Two days later, Todd had been dragged into a conference room again. It was empty at first, but when someone finally arrived, he couldn't help but be surprised, as he did not recognize this person. He seemed smaller than he actually was. He was struggling with a pile of books covered in bookmarks and a larger pile of notes. He was dressed differently than those on Atlantis, similarly to Sheppard when he dressed casually.
"I do not know you," Todd said. He didn't know most people on Atlantis. He didn't care to. "I was—No, we've never met before," the stranger said, sitting down at the opposite end of the table. "My name's Dr. Daniel Jackson."
"One of your men threw me to the floor and held be down with his boot to force these on me." Todd said, holding up his cuffs as best he could. "Is there an actual point to dragging me here?"
"Uh, well, I'm here to negotiate," Daniel said. He found it very comforting that his optimism wasn't angering the wraith. Todd's skepticism hadn't changed through their short conversation, but at least things didn't seem to be getting worse. In truth, Daniel enjoyed this. Todd was a mystery he was going to crack and given the guards and the cuffs, as well as the fact that Todd was already smart enough to know his chances if he did escaped both of those, he wasn't in any danger. The worst Todd was going to steal was his pen, and those were free.
"I am uninterested," Todd said steadfastly. To him, he knew enough of how things worked around here. If they wanted to negotiate with him, they'd try serious attempts, not these pathetic excuses. If they wanted to force something, they preferred the method that took the least effort and resources that still got the job done. He wasn't going to put up with anything that wasn't serious, and he doubted they actually wanted to negotiate.
"We're trying something different this time," Daniel said. "First, Sheppard's not going to kill you, even if this ends up going nowhere. Second, I was picked because I was the least threatening."
"You were chosen over Doctor Rodney McKay?"
"He wasn't too upset about the decision," Daniel said happily. He was making slow progress. He'd managed to get the wraith to talk more than he had all week. "Plus, I'm an archeologist… I study cultures and we don't know much about yours."
"That sounds like a very good incentive to keep such knowledge to myself," Todd said.
"There has to be some way we can make a trade where we both get what we want." Daniel didn't like this anymore. Todd was speaking as if things were facts, not actually reacting to them. If he reacted to something, he could use that as a chink in his armor, or at least have someway to keep the conversation form hitting dead-ends.
"You've taken a good many things from me. The only offer I have heard is that you can prevent Shepperd from shooting me…and I doubt you can stop him from doing what he truly wants."
"That certainly complicates this situation," Daniel agreed.
"I believe I already am a complicated situation for you… and I've seen the way you handle complicated situations."
Daniel refused to believe this was a futile effort, but it was quite a while until he spoke again. Todd wasn't trying to rile him up, but he kept saying every sentence as if that was going to be the last thing said in the room and Daniel would just pack up and leave. It was as if Daniel being in the room were a problem and he were trying to solve it…which he might be. "So… do you have any hobbies?"
"I do not understand." He didn't. It was a fact, so it was stated as such.
"Things you do," Daniel said, hoping to explain.
"I tend to end up in someone's brig often."
"I mean what do you like to do?"
"I prefer not to be in your brig."
Daniel put his head in his hand and sighed. Then he realized Todd was still being serious. It was like asking which way a river went and being frustrated that the answer was 'down'. "Really? Because I might be able to pull some string—that might happen."
"Where would I be, then?" Todd asked with guarded curiosity.
"A nicer room, I guess," Daniel said. "Maybe something with stuff to do…probably a shower."
"What kind of information would this be worth to you?" Todd asked, only to confirm that this was yet another ploy to give him the worst of the deal, probably none.
"Stuff like…Do you have any legends, myths, stories? Uh… maybe where you got your tattoo."
"Why would such information be important to you?"
"Well, body art tends to be the most—"
"Art?" Todd interrupted. He'd heard the word often; he just never paid attention to it, like 'football' or 'Batman.'
The wraith may have just wanted to know what gibberish he thought he was being screwed over with, but Daniel wasn't going to let that keep him from trying. "Art… art…" he muttered, sifting through notes, tossing others away, shoving books haphazardly to the side until he found a book buried on the bottom of the pile, which was now all over the table. He handed the book to Todd. "Here, look at this."
Todd stared at the book.
"I mean look through it," Daniel said, understanding that it was caution, not a contemptuous joke Todd was acting upon.
Todd carefully placed the fingers of his left hand, one by one, over the book and slowly wrapped his thumb under it, all on the opposite side to Daniel's hand. Tentatively he slid it out of Daniel's grasp, which he found surprisingly easy (moving the book and opening it wasn't tough, thanks to the manacles). He'd never been given anything by a human in this way, and in fact, had never been allowed to touch things much. He'd been allowed to type in a lab, but he hadn't been allowed to adjust the computer or move his chair.
He opened the book to a random page. One page was covered in writing he couldn't understand. The other had strange and somewhat jumbled picture. In the center was a decorated, yet nearly naked man with four arms. Three of his arms held… things, one looked like a book. His last hand was in a strange position. The man sat on a small person. He was surrounded by other figures who watched him. The background was blank, save for a large circle behind the main figure, resembling a stargate. Within the circle were clouds and mountains and a large tree.
"That is Shiva, the destroyer and teacher," Daniel said. "Here he's burning away ignorance, leaving only knowledge."
"He is not real," Todd said, tracing a finger across he picture slowly.
"No, it's a representation," Daniel said. "He's a concept."
"I do not understand the purpose of such a picture," Todd said, still interested in the picture.
"There are some things words can't really describe sometimes," Daniel said. "And even if there were, it'd be easier to just go right to the basic senses. Aren't there things easier to tell each other with minds than talking to each other?"
"I do not believe there is any information you would want from me," Todd said, slamming the book shut. He wanted to study the picture more. Daniel's words were right about it and he did not know why, but the man already knew he was curious and that was dangerous. Atlantis wasn't a group that would offer something so enticing to the wraith, no matter what it was without a greater gain for themselves in return. "What is it you that you want me to agree to when you have enough force for a vivisection any time you felt like it."
Daniel didn't like the way he said that. It wasn't the word, it was that he was back to talk in merely stating grim facts. It was the way the world worked, some law of nature to him. John was going to shoot him, Atlantis could do what they wanted to him on a whim, and objects were pulled towards each other due to gravity.
"Dr. Keller has no idea what she could find and she wants to talk to you about what she does—"
"If you are not willing to answer my question, there was never any reason to drag me here," Todd said angrily.
"Sorry, I was trying to make this more pleasant," Daniel said. He winced and decided to get it over with. "Dr. Keller scanned you, but they weren't made for wraith, so she wants a much more extensive look to see if your cancer's gone or if anything else went wrong instead. It involves a blood sample, but she also wants to perform a lumbar puncture and a trephine biopsy and they're… very, very painful and you'll need to hold very still… and be awake."
"I do appreciate honesty when humans deign to give it," Todd said, staring at the book. "I have no information you would want. I do not even understand the ideas you ask about."
"I think you do," Daniel said. "And even if you don't, it'd be interesting to find out why."
"In all the time I have known those on Atlantis, they have always suspected it was I who was hiding information. I have never known them to make a serious proposal to improve my situation while in custody; why should I believe yours now?"
Daniel realized Todd had found an advantage over them. The wraith may not have been very pleased by it, but he was obviously holding onto what he had. He could sit and rot in the brig and suffer humans annoying him or he could sit and rot in the brig, be stabbed by large, sharp needles that resembled power tools, and also suffer humans annoying him. Once again, he had an ultimatum for them to do what he wanted or not bother him. The problem with his plan, however, was he wanted them to not bother him.
"What about a contract?" Daniel asked. "It'd be pretty easy to adjust the notes on the procedure into one. He'd still have to agree to what you want out of this." He wondered how a wraith would sign his name.
Todd was finally intrigued in the proposition. Sure, the best he'd probably get would resemble the brig on the Daedalus with little more than a sink, a place to sit, and more room, but it would be comfort of some sort. He never cared for the formalities humans went out of their way to express around each other and he'd grown used to being insulted while in the same room, but he missed the recognition of his help. There was little he wanted; what he bothered to listen to the humans on Atlantis talk about sounded boring and pointless. Still, being able to ask for something pointless and actually having the request considered was a significant gesture on their part.
If they actually agreed to such compromises, he might even get them to leave him alone. The only thing worse than rotting in a cell was rotting in a cell with someone annoying you. Then again, what little he'd been told by this Daniel Jackson was intriguing. Pointless probably, but it was something of interest and a person worth talking to—those tended to be rare, even when one could travel an entire galaxy looking for one.
Still, that was all to come later. If he was ever going to have a chance to talk to Daniel, he had to give Atlantis what they wanted first. He shoved the book back at Daniel. He shouldn't be wasting the human's time when he didn't want them waste his.
"You can keep that if you want," Daniel said. "I own three and that's an old edition."
Todd reached out slightly, then stopped, all the while eyeing the book carefully, as if it were about to bite him. The only thing free he'd ever received from humans were gunshots or various kinds and insults. He pulled his hands back. There was a catch to this.
Daniel was confused. All this time Todd had been waiting for honesty and something in return. He'd agreed to negotiate an offer where he would still be a prisoner just to have a few more things. Now he was given a free thing, a free thing he wanted, and he was refusing. "It's not part of the negotiations; it's free. I'll tell the guards once we leave that I let you have it."
"Rodney McKay told me once that there are 'bonds' between human siblings," Todd said. "If I wished, I could have used such information in a way you would find cruel. Can you promise not to use the knowledge you gain in a similar fashion?"
