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The Gray One
by MothCatcher
It had been days, weeks perhaps since the slender being had snuck through the Gate. No one seemed to notice. She was a glitch in the life sign locator, ventilation trouble, and McKay's late night expeditions to the kitchens. The maintinance crew, however, were curious as to how the strange tracks appeared in the ventilation ducts.
She crawled through the ducts on her routine trek to the kitchen, pushing through the small space with her arms. She had tied her mass of gray streaked pale brown hair with a small ring of plastic to keep it out of the way as she manuvered through the small passages. Occasionally she would peer through a grate to watch the people below, whom she knew by name. McKay always snuck into the kitchens at night and talked constantly...even in his bedrooms. She passed by his rooms about every other day. Major Sheppard who was the one in control. She didn't know much about him, she didn't know where his room was. Dr. Beckett, who, so far, was her favorite. She liked him since he reminded her of a close friend from Earth. There were many more, but she didn't really care enough about them to remember their names.
Voices ahead warned her to slow her pace and quiet her breathing. She inches forward and peeks through the grate. Major Sheppard stood in the holding area facing the normally empty cell. Two guards were behind him heavily armed, which drew her curiosity. She scoots forward to get a better look at who was in the cell, and when Sheppard moves away she nearly gasps. A Wraith, here. Of course she didn't know very much about them, but from what she had heard, they were a terrible lot... although, they never once mentioned that the Wraith were attractive.
***
Several days had passed since the Wraith had been captured and every day she would lay in the ducts to watch him. She grew accustomed to the guard's shifts and their breaks. There was an hour and a half when no guard was on duty around lunch hour. Her daily observations became longer and she was there two or three times a day.
She lay in the ducts, her head propped on a balled fist. Almond shaped gray eyes watched the Wraith, who Major Sheppard called Steve. He was quiet today, normally he was pacing his cell muttering things she couldn't hear. He showed his true frustrations when the guards were gone. He stops and she holds her breath.
"I know you're there." He says in his own language, glancing up at the grate.
She bites her lower lip to stifle her heavy breathing. The guards would be back soon and she didn't want anyone to know she was here. Slowly, she crawls away, heading back to the small storage space she called home.
The next day she found herself back at the grate waiting for the guards to leave. Once Sanchez's and Marlin's voices died down she wiggles the grate and pries it loose from the wall. Carefully, she climbs out, dropping to the floor. Setting the grate up in the duct, she walks up to the cell, her nose inches from the bars. "How did you know I was there?" She asks, narrowing her eyes as the Wraith walked up to the bars. He was roughly a head taller than her, and he leans down a bit to her eye level. "You give off strong pheromones." He states matter-of-factly.
She frowns slightly and crosses her arms over her chest. "But I'm not in heat..."She retorts.
The Wraith gave a facsimile of a human shrug and straightens up, "Our females give off a slight pheromone, whether they are in heat or not. Odd how you do the same." He muses.
"So...Steve, is it?"
The Wraith rolled his eyes and grunts in disgust. She laughs lightly, "Well, I'm Ed."
***
Ed returned everyday, except on what she thought was a Tuesday, because Maintenance was cleaning the air ducts.
"Did you have a mate before you were captured?" Ed asks, sitting next to the cell. She was leaning against the horizontal bars, her head pressed against the cold metal.
Steve looks down at her, sitting down on the bench slowly. "No. Why?"
She shrugs, "Just curious...How did they capture you?"
"They used one of our stunners."
"...What's it like?"
"What do you mean?"
"Where you are from. What's it like?"
"Why do you ask so many questions?"
Ed grins and looks up at the Wraith, "Just curious. I think I'd rather go back with you if you ever get out."
Steve quirks a smile, "And how do you think you will get me out? I've found out that I cannot escape..."
"I know...I saw that. It looked painful."
He shook his head, "My body went numb after the second shot."
Ed looks at the bars and grabs on to one of bars. She squeezes till her knuckles were white(er). Ed sits up on her knees and looks at the place where she gripped the metal. Small indentations had appeared in the metallic surface. "I don't think I can break through this...then there's the force field." She wrinkles her nose as she contemplates the escape.
Steve leans forward, his brows furrowed as he looks at the marks. "How?" He asks, his eyes moving over the slender, fragile looking creature. He knew she wasn't human, but now he doubted his theory that she was a Wraith hybrid.
Ed smiles at him pleasantly, "I'm not all that I seem to be."
She stands up slowly, jiggling her foot to get the blood circulating again. "I think I know what I'll do. Just stand away from the bars and distract the guards' attention."
***
When the guards returned, Steve was pacing within the confines of his cell. He glared at Marlin and Rowllingston when they
took their positions.
The Wraith groaned, leaning heavily against the back wall. He quickened his breath and shut his eyes. As he expected Marlin stepped forward, "Hey. You alright?" He asks, his hands tightening on his gun.
Crrack.
Marlin turned around in time to see Rowllingston fall to the floor in a lifeless heap. His eyes widen as he backs away from his attacker. A brief swipe from a clawed hand sends the guard stumbling spraying blood from deep tears in his throat. He gurgles, gripping his neck, trying to stop the blood flow. He extends his hand slapping the wall in an attempt to hit the alarm.
A feral growl rumbles from the attackers throat as dark stained teeth sink into the helpless man's shoulder, burying deep within his flesh and crunching down on he bones beneath. The teeth pull away, taking with them most of the meat and cloth on Rowllingston's left shoulder. Chunks of flesh and blood spray forth as the attacker roared into the dying man's face, gripping his cheeks between two large clawed hands. A slight application of pressure crushed the human's skull and thick, dark blood oozes from his nose, mouth and eyes. A long tongue slips from behind those deadly teeth to lap greedily at the blood.
Steve stood at the back wall of his cell, pressed against the metal. Never in his long existence had he seem any creature like this. He could barely believe that beast was once a delicate looking female. The only thing that remained similar on the beast was a mane of gray streaked pale brown hair that fell to it's narrow hips in a ridge down it's spine, and those eyes. He watched as the creature turned to face him, blood and bits of flesh hung from it's stained muzzle. He takes a step back as the large predator approached the cell, in it's paw it held one of the guard's hands.
From days of watching the happenings below, Ed knew the code by heart. She lifts the hand to the controls and shuts off the force field and opens the door. Dropping the hand, she lowers to all fours and growls. She turns and pads over to the hallway, looking back to see if the Wraith was following. Her lips pulls back in a wolfish smile as she looks up to him. Affectionately, she nuzzles her bloody snout against his leg.
END??
(I'll stop here for now...if'n anyone likes this, I'll continue...but now I have to study for a French exam. Mayhapes I'll
illustrate this too.)