Night travel was much easier on the humans as was the few hours rest. Their pace had noticeably quickened and Rodney's complaining had only to do with getting sand in his shoes. Todd led them, a few paces ahead of the group and Helena had taken up the rear. The latter, Jennifer was grateful for when she tripped over a half buried lizard like creature. It met a quick end when Helena stomped on its spade shaped head before it could snap at her. She had smiled, surprising the Wraith with a hug and a "thank you."
"That has to be a galactic first," Rodney says when Jennifer caught back up to him and John.
"What?" she asks breathlessly, slowing to a more comfortable pace.
"A human hugging a Wraith; I think you're the first one to have done it."
"Probably," John agrees, stealing a glance back at Helena. The Wraith appeared slightly dumbfounded, but quickly masked it when she noticed him looking at her. Her wide set eyes narrowed in the slightest, the gesture enhanced by her thick lashes.
Jennifer rolls her eyes. "They've been around since the Ancients; I doubt I'm the first person to hug one, Rodney."
They continued in relative silence. Jennifer hummed for a short time before Rodney grumbled: "Do you have to do that?" Flustered, Jennifer blamed the environment on his snappish behavior.
John checked his watched every few second, clicking the back light on and off. It kept his mind from wandering back to those corpse littered rooms and Helena's frightened face in the dark. Something that terrifies a Wraith is not good at all, he thought as he clicked the button on the side of his watch again.
Twelve minutes. That's how long they had been walking since leaving the little cave. It felt like hours to him, and his team probably felt the same. For all he knew, this planet could be like the one he had spent over a year on in a couple of hours. Todd or Helena would have mentioned that, wouldn't they? He doubted Helena after considering her; she didn't seem to know too terribly much about anything outside her facility. Former facility, he reminded himself. She had that strange Wraith wisdom, but she had never set foot further than that fence. And what were a few years to a Wraith?
Behind him Rodney gingerly touches his head. His scalp had not been completely saved by his makeshift hat, although it wasn't nearly as painful as his forehead and nose. I'll be peeling for a week. He thinks bitterly.
Jennifer was trying her hardest not to scratch at her nose, knowing the stinging would not be worth relieving the itch. She didn't like the prospect of the peeling and itching that would follow.
"Hey Helena, do you…people…Wraith, ever sun burn?" Rodney asks, fumbling over how he saw her.
"It depends on how recently we have fed. Typically it just causes our skin to darken, but if I have not fed in, oh, a week, then I will be in just as much misery as you." she replies with a casual flick of her wrist then looks over the two reddened humans in front of her. "You do have salve to put on your burns?"
"I think so," Jennifer says, slinging her pack off one shoulder and around to her side.
Rummaging through the contents, she fishes out the first aid kit and flips it open. The welcoming smell of antiseptic hit her nose and she inhales deeply. Something about that felt like home and reminded her she will be back eventually. Helena and Rodney would keep her safe until then.
Picking out the tube of burn cream before shutting the box and popping the top, she squeezes out a small amount, "Lean over here, Rodney," she says and spreads it over his nose. Jennifer winces in sympathy when he complains about her being too rough. "Sorry."
"Be grateful she does not have claws," Helena says, growing tired of listening to the man complain over such trivial things.
The Wraith had to listen to his drivel since leaving the facility. Her patience with him was starting to fray, but she held her tongue as best as she could. A Male shouldn't whine of discomfort, or become short with a female unless there was sound reason to do so. He should be supportive and insure her safety over his own. That was how it should be.
Todd stops before the dune they had been traveling along dipped into a hollow bowl of a valley. His mouth draws into a tight line as he looks into the valley below.
"What's wrong?" John asks, coming up alongside the Wraith, who was staring down into the valley with an expression John hadn't seen since he last met with him.
When he followed Todd's stare, he knew. The gate was buried. Only the top of it crested over the red sand; peeking at them, taunting them. The DHD would be impossible to reach by hand.
"Well that's just fucking great," he mutters.
"Indeed." Todd concurs and snorts out the dust that coated the inside of his nostrils.
"So, what now?"
"How long will it take your people to come in search of you?" Todd asks, his tone sounding completely incensed.
"We haven't…"
"What the hell?" Rodney groans when he finally saw why they had stopped. "We're stuck in this awful place now?"
"Yeah we are Rodney, so we're going to have to find a place to hole up for a little while, until we can hitch a ride back to Atlantis."
Jennifer had said nothing, though the way her expression gave way to her true feelings about staying longer. She sighs softly and looks up at Helena, "Looks like the new home will have to wait, huh?"
A thrumming "Mmhm," was her answer and she lifts her feeding hand and squeezes Jennifer's shoulder. Ignoring the cringe under her hand, Helena would never consider feeding on the woman. She knew her name, and in the past few hours in the cave, she had learned of her home, parents, and a place called 'med school.'
"We will need to find shelter before day break," she says, looking pointedly at the Commander.
He met her gaze, his own eyes matching her hazy glow of blue in the low light. His nod was curt, not resenting of her authority. Slowly he turned and began a climb up the steep dune on the eastern side of the valley. He intended to circle the area for a spot close to the gate. The humans would more than likely search there first, and then pass over the facility.
"It's like we're being herded," Rodney whispers to John as he follows Todd without question.
"A bit," John yawns.
Rodney bit back his own yawn, catching the urge from John. Both Helena and Jennifer were unable to stop their answering yawns.
"What time is it?" Jennifer asks, rubbing her left eye in an attempt to keep it from closing on her.
"Four sixteen, Atlantis time," John replies after hitting the backlight on his watch again.
"I hope we find a spot soon," Jennifer murmurs, watching Todd walk ahead of them.
"I could carry you if you need to rest," Helena offers, having carried many a youngling on her back (for she lacked the hip spread to tote one in the proper manner), when they became worn out from play fighting.
"Oh, no. No, I'll be fine. I just don't like being out at night," Jennifer says quickly.
She had begun to wonder if this Wraith had a mental deficiency. Something was a little off. Something in her eyes that Jennifer didn't want to trust, but couldn't help doing so. It would certainly explain why Helena had never been picked for a Hive. It didn't fit with her level headedness, but this wasn't her area of specialty. Todd would know, Jennifer mused, not particularly liking the idea of asking him something like that.
It had been only ten minutes, by John's watch since they left the valley. He stifled another on coming yawn and double times to catch up with Todd. The Wraith, despite his years, seemed to have an endless amount of energy; though he slowed enough for John to walk comfortably along side him.
"So what are you doing here?" he asks finally, knowing poor Helena hadn't been able to get much out of him. He gave her credit for trying.
"As I said, my Hive received a distress signal."
"And you went alone? Cut the bull shit Todd, I know there's something you aren't telling me. There always is."
Todd glances down at him and his nostrils flare wide in a sigh. "It is nothing you should concern yourself with, Sheppard."
"Yeah right. Does it have anything to do with what killed all those kids?"
"It does not." Todd replies flatly, turning his attention back to the route ahead. He scanned the landscape for any indication of a cave, or animal burrow large enough to house them all. Reaching up, he scratches at the sensory pits on either side of his nose, clearing them of dust. It cleared the landscape's heat signatures; the rodents just beneath the sand's surface shone like beacons.
"Well what was so damned important that you had to come down personally?" John asks after a moment. Even if it wasn't significant, the want to know was eating at his curiosity. Not to mention, something that Todd was eager to get, was usually something they needed to know about.
"If you discovered something that would greatly aid your species against the Wraith, would you give tell of it to me so easily?" Todd asks. His voice was strained and biting, growing tired of the prying.
Scratching the back of his head John says, "Yeah, good point there."
A tense silence reverberated between them as they walked, John veered off path a few times to look between rock formations and close to the spindly trees that dotted the dunes at random.
He walked around the trunk of one of those scaly looking trees and relieves himself out of view before heading down to check on the cluster of rocks jutting up between two dunes. Glancing back to make sure the group was still in view, he sees Helena pause to watch him before resuming her place behind Jennifer and Rodney.
It was cool here; the spot was like a wind tunnel and chilled his sweaty skin. His shirt felt like ice against him as the wind whipped it against his chest. He doubted it was a nice during the day.
He runs his hand over the rock's smooth surface and squats down. The sand was damp. Digging down, he sees water begin to pool in the hole he had scratched out. With a grunt he stands back up and jogs back into view. Todd had stopped, waiting for him.
"Get down here!" He yells up to them.
Helena waited for Rodney and Jennifer to begin the awkward decent down the side of the dune before following. Half sliding, half running, they met up with him.
"What is it?" Rodney asks, catching his breath.
"Water. Refill your canteens and take a breather." He says, glancing up to see Todd still at the top of the dune.
"He is keeping watch," Helena says as she passes John. "As a male is supposed to do."
"Was that some criticism?" he asks, following her to the rocks.
She lifts her brows in a shrug and bends down to scoop up some of the cloudy water. John half expected it to sink into her feeding slit, but she splashes it over her face and shakes her head. He waited until Rodney and Jennifer had finished before refilling his own canteen.
Jennifer had taken a hesitant sip of the water and wrinkles her nose. "It tastes like dirt."
"It's better than nothing," John says and stretches. "How long till dawn Helena?"
The damp faced Wraith looks up at the sky, "About one hour and a quarter."
They joined Todd, who had taken a seat while he waited. The Wraith stands fluidly and continues walking. "You have gotten enough to last till the next nightfall?" he asks John.
"We should, if Jennifer and Rodney are careful about rationing."
Todd snorts and John cracks a smile, "How much do you want to bet Rodney's complaining about dying of thirst within an hour after day break?"
The Wraith looks at him. "How much of what?"
"Shit, didn't think of that. Usually it's money, but what use do you have for it?" He shrugs.
"Hey Sheppard." Rodney calls from behind them.
Both he and Todd stop to look back.
"What?" He asks.
"There's something down there," he says, pointing down the west side of the dune. He shows John the life sign's detector when he approached them. The blip on the screen was weak.
"I don't see anything," John says and looks down the dune. All he could see was a tree and some grass just as red as the sand.
"We should check." Jennifer says, biting her lip as she scans the ground for anything that could possibly be a person. She starts to stumble down the dune, "You can stay up there if you want," she says over her shoulder.
As John guessed she would, Helena followed her like a faithful dog. He watched as the Wraith trotted down the dune, her dusky hair bouncing in contrast to Jennifer's wavy gold.
"Should we go down there?" Rodney asks him.
"They'll be fine. I honestly think Helena would risk her life for Jennifer."
"Her Overseer wanted her for himself. She is too docile," Todd murmured.
"I thought they were neutered."
Todd's brows furrow as he processes the new word, quickly guessing the meaning. "It lowers their sex drive but does not eliminate it entirely. It is fertilization before a choosing that must be avoided."
"Not a nice surprise to give the husband, huh?"
"It would risk losing support from that Hive." He tilts his head and watches Helena vanish behind the tree's portly trunk. "Her sensitive nature would get her overthrown quickly. While her even temper would be a welcome reprieve, it would bring rise of rebellion."
"Wouldn't she be safe with your Hive? You guys aren't exactly run of the mill," Rodney asks.
"If she were under constant protection," he says. "While I trust my crew, I would not trust them to not take advantage of her."
"So she has a big 'rape me' sign stamped to her forehead," John mutters.
Todd did not answer, in stead he began to walk down the dune as Jennifer came back into view. She waved up at them, yelling something that was too soft to hear. Between the wind and her pitch, John could only pick up a "hey."
John and Rodney followed Todd, taking the same path as he. The Wraith's foot prints sunk deep into the sand and provided a set of makeshift stairs for them. John rushed past Todd once they made it to the valley floor to see Jennifer and Helena sitting beside what first appeared to be a rock.
As he got closer he saw the rock was actually a woman huddled into a ball, covered in a pale gray robe similar in style to Helena's but much thicker, like wool. The Wraith rolls the woman over and frowns.
"Holy shit, it's a Wraith with eyebrows," Rodney gasps when he reaches the group.
Jennifer gave Rodney a look that John knew wouldn't bode well when they got back to Atlantis. He didn't think Jennifer had ever been on a mission with Rodney in inhospitable conditions before. He decided to tell her to try and tune it out once they found shelter.
"She a hybrid." Jennifer murmurs, brushing the rich red hair away from the unconscious woman's face. "It's weird though. She doesn't really look like any of Michael's creations." She hesitantly reaches out to touch her cheek where the sensory pits should have been.
"Maybe she's a new model they're testing out," John says with a shrug and looks back up to the dune - as Rodney mutters: "Or an old model they dumped out here."
"Look, we need to get going before the sun comes up."
"I'm not leaving her here, Colonel. She'll get roasted when the sun comes up," Jennifer says sternly.
"Fine, but I'm not lugging her around."
Without a word Helena shifts to her knees and lifts the woman like a child, cradled in her arms. "She is light enough not to be much of a burden."
"Problem solved. Let's get moving."
Jennifer frowns as they begin to move around the rocks. Was it because the woman had Wraith in her that Colonel Sheppard seemed so ready to leave her? She slows down to walk along side Helena.
"Something is bothering you," Helena grunts, adjusting the woman in her arms.
"It's nothing," Jennifer replies.
Helena drums her fingers over the hybrid's robe. "You are agitated. It cannot be 'nothing'."
"It's just…I don't know." She runs her fingers through her hair and sighs. She looks up and smiles when she notices Helena watching her. It unnerved her slightly, those large eyes and smooth face.
Thankfully, Rodney called back to them, and Helena broke the stare to see what he was yelling about.
"We found a spot," Rodney says when they catch up to him.
"You mean Todd found a spot?" Jennifer asks.
"I helped."
She smiles and squeezes his arm. "At least we'll be out of the sun."
Following him, she slides down the side of the dune, more for fun than anything else. Helena was quick behind her, taking careful steps in the imprints left behind by either Todd or John. The hybrid was hardly jostled, held in the vice grip Helena had on her. Her red crowned head was resting on the Wraith's chest, nestled by the fabric more than her breasts, for she certainly lacked the ample bosom of a child bearing woman.
The shelter was larger than she expected, a cluster of thorny trees hid the entrance to the underground cavern from view. Once she and Helena entered after Rodney, they were greeted by a massive entry chamber. The ceiling was roughly nine feet and it branched off into three directions. She could see the first was a small room; the others were too dark to know as the up-turned flashlights only revealed so much. She reaches into her bag's outer pouch for her own and clicked it on.
Dying moon light filtered in from the holes created by the trees' hardy roots. Jennifer looks up and squints at the pinpoints of pale light. "This is much better than the last one."
"I preferred the last," Helena says in passing, taking the hybrid to the small room and laying her on the floor.
Todd had vanished into one of the darkened archways and Rodney and John wandered around the perimeter of the cave, Jennifer joined Helena. "She may have suffered a heat stroke," she says, placing her hand on the hybrid's neck. Her pulse was slow, but still strong, as if she were in a deep sleep.
"One of the sand burrowers could have bitten her," Helena says.
"What are those?" She asks, setting her flashlight on its butt so it cast enough light for her to see, albeit dimly, where everything was.
"It is a general name for all the sand dwelling creatures. The majority are poisonous. They burrow under the sand and wait for prey to walk over them, such as the one you encountered."
"Thanks again," Jennifer says.
She pulls the over robe off the hybrid carefully and folds it. Tucking it under her head, she begins checking her for bite marks. The hyrbrid's arms and legs were bare, and she wore no shoes. Her feet were heavily calloused, warped from bunions and hammer toed, though Jennifer wasn't sure if it was from small shoes. It was more than likely hereditary given the wear on the bottom of her feet.
The exposed extremities were free of any marks other than the stray scar and the freckles that were scattered about. Removing her thin gray dress, she checks her torso. Her body was slender, very Wraith like but she bore a minute version of the wide hips and larger breasts of a human.
"She looks so odd," Helena murmurs, reaching out and tracing a finger down the hybrid's stomach. "It is like a human in Wraith skin."
"Help me roll her over," Jennifer says ignoring the strange and slightly creepy way Helena looked at the hybrid. It reminded her of the Russian woman from the graveyard shift, how she looked at people as if they were specimens.
Helena's brows furrow for a moment and Jennifer felt a knot in her throat. It sunk when she simply reached down and lifted the hybrid's side to ease her onto her stomach.
"There."
Jennifer leans down to get a closer view of the festering bite mark. It was ugly, oozing creamy pus. The teeth marks were relatively even, but wavered as if she had tried to pull away when the bite landed. Her body was trying to heal itself; the wounds were soft edged and lacked any evidence of blood.
Helena wrinkles her nose. "It smells rancid," she says and sits up.
Her bag was next to her and she rifles through the supplies she had brought. It was basic first aid needs. They weren't supposed to be there long. I should have listened to Rodney, she thinks and lets out a little sigh as she pulls out a tube of antiseptic cream.
The little moist wipes would do nicely to clean the area, since water was so scarce. Jennifer didn't want to waste what she had collected earlier. Gloves. They were a definite necessity for this. Even if it wasn't toxic and foul, she didn't like the idea of not being able to wash her hands afterwards. The pack of latex gloves was wedged at the bottom of the bag, under her iPod and emergency tampons.
Helena watched her as she pulled the blue gloves on. "What are those made from?"
"Latex," she answers, though she doubted Helena knew what latex was. If she did, the Wraith were far kinkier than she had fantasized about (though she would never admit she did think about them in such a manner).
Gingerly she wipes the dried fluid and the fresh that seeped from the tooth marks. If she put just the slightest pressure around the area, it oozed and the smell nearly made her gag.
"Oh that is revolting."
Jennifer looks over her shoulder and sees Rodney standing at the archway with a sickened look on his face and a bit of a green tinge. She frowns at him and turns back to begin spreading the cream over the open areas.
"Then don't look," she says, tearing the corner of the tube and squeezing it onto her fingertips.
As lightly as she could, she spreads it over the injury. The medicinal smells helped cut back the stink of rotting flesh. "Helena, could you help me lift her? I want to put something under her so she won't have to lie on dirt."
The Wraith pulls off her outer robe and sets it to the side as she reaches forward to lift her side. She tucks the robe under that side and lowers her, then rolls her onto the other side to let Jennifer pull the robe flat.
"That's better." Jennifer says and smoothes the hybrid's hair away from her face with a smile. "At least we can try and make her comfortable."
"Jennifer?"
"Yeah Rodney?" she asks, not realizing he never left.
"Could you take a look at this bump?"
"Sure, come here."
"Not here…not, not in front of anyone."
With a shake of her head, she stands up and groans. Her knees were sore and her legs were stiff from sitting on such a hard floor. She hobbles awkwardly to Rodney before looking back at Helena. "I'll be right back."
"It's an ingrown hair," Jennifer says straightening back up and looks at her fingers while Rodney pulled up his boxers.
"I've never seen purplish nipples before."
"Rodney!"
"What? I like your nipples much more Jen, but hers are purple. They're…well you saw them."
Jennifer frowns at Rodney, passing John in the main chamber and entering the room they left the unconscious woman. Both Todd and Helena were keeping watch over her. He must have gone in after she left. Sheppard probably said something, she thinks, hiding her frown. She liked Todd, despite his terrifying demeanor. He had been a pleasure to work with once she got over her initial nervousness.
"The oozing has stopped." Helena says when she notices Jennifer. She was sitting close to the hybrid's head with a damp strip of cloth. It had been torn from the hem of her under robe and she was cleaning the dust from her cheeks. "Do you think she will live?"
Jennifer blinks and looks up at Helena's long face. "I don't know," she replies honestly with a sad smile. "We can just hope her body can expel the venom, if it was what you said it was."
She nods and leans forward to brush the hair that had become stuck to the hybrid's temple.
Finding a comfortable spot on the stone floor, Jennifer watches Helena fuss over the feverish woman. She had never considered Wraith females to have any maternal instincts, but the current theories attesting to that was shattered by this willowy Wraith. Her finely boned fingers adjusted the clothing folded under the woman's head and constantly worked to keep her brows free of sweat.
"Do either of you know her?"
"No," Todd murmurs from his spot against the cave wall. He had found himself a comfortable wedge in the tiny chamber.
"I figured you might, there aren't exactly many female hybrids out there," Jennifer mumbles. "So," she says to fight off the silence that made the hairs on the back of her neck prickle. "Why did the W…you pick the desert for a breeding facility? The other side of the planet is more hospitable, isn't it?"
"It is. The facility was constructed by those who originally came from the forested portion of the planet. My Overseer explained that the move was caused by encroaching human populations."
"But, isn't having more humans around good for y'all?"
"Not for a breeding facility," Todd replies. "Only a small population is required to sustain the caretakers and the younglings after puberty. A larger population brings with it the risk of rebellion."
"Oh." Jennifer gives a tight smile to hide her embarrassment at sounding stupid amongst such ancient beings. Though, she reminded herself, only Todd was truly ancient; Helena claimed to be in her early thirties (though she didn't know if Wraith years were any different than her own), and the hybrid couldn't have been older than her.
She looks up when she hears Helena moving; the Wraith slid closer to her and reaches out with her left hand. Jennifer's immediate reaction was to press herself as flat as possible against the wall, but Helena only took a handful of her hair. She tucks her hair behind her ear and sits back. "Your hair is dirty; you shouldn't have it hanging in your face."
Did that really come out of a Wraith's mouth? Jennifer cannot help but stare at the alien woman who sat less than an arm's length from her.
"You have spent too much time caring for younglings," Todd quips.
"At least my life had purpose," she shoots back without looking at him, though Jennifer notes a slight wrinkling of her nose and a hint of teeth.
Todd gives a grunt, lifting his brows in a shrug.
It confused Jennifer at first, how Helena would watch Todd without him knowing, but become snippy and irritable when talking to him. She liked to guess Helena didn't know how to approach a male and was madly in love with him. It was a fantasy born from a cheap novel she had read a week before this mission. However, it was more likely that Helena was simply doing everything she could not to scratch his eyes out.
She pretends to relax, despite the difficulty of doing so in front of two (three if the hybrid's feeding slit wasn't vestigial) Wraith. Helena had returned her attention back to the hybrid, hiding her scowl behind the curtain of her hair.
"How long do your people typically take to realize a team has gone missing?" Todd asks after a moment.
"Um, we were supposed to report back…" she checks her watch - "about six hours ago. Is there a planet with a gate near by?"
"Yes."
"Well that's good."
She steals a glance at Todd as he closes his eyes and his chin dips towards his chest. She envied his calm demeanor. Should I go sit with Rodney and John? she thinks, looking at the hybrid. Her fine brows were knitted and her hairline was damp with sweat. Jennifer didn't feel comfortable leaving her alone, not when her breathing was that shallow. At least I'll know if Wraith snore. She grins to herself and takes off her jacket to cushion her head.