Lady Artz: Hey everyone and welcome to my brand new story called Luminescence! This story is a Stargate: Atlantis story, but it isn't like normal stories. This is one of those stories where an original character finds themselves in the Stargate: Atlantis universe. Now this detail is very important because I went through the fan fiction for Stargate: Atlantis on Fan Fiction and I couldn't find a single story with a fan falling into the universe.

So with that being said, I do not own Stargate: Atlantis or anything related to the Stargate franchise. They belong solely to their respective owners and not to me. I also do not anything I make references to; mainly Doctor Who and an obscene amount of anime. I only own my OC, Artz, and other OCs or plot twists that were not in the original series.

On with the show!

Chapter One: Chasing Hope

Some people would be thrilled beyond words to find themselves on an alien planet in another galaxy but not her. For thirteen days, she had survived whatever the planet had thrown at her; finding shelter, enduring a storm, locating fresh water, finding edible food that wouldn't poison her, dodging the local wildlife that wanted to eat her, and even exploring the surrounding areas while searching for some form of civilization.

It was about halfway through her fourteenth day that they came…the pale skinned freaks with suckers in their hands and ridiculously long white hair. Upon locating her, they began to chase her like some wild animal…like she was nothing more than a ritualistic type hunt. With no other alternative, she ran…she ran without rest, without food or water…she simply ran. Who was pursing her? She knew who they were or more importantly, what they were and until that day, she had believed that they were completely fictional.

The alien beings that were chasing her through a snow covered forest on an alien world were none other than a race simply known as the Wraith. They originated from the Pegasus Galaxy which she assumed was where she currently was and were the main enemies of the Atlantis Expedition.

Atlantis, a technologically advanced city built by the race known as the Ancients. These Ancients were also referred to as the Gate Builders. They mastered the creation of stabilized wormholes and designed giant rings to act as the two sides of the bridge, allowing for interstellar travel to be possible without the use of star ships.

These circular structures came to be known as Stargates. These gates were used by many species including the aliens masquerading as the ancient Egyptian gods of Earth. When the Stargate was discovered during an archaeological dig, it was brought to the United States for study. For decades, no one could solve the mystery of the Stargate and unlock its secrets.

It wasn't solved until a young doctor named Daniel Jackson discovered the key to unlocking the mystery of the cap stones that once covered the Stargate. Then and only then was the gate's power finally revealed. He and a team of soldiers journeyed to the desert planet of Abydos and encountered Ra, one of the parasitic aliens that used humans as hosts. Through their actions and those who lived on Abydos, Ra was ultimately defeated. Doctor Jackson remained behind on Abydos while the soldiers that had accompanied him returned to Earth.

Sometime later, the gate was reactivated and brought both enemies old and new, but also friends, allies, and a deeper understanding of the universe. To ensure the safety of Earth and the continual exploration of the galaxy, Stargate Command was formed which, in turn, led to the creation of many teams, both scientific and militaristic, to combat threats, explore new worlds, and bring about lasting bonds of friendship and peace.

The most well known and most likely, the most successful team was SG1, a team led by Colonel Jack O'Neill. Colonel O'Neill was joined by the recently returned Doctor Daniel Jackson, the feisty yet competent Captain Samantha Carter, and a Jaffa warrior named Teal'c. Their exploits would eventually lead to the creation of the Atlantis Expedition, a group of people gathered from many countries to locate, explore, and seek to understand the lost city of the Ancients.

So much history of the gate and an almost equal amount of possible foreknowledge was locked in the mind of the woman running through the snow covered forest from the very enemy that could go toe to toe with the Ancients themselves. A world of fiction that had brought her so much joy in the past had now become a living nightmare as she fought to stay ahead of the very real monsters chasing her in the middle of a blizzard.

It had been nothing more than a movie, a television series, a story and nothing more. Stargate, Stargate SG1, Stargate: Atlantis, Stargate: Universe, and several other movies were all very high on her favorites list, but she never wanted to come face to face with a real live Wraith that was intent on sucking her dry of her precious life force. Now she had a small army of them chasing after with no sign of help.

She was desperately searching for a Stargate and she had been running for four days and three nights, praying for a miracle that would spare her life. Then again, it was a miracle that she hadn't been caught yet, but she knew that she was reaching her limit very quickly. Her body was exhausted, her legs ached from the cold and the constant exertion, and her lungs were on fire from the desperate wanting of more oxygen. Every fiber of her being was demanding her to slow down, but she couldn't. She had to keep going at all costs.

The further she ran, the higher the altitude became. She was crossing into a more mountainous area and that was bad news for her. The wind whipped around her like a massive roar, blowing her crimson hair around wildly. She skidded to halt as she came face to face with a cliff. It rose above her like a dark tower that was daring her to climb it. She looked back at the forest, her liquid sapphire eyes scanning the trees for any sign of movement. She had no doubt that her pursuers were close by. She had a few minutes at best and that was if she was lucky.

She immediately turned around and began tackling the cliff face, her bare hands crying in protest as she gripped the rocks tightly. She had to keep going, no matter how much pain she was in or how exhausted she was. She couldn't stop now because she knew that being fed upon by a Wraith was a fate worse than death. Worst still was the amount of knowledge in her head. If they discovered what she knew then the Atlantis Expedition and the Earth itself was in danger.

She made it up the first cliff and looked down. Her eyes widened in fear as she saw movement in the trees. They were far closer than she had anticipated, meaning she needed to move and fast. She turned back around and attacked the next cliff with a vengeance. Adrenaline, once again, started pumping through her veins, allowing her to become numb to the pain, to the exhaustion, and most certainly, numb to the elements.

She continued her ascension up the many cliffs, not even bothering to check her progress, because to hesitate now meant either certain death or a very painful extraction of information then death. She made it to the top of the mountain that had leveled off into some kind of plateau. She didn't pause as she ran across the snow covered field, the snow storm limiting her visibility quite a bit.

She soon discovered what appeared to be manmade columns and pillars. Despite the snow crunching under her feet, she could feel the flat stone underneath and her mind quickly rationalized the new input. She was must be in the ruins of some kind of temple, seeing as there wasn't much else. The blizzard lessened and with it some of her visibility returned.

She cried out in relief when she saw a giant circular, metal structure not that far in front of her. It was a Stargate, an actual Stargate! She quickly made her way over to the DHD, the Dial Home Device. She looked it over, trying to get a basic understanding of it. She glanced back briefly and decided that she didn't have the time to try and figure it out, so she started pressing random symbols. They lit up as she pressed each one and she prayed that she would connect on the first try.

Unfortunately, she wasn't even halfway through the dial out sequence when the gate activated, meaning someone was dialing in. She immediately abandoned her spot at the DHD and made a beeline for the nearest pillar, using it as cover so the new arrivals wouldn't see her straight away. It was more than likely the Wraith, trying to prevent her escape. She watched in a fair amount of awe as the wormhole connected, a stream of luminescent water erupting outwards before falling back in on itself to create a shimmer pool of silver-blue light.

Never before had she seen a sight so beautiful. The light danced and reflected off the still falling snow, making everything sparkle and shine. She sucked in a quick breath as some type of rover came through the gate. She almost couldn't believe it. It was a MALP, one of the recon rovers that the Atlantis Expedition used to explore other planets before sending a team through. She realized very quickly that this was her one and only shot at getting off this planet alive. She would rather deal with the Atlantis crew than a Wraith commander or worse.

She left her hiding spot behind the pillar and ran over to the rover. She swiftly located the camera and pointed it at herself, making certain that they could see her face.

"Help me please! The Wraith are coming!" She pleaded looking back across the plateau.

She couldn't see anything through the snow, despite the amount of light that the gate was producing. It was like trying to see through the Mist in the Feywood on the way to Giruvegan in Final Fantasy XII. She then turned back to the camera, her mind coming to a quick decision. There was one sure fire way of getting the Atlantis crew here and that was to reveal some of her knowledge and she knew exactly who she wanted to come and save her…Major John Sheppard.

"There isn't much time! Please, John! I know you can see me! John Sheppard! Help me!" She begged all of her hope and desperation written on her face.

After a long agonizing minute, the gate shut off, throwing the ruins into darkness. She let out a sob as the feelings of betrayal and abandonment surged to the surface, robbing her of what little strength she had left. The tears flowed down her face, stinging her eyes and freezing before they hit ground.

The adrenaline faded from her body as she realized that no one was coming for her and her body had been still too long. There was no way she could keep running now; the small margin of distance that she had maintained for the last four days with her pursuers was gone. She had risked it all and now her body was betraying her. Her resolve returned full force as she tried to rise to her feet, but only succeeded in her falling on her left side.

Her mind was screaming for her to get up, to keep going, to never give up, but her body refused to obey her. More minutes ticked by as she tried without success to move, to at least crawl, but her body had succumbed to exhaustion. She was so numb, having lost most of the feeling in her extremities, but she was painfully aware when she was jerked onto her back, the pain lancing through her system like thousands of knives.

Black eyes bored into her sapphire ones as the wraith raised its hand, poised to feed on her life force.

"You have done well, human, but the hunt is over. I will make your death a quick one…in honor of your valiant effort." He informed his voice like gravel.

"I hope you choke." She spat her voice hoarse but with eyes full of fire.

"Even now you resist when your own body has betrayed you." He stated seemingly amused by her comment.

"Never cruel or cowardly, never give up, never give in. The promise of my soul, so go ahead. Drain this shell of life, but you will never claim my soul." She replied firmly.

"It's a shame. You'd make a good Wraith." He countered softly.

She glared at him for that comment, thoroughly insulted beyond words. He simply chuckled as he ripped open her shirt, exposing the bare flesh of her stomach, her bra, and her neck. He moved his hand to just above the bra and prepared to feed on her. His head whipped up when the gate suddenly activated. Within moments, the ruins were once again bathed in light, dancing and shimmering across the night sky.

"I think it's for you." She commented a small smile on her face and hope shining in her eyes once more.

He growled before standing up, only to be shot several times. Even with the wind howling around her, she could still the gun shots. There was some muffled shouting which was quickly followed by more gunfire, meaning that more of the Wraith had arrived and were currently being taken out.

She felt movement on her right side and she glanced in that direction. Although his face was partially covered by his gear and he was marginally backlit by the light from the Stargate, there was no mistaking the forest green eyes of one Major John Sheppard. It had actually come for her and that made her so incredibly happy.

"You're gonna be okay." He told her, the sound of his voice somewhat muted by his gear.

He quickly removed his snow jacket and covered her with it, making her almost sigh with relief. Despite being on the cold, hard ground, the residual warmth of his body heat was extremely welcomed. She was gradually becoming more aware of just how exhausted she was, but she wanted to say something to him first.

She opened her mouth to speak, but movement behind her would be savior drew her eyes behind him. It was a Wraith and it was raising its weapon to shoot him. Her body reacted solely on instinct, shielding him from the Wraith's weapon. Pain erupted across her left shoulder as the blast melted through her clothes skin. She felt arms wrap around her middle as several more shots were fired, probably from John himself.

She heard a muted thud, signaling that the target of the gunfire had gone down. The darkness was already swarming her eyes, limiting her vision. The last thing she saw was the worry and fear filled eyes of Major John Sheppard. Before slipped into unconsciousness, she smiled internally, happy that she wasn't alone anymore.

Lady Artz: That's it for Chapter One: Chasing Hope! Whew! Talk about epic! I know that there wasn't much dialogue in this chapter. In fact, in the original draft, the only lines of dialogue was Artz's first two sections. I added in the stuff with the Wraith and that one line of John's when I typed it up. This is why you do a hand written version, my lovely readers.

Now then, leave tons and tons of reviews and be on the lookout for Chapter Two: The Calm before the Storm! Stay Tuned!