Daniel felt his stomach drop as he realized she wasn't there, and frantically scanned the hall. "Brannen," he forced out through shaking lips, sprinting for the holding area. Landry dashed back into his office, slamming a hand down on the intercom. "Walter, I want a security detail to Daegar's cell--now--and keep it quiet!"
"Yessir," came Harriman's reply before Landry turned himself and ran after Daniel.
They found her standing just inside Brannen's cell with a p90 in hand. The door was open, and both guards on duty were now on the floor unconscious. Landry stooped to be sure the two men were still breathing while Daniel cautiously walked up beside her. Brannen watched the scene with a silent smirk, his expression full of contempt and boredom.
"Vala, you don't want to do this," Daniel said quietly.
"Why not?" she replied, glaring steadily at Brannen.
"Because he wins," Daniel told her. "You kill him like this and he wins."
"I've already won, haven't I, Vala?" Brannen smiled as the security detail that the general had ordered trooped in behind them. "Your life here is over whether I actually killed him or not."
"He has what he wanted," Vala nodded, gritting her teeth.
"All that's left now is revenge, Dr. Jackson. Can't you see that?" Brannen murmured in a chillingly pleasant tone. "For her father. Her brother. Herself. Then she can walk away from here, free of me, forever."
"No," Daniel shook his head. "I think Vala's stronger than that."
Her head whipped toward him in surprise, then snapped back around toward Brannen before he could move. Tears streamed her cheeks, but the rifle in her hands began to waver. Daniel stepped in quickly, one hand reaching for it while the other tightened on her shoulder.
"I'm here," he said firmly. "Nothing's over until you say it is."
"It's all gone, Daniel," she shook her head as the rifle slid from her hands. "How can I have a life I don't remember?"
An airman stepped up to take it, and Daniel pulled her against him, guiding her past security and back into the hall. "We'll get it back," he promised. "And if we can't, we'll build a new one."
------
"The Tok'ra owe you a debt of thanks, Captain Tarkin," Jade said, giving the mercenary a slightly hesitant smile.
"Just Alek, please," he replied. "And you don't owe me. The poison was just business. This…" he reached into a vest pocket to remove a clear plastic vial, which he placed in her hand. "We can call it a peace offering. I hope it'll settle any hard feelings between yourself and the Mal Dorans as well."
"The Mal Dorans?" Jade asked, frowning in confusion. "I didn't know they were involved."
"It was Vala who suggested that there might be enough of Egeria's genetic material left on Pangara in the first place," Alek explained. "And Danira who came along to help me acquire it."
"I see," Jade nodded. "Well, then yes. I certainly think that settles things--in fact, I'll have to thank them when Martouf and I return to Earth."
"Good, I'm glad," Alek smiled. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have an appointment to keep. Don't worry, though. I'll be back before the action starts."
------
"Are you sure you want to stay, Vala?" Meagain frowned as she, Daniel, and her sisters strolled the secluded beach.
Vala smiled, sliding her arm around Daniel's back, and he quickly linked it with his own. "This is my life now," she nodded firmly. "I want it back."
"So," Daniel spoke up, glancing at his watch. "When is this ride of yours supposed to show up?"
"Any moment," Danira replied, turning toward the ocean, where the setting sun was spilling ribbons of red, gold, pink, and purple across the rippling water. As if on cue, the surface began to bubble, and the recently repaired Seaflight rose out of the depths.
Daniel's eyes widened. "How did he…?"
Danira and Meagain only laughed, kissing his cheeks before they moved to embrace Vala. "Love you, darling," Danira said against her sister's ear. "We'll be back when the baby's born."
The three sisters clung for a long moment, then Meagain and Danira finally ran off toward the waiting ship. Daniel and Vala watched, waving, until the ramp retracted and Alek lifted off again. The ship shot upward, soon becoming nothing more than an early star on the horizon, and Daniel let out a sigh.
"Y'know, I can't believe they're really gone," he said.
"You're going to miss them, aren't you?" Vala tilted her head to look up at him.
"Well…"
"Well?" she repeated, reaching up to tap his nose affectionately.
"Maybe a little," he confessed.