Ancient Legacy chapter 14
They skipped the showers, though Jack stopped to get a fresh shirt, and headed for the briefing room. Major McKenna, Colonel Reynolds, and Dr. Brightman were already there. Noticeably absent were any members of the IOA and the Tok'ra.
Everyone took a seat with General Hammond sitting in his old spot at the head of the table.
"General O'Neill, for the purpose of this debriefing, I will remain in command. As soon as we are finished, I will officially return control to you."
"That's fine, sir."
"Why don't you begin by telling us what happened at the Tok'ra base?"
With a quick glance at Sam and Teal'c, Jack began his story.
When he finished, Sam gave her account. Teal'c, McKenna and Reynolds all added their viewpoints, including how they had detonated explosives in several key areas of Ba'al's palace.
"It looks like we've put a crimp in Ba'al's rebuilding plans," Hammond concluded.
"Unfortunately, he got away," Jack noted unhappily.
"We'll deal with him when the time comes," Hammond assured him. "Doctor Brightman, your report?"
Doctor Brightman gave her notes on the health of the team members, ending with Daniel. "He has numerous welts from those vines you spoke of, and he's a little dehydrated—we're taking care of that with IV fluids. But I can find no reason for him to still be unconscious. We're waiting on the results of the MRI—that should tell us something."
Jack looked across at Sam and then Teal'c. He knew they were all wondering the same thing. "What will it tell you?"
"We should be able to tell if there's damage anywhere, which areas are functioning properly and which are not."
Jack had a feeling it might show something else—something unexpected and something they wouldn't want made public. It looked like he was going to have to have a chat with Hammond after all.
The phone rang and Sam got up and answered it. When she hung up, she announced, "Daniel's showing signs of waking up."
"Sir—" Doctor Brightman began.
"Go ahead, doctor."
She excused herself and left the room.
"If that's all, people, we'll close the debriefing." Seeing no one had anything to add, Hammond continued, "Dismissed."
Sam and Teal'c hung back as McKenna and Reynolds left. "You go ahead and check on Daniel," Jack said. They both nodded their understanding and left Jack with General Hammond.
"Jack, I'm officially returning control of the SGC to you."
"Thank you, sir. Before you leave, I have one more thing that's rather urgent that I need to discuss with you."
Hammond gave him an assessing look, being familiar with Jack's propensity for leaving out certain details from briefings, before agreeing. "All right."
"Let's use my office," Jack said, leading the way.
~oOo~
Sam and Teal'c entered the infirmary and headed towards the bed that held their friend. A nurse was checking his vitals and smiled at them as she finished. "He's been a little restless—I think he'll be waking up soon." She left and Sam and Teal'c took up positions on either side of the bed.
Sam reached over and brushed the hair back from Daniel's forehead, taking care not to touch any of the welts. Daniel stirred, turning his head toward her touch.
"Hey, Daniel, it's Sam."
His brow wrinkled then relaxed again. Sam found herself visually following the paths the vines had taken across his face and neck. They had faded from red to a dark pink and were no longer raised and angry-looking as they had been earlier.
She looked up at Teal'c. "Do these welts look different to you?"
"They appear to be diminishing and I believe their color has lightened." He gazed back at her, unspoken thoughts passing between them.
Daniel mumbled something, bringing their attention back to him.
"We're here, Daniel," Sam soothed, taking his lax hand carefully in hers. She squeezed lightly and felt a gentle squeeze in return. "That's it, open your eyes."
At that moment, Jack, Hammond, and Doctor Brightman walked into the infirmary and approached the bed. Doctor Brightman looked slightly flustered, but sounded professional when she spoke. "We have the results of his MRI back and they look good." She gave Jack a quick glance before continuing. "Has he been awake, yet?"
"He's been moving around a bit and he mumbled something once," Sam reported.
Jack moved closer and leaned down. "Hey, Daniel, I've got a fresh mug of your favorite coffee here."
The forehead wrinkled again before eyelids began to blink. "Jack?" Daniel squinted, narrow slits of blue searching their surroundings.
"How'd you do that, sir?" Sam asked.
"Just gotta have the right motivation, Carter." He turned back to Daniel. "You with us now, Dannyboy?"
"Sam?"
"Right here, Daniel," she replied, keeping her hold on his hand.
"It is good to see you awake, Daniel Jackson."
"Teal'c?"
"I am here."
"Coffee?"
"Uh, sorry, maybe later, Daniel," Jack smiled, unrepentant. "Let Doctor Brightman check you out first."
Daniel's forehead creased even more but he didn't argue as Doctor Brightman moved in and did her own assessment, including a close examination of his welts. Upon finishing, she looked him in the eye. "How do you feel?"
"Well, uh, a little tired."
Jack snorted and gave Daniel a challenging look.
"Are the welts still causing you pain?" Doctor Brightman continued.
"Not really, they're—ow!"
Doctor Brightman looked at him apologetically as she removed her finger from his arm. "Sorry. They do look better." Once again she glanced at Jack before returning her attention to Daniel. "I think we'll keep you overnight just to make sure," she said.
"But I feel—"
"Daniel, listen to the doc," Jack interrupted.
"Since when did you start following the doctor's orders?" Daniel shot back.
"Aht! No arguments. You're lucky to be alive. One more day in here would be a good idea."
Daniel started to protest but stopped when he saw the look in Jack's eyes--no longer teasing, holding only the deep concern of a friend.
"Okay."
Teal'c's eyebrow rose sharply and he glanced at Sam, who simply shrugged. Still holding Daniel's hand, she leaned over and kissed an unblemished spot on his cheek. "Get some rest, Daniel, and we'll see you later."
He squeezed her hand in return before she pulled away. "Thanks, Sam."
Teal'c bowed and followed her out of the infirmary. General Hammond moved closer and smiled at Daniel. "It's good to have you back safely, son."
"Thank you, sir. It's good to see you again."
Hammond left and Jack sat down next to his friend. "You gave us another scare, Daniel, and I gotta tell ya, I'm gettin' too old for this."
"Sorry, Jack. This isn't exactly what I had planned, either."
"Yeah, well, if you ever ask to go off with the Tok'ra again, I'll kick your butt."
Daniel smiled but quickly sobered. "Anise—is she—"
"Not dead. They told me it was touch and go there for awhile, but the symbiote was able to heal her—them—with the help of the Tok'ra. She wants to come back and apologize when you're up to it."
Closing his eyes again, Daniel was relieved that Anise had not died. Even though she had tricked him into going off-world with her, she had tried to help him when their 'questioning' went too far. He was suddenly aware of how tired he still was. Apparently, so was Jack.
"Rest now, Daniel," Jack said. Daniel opened his eyes again and looked at his friend. "We'll talk more later. I think we have a few things to clear up."
Daniel searched his friend's face and realized he knew what 'things' Jack was referring to. Jack knew. Daniel wasn't looking forward to that conversation, but he tried not to show it. "Sure, Jack." He closed his eyes again, the sound of Jack's footsteps as he left the infirmary the last thing he heard.
~oOo~
Daniel sat at his desk, notebook open, a small stone statue covered with unusual script resting in front of him, waiting for him to unlock its secrets. But he wasn't focused on the statue—his mind churned with the events of the past few days.
Doctor Brightman had kept him most of the next day, releasing him in time for his three friends to herd him towards the commissary for a meal before escorting him back to his on-base quarters. The doctor had confined him to base for the next three days to 'ensure he recuperated properly'.
Jack had gotten an earful from the IOA and had given them the short version of what had happened before they, and Hammond, had left. The Tok'ra had left, too, taking the rebel scientists to face the judgment of the High Council.
So, here he was the next morning, sitting in his office, ready to work on his translation, only to find he couldn't concentrate on it. The images and feelings of what he'd experienced filled his mind instead. And he knew Jack would be coming to have that talk.
He closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind. It was almost like it was calling to him now, pulling him toward that calm center. As he relaxed into the sensation, he became aware of someone watching him. Opening his eyes, he looked towards the door—Jack was standing there, a curious look on his face.
"Hey, Jack."
"Daniel." Jack moved into the room, closing the door behind him. He stopped next to Daniel's desk, moving the ever-present coffee mug to the far corner before perching on the edge. "Whatcha workin' on?"
"A translation of this statue SG-16 found on P8E-04X," he explained, pointing to the figure in front of him. "It looks like it might be related to—" He stopped and looked up at Jack who had his lips pursed. "But you didn't come here to talk about that, did you?"
"No, I didn't." Jack tilted his head slightly as he stared at Daniel. "I wanna talk about what happened to you, Daniel; about what you did."
Daniel flicked his eyes up to the security camera in the corner.
"It's offline temporarily. Carter's working on it."
Daniel looked back at him and saw the slight smile on his face, and offered his own in return.
"I know what happened, I just don't know how," Jack continued, back on the original topic.
"I'm not sure myself," Daniel replied quietly, looking down at his hands.
"Could you do it again?" Jack gently pressed.
"I . . . I don't know. I'm not sure I want to try."
"You saved my life, you know, by healing my injuries."
"That's what pulled me back. I knew you needed my help." Daniel looked up again and held Jack's gaze.
"Thank you, Daniel." Jack stood up, staying close to the desk. "This is one time I'm not going to press you." He placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Carter, Teal'c and I won't say a word. Hammond is gonna keep an ear to the ground in DC and let us know if he hears anything. And Doctor Brightman intercepted your MRI before anyone else had a chance to look at it. Good thing, too, because it sounds like it was a bit unusual. I'm pretty sure it's managed to get misfiled, though, so I doubt if anyone will ever see it."
Now it was Daniel's turn to be grateful. Jack, Sam, Teal'c, Hammond, and even Doctor Brightman, had all gone out of their way to protect him, even though they were risking their jobs by doing so. "Thanks, Jack."
"You know, that kind of power can be a scary thing, Daniel. It's also very tempting as we both know. If anyone digs deep enough and figures it out, we might have to deal with this again. But you know we'll do everything in our power to protect you."
Daniel was moved beyond words, but managed to choke out, "I know."
"And to that end, I have a couple more things to tell you. First, I've been offered the job of Head of Homeworld Security—and I've accepted."
"What? But—"
"Hammond's going to be an advisor to the President. He asked for me personally as his replacement."
"Really?"
"Gee, don't act so surprised, Daniel."
"No, no, it's just—wow! That's a big move, Jack."
"Yes, it is. But there's more. You remember that request you put in to go to Atlantis? I approved it. You leave in two weeks."
Daniel sat with his mouth hanging open, unable to believe what he'd just heard.
"Well, that's a first," Jack said.
"Uh . . . huh?"
"Daniel Jackson, speechless."
"I . . . I don't know what to say, Jack. This is what I've wanted for so long—what I've worked for. Thank you." He stood up and Jack grabbed him by the shoulders, pulling him into a hug.
"You deserve it, Daniel," Jack said, slapping his friend on the back before pulling away, hands still grasping Daniel's shoulders. "It's a good time for you to get away. Just remember, if you need help with this, you know where to find me."
"I know," Daniel replied.
Jack took hold of Daniel's hand and turned it over, revealing the fading pink lines across it. "This could come in handy someday, if you ever figure out how to do it again."
"I know," Daniel repeated.
"I'll leave you to your packing them," Jack said, moving toward the door. "Don't forget, Carter and Teal'c are expecting us in the commissary at 1800 sharp."
"I'll be there."
~oOo~
Jack strolled down the corridor, spirits lifted. Sending Daniel to Atlantis would be the best thing for him right now. Out of reach of the IOA, the Tok'ra, and the Goa'uld. Jack could rest easy knowing in a few short weeks Daniel would be on his way to Atlantis. Surely he would be safe tucked away in the city of the Ancients. And surely even Daniel couldn't find trouble on base in the next two weeks.
~oOo~
Atlantis! Daniel couldn't believe he was finally going. And now, he had another reason for wanting to explore the city of the Ancients. He knew his friends would do anything to protect him, but now he had to protect them. No one would know, not even Jack.
He looked up at the camera—no red light meant it was still offline. His gaze then settled on the mug Jack had moved to the far corner of his desk, and he reached out his hand towards it.
The mug slid smoothly across the surface of the desk, gently nestling itself in his open palm.
Finis