Chapter 8

"You really get to know a man if you get to watch him die, that moment right before he realizes it's over, that moment his face reflects every decision he's ever made, what kind of life he led... and if he regrets it."


Walking in silence the two unlikely of companions headed off into the darkness, as night had begun to descend on the planet. Eeriness began enveloping the forest, shadows from the moons only source of light bounced off the trees limbs, as they danced in the breeze. The leaves that had settled on the ground now became a whirlwind of activity as the wind blew them across the forest floor. A mist careered through the undergrowth lying like a blanket on the ground, and the change in temperature dropped considerably as they traversed through the bush. It was just as it had been on that night several days ago, each driven by a desire that apparently went beyond human understanding. Cautiously they kept their eyes open for signs of any Genii activity, by know it seemed likely that if Kolya was here, he would have already been alerted to his arrival on the planet, and Sheppard was not prepared to sit around and wait for the Genii commander to take off again; not if he could help it.

Traversing the foliage in silence, the Wraith stopped suddenly a look of intense concentration washed over him. Sheppard in turn came to a standstill beside him; tilting his head as if sensing something was wrong. A sharp intake of breath preceded the wraith lunging at him with full force, his eyes wide with malice. Sheppard barely had time to react as the Wrath's hand suddenly aimed for his tactical vest. Wide eyed with uncertainty and fear, Sheppard could do more than watch in fear as the feeding hand closed in on his chest, his face contorting at the thought of being fed upon. He refused to scream, he wouldn't give the Wraith that satisfaction. Instinctively, and with a will to survive at all costs, he tried to push the wraith away. There was no time to understand or react to what was happening, as the beast's swift and agile actions took him by surprise slamming his body hard against the nearest tree. Whatever the Wraith's concealed plans were, he wasn't going to go down without a fight. Sheppard's grunts of protest became louder as his aggressor forcibly placed a hand over the colonel's mouth. As John thrashed against his grip, a low growl escaped from his predator's lips. "Be quiet."

Like hell I will! The Wraith's grip was powerful, but it didn't stop him from fighting back. Adrenaline rushed around his body heightening his agility and strength.

Holding the young man tighter, the Wraith whispered brusquely in the young man's ear. "We are being followed."

John ceased his struggling, and felt himself being released from his captor's control. Breathing hard against his own fight and flight response, Sheppard forced the hushed words out of his pursed lips. Shaking his head, he tried to rid himself of the excess adrenaline and retorted, "You know, we really need to work on our communication skills."

"Be quiet." The Wraith told him harshly. John kept his mouth shut, but for an instant he finally realised how McKay must feel every time he told him to shut up. It was annoying.

Sheppard looked around searching for any signs of activity, or glimpses of movement in the dense forest, but saw nothing. In the end he decide that the Wraith must have ears like a bat. He mouthed to him, "Where are they?" The Wraith shifted his gaze to a far off vicinity, which was too far out of Sheppard's line of vision. Then he felt it, the sensation of someone watching them; a mixture of apprehension and anticipation caused the hairs on the back of his arm to stand to attention. Finally saw what the Wraith had apparently seen only moments ago - a flashlight bouncing of the trees, and it was heading straight for them.

Without warning a barrage of bullets flew close to him, missing him by inches. The ricochet tore strips of bark to fly off in various directions. Sheppard crouched low to shield himself from the hail of bullets. In the night air, a stream of light jetted from his weapon as the bullets from his P-90 sailed through the air, heading for his aggressors; the blast from his companion's discharged weapon followed pursuit. It was becoming like a game of cat and mouse as the two men ducked and dived behind the trees to avoid the constant onslaught of ammunition aimed at their direction. The night sky lit up like the fourth of July, as the hazy smoke penetrated the atmosphere. Sheppard knew he'd got at least two Genii, but he didn't think it would be long before their position was going to be overrun, they had to get out of there, and fast.

Sheppard shouted above the noise, "How many are left?"

"Three. I have incapacitated two already."

"What do you say to getting out of here?" Just as he said it, he felt a sharp impact in his leg, and he lost his balance. Son of a…

"Sheppard!"

In that fleeting moment, everything had changed. There was no way he would be able to keep up now, not with a bullet in his thigh. "Go! I've got your six." He waited for the man behind him to take off, but instead he felt the energy of the stunner gun continue to whiz over his head. He wasn't leaving. "I told you to go!" Sheppard shouted through clenched teeth over the roar of weapons fire.

The Wraith ignored his passionate plea and remained stoic in his stance, "Just like you did not leave me when I was wounded, John Sheppard. I to will not leave you now."

John shook his head, smiling slightly at the irony of it all. Just before he thought everything was going to end badly, the weapons fire ceased, and everything went still in the dead of night. As silence filled the air, Sheppard lowered his gun with the Wraith following suit. Keeping a watchful eye on where the Genii had been, they waited for a moment to see if the offensive would continue – it didn't. They were safe for now, but for how long was anyone's guess. He leant heavily against the nook in the tree, while the Wraith looked on. Tearing open a bandage from his vest he placed his hand tightly on the wound to stem the crimson red blood seeping through his fingers, then proceeded to wrap the dressing securely against the bleeding gunshot wound. He hissed through clenched teeth at the burning sensation in his thigh. Sweat congregated on his forehead at the concerted effort and he forced his mind to concentrate on anything but the pain. Biting his lip, he stopped himself from shouting. If he kept this up there wasn't going to be anything left of him to fight Kolya. Closing his eyes he waited for a moment, gathering as much strength as he could muster. He pushed the agony of his injury to the furthest point of his mind; nothing would stop him from finishing what he started.

The Wraith offered his outstretched hand, and waited for Sheppard to take it; he declined. He needed to do this himself. He had got them into this mess, and he was damn well going to get them both out of it; he just didn't know how. Speaking through gritted teeth and after several attempts at standing, he decided to accept the offered hand without so much as a cursory glance as to which hand he grabbed. "We need to get out of here before they come back."

"Are you able to walk." He asked taking in the dishevelled young man.

"I'll be fine, be we need to move now. Are you with me?"

He answer was resolute, "Until the end."

The pair remained silent as they walked slowly towards their destination. With Sheppard's leg bleeding slightly, it took them longer than they had anticipated to reach the edge of the clearing. Coming to an abrupt halt they heard shouts echoing in the forest, they dived behind the scrub to avoid detection. Sheppard winced as his leg made contact with the ground. He sucked in his breath as the pain vibrated up his body.

There was no sign of any malicious intent from his green travel companion as he said, "I can heal your injuries Sheppard."

Sheppard eyed him warily and with a hint of incredulity that he would even bring that up again, particularly knowing how he felt about it the first time. He really didn't think he'd ever come to understand the Wraith's thinking process. There was no way he was coming anywhere near him. "Thanks, but I still have nightmares about the last time. So you'll forgive me if I pass on your offer." Armed now with only minimal firepower they had to find a way to bring Kolya out in the open, if not it meant only one thing. They would have to gain entrance to the structure, which was a sure fire way of getting both of them killed. Reaching for his night vision binoculars from his backpack to survey the outbuildings, he realised for the first time that he didn't have them. "Crap!"

"What is wrong?"

"My binoculars. I must've left them in At…" he stopped himself suddenly at the realisation that his Wraith companion still didn't know that he was from Atlantis, and he couldn't risk that knowledge slipping out. It didn't matter whether he trusted him or not, that sort of information if leaked could ultimately get everyone killed, and he wasn't prepared to take that risk. His brow creased with concentration at what to tell his travelling companion. With the toll of the previous days events beginning to catch up with him, he could feel the adrenaline fading away as he tried to focus. In the end, all he could think of was, "I must've lost them when I was in hiding" Stealing a look at the man beside him, he had a decidedly strange feeling that the Wraith didn't believe a word he'd just said, and he didn't blame him.

"We are able to see in the darkness. We do not need looking devices to observe our prey in the night."

Prey? So that really is how they see us. Nice! A chill ran down his spine, and he shivered slightly. "Okay, well that's…different. So how many of them are out there?"

"There are many."

Shepard shook his head at the Wraiths inability to provide intel. It wasn't just a case of a handful of men as he'd anticipated; that was clear from the onset as raised voices could be heard coming from the direction of the dilapidated outbuildings. Guards could be seen visibly patrolling the parameter as the two men watched cautiously from a distance.

As the Wraith went to stand and begin the assault, John laid a restraining hand on his forearm to stop him giving away their position, "Whoa there Kimosabe. I appreciate your enthusiasm, but don't you think we should at least pretend to give this more than a minutes thought before we go barging in?"

"Why?" It was a simple enough question.

He shrugged, "Well, as strange as it sounds I actually enjoy living, although after everything that's happened, I'm sure there would be some who'd disagree." At that point, Sheppard thought that he wasn't the only one with issues. He remembered a saying from the 'Princess bride', and thought it applied quite aptly to their current situation. "Did you know that you've got an overdeveloped sense of vengeance? And it's going to get us into trouble someday."

"I believe that the depiction also applies to you, does it not?" He watched for a response, but none was forthcoming, so he continued, "A Wraith attacks without fear of consequence. It was my belief that this was the reason you came. You should not be here if you are not prepared to accept that. You should also know that I am prepared to die in battle alongside you."

He frowned, dying wasn't exactly on the top of his agenda, "That's nice. But if it's all the same to you, I'd rather not. Besides, I've still got at least 100 chapters to read of War and Peace." The Wraith held a confused expression before proceeding to ask what 'War and Peace' was, Sheppard shook his head in a don't-even-ask-me-to-explain sort of way; they'd be there all night. "Now we've got our mortality issues out of the way, is there any chance we can put together some sort of a plan that will hopefully not result in one or both of us getting killed?"

"As you wish. However I do not see how you will be able to continue with your injuries, if you will not allow me to heal them for you."

He shook his head tiredly; a hint of disbelief at the Wraith's tenacity played on his lips. "As I said before, I'll manage." But as the words fell precariously from his lips, the deepest and darkest part of his mind was under no illusions that this mission was likely to end badly. This really wasn't a very good plan. His friends had been right from the start. He closed his eyes in pain, and tried to force the constant exploding of pain from his thigh, to the back of his mind. "I just need to rest for a minute."

The facts that Shepard had no reservations about resting while his partner in crime stood watching, spoke volumes about their now indefinable friendship. He couldn't explain why he knew he could trust him; just that it was an inbuilt mechanism from survival training. If they were to take their plan to the next level he had to trust him implicitly and scarily enough, he did.


"Oh no!"

McKay's gaze was transfixed onto the scanner that he converted from the Queen's schematics. The pit of his stomach recoiled once more at the image displayed in front of him. The large Atlantean read out showed all too clearly what he hoped was just an error, but he was deluding himself.

"What's wrong now? I thought we were all ready to head out?" Ronon was the first to speak as he leant forward trying to understand the series of blue dots floating on the screen. "What's that?" He asked pointing to a large image on the view screen.

"They are darts. And that…" he told them pointing to the larger dot, "…is a Wraith hive ship." Zelenka told him with slight trepidation. He looked towards his colleague with an apologetic look in his blue eyes.

"How far away are they from the planet." Weir asked taking in a deep breath as they huddled around the control rooms display unit. She crossed her arms defensibly at the decision she would have to make.

"By my calculations, it'll be there within the next 12 hours or so." McKay told them solemnly placing the data pad to one side.

"Then let's go now." Ronon was under no illusions that this was going to get very serious, very quickly, but he was more than prepared to take the risk.

"Hold on Ronon, this changes the whole ball game." She had to say it; they needed to know what they were getting themselves into, warts and all. "You do realise don't you, that you could be going into a fire fight."

Teyla reflected on her words, but she wanted the leader of the Atlantean expedition to know that they all accepted the ramifications of their actions, and now it was time to take a stand in something they believed in. "Elizabeth, we understand the risks, but it is something we need to do. Each of us feels partly responsible for what has happened, and if we had come to you and Dr Beckett with our concerns, maybe none of this would be necessary. The truth is, we were all well aware of how the Colonel was feeling, and to a degree we did encourage it. It is now up to us to amend the errors we made. Please allow us to do this."

They couldn't have said it better if they tried. Each of them looked imploringly at Doctor Weir, they wore their hearts on their sleeve each of them – even Ronon. When they had first come to Atlantis, this had been her hope that they would one day work together as one, and find a common goal to unite them all, and they had. She felt a surreal amount of pride as she eyed them all individually; it showed her just how far they were willing to go to save one of their own. An unspeakable bond was surrounding her, and in all good conscience she couldn't turn around and say no. But before she had the opportunity to speak. Ronon, who was normally the quietest one of all, spoke directly from his heart.

"Sheppard came after me on Sateda. Even though I told him I didn't want his help, he wouldn't leave. When I was a runner, I only had myself to rely on, but since being here with you all, I've learned many things about being able to depend on someone else. Look, I know I'm not very good at saying what I mean, but going after Sheppard is important to me."

"Us." The group corrected in unison, causing them to smile shyly at each other.

"Elizabeth," Rodney cut in, "I can take the necessary precautions. We can cloak the jumper and scan for his life signs when we get to the other side. We'll be in and out before the Wraith step foot on the planet. But, if we're going to do it, we have to do it now."

She'd heard enough, and gave her blessings. "Go, just make sure you take a team of marines with you, just in case you run into any trouble."

They didn't need for her to tell them twice. They turned to thank her, but it really wasn't necessary. A smile said a thousand words as they hurriedly made their way to the jumper bay.

A whisper of Good luck ushered from her lips as she watched them depart, maybe for the last time, maybe not. Either way she knew that they wouldn't give up until they found him.


"Sheppard!"

Waking up with a start, he visibly flinched as he came within an inch of the Wraith's face peering over him as he slept. His heart leaped into his mouth for a split second as he vividly recalled the memory of the last time he'd been inches from his face. And to say it was less than pleasant was an understatement. Shaking his head he retorted, "You know I really wish you wouldn't do that." he hadn't realised that several hours had passed since he was injured. As it now turned out, the sun on the planet appeared to be rising once more, allowing sunlight to filter through the trees. He absently rubbed his eyes and tried to focus his vision.

"Look!" The Wraith stated sombrely, pointing to a figure walking towards the derelict building.

Sheppard turned towards the direction of a figure huddled around his men. His dirty brown uniform was visible confirmation that it wasn't a delusion. "Kolya!" Sora was right; he was here. Sheppard felt of rush of blood circulating round his body as he leaned in for a closer look. Ignoring the pain emanating from his thigh, he laid his body down on the moist grass and shimmied forward, as if not quite sure if his eyes betrayed him. Flashbacks of being shackled to the wooden chair tore through his brain like a hot knife. Unconsciously he laid a hand on his chest where the feeding mark was still evident. Built up emotions threatened to overwhelm him; he had to focus. Uncoiling his white knuckled hands, he slowed his breathing somewhat in an attempt to gain some composure. The burning sensation coursing through his veins was uncompromising, and he felt his blood pressure rising once more.

He tried to hear what was being said, but it was too far away. Edging closer, but still remaining undiscovered, he inched forward on his stomach keeping as low as he possibly could. This was the perfect opportunity to get him while he was out in the open. A cold steely gaze flashed within his almond shaped hazel eyes as he reached for his weapon. The only sound he could hear was the rushing of blood circulating round his system. His heart pounded in his ears as he raised his weapon at his intended target. An erroneous thought flickered through his mind – this was murder; whatever way he looked at it. This wasn't him defending himself, his team or Atlantis against the enemy; this was an assassination. There really was no dressing up that fact. But that niggling sensation kept assaulting his mind, telling him that it was time for payback! He shook his head to rid himself of the negative thoughts, but it wouldn't leave him alone. His own conscience played on him. Think about what you're doing. This isn't you. You'll never forgive yourself if you do this. He wasn't paying them any mind until his conscience stated unequivocally, this is what a Wraith would do. That single thought stopped him dead in his tracks and he relaxed his hold on the P-90. He looked over to the Wraith lying not too far from him, waiting with anticipation to strike as soon as the bullets left the chamber. His blood boiled, as all rational thought escaped him, and he returned his concentration to the gun in his hand. Bringing up the weapon back up to his line of sight, he replaced his finger back on the trigger, preparing to fire.

Kolya, filled with rage at the attack of his men, shouted his standing orders at his men. "I don't care what it takes, bring them to me. I want them alive. Do you understand? I want you to recall the troops and have them surround the area, he can't be far." His men coward at the harshness in their commander's voice, but nodded their head in compliance before heading out towards the clearing and towards the Wraith and Sheppard's location. Kolya felt like someone had walked over his grave, as cold shivers tingled down his spine; he stiffened. Someone was watching him. Years of experience had taught him to be vigilant, and today was no exception. He turned around as he felt eyes boring into his soul, then he caught a glimpse of the morning sun reflecting off what appeared to be an optical sight. He dived out of the way, barking orders at everyone to catch the elusive men that had killed several of his people.

Not more than 100 feet from their target, Sheppard watched as his intended victim caught sight of his scope in the sunlight. Then a flurry of activity took hold by the structures as the Genii advanced onto their position. He fired his weapon, managing to take a few down in the process. Crap! "Go!" but the Wraith didn't. Instead he advanced onto the Genii like a predator who had been starved for years. Sheppard couldn't let him go it alone.

It was now or never.

As the next few moments unfolded, Sheppard cried out in rage as the Genii opened fire on his companion hitting him squarely in the chest several times, knocking him squarely off his feet. Going down hard, Sheppard could actually feel the vibrations under his feet.

"No!"

The shout tore through his throat, as the Wraith lay on the ground unmoving. Inexplicably, he felt as if a piece of him lay dying alongside the Wraith. That split second of indecisiveness cost him dearly. Enraged he opened fire once more, but not before being tackled dramatically to the ground by several Genii soldiers.

It was over even before it had begun.

The worst of it was, Kolya was still alive. He struggled against his captors to get to his friend, but it was a futile gesture; their grip was unyielding, but so was he. Attempting to tear from their grasp, he felt a blow to the back of his head and he fell forward onto the grassy knoll. His vision became distorted as the world went from gray to black, and that was the last thing he remembered. His friend was dead, and he was about to join him in that same fate.