A seven day week seemed an odd measure of time. Many worlds had moon cycles as their shortest measure of time, but a seven day increment seemed arbitrary and unnecessary.
Monday; a strange name for a day—presumably it had something to do with a moon. Aceso sat in the jumper mentally cataloguing the things that needed to be brought and making sure they had been packed.
Six scientists sat around her, the research team that Woolsey had ordered on this mission.
One of the human warriors, a Major by the name of Jacob Adams would be piloting the ship today. Woolsey had already taken care of establishing a dialogue with the central government of the world they were set to visit. Presumably, all they needed to do was greet their representatives at the gate for an inspection before flying onward to the facility.
It felt strange to return here after all this time. Her last visit here happened decades ago, and with much difficulty, she managed to bring back the field generator that dampened wraith weaponry. Before that, only brief visits as a child remained in her memory of this place. The laboratory that had been concealed there had belonged to her mother, and was meant to be a secret, even from other wraith.
The world had gone through a few names in her lifetime. This time, it was referred to as Vorash. The leadership there wasn't on the best terms with the Atlanteans, and apparently Woolsey had to promise a lot of technology and medicine in return for letting them examine this lab. It was strange to ask for permission to go visit a facility that she felt should belong to her already.
Much had changed in the intervening time. What remained of her mother's hive and alliance, was spread out across the galaxy on disparate worlds and much of it under the control of other wraith alliances. To think that any of it still 'belonged' to her might be a bit foolish.
Aceso double checked her cloak to make sure it was working, but as far as she knew, the mission was ready to proceed except for one thing—McKay wasn't there yet.
"Doctor McKay," she called out over the radio. Major Adams glanced at her, showing sympathy about McKay's behavior.
From the bay, McKay's voice entered through the back of the jumper a second before he appeared. "I'm here," McKay said as he strode into the ship with purpose. He didn't sit down and opted to stand holding onto the cargo netting.
"Let's get moving," McKay directed, pointing at Adams.
Adams glanced expectantly toward Aceso. "With all due respect, she's in charge of this mission."
McKay visibly deflated and looked to Aceso with contempt. "If our leader is ready." He pointed expectantly.
She fumed silently at his insulting tone. "We are ready to depart," Aceso confirmed. McKay's tendency to lash out when his ego was challenged made the mood unpleasant for everyone. Now that he directed his ire toward her, she understood why McKay had a bad reputation.
Everyone in the jumper was on edge now. She had a tendency to want to promote social harmony, but dealing with McKay set her efforts back. A mood like that could spread throughout the group, including to herself, and didn't bode well for the outcome of a mission.
Lieutenant Adams started the jumper's drive pods and brought the craft to a hover as the rear door closed. In a flash, they made it through the stargate to the planet on the other side. As requested, they landed their ship at the agreed upon coordinates for an inspection.
She doubted that the authorities on Vorash would be able to figure out the difference between a weapon and a piece of diagnostic equipment. Their level of technology was only just above that of her home on Irinak.
Adams landed the jumper and the rear door opened into a grassy field just outside some of the capitol buildings. Dense pollution filled the air as a breeze rushed in to replace the sterile filtered air inside the ship. Everyone's attention moved outside to where a group of soldiers in a line held their weapons aimed at the ground. The soldiers wore a bright green uniform which included a short hat like a beret.
One man, older than the rest and possessing insignia on his uniform suggesting higher rank moved to the open door. "Exit your ship and prepare for inspection!" the man demanded.
Aceso stood and led her team out of the jumper, where they stood in a haphazard circle. The city skyline could barely be seen in a cloud of haze and smoke. The building were built of brick and were around five or six stories tall. It wasn't a very clean city, and smelled like refuse where they had landed.
The commander nodded and three of the soldiers went into the ship and started throwing supplies around.
"Hey hey hey!" McKay protested. "Careful with that stuff, we can't afford to break it." The soldiers ignored him.
Aceso felt the tension from the soldiers. The commander turned and glanced at her, his eyes lingering for only a second, and then he gazed at McKay, a scowl forming on his brow. She tried to gauge his emotion, and she felt a bizarre apprehension from him, almost as if he were nervous. His fear didn't seem to be directed at anything in particular. She guessed that he might be worried about their advanced technology.
"Sir," one of the soldiers called out. They emerged carrying an open case of the Earth-made firearms.
"We found these."
The commander stepped up, examined the weapons, and waved the soldier away to confiscate the weapons. "We will not permit you to have weapons," the commander said.
"What?" McKay protested. "That wasn't part of our original agreement!"
Aceso stepped in front of McKay. She couldn't let his attitude sabotage this mission. She worked too hard to get this far. "We understand, and thank you for allowing us passage on your world."
The man eyed her with contempt. "As per our agreement with your leader, Woolsey, we are allowed to confiscate whatever technology we deem to be a threat to us. You are to fly your ship to the coordinates specified in our arrangement, then back to the stargate. You are not to deviate from that route or to set foot anywhere else. You are permitted to occupy the location for a single solar day. If you are found deviating from these instructions, you will be fired upon."
The scientists collectively swallowed nervously.
"I understand," Aceso said.
The commander turned and gave a hand gesture to his men, who followed him away from there and toward one of the buildings.
"I think that's it for the warm welcome," Adams commented.
"That went well," McKay said sarcastically. He crossed his arms and turned to her. "We don't have weapons now."
She exhaled to calm herself. "We shouldn't need them."
"Oh really." McKay said. "We're just going to waltz into a wraith laboratory and hope no one tries to kill us?"
"It's abandoned," Aceso said. "It used to belong to my mother's alliance, and it has been derelict since I last visited."
"Right," McKay said with an eye roll. "Assumptions like that always go well."
McKay's attitude kept grating her nerves, forcing her to expend energy to simply stay calm.
"Let's proceed," Aceso said to Adams.
Adams shrugged. "They weren't supposed to take our weapons. I was told we would be able to keep them."
"Yes well," McKay sighed. "Obviously vague language has come back to haunt us."
They all filed back into the ship and Adams brought the jumper's engines back online.
"I'm going to have to protest about the weapons being confiscated," Adams said, looking at Aceso. "I don't think we should continue without them."
McKay smiled smugly. "Our fearless leader thinks we don't need them."
Adams turned in his sear to face Aceso. "I think we should turn back and report what they did."
Aceso became conflicted. On one hand, she wanted to proceed, but on the other, this new development left them vulnerable. The Vorash authorities probably just wanted to study the design of the guns.
She couldn't overthink this. The facility would confront them with no danger, meaning they would not need weapons.
"We should proceed," she said.
Adams shrugged. "You're the boss. I'm just glad no one mentioned that the jumper has drone weapons, otherwise we would have to walk."
The next leg of the trip lasted thirty minutes, and had them flying over rugged mountains and wide valleys filled with cultivated crops. Their course followed a river and several small villages along its banks. As they neared their destination, the river began to meander and grow narrow, eventually turning into a bog nestled between two mountain ranges.
They arrived at the entrance to the lab finally, and the scientists spread out in the bright sunlight to stretch their legs. They were surrounded only by forest, and many flying insects made their way out to greet them.
Aceso remembered this location fairly well, and walked toward a rocky outcropping that formed the beginning of a mountain ridge.
"It's here," she said to the group who followed a couple steps behind her. She approached the wall and connected to the mechanism with her mind. The cloaking device responded, showing the real opening to the cave.
She stepped timidly inside, her eyes taking a second to adjust to the total lack of light. She commanded the facility bring the illumination online, and it obliged, illuminating the bioluminescent cells in the walls with a blueish glow.
Aceso led the way, deep into the laboratory. She recognized this place, and it felt safe, a long buried memory of a forgotten home.
They reached a large room which served as the facility's control and communication center. This base wasn't very large, but it still had three levels and multiple rooms to explore. Unfortunately, many of the consoles in this section were dead, having long been deactivated or broken.
"All right," McKay announced. "We're going to stay here in the control center and get some of this equipment working. I don't want anyone wandering off and possibly getting hurt."
McKay wasn't wrong about his plan, and Aceso didn't want to argue with him, so she just let him lead for now.
The technicians spread out around the room, identifying systems that weren't working and attempting to restore power.
For herself, she took to exploring a little. This facility had been built down into the rock, and the entrance was on the top level.
She had a motive for being here that went beyond simply cataloging the technology. Every place she visited from her past brought old memories to the forefront. Connecting with her past and finding the truth in her memories piqued her curiosity.
This place in particular made her remember the immediate aftermath of when the Lanteans massacred her family. This facility is where they went first.
She remembered her mother pleading with her advisors to travel back to the Lantean mountainside base so that she could bury the others, but they refused, saying that they barely escaped from orbital assault the first time. They were driven out quickly, and had to leave everything and everyone.
She had been so young, and could barely understand what had just happened, but she remembered how everyone else around her felt, as her empathic senses could vividly understand that even at so young an age.
Her first moments in this base marked the beginning of the end for her life as a wraith. From then on, her childhood was filled with long bouts of loneliness, boredom, and being confined within a ship all the time.
"So where is the device you talked about?" McKay asked her expectantly.
She shook her head. "I can't be sure. I only have a vague notion that it may be here."
McKay exhaled in a surprised laugh. "Well if you're not sure, what are we doing here?"
"I was under the impression that you would like the chance to examine a wraith laboratory unimpeded. This gives you that opportunity."
McKay turned around and knelt down to an internal sensors console. "Yeah, well, wraith tech isn't exactly useful to us, seeing as how we can't actually use it."
Aceso didn't know what to say about his ingratitude. "I'm sorry you feel this was a waste of time."
One of the technicians, a woman with blond hair stepped forward. Her name was Isobel. "Actually, this gives us the opportunity to examine wraith technology from a much different technological era than our current one. All of these things are much different than modern wraith technology, and gives us clues to their technological basis and culture of origin."
"In other words, it's outdated," McKay said mockingly. "Thank you Irene, Ira, I…."
"Isobel" the woman corrected enthusiastically.
McKay continued his work. "Yeah just — whatever," he said carelessly. "A lot of technicians come and go, give me a break."
Isobel seemed deflated, upset as though hurt.
Not that she wanted to indulge McKay's attitude, but she did understand the need to search for the piece of Lantean technology they came here for.
"I'd like to search the storage areas on the lower levels," Aceso commented. "Isobel, could you assist me with that? Perhaps you could also help to inspect the power generator." Really, she wanted to help her get away from McKay.
"Woah woah," McKay said, suddenly giving her his full attention. "I need her here to monitor the power conduits for overloads. I should be the one to search the base with you."
Aceso couldn't believe what she heard. The last person she wanted to spend time with was McKay. "Every power conduit is regulated. We don't need anyone monitoring them."
"Oh, yeah, because that attitude worked so well on the hive ship the other day."
She felt something snap inside her mind. A huge rush of anger overtook her, and she wanted nothing more than to scream at him. After all, McKay was ultimately responsible for the overload on the hive ship, not her.
Still, she had to keep herself together. Breathing deeply, she calmed her voice. "No one needs to monitor the power conduits," she said. "I'm taking her with me. You stay here and get internal sensors online."
McKay waved her away. "Fine."
"I'll go with you," Adams said. "We don't want to risk something attacking us."
Aceso nodded with gratitude. "Thank you, but I don't expect anyone to be here. The door was sealed and cloaked after all, and only a wraith could open it."
"Even so," Adams said. "They trained me to be cautious off world."
McKay waved them off, "Fine, whatever. I'll just get internal sensors online." The three ignored him and walked off.
Aceso led down the main hallway, and Adams along with Isobel followed behind her. She made her way to a ramped passageway that led down to the lower levels of the facility.
They turned into the first storage room, and something caught her eye. In the corner of the room, surrounded by shipping crates and shelves of unknown wraith devices rested a distinctly out-of-place piece of Lantean technology.
"Stand there Aceso," the Lantean man said.
She didn't want to sit still, fidgeting with her hair, she really wanted to look out the window. Nevertheless, hands guided her toward the raised pedestal.
A bright flash of light overtook her, but she didn't feel anything at all.
"That's all!" he said excitedly. "Didn't hurt a bit, did it?"
She shook her head. She wanted to see the mountains outside.
She couldn't remember when they brought it back with them from the Lantean outpost, but it was sometime before the attack. They never let her hive see the device schematics and research. She didn't know why her whole hive hadn't used it in the following years, but she was under the impression that they were unable to for some reason that she didn't know.
It looked like a circular raised platform, but with blue trim and a control console that was presently deactivated. Aceso approached it and activated the power.
It turned on, the blue trim glowing brightly.
"What's that?" Adams asked.
"It's what I came here for," Aceso said, walking around the device, and examining it. The glowing stopped when she stepped away. "This is the device that the Lanteans used on me as a child. It's what they used on my entire family."
Isobel approached, touching it lightly, and then keyed her radio. "Dr. McKay, we've found the device. It's down the main hallway and the first storage room on the left.
"Acknowledged," McKay said.
"I've been thinking," Adams said. "They told me you are a wraith, and it's been bothering me for awhile now. You really do look perfectly human. Is that some sort of difference between males and females?"
Aceso glanced at him curiously, and Isobel giggled.
"Oh," Isobel said, covering her mouth. "You don't know do you?"
"What?" Adams said.
"That's right," Isobel said. "You're new. You just transferred in from the SGC."
Adams seemed flustered. "I'm not new to stargate travel if that's what you're implying. I spent a year and a half with SG-12."
Isobel began laughing, and Aceso found the situation humorous enough to start giggling too.
"What the hell is going on? What are you two laughing at?"
Isobel could hardly contain her laughter. Aceso deactivated her cloak briefly so he could see her real form. She kept it off for a moment, then turned it back on.
Adams mouth crept open. "Oh!" His eyes darted between her and Isobel. "Well that makes sense I guess."
"Indeed," Aceso said. "I have a cloaking device now to conceal myself in case we encounter one of the local people."
Adams laughed in recognition. "Why didn't anyone tell me about this? I think that's kind of important."
The irony of the situation and its humor kept them amused, although no one knew why there had been such an oversight.
"Don't mind me, I'm fresh off the ship from the galaxy next-door. What the heck do I know?" Adams laughed.
Just then the power surged off, leaving them in near darkness.
"What just happened?" Isobel asked.
"I can't see anything," Adams said.
Her eyes adjusted to the faint afterglow of the luminous walls. Isobel wandered forward a couple steps and hit her head on a wall. "Ouch," she exclaimed.
"I'm going to guide you, hang on." Aceso said. She held out her hands and guided her two companions by the shoulder back the way they came. "Just follow me."
"Can you see?" Adams asked.
"A little," she explained.
"I think someone is messing with systems they shouldn't be," Isobel said.
Adams keyed his radio. "McKay, this is Adams. What's the status of the lights?"
Only silence.
Aceso tried making a call. "Dr. McKay, why has the power failed?"
The radio crackled to life. "The soldiers are in here with us!" a voice called out. "They took McKay!"
(0)
Atlantis's gate room burst into activity and panic as the stargate activated unexpectedly. The symbols on the ring lit and the shield turned on.
Woolsey ran out to the control room. "No one is due in yet," he said to the technician.
"Receiving Colonel Sheppard's IDC," the young man said.
"Lower the shield," Woolsey said. The shield shut off and Colonel Sheppard and Teyla stepped through.
Woolsey walked down the stairs to meet them.
"What happened?" Woolsey asked. "You were supposed to come back tomorrow."
Sheppard looked disheveled as did Teyla.
Woolsey remembered that they were stationed in a village far from the stargate, and had taken a jumper on their outgoing trip.
"Where's the jumper?" Woolsey asked.
"We've got a problem," Sheppard said. "Sometime last night, Beckett disappeared without a trace and the jumper disappeared as well."
"The jumper is missing?" Woolsey asked. "Then how did you get to the stargate?"
"We walked," Sheppard said. "Fifteen long, agonizing miles through dense forest."
The tenacity of Sheppard and Teyla impressed Woolsey. "Do you think Beckett took the jumper?"
"We do not know," Teyla explained. "No one saw Beckett leave, nor was the ship's departure noticed."
"I don't think he'd just leave us stranded there," Sheppard said. "Someone must have forced him to disappear for whatever reason."
Woolsey furrowed his brow. "How do we locate Beckett and the ship? Do you know if they went through the stargate?"
Sheppard's shoulders slumped. "I don't know."
(0)
Aceso found it difficult to navigate back up to the control room, as the glow from the walls almost faded entirely.
"Are you sure you know where we're going?" Isobel asked.
"I'm sure," Aceso said.
"How can you see?" Adams asked. She still led the two by their shoulders. "It's pitch black."
"We're almost there," Aceso said.
They made it to the control room a moment later, where she saw beams of light sweeping across the room as people moved around.
When they emerged into the space, they were blinded by bright beams of light and the facility lights turned on again.
"Get down on your knees!" someone shouted. The voice sounded unlike any of their group. In a heart-stopping moment of terror, she realized that these were among the soldiers of this world. She and the two with her knelt down right where they were.
"How many is this?" one of them asked quietly.
"This is all of them," the man answered. "Line them up along that wall."
She ordinarily wouldn't invade the thoughts of someone, but the stakes were too high not to. She discreetly pushed past the barrier into the commander's mind, and discovered his real meaning.
He meant to kill her entire team.
She panicked, freezing in place as the seconds ticked slowly. What could she do?
She could create an illusion, but they might fire at shadows, shooting someone by accident. By her count, there were six soldiers. She could perhaps psychically take control of the six for a couple seconds, but it ran the risk of one of them managing to break free and hurt someone, or her team not being able to subdue the soldiers in time. It ran six against eleven, but she couldn't communicate the plan in time for her people to act. These damn limitations of verbal communication were going to endanger her.
Why couldn't at least one of these people be wraith sensitive? That would make communicating a plan so much easier.
Another second ticked by, and her people were being shuffled along with their hands behind their heads. Adams looked to her with fear, and the entire team felt an impending sense of doom.
Another second ticked by.
Aceso tried to focus. There must be a way out of this? How could she make them stop? Her mind turned to the facility, and looked for systems she could control, but all of them were on a manual override. There was nothing she could do.
Another second ticked by.
The soldiers raised their guns, aiming at the team kneeling on the floor against the wall. Some in their group whimpered, finally grasping the impending doom.
Another second ticked by.
She didn't need to control six, only the leader. She could only hope that this would work. She pushed past the barrier separating her thoughts from those around her, focusing on the leader of these men.
He stopped and stood in a stiff, unnatural fashion. The man grew confused, but the fight for control of his mind ended in a fraction of a second.
"Stop!" he yelled.
"Pardon sir?" a soldier asked.
"Lay your weapons down, right now!" Aceso said through the man. She maintained vision and sensation in both her own eyes, and those of this man, although it took great effort to understand all the new sensory input.
"Sir?"
"DO IT!" she bellowed commandingly through him.
The men laid their weapons down hesitantly. She turned the man around and forced him to put his own gun down.
Aceso directed the man over to Adams and untied him, and then herself, and then the rest of the SG team, one by one.
The confused soldiers looked on in silence. "Sir, this is against our orders."
"Quiet!" the man bellowed. Aceso needed to keep them distracted while she had control.
Adams didn't even hesitate. As soon as his entire team had their hands free, they jumped and grabbed the weapons for themselves. She followed up by running up and taking another one of the crude firearms off the ground.
She released the man from her grip, to which he let out a scream.
"NO!" the commander shouted. "What is this? What have you done?" He glanced to her confused and with terror. "This was you! I felt it."
The SG team forced the other soldiers to the ground at gunpoint, shouting orders and taking control of the situation.
"What are we going to do with them?" Adams asked.
Aceso could scarcely gather her thoughts. She felt such a mix of terror and relief. "I…" What now? She couldn't kill them, but neither did she want to risk them following her.