Summary:
Autumn meets the Hive Commander (Jimmy) and The Keeper (Sally) and
they become interested in her Wraith DNA...and the identity of her
father.
Autumn woke up in a strange-looking prison cell. The walls and the door were made of some organic material with strange inter-locking connectors that came together like the pieces of a puzzle. She knew immediately where she was because her mother had told her the story of how she came to be born and raised with the Nox. Great. Now I'm gonna be starved to death, she thought to herself as she looked around for an escape. There was none to be found. Not that it mattered. She heard footsteps coming towards her.
It was a tall thin male with long white hair, almost as long as her mother's. He had sharp rotted teeth and wore a floor-length coat. It was a Wraith Commander and two big masked...ogres. He stopped in front of the cell and just stared at her. His eyes narrowed as if he were in deep thought. Are these ghoulish creatures even capable of deep thought she wondered?
Yes, we are, came the answer. But it had not been spoken out loud. She heard it in her head. This Wraith could read her mind! For a long time they just stood and looked at each other. She could tell by the expression on his face that he was quietly analyzing her – and what she looked like. And he did not approve.
Autumn woke up in a strange-looking prison cell. The walls and the door were made of some organic material with strange inter-locking connectors that came together like the pieces of a puzzle. She knew immediately where she was because her mother had told her the story of how she came to be born and raised with the Nox. Great. Now I'm gonna be starved to death, she thought to herself as she looked around for an escape. There was none to be found. Not that it mattered. She heard footsteps coming towards her.
It was a tall thin male with long white hair, almost as long as her mother's. He had sharp rotted teeth and wore a floor-length coat. It was a Wraith Commander and two big masked...ogres. He stopped in front of the cell and just stared at her. His eyes narrowed as if he were in deep thought. Are these ghoulish creatures even capable of deep thought she wondered?
Yes, we are, came the answer. But it had not been spoken out loud. She heard it in her head. This Wraith could read her mind! For a long time they just stood and looked at each other. She could tell by the expression on his face that he was quietly analyzing her – and what she looked like. And he did not approve.
What
are you? Some kind of walking plant? Did our culling beam uproot you
from the ground? What is that mess on your head? It looks like
tumbleweed. And why are your clothes tattered and torn? Do they not
practice good hygiene on your planet? We shall have to take care of
this. I don't want you fouling up my ship with all that filth.
He
was questioning her in silence. She didn't want to answer. She
wasn't even sure what to say to him but her mind was not strong
enough to suppress her thoughts. No, I will not respond. I don't
even know where I am.
What is your name, human? No response.
What is your name, human? No response.
How
many more of you are there on your planet? No
response.
Do
not force me to probe your mind for the answers. It may be quite
painful.
His intrusion into her mind was giving her a headache and trying to resist him was quickly sapping her energy. Already feeling sick and drained from hunger, she told him what he wanted to know. Except for where her mother was. She really had no idea where Lorelei went once she jumped through the gate.
“And what of your father?” he asked.
“I never met him but I was told he was...one of YOU.”
The Wraith Commander's eyes suddenly opened wide.
“What you say cannot be true!” he hissed while looking shocked. He then motioned for his guards to open the cell. “Bring her to the Keeper!”
With that said, he turned and marched away, gesturing for the guards to follow him.
As they walked, Autumn was looking around, trying to commit to memory the route that was taken to meet this...“Keeper.” Maybe there would be a way for her to escape later. She was led into a big spacious room with a high ceiling. In the middle of the room was a long dining table, or at least that's what it looked like. There was food on the table but she wasn't sure if it was OK to eat. The room seemed to be glowing with a soft blueish mist. The guards led her over to the table and made her sit down at one end. Across the table she saw what at first looked like a man. Upon further viewing, she realized it WAS a man...or what was left of him: a rotted corpse. It looked like it had been dead for a really long time. The Wraith Commander returned with a female Wraith. She looked like the Commander but she was lanky, with long red hair and an even longer gauzy white dress. She slithered over to the table and stood behind Autumn.
“Autumn. What an interesssting name,” she said with what sounded like a lisp, placing her hands on Autumn's shoulders. “The Commander tells me you are clairvoyant but the other humans we have come across, are not. How is thissss?”
“I don't know,” Autumn replied. “I think it was a gift I inherited from my mother.”
“And where is your mother now?”
“I don't know. We got separated at the big ring when our planet was attacked. One minute I was at the ring and then I was here. That is all I know.”
The Wraith woman then placed her hands on Autumn's head, holding it between them. She closed her eyes which began to flutter as if she were seeing something. She then took them away and turned to face the Commander.
“Yesss, I sense the Wraith in her. I wonder who the father is.”
“She doesn't know,” he replied. “I've already probed her mind and...nothing. She is telling the truth.”
The Keeper walked over to one side of the table, picked up a plate of fruit and placed it in front of Autumn.
“I'm sure you mussst be very hungry, child. Eat.”
“No thanks, that's OK.”
“It is not poisssoned,” the Keeper replied. She was reading Autumn's thoughts. “No harm will come to you while you are here so pleassse, eat.”
Autumn was starving and figured that she might as well eat. If they were going to kill her, they would've done it by now. Her mother told her about the day of death or “D-Day” she called it - and how the Wraith slaughtered anyone who they did not pick up in the culling beams. They were not the kind of race who were all talk and no action. You did not get advance warning. You were drained of your life right then and there.
“She is yours to do what you want with,” the Keeper told the Commander. “But I want you to take her to the Scientist later so he can do some tessts. I am curious about her Wraith DNA, and whether or not we can determine who her father isss.”
“As you wish,” the Commander replied and nodded as the Keeper walked past him and out of the room. He sat in the chair to her left, watching her eat. “Is the food to your liking, Autumn?”
The way he said her name was creeping her out. In fact, everything about him gave her the creeps. But she figured she may as well answer his questions since he'd pull the answers out of her head anyway.
“Yes, it's very good, thank you.” She figured if she was polite then it might deter him from putting her through whatever punishment it was that he may or may not have planned for her.
“Tell me about your life back on your home world,” he inquired.
“What do you want to know?”
“Whatever you want to tell me.”
And so she told him about the Wraith attack on her mother's original home planet and how they wiped out her entire family, along with an entire village; about the Wraith who impregnated his worshiper, Lorelei, and the secret exile to the Nox home world where they welcomed her and the unborn child and how they lived in peace for 23 years.
“And then your ships came and destroyed everyone and everything and I was separated from my mother and I don't know if she's dead or alive. The end.”
“My aren't you a feisty one!” he responded. “I can tell you are going to be difficult to discipline.”
“And wait...don't tell me...you love a good challenge.”
“And comical as well,” he laughed. “You are very amusing.”
“So I'm told.”
“Yes, and so it's time to tell Erik about you.”
“Who's that?”
“The Scientist. We are going to his laboratory now. But first, we must do something about your...dreadful appearance.”
His intrusion into her mind was giving her a headache and trying to resist him was quickly sapping her energy. Already feeling sick and drained from hunger, she told him what he wanted to know. Except for where her mother was. She really had no idea where Lorelei went once she jumped through the gate.
“And what of your father?” he asked.
“I never met him but I was told he was...one of YOU.”
The Wraith Commander's eyes suddenly opened wide.
“What you say cannot be true!” he hissed while looking shocked. He then motioned for his guards to open the cell. “Bring her to the Keeper!”
With that said, he turned and marched away, gesturing for the guards to follow him.
As they walked, Autumn was looking around, trying to commit to memory the route that was taken to meet this...“Keeper.” Maybe there would be a way for her to escape later. She was led into a big spacious room with a high ceiling. In the middle of the room was a long dining table, or at least that's what it looked like. There was food on the table but she wasn't sure if it was OK to eat. The room seemed to be glowing with a soft blueish mist. The guards led her over to the table and made her sit down at one end. Across the table she saw what at first looked like a man. Upon further viewing, she realized it WAS a man...or what was left of him: a rotted corpse. It looked like it had been dead for a really long time. The Wraith Commander returned with a female Wraith. She looked like the Commander but she was lanky, with long red hair and an even longer gauzy white dress. She slithered over to the table and stood behind Autumn.
“Autumn. What an interesssting name,” she said with what sounded like a lisp, placing her hands on Autumn's shoulders. “The Commander tells me you are clairvoyant but the other humans we have come across, are not. How is thissss?”
“I don't know,” Autumn replied. “I think it was a gift I inherited from my mother.”
“And where is your mother now?”
“I don't know. We got separated at the big ring when our planet was attacked. One minute I was at the ring and then I was here. That is all I know.”
The Wraith woman then placed her hands on Autumn's head, holding it between them. She closed her eyes which began to flutter as if she were seeing something. She then took them away and turned to face the Commander.
“Yesss, I sense the Wraith in her. I wonder who the father is.”
“She doesn't know,” he replied. “I've already probed her mind and...nothing. She is telling the truth.”
The Keeper walked over to one side of the table, picked up a plate of fruit and placed it in front of Autumn.
“I'm sure you mussst be very hungry, child. Eat.”
“No thanks, that's OK.”
“It is not poisssoned,” the Keeper replied. She was reading Autumn's thoughts. “No harm will come to you while you are here so pleassse, eat.”
Autumn was starving and figured that she might as well eat. If they were going to kill her, they would've done it by now. Her mother told her about the day of death or “D-Day” she called it - and how the Wraith slaughtered anyone who they did not pick up in the culling beams. They were not the kind of race who were all talk and no action. You did not get advance warning. You were drained of your life right then and there.
“She is yours to do what you want with,” the Keeper told the Commander. “But I want you to take her to the Scientist later so he can do some tessts. I am curious about her Wraith DNA, and whether or not we can determine who her father isss.”
“As you wish,” the Commander replied and nodded as the Keeper walked past him and out of the room. He sat in the chair to her left, watching her eat. “Is the food to your liking, Autumn?”
The way he said her name was creeping her out. In fact, everything about him gave her the creeps. But she figured she may as well answer his questions since he'd pull the answers out of her head anyway.
“Yes, it's very good, thank you.” She figured if she was polite then it might deter him from putting her through whatever punishment it was that he may or may not have planned for her.
“Tell me about your life back on your home world,” he inquired.
“What do you want to know?”
“Whatever you want to tell me.”
And so she told him about the Wraith attack on her mother's original home planet and how they wiped out her entire family, along with an entire village; about the Wraith who impregnated his worshiper, Lorelei, and the secret exile to the Nox home world where they welcomed her and the unborn child and how they lived in peace for 23 years.
“And then your ships came and destroyed everyone and everything and I was separated from my mother and I don't know if she's dead or alive. The end.”
“My aren't you a feisty one!” he responded. “I can tell you are going to be difficult to discipline.”
“And wait...don't tell me...you love a good challenge.”
“And comical as well,” he laughed. “You are very amusing.”
“So I'm told.”
“Yes, and so it's time to tell Erik about you.”
“Who's that?”
“The Scientist. We are going to his laboratory now. But first, we must do something about your...dreadful appearance.”
On
the way to the science lab, the Commander ushered her into a large
closet filled with different kinds of clothing and shoes – uniforms
mostly – then ordered her to undress. Feeling self-conscious, she
pleaded with him to turn around and allow her what little propriety
she possessed. He refused.
“You
are my captive and I do not turn my back on captives! They tend to
run at the first opportunity that presents itself to them! You are
lucky that I am even allowing you to attire yourself and I already
know what your naked flesh looks like, human. Now stop asking
questions and do as I say!”
“Yes,
Sir,” Autumn mumbled, as she changed out of her current vesture and
into a plain pair of gray pants and matching shirt. The way he was
leering at her with a twisted grin on his face was making her
uncomfortable so she kept her head down, looking at the floor the
whole time. He would not allow her to have shoes.
“Come now, human. And do not try anything foolish or I will end your life right where you stand!”
“Come now, human. And do not try anything foolish or I will end your life right where you stand!”
She
nodded and followed him down the corridor, thinking to herself the
whole time, great, I'm going to be a guinea pig now.
Disclaimer:
The Wraith & Stargate Atlantis are owned by MGM. Autumn
Noxx is an original character.
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