After a long few hours of finding nothing of significance, Teyla and Ford met up with the others outside of the Athosian camp as the sun was beginning to rise. “Bates and I found an abandoned city,” Sumner reported. “We need to get over there,” he said pointing beyond the trees.

Teyla raised her binoculars up, gazing into the distance. Though it was old and there was considerable damage done to some of the structures, Teyla could see the value the city could provide. Perhaps, they could even find one of the ZPMs Dr. McKay needed to power the city.

"It does seem like there could be a possibility in there," Teyla agreed, putting down the binoculars. “We should ask Johnathyn when we speak with him.”

Sumner nodded as Dafyd came out of the tent. "Johnathyn will meet with you now," he announced.

Sumner held his hand out, allowing Teyla to walk ahead of him. To Bates, he said, "Stay out here with Stackhouse and Evans. If you see anything, you contact me."

Bates nodded. "Understood, sir."

Teyla lifted the flap to the large tent and stepped inside. The pungent smell of tea filled the small room. Behind her, Sumner and Ford walked in the tent.

"What's the story with that city across the way?" Sumner asked without any greeting.

Teyla frowned as she accepted the cup of tea handed to her. She looked at Johnathyn apologetically.

"The City of the Ancestors isn't safe," Dafyd answered as Johnathyn studied them.

"We can handle ourselves," Sumner assured them.

"The Wraith will come if you go over there. You can't go," Dafyd replied, getting upset.

Teyla knew the situation was escalating, quickly she spoke up. "About the Wraith…the boys we found last night mentioned them last night. What exactly are they? Perhaps we have more supplies that can over your protection against them."

Dafyd and Johnathyn exchanged an incredulous look. "Are you telling me you have never encountered the Wraith before?"

Teyla shook her head. "No, we have not."

Johnathyn took a step towards them. "If the Wraith have never come to your home, you need to go back there." He looked at Teyla. "The City would offer you no protection from the Wraith.”

"We would love to go back," Teyla admitted. "But, sir, we cannot. We need a safe place to stay for a while until our people can figure out a way to make our base safe. Time is running short for us."

Johnathyn studied her for a few seconds before speaking. "I'm sorry, but I can't risk the safety of my village, my people, and allow you to go over there."

Sumner frowned. "Gentlemen," he called to Ford and Teyla as he led them outside.

When they stepped outside, away from the hearing of the others, Sumner spoke. "Look, I don't care what they say. That city is worth a look. If they have ZPMs there, then we owe it to Dr. Weir to make sure."

Teyla frowned. "What if the Wraith is the enemy the hologram was speaking about? Should we not find out about them from those who are familiar with them?"

Sumner nodded, "All the more reason for us to have a defensible position should we have to abandon Atlantis. Stay here and find out what you can. Ford, you head back to the Gate, report in to Weir. Tell her we'll have answers for her in a few hours," Sumner ordered.

"Yes, sir," Ford responded.

Teyla watched as Sumner collected Bates and started to walk away. She exchanged a glance with Ford before stepping inside the tent again. At least, she thought hopefully, she wouldn’t have to worry about apologizing for Sumner’s actions.

"My team needed to check in with our people," she half-lied, not wanting to offend Johnathyn or his brother.

"Your leader doesn't seem to think we know what we're talking about," John shot back.

"I do not share his view," Teyla asserted.

He looked at her intently. "No, you don't." He stepped close to her. "You really can't return to your home world? The place that the Wraith have not touched?" he asked quietly.

She shook her head sadly as the images of Halling and Lorne popped in her mind. "No, we cannot. We are trapped here, at least for now. Perhaps in time we can return…"

Johnathyn took a deep breath, making a decision. "Then there is something I need to show you." He turned to Dafyd. "Tell the others to keep an eye on our guests. Don‘t let them enter the city."

Dafyd nodded. “We won’t.”

Johnathyn led Teyla out of the tent and through the village. It was busier than it was during the previous night. Several children ran around, chasing each other. There were several of the Athosians speaking to Bates and Sumner. Others were watching her carefully.

Johnathyn nodded to them as they passed. "So, let me a little about your home, Major. Where is this planet that is free of Wraith?" he asked as they walked by a large field of crops. “I have to tell you, most of my people don’t think it really exists.”

Teyla knew she shouldn't reveal all of the secrets of her galaxy; she hardly knew the man leading her through the forest. However, she did have to fortify the bridge of trust she was hoping to build between the two people.

"Oh, it does exist,“ she answered, thinking about the familiar places and things. She turned to face Johnathyn with a forced grin, there was no reason to think about Earth; it was not as if they could return soon.

“It is very far away," she continued. "But, there are parts of my planet that are similar to this. Much of the land is covered with large trees, but we don’t have villages like yours. We have large cities where most of the people live."

John turned back to her. "The Wraith don't allow big cities to exist. It poses a threat to their power. They come and destroy our towns to remind us they are in charge," John answered.

“What are the Wraith?” Teyla asked.

“That’s what I’m going to show you,” John replied as he made a hard left turn.

They walked in silence for several minutes. “How much further is this place?” Teyla asked, not wanting to be too far from her people.

“We‘re almost there,” he assured her. He climbed over a large root and slid clumsily down the small hill. Quickly, he recovered, brushing off the leaves off his hands. “You would think I would be use to that by now,” he said with a sheepish grin.

Teyla smiled as she carefully stepped down the hill without falling.

“Outdoing your potential trading partners is not the way to establish a good relationship,” he said playfully.

“I will keep that in mind,” she said as she followed him.

Several minutes later, Johnathyn stopped in front of an entrance to an underground cavern. He stepped inside and picked up the torch that was hanging from a wall bracket.

“Dafyd and I played here a lot when we were kids. We think this is where the survivors hid from the Wraith during the last great attack on our planet,” Johnathyn explained.

Teyla watched as he pulled out a strange device from his storage pouch. Amazingly, a beam of light shot out from the item in his hand and lit the torch. At Teyla’s astonished look, he smiled. “We mastered fire a long time ago,” he said with a grin.

Teyla nodded. “It would appear that way,” she said, impressed. Perhaps they had misjudged this people and their technology.

He led them down a long hallway, the light from the torch flickering around the tight area. In the corner, Teyla saw something twinkle in the torch’s light. Like the chair, Teyla was drawn to this small, mysterious item. Carefully, she picked up the item and held it for Johnathyn to look at.

It was a necklace with some kind of intricate pendant. “Is this from one of your villagers?” she asked, studying the piece of jewelry.

Johnathyn turned around, a surprised look breaking out on his face. “This used to be my mother’s.” He turned somber. “I had given it to my former wife, Nancee, a long time ago. After the Wraith took her, the necklace went missing. I thought they had taken it with them when they culled the planet.”

He took the necklace from her. “Thank you.”

Teyla felt a bit awkward; Johnathyn obviously had a painful history. She changed the subject and pointed the light from her P-90 to the markings on the wall. “Were these drawn by your ancestors?”

Johnathyn nodded, placing the necklace in his front pocket. “There are hundreds of drawings. Some of them are thousands of years old.” He studied the drawings until he found the one he was looking for. He pointed it to Teyla.

“Is this a record of your city being destroyed?” Teyla asked.

Johnathyn shook his head. “This drawing was drawn before that happened.”

Teyla suppressed a shutter as the implication set in. “Are you saying that your people knew it was going to happen?”

Johnathyn nodded. “I believe it happens again and again. The Wraith allow our kind to grow in numbers, and when that number reaches a certain point they return to cull their human herd. Sometimes a few hundred years will pass before they return to a planet in full force. We've visited many, many worlds, all of them have been attacked by the Wraith and no one has been able to fight them.”

He looked at the picture in front of him. “The last great holocaust was five generations ago, but still they return, in smaller numbers, to remind us of their power.” Johnathyn looked at her. “Your planet is the first planet that I have heard that was not encountered the Wraith. The Ancestors have looked at your planet kindly.”

She frowned as she looked at more of the drawings. “It must be difficult,” she said softly.

“It’s a hell of a way to live,” Johnathyn agreed. “We have to move our hunting grounds every couple of cycles. We try to teach the children not to live in fear, but they know it’s a matter of time before they will come again.” He paused for a second, as if trying to decide something. Finally, he spoke. “Some of us can sense the Wraith coming. My mother called it a great Gift.”

“Do you have this Gift?” Teyla asked.

He hesitated before nodding. “It has come in handy more than once.” He started walking towards the entrance. “We should get back. It will be dark soon.”

Teyla frowned; it had only been a couple of hours since daylight broke. She was on a completely different planet, she reminded herself. Not everyone in the universe lived on a 24 hour timeframe.

He led her out of the cavern, setting the torch in its place before walking out to the treed area. “You and your people are welcome to stay for our evening meal,” he invited. “The hunting party should have returned.”

“We appreciate it.” She thought about Dr. Weir and the others on Atlantis. “Have you considered letting us stay with you?” she asked, her eyes adjusting to the darkness.

“I have,” he said. Before he continued, he paused as if concentrating. Suddenly he looked up as a strange sound came from the distance.

“What is wrong?” Teyla asked, gripping her P-90.

“The Wraith!” Johnathyn yelled, racing towards the village.

Teyla tried to keep up with Johnathyn, but he was significantly ahead of her. “Johnathyn!” she called out. He didn’t turn around as he turned, going out of Teyla’s sight. Teyla ran several hundred yards, trying to keep track of where he went; the forest looked totally different at night.

Suddenly, her radio sounded. “Colonel, they are on the ground. They’re surrounding us!” called Stackhouse.

Suddenly, she heard the hum of an engine. Teyla looked up, watching the flying ship coming at her. Teyla raised her gun and started to fire at the low flying ship. It was far more advanced than anything she had ever seen. It looked like one of those ships she had seen when Evan had made her watch the Star Wars movies.

When the ship flew away, unharmed, she spun around, making sure none of the Wraith had found her. “Johnathyn?” she called in vein.

Something appeared out of the corner of her eye. Quickly, she turned around and shot at the wispy, almost ghost-like creature. Seeing another, she turned to face this unknown enemy. Before she could fire, Johnathyn walked through the creature.

“They’re not real,” he said.

Teyla looked at him, surprised.

“Don’t trust what you see. The Wraith can make you see things that aren’t there. It’s just one more way they control us,” Johnathyn explained. “We need to get back.”

Together, they ran through the forest. Teyla slowed down slightly. When Johnathyn paused, looking at her questioningly, she answered, “I need to tell my people what you told me.” She opened her comm. channel. “Colonel, this is Emmagan. What you see on the ground is just an illusion created by the Wraith. We should concentrate on firing on the ships.”

“Understood, Emmagan. Now get your ass back here. On the double,” Sumner barked.

“Yes, sir,” she replied as she started running at full speed again.

They finally reached an opening, allowing Teyla to sprint. Another ship was coming from behind, projecting a bright white beam. Teyla pushed herself to run faster; the beam was gaining on her. To her surprise, as the beam nearly touched her feet, Johnathyn pushed her out of the way.

Teyla fell forward, her head slamming against a ridged rock. She pushed herself up, gingerly touching the gash in her head. She pulled her hand away; blood was covering it. She looked around. “Johnathyn? Johnathyn!”

She stood up, staggering slightly. Johnathyn was nowhere to be found. Before she could thoroughly look, Stackhouse spoke through her comm. channel. “Sir, the Colonel and Sergeant Bates have been taken.”

Teyla closed her eyes. They had been totally unprepared for this attack. “Understood,” she replied, “I will be there soon.”

She started running back to the village, ignoring the throbbing in her head. She swiped the blood off her forehead as she forced her legs to move faster.

“The Gate is activating again. They are trying to get off this planet. Two enemy ships are approaching,” Ford said through the radio.

Teyla could see the village ahead, smoke rising. “They have the Colonel and the leader of these people on board. Let them go through the Gate. But, Lieutenant, it is necessary for you to remember the gate address,” Teyla instructed.

“Understood. They are coming this way now.”

The radio went silent.

Teyla walked carefully through the outskirts of the village, finding the wreckage of a fallen craft. Sparks and smoke rose from the ship. As she took a step, she noticed a severed arm. She knelt down to get a better look.

To her shock, the arm began to move, dragging itself along the ground with its fingers.

She stood up quickly and shot it twice. What were these creatures? Before she could study the arm, she quickly turned around as she heard footsteps approaching.

One of the young boys, she saw the night before ran up to her. “Help me! Please!” Jinto pleaded.

Teyla looked at the hand, making sure it was no longer a threat. It lay there, unmoving.

“I can’t find my father,” the boy continued. “I think he was taken in the ship.”

Teyla looked at him sympathetically. “We will find him,” she assured him.

She patted Jinto on the shoulder. “Get the others in your village. Tell them to come with me. It is no longer safe here.”

Jinto nodded as he ran away. Teyla closed her eyes briefly. The throbbing in her head had only gotten worse, but she couldn’t focus on that right now. The rescue of her fellow soldiers and those villagers that had been taken would be her only focus. She tapped her radio.

“Ford, this is Emmagan. Did you get those symbols?” she asked hopefully.

“Yes, Ma’am,” he reported.

Teyla allowed herself a brief smile. At least one thing was going in their favor. “Good. Now I need you to round up all the Marines and get them back to the Gate. We must return to Atlantis before those creatures come back,” she said.

“Understood.” Then the comm channel went silent.

She went to the village and quickly found a sack made from some kind of animal’s skin. She picked it up and went back to the place where she had shot the moving hand. Carefully, she picked up the arm and sealed it up in her pack. Maybe Dr. Beckett would be able to determine what kind of creature this was.

Teyla walked back to the village where a large fire was burning. She noted with sadness how many of the tents had been destroyed by the ships. Jinto was nowhere to be seen, so she continued making her way to the other side of the village.

The crops she had seen earlier which were full of life were now burning. So much of the village had been destroyed, she wondered if they would ever be able to rebuild. She walked to the tent where she had met Johnathyn.

It was there that the young boy found her. “I have the others,” he said, out of breath.

Behind him stood close to a hundred people. She frowned; she had severely underestimated how many people were in this village. Some of them were going through the undamaged tents, grabbing their personal items.

She knew Elizabeth wouldn’t be pleased with the refugees, but Teyla couldn’t help that. There was no time to change her mind, she needed to get them off this planet.

“Where is Dafyd?” she asked.

One of the older men shook his head, looking up to the sky. “Dafyd was taken. The Ancestors couldn’t protect him.”

She sighed softly as she led the group of people to the gate where Ford and the other Marines were waiting for her.

“What‘s going on?” Ford asked, nodding towards the people.

Teyla turned back and faced them briefly before turning back to Ford. “This has turned into a rescue mission.” She lowered her voice. “I can not leave them there. There village has been almost completely destroyed.”

He looked at the group before nodding. Then he studied her for a few seconds. “Are you ok, Ma’am?” he asked, looking at her forehead.

She reached up and touched her forehead, nearly forgetting about the gash in her head. “I will be fine. Dial the Gate.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” he replied, as he turned back to the DHD. He quickly punched in the symbols. Within seconds, a wormhole was established with Atlantis.

Teyla turned to the villagers. “Come. You will be safe with us.” She only hoped she could keep her word. She turned back to the Gate and stepped through the event horizon.

Moments later, she arrived on Atlantis. Things had apparently gotten worse while they were away; McKay was frantically pacing in the control room, shouting to Peter, and Elizabeth was wearing a deep frown.

Perhaps she was wrong in bringing those people to Atlantis.

As she heard footsteps coming behind her, she knew there was no other option. These people were coming.

“Please, come over here,” she instructed the villagers.

Elizabeth ran down the stairs, looking panicked. “Major Emmagan?”

Before she could say anything else, the wormhole shut down as the last of the people stepped through the gate. The ground below them began to shake.

“Major Emmagan,” Elizabeth started after the shaking stopped. “Who are all these people?”

Teyla looked back at the newcomers. Some of them were injured; all of them were frightened. They whispered to each other as they looked around the large room.

“These are the survivors from the settlement. We were attacked by the Wraith. Colonel Sumner and some of the other soldiers were taken,” explained Teyla.

Suddenly, the base shook violently.

“What is going on?” Teyla asked.

Elizabeth shook her head. “We are in no condition to help anyone right now.”

“What is going on, Dr. Weir?” inquired Teyla again, disturbed by not knowing what was happening.

“We’re about to abandon the city.”

Teyla looked at her in disbelief. Had things become that bad? She had thought Rodney said they had a couple of days’ worth of power left.

Still, she didn’t feel comfortable leading those on the expedition to the planet, not when the Wraith could come back. “We should not go back there, Dr. Weir. It is far too dangerous.”

Elizabeth faced her, getting annoyed. “Major Emmagan, the shield is about to fail and the ocean is about to come crashing in on us. Do you have a better place for us to go?”

Teyla shook her head. She didn’t, but she knew someone who perhaps did. She turned to the group of Athosians, noticing the little boy in the front of the group. “Jinto, do you know any other gate address that we can travel to?” she asked hopefully.

Jinto nodded eagerly, wanting to get off this strange planet. “Yes. Many.”

Teyla gently guided him to the stairs towards the control room. “I need you to tell that man,” she said, pointing to Peter, “what address to dial.”

“He’s just a boy,” Elizabeth replied as Teyla continued to walk by her.

“I am Jinto,” he introduced himself as they reached the top of the stairs.

“We will have time to introduce each other later,” Teyla said. She refused to acknowledge the computer screens screaming “SHEILD FAILURE IMMINENT”.

They would be able to get off Atlantis to somewhere safe.

They had to.

“The shield is collapsing,” Rodney shouted. “We need to go now!”

A large jolt knocked everyone off of their feet. Teyla hit her head on the console, causing her forehead to bust open again. She knew she should get up, but her brain couldn’t convince her body to move.

The world went completely back for several seconds. She knew that someone was calling her, but her muddled mind couldn’t process the words. Teyla felt someone trying to lift her up. She forced herself to open her eyes and was greeted by a terrified Rodney McKay.

“Major?” Rodney asked.

She blinked several times, trying to get him to focus. “Yes?“ she asked, trying to sound as normal as possible.

“Are you ok?” he asked, offering her a hand.

Teyla took his hand as he helped her stand groggily on her feet. “I have been better,” she admitted.

“I’m dialing an address,” Peter called.

“No, wait!” Elizabeth called. “Something is happening.”

Teyla held onto the console, trying to keep the room from spinning.

“She’s right,” Rodney agreed, looking out of the large windows. “We’re rising out of the water.”

Seconds later, bright sunlight shone throughout the control rooms numerous windows. It looked like they had somehow managed to survive.

“We’re on the surface,” Ford said, a big grin breaking out on his face.

Weir smiled. “I was hoping for another day. Looks like we just got a whole lot more than that. Let's not waste it.” She turned to Ford. “Lieutenant, I want you to find a place for our guests. Rodney,” she said looking up at the control room, “please escort the Major to Dr. Beckett.”

**************************

Much to Rodney’s delight, Teyla did not lose consciousness as they made their way to the infirmary. After she grabbed the pack that held the Wraith’s arm, the two of them made their way to Carson.

The dizziness has passed, but based on the winces on people’s face, she knew she had a serious gash on her head.

The doors slid apart as they approached the infirmary. “Carson!” Rodney called.

The doctor was on the other side of the room, organizing the medical supplies on a large shelving unit. When he caught sight of Teyla, he quickly walked over to them. Carson looked at her, frowning. “That’s quite a nasty cut you’ve got there, Major.”

“Now, if you would excuse me, I’ve got countless systems to check,” Rodney huffed, leaving the two of them alone.

“Let’s check that out,” he said, leading her to an examination table. Carson rolled a strange looking machine closer to her. “I’m pretty sure this is some kind of medical scanner.” He smiled sheepishly. “Apparently, you’re going to be my test subject, Major.”

She eyed the machine. It didn’t seem like it could cause any major harm.

“Stay still,” he instructed as he turned on the machine.

Teyla did as she was told, not moving as a light ran over her head.

Seconds later, a stream of data appeared on the screen next to her. Carson quickly reviewed the information. “Well, the good news is you don’t have a concussion,” he said brightly.

“And the bad news is?”

He smiled apologetically as he went to a cabinet and retrieved some supplies. “This is going to sting more than a wee bit.”

She winced as he rubbed the wound with rubbing alcohol.

“How are you feeling?” he asked, trying to get her mind off the pain. “Any dizziness? Trouble focusing?”

She shook her head. “Not any longer. Other than a headache, I feel fine.”

“Well,” he said, threading a needle, “a few stitches, a couple of aspirin and you’ll be set.”

She backed slightly from the needle. “Is that necessary?”

He smiled patiently. “I wouldn’t do it if it wasn’t.”

She sat there, feeling like she should be doing something to save those that were taken by the Wraith, instead of getting treatment. Hopefully, Ford would be able to work with Dr. McKay to find out where they were taken.

Images of the ships flying over the village filled her mind. How would they ever be able to defeat an enemy that the Ancients couldn’t?

“Want to talk about it?” Carson asked kindly.

Teyla smiled sheepishly, embarrassed to have been caught daydreaming. “I am questioning our ability to defeat the Wraith. They are unlike anything I have ever seen.” She paused. “Outside of a movie.”

“Well, I would say that things are looking up for us. Ten minutes ago we were all doomed to a watery grave. Now…” he shrugged. “I know you’re new to the Stargate program, but we have overcome worse odds than this.”

Teyla knew he was right; this was far from the first threat that Stargate program had ever encountered. But, it was the first hostile alien exchange she had to deal with and it was difficult for her to process.

As if reading her thoughts, he spoke. “You will get use to this, Major.” He looked at her stitches. “Good as new,” he proclaimed.

She hopped off the table. “Thank you, Doctor.” She picked up the pack she had placed on a nearby table. “I wanted you to look at this. I believe this came from the Wraith.” Pushing down her disgust, she pulled the arm out, setting it on a stainless steel tray.

Carson’s disgusted look almost made her laugh aloud. “I have to say, Major,“ he said with frown, “the next time you want to give me a gift, just keep it.”

*************************

When Teyla returned to the control room, Ford was ordering those around him to organize the equipment they had brought from earth and the refugees were collecting their belongings. Seeing that things were under control, she walked up the stairs where McKay and Elizabeth were.

“…naqahdah generators supply enough power to the shield for defensive purposes?” asked Weir.

McKay shook his head. “Not even close.”

Teyla frowned. If they had no shield, there was no way to protect themselves from a Wraith attack. “Without the shield working, the Wraith can easily attack us.”

Rodney rolled his eyes, his earlier compassion gone. “I'm acutely aware of that, Major, but thank you for reinforcing it.”

Teyla drew a long breath. It was going to take her a while to get use to Dr. McKay’s acerbic tongue. She turned her attention to the issue foremost on her mind. “When will you be able to determine where the Wraith took Colonel Sumner and the others?”

Rodney looked at her like she was a simpleton. “Even with the six symbols Lieutenant Ford provided there are still hundreds of permutations …”

“Seven hundred and twenty.”

Rodney looked at her, surprised. “Yes. I knew that of course. I'm just surprised you did.”

She raised her eyebrow at his remark. “Perhaps it would be wise not to underestimate me,” she said. “If you remove the coordinates you cannot get a lock on, you should have the place where they are being held. Then we can get our people back.”

Elizabeth shook her head as McKay walked away. “Major. A word.”

Teyla adjusted her uniform before following Elizabeth to the balcony, trying to get her temper in check. She had a strong suspicion why Elizabeth called this private meeting.

Before she could become upset, the stunning view of the ocean stopped her. Together, the women looked at the expansive waters in front of them. There was no land masses as far as the eye could see; Atlantis was alone.

She turned back to face Elizabeth, not able let the issue drop. “You are not going to let me rescue my people, are you?” she asked, hoping she misjudged the woman standing in front of her.

Elizabeth looked at her, frowning. “Major, you don’t even know if they are alive.”

Teyla felt her pulse quicken, eager to defend her position. “Dr. Weir, you never leave people in the hands of the enemy.” She knew she should stop there, but the urgency to make the doctor understand where she was coming from was too strong to ignore. “And the fact that we are having this conversation in private shows me that you know I am correct. So as ranking military officer I--”

The Major could see that she had pushed too far. She had become more than a nuisance to Weir; she had seriously gotten the doctor furious.

Before she could retract her words, Elizabeth spoke. “Alright, just shut up and listen to me for a moment, alright? Come on, what do we know about the Wraith? One of the few things we do know is that they are the enemy that defeated the Ancients. When we first began to use the Stargate we found on Earth, we got ourselves into serious trouble -- why?”

Teyla had stopped paying attention when Weir started her lecture. Here they had a golden opportunity to get a lead on getting their people back and Weir insisted on talking to her as if she was an infant. “A history lesson is unnecessary, Dr. Weir,” she said coolly.

Elizabeth continued as if Teyla hadn’t spoken. “Because they didn't consider the ramifications before they reacted.”

Teyla frowned. “Those creatures took our people. How else would you have me react?”

“And we’re defenseless, you said so yourself,” replied Weir. “How do you know going off on some half-assed mission isn’t going to bring them back to Atlantis?”

The Major’s gut tightened as she realized that the doctor was seriously considering NOT letting her go. Didn’t she understand the importance of leaving no one behind? In fact, if it hadn‘t been for Johnathyn pushing out of the dart‘s beam, she would be stuck on that ship with them. “Perhaps it will, perhaps it won‘t. However, it is the right thing to do. That is not always the easiest choice to make.”

For a moment, Elizabeth softened. “Teyla…”

She, however, was in no mood to be coddled. “If we are going to let our people be imprisoned by those creatures, we may as well return to earth as soon as possible, because those Wraiths are coming. Of that I am certain.” Teyla suppressed a shiver as the images Johnathyn had showed her entered her mind. She couldn’t even begin to imagine the hardship he and his people faced with the Wraith.

Shaking her head, Elizabeth said, “You don’t know that.”

“Our people are in the hands of those vile creatures. Do you know what that means? It is only a matter of time before they figure out where they came from,” argued Teyla.

Elizabeth was not ready to back down. “I just need more information. I mean, who knows, maybe we could negotiate a peaceful …”

Teyla could hardly believe her ears. “A peaceful negotiation will not happen. We were there no longer than a few hours before they showed up.” She crossed her arms. “They were not in the mood to talk.”

“Is it possible they came because of you, and that one of these people you brought back here with you tipped them off?” asked Elizabeth

Teyla shifted uncomfortably. “It is possible,” she admitted.

“See, that is exactly the kind of snap decision I'm referring to!”

Teyla shook her head adamantly. “They are not all bad people, Dr. Weir. If we intend to continue this expedition, we are going to need allies.” The image of Johnathyn Sheppard, leader of the Athosians popped in her mind.

Though she had known him less than a day there was something about him that made her believe that he and his people could help Atlantis. “Dr. Weir, their leader, Johnathyn, pushed me out of the way. He sacrificed himself so that I was not taken. I think that can testify to the sincerity of these people.”

Elizabeth nodded as she considered Teyla’s words, and then started speaking. “I see your point. Now you see mine: I will not authorize a rescue mission unless I am sure there is at least a remote chance of success. I'm not sending more good people, including you, to their deaths.”

Teyla knew that was the best she could get from Elizabeth. “I understand.”

Now, she just had to figure out a way to get her people and the Athosians out of that Wraith ship.

Part 4