Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate Atlantis or any of its characters just in case someone wants to sue!

Warning: There is strong violence in this story and scenes that some people may find upsetting so ye be warned!

Thank you to my beta The Bog Witch who corrected all my mistakes.

Thanks for all the reviews, I went back and fixed Beckett's name in the first chapter and a few other mistakes that I noticed after I put it up. Sorry it wasn't perfect. When I read the reviews it really encouraged me to keep writing. I have the whole story planned in detail; it's just a matter of writing it! Well here's the next chapter. Hope you all enjoy it. Sorry it took so long to get up but the site wouldn't let me post anything.

Chapter Two: The Wraith's Plan Laid Bare

'I need another unit of blood!' Beckett yelled to the numerous nurses that surrounded him and the prone figure of John Sheppard. 'Get that I.V. set up sharpish please.' He barked to one of the nurses 'The colonel's lost a lot of fluids.'

Becket snapped on a pair of latex gloves. 'Right lets get this bleeding under control.' He nodded to his fellow doctor 'Keep an eye on his blood pressure, the bullet went straight through his axillary artery so we'd best get him sewed back together!'

The nurse handed him a scalpel and the needle. There was no need to sedate the colonel though, Beckett thought sadly, he was so out of it because of shock and blood loss that he wouldn't feel a thing.

'BP's dropping!' the doctor told Beckett, 'Carson, we need to find the source of the bleeding, the colonel's body can't stand much more. We need to get him stabilised.'

Beckett nodded and started to work on Sheppard's wound. The bullet had wrought intensive damage to the insides of Sheppard's body and it was painstaking work for Beckett to fix it. Finally, Beckett looked up at his colleagues and smiled briefly. 'I think we've got it!' He announced. 'Nurse, keep an eye on his vitals and come get me if there is any change. I'm going to check on Doctor Weir's head injury. If I can get her down here that is!'

Half an hour later, Weir finally got round to answering the chief medical officers summons and entered the infirmary. The city was on high alert and most of its resident's were safely ensconced in their own rooms. There was nothing else that she could help with so she asked an SF to escort her down to the infirmary. She smiled grimly to herself, Carson didn't know this but the only reason that she was answering the summons at all was because she wanted to check up on her military leader.

'How's he doing Carson?' She asked once she had spotted the doctor sitting at his desk.

'I'll take you over to him, if you'd like.' Beckett told her. 'But only if you sit on the bed next to his so that I can take a look at that poorly head of yours.' Weir did as she was told and Beckett began to gently probe her bruised head. 'The colonel lost a great deal of blood but I'm sure that we stopped the bleeding in time. He is still unconscious and his blood pressure is still on the low side but I am confident that he will wake up soon enough and be eager to get out of here.'

Weir nodded at Beckett's prognosis and then winced as he prodded a more tender part of her head. 'Of course he will be out of action for a few weeks.' Beckett continued seemingly unaware of the discomfort he was inflicting on Weir. 'I am in no hurry to put Sheppard back on active duty so that he can undo all the good work that I have just done.'

At this, Weir's eyes snapped up. She stared shrewdly at Beckett and glanced over to where Sheppard lay helpless in the hospital bed.

She had the urge to smooth back his hair which was tussled even more than was usual. She knew that Sheppard wouldn't like being grounded at all, he was always a little lost when he had no work to do and never seemed to get very far in the book he had brought with him even though he didn't need to make the book last anymore. He could have another book shipped out on the Dedalus if he bribed the right people.

'Right lass I've finished examining you. You're free to go. I will give you some Tylenol for the headache that you're not telling me about and I want you to come back if it gets any worse but I doubt it will. I think that you were very lucky that you weren't more hurt.' Beckett told her disapprovingly, like it was somehow Weir's fault that she had hit her head.

'Medical emergency!' A female voice sounded over the radio.

'Whose voice was that?' Weir asked sharply. It had sounded like Teyla's but she couldn't be certain.

'I am not sure Elizabeth.' Beckett answered frowning.

'Major Lorne? What's the status of your search teams?' Weir tapped on her earpiece. Her query was met with static.

'Doctor Weir? This is Teyla. Lieutenant Geller has been gravely wounded. We have captured one of the hostiles and require assistance but Major Lorne is not responding.' Beckett nodded to Weir and went to grab his medical bag.

'I'm on my way with some SF's and a medical team Teyla, what's your position?' Weir asked.

'We are by the grounding station near the north pier. Please hurry; the Lieutenant's condition does not look good.'

Weir jogged with the rest of the party, praying that they got there in time to help the fallen Lieutenant. They round the last corner and found Teyla standing over two unmoving men. Her face was somber and she was bleeding from a gash in her forehead, cradling her arm to her chest.

'Lieutenant Geller passed on a few moments ago. I fear that you could not have helped him anyway, Doctor Beckett.'

Beckett checked Geller's pulse and sadly shook his head. 'Nay lass, there's nothing we could have done for him out here; it looks like he has a stab wound that has punctured a lung. I'm sure you tried your best Teyla. Now let's get you on the gurney before you faint on us. You don't look like you're in great shape in the moment.' Beckett helped Teyla to lay down on the gurney at started to look over her injuries.

Throughout this entire exchange Weir stood in shocked silence; disbelieving that Geller had lost his life when just an hour ago he had been valiantly trying to save Sheppard's.

'Ma'am, what shall we do with the prisoner?' One of the SF's asked Weir.

'What?' Weir murmured she had taken no notice of the figure lying next to Geller, unconscious with his hands and feet bound, presumably by Teyla. 'Oh!' She gave her head a little shake, trying to clear it. She couldn't be distracted at a time like this. 'Take him to the brig. I will question him when he wakes up. Guard him until I get there.'

'Yes ma'am.' The SF answered and dragged the prisoner away.

Weir turned back to the medical staff, they were loading Lieutenant Geller's body onto a second gurney. She sighed; she just didn't understand why people had to die. She had never understood the military's attitude toward dying for your country. Some cause that the government had decided was important was not worth needlessly dying for. Now diplomacy on the other hand did make a difference and there was no need to die for it either. She was a diplomat: not a soldier; but diplomacy didn't seem to be needed much in the Pegasus galaxy where the wraith were concerned. But these hostiles were human and Weir was determined to find out what they wanted.

'Ma'am the prisoner is awake.' A voice said in Weir's ear.

'On my way.' Weir replied. She had escorted Teyla to the infirmary and then had tried and failed to contact Major Lorne or his team again. Ronon and his team were the only ones who were still answering their radios. She was just on her way to the control room to see if McKay where the missing soldiers were when she had been called to the brig. She hurried into the room. She acknowledged the SF.

'Has he said anything yet?' She asked.

'No ma'am, he hasn't.' The SF replied, taking up position by the brig's doorway.

'What's your name?' Weir questioned the prisoner.

The prisoner laughed. 'My name is of no consequence when all of us will soon be dead!'

'Why?' Weir asked calmly, pretending that the shocking comment had no affect on her.

'What have we ever done to you? If we have angered you in any way, I'm sure that we can resolve the issue.'

'You have angered our gods, they desire revenge for the wrong that your people have done us.' The prisoner spat this out, as though the words were distasteful.

'Your gods?' Weir probed.

'Yes, others call them the wraith and run from them in fear but we know different. Our gods rid the worlds of evil and have given the chosen twelve the important task of destroying the Atlantian's new outpost.

'New outpost?' Weir wondered out loud. Then she realised. The hostile didn't realise that this was actually Atlantis. The wraith had told him that it had been destroyed by them and he did not doubt this to be true. They must make sure that the 'chosen twelve', as they were calling themselves, did not realise the truth.

Weir turned back to the SF 'Make sure that-' suddenly she was grabbed from behind. The prisoner had his hands through the bars to the cell and the ancient force field had not activated. The hostile held something cold and sharp to her throat. Weir felt the pain as it sliced into her throat.

'The other eleven will complete their tasks given to them by our gods and you and your people will be no more.' The prisoner growled menacingly. 'I could end your pathetic life right here but I think that I will make you wait to be killed with the rest of your doomed race, knowing that there is nothing you can do to save yourselves!' He let her go and she fell to the floor in a huddle.

'Are you alright ma'am, I'm so sorry I forgot to raise the shield when I put him in the cell and I couldn't get a clear shot to help you!' The SF apologised profusely, knowing that his job was on the line if they got through this situation. He helped Weir to her feet. 'Should I help you to the infirmary?'

'No stay and guard the prisoner and please raise the shield! I will send someone down with a tranquilliser dart so that you can disarm him.' Weir gasped, her neck was sending shooting pains up and down her body and she could feel blood running down her neck.

'What are you going to do about what the prisoner said? He's going to try and destroy Atlantis!' The SF said under his breath so that the prisoner couldn't hear, the worry was clear in his voice.

'I don't know.' Weir admitted. If only Sheppard was able to help she thought desperately.