Chapter 7

The distinctive sound of the stargate dial-in cut through the early night air taking the two guards by surprise. Sitting in the small wooden sentry post that overlooked the track leading to the gate, they were on the watch that would take them from dusk through to dawn. It was supposed to be a quiet night, spent playing a Genii card game to the accompaniment of the howls and cries of the nocturnal animals and birds. No gate activity was expected until Commander Kolya returned with the rest of the garrison and the captured Atlanteans.

Both recent recruits to Kolya's side, the two men had come to join kinsmen who favoured this cause over the legitimate regime of Ladon Radim. Although both young, one guard appeared to at least have some fighting experience given the angry scar on his left cheek. The look of indecision that fleetingly touched both their faces and the accompanying hesitation in deciding the best course of action, attested to their inexperience though. Both stood up but the taller one, the one with the scarred face, moved over to the window. He could barely distinguish the shape of the gate in the darkness but the flashes of light confirmed the activity they could hear.

"Can't be the commander yet? He wouldn't have had time to finish his business and be back already."

"No. He said it'd probably be closer to dawn when he returned. So who is it then?"

The tall guard shrugged his shoulders and turned back at his companion. "Well, chances are it's probably someone he's sent on ahead but it could be a stranger so we should follow routine."

As they quickly pulled on their heavy overcoats and glanced at each other before opening the door, a look of apprehension was mirrored in their faces. The force here was sadly depleted and if, by some remote chance, this was an unfriendly visit, they would find it difficult to defend their settlement against an attack of any magnitude. As young soldiers, they were eager to see action, but not when the odds were so heavily stacked against their survival. The taller soldier activated his radio to let the men in the village know they had unexpected gate activity. Then, grabbing his rifle, he followed his partner out into the shadow of the sentry post ready to either challenge the visitor or make a quick retreat to the village if needed.

Standing with their rifles aimed at the gate, they knew what they must do if these were visitors were hostile. But they were painfully aware of their lack of experience so, despite the cold of the evening, sweat formed a light iridescent sheen on their faces and the hands that held the rifles trembled slightly. If the commander's bodyguard were not off-world they would have a more senior officer with them but they were alone so, like legions of soldiers before them, they had to manage the odds on their own.

As the gate finally sprang to life, they moved forward slightly but pulled up as Commander Kolya almost fell through the event horizon. Lowering their weapons slightly, they moved out onto the path leading up to the gate to wait for the arrival of the rest of the commander's team and the Atlanteans. But the gate closed leaving their leader standing alone. The young men looked at each other as he remained fixed in front of the gate, gulping in long, deep breaths of air. They walked up to him, ostensibly to offer help, but in reality eager to know what had happened.

"Commander? We weren't expecting you back so soon?" There were other questions, but something about their leader's manner warned them it would be prudent to hold their tongues.

"Wraith!" The word was spat out with absolute disgust as Kolya looked back at the gate. "I ... we ran into difficulties. I barely managed to escape."

Looking down at his young followers, he knew one of them had a kinsman who may well be lost. He took one final deep breath, desperate to believe at least some of his men would be able to avoid capture and would eventually make their way back here when it was safe to do so.

"Others will be following but it may take them some time to get access to the gate. There could be wraith too so I'll send more men up from the village."

"And the Atlanteans sir?"

An ironic laugh echoed through the still night air. "Dead or in the hands of the wraith I imagine."

It mattered little which fate had befallen his temporary captives, either way they were dead. A scowl spread across his face but it only partly expressed the anger that came with the realisation that Sheppard had not only slipped through his fingers but was now completely out of his reach. Yet again it seemed his future had been snatched away by forces beyond his control.

x-X-00-X-x

The young officer had carried out Todd's instructions with a thoroughness and single mindedness Sheppard would have admired in one of his junior officers. They were not mishandled per se, although the search for tracking devices had been rough and invasive to say the least.

Somewhere during the whole process, back in the town and on the hive, his watch had gone missing but he felt pretty certain the Genii would have been responsible for that rather than the wraith who had no need for such a device. Despite Ronon's best efforts and most strident objections, every last one of his concealed knives had been found, which effectively rendered them helpless by the time they had finally been escorted to this cell. Sheppard grimaced and ran his hand across the organic webbing that constituted the cell door. It looked slimy but actually felt warm and slightly spongy under his fingers although he knew from experience that it would withstand even the most brutal force applied against it.

Looking out into the corridor, he wondered why Todd has set guards to watch over them but then realised they were probably there on the orders of the young officer who had brought them here. He turned and looked back at his team. It was a unique situation. Sure, they had been in a cell on a wraith hive before, and they had been on Todd's hive before, but they had never been in a cell on Todd's hive before. Sheppard, for one, found it distinctly unnerving. Still, at least they were together in the same cell and, given the identity of their captor, the responses of the rest of his team to their dilemma were quite predictable.

Teyla sat, eyes closed, legs crossed, back and head resting against the wall with her hands folded together almost as if she was praying or meditating. Just looking at her calm features brought a realisation of how much he valued her ability to keep her head even in the face of the most hostile circumstances. Perhaps she was meditating but Sheppard suspected she was using her own telepathic powers to discreetly gather some useful information about what was going on around the hive. It was a dangerous strategy but he knew it would be useless to order her to stop so he had best just leave her alone until she was ready to talk.

She had never spoken much about Todd, other than to constantly remind Sheppard that no matter how cooperative this wraith may seem on the surface, he was a wraith and his true nature should never be overlooked or underestimated. Such warnings had always grated with him. He had learned exactly how dangerous wraith were after his first engagement with them, within hours of arriving in the Pegasus galaxy. In his mind, he treated Todd with the same caution and lack of trust he used dealing with any other wraith, which probably explained why they were sitting in this cell. Todd's comments back in the tavern indicated certain residual issues with the way he had been treated on Atlantis and Sheppard was in no doubt this was a form of pay-back.

Would they be sitting here now if he had given Teyla's warnings more credence and rejected Todd's various proposals for collaboration though? He shook his head decisively. They were not here because he had underestimated Todd's capacity to act more like a wraith. They were here because his search for retribution against Kolya had finally collided head-on with Todd's own vendetta. It was probably always bound to happen, irrespective of how well he had understood the wraith's more basic character traits.

Unfortunately Teyla's calming attitude was having absolutely no effect on Ronon who was prowling like a caged lion. The grimaces that occasionally contorted his face indicated he was obviously in pain from the broken bones in his hand but it was being subsumed by anger he was unable or unwilling to hide. Given his history as a runner, being hunted by wraith in the name of some bizarre idea of sport, this display of raw emotion was only to be expected. Like Teyla, he had never hidden his dislike or mistrust of Todd, a situation that had often resulted in what Sheppard had always considered some school-boyish one-upmanship and posturing between the two. So to be here as Todd's prisoner was the ultimate humiliation for the Satedan and he was not taking it well. What Sheppard had not fully understood before, and what was going to add another dimension to the job of talking their way out of here, was the depth of Todd's dislike of the Satedan.

"How long d'you think he'll keep us here?"

Sheppard's thoughts were interrupted by McKay's question. The scientist stood next to him, looking out into the corridor, trying to rationalise the whole thing while, for once, doing a good job of masking his nervousness.

Sheppard shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine."

"Okay, we've been in far worse situations than this. I mean this is Todd's hive, he's our friend, we're his friends, right?"

"Rodney." Teyla's voice startled them all and they looked down in her direction. "Todd does not understand the concept of friends, especially not human friends." The Athosian's eyes were still closed and her voice carried the undertone of a teacher explaining a new idea to one of her pupils.

"Yeah, but we've worked together. That's got to mean something even to a wraith. Doesn't it?"

"You're a fool if you believe that." Ronon growled.

Teyla's eyes sprang open. The glance she cast in his direction showed she considered this intervention less than useful and she carried on as if he had not interrupted.

"No, I'm afraid it doesn't mean anything Rodney. To him we are useful resources he can exploit to his advantage when he wants to improve his standing amongst his wraith alliance. And when we are no longer useful in that capacity, we will merely become expendable sources of energy, just like every other human in this galaxy."

Sheppard nodded in silent agreement. A pretty brutal summary of their relationship with this wraith, but pretty spot on.

McKay facade of calm seemed to finally be slipping but he also seemed determined to hang on to some sense of shared purpose. "Yeah but I'm just thinking..."

Ronon's curt tones again cut across his increasingly desperate questions. "No, you're not thinking at all judging by the crap you're spouting."

"Okay. That's enough. Both of you, just calm down." Sheppard had no intention of listening to their bickering and, while talking was painful, he needed to reiterate how he saw their situation here. "Look we now know for sure that Todd is after Kolya but we're stuck here until he gets off his backside and lets us go. So just get used to the accommodation 'cause I don't think it's goin' to get any better in a hurry."

They just had to accept there was absolutely nothing they could do to hurry things up, in fact he suspected Todd was probably getting some sort of perverse pleasure out of keeping them here. He finally lowered himself down to sit opposite Teyla and ran his hand through his tousled hair, gingerly defining the size of the lump on his skull and the extent of the dried blood. The actual wound was not large but it appeared to have bled profusely judging by the stains on his jacket.

As his closed his eyes, so many other thoughts flashed through his mind. How long would it be before Carter sent through another team and discovered they had been culled? At least their suspicion that Todd was also after Kolya had been confirmed, and the look on the Wraith's face as he told of the Genii's escape illustrated the depth of his feelings. But he recalled Todd's comment about capturing many of the rebels and had no doubt wraith interrogation methods would reveal something about where the rebel base was located. So what would Kolya do now? Sheppard was certain he would need to return there even if it was just while he looked for a new base. It would all depend on how many men had survived what could only be described as a set-back to Kolya's cause.

On a personal level he wondered if he and Todd would be able to work out a way to continue this search together or, at the very least, without stepping on each other's toes again. He really needed to be there when Todd talked to Kolya's men, even though he was sure he would find the process distasteful to say the least.

A deep sigh escaped that caused Teyla to look up in his direction. He opened his eyes and smiled weakly but had no wish to begin another conversation. His head ached, his jaw hurt when he spoke and there was nothing more he could do until Todd decided to move. Except close his eyes again in the vain hope that perhaps some sleep might come.

x-X-00-X-x

Todd's mood started to lighten slightly as he walked from his shuttle to the hive's command centre. Since the forced separation caused by his imprisonment, he had developed a heightened appreciation of returning to the organic auras of his home and the collective voices of his fellow wraith, after even a short visit to a non-wraith world. As he walked through the corridors he also sensed an aura of contentment; this culling had been unplanned and the crew always welcome unexpected treats.

In this environment, his annoyance became more focused on issues he could deal with as he looked beyond the disappointment of losing his quarry. Kolya had escaped, nothing could change that fact, but it would not be for long and something positive had actually come from the operation.

For the first time since he had begun his partnership of convenience with the Atlanteans, they were are under his control. A smile spread across his face. Once Kolya had slipped through his fingers, his plan had been to just talk with Sheppard but once he saw the humans were already prisoners, it had been a snap decision to bring them to the hive as his prisoners. Sheppard had been so sure he would just untie them and allow them to walk free. But as soon as he sensed this arrogance, he was determined to make things far more difficult. Their reaction when he ordered that they be brought to the hive was worth every minute of humiliation they had inflicted on him.

Of course, they would not come to any harm. They were far too valuable to him alive, particularly Sheppard and Doctor McKay, but that could change. He meant to get Kolya and if these occasional allies got in the way, their value would have to be reassessed. For now though, they were safely locked in a cell and he felt inclined to leave them there for a while.

Besides there were other things to deal with, such as how Kolya was able to escape. Todd was fairly sure he knew what had happened and the identity of the culprits who had allowed it to happen. To an opportunist, who believed even the most serious disaster could be turned into something positive, this debacle offered a perfect opportunity to reinforce his position as hive commander. Any failure to follow his orders, whether by accident or intentional, could potentially be construed as a challenge to his authority and he had to be seen to act quickly and decisively to deal with those responsible.

Punishment meted out in private was not an effective deterrent to negligence so, on his orders, the officers who held positions of responsibility in the operational areas of the hive were in the command centre awaiting his arrival. As he approached the centre, he reached out to engage the waiting assembly and guarantee their full attention once he stood before them.

=The stargate was not jammed. The landing parties were beamed into the wrong location.= He waited momentarily before entering the hub of the ship to ask one simple question. =Why?=

Surprisingly his second in command took the initiative for answering. =Commander, I do not believe it was intentional.=

A deep growl signalled Todd's disappointment with this response. He expected more than simplistic excuses from his lieutenant. Intentional or not, the error indicated a lack of discipline, possibly even a degree of weakness that he found distasteful. A quick lesson in apportioning blame where it belonged was needed here.

=Are you?= He walked over to stand only inches from his second and looked down onto the young face with distain. =So you are prepared to accept all responsibility for these mistakes?=

The lieutenant's face contorted as he realised of his error and he involuntarily took a small step backwards. =No, commander.= He bowed his head, partially as a sign of respect but primarily to escape his leader's piercing gaze. =Any who thinks he can flaunt your authority with impunity must be punished.=

=Then do not seek to speak on behalf of those whose carelessness holds the potential to put this hive in danger.=

Sets of black and amber eyes watched warily as their commander walked to the main control console. He turned to slowly scan the faces gathered before him, searching each mind for information, and making sure they were fully aware of his ability to impose his will on them. Finally his attention turned to two wraith standing at the back of the room. They were the focus of his suspicion and the defensiveness that confronted his mind confirmed that they were indeed responsible for these mistakes.

Both had been strong supporters of his predecessor, and he suspected a lack of commitment to his cause had made them careless. In turn, this had given their underlings latitude to become sloppy in their duties and not follow their orders as diligently as the collective discipline of the hive demanded. It was a situation he could not allow to continue with impunity, but he had no intention of inflicting a physical punishment. In situations such as these, where lack of commitment rather than outright treachery or malicious intent were at the root of the problem, he had always believed humiliation was the strongest deterrent of all.

=You have failed me and you have failed this hive. You will forfeit all your responsibilities and privileges until you have a clearer understanding of who you serve. If you err again I will not be so lenient.=

Todd dismissed them all with a curt nod of his head and watched the two offenders slink out with their heads down and their spirits deflated but not completely broken. Wraith who lost everything became a liability, but these two would eventually be given a second chance after they had considered where their long term interests lay. They would harbour some residual bitterness towards him for their temporary fall from grace but they were impotent to do anything to exact revenge. Every wraith who had been under their control would now move up the chain of command, effectively denying them the opportunity to sow seeds of discontent among those they knew best.

Having meted out this punishment, Todd turned his attention back to the bigger picture and re-established the link with his second to get an update on what had happened while he was off the hive.

=The commander of the other hive has asked if you still have need of his agents?=

Todd walked over to a monitor and activated the map that showed the location of the alliance hives. =No, there is little more they can do for us. Tell him they are unharmed.=

=Very well. What are your orders for the hive?=

=We will stay in orbit around this world for the time being. We may have lost the main prize but we have most of his underlings in our culling pens. I am sure we will be able to persuade at least one of them to betray his master and share information about his whereabouts with us.=

The edges of the second's mouth turned up into a vague smile. =Do you wish to interrogate them personally commander?=

=Oh yes.= For the first time, the second's mind was assailed with the full magnitude of his commander's hatred for this group of humans. =They will eventually need to be singled out and placed in a separate pen but leave them with the others for now.=

=And the other four, the humans from Atlantis?=

=Are not your concern.=

-o-o-o-o-

As he walked into his quarters Todd nodded at the tall, grey haired worshipper who stood waiting to do his master's bidding. The look on the human's face showed that news of the failure of the operation had already spread through the hive. Todd started to undo his long leather coat and the worshipper moved forward to help, taking the garment and folding it exactly the way his master liked.

He had been on this hive longer than he could remember, so long in fact, that his memories of life before becoming a worshipper were lost in the nether reaches of his mind. But as the commander's personal servant he was also the nominal leader of the hive's human community, a position that carried some limited status. He had served other masters but he had quickly grown to respect this tall wraith with the somewhat unusual and unconventional ways. It was a relationship of mutual respect, and Todd relied on the worshipper to take care of issues that were of a personal interest to him.

"There are four humans from Atlantis in the cells. Two of them are injured so you will take one of your healers to them. You will make sure they have what they want and that they receive the food they need."

"Yes master. Will they be with us long?"

"That is not your concern. You just have to make sure they are comfortable. Nothing more."

"As you wish. Do you need anything more?"

"No."

"Very well master." The servant moved silently towards the door but stopped and looked back inquiringly. "What are their names?"

His question was met with a momentary look of confusion.

"Their names. I need to know their names." The worshipper's voice carried a tone of impatience few would dare to use in a conversation with their commander.

But Todd just nodded his head and grunted gently. "Sheppard, their leader is John Sheppard."

The worshipper bowed and was gone leaving his master to finally relax and take stock of what he needed to do next.

Since assuming command of the hive, great care had been taken to make sure his quarters provided the idea environment for just this type of activity. Furnished in a style that could best be described as eclectic, the basic wraith items, the monitors linked into the hive's various operational systems and the functional meditation couch, were supplemented by various items that had taken his fancy during visits to human worlds. A solid wooden table with intricate patterns carved into the sides, some comfortable-looking high-backed chairs upholstered with a rich purple fabric, a couple of footstools and numerous candles that the worshipper had lit in preparation for his master's return. Wraith had no need for either heat or lighting but Todd had always liked candles. The gentle fluttering of the flames were a useful salve when his mind was filled with issues that only he could solve.

He sat down in one of the chairs, closed his eyes, stretched his long legs and felt some of the tension flow out of his muscles. His mind wandered as he relaxed and he wondered about the value humans would get in a similar situation from the activity they call 'sleeping'. As he understood it, the process lessened their ability to respond to external stimuli while restoring their energy and giving their bodies time to heal from injuries and sickness. The irony was not lost on him that wraith probably did not need to sleep because they got the same nourishment and energy from feeding on the humans. Of course, sleep also sounded very similar to hibernation and Todd wondered when, in light of the distrust that was driving this Civil War they were fighting, he would experience that state again.

Thoughts about energy and feeding triggered a secondary consideration that he needed to feed soon, certainly before he went too much further in his hunt for Kolya. The involuntary release of enzyme he had experienced before the culling in anticipation of capturing this human had moved his body into a state of readiness to feed that now needed to be satiated. But there was no hurry, certainly not now that he was ensconced in his quarters about to send out an order that he was not to be disturbed under any condition. And he had no doubt some sustenance would come when he interrogated Kolya's followers.

x-X-00-X-x

The commander's servant led his small procession of helpers through the maze of corridors and elevators that took them from the worshipper's quarters on the lowest level of the hive to the cell area where these humans from Atlantis sat as the commander's guests. He had chosen these helpers carefully knowing that his own position was at risk if any harm should come to the visitors.

The healer, a woman of middling years, had been a midwife on her home world but now had experience across a wide range of ailments and injuries. The two men who prepared the food and drink, brothers of an indeterminate age, had been on the hive almost as long as the servant. Walking through the hive carrying trays piled high with food and jugs of various liquids, they attracted little attention from other wraith who knew they moved with the imprimatur of the commander.

The two drone guards marked the cell holding the humans but the group was intercepted by the officer who had overseen the Atlanteans transfer to the hive.

"You have been sent by the commander so I will accompany to ensure you do not meet an unexpected trouble."

"I thought the Atlanteans were unarmed?"

"They are but the commander warned me of their artfulness and I have no wish to take chances."

As they reached the cell, the officer signalled his drones to stand by while the door was opened. The servant moved to the soft control pad and keyed in the short code to open the cell doors but they all stood back, allowing the drones space to ensure the humans did not see this as a chance to escape.

But they need not have bothered. All four humans were sleeping. The servant was unsure what to do and looked to the healer for advice.

"Should we wake them?"

The woman walked over and looked more closely at the two men who showed signs of being wounded. "No, if they are injured sleep is better than any treatment I can give them."

The servant nodded and turned to the brothers. "Leave the food for when they wake," he ordered before turning to the young officer. "I need to know when they are awake."

The wraith nodded his head and the worshippers headed back the way they came.

-o-o-o-o-

Restless sleep had finally overtaken Sheppard but he was now half awake again, sitting with his eyes still closed, depressingly aware that he felt even more miserable than before. His head still throbbed, his arms felt as if they had been wrenched out of their sockets and the passing of time had allowed other muscles to stiffen.

Finally forcing his eyes open, he looked round to see the other three were sleeping, although none of them looked comfortable. Initially he was surprised but then realised that Teyla could usually relax anywhere, McKay had probably worn himself out with anxiety and Ronon's sleep, like his own, was probably helped by the knock to his head.

He stood slowly and quietly, stretching his body as he arose and his mind flashed back to the way he had felt after being fed on by Todd. Walking gingerly over to the cell door he put his arms through the bars in an effort to gain some additional support.

The drone guards maintained their vigil. As he turned back, his foot caught one of the trays of food and drink that sat just inside the door. Trays piled high with Pegasus versions of grapes apples and tomatoes, fruits shaped like fat little red bananas that he's developed quite a taste for, meats, breads, slices of a product he had seen before that has the texture of processed cheese but tasted remotely like carrot and other things he had not seen before.

Seeing the food triggered pangs of hunger and he remembered he had not eaten anything since before they left Atlantis. It seemed like days but he knew it could only be several hours ago. Looking down to check his watch, he remembered it was missing and again cursed whoever took the liberty of pocketing it. He reached down to take some grapes but was forced to lean back against the door as his head spun in response to the movement. He slid down to sit on the floor again, closed his eyes to recover his balance and took a few minutes before reaching out for something more substantial. As he bit into a slice of bread and the cheese like substance, he wondered if he should wake the others but decided to enjoy some food without having to deal with Ronon's anger and McKay's increasing sense of panic.

"Sheppard?"

The sound of the rich, confident voice rather than the sound of his name gave Sheppard the biggest start. The voice was human so Sheppard knew this must be a worshipper. Under normal circumstances, he would jump up and face the voice's owner but that was not going to happen here.

"Yeah, who wants to know?"

"My name is Strassen and I serve the commander. He has told me to look after your injuries and provide you with food. We came before but you were sleeping."

As the worshipper spoke, Sheppard pushed himself to his feet and turned to look at the voice's owner. He saw a tall man with a round face broken by a smile clearly intended to instil confidence and trust but he was not going to be taken in that easily.

"Todd sent you?"

"Who?" The man looked confused.

"Never mind. What do you want?"

"I told you. The commander wants your injuries treated. Merriell here is our most experienced healer. You will let her help you."

The statement was delivered with the same sense of confidence Sheppard usually associated with Todd. Almost instinctively, it triggered a strong desire to reject the offer outright and send this worshipper scurrying back to tell the commander to just get his butt there and get them back to Atlantis.

But before he had chance to voice this response, he realised that the sound of their voices had woken the other three and he glanced back at them. McKay had pulled a tray to his side and was helping himself to some food. Ronon still sat propped up against the wall throwing hostile looks at the two worshippers and their Wraith companions. Teyla moved to his side and Sheppard looked into her worried face knowing she had something to say.

"John, I know you just want to get out of here but clearly Todd is playing some game we have no choice but to join. We should accept this help. Someone should look at Ronan's hand, you should both have your head wounds examined and this healer should be able to give you something to ease your headaches."

"Got any sense of what Todd plans to do with us?"

"No, his mind is far too strong for me to penetrate. We just need to accept this help for now."

This advice made sense, especially as the dull throbbing of his head grew more intense, so Sheppard held his tongue and nodded at the worshipper who opened the cell door. The woman walked in and smiled at him but her words were clearly addressed to Teyla.

"My name is Merriell. The blue jug on the tray contains a potion that will help to soothe your headaches." She turned her attention to Sheppard. "Will you let me look at your wounds?"

Not waiting for his consent, she moved her hands to gently feel the side of his head.

"You must be feeling some additional pain coming from your jaw?" she asked and Sheppard nodded rather than answer.

"Your jaw is not dislocated so this pain will clear eventually. Overall there is no serious damage, we just need to clean that wound." She looked over at Ronan and the smile was replaced by a look of wary apprehension. "Your friend looks to have more to worry about."

"No." Ronan short answer was filled with venom towards the worshippers.

Yet again, Teyla took the role of intermediary. "Ronon you should make sure your hand will heal correctly. Let her look at it please."

"No. I don't need help, especially from wraith." The look on his face made it clear he had no intention of moving from this position. Sheppard had little choice but to accept this decision although he sensed Teyla wanted to push further. He just looked at her and shrugged his shoulders.

"He managed worse than this as a runner. Let it go."

He turned back to the male worshipper who had remained outside the cell and had been joined by the young officer had brought them here. They were deep in quiet conversation which Sheppard knew concerned the four of them. The worshipper nodded his head and moved into the cell.

"Once you have taken a draught of Merriell's tonic and eaten, the commander will see you."

Sheppard shot a surprised glance at Teyla. Should he take her along too?

"No. You will come alone." The young wraith's demeanour made it clear there was no room for discussion here.

x-X-00-X-x

Sheppard was surprised to see Todd without the long leather coat he had come to think of as an intrinsic part of the whole wraith identity. Its absence seemed to infer a level of familiarity he was not sure he was quite ready to accept. Add the fact that Todd was lounging in a very smart looking chair with his booted feet resting on a footstool and Sheppard was faced with a view completely at odds with everything he knew about wraith. But then this was Todd.

"Sit down Colonel," Todd purred, pointing to another chair but Sheppard was reluctant to become too comfortable.

He shook his head at the surrealism of the whole situation. "No thanks. I'm not going to join you in some comfy little chat about why you decided to bring us here and what you plan to do with us."

"As you wish. You suffered an injury. I merely thought to provide you with some comfort."

"I'm feeling much better thanks." Sheppard was surprised to realise that the healer's potion had, in fact, numbed the headache and he could speak without pain shooting through his jaw. "I'll just stand thanks."

"Ah, I see. You prefer to go back to your cell so I can visit you there with some of my drones pointing their stunners in your face?" Todd voice seemed to carry a hint of mockery but Sheppard was not sure if wraith understood the concept of sarcasm. "That can be arranged if it would make you more comfortable?"

For some reason Sheppard felt a need to defend himself on the subject of treating guests. "Look, when you come to Atlantis, I treat you the way I would any other wraith and that's not goin' to change!"

Todd grunted quietly as he leaned forward just far enough to inject a slight element of threat into the conversation. "So do I take then, John Sheppard, that now you are a guest on my hive, you would prefer I treat you as I would any other human."

The full implications of this threat were clearly written in Todd's narrowed eyes and, not for the first time in their relationship, his attitude put Sheppard off-balance. He had no doubt it would be a quick return to the cells, or worse, if he pushed Todd too far and he realised that deep down, no matter how much he might try to deny it to himself, part of him felt more inclined to talk in this more private setting.

Biting his lip thoughtfully, he walked over to the other chair and sat stiffly on the edge. At almost the same moment, Todd leaned back and arched his long green fingers together with the tips touching. They sat watching each other thoughtfully for several minutes. While Sheppard knew Todd could access his thoughts effortlessly, he felt quite sure the wraith had decided to approach this as a conventional conversation.

"So it seems we are again working towards a common purpose?"

"Yeah. I heard a wraith was looking for Kolya and thought it was probably you, unless of course he's managed to also piss off another one of you."

Todd smiled grimly. "No, I believe I am the only one with such a personal grievance against him." He tilted his head questioningly. "Why now Sheppard? Why wait so long to go after this human who, from what I have heard, has already crossed your path several times."

"Oh let's just say I slept on in for awhile and decided this is the right time. How 'bout you? Did you hear I was looking for him and decide to join the party?"

"No, I can assure you my decision had nothing to do with you. I have been busy with other things. Once I brought these to a satisfactory conclusion I had scope to look at other loose ends I need to tidy-up."

Sheppard watched the smooth, green face closely, sensing that there was more to this but, knowing Todd as he did, he realised the chance of finding out anything this cunning operator did not wish to reveal would be impossible. So instead he moved the conversation in a slightly different direction.

"So you're doing this on your own?"

"I used my spies and those of another hive to get information about both Kolya and yourself. But I am pursing him on my own, yes. I doubt others would get the same pleasure I will from feeding on this creature."

"That's what you plan to do? Feed on him?" Sheppard had watched Todd feed on their captors as they made their strike for freedom but that situation was defined by his own desperate need to escape. This situation was entirely different. His dislike of Kolya was intense but was it intense enough to allow him to sacrifice his moral values to a Wraith? He very much doubted it was.

"Of course. What will you do then Sheppard, if you catch him first?"

"You make it sound like a race."

"Is it not a race?" Todd asked, the vast gap that existed between their understandings of what Kolya's capture would mean to them personally reflected on his face. "We both want the supreme pleasure of seeing this human suffer as punishment for the pain he inflicted on us. Are you prepared to surrender your sense of justice because you disagree with my method of punishment?"

Sitting across from this creature who had such a single-minded sense of retribution, Sheppard realised for the first time that for him this was now much more than just a personal vendetta he had started to ensure a good night's sleep. Sure, the nightmares had been the trigger for his actions but as it had become something much bigger, something he had to do for others as well as himself.

"You're wrong on both counts. I'm not going to get pleasure out of this. It's the right thing to do and I intend to make sure Kolya pays a price for what he's done," he hesitated and looked across at the flickering candles, his mind flashing back to the marines Kolya had killed during the failed attempt to take Atlantis. "To others, not just to me. There's a process to be followed and his ultimate fate won't be decided by me alone. This is human justice and I intend to do everything I can to make sure it's carried out properly."