Merlin Lied (Working Title)
Summary: This is my version of the end of season 10, following The Shroud, I just think Daniel got off far too easily. EG
Chapter One
Merlin lied. It wasn't his fault not really, the old man had been freezer burned and his consciousness had no conscience, and so he'd lied and told Daniel that in the end he would be the same again. But Merlin lied, oh, the memories were gone, and the Prior stuff was gone, and Daniel looked like Daniel once again; The problem was, after four months as a prisoner of the Ori, of Adria herself, well, Daniel didn't feel like Daniel, or at least not the same Daniel, anymore. The fact remained, that Merlin lied to reach his goal, to achieve 'his plan' and now once again it was up to Daniel to deal with the leftovers.
Leftovers that included physical and psychological torture, systematic and continuous brainwashing, and gene manipulation; there, it was that last one that had him worried, the others he'd seen before, either directly or through others, that last one though about the genes, it's not like they're rubber bands that snap back into shape, and Merlin knew that and so he lied.
Sleep was impossible, if he did doze off his memories would attack him in his dreams, holding them at bay was less of a battle when he was conscious; on the bright side, he was getting so much work done! It was amazing, like everything he'd ever known was right there in his mind ready to be accessed, and if he needed a book whichever one it was, was right there on his desk before he even knew he needed it. He didn't question it, he had finally hit a 'zone' and he couldn't tempt fate just because it was a little weird; he was getting so much done! He cleared eight months of backlog in three weeks, finished projects that had been stalled for years, and suddenly he just knew how to break the translations, he knew how to crack the codes; he was on fire, and he knew it couldn't last.
"Daniel?" He could have sworn he locked that door. "Daniel, can you hear me?"
Was that a trick question? Of course he could hear her, she was right there talking to him Vala was always interrupting him with her silliness, but he didn't want to talk to her, she wasn't important.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Had he spoken aloud? He was trying to work this out, he couldn't concentrate. She had to leave. Distantly he noted that the door had opened and closed again and Vala was gone. He looked over at the panel and was satisfied to see that the door was now locked.
Cameron Mitchell had been a part of SG-1 for almost two years now, he'd seen quite a bit, both off-world and on, but he had to admit when Vala came flying out of Jackson's office and smacked into the wall he hadn't seen it coming.
"What the hell?" he said as he came on the dazed woman. "What just happened?"
"I don't know." said Vala standing up, "One minute I was visiting Daniel hoping to pry him away from his work for the first time in I don't know how long, and the next I'm flying across the room with the door slamming shut behind me." Vala cricked her neck and felt the back of her head. "Ow!" she said. Cam tried to open the door to Daniel's office, but the card kept reading locked.
"That's weird." He glanced back at Vala who still looked a little put out. "Come on, let's get your head checked and then we'll see why Sunshine won't come out to play."
Hank hung up the phone with the infirmary, and then picked it up again to order a security team to Daniel's office.
"Why are you ordering security to Daniel's office?" Landry looked up and saw who had just come into his office.
"Jack! What brings you here?"
"I had a feeling, and now I think I really need to know what's going on."
"I wish I knew, Vala just reported to the infirmary with a mild concussion, she says that she was thrown out of Daniel's office by an unseen force."
"What does Daniel say?"
"Nothing, no one can get in there to ask him what happened, he's not answering the phone, and the security camera went out a little bit after Vala went in there."
"How long ago was that?"
"About three hours."
"Carter and Teal'c?"
"Colonel Carter went to San Diego, and Teal'c had a meeting with the Jaffa High Council. They've both been gone about a week."
"Which is probably the last time someone checked on Daniel." said Jack, his expression grim.
"He is a grown man Jack."
"He is Daniel Jackson Hank. Didn't you get that memo on the care and feeding of traumatized archeologists?
"Traumatized? Hardly, he's been fine."
"Fine, huh? Would you be fine after being captured for four months, having god knows what happen to your mind and body? When was the last time you heard anything from him except to receive a pile of folders of completed projects?" Hank pointed to a couple of crates in the corner. "That's all from Daniel? Over how long?" Jack picked up one of the folders .
"About three weeks' worth," Hank winced.
"Three weeks! There must be fifty projects here! Damn-it, I have to get down there, he's probably worked himself half into a coma by now!" Jack threw down the file and sped out of the room.
"Jack wait, we don't know what's going on down there, he's locked himself in, Vala says she felt an invisible force knock her back."
"So he's in trouble as well as being neglected."
"Neglected, Jack?"
"Call the front gate; I'll bet he's not signed out since our little jaunt to the Super-gate." Jack stopped. "Wait that's it, that's what's wrong." He broke into a run to the end of the hall and punched the button for the elevator.
"Jack?" asked Hank as he caught up.
"Merlin lied." said Jack as he stepped on the elevator car.
NB: So you guys want more:-D