Title: Lost

Author: atlantis child (Command Dynamics), innocent choir girl The Wraith return to Atlantis again. Spoilers for all seasons one and two.

Genres: Angst, Drama, Mystery & Suspense, Missing Scene

Warnings: Abuse, Character Death, Torture, Violence

Rating: PG-13

Chapter: 4 "Ziploc Bag"

Author's Notes: Sorry it's taken me so long to add to this story! I…sort of forgot about it? shakes head Don't you love how life can turn you around so much and make you forget stuff that you're working on? So annoying! But alas, hopefully I'll be all about adding to the Atlantis fics ;)

The Wraith had killed few, but captured many more. Those they had captured had either been retrieved from their hibernation in the darts or had been marched right into cells. Either way, they were all deposited in the same area. Wraith cells. And when the ships were shot down, they had simply been tossed about and injured even more so than they originally had been before the ship had slowly begun to flood.

"Please tell me that they're not thinking that they can simply go into hibernation mode like some bear sleeping through winter!" Rodney exclaimed after they hadn't seen Wraith walking about in some time. The water level had been slowly increasing ever since the crash.

"Anyone else hungry?" someone asked.

Rodney turned around, his face showing just how panicked he was. "How can you be hungry at a time like this?" He paused for a minute before opening his mouth again, "Wait/I'm/ hungry! Don't we have something to eat? Like…one of those Nutri-Grain bars? Or-or a Powerbar?"

Elizabeth was sitting in the water with her back up against the wall watching them all. She took comfort in the fact that they hadn't left Atlantica. Atlantis was close, she could almost feel it, and she knew that Sheppard would come for them. "Rodney, none of us were carrying packs or anything…and even if we were…the Wraith would have taken it away anyways. We just have to sit and wait. Sheppard and Caldwell are out there. I'm sure it won't be long until they're down here."

Hysterical laughter filled the cell, causing everyone to look in Rodney's direction. "Right…I'm sure military genius is gonna get them /down/ here /under/ water and completely able to mount a rescue mission."

"The Daedalus does have a transporter," someone pointed out.

"And /how/ much water do they have to try to find us through?" he asked before starting to pace. "And as we all waste away down here…and may I add we'll soon be freezing when more water comes in here? Do you know what these conditions are doing to my brain? Precious brain cells are being lost!"

"I think he's lost it," someone whispered to the person next to them.

"Hey! I have no /lost/ it!" he yelled at them hearing the whispering. He paused and sighed, his shoulders slumping, "Well-well…maybe I have…"

"Rodney. Just calm down. Zelenka's up there, too," Elizabeth spoke up. She had been sitting for some time. The Wraith had fed on her for a brief couple seconds, but did she feel weak and then she had been thrown around in the crash. Her legs had been hit pretty hard, and she was sure that she was completely bruised up and down. The water was already making her cold. But keeping a good image in front of her team. She felt like shivering though.

Rodney huffed, "Don't get me started on Zelenka." He sighed and started to pace. "You know what this is like? Like being in a Ziploc bag with a rock in it and being thrown into the ocean… That stupid flimsy seal is slowly giving way and letting in the water, but still keeping us inside." When he saw the looks he was getting he pointed to his injury. His head had made contact with the bulkhead causing it to bleed pretty bad for a while, but now was just crusted. "I'm injured, be kind. And if I'm crazy, it's a genius type of crazy anyways."

"Doctor Weir," one of the others said a bit worried.

The water had risen several more inches in the last couple of hours and everyone had become worried, when Doctor Weir had fallen asleep sitting against the wall and then had started to shiver. It wasn't just mild shivering, it was the kind that made her whole body shake, and made everyone else shiver just from watching. The water was cold, there was no doubt about it, it was direct in from the ocean with no heating.

"They're not coming," another said.

Rodney stepped forward and leaned over and shook Elizabeth. "Wake up, Elizabeth," he said firmly and almost desperately. He wasn't about to let her get off that easily. Plus, he knew he'd need someone to talk him down later.

The shaking was what mostly woke Elizabeth, but she was so cold. It seemed better to stay in the cold place that she was already in than to make the effort of waking up and opening her eyes. She was tired…weak…hurt… But it was no use, and she knew exactly who it was, there was no way he would let her just freeze there unconsciously. He was too demanding to just let them be how they were.

Forcing her eyes opened, she felt the cold even more intensely and when she tried to move her legs and bend her knees sharp pain shot up her legs. Tears forced their way out of her tear ducts and down her cheeks. She was just so cold that it hurt. Rodney tried to help her up, but her body didn't feel up to it. "No…"

"Elizabeth, you'll freeze."

"I don't think I could manage standing for long," she told him trying to stay as calm as possible. "The water's still low enough where I can still sit here," she reasoned and tried not to think about how long that would truly last.

TBC