Chapter 13

The Injustice of It All

Ford ranted and raved at the top of his voice, "Too slow! You people can't accept the fact that I'm superior! You just can't fathom the ease of my plans! Complications. You like complications!" He drew his handy-dandy, Genii made gun and aimed his handy-dandy, Genii made gun at the computer console.

Beloved reappeared. "Ford. Please, do something stupid like firing that weapon in the general direction of one of my team members."

"I almost forgot about you Kong. I would've gotten away with it too if it hadn't been for you meddling kids," Ford heckled as he waved the gun around erratically.

"Aiden, we need the computer to find weaknesses in their ships," said Weir in an even tone. She cautiously stood and approached him slowly. "If we're going to save Earth, we need to keep these consoles in one piece."

"Well, since you asked so nicely," he snarled at no one in particular and then shot the ceiling instead. He did not even flinch as a small amount of debris crumbled down on top of him. "Happy?"

Relieved, Weir snorted back at him, "Thank you, Aiden."

"Aiden? Will you come back with us?" Teyla just had to ask. He knew it was coming and that she would not leave here without the promise of a slight possibility of him returning with them. He was not the least bit sorry to disappoint her. He was so far removed from their way of life, not even his grandparents could have lured him back.

"Yes Teyla, my mind has suddenly changed since I saw you last. There's nothing more I'd like better than to be a guinea pig for Dr. Strangelove in there. Grapevines tell you a lot. I've heard rumors of a mutating retrovirus. No thanks."

"John…"

"Is as good as dead," he closed her down with words full of spite and venom. Sheppard was not his commanding officer anymore and was just another victim of the Wraith in his eyes.

Teyla's downtrodden expression confirmed her distress at his response. He did not care.

"I'd like to say it's been fun, but it hasn't." He dropped a little metal sphere about the size of a golf ball on to the floor. Upon contact, the room filled with an intense and blinding flash. Ford and Mulden ran. His job as far as he was concerned was done. He could do nothing about that Hive and returning to Earth was out of the question.

Upon realizing his plans were mucked up, he decided that this world owed him for ridding it of the Wraith. He double clicked his Genii radio to let Kocak know they were coming. A single click came back which meant Kocak had already blinded and subdued anyone with him.

"We're good to go," Ford said into the radio. When he reached the foyer of the house, he nodded at Kocak and took the glorified Electrolux with him. It did not need the gene to operate and was a valuable commodity. He considered it payment in full.

He clicked his ear piece one last time, "Until next time Dr. Weir, tell my Grandma and Grandpa 'hello'." Once he was outside, he triple clicked his Genii radio. Time to take this show on the road, he thought as a dart swooped down to scoop Kocak, Mulden and him up. "TTFN!" were his parting words.

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Jumpers were sent for after the Wraith released the Gate and Ford made his exit. Whatever he had used only left them temporarily blinded, similar to a flash bang. Reinforcements arrived to pick off any Wraith left on the planet. They did not know how many had escaped before they could contact Atlantis.

"They know Atlantis survived and are on their way to Earth. That might need to be on the top of the list of things to know when we send our next communication. Between Earth and Atlantis, a plan must be devised. Fortunately, we have time to get it together before they get there." Weir rubbed her eyes. Adrenaline had left her long ago and she hoped she was making sense.

"Understood Doctor. What else?" Caldwell asked across the distance.

"Cpl. Cavanaugh and Lt. Cadman are working on the computer. The link automatically severed before the Cruiser exploded. We need a team over here to relieve them. Zelenka knows Wraith computers as does Dr. Haushaur. They might know a few tricks and get more information out of it."

She looked at the walking wounded around the Jumper. Ronon was on his last reserve of energy. Teyla's fatigue uncharacteristically showed through her drooping shoulders. Beckett and a medic continued their ministrations to a prone Rodney who was in and out of delirium and babbled ceaselessly.

She could not wait to get home.

"We're almost there Col…" She stopped mid-sentence because her back ached and gave her an unwelcome reminder of what she carried. She had actually forgotten about it. "Carson, what about the devices in Rodney and me?"

"Cadman turned them off. Sorry, hadn't had time to tell ya," he apologized.

She slumped in relief. "Well…that's good to hear." Rodney and she were a risk with those things still in there. They did not need anymore "complications" as Ford had put it.

"What about Ford?" Caldwell asked.

"Gave us the slip, sir," answered Stackhouse.

Weir nodded in appreciation and concluded with, "See you in a moment, Colonel."

As time and events sunk in, she did start to second guess herself. What should she have done differently? What protocols needed to be in place? Did the protocols in place work this time? Would Atlantis become military because of the threat of the Wraith reaching Earth? Would it have mattered this time around who was in charge?

She could not give answers yet. They would come, though. With her in charge, and Sheppard by her side…

Or not.

With a final intake of air, Elizabeth watched Warren pilot the Jumper into the event horizon. It emerged unscathed and a cheer from all those on duty and few who were off duty rose over the speakers.

"Jumper Two, welcome home," greeted the technician.

Before the Jumper pivoted and ascended, Weir could have sworn Caldwell wiped his brow in relief.

She sat back and thought that she did have the best job in two galaxies. She just was not sure if she was still the right one for it.

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Her anger was a justified bonfire consuming all before her.

"Imperfection! We have only one of the Lanteans left in our custody. One!" Her foreman of the cell blocks kept his eyes on the floor. "I had to destroy one of my own ships! My own! The other sacrificed itself for us!"

She shrieked at all those present in her interrogation chamber before continuing.

"The one who knows more about Lantean technology- gone! Their leader! We had their leader and you let her escape!" She slowly turned in a circle. "The only one left is a prize, but she is their queen. She was to satiate me while I waited to taste Lantean for the first time. She was to be my emissary to their planet and to let them know the hopelessness of their situation!"

She stopped in front of each alpha male from her different sections of the Hive. "Fifteen! Fifteen of my drones taken down and my prisoners walked off this ship! Incompetence! We had to leave before the final testing of the engines! Little humans did this! Foreman of detention, you are relieved!"

She punched her hand into his chest and drained him while glaring at each individual in the room. When she finished, she stared at her hand in disgust. "Weak, even in death. Hardly a satisfying trade." She stepped away from the corpse in disgust.

"Foreman of herd rehabilitation, you are now in charge of herd detention."

He nodded at her.

"Get out."

Her perfection tainted. Her flawlessness pock-marked.

She had had more Lanteans imprisoned on her Hive ship than anyone else in eons. Her kind's wildest dreams resided on this ship for two solar days and now, they were gone like illusions in the wind.

Oh what could have been! A herd of her very own, a select private stock to feed upon at her leisure, all escaped from her. Only one left to her along with one last facet- the knowledge that the city was intact. A portal to Earth was still in existence unbeknownst to her kind. She had a message to send if anything should happen to her Hive. However, her quest came first as did her hunger. The others of her kind could wait to gain this information. Earth was hers alone.

These progeny were clever. These progeny were crafty. These progeny were dangerous.

Her excitement had distracted her. Her youthful exuberance and arrogance had clouded her strategic thinking.

She gazed at the lone living creature left in the room. "A little, human female served me better than my own brethren and offspring," she hissed warmly to the creature.

She walked towards the one called Osy. Her lifeless, brown eyes averted to the floor as they should be.

"Your cohort sacrificed himself for me and you served me better than my own." She cupped the little one's face and raised her head. The eyes were drained of life like her minion over on the floor except this child's heart still beat with in her breast.

"I wanted them to know your power as I have witnessed it on my planet. I wanted them to feel their world die," Osy demurely answered. "The prophesies be upheld."

"So it shall be done, go. You may tend to the last one on board. Know this, he is mine. Your sister's agenda had better not be your own."

"Never," she answered in a monotone voice. "I know my place."

The Queen smiled and dismissed her. Prophesy indeed, she was the guiding light. Even with such a disaster, her engines burned and her path was clear before her. The sacrifice of those at the planet would be honored with celebratory meals.

Time was telling her a righteous and grand tale.

She was the true envoy.

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Caldwell waited. It seemed like the only thing he was doing lately.

Weir was getting x-rayed, Ancient style. The doctors were trying to pinpoint the exact location of the tracking device and any differences from the one Ronon originally had. So far, they appeared slightly different, a newer model maybe? The doctors assured him the differences were small enough that the extractions would be simple.

Thus, he had to hold the reigns a little longer. He kept looking over his shoulder waiting for the shrill call of the Genius Lab-coatius, so far nothing. Dr. Zelenka seems to have corralled his school of sharp-toothed piranha in honor of the team returning. However, Zelenka was slated to go to Ixion, who knew how long his influence would reach while he was gone and while McKay recovered. He would be constantly looking over his shoulder until Weir sat in her chair again.

He looked at the curtained off area where McKay was being cleaned up. They were making sure his blood sugar levels were stable and his injuries were clean before his turn in the diagnostic bed. For McKay, it was quiet over there. Murmurings, sporadic groans and hushed conversations between the medical staff were the only sounds. Caldwell found it unnerving. Weir was right; a quiet McKay was a bad thing.

The one that caused the biggest splash and incurred the ire of Biro was Ronon. From what he heard of the initial entrance into the infirmary, Ronon walked in ahead of everyone else, presented Beckett to Biro and promptly collapsed. He had a fever brought on by pig-headedness. Biro had it written on the chart so it was official. He was curled on a bed, much too short for him, sound asleep.

When Caldwell arrived in the infirmary to check on their status, Biro was putting the wrestling moves on Beckett forcing him over to an empty bed. To his amusement, this time his waiting included a floorshow.

"You will leave the patients to us. You will get into a gown. You will get on that bed. You will never leave for another off-world assignment ever again." She punched him lightly in the shoulder with the last statement. "I've had to talk…to people. Live people. You're never leaving again," she scolded as she shook her finger in his face. Seconds later, that same hand rested on his shoulder for a moment. "Glad you're safe though."

After she left, Caldwell walked up to the gaping physician. "Know how she feels."

Carson then looked at him in disbelief as he pulled off his boot. "Maybe I can get Dr. Weir to listen to her. I've been trying a similar speech to no avail for two years now," he said undoing the stubborn laces on his remaining boot.

"Believe me when I say, Dr. Weir won't be leaving any time soon- either." Caldwell patted him on the shoulder and left so Carson could do as he was commanded and not get into anymore trouble. Additionally, Caldwell did not want any of that trouble cascading over to him. Retreat was an option he wholeheartedly endorsed in this case.

The last live member of the team was due back when Zelenka took the corporal's place with his science team. Cavanaugh was definitely up for an accommodation. His assignment, Dr. Weir, came back in one piece. According to preliminary reports, the young marine handled himself well. Caldwell would be glad to carry out this duty and would look forward to it.

And then there was Teyla. From the moment he walked in, she tried to make eye contact. She needed to tell him something, but the gaggle of medical personnel made it impossible. Now that they had all receded like the tide, she was his next stop.

"Teyla, how are you?"

"Still…I am fine." She looked uneasily around the room. "Not as fine as before we left, much better than an hour ago," she clarified.

"Teyla, what is it that you've wanted to say since you got back?"

"It is as I feared Col. Caldwell." Teyla usually did not get easily distracted. Her focus waned and diverted to her teammates. "The Wraith, they were healing Col. Sheppard only to…What we find when that ship arrives at Earth…will not be him."

Her shoulders sagged from pain, loss and fatigue.

"We'll cross that bridge when the ship plows into it," Caldwell reassured her.

Cult of personality described Sheppard to a tee. He was just as much a force of nature as his huge teammate passed out on the bed over there. Men were willing to sacrifice themselves for him and Sheppard never even considered he had such devotion. Caldwell ran into it during Sheppard's stretch as a bug. The men looked to Weir for confirmation of orders. She either gave it or amended it. As he said, she could stand her ground with the best of them.

Weir was sure they were going to be able to save Sheppard. Maybe she needed to believe that to go on. Maybe she thought when they found him, Beckett could fix him. He saw the exact opposite in Teyla's face. He saw that she knew that was not going to be the case. The Wraith let her know just so she could look like she did now, hopeless. When they destroyed that Hive…however they destroyed that Hive…he was going to be another member of the cult. Honorary and temporary, but he would be a member for that moment in time. Sheppard might be lost, but there were others on board that needed saving.

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Hands.

Hands, all over.

It was not the good all over.

It was not that dream with Barbara Eden in the Genie outfit and multiple hands…Samantha might have joined in at sometime. That was a great dream.

And, there was nothing he could do about the hands because his brain was in the twilight stage of consciousness. Hearing kicked in, but nothing else worked. His eyes remained shut and his limbs were leaden. The voices floated around him and talked of everyday things. Everyday things on a Hive ship- what they ate for dinner; who was getting served as the main course by whom; and who would have the honor to serve the Queen on this ordained journey.

Self important much?

"I know you can hear me," a female voice whispered in his ear. "Your injuries are healed and our Queen waits for you." The voice sounded vaguely familiar, he just could not quite place it. "The rest are all gone. You're alone."

He must be on a Hive ship. Well, they had pretty figured that back in the cell. Now his heart wanted to escape his chest and run screaming down the hall. His brain, however, did not get the message and fuzzed over so he could return to the twilight. The snow was back and he was now up to his waist in the glue Slurpee.

The three dots had long disappeared into the void. He had every intention of un-sticking himself and joining them, but the snow would not cooperate. He could not get any leverage to push himself out and struggling only furthered his stuck-ness.

The female voice that whispered in his ear about his fate faded and another replaced it. This voice, he wanted to hear; he yearned for it, actually. This voice, he easily recognized and he placed it as the ultimate in safety and comfort. A hand rested on the middle of his back and he looked into eyes that had been missing from his life for a very long time.

"Mom." She looked no different than the last pictures taken of her before she fell ill.

As he sat there freezing, he felt like he was six years old and sick in bed. A time when a kiss from Mom would heal any ailment and she knew more than any doctor- McKays and Becketts included.

"Home John, they're taking you home."

At six, she was the beginning, middle and end of the universe. The universe had gotten much bigger since then.

"I need to wait here. My friends are meeting me." He listened attentively for any noise from the chasm. The silence was disappointing.

Her arched eyebrows and lopsided smirk (now he knew where he had gotten it from) made him feel like a teenager, embarrassed to be in the same zip code as your parents, yet, insanely sad if they leave.

"They're coming John. Don't you worry. It's just taking longer than expected, honey." She hugged him and bumped his shoulder afterwards. He really was six again craving that hug. "Pops is right; you're never alone or ever forgotten."

"I know…They're down there," he said pointing to the gaping hole. "I might not be able to hear them or see them, but they'll help me," he stated with unwavering certainty. It came back to that tenacity and sheer stubbornness residing in each of his teammates. He had a new family that watched his back and vice versa. He hoped she would not mind.

"Yes, they will. You won't…" she stopped and grief crossed her face as a small sad exhale escaped her lips. She placed two hands on his each side of his head and turned it towards her. "Time to welcome the pain. Remember, where there's life, there's hope."

Before he could answer, the snow underneath him sucked him all the way down and entombed him in a crushing cold. The warmth of the face and delicate grasp of his head were cruelly ripped from him. He tried to get his own grasp on what was happening, but nothing made any sense in the darkness.

Sensations from outside his body pressed into his fledgling consciousness and dragged him back to a stark and harsh reality. A pressure strong enough to cave in his chest pushed the air out of his lungs and a very familiar scream finally broke through the twilight to wake him up. The pain in his chest exploded and radiated out to include every inch of his body. Then it drew back to a tight point above his heart.

Of course the scream was familiar, it was his.

His eyes snapped open to intense, tangerine orbs staring back at him.

"Welcome to your new home, tender morsel," greeted a Wraith Queen. She held up her bloody hand where he could see it. "It has been worth the wait."

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A/N: Oh the elbow room! The boxes still threaten, but they are no match for my case cutter. The bunnies are excited with all the extra space and have thrown a party with the pet turtle and fish. Bear with me as I juggle hobby with finding the baking sheets! Thanks for all the reviews and please let me know what you think.