Making You Better

Making You Better Chapter 6

“What is this planet?” Rodney asked, pointing at a dot on the fleshy wraith computer screen. “Why was it ruled out?”

“It is uninhabited,” Kenny, Todd's second-in-command, said.

“But it's in the Ancient database as an outpost,” Rodney argued. “A research outpost.”

“Why does that matter?” Kenny asked. “There have been no life signs on that planet for many years.”

“But we are looking for a crazy wraith hybrid, who is a scientist,” Rodney groused. “It would be the perfect place for him to do his crazy experiments. And when was the last time anyone checked that planet for life signs? If the answer isn't within the last few days, we should check it again.”

“That would take us out of our way and waste valuable time,” Kenny argued.

“Just check the damn planet!” Ronon growled from his place leaning against the wall, putting his hand on his gun.

Kenny hissed in irritation and looked toward Todd for his orders. Todd nodded at his second.

“If Dr. McKay thinks it is worthwhile, then we should check,” Todd said. “Leave no stone unturned.”

Kenny growled but turned to the navigation console and changed the ship's course.

John was shown around a facility that was definitely Ancient. All the lights and computers turned themselves on when John came close. Michael was grinning, obviously congratulating himself on his choice.

Finally, John was brought to a room that looked as though a Wraith hive ship had thrown up in it. There were all kinds of fleshy tubes and veins growing all over the walls. There was a bed in the middle of the room that looked like it had grown there like a fungus. The door seemed to be made of thick leathery skin, like bat wings. It snapped shut behind them like a muscle contracting.

“This is where you will play a majority of your new role,” Michael drawled, a smirk on his face.

“Oh, will I, now?” John asked, voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Yes,” Michael said simply, a minor challenge in his tone.

John turned to glare at him. “I'm not your slave, Michael.”

“No, you're my queen and my mate,” he replied.

“If I'm a queen shouldn't I be the one giving orders?” John asked.

"Eventually, yes," Michael said. "Once you've shown a willingness to preserve the hive, you will be given more responsibility. For now, though, you are simply tasked with increasing our numbers."

John beat down the urge to punch something. Preferably Michael's face. Or his nuts. Either would suffice.

Apparently, John's mental imagery was strong enough to project, because the next thing he knew the room was filled with Michael's laughter.

“So spirited, John,” the hybrid chuckled. “Queens don't get their hands dirty like that. They have drones do the dirty work.”

“Get me some drones, then!” John shot back.

Michael simply smiled. “You have to birth them first,” he supplied.

Suddenly, John wanted to throw up. He vaguely realized that this situation was just nauseating all around, with how much his stomach was protesting. He could not believe Michael really wanted to make him the queen of a hive.

“That's a disgusting thought,” John replied, grimacing.

"It's an arousing thought," Michael mused, looking up and down John's body. "I would have you again right now if I didn't have other things to attend to."

“Well, attend to them then,” John said snidely. “My ass can't take any more right now.”

Michael walked up to John and put his hands on his shoulders. He gently pushed John back toward the bed. “Sit.”

John narrowed his eyes but did as he was told. Which was a mistake.

The moment he sat down, several tentacle-like appendages shot out from under the bed and wrapped around John's wrists and up his arms. Another set wrapped around his ankles. He ended up spread-eagled across the bed. A few smaller tentacles crept down John's pants and into places they didn't belong.

“What the fuck?!” John yelled.

“You need to rest and you need nutrients,” Michael said, watching John thrash around.

With that, another thinner tentacle slithered out and shoved its way down John's throat. He thrashed and struggled as much as he could, but the slimy appendages wouldn't give an inch.

“Try not to struggle too much,” Michael commented, then turned and left John to this new nightmare.

It took them two days and several jumps through hyperspace to get to the planet's orbit. Rodney was extremely grumpy by then, knocking heads with Todd's crew members, whenever Rodney's own people couldn't stand him anymore. Which was often. Teyla tried to keep him fed and caffeinated to reduce his level of grumpiness, but it seemed a wasted effort. The longer they went without John there as a buffer, the more insufferable the scientist became.

“No life signs,” Kenny reported with a smug triumph.

“But we're getting power readings,” Rodney countered. “Just in the one place that has to be the outpost.”

“Is it a ZPM?” Teyla asked.

“It could be, which means it could be shielding something,” Rodney said. “But an Ancient facility wouldn't stay powered up for no reason. A shield wouldn't stay up like that if there was nothing to shield. Ancient technology doesn't waste energy that way if there are no people around to use it. It basically puts itself into a kind of sleep mode when it's not being used. Nothing would be putting out power like that if it had just been left that way either. Unless it had been initialized by a gene carrier recently...”

Rodney paused mid-rant and locked eyes with Teyla, who appeared to be thinking the same thing as him. Their eyes lit up with sudden hope.

“John,” she breathed.

Kenny was way ahead of them, informing his commander and the other Atlantians. Before long, the Jumpers were loaded up and several darts launched along with them.

Michael was interrupted from his exploration of his mate's body, which was still wrapped in many tentacles, by an urgent telepathic communication from his hybrids. They'd been found by a wraith hive ship.

Michael shot up off the bed and was barely redressed before he was out the door that then sealed behind him.

Michael's first order of business was to find out whose hive was up there and send several of his children to get his hive back into the air. It had been hidden and shielded on the opposite side of the small planet.

When he finally found out whose hive it was, Michael saw red. Rage sliced through him like a hot knife. With the outpost initialized by John's presence, Michael was able to have Todd's darts shout out of the sky, but knew nothing about the cloaked Jumpers until the facility granted access to the recognized Ancient technology. The Jumpers were allowed to land inside the building through an access door in the roof.

No! He needed more time to get away. He was drowned by the instinct to take his mate to safety. Michael turned around and was going to head for John but he came face-to-face with the business end of a P90 and several angry Atlantians.

"Where's Colonel Sheppard?" Major Lorne demanded, finger on the trigger. He was backed by Carson, Teyla, Rodney, Todd, and several other wraith and even more marines.

Michael feigned surprise. “Why would I have him?”

“Don't play dumb! We know he's here!” Rodney shouted, patience shot from long days on a wraith hive ship. He had a life signs detector in one hand and a 9mm in the other.

Todd stepped forward, eyes hard with barely contained fury. “I can smell him on you,” he said with a sneer. “You've hurt him.”

Michael couldn't resist the grin that spread across his face. “Many times and in many ways.”

To be continued.

Yeah, I'm an asshole like that.