A/N: Merry Christmas, everyone!

Yes, I'm back. I actually intended to post this chapter yesterday, but... well, it was Christmas Eve. But here I am today, still trying to digest yesterday's dinner and updating this story. Enjoy Chapter 14!

Atlantis conference room

Atlantis, the Ark

1131 hrs. August 8, 2013

For the second time in less than a week, Daniel had just finished reading the IsoDidact's record to a captive audience—except that this time, his audience was comprised of more than just SG-1. Sitting around Woolsey's 12-foot long mahogany table were Woolsey himself at the head; to his right, General O'Neill, Colonels Carter and Mitchell, and Doctor Jackson; and to his left, Sheppard, Major Sullivan, Commander Palmer, and Captain Lasky. Blue Team was standing guard behind the small UNSC party.

Introductions had already been made three hours ago, just before Daniel began sharing his findings. Needless to say, after he'd finished, everyone remained speechless for a while, until General O'Neill finally broke the silence. "So, not cute and furry?"

Both Daniel and Sam smiled apologetically and shook their heads, while the three sitting guests exchanged wondering looks. Sheppard lowered his head and grinned at this. Truth be told, he had always believed the same thing about the Furlings, but to hear the disappointment in the good old General's voice was just priceless.

He could still remember when O'Neill… "talked him" into joining the Atlantis expedition as clearly as he was just recalling the conversation they'd had less than an hour ago when he was beamed down to the Ancient city.

"Sir, what is the Atlantis doing out here?" Sheppard asked. "I thought the IOA was not willing to let the city leave Earth anymore."

"Oh, you know those IOA," General O'Neill replied. "They love to wait until it's really hit the fan to do something."

"No, sir. Usually not even then."

"Right. Well, it helped that someone made a pretty strong case for taking Atlantis back to Pegasus. I just… helped them realize that."

"Yes, sir," Sheppard said, smiling. Of course, O'Neill was talking about the argument Sheppard had had with the IOA just prior to taking temporary command of the Odyssey and leaving Earth along with the Daedalus to provide support to Colonel Carter and SG-1 in case they found whatever had caused the Wraith to change—for lack of a better word—in the Andromeda Galaxy. He had tried to convince them that Atlantis needed to go back to Pegasus, claiming that the millions of humans back there would need to know that they had not been left alone—that the "Atlanteans" would still be there for them now that the Wraith were back. When he'd walked out of the room, he couldn't shake the feeling that his words had fallen into deaf ears.

Except they hadn't, apparently.

"It's a good thing you showed up when you did, sir, or the outcome of this battle would have been very different," Sheppard said, also knowing that such a thing would not have been possible without the coordinates Carter had managed to extrapolate from the data collected at the Wraith homeworld just a few days ago.

"Call it a hunch, but I thought you guys would need some additional help," O'Neill replied. "Plus, I wanted to let you know Atlantis was going back to where it belonged. What better way to do so than to fly it all the way here?"

Once again, Sheppard smiled.

The sound of a wheeled chair being pushed aside brought Sheppard back to the now. Woolsey stood, straightened his suit, and cleared his throat. The IOA had already been informed about the current situation, and General O'Neill had told Sheppard that they had appointed Woolsey as Earth's representative for the talks that should follow, in the hopes than an alliance could be forged with the UNSC. John wondered what it had to feel like to speak on behalf of the people of Earth before people from… well, Earth.

"While this is not the first time I've represented… our world before the leadership of other human planets," Woolsey began, "I believe what we've just heard changes everything. It's obvious we have more in common that we first thought, even if it's only because of our past—or rather, the past of these ancient races. But even if it weren't so, the reality is that we've met, so now it is up to us to find something in common between us." He paused. "I know our people and yours may have had a rough first contact, but now it's time to put that behind us and start looking forward to our future.

"I believe there is much we can achieve together and share with one another. We can learn a lot from you, just as much as you can learn from us. I hope you may come to see us as friends and allies, and personally, I look forward to the great many things we can accomplish."

Woolsey stood there for a moment before reaching for his chair and sitting down again. Then, after a short moment of silence, Captain Lasky spoke. "I must admit that, under any other circumstances, I'd be questioning the true intentions behind such a proposal." He paused before continuing. "However, there is no denying the fact that you did save us from certain death just a while ago. You helped us recover our crew from the Ark's surface after their lifeboats landed and took them back to Infinity using your beaming technology. You've shared with us something you could've kept for yourselves. Even now, you're offering us your friendship and support, and so far, you haven't even asked for anything in return."

"Don't mention it," Mitchell said. "It's the least we can do after we almost screwed up by siding with Halsey."

"You had no way of knowing," Lasky said. "She's managed to deceive a lot of people, you know."

"Still, I'm just glad she decided to show her true colors when she did," Mitchell said.

"It would've happened sooner or later, anyway," Palmer replied.

At this point, Sheppard caught a glimpse of the Spartans from the corner of his eye. Despite the fact that they remained like statues, he could tell from the slightest body language that this conversation was making at least one of them uneasy. He couldn't help but wonder why.

Atlantis conference room

Atlantis, the Ark

1836 hrs. October 8, 2558 (Military Calendar)

John was trying with all his being to remain as detached as possible from this conversation, but with so many people talking about Dr. Halsey like this, he was finding it increasingly difficult to do so.

Learning about his mother's actions and defection had been a terrible blow to him and the rest of Blue Team. Fred, Kelly, and Linda had been searching for her for four years, ever since their rescue from Onyx. By the time John had been reunited with them and joined them in their search, they had already tried to contact her through every possible channel. It was as if she had vanished into thin air.

Then, just a few days ago…

While he knew what Halsey had done, he still couldn't understand it. And he definitely still couldn't accept it. Thus, he couldn't accept all these comments. He found himself in the middle of a conflict, his heart telling him to break protocol and raise his voice to defend her, and his mind keeping him at bay, locking him into a standing upright position.

"Oh, stop it already," he heard Dr. Jackson say in a whisper, right after Palmer's sentence.

"Daniel, not now," Colonel Mitchell replied in the same tone.

"Yes, now, and if you don't like it, you shouldn't have brought it up," Dr. Jackson insisted.

"Daniel?" General O'Neill broke in.

"Jack?" Dr. Jackson replied.

"Is there a problem?"

"Yes, there is."

"Well," General O'Neill said, obviously not expecting that answer, "I'm sure it can wait until we're done here, right?"

"No," Dr. Jackson answered firmly.

"'No'?"

"No. I've had enough of this—of the way everyone talks about Halsey like she were some kind of demon or monster."

Everyone looked to Dr. Jackson in surprise, John himself included. Several moments of awkward silence passed before General O'Neill said, "You know, if we were back home, I'd be looking for a scar in the back of your head or inside your mouth, but obviously there are no Goa'uld in this galaxy, so I must ask. You sure everything's alright up there?"

"Subtle, Jack. Thanks, but I'm fine."

"Fine? From what I understand, that woman took one of our battlecruisers by force and used it to attack another ship—a human ship—, not to mention she took you hostage and even threatened to kill you, yet here you are defending her. Forgive me if I don't take your word for it."

Dr. Jackson jerked his head backwards and huffed. John had seen civilians defying military personnel before, but the way this man talked to a General—on a first-name basis and with such familiarity—was like nothing he'd seen before.

"Look, Dr. Jackson," Palmer said. "I've already apologized to you for the way I treated you, but what I said before about Catherine Halsey is true, and I hope you come to understand it. You don't know her like we do."

"Oh, I agree," he replied with an amused tone.

"Daniel, don't," Colonel Mitchell warned in a whisper.

"This branch of your Navy where Halsey used to work—this Office of Naval Intelligence," Dr. Jackson continued, ignoring the Colonel. "From what she told me, they've been doing a lot of things to which the terms 'top secret' and 'highly classified' can be applied. I don't think they'd just share all that stuff with anyone, not even their own Naval officers, but surely they debriefed you on everything she used to do there, right? Otherwise, why would you hate her so much? Unless they only told you what they wanted to make her look bad while they remained clean—"

"Jackson, you're way out of line now," Mitchell said with his voice raised.

"Oh, we're back to last names again?" Dr. Jackson said angrily, standing up and sending his chair flying back against the wall. "Well, I don't care, because regardless of what you've been told, she is just doing what she's doing because she'd had no other choice. Her own kind abandoned her when she needed them most. Hell, her own kind sent someone to kill her rather than save her!" He slammed a fist into the table. "She found no other choice but to seek refuge with the enemy, and now they're after her, too. She's alone! How can she trust anyone? Especially you people!"

"Daniel, shut up and sit down!" General O'Neill ordered. Dr. Jackson immediately turned to see him with an almost mad look before taking his chair and pushing it against the table. He started to walk away from the conference room, and on his way out, he turned to see John and the other Spartans, pity etched on his face, like he knew about Halsey's relationship with them. The wall behind Mr. Woolsey parted, allowing Dr. Jackson to leave.

"Oh, for crying out loud," the General said and stood to follow him. "Daniel!" he cried out after him. Colonel Mitchell also stood and left the room in a hurry, while everyone else in the room looked at each other with a bemused look.

John took a moment to ponder on the man's words. Unknowingly, Dr. Jackson had just answered the question that had been nagging him all this time.

Gate room

Atlantis, the Ark

1142 hrs. August 8, 2013

By the time Cam had stepped outside the conference room, Daniel was already walking down one of the corridors of the Gate room, probably heading for the nearest transporter, with General O'Neill trailing behind him. He ran to catch up to both of them. True enough, when he finally did, Daniel and O'Neill were right in front of one of the city's transporters.

"Daniel, what the hell was all that?" O'Neill was asking Daniel. "Am I looking at the biggest case ever of Helsinki syndrome?"

"Stockholm," Daniel replied.

"Whatever."

"Seriously, Jack? You've known me for, what, over 15 years, and you're seriously asking me that?"

"That's the thing, Daniel. I think I already know the answer, but I need to hear you say it out loud. Why are you defending that woman?"

"Because she's not a monster. And it's not Stockholm syndrome at all. I had already sympathized with her situation by the time she took us hostage."

"Why?" O'Neill asked, frowning.

"Because she was sincere. For the most part."

"How can you possibly know that?" Mitchell asked unbelievingly.

"I just—I know," Daniel replied. "Jack, you know I have a thing, a sense for people like her, people who may not be doing the nicest things but who wish to do right. Vala? Jonas? Ke'ra?"

"That would be Linea," Mitchell said.

"No, that would have been Linea had it not been for me. Remember, Jack? Remember who convinced Ke'ra to leave her past behind?"

"That was something different," O'Neill said, but his voice didn't sound so convinced.

"No, it isn't," Daniel remarked.

None of them spoke for a while. This was a delicate situation, one Mitchell would've never expected.

"Daniel," O'Neill finally said, "listen to me. You give me solid arguments, I'll back you up on this." This made Cam flinch while the General continued. "But right now, you need to suck it up. Despite the advancements we've made in the last two decades, we still need allies—"

"And any technology they can give us," Daniel said, rolling his eyes.

"Yes, Daniel," Jack stated, "and especially now. It's already been three years since Destiny made its three-year long jump between galaxies, which means our people there will wake up and contact us anytime soon, and when that time comes, I want to be able to tell them that help will be on its way soon. So far, aside from Langara, we haven't found any other Icarus-like planets, and the Langaran government is still unwilling to help us. Now, you've seen this place? From what Carter has told me, it might be entirely possible to dial Destiny from here without any danger, but she can't say for sure until she's granted access to any information about this installation or to the installation itself."

"And for that, we need to be friends with the people who control this place," Daniel concluded, obviously understanding O'Neill's words. But he wouldn't go down without a fight. He was just that annoyingly stubborn. "What if it had been the Covenant or Halsey herself instead of the UNSC?" he asked.

"Just play along, Daniel," O'Neill said, ignoring the question. "There are lives at stake here."

"At least we're agreeing on something," Daniel said and waved his hand over the door panel. The doors opened and he walked inside. "Don't worry about me," he said with a sad voice, touching the control panel. "I won't bother you anymore." The doors closed, and a humming noise let Cam know Daniel had left. He shook his head and started walking back to the conference room.

Atlantis conference room

Atlantis, the Ark

1844 hrs. October 8, 2558 (Military Calendar)

"I apologize for what just happened," General O'Neill said as he and Colonel Mitchell sat down.

"There's no need, General," Lasky replied. He tried to push his thoughts aside for a moment and managed to speak again. "Despite our… differences, I do believe an alliance between us would be of great benefit for everyone. However, I'm not qualified nor do I have the authority to make such a call. I would love to take this back to my superiors for them to consider, but I'm afraid Infinity won't fly, and until our Engineers are able to fix our outer bulkhead control systems, we can't release a single Frigate, so for the moment, we're not going anywhere."

"That's not quite true," Colonel Mitchell said. "If you need to go back to… your Earth, I can take you there. My ship is at your disposal."

"Oh, no," Lasky replied. "There´s no way I could ask you to—"

"Captain, you're not asking, I'm volunteering," Mitchell said. "Besides, I'm kinda curious about your Earth."

"Me too," General O'Neill said. "In fact, I'd like to tag along, Colonel Mitchell," he added, looking at him with a 'I-haven't-authorized-this-yet' look.

"Of course, sir," Mitchell said, lowering his head.

"Daedalus and Hammond can stay behind to watch over your ship and crew," O'Neill continued. "Anytime you want to leave, anyone you want to take, just let us know."

"Then it is settled," Woolsey concluded, standing up. "Captain Lasky, it's been a pleasure," he said, holding out his hand.

"The pleasure's been mine," Lasky said, standing as well to walk towards the man and shake his hand. Everyone cleared the room without another word.

The two guards outside were waiting for him and his entourage, the same one who had guided them from the landing pad to an elevator—if it could be called that. They would guide them back now. He started to follow them in silence, his mind too busy to let him talk. But it wasn't the notion of an alliance what had him so thoughtful.

He would not admit it openly, but Dr. Jackson's words had actually managed to shake him more than he would've liked, bringing back a sense of guilt and regret over what had happened with Dr. Halsey—and a very big doubt he'd tried to bury deep. The man had made the right question, one Lasky had not been willing to answer.

How much had ONI disclosed about Halsey?

"What's on your mind, Tom?" Palmer asked, walking up to his side, once they reached the landing pad.

"I can't shake Dr. Jackson's words," Lasky replied. "He's right, you know?"

"We were following orders," Palmer said. "That's our job."

"Is that what we keep telling ourselves to ignore what we know, deep inside of our minds, to be true?"

"Tom," Palmer whispered, "this is not the time to start thinking about what may or may not be true. We need to focus on the matter at hand. These people? They're nothing short of a miracle, one we desperately needed."

"I thought you didn't believe in miracles."

"After what I've been seeing these last few days?" she replied with a smile. "Look, imagine if we had that kind of technology. Transporting troops and supplies from ship to ground and vice versa in a blink of an eye? Vastly superior shields and camo systems that surpass those found on ONI Prowlers? Weaponry that makes Covie plasma tech look like squirt guns?"

"Greatly improved fleets," Lasky said, feeling carried away by the thought. "We could've used that a couple of decades back."

"We can use it now. We're still at war, after all."

And that's what you need to think about right now. That was what Sarah was trying to tell him. First things first. "You're right, Sarah," Lasky said. There would be a time to think about Halsey—and ONI. "Thank you."

She nodded and fell behind him again. He stepped into the Pelican, took a seat near the back, and closed his eyes.

But despite his best effort, he still couldn't forget…

Janus' lab

Atlantis, the Ark

0918 hrs. August 9, 2013

What am I supposed to do? Daniel asked to whoever would listen as he sat in front of the lab's main screen, staring blankly at the ceiling. He could understand why Janus chose to work here, besides the obvious reasons. Something about this place was quite soothing.

He heard footsteps behind him. Heavy footsteps. "I'm sorry, Teal'c, I'm not really in a mood to talk," he said, guessing it would be his Jaffa friend. Getting no reply and hearing no other sound, he turned to see if he hadn't imagined it.

He hadn't. Standing in the middle of the room, there was a man in military uniform—a tall, pale man, almost albino white in fact, with piercing blue eyes and short hair, close cropped to a skin head. The way he looked down on him immediately unnerved him. "Can I help you, sir?" Daniel asked him.

The man took a step forward, edged closer… and much to Daniel's surprise, said, "Thank you, Dr. Jackson."

"For what?" he asked, slightly taken aback by these words.

"For defending my mother the way you did."

"Your moth…?" Daniel repeated, his voice trailing off as he realized what this man meant. "You're one of the Spartans?"

"Master Chief Petty Officer Spartan John-117, Dr. Jackson," the tall man replied.

"That's a very long name," Daniel said with a small smile.

"Most people say so, Doctor. Call me Chief."

"Why not 'John'?" Daniel asked. The Spartan's face became grim at this suggestion, and he figured there had to be a good reason. "Alright, 'Chief'. And you're welcome."

The Chief nodded, but he didn't leave. Obviously, he was here for some other reason. "Can I ask you something, Dr. Jackson?" he asked after a while.

"Sure, fire away."

The Chief took a deep breath. "What exactly did I see when I walked into Hammond's Core Room?"

"That was you?" Daniel said, recalling the moment when Halsey escaped from the ship.

"Yes, Doctor."

"Well, I don't know exactly what you saw," Daniel said, wondering if he'd missed something important back then.

"A woman. Floating to Halsey's side just before they disappeared."

"Oh, that. I think that was a Replicator."

"A Replicator?"

"Yes. It's an alien artificial intelligence, a construct resembling a human being, but which in reality is composed of millions of nanite cells. Replicators are easily adaptable and capable of assimilating certain raw materials to build more of themselves, hence the name we've given them."

"But her appearance…" the Chief said.

"What about it?"

"She looked like…" The Spartan seemed lost for words, as if what he'd seen was too impossible to even consider.

"I'm sorry," Daniel said. "I just know what Carter and McKay told me—that Halsey forced McKay to build a Replicator from scratch using the Asgard Core. He never learned why."

The Chief remained silent for several minutes; then, he said, "These Replicators. They have a consciousness of their own when they're created?"

"Actually, they do. In fact, McKay was wondering what good a mindless Replicator would do to Hal…" Suddenly, a thought appeared at the back of Daniel's mind. "You know something we don't, don't you? Why are you so interested in her appearance?"

"Because she—it—looked like someone I once knew," the Spartan replied, again taking a deep breath before continuing. "Her name was Cortana."

"What happened to her?" Daniel asked, somewhat curious.

"She… she died. Trying to save me."

"A fellow Spartan?"

The Chief shook his head. "Cortana was an AI. My AI," he said. "Dr. Halsey created her, and she gave her to me shortly before the war ended. She was my companion ever since, helped me through many of my missions, stood by me until the end."

Now Daniel was lost for words. An AI? "You said she died," he said.

The Chief nodded. "There are two types of AIs: 'Dumb' and 'Smart'. While 'Smart' AIs are more advanced than 'Dumb' AIs, they deteriorate and shut themselves after seven years. 'Dumb' AIs don't have that problem." He paused. "Cortana was a Third Generation Smart AI."

"She reached the limit of her lifespan," Daniel concluded.

"She outlived her lifespan," the Spartan replied. "That made her unstable, but still, she fought to her last breath."

Daniel looked down and said nothing for a couple of seconds. He thought back to his ordeal with Halsey, trying to remember anything that could give him a clue, an answer for this man. "What can I say, Chief?" he finally said. "Maybe Halsey decided to make a Replicator that would resemble Cortana."

"She saw me. She recognized me. How could such a thing be possible if that were only a mindless Replicator?"

"You think Halsey uploaded a copy of Cortana into that body?"

The Chief shook his head. "That would've been impossible. She… she was completely destroyed. There were no copies of her." He paused again. "She was unique," he added with a sad voice.

"I'm sorry, Chief," Daniel said. "I wish I could give you an answer, but I don't know."

"It's okay, Dr. Jackson. You've told me more than I hoped to learn," the Chief said. He turned to leave, then he said, "Thank you again for defending Dr. Halsey. It means a lot to me and to my brothers and sisters."

Daniel nodded, and the Spartan left without another word, walking through the Ancient wall. Daniel turned and stared again at the ceiling. He'd learned something about this visit, something that renewed his faith in Catherine Halsey. Their mother…

"You're right about Halsey," someone said behind him. "You know that, don't you?"

"I do," he replied. And then he recognized the voice.

He turned back, but this time, there was no one there. Daniel stood, his eyes dancing all over the room. That woman's voice had come out of nowhere.

"Daniel…"

No. That voice had come from this room. He turned again, and his eyes met a face he hadn't expected to see ever again, especially since he saw her for the last time eight years ago… the last time he died. "You…"

"Hello, Daniel," she said, smiling.

A/N: Sorry if this chapter was a little fast-paced. Like I said, I intended to update last night, but I just started writing it on Monday. I do hope you enjoyed it, despite it being a shorter-than-usual chapter.

Don't you worry. My month-long 'vacation' is over, and I'll be updating regularly again—if possible, on a weekly basis. Next chapter will include a somewhat interesting side to it, and of course, I will reveal the name of Daniel's visitor, but until then, can you guess who she might be?

Just as a reminder, I opened a Facebook page under the name 'The Fifth Race's Reclaimers'. Its purpose is not to build up likes just to make me feel good, but to use it as a hub where I can share some 'intel' with you, such as images, scale charts, etc. You can find the link on my FanFiction profile page.

Hopefully, my next update will be just before the countdown to 2014. See you soon! And Merry Christmas to you all!