Chapter 3 – Encounters

Lyirin surveyed her work, grimly. After she had spent a good few hours on her experiments, still, no success. But so close…

She rubbed her forehead in frustration. There was a step she was missing somewhere, she was sure of it. If only she could find it, work around it..

Her painful, burning hunger drew her mind back to the present. The human lay unconscious, the experiments had drained him, as well as Lyirin, of energy.

Lyirin was starving. She couldn't even remember how long it had been since she'd taken nourishment. The hunger filled her, consumed her, like fire through her veins. There was no room for concern or conservation; all that seemed to exist was the hunger, and it couldn't be denied. Struggling to stay coherent, Lyirin removed an applicator from a shelf and injected the human male with it. In the ravenous desperation of her hunger, any previous plans she'd had regarding this human disappeared, he became simply a way to quench the fire inside her.

The human gasped, and woke up. He stared at her, not quite understanding, as she was now in her true form, rather than her disguise, which had been the only form in which he'd seen her. His eyes widened in terror as he now beheld her wraith-form. Not quite understanding that the woman he'd thought to be human and the wraith he saw now were the same; he did understand the look in her eyes.

'No…. no…. please.' He whimpered.

Lyirin made no reply; she was exhausted, stressed, and beyond coherent thought. She placed her hand on the human and sighed in relief as the nourishment flowed into her. Her frustration grew; even as she beheld the empty husk before her, her hunger still burned! It was all too apparent how long it had been since her last feeding. She shook in pain and in hunger, and moved to leave the lab, her only thought being to obtain more sustenance. For the moment, all else was pushed to the side. Picking up her stunner, and the remains of the human, she cautiously left her lab.

………………………..

As Lyirin walked outside her lab, she extended her telepathic senses to pick up any surrounding human or wraith presence. As she had always been quite strong as a telepath, she had found that with practice, she could keep herself hidden; unable to be sensed by any wraith if she so desired, and had done so in all the years of her absence from the hive, thus eliminating any unwanted attention. She was thankful for this ability, which had taken years to cultivate, as it had allowed her a peaceful existence so far. She had worked tirelessly to extend her ability so that she was now able to sense any human or wraith in her vicinity, which had proven to be extremely useful. Such fine tuned ability among her kind as well as the ability to sense species other than her own, was quite rare, though not unheard-of.

As she moved further into the woods with her stunner, she picked up a faint trace of human activity in the woods, and her excitement grew as she counted the individual presences, one…. two…three…six in total.

Moving cautiously towards the presence while remaining hidden in the undergrowth, she was grateful for her decision to exchange her white flowing robe for the black leather hunting garb favored by the wraith commanders. The leather outfit in question had been 'borrowed' from a wraith commander on a scout ship, which she had also 'borrowed'; and although the outfit was slightly ill fitting, it was more convenient in some instances than the robes she usually wore.

Mirth almost broke through her hunger at the memory of this particular incident, and her speculation of what, exactly, the wraith commander from whom the ship had been 'borrowed' would have thought when he regained consciousness after multiple stunning blasts, to find himself without a ship and without his outfit. In spite of herself, Lyirin almost laughed.

Forcing her mind back to the present, she pushed through the undergrowth, growing closer to the human presence. She could not tell at this stage if the four strange humans were among the six; nor was she particularly concerned by that thought…yet.

………………………..

'So you're absolutely sure the lab is this way?' Rodney asked the village guide, Rahan, who was as jumpy as Rodney was irritated.

'Indeed so, my friend!' The guide replied, eager to please. 'There are those who have returned from being taken, and they always come back from somewhere around here!'

Rodney nodded, clearly skeptical, as he looked at the mass of thick and seemingly unexplored forest before them.

'And do they recall what this person looked like?' He queried, only half-interested in the response.

To his right, Sheppard raised an eyebrow.

'Hoping to make the acquaintance of an attractive ancient, McKay?' He asked with an innocent expression on his face.

McKay rolled his eyes.

'That might be funny if it wasn't coming from Captain Kirk.' He retorted.

The guide, on whom this banter was apparently lost, replied after a few moments of thought to McKay's question.

'They have not much to say on the appearance of the strange one.' Rahan said, his tone thoughtful. 'They said that she covered their eyes with a cloth. But one of them caught a glimpse and said she was quite attractive.' He finished, his eyes distant.

McKay's eyes lit up.

'Really? And she was definitely human?'

'McKay!' Sheppard shoved an elbow at McKay, an amused look in his eyes.

The guide looked momentarily confused.

'Human?'

'Yes. Human, Homo sapiens, like us! Not like bogeyman, or wraith, or Godzilla.' McKay replied, patience evaporating.

Ronon and Sheppard, who were watching the exchange, were trying not to laugh.

'Of course she is human, but I thought that you said she might be one of the ancestors, Dr McKay?' The guide asked, puzzled.

'I don't care what it is.' The other villager who had accompanied them, a sour looking man with a mop of messy dark hair, suddenly said. 'My son was never the same after that creature brought him back. If I see it, I kill it.' He stated flatly.

'We cannot just kill her without finding out what she is after.' Teyla spoke for the first time. 'If she is an ancestor, she may have perfectly good reason….'

'Reason!' The man exploded. 'I care only about justice for my son! From here I'll look on my own…' He spat out and turned to leave the others. 'And if I find it first, I kill it.'

Rodney watched the exchange, his mouth opening and closing, and catching a look from Sheppard, decided not to voice the opinion that had first jumped to mind, and rather to continue the search for the strange one, whoever or whatever she might be.

…………………………..

As Lyirin drew nearer to the place where she felt the humans were, she suddenly heard footsteps in the undergrowth. Alarmed, she ducked behind a tree and waited for the person to appear. Finally, a man who was muttering as he pushed his way through the foliage appeared.

He was short by human standards, and rather plump. His hair was dark streaked with gray, and something in his manner made Lyirin think that he was seemingly on a mission…and that she herself was possibly the target. She crouched down and waited for him to draw close. As he did, she saw the anger etched on his face. He looked to be in his mid-years and his face seemed vaguely familiar, although in her hunger Lyirin could not place it. Finally, he came to the spot where she was hidden, and Lyirin decided to take her chances and jump.

For a moment the two merely stared at each other. Seeing Lyirin in her true form, the eyes of the human slowly widened in fear and realization.

'Black hair….' He murmured. 'It's a wraith?'

Lyirin merely stared at him for another moment, uncertain of what to do, until a hunger cramp caused her to bend over in pain.

Taking this as his chance, the man, with a shriek of rage, leapt at her and plunged a knife into her ribs!

Lyirin hissed in anger and pain, and finally her anger overcame her. She threw the man off her back and slammed him to the floor! Placing her hand underneath his throat, she looked for a moment at his face. The man's eyes glared at her in hatred and defiance. Lyirin paid no heed, and drew the nourishing energy into her. The human screamed as she drained the life from him, and Lyirin sighed in relief, feeling the wound in her ribs heal, and life flow through her once more. When it was done, she cast aside the husk, feeling sufficiently nourished. As she beheld the remains, the old twinge returned, and her mind was brought back to her project. Hearing the voices of humans, she quickly moved into a dense group of shrubs and shifted into human form once more.

………………….

'What was that?' Sheppard was suddenly alert at hearing what sounded like shouting breaking the silence of the forest.

Ronon shrugged.

'Sounded like yelling.' He remarked with an odd look. 'I guess he found something in there after all.'

'Well, we have to go look.' John replied, his hand on the stunner he was holding. 'And where's McKay?'

'I believe…he said that he needed to relieve himself.' Teyla replied, with a hint of a smile.

'Just great.' Sheppard muttered. 'And he wonders why he's the one who always gets the arrow in the ass!'

He gestured at the other three and moved towards the sound of the yelling.

'I'll go check it out. You three stay here and wait for McKay.'

'No.' Ronon replied, and stepped in front of Sheppard. 'If you go, I'm going with you.'

'I as well.' Teyla said, firmly. 'It could be dangerous. Rahan..' She spoke to the village guide at last. 'Will you stay here and wait for doctor McKay?'

Rahan nodded.

Sheppard threw a stunner at him.

'Be careful. You see anything but us or McKay, you stun it.'

…………………………………….

Rodney breathed a sigh of relief at having finally rid from his system the drink from the tavern. Usually, there would need to be much persuading to get him to relieve himself in the woods, but it was that or nothing, so Rodney was at least relieved that no one besides his team would have to know about it.

Crack.

Rodney turned in alarm, thinking that Teyla or one of his team had followed and decided to play a joke on him. He shrugged the feeling off; these were thick woods, there had to be animals of some kind, and as long as they weren't bigger than a rabbit….

Crack.

The sound of twigs snapping under a definite weight was clearer, closer this time. Finally McKay, having zipped up, turned around and prepared for the confrontation, at least hoping for the intruder to be one of the team playing a trick on him. Instead he saw a black outfit. He couldn't see the person's face, but… he quivered in fear and his hands went to his gun. That was a wraith outfit…a wraith, here? Surely Teyla would have been able to sense it?

As if in answer to his question, the person moved so that their face became visible. It was no wraith, but a pale young woman with long, dark hair. Apprehensive turquoise eyes stared at him. While she was pretty, she looked quite odd to Rodney…. frightened-looking and in a wraith outfit which didn't fit.

'Uh…. hello!' He managed to find his voice. 'What…. uh…. are you doing here? What's your name? I'm Rodney, Rodney McKay.' He held out his hand in greeting to the woman, who simply stared at it. Finally, she spoke.

'Why are you here?'

…………………………..

Lyirin had come across the human purely by chance. As she had been waiting for them to show themselves, one of them had broken away from the group. She had followed him, watched him, hoping to at least find out what he was doing. When it had become all too clear what he had been doing, Lyirin had waited until such time as he had finished with that particular task, so as not to watch a human empty his bladder. Upon drawing closer, she could see he was indeed one of the strange ones that had come into the tavern, the very one who had stared at her so oddly! Perhaps, then, she could find out what it was they were trying to do. She had gotten closer, thinking to capture and interrogate him; unfortunately, the human had turned around and noticed her first. She had been surprised at his questioning her, his apparent lack of fear; perhaps due to the fact that she had perfected a frightened look which tended to put humans at their ease. At least while she was in human form, anyway. But if it questioned her, surely it was only fair that she questioned it…

……………………………..

'Do you have a name?' Rodney asked, choosing not to answer the woman's question.

'Why are you here?' She repeated. 'This forest does not concern you.'

'You know, you never answered my question.' Rodney said with a nervous laugh.

The woman hissed in a way that reminded him of a wraith.

'Answer mine first.' Her voice was tinged with annoyance.

'Well…uh…. we're looking for someone.' He finally managed. 'Maybe you? We heard about a scientist and a lab here. Is it yours? And why are you wearing a wraith outfit?' Curiosity finally got the better of him, as he stared at her ill-fitting leathers.

'I was attacked.' She said, almost hesitantly. 'And I needed the clothes more than he did.' A look that was almost humorous crept into her eyes.

'But that doesn't explain what you're doing here.' Rodney said, staring steadily at her.

The woman's turquoise eyes narrowed into slits.

'What I do in my space doesn't concern you, h…however you may think it does.' She stated acidly.

Rodney wondered what she might have been about to say just before she had corrected herself. He was about to reply when shouting suddenly broke the silence.

………………………………

'I see him, over there!' Teyla exclaimed, pointing to a clearing ahead. 'I also see someone else…who is that?' She moved closer, trying to get a good look at the black-clad figure standing next to Rodney.

'Is that a wraith..?' Sheppard said, his voice incredulous.

Teyla looked at the figure, confused.

'I do not sense a wraith.' She replied, almost hesitantly.

'Well.' Ronon said, arming his weapon. 'Whoever it is, I'm going to check it out.'

'I'm right with you, buddy.' Sheppard replied, moving to follow Ronon through the trees towards Rodney and they dark-clad figure.

…………………..

'Who is that?' Lyirin asked the human, her annoyance building. One thing she could tell for certain, she was indeed the target of this human and the others who were now shouting at him, and she had neither the time nor patience to wait and see what happened when the others arrived.

'They're friends of mine.' The human, who had called himself Rodney, said with a smirk. 'I'm sure they'll want to meet you.'

Lyirin hissed at him, forgetting momentarily to act human.

'I have nothing to say to them…. or you.' She replied curtly.

Before he could react, she was moving swiftly away, running towards the shortcut that she knew would take her to her hidden fighter craft.

…………………..

As she ran, Lyirin heard angry human voices behind her, and the shots of a stunner and some other type of energy weapon. She felt a twitch of anger that some of these weapons were undoubtedly stolen from the wraith. She made a list in her head of planets on which she could hide for a short time, and decided on Sar'eil. One of her labs was still there, and, though it was coded to wraith dna rather than hers specifically, was hopefully undisturbed. As she drew closer to the clearing where she had hidden her ship, she heard the human voices somewhere close, still in pursuit. At last she passed the rocky incline behind which her fighter was hidden, and allowed herself to sigh in relief as she raced towards it. The humans might be able to catch up to her on foot; there was no way they could reach her in a fighter craft. She wondered briefly what they would think upon seeing the wraith fighter craft, and that she, apparently human, was flying it….

Spotting her craft at long last, Lyirin activated the remote control to open the fighter cockpit, and upon reaching it, jumped in. She allowed herself a long, drawn-out breath of relief as the cockpit closed, and she activated the controls to fly up and away from there.

She felt a smug sense of satisfaction as she sped towards the Stargate; she had no desire to feed on these humans, and they would most likely be missed if she were to take them for her experiments. Better to leave, for now, until they had given up and gone. She thought about her destination. Sar'eil was quiet, with relatively primitive humans on it. As was the case on this world, she would likely be left alone, and hopefully when she needed to feed, it would not draw too much attention. She did regret leaving behind her inventions and her medical equipment, and hoped that what she had left in the lab on Sar'eil remained untouched. She hadn't even taken any other clothes with her besides the ill-fitting leathers she now wore. It would be a good few weeks before she'd feel safe coming back even to retrieve some of her equipment to take off world….

Lyirin's attention was brought back to reality as she spotted the Stargate ahead. Activating the controls, she set the co-ordinates to Sar'eil.

As her fighter flew through the Stargate, she couldn't help feeling apprehension. She hoped that the humans would give up, and leave her be.

…………….

As John and the others had run towards McKay, all they had seen was what appeared to be a dark-haired wraith fleeing the scene. Ronon had fired a few shots at it, but Teyla had gone straight to Rodney.

'Rodney? What happened?' She put a hand on his arm and asked him, concerned.

'You scared her! Why did you have to come firing guns!' Rodney cried out in annoyance.

'Her?' Sheppard said, confused. 'Who was that? What was it? It looked like a wraith!'

'That wasn't a wraith!' Rodney exclaimed. 'She said she was attacked and took a wraith's outfit…it didn't fit all that well. But she was human, and she wasn't entirely unattractive..'

Sheppard raised an eyebrow.

'Oh?'

'Easy there, captain Kirk.' Rodney retorted. 'She seemed pretty scared and none too trusting. She also refused to tell me what she's doing here, which makes me think she can only be our mystery scientist.'

'Well, what are we waiting for?' Ronon remarked. 'Let's go after her! She could be a wraith-worshipper…. who knows what she's doing?'

'Alright…. how fast could she run, anyway?' Sheppard replied, and moved in the direction the woman had disappeared.

'If it's ok, I'll stay here!' McKay called after him. 'She might have arrows!' He glanced at Teyla, who was watching Sheppard and Ronon running out of sight. 'They don't even listen…' He muttered.

Teyla smiled, and moved to sit down next to him.

………………………

'This woman can really run!' Sheppard remarked, as he and Ronon followed the vague trail the woman was leaving. Ronon had fired a few stunning blast in what seemed her direction, but in vain. Sheppard thought of stopping to catch his breath, but Ronon was still running after the woman. He struggled to catch up.

After a good few minutes of running through the thick forest, they finally reached what appeared to be a clearing, and caught sight of a distant figure running towards something. Sheppard held out his stunner, preparing to fire, but nothing he expected was close to what happened next. The woman disappeared, and a few moments later a dart rose from the vague area in which she'd disappeared. The sound of the dart screeched overhead, and Sheppard and Ronon ducked behind some bushes, expecting a culling beam. The dart, however, sped away, possibly in the direction of the Stargate. Ronon yelled an obscenity and fired some shots in its direction.

'What kind of person can fly a wraith dart?' Sheppard mused aloud.

Ronon rolled his eyes.

'You, for one.' He said with a grunt.

'I mean what kind of person who doesn't have McKay?' Sheppard retorted, amused.

'A wraith worshipper, maybe.' Ronon replied with a scowl. 'If we see her again, this won't be set to stun.' He indicated his energy weapon.

'Oh, yes it will.' Sheppard said firmly. 'Until we find out who and what she is, we won't be killing her. But for now she's gone, so I suggest we head back to the others, then to Atlantis. And we should buy that guide…and ourselves…a drink and something to eat.'

Ronon grinned at Sheppard.

'No arguments there.'

………………….

Once she had landed in a safe spot near her lab on Sar'eil, Lyirin disembarked from her craft. She held her stunner and walked towards the lab she had left behind, so long ago. As she drew closer, something made her stop. She could sense something, a presence that was….

She stiffened in anger and a small measure of alarm. There was another wraith here. Or at least, that was what the presence felt most like.

Another wraith in her territory, possibly in her lab…

Stunner held tightly in her hands, she moved closer to the intruding presence.

T.B.C. On to chapter 4...