Truth & Lies
Briar Elwood
A/N: Sorry about a little reference to current events…
AND...when I am posting this, we have 3 more reviews until the huge 2-0-0!!!!!!! OMG, OMG, OMG!!! I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And, again, only being updated because its already written. This is the last one, though, so...there will NOT be an update tomorrow. Maybe Sunday. We'll see.
36: Argue
"Either way we need to up our defenses!" Cam yelled, frustrated. Merek raised a single eyebrow, the rest of him barely reacting.
"What if that's what they want us to do?"
"What?!" Cam roared. "Why would they want us to up our defenses? What possible advantage does that give us?"
"It does us no harm to reinforce our defenses in Antarctica, Mr. Merek," Landry pointed out.
"It does more harm than good if the prisoner's information is false! It deprives the rest of us of valuable men!"
"Valuable men that are going to the Middle East to get themselves killed?" Sam asked quietly. Merek threw her a piercing stare.
"The war is crucial—"
"Oh, will you all just stop it?" Daniel interrupted. "What we need to be doing is looking for the Ark of Truth!"
Merek rolled his eyes. "If the Ancients did not want to use it, then why should we?"
"We used the sangraal," Teal'c pointed out calmly. Merek glared at the Jaffa briefly but apparently something in Teal'c's gaze was a little too intimidating for the IOA representative and he turned his glare back to Daniel.
"Do you have any idea where to look anyway, Dr. Jackson?"
Daniel simmered darkly for a moment. "Not yet, but I'm working on it. All this arguing is not helping, either way. I'm all for reinforcing our defenses, personally I think a possible war against the Ori is more important than anything happening in the Middle East or anywhere else on Earth, for that matter. But meanwhile we need to focus on the Ark of Truth."
"The IOA will not authorize any increase in our men in Antarctica until we have solid proof that the Ori are headed our way," Merek said, his voice final. "And any development you may come across in finding the Ark of Truth will be listened to, Dr. Jackson, but until then—"
Daniel didn't stay to hear the rest of what James Merek had to say and, instead, turned on his heel to storm out the room. Sam scurried after him after a slight moment's thought.
"Daniel, wait!"
Daniel turned back to his friend with a heavy sigh, not meeting her eyes. She shoved her hands in her pockets, eyeing him with a concerned sparkle.
"What's up?"
Daniel rolled his eyes. "Idiotic politicians, apparently."
Sam shook her head. "It's more than that. Have you talked to Vala lately?"
Daniel's shoulders tensed and he stared at a particularly interesting smudge on Sam's shoes. "I've tried. She acts as if I'm not there."
"Try harder."
Daniel looked up exasperatedly. "I'm trying harder, Sam! It's not me, it's her!"
Sam sighed and nodded. "All right. Do you want me to try?"
Daniel shrugged and returned his gaze to the floor. "Sure."
Sam's frown deepened. "Daniel…?"
"I don't know, Sam," he said quietly, slowly. "It feels like I'm being replaced."
Sam winced. "By Tomin?" she asked, remembering her conversation with Vala earlier. Daniel nodded.
"She loves you, Daniel. She always has," she soothed, trying to convince herself of that as well. "Tomin won't ever replace you."
Daniel shrugged. "Yeah. I keep telling myself that, but after what happened with Ba'al…"
Sam winced again. "Look, I'll talk to her, all right?" she said, patting his shoulder. "We'll fix this."
A/N: Longer. Barely. But longer.
I LOVE REVIEWERS!!