"What have you brought to me?"

The whispering echoes died out, sliding along the walls, and the semi-darkness gently absorbed them. Dull blue glimmers shone with moisture upon convex and concave areas alike. Intermittently, orange glimmers and a dirty red broke the shadows and rippled into small rifts and beneath huge, glossy archways.

"If you have located so much as a human hair…"

Mist curled, its extremities growing and fading, crawling and roiling, and caressing the hems of black leather robes.

"…I wish to know…"

Sharp white lines enclosed images on screens where biotech data flickered and cast vivid reflections.

"…now…"

The eerie vocals were like rusted harp strings, tremoring deep within the throat situated below long white threads of facial hair. The skin was stretched, mottled, loose in places, complete with a bluish tinge hued by neither green nor gray. "So…" The word filtered painfully through long, semi-transparent teeth. They were like needles, double layered, and pale. The mouth was unable to close completely. "You have…information?"

"I have," a baritone half-whisper sang. The syllables dangled in the silence that followed.

Only a rattling breathing answered it.

"Your plans are falling into place. Atlantis took the bait."

The wraith had his back to the commander-class informant. "Specify."

"Human error spared me much time and energy. We remained underground until the last possible moment after four humans emerged from the gate. Within a short time they had discovered the monument. After allowing ourselves a few hours to observe them, we pursued them back to the gate and one of the males started dialing. We allowed time for him to hit five glyphs before he was brought down by a stun bomb; we feared the gate would be fully active before we had a chance to prevent an escape. Only two glyphs remained. It took extracting the knowledge from one of the team, all were knocked out by the blast. We sent the Illusionment microbes into the wormhole and the transmission was sent successfully. The female, I did not capture right away. We culled the rest."

Glitter winked on the armored shoulders as the warrior turned around. The vertical pupils in their yellow backdrop were long even beneath half-closed lids. "You…did well…this time…Goldra."

"We do what we can. As they do…what they can." The commander maintained his riveting gaze.

"Why did you leave the female behind?"

"We wanted to observe her, there was something different about this human and I could not decide what I did or did not like about it."

"Explain."

"That would be difficult. I can tell you this. We were correct in allowing her some freedom. She is no fool. She can sense us."

"How is that possible? Is she Wraith-kin?"

"No. Before we attacked we watched her examining the monument. She was wise enough not to touch any part of it and discovered the symbol. She seemed to understand something. After she awoke from the blast, she etched a rune upon a tree. It was one of ours. We gave ourselves time to observe any other skills she might show. The best news...I believe…we have found what you are looking for."

"Do not conclude such a thing so lightly unless you are absolutely…certain," the wraith warrior growled, spittle colliding in bubbles behind the spiky teeth. He sucked it back. "Where is she now?"

"We culled her while she slept and confiscated her tools and weapons. She is in a statis pod. Her companions are in a cell. She was wearing…" Goldra opened his left hand and let part of a chain slide. "…this!" He slowly approached the warrior and dangled the glass drop at the end of the chain. "A defiled Iratus," he growled. "Only the jaws."

The warrior's eyes remained half closed. "I would like to know where she acquired this," he murmured, teeth touching.

"I have examined it. No technology is installed."

"A trophy, perhaps?" the warrior said, lifting his left hand. The flat-backed glass oval came to rest in his palm and the chain glimmered dully upon his fingers. "How do you know the temporary Illusionment functioned properly?"

"You wanted captives. I was not going to await their return, and the female was suspicious. Pursuit prompted one of them to use what they call a GDO. Lowers the shield on the other end. I had to move quickly to ensure they did not detect an emergency. Days later, a second, and a third team came through the gate. They were faster than I anticipated. Atlantis is not easily fooled."

"Do not tell me what I already know," stated the warrior. "The rescue teams' reactions…what did you learn?"

"They discovered the rune, the tracks, the blast marks, all that they naturally would, and the monument. One of the males removed a piece of sponge from the mineral deposit. All went back through the gate, and they have not returned. The drones are waiting for them as we speak."

"Are the teams aware of the underground chambers?"

"They scanned with a cloaked ship and came up with nothing I believe, since they did not come near our hiding places nor attempt to search for an underground entrance. We are well shielded. It appears that the human who took the specimen felt a connection with the pathogens. He fell into a trance until his companion pulled him away."

"It will be impossible for him to understand what he heard or felt. But how could a human…"

"He is the same one who was in the custody of Coldamber…"

"HHhhhhhhh!" snarled the warrior. "Do not speak…her name."

Goldra did not so much as flinch. "It means he has what they call the Gift."

"Gift!" The warrior turned away. "You were right to allow the rescue teams to return to the city. We do not want to raise an alert too soon. Gather your troops and disappear from the planet. It is only a matter of time until the humans return to continue the search for their missing party. They will be lead here eventually. It is my intention for Atlantis to fall into the jaws of this colony. But…not yet. We must not alert the blood-traitors of our whereabouts until it is too late for them to flee. Let us see how the humans handle what little we left for them. The galaxy is not yet prepared. Let all rest. Let them…recover."

"The retrovirus has spread across a third of the galaxy," Goldra said. "And it is making rapid progress."

"I do not need a reminder."

"We can begin our experiments on the captives any time."

"No." The warrior's teeth parted. "You are impatient. I wish to know their strengths. Their weaknesses. And their knowledge."

"Very well. When shall they be brought before you? I request permission to be present."

"Patience. Not until you have secured our bases. Return to the planets where the monuments stand. The one the Atlanteans discovered…destroy it. The usual way."

"I have already allowed the power source to die."

"Some of the followers have not yet made contact. Some are still missing. Some…may only be cowards. I want them flushed out."

"I will leave immediately." Goldra bowed and stalked out of the control room.

The warrior remained where he was, the bulging muscles beneath his armor rippling as he opened his left hand where the glass encased Iratus jaws rested.

…

The puddle jumper was a small black dot on the horizon, having preceded Sheppard and Todd through the wormhole. McKay and Teyla would be dropped off at the mountain site and Brandon was going to continue the search with the former runner. In line with the GDO signal from AR-6, the shield had been lowered but there was no telling what had prevented Woolsey from seeing that an emergency was obviously on the other end, and Ronan was suspicious.

"Something's not right," he'd said at least five times. "He was acting like Melbrick." And Sheppard had remembered that although he had felt uneasy seeing Melbrick in such high spirits, his and Ronan's concern had not lasted long.

Stepping out of the gate for the second time onto P6L-266, Sheppard turned to the wraith. "You realize you didn't have to do this."

"Spare me the sympathies," Todd said conversationally. "A subtle way to smooth over the fact that you still have offered me no compensation."

"We promised, we'll get to that later," Sheppard said. "And it's not going to be a jumper."

"I agreed to this excursion because of what I could learn from it," Todd said lightly.

"Here's the picture," Sheppard said, ignoring the glint in the wraith's eyes. "We're not sure if a random band of beings, aliens, humans, whatever, procured a bunch of wraith weaponry, but it's possible. We've seen stranger things. As have you. I want to know why they went after this team. Something on this planet is obviously of value and I think it has to do with that mountain."

"Your guess is as good as mine," Todd said, his hair blowing a bit in the breeze. He lifted his hands. "Show me around."

"It's not exactly a theme park," Sheppard said. "I'll show you the rune first." He stalked off toward the forest line.

At the giant tree, Todd stooped a little to examine the cut Wraith symbol. "Is this her writing style?"

"Kind of hard to tell when it's been done with a knife in solid bark."

"Yes," Todd said, looking up, his fingers sliding over the mutilated wood. A few highlights gave his eyes a yellower tone. "There is something quite peculiar about this place."

"You're telling me."

"Hhhhh." Todd bent to look at the bark again. "This was done in great haste. And it's deep. You're sure it was carved by who you suspect it was?"

"It makes the most sense," Sheppard said. "It's her initial. Besides, she's short; its barely five feet from the ground. One of the attackers might have put it there as a warning to other visitors. But it's an isolated location. Doesn't strike me as a territorial marker."

Todd gave the rune one last glance before walking away from the tree. "It could mean anything. Directional lead perhaps…I cannot be sure. Show me the mountain."

The colonel lead him over to where Ronan had first entered the forest. "Sixteen hours of daylight and we've got about five left. Blast trail starts here before the DHD clearing; we're backtracking. And you know what? I think Ritha wasn't going to hang around the stargate once she figured out we weren't coming for her. AR-2 had to replace the crystals in the DHD."

"Did they indeed?"

"No idea where she was headed or where she might have gone before disappearing entirely. Probably hoping to find a settlement, but she already knew the planet's empty."

As they moved through the shaded ferns and brush, Todd looked the trees up and down. "The attack was vicious."

"No more than what we've been through a million times," Sheppard said, kicking aside some branches. "My guess is that the pursuers weren't really trying to hit their targets."

"They wanted them alive," Todd said. "So they could feed. If they were not already affected by the retrovirus."

"And if they were?"

"Then perhaps they were not wraith. Or they simply did not want trespassers."

"Ronan said it smelled like wraith," Sheppard said.

"Perhaps he is so accustomed to it that he expects to encounter them at every turn."

Sheppard hefted his blaster. "Pretty sure he wasn't making it up."

"Hhhh." Todd sniffed the air. "He wasn't. All the same...it is somewhat...different."

"That's what Ronan said. Why haven't we been attacked?" Sheppard said.

"Why your interest in this planet?"

"Woolsey's locating culled worlds," Sheppard said. "The emptier, the better, as ironic as that sounds. He's hoping to relocate humans from other sectors in order to start colonizing the planets. In addition to tracking the retrovirus progress."

"I do not know this planet's history." Todd stepped over a tangled bunch of fallen branches. Somehow, his robe missed getting caught. "Perhaps some or all of your people are already beyond our aid, Sheppard."

"Not going there," the colonel warned, lifting a finger. "I'm not ready to start jumping to conclusions."

"Like you did originally?"

"I'm not exactly buddies with the wraith just because they're not out to kill us anymore."

"You would do well to learn from them." Todd ducked a low branch, his hair hanging over his face.

"Think I've done my homework," Sheppard murmured, crouching to look at a footprint. "Why do I get the feeling this whole place was culled not too long ago?"

"Before the treaty was in place?" Todd suggested.

"I dunno. It's a perfectly habitable planet. We haven't explored far enough to know whether or not there are dead power sources, abandoned cities…"

"Major Brandon said he searched for miles and found no indication of human or alien dwellings," Todd said.

"Maybe we're on the dark side of the moon. Wonder if anyone's underground."

"To escape cullings," Todd said. "Or your enemies may have a base down there, cloaked somehow and far out of scanner range."

"Last time you were here this place was cleaned out."

"Before my hives slept for the last time. We were awake well before you disturbed the keeper you first encountered," Todd said.

"Still trying to forget that," Sheppard said. "And you'd already run into Kolya."

Todd was silent a moment. "Perhaps I do not wish to remember that either."

Sheppard smirked as he pressed onward. Both he and the wraith commander were silent the rest of the way to the clearing that held the mountain.

"Hhhhhhh," Todd breathed as the huge structure filled his vision.

"It's pretty cool, initially," Sheppard said.

They didn't stop walking until they had reached the face of western wall where Teyla and McKay were looking at readings. Todd, fingers laced, robe hem gently brushing the grass, stared up at the small mountain as if it were some sort of novelty.

Teyla came toward them. "McKay says the bacteria are dead."

"You sure?"

"Yes. Don't come too close. Something's wrong." She pointed.

"She's right," McKay said. "I wouldn't if I were you. Still no indication of a power source," he griped. "This is just weird."

Todd backed up several feet and remained silent for a few minutes, eyes roving over every detail.

Sheppard looked up at him. "You don't know what it is, do you?"

"I cannot be sure," Todd said slowly. "There is something…" He strode forward and before Sheppard could stop him, had reached his left hand toward a patch of bare rock.

"Hey, not so fast."

"Um..." McKay said. "Look, I don't know how long this stuff is going to hold on."

"Interesting," Todd said, a strange, triumphant tone to his voice. "This is an outpost, Sheppard."

"Why didn't you say so before?"

"I could not be certain when I saw the images Dr. McKay procured. It looked to me like a pathogen disorder left behind by a colony. I do not believe this is here by accident."

"We kind of figured that. Is it…talking?"

"I sense no connection to it whatsoever," Todd said, still not touching the rock. "It may have been meant to be used as some kind of relay base, but whatever it is, it's no longer active. Not that I can tell."

"It's starting to behave like that sample," McKay said. "Black patches everywhere, growth has slowed to a bare minimum." He waved a finger back and forth at the summit.

"Teyla?" Todd said.

She shook her head. "I attempted to connect with it. I sensed nothing."

"Think the attackers cleared out?" Sheppard said.

"Perhaps."

"Still no life signs, no signatures, nothing." McKay jumped. "Look out!"

Todd sprang away from the wall and he and Sheppard flung themselves aside. A massive, fifteen foot long blanket of partly blackened sponge smashed to the ground five feet from where they had landed on their backs.

"What'd I tell you?" McKay admonished breathlessly.

Sheppard was spread-eagled. "I'm getting a little old for this kind of thing," he muttered, trying to rise and twist his blaster back into position at the same time.

Todd rolled over onto his hands and knees. "You are correct, it is dying," he said, shaking his head a little as if to clear it.

"How about dead and decaying?" Sheppard lurched forward and let Teyla pull him to his feet. "Ok, first things first, how the heck is this supposed to be an outpost? Looks a lot more like guts in a trash heap." He looked at Teyla. "Do a perimeter check, keep an eye out, will you? I know, I know, there's no life signs. But...just because."

"Yes." Teyla began walking the clearing.

McKay was scrambling around the piece that had fallen, fingers flying over his tablet screen.

"The mineral is obviously the base and sustains life, as McKay has explained. The rest, I suspect, is the means by which a transmission can take place," Todd said, carefully brushing mud off his hands.

Sheppard frowned. "What's that supposed to mean, exactly?"

"You remember the connection between a hive and its occupants?"

"I try not to."

"This seems to be similar. A type of brain system. The growth may be dead due to a failsafe or merely because it could not continue to grow. Or…its power source has been shut down."

"Like, someone did this on purpose to cover their tracks?" Sheppard said.

"That other rune!" McKay exclaimed, slapping his forehead. "It's under those vine-whatevers, I totally forgot about it!"

"I thought there was something missing," Sheppard said. He looked up at the vast carpets and ledges, then limped forward, and pointed to where McKay had pulled the sample. "Right under there. Wait, maybe this isn't such a good idea."

Todd was moving toward the vines.

"Everything is super unstable," McKay warned. "Ok fine, you're gonna need this."

Todd looked back and neatly snatched the metal rod McKay expertly tossed to him.

"If you get caught under more of that stuff we might not be able to pull you out," Sheppard warned.

The wraith hurried forward, bent down, and lifted the shaggy growths aside. He went rigid.

"What is it?" Sheppard said warily.

Todd sank to one knee.

"How'd I forget?" McKay pointed to himself.

"You're asking me?" Sheppard said.

McKay scratched his head. "I just…it was like the most important discovery in this place! Am I losing my mind again? I better not be, the last time I needed electroshock therapy, I really don't wanna go through that again. Seriously?" He started typing on his tablet screen. "Come on, John, you guys shouldn't be standing so close to that thing, he can just look at it here!"

"Calm down," Todd said, with another wary glance above him as he stood up. "This symbol is very old. Older than I am." He backed away and walked back toward the scientist.

"Did you just say older?" McKay said.

"There are few who would recognize it."

"How come you do?"

"I have seen it once before. Hundreds of years ago. Before the fifth rising of the myths surrounding Queen Death."

Sheppard frowned. "Ok, we've gotten past the creepy opening scenes. What exactly does the glyph stand for?"

"It is the heart of Coldamber."

Teyla, who was nearby, stared. "Are you certain?"

"Such as it is loosely translated in Taur'i," Todd explained. "It was said that the heart joined to Coldamber's feeding-organ resembled a hive ship. But that was taken to be a myth."

"Ok, never knew about that," Sheppard said. "How about her regular heart?"

"The very same." Todd looked back again. "You are correct, McKay, this is all some form of extraordinary biotechnology. I suspect that a connection to the glyph will amplify the distance a wraith can telepathically link with another, far more powerful wraith. A queen perhaps? But perhaps not. This is not old. Maybe a year, as you measure a year. I cannot vouch for the mineral deposits however."

"Ok…but who's responsible for this?"

Todd looked at him. "I have no idea or I would have mentioned it by now."

Sheppard gestured at the vines. "Danger of falling mush aside...think putting a feeding hand on that thing would activate it?"

"I would not dare attempt it," Todd said. "Not unless I understood exactly what this is all for. McKay, you are sure you never came in contact with it?"

"I'm sure." Distracted, McKay looked at his tablet. "Ok, so it does appear to be exactly what you said. There are fibrous metallic compounds that are acting a lot more like transmission beacons than growth material. It's like it's got a three-in-one feature. I think we've got ourselves some studying to do. John, I've never seen anything so complex."

"Neither have I," Teyla said.

Todd stepped closer to see the tablet. "Perhaps you can you come up with something to detect the presence of this substance elsewhere."

"I can do just about anything," McKay said boldly. "Hey, you could give it a whirl. Why should I do all the heavy lifting?"

"It is much like hive material," Todd said, ignoring him. "But it is not what I am used to. Something else is present."

"Yeah, we already told you that," McKay said.

"There were black tendons beneath the vines. Like a dysfunctional cell. The power source may be within the structure itself, or someplace underground."

"I just don't see why a giant, slimy, wraith outpost would be here in our territory," Sheppard said with some sarcasm. "And why is it so close to the stargate?"

"Mm, perhaps because it was meant to be found quickly."

The group turned away and headed back out into the clearing.

"The wraith have been at it for centuries, why couldn't they have thought of this before?" Sheppard said. "And don't tell me it's because there's still much about wraith I don't know."

"Any wraith coming through the gate would not take long to discover this," Todd said. "It is an ideal planet to place a homing device, great or small." Todd came to a sudden halt and stared into thin air for a moment. "Is it possible Ritha is involved?"

"Are you nuts? She's never been here before!" McKay squawked.

"It is merely a suggestion," Todd said.

"Yeah, but what reason would she have to be doing any of this?"

Teyla looked uncertain. "This would indeed be beyond her skill. But perhaps I am mistaken about how far she has come."

"Perhaps," the wraith said. "Her own experiments."

It was Sheppard's turn to scoff. "Come on, Todd, even I can't see that. She's nowhere near comprehending such a level of technology. And she'd have had help. Though she was in a hurry to leave…"

"I understand your reluctance to consider her a fool, much less a traitor," Todd said. "But I don't believe we can rule her out. McKay. How would you categorize what was communicated to you?"

"Good question." McKay thought a moment. "Hey, wait a minute," he said, joggling the tablet stylus up and down. "You can read my thoughts."

"Why didn't you have Teyla do it?"

"Um," McKay said.

Teyla looked worried. "Yes, and why didn't I think of it? I only read McKay's mind when he spoke of his reluctance to share the wine at the briefing."

"I guess I didn't open my mind completely? Or you just weren't probing for the info about what I heard," McKay said. "I should have had you check it out first thing, I guess I didn't think of it. Weird, right?"

Todd laughed deep in his throat. "And yet you are constantly priding yourself on your ability to telepathically communicate with her. Ohhhh. The wonders of aging humans."

"What?! I'm not aging! In fact, I look pretty good, especially considering what I've been through!" McKay brushed a hand over his slightly receding hairline.

"Yeah, that wasn't exactly a compliment," Sheppard sarcastically informed Todd. "Like you haven't seen the aging process a million times. Don't tell me you miss it."

McKay beamed. "Sure you can't supply some of that fountain of youth? It's been a couple years since you gave us a boost."

Todd scowled. "You are concerned about your physical well-being while we are standing around supposedly gathering intel in an effort to locate your people who I remind you could already be dead?"

"Never mind," Sheppard said. "McKay's a little out of whack."

"I do not know why I didn't think of it," Teyla said, still looking tense. "Shall I?"

"We'll let Todd give it a try first, he'll hopefully be able to translate." Sheppard ducked his head as he removed his blaster strap for readjustment.

McKay pointed at Todd. "No tricks."

"I am not here to waste time," Todd assured him.

"Hmm! Yeah, neither are we. Sure you're prepared for what's in my superbly incredible brain, cause you might be about to enter the train ride of the century."

"Whatever it is will probably be less tedious than your constant jabbering!"

McKay closed his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, ok. Shoot."

Todd smirked. "Foolish choice of words if you ask me." He too, closed his eyes.

The minutes ticked by. McKay's eyebrows quirked, while Todd appeared to be in his element. Sheppard shifted his weight occasionally from one foot to the other. How long was this going to take?

McKay's face grew calmer and calmer, and Todd's, more and more lined. Sheppard looked from one to the other. "Teyla."

She moved closer to the colonel and whispered, "I am not sure what is happening."

Sheppard waved his hand a little from Todd to McKay. "You can't..."

"I'm afraid not. And I wouldn't dare attempt it, we do not want a third mind to interrupt the procedure," Teyla whispered.

"I see." Sheppard watched Todd grimace a little.

Teyla shifted. "It is difficult to extract. That's why it is taking so long."

A small growl began rattling in the wraith's throat, and Todd's hands slowly clenched, but other than that, he remained as straight and still as ever. Suddenly his eyes flew open. "Remember," he said in a strained voice, his neck muscles rigid. "Reclaim," he whispered. "Recall. Hhhaaaa." He swallowed.

"You ok?" Sheppard asked uncertainly.

Todd nodded. "Recall is the closest translation I can give you. The memory within McKay had melded with the wraith abilities and marks left in his brain."

"Recall…" Sheppard scowled. "That doesn't sound good."

"Especially not in light of your suspicions," Todd said.

"Like I said, it doesn't sound good."

McKay remained standing with his eyes closed, a peaceful look on his face. The tablet fell from his hands. Sheppard and Todd exchanged a glance.

"Dr. McKay," Todd said. There was no response.

"Rodney!" Teyla exclaimed, stepping forward.

"Rodney?" Sheppard slapped the scientist's arm. "Hey!"

"Huh, what!" McKay's eyes flew open and he sputtered. "What happened? Oh...geez."

"What's your name and how old are you," Sheppard said cautiously.

"Don't be funny," McKay snapped, picking up his tablet.

"You kind of dozed off when Todd read your mind."

"I did? It felt like there was something I was supposed to be remembering."

Sheppard looked intently at him. "Recall is the loose translation of what that grime sent you."

"Recall, recall, recall," McKay murmured, slapping his stylus against his wrist. "Why would it say that and then confuse me?"

Todd looked back at the dying masses of green, darker now against the evening sky. "The foremost reason I did not attempt to communicate with it is because I do not know who its master is."

"Sounds kind of dark, even for you," Sheppard said. "You sure when you read Rodney's mind you didn't have some sort of mind-meld with that stuff at the same time?"

Teyla shook her head at the same time Todd answered, "Believe me I would not have attempted a mind-meld here if there was any danger."

"Like you said, the stuff's dying. But how can you be sure?"

"You are capable of questioning everything," Todd said. "So why not Ritha?"

Sheppard was silent and exchanged glances with Teyla, who looked distinctly saddened.

"I…just can't see that, is all," McKay muttered, shrugging.

The wraith slowly turned back around, furrows in his brow and around the slanted tattoo above his left eye. "If the general message is being transmitted from here and from other locations only at a specific frequency and only due to proximity, recognizing only particular patterns of brainwaves, that could narrow down who it is meant for…" Todd's voice trailed off.

McKay stared. "Hey...I think he's got it."

Todd looked around the landscape, his keen eyes darting everywhere, slowly, methodically, while his hands hung relaxed at his sides. Sheppard, McKay, and Teyla exchanged uncomfortable glances. At last, Todd spoke again. "There is no doubt in my mind, Sheppard, that the wraith are indeed involved, if not behind this entirely. I would like to see Ritha's data, and work with Dr. Beckett on some theories."

"Which are?"

"You will hear them soon enough," Todd said.

"Why do I get the feeling you're holding out on us? You always do," McKay said.

"Not this time," Todd said. "And it is imperative that I return to the hive first." He gazed at the trio.

"Wow, I never thought I'd hear you say there's work to be done before you've been given some kind of repayment," Sheppard said. "I'm calling the jumper back here. They still haven't reported in. We're leaving. Thinking I should post a watch."

"I will send a scout."

"Perfect. Promise you're not setting us up," Sheppard said, hitting a comm button.

Todd just stared at him, and that was good enough for the colonel.

"Major," Sheppard said, still looking at the wraith, "come pick us up. You make any progress?"

"Not a bit, sir."

"I think this was a popular feeding ground. You're not going to find anything."

Ronan said something that made Sheppard smirk.

"What did he say?" McKay asked.

"We'll keep it censured." Sheppard let go of the comm.

Todd was frowning. "Teyla, if you read McKay's mind now, could you give me your opinion?"

"Breach of etiquette," McKay said. "I'm not open to exposing my head to everyone. Whatever happened to the thing called a phone call? Knocking first?"

Teyla smiled a little. "I can, when we return, since I ought to have already done so. I have been as forgetful as Rodney is." She looked curiously at the wraith. "Why do you ask?"

"Because," Todd said, looking down at McKay, "I believe I know why he could not express what he felt and heard."

"I knew it!" McKay pointed at the wraith's chest. "What did you 'forget' to tell us this time?"

"Are you always in such a great rush?"

The scientist lifted his chin. "I pride myself on being efficient and you're the one who objects to…what was it…wasting time?"

"Patience. We may be being spied on," Todd said.

Spluttering, McKay held up his life-signs detector. "We would know!"

But the wraith merely smirked benignly. "You would?"

McKay folded his arms and stared into the wraith's eyes without flinching.

"Try as you might, my mind is shielded." Todd's tone was almost pitying.

Teyla and Sheppard turned away, trying to smother grins.

The jumper appeared a few minutes later and floated to the ground. As the doors slid open, Ronan appeared, one hand on the inside frame to steady himself and his hair hanging around his face. "Not gonna lie, I'm getting tired of this."

"We found out more than you did," Sheppard said.

"Knew I should have stayed. This is boring."

The doors slid shut. Brandon dialed the gate and flew the jumper over the forest. The team hardly noticed the journey through the wormhole they had experienced hundreds of times before.

When the inside of the Atlantean command center was visible through the viewports, McKay pulled himself to his feet. "Todd. I don't like secrets."

"What you heard," Todd said, rising and following him toward the exit, "was in a form very similar to the wraith derivative of Ancient coding. The word that you could not speak was transmitted as an idea, and if you could see it in writing, was reversed, both vertically and horizontally. Not to mention the dialect was far older than the one Ritha has studied."

"Why didn't I think of that?" McKay said, raising his arms.

"Pistons haven't been firing on all cylinders, case you haven't noticed," Sheppard said.

"If the message is not for the entire species, how come you could translate it?" Teyla asked Todd. "Well, perhaps it is because…you are older," she said lightly.

"I was about to say ancient," McKay said.

Smirking, Todd slowly came to a halt and faced them. "I cannot elaborate further at this time."

"You can't or you won't?" McKay said.

"Suffice it to say that I must return to the hive before I study what Ritha has left us. I also would like to take some of McKay's newest samples to be tested, as well as monitor the planet. I am not sure if whoever was there has more work to accomplish or if they are about to abandon the place permanently."

Sheppard slowly approached the wraith, and muttered, "If you're keeping something from us, I'd really appreciate knowing about it now. It's not that I don't appreciate what you've done so far..."

"You have no reason to fear, Sheppard."

"But maybe you do. What did you really learn while we were over there?"

Todd stared down at the colonel a moment and spoke one word. "Much."

"Figures. And are you going to talk about it or do I have to pry the information out of you? Because, like Rodney, I am not in the mood for sitting through previews."

"I have no intention of keeping you in the dark."

"I'm just hoping I don't have to threaten you right now."

Todd scowled solemnly at him.

"Fine," Sheppard relented. "So you're going to watch the planet and get your guys to do some lab work. And then you'll come back here and fill us in."

"Yes." Todd turned to Woolsey, who had been observing the discussion. "I will return, with your permission of course."

"You most certainly have it," Woolsey said. "Please keep us informed. And if I may say so, I don't advise assigning an entire hive to monitor that planet. I don't want any alarms raised. Whoever was there might have been waiting to reappear until everyone left."

"I will send one of my cruisers into the sector. A single dart will do for close-range. If the wraith truly are involved, I'm sure the presence of those ships won't matter at all. In addition, it might bring something to light."

Woolsey looked at the team, then back at Todd. "Very well. By the way. Your compensation." He turned to a couple of officers behind him and motioned them forward. "I am being honest with you. I believe this will, as well, serve both our purposes."

A case was brought forward and unlatched, and once again, a Zero Point Module changed hands between humans and a wraith.

"I have other uses for this besides a cloning facility," Todd said quietly, taking the crystal cluster from the case and turning it over.

"I thought you might," Woolsey said.

The unspoken "We trust you as before after the creation of the retrovirus" hung solemnly in the air.

The blue finger guard on Todd's right hand glinted. "I will use this in good faith," he said, placing the ZPM back in the case.

"This time it is not an insurance policy," Woolsey said. "We are working toward a common goal for the good of the entire galaxy."

"I suppose it goes without saying," Todd said, with an especial glance at Sheppard, "I have no desire to see what we have accomplished crumble down and an enemy…take its place."