Jennifer steadied herself against the wall when she felt the Hive move into hyperspace. Her body relaxed, understanding that so long as they were in hyperspace, they were almost 100% safe from any sort of attack. Guide and Bonewhite's earlier actions had unsettled her, not because of the mention of saboteurs, but instead the manner in which it had been said. Guide himself had appeared more uncomfortable than she had ever seen him before as he had shoved her into his bedroom and sealed the door. What was it he was so worried about?
Just as she took a seat on the edge of the mattress, the door retracted and Guide appeared. She quickly righted herself, but resisted the urge to run to him, to inquire about the situation, and to demand to know why she hadn't been allowed to join him on the bridge. After all, Queens belonged on the bridge at least some of the time, did they not?
"Your assistance will be required on this upcoming planet," the Wraith spoke sternly, his hands folded behind his back and his stature stiff. He looked down at her from his greater height, the long black trench coat making him appear quite ominous as he did so.
"Oh?" Jennifer asked in return, her interest piqued.
"There was a human colony on this planet several years ago, and the species we seek has taken up home within the walls of that colony. The humans aren't there anymore—complications of a plague, not the Wraith, before you ask—but the enclosure is warded by a series of codes we have, thus far, been unable to understand. The language is human, but it does not appear to be the same structure as that which you and I speak."
Jennifer narrowed her eyes and tilted her head, trying to retain the scientist part of her brain and subdue the strange feminine attraction to the male before her.
"I'm not sure I understand what you're talking about, but I will gladly accompany you and help translate wherever I can. I'm no Daniel Jackson though."
In a decidedly human fashion, Guide rolled his eyes.
"I am sure your powers of translation will be more than adequate."
"What is it we're trying to catch this time?" She tried to hide the grin at the corner of her lips.
"We cannot pronounce their designation until you translate the codes."
"Well...describe them, then."
"They are larger than you and I and very aggressive." He cocked an eyebrow.
"Why don't we pick an easier species if they are so aggressive?"
"It is precisely this level of aggression that suggests their life force will provide an acceptable substitution for that of a human."
"More energy...more food," Jennifer mumbled.
"More food...less danger to your kind." Their eyes connected, brown to yellow-green, and a series of images suddenly flashed through both their minds.
Jennifer gasped as she witnessed herself lying in her bed, bloodied and broken.
Guide tensed when he saw an unfamiliar Wraith Queen beside him, a blade in her hand coated with thick, sticky blood.
The moment was gone in an instant, but it was enough to cause Jennifer to take several steps backwards and away from the Wraith before her. She felt the mattress as it brushed the back of her knees, but she carefully kept herself distanced from it now. Guide reached toward her in an uncharacteristic but strangely instinctual fashion, seeking only to calm her, but the damage was done. Jennifer was frightened.
"Don't touch me!" she cried, brandishing the blade he had given to her. "I see what your mind sees, Guide. I'm no fool. When we get to this planet, I plan to stay behind. I will find my own way until I make it back to the Milky Way Galaxy and can connect with my own kind once again."
The sight of the blade made Guide's muscles stiffen, for he knew in spite of the human's general physical weakness, she could strike quickly as a viper might. Deep within him a different instinct surfaced—the instinct to feed on that which threatened him, to gain strength from her fear and energy from the adrenaline that coursed through her. The great alien body quivered and he took a step toward her, secretly reveling at the way she anxiously twisted the hand holding the knife. The Wraith's pupils dilated as they locked eyes again, and another vision passed between them.
The Wraith Queen hissed and pulled Jennifer's head backward by her hair. The doctor was on her knees, and the Queen spoke to Guide who stood a short distance away.
"You have done well, Commander," the Queen breathed, grinning sadistically. "I must admit, I had my doubts regarding her viability as the human who would perfect the serum, but I now know I was wrong. And, of course, your own scientific contributions will make all the difference for Wraith survival. I had no idea it was possible to prolong the humans' ability to survive our feeding sessions." She ran the blade softly across Jennifer's throat, scratching it but drawing no blood. "I do so believe it is time for a celebration, of sorts. Since this human is of no further use to us..." She shoved Jennifer forward now so that she feel at Guide's knees. "To the victor go the spoils, Commander. I injected her this morning. Eat..."
Back in reality, the enraged Wraith commander roared aloud and it took all of his strength to halt the vision where it lay. Jennifer, inexplicably weakened, collapsed to the floor. The blade fell from her hand, and as she looked up at the approaching Wraith, the terror in her eyes was evident.
"I cannot allow you to stay behind, Doctor Kell-err," Guide issued, sounding tired as he crouched down beside her. She shivered against her will, and he took note. "The visions you and I are seeing are intended to drive a wedge between us to ensure we do not continue our research. If I let you stay behind, the perpetrator will receive exactly that which they have been attempting to achieve." He reached for the knife and closed her fingers around the handle again, and then lifted her so that her back leaned against the side of the bed. If it would provide her any comfort knowing she held a weapon in her hand, he was willing to take the risk of being injured himself.
"Why am I so weak?" the woman gasped softly, her mouth slightly agape.
"Fear releases certain chemicals in the human body that are detectable by any Wraith—myself included. Just as is the case with the beast we will soon be hunting, those chemicals mean a more nourishing meal. In certain cases it is possible for Wraith to obtain energy from humans through purely telepathic means."
"So...I've been fed upon?"
"In a manner of speaking, yes. This sort of feeding won't kill you directly, but it can leave you vulnerable to other...threats." The Wraith shifted, taking her by the upper arm and pulling her to her less-than-steady feet.
"I guess it makes sense now why you told me to stand my ground when you first brought me here," Jennifer observed, her voice hoarse. Guide merely nodded. "How do I know it wasn't you that just fed upon me?" Her eyes had narrowed now, the dark grey circles beneath them more evident than usual.
Offended, but too tired to care, Guide sighed.
"Of late, it has proven more difficult for me to resist the urge to feed. You are the only human aboard my vessel, so it is a natural response that my body should desire you in so sinister a way. All living things must eat, Jennifer, but I would never willingly let such a fate befall you."
"Willingly..." the woman murmured, shivering again. "Am I to take that to mean there are methods, too, by which the Wraith can force one another to complete tasks they might otherwise avoid? Including feeding?"
"Yes."
"And...considering the fact that these visions are happening when we're awake now, instead of just when we're asleep...am I to assume you are on your way to being controlled by another?"
Just as Guide tightened his feeding hand on Jennifer's arm, Jennifer tightened her hold on the handle of the knife. His free hand skimmed under her chin and then his palm was against her cheek, the motion making her shudder and her already weak legs threaten to buckle beneath her. The slits of the Wraith's yellow eyes shifted back and forth between the dark brown irises before him, seeking to connect with her mentally. She carefully prevented him from doing so in a way he didn't quite understand, but he was wise enough not to press her privacy. From her stature alone he knew whatever trust she might once have had in him was faltering. He recognized it in the way she held the knife, poised to attack should the need arise.
"I am not so feeble as a human, Doctor Kell-err," the alien purred. "I am not your Rodney McKay, useless in battle and good only for dancing."
Beneath his hand, he felt her soften just so.
"He wasn't useless in battle, just in hand-to-hand combat!" Jennifer snapped back, uncertain why she was even bothering to defend Rodney's honor at this point. She knew enough of Guide's persona to realize he would never think highly of McKay, as she did.
"If only he were here now...perhaps he could use that wonderful brain of his to determine who is setting these visions upon us..." In his voice, the mockery outweighed the darker meaning of the words. Jennifer attempted to tug her arm away, but the commander held fast, grinning and displaying the rows of sharp teeth. "...And then, with said perpetrator's extermination, I would be free to help you fit in among my kind. I could have you, without interruption or contrition, as nature intended it to be."
Their eyes locked, and Jennifer's stomach knotted. Her hold on the knife slackened, but Bonewhite's warning rang in her ears. Was Guide really seeking a new Queen? Or did he actually feel something for her, just as she existed now?
"What is it Jenn-i-ferr?"
She was taken aback by the concerned note she heard in his words, but doubt still lingered in her mind.
"Nature did not intend for humans to live among Wraith, let alone..." The blonde trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.
Guide narrowed his eyes, at last releasing her arm. He stood straighter now, clasping his hands behind his back and lifting his chin.
"You...have been speaking with someone regarding this matter," the commander stated, his tone sharp and his intelligent eyes knowing exactly to what she was referring.
"I read about it in one of the new archives you gave me access to," Jennifer responded, shaking her head and suddenly overcome by the need to protect Bonewhite. "Well, I read bits and pieces about Wraith experimentation with human DNA and the Iratus bug DNA and after that...things just kind of...fell into place."
Skeptical, Guide's eyes remained narrowed, but she told a convincing lie.
"There are times it would be best for you to trust me, Doctor, rather than trusting your human-born instincts. I can only hope that one day you will think more highly of me than your accusations so imply."
"I didn't accuse you of anything, Guide."
"At the very least you have insulted my honor, to believe I am so lowly a creature as to seek your transformation into something you are not."
Jennifer, torn between an inclination to fear him and her growing compulsion to trust him, dropped her eyes to the floor.
"I have spent the last several years being taught that any Wraith I encounter will kill me," she spoke softly, keeping her gaze low. "John himself told me more about you than I could ever have hoped to know, and all of it encircled the concept that you are a self-serving alien murderer who happens to understand the idea of biding his time."
Guide felt his chest tighten and rage flood his veins. How dare that no-good Colonel spread such tales of him! Self-serving, yes, but a murderer? Only by necessity. He clenched his hands into fists, squeezing so hard that enzyme began to ooze from the maw of his feeding hand, and blood trickled from the points where his claws dug into his flesh. When his eyes landed back on the small Atlantean before him, it was all he could do to contain his fury and ensure he did nothing more to convince her that her readings were accurate. Blowing out a breath through his sharp teeth, he opened his hands, studying the drying blood as he did so.
"John Sheppard did not know so much as he believed," Guide said finally, his nostrils curling and wrinkles appearing on the bridge of his nose. "The Wraith, too, believe in the sanctity of life, in ways different than you humans do. But I have never killed without a reason, Jenn-i-ferr, nor do I ever plan to subject you to such a fate." Their eyes locked, but Jennifer couldn't speak.
"We will be arriving at the planet in a few hours," Guide snapped in continuation. "Return to your own quarters and ready yourself."