This was the toughest of chapters to get out.
The Worshipper had come and gone, and Jennifer stood in front of Kenny trying to keep both the quilt around her and the clean clothing from falling out of her arms. The Wraith was giving no indication of turning away so she could dress in private. I could go into the bathroom…but will he follow me? God I hope not. There was only one way to find out.
"I'll be ready in a jiffy," she says to the alien, forcing a smile.
A quick glance behind her ensures that Kenny had not made any move to follow. Jennifer finds solace in the small room still humid from the bath when she is out of sight. Breathing a sigh of relief, and looking at the empty entryway to be sure, the woman drops the quilt.
Keeping her feet under the body warmed fabric so she wouldn't feel the uncomfortable chill of the hive, Jennifer steps into her panties. It did bother her that someone, a stranger, handled her dainties. The thought of said stranger examining her panties causes her to pause before pulling them up completely. They were cleaned and folded, that's all, she says to herself to feel more at ease.
The bra was inside out; the padding pulled out, and lay on her folded pants. With a sigh, Jennifer does her best to repair it. The padding went back in easily, but she wouldn't be able to do anything to jostle her breasts too much, or they would slide free and her bra would end up sucked under them. Unless the Wraith suddenly turned on them, she doubted running would help her if that happened. Jennifer admittedly wasn't the quickest on her feet. A morning yoga routine was it for her, unless she pulled a graveyard shift, and Pilates was an option if she was feeling particularly adventurous.
Thankful that the dust and sand were out of her clothes, Jennifer tucks in the pockets of her pants that had gotten crumpled during the cleaning.
All sorted, she reaches her fingertips to the ceiling before stretching upwards on the tips of her toes. Flexing the fingers, she then leans down and waits until the tendons loosen enough for her to place her palms flat on the floor. Feeling much more secure and movable (not to mention, fully clothed), Jennifer scoops up the quilt and emerges into the bedroom where Kenny was waiting.
…
The landing location had been transmitted by the time the cruiser penetrated the thick atmosphere of the very blue-green planet. While typically it was sent to the hive, prior to depart. This brought caution to the Commander, who skims the tree tops. With the coordinates were now available to him, this behavior made him wonder what exactly has happened here since his previous visit five centuries ago when his Queen had passed during hibernation.
The Commander's Hive awaits him, anticipating his return with what had been promised them. They still sought the comfort and security a Queen brought to their close knit web and he found it a shame they could not escape that custom.
With the meter reading that the nutrient supply of the precious cargo beginning to show that they were approaching dangerously low levels, it is a relief to the alien that the opening in the dense canopy is near.
The thick branched trees quiver as the craft lands within their protective circle. Vines had been kept trimmed to prevent potential entanglement. With a groan, the cruiser settles onto the packed soil. The pistons hiss as the organic vessel relaxes. Leathery winged creatures screech in alarm at the sound, fleeing their resting spots to find safety amongst the tree tops.
It was the guard Drones out first to ensure the area is free of predators, or to take the brunt of damage if ambushed by their brethren. Once the signal of safety is issued from the simple minded aliens, four more exit the cruiser. Those Drones were tasked with carrying the cargo, two to each crate.
They wait, standing, one staring at the back of the other from across the rectangular boxes for their Commander.
The ground was packed hard when his boots touched the dull colored soil, nutrients burned away. The lack of vegetation growth indicated that the landing zone has been used with increasing frequency, leading to a small worry to pick at the Wraith's mind. He certainly hopes that he would not have to choose between a poorly developed female and nothing at all. To return empty handed would likely push the whisper of rebellion amongst the power hungry into reality.
With a gesture, the Drones begin their trek towards the facility. Superbly concealed, the passage was a play on depth perception and the Wraith seem to simply walk through a wall of foliage. Decay and water overwhelm senses, and the Commander found it a blessing in comparison to the barren lands he had so recently recovered from which left his nostrils and sensory pits desiccated.
Moss laden branches and stones pillow the planet, concealing the tender flesh of the shrubs and fungi from the sun light that has managed to penetrate the canopy by way of invasive, branch free, tubular trees. Further from the large opening they had ventured from, the forest begins to take on a bioluminescence. Unless one happens to look upwards to see the bright pin pricks through the leaves, it would appear as night.
Todd found it beautiful, being inexplicably drawn to the color blue. Most members of his species were prone to this instinctual allure.
Rustling from the few diurnal creatures and the heavy foot falls of the Drones are the only sounds that accompany the small band to the heavy human crafted gate. Wooly vines grew over the fence that stretched onward and upward, encasing the facility and preventing the younglings from being snatched up by predators or simply getting lost.
With the locking mechanism inside, the Wraith waited. There would be no need to send out a mental pulse to reveal his presence; the cloaked tracker orbs had already alerted the guards. The increase in security did not surprise him, not with the state of all things.
No more than a hand's span of minutes passes before a lone Wraith walks into view. It was a relief to the Commander to hear one of his own devoid of the taint of human tongue. Permanent ground based Wraith had only the need to read the various texts humans put forth, but had no need to speak it. This facility in particular, secure in the isolated valley, were free from unwanted contact with the native humans.
The Wraith who greeted him in the guttural, clicking tongue of their species inclines his head once he introduces himself. "I am well aware of the time constraint you are under, but one must avoid blind trust in these times," he says, placing his hand over his breast. "I am required to personally ensure you are who you appear to be."
"Understandable. I am under the impression that there has been trouble in the past, is that so?" the Commander replies, leaving his mind open for the gate keeper.
"Unfortunately yes," the Wraith replies, taping the key pad to open the gate. Once it slides open with a metallic groan, he continues: "In the past three years we have suffered the loss of twenty nine females in raids. I speak for the entire facility when I say that your contribution is greatly appreciated."
The gate closes behind them, gears grind to lock securely. Waking along side the escort, Todd wordlessly orders the Drones to follow at a distance of four paces. "It has not gone unnoticed how some members of our race are regressing to such barbaric manners."
"Indeed," the other Wraith frowns, the scar splitting his upper lip causes the expression to become exaggerated. He continues after a stretch of silence: "Our Keeper has selected seven to choose from. Three of the lot are fully matured and ready to be mated."
The other four will require further training, but how young is the brood mother allowing them to leave? Todd muses in private, keeping his expression passive though he nods in acknowledgement to the reassurance.
With the distraction of the possibilities that he had presented, Todd hardly registers the facility's main door sliding open until the rush of air strikes his face. The walls were permeated placental with nutrients, hatchlings and nearly mature Wraith's individual body odor, cooked food, all assault the Commander's nostrils. Each scent, individually, are not at all offensive. It was that the combination of such brought with it the memory of that Earth grown fruit whose scent caused him to become violently ill: bananas.
Suppressing the shudder and unpleasant rolling in his abdomen, Todd follows his escort who had stepped ahead of him and his Drones. Once inside the intense buzz of sound accompanies the smell. Humming, clicking and the deeper vocals of the adults come from all directions, as the facility stretched outwards, split into two quarters and large enough to house both male and female younglings.
The two were completely cut off from one another, to prevent any temptation of intermingling between the sexes. Each opening presented rooms of females of varying age in the process of being taught basic reading, biology, and mathematical equations. Further down the corridor they pass a massive room, there females stood in rows of five mimicking fighting stances, simple kicks and jabs. It certainly impressed the Commander that this facility started their females out at a young age, exposing them to all fields of learning and defense.
"Our facility still practices the customs of those before the Lantean war," the escort says once he glances back to see what had delayed the Commander. "It is a shame so many of the new breeding grounds have become factories."
"Mmhm," Todd thrums in reply, watching a child (who was probably no older than eight by his reckoning), dart past them, shortly followed by a flustered older female.
…
Jennifer felt uncomfortable with Kenny so close. The Wraith, though across the room, seems as if he were leaning over her shoulder, scrutinizing the information she downloads onto a tablet. A tablet, Todd so kindly offered to let her borrow, as she did not have her laptop with her.
Adding to her unease was Helena's presence. The body of the female lay at the back of the laboratory, clearly having gone through an autopsy. It was a great effort on the human's part not to succumb to tears. An alien she considered a friend was gutted, and what little remained of the organs that had not liquefied, were in canisters. She couldn't bring herself to look at the corpse, even if it did have answers. Not yet, not while the loss is still fresh and sharp.
"What happens at the breeding facilities?" Jennifer asks to distract herself, glancing over her shoulder to see the Wraith set down a bottle of unknown red liquid too light to be blood, and she was grateful of that little fact.
She almost expects him not to answer, as he had lapsed into silence when he had grown tired of her questions earlier. To her surprise, Kenny replies: "They provide a safe environment for Queens to birth their offspring or simply extract fertilized eggs to be developed artificially. From there, the hatchlings are raised and tutored until maturity."
"Sounds a lot like Earth's orphanages," Jennifer says, turning fully in her chair. "Its sex segregated, right?"
"Yes."
"What about the Wraith like Helena?" and when Kenny frowns in confusion, she elaborates (maybe Todd didn't tell him what we called her, she thinks): "She was the female Wraith who died on the planet. Helena said she hadn't been chosen…and didn't want to. What happens to them?"
"Those females are sterilized and trained as Keepers or attendants."
"That sounds a bit…" she didn't want to say sexist. "They can't have other jobs?"
"Temperament and the temptations of males, not to mention the risk of being presented as competition to a Queen prevent females from remaining safe in other positions within a hive. Cases like that are rare given the current situation."
His sharp toned explanation did sooth the nerve struck. With a nod, Jennifer checks the tablet's progress. 75% complete. The information Todd's research team had compiled along with data commandeered from hybrid compounds nearly overwhelmed her when Kenny brought up the file. This would take weeks to look through alone.
"What is it that Keepers do exactly?"
Jennifer swears she could feel him roll his eyes behind her before she turns away from the tablet once more. Was contempt what she saw? The human had seen little range of expression from this Wraith, but she has become accustomed to Todd's manner. The thought invokes a rush of pink to her cheeks which Kenny seems to have picked up on.
Jennifer bites her lower lip as the Second tilts his head, the eyes narrow for only the slightest moment, enough that she could see the cloudy membrane touch the nearest corner of his irises.
"Perhaps it is best, Doctor Keller, that you finish you work quickly."
The words bit Jennifer sharply and she turns away from the Wraith to avoid having him see how dark her cheeks had become. 96 % complete. "I'm sure you have better things to do than watch me download data," she dares to say, inwardly cringing at what the out come could possibly be in testing how far this alien's patience would go. "I mean, you have a hive full of, um, others who would be more," Jennifer takes a deep breath to steady her nerves, "I'm sure there are others who would rather do this. If you're going to sulk and talk down to me until Todd gets back then it won't be fun for either of us. Sure, you could kill me and be done with it, but there goes any help you'd get from Atlantis."
Heart pounding in her ears, she doesn't turn to see Kenny's reaction, she didn't want to. The pounding skips a beat when the creak of leather sounds behind her, but rather than finding out what it is like to be fed upon she felt the Wraith come to a halt behind her. The heat from them both warms her back and it was then she looks up.
An odd chittering sounds in his throat as the Wraith scrutinizes the woman. Did she come across too hostile? Jennifer swallows, but never lowers her gaze from those pale yellow eyes.
"What do you hope to gain with your wiles?"
"What?" Jennifer asks, truly startled by the question.
"You've distracted the Commander when he need not be, what is it that you want?"
"N-nothing," she stammers. "I didn't expect him to…that to happen. I don't think either of us did."
Prickling in the frontal lobe of her brain frightens her. Having never been subjected to a mental probing, Jennifer thought the worst. While she knew from Teyla, only Queens could fully enter the minds of humans to sift through memories at their leisure, it still made her wish she could hide all her dirty secrets. However, the Wraith draws back, his head tilts and with a snort he nods. She speaks the truth.
Jennifer watches the Wraith's mouth open, then close. Those yellow eyes, which she found to look a bit small in proportion to his face, turn away and Kenny takes a step away from her.
It appears that the alien was having a great deal of difficulty finding words and Jennifer can only attempt a smile, "Things happen," she says.
"You have put yourself in a dangerous position, human," he says at last.
Lowering her eyes, the woman nods and unhooks the tablet that had gone black as the download finished. In truth, she had not the faintest of ideas at how much danger she had possibly put herself in. Maybe he's trying to frighten me…but why would he lie, didn't Teyla say it wasn't in their nature to lie? The tablet rests heavily in her hands as she stands, everyone lies, alien or not.
"Have you finished here, Doctor Keller?"
"Yeah," she replies, stealing a glance at the body and regretting it immediately when her throat begins to tighten.
Hearing the door open, Jennifer looks at the ceiling to keep her eyes clear as something in her told her that crying was not a very good idea around Wraith. A deep breath and a quick blink settle her enough to follow Kenny out of the lab.
She wants to ask where they were going, when the Wraith leads her down an unfamiliar hall. They pass several rooms before stopping in front of one of the lifts, what Rodney had dubbed the Wraithial interpretation of an elevator. Jennifer hides her giggle behind a false cough that Kenny ignores as he steps inside.
With a stomach lurching move, the lift begins to descend to goodness knows where. Chewing on her lower lip, the woman stares at the door while she wonders what Kenny or Todd had in mind for her, because this was certainly not the way to the waiting room.
The lift comes to a stop and the door slides open to a place in the hive Jennifer had never seen. Reports she had read about being captured only gave her a glimmer of what the holding cells were like. Now she stands at the end of long rows of them, hearing cries and sobs from the humans within. "Do not concern yourself with them, Doctor, we are simply using them to aid our researching in detecting the Hoffan virus," Kenny says as he walks ahead of her.
When the human begins to follow, he continues: "The Commander wants you to perform a full body examination of the hybrid before he returns."
"Aren't your scientists more qualified?"
"We cannot risk possible infection."
"So you can risk me getting infected…"
"That is something the hybrid will avoid if she awakens before you have completed your task."
"But if she's going to be stunned the entire time, why bother using me?"
Kenny turns to face her, stopping, "As I said, we cannot risk the remote possibility of infection, Doctor. After the Atero device obliterated two of our cruisers and your gene therapy destroyed an entire hive, we cannot afford to lose anymore of the alliance."
Jennifer's cheeks darken but she nods, "I understand."
Satisfied, the Wraith leads the woman to the hybrid's holding cell. The small, naked form of Myrna is at the back of the small room, shoulders rolling forward defensively when Kenny comes into view.
It is painful for Jennifer to see the hybrid like this, even knowing what she is meant for. "Hi Myrna," she says.
"Hello Jennifer," Myrna says; the duel tones of her voice were harsh and crackling with lack of water.
Pushing herself away from the back wall, the hybrid walks to the webbed door of the cell. She had long lost the ability to hurl spittle at the Wraith standing next to the human, but bares her teeth at him none the less. "So, they've picked you to poke and prod me?"
"It won't take long," Jennifer assures her, trying to smile. "All I need to do is check your physical condition and perform a quick scan. There won't be any poking, maybe a little prodding," she attempts to lighten the mood to put the hybrid at ease.
Myrna reaches up, grabbing where her hair would have been over her breasts, but only grasps a handful of air. "Do you have any idea how painful it is to have your body mutated?"
"Kinda," Jennifer murmurs, trying to expel the memory of what had happened to her nearly a year ago. "I can't exactly sympathize with what happened to you, I don't have to live with anything physical to remind me, but I still have nightmares of waking up covered in tentacles. It sucks, but you're alive and if you let me do this, you might still be alive tomorrow."
If they hybrid was going to answer Jennifer would never know. As soon as Myrna looks at her, the whites of her eyes black with burst blood vessels, her body locks violently with the charge of a stunner. The heavy thud of the fall causes Jennifer to cringe at the force of her head hitting the floor. Fussing at Kenny would do no good, and she had the feeling he wasn't in the mood to receive any criticism.
"No more than an hour. The equipment is to your left. I will close the door behind you," Kenny says.