Author's Note: Although I have been a fan of both of the Stargate series for a good while, this is the first Atlantis piece that I have ever written. It was fun experimenting in second-person. In any case, I hope you all enjoy, and reviews are always lovely. ;D
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Chase
There is this certain rush you feel, a rush of hatred and adrenaline, which pushes you forward every time you catch glimpse of one of them. You start your chase, your blood beating through your veins so fast that you can almost hear it. Nothing seems to matter now; your assigned mission is nothing compared to this. Your gaze flickers in the direction of your comrades. Sheppard is yelling your name, Teyla watches you carefully, and McKay looks exasperated. No difference. The chase must go on.
Your pulse beats insistently behind your ears. Time to run.
Everything is a blur now, a mixture of shapes, colours, and textures that you can hardly recognize. You see a flash of blue-grey skin peek through the foliage ahead, and that is all that really matters anymore, in your blurred world. A snarl appears on your already fierce features. It will not get away. You push past a thick rope of vines and leap over a log rotting on the forest floor. You are getting closer to it.
There is a certain eagerness, a certain freeness, in your movement. The sheen of paranoia that surrounded your mind until recently has been banished, but the urgency in your movement still remains. Chase, or be chased. The mantra beats its own rhythm in your brain. No longer are you controlled by them, their evil, their hunger, their lust for the hunt. For once, you are not running from them but to them, chasing the creatures that ruined your life to wreak your revenge.
You wonder idly, as you sprint, as to whether or not the Wraith can fear. If they can feel anything but egoism and bloodlust. A smirk suddenly curls on your chapped lips. If they don't fear you – and your comrades – already, you will make them. They will know your hate, your determination, your skill. The thought makes you run faster.
Branches, sticks, and leaves are cracking and whipping behind you. You know your comrades are following, ready to intervene if necessary. You feel a slight twinge of regret when you think about how you are diverting them from the current trading mission. But you do not want the innocents of this planet to fall victim like yours had. Only a few deserved death at the hands of the Wraith.
Sometimes you wonder if revenge is the only reason you chase the Wraith at every opportunity. Your mind drifts back to a training practise a few days back. As usual, you had met the challenge successfully… you always did well with hand-to-hand combat. Leaving the practise to return to your room, you couldn't help but overhear one of the men. "… he's just as fierce and strong as the Wraith, good lord…" You had turned slightly, poised to connect your fist to the jaw of the speaker. There had also been that flicker of fear that tainted Teyla Emmagen's guarded eyes when you had killed your taskmaster from long ago. The Athosian was a strong one. She regarded the Wraith with intense caution, and disappointingly, the look in her eyes became that intense when she glared at you. Teyla's threatening words had echoed in your mind ever since, "If you ever do such a thing again…"
Are you truly like the Wraith, the creatures you hated most? It couldn't be. You hunt them, just as they had hunted you. Their pride is deep, so is yours. You fight with amazing ferocity, so do they. You have killed many in your lifetime, and the Wraith, even more. These parallels burn your thoughts, until you see red. You don't want to be like them. But what sets you apart?
Abruptly you come to a halt, ducking behind a large tree stump. You motion the others down as well. The Wraith is near by, probably gathering its other comrade in order to prepare for retaliation. You slide out your gun, poised to shoot. A sudden, shrill scream cuts through the air and you trade glances with the team. Sheppard and McKay curse under their breath while Teyla narrows her eyes. The Wraith have captured someone from the village. Damn.
"Let's go," you bark, standing up and rushing towards the noise, not caring whether or not they follow. You skid to a halt, seeing two Wraith feeding upon two people, a man and a woman. They look so helpless, eyes rolled up to the sky, slowly transforming before your eyes. You have seen this scene all too many times. With ease, you lift your gun and shoot. The first Wraith falls and the second looks up from his feeding to glare viciously at you. By this time, Sheppard has caught up and immediately starts firing, pelting the Wraith with bullets until he stays down and doesn't come back up. McKay stares at the battered corpses for a moment before excusing himself to the trees. Teyla rushes to the bodies, to see if there is any hope of the man and woman's survival, but you already know the answer.
It dawns upon you then, as you stand amongst the fallen bodies, that you are very different from the Wraith, no matter the similarities. What sets you apart from them is that you are fighting for the right thing. You are fighting for humanity, fighting for all the harmless people in the universe who must live in fear of a culling every single, bloody day. You are fighting for your new… friends, who are protecting their own world located light years away. You are right and they – the Wraith – are just wrong. A small laugh leaves your throat as you realise how philosophical you are. 'Leave the philosophising for free time, not the field,' you think to yourself, nudging a fallen Wraith corpse with the toe of your boot.
"Let's go," you repeat, looking at the Lieutenant Colonel for confirmation. Sheppard nods, smiling grimly. They had to inform the village now, of its dead. McKay returns from the bushes, gulping water from his canteen to wash away the acrid taste of vomit. He makes a face and Teyla chuckles. You roll your eyes as the four of you walk away from the dead bodies.
You give the clearing one last look. This chase has ended, but the bigger one has only just begun.
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Fin.