Clones, Stargates and Guardians, oh my! - Chapter 10 (part 2)

Author: Dgre

MyKai immediately realized something was wrong.  He had been experiencing uneasiness which he put down to this invasion of what he assumed were friendlies, but there were a lot of them.  The women and the clones milled around the great hall, and they were suggesting offering food and drink to the newcomers.  Several of the women were attempting to cuddle the raccoon, which he was irritably resisting, telling them in now uncertain terms that he was not a puppy.  Groot stood off to the side, smiling at everybody, and answering every question with “I am Groot.”  Quill, for his part, was trying to get to know some of the ladies, Quill charm working overtime.  The Space Force team were more serious, gathering information and trying to put together a plan, but the atmosphere in the hall was lending itself to an eventual big party.

The clones heard the scream, their hearing far better than anyone else’s.  MyKai immediately looked around the hall, did not see his queen, and shot out of the hall and up the stairs, followed by the other clones, and behind them, the SP team and the Guardians.

The Wraith had made his way to the corridor just above the hall, and there he stood, Dgrequeen in his clutches.  She squeaked faintly when she saw MyKai, but the Wraith was already feeding on her, and she was fading away.

MyKai stood very still, his gaze speaking silently of murder.  The Wraith stared back with equal hate, but he had stopped feeding.  Dgre hung in his arms, the feeding hand still attached to her chest.  The Wraith recognized MyKai as the one he had fought earlier, and he knew he could not kill him by feeding, but he had other skills and he had his razor sharp claws.  He understood the clones’ weakness now, their dependence on the yellowish fluid that animated them, and their inexplicable devotion to these human females.  He also understood that he had this one’s female.

He reversed his feeding and let a little bit of life flo back into her.  She didn’t struggle because she knew it was useless, but she was terrified that MyKai was going to do something foolish.  She shook her head when he stretched out a hand for her, warning him.

“Release her,”  MyKai said.  “Release her, and I will let you live.”

“Stand aside and clear my way out, and I will let her live.”

“I will escort you to the Stargate myself.   No one will harm you.  Restore her and let her go.”

The Wraith snorted his contempt.  “She will take me to the Stargate, and no one will stop me.  You … whatever you are … and the weakling humans.  None of you will stop me.  No one can stop US!”

“I won’t take you,”  Dgre said.  “I’ll fight you the whole way, you’ll have to drag me, and you don’t dare kill me in front of him.  And it’s a long way to the Stargate.” 

“You will obey me,” the Wraith hissed.  He couldn’t conceive of any human who could defy him.  “You will …”

He made the mistake of loosening his hold on her just enough so he could look her in her eyes.  Despite her weakness, Dgre brought up the hand she’d been holding on to the Wraith’s feeding hand and drove her stiffened fingers into his near eye.  He shrieked, an unearthly sound that echoed through the castle and caused shivers in everyone who heard it.  Every Kai clone already not there came running.

But they weren’t fast enough, not even MyKai, delayed a half second by his anguish as the Wraiths feeding hand slammed tighter on Dgre’s chest and drained her.  MyKai reacted, ut he couldn’t stop the damage that had been done.  His brace shot out, wrapping around the Wraith’s wrist, pulling it away, but Dgre hung in his grasp, nearly dead but not quite.

“STOP!”  MyKai screamed.

The Wraith, blue fluid leaking from his ruined eye, grinned, baring his pointed teeth.  “She is not dead yet, but I can end her.  Let me go.”

“Restore her,” MyKai said, as calm as he had ever been.  “I know you can do it.  Restore her now, or I will cut off your feeding hand.”  He tightened his brace filament for emphasis.  

The Wraith snorted again.  “If you do that, I cannot restore her and she will die.”

MyKai swallowed his grief.  “If she dies, I will cut your hand off and you will die a slow, painful death by starvation.  And I will sit with you and watch.”

For the first time in his long life, the Wraith felt fear, considering the death every Wraith dreaded above all, starvation.

“I will watch you die slowly,” MyKai continued, his heart breaking for his queen.  “And then I will gather my brothers and bring your corpse through the Stargate to your home world so that your kind can see what was done.  Oh, don’t doubt we will find it, and we will cut off the feeding hand of every Wraith we find, until your kind are extinct.  Believe me when I say this.  We are already dead, so we can’t die.  But you can.”

The Kai clones gathered in the corridor nodded and murmured their assent.

“Right there with you, brother,” said Rocket, giving the Wraith his deadliest raccoon stare.

“Take me to the Stargate and I will give you back your human,” the Wraith said, bargaining now.  

“Restore her at the gate and you may go,” MyKai agreed.  “But we will still come after you.”

The Wraith sneered.  “So be it.  But that is a war you will not like.”

*****

When they reached the gate, the Wraith, who had carried Dgre’s limp form the whole way, turned and faced his enemies.  MyKai’s brace filament had not loosened the whole way, and blue fluid leaked around the Wraith’s wrist where the filament had cut into the flesh.

“Behold,” the Wraith said, and life flowed back into Dgre’s body.  As she slid from the Wraith’s grasp, Teyla and Ronin gathered her up.  Without retracting his brace, MyKai knelt down to her, and she weakly lifted her arms to wrap around his neck.

The Wraith tugged a little at the brace filament around his wrist.  “Time of honor your part of the bargain and let me go.”

MyKai disentangled himself from his  beloved queen and stood up.”Yes,” he said.  “I said you could go.”

With one flick of the brace, MyKai cut the Wraith’s feeding hand off.  “But I also promised to end your kind,” he said.  He ended the Wraith’s anguished shrieks by kicking him backwards through the Stargate.

Clones, Stargates and Guardians, oh my! - Chapter 10 (part 1)

Author: Dgre

Franks was livid.  When Jones reported to Remmy qpwhat had gone down at that strange castle, Remmy wisely relayed the information by telephone so as not to be within striking distance of the boss’s wrath.  And he was wrathful indeed.

“You’re telling me,” Franks screamed into the phone, “that a bunch of fancy freaks who live in a CASTLE with a bunch of women, for fuck’s sake, took my crack team hostage?  That’s what you’re telling me?”

“Sorry, Boss,” Remmy said, wearing heavily.  Would he ever dare walk into the office again?  If he couldn’t make this right, he, Jones, and the whole team were dead men walking.  Franks had no shortage of replacements.  “I think we’re up against something here that we’ve never seen before.”

“Well, that just means I have to send in the BIG GUNS, which you are not, right?”  He couldn’t see how white Remmy’s face had turned, but he wouldn’t have cared.  His thoughts were on the alien he owned now.

****

Rodney put his head in his hands.  Nobody knew exactly how he was able to track everyone and what they were doing at any one time, and he liked to keep it that way ( although he sometimes lost the connect and usually panicked when he did), but sometimes he wished he didn’t have this power.  But Rodney studied the Stargates more than even the experts of the Space Force and he knew more than anyone about the capabilities of the gates.  Except Col. Carter, of course, who wasn’t adverse to sharing information with him.  They had speculated together that the aliens who had built the Stargate system had done a lot more than that.

“Hiya, Roger!  Whacha doin’?”

Rodney felt a headache begin to form.

“Oh, it’s you.”  He looked over at the raccoon thing, who was scratching his crotch and eating yet another raspberry pastry.  “There’s something going on at the APEC castle, which is none of your business.”

“Really?”  The raccoon leaped up onto the desk, scattering crumbs everywhere, and stared curiously at Rodney’s video connection with the Atlantis Stargate through which he was communicating with the Space Force on Earth.  “I heard about this castle.  Is the Wraith there?”

Rodney sighed.  “Possibly.  Or it could be a criminal gang we’ve been tracking, if you must know.”  It was useless to try and keep anything from this nosey creature.  “I don’t know how they could be connected, or why they’d go there.”

“Cool.   Hey, Quill!” He shouted into his communicator.  “Drax, Groot!  You gotta see what’s goin’ down on Earth.  Say, Roger, maybe Shepard would wanna get in on this action.”

Rodney’s headache bloomed.  “It’s Rodney or Dr. McKay to you, and yes, I will inform Lt. Col. Shepard.”

Rocket shrugged.  “Ooh, tetchy.”

Within the minute, Shepard and the team, still in San Francisco, looked at each other.  “Thanks for the info, Rodney, we’ll look into it.”  He grimaced. “The APEC castle, great.  Does Rodney know how much I hate going there?

Ronin grinned.  “I’ve never been, but I’d like to see the place.”

Teyla merely rolled her eyes.

*****

The Wraith, happy to be taken to the APEC by Franks and a driver in a big black SUV that they parked just inside the tree line outside the mysterious castle.   Remmy and various thugs followed in another SUV and parked behind them.  The Wraith sized up the stone walls of the mysterious structure and knew he would be able to climb them easily.

“Remember,” Franks said, “you get to the gate and let us in, and we’ll do the rest.  I’ll give you whatever you want.”  He exchanged a glance with his driver, who understood that he had no intention of honoring that promise.  Franks’ mind was on the riches that must lie inside that huge place.  The Wraith was his to command as long as he could provide untainted humans for food, and maybe he could even force the clones to do his bidding.  He’d heard they were devoted to their ladies.  Take one or two of them, and …

“Yes,” the Wraith said in his raspy voice.  “You promised me unlimited access to the Stargate if I do this for you.”

“Sure, sure, we’ll get you home in no time.  Remmy!”  He spoke into the walkie. “Get ready, we’re about to go in.”

“But first,” said the Wraith, who had no intention to stand by his “deal”, and reached for Franks, “ I need to fortify myself.”

*****

Afterwards, having feasted on Franks and his driver, and ignoring the other SUV that was speeding away as fast as it could go, he walked toward the castle.  He climbed the stone wall with ease and he was inside the castle.

****

Ronin marched straight up to the heavy, carved gate of the castle and pounded on it, sending thunder rolling through the outer keep and into the main hall.  Something on the wall next to the gate crackled.

“There’s a speaker you can use to announce yourself, bub,” said a very dry voice.

Shepard sighed, and leaned over to the speaker.  He was not happy for his team to have been joined by the raccoon creature, who was snickering into his .. . hand … paw?  Now he feared he was about to be confronted by some self-important butler. “Lt. Col. John Shepard, of the Space Force, Atlantis.  There’s a hostile alien loose in the area, and we got word of a disturbance in your, uh …” Shepard looked up at the ramparts, “castle.”

“We were attacked by criminals,”. Said the voice.  “We’re handling it.”

“Good,” Shepard said, looking at his motley team.  “Good.” Nobody had a suggestion about what to do next.

Except Ronin.

“I say we go in anyway,” he growled, clutching his weapon tighter,

Teyla put her hand on Ronin’s arm to calm him (because she was the only one who could get away with that).  “Sir,” she said into the speaker,”do you mind if we come in anyway?  We’re wanting to liaison with local people, especially in these troubled times.”

The speaker crackled again.  “Is that guy who looks like Jason Momoa with you?”

Ronin gritted his teeth and growled again.  “I really want to meet this guy.”

“Uh,” Shepard looked uncomfortable.  “Yes.  Yes, he is.”

“You can come in,” the speaker voice said, and it seemed there was a note of disgruntlement.  “Our ladies want to talk to him.”

The gate swung open.

****

The Wraith prowled silently.  He had eluded the notice of the clones on the battlements, and now he was scoping out the many empty corridors of the castle.  Perhaps he could find a place to hide away and take as many humans as possible without being detected by the clones, before he escaped.  The rest of them were down in the main hall, or in another part of the castle interrogating the captured spies.  The women the Wraith sought were either locked away in their quarters, or they were in the main hall, gathered around the Space Force team,  the Wraith was as yet unaware of.  He was formulating a plan to free Franks’ men, not because he was concerned for them, but because he was interested in the equipment Franks had told him they brought with them.  If it was useful in hunting humans, he wanted it, and he’d need one or two of the criminals to show him how it all worked.

He could sense that there were living humans behind some of the doors, but those doors were thick and securely locked.  Besides, he couldn’t track the strange lifeless yet alive beings that guarded them, whether any were in the rooms or not, and he had no desire to encounter them.  But he resolved to find out more about them once he was back among his own species.  Solving their mystery might give the Wraith the means to defeat Atlantis.

****

Dgre, like the other castle ladies, was fascinated by Ronin and his close resemblance to an Earthside action star.  He was visibly discomforted by the women gathered around him, bombarding him with questions he couldn’t really answer, not being who they thought he was.  Shepard, Teyla, and the

 Guardians hid their grins and conferred with the more security-minded clones.  This place and its inhabitants were equally fascinating to them, even as they tried to stay on the topic of the criminal invasion.

Dgre, deciding she’d never get close enough to Ronin to ask questions, decided to go back to the apartment she shared with MyKai.  She had things to do, and she could pump MyKai for information later.  He was deep in conversation with the Lieutenant Colonel anyway, so she left the hall and went up the stairs.

Where she met the Wraith.

Clones, Stargates and Guardians, oh my! - Chapter 9

The Wraith scrutinized the young, nervous human.

The teenager fearfully stood just inside the doorway, ready to bolt at a moments notice. He lived with his mom and siblings in a rundown apartment building nearby and had seen this tall, weird lookin' white guy breaking in earlier. He would have been curious about the albino stranger anyway, but his drug dealer said to keep an eye out for a weird looking dude with this guy's description. 

What he didn't bargain for was the dealer telling him to go get him.

Because now he was getting weirded out by the stranger's freakish yellow eyes and abnormally pale skin, both of which stood out in the dimly lit decrepit room. 

The stranger wasn't budging, so he motioned to the door behind him, "Uh...these guys you don't wanna mess around with."

"Atlantians?" the Wraith purr-growled.

The teen looked puzzled, "No man, my capo Darius."

The Wraith just looked at him.

The teen shifted his weight, knowing that he would be in as much trouble as the stranger if he couldn't get him to go before the muscle outside got tired of waiting. "Please, we'll both be in a lotta trouble if you don't go." 

The Wraith pondered for a moment. He had zero care for the young human outside of him being food, but he did notice the sloppy clothes weren't typical human military uniforms. But this "capo Darius" apparently has other humans working for him, so he must be a local warlord. 

Just then, they heard the sound of several bootsteps walking down the hall. 

The teen turned back to the stranger and whispered urgently, "Please! They'll yank your ass outta here with guns and grips if you don't go!"

The Wraith stepped forward. He decided to go because these humans might have a way to contact others of his kind or at least know where the Stargate is since he lost his bearings after feeding on the tainted humans.

The teen smiled and carefully stepped into the hall, hands raised. "We're comin' out! He's goin' with you!" 

One of the 4 gunmen paid the teen as the rest escorted the Wraith to the limo. They all awkwardly squeezed inside. When the last door slammed shut, there was a collective scrunching of noses. "Dude, you need a fuckin' shower" one of them said.

*****

A large man in a suit hung up his smartphone, "They have him. No resistance. They're on their way."

Mr. Franks silently acknowledged the report and took a sip of brandy while gazing out his 15th floor penthouse window at the nearby skyscrapers and bustling city activity on the streets below. 

Another aide walked in the room. "Sir, we have reports of an increased Space Force presence in the city, and some homeless bodies have been found that look shriveled up like Red's."

Mr. Franks glanced at the man who delivered that report, then turned back to the window. He wondered that maybe an alien really *did* come through the Stargate. 

"Containment is ready?" he said without turning around.

"Yes sir."

*****

Rodney's voice broke the intercom silence, "Shepard, the police report about that altercation says a mob stooge was killed by a tall, white-haired guy, probably in a costume from ComicCon. I'm looking to see if there are any security cam feeds."

Shepard and Teyla looked at each other, "That's gotta be him," Shepard said. "Give us the address and we'll ask around."

*****

The limo parked at the loading dock of the hi-rise, and the gunmen escorted the Wraith inside, leading him to a windowless room with a single chair and a large TV embedded in the wall. The escorts left and locked the door behind them.

The Wraith stood and looked around, surprised it wasn't a typical human holding cell with bars.

The TV blipped to life and a middle aged white man appeared on the screen.

"My name is Mr. Franks. Rumor has it that you have an unique method for killing people. How do you do it?"

The Wraith just looked at him. His kind were never ones for chit chat. But it was now apparent this human didn't know about the Wraith.

Mr. Franks noticed his captive's strange yellow eyes, pale skin, and extra-long fingernails. "That's quite a outfit you're wearing. What the hell are you supposed to be?"

Again, the Wraith just stared back at him.

Franks squinted, "Did you come through the Stargate?"

The Wraith smiled, which showed his yellowish rows of pointed teeth. They know of the Stargate which means they could lead him there.

"I'll take that as a yes." Mr. Franks said. "I'll ask again, how do you kill people that leaves them shriveled up?"

Silence.

"Ok. I have ways of making people talk. This is your last chance for telling me what I want to know."

The Wraith said nothing. They'll find out how he kills soon enough.

"Fine." The screen blipped off.

About a minute later, the Wraith whirled around at the sound of the door opening. In walked a large, muscular white man, looking a bit nervous, but aggressive, as the door shut behind him. He was wearing jeans, boots, and a black t-shirt. He had a short black mohawk and a crisply cut beard and moustache. The tats on his beefy arms made it obvious (to earthers, anyway) that this was your typical tough guy. 

The Wraith figured this large human was there to make him talk by beating him. He smiled and readied himself to make him look like a fool before feeding on him.

The big guy was told to force the pale guy to tell him how he kills people, and if he did, they would wipe out his debt. But he was surprised the thin pale guy wasn't tied up to make it easier. And to make matters worse, he'd also heard about the shriveled up dead people and no one knew what killed them. Mr. Franks must think the pale guy is the killer and wants pale guy to kill HIM instead. Well fuck that! He didn't want to be the next victim! But there was no refusing Mr. Franks or you would definitely end up dead. So, killing this freak was his only way out. He clenched his fists and stepped forward to fight for his life!

The pale guy stood there as the big guy didn't break stride and punched him in the face. Hard. But his head whipped back to face him with a grin. The big guy's eyes were as big as saucers! How could a thin guy like that take that punch without at least staggering??

He punched him two more times in the face, with the same effect! He then tried punching him once in the gut. The only effect was a bigger grin from the prisoner!

The Wraith figured his point was made and he whipped his left had out and grabbed the big man's neck and lifted him off the ground!

Mr. Franks and his aids, watching the video feed, were stunned! This was definitely no ComicCon goer!

The big guy grabbed the Wraith's arm to ease the bodyweight pulling on his neck, and he kicked his legs to try to get free!

Satisfied that the big guy was sufficiently panicked and fighting for his life, in one move he quickly set him down and slammed his right feeding hand against the center of the big man's chest, causing him to scream as he felt his life force being pulled away!

Mr. Franks and his aides were speechless as they watched the Wraith growl aggressively as the big guy struggled and aged right before their eyes! After a few more seconds, the big man fell silent, shriveled into mummified-looking human as the Wraith victory growled! 

With no more life force to drain, the Wraith let him drop to the floor, then turned, teeth bared in a panting grin, to face the camera!

Franks' eyes were locked on the screen, "What the hell did I just watch??" The two aides behind him looked at each other. 

*****

Shepard and Teyla stood in the office with the Chinese restaurant owner looking at the security cam footage of the Wraith killing the mob guy in the alley. 

Shepard asked, "Who do they work for?"

"Mista Franks."

"Where can we find him?"

"I don' know."

"Come on," Shepard said, "Is there someone else who knows?"

"I know nothing." He was obviously afraid. He didn't even want to show them the footage, but finally agreed when they threatened to deport him and his staff.

Just then, Ronin, Techno, Recon and Lafe walked in. 

The restaurant owner did a double-take at seeing the two clones. And they were pale. Pale like the killer in the alley! Now, fear of being killed like the man in the alley took over, "Uh...talk to James Meeka. He know. He know."

Shepard and Teyla raised their eyebrows. "Well where do I find *him*?" Shepard asked.

"He own Davis Limo. Now go. Go!" He shoo-motioned for them to leave.

They left.

"Rodney, get us an address for Davis Limo." Shepard asked.

"I'm on it."

*****

After the initial shock of watching the Wraith's kill wore off and they collected the no-longer-big guy's body, Mr. Franks ordered his minions to find out anything they could on what the hell was in their containment room, including asking any sources they have in the government.

*****

Shepard, Teyla, Ronin, and a couple of local SFPD walked into Davis Limo with their sidearms but not their assault rifles. 

Shepard asked the receptionist, "We'd like to speak to Mr. Meeka."

She said, "Mr. *Meeker* is in a meeting right now. Can I tell him who's asking?"

The African American SPFD detective displayed his badge, "Detective Johnson. We need to speak to him. Now. It's urgent."

She glared at them, "I'll let him know," then stood and left through a door behind the reception desk.

Shepard looked at Teyla and quietly said, "It's Meek-ERRR, apparently." She grinned.

The receptionist walked in his office, "Mr. Meeker, there's a group of SFPD here wanting to speak to you. They said it's urgent."

He nodded, "Bring them back." 

She was surprised, but nodded and left. 

Mr. Meeker hoped this had to do with the man in Mr. Frank's custody so he could get some information.

A few moments later, the group arrived to his office.

"How can I help you?" Meeker asked while sitting behind his desk.

Shepard held up a generic photo of a Wraith. It wasn't one from the security feed to protect the restaurant owner's identity. "Have you seen this guy?"

Meeker shook his head, "No. Did he rent one of my limos?"

"You tell us. We've heard you're a man who knows a lot of things." 

"Well, I'd definitely remember someone who looked like that. But I don't personally see everyone who rides in my limos." He noticed their annoyance. "But I can let you know if I do. What agency are you with?"

Shepard didn't answer, "We'd also like to talk with Mr. Franks. Where can we find him?"

"I don't know."

"Oh, I think you do."

"Do I look like his secretary?"

"No, you look like his driver, and drivers know where they drop people off. Where is he?"

"I don't know. I don't divulge client information."

"With a warrant you will." Detective Johnson said.

Meeker tilted his head, "Do you have one?" 

"Not yet. But we'll be back when we do."

Meeker looked at Shepard, "What agency are *you* with?"

"SFPD." Shepard replied.

"Hm. I don't recognize your uniforms."

The detective stepped forward and handed him a business card, "We'll be back with a warrant, but let me know if you hear anything."

The group turned and left. After they were out of the building, Meeker picked up the phone, "This is Meeker. Let Mr. Franks know the SFPD and some people from another agency were here looking for your guy. I'll send my security cam feed over."

*****

"We appreciate the assist in there, detective." Shepard said as they met up with Techno, Recon and Lafe outside.

"No problem. We want this killer out of here as much as you do. Meeker definitely knows something, and we've suspected him for a while of being close to Mr. Franks."

"Rodney, anything new?"

"Nothing. I've started searching for other security cam footage farther out."

"Well," Shepard said to the team, "we're in a holding pattern. Let's get something to eat."

*****

A few hours later, one of Mr. Franks aides walked in, "We have new information. Mr. Meeker said the SFPD and some other personnel stopped by his shop asking about the... "man" we have in custody. We don't know who the other personnel are yet, but we suspect they're Space Force. We're analyzing his security cam feed. Also, our Space Force contact sent us this." He put a flash drive in the wall mounted screen. A moment later, several windows popped open showing images of a Wraith, their feeding hand, and their fighter aircraft. There were also text boxes with descriptions of the images as well as what the Wraith are and where they're from.

"Holy shit," Franks said. "He *is* a freakin' alien."

He read that the Wraith are not only capable of killing by draining life force, they're also capable of stopping and even *reversing* the damage. He grinned. He may have found the perfect torture device, and a way to make an INSANE amount of money renting his life giving abilities, AND a way for he himself to stay alive indefinitely!

"This is the fuckin' jackpot!"

Just then, another aide walked in with a file folder, "Sir, we have new information on the people who visited Mr. Meeker earlier." He set the folder down on the desk in front of Mr. Franks, who opened it. 

The first document was an image of the team in the parking lot. 

The aid pointed, "These two are SFPD. These two are Space Force. This one-" 

"Looks like Jason Momoa?" Franks interrupted.

"He does. The other two-"

"Look like the Thompson Twins?"

The millennial aide quizzically glanced at the other millennial aide who also didn't know who those twins were. "Um, actually," he pulled couple more pages from the folder, "they look to be part of a commune of clones and non-clones a few hours from here in ."

"A *commune* of *clones*?" Frank asked astonishingly as he held up photos in each hand. In one hand was an image of some Kai clones at a party. The clones were smiling or talking and in various poses with their loved ones. The other page had a few different views of The Castle. "And they *live* in a *castle*??" Franks asked, just as astonished.

"Yes sir."

"And this isn't some A.I. shit?"

"No sir."

Franks parted the papers and looked down at the file folder, "What else do we know about 'em?"

"Not a lot. We do know that this one isn't in the Castle very much. His name is ReconKai. And these folks who saw Mr. Meeker," he pointed at the non-SFPD people, "were seen exiting ComicCon. But we have no footage of them *entering* ComicCon. So they're most likely Space Force personnel who came through the ComicCon's Stargate."

Franks squinted, "Even these two?" he pointed to MyKai and Dgre.

"Yes sir."

"They don't look military."

"This one doesn't either." the aide pointed at Ronin.

"Think he's a Jason Momoa clone?"

"It's possible."

"Hm." Franks thought for a moment. "Ok. Get more intel on these clones. They're pale like our freaky alien guy, but they look more human. See if they're also aliens and if they have any 'unique skills'. Other than looking alike."

*****

Mr. Frank's spy squad parked their two vans off the road a couple of miles from The Castle, and the eight of them gathered their bags of laptops, cameras, drones, scopes, and sound recording devices and headed into the forest to setup their hidden positions.

In The Castle, VisionAri, Dgre, MyKai, Doffy and CowboyKai (CK) were outside in the courtyard enjoying the day.

Tyrathca walked up, "I heard that MyKai was attacked."

Dgre: "Yes! It was awful! Whatever it was mangled his chest and I had to give him protoblood to revive him!"

MyKai added, "Yes. The Space Force team Lafe, Techno and Recon are working with said it was a Wraith. An alien that feeds on life force."

Ty looked puzzled.

MyKai continued, "It obviously couldn't take any life force from me, but I passed out after the damage to my chest caused too much protoblood loss."

"Did they capture it?" Ty asked, flexing the fingers on his metal arm.

"Not that we know of. They think it escaped the base and is in San Francisco. They've been looking for it."

Ty asked, "What did it look like?"

MyKai: "It was our height. Pale skin..."

**

Out in the woods, one spy with headphones held a parabolic mic while his buddy, also with headphones, monitored the recording they were getting of MyKai's description of the Wraith.

Several yards away, a couple of other spies had launched a drone and were hovering it out of hearing range. Well, *human* hearing range...

**

Up on The Castle's battlements, KillerKai was alone on his watch, taking in the view of the surrounding woodland and enjoying the solitude. After a few minutes, he heard a faint buzzing sound. He initially didn't think much of it. It was probably an insect of some sort.

But the frequency seemed off. As he focused on the sound, it whined more than he thought an insect should. And it's frequency wobbled, occasionally sounding like yeeeer-yeeeer instead of a lower frequency steady insect's buzz.

He listened closer. It sounded like it was somewhere above him. He looked up...

**

One of the spies saw KillerKai look up, "Davis. I think that one on the battlement can hear your drone. Move it."

"Copy that." He was surprised, but did as he was told. He had been keeping his drone at least 50 yards above the castle, which should be well out of hearing range.

**

The whining sound trailed off as KillerKai squinted into the clouds. He searched the sky a few more seconds, then returning to scanning the forest. Then he heard Kai21's voice over his commlink, "KK, I was hearing a whining noise a few moments ago. Did you hear it?" Kai21 was on the battlements on the opposite side of The Castle.

"I did. But it seems to be gone now."

"Same here. I don't hear it any more either. Kinda sounded like a drone."

"Stay sharp." KK said with steely eyes. "Tyrathca, we think we heard a drone overhead a few moments ago. But it seems to be done now."

"Understood." Tyrathca replied.

The group of clones and ladies looked at Tyrathca as he said, "KK and Kai21 thought they heard a drone a few minutes ago. I'm going to have a look around."

As he walked off, Dgre said, "First a crazed alien, and now drones overhead?"

MyKai and CK shared a concerned glance. VA said, "Well let me know if we need to move The Castle."

CK said, "I don't think we're at that point yet." Teleporting The Castle is a big deal. It means putting friendships made in town on hold and finding new friends and places to go. On the one hand, it can be exciting, but it can also be stressful.

**

Logan was in the ground floor rec room rummaging through some stuff she pulled out of a closet when something at a nearby window caught the corner of her eye. She darted her eyes to the window. She could have sworn she saw someone's head just outside, so she walked over, like anyone in a horror movie would, and looked around through the glass. She saw nothing. After a few more glances at the outside surroundings, she said, "Hm. Maybe it was a bird." Satisfied there was nothing to worry about, she walked back and sat down at the pile of stuff she created.

The spy hiding just below the window heard their team leader over his comlink, "Ok Jones, she's gone." He relaxed a little. But on the flip side, he did enjoy the adrenaline rush of these kinds of missions - getting right up to the target without them knowing. He had 10 more micro-cams to install at various windows around the castle, and the castle wasn't exactly small, so there was a lot more time to sneak around...

**

A half hour later, Jones had 3 more cameras to place, but the one he placed earlier at the castle's weapons training area was starting to bear fruit.

The team lead saw on that camera's feed 3 clones walk in the training area. He listened to their conversation. One of the clones set up wooden A-frame bullseye targets, and another setup several bottles and cans along a couple of railings. The third clone hung 3 humanoid dummies from sturdy rings protruding from the top of their heads, like punching bags, under a rack nearby. They swung slightly in the breeze.

They chatted during the setup:

Clone 1: "Do you think they'll vote to teleport The Castle after what happened to MyKai?"

Clone 2: "Maybe. This is a nice area, though."

Clone 3: "Well *I'd* like to see the wraith thing in person first."

The other two clones looked at him. Clone 2: "Really? Why?"

Clone 3: "It's an *alien*. I mean, I know our Original saw aliens, but *we* haven't."

Clone 2: "True."

After that, the targets were all setup and they walked several yards away.

Clone 1: "I'll take the dummies."

Clone 2: "I'll take bullseyes."

Clone 3: "Heart breaker, I mean, *glass* breaker for me then."

**

The spy leader and his buddy focused on the video feed...

**

Clone 1 clicked open his wrist brace, then whipped his arm up and fired it. It zipped forward, untethered, at the targeted dummy. It struck the dummy in the neck with a "thwack" and effortlessly decapitated it, sending the body section falling to the ground as it boomeranged back to his wrist.

Clone 3 nodded, "Nice. Your accuracy has improved."

Clone 2 adjusted his stance briefly, then whipped his arm up and fired his tethered brace at the target. It firmly embedded in the wood and the tether cable instantly started to reel itself in. When it tightented a second later, he took a step back and yanked it hard, sending the target flying towards them about 15 feet. It flopped in front of them, kicking up some dust in defeat. He flexed a muscle in his arm that caused the brace to release the target and reel back in to his wrist.

The other two nodded in approval.

"Allrighty then." Clone 3 looked at the row of 5 bottles and readied his stance. He also whipped his arm up, as all Kais typically do when firing their brace, and sent it untethered towards the bottles and cans. His brace, though, opened after it was fired, and then opened a *second* embedded set of claws, making it twice as wide as it flew. With the extra weight spread out like wings and causing additional wind resistance, it rotated counter-clockwise slightly, plowing through 4 of the 5 bottles on the top row, but missing the 5th bottle, and embedded itself in the wooden backstop.

He scowled, "Damn. I thought I had the aerodynamics worked out."

Clone 2: "It was a lot closer this time, though."

Clone 1: "Maybe it needs rear stabilizers."

"I think you're right."

Clone 2 added with a smile, "Hey, put a couple of motors on it and it could be a drone."

Clone 3's wheels turned, "Hm, that's a thought."

Clone 1 spoke, "Ok. Switching targets." He aimed for a wooden target this time...

**

Tyrathca and Kai18 split up and walked the grounds right around the castle but didn't see anything unusual. They missed Jones hiding in some bushes near one of the castle's walls, but he was helped by his teammates in the tree line warning him someone was coming.

Ty and Kai18 met back up near the castle entrance. 

Ty: "Let's check the perimeter." He tapped his commlink, "CK, can you take a ride down the entrance road and check things out?"

CowboyKai: "Will do." 

Ty: "KK and Kai21, keep an eye on the perimeter for anything moving during our sweep."

They walked down the entrance road until they got a few yards past the tree line, then split up and headed into the woods in opposite directions.

A few moments later, CK left the castle on his e-bike. He would have taken his horse, but it would have taken a lot longer to get the horse from the stable and tack him up.

**

Franks' spy team leader watched the clone and the man with the metal-looking arm walk away from the castle. He figured those two walking the grounds was probably just a routine security patrol, but it made him nervous now that they were heading down the road. He mumbled, "This isn't good." But he wanted to get as much intel as he could before leaving, so he gambled and stayed put, shifting his eyes from his laptop's video feed and the castle grounds.

Finally, he decided they had waited long enough and were probably going to be spotted. "Team, code black. We're leaving."

The spy teams in the tree line swiftly began stuffing their equipment in their bags and recalled their drone...

Jones heard the code black evac command, indicating they were probably compromised and whispered in his commlink: "Am I clear?" He needed his buddies to let him know it was safe to bolt to the woods.

No response.

Mild panic began to set in. He whispered again. "This is Jones, am I clear?"

Still no response.

He looked through the bushes he was in and considered making a run for it, but thought better of it. Instead, he decided to lay low and wait for nightfall, then walk to town and call for a pickup. In the meantime, he kept watch on the woods to see if his teammates were in trouble...

**

The Kai clones had innate stealth abilities, which came in handy as Kai18 slinked quietly through the woods. After a few minutes of slinking, he paused behind a tree. He spotted a couple of strangers, one with what looked like a parabolic mic pointed at the castle and one with binoculars.

He glanced around to see if there were any other strangers nearby, then tapped the blue button on his commlink to silently signal he sees something.

Ty, Kai21, and KK all heard the automated "Kai21. Code blue." in their earpieces. 

Ty quietly kept searching, but with more urgency, as KK and Kai21 on the battlements watched with extra steely eyes.

Kai18 got a thrill using all his stealth to step closer to the black-clad strangers. As he moved, he planned to tie up the binoculars-wielding guy with his brace, then threaten the mic-wielding guy, figuring the mic-wielding guy was more geek than a deadly agent.  

Finally, he felt close enough and raised his brace arm -

But just then, the spies got the evac command and quickly turned to stuff their equipment in the bags, but froze when they locked eyes with a pale clone 15 feet away, pointing his arm at them...like Spiderman? (They hadn't seen the video feed of the clones using their braces.)

Kai18, also startled, froze for a moment too, totally surprised they turned around!

Kai18 broke the ice with a quick, "Whatareyoudoing?"

The spies dropped their equipment and grabbed for their pistols!

Kai18 fired his brace, and it perfectly wrapped its cable around binoculars guy! He yanked the cable hard and stepped forward, sending the tied spy to the ground. But that gave the other spy time to grab his gun, and he fired twice!

**

Everyone outside the castle was startled at the two gunshots!

MyKai narrowed his eyes, "Everyone inside."

Doffy: "Those were gunshots!" The group on the patio scurried for the patio door. 

Dgre: "My love, what's happening??" She knew all the clones had security commlinks. 

MyKai: "There are intruders in the tree line around the castle."

Doffy, alarmed, "What intruders?? What do they want??" VA and Dgre started asking question as well, but he couldn't make sense because they were talking over each other.

MyKai followed them inside then attempted to speak but was drowned out by a gaggle of, "How many are there??" "Who sent them??" "Are they aliens??" "Are any Kai's hurt???"

Finally he raised his voice, "Calm down!" which halted their questioning, since MyKai has rarely raised his voice.

He continued in his normal voice, "All I know is Tyrathca and Kai18 were performing a manual sweep of the perimeter, and Kai18 saw something. We don't know what yet, but moments later, we heard the gunshots."

The ladies erupted with a flurry of questions...

MyKai scowled.

**

The spy froze, wide-eyed, as he watched the bullets that blasted through the pale man's bloodless chest and cheek healed, leaving only a scowling clone. Then in two more steps, Kai18 punched the cowering spy in the face, sending him to the ground as well. His tied-up, flabbergasted teammate on the ground watched this pale weirdo with a bun ziptie his buddy's hands behind his back.

The clone glared at them and tapped his commlink, "I've captured two men that look like spies. They were responsible for the gunshots. I need help bringing them in."

 

**

MyKai held up a hand, "Kai18 captured two men that fired the shots, and a two of Logan's clones are helping to take them to the dungeon."

The Ladies peppered more questions over top of each other, "Why were they shooting?" "Who were they shooting at??" "Who sent them to shoot at us??" "Is Kai18 ok??" "Are they dead???"

MyKai glanced away to minimize his eyeroll...

**

On the other side of the castle grounds just before the gunshots, Tyrathca spotted two intruders with a parabolic mic and a laptop. He glanced around to see if there were any others nearby.

Satisfied there weren't, he was about to take a step forward when the two spies abruptly turned and started stuffing their equipment in bags. He watched them for a few seconds, thinking it would be way more convenient that they pack up their stuff instead of him.

Then the two gunshots from Kai18's direction cracked the air!

The spies froze for a second, looked at each other, then quickly finished stuffing their gear and hoisted them on their shoulders. They scurried off into the woods. 

Ty decided to follow them and tapped his commlink. He spoke softly, "CK, two spies possibly headed your way. I'm following to see where they go."

CK: "Copy that." CK, slowed his ebike and continued glancing left and right through the woods. Just then he barely saw a van, tucked behind some trees. CK tapped his commlink, "There's a van parked off the road a mile or so from the castle. What would ya like me to do?"

Ty: "Do you have any tracking devices on you?"

Ck smiled, "Always!"

"Tag it, but don't let them see you."

"10-4."

**

MyKai briefly debated if he should give the ladies an update and decided yes, he should update them. 

The ladies were all sitting in the well-furnished lounge area looking concerned, and MyKai was standing near the doorway, just as a precaution.

"Ok," he said, causing them to stand or scootch to the edge of their seats, "Tyrathca found 2 more spies, and he's following them to see where they go. CowboyKai found a van parked off the road a mile out and is going to put a tracking device on it."

The ladies peppered themselves with comments this time, "I don't like that they're in the castle." "I wonder who they're working for?" "Or what do they want?" "Or what do they know about us already?"...

**

The two spies hauled their gear duffels as quick and as quiet as they could towards the van. The leader spoke through his commlink, "Steven, start the van. We're almost there."

** 

CK parked his bike in some brush a few yards down the road, pulled a couple of small tracking devices from its saddlebags, then jogged back towards the van. 

He stealthily moved through the brush, looked to make sure no one else was around, then slinked to the back of the van, tiny tracker in hand. He crouched and reached under the van - but just then, the driver started the van! 

"shit!" CK mumbled! He quickly reached inside the rear bumper, stuck the tracker, and dashed back into the brush. He thought the engine start meant he'd been spotted, so he slinked a few more yards into the woods. 

But then he realized the van hadn't moved. So he stopped and turned around, still crouching, and watched to see what was going on. He tapped his commlink, "Tracker placed. I'm in the woods near the van."

Ty smiled slightly, "Perfect." He decided to make his move. 

Disregarding noise, he bolted towards the two spies, hopping over dead trees and dashing through branches.

The spies, still trying to be somewhat quiet, thought they heard something behind them and turned to see the black-clad man with the shiny arm sprinting towards them!

They both switched their jog to a run! 

But they were loaded down with gear, so Ty, an assassin himself, caught up to them in seconds!

Ty grabbed the first spy he came to by the hair of the head and without breaking stride, shoved him to the ground face first, then continued on to the second one! He grabbed that one by his jacket, planted his feet and yanked hard! The leader managed to slide out of his jacket, pulled his pistol and fired! 

The bullet passed through Ty's chest but it had no effect, as he was also an undead. He grinned slightly. The leader bolted for the van! 

Ty let him go and picked up the escaped spy's bags. He then turned and walked back to the second spy and tossed the bags at him. That guy was now laying on his back among a pile of gear bags and a bloody nose from his fall.

Ty stood over him, "You are going carry all this shit back to the castle and tell us what's going on."

The spy, still breathing heavy, winced and blew some blood off his lips.

**

The leader scrambled in the van right behind the two who had deployed and recalled the drone, "Go-go-go!!" he quipped as he slammed the door shut.

The driver spun the tires backing out of the spot, then sped off down the road. CK watched them go.

The driver spoke, "What the hell happened, Remmy??" One of the drone team guys added, "And where's the rest of the team??"

"You wouldn't believe it." Remmy panted. He glanced in the rear view mirror. "Dammit. We gotta regroup and go back for the gear." 

Drone guy: "Wha- You weren't streaming it??"

He waved his hand in frustration, "We weren't able to stream it because there was no signal at the castle! The clone freaks took all our gear and have either killed the rest of the team or have taken them prisoner." He rubbed his face in nervous exasperation. Franks would have him killed for failing!

"We can't tell Franks yet. I'm serious."

Everyone nodded. They didn't want to be part of a failed mission either. 

**

Meanwhile, Jones was still sitting in a bush by the castle waiting for nightfall, dying to know who was shot earlier. Then his heart sank when he started seeing his teammates being led to the castle. First, the sound team: one had his hands tied behind his back, and the other was tied all the way around his torso. They were escorted by 3 clones carrying his teammate's gear bags. 

Then several minutes later, he saw Biggs, who had been running sound for their leader Remmy. Biggs was a little overweight, and Jones sadly watched him wobbling down the road carrying 4 gear bags, escorted by the guy with the metal arm and a clone on an ebike.

But on a good note, he didn't see Remmy or the drone team, so they must have gotten away.

Jones pulled his smartphone from his pocket. Still no signal. He leaned his head back against the castle wall. Should he try to break his teammates out, or head to town and call Remmy?  

Clones, Stargates and Guardians, oh my! - Chapter 8

As they walked up to the roof to meet the puddlejumpers, Ronin said to Recon, “Man, I’ve been in some strange places, but Earth is the strangest.” 

Recon grinned.  “Ronin, you have no idea.”

**

Mr. Franks was not a large man.  He was, in fact, a dwarf, but no one ever mentioned his height in his hearing.  Not that he would have cared if they did, because he was the most powerful, if the most unknown, man in San Francisco.  This fact was hidden from the city government (to those who weren’t on his payroll anyway) but the most suspicious among the general public suspected.  They were powerless to do anything about it, however, and City Hall too often dismissed their concerns.  Mr. franks was unpredictable, and 

thoroughly vindictive when it served his purpose.

“I swear, Mr. Franks, you won’t believe the story Johnny told me,” his aide and cousin Freddy said.  “This guy looks like some messed up ghost, or skeleton, or something, and he sucked the life out of Red with his hand!”

“You’re right, I don’t believe it,” Mr. Franks said, adjusting g his lapels.  He was a very natty dresser, and being a dwarf, and rich, his suits were all custom made out of the very finest materials.  He viewed everything with a critical eye.  “And if you weren’t my cousin, Freddy, I’d beat that gullibility out of you.  The guy was just some ComicCon idiot in costume gone wild and stabbed Red.  Johnny just didn’t see the knife.”

“B-b-but, Mr. Franks,” Freddy stammered.      “You know there’s a Stargate at 

ComicCon this year.  Something could have come through.”

“Hmmm.”  Mr. Franks had heard about the Stargate, but he had assumed it was 

just for show.  Some of his informants had informed him that there had been 

some unusual activities there.  And he knew the gate was a doorway to other

worlds.  He had in fact been pondering how to use it to his advantage.  What 

if something had come through?  If this ghost-thing was real, wouldn’t that be

a handy weapon to have?

“You say Johnny was shot?  Is he dead?

“I don’t think so, not yet.  He’s in the hospital.  Critical, last I heard.”

“See if you can get in to see him.  If his story’s not crap, I want to know more

about what happened.”

**

One of the puddlejumpers took the Atlantis team to the site of the dead homeless, 

and the other, loaded with Space Force personnel, circled over the area, searching

 for a sighting of the Wraith, or any disturbance indicating he might be near.

**

Rodney spoke up as Shepard and the team examined the bodies.

“John, there’s another body, shriveled up like the homeless.  It’s over on Market

Street, heading toward Union Square.”

“Another homeless?”  Shepard asked.

“I don’t think so,” Rodney replied.  “There was some kind of altercation and the

cops are there.  They can’t seem to figure out what happened, but the dead guy

is known to them.  At least they think they know him.  It’s kind of hard to tell.”

Teyla grimaced.  “Wraith,” she said.

 Shepard nodded.  “Most likely.”  He looked at the rest of the team.  “We’ve got to get him before he gets out of the city.”

**

The Wraith caught up with the escaping thugs and finished them off.  It occurred to him that he was leaving too many bodies behind for this vast population to find, and that would alert whatever security this strange city had.  But the targets were so plentiful and so richly satisfying.  He had to find a way to let his people know and bring them over.  There would be no starvation here.

After all the feeding, however, he became aware that he was becoming satiated and needed a rest period.  The life power filled him, but even a Wraith needed some down time.  All this was something he wasn’t used to.  Now he should search out a place away from prying 

eyes.  So he began to explore.  People avoided him, probably thinking he hand wandered away from that festival place, and it amused him to think so he had.  After a while, down some side streets, he encountered a neighborhood that looked to be largely empty.  People were thinning out on the street and darkness was again falling.  Some of the buildings appeared to be empty.  glinting beyond, he could see what appeared to be water glinting in the setting sun, and boats docked in rows.  That was worth checking out later.

**

Shepard was beginning to lose hope that they would find the Wraith before he was turned loose on the rest of the nation.  There was a barrier between the populated parts of California, a wide p, barren desert, but there were people even there, and towns beyond to plunder.  Worse, what if the Wraith found his way back to the Stargate and alerted his kind to the wealth of food to be found here?

Teyla seemed to sense his doubts.  “ Don’t worry, John.  We’ll get him.  He made a mistake coming through the gate.  There are many dangers here that the Writh is not prepared for.”

“Besides,” Recon smirked and nudged Ronin with his shoulder, “I’ve got some unfinished business in this city to take care of before I go home.”

Techno snorted, and both Lafe and Ronin rolled their eyes.  

“We’ve got a job to do,” Lafe reminded them.  “Heads on a swivel.”

Shepard put his hand to the mic at his throat.  “Rodney, anything new.”

“No, but Col. Carter informs me that it’s getting more difficult to keep this thing under wraps.  People are asking questions about the Soace Force being here, and the authorities are agitated about the bodies.”

“Because there are so many?”

“Because of the state they’re in, human rage dolls.  They can’t explain it, and they’re beginning to suspect it’s tied to the Stargate.”

Ronin grunted.  “ Tell them to relax and go to the panels at this Comical place.  Tell them that guy Jason Mommy is there.”

**

The Wraith selected an empty looking building and found it was easy to get into.  Earth security was lax, he decided.  The faint light coming from windows set high in the wall was enough for him to make his way around.  There appeared to be furnishings where he could stretch out and relax.  Small creatures rustled and squeaked in the darkness, telling him that the building had been abandoned for a while.  The dust and smells were another problem, but he ignored that.  He lay back and emptied his mind.

Some hours later when the darkness outside was complete, he sensed something moving, something larger than the small creatures.  His senses went on alert, and he slowly rose to his feet, prepared for battle.

“Uh…”. A hesitant voice, ah! A  mere human.

“I am here.”

“Uh … Mister?  I hope I’m not disturbing you, but … but there’s somebody who wants to meet you.”

Clones, Stargates and Guardians, oh my! - Chapter 7

Shepard, Ronin, Teyla, Lafe, Techno, Recon, and four Atlantis soldiers followed by MyKai and Dgre quickly poured through the gate. Rodney stayed behind to tap into the city's local emergency services feeds to search for any unusual activity.

Shepard ignored the curious con-goers and approached the gate guards Marcus and Davidson, who were nervous to see the serious-looking, armed team quickly pile through the gate. 

Shepard asked, "Have you seen any unusual activity around the gate recently?" 

"No sir." Marcus replied. "Just scifi weirdos walking by, but nothing through the gate."

"Ok, radio me immediately if you see anything." He walked back to the team. "Ok, let's split up. Teams of two. Remember this place is crawling with civilians in costume, so check your targets." 

He turned to MyKai and Dgre and in a serious tone, "Don't tell the authorities yet. Col. Carter is handling that."

Dgre: "But they-"

"Understood." MyKai interrupted. His goal was to get his Queen out of harm's way and back to the Castle, so he gently put his arm around her and turned them towards the exit hallway.

Dgre complied, but said, "People need to know!" MyKai quietly said, "Let's let *them* deal with the authorities. We'll warn The Castle."

Everyone else split up:

- Shepard, Teyla

- Ronin, Recon

- Lafe, Techno

- 2 pairs of Atlantis soldiers went to the second floor

------

It was mid morning and the Wraith didn't know what to think. Literally. Each time he fed on the filthy humans in the alleyways, his thoughts scattered or floated away. And even though it was disturbing to see objects distort or shift colors before his eyes, he never experienced "good" feelings before. Before, things were always intense. It was always do as the Queen ordered. Do as superiors ordered. No questions asked. Hunt humans. Feed. Drain their life force... 

Suddenly, a homeless man a few yards away who was sitting on pieces of cardboard and surrounded by some puffy trash bags grumbled, "Hey buddy, if you talkin' to me, ya need to speak up."

The Wraith then realized he was lying on his back in an alleyway staring up the side of a multistory building. He slowly turned his head and looked at the homeless man.

The man grimaced at seeing the Wrath's yellow eyes, pale skin and the pit on each cheek. "Man, I dunno what the fuck you're on, but you look like shit."

The Wraith slowly turned his nose skyward again. And enjoyed seeing a few black birds fluttery-land on the top edge of the building. "Flying creatures..." he mumbled. He watched something fall from the back of one. 

The poop landed on his leg, but he didn't care.

------

The Atlantis teams walked throughout ComicCon, checking behind display booths, staging areas and even the bathrooms. 

Ronin, 6'4" and Recon, 6'1", were often stared at by con-goers, with some women staring for an extended period. They also heard a cosplayer say to his friends as they passed, "Hey, that guy looks just like Jason Momoa." 

So of course, word spread that Jason Momoa was at the convention.

While walking down one wide hallway, a group of cosplayers in random Jedi attire rushed over and stopped them, eagerly asking, "Hey are you Jason Momoa?? Can we get a selfie with you?" And one of the women smiled at Recon, who was sporting his bun and dangly lock. "I *love* your hair," she said as a jedi guy behind her nodded approvingly and smiled at him more than approvingly. 

Recon kind of enjoyed the compliments, saying, "Thank you," and added a small Kai-smile, prompting their pulses to quicken. Ronin uncomfortably said, "Uh, no. I'm not that guy," and started to walk around the robed group with Recon in tow. Some of them raised their phones and snapped photos of them as they passed.

However, they didn't get much farther before more con-goers pointed and approached them, asking for selfies or just taking the selfies without asking, all while a gaggly mix of questions and comments about shows and movies Jason Momoa had been in made it nearly impossible to tell who was saying what.

Ronin tapped his ear comlink, "Shepard, we have a problem. We're near the Autograph area surrounded by citizens thinking we're famous people." Recon added, "Yes, there's about 50 people around us now."

Shepard and Teyla stopped, "What? Seriously?" he asked.

Recon added, "And many are taking photos and selfies." He found this and Ronin's discomfort amusing.

Lafe and Techno giggled.

Shepard started walking, "Ok, if you two are people magnets, that means they're not in danger from the Wraith. Everyone, finish your sweep and head to the Autograph area. Rodney, any word yet from the emergency services feeds?"

Rodney: "Nothing unusual, but we're talking San Francisco. A city that's going to have a bunch of crime and death anyway."

-------

Finally the effects of the drug-laden humans started to wear off, and the Wraith sat up. He looked around. He saw the male that spoke to him earlier still nestled amongst his bags as well as a few other humans laying about farther down the alley. 

He stood up to his full 6'4" height. The male across from him just quietly and nervously glared, afraid to speak, seeing how big the white haired, long fingernailed freak really was.

By this time, it was getting dark again so he decided to walk around. He wanted to learn more about these humans before taking another one, wondering about the differences between the lifeless one on Atlantis and the ones he preyed upon in this city. 

He still felt woozy, though. So he took a couple of steps and stopped just inside the alleyway, inspecting what was going on outside the alley. 

Random people walked by but paid him no mind. He glanced at the shops and vehicles on the street. A few moments later, a group of younger adult humans saw him as they walked. One of the males smiled, pointed at him and said, "Awesome cosplay dude!" 

The Wraith just watched them as they walked by. He heard them saying things like, "Epic contact lenses" and "Awesome makeup"

He was still surprised the humans here didn't fear him. And also surprised that normally, their lack of fear would anger him. But he didn't...feel anger. 

Just then he saw another large group of...humanoids approaching. They were a lot more colorful, with various colors on their faces. Many had various headdresses, some with full helmets. A couple of them carried staffs with crystals in the top. A couple carried swords, some looked like robots, one looked like a large green barbaric brute. 

A few saw him as they passed, giving him thumbs up, and that "Great cosplay!" phrase again. One of the females said, "Hey, we're going to Frankie's Pizza! You should come!"

He just watched them pass by.

This was by far, the strangest place he'd ever been.

He decided to follow that group, but not too close. 

After a few blocks, they all started entering the restaurant. He had no interest, especially smelling  the smells coming from the place, so he kept walking.

After a few more blocks, he noticed there were the messy looking and smelly humans in the alleyways and the less messy humans walking around and driving vehicles. And no signs of pale humans with buns, thankfully. Maybe that was a race from another planet.

He decided to find a non-messy human to feed on...

------

Shepard reported in, "No signs of Wraith activity at the convention. He must be in the city." The rest of the Atlantis team completed their sweeps and headed for the Autograph area. 

Shepard and Teyla got there first, seeing Ronin's head and Recon's bun sticking up a little higher than the surrounding throng of con-goers. 

"Oh jeez," Shepard said. He and Teyla pushed through the crowd as the rest of the Atlantis team arrived and watched. 

Shepard finally got to the glaring Ronin and subtly-smiling Recon who were still being randomly photographed (since their selfies were free, as opposed to the other celebs at nearby tables). 

Shepard raised his voice and hands, "OK, EVERYBODY. THEY'RE DONE. THEY HAVE TO GO NOW. THEY'RE DONE."

It took a few minutes, but the crowd dissipated enough for them to head towards the gate.

Lafe asked Recon, "Are you smiling??"

Recon, still smiling, "Yes."

Lafe: "My flabber is gasted."

Techno: "See any hot babes?"

Recon: "Many. And I got some phone numbers."

Techno: "Score." They bumped fists.

Lafe chuckled. She and Techno were still a couple, but Recon had moved on long ago. 

Rodney's voice suddenly sounded over their ear comms: "Shepard, I found a couple of police reports of homeless men found dead of what they describe as 'extreme aging' and 'extreme dehydration'."

Shepard: "That's gotta be our guy. Where at?"

McKay: "Around Turk and Leavenworth streets. Roughly 6 blocks due west of your location."

Shepard: "Ok, send us a couple of cloaked puddle jumpers to the roof of this convention center and have the local Space Force meet us there for backup." 

Rodney: "I'm on it."

------

Even though the humans were being very tolerant of him, he still didn't want to feed on one in front of others. So he glanced down the alleyways as he walked, searching for prey. 

Finally, he spotted four non-messy human males a few yards down an alley harassing another male. One of the aggressors had the target male pushed against the wall by the throat and were speaking aggressively to him.

"Good," the Wraith thought. These humans are aggressive, which means they're stronger, and that means better feeding!

He quietly marched down the alley.

The group was focused on the guy they had pinned to the wall, so they didn't see the Wraith walk up behind them in the dim light.

The one grabbing the throat growled, "That's not good enough, Chang!"

Chang stammered, "It's all I got, I swear!!" Then he looked past them, wide eyed, as the pale figure with yellow eyes emerged from the darkness. He tried scrambling, but the thug held tight.

"What are you lookin' at Chang?" They turned their heads and saw the Wraith glaring and smiling with pointy teeth!

"What the FUCK are you??" He let Chang go and the Asian scrambled back through his shop's door.

The thug's three buddies moved to surround the Wraith.

The Wraith didn't mind. His eyes were on the alpha of the group. That one should be the strongest. Then without a word, he grabbed the guy and slammed his palm against his chest, growling as he extracted his life force! 

The other humans grabbed the Wraith, trying to pull him off, but it was no use! The alpha guy screamed! "AHHHH!!" One of the thugs let go of the Wraith's left arm, pulled a gun and fired! 

The Wraith winced slightly as the bullet passed through his torso and into his friend's stomach! The shot human staggard and collapsed! The human behind the Wraith kept trying to pull him off their leader, but the Wraith kept feeding, reveling in the energy of this hunt!!

The man with the gun fired three more times! All three rounds hit the Wraith, but since he was in the process of feeding, his wounds healed almost instantly! 

The alpha human screamed, "STOOOOP! NOOOO!" His buddies froze, horrified at seeing their leader rapidly aging!

The one with the gun took a staggery step back, "Come on Tony, let's get outta here!" he said to the man behind the Wraith! 

Tony let him go and they both dashed down the alleyway while the Wraith extracted the last of their leader's life force and let his shriveled body collapse to the ground.

The Wraith looked up and growled - nearly howling - with the quality of the life force in that kill!! No "strange" feelings like after feeding on the messy humans. This one was just pure, replenishing energy like he remembered!!

He stalked off down the alley in the direction the other two ran. 

The shot human, still on the ground, blurry eyed but saw the whole thing. When the Wraith stalked off, he dug his mobile phone out of his pocket with a shaky bloody hand and called their boss. 

Struggling to talk, he said, "Hey...it's Johnny. I've been shot. <breathing heavy> I need to tell...Mr. Franks what happened."

"On our way."

Clones, Stargates and Guardians, oh my! - Chapter 6

(Author: Dgre)

“Look, lady,” Rocket said, “I’m not going to bite you, okay?”  He had (reluctantly) agreed to be examined for any diseases and was now sitting on the edge of the exam table.  For her part, Dr. Keller was intensely eager to study this strange creature that so resembled an Earth animal, and yet clearly was not.  She was also understandably apprehensive, of which Rocket was uncomfortably aware.

“I’m not going to shoot you either, since they took my laser away.  Which they broke, by the way.”

“I’m pleased to hear that,” Keller stammered.  “Not that your laser got broken, of course, but that you’re not going to shoot me.  Or bite me.  Not that I thought you would anyway.  You seem like … um … not a dangerous … um … person (this earned a quick nod from Rocket, approving of the “person”, not necessarily the “dangerous” part), “but you did fire your weapon through the Stargate unprovoked, so you understand we have to be cautious.”

“Yeah, okay,” Rocket grudgingly agreed.  “I get that.  Sometimes I might overreact a little bit, but I wouldn’t say I was ‘zackly unprovoked.  Anyway, the galaxy is a dangerous place.  I oughta know, cuz my team, we’re the Guardians.  Of the whole galaxy, capisce?

Rodney McKay, who had remained silent in a corner under strict orders from Keller, finally had enough.  “Yeah.  The whole galaxy, huh?”

Rocket hissed at him.  “That’s what I said, pal.  Are you deaf, or just stupid?”

Rodney turned red.  “now just a minute, you —“

“You — what?”  Rocket stood up on the table, stretching to his full height, clearly ready to rumble.

“Okay!”  Keller slammed her clipboard down on the table, making everybody in the room jump, especially the three tense Kais guarding the door.”Everybody just calm down!”

Rocket sat down and folded his arms.  “I am calm,” he said coolly.

Meanwhile, in the calm and airy space by the sea, which the current residents of Atlantis had converted to a cafeteria/commissary, Lafe and Dgre conferred over drinks.

“I know you can’t give me details, but I hear you’re here on a secret mission” said Dgre. “I’m a little envious, you know.  MyKai never takes me on adventures anymore.  I had to nag him to come to Comic Con with me.  He says he’s seen enough weird things.”

Lafe shrugged.  “The boys don’t always confide in me if they think it might put me in danger.  It’s very annoying, but I did get out of them that there’s a race of beings in this part of the galaxy who survive by sucking the life force out of other sentient species.  Now that the Stargates have become common knowledge, there’s a fear that these life suckers might get loose.”

“So you here to make sure the Atlantean force is keeping a lid on things?”  

“Maybe.  I’ve heard these things are almost impossible to kill.  I really think we might be here to figure out a way.”

*****

The Wraith had been hibernating for a long, long time in a remote, unexplored part of the city, left behind and forgotten after a long ago skirmish.  His ever present internal alarm system, even in hibernation, was attuned to any signal that the latest Wraith quarry, Ronin Dex, had emerged. Unfortunately for him, the Atlanteans had helped Ronin by removing his tracker, and the city’s peculiar qualities had masked the presence of humans.  What woke the Wraith now was an electro-magnetic laser pulse through the Stargate, and awake, the Wraith now knew humans were in the city.

He also detected the presence of beings who were unlike anything he had encountered before, individuals who were neither alive nor unalive.  

But he was very, very hungry.

*****

MyKai had lost interest in the proceedings in the exam room, and decided it was time to collect his queen, and possibly persuade her it was time to go back to the Comic Con place, and from there, home.  He fist-bumped his brothers Techno and Recon in farewell, and left.

As he strolled along the somewhat dimly lit corridors, absent-mindedly contemplating the pleasures of being alone at home with his queen, he gradually began to sense another presence somewhere up ahead.  Something alien, cold, and deadly, making him put his hand on his wrist where his scorpion waited.

And then he saw it — the ghostly Wraith.

Simultaneously they each asked, “What are you?”

The Wraith began to try and extract MyKai’s life force, realizing at the same time that there was nothing he could latch onto.  And MyKai fired his scorpion weapon into the Wraith’s chest, but there was no heart to destroy.

---------------

(Author: Lafe)

The Wraith bared his pointy clenched teeth and growled aggressively at the mild pain of the weapon piercing his chest! His innate regeneration had no problem keeping him alive, but he was regenerating slower than usual since it had been ages since he fed on a human. And astoundingly, he wasn't getting ANY life force from the steely-eyed pale man with his hair in a ridiculously large bun! So he aggressively held MyKai close with his left had and kept his right hand on MyKai's chest, trying to extract any inkling of life as they both spun and struggled in the hallway, like a couple of angry dancers!

On the flip side, MyKai's flabber was also gasted at the weird, leech-feeling suckers from his attacker's palm that was latched on to his chest! He instinctively grabbed its wrist and tried to pull it off, but the lithe, white-haired, yellow eyed freak was a lot stronger than he appeared! So they spun, struggled, and grunted while trying to get the advantage over the other!

----

Down the hall in sick bay, Rocket's superhuman hearing faintly picked up the sounds of struggling and growling in the distance. His ears perked up and his face scrunched as he strained to hear what was going on. Recon, Techno, and Ronin, keeping an eye on Rocket from a few steps away, saw him scrutinizing the doorway.

Dr. Keller noticed Rocket peering around her while she was making notes in a digital pad, so she glanced back at the doorway, saw nothing unusual, then turned back around and looked at him. "What?"

Rocket kept his eyes on the doorway, "Sounds like a fight. Yall harassin' more innocents?"

Keller wondered where he was going with this, since she heard nothing. "A fight?" She prompted, and glanced at Ronin.

Ronin glanced at the door then back to Rocket, "I don't hear anything." He wondered if Rocket was trying to distract everyone to make an escape, so he stopped leaning against the wall and moved his hand closer to his blaster.

As Kai clones, Techno and Recon have excellent hearing as well, so they perked up and started listening intently...then looked at each other. Recon asked his brother, "Do you hear that?"

Techno squinted, "Barely. Like he said, it sounds like a struggle. And someone...growling?" He looked at Recon quizzically.

Ronin tapped the commlink in his ear to make sure it was working since he heard no security alerts, "Gate room. Ronin. Comm check." An officer in the gate room replied, "Roger." Comms were working...

----

Back in the hallway: Even though the wraith wasn't extracting any life force from the pale man, he kept aggressively attacking him not only out of hunger, but anger that he had no life force to take! Normally, the wraith LOVED an aggressive prey, especially one as physically strong as this one, because that meant it had a lot of life to feed on. But this...THING?? Nothing!! Even the paralyzing venom from his feeding hand was having no effect!

But he was starting to get weaker, and oddly nauseous?? Something he hasn't experienced since he was a child!

Wraith are born able to gain nutrients from eating food, but after puberty, gaining nutrients that way fades, and they have to extract life force to survive.

But this humanoid thing is just making him sick!! Maybe the brace weapon lodged in his chest was poisoned! He briefly let go of MyKai with his left hand, keeping his life sucking palm where it was but also digging his fingernails deeper into his jacket and chest, then tried yanking the brace out...

MyKai continued to struggle valiantly, but it wasn't enough! And he was really starting to worry that he couldn't get his attacker's palm off his chest, because their struggling was ripping his flesh and causing his grayish protoblood to spill down his torso. He could already feel himself getting weaker! So he struggled harder, and angrily said through his own clenched teeth, "What the HELL are you doing??"

Techno and Recon heard just enough of their brother's question and said simultaneously, "MyKai!" And they dashed for the door!

Ronin followed them and yelled at Rodney, "Keep an eye on him!" and pointed at Rocket.

Rodney stood there and glanced at Keller with his trademark look of surprise and fear. But he was also glad there were a couple of Atlantis guards in the room who looked better prepared to keep an eye on someone.

Rocket shook his head and folded his arms, "You people are jumpy."

----

The wraith heard running boots approaching down the hallway as the pale man's knees buckled! Finally!! The humanoid's weakness was just enough for him to dislodge the brace from his chest and roughly shove MyKai to the ground. He then glanced in the direction of the bootsounds. He *could* feed on one of them - but then decided he was too weak to fight that many for food, so he clutched his stomach and injuredly dashed off in the opposite direction...

MyKai struggled to at least sit up, but his strength left him and he flopped over onto his back. His vision blurred as he turned his head in the direction of the bootsounds and saw a group of people running towards him. Then he passed out.

Techno and Recon quickly hunched over their fallen brother, both concerned at the amount of protoblood on his torso and the floor. Techno gently shook his shoulder, "MyKai!"

MyKai's eyes were open but they saw nothing.

Techno looked at Recon, "Let's get him to sick bay."

Ronin scrunched his face and paced slightly. He really wanted to pursue the attacker, but he also wanted to find out what the gray stuff was first in case it was a bio weapon. "What's that stuff all over him?"

"Protoblood." Recon said while lifting MyKai's shoulders.

Techno lifted MyKai's feet and figured Ronin didn't know what that meant, so he added, "You have red blood. We have nanite-infused protoblood. It's what keeps us...alive." He motioned his head towards MyKai as they started to walk, "Basically, MyKai's bleeding out and needs more protoblood."

Ronin nodded. He glanced down the hall, but saw nothing. He tapped his commlink, "Someone just attacked MyKai. He's unconscious and being transported to sick bay. We're searching for the attacker now." He looked at the two security guards, "You're with me." He pulled his blaster and the three of them tactically glide-stepped down the hall, weapons drawn, in the direction the wraith ran...

----

Techno and Recon briskly hauled the limp MyKai through the sick bay doors. Techno looked at Keller as they hurried in, "Where do we put him?" Keller pointed to an empty bed, "There!" as she donned new medical gloves.

They gently placed him on the bed so as to not squish out any more protoblood. Then Techno tugged MyKai's ripped jacket apart to reveal the wound as Keller stepped in. She started dabbing some of the protoblood mess from his chest and leaned in for a closer look, "Torn lacerations 2-3 inches long, puncture wounds in a radius..." she said out loud. She dabbed more protoblood, "It's similar to a Wraith wound...but there's a lot more damage."

Rodney moved closer to the bed, "A *wraith* attacked him!?!"

Keller glanced at him, "I said it looks *similar* to a Wraith wound." She looked back at MyKai's chest and pointed, "The length and orientation is consistent, and there *are* hints of surrounding punctures on the chest where a Wraith's fingernails would be. But there's a LOT more tearing damage where the tendrils and suckers would be. We should know more after I run some tests."

Recon looked at Techno, "I'll get Dgre." Techno nodded. They knew Dgre has always carries spare protoblood on her as well as having the recipe to make more.

Rodney urgently tapped his comlink, "This is McKay! It's possible a *Wraith* was the attacker!"

Rocket thought about escaping in all the hullabaloo, but saw the two security guys staring at him, actually doing their jobs, instead of being easily distracted meat sacks. "So. What's a wraith?"

----

Ronin tensed up after hearing McKay mention the Wraith. He knew from his extensive background fighting them that it would be tough to find it and kill it before it kills someone on the base.

----

In the gate room, Col. Carter and Shephard shared a concerned glance at McKay's message. Shephard tapped his comlink, "This is Shepard. Intruder alert. Lockdown protocol." He looked at comm officer, "Get Teyla back here."

"Yes sir." The comm officer punched in a command to broadcast an alert to Teyla's comm badge. They all knew that Teyla's DNA allows her to sense the presence of the Wraith, so she'll be invaluable in helping them track one if there is one.

Doors across Atlantis began to slide shut as Shepard grabbed his P90 machine gun and jogged out the door with 4 security guards. As they left, another team of soldiers arrived to protect the command center. Col. Carter spoke to the comm officer, "Get me Stargate Command." "Yes Colonel." Carter was not looking forward to telling them a wraith might be loose on the base.

----

The wraith had been silently jogging down the halls of Atlantis, hoping to run into a wayward human to feed on, but none were to be found. He was still rattled by the pale man he attacked. Why couldn't he feed on his life force?? Are ALL humans like that now?? And that sick feeling in his stomach was getting worse - and now pain was spreading from his feeding hand up his arm and into his shoulder! His breathing grew rapid as his eyes darted around, looking for any prey!

But suddenly, the hallway doors a few meters in front of him slid shut. He stopped. Then he whirled around at the sound of the doors several meters behind him sliding shut. The only way out was a hallway to the left! He darted forward and took it, but instead of simply jogging down the hall like before, he started waving his hand over the door locks, hoping to find one that would open. He tried several. No luck! The humans must be aware of his attack and initiating security protocols. He needed to find someone to feed on to regenerate! He dashed down another hall...

----

Teyla was sitting at a table at Comic Con with 3 other Atlantis soldiers enjoying some french fries when they heard the security alert in their comlinks to return to Atlantis. Their relaxed smiles quickly faded as they shared a worried glance, then they swiftly stood and headed for the Stargate...

----

Carter finished up her briefing with Stargate Command, "...We have several teams searching for the attacker as we speak. We'll keep you posted." She tapped her commlink, "Dr. Keller, what the status of MyKai?"

"Still unconscious. I'm still waiting for the forensic test results and will let you know if we find Wraith DNA or not."

----

Lafe, even though she, Techno and Recon were on the base on special assignment, wasn't assigned a commlink, and neither were the two clones. So she didn't know what was going on when an armed female soldier approached her and Dgre in the cafe and said, "The base is on emergency lockdown. Please come with me." They worriedly got up and followed her to a nearby lockdown room where several other non-soldiers were being led. Both women scanned the room to see if their clones were in there. No luck.

Dgre wrung her hands, "Where's MyKai? Where are Techno and Recon??"

Lafe thoughtfully frowned. She hated being locked up not knowing what was going on. "I'm sure they're fine. I'm definitely going to ask for some kinda comlinks after this is over." She sighed irritatingly.

----

Teyla and the 3 Atlantis personnel she was with arrived at the ComicCon gate. She nodded to one of the soldiers who had the DHD on his wrist, "Send the confirmation code."

Stargate Command implemented a new protocol that in emergencies, away teams could send a confirmation code to verify if it was ok to dial the gate in the event opening the gate would cause a problem at the destination site.

----

Back in the Atlantis gate room, the gate officer spoke, "Teyla's team just sent the confirmation code."

Carter tapped the gate room mic, "Gate security, stand by." The 10 armed soldiers near the gate moved near the gate, making sure to stay out of it's burst radius.

Carter: "Send the reply code."

He did as he was told...

----

The soldier told Teyla, "Reply code received." Teyla nodded, "Dial the gate." He punched the coordinate in the DHD and the gate began dialing. Specialists Marcus and Davidson, eager to not mess up again after allowing Rocket through the gate earlier, stood nearby to ensure no other con goers entered the gate this time...

----

Back on Atlantis, Recon stopped a couple guards in the hall, "Where are non-military personnel being taken?"

"Just down the hall on the right. You'll see a couple of guards outside."

"Thanks." He jogged in that direction...

----

Shepard spoke softly through his commlink as they continued to quietly search the halls: "Teams. Status."

One by one, all teams reported "Clear." Still no signs of the attacker...

----

The wraith rounded a corner and smiled, he found a way out AND humans to feed on!!

He ran forward...

----

The Stargate whooshed open, and as soon as the gate's opening burst collapsed back into the shimmering ring, the gateroom soldiers jogged forward and created a semi-circular perimeter in front of the gate with their bodies, weapons drawn in case the attacker decided to make a run for the gate...

----

Teyla and her team jogged into the gate from their Comic Con...

----

The wraith, now at a full sprint, jumped.....and dove off a balcony into the ocean 11 stories down!

----

Teyla's team emerged into the Atlantis gate room behind the soldiers.

Carter ordered the gate officer, "Close the iris when they're through."

As soon as the last of Teyla's team emerged, the gate officer entered the sequence to engage the gate's interlocking panels, preventing anyone going through it in either direction.

Teyla looked up at Carter in the control room and nodded...

----

The Wraith surfaced from the deep dive and smiled. Even though he was in pain, it shouldn't take him long to swim to the large city that rose from the shoreline. He hadn't heard of a human city this developed, but he had no time or energy to wonder about that now. All he knew was a city THAT large would DEFINITELY have a human to feed on.

He ignored his pain and nausea and started swimming...

Behind him, the setting sun case a beautiful glow across the Golden Gate Bridge....