Halls of Osiris

Halls of Osiris

Part 6:

Apollo leaned his head back against the wall next to the cell door listening for the sounds of activity on the far side. He glanced again at the dimly glowing face of his chronometer. If he was correct, the guards should be changing shifts right about ---

The sound of marching boots echoed in the corridor outside the tiny cell, as the squad of Jaffa approached, then came to a stop outside the door. The guards on duty issued what he assumed was a formal challenge, the squad leader responded, and two new guards took the place of the old. The squad moved on as one man to the next duty station. In some places, end of shift was a weak point in the guards' routine. Not here.

A sound from across the cell caught his attention, and Apollo looked over at his cell- mate. Daniel shifted uncomfortably in his sleep then settled once more.

Apollo was beginning to be seriously worried about the man. Daniel had apparently used up a considerable amount of his reserves trying to learn to communicate with him; the Earthman had not awakened for several centauri, and he was running a temperature.

Alright, I'm probably getting ahead of myself here. Just because the symbol on his uniform happens to be the same as that of the planet we've all spent the last two yahren searching the galaxy for, that doesn't mean ----

But what if it did? What if Daniel Jackson was exactly what he and Adama and the rest of the Fleet had been searching for all this time? Daniel could be the answer to all their prayers. If he lived long enough.

*********

Daniel moved again and blinked to clear his vision. His head was still pounding. He rolled onto his back and brought one shaking hand up to his eyes. He frowned and stared at his bruised but completely bare wrist. The manacles were gone.

He swung his head around and tried to sit up --- regretting it immediately as his vision swam.

He felt hands on his arms and looked up at Apollo, who had moved to crouch in front of him. For a moment Daniel couldn't place this person, then his memory kicked in.

"Apollo." He swallowed to moisten his dry throat and allowed his cell- mate to help him into a sitting position. "I'll--- I'll be okay. Give me a minute."

Once the room had stopped spinning, Daniel raised his head and looked questioningly at Apollo. He raised his freed hands. "You?"

The warrior grinned a little and reached into the pocket of his flight jacket, pulling out a piece of his uniform's insignia. The long pin that normally hooked it to his collar was bent out of shape.

"You picked the locks." Daniel glanced back at the chains hanging from the wall beside him. "I must have really been out of it."

"You were," Apollo agreed.

"What happened while I was asleep?"

Apollo sat back on his haunches. "The Jaffa have changed guard twice, and we've been fed. You hungry?" He indicated a shallow bowl half-filled with a yellowish-grey mass. A flask lay next to it.

Daniel grimaced. "I'll pass on the stuff in the bowl, but is that water?"

Apollo pulled the flask closer and watched as Daniel took it in trembling hands, managing to spill as much as he drank as he raised it to his lips. The warrior reached out and steadied the other man's hands gently.

Daniel snatched his hands away, practically snarling, "I can do it myself!" The flask slipped from his grasp and fell to the floor, its contents flowing away. He lowered his head into his hands. "Oh, gods. Apollo, I'm sorry. I'm sorry." His head pounded more heavily and he leaned further forward, cradling it protectively.

Apollo watched the man as he sat, head in hands, rocking slightly. "Daniel --- what's going on? What's causing this?"

Daniel chuckled softly and raised his head carefully. Too much. He pressed the heel of his hand into his eye in an effort to relieve the pressure in his skull.

"You said before that you had been interrogated. Did that cause this --- sickness?"

"In a way."

Apollo waited.

Daniel sighed. "Apparently, Dren'ac got a little carried away with the last interrogation. I must have been close to dying. I think they used a sarcophagus on me." Noting the confused expression on his companion's face, Daniel waved a hand vaguely as he explained, "The sarcophagus is a Goa'uld 'healing' device. Normally it wouldn't be a problem, but with repeated use the effect is addictive. I found this out the hard way a few years ago."

Apollo's expression segued from confusion to dismay. "So, this is ---"

"Withdrawal."

"Wonderful."

"Ya think?" Daniel muttered in English. At Apollo's puzzled glance, he waved again. "Never mind. Just an expression. Not important."

Apollo ran a nervous hand through his hair. "We can't stay here," he whispered to himself.

Beside him, Daniel laughed softly. "No? I was thinking of having a decorator in next week."

The warrior shook his head at the joke. He moved to speak again, but Dren'ac's voice silenced him.

"Tau'ri! Kree! --- "

Daniel rolled his eyes and interrupted with a spate of guttural sounds. He spat the last few with obvious contempt then glanced at Apollo. "I told him to just get on with it. --- and I ---questioned his mother's --- species." He gave a wry shrug.

Both men tensed as the door was unlocked and opened. Apollo glanced at Daniel, and hissed, "The chains---"

"Too late now," Daniel muttered back. Even so, he backed up to the wall slightly and reached behind him to hide his freed wrists.

Two men entered the room and glared at the prisoners disdainfully. Daniel gasped softly then carefully schooled his expression. One of the Jaffa slipped past them to pull Apollo roughly to his feet and to one side. He started to fight the guard's hold but subsided at a small shake of Daniel's head.

The smaller of the two men stepped forward and caught Daniel's chin, forcing his head up. Daniel gave a defiant jerk but said nothing. The man released him, wiping his hands on his tunic as if he had touched something distasteful, then turned to the second man and barked something in a strangely inhuman voice.

So this is a Goa'uld.

Apollo studied the two men carefully, acquainting himself with his new enemy. They looked human, but Daniel had told him what they really were --- semi-aquatic parasites that lived in and took over a human body.

Arrogance colored every gesture. Even their choice in clothing was designed to impress the viewer with their power; they practically gleamed with gold and precious stones, but they wore nothing that could be construed as protective or even particularly convenient. The message was that they had no need to concern themselves with such things, even here.

The taller Goa'uld seemed surprised by whatever Shorty had said. The tone of his reply was decidedly argumentative. Shorty wasn't having any of it. He pulled himself up to full height and shouted, gesturing emphatically. His eyes—literally-- flashed. The other looked nervous for a micron, then bowed sharply and motioned to the Jaffa.

Apollo was shoved hard against the wall then released. The Jaffa and the second Goa'uld left the cell. Apollo tensed again, ready to make the Goa'uld pay for this mistake.

"Apollo! No!" Daniel called softly. He was --- smiling.

Apollo stopped, uncertain of what to do next.

The Goa'uld knelt in front of Daniel and bowed his head for a micron. When he raised it again he looked at Apollo, meeting his eyes with a calm, steady, human gaze.

Jacob Carter turned back to Daniel and shook his head, calling up his best fatherly tone: "Daniel, what are you doing here? Haven't I told you to stay out of places like this?"