"So, I hear you're not eating." Heart stiffened as she awoke from a light sleep. The voice belonged to the man that had goaded her days before, and she felt a flash of irritation at his presence. She forced her muscles to relax as she maintained her routine of quiet. Feeling several sets of eyes upon her, she gritted her teeth as she waited for them to leave her alone again.
"She is awake, right?" He apparently asked this of Teyla, as Heart felt the now familiar mental nudge at the end of her mind. She sighed softly and rejected the touch, as usual. She felt a bit of uncertainty since it seemed that the routine of one visitor every several hours had changed.
"She is," Teyla replied. A few seconds of silence.
"So, she's just ignoring us again. Well, it is a different take than the threats and posturing we usually get," the man commented lightly. Heart felt a pang of regret that she apparently wasn't living up to the standards of prior captives. "Is there a chance that she's sick?"
"That's why I wanted you to come down here, Colonel," came Dr. Keller's concerned voice. "I'd like your permission to go in and check on her." Heart stiffened again as the doctor's request was considered. She heard a loud sigh.
"Teyla, is there any way you could find out why she won't eat?" the colonel asked, and Heart shifted as her pulse quickened. There was no way a human could be that powerful, was there? She felt another telepathic touch from Teyla, and this time she pushed back with more force than she had before, determined to keep the woman out of her mind.
"She still refuses to let me in. I could force the issue, but I had hoped to gain her trust rather than breaking into her mind." Trust? What kind of twisted game were these humans playing? Trying to gain her trust – and then what? Heart's confusion was even greater than before as she tried to decipher what they could want with her.
"Well, that was before she decided to go on a hunger strike." Another few seconds of silence as they were obviously weighing their options. "Look, I'm not lettin' anyone in there until we know she won't try to suck the life outta you. If she's not eating food, then she's going to be 'hungry'. It's too big a risk."
Heart felt a stab of indignation at the colonel's assumption that she would try to feed off them; but then again, they didn't know her. She silently exhaled and closed her eyes, wishing they would just leave her alone again.
"Then let me move her back to the isolation room. We can keep her restrained and at least hydrated. I can't stand by and watch someone starve to death if there's something I could do to help them-wraith or not." The doctor's tone was nearly pleading, yet insistent. A chill ran down Heart's spine as she thought of being tied to a bed in that large, empty room again; at the same time, a strange observation struck her. Though the doctor clearly needed the colonel's permission to interact with Heart, meaning he held rank over her, she also questioned his decisions; a wraith would risk punishment by questioning their superior.
"Teyla?" the colonel finally spoke. "We can't just keep her doped up in isolation. If she's sick, we can treat her, but if she's just not eating, we need to figure something else out. If she won't speak to us, then you need to make her talk to you." Heart tensed and prepared herself to push the woman away again. Her eyes widened in surprise, then, as the human forced her way past the wraith's barriers and linked with her with little effort. What surprised her more was that she recognized Teyla's mind.
You!* she snarled, suddenly remembering the mental voice that had comforted her in her drugged-up state days before. Anger burned through her, having thought the mind that of a dream and not once considering that it could have been this human woman. *You lied to me!*
I did not. No harm has befallen you since we spoke* Teyla stated. Heart hissed in irritation and heard the humans shift behind her. The woman was right in that nothing had happened to her-yet, aside from her continued captivity.
I will tell you nothing!* she sneered, trying and failing to withdraw her mind from the woman's.
It is not information that we want from you* Teyla countered, causing Heart to pause. Even as she tried to quash the feeling, curiosity began to gnaw at her. That, along with her aching, burning hunger, was wearing away at her defiance. She didn't want to be used by these humans like she had by her own people, but their actions were so different from what she had experienced before, or even expected from those considered both food and foe. Rather than focusing on her current situation for the moment, Heart decided to voice a question that had been bothering her for days.
How are you speaking like this?* Heart hadn't heard of humans with a wraith's telepathic abilities before.
One of my ancestors was experimented upon by a wraith scientist, who injected humans with wraith DNA.* A memory suddenly came to Heart's mind; a male wraith, one of her tutors, explaining the many oddities of that particular scientist, and the experiments that turned his fellow wraith against him. She had been told that all of his research and test subjects-deemed heretical-had been destroyed along with the wraith himself. Clearly, that wasn't the case.
She sighed, tried unsuccessfully once more to push Teyla from her mind, and gritted her teeth; she was weary and knew she didn't have the strength to close herself off from the human. It was like she was being forced to stare into the woman's eyes-even if she chose not to respond to her, the open connection would remain. It was so much easier to avoid communication when she could turn her back to the humans. Heart wondered if the strength she would have gained from a feeding would have allowed her to escape her current predicament. As quickly as the thought formed, though, she pushed it away, knowing she would never make the choice to feed from a human again.
What…what do you want with me?* she finally asked, her 'voice' quieter than before, and she shifted on the bed, drawing the blanket a little closer around her as she closed her eyes, fearing the answer.
Right now, we want you to eat* Teyla said simply. Heart's stomach churned with nerves and hunger as she remembered what they had done to her after she ate the last time. She swallowed and steeled herself.
I refuse to be your experiment!* Heart growled. *You won't trick me again!* Despair grew within her at the thought of having to choose between eating and being tested on, or defying the humans and starving.
"She thinks that the food is a trick," Teyla explained aloud. "She fears being tested upon." Heart let out an audible growl at the words.
I am not afraid!* she snarled, putting as much bravado as she could behind the thought. A small amount of humor bled from Teyla's mind, which irritated her further. It seemed that, if nothing else, these humans were determined to belittle her.
"What, like the other wraith did?" The colonel asked. "We aren't that cruel, kid. What the doc did to you before is as bad as it would get from us." Heart allowed disbelief to filter through the mental link, almost like a derisive snort. Did that mean that she was to endure more of the same?
That was bad enough* she couldn't help but mutter, remembering how vulnerable she had felt. She both heard and felt Teyla sigh.
If you wish to avoid being put back into that situation, you should eat. As you grow weaker from hunger, Dr. Keller will intervene to keep you alive, and you will be restrained for our safety and yours* the woman warned, and Heart knew she was serious.
Why? Why not just let me go?* Heart questioned, desperation leaking through.
We will not free you to harm others or be harmed by them. You are but a child, and for now, we are responsible for your care and well-being.* Heart felt more trapped than ever before; these humans had the ability to not only keep her imprisoned, but also to keep her from escaping through death; it was like she was back on the enemy hive ship again, only this time, she had no idea what to expect from her captors.
"She wishes to be released," Teyla said to her companions. "I have explained why we cannot do that." Heart ground her teeth and considered her options. She recalled all the confusing behaviors the humans had displayed towards her, Teyla's words and the truth she felt behind them, and her resolve finally crumbled.
Biting her inside lip, she slowly sat up, gathering the blanket around her. Turning her body to face the entrance of her cell, Heart looked at those gathered there. They wore various expressions of surprise at her action, with a fair amount of relief showing on the doctor's face as well. She saw an old plate of food sitting on her side of the gate, along with a new tray held by Teyla. Heart took a deep breath.
"I'll…I'll eat," she stated, just loud enough for them to hear. Her voice was rough from days of silence and a lack of water. The colonel smiled, nodding.
"See, doc? I knew Teyla could get through to her." He motioned for the force field to be turned off, and casually reached down to retrieve the old meal as Teyla pushed the new tray in. Heart remained seated as the shield was raised, but the three showed no sign of leaving and watched her expectantly. Heart sighed in annoyance and slid her feet to the floor. At least they were going to let her feed herself, she thought. As she went to stand, however, her legs collapsed beneath her and she fell to the ground in a heap as her world went black.
For several seconds, Heart's vision was clouded by dark spots and her hearing was muffled by the sound of her own heartbeat as she tried to make sense of her new position. She heard loud voices and a low grinding noise as she shook her head. As the darkness slowly receded, she looked up to see the door to her cell open, Dr. Keller and Teyla kneeling beside her, and the colonel standing in front of her. She groaned, trying to push herself back, but was stopped by the bed. She saw the colonel's small weapon in his hand, but not quite pointing at her.
"Someone get me a stunner," he called to the guards waiting just outside the bars. Heart felt a chill run through her and she shook her head.
"N-no!" She groaned again, closing her eyes and reaching a hand to her head as she tried to push past the dizziness threatening to overwhelm her again. Her wrist was seized in a vice grip and she gasped at the unexpected pain. Her eyes flew open and she tried to pull free.
"Don't move," the colonel warned her and she froze, heart pounding. Her frightened gaze swept between the three humans invading her space. She forced herself to remain still as Dr. Keller grabbed her free wrist, holding it for several seconds before resting the back of her hand against Heart's forehead. The young wraith barely dared to breathe until the doctor pulled away.
"I think she's just dehydrated and hungry, but I should run some tests to be sure," she stated, standing next to the colonel. Heart shook her head at the word 'tests', nearly to the point of pleading. A guard gave a handheld wraith stunner to the colonel while another human arrived with a large black bag that was given to the doctor. Heart looked to Teyla, who still gripped her feeding hand tightly.
"I'll eat," she insisted, her gaze switching back to the colonel when he raised the weapon towards her. She shrunk back, turning to her mental connection with Teyla when further words failed her. The woman looked down at her as she reached out. *Please don't take me back to that room! I won't do anything, I promise* she begged, too afraid to feel shame. Teyla's grim expression broke just a bit, and after a few seconds, she nodded, stood, and looked at the colonel and doctor, finally releasing the grip on Heart's wrist.
"John, wait! The stunner will not be necessary." Both looked at the woman in surprise before looking back at Heart, who remained sitting against the cot, watching them cautiously. "She wishes to remain in here, but if you need to check her to make sure, she has promised not to harm you." The colonel studied Heart for any sign of deceit before stepping back and lowering his weapon with a sigh. He gestured to Dr. Keller with a nod.
"Ok, doc. Do your thing." Heart eyed the bag that the doctor set down with trepidation, suddenly wishing she had told Teyla that she didn't need the doctor to check her. She flinched, her breath catching when Teyla gently gripped her upper arm. She met the woman's gaze once again.
"Let us help you back onto the bed." Heart ground her teeth, frustrated by her weakness, but she allowed both women to aid her in slowly rising to her feet before sitting down on the thin mattress. She closed her eyes against the dizziness the movement caused, swaying slightly, and to avoid looking at the colonel, who was watching her closely. When the feeling passed, she opened her eyes and looked over at the various tools Dr. Keller was removing from her bag. She shifted nervously as the slight woman's attention was turned towards her.
"I'm going to check your vitals. I promise none of this will hurt," the doctor stated, smiling gently. Swallowing apprehensively, Heart nodded in acknowledgement and remained still, only moving when she was directed while her lungs, heart, blood pressure and temperature were checked. Everyone else remained silent until Dr. Keller leaned back. She stood up and turned to the colonel as Heart let out a sigh of relief.
"She should be fine, but her blood pressure is lower than I want to see. I'd like to move her to the infirmary to run an IV and monitor her overnight," she announced. Just as both Heart and the colonel moved to disagree with the doctor's request, Teyla spoke up.
"Perhaps we can use this opportunity to build trust. We," she looked pointedly at the colonel. "will not sedate you or restrain you in the infirmary; and you," she looked down at Heart, who had her hands clasped together uneasily. "will not try to harm anyone and will do whatever the doctor tells you to." Heart glanced at the colonel, who had his lips pressed together unhappily as he considered Teyla's suggestion. She felt as uncomfortable with the compromise as he looked since she didn't know what Dr. Keller would do to her, and hoped he would refuse and just leave her where she was.
The wraith's attention was drawn back to Dr. Keller, who was greeting two humans that walked into the room with a gurney between them. Her stomach churned as she eyed the leather straps attached to its sides, and suddenly doubted whether complying would be the best idea. With a curt nod, the colonel stepped to the side to allow the gurney to be rolled into the cell. Heart swallowed as she realized that she wasn't going to be given a choice.
"If you try anything, you will be restrained and knocked out," he warned Heart sternly, who gave a jerky nod in understanding, still not sure that they wouldn't do that anyway. He then sighed and rubbed a hand across his face, muttering, "Sam's gonna kill me."
Heart held her breath as Teyla and the doctor helped her off the cot, giving her a moment once she was on her feet to let both the dizziness and the spots in her eyes to clear. She was guided to sit and then lay back on the gurney. The young wraith finally exhaled when no move was made to strap her down. The release of air caused her arms to twitch, and she looked at Teyla.
"You may roll over," the woman said with a nod as Heart mentally asked if she could turn onto her side. The blanket she had been using was laid over her as she closed her eyes, trying to relax her tense muscles and hide the shiver running through her arms. She didn't even care if they realized her lying on her side was as much to hide her quivering limbs as to make it harder for them to tie her down.
"You'll feel better if you keep your eyes closed while we're moving," Dr. Keller advised as the gurney started rolling.