Chapter Twenty-Three

Alex soon learned that the phrase "hurry up and wait" was really a thing and not just something her military companions had made up. By the end of the second week she had grown more than a little restless. Atlantis continued to check in on time. The Daedalus had arrived and Doctor Beckett had somehow managed to talk them all in to waiting to do an actual test of the new retrovirus co-designed with the Wraith. Though this didn't sit well with Major Lorne or Colonel Caldwell, they had to see the possible benefit if the queen actually honored her part of the deal. Carson and Weir had convinced them it was worth the risk. In the meantime they would need to keep the Daedalus out of range of the hive, but close enough to hopefully take it out if it presented a threat.

Meanwhile, Alex continued her harassment tactics and gritted her teeth. She could only give advice in this situation. Though Major Lorne relied on her for advice on how to handle the Wraith, the reality of it was that they just couldn't do what she thought would be best. In her opinion, finding a way to take out the hive without leaving it a chance to broadcast any info was just not an option. The risk was too high and the reward possibly too little.

On the bright side, one encoded message that they had received from Atlantis via the Daedalus was that Doctor McKay thought it might, just maybe, be possible to actually move the city. They already had a planet picked out in a nearby star system. Of course, they weren't going to disclose that location until it was deemed safe to do so. It was going to require the usual McKay Miracle to happen, but if push came to shove and they weren't within close range of any hives they could possibly make the desperate move. Ensuring there were no Wraith hive ships within proximity to see or interfere with the move was another matter; since the Daedalus was keeping tabs on the one they already knew about. Once the information about their current situation had been relayed to Earth via a direct dial from Atlantis, the Apollo had been dispatched. It was still four days away.

Things had finally reached a head. The drug was as ready as it was going to be in a weaponized format for now. Without a real live test, it wasn't going to be able to go any further. Once again, the queen return to the Delta Site to work out with Weir exactly how this would go down. The queen's anxious behavior was chalked up to her desire to see the test completed successfully before her hive comes under attack. Desperate, she confessed to having their equivalent of a skeleton crew after a recent battle with another alliance. After two days of planning, it was agreed they would conduct the test attack in five days. During the negotiations Weir conceded ground that nearly made Major Lorne call off the whole damn thing. She had agreed that Lorne and his team would go on the hive ship to help them ensure proper deployment as well as ensure Daedalus did not attack them in the middle of this test. Meanwhile, the queen would leave her top generals and scientists behind at the Delta Site. When the test was completed successfully, they would all be returned.

~o~o~o~

On the other side of the Pegasus Galaxy Colonel Sheppard was quite pleased with the results. The day they cut off the Delta Site from incoming dialing he had put in motion a couple of different plans he hoped would work. The first was to setup the Alpha and Beta Sites as if they were about to be their new home base. In the dead of night he had woken the entire city and sent as many as possible through the gate to the new, actual evac sight that he hadn't even bothered to designate yet. Though the entire city buzzed with the sudden, massive decrease in population, Colonel Sheppard was able to assure them they were all going to different evac sites to ensure no one sight would be vulnerable and it would keep the Wraith from knowing which one was the real site.

Once McKay had come up with the insane, but desperate idea of moving the city to a new planet, Sheppard had used his already active plans to help cover up. The Apollo arriving five days early was a small miracle in itself. Attempting to make the city as light as possible without actually dismantling it, Sheppard continued to send equipment, personnel and anything they could move out of the city and onto the Alpha and Beta Sites. Since the first midnight evac to the new site, he'd not touched it and had no intention of letting anyone else know it, either. With the Apollo confirming a clear flight path from their current planet to the new planet, McKay was given the go ahead to proceed.

With a wish and a prayer McKay and Zalenka made the impossible happen. With a boost of power from the underwater platform and having spent over a week shutting down every major power source in the city to give their lone ZPM the power it would need to break through the atmosphere, they were set. Sheppard, having never flown a city before was actually rather amazed at how calm he was, under the circumstances. It was almost as if the city was glad to have him in the chair. Shaking off these funky feelings, he focused on getting the city out of the ocean and into the air. Following that, it seemed as if the city guided him in how to make it fly.

Later that same day they touched down gently on the ocean of a new planet. The Apollo having followed them confirmed they had not been spotted. Rodney, still grinning like an idiot and practically singing his own praises set to getting their gate setup on the gate network again. Sheppard, knowing he had to report to the Delta Site soon was more than a little anxious when McKay ran into a few snags. Finally Sheppard had to send word to the Apollo to get close to the Alpha Site so the Alpha Site could contact the Delta Site to give them a daily report that was far from the truth. If all went well, no one outside of Atlantis and the Apollo knew the city had just found a new home. Soon he would be able to recall everyone from all sites and take out that damned hive.

Then why did he have a really sick feeling this was just going too easy on all of them?

~o~o~o~

"Have you gone insane or do I need to check you for Wraith influence, Major?" Alex asked incredulously.

Though she hadn't been asked to sit in on the most recent negotiations, she had come to believe they were only playing along until it looked like they could get Atlantis out of danger. Then they were all going to attack the Wraith presently stationed on the planet and duck out through the gate back to Atlantis. Nowhere in any of this did she believe for one second Doctor Weir could be that stupid, no matter how crazy Carson was to make this formula work.

"Alex," Lorne said in a warning tone.

"No, Major. I'm not just going to shut up. You put me here as your second in command because of the Wraith situation. If you're not going to listen to my opinion or trust my judgment, then why am I here?"

Weir stood back, not willing to get between the two of them, in a matter of authority. Major Lorne's blue eyes were cold as chips of ice as he bit back his first retort. Seeing she wasn't going to get a satisfactory answer out of him, Alex turned to Carson and Weir.

"Well?"

"Alex, look, we need this retrovirus to work," Beckett started.

"It already works," she snapped. "You still haven't 'perfected' it to be a permanent formula. They certainly haven't given you anything useful."

"That's not true."

"The hell it isn't! It might work faster, now. But it's no more efficient, it's not being deployed any more easily or effectively, and it's not been made permanent. So, please, Doctor Beckett, explain to me exactly how helpful they've actually been to your research."

For a moment, Alex's rant had even Carson looking like he was about to snap. Instead, Weir spoke up, always the peacemaker.

"That is not your concern, Alex," she said, her green eyes saying more than her words. "You were included in this because you were needed to keep an eye on the queen. Do you have even a shred of evidence that they have been anything less than helpful?"

"So that's what it comes down to, in the end," Alex said, turning from one to the other.

"Excuse me?" Weir asked, dangerously.

"Evidence. What more evidence do you need than that she's a Wraith queen?"

"Not so long ago much the same was said of you," Weir reminded her. "Regardless of your appearance, you were just another Wraith queen."

Alex felt like she'd been slapped. Glaring dangerously, she withheld the desire to check the woman for Wraith influence on the spot; along with Carson and Evan. Clenching her jaws, she regained her composure.

"So that's it, then?" she asked coldly.

"Unless you have some evidence that's she's planning something other than what we've discussed, I see no reason we should not proceed with the test."

Alex turned to Major Lorne, his face was neutral, but his eyes said they would be having a discussion of their own later. Beckett just looked trapped. It was clear he wanted this test to happen, and he wanted the formula perfected. At the same time, he didn't like publicly contradicting Alex when a part of him knew she was right. Heaving a mental sigh, he knew he was going to have a lot of making up to do after this. Finally Alex made her decision and turned her glare on the Major.

"I knew humans lived short life spans, but I guess I failed to realize you also have such short term memories."

"Alex!" Lorne snapped. "You're dismissed! Return to your tent, and wait for my orders."

Not even bothering with a verbal response, Alex swept out of the tent. For a moment the tent was silent after her exit.

"Are you sure about her, Major?" Weir asked, referring to her being on his team for the coming mission.

Lorne unclenched his jaws. "Yes. Give her time to cool off. She won't leave us hanging."

"Of course she won't," Carson added, as if he'd just been insulted personally. "Let me go talk to her."

"No, Doctor. I'll take care of that," Lorne told him.

"Then we're all agreed?"

"No," Lorne replied. "I'm with Alex. This is an insane idea. The fact that she's asking for a team, my team, specifically, says a lot. I just don't know what. The fact that she wants you to remain here also worries me."

"How so?"

"She sounded like she wanted most of the military presence here moved to her hive ship, instead of in the camp. That tells me she's planning an attack. You are her most likely target. She's already got everything she needs from Doctor Beckett, so that just leaves you."

Weir frowned. "Possibly."

"You're the only one here who knows the gate address to Earth. All the others were left on Atlantis," he pointed out.

"Very well, what do have in mind?"

With that they set in motion plans of their own that would keep Doctor Weir safe. Plans finalized, Beckett left in the hopes of getting to his tent before Major Lorne. He also hoped Alex had had a chance to cool off. When he entered the tent she was just slamming shut one of the foot lockers at the opposite end of the tent. For a moment her expression was furious. It quickly transformed into something utterly blank as Carson felt a pressure in his head. Rushing across the tent, Alex gripped him by the shoulders to keep him from falling.

And then the sensation was gone and Alex was holding him tightly and trembling from head to foot.

"Just what the hell—"

"I'm sorry," she said into his shoulder. "I had to know. I couldn't risk not checking, and I didn't want it to be Teyla."

"You mean…"

Taking a deep breath, Alex pulled back so she could look him in the eyes. "Yes. I'm suspecting it of everyone now. I can't be certain until I've checked."

"Do you really think Doctor Weir is under the queen's influence?" he asked in wide-eyed fear.

"Yes, but I don't know. I even suspected you, because you're supporting this insane plan."

"Alex—"

"No, Carson. I love you. And that kind of emotional attachment can cloud my judgment as much as yours. It's not just us or Atlantis at risk, here. Your entire home planet and galaxy might be at risk. I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings suspecting you, but I just can't risk it."

He hugged her closely. "I know, love. Hopefully this will be over soon."

Alex gave another shudder and held him in an almost desperate embrace. "It will. And that's what scares me."

"What scares you?"

Alex struggled to fight back her tears. She was just so scared for Carson. Of all of them, he was one of the biggest targets, and he didn't even realize it. Her chest hurt with the fear she felt at the idea of losing him, of not being able to protect him. Before she could answer, though, a call came from outside.

"Alex!"

Yep, he's happy, Alex thought with a sigh.

Stepping back from Carson she called, "Come in, Major Lorne."

"Be ready," she whispered to Carson.

He turned a confused look on her before his eyes opened wide. A moment later Lorne stepped into the tent. Alex didn't give him a chance. She had him on his knees and in his mind before he could even open his mouth. His expression had gone from furious to pale-faced stark terror. Carson just barely managed to catch him by the shoulders before he fell face-first to the rocky floor.

Much as it had been with Carson, she was in and out in under a second. But now she knew she was in trouble. Lorne shook his head as if to shake off the effects and took a deep, calming breath. An instant later the fury of before was back, and then some.

"What the hell did you just do?" he asked, dangerously while accepting Carson's assistance to get back to his feet.

"I had to make sure she hadn't gotten back in."

"What?!"

Forcing herself to calmness, Alex looked up at him now only inches from her. "I had to make sure," she repeated calmly.

For a moment Lorne almost seemed like he would lash out. Instead, he ran a shaking hand through his hair. Still unnaturally pale, he glanced at Carson.

"Doctor Beckett, would you give us a moment, please?"

"Aye, Major. I'll be back at the lab."

Lorne just nodded. As soon as he ducked out of the tent Alex prepared for the assault. Instead, Lorne seemed to just fold in on himself as he squatted down and sat on the cot behind himself. For a moment, Alex almost felt bad for what she had done, seeing him so clearly shaken.

"Sit down," he snapped.

Sitting directly across from him, she waited while he regained his composure. Finally he turned those icy blue eyes on her leaving her no room to misinterpret just how thoroughly pissed off he was with her right this minute.

"Never again," he ordered.

"I make no promises," she replied coolly.

Lorne seemed taken aback.

"Major, I'm not here to keep you or Doctor Weir happy. I'm not here to parade around in front of the queen to show off the effects of Doctor Beckett's retrovirus. I am here to ensure the safety of everyone on the Delta Site from a threat none of you seem to quite comprehend."

For a moment, he seemed to want to argue. "Fine. I'll accept that. But you're out of line."

"I don't believe so."

"Well, you are. I give you a lot of leniency because you're not military trained. But you will not contradict my orders, ever."

"Understood."

Now he was clearly surprised. "That's it?"

"Since you all seem to believe the queen is trustworthy and Doctor Weir is so quick to point out just how similar we are, I see no reason to prevent you all from walking right into her trap."

Catching something in her expression or tone Lorne's expression turned thoughtful and a bit suspicious. "Do you really think Doctor Weir said that out of maliciousness?"

Biting her lip, Alex shook her head. "No, but it tells me clearly where she stands in all of this. She actually trusts the queen. If you're not being affected by her, and Carson isn't; then it stands to reason she might be."

"But if she was then the queen would already have the gate address to Atlantis and probably Earth and not need us anymore. So why not just attack?"

"I don't know," Alex admitted. "But I warned you all from the beginning that her targets may be multiple, and may involve plots that go way beyond what we've considered so far. I never was a very good queen, Major. But that just means I can't fathom all of her possible motives and plots."

"But it's not like we have a choice. So far as we can tell, she hasn't broadcast the location of Atlantis. But she does have us in a corner. If we don't play along, things could go from bad to worse. And two ships aren't going to be nearly enough once the rest of the hives know Atlantis is still intact."

Alex nodded quietly, already knowing their position all too well.

"Damn," he muttered, irritated as he fingered a hole in the knee of his pants. "I'm going to need some stitches."

"Sorry," Alex murmured.

For a moment he just contemplated her. "Drop the formality. She scares you that much?"

Alex shook her head. "No, but what she can do to all of you does."

"Alex—"

"Forget it, Evan," she said waving him off. "Like you said, we have no choice."

"Can I trust you?"

Alex looked like she'd been slapped for the second time in less than an hour, making him instantly regret those words; but he had to know.

"Are you asking me to step down?" she finally asked softly.

"No. But I need to know, are you going to be on my team when we go?"

"Unless you had other plans for me."

"No. I want you there. If things go sideways, I may need your experience to get us out of there. If we're trapped on a hive ship, you're likely the only one that can get us out of there."

"Good, because I wasn't going to let you leave me behind in the first place."

Evan grinned, then frowned down at his throbbing knee. He was definitely going to need some stitches and there wasn't going to be enough time to heal and get them out before this insane mission was to take place. Cocking an eyebrow at her he asked, "Was this your way of getting me into Doctor Knightley's clutches?"

Alex laughed at the idea, making the ball of tension in his gut unwind considerably. "I hadn't planned it that way, but that could work."

"You should have saved it for after this, so I could at least ask her out on a date."

"Why? I'm sure you'll come up with something better on your own once we're back in Atlantis."

"Doubtful," he replied almost wistfully. "I never was very good with that stuff."

"You, shy and awkward? This I've gotta see."

This time it was his turn to punch her lightly in the ribs. The grunt he got wasn't nearly enough payback for his red face as he found himself heading toward the med tent. He almost hoped Rebecca wasn't on duty.

~o~o~o~

For a moment she watched the Major walking away to make sure he wasn't going to come back for anything else. Looking around to make sure she wouldn't be disturbed again, she returned to the foot locker. Taking a deep breath to calm herself she opened it again. That had been too close for comfort. If it had been anyone other than Carson she wouldn't have been nearly as spooked. But Carson knew what the original female formula retrovirus looked like.

Taking out a soft case filled to bursting with bottles of the murky pinkish fluid of the original formula, she checked to make sure none were broken. They had been moved quite a bit since she had originally swiped them. She took out a second case containing even more bottles of the newer female formula. None had been touched. Since this had all begun she had been taking as much of the bottles as she could to stash away. So far everyone had been too busy to take notice of the missing excess. She'd made it this far, unnoticed; she knew she was pretty much safe at this point. She had taken just enough for herself to keep the change from being visible. She knew that less than a day without it and the change would begin.

Remembering the horror and excruciating agony of the first time she had gone from Wraith to human, Alex shuddered. She wasn't sure she could go through that again. Even for Carson, Evan, and John, she wasn't sure she could put herself through it a second time. Her chest twisting painfully at the thought of what it would do to them was more than enough for her to crush that line of thought out of existence.

She had come too far to back out now. Staring at the multitude of bottles in her lap, she watched them blur as the tears started. She didn't want to do this. Though Wraith didn't believe in gods, she had read enough about human religion to know that many humans did; even Carson and Evan. She wasn't sure about John, but he'd once jokingly commented that there was no such thing as an atheist on a battlefield. Alex didn't know what she was or if any gods, if they did exist, would listen to her. Nonetheless, she closed her eyes against the tears and prayed she would not have to do this. She prayed that just once a Wraith queen would be honest and she would not try kill them all.

Taking a few deep breaths to steady herself, she shook off her fear. For her friends, she would do this. For them she would do anything to protect them and keep them alive. She would follow along in the hopes that all went well, but if it didn't, she was going to be prepared. Taking a mental inventory of the gear she would have on her, she began to test concealment locations all over her body. Accounting for some possibly being broken, she just hoped enough would remain intact for her desperate plan to work.

~o~o~o~

The final preparations were made and the stage was set. Two days later they all gathered in front of the stargate. Major Lorne seemed almost surprised when the usual daily check-in occurred. He had hoped to speak with Colonel Sheppard one more time before this mad excursion. But, he had to admit, Sheppard himself didn't make most of the check-in calls, so he had no right to expect it this time. And, with so many Wraith present, he wasn't sure if he could convey the subtleties of his plans even in code without someone picking up on them. Looking around at his team, he could clearly see how unhappy they were with this plan, but they were out of options. It would only take one transmission for them to all be engaged in a battle for Atlantis that they had no hope of winning.

Major Lorne took one last look around him at his mission team. Teyla waited patiently. Nearby Tania was saying a fearful goodbye to Sergeant Daniels. Lieutenant Oaksford handed over an envelope to a friend of his. Alex just stood there. It seemed she had found her calm again. Her body language spoke of boredom, but her eyes blazed furiously. At least he knew he could trust her. He just wished he could settle the fear that had been steadily growing in the pit of his stomach. Maybe he should take a page out of Alex's book and just be pissed off at the world around him. Yeah, that might do it.

With a sigh he watched as the massive canisters were sent through the gate on pallets. The plan was for them all to enter the hive ship and then meet up with the Daedalus a few hours' jump from the target hive ship. Once all of the pallets had been taken through by the drones, the gate shut down and then was dialed again a moment later. This time all of the drones that had been used to transport the canisters returned. The generals had never left. Again the gate was shut down and reactivated on this end.

It was their turn.

With one last glance at the camp Major Lorne nodded to Major Cram who nodded once back to let him know that their plans had been executed successfully. With that off his conscience, Lorne lead his team through the gate.

His foot had barely hit the Wraith hive ship floor when he felt the familiar sensation of a Wraith stunner.