Chapter Twelve

"It doesn't go there. I don't care what you think if you put that in the wrong way the ZPM is going to overload and explode, and we happen to need that for powering the shield, the Wraith aren't just going to magically disappear you know," Rodney stared at the Japanese scientist standing before him.

She nodded. "Oh, I am sorry. I will not do it again, I promise."

"Good," he said, turning around and grabbing his sandwich off the table. "Now I need that analysis done by midday."

He bit into his sandwich. After a few moments he noticed the taste wasn't exactly as it was supposed to be. He spat it out, making the Dr Kisunagi jump.

"Who got this for me?" he asked loudly, turning to face the other scientists.

"Me…" Kavanaugh spoke up, not looking happy about it either.

"Are you aware that there is citrus in this sandwich? Now I'm going to die, I hope that makes you a happy man Kavanaugh," Rodney muttered.

He threw the sandwich at him and stormed out of the lab. God if they were the best Earth had to offer he was surprised science existed at all. He heard someone running after him as he headed towards the infirmary.

"Dr McKay!"

He spun around. "I don't have time right now, in case you haven't noticed I'm highly allergic to citrus and I'm going to die a horrible death if I don't get to the infirmary!"

Kisunagi froze. "Oh, oh I am sorry, I was just wondering if you were alright?"

"I'll be fine if my incompetent team of scientists pull their act together," Rodney muttered. "Now if you'll excuse me I have some dying to do."

He turned around and kept walking towards the infirmary. He was looking down at his hands, waiting for them to come out in some kind of rash. He was stopped by two hands pressed against his shoulders.

"Rodney, I need your help," Elizabeth said.

"I think I just ate citrus," he muttered in response.

"You'll live," she replied. "Remember you ate that lemon chicken when we first got to Atlantis and you survived that didn't you?"

"Yes but that…"

"Good, well we have places to go and people to rescue," Elizabeth replied.

Rodney stared at her. "Don't you care that I'm dying?"

"You're not dying, Rodney – but Ford and Teyla will be if you don't come with me right this instant," she said.

"Citrus!" Rodney exclaimed.

She stared at him dubiously. "Alright, I have to fetch Beckett on the way, we can get him to check you out quickly before we leave."

"Good," Rodney said, heading towards the infirmary again, then he stopped. "Wait…what do you need Beckett for?"

"To fly the jumper," she stated.

"What about the milita…"

"Caldwell has forbidden me to use any of his men, so I have resorted to using my friends," she replied. "Now hurry up."

Rodney started to follow after her towards the infirmary again. All thoughts of dying from citrus had gone from his mind.

"Ah, Dr McKay…"

He stopped and spun around. "Yes?"

"Maybe I could be of service," Dr Kisunagi said, looking shy.

"No I don't…" he started to say but was cut off.

"Dr Kisunagi, your help would be greatly appreciated, thank you," Elizabeth said, slight relief on her face.

They needed more people.

"I am glad," Kisunagi replied, smiling.

Elizabeth nodded in appreciation and the three of them headed towards the infirmary to collect Carson…

Ford was pushed against the wall, hard, by the Wraith behind him. As he fell to the floor he was jerked up again by a different Wraith. This one looked vaguely like the Wraith queen they had encountered on the first Wraith hive ship. It had long red hair and was grinning at him. He felt something dripping on his forehead and reached up with his right hand.

As he took it away and held it before his eyes he saw it was covered in red.

"Does that hurt little one?" the Wraith asked, grinning at him.

He didn't dignify the monster with a reply. Rather he looked him directly in the eye, trying to appear strong. The Wraith continued to grin at him, he wasn't quite sure if it expected a reply, or if it were trying to intimidate him.

"Are you not going to respond little one?" it asked, moving around him slightly, and then grabbing his collar it pulled him incredibly close to it's face. "Answer me little one, did that hurt?"

"No," Ford replied, still trying to appear strong.

The Wraith threw him at the wall again. Ford felt the sharp pain this time, and blood flowing more freely down the side of his face. His vision went strange for a moment, but he squeezed his eyes shut and when he reopened them it was back to normal.

He felt himself jerked to his feet again.

"Hurt, little one?" the Wraith asked.

"A bit," Ford responded.

"That's much better," the Wraith smiled, but it wasn't a smile that warmed Ford's insides, instead it froze them. "Time for step two…"

Ford was pushed away, but managed to remain standing on his two feet. The Wraith turned and slowly walked towards a table that lay before them. Ford looked at it, trying to figure out what it was for. It wasn't until the Wraith lay its hand on a small dial and pressed it that it came to him.

The table was electrified.

Ford looked around. All the Wraith had left the room except for the red-haired one.

"What do you want me for?" Ford asked.

"Well first we have decided that you will be useful to get information from, little one," the Wraith grinned. "And then we have decided you can also be useful in other manners…"

Ford gulped and looked at the table in front of him. This wasn't going to be pretty.

"What are you doing?"

Teyla turned around, slipping the knife into her sleeve. "What's it to you?"

The Wraith standing at the door looked vaguely like the one John had nicknamed 'Steve'. It smiled slightly.

"Your friend is going to die," it said.

"Did you come here merely to torment me?" Teyla shot back.

It didn't acknowledge her with a reply. Teyla felt great dislike for the creature, more so than many of the other Wraith she had met. Not only was it an evil-life-sucking alien, but it was making an effort to upset her.

"Leave me," Teyla said.

"You speak to me with little respect, human," the Wraith said, entering her cell and walking towards her.

"And you eat my people," Teyla responded.

"We eat because we must…" the Wraith replied. "You think we all enjoy the consumption of your kind?"

Teyla drew herself up from the ground. What had the Wraith just said? She couldn't believe what she'd just heard come from the mouth of a Wraith. It had never occurred to her that they might not enjoy eating humans as much as she'd always assumed.

"What?" she said, out loud.

"You heard me," the Wraith muttered.

"Why are you here?" she asked.

"I have been ordered to take you to your friend," the Wraith replied.

"For what reason?" Teyla replied.

"You are to be tortured, in the hope that your friend will relinquish the information we need to reach Earth," the Wraith said.

"He will not give it…" Teyla responded.

The Wraith looked at her for a long moment. "Human emotions are a strong weapon against you…this I remember. Now come with me."

He grabbed her shoulder, sending the usual gut wrenching feeling through her. But along with that came a realisation of what he'd just said.

"You remember?" she repeated.

The Wraith stopped, but did not turn to look at her.

"How?" she asked.

The Wraith spun around. "Did I give you permission to speak?"

"You were once human…" Teyla said slowly.

It didn't respond at all. Just stared at her blankly. Teyla felt her insides crawling, what she was beginning to realise was wrong on so many levels…

"And you still remember?"

"Shut up," the Wraith replied, tightening its grip on her shoulder. "You will not speak another word and come with me…"

With that Teyla was pushed out of the cell and into the hallway. She felt the knife jab into her arm, but ignored the pain. She was too distracted with the thoughts of the Wraith having human memories…

That meant that Carson had been correct in his hypothesis that the Wraith had developed from humans being integrated somehow with the bugs. She wondered if they all had these memories, or if it were only a select few.