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

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.

"I'll be sure to tell him that you wished him the best" Sheppard said

Todd looked to Rogue then around at the spot she'd been staring at.

"Something wrong?" Sheppard asked, obviously able to see that something had gotten their attention.

"I think we've overstayed our welcome." Todd said, turning to look at the MALP. "We'll be back inside of a week, if there's anyone on the mainland, I'd suggest an evacuation to give us the maximum amount of room possible when we land the hive."

"Will do, Sheppard out"

Todd stood up and drew his knife, turning the gate off by touching the correct button on the DHD. "What did you see?" he asked Rogue, picking up and handing her the stick he'd used before. Some sort of weapon was better than nothing.

The stick was actually a rather good weapon for Rogue, considering how much time she'd spent training with Remy and his bo staff. She could be a force to be reckoned with that stick if it came to it.

"I thought I saw movement, over there by those trees," she told him, gesturing in that direction as she stuck close to him. "I couldn't make out any shapes, so it might just have been wind or an animal, but I can't be sure either way." She hoped it was nothing, just her imagination from being so tense on the way to the gate, but even Sheppard had warned them out the animal threat in the area. They couldn't just hope for the best and ignore what she'd noticed.

He remained still, but when nothing but the wind graced their presence, he relaxed and led the way down the path they took after picking up a new stick to poke the ground with, just in case.

They returned to the spot where the bear lizard...used to be.

"Well, either it wasn't actually dead or we're not alone out here." Todd said quietly. Either option was not one he wanted to face. Judging by the minimal disturbance in the brush however, someone had cleaned up after taking their prize, the creature-if alive-would have just stomped off without a care to the trail it left behind.

"This day just keeps getting better," she muttered, eyes on their surroundings as she tried to spot anything that might represent danger to them. But of course there wasn't anything in sight, just evidence that something had happened while they were over by the gate.

"How much longer do you think it'll be before the others are finished?" Rogue asked Todd quietly, adjusting her grip on the stick but not letting go of it.

"Another hour probably." he replied, beginning to pick his way back he way they'd come. "Judging from the amount of tension I can feel among my fellow wraith, they've just entered the cave. While we're distantly related to the iratus bug, we're no more immune to its attacks than a human is so its a delicate operation, one that shouldn't be rushed."

They soon emerged at the clearing they'd come from. But despite the deer grazing peacefully at the opposite end, Todd dare not sit out in the open and instead took a seat against a tree with a clear view of the meadow.

Rogue frowned at the estimation and his report of how things were likely faring. An hour was a long time when they very likely weren't alone out here. But maybe, if they just stayed quiet and out of sight, they'd get back to the hive without too much trouble.

Hopefully.

She took a seat beside Todd, not leaning against the tree but close enough to do so with a little adjusting. Pulling her legs up to her chest, she blinked up at the bright sky and commented, "At least it's not raining here."

He chuckled at that, remembering the last time they were in a field together.

"Indeed so." he replied. It was a bright dry day with a calm warm breeze rustling the grass and trees. The complete opposite of that dark, cold, rainy night.

The wraith looked over at her, lifting a hand from his lap he caressed her arm. "You're tense." he commented. "Worried about the humans here?"

That had been one hell of a first meeting. It was a bit crazy, thinking back to where they had started and comparing it to where they were now. That was a bit of a trend with relationships in her life, though - just look at how she'd met Logan and all they had lived through together, all because she'd hitched a ride in the back of his truck without exactly getting his permission first.

As usual, his touch had a soothing effect on her, and she leaned into it ever so slightly. "I am," she admitted with a small, sheepish smile. "They wouldn't exactly be thrilled to find a wraith in their backyard."

"Quite true" he replied, but dare not say aloud what they'd do to her. A human willingly in the presence of a Wraith meant you were a worshiper, and therefore her fate would be one of many slow, cruel ends, while he'd only be killed as quickly as possible.

Though, judging from how elusive the humans here seemed to be, alerting their presence to a wraith and worshiper would be stupid. It was likely they'd be left alone so long as they didn't go snooping around. And Todd had every intention of remaining put until the ship returned for them.

He watched the deer at the far end. A stag raised his head, ceased chewing and stared right at them for the longest time, perhaps trying to determine what they were, before resuming his grazing.

Todd turned his attention back to Rogue and continued to tease her skin, though more...flirty.

It was a good thing he didn't divulge just what the humans would do to her if they found her with him. If she knew the details, she might never venture to a planet populated with humans again. The last few years of her life had been spent avoiding a cruel end, but at least she'd been in her world, where she had tools and skills at her disposal. Here? She wouldn't stand much of a chance if an angry mob got hold of her.

Rogue's attention focused on the deer as well, marveling at the creature and its blatant display of life. The wildlife on her Earth had become scarce as the war went on, retreating to the areas that were completely removed from any trace of civilization. To see a deer here, now, seemed like a miracle, even if it really wasn't.

As his touch changed, a slow smile grew on her lips, and she finally glanced over at him. "You're getting awfully frisky there, Commander," she teased playfully.

He chuckled and withdrew his touch. "Just seeing how much you're ignoring me." he said. "Do they have deer on earth?" he asked, as her attention had been on the mammals for some time.

Many animals in the Pegasus Galaxy had been brought from earth by the ancients to help settlements prosper. And vice versa he supposed. Some, like deer, remained relatively unchanged and adapted well to wherever they were placed. Others, like the bear lizard...well, who knew. Perhaps it originated here or it evolved...or, like the Wraith themselves, were an accident.

Rogue narrowed her eyes and pouted at Todd playfully before rolling her eyes and leaning her shoulder against him. "We do have deer," she confirmed. "They're pretty common in the part of the world that I'm from, that continent anyway. There's a whole hunting season devoted to deer, and in some parts of the country the start of hunting season is like a holiday."

That sort of thing didn't exist anymore though. The world wasn't stable enough for things like holidays, official or not, and hunting wasn't a sport so much as a necessity.

From what little he'd been able to gather about life for humans on earth, hunting for one's meat was more of a sport than it was out of need for food. Which made them little different from the wraith, whether they wanted to admit it or not. Of course, the earth here and now, not hers. Piecing together what Rogue had told him, it was likely everyone, humans and mutants alike, hunted all they could when they could.

He kind of missed it, the thrill of the chase. But the last time he'd hunted on foot he'd been caught by the Genii and spent the next half century locked up. No, the only thing he'd hunt now strayed no farther than the hive pantry...although...

He eyed the deer. They could take one or several, a few blasts with a stunner and they'd have meat for a long while. They used to do it when they had worshipers on board, which accounted for the animal pelts on his bed. But they had no real need for it. They'd restock on Atlantis.

His crew told him they were on their way back, but he remained put. If the humans by chance didn't know they were here, he'd like to keep it that way for as long as possible.

The idea occurred to Rogue as well, as she might have suggested it if they weren't stopping at Atlantis soon. And, truthfully, some part of her wanted those deer to continue living, to not die on her watch. It was something she couldn't explain, and it was entirely silly, but it was still how she felt.

Rogue set her head on his shoulder while they waited for the crew to return for them. The light breeze drifted over them and she sighed heavily, closing her eyes and just enjoying the moment of peace in the fresh air. Being there with Todd? That made it so much better.

"I'm going to miss seeing you so much when we're on Atlantis," she told him quietly, eyes still closed. "I'm not saying that because I don't understand why you'll be busy, or that I need to be at your side at all times, you already know neither is true. I just wanted you to know that I'll miss having your company."

He grinned at her elaborate explanation of why she was going to miss him and chuffed in reply. He would too.

Their ride arrived without any further adventures, a large box strapped to a seat with a wraith sitting beside it with an arm atop of it. The box shook a bit and there was an almost annoying chittering of irritation coming from it.

Todd was glad to see there were no casualties in this pick up.

They were back on board the hive within half an hour and the hive itself back in hyperspace in almost as much time.

The box and its contents were taken to a chamber where it would be locked up while Todd and Rogue headed to the kitchen to start dinner.

Rogue watched that box with a wary gaze almost the entire ride back to the ship, the shaking and sounds more than a little unnerving considering what she'd heard about the creature inside. She was glad it would be locked up for the rest of their trip - the thought of it escaping and running around the hallways was a bit terrifying though.

Dinner was a bit strange without the queen there to observe the proceedings. It had only been a few days, but Rogue had already gotten used to it. Regardless, things went smoothly as usual, and she enjoyed spending the time with Todd and some of her favorite members of his crew.

Talk was mostly about what was to be happening between now and their arrival in Atlantis. Todd was confident he could swing a deal to get the hive the upgrades it would need to help seriously turn the tide in the civil war. As a result, they'd go top to bottom in the next week, looking over what could be updated and what the power requirements for it would be.

A ZPM would seriously help them. However, the likelihood of them giving up a ZPM was about as likely as Woolsey offering himself up as sacrifice to the queen.

After dinner, they cataloged the pantry and decided which meals would be done between now and Atlantis, deciding to calculate how little they could scrape by with, in the event Atlantis could not provide. By this time next year, they hoped to be dependent on the farms and crops for most of their needs, but that would only happen if the drone's gene therapy worked.

Rogue wasn't able to be of much help with the talk of ship upgrades, since engineering was far from her field of expertise and she didn't even know half the ship's current capabilities, but she still listened and absorbed what she was able to of the conversation.

The issue of the pantry, however, was something she was able to filly chime in on. She'd had to deal with rationing quite a bit during the war, and it was particularly easy to come up with filling dishes that included rice and pasta, which they still had in fair quantity from their previous visit to Atlantis. It was some of the fresh items that they were most lacking in, the more flavorful foods that the crew had preferred to experiment with. If the drone therapy did work, it would be of great benefit to them all if they were able to find a suitable area on the farming planet to grow rice - it was easy to store and went a long way toward keeping the crew fed.

It was a relief when it was all finally done with though, cataloging and meal planning were usually nothing but it had been a rather unusual day.

He and Rogue headed back to his chambers. The next week would be fairly quiet compared to the previous one, but he'd make the most of the time he got with Rogue.

They were back in hyperspace so the room's blue hue washed over them as they lay together.

Despite his mental exhaustion, Todd was too wound up to sleep, so he got up-careful not to disturb Rogue-and sat in his armchair to read. When his mind couldn't focus and he found himself re-reading whole pages, he put that aside too. He picked up his tablet and did a little work, but a few minutes in, he realized why he might not be sleeping well these nights and he entered the information into a file he'd not open in some time.

Gene Therapy Side-Effects: Insomnia.

Wraith had not slept "normally" since before the hibernation pod system had been created. Only when a Wraith had not fed in some time or during the war when it was better to recover in general rest rather than hibernation did a wraith sleep.

All this sleep was, ironically, making him restless.

He closed his eyes, talking with his crew about his discovery and asked if any had felt it.

Several had, all from the first group who'd been inoculated after him, though they'd marked it off as just stress and excitement over the past weeks. From what he knew, there was no real cure for insomnia. Sleeping pills would have to be taken in massive doses to work on wraith. Sedatives might help, but they had none on board to test.

He sent three of his officers feeling the effects to go into hibernation at once. At first they protested, as without drones, they needed as many hands manning the hive as possible. But Todd persisted, if they got to Atlantis and the insomnia was cured by a week in hibernation, then all was well and they'd just have to take shifts in the pods every once in awhile. If not, they'd need to test other ways. Eventually they obeyed, and they joined their queen in the long sleep.

Todd returned to bed but continued to work on his tablet.

Rogue didn't stir when Todd left the bed, which confirmed just how tired she was and how comfortable she felt with Todd and in his chambers. Before, when she'd been on the run for her life, the slightest movement nearby would have woken her. But even during her first days on the hive, she'd slept better than she had in ages, despite the nightmares. There was just something about the atmosphere that appealed to her senses and soothed her mind. She knew very well that other humans would balk at the idea of finding peace on a hive ship, but that was exactly what had happened for her.

She did notice when he returned to bed, though, and when he began making small movements, as if he were moving a hand and little else. Finally shifting so she could blink at him blearily, Rogue mumbled a sleepy, "Something wrong? Or just can't sleep?"

Insomnia was an old friend that she had been glad to be rid of these last few months. With all the jumbled mess in her head, she'd spent many an hour at the mansion prowling the halls while everyone slept, sharing a beer or watching TV with Logan usually. It had been good days when they'd caught a student wandering around when they shouldn't be - Logan was always in prime form at one in the morning when he found the teenagers on cookie runs.

She rubbed a hand over her face and blinked heavily before propping herself up a little on some pillows. How much sleep had she gotten? It felt like nothing at all, though it must have been at least a few hours. Two maybe? The feeling of being completely discombobulated could easily be the result of only two hours of sleep.

He didn't try to console her into going back to sleep, she'd protest and ask him what was up anyway he figured. And, she did.

"I think the gene therapy has insomnia side effects. Myself and the first group inoculated are experiencing similar symptoms." he replied, putting his tablet down to talk to her as she sat up. "At first I thought it was just the combination of the recent events piling up, but the fact that the same group who got the gene therapy most recently are experiencing such effects means its got to be the root of it. Wraith have not slept as humans do on a regular basis for some time. I've sent three of those affected into hibernation for the week to see if some time in the pods will rid one of the insomnia-like effects."

Rogue nodded slowly as she listened to him explain what was going on. It must be so difficult to live with the uncertainty of the gene therapy.

"Of all the human-like problems to have, insomnia isn't the most delightful, that's for certain," she acknowledged, waking up a little more the longer they talked. "We're old friends, insomnia and me, so I know how troublesome it can be. I hope the hibernation will help."

"I do as well. Sleeping pills don't work, and sedatives need to be taken in massive doses to even make my kin groggy let alone put us to sleep." he said, putting his tablet aside as he finished his notes. "If hibernating doesn't work, we're soon all going to be a bunch of walking zombies." he chuckled dryly.

"Go back to sleep." he said, touching her shoulder and getting out of bed again. Now that he knew sleeping-for now anyway-was off the table, he decided he'd best get some other work done. No need to ruin her sleep with his restlessness.

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get to see deadpool yet?

not yet, bf has been dragging his heels on it. i'm about to go by myself

really fun movie, definitely should see it C:

fingers crossed for next weekend!

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was this inspired by the insomnia meme?

hehe nope, didn't even see that that one had been posted until now

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