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Chapter 4: Aboard the hive.
Teyla sat on the infirmary bed, staring at the child on the bed opposite her. She had no idea what to do with her. When the Wraith culled Athos and Teyla lost her father, she would have been a few years older than Jallell, but other Athosians were willing to take care of her. Who was going to take care of Jallell? She certainly couldn't, and there was no way the child could remain on Atlantis long-term.
Jallell had no one except her brother if he were still alive. Maybe the answer was to take her to New Athos to see if any families could look after her. There must be someone who would take on the challenge of raising these two kids. But not now. Jallell might like a tour of Atlantis first, and perhaps she'd like to stay in case there was news of Rollo and John.
A soft voice pervaded her thoughts, and when she looked up, she realised that Jallell was speaking to her.
"Can you please repeat that Jallell?"
"What's going to happen to me now?"
The child seemed afraid, but who could blame her? Jallell was alone with strangers, and her brother was missing - possibly in the hands of the Wraith.
"Well, for now, you can stay with me. I am sure that Torren would love to meet you."
"Who's Torren?" Jallell asked with interest.
"Torren is my son."
Teyla watched Jallell look around the infirmary. Obviously, the girl was looking for something.
"Are you looking for something Jallell?"
The child nodded, "I want to know where Trixie is."
"I am not sure, but if Dr Keller allows us to leave, we can go and look for her."
"Everything looks good, Jallell. So you can leave when you're ready." Keller announced, walking into the room. "And if you want to know, Trixie is with Torren in your quarters, Teyla. Amelia is looking after them."
Teyla grabbed her crutches, hopped off the exam bed, and encouraged Jallell to do the same, "I will take you to my quarters, and Amelia will look after you. Then I will come by and see you later."
Jallell looked like she may cry, "Where are you going?"
"I have to go to a meeting, but I promise you will get a tour of Atlantis later."
As much as Teyla had sympathy for the child, she needed to be involved in the search for John, even if she could only assist from Atlantis.
"I will take her to your quarters," Jennifer offered, "Dr Cole can hold the fort for a few minutes."
"Thank you, Jennifer," Teyla said before turning to Jallell, "I want you to go with Dr Keller. She will take you to my quarters. I will catch up with you later then. I promise."
Teyla was relieved when the girl nodded. Now, all she had to do was hobble to Woolsey's office for the debriefing, which could take forever, considering how slow she was moving.
oOo
When John awoke again, he wished he hadn't. His head was pounding, he was in agony because of the feeding mark on his chest, he was still old and weak, had no top or boots on, and the worst thing was that he was back in the tiny cell, and Rollo wasn't with him. He had no idea how long he'd been unconscious, but given the amount of pain he was experiencing, John wished he was still out of it.
John felt too old and weak to see if Tom and Jerry were still guarding him, but assumed they were.
Looking at his hand, he tried to ascertain how many years the queen had taken from him, and by the look of things, it was a lot. He was sure she didn't want to kill him yet because, for whatever reason, she needed him as a pet. Although he was positive, she still had one or two hideous beasts on her ship. He wished she would leave him alone and pat the monsters she called pets.
He shuddered at the thought of her running her long, cold fingers through his hair. He didn't want to think what she might have done to him while he was unconscious. Having no idea what would happen next, John closed his eyes again. At some point, he would need to find Rollo and attempt to escape, but for now, he was too tired and weak.
He was startled out of his slumber when someone entered his cell. Unfortunately, it was Tom and Jerry, and he suspected it was time for another visit with the Queen. What did she want with him this time? Did she want to feed on him some more, or did she want to pet him like an animal?
"The Queen wants to see you again, "Tom hissed, "If I had it my way, you would be dead by now. She seems infatuated with you, but I believe you are nothing but trouble."
Although tired, he answered with as much sarcasm as he could, in his current circumstances, "You're probably right, Tom. Lucky for me, it's not up to you."
Tom hissed at him and grabbed him by the arm. Jerry grabbed his other arm and dragged him through the corridors of the hive.
He tried to get to his feet, but the Wraith were moving at such a pace that there was no way he could make it happen.
When they arrived in the queen's chamber, Tom and Jerry dumped him on the floor beside her throne.
"Are you ready to behave, little one?"
He thought about answering with some sarcastic comment but knew now wasn't the time to shoot his mouth off. For now, he needed to play along and wait for an opportunity to escape. So he just nodded. He smiled when he remembered what he'd nicknamed the queen - Morticia. He only hoped she didn't see the smile.
Morticia turned to Jerry, "Reward him.
Jerry stretched out his feeding hand, and he knew what to expect. Initially, it was agony, and then, as the enzyme entered his system, a feeling of euphoria came over him, and John didn't want it to end.
Then, as quickly as it had started, it was over, and he wanted to beg for more. He knew how easy it would be to become addicted to the Wraith enzyme, so he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"I will reward you again later, little one," the Queen hissed before dismissing her drones.
Once Tom and Jerry had left the room, he asked Mortica some questions.
"Where is Rollo? And what do you want from me now?"
"Your little friend is safe. And all I want from you is for you to come and sit next to me."
Morticia pointed to a cushion beside her throne, and he got the distinct impression she was treating him like a dog. It was made of silk and looked soft and comfortable, so it was clear she wanted the best for her pets.
"You can sit on this side, and since you killed Fluffy, I'll have to settle for Junior sitting on the other side."
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw one of the hideous creatures walk into the room. Luckily, it was smaller than Fluffy, but it didn't look any less fierce.
Knowing this wasn't the time to try and escape, he slowly walked over to the cushion and sat down. He was still weak, as Jerry hadn't returned all the years the queen had taken.
Once he was sitting beside the queen's throne, she ran her fingers through his hair again, and it was the most uncomfortable thing he'd ever experienced because she was petting him like a dog. She was doing the same thing to Junior, and strangely, it sounded like the creature was purring. Although, that could change in an instant.
"Is Junior related to Fluffy in any way?" He asked and recoiled when she pulled on his hair.
"There is much you do not understand, little one, but yes, in a way, Fluffy is related to Junior."
So, a cryptic answer, and if he were to hazard a guess, the beasts didn't breed conventionally.
He was about to ask Morticia for more information when she ran her fingers through his hair and down his back, causing him to shudder.
"Shh…little one, I have some business to attend to, so why don't you try and sleep? Perhaps later, I will have my drones reward you again."
The thought of more Wraith enzyme running through his body filled him with terror. Although, a small part of him couldn't wait for a hit.
His cushion was large enough to lie down and close his eyes. He didn't want to go to sleep, but if he closed his eyes, he could listen to what was going on around him while feigning sleep.
Morticia must have read his mind, "Don't fight sleep, little one. Remember, I can punish or reward you depending on your behaviour."
He shivered when he thought of how she might punish him, so he decided to behave until the opportunity to escape presented itself.
Morticia mistook his trembling for being cold, and he was almost relieved when she put a nice warm blanket over him.
Before long, the room was quiet except for the faint snore coming from Junior. Maybe that was another reason he didn't want to sleep. What would happen if Junior woke up hungry and chewed on one of his limbs?
The Queen was gently patting his hair, and for some strange reason, he found it soothing, so as much as he wanted to stay awake, it wasn't long before he found himself drifting off to sleep.
oOo
Ronon sat and stared at Woolsey, waiting for him to start the meeting. Teyla had hobbled in a few minutes ago, Carson walked in around the same time, and Rodney just walked in, so he wondered why Woolsey was still doing paperwork.
It took another minute before Woolsey looked up and started, "Now that everyone is here, why don't you tell what happened on the planet?"
"It's simple. The Wraith took Sheppard." Ronon told the leader in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Yes, Ronon, I realsie that. But I want to know about the children you discovered."
"Before we discuss the children," Carson began, "I need to inform you that Colonel Sheppard has lost a lot of blood, and I fear for his safety."
"Sure, we fear for Sheppard's safety, the wraith have taken him," Rodney ranted, "but how the hell are we going to find him!?"
"It's simple," Ronon growled, " we contact Todd, and he can tell us where Sheppard is!"
Ronon knew he was being unreasonable, and he was definitely angry, but the last thing he needed was to sit around discussing things when what they should do was take action.
"Ronon! Please calm down?" Teyla almost shouted, and he felt severely chastised.
"I will tell you about the children," Teyla offered. "The children are Nafari and were hiding in the caves when the Wraith came. I believe the Wraith took Jallel's Mother and sister. And they took Rollo at the same time as Colonel Sheppard."
Perhaps Ronon is right," Woolsey started, "we need to contact Todd to see if he has any information about Colonel Sheppard's whereabouts."
"Finally," Ronon muttered as Woolsey stood up and exited the office.
The room was silent, and Ronon wondered what would happen next.
"I assume Woolsey's dismissed us, "Carson said, standing to his feet.
Before Carson could leave, Woolsey reentered the office, "I have told Chuck to look for Todd's transponder signal. Hopefully, he won't be too far away."
"Yeah, but Todd won't give anything away without us giving him something," Rodney stated. And Ronon could see the scientist wasn't happy - but who was?
"I have done more research on the retro-virus to stop Wraith from feeding on humans. Perhaps we can offer him that information, " Carson suggested.
"I will suggest it to him when he contacts us. For now, we wait," Woolsey said without emotion.
"What about contacting some of our allies? Teyla suggested in a soft voice.
Ronon couldn't understand why she was so calm. Sheppard was missing and in the hands of the Wraith. He knew how Teyla felt about Sheppard, and Ronon couldn't understand why she wasn't more upset. Perhaps she'd been meditating, which usually calmed her.
"I will take that under advisement, "Woolsey replied before looking around the room at each of them, "You all need to go and have a meal before getting a good night's sleep. I will let you know if I hear anything about Colonel Sheppard."
The last thing Ronon wanted to do was have a meal and sleep, so he stormed out of the office. He needed to be doing something, and now he felt like hitting something. He ran towards the gym and began to feel better. He knew he'd feel even better once he started to hit the punching bag. After hitting the bag for a while, he might even listen to Woolsey's suggestion and get a meal and a good night's sleep.
oOo
The first thing John noticed the next time he became aware was a loud snorting sound, and he wondered if Ronon and Rodney were in the room snoring. Next, he felt something blowing on his face. If he were honest, it smelled like roadkill. The thing that brought him out of his slumber was something licking his face, and the tongue was far too big to be Trixie's.
He awoke with a start to find that Junior was licking his face, and Morticia was chuckling.
"I think he likes you, little one."
Feeling tired and cranky, he wasn't in the mood for the Queen, "where is Rollo?" He asked forcefully.
The Queen snorted again, "Do not worry, little one, I will take you to see the boy later. But first, I will reward you for your good behaviour."
"That's not really necessary," he answered, knowing he didn't want to become addicted to Wraith enzyme.
"Come on, little one, you know you want a reward." She said, running her fingers through his hair.
He knew she was right, and he would like nothing more than another hit of the enzyme, but he couldn't afford to become addicted if he were going to attempt an escape.
Junior was still sniffing around him and was becoming annoying, so he practically begged the queen to get rid of it, "Can you please take Junior away from me?" He asked a little too forcefully.
Morticia whistled loudly, and the beast went to the other side of her throne and settled back on his cushion. She turned to him, "Now, little one, you are becoming angry, so I think you need a reward, But first I will feed."
Suddenly, she was on him, and he felt her feeding hand slam into his chest. Then she started to feed. He felt the wraith enzyme flooding his system, and for an instant, it felt good. Then he felt his life begin to drain away right before he felt his nerves ripped apart. He felt weaker by the minute, and again, he wondered if he would ever see his friends again. Eventually, the agony he was feeling became too much, and he screamed. Just when he thought he was going to die, it stopped, and he slumped to the floor.
He barely noticed when she waved one of her drones to come over, and for the first time, he realised it was Tom.
Tom stretched out his feeding hand, and he knew what to expect. In fact, he almost begged for it. Initially, it was agony, and then, as the enzyme entered his system, a feeling of euphoria came over him, and John didn't want it to end.
Then, as quickly as it had started, it was over, and he wanted to beg for more. Now, he was stronger, so it was probably time to try and escape, but first, he needed to find Rollo.
He sat on his cushion, looked at Morticia and used his best puppy dog eyes - the ones that women loved, "Can I please see Rollo now?"
"Yes, little one, my men will take you to him now."
Suddenly, a stunner beam hit his chest, and within a few seconds, he fell to the floor unconscious.
oOo
Rodney left Woolsey's office and went straight to his lab. He was still determined to find out what the hideous beasts were. Even though Rodney had a few ideas about their origins, he still wanted to know for sure. Seeing they were at a dead end with the search for Sheppard, he had to be doing something.
When he arrived in his lab, he was relieved that Radek wasn't there because the last thing he needed to deal with now was having a conversation with him. Sometimes, the man didn't know when to shut up.
As he entered his lab and turned his computer on, he began to speculate about the origins of the beasts. They looked part Wraith with several other species thrown in.
Rodney was sure the monsters were created in a lab, but for what purpose? He knew he'd work it out eventually, but he knew finding Sheppard was a priority.
So when they had a lead on Sheppard, he needed to be part of the rescue mission. But then others could handle the rescuing. He was the only one who could do his research.
In the end, Rodney figured he'd work for a few hours, and if he hadn't found anything, he would follow Woolsey's instructions and have a meal before going to bed. Although, he was sure that Jennifer would be along and insist on it before then.
oOo
The night was dark and stormy as John walked down the narrow path. He had no idea where he was or why he was there. The fact he had no shirt or shoes on didn't help matters either.
He tried looking around at his surroundings but couldn't move his head. He did manage to look down at his chest and soon realised a Wraith had fed on him.
A roar filled the air, and it filled him with terror. It sounded like one of the hideous beasts that had tried to chew his arm off was on the planet - wherever this planet was.
The roar was coming closer, and he tried to run, but he found his feet glued to the ground so he couldn't move.
When he felt a tiny hand on his arm, he screamed…
John awoke to the sound of his scream and was surprised to see Rollo sitting beside him.
He was trembling all over but could see the fear in Rollo's eyes, so he needed to try and remain calm. Sitting up, he dragged himself over to the wall and sat with his back against it.
"Are you alright, John?" Rollo asked, his eyes open wide.
"Yeah, I think so. How long have I been unconscious?"
How dumb can you be, John, he chastised himself. How the hell would the kid know the answer to that?
Rollo had a strange look on his face when he answered, "I don't know, but you were unconscious when they brought me in."
Okay, so no, answers there.
"Are you alright, Rollo? Has Athena been looking after you?"
"Yeah, I don't know her purpose is here, but she got me a meal and gave me somewhere to sleep."
He had no idea what Athena was doing here either. Was she a wraith worshipper, or was she a prisoner like them? If he got the chance, perhaps, he'd go and find her and find out once and for all.
Rollo sat in the middle of the floor and stared at him, so he patted the floor beside him, "Come sit next to me, and we'll see if we can figure a way out of here?"
"Are you sure you're okay, John? You don't look so good."
The kid was right. He didn't feel too good. He was trembling all over, had a headache from hell, and was far too hot. There was a good chance he was going through withdrawal from the enzyme. Although, he wouldn't have thought they'd be enough in his system to cause withdrawal symptoms.
"Yeah, I'm alright, but I need another rest before we plan a way out of here."
Rollo nodded, but he didn't miss the worry in the boy's eyes.
He knew he needed to escape and protect the boy at all costs, so there was no way he needed to be fed on by Morticia again. For now, he would rest and then try and mount an escape. He didn't have a plan, but hopefully, by the time he woke up again, something would come to him.
Finally, Rollo came and sat beside him, and John closed his eyes. It probably wouldn't hurt to rest them for a while, but he was determined not to fall asleep.
oOo
Teyla had just finished a meal with Jallell and Torren and was about to go to her quarters to put the children to bed. Then, she would have a hot shower and go to bed herself. She knew she'd be no good to anyone if she didn't get a decent night's sleep soon. Tomorrow was another day, perhaps they would find a lead on John. She was about to stand to her feet when her com activated.
She tapped her earpiece and was surprised to hear Mr Woolsey on the other end.
"What can I do for you, Mr Woolsey?"
"Todd has been in contact, and he wants to set up a meeting with us?"
She sighed. The last thing she wanted to do now was see Todd, but she needed to know if Todd had any information about John's whereabouts.
"When does he want to set up a meeting?"
"His ship is nearby, and he insists on setting up a transmission to talk to you. Ronon and Dr Beckett have been contacted and are on their way."
"Okay, I am on my way, Teyla out."
She looked around the Mess hall, hoping to see someone who could take the children and put them to bed.
Luckily, Amelia had just walked into the room, so she waved her over.
"Amelia, could you please put the children to bed? I have to attend a meeting."
"No problems, Teyla. Ronon will be attending the meeting as well."
Teyla turned to look at the children, "Torren, Jallel, can you please stay with Amelia for a while? When she's finished her dinner. She will put you to bed."
"Yes, Momma, "Torren replied, and Jallell nodded.
She kissed Torren on the head, turned and hobbled out of the Mess hall. Who knows how long it would take her to get to Woolsey's office this time?
Ultimately, it took her ten minutes, and when she arrived, she was happy to see she wasn't the last one there.
"Where is everyone Mr Woolsey?"
"I'm sorry to make you walk all this way, Teyla, but Todd has changed the meeting place. He wants you and Ronon to travel to these coordinates, and he'll meet you."
"When do we leave?" She asked, stifling a yawn.
"Right away," Ronon said, walking into the office.
"It may be a trick," Woolsey suggested.
Ronon looked at Woolsey, and she could sense his impatience," Of course, it's a trick," Ronon replied. "But we have to go because if he has information on Sheppard and his whereabouts, I'm willing to take the risk."
"I agree with Ronon. But who is going to fly the jumper?" Teyla asked, looking around the office.
"I'll do it, " Carson said, entering the office.
"Okay, you have a go," Woolsey said, looking at Ronon, "I'll send the coordinates to the jumper and take whatever resources you feel are necessary."
Ronon mumbled something she couldn't hear and walked out of the office with Carson following.
Once they had gone, she turned to Woolsey and asked, "Is Dr McKay coming with us?"
"No. Rodney is still researching the creatures that attacked the Colonel on the Nafari home world. He said he's close to finding an answer, so he can't leave."
"Well, I will get going, Mr Woolsey and I hope we will find out where John is."
"Bring him home, Teyla."
She nodded, walked out of the office and headed to the jumper bay, hoping that today would be the day they brought John home.
TBC…