Chapter Nineteen
Hours later Sheppard still hadn't received Alex's report. But that was just an excuse to hunt her down, and he knew it. He didn't really expect her report until tomorrow at the earliest. But when he saw Carson working in the infirmary and no sign of Alex anywhere, he could guess where she had gone. His check of the balconies came up empty. Then, considering what he had seen in her expression there was only one other logical place for her.
Changing into something more comfortable, Sheppard headed toward the sparring rooms. As he had predicted, he found Alex alone working herself into a sweat as if she could fight the demons he knew were haunting her now. For a moment he just watched. Her superior speed and strength didn't seem like much, at first; but when she was this absorbed, it was clear she had an inhuman advantage.
"You'll probably want to find another sparring partner this evening, John," she warned, not even slowing down.
"Why? You're not up to it?" he shot back.
Alex just ignored him.
"Okay…"
Taking off his sweatshirt he stretched for a moment. Finally feeling limber enough, he wasted no time intercepting her fist. Before he knew what hit him, he was staring up at her from the mats and she was back to practicing her forms at eye wrenching speeds.
"Okay, round one to you."
Silence.
Rolling to his feet, Sheppard again placed himself to intercept. This time she ducked and flipped him over her shoulder onto the mat and kept going. Instead of waiting to get her attention again, Sheppard flipped himself around in a half spin and tripped her. Surprised by this, she hit the mat belly first and rolled to her feet, eyes blazing.
"I said I'm not in the mood."
"Of course not. I'd be worried if you were," he popped off. "But I also know you're not going to walk away."
"I was here first."
"Exactly. Now quit playing around."
For a moment, Alex appeared to want to do just that. Sheppard had no doubts she'd take him to the mats again and again and again. But, he also knew she needed this; whether she would admit it or not. Surprisingly, she seemed to just go blank. Her expression became flat as she took her stance.
The next few minutes they spent just trading blows. She had clearly slowed down for him and was pulling her punches. This was getting him nowhere.
"Talk to me, Alex."
"About what?"
"Whatever's going on in your head."
"Isn't that what Doctor Heightmeyer is for?"
"Heightmeyer has never known the joys of survivor's guilt outside of a textbook."
This threw her off. Something flickered across her face and distracted her enough for Sheppard to get a good grip on her hips and spin her sideways to the mat. She glared up at him for a moment before spinning to her feet. Now he was beginning to see more of her showing through as she sped up and started putting him on the defensive.
"It's not your fault. You know that, right?"
"Of course, I do," she snapped swinging with a vicious right to his head.
Dodging again, for a moment it was all he could do to keep her from pummeling him.
"What do you want from me?" she asked. "I just came to work off some…issues. I'll talk when Kate when I'm ready."
"Sure you will. SOP, remember?"
"To hell with SOP," she snapped again.
"Exactly. So, let's continue this conversation the way you and Ronon like to chat."
That brought her up short for a moment. Then, in a flurry of moves almost too fast for him to see, Sheppard found himself lying on his back once again when she knocked his feet out from under him.
"This conversation is over," she said walking toward the bench where she had set her bag.
"Why? Because you don't want to talk or because you can't deal with the fact that you're here and they're not?"
Alex clenched her sweatshirt in her fist for a moment. Keeping her back to him, she gave every indication she was ignoring him; but he knew he'd hit home. He watched as she shrugged into her sweatshirt.
"Go away. I said I'd talk to Kate when I'm ready."
"I'm not talking about you talking to Heightmeyer. I'm talking about you talking to me. You're not the only one that's lost a team before. And—"
She spun on him violently, fury coloring her pale features. "And what? You just stood there and watched? Is that what you did? Because that's exactly what I did! I popped off a few shots and ducked."
"There, now we're getting somewhere," Sheppard said crossing his arms. "Because I happen to know for a fact that you saved Burnthorn's life. You weren't trying to save your own ass."
Suddenly the fight went out of her. Alex seemed to fold in on herself as she sat down on the padded bench along the wall. Hoping this wouldn't turn into one of those touchy-feely moments with messy tears and stuff, he sat down next to her. He imagined that this must be what it's like to have a little sister.
"Does it matter?" she asked in a forlorn voice, staring at the floor. "My ass, her ass. What does it matter? They're still gone."
"Yep," Sheppard agreed.
For a moment they sat in silence. Sheppard reached over and patted her back. "I'm not going to sit here and tell you it hurts any less now than it did then. And I'm not going to give you some speech about how they knew what they were getting into stepping through the gate and blah blah blah.
"What I will tell you is to remember them as they were to you. Don't think about what happened to them. Just remember that they were your team, your friends."
Despite her best efforts not to make John uncomfortable with some emotional outburst, a few tears escaped anyway. Not sure she trusted her voice, she nodded. After a minute or so of comfortable silence remembering their friends, she turned to him, not bothering to hide her tears. The fact that she had been so quiet and calm about it seemed to make him even more uncomfortable; like she was holding back for his sake.
"Do you have siblings, John?"
"Funny you should mention that," he said. "I was just thinking you're like the little sister I never wanted."
She huffed a laugh. "You're what? Forty, maybe?"
"Something like that."
"Ten thousand-year-old little sister?" she asked.
"Well, since you put it that way…"
"Thanks, John," she said, sobering again.
"Don't mention it. Just remember what I said," he told her, heaving himself off the bench. "Carson should be off duty soon. Don't spend all night in here. He's going to be worried about you."
"I know," she said still staring at the mats beneath her feet.
His own heart heavy, Sheppard exited the sparring room to leave her with her memories and thoughts. He knew she'd let loose sooner or later; and, if he admitted it to himself, he was glad it wasn't on him. He knew she was going to need the release, but he just wasn't very good with that kind of stuff. But survivor's guilt he knew all about. He was certain Heightmeyer had some fancy name for it with lots of syllables, but sometimes what was needed was someone with experience. He hoped Heightmeyer and Carson could handle the rest.
Alex sat for a while longer, trying to pull herself together and take John's advice to heart. But it still felt too raw, and too much like running away. Knowing he was right and convincing herself were two different things. Plus, he was right about Carson. If she didn't get back to their quarters soon, he was likely to be hunting the whole city. Making up her mind, she grabbed her bag and left the sparring room.
~o~o~o~
That night Alex cried herself to sleep in Carson's arms. Even he had had a few tears to shed, as much for her as for Lorne and the others. He only just found out that the other person that had been serving as a mediator, a Mr. Church, had been taken by the dart as well. There seemed no explanation for this ambush. It made no sense. But, much of what they were up against just didn't make sense.
Carson woke to find Alex gone. Blearily he looked around in the dark. Seeing her running shoes gone, he could guess where she was. He knew it was good for her to burn off some of the emotions she was feeling, but he still ached for her. So far she seemed to be handling it quite well, and he knew she would be seeing Heightmeyer at some point today. But he just couldn't shake off the feeling that there was so much more she was keeping bottled up. Shaking his head and yawning, he tried to shake off these thoughts. He had an early day and was in desperate need of a shower to refresh himself before getting started.
Alex still hadn't returned by the time he stepped out of the shower and started getting dressed. He frowned slightly wondering if he should go looking for her. He knew he was being overly protective, but she had just seemed so overwhelmed last night. Scrubbing his face as if to scrub away his dark thoughts, he set his mind to coffee. He wrote a quick note for her and headed out to start his long day.
~o~o~o~
Alex watched as Carson left their quarters and turned toward the infirmary. She almost called out to him, but decided against it. She knew he had an early day, and there was always lots of work for him to be doing. She had no right to pull him away from that, much as she may have wanted. Still stretching to cool down after her run, she found the note he had left on her pillow. This brought a smile to her face for the first time in what seemed like an eternity now. These little things he did to try to brighten her day always made her smile.
Feeling somewhat more collected, if no better, Alex gave herself her daily injection and headed to the warm comfort of a shower. She knew sooner or later today she was going to have to give Colonel Sheppard her official report on…the incident; and swing by Heightmeyer's office. Half of her looked forward to seeing Kate again. But the other half of her dreaded it, too.
No matter how she looked at it, today was going to be a long day.
~o~o~o~
It seemed like a long day for everyone in Atlantis that day. It wasn't like losing a team of people was a daily occurrence; but it wasn't exactly rare, either. The usual sayings about they knew what they were getting into and the same old empty platitudes did nothing to make the day any shorter for Alex. What had made it the most difficult for Sheppard was that he'd liked Major Lorne. Sergeant Daniels and Lieutenant Oaksford had definitely been promising, but he didn't know them as well as he did Lorne. They weren't exactly close friends, though Sheppard felt like something of a mentor to the Major. The man had been so uptight and by-the-book when he first arrived that Sheppard couldn't repress a smile at the thought of what a wonderfully laid-back influence he'd been on the man these past years.
As the Colonel went from one duty to another throughout the day, the long faces he encountered all over the city spoke of how highly regarded Lorne and his team had been. Reports organized, Heightmeyer's recommendation for Alex's downtime signed and sealed, orders for the day given out, Sheppard eventually found himself making his way to Weir's office. Her expression must have been a mirror for his own. She seemed to be just aimlessly shoving a pen around her desk with another pen in her hand.
"Knock, knock," he called through her open door.
"John, come in."
"I was just dropping by to see about the arrangements for Lorne and his team."
She nodded sadly, not looking up from her pen. "The usual?"
"That's what I was thinking. Day after tomorrow?"
She nodded again. "I think most of them are still letting it sink in."
"I know the feeling."
"How's Alex doing?" Elizabeth asked, the concern clear in her expression.
"About how you would expect," he told her, wanting to keep it vague. If Alex wanted to talk to Weir, she could and would.
Weir nodded again before throwing her pen down in disgust and sitting back. "It just doesn't make any sense. What are they after? How did they know Lorne's team would be there?"
"I can guess, but you're not going to like it."
"I'm already not liking it. It's not going to make a difference what you say."
"They want the location of the new Atlantean base and likely they were tipped off by a Wraith worshipper."
"That's not what I wanted to hear," Weir said with a heavy sigh.
"We'll prepare the city. It's all we can do."
She nodded again and went back to pushing around the pen. "Anything else?"
"Yeah, come get some lunch. You're moping around here isn't going to help anyone, especially you."
"Moping?" she asked, cocking an eyebrow at him dangerously.
It's a good thing Sheppard like to live dangerously. "Yes, moping. Or whatever you want to call it. Come on. Let's get some lunch and some fresh air."
Having no good reason to turn down his invitation, Weir set down her pen and stood. Thinking not for the first time that his strong spirit was a constant source of comfort and strength to her, she smiled briefly as he waved with a slight bow toward the open office door.
~o~o~o~
While Atlantis was coming to terms with the loss of Major Lorne and his team, they were coming to terms with their new surroundings. Lorne was almost surprised to find all of them alive and unharmed in a Wraith prison cell. His mind still foggy from the time spent in the dart storage, he shook off his grogginess and looked for the rest of his team. All were accounted for except Alex and Burnthorn. Vaguely he recalled something about Alex moving off the road with Burnthorn, but he couldn't make it coalesce. Instead he turned his attention back to his still-sleeping team. Gently he nudged Oaksford and Daniels as he looked them over for signs of injury.
With groans similar to his, the two woke up slowly. Burnthorn was huddled in a corner at the moment seemingly in shock at his present circumstances. Moments later a Wraith commander appeared with two warriors for guards.
"Who is your leader?" it asked, after eyeing them for a moment.
"I am," Major Lorne said stepping forward.
"Come with me."
Knowing it was pointless to argue or struggle since they would just stun him anyway, Major Lorne gave on last grim look to Daniels and Oaksford as if hoping to give them his strength. He wasn't stupid or delusional. He knew he wasn't going to survive this; none of them would. But the least he could do is die with dignity and hope he didn't betray Atlantis. As expected, he was led through the dark, close corridors to the equivalent of a throne room. There a queen sat glaring down at him as if he were filth. Standing tall, he waited for her.
"You are from Atlantis."
It wasn't a question, so Lorne felt no need to respond.
"The city was destroyed. I was there. How is it you are still alive?"
Lorne felt no need to answer this, either.
"Very well, I will get the information I desire one way or another. But the existence of Atlantis is not my primary concern. I have a proposal for your leader."
Lorne just stood there, already knowing his response.
"I know of the retrovirus. It turns Wraith into humans. I found the colony. They called to us. We retrieved some of them before it was destroyed."
He gave no reaction, now visibly frustrating the Wraith queen. She was far more accustomed to men cowering in her presence. Knowing that resorting to threats and torture would do her no good here, she curbed her impatience. She would have plenty of time to feed later.
"I wish an alliance with Atlantis. I would like use of this retrovirus weapon."
Lorne crossed his arms for all intents seeming bored with this conversation.
Hissing in frustration, she finally openly asked, "Where is the ancient city now? Or have you relocated after destroying the city?"
Keeping his expression fixed, Major Lorne was happy to have learned that they did not know the city was still on the same planet. After all, it is a giant ship. She assumed it had simply moved or been destroyed. He wasn't about to disillusion her.
"This alliance can be mutually beneficial. Don't force me to…" she visibly took hold of herself. Stepping down off the throne platform she approached. "I can get what I want. I would much prefer not resorting to forcing you, as that is not the best way to start a new alliance."
"Do what you gotta do," Lorne finally spoke, still keeping his expression neutral to the point of boredom. "But you're not getting it out of us by asking; even if you use 'please'."
Now she openly snapped and hissed in frustration. "Very well. Return him to the cell. Bring me one of the others."
"They won't give it to you, either," he warned. "So why don't you quit with the games?"
"No games," she said. "I wish to use this weapon against other Wraith. Our food supplies are short. Tensions are growing. Alliances will only hold so far. Turning our enemies into food is beneficial to both our peoples. Even a lowly warrior such as yourself can see the logic in that."
"That's if you're telling the truth, which I doubt. In any case, even if you were, what makes you think we would be willing to work with you?"
"I will not negotiate with a mere warrior. Give me what I want and I will let all of you go, alive."
"No."
Major Lorne's head felt as if it was going to explode. She hissed her frustration again as she bored into his mind. Try as he might, he could not keep her out completely. Using all of the counter-interrogation tactics he could recall from his training, he tried to distract her. It was no good. The moment she caught sight of a gate address, she latched on to it. She ripped apart his memories confirming it was the most frequently dialed address and, therefore, the most likely to be Atlantis. Having what she needed, even if having done so in a rather distasteful manner, she released his mind.
The Wraith queen resumed her seat on her throne waiting for Lorne to regain his senses. She had left him writhing and screaming on the floor. Watching in disgust, she saw him shake off the last of the pain and force himself to his feet. Exuding defiance, he stood unsteadily before her.
"Well, now you have what you want. Good for you. What now? You certainly don't need us anymore."
"But I do," she said with a wicked smile. "You are my guests."
"Dinner, is more like it."
"Guests, for the moment. We are setting a course for Atlantis as we speak." She nodded to one of the guards. "Take him back to his people, unharmed."
"Yes, my Queen," he replied.
Instead of the usual rough treatment Lorne expected, he was allowed to walk between his escorts unmolested. Still feeling unsteady on his feet, he struggled to maintain his balance. Thankfully, it was a short walk back to the cell.
Oaksford and Daniels were openly surprised to see him looking no worse than he had left. Lorne held up a hand to stave off their questions until the guards had closed the door and left. Only after he looked over his shoulder to ensure they were alone in the room did his expression finally change.
His unusually pale face scrunched up in pain as he pressed the heels of his hands into his closed eyes. "Son of a bitch, that hurt!"
"Sir?" Daniels asked, concern clear on her face.
Meanwhile, Oaksford had gotten over the shock and was standing back a bit watching suspiciously. After a moment, Lorne moved toward the back of the cell where he could sit in relative darkness. He'd never had a migraine in his life, but he had had concussions. This felt like a cross between a concussion and what he imagined a migraine must feel like and without the throbbing lump on his head.
"I'm fine; physically, anyway," he told them. "But she's got the gate address to Atlantis. Says she's headed there now. Damn!"
"Psychic rape?" Daniels asked.
Lorne's eyebrows shot up. "That's probably the best description I've ever heard for it. But, yeah, that."
"What's our next move?" Oaksford asked.
"I would recommend getting out of here and destroying the hive, but I'm assuming neither of you managed to find a way out?"
They both shook their heads.
"Damn," he said again. "I can't think at the moment. If either of you come up with a plan, use it. Not sure how much good I'm going to be for a little while. You have my permission to do as much damage as possible."
"Yes, sir," they said in unison, though neither showed much hope or enthusiasm.
~o~o~o~
The queen considered and rejected several plans. She knew approaching Atlantis directly was foolish, but the little man had pushed her. She had not intended to rip the information from his mind, but his utter lack of respect left her no choice but to retaliate. Negotiating through a gate was distasteful at best, and disrespectful to her. But, she could not see any other choice. Though she kept the hive on course, she decided she would trap them in their nest and then negotiate. One way or another, she would have her weapon.
~o~o~o~
It had been a week since the memorial for Major Lorne and his team. Word had not yet reached Earth about what had happened, since the Daedalus was still on his way back from the most recent trip to the Milky Way. The city had spent its time mourning and was already moving on. All but Alex. Alex wandered the city as if looking for something to do with herself. Sheppard had already offered her a number of other teams she had rejected for one reason or another.
The first hint that something was amiss came when one of the scientists manning the command center grumbled something unpleasant under his breath. Weir caught sight of this on her way to her office and stopped to look at the monitor over his shoulder.
"Headed this way?" she asked.
The man practically jumped out of his seat with surprise. His scruffy black hair stood up at all angles giving his wide-eyed startled appearance that of an owl. "Yes, ma'am. I've been tracking it for three days. There's no doubt. It just dropped out of hyperspace, still on a direct course for Atlantis."
Weir's expression darkened. It wasn't entirely unexpected. She had just hoped that Major Lorne and his team had not been used in that way. But she and Colonel Sheppard had discussed this possibility. The fact that they had been taken from a planet with no other Wraith activity in the area was just too suspicious. Soon they would have to cloak the city and pray. It was the best they had managed to come up with. Continuing on her way to her office she keyed her radio to call for Colonel Sheppard.
They had to prepare.
~o~o~o~
Still tracking the hive ship, Sheppard watched with an intent expression as it approached a planet. Assuming it was stopping so they could feed, he frowned darkly. They were at a point now of trying to come up with ideas to destroy it. Daedalus was still several days out and wouldn't arrive before the hive. Rodney had again rigged up a jumper with a nuke in the hopes that plan would work again, since it was just the one hive.
Suddenly the gate jumped to life. At this point they had reached out to all off world teams to update them on the situation and redirect anyone coming back to Alpha Site. They were already prepping for evacuation of as many as they could. No one was expected to be dialing in unless it was an unavoidable medical emergency requiring Doctor Beckett's hospital facilities; which had not yet been fully transferred to the Alpha Site, yet.
"Receiving Major Lorne's IDC," Crabbe said with a frown.
"Confirmed?" Colonel Sheppard asked.
"Yes, sir. It was his last active IDC."
"Sir, we have an incoming transmission, audio and video," Blackwolf said from another station.
By this point Doctor Weir had joined them. "Let's see it."
They all turned to the large monitor at the end of the rows of consoles. Major Lorne's familiar, if pale and somewhat haggard face appeared on the monitor.
"This is Major Evan Lorne. You have my IDC. I assume you've deactivated it, and my authorization codes. To prove my identity, my DoD ID number is one four zero one seven six two one nine eight."
Sheppard frowned darkly. This was a code setup among the Atlantis military personnel to signal that they were not alone and that this contact was forced. Sheppard nodded to the communication station to initiate radio contact only.
"Colonel Sheppard here, go ahead Major."
"Sir, I have Daniels, Oaksford, and Church with me. We are alive and unharmed. I believe a mutual friend of ours was able to fill you in on our circumstances?"
"Yes, Alex and Burnthorn came through the gate," Sheppard replied. If this really was Lorne, at least he could give him that much peace.
"That's good to hear, sir," Lorne sounded genuine in his relief. "I'm actually needing to speak with Doctor Weir."
"I'm here, Major. Go ahead."
Suddenly Lorne looked to his right and nodded, his jaws clenched in obvious anger. He stepped to his left and off camera as a pale and trembling Church was put in front of the camera with a Wraith feeding hand just below his neck. This was all they saw for a moment before a Wraith queen maneuvered behind Church and into the camera's view.
"Enough pleasantries," she spoke up. "I am not here to threaten Atlantis or its inhabitants."
"It certainly doesn't look that way," Weir spoke up.
"This was simply to ensure his cooperation, since the others would not," the queen said, releasing Church in the same direction Lorne had stepped away to. "I wish to discuss an alliance, Doctor Weir."
"Alliance?" she asked in surprise. "What could we possibly gain from an alliance with Wraith?"
"You have a retrovirus that can turn Wraith into humans. I wish to possess such a weapon."
"For what purpose?"
"You know as well as I that there are not enough humans in the galaxy to feed all of the Wraith enough to go back into a hibernation. We are at each other's throats. Alliances form and dissolve in days. It is what you would consider civil war, with all sides against all others. In a war of this nature, the one with the most food survives."
"That still doesn't tell us how we would benefit," Sheppard added. "After all, Wraith killing Wraith sounds much more likeable."
"Indeed, Colonel Sheppard, I believe?" Not waiting for an answer she continued, "Instead of simply destroying a hive, we can convert it into more food. By doing so we reduce the Wraith population, increase our food supply, and have less need to harvest human worlds."
For a moment Weir and Sheppard shared a look. Sheppard didn't like this at all. Weir seemed to be considering it.
"I understand you will need time to decide," the queen interrupted. "I will allow you to dictate this alliance on your own terms. As a sign of good faith, I return to you your people. And I will send along an envoy who will speak in my name. My hive is near to your planet, but we will come no closer unless permitted. We have no desire to threaten you or appear hostile."
Even Weir's eyebrows shot up at this. Sheppard shook his head slightly. But the idea of leaving Lorne and the others with the Wraith longer than they already had was out of the question. She knew Sheppard was right. The moment they dropped the gate shield Wraith could come pouring in. But she couldn't deny she was intrigued by this proposition.
"Give us a moment, please," Weir asked, signaling to cut the audio feed from their end.
"No," Sheppard said.
"But what if she's sincere? We could use this to negotiate. If it works as well as it did on the last hive ship, we have a willing ally that could—"
"No way, Elizabeth. For all we know Lorne and the rest of them are compromised. You've seen what they can do to convert the unwilling into worshippers. We can't trust any of them."
Weir seemed to grit her teeth as she considered this. "We'll keep them under observation. But this is a chance to make some real progress in weaponizing Doctor Beckett's retrovirus. We need this. Obviously it is that easy for Wraith to learn that Atlantis still stands. How long before an unfriendly hive finds us? We need this, Colonel."
Frustrated, Sheppard chewed his lip. The idea of leaving Lorne and the others to their fate made him sick. But the potential damage they could do if they had been compromised was just as bad. At this point, he couldn't even trust the codes Lorne knew for signaling safety. There had to be a compromise. It was clear Weir was going to pursue this one way or the other.
"Fine, let me talk to them, first," Sheppard agreed.
Weir nodded signaling for the audio to be turned back on.
"This is Colonel Sheppard, I need to speak with my people." He waited for the queen to acknowledge his demands and step away from the view of the camera. "Sergeant Daniels, status?"
"Code four, sir," she replied, stepping up in front of the camera brushing an invisible hair out of her face with one finger. "Church is a little shaken up still."
"Lieutenant Oaksford, report."
"Code four, since captured, sir," he said raising two fingers to brush his chin. "Mr. Church is unharmed, as is Major Lorne."
Sheppard chewed his lips. "Major Lorne, what's your status?"
Lorne's face was pinched, but he said nothing to the other two, having understood the conversation. "Agreed, code four. Church should be fine in a day or two," he said, scratching his cheek with one finger. Glancing briefly to the others off camera he asked, "Permission to speak freely, sir?"
The fact that Lorne was asking was significant. "Go ahead, Major."
Lorne frowned for a moment. He looked off screen again at what Sheppard assumed to be the rest of his team. The resolve was clear in his expression as he focused his attention back on the camera. "I recommend initiating Echo Protocol."
Sheppard's expression darkened. He planted his hands on his hips and dropped his head, visibly torn. He glanced to Weir, who waited with clear impatience.
"Denied," he finally said. "Standby."
"Yes, sir," Lorne said, relief and anger mixed in his expression.
Again they signaled to cut the audio feed.
"I'll explain later, Elizabeth," he said. "But right now we need to make a decision. The minute we drop the shield a whole mess of Wraith could be pouring in. I can't tell you what to do, but I can tell you that Lorne and his team are willing to risk being executed the moment they walk through that gate to keep any Wraith from following. Church is likely compromised, possibly Lorne. I say we use the Delta Site as a meeting ground. It's the only way we're going to get Lorne and his team back alive and keep the Wraith out of Atlantis."
Weir considered this for a moment, something in Sheppard's intense green eyes told her she was walking a fine line with the lives of Lorne, his team, and Church all on the line. Her next answer would determine if they lived or died. She was surprised the Wraith queen had remained quiet through the exchange. That alone told her the queen might be sincere in her desire to let them set the terms.
"Very well. Rodney, be prepared to send them the address to the Delta Site."
Doctor McKay's pinched expression and white face told them all they needed to know of what he thought of this plan. Turning back to Sheppard, she asked, "What is Echo protocol?"
Sheppard looked almost sad for a moment before his expression hardened again, "Kill everything on the other side of that gate, including them; leaving only dust and echoes."
Weir's eyebrows shot up before she too frowned darkly. She didn't need to say what she thought of that. But, even she couldn't deny the need for such protocol might one day arise. Colonel Sheppard signaled for open radio again, and once more took control of the conversation.
"Major, by my authorization you and your team will stand down."
Major Lorne's pinched, pale features relaxed slightly. "Understood."
Doctor Weir stepped up as Lorne moved off to the side again nodding to the Wraith queen. The creature resumed her place in front of the camera seeming serenity itself.
"Have you made your decision?" she asked.
"Not quite yet. We've agreed we will meet to discuss this alliance. But we will do so at a location we have designated. You will be allowed to bring two of your people. You will come through the stargate unarmed. We will meet in two hours."
"And for your people?"
"They come through the gate first or anything stepping through the gate dies on site," Weir said coldly.
"Agreed."
"We are transmitting the address now. We will meet in two hours by Major Lorne's watch."
"Agreed. I look forward to meeting you, Doctor Weir," she said smiling wickedly with a mouth full of pointed teeth.
With that, the contact was cut. Taking a deep breath, Weir shook off her lingering tension. She may have just avoided an open battle with a hive, but she still felt as if she was making a deal with the devil.
~o~o~o~
Thirty minutes later Colonel Sheppard had his team and several others in a semi-circle around the gate. Every single one of them stood at the ready should the gate activate early. Already Sheppard had checked on their contingency plan. The main reason he had recommended this site was because of the nuke they kept hidden nearby. Should things go wrong, it could be remotely activated. And the remote was well hidden within his ranks with someone he trusted.
He hoped Major Lorne and his team hadn't been compromised. But, until they knew for certain, all he could do was lock them up. Here was safer than Atlantis. And, he hoped, by the end of the day Doctor Heightmeyer would be able to confirm or deny if they had been compromised and to what extent. Not for the first time since they arrived he found himself staring at Alex. He had pulled her aside and explained the situation almost as soon as he left the gate room, not certain he wanted her along. But, Weir was right, she was their best bet at uncovering any suspicious telepathic activity on the queen's part. He just wasn't sure what kind of mental state she would be in after seeing her team returned to living status.
Alex's blue eyes met his. They were colder and harder than he had ever seen before. Her expression was one just short of murderous. He could guess what was going on in her head, but there was nothing he could do. So long as she kept her distance and didn't draw attention, he was willing to let her feel whatever she wanted. If they weren't compromised, Sheppard had no intention of breaking up their team. But, if there was any doubt at all, they were going back on the next Daedalus run; and she could hate him all she wanted.
Catching sight of him staring, Alex nodded slightly and headed toward him. He decided to meet her half way.
"You sure you're up for this?" he asked, not liking the look on her face.
"Yes, and I still think it's too dangerous."
"You're not the only one. But this is Weir's show. We're just here to play security."
"Then talk her out of it," Alex said.
"I can't. This isn't a military situation, once we get Major Lorne and the others back. After that we're just waiting around making sure they don't attack."
"It doesn't matter what she says. Whatever the queen tells you is never the whole story. She will betray you and take what she wants, including Atlantis," Alex warned.
"I'm well aware, but Weir wants to consider it. And she might be right. With the help of an allied hive, we might be able to take out more hives than ever before. And, each hive she gains is one more in our alliance that can be used to take out others."
Alex's lips thinned, obviously she wasn't buying this; but she kept her peace.
"Look, you don't have to like it, you just have to do your part, okay? And if that's too much for you, feel free to head back to Atlantis," Sheppard snapped, his patience gone.
"I'll be doing my part," she agreed. "You just watch Doctor Weir's back."
With that she turned and stalked back to where she had been standing, waiting. Unlike the others, she was unarmed. Weir had decided not to present her as a combatant. They planned to use her as an example of a working formula and then make her disappear. They knew the queen would test Alex, if only to exert her dominance in the presence of what she might consider to be another queen. Once Alex passed the test by coming off as telepathically weak and useless, they were going to make her an invisible watcher; just to ensure the queen wasn't up to anything.
Still not happy with this whole mess, Sheppard shook his head and continued wandering the camp.
As requested, the Wraith queen waited two hours. Once the gate was activated, every gun came up, Sheppard's included. Expecting anything, he squeezed the trigger on his P90 just enough to feel the pressure. Major Lorne was the first one through with his hands raised. He looked ready to chew nails, even staring down so many P90's.
"We're coming through one at a time. The queen will be last. Spaced one minute apart," he called.
"On your knees, Major!" Sheppard called. "Demond, Riverbark, take him!"
Lorne complied by jerkily going to his knees and putting his hands on his head. A moment later two men stepped up, one lowered his gun to take out a pair of handcuffs. The silence was absolute as Lorne kept his cold blue eyes forward. Just once he flicked them toward Sheppard in an expression that sent chills down the Colonel's spine. He had expected this, but there was something else in his expression Sheppard didn't like. For a moment Sheppard narrowed his green eyes suspiciously as they took his second in command away to an isolation tent.
The process was repeated with Daniels next. Then came Oaksford, and finally Church. All of them seemed a bit pale, but otherwise sound physically. This only meant that any torture inflicted hadn't been physical. As previously instructed, each one was taken to a separate tent far from the others. Until Beckett and Heightmeyer could check them over thoroughly, they weren't going to be given a chance to coordinate an escape.
Finally, two generals and the queen stepped through. They stopped just inside the gate as it shut down behind them. Seemingly entirely unperturbed by her current blatantly hostile surroundings, she took in the entire scene as if looking for Doctor Weir. Seeing no further threat, the Colonel finally ordered the men to lower their weapons and stand down. Taking that as a signal, Weir and Alex stepped forward to approach the queen.
Sheppard was far enough back he couldn't hear what was exchanged. He wasn't about to lower his guard with the queen staring down Alex so openly. His hand twitched back toward his P90 as gritted his teeth. The last time Alex had been involved with a Wraith, it had nearly killed her. He wasn't about to let either of them come to harm for this insane idea. Despite the obvious benefits, he just couldn't bring himself to trust a Wraith queen.
He very nearly grinned at the irony of that statement.