Author's note: This chapter contains a scene that warrants an R rating for
violence. You've been properly warned.
Chapter 7: Repercussions
The loud knocking on the door brought Catherine stumbling down the stairs at eight the next morning. She could have let Greta answer the door, but she knew that her maid was probably cooking breakfast and Catherine didn't want to get her away from that.
What could be so important? Catherine asked herself as the knock came again, louder than the last. She looked down at herself and gave a silent sigh of relief that she'd already dressed. She immediately opened the door as she reached it, curious to see who was knocking.
"Good morning, officer. What can I do for you?" Catherine asked as her eyes landed on the uniformed police man standing on her porch. Her stomach twisted in apprehension, but she kept her face impassive.
"Good morning, ma'am. I'm sorry for disturbing you so early in the morning, but it is my understanding that Daniel Jackson is staying here," the man said. "I'm Officer Ramos, his parole officer, and I would like to speak to him."
"Yes, Daniel is staying here," she replied, her tone as calm and soft as the officer's.
"Could I speak to him?"
Catherine shook her head. "I'm afraid that's not possible. He's already left for the day."
"Really?" Officer Ramos asked, his eyes narrowing as if that was the answer he had expected.
"Yes, really. He told me last night at dinner that he was going to leave early in the morning to look for a job."
Officer Ramos narrowed his eyes skeptically. "Did he happen to tell you where he was going?"
"As a matter of fact, he didn't. All he said was that he was going to Denver to see if he could get a job doing something or other. I'm sure you understand how hard it can be for an ex con to find work."
Ramos inclined his head in agreement. "Mrs.?"
"Littlefield," Catherine provided.
"Mrs. Littlefield, did Mr. Jackson say when he would be back?"
Catherine frowned at the man's form of addressing Daniel.
"Dr. Jackson did not say when he was going to return, but I assume it'll be tonight."
"Would you mind if I come in?" Ramos asked.
"For what purpose?" Catherine asked, knowing that what the man was asking was not in his right.
"I want to see if Mr. Jackson is staying here, or if you're just covering for him."
"Are you calling me a liar?"
"Not at all, Mrs. Littlefield. I just want to make sure that Mr. Jackson is staying here."
"Excuse me, ma'am?" Greta said from behind Catherine.
Catherine turned, confused at the interruption.
"What is it, Greta?"
"I'm sorry, but Dr. Jackson left this for you this morning. I thought it might help with the officer's questions if I gave it to you now," the maid replied, handing Catherine a piece of paper.
Catherine took it from the maid and looked at it. It was a note, written in Daniel's careful script.
Catherine,
I will be gone all day today and probably tomorrow. I decided late last night to go all the way to Boulder and maybe even Fort Collins to see if there are any jobs there. I figured I'd go where the bus takes me. Who knows, I might get lucky. I just wanted to let you know so you'd not worry.
Thanks again for letting me stay with you.
Daniel
She finished reading it and then handed the note to Officer Ramos, who took it and read it carefully.
"I see," he stated and handed the note back to Catherine. "I will be back in a few days to talk to him. Thank you for your time, Mrs. Littlefield."
"You're welcome, Officer," Catherine said and waited until the man had gotten into his patrol car before closing the door. She immediately turned to Greta. "When did Daniel give you this?" she asked, her tone now showing the nervousness she still felt.
Greta smiled slightly. "He gave it to me last night before he left."
"Who did?" Ernest asked as he came downstairs. "Who was that at the door?"
Catherine breathed a huge sigh of relief, before turning to her husband. "That was Daniel's parole officer. It seems someone tipped him off about Daniel leaving town." She nodded to Greta and the main returned to the kitchen.
Ernest frowned. "Who?"
"Maybourne, probably. That bastard. Daniel left me a note before he left, which got rid of the police officers for right now. They'll be back, though."
"They definitely will be. I wonder if Daniel's made it to Virginia yet."
Catherine smiled. "I'm sure he's there. I just hope that he knows what he's doing."
****
"Well, well, what do we have here?"
Robert glanced up at the sound of Maybourne's voice, but didn't bother to move from his position on the floor. He didn't think he could really manage to stand, even if he wanted to. Patrick and Mike, his jailers, had already had a field day trying to get information out of him, and Robert wasn't feeling up to being very talkative.
"Cat caught your tongue, Doctor? I'm surprised. You didn't have any trouble standing in my office and lying to my face a few days ago, did you?"
Maybourne stepped closer to the archaeologist, stopping when he was standing in front of the man. Robert looked away from his former boss, deciding to examine the floor instead. It wasn't like he could do much of anything anyway. His hands were tied behind him and he was weak from the beating he'd already received. Robert knew that he was helpless to stop whatever Maybourne wanted to do to him, so he wasn't going to try. He wasn't going to say anything either.
"Come on, Dr. Rothman, I know that you're listening to me. Wouldn't you like to end all of this and go back to doing what you love to do? You're already at the right place. Believe me, if you gave me a reason to, I could order Mike and Patrick to untie you and take you to the infirmary. You could be pain free in a matter of minutes, if only you'd tell me what I want to know."
Robert chuckled but didn't gaze at Maybourne. "Your two operatives already tried, Maybourne, and I didn't tell them a thing. What makes you think I'm going to tell you? What makes you think I have anything to tell you?"
Maybourne's laugh traveled down to Robert, making him shiver involuntarily. "You're Dr. Jackson's friend, the only one of his friends in a position to do anything about his release. I've kept track of O'Neill, Carter and Teal'c and they've stayed put, which leads me to believe that they don't know anything. Your leave coincided with his release, and I know that you have talked to him. What other reason would you have for being in Denver, when you were supposed to be in Chicago?"
You're losing your touch, Maybourne, Robert thought with a touch of satisfaction. Teal'c is right under your nose and you have no clue.
"You're not going to believe anything I say, so why bother?" Robert said.
"Doctor, Doctor," Maybourne said softly as he kneeled in front of Robert, forcing the archaeologist to make eye contact with the general. "You're as transparent as a Goa'uld force field, so don't even bother to continue with your lies. Tell me where Daniel Jackson is and I'll have you taken to the infirmary. Better yet, tell me what he remembers and what he's planning on doing and I'll have you healed in a sarcophagus. Would that be better that sitting here in the cold, with who knows how many broken bones?"
To emphasize his point, Maybourne reached out and struck Robert across the right cheek, further bruising the already beaten flesh.
Robert bit his lower lip to keep from giving Maybourne the satisfaction of a reply, and ended up cutting the lip enough to make it bleed. He spat out the blood, aiming it at Maybourne's knee. The man could do what he wanted, but Robert knew that he wasn't going to say anything. Friendship and loyalty were important things to him, and he knew that they weren't to Maybourne. Whatever happened, Robert would not give the man the satisfaction of taking that away from him, no matter what.
"You imbecile," the man snapped, shoving Robert away.
Robert landed painfully on his left side, but kept his eyes on Maybourne. "I'm not going to tell you a thing."
Maybourne laughed again and got to his feet. "We'll see about that."
Robert watched him go, keeping his face as neutral as he could. Once Maybourne was gone, and he was once again alone in the small room, Robert finally let himself wince in pain at the injuries he'd sustained so far. Carefully, he worked himself up so that he was leaning sideways against the wall. He was pretty sure that he had some bruised, if not broken, ribs, along with many, many bruises all over the rest of his body. His hands were numb from being tied behind his back, and his face ached from the various impacts he'd suffered.
The ground was cold beneath him, and he was beginning to feel slightly feverish, so Robert had no doubt that the men had done some damage. It wasn't anything he hadn't suffered before, though. Life with SG-11 wasn't always easy, and he'd had his run ins with hostiles before. Getting injured in the field, however, was much different than what was currently going on. It was a lot more painful when the beatings were coming from people who were supposed to be on his side.
Robert wouldn't say anything, not while he had a choice in the matter. Robert was aware that the SGC had some truth drugs available, among other devices used to interrogate and torture people. If Maybourne decided to take that route, Robert was prepared to fight him as much as he could. However, if he wasn't successful, then keeping the truth from Maybourne was going to be out of his hands.
He hoped that something happened before it got to that point.
****
"Daniel Jackson, it is not a good idea to return to Colorado at this time," Teal'c said.
Daniel looked up from his reading to regard his companion. "No, it isn't, Teal'c, but we have to go. Robert put his neck on the line for me and I have to do the same."
"Is it not more acceptable to wait until we have all available information before confronting General Maybourne?"
"Under ideal circumstances, it would be, but not right now."
Teal'c frowned, which made Daniel a bit worried. Teal'c usually frowned when he was about to bring up complicated subjects.
"Did you not mention that General Maybourne tried to have you killed in prison?"
"Yeah, he did," Daniel replied, his mind immediately going back to that one defining moment of his twelve year prison stay. He shook his head, unwilling to let himself remember that day. It amazed him that he could still see, hear, and feel everything as if it had just happened yesterday.
"What did he try to do? It might be to our advantage to examine what was done at that time to determine if he will try a similar tactic now."
"I don't think he can try something like that again, Teal'c," Daniel replied, his voice suddenly quiet. "It's not important."
"I believe that it is, Daniel Jackson."
Daniel sighed. Teal'c wasn't going to let it drop, no matter how hard he tried to avoid the subject. Besides, the Jaffa had a point. Maybourne would probably utilize the same tactics he did then, though it wouldn't have quite the same effect now.
"Fine, I'll tell you. It was only a few weeks after I got to prison when it happened," Daniel explained, his voice low and his gaze directed at the floor, "I was still trying to adapt to the whole environment and was doing a pretty good job of avoiding everyone and staying out of the way. I figured that sooner or later I'd butt heads with someone, but I had hoped that it would happen later, much later."
**~~**
Daniel quickly made his way out of the communal shower area, needing to be away from everything for a little while. He quickly got dressed and prepared to leave the shower room as soon as he could. Even if it was only for as long as it took him to walk to his cell, the time alone would do wonders for Daniel's mind. He took his towel and put it in the hamper and frowned at the sudden quiet that had descended upon the room. He'd left several inmates still finishing their showers, and they were anything but quiet. A feeling of dread overtook him and he wanted nothing more than to be out of that room. Daniel turned, intent on walking quickly out of the room, and bumped into someone who'd been standing right behind him.
Daniel's eyes widened in surprise when he saw a much larger man blocking his way. He took an involuntary step back then forced himself to stop. He remembered Jack telling him once on Hadante to never show fear or weakness in prison, so Daniel tried to school his features into as much neutrality as possible.
"What are you doing?" Daniel asked, his voice surprisingly calm.
"Nothing. I'm here to do the same thing you are," the man said.
"Okay," Daniel replied and sidestepped the other man's hands as they reached out to grab him. He took a couple of steps back, trying to get to the door, when he hit a warm, solid mass. Two massive arms suddenly wrapped themselves around him, effectively pinning him where he stood. Daniel tried to break free of the hold, but found himself unable to. He was also alarmed to discover that the man behind him was not wearing a thing.
That explains why the remaining inmates got so quiet, Daniel irrationally thought. They're all waiting to see what happens.
"What do you want from me?"
The man holding Daniel pressed himself against the archaeologist, letting Daniel know just what he wanted. Daniel froze when he felt the man's erection against him, for a second unable to form any rational thought. As quickly as that moment came, it passed, and Daniel found himself full of adrenaline and angry as hell.
"No!" he yelled and stomped down with his right foot, crushing the other man's bare toes. The man's hands slipped away from him, and Daniel lunged at the man in front of him, catching him off guard. The only thought in his mind was to get out of the shower room and back to his cell. The fight might not be over then, but he'd hopefully be better prepared for an attack at a future time.
Daniel could hear the naked man's curses, but all he could see was the man suddenly pinned underneath him. He quickly got to his knees and punched the man in the face as hard as he could, needing to distract him long enough to get up and out of the room. The punch connected, followed by the sickening sound of a breaking nose. Blood poured out of the guy's nose, serving only to make him angrier.
He didn't waste any time and got up off the floor in a hurry. Daniel was halfway to the door when his ankle was grabbed and pulled, causing him to lose his balance. He fell to the floor, but managed to catch most of his weight on his arms. He kicked out, trying to slip out of the hold on his ankle, but was unsuccessful. On his stomach, he was pulled towards the other man.
"Get the fuck off me," Daniel yelled as loud as he could, hoping to attract the attention of the guard he was sure was down the hall. It surprised him that the guard hadn't come running yet, since they'd been making quite a racket already. "You son of a bitch, get off!"
Daniel pushed himself up with his hands, only to be knocked down again by a kick in his side. His glasses went flying off his face, and Daniel heard as they hit the wall, and one of the lenses promptly shattered. He looked to his right and saw through his now blurry vision that the naked man, who was now wearing one shoe, was staring at him.
"That was for my toes," he sad, and then kicked Daniel again. "That was just because I felt like it."
Having had his breath knocked out of him, Daniel lay on the floor helpless as the other man kept dragging him further into the room. Suddenly, he felt two hands on his waist. The hands took a hold of him and roughly flipped him onto his back. Daniel brought his arms up to hit the attacker again, when the naked man suddenly appeared by his head and pinned his arms down to the floor.
"You're a lot more trouble than we were told you'd be," the man at his feet said. "It doesn't matter, though. We're going to finish what we started." He reached into a pocket and produced a wicked looking knife. He waved it in front of Daniel's face. "Say goodnight, because this is as far as you go."
Daniel didn't see it coming, he just felt as the knife penetrated the soft tissue of his abdomen and burrowed deep into his flesh. He gasped at the pain and found himself no longer able to struggle, as his entire body had gone numb. A second, then a third strike followed, until all Daniel could see was blackness surrounding his vision. He could feel the warm blood spilling onto his stomach and down the sides of his body to the floor, but he couldn't do anything about it, as the naked man was still holding on to his arms.
"Take a good look, boy, because this is the last thing you'll ever see." The man waved the knife in front of Daniel's face again, but this time, the knife was covered in bright, red blood. The man situated the knife at Daniel's throat, and grinned. "Say goodbye."
Daniel wasn't sure what happened next. One minute, he was lying on the floor, bleeding to death with a knife to his throat, and the next, he was looking up at another man, who was saying something to him, a concerned look on his face. He frowned, unable to hear the words through the loud buzzing in his ears, but didn't think that it'd mattered anyway. The man apparently saw something in his expression because he took Daniel's head and tilted it to the right, so that Daniel could see his attackers lying unconscious on the floor. Daniel tried to say something to him, ask him what was going on, but all he managed was a croak. He closed his eyes and figured that this was the end, that after the life he'd led, after everything he'd been through, he'd ended up dead on the floor of a prison he shouldn't have been in the first place.
**~~**
"I was stabbed three times," Daniel concluded, still unwilling to look at either Teal'c or Rya'c. "Thankfully, that's all they did to me, even though one definitely wanted something else entirely," he added, shivering slightly at the memory. "I had never seen my attackers before, but from what they said, I knew that they'd been sent to kill me and had been provided with the means by which to do so. The guard must have been bought off as well, because he never did show up." Daniel finally managed to meet Teal'c's eyes and saw sympathy there. He smiled slightly, letting the Jaffa know that he was okay.
"The guy who interrupted the attack turned out to be my new cell mate. He'd walked by and heard me yelling. I was in the infirmary for two weeks following that. My attackers were transferred to another prison and no one ever attacked me again, at least not that brutally. There were the occasional fights, but I got really good at handling those. Besides, a lot of the inmates needed me to fix parking violations or other mundane computer things for their relatives on the outside, so they didn't mess with me. After the attack, though, I used all of my free time to work out and gain strength. I pretty much resigned myself to the fact that I wasn't getting out of prison and I didn't want to be the way I was, because that would surely leave me open to further attacks. So I became good at intimidating first so as not to be intimidated myself. I'm not proud of the way I became, but it was necessary."
Teal'c nodded his head in understanding. "You did what you had to, of that I have no doubt. You should not feel ashamed for surviving, Daniel Jackson."
Daniel chuckled. "No, I guess not. So you see, there's nothing there that would give us an indication as to what Maybourne is planning."
"On the contrary, Dr. Jackson," Rya'c added, "I believe that it says a lot. The man is willing to buy anyone he can in order to accomplish what he wants. That tells us that he will probably still do the same thing."
"What do you mean?"
"You have spoken to General O'Neill, correct? He knows where we are, because we have told him. What if General Maybourne has 'bought' several people on General O'Neill's base? They would hear something and report it back to Maybourne at the earliest opportunity. We should contact General O'Neill and let him know about the possibility."
"Indeed, my son," Teal'c said. He got up from the chair he'd occupied during Daniel's story and moved over to the radio. He was about to activate it, when the radio crackled to life.
"Teal'c? Daniel? Rya'c? Can anyone hear me?"
"Colonel Carter, we hear you," Teal'c replied.
"Teal'c! I'm so happy to hear your voice. How are you guys doing? Is everything okay?"
"We are well. Is there something wrong with O'Neill?"
There was a pause, then they could hear Sam chuckle. "The general is fine, he was just stuck in a meeting and I found something that I wanted to run by Daniel if I could."
"Of course, I will get Daniel Jackson for you."
"Thanks, Teal'c."
"Rya'c and I will retire to perform Kel'no'reem while you speak to Colonel Carter," the Jaffa informed him.
Daniel nodded, got up from his chair and headed towards the communications console. He picked up the radio and spoke into it.
"Hi, Sam. What's up?"
"Daniel! It's so good to hear your voice. How are you?"
"I'm good, Sam, considering the circumstances. What have you got? Is everything really okay over there?"
"Everything if fine, Daniel," Sam said, but remained quiet for a few minutes, before speaking again. "Siler was at the SGC earlier and saw Dr. Rothman being led into a storage room on Level 28, close to the Armory. He was bound and didn't look too well. I'm not sure if you knew, but I wanted to tell you."
"Robert was taken from Catherine's house while Teal'c, Rya'c and I went to find a better spot in which to leave the Tel'tak. We managed to capture two of Maybourne's operatives, and one of them had a cell phone. Maybourne and I had a nice chat when he called to check in with the agents he'd sent to get us, during which he told me about Robert."
"What else did he say to you?" Sam asked, her voice turning even more serious than it had been before.
"Nothing helpful. He wanted to make a trade, the two men we have for Robert."
"You didn't agree to that, did you?"
Daniel chuckled, despite the seriousness of the conversation. "No, of course not."
Sam was quiet for a moment. "But you're still going to the SGC, aren't you?"
Daniel's eyes narrowed, amazed that Sam could still read him, even after all these years. "I have to, Sam. I can't just leave Robert at the mercy of a man like Maybourne."
Daniel heard Sam's sigh over the radio and closed his eyes. He didn't want to have to defend his actions, not right now and not to her.
"I can't stop you, Daniel. However, I think that you're making a mistake."
"Teal'c and Rya'c are with me and I know how to get in and out of the SGC. We have the Tel'tak and we're armed, so we're not completely helpless here."
"Daniel, you're talking about taking on the SGC. The storage rooms are at the lowest level of the mountain. Even if you do get down there, how are you going to get out?"
"Sam, I'm going to do this one way or the other," Daniel said simply, stemming any further argument.
She was quiet on the other end, until finally, Daniel heard her clear her throat. "Okay, Daniel. Good luck. There is one more thing I want to talk to you about."
"Okay."
"How good are you at hacking databases, Daniel?"
Daniel smiled. "Better than you might think, Sam. I've already hacked into NID records and found several mentions of an operation involving the SGC. Personnel changes recorded at about the time General Hammond was murdered indicate that the people brought in were involved in that."
"Did you come across an Operation "Chat Noir" by any chance?"
"Yes, I did. I was just reading the records when you called." He walked to the laptop and set it on the navigation console, careful not to press anything he wasn't supposed to. "Operation 'Chat Noir' was classified Top Secret and Eyes Only to the top branch of the NID. It involved the removal of several officials who would not mold themselves to the ideals of the NID. The reason given was that once said officials were gone, the NID operatives already in position at the SGC and the Pentagon would be able to mold the existing operations to their liking. It sounds farfetched, doesn't it?"
"Wow. That was more information than I was able to get. What else is there? Does it say how the operation was carried out?"
Daniel scrolled to the appropriate part of the report. "It's not specific, but it does say that the officials were to be removed cleanly and quietly, while they were away from their posts. Hammond was murdered in his home. Secretary Joseph Davidson was killed in a car accident while on vacation in Rome. Major Paul Davis was killed in a skiing accident while on a trip to Colorado. President Edward Monroe suffered a heart attack that forced him from office. All of those people were important enough to the SGC to change the way operations were handled if they weren't around anymore."
"Daniel, three of the four murders were deemed accidental. Only Hammond's was pinned on you. Why didn't they make that accidental?"
"I've been thinking about that, Sam. At the time of the murder, I had no idea that there had been more people killed. It wasn't until I started hacking the NID's databases while in prison that I found out about the other deaths. The only thing I can think of is that I was just at the wrong place at the wrong time and happened to be a convenient scapegoat for whatever happened. Maybe my being at the general's house ruined the NID's original plan to kill Hammond, so they had to improvise and used me to do so. It makes me wonder how their plan would have worked out if I hadn't lost my memory."
"What happened that day, Daniel? Why were you at Hammond's house?"
Daniel was quiet for a moment, remembering that day. "I went to apologize to him for my actions the day before. You know, when I yelled and screamed at him for grounding me after my injury. I felt like such a fool when I got to my apartment that night that I couldn't wait until my medical leave was over to talk to him. I drove to his house the day of his death to tell him that I understood why he'd grounded me and that I was sorry for my actions. I did get to talk to him and apologize, but I don't remember anything after that, not until I woke up and found him dead."
"We have some evidence of a conspiracy. It would be better if we can find names to go with the generalities."
"I've got names, Sam," Daniel interrupted, switching to another file on his computer. "I have accessed the personnel files for the NID on the days before and after General Hammond's death and know who was hired and fired during that time."
"You were able to access classified personnel files without getting caught? Daniel, I didn't think they taught computer hacking in archaeology school." Sam laughed.
"They don't. I had a little too much time on my hands in prison and access to a computer, so I explored new options."
"If we can track those individuals down, we might be able to get a confession."
"I don't think so, Sam. The four men who were hired prior to the murders are dead themselves. They all died in 'accidents' of their own shortly after President Monroe's retirement."
"Damn! So all we have is the documents you've managed to come up with."
".and my faulty memory," Daniel finished for her.
There was a slight pause, before Sam's voice came through again. She sounded excited, and a bit hopeful. "Daniel, what if I could get my father to come to the base and bring a Tok'ra memory device with him? Would you be willing to use that to recover the memories of that day?"
Daniel thought about it for a minute, apprehensive at the thought of having his brain examined and his thoughts put on display for everyone to see. However, they needed proof. The documents he had were useful, but they needed more if they were ever going to convince the current administration that he was innocent, and that Harold Maybourne and associates had been behind the whole thing.
"It would be worth a try," he finally answered.
"Great! I'll get a hold of my father as soon as I can. I'll let you and Teal'c know when to leave Earth to come here, or whether to go directly to the Tok'ra base. Teal'c knows where it is so it shouldn't be a problem."
"That sounds like a plan."
"Okay. Let me go and start making contacts. Daniel, be careful when you go to the SGC. Don't do anything stupid."
"Stupid, me? Sam, whatever do you mean?"
"Don't be a smart ass, Daniel. Take care of yourself. You have to stay alive so we can recover your lost memories, remember?"
"I know, Sam. Don't worry. When you tell Jack what I'm doing, make sure he doesn't do anything stupid either. I'm sure he hasn't changed much either."
Sam laughed. "I will do that. Until later, Daniel. Bye."
The communication broke off and Daniel turned to look behind him at the empty room. He took a deep breath and slowly released it, willing his tension to go with it. Things were looking up. All he had to do now was infiltrate the SGC and get out with Robert alive and well without getting either one of them killed.
****
"Rya'c, you will remain here while Daniel Jackson and I enter the complex. We will keep in radio contact with you and if anything happens to us, you are to leave immediately and head back to Chulak. From there, you will inform General O'Neill of what happened. Understood?"
"Yes, father," the young Jaffa replied as he squared his shoulders. "I will await your command."
Teal'c nodded once to his son, and then took his arm in the Jaffa salute.
"Be careful, Rya'c. If anything goes wrong, of if you're detected, leave immediately. Don't wait for us," Daniel added.
"We should not be detected Daniel Jackson. The Tel'tak is still cloaked and NORAD can not detect the ship. We are in a relatively secluded area of the complex where no one comes to patrol.
"I know that Teal'c, but it doesn't hurt to be extra careful."
"Indeed. Let us go."
The two men walked quickly out of the Tel'tak and made their way towards one of the entrance shafts that dotted the grounds of the compound. The shafts were primarily used for emergency evacuations, but could also be used as an alternate entrance. As they reached their objective, Teal'c stopped.
"This shaft will lead down several levels," Teal'c said. "Once inside, we will be forced to proceed through the hallways and the other stairwells." Teal'c pointed to the small, electronic keypad that adorned the shaft's cover. "We can disable this with a zat blast."
Daniel nodded and Teal'c proceeded to take out his zat gun and quickly disarmed the mechanism. He put the weapon away and easily lifted the cover to reveal a long tunnel with a set of steps going down it.
"I will descend first."
Both men headed down the shaft surrounded by darkness. After a while, Teal'c paused. "We have reached Level 14. We can continue for two more levels before being forced to exit the shaft and find a new one."
"Sam said that Robert was in a storage room on Level 28, so we'll have to find another way of getting down there."
"There are other shafts that lead to the lowest levels. We can use those to get there."
Daniel nodded, even though Teal'c couldn't see him. "Let's just hope that no one catches us before we get there."
Chapter 7: Repercussions
The loud knocking on the door brought Catherine stumbling down the stairs at eight the next morning. She could have let Greta answer the door, but she knew that her maid was probably cooking breakfast and Catherine didn't want to get her away from that.
What could be so important? Catherine asked herself as the knock came again, louder than the last. She looked down at herself and gave a silent sigh of relief that she'd already dressed. She immediately opened the door as she reached it, curious to see who was knocking.
"Good morning, officer. What can I do for you?" Catherine asked as her eyes landed on the uniformed police man standing on her porch. Her stomach twisted in apprehension, but she kept her face impassive.
"Good morning, ma'am. I'm sorry for disturbing you so early in the morning, but it is my understanding that Daniel Jackson is staying here," the man said. "I'm Officer Ramos, his parole officer, and I would like to speak to him."
"Yes, Daniel is staying here," she replied, her tone as calm and soft as the officer's.
"Could I speak to him?"
Catherine shook her head. "I'm afraid that's not possible. He's already left for the day."
"Really?" Officer Ramos asked, his eyes narrowing as if that was the answer he had expected.
"Yes, really. He told me last night at dinner that he was going to leave early in the morning to look for a job."
Officer Ramos narrowed his eyes skeptically. "Did he happen to tell you where he was going?"
"As a matter of fact, he didn't. All he said was that he was going to Denver to see if he could get a job doing something or other. I'm sure you understand how hard it can be for an ex con to find work."
Ramos inclined his head in agreement. "Mrs.?"
"Littlefield," Catherine provided.
"Mrs. Littlefield, did Mr. Jackson say when he would be back?"
Catherine frowned at the man's form of addressing Daniel.
"Dr. Jackson did not say when he was going to return, but I assume it'll be tonight."
"Would you mind if I come in?" Ramos asked.
"For what purpose?" Catherine asked, knowing that what the man was asking was not in his right.
"I want to see if Mr. Jackson is staying here, or if you're just covering for him."
"Are you calling me a liar?"
"Not at all, Mrs. Littlefield. I just want to make sure that Mr. Jackson is staying here."
"Excuse me, ma'am?" Greta said from behind Catherine.
Catherine turned, confused at the interruption.
"What is it, Greta?"
"I'm sorry, but Dr. Jackson left this for you this morning. I thought it might help with the officer's questions if I gave it to you now," the maid replied, handing Catherine a piece of paper.
Catherine took it from the maid and looked at it. It was a note, written in Daniel's careful script.
Catherine,
I will be gone all day today and probably tomorrow. I decided late last night to go all the way to Boulder and maybe even Fort Collins to see if there are any jobs there. I figured I'd go where the bus takes me. Who knows, I might get lucky. I just wanted to let you know so you'd not worry.
Thanks again for letting me stay with you.
Daniel
She finished reading it and then handed the note to Officer Ramos, who took it and read it carefully.
"I see," he stated and handed the note back to Catherine. "I will be back in a few days to talk to him. Thank you for your time, Mrs. Littlefield."
"You're welcome, Officer," Catherine said and waited until the man had gotten into his patrol car before closing the door. She immediately turned to Greta. "When did Daniel give you this?" she asked, her tone now showing the nervousness she still felt.
Greta smiled slightly. "He gave it to me last night before he left."
"Who did?" Ernest asked as he came downstairs. "Who was that at the door?"
Catherine breathed a huge sigh of relief, before turning to her husband. "That was Daniel's parole officer. It seems someone tipped him off about Daniel leaving town." She nodded to Greta and the main returned to the kitchen.
Ernest frowned. "Who?"
"Maybourne, probably. That bastard. Daniel left me a note before he left, which got rid of the police officers for right now. They'll be back, though."
"They definitely will be. I wonder if Daniel's made it to Virginia yet."
Catherine smiled. "I'm sure he's there. I just hope that he knows what he's doing."
****
"Well, well, what do we have here?"
Robert glanced up at the sound of Maybourne's voice, but didn't bother to move from his position on the floor. He didn't think he could really manage to stand, even if he wanted to. Patrick and Mike, his jailers, had already had a field day trying to get information out of him, and Robert wasn't feeling up to being very talkative.
"Cat caught your tongue, Doctor? I'm surprised. You didn't have any trouble standing in my office and lying to my face a few days ago, did you?"
Maybourne stepped closer to the archaeologist, stopping when he was standing in front of the man. Robert looked away from his former boss, deciding to examine the floor instead. It wasn't like he could do much of anything anyway. His hands were tied behind him and he was weak from the beating he'd already received. Robert knew that he was helpless to stop whatever Maybourne wanted to do to him, so he wasn't going to try. He wasn't going to say anything either.
"Come on, Dr. Rothman, I know that you're listening to me. Wouldn't you like to end all of this and go back to doing what you love to do? You're already at the right place. Believe me, if you gave me a reason to, I could order Mike and Patrick to untie you and take you to the infirmary. You could be pain free in a matter of minutes, if only you'd tell me what I want to know."
Robert chuckled but didn't gaze at Maybourne. "Your two operatives already tried, Maybourne, and I didn't tell them a thing. What makes you think I'm going to tell you? What makes you think I have anything to tell you?"
Maybourne's laugh traveled down to Robert, making him shiver involuntarily. "You're Dr. Jackson's friend, the only one of his friends in a position to do anything about his release. I've kept track of O'Neill, Carter and Teal'c and they've stayed put, which leads me to believe that they don't know anything. Your leave coincided with his release, and I know that you have talked to him. What other reason would you have for being in Denver, when you were supposed to be in Chicago?"
You're losing your touch, Maybourne, Robert thought with a touch of satisfaction. Teal'c is right under your nose and you have no clue.
"You're not going to believe anything I say, so why bother?" Robert said.
"Doctor, Doctor," Maybourne said softly as he kneeled in front of Robert, forcing the archaeologist to make eye contact with the general. "You're as transparent as a Goa'uld force field, so don't even bother to continue with your lies. Tell me where Daniel Jackson is and I'll have you taken to the infirmary. Better yet, tell me what he remembers and what he's planning on doing and I'll have you healed in a sarcophagus. Would that be better that sitting here in the cold, with who knows how many broken bones?"
To emphasize his point, Maybourne reached out and struck Robert across the right cheek, further bruising the already beaten flesh.
Robert bit his lower lip to keep from giving Maybourne the satisfaction of a reply, and ended up cutting the lip enough to make it bleed. He spat out the blood, aiming it at Maybourne's knee. The man could do what he wanted, but Robert knew that he wasn't going to say anything. Friendship and loyalty were important things to him, and he knew that they weren't to Maybourne. Whatever happened, Robert would not give the man the satisfaction of taking that away from him, no matter what.
"You imbecile," the man snapped, shoving Robert away.
Robert landed painfully on his left side, but kept his eyes on Maybourne. "I'm not going to tell you a thing."
Maybourne laughed again and got to his feet. "We'll see about that."
Robert watched him go, keeping his face as neutral as he could. Once Maybourne was gone, and he was once again alone in the small room, Robert finally let himself wince in pain at the injuries he'd sustained so far. Carefully, he worked himself up so that he was leaning sideways against the wall. He was pretty sure that he had some bruised, if not broken, ribs, along with many, many bruises all over the rest of his body. His hands were numb from being tied behind his back, and his face ached from the various impacts he'd suffered.
The ground was cold beneath him, and he was beginning to feel slightly feverish, so Robert had no doubt that the men had done some damage. It wasn't anything he hadn't suffered before, though. Life with SG-11 wasn't always easy, and he'd had his run ins with hostiles before. Getting injured in the field, however, was much different than what was currently going on. It was a lot more painful when the beatings were coming from people who were supposed to be on his side.
Robert wouldn't say anything, not while he had a choice in the matter. Robert was aware that the SGC had some truth drugs available, among other devices used to interrogate and torture people. If Maybourne decided to take that route, Robert was prepared to fight him as much as he could. However, if he wasn't successful, then keeping the truth from Maybourne was going to be out of his hands.
He hoped that something happened before it got to that point.
****
"Daniel Jackson, it is not a good idea to return to Colorado at this time," Teal'c said.
Daniel looked up from his reading to regard his companion. "No, it isn't, Teal'c, but we have to go. Robert put his neck on the line for me and I have to do the same."
"Is it not more acceptable to wait until we have all available information before confronting General Maybourne?"
"Under ideal circumstances, it would be, but not right now."
Teal'c frowned, which made Daniel a bit worried. Teal'c usually frowned when he was about to bring up complicated subjects.
"Did you not mention that General Maybourne tried to have you killed in prison?"
"Yeah, he did," Daniel replied, his mind immediately going back to that one defining moment of his twelve year prison stay. He shook his head, unwilling to let himself remember that day. It amazed him that he could still see, hear, and feel everything as if it had just happened yesterday.
"What did he try to do? It might be to our advantage to examine what was done at that time to determine if he will try a similar tactic now."
"I don't think he can try something like that again, Teal'c," Daniel replied, his voice suddenly quiet. "It's not important."
"I believe that it is, Daniel Jackson."
Daniel sighed. Teal'c wasn't going to let it drop, no matter how hard he tried to avoid the subject. Besides, the Jaffa had a point. Maybourne would probably utilize the same tactics he did then, though it wouldn't have quite the same effect now.
"Fine, I'll tell you. It was only a few weeks after I got to prison when it happened," Daniel explained, his voice low and his gaze directed at the floor, "I was still trying to adapt to the whole environment and was doing a pretty good job of avoiding everyone and staying out of the way. I figured that sooner or later I'd butt heads with someone, but I had hoped that it would happen later, much later."
**~~**
Daniel quickly made his way out of the communal shower area, needing to be away from everything for a little while. He quickly got dressed and prepared to leave the shower room as soon as he could. Even if it was only for as long as it took him to walk to his cell, the time alone would do wonders for Daniel's mind. He took his towel and put it in the hamper and frowned at the sudden quiet that had descended upon the room. He'd left several inmates still finishing their showers, and they were anything but quiet. A feeling of dread overtook him and he wanted nothing more than to be out of that room. Daniel turned, intent on walking quickly out of the room, and bumped into someone who'd been standing right behind him.
Daniel's eyes widened in surprise when he saw a much larger man blocking his way. He took an involuntary step back then forced himself to stop. He remembered Jack telling him once on Hadante to never show fear or weakness in prison, so Daniel tried to school his features into as much neutrality as possible.
"What are you doing?" Daniel asked, his voice surprisingly calm.
"Nothing. I'm here to do the same thing you are," the man said.
"Okay," Daniel replied and sidestepped the other man's hands as they reached out to grab him. He took a couple of steps back, trying to get to the door, when he hit a warm, solid mass. Two massive arms suddenly wrapped themselves around him, effectively pinning him where he stood. Daniel tried to break free of the hold, but found himself unable to. He was also alarmed to discover that the man behind him was not wearing a thing.
That explains why the remaining inmates got so quiet, Daniel irrationally thought. They're all waiting to see what happens.
"What do you want from me?"
The man holding Daniel pressed himself against the archaeologist, letting Daniel know just what he wanted. Daniel froze when he felt the man's erection against him, for a second unable to form any rational thought. As quickly as that moment came, it passed, and Daniel found himself full of adrenaline and angry as hell.
"No!" he yelled and stomped down with his right foot, crushing the other man's bare toes. The man's hands slipped away from him, and Daniel lunged at the man in front of him, catching him off guard. The only thought in his mind was to get out of the shower room and back to his cell. The fight might not be over then, but he'd hopefully be better prepared for an attack at a future time.
Daniel could hear the naked man's curses, but all he could see was the man suddenly pinned underneath him. He quickly got to his knees and punched the man in the face as hard as he could, needing to distract him long enough to get up and out of the room. The punch connected, followed by the sickening sound of a breaking nose. Blood poured out of the guy's nose, serving only to make him angrier.
He didn't waste any time and got up off the floor in a hurry. Daniel was halfway to the door when his ankle was grabbed and pulled, causing him to lose his balance. He fell to the floor, but managed to catch most of his weight on his arms. He kicked out, trying to slip out of the hold on his ankle, but was unsuccessful. On his stomach, he was pulled towards the other man.
"Get the fuck off me," Daniel yelled as loud as he could, hoping to attract the attention of the guard he was sure was down the hall. It surprised him that the guard hadn't come running yet, since they'd been making quite a racket already. "You son of a bitch, get off!"
Daniel pushed himself up with his hands, only to be knocked down again by a kick in his side. His glasses went flying off his face, and Daniel heard as they hit the wall, and one of the lenses promptly shattered. He looked to his right and saw through his now blurry vision that the naked man, who was now wearing one shoe, was staring at him.
"That was for my toes," he sad, and then kicked Daniel again. "That was just because I felt like it."
Having had his breath knocked out of him, Daniel lay on the floor helpless as the other man kept dragging him further into the room. Suddenly, he felt two hands on his waist. The hands took a hold of him and roughly flipped him onto his back. Daniel brought his arms up to hit the attacker again, when the naked man suddenly appeared by his head and pinned his arms down to the floor.
"You're a lot more trouble than we were told you'd be," the man at his feet said. "It doesn't matter, though. We're going to finish what we started." He reached into a pocket and produced a wicked looking knife. He waved it in front of Daniel's face. "Say goodnight, because this is as far as you go."
Daniel didn't see it coming, he just felt as the knife penetrated the soft tissue of his abdomen and burrowed deep into his flesh. He gasped at the pain and found himself no longer able to struggle, as his entire body had gone numb. A second, then a third strike followed, until all Daniel could see was blackness surrounding his vision. He could feel the warm blood spilling onto his stomach and down the sides of his body to the floor, but he couldn't do anything about it, as the naked man was still holding on to his arms.
"Take a good look, boy, because this is the last thing you'll ever see." The man waved the knife in front of Daniel's face again, but this time, the knife was covered in bright, red blood. The man situated the knife at Daniel's throat, and grinned. "Say goodbye."
Daniel wasn't sure what happened next. One minute, he was lying on the floor, bleeding to death with a knife to his throat, and the next, he was looking up at another man, who was saying something to him, a concerned look on his face. He frowned, unable to hear the words through the loud buzzing in his ears, but didn't think that it'd mattered anyway. The man apparently saw something in his expression because he took Daniel's head and tilted it to the right, so that Daniel could see his attackers lying unconscious on the floor. Daniel tried to say something to him, ask him what was going on, but all he managed was a croak. He closed his eyes and figured that this was the end, that after the life he'd led, after everything he'd been through, he'd ended up dead on the floor of a prison he shouldn't have been in the first place.
**~~**
"I was stabbed three times," Daniel concluded, still unwilling to look at either Teal'c or Rya'c. "Thankfully, that's all they did to me, even though one definitely wanted something else entirely," he added, shivering slightly at the memory. "I had never seen my attackers before, but from what they said, I knew that they'd been sent to kill me and had been provided with the means by which to do so. The guard must have been bought off as well, because he never did show up." Daniel finally managed to meet Teal'c's eyes and saw sympathy there. He smiled slightly, letting the Jaffa know that he was okay.
"The guy who interrupted the attack turned out to be my new cell mate. He'd walked by and heard me yelling. I was in the infirmary for two weeks following that. My attackers were transferred to another prison and no one ever attacked me again, at least not that brutally. There were the occasional fights, but I got really good at handling those. Besides, a lot of the inmates needed me to fix parking violations or other mundane computer things for their relatives on the outside, so they didn't mess with me. After the attack, though, I used all of my free time to work out and gain strength. I pretty much resigned myself to the fact that I wasn't getting out of prison and I didn't want to be the way I was, because that would surely leave me open to further attacks. So I became good at intimidating first so as not to be intimidated myself. I'm not proud of the way I became, but it was necessary."
Teal'c nodded his head in understanding. "You did what you had to, of that I have no doubt. You should not feel ashamed for surviving, Daniel Jackson."
Daniel chuckled. "No, I guess not. So you see, there's nothing there that would give us an indication as to what Maybourne is planning."
"On the contrary, Dr. Jackson," Rya'c added, "I believe that it says a lot. The man is willing to buy anyone he can in order to accomplish what he wants. That tells us that he will probably still do the same thing."
"What do you mean?"
"You have spoken to General O'Neill, correct? He knows where we are, because we have told him. What if General Maybourne has 'bought' several people on General O'Neill's base? They would hear something and report it back to Maybourne at the earliest opportunity. We should contact General O'Neill and let him know about the possibility."
"Indeed, my son," Teal'c said. He got up from the chair he'd occupied during Daniel's story and moved over to the radio. He was about to activate it, when the radio crackled to life.
"Teal'c? Daniel? Rya'c? Can anyone hear me?"
"Colonel Carter, we hear you," Teal'c replied.
"Teal'c! I'm so happy to hear your voice. How are you guys doing? Is everything okay?"
"We are well. Is there something wrong with O'Neill?"
There was a pause, then they could hear Sam chuckle. "The general is fine, he was just stuck in a meeting and I found something that I wanted to run by Daniel if I could."
"Of course, I will get Daniel Jackson for you."
"Thanks, Teal'c."
"Rya'c and I will retire to perform Kel'no'reem while you speak to Colonel Carter," the Jaffa informed him.
Daniel nodded, got up from his chair and headed towards the communications console. He picked up the radio and spoke into it.
"Hi, Sam. What's up?"
"Daniel! It's so good to hear your voice. How are you?"
"I'm good, Sam, considering the circumstances. What have you got? Is everything really okay over there?"
"Everything if fine, Daniel," Sam said, but remained quiet for a few minutes, before speaking again. "Siler was at the SGC earlier and saw Dr. Rothman being led into a storage room on Level 28, close to the Armory. He was bound and didn't look too well. I'm not sure if you knew, but I wanted to tell you."
"Robert was taken from Catherine's house while Teal'c, Rya'c and I went to find a better spot in which to leave the Tel'tak. We managed to capture two of Maybourne's operatives, and one of them had a cell phone. Maybourne and I had a nice chat when he called to check in with the agents he'd sent to get us, during which he told me about Robert."
"What else did he say to you?" Sam asked, her voice turning even more serious than it had been before.
"Nothing helpful. He wanted to make a trade, the two men we have for Robert."
"You didn't agree to that, did you?"
Daniel chuckled, despite the seriousness of the conversation. "No, of course not."
Sam was quiet for a moment. "But you're still going to the SGC, aren't you?"
Daniel's eyes narrowed, amazed that Sam could still read him, even after all these years. "I have to, Sam. I can't just leave Robert at the mercy of a man like Maybourne."
Daniel heard Sam's sigh over the radio and closed his eyes. He didn't want to have to defend his actions, not right now and not to her.
"I can't stop you, Daniel. However, I think that you're making a mistake."
"Teal'c and Rya'c are with me and I know how to get in and out of the SGC. We have the Tel'tak and we're armed, so we're not completely helpless here."
"Daniel, you're talking about taking on the SGC. The storage rooms are at the lowest level of the mountain. Even if you do get down there, how are you going to get out?"
"Sam, I'm going to do this one way or the other," Daniel said simply, stemming any further argument.
She was quiet on the other end, until finally, Daniel heard her clear her throat. "Okay, Daniel. Good luck. There is one more thing I want to talk to you about."
"Okay."
"How good are you at hacking databases, Daniel?"
Daniel smiled. "Better than you might think, Sam. I've already hacked into NID records and found several mentions of an operation involving the SGC. Personnel changes recorded at about the time General Hammond was murdered indicate that the people brought in were involved in that."
"Did you come across an Operation "Chat Noir" by any chance?"
"Yes, I did. I was just reading the records when you called." He walked to the laptop and set it on the navigation console, careful not to press anything he wasn't supposed to. "Operation 'Chat Noir' was classified Top Secret and Eyes Only to the top branch of the NID. It involved the removal of several officials who would not mold themselves to the ideals of the NID. The reason given was that once said officials were gone, the NID operatives already in position at the SGC and the Pentagon would be able to mold the existing operations to their liking. It sounds farfetched, doesn't it?"
"Wow. That was more information than I was able to get. What else is there? Does it say how the operation was carried out?"
Daniel scrolled to the appropriate part of the report. "It's not specific, but it does say that the officials were to be removed cleanly and quietly, while they were away from their posts. Hammond was murdered in his home. Secretary Joseph Davidson was killed in a car accident while on vacation in Rome. Major Paul Davis was killed in a skiing accident while on a trip to Colorado. President Edward Monroe suffered a heart attack that forced him from office. All of those people were important enough to the SGC to change the way operations were handled if they weren't around anymore."
"Daniel, three of the four murders were deemed accidental. Only Hammond's was pinned on you. Why didn't they make that accidental?"
"I've been thinking about that, Sam. At the time of the murder, I had no idea that there had been more people killed. It wasn't until I started hacking the NID's databases while in prison that I found out about the other deaths. The only thing I can think of is that I was just at the wrong place at the wrong time and happened to be a convenient scapegoat for whatever happened. Maybe my being at the general's house ruined the NID's original plan to kill Hammond, so they had to improvise and used me to do so. It makes me wonder how their plan would have worked out if I hadn't lost my memory."
"What happened that day, Daniel? Why were you at Hammond's house?"
Daniel was quiet for a moment, remembering that day. "I went to apologize to him for my actions the day before. You know, when I yelled and screamed at him for grounding me after my injury. I felt like such a fool when I got to my apartment that night that I couldn't wait until my medical leave was over to talk to him. I drove to his house the day of his death to tell him that I understood why he'd grounded me and that I was sorry for my actions. I did get to talk to him and apologize, but I don't remember anything after that, not until I woke up and found him dead."
"We have some evidence of a conspiracy. It would be better if we can find names to go with the generalities."
"I've got names, Sam," Daniel interrupted, switching to another file on his computer. "I have accessed the personnel files for the NID on the days before and after General Hammond's death and know who was hired and fired during that time."
"You were able to access classified personnel files without getting caught? Daniel, I didn't think they taught computer hacking in archaeology school." Sam laughed.
"They don't. I had a little too much time on my hands in prison and access to a computer, so I explored new options."
"If we can track those individuals down, we might be able to get a confession."
"I don't think so, Sam. The four men who were hired prior to the murders are dead themselves. They all died in 'accidents' of their own shortly after President Monroe's retirement."
"Damn! So all we have is the documents you've managed to come up with."
".and my faulty memory," Daniel finished for her.
There was a slight pause, before Sam's voice came through again. She sounded excited, and a bit hopeful. "Daniel, what if I could get my father to come to the base and bring a Tok'ra memory device with him? Would you be willing to use that to recover the memories of that day?"
Daniel thought about it for a minute, apprehensive at the thought of having his brain examined and his thoughts put on display for everyone to see. However, they needed proof. The documents he had were useful, but they needed more if they were ever going to convince the current administration that he was innocent, and that Harold Maybourne and associates had been behind the whole thing.
"It would be worth a try," he finally answered.
"Great! I'll get a hold of my father as soon as I can. I'll let you and Teal'c know when to leave Earth to come here, or whether to go directly to the Tok'ra base. Teal'c knows where it is so it shouldn't be a problem."
"That sounds like a plan."
"Okay. Let me go and start making contacts. Daniel, be careful when you go to the SGC. Don't do anything stupid."
"Stupid, me? Sam, whatever do you mean?"
"Don't be a smart ass, Daniel. Take care of yourself. You have to stay alive so we can recover your lost memories, remember?"
"I know, Sam. Don't worry. When you tell Jack what I'm doing, make sure he doesn't do anything stupid either. I'm sure he hasn't changed much either."
Sam laughed. "I will do that. Until later, Daniel. Bye."
The communication broke off and Daniel turned to look behind him at the empty room. He took a deep breath and slowly released it, willing his tension to go with it. Things were looking up. All he had to do now was infiltrate the SGC and get out with Robert alive and well without getting either one of them killed.
****
"Rya'c, you will remain here while Daniel Jackson and I enter the complex. We will keep in radio contact with you and if anything happens to us, you are to leave immediately and head back to Chulak. From there, you will inform General O'Neill of what happened. Understood?"
"Yes, father," the young Jaffa replied as he squared his shoulders. "I will await your command."
Teal'c nodded once to his son, and then took his arm in the Jaffa salute.
"Be careful, Rya'c. If anything goes wrong, of if you're detected, leave immediately. Don't wait for us," Daniel added.
"We should not be detected Daniel Jackson. The Tel'tak is still cloaked and NORAD can not detect the ship. We are in a relatively secluded area of the complex where no one comes to patrol.
"I know that Teal'c, but it doesn't hurt to be extra careful."
"Indeed. Let us go."
The two men walked quickly out of the Tel'tak and made their way towards one of the entrance shafts that dotted the grounds of the compound. The shafts were primarily used for emergency evacuations, but could also be used as an alternate entrance. As they reached their objective, Teal'c stopped.
"This shaft will lead down several levels," Teal'c said. "Once inside, we will be forced to proceed through the hallways and the other stairwells." Teal'c pointed to the small, electronic keypad that adorned the shaft's cover. "We can disable this with a zat blast."
Daniel nodded and Teal'c proceeded to take out his zat gun and quickly disarmed the mechanism. He put the weapon away and easily lifted the cover to reveal a long tunnel with a set of steps going down it.
"I will descend first."
Both men headed down the shaft surrounded by darkness. After a while, Teal'c paused. "We have reached Level 14. We can continue for two more levels before being forced to exit the shaft and find a new one."
"Sam said that Robert was in a storage room on Level 28, so we'll have to find another way of getting down there."
"There are other shafts that lead to the lowest levels. We can use those to get there."
Daniel nodded, even though Teal'c couldn't see him. "Let's just hope that no one catches us before we get there."