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The Past
The sun had just dipped below the horizon. Teyla Emmagan stood on one of the balconies as she watched it set. It had been less than two months since the city of the Ancestors had returned to Pegasus, along with its missing children. It had taken them almost a year before they had been granted permission to return the city. She remembered the sweet joy of being reunited with Kannan, their son, Halling and the rest of the Athosians. She was glad that they were all safe and there had been much news to catch up on. Now her partner and Torren were living in the city with her. She had resumed missions, but on an infrequent basis as a liaison between the natives of this galaxy and the Lantians.
One thing still bothered her. It had been sitting at the back of her mind ever since Halling had mentioned it.
"The wraith are gone."
Was it possible? Could they have finally left? She had questioned Halling and the others further, and so had Woolsey and Sheppard when they heard.
"We only heard that they were gone. Destroyed by an unknown enemy of great strength. Nothing more."
This worried Teyla. The last time they had encountered an enemy capable of defeating the wraith had been the Alterens, the replicators. They had also caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of innocent human lives.
Her senses stirred, warning her of danger. She whipped around, seeing the unwelcome presence of Todd. The wraith had been one of the key reasons for Atlantis' return. The IOA were unwilling to allow it to return as it knew too much about the city, but were not keen on keeping it on Earth. In the end, it had been Sheppard that saved this wraith from starvation or experimentation.
At that moment in time, Teyla wished he hadn't.
Pointing a wraith stunner at her, (where had it got a stunner from?) it grabbed her and held her in an arm lock.
"There is not much time," it rasped, "you must do exactly as I say if you wish your mate and child to survive."
Teyla stiffened at this threat. The creature had threatened her family. If it had done anything to them, then she would not rest until it had suffered. Still pointing the stunner at her, Todd led her out into the corridor before releasing her.
"Return to your quarters. Gather what you need. Then come to the gate room with your mate and child." Teyla was confused by this reaction, wondering whether it was a trick. Then she looked into its face, into what was concealed behind its eyes. What she saw frightened her more than the wraith's threat.
Todd was terrified.
Turning, Teyla ran all the way to her quarters. It had taken less than ten minutes for herself and Kannan to hurriedly pack a bag each. When they arrived in the gate room, Kannan carrying their infant son, it became apparent the extent of Todd's desperation. Everyone who had been working in the gate room was slumped over at their workstation or collapsed on the floor. The wraith in question was standing by the DHD, dialling an address.
"What is the meaning of this, Todd?" asked Teyla, "Why did you threaten my family?"
The wraith looked at her as the 'gate whooshed into life. "I am not the threat," it said simply as it walked down the steps, avoiding the stunned bodies, "I am saving you from it."
Torren had begun to sniffle, and Kannan was looking worriedly between Teyla and the wraith. "Why do you care so much for the well-being of my family?" Teyla hissed, "If there is danger, all of Atlantis must be informed."
"It is only a threat to us!" Todd roared, "It hunts the wraith genetic signature, and does not distinguish between pure wraith and part-wraith."
Teyla was taken aback by the outburst. "That does not answer my question: why do you care?"
The wraith hung its head. All Teyla heard were two words. Two words that explained everything.
"My Queen."
Teyla's cold fury softened at this honesty. It was saving them because of a loyalty she believed had long since faded.
"Where are you sending us?" she heard Kannan ask. He too had heard and understood Todd's reply.
"Earth. I have already locked the address in the database, so you will not be followed." It extracted a strange crystal pendant from under its wraith coat. He handed it to Teyla, closing her hand around it. "Take this. If the masters of the threat find this, then…" he left the statement hanging.
"Is it a weapon?"
"It is the key to a weapon. One that could spell death for all." Todd's gaze shifted to the 'gate. "You must hurry. The IDC has already been sent. They are expecting you."
As Kannan walked through with Torren, Teyla turned back to Todd, about to ask it why it did not follow, if these creatures were as deadly as it suggested. Then she understood, or perhaps it explained to her, that it was the distraction. The threat had already sensed a wraith presence and would stop until the source was found. It was paying for the life of her family with its own.
"Thank you." she whispered as she walked through the event horizon, leaving Todd to his probable death.
***
The Present
Teyla walked to the bridge of the Daedalus. It had been three years. Three years of almost pure torture, wondering about the fate of Atlantis and her people. A year after the forced arrival on Earth and after they had failed to get a lock on the gate, the SGC had decided to allow the Daedalus to travel to the Pegasus galaxy to check on the expedition. Teyla had insisted on going with them, but that Kannan, Torren and their baby daughter remain behind. If the monsters that Todd had warned them about still prowled, she would not let them take them.
"Teyla, you receiving me? Over."
"I am here." She replied, touching her com-unit.
"Ship in-bound. You know the drill."
Teyla turned and headed towards one of the labs. She wasn't ready to be caught just yet.
***
Colonel Caldwell sat on the bridge of the Daedalus, viewing the ship that had just dropped out of hyperspace. It was one of several they had encountered during their two year search of the Pegasus galaxy. A combination of Ancient technology and anything else that could be cobbled together.
"We're being hailed." One of the technicians said.
"Put it on screen."
The screen shifted to show a Has'parian flanked by two Guardians.
"Colonel Cad-wellll," the creature trilled, "Sssuch a…pleasssure to sssee you again."
"I trust you have a reason for stopping by?" the Colonel would never trust those damned things to give him a straight answer. They treated all life like infants. Now wasn't that an unusual experience.
"Ohhh, nothinggg to…worry yourself with." It smiled patronisingly, "However…I would like to sssend sssome… colleaguesss, to yourrr ssship. Nothingggg of too muchhh trouble."
For 'colleagues', see 'strike force', thought Caldwell. Not that he could stop them. If he did, he would be endangering the whole crew. He nodded curtly at the screen, and saw the Has'parian smile develop a few more degrees of cold menace, before the transmission ended.
No, he did not like those creatures on bit.
***
Teyla sat in the lab, turning a piece of wraith technology over and over in her hands. She had no idea what it was or how it functioned, but for the look of the thing, she made vague notes on a computer tablet near by.
As she rested the thing down and raised another, the door opened to reveal A guardian and its Has'parian handler. Teyla set her features into one long practised. She turned to them, face stony. The Guardian immediately raised its arm, only to have it lowered by the Has'parian. The creature turned to Teyla.
"My…apologiesss, for dissssturbing you work," the creature's smile never reached its eyes, "but there wasss a high concccentration of wrrraith," it positively spat the word, "genetic ssssignal…coming from thisss location."
Teyla brought her head up haughtily. "That is because I am studying the remains of a downed hiveship's date core in this lab." She stared long and hard at the Has'parian, "Your disturbance could cost us valuable intel on the remaining wraith. Lost intel that could cost the lives of my people."
The creature stooped low on a mock bow. "Of courssse. We will not delay you furrrthurrrr," it crooned. As it shooed the Guardian out of the undersized doorway, it turned back to Teyla, "I wisssh you luck, Sssora of the Genii."
As the door closed behind them, Teyla sank back onto her seat. It was a blessed piece of luck, that the Has'parians, for reasons of their own, were convinced that the woman that was Teyla Emmagan was dead and the one that still roamed the galaxy in her form was the Genii soldier Sora, who was aiding the Tauri by providing them with information on this galaxy and its enemies.
"Teyla. This is Caldwell. Are you receiving me? Over."
"I am still here." She sighed.
"Just letting you know the Has'parian ship has just entered hyperspace. We're in the clear."
For now, she thought. Our luck cannot last forever.
Same again, please R&R. All comments are useful