Medea: Part 8
Todd’s leather covered feet sink into the sand as he lugs the corpse up a steep dune. Helena’s body was quite valuable, if his scientists could find out exactly what the virus attacks. It reacted in a similar manner as the modified Hoffan drug, but the results were far more gruesome and hazardous.
The strips of her desert suit prevent the blood from seeping out of the tight wrapping. The Wraith did his utmost best to prevent any risk of infecting himself. It was a demise he did not particularly enjoy seeing himself in.
A slow hour of tedious, rhythmless walking rolls past him as the last of the sun sinks below the darkening horizon. Brilliant oranges and pinks splashed across the sky, with near purple dunes stretched endlessly before him. The Wraith saw beauty in this unforgiving planet. The landscape briefly let his mind wander away from the task at hand and the weight of deadly flesh that lay like a sack of fat over his left shoulder.
Step, step, drag, step, slide: his footfalls were uneven, hidden just below the ridge of the dune. Alone, he would be a clear target for the creatures who hunted during the cool hours. While he was confident in his ability to ward off the largest of the predators on this continent, an injury would decrease his body’s already diminishing energy supply. The herds settled near the main river, too far for him to travel in a weakened state with the threat of dawn looming over him.
It was not just timing that bother him. There was intelligence there, he thought, despite Jennifer’s assumption. She focused on Myrna and no one else. Todd’s eyes narrow briefly as he considers the way Helena had locked on to the Hybrid. It could have been that the Hybrid was seen as the weakest of the group and simply just an easy kill, or the Wraith could settle with the suspicion that clawed at his mind.
I should not have left the humans alone. It was far too late to turn back now. He reassures himself that whatever happens, they could handle; ever resourceful those Earth humans. It was a shame the odd female would no longer be around to protect their doctor.
The wanting of an Overseer ruined a much needed asset to their race. Helena had the potential to make a Queen worth serving if she had been trained properly. The Wraith brushes the thought away; no need to dwell on such an insignificant past event. Helena was dead, as well as the occupants of the entire facility. There were many more hidden throughout the galaxy, but the loss (as small as it was) was still a stinging blow to their race.
Todd heaves a strained sigh and lowers his burden to the pea sand on the shadowed side of the slope. The moonlight here would light his presence like a beacon to any being passing by as his shadow painted the entire side of the dune.
With the weight off his shoulder, the Wraith allows himself a much needed moment of rest. While he would much prefer the flour soft sand in the valley, but it would leave him exposed and risk the temptation of sleep.
Rubbing his left hand over his face, Todd leans back against the rough sand. He could feel the sharp grains through the fabric of the suit. In a way it was comforting to know that his discomfort would keep him awake. The instinct to sleep picked at his mind, to conserve energy, bury into the sand where it was safe and wait for prey to wander by. He knew better. While the primitive survival tactic usually worked, time was of the essence and his cargo had a fast approaching expiration date.
The Wraith found himself in a mess he didn’t particularly enjoy; a mess that always seemed to happen when these Earth humans became involved with any business of his. Still, Todd could not bring himself to turn his back on them. He would keep his word, though not for the Gift-bond he shared with Sheppard. His loyalties with these humans lay elsewhere.
“We cannot risk possible defects in a new queen.” Todd had said to his second three days before approaching the planet.
They had discussed which options were available to them for the good part of the sleeping cycle of the Hive. The ruse Teyla had allowed them to maintain was becoming difficult to keep alive in the Alliance. The six Queens were becoming suspicious of him once more and responding to a call for help may gain them a Queen out of gratitude.
“It will be difficult to screen them all,” the second says, “If we are even allowed equipment during the choosing. If a rival Hive bribes them…”
“I know,” Todd rumbles. He knew this fact; it did not require being pointed out. The trait reminded him of the Earth humans and felt his second questioning the amusement he projected.
Shaking his head, Todd says: “I will go alone. With an open distress signal it will be easier to get the information we need.” The females would be locked away. Only the Overseers and guards would be able to walk freely.
The second frowns, not masking the reluctance of accepting this plan of action. They needed the records of these females. If the plague had gotten past a female’s defenses, then it was of the utmost importance that their work be completed. An inoculation against the Hybrids’ terrible imprint on the galaxy would aid their race and bring the Commander into a powerful position. It was a position he did not mind seeing himself serving under; his closeness with this Old One would elevate his status greatly and perhaps gain him command over his own Hive.
The sour faced Wraith hid this ideal behind his reluctance. If the Commander did not return, there were a select few who would challenge him if the position fell open. Eventually, he nods and says: “I will set the course and have a servant insure your suit is in working order.”
The Wraith lost track of how long he had been walking. The first moon was directly overhead, and the second, broken moon was nearly over the horizon. The variant lighting cast odd shadows across the land, his own waved both beneath and to his right. It cast up the dune, long legged and walks along side him.
The pressure Helena put on him slackens as the Facility came into view. Only a trained eye could pick out the organic mass protruding from the cliff wall that stretched across the northern desert. Todd had long forgotten what the humans called the massive barrier now; if they still referred to it by the name he had once been told.
Some shoved away emotion plucked at him as he carries the dead female through the fence. It was unfortunate she had to be returned to the place where she had once felt safe like this; wrapped in her old suit and robe destined to be picked and pulled apart in examination. Todd exhales sharply, forcing the pang of regret away. It was an emotion he could not afford to let toy with his judgment.
A mental push opens the door; it peels apart for him with a damp swish. The rush of cool air that spills forth out of the entryway nearly knocks the Wraith over. It was a fetid smell of death and animal presence.
The Wraith readjusts the filter over his nose and mouth. It only stifles the scent, but reduced the impact. Carefully he places Helena by the entrance, laying her flat to avoid sloshing her innards anymore than they already had.
Rolling his shoulders, Todd was glad to be free of the burden for now. The halls were dark, lit only by the facility’s emergency lighting; it cast a pale blue glow in patches that would persist until the organic compound decayed.
The database will be at the center of the facility on the lower floors, protected by the earth. The Wraith stands slowly, ignoring the pop in his spine as he straightens. Once he returned a feeding and tending by his servant will sooth what complaints his body had.
His footfalls echo faintly. The walls of the facility had a natural sound dampener for the sake of the older occupants to lessen the severity of the newborns and those whose feeding slits were beginning to open. Darkness was oppressing, the blue light that struck him every seven strides did nothing to lessen the great black sucking mass around him.
Night vision showed the Commander that nothing lived in these halls. His mind could pick up nothing but cold emptiness. Still, he was on edge, anticipating something to materialize from the black and strike him down: such a foolish notion.
At the center of the compound he was still in one piece. No unmentionables had befallen him, and his ancient mind could come up with plenty of terrible lurking horrors waiting in the dark. Still, he pushed the dread away; the picking knowing of what was happening, of what had returned to threaten his race over a threat within a threat.
Ah, the first threat, lessening as time went on. What upset these new humans so? Sheppard had mentioned once that Todd reminded him of a shark, and the Wraith naturally took to the laptop the Earth humans provided him. Humans had so many protection programs for those creatures: great aquatic beasts that had the power to swallow a humanoid whole. He had laughed as the thought of a similar program cropping up for his species.
With a shake of his head, Todd, lets the elevator door close, enveloping him in black. He feels it stop and the door slid open into an orange tinted hallway. The remaining power had diverted to the lower level to protect the embryos and breeding records.
Blocking his way was the corpse of an Overseer. His face was stretched in the permanent expression of shock: eyes clouded by death but flung open wide, the mouth agape and tongue torn free. Todd squats to push the body aside when he notices a particular detail of the wound gaping across the Wraith’s belly. The edges of the great tear lacked bruising.
Todd rolls the body over, curious if there was another reason this Wraith was dead. Brushing the pink tinted hair to one side after he sees there are no obvious signs of trauma along the back, he notices a single puncture wound. His lips pull into a deep frown as he leans down for a better view. The area around the hole was a near purple and spiders out to a black, while the hole itself was only a centimeter in diameter.
After a moment the Wraith stands once he pushed the corpse to one side. Never step over the body of one of your own, rival or not.
He would check the development chamber first, if there were any viable embryos they could be returned to his Hive and sent to another facility. He did not put his hope of saving any of the near Queens up very high. The attackers were thorough.
The door at the end of the hall parts for him and the Wraith steps inside. His breather could not remotely stifle the pungent smell of the facility’s developing fluid. It was a scent he had experienced before, centuries upon centuries ago when a long dead Queen requested he join her to birth her first young.
Each tendril extending from the low ceiling held an embryo at various stages of metamorphosis: the fish like egglings, the near humanoid pupae, and finally the near infants soon to be released. The glow indicated life, radiating from the tendril in a muted gold, blue at the bases. Beautiful.
All but two were living.
The Wraith knew he needed to get them all safely transported. They needed to be scanned for infection and tampering. The task would be extremely difficult for the egglings and pupae. The nutrients flowing from the core could only be cut off from them for no more than an hour.
Inhaling deeply through his mouth, he leaves the near Queens to their privacy. The data bank would be concealed in a room to the right of the hall, close to the core. He had so much to retrieve before dawn.
The strips of her desert suit prevent the blood from seeping out of the tight wrapping. The Wraith did his utmost best to prevent any risk of infecting himself. It was a demise he did not particularly enjoy seeing himself in.
A slow hour of tedious, rhythmless walking rolls past him as the last of the sun sinks below the darkening horizon. Brilliant oranges and pinks splashed across the sky, with near purple dunes stretched endlessly before him. The Wraith saw beauty in this unforgiving planet. The landscape briefly let his mind wander away from the task at hand and the weight of deadly flesh that lay like a sack of fat over his left shoulder.
Step, step, drag, step, slide: his footfalls were uneven, hidden just below the ridge of the dune. Alone, he would be a clear target for the creatures who hunted during the cool hours. While he was confident in his ability to ward off the largest of the predators on this continent, an injury would decrease his body’s already diminishing energy supply. The herds settled near the main river, too far for him to travel in a weakened state with the threat of dawn looming over him.
It was not just timing that bother him. There was intelligence there, he thought, despite Jennifer’s assumption. She focused on Myrna and no one else. Todd’s eyes narrow briefly as he considers the way Helena had locked on to the Hybrid. It could have been that the Hybrid was seen as the weakest of the group and simply just an easy kill, or the Wraith could settle with the suspicion that clawed at his mind.
I should not have left the humans alone. It was far too late to turn back now. He reassures himself that whatever happens, they could handle; ever resourceful those Earth humans. It was a shame the odd female would no longer be around to protect their doctor.
The wanting of an Overseer ruined a much needed asset to their race. Helena had the potential to make a Queen worth serving if she had been trained properly. The Wraith brushes the thought away; no need to dwell on such an insignificant past event. Helena was dead, as well as the occupants of the entire facility. There were many more hidden throughout the galaxy, but the loss (as small as it was) was still a stinging blow to their race.
Todd heaves a strained sigh and lowers his burden to the pea sand on the shadowed side of the slope. The moonlight here would light his presence like a beacon to any being passing by as his shadow painted the entire side of the dune.
With the weight off his shoulder, the Wraith allows himself a much needed moment of rest. While he would much prefer the flour soft sand in the valley, but it would leave him exposed and risk the temptation of sleep.
Rubbing his left hand over his face, Todd leans back against the rough sand. He could feel the sharp grains through the fabric of the suit. In a way it was comforting to know that his discomfort would keep him awake. The instinct to sleep picked at his mind, to conserve energy, bury into the sand where it was safe and wait for prey to wander by. He knew better. While the primitive survival tactic usually worked, time was of the essence and his cargo had a fast approaching expiration date.
The Wraith found himself in a mess he didn’t particularly enjoy; a mess that always seemed to happen when these Earth humans became involved with any business of his. Still, Todd could not bring himself to turn his back on them. He would keep his word, though not for the Gift-bond he shared with Sheppard. His loyalties with these humans lay elsewhere.
“We cannot risk possible defects in a new queen.” Todd had said to his second three days before approaching the planet.
They had discussed which options were available to them for the good part of the sleeping cycle of the Hive. The ruse Teyla had allowed them to maintain was becoming difficult to keep alive in the Alliance. The six Queens were becoming suspicious of him once more and responding to a call for help may gain them a Queen out of gratitude.
“It will be difficult to screen them all,” the second says, “If we are even allowed equipment during the choosing. If a rival Hive bribes them…”
“I know,” Todd rumbles. He knew this fact; it did not require being pointed out. The trait reminded him of the Earth humans and felt his second questioning the amusement he projected.
Shaking his head, Todd says: “I will go alone. With an open distress signal it will be easier to get the information we need.” The females would be locked away. Only the Overseers and guards would be able to walk freely.
The second frowns, not masking the reluctance of accepting this plan of action. They needed the records of these females. If the plague had gotten past a female’s defenses, then it was of the utmost importance that their work be completed. An inoculation against the Hybrids’ terrible imprint on the galaxy would aid their race and bring the Commander into a powerful position. It was a position he did not mind seeing himself serving under; his closeness with this Old One would elevate his status greatly and perhaps gain him command over his own Hive.
The sour faced Wraith hid this ideal behind his reluctance. If the Commander did not return, there were a select few who would challenge him if the position fell open. Eventually, he nods and says: “I will set the course and have a servant insure your suit is in working order.”
The Wraith lost track of how long he had been walking. The first moon was directly overhead, and the second, broken moon was nearly over the horizon. The variant lighting cast odd shadows across the land, his own waved both beneath and to his right. It cast up the dune, long legged and walks along side him.
The pressure Helena put on him slackens as the Facility came into view. Only a trained eye could pick out the organic mass protruding from the cliff wall that stretched across the northern desert. Todd had long forgotten what the humans called the massive barrier now; if they still referred to it by the name he had once been told.
Some shoved away emotion plucked at him as he carries the dead female through the fence. It was unfortunate she had to be returned to the place where she had once felt safe like this; wrapped in her old suit and robe destined to be picked and pulled apart in examination. Todd exhales sharply, forcing the pang of regret away. It was an emotion he could not afford to let toy with his judgment.
A mental push opens the door; it peels apart for him with a damp swish. The rush of cool air that spills forth out of the entryway nearly knocks the Wraith over. It was a fetid smell of death and animal presence.
The Wraith readjusts the filter over his nose and mouth. It only stifles the scent, but reduced the impact. Carefully he places Helena by the entrance, laying her flat to avoid sloshing her innards anymore than they already had.
Rolling his shoulders, Todd was glad to be free of the burden for now. The halls were dark, lit only by the facility’s emergency lighting; it cast a pale blue glow in patches that would persist until the organic compound decayed.
The database will be at the center of the facility on the lower floors, protected by the earth. The Wraith stands slowly, ignoring the pop in his spine as he straightens. Once he returned a feeding and tending by his servant will sooth what complaints his body had.
His footfalls echo faintly. The walls of the facility had a natural sound dampener for the sake of the older occupants to lessen the severity of the newborns and those whose feeding slits were beginning to open. Darkness was oppressing, the blue light that struck him every seven strides did nothing to lessen the great black sucking mass around him.
Night vision showed the Commander that nothing lived in these halls. His mind could pick up nothing but cold emptiness. Still, he was on edge, anticipating something to materialize from the black and strike him down: such a foolish notion.
At the center of the compound he was still in one piece. No unmentionables had befallen him, and his ancient mind could come up with plenty of terrible lurking horrors waiting in the dark. Still, he pushed the dread away; the picking knowing of what was happening, of what had returned to threaten his race over a threat within a threat.
Ah, the first threat, lessening as time went on. What upset these new humans so? Sheppard had mentioned once that Todd reminded him of a shark, and the Wraith naturally took to the laptop the Earth humans provided him. Humans had so many protection programs for those creatures: great aquatic beasts that had the power to swallow a humanoid whole. He had laughed as the thought of a similar program cropping up for his species.
With a shake of his head, Todd, lets the elevator door close, enveloping him in black. He feels it stop and the door slid open into an orange tinted hallway. The remaining power had diverted to the lower level to protect the embryos and breeding records.
Blocking his way was the corpse of an Overseer. His face was stretched in the permanent expression of shock: eyes clouded by death but flung open wide, the mouth agape and tongue torn free. Todd squats to push the body aside when he notices a particular detail of the wound gaping across the Wraith’s belly. The edges of the great tear lacked bruising.
Todd rolls the body over, curious if there was another reason this Wraith was dead. Brushing the pink tinted hair to one side after he sees there are no obvious signs of trauma along the back, he notices a single puncture wound. His lips pull into a deep frown as he leans down for a better view. The area around the hole was a near purple and spiders out to a black, while the hole itself was only a centimeter in diameter.
After a moment the Wraith stands once he pushed the corpse to one side. Never step over the body of one of your own, rival or not.
He would check the development chamber first, if there were any viable embryos they could be returned to his Hive and sent to another facility. He did not put his hope of saving any of the near Queens up very high. The attackers were thorough.
The door at the end of the hall parts for him and the Wraith steps inside. His breather could not remotely stifle the pungent smell of the facility’s developing fluid. It was a scent he had experienced before, centuries upon centuries ago when a long dead Queen requested he join her to birth her first young.
Each tendril extending from the low ceiling held an embryo at various stages of metamorphosis: the fish like egglings, the near humanoid pupae, and finally the near infants soon to be released. The glow indicated life, radiating from the tendril in a muted gold, blue at the bases. Beautiful.
All but two were living.
The Wraith knew he needed to get them all safely transported. They needed to be scanned for infection and tampering. The task would be extremely difficult for the egglings and pupae. The nutrients flowing from the core could only be cut off from them for no more than an hour.
Inhaling deeply through his mouth, he leaves the near Queens to their privacy. The data bank would be concealed in a room to the right of the hall, close to the core. He had so much to retrieve before dawn.