Teyla followed behind her walking slowly on the jagged trail. The moonlight offered some help to see the trail, but at times the steep cliff to the side blocked the light, leaving no way to see what was ahead. The wraith was obviously adept at navigating through darkness. She was moving swiftly over the rocks more agilely than her appearance would suggest possible. She stopped periodically, waiting for Teyla to catch up.
"Mind that rock," she said, "it's…" Teyla's foot caught on the rock, sending her falling forward. She braced herself, breaking the fall with her forearms. Luckily the ground there was somewhat soft and covered with a patch of grass.
"Perhaps I should stop and wait for light," Teyla said, sitting up and brushing her sleeves off. She knew that wouldn't be fair to her. They were close to the village; she could already see the lights in the distance and smell the wood smoke. Passing through in the daytime would probably be suicide for this wraith.
"We don't have far to walk now," the wraith said. "I'll help guide you if necessary." She turned around, but as she did, she lost her footing and the ground gave way. She fell over in a tumble along with the rocks of the ledge which had fallen loose. There was a delay, and then the sound of a body impacting gravel reached the spot where she was sitting. She scrambled over to the rock-face and looked down. The lack of light prevented her from seeing anything.
"Hello?" She called, her voice just over a whisper from fear of being heard from the village nearby. The sound of rocks moving reached her in reply.
"Are you all right?" she called.
"I cannot move," The wraith answered. There was agony in her voice. She made sounds of struggle, like she was attempting to climb the rock wall. The sounds stopped after awhile.
"Are you injured?," She called, a little louder than she wanted. "Are you there?"
"I am-," She moaned, "I am here Teyla," She answered, each word uttered with a struggle, "My leg is causing me pain; I believe-it-broken."
She couldn't quite believe that. "Why doesn't it heal?" she asked. She had seen wraith survive far greater injury than that, seeming to heal instantly to continue on.
"I don't have such ability," she replied. "Teyla," she said, voice carrying a sense of authority and finality, "Continue on to the stargate." She gasped, her breaths sounding irregular. "I will be healed within a few days, well enough to find my own way."
She sensed uncertainty in her statement, like she herself doubted if she could survive that long. She hesitated to move, wondering what she should do. It would be easy for her to continue, but now she definitely felt it wasn't right to leave her.
"How bad is it?" she asked, needing to know.
"It's bleeding," she said. "It hasn't stopped."
"I'll come back Syntyche," Teyla assured "I'll bring someone who can help you." She waited for her to tell her no, that she would be just fine, but she didn't.
"Thank you Teyla," she said. Teyla took that as permission to try and help.
She took off swiftly as possible, measuring each step carefully on the rough trail leading toward the village. She didn't know exactly where the stargate was, but most places she'd seen had built up around the gate, making it a centerpiece of the community.
She entered the main street, staying out of the light cast by lanterns placed on the door frames of the buildings. Nobody was out in the street, and she took care not to make too much noise for fear of drawing attention. She looked closely at the signs placed over the businesses and shops, seeing if she could recognize the language to try and find out where she was. The writing was familiar, like a Minarian derivative. She could probably guess this place's address if shown a list of minarian planets. At least that narrowed the list.
The heart of the town wasn't very large, and it wasn't long before she was running along a narrow road, densely wooded on either side. Her running caused her to trip occasionally on a root or a pothole.
She stopped running, slowing to a walk and then to a still silent stop, her breath controlled and silent. The presence of wraith pulled gently at the edge of her mind, warning her that they were close, very close. She stood perfectly motionless, expecting at any moment to see green reflective eyes appear out of the black ether.
But were they really there? The feeling grew and subsided intermittently, as if these wraith were appearing and disappearing.
If there were wraith here and waiting, they weren't there to cull, or to terrorize, they were there to find her and to find the queen. They were blocking the way to the stargate, waiting for them to try and pass.
Nothing was attacking her. She knew one of them could be only feet away from her, and yet nothing was moving.
Perhaps they didn't know who she was. Perhaps they didn't want to suggest anything in the village was wrong in order to lure them into their trap.
What if there was nothing there at all?
She stood still and motionless, hesitating to even breathe so she could hear the faintest noise. The wraith presence was gone, dulled as if it was never there.
Her mind vacillated between the decisions of proceeding or turning back, leaving her with the sense that she didn't know what to do. She calmed her mind and thought objectively. She needed to change plans, just to be safe. She glanced behind her, making sure the way was safe, and turned around, walking swiftly in the direction she came.
She arrived back at the village. No longer worried about making a commotion, she allowed her footfalls to impact heavily, turning into the first lit doorway she could find. The heavy wooden door was unlocked, and the iron latch opened easily. She burst in and closed the door behind her with a loud thud which probably was loud enough to get the whole town's attention. She waited at the door, breathing heavily as she looked around the area.
She saw a few tables set up with the chairs upside down on top, and a counter, behind which bottles of alcohol were stacked up on a shelf. The layout of the building with multiple floors and stairs leading up to the second floor suggested it was also a place to stay.
The stomp of heavy footfalls on a wooden floor sounded throughout the building. A man wearing a semi-formal suit and an apron walked out from a doorway behind the counter.
"Can I help you miss?" he asked politely. She opened her mouth, looking for the right words, but still indecisive about what she was going to do next. She just stood there, mouth agape looking confused.
"Are you all right?" he asked. "You look like you've just seen a wraith."
She considered the irony of that observation. "I'd like to buy…" She stopped, remembering that she had no money to buy anything. "I need to see a doctor." She honestly had no idea why she said that. Perhaps it could allow her to avoid further questioning by suggesting that she was unwell?
"Oh," the man said as though disappointed, "The house just at the edge of town, all by itself." He pointed in the general direction of the road. "Now get out," he said rudely.
Teyla opened the door a crack and looked out, scanning for signs of trouble.
"What are you doing?" the man asked, looking annoyed. "What's out there?"
"Nothing," she said, trying and failing not to look worried.
She walked out, taking care to be quiet, and hurried along the street. She came to the end of the street where the houses and stores abruptly turned into wilderness. The third house on the left was dark, but a lantern burned in the doorway, suggesting visitors were welcome.
She walked up to the door tentatively, considering what she was going to say. Should she tell them about the wraith guarding the stargate, or would that make things worse? What could she say about her injured 'friend'?
She stood there in front of the doorway, the weight of each decision holding her back. She felt helpless, like each available choice would result in disaster.
She flinched when the door opened, the noise of the latch and hinge sounding impossibly loud in the stillness of the night. A woman peered out through the chained door.
"What are you doing miss?"
She was speechless and almost to the point of saying it was a mistake and turning away.
"Are you here for a physician?"
"Yes," she said, unable to think of anything else.
"Come in," the woman said, closing the door and sliding the chain lock off. The door opened again and a lantern lit inside. She walked up the steps and inside, feeling completely out of control over what was happening.
"You're not from around here," the woman said, closing the door behind her. The house was small but comfortable, and was lit warmly by gas lanterns on the wall.
"Just here for business?" The woman asked. She could see better now from the woman's face that she was older, perhaps nearing fifty.
"Yes-I mean no," she said, contradicting herself. "I don't know."
The woman looked confused. "You don't know?"
"I came here by mistake. A…" she paused for breath, "A friend of mine needs help."
An older middle aged man walked out from a side hallway, presumably a doctor. "Sorry," he said, "I couldn't help but hearing that a friend of yours is in trouble?"
"Yes. It's just…. I'm not sure you would want to help me if you knew. It might put more people in danger."
"Knew what?" The man asked. She hesitated, looking between the both of them. She eyed the door, thinking that it would be better to just leave.
"Now hold on," the man said, gesturing away from the door. "Why don't we just sit at the table and discuss this in detail. He guided her through a narrow doorway into what looked like a kitchen. He preceded her to the table and lit the candles using a lighter.
"Sit," he ordered. Teyla obliged, resting on the wooden chair. Being off her feet and sitting in a proper chair brought attention to her sore legs and feet.
"Now," the man said, "Why don't we start with names. My name is Cedrus, and I am a doctor." He looked to the woman. "This is my wife Cholla."
"I am Teyla Emmagan," she responded.
"Emmagan," he said thoughtfully. "Am I to understand that you are Athosian?"
"Yes," she said, becoming curious. "How did you know?"
"It's an Athosian family name," Cedrus said. "I just happen to know a few of them. Now onto the bigger question, What are you doing here? And who is this friend that needs a doctor?"
What was the best way to present the information? Maybe it would be better to leave and avoid explaining anything at all.
"Why are you so hesitant to say? What danger do you anticipate?"
Teyla exhaled, letting go of the anxiety she had built up through withholding the truth. "There is someone up on the ridge just to the east of here. She fell off the ledge in a landslide and has injured herself badly."
The woman who was standing in the doorway gasped, "What were you doing up there this time of night?"
"It was by accident."
"Then we shouldn't delay," the man said without moving. "Now, let's hear the rest of the story." He said this in a scrutinizing manner, as if he suspected some form of deception to follow. He knew she was withholding information.
"Very well. The story is a bit long, but to summarize, I have recently escaped from aboard a wraith hive ship. Someone aboard the ship, in a position of authority, helped me escape and took me to the nearest planet. Our ship was shot down a day's journey to the east of here, and we've been hiking ever since to try and make it to the stargate."
The other two were silent, the doctor resting his chin in his hand thoughtfully. "You've been through a lot," no doubt apparent. "That may explain your pallid and thin appearance."
She looked over herself, wishing to have a mirror to verify what he just said.
"Is this friend of yours a wraith worshipper? Is that what you were afraid of?"
"No," Teyla said, resisting the urge to laugh at how outrageous this would sound. "She is a wraith."
Neither of them looked like they knew how to respond. She considered bolting for the door for fear they might suspect her of wraith collaboration and decide to imprison her-or worse. However, she was generally a good judge of intentions, and she saw nothing in this doctor or the woman to suggest they would do such a thing.
Both of them were silently exchanging looks, the woman's more urgent and fearful than the man's.
"Almost all of wraith females I've heard of," Cedrus said thoughtfully "are the queens themselves."
"I did say she was in a position of authority."
"Indeed," he laughed. "Now, I can't pretend to know what would motivate you to ask for help, however I can boil it down to two possibilities. One is that your mind is being manipulated, of which the wraith purportedly excellent at doing. Or secondly, you genuinely believe this wraith queen deserves help."
The woman broke away from her spot in the doorway and walked up beside the man. "Cedrus, you cannot seriously entertain helping her!"
He didn't argue, but gave the woman a look of understanding and control of the situation. He turned again to Teyla, "What is this wraith's name?" he asked.
Teyla was too surprised to respond right away, struggling both to remember the name and to understand why the man would feel compelled to ask that. Had the wraith even mentioned a name?
"Why," the woman asked. "Does it make a difference?"
"Indeed it does," Cedrus said softly.
"Her name is Syntyche," Teyla answered. Not knowing why or where she had heard that. She only knew that was her name.
Cedrus became animated immediately, wasting no time in standing up and making for the door.
"Cedrus," Cholla pleaded, "What are you doing?"
"I'm going to help."
"What?" she asked in disbelief. "No," she said firmly, staring at Teyla, "what we need to do is take this one to the stargate and force her to leave. We will not have wraith collaborators among us."
"I know what I'm doing," he said to her calmly. "Perhaps this will prove that it was true," he said quietly and meaningfully. The two exchanged a look, the meaning of which Teyla was unsure of. She gave Teyla an accusing glare. Under different circumstances, she would not have tolerated her implying that she was collaborating with wraith.
"Cholla," Cedrus said, "think carefully, this just doesn't add up. Why would she come to us instead of escaping to tell other wraith? The stargate is just at the other end of town."
Cholla couldn't come up with an answer.
"Now," Cedrus said, attention focusing back to Teyla. "Why does this wraith need help? Aren't they very agile and capable of healing quickly?"
"I'm not entirely sure, She told me she doesn't need to feed, which I suppose limits her healing ability somewhat."
The man seemed to smile minutely, although it could have been the angle of the light.
"We should delay no further," taking a coat off a hook on the wall. "I'll gather some equipment, and we'll be off."
"Cedrus stop this right now." He stopped what he was doing and diverted his attention to her. "You can't seriously bring that thing into our home?"
"If I remember correctly, we should be in no danger."
"What if your memory is wrong?" Cholla accused.
"Don't accuse me of faulty memory," he said tersely. "I can remember it clearly."
"You're going to get hurt," she insisted angrily.
"It's my call," he said, "I promise I'll be careful." With that he stepped out of the room, Cholla following him with the probable intention of further dissuading him.
The man proceeded to the other side of the hallway to remove a satchel hanging from a hook on the wall, and then walked out the door to his side yard into a small shed. The morning dew had already begun to form, making the air heavy and wet and showing on the windows of the house. She looked to the east and saw the violet black glow of the coming sunrise. She paused while the man was digging through a pile things in his shed, calling out with her mind in order to search for Syntyche. Over the couple of days they had spent traveling, She had become accustomed to her presence and had learned her identity.
She found her, still alive, but still injured and in pain.
"Where exactly is this friend of yours?" Cedrus asked as he gathered supplies, one of which was a canvas stretcher.
"Just on that ridge not far from here," She pointed to the direction she had come from.
He froze, staring in the direction of the ridge, his mind calculating the endeavor. "I would usually ask several people on such a rescue, but I doubt anyone would help with this."
His statement brought up a point that was intriguing. "Why are you so willing to help?"
"We must not delay," he said, ignoring the question. "It'll be bright enough by the time we get back that people may see us."
She took off ahead and the man followed, leading the way first along the road, then where the road turned into a foot trail which led exactly the way she had come.
The area under the trees was still almost pitch dark save for a few beams of dim moonlight going through. She slowed down, not wanting to trip or lose the trail. She was already having a hard time seeing where the trail went and found herself straying off occasionally.
"Here," She said as she had started climbing the hill. "She's at the base of this hill."
"I see," Cedrus said. "We should circle around through the woods to reach her at the base." He took off from there and led the way, this time she followed.
It was a short walk to the base of the hill, but the woods around were densely packed and the ground was uneven with rocks and sticks.
The doctor must have been very familiar with the area, because he brought them right to where the incident occurred. She saw Syntyche lying in the same position she was before. She hurried over to her, the boulders preventing her from proceeding as fast as she wanted.
The sky was becoming lighter now, just enough to see the extent of the wraith's injuries. Her leg was bent in an unusual way, and there were blood stains on the clothing and on the ground around the injury. She landed on a patch of smaller rocks, avoiding most of the boulders on the way down.
"Hold on," Cedrus said, running up behind Teyla. "Oh no," he exclaimed, eyes wide with urgency. He knelt down and checked for a pulse. "She's still alive, but the pulse is fast and weak."
He set his satchel down on a rock and dug through it to retrieve a pair of scissors along with some other dressings and bandages.
"It's a closed fracture," he said as he worked, "but the skin around is torn badly."
She thought ahead to what they might need and walked back into the woods to look for a stick to serve as a splint. She brought it back to Cedrus and offered it to him.
"Thank you Teyla," he said, taking the makeshift splint gratefully. The wraith began to move, wincing as the doctor worked. Her eyes opened and searched wildly around as if she couldn't see.
"Sorry, just a little more," he said regretfully. "We'll get you to safety soon." He continued wrapping the bandages for the open gash on her head. Teyla did not envy the bruise which appeared on her head, visible despite her color of skin.
"Syntyche," She said, trying to get her attention. "I've brought help." the wraith nodded as if she understood, but couldn't focus her eyes on either of them.
"She hasn't aged at all," Cedrus muttered quietly to himself.
His comment gained her attention and her head shot around to him. "Aged? Since when?"
"Since I saw her last, when I was just ten years old." That was a curious statement, but he didn't elaborate. "Take her shoulder," he ordered, "We'll escort her back." She did as he asked and helped pick her up, awkwardly but gently shoving her onto the stretcher.
"The bleeding has stopped, but she's still weak." He walked to the head of the stretcher, and she followed by taking the foot, obliging to lead the way back.
They maneuvered slowly through the trees, the dim scattered light of the cloudy morning illuminating the way before them more with each minute. It was taking them too long to return; even the man's house at the edge of the town could likely be seen by now. They would have to be fortunate not to be spotted.
They finally reached the point where the trail widened into the road. The sun had risen in earnest now, and patches of blue sky were visible through the dense layer of clouds. They both continued on, ignoring the possibility of an uncomfortable encounter with one of the townspeople.
As the three of them reached the doorstep of the doctor's house, Syntyche's eyes opened, as if she were taking note of her situation. Still, she was completely silent.
She unlatched the door, thinking of Cholla, the man's wife who would be waiting inside. Obviously this wouldn't go over very well. She just hoped it wouldn't result in violence between a married couple.
There was suddenly fear and worry. Who was she to ask these people for help? Why should she burden them with this? She feared her actions would result in discord and chaos among this family and among the townspeople.
"Straight ahead," Cedrus said as they entered. She could smell the odor of something being cooked, reminding her of the kinds of food her people prepared for breakfast. Staying long with the people from Earth and their way of eating had deprived her of experiencing that for quite awhile.
She walked straight ahead into a room equipped with shelves of what looked like medicines, as well as instruments, a doctor's tools of trade.
Right there, he said, signaling to the bed. They set the stretcher down on top of the bed.
"Now," he said. "I have the opportunity to work properly."
She retreated to the other side of the room, sitting down on a stiff wooden chair while the doctor worked. The chair, despite it being rickety and stiff, felt like such a blessing to have.
Elizabeth watched the MALP trundle across the floor in through the barrier of the stargate. Colonel Sheppard's team stood ready at a distance, waiting for the report to be sent back from the other side. She was taking particular interest in this mission. Sending a team through without filing a mission report, without notifying someone at the SGC, without even a mention made her extremely nervous. It felt like she was breaking the law. While the rules of operation permitted her to authorize missions without filing a proposal, it always required a mission report be filed.
The gate operator signaled to the team, and all three of them headed out side by side through the gate. The gate remained open for just a moment, then shut down, leaving them separated.
Elizabeth went back to her desk and sat down to continue her review of the personal supply requisition. It was important for several different people to proofread the request since people sometimes tried to sneak items through which would be unwise to have in the city.
Cell phones were always a perennial favorite for some unknown reason. It seemed everyone wanted the newest smart-phone, despite being two million light years out of range. Of course it was a huge security risk to have a device capable of transmitting data wirelessly over large distances. Such devices could undoubtedly be hacked by a technologically advanced enemy and used to leak information.
A movement in the corner of her eye broke her attention from the report. Zelenka was hurrying across the ramp to her office, looking like he did when he was very worried.
"Dr. Weir," he called out before he had even reached her office. "You need to stop them from leaving. It could be a trap."
"Now wait," Dr. Weir said as Raddik stopped in front of her desk to catch his breath. "What are you talking about?"
"That record, the planet, the mission," he said through heavy breaths. "The record of the gate address was definitely faked."
"Colonel Sheppard's team has already left."
"Then you need to call them back," Zelenka replied worriedly.
Elizabeth tapped the microphone on her ear piece, allowing her to speak with the gate operator. "This is Dr. Weir, I need you to call Colonel Sheppard's team back through the gate."
A slight pause, "Understood," Chuck said over the radio.
"Now," Elizabeth said to Raddik. "Please explain what you've found." She motioned to the seat, which Raddik wasted no time in taking.
"The record Rodney found," he started, "as you know saved itself to one of the secondary computer systems in order to escape being erased by a database sweep. He assumed that the delete command which initiated that action was caused by the ancients a long time ago."
Raddik paused, and looked at the screen of tablet PC he was carrying. "The time stamp of the file is only from a few months ago." He turned it around so Dr. Weir could see.
Elizabeth studied what he was showing her, not yet able to understand what Raddik was saying. "What's the significance of that?" she asked.
"The date coincides with exactly when the wraith computer virus infected our systems. That file was created by that virus."
The stargate down in the gate room activated, the two occupants in the office so accustomed to it that they didn't even look.
"Oh no," Elizabeth said, the realization finally hitting her. "So do you mean that file was planted here as some kind of….bait?"
"It's possible," Zelenka said.
"But wait," Weir said as one aspect of this explanation ceased to make sense. "Why didn't the wraith put it out in the open for us to find instead of putting it where we might never have discovered it?"
"They did put it in the open," Zelenka said. He returned his attention to the tablet. "It was added to the main database at the exact moment the virus infected, and was then driven out when Rodney and I isolated the virus and attempted to restore the database intact."
"Dr. Weir," Chuck said over the radio. "I've been unable to establish contact with Colonel Sheppard's team."
"Have you tried boosting the signal?" Weir asked in return.
"Yes Ma'am," he answered. "The MALP is receiving no response."
Dr. Weir and Zelenka looked direly at each other. She stood up and walked swiftly over to the control room.
"What's happening?" Weir asked commandingly.
"We haven't been able to contact Colonel Sheppard's team, and the MALP is showing no life signs in the immediate area."
Elizabeth looked over to the video feed from the MALP. The area in front of the gate looked mundane enough. It was looking over a grassy field with a gray sky overhead.
"Then what happened to them?" Weir asked quietly.
The video feed suddenly showed movement in the sky, a small dot, not bigger than two pixels on the screen.
"What's that?" Weir asked.
"I'm not sure," Zelenka added, looking more closely at the screen. The moving object seemed to stay still for a moment, and then suddenly exploded to fill the field of view just before the video feed cut out.
"Woah," Chuck exclaimed.
"It was a dart," Zelenka said. The gate made a snapping noise, like an electric arc. The event horizon flashed brightly twice and then disappeared with a snap like a gunshot, loud enough to cause pain in her ears.
"What was that?" Weir shouted.
"They probably shot the gate on the other side," Zelenka said. That's how it behaves if you input a burst of energy."
"Dial it again," Dr. Weir ordered. "Let's stop them before they can escape."
The gate operator did as he was told, and dialed the sequence quickly, taking less than two seconds. He pressed the activation button, which should have activated the gate, however the gate responded by returning the stored energy instead of establishing a wormhole.
"It won't work," Chuck said. "I'm sure I put it in right."
"We're too late," Elizabeth said. She stared at the closed gate and then at Raddik, glancing around the room waiting for someone to have an idea.
"They could be anywhere by now," Raddik said, quickly busying himself with one of the workstations.
Elizabeth knew better than to bother him now; he wouldn't waste time.
Syntyche awoke, feeling horrible. She assessed her leg and noticed that the bandages had been changed since the first had been put on in the woods. She tilted her head slightly and looked around.
She was in a small room, nicely decorated, with doctor's equipment lining the cabinets on the side of the wall.
Teyla had persuaded a doctor to help her, someone from the local village. Why hadn't she returned to her home in Atlantis?
Her state of mind before this point had been dazed at best. She could only remember blurry bits and pieces. She moved her broken leg and winced at the feeling. The bone was definitely healing, but not quite finished yet, and the skin around was probably scarred by now.
She was always quick to heal, despite forgoing the gifts wraith usually had in that regard. This time however, she had been very close to dying. If Teyla hadn't helped her, then she may very well have died there.
It was curious to remember how often such things had happened to her. She had called many planets 'home.' Each one orbited around their sun at a different rate than the next one, and for that reason, a year had lost its meaning. It was amazing to think on what narrow margins you lived on constantly, evading death narrowly on a daily basis and not even realizing it. Considering all the time that had passed for her, it was both incredible and terrifying.
Someone was moving out in the hallway. She raised her head again, feeling a painful headache start as she did so. Through the head splitting ache, she sensed the presence of other wraith nearby, fleetingly, and then it was gone.
The door cracked open slightly, and Teyla looked through the door.
"I'm sorry," Teyla said apologetically, "am I disturbing you?'
Syntyche lie still for just a second, wondering about what she had sensed, but then dismissed it as perhaps an effect of a pain relieving drug.
"No," Syntyche said, resting her head back.
A man walked in cautiously behind her. "Hello," he said, voice reserved but polite. "I guess I should properly introduce myself. My name is Cedrus, and I am a doctor."
He walked into the room and over to her bedside. His manner was timid but not entirely fearful. "I'm just going to check the bandages," he said as he began untying the wrappings around her leg.
"I've met you before," the man, Cedrus, said, "years ago."
His statement interested her. She didn't immediately recall ever meeting anyone like him.
"It was about fourty-five years ago, when I was ten years old."
She tried to remember the years, but she had moved between planets too often to remember where she was at the time.
"My little brother who was five years old at the time, wandered off one day. He was always the adventurous type, and I suppose he thought he got mad one day and decided to leave." He smiled, nostalgically.
That gave her the needed context; now she remembered. "I was in the area at the time," she said, recalling the incident.
"So you do remember?" Cedrus said. "It really was you."
She nodded and smiled slightly, remembering the young boy and his family.
"After a full day and night of searching," he continued, "He suddenly appeared on our doorstep early the next morning, perfectly fine. He only said that someone had helped him, but he couldn't say who."
"You and your father came looking for me," Syntyche said, remembering. "You wanted to thank me."
"It took some effort to find you," Cedrus said, he laughed slightly. "I guess you remember what happened when we found you."
"You and your father were very awkward. You said 'thank you' as quickly as you could and then left."
"Neither of us knew what to make of you.' Cedrus continued. "No wraith had visited our world in a generation, and few remembered what they even looked like, which I suppose was fortunate in more than one way." He stood silent for a moment, his face becoming more serious. "Thank you," he said sincerely, "for warning us."
Syntyche nodded in reply, knowing what he meant.
"Warning about what?" Teyla asked.
"For the next year, she had become a sort of friend to our family, albeit secret from the others in the town She gave us warning that a hive ship was on its way to our world." He looked down and paused what he was doing. "It was enough to save all the people that believed us."
"Not all of them believed did they?" Teyla stated.
"No," Cedrus said, resuming his work in re-wraping the bandages. "About half believed us, the rest stayed in the city instead of fleeing into the wilderness."
Cedrus was remembering that day, as was she. He proceeded to the wash basin at the other end of the room.
"I-heard what the towns people did to you."
"Do not concern yourself with what happened. Believe me when I say it could have been far worse."
He felt guilt over what happened; partly because it was his people who had done it, even though it was not anything under his control. Being chased through the stargate was mild in comparison to other occurrences.
Her perception changed, her eyes re-focusing in an odd manner. She heard the others in the room talking to each other, but it didn't matter what they said. All that mattered was how much hunger she felt. The feeling wasn't benign from lack of food since she had eaten only an hour ago.
Panic set instantly as she became aware of what was happening. It had happened so seldom, she had almost forgotten. Her condition was causing her body chemistry to change. The cellular code which had been forced dormant was activating, trying to coerce her into acquiring the energy she needed to heal. It was her body's means of trying to allay the hunger. The instinct was strong, but her mind had to be stronger, especially now of all times.
She closed her eyes in order to conceal what must be a very unnerving gaze. It was becoming worse; already she could feel herself becoming more alert, her body ready to react. She opened her eyes in a jolt, searching around. Her eyes fixated on the physician, working nearby. He had his back turned to her, only a few steps away; how easily she could traverse the distance, he wouldn't even know. No! She could imagine the warmth of flesh beneath her hand. 'Stop this!' she insisted to herself. She imagined the pleasure it would provide, knowing, remembering how it felt.
She must remain in control!
"Stop," she said to herself.
"I'm sorry?" the physician said as he turned He began to walk toward her. She glared intensely at him, staring with her eyes wide open, unable to control that anymore. He slowed upon seeing her.
She couldn't help it, she lashed out with one hand, grabbing him by the wrist. He was startled, but he did not react with fear, but with concern.
"Syntyche?" Teyla asked. She stood up and approached. Neither of them felt fear, but only concern for her. Sensing their concern removed the edge from the predatory instincts which were surfacing. She calmed herself, slowly relaxing until she felt normal again. She lay back with a dull thud.
"What's wrong?" Cedrus asked.
"Hunger," she replied. "It is interfering with my mind." Both of them exchanged worried glances, probably knowing what that meant.
Exploring the galaxy through the stargate was amazing; it was an adventure, the likes of which defied description to someone who had never experienced it for themselves. There were drawbacks however, things like taking two steps through the stargate and without warning, finding yourself waking up in a wraith prison cell. At least he thought it was a wraith cell.
It was difficult to tell exactly where he was since it was pitch dark. No amount of acclimation would allow his eyes to see what was around him. He could just make out through feeling his way around that he was surrounded by walls and bars. The walls felt rubbery and rough surfaced which would suggest wraith construction.
John didn't see Ronon or McKay anywhere and he had already tried calling through the dark. He heard nothing, not even an echo.
It was plainly obvious now that it was a trap. Somehow, their arrival on that planet had been expected. John considered ways that could have been possible, but so far hadn't imagined any way the wraith could have known. Maybe it was just coincidence.
John sat still on the floor of the cell, staring out into the blackness. He had no idea what was around him other than what little he had explored. The complete silence was oppressive, oddly making him feel as if he was short of breath. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, reminding himself to stay calm.
He tried occupying his mind with daydreams; things he'd done, people he'd talked to, anything that would grab his attention.
"We have to get all non-essential personnel through the stargate!" McKay called over to him.
He glanced to his right and saw McKay, who was sitting on front of a workstation in the control room. He looked down to where he was standing, and saw Atlantis' dialing device arrayed.
"Sheppard," McKay called, trying to grab his attention. "We need to get these people through the stargate to Earth before the shield fails completely!"
The city was underwater. They had sunk the city to defend against a wraith attack, but now the shield emitters were damaged and failing.
Down in the gate-room, the whole of the Atlantis expedition waited for the stargate to open.
John looked at the dialing device, but paused, his hand resting over the symbols. Something was wrong. He knew the situation was dire, and he needed to get everyone out of the city, but he felt very odd, like he was being watched.
He glanced around the control room, but verified that it was only him and McKay left.
"Colonel Sheppard," Dr Weir called. He glanced down into the control room and saw Dr. Weir staring up at him, her backpack on her shoulders ready to depart. "We need to get that gate open."
"Sheppard!" McKay yelled. "The emitters are operating intermittently. We're already getting huge amounts of water entering the shield. If you don't dial Earth now, we're all going to drown!"
He put his hand down on the first symbol of the sequence, but something wasn't right. He was being watched.
He looked over his shoulder, expecting to see someone there, but there was nobody, he only felt it.
There was a tremendous shudder, sending him to the floor. The sound of breaking glass filled his ears, and the force of water hit him, throwing him. He could feel the pressure of the water, crushing him, forcing his last breath out and making his head feel like it was ready to implode.
