought about something. "Maybe we should head back to Atlantis, Colonel. Our prisoners might be able to shed some light to this."
Somehow, he doubted that. They hadn't been willing to talk about their failed mission and their hive ship at all. But there was also no need in hanging around here either, now that the danger had passed with the leaving hive. "Sounds like an excellent idea, Sheppard." And to his second-in-command "Set course to Atlantis, I'm sure Colonel Carter will be happy to hear that the Quenans can go home in the morning."
That provoked a snorting laugh from John. Arching a brow at the other Colonel, he was about to ask what that was all about, when the explanation was offered. "Those people really are something. They love to talk hours on end, hate violence, and if there were something like the 'world championship panicking', they'd definitely win gold. I'm sure Samantha's busy right now, talking to the Consul and all the other important folks, trying to calm them down."
That provided Steven with a vivid scene, causing his own lips to twitch in a smile as well. It seemed his next few hours at Atlantis had become much more interesting.
#
These new samples were gold. Finally she had the means to test her new theories.
She could have done so before, but it was decided not to take samples from their allied Wraith, who now bore the name 'Todd'. And she did agree with that decision, completely, even though it had meant her theories would remain nothing more than untested idea's. But now that she had fresh samples from live Wraith to work with, she was ecstatic. And the fact that Colonel Carter had given her the green light to put her experiment into practise just made her walk around gleaming.
She was determent to find out exactly where Carson's experiment had gone wrong, and how. His theory had been solid. And his retro-virus had worked. Sort of.
Okay, it wasn't perfect, but it did what he had said it would do; turn Wraith into humans by stripping away the bug-DNA. At least that had been the plan, only Carson's version only suppressed that part of the Wraith.
Now she was going to find out a way of permanently changing them. And these samples were going to make that dream come true. For Carson.
She'd always felt like she took a place that wasn't for her, that she wasn't worthy. And Carson had been a fantastic member of the Atlantis expedition. Maybe, if she could find out a way to make his retro-virus work properly, she would be worthy of his place, while honouring that brilliant man at the same time.
She was about to start her first series of tests, when Ronon came walking into the infirmary, supporting a limping man, that looked like his protégé.
"Now, what do we have here? Another sparring accident?" Jennifer Keller gave Ronon a stern look before turning her attention to the beat up man.
Even though the guy looked like he got worked around with a baseball bat, he didn't seem to have lost his wits. "It's really nothing doc. Just some scrapes and bruises."
"That might be, but you're going to need stitches on most of those 'scrapes'. Now lie down on that bed, and I'll get my gear."
Drew hopped on the bed with a lot more bravura than he thought he could muster, but the moment the good doctor turned her back on him, he couldn't help but grimacing at the burning pain that had shot through his aching muscles as he landed on the bed.
Ronon couldn't help but grin at the look on Drew's face. The man had a serious talent at both fighting and acting. Although he didn't try out those acting abilities on him. Wouldn't have worked anyway, 'cause he knew the young lieutenant was having a bad case of sore muscles; the inevitable result of sparring with a pissed off ex-runner.
It didn't take her long to set the stitches, and where she usually took her time for a little chit-chat with her patients, she now worked in totally silence, all the while thinking about the tests she was going to run on her samples.
When the stitches were all in place, Drew got off the bed again, and slowly made his way to the door, careful not to tore his newly made stitches right away. He knew how much the good doctor hated that sort of carelessness. He expected Ronon to trail him until he got back to his own quarters, but the man was still standing in the infirmary, looking at dr. Keller. Not wanting to intrude on anything that might be going on between them in there, he walked back to his room alone.
"You've never been this silent before," he said to the, again distracted, chief medical officer. "Is something on your mind?"
Snapping out of her daydreaming about her experiment, she turned around, looking into those always assessing eyes. "No. Yes. I mean… I'm working on an experiment, based on dr. Beckett's research on Wraith anatomy and physiology."
"You mean the one he based his retro-virus on? The one that created Michael?"
"Yes."
"Stop it right now. That stuff has brought us nothing but trouble. If you want to help the galaxy, take a gun and shoot as many of the bastards as possible. They deserve it."
She was peeved by this sudden outburst. A bit of support would have been welcome, even expected, but this was not a reaction she'd thought she'd get. "I'm not planning on making a bunch of new Michaels. I'm not even going to make a better retro-virus. At least, not yet.
"I want to find out what went wrong with the drug Carson made, see if I can make some changes in the formula, to make the turning more… permanent, before I'll even attempt to use my own drug on a Wraith. Trust me, I know what happened in the past, and I don't want to repeat it. Really, I don't."
"No one does, that's why I think you should stop this, before you get in over your head and want to try this thing out no matter what."
"I'll be careful, I promise. If it doesn't work out with the samples, I won't try anything on a real one, I swear." She gave him her most innocent-but-sincere look, hoping it would calm him down, drop the subject.
"Yeah, well, don't say I didn't warn you." Not wanting to piss her off, or hurt her feelings, he gave her a warm-but-not-encouraging smile before walking off. He suddenly felt like working out again. Maybe he could persuade John into a running match when the Daedalus got back.
Finally able to put all her attention on her formula and her precious samples, Jennifer went back to her worktable to start her experiment in complete silence. No need to tell everyone right away what she was working on. Ronon was right, the past experiment had been an utter failure, one they still regretted. And she didn't want to lose respect among the expedition members so soon after getting here.
As their doctor, she needed their trust. And as Ronon's reaction had showed, letting people know what she was up to, even with Samantha's permission, was going to damage that trust; something she couldn't afford.
But she was going to make this a success. She was certain of it.
#
Desolated no-man's-land. Scrubs and trees all withered and dying. The sky ash grey, leaving a mark of lifelessness to the area. Even the sun, that big gorgeous orb of joy and energy, couldn't brighten up this environment.
Impossible to really tell the difference between night and day here. The gloominess never faded. The birds didn't sing their songs in appraisal for the new day, didn't sing goodbye during dusk.
Nothing could find happiness here. No one would call this home.
And it wasn't home. It wasn't real. Just a figment of her thoughts, as black and bleak as her mind.
No word had reached her. No sign had been given. No Dream had touched her. Not once since he left.
She feared for him. Every passing day, it became worse to bear. He should have been back yesterday. Or early this morning at least.
But he hadn't come. His Queen came. His people came. But he didn't.
The Queen had said that there was no sign of him. The planet had been deserted, at least where they should have been. The Gate-sight had been desolated. Like the landscape she now walked in her slumber.
Grieve had torn through her heart. It seemed what she had always feared had finally come true. He wouldn't be back this time. She was truly alone again. Nothing could console her. Not even Nerio. The sweetheart had tried everything he could to cheer her up, to help her stay clear of mind.
Her people needed her. She had to be strong. Yet she couldn't. Not now, not yet. The pain was too raw to ignore. Tears kept welling up, so in the end, she had to retreat to her chambers, as to not embarrass herself in front of her counsel. Her trusted advisers. The men and women who always looked to her when in need of advice, guidance.
But now, she couldn't guide herself. She felt utterly lost. Her thoughts had stopped, her mind stood still. Everything was so surreal. Laying down on her bed, she had fallen asleep after a while. Cried till she couldn't cry anymore.
Woke up in this dreamscape. This desolated nothingness that resembled exactly how she felt now. How she had felt for some time.
She didn't want to look around. Didn't want to acknowledge this part of her. The part that had given up hope. The part that slowly began taking over her. Changing her.
She wanted to fight it, but she no longer had the strength, or the will, to do so. Instead, she walked on through her dark wasteland, her heart breaking again and again with every step she took.
Her eyes burned with unshed tears. Tears that no longer had the strength to fall down on their own. And why would they fall? There was no reason anymore. No reason for anything. All those years… Gone. Without a trace. No going back. Not even the memories had the guts to show themselves to her. She wanted to remember so badly. But every time she came close, they flew away again. Becoming another part of the blackness.
She kept on walking. Walking, without end.
#
"Call on her, damn it." Kaos used the mind-link to communicate with his companion. Those filthy humans had no business with their conversation. "She could help us. She could get us out!" He'd tried to get his companion to do something, but the stubborn bastard hadn't moved a muscle since those interrogators had left, since they had forced them to give samples. Either freely, or after being stunned.
Having remembered the last time that human had stunned him, he'd let them take their samples. But he had refused to let them near his companion. This was all his fault anyway. No need for him to become a bigger part of his mistake.
But he was getting sick of this. Of the waiting. The bars. The humans. And his companion was the only one who could do something. Anything. Now.
"I can't. These humans will know. They'll try something. You know how they are. You know what they did to the hybrid."
"Yes, I know what they did. But I won't let them near you."
"You can't help me if they stun you."
Kaos let out a low growl. His companion was right. And it wouldn't be the first time either. Damned humans. "They will have searched for us by now. Their scans will have turned up nothing. Reports will have been sent back. She will know about it. She'll think we are dead. Is that what you want? For her to give up on us? We're already late. And every moment longer of not letting her know, is going to shorten our chance of getting away from this place, alive." Yet his companion could not be swayed. Fine, so be it. Kaos didn't want to go this far, but his desire to get out of this holding cell was greater than his wish to not hurt his companion's feelings. "Do you know what will happen when that amulet depletes?" That at least caused a reaction, as his companion turned to look at him, calm acceptation in his eyes. He knew. "You know what will happen to you. But what would happen to her?"
"It's not certain anything will happen to her."
"And it is also not certain that she will be left unscarred."
"We don't know it works. Besides, her amulet doesn't deplete. It charges."
"Precisely. What will happen when it is fully charged, huh?" Slight panic started to show in his eyes now. It still disgusted Kaos how affectionate his companion was towards that female. And he was right, no one knew what would happen when her amulet was fully charged. Though, he had heard the scientists say that nothing would happen to her, at least nothing that would cause permanent damage, or death. Not that he would tell that to his companion. His thinking that the female could get hurt was going to get them both out of here.He'd thank Kaos for it in the end.
"All right." Lying down on that floor, facing the ceiling, the Wraith closed his eyes, emptied his mind of everything, of all thoughts and emotions, all memories. All but one.
The face of his angel. The face of his soul-mate. The face of the woman he desperately needed to reach.
Walking into the dreamscape, he called out with his mind. Looking for her. Searching for that one amazing mind that fit his so well.
As the dreamscape changed, from the forests and meadows they had created, to the dead blackened wasteland, he found her mind. He called out to her, needed to hear her response, needed to see her face.
She stopped walking, froze right there where she stood, in midstride. He called out to her again, running now, trying to catch up with her. Needing to be with her, even if just for a moment, just long enough to tell her what happened, where they were.
As he came to a stop just inches from where she stood frozen, he brushed with his mind against hers. To let her know she wasn't alone, that she wasn't dreaming. That this was real.
Slowly she turned around, eyes looking at the ground, afraid that this would be another disappointment.
His heart missed a beat at the sight of pain and grieve on her face. Her beautiful face. It no longer held any of her joy, her happiness, her love for life. He should never had left her in the dark like this. It was so wrong. She deserved better than that, than him.
But as her eyes went up to lock with his, all those emotions he so loved about her came flooding back. And with them the colours of the dreamscape.
This was the strong-minded woman he cared for so much. The woman he wanted to be with more than anything in the universe. The woman he would fight for, always. He'd give his life for her.
His lovely Gabrielle.
#
To be continued
#
