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The New Girl
Chapter Twenty-Five

It was dark in the Queen's chambers, she was agitated and didn't want to be disturbed.  She had sent may spies throughout the galaxy, infiltrated several smaller alliances and still she was no closer to finding the Wraith Commander and his little human.  She hissed as she slammed her hand down on a nearby table breaking it in half, her strength having increased from her earlier feeding on several officers who had failed her just as her lieutenant had several weeks earlier.  The Queen paced the length of her rooms trying to think of how they could have just disappeared.  Though the alliance this Wraith commanded was small she was certain she would have found them by now, either through another alliance or nearby feeding grounds.  But there had been nothing.

As the Queen paced she thought on what the Lieutenant had told her before his death about the girl who had been with the Commander.  The style of her clothes the way she held herself and acted around, not just the Commander, but the Queen's officers as well.
'Such arrogance would have been well suited to the Ancients.' the Queen stopped her pacing at the thought and slowly she began mulling it around in her head.  The girl's behavior, her cloths, her iron will against her Lieutenant's probing.  Indeed, she was very much like an Ancient, but they had fled the Pegasus galaxy long ago, burying Atlantis far beneath the seas of their home world.
"It's simply not possible!" the Queen hissed to herself, but she had heard the rumors.  The whispers among both the Humans and Wraith about Atlantis being reclaimed, and the decedents of the Wraith's age old enemy traveling through out the galaxy.

It was then that the Queen hit upon a radical idea.  If this girl was indeed one of the... new Atlantians, and they really were working with this Wraith Commander to find a cure for the Wraith.  Then the Queen would just have to find a way to ally herself with this group, if not just to steal the cure once it was completed, then to destroy Atlantis and its people once and for all.  As for the traitorous Commander, the Queen would take great pleasure in feeding from him slowly after he had watched his little human whore die at the hands of her men.  The only problem was in finding them, but that soon became irrelevant as an officer dared her wrath by knocking on her door saying,
"My Queen, we've found them!"

....(On Atlantis).........................................................................................................

Serena bustled about her lab as pieces of memories and research started coming back to her in a steady flow.  Though Todd's mother had almost overwhelmed her with information, she had been kind enough to at least put everything in chronological order.  That combined with Serena's mind slowly processing each bit of information, it made for the perfect state of mind to be working on the cure.  At least in Serena's opinion, which didn't seem to count for much as the weeks rolled on.  Though her research was important, everyone, Todd included, believed that her health was of more concern then saving the galaxy.  And it was starting to get down right annoying, the constant tests from Keller to make sure she wasn't turning into a Wraith as well as checking on the health of her baby.  Rodney's insistence that she should be taken off the project until she had processed all the information the Queen had given her.  And worst of all, Sheppard and Todd's constant bickering over weather it was even safe for her to be on Atlantis if she was indeed becoming a Wraith.

It was enough to make Serena scream, she wasn't turning into a Wraith!!  Though she had to admit after the transfer she had noticed small changes.  Like her senses were heightened, her mind was more adapt at reaching out to Todd's, in fact anyone's if she really tried, and she had started eating more frequently, almost constantly; but that was more due to her pregnancy then anything else, she suspected.  She had not, however, developed a keen sense of superiority, a appetite for human essences, or any other psychological or physical attributes of the Wraith.  Oh Rodney's list was almost endless on what she be looking out for when it came to how she might change after the transfer.  Quite frankly, Serena found it ridicules.

She had work to do and this whole business of making sure she was still human was only slowing her down.  However, she was now alone in her lab, and she was thrilled to be left to her own devices for more then a few hours to work on both remembering research from the transfer and linking said research to her own findings.  As she went about her business writing things down and testing out theories that came into her head, Serena wondered what the child growing inside her would look like.  It was to early to tell whether it was a boy or girl, but Serena could already feel it's small mind and body growing, slowly but steadily within her.  Even if she couldn't yet feel it physically, her mind and that of her unborn child were linked.  She knew when it was hungry, thirsty, and when she needed to take a rest for it's sake.  It was almost like it was already here.  Todd had even expressed his enthusiasm at being able to hear his child growing.  It was all very new to Serena, but she pushed forward into the unknown, hoping that the answers to the cure were just around the corner.

After another couple hours of sorting through the memories given to her and correcting her own research, Serena's stomach growled from being ignored for too long.  So with a tired sigh, Serena made her way to the mess hall.  She knew that she needed to get some sleep, but she had been on a roll and already had found answers to many of the questions she'd had about the Wraith.  Though deep down she knew that over working herself wasn't good for either herself or the baby, she wanted to give Todd and the baby a chance to be able to live a normal life rather then taking them.  This meant that Serena had to find the one thing that was missing from the formula, the key element that would allow the Wraith to survive without feeding on others.

Serena yawned as she picked out what she wanted from the mess hall and sat down in a small sitting area away from everyone else to eat in peace.  Her mind still going over all the data she had remembered thus far while she went through the motions of feeding herself as if she were on autopilot.  Then, just as she was about to take another bite someone stopped her fork from reaching her mouth.  At first it didn't register that someone was holding her wrist preventing her from bringing her fork up to her mouth, but then she heard Todd's deep double toned voice say,
"If you eat that it will cause some very serious indigestion unless humans are able to stomach plastic."  Serena blinked her eyes tiredly at him wondering what he was talking about, then she looked at her fork.  Apparently she had eaten everything on her plate, and hadn't realized she'd scooped up the plastic covering from her silver wear at the edge of the plate thinking it was edible.

Todd took the plastic utensil and the rest of the plater to a near by garbage can and then returned to Serena's side as she yawned again.  Even though he was very eager to find a cure, Todd didn't want Serena working herself to the bone.  She needed rest, her mind and body demanded it, and not just for her sake, but the baby's as well.  So in one swift motion Todd swept Serena up into his arms and started walking down the many hall ways and passages of Atlantis to their rooms.  He had only been walking for a few minutes when Serena passed out against his chest, making him cures himself for having to leave Atlantis.  Serena had been badgered by everyone to take things slow, but Todd knew she wouldn't listen.  So when he had been called back to see to his men he had been concerned that she would push herself too hard, and sadly he had been right.  Though why Sheppard and the others had allowed this to happen he didn't know, but he planned to find out as he entered his and Serena's quarters.

After helping Serena into a night gown and putting her to bed, Todd made his way to Colonel Carter's office to find out what exactly had been going on since he left.  This left Serena, once more, on her own with her mind drifting into dreams.  But in her dreams she found no peace or rest, for as she slept she felt something was coming closer to Atlantis.  Something with malicious intent and contempt for all in the city and beyond it.  Though she could not see what or who it was, Serena knew they would be on them soon.  She had to get up, she had to warn Todd and Sheppard, but her body felt like it was made of lead, and no matter how loud she screamed no one could hear her.  Darkness was creeping in around her and with it came the overwhelming sense of fear and dread.  They were all going to die.

Todd entered Carter's office without knocking, not that Todd had ever really developed the habit of doing so, being so used to others sensing his presence.  The Colonel looked up from her reports with a look of surprise which was reflected in her voice when she spoke,
"Todd, what are you doing here, I would have thought you would be with Serena as soon as you got back?"  The Wraith showed no emotion as he stood in front of Carter's desk, only his eyes gave any indication the he was agitated.  However, he wouldn't let his mood get the better of him.  So he nodded his head in acknowledgment saying,
"Indeed, but when I found her she was exhausted having spent a great amount of her time working on the cure.  Dr. Keller has told me that she shouldn't overexert herself, for she may cause harm to both herself and our child.  I thought until further notice you had told her to refrain from working on the cure, why then has she been allowed to do so?"  Todd could feel his anger rising, but did his best to hold it back until he had heard what the Colonel had to say for herself.

To say that Carter was surprised would have been a gross understatement, she had indeed told Serena to take a break from working on the cure until they all had a better sense of what the memory transfer had done to her.  But Serena was a very stubborn woman, and would go so far as to put herself in mortal danger if she felt it was the right thing to do.  Even so, Carter had hoped that the pregnancy would have caused Serena to think on what she could and couldn't do in relation to her work load.  Either way it seemed that Serena had once again over done it, and no doubt Carter would have to up the security on her to make sure this didn't happen again.  Carter was about to relay her idea to the Wraith when the alarms went off.  Todd stepped away from the door just in time for an officer from the control room to run in past him saying,
"Colonel, we have an unknown Hive approaching the system, and they seem to be heading right for us."

The New Girl
Chapter Twenty-Six

Everyone stood in the control room holding their breath.  The cloak over the city had been activated, yet even so, the inhabitance couldn't help but wait on baited breath to see if they would be discovered.  If so they would have very little time to disengage the cloak and activate the shield, the whole process taking close to three minutes to accomplish on a good day.  The Hive was closing in quickly and soon would be orbiting right over their heads, though the Hive couldn't see them it didn't mean they couldn't do some damage.  Even if someone was shooting blindly in the dark, there was always the chance they'd get in a lucky shot.  And if a shot got through to the city without the shield up to protect them the results would be devastating.

Colonel Carter knew this, as did everyone on Atlantis, but if there was even a chance that they could keep their location a secret Carter would take it.  Besides the Hive hadn't made any move to put up its shields, or charge its weapons.  It hadn't even bothered to scan anything as it stayed its corse, headed straight for Atlantis.
"How far out are they?" asked Carter.  Zelenka looked up from his screen saying,
"They're just about to achieve a somewhat distant orbit over use."  Sheppard looked over to Todd saying,
"Friends of yours?"  The Wraith shook his head as he said,
"All my ships are accounted for and awaiting the cure on the planet you gave us."  John crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned back against one of the control panels in a manner that would have seemed relaxed to anyone who didn't know him.  He stared at Zelenka's screen in confusion and concern and said,
"Then what are they doing out here?"

As if to answer his question the communications officer piped in then saying,
"Sir, we are receiving a video message from the Hive... it seems to be from their Queen."  Carter looked at Sheppard then Todd and said,
"They seem to already know we're here."  Ronan already had his gun out and poised at Todd's head, but John told him to stand down.  Todd's face held a look of both shock and interest and Sheppard knew that he was just as surprised as the rest of them.  Carter looked from Todd to Sheppard trying to figure out what to do next.
"Answer her." said Todd looking straight at her.  Rodney spoke up then saying,
"Are you insane?!  If we respond they'll know exactly where we are!"
"They already know we're here Rodney.  If we don't answer them and they decide to attack it'll only be a matter of time before they get in a lucky shot." Sheppard countered as he turned to Carter and went on.
"Either way it's our move."  Everyone was silent, waiting for the Colonel's word.

Carter weighed her options.  Could it be another alliance had found out about their work on the cure, and wished to be among the first of those to receive it?  Or were they here merely to confirm that Atlantis was here, and if so did they intend to relay this to their alliance?  Did they even belong to an alliance?  All these question were swirling in Carter's head, but she wasn't going to get any answers just by staring at the small blip on Zelenka's screen.  She turned to the communications officer as said,
"Video on screen and open a channel."  The officer nodded and activated the communicator and pointed to Carter, signaling she was on.  Carter took a deep cleansing breath as she looked at the main screen, which now displayed the bridge of a Hive with a dark haired Queen standing in front of the helm.  The Colonel steeled herself and said,
"This is Colonel Carter, please identify yourself."

(The Hive Ship over Atlantis).................................................................................

The Queen stared out at the small backwater planet her ship was now orbiting and scoffed in slight disgust at the thought of Atlantis being just below.  Though she was very grateful to know which world the city was on, the fact that it was cloaked made her more then a bit agitated.  Not that she had expected any less from a civilization well known for it's advancements as well as it's people's arrogance.
'Hiding in plain sight, how typical.' she thought as her officers hailed the city for the third time.
"This is Colonel Carter, please identify yourself."  The communications officer turned to face his Queen.  She nodded to him and faced the frontal screen with the blond female displayed along with what appeared to be an Atlantian control room, and said,
"I have come to speak with the one who ames to cure us."  There was silence for a few moments.  Then the human nodded to someone off screen and stepped aside as a tall Wraith came to stand in front of the screen, and said in the deep double toned voice of one of her kind,
"I am the one you seek, what is it you wish, great Queen?"  The Queen smiled to herself and said,
"To join your cause, Commander.  There are too many of us now in the galaxy and too few humans to feed our numbers, especially now that the Replicators have destroyed several worlds we once culled."

She paused wondering if the Commander would believe her, but shook off her worries, knowing that he wouldn't have much of a choice.  For she now knew where Atlantis was, or at least the world it resided on.  Even if they managed to destroy her ship, her officers had their location locked and ready to be transmitted to the rest of her alliance at a moments notice.  So she went on saying,
"Our supply stores are running low, and several officers have already been killed, for the hunger was too much for them."  The Queen looked pleadingly at the Commander and said,
"We need your help."  The Commander seemed to think it over and then looked back to the human she had first spoken too.  The Queen scoffed to herself, thinking,
'Of course he would have to ask for their permission.'  After a few moments he turned back to her and said,
"We shall meet with you to discuss the terms for your stay, and what access you shall have to the cure if and when it is discovered."  The Queen nodded to the Commander saying that she eagerly awaited their arrival to a neutral location to discuss what was to be done.  The Commander nodded and the transmission ended.

The communications officer turned to his Queen and relayed where they were headed for the meeting with the Commander.
'And his Atlantian handlers.' she thought to herself as she nodded to the officer and left the bridge.  As she headed down the halls of her Hive the Queen couldn't help but think back on how she had come to rule over one of the largest alliances of Wraith Hives in the galaxy.  Seeing one of her own kind grovel at the Atlantian's feet made her blood boil and stirred her mind back to a time when she had been at the beck and call of her predecessor.  It had been a hard and humiliating time for her, and in fact it was for every Queen when they were being trained to take over the rule of a Hive.  But, to allow the greatest enemy of the Wraith to rule over what she was to do or not do?  It very nearly made her physically ill.

However, the Queen allowed her mind to wonder back on those days when she had to serve her Queen.  All Queens were subjected to a very strict regiment of training, which included being in a position of submission to others.  This was to instill each Queen with a deep seeded hatred of being subjugated, there in making them very proud and willful.  A Queen was never looked down upon, she was the one who looked down on you, and only your obedience and loyalty dictated whether she looked on you with respect or displeasure.  In her days as a young one, the Queen remembered how she was punished for failures, forced to do some of the worst jobs one can be assigned on a Hive, and even those who lived their lives working on the engines, or disposing of waists looked down on her.  The feel of their eyes on her burned, like a hot iron brand saying she had failed yet again.  She had sworn then, and she swore again now that she would never allow another to rule over her.

She made her way to the thrown room and smiled as she took her seat on the thrown at the front of the room atop the dais.  The previous Queen had been sitting in that very spot when she had been struck down by her underling.  The Queen smiled as she remembered the look on her predecessor's face when she had plunged a knife into her back, the only way for leadership to switch hands, and the successor to assume the throne.  For a Queen to become so careless to allow herself to be killed by her own brood was disgraceful, and as for the one who killed her, she was christened as the knew Queen.  Strange as it may appear to any other race, the game of Wraith royalty was one of power, if you have the strength to get what you want then take it.  No one disputed her right to the throne after she had killed the previous Queen, and now she ruled over hundreds others.  Satisfied both in her thoughts and her plans the Queen leaned back in her throne, patiently waiting for when her officers would come to tell her when they had arrived at the appointed place.

(Back on Atlantis)..................................................................................................

Todd hurried down the halls headed for Serena's room, though he intended to go with Sheppard and the other's to negotiate with this new Queen, he didn't want to leave without first checking on his mate.  Serena had been in sad shape when he had put her to bed and from the emotions and slight panic he felt coming off her now, sleep hadn't help her to improve.  He almost pushed through the doors leading to her room when she sat straight up with a gasp and reached for him in desperation.  Todd didn't hesitate to pull her into his arms and trill deeply in his throat to try and calm her and the child she carried down.  She needed rest and even though she had slept for an hour it hadn't been either peaceful or restful.  Why, Todd had no idea, but as Serena pulled back to look at him he felt her thoughts and the memories of her dreams enter his mind along with her worry about what they could mean.  It was at this point that Todd sighed, and said,
"You felt the Hive and its Queen."  At first Serena was confused and then he explained what had happened after he had left her to sleep, and what they planned to do.

Serena was soon gripping Todd to her saying,
"Don't go, don't do this!  She's hiding something!  We can't trust her!"  Todd shook his head and said,
"I know we can't trust her, but what of those under her command, what if they wish to be cured?  I will bring up these concerns to Colonel Carter and Sheppard, but I believe if we keep a close watch on her and allow her officers the chance to coexist with mine, we might have a chance at forming an alliance that could allow for a greater number of Wraith to be cured."
"But at what cost?  If something should go wrong, if she gets the upper hand, it could end badly for everyone." said Serena as she interlaced her fingers with Todd's over her belly.  Todd smiled and kissed her forehead saying,
"If we are being deceived we will know soon enough.  In the meantime her ship will be placed on a world not far from mine, but enough that both my ships and Atlantis will have warning should she turn on us.  If she will not agree to our terms she will be turned away, or destroyed and we will move both Atlantis and my alliance just to be safe.  Is that agreeable to you?"  She rolled her eyes saying,
"As if I have a choice!  You all have already decided, but don't come crying to me when it all goes to shit, cause I'll just say 'I told you so'."  Todd laughed and kissed her gently on the lips as she pouted saying,
"I'll be sure remember that."  Serena looked up at him and said,
"How long do you have before you have to go?"  Todd shrugged saying,
"About an hour or so."  Serena pulled him to lay down next to her and said,
"Then stay with us for a while, I really don't get much sleep when your not around."
"You don't get any sleep when I'm not around." Todd corrected, to which he only got a stuck out tongue for a response.

Description
The New Girl
Chapter Twenty-Five

It was dark in the Queen's chambers, she was agitated and didn't want to be disturbed.  She had sent may spies throughout the galaxy, infiltrated several smaller alliances and still she was no closer to finding the Wraith Commander and his little human.  She hissed as she slammed her hand down on a nearby table breaking it in half, her strength having increased from her earlier feeding on several officers who had failed her just as her lieutenant had several weeks earlier.  The Queen paced the length of her rooms trying to think of how they could have just disappeared.  Though the alliance this Wraith commanded was small she was certain she would have found them by now, either through another alliance or nearby feeding grounds.  But there had been nothing.

As the Queen paced she thought on what the Lieutenant had told her before his death about the girl who had been with the Commander.  The style of her clothes the way she held herself and acted around, not just the Commander, but the Queen's officers as well.
'Such arrogance would have been well suited to the Ancients.' the Queen stopped her pacing at the thought and slowly she began mulling it around in her head.  The girl's behavior, her cloths, her iron will against her Lieutenant's probing.  Indeed, she was very much like an Ancient, but they had fled the Pegasus galaxy long ago, burying Atlantis far beneath the seas of their home world.
"It's simply not possible!" the Queen hissed to herself, but she had heard the rumors.  The whispers among both the Humans and Wraith about Atlantis being reclaimed, and the decedents of the Wraith's age old enemy traveling through out the galaxy.

It was then that the Queen hit upon a radical idea.  If this girl was indeed one of the... new Atlantians, and they really were working with this Wraith Commander to find a cure for the Wraith.  Then the Queen would just have to find a way to ally herself with this group, if not just to steal the cure once it was completed, then to destroy Atlantis and its people once and for all.  As for the traitorous Commander, the Queen would take great pleasure in feeding from him slowly after he had watched his little human whore die at the hands of her men.  The only problem was in finding them, but that soon became irrelevant as an officer dared her wrath by knocking on her door saying,
"My Queen, we've found them!"

....(On Atlantis).........................................................................................................

Serena bustled about her lab as pieces of memories and research started coming back to her in a steady flow.  Though Todd's mother had almost overwhelmed her with information, she had been kind enough to at least put everything in chronological order.  That combined with Serena's mind slowly processing each bit of information, it made for the perfect state of mind to be working on the cure.  At least in Serena's opinion, which didn't seem to count for much as the weeks rolled on.  Though her research was important, everyone, Todd included, believed that her health was of more concern then saving the galaxy.  And it was starting to get down right annoying, the constant tests from Keller to make sure she wasn't turning into a Wraith as well as checking on the health of her baby.  Rodney's insistence that she should be taken off the project until she had processed all the information the Queen had given her.  And worst of all, Sheppard and Todd's constant bickering over weather it was even safe for her to be on Atlantis if she was indeed becoming a Wraith.

It was enough to make Serena scream, she wasn't turning into a Wraith!!  Though she had to admit after the transfer she had noticed small changes.  Like her senses were heightened, her mind was more adapt at reaching out to Todd's, in fact anyone's if she really tried, and she had started eating more frequently, almost constantly; but that was more due to her pregnancy then anything else, she suspected.  She had not, however, developed a keen sense of superiority, a appetite for human essences, or any other psychological or physical attributes of the Wraith.  Oh Rodney's list was almost endless on what she be looking out for when it came to how she might change after the transfer.  Quite frankly, Serena found it ridicules.

She had work to do and this whole business of making sure she was still human was only slowing her down.  However, she was now alone in her lab, and she was thrilled to be left to her own devices for more then a few hours to work on both remembering research from the transfer and linking said research to her own findings.  As she went about her business writing things down and testing out theories that came into her head, Serena wondered what the child growing inside her would look like.  It was to early to tell whether it was a boy or girl, but Serena could already feel it's small mind and body growing, slowly but steadily within her.  Even if she couldn't yet feel it physically, her mind and that of her unborn child were linked.  She knew when it was hungry, thirsty, and when she needed to take a rest for it's sake.  It was almost like it was already here.  Todd had even expressed his enthusiasm at being able to hear his child growing.  It was all very new to Serena, but she pushed forward into the unknown, hoping that the answers to the cure were just around the corner.

After another couple hours of sorting through the memories given to her and correcting her own research, Serena's stomach growled from being ignored for too long.  So with a tired sigh, Serena made her way to the mess hall.  She knew that she needed to get some sleep, but she had been on a roll and already had found answers to many of the questions she'd had about the Wraith.  Though deep down she knew that over working herself wasn't good for either herself or the baby, she wanted to give Todd and the baby a chance to be able to live a normal life rather then taking them.  This meant that Serena had to find the one thing that was missing from the formula, the key element that would allow the Wraith to survive without feeding on others.

Serena yawned as she picked out what she wanted from the mess hall and sat down in a small sitting area away from everyone else to eat in peace.  Her mind still going over all the data she had remembered thus far while she went through the motions of feeding herself as if she were on autopilot.  Then, just as she was about to take another bite someone stopped her fork from reaching her mouth.  At first it didn't register that someone was holding her wrist preventing her from bringing her fork up to her mouth, but then she heard Todd's deep double toned voice say,
"If you eat that it will cause some very serious indigestion unless humans are able to stomach plastic."  Serena blinked her eyes tiredly at him wondering what he was talking about, then she looked at her fork.  Apparently she had eaten everything on her plate, and hadn't realized she'd scooped up the plastic covering from her silver wear at the edge of the plate thinking it was edible.

Todd took the plastic utensil and the rest of the plater to a near by garbage can and then returned to Serena's side as she yawned again.  Even though he was very eager to find a cure, Todd didn't want Serena working herself to the bone.  She needed rest, her mind and body demanded it, and not just for her sake, but the baby's as well.  So in one swift motion Todd swept Serena up into his arms and started walking down the many hall ways and passages of Atlantis to their rooms.  He had only been walking for a few minutes when Serena passed out against his chest, making him cures himself for having to leave Atlantis.  Serena had been badgered by everyone to take things slow, but Todd knew she wouldn't listen.  So when he had been called back to see to his men he had been concerned that she would push herself too hard, and sadly he had been right.  Though why Sheppard and the others had allowed this to happen he didn't know, but he planned to find out as he entered his and Serena's quarters.

After helping Serena into a night gown and putting her to bed, Todd made his way to Colonel Carter's office to find out what exactly had been going on since he left.  This left Serena, once more, on her own with her mind drifting into dreams.  But in her dreams she found no peace or rest, for as she slept she felt something was coming closer to Atlantis.  Something with malicious intent and contempt for all in the city and beyond it.  Though she could not see what or who it was, Serena knew they would be on them soon.  She had to get up, she had to warn Todd and Sheppard, but her body felt like it was made of lead, and no matter how loud she screamed no one could hear her.  Darkness was creeping in around her and with it came the overwhelming sense of fear and dread.  They were all going to die.

Todd entered Carter's office without knocking, not that Todd had ever really developed the habit of doing so, being so used to others sensing his presence.  The Colonel looked up from her reports with a look of surprise which was reflected in her voice when she spoke,
"Todd, what are you doing here, I would have thought you would be with Serena as soon as you got back?"  The Wraith showed no emotion as he stood in front of Carter's desk, only his eyes gave any indication the he was agitated.  However, he wouldn't let his mood get the better of him.  So he nodded his head in acknowledgment saying,
"Indeed, but when I found her she was exhausted having spent a great amount of her time working on the cure.  Dr. Keller has told me that she shouldn't overexert herself, for she may cause harm to both herself and our child.  I thought until further notice you had told her to refrain from working on the cure, why then has she been allowed to do so?"  Todd could feel his anger rising, but did his best to hold it back until he had heard what the Colonel had to say for herself.

To say that Carter was surprised would have been a gross understatement, she had indeed told Serena to take a break from working on the cure until they all had a better sense of what the memory transfer had done to her.  But Serena was a very stubborn woman, and would go so far as to put herself in mortal danger if she felt it was the right thing to do.  Even so, Carter had hoped that the pregnancy would have caused Serena to think on what she could and couldn't do in relation to her work load.  Either way it seemed that Serena had once again over done it, and no doubt Carter would have to up the security on her to make sure this didn't happen again.  Carter was about to relay her idea to the Wraith when the alarms went off.  Todd stepped away from the door just in time for an officer from the control room to run in past him saying,
"Colonel, we have an unknown Hive approaching the system, and they seem to be heading right for us."

The New Girl
Chapter Twenty-Six

Everyone stood in the control room holding their breath.  The cloak over the city had been activated, yet even so, the inhabitance couldn't help but wait on baited breath to see if they would be discovered.  If so they would have very little time to disengage the cloak and activate the shield, the whole process taking close to three minutes to accomplish on a good day.  The Hive was closing in quickly and soon would be orbiting right over their heads, though the Hive couldn't see them it didn't mean they couldn't do some damage.  Even if someone was shooting blindly in the dark, there was always the chance they'd get in a lucky shot.  And if a shot got through to the city without the shield up to protect them the results would be devastating.

Colonel Carter knew this, as did everyone on Atlantis, but if there was even a chance that they could keep their location a secret Carter would take it.  Besides the Hive hadn't made any move to put up its shields, or charge its weapons.  It hadn't even bothered to scan anything as it stayed its corse, headed straight for Atlantis.
"How far out are they?" asked Carter.  Zelenka looked up from his screen saying,
"They're just about to achieve a somewhat distant orbit over use."  Sheppard looked over to Todd saying,
"Friends of yours?"  The Wraith shook his head as he said,
"All my ships are accounted for and awaiting the cure on the planet you gave us."  John crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned back against one of the control panels in a manner that would have seemed relaxed to anyone who didn't know him.  He stared at Zelenka's screen in confusion and concern and said,
"Then what are they doing out here?"

As if to answer his question the communications officer piped in then saying,
"Sir, we are receiving a video message from the Hive... it seems to be from their Queen."  Carter looked at Sheppard then Todd and said,
"They seem to already know we're here."  Ronan already had his gun out and poised at Todd's head, but John told him to stand down.  Todd's face held a look of both shock and interest and Sheppard knew that he was just as surprised as the rest of them.  Carter looked from Todd to Sheppard trying to figure out what to do next.
"Answer her." said Todd looking straight at her.  Rodney spoke up then saying,
"Are you insane?!  If we respond they'll know exactly where we are!"
"They already know we're here Rodney.  If we don't answer them and they decide to attack it'll only be a matter of time before they get in a lucky shot." Sheppard countered as he turned to Carter and went on.
"Either way it's our move."  Everyone was silent, waiting for the Colonel's word.

Carter weighed her options.  Could it be another alliance had found out about their work on the cure, and wished to be among the first of those to receive it?  Or were they here merely to confirm that Atlantis was here, and if so did they intend to relay this to their alliance?  Did they even belong to an alliance?  All these question were swirling in Carter's head, but she wasn't going to get any answers just by staring at the small blip on Zelenka's screen.  She turned to the communications officer as said,
"Video on screen and open a channel."  The officer nodded and activated the communicator and pointed to Carter, signaling she was on.  Carter took a deep cleansing breath as she looked at the main screen, which now displayed the bridge of a Hive with a dark haired Queen standing in front of the helm.  The Colonel steeled herself and said,
"This is Colonel Carter, please identify yourself."

(The Hive Ship over Atlantis).................................................................................

The Queen stared out at the small backwater planet her ship was now orbiting and scoffed in slight disgust at the thought of Atlantis being just below.  Though she was very grateful to know which world the city was on, the fact that it was cloaked made her more then a bit agitated.  Not that she had expected any less from a civilization well known for it's advancements as well as it's people's arrogance.
'Hiding in plain sight, how typical.' she thought as her officers hailed the city for the third time.
"This is Colonel Carter, please identify yourself."  The communications officer turned to face his Queen.  She nodded to him and faced the frontal screen with the blond female displayed along with what appeared to be an Atlantian control room, and said,
"I have come to speak with the one who ames to cure us."  There was silence for a few moments.  Then the human nodded to someone off screen and stepped aside as a tall Wraith came to stand in front of the screen, and said in the deep double toned voice of one of her kind,
"I am the one you seek, what is it you wish, great Queen?"  The Queen smiled to herself and said,
"To join your cause, Commander.  There are too many of us now in the galaxy and too few humans to feed our numbers, especially now that the Replicators have destroyed several worlds we once culled."

She paused wondering if the Commander would believe her, but shook off her worries, knowing that he wouldn't have much of a choice.  For she now knew where Atlantis was, or at least the world it resided on.  Even if they managed to destroy her ship, her officers had their location locked and ready to be transmitted to the rest of her alliance at a moments notice.  So she went on saying,
"Our supply stores are running low, and several officers have already been killed, for the hunger was too much for them."  The Queen looked pleadingly at the Commander and said,
"We need your help."  The Commander seemed to think it over and then looked back to the human she had first spoken too.  The Queen scoffed to herself, thinking,
'Of course he would have to ask for their permission.'  After a few moments he turned back to her and said,
"We shall meet with you to discuss the terms for your stay, and what access you shall have to the cure if and when it is discovered."  The Queen nodded to the Commander saying that she eagerly awaited their arrival to a neutral location to discuss what was to be done.  The Commander nodded and the transmission ended.

The communications officer turned to his Queen and relayed where they were headed for the meeting with the Commander.
'And his Atlantian handlers.' she thought to herself as she nodded to the officer and left the bridge.  As she headed down the halls of her Hive the Queen couldn't help but think back on how she had come to rule over one of the largest alliances of Wraith Hives in the galaxy.  Seeing one of her own kind grovel at the Atlantian's feet made her blood boil and stirred her mind back to a time when she had been at the beck and call of her predecessor.  It had been a hard and humiliating time for her, and in fact it was for every Queen when they were being trained to take over the rule of a Hive.  But, to allow the greatest enemy of the Wraith to rule over what she was to do or not do?  It very nearly made her physically ill.

However, the Queen allowed her mind to wonder back on those days when she had to serve her Queen.  All Queens were subjected to a very strict regiment of training, which included being in a position of submission to others.  This was to instill each Queen with a deep seeded hatred of being subjugated, there in making them very proud and willful.  A Queen was never looked down upon, she was the one who looked down on you, and only your obedience and loyalty dictated whether she looked on you with respect or displeasure.  In her days as a young one, the Queen remembered how she was punished for failures, forced to do some of the worst jobs one can be assigned on a Hive, and even those who lived their lives working on the engines, or disposing of waists looked down on her.  The feel of their eyes on her burned, like a hot iron brand saying she had failed yet again.  She had sworn then, and she swore again now that she would never allow another to rule over her.

She made her way to the thrown room and smiled as she took her seat on the thrown at the front of the room atop the dais.  The previous Queen had been sitting in that very spot when she had been struck down by her underling.  The Queen smiled as she remembered the look on her predecessor's face when she had plunged a knife into her back, the only way for leadership to switch hands, and the successor to assume the throne.  For a Queen to become so careless to allow herself to be killed by her own brood was disgraceful, and as for the one who killed her, she was christened as the knew Queen.  Strange as it may appear to any other race, the game of Wraith royalty was one of power, if you have the strength to get what you want then take it.  No one disputed her right to the throne after she had killed the previous Queen, and now she ruled over hundreds others.  Satisfied both in her thoughts and her plans the Queen leaned back in her throne, patiently waiting for when her officers would come to tell her when they had arrived at the appointed place.

(Back on Atlantis)..................................................................................................

Todd hurried down the halls headed for Serena's room, though he intended to go with Sheppard and the other's to negotiate with this new Queen, he didn't want to leave without first checking on his mate.  Serena had been in sad shape when he had put her to bed and from the emotions and slight panic he felt coming off her now, sleep hadn't help her to improve.  He almost pushed through the doors leading to her room when she sat straight up with a gasp and reached for him in desperation.  Todd didn't hesitate to pull her into his arms and trill deeply in his throat to try and calm her and the child she carried down.  She needed rest and even though she had slept for an hour it hadn't been either peaceful or restful.  Why, Todd had no idea, but as Serena pulled back to look at him he felt her thoughts and the memories of her dreams enter his mind along with her worry about what they could mean.  It was at this point that Todd sighed, and said,
"You felt the Hive and its Queen."  At first Serena was confused and then he explained what had happened after he had left her to sleep, and what they planned to do.

Serena was soon gripping Todd to her saying,
"Don't go, don't do this!  She's hiding something!  We can't trust her!"  Todd shook his head and said,
"I know we can't trust her, but what of those under her command, what if they wish to be cured?  I will bring up these concerns to Colonel Carter and Sheppard, but I believe if we keep a close watch on her and allow her officers the chance to coexist with mine, we might have a chance at forming an alliance that could allow for a greater number of Wraith to be cured."
"But at what cost?  If something should go wrong, if she gets the upper hand, it could end badly for everyone." said Serena as she interlaced her fingers with Todd's over her belly.  Todd smiled and kissed her forehead saying,
"If we are being deceived we will know soon enough.  In the meantime her ship will be placed on a world not far from mine, but enough that both my ships and Atlantis will have warning should she turn on us.  If she will not agree to our terms she will be turned away, or destroyed and we will move both Atlantis and my alliance just to be safe.  Is that agreeable to you?"  She rolled her eyes saying,
"As if I have a choice!  You all have already decided, but don't come crying to me when it all goes to shit, cause I'll just say 'I told you so'."  Todd laughed and kissed her gently on the lips as she pouted saying,
"I'll be sure remember that."  Serena looked up at him and said,
"How long do you have before you have to go?"  Todd shrugged saying,
"About an hour or so."  Serena pulled him to lay down next to her and said,
"Then stay with us for a while, I really don't get much sleep when your not around."
"You don't get any sleep when I'm not around." Todd corrected, to which he only got a stuck out tongue for a response.