Jack sat at the table a few minutes more, finishing the so-called turkey
sandwich. "Maybe he wants to be left alone," he muttered to himself. "That's
never stopped me before." He got up and followed Daniel down the hall.
Jack found Daniel in his office; he seemed to be going through an old dusty
box. "Come on. I *know* this one's not at my apartment." Daniel started
mumbling numbers to himself, "Ninety-four, ninety-five... Ah ha! Got it."
Jack watched as Daniel pulled out what could only be a journal from what
he figured was a dusty box.
He sat behind his desk and started thumbing through it. Towards the middle
of the book he slowed down. Reading more and more of each page until finally
he stopped. A few minutes later he slowly put the book down in front of him.
Placing his elbows on his knees and his face in is hands he took a deep
breath. "I don't know if I can do this."
Jack watched him with silent concern for a moment, and then, as Daniel
started to stir, Jack ducked back out into the hallway. From Daniel's office
he could hear a muttered "Okay, I *can* do this, I *have* todo this."
A few moments later, Daniel left, head down, not noticing Jack, not seeming
to notice anyone. Jack bit his lip and slipped into Daniel's office. The
last time he'd gone through Daniel's journals, Daniel had been dead. He
didn't have that excuse this time, but he had to know.
The journal had been stuck back in the box, but was lying on top of the
other journals. Jack lifted it and started flipping through. One of the
pages was stiff, far less flexible than the others. A photo had been taped
to it, and Jack looked. Daniel -- looking extremely young, even though it
was probably little more than ten years ago -- and another man, arms around
each other, laughing. The other man had Peter's face. Identical.
The surrounding pages had a lot of talk about Adam -- Adam this, Adam that,
and Jack flipped back to the photo and stared at it. Geez, no wonder Daniel
looked so shocked in the briefing. This was... unreal.
He paged forward, skimming over the entries. Adam this, and Adam that, and
--
-- and one entry, dated May 12th, that consisted only of // Adam's dead. //
Jack sighed. He really should put the book away and walk out of the office.
He really should. He turned the page and continued reading.
The next entry was dated May 15th.
// The funeral was today. Jen reminded me that there were things I needed to
take care of. I don't want to think about them, but she asked me some
questions that I couldn't answer and now I wonder. Can I afford the rent
now? Should I postpone my defense? I don't-- //
"Find what you were looking for Jack?" an angry voice asked from behind him.
His head shot up in surprise, "Danny!"
Daniel waved a hand in dismissal, "No. Don't. Not right now. I'm going home
and catching up on some sleep. Tell Peter... Tell Peter that I didn't feel
well."
"Daniel--"
"Don't." Daniel sounded almost more tired than angry. "You have no right to
-- to dig through my life. What it is now, and," snatching the journal out
of Jack's hands, "what it was then. I am going home and I am locking my
office and you are not saying a *word*, Jack, not a word."
"Right," Jack said. He could take a hint.
Daniel locked his office door with savage movements and then stalked past
him, and Jack didn't follow. Tell Peter, Daniel had said. He'd probably
meant 'if you see him,' but Jack sought Peter out anyway, tracking him down
in the research lab that Daniel had taken over.
"Colonel," Peter said, and smiled at him. "Can I help you?"
Jack thought of the picture in Daniel's diary, and of the shock in Daniel's
face, and said, "Yeah. You can."
Two steps brought him close to Peter, and Jack gripped his arm tightly and
pulled him to his feet. "You can tell me who you are and what you've done to
Daniel."
Peter looked at the Colonel with a serious face, "I didn't do anything."
There was something in the eyes. "Please let me go." Something that didn't
mesh with his professor type appearance.
"I don't believe you."
"You have to. I swear, I wouldn't do anything to hurt him."
Jack nodded tightly. "If you do, I'll kill you."
Again, something passed through his eyes. Equals stared at each other. "I
have no doubt that you would." Then Peter was Peter again. "Do you know
where he is? We were supposed to meet a few minutes ago."
"Yeah. He asked me to send his regrets. Said he didn't feel well. Went home
early."
Peter thought about it for a moment. "I see. Then I'll get back to work.
Perhaps I can make some progress. Have something to talk about when he gets
in tomorrow. He *is* coming in tomorrow?"
"He didn't look too sick. Probably just needs some extra rest." Was it
Jack's imagination, or did Peter look slightly relieved?
"I'll just get back to work then."
"Yeah, you do that." Jack walked out of the room and mumbled, "Well that was
even *less* helpful."
sandwich. "Maybe he wants to be left alone," he muttered to himself. "That's
never stopped me before." He got up and followed Daniel down the hall.
Jack found Daniel in his office; he seemed to be going through an old dusty
box. "Come on. I *know* this one's not at my apartment." Daniel started
mumbling numbers to himself, "Ninety-four, ninety-five... Ah ha! Got it."
Jack watched as Daniel pulled out what could only be a journal from what
he figured was a dusty box.
He sat behind his desk and started thumbing through it. Towards the middle
of the book he slowed down. Reading more and more of each page until finally
he stopped. A few minutes later he slowly put the book down in front of him.
Placing his elbows on his knees and his face in is hands he took a deep
breath. "I don't know if I can do this."
Jack watched him with silent concern for a moment, and then, as Daniel
started to stir, Jack ducked back out into the hallway. From Daniel's office
he could hear a muttered "Okay, I *can* do this, I *have* todo this."
A few moments later, Daniel left, head down, not noticing Jack, not seeming
to notice anyone. Jack bit his lip and slipped into Daniel's office. The
last time he'd gone through Daniel's journals, Daniel had been dead. He
didn't have that excuse this time, but he had to know.
The journal had been stuck back in the box, but was lying on top of the
other journals. Jack lifted it and started flipping through. One of the
pages was stiff, far less flexible than the others. A photo had been taped
to it, and Jack looked. Daniel -- looking extremely young, even though it
was probably little more than ten years ago -- and another man, arms around
each other, laughing. The other man had Peter's face. Identical.
The surrounding pages had a lot of talk about Adam -- Adam this, Adam that,
and Jack flipped back to the photo and stared at it. Geez, no wonder Daniel
looked so shocked in the briefing. This was... unreal.
He paged forward, skimming over the entries. Adam this, and Adam that, and
--
-- and one entry, dated May 12th, that consisted only of // Adam's dead. //
Jack sighed. He really should put the book away and walk out of the office.
He really should. He turned the page and continued reading.
The next entry was dated May 15th.
// The funeral was today. Jen reminded me that there were things I needed to
take care of. I don't want to think about them, but she asked me some
questions that I couldn't answer and now I wonder. Can I afford the rent
now? Should I postpone my defense? I don't-- //
"Find what you were looking for Jack?" an angry voice asked from behind him.
His head shot up in surprise, "Danny!"
Daniel waved a hand in dismissal, "No. Don't. Not right now. I'm going home
and catching up on some sleep. Tell Peter... Tell Peter that I didn't feel
well."
"Daniel--"
"Don't." Daniel sounded almost more tired than angry. "You have no right to
-- to dig through my life. What it is now, and," snatching the journal out
of Jack's hands, "what it was then. I am going home and I am locking my
office and you are not saying a *word*, Jack, not a word."
"Right," Jack said. He could take a hint.
Daniel locked his office door with savage movements and then stalked past
him, and Jack didn't follow. Tell Peter, Daniel had said. He'd probably
meant 'if you see him,' but Jack sought Peter out anyway, tracking him down
in the research lab that Daniel had taken over.
"Colonel," Peter said, and smiled at him. "Can I help you?"
Jack thought of the picture in Daniel's diary, and of the shock in Daniel's
face, and said, "Yeah. You can."
Two steps brought him close to Peter, and Jack gripped his arm tightly and
pulled him to his feet. "You can tell me who you are and what you've done to
Daniel."
Peter looked at the Colonel with a serious face, "I didn't do anything."
There was something in the eyes. "Please let me go." Something that didn't
mesh with his professor type appearance.
"I don't believe you."
"You have to. I swear, I wouldn't do anything to hurt him."
Jack nodded tightly. "If you do, I'll kill you."
Again, something passed through his eyes. Equals stared at each other. "I
have no doubt that you would." Then Peter was Peter again. "Do you know
where he is? We were supposed to meet a few minutes ago."
"Yeah. He asked me to send his regrets. Said he didn't feel well. Went home
early."
Peter thought about it for a moment. "I see. Then I'll get back to work.
Perhaps I can make some progress. Have something to talk about when he gets
in tomorrow. He *is* coming in tomorrow?"
"He didn't look too sick. Probably just needs some extra rest." Was it
Jack's imagination, or did Peter look slightly relieved?
"I'll just get back to work then."
"Yeah, you do that." Jack walked out of the room and mumbled, "Well that was
even *less* helpful."