Author's Note: Okay, so I'm still really busy; but I haven't posted anything all week, and it's felt HORRIBLE! (It turns out that my practically non-existent writing this week is going better than anything else that I've had planned... :P eh, such is life...) And you've all been so patient, waiting for me to post the next chapter. So here it is, and I hope you like it! :D
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What's For Dinner?
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After several uneventful hours of waiting, the commander returned for Teyla and Todd.
"My lady awaits you," he hissed through his teeth. Teyla managed to keep herself impassive, but she had to suppress a shudder at his tone. No matter how uncomfortably wraith-like she was starting to feel, that voice was enough to make anyone's skin crawl. Maybe the queen wanted him alive because she was afraid of him?
She and Todd followed the commander to a great hall, the equivalent of a wraith queen's "dining room". As the door opened, an odd smell blew out of the room, andn Teyla frowned slightly, trying to distinguish it. She felt slight pressure on her back from Todd's hand, and realized that she had stopped walking. Gathering herself, she faced the commander, who had turned to look back at her with a heavy glare from his dull eyes.
"What?" he asked insultingly. Teyla matched his look with a withering glare.
"I do what I please," she informed him, unable to ignore his blatant rudeness to her any longer. "And if you have a "problem" with that, then you can very quickly be eliminated, and replaced by someone who-" he words were cut of as the commander stepped up close to her, so that her body was pressed between his and Todd's. His fingers wrapped around the top of her arm, nails digging in and drawing dark blood.
The commander was trying to connect to her, trying to speak into her mind whatever vile threats that he had for her; but Teyla was suddenly oblivious. She glanced down at his hand around her arm, and felt a great rage come over her, the like of which she had never felt before, even with those emotions heightened by her transformation. But suddenly, she wanted nothing more than to feed on this creature that stood before her. He had dared to touch her, he had dared to draw her blood! Her promise to never feed again forgotten, she pushed him away with strength like she had never felt before, and raised her hand, hissing angrily.
"No!" Todd grabbed her raised hand and forced it down; and she whirled on him and threw him back. He stumbled into the wall, and jerked his head up to meet her eyes as she advanced on him, no doubt desiring his life as well. He held up his hands in a gesture of surrender.
"Forgive me, my queen," he pleaded, putting just the right amount of fear into his words. "I only wished to remind you of the greater feast that awaits you," he watched the cuts in her arm mend themselves, and he knew that they had very little time left before her transformation became irreversible. They needed to get the formula from the other queen; and killing her commander before that point would definitely interfere with their plans.
"Why waste your time on this filth?" he continued, nodding his head at the commander, who was by now getting back on his feet as well. "When you have all that you could desire waiting for you just inside?" Teyla pressed her lips together, considering that. Something in Todd's eyes must have warned her about how little time that they had left.
With a raspy grunt, she spun around to face the commander again.
"You are fortunate that I do not have time to kill you right now," she hissed. "But soon..."
"I look forward to that battle," the commander replied. "And when it comes, I will crush you." He and Teyla locked each other in a stalemate of glares. It was broken by the other queen's voice from inside the chamber.
"What are you waiting for? Bring them in." The commander tore his gaze away from Teyla, and stepped aside from the door. Teyla straightened, lifted her head, and passed him, entering the chamber. Todd followed, keeping an eye on the wraith even as he strode past him.
The other queen was waiting across the room from them, and the other end of a long table filled with strange foods, some of which even Teyla had never seen before. She looked down at the table with disgust on her face, then raised her eyes to the queen.
"What is this?" she demanded. "I thought that you said a feast."
"And there will be one," the queen assured her. "But first, I believe we were going to discuss what you came for?" Her voice was sickly sweet, and Teyla sensed a trap even if she could not quite guess what it was. Dimly behind her she heard the commander enter, and the door close. Experience told her that they were locking her and Todd in. But what could they possibly do to defeat her?
"You know what I came for," Teyla said. "Unfortunately my scientist... displeased me with his results, and I need the reverse formula."
"Why would you need that?" the queen asked. "And why come to me for it?" she started to pace a little bit. "If you are so powerful as you have said, hen why would you need help from me?"
"I thought that I would be given a better reception, and we could combine our research," Teyla said. "My scientist was not able to create a reverse drug, but he was able to perfect the initial treatment. All of our tests were successful."
"How is that possible?" the commander began, but was silenced by a mere look from his queen.
"And you would be willing to trade that information?" she asked instead. Teyla frowned.
"I was willing, before your commander insulted me. Now I expect at least one dose of the completed formula as payment for his rudeness. But I might still consider a fuller trade, as long as this incident is not repeated."
"I promise that it will never happen to you again," the queen said menacingly. Teyla noticed Todd move a little bit away from her, contrary to his behavior of the trip so far which to this point had been surprisingly protective. Slightly unnerved, Teyla refocused her attention to sense each wraith in the room; especially the commander, who stayed just out of her vision.
"I would like the formula before I make a deal," Teyla said. The queen smiled, sickly sweet, and nodded.
"Very well," she gestured to a small bottle on the table. "There it is." Teyla frowned suspiciously, and glanced at Todd. He reached over and picked it up, and slipped it into his pocket.
"Now do we have an agreement?" Teyla nodded gracefully.
"Yes. Now where is that feast that you spoke of?"
"It just arrived." All three wraith in the om changed, turning to her. Teyla looked around, her eyes taking in first the queen, then the commander, then Todd. For the first time she let her wraith mask slip, horrified.
"Todd, you...?" she didn't have to finish the question, the three wraith facing her and the betrayal in her eyes words enough.
"Honestly, Teyla, did you expect anything different?" he asked softly, a knife somehow appearing in his hand.
"I expected better from my commander," she said carefully, bringing herself into check again. "You remember what happened last time that you disobeyed me." Todd grinned weirdly at her.
"That was a warning," he said, as he and the other two wraith closed in on her, for the kill.
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A/N: Sorry for the cliffie! Actually, this scene didn't turn out *quite* like I wanted it too (I feel like I've been doing a lot of the same things with the commander and stuff; but that's just the way that his character is coming out. He really *doesn't* learn), but I've had it planned for a while, and I needed to write it... but I bet that you didn't see that coming, huh? I promise to update as soon as possible!
