Snapshots 3
Corners
by Sistine
URL: http://www.area52hkh.net/ass/sistine/snapshots03.php
Summary: SG-1 find that there are plenty of surprises around every corner
DANIEL
There's nothing at all to worry about. I mean, just because Jack's down there trapped in a death glider with a Jaffa who's bent on revenge, doesn't mean that he's not alright. Perfectly safe. He'll talk Teal'c around.
Hopefully.
[Mayday, mayday, we are so going in.]
That does not sound good. "Jack, can you hear me?" Static. "Jack, I'm not-I'm not reading you, what's happening? Jack?" Even more static.
What I said about him being safe - I take it back. By the sounds of it, he's very unsafe. Dead even... no! Not dead. Injured maybe, or out of range, or something but not dead. Please, not that. I can't go through that again.
Pressing the communication button, I call Sam. She'll know what to do. I just can't think straight right now.
[Go ahead.]
"I just got a mayday from Jack." There, that sounded reasonably calm. Good going, Jackson.
[What's going on?]
Wish I knew. "I don't know. I lost the transmission."
[Hang on.]
To what? Hope? Sure, I can do that. I always do that. Even in the face of insurmountable problems I... okay, I'm not always hopeful but at least I try to be.
Jack's not dead. Somewhere deep down, I think I'd know if he was. The connection we've got is very strong and I have to trust what it's telling me. And right now it's telling me that Jack is alive. We just have to get to him.
The tactical display lights up in front of me and I have enough time to work out we're in serious trouble before Jacob arrives on the peltac.
"Good, the tactical display came back on line," he observes.
"Yeah, I think we might have a major problem here." Major problem. "I figured that flashing wasn't good news, and in Goa'uld it says 'warning, warning'..." So I'm stating the obvious. I'm just a little - alright, a lot - worried at the moment.
"It's Apophis. He's here. He's a little ahead of schedule; the other ship must've warned him to pick up the pace." Jacob starts to fiddle with the controls and I realise we're moving away from Vorash.
"What are you doing?" Somehow I manage to make that sound curious and rational while I'm screaming other things in my mind.
"Retreating."
What?! What about - "What about Jack and Teal'c?" We can't leave them behind!
"Apophis's ships are taking up attack positions around Vorash. They'd destroy us before we even got close. I'm not going to abandon them, Daniel," he tries to assure me. "We need to buy more time. If we move around behind the sun, the fleet won't spot us."
Okay, I can see the logic in that but how are we going to rescue Jack and Teal'c from there?
I pay little attention to the instructions Jacob is giving to Sam. My main concern is somewhere down on that planet with Tanith, Teal'c and goodness knows how many other Jaffa. I need to be doing something rather than just standing here waiting but there's nothing I can do. I can't fix the ship and I can't fly the ship. Fat lot of good I am at the moment.
I tune back into the discussion when Sam arrives up on the bridge and tells us we have 27 minutes before the sun blows up. Twenty-seven minutes. We've pulled off miracles in less time than that. I think.
"Why aren't we heading back to Vorash?"
Good question, Sam. I'd like to know the answer to that myself.
"Apophis is already there. There's no way we're going to get near that planet."
Such optimism here.
"But we have to do something!" Sam doesn't want to abandon them any more than I do.
"Apophis wants the Tok'ra. So let's give them to him."
Yeah, Sam, I'm just as puzzled as you are by what your Dad means by that. Personally though, I'm getting a little beyond caring. Jack - and Teal'c - are still down there and we're not lifting a finger to help.
"I'm going to set the remote guidance systems on the gliders. With any luck, Apophis will take the bait and follow them away from the planet," Jacob explains.
"And when they do that, we can go over and ring Teal'c and the colonel up," Sam finishes the sentence.
"It's going to require precise timing," Jacob continued. "Daniel, can you operate the rings?"
You betcha. "I think so."
"Good. Let's get to work."
I watch Sam and Jacob work for a little while then make my way down to the rings. I can't stand up there and wait any longer so I'll wait by myself at the rings. Anxiousness is making me restless and I don't want to distract the others from what they are doing. I experienced a similar feeling when Jack and Teal'c were stuck in that death glider. There was nothing I could do then either, although my 'Oz' impersonation certainly raised a few laughs from the rest of SG-1. Glad I was able to help in some way.
[Daniel, we're on our way. See if you can raise Colonel O'Neill.]
About time and with pleasure. "Jack, come in." Still getting static here. "Jack, come in."
[Yeah, I'm here. Hey, thanks for checking in!] Right now, even Jack's sarcasm is good to hear.
"Yeah, we had a little trouble avoiding Apophis's fleet." Can we talk about this later? "Are you in position to be ringed up?"
There was a slight pause. [Um, yeah, I s'pose. I don't know.] I can just see him down there trying to figure out where to stand.
"Jack, if you're not in position..."
[Daniel, just get me the hell out of here, will ya!]
Yep, Jack's definitely okay. I press the button to activate the rings and in a few seconds, he's standing almost right in front of me. He closes the distance, grabs the back of my neck and pulls me in for a desperate kiss. I let him plunder my mouth for a few seconds, and when he starts to ease off, I pull back. Jack doesn't let me get too far, keeping his hand on my neck and resting his forehand against mine. One of my hands come up to rest on his arm, the other around his waist.
"I lost him, Danny."
What? "Who?"
"Teal'c. I couldn't do a thing to save him." Jack's voice is full of the grief and self-recrimination he'll only allow me to see, and then only briefly.
'Couldn't save him'. "Teal'c's dead?" That couldn't be right. I move my hands to rest at Jack's waist, gently moving them up and down a little. It's all the comfort I can offer him right now. Poor Teal'c. Poor Jack, too. I can feel the slight tremor running through his body as he tries to keep control.
"Tanith took him."
To Apophis? Oh, that is not good. "There was nothing you could do, Jack." I wonder if Apophis has a sarcophagus with him?
Jack snorts. "Yeah, right. Tell me that again when I might actually believe it. We shouldn't have been down there in the first place."
"How exactly could you have stopped him?" My understanding of the glider is that the co-pilot doesn't have much control over where the ship goes.
"I don't know," Jack admitted, finally lifting his head and looking into my eyes. "But thank-you anyway."
"Anytime." I mean it. I like it when Jack shares his feelings with me.
He gently kisses my forehead, then gets back into 'colonel' mode. "We'd better get back up there," he says, striding away.
Oh fun.
-------------
JACK:
This day just keeps getting better and better. First, Teal'c gets shot and Tanith presumably takes him up to Apophis. Now we're stuck 125 years from home with Apophis for company. I really can't see the upside to that. Although we do have this big ship to hide in, and I'm sure Daniel could be persuaded to explore it.
"Can we communicate with them?" Daniel is asking. Again with the communication! When is Daniel going to learn that bad guys don't want to talk?
"And say what?" Jacob replies.
"I don't know. 'Don't shoot'?"
Is he kidding me? This is Apophis! I send Daniel a mild 'are you nuts?' look and then turn my concentration back onto Jacob.
"Kree! Lord Apophis. I am Selmac of the Tok'ra, commander of this ship."
"Commander?" Uh, whose ship is this?
Jacob asks in a normal voice, "You want to bicker about rank now?"
Okay, maybe not. But don't think that I'm not going to take this up again later.
Apophis appears on the screen and I observe that he's not looking too happy - but not exactly in those words.
"Well, we did just wipe out his fleet," Carter points out.
But not him. That snake just will not die! What do we have to do to make it permanent?
The snakehead says something else, and Jacob translates it as, "He says it's time for us to die."
"W-w-wait a sec," Daniel butts in, moving himself forward between Jacob and Carter. "I don't know if you've checked your dashboard here but we're both way off course."
Apophis speaks again. "He says he knows everything." Jacob listens to the rest. "He also says there's nothing we can do to help. He's going to destroy us."
Great, just great. Just when we...
"We surrender."
What is it with Daniel today? "What? Daniel?" As in, clarify for me what you think you're doing and it better be good.
"Well, it's either that or he blows us to pieces. I'm just trying to buy us a little time here." He's going with the 'please, trust me' look which I can't ignore. The look I send back tells him I do; I just think he's nuts.
Apophis says something else and then fades from the screen. "What'd he say?" Carter inquires.
Daniel's face doesn't give us much hope and his words take it away completely. "Too late."
He's standing close enough to touch so I briefly reach out and squeeze his hand. I'd love to do more but while there's a chance that we'll survive, I can't in front of Carter. Daniel appears to understand this, squeezing back and then letting go. I brace myself for the blasts to hit the ship...
...and keep waiting. My nerves can't take this. "I can't stand it. What's he waiting for?"
As I speak, Apophis's ship fires... past us? Okay, I didn't think he was that bad a shot.
"What happened?" Carter asks her father.
"I'm picking up another ship on sensors. It's coming in fast." He pauses for a second. "They're firing on Apophis."
My kind of guys. I wonder who they are.
Carter is obviously less impressed, especially by her father's actions. "What are you doing?"
"Getting the hell out of here," Jacob replies as he starts the ship moving. "That ship is unlike anything in the computer records."
"Well, we are in a completely uncharted part of the universe."
"I'm enjoying their style. Shoot first, send flowers later. Works."
My lover, like everyone else, ignores me. "But they only fired at Apophis, right, not us?"
"Well, his ship's a much bigger threat," Carter comments, stating the obvious again. It's a huge threat to us.
"You think they were trying to save us?"
"It's possible," Daniel replies to Jacob. Personally, I'm not so sure. Something about the whole thing feels wrong. Apophis's ship hadn't made any threatening move against us; for all the aliens knew, we have the better firepower. So, something's not right.
I miss a little of the conversation trying to think this through but I don't miss the next threat. "Excuse me? Radiation?" Lethal radiation?
"Well, the ship's hull will protect us."
Very reassuring, Jacob.
"For a while."
Even better.
The trip to the coronasphere is pretty boring, especially since there's not much for me to do on the bridge. Daniel's too engrossed in what the Carters are doing to pay attention to me. I listen in to part of the conversation, enough to know we're screwed without shields. Still, as Jacob walks past, I can't help putting on a dumb expression and say, "I'd fix the shields first."
"Right, Jack," Jacob's voice floats back to me.
"Just a suggestion," I comment for Carter's benefit, and she doesn't believe me either. Smart kid.
I figure this could be a long process, so I move up to the first step and lie down. This was not exactly how I wanted to spend my weekend. Help the Tok'ra shift - seemed easy enough. With SG-1's record, I should've known better.
And I had plans too, romantic plans. It's been eight months since Daniel and I got together, four years since he came home, and I was going to surprise him with a candlelit dinner for two. He's had to put up with so much from me - and the universe in general - this year that I thought he deserved something special. And it was also to show him how much I appreciate him being with me.
Wonder if we packed any candles?
I've no idea how much time has passed before Daniel comes and sits a couple of steps below me. He's fidgeting with his hat and watch so I know he's got something on his mind. The reason he's waiting to say anything is that he's working out the best way of approaching it. He saw me with my guard down before, so he knows I'm blaming myself for what happened to Teal'c. So now he'll try to convince me that it wasn't my fault.
"I don't suppose you want to talk about what happened on Vorash?"
Got it in one. "Not really."
"Didn't think so." Daniel bows his head, accepting my wish not to talk. Something about his body language gets to me and I decide to do a little talking.
"We were ambushed. At the rings. Teal'c took one in the back. I shoulda seen it coming."
Daniel accepts all this gravely. He's taking this remarkably well, hiding his feelings down deep so that he doesn't have to think about them yet. "I thought the key to a good ambush is that you don't see it coming." Well, there is that. "My point it that I'm sure you did you best."
I look at him and notice that he's not looking directly at me. I know he means well but I failed. I couldn't stop Teal'c from taking off after Tanith, I couldn't stop him from getting shot, and I couldn't stop him from being taken to Apophis. "Apparently it wasn't good enough."
Silence from my linguist. He understands what I'm feeling. Both of us blame ourselves when things go wrong, even if it's not our fault.
Daniel moves along the step he's sitting on then leans back, resting his head just below my hipbone. It's a comforting weight but I'm sure it's not exactly a comfortable position for him to be in. He seems content though. I raise my left hand and rest it on top of his head, gently ruffling the short hair. Daniel closes his eyes, relaxing into my touch. It's times like this I really value our relationship. To have someone to be there for you, to know when to talk and when to be silent... it's good. I'll have to talk eventually though; Daniel is extremely patient and persistent when it comes to this kind of thing.
"125 years," Daniel says suddenly.
"Huh?"
"Jacob said it'll take 125 years to get home." There's a wistful note in his voice and at the moment, I can't pinpoint the reason why. Maybe it's because only Jacob will make it home, although even that could be doubtful if a food source isn't found.
"We'll be home way before that." Don't know how yet but I have every faith in the Carters rigging the ship or doing something to get us there.
"Jack..."
"We'll. Get. Home."
More silence. Danny doesn't believe me. Who said he was the optimist of the team? The problem with him is that he thinks too much and can see the consequences more clearly than the rest of us. Which means he's probably over there fretting about the whole situation, including what happened to Teal'c. And, knowing him, he'll be worrying about me and what I'm feeling about Teal'c.
"Hey, Danny."
My archaeologist opens his eyes and turns to look inquiringly at me.
"That can't be comfortable. Come up here." I pat invitingly next to me.
He assesses where I want him and states, "I don't think that would be any more comfortable, Jack."
My mind jumps straight down into the gutter. Just what was he assuming I meant? Much as I'm flattered, I'm too old to make love on a set of steps. "Not if you just sit there."
Comprehension dawns. "Oh." He scoots up, moving up one step as well, then leans back against me. After a minute of silence, during which time I have to forcibly not think about Teal'c being dead, Daniel wonders out loud, "I wonder what kind of beings inhabit this galaxy."
Oh, I so do not want Daniel going into lecture mode right now. "I don't know."
"Think about it, Jack." He turns to face me, those blue eyes shining with curiosity. Our situation hasn't been forgotten; this is just a diversion from it. "There probably aren't any other humans in the galaxy because the Ancients didn't build the gates this far."
"Nice theory, Daniel, but I think you're forgetting about the Asgard. Or maybe mine and Carter's trips to their galaxy slipped your mind." I know they haven't slipped mine.
"No, I haven't forgotten, Jack, but it was actually Asgard technology that got Sam there, and additional Ancient technology for your 'trip'. That implies that the Ancients didn't initially plan for the Stargate to cross galaxies but when they became friends with the Asgard, they needed a way to get to the Asgard homeworld quickly."
"Uh-huh." Well, what else can I say?
"So I'm assuming the beings in this galaxy look nothing like us."
"That's a comforting thought." Daniel glares at me but I ignore that. "So, no humans but lots of monsters like the Unas. Sweet."
"Or the Asgard. Or the Gad-meer," Daniel lists two of the alien races we've come across. "Just because they're not human doesn't...."
"I know, it doesn't make them bad," I cut in. But I tend to assume that every race we come across has the potential for hostility whereas Daniel assumes the opposite. It's naively optimistic but I'd give my life to preserve that innocent belief of his.
"No, it doesn't," Daniel agrees. "If the galaxy's as big as ours then there should be thousands of different cultures out there," he gestures with his hands. "I mean, mmmph."
There's only so much I can take, and I've found out that the easiest way to shut Daniel up is to kiss him (wonder if I could try that on a mission sometime?). So I reach out and grab the back of his neck and pull him towards me, sitting up to meet him partway. One of his hands comes to rest on my stomach to help him balance, the other I don't know where. I make it a gentle yet demanding kiss, one guaranteed to fry the language centre of Daniel's brain. Soft, loving kisses tend to get under Daniel's defences because, I think, he can't believe the emotions behind them.
I keep up the kiss until I feel Daniel's hand starting to roam, then I gently pull away. We've somehow ended up with me lying down again and Daniel on his knees to better reach my mouth. I catch his hand and still its movements. I want to but... "We can't."
Daniel looks like he wants to make an argument of it but he knows I'm right. We don't know what's out there - besides Apophis - and there's the thing that we can't let either of the Carters know about us. Unless of course we can't get home, then I suppose we'll have no alternative. Until then, we can't do anything.
Daniel drops his head for a minute and when he looks at me again, he's got himself under control. "Sorry, Jack."
"Nothing to be sorry about." After all, I started it. Sitting up, I turn him around to face the viewscreen and then spoon up behind him, wrapping my arms around his chest. He leans back into the embrace, taking comfort in it, his hands coming up to hold onto my arms.
"Uh, Jack, what if Sam or Jacob walks in?"
"You were upset about Teal'c," I reply straight away.
Daniel snorts. "They're not going to buy that for a second."
I know. But I can't think of any other reason right now. "You think of something then." That ought to keep him occupied for a little while.
-------------
DANIEL:
Well, here I am alone on the peltac again, not being able to do anything helpful. After coming out of the coronasphere and finding Apophis's ship devoid of life signs, Sam suggested we get the crystals from their ship to replace ours. Jacob, of course, thought that was a good idea, and Jack went along with them just in case they ran into trouble. Which leaves me all alone here with no idea how to operate the ship and no way of protecting them.
I wonder how long it's been? Probably no more than ten minutes but it feels like an hour. Shouldn't one of them have told me what's happening by now? I can't wait any longer. "Guys, what's going on?"
[The ship's crawling with replicators,] Sam replies, tension evident in her voice.
[Sam, I'm not going to be able to shut down the autodestruct. I'll meet you at the ring room.]
Wait a minute! Replicators? Autodestruct? Am I missing something here or is there a huge problem over there?
[We're still going to try and get the crystals.]
We? As in you and Jack? Are you trying to get yourselves killed?
[You have three minutes. Daniel, you're going to have to fly that ship out of here as soon as we ring back on board.]
"And you're gonna have to tell me how to do that!" No pressure or anything, just fly the ship out of here. I can do this.
Hopefully.
I can tell Jacob's running to the ring room as he relays the instructions to me. It sounds easy enough. I won't know if it's not.
[Go, Daniel!] Jacob shouts as they ring aboard. I manouever the control like he told me and the ship starts to move forward. Hey, I'm flying the ship! If it wasn't a matter of life and death, I'd be feeling pretty good right now. As it is... Jacob, hurry up and get up here!
"It's possible," Sam's voice heralds their arrival at the peltac. "If they get control of that ship..."
"Hey! You guys are just being too negative!" I hear Jack complain behind me. Makes me wonder what else they've been saying.
"We're not going to make it!" Jacob announces. We do not need to hear that.
"We're going as fast as we can!" I inform them. It's not my fault here.
The sensors tell us when Apophis's ship explodes and Jacob immediately orders, "Alright, shut down the engines! Direct full power to the shields!"
Uh, yeah. "Be my guest." I step away from the console and let Jacob take over. Jack moves up to stand nearby and we both wait anxiously as the shock wave washes over the ship, fortunately causing no damage to us or the ship.
"That was close."
You said it, Jacob.
"I believe someone said, 'we're not going to make it'."
No, don't start, Jack. I know this is probably just releasing some stress, but don't start.
Jacob rightly ignores him and asks Sam to help him with the hyperdrive.
"Excuse me." Jack is not going to let this go. "I distinctly remember someone saying, 'We're not going to make it!'. I think we made it."
"I'm sorry. I overreacted. At the time it looked very much like we weren't going to make it."
Jack looks a little taken aback, as if he didn't expect Jacob's apology. "Yes, well, maybe next time you'll just wait and see."
"And blow the last chance I might ever have of being right?" Jacob says as he walks off.
Sam can't hide the smile while I'm trying very hard to. It's fun when someone gets the better of Jack.
"What?"
"Welcome to my life," Sam comments as she follows her father.
"What?"
Uh, don't look at me, Jack, I'm not getting involved and I'm not explaining the comments to you. You're a lot smarter than you let on so you'll figure it out.
Jack follows me over to the console, unusually quiet. He must've hated meeting up with the Replicators again, given what they almost did to him last time. I can't say I'm overly enamoured with them either. "Bad?" I ask quietly.
"Worse," he replies equally as softly. "They were everywhere. It looked like they killed everyone on board."
I can visualise the dead Jaffa everywhere; not a pretty sight. "Did you see Teal'c? Or Apophis?"
"We didn't exactly have time for detours, Daniel," a definite sarcastic edge to the tone. I'll take that as a 'no' then. I'm clinging to the hope that Apophis might have revived Teal'c in order to torture him, and therefore he might still be alive.
Silence. I'm not going to get into an argument with Jack. He's got enough on his mind without feeling guiltily about venting on me as well. We also don't need the distraction right now.
"So you can fly this ship now?" This is Jack's way of apologising. "Cool. We'll take it for a spin, just the two of us, when we get back."
"And you'll be doing what? That chair will only be comfortable for a short time," I point out.
"But it'll be fun while it lasts." Jack's grin is positively wicked, giving me an idea of his plans.
"In your dreams." The look Jack gives me states that he knows I'll cave. Sometimes I wish he didn't know me so well.
I turn back to the viewscreen and immediately see something there that wasn't there before. I think we've got company. "Uh, engine room, this is peltac, uh, engine room, come in immediately." I ignore Jack's raised eyebrows.
[What is it, Daniel?] Sam replies.
"I'm picking up a ship on the sensors." When there's no reply, I assume that they've headed up here.
"A ship?" Jack repeats. "Big?" Already threat-assessing.
"I don't know. I don't think so."
"That's helpful."
"Do you want to do this?" I ask with a slight edge to my voice. Jack recognises this and backs off. Fortunately, Jacob arrives back at that moment and comes to stand in between us.
"Looks like someone must've escaped Apophis's ship before the bugs took them." Jacob reads the information, as do I. "It's a Goa'uld cargo ship. I'm sending a hailing signal."
There's a tense few seconds as we wait for a reply. "Nothing." His voice switches. "I am Selmac of the Tok'ra, commander of this ship."
"You know, we really should talk about this command thing." Jack is very possessive about the ship. I have a feeling we'll all be hearing about this for months to come.
Jacob just nods. "Identify yourself," he continues in Selmac's voice.
A picture fades in on the viewscreen.
"Teal'c!"
Teal'c's alive! That's very good to know. My theory on what Apophis would do appears to have been correct although how he escaped, I don't know.
As the exchange between Teal'c and Jack continues, I pay close attention to Teal'c. Something about him is nagging at me. I don't have Jack's instinct for situations or people but I know Teal'c very well. And something's wrong. Sam seems to notice this too but Jack doesn't. Maybe he's just glad to see Teal'c again, alive. Otherwise he'd be as suspicious as everyone else.
Jacob opens the cargobay doors, and then Sam and I follow Jack down into the ship. "Uh, Jack, be careful," I try to warn.
"Why? This is Teal'c."
Sam and I exchange glances, and in unspoken agreement, slow our pace slightly so that we are well back by the time we see Teal'c. Jack's already there, hugging him.
And then Teal'c takes Jack's gun and points it at him. Jaffa fill the corridor in front of us, all with staff weapons pointing at us. No escape then.
"Whatcha got going here, Teal'c?" Jack asks quizzically.
My 'somethings's wrong' feeling makes perfect sense when Apophis himself walks around the corner. He's done something to Teal'c and used him to get to us. That might be slightly paranoid but judging by past behaviour, probably true. He probably wants our ship too.
"Well done, Teal'c. Finally you have resumed your rightful position as First Prime."
I can see Jack's just dying to say something but for once he doesn't. He can see the odds of him remaining uninjured are better if he doesn't insult the men with weapons.
"Lock them up somewhere," Apophis orders before he starts to stride away. He briefly stops in front of me and grabs my chin in a strong grip, looking me over greedily. "I will deal with them later." He lets go and keeps walking.
Okay, guess what Apophis wants to do to me. Isn't that going to be fun?
Teal'c and the Jaffa herd us through a couple of corridors. I manage to get close enough to Jack to whisper, "That's why," and then move away again so as not give the Jaffa an excuse to hit me.
This day is just getting better and better.
-------------
JACK:
I shoulda seen it coming. Carter saw it, and to my surprise, so did Danny, but I didn't. I think I wanted Teal'c back so much, wanted him to be alright so that I didn't have to feel guilty, that I didn't see the warning signs - definitely saw what Apophis wants to do to Danny, though. And now we're their prisoners.
There is a possibility that this is an act, that this was the only way Teal'c could survive. But my instinct is telling me that something has been done to Teal'c.
As we walk into our 'cell', I stop next to Teal'c, my back to the other Jaffa. I need to make sure what's going on so I'll start by assuming he's still our Teal'c. "Alright, this is feeling like a strange plan but let me know what to do and when."
The punch came out of nowhere, cutting the skin near the corner of my eye. Okay, I wasn't expecting that... Daniel, will you get yourself out of the line of fire!
"Come on, Teal'c," Daniel's saying as he moves in front of Carter. "You don't really think that you're... First Prime of Apophis?" He falters partway through when the gun is trained on him but doesn't back down. That's my boy! Foolhardy but brave.
"I have never ceased to be in the service of my god."
Oh boy. "Alright, that's sounding a little brain-washy," I say, picking myself up off the floor. Slowly. I'm not as young as I used to be. "You don't believe that guy's a god any more than I do."
The look he gives me threatens retribution for my words, and I admit it's a little scary because I've never been on this side of Teal'c before.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean? C'mon, we're friends." Maybe an appeal to his better side will work. "You trying to tell me you don't remember what's happened these past four years?"
"I remember everything." Well, that's a start. "It makes me ill to think that I was forced to pretend to be your friend." Or maybe not. "So many times I had to save your life when I wished I could watch you die."
Definitely brainwashed. It's scary to think that this is what Teal'c used to be like pre-SG-1. Meanwhile, I've got to keep his attention away from the other two. "It hurts me that you would say that. But that's okay, 'cos I know it's not true."
That gets an immediate reaction. "Your belief is not necessary."
"This doesn't make any sense." Actually, it does. What better way to infiltrate the Tau'ri, and more specifically SG-1, than to brainwash someone they trust and send him back as a spy and/or saboteur. "C'mon, you and I together have taken down half a dozen Goa'ulds." That's not strictly true but who's going to stop and count?
"Enemies of Apophis."
"We kicked his ass twice!" I feel compelled to add. "Hell, you sat around and watched him die once!" Personally, one of my favourite work moments.
"I knew he would be reborn more powerful than ever." Teal'c's not budging a bit. Apophis sure did a good job with the brainwashing.
"I'm talking to a wall here. Anybody?"
Not to my surprise, Daniel has something to say. "Teal'c, do you remember when Apophis brainwashed your son, Rya'c?"
Teal'c just gives us an impassive look and starts to walk away.
"Consider the possibility," Daniel persists as I come to stand next to him. "Or not."
"It's not good, Daniel," Carter states. "The brainwashing seems pretty deep." Her face is expressionless, much like I imagine mine is, but her voice betrays the smallest hint of sadness.
"What if we could get him with a zat?" I ask, watching Daniel start pacing. He knows exactly what's in store for him if we can't escape. "Worked with Rya'c."
"I don't know, sir. Teal'c is a lot bigger, and of course, we don't know whether the same method was used, and add in the sarcophagus..."
"I get the point." Moving over to the panel, I start pressing buttons. "I wonder why they didn't put us in the brig?" Daniel's still pacing; I can feel it even if I can't see it.
"The lower levels were probably damaged in the firefight."
Oh yes, that lovely encounter with Cronus and his cronies; who could forget that. It was a terrible thing to see all our doubles die like that but at least I was spared from seeing what happened to Daniel's double. I don't think I could've taken that.
Anyway, back to the matter at hand. "Think you can hotwire this thing?"
"Well, I assume there's some sort of safety mechanism to ensure against that kind of thing. Otherwise, it'd be pretty stupid to lock us in here, wouldn't it?"
I let my silence speak for me. Carter only takes a few seconds to read me and continue, "'Course, I could give it a shot."
"Thank-you." I move out of the way and go to talk to Danny. He hasn't been this restless since he was addicted to the light. Timing it just right, I stand in his path and wait for him to run into me.
Daniel stops just short of me and looks up, asking me with his eyes what I'm doing.
"One pair of shoes, 125 years." He gets my meaning after a few seconds and it stops him thinking about Apophis for a few more.
"Oh." He looks thoughtfully at my feet and then he looks innocently at me. "Two pairs."
My mind, as usual, takes a moment to catch up. The cheeky little... he'll keep.
Hopefully.
-------------
DANIEL:
Recap of the day's events: Go to Vorash, unveil a traitor, said traitor brings Apophis's fleet there, Jack and Teal'c crash a glider, Teal'c dies, Teal'c is revived and gets brainwashed, our ships get flung into another galaxy, the Replicators invade the other ship, and we're prisoners of Apophis. More eventful than our usual missions actually. Although I've spent a lot of time waiting on this mission, just like I'm doing now. Except this time I've got company.
"Great rescue, Jacob," Jack is saying from his seated position next to me. If he moved a couple of inches more, we would be touching. I'd like that reassurance right now but since that's not going to happen, I'll have to be satisfied that Jack's next to me.
"It was worth a shot," Jacob replies, seated also and leaning against the adjoining wall. Sam is next to him. "Have you got any bright ideas?"
"I'm working on it."
Once again, silence reigns. There really isn't much to say at this point. We're tired, we can't go anywhere, and everyone here blames themselves for the situation we're in. Loads of fun really.
I hate to think what Apophis has planned for us all, forgetting for the moment what he appears to have planned for me. We know he wants to turn Jack into a Goa'uld using Junior, and presumably he will want to do the same to Sam and I eventually from the symbiotes of the other Jaffa. The damage that Junior could inflict on me using Jack's face doesn't bear thinking about. But it's what he will do until the symbiotes mature that's got me worried.
Last time we all met, on Netu, Apophis subjected us to what amounts to psychological torture, not to mention physical torture when necessary. I gained some spectacular bruises on that mission, the purple accenting my eyes so Jack tells me; Jack gained a new scar (it's barely visible now); and Sam ended up a whole lot more confused about the whole Jolinar/Martouf thing (and a few bruises). Given the trouble we've caused for Apophis, I'm surprised we got off so lightly back then. I'm sure we won't this time, if for no other reason that we've got nowhere to run.
Jack's probably sitting there working out how he can stop me - and the others - from getting hurt. Jacob is probably thinking a similar thing, as Selmac will help him heal more quickly. And Sam, well, she's probably trying to figure out a way to escape as well as how she can protect me. I'm not dumb; I know all three of them will go protective over me because they perceive me as the most vulnerable, Jack especially. I appreciate the gesture but I don't think it's necessary. I can take care of myself, and if I give Apophis what he wants, he might not hurt the others.
Okay, actually I can see why they think it's necessary - because they don't want me getting hurt for them. Apophis is going to have a field day with us, each of us trying to protect the other. And since he's already indicated what he wants to do to me, something I doubt they failed to pick up on, they'll try to prevent that any way they can and they'll get hurt for me. I can't let them do that.
"Don't even think about it, Daniel," Jack orders in a stern voice.
"What?"
"We're not going to let Apophis have you and you're not going to go with him to protect us. Got it?"
"But Jack..."
"No 'buts', Daniel. You're not going." Jack's gaze is steady as he looks at me. How did he... scratch that. He knows me and what I'll do.
I look at Sam, then Jacob, and they both nod with grim expressions. Not going to win this argument, I see. "Okay, I'm not going."
Jack relaxes minutely at the agreement in my voice. If I let myself get hurt, Jack will never forgive himself, and I can't put him through that again. "Good."
Silence. Then a brief wave of g-forces hits us. "We just dropped out of hyperspeed," Sam states.
"That can't be good," Jack comments casually. He hates not knowing what's going on, and hates it even more when the team is under threat.
The door slides up a couple of feet. That's odd.
"Odd," Jack notes. Exactly what I was thinking.
Then the reason for it becomes clear when a Replicator crawls in. "Uh-oh." This is the first time I've actually seen one of the bugs in person so I stay still and watch it.
Jack, however, doesn't. "Uh, excuse me," he says as he moves over to the door and looks out. Many more of them go past. "This could be a problem." It makes our escape a little harder if we've got two enemies to get past.
"Sir, if they've already got control of the primary systems..."
"This could be a problem."
Meanwhile, the Replicator is getting closer to me. Maybe it's as curious about me as I am about it but I don't really want to find out. I've seen what those things are like. When it gets too close, I move quickly away towards Sam, who tells me that it won't attack me unless I threaten it.
"Yeah, still maybe we should, um,..." I gesture towards the door. Shouldn't we be getting out of here?
We all crawl underneath the door and into the corridor, no bugs in sight. Jack takes the lead, naturally, with Jacob not far behind. It's just as well we don't run into anyone or anything on our way to the 'supply room' because without any weapons, we wouldn't have stood a chance.
There's a big hole in the door, indicating that the Replicators probably came from in there. Jacob opens the door then eases cautiously inside with Jack.
A gold Goa'uld box catches my interest - Apophis clearly brought over supplies - so I take a closer took. "Hello." There's a hole in the top where a Replicator had eaten its way out before going to infect the rest of the ship, all of which I indicate to Sam using my hands.
I investigate further while the others make their preparations. Plenty of zats here, maybe some other Goa'uld technology too. I hand a zat over to Sam as she hands me a vest. Time to play soldier.
"Chances are they have," Sam observes in response to Jacob's comment about leaving the cargo ship alone. "I mean, they'd focus on controlling the mother ship first."
"Well, brainwashed or not, we just can't leave Teal'c here." We have to get him back and see what can be done for him.
"I know," Jack says as he hands Jacob and I some big guns. Oh, do I have to use this? "You and Jacob secure the cargo ship. Carter, you're with me."
I fiddle with my gun while I take in the orders. The division of labour makes sense, I suppose, but I don't like it. Jack hands me two magazines for the gun and I take them reluctantly. Fortunately I know how to use the gun; unfortunately, I'll have to.
The path to the cargobay is clear, and we make it down there without incident.
"Atmospheric shield is on-line. Cargobay is pressurised," Jacob shouts as we head into the ship.
I open up the other room to check for bugs. It appears they haven't beaten us to the ship. "Looks clear."
Jacob powers up the ship but doesn't open the bay doors. I'm sure he has a reason. "I have what may seem like a dumb question."
"Yeah?"
"Don't we need to open those big cargobay doors in order to fly the ship out?" Told you it was dumb.
"Well, this ship has remote access to the door controls. Hopefully the bugs haven't overwritten it."
Uh-huh. "You-you don't want to check?" It's not going to do us much good if we can't get out.
"I don't want to tip them off before we have to." I can't see Jacob's face but he sounds a little worried. That is not comforting.
"And if they have already overridden them?"
The silence tells me all I need to know. Hurry up, Jack, Sam. The longer this takes, the more time the Replicators have to stop us. Although what we're going to do once we get off the ship, I'm not sure.
The next few minutes seem like hours as we wait. Maybe they're in trouble and can't get back here. Maybe Teal'c injured them. Maybe...
Peering out the door, I see them approaching, Teal'c being half-carried, half-dragged by the other two. "Jack?" Explain please.
"Yeah, here you go," Jack replies, handing Teal'c over to me. I put his arm around my shoulders and grunt a little with the weight. That armour must weigh a lot. Then I notice why Teal'c's currently out of it. "He's been shot!"
"He resisted a little." Jack must've shot him. That's not a good sign.
"I was starting to worry that you guys weren't going to make it." A slight exaggeration perhaps but it felt like we'd been separated for hours.
"I didn't say it though," Jacob points out, going back to the pilot's seat.
Sam and I look around for something to tie Teal'c up with. Not that he looks like he's in any condition to do anything at the moment but the way he heals, he might be before long.
Just as we're finishing up, the ship's g-forces waver again. What was that?
"What was that?" Jack echoes my thoughts.
"The ship just jumped to hyperspeed," Jacob replies.
Jack is silent for a moment. "Now what?"
"Now nothing. We can't open the bay doors and fly out while we're still in hyperspeed."
Great. We're stuck. No way off and no escape from the bugs.
"Isn't there anything we can do?" Jack asks, flicking a glance back at me and then back to Jacob.
Both of us watch Jacob think about the options. He appears to be taking his time about it. "I think we need some more information. If the bugs haven't taken over all of the computers, we still have a chance to stop the ship."
Sam finishes tying Teal'c up and joins the conversation. "How do we do that?"
"Follow me."
**********
"If we destroy the sublight engine controls..."
"The ship won't be able to stop..."
"And it'll crash right into Apophis's planet," Jacob finishes off. He and Sam have been trying to work out how to get rid of the bugs after the ship comes out of hyperspace.
"Now, we would have to wait until just after the ship comes out of hyperspace so the bugs won't have time to change trajectory."
Uh, isn't that going to be cutting it a little fine?
"How do we destroy these engines?" You mean you're going along with this plan, Jack? Are you crazy?
"All we have to do is eliminate the control crystals."
No problem.
"In the engine room," Sam adds.
Or maybe a big problem. "Which is bug-central probably," I point out. I think I see the flaw in their plan. We wouldn't get close enough.
Jack must've read my thoughts. "So we plant C4."
Sam shakes her head. "The bugs could disable the detonator by the time we leave and set it off."
"What are you saying?"
No, Jack, don't ask. I know where this is going and I so don't want to hear the answer. Don't say it, Sam...
"That we would have to physically destroy the crystals ourselves. P-90 at close range should do the job."
You said it.
"Oh, no, you see, that doesn't sound like..." Jack has more of a problem than me with the bugs, and I know he won't want to voluntarily get so close to them.
"You got a better idea, Mr. Positive?"
Jack is very quiet. He knows that there is no other option but like me, doesn't like the one we've got. None of us do.
"The ship has now reached over 800 times its previous maximum speed," Sam observes.
Jacob immediately springs into action. "Alright, we'll be there pretty soon. One of us should get the cargo ship charged up and ready to go."
I fall in behind the others, covering the corridor behind us. Usually this is Teal'c's role but since he's not with us, it's fallen to me. In a way I'm glad Jack has enough confidence in me to let me do this but in another way, I'm scared because it takes me still further away from the man I used to be. Five years ago I hadn't even picked up a gun. Now, it's a way of life; an unfortunately necessary part of life.
"That would be you," Jack is saying to Jacob. "Carter, Daniel, with me."
Oh, yippee. Wait, did Jacob just say we had only 30 seconds to get back to the cargobay? Found another flaw in the plan...
None of us were quite prepared for the sight that greets us in the engine room. One giant bug, made up of lots of little bugs, is attached to the main systems. I come up behind Jack. "What the hell is that?"
"That is one big bug." I can hear the revulsion in his voice and I share it. It's a horrible sight.
"At least that explains the extra power," Sam comments, moving closer to us.
I can just hear Jack thinking, 'ya think?' However, he doesn't say it out loud. "Hey, listen. Let's not wake it up."
Good idea. I go forward a little to check that no other bugs are heading for us while Sam goes to find the control panel. We have to be very careful now or we won't be able to pull this off.
I move back towards Jack, taking comfort in his presence behind me. As long as he's nearby, I feel safe because he'll never let anything bad happen to me if he can possibly prevent it.
Sam finds the panel, pulls it out, then moves away to give Jack a clear line of sight on it. All of us are braced for action, awaiting the moment when the ship drops out of hyperspeed.
"Ready?" Jack asks tensely.
"Wait for it, sir."
It's probably no more than ten seconds before the mother bug collapses, momentarily drained of energy. In that moment, Jack fires, completely destroying the crystals. As the bugs begin to jump down, he yells, "Go, go, go, go, go!" as we start to run.
Thirty seconds and counting...
-------------
JACK:
Once again, it was too close. I know I shouldn't complain; most of the time our missions are pretty mundane. It's the exciting ones which are a big worry.
We made it back as far as the rings before the bugs became overwhelming, and Jacob ringed us aboard the teltac (yes, I pay attention to the names; I just don't use them out loud). We managed to get out of the cargobay before the doors shut, and then we watched my ship crash into the planet. What a waste of a perfectly good ship but the good news is that Apophis was on it. There's no way he could've survived that.
Now we're all home and it's a matter of getting Teal'c's mind back again. McKenzie's been working with him for a few weeks and supposedly making good progress. Personally, I doubt that. I've never trusted McKenzie, especially after what he did to Danny. I respect all the arguments about the similarity to schizophrenia - I'm sure the symptoms portrayed themselves that way to someone who's always on the lookout for nutcases - but what he did was wrong. He locked Daniel up and kept him drugged. Now, you see, you just don't do that to a man like Daniel because you're suppressing everything that he is. But somehow, drugged to the gills, Daniel still managed to work out what was going on, which says a lot for the kind of man he is. So given McKenzie's history with SG-1, no-one's expecting very much.
Speaking of Daniel, he's currently sleeping peacefully in my arms. He's had a few bad dreams these past few weeks about the bugs, as have I. There was one bug on the ship when we were running that jumped straight at Danny, missing only because I managed to shoot it. That was way too close, and if I'd have had any other option, he wouldn't have been there doing the fighting. He did a great job of it though, covering our backs, handling the P-90 like a true soldier courtesy of all the training sessions I've put him through. I regret that I've had to make him into a soldier so that he could stay with the team because it goes against who he is. He likes to fight with words, not guns or fists. But it's necessary, and I hate that it was me who put the first gun in his hand. He doesn't hate me for it, just accepts that this is the way it has to be. But deep down, I know he hates that it's necessary.
I love him so much now, more than I did when we first got more involved with each other. Nearly every day he surprises me somehow, and although we have our differences of opinion, we need each other so much it's scary. I've never relied on anyone as much as I rely on Daniel, whether it be to watch our backs or just to be there when I need him. And he relies on me to be there for him and to keep him safe. He never expected me to love him so much, so he's always pleasantly surprised when I show this through words or gestures that he didn't expect.
I took him fishing up at my little cabin after the Juna mission, helping him to relax for a few days. That mission had made me truly appreciate how lucky I was to have him in my life, and I tried to tell Daniel that. It made him embarrassed but I think he finally understood that I was never going to leave him. Our loving that weekend was beautiful and gentle, my way of showing him just how much he means to me. And the pure happiness on his face was all the reward I needed. He loves me with all his heart and trusts me completely, as I do with him. I'm so lucky to have this.
Daniel rolls over in my arms to face me, slowly waking up. His lips are slightly parted to help him breathe, and I can hear the slight hitch in his breathing as he wakes up.
"Good morning," I say softly, kissing his forehead gently.
"Morning," he replies, opening his sleepy eyes and looking adorably - I mean, adoringly - at me. His eyes open wider as I pull him even closer to me. "Jack, I'm not awake yet," he protests half-heartedly.
"What a way to wake up." Kissing him thoroughly, I gently tip him onto his back so that I'm lying on top of him.
"Almost better than coffee," he murmurs. "Jack!" he yelps as I slowly grind my lower body against his.
"Do you want to rephrase that?" 'Almost better than coffee' indeed!
Daniel smiles up at me, fully awake now and mischief twinkling in his eyes. "If I say no, I'll be in trouble, won't I?" His legs wrap around mine to hold me in place.
"Definitely." I think he's in trouble whatever he says, depending on what one classifies as trouble.
"Then I think..." he pauses as he reaches up to kiss me, "you'll have to convince me..."
**********
We manage to get to the mountain with time to spare. Daniel was in a playful mood this morning so it was a shame to have to come to work. Fortunately Hammond told us to take some time off today and not bother about coming in until he contacted us, which he did about forty-five minutes ago. That gave me plenty of time to play with my archaeologist.
People at work only get to see small glimpses of Daniel's playfulness but I get to see the whole thing, which is a delight to behold. I love indulging Daniel's inner child because I don't think anyone else has, and he trusts me enough to show it. The only other person who gets to see a large portion of it is Sam. The two of them tease each other like brother and sister, and I encourage this because it's good for Daniel. She indulges him too. I'm sure the general would too if he saw Daniel playing. What can I say - we're all pushovers for our archaeologist.
With every step into the SGC, I can see the playfulness disappear. He hates what Teal'c has become, as well as the fact that McKenzie's on the base. He told me last night he feels like the doctor is just waiting for him to start acting crazy again; another little insecurity that might not be true but then again, it might be.
"We'll get Teal'c back." We have to get him back.
Daniel doesn't say anything for a moment. "Do you believe McKenzie will be able to do it?"
To lie or not to lie... "Not really, no. But that doesn't mean it's not going to happen. We'll find a way." I have to believe it. "That's why we got Bra'tac here. Maybe he'll have some ideas."
"And if he doesn't?"
"Then we'll cross that bridge when we come to it." Daniel and I can do a great positive-negative act in situations like these, with Daniel usually providing the negative. "Are you going to come see Teal'c with me?"
Silence. I open the door to the locker room as Daniel takes his time to answer. Carter's not in here but her uniform is gone - well, one of them is anyway - so I assume she's already on the base somewhere.
"No." Daniel stops in the middle of the room and looks at me, hoping I won't push him into it.
"Okay." I start getting changed. Maybe the green uniform today.
"Really?" He's unsure of why I'm giving in so easily.
"Really."
"Good." He goes over to his corner and starts getting changed.
I wonder if Apophis really know how hard it would be for all of us to see Teal'c this way. Of course, Apophis wasn't expecting us to ever get home, let alone bring Teal'c with us, but all the same... I wonder if he knew.
Daniel and Sam haven't gone to see Teal'c at all. Both of them are finding this very hard, and because of that, I'm glad they've stayed away. I've watched him through the base cameras and through the glass in that observation lab - although he's been isolated for the last week - and it's disturbing to observe him. I haven't been able to understand the insults he's been throwing at people but the hate cuts deep. I trusted Teal'c with my life once. Now I could only trust him to take it.
After getting changed, we head up to the briefing room. Bra'tac is already there.
"Bra'tac! Am I glad to see you." I step forward, placing my hand on his arm in the ritual handshake.
"O'Neill. It is good to see you again." His grip is still firm and his gaze steadfast. "It is unfortunate that it is under these circumstances. Tell me, how is Teal'c?"
I look at the general. I haven't been updated yet today; Hammond didn't say much on the phone.
"Dr. McKenzie says that his sessions have appeared to work," the general states. Lovely man is our George but he carries the weight of the galaxy on his shoulders.
"Sir, not to be disrespectful or anything but are you sure McKenzie's not being overly optimistic?" Or is at all competent?
"No, I'm not sure, Colonel. But if you'd like to go down and judge for yourself..."
Bra'tac's hand on my arm prevents me from leaving. "By what method has your doctor rid Teal'c of his false beliefs?"
"By psychiatry," Carter explains. She sounds as enthusiastic about it as I feel. "By exposing what Apophis has done and getting Teal'c to see the truth."
"Through words?" Bra'tac sounds appalled. "This will not convince him. He will deceive you."
"Judge for yourself, Master Bra'tac," Hammond offers. "Accompany Colonel O'Neill to see him."
"I shall. But we shall need to take precautions."
Can't argue with him there. "No problem. Just what did you have in mind?"
When I walk into the holding cell a few minutes later, I'm surprised to see Teal'c smiling. Now if there's one thing that makes me suspicious, it's Teal'c smiling. Teal'c just doesn't do smiling, unless it's with his family from Chulak. So something's not right here. McKenzie doesn't seem to think there's anything wrong, which just goes to show you what kind of doctor he is.
"It is good to see you, O'Neill."
"You too." I'm not being insulted or cursed at the moment so that's good.
"You appear to be well." He's still smiling.
"Well... forget appearances. The back's gone, my knee's shot, forget the curling." Not, of course, that I mention any of this to Daniel. I feel old enough as it is. "You?"
"I am well again."
McKenzie's looking pretty smug over there. He clearly thinks that he's talked Teal'c out of the brainwashing. "So I hear. Welcome back."
Teal'c stands, still smiling. This is beginning to get on my nerves. "I once again pledge my allegiance. And ask your forgiveness for succumbing to the will of Apophis."
"Well, he did sorta have you over a barrel, you being dead and all."
"It was through the power of the sarcophagus that I was forced to again believe that Apophis was my god."
Sorta figured that out already. "Sarcophagi will do that."
Teal'c turns away from me to smile at McKenzie. This smiling is definitely giving me the creeps. "Dr. McKenzie has convinced me otherwise."
"You convinced yourself, Teal'c. All I did was shine a light on something you already knew."
Oy. That alone convinces me that Teal'c hasn't changed. "You know, just for fun..." Teal'c's gaze settles back on me. "I'd love to hear you say it out loud."
"That Apophis is a false god. That the Goa'uld are nothing more than parasites."
"Yeah, that stuff." Not convincing, Teal'c.
"I hope to one day restore your trust in me, O'Neill. And to return to your service, GeneralHammond."
The general doesn't look like he's buying this any more than I am. I turn to McKenzie. "What do you think?"
The idiot just raises his hand as if to says, 'you've seen the proof, make up your own mind'.
I turn back to Teal'c. Time to put Bra'tac's plan into action. "After you."
Our little procession marches through the corridors, with me staying next to Teal'c. His expression hasn't wavered. Does he really think he's fooling us?
"Hello, old friend." Bra'tac is exactly where he said he'd be.
"Master Bra'tac. It has been too long," Teal'c states as he clasps Bra'tac's arm. He has a point there; last we'd heard of Bra'tac, he'd been tortured to death by one of Heru-ur's men. Nice to know they were lying.
"So it has. Your friends of Earth took great pains in bringing me here." Yeah, finding him wasn't easy because Bra'tac was still in hiding.
Teal'c goes to move away but Bra'tac keeps a tight grip on his arm and looks deep into his eyes. Teal'c's smiling expression slowly fades under the scrutiny.
"He is deceiving you."
And with that, Teal'c bolts, fortunately going the direction we want him to. I can't see them but I know Carter and Daniel will be there. Neither of them were too keen on doing this but they agreed to it anyway.
As we get close, I hear Carter say, "Teal'c," and then our former teammate comes back around the corner to us. The hate in his expression is unbelievable. I hope McKenzie's proud of himself.
"Shol'va!" Teal'c snarls and starts towards Bra'tac before being zatted.
Bra'tac moves forward and crouches over Teal'c while the rest of us hang back. He's doing something I can't see and... "Ho! What are you doing?" He's taken Junior out - what an ugly guy - and is holding onto it. This can't be good.
"If Teal'c won't hear the truth in words, he must learn of it another way. This is the only way left to us."
Right, whatever. Isn't there anything a little less drastic than trying to kill him?
"Master Bra'tac, I think we need to talk," Hammond says after a few moments. He looks slightly disgusted too at the sight of Junior.
"Of course." He hands Junior over, with strict instructions, to Janet, who's just arrived on the scene, and starts to follow Hammond.
Daniel falls in next to me, with Carter behind. "What do you think he's doing?"
"You're the cultural expert, you tell me." I have no idea.
Daniel looks back at Carter, then back at me. "I don't know," he admitted. "But Bra'tac wouldn't do this if he didn't think it would help Teal'c."
True. But how is it going to help Teal'c?
-------------
SAM:
What am I going to say to Teal'c? I don't know what the colonel and Daniel found to talk about but between the two of them, I'm sure they found something. But I'm on my own here.
I haven't been as close to Teal'c recently as I have been in previous years. I got wrapped up in other things and didn't spend as much time with him as I should've. Some with Daniel. I put both of them aside to concentrate on the colonel without even being aware of it. Sure, we had a talk about our feelings way back when they were uncovered but that didn't stop me from hoping. And because of that, I stopped being a friend to both Daniel and Teal'c.
It was after the mission to Juna that I realised what I'd done. Seeing how close our other selves were, what they'd do for each other - I wondered when we had lost that. And all of them dying... that was enough to wake me up.
I also realised that the colonel was not going to return my feelings. The time the colonel had spent with me when the entity joined with me... it was because he cared about me but not in the way I originally thought. I saw his face when he found out the robot Daniel was dead. He quickly masked his expression but I saw the flash of fear. Fear that it was our Daniel that was dead, not the other one. And in that moment I knew why he'd never return my feelings. It was confirmed when he took Daniel off for a weekend of 'fishing', and both of them came back looking happier than I'd ever seen them.
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't hurt. It was supposed to be me that Jack loved, not Daniel. All the other universes proved it. But then again, neither of those universes had Daniel.
Not long after they got back, I had a long talk with Daniel and apologised for my behaviour. I didn't let on that I knew about them though; they wouldn't want me to be compromised if their secret ever gets out. Also, maybe they don't want me to be hurt. So I'll let them keep their secret. For now.
Now that I'm looking for it, I can see the little signs of their involvement that others would miss. The colonel's always reached out to touch Daniel, that's nothing new, but there's a new level of affection there. One has to look hard to see it but when you know what you're looking for, you can't miss it. And when one looks at how relaxed Daniel is within Jack's personal space, one knows that something is definitely going on.
So, to put it bluntly, I sucked up my hurt feelings and set about repairing my relationships with everyone. Only Janet knows how upset I am that Jack's not going to return my feelings. I didn't tell her why but I suspect she already knows.
Anyway, back to the matter at hand. What am I going to say? How about starting with what I'm thinking? "Look, I-I don't know how good I'm going to be at this. But, um, I guess the most important thing is to just to be there for you."
I'm a little startled when Teal'c opens his eyes and looks at me. "MajorCarter? How can you allow them to do this to me?"
"Teal'c..." What can I say to that?
"I have no wish to die, MajorCarter. You and DoctorFraiser could yet save me." He's gasping a little, his lungs not providing the air as readily as usual.
"You're not going to die."
"I am being murdered as we speak!"
"We're helping you." I hope. If this works.
"Help me escape... please..."
"Oh, god." I look away, then down. This is so hard. It's hard to see Teal'c suffer like this and not want to help him. Now I know a little of what Janet must be feeling at the moment. "Teal'c. We want you to remember."
"Do you believe in a god, MajorCarter?"
"This isn't about me," I quickly answer.
"How would it be if you were punished for loving your god as I love mine?" Ah, the sympathy vote.
A small smile escapes me. "It's not the same."
"I cannot help what I believe."
Yes, you can, especially if it's not what you truly believe. "You believe in freedom, Teal'c. You believe in justice. In protecting people from false gods. You despise everything Apophis was."
"He failed his god," Teal'c states, obviously changing the subject. "He failed... god..."
"Teal'c?" I think I've lost him to the memories again. I wish I knew what he was remembering. Or maybe not. Teal'c's life before he met us has remained largely a mystery, and I imagine that's because he doesn't want us to know what he used to do in Apophis's name.
I remain quiet as he remembers, occasionally wiping his forehead with a cloth. I'm aware when Jack enters the observation section but I don't spare more than a glance at him. Teal'c deserves my full attention at the moment. He won't appreciate it now but when we get him back, I know he'll be quietly glad that we were all there for him and didn't give up on him.
We need him back. I need him back. Without him, SG-1 won't be whole. And I'll be sure to tell him that as soon as possible.
-------------
DANIEL:
"Remember what I said about being circumspect when watching over your team?" I ask Jack as we lie entwined on the couch. This is what I love most about my relationship with Jack, just lying here being close to him. Feeling loved, wanted, safe... all those just because he's here.
"Yeah."
"It was just as well you had a chaperone last night, otherwise you and Teal'c would be the talk of the base," I manage to get out before Jack starts tickling me. "Jac-ack, stop it!"
He just grins at me and keeps up the tickling, his fingers skimming over all my ticklish spots.
"Jack!" I can hardly stop laughing to form the word.
"What?"
"Don't... don't do that!"
The tickling abruptly stops, Jack's left hand coming to rest gently on my bare stomach, the threat obvious. As I get my breathing back under control, Jack inquires, "Talk of the base?"
"Ummm..." What can I say that's not going to get me tickled? Maybe a change of topic. "Did you know Siler won the pool on which SG-1 member would come home injured from shifting the Tok'ra?"
"How do you know that?" Jack's curiosity is engaged.
"I heard one of the nurses comment when we were getting our physicals. Apparently he always bets on the long shot." I'm apparently odds-on favourite. Hmmm, I don't get injured that often.
"And you didn't tell me this then?" It's part of Jack's job to discourage betting on the base. He hasn't eliminated it yet; in fact, he's even placed a few bets from time to time.
"It wasn't important." We all had other things to worry about.
Jack looks thoughtfully at me. "What other pools do they have going on SG-1?"
I suspect he might already know some of them. "You know, the usual." Oops. I don't think I'm supposed to know about them. "I assume."
"Nice try, Danny. Tell me." He wiggles his fingers slightly.
"Don't play dumb, Jack. Nothing on base gets by you." This is so true; he knows more gossip than I do. I suppose that's part of being second-in-command of the base. And he's also very good at intelligence gathering.
"You did," he reminds me softly. "How did you manage it?" referring to keeping ny feelings a secret.
"Because I had to. I didn't want to lose you or my job, so I had to." He's never asked me this before.
"You did the right thing. I'm glad I finally did the right thing." He leans over and kisses me gently.
"Me too." Now for the bad news. "Uh, Jack?"
"Uh-huh." His lips progress to my throat.
"Uh..." Oh, that feels good. Right there. "I sort of invited Teal'c to stay here tomorrow night, a sort of welcome back party. Sam too."
Jack moves back and looks at me. "You what?"
"Well, I thought that, uh..." Words escape me as I look at Jack's expression. He's not mad, just, uh....
"Run, Daniel."
I don't need telling twice. I'm almost at the bedroom door by the time Jack catches up with me. He catches me in his arms, carries me over to the bed, and then drops me on it, landing on top of me and effectively pinning me to the bed. "And you didn't ask me first?" he asks in a dangerously soft voice.
Silence is my only defence. My only excuse is that I got caught up in the moment. I look up at him through my eyelashes, a technique that is guaranteed to melt his heart. "I'm sorry."
He growls and then kisses me thoroughly. "I hate it when you do that," he complains a minute later.
"No, you don't," I disagree. Jack loves it but only when it's directed at him.
"Okay, I love it," he gives in. "I never knew guys could get away with that till I met you."
I think that's a compliment.
"So is this a proper welcome back party with cake and everything, or just an SG-1 night out?"
"Um, SG-1 night out with cake." Teal'c, surprisingly, loves cake.
"Sweet. I'm in." He settles himself more comfortably beside me and his fingers start to gently move over my ribs. "So about these rumours..."
Not again....
