Disclaimer: Forgot to mention, I don't own SG-1 either. Shame really, I'd love them to death too.

Chapter 14

Reality Bites

Being fed upon was a lousy, inconsiderate, and, quite frankly, painful way to wake up.

Strings of saliva hung from Sheppard's lower lip as the radiating threads of pain ceased. His whole body shook from exertion as if he had just run a marathon on nothing but a thimble of water and a crust of bread. Tears ran down his cheeks mingling with snot and his breathing labored from the sheer shock of the after effects of the touch.

He must have been a sight, a real babe magnet.

She backed up from him, "This is your entire world." She made a wide sweeping gesture to show him her little slice of hell. Her alabaster complexion shined in the low light resembling a pen and ink drawing with orange-yellow highlights, a walking cartoon.

He followed her hand to see a large rectangular room with a Wraith version of the HUD at one end. A circular bed-like structure that seamlessly extended from the floor was at the other. His head swiveled and his eyes darted around the room taking in everything. His eyes went back to the HUD where the streaming lights of hyper space glowed, casting a blue tinge to the room.

Oh crap.

Next, Sheppard looked down the length of his body. Everything below his waist was encased in goo and membranes. He really did not want to know what was going on beneath the goo down there as the sensations were uncomfortable. Both arms shared the same predicament up to the middle of his biceps. His chest was exposed and a bloody hand print adorned it like a logo on a gory, hairy T-shirt. He was positioned like a medical diagram on the wall in the doctor's office and he laughed desolately to himself- easy access. He was the edible underwear at Spencer's.

Other sensations made themselves known: pinpricks in the crooks of his arms, a suction feeling over his entire body, including the head, to keep him in place and a dulling of senses- like drugs- masking the pain in his shoulder. His head was stuck to the back of the alcove, but could move like a game controller for Centipede.

He loved Centipede. Shooting the centipede, avoiding the spiders, avoiding the little wiggly spheres that dropped from the sky, it was the first game he was truly good at. Vortex was fun. Pong was great when it first came out. All the simulated flying games of course rated high on the list. But, Centipede…

He did not love this. This was not like Centipede or flying or Ferris wheels or football…

The gravity of his life in her little nest hit him and the panic threatened to choke him and the feeling of abandonment niggled at him and hopelessness created a coldness in the core of his being.

"The others," he rasped.

"All gone."

She did not clarify whether she meant escaped or …no…he would not go there. They escaped. That was the only explanation he would accept, which meant he was alone.

Three little dots clambering across jagged peaks and dark abysses flitted into his mind. Sheppard smiled at the unseen hope from a dream almost dismissed.

He had to believe he was not forgotten.

The Queen studied him for a moment. A skeletal and appreciative smile formed on her face to answer his. "You smile even now when your situation is a forgone conclusion. This is your death chamber and you still retain hope. I knew my choice was a good one. There were others to choose from, but you are a special stock." She looked just to the side of him. "Go ahead human, tend to him."

A cloth wiped his face making him close his eyes. He could not see who was doing this degrading job, but he had to admit, he was grateful. When the cloth moved to his chest, he sucked in air at the continued stinging and burning left by the brutal contact. Only the top of the head was in his view, but it was a woman or a girl he was sure. She looked up at him and he felt that he should recognize her. She whispered in his ear as the cloth continued to gently remove tears and mucous from his face.

"Too bad Dr. McKay couldn't join you." The lilt reminded him of the voice from before. He still could not place the face.

"How do you know McKay?" He grunted hoarsely. It proved that he should recognize her. Only someone who had physically met McKay and was on the receiving end of his charm would wish this on him.

She just smiled enigmatically and silently walked off leaving him to follow her with his eyes.

The Queen placed her hand on his sore chest making him flinch and returning his eyes to her. "We have much to discuss and to explore on our journey to Earth. I have a few questions and you have a few answers. I also have a great hunger."

Her hand pressed again into his chest for just a second. She removed it flexing her dripping, reddened hand and grinned, "It might take a while to satisfy."

Sheppard's quick, witty retort was replaced by howling, coughing and snuffling. His mind fumbled with what she said, and then it struck him that …intergalactic drive engines are burning their way to Earth.

Where there's life, there's hope- but for how long? If the look in the Queen's eyes were any indication, he had three weeks of fun. He was so screwed.

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Dr. Zelenka stepped off the Jumper only to ogle at the house before him. The others reported it looked like Gone with the Wind, but seeing was definitely believing. It needed chatty, hoop-skirted, young ladies having a garden party, not the dilapidation surrounding it or the horror under it.

A young soldier led him through the house to the stairwell and down into the very antithesis of Tara. He wished he was not so adept at deciphering Wraith technology, because when he laid eyes on the chair, he fought with every self-preservation instinct he had to turn around and run. The battle was won by a narrow margin while he walked up behind Cavanaugh.

Cpl. Cavanaugh turned around from the console and relief washed over him. "I'm glad your here, Dr. Z."

"You have done well from what I was told." Radek hoped he gave an approving yet sympathetic look.

"Not good enough, not fast enough," lamented the tired corporal.

"I'll take over from here; you go home. I believe the correct term for military is, 'you're relieved'?"

"Thanks. Oh, the Wraith did not reinstall the virus, or at least we don't think they did."

"We have set up non-networked computers to handle the download just in case. We'll send first data burst when you leave through event horizon." He shook the young man's hand. "See you at home."

Cavanaugh nodded gratefully.

"Cpl. Cavanaugh, it's time I finished my end of the rescue mission," interrupted Lt. Cadman. She gave a flirtatious wink to Radek as she walked up next to the two. "The locals have all moved up to the house and we're organizing a search of this facility. Don't know what we'll find, but maybe there's something else that will help. If you need anything Doc, just ring us up."

"Good, now go before he falls asleep on stairs and we must use him as rug to wipe our feet on." Radek pushed the corporal towards the exit of the lab and waved bye-bye.

"Wraith already did that," replied Cavanaugh taking one last shot as he stumbled into the big office.

"OK, Inga, let's get this ready for transmission," said Radek to Dr. Haushaur clapping his hands together.

"Yes, let's get started," she replied with a smile and her own clapping of hands.

They stood at the console and began their work. He was amazed at the information stored within it. The wraith in their haste to get this lab functioning had not adequately protected the computer from infiltration. They were still not use to an adversary on semi-equal footing. Few safety protocols were in place, lucky for them. Cavanaugh had already segregated portions of the programs for him to download and send. The boy was a real asset to have in the labs. He would have to lord the fact this child knew almost as much as McKay did about Wraith computers.

Ancient computers, Rodney was king. Totalitarian, despot-type king, Kavanagh was not wrong there, but Rodney backed up his words with actions. So, Radek had pretty basically told ego-maniac Kavanagh to stick it. And after Goa'uld disaster, Kavanagh pretty much did. If he had had a tail, it would have been firmly between his legs as he slunk back to Earth. Of course, the image of Ronon ripping the imaginary tail off and stuffing it down his throat was one he wanted to replay in his head. That really would have been sweet.

"Ok, first portion of codes is ready to be sent, you have it backed up, correct?" He asked Dr. Haushaur.

"Of course, don't want to have to repeat process," she answered irritated.

"Good, I'll continue to search through files while we wait." This trip off-world was less stressful than he thought it was going to be.

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"They make you see things that aren't there," was the first thing Rodney thought as he opened his eyes to the infirmary. He dreamed Carson came, Stackhouse came, and even Ronon and Teyla came to his rescue. That doctor from his first incarceration on Ixion was also there.

You were there, and you were there, and you…

But, no Sheppard. Where was Sheppard? This could all be a massive illusion created by that chair- a final trick to reveal important things and stuff and more stuff. If this was just an illusion, he did not want to get his hopes up only to have them trampled by reality and a Wraith cell in that Godforsaken, underground labyrinth.

Underground installations in the Milky Way galaxy were cool. Underground installations in the Pegasus galaxy sucked.

Cheyenne Mountain- cool.

Grandmother's basement with the camel saddle and photo lab- cool.

Genii radioactive bunker- not cool, it sucked.

He finally screwed up his courage to look around the room and saw the aftermath of apparent carnage. Ronon sawed Redwoods with his snoring; Lorne shifted uncomfortably in his sleep with wads of bandaging from his head to his back; Elizabeth slept restlessly in the bed next to him on her side; and Teyla stood next to his bed on the otherside.

Once his heart restarted, she bowed her head and greeted him with a not quite happy smile, "Rodney."

Fuck. Saying his name made his stomach drop to his toes and boomerang into his throat. McKay knew he was nowhere near the best at decoding human emotions or body language or facial expressions, but everything about Teyla was wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong and wrong.

This could not be an illusion by the chair. Those had been so cheerful and blew smoke up his skirt to get the information they wanted. There was none of that in her face. Reality could be such a downer.

He scanned the room again. There were two missing from their surviving group- the pacifier sucking, verdant green, Pegasus galaxy toddling newbie and ...

"Where're Cpl. Cavanaugh and Col. Sheppard?" He was past polite and into demanding in just the five seconds he had been awake.

Teyla's face did exactly what he hoped it would not do; it went neutral. She looked over him to the bed on the otherside. Turning his head (painfully), he wantonly glared at a now awake Elizabeth.

"Cpl. Cavanaugh's returning from Ixion as we speak. Col. Sheppard is…Rodney…"

There it was again, his name said so as to placate him. He wanted to scream.

"Don't you even tell me…" he started, but stopped at the pitying look given by Elizabeth.

"Rodney, he's still on the Hive ship," finished Elizabeth looking him in the face. He did not miss the clawing at the blanket and the fidgeting of her leg.

I am not going to hyperventilate; I am not going to panic. I am going to get good and angry; I am going to yell! "YOU LEFT HIM!"

"No," replied Elizabeth as Teyla said, "Yes."

"Which is it?" He asked turning his head (painfully) between the two. "It can't be both!"

Before they could answer, Carson came bounding into the room with a nurse in tow. "What's all this?" Beckett snarled at the three of them. He too was in scrubs and the nurse seemed to be chastising him for being out of bed. "Rodney, don't get all worked up! We just got you stabilized."

"No we about it," commented the nurse under her breath.

Carson gave her a scathing glare and swatted at her half-heartedly as he stood at the end of Rodney's bed.

"You…left…him…behind?" Rodney accused once again punctuating each word and with great emphasis on the end.

"Oh," said Carson realizing the subject of the conversation they were having. His face did the same thing Teyla's did.

Rodney did not want to see the male version of it either.

"What happened? He wasn't brought back to the cells?"

"No, a young man informed the Wraith of our teams rescue plans. They were ready for our teams in his area faster than in ours. They were undermanned at the house so that's why you were easily rescued," reported Elizabeth. "Cadman tried…" she said trying to placate him, again.

"I should've guessed," he sneered. He knew on a certain level that Cadman would not have left him if she had any other choice. He just was not going to concede that yet.

"Rodney," warned Carson, "They flooded that area with guards. Only the explosions set off by Ford's men…" Carson stopped at the wide-eyed look Rodney gave him.

"Where's Ford?" Rodney felt like he wanted to jump out of the bed and hide in a safe corner of the infirmary. "He left me with her."

"Who Rodney?"

"Lia, she's crazy," Rodney's eyes frantically scanned the room. "You didn't bring her here, did you?"

"Ford's gone and Lia's with her people. They'll take care of her." Carson sounded oddly calm about the fact Ford did not come back with them.

"Earth!" Rodney yelled. "They know how to get to Earth!"

"It's alright Rodney, that's being taken care of as we speak," relayed Elizabeth. "Caldwell is compiling a report to send the SGC this afternoon."

Rodney was beside himself because Earth was in danger. Not only that, they had been on Ixion and they had been on a Hive ship that was now in hyper-space on a grocery run to end all grocery runs and they had left his best friend there with a Queen that had a thing (and not a good thing) for him and he had given them the map to the Stars' homes.

And, holy fuck, the pain meds were wearing off. He grimaced and groaned, "I've got to figure out how to get past their scrambling…because I couldn't keep my mind closed or my mental mouth shut."

"Don't do this to yourself, Rodney," mediated Elizabeth. "You held out for as long as humanly possible. You only gave them one other piece of info, the Prometheus."

He gave a pain filled smile, "Yeah, thought they'd see right through that one. I guess it was enough of the truth that the chair didn't catch my non-truth."

And yikes, now his head and entire spinal column wanted to throb in time with his heart. His teeth clenched hard enough to make his eyes water and he twisted the blanket with his fists.

"Doctor!" Carson called to Biro. "It's time for…"

"I'm sending a nurse now!" Biro called back from a sleeping Ronon's bed. She checked his vitals and re-checked his IV's while marking notations on his chart.

She walked over to the cluster of people around McKay's bed. "You are free to go, Dr. Beckett."

Carson hitched his eyebrows and smiled big. "Don't have to tell me twice!"

"BUT, you will remain off duty until your shift tomorrow," she added sternly.

His smile calmed somewhat as Rodney's grew bigger and then eased back as a nurse added a little something to the IV.

"Now juju man, you know how it feels to be scolded like a two year old."

"Ach, but I will listen and enjoy my down time. Do a little studying…"

"Bed, rest, eat, that's it," ordered Biro as she walked away. "I have my own network of spies too, Dr. Beckett." She shot him a sly, serious expression.

Rodney's smug smile faded as the meds took over. "We can't let him down you know," he said as his brain went back to the reason he was angry in the first place.

No one answered him.

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Pockets were among the greatest inventions ever created. They hid wonderful treasures such as buttons, toys and treasures from her father's lab that this filth did not deserve to touch. Pockets and big folds in her skirt hid her knife that she knew how to wield with great flourish and expertise.

Her knife sank into the soft flesh of a one time friend and it stole his life like he had stolen her father's quest. She eased the old man to floor of her former bedroom, quickly removed the knife, and placed a quilt her mother had made over him.

Her musings continued while wiping the knife on the quilt. The lesser beings had stolen Te'Jon through that gnarled-haired cretin and his devastating personal arsenal. She placed her hand on a streak of Te'Jon's blood still on her bodice and mourned him for a moment. His memory led her to Osy remaining on the Hive ship when it undertook its journey. Osy would witness the end of their civilization leaving her forever alone in this once happy place. She had nothing left here.

With the grace of one mad enough, and madness it was, she walked down the grand staircase past the others who did not deserve sanctuary in her house. Those that lived on her planet and were protected by the shield milled in the great hall and other rooms on the first floor even though it was gone. They had sought protection by a shield that her father had acquired to do that very thing. They had turned on him and snubbed him while he was alive. They condemned him for his avarice and guile in kidnapping people who could help. Her fellow Ixionites had no right to be here either. Let the Wraith return and cull them- they deserved it.

Casually, she slipped into the stairwell and walked down to the level under the intruders who were trying to discover a way to stop the Hive ship. She could not let them do that. They had had their opportunity to help her people, her family, her father; but they chose deceit instead. For that, they should feel like she felt now- cold, numb, and empty.

Oh yes, her pockets hid treasures from her father's lab that this filth did not deserve to touch. Treasures that the Genii had left when they traded with her father last. Treasures she had practiced with and stolen ammunition for from that insane, horrible-looking Aiden Ford. That horrible Aiden Ford stole from her as well, just like his ex-compatriots. She would have to hope retribution from elsewhere would find him. There was not enough time for him now.

Lia walked the corridors until she stood in front of a small storage room. She could not hurt Dr. McKay who had those distracting eyes, but she could send a blow through the others stationed here. She grabbed one last trinket that her father had forbidden anyone to touch because of its volatile nature. She cradled it lovingly and left to finish her task.

It was time to rid her house of the usurpers of her father's things. It was time to go home to Daddy and Mama and Lycee and Bama and Aggie. It was time to put things right.

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"Unscheduled off-world activation," reported Sgt. Harriman.

General Landry stood behind him and watched the Stargate engage and quickly shut down. That usually meant only one thing, Atlantis was calling home. However, they were not due for another two days. He was having an "oh shit" moment.

"Priority message, your eyes only, sir."

"Send it to my office, sergeant." He left the control room and entered his office a few seconds later. Sitting down in his comfy, leather, office chair he opened up the message.

Well, this is a fine kettle of fish, he thought to himself. The very nature of his job was to be the front line in dealing with alien races, whether they were aggressive or friendly. He already had the semi-omnipotent Ori and the hapless, demigod-like Goa'uld to deal with. Now, it looked like the Wraith were coming to pay a visit.

For some unfathomable reason, Earth was the hub of the Universe. And, according to the Wraith, it was the best restaurant this side of Orion's belt. Lucky them, he would have to have Col. Mitchell introduce the bastards to grits.

O'Neill said with that irritating, nonchalant smile of his, there would be days like this. He just did not warn him that they would be regular, or more accurately, frequent occurrences. Landry was feeling bamboozled. He was going to have to give his fellow General a little call, and yes, whining was an appropriate tone between Generals. First, he had to get things rolling.

"Sergeant, I need Dr. Lee and Col. Carter in my office ASAP." He leaned back in his comfy, leather, office chair. They had plenty of time to come up with a plan because, usually, they did not get weeks to try and save the world.

Still, a great man once said, "Today is not a good day to give up glue sniffing."

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A/N: The boxes dwindle, the bunnies run freely and I can breath easier. Thank goodness I remembered to put air holes in the boxes or it would have been a disaster for the bunnies. Thanks to all those reading and/or leaving feedback. Hope you continue to enjoy. :)