Chapter 4

The second in command stood before the array of screens and monitors that formed the hub of the hive's vast communications network. His face was closed as he watched the stream of characters of another intelligence report flash up on the screen. Similar items had been coming in regularly through the hive's external communication system since they had met the other alliance hive in the shadow of that desolate red world and the commander had sent his shadowy agents out into the galaxy to gather intelligence. And each new report further fuelled the second's sense of frustration that he could not access the information they held.

Spies had their own unique method of communicating with their home hive that involved small personal transceivers, relay stations and special coding. On arrival, their reports were immediately diverted onto an isolated secondary system, controlled by the commander, and they could only be accessed on a terminal and screen in a special room off the command centre. Access by other crew members was based on the commander's assessment of their need to be involved in any particular project.

The lieutenant twisted his short, well groomed beard through his fingers as he considered the situation and, more importantly, his own position. Clearly this operation was of great personal importance to the commander and it was his prerogative to share information with the rest of his crew. But on this occasion he had chosen not to do this, forcing the second to mask his disappointment that he, at least, had not been taken into his leader's confidence. After all, he held the position of second in command on this hive because this older wraith trusted his judgement and, perhaps more importantly, his loyalty. As he looked across the room at the calm, controlled profile of his leader who, as usual, managed to keep his own thoughts well hidden behind an impenetrable barrier built from age and experience, his irritation rose to a point where he knew some confrontation was inevitable.

-o-o-o-o-

Todd's strong green hands controlled the hive and he was enjoying the sense of power and satisfaction that came from allowing the ship's organic systems to meld with his mind. But all was not well. His attention was reluctantly being drawn to his lieutenant, sensing for the first time the irritation, frustration and disappointment this relatively young wraith was hiding. As a torrent of negative auras filled the command centre, Todd realised they were directed primarily at him, but rather than feeling anger at something that might easily be construed as disloyalty, he took stock of how they had arrived at this situation.

The discontent quite clearly stemmed from his failure to take his second into his confidence and share information about this mission. Turning his narrowed eyes on his subordinate, he realised he had been so consumed by his personal vendetta against Kolya that he had completely overlooked how his actions might appear to others. Necessity had forced him to trust his fellow hive commander in order to access his network of spies but he had ignored the knowledge and support he could get from his own senior crew members, especially his lieutenant.

As a wraith commander, he would never admit his actions may have been wrong to any except, perhaps, the Queen he served. On this occasion though, Todd knew he needed to address the situation so growling softly he initiated a subliminal link into his lieutenant's troubled mind.

=We are looking for a human. One particular human with whom I had an encounter some time ago that almost cost me my life. The time has come to teach him that he cannot threaten wraith in such a way without suffering retribution. I wish to deliver this retribution quickly so enlisted the spies from another hive to assist with the intelligence gathering.=

=Are we close to finding him?= The second gave no sign of the turmoil he had been experiencing.

=Not yet. I know the quadrant and the type of world where he was last seen but it is outside our alliance's territory. The spies are narrowing the search down to possible worlds. It is a difficult task. This human has been a renegade from his own race, the ones they call Genii, for some time so is accustomed to hiding and is well practised in recognising and avoiding attempts to find his location.=

=Then how will we find him?=

=You will read all the intelligence reports and tell me of any information you consider significant, anything that may be useful in this search.=

=As you wish commander.=

Todd walked over to a control pad on the wall, keyed in a code and together they moved into a small room that afforded more privacy than the command centre. It was much darker with the only light coming from a dormant screen but their sensitive eyes adjusted quickly. Stopping at the terminal that controlled the screen, Todd keyed in another code to allow access to the intelligence reports then the lieutenant keyed in his personal code to ensure only he had access. Looking down on the young face in front of him, Todd saw a fleeting look of satisfaction that he was finally demonstrating the trust his subordinate had been seeking, trust he knew was not misplaced.

-o-o-o-o-

The second closed his eyes and rolled his head to stretch his tired neck muscles. Looking down again at the monitor, he wondered fleetingly why he had been so keen to be involved in this work. He had quickly discovered something all commanders knew. Intelligence reports contained much information that was mundane and extremely tedious to read. It was often the case that key information was only pieced together after going through a series of reports and he understood exactly why he had been given this job.

Still he had asked to know what the commander was doing and, more importantly, he believed he had found something useful. Closing his eyes, he reached out to let the commander know and did not have to wait long before the tall figure strode into the room.

=What have you found?=

=Mostly I have confirmed what you already know but I believe I have found something else that may be significant. A number of reports mention that humans are also looking for your quarry.=

A low growl filled the room. =I know that. I told you he is a renegade with aspirations to lead his people so it is not surprising humans are looking for him. Is this all you have to tell me?=

The second lowered his head slightly. =No, Commander. At first I thought as you do that they are of his kind. But I have re-read some of the reports and I am certain the level of human interest in him has increased recently. This seems strange when, as you say, he has been a renegade for some time. Why the sudden interest in finding him?= The commander stiffened and the second felt the intensity of the glare thrown in his direction. =Commander, I do not believe that all the humans who are seeking this Kolya are Genii.=

"Sheppard!" The commander's words were just a whisper under his breath but the second was sharp enough to hear and recognised the name.

=You believe they are from Atlantis?=

Instead of answering immediately, the commander walked over to the small portal that looked out over the massive bays that house the hive's squadrons of darts. =I want information about what these humans from Atlantis are doing to find this Genii.= He turned back to the lieutenant. =You have done well.=

The second bowed his head with a satisfied smile as the commander left the room. He knew what this mission was all about, he was entrusted with passing these new instructions on to the spies and he had further enhanced his reputation with his leader. Yes, he felt very pleased with himself.

-o-o-o-o-

A smile slowly played at the corners of Todd's mouth as he walked through the hive to his quarters. Every instinct told him this must be Sheppard who had joined the chase for the human who had abused and tortured them both. Not that he was really surprised. Sheppard was a human with a strong sense of what he considered right and wrong and Todd had to admit, that by human standards at least, what the Genii forced him to do to the Atlantean was wrong. Of course, the torture that was inflicted on him was wrong by wraith standards too although for very different reasons which he doubted Sheppard would even begin to understand.

They had never spoken about what happened in that cold, dark prison, but in Todd's mind the whole thing was so clear cut there was not really much to discuss. Looking down at his feeding hand, his mind travelled back to that early morning in the forest when he had taken as much as he dared from Sheppard, leaving him barely clinging to life.

He had assessed the situation using cold, hard wraith logic, rather than the unreliable emotions humans seem to use in making decisions, and knew that he alone had the best chance of overcoming their hunters. Taking Sheppard's energy had ensured that they both survived and the act of restoring the life he had taken more than compensated for the pain he had caused by taking it. He had always believed that the animosity and attitude of distrust Sheppard had shown towards him since then was based purely and simply on the fact that he was a Wraith but perhaps he had been wrong. Could it also be based on some residual anger about being fed on?

Unable to answer the question, Todd turned his mind back to what really intrigued him. Assuming Sheppard was also seeking revenge against Kolya, why had they both decided to pursue this action at the same time? Was he interested enough to make contact with Atlantis to talk about this coincidence though? He chuckled softy to himself, knowing the answer before he had even finished posing the question. While he might discover Sheppard's motive, he was in no mood to listen to the well-worn routine of threatening his life if he stepped out of line. So he was happy to let his curiosity go unanswered for the time being, content in the knowledge that, at the very least, Sheppard's involvement would add an additional layer of interest to his own hunt.

x-X-00-X-x

The day was getting colder. Although the sun was at the highest point of its journey across the sky, its rays had not penetrated the dark, dense cloud and the rain that had been falling since dawn was now coming down in strong, heavy sheets blown by an equally strong wind. A stargate and a small grey wooden building sat together in a flat grassy clearing in the midst of a tall dark green conifer forest. The building had a single door and two windows that faced out towards the gate giving it the look of a sentry post and a twist of smoke from the single chimney indicated that it was most likely being used for such a purpose.

The door opened and a lone man stepped out, his body wrapped in a long, heavy coat, he braced against the elements as rain quickly began to drip off the peak of his cap. Despite this stance, an onlooker would still see a tall, well built man looking intently towards the stargate, his face set in a grim frown that reflected his state of mind.

Acastus Kolya watched as the gate sprang to life and one of his men walked through the event horizon looking very smug. Kolya's frown deepened. Scouts were regularly sent out to keep tabs on anything Ladon Radim might be planning and he was getting tired of his men coming back with little or no information. So with low expectations, he walked forward to join the man on the short, muddy walk back to their settlement.

"What did you find out?" Kolya snapped impatiently.

"That there are people out there looking for us, Commander," the scout replied jauntily.

Kolya was in no mood to play games though. "Fool, they are always looking for us. Ladon's efforts might not be very rigorous or effective but his spies are always on the lookout."

The scout's thoughts were still focussed on the rare but very satisfying liaison he had with a woman during his time away but finally he recognised his commander's bad temper. "Yes sir, but these are not Ladon's henchmen. These are soldiers from Atlantis who just happened to turn up on one of the outpost worlds after a culling."

"A culling? The outposts had always been considered safe from culling because of their small size and remote locations."

"Well, it seems this was not your standard type culling, just a few people were taken."

"Are you sure it was a culling?"

The scout shrugged his shoulders. "That is the word. A single dart took two villager councillors and some stranger no one knew or cared about."

"And these soldiers from Atlantis, how do you know they were looking for us?"

"As you know they usually turn up after a culling to offer help and medical supplies. Well, this time they also asked some questions about you, wanting to know if anyone had seen you or if you were still alive."

"Did the villagers give them any information?"

"They said no. We have the sympathy of a number of the village councillors and the Atlanteans went away empty handed."

"Good."

Certainly the circumstances of the culling sounded unusual but Kolya knew the wraith's usual patterns of activity were being influenced by the civil war so he dismissed this information as insignificant. What really took his interest was the news that the Atlanteans were looking for him after all this time and what opportunities this news might provide to improve his own situation.

-o-o-o-o-

Kolya and his band of Genii rebels had arrived on this world some time ago, the latest stop on their underground journey since his unsuccessful attempt to depose Ladon Radim. Long ago it had been the site of a mining operation of some kind but the original population had abandoned it, either after the ore ran out or the operation became unprofitable, and it had remained uninhabited. Well away from the usual trading routes, they had never been disturbed by any accidental visitors. All in all it offered a group of renegades the perfect base from which to travel the galaxy gathering support for their cause.

It was not a large settlement but the buildings had been built of stone so were remarkably well preserved given the long period of time since they had last been occupied. They had required few repairs to make them weatherproof again and the Genii had deliberately left many buildings untouched, restoring only a handful of miner's cottages, the village inn and one larger building that they secured as a warehouse and arsenal.

Kolya was alone in the main room of the village inn, its former purpose evident from the long bar that extended along one wall and the booths of seats and tables around the other three. Some bottles sat on the shelves behind the bar and the room was occasionally restored to its former glory when the rebels either felt they had something worth celebrating or needed their spirits lifting, usually the latter. A fire crackled in the hearth and Kolya stood close, trying to draw the cold and damp out of his clothes and his bones, his mind fixated on the news his scout had brought back from the outside world.

So the Atlanteans were looking for him. Despite his long and troubled relationship with the city, he had never seriously considered such a threat from this quarter and it posed an interesting dilemma about how he was going to respond. Should he just sit and wait for them to utilise their impressive array of technology to find him? If they were serious, they would be exchanging information with Ladon Radim and would certainly be more diligent in their search than his former pupil. Or should he take the initiative, go on the offensive to again capture the one he felt certain would be leading this chase. Colonel John Sheppard.

Sheppard had been a thorn in his side since their paths first crossed during that ill-fated attempt to seize Atlantis. Thoughts of that raid, ordered by former Chief Cowen before Kolya's strike force had been ready, still filled him with impotent anger. The pain that lingered in his left shoulder from Sheppard's well aimed bullet was a constant reminder of that first encounter. Since then he had come off second best in every meeting with this human who had blown in from some distance galaxy with the ability to use the technology of the Ancients. In fact, were it not for the hatred he felt towards Ladon, Kolya knew he could easily transfer all the frustration and bitterness about his current situation squarely onto Sheppard's shoulders.

As his animosity towards Sheppard started to rise, he took the poker from the wall beside the hearth and bent to stir the fire vigorously before adding more logs. Once satisfied with his handiwork, he moved to one of the closest tables and sat down. This was no way to think about how to deal with Sheppard. To achieve anything, he had to be more focused. A couple of deep breaths had the desired calming effect and as his anger started to subside, he turned his mind to consider the situation strategically rather than personally. This was an opportunity to finally settle the score with Sheppard and all he had to do was work out the best plan to achieve his revenge.

x-X-00-X-x

Sheppard was standing on the balcony outside the mess hall, back against the railing, bouncing a new tennis ball against the wall. He had no idea where he had picked it up from, he hated tennis, but at least it provided a way to release some of the tension that was knotting up his muscles.

The conversation he had had out here with Sam Carter the other night, shortly after this whole problem had reared its ugly head, came to mind. On the positive side, he had now worked out how he felt about Kolya so that was sorted in his mind. But he had also told Sam that he had things worked out with Todd and now he has had time to absorb the news that he and the wraith were in a race to find Kolya, he realised that this was not really true.

Narrowing his eyes against the last defiant rays of the sun, he turned to look out over the ocean just in time to catch the brilliant red, orange and pink tones of the sunset infiltrating a bank of wispy cirrus cloud that had been floating across the sky since mid-afternoon. On a makeshift court painted on one of the landing decks way down beneath him, a small group of men and women were using the dying minutes of the day to finish a game of basketball. He watched as the shadows inched relentlessly closer to plunging the players into darkness and wondered if the original inhabitants of the city had ever played sport. He quickly dismissed the idea as unlikely. No doubt they had probably been far too busy exercising their minds learning how to ascend to relax enough to engage in some form of physical exercise.

Passing the woolly yellow tennis ball from hand to hand he brought his thoughts back to Todd. Of course, Sam had been right, he did still have issues and needed to talk to the wraith about what happened between them. But he had also right when he said he just had not been able to work out the right time to broach such a subject. An answer still eluded him but he had a feeling he would find out sooner rather than later and he needed to do some soul searching to have things clear in his mind before then.

When Todd came to Atlantis, either voluntarily or as their prisoner, he had always been treated the same as any other wraith. Dislike and mistrust mixed with a strong desire to see him dead. Sheppard knew their relationship would only ever be defined in terms of black and white. Yes, he was the only ally they were ever likely to have amongst the wraith but he would kill Todd without hesitation if the need ever arose and he knew the feeling is mutual. Yet, as he stood there looking up at the emerging stars, he realised this was not the end of the story and the whole thing was by no means as simple as he would like to believe.

Todd could not be dismissed as just any wraith. He was a wraith who had effectively saved Sheppard's life by helping him escape from Kolya's cold, dark hell. An involuntary shiver bolted down Sheppard's spine. While he could still see those cat-like amber and black eyes looking into his very soul as their owner stole away his life, he also saw the same eyes focused on returning that life. Todd had said it was to repay a debt. Was that why he had then let the wraith go rather than just kill him? Had Todd shown an almost 'human' side to his nature that Sheppard found he just could not extinguish on a whim?

He chuckled softly and shook his head as he turned to start bouncing the ball against the wall again, with a little more vigour this time.

What the hell was he thinking? There was nothing human about Todd, he was pure wraith, nothing more. Sure, he had shown an uncanny ability to manipulate his human hosts when he had been captive on this city. His sheer audacity and confidence in his ability to get out of tight situations, not just with his life but with a store of stolen knowledge and information, were unlike anything Sheppard had ever seen before in any creature, human or alien. Perhaps that was it, Did he allow Todd to continue to live out of some sort of grudging respect rather than gratitude? Or was it simply that he saw a wraith version of himself, confident, fearless to the point of taking far too many risks, bound by some code of behaviour that others did not always understand.

He turned back to the railings yet again but this time threw the damned tennis ball as far out to sea as he could.

"You know, that's probably one of the best moves you've made today." Sheppard did not need to turn round to know Rodney was about to join him. "Bouncing that ball wasn't going to bring you any closer to Kolya but it was starting to make you really unpopular with the folks sitting just on the other side of that wall. Like me."

"Thanks for the warning, I'll be sure to remember it next time I find a tennis ball."

The scientist shrugged his shoulders. "Just trying to be helpful. And, umm, and speaking of being helpful, you know I'm happy to listen to anything that's on your mind, any ideas you might have about Todd, and him wanting to find Kolya ...and, er ... you know ... just that sort of stuff."

Sheppard laughed. McKay had never been good at reaching to help other people so he appreciated the obvious effort being put in here. "That's unusually generous of you Rodney. Actually I was just trying to work out why I keep putting up with all his crap and don't just put an end to our occasional ally."

"Ah, yes, well now, I've sometimes wondered that myself. But you know what – I have a theory." Knowing that McKay was about to share this theory, Sheppard rolled his eyes but the gesture was lost on the scientist. "I think you're both caught up in some kind of mutual reliance thing." McKay twisted his hands around together in the air to try and explain what he meant. "You know ... you've shared a significant experience, faced death together and now you can't end the relationship and let go of each other ... er ... so to speak."

"Rodney, that's the biggest load of crap I've heard for a long time, even from you. Mutual reliance? With a creature who'd suck the life out of me if he got half a chance?"

"Mmmm – but would he? Think about it. You've both had chance to kill each other, yet you're both still alive and kicking. If Todd wanted you dead you'd be dead by now. I think you're just far too useful to each other."

Loathe as he was to admit it, there may be some shred of truth in Rodney's theory. They stood in silence, both looking out to sea, listening to the waves breaking in the dark below and for once the scientist did not try to fill the void with some inane chatter. Instead the calm was interrupted by a third voice.

"You know if anyone had ever told me a place as beautiful but as dangerous as this existed I'd have thought they were mad."

Sheppard turned his head to see Sam Carter was about to join them. Looking from the expedition leader back to the scientist, he made the snap decision that he was not prepared for any more talking or listening or analysis of his thoughts and feelings.

"Okay, enough! I don't need any more counselling or any more advice. I'm going to go to my quarters now, I'm going to bed and I'm going to get a good night's sleep!"

He walked back into the mess hall leaving Carter and McKay exchanging confused glances.

"I wasn't going to offer him any advice. I just came out to see if you've finished reading that book I lent you the other week." Carter smiled weakly.

Rodney just shrugged his shoulders and for once showed some remarkable insight. "Actually, I think it might have been something I said."

-o-o-o-o-

Sheppard almost managed to get a full night's sleep. Waking just before dawn he stretched, folded his arms behind his head and considered the weighty problem of whether to go back to sleep or get up and make an early start to the day. He enjoyed being up and around Atlantis before the city powered up to full strength for the day but then again the thought of another hour or so of sleep was also appealing. He was still tossing up the options ten minutes later as the first dull light of the approaching dawn started to penetrate the room and a disembodied voice on the intercom asked for his presence in the control room.

"Major Lorne is calling in from M4S-337 sir. Thinks he's got some info on the Genii you've been lookin' for."

Sheppard felt a sudden, sharp rush of adrenalin at the prospect of finally getting the key break that would lead him to Kolya.

"I'll be right there."

-o-o-o-o-

Two medical teams accompanied by more marines than usual had been sent to the two Genii outposts where the cullings had occurred but their offers of help had been soundingly rejected. Sheppard had known that medical help was unnecessary but it had seemed prudent to follow the procedures they usually put in place when visiting a settlement that had recently been culled. So the rejection was not a surprise. Even though the teams had also been accompanied by a couple of Ladon's men, Sheppard had not expected to get much useful information from the visits. Suspicious of strangers, including their fellow Genii, the villagers had been tight-lipped about the cullings and despite the offers of help of any kind, they had remained unwilling to give anything away.

So it had been a surprise when one of the settlements made contact several days later asking for advice about how to protect the village against any further attacks and offering some information in exchange. While this change of heart was welcome, it was also met with some scepticism, especially from Teyla, so Major Lorne's experienced team was despatched to undertake a cautious investigation.

-o-o-o-o-

Carter and Sheppard arrived in the control room simultaneously and the communications monitor sprang to life.

"What've you got Major?" Sheppard barely managed to mask his anticipation.

"Seems the villagers had a little falling out after our first visit over whether or not they should have accepted our help. Apparently things had been tense for a while between those who support Ladon and those who still harbour some sympathies for Kolya."

"And?"

The impatience in Sheppard's voice was clear so Lorne decided to cut to the chase. "Well, the upshot is that Ladon's supporters 'persuaded' Kolya's supporters round to their way of thinking. They've come through with the location of a trading post in an outer system where traders aren't too fussy about where their customer's money comes from. Seems its one of the places the Genii renegades sometimes go for supplies, including their commander when he feels the need to get out and about."

Sheppard frowned. "Hmmm ... sounds almost too convenient to be true. What'd you think – is this for real? Can we trust them?"

Lorne shrugged his shoulders. "Well, I guess we take everything we're told on trust don't we sir. They seem pretty straight but then again I've come across some pretty convincing liars in this galaxy."

"Yeah, haven't we all. Okay. See what else you can find out then head back to Atlantis."

Sheppard bit his lower lip as the screen faded to black. The rest of his team had arrived during the course of the conversation and now stood behind him waiting for him to make the next move. He had told Carter this was his personal demon, something he needed to deal with himself but as he turned to look at the faces lined up in front of him he knew there was no way he would be allowed to go after Kolya alone. Protocols demanded that he should allow Carter to take control of the situation but the barely perceivable nod she sent in his direction gave him the authority to determine the next move.

"Okay, to give him his due, Kolya is a pretty smart operator. If this is a trap, he'll make sure we're well inside it before he moves in. If it isn't a trap, the chances of him actually being on this world right now are pretty slim. This place is a trading settlement so there must be a stargate in walking distance and they'll be used to strangers turning up so either way I think it's worth a visit."

He paused to allow any comments but moved on before anyone really had chance to voice an opinion. "Now it seems to me there are a couple of ways we can do this. We can assume that it is a trap, go in with a show of force, search the place and risk Kolya getting away - as I just said he's smart and he's sure to have an exit strategy in place. Or we can be a little more discreet and look at it as a reconnaissance mission with a small team. I'm in favour of the second approach. Anyone got a different idea?"

For once, Ronon spoke first. "Hey we've waited this long. If checking out this world quietly gives us a better chance of getting this guy then it makes sense to me."

But Sheppard also caught the look of caution on Teyla's face. "You're going with the trap option?"

"This still all seems just too convenient to me. From my experience, communities that have been culled usually close ranks to look after the families of those who were taken not turn against each other. Kolya has set traps for us before, for you particularly, and I don't think we should rule it out again in this situation."

Sheppard tried to keep the exasperation out of his voice. "Look, I've acknowledged there's always a chance of that. But this is the first lead we've had, I can't just let it go because it might be dangerous."

Teyla was right of course but now that their search was finally starting to show some results he was reluctant to slow the momentum. Carter still held the final say on how they proceeded though so he looked over to get her decision, his mouth set in a thin line of determination.

Carter looked at all the team before answering. "Yes, I agree it could be a trap and I think we need to exercise some caution. We've waited this long so it won't do any harm to wait a few more before heading off there." She saw Sheppard's face fall but she was quite prepared to play the foil to his enthusiasm to confront the Genii. "Now from Major Lorne's description it sounds like this trading settlement is a place where folk keep their own business fairly close to their chest so I also agree the fewer people we send to investigate the better. We can send some additional marines to wait at the gate just in case you do run into trouble. Don't forget Todd is out there too, so some extra help might be useful if he decides to join the party."

Sheppard walked over to look down into the gate room. Despite his disappointment, he knew Carter's idea made sense. If it was a trap, Kolya would be waiting to spring it right now – waiting a few days would put him off guard to some degree and increase the chance of him becoming careless.

Turning back he found the assembled faces turned in his direction. "Yeah, okay, you're right. We'll wait a couple of days before going through."

He headed off to get some breakfast, his mind full of questions. So what if Todd turned up? Would he kill the wraith in order to be the one to deal with Kolya? Was Todd so determine to exact his own revenge, he would be prepared to sacrifice his contact with Atlantis to achieve that goal? Would he be prepared to just stand back and watch Todd feed on Kolya? He sighed. More things to think about in his strange relationship with this unusual wraith and his ongoing feud with this persistent Genii. Perhaps having an extra couple of days to work out some answers was not such a bad idea at all.