A/N: Hiya, in this chapter and the next few ones which would be the telling of Athena's story, Athena will be speaking in Ancient while any conversation that "happens like this on Earth" could be any ancient languages that were spoken at that time. So, yeah, just wanted to put in out there in case anyone's thinking that everyone's speaking English… or something. So there we go, now onto the chapter. Please enjoy, and review.
Infirmary, SGC, 0100 hours.
It was Faith who was the first member of SG1 to rush through the infirmary doors after Dr. Lam informed the team during their briefing that Willow's condition was changing. General Landry immediately dismissed everyone, and ordered them to get checked out and then head to the main infirmary where Willow was being held. After having been checked out by Dr. Lam, she ran into the large room and smiled as she looked at Dawn who had laid her head on the bed while still holding on to Willow's hand.
"Hey" said Faith as she ran her hand through Dawn's soft hair as she woke up with a jerk and then, with her eyes still groggy, looked up at Faith, "I can sit here if you want, you should lie down somewhere. You've got a mission in nine hours."
"Yeah" said Dawn as she wiped her eyes with one hand, while holding on to Willow with the other one, "she spoke, Faith."
"Yeah" said the brunette Slayer, "Dr. Lam told us, she also told us that amount that her brain has been processing has significantly increased."
"Yeah" replied Dawn as she looked up at the screen, "it's now… whoa… seventy percent."
"She'll be alright" said Faith as she grabbed a chair and placed it on the other side of Willow's bed, "you know what happened? Has anyone told you?"
"No" said Dawn as she shook her head, "I asked the doctor, and the guards outside… they told me that you'd tell me."
"Yeah" said Faith as she gently moved some strands of hair away from Willow's forehead and tucked it behind her ears. She then looked at Dawn, "what do you know about Athena? Has Red told you anything?"
"Athena?" asked Dawn as she looked at Faith, "you mean the ancient Greek goddess? Has a city named after her, even had the Parthenon built in her honour? That Athena? I mean I've studied everything I could about the period, and…."
"She never told you about the dreams then" said Faith as she looked at Willow who was still unconscious.
"What dreams?"
"She used to have dreams, Dawn" said Faith as she gently caressed Willow's cheeks, "she would have dreams about someone named Athena who grew up in Atlantis. We thought that Red was her descendent, you know that the Ancients returned to Earth from Pegasus ten thousand years ago and assimilated into the population, right?"
"Yea" said Dawn, "but what does that have to do with Willow?"
"We just got back from a mission" said Faith as she looked at Dawn, "we found the real Merlin."
"Are you serious?" asked Dawn excitedly, "what was he like? Was he like… you know, all magic and stuff?"
"No" smiled Faith, "What Morgan told us was the truth; he really was an Ancient who descended with all their powers, and the knowledge to build the weapon… the Sangraal."
"Sweet" said Dawn, "so you have the Sangraal then?"
"We couldn't finish it" said Faith, "Merlin died and transferred his consciousness to Daniel, but he was taken by Adria after we were ambushed."
"Oh no" said Dawn, "does Anya know?"
"Not everything" said Faith, "she'll be here soon, but Merlin said something before he transferred his consciousness into Daniel."
"What did he say?" asked Dawn.
"He said that Red was Athena" replied Faith as Dawn's eyes opened wide and her mouth dropped in surprise.
"You're joking… he's joking?" asked Dawn.
"Red is the only one who can confirm it" said Faith as she looked at Willow, "but I know it's true, I saw flashes of memories. Everything that we thought was a dream… every dream, some of the visions we shared through our link… it was all memories."
"Holy banana's" said Dawn as she looked at Willow, "you know what this means?"
"I married someone who's much, much older than me?" asked Faith as she held on to Willow's hand just as the number on the screen jumped to eighty five percent. Smiling at Willow, Faith then leaned forward and whispered into her ear, "you know, I like older women."
Faith then gave Willow a quick peck on her cheek before she stood up straight and tightened her grip on the redhead's hand. She then looked at Dawn, who was now yawning and wiping her eyes.
"Hey pipsqueak" said Faith as Dawn raised an eyebrow at the brunette Slayer, "how about you get some sleep, you have the mission tomorrow right? Don't worry, if anything changes, you'll be the first to know."
"Alright" said Dawn as she released her hold on Willow's hand, but Willow refused to release Dawn. Looking at the redhead, and then Faith… Dawn walked closer to Willow and placed her other hand on Willow's arm, "hey, if you want me to stay… I'll stay. But I should tell you that I have a mission tomorrow, and Colonel Ferretti just chewed out my ass because I convinced Lauren to go to Atlantis to save General O'Neill against General Landry's orders. And I…"
It was then that Willow slowly released her hold on Dawn's hand while she looked at Willow as the redhead slowly breathed in and out.
"I'll be alright, Willow" said Dawn, "I'll be alright… I'll see you when you wake up. You know I've got the weekend free… and well, Jay and Rose have been bugging me to come visit. They also want you and Faith to visit too."
"And I'm sure Tara would be so jealous when you tell her you met, Merlin" said Faith as she looked at Willow, "I'm pretty sure her head would explode."
"True" smiled Dawn as she kissed the top of Willow's head, "good night, Willow."
Faith watched Dawn walk away out of the infirmary doors while she held on tightly to Willow's hand. The Slayer then sat down and pulled down the railings on the bed, she then placed her head on Willow's arm as she took her other hand and traced patterns down her arm and up to the palm of her hand.
"I'm here, Red" said Faith softly as she felt Willow's hand flinch slightly, "I wish I knew what you were thinking right now. But I'll wait for you to tell me, and if you're worried about me handling your new memories… I know I can."
Faith then saw the machine beep again as the number hit ninety percent, and Faith smiled.
"See" said Faith as she looked back at Willow's face before putting her head back on the redhead's arm, "you'll be alright."
Atlantis, Pegasus Galaxy, Day of the exodus to Earth.
It had been nearly ten years since the death of Hera in the Wraith cloning facility. Ten years to the day as Athena stood alone in one of the puddle jumper bays in Atlantis. While carrying a tan coloured hard case on her back containing data crystals on her latest research, she walked over to one of the jumpers and pressed the button on the side so that the rear ramp could come down. Then stepping into the jumper, Athena placed the case carefully into one of the many compartments and walked into the cockpit. She had another two hours before the first ships would go through the Stargate, and back to the original home of her people; Earth. The mission of this initial group was to go through the gate, head into orbit, conduct scans of the surface, and once appropriate sites of settlements had been recovered using the data collected… half of the jumpers were to return to the Stargate in the Southern Pole to pick up more Lanteans while the other half began forming small settlements.
Athena was among the group that would be responsible for the initial forming of settlements with four of the jumpers carrying personnel and another seven carrying the supplies needed. Another five Jumpers would be accompanying them through the Stargate as well, their duty would be to ferry personnel to and from the Stargate on Earth from one settlement to another. And then, when the time came… they were to assist in the transportation of the other Lanteans after they abandon Atlantis.
As she started her pre-flight checks, it was that particular part of the plan that Athena did not like, the abandonment of Atlantis to the bottom of the ocean for all time. She was not fond of that, and she had made it known to Janus and her father. The timely arrival of one Dr. Elizabeth Weir didn't do much to allay the fears that Athena had about her home, her city, laying alone in the bottom of the ocean; all alone save for Dr. Weir. As she pressed some buttons on the console, she looked at the power readouts on the holographic HUD as she thought about Dr. Weir mixing her up with her descendent, Willow who was a military officer in one of the Earth's many nations; and she couldn't help but smile. It was the first smile she had given in a long time, her first genuine smile.
"Not since, Hera" said Athena to herself as she stopped what she was doing and leaned back on the chair. She thought about how everything had changed after Hera had died, she gave up looking for a cure and had spent ten years searching for ways to kill off the Wraith. She closed her eyes and shook her head when she thought about what she had told Moros after he returned to find Hera dead; it was something that no father would ever want to hear from their children, and Athena remembered how angry she was. All she wanted to do was lash out and that's exactly what she did.
During a meeting of the Council following Hera's death, Athena proposed that she be put in charge of a department that would research genetically engineered biological weapons. She petitioned that even if she wasn't in charge, she would still work would whomever the Council deemed fit to lead, but it was her belief that this was the only way to defeat the Wraith. Then to her surprise, the Council rejected her petition… including Moros himself.
"What!?" Athena said outraged, "how many more of us will they feed on? They murdered the team that we sent for peace, they stole our Potentia to increase their numbers a thousand fold, and now they have not only murdered Hera, they…"
"Athena!" shouted Moros as he stood up, "the Council has already given an answer, there will be no experimentation on biological weapons."
"Your daughter was just murdered" said Athena as she looked at Moros, "do you not feel any anger?"
"This is not the place" said Moros, "Athena.. this is not…"
"No!" said Athena angrily, "answer me… do you not feel any anger? Because I do… I hate the Wraith for what they did to Hera, for what they continue to do. We've spent so much time searching for a cure… we spent so much time creating other conventional weapons that they continue to laugh at us…. To them we are the weak ones because of our 'morality', because we will not take that extra step further."
"That is what separates us from them, Athena" said Melia, "if you create a biological weapon, what would happen if it affects the human population and other Lanteans, as well as the Wraith?"
"Collateral damage" said Athena as Melia frowned.
"And that does not concern you?" asked another councilwoman.
"It does" said Athena, "but this is a war we are fighting, and we need superior tools to fight. We have them, I can create them and…"
"No" said Moros.
"No?" said Athena as she looked at her father, "even before you've heard my idea you…."
"Athena" said Moros, "you are letting your anger and need for vengeance guide you, you need to step back and think about your plans. Yes, finding a cure may be impossible.. but I am certain that there are other ways that they can be fought back; enough that they would ask for a truce."
"They will not ask for any truce" said Athena as she grabbed the table and leaned in towards Moros, "do you know what that creature told me after killing Hera? It said that Hera was a fool for wanting peace, and that I am a fool for thinking that they want to be cured. They do not want to be cured father, nor do they deserve it. They are monsters, and like any monsters… they should be eliminated from this galaxy."
"Find another way, Athena" said Moros softly, "find another way. Hera would want you to do that."
It was then in her anger that Athena stabbed a knife into Moros' heart and twisted it when she told Moros that, in no uncertain terms, he had no right to call either Hera or herself as his daughters, that he was not their father. Immediately after saying that, she looked at the hurt in her father's eyes as she closed hers and shook her head. She immediately regretted it but, in her mind, the damage was already done.
"Father" said Athena as she looked back up at Moros, "I am…."
"Very well" said Moros quietly, "you have your authorization, you will have whatever resources you wish at your disposal."
"Father" said Athena, "I…."
"You have your answer, Athena" said Moros quietly, "we expect your proposal here before you begin experimentation."
"I… I will" said Athena as she look a few steps back while her heart broke at how upset her father was, but in her heart she knew that what was said could never be taken back.
"Dismissed, Athena" said Melia as she gave the upset women a small smile, "I will come assist you."
Athena nodded her head at Melia before looking at Moros again.
"Father" said Athena, "I am sorry, I never meant to say what I said."
"You have work to do Athena" said Moros as he looked at a spot on the table in front of him, "we have other duties as well for today."
"Yes, Father" said Athena softly as she walked out of the doors, but not before she turned around and looked back at her father as he leaned back on his seat and rubbed his forehead. She then mentally kicked herself before heading back to her lab.
Ever since then, the redhead's desire to end the Wraith threat bordered on obsession. Every weapon that she had developed was deemed to be too destructive to any humans that existed on the planets where the Wraith fed. Every negative comment only fuelled her desire to make a better weapon, a weapon that would take the Wraith out.. without harming the human population. She thought that she had created the perfect weapon, an unassuming package that could be placed on any Wraith planet, any Hive ship… it was a genetic time bomb; a device that created explosive tumours. It was Athena's pride and joy after several other rejections by the council. The machine, when activated, would emit a type of radiation which affected any and all organic bodies within a certain range. The body would then be infiltrated by millions of irradiated particles that Athena had genetically programmed to enter a body's systems and gather behind the lungs. Over time, these particles would begin to gather trace elements from the body to create an explosive compound which would eventually develop as a tumour. Once created, the tumour would eventually reach critical mass and explode, killing the biological organism infected as well as damaging the surroundings.
Athena had released this weapon on a Wraith planet that was also populated by humans. She was so sure that the weapon would target only Wraith, she and the rest of her team had forced some of the humans from the nearby village who they knew were Wraith worshippers to bring the packages into the cloning facility. They were told to activate the packages once they were in the facility itself. When the Wraith worshippers questioned them, Athena and her team told them that it was a gift from certain residents of Atlantis. That the packages contained data on a rich new feeding ground for the Wraith, and the command codes to Atlantis… including her shields. Of course it was all a lie, but the worshippers believed them and brought the packages into the Wraith cloning facility immediately; following which, Athena and the team left the planet.
Returning a week later with some members of the council, Athena and her team showed them the fruits of her project. The group saw that the entire facility was rumble. No Wraith remained, however the village had suffered as well. In the village of fifty people, only five of them were Wraith worshipers. However, they too had developed the explosive tumours and when the tumours exploded… they had been in the meal hall where they had taken out an additional ten people with them. The Council members had questioned any surviving witnesses and had offered assistance to the survivors but Athena knew that this project was over. She was looking at the still smoking rubble of the Wraith facility as Melia walked up and stood beside her.
"Athena" she said, "this project has gone too far. While I agree that it has destroyed the Wraith cloning facility, it also was the cause of fifteen additional deaths."
"Five of them were Wraith worshippers" said Athena as she looked at the rubble, "they deserved to die."
"And the other ten?" asked Melia.
"Collateral damage" said Athena softly as she hung her head and closed her eyes before shaking her head, "they were just collateral damage, nothing more."
"Athena" said Melia, "how long has it been?"
"Nearly ten years" said Athena softly, "everything I did, I did for Hera."
"The Council has ordered you to relinquish al your research on this weapon" said Melia, "it is to be deleted from the Atlantis database, and your notes and other research destroyed. I will be overseeing the destruction."
"That is something I could have guessed" said Athena as she turned and looked at Melia, "how is father?"
"He still grieves" said Melia, "he still grieves for Hera, and now he grieves for you… he said that you have not spoken to him except during Council meetings during presentations of your proposals."
"After what I said" said Athena softly, "I cannot face him, and my obsession with doing the nearly impossible is not helping, but I know it is something that I must do; I cannot stop, I must not stop. I hope that after I have found a way to destroy all the Wraith, he could forgive me."
"He does not blame you" said Melia as she gently put her hand on Athena's shoulder, "you are his daughter, now his only daughter."
"I know" said Athena, "please… please tell him that I…"
"Yes?" asked Melia.
"Nothing" said Athena shaking her head, "nothing… I must finish what I have started."
"Very well" said Melia, "I will come to your laboratory once we have returned to Atlantis."
"Alright" said Athena as she turned around and looked at the rubble again, 'I believe I have a way, a way that we would win…. Something that I should have thought about earlier.'
After she had returned to Atlantis, Athena handed over all her research to Melia with another directive by Moros that the weapon prototype in her lab should be kept in a sealed storage room so that no one would have access to it. Once all of that was done, and Melia had left Athena's lab; she turned towards her console and brought up files on a project some scientists and engineers had conducted on a planet called Asuras. Athena read that two years ago, they had developed nanites that were encoded with super aggressive tendencies. That was the best possible candidate to destroy the Wraith once and for all… or at least give them something to think about so that the creatures would come to the negotiating table. But the nanites were deemed a failure when they gained human forms and begged the Lanteans to disable their aggressive tendencies. However, it was denied by the Council who also installed a code that would render these replicators unable to harm any Lantean. Athena had later talked to the project leader who told her that the Asurans were destroyed in a massive operation by order of the Atlantis Council. Unknown to Athena, or any of the other Lanteans, that particular code would be removed by the replicators themselves millennia later resulting in the attack on Atlantis and the rescue of Woolsey and General O'Neill by Satterfield, Dawn and the leaders of the Atlantis Expedition.
When Athena returned to her lab after talking to the project leader, she set down to work on what she hoped would be the ultimate weapon to destroy the Wraith; an army of artificially grown living weapons. Using genetically engineered clones, Athena had proposed to the Council that she could use the same advantage that the Wraith were using against them… an army of millions of clones. She had put in her proposal after months of research that the clones, both men and women, would be genetically engineered to have enhanced strength, speed, agility, reflexes, stamina and durability. She put down on her proposal that the Wraith would still be able to feed on their life force, but because of the enhanced durability, the weapons would have enough time to kill the Wraith feeding on them before it was too late. She claimed that they would also have accelerated healing and genetic knowledge of any and all fighting abilities including both armed and hand to hand combat.
After creating a genetic sequence, and simulations of how the clones may fare against the Wraith… she smiled to herself when the kill rate of the clones were nearly ninety-nine percent. The simulation had shown that the Wraith could be defeated, utterly and comprehensively defeated. Annihilated from the Pegasus galaxy. The best of all, the clones would have a self destruction command programmed into their genetic code; one order from anyone at Atlantis would destroy each and every one of them, no matter where they were in the galaxy. This way, there was no way that they could turn against the Lanteans. After having worked on the proposal for the better part of a year, Athena sent it to the Council.
Today was the day that she had found that her proposal had been rejected by the Council. Janus had told her that the Council believed it would still amount to genocide due to the complete annihilation of both the Wraith, and the clones which the Council had believed to be sentient beings due to the presence of a life force that the Wraith would be able to feed on. It was then that he had told Athena about the Council's decision to return to Earth, and so she went back to her lab.. grabbed every bit of data on her weapons research and packed it into a hard case.
Now, as she sat on the pilot's seat in the puddle jumper, she heard sounds and turned around as she saw twenty people filing into the jumper. She soon saw someone who was familiar to her, and she gave a smile.
"Ganos" said Athena as the dark haired woman sat next to her, "how is my favourite school teacher?"
"I am well" said Ganos Lal, the same Lantean who would be later known as Morgan Le Fay, "I cannot believe we are returning to Earth."
"Me too" said Athena, "have you seen my father?"
"He was in the control room" said Ganos as she leaned in closer to Athena and whispered, "have you said goodbye to Janus?"
"That was only once" said Athena with a smile, "I cannot believe how everything is taken out of context, especially when my father saw me coming out of his quarters."
"The next morning" said Ganos.
"I believe we should go" said Athena frowning as she looked behind her as the ramp closed and twenty Lanteans crowded the jumper.
"I believe we are the second Gateship" said Ganos as she looked at the console before she glanced at Athena, "have you said goodbye to your mother? To Hera?"
"Yes" said Athena softly, "I sent my hopes to her… that she watch over Atlantis."
"Atlantis will be safe" said Ganos, "the shields will protect her from the water, at least until Dr. Weir's expedition returns to the city in ten thousand years."
"Oh" said Athena surprised, "I see you have heard of our guest?"
"Yes" said Ganos, "it is quite fascinating. It would have been interesting having her talk to some of the children."
"But then father would say that the time-space continuum could be affected" said Athena as she stopped pressing buttons, "I have done many things Ganos, one of them was hurting my father very deeply… I do not believe that he will ever forgive me."
"Speak to him when you return to Earth" said Ganos as she looked at the screen again, "looks like they have cleared a way to the surface of the planet on the other side."
"It is time" said Athena sighed as she looked behind her and nodded her head while the others just smiled nervously. Athena then lifted the Jumper off the ground and down into the Gateroom. Facing the control room, she saw Moros who was behind a console talking to Janus. She just looked at her father, willing him to turn towards her.
Sensing that someone was looking at him, Moros turned away from Janus and looked at the Gateship that was still floating in the Gateroom. Walking to the railing at the top of the Control room, Moros looked at the woman who was seated on the pilot seat and gave Athena a small smile and a nod. He saw Athena return his smile before she turned the ship around, and flew it through the Stargate into a new future for their people.
Somewhere near modern day Nairobi, Kenya, 10,000 years ago; about 8000 B.C.
It had been six months since the exodus from Atlantis, the city that had to be sunk under the sea on another planet. After the Lanteans had left through the Stargate, they were presented with a huge shock. Even with basic settlements set up, many Lanteans found that many of the areas they were located in were harsh; some very cold nights, and then extremely hot days, there were some areas that had seemed to have come out of an ice age, other areas existed where there were already numerous human settlements. So some Lanteans headed towards those settlements, while others spread out to many different lands where they encountered other primitive civilizations where they tried to put some of what they had known into use. Others had taken the drastic route of returning to the Stargate and going to other worlds where they could start a new life.
Athena was one of those that occupied a settlement near a river in a large area of grassland. She had talked to Moros, who had come through the Stargate a few days after her, and the both of them slowly did their best to close whatever rift existed between them. She had apologized profusely to Moros for what she had said all those years ago, and that she wouldn't blame him if he still hated her.
"Athena" said Moros as he sat down in the metallic box-like structure that was interconnected with other structures that made up the camp, "I never hated you, you are my daughter."
"I hurt you father" said Athena softly, "and it was… I said it without thinking, I…."
"Athena" said Moros, "I should have come to you, I was grieving in my own way by focusing on Atlantis and her protection. I was focusing on your protection."
"What will you do now, father?" asked Athena as she gave him a cup of filtrated river water, "will you stay here?"
"A few of us will be leaving for a large island in the Northern hemisphere" said Moros as he took a sip, "there we will live the rest of our lives in solitude, and contemplation."
"Ascension?" asked Athena.
"Yes" said Moros, "will you not come with me?"
"This is a new world father" said Athena, "I wish to explore, and continue my work in the nearby underground outpost."
"Be cautious, Athena" said Moros, "the Council still exists; we will be watching Janus closely so that he does not create another time ship. I beg you not to go too far with your research."
"I do not believe there is a need for living weapons, father" said Athena.
"Do you know why I was the first to refuse your proposals?" asked Moros as he leaned forwards with his hands folded on the table.
"No, father" said Athena as she shook her head.
"Committing what you wanted to do" said Moros, "no matter how well intentioned does something to a person, it changes them. Your research could have wiped out all Wraith, but like it or not… they are still living beings. Killing them all would have sated your need for revenge, but it would have also left a dark hole in your heart. And that is not something that Hera, nor your mother, would ever want for you. Do you understand me?"
"Yes" said Athena softly as she looked at Moros' brown eyes with her own, "I… I still have the research with me, father. I brought my data crystals from Atlantis."
"I see" said Moros with a frown, "in that case, I trust you to act responsibly. This is a new age for our people, a chance to give something back to the primitive humans that exist on this planet. There are some who will be spreading the story of Atlantis, others who have signalled their intent to help the native population. There are villages nearby, am I correct?"
"Yes" said Athena, "minutes away by the Gateship, and an hour away by foot. This camp has been set in the middle of those villages."
"Have you encountered the native population?" asked Moros.
"No" said Athena, "I have taken the Gateship and scouted the villages while cloaked. Each village has maybe thirty to forty men, women and children living in want seemed to be animal skinned abodes."
"Perhaps you should live among them?" said Moros, "that is what Hera would have done."
"This would be her dream" laughed Athena, "meeting new cultures, getting to know their language… getting to know the people."
"Your mother's dream as well" said Moros with a smile as he stood up slowly, "I should take my leave, Melia and Ganos will be taking me to that island. The underground outpost has a molecular assembler, so you would be able to create any material you require. Do you have your weapons for self defence?"
"Yes, father" said Athena as she nodded her head, before she walked to a small case. Opening the case, she took out a hand weapon, the same weapon that she used to kill the Wraith in the cloning facility ten years ago, "I have also connected this camp to the sensors in the outpost. The Potentia I brought with me can power the shield emitters that have been set around the camp."
"I have seen some creatures" said Moros, "when Melia was flying the Gateship, I noticed some large creatures with wide tusks, others with long necks and there were some that had strips on the body."
"Yes" said Athena, "this planet has more wildlife then I have ever seen on Lantea. This area also has some carnivorous creatures. I noticed a group attacking one of those stripped creatures you had mentioned."
"Again, be cautious" said Moros as they felt a gust of wind coming through the open door, "that must be Melia and Ganos."
"Be well, father" said Athena as she hugged Moros before walking him to the door, "come visit me."
"You have a Gateship as well, Athena" said Moros, "visit me. Explore this planet, this is our home now."
"I will see you again, father" said Athena as he waved at the older man as he entered the ship. It then slowly took off and Athena watched it fly into the sky before it activated it's cloak.
In the intervening months, several of the Lanteans from the camp had left as they were unable to take the extremes in weather. Eventually, it was only Athena who remained in the camp. Left with only three interconnected structures, she reduced the power requirements for the shield by bringing the emitters closer to her structures instead of it covering the entire camp as it used to.
She used the Gateship to travel to the outpost where she would conduct her research. Luckily, the power source was still active and all the devices activated once the outpost sensed that someone had arrived. While she conducted her research during the day, she would start exploring when the sun wasn't so high up in the sky. She would follow the winding meanders of the river she was situated close to and study the villages while cloaked. Following that, she would head back to her camp and have her evening meal.
She had used the molecular assembler in the outpost to create utensils that she would use to eat the food she caught. As she sat in front of a fire outside her home, she was sitting on the ground as a cool breeze travelled through her hair. She was holding a branch from one of the trees nearby which she had sharpened to a point, and on the end of that sharp branch were three fish that she had caught just hours earlier.
She recalled how she had spied on the native people catching those fish from the river. Athena knew that she had to do everything she could to preserve her rations, and that survival meant that she and the others had to learn how to gather their own food. So, before the others had left, a small party took a Gateship and looked on the natives sharpened branches into spears, and then threw then into the water to catch the fish.
Now, with the others gone, Athena smiled to herself as she brought the fish out of the fire and bit into one of them.
'I have them all to myself' smiled Athena as she chewed the flaky food.
Once she was done, she just lay on the ground with the fire still burning and looked up at the thousands of stars in the night sky.
'Hera, Mother' thought Athena to herself, 'I hope you are doing well, I…. I miss you. Please watch over father, he needs the both of you.'
This was a ritual to her, something that Athena would do every night without any incident. However, there was one night where everything changed… and Athena discovered that there were worse things out there than strange tusked animals and large carnivores.
It was about a month after Athena had last seen Moros, two months since the last Lantean had left the camp, leaving Athena all alone. She was lying on the ground with her eyes closed when she sensed something in the air. Sitting straight up, she thought she heard a sound that was being carried in the night breeze.
"Hello?" shouted Athena as she slowly stood up and took a few steps forward. Other than the fire lighting her immediate area brightly, the rest of the surrounding area was only lit by the light of the full moon. Because of that, she could see shadows everywhere. Frowning to herself, she knew how much the Wraith tricked human beings… especially with their mental abilities…. Forcing their prey to see shadows where there were none. But this was different, for one thing the Wraith were in Pegasus. There was no way for them to come to Earth. Scanning the area with her eyes, she thought she saw a shadow running in the tall grass to her left. When nothing moved, she shook her head and turned around when she heard a bloodcurdling scream. Turning around again, she looked at the direction the scream came from. Narrowing her eyes, she could barely make out a girl who was running through the grass. Athena saw that the person was looking behind at three people who were chasing her.
Even in the darkness, Athena could see the fear in the eyes of the girl. With no other choice, the redhead grabbed a thick branch from the fire and waved it around… hoping that the girl would see it.
"Hello!" shouted Athena as she waved the flaming branch, "over here."
It was then that the girl changed direction and ran straight towards Athena, as did the three people that were chasing her.
"Come" said Athena as she grabbed a hold of the girl's hand and pushed her behind her while Athena held out the burning branch as the three people came closer slowly. Athena noticed that they avoided the heat from the fire, as well as the fire from the branch. And then she heard one of the three people in front of her step into the light as the redhead looked on in shock.
"What are you?" asked Athena as she looked at the face of what looked like a man, a man with ridges on his head and nose, yellow eyes, fangs in the mouth. And then the man started to growl at Athena, "what do you want with the girl, creature?"
Athena could only slowly back away with the girl directly behind her as the three men-like creatures slowly surrounded her and the girl. Then she made a mistake, the more she stepped back the further away from the heat and the fire they went. Soon, Athena noticed that the creatures had started coming closer. With no other choice, Athena quickly dropped the branch with the fire having been smothered out once it hit the ground and then she picked up the girl while running as fast as she could. Then just as she reached the threshold to her home, the felt a hand grab her long red hair. She threw the girl into the house while she was pulled hard backwards and she fell onto the ground.
Groaning in pain from the hard landing onto the ground, Athena saw the dark-shinned girl in her lighted home looking at her with terror in her eyes. Athena then saw the third creature walk towards the open doorway but bounced off an invisible barrier.
'It could not be' thought Athena to herself as she looked inside her home at the instruments that were directly behind the terrified girl, 'I did not activate the shield."
Athena then saw the creature try again but he bounced off the invisible barrier. He then looked at Athena as he smiled before he turned back around and punched the metal walls. She saw the structure shake and knew that it would only be a matter of moments before the entire home fell on the girl inside. The redhead could see that the girl was terrified, she knew that if the girl ran out now.. both herself and the girl would be dead.
'My weapon is inside the home' thought Athena when she widened her eyes when she made a realization, and turned her head to look at an empty part of the camp, 'the Gateship, it's cloaked…. I have another weapon inside.'
Turning back, Athena saw the other two creatures snarl at her and expose their fangs as the third one punched the metal walls of the home harder until the redhead could see deep dents on the surface. She saw the girl inside put the palms of her hands over her ears as she rocked back and forth while looking at Athena with those same terrified eyes.
Quickly getting up and then running towards the ship, Athena heard the screams of anguish from the girl inside the home as the sounds of the walls being punch got louder and louder.
'I am not leaving you alone, little one' thought Athena to herself as she looked behind her and saw the two creatures coming at her at great speed. Frowning, she ran faster towards the space she knew the Gateship was parked when she felt a body crash into her. Falling face front onto the ground, she felt herself being flipped over as one of creatures then straddled her while the other one was waiting on one side. It was as if the one on top of her was the alpha male and the other one was waiting for its master to do what it needed to do. Athena then felt her head pulled to one side as she watched in absolute horror as the creature bore its fangs and then in a swift motion, leaned down towards her neck. Her eyes opened wide in surprise, and pain, when the creature's fangs tore through her skin and started to feed on her blood.
Feeling herself getting weaker, she reached for anything close to her. A second later, she wrapped her hand around a small rock which she then swiftly used to hit the creature on the side of its head. As it released its mouth from her neck and grabbed the side of its head, Athena kicked out at it and pushed it away. It was then that the other one seemed to laugh at the other before making its move. Athena quickly got up and ran and, as soon as she reached the ship, she pressed the invisible button and the ramp opened just as the other creature grabbed her by the waist and pulled her back. Struggling to get out of the creatures grip, she felt it bite her on the other side of her neck. Slowly she felt her vision blurring, and in a last desperate act… she screamed out loud before stepping hard on the creature's bare foot.
Then with a yelp, the creature let her go and she jumped into the now lit ship. As Athena lay on the floor of the ship, she held the palms of her hands over the bite marks and was relieved when the bleeding stopped. Slowly standing up, she saw the two creatures approach the opening of the ship but get bounced back by an invisible barrier. With no time to be impressed, Athena opened a compartment on the ship and took out a weapon with her blood stained hand. Increasing the setting to its maximum level, she aimed the weapon at one of the creatures and fired three times. The hot, searing plasma bursts hit the creature before it started to burn and then turn into dust in front of her eyes. The other creature looked at her in surprise, and had started to run away when she fired three more shots at the creature and the same thing happened.
Once the two of them were destroyed, Athena sat on one of the seats and panted heavily. It was then she heard the scream of the girl from earlier. Still dazed, she ran as fast as she could while carrying the weapon. A few seconds later, she reached her home as the entire side wall was now dented inwards but the home still hadn't collapsed. The girl from inside looked at the bleeding Athena as she raised the weapon and fired one shot to the creatures back. Turning around while screaming in pain, the creature snarled at Athena and rushed her. Athena then fired two more shots that turned the creature into dust just before reaching the redhead. Putting her hand down, she walked over the pile of dust while making sure that the neck punctures were not bleeding anymore. Walking into the home, she walked behind the girl who looked up at Athena in surprise and activated the dome shield that covered her home.
Panting after watching the silver shimmer form from the emitters that were buried beneath the ground, Athena sat down on a seat and wiped the sweat off her forehead and face. It was cold outside, but the adrenaline rushing through her body made it seem hot. She knew that she had lost a lot of blood as her vision was getting blurry, but she still took a good look at the frightened girl who had gotten up and was now standing in one corner of the room, looking at her in fear.
"It is alright, little one. You are safe" said Athena as she raised her hands, "I am not here to harm you… I…. am…"
Unable to keep her eyes open any longer, Athena felt her body relax before she collapsed onto the floor.
The girl, still in shock from what she had just seen, walked towards the open door and looked out into the moonlit surroundings. She knew that there were more of them out there, more of those creatures… they had been raiding her village for the past few days, and it was just blind luck that she had found the red haired woman. She then looked back at the unconscious Athena and then the object in her hand. She had seen with her own eyes that the object had fired a red light… no, three red lights that destroyed what had been chasing her. Then she saw the woman press something and a silver shimmer rose from the ground to surround them. Leaving the home, the girl walked a few steps forward before looking back through the door at the red haired woman again.
'She saved me' thought the girl to herself before she looked back out at the area in front of her, 'but if I do not return to the village.. grandmother will be worried. She will believe that I am killed….. and if I make it back alive, she will scold me for leaving when it was dark, despite all her warning."
Unsure of what to do, the girl made a decision and ran towards the open. It was a few steps later that she passed through a shimmer. Surprised, she turned around and reached out with her hand until it hit a hard surface. Stepping back in shock and surprise, the girl stepped forward again and pressed her palm against the shield as it shimmered in the moonlight. Smiling at the woman who was laying on the floor in the home, the girl then turned around and ran as fast as she could towards her village. She had to tell her grandmother about the sorceress that had saved her life, and beaten back the creatures of the night with mystical light.
Athena's Home, the next day, 1000 hours.
As the sunlight drifted into Athena's home, the warmth hit her cheeks as the redhead groaned and slowly flipped herself onto her back. Bringing one hand to cover her eyes from the light, Athena used her other hand and tried to reach for something that could shut the open door, but found nothing. With no other choice, Athena slowly opened her eyes and looked around.
"Little girl?" said Athena softly when she heard that her home was absolutely quiet, "little girl?"
Athena took her arm off her face and stood up slowly. Once she was up, she grabbed the side of the table when she felt her legs were about to give way, and looked around.
"The girl must have left late at night" said Athena to herself, "stupid.. stupid girl. There could have been more of those creatures. You should have stayed."
Athena shook her head as she turned around and grabbed a seatback for balance while she shut down the shield. She watched as the silver shimmer went down and she slowly walked towards the doorway.
"I have so many questions" said Athena to herself, "but first… I am famished."
Not feeling well enough to cook anything, Athena opened up one of her rations and ate everything in record time. She then went to a medical kit and injected some medication into a vein in her arm. Feeling much better, she then grabbed a tanned shirt and trousers which she took with her to the nearby river. Once there, she took off the current clothes she was wearing which had already been blood stained, she waded into the cool river and closed her eyes… and simply sank under the surface. Enjoying her bath, Athena later walked out and put on the fresh set of clothes she had brought with her. However, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched as she put on her trousers. The feeling was so strong that she turned her head just as she put on her shirt and scanned the area with her eyes, but she found nothing.
Frowning at herself, Athena headed back to the interconnected structure where she placed her bloodied clothes into a disposal unit which she would take to the outpost to be incinerated. In the meantime, she headed out her door and crouched down with three small containers in her hand. Looking at the small pile of dust, she placed some of the dust into a container and then labelled it. She did the same thing for the other two piles of dust near the cloaked Gateship which had also been inside the shield. After she made sure all of the containers were secured, Athena walked into the Jumper and sat on the pilot's seat. Once the console activated, she mentally activated the communications system's subspace frequency that the returned Lanteans were using for that all their Gateships.
"This is Athena to all Lanteans" said Athena, "I have recently encountered creatures that look like humans, but act like animals. I am alright, but I have been bitten by these creatures. I have taken the necessary medication to stave off any infection but this message is a warning. Beware of these creatures, if any Lantean encounters them.. they are to be shot on sight. Use your weapons on their highest settings, three shots should be enough to turn them to dust… literal dust. I can only surmise that they cannot take extreme heat. I will examine the contents of the dist and file a report as soon as I have recovered. Athena out."
Once Athena had let go of the controls, the holographic HUD vanished and she leaned back on her seat as she looked out the window. It was then that she heard a loud gasp from behind her. Turning around on the pilot seat while reaching for her weapon that she kept on her hip, Athena saw the same girl from yesterday as she peeked inside the ship while standing on the ramp. Smiling at the girl, Athena slowly took her hand off the weapon and motioned for the girl to come into the vessel.
"Can you understand me?" asked Athena as she stood up and walked towards the girl when the redhead saw that she was hesitant in coming in.
Athena smiled as she crouched while the girl tilted her head to one side. She then reached out with her hand and touched the dried puncture wounds on Athena's neck.
"My people can heal fast" said Athena as the girl touched the other side of her neck, "we have an advanced biology… but I still had to take some medication. You can't understand a word I am saying, can you?"
Athena then looked on as the girl traced her fingers over the redhead's face and then her arms, and the palms of her hands. While the girl looked closely at Athena, the redhead got a good look at the little girls. The redhead thought that she was probably about ten years of age with dry black hair, brown eyes and she was wearing some kind of tanned cloth that covered her body. Athena noticed that she was barefooted and that her hands were covered in dried mud. She then saw some injuries on her shoulders that had already been healed over, as well as her arms.
"Are you a sorceress?" asked the girl as she titled her head to look into Athena's eyes, "do you practise the mystics? I told my Grandmother about you, and so she notified the mystic priests this morning on what had happened. I do not like them, they look at me as if they wish me harm. Do you wish me harm?"
"My dear girl" said Athena with a frown, "I have absolutely no idea about what you just said. Let us start with introductions."
The girl then simply just stared at Athena confused.
"Athena" said the redhead pointing at herself, and then she pointed at the girl, "you?"
"You" said the girl as she pointed at herself while she furrowed her eyebrows in confusion as Athena smiled.
"Athena" she said again pointing at herself, she then pointed at the girl as her eyes opened wide.
"Athena" said the girl as she pointed at the redhead.
The girl then gave a wide smile when Athena nodded her head, before the redhead pointed at the girl again.
"Sineya" said the girl as she pointed at herself, "Sineya."
"Sineya" said Athena, "nice to meet you. Let us get to know each other."
TBC.