SGA-08 Blood Ties — Sonny Whitelaw

Creatures of the night…When a series of gruesome murders are uncovered around the world, the trail leads back to the SGC — and far beyond…Recalled to Stargate Command, Dr. Elizabeth Weir, Colonel John Sheppard, and Dr. Rodney McKay are shown shocking video footage — a Wraith attack, taking place on Earth. While McKay, Teyla, and Ronon investigate the disturbing possibility that humans may harbor Wraith DNA, Colonel Sheppard is teamed with SG-1’s Dr. Daniel Jackson. Together, they follow the murder­ers’ trail from Colorado Springs to the war-torn streets of Iraq, and there, uncover a terrifying truth…As an ancient cult prepares to unleash its deadly plot against humankind, Sheppard’s survival depends on his questioning of everything believed about the Wraith…BLOOD TIESJohn cinched up the chinstrap on his helmet before stepping out of the Humvee. The faint rays of sunlight on the horizon were no longer strong enough to punch through the haze that still hovered over the street. He inhaled slowly, recognizing the pervasive, acrid smell of cordite and dried blood. The Museum building itself hadn’t been damaged in the ambush, but the front steps were a mess of crumbled concrete and shell casings.It had taken a maddeningly long time to get here. The Army had had its hands full, trying to secure five different sites throughout Baghdad where explosions had occurred almost simultaneously. As critical as John and Rebecca’s mission was, it didn’t trump ongoing urban warfare. They’d been stuck on base at Balad, the outlook for Jackson getting bleaker by the minute, until word finally had come down that the Museum area was under control — at least for the moment.Climbing down from the Humvee, Rebecca adjusted her Kevlar vest and studied the other vehicles on the street, many of them scarred, inoperable hunks of twisted metal. “Good God,” she said quietly. “If Dr. Jackson was in one of those —”