" Are sure that this is the place?" my mind only barely registers the voice, but it is enough to shock me into awareness. I open my eyes, my hibernation hadn't lasted nearly as long as I would have liked. Raising my head slightly, I sniff the air and catch the scent of humans. Dinner?
" Yes, McKay, I'm sure. Besides, I don't think that that crater just suddenly appeared." sarcasm, I know it well.
" Do you think that maybe someone destroyed them?" hopefulness, typical.
" This doesn't look like a blast crater to me." Sheppard?
" Perhaps it was one of the Great Ships from the drawing that I showed you." Teyla?
" Are you saying that that structure we were in was a ship? Your kidding me." Ford, so naive.
" The Wraith hibernate for hundreds of years, the mountain must have grown around it. And now that they are all awake-" Teyla left her sentence hanging, not wanting to voice the horror that they had unleashed.
" Hey! Something moved over there." it was a male voice but not one that I heard before.
I heard the whoosh of a stunner being fired, " Wraith!"
" Get back to the Jumper. Now!" Sheppard ordered.
Their leaving. My muscles tensed and I thrust myself to my feet. The debris exploded around me as I burst into a flat out gallop in the direction of the voices. I had to get to them before they left me behind again, I would not stay behind to be hunted by the Wraith. Digging my claws into the ground, I propelled myself forward faster. I caught their scents just as I heard a gun shot followed by a pained yell. The fur along the back of my neck stood up as I hissed, something happened and it didn't sound good. I knew I was close, two frantic heartbeats told me that much, it looks like they are on the other side of this fallen giant of a tree.
With an impatient growl, I climb up the tree trunk until I'm perched on top and can see the other side. Ford kneeling next to Sheppard, who has a pained expression as well as a black... something, attached to his neck. I knew it wouldn't be good. I push with my back paws and leap into the air, an automatic snarl escapes my throat as I see Ford jerk and point a hand gun at me. I land with the suppleness that only a vampire can possess and I turn my eyes on him.
I see myself through his eyes, fur as white as fresh snow with ice blue eyes that felt like they could pierce his soul. My eyes flicker down to Sheppard, and the creature attached to his neck. A shiver runs the length of my spine at the sight of it. What could it possibly be when it makes a vampire shy away? I bare my canines and release a warning hiss before I hear Teyla approaching.
" Aiden! We must hurry!" she bursts through the bushes surrounding us only to stop dead in her tracks at the scene before her.
So as to reduce the likelihood that I'll get shot, I decide to shift back to my true form. And I learned something, if I don't think of what I'm going to wear I automatically appear in a white cotton dress. You learn something new everyday I guess.
Neither Ford or Teyla make a move when Sheppard groans, sighing I encircle my arms around his torso and pull up lifting him from the cold ground. Ford jumps forward and positions himself on his other side(the side with the bug thing) while Teyla runs ahead to prepare the Jumper, whatever that is.
I don't say anything to Ford but I'm really the one caring most of the Majors weight, no need to damage his ego. We had only gone twenty yards when I registered a low humming coming from straight ahead, an unwanted memory of being taken and dropped off on that miserable rock ten thousand years ago rushes to the surface of my brain. Impossible. The hum grows louder as we stumble into a very small clearing, I look where Teyla is waving at us and my heart stops cold at what I see. A ship, no doubt about it, rested with a ramp leading inside. But this was no ordinary ship because it had a circular tube design that slanted back providing a little overhang at the back. The markings were the same on it's dark hull and my mind whirled with the memory of the cliff back on earth where I had first caught a glimpse of this contraption.
Suddenly, my heart kicked into overdrive and started pumping with my distress as my legs locked. I lowered my head at the same time allowing Sheppard's arm to slid off.
Had I gotten it wrong? Where these people not from earth after all? Had their ancestors been the ones who took me and tortured me before unleashing me? Would they allow me to simply turn around and disappear? My empty stomach dropped as these thoughts occurred one after the other. I had gotten it wrong, they weren't from earth, they were the decedents of the humans who had brought me here, and they would surely not allow me to leave let alone disappear. I felt something blood thirsty and murderous rise inside me but I pushed it back, maybe if I "behaved" they wouldn't do anything to me and reward me for being a good "pet". My upper lip curled back at the very thought of being called "pet", but there wasn't much that I could do.
" Faith? What are you doing? Come on, we have to go, now!" Ford had kept his grip on Sheppard's arm but only just, now he was trying to drag him to the humming ship. I hissed at him as I reached to grab Sheppard's other arm, with a soft tug I ripped him away from Ford and carried him to toward the hum.
Teyla hurried inside and I followed with a bewildered Ford behind me. I heard the hydrolic sound signaling my only exit being closed, but I forced myself to relax and not to glance back. Be good. I set the Major down against the now raised ramp and step away as Teyla and the other man both crouch next to him. Ford had disappeared into the cockpit, two other men sat at the controls.
" Go!" Ford ordered. The hum grew louder and louder and I saw the trees disappearing from sight only to be replaced by blue sky through the window display. A thunk followed by the ship pitched to the right.
" Let's get some altitude here!" I felt differently toward the Major now but I still like that he sounded so weak as he issued that order.
Another thunk make the ship rock more violently then before, my talons extended automatically as I grasped the "doorway" leading to the cockpit. A strange whisper of sound came from the ship around me, when the noise vanished as quickly as it had appeared I noticed that everyone stopped worrying about the Wraith and focused all their attention on Sheppard and the thing on his neck. I didn't ask, it wasn't my place to question these people.
Quietly, I stepped into the cockpit and I realized that it was bigger than I had thought, the space could easily fit six people. Ford glanced at me from the corner of his eye, a tingle of fear rose up my spine before I sat in one of the seats behind him.
Uncomfortable, I strain to see around the three men at the window. The blue sky has been replaced by blackness flecked with pinpoints of lights. We were in space, I only hope that the Wraith are more interested in finding me then them because we wouldn't be able to outrun a dart or two.
" Can we go any faster?" Teyla asked behind me.
" We're going as fast as we can. He's just trying to get us there in one piece." Ford answered with a hint of annoyance. I wanted to slap him on the back of his head but figured that would do well for my chances.
I watched as he quickly punched in an address on a panel in front of him, a spot of bright blue among the black drew my attention. The portal. It wouldn't be long now. I heard more hydrolics as we neared the portal. What now?
Ford turned his head back long enough to meet Teyla's eye, " Here we go. We're coming through!" I watched as the front of the ship entered the blue horizon and then quickly made it way toward us. It was a little unnerving to see it pass over the three men and finally me. Just before I was completely surrounded I heard a terrible screeching sound and I was throw into the waiting blue substance.
I don't know how but something told me that it has been longer than it should have been. For a split second, I saw a room with stairs leading to a control center with a balcony over looking everything. A woman with long dark brown hair was standing on that balcony watching us come through with a small smile. I saw this through the window before I felt a warm body fall against me, I had already been falling from whatever had caused that screeching and the momentum it had thrown me with.
I heard a gasp, Teyla, just I as realized where I was falling to. The panel with the portal symbols. I flung my arms forward but it was to late for that, with a sickening crunch my head hit the panel with enough force to cause instant darkness.
" He's going to be just fine." the voice was faint, like being heard from under the water.
" What about her?" this voice was obviously female, but still just as faint.
I felt something softly touch my head, pain throbbed under the touch, before moving to my neck. I knew that my pulse was weak but it wasn't growing any worse, and it wouldn't become any better until I fed.
" I can't say for certain. She has a nasty blow to the head. Teyla here says that this is the young lady who Major Sheppard mentioned in his report."
" The one who said she was a vampire?" there was disbelief in her voice.
" Aye, that be the one."
" She doesn't look dead, or undead for that matter."
" That might be cause she isn't dead, she is very much alive. Oddly enough. She should really be close to death after that whack to her head, but if anything she actually seems to be recovering."
" What are you saying, Carson? That you believe that this girl is a real vampire?"
" All I'm saying, Elizabeth, is that I don't think that she is human like she appears. And that's all I'm going to say on the matter."
More hands on my body, something pressing against my burning head and the agony that followed made my body jerk, " Doctor!" someone is kneeling beside me, the hands stop pressing on me only to clasp the sides of my head. My throat sears with fire as I feel the hot pulse against my cold cheek, I open my mouth and release a tortured scream. They've started it already. They are going to starve me into madness and watch as I scream in the excruciating pain that has already begun to afflict my body.
My scream doesn't die but only intensifies, it isn't like my throat could recover anyway. I feel my spine arch up as more hot heat presses against me, my screams stop as my body convulses.
" Get me a sedative! Now!" the voice is fainter than it had been, but I can't worry about that now. The fire in my throat is spreading throughout my entire body and my breathing is starting to hitch. I open my eyes to see three humans laying on me, one on my legs one on my stomach and the other one on my torso with her hands forcing my head to remain still.
I see her turn her head to the side to say something but I don't hear the words though I see her mouth move. All I do hear is the hot blood coursing through her wrists, her hands, her neck. That blood thirsty monster that I pushed away on the planet reared up again, only this time I welcomed it. With desperate muscles, I pry my arms from under the female and wrap them around her neck so as to pull her down to me. My fangs appeared faster than I can recall them ever doing before, they ache with the time that it takes me to raise my head to her neck and sink my teeth in her skin. I felt her jerk and heard her scream and saw her terror, but as I tasted her blood I forgot all else.
I didn't want to kill her so I only took what I needed, funny how even embracing the vampire in me I still can't kill an innocent human. Pulling my fangs from her bloody neck, I push her away from me with a disappointed growl. It wasn't her, it was me. I was seriously pissed off at myself for allowing that event to occur. And here I thought I was the one in control. Sighing, I roll my eyes and bang my head a couple times into the panel next to me, then I realize that that is how I got in this situation in the first place. I smile slightly at my own stupidity.
" Camilla? Are you okay? Can you move?" the words were whispered, but I heard them clearly. I look up to see a dark haired man helping my snack to stand. The man glances toward me and stops when he sees me watching him, the woman still on the floor stills as well. Six distinct clicking sound alert me to others, I look to my right to see six men with six shiny black guns pointed at me. Shit.
Slowly, I stand up and raise my hands to my shoulders with my finger spread out, hoping this will at least give me a few seconds. Taking slow steps I walk to were the man was kneeling with the woman, who I had noticed was still bleeding. I kneel next to them and grimace when the woman cringes against the man.
" I am sorry." shock crosses both their faces, partly because they saw my fangs and partly because they hadn't expected those words to come from my mouth. I lift my hand to my mouth and smear some healing venom over the finger and palm before lowering it to her neck. She flinches slightly but soon the venom takes affect and she relaxes, against her will seeing as I added a little numbing to the heal.
The man watched in awe as the wounds on her neck healed before his eyes, " How is that possible?" he wasn't asking me but I answered anyway, " Because I'm a vampire."
" I must say, I'm not surprised that you put me in here." I said as I watched the field activate around the horizontal barred cell
.
Ford looks at me for a second, " You can't really blame us, can you? You did attack one of our people."
" Yes, I did. But you need to understand that at that time I was on fire and couldn't hear myself think. Usually, I'm a little more... controlled? Civilized? I don't know, take your pick."
" Sure you are. Anyway, listen, Doc along with Dr. Weir are going to come around at some point and question you. Don't bother trying to escape, these shields are very powerful."
I smiled at him as I leaned towards him, " I know."
I didn't wait for him to question me on my response, instead I turned around and walked to the middle of the cell where I stood with my back to the entrance. I waited until he left before I sighed and sat down on the hard metal.
Why the hell am I here? Again .Why why why why why why? I vividly remember vowing never to return to these people and this place as long as I was able. Of course, that was 10,000 years ago.
Without conscious thought from me my mind started to wonder into the past. My heart constricted when I mentally saw my sons face, then I looked down and saw the delicate necklace that still hung around my neck. I locked my hand around the cool metal and I plowed further back. I missed my Wraith, but there was nothing that I could about him just as there had been nothing that I could have done about Alex.
I'm alone. From now until forever. A small sob choked me to a silent stop and before I knew what had happened I discovered that I was crying. I don't even know how long it's been since I last cried, had it been when Alex died or when my Wraith disappeared?
" Excuse us?" the voice was from behind me and my tears stopped flowing immediately. I looked behind me and glared at the man and woman standing there.
" What?" my voice was still rough from crying.
" 'What', you the one who says she's a vampire." the woman sounded irritated and maybe just a little angry.
" And let me guess, you don't believe me. Even after my little incident after hitting my head, you still deny it." I turned my back to them as I talked.
" Elizabeth, she has a point. I wouldn't have believed it myself if I hadn't seen those puncture marks heal like they did."
" Okay, I agree about the healing thing. But, Carson, come on. Vampires. Soulless, blood sucking monsters? I can't and I wont."
I jumped to my feet and turned to face them, I know that my expression wasn't a reassuring one, " I am not soulless and I am not a monster! Though I do not deny the blood sucking." I couldn't help myself as a smile spread across my lips.
" Excuse me, young lady. But if your not soulless or anything like that, then how did you get to become what you are and how did you get here?" I wasn't completely sure, but Carson sounded suspiciously Scottish.
I paused long enough to wonder if telling them the truth would cause problems but decided that if they did catch me lying... " When I was eighteen I almost died and a passing stranger saw me and came to help. He was the vampire who sired me. It was really a stroke of luck that the process itself didn't kill me with the condition I was in. I only spent three days with him, barely enough time to learn how to survive in my new body, before I was taken and brought here. This is the second time in my life that I've been in this cell, only this time I'm being treated a lot better. The people who took me, they starved me to the point that I was driven mad. Ration thought left me and I probably would have drained every human that I could sink my fangs into. Normally, when I'm perfectly healthy, I am decent and respecting to those around me and I don't feed without permission, usually. Anyway, they took me to a planet that was basically uninhabited except for the Wraith outpost. They released me and I followed my instincts when I caught the scent of blood a few miles away. I killed five, sucking every last drop that I could from their bodies, before I got my sense back. I was still young then and after what I had just experienced and done, I turned around and ran until the night fell. I wasn't followed and until now I never had any dealing with anyone related to them at all." I exhaled heavily and felt the pent up stress in my body lessen, but not enough.
" Elizabeth? If what she is saying really happened, it sounds like the Ancients abducted her and used her as a weapon against the Wraith." they both glanced at me and I heard their hearts speed up momentarily.
" I was thinking the exact same thing, Carson. One last attempt to win the war?"
" Aye, that would be my guess."
" That's all well and good, but why leave her here. Why not take her back to her planet with her family?"
" Because, she disappeared. She said it herself, she ran until night fell, that would have to be an impressive distance depending on how long the days were."
Elizabeth turned toward me with a dubious expression, " How old are you?"
" I appear eighteen but as far as years go I am over ten thousand." she didn't react but seemed to get the answer that she wanted, while Carson seemed shocked that I was really that old.
They started to turn away, most likely to leave, but I stood where I was. I had nothing to do, would they allow me something?
" Excuse me?"
Elizabeth turned back to me and stopped halfway to the exit, " Yes?"
" I was wondering... if maybe you or someone could possibly bring me some paper and a writing utensil? Just to pass the time and preventing me from going crazy pacing my cell."
She didn't say anything but she did nod her head slightly before following Carson out leaving my to stare at nothing but solid walls. Alone again. With nothing to do but contemplate... well, nothing. Sighing, I turn around and walk to the metal bench of sorts positioned towards that back of the cell. I stare at it a moment before giving in to defeat and sitting down, leaning forward I place my head in my hands and try my hardest to think of nothing at all.
At some point, I must have slipped into sleep because the next thing I know I'm lifting my head up from the hard floor. My surroundings are the same and I sit up with a moan, I had hoped for a moment that everything had just been a nightmare and I would wake up to find Alex and my Wraith waiting for me. No such luck. Stiffly, I stand up and move back to the bench where I notice a black pad resting with a pen on top. Someone must have come in while I was asleep.
Gently, I sit down and pick up the much hoped for paper and pen. When I had been human I had been good at drawing, over the centuries paper and pens have been a luxury that I had greatly missed. The words on the front say 100 sheets of drawing paper, pulling the front up I see a smooth white surface. I smile as I pick up the pen and set to work.