John, Ronon, Tey'la and Rodney were waiting with a security detail for the now infamous Max Holloway to arrive with Lorne. Rumors traveled faster than air and within days of Max's decision to leave prison the city was popping and hissing with the white noise of a hot new rumor.

"We should make some kind of announcement Sheppard. Half the people here are expecting an axe wielding maniac." Rodney grunted.

"I hear she used a sword." Ronon said with one of his small isn't-it-fun-to-wind-up-Rodney smiles.

Tey'la glanced at Ronon and frowned one of her stop-winding-up-Rodney frowns.

McKay just stared mournfully at the open Stargate. John ignored the interplay and wondered if he should have brought more security, not for Max but in case anyone got mouthy or tried to make a scene. Atlantis couldn't and didn't run like a civilian city or a military outpost, though it leaned heavily toward military outpost. The civilian personnel from Earth would follow commands up to a point especially in combat or when the city faced an external threat. Likewise the Athosians and any other guests would defer to Sheppard's people in most situations.

This wasn't most situations. This was the leadership of the city choosing to bring a dangerous element into the city for an unknown reason. Carter had kept her plan under wraps. John had agreed the only thing worse than bringing a mass murderer to Atlantis was bringing a mass murderer and a wraith to Atlantis.

"Colonel Sheppard?" Carter's voice filled his ear piece.

"I'm here." He replied stiffly.

"We need to thin out this crowd, can you request an additional security team to assist?"

"Absolutely." John loved working under Carter.

Half an hour later the looky loos had been politely but firmly removed leaving only essential personnel and security behind.

"Hey Colonel you ready for the show?" Rodney asked as Carter appeared. John's team were waiting on the steps that lead from the gate to ops. He nodded at Carter.

"I think so Dr. McKay."

John tapped his earpiece, "Okay come on through Lorne we're ready." John said. Seconds later two figures exited the wormhole and it closed behind them. The woman wasn't especially big John noted with some surprise. She was somewhat plain but wasn't wearing makeup and her BDUs were loose on her frame. She moved confidently very physical and sure of herself. Lorne kept close to her but was relaxed, friendly. Feeling somewhat relieved John lead his team and Carter down the steps.

Max was all eyes and caution as she followed Lorne. The room they were in was enormous and beautiful.

"Is the whole city this nice?" She asked Lorne still glancing around, noting the various guards and crates of supplies nearby.

"Yes." Lorne said with a chuckle.

"Sir." He said as John approached.

"Sergeant Holloway, welcome to Atlantis. I'm Colonel John Sheppard."

"Sir." Max said as John waived her near salute away.

"Thank you for coming." Carter said warmly and offered her hand. Max took it in a warrior's embrace and grinned.

"I'm sorry it was so hard to get me here Ma'am. Congratulations on the promotion and assignment, you deserve both."

Max studied John's companions tagging them as obviously non-Earth and very much military of some sort then turned her attention back to Carter.

"Let's get this taken care of so we can get on with our lives." She sounded confident but even John and Ronon caught the quaver in her voice.

"Max –"

"Carter I…please let's just do it, okay?" Max said suddenly pale. Carter nodded. John lead the group to a transporter, Lorne remained behind, his task done. He watched them go feeling sick and frustrated.

They were silent during the trip. Max focusing on staying calm and in control, she used every breathing and meditation technique she had ever been taught. Frankly she was terrified. She had no idea what was going to happen.

They ended up in a well-guarded room that felt subterranean. Max thought she could smell saltwater and sense movement but she could have been projecting that, she knew Atlantis floated on a saltwater sea. In front of them was an elaborate cage and on its floor a humanoid being. Max recognized it from training videos as a wraith.

She hadn't expected to be able to smell it.

"That smell…do they always smell like that?"

Her companions seemed confused aside from Ronon who seemed impressed.

"Yes, cold and evil." He agreed.

"Should I just –"

"No, Dr. Beckett –"

"Ah there y'are." A cheerful Scottish voice rang out and a solidly built man with dark hair and a kind visage appeared from around a corner. He was trailed by a medical technician and McKay. Rodney looked sheepishly at his team having fled ops with the rest of the sightseers.

Max barely registered Beckett's words as he and the tech hooked up probes and leads. Once they were done she knew she would have to submit to the terrible hunger of the creature in the cage. Finally Carson's and his assistant were done. The rest of the SGA personnel watched in silence as Max took a deep breath and approached the monster.

She had removed her BDU jacket and now wore only the t-shirt and pants, she remembered the asp blade in its custom rig under her shirt and felt better. Maybe if things went wrong she could chop the thing's arm off.

As she approached the wraith rose from the floor of the cave and settled its inhuman insectile eyes on her.

"A snack." It hissed, only it wasn't just out loud, she could feel it in her skull, not the words but the meaning behind them. It didn't mean snack as in a light meal though that's what it said, it meant snack as in an unsatisfying and pathetic excuse for a meal.

Angry and afraid she moved closer to it and spat in its face.

"Try it bug face." She snapped and felt a little voice in the back of her head start to giggle at her choice of insults. Before she could lose her nerve or find a better insult among the yammering panicked thoughts in her head the creature struck.

The blow was hard enough to crack her ribs but before the pain of the impact could register it began to feed. It was like an icy vise of iron clamped down on her basic essence. She couldn't breathe or think, she couldn't scream or move, she tried to pull away but all she could see were the yellow happy eyes of the beast that was killing her. Her ears filled with a low rumbling roar and her vision narrowed until her world was filled with the thing's face and darkness followed.