— Thor's Slayers —
Chapter Nine
Storm Clouds on the Horizon
Author's Notes: This chapter is extra light on Buffy/Faith and mostly centers around SG:A. They simply don't have much of a role to play in this chapter so they've been pushed aside for the moment. In case it's not readily apparent, I switch being using "Fred" or "Illyria" depending on whether there's somebody who doesn't know her identity present or the type of persona she's playing.
#
April 20th, 2006
Duart Castle, Scotland
"And now we prepare, good viewers, for the report of a lifetime, a report so classified that only we are its recipients. We've assembled, like the ancient zords of old, to listen to the words of our distant Slayers who, even now, look up to the stars in a galaxy far, far away—"
"Shut up, Andrew."
The camera in Andrew's hand abruptly disappeared with a 'snap' and a flash of light. Andrew made a squeaking sound, one which he believed to be quite manly, and huffed out an irritated breath. Reluctantly, he gave the DVD player's remote to Willow, who was glaring at him with her palm outstretched in a silent, implacable demand. "I'm just putting us in the proper frame of mind," he mumbled.
Kennedy rolled her eyes and shifted on the couch so that her head rested against Willow's shoulder.
"Play it already!" Dawn demanded.
"Yes, let's," Spike agreed and pointed a finger at Andrew, "and if you can't keep your bloody yap shut once it starts, I'll let one of the Slayerettes take a knife to your throat and make a pez dispenser out of you."
Andrew's eyes went wide and he hastily mimed zipping his mouth shut.
"Play it, Wills," the one-eyed man sitting on a stool behind the couch urged.
"Okay, okay," the redheaded witch said, raising her hand in surrender. Pointing the remote at the DVD player, she leaned back and put her arm around Kennedy, just as eager to hear about Buffy and Faith's adventures as the others. Pressing the 'Play' button, Willow grinned when Buffy's smiling features filled the screen.
They must be having so much fun, the witch thought.
#
"Dear lord," Giles exclaimed, removing the glasses from his face and polishing them furiously.
"So...there are space vampires?" Xander asked. "And they travel in space! And they have spaceships?"
"That all seems to go hand in hand, Xander," Angel sighed.
"Hey! Zip it Fangboy, let me enjoy this for a moment," Xander replied with a huff.
"Well it is pretty cool, isn't it?" Willow exclaimed brightly. "Seems like something that we should've expected, what with two Slayers going off into space, but still, space vampires!"
Kennedy cleared her throat and elbowed her girlfriend in the side.
Willow frowned in confusion then abruptly made an "oh" face, immediately looking contrite. "Well, cool except for the whole, you know, 'we're going to invade Atlantis and suck out your life' part. That part isn't as cool."
"So...was this message just her way of saying goodbye?" Dawn growled. "'cause she's already done that shit once and she is not allowed to do it again."
"I'm sure the bint kept that in mind, luv," Spike murmured.
"Is there a way for us to help?" Xander asked.
"How can we help?" Angel asked quietly, digging his hands into his black trench coat, evidently preparing to engage in a serious brood session.
"I agree with Debbie Downer over there; we have skills, intelligence, beauty and power, but buddy, I think interstellar might be a bit beyond us," Kennedy snarked.
"Um. for us maybe..." Andrew began hesitantly, "but doesn't Faith have some friends that might help?"
"I'm sure if we got this message then the military people already know," Willow pointed out.
"Duh!" Kennedy added helpfully.
"Not those people," Andrew said, face growing red as he pointed a finger upwards. "Those people."
All faces turned to examine the ceiling.
"I don't get it," Xander replied.
Andrew bent down and picked up a comic book laying on a table by his side, holding it with reverence as he whispered, "...if he be worthy, he shall possess the power of Thor!"
Silence.
Andrew squirmed. "You know...gray, short, nude dude?"
"Yeah, nerd, we all got it." Kennedy scowled.
"Mate, I'm pretty sure that he's someone the GI Joes will be in touch with, too," Spike huffed, "and that daft comment seems like reason enough for our pez dispenser solution, Kennedy?"
The brown-haired Slayer sighed and lifted her head from Willow's shoulder, deftly palming a blade into her hand. "On it."
"But Faith and Willow are their friends not just allies," Andrew whined, stamping his foot.
"Friends might be stretching it, Andrew," Willow frowned, but it was more in thought than in disapproval.
"Perhaps Andrew isn't entirely wrong," Giles murmured, "and though I sincerely despise myself for saying so, you might use the device he left you with to contact him, Willow."
"I guess he does kinda owe me one for the whole clone thingy," the witch hedged, frown slowly transforming into a smile.
Andrew looked down at the comic book, studying every color and line on the cover as the rest of the Scoobies began working out the boring details. Slowly, gently, sensually, he began stroking that cover and brought it closer to his heart. "Thor will save them...Thor can do anything," Andrew whispered.
April 18th, 2006
Atlantis
"Good morning," Teyla greeted Doctors Elizabeth Weir and Carson Beckett, giving them a warm, if tired, smile. Examining them closer, her smile became more wry. "Ah, you look how I feel?"
Weir blew out a breath, looking uncomfortable as she fiddled with the red hem of her shirt. "Well, we've been up all night studying Ancient and Wraith data. It's not the most relaxing of activities."
After an awkward silence, the Athosian walked closer to them her smile becoming increasingly strained, "you wanted to see me?"
"You better sit down," Carson replied.
Frowning, Teyla looked at him suspiciously. "What is it?"
Weir and Beckett gave each other anxious glances until Weir gave Teyla her focus. "Well, I translated the first part of the log that you brought back and...are you sure don't want to have a seat?"
The sinking sensation in Teyla's stomach began to burn and she knew then that whatever she was about to hear wouldn't be anything pleasant.
#
Teyla waited as the two danced around the issue, explaining what they'd done and the procedures... She sighed and shifted impatiently, waiting for them to get to the point.
Carson, looking at her sympathetically, finally spat out the words she just knew had been coming, well, suspected at least. "You have some Wraith DNA in your genetic makeup."
Teyla stared at him and blinked. "Oh."
Weir tilted her head. "'Oh?' I'm not complaining but I expected a more—" Weir waved her hands at Beckett for help.
"Dramatic reaction," Carson finished.
Teyla made a sour face. "This news is...disturbing, but not entirely unexpected. Faith Lehane informed me several months ago that there was something 'else' inside me, something non-human that she and Buffy were able to sense somehow. Everything that's happened over the last week, the nightmares, the Wraith lab, Charin, they've all forced me to confront this as a possibility. I've been discussing this scenario with Dr. Heightmeyer; her insight has proven to be most valuable in coming to terms with my...lineage."
"Huh," Weir murmured, "it might've been nice for Faith to clue us in, might've saved us some time."
The Athosian winced. "When we spoke of it, Faith stated that it wasn't your business and that there were far more dangerous things running around Atlantis than your 'early warning detector.'
"Put it like that, I suppose the lass has the right of it," Carson chuckled.
"Who else knows?" Teyla asked, worry evident on her face.
"Colonel Sumner's the only one we've told. and speaking of the colonel, he expects you at the briefing in the main conference room in two hours," Weir informed her.
"Very well, Dr. Weir," Teyla acknowledged and turned to leave before pausing. "Thank you, for confirming this and for your discretion."
After bidding them a farewell, Teyla left the laboratory and quickly made a beeline for her quarters, brushing off the few attempts to engage her in conversation by other expedition members. She might have suspected this, might have even expected and prepared for this, but having it confirmed...
It was only when she reached the privacy of her bedroom that the first tears ran down her face.
"Well folks, there you have it. What are our options?" Sumner asked, eyes hard as he surveyed the audience of military personnel and scientists. Elizabeth had finished the preliminary briefing and was sitting by his side, trying to find ways to save the city from the Wraith like the others.
"I gotta say, this feels a lot like the time we had to work out a magic trick to make the Genii disappear," Faith huffed, "and we're still stuck with the same problem."
"That's correct, Faith. No power," McKay nodded definitively. "And we're still no closer to solving that problem."
"Without power, we simply don't have the means of utilizing Atlantis's many defensive or offensive capabilities," Doctor Zelenka added.
"I think we've already grasped that, Radek," Rodney hissed.
"Well, Atlantis has quite a few combat systems, some of which we've only recently uncovered, and I thought it worth mentioning—"
"Gentlemen," Weir interrupted the defensive Czech, "we get the picture. We have no power, what next."
"They're coming here for the city, right? They want to use it to get to Earth, so we already know our end game, right? We engage the self-destruct mechanism and escape," Grodin shrugged.
"Well of course we escape, we have thousands of life-sucking aliens heading our way in massive spaceships looking to kill us. I don't understand why we haven't already left," Kavanagh sniffed.
"You're a bit of a pussy, you know that, right?" Faith asked, head canted to the side as she studied the scientist.
"That's enough, Faith," Sumner stated harshly, interrupting Kavanagh before he had a chance to retort. "Grodin, why don't you—"
"Oh come on!" Sheppard exploded. "We can't just leave without a fight! We haven't come this far, haven't manged to accomplish everything we've done just to retreat at the first sign of the Wraith."
"And therein lies the problem, Major," Sumner sighed. "I agree with you, but unlike the Lanteans, we don't have a technological edge on the Wraith."
"If they're here to take Atlantis, not to destroy it, doesn't that change things?" Buffy wondered.
"It'd mean they'd have to physically work their way inside," Sheppard nodded. "I think we've demonstrated by now that we can make them regret it if they tried."
"Even if you somehow kill those tens of thousands of Wraith, there's still nothing to stop them from simply blowing the city up from orbit if they no longer think it's worth it!" Kavanagh pointed out angrily. "The only thing we can gain from staying here is killing a few Wraith. We've told the SGC about the situation, we've told them where our Alpha site is, if there's a way for them to reach us, they will."
Weir grimaced. As much as she disliked the man, his summary of the situation was fairly accurate.
"Sheppard, you're checking out the Alpha site today?" Sumner asked after a moment of silence.
"Yes sir."
"Good. Once you give the okay, I want you and Bates to coordinate the transfer of resources and construction efforts," Sumner ordered. When Sheppard opened his mouth, clearly intending to object, he held up a hand. Turning his gaze upon McKay, Grodin, Zelenka, and all of the other attending scientists, he added, "and I want all of you to dedicate the time we have left to figuring out if there's a way to save Atlantis. Review all of the records we've uncovered and look for any possible energy sources or advanced weaponry."
Glancing at Weir, she nodded to the audience. "Get to work."
Two days later
April 20th, 2006
Sheppard walked quickly, McKay keeping pace beside him as they entered Col. Sumner's office without so much as knocking. "We found something, Colonel."
"Please, come in, Major," Sumner replied dryly. "And what is it that you've found?"
"It might not be anything," McKay warned.
"But it could be something," the major retorted, frowning at his pessimistic companion. "We found records about a defense satellite on the edge of the system. It's pretty damaged but it is intact."
"It's possible that we might be able to repair or salvage it. We don't know without more investigation but it's, again, possible that it might be enough to beat the Wraith off," McKay agreed. The Canadian folded his arms across his chest and looked at the colonel expectantly.
"A defense satellite?" Sumner asked skeptically. "I know Ancient technology was impressive, but—"
"Colonel," Rodney interrupted with a huff, "according to the Ancient database, the satellite should be able to take out all three of those Hive ships when fully charged. Keep in mind that the Ancient technology isn't just impressive, it was far superior to that of the Wraith's—they only lost the war because they were vastly outnumbered."
"Sir, we, along with Dr. Grodin, would like your permission to go and check it out and see if it's a viable defense for Atlantis. Even if the Wraith comes back, destroying this first group will buy us more time to find a ZPM or to further shore up the Alpha site.," Sheppard explained.
Marshall Sumner studied the two fidgeting men and narrowed his eyes. "And...?"
Sheppard blew out a breath and Rodney flashed a nervous smile at Sumner. "We want to bring Illyria, too."
The colonel's eyebrows shot up in surprise.
McKay waved a hand at the cityscape of Atlantis beyond the office window. "When it comes to the Ancient language, there isn't anyone more knowledgeable. Her knowledge of their technology is somewhat hit or miss—"
"Probably because she only learned what she needed in order to kill Ancients," Sheppard groused.
"Probably," McKay admitted, "but that doesn't change the fact that she, along with Zelenka and Grodin, would be the most useful...beings in examining and possibly repairing the satellite."
"And what exactly will you be doing, Sheppard? I'm finding it hard to believe your skills lie in that direction," Sumner inquired with an arched brow.
McKay snorted derisively.
Glaring at the Canadian, Sheppard shook his head. "No, sir, I'll be taking a separate Jumper to get their report before coming back here to let you know what they've found. I'll be translating "geek," sir."
Sumner's face remained impassive but the sudden glint of amusement in the man's eyes was as clear as day. "Very well, carry on."
"Sir," Sheppard acknowledged with a salute.
#
Moments later, Sheppard found himself kicking Faith's door when she failed to respond to his attempts to contact her over the radio. With each kick, his combat boots produced a deep booming thud that was making McKay cringe beside him. Several other personnel were giving him curious looks, but Sheppard ignored them in favor of kicking the door several more times.
"What the fuck do you want?" Faith shouted, voice muffled by the door.
"I am not talking through the door!" Sheppard yelled back, and kicked the door again.
"Far be it from me to disagree with your childish, petty behavior, Sheppard," Rodney huffed, "but perhaps antagonizing the person you're asking for help from is the wrong way to go about it."
"Yeah, well, catch more flies with vinegar right?" Sheppard smiled triumphantly.
McKay stared up at him as Sheppard kicked the door again. "I can't tell if you're kidding or not, you know it's actually honey—"
The door slid open to reveal Faith glaring murderously at Sheppard. Her hair was damp, skin glistening with moisture and McKay guessed her to be very, very naked behind the bedsheet covering her lithe frame.
"What!" she screamed.
Sheppard smiled widely at her and stuck his thumbs in his belt loops, rocking back and forth on his heels. "Hi Faith."
"I will end you."
"Did I catch you at a bad moment?" Sheppard asked, eyes widening in false innocence. "I'm so sorry!"
Faith's eyes narrowed dangerously. "What...do...you...want?"
"Well...I was just hoping to get some help from you. That is...if you're not busy."
"I am busy. Go away."
"You must be busy or surely you would've responded to my radio queries. What could possibly be so important that you'd ignore...me?" Wounded eyes gazed at Faith forlornly.
"Come back in an hour," Faith growled.
Sheppard's eyebrows shot up. "An hour?"
Faith flashed him a smirk. "Possessing Slayer stamina can yield unlikely but—" Faith leaned closer, her voice dropping to a low, husky, purr, "—pleasurable benefits, from time to time."
"What are you even doing?" McKay wondered, confused.
"Me!" The feminine shout echoed from within Faith's quarters. "Now go the fuck away, Meredith!"
Faith grinned as Sheppard shook his head in bemusement. "One hour, Sheppard, and if you ever try to cockblock me again I'll tell everyone about the time you caught chlamydia."
The sheet dropped from Faith's frame just as the door closed, yielding only a glimpse of the pale flesh it'd been hiding from view.
Damn tease, Sheppard huffed in amused exasperation.
"You had chlamydia?"
Groaning, Sheppard glanced at McKay, who'd taken several steps back from Sheppard and was looking at him warily. "No, McKay, I didn't, now lets get gone. I'm hungry anyway so let's head to the mess."
"How did you know they were...?" McKay gestures back at the Slayers' quarters as they began walking away.
"Fucking?" Sheppard laughed. "McKay, neither of them were responding to the radio, nor had they taken a Jumper out, and Grodin said there were two life signs in her quarters in close proximity. Knowing Faith, what did you think was going on?"
McKay blinked and shrugged. "Sleeping?"
Sheppard chuckled and didn't bother to dignify that with a response.
They walked quietly and had nearly reached the mess when McKay glanced aside at him with a concerned expression. "Are you sure you've never had chlamydia?"
Sheppard's eyes narrowed dangerously at McKay as two passing female Marines, having obviously overheard the remark, gave him identical looks of utter disgust before proceeding to whisper to one another furiously. Gritting his teeth, the Air Force major hissed, "positive, now shut up and don't talk for the next hour."
Three hours later
Ancient Lagrange Point satellite
"Well, what do you think?" Peter asked.
"I think that without power, it's useless," McKay huffed then shrugged a shoulder. "And even if we installed a power source, it just isn't enough. What about the structural integrity?"
"Well, there's a few problems in the hull itself; obviously it took some damage in a fight or was in the path of an micrometeroid shower. Still, we're lucky that it's intact at all!" Fred exclaimed.
"The records we found seemed to indicate that the platform's power requirements are fairly minimal, nothing like Atlantis's shields or the control chair. It's possible that our own naquadah generators might be enough to power the primary weapon," Peter hummed. "I'm happy you're here, Fred, we could use you on this one."
Inside her suit, Fred smiled brightly at the other man. "Yes, well, apparently McKay was a little too embarrassed to be upfront about it and had to get Faith to ask me instead."
"What!" McKay squawked, "that's not—I didn't—"
"Beautiful women are intimidating, Fred, I wouldn't hold it against him," Grodin chuckled, the smile on his face heard more than seen.
"Oh, don't get me wrong, Doctor, I think it's rather cute," Fred giggled, "but I'm much more concerned about Sheppard being the one to suggest asking Faith for help in the first place."
"Hey! Don't drag me into this!" John's voice echoed in their earpieces.
"You think I'm cute?" McKay wondered.
Sheppard's sigh was heard by all.
"Ah hah!" McKay suddenly exclaimed, his EVA suit now maneuvering in purposefully through the interior of the defense platform.
"'Ah hah'? What'd you find, Rodney?" Peter asked, moving to peer at McKay's discovery.
"Access panel. There's still no power but I think I found an access point that we could hook up to one of the generators," McKay replied. "Maybe."
"Major Sheppard?"
"One generator coming right up, Dr. Grodin," Sheppard replied over the radio. "I'll be back soon with some materials you might need in order to conduct repairs as well."
"Excellent, thank you, Major," Peter transmitted back. The scientist then turned to face the lone female of the trio inside the satellite. "Fred, why don't you and I start examining the exterior of the satellite while we wait on Sheppard. Let's see if we can determine whether or not any of the hull damage might've disrupted the internal subsystems as well."
"I'll start working on this access panel; I might be able to have it ready for hookup by the time Sheppard gets back," McKay murmured, already fiddling with some of the internal components.
"Sure thing, Peter," Fred bubbled and followed the scientist into the blackness of space.
Nine hours later
Atlantis
"You look exhausted, Rodney," Weir observed, giving the Canadian a sympathetic look.
The expedition's leader sat behind the desk in her office above the Gate room. Normally, the desk was neatly organized, now it was rather chaotic with various reports and diagrams littering the surface. McKay glanced at the mess; reports from other scientists no doubt, and held back his snort of derision when he saw Kavanagh's report on the "Wisdom of Retreat."
At the side of her desk sat Colonel Sumner, with an elbow resting on Weir's desk and his chin cupped in his palm, looking as severe as ever despite his unusual posture. Sitting opposite to the two leaders of the expedition were Peter Grodin and Rodney McKay, both looking stressed and unhappy.
"Yes, well, I spent six hours in a space suit trying to manipulate delicate, intricate technology while being separated from the vacuum of space by an inch of fabric and intermixed metallic compounds. It has been a long, stressful day," McKay snapped.
"But constructive," Grodin insisted, far more diplomatically than his colleague. "We were able to use the naquadah generator to bring the satellite online and between Fred and Lt. Miller's assistance, we were able to repair a great deal of the internal system degradation."
"What I need to know, gentlemen, is if the weapon will work, and if it does, will it be enough to fend the Wraith off?"
"The satellite isn't exactly a solution, Colonel," McKay admitted, "it's just a stop-gap measure, one that may not be enough but is still the best option we have."
"Will the generator be enough to power the weapon?" Sumner asked.
Peter and McKay exchanged glances.
"Yes," Peter said definitively.
"—ish," McKay added hurriedly.
"Rodney..." Weir sighed out in impatience, giving the Canadian scientist the eye.
"Dr. Grodin, Fred, and I agree that the generator we've installed will be enough to power the weapon. However, the amount of power the energy weapon requires means that the satellite wouldn't be able to recharge very quickly," McKay explained. "With a ZPM it's unlikely that it would be an issue, but with the power available..."
"And once you fire, the Wraith will know you're there," Sumner finished, "a delay between each use of the weapon would give the Wraith time to react."
"There's an additional complication that if we keep the system powered on, it's likely the Wraith will be able to detect the satellite on their approach," Grodin added with a grimace.
"Does the satellite have any defensive capabilities?" Weir asked.
"Fred seemed to think so; she did most of the translations from the systems we were able to access. However, none of those countermeasures are operable without a significant increase in the amount of available power," Grodin replied. Spreading his hands, the man gave Weir and Sumner a wry smile. "If we keep the satellite powered down until the last minute, we can probably keep it hidden long enough discharge the weapon once without being detected and maybe a second time if they don't react quickly and decisively."
"If they're able to get within range of the satellite, it won't last long. It's damaged already and the satellite itself is a fairly delicate piece of construction." McKay frowned, "for saving Atlantis this time, it's a start, but the defense satellite won't survive any engagement on its own."
Colonel Sumner glanced at Weir for input. She merely leaned back, shaking her head and looking utterly miserable.
"I am not willing to give Atlantis up without a fight," Sumner grated out, "but Kavanagh might be right—"
"For once," Rodney and Peter chorused.
Weir snorted.
"Kavanagh might be right," Sumner continued, casting the other three severe frowns for their interruption, "about our needing to focus on evacuation. The fact is, even if they need to fight a battle of attrition inside the city to reach the Stargate and their new feeding grounds, they have far superior technology and overwhelming numbers. We have a strong defensive position in the central tower with brave men and women who are all well-equipped, but it won't be enough."
"Not to mention that, as Kavanagh said, if they decide it's not worth it, they can simply destroy Atlantis whenever they choose to do," Rodney added.
"So what do we do?" Peter asked quietly.
"Well—"
Sumner's answer was cut off as a series of alarms began ringing throughout the Gate room.
Chuck's voice blared out over the klaxons. "Unscheduled off-world activation!"
Weir, Sumner, Peter and McKay stood immediately, leaving Weir's office to stand at the railing overlooking the Gate. The shield that sealed the Gate was already in place and the ever-present security team that protected the Gate room quickly assumed defensive positions
"We don't have teams scheduled to come back, do we?" Peter wondered.
"No, all of the outbound teams should be busy at the Alpha site," Weir replied.
"Sergeant!" Sumner demanded.
McKay rushed to the control room, quickly brushing the Canadian sergeant who'd been overlooking the Gate's operations. "Receiving IDC!"
"Who is it?" Sumner asked.
There was a pause before McKay turned wide eyes to Sumner and Weir. "Stargate Command!"
There was a profound silence, broken only by Weir's demand for confirmation. "Are you sure?"
"Positive!" McKay shouted.
"Lower the shield," Sumner ordered. In a softer voice, he turned to Weir, motioning to the Stargate with a wave of his hand. "Elizabeth?"
Weir nodded and the two walked side by side toward the Stargate, a new spring in their step as Earth made contact with them for the first time since their arrival in the Pegasus galaxy. They'd just made it down the steps when Major Henry Boyd emerged from the Stargate.
Author's Notes: I was originally going to make this into a much longer chapter that included some of the action that's obviously going to take place. I elected to pace it out instead, leaving this chapter as serving to prop up the next two chapters. There are major differences in the timeline/contents between this chapter and SG:A's The Gift and The Siege parts 1&2. I didn't want Teyla's Wraith thing to be such a huge deal and the occasional comments about Teyla being not-quite human in the preceding chapters made that possible. I'm also planning on ignoring the whole telepathy part — I hated that whole subplot.
Who needs Colonel Dillion Everett with Sumner still there? If I remember correctly, the only reason Everett was tapped into going was because they didn't think Sheppard was experienced or of a high enough rank to lead the defense.