SGA fic: Step Outside

[schneefink]

Title: Step Outside
Genre: AU, friendship, adventure, gen
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: ~14900
Summary: For years, the small group of survivors has been able to hide from the Wraith behind their shield. But now that the Wraith have found a potentially dangerous new weapon, Teyla is forced to act.

Notes: Written for sga_genficathon, for the prompt Stargate accident (it's there if you squint), and originally posted there. Much love and gratitude to michelel72 and busaikko for hand-holding and making it better. All remaining mistakes are mine.
All sorts of feedback, including concrit, are very welcome and make me happy.



Teyla had to wash the Wraith blood off before the shield would let her in. It sparked against her skin even after a thorough bath in the river. She shivered in the cool air and wished she had taken the time to wash her coat.

She had entered the shielded area in the middle of the field. As she ran towards the town she took care not to step onto the small shoots that had started to appear a few days before. Soon they would be able to start harvesting the first roots; then they would also have a harvest celebration, with music and good food and a few dances. Teyla thought of the Wraith she had killed not half a day away and barely bit back a heartfelt curse.

Charin would have smiled and said that she spent too much time with the Southerners. Thinking of Charin calmed her, and when she reached Rodney's workshop the rush of the fight had finally left her.

Rodney was alone, sitting at his workbench and for once not muttering to himself. He jerked around when she knocked lightly against the wall and his eyes widened.

"Are you okay? Did something happen?"

Teyla paused in surprise and then remembered what she must look like. "I am fine," she assured him. "But it would be very welcome if I could borrow a coat."

"Sure. I should have one around here somewhere." Rodney went into the next room and Teyla took the opportunity to look around. In one corner stood an almost-completed wheelchair, one that looked far more sophisticated than the simple chair with wheels he had built as an emergency solution when John had arrived only days ago. On the main shelf his notes on the Artifact were unorganized once again, so he must have been working on it. And next to the notes lay a few small figures that looked like toys.

"Here," Rodney said and thrust a dark overcoat at her. "That should fit."

"Thank you," she said, putting it on with some relief.

"So, what happened?" He followed her look and blushed when he saw the toys. "Yes, well. What happened?"

"I encountered a Wraith," she said simply.

"A Wraith? Here?" he exclaimed. "That's impossible! It could never have gotten through the shield!"

"I was outside the shield. I was planning to hunt and to make sure that the Wraith John spoke of were far enough away not to be an immediate danger."

"Looks like they are."

"Yes," she said simply.

"But wait," he said, frowning, "shouldn't Sora have noticed if the Wraith came that close? She and her little band of merry men are always running around in the woods, right?"

"Yes," she said, eyes narrowing, "that's precisely what I will ask Sora when they come back."

"They're back already," Rodney said. "Sora came by two hours ago. She said she wanted to speak to Sheppard."

Teyla tensed. "Did she say why?"

"No. Just said that Min had told her about Sheppard and she wanted to ask him something."

"Do you know where they are?"

"Sheppard was going to play some pointless games with the kids. I told her they'd probably be around the town square. Why? Is there a problem?"

Teyla breathed out slowly. "It is nothing. Have you heard from Ronon yet?"

"No, but that's not unusual, he's often a couple of days late." Rodney looked at her curiously. When she did not explain further, he turned back to his workbench with a quiet huff. He had already learned that he wouldn't get an answer if he kept asking. "Fine. Oh, and Min said he'd cook for us tomorrow. Apparently Ford caught something."

"Thank you, Rodney."

He made a quick gesture in response, already absorbed in his work again.

***

Teyla went to the town square next. She could hear the children's bright laughter from several streets away.

"Mama!" Torren ran into her from behind as soon as she walked onto the square and hugged her knees. "You're back! Look what we made!"

"Torren," she said warmly and twisted around to hug him. Torren jumped back and pointed at the wall.

"Look!"

Teyla looked at the picture of a large green animal with dark red spots that had been drawn on one of the houses. It appeared to have two horns and large, crooked claws. Tomin stood on his toes on an empty box and appeared to be painting a feathered wing. "It looks very pretty," she said with a wide smile.

"It's a sharraff," Yira said proudly, carefully drawing another big dot. Her hands were red and green with chalk.

"Yes, a huuuuge one!" Torren ran back to the wall and squatted to add another claw.

"They've been working on this the whole day," Aiden said with a grin as he came to stand beside her. "I told them it could rain tomorrow, but they didn't care."

Teyla looked up automatically. The sky was light grey, and she did not think it would rain heavily. "I do not think they will mind painting another picture."

Aiden laughed. "As long as they don't run out of chalk. Hey, did you hear, we caught some rabbits today. I bet Min's going to prepare a feast."

"Maybe he'll open a jar of berry sauce," Lannée suggested. She was sitting on one of the benches and showing Ashin a new string figure that involved her left foot. Her hair was pinned up to expose the intricate black swirls of the tattoo on her shoulder blades, almost invisible against her skin.

"Yeah," Aiden said wishfully.

"I wish to speak to you," Teyla said in a lower voice. Aiden looked at her in surprise and then, instead of fidgeting, just nodded. She was reminded once again how much he had grown up since the Wraith had come.

"Where have you been hunting this season?" Teyla asked as soon as they reached the other end of the square, far enough not to be overheard. Lannée had looked up and watched them sharply, but she turned around again when Aiden shook his head.

"The same place we did last season," he said. "Behind the river, west of the old charcoal piles."

"You're lying."

"I'm not." But he avoided her eyes.

"I was attacked by a Wraith today," she said harshly. "In the same place you promised to keep free of them. Tell me, is it a matter of negligence or incompetence that allowed the Wraith to come into shouting distance of this town?"

Aiden winced. "You killed a Wraith? Congratulations," he offered weakly.

She ignored it. "Where is Sora?"

"I don't know. Honestly," he said, raising his hands. "I don't know. She went off with Sheppard, said she wanted to ask him something."

"About something you discovered elsewhere."

Aiden winced again, but said nothing. He wouldn't tell her anything, she realized.

"Tell Sora I want to speak to her."

"Sure," he said automatically. "But, uh…"

"Tell John the same. Tell the others that there may be Wraith in the forest; they have to be careful."

"Aren't you going to tell them yourself?"

"Tomorrow." She felt a small stab of guilt – she probably should tell them as soon as possible. But she was already starting to notice the strain of the fight and did not look forward to an evening carefully talking around the subject of Sora. Now that Sora, Lannée, and Aiden had returned it was unlikely anyone would go outside the shield until the next day. "I will be at home."

"Fine," Aiden said, frowning slightly. "Are you hurt?"

"No," she said, perhaps more sharply than she had intended. Aiden backed off a bit and shrugged in acquiescence.

Lannée was watching them. Teyla wondered if Lannée would have told her more; she was more often than not the silent one, but she did not hesitate to argue with Sora when they disagreed. Now, however, Lannée would not speak of anything that Aiden had obviously refused to tell.

Teyla turned around, intending to say a brief goodbye to Torren, and started to laugh. The sharraff now had a large flower garland and a tail with an enormous tuft.

***

Teyla breathed out slowly as she moved through the exercise, feeling all the places where bruises would form. Her muscles were burning pleasantly and she had to remind herself not to overdo it. It was difficult with the image of the Wraith still fresh in her mind. She had been lucky: the wind had blown in her direction and she had heard the Wraith long before it noticed her. Careless, but it didn't expect a threat. For a moment she had even thought it might not notice her, but it had walked straight at her and she had attacked while she still had the element of surprise.

The fight had been fast and vicious. Her back still ached where the Wraith had thrown her against the tree. It had been reasonably well-fed; not as strong as some of the Wraith that had attacked the town over three years ago, but strong enough that it had almost ignored the first stab wound and conjured shrieking shapes of mist to fly at her. Only when she had managed to push the knife through its feeding hand had it shown signs of injury, and even when it lay unmoving on the ground she hadn't trusted its death until she had broken its neck and almost decapitated it. It had been a long time since she had encountered a Wraith, but she had not forgotten how to kill them.

Afterwards, she had waited, hidden, for other Wraith to come, but none appeared. That was strange: Ronon had mentioned occasionally encountering single Wraith, but they were usually sent from a dart and specifically hunting for him. Raid or exploration groups tended to consist of five to seven Wraith, one commander and several drones. Lone Wraith were rare, though not unheard of. When they came near a settlement or town the inhabitants often hunted them down and took great pleasure in killing them, seeking revenge for everyone they had lost.

Teyla finished the last form, paused, and then drank greedily from the water flask. The sun was touching the higher trees; Torren would come home soon, and he'd be hungry.

Charin had never stopped trying to teach her to cook, and when Charin had died Min had continued her work. By now, Teyla felt that she was a passable cook. Rodney still claimed that Torren didn't complain only because he didn't know anything else, but even he had started asking for a second portion when he came to eat with them.

This evening she made baked toya. Stirring the pot was soothing, and she found herself humming under her breath. Torren, to her regret, didn't like to sing, and he didn't like to listen, either. The only musical thing he liked was drumming. Rodney had discovered Torren's preference, and Rana made him two beautiful small drums. The whole town regretted it whenever Torren was in a bad mood.

Teyla was thinking about looking for Torren when he finally arrived. He was walking behind John's wheelchair, occasionally pushing it and grinning proudly when John sped up.

"Thanks, kid," John said solemnly. Small purple flowers stuck between the bandages on his arm and even on his legs – Yira's work, probably. "Hello, Teyla."

"Hello Mama," Torren said and ran past her to the kitchen wall.

"John. You are welcome to stay for dinner," she greeted him.

Torren was already putting the plates and cutlery on the table. "You have to see the sharraff! It's amazing!" he said excitedly. "Tomin made a crown! Aiden says there are many crowns in the South."

"I wouldn't say many. Maybe one or two," John said, rolling his chair to the table. Torren's face fell, and John quickly amended, "But I'm sure there are more where Aiden's from."

Torren looked confused. "But you are both from the South."

"The South is pretty big, kid," John said with an indulgent smile.

Torren opened his mouth but stopped when Teyla put the pot on the table. He bowed his head and murmured a quick thanks-giving. Teyla looked at him and felt as if her love illuminated the room.

"Tell me a story!" Torren demanded when he looked up again. "With crowns and animals flying and balloons!"

"Balloons?" John asked, amused, and took another ladleful of toya.

"Aiden speaks of them often," Teyla explained. "Colorful balloons and cotton candy. I believe he asks Rodney to invent a machine to make it every season."

"Rodney says candy is bad for your health," Torren said seriously around a mouthful of dinner.

John grinned. "He's right. But hey, I bet Rodney'll help us to make some flying lanterns, they're even better than balloons. Where I come from they used to have this festival…"

The festival did sound amazing, Teyla had to admit. John was a good, if somewhat reluctant storyteller: he concentrated on the fun parts, and he didn't mind when Torren laughed about stories he had clearly intended to be suspenseful. Every once in a while he tried to illustrate something with his hands and winced when he remembered his bandages. He seemed reluctant every time Torren asked for another story, but he always gave in, and the food was long cold when they finally finished dinner.

After they did the dishes Torren immediately went to his corner and took out his chalkboard.

"I think he enjoyed the stories," John said, sounding proud.

"He did," Teyla agreed. She shifted in her seat so she could face him fully.

"So what did you want to talk to me about?" John asked.

"Sora came to speak with you today," she began carefully.

"Yeah. She said she and the other two just came back from a hunting trip and she wasn't caught up on the news. Ford and that other girl, the black-haired one, stayed with the kids."

"What did you tell her?"

John frowned. "Shouldn't I have talked to her?"

She chose her words with care. "Occasionally, Sora acts… rashly. And if you told her about what you saw…"

"I did," he said. "What do you think she's going to do?"

"I am not sure." It was not precisely a lie, but she did not want to share her fears. Especially since she didn't know John well enough yet to know if he would support Sora's course of action. He was a soldier, he had said, but there were many different kinds of soldiers.

"Do you know where she is now?"

"She said she was going for a walk in the woods."

That meant that she was probably checking several of the caches she, Ford, Lannée and Bern had hidden near the town. If she had taken a light she would not be back until late.

Could she trust that Sora would not do anything hasty before speaking to her? They had agreed to that, even though Sora sometimes "forgot" to mention where she was going. But this time it was personal for her, and Teyla could not predict how she would react. Surely she would at least wait for Ronon to arrive?

John was looking at her expectantly. "I apologize for keeping you," Teyla said, standing up.

"Nah," he said easily. "Thanks for dinner."

"You are welcome. Torren quite enjoyed your company."

Torren did not let John leave until he had confirmed that the squiggles looked like real cotton candy.

***

Teyla woke up from another nightmare. At least she had not woken Torren, who was still clinging to her as he often did in sleep. She looked at the patch of purple sky she could see through the window and tried to dispel the foreboding that it would be an exhausting day.

Torren was quiet during breakfast, indicating that he had not slept well. He agreed without enthusiasm when she proposed going to Rana and Linor's. He seemed to lighten up on the way there, kicking small stones along the way, but he did not talk much, and after a while she let him be. Although she could not shake the instinctive desire to help him with whatever was troubling him, she had long since learned that sometimes it was better to wait for him. Often he would act as if everything was all right only a short time later, and spending time with Tomin and Yira usually helped. Maybe Ashin would play highball with them later.

Rana was watering the small plant pots on the windowsills of the house next to hers. "Teyla, Torren," she called when she saw them, raising the watering can in greeting.

She maneuvered expertly with the can and the crutches and arrived at the door just as Teyla and Torren did. Torren waved at her and Rana waved back with her fingers. "Do come in!"

It was quite dark inside, as Rana and Linor's house had smaller windows. The room was divided by several colorful cloths that hung from the ceiling. Linor emerged behind one of them, smiling at Teyla and then crouching down to greet Torren.

"He'll need a razor soon," Rana announced and Linor ducked his head. "And a haircut."

"I am not sure," Teyla said teasingly, "Yira thinks he looks cute with long hair."

"Charin said I should not do as you did and run around with long hair until it gets tangled in branches and you have to cut it all off," Linor replied innocently, still sitting on the floor. Teyla smiled in reminiscence.

"Aiden told us about yesterday," Rana said in a lower voice. "Everyone will be extra careful when we have to step outside the shield."

"Good," Teyla said, relieved."Until we know where it came from, we should not take unnecessary risks."

"Speaking of risks, I've seen Sora," Rana said.

"Where?"

"Walking down the street towards the river, just a few moments ago."

"Thank you." Teyla took a step towards the door and then turned again, looking for Torren. She could hear rustling behind one of the large cloths.

"Lunch at Min's, we'll bring him," Rana assured her. Teyla gave her a grateful nod and went in search of Sora.

***

She had only passed four houses when she spotted Sora on the street. For a moment Teyla thought Sora would run away, but instead she waited until Teyla had caught up with her. She had her gun and knives with her and wore hunting clothes. Her face was still clean, her hair dry and brushed, so she had most likely spent the night in town. Teyla wasn't sure if she should be relieved or not.

"I heard you're looking for me," Sora said curtly.

"It's good to see you safely returned," Teyla replied.

Sora scowled. "Thank you. Was there something you wanted?"

"Do not try to kill the queen."

"You have no right to order me around," Sora spat.

"I have every right in this instance," Teyla countered, stepping closer. "You know the danger, and nothing would be gained from it even if you succeeded. You cannot needlessly endanger all our lives by acting in rage!"

Her voice had become louder. Sora drew herself up and they stared at each other for a long moment.

"Rest assured, whatever I do, I will be well prepared," Sora finally said.

"Sora…"

"I'll wait for Ronon's arrival, and I'll make sure to inform you before we act, if it's possible. But you don't have the authority to keep me here."

"I had hoped that you had learned about consequences," Teyla bit out. It came out more harshly than she had intended. A part of her was satisfied when Sora flinched.

"Have a good day," Sora said formally and stepped past her.

Teyla didn't answer. I do not have the authority, she wanted to say, but I do have the ability, and by the Ancestors, Sora, if you endanger my son, I will gladly see you a prisoner for the rest of your life.

She took a deep breath. It would not come to that, she told herself. Sora would come to her senses, and surely Aiden and Lannée would not go along with her idea. Besides, the town was protected now. The Wraith would not come here again. Elsewhere, however…

No. She would not let it happen.

Teyla thought about going back to Rana and Linor's, but decided against it. She needed fresh air, and upset as she was she did not want to alarm Torren. She walked towards the river and then turned downstream, heading for the place she'd left her coat and knives the day before. The wind was cool and she regretted not wearing the coat Rodney had lent her, even if it wasn't as warm as her own.

This time she hardly felt the shield when she stepped through it. Looking back at the apparently empty countryside she fought down the familiar, disconcerting feeling of being lost and instead spared another moment to be grateful for the protection the shield offered them. "Better late than never," as Rodney said when he was very drunk.

The coat and knives were in exactly the same place where she had left them. She carried the coat to the laundry spot down the river and started scrubbing it over the washboard, harder than was probably necessary.

She would get another chance to talk to Sora at dinner. Min would surely prepare a feast for the whole town – she should help him prepare the tables for everyone later. And after dinner she could call for a town meeting. Sora would have to attend, as would Aiden and Lannée. Surely Sora would not act against the wishes of everyone in the town. No, Teyla corrected herself, Sora would, but maybe she could be convinced. Maybe. And Teyla would take the opportunity to ask Sora where they had been "hunting" instead of protecting the area around the town.

Something rustled on the other side of the river. Teyla jumped up with her knives in her hands; it was probably just an animal, but it never hurt to be careful.

A man stepped out of the woods, his hand raised in greeting, and Teyla exhaled in relief.

"Ronon!" she called.

He grinned widely and started to run. Teyla stepped aside as he ran over the stepping stones and then jumped across the river, remembering just in time to snag the coat away from his landing place.

Ronon landed in a crouch and immediately straightened up, one-handedly checking his coat pockets. "Teyla," he said, stepping forward and hugging her.

"It is good to see you," she said against his shoulder and then pulled back to look at him closely. He appeared to be unhurt, and on first glance she didn't see any new scars. He wore two new beads in his hair and had a new tattoo on his neck that looked like a letter of the Satedan alphabet above a stylized animal she didn't recognize.

"Melena's family sign," Ronon said proudly, touching the mark with his fingertips.

"Congratulations," she said sincerely.

"She said she was tired of waiting for me to ask her and that she already had the ink ready," he confessed with a grin.

Teyla carefully did not say "I told you so," a phrase that had become common in the town ever since Rodney's arrival. Ronon saw her meaning anyway and laughed.

"How's Torren?"

"Good. He has developed a fondness for adventure stories. I think he will keep you busy this evening!"

"Yeah, I have lots to tell him," Ronon said with a grin. "That your coat?"

Teyla nodded and gathered it up. It looked cleaner than it had in a long time. "Hopefully not many sad tales."

Ronon grimaced. "We're doing okay. Most of the smaller towns and villages get culled at least every few moons, but they're adapting. Many of them are still trying to fight back, but whenever they become dangerous the Wraith bomb them. They wiped out Taranis recently." He quickly made the Satedan commemoration gesture. "I heard there're some people in the South who are apparently fighting off Wraith cruisers, but I don't know how much of that is true." He looked at her and added: "I've met someone who said that two moons ago Athos was okay. She didn't know who they lost, but she remembered meeting Halling and some other people. I made a list. She didn't know Kanaan, though."

"Thank you," Teyla said evenly. Athos was okay, Halling was alive. She tried to ignore that Ronon hadn't found Kanaan, again. Maybe he was in the South, or unable to travel or send word for other reasons.

"So how're things here?" Ronon asked in an obvious attempt to change the topic.

"Fine. Although…" She hesitated. "Four days ago a flying machine crashed half a day's walk from the town. Min and I went to investigate. We found the pilot, a Southerner called John Sheppard. He was badly wounded, but still alive. Linor set his legs and Rodney made him a Southern device, a chair with wheels to get around. He should recover, eventually."

"But," Ronon prompted her. They were walking slowly towards the town. The shield let them through without problems, and Ronon visibly tried not to startle when the town suddenly appeared before them.

"He says that when he was shot down, he was touched by the mind of a queen."

"A queen," Ronon said sharply.

"Yes."

"Where did he come from?"

"The South. He cannot say exactly, but from his description of what he saw, Min said the queen was most likely near a place he called Upper Caves."

"Have you checked it out yet?"

Teyla hesitated again. "No. But Sora, Lannée, and Aiden lied about what they were doing, so I don't know where they have been. I do not know what they are planning, either."

"Sora's the angry blond one?"

"Yes," she said, amused.

He grunted. "So what are your plans?"

What were her plans? Part of her had known, but hearing Ronon ask finally made her admit to herself that she had to do something. She could not hide behind their shield and hope that Sora would not do anything foolish. Having a Wraith stronghold, and a queen's no less, this close was dangerous, and they did not know what the Wraith were doing outside the mountains.

"I do not trust Sora." The words felt heavy in her mouth.

Ronon raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "You already said that."

She didn't answer. They had nearly reached the first houses, and after estimating the time she led him towards Min's house. Everyone would be glad to see Ronon, relieved that he was alive and eager for news from other cities. He didn't carry a large bag this time, but he had probably stashed away a few sweets for the children. When it came to sweets even Ashin forgot to protest that he was not a child anymore.

"You came at the right time. Min is cooking for everyone today," she said as they took the last turn.

"Did Charin provide the secret ingredient?" he asked with a grin.

She had almost forgotten how much Ronon had loved Charin's liquor. The memory made her throat tight. "Charin passed away last fall."

"I'm sorry," he said sincerely, making the commemoration gesture again.

Then Min saw them and called for the others to welcome Ronon back.

***

Teyla helped Alos carry the dishes outside while Min supervised the cooking pots and the children gathered around Ronon. He had indeed brought them sweets, small red candies wrapped in colorful paper, and they were sucking on them eagerly, dismissing Rana's suggestion to wait until after lunch. The smell of whichever animal Min was cooking already drifted through the streets, and in the kitchen Teyla had seen that he did indeed have a small bottle of Charin's liquor.

Lannée and Aiden were inside, stirring the pots. Most likely Lannée was making sure Aiden did not taste half of the sauce. She wore one of her embroidered vests, but it was already food-stained.

Sora came a short time later. She greeted Ronon politely, and Teyla could almost see her adapting her plans to his arrival.

"We should hold a town meeting after lunch," Sora said, quietly enough for the children not to hear her. "Ronon certainly has news to tell us all, and we can discuss what to do further."

"Good idea," Alos agreed readily. Teyla fought back the irrational annoyance that Sora had come up with the same idea and simply nodded.

Lunch was ready when Rodney finally arrived, pushing John's wheelchair and complaining about people who always tried to do everything by themselves. Min had made a delicious roast with vegetable sauce and wild onions and visibly basked in the compliments he received, handing out second servings with a proud smile. Ronon in particular ate like a starving man, or someone who had spent the last moon walking through Wraith-infested lands. Everyone kept asking him questions about the towns he had visited, the things he had seen, and the people he had met who were still alive and well; he answered between bites, careful not to talk too much about the Wraith where the children could hear him. When he finished eating he told the tale of his bonding ceremony, acknowledging the congratulations with visible pride and an unusual shyness.

Teyla's fingers twitched, and for a moment she thought she could feel the partnership band on her upper arm again, where she now had two scars. She wondered if Kanaan still had his. The image of his body, lying unmoving on the ground with the band on his arm, came to her mind, and she shook her head to dispel it. Rana gave her a sympathetic look.

"Ashin, why don't you play highball with the children?" Alos finally suggested.

Ashin grimaced but then nodded. After Charin's death, Alos was the eldest, and Ashin's parents had been traditional in that regard.

"I don't want to," Yira protested.

"Can Ronon come?" Torren asked.

"You go and train now, and I'll join you later," Ronon promised.

"Okay. Bye, Mama," Torren said and hopped off the bench. Tomin, who was playing idly with one of the straws he liked to carry and whistle on, followed, and Yira grudgingly went after them.

"So," Rana said, "now for the ugly truth. How bad is it?"

"About the same. They're quicker to attack when encountering resistance, but rumors say that's because there's more successful resistance. Supposedly in the South. That true?" Ronon looked at John.

"Sumner's gonna kill me," John muttered and sat up straighter in his chair. "We're doing okay. We had some losses, but we have some Ancient technology that's keeping them at bay. But we don't know how long that'll work."

"Ancient technology?" Rodney asked, outraged. "You never told me that!"

"It's not like it'll help you, McKay. I'm not a scientist."

"Yes, but—"

"So they sent you looking for a place to attack them," Sora interrupted him, staring at John.

"Pretty much," John said. "There are no major Wraith installations down South. Maybe the climate doesn't agree with them. They only send ships, but we know they don't use the Gate that often. The ships have to come from somewhere."

"And if you do find something?"

"Then we'll find a way to attack," John said simply. Even though he was still bruised, bandaged, and sitting in a wheelchair with so many broken bones, he did not sound ridiculous. It reminded her of another time, when someone else had said nearly exactly the same words. Teyla suddenly felt cold.

"And how are you going to do that?" Lannée asked skeptically.

"We'll figure something out."

"It will not work," Teyla said.

"We'll find a way," he repeated stubbornly.

"No. Even if you find a way to attack them, even if you succeed in your attack, more Wraith will come. If you do not have a way to close the Portal, more Wraith will come, and they will seek revenge. Can you close the Portal?"

"Not yet," John admitted.

Rodney snorted. "It took me years to make some progress. I bet your so-called scientists are still trying to figure out the pretty squiggles."

"Look, Teyla," John said, leaning forward, "I get it. But what are we supposed to do? Just sit and wait like obedient cows to be eaten?"

"There is a difference between fighting the Wraith and attacking with no plan!"

"If you had the strength to fight Wraith ships you would have done so when they first came," Lannée interrupted.

"We weren't prepared then."

"You might be prepared. But can you protect everyone? Will you take responsibility for all the people the Wraith wipe out after you destroy their base?" Teyla asked angrily.

"This is not only our fight!"

"So you have no right to blindly race ahead and force your decision to risk destruction and death for a momentary feigned victory on everyone!"

She had stood up somewhere in the middle of the fight, her fingers digging into the table. John looked like he wanted to stand up, too, but had settled for glaring at her. She did not look away, even though fury kept building in her. It seemed like the air between them should start to burn.

"Stop that," Ronon said, with a note of finality in his voice.

"It's relevant," Sora said. Teyla finally turned her head, and Sora gave her a quick, triumphant look. "Because there's a Wraith queen in the forest, and we need to act."

Teyla sat down, her hands flat on the table, and breathed deeply while Sora quickly told Ronon what John had seen.

"So you want to, what, kill the queen? That's different," Rana pointed out. "John's people's strategy would at least weaken the Wraith somewhat."

"So would the death of a queen," Sora said. "In fact, from what we know of the Wraith, it's likely they have more drones than queens. The death of a queen would be a heavier loss than any number of ships."

"And would be avenged, as you well know," Alos said calmly.

The table fell quiet. Rodney fidgeted, and Teyla wished he would look at her so she could reassure him.

"Wait," John frowned, "a queen died?"

"Don't you know?" Rana asked, surprised. "About three years ago. A queen died, and that's when they started the first mass killings."

Teyla glanced at Sora, but her face showed no reaction.

John shrugged uncomfortably. "We just thought they were annoyed by the resistance. We're in the high South," he defended himself.

"It didn't matter. They just got a new queen," Linor said. "For all we know, they're like bees: when they need a queen, they breed one."

"You can kill a hive by killing the queen," Sora countered.

"It just means that you get stung a lot before the new hive moves in. Except if you smoke the place out and regularly add the right dried leaves," Linor added.

Aiden grinned and demonstratively rubbed the part of his arm where his shirt had ripped when he had gone to collect honey with Linor last spring. It had taken a long time for the swelling to disappear. Linor noticed his gesture and blushed.

"Oh please. We can't 'smoke out' the planet," Rodney said mockingly. He was drumming his fingers on the table, watching the fights like a spectator at a highball match, but careful not to get involved. The last time he had tried, he had managed to insult everyone.

"I know that." Linor ducked his head in embarrassment. Rana elbowed him gently in the side.

"It wasn't a bad analogy."

Sora huffed. "If they react, it's because queens are precious to them. There's no guarantee they'll find another queen again or this quickly. One queen in a tiny facility in the woods is an opportunity we'll never get again."

"We can't risk so many lives on guesswork alone. And how do you know about the Wraith facility?" Teyla demanded.

"John mentioned it," Sora said.

"No, I didn't," John corrected her. "I just felt the queen."

Sora gave him an angry look, but John just raised his eyebrows.

"We've been hunting in that part of the woods. Recently we've seen more Wraith. We think they built a small base there, but we haven't found it yet," Lannée said.

"Lannée!" Sora glared at her.

Lannée stared back. "They need to know."

"We do. And when did you intend to tell us?" Rana asked with narrowed eyes.

"Soon?" Aiden offered.

"That's why there were Wraith near the other side of the town, like the one that attacked Teyla," Rodney realized out loud.

"Sorry about that," Aiden said sheepishly. "We didn't think they'd come this close."

Rana crossed her arms and glared. Min sighed, and Alos just looked disappointed. Teyla knew that he would have been the first one to shout at Sora if anyone had got seriously hurt.

Sora scowled. "We don't know why they're suddenly building a base. Rodney said it's possible they found an artifact of the Ancestors. And if there's a queen there, it has to be important. We can't allow them to have that advantage." Teyla glanced at Rodney. He nodded in confirmation, but did not look happy; probably he realized only now why Sora had been interested in his theories. "We can find the Wraith base, kill the queen, and remove the danger."

"No!" Teyla said loudly.

"Then what do you want to do?" Sora challenged her.

Teyla exhaled slowly. "We can find the Wraith base. We can find out what it is that they are doing there, and if necessary, we can destroy the Artifact of the Ancestors. But we cannot kill the queen."

"Sounds like a plan," Ronon said. Teyla had nearly forgotten his presence. "I can come with you."

"That won't be—" Sora began, but Teyla interrupted her. "I'll come, too."

"We don't need a babysitter," Sora said hotly.

Teyla kept her opinion on that matter to herself. "You are planning to invade a Wraith facility. You need as many people as possible."

"What about Torren?"

"I have gone on hunting trips before. He will be fine." He could stay with Yira and Tomin in Alos's house, or with Rana and Linor. Torren had grown a lot; he'd be fine without her for a few days. Min, Linor, and Rodney would help look after him, the other children would be there for him to play with, and one of them would help him if he had a nightmare. Torren would be fine. "How far is the facility?"

"Not even a day's walk, if it is in the caves," Min said.

"Fine," Sora said abruptly. "You can come, too. As long as you don't slow us down."

"I should come, too," Rodney said.

"McKay!" Aiden protested.

"You?" Sora said with a mixture of surprise and barely disguised mockery.

Rodney raised his chin. "Yes. I'm the foremost expert on Ancient technology. If the Wraith did find a Device, which frankly is likely, you'll need me to find out what it does and how to destroy it. Otherwise you'll just blow yourselves up."

"You're not a fighter," Lannée said critically, leaning forward and looking at him closely.

"Teyla has been training me." It was true, she had given him bantos lessons. He was a slow learner, but he hadn't given up, and in three years he'd become passable for a beginner of his age. It had done him good: he moved more confidently, and the work in the fields did not tire him as much as it had initially. But however much he had learned, he was not and probably would never be a fighter.

Rodney saw the skepticism on everyone's face and bristled."And anyway, I won't be going as a fighter. I'll be going as a scientist, which, hello? You need one."

"Haven't you been teaching Teyla?" Aiden asked.

"She's as much of a scientist as I'm a fighter." He glared at Aiden and then gave Teyla a quick apologetic look. She did not feel insulted: Rodney had had years of formal education in the South, and she was only beginning to understand the monitors near the Artifact.

"He's right, we need him," Ronon said. "Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on him."

"Thanks," Rodney said, with only a little bit of sarcasm in his voice.

Aiden started to say something, but fell quiet when Lannée shook her head. John looked like he deeply regretted not being able to come with them. If he had not been injured, he would have been a great asset; Teyla had seen enough of him to know that he was a fighter, and probably a good one, too. Maybe they could spar together when he was healed.

"So, when will you go?" Rana asked briskly. "I'll better prepare your lunch packets."

Aiden made a face, and Rana winked at him.

"Tomorrow morning," Sora said. "When the sun rises."

The others nodded, Rodney grimacing at the early time. Tomorrow morning, then.

***

Torren almost bounced on the way home, excitedly retelling their glorious adventures: chasing the tree ghost, cornering the ghost until it showed them how to capture the Wraith, and finally defeating the Wraith in a hard struggle. The Wraith had been possessed by a dark spirit – Yira had known, because it was grinning – but the ghost had told them what to do.

"And then we tickled him until he gave up!" he concluded triumphantly and reenacted their victory dance around the table, complete with stomping and howling.

Teyla suppressed her laughter and handed him a piece of yinna fruit instead. He took it and sat down on his chair, legs swinging.

"You were a good tree ghost," he said around a bite of fruit. "Tomorrow we'll play again! And I can do the trap, Ronon said so!"

"You will have to wait for another day," she said regretfully. "We are going hunting tomorrow."

Torren looked confused. "We?"

"Ronon, Sora, Aiden, Lannée, Rodney, and I."

"You, too?"

"Yes. We are hoping to find another Artifact of the Ancestors." It was not strictly untrue.

"For a bigger shield? So we can go to the whiteberry bushes?" He didn't seem overly excited at the prospect.

"Perhaps," she allowed, although she thought it was unlikely. If they did find an Artifact, they would most likely have to destroy it, to prevent the Wraith from using it.

Torren ate the last bit of fruit and licked his fingers. He stared at the table. "Is it dangerous?"

Teyla hesitated. "A bit more dangerous than usual. But we will come back."

"Sometimes people can't come back, you said. Even when they want to. Like Kanaan."

He was still staring at the table. She was just stepping forward to hug him when there was a knock at the door.

Teyla turned and saw Sora standing in the doorway, looking almost hesitant.

"I'm sorry. Is this a bad time?"

Torren hopped off the chair and went to his corner. He sat down with one of his puzzles, demonstratively ignoring the adults.

"It is fine," Teyla said politely. "Come in."

Sora took three slow steps inside. "I wanted to give you this," she said and pulled a small sword out of the bag she carried. "You could probably use it tomorrow."

"Thank you," Teyla said. "But I already have a sword."

Sora frowned. "You do?"

Teyla opened the small cupboard and took out her sword. It was larger and sharper than the one Sora offered her: good quality work, and she cared for it well. "Ronon gave it to me."

"I've never seen you train with it." Sora sounded almost hurt.

"It has been a long time since we sparred together."

Sora stilled, and it gave Teyla a sense of satisfaction. They last time they had sparred together, Charin had separated them before they could seriously injure each other.

The cause had been similar, too.

Sora looked uncomfortable, like she wanted to say something and couldn't find the words. Teyla did nothing to break the silence. In the past, she would have; in the short time between Teyla and Kanaan's arrival at Charin's and the execution of Tyrus' plan they had become good friends. They had often spent companionable afternoons in the woods or near the river, hunting, sparring, or just talking. They had worried about the Wraith together, and Sora had helped her when Kanaan left. When the Wraith attacked, Teyla had worried about Sora and wished she was there to protect the town and Torren. When Sora finally returned, injured, alone, and exhausted, it was Teyla she had turned to.

Their friendship had never recovered from that fight.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Sora finally said.

"At sunrise," Teyla confirmed.

With a last glance at Torren, Sora left again. Teyla stared after her and then exhaled and carefully put the sword away again. She still preferred her bantos rods, but Wraith were hard to kill and decapitation was one of the easiest ways.

Torren had finished his puzzle and stood up. "So," he said.

Teyla interrupted him, kneeling down to pull him into an Athosian embrace. He stiffened for a moment and then let his head fall against hers, eyes screwed shut.

"I will do everything I can to make sure I'll come back," Teyla said, putting all the conviction she felt into her voice. And she was convinced, she realized with some surprise. She would come back, and she would see Torren again. The Ancestors would not allow otherwise; she would not allow otherwise.

Torren took a deep breath. "Okay," he said quietly.

They stayed as they were for long heartbeats.

***

She was in the night sky. She was the night sky, and in the sky was the Portal. The Seal of the Ancestors glowed silver around it, ancient and secure.

Suddenly, the Seal began to flicker and spark – on the planet, a group of scientists frantically tried to undo their work on an Artifact – and disappeared. Cold danger seeped through the Portal; she tried to shout warnings, but nobody heard her. She saw herself with Kanaan, pregnant and still in Athos, but it seemed impossibly far away, and she could not reach.

A moment that was moons later blue waves exploded out of the Portal. The Wraith came. Few at first, and then hundreds and hundreds of darts, descending on the planet like the manifested horrors out of children's tales, preying on the towns and villages.

She screamed in fury. The Portal shuddered, weak silver glimmers attempting to hold back the invasion, but the darts pierced through, and they brought bombs. They brought a queen, red-haired and terrible, that came to claim her new territory.

She watched the queen die of a knife in her neck and felt vicious satisfaction. Sora sobbed as she ran, leaving her father's body behind. The Wraith's rage lashed through the air and coalesced into thousands of drones swarming the land, leaving masses of dry corpses behind them. She saw Rodney bent over the Shield Artifact, desperation in his face; Torren was gurgling in a blanket next to him, and Charin stood at the door, calmly shooting into the battlefield. She saw Niara fall, and Bern, and Aiden, and Ronon, Sora, Kanaan – where was the shield, why wouldn't it rise, the shield should be there already, and then the new queen reached her and she screamed–

Teyla woke up shaking. Thankfully, Torren was still asleep; she carefully tucked the blanket around him so he would be warm.

It was still dark outside. The waterclock hadn't rung yet, and from the water level she could see that it was still some time until sunrise. She could go back to sleep, but she felt restless. Barefoot, she walked outside the door, hoping the cool air would clear her head and dispel the nightmare. For years she had paid no mind to omens, but nevertheless she decided to carry additional knives.

She had enough time to be especially thorough in her preparations. Torren did not wake in the meantime, only twitched and whimpered in his sleep, but he stilled when she put a hand on his back and talked to him. He buried his head on her shoulder when she picked him up.

He woke up on the way to Rana's and threw his arms around her when she put him down. They hugged for long moments.

"I will come back," she promised again. Torren nodded. Rana reached for him and he hid his face against her legs.

Rana gave her a sympathetic look. Teyla suddenly found the air heavier to breathe as she turned away. Torren would be fine, and she would come back for him. She would.

Ronon was already in the town square. To her surprise, so was John: he was talking to Ronon and seemed only a little annoyed that he had to tilt up his head if he wanted to look at him.

"Teyla," Ronon greeted her, nodding approvingly when he saw her sword. John turned his wheelchair around with surprising ease.

"Hi," he said with a slightly awkward smile. "Can we talk for a second?"

"Of course," she said evenly, bracing herself for a repeat of the fight the other day.

John's hands twitched as if he didn't know what to do with them. "Look," he said, "I didn't know how bad it was when the last queen died. We never… it wasn't so bad down South."

What did you expect would happen? Teyla wanted to say, and, Do you not realize that this is not a game? Have you not encountered the Wraith?

It would serve no purpose now. Maybe whatever they found at the Wraith outpost would make a difference, or else she could try to reason with him before he went back to the South. With his injuries and his plane crashed it was unlikely he would be able to return soon. Hopefully, his absence would at least make his people more cautious.

"Your people are lucky," she said instead.

She had tried to keep her voice neutral, but John still winced a bit. "Yeah, I know. And it's not that I – that we – don't care about the North, we're just trying to do something."

"I understand," she said, and she did. She had long known that people didn't think rationally when they were afraid.

"Good," he said, relieved. "Good luck on your mission. Try not to hit Sora."

Had she been that obvious? John grinned at her.

"See? We're not late," Rodney said triumphantly. Teyla turned and saw that he had arrived with Aiden, who simply shrugged.

"We would've been if I hadn't told you to hurry."

"If you hadn't insisted on checking every single thing I put into my pockets we would've been finished hours ago!"

"Hey, you're the one who told me I didn't take my bodyguard duties seriously enough," Aiden said with raised hands and a broad grin.

"You're supposed to protect me, not make me do sit-ups!"

"Ford came around yesterday and insisted on giving Rodney a 'wilderness survival' course," John said to Teyla. That explained why, when she had gone to Rodney's in the evening, nobody had been there.

"Rodney agreed?"

"I know. Ford must have blackmail material."

Teyla didn't think that blackmail had necessarily been involved. It was more likely that Aiden had used his long experience in handling Rodney. Five years ago, after the Seal had been broken, Rodney had come the long way from the South to the town to study the Artifact of the Ancestors in the hope of finding a way to restore the Seal. Aiden had accompanied him as balloon pilot and bodyguard; both of them had always been suspiciously close-mouthed about the circumstances of their partnership. After the Wraith attack on the town Aiden had joined Sora's hunting group and they had grown apart, but obviously Aiden still felt protective of Rodney. And Rodney always made sure that Aiden had a copious supply of explosives.

"Relax, McKay," Aiden was saying, "we have caches of supplies out there. You won't starve."

Rodney huffed. He was carrying his bantos rods, Teyla saw, and two knives, in addition to a small backpack that she knew contained his "science kit": a screwdriver, a few crystals, a small broken Artifact that he was still hoping to repair one day, the last of his batteries, a bit of wire, pens, and paper. Hopelessly primitive compared to his lab in the South, as he complained frequently.

Min had come, too, and was going over the map of the caves one more time with Ronon. By now, the sun had already peeked over the horizon, and Teyla was just wondering where Sora and Lannée were when they walked onto the square together.

"All right," Sora said loudly. "Is everyone ready? Let's go."

"Says the one who is late," Rodney complained.

"Have a good journey," Min said and bowed a customary good-bye.

"Yeah, have fun," John said, once again looking sorry that he could not accompany them. "And don't break anything."

"That's what I should be telling you. Stay away from my workshop, Sheppard," Rodney warned. John just grinned.

Sora looked around impatiently and started walking. Teyla took a deep breath and followed.

***

Teyla suspected that she was not the only one who had had a bad night. Sora was unusually subdued, and Lannée was even quieter than normal.

Rodney and Ronon, in contrast, had an animated conversation. Ever since Rodney discovered that Sateda had been fairly technologically advanced, "at least for the North," he had asked Ronon to tell him about any interesting technology he found on his travels as a messenger, and Ronon had – reluctantly at first – agreed. This time Ronon told him about the machines he had found in the ruins of Taranis, while Rodney quizzed him about the materials used and any schematics he might remember, and only Sora's warning glare stopped Rodney from taking notes while he walked.

When they reached the White River Teyla took the unofficial first position from Aiden, who promptly fell back to tease Rodney. She could imagine Sora scowling, but Teyla ignored her. She watched the countryside instead.

It had been a long time since she came here; usually she hunted or took walks on the other side of the town. The meadow they were walking through had once been a summer pasture for a nearby village's cattle. By now the grass had grown high and sharp, and purple-grey flowers left smears of pollen on their clothes. Fortunately, the sun soon disappeared behind a bank of light grey clouds; otherwise, it would have been almost too hot for walking. The muted light and gentle wind swaying through the grass made for a peculiar, almost dreamlike atmosphere. If she half-closed her eyes she could see the darts flying through the air.

They paused for lunch when they reached the edge of the forest. Aiden and Lannée showed Ronon the hollow tree where they kept their emergency rations and returned with jerky, flatbread and water canteens.

Rodney was holding up well. He was only a little bit out of breath, and he hardly complained. He even did the stretching exercises Ronon and Aiden proposed after lunch, dismissing their offer to show him because he knew them already, thank you. Teyla felt proud of him, and she thought Aiden did, too. Ronon seemed amused.

By mutual agreement they fell quiet when they entered the forest. They had not gone very far when Lannée pointed out the first signs of Wraith presence, careless tracks and no insects. The lack of animals made their every movement sound much louder, and even though Rodney tried to walk quietly, he would be easily heard. They decided to split up: Sora, Lannée, and Ronon would go ahead in a broad triangle to make sure they didn't encounter any Wraith patrols, while Aiden and Teyla stayed with Rodney.

Teyla was soon glad of her decision. The silent forest made her uncomfortable, an almost tangible wrongness at the edge of her view. Rodney's heavier breathing and Aiden's occasional whispered remark provided a welcome distraction. The last time she had walked through this forest Kanaan had been with her. They had been happy and unconcerned, and they had made love in a clearing not far from here. Kanaan had kept a hand on her pregnant belly and kissed it until she giggled with laughter.

He had probably come through here when he left the town to protect Athos.

They followed Ronon's trail. The communication devices Rodney had brought from the South had run out of batteries a year ago, so their only way to communicate was by imitating bird calls, hoping the Wraith wouldn't notice the absence of any actual birds. Staying closer together also meant that Sora was less likely to go off on her own; Teyla was almost certain that Sora would not attempt to attack a Wraith facility on her own, but not certain enough not to be wary.

She need not have worried. The sun had not moved a hand when they heard a bird's cry, and soon afterwards Ronon's trail crossed one that indicated a large group of Wraith recently passing through.

Ronon and Sora were waiting for them, and Lannée arrived at the same time they did.

"It's where we thought it is," Ronon said, quietly but not whispering. "In the caves, mostly underground. Two drones are standing guard. According to the map, it's the only entrance."

"It is," Lannée confirmed. "Or at least we never found another one. But we didn't find an Artifact in there, either."

"They probably got a power reading. Which is bad, actually – if the Device still has power, it could be very dangerous," Rodney said.

Sora smirked at Teyla.

"So how do we get inside?" Aiden asked.

"A distraction." Rodney snapped his fingers. "Ford, do you have those smoke bombs I gave you?"

"Sure," Aiden said with a grin. "Two of them."

"Right, that should be enough." His voice had become louder, and Sora shushed him impatiently. He grimaced and continued in a whisper. "Detonate two of them, and we can get inside while they're investigating."

"That could work," Ronon said.

"Of course it's going to work."

Ronon's eyes met hers and Teyla knew that they were thinking the same thing: killing the drones would be easier. They didn't know the extent of the Wraith's telepathy, however, so they would have to try it this way.

"We don't know which passages will be free. Just find the nearest free place to hide. If we have to split up, mark the walls."

Aiden rolled his eyes at the lecture. They had all memorized the map of the cave; even though it had been years since any of them had been there and nobody knew what the Wraith had done to the cave, the map was most likely still accurate. At first glance it looked like a maze of passages and rooms, but during lunch Lannée had pointed out the best hiding spots and Rodney the rooms where there might – "might! Obviously you never found anything, but you could have missed it" – be relics of the Ancestor's technology.

Ronon gave Aiden an annoyed stare and Aiden tried to appear more serious.

"There are some alcoves for hiding, too. The Wraith have something that glows that they put on the walls, so we should have light," Sora said.

She was talking about the other Wraith facility she had seen, Teyla realized. Ronon raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything; Rodney didn't notice. Aiden and Lannée did not seem surprised, and Teyla wondered what Sora had told them.

"Groups of two?" Aiden suggested.

"I'll stay with Ronon," Rodney said quickly. Aiden looked hurt.

"I'll go with Aiden," Sora said.

"No, I will," Teyla countered. While she agreed that she and Sora were too uncomfortable with each other to make a good team, Aiden was much more likely to go along with Sora's plans than Lannée was. Especially if she knew what Sora had done. Aiden was young and sensible, but also loyal and easily impressed, and she did not think he would stop Sora if she was determined.

Aiden seemed pleased, but Sora just snorted. "We've hunted Wraith together countless times. We work best this way."

"This is different," Teyla protested.

"It's not. Besides, we agreed that we are only trying to destroy the Artifact. Aiden knows more about the Ancestor's technology than Lannée or I do." Sora smirked again.

Teyla was suddenly glad that she had promised John not to slap Sora. Sora did have a point, but how sure could she be that Sora would not suddenly decide to catch two rabbits in one trap and kill the queen, too?

On the other hand, the likelihood that Sora and Aiden would find the queen was extremely small. And even if they did, they must recognize that killing her would be suicide at best and lead to mass-murder in the worst case. Aiden understood, he had to, and even Sora was occasionally able to put her anger aside.

It would be fine, Teyla told herself. But she could not shake the image of Sora's face three years ago, bruised and streaked with dried tears, her eyes burning with rage as she said she would do the same thing again in a heartbeat.

Aiden had taken two vaguely cylindrical objects out of his pack and gave one to Lannée and one to Ronon. "In case you find the Device. Just pull out the pin sharply. The explosions are a bit bigger than in the last batch," he added.

Rodney looked both proud and annoyed. "Right, but remember that you don't have to blow up the Device. In fact, just make sure you get me there as fast as possible. A working Ancient Device could be a huge advantage."

"Yeah, sure," Aiden said. "In fifteen minutes I'll set off the smoke bombs, one after the other. Make sure you're near the entrance. Good luck," he added.

"Good luck," they all echoed, and Sora and Aiden started to walk towards the facility in a curving line.

Rodney swallowed hard. "So, yeah, good luck."

"It will go well, Rodney," Teyla assured him.

"Second thoughts?" Ronon asked.

Rodney lifted his chin and visibly braced himself. "No."

"Good. This way."

Ronon led Rodney along a different path, the opposite side of the curve Aiden and Sora took.

"You're surprised Sora told us what she did," Lannée said to Teyla. She sounded both challenging and a bit amused.

"What did she tell you?" Teyla asked. She tried not to feel betrayed or disappointed. She had thought it was her secret to keep, something that Sora had entrusted her with. And it was not an unreasonable assumption to make when Sora had threatened her at knifepoint never to tell a living soul.

"How she killed the queen."

"If you know," Teyla asked heatedly, "how can you still follow her?" She remembered Lannée as she had first seen her: pregnant and still wearing her bride ribbons, making pottery in the town square and merrily throwing clay pellets at her husband when he suggested suggestive patterns. And she remembered her after the Wraith attack, lying bleeding on Charin's pallet and refusing to take the medicine Charin gave her.

"I want to fight the Wraith," Lannée said simply.

"So do I!"

"But you don't," Lannée said. "You're waiting until the Seal is restored. But it might never be restored."

"That's better than futile attacks that only lead to more deaths," Teyla snapped. She had to fight not to raise her voice.

"I don't want to kill the queen," Lannée said impatiently. "I just want to destroy the Artifact and kill as many Wraith as possible. The Wraith darts cull somewhere every night, and they keep destroying towns no matter what we do."

Teyla took a deep breath.

"Fine," she said tightly. "Which way?"

"Sora isn't stupid. Besides, we're a team," Lannée said, watching her. "You—"

"Which way?" Teyla interrupted.

Lannée paused and then pointed.

They took a path between the others. Lannée found them a large tree to hide behind when they were close to the facility, with branches they could peer through.

Not thirty steps before them stood a medium-height rock, partly overgrown with grasses. Roughly in the middle was the entrance to the cave. It was a bit higher than Min had remembered; it would make a quick entrance and exit easier, but Teyla was sorry to abandon the image of a Wraith queen ducking to enter.

The cave was guarded by two motionless Wraith drones with stunners; other than that, there was no visible sign of a Wraith installation. Teyla didn't know exactly how much time was left before Aiden created the diversion, and she didn't know where, either. They should have talked about it, she berated herself silently. But Aiden surely knew what he was doing.

She estimated they had about five more Southern minutes when a loud crack came from the side where Ronon and Rodney probably stood. The drones reacted immediately, shooting stunner blasts through the bushes. Nothing moved: they must have missed.

Another noise came from a bit further away. Ronon was taking advantage of Rodney's misstep and throwing rocks, Teyla assumed. The drones fell for it, running in that direction, and that was when Aiden threw the smoke bombs at them.

Teyla and Lannée simultaneously ran for the cave. Aiden and Sora slipped in a handwidth before them and Ronon shoved Rodney in and to the side. Inside, thick columns in the middle of the cavern glowed orange, but their light hardly reached the edges of the chamber. They hurried quietly along the left wall until they found the small alcove, just big enough for all of them to fit in and mostly protected from sight from the main entrance.

Teyla ducked under Ronon 's shoulder and looked around. Now she saw that in the main cave smaller Wraith tendrils covered large parts of the walls and gave off an unsettling, dim light, but the alcove was almost free of them. Nevertheless, Rodney's pale face seemed brighter in comparison; it would make him an easy target. Sora, Teyla saw, had smeared her face with earth and pulled a dark cap over her hair. When she noticed Teyla looking Sora pushed a stray blond lock back under the cap.

Ronon bent down to the floor and then wiped his dusty fingers on Rodney's face. It didn't help much. Rodney recoiled and shot Ronon a furious look, opened his mouth and then shook his head angrily when Sora pressed a finger to his lips.

"The bright tendrils are probably power lines," he whispered. "If we follow them, it should lead us to the Device."

Teyla peered outside again. Cobwebs seemed to hang from the ceiling and between the Wraith columns. From what she could see, only about two-thirds of the walls were covered in Wraith tendrils. If the Wraith had left the stone intact, the map should still be mostly accurate.

She didn't see any Wraith. It was what they had hoped for, yet it seemed suspicious.

Ronon pointed at her and then at the corridor furthest to the right. Teyla looked at Lannée and nodded. Ronon then pointed at the next corridor and himself and whispered "left" to Sora and Aiden, who could not see outside the alcove.

Good luck, Teyla mouthed.

***

Further down the corridor the light became even weaker. Cobweb-like webbing and something that looked and felt like thin leather hung from the ceiling. It made Teyla's skin crawl, but it was a useful hiding place when two Wraith drones passed them. She swallowed her disgust and pressed herself flat against the pulsing veins on the wall until they were out of hearing distance.

Lannée picked a piece of webbing out of her hair and went forward carefully. Now that she was walking behind her Teyla realized again what a good hunter Lannée had become: she moved with a quiet confidence, one hand always on her machete. Teyla wondered why Sora hadn't offered the sword to Lannée. Probably Lannée had preferred her familiar weapon.

It should have been nearly silent inside the cave, but hissed whispers seemed to come out of every corner. They became sharper when the Wraith walked past them. It was probably part of the Wraith's telepathic abilities. Teyla only hoped they didn't have any more abilities they didn't know of.

The corridor had the predicted turns and crossings, but Lannée and Teyla followed the brightest vein that led deeper into the earth. The further they went the narrower the tunnel became, until they would not be able to avoid any Wraith coming their way. In mutual agreement they walked faster. At the end of the corridor should be another chamber, big enough to hide inside and with a second exit, but the chamber could be filled with Wraith. If they were lucky, all of the Wraith slept while it was still bright outside. That's what they had been counting on, but now it seemed a foolish hope.

They had almost reached the chamber when the whispers became louder and they heard footsteps behind them. There was no place to hide. As quickly as they dared and as silently as they could they ran forward and into the room after only a cursory look. It was empty, thankfully, illuminated by two columns and some sort of Wraith work station with a monitor. Behind the second column were more cobwebs, and without hesitation Lannée cut a piece of the wall open and squeezed inside. Teyla only just managed to follow before the Wraith entered the room.

It sounded like a single Wraith, which was unexpected. She did not know what it was doing; if she turned around she could make a hole in the webbing to look through, but she hardly dared to breathe, much less move. Lannée's elbow was pressed against her breast and her own knife threatened to cut her thigh.

Teyla focused on breathing silently. The air was sticky, smelling of Wraith and decay. The veins and tendrils on the walls seemed to pulse, slower than her heartbeat but sharper, and she blindly reached until her fingers found a free patch of rock to anchor her. Lannée shifted, and Teyla hoped she had enough air. She tried to listen for the Wraith, but the hissing and hollow pulse was too loud, twisting through her ears like a worm until she shut her eyes tight, and suddenly the footsteps were right in front of her…

The hissing abruptly abated. She exhaled in desperate relief.

"My queen," the Wraith said.

The air stung.

"You lied to me, Commander," the queen said, her voice like a knife. Teyla felt it resonate through the sticky Wraith vines on her skin.

"I did not," the other Wraith said, its voice moving away. "If I may…"

"The Hives you claim to have called have not arrived. Your pathetic ploy for a mutiny will no longer be tolerated."

"My queen," the Wraith murmured, "I assure you-"

"You will destroy the Lantean Device you found immediately. You will cease all attempts to block my warriors from using the Ring. You will kneel before your queen, and if you are lucky, I will spare your life."

There was a pause. Teyla did not dare move. She wanted to look at Lannée, wanted any kind of reassurance, while in the back of her mind part of her coolly analyzed the conversation going on. Was a Hive a kind of Wraith ship?

"I do not think that would be wise," the Wraith said finally, much less reverentially than before. "If you'll allow me to explain…"

The queen hissed. Pain exploded in Teyla's skull. She heard a gasp and tensed, terrified that they had been heard, but the queen wasn't focused on them. Teyla was sure that they would notice if she was. Thankfully, the queen was concentrating on the other Wraith, who stood between her and their hiding place.

"Kneel!" the queen commanded. Teyla's knees buckled and she almost fell against Lannée, desperately trying to stay inside the small hole.

Another white wave of shadows and whispers threatened to overwhelm her. She tried to fight it off, but she could not shake the hissing and the sounds of a struggle. It took her a moment to recognize that it was coming from the chamber.

"What is this?" the queen demanded.

"We found him in one of the corridors," a different Wraith voice said.

Fear gripped Teyla. She drew her knife, twisted around with effort and cut a small slit in the wall hiding them.

It was Aiden. Two Wraith drones held his arms and forced him on his knees, while another Wraith warrior stood behind him. His face was bruised; a trickle of blood ran down his temple. He glared defiantly at the queen.

The queen stepped towards him and Aiden started to struggle again, throwing himself fruitlessly against the drones' grasp.

Lannée's elbow hit Teyla in the side, but Teyla ignored her. She should be thinking of a plan, find a way to rescue Aiden and escape, but all she could find were shock and denial. This shouldn't have happened. They couldn't attack the queen – she could bring them down with a single word. Teyla's mind supplied images of Aiden's dried-out corpse lying before the burning village swarmed by Wraith. She tried to swallow, but her throat was too dry.

"My, how delicious," the queen said. Her long black hair fell elegantly down her back. "A snack."

Aiden tried to speak, but no sound came out. The Wraith behind him gripped his hair and forced his head back. An offering.

The queen raised her hand, snarling in triumph.

She turned around a heartbeat before Teyla's sword severed her neck.

Teyla did not allow herself to think. She spun around and attacked one of the drones, but it jerked back and she only grazed its breastplate. Movement in the corner of her eye warned her and she threw herself down to evade the stunner blasts. When she looked up again Aiden had jumped up and was wrestling the second drone for its stun handgun. The Wraith warrior had two knives sticking out of its chest; it roared with fury and stalked forward, only to have the third knife hit it in the eye.

The first drone shot at her again and Teyla rolled to the side, slashing at its feet. It stumbled and Teyla pushed the sword into its back.

Lannée beheaded the warrior that had held Aiden, picked up its stunner, and shot the drone Aiden was fighting. She turned and shot three more times in quick succession in the other direction.

Teyla handed Aiden one of her knives. "Thanks," he said, and for a heartbeat a wide, disbelieving, and so impossibly relieved smile broke out on his face that Teyla had to turn away. She had killed the queen.

"Sora?" she asked.

"She got away," Aiden said.

The other Wraith warrior was still standing, she saw. In fact it looked like Lannée was missing deliberately.

The Wraith had retreated to the other end of the room, probably moving towards one of the monitors Lannée had destroyed. He had jagged signs around one eye that looked like half of a star and wore the Wraith's characteristic black leather uniform, with the same pattern on his shoulder as the Wraith that had attacked the village. The queen and the other three Wraith, Teyla checked quickly, wore different signs. It must be a sign of allegiance: this Wraith, and the Wraith Teyla killed in the forest, must have served the queen Sora killed, while the other Wraith had served the queen Teyla killed.

The Wraith laughed. Teyla blinked the image of a pile of dry corpses away and saw that it was grinning, showing its teeth.

"Humans," it said, and Teyla instinctively raised her sword again. She glanced at Lannée, but Lannée kept staring at the Wraith.

"How nice of you to eliminate the competition," the Wraith said with a mock bow.

"You're not a queen," Lannée said sharply.

"No," it said, showing its teeth again.

Lannée shook her head quickly, as if to free her head from any influence the Wraith could try to gain over her mind. "The queen said you were trying to block the Ring. What did she mean?"

Wild hope flared up in Teyla. If the Wraith could restore the Seal – it was madness, clearly: why would the Wraith destroy their own entrance? But this was a power struggle, and maybe one faction had hoped to blackmail or destroy the other. If they could find that Artifact… if the Wraith got so caught up in their internal struggle that they had no strength to take revenge…

Lannée shot again, narrowly missing the Wraith. It had tilted its head and was watching them intently, not even flinching at the shot.

"I have found a machine, designed by the Lanteans," it said finally. "It could be used to block the way to this world once again. But it's not working. I need to repair it first."

"Show us," Lannée demanded.

"We have to go," Aiden said, "there are more Wraith coming."

"Lead us to the machine," Lannée demanded again.

The Wraith bared its teeth. "Why should I?"

"Because I will cut off your head like I cut off the queen's if you don't," Teyla said, stepping closer and raising her sword. She stared at the Wraith, ignoring the shadows and whispers that appeared in the corners of the room. This was their last chance. She would not fail.

"Very well," the Wraith said suddenly. "This way."

It started to walk away from them. Teyla followed, stepping closer, and Lannée shot the wall again. Teyla wondered how much energy the Wraith stunners had, especially these versions that were much smaller than the large rifles or spears most of the Wraith carried. The rifles were probably too unwieldy to use in the cave.

The Wraith hissed in annoyance and touched the wall. A large piece of vines and webbing slid aside to reveal another corridor.

"Or do you want to face the queen's warriors?" the Wraith asked.

It could be a trap, but they didn't have another choice. Teyla gestured Lannée to go before her, because the corridor was too narrow to properly use a sword. Lannée pressed the stunner against the Wraith's back. "Go," she said. The Wraith chuckled and complied.

The Wraith's cheer made Teyla cautious. As soon as Aiden entered the passage and closed the entrance again it became almost too dark to see; she felt her way forward along the walls, listening to the steps before her. Twice she hit her head on the low ceiling. If the Wraith wanted to escape, they could hardly stop it, and neither would they know if it was leading them into a trap. But they had no other choice.

She heard the Wraith arriving in the room where their dead queen lay. Their fury rushed through her head, through the whole cave, out to the other Wraith.

Because Teyla had killed the queen.

It wasn't long until they emerged into a broader, illuminated corridor. Teyla did not know where they were, since the corridor they had used had not been part of the map, but the Wraith didn't hesitate and turned left. Teyla was almost surprised that it hadn't led them into a trap yet. On the other hand, according to what the queen said, this Wraith wanted to block the Ring, presumably so he could take over and rule on his own. But did it need to, now that the queen was dead? For the first time Teyla wished she understood Wraith politics. The only things she had ever tried to learn were their weaknesses.

The wall moved. Teyla swung her sword and stopped it only a few handwidths before Sora, who had ducked aside. Lannée, too, had instinctively changed her aim and quickly pointed the stunner at the Wraith again.

Sora had lost her cap; her blond locks were full of the sticky goo that held the Wraith vines together. She took a quick look at Aiden and then focused on the Wraith again, sword in hand and almost snarling. "What are you doing with it?"

The Wraith suddenly tensed. Teyla was certain it would have moved if the tip of Sora's sword hadn't almost touched its neck.

"It knows a way to Seal the Portal," Lannée explained.

"It's a trap," Sora said bluntly. "There's a group of Wraith–"

The Wraith attacked before she could finish. With a speed that should have been impossible it pushed the flat side of the sword away with its arm, threw Lannée against the wall with the other hand, pushed Sora heavily against a protrusion in the wall, and ran. Aiden fired once and missed, and then the Wraith disappeared around a turn in the passage.

Teyla had jerked her sword back so that Lannée wouldn't fall on it. The Wraith was gone when she recovered her footing; for a moment she wondered why it hadn't just killed them all, but it had probably wanted to avoid being stunned. Wraith speed; they had become over-confident after their quick victory against the queen.

Lannée and Sora were both already moving again. Lannée cradled her elbow and held the stunner loosely; the dim light made it hard to see, but her sleeve was torn and Teyla suspected her arm was full of bloody scratches. With incredible luck, Sora had managed to avoid crashing headfirst into the sharp rock. Blood dripped from her scratched forehead down her cheek and she winced when she tried to rotate her shoulder.

"Damn Wraith," Lannée muttered.

Sora refrained from commenting, for which Teyla was grateful. Teyla walked forward and carefully looked around the corner. She couldn't see any Wraith, but that might change any minute. Aiden, holding watch in the other direction, likewise shook his head.

That meant they still had a chance, however small, to escape.

"Which way?" Teyla asked Sora, hoping that Sora had followed the map and knew a way out.

Sora took one step and hissed quietly in pain. She paused and then looked up again. "This way," she said, nodding back to where Lannée, Aiden, and Teyla had just come from. "It should turn right, and if we turn left at the second junction we should get outside quickly."

"I don't recognize the corridors anymore," Lannée said with a grimace and, after a quick look around, she started to run. She was limping slightly, Teyla noticed, and carrying the stunner with her left hand.

"Let me," she offered.

Lannée hesitated and then handed over the stunner. She turned her head when Teyla tried to take a closer look at her head. Teyla hoped she hadn't hit her head hard enough to get a concussion.

"Why did the Wraith go crazy?" Sora asked quietly between breaths. "The corridors are suddenly full of them."

"Teyla killed the queen," Lannée said.

Sora almost stumbled in surprise.

Teyla turned to make sure that there were no Wraith following them, secretly grateful that this part of the passage was too dark to see each other clearly. She didn't want to meet Sora's eyes, regardless of what she might find there. Anger, envy; the worst would be admiration. Now that the Wraith had escaped and was alerting the rest of the revenge-seeking Wraith to their position, all they could do was flee. The Artifact was in the hands of the Wraith, who would use it for their purposes. And the Wraith with the jagged lines around his eye had the perfect pretense to justify his takeover and expand his power.

The sound of Aiden's stunner shook her out of her musings. She spun around and aimed, but Aiden had already managed to stun both Wraith.

"Here," Sora said, pointing at a narrow opening almost obscured by Wraith vines. It soon became broader and they could run faster than before. Lannée held up well despite her injury, but Sora slowed down several times and Teyla watched her carefully.

Aiden, who was still keeping watch in front, suddenly held up a hand and stopped.

"Ronon?" he called quietly.

"Ford!" Rodney said loudly. They could hear Ronon hush him. Moments later they came into view. Rodney's face was smeared with Wraith blood, but he was grinning broadly. "We found the Device!" Rodney said in an exaggerated whisper. "And I turned it on! I got the shield back on the Gate!"

Relief made Teyla's whole body lighter, the air easier to breathe. The Seal was restored. Teyla found that she had a wide smile on her face; for a heartbeat she forgot where they were and what had happened. The Seal was restored. They were safe, and Torren would be free.

"We got discovered by a group of Wraith; Ronon killed all of them, but he thought there were more coming, so I locked the Device, we tried to block the door and here we are," Rodney finished triumphantly.

Reality came back. Teyla looked at Ronon for confirmation, who nodded. "We have to get out. The Wraith here all woke up, and Rodney thinks there's a problem with the power."

"Oh, yeah. The power lines started fluctuating a few minutes ago. It probably doesn't mean anything good." He gestured at one of the bright vines and seemed surprised that he was still holding his bantos rods. The light did flicker slightly, Teyla realized.

"So let's go," Lannée said. She took a step forward and wobbled slightly.

"You okay?" Ronon asked.

"I'm fine," Lannée said sharply, but she took the hand Sora offered.

"Let's go," Ronon repeated and, after staring at Rodney and jerking his head towards Aiden, started to run.

They encountered two more Wraith patrols before they reached the exit. Aiden's hand was numb from a stray stunner shot, but otherwise they had miraculously made it through without any more injuries. There weren't even any guards stationed at the exit.

"Weird," Aiden said with a frown as he gestured that it was safe to go forward. "I thought there would be–"

The cave blew up. The shockwave of the explosion threw Teyla to the ground. She scrambled up to check on the others just in time to see a Wraith dart fly away, in the direction of the town. The town was still protected by the shield and not in danger, she reminded herself. She tried to breathe deeply to calm herself and started to cough instead.

"So that's why the power was fluctuating," Rodney said weakly, lying on his back and flopping his hand.

Ronon laughed and stood up with a groan. "Everyone okay?"

Murmurs of assent came from everyone. Lannée hid her face in the crook of her elbow, but nodded. Sora shook her head repeatedly.

"So, McKay," she murmured, "is the Seal still working?"

"Huh. I think so," Rodney said. "It can't have been the Device itself that blew up. The Wraith couldn't have unlocked it before the explosion. That was lucky."

"Lucky," Aiden snorted.

Teyla picked up the Wraith stunner and aimed it at the place where the rock had been. She couldn't see much through the dust. It never hurt to be too careful. Her arms and knees were skinned, but she ignored it.

"So what'd you do?" Ronon asked.

"Teyla killed the queen," Aiden said.

"You did what?" Rodney exclaimed. He tried to sit up and promptly sank back again.

"I killed the queen," Teyla said. The words wore strange shapes in her mouth.

"Doesn't matter now," Ronon said, "the Portal is Sealed."

There would not be an army of Wraith darts coming to seek revenge, Teyla realized. Instead, the Wraith left on the planet were without a leader. They were still many and strong, but now the people fighting them were not fighting a never-ending river anymore. They actually had a chance.

"The Wraith was talking about calling a Hive," Teyla remembered, trying not to let giddy relief take over.

"We'll see what that is when it gets here," Ronon said dismissively. He had picked up one of the small Wraith stunners and started to take it apart.

"Good plan," Rodney agreed and closed his eyes.

"We should head back." The sky was beginning to get dark. Torren was probably already half asleep, or demanding that John or Rana tell him bedtime stories. Teyla and the others would not make it back to the town before nightfall, but they should at least leave this place in case other Wraith came to investigate.

"Mm-hm. Soon," Lannée agreed. Aiden sat down next to her and quietly asked about her injuries.

Sora stood up on shaky feet and stretched. Her eyes met Teyla's and she gave her a reluctant smile.

Teyla smiled back.