Stargate Atlantis FanFic

Progress:
--- Tense updated to past tense of chapters 1 to 17 ---
--- Masive re-write of the story 1 to 5 so far and halfway through chapter 6 ---
--- Beta in progress: chapter 1-4 are final, chapter 5 almost ---

Warnings:
--- Torture (physical & mental) ---
--- Shep Whumping and visious Wraith, what more to say :) ---

Additional Credits:
--- To my wonderfull beta's: Ashanome, Heimedall & Ellie ---
--- A source of inspiration: Colonel John Sheppard and Wraith Queens ---

Short plot:
--- Sheppard and his team find a Wraith baby and the bond with her creates an even more bizarre bond when they encounter unexpected guests... ---

*** Chapter 1 ***

Trees, sand and rocks passed beneath Colonel John Sheppard, Doctor Rodney McKay and Teyla Emmagan who were sitting in a puddle jumper flying in a low orbit around a planet. Doctor Elizabeth Weir had sent the team to this planet to perform some initial survey scans. The team regularly made these kinds of planetary scans, looking for signs of interesting civilizations or technology. After evaluating the scans, she would decide whether to send in another team to do a more detailed investigation.

Sheppard was the one sitting behind the controls. In addition to flying, he periodically checked the scanner to see if there was anything worth investigating on this planet. Teyla, sitting in the co-pilot’s chair next to him, was starting to get impatient. They had been flying around the planet for what seemed like days and yet they had not found any sign of a current or past civilization nor had they found any sign of technology at all. She wasn’t too fond of flight missions in the first place, but if they were useful she could gain energy from the task. However, today was only draining the energy from her. She was sitting still in her seat, watching out the window and seeing not much more than the blue sky.

John turned around to look at McKay who appeared busy. He sat in the back of the jumper and used the controls in front of him to scan and record all kinds of random information about this planet. He continued to press buttons and didn’t even notice that John was watching him. With an exaggerated sigh, John turned back to his own survey screens.

John was just like Teyla - extremely bored. He really couldn’t believe that McKay could keep himself busy for hours, studying the planet. John had seen enough and needed a distraction. He used his mind to turn off the survey scanner and start a chess program. He moved one of the white pawns with his mind and gestured to Teyla to join the game. She had recently learned the basics of chess and pointed to the black pawn she wanted John to move for her. A couple of weeks ago Sheppard had finally been able to convince Rodney to upload a chess program in case things got boring. This mission had turned out to be one of the times when they all wished they hadn’t left Atlantis at all.

While John moved the pawn for Teyla, she decided to break the silence that had lasted for more than ten minutes. “We have been flying here for over two hours and have not found any sign of civilization,” she said.

John looked at her. “Yeah, you’re right,” he agreed. ”One last run, then we’ll head back and let Doctor Weir know she can send a rock-collecting team. Nothing more than rocks, sand and trees here,” he added.

Sheppard removed the chess game from his screen and turned the scanner back on. He pushed some buttons on the control panel, causing the puddle jumper to make a gentle turn and changing its altitude to a higher orbit. Data showed on the screen again and he tried accessing new information.

McKay was oblivious to the jumper’s maneuvers, fully engrossed in monitoring the weather on the planet. It had been raining for weeks on Atlantis and it made him even crankier then he usually was. However, the sunshine on this planet seemed to have gotten him back in a good mood.

“Well, it looks like a nice planet,” Rodney murmured to himself while he kept pushing more buttons on the panel in front of him. On the screen, a variety of meteorological statistics appeared. “The weather is nice, no signs of pollution.” He looked up but got no response from Sheppard or Teyla. Feeling completely ignored, he sighed dramatically and turned back to his display. Hearing him, Sheppard sighed too.

The mission had started out boring and was rapidly becoming mind-numbing. The lack of distraction made Sheppard rebellious and he found an easy way to create some entertainment. He gave a mental command to send the jumper into a quick turn. Both Teyla and McKay shook in their seats. Teyla had a hard time hiding her exasperation while John’s face split into a wide grin. Rodney was about to make a comment, but before he could say anything Sheppard sent the jumper into yet another sudden and steep turn.

The ship rapidly descended and it made Teyla feel a bit sick. She placed both hands on the control pad in front of her and tried to catch her breath. She had eaten scrambled eggs for breakfast, but she was still not used to such a heavy breakfast compared to her diet before she met John and his team. She regretted that she had let John talk her into trying something different for breakfast in the first place. Next time she would just get herself a simple cheese sandwich.

John briefly glanced at Teyla, a grin still covering his face. The ship completed the course change and Sheppard turned his head towards the panel in front of him and checked the readings on his screen. The data stream contained analytical numbers about his maneuver. He pushed some buttons when suddenly an object on the planet’s surface lit up. His full interest was directed to his screen, making both Teyla and McKay realize that he had seen something interesting on the survey scanner. The jumper closed in on the object while John tried to enlarge the display on the HUD, but they were still too far away to determine what the object was.

“It looks like we’re not the only ones who like the weather here,” John announced with a hint of enthusiasm in his voice. He straightened his body and seemed eager to find out what this mysterious object was. For the first time since the mission started, he found something interesting to pursue and eagerly accepted the chance to make this mission worthwhile. He turned his head a little to glance at Teyla again, checking to see if she was all right. This time she briefly nodded and he smiled back at her. John enjoyed the short moment of excitement and tried again to magnify the object on the display.

Rodney had also caught the note of excitement in Sheppard’s voice and rapidly changed his display screens to view the object himself. He tried to figure out what it was that they were flying towards, but the readings on his scan were also inconclusive. Meanwhile Teyla straightened herself and got comfortable in her seat again and looked outside the window in an attempt to see where they were going.

*****

The jumper hung cloaked above the ground. Beneath them lay a crashed ship. It appeared to be a Wraith ship. The ship itself was not that big, about twice the size of a Wraith Dart. Many pieces of debris were scattered over a large area. Even though nature had started to restore itself, the path the ship had created during its crash was still clearly visible.

“You did cloak the jumper, didn’t you?” Rodney asked with some nervousness in his voice. The moment he realized the object the scanners had picked up was a Wraith ship, the tension levels in his body peaked.

John was quite surprised with his discovery and exclaimed, “Wraith!” Teyla looked just as surprised and briefly glanced at John. John in his turn, turned around to McKay with a sarcastic grin on his face, “And the sensors didn’t pick up any trace of pollution?”

Meanwhile Teyla leaned forward, closer to the window. She looked down and followed the trail of debris with her eyes. At the end of the path, a large part of the ship appeared to be intact, although it looked badly damaged. Metal scraps, sand and vegetation covered most of it. The appearance and design of that part of the ship was very different from that of any Wraith ship they had encountered in the past. “Do you think there could be any survivors?” she asked while observing the wreckage.

Sheppard used the scanners to search for an answer. He looked down at the debris as well. “Well, they are hard to kill, but I think it’s unlikely that anyone survived this crash,” he stated. He looked at the display on his screen and continued, “Besides, I’m not getting any life indications or heat readings nearby. Who knows how long this ship has been here.” He too had been a little anxious after making the discovery, but as always he remained calm and focused.

The chance to explore this new Wraith ship excited McKay and without realizing it, he spoke aloud. “Is it safe enough to go and take a look? Maybe there are parts we can salvage. This looks like a completely new type of Wraith ship. We need to see if any of the computer systems survived. There might be important data we could salvage.”

John and Teyla both turned around and faced McKay. They were surprised, even stunned, by the words that had just come out of Rodney’s mouth. “Are you seriously volunteering to go into that ship?” John asked him, knowing that Rodney usually was hesitative for participating in any apparent dangerous task.

Teyla joined the teasing, “I think that Rodney is more interested to experience the nice weather outside.”

Rodney looked both serious and uncertain as he stammered, ”Hmm…well… yes… It has been raining for weeks on Atlantis. My body needs sun and warmth to perform better, but that is not the point. This opportunity, this ship could give us more insight in the Wraith. There might even be tactical data we could use, depending on how long it has been down there of course.”

Sheppard looked somewhat surprised by McKay’s devotion but was willing to accept the excuse. After all, McKay could be right. What if this ship contained some description about how to defeat the Wraith once and for all? “Teyla?” he asked to confirm that she supported the decision to investigate as well.

Teyla nodded her agreement and smiled slightly. “Why not, perhaps Rodney is correct and we can salvage something useful.”

John narrowed his eyes and started to wonder what the effect of too much rain on humans was. He didn’t try to hide his astonishment about McKay’s proposal, “Seriously, have you looked at the state of that ship?”

Rodney knew where this was going and he was worried that he was not going to win this discussion. It had happened too often that his ideas had been shifted away by John, especially if the ideas were science related. However, to McKay’s surprise, John turned in his seat again.

“How warm is it?” John asked him.

Rodney smiled, very pleased. John looked back to Teyla who silently nodded her agreement for further investigation as well.

*** Chapter 2 ***

Dust blew up when the Jumper landed in the middle of a clear area, only a few yards from where the debris trail began. The team opened the jumper door and stepped outside. They were instantly covered with warm rays of sunlight as they walked through the high grass and fine sand along the path of the crash. At the end of the trail lay the ship’s wreckage. Sheppard held the Life Signs Detector in his hand and checked it every few seconds. He saw only indications of his team on it, but that did not put him completely at ease.

Teyla was also unsettled. She felt herself become more nervous the closer they came to the ship. Her nausea was not getting any better either. “Do you see any indication of Wraith here?” she asked John tensely. She did not sense them but there was something making her uncomfortable. Maybe it was the fact that she had not expected to stumble onto a Wraith ship on an otherwise completely deserted planet. There was no indication or reason that the Wraith would have an interest for this place. As far as John had told her, there were no signs of people ever living here.

Rodney nodded towards the wreckage, “No one alive, I guess,” he proclaimed.

Sheppard and Teyla both looked in the direction that he was nodding. They saw a decayed body lying among the wreckage. Only the remains of the clothing on the otherwise clean skeleton indicated that this body had probably been a Wraith Commander. The team continued to approach the wreckage and stopped when they were standing next to the body. A big metal rod had penetrated the chair and exited through the ribs of the body.

John relaxed a little, “Well, I guess it didn’t crash today. It looks like we have time to do a little investigating of the ship.” He nodded at McKay, “Teyla, will you check out the perimeter while I watch over Rodney?”

Rodney swallowed, a sudden wave of memories of other encounters with the Wraith rushing through his mind. A struggle was going on inside him. On the one hand, there was the explorer part of him and on the other was his devotion to self-preservation. However, seeing the dead body did give him enough confidence to let his explorer’s nature gain the upper hand. He knew that Wraith could survive for many years without food while hibernating, but the remains of the ship made it very clear that no one could have survived a crash like this.

Sheppard took firm steps towards a crumpled section that seemed to be an entrance to the ship. McKay hesitated for a brief moment and then gathered enough courage to follow him. John turned around and checked that Rodney was behind him. He watched impatiently as McKay slowly approached.

Rodney smiled nervously and noticed that the hatch was on the part of the ship that had suffered the least damage. He took in details about the exterior of the ship and knew for sure they had not encountered this specific type of Wraith ship before. This made him forget about his concerns and turned him all excited about the discovery.

Sheppard started pushing on the hatch in an attempt to open it. However, it was not only heavy but it also seemed to be stuck. Teyla had not moved yet and was still standing near the wreckage. She watched John as he pushed his weight against the door. Rodney, noting the lack of progress, added his weight too. For a brief moment, Teyla enjoyed watching the two men struggle with something as simple as a door. She shook her head disapprovingly at their attempt to use brute force. A few moments later, when the two men still hadn’t successfully opened the door, she turned around and started to walk away from the ship. She searched the ground for signs that could indicate that anyone else was present or had been in the past. She knew it would be a long shot to still find footprints, but she looked for them anyway. Steadily she advanced and used a search pattern she had learned from her father.

After a third and more forceful try to open the door, Sheppard finally succeeded and it slammed open. A painful squeaking sound echoed through the air and a big metal plate instantly fell from the ship’s ceiling to the ground. A cloud of dust blew up in the air and puffed out of the compartment. McKay took a step back and looked uncertain about the safety of the wreckage. John, on the other hand, was more concerned about any Wraith presences. He grabbed the Life Signs Detector and handed it to McKay. Rodney accepted and immediately activated it. Meanwhile John had turned on the light attached to his gun and aimed the beam inside the room.

Rodney stretched his arm far out to make sure he didn’t have to step any closer to the ship then necessary. He held the detector inside the opening and watched the readings. Beside his own and Sheppard’s life signs, he saw only one other dot on the screen. He confirmed that it belonged to Teyla. Rodney turned off the scanner and put it in his pocket. He nodded to Sheppard who still had his gun and light pointed inside the room.

John opened the door a bit further and looked inside. Sunlight illuminated the dark space through big cracks in the ships ceiling. A few rays of sunlight shined on a large, black, square box standing in the middle of the room. Sheppard systematically scanned the room with the light from his gun. He aimed the beam into each corner and scanned the floor and the ceiling. Loose wires hung down from the ceiling and the air smelled stuffy. He did not see any parts that looked like they would fall on him and he decided it was safe to enter the ship carefully.

McKay followed and stepped inside the compartment too. He saw the box in the room and speculated that this could be the cargo bay of the ship. Sheppard carefully walked around the box, keeping his body on high alert for any unknown dangers. In the back of the compartment, he reached a twisted door that seemed to lead to the flight compartment. He inspected the door. The door was sealed and a large metal girder blocked the passage, making it impossible to force it open. After peeking through a small crack, he saw the dead Wraith they had seen from outside. The conclusion of his search was that this cargo compartment was the only part of the ship that seemed to have survived the crash. If McKay wanted to find some tactical data, he had to find it here.

“Clear,” John called out, “No wraith here. I’ll go and check on Teyla.” He walked past McKay and briefly made eye contact with him.

Rodney ignored the fact that he was about to be left alone in the ship. He already had his full attention directed on the box and walked straight towards it.

John noticed the exciting glimmer in McKay’s eyes and before he left the bay, he called out to him. “Rodney, don’t push any buttons you don’t recognize,” he pronounced clearly.

McKay heard the remark but pretended he hadn’t and continued his beeline towards the box. He reached the box and started to examine it closely. He was unable to detect any visual damage from the crash. This was odd concerning the damage the ship had taken. It looked like the box was reinforced with a strong material or alloy in some way that had allowed it to withstand the crash. He was curious, not only about why the box was still standing in its place without even a scratch on it, but even more about the contents. All kinds of crazy and excited thoughts ran through his mind and he became more and more exalted. One thing was very clear; it had to be something important. Otherwise, the Wraith wouldn’t have made such great efforts to ensure that it would withstand a crash of this magnitude. However, this also raised a curious question: why had the Wraith not returned here and reclaimed their precious cargo?

Rodney walked around the box and pulled away a large metal plate that had fallen against it. He looked up and saw the location in the ceiling where the metal plate had been. He wiped some of the dust off the box and searched the cleaned spot for any information. He was unable to detect any markings on this side of the box that indicated anything about the contents or how to open it. He slowly walked around to the other side, keeping his eyes focused on the box in front of him. He stopped in an area out of the sunlight and curiously scanned the rest of the bay. Almost like a magnet, his eyes were drawn to some faintly blinking lights. They came from a small control panel near the twisted door. He was sure they were not on a few minutes ago. Their entrance had probably activated a power backup system, which surprisingly still seemed to be operative after this many years. Rodney walked expectantly towards it and studied the panel up close.

*****

Outside John had caught up with Teyla. She was idly looking at the crash marks on the ground. He leaned against the side of the ship, closed his eyes and enjoyed the sunlight. Teyla looked up and stopped scouting around. She was relaxed as well, since she had not found any indication of anyone or anything around the crash site beside some small rodent like creatures. Sheppard took off his jacket and started to put back on his vest when Teyla mimicked his actions and shed her jacket too. After settling against the side of the wreck, John took his sunglasses from his pocket and put them on. His head was facing the sun, but from the corner of his eyes, he observed Teyla.

Teyla noticed him watching her and glanced back at him. John placed a satisfied grin on his face. Finally, she joined him, leaning against the ship a short distance away. She also closed her eyes and turned her face towards the sky. She felt the bright sunlight on her face and enjoyed the feeling of the smooth warmth engulfing her skin, turning her natural smile back to her lips. The weather on this planet indeed was very nice and she was glad that they had gotten out into the fresh air. John still smiled lazily at Teyla, while his eyes still kept her in focus. He was equally glad to be out and for them both to be able to relax and enjoy the scenery.

*****

Meanwhile inside the bay the lights on the panel were still blinking and Rodney wiped the dust off with his hand. The moment he touched one of the blinking lights he heard a faint squeaking sound coming from behind him. His breathing increased and a burst of adrenaline made his heart pound. With shaking hands, he drew his gun and carefully turned around. In amazement he saw the box behind him opening. The top split into two pieces, which rose quickly until they stood vertically and then they sank slowly inside the box. Rodney forced down his anxiety. In spite of his apprehension, he felt a building sense of excitement. He complimented himself, “Well, what do you know? Success on the first try.” With a smile on his face, he pushed the button of his radio. He was about to inform Sheppard when he felt a cold shiver along his spine. Suddenly the excitement was gone, replaced by a sickening feeling of uncertainty. He realized that the box opening in front of him had an equally chance to be either beneficial or harmful.

*****

Sheppard opened his eyes when he heard McKay’s voice over the comm. “Colonel, could you come inside please?” Rodney’s voice sounded nervous and he sighed a little frustrated about the interruption.

Teyla looked at John and he nodded back at her. They both straightened and started to walk towards the door. As they headed towards the entrance, John activated his radio. “What did you do?” he asked McKay with a hint of resignation.

“I’m not sure,” Rodney answered, a distinct quaver in his voice.

John looked questioningly towards Teyla. He had no idea what McKay could have done inside the crashed ship, yet the tone of his voice concerned him. “We’re on our way,” he assured Rodney over the radio. “Keep your hands in your pocket until I’m there,” he added while gesturing to Teyla and increasing his pace.

*****

Rodney waited for a couple of seconds, but couldn’t contain his curiosity any longer. He carefully took a step towards the box and aimed his gun inside. The grimace of fear on his face dissolved as he peeked down into the box. His eyes shot wide open and he felt faint from amazement. The inside of the box was softly illuminated and a little Wraith baby lay at the bottom. The baby was very small and its skin was just as pale as that of an adult Wraith. The baby lay carefully wrapped in a white satiny blanket. It looked comfortable and securely tucked in.

Suddenly, the baby opened its eyes and McKay instantly jumped back a step. He was completely startled, but forced himself to look back into the box. He leaned forward and saw that the baby still had its eyes open. “Oh, this is not good,” he stammered nervously.

*****

Moments later, Sheppard and Teyla had joined McKay and they all stood inside the cargo bay surrounding the open box. Inside, the baby was still lying wrapped in the blanket. The baby’s eyes were wide open and it seemed to look at each of the team members one by one.

Teyla was astonished, “A baby,” she breathed.

McKay looked uncomfortable and Sheppard’s smile had disappeared. “You really did it again, didn’t you?” John muttered keeping his weapon aimed at the Wraith baby inside the box. “I told you twice not to touch anything, didn’t I?”

Rodney tried to defend himself, “How am I supposed to see if there is anything we can use if I can’t touch anything? I only wiped some dust of the control panel. I didn’t expect there to be a baby in the box, believe me. Besides, who would keep a baby in a box?”

John turned in exasperation towards McKay and then pointed to the box, “The Wraith, apparently!”

None of the team members knew quite what to do in this unexpected situation. They stared at the baby for a while. Teyla looked up and turned her gaze towards John. He returned her look with a short glance. “Well, it does look as though they tried to do everything to keep the baby safe. It even survived the crash,” she said.

Rodney looked straight at Sheppard. With a strong and falsely confident voice he asked, “So what are we going to do?”

John turned impatiently to McKay and returned the question, “Yeah, what are ‘you’ going to do about this?”

Rodney pondered a reply to this question. Even if, and that was a big if, he could be said to have started this event, that didn’t mean he had to solve it too. He certainly didn’t open the box on purpose. Ok, yes, he had hoped to open the box and see what was inside it. He just hadn’t expected to find a baby inside. “Well,” he started, “at least now we know what’s inside the box. It could have been some kind of Wraith weapon.”

“Yeah, a human-eating weapon,” John snorted.

Rodney looked innocent and continued his defense plea, “Yes, but I didn’t know that. Anyway, the box is open. I’ve done my part, now it’s your turn.” He waved his hands and watched Sheppard who shifted his feet uncomfortably.

“It looks like this is some sort of hibernation chamber. We could try and close the box again,” Teyla suggested. “Of course, if we go we will be leaving the baby behind for an unknown amount of time,” she added immediately.

John looked inside the box, still pointing his gun at the baby. He directed a glance back at Teyla, “And there’s no telling who else might find the baby,” he added to clarify the dilemma they were facing.

Rodney anticipated that the next question would be directed towards him, a request for a technical solution. He sidled towards the panel on the wall. While turning, he saw that the lights were no longer blinking. He began to fear that closing the box might become somewhat of a challenge.

John followed McKay’s eyes. A clean spot on the dusty panel made him aware that this was the panel McKay had spoken about. However, it looked pretty dead to him and he sighed. “Teyla, are you sensing any Wraith around?” he asked turning his head towards her.

Teyla briefly closed her eyes and concentrated. “No, I am not. I am not even sensing this baby,” she said as she opened her eyes again. “Perhaps it’s is too young.”

John frowned, “What does that mean? That you don’t sense the baby? It’s Wraith, right? You always sense Wraith.”

Teyla closed her eyes again and entered a deeper state of concentration. After some seconds she opened her eyes again, “I am not sensing any Wraith presence. I am unsure why, but I do not sense this baby,” she said confidently.

Sheppard looked thoughtful and grabbed the Life Signs Detector from McKay’s pocket. He activated it and saw no other life signs than those in the bay, the baby included. “Well, according to the scanner the baby is alive and Wraith,” he gritted out while turning off the detector and shoving it into his own pocket. His gaze was drawn back to the baby and he glanced down into its yellow eyes. “Okay Teyla, you and McKay go and bring the doc here,” he ordered. “Maybe he’ll know what to do with the baby. I’ll stay here.”

Teyla nodded confirmation and led Rodney out of the bay in the direction of the Puddle Jumper.

Left alone, John stared intensely at the baby. The baby returned its gaze with what John could have sworn was a sparkle in its eyes. He just couldn’t believe that this baby could be a threat by itself. He finally lowered his gun, but kept his eyes tensely focused on the baby. He would keep track on any of the baby’s movement. However, it didn’t move except for its eyes which seemed to observe him in every detail.

With some hesitation, John moved his finger slowly towards the baby. The baby didn’t look frightening. Its eyes had shifted focus and followed his finger until he gently poked its cheek. The baby instantly smiled and gazed deep into John’s eyes, but it still did not move. John’s suspicious look changed to a stoically one. He pulled his finger back and activated his radio, “Teyla?”

“Colonel Sheppard, is something wrong?” her calm voice replied over the radio.

John blinked his eyes and turned around to face the door. He was distracted for a brief moment, but then he slowly turned back to the baby and pushed the button on his radio again. “I’ve been thinking about this baby and maybe we should take it back to Atlantis,” he explained.

Teyla was surprised by this sudden change of plan and requested a confirmation. “Colonel Sheppard, could you please repeat that.”

John sighed, “I said we should take the baby back to Atlantis. We know that we can’t just leave it here and getting Beckett first will just waste time.”

Teyla and McKay reentered the compartment. They both looked at John is disbelief.

“You do realize that this is a Wraith baby?” Teyla asked emphasizing every word she spoke.

John stayed calm while he faced Teyla. He didn’t understand why he was suddenly being questioned. “It’s an order,” he announced clearly.

Teyla could not believe the words that were coming from John’s mouth. She tried to reason with him. “Bringing a Wraith back to Atlantis might not be a wise decision. What if the baby carries a disease? Or worse, what if it leads the Wraith to Atlantis?”

“It’s just a baby,” John argued. “Besides, you said it yourself: you don’t sense it. It’s probably too young to communicate with other Wraith. And I’m sure that Doctor Beckett is going to be very interested in taking a look at it.” He turned his attention to McKay, “Right?”

McKay actually wanted to be left out of the discussion and shrugged his shoulders slightly. Why did they always have to ask for his opinion about things he didn’t want to talk about, but the opinions he did want to share were always dismissed as unimportant. That is, until they ended up in a messy situation and he had to save them all. He avoided direct contact with either Sheppard or Teyla, because surely this was something he didn’t want to get involved in.

Sheppard looked expectantly back at Teyla, but she stepped back towards the exit. “This is a bad idea,” she stated making it clear that she did not agree with John’s decision.

John was exasperated by Teyla’s attitude, but he ignored it. “Rodney, you carry the baby,” he commanded while nodding to the box.

Rodney hesitated. Sheppard knew he didn’t like children and babies were even worse. They always seemed to cry when he picked them up or, worse, they started spitting up all over him. “I’m not good with babies,” he stammered. “Let Teyla carry the baby, she’s a woman.” The moment he had finished his sentence, he wished he could take it back. He looked at Teyla and smiled weakly at her. She however, did not smile back and looked quite offended.

John quietly sighed, unclipped his machine gun and handed it to McKay. “Fine, then I’ll carry the baby.” He looked uncomfortably inside the box and took a deep breath. After a second breath, he gently placed one of his hands under the baby and with the other one he supported its tiny head as he lifted it from the box.

John looked over at McKay who was holding the P-90 rather carelessly. “Don’t shoot anything unless I say so,” he warned him annoyed.

Rodney lowered the weapon and looked uncertain. He was also starting to feel some doubt over the decision to take the baby back to Atlantis. Meanwhile Teyla’s finger stayed on the trigger of her weapon while she closely observed the situation. Sheppard turned in relief to McKay and Teyla, but they both looked disturbed by his behavior.

John was very careful with the baby. He hoped he wouldn’t hurt it. A little baby like this seemed so fragile. The baby however, didn’t seem to be bothered and enjoyed the attention it was getting. It was very tiny and even wrapped in the blanket it barely filled Sheppard’s arms. The baby’s yellow eyes were bright and sparkling with joy.

John held the baby in his arms and gently touched its tiny cheek. He felt the soft, warm skin and the baby’s eyes tried to follow his hand when he lowered it again. Even though the baby was Wraith, it looked so peaceful and innocent.

*** Chapter 3 ***

The away team was standing around one of the medical beds in the infirmary. Sheppard had put the baby in the middle of the bed when Doctor Beckett joined them. When he saw the baby, he sighed and looked at it with some indignation. For a moment, he had no idea what to think of the situation. On several occasions, the team had brought in wounded patients from away missions, but none of them had been an infant or Wraith and now they had brought him a tiny Wraith baby.

After a short observation, Doctor Beckett turned on the light above the bed and immediately adjusted its angle. He made sure the bright light wasn’t shining directly in the baby’s eyes. He had never seen a Wraith baby before and amazingly gazed at it. The others also watched the baby while the baby itself scanned each person standing around. Nobody was speaking, causing an awkward silence in the normal noisy infirmary.

The door leading to the infirmary opened and Doctor Weir entered. She walked towards the team while she curiously asked, “What was it you discovered on the planet?”

John turned around to face her and put a frown on his face. “Rodney had to go and push buttons,” he said teasingly.

Rodney looked offended and began a silent protest as Doctor Weir closed in on the bed. She looked curious and wondered what Rodney could have done that had caused them to end up in the infirmary. All three seemed to have come back unharmed from the away mission, adding more mystery to the situation. Both Teyla and Sheppard took a step to the side to make room for her. She accepted the space they offered and stepped forward. The moment she saw the baby she was completely stunned. “Oh…,” her voice trailed off.

“Aye…” Doctor Beckett sighed at almost the same moment. He felt very uncomfortable with this situation. The baby was much smaller than healthy human babies when they were born. He had seen small babies before, but not one as tiny and fragile as this baby. If this were a human baby, it wouldn’t be able to survive for long. The baby was just too small and there was none of the necessary equipment on Atlantis to take care of it. However, this baby was not human, but Wraith and it seemed responsive to its environment. Carson knew that for now, he had to try to keep this baby alive, but he had absolutely no clue yet on how to proceed. He had learned quite a bit about adult Wraith and their physiology, but nothing about their offspring.

All of a sudden, John looked up and addressed Carson, “We should check and see if she’s healthy.”

The words reached Teyla’s ears. She blinked and let the words sink in. She was surprised by the assumption John had made. “She?” she asked.

It seemed obvious to John and he didn’t quite understand why his statement provoked such surprise. His eyes turned from the baby to the others standing around the bed and they all stared at him waiting for an answer. He slowly looked around, “Yes, something transported this carefully has to be a queen, right?” He got impatient and made a gesture to Doctor Beckett, indicating that he should check for confirmation.

Doctor Beckett briefly glanced at Doctor Weir. She looked displeased about the situation forced upon her, but nodded her approval.

Carson very gently lifted the blanket and everyone around the bed watched him tensely. ”Affirmative, it’s a girl,” he announced proudly and carefully covered the baby again.

Sheppard put a satisfied smile on his face and aimed his attention towards the baby again. She looked so beautiful, even though she was Wraith. She had tiny lips, a cute little nose and funny angled ears.

A relieved smile appeared on Rodney’s face too and he was able to relax. He felt the load and responsibility for what had happened drop of his shoulders. He was the scientist who always had to solve the difficult tasks, but this time someone else was better in the task. Therefore, he was very glad that others were now involved and taking care of this baby thing. They had much more time to take care of this baby then he had. Besides, his work was much more important than babies. He couldn’t wait to get back to his normal routine and back to his science lab. “Well that’s settled then,” he announced, “I’m off to my lab. My projects won’t finish themselves.” Rodney edged back from the bed and turned around. Just as he was about to take his first step towards the door a loud voice came from behind him.

“Wait,” John called, “Where do you think you’re going?”

Rodney turned back and faced the bed again. A friendly and innocent smile showed on his face and he smiled gently at Sheppard. John on the other hand, was looking disgruntled.

“I’m not very good with children,” Rodney explained. He felt slightly guilty for trying to sneak away, but not so much that he wasn’t going to get out at the earliest possible moment. There were so many other things he was good at, mostly science-related, but children had never been hot on that list.

Sheppard tried to respond, but before he was able to, Doctor Weir interrupted. She looked at Doctor Beckett, “Is there a way you can check if the baby is healthy? I’d like a complete assessment of her condition.”

Elizabeth had stepped in not because she was worried about an outburst between Sheppard and McKay, but because of the little Wraith baby. Her eyes were focused on the baby as she considered the situation. A multitude of questions swirled through her mind: how could they just bring a Wraith baby back to Atlantis? Why hadn’t they thought about the safety issues? And where did this baby came from? She felt cornered by the actions Sheppard’s team had taken. She clearly needed more facts before she could form an opinion. She also knew that no matter how the situation would evolve from now, she would be responsible for the outcome of it. She was the one who had to make the decisions about the baby’s fate. Elizabeth took a breath to clear her head. For now, she would postpone the formal debriefing until Doctor Beckett had a chance to evaluate the child’s condition.

Without waiting for a response from Doctor Beckett, she focused her attention on Teyla. “There are babies on the mainland. Would it be possible for you to get some baby clothes and other things to care for the baby? Rodney can fly you there,” she stated with a no-nonsense tone in her voice.

Teyla nodded and glanced at Rodney. He attempted a weak smile and looked back at her. She smiled kindly back and nodded at him encouragingly. Teyla turned her head and glanced at John, who had returned to stare at the baby. She looked concerned, but decided that it would be best if Elizabeth talked to him. It was not her place to discuss his choice. Elizabeth would surely confront him about his impulsive action. She turned around and started walking towards the door.

Rodney quickly thought of an excuse he could try, but when he saw Doctor Weir look rigid at him, he wisely decided not to attempt it. Instead, he glanced at the baby and was strangely touched by the sight of the little smile that appeared on the baby’s face. She didn’t look frightening at all. He looked up again and followed Teyla who was impatiently standing in the doorway waiting for him.

Elizabeth looked thoughtful. She needed to think about this situation and try to come up with some options on what to do with the baby. Some fresh air would do her good. She raised her head, looked at Doctor Beckett and received a confirming nod. She knew he would follow her request and would check the baby’s condition.

“I’ll stay here with the baby if that’s ok.” John murmured at her when he noticed she was about to leave.

Elizabeth nodded back at him, “Fine. Be sure to let me know how the baby is doing.” A small and understanding smile appeared on John’s face while her face showed a forced one. She would deal with him later. The baby was had the first priority on her list.

Carson smiled gently at the baby and with a soft and friendly voice he spoke to her, “All right then, lass, let’s see if you’re a healthy little girl.”

The baby still smiled and her eyes sparkled even more now that she was getting the full attention of Doctor Beckett and Sheppard. Carson carefully opened the blanket again and sighed deeply. Her chest was very pale, almost translucent. Her tiny heart was beating rapidly and her ribs where visible as little dark stripes under her skin.

The smile on the baby’s face dissolved. She looked puzzled about what was happening to her. Doctor Beckett and Sheppard both watched kindly at the little girl, but her eyes kept growing larger and showed a startling glimmer. It seemed the baby did not like what was happening to her. John touched the baby on her tiny cheek to comfort her. A brief joyful sparkle emerged from her yellow eyes and it made him feel a bit more at ease. However, at the same time, there was an unnerving feeling growing deep inside of him.

Carson took his stethoscope from the pocket of his medical coat and placed the ends in his ears. He rubbed the metal chest piece a few times in his hands to warm it a bit before he gently placed it on the baby’s chest. Carefully he checked her heart rate and lung function. The touch of the metal had caused the baby’s eyes to grow very big. The yellow irises in her eyes were completely covered by the deep blackness of her pupils. Clearly, she began to show signs of distress and was not happy about what the doctor was doing to her.

John felt restless and uncertain; the baby was not moving nor did she make any sound to protest against Doctor Beckett’s actions, but he knew for sure that she felt uncomfortable. “I don’t think she likes it,” he said to Carson with some distress in his voice. “It’s too cold for her.” He felt an unfamiliar sense of sympathy for the baby, but was unable to express himself. She was so small and was unable to let others know that she was in pain.

Carson removed the stethoscope from the baby’s chest and placed it back in his pocket. “I have to check her, but I promise to make it as quick as possible,” He replied soothingly. He too was aware that the little girl didn’t like his examination. He thought of a way to make it easier for her, making him ponder about his strategy before continuing.

John still felt unhappy about the idea of messing around with the baby, but he also knew that it was important to let Doctor Beckett continue his tests. He gently placed his hand on the baby’s chest to keep her warm while waiting for the next test. For the first time she moved. Detecting the faint glow of body heat, she curled her little arms up against his hand. John smiled and lifted his hand a bit more. The baby’s arms instinctively curled underneath and were now covered with his warmth.

Carson noticed the baby’s movement and called to a nurse to get her attention. “Can you get me a new blanket and a basin of warm water?” he asked her. He flashed a quick smile and shot John a reassuring look, who smiled in return.

*** Chapter 4 ***

After the medical examination, Doctor Beckett had wrapped the baby in a new warm blanket and handed her to John while he got a bottle of milk. Sheppard had sat down on one of the beds in the infirmary holding the baby in his arm. She was lying comfortably, still observing everything around her and occasionally staring at him in awe.

When Carson returned, he carried a small bottle and handed it to John. Carson was relieved to notice that the baby appeared calm again and her eyes were more at ease then during the examination he had put her through. He had made the duration of the tests as short as possible and been as gentle as he could. He wasn’t supposed to be nervous around his patients, but this time he had felt a surge of tingles run through his body. He stayed next to the bed and watched John while he attempted to feed the baby.

John gently held the nipple in front of her mouth, but her small lips remained pressed stiff together. Both men waited for almost a minute, but still the little girl did not open her mouth. The sound of the door opening made them briefly changed their view towards the entrance.

Doctor Weir entered the infirmary. She looked around and walked straight towards the bed where Sheppard was sitting. “And?” she curiously asked.

Carson shot a friendly look back at her and this set her mind at ease a bit. However, she was still most unpleased because of the situation that was forced upon her. There was no way she could predict in this phase how this situation was going to evolve and this made her feel uncomfortable.

“The baby seems to be in very good health,” Doctor Beckett kindly explained. “Colonel Sheppard is trying to feed her some milk,” he added to complete the status report.

John had gently put the nipple of the bottle inside the baby’s mouth, but the baby did not try to drink the milk. Instead, she opened her mouth a bit and tried pushing the nipple out of her mouth with her tiny tongue. “But she doesn’t drink,” he said with some unsettled feeling inside his body. Small babies like this surely needed nutrients to grow and stay healthy. He gently removed the bottle and poured some droplets of the milk on one of his fingers. He held the finger near her mouth and let the drops fall onto her lips. Gently he opened her mouth a bit and let the milk flow inside. He hoped she would at least accept these droplets. The baby however had other intentions, opened her mouth and spat the milk out. John picked up a tissue from the box standing next to him and cleaned her face. The baby’s eyes showed that she did not like what they were doing to her and yet his smile kept her calm.

“We could try drip-feeding her by placing a tube directly in her stomach,” Doctor Beckett suggested.

Doctor Weir had seen what happened when Sheppard poured the milk in her mouth and this made her even more concerned. She was uncertain how to proceed. She doubted if she should order Doctor Beckett to stop treating the baby or if he should try to keep the baby alive. The dilemma was about more then just the fact that this was a Wraith baby. They knew absolutely nothing of Wraith babies. Even forgetting about how dangerous it was having this baby on Atlantis, this was a difficult and complex situation for her with many unknown factors and decisions.

“Are you sure she needs to drink milk?” Elizabeth asked, concerned. Her face was covered with a circumspect glance, even while she tried to hide it. It might have seemed an odd question to ask, but a tiny voice in her head told her to ask it anyway.

John looked up. “Ehm… no, not really… but we know that young Wraith can eat like humans do. Human babies drink milk, so it seemed logical to try feeding her milk.”

Elizabeth kindly nodded. John’s words comforted her a bit. She knew he had a point and she also knew that this baby could give them some interesting insight on the Wraith and their children. Yet, the dangerous aspect of having this baby on Atlantis kept swirling through her mind. If it was capable of alerting nearby Wraith then the position of Atlantis would be compromised. The moment she thought about some excuse for one question, two knew ones popped up in her head. It felt like a battle she couldn’t win and this was mainly caused by the lack of facts and information. If there was one thing she needed to reach decisions, it were details she could build her case on. However, in this case, there was still too little to work with and the only thing she could do was trust John and Doctor Beckett handling the situation.

“Many young human babies have trouble feeding at the beginning,” Doctor Beckett explained, supporting Sheppard’s statement and easing Doctor Weir’s mind a bit more. “It is not uncommon for children who are born too early or are too small to need extra help feeding. They don’t have enough strength to drink on their own. Besides, I have no idea what affect the hibernation box had on this girl,” he added.

Carson picked up a long but very thin tube from the bed. Both John and Elizabeth looked unsettled when they saw the tube. This baby had gone through enough already that day. First waking up, seeing many new faces, then the cold examination and now, they were trying to make her drink milk. They had failed in their first attempt and the proposal the doctor had made caused a very uncomfortable feeling crawling up along John’s spine.

Carson looked seriously towards John and held out the tube. “I think we should try this. This way we know for sure she is getting milk inside her body,” he calmly explained again to John.

John’s heart rate was increasing, but he also knew they had to try it to keep the baby alive. He took a deep breath and exhaled before he stood up from the bed and gently put the baby down. He tucked the baby carefully in, making sure her skin was well covered with the blanket. Only her little head with some thin fluffy black hairs and two relatively large yellow eyes emerged from the cloth. Her lips were as pale as her skin and her nose was still very flat. These features made her look rather cute and innocent compared to what she actually was.

“She won’t like it,” John added hastily while he looked at the baby. Inside his stomach was turning and he was starting to feel queasy. “Just be gentle please. She’s very small”.

Carson understood his concerns and confirmed his wishes by nodding. He asked a nurse to help him with the procedure and she joined the group at the bed. John touched the baby’s face. A little smile appeared and by seeing this, the twisted feeling in his stomach resided and he was able to calm down.

Elizabeth watched John and knew something was going on, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. She put her hand on his shoulder and guided him away from the bed. They stopped near the door and both knew a difficult discussion at this moment was unavoidable.

John started his plea in favor of the baby, “I guess we have a new member of Atlantis.” He hoped to receive a comforting look from her but knew that he was not going to get it just yet.

“So it seems,” Elizabeth answered him with a serious tone in her voice. She expressed clearly that she was far from pleased with the situation. Her first concern was the fact that Sheppard had gotten himself too involved with the baby. His thoughts were only with the baby and he looked absent. She wanted to calm him down and pull him back to reality, but she also felt the need to make it clear that he had crossed a line. “What were you thinking? Bringing a Wraith baby back to Atlantis without even consulting me first. Don’t you have any idea what consequences there might be. Let me make one thing very clear, I’m not sure she can stay here,” she continued, venting her anger, frustration and fear at the same time. She took a breath and regained her calmness, knowing that if she didn’t John would go full against her words without even thinking about what she said.

John had prepared himself for a response, but he had not expected Elizabeth to sound so cruel and cold. It felt wrong and he felt the anger and despair inside him grow. He had to try to defend the baby, she was surly not capable of reasoning with Elizabeth herself. “We couldn’t just leave her there dying,” he explained. “She became our responsibility the moment McKay opened the box and woke her. We had no other choice than to take her along. Rodney couldn’t fix the damn box,” he continued with a louder and stronger voice. “As long as she’s a baby, she has no means of surviving on her own. I couldn’t leave her there. Neither will I allow sending her to some Wraith family, to grow up with humans on her menu.” After he spoke these words, John felt a part of his frustration fading away. He was sure Elizabeth had heard every word and understood his plea.

“I know,” Elizabeth confirmed calmly, “Putting aside all risks involved having a Wraith on Atlantis, we know little of adult Wraith and even less about their babies and their needs. We really have no idea what we can expect,” she added. She knew that it was hard to accept for John, but in the end, they would have to do what was best for the baby. She found it difficult to decide on the baby’s fate. Dealing with adults was a lot easier. They did not call forth any sense of motherly instinct. However, no matter how she felt at the moment, she had to remain strong and keep in mind that she was the leader of Atlantis, the one person who should keep all her expedition members safe. She looked straight at him and saw that her serious and yet calm look had reached him.

Deep down inside John knew she was right about everything she had said. However, this did not comfort him. “We can figure it out,” He attempted again, this time calm but convincing. There had to be something they could do to save this little girl.

Elizabeth felt the tension in his voice and saw the devoted expression on his face. She had to try to keep him calm and avoid a serious fight with him. His behavior was based on pure and almost irrational emotions. It seemed as if no argument or reason would sink in.

Without warning, Sheppard turned his view away from Doctor Weir. His eyes aimed for the medical bed where Doctor Beckett tended to the baby’s needs.

“Colonel?” she formally stated, trying to get his attention back.

John aimed his vision back upon Elizabeth and he was clearly agitated. She knew there would be another outburst coming and prepared herself for it.

He turned his head fast and pointed at the baby. “Elizabeth, we know they can be raised as humans until they reach a certain age,” he stated, once again trying to reason with her. “That gives the doc at least several years to find a permanent solution or an alternative food source. Maybe he can make the retrovirus work on her. There are thing we don’t know yet, but we have to try and learn.”

The way he spoke that last sentence was almost in despair. Both he and Doctor Weir sighed at the same time and the extreme tension that had been rising between them faded away. For seconds they watched each other, reading the thoughts and feelings of their opponent.

It was Elizabeth who broke the silence. “Ok, let’s first see if we can find a way to keep her alive then,” She spoke in a calm voice. She put a faint smile on her face to comfort John, but her serious was evident in her tone of voice. “But in the meanwhile I want you to consider the fact that if we cannot take care of her, there are mainly two options we have… And I have to agree that I don’t like either one of them. John, please keep in mind that her only chance of survival may be to send her to her own kind.” If there was another way to resolve the issue she would pursue it with all her heart, but she wanted to prepare him for the worst case scenario.

The words spoken by Elizabeth hurt John on a personal level. A ripping pain prevailed and seemed to tear his gut apart. He had no idea how to convince her that he would find a way to make it work. He knew she was right and that keeping this baby would be a huge challenge and maybe even impossible, but the voice in his head keep telling him that he had to try. To back his own convincing thought he reminded himself about how it all started. They were the ones that opened the box. There was no other option than to take her back to Atlantis. Therefore, they were responsible for this baby’s future.

In a last attempt to express his opinion to Elizabeth, he closed his face to hers until their eyes were only inches apart. “I will figure it out!” he promised her with a level of determination in his voice that scared her.

This final outburst caught her off guard and she felt a cold shiver spread through her body. She took a deep breath and knew that he understood the situation. His words were merely a desperate plea. She gave him a kind but hard to notice smile. It would be better to let things calm down.

Sheppard looked relieved, but he was unable to smile. The sick feeling that he had been feeling for a few minutes remained within him. He turned around to see the baby. Doctor Beckett had placed the small tube through her tiny flat nose and filled the end with milk. The sight was disturbing him. He had been through the procedure himself a few times and he clearly remembered that it wasn’t a pleasant feeling at all.

Doctor Weir stood next to Sheppard and she had turned her view towards the baby too. She briefly glanced at John, without him noticing it. She showed a faint smile on her face and this way was able to comfort him. Even while she was the leader of Atlantis, she was also his friend and at this moment, he needed a friend.

John took a deep breath and the tension left his body when he slowly exhaled. He knew that Elizabeth probably was just as worried about the baby as he was. He also realized that deciding on the baby’s fate was not an easy task for her.

Doctor Beckett turned the valve in the tube and a tiny flow of milk ran down through the tube.

Before it reached the baby’s nose, John had the feeling this feeding idea might not be the right approach and Elizabeth had been right in her assumption that Wraith babies differ from human babies. “Doc, maybe we shouldn’t...” he started, but he was too late. The milk had reached the baby and the sick feeling he had got worse in a split second. Signs of distress showed on his face, while the baby started to throw up.

Elizabeth’s attention was drawn to John and she looked concerned at him. “Are you OK?” she asked. He was clearly not feeling well and behaved restless. He shoved his feet and she could see him resist the urge to walk to the medical bed. Even Elizabeth herself felt restless and she admitted that she didn’t want to put the baby through all of this either.

“Stop!” John called out. “She doesn’t want it. You’re hurting her!”

Doctor Beckett had already stopped feeding the baby and he gently placed her on her side. Milk gushed out of her tiny mouth and with a soft tissue, he cleaned her face and mouth. He checked that she could breathe normal and there was no blockage of her airways.

“Maybe you’re right,” Carson confirmed, looking at John with a shocked expression plastered onto his face. He had hoped so much that this would work and that they had found the right manner to nurture the little girl.

John was still feeling unwell but the intense sickening feeling was gone. “Get the tube out of her,” he commanded. His eyes were on the doctor and the expression on his face dared Doctor Beckett to disobey his order.

Elizabeth was looking at John, concern evident in her eyes. She saw he was not feeling well. However, she was unable to determine if it was from concern, from stress or if there was something else wrong with him. “Maybe you should sit down and let Doctor Beckett take look at you after he’s done taking care of the baby,” she suggested with care, in the hope he didn’t take it wrong.

John looked her straight in the eye and gazed questioningly at her. Before he could say a word, Doctor Beckett started to remove the tube from the baby’s nose. Sheppard rapidly turned his attention back to the baby. The sick feeling had returned and faded away as soon as the tube was completely removed.

John turned his view back towards Elizabeth again. She looked thoughtful and worried. However, he was suddenly feeling rather confident, “No, I’m fine. You’re right. We have to think ‘outside of the box’. Okay, what do we know?” He searched the infirmary, trying to get his bearings back. “We know for sure that at a certain age she can feed like humans, right. We also know that when they are older they require ‘us’ as a food source. I really hate to think of Wraith Queens breastfeeding their children… There must be something we’re overlooking, there has to be a simple solution.” On the bed the Wraith baby laid still again, her eyes were fixed on him and he curled his lips into a comforting smile.

Doctor Weir and Doctor Beckett both looked very surprised at him. For one moment, Elizabeth thought that John would pass out but now he seemed to be more than fine. His level of devotion had increased, making even her believe that he and Doctor Beckett could at least find a temporary solution that would work.

Devoted to his cause, Sheppard walked to the baby and picked up her tiny arm. He showed the baby’s hand with the tiny feeding organ to Doctors Weir and Beckett.

Elizabeth didn’t understand what John was trying to explain.

“I don’t think she is capable of feeding upon a human, do you?” John questioned. Without explaining he gently put the baby’s arm back down and covered her a bit more with the blanket.

“No, she is far too small and not strong enough for feeding,” Carson said, “but the Colonel may be onto something.”

Sheppard was surprised and pleased. He had trouble following his own thoughts. It seemed as if his actions were merely based on instinct and a logical subtraction of possibilities, but that didn’t mean he knew the answer to the problem, yet. He even lacked to determine the logic of his idea, but was glad to see that Doctor Beckett did seem to grasp it.

Carson nodded, satisfied with the idea he had and walked to a locker. He took a small bag with a liquid inside out of it.

Sheppard followed him with his eyes like a hawk and observed every move he made. He would prevent Carson from experimenting on the baby if he tried to. However, he was equally aware that he needed the doctor’s help to find a way to save the baby girl.

Carson took a few more steps, lifted a cup from a shelf and brought the liquid and the cup back to the bed. “After the incident with Lieutenant Ford I have been researching what it is that the Wraith need to live longer without feeding,” he explained before Sheppard or Doctor Weir could ask him anything. He poured some of the liquid in the cup and continued, “It will not fully take away their hunger but it will provide in their basic needs. After all, the Wraith are still organic beings. I do have to explain that I haven’t been able to test it, but it might work.” He held the cup up, “This liquid contains mostly vitamins, minerals, proteins and some enzymes the Wraith take from humans while feeding. The enzymes are synthetic and the structure is not exactly the real thing, but I think it would be harmless to try this.”

“How?” Elizabeth asked in wonder. The devotion of Carson and John amazed her and a proud feeling emerged inside of her. It would be good if it would work, but she still had no clue to the exact idea they proposed.

“I have no idea,” Carson admitted. He checked with John for approval to go ahead with testing and poured a few droplets of the liquid onto the baby’s lips.

Sheppard gently opened her mouth and tried to see if she would drink it. The baby gazed in amazement at the two large men standing beside her. After some seconds, she opened her mouth a little, but instead of drinking the liquid, it gushed out of her mouth. It ran down over her cheek to her ear. Sheppard quickly grabbed a tissue and dried her face with it. This was a setback for both men. They were almost upset that it hadn’t worked.

John was aware that they were running out of time and options. The baby would soon run out of strength, at which time, getting her to eat something would be even more difficult. She had been out of hibernation for quite a few hours already and badly needed nutrients to sustain the functions of her tiny body.

Very gently, Carson stepped in and inspected her mouth while it was still open. The baby had no teeth yet and to his surprise, her tongue movement still seemed limited. “Aye,” he sighed. “I think she is unable to drink at all at this age,” he explained after the discovery.

Elizabeth looked numb and watched John to see how he would respond to the bad news. A frown appeared on his face.

His mind was processing at turbo speed, thinking of any alternatives, but he couldn’t think of any. He looked thoughtful and rather calmly asked, “Is that also why she doesn’t cry?” He aimed his view towards Doctor Beckett and saw the doctor didn’t know the answers either.

Very carefully, Carson examined the baby’s throat. Her pupils grew large from wonder, but she stayed calm and went through the procedure with no reaction indicating she was in distress. John was relieved about it, but saw Elizabeth’s concern growing by the second.

She still believed in the danger of bringing the baby to Atlantis. However, at the same time, she was worried the little girl might not survive the day. Her curiosity about the examination Doctor Beckett performed made her step closer to the bed and the moment the baby saw her, the girl’s lips curled into a tiny smile. She looked joyfully up towards Elizabeth, who couldn’t resist the peaceful look on the little face and a warm smile emerged on her face as well. The bright smile caused the baby’s pupils to shrink, returning the two bright yellow dishes in her eyes to their former size. Her eyes were like two sparkling stars. It caused tingles inside Elizabeth’s stomach and a tranquil feeling overwhelmed her. Seeing the little Wraith girl like this finally convinced her that they should try everything possible to keep this baby alive.

Carson interrupted the intimate moment between Doctor Weir and the baby, “I’m not sure why she doesn’t cry, but physically I think she could.”

Elizabeth confirmed she heard him with a nod and took a small step back. Sheppard used the space to access one of the baby’s arms and poured a small drop of the liquid inside the baby’s hand onto her feeding organ.

Both doctors watched intrigued. They had no idea what John was trying to accomplish. He looked very tense. His eyes were fixed on the baby’s hand and disappointment filled his body when the baby didn’t react or move. She had not responded to any of the actions he and Doctor Beckett had taken. Only her eyes had given away her mood. She appeared to be calm, the black pupils in the baby’s eyes had grown slightly and she stared at the ceiling. “Nothing...,” John sighed.

Carson tried to offer an alternative, the last resort he could think of. “We can always start her on an IV and buy some time to find out how to feed her.” He was now more worried about the baby than Sheppard and Doctor Weir were, because if the IV wouldn’t work he would surely lose his patient. And worst of it all, it wouldn’t take very long before that moment would be there.

Elizabeth changed the expression on her face. She anticipated on the idea what John might propose any time now. She wanted to save the baby just as much as the others did, but she had the difficult task to keep her objectiveness. She had the final decision in what they could or couldn’t do to save this little girl. Even if these decisions sometimes were very difficult. She could not risk the lives or endanger any of her expedition members in favor of a Wraith baby. She took a deep breath. She knew she wasn’t going to make friends with the words she was about to say.

“John, don’t expect me to allow any mission to seek out the Wraith. Even if they would be willing to help us - and that is a big if - I will not allow any attempt to try. Do I make myself clear?” Her words were spoken clearly and calmly. She had tried to hide her true feelings, the feelings of pain inside her heart. Her heart was being torn apart in two pieces by this beautiful girl. She had no other option but to let her die or send her to a Wraith planet if everything they could think off failed.

John turned his head towards Elizabeth and looked her straight in the eye. He had a painful expression showing on his face. He knew that eventually he would have proposed this idea and he also knew he would have gotten the same response from her. She had been very good in anticipating his options. His eyes begged for help while they faced Elizabeth and her expression firmly answered his thought, making it clear to him that the idea indeed would be too foolish to pursue. He didn’t know where to look for the answer he needed and desperately turned his attention back towards the baby. He wasn’t supposed to feel this way. A lump started to form in his throat and a heavy feeling plunged deep in his chest. It was strange how soon he had gotten attached to the girl. He tenderly touched her hand to remove the liquid. Instinctively her tiny hand closed around his finger.

Elizabeth and Carson were amazed, changing quickly to a concerned look. They had no idea what was happening and they watched Sheppard tensely.

John put a smile on his face and felt relieved that the baby did respond to something after all. He didn’t know if it would be useful, but it ignited a small sparkle of hope. The smile on his face partly took away the concerns both doctors had. Seeing the baby close her hand had spread some hope amongst them too.

John saw the baby’s eyes turn towards him and a sparkling glimmer emerged from them. “Okay, I think this does work,” he stated with an excited and satisfied shine in his eyes. “Strange sensation,” he continued. They all gazed in wonder at the baby and after a few seconds, John felt the baby’s hand opening. He gently removed his finger and saw that the inside of her hand was completely dry. He looked surprised but pleased at his finger. Whatever the baby had done, it had felt harmless and there was no sign of any injury. “I told you we would figure it out… see, it worked,” he stated, excitement clearly audible in his voice. “I think she wants more, does one of you two want to try?” he asked. The pressure that had weighed down on his body fell like a burden from his shoulders.

Elizabeth smiled, strangely relieved. It appeared that they had found a working solution for now and overcome the problem they had with feeding the baby. At least now there was one concern less on her mind, meaning there was one thing less to worry about. “No, I think I’ll leave that up to you then,” she kindly answered him. She needed to get away, be alone and order her thoughts and concerns. It couldn’t be that she was overreacting. This was a very serious situation, but she felt oddly joyful. She took a deep breath and relaxed her cramped muscles. She took another breath and shortly observed the scene happening in front of her eyes. Both men were so excited about their victory and so full of dedication towards an enemy baby. She shook her head and wondered what if she was following the right decisions.

Carson was very pleased that his mixture somehow seemed to function as food for the baby. He would immediately start working on perfecting it, now that he had actually found a use for the liquid. The synthetic enzymes needed to be perfected. He would search the database for the old test result from the enzymes in the Wraith and those in Lieutenant’s Fords body. There had to be a way to determining exactly if the enzymes was perfect or if he was missing something. “I’m glad this works,” he confirmed with a big smile on his face. “I’ll make her food more perfect, and more tasteful I hope.” That last one was meant as a joke, but who knows, maybe it was even true.

Sheppard returned Doctor Beckett’s smile and they both stayed in a satisfied mood because of the result they had accomplished. They were already able to forget about the hard effort they had taken to get to this point. For now, they were just happy with the result.

John looked at the baby who stared back at him, almost begging for more food. He offered the cup to Doctor Beckett and gestured that he should try to feed the baby.

“What is it like?” Carson curiously asked.

“Try it yourself, it’s quite a nice feeling... hard to describe,” John answered him with a wide grin on his face.

Elizabeth sighed again. She decided that she could leave the two of them alone taking care of the baby. “Be careful please and keep me posted on your progress,” she requested before she turned around and walked towards the door, her head still filled with a thousand questions.

*** Chapter 5 ***

John was asleep in his bed when he suddenly woke up. He opened his eyes and was wide-awake. It was dark in his bedroom and it took him a few seconds to realize where exactly he was. He raised his head from his pillow and sighed. He turned his head and looked at the time on the alarm clock. The red numbers on the clock showed the time was 1:00 AM.

Again, he sighed in frustration and let his head fall back onto his pillow. His eyes had gotten used to the darkness and for a short moment, he stared at the ceiling. The edges and blinds became visible before he slowly closed his eyes again. He took slow deep breathes and tried to relax. Teyla had taught him a meditation technique and even while he did not believe in it, he hoped the breathing technique would help him get back to sleep.

Suddenly John opened his eyes again. He raised his head from his pillow for the second time and looked again at the alarm clock. The red numbers burned 1:02 AM in his eyes. He felt strangely bright awake and frustrated. He lifted his body from the mattress and sat up on the edge of his bed. The air in the room quickly cooled his bare chest and it even passed through his sweat pants. His feet touched the cold floor and he sat silent for minutes on end. The red figures on the alarm clock kept changing, drawing his attention to them. He became aware that he wasn’t relaxing at all, but getting more awake.

A sudden wave of nausea and a pounding headache was emerging rapidly. Within mere seconds, the feeling became almost unbearable. John tried to relieve some of the pressure by massaging his left temple and kept his breathing under control. He really hated waking up in the middle of the night, especially after a long and rough day. On top of that, he had no time to get ill, there were several important missions planned for this week and he had to attend to at least two of them. In the past weeks, his team had successfully made contact with two tribes who were interested in trading relations with Atlantis. One of them even claimed to have inside information about the Wraith. The final trading arrangements with both tribes were planned for this week, giving him no time to fall ill or be bothered by a stinging headache.

With a desperate sigh, John slowly rose from the bed and immediately the headache got worse. He turned on the night lamp that was placed on his bedside table. The faint light illuminated his room, making the red numbers on the alarm clock less irritating. The clock now showed 1:10 AM, only ten minutes had passed since he was awake, but it had felt a lot longer.

John walked to the bathroom and turned on the light above the washbowl. He blinked a couple of times and squinted for a moment because of the unexpected change in brightness. He tried to look at himself in the mirror, but his eyes hurt and he had trouble focusing. He shouldn’t be standing here in the bathroom; instead he should be fast asleep in his warm and cozy bed. The muscles in his body were still tired and he felt uncomfortable from the headache. It took some effort to lift his arm up to the tap and turn on the water. He splashed some cold water in his face, but this also did not seem to ease the strain inside his head. Besides, the water had the complete opposite effect of what he had intended it to do, awakening him further.

The headache combined with the nausea felt worse than the hangovers he had ever experienced. He hadn’t been drunk on many occasions, but the few times he was did not compare to his current level of discomfort. With the palm of his hand, he checked the temperature of his forehead and didn’t notice a fever. That was a good sign, but made the sudden cause for his headache unexplainable. The last thing he was looking for at this moment was a visit to the infirmary. If he would go there and explain his symptoms, he would most likely be ordered to stay and go through the whole testing procedure. That would certainly not get him back to sleep. There was no true sign that he was ill at this point except for the headache. Besides, he was sure there wasn’t any need to cause alarm over nothing.

John took a few deep breathes and restrained the surge of frustration building inside him, knowing this would make falling asleep even more difficult. All he wanted was to get a good night’s sleep and this headache was preventing him from achieving that simple goal. Every second he got more obsessed with the idea that he should be getting back to sleep. There was an away mission planned tomorrow morning at 10 o’clock and he should be well rested. A deep sigh left his throat before he took a glass from the shelf, filled it with water and closed the water tap. After putting the glass down, he opened one of the two drawers in the locker under the washbowl and searched it for some aspirin. When he could not find any, he opened the other drawer and searched that one. After he realized he would not find any aspirin in his room he tiredly groaned. This was not his day.

The events concerning the little Wraith baby had strained much of his strength and even after diner, she had been on his mind for most of the time. He had checked in with her right before he went to bed. It had been a pleasure seeing her comfortably sleep, with a tiny smile engraved on her lips.

Thinking about the options he had, John decided to go and get some aspirin in the infirmary. He had waved away the idea of going there only a minute ago, but it was the only option he could think of. Once the headache was no longer bothering him, he could finally get back to sleep. He dragged himself back to the bedroom, grabbed his shirt from the chair and quickly pulled it over his head. When he opened the door, he realized he had left the light in the bathroom on. He looked behind him and sighed. For a short moment, he doubted if he should go back and turn the light off. His body felt heavy and he decided it was too much effort to get back to the bathroom. He stepped into the hallway and closed the door behind him.

*****

The door of the infirmary opened with a faint squashing sound. The sound still echoed in John’s head when he stepped inside. He felt slightly disoriented and the floor beneath him seemed to wobble. His headache and nausea had gotten a lot worse as he was walking to the infirmary. Normally the walk would only take a few minutes, but tonight it had taken him at least double that time. He had needed a few short breaks to gain his bearings again before he could continue. Maybe there was something wrong with him, but he still refused to believe he had fallen ill. He decided that he would briefly visit the infirmary, get an aspirin and return to his room. If the aspirin wouldn’t kick in after an hour he could wake Beckett to check him out.

The door closed behind him and the pitch of the sound made him regret getting out of his bed. His eyes drifted to the corner of the infirmary. Separated from the infirmary’s vibrant area was the cradle with the baby lying inside it. The medicine cabinet, where he could get his aspirin, stood in the opposite corner of the infirmary. He hesitated for a moment. The cradle was only a small detour of a few steps. After a second glance at the cradle, John couldn’t resist his curiosity and decided to check on the baby first. He would only peak inside before going to get an aspirin to fight off his headache.

Sheppard quietly walked towards the cradle when a young nurse from the night shift approached him. “Is something wrong, Sir?” she kindly asked him with a soft voice.

John had not seen her approach him and was startled by her question. However, he was glad she had not spoken to him in a loud voice. He flashed a friendly smile back at her, “Just a little headache, I was on my way to get some aspirin. I’m fine.”

The nurse looked at him and she tried to inspect the seriousness of his condition. John still kept the smile on his face. With his eyes, he thanked her for her attention and hoped she would not ask any other questions, or worse, call in a doctor.

“Okay, let me know if there is anything I can do for you, Sir,” the nurse replied.

John gave her a small nod to confirm he appreciated her thoughtfulness. She turned around and walked back to her desk. He inwardly sighed in relief. He had no doubt that this headache was by far the worst headache he had ever experienced before, but still was too stubborn to admit that having a doctor check him out would be the wiser decision.

He carefully took a few more steps until he reached the cradle. He looked inside and saw the little baby was wide-awake. Her bright yellow eyes stared in wonder at the ceiling while her body remained still. The only sign of life were her curious eyes sweeping the area and the soft rise and fall of her chest. Almost instantly, her eyes were drawn to Sheppard’s face and her lips curled into a little smile. She seemed to perceive the world around her and loved the attention she received.

John forgot about his headache for a moment. “You hungry little one?” he whispered at the baby. He gently took the little Wraith girl out of her cradle. He held her in his arms and sat down on the bed nearby. The baby lay comfortably in his arm and she kept her eyes focused on him. With his other hand, John reached out and grabbed a cup from the table. The cup contained the liquid that they had been feeding her earlier today. He put his finger in the liquid and offered it to the baby. She smiled and eagerly closed her tiny hand around his finger. A smile appeared on John’s face too and he felt satisfied when he saw the baby’s eyes sparkling again.

*****

John was back asleep in his bed when he woke up again. He opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. A fast spreading surge of frustration was going through his mind. It couldn’t be true that he woke up twice in one night. With a deep sigh, he raised his head and shot an angry look towards the alarm clock. It showed 4:00 AM. He blinked his eyes, but the red numbers still reflected 4:00 AM. Inside his head, a struggle was going on. He really wanted to get back to sleep, but his headache had returned. Clearly annoyed he stood up from his bed and put back on his shirt. He started walking towards the door and sighed.

“Not again…,” he mumbled, remembering he had forgotten to take any aspirin from the infirmary when he was there earlier that night. He had fed the Wraith baby and his headache had diminished, making it unnecessary to take extra painkillers. He wondered why he had forgotten to take those few extra steps and take some aspirin back to his room. However, he didn’t know the answer. It would have saved him another trip to the infirmary. He sighed and controlled his breathing. Luckily for him it was still too early for any doctor to be present, making it easy to sneak in again and get the medicine.

John walked through the hallways and felt the intensity of his headache increase. He reached the door leading to the infirmary and pressed the button on the control panel to open it. The door slid open with the same squashing sound that made him sick. Once the door was open he stepped inside and instinctively walked straight to the cradle. Inside it, the little Wraith girl lay awake again. She looked straight at him and sparkles of joy emerged in her eyes. Why didn’t it surprise him to see her awake? He gently touched her tiny and warm cheek before he lifted her from the cradle.

Again, he had taken a seat on the bed next to the cradle. Again, the baby lay in his arms and enjoyed every moment of it. And again, he started feeding the little girl. He offered her his finger for the second time when the young nurse approached him again. She had been very observant and noticed him enter the infirmary once again.

“Still having trouble with the headache, Sir?” she asked him with her kind and friendly voice.

John looked up with a slightly annoyed smile on his face. “No, the headache is gone now,” he answered the nurse.

She looked kindly back and he nodded towards her while keeping his eyes on the baby. The nurse grabbed some tissues from the table and handed it to him. He accepted them and received a friendly smile from her before she went back to her desk.

*****

Doctor Beckett entered the infirmary and was surprised to see Colonel Sheppard lying on one of the medical beds. He scanned the area, but saw no chart lying next to the bed. He couldn’t ask the nurse either, since she was busy with another patient. A questioning sigh came from his lungs before he walked towards the bed and gently tried to wake John by gently tugging his shoulder. John’s eyes slowly opened and he looked quite annoyed at being woken up again. “Are you all right?” Carson asked, concern evident in his voice.

John aimed the entire build-up of frustration in his body towards Doctor Beckett, “No! I need to get some sleep!” The outburst had even scared himself and he tried to compensate it with a weak smile, before asking “What time is it?”

Carson was overwhelmed by the tone Sheppard used to answer his question. He merely wanted to check if there was anything wrong with him. Given John’s reaction, he decided that it would be wiser to first answer the question before checking his medical condition. “6 o’clock, I came to check on our youngest guest,” he explained showing some consideration on his face. It was difficult to determine what was wrong with the Colonel. John’s agitated state, however, made it clear that he had to stay calm if he wanted to find out.

John sighed and pulled himself up. He sat on the edge of the bed and tried to wake up a bit more. He opened and closed his eyes a couple of times and briefly looked inside the cradle. “She’s finally fallen back to sleep and I suggest you let her sleep,” he urged Doctor Beckett.

Carson had taken Sheppard’s wrist to check his pulse while John was trying to get on his feet. He didn’t need to expect any cooperation from John to his checkup, making him even more concerned. “You don’t look too well,” He stated. “Is there anything I can do for you?” he added in concern without waiting to be interrupted.

John struggled to get his wrist out of Doctor Beckett’s grasp. After he had succeeded and stood again in his own desired solitude, he gave Doctor Beckett a tired look. “I’ll go and get a shower. Please let her sleep,” he announced, almost defeated and extremely fatigued. He turned around and walked towards the door.

Carson shook his head. He had no idea why Sheppard was behaving this agitated or what was wrong with him. He observed him until the door closed behind him, still trying to figure out why he had been asleep on a bed in the infirmary. He would ask the nurse if she knew anything. In addition, he thought it was wise to check on John after taking care of their little Wraith baby.

Doctor Beckett walked to a cabinet and picked up a needle, two small thin tubes used for blood tests and his stethoscope. With the medical equipment in his hands, he walked to the cradle and checked inside. The baby lay carefully wrapped in her blanket and indeed was fast asleep. He gently touched the baby’s face to wake her up. She slowly opened her eyes and blinked a couple of times, each time revealing a dazed gaze.

The little girl looked very sleepy and had an endless view aimed at the ceiling. Carson decided not to wake her any further and removed the blanket to get access to one of her legs. He needed to draw some blood from her heel to complete her medical examination. With one hand, he held the baby’s leg, while he used his other hand to pick up the short needle. The baby watched him for a short moment before she closed her eyes again to get back to sleep.

The moment Carson punctured the baby’s skin with the needle a stinging pain ran through his fingers, hand and arm that was touching the baby. Instinctively he released his hand from her leg and removed the needle. The baby’s eyes immediately shot open. An upset glance was present in her eyes and she looked bewildered around her. The little girl was wide-awake and her chest heaved rapidly from fright. She seemed clueless about what he had done to her, but showed clearly that she didn’t like it.

The wound that was created by the needle had completely disappeared within a split second. Carson was pleased when he saw this. “Good to know that you can heal yourself,” he whispered in a soft and kind voice at the baby, trying not to upset her any further.

Doctor Beckett’s arm still hurt and felt numb. The muscles and nerves in his lower arms were affected, causing limited control, movement and strength. He turned his hand around and tried to find the cause of the pain, but he did not discover any injury. “You also seem to have some defensive mechanism,” he whispered to the baby and put a smile on his face. A discovery like this was worth the pain. It could be that she transmitted some Wraith enzyme to protect her from any harm done.

The whole incident had caught him by surprise. So far, she had been unable to express her emotions verbally, but the stinging pain clearly proved that she wasn’t accepting him to cause her any pain. He softly stroked her cheek to calm her down, initiating her to release yet another jolt of pain to pass through his arm. “Persistent little one,” he sputtered unintentionally.

Believing in a way to cheat and overcome his problem, Carson walked towards the medical cabinet. He took two medical gloves out of a box and put them on before he returned to the cradle.

*****

Teyla and Doctor Beckett were watching the baby, who had fallen back to sleep in her cradle. A natural smile on her lips was present, making her look peaceful.

Teyla still disagreed with keeping the Wraith baby in Atlantis, but apparently, Doctor Weir and Colonel Sheppard had overruled her concerns. She watched intensely at the baby and had to agree that there was a certain level of affection developing. Maybe she was too focused on dooming scenarios and maybe, just maybe Doctor Beckett could find a permanent solution to keep her from feeding on humans. That would be a great development and maybe then, they could get this to work on all Wraith. That would mean the end of the war with the Wraith and turning peace and prosperity back to the Pegasus Galaxy. She had been staring for a few minutes when Colonel Sheppard burst through the door.

He looked furious. With only a few large steps, he reached Doctor Beckett. “Okay, what did you do?” he asked, his irritation obviously present in his voice. He heaved his chest to suck in enough air to try to calm down.

Both Doctor Beckett and Teyla were stunned by Sheppard’s behavior. “What do you mean?” Carson asked him and looked questioning at Teyla. She did not know what John meant either and shrugged her shoulders.

John sighed and looked angry as well as upset. “I told you not to wake her,” he emphasized.

Teyla felt the tension in the infirmary rise and tried to calm John. "She is asleep,” she told him with a wave of tranquility in her voice. She briefly nodded at the baby and then looked back at him, “She looks really peaceful. It is very hard to believe that something as little and sweet as she is will turn out to be our predator.”

Teyla’s words seemed enough to soothe John and he instantly jumped from an aggressive mood to a defensive one. “We can change that,” he answered her, expressing his devotion clearly.

She shot a friendly smile back at him confirming that she also hoped that they would find a way to make it possible for the Wraith baby to stay in Atlantis without causing any problems. She still wasn’t entirely convinced that this was possible. However, a protest would drive John even further in a corner, making his behavior even more unpredictable. While she tried to find more soothing words, she saw a change in John’s eyes.

With the same speed as his mood went to defensive, it now turned back to aggressive and he aimed his fury back towards Doctor Beckett. “So, what did you do to her?” he asked again with an urge to get an answer.

Carson was shocked by Sheppard’s unexpected behavior. He recognized similarities from his encounter with John from this morning and he regretted for not insisting him to stay and run a few tests. Instead, he had let him go to his room and get a shower. Concerns were growing on Carson’s face. “She was only awake for a minute, she fell right back asleep,” Carson tried explaining to John. He still had no idea why Sheppard was behaving irrationally or why he even bothered if the Wraith girl had been asleep or awake.

John was losing his patience and in a loud, hostile voice, he repeated his question again. “What did you do to her?” He pronounced each word slowly to make sure the intensity of his question sunk in.

Teyla was numbness. She had never seen John behave like this. He was being extremely irrational and this violent outburst did not suit his normal pattern. She had noticed his attitude change from the moment he had seen the baby, but she was not sure if the baby had caused it or if something else was wrong. She was sure of one thing, John certainly needed to calm down and let Doctor Beckett check him out. She observed him closely and prepared herself to jump between him and Carson in case he truly lost his self-control.

John kept his furious glare aimed at Doctor Beckett and waited for an answer to his question.

“I had to draw some blood for tests,” Carson explained calmly and innocently. He too was getting worried about Sheppard’s behavior. He had no clue why John had been in the infirmary, but it made sense that something wasn’t right. If he only knew how to convince him, without provoking him any further. He needed John to cooperate and allow him to take a look at him.

John looked angrily towards Doctor Beckett and sighed with frustration. “Well she doesn’t like needles then!” he exclaimed in a loud voice.

Carson spread his fingers and checked the feeling in his hand. It still hadn’t turned back to normal yet. “Yes I know, I noticed it too,” he confirmed. He was still considering what he could say to keep Sheppard calm. However, he kept observing his patient, because it was obvious that it would most definitely be the outcome of the current situation.

After a few deep breaths, John relaxed and the fury inside his body raged itself out.

Teyla tried to make eye contact, to see how he was feeling, but he did not give her a sign to indicate that he was all right. She too was uncertain how she should deal with the situation. Maybe she should call security, just in case things got worse or maybe this argument was over and things would stabilize.

John looked into the cradle. The baby was still asleep even while he had been quite loud in expressing his frustration. He briefly looked up to Doctor Beckett, still showing his dark and enlarged pupils, filled with anger. “Don’t do that again without warning me first, okay? She’s really giving me a headache,” after which he directly turned his focus back to the comfortable sleeping girl.

Carson wanted Sheppard to understand what happened and that he didn’t mean to cause any trouble. “Well, I’m sorry. The moment I stung her with the needle I triggered a sort of defense mechanism and it caused a stinging pain in my hand. The one that actually touched her,” he explained.

Teyla heard the words Colonel Sheppard had spoken and looked at him with deep concern. Her suspicions were right from the beginning and his odd behavior had something to do with the Wraith baby. She tried again to make eye contact to see if she could do anything for him.

John however deliberately ignored her and kept his eye on the cradle.

It took a few moments before Carson truly realized what Sheppard just said to them. “You said she’s giving you a headache?” he asked concerned and actually not believing the idea that this was even possible. He watched John and waited for a response, but John still kept his view aimed at the baby and ignored the both of them.

A deep breath sounded as John was calming down. After a few seconds, he finally looked at Doctor Beckett, but this time he wasn’t showing any signs of anger. His eyes gave away that he was in distress. He was unable to comprehend the situation and didn’t understand what was happening to him. “Yes,” he started and sighed. His voice sounded weak and tired from fighting. “She’s a true master in demanding attention. She woke me up twice last night, when she was hungry. And when I was taking a shower a very sharp headache started and I just felt that someone was hurting her. So if you could please stop doing that without telling me, then at least I can prepare myself for the headache.”

A sign of intrusion shot in Teyla’s eyes after John had finished his explanation. This was exactly the kind of security risk she had feared. She briefly glanced at Doctor Beckett, who also showed serious concerns after hearing the story.

He placed his hand gently on John’s shoulder and tried to make him sit down on one of the beds.

Meanwhile Teyla brought her hand to the radio on her shoulder, “Security to the infirmary,” she said calmly after activating the radio.

This action surprised John, but he knew he had not exactly behaved like himself. “What’s this?” he curiously asked Teyla with a friendly but sarcastic tone.

This time Carson interrupted and tried to keep the situation calm. “Teyla’s right,” he stated. “Somehow the baby’s affecting you and we should try to find out how and why.”

John sighed, while he looked uncomfortably towards Teyla. He saw she had placed her hand on the gun she carried.

“Please remove your gun, John,” she commanded him.

He hesitated for a short moment, but then slowly removed his gun and carefully handed it to her. He felt tired and couldn’t fight any longer.

Carson guided Sheppard away from the cradle and made him sit on a medical bed.

“So what now,” John asked hoping to get a comforting answer from the doctor. He sat quietly on the bed and looked rather helpless. A deep sigh escaped his lungs and he finally started to accept that there was something wrong with him. Something he should have recognized last night. Something he should have woken Beckett up for. Something he had tried to avoid, even while rationally he knew things weren’t as they were supposed to be. His eyes drifted to the cradle in the corner and he sighed. This little Wraith baby was causing him even more problems than an adult version.

“You’ll stay here in the infirmary and we’ll try to figure out what effect the baby has on you,” Carson told John while he gave him a comforting pat on his shoulder.

Even though Sheppard knew that this was to be expected, he did not quite agree with it. “Great,” he snarled.

*** Chapter 6 ***

Sheppard lay on a medical bed in the infirmary, staring hollowness at the ceiling. Several wired electrodes were systematically attached to his head showing his brain waves patterns on the EEG device. He was also hooked up to a heart monitor, registering not only his heart rate, but also his blood pressure and the saturation of his blood.

It had been less then one hour ago, that Doctor Beckett officially admitted John to the infirmary. Right after Carson had told him to sit on the bed he had started taking tests. The first thing he had done was taking John’s vital signs, immediately noticing the rapid heart rate and elevated blood pressure. This resulted in the fact that he decided to monitor John’s vital signs constantly.

John felt restless and closed his eyes to try to control the extreme feeling of agitation he was experiencing. The fact that Teyla had arranged a fully armed security team standing near the infirmary door didn’t help to ease down his frustration. He glared at the men and turned his view back to the ceiling. Somehow, it felt better to concentrate on nothing than on something that would feed his emotions.

Carson was sitting behind his laptop going over the first test results. Something was seriously wrong. The blood values from the tests didn’t make much sense. There was an elevation of his hormone levels, which seemed unexplainable. However, this could explain his attitude. Carson sighed and blamed himself for not noticing the symptoms earlier. Since the moment John had returned from his mission yesterday, he had clearly showed signs of the baby’s influence, but no one had recognized how serious the situation was. He closed the medical file, rose from his chair and walked to one of the medical cabinets. He was going to retake the blood test, check the hormone levels again and run a few other tests to see if he could find the cause of the abnormalities in the readings. The most important thing he should do was contain the current situation and determine what exactly was causing John to behave like this. Finding a treatment was logically his second objective.

After selecting the medical equipment, Carson walked up to John. He held a small tray with the supplies to draw blood. He set the tray down next to the bed and gently took Sheppard’s arm. “I need to redo the blood test,” he explained while he shoved the short sleeve of the white medical shirt a bit up.

John didn’t verbally responded or protested, but closed his eyes instead.

Doctor Beckett placed a band around Sheppard’s arm and with a steady hand, he punctured the skin with the needle. The tube attached to it, quickly filled itself with blood. “One down, four to go,” Carson said while replacing the full tube with an empty one.

The door to the infirmary opened and Doctor Weir entered the room. She kindly smiled at the Doctor, in addition to a questioning look on her face. Silently she approached John, who still lay with his eyes closed.

The last tube contained enough blood to perform the tests and Carson removed the needle from Sheppard’s arm. He put a plaster on the puncture wound that was left behind by his procedure and before he had finished John roughly pulled his arm back. He straightened it next to his body and Carson saw his muscles tighten. Carson silently shook his head. He picked up the needle and other equipment he had used, including the filled tubes. He would take the blood sample directly to the lab for testing. He still couldn’t believe that John had turned so agitated and sensitive. Each word or action could lead to an unprovoked outburst.

With his free hand, Carson gently pressed on John’s shoulder, gesturing him to open his eyes. Again, John didn’t respond and Carson lifted his shoulders to Elizabeth. She nodded her understanding before he walked away.

Doctor Weir sat down on the stool next to the bed and patiently waited for John to open his eyes.

John felt defeated and sighed. He knew what was going on in the infirmary, even without seeing it. Elizabeth’s calm breath made him finally open his eyes. He slowly turned his head towards her. “How does it feel to be right?” he naggingly asked her.

The urge to go against every action or word spoken became almost unbearable. He had to fight hard to stop loosing control over his emotions. He wanted to be mad at the Wraith baby, but simply couldn’t. The more he tried to belief the idea of her being the cause for his trouble, the more she appealed to his instinct to keep her alive. That in itself was frustrating him to the level that he wanted to climb out of bed and go to her. Not to hurt her, but to hold her. To take care of this sweet tiny baby. However, this was the last thing that was possible, since Doctor Beckett had put her in quarantine. Nobody without wearing a protective suit was allowed to go near her. It was a good thing she was just an infant and probably wouldn’t remember any of this, because the treatment she received was inhuman. At least it was in his blurred opinion. Rationally he knew better, but the rational thoughts only lasted for seconds, before his emotions reigned over his mind again.

“Well?” He asked and turned his head back to stare at the ceiling.

The question surprised Elizabeth and she briefly looked in the direction of Doctor Beckett. He didn’t see her and therefore, couldn’t provide her with advice about John’s mental condition. “I’m sorry… right about what?” she asked calmly. “How are you feeling, John?” she added to her questioning and her eyes watched him expectantly.

Sheppard turned his focus back to Elizabeth and was unable to control his frustration. “It’s unwise to ask me that question,” he commented with a sarcastic undertone. His breathing was getting faster and the monitor showed his heart rate was increasing. “The doc has discovered that I tend to be a little agitated at the moment. But the good news is, it’s not my fault. Somehow the baby is messing with my head.”

He nodded at the EGG device while he continued his rambling. “O yeah and the spiky things on the screen, they are possibly a telepathic connection between the baby and me.” His eyes turned dark and a deep frown appeared on his face. “So, I think you should be able to guess the answer to your question.”

John refilled his lungs with oxygen and continued while Elizabeth stared at him numbness. “I knew I should have ordered McKay to pick up the baby, but no…, he is not good with children. So I had to do it and now this stupid baby has somehow gotten into my head. Making me do things, I don’t want to. Beckett even speculated that she stuffed me full with some crazy Wraith enzyme or hormone. But he not sure yet. Now she’s even giving him a serious headache. Oh, and best of it all, I’m stuck here in the infirmary, with a fully armed security detail near the door and everything. So I guess I’m not fine and if you don’t like it, blame it on the Wraith and there manipulative offspring.”

His eyes were fixed on her and Elizabeth could see sparks of uncontrolled anger emerging in them. She was completely shocked and frozen to the spot by John’s outburst. She just sat there, her legs felt heavy and clutched tight together. She didn’t know what to say or how to respond to this. All she could do was, stare at him and watch in horror the effects of the baby’s control over him.

“Just leave me alone!” John snapped. He closed his eyes again and tried to control his rapid breathing.

Elizabeth swallowed and felt a lump forming in her throat. She had never seen John in this situation. Even while he was transforming into a bug, he still behaved like himself, for most of the time. However, this time it seemed as if he had lost total control over his emotions. His behavior was erratic, irrational and even violent. From the moment, she had known about the baby she knew as well that there was a valid risk that keeping the Wraith girl on Atlantis could lead to trouble. She had let herself being deluded by John’s affection for the girl, but clearly, his judgment had been severely been compromised from the beginning.

She swallowed again and took a deep breath without making any sound. John was still lying worked up on the bed, trying to control himself with all strength he had left in his body. She could see him loose the battle and it frightened her.

John’s eyes shot open and he lifted his upper body from the mattress. He leaned towards Elizabeth. “I said leave me alone!”

A cold shiver ran along her spine, chilling every bone in her body. This could not be happening. This wasn’t Colonel John Sheppard in front of her. She winced backwards to get some extra space between her and John. Her hands lay trembling in her lap while she tried to find any word of comfort, but she knew there was nothing she could say to make him feel any better.

Doctor Beckett had heard John’s outburst too and notified two of the marines standing near the door to make sure Colonel Sheppard would remain on the bed. While the two men walked to Sheppard, Carson headed to one of the medical cabinets and took a needle and a sedative. Quickly he prepared the injection and walked over to the bed as well.

It was less then a minute earlier that Carson had checked the latest test results, which did confirm his beliefs after all. The Wraith baby had transmitted strong hormones into John’s body. He could only guess about the reason, but it was obvious that she was extremely well prepared to make sure she would survive. Nevertheless, he was clueless about why she had picked John to become her savior or how it could be reversed.

Carson approached the bed and immediately spotted the high level of frustration John was experiencing. Meanwhile, Elizabeth had risen from her stool. She stood silently next to the bed and Carson could see her concerns. The same concerns he shared with her and the same concerns he hoped he would be able to stop. There had to be a solution and he was convinced he would find it. However, his main concern at this moment was to keep John calm, because it seemed that the more he would struggle against the hormones, the worse the situation would become.

“Colonel, please lay down again,” Carson said calmly and checked the syringe. He had chooses a strong tranquilizer to make it effective as quickly as possible. The needle provoked John as he had expected. Luckily for him and Doctor Weir the two marines were close.

“Leave me alone!” John commanded. “I don’t need more drugs, I just need to be left alone!”

Doctor Beckett remained calm and tried to reach for John’s arm to give him the injection. “Colonel, you need to relax. Fighting against the hormones will only make it worse.” He moved cautiously and kept his eyes focused on John’s, trying to read his next move.

As anticipated, John pulled his arm out of reach and tried to climb out of the bed. In the process, he pushed Elizabeth aside and she almost stumbled over the stool. One of the marines caught her and helped her back to balance. The other marine interrupted Sheppard’s attempt to leave the bed and pushed him down hard. The marine pushed John’s shoulders deep in the mattress, making it impossible to lift his upper body.

John struggled to get loose from the hold he was held in. He was winning the battle, until the second marine helped restraining him. Suddenly John surrendered and every muscle in his body became limp. He did want to continue fighting, but also knew that he only would make the already crappy situation much worse.

The marines kept Sheppard at bay while Carson slid the sleeve from John’s medical shirt up. Quickly and professionally, he gave him the injection. “You should try and get some rest,” he comforted John. “We will find out what exactly is causing the connection between the two of you and how to undo it.”

It wasn’t long before the tranquilizer started to work and Sheppard’s eyes were starting to look dazed. Not long after his eyelids closed and he dozed off. Another effect of the sedative was that his breathing calmed down and his heart rate returned to normal. Doctor Beckett briefly checked his vitals signs on the monitor before he walked away from the bed. He guided Elizabeth along, while one of the marines stayed near the bed. The other returned to his previous position near the infirmary door.

When Doctor Beckett and Elizabeth were standing near his desk, Carson cleared his throat to get her attention. Until then she had been watching John. “Are you okay?” Carson asked.

“What is going on with him?” She asked in return.

“It’s complicated to explain. Most of his behavior can be blamed on whatever the Wraith baby does to him. She introduced several new hormones into his system,” The Doctor explained. “and his body has to adjust to them.”

Doctor Weir was still bewildered because of Sheppard’s outburst and she didn’t had an idea where this behavior came from. “Adjust?” she asked concerned, “I hope it is not permanent.”

It hurt her seeing him lying there. He absolutely didn’t like the Wraith, therefore it was surprising that somehow this baby had managed to win his heart and that of several other people, including herself. Dealing with the Wraith always seemed to have a catch and this time Sheppard had fallen victim of it.

Doctor Beckett walked to his desk and picked up Sheppard’s medical file. He took a pen from his pocket and wrote down the medicine he had just given to Sheppard. He put the medical file back and looked at Doctor Weir, “I think the baby is creating some sort of bond between herself and whoever cares for her. The baby has shown more then one sign of survival strength. She can heal herself. She can defend herself… So in fact it would be logical for the baby to make sure that someone feeds her and maybe even tends to other needs she has. It’s just a guess at this point on why this is happening, but my first priority at this point is to find a way to undo it.”

This theory surprised Doctor Weir, but then again many things about the Wraith were still a mystery to them. She was not sure what she could do in this situation. Sheppard in the infirmary was not the outcome she had expected when she had thought about keeping the baby on Atlantis. Yesterday they were worrying about how to keep this baby alive and now she was worried about how to get Sheppard back to being himself. “We cannot keep both in the infirmary forever,” she stated at the Doctor in hope of getting an honest opinion.

Doctor Beckett checked the medical file again. “I’m still running some tests,” he explained, “but I suspect that the hormone levels in his body will stabilize eventually. However, they are still rising at the moment. I also have to try to find out if the baby hasn’t transmitted the hormones to others when they had physical contact with her. I’m eliminating this by testing my own blood at the moment. I have fed the baby as well. After we know for sure colonel Sheppard is the only one affected we really have to see what effects the hormone has on him and try to get it out of his system. Maybe we should see what will happen if we separate them. We know from the Wraith enzyme that it is highly addictive, let’s hope these hormones are not.”

The words spoken by Doctor Beckett did not please Doctor Weir. She had actually hoped for a more positive response. This explanation created more new questions and did not answer any of the questions she had at all. “Let’s try and keep him in one piece until then,” she ordered the Doctor. He showed her he understood her concerns and tried to comfort her by letting her know he would do everything possible to find out how to reverse the effects on Sheppard.

The Doctor smiled kindly, “yes, I have given him a sedative right now. Some sleep will do him some good. In two hours, the baby will awake and need to be fed again. She will surely wake him.” Doctor Weir shook her head and a worried feeling remained. She changed her attention back to Sheppard, who had fallen asleep and for the moment seemed to be in peace.

*****

Sheppard slowly opened his eyes and turned his head towards the cradle next to the bed. Ronon noticed Sheppard woke up the moment the baby opened her eyes and he turned his head towards him. Sheppard was still groggy and tried to focus on the world around him. He was still under the influence of the sedative the doctor had given him. The blur standing next to the cradle turned out to be Ronon, who had returned to look at the baby “Yeah, you missed all the fun,” Sheppard snared at Ronon and put a grin on his face. He was glad to see Ronon standing in close proximity of the baby.

“I see,” Ronon confirmed towards Sheppard. He briefly nodded at the baby. “I have been back to the planet with McKay, there was really nothing left of the ship that we could use. Even the data storage was corrupted or something like it. Of course, he did take the hibernation box back to Atlantis. It was let say, very heavy and six people had to carry it, McKay overseeing the progress.” Somehow, Ronon was not surprised about how this event had started. He also knew that McKay was almost an expert in complicating missions. He put a grin on his face to join Sheppard’s.

Sheppard felt relaxed by the support he received from Ronon, even if it was without speaking about it aloud. He pulled himself a bit up and touched the baby’s face. A smile appeared on her face and her eyes were starting to sparkle again. “You can pick her up if you like,” he encouraged Ronon. “I know you once have said that you would never trust any wraith, but humor me. I promise you, she won’t brake if you drop her.” Sheppard was able to put a more challenging grin on his face.

Ronon looked back at Sheppard and let his eyes glide down to the baby. Knowing that it was harmless to hold her and knowing for sure that he could neutralize the threat if it would arise, he gently picked up the baby from her cradle. He felt uneasy, but he tried not to show it.

Sheppard knew Ronon must be feeling uncomfortable being placed in the situation he had done. However, he was glad to see that Ronon was making the first step to try to accept the little girl.

“I will give her a letter of trust while she is still a baby,” Ronon stated. “But you have to understand that I cannot…”

Sheppard interrupted him, “Take your time. It will take some years before you might even consider of not trusting her. Just look at her, she likes you.” Ronon looked at the baby and she smiled at him with her bright yellow eyes looking straight at him.

Doctor Beckett joined them and started to free Sheppard from the monitoring devices he was connected to. “It is real strange and almost a bit frustrating,” Sheppard explained. “I have absolutely no experience with human babies or so, but when they cry you can put them in a room, close the door and problem solved.”

Ronon looked questioning at Sheppard. “isn’t that considered cruel,” Ronon expressed.

Sheppard looked uncomfortable. He tried to find the right words for what he wanted to tell. “Sorry…, what I mean is that you can ignore a human baby. But this baby just gets in your, well in my head and there is absolutely no way I can ignore it.” Sheppard verified if his point of frustration had reached Ronon and Doctor Beckett. The Doctor calmly nodded, took Sheppard’s arm and started taking his blood pressure.

Ronon felt extremely uncomfortable talking but he wanted to express that he understood that taking care of a baby was not an easy task and brought along responsibilities. “We wanted kids too but it just was not the right time,” he confessed. Ronon knew that Sheppard and Doctor Beckett would keep this information to themselves. “And then the Wraith came.”

Sheppard understood, “I’m sorry.”

The hatred for the Wraith and mourning the loss of the family and friends, he lost to the Wraith, were making Ronon feel more uncomfortable. He shook his head, “Don’t. I am relieved. Most of the people on my planet have ended up as food for the Wraith. You don’t wish that for anyone to happen.”

Sheppard was unable to find the words to form a proper response. All he knew, all he wanted to believe was that this baby was not going to turn out that way. He would do whatever he could to prevent that from happening. “I will make sure she does not turn out that way,” he had finally pieced together. He knew this was not enough to gain Ronon’s complete support, but he hoped he would gain enough trust from Ronon to make him feel at ease around the baby.

Ronon did not know either how to respond, he put the baby back in her cradle. The hatred for the wraith showed on his face, but there was also pain. He was just not sure how to deal with the baby right now. It was too soon to trust the little Wraith girl, but he did not wanted to loose Sheppard as his friend either. “She will need to feed upon humans when she grows up. Just like any other Wraith. There is no way you can change that,” Ronon spoke.

Sheppard felt the connection between them fade and he was disappointed about it. He had hoped that Ronon would try harder to understand that there was time and that he would make sure this baby would not harm anybody. “Not yet,” Sheppard explained in defense of the baby. “But I’m sure that the Doc will figure something out by then.”

Ronon and Sheppard both understood what they were trying to say to each other. They each saw the truth in their points of view. Yet Ronon just could not accept the baby. He tried, he wanted to, but the feelings inside him prevented that at this moment. “If not I will do whatever is needed to keep her from turning on us,” he clearly stated. Sheppard could only listen to the devastating words and accept the opinion of his friend. Without waiting or hesitating Ronon walked to the door and left the infirmary. Sheppard was left behind feeling sad and very upset about their talk. If only he could make Ronon understand. He sighed and knew that time would prove that they could raise a Wraith girl in safety.

Doctor Beckett had finished checking Sheppard’s blood pressure and continued the checkup by checking the pupil reaction using his pocket light. “He doesn’t mean it,” the Doctor said, trying to soothe Sheppard.

The words spoken by Ronon and himself still swirled in Sheppard’s mind. He got dizzy from thinking about the past few minutes. “Yes, he does mean it and he is right. What if we cannot find a solution?” he asked worried.

Doctor Beckett tried to answers the question, “There is always a solution. Beside I still have a couple of years.” The Doctor was very serious about the efforts he would take.

Sheppard knew this and he had to try to ease the tension a bit to prevent him from fallen back into an aggressive mood. He knew that it would only result in more tranquillizers stuffed in his body and put on a grin, “As long as you don’t turn her into a lab experiment,” he snarled.

Doctor Beckett smiled back at him and he was relieved to see that Sheppard seemed to be able to control himself. “I promise,” he stated and put the pocket light back in his jacket.

Sheppard nodded relieved, “Good.”

Doctor Beckett continued talking, “I have some more good news. The hormone levels in your body have stabilized and there is no sign that the baby transmits the hormones to others. There are also no effects noticeable in your vital functions. It seems that the short-term effect is only creating a psychological bond between the two of you. Of course there are some mood swings but that is kind of normal for every human whose hormone levels are drastically changing.”

Sheppard gained more confident by the minute. He was able to fight off the nasty side affect the medicines and the hormones had on him. He briefly looked at the baby and with pleasure in his eyes he stated, “I do have to warn you then, I was a real troubled teenager.” He had a huge smile on his face.

“That does not surprise me,” Doctor Beckett commented with a smile on his face too.

Sheppard watched the baby. He touched her tiny face and climbed out of the bed. “So I’m released, free?” he asked for confirmation. Doctor Beckett nodded and saw him relax even further. Before he walked towards the door, he showed a sarcastic look, “now let’s find someone else to annoy.”

Sheppard took a few steps in the direction of the door when Doctor Beckett kindly reminded him, “Colonel, the baby still needs to be fed.”

Sheppard turned around, “I have heard you have excellent babysitting skills,” and without waiting for an answer, he turned around again and walked out of the infirmary.

*** Chapter 7 ***

McKay did not notice the door to the science lab opening and Sheppard entering the room. He was busy studying the box they got from the Wraith ship. After the door closed, Sheppard stepped towards him and grabbed him at his shoulder. He turned his face towards Sheppard and did not look satisfied. It was rather a glance of utter-most frustration that could be read from his eyes. The box stood in the middle of the lab and he turned his vision back towards it, creating a newly formed frown on his face.

Sheppard joined staring at the box, although he did not see anything special about it. McKay briefly glanced at him and quickly turned his attention back to the box again. Sheppard looked inquiring, but he did not get any attention from McKay, who obviously was taken away by the invisible attraction the box had.

McKay took some steps towards the box while Sheppard made sure he kept a certain safe distance between him and the box. Sheppard hoped that this box would somehow turn itself against McKay. Patiently he watched McKay who still seemed puzzled for the moment until his voice broke the silence. He looked at Sheppard and stated, “I really have no idea how this thing works. It had absolutely no connection with the ship and therefore it should not have opened when I touched the control panel. Beside most of the controls on the box are damaged, probably during the crash. The inside of the box shows organic residue, the outside is a very tough alloy, to withstand almost anything I guess. I cannot make any sense of it. We have not seen anything resembling this kind of technology used by the Wraith. Most of their technology is organic based. However, in this case there is very little organic material, only on the inside, probably to keep the baby alive. The rest of the box is more like Ancient technology, but then again it is missing any inscriptions used by the Ancients. Of course it is a Wraith box which we found in a Wraith ship with a Wraith baby inside, but I still don’t get it.”

Sheppard replied this almost unstoppable chatter with an uninterested look. “And the conclusion is?” he teased McKay.

McKay was far too serious to notice Sheppard making fun of him. “I think I cannot make this box working again,” he sighed as he turned back to observe the box. “There is just not enough power nor can I repair the controls. Question remains why transport a baby in the first place and where to.” he turned to face Sheppard again but looked occupied and sunken in his own thoughts. “I state my point that the box should not have opened because I touched the control panel.”

“But it did…” Sheppard said, aiming on getting a bit even with McKay and kept provoking him, just to make himself feel a bit better.

McKay however, was still not taking the bait. He started to look more engulfed by his own thoughts. Moreover, Sheppard was not helping at all by just standing there and watching him.

Sheppard did not give up that easily and set his mind on provoking McKay just enough to gain some fun out of it. He took another step back and sat down on one of the chairs standing in the lab while McKay leaned his head from left to right and back again until he suddenly seemed to have an idea.

“Wait,” McKay called out. He grabbed one of the scanning devices from the table and started walking around the box. He kept pressing the buttons on the scanner to take all kinds of readings.

McKay was completely seized by his own thoughts and did not even notice Sheppard opening a magazine that was lying on the table. He turned the pages to find something to read while McKay turned to his laptop and back to the box again. McKay repeated these steps a couple of times. In an instance, he returned to the world of communication, “Yes! It did not respond to the control panel. Well it did, but there is a very weak power field surrounding the box. It probably responded to touch by something organic, it awoke or something in combination with me shutting down the control panel. That could be it. Ok, let me see…”

The short moment of silence made Sheppard look up from the magazine and met an annoyed stare from McKay. Sheppard dramatically closed the magazine and put it back on the desk, exaggerating the effort it took. He did not speak a word and stared at McKay, holding a friendly and interested look on his face. McKay on the other hand still looked quite annoyed at him. Sheppard added a small smile to his face and got up from his seat. He was at least going to pretend to offer his help to McKay, even while he knew there was not much help he could really give.

McKay was back in his element again and walked around the box. He sighed at Sheppard to get out of his way, making him to take a big step back again. He almost got dizzy from watching McKay walk around the box for the tenth time. He really did not understand how walking around the box could help McKay in his research, but he kept waiting patiently. McKay put the scanner down on the desk to his laptop and entered the readings in a computer program. He reset the scanner and picked it up again. After this, he focused his attention back on the box.

McKay touched the box with one hand, while watching the readings on the scanner in his other hand. He turned back to his laptop and compared the readings. A loud “Yes,” came from McKay’s mouth. He looked pleased and begun to explain his reading to Sheppard, “If I touch the box the power field surrounding the box itself changes. We should test if the readings are different when you touch the box. Go on, try it”

McKay franticly tried to persuade Sheppard to touch the box, but Sheppard kept his appearance up and looked very skeptical. “You know I don’t like touching things,” he reminded McKay and placed both his hands in his pocket. He made the impression to be unwilling to corporate McKay with his research.

McKay had no time to discuss the pros and cons of the situation and grabbed Sheppard’s arm. He pulled Sheppard forward and before Sheppard realized, McKay had pressed his hand against the box. McKay watched the readings on his scanner while Sheppard quickly pulled his hand back. He aimed an angry look at McKay, who of course was not paying attention to him any more. McKay was obsessed by his research and he appeared extremely occupied.

Sheppard shook his head a little and enjoyed spending his time this way. To be honest, it was most entertaining to see McKay run around the box, doing a thousand and one things at the same time.

McKay had finished analyzing the energy readings about what happened in both cases, when he or Sheppard had touched the box. “Interesting,” he stated and looked most satisfied at Sheppard. “The response from the box is much higher when you touch it. Maybe it responds to the ancient gene… or maybe just your body temperature, this was higher then mine of course. I just need to take a few more readings to find out the exact cause. But the fact is that this box is amazing. If we could duplicate this technology, we could actually have a working concept of small hibernation chamber. If of course, this box has been used to put the baby in a hibernation state. On the other hand, we have not found anything that discards that assumption.”

Sheppard frowned and made way for McKay to walk around the box again. Meanwhile he kept on mumbling the crazy ideas popping up in his head about the box. Halfway his first round, McKay stopped and stared satisfied at Sheppard. He looked confident and happy about the readings he had taken this time and showed a very pleased smile.

Sheppard’s look changed all of a sudden. He nodded uncertain towards the box when unexpectedly the lights on the control panel turned on. McKay turned around and saw the two top panels rose from the box and slowly started to close. McKay turned back and the smile on his face was gone. His eyes were bewildered and had grown large. The box activating itself was not one of the options he had thought was possible and there seemed no reason for the box to behave like this. He thought he knew quite a bit about the box by now, but it seemed that the truth was that he did not know a tenth of what he wanted to know.

Sheppard faced McKay, his eyes marked with the question what was going on and why the box was closing. He had not been happy about the fact that McKay had pulled him near the box, but he was even less satisfied with the box now acting on its own. At least the expression on McKay’s face made it clear that he was not responsible for closing the box. “What did I do? Or better yet, why did you do that!” he asked McKay highly annoyed.

McKay started to look panicked, “I have no idea,” he spoke out with a trembling voice. He turned around and activated his scanner. He kept looking at the readings and his face showed he did not understand what was happening. McKay looked up from his scanner and thought of a scientific explanation. “Hmm... Well, I think you might have fixed it…,” he explained towards Sheppard. “The energy readings on the scanner were increasing until now, they seemed to have stabilized.” For a brief moment, McKay felt relieved, but not long after the expression on his face changed yet again. Worries crawled through his body while he said, “Or maybe we enabled the self destruct sequence…” He did spoke word of damnation, but didn’t act like it and turned his attention back to the scanner in his hand.

Sheppard looked even more annoyed and for the third time took a large step away from the box. “McKay!” he called out to get an understandable explanation from him.

McKay kept watching his scanner while Sheppard prepared himself in case this box would explode inside the lab. He planned an escape route and even thought about a tactic to drag McKay along while escaping, because he still was too much obsessed with the box and not thinking about the danger they could be in. For a split second, Sheppard doubted if the devotion McKay had for the box came from the scientist nature in McKay or if the box had some strange influence over him, just like the Wraith baby had over Sheppard himself.

“Power levels on the outside are increasing. It could be some sort of protection,” McKay informed Sheppard. He was getting even more obsessed by the box and did not seem to be worried about any dangers. McKay completely ignored Sheppard while he walked to the control panel on the box. He started to take more readings when a sudden thud sounded. The box opened again at a much faster rate then it opened the first time or closed. The moment the two panels had sunken completely in the box again the lights on the control panel turned off.

McKay straightened his body and looked at Sheppard, who had yet taken another step away from the box and was now standing only one-step away from the door. “Great,” McKay called out annoyed, “Now the power field is gone...”

Sheppard was actually relieved. It took a few seconds before he felt at ease again. He hoped that McKay would express his buildup fury not towards him. He would defiantly ask Doctor Beckett to check McKay out and see if the box hadn’t been messing with him. Maybe it was his imagination that McKay was too excited about the box and there was nothing wrong, but he wanted to be sure. “It did not explode or anything,” Sheppard teasingly said after a few moment and things had calmed down.

McKay temporarily lost his interest in the box and looked questioning at Sheppard. He finally noticed that Sheppard was provoking him and taking away his attention from the box. He ignored it for a short moment, because he finally understood what was happening. Sheppard put a big grin on his face and when he saw this, he now could no longer hide the fact that he indeed was extremely annoyed by Sheppard’s behavior. Just at the moment when he was about to say anything to Sheppard, he was interrupted by a gurgling sound coming from behind.

The sound came from the box and McKay turned around to see if he could find out what was causing it. At exactly that moment, the organic material inside it lost its cohesion. The material erupted from the box all over McKay. It made him very agitated while Sheppard could not help himself from bursting out in laughing.

This moment was more rewarding then just annoying McKay whit his pretended interest. He nodded at McKay who tried to get the sticky brown slime of his jacket. “My guess is that it’s broken,” he announced with a wide grin on his face. Suddenly he felt very satisfied. He turned around and left the science lab, leaving McKay behind still standing near the box and covered by the slime.

*** Chapter 8 ***

The wormhole in the gate room activated. Doctor Weir watched it hopefully and was glad to see Colonel Sheppard exited the wormhole. Sheppard walked a little away from the gate while Doctor Beckett walked to him. He carried a medical dish with a needle and two empty tubes inside. “Please Colonel, if you can take off your jacket then I can take a blood sample to see how your hormone levels are doing,” he kindly asked.

Sheppard looked uncomfortable and pulled the zipper of his jacket down. “Sure,” he confirmed while he removed his jacket and put it down on the ground. He knew this was going to happen and corporate with the procedure. The sooner he could return to normal duty the better. Doctor Beckett handed him the dish and removed the needle from it. The Doctor prepared it to draw blood from his other arm, while Doctor Weir still stood behind the dialing console and showed a pleased smile.

Doctor Weir was glad to see Sheppard again. “Colonel, is everything al right?” she kindly asked him.

Sheppard started to feel a bit inpatient, he had been away from Atlantis for a week and he had missed the little Wraith baby. He watched Doctor Beckett taking the blood sample and whished he could make it go faster. This whole baby issue had not been easy for him and he hoped that after today things would settle and return to normal. There seemed nothing wrong with him, except that he thought it was a little odd to miss a Wraith, but then again it was a little baby and he had fed her many times. He showed a small sarcastic smile while he faced Doctor Weir. “Nothing new to report since yesterday from the ‘Delta’ site,” he reported to her. Every days Atlantis had reported in and every day a blood sample had been sent to Atlantis to monitor his condition.

Doctor Weir knew she could have expected this answer and rephrased her sentence, “I meant if everything is al right with you? “ Sheppard extended his smile and looked relieved at her. This way he let her know he was feeling fine.

Doctor Beckett finally finished taking the blood sample and removed the needle. “I’m done,” he said while taking a plaster from the dish and placed it over the puncture wound. “I will get the test result within an hour and let you know the results.” He put the needle and tubes back in the dish while Sheppard pulled the plaster off and threw it back in the dish. He looked questioning, but did not ask Sheppard about his behavior. Sheppard shoved the dish in his hands and kindly smiled at him. The behavior Sheppard showed was a little off, but then again he had gone true a lot in the past week. Letting out any frustration would be a normal reaction of anyone. He smiled back at Sheppard before he turned around and walked towards the door.

Without answering Doctor Weir’s question, Sheppard followed Doctor Beckett. “I will go and see Julia, just got a wake up call,” he mentioned inconspicuously, hoping not to draw too much attention.

Sheppard’s words however reached Doctor Weir and it took her only a short moment to realize what he was saying. She was not entirely sure if Sheppard had meant the baby. “Julia?” she asked him astonished. Sheppard did stop walking and turned around to face her. She could read the seriousness from his face and it surprised her.

Sheppard knew he was right about his decision and with full confidence he clarified, “Yes, I can’t keep calling her ‘The Baby’ or ‘Little One’, it sounds cute but I think she will grow out of it. So, I named her Julia.” He turned back to the door and was determined to leave without getting into a discussion.

Doctor Weir did not know if she heard and understood correctly. What was Sheppard thinking? She still had not decided if they could keep the baby and now he had given her a name. She had hoped he would not attach himself to the baby, but she now feared that it was too late for that discussion. She knew that she had to talk to him and try to make him understand her point of view, before the whole situation got worse. “Colonel…,” she called out in the hope he would stop. This however, seemed a fruitless attempt when Sheppard left the Gate room.

Doctor Weir needed a brief moment to process the events from the past minute. She decided she had to talk to Sheppard soon. She looked thoughtfully and sighed while she started to take firms steps in the direction of the door.

*****

Sheppard held the Wraith baby, he had named Julia, in his arm while he was standing outside on one of Atlantis’ balconies overseeing the south pier. The sun stood already high in the sky, quickly warming up the air. Sheppard felt the sun’s warmth on his skin, only cooled by the faint ocean breeze. On the railing in front of him, stood a glass filled with the liquid to feed the little girl. He fed and watched Julia with a smile on his face.

The black pupils in Julia’s eyes grew larger and were sparkling with joy. She sensed that Sheppard was back and enjoyed all the attention she got. The sight of the baby reflected back at Sheppard, who enjoyed the moment they shared together too.

Doctor Weir had finally been able to catch up with Sheppard. She was unpleased by his avoiding behavior and she adjusted her attitude. “Don’t you just run away,” she ordained in a high pitching volume.

Sheppard however, was quite relaxed and felt confident that he could handle any situation. “I’m not running away, I was merely responding to a wake up call,” he explained in a soft voice. He showed a small smile and nodded towards the baby.

Doctor Weir understood the hint. She changed her posture and lowered her volume, “Julia is a very pretty name.” A questioning look remained on her face, while she watched Sheppard. She hoped he would explain more or at least tell her what was going on in his mind. She still seemed concerned about him and tried to read his face. It was unclear if he was able to go back to his normal routine and his duties. Medical fine was something total different from mental fine.

Sheppard looked back at Doctor Weir. He felt uneasy and knew where this discussion would be going. “Yes,” he agreed with her, “that is why I choose it.”

Doctor Weir comprehended that the situation must be strange for Sheppard and even difficult. She really wanted to help him, but she could not help him if he did not talk to her. Nothing happened while they watched each other for seconds, without blinking their eyes. Seriousness surrounded the vicinity around the two of them and the tension between them levitated. After a few more seconds of silence, Doctor Weir finally broke the silence. “Anything special about the name? I know you are not much of a talker, but I do am curious,” she asked him.

Doctor Weir tried to show Sheppard he could trust her and looked comforting in his eyes. Sheppard frowned a bit and aimed his attention back to the baby. He avoided answering the question and continued to feed Julia. It took a deep breathe, when finally a small but relieved smile showed on his face. Sheppard calmly answered the question Doctor Weir had asked him, “yes it is special and yes I’m not really a talker.”

Doctor Weir looked serious at Sheppard. For a moment, she thought he would give her an explanation, but instead he kept avoiding the confrontation. She needed an explanation, not only for her own understanding and for her peace of mind, but also to clarify that he was feeling good enough to return to active duty.

Sheppard looked at Doctor Weir from the corners of his eyes and saw how difficult and uncertain she felt. He had to try very hard to keep a straight face. “Sheppard!” she called out when she saw a faint smile appearing on his face. Instantly she relaxed and knew that he was teasing her all along.

Sheppard no longer hid his smile while Doctor Weir still looked puzzled. He looked her straight in her eyes when he started his story. “I have not had an easy life before I joined the Air force. Family stuff and all, not something I like to talk about. But anyways I had to do something, jump out I guess. So, a few of my options were to join the navy, the Air force or shave my head. Unfortunate I hate boats. I even get seasick on them. Planes, I liked those. So I joined the Air force.”

Doctor Weir was completely stunned by this. It was not quite, what she had expected to hear, but she decided to play along. “No regrets?” she asked interested in a continuation of the story.

Sheppard smiled at her and then looked back at Julia. “No, never been seasick in a plane,” he grinned. Again, they both just stood and stared at each other. Doctor Weir even showed a small smile too. Sheppard knew he had to explain about Julia and Doctor Weir would be one of the very few persons on Atlantis who he would trust with his story. The relationship between the both of them was very good and they were able to discuss almost everything.

“You are not going to tell me are you?” Doctor Weir asked him curiously. She looked compassionate at Sheppard and wanted to let him know that he could really trust her.

Sheppard smile fades as his eyes just stared into nothingness. At that moment, Julia asked for attention again and he briefly looked at her while he continued the feeding. She had a tranquil effect on him, calming him and making him feel more relaxed. After applying a few drops of the liquid in her little hand, he looked back at Doctor Weir. He sighed and took a deep breathe, “Julia was my little sister. She was the cutest little girl around. Everyone just loved her. She was also very fond of getting attention and she really demanded it but in such a way, that nobody really minded. I was her big brother and she often knew how to manipulate me to come and help her if needed. This little Wraith baby here reminds me of her. That’s why.”

Doctor Weir knew that telling her this part of his life had to be very difficult for Sheppard and she showed a friendly, understanding and yet even serious smile. “I’m sorry,” she sincerely said. She did not quite know what else to say and lowered her view to give him some space.

“You’re right,” Sheppard spoke, breaking the awkward moment between them “I really don’t like talking about it and I do hope you can keep this to yourself.”

Doctor Weir stood there pinned to the ground. Sheppard should know that this indeed would stay between the two of them. “Of course,” she formally stated while a friendly yet still uncomfortable smile showed on her face. She nodded towards Julia, “she really is a cute little girl.” Sheppard nodded in agreement and a smile returned to his face.

Doctor Weir raised her head a bit, closed her eyes and let the ocean breeze run through her nose into her lungs. Sheppard was glad to she her relax and turned back his full attention towards Julia. The little girl did not move except opening and closing her little hand when Sheppard fed her. It where her eyes and the smile on her lips that made clear that she enjoyed herself. Meanwhile the baby’s hormones engulfed Sheppard and gave him a warm and vibrant feeling.

Doctor Weir opened her eyes, turned around and leaned with her back against the railing. With a satisfied smile on her face, she admired the devotion and compassion Sheppard showed towards Julia. The peaceful moment was broken when Sheppard’s radio activated, “Colonel, this is Doctor Beckett.”

The sounds startled Sheppard and he stopped feeding Julia. He dried his hand to his shirt and activated the radio, “go ahead doc.”

Doctor Weir looked with tense expectation at Sheppard and hoped the Doctor would give him some good news. That he certainly deserved after all he had been through in the past week. Moreover, after hearing the story she knew for sure that he was kind of himself again or at least was able to lead his team again. The baby had changed him, but it seemed to make him even more aware of his responsibilities then he was before.

“I have the results from the blood test,” Doctor Beckett replied over the radio. “The results are satisfying and almost the same as before you left. It seems that the levels slightly decrease over time, but they stay stable, even if you are not in close contact to her. I have not detected any medical signs of a withdrawal effects and the blood samples I have taken from Julia are good too. If you are not around she accepts feeding from others and therefore, I will recommend Doctor Weir that she can put you on active duty again.”

Both Sheppard and Doctor Weir looked relieved and Doctor Weir activated her radio. “Thank you Doctor,” she said.

Sheppard sighed and all tension from the past week drained from his body. “I think, I will take her inside now. Too much sun on her pale skin can’t be good,” he explained. He knew he did not need an excuse but it felt confident. He needed to be alone for a moment. Doctor Weir nodded and gave him a supporting smile. He returned the nod and turned around. While he walked inside Doctor Weir kept standing outside. She watched Sheppard until he was out of sight and then turned around to face the wide ocean view. She placed both hands on the railing in front and leaned on it. She closed her eyes again and let the sun heat her face. Finally, she was able to let the tense load drop of her body and enjoy the moment.

*** Chapter 9 ***

The next morning the away team with Colonel Sheppard Sheppard, McKay McKay, Ronon Dex and Teyla Emmagan were standing in the gate room. They were eagerly waiting to go on an away mission. This was the first mission since the whole incident with Julia started, which was more then a week ago.

Ronon checked his gun and put it on stun setting while Sheppard impatiently re-clipped his gun to the strap. McKay pricked his ears and showed a pleased smile when he heard the officer behind the dialing console push on the buttons. The officer dialed the Gate address while Doctor Weir stood beside him. She leaned her head a bit and watched the team with a relieved smile on her face. “Ready Colonel?” she asked with pride in her voice.

Sheppard looked over his shoulder at her and gave her a sarcastic look. “Can’t wait to get some pictures of the cave drawings,” Sheppard snared at her.

“Just an easy mission to start with,” Doctor Weir calmly reminded him. She had selected this planet after the survey scans had revealed several caves in the valleys and mountains. In a previous mission a few months ago, another away team discovered many cave drawings in just one of those caves. Doctor Weir had asked Sheppard and his team to explore a couple more caves to see what they could learn from the people who lived there. She knew this was not the most challenging mission, however she decided it would be best to give the team an easy mission to start and get back into the working rhythm.

The Stargate activated and a big puddle of water emerged from it. The glimmering water like circle quickly stabilized to form the event horizon of the wormhole. “You have a go. See you tonight,” Doctor Weir called out to the team.

Sheppard looked at McKay who was right beside him. They were both calm and McKay watched the Stargate and mentally prepared himself for the mission. “One thing,” Sheppard informed him with a smile on his face, “please do not push any buttons this time. One baby is hard enough to take care of.”

Ronon put a smile on his face and with a swift move took his gun in his hand. “I will keep an eye out,” he ensured Sheppard. He graciously flipped the gun around and with ease placed it back.

McKay was not too pleased by these remarks. “Great,” McKay groaned. “So I screw up one thing and it will follow me for the rest of my life.”

Sheppard again looked at McKay with a big grin on his face, “better yet, she will probably outlive you.” Teyla and Ronon both chuckled while McKay showed signs of irritation. These remarks did not amuse him at all.

“Shall we go?” Teyla announced while she turned her head and nodded towards Doctor Weir. Doctor Weir returned a minor nod back and confirmed that the team had her permission to go. Teyla took the lead, while the others followed her to the Stargate, where they all stepped through the wormhole.

*****

The team stood inside one of the caves on the planet. They had found this cave at the bottom of a small and steep valley. Not only smelled the air inside the cave moldy and damp, but it also was a chilly and dark place to be. Only the light from their flashlights illuminated the cave drawings they had found. There were many cave drawings on the walls. On most of them where birds, people and crop fields. It seemed that these people lived as farmers and hunters. McKay took his photo camera from the bag and prepared it to take pictures. Meanwhile Ronon and Sheppard walked around in the cave to check its safety. Teyla stayed in McKay’s neighborhood while he started to take pictures of the drawings.

Slowly the team continued their way through the cave and after a while, they reached a large room-like area in the cave. The walls and ceiling were full with drawings. McKay walked around and made more pictures, while Sheppard and Ronon sat down on a big rock. Ronon removed a small spider from his hair and held it in his hand. Sheppard nudged him and nodded towards the light bundle projecting on the wall. Carefully Ronon lifted the spider from his hand and it hung at the bottom of its web strand. Sheppard aimed his flashlight on the spider and projected the enlarged spider on the wall. The movement on the wall startled Teyla when the spider crawled back up the strand. She turned an almost evil glance towards the two.

Ronon and Sheppard continued playing with the spider and turned in into a yo-yo. The moment the spider had reached the end of its strand they push it back down so it had to crawl up again. After a short critical observation, Teyla looked disapproving towards them. Sheppard noticed her attention for them and aimed his flashlight direct in her face. Teyla immediately squeezed her eyes and even while the light hurt her, she was able to put a smile on her face. They behaved like teenage boys, but then again this mission was not that important. Besides, they were good at finding crazy things to do to pass time.

After McKay had finished taking pictures, he turned around, took a few steps and waited near the way out of the cave. In response, Sheppard lowered the flashlight a bit disappointed, while Ronon gently placed the spider back on the wall. The mission itself was not been exciting at all, but successful. The spider distraction had brought a little fun to the dull task of watching McKay while he took pictures. He had made over one hundred pictures in this cave and added to the pictures they made in the previous cave, Doctor Weir could easily fill her scrapbook with them.

It seemed that the caves on this planet were used as a hiding place, just like the other cave. Maybe they were used to hide from the Wraith in the past. However, the planet seemed deserted for a long time now. The surface temperature was hot, the humidity was low and the ground was solid, making it very unlikely for crops to grow in this barren environment. The vegetation they had seen was scares and the plants had adjusted to the dry climate. The planet did not qualify to sustain a large population of humans and the scans had also not revealed any settlements. The most likely explanation for the climate change would have an astronomical cause. A meteor, the sun or a shifting orb of the planets, it was all possible.

Teyla’s eye fell on a large drawing with a bird again. She speculated that the birds in the drawings could also be Wraith ships, just like the drawings on her old home world. McKay and Ronon disagreed and they both claimed they had seen large birds flying before they entered the cave. Sheppard wisely did not join the discussion and took the lead to the exit.

*****

The moment the team walked out of the cave, they all squeezed their eyes because of the bright sunlight. It took a few moments before the team had gotten used to the daylight. Sheppard took his sunglasses from the pocket in his vest and put them on. They all used the moment to breathe the fresh air and let the sun heat their bodies.

Sheppard raised his head towards the sun and turned his head further until he looked up the only path leading out of the valley. The path was very narrow and had many rapid windings. Some parts of the path were very steep and this made the walk down take more time then they original had scheduled. Going the same way up was going to take at least an equal amount of time and they had to be careful to trip over small loose rocks covering the ground. On their way down Teyla had almost slipped when she took a misstep and her right feet rolled down when she shifted her weight on it. Ronon had just been in time to grab her, preventing her from getting any injuries.

Sheppard scanned the path. From the valley, he could not get a clear vision up the hill. Many large rocks and withered bushes along the path made it even difficult to see if the next curve would be a left or right. He briefly checked his watch and nodded towards the path, “Let’s go,” he commanded. “If we keep on track we will be at the Gate in less then two hours.” He gestured towards the team to start walking and they obedient follow his order. McKay and Ronon took the lead and started to walk up the valley. Teyla and Sheppard follow right behind them. On most parts of the path, they could not even walk next to each other, but when it was possible, they did. The mood was relaxed and they enjoyed the fact that they successfully fulfilled the task they had received for this mission.

They had even time left to take some extra pictures. McKay held the camera in his hand and made some pictures of the plant live for Doctor Beckett. Sheppard jumped in front of the camera, hoping his head would be in the picture. This would make the picture more interesting. Ronon chuckled and when McKay tried to protest he took the camera. He pushed the button a couple of times and created some nice action pictures from McKay trying to get the camera back. Teyla was smiling in the background and got herself immortalized on several pictures too. After a nod from Sheppard Ronon gave the camera back to McKay, who immediately put it back in his bag.

The team continued their journey and it wasn’t long before they were engaged in some small talk again. Somehow, McKay and Ronon got into a serious discussion about shooting. “I’m not a bad shooter,” McKay claimed indignant. “I have had training and I admit I was not the best but I can defend myself… if needed of course.”

Sheppard heard McKay’s statement and was still in a playful mood. He sneaked behind McKay and quietly grabbed his shoulders with both hands. He gave him a small push forward. McKay reacted by jumped up and quickly turned around. Of course, Sheppard had already anticipated this and grabbed McKay’s gun and pointed the barrel against his nose.

McKay instinctively raised his arms above his head. “What…, why…,” he squeaked out with a slightly trembling voice. Ronon could not help himself and burst out in laughing. Even Teyla put a faint smile on her face.

“Just checking your defense reflexes,” Sheppard explained with a teasing grin on his face. His eyes showed an evil pleasure. McKay was not amused and lowered his arms. Sheppard handed him his gun and turned back to Teyla. She strained every nerve inside her body to enlarge her smile. McKay sighed and put his gun back, while the frustration in his eyes ebbed away. He continued walking up the hill and Ronon followed him.

Sheppard walked back to Teyla. She was not smiling anymore and looked a little unsettled. “Something wrong?” he asked her.

Teyla lifted her shoulders, “I’m not sure. I feel a little light-headed.”

Instantly Sheppard’s relaxed feeling faded and a more defensive mode activated. “Wraith?” he asked concerned.

Teyla smiled to let Sheppard know he did not need to worry. “No, the feeling is very different. Maybe it’s the sun or the bright light, I do not know.”

Sheppard sighed relieved and the rush of adrenaline that had been released in his body came to a stop. “Let’s get back to the Gate,” he said while he put his hand on Teyla’s shoulder to lead her away. “Maybe the Doc should check you out when we get back.” Teyla smiled and after a deep breathe they both continued their climb up the path at a steady pace.

*** Chapter 10 ***

The path had gotten wide enough for McKay and Ronon to walk side by side. They had not spoken to each other in a while. McKay had tried to start a new conversation, but it had been science related and Ronon had completely ignored it. He had not made a second attempt and decided he could spend his time more useful making plans for his science team. There were still several important experiments to be done and he had to go through the calculations of several other projects. This would also mean that he had to recalculate over half of original calculations. By the minute, his mind was processing more and more science related issues, projects, experiments, calculations, possibilities and even the performance of his science team members.

Ronon and McKay walked around a corner folded around a huge boulder when they suddenly stood face to face with a small group of Wraith. The group consisted of a young female Wraith, a male Commander and two fully armed soldiers. The female had a delicate figure and was not as tall as any off the other Wraith. Her very long straight black hair was neatly tied in a ponytail and she wore a beautiful long white dress with silver stitching and small silver buttons. The light fabric of her dress twinkled in the sunlight and those same rays of sunlight illuminated her pale grey skin. Her bright yellow eyes stared in surprise at Ronon and McKay, betraying her inexperience and young age.

The Wraith Commander was the tallest of the group. His long white and slightly curling hair covered the shoulders of his black uniform. The leather look of the uniform made him look more fearful then the expression on his face. A surprised gleam emerged from his eyes. It was obvious that these Wraith did not expect anyone on their path down into the valley.

For only a brief second the two groups stared in anticipation at each other. The fast building tension spread rapidly amongst the groups like a burning blaze. The suffocating space between Ronon, McKay and the Wraith crushed down on them. Only moments ago, both Ronon and McKay were relaxed, but now adrenaline rushed through every vein in their body. Encountering Wraith had not been on the list of things they could possibly find on this planet. However, they were facing this group and it was diminishing the chances of getting safely to the Stargate. The Wraith were standing only a few yards away, but it felt more like a few inches.

Based on training, instinct and a built in automated pilot Ronon and McKay had grabbed their guns within a matter of seconds. The barrels of their guns steadily aimed at the Wraith. In response to this action, the Wraith soldiers presented their guns and aimed for Ronon and McKay.

Again, for seconds nothing happened. Both groups waited for the other to make the next move. The entangling tension between them grew even larger, as did the hatred buried deep inside Ronon. The Wraith had caused him extreme pain and grief. Never would he forget what they had done to him, his friends, his people and all other humans in the galaxy. He would surely not regret for a split second if any of the Wraith here would die. There was not a single fiber in his body unprepared for the upcoming battle. Yet he knew it was wise to buy, as much time as possible. Sheppard and Teyla were not far behind them and it could not take very long before they caught up with them. Four against four would at least even the chances of getting out of the valley alive.

In comparison to Ronon, who stood steady in his shoes and was always self-assured of his fighting abilities, McKay was weak in these oppressing situations. Shivers ran through his body and he was getting more anxious by every second passing by. A blind surge of panic started to form. With shaking hands, he held his gun. First aimed at one of the soldiers, but slowly moving to target the young Wraith female. More adrenaline rushed through his body with every beat of his heart and his legs felt weak from trembling.

All of a sudden, the loud blast of a gunshot pierced the thin air and echoed through the valley. McKay looked in fear at his gun and realized he had pulled the trigger. Realization made it clear that he had fired the first shot. His eyes followed the path from his gun to the Wraith group and stopped when they saw he had hit the young female. She stood solemnly, with the commander at her side and the two soldiers behind her. The entry wound in the right side of her chest was marked by a red circle of blood. The blood kept pouring out of the bullet wound down, ruining her perfectly white dress. The blood trail found its way down along the woven fabric. At the end drop by drop left the dress to end up in the dust. Her fingers moved to her chest and a frightened gaze accompanied them. Before everyone had recovered from the shock, the Commander instinctively swung his arms around the female and turned her towards him. He embraced her to protect her from further shooting and made sure his body was between her and the guns.

Ronon knew there was no way back and there was no more time for waiting.

*****

Teyla and Sheppard had heard the gunshot. Sheppard instantly activated his radio to ask what had happened. He waited for a few seconds, but there was no answer from Ronon or McKay. Obviously, something was wrong and he briefly nodded to Teyla who had understood the seriousness of the situation. They both rushed up the path as fast as they could. Their eyes fixed on the ground to watch where they would place their feet and briefly lifting their view, checking the surrounding area. While climbing they picked their guns and prepared them for instant shooting. It didn’t take long before they walked around the rock and stood only a few feet behind Ronon and McKay. In front of them, they saw the Wraith group and knew they were in trouble. Without any hesitation, they immediately aimed their guns at the group in front of them.

One of the Wraith soldiers had already fired an energy blast towards the team. The bolt of energy whirled in the direction of McKay. The team in response started to shoot back while the second soldier also released an energy blast to intercept with the team. McKay was able to avoid the first blast, but while ducking away the second blast impacted him on his shoulder. The energy quickly spread through his cloths along his chest and neck, incapacitating him. McKay’s gun fell from his hand to the ground and he collapsed only moments later.

More bullets and energy blasts kept flying through the air. The echoes spread rapidly through the valley, intensifying the sound of the battle. The small distance between the two groups had turned into a war zone. Anyone who would cross it would end up as victim of the struggle to survive.

Ronon was able to avoid being hit by jumping out of the way. The blue energy blast continued its path until it was stopped by Teyla’s leg. Energy sparks rapidly crawled up her leg taking away her strength to stand. First, her right leg gave way, followed by her left leg and the rest of her body.

Only Sheppard and Ronon were standing on their feet to fight against the Wraith. They both continued their shooting and took cover behind some rocks and bushes. A fast crackling sound followed by a chain of bullets left Sheppard’s gun. One by one, they hit and pierced the chest armor of one of the Wraith soldiers. One by One, they weakened the soldier until he could no longer stand on his feet. Between the rain of bullets, a thud sounded when the large body fell to the ground in a small pool of blood that had formed on the ground before him.

Meanwhile Ronon had shot at the Commander twice with his stun gun, rendering him unconscious. The Commander fell down with the Wraith female still under his protection. Her fragile body lay limply under his.

The other Wraith soldier fired more energy blasts at Ronon. One of the blue balls rolled over Ronon’s arm, barely touching his skin, but enough to weaken him. Ronon was able to shoot one more shot. The two shots crossed each other midway and kept traveling their straight path. The blast from Ronon’s gun impacted on the soldier’s chest and the stun effect pierced his armor. Ronon also received an energy blast full on his chest. Both he and the Wraith soldier crumpled down to meet the dust.

Sheppard was the last man standing, but this did not comfort him at all. He and his team members were still trapped in this valley. There was no way out and there was probably no time to hide either. He expected there where going to be more Wraith soon. The loud echoes of gunfire had easily escaped the valley and filled a wide area around it with evidence of a battle. He had to think quickly about his options, but before he was able to think of a way to keep his team safe from the Wraith, he saw another and even larger group of Wraith come down the path. They turned around a rock and faced Sheppard.

A tall and older Commander led the group of Wraith with at least six soldiers standing behind him. This Commander also had long White hair and wore a heavy black leather uniform. There were several silver signs on his jacket, making him look experienced.

Sheppard looked annoyed by the situation and murmured, “Not again…” He was very unsatisfied and felt defeat nearby. The hope of getting at least some of his team members out of sight had broken into pieces. Sheppard put his gun in the air to show the Wraith he would surrender. Maybe he could stall the Wraith long enough. He hoped that this would give him some opportunity to find a way to escape, even though he knew he had very little chance while the others were still unconscious.

The older Wraith Commander looked angrily at him and turned his vision towards the Commander lying on the ground. He nodded and hissed in Sheppard’s direction. Before Sheppard was able to prepare himself an energy blast, fired by one of the soldiers, hit him on his chest. His body refused to stay on his feet and he crumbled face-down to the ground.

Every part of Sheppard’s body refused to move, except for his eyes. He could still see and hear what happened around him. Breathing was difficult and inhaling the dust made it painful as well. He looked concerned when two black leather boots feet approached him. From the corners of his eyes, he saw the Wraith Commander standing over him. One of the feet pushed Sheppard’s body around. The Wraith Commander stood above him, with a Wraith stunner in his hands. Sheppard saw and felt the point of a blast gun roughly being pressed against his shoulder. He tried to swallow, but the first shot had taken away the ability to do so. He saw the Wraith Commander firing one more shot, rendering him unconscious lying in the sand.

*** Chapter 11 ***

Doctor Weir sat behind her desk in her office. A food tray from the mess hall stood in front of her. It had been standing there for over an hour. She held a fork in her hand and stared at the cold and untouched food. Her diner consisted of pasta with tomato sauce and apple pie as dessert. She was supposed to have diner with Colonel Sheppard, but he and his team had not returned from their mission.

With some hesitation, Doctor Weir placed the fork back on the desk, to pick it up again not much later. She stared at her food and did not feel hungry. She knew she had not eaten much at lunch and it would be wise to eat some diner, but her empty stomach had filled itself with concerns and worries about Sheppard and his team. She had tried, but could not force herself to eat anything and placed the fork down on the desk once more.

Once a week Doctor Weir would have diner with Sheppard and discuss the past weeks. They would discuss the past missions and even look to the planned missions for the coming week. Of course there was also time for some personal chatting and sometimes she would hear interesting, mostly personal details that where not included in the team’s mission reports.

It was only three weeks ago when Sheppard told her the story about McKay and the insects that looked like honeybees. It began when McKay had been bragging about how serious the energy readings on the planet could be. They had been very strong and pulsing in a repeating loop. Not much later when the team returned to the planet, he found out that Ronon was carrying a small device that emitted these energy bursts. McKay had become quite annoyed and had tried to grab the device from Ronon. Ronon of course did not want to hand over the device to McKay and they both ended up in a struggled for it. This resulted in the fact that the device slipped from both hands and ended up in the bushes. Suddenly a large swarm of insects surrounded the team, agitated by the device that had ended up in their nest. The swarm attacked the team and they had to run for almost a mile before the insects finally stopped their pursuit. In the mission report, they had reported that McKay had studied the insects from a close distance and that was how he got stung three times, but since Sheppard told Doctor Weir the story she really knew what had happened.

Doctor Weir sighed and lifted the fork from her desk again. She put some pasta on the fork and lifted it high above the plate. She knew she had to eat something and closed the fork to her mouth. She hesitated for a moment and threw the fork back on the food tray. She did not like cold pasta and promised to herself that she would have diner with Sheppard tomorrow. He would surly be back by then. Besides, tomorrow the canteen would serve stew with mashed potato, finishing with fresh strawberries covered under a thick layer of whipped cream. That was one her favorite menu’s.

After sitting motionless for a couple of minutes, Doctor Weir checked her watch again. The team should have returned over two hours ago. She moved her food tray further away from her and rose from her chair. With some hesitation, she walked to the door and opened it. When she looked over the railing down, she could see the Stargate. The empty circle stood very lonely in the big and almost deserted area of the gate room.

Doctor Weir slowly walked down the stairs, trying to control her nerves. Downstairs she continued straight to the officer behind the dialing device. When she stood next to him, he briefly glanced up at her and faintly shook his head. She nodded and gave the order, “Okay, dial the coordinates.” The Officer obeyed her command and began to press the controls.

After the seventh symbol, the Stargate activated and Doctor Weir tried to push away the tense feeling inside her. She took a deep breath, followed with her activating the radio to send a transmission to the planet. “Colonel Sheppard, this is Atlantis, please report,” sounded in the Gate room when she finally spoke. For moments, there was silence and she noticed she was not the only one who waited impatiently for a response. The seconds past by but there was no one answering to her hail. Again, she activated the radio, “This is Atlantis, what is your current situation?” She checked the clock and saw the pointer move from second to second. Each second seemed to take minutes and she felt restless. Again, she did not get any response and after ten more seconds, she turned her attention to the Officer. “Do we have contact with the MALP?” she asked him.

The Officer pressed some controls and turned to face Doctor Radek Zelenka.

Dr. Zelenka activated the screen of a laptop. “We are receiving normal telemetry from the MALP. I will reroute the image stream to the screen,” he explained while gesturing at Doctor Weir to watch the image stream.

Doctor Weir checked the screen while Doctor Zelenka started a diagnostic program to confirm the MALP’s status. The video stream from the MALP was displayed on the screen of the laptop. On first sight, everything seemed normal, the scenery was the same as when the team had left that morning, only the sun had lowered its position in the sky. There were no visible signs of the team or other people in the near vicinity of the Stargate.

Doctor Weir felt worried and stared at the screen, showing a perfect and calm planet.
Dr. Zelenka looked up from the laptop and searched for eye contact with her. She was a bit distracted, but the moment she saw him lift his head she turned her head to face him. “The MALP telemetry is not showing any signs of malfunction. They should be able to receive your message, unless they are too far away from the MALP,” he said to clarify that he had not found anything wrong with the radio on the MALP and the team should have heard the message. He too was clueless about the reason why the team did not respond to Doctor Weir’s hails.

“Are you sure?” DoctorWeir asked. She knew Doctor Zelenka was a very good scientist and not made mistakes, but she hoped he would recheck his readings. Maybe this time he overlooked a detail.

Dr. Zelenka shook his head and indeed checked the readings on the laptop again. He pressed some keys on the laptop and sent some commands to the MALP. In response, the camera of the MALP turned and lowered its view angle. Slowly the images on the screen changed. First the MALP computer and then the radio of the MALP appeared, both had no visible damage. “The MALP is responding normal to the commands I have send. I am sure there is nothing wrong with the equipment. I’m sorry,” he explained and nodded his head to the images on the laptop.

Doctor Weir returned a small nod and squeezed her lips. “Thank you,” she stated and brought her hand to her radio again. She pressed the button and activated it, “Major Gates, this is Doctor Weir.”

Within seconds, Major Gates responded. “Major Gates here, what can I do for you?” he asked over the radio.

Doctor Weir was relieved to get a quick response and knew for certain her radio was not the problem in contacting the team. ”Colonel Sheppard’s team is missing. I want you to assemble a security team and report to the Gate room as soon as possible,” she ordered the Major.

In an instant response, Major Gates confirmed his orders, “understood, I will have a team ready in 10 minutes.”

The quickness and devotion that sounded over the radio caused a faint relieved expression on Doctor Weir’s face, but she could not smile yet. Not as long as she did not know what happened to Sheppard and his team.

*** Chapter 12 ***

After the team had been taken prisoner by the Wraith, Sheppard awoke finding himself in a holding cell. He sat up straight on a metal bench in his holding cell and noticed he was the only one in this cell. The floor, ceiling and walls were made from the same dark metal, as the bench. The dimmed illumination in the cell and corridor along with the warm humid air made Sheppard believe they were in a Wraith ship. A low humming from possible engines affirmed his believe. Even the cell doors looked familiar, their open structure with spider-like bars were made of some kind of organic material. Sheppard had tried opening them, but he had not succeeded. He just sat on his bench with his eyes closed and sighed quietly.

Across the corridor, Ronon was also sitting in a similar holding cell and in the cell next to him Teyla was lying on the bench. She was still unconscious and Ronon had confirmed that McKay was in the holding cell next to Sheppard. He lay face down on the bench and was not moving either. Ronon believed he was still unconscious too. All the team members were stripped from most of their clothing except for their t-shirts, pants and socks. Of course, all items from their pockets had been removed too, including the metal lid from the zipper.

Sheppard and Ronon both sat on their benches. Sheppard opened his eyes and looked at Ronon. Ronon stared back at Sheppard, but he did not speak a word. Frustration ran through every inch of Ronon’s body and he felt the anger inside he grow by the second. They both had been awake for some time now, but were unsuccessful in finding a way to escape. These Wraith had been very thorough in taking away everything that they possibly could use to try and escape.

Sheppard watched Ronon and got up from his bench. He stretched his legs and walked again to the cell doors. He waved with his arms to the doors but of course, they did not open. Ronon watched him silently and shook his head in unbelief. Sheppard felt annoyed and returned to the bench. He let himself slide against the wall down on the bench. His head hit the wall roughly. Ronon was sure it had to hurt, yet Sheppard did not show any sign of pain. Ronon looked curious at Sheppard who looked tempting back at him. Ronon made a fist and smashed it with full force against the wall. A surge of pain showed on his face and his hand felt numb. He opened and closed his hand a couple of times until the pain got bearable. Sheppard lifted his shoulder put a grin on his face. Ronon also put a grin on his face and felt kind of stupid. At least now, he was sure that he was not caught in a very bad dream.

Teyla started to wake up and moved a bit. Her movement resulted in her rolling off the bench. “Teyla, you’re ok?” Sheppard asked her. Teyla lay face down on the ground and was still somewhat confused. She lifted her head and looked around to orient where she was. She saw a dark blur and slowly this blur turned into Sheppard sitting in his cell. Her eyes changed direction and saw McKay, who was still not moving.

Teyla tried to raise her body with her arms. After a failed attempt, she rolled on her side and leaned on the bench to pull herself up. She sat down on the bench and looked less confused then a few moments before. “Ronon?” Teyla asked in a clear voice.

Ronon’s voice sounded, “Next to you.” Teyla felt relieved, but also started to understand what had happened. Sheppard watched her, trying to figure out how she was feeling. The situation settled in Teyla’s mind and she returned his view, showing him she was not pleased at all.

“Don’t look at me, I did not make the reservations for private rooms,” Sheppard elaborated.

A muffling sound made both Teyla and Ronon aim their view to McKay’s cell. McKay also moved a bit. “McKay is also starting to wake up I think,” Teyla explained to Sheppard.

Sheppard nodded confirming he understood what was happening. He kind of whished they where all in one cell, but that was probably what they all would wish for in this situation. It had taken quite a while for McKay and Teyla to wake up and he had to admit he was worried about them. Seeing Teyla awake and hearing McKay’s movement relieved some of the burdens he had as the leader of his team.

Teyla was bright awake now and had completely absorbed their current situation. “Do we know if there is a way to get out of here,” she asked in a calm voice.

Ronon got up from his bench and walked to the prison doors. He looked to the left end and right end of the corridor, but because of the darkness, he could not see the end. “There are at least two soldiers at each end of the corridor. They walk by regularly, so no real opportunity there,” Ronon answered to Teyla’s question.

“We really pissed them off this time,” Sheppard added to the conversation. That moment two pair of heavy Wraith footsteps sounded through the corridor. The footsteps closed in and not long after two Wraith soldiers walked through the corridor passing their cells. They walked side by side and both carried a Wraith stun gun. Ronon and Sheppard looked annoyed, they had seen this happen before a couple of times. The footsteps followed the path away from the cells and not much later closing in again. This time two other Wraith soldiers walked in the opposite direction. It seemed that the soldiers switched places.

Ronon went back to the bench and sat down again. Teyla turned her attention to Sheppard and watched him intensely. She hoped he could give her a confirmation that they would get out of here. Sheppard stayed calm and gave her, an almost unnoticeable smile. She knew he would try to do everything he could to get his team back to safety. Teyla respectfully nodded back at Sheppard to let him know she would support every action and decision he would take.

Teyla closed her eyes and took a few concentrated breathes. The muffling sound turned into an unexpected rumble when McKay fell of the bench in his cell. Teyla’s eyes shot open, but when she saw it was just McKay, waking up she closed them again. McKay lay on his back on the floor. He opened his eyes a bit, raised his head and saw Ronon stare him in the face. For a moment, he was experiencing the same confusion as Teyla did before. McKay tried to focus and determine where he was. “What Happened?” he asked with an unsure voice.

Ronon raised his head “You got shot.” McKay put a small smile of satisfaction on his face, leaving Ronon clueless. He could not think of one reason or action to be happy about. They all were imprisoned. Adding the fact that they had been placed in separate cells made escaping far from easy.

McKay somehow was not bothered by this yet or did not comprehend their situation. “But I did shot the Wraith female, right?” McKay gloated.

“To bad it only did not prevent us from getting caught,” Sheppard grumbled. The gloating disappeared from McKay’s face, as he started to realize this was indeed not a good situation to be in. He pulled himself up and walked to the cell door. With both hands, he grabbed the bars and tried opening the cells doors. McKay strengthened every muscle in his arms in his attempt to open the doors, but they did not move an inch. He started to panic and kept trying to open the doors, this time adding his bodyweight to try to push the doors open. However, there was no movement and the doors stayed closed.

Ronon watched McKay’s efforts and shook his head disapproving. Sheppard got the hint and stood up from the bench. He moved to the cell door and was now standing next to McKay. Sheppard was able to see him still trying to open the cell doors, even while he knew these were fruitless attempts. Sheppard looked at McKay, gesturing him to calm down. McKay moaned quietly and released the cell doors. His body shook with fright and disappointed he returned to the bench. With trembling feet, he sat down on it and let the self-pity inside him grow.

Sheppard turned his head to watch Teyla. She still sat in the same position with her eyes closed. She focused and tried very hard to concentrate. He could see her take deep breathes, letting the air in and out of her body. Sheppard was frustrated and really had no idea how to start and coordinate their escape attempt in their current situation. His rate of breathing increased and he released a sound that was between a heavy snort and a deep sigh. Teyla opened her eyes again and saw the questioning look from Sheppard. “Colonel, I don’t know something is different. I don’t sense them,” she explained.

Sheppard looked surprised and concerned at the same time. Teyla had always been able to sense the Wraith, even from a great distance. But now she did not sense them. On the planet, she did not sense them either and this worried Sheppard. Maybe something was wrong with her. She did not feel well when they came out of the cave. Sheppard just hoped she was not focusing enough. It would be a major setback if something would be wrong with Teyla right now. They would certainly need her skills during an escape attempt.

Teyla took a very deep and concentrated breath and closed her eyes again. She opened her mind in the hope she would sense the Wraith this time. She controlled her breathing and straightened her upper body. Her head raised high, her breast moved back and forth in the rhythm of her breathing. After about a minute, she opened her eyes again, looked down and shook her head disappointed.

“We will figure out why later,” Sheppard told her comforting, hiding his true and worried feelings. “Let’s first try and focus on getting out of here,” he added compellingly in the hope that this would activate McKay’s devoting sense of self-preservation.

Again, footsteps sound through in the corridor. This time they heard more then two pair closing in on them, but the sound was less ponderous. A group of Wraith came through the corridor towards the team. In front of the group two older female Wraith were walking, taking firm steps dragging along a huge gulf of downfall towards the holding cells.

One of the females had long, black, curling hair worn loose around her head. At the right side of her hair, there were three small, silver, triangle-shape ornaments placed. These kept her hair neatly in place. On her face, she had three black markings above her right eyebrow. These had the exact same shape and size as the ornaments in her hair. She wore a long off-white dress with several white leather straps and sturdy leather boots underneath. The dress closed tight around her neck had very long sleeves. The sleeves buried her hands half in, not covering her extensive silver hand-armor, which would protect her feeding organ from getting injured. She stood firm in her boots, spreading a fearful glance with her yellow eyes and seeing this made her look quite intimidating.

The other Wraith female had long deep red colored hair. Her hair was straight and kept in place by a big silver ornament, placed like a bandeau in her hair. The ornament had several strange markings in it and Sheppard tried quickly to decipher them, but he could not recognize a language in it. Her dress was bright white and looked even more daring as the other. The soft fabric closed tightly around her body, not hiding any details about her slender and feminine figure. Her shoulders, neck and back were not covered. Just three thin leather straps kept the dress hanging on her shoulders and were twined across her back. Under her dress, she also wore white boots with leather straps and a medium-seize silver pendant hung around her neck.

Sheppard noticed the pendant had the same strange markings as the ornament in her hair. Her hand armor was at least as impressive as the other female’s hand armor. Sheppard kept watching her and did not see any markings on her body. He had no idea if there was a difference between both females in rank or function. Her eyes briefly focused on Sheppard and pronounced a sense of doom and foreboding.

Behind the females, there were two older Commanders. Sheppard recognized one of them as the Commander that had come down the path and ordered a soldier to shoot him. Both Commanders wore a black leather uniform, with a long black coat and solid bound leather boots. Behind the Commanders a small group with four soldiers stood, awaiting their orders. Each one of the soldiers carried a stun gun and Sheppard got a bad feeling about the current situation.

*** Chapter 13 ***

Sheppard was the first to stand up from the bench he sat on. The others followed and they were tense and unsure about what was going to happen. They all looked uncomfortable and knew that they were very likely not going to like the next few minutes.

The Wraith stopped walking when they were in front of the cells. The Female with the red hair looked at Sheppard again. She opened her eyes wide and clearly tried to sense him and he felt his mind being probed. Sheppard’s forehead turned into wrinkles, while he made every effort to resist. He thought about something stupid and the first thing that popped into his mind was a Turkey Sandwich. He felt a bit like McKay when he realized he was actually a bit hungry. He just hoped these Wraith were not.

Without saying a word, the Female suddenly changed her view towards McKay and stared at him. He was unable to resist her and shivers ran all over his body. His knees were feeling weak but before they gave in, she turned to Ronon and watched him with the same intense expression in her eyes as she had when she watched Sheppard. Her eyes showed a small glimmer of curiosity and wonder, but her superior presence faded away any doubt about her evilness.

Without moving her head, the Female searched eye contact with Teyla. Teyla tried to avoid it and bowed her head down. However, she too was unable to resist and the moment she felt the Female enter her mind, her eyes were drawn to the Wraith Female. Teyla looked straight at the Female and an uncontrolled spark of despise emerged from her yellow eyes. Teyla raised her head and was startled when the Female loosened her grip on Teyla’s mind.

The female turned around, aimed her devotion back at Sheppard and took a step closer to the cell doors. She observed him for a few seconds and Sheppard began to feel restless. “Are you their leader?” She asked with a penetrating voice. Sheppard was clearly impressed by her uttermost peculiar behavior but he knew he had to hide his feeling and stay strong. It was his task as team leader to keep his team in one piece, only then would they have a chance to survive.

Sheppard took a slow and calming breath and gazed surprised and questioning back at her. “What, is this the million dollar quiz,” Sheppard asked in return. Sheppard was able to see some slight surprise by his answer, when the Female’s pupils suddenly shrank before turning back to their normal size. She probably did not understand what the answer meant. Tension grew and the Female watched Sheppard in the expectation he would still answer her question.

A wave of fury fell down over her face when Sheppard did not answer the question. She swung around and pointed at Teyla while she commanded, “She!” Instantly the two Commanders walked to Teyla’s cell. Sheppard swallowed, this was not the result he had tried to reach. Meanwhile, the Wraith Female tilted her head a little, just enough to see Sheppard. Her intense gaze initiated a very unpleasant feeling of helplessness spreading inside his body.

Teyla panicked, her eyes grew large and her breathing became fast and shallow. One of the Commanders opened the cell doors using his psychic powers. When the doors were completely open both Commanders stepped inside. They each grabbed Teyla at an arm and lifted her up against the wall, leaving her feet dangle inches from the floor. While the Wraith Female with the black hair and the soldiers stayed outside, the Female with the red hair entered Teyla’s cell.

The moment she stepped inside, she again briefly moved her head to glance at Sheppard. She made him very clear that she was the one in control. Teyla had much fear in her eyes and her breathing was troubled from fright too. The Female calmly closed in on Teyla and raised her hand with an obscure sense pleasure. Teyla’s eyes watched the Female’s hand moving closer to her until she was no longer able to focus and the hand disappeared out of sight. The Female pressed her hand armor against Teyla’s temple and softly ran it down along her cheek to her neck. Teyla felt the cold metal and shivers ran through every part of her body.

Meanwhile the Female in the corridor turned her attention to McKay. She took a small step closer to his cell and stared at him. Her gaze and the close proximity to him made McKay feel weak and sick. He was unable to resist her and dropped down on his knees. A satisfied glimmer showed on her face when she used her mental powers, to force McKay to look at her. Without a change in expression, the Female kept staring at him and probing his mind.

The Female in Teyla’s cell did not seem to pay any attention to what was happening in the corridor. She was taken up with her own actions and ran her hand further down along Teyla’s neck, her shoulder, al the way down to her chest. The moment her hand had reached Teyla’s breast, she quickly turned her head towards Sheppard. “You will tell me what I want to know,” she stated in a loud and demanding tone while she grabbed Teyla’s chin. Less then a second after she had finished her sentence she turned her head back to Teyla.

Sheppard knew he had to take the Wraith Female serious and try to keep her from feeding upon Teyla. “Yes,” Sheppard called out to get her attention. “I am their leader. If you have questions you will address them to me.”

The Wraith Female now turned around completely. She had a satisfied glow in her eyes, but she still did not seem to be completely pleased by the answer Sheppard had given her. “I will address my question to whom I want,” the Female called out while she leaned her head a bit to the side. Without returning her look at Teyla, the Female released her and walked straight out of the cell. She now faced Sheppard who was actually relieved her attention was no longer aimed at Teyla. However, he started to feel uncertain about what this Wraith was going to do with him. The commanders released Teyla as well and she fell to the ground. They both left the cell, closing the doors behind them.

The Wraith Female stared at Sheppard with her glowing yellow eyes, when she unexpected turned her head towards the other Female. This Female had just released her intense focus on McKay and seemed to have called for attention. “He fired the gun,” she stated with a confident voice, showing disgust and hatred.

The Female with the red hair nodded to the Commanders. They followed the order they had just received and walked to McKay’s cell and opened the doors. Before McKay was able to realize what was happening, they picked him up and held him against the wall just as they did to Teyla. The Wraith Female with the red hair entered the cell, while the others kept standing on their places as before. The Female quickly closed in on McKay, leaving him not enough time too fully comprehend in which position he was placed. She put her hand around his throat and McKay felt it closing around his throat, making it very hard to breath.

McKay gasped for air, but the Female did not loosen her grip. “It is you who shot one of my Queens,” the Female expressed with pure hate and raging fury in her voice.

Sheppard could not see what was going on, but he heard everything she said. Her words surprised him, one of her Queens she said. Could it be that she was a Wraith Keeper. This would explain why the two Females behaved so differently. This Wraith Female had no markings, nor did The Wraith Keeper he killed years ago. She seemed to control this situation and the Female with the black hair followed her commands. She was probably one of her Queens too. A question popped into Sheppard’s mind: “Could it be that a Wraith Keeper handled internal affairs while the Wraith Queens controlled the battles and feeding grounds?”

Sheppard realized this was not a good situation to be in and he knew very well that McKay would be no match for this Wraith, especially if she was a Wraith Keeper. “Let him go!” Sheppard yelled in the hope she would turn her attention back to him. “It is me you’re after. I’m responsible for the actions of my team and he’s under my command, following my orders,” he added.

The Queen in the corridor turned her view to Sheppard, her eyes showing an eager for revenge. “Willing to sacrifice your life to save his,” the Queen expressed ending with a patronizing hiss. “How human.” Sheppard swallowed and was uncertain about how The Wraith Keeper would react.

The Wraith Keeper holding McKay expressed a small sign of satisfaction after Sheppard had spoken and she removed her hand from McKay’s throat. McKay was finally being able to breathe normal again and took a few deep breaths. The Wraith Keeper left McKay’s cell and held her position before Sheppard.

The Wraith Keeper calmly gazed at Sheppard trying to probe his mind again. She was partially able to control him and forced him to look her straight in her eyes. When his eyes strayed from hers, she opened her eyes a bit more and Sheppard eyes forcedly turned back to their previous position. Meanwhile Sheppard tried with all mind tricks he remembered to distract her and think about something different. In his mind, he kept repeating a perfect long distance golf swing with his driver. He had no idea if it helped but at least he tried to resist her.

In the other cell, the Commanders released McKay. He collapsed and was now lying on his knees, still catching his breath. His cell doors closed when the Commanders left and only a second later Sheppard’s doors opened.

Sheppard knew he had to stay strong and try to fight her as long as possible, buying as much time as he could. He could not give up and let her win without a fight. Maybe he was lucky and she would loose her appetite.

Sheppard kept standing in the middle of the cell and watched The Wraith Keeper while she turned her body inattentive towards the Queen. Sheppard could see that the Queen handed something to The Wraith Keeper, but her body stood in line of sight, concealing what the object was. Not long after, The Wraith Keeper turned back, holding a small metal object between her fingers. She entered Sheppard’s cell, followed by the two Commanders, who kept their distance.

The Wraith Keeper stopped close to Sheppard and he now was able to see that the metal object was a twisted bullet. Sheppard felt uncertain but tried to keep his emotions under control. He watched the bullet somewhat uncomfortable with his eyes as The Wraith Keeper held it in front of his face. She did not show any expression and seemed to be interested in Sheppard’s reaction to the bullet. She lowered her hand with the bullet, pressed it against Sheppard’s cheek and let it slide down to his chest. Sheppard felt the cold metal tip touch his skin, but kept his eyes aimed straight in hers.

Sheppard did not blink with his eyes and stared at The Wraith Keeper, he even noticed that there was a thin blue line in one of her otherwise perfectly yellow irises. She removed the bullet from his chest and showed it again. She glanced at the bullet, “Such small piece of metal, causing so much damage,” she stated with an intriguing voice.

“If you want to discuss how that is possible, you’d better go back to my neighbor,” Sheppard stated in response. He realized that it was not wise to speak before thinking and told himself not to do this again. The Wraith Keeper lifted her eyes and looked straight at Sheppard again, she had not suspected a response at all.

The eager to redeem vengeance for the shooting showed all over The Wraith Keeper’s face. Yet she stayed calm and in complete control. She closed her head to Sheppard’s ear. “You are a fighter,” she whispered, knowing she was right. “This fight you will not win. Kneel!” she added in a high, irresistible and demanding voice. Her face turned fiercely and the word “Kneel” echoed through Sheppard’s mind. With her mind, she attempted to make Sheppard kneel. Sheppard had been in this position to many times before and knew that in the end he would not be able to resist.

Sheppard had trouble focusing and felt the strength in his legs slip away. Before he knew, he had fallen down on his knees, imperative to look up to The Wraith Keeper. “You have been shot before,” she mentioned, sensing the experience from his mind. A very demanding voice continued when she asked penetrating, “How many times?”

Sheppard had trouble resisting and blocking her from his mind. Her voice in his head was very demanding. “Six,” he told her with a trembling voice, still fighting to resist her. The Wraith Keeper looked pleased by the fact that she had absolute control over Sheppard.

Calm had returned to The Wraith Keeper and she held the bullet up in front of Sheppard. “With this bullet, one of my Queens was shot through her chest … here,” The Wraith Keeper called out in fury while she pressed the bullet on Sheppard’s chest. Sheppard stopped breathing for a second. Her sudden change of emotion had startled him.

“Tell me, how much it hurt if I would shoot you here,” The Wraith Keeper demanded to know. Sheppard had trouble breathing and tried resisting the voice in his head. “Tell me,” The Wraith Keeper screamed out in uttermost frustration, poisoning the surrounding air with her demands. Sheppard began to get a headache, while The Wraith Keeper used her psychic powers to get the answer she demanded. “Tell me” kept echoing in Sheppard’s mind, when finally he was no longer able to resist.

“I don’t know,” Sheppard stuttered.

The Wraith Keeper looked very unpleased by this answer. Anger and vengeance raged through her body and she showed the bullet to Sheppard again, this time more insistent. With a loud voice she called out, “how much pain … would this bullet cause.”

For a moment, Sheppard was unable to control his emotions and yelled, “I don’t Know!” at her. The Wraith Keeper got even more agitated and displeased by the answer he gave her. She aimed her full fury towards Sheppard and pressed her hand with the bullet on his chest. The warm humid air in his cell turned into a thick pan of ice, only broken by The Wraith Keeper’s vicious look and pure hatred that erupted from her eyes. The Wraith Keeper focused her eyes on her hand and after a few seconds, they shot up to face Sheppard again.

A light clinking sound broke the silence when the bullet fell behind Sheppard on the ground. Instantly pain showed on Sheppard’s face, but he did no understand why yet. The Wraith Keeper had gained her calm self again and looked satisfied. She removed her hand, showing Sheppard the inside, covered with his blood. Sheppard crumbled down in pain, he grabbed his chest and experienced serious trouble breathing. When Sheppard removed his hand, blood dripped from his chest to the ground. Sheppard crumbled even further down in pain and believed she had used some kind of telekinetic or other mental power to thrust the bullet through his chest.

“Now you know!” The Wraith Keeper called out with an angrily sense of redemption. “Tell me … how much pain, you caused my Queen!” Sheppard lay down on the ground, still crumbled and gasping for air. He was experiencing very much pain.

Paralyzed from the pain Sheppard watched up to see The Wraith Keeper still staring at him, waiting for an answer that would please her. With the air left in his lungs, he called out, “A lot!” Sheppard opened his mouth again to let more air flow in his lungs.

Sheppard saw The Wraith Keeper leaning over him. She looked calm again and was able to control her fury. With a soft and almost comforting voice, she spoke to him, “such, a small piece of metal … causing so much pain, so much damage … so cruel.” She softly ran her fingers over his face, firmly grabbed his chin and made him look in her eyes. “Slowly you will loose blood… you will get more trouble breathing. It will take time before you pass out … before the suffering ends.” The Wraith Keeper raised her body again and hissed to the Commanders. They closed in on Sheppard and grabbed him by his arms. They lifted him from the ground. Sheppard could only undergo whatever they would do to him, he felt weak from the pain, there was no strength left in his body to fight.

Sheppard saw Teyla and Ronon standing in their cells across the corridor. Fear covered both their faces and eyes. They had not seen in detail what The Wraith Keeper did to Sheppard, but the blood pouring down his shirt made them realize he was in a bad shape. They felt helpless and restless because there was nothing they could do to help him from their cells. Seeing him in great pain also hurt the both of them.

The Commanders smashed Sheppard roughly against the wall when The Wraith Keeper approached again. Sheppard squeezed his eyes from pain and discomfort. The Wraith Keeper closed her face to Sheppard and looked him straight in his eyes. With a subtle voice of superiority she expressed, “We however, … unlike humans … are very capable of healing ourselves.”

The Wraith Keeper playful touched Sheppard’s face with her hand. The metal from her hand armor felt cold and sharp when it slid down to his neck. Sheppard lifted and stretched his neck, trying to twist away from the uncomfortable feeling of the metal on his skin. But the more he moved away, the more she pressed her hand armor against his neck. After she had reached the end of his neck, she slowly moved her hand towards his chest, leaving a scratch behind on his skin. With her hand armor, she slowly cut through the collar of Sheppard’s shirt. Sheppard was still gasping for air and blood kept pouring from the bullet wound. He felt tired and wished that she would finish it fast.

The Wraith Keeper cut through his shirt all the way until his pants. She slowly removed the shirt from Sheppard’s chest and watched him intensely. Sheppard’s hart rate increased, but there was not enough oxygen to transport. He franticly tried to suck more air in his lungs, but with every breath he took, he knew more air had left his lung then could come in the next breath. He was waiting for the moment when she would be smashing her hand on his chest and started feeding. Unfortunate it seemed that she was in no rush and continued the slow and revengeful game she played. Sheppard looked her in her eyes and tried to see what she is thinking or feeling, but he couldn’t read the emotions from her face.

The Wraith Keeper raised her hand imminent and Sheppard prepared himself for the worse. He closed his eyes and waited tensely for seconds. Instead of the expected pain, he felt the cold metal softly touch his chest. Sheppard’s hearth was beating rapidly and he opened his eyes with shock. The Wraith Keeper aimed a patronizing glance at Sheppard, spreading and filling the cell with her contempt when she removed her hand. From the corners of his eyes, Sheppard saw her slowly lower her hand. His eyes were drawn back to hers as he tried to read what it was she wanted from him. The Wraith Keeper’s eyes showed pure control and stayed calm when she smashed her hand back on his chest, covering the bullet wound. Her nails punctured his skin, causing even more pain.

Teyla turned her head away. She could not watch this Wraith feed upon one of her friends. The sight shocked even Ronon. The anger inside his grew and made his heart pound. He wished he could do more for Sheppard, but being stuck in his cell made it impossible. McKay could not see what transpired in the cell next to him, but he felt terrible when he saw Teyla and Ronon both frozen with fear. He knew Sheppard was in serious trouble, but he was just as confined to his cell as Teyla and Ronon were.

Sheppard accepted his faith and closed his eyes. He felt dazed, tranquilized and there was not pain from feeding. Instead, the pain quickly drained from his chest. He felt The Wraith Keeper remove her hand, gently lifting his chin. She turned his face towards her and forced him to look straight at her. “Better?” she asked him in a calm and sensitive voice. Sheppard was able to breathe normal again and used the opportunity to take a deep breath.

Sheppard was still numb but inside him, a very agitated surge emerged and spread through his body. He did not know why he felt this way, but he was extremely irritated with the game The Wraith Keeper had played with him. He raised his voice “I hope you are not expecting a ‘thank you note’.” Teyla heard Sheppard’s voice and turned around. She saw the injury on Sheppard’s chest had disappeared. Even Ronon looked relieved, but before they all had been able to recover from the past few seconds The Wraith Keeper smashed her hand with full force back on Sheppard’s chest.

“Of course you do deserve punishment,” The Wraith Keeper snarled with vengeance in her voice. Her yellow eyes almost exploded and fired a fiercely gaze at Sheppard. This time he did experience a tremendous pain, rapidly spreading from his chest through his whole body. Not long after, The Wraith Keeper removed her hand from his chest and after a brief nod the Commanders also released Sheppard. Sheppard crumbled down to the ground in pain and was unable to move.

The Wraith Keeper turned around and without looking down upon him, she took firm steps out of the cell. The two Commanders followed her, closing the doors behind them. The Wraith Keeper hissed and nodded to the Queen and soldiers and they all walked back the way they came.

Sheppard lay motionless on the floor. Teyla was shocked, “Colonel are you al right,” she fearfully asked. Sheppard was still lying in the same position on the floor, unable to speak or move.

McKay stepped to his cell door and tried to look into Sheppard’s cell, but he was unable too. “What happened?” he asked terrified.

Teyla felt helpless and knew she had to reach Sheppard and get him back on his feet. “Colonel!” Teyla called out. Sheppard used much of the strength left in his body to move his arm, letting Teyla know he was still alive. A relieved sign emerges on Teyla and Ronon’s face. McKay was still unaware of Sheppard’s condition, but the relieved look coming from across the corridor was also calming him down.

Sheppard slowly turned on his back and Teyla was able to see he was still in very much pain. However, she was surprised that there was no feeding wound on his chest, nor had he aged. Sheppard used all remaining strength to push himself up a bit and leaned against the bench. He looked down to his chest and saw an open wound. The skin on his chest was violent red and extremely painful. It looked like he had received a burn injury, but the wound itself was not bleeding or feel warm. Instead, the sharp stinging pain he felt spread out from his chest to the rest of his body. Sheppard looked at Teyla and Ronon. He forced a weak and uncomfortable smile on his face to let them know he was still alive, but not kicking for the moment.

“You have to fight it,” Ronon called out to Sheppard. “Part of the pain is in your mind. Fight it!” With these words, he hoped Sheppard was able to get his strength back. Sheppard looked hurt and beaten. His head spun from dizziness and he tried to built enough power in his muscles to crawl and pull himself up the bench. He lay down and hoped the pain would fade away, but this did not happen. After a short while, Sheppard was unable to stay awake and passed out.

*** Chapter 14 ***

The sound of the Stargate activating reached Doctor Weir’s ear and she quickly rose from her chair. With haste, she walked to the door of her office and opened it. Impatiently, tense and nervously she continued her journey and walked down the stairs. She needed some more steps to rearrange herself next to the Officer behind the dialing device. At that moment, the wormhole established itself and tension inside the Gate room increased dramatically.

Doctor Weir felt sick from the tension and waited for a message to clarify who dialed the gate. The muscles in her legs were weak from nerves, but luckily, her bones kept her standing straight. She hoped to hear from the security team she had sent a couple of hours ago to investigate why Sheppard’s team had not returned. Sheppard’s team should have been back over five hours ago and even the security team was supposed to report back half an hour ago.

Doctor Weir was very worried and regretted the fact that she had chosen this planet for the away mission. This was supposed to be an easy mission after the events from the past weeks. Now it seemed that Sheppard’s team was missing and if this was not the security team reporting back they too might be in trouble. It were these moments of extreme tension and long waiting that made being in command of Atlantis a burdened task. There were also many happy and even fun moments, but somehow the bad once kept popping in Doctor Weir’s mind. The many Atlantis teams had made many friends on different planets in the past few years, but they also crossed paths with a few formidable enemies. Doctor Weir took a breath to calm her nerves and imprinted in her mind that everything would turn out to be fine. She just had to believe in that.

After a few seconds, the voice from Major Gates sounded. He was the commanding officer of the security team that Doctor Weir had sent to search for Sheppard’s team. “This is Major Gates reporting. Sorry, for the delay, but the terrain here is quite rough and some paths are almost inaccessible. We have completed our two mile radius search around the Stargate, but we have not found any sign of Sheppard’s team,” Major Gates reported over the radio to Atlantis. “There were many footsteps, we followed them and found a path leading to a cave. We have searched it, but again found nothing. There were several paths leading away from this cave. Halfway the second path we found many bullet casings lying around. It is possible that Sheppard’s team got involved in some sort of fight. Because of the bloodstains, we found, we know that at least two persons were injured. I’m sorry, but we have not found the team yet.”

Doctor Weir had hoped for a more positive message. She had feared to listen to Major Gates, but the hope of some good news gave her the courage she needed. Unfortunate the Major now spoke dooming words. She realized that Sheppard’s team indeed was missing and possibly in serious trouble.

Doctor Weir tried hiding her emotions from her face, but inside a nervous sensation rushed through her body. This feeling made her feel sicker then she already was. However, she had to stay strong in these situations. She was in command not only over Sheppard’s team, but also over all other personnel on Atlantis. She reminded herself not to forget that. Staying strong outside while inside she felt like crying was the hardest parts of her job. No matter how worried or sad she felt, she could not let her emotions guide her. She had to focus and keep a clear mind.

Doctor Weir took a deep breath and look at the Officer sitting next to her. She raised her hand and activated her radio, “do we have any idea with whom the team got into this shooting?” Doctor Weir asked, starting with a minor tremble, but ending in clear and strong voice.

For a few seconds there was no answer and the silence seemed to last for ages. Even in the Gate room, nobody made a sound. Everyone was anxiously waiting for the response the Major would give. “We are not sure,” sounded over the radio when the Major answered. “We have not found anything that could point out who is responsible yet. I’m sorry,” he spoke with sincere concerns in his voice.

Doctor Weir was also concerned and even while she kept trying hard not to show it, the Officer next to her was able to see it on her face. He gave her an understanding glance back and Doctor Weir lowered her head a little. She activated her radio again, “be careful out there and keep me posted if you find anything,” she stated to Major Gates while raising her head again.

“We will,” Major Gates responded almost directly and not long after the Wormhole disengaged, leaving the people in the Gate room behind in great uncertainty.

Doctor Weir briefly stared at the ground while she took a deep breathe. She had to try to control her emotions. There were more issues that needed her attention on Atlantis. She needed to focus on those. After all, the search for Sheppard’s team was in good hands, Major Gates’ team was the best team available.

Doctor Weir looked up again and aimed her focus to the Officer behind the dialing device. “I will be in my office,” she told him. He briefly nodded to confirm he understood the message. She then turned around and walked back up the stairs to her office. With shaking hands, Doctor Weir opened the door and stepped inside. She should try to focus on other matters, but she could not.

Before closing the door, Doctor Weir hesitated for a moment and took a brief look at the Stargate. The empty circle stood alone in the big Gate room, just as she felt inside, empty and alone in a big a harsh world. She closed the door slowly and took a seat behind her desk. This feeling of uncertainty was hurting her. She had this feeling to often lately and it had drained much of her energy.

In situations like these, Doctor Weir wished there was someone to talk with and share her experience. Someone that would understand what kind of pressure was loaded onto her mind, stacked and pilled up. Some issues of great importance and some lesser, but they all needed her attention. Not only did she experience pressure for being in command of Atlantis, but the pressure from caring for her friends’ safety also weighed heavy. Colonel Sheppard was always willing to help her carry the load and ease her tension. Unfortunately, he was the one missing this time.

Doctor Weir opened a file on her laptop but her eyes just gazed at the screen, not seeing or reading the contents of it. After a few minutes just sitting there, she took a very deep breathe and gained strength from the fact that Sheppard and his team were very resourceful. They had been in bad situations more then once before and they had always been able to get out of them. She should no longer sit here and feel pity for herself, but she should try to find some way to help them. They needed her help. Her personal feelings should wait until the team was back in safety.

Doctor Weir looked up at the screen and pressed some buttons to open a new file. The report from the previous mission to the planet appeared on the screen. Maybe there were some clues that she would find and use, to try to determine what happened to the Sheppard’s team. She was determined not to let them down. She would do everything possible to find them.

*** Chapter 15 ***

In the hive ship Ronon, Teyla and McKay were sitting on the metal benches in their holding cells while Sheppard was slowly waking up in his cell. A groan left his throat and he calmly turned his head. After opening his eyes, he saw Teyla sitting and looking kindly at him. Sheppard showed her a small but painful smile and received a gracious smile back from her. Teyla was relieved to see that Sheppard was waking up and added a small nod to her smile, letting him know they were all fine.

Sheppard moaned while he used his strength to pull himself up, until he was sitting up straight. His face told Teyla that he was still experiencing a great deal of pain. Sheppard took some time too slowly catch his breath and looked down at his chest. Unfortunate the wound was still there and this was not just a terrible nightmare. Slowly he pulled one of his arms out of his torn shirt and Teyla could read the high level of pain on his face. Sheppard silently moaned while he pulled his other arm out and needed a few moments to regain control of his breathing. He pressed his back against the metal wall in his cell and noticed that is was just as warm as the surrounding air.

“How are you holding up?” Ronon asked when he saw Sheppard sitting and turning his head to him.

Sheppard sighed uncomfortable, “It gets easier to fight the pain.” He was indeed experiencing less pain then before, as long as he did not move too much. Moving and even breathing still hurt a lot. With every breath, an enduring and stinging pain spread from his chest outwards to stop when it reached the ends of his limbs. Sheppard still felt a bit drowsy and turned his head to look at Teyla again. “How long have I been out,” he asked.

Teyla stood up from her bench and walked to the cell door to be closer to Sheppard. “I do not know exactly, but at least a few hours I guess,” Teyla answered him, still keeping her kind smile on her face. The dimmed illumination, no windows, clocks or watches made keeping track of time rather difficult. They had only counted the number of time they saw the patrols walk by their cells and assumed there were fifteen minutes in between.

Sheppard nodded and concentrated on pushing the pain from his mind. “Any escape plans?” he asked, hoping the team had not waited for him to wake up first. He was actually expecting some good news. After all, they had a few hours to think of something.

“Without tools no escaping from here,” McKay stated aggravated.

Ronon joined the conversation and explained in a low volume, “While you were unconscious we tried accessing the panel next to my cell. I can reach it, but can’t open it.” Ronon felt frustrated that he had been unsuccessful. Sheppard saw the expression on his face change and looked supporting back, adding a nod to ease the rising stress level. Ronon’s heart rate slowed down after the immense increase a couple of seconds before.

“It took a while before I knew how to access the control panel and where the cover can be opened,” Ronon continued, still speaking muffled. “I tried several time to open it, but because of the patrols walking by it is not easy. Luckily, Teyla kept track of time. The cover on the control panel feels organic, but poking my fingers in has had no result. Unless we can get hold on something to lift the cover off, I don’t see any chance this is going to work.”

Sheppard sighed and moved his body to get in a more comfortable position on the bench. His face was covered in grave pain and he moaned silently. Teyla had returned to the bench and looked comforting at Sheppard, still smiling. This sight gave him indeed comfort and strength to fight the pain. He was almost able to put a smile on his face, but he got distracted when Wraith footsteps sounded in the corridor again.

Teyla immediately got up from her bench again, walked to the doors and tried to see who were approaching. Ronon also got up and he too looked through the bars in the doors into the corridor. Meanwhile McKay and Sheppard stayed sitting on their benches. Sheppard raised his head questioning. Teyla briefly glanced at him with uncertainty written all over her face. Sheppard concluded that the footsteps were not from the patrols that walked by regularly.

Teyla was the first to see the group coming closer, it were the Wraith Keeper, the Queen, the two Commanders and the soldiers again. The moment she saw them she looked with fear in her eyes towards Sheppard and took a step back. At that moment, a dark cloud of terror waved through the corridor. Many Wraith shadows floated around, dimming the lights even further.

The dark and ghostly shadows disappeared just as quickly as they had emerged and Ronon too saw the Wraith group coming towards them. He took a step away from the cell doors as well, but instead of fearing them, his body got loaded with energy, feeding on the immense hatred for the Wraith. In a split second, he decided that if he would get the chance he would try to fight his way out this time. Ronon nodded at Sheppard letting him know he was ready for them this time.

Sheppard returned Ronon’s nod with a very uncomfortable expression on his face. He was in no shape to get involved in a physical fight, yet he knew they had to try to escape if possible. Even he should prepare his body for the following minutes. Sheppard straightened himself and added a confirming nod to Ronon. He removed the painful look from his face. He could not show the Wraith the pain was troubling him or that he had no strength left.

Teyla understood that this could turn out to be a crucial moment and confirmed the nod. Ronon looked at McKay and even he realized that this was the moment, when they would try to escape. Sheppard still had some trouble keeping his face tight and knew very well that fighting separately against this large group of Wraith would be a huge challenge, but they at least had to try. He used every second to think of a way to use the situation in their advantage. Teyla saw the frown on his head and was relieved to see it. She knew for sure Sheppard was fully awake and alert.

The Wraith group stopped in front of the cells. The Wraith Keeper and Queen both carried two cylindrical phials. The phials were transparent and the team could see a think transparent liquid inside. The Wraith Keeper glanced briefly at each team member. She did not show any emotion on her face, which caused tension to spread among the team members. The Wraith Keeper held her eyes upon McKay and saw a nervous expression on his face. “Nourishment,” she stated in answer to the question she had read from his mind. McKay was surprised, but also relieved, yet he tried not to change the expression on his face.

The Wraith Keeper widened her eyes a bit more and changed her focus to the Queen. She nodded to her. The Queen walked to Teyla’s cell and offered the phial. Teyla looked uncomfortable and leaned her head to look around the Queen in Sheppard’s direction. She wanted to check with him to see what he thinks she should do. However, The Wraith Keeper was deliberately blocking her sight. She observed Teyla’s behavior and her eyes seemed to penetrate her mind. Teyla leaned her head back and looked at the Queen, who still held the phial patiently in front of her. She decided to cooperate, took a step forward and accepted the phial questioning. Both the Queen nor The Wraith Keeper did answer the question in her eyes and they aimed their attention on the cell next to her.

The Queen walked to Ronon’s cell, reached her arm and offered him the second phial. The Wraith Keeper observed the situation briefly and moved to McKay’s cell. She inspected him from his feet to his head and made eye contact. A raging blast of terror emerged from her eyes while she handed the phial to McKay. He felt small and frightened. Very uncomfortable he took a step forward and accepted the phial with shaking hands. The Wraith Keeper released the phial and released a furious hiss while she raised her head far above his. McKay flinched and felt his hart stop beating for a few seconds. The Wraith Keeper kept her penetrating gaze aimed to him until he was sitting on his bench. She then calmly turned around, spreading a degrading swirl around her and aimed her full attention back towards Ronon again.

The Queen still held the phial out and waited. Ronon took a step back towards the bench, protesting against the Wraith actions. “Even you need nourishment,” she stated with a calm but convincing voice. “Take it,” she added coercively. Ronon stared her straight in her face and made clear he was no going to cooperate with her. The Queen lost her patience and started using her psychic powers. Ronon heard the words “take it” echo in his mind repeatedly until he could not resist her anymore. Her strong mental power was too great and she had full control over his mind. Ronon felt his legs being forced to step to the cell door, where he fell on his knees. The Queen released her mind control and offered the phial again. Ronon looked up at her with a hateful and uncontrolled look. Under silent protest, he accepted the phial and climbed back on his feet.

The Wraith Keeper looked pleased and turned towards Sheppard. He was the last one who had not received the phial yet. Sheppard felt a strange surge of agitation enter his body. It made him feel self-assured and he had to decide in the next seconds, if he was going to fight her or accept the phial. He was indecisive about what would be the best way to keep the team safe and create an opening for them to escape.

The Wraith Keeper came closer to the cell doors and watched Sheppard sitting on his bench. Without warning, she released a large dark Wraith shadow in his cell. The shadow closed rapidly in on Sheppard, passing trough his body and leaving his cell again. The shadow had no effect on Sheppard and he even had not blinked with his eyes. Instead, he put a faint smile on his face and felt more strengthened by her fruitless action. The Wraith Keeper seemed not impressed by his stubborn behavior and sensed his thoughts. “You will try to fight me … However, your defeat is inevitable,” she spoke with a strong and persuasive voice. The Wraith Keeper held out the phial, trying to provoke Sheppard. However, Sheppard decided he was not going to let her use him as her personal puppet and stayed sitting on the bench. He pushed the pain from his mind, kept the faint smile on his face and looked The Wraith Keeper straight in her eyes.

They both had achieved a highly state of agitation inside their bodies. In addition, they both were also capable of hiding their true emotions from their faces. For seconds they just stared at each other and waited for the other to take the first move. Sheppard knew he couldn’t win a physical battle, but he had decided he was surely in the race for a battle of will power.

The Wraith Keeper was able to delude Sheppard for a moment, when The Wraith Queen nodded and hissed at the Commanders. The Commanders followed her orders, took their places near the cell doors and opened them. Sheppard looked straight at The Wraith Keeper with somewhat satisfaction. He knew the order came from her, even while he had not seen her communicate to the Queen. The Wraith Keeper surely did not want to make the first move and order the Commanders herself. Sheppard put a pleasing smile on his face, knowing this would lead to some reaction.

The Wraith Keeper opened her eyes wider. They were bright and gloating presumptuous as she stared at Sheppard. She gracefully entered the cell and stood before him. Sheppard looked up while The Wraith Keeper looked down on him. Resolutely, she placed the phial on the bench, while she kept her eyes aimed at Sheppard, sensing his thoughts. “You are weakening. I can sense it,” she calmly spoke and turned her eyes to the phial. “You will need nourishment to keep your strength.”

Sheppard followed her eye movement and lifted the phial teasingly from the bench. He inspected the think clear liquid, slowly moving inside as he tilted the phial. The liquid looked like a gelatin mixture and did not look tasteful at all. “You do know that glass is dangerous don’t you,” Sheppard expressed aggravating when he noticed the phial was made out of glass.

The Wraith Keeper widened her eyes again. She kept her upper body straight while she leaned down and watched Sheppard straight in his eyes. “You will not be able to kill me with merely glass,” she softly mentioned. “And since your will to life is greater then your courage to die … I do not think glass is dangerous, do you?” she added calmly to her response.

Sheppard had not expected an answer and was even less pleased by the short time in which she had formed it. In addition, Sheppard felt slightly intimidated by the close proximity and the arrogant posture of her body. This drove his mind even further into an annoyed state. In the back of his mind, Sheppard knew he had to do something soon to create a diversion. “Well you never know what will happen,” he stated, trying to provoke her for an opportunity he could use in his advantage. The Wraith Keeper raised her body proudly, keeping her eyes at him and did not respond to his remark. Sheppard knew for sure she was agitated, even while she did not show it.

Sheppard calmly put the phial down on the bench and watched The Wraith Keeper. The adrenaline level in his body was rising and this made it easier to get up from the bench. He ignored the pain he was experiencing and was now again face-to-face with The Wraith Keeper.

Sheppard was standing up straight for less then a second when The Wraith Keeper grabbed him around his throat with one hand and pushed him violently against the wall on the side of the cell. The Wraith Commanders were still standing outside the cell and Sheppard had not expected this to happen. The Wraith Keeper stretched her arm, lifting Sheppard up until his feet no longer touched the ground. He looked anxious and the lack of oxygen was not helping him either.

The Wraith Keeper held Sheppard very tight and he had serious trouble breathing. He tried to free himself, grabbed her hand, but he failed in removing it from his throat. The pain returned to Sheppard’s face, while she expressed her superiority over him. “You will eat!” She stared insistent in his eyes, enforcing her commanding presence. “Or I will force you,” she added with a sense of serenity. Sheppard had no way to defend himself. He was pinned to the wall and knew he was turned over to her mercy.

The Wraith Keeper moved her free hand to Sheppard’s face. He felt the sharp metal touching the temple of his face and slowly moving down to his chin. The Wraith Keeper closed her face to his and turned his head a little. “And that would be my pleasure,” she seductively whispered in his ear.

Sheppard felt sick and struggled to loosen the grip she had on him. “We will see about that,” Sheppard gasped.

The Wraith Keeper immediately tightened her hand around his throat. “So foolish to think you can still fight me,” she powerful called out. Her eyes had filled with fury and Sheppard knew she would take it out on him. His hart rate increased while The Wraith Keeper slowly ran her fingers further down along his neck, shoulder and onto his chest. The moment her fingers touched the wound, Sheppard felt the pain increase. He crumbled from pain again, but could not find a way to relief the stinging sensation inside his wound.

Sheppard had been waiting for a moment when The Wraith Keeper was distracted and this was it. With all strength left, he struggled again to free himself. He tried kicking her in her abdominal area and grabbed her hand that was tightened around his throat. While she closed in on him to restrain his legs, Sheppard tightened his hands and was able to gain some space between her hand and his throat. But before Sheppard knew it, The Wraith Keeper’s free hand removed one of his hands and smashed it with a powerful blow against the wall. Sheppard’s hand felt numb, but he ignored the pain.

The Wraith Keeper fiercely gazed at Sheppard and crushed his throat until he had to releases her hand. With the diversionary moves, Sheppard was able to unnoticeable move his other hand and get access to one of her hairpins. He pulled it out of her hair and hoped she was too focused on him to notice it. The Wraith Keeper looked very agitated and released Sheppard’s hand, which slid down along the wall. Without hesitating, she continued her defensive moves and smashed her hand onto his chest. Sheppard immediately felt a surge of intense pain emerging in his chest and rapidly spreading through his body. After applying pressure for a few seconds, The Wraith Keeper released him and he immediately collapsed on the floor.

The Wraith Keeper looked down at him and turned around. She left the cell, followed by several Wraith shadows, spreading throughout the corridor and slowly fading away. The doors closed and The Wraith Keeper and the Commanders took back their place in the Wraith group. The Wraith Keeper briefly glanced at the team members, who all were shocked about what happened. She then aimed her attention back to Sheppard. “It would be wise for you to cooperate,” she commanded him. The Wraith Keeper hissed, followed by a firm nod and the Wraith group walked back the way they came.

Sheppard lay on the ground. The pain he was experiencing was far worse then the first time. Adding to this he still had trouble breathing. His throat felt bruised, making every breathe he took cause pain spreading outwards from his chest. Sheppard saw both Teyla and Ronon stand in their cell and watch him. The Wraith had been blocking their view and they were unable to see what had happened to him. They seemed relieved to see he was still alive but also very concerned about his condition.

Sheppard grabbed his throat. He moaned softly and opened his mouth a couple of times. A gargling sound came from his mouth, followed by a few small coughs and another moan from pain. Still numb from the pain he pulled himself back on the bench and checked his chest. The wound on his chest had not changes size, but the skin around his looked more irritated as before.

McKay had risen from his bench too and stood nervous in his cell. He could only see Ronon and Teyla and their faces did no make him feel at ease. “What happened?” he asked panicked.

Sheppard was clearly annoyed and squeakily snarled, “Not that question again.”

McKay ignored the words Sheppard just said and was merely relieved to hear his voice. “Good, you’re still alive,” McKay excitingly called out. Teyla put a smile on her face while Ronon looked very relieved as well. They were both very glad to hear his voice too. For a moment, Teyla thought The Wraith Keeper had caused permanent damage to his vocal cords.

“Please remind me that if I get out, I’m going to kill you,” Sheppard warned McKay gasping with some added agitation. Sheppard was clearly not feeling to well and could not help it to snap at McKay. He rolled his head and started to doze off by the pain.

Ronon saw what was happening to Sheppard and called out, “try to concentrate again, it helped before.”

Sheppard coughed and nodded. He knew he had to try, even when it was hard to ignore. “Somehow the pain is far worse then before,” he explained while his voice crackled. Sheppard gave a commanding nod to both Teyla and Ronon, with the intention to make them relax and sit down. They followed his order and both sat down, but were unable to relax.

McKay followed Teyla and Ronon and took his seat on the bench too. The team had not eaten in hours and McKay actually felt hungry. He opened his phial with the thick liquid inside it and carefully took a little sip. The immediate expression on his face told Ronon and Teyla the liquid was very disgusting. “This stuff is real bad,” McKay let them know. Teyla did not look surprised at him. She had serious doubts about the contents of the phial.

Sheppard also picked up the phial and opened it. He smelled the liquid and closed the phial again. “Doesn’t smell like burger and fries,” Sheppard sarcastically stated.

Ronon got frenzied and looked at Sheppard. “I will not let them force me to drink this,” he convincingly told Sheppard. Sheppard closed his eyes for a moment trying to push away the pain. Meanwhile Teyla stood up from her bench and when Sheppard heard her, he opened his eyes again. He stared at Ronon and knew there was nothing he could do for him.

Teyla stood near the door and tried to look inside Ronon’s cell. “You have had it before,” she asked.

Ronon also stood up again and Sheppard looked annoyed. He ordered them to sit and calm down and most of all stay sitting on their benches. He looked commanding towards Ronon, but he stayed near the door. “No, I have never heard of Wraith providing this kind of food to prisoners,” Ronon explained to Teyla. “They place you in a cocoon or feed upon those who are captured. But I have no experience with Wraith worshippers, but I’m certainly not one of them.” Ronon added a violent kick against the door to relief his anger after finishing his sentence.

Teyla nodded however, she knew Ronon would not be able to see it. She then turned to look at Sheppard. “Ronon’s right. There is something different with these Wraith,” Teyla tried to explain to him. Sheppard smiled faintly and knew he had to calm them down. They should try to focus on escaping and he would not be able to help them much in his current condition.

“It surely doesn’t make them nicer or smarter,” Sheppard mentioned with a soft and squeaking voice. Sheppard satisfied showed the hairpin and instantly Ronon put smile on his face. He was glad to find out that Sheppard had made this small, but worthwhile victory.

Sheppard slowly stood up from his bench and limped along the wall to the cell doors. While closing in he nodded to Ronon and Ronon gestured McKay to get to the cell doors. Sheppard put his arm through the door and until he reached McKay’s hand. McKay shock when he felt the clam, cold and trembling hand give him the hairpin. His face turned pale while he realized Sheppard was in an extremely bad condition.

“Thank you,” McKay stated with a quiver.

“Your welcome,” was the response Sheppard gave him, after which he dragged himself toilsome back to the bench. He lay down on it and closed his eyes again, he needed to rest and regain his strength.

*** Chapter 16 ***

Sheppard was lying with closed eyes on his bench when Wraith footsteps sounded in the corridor. “Colonel, I believe they come again,” Teyla warned him. Sheppard opened his eyes and looked exhausted. He pulled himself up and tried to find a comfortable position to lean against the wall. Ronon, Teyla and McKay were sitting tensely on the benches in their cells. Sheppard nodded, ordering them to stay put. Ronon nodded back to confirm and checked McKay to verify if he understood the order too.

The Wraith group was smaller this time, only The Wraith Keeper and three Commanders. The team had not seen one of the Commanders before. This Commander however was dressed in the same uniform and carried a small black box in his hands. He stopped and held his position a short distance from the cells, while The Wraith Keeper and the two other Commanders walked further. The Wraith Keeper swiftly inspected the cells and noticed that all the phials were still filled. None of the team members had taken the liquid.

Sheppard glanced up to her and knew she would certainly focus her attention to him again. “You’re not surprised are you?” he expressed, very well knowing this might provoke her. The Wraith Keeper looked contented at Sheppard, patiently waiting for his next move. She was not going to let him provoke her unless she wanted it. She was clearly in full control and calm. “We would like to order some burgers and fries. Oh, and a milkshake would be nice too,” Sheppard told her. The Wraith Keeper watched Sheppard and hissed with an almost satisfied undertone.

Sheppard was taken by surprise when the attention fell away from him. The two Commanders turned around and opened Ronon’s cell. They stepped inside and grabbed him. Ronon tried fighting his way out, but he lost within seconds and he was put against the wall in the same way they had done to the other team members before.

The Wraith Keeper looked satisfied at Sheppard and seemed pleased about his surprised response. She turned around whit her eyes focused on Sheppard as long as possible and Sheppard could only look powerless at Ronon. The Wraith Keeper walked resolute to Ronon’s cell and entered it.

Sheppard made an attempt to draw the attention back to him. “Come back here, leave him out of it,” he called out.

Sheppard was completely being ignored and The Wraith Keeper picked up the phial. She slowly opened it and aimed her penetrating gaze towards Ronon. Ronon kept trying to fight himself free but the two Commanders had a firm grip on him. He was unable to move more then his head. He wildly kept shaking his head to try to get free. In response to this action, one of the Commanders put his hand around Ronon’s throat and chin. He kept Ronon’s head from moving too and Ronon was pinned to the wall, unable to move any of his limbs.

“Let him go!” Sheppard yelled to The Wraith Keeper.

Sheppard did not get any response from The Wraith Keeper or the Commanders and was still being ignored. The Wraith Keeper poured the liquid in Ronon’s mouth. He tried to fight it but she used her mental powers to force him in drinking it. Meanwhile Ronon did not give up fighting. He tried breaking free from the Commanders grasp but he was as unsuccessful as during the first attempt.

After the phial was empty, The Wraith Keeper took it back out into the corridor. She handed the phial to the Commander with the box and he placed it on the ground. While raising his body he opened the box after which The Wraith Keeper took one of the four medical instruments from it. The instrument had a transparent empty tube and a long thick needle. She held the instrument steady in her hand and walked back to Ronon’s cell.

Ronon saw her coming and when the Commanders turned him around, he struggled against it. Ronon lost again and his face and shoulders were tightly squashed against the wall, along with his arms. Motionless he underwent the procedure, where she lowered his pants over the swell of his hips. With a precise stab, she pierced the needle deep in Ronon’s body. A scream from pain echoed through the corridor and the empty tube quickly filled itself with a red, blood-like substance. Once the tube was filled she removed the needle and brought the instrument back to the Commander waiting in the hallway. She placed it back in the box, turned around and gave the order to the Commanders to release Ronon.

After the Commanders had released Ronon, he immediately tried to attack them. However, just before he was able to hit one of them he dropped to the ground and grabbed his head. He felt a huge surge of pain bursting inside his head. The Wraith Keeper watched him viciously and used her psychic power to control and stop him. The moment the Commanders were outside and the doors were closed she released her control over Ronon. He quickly got up and grabbed the bars of the cell, showing his frustration.

Sheppard looked at him and let him know he understood his behavior. He knew how much hatred Ronon kept locked deep inside him for the Wraith. Sheppard was also frustrated. He was unable to prevent anything happening to Ronon and feared for what The Wraith Keeper would do to Teyla and McKay. For now, he needed Ronon to calm down and gestured at him to let it rest for now. Ronon saw the command and even understood it, but the anger inside him made it hard to resist the urge to fight. He kicked against the cell doors one last time and then released them and stepped back. Sheppard was relieved. He hoped Ronon had not provoked The Wraith Keeper to much and if he had, that she would take it out on him and not on Ronon, Teyla or McKay.

Without showing any frustration or emotion on her face, The Wraith Keeper calmly turned to Teyla’s cell and opened it. Teyla had not seen what happened to Ronon, but Sheppard’s expression made it clear it was not friendly. Fear ran through her body when The Wraith Keeper entered her cell and the two Commanders took their position near the entrance. The Wraith Keeper forcefully nodded at the phial and waited for a response. Teyla tried to look at Sheppard, but this time one of the two Commanders blocked her sight. Teyla could really use some morale support from Sheppard. She knew she was strong enough to make her own decisions but the team had never before encountered a Wraith this evil and furious.

“Stand!” The Wraith Keeper called out, while using her psychic powers to force Teyla to stand up. Teyla obeyed and stood up. Her legs were heavy and she felt nailed to the ground. She was unable to move, not because of The Wraith Keepers mental powers, but because of uncertainty and fear. Teyla now was able to see Sheppard and he looked unsettled at her. Without The Wraith Keeper or Commanders noticing, he gave her a small and comforting nod.

The Wraith Keeper took the phial from the ground and opened it. She handed it to Teyla who accepted the phial with trembling hands. The Wraith Keeper gently placed her hand on Teyla’s hand and brought the phial to Teyla’s lips. Teyla drank the liquid, but almost had to throw up because of the bad taste. The Wraith Keeper placed her other hand on the side of Teyla’s neck. She watched Teyla calmly, while she drank the liquid. The taste was still very bad, but Teyla no longer had the feeling she had to throw up. When Teyla had finished drinking the liquid The Wraith Keeper took the phial from her, turned around and left the cell.

Outside The Wraith Keeper repeated the same steps as before. She gave the phial to the third Commander and picked one of the unused instruments from box. She ordered the Commanders with her eyes and they entered Teyla’s cell. Teyla was still somewhat confused about what had happened to her and did not struggle or fight the Commanders when they placed her on the bench, facing the wall.

Teyla did not see The Wraith Keeper enter her cell again, but she felt The Wraith Keepers hand lowering her pants a bit to clear some skin on her hip. Teyla felt terrified and her breathing was fast and shallow. The Wraith Keeper pressed one of her fingers effectively on Teyla’s hip. After she removed it, she quickly stung the needle in the skin, puncturing her hip at the exact same spot where her finger was a second before. Teyla’s legs twitched for a second, but she did not feel pain. The tube from the instrument filled itself with Teyla’s blood, after which The Wraith Keeper removed the needle from her hip. She moved the pants back up and ordered the Commanders to place Teyla on her back.

While The Wraith Keeper walked out of the cell, she stared at McKay. “I get it,” he grumbled.

As soon as The Wraith Keeper was out in the corridor, the Commanders followed her, the doors closing behind them. She placed the medical instrument back in the box and laid her eyes upon McKay.

Teyla came a bit to her senses again, turned her head towards Sheppard but still stared dazed towards him. She had no idea what just happened and needed some form of confirmation. Sheppard eyes looked supporting at back her and Teyla took a deep breathe. She stayed confused, she felt calm while instead she should feel fear, anger or hatred. She took another deep breathe and Sheppard moved his mouth a little to let her know she did well. Teyla was able to move again. She sat up on the bench and tried to understand what The Wraith Keeper had done to her.

The Wraith Keeper watched McKay who picked up his phial with shaking hands and opened it. He started taking little sips from the liquid, looking at The Wraith Keeper with every sip he took. He hoped she was either patient enough for him to finish drinking the liquid in this pace, or to tell him he had drunken enough of it. But most of all he hoped she would not pick up the medical instrument and turn to him. McKay did not feel like a big hero today. The size of the needle scared him.

After the last sip of the liquid The Wraith Keeper nodded and the Commanders took their position near the cell doors. She closed in, the cell doors opened and she accepted the phial from McKay. Her hand touched McKay’s skin after which he instantly collapsed to the ground. McKay’s eyes were wide open, but he did not seem responsive. While she took the phial outside the two Commanders placed McKay on the bench.

Outside, The Wraith Keeper exchanged the phial for yet another medical instrument and returned to the cell. She quickly cleared McKay’s hip and used the instrument to retrieve a blood sample from his hip. One of the Commanders received the instrument from her and returned it to the box. Meanwhile the other had taken his position outside the cell again and The Wraith Keeper turned McKay on his back. She cut the board of his shirt open with her hand armor and strategically placed her hand on his chest. She released some enzymes into McKay’s body, causing him to jump up. He crawled back against the wall when he saw The Wraith Keeper standing close in front of him.

The Wraith Keeper looked pleased and walked backwards out of the cell. With satisfaction written all over her face, she turned her attention to Sheppard. His eyes darkened and he put a sarcastic smile on his face. “So no burger and fries…,” he mentioned while he lifted the phial from the floor. The Wraith Keeper stared at him and showed an exalted glimmer in her eyes. Sheppard felt the agitation levels in his body rise the longer he looked into her eyes. His pupils got larger and darker and he stared provoking back at her.

After Sheppard moved the phial between their line of sight, he opened it. He slightly tilted his head and moved the phial along in the same angle, causing the liquid to pour on the ground. “You did not really think it was going to be this easy, hmm,” Sheppard let her know.

The Wraith Keeper was not surprised indeed, nodded and hissed to one of her Commanders. He walked away, only to return a few seconds later with a new phial. He handed it to The Wraith Keeper. She remained calm while she her eyes kept staring at Sheppard.

After a firm nod, the two Commanders took their positions next to the cell doors. The Wraith Keeper looked up, opened the doors and stepped inside. Without saying a word, she calmly placed the phial next to Sheppard on the bench. “You are really joking,” Sheppard called out. “Have you smelled the stuff, it’s grouse.” He struggled not to loose control over his emotions and felt her probe his mind.

The Wraith Keeper leaned forward and looked Sheppard straight in his eyes. Her eyes were wide open and Sheppard knew he would keep fighting and not let her intimidate him by her vicious presence. “Last chance,” The Wraith Keeper warned him in a strong and commanding tone.

Sheppard closed his head to The Wraith Keeper. Jolts of uncontrolled emotions leaped between them, heating their senses and causing the air to fill itself with a volatile gas bubble, waiting for the explosion. The release came when the words, “Eat me!” came out of Sheppard’s mouth. For a brief second, he saw an unexpected surprise emerge on her face, changing into a gaze of damnation in her enlarged pupils.

In response, The Wraith Keeper leaned even closer to Sheppard and whispered in a soft and desirable voice, “It will be all … my pleasure.”

Sheppard felt cold shivers throughout his body. This was not the effect he had hoped to reach. He briefly remembered that he promised himself not to speak before thinking and felt stupid for not keeping his own promise. Sheppard turned his head and saw sparkles of pleasure in her eyes as she proudly straightened herself. He knew she could see and sense him feeling very uncomfortable. But the most important thing he remembered himself was that he couldn’t give up now. He had to finish what he had started, at all costs.

The Wraith Keeper took the phial from the bench and opened it. Sheppard prepared himself and waited for the moment when she would use either her mind control, or just brute force to make him drink the liquid. Sheppard’s eyes kept track of the Commanders, but they held their position outside the cell. Sheppard looked back up at The Wraith Keeper. She had been waiting for him to look at her before bringing the phial to her lips. Without hesitating, she drank the liquid.

Sheppard’s eyes grew large and a thoughtful frown appeared on his face. Not only was he surprised that he was not the one drinking the liquid, but The Wraith Keeper even seemed to like the taste of it. Sheppard felt awkward by the scenario evolving in front of him and he could no longer predict what would happen next. The pressure, agitation and pain in his body had taken its toll. Sheppard was roughly torn away from his offensive behavior to fall over the edge into a deep dark pit of uncertainty.

The Wraith Keeper placed the empty phial back on the bench and looked satisfied at Sheppard. He in return swallowed and started to look pale. The two Commanders entered the cell and lifted Sheppard against the wall. Sheppard was taken by surprise. He had only taken his eyes of them for a few seconds and he did not see her command them to come in. The Wraith Keeper stood close to Sheppard and tried to sense him again. She placed one of her fingers on Sheppard’s cheek and smoothly ran it down along his face. Sheppard was getting annoyed by this, but tried to stay calm. He determined that he was not going to let her manipulate him any longer.

“Such a pretty face, but so unwilling,” The Wraith Keeper spoke in a calm and tender voice. “I warned you not to fight me. … Why do you still not fear? … Yet, I sense great uncertainty.”

Sheppard felt her finger glide down his neck to his shoulder and knew it would continue to his chest. He took a deep breath and prepared himself for the coming pain. The moment her finger reached the edge of the wound, Sheppard’s face immediately turned in agony and his breathing got faster. “You are strong, … but no means to fight me. … Why don’t you give up,” The Wraith Keeper continued while she forcefully pressed her full hand to cover the wound on his chest.

The intense pain made Sheppard feel sick, but he had to stay strong if he would survive the attack The Wraith Keeper had started. “Never!” he called out. Pain could be read from his whole face and the rhythm of his breathing became less stable.

One of the Commanders pushed Sheppard’s arm above his head and The Wraith Keeper closed in on him. Her face was only an inch away from Sheppard and the warmth of her body reached his abdomen and chest. Sheppard looked quite concerned about his current position, in total opposite of The Wraith Keeper. She looked rather excited, straightened her body and lifted her attitude along with it to reach a state of exaltation.

The Wraith Keeper removed her hand from his chest and carefully placed it on the hand the Commander held in place for her. For a moment, Sheppard was relieved and the pain ebbed a little away. Even breathing became a little easier, since the pressure on his chest was gone. He took full advantage of the opportunity to fill his lungs with oxygen. He saw The Wraith Keeper raise her other hand and quickly sucked his lungs full. Sheppard watched her hand as it smashed on his chest wound, causing the pain to rush through his body again.

The Commanders released Sheppard. His feet still had dangled above the ground, but now touched the ground. He had no strength left, the pain had paralyzed him and he was unable to move or break free. The Wraith Keeper slightly leaned her head to one side while she stared deep in Sheppard’s eyes. A painful and burning sensation emitted from Sheppard’s hand and continued through his arm, shoulder and chest. Sheppard groaned from pain and almost passed out. His eyes rolled away before they closed. The Wraith Keeper provided him with a blast of her enzymes and he woke up again, to fully experience the torture he was submitted to.

The Wraith Keeper removed her hand from Sheppard’s hand and his arm slid down the wall. She released Sheppard and the two Commanders caught him before he fell down. With uttermost ease, they lifted him and brutally pushed him on the bench.

The third Commander joined The Wraith Keeper in Sheppard’s cell and handed her the medical instrument. Sheppard knew it was useless to fight against the procedure he was to be submitted to. He had seen her take a blood sample from both Ronon and Teyla and he was quite sure McKay had unwillingly donated some blood too.

Sheppard saved his strength and did not struggle when the Commanders turned him on his side. He felt the strange softness of The Wraith Keeper’s hand as she pulled down his pants to clear his hipbone, abruptly changing the sensation when her sharp nails carefully selected the best place for the extraction. The needle entered his skin, hit the barrier of his bone and passed through without any difficulty. The pain was remarkable bearable compared to the pain from his chest wound when pressure was applied to it.

After the tube had filled itself, The Wraith Keeper removed it and covered his hip again. She rose and put the instrument in the box. Meanwhile the Commanders turned Sheppard on his back and he could see that the third Commander closed the box and left his cell. The Commander did not wait for any of the others and vanished in the darkness of the corridor.

The Wraith Keeper looked calmly at Sheppard while she took his hand. She had created a wound in his hand, looking very similar to that of a Wraith feeding organ. Sheppard saw what she had done to him and started to look panicked. He knew he was in serious trouble and felt all blood drain away from his skin. A terrified feeling emerged inside him. The Wraith Keeper enjoyed the expression on Sheppard’s face and touched his chest to add more drama for her own satisfaction.

The pain from her touch caused Sheppard to stop breathing for a second. “What is it that you want from us?” he called out in pain and discomfort after his lungs had filled with new air.

“Do not ask foolish questions. You know what I want,” The Wraith Keeper replied with a heightened agitated voice. She placed Sheppard’s hand on her chest and watched towards Sheppard with her eyes wide open. Her eyes expressed a state of great dominance, pleasure and even signs of arousal sparked in her black pupils.

Sheppard felt the strength being sucked out of his body through his hand. He tried, but couldn’t pull his arms back. His mind was clear and his fighter spirit gained control. “You vicious freak there is no way I will let you turn me into a life sucking monster,” Sheppard yelled at The Wraith Keeper, trying to distract her.

The Wraith Keeper showed a smile and answered ecstatically, “Unfortunately that would be impossible.” The Wraith Keeper opened her eyes wider and watched Sheppard intensely while she transmitted nutrients from her chest to his hand. This caused Sheppard to feel a tingling sensation passing from his hand to his chest. The sensation was not painful at all, but very pleasant.

Sheppard started to doze off and the expression on The Wraith Keeper’s face changed from satisfied to annoyed, ending with a furious thundercloud arising above her head. She looked repulsively at Sheppard and released his hand. While she rose up, Sheppard’s hand fell with a smack down on the ground. She was startled and gazed in discomfort around her before she turned her body.

Furiously The Wraith Keeper left the cell and without looking back, she walked away. Sheppard turned his head and tried to follow her, but his vision was blurred and he was unable to focus on anything. The Commanders released him and also left the cell, closing the doors behind them. Sheppard was very groggy by what The Wraith Keeper had done to him. He closed his eyes and within seconds, he passed out.

The moment the Commanders were out of sight McKay, Teyla and Ronon rushed up from their benches and got to their cell doors. They knew by the unexpected and strange behavior of The Wraith Keeper that something went very wrong. “What happened? What did they do?” McKay asked, not hiding the fear in his voice.

Teyla looked frightened. “I am not sure,” Teyla stammered. Sheppard still lay with his eyes closed and didn’t move. “Colonel, please say something,” she called out. There was still no response. “Sheppard!” she fearfully cried out.

Ronon put his hand through the cell doors and reached for Teyla. “He’s still breathing,” he tried to reassure her.

Teyla was unable to control her anxiety and grabbed Ronon’s hand, in search for comfort. “What did they do to him?” Teyla cried concerned.

“I don’t know,” Ronon answered her calmly. “I have no answer about what went wrong or what they want with our blood.” He kindly squeezed Teyla’s hand to let her know he was there for her.

McKay stood alone in his cell and had no clue of what happened the past minutes. He was scared and seeing Teyla panic made him more nervous and worried. Ronon looked at him to try to calm him down, but even Ronon himself was frightened by the events he had seen happening in front of him.

“What did they do to him?” McKay asked with a trembling voice.

Teyla was very upset and aimed all her repressed anger towards McKay. ”Shut up,” she yelled at McKay. “It is because of you that they are hurting him. You where the one that shot the Queen, remember. Stop asking questions! And think of a way to get us out … now!”

McKay was shocked by Teyla’s outburst. He was just as concerned as they all were. Ronon grabbed Teyla tightly at her wrist and even hurt her to correct her behavior. She knew she went out of line and looked desperately at McKay. With tears in her eyes, she turned her head and stared at Sheppard.

*** Chapter 17 ***

The next morning… Back on Atlantis, the security team with Major Gates returned through the Stargate. The moment his team exited the Wormhole, it disengaged. Doctor Weir stood behind the dialing console and looked questioning at Major Gates. “I’m sorry,” he explained. “We were unable to determine the current location of the away team.” Doctor Weir looked disappointed and concerned. The security team held their position in the middle of the Gate room, awaiting an order to either the debriefing room or the infirmary for a medical checkup.

Doctor Weir cleared her mind for a second. It was obvious she had some difficulty with the situation and could not stop the search yet. “They have returned from bad situations before. Let’s keep that in mind,” she expressed towards the security team. Doctor Weir knew the team had done their best, even while they where unable to provide the answers they were looking for. She hoped that her message had reached the team and that they would understand she did not blame them.

Doctor Weir nodded in the direction of the door. “Please report to the infirmary. Mission debriefing in two hours,” she ordered using a clear voice. The expression on her face was calm, but everyone in the Gate room could read the despair from her eyes. Major Gates nodded a confirmation back at her and waved his arm to lead the security team out of the Gate room.

Doctor Weir looked down to the dialing console, trying to hide the trembling of her lips. Deep down inside she still had hoped that Sheppard and his team had showed up somewhere on the planet. Maybe they went to another cave or maybe they had gotten lost. Realistically she knew that the bullet casings the security team had found pointed in another direction. However, still she had hoped and whished they would return safe accompanied by the security team.

Doctor Weir straightened her face again and looked up to see Doctor Beckett standing in the Gate room. “I will be in my office,” she told the officer behind the dialing console while she walked in the direction of the stairs. She tilted her head slightly to notice that Doctor Beckett followed her.

After climbing the stairs, Doctor Weir opened the door off her office and stepped inside. She sat down behind her desk and politely closed the laptop in front of her. Doctor Beckett also entered the office and closed the glass door behind him. He took a seat on the chair in front of the desk and looked concerned at Doctor Weir. “How long have you been awake,” he asked her calmly.

Doctor Weir picked up her mug with cold coffee and took a sip. “Long,” she answered and put the mug back down on the desk. She softly sighed and knew very well that staying awake was not helping her or Sheppard’s team to get back safely. She felt powerless and used her work as a distraction ease her worries. She had kept herself busy with researching the previous visit to the planet and had come across some interesting details she had not noticed a few months ago.

Doctor Beckett observed Doctor Weir’s behavior and knew she was extremely tired and yet still determined not to give up on the team. He took a small medicine blister with one pill inside out of his pocket and placed it on the desk in front of him. “You should try and get some sleep,” he calmly mentioned, but with a serious undertone in his voice.

Doctor Weir looked suspicious at the blister pack. It felt wrong to watch the medicine and even worse to take it. She could not. What if Sheppard’s team returned and she was not there.

Doctor Beckett could understand how Doctor Weir must be feeling in this situation. He knew she was worried every time one of the away teams ran into trouble or if they did not report in on time. But Sheppard’s team missing caused a tense and damp atmosphere all over Atlantis. Even Doctor Beckett himself had to admit he was concerned about the team. “I will wake you when there is any news from the team,” he added to the conversation he had with Doctor Weir. Doctor Beckett calmly watched her while she took another sip of coffee. She showed again that she disliked the cold and bitter taste of it. Doctor Weir put the mug down and opened her laptop. She turned it around and gestured at Doctor Beckett to look at the screen.

The screen showed several pictures from the previous mission. On them were drawings of people chasing animals. “These drawing are old, very old,” Doctor Weir explained. “These people where most likely farmers and hunters like Teyla’s people were a long time ago.” Doctor Weir turned the laptop back and pushed some buttons to change pictures. She then turned the laptop back. Doctor Beckett saw a picture of birds flying with people hanging under them. “We could have known,” Doctor Weir told him. “These people knew birds could fly and they probably where not surprise that some of them picked up humans, as food. Just like birds we know pick up mice and other small mammals. They had no idea that these birds where in fact Wraith darts. We missed it and I send them there,” she explained in distress.

Doctor Beckett closed the laptop lid and looked very concerned at Doctor Weir. “We don’t know if they where taken by the Wraith, we should not try and jump to any conclusions yet. Maybe the pictures indeed showed birds that had humans as there prey. Besides these drawings are very old, you’ve said it yourself,” Doctor Beckett stated. He calmly continued his reasoning and calming words, “nobody has lived on that planet for many years. The Wraith have no reason for searching food there. We just don’t know what happened to the team yet. We should not give up and Sheppard’s team will need a well rested you once they return.”

Dr. Weir’s eyes tried to stray away from Doctor Beckett, who moved the strip with a sleeping pill inside closer to her. “I know,” she sighed and pushed the pill back to the far side of her desk. She lifted her eyebrow and even enforced a faint smile on her face. “I have a mission debriefing in two hours and ...”

Doctor Beckett interrupted her, “maybe you should delay the debriefing until you’ve had some decent rest.” He placed his both his hands on hers. The warmth melted her iciness and she stopped fighting when he moved his hands towards her side of the desk again. “I insist,” he told her calmly while he briefly nodded at her hand, still covering the medicine strip.

For moments, Doctor Weir stared at the medicine strip after she had uncovered it. The small round pill inside looked like an innocent treat of candy, but would easily be able to take her down with its treacherous constituents. She briefly glanced up to see Doctor Beckett observing her. While he tried to make eye contact, she tried to avoid it, leaving her no choice but to watch the only remedy to get some sleep. With much hesitation, she moved her hand and slowly picked up the medicine strip.

While Doctor Weir sunk defeated deep into her seat, Doctor Beckett calmly rose from his seat. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and reached out to pick up a bottle of water from the locker standing behind the desk. He handed it to Doctor Weir who was still holding the strip doubtfully in her cold and exhausted hand. She accepted the bottle and let it continue its floating path through the air, to finally land roughly on the desk in front of her. “They are very resourceful,” Doctor Weir expressed with sincere pride in her voice. Doctor Beckett kindly smiled back at her. He reached for the bottle again, this time not to move but, but he opened it for her. After this act out of both friendship and as a concerned doctor, he sat back down on his chair.

Dr. Weir’s eyes kept showing she did not like the idea of taking the pill. She was convinced Doctor Becket had not taken a mild sedative and she was too fatigued to fight a strong one. Under some silent protest, she removed the pill from the strip and placed it inside her mouth. With some more hesitation, she lifted the bottle from her desk and drank some large sips of water to swallow the pill. She placed the bottle back on the desk and she had found enough courage to look Doctor Beckett straight in his eyes. “Do you want to check?” she asked him with some signs sarcasm in her voice.

Doctor Beckett slightly shook his head, he trusted her on this. “Bedtime for you, young lady,” he told Doctor Weir with a comforting warm and friendly smile on his face.

Doctor Weir sighed relieved, looked calmly back at Doctor Beckett and stood up from her seat. “Yes,” she stated after which she walked around her desk towards the door. “Do I have time to check how Julia is doing?” she asked trying to buy as much time as she could get.

Doctor Beckett also rose from his chair and smiled at Doctor Weir. “Make it a short visit. It will take about 15, maybe 20 minutes if you’re lucky before the pill starts to work and you’ll be heading towards dreamland,” he answered her. She kindly nodded and even while she still did not feel happy about submitting to the sleeping pill, she knew she needed it to get some rest. She took a deep breathe, showed Doctor Beckett a kind and unforced smile for a change. He opened the door for Doctor Weir and guided her out of her office.

*** Chapter 18 ***

Sheppard was still lying in the exact same position as the Wraith Commanders had left him in his cell. He had his eyes closed and was still not moving or speaking. Since the Wraith group left, the team had been trying to get the cell doors open. Ronon had been able to open the small control panel on the outside of his cell, using the hairpin Sheppard had taken from The Wraith Keeper. McKay’s task was to figure out how to use the control panel to open the cell doors, while Teyla was keeping track of time and warn them when a patrol would be coming.

Ronon was unable to see the complete inside of the panel and had to trust McKay to guide him in his actions. The inside of the control panel contained several mechanical controls and crystals, which were all linked with organic connections. McKay again stared at the control panel and tried to figure out what Ronon had to do to open one of the cell doors, or even better yet all cell doors. If they would succeed, there was at least a chance to escape. He had no idea what the function of the mechanical controls were or the crystal ones. Maybe there was a different function for each type, or maybe they were both interlinked with each other and they both were used in controlling the cell doors.

“Two minutes left before they come on patrol,” Teyla warned McKay and Ronon. Another round of time to solve their problem had almost past and still McKay had no clue. Besides keeping track of time, Teyla kept watching the corridor to see if there was any danger coming their way. So far, these Wraith had been able to counteract any escape attempt from the team, but Teyla, Ronon and McKay had decided they were about to change that.

Ronon watched McKay impatiently and kept waiting for instructions. It was the third time that Ronon had opened the panel and so far, McKay still seemed unsure what they should do. Ronon knew McKay certainly wanted to avoid setting off any alarms and therefore they had to be careful. However, Ronon got tired of waiting and doing nothing to try. He gave a last look towards McKay before he used the hairpin to connect two mechanical controls inside the panel. McKay saw it happen, but there was nothing he could do about it. He looked furious and frustrated by Ronon’s impatient behavior and hoped they would not get into trouble because of this.

Teyla had missed the event but saw McKay looking resentful at Ronon. Ronon returned McKay’s look, his eyes trying to tell McKay to hurry up and not wait any longer. They both watched each other and glanced down the corridor to find out if Ronon had not triggered an alarm. Ronon listened, but heard no footsteps in the corridor. It seemed that his attempt had not aroused any suspicion. McKay took a relieved breath and pointed at two of the crystal controls inside the panel. He gestured at Ronon to try to connect those using the hairpin. Although, McKay was not sure if using the hairpin as a bridge would work on the crystals.

“How long have I been out?” Sheppard murmured in a soft and weak voice. The team had been very busy with their escape attempts, but hearing Sheppard’s voice made them instantly look into his cell. Even McKay made every effort to look inside his cell, but could not see more then a few feet inside. Sheppard was still lying motionless in the same position and still had his eyes closed, yet they had heard him speak.

“It is good to hear you voice again, Colonel,” Teyla expressed relieved. They all were equally as glad that Sheppard was awake again. Sheppard turned his head a little to the side and opened his eyes. He still looked very groggy and blinked his eyes a couple of times. The lighting was still dimmed, but his eyes needed to adjust anyway.

“You’ve been out for several hours,” Ronon stated and answered Sheppard’s question before he had asked it. Sheppard was able to see something that looked like Ronon, unable to see the nod and smile on Ronon’s face. Sheppard had not heard McKay yet, but he knew for sure his team was still alive. He felt the big load of pressure fall off his shoulders and closed his eyes again to rest. He tried to clear his head and needed to focus on the situation, but since he had been out for some time, he would need more information before he could think of solutions.

McKay was very pleased now he knew Sheppard was awake again. He felt the huge burden and pressure that was placed in him, he had to find a way for them to escape. He looked at the control panel again and a satisfied expression appeared on his face. A possible solution suddenly prompted up in his mind.

McKay started impatiently to shift his feet, trying to get attention, but Teyla and Ronon both had their eyes still focused on Sheppard. “Ronon,” McKay excitingly whispered. “Remove the left crystal, then we should try to bypass…”

McKay was unable to finish his sentence when Sheppard interrupted him. “You should have seen the look on her face,” he expressed with a soft weak but teasingly voice. Sheppard opened his eyes again and saw a figure standing in the cell across the corridor. It was Teyla, but Sheppard was still unable to get a clear vision and certainly did not see the questioning gaze she laid onto him. She had no idea what he was referring too or what his point was saying this. She expected that Sheppard was talking about The Wraith Keeper and what she did to him, but she could not be sure until Sheppard would explain himself in more detail.

McKay got a little frustrated by the interruption. He knew Sheppard had the right to express himself and he too was glad to hear his voice, but if he could just wait for one more minute, then they were out of the cells, he was sure of that. “Let’s focus here,” McKay ordered, speaking too loud, causing Teyla and Ronon to shift their attention from Sheppard to him. They both looked worried into the corridor, but still there was no footsteps approaching them.

McKay was confident his suggestion to Ronon was correct. If he would take out the left crystal control and then connect the right mechanical one with the lower mechanical one in the middle it should work.

Ronon answered McKay’s order by trying to take out the control when Teyla interrupted again. “One minute left,” she whispered. “You should close the panel. We will try again after the patrol.”

McKay sighed overdramatic. The past three patrols he had no clue on how to get out and now that he did, he had to wait for the patrol. Inside his mind, he knew it would be unwise to open the cell doors when the patrol was on its way, but waiting a couple of minutes seemed like forever. Ronon carefully closed the control panel while McKay sunk back on the bench. After the patrol they would succeed in opening at least one of the cell doors, he was sure of that.

Sheppard pulled himself up and leaned again the wall. He blinked with his eyes again and still looked dazed. Two pair of footsteps sounded a little distance away in the corridor. The sound got louder while the Wraith patrol walked from left to right. They briefly inspected the team members in their cells, but kept their pace.

Sheppard barely noticed the patrol walking by, the time they had past his cell he realized that he had seen something. He was still trying to focus to see a clear picture of the figure right in front of him. He knew it had to be Teyla, yet he could not even tell if it was a male or female. Sheppard held his hand in front of him and watched it. He felt strange, he should see his hand, but it remained a blur. He moved his hand closer to his face until he was able to see it clearly. He felt very dazed and was under the influence of some unknown substance in his body. “So this is what the world looks like sitting up,” he joked.

Teyla smiled friendly back at Sheppard. He was able to focus faster then a couple of minutes ago, but if he moved his head, it took a while before he was able to see clearly where he was looking at. If he could try to fight off the effects of what The Wraith Keeper had done to him he would be fine.

“How is the pain?” Ronon asked while facing Sheppard.

Sheppard sighed uncomfortable and moved his head in Ronon’s direction. “Worse, thanks for reminding me,” he grumbled.

“The faster McKay starts to think, the sooner we can get out,” Ronon added while changing his focus to McKay. McKay had no idea why he had to get the blame again. Did he just not try to tell Ronon how to get out of here? McKay looked annoyed at Ronon, but kept his mouth shut because the second patrol that walked past their cells.

Sheppard leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes for a second. “Did I tell you about the look on her face already,” he started his story again. “It was awesome. She surely did not see that one coming. I’m sure it was not so much pleasure for her. Yeah, that look on her face makes me feel a little better.” While speaking these words a satisfied smile appeared on Sheppard’s face and he opened his eyes again. The others still did not really understand what he was trying to tell them. His story was incomplete and incoherent.

Teyla knew she had to try to get Sheppard to focus. It would be a lot easier if Sheppard was able to walk on his own feet if they succeeded in their escape. Maybe they needed to fight against the Wraith and they could use his help too, even a small punch would be a lot better then Ronon carrying Sheppard. “What did she do to you?” Teyla asked Sheppard, trying to get the story complete.

Sheppard stared at Ronon who took the hairpin back out of his pocket and started to open the control panel again. He then looked at the inside of his hand and it seemed as if his memory slowly dripped into his mind. Sheppard showed his hand to Teyla and she was able to see the wound on the inside. For a brief moment, she and Ronon were both shocked. They did not believe what they were seeing. It looked very much similar like a Wraith feeding organ.

“I don’t really know what it is,” Sheppard explained. “I don’t think I want to know, but anyway it hurts like hell. It still does,” he continued. “She somehow created this and used it to feed me. I think this is the way the Wraith feed their babies. It was real strange, at first it was only painful, but my hand began to feel numb and then some sort of strange tingling sensation.” Sheppard stretched his hand a couple of times. “Now it only hurts, even more when I use my hand.”

Ronon and Teyla both stared at him for a moment, until Sheppard nodded at the control panel. Ronon got the message and continued poking to get the control panel open. The panel itself was made of a strange combination of metal and organic residue. Even when using the hairpin, it was difficult to lift the panel from the wall. The organic material seemed to stick itself easily to the wall next to it, but after some effort Ronon had succeeded and each time, he opened the panel faster then before.

He carefully removed the crystal control McKay told him to take out. After this, he looked at McKay for further instructions. McKay stood up from the bench and walked to the cell door. He pointed at two of the controls and Ronon connected them both using the hairpin. McKay and Ronon waited tensely for something to happen, but none of the cell doors were opening.

McKay looked confused, he was a hundred percent sure this should have worked. The crystal Ronon had removed had to be the main control. The two mechanical controls should open the doors. McKay stood silent and thought about his idea, but could not get another conclusion then that he was right. It should have worked.

Ronon’s eyes asked for a new instruction, but when McKay did not provide any, he randomly connected two other controls. While he was waiting for a door to open and McKay’s attitude leveled to a agitated state, the team suddenly heard two pair of Wraith footsteps in the corridor. Maybe Ronon did trigger an alarm this time, or it was done the first attempt and they were slow.

The sound and the quick pace in which the footsteps became louder startled the team. Ronon quickly closed the control panel and put the hairpin and the crystal in his pocket. He hoped the Wraith had not seen him tamper with the control panel. He took a step back and calmly waited for the Wraith to come. His face did not show any sign of distress or other sings that could betray the nervous feeling inside.

The Wraith Queen and one of the Commanders walked side by side in the corridor. They both took firm steps and even while the Wraith Queen looked calm and confident her eyes showed signs of uncertainty. They passed Ronon’s cell and just before they reached, Sheppard’s cell the Wraith Queen stopped. The Commander also stopped and held his position, waiting for instructions. The expression on her face turned rigid while she took a few steps backward. She stopped between Ronon and McKay’s cell.

The Wraith Queen turned towards Ronon and looked him straight in his eyes. Ronon remained calm, did not sweat or blink with his eyes. In fact, he returned her gaze with a long stare in which he loaded every bit of hatred he kept for the Wraith and especially for the Wraith Queen.

For moments nothing happened, until the Wraith Queen held out her hand and waited for a response. Ronon stayed strong and pretended he did not know what it was she wanted from him. His eyes stayed focused on hers and their expression sustained their strength. Ronon still held a huge grudge for what the Wraith Queen had done to him earlier and he would not give in with her demands that easily. The Wraith Queen briefly lowered her eyes to the ground and Ronon’s eyes holding her in close sight followed. He saw the crystal control lying on the ground and knew they were busted. In his haste, when Ronon was putting the control in his pocket it must have slipped and fallen to the ground.

The Wraith Queen looked up again and stared strangely compelling at Ronon. Ronon was certainly not pleased and hesitated for a moment. Sheppard nodded at Ronon from his cell. He hoped Ronon would not make things worse for himself. The last time she had ruled her power over him with no hesitation in cruelty. Ronon had seen Sheppard’s order without words and understood his intentions. He gave a small nod back while he lowered his body to the ground. He picked up the control and smashed it into the Wraith Queen’s hand. Before Ronon was able to pull his hand back she folded her hand around his. Ronon fought to get his hand back and with a warning hiss, she released it.

Ronon instantly took a step back and waited for the Wraith Queen to pull her vision away from him. The Wraith Queen however did not move and still held her hand out. Ronon looked questioning at her while she stared in silence straight at him. She tried sensing Ronon and a frown on his forehead made clear he fought against her penetrating vision. However, she did not use her power to control him this time and it seemed she took pleasure from the fact that she was able to control Ronon without any control at all.

Ronon sighed and under silent protest took the hairpin from his pocket. He handed it to the Wraith Queen. After his corporation, a pleased expression emerged on her face. Ronon got uneasy by the fact the Wraith Queen stayed very calm. With the same calmness and some added flair, she handed the control and hairpin to the Commander. Ronon started to feel fear for what she was going to do to him, but he tried to hide it. As long as he did not look weak, he was much more likely to survive a personal attack. He had survived being captured by the Wraith more then once and he would do whatever he could to escape here as well.

The Wraith Queen took a step closer to the cell door and Ronon’s eyes grew bigger. An adrenaline rush pumped through his body and he was preparing himself to fight. The Wraith Queen stared at Ronon and expressed clearly that she was able to sense him. She seemed to enjoy the game of controlling Ronon.

However, the Wraith Queen did not made a direct attempt to attack Ronon, Sheppard wanted to draw the attention away from him. He tried to stand up, but he was still far too weak. After a nod, Teyla raised her body from the bench and rushed to the cell door. She had not seen what had happened to Ronon and expected the worst. After a quick assessment, Teyla grabbed the Commander around his throat. She knew this could endanger her own life, but at least it would be a distraction. Before she realized the Commander got a firm hold of her wrist. He twisted it until the pain was too much and Teyla had to release her grip.

The Commander pushed Teyla’s arm back in her cell and released her wrist. Without strength left, the arm dropped limp along her body. She only felt pain and was unable to move her wrist, hand and fingers. Shaken and unable to defend herself she waited until the Wraith Queen would come to her cell. The Wraith Queen looked briefly at the Commander and hissed some commands. In response, the Commander took a step towards the cell door and controlled Teyla with his mind. She was unable to resist and plunged down to sit on her bench again.

After a confirmation from the Commander, The Wraith Queen aimed her focus back towards Ronon. She pressed her hand on the control panel. A low crunching sounded while it opened with a small waft. The panel door moved itself into the wall and seemed to be absorbed by the organic materials that were spread all over the hive ship. Ronon now understood why the panel tried to stick itself to the wall every time he removed it.

Once the panel was open, The Wraith Queen carefully removed the other crystal controls from the panel and held them in her hand. Ronon stared at her with his dark angry look. It was merely a charade, a pretense to look strong. Ronon had in fact no idea what was going to happen and this caused even him to feel uncertain. These Wraith behaved extremely strange and unpredictable. One thing was sure, none of the cell doors opened after she has removed the controls.

The Wraith Queen turned around and walked to McKay’s cell door. McKay started to feel like a real idiot. Probably the control panel had no function at all and was only to distract them and keep them from trying to escape. He had focused so hard on escaping using the control panel that he had no longer thought about other possible solutions.

The moment the Wraith Queen was near the cell door it opened. McKay’s heart stopped beating for a second and his blood faded from his skin. He felt weak and frightened. With a playful smile on her face, she entered his cell. Instinctively McKay tried to crawl back further against the wall. He did not know how to react and felt his whole body petrify.

With a calmly and steady hand, the Wraith Queen offered the controls to McKay. Her controlled behavior and smile actually made her look friendly. However, it was the superior gloat in her eyes that revealed her true and terrifying nature. With her eyes, she suggested McKay to take the controls. However, his body was frozen to the bench and he was unable to move. She leaned forward towards McKay and held the controls right in front of his face. McKay’s body was trembling and with a shaking hand, he reached for the controls. The Wraith Queen guided his hand and placed the controls in the palm. With her other hand she closed his hand tightly around the controls. McKay felt nauseous from fear causing all strength inside his body to slip away. He was not a big hero and wished she would leave his cell.

Presumptuous the Wraith Queen released McKay’s hand. It fell limply down along his body, the controls rolling one by one from his palm down on the ground. His eyes were opened wide and started blankly at the Wraith Queen. She hissed, grabbed McKay at his shoulders and pushed him roughly down on the bench. His arm dangled along his body, his hand resting on the floor. McKay did not resist and was obsessively taken away by the look in her eyes. He felt her soft hand touch his cheek for a second and unexpected the trembling in his body stopped.

The Wraith Queen proudly raised her body with dignity and slowly turned around. McKay leaned his head to the side and followed her walking out of the cell with his eyes. The white soft fabric of her dress gracefully fluttered at each step she took. She briefly looked around at McKay and still showed the same strange enigmatic expression in her eyes. She continued to walk into the corridor and the moment she passed the cell doors they closed behind her.

McKay was dazed and did not understand what had happened to him. He pulled himself up again and felt surprisingly good compared to a minute before. His breathing and hart rate were normal again. The trembling had stopped and the strength in his body had returned. He still felt obsessively drawn to the Wraith Queen by the look in her eyes and followed her until she turned out of sight, her white dress leaving his line of sight eventually too.

The Wraith Queen stood firmly in front of Sheppard’s cell. Sheppard looked questioning at Teyla and Ronon. Ronon nodded letting him know McKay was al right. Teyla was unable to notice or respond to Sheppard, because the Commander had not released his control over her. Teyla’s gaze seemed to hold her in an oblivion state, were there was no way out until the Commander would stop using his mind control. She probably had not even seen what The Wraith Queen had done to McKay or at least she did not comprehend the situation that had taken place in front of her.

Sheppard was cautious and worried about their current situation, but not more then he was the last time The Wraith Keeper had paid them a visit. At least he knew that McKay and Ronon both were safe for now. Teyla seemed to be used as a marionette, but no harm had come to her yet and the attention was aimed on him again.

Sheppard leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes. He was tired of the games the Wraith played with him and the rest of his team. He heard the doors of his cell open, but kept his eyes shut. He was going to let it all happen this time, maybe that was the tactic he should use. To be honest he did no know how he could get his team in safety. He controlled his breathing and pushed the pain from his mind.

The Wraith Queen nodded and hissed to the Commander. “Take the Pretty Boy,” she added. In an uncontrolled surprised reaction Sheppard opened his eyes. These where the first words she had spoken since she had showed up minutes ago and started her terror attack towards the team. The Wraith Queen looked satisfied and Sheppard felt very stupid. Just when he decided not to fall for any of her tricks, he was stepped right in her treacherous web.

Sheppard saw the Wraith Queen standing in the corridor just observing at him. He shook his head and weakly smiled at Teyla and Ronon. He knew how he should handle and behave in these situations, but somehow this Wraith Queen and especially The Wraith Keeper were very capable of manipulating him.

The Commander released his hold on Teyla and stepped in the cell while Sheppard tried to stand up using his own strength. He was still numb, weak and in pain but he was able to get on his feet. Teyla’s eyes shot open and she realized she had missed all events that had happened. Sheppard gave her another small nod and this made her breathing become more regular.

An arm reached for Sheppard, who was still standing a bit shaky. He leaned his arm against the wall, making sure he would not crumble down. The Commander’s grabbed Sheppard at his arm and forced him to lean on it. With the Commander’s support it was easier to stand up straight. Sheppard hated to admit his own weakness and to appreciate the support he got, yet without it he would not be able to take a single step.

After a few seconds, it got easier for Sheppard to ignore the pain. He nodded to let the Wraith Queen know he would cooperate. While assisting Sheppard, the Commander escorted him out of his cell. The Wraith Queen stayed very calm and controlled. She looked expectantly towards Sheppard and received an uneasy smile as answer. She nodded, indicating him to start walking through the corridor. “Come,” she commanded in a clear voice. She waited for him while the Commander led the way.

Sheppard took a small step in her direction and looked questioning at her. “Where too?” he asked using an arrogant tone, not letting his voice betray him how much he was hurt and beaten. The Wraith Queen was tired of waiting and pushed Sheppard harshly in the right direction. She nodded to the Commander, who escorted Sheppard away into the corridor. Sheppard had no choice but to obey, leaving the rest of his team behind in their cells and in great uncertainty about what was going to happen to them and him.

UPDATED UNTILE HERE

*** Chapter 19 ***

The Commander escorted Sheppard through many dark and long corridors. Sheppard was quite certain he was aboard of a Wraith Hive ship and tried to memorize the path they were walking. Neither the Queen nor the Commander had spoken a word since they took him from his cell. Sheppard was still not feeling well and used it as an excuse to slow things down. Meanwhile he kept looking for a way to escape. But he also knew he was far too weak to make a serious attempt to overpower the Commander and the Queen. They of course knew that too, because else they would have taken soldiers with them during the escort.

Every time the Wraith had been able to think one step ahead of the team and because of this the team had not been able to catch up. Sheppard chuckled while he turned his head and looked at the Queen. She returned his look, with surprise and questions written all over her face. She clearly did not understand what could be so funny. The Commander pulled Sheppard’s arm and directed him around yet another corner. Sheppard kept the smile on his face and took the turn into the corridor. He knew the Queen was not only surprised but by now she also had to be frustrated by his behavior. Yet he didn’t care, this would probably be the last moment of fun he would have and he was going to enjoy it.

Sheppard still couldn’t believe they all fell for the Wraith traps. They used them to play around and see how resourceful the team was. Of course the Wraith sensed and read their minds. Therefore, there was no way of winning this struggle at all. It hadn’t been a fair fight. Sheppard wondered if they were really that smart, to just trying to avoid any escape attempts the team could think of. Maybe they heard from other Wraith that the team destroyed more then one Hive ship before. Sheppard enjoyed the thought of having a reputation in big, bad Wraith-city and showed the Queen another smile. She however was very unpleased when she saw his grin and looked annoyed.

The Commander guided Sheppard across a large room. The smile on Sheppard’s face disappeared when he realized he would have to face The Wraith Keeper once more, maybe for the last time. Sheppard swallowed and took a deep breath. He was not ready to give up yet, but to keep fighting was hard. Until now, he was unable to find a way to get out. Sheppard remembered how it felt like when a Wraith fed upon him and he was surely not looking forward to relive that moment. Sheppard stopped before a big door. The Commander did not open it when they approached, what was different from the other doors they had passed.

The Queen took her position next to Sheppard and grabbed his chin. She turned his head and made him look into her eyes. Sheppard was not pleased but knew the Queen would not hurt him too much. The issue he was having was between him and The Wraith Keeper. Yet he did not feel comfortable and the Queen’s look was frightening and strangely even a bit frightened. Sheppard was confused. The Queen closed her head to his and whispered, “You still try to fight, you have to stop,” in his ear. She released his chin and her look was very serious.

“You know I can’t,” Sheppard answered her with determination in his voice. He would do whatever he could to save his team and himself if possible. The Queen stared at Sheppard with signs of expectation in her eyes.

“But you have to,” the Queen explained with an almost timid voice. The moment she had finished her sentence the look in her eyes turned serious again and the door in front of Sheppard opened. Sheppard turned his head back and looked inside. He saw a large room with inside a round canvas on the floor. The room itself was fairly dark with several bright spotlights illuminating the circle. The Wraith Keeper and the other Commander were standing at the opposite site of the entrance hidden in the darkness of the room. Sheppard was unable to see if there were more Wraith standing in the room, but he was convinced that was not the case. The room looked like a large training room or a fighting arena.

Sheppard was still trying to figure out what was happening when the Commander roughly pulled Sheppard to the middle of the room and released him. Sheppard noticed the difference in behavior, but was not in time to prepare. He was unable to stay on his feet when suddenly the Commander’s support to lean on ended. Sheppard collapsed on the ground and found himself lying on the canvas in the bright white light. He quickly tried to get up. Sheppard felt disoriented for a few seconds by the light and pain when he was on his feet again. The Commander had taken his place just outside the fighting circle and the Queen joined him.

The Wraith Keeper took a step out of the darkness towards Sheppard and he was able to see she had changed wardrobe. She wore a long white leather slit skirt with a short white top, ending just below her breasts. The top was made of leather and seemed to be reinforced to protect her chest area. The waistband of the skirt and the front of the top were decorated with dark red stitching. Sheppard noticed the stitching in the exact same color as her hair and showed an unexpected smile. The Wraith Keeper still wore the same ornament in her hair, but she the matching pendant around her neck was missing. Sheppard just looked at her and waited for her to take the next step. He had thought of several ways to get out of the room, but concluded that it would be impossible to fight his way out without a diversion or a major advantage.

The Wraith Keeper took another step and was now standing on the edge of the canvas. “Do you still want to fight me?” she asked Sheppard in a provoking way. Sheppard still had trouble to stand steady on his feet and looked questioning back at her without saying a word. The Queen had clearly warned him about this particular moment before he entered the room. He sowed a small but uncomfortable smile on his face. Could she really be serious about fighting? Sheppard knew he was in no condition to even attempt winning a fight with her.

“Do you?” The Wraith Keeper called out to Sheppard. She was very agitated and looked furious. Her chest heaved more then before, but not faster. Sheppard didn’t get frightened from her outburst as she probably was hoping. He gave her a cold and hatefully look back.

“You’re really annoying you know,” Sheppard answered her raving. The Wraith Keeper did not hesitate and walked to him. She grabbed his throat and lifted him from the ground. Sheppard felt the sharp metal from her hand armor stinging in his neck. Instinctively Sheppard grabbed her hand and tried to free himself.

“You let my team go and I will fight you,” Sheppard gasped and really had no idea why he spoke those words. They must have come from an instinct he didn’t know he had, because fighting her would almost be the same as a committing suicide.

The Wraith Keeper looks delighted into Sheppard’s eyes and immediately releases him. “Agreed. And after I win you will apologize to the Queen you injured” she spoke demanding towards Sheppard. He realized again, what had started the torture and games she played. She was unleashing her merciless revenge on him for shooting one of her Queens. He looked at The Wraith Keeper and she seemed to calm down again.

“What do I get when I win?” Sheppard asked her, hoping she would at least offer to spare his life.

The Wraith Keeper had regained complete control over her emotions again and with full confidence she answered him, “you can not win.” She showed a satisfied smile on her face and enjoyed the fact that she had succeeded in luring Sheppard to agree with the fight. The Wraith Keeper nodded at the Queen and Sheppard looked around. The Queen looked composed, but when he stared straight in her eyes he saw and uncontrolled and condemning glance. Sheppard couldn’t back out of the fight any more, even while he seriously doubted his decision. After a short hiss from The Wraith Keeper, The Queen and her Commander turned around and left the room, closing the door behind them.

Sheppard waited deliberately for a few seconds before turning back to The Wraith Keeper again. She looked at him harshly, but also patiently and waited until he looked back at her. Sheppard was mentally preparing himself. He should try and safe his strength until the right moment, when he could take her down. If he could at all. He should use her as the diversion he needed to knock out the Commander and then hopefully he would be able to get out of the room in one piece. If he would remember the path leading to this room, he could go back to the cells and rescue the rest of his team. If he of course wouldn’t run into other Wraith or no funny alarms would go off. He sighed and knew this if-if thing wasn’t a plan at all. However, he had to try. The alternative was to give up and die and there was this little voice inside his head warning him that he surely didn’t wanted to die today.
Sheppard started carefully timing, counting distances and taking every effort in ignoring the pain he had. There were still too many ifs in his plan, but his mind kept processing possibilities and alternatives. He felt the adrenaline rush trough his veins while his heart rate and breath taking was slowly increasing. Sheppard was ready to face the Wraith Keeper and straightened his body.

The Wraith Keeper briefly turned her head to the Commander, who took a step towards the canvas. He threw two wooden quarterstaffs to The Wraith Keeper and she caught them without watching. Sheppard was impressed and was indeed very sure he was not going to win this fight. The Wraith Keeper handed one quarterstaff to Sheppard and kept the other one herself. She took a step back, but stayed on the canvas. The Wraith Keeper folded her hand tightly around the rod. Her hand was now well protected by her hand armor. Sheppard saw the metal fist around the rod and imagined that being hit by it would defiantly hurt, a lot. Sheppard felt uneasy but knew he could annoy and provoke her if needed. This was her weakness and he would use it. Sheppard also took a step away from the middle and stood on the edge of the canvas. “First I need proof that my team is safe,” He let her know on a demanding tone.

“You will have to trust me on that,” The Wraith Keeper answered him with a daring smile. Sheppard put down his quarterstaff and briefly checked for a response. The Wraith Keeper just looked at him without showing any sign of frustration. Sheppard took off his torn shirt and picked up his staff again. He held it tightly as Teyla and Ronon had taught him.

“I will never trust a Wraith,” Sheppard called out.

The Wraith Keeper’s got furious while she took a step towards the middle of the canvas. “And yet you do take care of a Wraith baby,” The Wraith Keeper mentioned, highly annoyed by Sheppard’s behavior. “WE FIGHT NOW!” she called out while she closed in on Sheppard. Before Sheppard was able to react, The Wraith Keeper hit him down. It went so fast that Sheppard did not comprehend how he ended up on the floor. Sheppard was lying on his back and pain stung throughout his whole body. When Sheppard looked up, he saw The Wraith Keeper take a step back. “Get up and fight!” she yelled at him.

The Wraith Keeper stood determined and sturdy on her feet and eagerly waited for Sheppard to stand up. Sheppard got on his knees, took a few deep breaths and tried to focus. While he pulled himself up, he kept her in his sight. The Wraith Keeper also watched his moves very tensely and seemed to be waiting for Sheppard. Very controlled he grabbed and held the quarterstaff in front of him. He briefly nodded at The Wraith Keeper to let her know he was ready again. The Wraith Keeper took a step towards the middle. With a graceful movement, she started the attack at Sheppard. Their staffs clashed, but Sheppard was able to prevent being hit by it. He swung her staff away and tried to attack her. She was very fast and jumped back to avoid being hit by the staff. Her eyes showed both anger and pleasure.

The Wraith Keeper started moving around Sheppard on the canvas and Sheppard followed her. Sheppard started the next attack and again their staffs clashed. They both closed their heads and watched each other intensely in the eyes. They both were not going to give up that easily. Sheppard focused his strength and pushed her away. While doing this he kicked The Wraith Keeper in her stomach, but instead of crumbling she straightened he body and her eyes gloated with ecstasy.

Sheppard had lost his balance during the attack. He tried to get back in a stable position again before the next move starts. The Wraith Keeper quickly turned around him. She hit Sheppard with her fist on the side of his chest. Sheppard felt her hand armor puncture his skin and break at least one of his ribs. She finished her attack by undermining Sheppard’s stability when she hit Sheppard’s lower legs from behind with her quarterstaff. Sheppard lay on his back on the ground again and placed his hand on the side of his chest.

He looked at The Wraith Keeper while she walked to the edge of the canvas again. She swung her head to straighten her hair when Sheppard was able to see a tattoo on her shoulder blade. Two small black Wraith characters, K, and I were tattooed inside a circle of more Wraith characters. Sheppard was unable to decipher them before The Wraith Keeper’s hair covered the tattoo again. She turned around and looked annoyed at Sheppard who was still lying on the ground.

Sheppard removed his hand from his chest and saw the large and painful bruise she had left behind. The injury was not bleeding that much and Sheppard knew he cannot let her believe he was weak. He got back on his feet and grabbed the quarterstaff with both hands. The Wraith Keeper nodded questioning at Sheppard and Sheppard nodded back. Sheppard tried attacking her the moment she closed in on him. She quickly avoided being hit by ducking away. This time Sheppard had anticipated that she would easily avoid the first strike and he directly continued with the second move. Sheppard lowered his staff and aimed to pull her down when she again avoided by jumping over Sheppard. While doing this her quarterstaff smashed down on Sheppard’s shoulder. Sheppard felt pain, but straightened his body while turning around to face The Wraith Keeper again.

She again has taken her position at the edge of the canvas. Sheppard watched her and stretched his shoulder. This time The Wraith Keeper struck first and started the attack. She tried pulling Sheppard down again when he avoided by ducking and rolling away from her. He quickly got on his feet and was even quicker in turning back to face her then she was in facing him. Sheppard used this valuable moment to struck her and his quarterstaff hit her abdomen. The Wraith Keeper grabbed Sheppard’s staff and turned it around with great force. Sheppard felt his arm being twisted and before he realized it he was lying on the ground again.

He jumped up, searched for the quarterstaff and saw The Wraith Keeper holding them both. Sheppard sighed and took a couple of shallow breaths. The Wraith Keeper straightened her body again and threw one of the staffs back at Sheppard. He caught it and instantly took his fighting position again. The Wraith Keeper threw the other staff at the Commander and took a step towards the middle of the canvas. Sheppard was surprised and waited a few seconds to see what she was going to do. While waiting he took a few more deep breaths and concentrated on The Wraith Keeper’s face and body. He was trying to anticipate her next move and needed to find a way to take advantage of it. The Wraith Keeper’s eyes excitingly sparkled with delight and she took great pleasure from this fight.

Sheppard made his move and while focusing on her legs he aimed his staff at her head. The Wraith Keeper was distracted by this attack, but with a few limbering moves she again avoided being struck. Sheppard was still in attack mode and tried a frontal assault when The Wraith Keeper straightened her arm and Sheppard cut his face on her hand armor. Sheppard dropped the quarterstaff and grabbed his face. He crumbled down in pain. Blood dripped on the canvas from the cuts and scratches on his cheek. After a few seconds and catching his breath, he again grabbed the staff and got back on his feet. It showed that Sheppard was suffering from very much pain. He had trouble focusing and ignoring the pain but he was determined not to surrender. The Wraith Keeper stood still and watched him with an exalted expression on her face. She clearly dominates the fighting arena and Sheppard knew he could never win from her. Yet Sheppard knew that she could still make a mistake if she got overconfident. At least he hoped she would make a huge mistake.

Suddenly Sheppard tried to attack again and within a few seconds, he was down on the ground again. Even without her quarterstaff, she was able not only to avoid him, but she had taken Sheppard quickly and effectively down. “This fight is over you have lost,” The Wraith Keeper called out towards Sheppard. Sheppard raised his head and saw The Wraith Keeper turned towards the Commander and walked in his direction. While walking she removed her protective top and handed it to the Commander. Sheppard saw she wore a small cloth top underneath to cover her breasts. Without the protective top, she was more vulnerable. Sheppard pulled himself up and took his fighting position again.

“This fight is not over until I say so,” Sheppard called out in response. The Wraith Keeper was surprised. She turned around and looked at Sheppard with fury in her eyes.

“You cannot fight any more, your body is weak,” The Wraith Keeper explained in a degrading tone and turned her back towards Sheppard again.

“We will fight,” Sheppard yelled at her and immediately started his attack. He was able to hit her on her back and now she crumbled down. Fury was building inside her. She jumped up and turned around to avoid Sheppard’s next attack. Sheppard moved around The Wraith Keeper and hit her chest with the quarterstaff. She showed signs of pain, but was able to get a hold of Sheppard’s staff. Sheppard let the staff go and aimed to hit her again on the chest when he felt her arm hit him full on his chest instead. Sheppard was taken down by the pain and shortness of breathe and collapses to the ground. He tried to get up but his legs would not cooperate any more. All strength faded from his body and he was no longer able to resist the pain. He had broken several ribs and had trouble breathing.

The Wraith Keeper threw the quarterstaff at the Commander and knelt at Sheppard’s side. “The fight is over!” she commanded him. Annoyed she pushed her hand on Sheppard’s chest and Sheppard felt more pain stinging through his body. Sheppard knew he had to try to free himself and tried pushing her away. He placed his hands on her chest and lifted his body to get her off him.

Suddenly the pain faded away and the look on his face changed from frightened to stun. Sheppard was unable to resist her and his body fell back to the ground. Sheppard felt very groggy and his vision blurred. He tried to focus on what happening and looked her in the eyes. She also seemed to be affected and looked dazed as well. The Wraith Keeper sat still kneeled at his side and her hand was still on his chest. Yet he felt nothing. Sheppard fought to keep his eyes from closing, but quickly loses.

*** Chapter 20 ***

When Sheppard opens his eyes, he faces a bright light. The light hurts and he has trouble orienting where he is. His chest still hurts, but the rest of his body feels numb. Sheppard tries to moves his legs but they refuse. He is able to turn his head and finds himself still lying on the canvas in the fighting ring. He turns his head back and notices The Wraith Keeper is still sitting kneeled next to him. She is aware Sheppard has awakened and leans over his body. Her face is close to his and she stares questioning at him. Sheppard cannot focus and her image stays a blur to him. He feels The Wraith Keeper’s hand tightly pressed against his chest. The metal from her hand armor has punctures his chest. The puncture wounds are very painful, but the rest of his body is flooded with a tranquil surge. His body has not aged and Sheppard concludes that The Wraith Keeper is not feeding upon him. However, he does not understand what she is doing to him. Sheppard clears his mind and focuses on The Wraith Keeper. A small lock of her hair changes color from her head down to the tip. The deep red color fades and turns in shiny silver. Sheppard blinks his eyes a couple of times. It all seems a very bad and unbelievable dream.

When his eyes open again, he looks straight into The Wraith Keeper’s eyes and she respectfully returns his look with a satisfied smile on her face. She briefly turns her head to the Commander and softly hisses to him. Pleasure sparkles in her eyes when she looks back at Sheppard. He knows he has to sever the link they have. Sheppard fears it will not be long before The Wraith Keeper has enough of the games played and will turn on him. He makes one last attempt to push her away. He reaches his arms and places them on her chest. Sheppard takes a deep breathe and gathers all strength left in his body to move her away. The more he tries to free himself the more he feels her drain the strength from his body. His body gets even more tightly pressed to the canvas until Sheppard is finally unable to move. His arms fall down and his eyes close again.

Sheppard feels awake, yet he cannot open his eyes. He is able to move his arms and legs a bit. His whole body feels heavy and it takes a great deal of effort to finally open his eyes. The spotlights are still shining in his face and when Sheppard turns his head, he sees the familiar canvas mat in the fighting arena. At the end of the mat, the darkness begins and Sheppard knows he has to reach the door and try to get out. Gently Sheppard turns on his side. His body cramps from pain and breathing is very difficult. A small sign of relieve is shown on Sheppard’s face when he moves his arms and notices they are still not aged. After taking a deep breathe Sheppard tries moving to the door when he hears footsteps behind him. Frustration emerges inside his body, these Wraith are really pissing him off.

Sheppard is sick of their games and turns his head to see what is happening behind him. A small light on the wall illuminates The Wraith Keeper pushing the Commander violently against the wall. She stands very close to him and makes a solid and confident impression. Now two small locks on each side of her hair have turned completely to silver. The Wraith Keeper runs her hand through the Commander’s hair and turns his face towards her. She closes her head to his and Sheppard does not feel happy when he sees the two of them kissing. The Wraith Keeper moves her hand along the Commander’s face and down his chin to his neck. With a fast and resolute move, she rips open his jacket. She uses her hand armor to cut a path down the Commander’s shirt and removes it from his chest. The Wraith Keeper turns her head a bit and with ecstasy shown all over her face, she smashes her hand on the Commander’s chest.

The Commander holds one arm around The Wraith Keeper’s waist and supports her. With his other hand, he moves her hair from her face and runs his hand further down along her body. They both continue the kissing while the Commander pulls The Wraith Keeper’s body closer to him. When they are both standing very close to each other he gently places his hand on her chest. Sheppard turns his head around again. He gets nauseous by the sight of The Wraith Keeper and Commander being in this very aroused state. He pulls himself a few inches towards the edge of the canvas before he passes out again.

Sheppard wakes up when he exits the Stargate. Two Commanders hold him at his arms. Sheppard is facing the ground and feels he is dragged away from the Stargate. Black leather boots, sand and rocks pass underneath Sheppard’s vision and he is starting to realize he is no longer in the Hive ship but on a planet. A cloud of dust hits Sheppard in his face, forcing him to close his eyes. Sheppard knows he is far too weak to protest or to try to escape and therefore does not attempt it. The Commanders take him to an open area a few yards away from the DHD and release him. Sheppard drops face down to the ground. He has neither the strength to move, nor does he think it is wise to let the Commanders know he is awake. As long as they think, he is still unconscious they might leave him alone.

Sheppard keeps his eyes closed and tries to hear what is happening. He feels on of the Commanders walk past him and dust falls down on Sheppard’s arm. The sound of the DHD being dialed reaches Sheppard’s ears and he has to fight his instincts to check out the current situation. He hears the Stargate engaging and shadows cross his body when several Wraith walk away from him. They must be heading for the Stargate and Sheppard waits patiently until the Stargate has closed again. He focuses and tries to listen for strange sounds. A couple of birds singing suddenly break the silence. Sheppard feels the bright sun burning on his bare back and after a couple more minutes, Sheppard opens his eyes. He needs a few seconds to adapt to the light. He raises his head and sees the rest of his team is lying near him. Their guns and other equipment are lying even further away. Teyla, Ronon and McKay seem to be unconscious but unharmed and Sheppard is pleased.

Sheppard turns on his side and tries to stand up, but fails. Instead, he crawls towards the DHD. When he reaches it after several minutes, he is able to gather the strength to pull himself up. Sheppard is weak and has trouble to keep standing on his feet. He leans on the DHD and after a quick scan at the DHD Sheppard has determined the address, he should dial to Atlantis. He presses on the symbols to start the dialing process. After the seven symbols, Sheppard reaches for the central hemisphere to complete the dialing process. He feels the strength drain away from his body and while collapsing down he smashes his hand on it.

Sheppard now lies back on the ground while the wormhole to Atlantis is created. Sheppard sighs with relieve and frustration. He forgot to take a radio to contact Atlantis. He turns on his side again and starts to crawl back to the group. Sheppard is fighting to stay awake. He stops and takes a few moments to rest when the Stargate disengages. His eyes close and Sheppard falls back in an unconscious state.

Sheppard feels his body is lifted and opens his eyes. The shadows around him slowly turn into Atlantis medics. Two medics lift Sheppard and place him carefully on a stretcher. Sheppard is still incapacitated by pain. He feels very dazed from what The Wraith Keeper did to him. He tries to speak, but cannot move his lips. A sign of relieve however is shown on his face. One of the medics places an oxygen mask over Sheppard’s nose and mouth while the other places an IV in Sheppard’s arm. Sheppard turns his head and is glad to see Teyla sitting kneeled next to him. She looks comforting down. “Just take it easy, you are going to be fine,” she tells him in a soft and kind voice. “We are all fine too. Of course McKay is back to complaining again, but we’re all in one piece,” she adds and a smile appears on her face. Sheppard is glad to see a familiar face and her smile.

He briefly closes his eyes and when he opens them again, Teyla is still sitting next to him. She takes his hand and holds it tightly to let him know he is not alone. Teyla helps the medic strap Sheppard securely to the stretcher. Sheppard tries to follow everything happening around him. He feels confused and panicked. His hart rate is increasing and he is fighting against the restraints. Teyla places her hand on his cheek and looks Sheppard straight in his eyes. She forces him to focus on her. After a few seconds, Sheppard is calming down again. Teyla keeps her attention focused on Sheppard while the medics finish strapping Sheppard. After this, one of the medics places a bandage on Sheppard’s chest. This causes an intense surge of pain rushing through Sheppard’s body. He tries crumbling from the pain, but the restraints have immobilized him. He looks desperate at Teyla and she is fearful about what happened. She closes her face to Sheppard. With a kind smile, she wants to make him understand he is going to be fine when Sheppard passes out again.

*** Chapter 21 ***

The moment Colonel Sheppard wakes up in the infirmary on Atlantis, Doctor Beckett and Doctor Weir are standing next to him. The bed feels comfortable and Sheppard is relieved to be in a known and safe environment. Doctor Beckett checks Sheppard’s responses by shining a light in his eyes. He is still feeling numb and undergoes the check-up without complaining. Doctor Weir places her hand on his shoulder. She has a very relieved look in her eyes. Sheppard turns his head to her. He stares dazed at her. “Julia, is she ok?” he asks in a whispering voice. Doctor Weir nods and smiles back at Sheppard. She has been very worried about the safety of the team. Now finally Sheppard is awake too a heavy load drops off her shoulders.

Doctor Weir turns around and takes a few steps to a small cradle. DoctorWeir gently takes Julia out of the cradle and walks back to Sheppard. “She’s just fine,” Doctor Weir lets Sheppard know. That same moment a tender smile appears on both Sheppard’s as on Julia’s face.

“Let me hold her,” Sheppard whispers again. He tries very hard to put his arms out. However, he lacks the strength to lift them more then a few inches. Doctor Weir gestures Sheppard not to try any further and carefully places Julia on Sheppard chest. Sheppard moves his arm to support Julia a bit. A joyful sparkle appears in Julia’s eyes. With a smile on her face, she makes some babbling sounds. Sheppard enjoys the sight and touches her small hand. “He ‘little one’, missed me?” he asks in a very soft tone while he keeps watching Julia. She closes her tiny hand around one of Sheppard’s finger. Her eyes open wider and twinkle from pleasure.

“I think she indeed missed you,” Doctor Weir tells Sheppard. “We all did,” she adds. Sheppard looks up at Doctor Weir and a satisfied grin appears on his face.

“Really!?” Sheppard asks her teasingly. Doctor Weir smiles astonished while Sheppard closes his eyes and falls back asleep.

*****

Sheppard feels the soft mattress he is lying on. He slowly opens his eyes. It takes him only a second to realize he is indeed still in the infirmary. A sigh of relieve emerges on his face. Sheppard knows he is safe and feels a bit better. Breathing is less painful and he is able to move his legs. He turns his head and sees his hand is placed in Julia’s cradle. The cradle is standing right next to his bed in the infirmary. Sheppard turns on his side and gently moves the blanket aside. Julia’s has curled her little body around his hand and she seems to be fast asleep. She lies very peacefully and probably has no idea what happened to Sheppard and the rest of the team.

Julia moves one of her arms and hooked it even further around Sheppard’s hand. Sheppard gets the hint and moves the blanket back to make sure Julia stays warm. Even while Julia is asleep, she has a little smile on her face. Sheppard enjoys the sight and feels fortunate. Not only is he glad to be alive but also to be able to make a difference in this baby’s life. His experience with The Wraith Keeper has made him determined to raise Julia as a kind and polite kid. Just to prove that a Wraith baby is not born as evil and vicious as The Wraith Keeper was. He turns back and finds the bed is much more comfortable then the metal benches in the Hive ship. All muscles in his body are relaxed and Sheppard stares at the ceiling of the infirmary.

Doctor Beckett looks up from his computer screen and sees the Colonel is awake. He silently stands up from his seat and picks up his stethoscope from his desk. He walks calmly towards the bed. “Feeling a bit better?” he asks interested. Sheppard turns his head. Without any problem, he is able to focus on Doctor Beckett. He sees the calm and comforting look from Doctor Beckett.

“I’m feeling alive,” Sheppard states, “if that is what you mean.” Sheppard gently removes his hand from the cradle and hopes he does not wake Julia. She moves a bit to find a comfortable position to lie in, but does not wake up. Sheppard makes sure the blanket is well covering Julia and he tucks her in. He tries pulling himself a bit up. Sheppard is still very weak and dazed but he has to agree that he is feeling better then before he fell asleep.

“Is the pain less?” Doctor Beckett asks him.

“Yes, but I still feel awful,” Sheppard answers immediately. Doctor Beckett puts the stethoscope in his pocket for now.

“I am not surprised,” Doctor Beckett starts explaining. “We have done several tests in the past two days. There where some pretty strong Wraith enzymes in your bloodstream. The levels have dropped, but I think it will take some time before they are completely out of your system.”

Sheppard is baffled by the information he just received. “Hold on… Two days…?” Sheppard asks for confirmation. His eyes are wide open and disbelief shows on his face.

Doctor Beckett takes Sheppard’s wrist and takes his pulse. While doing this he continues his story and hopes Sheppard calms down a bit. “Yes you have been out for quite some time,” Doctor Beckett states. “Your vital signs have stabilized and even your wound on your hand is healing properly. Your chest wound however is not healing that fast, so I think you will be here for a little while longer.” Sheppard lifts his head and looks at his hand. The wound inside it is indeed almost gone. Sheppard starts to remember every detail about what happened and The Wraith Keeper did to him. He lifts the sheet and sees a large band-aid covering the wound on his chest. With a frustrating sigh, Sheppard drops his head back on the pillow and turns his view back to the ceiling. Doctor Beckett understands Sheppard need some time to comprehend the situation. “Just let me know if there is anything I can do for you,” he lets Sheppard know in a calm voice. Sheppard takes a deep breathe but keeps looking at the ceiling. Inside anger and hatred grow. He turns his head back at Doctor Beckett.

“How about killing a ‘Vicious Red Hair Wraith’?” Sheppard calls out. After these words he turns his head towards the ceiling again and closes his eyes. Doctor Beckett takes his pocket light. He turns it on and tries checking Sheppard’s pupil reaction. Sheppard lifts his hand annoyed and pushes Doctor Beckett’s arm with the light away. With fury in his eyes, he looks at Doctor Beckett and sighs again. He takes yet another deep breath and calms down. Doctor Beckett watches Sheppard calmly and puts his pocket light back. He nods at Sheppard, who closes his eyes again. Before leaving Sheppard, he briefly checks the IV. He then turns around and walks back to his desk.

Sheppard has been staring at the ceiling for a while when he pulls himself up in bed. He grabs the remote from the side and raises the head of the bed a bit. Doctor Beckett looks up from his computer again and Sheppard nods confirming he is all right. Doctor Beckett activates his radio and contacts Doctor Weir to let her know she can come and visit Sheppard. After this, he stands up and walks to Sheppard again. While walking to the bed he takes his pocket light from his jacket again and Sheppard grins. His body still feels weak and tired, but mentally he feels a lot better and stronger. This time Sheppard does not fight Doctor Beckett and let him checks his pupil reaction. When Doctor Beckett is done, he hands Sheppard a cup from the table next to the bed. It is filled with water and Sheppard takes a sip from it.

The door in the infirmary opens and Doctor Weir enters. With firms steps she walks toward Sheppard. She has a relieved smile on her face. Doctor Beckett takes the cup from Sheppard and places it back on the table. “He is awake and responsive. I will do some more tests later today,” Doctor Beckett states while directing his attention at Doctor Weir.

Doctor Weir briefly looks at Doctor Beckett and nods, “Thank you.” Doctor Beckett puts away his pocket light and smiles comforting at Sheppard. He then turns around and walks to his desk.

Sheppard hides the grin from his face and with a very serious tone he states, “I’m disappointed,” at Doctor Weir. She looks puzzled and has no idea how she should respond to this. Could it be Sheppard is still not himself or is he kidding her.

“Why?” Doctor Weir asks him. She has a serious and questioning expression on her face. Sheppard keeps his face fixed.

“Well I have been lying here for two days…I have been told…,” Sheppard starts. “And no flowers, no cards and no one at my bed side when I woke up.” DoctorWeir smiles, luckily Sheppard was indeed just teasing her.

“Feeling a lot better I see,” Doctor Weir states in response. Sheppard smiles at her.

“Yes, the pain is almost completely gone, but don’t put me up for a fighting class from Teyla or Ronon just yet,” Sheppard jokes. Doctor Weir is relaxing now she knows he is still the old Sheppard she knows.

“Maybe next week...,” Doctor Weir teases Sheppard. Sheppard chuckles and grabs his chest. Laughing still hurts.

“Or the week after,” he mentions while trying to ease the pain. He moves a bit to lie more comfortable again. Doctor Weir looks friendly but her eyes also express concerns.

“I have read the report from the others and I like to hear what happened after they have taken you away, but it can wait,” Doctor Weir immediately adds. Sheppard thankfully nods. “Any idea’s on why they let you go?” Doctor Weir asks him curious. Sheppard swallows and watches Doctor Weir straight in her eyes. He does not have the answer for her. He has thought about an explanation since he has been awake.

“I really have no idea...,” Sheppard explains. “Maybe because of Julia…The Wraith Keeper somehow sensed the baby hormones I’m sure of that.” Sheppard briefly turns his face towards Julia again then he looks back at Doctor Weir. With a satisfied smile and a determined voice he states, “She surly is worth fighting for.”