"Do you remember the last time we were here?" she let the question float over to him.
The room was dark and silent. They were on opposite sides of the room, trying their best to avoid each other. The last time they'd been here things had not exactly gone to plan.
Daniel winced. "I'm sorry Vala," he responded. "I didn't mean to get us into this." How could he have let this happen?
She shrugged. "You couldn't help it." She shivered in her little corner. She felt cold, seething with cold. She knew Daniel was probably feeling just as miserable. She felt glad that he was suffering too. She was trying to keep her head clear. She was trying not to blame him.
Vala glared over and Daniel and then lowered her eyes. "I just wish…" she didn't know what she wished. Things weren't easy here. Things were getting complicated and fast. Some part of her wanted to go home and forget everything. The other part knew she had to push through this because the galaxy was at stake.
They'd been off world for at least three days now, though Vala was having trouble keeping tack. Running into the storm had only made things worse. The villagers had been nice enough. They had given them dry clothes and somewhere to sleep. Daniel had been smart enough to check in before things got out of hand. He'd told Landry they wouldn't check in for a few days. Vala had heard him mutter something about 'not worrying'.
She sure has hell was worried now. There was something about this planet that made you go crazy. There was something that made you go mad as soon as you walked through the gate. Despite the dangers, which they had experienced first hand, Vala and Daniel had returned a second time.
Doctor Lam thought she had found a way to counteract the effects of the madness. The cure however hadn't particularly pleased Daniel. She'd given them shots telling Daniel with a grim looking smile, "And as a last resort…"
"I know… I know…." Daniel had muttered and walked away.
Now staring at Vala he couldn't believe he was considering it.
"This is different then last time," Vala told him slowly. She rubbed her head and lowered herself along the wall. She curled up and rested her head on her knees. "My head feels fuzzy."
Daniel sat down in his half of the room. "Yeah," Daniel muttered. "Dr. Lam said that could be a side-effect." He rubbed the back his head. This was more complicated then last time. He could make it work this time. All it would take was… sacrifice. "We just have to concentrate on finding the artifact."
"Right!" Vala said, head still on her knees she raised a pointed finger. "What artifact was that again?"
"Vala," Daniel sighed. He tried to shake away his irritation, not knowing where it would lead.
She smiled to herself. "I'm sorry. Very hard to concentrate." She rubbed her eyes lightly. Fuzzy didn't even begin to explain the feeling of her pounding headache. "Maybe we should stop talking."
Daniel just nodded. His mind started to wander. He thought about sweat. The heat in his body was growing. His head was pounding. He felt an urge to throw Vala against the wall and…
"Maybe not," Daniel said suddenly. He got up and started pacing. "Maybe we should just go talk to the villagers. See if any of them can help us."
Vala looked up at him and laughed. "Talk to the villagers?"
"Right," Daniel said shaking his head. "Bad idea."
The last time they were here they'd found the villagers quite immune to the effects of the madness. While the villagers had spoken coherently and had given very direct instructions, Vala and Daniel on the other hand…
"I'm surprised they even let us back," Vala said trying her best not to move. She was thinking about pounding Daniel's head into the back of the…. "I don't think Dr. Lam's medication worked." She put her head back down and closed her eyes. Maybe if she got some sleep.
Daniel knew it wasn't totally true. Dr. Lam's antidote had kept them together and lucid for the past three days. The last time they'd barely lasted three hours.
There were still a few things not quite clear to Daniel. If the villagers knew the dangers of the madness why did they insist on putting Vala and him in the same room? It seemed clear to him that isolation was the best option. Daniel kept pacing pulling at his hair.
He hadn't exactly had time to observe the culture on this planet. Maybe they had some kind of ritual that suppressed the madness? Daniel shook his head. He so didn't want to speculate on that kind of ritual. He had noticed however that the cultural inhibitions against physical contact were rather… loose. Almost everywhere they had gone, people had been kissing or rather groping each other.
Vala had made some remarks about experiencing local culture. Daniel had rolled his eyes. Now he was starting to think there was more to it.
Then Daniel had an epiphany. They hadn't seen any children? The youngest person they had seen couldn't have been under then 13. Was there something to that? Was there an antidote for the children, that didn't involve… Daniel's mind trailed off. Could he do it if he had to? Could he help Vala and give her what she needed? He had thought of it as a last resort but there was more at stake here then his personal feelings about… He shook his head and tried to remember what was so important. Where were all the children?
"Vala!" Daniel shouted with a hint of excitement. "Where are all the children?"
Vala looked up at him. She shrugged. "School. Camp." She stared at him and in all seriousness said, "Maybe they were all grounded."
He took a few steps towards her. "I'm serious!" he shouted at her with anger. Vala didn't move. She knew if she did, this trip would be over very quickly. Daniel heaved a heavy breath, and turned away from her. There was a long silence, neither one of them moved.
"I'm sorry," Daniel whispered after a long while.
"Why does it matter?" Vala asked, actually concerned.
Daniel shook his head. "I don't know." Why was it important? Where had all the children gone? Did the madness start at birth? Did they grow out of it? Did the villagers know what was going on? "I think we have to figure it out."
Vala sighed. She didn't want to provoke him but she had to make her point. "We're here to find the artifact. Why are the children important at all?"
Daniel sighed. He could feel the rage simmering to the surface. "Vala if we don't figure out how to get over this," he muttered out loud, trying to keep his voice even, "I'm going to kill you!"
Vala grunted. Daniel always said the nicest things sometimes. This time however she knew he was serious. She knew he was serious because she wanted to kill him too. Somehow the feeling made her feel closer to him. They were always bonding in the oddest of ways.
"You're the one who lost the antidote," she grunted towards him. It wasn't really the fairest thing to say. They'd arrived at the third village, wet, cold and having lost all their gear and weapons. Daniel had been carrying the antidote, to be administered every twelve hours. Having gone now almost 16 hours without the antidote Daniel and Vala were having a few issues.
Daniel took deep breaths. He had to keep control. He didn't want to go through what they'd been through last time. Being dragged back to the SGC, having to be put in isolation and having acted in a manner that could be called 'out of character', had done nothing for his pride let alone his sanity. Wanting to rip out Vala's throat had been a feeling that troubled him more then slightly. The feeling that was resurfacing now was one very similar, though perhaps darker. He didn't so much want to kill Vala, as much as he wanted to hurt her.
"Just get some sleep," Daniel muttered angrily. He was angrier with himself then with her. He knew she was probably worse off then he was, seeing as he had a 'last resort' option. "I'll keep watch."
Vala crept slowly onto the bed and curled into a ball. "Promise not to kill me?"
Daniel shrugged his shoulders. "I'll do my best."
That seemed enough for Vala, within moments she was softly snoring.