Sheppard had nodded off to sleep, or what could be called sleep. His mind was kind of drifting between reality and his dreams. He heard the evil voice that took over Havoc when he first came to Atlantis. He tried to drown out the memory and fall back asleep. The General had left them alone and they had a moment of peace. The dark voice came back. Sheppard frowned as he begged his brain to rest.
"WAKE UP YOU LAZY SON OF A GUN!"
Sheppard awoke and looked at where the voice was coming from. The tiny pad on Rodney's lap was lit up and beeping. Rodney and Teyla were staring at it. Ronon was still trying to cut his way out of the chair. Shadow Havoc spoke through the pad.
"You're nearly as thick headed as Havoc! God damn…"
"How are you in my computer?" Rodney asked, staring at the pad.
"Havoc siphoned me from his brain into this pad from over twenty miles away. He wanted me to warn you about something."
"What is it?" Teyla asked eagerly.
"To stay away from him, at all costs... His power levels have gone through the roof and I can't regulate them anymore. Right now, he's a bit more than ten miles away. His mutation is starting to break through and his energies are horribly clashed. He's ready to destroy anything in his way to you guys. He banished me from his system completely so I wouldn't 'die', so to speak."
"Is he in pain?" Teyla asked. The computer snorted.
"Is that a trick question? Right now, his memories, his power levels, his own DNA, and his rage are threatening to burst from the seams all at once. If he refuses to mutate, it's bye-bye to half of this galaxy."
"Why is he so mad…?"
"Between you guys and his pain, an ascended buddy just took a little visit and brought bad news. The Ancients were angry at Havoc, so they forced the man who raised him to give up ascension. Havoc didn't take it well. This may be why…"
"Why what?"
"Why don't you think the Ancients just sent the super soldiers to every Wraith planet and go on a killing spree? They were afraid. They tried to take away the human factor, take away the only thing keeping them down. This instability is exactly why the damn air heads wanted the project canceled. Cause Havoc is an example of what they all could have done. Can you imagine the carnage if Havoc had just gone feral in the city? Be happy he snapped here and not there…"
"So that light was…"
"A warning. A very polite warning. I'd say that the Genii base you're in will be nothing but ash in about an hour…"
The base they were in was at the foot of the mountain, surrounded by a large concrete wall. Guard towers and spot lights dotted the range. Inside were a few buildings, a big open area and some small shacks. There were troops walking around, hopped up on the Wraith enzyme and itching to fight Havoc. Tens of thousands of cameras and eyes watched the front Gate. The air grew thick with anticipation. In the control room, the team and the General watched every move from every angle imaginable. The snow fell like a gentle powder.
The man on the far side of the Gate screamed. The cement gates, thirty feet tall and three feet thick exploded into dust. A cloud enveloped in fireballs stood where the Gate was. Twenty soldiers yelled and fired round after round of gunfire into the cloud. After a minute of continuous fire, they stopped. Teyla gasped. A figure stepped from the clouds. But the figure wasn't human…
Or it used to be human…
Havoc was still in his leather jacket, but it was horribly torn. His wings had grown and produced glowing spikes at intervals on the bone. In between the dragon wings, a giant pair of angel wings had grown. Ribbons of light orbited around the feathers. Havoc's right arm had grown to an odd size, a humongous clawed hand on his wrist. Havoc's legs were bent like an animals, his eyes blood red and silted like a demon's. Even though the Shadow Havoc was gone, his voice was ominous.
"THE DAY OF REDEPTION IS AT HAND!" Havoc yelled. His voice sounded larger and slightly more metallic. He lifted a claw; his eyes flared. The tiny pad in the shed beeped. It started to play "Bullet-Proof Skin".The Genii charged. Havoc slowly walked foreword as the rock guitar blasted from the pad all over the base. The Genii kept going. They clashed. Havoc's fist slammed into a soldier's face, knocking his head off completely. Havoc watched the gore drip off his fingers. Blood splashed the ground. A soldier tried to sneak up and attack, but a swift kick to the neck said other wise. The blood from his body splashed onto his comrades. The group jumped on Havoc, a flurry of punches and gunfire. A light in the center of the pile grew brighter until several bodies burst into flame. Greasy fires fueled by blood and anger engulfed the group of soldiers and sent the remaining humans scattering. Havoc stood in a giant pile of corpses. On his back, the team noticed that the package was hanging from a strap. Havoc reached up and grabbed the wrap and ripped it off.
It was revealed to be a giant, man sized blade in a sheath. Havoc grabbed the end handle and pulled it out. The sword was about seven feet long. The handle was woven red and black leather with gold flowing through it. The hilt was actually and upside down Stargate Chevron, the orange crystal dark. Connected to that was the five and a half foot blade, made of silver naquadah on one side, black naquadah on the other. Veins that looked like microchip drives glowed and pulsed with life up the side of the blade. A Gate address was stamped on the side of the blade, arching glyphs glowing in the fire light.
"To be hacked down by the Chevron Sword… it is an honor to you…" Havoc said, hefting the one ton sword with ease. The crystal flared orange and a halo of light covered the blade. Havoc dashed foreword. A jeep with a mounted machine gun lay before him. The driver got out as the gunner started training the attacking individual. The rounds of lead tore into Havoc's flesh, shoulder exploding in blood. Havoc just winced and kept charging. He brought the blade in a slashing X. The man froze eyes wide. The gun at his hands split into four. He grabbed his chest as he himself fell apart. The blade shined red. A hanger nearby caught his attention. The door opened slowly and two tanks came out, turrets aiming at him. Havoc snarled at the machines, fangs bore. Two jeeps with full armaments emerged from the wreckage of the first jeep. Havoc lifted his free hand and closed the fist. The jeeps jumped into the air and slammed together. The shrapnel tore into Havoc's angel wings, making dark blood splash down on the ground. The shrapnel also hit a fuel line tank in the alley. Gasoline and oil splashed down on the snow, pungent smell making its way up to the sheds where John and his friends were standing with the Genii leader was watching the miniature apocalypse. Skotz was not smiling or being anywhere near as cocky as he was before. He hadn't just pissed off a mere weapon. He had pissed off a god.
The guard towers shined their spotlights on Havoc. The guns tracked him and fired. Havoc spun the blade so he would become a spinning tornado of steel. The bullets ricocheted off the sword and splattered the men around him. White snow became a melting mud pit of blood. The tanks fired at Havoc. He stopped spinning and jumped out of the way. The fiery rounds attacked the gas coated ground. The line of pipes exploded, moving up the towers and surrounding the entire base in fire and explosions as each tower shattered. In the shed, the General sighed and grabbed a gun on the shelf. He ushered the team out of the shed.
"What the…? Where are we going?" Rodney asked suddenly. Skotz gave a nervous laugh.
"We've had a change of plans."
Havoc tore down the door in the shack. The horrible tortured screams of the wounded and dying men drifted through like a chorus of the damned. The crackling light of the fire shone through the doorway. Havoc stepped in. Monitors and the empty chairs sat in the deserted room. Havoc looked around, fury boiling over. The Chevron Sword was strapped to his back. A flashing light caught his attention. He lifted a chair and looked under it. A timer with two seconds left was counting down. Havoc swore and looked around. He tried to run, but the lack of blood forced him to his knees as the shed was enveloped in a sphere of light.
The general threw the team down on a platform and had two gun batteries with some personnel aimed down at them. He stared at the shattered remains of the shack Havoc had been led into. The Genii man tapped the controls and the turrets swiveled down to Sheppard and his comrades.
"You have proven yourselves too dangerous to keep as just bait. If the weapon is confirmed to be dead, then you shall be executed in a fitting matter."
"You're crazy!" John yelled back. Skotz just laughed.
Havoc opened his eyes. The shattered remains of the building surrounded him, pieces of wood still hanging above him. He tried to get up. The lack of blood kept him down. His rage ebbed away. Havoc strained to sit up when he heard the General's voice with his extra sensitive hearing. The general was going to kill his friends. His fury swirled around and tried to come back. His hand touched something. He looked down. A syringe, still intact lay scorched on the floor. Havoc eyed the liquid.
"Ego… indaeo… falatus…" He groaned. Some nano bots in his blood scanned the liquid through his eyes. Information rolled across his mind.
Wraith enzyme…chemically enhanced… can… boost strength temporarily… by a factor of… tenth power… His mind went back to the medical analysis Weir and Beckett told the others. His only shot to save his friends would to succumb to the mutations and turn dragon… but would his psyche still remain intact? Or would he just become a monster? A power boost? Havoc thought. Can I do this…?
Havoc picked up the syringe and stared into its depths. He thought of his friends, at gun point. He thought of all they had done for him. He snarled and plunged the needle into his arm.
Skotz came back from talking to a small group of survivors. He didn't look pleased. He walked over to the controls and primed the turrets. The humans struggled to get free. The general had lost his mind and was going to kill the team. Sheppard yelled at him, but the Genii man had no common sense left.
"I have orders from my superior that before this plan falls too out of control, I am to execute you."
"C'mon, General! You don't want to go all or nothing!" John screamed back.
"The Genii owe you this, Sheppard!" The General yelled. The soldiers nodded and opened the turrets safeties. The muzzles flashed as the rounds tore out. Time seemed to slow down. Sheppard winced. Rodney screamed. A ground shattering roar pierced the air.
"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
A shadow of immense size arched from a fire and made a giant wall in front of the shrapnel. The explosions resounded nearby. Everything grew quiet. Rodney opened one eye.
"Are we dead…?" He asked looking up. Smoke swirled around them. A giant silver eye stared down at them. Teyla swallowed.
"Havoc…?" She asked, scared. She had never seen anything this big that was alive. The giant eye blinked down at her. A thunderous voice answered.
"I'm the Chevron Dragon now…"
The smoke cleared and they saw what had come to their rescue. It looked like a dragon, but it had mechanical parts attached to some places. The head was narrow, horns sprouting out of the back. A few teeth poked out of the upper jaw. A scar traced the side of the right eye. Small nostrils breathed smoke. The chin had what looked like fur instead of scales, white hairs glistening. A mane of silver hair burst from the back of the head, connected to a long neck that had spikes running on the back of the spine. The Chevron Sword was strapped to these spines. Huge claws were wrapped around the humans, a mix of black flame designs and the white claw itself. A pipe extended from the shoulder to the mid gut. The metal was glowing hot, with a similar metal plate on the back knee, bolted into the scales. A long tail twitched with every movement. The white wings molded at the base with the golden scales, making it beautiful to look at. The back legs had pistons attached, which burst open and vented steam. This made Rodney jump.
"What did this? What happened to this…?" Sheppard asked. The Chevron Dragon turned its massive head around and opened its mouth. Glistening teeth appeared. Rodney collapsed on the ground. The dragon spat out the syringe. Ronon caught it.
"The enzyme. It pushed his dragon form out." The beast nodded. "What do we call you now?"
The dragon paused. It stared at the humans and spoke.
"My human side is Havoc… but my current form is… Chevron…"
The reunion was cut short by more bullets slamming Chevron into submission. Blood splattered the dragon's back. The giant winced.
"Go… Shadow Havoc will take you to the caves… you'll need to wait there until I can shake these guys off…"
"What will you do in the meantime?" Teyla asked. Chevron shook his head.
"I will hold them off as long at I can… Now leave me! GO!" Sheppard grabbed Teyla's shoulder and they ran towards the Gate, Ronon and McKay running behind them. Chevron's head turned. He charged. One of the turrets was out of ammo. The guard tried his best to get free, but not before the giant creature grabbed the side of the tower and snaked a head over. He grabbed the screaming human by the neck and chewed on the corpse. He shook his head and spat the mangled flesh wad out.
"You humans taste foul. Good thing you're good for killing at least!" The dragon jumped for the second gun, but met a wall of bullets. He snarled and roared at the tiny humans before taking flight for the entrance. He hovered over the SGA team and landed with a crash. Blood splashed everywhere. John looked back at the gun placements.
"Can't you just breathe fire on them and get it over with?"
"Breathe fire? And how the hell and I suppose to know that one!"
"Dragons are supposed to know that!" John yelled, part of him wondering why he was arguing with a two ton killing machine.
"That's a stereo-type, damn it!"
Bullets whizzed by. The dragon and John took one look at the guns and a look at each other and both started clamoring to the busted gates. Chevron looked back at the gins. He shook his head and ran faster, galloping ahead of the humans. Outside the gates, he turned and flared his wings open. The humans rushed behind him and stopped.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?"
"Experimenting…"
Chevron opened his mouth and stood his ground, aiming at the Genii. Nothing happened. Rodney muttered something and Teyla hit him. Suddenly, humming was heard coming from Chevron's mouth. A sphere of light was forming in his throat. Electricity crackled and sparked from his teeth. His eyes turned white. Something clicked and the pistons in his legs slammed down. What looked like a stream of lightning shot from his mouth. Safe to say, he missed. The stream impacted the side of the mountain. The snow cap started to crumble. A wave of snow was coming down. The avalanche came rushing for the wrecked base. Sheppard punched Chevron's hide.
"Idiot! I said breathe fire, not blow half of the damn mountain up!"
"Sheppard…"
"What…!"
"We should run…"
Chevron reached down and scooped up the group of humans and crouched on his back legs. The pistons on his back legs exploded open and he took off with a screaming Rodney just as the slide of snow covered what used to be the Genii stronghold.
Weir stood in the control room, watching the rippling Gate. She silently wondered what Havoc would look like when he came through. Sheppard had said a "small change", but he sounded a little too cheerful when she asked for an example. The Gate sparked and the team stepped through. They were all covered in snow. Sheppard held the wolf pup, which was trying to lick his face. Teyla and Ronon were comforting a shaking McKay. Weir walked down the stairs. She looked over Rodney and then Sheppard and the pup. He read her thoughts.
"Hey! Hey! It's not mine. He's Havoc's…"
"Yes… Where is Havoc?"
Just then, fairy tales knock off stepped from the Gate, barely. Chevron turned his head to the Gate and pulled his tail out quickly as the Stargate shut down. He looked at Weir and dipped his head. She stared with wide eyes at him. She saw the scar on his right eye and she stepped back.
"What…what… what is that…?"
"Don't ask Weir… just don't ask… and we won't have any confusion… or problems…"
Rekhyt walked in and took a look at the dragon. He ran a hand through his silver hair and shook his head.
"You are so immature, you know that…"
"Like I give a-"
Right there and then, Sheppard, his team, and Weir all knew they would need a vacation after all this had been straightened out.