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The Wraith were everywhere. Her last count revealed six squadrons in just the immediate vicinity. They were not messing around anymore. Shots blasted from the other end of the long, dark corridor and she dropped down behind a half wall for cover, swearing colorfully under her breath. Sometimes it seemed as though they could see in the dark even better than she could. It was a serious disadvantage. She hated being at the disadvantage.

More shots came, and the short brick wall shuddered beneath her back. Kai Zian found herself contemplating the structural integrity of the masonry these people had constructed hundreds if not thousands of years before. All that remained of a once great civilization were the battle scarred ruins she had been using for shelter the last couple of days.

Kai knew better than to stay in one place for more than a few hours, but there had been extenuating circumstances. She had fallen ill and the prospect of shelter, if only within the ruins, was hard to pass up. A rough cough shook her body and she buried her face in her elbow, trying to contain the noise. Wraiths were predators however and their senses were even better than her own. She could almost guarantee they had heard her. Kai lifted the gun and checked the charge. She swore again. She only had a handful of shots left. If she wanted more supplies she would need to engage one of the squads instead of just running.

It would be dangerous. She wasn't one hundred percent and Wraiths were two if not three times stronger than her on a good day. Sometime over the last few weeks she had picked up this illness that she couldn't seem to shake. It frustrated her to know that after all she had been through, all she was capable of and all she had survived in her life it would be illness that would kill her. It would be an anti-climatic end to a life defined by violence and battle.

More shots hit the wall and bits of gravel and mortar rained down around her. She ducked her head beneath her arm to protect herself from the larger chunks. She fired a couple blind shots over the top of the wall to buy herself time to come up with a plan. It was in a strange, detached way that she noted her hands were trembling as she handled her weapons. She couldn't remember the last time she had eaten, and even if she managed to steal supplies from the Wraith she knew she wouldn't find any food stores. She was the only thing on their menu.

The hallway lit up with more shots and she was surprised to note their weren't using their stunners anymore, but live ammunition. It hadn't been long ago when their standing orders were to capture her. She wondered at what point they had decided she was too much of a liability to be allowed to keep running.

An explosion shook the ground beneath her combat boots and their firing ceased. There was the sound of running feet and grunts of fighting. Kai peaked around the corner of her cover to see five people in black uniforms engaging the squad of Wraith.

They were hopelessly outnumbered. Even if they managed to kill this squad there were plenty more prowling through the ruins looking for Kai. She glanced back over her shoulder towards the only exit that wouldn't lead her straight into the path of a dart and her potential freedom. There was a chance these idiots could last long enough to buy her time to escape.

She turned to slip back into the shadows.

"There's too many of them Sir!" one of their people cried.

"I can't see!" another yelled desperately.

"Hold!" a strong male voice bellowed through the darkness.

Kai paused and glanced back over her shoulder. If she was smart, she would let these strangers distract the Wraith and slip away to possibly fight another day. Something made her hesitate however. Maybe it was the knowledge that another day wouldn't actually help her. Whatever the illness that was wracking her body was, she wouldn't last much longer on her own.

She turned back to the group and sighed. She was going to do this. Protecting others wasn't in Kai's nature, but what else was she going to do? She was practically dead already. She drew in three deep breaths and launched herself over the wall.

She fired the remaining five shots she had. Three of the five Wraith dropped. She landed in a foreword roll and came up with two knives in her hands. She flipped off two, landing them in the throats of the wraiths she had already shot, ensuring their death. She spun around executing a slightly shaky roundhouse kick to lodge the knife deeper into the throat of the nearest Wraith. Once he dropped she ripped the blade clear and spun to face the other one she had shot.

She miscalculated however, the illness slowed her down more than she realized. She had just finished her rotation when the wraith slammed its fist into the side of her head. She went down hard. She rolled with the movement and her head spun as black spots flickered at the edges of her vision.

It was almost a relief to realize she would go down fighting. She had taken out four and injured a fifth. She hoped between the remaining military men they could handle the rest. Her last act would be one of goodness. No one who had known her in her previous life would ever believe it.

The Wraith grabbed her by her throat with his off hand and slammed her against the wall. The sounds of fighting surrounded them as he leaned in so close she could smell the rotting stench of his breath even through her cowl. His hand grabbed the neck of her jacket and jerked it, slitting the buttons halfway down the front to expose the skin of her neck and upper chest.

"I am told," he growled leaning in. "That your life force will sustain me Ionger -" he lifted his feeding hand poised over her heart. "And be the sweetest I have ever tasted."

"Is that what they tell you?" she asked tightly, fighting to kick free. "I always wondered what made you all dumb enough to keep coming back here," it was becoming more and more difficult to breathe, but she refused to allow him to see fear on her face.

"I win," the wraith whispered.

A gun discharged behind them and the force of the blow threw the wraith into her. The two of them hit the ground with the wraiths prone body pinning Kai to the ground. They were more dense than humans and it's weight was crushing her.

More shots fired around them and when silence fell and authoritative voice called out sharply. "Okay, let's get this thing off of her," the voice sounded far away. The weight of the dead wraith was crushing the breath from her already struggling body.

The body of the wraith shifted and Kai gasped in a deep breath of air. She coughed. Things were hazy again and she was fighting to stay conscious.The men grunted as they rolled the dead wraith off of her. She gasped, rolling onto her stomach as a coughing fit shook her whole body.

Behind her a gun cocked. She rolled over slowly, keeping her hands up where they could see them so they would know she wasn't a threat.

The man standing directly over her with his gun pointing at her chest was a soldier through and through. His dark hair was short and his eyes hard. He lifted his head and looked to his mean. "Set up a perimeter," he barked.

"Schmitt's dead sir," one of his men reported.

"You need to get your men out of here," Kai said through clenched teeth.

"Who are you?" the man barked

"They will be back." She warned. "You and your men should go."

She turned her head so she could keep track of the other men. There were four of them left and everyone was edgy with their hands on their guns. Not a good combination. It didn't look like she would be fighting her way out of this one.

No good deed goes unpunished.

"I don't take advice from people I don't know. I'm Sergeant Bates of the Expedition Atlantis," the commander informed her. "And you are?" he asked staring down the barrel of his gun.

She licked her lips. There was no reason not to give her name, it didn't really matter anymore anyway. "My name is Kai Zian, and you Sergeant Bates need to get your men out of this place as quickly as possible."

Bates glanced from his men back down at the woman laying on the ground with her hands held up. She was small but dressed like a fighter. She wore a headscarf wrapped tightly around her hair, concealing it. It covered the lower half of her face, leaving only black lined grey-blue eyes visible.

It reminded him of the ones worn in the middle east, but this was more simple, like the tactical scarves the Brits wore in the desert. He had cut his teeth in Afghanistan and he knew better than to ask her to remove it, though he would have felt better being able to see her entire face. The scarf itself was black but finely embroidered, and at complete odds with the worn tactical clothing she wore.

"Why is that Kai Zian?" Bates challenged.

Impatience flickered in those icy grey eyes and Sergeant Bates knew in that moment this woman was a fighter. He had seen experienced soldiers with the same look she had. The battle hardened gaze was difficult to disguise. Not to mention the way she had cut through those Wraith was more than impressive for someone of her size.

"If you follow this hall out the back you will be able to swing through the woods and avoid much of the Wraith activity," she advised. Though he could feel her impatience, she never once took her eyes off of his. There was an intensity about her that made him want to squirm.

"Rogers, Eccert, check it out," Bates ordered. His two men nodded briskly and jogged down the hallway and out of sight. He and his remaining man waited patiently for the others to return. He debated the wisdom of letting the woman get to her feet, but she didn't seem put out so he decided to leave her there.

"Why are you here?" Bates asked after a few moments of silence.

The dark brows lifted. "I was left here," she replied. The simple truth she spoke tasted like ash in her mouth.

Bates looked her over more closely. She was wearing combats, all in various shades of black but none of them seemed to match. It was as though the clothing itself had been pieced together over time. Only the scarf she wore appeared to be well taken care of.

"You?" she challenged. It was difficult to tell with the lower half of her face covered but it appeared as though she jutted her chin out in almost a challenge, as though she were daring him to be honest with her.

Bates snorted. "Looking to make friends and establish trade," he replied humorlessly as he glanced down at the bodies of the fallen Wraith.

"I'm afraid commander you have come to the wrong planet."

Bates nodded. "I believe you."

A cough shook Kai's body and she was left gasping on the ground. Bates and his man shifted their weight restlessly. "What's wrong with you?" Bate's asked when it finally subsided.

Kai was panting as she rolled onto her side and spit blood into the dirt. "I would imagine I'm dying."

"Dying?"

"Well I can't be sure, I haven't seen a doctor," Kai's wry reply had Bates shifting his weight uncomfortably.

"Sir," the young man covering their forward position started to say.

"That's enough Private," Bates said scowling.

Kai looked over the military man. "Where did you say you're from?" she asked.

"We didn't," Bates responded with hostility.

"No, you said you were from the Atlantis Expedition," Kai recalled. "Would you happen to have a doctor on your expedition? I would even take access to basic medication?"

"We don't give away what we have for free," was Bates' curt reply.

Bates' men came jogging back into view. "She's right sir," they reported. "The path is clear."

"Not even to someone who just saved your life?" she asked. She wouldn't allow herself the glimmer of hope that pooled in her stomach. She couldn't. There were too many things that could go wrong. This Commander Bates wasn't one who would be easily swayed. But even if she could convince them to take her off world she would stand a better chance then being stuck here like a fish in a barrel.

"I wouldn't go that far," Bates said.

Bates used his gun to gesture her to stand. She rose slowly up onto her knees and one of his men quickly patted her down. He found nothing, which was disappointing for them as a people. Kai had another five knives concealed on her person, but the young Private was careful not to linger too long in places that might be considered inappropriate and he didn't even touch her head scarf.

"Come on," Bates said and Kai climbed to her feet and was pushed ahead of him.

"My pack," she said as they passed the half wall. Bates looked mutinous and like he was going to leave it behind.

"If you aren't going to help me, leaving what little supplies I have left behind will be the same as signing my death warrant. You might as well shoot me right now," she challenged.

Bates exhaled exasperatedly and motioned for one of his men to pick up the overstuffed military pack. The five of them made their way down the hall and out of the building. Kai led the way into the forest. Once they were under sufficient cover Bates stopped them.

Kai leaned against the nearest tree, breathing heavily. She glanced back towards the Sergeant. "You said you were looking for trade. What is it exactly you're after?"

Bates looked her over carefully. "Food," he snapped, making it clear that the woman's too thin frame eliminated her from the possibility of trade. Clearly she didn't have access to food stores.

"Anything else?" she asked undeterred.

"A power source," Bates snapped, his temper was fraying rapidly. He wanted to get his men off of this planet and get home.

Overhead the zip of the Wraith darts made the men flinch and grip their guns more tightly.

Under her scarf a small, devious smile stretched across the face of Kai Zian. "I have something to trade."

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