Chapter 1
Rodney was excited, the rest of the team, not so much. He had gotten some unusual energy readings, which he thought might be Ancient structures. Always a chance of finding more ZPMs. They had been flying around for several hours, and all but Rodney wanted to head home. "We can't stop yet! Just a few more flyovers! Please?" Rodney pleaded. This word was one he rarely used, and the team couldn't help but smile. "What's so funny?" he asked.
"You being humble," Ronon said, which caused a ripple of laughter.
Rodney's face got red. "You're all mean!" he whined, and began muttering about how unappreciated he was.
"OK," John said. "We'll take a vote, majority rules. Right hand raised, yes. Left hand,no."
Rodney's right hand shot up.
"If there's nothing there, you get to spar with me," Ronon said with a wicked grin, raising his right hand.
"I'm tired," John said, raising his left hand.
Teyla hesitated, then raised her right hand.
"Too bad, majority rules!" Rodney said with a smirk, his usual attitude back.
"So much for humble," John muttered, as he turned the jumper around.
After a time, Rodney located the source, which was a small planet called Borgo by many Pegasus locals. It had no Gate, and a weird looking moon made of a reddish brown rock. Most had an aversion to the place, many of the more superstitious natives were fearful. But on questioning, there was nothing more definite than "it's an evil place." Teyla and Ronon had both heard of it, but had never given it much thought.
Flying over the planet, some life signs were seen in one location. They landed and followed the readings, until they reached a small village, reminiscent of Medieval Europe on Earth. Several men met them with spears in hand, wooden shields, and sheathed swords. They spoke in their language, and did not understand English, but Rodney caught a few Ancient words. He spoke to them in Ancient, and they relaxed their posture some, and replied in the same language. After a short conversation, Rodney said, "they believe we are Ancients returned. A trader told them the Ancestral City is now inhabited. So much for secrecy!" he said with a frown.
"I thought no one came here," John said.
"This trader scoffs at superstition," Rodney said. "At least somebody has some intelligence!"
"Rodney, you should have respect for people's beliefs, even if you disagree," Teyla replied.
"Sometimes superstitions have some truth behind them," Ronon said.
"Neanderthals!" Rodney muttered to himself.
The men were curious about Ronon's sword. He let them see it, but not touch. They were also curious about the team's firearms, but again, look but not touch. Rodney spoke with them again, then said, "they want a shooting demonstration, then they will lead us to their village."
One of the men hung his shield on a tree, and the team each fired first their 9mm side arms, then their P90s. The locals were impressed. Then Ronon blew away what was left of the target with his blaster. They were even more impressed, telling Rodney they would be honored to have them visit their village.
It was nestled in a valley, surrounded by farm land and pastures filled with grazing animals similar to cows. Then a steep slope rose up to a cliff, where a stone structure sat on the edge. It reminded John and Rodney of a castle, something rarely encountered in Pegasus galaxy. Anything like that would have been destroyed by the Wraith millennia ago. "That is where the signals are coming from," Rodney said.
Just then the village leader came out to greet them, with an invitation to the tavern for food and ale. The tavern was rustic, with small vases of a white flower on every window sill. The same flowers were on the outside of the doors. They smelled a little like garlic. The people were polite but curious about the newcomers, and soon the tavern was full. A small group began playing homemade musical instruments, the first songs being rollicking drinking songs, then turned to sad songs of mourning. Some of these were in the local language, others in Ancient, which was considered the "sacred tongue." One particularly sad song was about loved ones carried away, never to be seen again. Rodney translated, and the team assumed it referred to Wraith cullings. Then another happy song lightened the mood.
The villagers were fascinated by the team's clothing. John and Rodney in Atlantis uniform, Ronon in leathers, and Teyla in Athosian casual clothes. She and a village official spoke of future trade clothing tended to be drab, tunics and pants or skirts in rough fabrics. But the happy mood changed when John mentioned the "castle." The people stopped their socializing and became serious, even fearful. Some clutched amulets they all wore around their necks, some murmured what sounded like prayers in Ancient.
"You must not go there, it is an evil place!" the village leader said.
"Evil beings live there!" cried another villager. "These amulets give some protection, and they are slowed, but not stopped, by the white flowers. We don't go out between sunset and sunrise, because the evil ones awake at sunset. You must either leave before the sun sets or stay the night."
"What happens at sunrise?" Rodney asked. He had been translating for the other three, his face barely concealing his scorn for local superstition.
"The evil ones would burn up in the sunlight. They stay in the great stone house until sunset," the villager replied. "People have been caught out after sunset, and disappeared. never to be seen again."
"Are you sure it wasn't a Wraith culling?" John asked.
"We have never been bothered by the Wraith," the village leader said. "They cannot feed on the evil ones, and we assume they think we are one and the same."
Some of the villagers became quite distressed, begging them to stay, as sunset was coming soon. The team moved to a private corner to discuss what to do. No one believed the tale, but they did not want to upset them, as the people obviously believed there was some supernatural danger. Most likely beliefs passed down from far in the past.
They decided to stay, get a good night's sleep, and explore the structure the next morning.
They were shown to a large room with four cots, simple but clean. They unpacked their gear, and sat down to relax. The moon could be seen rising, a deep red in color. "I heard the villagers calling it Bloodmoon," Teyla said.
"Did they somehow get hold of some old vampire movies from Earth?" Rodney said, shaking his head in disbelief. "I kept expecting Bela Lugosi or Christopher Lee to walk in!"
Ronon and Teyla looked at each other and shrugged.
"Who the hell are they?" Ronon asked.
"Actors, both dead now," John answered. "They both played a fictional vampire in movies."
"Vampires?" Ronon said. "There were stories about them on Sateda. Drank human blood."
"On Athos too. Myths that scared children," Teyla said. "But we do not really believe in them."
"Neither do we," said Ronon. "We told stories about them around the camp fire as kids."
"As if you needed any more scary things with the Wraith!" Rodney said with a shudder.
Teyla lay wake, listening to John and Ronon snoring softly, and Rodney snoring loudly. She got out of bed and poked him, telling him to roll on his side, then stuffed a rolled up blanket behind him. Often this helped. She got back in bed but still could not sleep. She was used to the snoring, after many times sharing a room or campsite with the team. She probably snored herself. What was keeping her awake was the memory of her last meditation. They had been on the jumper, flying around for hours while Rodney scanned for signals. Everyone was getting bored and grouchy. She decided to meditate, even tho she did not have her usual candles. Maybe it would calm her and also help the others with their stress. She did not usually have visions but meditation did help her to focus her mind if there was a problem. But this time it was disturbing, and she had felt uneasy ever since. And this was before the villagers' talk of evil beings. She thought of mentioning her feeling to John but did not. She again got out of her bed and went to Ronon's, tapping him on the shoulder. He started awake, and Teyla moved back.
When Ronon first came to Atlantis, they learned to be cautious waking him, as John found out the hard way. The team had been on a mission, sleeping outside, and Ronon had a nightmare. John woke him and got punched. Ronon felt awful. He had gotten over that as he became adjusted to being with people again. His years as a Runner had honed his intuition, and when he sensed danger, the team listened.
"Is something wrong?" Ronon asked.
"Have you felt any sense of danger?" Teyla answered with another question.
"Yes, I have," Ronon said. "No Wraith around or anything else it seems. But it's best to be on guard."
"I meditated when we were in the jumper, and were all getting anxious," she said.
"I remember now! I thought you had fallen asleep!" Ronon said.
"When in meditation, all I saw was blood," Teyla replied.
Back in her bed, she finally fell asleep.
Chapter 2
The next morning, the team ate a hearty breakfast, then prepared to explore the stone structure. Several villagers begged them not to go, and one woman gave them all amulets to wear. Three accepted them graciously, putting them around their necks. Rodney opened his mouth to object but John stepped on his foot, giving him a dirty look. He reluctantly put the amulet on, his face looking like he had just eaten a sour pickle.
Once in the jumper, the scientist took it off and threw it down. "Thanks for breaking my foot, Sheppard! I hope I can walk!" he said angrily.
"I hope so too, cause I'm not carrying you!" Ronon said with a smirk.
They landed near the structure, and headed there, after cloaking the ship. Rodney walked just fine.
The door was massive, but unlocked. "I don't suppose they were expecting company," John said.
It opened with a loud creak. In the entryway stood a statue on a high pedestal, depicting a tall man wearing a long cloak. Slicked back hair, prominent nose, imperious manner. The stone floor was covered with a thick layer of dust. The windows were boarded up, and they needed the lights on their P90's. Walking from room to room, they saw a few pieces of furniture which looked very old, also dusty, and many portraits of the same man. The pictures showed more strongly his imperious expression, and piercing eyes, which seemed to follow the viewer.
A colony of bats was disturbed in one room, flying around wildly before settling back to their hanging roost on the high ceiling. Rodney ducked, pulling his jacket up over his head, a hand covering his throat.
"Better put that amulet back on," John said. "They might be vampire bats!"
"Don't be silly!" Rodney said nervously. "It's cold in here!"
"No it isn't," Ronon said.
Teyla hid a smile, then said, "when we were small, the older children told us bats would get tangled in our hair."
John and Ronon both looked at Rodney's receding hairline. He caught their looks, saying, "don't even say it! Baldness is a sign of an active brain! That's why you two guys have so much hair!"
They continued to explore the large structure. Rather than Ancient, the place had a Gothic look, something John had never seen in Pegasus galaxy, and Rodney agreed. One room looked to be a long unused kitchen, with a door that opened into a pantry, also empty. Other rooms off a long hallway were empty. There were three floors, all looking long abandoned, with no sign of life except the bats, rats and mice, and an occasional centipede-like insect. The second and third floors were empty. There were no bathrooms in the building.
Back on the ground floor, everyone was ready to head home. Rodney paused when they were passing the kitchen.
"What kind of people had no bathrooms?" Rodney complained. "I really need to go and after what happened on the last mission, I refuse to use the out of doors!"
"It's your own fault you pooped in poison ivy!" John said. "Didn't you ever see that cartoon about the unlucky pilgrim?"
"Yeah, watch where you squat!" Ronon said.
"Peeing isn't safe outdoors either! Remember when that big mosquito bit me?" Rodney cried.
"How can we forget!" John said, as Ronon rolled his eyes and shook his head. "All we heard about for a week was your, um, discomfort."
"If I can deal with calls of nature outdoors, you certainly can Rodney!" Teyla said.
"Well, like it or not, you all can wait while I use this," Rodney said, pulling a folding container, toilet paper, hand wipes, and a plastic bag out of his pack. "I will be in the pantry."
They waited in the kitchen area until Rodney emerged, looking relieved. "Everything come out alright?" John asked flippantly. Ronon laughed and Teyla tried hard not to.
"Oh haha, you're such a comedian Sheppard!" Rodney said.
They were heading out the kitchen door when Rodney cried out, "Oh no! I had a small meter in my pants pocket. It must have fallen out while I was, uh, you know," he said as he headed back to the pantry.
"Are we ever going to get the hell out of here?" Ronon growled.
Then they heard a door slam, and Rodney screamed as he ran across the room, his eyes looking terrified. "B-B-Big spider!" John and Ronon looked in the the pantry door, as Teyla tried to comfort Rodney. He looked pale and was gasping for breath. But the pantry was empty.
Rodney finally calmed down, saying, "there is a secret door. I leaned on a spot and it opened."
"Where?" John asked. "We need to check it out."
Reluctantly, Rodney pointed out the spot on the wall, then ran back across the room.
John pressed on the spot, and a pocket door slid into the wall with a loud squeak, and revealed a huge spider web spread across the inside of the doorway. A spider with a body the size of a large dinner plate, legs several feet long, hissed at them, showing long sharp fangs. A blast from Ronon's energy pistol took it out. The web quickly melted away.
"I hope there aren't more of those!" John exclaimed.
"I'll wait here until you find that out," Rodney said in a shaky voice.
"You really want to stay here alone?" John asked, then told Ronon to stay at the top of the stairs.
Rodney joined them as they descended into the cellar. It was dark and full of cobwebs, but their P90 lights showed no evidence of any more spiders. The room was large, with no apparent exits. They were glad Ronon was guarding the door, just in case. Not a place to be locked in!
In the back they found a large alcove with seventeen coffin like boxes. A narrow pipe ran from each box to the wall, where they connected to a larger pipe, next to a door. John stood against the wall on one side of the door, Teyla and Rodney on the other side. John tried the door, but this one was locked. He kicked it open, then jumped back. They waited but nothing happened. John signaled, then he and Teyla went in. Rodney hesitated, then entered.
Rodney stood open mouthed, staring at the strangest scientific equipment he had ever seen. It reminded him of pictures of medieval alchemists. There were beakers of various colored liquids, glowing tubes, and other things that mystified him. The large pipe which ran thru the wall from the boxes was connected to a glass case filled with mist. He badly wanted to investigate it all, but John forbade it, saying they would come back with a scientific team, and a team of Marines.
Ronon hated being left out of whatever was happening, but he knew it was necessary to guard his teammates' backs. He called John on his com to inquire what the noise had been. John told him briefly what they had found and to stay put for the time being.
They left the room, and again looked at the seventeen boxes. John called Ronon again, and Rodney walked around the boxes, and before Teyla could say "no," he opened one and stared in shock. Under the wooden cover was another cover of clear glass, and inside was an elderly man, who seemed to be in stasis. The box was filled with mist. Teyla joined him in staring, and motioned John to come and look. Rodney began removing the top covers, and fifteen more boxes each held a mist covered elderly person. The last box was empty.
"Wait a minute," John told Ronon as he walked over to the open boxes. Then he heard sounds of a scuffle over his com. "Ronon?" he said. But there was no answer. He motioned to the others, and they headed for the stairs, guns drawn. Climbing the stairs, John could see mist swirling in the room, and Ronon lying on the floor.
John squatted down and shook him, but he seemed to be unconscious, with no evidence of injury. Then John began to feel dizzy, and fell to his knees. He tried to tell the others to run but could not form words. He lost consciousness as Teyla sank down next to Ronon, and Rodney fell as he attempted to get to the door.
Chapter 3
Ronon half woke up, feeling groggy, his eyes unfocused, and strapped to a table. He thought about when the Wraith put the tracking device in his back. But he was on his back, with a stinging sensation in the crook of his right arm. He struggled, causing the sting to become pain. He continued to struggle but felt weak.
He heard a voice saying, "Look! That one is waking up!" A pale figure stood over him. A Wraith? It's hand moved close to Ronon's face, and he felt coolness, then lost consciousness.
He woke up again, this time strapped to a bed. Looking around, he saw John asleep in a bed on one side, Teyla asleep on the other. He tried to sit up but could not. He wondered if Rodney was there too. His vision was clear, and he did not feel like he had been stunned, no aches or nausea. Just extreme tiredness. He called out to them both but no reply. He closed his eyes and slept some more.
When he awoke again, a person was standing by his bedside. "I see you are awake again. You have a strong resistance."
Ronon looked at the person, an elderly woman. "Do you want some water?" she asked.
He eyed her suspiciously.
"Don't worry, it's not poisoned or harmful in any way," she said.
He realized he was thirsty, and allowed her to hold the cup as he drank, some water running down his chin. She held his head up a little so he could drink better. He then could see Rodney asleep in a bed past Teyla.
"Where are we?" he asked.
"You will be told everything in good time," she replied, then walked away. Ronon felt exhausted from the effort of drinking. What could be going on?
Eventually the others woke up. They all spoke of being extremely tired.
John said he felt more energetic after a long run and sparring session with Ronon.
Rodney once had to climb thirty flights of stairs, but felt more tired now.
"I was not this exhausted after giving birth to Torren," Teyla said. Tears came to her eyes when she thought of her small son. Amelia was taking care of him.
Ronon vaguely remembered waking up on a table, something wrong with his right arm. The others had no recollection of anything until waking up where they were. He thought of Amelia and how worried she would be.
The it hit Ronon. He had felt weak like this once when he nearly died from blood loss. Looking at his right arm, there was what looked like a needle mark on the inside of his elbow. The area where the doctors in the infirmary drew blood. He told the others to check their arms. They all had the same mark. "Looks like we all had a blood draw!" exclaimed Rodney.
Soon the woman returned with four glasses of water, and helped each one to drink. "You will have food later," she said, then went from bed to bed, putting them again to sleep with the cool mist from her hand.
The next time Ronon woke up, he was lying on a cot, covered with a blanket, his head on a pillow. He realized he was in a cell, still very tired, but not as bad as before. There was a small table with a jug of water and a bowl of fruit. Sitting up, he realized he was wearing only his underwear. He got up and looked for his clothes, finding them on a chair by the table, also his boots, but no weapons. He quickly dressed, and looked around the cell. A barred window on one side showed another cell with John sleeping on a cot. Ronon called to him but he did not wake up. He wondered if Teyla and Rodney were in the next cells. The door was heavy wood like the front door, with a small barred window and a metal tray on the inside. Probably for feeding the prisoners. He kicked the door but it was solid. Seeing a blanket hanging up in a corner, he discovered a makeshift toilet and sink behind it. He used the toilet and washed his hands and face. No soap, but better than nothing. During his runner days, he had forgotten about such niceties and survived. Rodney would have a germaphobe fit!
He sat at the table and drank some water and ate all the fruit. He hoped there was more to eat, fruit did not make a meal. Whoever their captors were, they tried to make the cell as comfortable as a cell could be. He had been in a lot worse.
Ronon began pacing around, anxious to find out what was going on. He could find no escape from the cell. Then he heard John saying, "anybody here?"
"I'm here, buddy!" Ronon said thru the bars. John looked relieved, sitting up in bed and looking around. "Where are my clothes?" he asked.
"Look on the chair," Ronon answered.
John dressed and looked thru his other window. Teyla was waking up, and was relieved to see John, who turned away to give her privacy. "Is Rodney in the next cell?"
"Yes," she replied. "He is still sleeping." He was always the last to wake up after being stunned, or gassed, or in this case, misted.
"I wonder what that mist was?" Ronon said. "No smell or taste, and no after affects, like stunners and gas. And who wants our blood and why?"
"Maybe that's how the vampire legends started," John said.
They speculated about some Wraith scheme, but nothing seemed "Wraithy." Maybe some mad scientist? Rodney might have some idea, if he ever woke up. But it was pleasant to not hear his endless chatter!
Eventually Rodney woke up, calling frantically for his team members, then yelling, "where are my clothes?"
Teyla went to the window and saw Rodney standing next to his cot in his boxers, which had bright red flowers. Seeing her, he grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around him, his face as red as the flowers. "Do not worry," she replied, hiding a grin, "I have no desire to see you undressed. Look on the chair," and turned her back.
Ronon muttered, "nothing there to see." John mumbled something about a magnifying glass, and both men laughed. Teyla pretended she didn't hear.
Chapter 4
They spent their time discussing the situation and possible escape plans. Atlantis would eventually search for them, but their weapons, coms and all of Rodney's equipment had been taken, no idea where. They were underground, no telling how far down. The jumper was cloaked, but the people seemed technologically advanced enough to block the signals. Even if they spoke to the fearful villagers, there was not much to be learned there. The team felt they were on their own.
They also watched people passing by the cells. All had been elderly at first, but now they were younger people. The woman who had first given them water had been bringing their food. Now it seemed to be her daughter. The food improved, meat, vegetables, and bread, along with fruit. Also something she called an energy drink, which had a fruity taste. After three days they felt much stronger.
Being underground, the only way to tell day from night was Rodney's hi tech watch. During the daylight hours, there was almost no traffic outside the cells. But one person occasionally walked by. Sometimes it was the woman who brought their food, and she would stop and ask how they were. John usually said, "as well as can be expected for prisoners." A look of sadness would cross her face, quickly gone. They decided that Teyla should try to engage her in conversation, maybe find out what was going on.
The next time she stopped by, the men lay on their beds, feigning sleep, and Teyla asked her if she could stay and chat, as she missed conversing with another woman. She said she would be back later, after she finished her rounds, and they could speak thru the small window in the door.
"What is your name? I am Teyla."
"I am called Minna," she replied. "I have been longing to talk with you, but it is forbidden. Please do not tell any of the others that we speak."
"You have my word. Why is it forbidden?" Teyla asked.
Minna sighed. "It has been that way since the Leaving."
"What is that?"
"When our Ancestor, Lord Dracuul, left us for another galaxy. His statue and portraits keep his memory alive for us. He promised to return some day, but as yet he has not. Our Leader is his descendant."
"When did he leave?"
"During the war between the Ancients and the Wraith. The Wraith tried to destroy us because they could not feed on us. We were in hiding. Lord Dracuul stowed away on an Ancient ship bound for a far galaxy."
"The Wraith war was ten thousand years ago!" Teyla exclaimed.
"Yes," Minna replied. "We are immortal. The only way we can die is if we are exposed to the sun, then we burn to death."
"Why did your people imprison us and take our blood? We mean you no harm. We are a scientific expedition, in search of Ancient artifacts."
"Are you Ancients?" Minna asked.
"I suppose we are all their descendants. I am Athosian, The tall man is Satedan. The other men are from Earth, a planet in a galaxy called Milky Way."
"That is where our Lord Dracuul went!" Minna said excitedly. "Do your men know of him?"
"I have never heard his name. I will ask them. But why do you take our blood? We were terribly weak afterward." Teyla said, bringing the conversation back to the main issue.
"Our Lord was a great scientist, but the hierarchy of the Ancients shunned him because of his work. He did not agree with them on Ascension. He wanted immortality of the body, not ascending to pure energy. He performed illegal experiments on us, with our permission. Most ended in death. We were hunted and forced to hide. Finally we found this place and were safe for the time being. Meanwhile the Wraith war escalated and the search for us was forgotten. Our Lord's last experiment did give us immortality, but with a heavy price."
"We were dying," Minna continued, "as those before had. Our Lord also experimented on himself, but for some unknown reason he survived. He gave us some of his blood, but we died anyway. As we were being prepared for burial, the sun set and we came back to life, immortal. Part of the price was needing human blood to survive, unable to digest other liquid or food. With blood, we don't age. Without it, we age slowly, eventually becoming shriveled skin and bones, but never dying. Even dismembered, beheaded, or trapped under water. The other part of the price is forever hiding from the sunlight." She paused, looking sad, then continued.
"A group of Ancients decided to leave for the far galaxy. They took momentos of their homeland, including large boxes of soil to possibly grow native plants. Our Lord hid as mist in one of these boxes for the voyage. My people wait for his return but some have given up hope. I am one of those," Minna said, looking down in shame, then she continued. "Immortality is a curse, and preying on other humans is evil! For centuries we hunted the villagers for their blood, but they have learned to make the white flowers stronger. Their scent confuses our minds, and we forget to come in at sunrise. Some of us burned to death in this manner. We have developed synthetic blood which sustains us, but it is not like real blood. We gradually age. I'm sure you noticed we look younger now. Your blood is the cause. We no longer bite our victims to drink their blood. Instead we remove it by transfusion, then we drink. It is considered more civilized that way, but is it really?" she said, again looking sad.
"So we are to be unwilling blood donors?" Teyla asked.
"Yes, until you eventually die. Then you will become like us," she answered.
"What is the mist? Teyla asked.
"We have the ability to turn into mist." She closed her eyes and dissolved into a column of mist. Teyla backed away from the door, but Minna quickly changed back. "Please don't be afraid, I mean you no harm. It is easier to show you than explain. We can control the mist, and cause unconsciousness. The glass case filled with mist, and connected to our daytime resting places, is artificially created. It strengthens us when we are at rest during the day. Our leader and his assistants understand the science, I do not."
"I understand," Teyla said, thinking of Rodney's scientific talk, which the others did not have a clue about. "Where do you get the food we have been eating?"
Minna again looked sad. "We steal the villagers' livestock and crops during the night when they are in hiding." Then she abruptly said, "I have been here too long. I must leave now, but we shall speak again."
Chapter 5
That night, at least they thought it was night, they were awakened by tremors. "Earthquake!" Rodney yelled. Then it abruptly stopped. All had the same frightening thought of being trapped under the huge stone structure.
"We need to get the hell out of here now!" Ronon exclaimed.
"But there's no way out! We're doomed," Rodney wailed.
"Enough of that talk, McKay!" John said sternly.
Teyla was deep in thought, then she replied," I feel Minna will help us!"
But two more days went by before they saw Minna again, and Teyla asked her about the tremors.
"It is not a quake. The cause is erosion of the soil beneath the cliff. Over the centuries it has caused weakness in the foundation. Eventually the cliff will collapse and this structure will fall and be destroyed. Our Leader feels it will happen soon. He claims Lord Dracuul has sent you to give us your blood to strengthen us, and your ship to take us to a new home."
"Our people will be searching for us," John said. "Even if we are too deep underground for them to see our life signs, they will detect our ship."
Again Minna looked sad. "Your ship was discovered, even tho you had rendered it invisible to us. Our leader discovered how use the mist to make it undetectable. I'm afraid you will not get help from your people. But I will help you. Two friends feel as I do. The immortality we sought has become a bitter disappointment, and we long to move on to what ever Afterlife awaits us. I must go now! Later you will be taken to donate more blood, and you will meet our Leader. I must go now."
Just as Minna said, a few hours later they were again taken to the laboratory. Mist appeared thru the small window in the door of each cell, and try as they might to avoid it, they all lost consciousness. They awoke again strapped to tables, but the blood drawing had not started. Two men introduced themselves as Renn and Hark, and whispered they were Minna's friends.
Ronon began to struggle with the straps, knowing he could easily take out the two men.
"Please don't fight," said Renn, "or you will be made unconscious again. You must trust us!"
"Relax, Chewy," John said. "We need you awake!" Ronon reluctantly settled down.
"Our Leader is coming!" Hark said, and both bowed their heads.
A tall man strode into the room. He had an arrogant manner, and did resemble the portraits and statue. He eyed the team disdainfully. "I am Lugo, direct descendant of Our Lord Dracuul. I have chosen to honor you with my presence as you give your blood a second time. You are fortunate to be the source of our renewed strength. Your blood is fresh and will carry us to our new home. On your ship, of course!" he said with an evil smile. "Our Lord has sent you and you will obey, whether it is your choice or not!"
"When do you turn into a bat?" John said, with a smirk.
"Ignorant superstition!" Lugo replied haughtily. He raised his fist but restrained his temper.
Turning to Renn and Hark, he ordered, "Proceed with the blood letting. Again I will be the first to partake."
Both men looked nervous. Renn cleared his throat and said," My Leader, I am sorry to report the equipment for drawing blood has been contaminated. It will not be ready until the next darkness." His voice was shaking by the time he finished.
Lugo's eyes blazed with fury, and he hit Renn, knocking him against the wall. He then hit Hark, knocking him down. "On your feet, both of you ingrates!" he roared.
Hark got stiffly to his feet, but Renn could not get up. Hark helped him up, and supported him as the leader continued to rant. Both were bleeding but very quickly they began to heal and regain their strength. Lugo then stormed from the room. Ronon longed to beat the arrogance out of him!
"We will take you back to your cells," Hark said. "Please don't try to escape, or you will be anesthetized again. Minna is waiting to speak with you."
"Let's all cooperate, and that's an order!" John said, looking pointedly at Ronon, who nodded.
"Are those names for real?" exclaimed Rodney. John shrugged, Ronon and Teyla just exchanged questioning looks.
There were more tremors as they walked back to the cells.
"Minna will return after sunrise," Renn said, after locking their cells, then they left. Both men had completely healed from their injuries.
"The scientists say the final collapse is near," Minna said. "You will be killed, and we will be trapped for eternity. Renn, Hark, and I will help you escape, but you must make one promise. We wish to truly die. Some of our people have already exposed themselves to the sunlight. I tried to go with them but lost my courage at the last minute. It was horrible watching my friends burning up. I guess I am a coward!" she exclaimed.
"No you're not," John said. "That would be an awful way to go!" The others agreed.
"You must promise to restrain me outdoors, also Renn and Hark, so we can truly die. I can take you to your ship, but you must promise. It won't be committing murder, since we are technically dead," said Minna.
"We have weapons that will stun you, so you will be unconscious and not suffer," John said. "Providing stunning works on you."
"I have some C4 in my pack," Ronon said. "We could help the tremors along."
"I will retrieve your belongings now," Minna said eagerly.
She left, and soon returned with all their belongings. But tasers had little affect on her, only knocked her down, causing a few seconds of unconsciousness even after multiple hits.
"Let me try," Ronon said, twirling his blaster. But the stun setting only caused a few minutes' loss of consciousness. Then he set it on kill, and Minna dropped, not waking for nearly an hour.
"We must go now," she said after waking, showing no affects from her 'killing.' Tremors were again being felt, now stronger. They put on their packs and headed for the laboratory, where Rodney shut off the mist. Then to the alcove to release Renn and Hark. The wooden and glass covers were removed from the others, and Ronon shot each of them several times, to make sure they did not somehow manage to escape. But when Lugo's much larger resting place was opened, it was empty. "Lugo is not there!" Minna exclaimed. "He sometimes spends part of the daylight upstairs, so we must be watchful."
"Ronon, take the lead, and keep your blaster on kill," John said. They proceeded up the stairs to the ground floor level, carrying or dragging the thirteen inert bodies, then down the long hallway past the portraits of Lord Dracuul, whose eyes again seemed to follow them, and finally past the statue to the outside door. They watched for mist but saw no sign of Lugo.
Chapter 6
Major Lorne's team had flown a jumper to the last known location, the planet Borgo. They had spoken to the fearful villagers, who said the team had gone to the "evil stone building" against their advice.
As the team had approached the structure, mist hovered over the cracks around the inside of door. Even in mist form, the light outside was unpleasant to Lugo. He had watched the men come closer, knowing why they were here. The mist moved over the telltale footprints in the deep layer of dust, erasing them as if they were never there. Then it rose to a dark corner of the ceiling, remaining there undetected.
They had searched the whole building, including the pantry, finding no sign of the missing team. Dr. Zelenka had come along and his detectors for both life signs and energy showed nothing. Lugo had discovered many uses for the mist, one being to block signals, including from the cloaked jumper.
Lorne's team had left, finding no evidence of Sheppard's team. They had first gated to a nearby uninhabited planet, then flown to Borgo. But there were no records of Sheppard's team using any Gate after leaving Borgo. Questioning the villagers again proved useless, and they had returned to Atlantis with heavy hearts.
Everyone on Atlantis became concerned about Sheppard's much overdue team. Amelia tried not to give up hope. If anyone could survive, it was Ronon. Katie was distraught about Rodney, and found solace caring for her plants. Amelia tried to be encouraging, telling her that he had Ronon, John, and Teyla to protect him. But it was difficult to keep her own spirits up, and each day with no news got worse. She slept little, asking Chuck for extra shifts on the console. The mood on Atlantis became darker as each day went by.
Chapter 7
After his angry exit from the laboratory, Lugo went to the entry way and looked at the statue of his ancestor, which seemed to rebuke him. His people had remained undetected for millennia, but now some technologically advanced civilization had discovered them. They would most likely be back to search for Lugo's new blood sources. Add to that the almost daily tremors, which would inevitably cause the cliff to collapse, trapping them under the rubble for eternity. Some of his people had chosen the true death, which he found contemptible. He suspected Minna, Renn, and Hark were planning that too. Ungrateful fools! Lugo then decided to leave them and go on his own. He would take the ship, with the four blood sources, which he would not need to share. He gazed at the Bloodmoon as he strode toward the jumper.
Arriving at the door, John asked, "are all of you sure this is what you want?"
The three nodded. "We are ready," Hark said. The other two agreed, all looking unafraid.
John signaled to Ronon, who shot each one several times with his blaster set on kill. Then they dragged all sixteen unconscious bodies out into the sun, where they burned to ashes in a short time. Teyla said an Athosian prayer, Ronon recited a Satedan blessing, and John simply said, "rest in peace." Rodney did not know what to say, so he bowed his head and said nothing.
Then they headed for the jumper, after setting the C4 charges around the building. Rodney had adapted one of his devices as a remote detonator.
John opened the hatch and they boarded, eager to go home. But suddenly mist descended on them and they began to lose consciousness. Before he passed out, Ronon shot his blaster into the mist as he hit the floor. He woke up a short time later, and the mist was gone. Lugo lay on the floor, beginning to wake up. Ronon's gun had slid across the floor as he fell, and he scrambled to reach it, just as Lugo lunged at him, pinning him down.
"You are big," Lugo said, "but I have the strength of many men!"
"Makes it even!" Ronon said, as he flipped the man off him. He jumped up and went for his gun once more, but Lugo was fast and got him in a choke hold.
"I will drink your blood the old way," he said, fangs reaching for Ronon's throat. Then he grunted as Ronon's elbow hit his sternum, then his feet were swept out from under him, and he crashed to the floor. Ronon grabbed his blaster and got off one wild shot before he was also knocked to the floor. The two men struggled, and the gun went flying across the room. They continued to struggle, Ronon gradually pushing the other man toward the hatch door. But he realized he could not open it, and called out to John, who was beginning to wake up.
"Sheppard! Open the hatch!" he yelled twice. John shook his head, trying to clear it, then realized what was happening. He concentrated on the hatch and it opened, the two men tumbling out into the daylight.
Lugo began to smoke, but he held fast to Ronon. "You will burn with me!" he said.
Then Ronon felt a blast from his gun, on stun setting, which hit both men. Lugo let go enough for Ronon to break his hold, kick the now smoldering form away, and do a fast back peddle as Lugo burst into flames. Then he climbed into the jumper, as John handed him his gun.
"You OK buddy?" John asked. "Any burns?"
Ronon realized his palms were stinging and red, starting to blister. "Nah, I'm alright."
"You need some ice," said Teyla, offering a cold pack from the first aid kit.
"Guess it wouldn't hurt," he said, holding it between his hands.
"Time to get out of here," John said. "Got the detonator ready, Rodney?"
"Of course, what do you think I've been doing while you talk about ice packs?" he said irritably.
"Shame on you, Rodney!" Teyla said. "If you had those blisters on your hands, you would probably faint like you did when you had that splinter!"
"It was a very large splinter, and I did not faint, I passed out!" Rodney exclaimed.
The jumper rose into the air, and Rodney pushed the button. The building exploded, and a rumbling began which got louder, then the whole cliff collapsed with a roar. Rodney had calculated correctly, and no damage was done to the villagers' fields or pastures, but the terrified livestock broke down a fence and trampled one field.
The jumper landed near the tavern, where the frightened villagers were gathered. John assured them there was no danger, and the 'evil ones' were gone. The leader thanked them profusely, saying, "we are forever in your debt!"
"Actually, we caused your livestock to stampede," John said.
"The beasts are not injured, they were soon back to grazing, including the squash field they overran. A small squash crop is not a worry! Now we are rid of the evil ones!" he exclaimed happily. "Come into the tavern for food and ale!"
"We really should get back," John said. "Ronon needs to go to the infirmary."
"At least have some ale, and we have some good salve for those burns," the leader said.
"OK, one drink," John said, as a woman brought out a jar of salve and applied it to Ronon's hands.
"We can set up a trade meeting if you like," Teyla said, which again made the leader happy.
"Yes! Yes! We are in need of new clothing!" he exclaimed.
"We are always glad for more fresh food," Teyla replied.
Heading back to the jumper, Ronon said the salve made his hands feel much better, hardly hurt at all. Of course, the ale helped too.
Chapter 8
"So you have vampire legends on Earth?" Teyla asked.
The team, plus Amelia and Katie, were relaxing in the bar. It was evening, and they had been home for two days. Dr. Beckett had been off world when the team returned, and stopped by to inquire about Ronon's burns. His hands were bandaged, but healing well.
"Aye, we have vampire stories! The most famous vampire is Dracula. An Irishman named Bram Stoker wrote a novel about him in the late 1800's, supposedly based on a real person in the 1400's. There are many movies about him, and more books too. Vampires appear in folklore all over the world, from ancient times," Beckett said.
Just then Dr. Zelenka joined them. "Eastern Europe has much vampire lore! Some people believe in them even today!"
"Oh please!" Rodney said, rolling his eyes.
"Who knows?" Ronon said. "Maybe their Lord Dracuul became Dracula and created vampires on Earth." This caused more eye rolls from Rodney.
"If Wraith can exist, why not vampires? How do you explain Lugo and his people existing so long?" John asked him.
"Well, um, I just don't believe in vampires and never will!" Rodney exclaimed.
"There is a silent movie about another vampire, Nosferatu. He scared me more than Dracula when I was a kid!" Amelia said. "Those creepy long fingers! But I still loved scary movies!"
"I wouldn't let him get you," Ronon whispered, and she smiled.
"Eww, I never could watch those movies, I would have nightmares!" Katie said.
"I hear you don't like them either," Ronon said to Rodney.
"Only because they are not scientific! My mind is far above that sort of movie!" he replied, and everyone laughed.
"I hope Minna, Renn, and Hark have found peace, wherever they are!" Teyla said.
They group drank a toast to them.