Chapter Text
The first thing she noticed was the smell. It filled her nose and throat and made her heart pound and her teeth pulse and itch. The scent of Wraith. Videum opened her eyes quickly to assess her surroundings. She was met with the sight of the purple walls of a Wraith hive ship, a sight she had seen before many times. She felt the cool temperature of the hive on her face but the warm embrace of something on her body. As she tried to move she found her body bound by some form of organic webbing material. The woman tried to flex her muscles to break free of the webbing but it was no use. Looking to her right she noticed other people in webbing ,lined like coffins against the wall. She counted six others trapped there with her. Some of them already had been fed upon by the wraith and others were just barely hanging on to life.
There was a sudden hiss as a door opened to the alcove. The sound was followed by heavy footsteps as two Wraiths entered the hall. Their scent was much stronger than the one that filled every inch of the room. It was familiar too.
“It’s awake.” The wraith hissed out the words in an imitation of her creator’s language as he stopped in front of her. He bore his teeth with a pleased smile. Videum glared at him, flexing again to free herself from the webbing. She recognized him from the planet she had been on. She had watched him drain the life of the villagers, but she had been taken up by one of their ships before she could stop him.
“This one is mine.” The wraith hissed again and raised his feeding hand ,showing her the open mouth on his palm.
“You will die, you filthy insect! You and all your kind will lose this war!” Videum spat, her voice full of venom.
The Wraith ripped back part of the webbing and wrapped his hand around Videum’s neck. The teeth of his feeding hand dug into the flesh of her neck as he began the process to draw the life force from her. Videum closed her eyes, wearing a smile on her face. The Wraith’s face contorted in confusion as he felt nothing flowing into his hand. He looked at the woman’s face as she began to laugh.
“What’s wrong? Is something the matter?” She asked as she opened her eyes to look at him, a grin still plastered on her face. The Wraith removed his hand from her neck, leaving only the bleeding scars from the teeth behind. He snarled at her in response. The other Wraith that was with him gave him a look of confusion and communicated a question telepathically to his brother. The first Wraith looked at him before they both turned to look at Videum. The second Wraith then reached forward with his feeding hand and placed it on her chest. She felt the teeth clamp into her skin as he tried to drain the life from her. Once again nothing happened. He then removed his hand and looked at the other Wraith again communicating something to the other.
The first Wraith walked over to one of the other people in the webbed coffins followed by the second. They each stood in front of a person and placed their feeding hands on their chests.
“Hey! Don’t touch them!” Videum shouted at the Wraith.
One of the wraiths ignored her and focused on their meal. The woman who he had his hand placed on began to wail as he drained her of life.
“No! Stop!” She yelled again but her cries did nothing. The woman’s wails stopped as she slowly shriveled and died. When the wraith was done they removed their hands leaving the shriveled bodies of their meals still trapped in the organic webbing.
“I will smite you myself, insect!” Videum yelled. “I will sink my teeth into your flesh!” The two Wraith chuckled before leaving the hallway unbothered by her threats. Videum watched as they left the room. She wanted to kill them. Hunt them down and take them out like every Wraith deserves. But there were protocols to follow when trapped in an enemy ship. She then began wiggling in the webbing she was trapped in. She managed to free one of her hands and snake it up to the side of her head. She pressed the earpiece that was nestled in her ear twice, sending off the subspace signal to Atlantis.
‘This was it.’ She thought to herself. Once they received the signal they would activate her built in kill switch and that would be it. She would be embraced by death serving the people who created her. Honestly she was surprised that she wasn't dead already. She thought they would have killed her the second she was in Wraith hands.
Time seemed to move slowly in the hallway. She tried to keep her mind as empty as she could but thoughts of her siblings entered. Since she was going to be gone Noavu would take her place. Noavu would be a good leader and Videum had taught her well. Hopefully they had gotten away and weren't trapped on this ship. She didn't want to think of them seeing her go. She didn't want to think about seeing them go. Not again.
Some time passed before something happened. Videum heard the sound of the doors to the hallway opening again. She heard the sounds of a few pairs of boots walking. Three Wraiths stopped in front of Videum. She opened her eyes to see them. There was the Wraith that she recognized and he was accompanied by two Wraith drones.
“The queen wants to see you.” The Wraith said. Videum didn't reply, simply keeping her eyes on the Wraith. The Wraith placed his hand on the panel on the opposite wall of the hallway causing the webbing to dissipate around Videum's body. Just as she felt her body free she sprang from her former prison onto the Wraith. As she promised, she sunk her teeth into his neck and clamped them there.
The Wraith screamed out in pain. The drones both grabbed their stunners and began firing at Videum. They each fired one shot expecting her to go down but she was still awake and holding onto him sinking her teeth deeper. The Wraith writhed under her, digging his claws into her trying to get her off of him. The Wraith began firing again in succession until Videum finally released him and collapsed limp. The two drones grabbed her by the arms and lifted her up. The Wraith on the ground wrapped his hand around his neck to stop the flow of his dark blue blue blood. He slowly moved to his feet, glaring at the woman. He walked over to one of the trapped humans and placed his hand on their chest, drawing the life from them. After a moment his neck was healed and he released his neck. He then looked at the two drones and signaled for them to take her to the throne room.
They dragged Videum through the halls of the Wraith ship and to the throne room. The doors opened as they brought her in and the other Wraith followed them in. Sitting on the throne was a regal Wraith queen. She had deep green skin and long straight black hair. On the left side of her face was a spiked circular symbol. She wore a white dress that pooled at her feet and had a plunging neckline. Her attention turned to the two drones as they entered with the woman. They dropped the woman on the ground in front of the throne.
The queen examined the woman before turning her attention to the male Wraith. *Why is it stunned?* The queen asked him telepathically. She then noticed the blood on his clothes. The male Wraith kneeled down in front of her.
*It attacked me.* The male Wraith replied, his tone sounding annoyed.
The queen looked back at the woman and stood from her throne. She made her way down the few steps and stopped in front of the woman. She gestured to the drones and they lifted her back up from the ground so the queen could see her face. She reached out and grabbed her face looking at her.
*It looks human.* The queen said and glanced at the male Wraith before looking back at the woman. The Queen placed her feeding hand on Videum’s chest, sinking the teeth on her palm in her flesh. The queen tried to drain the life from her but like the male Wraith had told her, she could not. The queen removed her hand and looked at the woman curiously. She focuses her will on her woman causing her to wake from her stunned state. Videum woke with a gasp as she was forced awake. She blinked quickly as she tried to understand what was going on.
“What are you?” The Queen asked aloud in a hiss of a voice. Videum looked up at her, the Queen's face slowly coming into focus. Quickly she realized what she was.
“What are you?!” The queen asked again in a more demanding tone.
“You will get nothing from me insects.” Videum said.
The Queen's eyes furrowed. She looked over at the woman now noticing the sharp teeth, pointed ears and dark body suit that she was dressed in. On the woman's chest there was an Altlantean symbol. She gave a soft hiss of understanding and cupped the woman's chin in her hand. “I've heard of you.” She said, “We call you Wolfkin.” The Queen ran her finger along the cheek of the woman's face. “What are you, Wolfkin?” She hissed as she began to push her mind into Videum’s.
Videum’s mind was much stronger than most humans but not strong enough to resist the will of a Wraith queen. The Queen found the memories of her home, the great city of Atlantis. The queen pushed deeper for the address to the city but it seemed as though she didn't have that information.
Videum winced as her mind was invaded. She used what little strength she had to fight back but the Wraith tore down her walls like paper. The pain went on for a few more minutes before the queen slowly pulled out of her mind. “You're a drone.” She said with a smile. “They made you like a drone to fight their war. And you are ready to die for them.” The queen said.
“I’d die to protect this universe from monsters like you,” Videum said.
“Do you really think we are monsters? Or are you just repeating what they tell you?”
“You feed off of humans. You kill them. There is nothing good about that!” Videum growled.
“And you kill us to survive.” The Queen hissed back. She slowly stood to her full height, looking down at Videum. “Would your masters let you live if you did not kill for them?” She asked. “We are not so different, you and I.” The queen said in a softer tone. Videum looked up at her. “We are nothing alike.” She spat.
The Queen looked at the drones that were holding Videum, communicating orders to them with a wave of her hand. “Put her in a cell.”
They grabbed hold of Videum tighter and removed her from the chambers, dragging her along with them. Videum did nothing to fight back. The male Wraith stood in the chamber. The Queen sensed the confusion in his mind.
*Speak Wind.* she said.
*I do not mean to doubt your decisions, my queen. I only wonder why you would let the Wolfkin live?* He said. *She cannot be fed upon. She is a danger to us.*
The Queen turned and looked at him. *There is more information that we can pull from her.* The queen said and turned to look at the male giving him a sharp look. The male Wraith kneeled quickly, lowering his head.*If I need your opinion, I will ask for it.* She said, The Wraith kept his head low until she gave him permission to leave.
Videum was dragged to the holding cells. They opened the cell door and tossed her inside, closing it behind her. Videum collected herself and sat in the corner of the cell where she could keep the view of the entrance. It was merely out of habit then anything else. She had always been taught to know her surroundings. But that didn’t matter now. She should be dead soon. Trallin had always made it clear that they would never be rescued if they fell into enemy hands. She’d said that when they died they would be fulfilling their purpose. Videum always felt comfort in that. In the end she wouldn’t have to fight anymore. She wouldn’t have to have the taste of blood in her mouth after a battle. She wouldn’t have to hear the screams of terror when villages were attacked by the Wraith. Again her mind went to her siblings but she quickly pushed that away and closed her eyes.
Hours passed before Videum saw another Wraith. She heard the footsteps of many feet as the male Wraith –who she had taken a bite out of–arrived followed by three drones. He looked down at Videum, examining her. One of the drones opened the cell and stood to the side while the other two entered. Videum didn’t waste any time. She sprung from her seat and jumped onto the first Wraith grabbing hold of his neck and snapping it as she fell with him to the ground. She was gonna take as many Wraith out before she died. She turned to attack the second Wraith but was hit by multiple blasts by a Wraith stunner. It slowed her down but turned her attention to the male Wraith standing outside. She began moving towards him with a feral look in her eyes. The Wraith fired a few more times slowing her down to a crawl. One of the drones grabbed her by the arm sitting her up while the other Wraith standing next to the male wraith entered the cell. He held a pair of cuffs in his hands that had three loops. He locked the largest loop around her neck and then her wrists in the two smaller loops. The Wraith then pulled her to her feet allowing her with the energy she had left to stand on her own. The drone shoved her forward, urging her to walk. She gave the male Wraith a nasty look before walking out of the cell and down the hallway where they were leading her.
“Your wound is healing well.” Videum commented as she followed the male Wraith. His body tensed slightly at her comment and she could tell he was annoyed. One of the drones following her pushed her forward to walk faster. They soon arrived at a set of doors with two Wraith Warriors standing on either side of the door. They came to attention as the male Wraith approached. They waited for a moment outside the door before they opened with a hiss. The male Wraith grabbed Videum by the arm and dragged her inside the room.
Inside, the Wraith Queen sat at a medium sized table in front of a large window that looked out into space. The light from the window shone onto the queen illuminating the room. To the right there was a large altar with images of what looked like Wraith queens. The queen was wearing a different white dress that complemented her well. The male Wraith brought Videum over to the chair that was opposite of the Queen and sat her down. The queen looked at Videum across from her. She had an old book open in front of her. The edges were frayed and it looked well used.
“Thank you, Wind.” The queen said without looking at the Wraith. “You may leave.” The Male Wraith looked at her with a concerned expression. The Queen ignored him and after another second, he bowed and left the room. The drones stood by the interior door, standing still as if they were features in the room.
The queen closed her book she was reading on the table, slipping a white feather between the pages to mark her place. Videum watched her hands and noticed the letters on the cover of the book. It was in the language of her creators. The whole scene was strange really. She was surprised to see a Wraith reading a book of the Lantenas and even stranger was the fact that it was a paper book. She had never seen her creators use paper. All information was saved on the database where everyone could access it easily. The first time Videum had even seen a book was in the museum that she had visited when she was younger.
“You read the language of my creators?” Videum asked.
“It is not that different from the language of the Wraith.” the Queen explained. “This book belonged to my mother and she was given it by her mother.”
Videum tilted her head slightly even with the restraints around her neck. She looked from the Queen to the book, trying to read the faded words on the cover. The queen noticed and turned the book, sliding it slightly towards her.
“It is a story book with many stories. My favorite is about a man and a fish. The fish watches the man hunt and kill his friends. But the man only sees himself feeding his family.” The queen explained. “It is an interesting metaphor, is it not?”
“Humans are not fish.” Videum said as she met the queen’s eyes.
“I suppose it depends on whose perspective you are reading from.” The queen pulled the book back to her, baring her teeth in what was almost an amused smile. “There are many stories in this book. They teach like a good story does.”
“I don’t understand what this is for. Why haven’t you just killed me already?” Videum asked.
The Wraith Queen ran her fingers over the cover of the book as she molded the answer to Videum’s question.
“You cannot be fed upon, therefore you are of interest to me. You are more than food. You are more of an equal to me than those humans in our stocks.”
“I am nothing equal to you.” Videum leaned forward, her eyebrows furrowed in a glare. “I was made to kill you and all of your kind. The second you drop your guard I will not hesitate to kill you.”
The Wraith Queen seemed unfazed by her threat. “Why do you act like a beast? There is such intelligence in your mind, yet you give into violence.” Videum continued to glare, unanswering. The queen turned her head away from Videum and looked out the window into space. At some point, they had taken up orbit around a planet. The large mix of green and blue could be seen through the window. Videum kept her eyes on the queen, watching as her eyes fell onto the planet. Videum followed them and looked out at the planet. She could admit that it was beautiful. It was never something she paid much attention to when she flew in ships. There was always a mission to focus on.
Videum’s attention was drawn to the queen again as she let out a slow breath. The queen rose from her seat and walked past Videum to the dark altar that she had noticed when she was manhandled into the room. The queen placed the book in her hand on the altar before picking up a second at rest on the table. It was old like the first but a bit smaller. She came up beside Videum and placed the book in front of her. She opened it to the first page before returning to her chair.
“Read for me.” the Queen asked.
Videum looked at her with confusion written on her face. She glanced down at the book in front of her and then back at the Queen. She returned her eyes to the book and skimmed over the first few sentences. It looked like a story.
“You may enjoy this one.” the queen commented.
Videum gave her a wary look before looking back at the words. She didn't know why the Wraith was doing this but she didn't see any harm in reading. She'd be dead soon anyway. “Long ago when the world did not rumble with engines, there was a young child who wished to see the stars. Every night she would go to the tallest tower in her city and watch the stars at night. She dreamed of joining them.” Videum started. The queen turned her head and looked out the window while she listened.
The more Videum read the more intrigued she got in the story. Before she knew it they were half way through the book when the queen spoke. “That is enough for today.”
Videum looked up at her and sat back in her chair. She hadn't realized how far forward she was leaning and how dry her mouth had become. She tried to wet her tongue with saliva as she watched the queen, waiting for her next move.
The queen stood and walked over to the altar. She picked up a grey bird feather from a vase that contained a collection of them. Videum’s eyes followed her as she returned and stood beside her as she placed the feather between the pages of the book and closed it. The queen picked the book up and returned it to the altar before making her way back to her seat. She met Videum's eyes.
“Do you like the story so far?” She asked.
Videum did not answer, only watched the Queen. She had enjoyed it but she would not give the Wraith the pleasure of an answer.
The corner of the queen’s lips turned up in a smile as if she could tell what Videum felt anyway.“You read well. We may be able to finish it tomorrow.”
Videum's face was set in a look of weary confusion. The queen seemed to notice but didn't alleviate her confusion. “I will see you tomorrow.” The queen turned her head away and looked out the window. From behind her Videum heard the sound of the Wraith drones moving towards her. They stood beside her this time waiting for her to stand. Videum looked between the two before slowly standing to her feet. And stepping beside the chair. The drones then grabbed her arms, less aggressive this time, and guided her out of the room. Two other drones stood outside and followed behind as Videum was taken back to her cell.
Out of habit she paid attention to how the hallways winded on their way. She had been in Wraith ships many times, sabotaging warp cores or gaining strategic information. But each hive ship was a little different. Every ship had a pulse that Videum had learned to feel in her feet. It changed depending on what the ship was doing. If it was in battle it was faster. When it was orbiting a planet it was much slower.
They arrived at her cell. One of the Wraith opened the door with a panel across from her and the Wraith holding pushed her forward inside. Videum kept on her feet and turned to look at them as they closed the door behind her. When the cell locked close the drones left , returning to whatever duties they had next. Videum started moving back to her corner when she spotted a tray of food on the floor with a metal pitcher of water beside it. Videum turned and squatted in front of it. She looked over the food. It mostly consisted of fruit and one piece of something that looked like dried meat. No point in dying hungry, she thought. She crossed her legs and sat on the floor by the tray. Eating was going to be a little hard with the cuffs but she would manage. She picked up a round piece of fruit and sniffed it. Determining it was safe to eat she took a bite. It was a little sour but Videum liked that in fruit. She finished off the fruit leaving only the pit before moving onto the rest of the food. She took a piece of the dried meat and bit into it. The meat was hard and salty. She decided against it and returned the rest of it to the tray. That wasn't the meat she fed on. It wasn't the meat she craved when she was hungry. Thinking about it made her mouth salivate. Wraith flesh. The flesh of her enemy. No, her prey. Part of her hated how good it tasted. Just the smell of it, them, made her body tense with the need to hunt. The pain in her knee pulsed as she noticed she had dug her fingernails into the flesh. The pain was enough to snap her out of the trance she was in. She relaxed her hand and curled it closed. Videum used the fingers on her other hand and wiped off the blood from her knee. It didn't matter, she would be dead soon. She thought. Videum stood and moved to the corner of the cell. She placed her head in the crevices where the walls met as she sat down and closed her eyes. Hopefully she would go in her sleep, she wished.