Across the control room, Radek held up a data storage device and gestured toward the door, seeking permission with raised eyebrows. Confident that the scientists' time would be well spent delving into the information Daniel had sent, Elizabeth made a shooing motion, out of camera range. "`Them' being the Ancients'?"
A shadow seemed to cross Agent Larance's face. "That's one interpretation." Before Elizabeth could ask for clarification, she explained, "One sect worships the Ancient using her Babylonian name, Ninlil. Its members believe that they have an obligation to protect all sentient beings from the Ori."
"I think it's safe to say they're on our side," Daniel added. "They're the group I met in Iraq."
Elizabeth nodded. "And those responsible for the murders?"
"They consider the Pegasus Galaxy their spiritual home. They want to return there, presumably with the goal of bringing the Wraith here to help defeat the Ori."
A chilling idea, and, as far as Elizabeth could tell, completely unfeasible. "How do they intend to achieve that without access to the Stargate?"
"I don't know," admitted Daniel. "We think it has something to do with Antarctica. Given the way the body count is climbing, I think we're about to find out"
Chapter twenty-five
Because Teyla had been among the first notified of their impending mission, she had been fully prepared for departure with ten minutes to spare. She'd joined Elizabeth in the control room in time to hear Dr. Jackson and Agent Larance reveal the nature of the beings that endangered Earth.
Elizabeth stood near the front of the room, the light of the active gate casting her in a wavering blue glow. "You mentioned earlier that this Awakening could be a two-pronged event," she said into the camera. "That would suggest the cambion are also looking for a way of triggering the Wraith genes in the human population at large. We may have a clue in that direction, or at least a partial explanation of how the Wraith communicate with each other."
As she detailed the science team's preliminary findings on the M1M-316 ginkgo, Teyla tried to brush aside a sense of unease. She could not yet rid herself of the lingering visceral terror of the iratus insect crawling up her body, poised to feed on her in order to become the vicious new species developed by Michael. This situation stirred many of the same conflicts in her mind.
In spite of the horrors Michael had perpetrated on the blameless Taranans-in spite of his actions against the Atlantis expedition in general and against her in particular-she could not find it in herself to completely vilify him, for she understood what motivated him. Intelligent, resourceful, accepted by neither Wraith nor human because of events over which he had had no say, he now sought what any being sought: a place for himself in the universe. Ancients, humans, Wraith, and the amalgamation of all three species, succubus and cambion-each struggled in their own way to define their existence and to seek meaning in their lives.
And yet the memory of the countless people Michael had discarded still lingered. While she could comprehend what drove him, neither could she forgive him for his terrible deeds.
"McKay to Control," Rodney's edgy voice came over the radio. Teyla smiled. She was aware that Ronon had taken him outside for a sparring session. "I was given a barely reasonable time limit with which to prep for this trip, and yet here I am at the appointed place exactly on schedule. Anyone else planning to join me?"
"We're on our way," Elizabeth told him, sharing a look of amusement with Teyla. They took the stairs to the jumper bay, where Major Lome was dividing a group of about twenty Marines between three jumpers. The amount ofpersonnel and armament being readied underscored the importance of this mission; Teyla had not seen such a high level of combat readiness in the city since the long-ago siege. A few seconds later, Ronon appeared in the bay wearing the long coat he favored, the one that concealed more weapons than any two Marines could carry.
"It's critical that you follow through on Katie's ginkgo research." Acknowledging the arrivals with barely a glance, Rodney was lecturing Radek from the ramp of Jumper Two. "Make sure her sub-literate lackeys run a biochemical analysis to determine the effects of various doses of ginkgo on the Wraith gene fragments found in human DNA. The experiments can be run as simulations based on-"
"These tests are in progress," Radek assured him, tucking his clipboard under his arm and helping one of the Marines load a large container into the jumper. "Dr. Brown and her staff have deferred much of their other work for this. They are using the program Carson and I developed for his initial experiments with the Wraith gene."
Making no attempt to assist with the loading, Rodney's only response to Radek was to charge ahead with additional instructions. "And then I want you to test them on actual biological material. Get volunteers if necessary, but the tests need to include the sample I left behind." Apointed look, one Teyla interpreted to mean that the samples included Rodney's blood and DNA, passed between the two scientists. "Get the results to me immediately. No more of this circumventing the chain of…" Stepping out of the way of two Marines carrying the last of the equipment, Rodney glanced over at Elizabeth.
Atlantis's leader, handing instructions to a technician, raised her eyebrows at Rodney. Perhaps she allowed his implication because she recognized his anxiety; he clearly feared what might become of him should the ginkgo indeed activate Wraith genes. In any case, she dismissed the technician and, striding to the rear of the jumper, said only, "We can take care of things on this end, Rodney. I promise you'll get a full report the moment we know anything."
"All right. We'll, uh, be in touch." Looking faintly appeased, Rodney turned and stepped into the jumper. The Marines had already stowed their equipment in the other three jumpers and were closing the hatches.
Teyla finished fastening a cargo net, then followed Ronon into the cockpit and took her customary seat while Rodney completed the preflight checklist with methodical efficiency. She knew the people of Earth were unaware that life existed on other worlds, and the tight grip with which they still held on to their naivete continued to surprise her. It was not her place to question the wisdom of hiding the truth, though. From the outset, Teyla had understood that Earth was unlike any world she had encountered on her many travels. Its population was enormous and segmented, societies often warring with one another over differences that seemed trivial in comparison to the constant struggle just to survive in the Pegasus Galaxy. How would the dynamics of their closely packed society change if they were to learn just how different `different' could be'? While she knew Colonel Carter had recently visited a parallel Earth world where just such a scenario had occurred, Teyla suspected the poor outcome there had resulted for reasons beyond merely the knowledge that the people of Earth were not alone in the universe. The reasons likely were more complex, resting with the fact that such knowledge might challenge the customary beliefs of many inhabitants.
While the jumpers descended, one by one, into launch position in the gate room, Teyla gazed out at the patterned glass of the far wall and recalled the histories of her forefathers, when some among them had been taken and then returned by the Wraith. What her people had at first seen as a blessed gift had all too quickly been branded as an abomination. It was disheartening to her that bigotry could arise so swiftly and bring with it such tragic results, opening a dark place that seemed to reside in all of humanity, regardless of what galaxy they inhabited. Even here on Atlantis it had been evident from the first awareness of her heritage that some members of the expedition did not trust her.