Fic: Queen of Atlantis 8/10
"Nothing?" the Wraith queen laughed. "Nothing? I have two hives to your one tiny ship, and you say I am nothing?"
"You are nothing," Hathor snarled. "You are a parasite, preying upon my subjects. I am their ruler, and you have caused me untold misery. So I have come to stop your reign of terror upon my subjects."
The Wraith queen found that terribly amusing. She laughed until she had to hold onto the back of the chair in front of her. Then she raised her eyes to the screen and hissed like a serpent. "I fear you have it wrong, human.'
"Again you insult me," Hathor growled. "I begin to fear that you are blind, Wraith. That you hunger so much that it has affected your sight if you can not see that I am Hathor, not 'human'."
The queen snarled.
Hathor pressed, "In fact, I fear that you are such a coward that you dare not face me directly."
"You fear wrongly," the queen hissed. "The planet below will serve as our meeting place. Fifteen minutes." And she cut the connection.
Only then did Hathor's eyes change back to Hatshepsut's green and she sank into the central chair recently installed on the Jumper, her hands trembling with effort.
"My lady?" Rodney asked, turning to her, his concern not entirely from the thrall.
She smiled sadly at him. "It is all right, dear one," she sighed. "The plan proceeds."
He smiled and turned back to the business of flight.
"You're still certain this will work?" Hatshepsut whispered to the forms hidden behind the curtain.
"Fairly so," Janet's voice whispered back.
"Too much of a good thing and all," Vala snickered, then there was a 'crack'ing sound and her hissed, "Ouch, Sam!"
"Shut up," Sam snarled. "Shep, are you okay?"
It was Hathor that answered, "I hate this. It is unpleasant to have thralls again after so long without them."
"You truly are different from your mother," Janet breathed.
"Congratulations," Hatshepsut snarked. "It only took you six years to figure it out."
"Well, you do have all her memories, so..." But it was an old argument, lacking heat and full of affection now.
"Yes, Sam," Hatshepsut belatedly answered, "I'm okay. But I will be more okay when this is over and we can get rid of the thrall. I miss their personalities."
"So do I, but we have a job to do," Sam pointed out.
Hathor stood and put her hand on Rodney's shoulder. "Land us, beloved."
"Yes, loving Lady," Rodney smiled adoringly at her before he turned his attention to flying.
~*~
"So," Hathor said as she walked out to face the Wraith queen and her two attendants. Her own two attendants flanked her. "Not a coward after all."
"You are smaller than you appeared on the transmission," the queen hissed.
"And you are even gaunter and uglier," Hathor snarled.
The queen hissed harshly, spreading her hands.
"I repeat my order," Hathor said. "Leave this sector. Do not bother my people."
"And I inform you," the queen said, taking a sashaying step forward, "that you have made a grave error in judgment."
"Oh?" Hathor snarled. "What would that be?"
"You have delivered your people -- whoever they are -- up unto me and my drones." The queen suddenly smiled a terrible, toothy grin. "Once I have depleted their queen, that is!"
"Loving Lady!" Rodney and John shouted at the same time in warning.
But Hathor was a split-second too slow. She gasped as the Wraith queen's left claws shredded her robe open, then let out a mewling cry as the feeding hand slammed forcefully into her chest.
Then she knew nothing but a stab of pure agony as the Wraith queen began to feed upon her.