Stargate: Atlantis; The Alternate First Season

By WeaverOfDreams777

Rating: PG-PG13

Genre:Action/Adventure

Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate:SG1 or Stargate:Atlantis.

Warning: This story is not meant to fit the storyline set forth by the producers of Stargate. It is AU, Alternate Universe. If you don't like that, don't review. You don't have to read it.

Kamil: Kah-Meel; Soul Stealer (Ka, Egyptian; soul/lifeforce)

Amara: Ay-Ma-Rah; Accursed (Mara, Hebrew; cursed)

Maris: Mah-Rees; The Wise One

Jerhun: Jay-Rhoon; Let Justice Be Served

Gonfalon: Gan-Fa-Lonn; Golden

Threx: Diligent

Chapter three: And Then There Were Four.

Sheppard's jaw dropped, and he knew Weir was just as surprised. These three were so different from Jerhun it was almost scarey. One was as tall as Gonfalon, but very thin, with high cheekbones and gray-blue eyes, with white hair. Another was about Jerhun's size, with black hair and purple-blue eyes, and white, almost blueish skin. The last was the strangest of all. Her hair was as red as Wier's hidden away lipstick and her skin was an odd shade of peaches-and-cream. Her eyes were bright orange. Clearly, the last one was mostly Wraith. Apparantly, their Jerhun was the only normal looking one in the bunch. Jerhun shrank back behind Weir, swallowing hard.

Sheppard got the distinct impression that Jerhun was not comfortable with the three girls. The red haired one looked savagely at Jerhun. There was no audible exchange, but Jerhun couldn't hide his fear behind his sightless eyes. Gonfalon missed the exchange, he was too busy with Threx.

Weir eyed the red head with contempt, willing her to leave Jerhun alone. The red head turned to her, more hideous than before, as if daring Weir to come at her. Weir could hear the red head's taunts in her head, and she immediately began to shut them out. She knew that as she did, the red head was giving Jerhun a mental pounding. The white haired hybrid turned slowly and delibrately to the red head, then reached out and grasped the other girl's head. The red head jerked, fighting the iron grip.

"Hush thyself, Amara, or I shall hush thee and thou shalt ne'er speak again." said the white haired girl's soft, threatening voice.

Jerhun relaxed a little behind Weir, and the tall, white haired hybrid bowed to Weir and Sheppard.

"I am Kamil, I hope to have found thee in good health." she said, cold and austere, but beautiful.

"And I am Maris, Amara is my sister." said the black haired hybrid. "Excuse Kamil for her speech, she has been brought up by a linguistics professor."

"Well, we're please to meet you," said Sheppard. "Are any of you related to Jerhun?"

"Nay. He is but another of the same species, rather than a relative." Kamil said.

Amara cast a threatening glance in Jerhun's direction and stalked off as a guard prodded her along.

"Why does Amara hate Jerhun so much?" Weir asked Gonfalon.

"Jerhun is mine, that is why."

Weir wondered what Gonfalon had meant when he said Jerhun was 'his'. Did it mean that Jerhun was his adopted son, or did it mean that Jerhun was a slave? Could it actually mean that Gonfalon was Jerhun's father? Weir tried to make sense of it, but it was dizzying. A father who cared about his son would never let him be taken from him and put in stasis. Or would he? What if there was nothing else that could have been done at the time? Weir was giving herself a headache trying to figure it out.

She could probably just ask Gonfalon and he'd tell her exactly what he meant, but she wasn't in the mood for his exceeding bluntness at this moment. Jerhun was asleep at her feet right now. Ever since his illness, Weir had felt strongly against letting him out of her sight. So she slept near him. In her eyes, he was a child, and try as she might, she couldn't shake this image from her consciousness. It did pain her that he couldn't see anymore, she wished she could have done something to have prevented that.

She reached over and ran her fingers though his dark, fluffy curls. He was a cute child, she could give him that. She was more watchful now than before, because Amara had such obvious animosity toward Jerhun that Weir felt it wasn't safe that he should be allowed to wander alone, especially because Amara could probably block his attempts to find her mentally and easilly prey upon his disability. Jerhun rolled over, pulling the blanket tighter around his shoulders, his ears relaxing even further. Weir smiled distantly, thinking of how a cat nestles down before bed.

Weir thought she saw a shape in the doorway. She sat up to look at it, and there was nothing there. Telling herself that she needed to curb her imagination, Weir laid down and went to sleep.

Amara was watching.

Jerhun was sluggish and kind of lethargic in the morning, content to plod along at Weir's heels. He was beginning to feel secure with the woman, and she was beginning to feel more protective of him. Especially since the arrival of the three female hybrids. She didn't trust Amara, though she felt that Kamil was mostly harmless. Kamil usually walked around the city with a slightly superior air anyway. Kamil wore mostly black and silver, and if there were books around, you could be sure she would find one.

Jerhun was talking to Sheppard when Weir sat down beside Gonfalon.

"Gonfalon, I have a question to ask you..."

"Yes, Elizabeth?"

"What did you mean yesterday when you said Jerhun was yours?"

Gonfalon put his book down and smiled.

"He's my son. I know he looks nothing like me, he's very much his mother's child."

"But, isn't he half-wraith?"

"Is that what he said?"

"Well, no."

"He's one quarter Wraith, actually. His mother was half Wraith and half human."

"Then how did he end up in cryogenic stasis? Why would you let that happen if he's your son?"

Gonfalon frowned and his eyes hardened.

"He was taken from me. My wife, his mother, was killed. Someone thought she was a danger and they were going to do the same to her as Jerhun, but she wouldn't let them take her boy. They killed her. I couldn't find my son anywhere, I thought him dead. Until about ten years ago, when my second wife lost her child. They were awakening the Wraith-hybrids at the time, wanting to see if they were actually as deadly as it was rumored."

"And they died?"

"Most of them. Like Jerhun, they can't handle the medications and drugs that you and I can. They didn't know it at the time. It killed most of them before we were able to figure it out. My wife saw Jerhun's unruly curls and pouty lower lip through the ice and decided she had to wake him and keep him. He and Amara were the last ones to be awakened. Amara was almost not awakened, because she was so obviously mostly Wraith. Apparantly, Amara had also been in stasis longest, because she was insane. Jerhun had almost no memories whatsoever."

"How long were they in stasis that it drove Amara mad?"

"More than ten thousand years, as you measure time."

Gonfalon went back to reading his book as Wier sat there in shellshock. So they had an insane Wraith on their hands? And poor Jerhun...

No one would tussle with Jerhun anymore, they were afraid that they'd hurt him, because he was blind. He was begging Sheppard, who was mentally blocking Jerhun away from the guilt he felt about the boy's blindness. Jerhun liked to mockfight with the men, he didn't care that he was at a disadvantage, he had fun doing it. Sheppard knew it, but he couldn't bring himself to ask anyone to fight with a blind boy. Aiden Ford finally gave in.

Aiden knew that Jerhun could tell he was taking it easy on him, and he knew Jerhun was offended. Jerhun liked to play fair. He started to put a little more umph into it. Gonfalon was sitting nearby, watching half heartedly.

With the city back under the waves, it was hard not to feel a little claustrophobic and crowded. True, there was a whole city to wander through, but there was no one in it, so what good did it do to wander? Ford and Sheppard were both itching for another venture through the stargate, and Gonfalon could practically smell it. He clapped his book shut and stood abruptly. Everyone turned to him.

"Major, I believe I still know the dialing code of a nearby planet that you have yet to explore. Shall we go?" Gonfalon invited.

Sheppard's eyes grew wide.

"Gonfalon, you know Dr. Weir and Dr. Beckett would have a fit."

A defiant light leapt into Gonfalon's eyes.

"I know. That's why I'm not asking them."

Aiden whistled.

"Boy, I sure would like to get out of here for a while, and I'm sure everyone else shares my sentiments."

Sheppard grinned enthusiasticlly.

"Let's do it! Who's going with?"

All hands in the room were raised, including Jerhun's.

Gonfalon turned.

"I'll go clear out the control room."

The whole group geared up, Aiden helping Jerhun with things that he fumbled with. Aiden had a feeling that Sheppard hadn't noticed Jerhun raise his hand, because if he had, he certainly wouldn't allow Jerhun to go along. Aiden carefully made Jerhun less obvious, if all went well, Sheppard would never know the blind hybrid was along for the ride. Aiden didn't exactly know why he was doing this, but it was sort of fun to be duping a commanding officer. The others got in on the act, moving Jerhun to the center of the group and hiding him amongst the crush of bodies. A few snickered, thinking of what Sheppard was going to say when he found out. It certainly wouldn't be edifying.

"Where's Jerhun?" Sheppard asked, entering the control room, where everyone was gathered.

"With Weir." Ford quickly replied.

"Works for me." Sheppard shrugged.

The team embarked through the stargate with Gonfalon as their guide.

Amara seized Beckett by the neck and started to drag him away. She was a predator, and Beckett now knew it keenly. He struggled, trying to overcome the Wraithling. Maris saw her sister's intent and hissed loudly, lunging at the more dangerous hybrid. Beckett was securely in the middle of a life and death struggle, and not at all comfortable. Maris tried to grip Amara's face and drain her, and Amara was torn between her desire for human and her need to defend herself. She tried to keep one clawed hand on each, hungering for the lives of both.

Wier could hardly believe the struggle before her eyes when she came running to see what the commotion was about. But in her hand was a pistol, and apparantly, she would have to use it. She took aim at Amara, who was sucking the life out of Maris, who in turn was doing the same to Amara.

They moved as she pulled the trigger.

The tangle of bodies stopped moving.

Sheppard was disappointed. The planet was devoid of human life, and Gonfalon had sadly ruled that the Wraith had wiped out the inhabitants of this planet as well. They were trekking back to the stargate when Gonfalon had an idea.

"You know, since there is no one here, you could take the power generator with you. We will build a new one and repopulate the planet at a later date."

So that was essentially what they did.

The scene on the other side of the portal came as a shock to them all.

The sisters Amara and Maris lay dying on the floor, gasping their last in unison. Beckett was unscathed, but trembling. Weir was standing there with a gun, her eyes as large as saucers as she realized how angry Gonfalon was going to be.

Gonfalon moaned as though in pain.

"The females! Elizabeth! We did not have any to spare! You just halved the entire population, congratulations."

"I didn't mean to shoot Maris too!"

Jerhun was picking his way across the room, using his hands to find the two girls. As luck would have it, he found Maris first. Beckett watched with interest as Jerhun's fingers dug into Maris' shoulder. Maris coughed and sputtered, then sat up abruptly, shoving Jerhun away. She kept him away from Amara even, forcing him back across the room to Weir.

"Stay with the woman, it's where you belong, halfling!" she hissed. "Can't you leave well enough alone?"

Weir glared at the insinuation that Jerhun was a sissy.

"I did not want to be alive!" Maris hissed. "And Amara is finally out of her misery, would you bring her back and face her insanity threefold?"

Maris seized Beckett, instead of draining him of his lifeforce, she drained herself of her own.

Sheppard whistled as Maris hit the floor.

"Well, Dr. Beckett, I doubt you will sleep tonight."

Weir was still gaping.