Stargate Genesis
Episode 4
"The Last Wraith on Earth"
"So, that's the gist of it," finished Dr. Rodney McKay, standing at the head of the conference room in Stargate Command. Around the table sat General Samantha Carter, Colonel John Sheppard, and Colonel Cameron Mitchell. "Atlantis is screwed, Earth is screwed, we're all screwed."
"Don't be melodramatic, Rodney," said Sam. "Atlantis has faced worse threats before, and she's still standing. We have you and your team to thank for that. It won't be any different this time."
"Sure, sure, no pressure," said Rodney. "Just leave it to good ol' McKay to save the day, again."
"We always do, Rodney," said Cameron.
"Even so, it might be best if I were transferred back to Atlantis to help out," said John.
"We've talked about this, John," interrupted Sam. "We need you commanding the Elizabeth for the Genesis mission."
"With all due respect, General, the Genesis mission is academic. The people of the Pegasus galaxy are counting on us!" said John.
"And we won't let them down. Atlantis is in excellent hands," said Sam.
"You can say that again," said Rodney.
"While the Elizabeth is the only currently operational Gateship,the Vanity and the Thor have all been outfitted with the latest weapons and shielding technology, and are en route to Atlantis now to rendezvous with the Daedalus," said Sam.
"The captains were both personally vetted by me," said Cameron. "Two more ships isn't much, but we can't afford to send any more. The fleet is still under construction, and we are going to need all the ships we can get if the Lucian Alliance makes a move. At the very least, the Vanity and the Thor should help you hold off the Wraith and the Vanir until you figure out what the hell is going on over there."
"Thank you for coming, Rodney, and tell Woolsey I'm sorry he couldn't make it," said Sam.
"You can tell that old bastard I say hello too," said Cameron.
"I'll be sure to pass it along," said Rodney.
"Meeting dismissed," said Carter.
Everyone got up from their seats and started heading for the door.
"Actually, John, could you hang back for a moment?" asked Sam.
John stopped and walked back to the conference table.
"What can I do for you, General?" said John dismissively.
"Oh lighten up. Atlantis will be fine. You're going to be the commander of an expedition to a corner of the universe that can't even be seen from Earth. What is there to be sour about?" said Sam.
"Yeah, yeah. Explore strange new worlds, seek out new life, go boldly. I got it. Can I go now?" asked John.
Sam smiled. "Sure. I just need you to run a quick errand for me."
"And what's that?"
"Oh, you're just going to meet an old friend."
~~00~~
Todd the Wraith exhaled sharply as he depressed the plunger of the syringe in his arm. The slightly fluorescent green liquid inside rushed into his veins, and he felt an immediate wave of relief. The serum Carson Beckett had created shortly after Atlantis landed on Earth altered Wraith DNA to remove the ability or desire to feed, but the effects were short-lived and required regular injections.
Unlike the original formula, which created the hybrid Michael, the new serum left the subject with a completely Wraith physiology, except for the lack of feeding pads. As a result, ordinary food was not sufficient to keep the subject alive. Each injection that Todd gave himself was laced with a compound derived from the venom of the iratus bug which provided all the nutrients a Wraith would normally obtain from feeding. Chemical dependency was immediate, but the drug kept Todd at peak physical health, and ever since Beckett had engineered a way to synthesize it, the supply was virtually limitless.
Tossing the used syringe into a waste bin, Todd turned back to his workbench. He was working on a way to interface ancient communication stones with modern video relay tech. If it was successful, ships would be able to communicate across infinite distances via video link without the assistance of a stargate. It was one of many projects Todd had worked on while detained at Area 51. He looked out the closest window at a vast stretch of desert. A green and blue lizard skittered across the ground in the distance. Todd sighed.
When Atlantis had landed on Earth three years earlier, Todd argued that he was an ally of Earth, and that no harm would come from his release. John Sheppard fought to keep Todd prisoner, and met little resistance. It was Beckett who suggested that Todd be allowed to operate a laboratory at Area 51, after the serum was stabilized. Though Stargate Command deemed Todd to be too much of a liability to be released, they were not above taking advantage of his genius and knowledge of alien technology.
The adaptation of the gate drive to a Daedalus-class ship was largely made possible by Todd's innovations, using the knowledge he had gained when adapting ZPMs to power wraith hive ships. He was there at every turn, pushing human technology forward with little thanks. Still, as time went on, the people of Stargate Command and Area 51 began to trust him. Todd no longer wore restraints, and he was allowed to come and go as he pleased within the Area 51 compound.
It was no surprise to Todd when he heard footsteps entering his lab. Still staring at the lizard making its way across scorched earth, he adopted a familiar drawl as he addressed his old ally.
"John Sheppard," he said slowly. "What brings you to my humble laboratory?"
Todd turned to look at the colonel, who looked weary, despite his still vibrant youth.
"I'm on an 'aliens stranded on Earth tour.' After I leave here, I'm going to see Alf," said Sheppard. He walked over to the workbench and picked up what looked like a Goa'uld healing device, except that it was covered in purple organic-looking tendrils. He frowned and put the device back where he found it.
Todd returned the answer with a cold stare. "I suspect the true reason for your visit... is to assess my value to the Genesis mission."
"You got me," said Sheppard, raising his hands. "Thing is, I already made my assessment, years ago. They might think you've changed, that it's safe to let you have access to all of our best technology, but I know better, and I will not endanger my crew just because you've invented a few gadgets."
Sheppard turned away, breathing heavily. When he turned back, Todd was still standing still, watching him.
"You have reason to distrust me, John Sheppard," he said. "I do not expect you to recommend me for the mission. I have long since accepted my… position here."
Todd held up his hands, palms out. His skin was smooth, with any trace of the healing pads of the Wraith erased by the serum. "Though I may look Wraith, I have been cured of all the things that define the Wraith, including my… lust for power."
Sheppard looked at Todd's hands, then back at his face. "I don't care what drugs Beckett put you on. You'll always be a Wraith."
The Colonel turned and walked out of the lab, leaving Todd alone with his experiments.
~~00~~
The Trenalian Helbeast, or "Sparky," as he was known around Area 51, stalked back and forth in his enclosure, wearing down the floor. He did this every night at the same time. Back on Trenalia, his species slept during the day and hunted at night, using an evolved camouflage ability to stalk their prey ruthlessly. The helbeasts had a limitless appetite, and with no competitors at the top of the food chain, they often hunted their prey to near extinction, which until the intervention of SG-16 had included the primitive Trenalian people.
Trenalian Helbeasts resemble Earth's timber wolves, if timber wolves were six feet tall, with tough exoskeletons and barbed tails poisonous enough to kill even a Jaffa warrior in peak health within minutes. Sparky stopped pacing and snarled at the attending technician, testing the blue energy field that held him with his tail. Blue sparks spit up from the surface of the field in protest.
"Woah there buddy," said Jerry the technician, looking up from his Nintendo DS. "No need to get testy."
Sparky narrowed his eyes and flicked his tail back and forth. His exoskeleton shimmered and began to disappear, until only a slight distortion remained where the helbeast had been standing. Jerry sighed, and hit a button on the control panel in front of him. The energy field changed from a blue hue to a red one, revealing the purple silhouette of Sparky.
"I thought we got over this, Sparks," said Jerry. "You don't hide from me, and I don't leave the field on a random rotation. I know how much it annoys you."
Sparky shivered like a dog shaking water off its fur, and his natural color returned. Defeated, he sulked to a far corner of the enclosure and curled up into a ball, sighing heavily as he rested his head on the ground.
"Good boy," said Jerry, returning his attention to Pokemon Black Version 2. The Castelia City gym wasn't going to beat itself.
~~00~~
"He would be a danger to the mission. There's no way we can predict how he'll behave," said John.
"You've worked with him several times before, John," came Sam's voice over the phone. "I seem to recall him saving the lives of everyone on Atlantis more than once."
"We worked with him when we had no other choice," said John. "With all due respect, General, we do have a choice this time. We don't need Todd, and I see no reason to risk his presence on the mission."
"I want you to stay at Area 51 for a few days anyway," said Sam. "Regardless of whether Todd comes on the mission, he is responsible for a lot of the tech that we've installed on the Elizabeth. He's working on an ansible device based on communication stone technology, and I'd like to see if we can get a working prototype before the mission launches."
"I'll babysit if I have to, but I am not changing my mind about Todd," said John.
"While you're there, you might consider taking a tour. When I was working at Area 51 there were always exciting experiments going on, and ever since we expanded the number of teams and off-world missions at Stargate Command, they've been getting loads of new toys to play with," said Sam. "They even have a Trenalian Helbeast in captivity right now."
"Just what I need," said John. "More terrifying monsters to play with."
"Have a good night, John," said Sam.
"Right back at you, General," he replied.
John hung up the phone. He was sitting in one of the modest guest compartments at Area 51. He turned on the TV and switched to the SyFy channel, which was airing Starship Troopers. He liked to escape from reality on his time off with television about strange aliens intent on destroying all human life.
~~00~~
The ship log of the Destiny hovered in the air above Todd's desk in his private quarters. The desk around the holofield projector was cluttered with finished Sudoku books. Todd had taken up the number based puzzles in the last year as a means of combating the oppressive boredom of life on the compound. At first he had reveled in the sheer mass of technology from worlds in the Milky Way, Pegasus, Ida, and Ori galaxies available for him to study and improve upon, but revolutionizing technology for the humans every week could only entertain him for so long. Even genetically altered Wraith geniuses needed hobbies.
News of the loss of the Destiny and the arrival of the database files salvaged from the ship had peaked Todd's interest, however. At the very least, they provided new reading material. He had long since read every mission report from Stargate Command and the Atlantis expedition. General Carter had recommended Todd for the Genesis mission, and he was eager to once again travel the stars, rather than experience them vicariously through unimaginative mission logs. The decision had apparently been left to John Sheppard, and Todd wasn't sure if he could be convinced.
The relationship between the young colonel and the wraith prisoner had been tenuous at best since Atlantis arrived on Earth. Though Todd had warned Atlantis of the ZPM-outfitted hive ship heading for Earth, he had also been responsible for the modified ship's creation. Sheppard had little reason to trust him. If he argued his case, the colonel would only become more adamant in his decision. He needed Sheppard to believe that he was a changed Wraith, regardless of how true it actually was.
Todd looked over at his bed, which was crisply made, with a layer of dust over the sheets. He never slept; a well-fed Wraith did not require or want sleep, except during hibernation to allow human worlds to repopulate before a culling. Sleep was a sign of weakness, and an unconscious mind was a vulnerable one. Vulnerable was not among Todd's traits, even here on the compound. He always had a way out.
~~00~~
"Shift's up!" said Henry, walking into the room and tapping Jerry's feet, which were propped up on the control console. Jerry looked up from his game and smiled.
"About time," he said, putting his feet down and closing the Nintendo in his hand. "You're late."
"Oh, I wouldn't want you to have to spend an extra fifteen minutes sitting on your ass playing Yu-Gi-Mon," said Henry. He sat down and looked over the control panel, and then at the enclosure.
"It's Pokemon, and at least I don't read terrible conspiracy theory novels," said Jerry, pointing to the copy of Dan Brown's latest attempt in Henry's hand.
"Hey... where's Sparky?" asked Henry.
Jerry looked at the enclosure to see that it was empty.
"He's just hiding," he said, punching a button on the console. The field shifted from red to green, but the enclosure was still empty. He stared at the corner where he had last seen the Trenalian Helbeast, and then turned to look at Henry, who was equally speechless. He hit the button again, turning the field yellow. He jabbed the button several more times, but the field remained empty.
A sharp clicking sound echoed from the hallway behind the control console. Henry turned to look, and was opening his mouth to warn Jerry when he was impaled by a shimmering distortion in the air.
~~00~~
"My mother always told me that violence doesn't solve anything," said Dizzy.
"Really?" said Lt. Rasczak. "I wonder what the city founders of Hiroshima would say about that."
"They wouldn't say anything. Hiroshima was destroyed," said Carmen.
"Correct," said Rasczak. "Naked force has resolved more conflicts throughout history than any other factor. The contrary opinion, that violence doesn't solve anything, is wishful thinking at its worst; people who forget that always die."
Suddenly the movie was drowned out by loud sirens. Starship Troopers blinked out and was replaced by a message on the screen that read: EMERGENCY LOCKDOWN. John stood up and began walking to the door as it was opened. A young officer whose shirt was half untucked looked into John's room and then back into the hallway again, frantic.
"What's going on, Major?" asked John.
"There's been an escape, Colonel Sheppard," said the major.
"Escape? What kind of escape?" urged John.
"One of the animals from the genetics lab. This area is going to be locked down, we need to get out of here."
"After you," said John, grabbing his bag and following the disheveled major.
~~00~~
"Dammit, how did this happen?" shouted Colonel David Telford. He stood in the control room at Area 51, surrounded by employees military and civilian alike, as well as a few guests. "Where is the technician assigned to this shift?"
"He's dead, sir," said Erick, one of the technicians monitoring the security cameras. "Henry Walden and Jerry Douglas, who was on the shift just before him. They are both dead."
Telford had been assigned to Area 51 after Stargate Command lost contact with the Destiny. He resented the fact he had been left out of the loop when Eli Wallace made contact with the SGC and the Elizabeth was sent to rescue the survivors, but he took his job at Area 51 very seriously. Without the supervision of someone like Telford, the eggheads were likely to leave a cage open and let something dangerous out.
"Do you have any idea what it took to get that thing caged in the first place?" raged Telford.
A squad of soldiers walked in the door. The leader of the squad saluted Telford.
"All remaining sectors of the compound have been cleared, sir!" said the major. "Only the genetics research sector remains."
"Good," said Telford, seething. "Assemble a strike team. Tranq guns only."
"Permission to speak, sir?" said the major.
"Granted."
"Can't we just gas the place? That thing has already killed half a dozen men."
"We know from experience that sleeping gas doesn't work on it, and we have strict orders to keep it alive," said Telford. "You have your orders."
"Yes sir," said the major.
"I'm coming with you," said Sheppard, stepping out of the corner of the room. He looked at Telford, who met his gaze and nodded curtly.
"Go," said Telford.
He would get that thing back in its cage. And then there would be some changes made to the staff.
~~00~~
John leveled his tranq gun at the blast door. Around him stood a squadron of soldiers doing everything they could not to wet themselves.
"We're in position at the South entrance," he said into his radio. "Ready to move on your mark."
"Copy that," came Telford's voice. "Opening the blast doors now. Good luck, Colonel."
A hiss came from the door, and it slowly began to rise. John switched on the laser sight on his rifle, and watched the red dot crawl down the surface of the door as it retracted into the ceiling. The door slid past where the dot hovered, but John could still see it. The light of the laser made a dot on a space just past the doorway, on what appeared to be empty air.
"Oh, no," said John. "Open fire!"
The hallway lit up with weapons fire, and the creature howled from just beyond the door.
"The darts are bouncing right off him!" shouted one of the soldiers.
"Get out of the way!" shouted John, but it was too late. A large helbeast-shaped distortion in the air rushed forward into the hallway, trampling one soldier, and knocking two more against the side of the corridor.
"He's headed your way, Telford," said John into his radio.
John moved quietly down the hallway with what remained of his squadron. As he moved past a door he saw movement out of the corner of his eye and ducked into the room, aiming his gun at the figure in the room.
Todd turned around and held up his hands.
"What are you doing here, Todd?" hissed John. "You should have evacuated this sector!"
"I am attempting to engineer a solution to our current predicament," said Todd calmly.
John lowered his gun. "All clear, keep moving," he said into his radio. "What have you got?"
"The Trenalian Helbeast is an adaptive species, John Sheppard," said Todd as he turned back to his work bench and picked up a small device. "I, too, am an adaptive species."
"There is no experiment or specimen on this compound that escapes my notice, and I have studied them all," he continued. "The helbeast has adapted itself to avoid detection and resist your tranquilizers, but it has another weakness we have yet to expose."
"And that would be...?" prompted John.
"Female helbeasts give off a mating call that registers above the human range of hearing," explained Todd. "The male responds by coloring his exoskeleton as vibrantly as possible to attract the female. This device will mimic the mating call."
"So all you have to do is press that button, and our friend Sparky will come running, painted all the colors of the rainbow?" asked John.
"That is correct, Colonel," said Todd, pushing the button.
"Don't push it here, you Wraith-"
~~00~~
"It's heading toward the control room, Colonel Telford!" came a voice over the radio. Telford took his handgun from the holster on his waist and removed the safety.
"Sir, you said we are not authorized to use lethal force," said Erick the technician.
Telford sneered and raised the gun, aiming it at the doorway.
"I'm not gonna die just so some eggheads can study that thing," he snarled.
Someone screamed down the hallway. Telford heard a soft clicking coming down the hallway. The pace of the animal slowed as it came closer to the control room.
"Get ready to fire on my mark," said Telford. The men around him raised their weapons, staring intently at the empty space in the hallway just outside the door. Suddenly the air in the hallway began to shimmer and take on the shape of the Trenalian Helbeast, except instead of the usual dull grey of the animal's exoskeleton, he was brightly colored. Sparky hissed at the men in the control room and then darted down the hallway, back the way he had come.
"Fire!" shouted Telford, but it was too late. The animal was gone.
~~00~~
John stood just inside the door of Todd's lab, peering out into the hallway. Across the hall the rest of his squadron took up positions in the other doorways, waiting for the helbeast to return for the mating call. Todd stood inside the lab, holding the device he had used to call Sparky.
"It's coming!" shouted the major across the hall. John and his men opened fire as the blue, yellow, green, and orange beast skidded around the corner like an over-excited puppy and booked it for the lab. Once again, the tranquilizer darts bounced right off Sparky's hide.
"Switch to live rounds!" ordered John. He tossed the tranq gun aside and lifted the P90 from his belt. As he did, Sparky rushed past him into the room, knocking him to the floor. Struggling to get to his feet, John could see Sparky facing off with Todd. The helbeast was wagging his tail back and forth. As John got to his feet, Sparky crouched and leapt into a pounce.
"Watch out!" said John, stepping forward to shove Todd out of the way. As he did, he felt the barb of the animal's tail pierce through his chest. He was thrown backward through the air, landing painfully on his back. As his vision began to slip away, he saw the familiar blue flashes of a Goa'uld zat gun discharging, and heard the Trenalian Helbeast slump to the floor with a thud...
~~00~~
"You had to know that eventually one of those heroic suicide missions of yours was going to get you killed."
John was standing in a white room. He looked down to see that he was wearing an all white uniform. Someone else was standing in the room with him.
"You always were so selfless," said Elizabeth Weir. "That's one of the qualities I admired most in you."
"Elizabeth!" said John. "You're alive?"
Elizabeth looked at him and smirked. "Not quite, John."
He looked around but there was no one else there, and there appeared to be no doors or openings in the walls.
"Where.. what happened to Todd? That thing is loose in the compound..." stammered John.
Elizabeth put her hands on John's shoulders and looked him in the eyes.
"You sacrificed yourself for him," she said. "And now you're here with me."
"Elizabeth..." he said, bringing his hand up to her face, and running his fingers through her hair. He closed his eyes and rested his forehead against hers.
"He's waking up."
"What?" asked John, opening his eyes, only to see that Elizabeth was gone.
"Elizabeth?" he asked, shielding his eyes from a bright light that was suddenly shining in his eyes.
"Welcome back, Colonel Sheppard."
John looked around at the medical bay. A doctor was standing over him, and Colonel Telford stood by the door.
"Where's Elizabeth?" John asked, still delirious.
"Elizabeth's not here," said Telford, walking over. "How are you feeling?"
"What happened?" said John. "All I remember is getting stabbed by that... thing."
"Todd saved you," said Telford. "After he subdued the animal. Turns out he's invented a new version of the Goa'uld healing device using elements of Wraith technology. Without him, you'd be dead."
"You owe him your life," said the doctor.
"Is that thing..."? asked John.
"Sparky? Todd zatted him just in time. He's back in his cage, and this time he won't be getting out," said Telford.
"But he seemed so friendly..." muttered John as he drifted back to sleep.
~~00~~
Todd packed the last piece of the ansible device into a black case and closed the lid, locking it shut. John Sheppard was leaving today, and General Carter had requested that the device be sent back to Stargate Command with him. He had just picked up the case and turned around when Sheppard walked into his lab.
"John Sheppard," he said.
"Is that the ansible?" asked Sheppard.
"The prototype is ready for installation on the Elizabeth," said Todd.
"Pack a bag then," said Sheppard. "You're going to install it yourself."
"You continue to surprise me, Sheppard," said Todd.
"You saved my life," said Sheppard.
"It was you who saved mine," responded Todd.
"The General is right," he said. "We could use you on the mission."
"Thank you, John Sheppard," said Todd.
Sheppard regarded Todd carefully. "We leave in two hours," he said, before walking out of the room.
~~00~~
Colonel Telford sat in his office. The files of the soldiers killed by the helbeast were splayed out in front of him on the desk. He opened the bottom drawer of his desk and pulled out a tenth of whiskey. He took a glass from the drawer, set it on the desk, and unscrewed the cap of the bottle. He was about to pour himself a drink when he thought better of it and took a pull straight from the bottle. The phone rang.
Telford grabbed the handset and put it to his ear.
"Colonel David Telford?" said the voice on the other end.
"Yes," he said. "Who is this?"
"We know about the Destiny, Telford."
"Who is this?" he said, sitting upright.
"The Lucian Alliance has eyes everywhere."
A click came from the other end, followed by a dial tone. Telford looked at the phone, then set it back on the receiver. He took another drink from the bottle.
~~00~~
A motley assortment of the Stargate program's finest stood aboard the deck of the Elizabeth. Colonel John Sheppard, genius slacker Eli Wallace, Todd the Wraith, archeologist Dr. Bailey Evans, and the young ace pilot Major LaurenBurnette. They looked out across the bow to see the sun rising over the Earth.
"It's beautiful," said Bailey.
John touched a button on the control panel in front of him, and a hologram of General Carter appeared in front of them.
"Colonel Sheppard, the Genesis mission is a go," she said.
"Thank you General," said John.
"Good luck, and have fun," said Sam, before switching off.
John looked around at his crew. "You guys ready to see the other side of the universe?"
"I've been there," said Eli. "It's nice this time of year."
Todd, who was standing next to Eli, leaned over and whispered, "This ship is full of humans. Should our engines fail and I run out of Dr. Beckett's serum, I can always feed on you to sustain myself," said Todd.
Eli looked at Todd and took a step away from him. Todd chuckled to himself.
"Major Burnette," said John, walking over to the captain's chair. "Take us out."
"Yes, sir," said Burnette.
John sat down in the chair and listened to the sound of the gate drive powering up.
"This one's for you, Elizabeth," he said quietly, as the ship entered a wormhole bound for unknown reaches of space.
Written by Caleb Palmquist
Story by Caleb Palmquist and Andrew Marron
Also available at stargategenesis/dot/com