fateandfortune | Just two vampires, traveling the galaxy... [For Todd the Wraith]

The caresses did the trick, the smooth repetitive motions having a calming, soothing effect that eased her into sleep before too long. She stayed asleep for a while after Todd woke, not bothered at all when he moved a bit, but when she did wake, it wasn't pleasant.

Rogue's waking consisted of gasping her way to conscious, fear and panic clutching at her mind even as she clutched at Todd's arm, not to push it away but to keep it close. Her powers didn't even flicker - even in sleep, she'd known he was there beside her, and felt protected by his presence. She shook as she struggled to catch her breath, the memories turned to dreams clinging to her the way shadows clung to the corners of a room.

Todd was a bit startled by her sudden pull to consciousness, still not quite used to such jarring awakenings, but didn't reject the grip or chuff in annoyance. He continued to hold onto her, giving her a point of reality to lock onto as she hauled herself from whatever nightmares she'd been having.

"Be calm." he rumbled in her ear. "You're safe. Nothing can harm you."

With his arm around her and his voice in her ear, it was easier for Rogue to remember where she was, the shaking calming enough for her to turn in his grasp and hide her face against his shoulder, breathing in the scent of him.

"I was dreaming about my team," she told him quietly, her voice worn and stretched thin. "About what the battle that led to me ending up here."

Todd allowed her to turn around and face him, shifting his arm to rest his hand on her waist instead.

Ah, right before they met. He never really did get a detailed account of what happened that night.

"Want to talk about it?" he asked, curious, but also wondering if it would help clam her.

She set her hands on his chest, the solid life of him under her fingertips helping to pull her a little further from the darkness.

"We'd been ambushed," she said softly, almost hesitantly. "Warpath usually spotted them before they arrived, gave us time to get away, but he'd been injured. Before we knew it, there were five Sentinels on us. I'd borrowed a few powers to help, without them I was useless, and we'd taken out three of them when I was suddenly... gone."

Leaning back a little to look at Todd, she added, "I don't even know if they made it out of that fight alive. They could have died that day and I'll never know."

"That's right you don't. They could be dead or they could have gotten away that day or even perhaps found a way to beat the Sentinels. But you don't know, so no point in fretting about it." He was quite sure he'd had this conversation before, or one like it. Months later, she was still thinking like this. If Wraith carried this much worry and anxiety over what couldn't be changed, they'd be dead before their hundredth year.

"You need to fight whatever consciousnesses within you that keep bringing this up and come to terms with the fact there's nothing you could have done, nor anything you can do."

Edited 2016-02-17 04:32 (UTC)

Of course they'd had this conversation before, more than once. It just wasn't something she could move past, not as easily as he was saying anyway.

"It's no one else," she admitted. "It's just me. I feel guilty about leaving them, even if it wasn't my choice. I feel guilty about being here where I'm safe, about being happy." It was like a version of survivor's guilt, really, except she had no idea if the others had survived as well.

"Then live for those you lost or might have lost" he stated, sitting up and looking down at her. "Instead of wallowing in guilt over something beyond your control, live the best you can here and now." He stated.

After the death of his crew he wished he could have joined them, but after he managed to cure himself, he realized that if he'd just given up, then their deaths would have been in vain. So he carried on, getting into more trouble of course, until finally the gene therapy was perfected and the problems that had arisen in his crew were not repeated. Granted it wasn't a total comparison but it was close as he'd ever come.

Rogue stared up at him for a long moment, part of her wanting to be angry at his words, especially at his accusation that she was 'wallowing' - but perhaps he was right, to an extent. She finally sighed and sat up as well, murmuring, "I thought that's what I was doing," before climbing out of bed.

Pulling her hair up into a high ponytail, she glanced back at him for a moment. "Is it okay for me to go on a run?" she asked as she sorted through her small stack of clothing. "Now that I know a route through part of the ship, I'd like to back into the habit, but I don't want to cause any disruptions."

Compared to how little the wraith thought back on the deaths of those they knew, she was wallowing.

"If you wish to, yes, the whole point of you knowing the passages is so that you are not cooped up here waiting for an escort" he stated, deciding he ought to get up as well.

"If you want to join me, I'll be going down to the planet to talk to those on Atlantis when we drop out of hyperspace in a couple hours" he stated, wanting to give her the option in case she needed a breather off the ship. Even worshipers spent only a fraction of the time she had on board the hive.

Which reminded him, they'd have to see about landing the hive on the planet Atlantis occupied. It was time to refresh the water reservoir on board, and they could cloak it far easier from enemy wraith if they weren't in space.

The human version of wallowing would probably drive Todd up a wall if he ever witnessed it. Endless crying, bemoaning one's situation. She hadn't indulged in such a way when Remy died, and she wasn't going to do so now either.

"I'd like that, thank you," she said in response to his offer, changing into the black under-uniform she wore under her leather combat gear. It was the most appropriate thing she had for running.

It would be nice to be off the ship for a bit. She didn't mind spending so much of her time on the hive, but she did miss the fresh air and glimpses of natural life. Perhaps it was the Logan in her yearning for open skies and the scent of pine trees, but at least it wasn't a strong enough pull to make her go crazy when they spent weeks on end without venturing off the ship.

After he was dressed he went off to do his rounds. They dropped out of hyperspace ahead of schedule but scanned the planet, looking for a dense population of life in the mountain foothills, where the iratus bug liked to hang out in caves.

When they found a site that looked promising, Todd had a team assembled. They'd go get an iratus bug queen while he and Rogue were dropped off at the portal to talk to Atlantis. When everyone was clear on what to do-and most importantly how to safely handle the insects-he returned to his chambers and waited for Rogue.

Rogue had to spend a while stretching before she could start out with even a simple jog, all too aware of what muscles could be pulled if she didn't prepare properly. Once she finally got on her way, though - it was amazing, being able to propel herself through the ship, rushing down the halls and around the turns she knew better than the back of her own hand now. One lap, two, three. On and on she ran, a sweet burn beginning in her lungs and legs, and it was only when it became truly hard to breathe that she slowed, walking the last half lap back to Todd's quarters.

She must have been running for longer than she'd thought; she hadn't expected to see him waiting there. "Sorry, I didn't realize how long I'd been gone."

"Not a problem" he said, getting up from the desk. "Need a moment or are you okay to leave now?" He asked

He didn't like the hive sitting out here, this system was bordering another that was enemy territory. If they were in the neighborhood, they could be in trouble. So far their scans had not detected anything but they were limited. Another thing on the list of needs Atlantis would hopefully provide for the hive.

"Two minutes," she answered, holding up as many fingers as she moved quickly to grab a change of clothes: jeans and one of her long shirts. He hadn't said much about the planet they were going to, but she could almost sense an uneasiness around him, just enough of an edge of it to keep her rushing a little as she went into the bathroom to wash her face and toss the sweaty clothes into the closet for cleaning. She emerged in just under the requested time, hopping a bit on one foot as she struggled to tie the laces on her boots.

"I'm ready," she said with a final hop and stumble, righting herself with a slightly triumphant look. "Let's go."

He nodded with a grunt and led the way to the ship's bay.

They boarded the scout ship, joined by half a dozen others. They were taking no chances with the iratus bugs. The flight was only a few minutes long, but the ship, too big to land in the woods surrounding the gate, landed in a nearby field, dropping the pair off.

"Shouldn't take more than an hour" assured one of the team

"Don't rush it, the iratus insect guards their queen and eggs almost as well as we do." Todd warned them before he and Rogue got off and watched the ship disappear over the tree line.

It was a little strange being the only two in the area, but it was also kind of nice. Even with that hint of tension curled around them, Rogue smiled as she breathed in the fresh air and bent down to pluck a blade of tall grass to twirl between her fingers.

"I'll admit it, I do miss this sometimes," she told Todd. "Being on solid ground, outside, having that sense of freedom. Not that I don't adore your ship, but it's really very different from everything I've known until now."

"It is a different experience." he said, watching the scout ship disappear over the trees before leading the way to the gate. "I'm sure you'll get your fill of it when we're on Atlantis. If possible, we'll be landing the hive on the mainland, there you can enjoy solid ground until you're sick of it." he chuckled.

He doubted she'd want to spend all her time in the city. He'll be busy with the queen for the first week at least and with her dislike of the marines, being on the mainland will keep her away from them.

She grinned at him brightly. "I think what you meant to say was I can enjoy having a place to get away from Rodney," she corrected playfully.

Atlantis was a beautiful city and somewhere she'd love to explore more fully, but the marines kept her on edge, as well as the fact that she just wasn't all that comfortable around humans anymore. There were exceptions, of course, and she did have a small number of friends in the city, but there was nothing like the sense of security that she felt while on the hive ship.

"That too." he agreed. The scientist was very taxing on one's patience. McKay undoubtedly had written up a long list by now of questions to ask Rogue without incurring her wrath.

Todd spotted the gate through the treeline and started making his way through the dense growth only to pause and look down at something in the brush. It was a big animal, about the size of a bear, though lizard-like, dead, caught in a vicious looking snare.

"Oh that's not good." Todd sighed. The animal must have died recently, the blood around its mouth was still glistening wet. It was possible there was a trapping party from the human settlement around. Also, a snare that size could easily grab one as big as him, perhaps even designed to catch Wraith coming through the gate on foot. Who knew how booby-trapped the woods were.

"Keep close, walk where I walk" he warned. Todd looked around and picked up a large stick and began probing the growth as he stepped along.

Rogue laughed quietly when Todd agreed with her. Though he did have a knack for going a little too far with his questions, she really couldn't fault McKay for his curiosity with her. She just wished he'd learn a little tact, is all, preferably before she had to teach him that lesson herself.

Though that might not actually be such a bad thing...

The dead animal caused all amusement to disappear from her instantly. Not for the animal's sake, though she did feel a little sorry for it to have died in such a way, but mostly because she was drawing the same conclusions as Todd. It was clearly a trap designed by humans, which meant they were nearby and likely wouldn't appreciate a wandering wraith in their midst.

So she kept close to Todd as he instructed, walking carefully and keeping an eye on their surroundings, both for any new arrivals and for additional traps that might be waiting for them.

The going was slow and tense, but eventually they made it out of the growth and into the clearing surrounding the gate. There was a MALP as expected sitting off to the side, but before he dialed Atlantis, he poked around the clearing. There were no obvious paths, not even a game trail. The settlement must purposely ensure as little trace of them as possible was left in the woods. And as the forest was too thick for darts to fly out of the gate, all culling had to be on foot or darts deployed from a hive in orbit. Quite clever of them actually, ensured their casualties were minimal or at least far between.

"We will have to be careful and walk back along the trail we made" he said, sitting his stick down against the DHD.

Edited 2016-02-19 04:29 (UTC)

It was a relief when they reached the clearing and Rogue didn't have to be quite so aware of each and every step she took. The way Todd took extra time to look around though - that had her worried too. Something did seem off about this whole place, and as excited as she'd been to have some time off the ship, she was looking forward to getting back up there once they'd finished all their business on the planet.

"That's easy enough to do," she commented quietly, stepping up beside him next to the DHD. She'd seen the panel Atlantis used, but it wasn't quite the same as this. Different layout, same symbols.

After a moment of quiet, checking around and opening his senses to ensure they were alone, he dialed Atlantis. With a great KAWOOSH, the gate was opened and as its waters calmed, he went over to the MALP. He dropped to a knee to look into the camera, beckoning Rogue over. "Atlantis, this is Todd, please respond." he said. Silence and then a familiar voice replied through the intercom on the device.

"Do we have to come rescue your ass again?" Sheppard said, though there was humor in his tone.

"Not at all Sheppard." Todd replied

"Hey, is that Rogue?" he asked.

"Indeed it is." Todd said, glancing to her but cutting the colonel off before any further banter could be exchanged. "We're on our way back to Atlantis a little sooner than we originally planned."

A moment, perhaps checking some data. "Oh, so that is your hive, we've been tracking it for a few days now. You're on P32-229? Dangerous woods, careful of the bear lizards"

"Among other things, indeed. The short of it is, we have a queen now. She's in hibernation to stall starvation, but the sooner we get to Atlantis the sooner we can start her on the gene therapy."

"Wow, got the girl at last." Todd looked to Rogue but said nothing, just grinned. "Okay so prep for arrival of her majesty. Anything else? I doubt you risked your necks just to say hello and tell us you're on your way."

"Yes, as it's likely going to take time for the therapy to work, and we dare not leave her alone in your...care, we're hoping to land the hive on the mainland in order to effectively cloak it from detection by enemy wraith."

Another pause. "You sure about that? Last time you landed a hive-"

"Your team and I survived. Cease bringing up my piloting skills, it's proving tiresome." Todd grunted.

Sheppard chuckled. "Well I suppose that will be okay, it will reduce risk of discovery so I'll bring it up with Woolsey."

"Surprised we haven't heard his droning voice." the wraith chuffed.

"Yearly review by the IOA. He'll be back before you get here."

Rogue was extremely pleased to hear Sheppard's voice come over the intercom, and gave the camera a grin when he asked about her. She had no idea about the quality of the image transmitted to Atlantis, but hopefully he was able to make it out. Another grin was shared with Todd at Sheppard's comment about 'getting the girl' - he had no idea just how well Todd had fared in that particular area.

When mention of the illustrious Mr. Woolsey came up, she rolled her eyes and sighed. It really would have been nice if they timing could have fortuitous enough to arrive during the review and not after it. She would definitely be spending quite a bit of time on the mainland to avoid both him and Rodney.

"Oh, goodie. Just what we wanted to hear," Rogue muttered loudly enough for both of them to hear her. At least she was content in the knowledge that there was no love lost between any of them and Woolsey.

She was about to say something else when a sound behind them caught her attention. Reaching over to set a hand on Todd's arm, she turned slowly to look in the direction she thought it had come from, but didn't see anything. Perhaps a small hint of movement in the distance that could have been the wind. Or something else.

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