Chapter 8

Major Lorne's subdued face filled the large wall screen in the control room. The news he had just delivered was exactly what Carter had been expecting and she closed her eyes to consider the full ramifications of what he had told her.

"You're sure there's no chance at all that they could have escaped?" Sam knew it was unlikely that Lorne had got the wrong information but still felt obliged to ask.

Lorne shook his head firmly. "Sorry Colonel. If they'd escaped the culling," he replied wistfully, his eyes automatically turning towards the sky. "I'm pretty sure they'd be here with the other townsfolk by now."

"Yes, of course, they would. Okay, there's no use staying there. Bring your team back to Atlantis and we'll send through a back-up with supplies and medical help."

But Lorne was not ready to give up that easily. "The whole town is pretty traumatised right now Colonel. Once things have settled down we should be able to get a description of the wraith who led the cull, see if it was Todd. You never know, we might be able to find something more about what happened before the culling. Something might turn up?"

Carter felt herself torn between supporting Lorne's subdued optimism and the command protocol to reduce the risk of further losses by just getting them back to the safety of Atlantis. She turned to Zelenka who had been following this conversation with an increasing sense of pessimism.

"Do we have any information about hive activity in the vicinity of that world?"

The scientist shook his head despondently. "No. It's too far for even the long range sensors to pick anything up."

Looking back at Lorne's almost boyish expression of expectation, Carter was all too aware that this choice was hers alone and she became determined not to make a rushed decision. There were drawbacks to both options but the reality was that the wraith almost never returned immediately after a culling so there was very little danger from that quarter. She looked down at one of the small monitors that was also filled with the major's face and pushed the emotion of the situation to one side. He was an experienced team leader who was reading the situation on the ground and would not be suggesting staying if he felt it posed a danger to his men. She was also experienced enough to know that sometimes first reactions in these types of situations can be wrong and, in this case, it probably would be useful to spend more time investigating things at the settlement further.

"Okay. And I'll send some more marines through to guard the gate. If Kolya's men were actually there when the culling began some of them might have escaped and will try to get back home when they feel it's safe. Of course, it's possible or probable they've already made their way back through but it's still worth monitoring the gate."

Lorne nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah, the place is surrounded by thick forest so they could be holed up there. We'll do a couple of sweeps at the outer edges of the town. I know if it was me caught in a strange place during a culling, I'd be looking to get as far away as possible." He glanced around quickly. "Overall, things seem to be following the usual pattern after a culling with people starting to gather at communal places once the initial shock wears off. We'll head over to the tavern and ask some questions there."

She continued to stare at the screen long after the major's face had disappeared, almost willing it to spring back to life and deliver some better news. As soon as Sheppard's team had been late returning and failed to respond to any attempt to contact them, Lorne had volunteered to take his team and she had taken the precaution of sending an extra dozen marines. With the benefit of hindsight those extra marines should have gone with Sheppard in the first place.

Turning to walk the short distance to her office, Sam tried to get an ordered picture clear in her head of what they knew about this situation. Lorne said the town had been culled during the day, an unusual pattern but one they had seen recently with the Genii outposts and had attributed to Todd's handiwork. And the more she thought about this disappearance the more she was convinced this must be Todd's work too.

She entered her office feeling slightly more optimistic and instead of sitting at her desk, took a seat in one of the lounge chairs that looked out over the gate room. The coincidence was just too great. Sheppard's team off following a lead that might take them to Kolya become the victims of a culling, possibly by a Wraith chasing the same prey. Of course, she had no way of confirming this assumption but all she needed was Lorne to confirm one sighting of a wraith with the now familiar starburst tattoo. If it were true, the team was probably safe for the time being and she had no doubt Todd would be in contact with Atlantis at some point. And if it was not true, if this was another wraith? Well, she was just not prepared to seriously consider that option just yet.

x-X-00-X-x

Acastus Kolya cast a desolate figure in the single room of his cottage. It was a small room, furnished with only the basic functional items needed by a man whose whole life and character were defined by his role as a soldier. A bed, a table with a couple of hard wooden chairs, a tall wooden cupboard with badly-fitting double doors and two slightly more comfortable looking chairs that stood in front of the fireplace on a well-worn rug that beared the scars of numerous assaults by rogue embers.

Kolya sat in one of the comfortable chairs watching the blue and orange flames dance around and devour the logs in the fireplace. He had been awake all night and, as the dawn started to break, throwing shafts of cold light through the small windows, he was no nearer to sleep now than he had been when he came to this room last evening. At first, each minute of darkness carried the hope that most, perhaps even all, of his men would follow him through the stargate, but as the hours passed his hope became more and more forlorn. Only five came through within a couple of hours of his own return and he had spoken to them briefly, taking in their stories of desperate escape. But now, with the last shreds of hope disintegrating quickly, he sat huddled like a man whose spirit was being leeched out of his body by the approaching new day.

It was always difficult for a military commander to come to terms with the stark reality that any of his men were either dead or taken. Kolya hoped they were already dead because, like all humans in Pegasus, he had heard stories of men and women who had spent weeks, months, years suspended in cocoons awaiting their deadly fate. Not a man prone to showing emotion, he nevertheless understood what his followers sacrificed to follow his star and he regretted that so many may have lost their lives so needlessly. As he closed his eyes, his own fears of being captured and fed upon forced their was to the front of his mind, draining even more of his depleted store of hope and spirit, causing him to shiver involuntarily.

So lost was he in his own thoughts, he neither heard the strong knock on the door nor noticed the man who entered until he spoke.

"Commander. No more beyond those five have..."

Kolya looked up into the face of one of the few senior men he had left, indeed if the captain of his bodyguard was lost then this man was now his most senior lieutenant.

"I know. I can assure you I do not need to be told the obvious." Kolya's voice was thick with the melancholy that was torturing his spirit.

"Others might have escaped the culling. Perhaps we should send some men back to search and help them back if they are injured." The lieutenant was here to put forward the case of the men who wanted to go and look for their comrades and kinsmen but he knew it would not be easy to convince the commander that was the best course of action.

"We both know that is a long shot. I am not prepared to risk more men on a fool's errand that could end in more disaster."

The lieutenant nodded but, for his part, he was not yet prepared to be dismissed.

"A number of our men are kinsmen of those who went on this mission with you and they are anxious to do something to try to find them."

Kolya stood to face the soldier, understanding all too well the unenviable position of trying to talk his commander into doing something he clearly opposed.

"Do you really think I do not understand how they feel? That I do not understand we have probably lost some of our best men? Some of our kinsmen and closest friends?" Kolya turned back to watch the fire before continuing. "It is my responsibility to make sure no more are lost. The wraith will have left but we went there to capture Atlanteans. Do you think no one will be looking for them when they do not return? Knowing the Atlanteans, they will send other teams to search and I have no intention of crossing paths with them."

The lieutenant slowly nodded his head. For the first time, he fully understood the risks they faced from further action on an operation that had already cost them dearly. At least he could now give the men a reason why they would not be launching a rescue mission.

"What are your orders then commander? Will we stay here or look for another base?"

"We will stay here for the moment and consolidate our position. The only ones interested in finding us are the Atlanteans and now that Sheppard is gone I doubt they will continue that search. I am sure news of this will make its way through to Ladon and it is possible he will take the opportunity to launch a new search to capitalise on our losses, so we will need to place extra men at the gate just in case."

Watching his new second in command leave, Kolya suddenly felt tired, as if talking to someone about their losses had relieved him of the huge burden that had been keeping sleep at bay. He removed his boots and his jacket, taking time to hang it in the cupboard, before settling on the bed waiting to be claimed by the peace only sleep could bring.

x-X-00-X-x

Human justice. Todd was silent as he considered Sheppard's words. Human justice?

It was unexpected. What he had expected was that this Atlantean who sat across from him, one who had also suffered so cruelly at Kolya's hands, would share his own anger and hatred and be looking for personal revenge. Instead, he now felt both surprised and confused. He had been determined to carry on this conversation without prying into Sheppard's unguarded mind but, without thinking, his true instincts came to the fore and he slipped into his natural ways. The result, not surprisingly, was far more revealing than his visitor would ever admit verbally. Todd could clearly sense two emotions, anger and hatred, and the depth to which they existed in Sheppard's psyche, but they were being tempered by an overriding need to adhere to this concept of justice.

It was not something Todd had ever given much thought to before. While he had learned much about human societies over the centuries, he had never cared how they dealt with misdemeanours and behaviours that went against the codes of what they considered acceptable behaviour. Perhaps he should have been more inquisitive.

Resting his head on the back of his chair, he watched the lights flashing intermittently on the monitor that sat on the wall behind Sheppard's shoulder. The nature of his relationship with this human had always been complex, especially given his total lack of experience in dealing with a human as anything other than a totally subservient species. He had reluctantly come to accept the lack of trust on those occasions when he had gone to Atlantis, even when he voluntarily placed himself in their control. While it had always annoyed him, it had never surprised him. He was a wraith after all and, even though these Atlanteans were newcomers to the galaxy, he knew enough of their history with his race to understand how their attitudes had been shaped. But as he sat there thinking about this concept of human justice, Todd remembered something that had increasingly started to irritate him about Sheppard's attitude the last few times they'd met.

Everything these Atlanteans said, all their actions, were underpinned by a notion of superiority. A belief that the human ideals and values they had brought from their home world in some remote galaxy were more acceptable than the ones that operated here, especially when it came to his own race's relationship with humans. Now he sensed the same notion entering this conversation, that human justice was more important, more acceptable than his own way of dealing with Kolya. It was a superiority he had been forced to accept while on Atlantis but here, on his own hive, it triggered an overpowering urge to challenge the principles on which such a view was based. He took a deep breath and turned his gaze back to his guest's face. It was not the way he had planned this conversation to go, but he would not allow Sheppard's attitude of superiority to triumph over his own tenets here.

"So it seems we are not working towards a common result after all. Human justice means nothing to me Sheppard, just as I am sure the idea of wraith justice and wraith values mean little to you in the context of your limited experience in this galaxy."

Judging by the look on his face and the way he shifted slightly in his chair, it was now Sheppard's turn to be surprised. "What do you mean 'limited experience'? We've been here for over six years now, we've travelled around, got a pretty good idea of how things operate here."

Todd's reply was prefaced with a low-key hiss. "Six years?" He snapped his fingers. "That is nothing. You have travelled, yes, but how much have you really understood. About wraith, about our relationship with humans?"

"What's to understand?" Sheppard shrugged his shoulders dismissively. "You cull human societies to feed and in doing so you prevent their technologies from ever reaching a level that could rival your own. In our world it's called tyranny and it's wrong."

"You make it sound so simple, Sheppard." Todd looked down as he involuntarily flexed his feeding hand and considered how best to explain what he meant. "Our origins are here in this galaxy. Our past, present and future are tied inextricably to humans, including those I believe you refer to as the 'Ancients'. They sought to destroy us in order to protect the human settlements they had created. So we defeated them and since then we have controlled these worlds and managed the resources they hold. This is how wraith and humans co-exist here and yet you arrive from another galaxy and start imposing values and saying things are 'wrong' without fully understanding this."

"Let's get one thing straight here. You kill humans not 'manage resources'. And just because this is how things have evolved doesn't make it right. Wraith take life indiscriminately with no thought about the consequences for the societies and the individuals involved. You torture men and women by keeping them barely alive and cocooned ready to serve your own needs. Do you really think these people wouldn't rather live without the constant fear of culling?"

Todd felt his patience start to fray as Sheppard's words betrayed the very attitude he was trying to counter. Was this human too stupid, too stubborn or so confident that his opinion was right, that he could not understand how life functioned in this galaxy.

His voice carried an edge of anger mixed with frustration as he tried to shake Sheppard's mind-set."Are humans really so different? I have sent hunters out from this hive to kill animals to feed our worshippers. What makes this killing acceptable Sheppard? Is it because these animals do not possess the ability to tell you they do not want to be hunted, to become food for humans?" Todd continued without giving Sheppard the chance to reply. "We do not feed in order to torture. We feed in order to live. The fact that fulfilling our needs costs humans their life is not our concern. This is the way things have been for thousands of years. It is the way things will be long after you and your team become dust."

Sheppard laughed and leaned forward slightly and Todd sensed his confidence was growing. "But the thing you're missing is the very thing you wraith just don't want to know. You can't survive without us humans but we sure as hell can survive without you. And if you were all wiped out tomorrow, life in this galaxy would still go on. In fact, humans would thrive and develop way beyond anything you'd have allowed to exist."

Any disappointment Todd might have been harbouring about Sheppard's obvious failure to understand his point of view dissolved, subsumed by anger, and his response took the form of a deep growl. Sheppard shrank back slightly in response and Todd was about to speak when his attention was distracted by a subliminal link from his second in command. Keeping his eyes firmly on his visitor, he opened the channel back to the underling.

=Commander, a report has come in from our agent still on this world that I believe you may want to see before you deal further with this human.=

=Very well.=

Todd could easily read the report with Sheppard here, but if it contained important information he may want to reassess his approach before continuing this conversation. Besides he sensed that along with a multitude of other emotions, Sheppard was uncomfortable with the way this conversation has gone despite the confidence expressed in his words. Discomfort bred uncertainty and Todd was more than happy to give this self-righteous human more time to reflect on his and his team's situation in the comfort of a cell.

The young male who brought Sheppard up from that cells still waited outside and Todd stood as he silently summoned this escort back to the room. The look he cast in Sheppard's direction was deliberately as arrogant and dismissive as the words that accompanied it. "I have no further use for him now so take him back to the cells."

-o-o-o-o-

Sheppard was not quite sure what had just happened except that the meeting certainly had not gone the way he had anticipated. The brusque dismissal left him feeling annoyed, confused and more than just a little apprehensive as he silently followed his escort through the hive back down to the lower levels where the cells were located. What he had imagined would be a conversation about what Todd planned to do and how long he planned to keep them here had descended into a debate about the rights and wrongs of wraith and human feeding habits and he had absolutely no idea how it had happened.

As they passed a couple of portals that looked out onto the inner bays of the hive he realised that Todd's quarters were located in the very centre of the hive and, although he knew there was not a queen in residence, he idly wondered if her quarters were nearby. He also wondered how the others would react to the fact that they were going to be staying in their cell for the foreseeable future and that he had no idea about what Todd planned beyond the fact that he wanted to deal with Kolya by turning him into a meal.

The feeling of apprehension grew as they travelled further down into the hive. It was clear Todd wanted to justify culling humans in order to live, but it was equally clear that he was unwilling or unable to understand that this was a view Sheppard, as a human, could never, ever, accept.

The growl that had ended their conversation provided ample evidence he had been getting under the wraith's skin by challenging the perspective that their feeding methods were okay because that's how things had always happened in this galaxy. Still had he gone too far with his comment about wraith not being missed if they were wiped out? Sure, it was the truth but it probably was not prudent to make such a statement when he and his team were in such a vulnerable position. He had made his point but had he jeopardised their chances of a quick release?

He sighed. The meeting had been unsatisfactory on so many levels. Apart from wanting to know what Todd had planned in his hunt for Kolya, he had gone with a faint hope they might reach a point where they could finally start to discuss their unusual relationship. But then Todd went off on that bizarre tangent, talking about wraith values. All this had done was reinforce the view that Sheppard had arrived at during the last few weeks, that things between them were far more complicated that he had ever imagined.

x-X-00-X-x

The inside of a wraith hive was one of the few places in the galaxy the Genii captain had always hoped never to see. He had come close to being culled once, as a child, but luck, in the shape of his father, had been on his side that day, although memories of hiding in underground bunkers while the darts carried out their deadly work above still remained vivid.

And now that luck had finally deserted him. Their plan to escape into the forest had been sound in theory, and they would have made it but there had just been too many wraith on the ground. He had been a soldier all his adult life but that had been the first time he had seen those faceless monsters close up, and he was surprised at the efficiency and thoroughness of their methods of capture. They had been waiting on the outskirts of the town. As soon as he had seen them, he had realised they probably always took up this position to round up the humans who thought they could escape the culling. Despite the odds against them, his men had dispatched a number of the warriors before he had again heard the screaming sound of approaching darts. His last memory of being on that world was of looking for another way to escape. His next memory was of standing in this large confined area feeling slightly disoriented and, for the first time in his life, very afraid.

A reconnoitre of the culling pen had thrown up several familiar faces, all of whom were now gathered around him as if their closeness would somehow diminish the certainty of their fate. But not all of his men were here and, while he had no way of knowing if they were already dead or being held somewhere else on this huge ship, he was hopeful that at least some might have been left behind among the crowd the wraith chose not to cull. He had not seen his Atlantean prisoners either although he was certain they would have been brought here too. But most importantly he had not seen Commander Kolya so he was confident he at least had made it back through the gate to safety.

Looking around at the Genii faces that surrounded him, he saw the same fear and desperation he felt in his own heart. So many thoughts flashed through his mind. They would never again face an enemy confident of victory or share too many tankards of ale and exchanges stories of clever manoeuvres and near escapes. Nor would they feel the softness of a woman's body next to their own and the exquisite pleasure as that body was surrendered to them freely. No on spoke. No one had any words of comfort or any questions because they all knew the answers. There would be no heroic rescue, no escape against the odds this time round. Like so many before them, this was their destiny, their final destination. For the first time in his life the captain felt the terror that accompanied the certainty of impending death and he lowered his head to hide his naked fear from the others.

x-X-00-X-x

Marshalling the concentration needed to read his agent's report was proving a difficult task for Todd while his irritation with Sheppard was still fresh in his mind. In fact he had begun reading three times before he leaned over, rested his hands on the console, closed his eyes and attempted to inject some discipline into his thoughts. He had perhaps picked the wrong time to challenge Sheppard's ethics and was slightly annoyed that he had allowed his inner feelings to cloud his handling of the unique situation of having this team of Atlanteans under his control. One thing was certain - it would never happen again.

It took several minutes for him to finally focus but once he read through to the end of the report, he was not surprised with the content. Given Sheppard's constant mantra when they shared those cold prison cells that 'you don't leave people behind', he knew that Atlantis would come looking for their lost team. The agent had done well. He had watched as the humans searched the areas of forest that bound the town surely looking for Kolya's men. He had listened in the tavern as information about the capture of Sheppard and his team was relayed to these other Atlanteans. Todd smiled as he read the story about the big wraith with the starburst tattoo who led the culling and left the message that he was taking these captured visitors as his own should any come looking for them.

A slight relaxation of the muscles around his eyes and at the corners of his mouth indicated the return of some good humour. He had enough of Kolya's men in the culling pens to ensure he would extract the information needed to finally track down that particular human. The Atlanteans could search and ask all the questions they liked down there on that cold world, he had all the answers up here and he would not be sharing.

Walking over to collect his coat, he placed his long, muscular green arms into the sleeves then quickly closed the fasteners up the front. Just as his second had anticipated, the agent's had report helped crystallise his decision about what to do with Sheppard and his team. At one point he had considered letting them go free after a suitable amount of time spent in the cells but now they would stay on this hive until Kolya was found. This would make sure he was not robbed of his revenge in favour of this 'human justice' and would also give him the chance he needs to sort things out once and for all with Sheppard.

He made the subliminal link to the command centre. =Take us out of orbit. I will be there shortly.=

-o-o-o-o-

"Well is he going to let us go?" McKay fired off his question before the cell door was even opened.

Sheppard bit his lip thoughtfully before answering. "Not exactly."

"What d'you mean 'not exactly'? It's yes or no." Ronon was clearly in no better mood than he had been when Sheppard left.

Realising there was no easy way to break the news that they were not leaving any time soon, Sheppard just went with the truth. "Well, we didn't exactly get round to talking about it."

The Satedan stood up although the effort clearly placed pressure on his hand. "What the hell were you talking about then?"

Sheppard raised his eyebrows and realised he had to take the assertive approach to leadership. "Look, you may not have noticed but we don't carry much clout around here. You all know what Todd's like, you heard what he said down in that tavern when I asked him to free us. He's goin' to let us go in his own good time, and my gut feeling is that asking him when that time might be is going to make him even more stubborn."

"We understand that you have to tread carefully in this situation John." Teyla's smile and words were supportive but the hard-edged tone in which they were delivered was clearly meant as a warning to the other two to back off.

"So what did you talk about?" McKay's voice betrayed his sense of discomfort about still being locked up.

"Well, it didn't go how I'd planned." Sheppard decided there was no way he could even begin to explain the conversation about the ethics of feeding so decided to give them with something positive on which to focus their thoughts. "I did find out that Todd is definitely after Kolya..."

"Yeah, we already knew that!" Ronan made no attempt to bridle his impatience.

"No, we didn't know that for sure. We assumed it was him but I now have it by his own admission. And not only is he determined to find him, he's also determined to inflict punishment in typical wraith fashion."

McKay threw up his hands. "By feeding on him! Probably like he plans to feed on us."

"No Rodney, I don't think for one minute he's going to feed on us." Sheppard was in no mood to deal with a paranoid scientist. "Think about it. If that was his plan, we'd be with all the other culling victims and he wouldn't have worried about getting a healer to look at us. Agreed?"

McKay nodded his head and, for once, was lost for a quick and smart response.

"So, he's going after Kolya and I'd say he's got a pretty good chance of finding him. He caught goodness knows how many Genii in the cull. My guess is he'll give them time to consider their future before he starts any sort of interrogation."

"I agree. If there is one thing we do know about Todd, it's that he is patient." Teyla walked over to look out the cell door before turning back. "I wonder if Kolya realises that he is been chased by Todd as well as us?"

"Good point. If he doesn't then he's likely to stay put at his current hide-a-away, wherever that is. I'm sure Todd'll manage to persuade at least one of the Genii to give up the location."

Teyla nodded. "I know there is very little we can do but you must try to make sure that Todd keeps us informed of what he is doing."

"Oh yeah, right. Excuse me, Todd, do you mind keeping me in the loop about all this!"

The throbbing in Sheppard's head was starting return, so he was relieved to see some of the healer's potion remained in the jug. He walked over to the tray, poured a cup and downed it with just a couple of gulps.

"John, we must know what is going on and you are the only one who can really talk to Todd. And you should be careful about how much of that potion you drink. Some of them can be quite addictive."

Sitting down with his back against the cell wall, Sheppard knew Teyla was right – about Todd anyway. He nodded then closed his eyes as a signal that the conversation was over. The conflicting effects of the different emotions that had flowed through his mind and body suddenly caught up with him and he actually felt incredibly tired. Any sense of time had now completely gone from his consciousness and while he heard the others talking quietly, the sound of their voices quickly faded into the background of his mind as Merriell's potion again worked its magic.

x-X-00-X-x

Laying with his arms folded behind his head, Kolya surveyed his shadowy room from his bed as the sleep fell from his half-closed eyes. The bleary glance took in a jug of ale and a plate of food left on the table, while a new pile of logs sat beside the fire that burned as brightly as it had when he had lay down on the bed. The light filtering into the room indicated he had slept until just before sunset but, other than the pangs of hunger triggered by the sight of food, he had no inclination to get up from his bed.

As he closed his eyes again, the seriousness of his situation returned, unasked, to the forefront of his mind. He knew instinctively that no more men had made their way through the stargate. That left him with a contingent less than a third the size before, comprised of men who, while their enthusiasm for his cause was strong, had minimal military experience compared with the lost men, including his bodyguard. News of this set-back would inevitably spread, not just to Ladon but to other Genii outposts. While he knew it had the potential to attract more supporters to his side, it could also diminish his standing among the Genii who hovered on the verge of offering support but were held back by a lack of belief in either the strength or the legitimacy of his cause.

He finally swung his legs over the side of the bed, reached down and pulled on his boots to keep out the coldness of the stone floor. Stretching as he stood up, he walked over to the table and poured a mug of ale that he took, with the plate of bread, cold meat and raw vegetables, over to his seat by the fire.

Had he been foolish to allow his vendetta against Sheppard to take control of his plans? He took a deep draught of the ale and felt its effervescence slide down his gullet. Really, there had been no other choice. Once he knew Sheppard was looking for him, the only options he had were to sit put and wait to be found or go on the offensive. This was always going to be the risky option but he must not forget that it very nearly succeeded. His mind flashed back to the feeling of satisfaction that filled all his senses as he walked along that riverside track to finally face the thorn that his body guard had captured.

And it had all been snatched away by a wraith commander who had chosen that particular time to launch a culling expedition on a cold dark world in one of the less well populated areas of the galaxy. He closed his eyes to absorb the injustice of it all and the humility of having to retreat in defeat through that damned stargate.

Suddenly he straightened up as another memory flashed into his mind, accompanied by a realisation that chilled him to the bone. The face, that wraith who had stood and watched contemptuously as he had staggered back through the event horizon, took on a more familiar shape, especially the starburst tattoo around the left eye that suddenly became crystal clear in his mind.

He undersood immediately why he had not make the connection straightaway. The tall, proud wraith who had watched him bore little physical resemblance to the pathetic creature he had held captive in that underground prison for so long. The wraith whose spirit had been completely broken, who had lacked the will to fight back and just acquiesced to their demands when he had been given the opportunity to feed on those enemies Kolya had wanted either broken or dead. The wraith who was only meant to feed on Sheppard's energy but had also supped on the sheer determination and will to survive that the Atlantean had brought to that situation.

It was early evening and Kolya knew he could no longer just still alone in the cottage with only his own thoughts for company. Walking over to the cupboard he took out his jacket and a longer heavier coat, donning both before he stepped out into a cold evening already damp with the early dew. A full moon lit his way as he headed towards the inn where he had sat only days earlier putting his plan in place.

As he walked, his mind continued to fill with memories of Sheppard and the wraith. He had been taken completely by surprise when they had forgotten their differences and worked together to escape. The potential for such a partnership had ever occurred to him, if it had he would have kept them well apart during the hours between feedings. A number of good, loyal men had been lost in the course of that escape, to add to the many lost to the same wraith this time around.

Other memories start to fight their way to the surface of his mind. Stories of Atlanteans and wraith working together to destroy a common enemy, fantasies he had laughed off as the product of imaginative minds stuck in the galaxy's backwaters, looking for something to make their owners' lives appear exciting. But perhaps he had been wrong, perhaps those stories were true after all.

Stopping on the inn porch, he turned and surveyed the little community he presided over. Now they were together again, the Atlantean and the wraith, and he was certain they would be working towards a shared sense of purpose. To make things worse, they also had some of the men who knew all about this base and his back-up plans in case it should ever be compromised. While he did not doubt their loyalty, he knew that not all those followers would be able to withstand wraith interrogation. Kolya threw his head back and laughed at the irony of the situation. He was being hunted by an unholy alliance that had been forged through his actions and he was certain neither of those adversaries would give up the chase until they had the satisfaction of watching his final downfall.