Chapter 4

"Any news, love?"
Ivory has crept up behind Helena, who's sitting up in their bed, blanked tangled around her hips, and reading on her tablet.
"Mh." Helena huffs, as the Wraith rests her chin on her shoulder. "Erinya responded."

She feels Ivory's weight shift against her back, while she leans in to read over her shoulder.
"Ah. Bad news, then." she exclaims, and looks at her, trying to make eye-contact. "Are you going to grant her request?"

Helena breathes deeply, collecting her thoughts.
"Yes, I think. I don't want her suffering any longer." she eventually decides. "But, extracting her could be difficult. We do have the city's new coordinates, thanks to her, but we can't just... walk in there."

A light vibration runs through Helena's body, as Ivory chuckles against her.
"I cannot. But you might. With a little effort, a Vampire can pass as human." she says, "That is the entire premise of Erinya's mission, is it not? Why don't you take this opportunity to make your own alliances, while I work on that Hive I contacted?"

Helena chews on her lower lip.
She's right. Ivory will be leaving in a few hours, and their original plan has entailed the Vampire Base Ship just standing by idly until she's ready to return. Getting Atlantis on board with her plot against Queen Death doesn't seem too far-fetched.

"I'm sure I could pull that off." Helena admits. "But what about Guide? I don't think Atlantis will surrender their most valued prisoner to a new ally. He's been held there for a while now, if we don't get Erinya to him soon, he will die."

"It would certainly be a step toward freeing him. Erinya may be able to help, as she's on the inside." Ivory muses. "It was her idea, after all."

"We're talking about possibly antagonizing the ones with access to the city of the Ancients, and letting them know who we are." Helena counters. "It will be a prison-break, Ivory, that much is certain."

"You had similar concerns when Erinya asked you to be placed there as a spy, love." Ivory reminds her, circling Helena's belly button with the pads of her fingers while she speaks. "The Lanthians may very well see that they have bigger concerns, once we tell them about Death."

"How would we justify knowing about her, without them finding out what we are?"

That statement has Ivory laugh.

"This may sound odd, but do hear me out." Her breath tickles Helena's neck as she withdraws a little. "Atlantis has worked with Guide a number of times, so they aren't too taken aback by the idea of humans allying with Wraith. If you sell yourself well, you may claim that I am to you what Guide is to them."

Helena turns around to look at her, with an eyebrow raised.
"That will require serious acting skills. I mean – I sleep with you."

Ivory laughs again and lies down on her back.

"Best get all of that out of your system before we launch this plan." she suggests and curls her claw at her, in a beckoning gesture.

–

Erinya weighs the tablet in her hand, reading over Helena's latest response over and over again. It has a few mistypes, uncharacteristic for her, so Erinya deduces that it has been written in a hurry.

Her own plan to infiltrate Atlantis is ambitious, she knows that, but Helena is now taking it up to eleven.

Cussing under her breath, she stuffs the last cool-pack under her jacket, straightens herself, and moves to leave her quarters.

She reaches the Gate-Room in a half-jog, but it still takes her too long, because she keeps having to stop and hold on to a wall, when the world starts spinning before her eyes. Her colored contacts obstructing her vision don't help either.

Dr. Keller is already present, and greets her with a friendly nod. Erinya doesn't miss the worried elevator-look she gives her.
"I'm okay," she mouths at her, and folds her arms in front of her chest.

A few hours before, she had spoken to Mr. Woolsey, and explained that her and Helena were old friends, from a previous offworld-mission she had taken part in, obviously, lying through her teeth, but she dearly hopes to be out of the city before anyone has the time to try and read up on her claims. But for now, this half-assed lie allows her to present during Helena's first contact.

"Incoming signal," she hears someone speak, and a video feed opens on one of the larger screens.

Her heart jumps, seeing the familiar bridge of the Base Ship, and Helena's smiling face.
She looks off, makeup hiding the cold, bluish undertones in her skin, and a pair of brown contacts cover the flaring crimson of her eyes.

"Good Morning, Atlantis." she opens. Erinya notices her speaking a little quieter than usual, avoiding parting her lips enough to show her fangs. "I am Helena, Captain of this ship. Thank you for considering my offer. You are as much in need of allies as I am."

"It's our pleasure." That's Teyla, the athosian woman, speaking. Erinya assumes, she's been put in charge of diplomacy with other Pegasus-native peoples. "Your contact in Atlantis, Dr. Thorne, has told us that you may hold valuable information?"

Straight to the point. Erinya is thankful for that. Every second she spends here, holding her head up high, is a strain.

"We do, yes." Helena lowers her head slightly, a respectful gesture. "My... endeavors have brought to an unlikely ally. I'm aware of strange this may sound for you, but I've been given intel about a massive, new Wraith-alliance gathering on our horizons... by a Wraith."

A shift goes through the assembled people.

"Not something we're unfamiliar with." the dark-haired man, Sheppard, says, a hint of mockery in his voice. "What's he told you?"

"She." Helena corrects him. "A Queen has risen, and she's apparently incredibly charismatic. I don't know much about it, but I do know that she's gathered an impressive fleet around her."
She visibly hesitates.

"Additionally," she adds, "She's made a good number of my people her worshippers. Not too long ago, my ship was attacked by one of my own. My Wraith contact may just want her out of the way, but for me, it is a lot more... personal."

"That is very understandable." Teyla replies, her tone soft and kind. Obviously, Helena's anger about this particular issue isn't an act at all. Erinya can tell, just by looking at her. "Do you know if this fleet will attempt to harm us? Did you contact reveal this to you?"

Helena shakes her head.
"Not confirmed, no. She says, she assumes as much, but according to her own statements, she's not on the inside of that alliance." she replies. "However, I'd say it's likely. You hold they keys to your home-planet, don't you? My contact told me that this planet is still of interest to the Wraith."

"If I may,..." Erinya has raised one hand, politely stepping in. "Mr. Woolsey, I hope this is alright to reveal – we have our own Wraith-contact, do we not? Hasn't he been in custody, useless and starving? Now, that we have to deal with the Wraith again, we might have to request his help again."

She feels a few glares on her, her heart races. This is a bold move, and she knows it.

"We don't trust him." Sheppard tells her, his voice dangerously low.
"I know, Colonel, but he might still be useful. I doubt we have the resources to fend off a massive fleet, even with Miss Helena's aid. Or do we?" Erinya catches Helena's warning glance.

"She is right. Wraith are not to be trusted, but they can be exploited." Helena supports her, and Erinya can't help but admire her for the sincere tone she manages. "If you do have a prisoner, I would... much like to interrogate him myself."

Teyla draws breath to speak, but Woolsey cuts her off.
"We will discuss this." he states. "In the meantime, you're invited to stay in our guest quarters, if you may?"
"I thank you for the offer, Mr. Woolsey, but I am comfortable orbiting your planet for the time being." Helena politely declines. "I do urge you to make your decision quickly. I wish to free my people of the Wraith's grasp as soon as possible."

"Of course. We'll be in touch." Teyla manages to say before the connection is terminated from Helena's side.

Erinya watches helplessly, as the big names of Atlantis retreat into the conference room, leaving her behind, trembling from heat and uncertainty.

–

Days pass by, and Erinya's condition gets worse by the minute. Keller's message that the allied ship has 'volunteered' to treat her sickness in exchange for interrogating Guide on their terms is more than a relief.

She's escorted into the Gate-Room with most of her own, personal things, leaving behind the belongings she'd gathered during her stay in Atlantis, to mask the fact that she is not planning to return. It takes a lot out of her to stand still for Helena's transporter system to latch onto her, but when she finally materializes on the bridge, she nearly cries.

Helena has her back to her, taking a moment to thank Atlantis for their trust, before shutting down the connection, rushing over to prevent Erinya from falling to her knees.

"You look awful." she states.
"I feel awful." she responds. "Is he here?"

"He is. The marines they sent along with him are enjoying our hospitality in a guest room. I insisted on having my people 'guard' him." Helena explains to her. "Come. It's been a long time."

She lets Erinya steady herself on her arm, and leads her through the corridors.
Anticipation has Erinya's flames burn brighter than before. She's played this game before, herself, overflowing with life, so much that it hurts, facing a starving Wraith.
Specifically Guide.

His escape together with the Lanthian, Sheppard, had given her the opportunity to flee the facility herself, and ever since, they've held contact. His final message, informing her that he was going to place himself in lanthian custody again, was what started her little undercover-maneuver, after all.

Helena stops in front of one of the guest quarters.
"Take your time." she says, and lets go of Erinya's arm.
Her hand shakes, when she touches the sensor that opens the doors.

The room is darker than the well-lit corridors, and it takes her a moment to adjust to the lack of light.
Guide sits on a padded bench, facing the door, dressed in one of the grey jumpsuits Erinya's seen on crewmen of the Daedalus before.
He looks terrible.

His eyes are more sunken than usual, and shadowed by dark circles. All his features look sharper, his skin dry and paled.
Yet, she sits up straight, hands balled to fists, and resting on his knees.

Erinya almost feels ashamed for her own lack of dignity in this situation, although she's rather positive he doesn't feel much better than her.

"Why do you even keep doing this?" she mutters, approaching him, a rhetorical question, but she swears she sees him smirk briefly.

"Why do you?" he counters weakly, his feeding hand twitches impatiently, and Erinya hurries to take a seat next to him.

"Nevermind that." she cuts any impending discussion short, and dislodges the zipper on her jacket when she violently yanks it down. Now, so close to relief, her fire threatens to consume her. Her head spins, but she has enough clarity to notice the hungry expression in Guide's eyes, while he lifts his hand, and delicately places it on her chest.

"Hurry," she complains, seconds before the initial pain of the incision hits her. As soon as their systems are connected, her fire rushes out of her, as if Guide had pulled the plug on a bathtub full of molten rock.

Her vision blurs, and she hears him hiss, feels his off hand on her shoulder as he drains her. The room sways before her, and she feels her forehead hit something soft – his chest?, while her hands lock around his wrist.

The pain lessens, and she feels him preparing to withdraw, a jolt of pain surges through her veins.

"No-... Please. Not yet." Erinya presses forth, and feels Guide obediently raise the pressure again.

Her knees feel weak.

For a moment, she's back in the Genii facility strapped down, arching into his healing touch, into his hand that takes the fire away.
She whines, but the rumble in Guide's chest keeps her calm. She's fine. She's safe. That place no longer exists.

The firm grip on her shoulder is gone. Instead, she feels his off hand on her back. He must've noticed her brief panic.

Again, the pressure slowly fades, the ebb of her life force stilling, punctuated sharply by the pain of him unlatching his feeding organ from her.

"Better?" he inquires.

"Much better." Erinya raises her head and takes a more upright position. "You have no idea how awful this was. I knew you were there, but I couldn't... I just couldn't reach you."

"I appreciate your concern regardless." Amusement underlines his tone. "You deployed yourself in Atlantis directly after learning of my plans?"

Erinya pulls up her shoulders.

"I know how terrible it is for you to starve." she tells him, and notices a shift in demeanor. "I'm sorry I couldn't be there earlier."

"You have nothing to apologize for." Guide replies, making his voice sound as soft as possible. "I know, you suffered too."

"I had hoped we'd never have to walk through the fire like this again." she breathes. "Try to avoid putting yourself in positions like this in the future, if you may."

"If circumstances allow it."

She isn't looking at him, but she knows that he's smiling.