Chapter 9
"The glory of friendship is not the outstretched hand, nor the kindly smile, nor the joy of companionship; it is the spiritual inspiration that comes to one when you discover that someone else believes in you and is willing to trust you with a friendship."
Rodney held the PDA in his hand, the information already downloaded onto the handheld computer. The only reason he could think of why Elizabeth had needed the information was that Sora was not playing ball. It had been a long time since he'd seen her; 18 months in fact since her, and the Genii had tried and failed to seize Atlantis. While he wasn't overjoyed in finally having to see her again, he realised this was a necessary step forward - just in case they couldn't obtain the correct details from the dialling computer. Nevertheless he didn't think he could trust her again after what happened and he was counting on Elizabeth to make sure they wouldn't regret asking her for help.
It took McKay all of 30 minutes to get down to the lower decks, and would take him at least another half an hour to get back up to the control room. He hoped it was all worth it and that their trust in her wasn't misplaced. Turning into the corridor he watched the guards standing, their stunners raised in anticipation of movement from their prisoner. He nodded at them and walked towards his friends.
"Thanks." Elizabeth stated simply taking the PDA from his grasp, and activating the file received from Sora's former commander. Her eyes were heavy set with determination as she thrust the data pad towards the young woman's hand. Her tone held an edge of warning to Sora that whatever games she was playing was about to be stopped here and now. "You wanted proof?"
As Sora edged towards Doctor Weir, she carefully took the device eyeing it sceptically as if it were a trap. As the screen came to life, she heard the familiar voice of her mentor. Her eyes grew wide with disbelief as she watched the turn of events of that fateful day unfold before her. Kolya's voice was filled with animosity that she had heard so frequently that night they attempted and failed to seize Atlantis. His demeanour was apparent to all who witnessed the recording that Kolya was prepared to do whatever it took to gain control, even it meant allying with an enemy that had culled their home. They were right.
Shock
Anger
Betrayal
A thousand and one emotions built up within, and she continued to stare in disbelief at what she was witnessing. None of it made sense, but here it was, as clear as day. Her stomach churned and she physically recoiled at the images displayed. Sheppard was gagged and tied to a chair; guards positioned carefully either side to stop their prisoner from escaping; not that it was possible given Sheppard's current predicament. Anger turned to disgust as she watched with revulsion as Kolya stood by and allowed…no encouraged the Wraith to feed. The image of him goading the creature physically repelled her, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from the screen. The colonel's life was being extinguished before her very eyes. Thoughts exploded in her mind all at once. Was this how her father had died? She felt used and humiliated. How could I have been so blind? "Now it's 2 hours!" She heard Kolya's last words echoing around her confine as the PDA fell from her hands. She felt the need to turn away, not wanting the others to see how much of an impact the recording had affected her.
Her air of superiority seemed to have vanquished as she turned to face them. The edge in her voice, now no longer held the sarcasm as it once did. Trying in vain to control the quavering in her voice, she told them unambiguously, "I don't know where he is. I gave Sheppard a location, but I don't know if he'll be there or not." She folded her arms subconsciously across her chest, as if trying to protect herself from the barrage of angry faces that crossed her field of vision. "For all I know the Wraith could still be there, that's why Kolya left in the first place. But I've only heard of the place, I've never actually been there. He told me once as I trained with him that he hadn't been back in years, and that he wanted one day to go back home. That's all I know."
Ronon shook his head in disbelief. "So why send him there if you didn't think Kolya would be?"
"Because if the Wraith are still on the planet, then Sheppard would suffer like my father. And if Kolya were there, the revenge would be his. Either way I'd have avenged not only my father's death, but that of the men that lost their lives at Sheppard's hands."
"I want the address." There was no room for argument within her statement. Elizabeth passed the young girl a notepad, she wasn't going to go away empty handed even if that meant forcing her to write the symbols. Seeing the look of disdain at Kolya's actions in Sora's eyes, she knew she didn't have to.
"Am I dead?"
The gruff voice responded with what appeared to be a slight chuckle in his voice. "You are still very much alive John Sheppard."
Okay that's kind of creepy. He blinked as if trying to focus his field of vision; pins and needles tore through his nervous system as if protesting the effects of the Wraith stunner. He tried processing the information, but the only thing his brain was able to comprehend was the fact that he was still alive.Then it hit him, like an energy blast, it had called him by his name. Bolting upright, he shook off the last remnants of the stunner blast and stole a good look at his captor. He chewed on his lower lip as if trying to question carefully, "Okay." He started off slowly not quite sure what to say. He initially wasn't going to remind the Wraith of their last conversation, that 'all bets are off', but he was just too curious for his own damn good. For the first time since he'd been hit, he looked his captor squarely in the eye, "Now don't take this the wrong way. And please, don't feel the need to act on the stupid question that I'm about to ask you, but…why the hell aren't I dead?"
The Wraith sat forward slightly, placing his arm across his bended knee to prop himself forward. His intense gaze made Sheppard shuffle himself back against the tree beside him. "You do not know?"
A confused expression washed over him. The Wraith's response seemed pretty innocuous, but then there seemed to be something else in his eyes that he couldn't work out. From his own understanding, they'd both agreed when Sheppard had left him on the planet, that it was fair game if they met up again. But now this… He didn't know what to make of it, "Honestly, no. Not that I'm complaining mind you." A strange sensation settled over him and he actually felt surprisingly calm. That in itself should've set off warning bells, but for some unknown reason he felt himself relaxing.
"You needed me, so I came."
Sheppard looked across it him, with an incredulous expression. "I did, did I?" Wow, that must've been one knock on the head. "And you know this…how?"
"We are brothers."
Screwing his face up tightly, he still felt repulsed at the whole 'Brothers' situation, and told him so. "Okay. You know what, you said that before. And I have to say, it kinda…freaks me out." He rubbed the bridge of his nose in an effort to clear away the last remnants of the stunner blast. None of this made any sense. "I know I've hit my head, and maybe I'm suffering from brain damage…and am slightly delusional from lack of sleep. But I've got to say, I think I'd remember asking for help from a wraith."
A nod of understanding came from the Wraith; he expected this. "As I have said to you before Sheppard you are very much like a Wraith. This I found when I fed upon you, but more noticeably when I initiated the 'Gift of life'." He watched carefully as Sheppard unconsciously shivered at the memory. "You have intrinsic properties within you, that are unique to any human I have fed upon. When a Wraith feeds, we inject an enzyme into your body's bloodstream to ensure your palatability." John wrinkled his nose in disgust at the whole process, and whether he realised it or not, he found himself instinctively zipping up his sweater. He'd been through it once and wasn't in any hurry whatsoever to have it described to him in detail; he'd leave that to Beckett. The Wraith appeared to ignore his unsettled emotions, and continued to explain the method in more detail. "Consequentially as a result of this act, we as a species have access to your body's chemical compounds during this process. With you I was aware of something very different within your genetic make up. It is unlike those I have fed on before. Are you aware of how we came to be?"
Not again! "Oh believe me, I'm more than familiar with that part of your evolution thanks very much."
"Your genetic makeup is not that dissimilar to our own, in that you possess certain attributes from those that we have evolved from."
Ellia! The sudden realisation hit him full force as if he'd been kicked in the chest. Without hesitation, John pulled up his sleeve, and sure enough it was still there after all this time. He'd completely forgotten about it. It was a part of him now, ever since Ellia had tried to feed on him several months before. The Doc had told him it would disappear in time, but up until this point he hadn't even given it a second thought. Although he'd told the others that he was '100 John Sheppard again', that statement wasn't strictly true as he stole another look at the raised gray blemish that still remained on his right forearm.
Now he was beginning to understand.
John ran his hands through his rakish hair, not quite sure what to make of it all. If this was true, then could he ever return to Atlantis? He remembered how everybody had initially treated Teyla when they had found out she had elements of Wraith DNA in her genes. Would they still trust him after they found out? He honestly didn't know.
The Wraith appeared sincere, as he moved closer to Sheppard in the hopes of putting his point across. "We are brothers, John Sheppard. Not just for the fact that I shared your life force, but because I am now a part of you. For when returning a life we merge ourselves with our brothers and become one. One mind, one thought. In pursuit of our aims we join together. There is something within you that urges you forward is there not?" He knew the reply before John answered the question, he could feel it inside.
Shepard didn't know what to say. He couldn't get his head around the fact that the two of them were in some way bonded. Sure, he'd felt allied when they were on the planet together and had subsequently attained their freedom, but never once did he believe that this was the reason. But the Wraith was right, for days now he had sensed something within him getting stronger each minute. He'd forced himself to believe that it was just posttraumatic stress disorder or something innate to the Pegasus Galaxy, but this? "I don't know how to explain it, it's a sensation…"
"Burning through your veins…"
"Yes!" That was it exactly, finally someone understood. But that would mean that he was even starting to think as a Wraith would. And that was the scariest feeling of all.
The Wraith observed the young man's understanding, before watching his face turn from understanding to fear as he realised what he was becoming. "It is a survival instinct inherent in all of us, it drives us forward to eliminate those that we believe are a threat to our very survival. A deep impulse emerges within us to take the life of another, no matter what the cost."
John shook his head vehemently and felt a longing to get up and walk around. Deep-seated fury burned within him, and he paced as if it would somehow improve the situation. I am not a Wraith! I am not a Wraith! Repeating the words like a mantra, he thought by saying them over and over, then it would make it so. But it didn't negate from the fact that everything the Wraith had said so far, was exactly right, there was no denying that. But, he wasn't going to accept it, and that was that. He tried to reign in his rising anxiousness, but to no avail. His words spewed from his lips like a volcanic eruption, "You're wrong. I'm nothing like you! We helped each other out and that's it, end of story. You go your way and I'll go mine."
The Wraith took in his appearance and stated simply, "You are mistaken. I can feel it building inside, burning like a fire raging waiting for that moment to seek retribution. Do not fear it Sheppard, for it is a part of you now. It will guide you on your journey to accomplish what is necessary. I can help you my brother.
"Will-you-stop-calling-me-that!" Sheppard was getting more agitated as the Wraith continued to regard him as his brother. It didn't matter what he said, he wasn't prepared to believe that he was turning into a Wraith.
A feral growl escaped his lips as if displeased with his human counterpart. "Very well. But know this Sheppard, if you plan to continue your journey, you will not succeed alone, nor will you prevail with your injury."
"I'm fine. Believe me, I've had worse." John told him with a note of finality; desperately wanting to get as much distance from him as he possibly could.
The Wraith sensing Sheppard's fight or flight response moved in and ushered a warning to him of the dangers that lay ahead. "Before long, the others will be here. They are now fully aware that this world is occupied and are currently headed to take what is rightfully theirs. Once they arrive I cannot protect you from them."
"I don't need your help!" The words fell from his lips all too familiarly.
The bitter words spat from his lips, and he snarled baring his blackened teeth. "You think you can kill my master by yourself? Many have tried - all have failed. He will seize you as he did before. Those who plot the destruction of others often fail at the attempt. The next time you will not survive."
John stopped pacing and came within millimetres of the Wraith now standing before him, his clenched fists turned white with anger and irritation. "Look Confucius, I will do whatever it takes."
The Wraith grunted; his nose furrowed at his growing impatience with the young human. The challenge in his voice rose up into the atmosphere, "Are you that ignorant Sheppard to believe you were the only one to have suffered at his hands?"
Sheppard for once didn't know how to answer him. If anyone had the right to seek vengeance it would have been the Wraith; years held in captivity at the hands of a man seeking power, and willing to succeed at all costs. The Wraith was right to some degree, but it didn't mean that he wasn't also justified in seeking retribution. John lowered his head, contemplating the words just spoken. "I'm sorry. I know that you came to help. I guess I lost sight of that." He paused for a moment to let it all sink in; still not quite believing that once again he was preparing himself to ally with a Wraith - even if it was one that had ultimately given him back his life. He shook his head, as if not quite comprehending the full reality of what he was about to do. If his team didn't think he was nuts before, they certainly would now, that is if he ever made it back to Atlantis. "It's just that it's you…and it's me."
The Wraith nodded, comprehending the young man's position, possibly because it also applied to him. "I understand that it is not an alliance you welcome."
That's an understatement! "Let's just say it's a bit…unconventional." It took him only a few seconds to decide whether the alliance between them should continue. As he'd told Elizabeth, he was many things, but stupid wasn't one of them. And if the Wraith was offering his help to catch Kolya, then he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth, no matter whom it might be from. He nodded his head in affirmation; they were going to do this together. For the first time in days, a smile fell from his lips. "Now what do you say about finishing what we started? There's a structure not too far from here we can check out. I don't know if you noticed, but the Stargate is being guarded."
A low husky laugh escaped from the Wraith's lips. "I see that nothing has changed since our last meeting, John Sheppard."
John cast a sideway glance, taking in the words of his new travelling companion, and began to appreciate the man for the first time. "Oh I think some things have."
The Wraith never replied, a simple nod of his head reflected a note of understanding, and the beginnings of friendship between the two men.
Finis Part vii
AN: Thanks for your reviews it's really appreciated :D
