This is my first attempt at an Atlantis Fic. I mostly do SG-1, but hey! I'm starting to really like Atlantis. I have a McKay fic, but it's not even close to ready to post, so I hope you'll like this.
I'll try to get in more of the canon characters later. They're going to part of this, but unsure yet exactly what I plan on doing. This chapter just came out of boredom - - and my intrigue into the Wraith. I dunno why, but I think they're interesting so I wanted a story that surrounded the interactions with one (although as you will find out later, he's not really like all the rest of them).
This first chapter isn't much, so please don't judge the idea of the whole story off of it. Give me a chance with the next chapters.
Necromancer
One: The Awakening
Lieutenant Gabrielle Octavian leaned down and picked up a portion of broken clay pot. It was only one of the many pieces of debris laying about. "It looks like everyone left in a hurry." She said, raising to her feet. "And they didn't do it by choice."
They had come here on a return visit. There had been a small population of people living near the Stargate, but they had told them about multiple peoples that lived around the planet. After explaining this to Weir she had agreed to let them come back and try to make allies of the people of this world. However, when they had stepped through the event horizon they came upon silence and destruction.
"The Wraith?" Dr. Fredricks inquired.
"I don't think so." Gabe said slowly, turning the shard in her fingers. With a sigh she dropped it. "Either way, we should investigate. If someone's hurt we should try to find them."
"Geez, Octavian, who died and made you boss." Solomon muttered. She shot him a dark look, but before she could say anything another voice interrupted.
"Its okay. She's right." It was Captain Harris. "Spread out and look for survivors. Don't get into trouble. If you see anything strange, anything, don't play hero. Return here and radio everyone else."
They all agreed. Gabe tossed the strap of her gun over her shoulder and pulled her cap down over her eyes to shield them from the sun. "See ya guys." She called, waving a hand behind her as she vanished into the woods.
"Well, I guess we know which way she's going." Solomon said. Everyone nodded.
- - -
Gabe stepped cautiously through the forest. She didn't want to alert anyone -- or anything to her presence. Whatever destroyed that village might still be here. She only hoped she was right and that it wasn't the wraith. So far she and her team had been very lucky to not run into them. All they knew were from stories of Sheppard's team, and well, that one they had captured some time back. Once she had guarded the thing. Not very pleasant.
The area was too quiet, as if it were holding it breath for something. Gabrielle felt that it was something dangerous. Her bones ached, and she swore her joints creaked. That only happened in cold weather, or when trouble was around. She had to be more than careful, she had to be stealthy.
She hoped that Benivir and his wife had escaped all this. They had been so kind to her team the first time they were here. Especially to Gabe. Helsa, the wife, had half-joked with her about how hard it was being the only woman in a group of men. She was right. Sometimes it was hard. They always thought she was so fragile. If the wind blew wrong she was supposed to break.
Captain Harris was the only one who ever really gave her a break. Fredricks was a nice guy, but he was too nice. He was always watching out for everyone, but mostly he was all over "protecting" Gabe, who to be frank, thought that she should probably be protecting him. Considering she was the trained Air Force Officer.
She pushed through some undergrowth and moved into a clearing after checking it out. In the center sat a strange looking stone altar. At least she thought it was an altar. She frowned at it. In the middle of the stone was a large obsidian sphere that seemed to be glowing with energy. Around it, carved in the stone was writing. Dr. Yukino would love to see this.
She reached out her hand to touch it, although that was probably a stupid thing to do. One of he things everyone on Atlantis had learned is don't touch things that you know nothing about. Actually that had been a rule (mostly forgotten) for anyone who had ever gone through any gate. Her fingers had almost reached the surface when she felt a hand clamp around her wrist.
"Do not touch that."
She tried to wrench herself free, spinning around to face her aggressor. When she did she gasped. "Wraith."
- - -
What a strange human female, he thought, dropping the unconscious girl on the floor. Why was she here? She was a danger, he knew this. He also knew she should be killed. She held partial genes of the Ancient's, the Wraith's enemy. Yet something stayed his hand. How was she here? The Ancients had long ago fled this galaxy. Had they returned? If so he had to learn all that he could.
For now he had to wait until she came to, but there would be no complaints, considering that he had to check on something beforehand. The device. The containment capsule that she had unwittingly nearly awakened. If she had done something to it…
- - -
Dr. Fredricks sighed to himself and leaned against a tree. It had been a couple hours and he hadn't see any sign of survivors. In fact, he had only seen evidence that they were probably all wiped out. However, he did not believe in Lieutenant Octavian's opinion that the wraith didn't have anything to do with it. He didn't have an explanation for no bodies yet, but that didn't mean their main enemy didn't do this.
It wasn't just the surroundings that had begun to get to him. Half an hour before he had lost communication between he and his companions. Solomon had a habit of turning off his radio, but Captain Harris would have never been unavailable. It was also unlike Octavian to be silent for as long as she had. Usually she had something to say, even if it was just an anecdote from her childhood. She hated silence, and the only thing that could keep her from calling in was if she found anything, which in this case she still should have radioed in. Maybe she had found something…
Maybe all of them had found something. That's what Fredricks was really worried about. What if his teammates were in danger?
"Screw this." He muttered. "I'm going back to Atlantis and getting some back-up." He turned to go back, but when he did he came face to face with a dark form with glowing eyes rising before him.
His strangled scream of terror lasted only moments before silence.
- - -
He had returned to the clearing when he heard the shriek. It was one of the girl's comrades. There had been four of them including her. He had watched them come through the Stargate from an observation console he had set up. They were unfamiliar, unlike any people's he had ever seen. He had decided to watch them, and like they had promised during their last visit they had come back. Perhaps now they wished they hadn't. As soon as they found the secrets of this world they would be lucky to make it out alive.
He quickly made his way over to the device. Like he had hope against the machine was disturbed. The dark liquid-like energy was gone, the crystal prison once again transparent. The Great Danger had been awakened - - and even the Wraith were in trouble.
He cursed and spun around, the tail of his long coat swinging around his knees. It was time to talk to the girl. She had done this, and she would fix it… or else.
- - -
Gabe felt sharp fingernails dig into her shoulders. She was being lifted to her feet. Her grogginess was just fading when an angry voice began to demand things of her. "Who are you!? What are you doing here!?" Pause; not even long enough for her to answer even if she could have. "ANSWER ME!"
"Fuck!" She swore, pushing at whoever had a hold of her, "let me go!" Her memory was still fuzzy around the edges. As it came crashing back she remembered her unfortunate encounter. The wraith… She thought. Wait, but why am I not dead? She finally was released and allowed to step back.
She was surprised to see the wraith that had grabbed her and brought her here - - wherever here was - - standing there with his long arms across his chest. "I let you go, now answer me." Not very patient, but at least he had done what she had requested. Strange, but she wasn't going to question it.
She decided since he was being a good sport, she would, too. "My name is Gabrielle Octavian. Lieutenant. I'm an explorer."
"Where are you from?"
"Earth." She answered. Not like they didn't know already that they were from a planet called 'Earth.' Yet Somehow she was getting an odd feeling from this one. He wasn't like the rest of them. Perhaps he really did not know. The next question confirmed this thought.
"Earth? Where is Earth? It is not in the Pegasus Galaxy."
"Got that right." She said, mirroring his stance and folding her arms across her breasts. "I would have thought you would know that, considering that your kind are now out to get mine."
"You are an Ancient." He stated, as if that was obvious.
She frowned. How did he… "No. Not really." Why the hell was she telling him this? You don't want to die. That's why. She could just picture herself pissing him off and getting the life sucked out of her. She had heard about Colonel Sumner and frankly had already decided she would prefer not to go out that way. She's rather be shot, drowned, quartered…well, maybe not quartered, but you get the point.
"You are lying."
"No. I'm not. I'm not an Ancient, but I - - I'm a descendant. I suppose that's the way you would look at it. I got the 'magic' gene."
"You are only a partial Ancient?" He understood, but then again, didn't. This matter would have to be looked into further, but that would come later. "What did you do to the device?"
"What device?"
"The device you activated!" He snapped, "the one I said not to touch."
"Oh, that thing. You mean that was a device? What does it do?" She ignored his anger.
"Nothing, now." He growled.
"I broke it? I'm sorry."
He groaned in annoyance. "Sorry!? Apologies can do nothing for the situation you have created. You have perhaps set upon the universe a doom you cannot imagine!"
"You're being a little dramatic, don't you think?" She asked carefully. She hoped. "And I thought you guys, ya know, the Wraith, were a great doom." Then said added quickly, "No offense."
With a sharp cry he reached out his hand. For a moment she thought he was going to kill her, but instead he just grasped her neck and yanked her forward. "Can you even comprehend what you have done?"
"Are you implying I'm stupid?" She barked. His grip tightened. "Geez, oww!"
"Child." He muttered, letting her go and shoving her back. "Foolish child."
"Excuse me?" She picked herself up off the floor, dusting herself off. He was starting to piss her off now.
"You have let free an extraordinary power. It will destroy everything it comes in contact with. It is its nature."
"You destroy." She shot at him.
"We take what we need!" He screamed back. "It will annihilate everything! I was placed here to keep this form happening. For thousands of years I have prevented His rising, and you mess all that up! Now you will have to fix it."
"Fix it? Me? Why?"
"You let it out. You must send it back. There is no way around this."
"No… No, I can't do this." She held out her hands. "You're crazy."
"If you don't, everything will die."
"Why do you care?"
"Why do you not?" He questioned. She was silenced. After a moment of letting her think he asked, "well, what is your answer?"
"Are you sure?" She was timid. He nodded. "Then I guess I will have to do it. You promise not to kill me?"
"That would be unwise, now would it not?"
She shrugged, "I guess so." What have I gotten myself into?
- - -
"What's the matter?" Major John Sheppard strode up to Dr. Weir. She had called him and his team up to the control "room" by the gate. "What did you need?"
Elizabeth looked very worried. "Harris and his team were due to contact us three hours ago. We've heard nothing from then. When we tried to get them on the radio there was no answer."
"You think something has happened to them?" Ford inquired, arriving next. McKay was right behind him.
"Yes. We send a MALP through to check out the area. It's been completely ransacked. Something happened there."
"You want us to go?" Sheppard again. He knew Harris. He wasn't irresponsible. He would have answered if he was able.
"You and Gareth's team. Find out why they haven't come back, and be careful."
John nodded. "Come on," he waved to his team. "Let's get ready." He hoped they wouldn't be too late…
Please Read and Review so I know you're interested. If nobody cares then I'll probably just forget it. I've got too many other stories to get writing on. However much I love this idea its not worth working on if no body will appreciate it.
Thanx for lending me your time.
Muse.