Chapter 3 – Strange Bedfellows
In the Atlantis Infirmary…
"Hey, he's comin' around again," said Ronan, getting up quickly from where he'd been sitting on the floor. The area around Sheppard's bed, like all the other times he'd been injured, had been a little crowded over the past few hours.
"Well, he's been doing that for a while now, who knows if he'll stay awake this time," said McKay. "I'm not feeling so great myself, you know," he whined to the nurse. "Can you take my temperature again? I don't think you did it right the last time; I know I have a fever. I've never been so cold and wet in my life, that planet was…" Rodney stopped talking when the nurse tapped his forehead with the sophisticated thermometer, announced he was "perfectly normal' (at least his temperature was), rolled her eyes in exasperation and turned her attention back to Sheppard.
"Colonel!" she exclaimed, surprised to see Sheppard's hazel eyes wide open and alert. He had been drifting in and out of consciousness since they'd evacuated him from the planet. "How are you feeling, Sir? We've been very concerned. Do you think you can stay awake for a while?"
"Oh, yeah," said John hoarsely, "now that I know how much Rodney cares about me."
McKay gave an insulted "harrumph" but at the same time moved his chair closer to John. The nurse looked embarrassed and busied herself with checking the Colonel's vitals. She was relieved when Dr. Beckett stepped in.
"Aye, you're looking much better, son," said Carson.
"And you smell better, too," said McKay.
"Rodney!" chided Teyla.
"He's right, though, Colonel," said Carson. "All the times you've walked – or been carried – into my Infirmary, you've never, uh, been in such an….unusual condition."
"Pretty gross, huh?" said John with a grin.
"Yeah, I think they've burned your clothes," said Ronon, chuckling.
"Well, it was either cover myself with cave-man guts, or risk being dinner. And it nearly came down to that. So what's the damage, Doc?"
"Well, I'm happy to say that you're going to be quite alright," said Dr. Beckett. "Your arm is badly broken, but with the wonders of Ancient medical technology, and some good old-fashioned physical therapy, it should be back to normal in a few weeks. Your ankle's just wrenched; no sign of fracture. And that claw wound, well, you're lucky. It could have slashed open several major blood vessels."
"John, what happened to you?" asked Elizabeth. She'd been quiet – unusually quiet, actually – so far. It certainly wasn't the first time she had found herself maintaining a vigil at John's bedside. But today…oh, what was going on with her? Anything related to John was setting her on edge. Was it seeing him all bashed up and torn up and covered in blood and guts? No, she'd felt uneasy before Lorne had reported him missing. And besides, Sheppard had been in peril and closer to death so many times before, so what was different about this time?
John's snarky sense of humor shook her out of her reverie. "Oh, you know, Elizabeth, another typically bizarre day in the Pegasus galaxy. I was after one of the rebels, I fell, woke up surrounded by a bunch of mutant Neanderthals. Oh, by the way, I found one of the Genii, at least I think it was one of 'em."
"Was he missing an arm? We found one that had a Genii tattoo," asked Ronon.
"Uh, couldn't tell. They were chowing down pretty good."
"Oh, thanks a lot, Sheppard, I'll never get that image out of my head now," said McKay.
"Forget about that. I want Zovel to explain why he didn't tell us what we were walking into! Getting shot at is one thing, but getting eaten…Jesus…"
Elizabeth smiled her best 'calm John down' smile and said, "From what Major Lorne tells me – and he's still on Tigan, by the way – according to Commander Zovel, those creatures are night predators."
"We were out at night..."
"But Zovel says they're not known to hunt during such stormy conditions. That's why he didn't think anyone would be in danger. And he says he did warn all of you about the animals. From what you describe, it sounds like a fluke – the storm got the ground so waterlogged that you fell – a classic case of the wrong place at the wrong time."
"Hey, don't let him off the hook so easily, Elizabeth," countered John. "And another thing – why didn't he tell us about that whole underground set-up? From the looks of it, all that technology…maybe that's what the Genii were after."
Nobody spoke for a second. "Uh, what underground set-up?" asked McKay, looking very puzzled.
"The one that's down there! That's how you found me, right? I had set that crazy alarm off, you guys heard it up top…how else would you have known where I was?"
"We found the, ugh, arm near there," replied Rodney. "When Zovel saw it, well…that's when he told us about the creatures and that we should look for ways they could have gotten to the surface – or a tunnel entrance you might have fallen into. It was pretty much pure luck that we found you, Sheppard."
John gave a low whistle. "OK, this keeps getting weirder and weirder. Elizabeth, McKay – you've gotta get down there – well, as soon as they get rid of the man-eating whatever they are – and check it out. It's not Ancient, and I don't think it's Tigan – I mean, wouldn't Zovel have said something? I only spent a few minutes there, but I know it's important. Think about it – most of the people we've encountered in Pegasus are anything but sophisticated, right?"
"Oh, god, Sheppard, sometimes they're so the opposite of being advanced, it's pitiful, you know…" started McKay.
"I think Colonel Sheppard was being rhetorical, Rodney," said Elizabeth.
"What do the Genii want with that place? I'm still pissed that our surveillance got blown," said John. "What's the latest from Lorne and Zovel? Do they have anyone in custody?"
"Not yet," said Elizabeth, "but the weather's only just starting to clear. And you know they're not going anywhere, John. The Gate's under guard. Unless the Genii have suddenly mastered interstellar flight, we'll find them."
A few months' earlier…on a planet under attack…
"The Wraith, the Wraith! Seek shelter immediately! Oh, gods of the ancestors, please save us!"
But the Darts were everywhere, relentless and inescapable.
oooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooo
The walls of the Hive were swollen with the bodies of the preserved. The doomed were heard more than seen: they cried, they whimpered, they begged. Others were completely silent, whether in resignation or catatonia.
Except for four men.
"We must see your Queen! Hey, listen to us! We must see her!" they called out. The Wraith drones, by definition not really having a mind of their own, just growled and ignored them.
One of the four, younger, and with a lot of attitude, wouldn't be quiet. "You, you, get her second-in-command to come and see us! We are worth so much more than food! If your Masters learn of your incompetence…"
The drones had enough combined brain cells to do what he asked. The Wraith commander, tall and imperious, with a striking goatee, agreed to see them – if only for temporary amusement. He was intrigued; seldom was the catch more than a quivering mass of flesh.
He stood in front of the noisy one and glared. "Human, your caterwauling assaults my ears! What do you want? Your cries are proving sadistically pleasing but your fate remains the same as the others we have culled today."
"No, no, you're wrong, Commander! Let me get my hands free and I'll show you."
"Show me what?"
"Something that proves my friends and I are more valuable to you than you could ever imagine."
The Wraith laughed. "You are only hastening your death with such chattering. Your refusal to accept your fate is intoxicating. I cannot wait to feed upon you!"
The captured human would not give up. "If your Queen were to learn of the four humans in your custody, so different from these other mewling captives and that you ignored their claims of value…"
The Wraith was no fool. "Enough! What do you speak of? Show me this wondrous find!"
The young man smiled, completely confident and feeling assured, now, of his and the others' survival. "Around my neck, Commander…"
The Wraith ripped the fibrous cocoon from the young man's neck and revealed a thick chain. Suspended from it was a translucent, green crystal ovoid, slightly smaller than a chicken egg.
"You show me a trinket!?"
"No, it's so much more. Press the top and bottom simultaneously, Commander. When the seam appears, turn the top half counterclockwise."
The Wraith did as he was instructed. From the ovoid appeared a miniature hologram. An older man, clean-shaven, and wearing gray and blue clothes, was speaking, but too quietly to be understood.
"What, you show me a child's toy, an amusement? You are trying my patience, human…"
"No…listen…uh, tap the crystal gently until the volume increases…yes, like that. Now, slide your finger from right to left, to rewind the message. Yes…good. Do you hear him? How he identifies himself?"
"I am of the Eloran," the hologram intoned.
At the name, the Wraith's eyebrows rose. "I have heard of this race, but they are a myth."
"No, Commander, they are real. Or, they once were. They may no longer exist, but I swear that remnants of their culture still do."
"Why do you share this with me?"
"We propose a….partnership."
"What?"
"A partnership. We have knowledge of these people, clues about where artifacts may be found. We can ally ourselves with you and share in the spoils."
The Wraith shook his head, laughing. This human was proving to be highly entertaining. "You delude yourself. I will take this device from you now and make a gift of it, and your men, to our Queen. She will drain you of your knowledge and then feast upon your foolish lives!"
"No, Commander, I don't think she will."
The Wraith stared at the young man, both flabbergasted that any human would defy him, and also very interested to know why.
"Do you know who we are, Commander? We're not from that backwards planet you just culled. We are Genii!"
The Wraith was unimpressed. "The Genii are our enemy!"
"No, we are rebel Genii. We have not given up who we are; we retain our independence. But in order to survive, we need food, shelter, armaments, what have you. Over time we've realized that if we can acquire certain things of value – such as this crystal – we can parlay them into what we truly need."
"Again, I say to you…what prevents my Queen and me from draining you of all information and life?"
"If you do that, Commander, then you are the one who is foolish. Since the Lanteans awakened the Wraith too early, you're not just competing for food. Each Hive, or particular allegiance of Hives, seeks supremacy in science, weaponry, power sources, anything to make them superior to all others."
"Commander, your race is the most conspicuous collection of beings in the galaxy. My friends and I, on the other hand, can be your eyes and ears. We can go where you can't, learn and steal things of great value. And, if we find something but do not have the capacity to obtain it, we can utilize your forces to do so. Think about it, Commander – wouldn't it be better if we, as your agents, could carefully and quietly take something away? Or do you really want to draw the attention and ire of the Lanteans and their allies by exposing yourselves?"
The Wraith was quiet. He had been listening more and more intently. The Genii was getting his point, and his proposal, across to him successfully.
"What do you propose, human?"
The young man smiled. "Release us and I'll tell you. And it's Trask, Commander. Arvil Trask."
ooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooo
A few days after Sheppard's discovery on Tigan…
The Wraith Commander peered through his binoculars, barely able to contain his anger. "Explain to me, Trask, why you are still alive? Why I have not yet reduced you to a lifeless husk!?" he growled at the human next to him. The two were spying on the Lanteans from their encampment in the non-contaminated foothills which bordered the Tigan wastelands.
"Commander, I, uh…" began the brash young man, "yes, it is unfortunate that our operation was detected."
"Two of your men are dead and one is in custody…" reminded the Wraith.
"My man will not compromise us. Commander, everything may yet work to our advantage. Our intelligence was correct – there is an Eloran lab here on Tigan. If it is fully functional, then we can let the Lanteans do the work for us. When the time is right, the Wraith can take over. You know how well your people mastered the technology at the facility we found on Daros, and how easy it was to modify it to suit your purposes. Hopefully, the Wraith can do the same here."
"I do not wish to remain exposed on this world any longer than necessary," complained the Wraith.
"Sir, your personal spacecraft is well camouflaged in these hills. Your cruiser is hiding in the shadow of Tigan's largest moon, and so should be undetectable – at least from the ground – by Lantean scans. A Hive can be here via hyperspace on your command. And as far as we know, the Lanteans are only searching for a renegade Genii soldier, not a covert Wraith force."
The Wraith smiled, looking suitably mollified, at least for the moment. He turned his attention once again to the unsuspecting Atlantis soldiers and scientists far off in the distance.
To be continued…I was sidelined by migraines for a week. I hope to publish once per week, if not more often. I hope this chapter seems enticing! Please read and review!