Note from Havana: What motivates me to keep this story going? It has been your encouragement and kind feedback. Thank you! Thank you! I also appreciate those who review and let me know if there are any mistakes. Keep up the R&R!
Disclaimer: The SG characters aren't mine, wish they were but Imika and Rina belong to me.
Category: Drama, Angst and Action Adventure
Rating: PG-13 for mature content in one scene (dialogue) and Psychological Trauma (Danny whumping)
Chapter 3: Mark of the Chameleon
*********************************
"Daniel?"
The familiar gentle voice resonated around him in haunting echoes.
His eyes fluttered and when he opened them, they squinted at the light dancing from left to right. Daniel connected the voice with the warm face staring back at him--Dr. Janet Fraiser.
"Hey," Janet said, smiling at the Archaeologist while he recuperated. She flicked off the light of the optic instrument and tucked it into the pocket of her white coat.
He grunted, groggy and disoriented from the many painkillers that had been pumped into his body through the IV. Daniel wet his parched lips and his eyes rolled every moment or so, trying to remain awake.
Janet asked, "Do you know who I am?"
Daniel acknowledged. Slowly, he nodded up and down.
"Good. Where are you?"
"In the--," his voice slurred, "In the infir-ma-ry."
She smiled again and relieved to know his memory had not been affected by the trauma. Janet hoped he would stay awake a little longer, but with all the drugs she administered to ease the pain he suffered, Daniel slipped back into the arms of sleep that returned for him.
~The Dream~
There has to be a way out.
Daniel shivered from the cold biting through flesh and bone. He didn't think this was funny at all, trapped in a dark cave, like a crazy maze. Going around in circles, trapped and desperate to escape. A dead silence spooked him. So quiet, the only sound heard was the frenetic beating of his heart.
There was a turn up ahead. Daniel raced toward it, thinking this has to be the exit. And when he sped around the corner, he slammed into the misshapen creature that was Imika. The anger in her jade eyes burned though every fragment of his soul. She raised her arm, then opening the taloned fingers about to strike...
Daniel bolted from the pillow. He gasped as if the air had been vacuumed from his lungs. His wide blue eyes gazed wildly around the infirmary.
"Daniel!"
Sam, frantic about what to do was a second away from calling Janet, but when she saw he calmed down, she canceled her decision and stayed with him. It's been an hour since she sat in a chair beside him. She tried to focus on Daniel getting better, and then the anger would return when she thought of Imika...what she had done to her best friend.
Daniel looked up and met her soothing gaze. "Sam," he uttered breathlessly.
Sam sniffed and smeared a tear from under her right eye. "I'm right here, Daniel. You're gonna be okay." She comforted him with her gentle smile.
Daniel smiled back, a weak one he expressed briefly and then he closed his eyes.
Sam watched him turn his head away from her. While he slept, she noticed something other than the bruises on his face. She leaned over him to get a closer look. On the left side of his neck was a 3-inch scratch, a deep one Imika had inflicted. Sam continued to study the swollen and ruddy scratch. Her thoughts racked with frustration, because they weren't dealing with something primitive. Imika was highly intelligent, sadistically clever and she hoped Rina thought of another way to find her...or else the SG-1 would.
It was time for Sam to leave. Unfortunately she had other things to take care of---the things that seemed minute compared to her concern for Daniel. Her eyes lingered on him one last time and then she closed the door behind her. Jack and Teal'c waited outside and she noticed they were eager to know Jack's condition.
"Sam?" Jack said, uncrossing his arms.
"Well," she hesitated and breathed. "He's hanging in there so far, thank God. The bruises are healing and..."
Teal'c sensed the concern in Sam's voice. "Are you sure Daniel Jackson is well?"
"He's getting better," Sam answered defensively. "It's just, he has nightmares. What he went through was a traumatic experience."
"Carter," Jack explained, "We're not doubting what he experienced. We're just concerned and hope he makes it through this--emotionally I mean. You know Daniel and what he's been through in the past."
Sam reassured them with a confident smile. "And Daniel has always bounced right back."
Jack nodded. "You're right," he answered unconvincingly and wondered if Sam and Teal'c fell for what he hoped was good acting.
Hands buried in the pockets of his pants, Jack peered through the window at Daniel. He knew Sam and Teal'c were upset. The anger in him boiled at such a point, he had no reservations about wanting Imika dead.
*******************************************************
An hour later, the team and Rina met Hammond inside the briefing room.
"Rina," Hammond said at the table, sitting across from her. "Is there any other way this alien can be contained and brought back to your planet?"
"General, I've been thinking of another way. It won't be easy because these aliens can hide. They can blend with its surroundings."
Sam interrupted, "Like what a chameleon does."
Jack peeked out from beside Tea'lc and acknowledged her answer.
"Good analogy. Wish I would've thought of that."
Sam blushed slightly and then she straightened herself, careful to hide her attraction to O'Neill.
She gave Rina her attention again. "That's why I couldn't see it in the trees, but I heard something moving. So it's not impossible to catch her."
"I agree with you, Major Carter," Rina stated, "But she's very fast. The tracker would enable me to get close enough to catch her. Now that she has removed the device, it won't be easy to find her. The only other advantage I have is, when a Kar'tuc hides, it's not invisible. It will blend into an object, but a keen eye would see something moving. It would appear like ripples over for example, the chair I'm sitting on. But she's not here. She's on a planet where she can be anywhere."
"All right, then," Hammond said. "P49-865 is declared unsafe until we can find a way to catch this thing."
"And destroy it," Rina added firmly. "I know Imika. She would never surrender and come back willingly to my planet. If I or anyone gets in her way, she will kill, and that's why it was decided she must die."
*********************************************************
Janet wasn't thrilled about the idea of Daniel leaving the infirmary. It had only been a week since the incident. She went to see Hammond inside his office and hoped he understood her concerns.
"Sir," Janet said, standing in front of his desk. "I think it was too soon for Daniel to leave the infirmary."
Hammond sighed and looked up at Janet. "When I asked you how Daniel is doing, you told me he's much better. He said he feels better. If you can give me a good reason he should stay in the infirmary, then he would have to obey that order. Other than that, we can't make him stay."
"Sir, physically he's better, but emotionally," she paused and shook her head. "I'm not so sure."
"Doctor, all we can do is keep an eye on him, but you can't keep him confined in the infirmary."
Janet thought for a moment, suspecting something she had to ask. "You're sending him on another mission?"
"I think it's best."
"With all due respect, Sir, after what Daniel experienced, I don't think he should go anywhere but home for a while."
Janet's persistence about Daniel irritated Hammond, but he refrained from raising his voice.
"Doctor, SG-1 has been through--,"
"I know," Janet interrupted. "SG-1 has been to hell and back, so another mission won't hurt."
Taken back by her sarcasm, Hammond answered sternly, "I understand your concern because you're a doctor, but I know the only way Daniel will get through this is if he goes on another mission."
Frustrated about Hammond's idea, Janet inhaled and then she let out a deep sigh.
"All right, if you think it's best. I apologize for my tone before and I, uh, I better get back to the infirmary."
Hammond watched her leave. He knew she was upset, tempted to call her back into his office, but he slumped against his black leather chair.
Janet, I have to do what's best. I have to...
Hammond sighed as his forehead sank into the palm of his right hand.
******************************************************
Daniel sat quietly in his office. Usually he was busy on the computer, studying mythologies of various cultures or an artifact found on another planet while savoring his freshly brewed coffee. But today he sat at his desk and stared absently at the monitor. His mind obsessed with tortuous thoughts of Imika. She kidnapped him into the cave, though he was rescued...now she had kidnapped his mind. Furious at her control over his thoughts, he slammed his fist onto the desk. The rage rippled from his fist, like tremors had rattled the full cup of coffee. Some sputtered onto his hands and on the desk. Exasperated by what just happened, Daniel flung the coffee off his hands.
One knock rapped at the slightly open door.
"Daniel?"
Daniel's powder blue eyes behind his glasses darted from the computer to Jack peeking inside the office.
"Jack? I didn't see you--how long have you been standing there?"
"Only a few minutes. You mind if I come in?"
Uninterested at the moment of Jack's visit, he only nodded.
Ouch, Jack thought, sensing Daniel's frigid welcome.
He was concerned about Daniel's unusual behavior; nevertheless, Jack strode toward Daniel's desk and stopped beside it.
In the light from the desk lamp, O'Neill saw Daniel's face clearly. He looked better despite the bruises that left their faint traces on his skin.
Annoyed by his stare, Daniel asked coldly, "Jack, what are you looking at?"
"Huh? Oh, nothing." He cleared his throat and crossed his arms behind his back. "Just making sure you're okay," said Jack, trying to remain calm.
"I'm fine," Daniel grumbled through his teeth while cleaning up the coffee with a tissue. "How are you?"
Jack flashed a wide cheery grin. "Great. Never felt better."
Daniel couldn't shake the feeling and the question as to what Jack wanted. He thought, maybe he came to talk about something, like what happened on P49-865.
"Daniel," Jack began, "If you, you know, need to talk..."
Daniel angrily tossed the tissue into the trash and glared at his superior. "What do you want to know, hmm? What? The bruises and the other injuries, that's not enough for you? You wanna know more?"
Daniel sprang from his chair. His eyes blazed like those of a madman.
Jack stepped back a little, raising his hands as if to stop Daniel from doing something crazy.
"Daniel, I just thought we could talk."
"Yeah," he growled, stalking toward Jack. "You wanna know about the other details, the way she pinned me down, what she forced me to do!!! You like that don't you? You wanted to hear me say it!"
"Daniel!"
The Archaeologist grabbed Jack's neck and slammed him against the wall. He pinned him there, tightening his grip.
A stunned Jack O'Neill couldn't believe what was happening. Pinned to the wall by Daniel who suddenly possessed an incredible strength, an abnormal strength that was enough to kill him. He glimpsed the scratch on the left side of Daniel's neck. A few days ago it appeared to be healing, now it swelled again. The color also changed from red to a pale grey.
The Colonel struggled to breath. "Daniel," he croaked. "Your neck..."
Daniel, realizing what he was doing to his friend, released his grip. From the moment Jack walked into his office, it was as if he didn't recognize him, hating the stranger who provoked him.
Jack choked in a few spurts while holding his neck. He watched a confused and disoriented Daniel Jackson stumble backward sped out of the office.
******************************************************
Daniel fled to his quarters where he would get ready before going on a mission. He opened his locker and on the right side was a mirror. Tilting his head a little, he saw what Jack warned him about. He swallowed hard while watching the hideous mark. It appeared to be growing, like a parasite leeched onto his skin. And then Daniel knew something was very wrong.
******************************************************
"Sir?" Sam said, bumping into Jack in one of the corridors. "Are you okay?"
Jack rubbed his neck that still ached.
"Carter," he replied breathlessly, "Daniel isn't--Daniel."
"What?"
"He attacked me, like he wanted to kill me but he didn't. And the scratch on his neck, it's changing."
"Where is he now?"
Jack winced and shook his head. "I don't know."
*********************************************************
"What happened?" A bewildered Janet Fraiser looked up from her chair and into the concerned faces of Jack, Sam and Teal'c.
After the incident in Daniel's office, Jack along with his 2IC and Jaffa friend had no choice but to urgently see Janet in her office.
Jack was the first to acknowledge Janet's question. "I'm telling you doc, Daniel wanted to kill me."
Janet believed him when she noticed the signs of potential red bruises around Jack's neck.
The Colonel continued, "And then after I told him what I saw on his neck, he stopped and ran out."
"The scratch you mean?"
"Yeah, but it's--," Jack grimaced at what he remembered. "It's changing into some grey looking thing."
Sam intervened, "Janet, he's not himself. Whatever this alien did to him, it's affecting his behavior. It's like she has control over him--," Sam froze as if she figured out the answer to a difficult equation. Her eyes brightened. "Wait a minute...the scratch on his neck, the way he's behaving, it reminds me of what a vampire does to its' victim. Is it possible that's what we're dealing with? A vampire type of alien?" She chuckled. "Wait, it's silly..."
Immediately, Janet shook her head. "No. It's not silly. You may be right about Imika. We have to let the General and Rina know what's going on."
"We should find Daniel Jackson," Teal'c suggested. "He may have gone back to his office."
"Wait," Jack said and sighed deeply. He wondered if he should mention what Daniel confessed to him, but he felt it was important for them to know. "Daniel, before he tried to *kill* me, he uh...he told me Imika held him down and forced him to do...something."
Janet's delicately arched brows furrowed. "Are you saying he was raped?"
Jack cleared his throat and again he grimaced. "It's possible that's what...happened."
Sam mumbled, "Oh my God."
An awkward silence lulled over them.
Janet, feeling an overwhelming sadness for Daniel, stood from her chair. She took in a deep breath and sighed. "Well, we should definitely let the General and Rina know about this situation...and we better find Daniel."
*********************************************************
Daniel had gone back to his office after what he saw on his neck. In the middle of the room, he cushioned his head against the leather swivel chair. Slowly, he twirled himself round and round. His eyes fixated on the ceiling, as if he saw something there. Three knocks pummeled on the door behind him.
Annoyed at the knocks interrupting his fun, Daniel halted his merry-go-round obsession and stared ominously at the door.
"Who is it?" He grumbled.
"It's Dr. Fraiser."
Daniel rolled his eyes and sulked. "Entrer!" He shouted sarcastically in a very convincing French accent.
Janet sauntered inside his office. Sam, Jack and Teal'c ambled behind her.
Daniel straightened himself in the chair and glared at his friends. He battled the reasoning of why they irritated him so much-a battle he slowly lost.
"I'm sorry, Daniel," Janet said gently. "We're concerned and..." Her voice trailed; distracted by the black turtleneck he wore. "Why are you wearing a turtleneck sweater? I thought you were going offworld?"
He smirked. "Because I want to. Sometimes it can get a bit nippy on some of these planets."
Cautious, Janet stepped closer to him. "I need to see the scratch on your neck."
Daniel stood abruptly from the chair. His arms were hidden behind him.
Janet stepped back with the others, eyeing him carefully.
"I'm fine," He snarled at Dr. Fraiser. "You don't need to be here."
"I just want to make sure you're okay."
Daniel's arms sprang from around him and pointed a side arm at those he perceived to be his ex-friends. "I'm fine!"
Jack raised his hands. "Whoa, Danny boy."
Janet's lips fell. She stumbled back with the shocked team. They watched him, speechless at first and for the moment, paralyzed by the gun aimed at them.
Daniel seethed. "Leave me alone. All of you! I know what you're doing. You want to keep us apart but it won't work. I'm getting out of here."
Daniel opened the office door, keeping his gun locked onto them. "If any of you even try to stop me, you're dead."
When Daniel escaped out into the corridor, Sam raced out of the office and pounded the red alert button.
*************************************************************
The wailing alarm beckoned Hammond out of his office and into the control room.
"What's going on?" he asked, wanting an immediate answer from the few technicians sitting at the computers.
Like him, they were also baffled about the alert. There was no warning of an incoming traveler.
"Sir!" Sam said as she hiked frantically up the stairs. Janet, O'Neill, Teal'c and Rina sped behind her.
"Would someone tell me what's going on?"
Sam waited to catch her breath and then she explained. "It's Daniel. He threatened to kill us with a gun when we questioned the scratch on his neck."
"Sir," Janet said assertively. "He's having a psychotic break, which we believe is from Imika's control over him."
"What the," Jack muttered while looking down inside the gate room. "It's Daniel, he's trying to leave through the gate."
Soldiers swarmed into the room with their guns ready and locked on their target standing at the bottom of the ramp.
Hammond breezed through the sliding door with the team behind him.
"Dr. Jackson," Hammond yelled. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Don't you understand?" Daniel pleaded. "I have to get out of here."
His wide, blood shot eyes glared wildly. "If you don't let me go, I'll..."
Daniel dropped the gun. He screamed and collapsed onto his knees. His hands clenched his temples, squeezing them.
Janet and Sam rushed over to his slumped body. While Janet ordered the medics to come, Rina thought she saw something odd near Janet, Sam and Daniel. The air rippled around them.
Rina shouted, "Get away from him! She's here!"
Suddenly, Janet and Sam were yanked from their feet and thrown across the floor.
"General!" Rina warned. "It's Imika!"
Imika uncloaked herself. The seven--foot alien hissed at her hunter and when the soldiers fired, Imika sped away, dodging their bullets and barging into more soldiers swarming inside. They were flung out of her path as she escaped through the sliding door.
Rina stared at the door that clanked shut, thinking...
All this time, she was here.
***************************************************
AN: Not done yet...more to come!
Disclaimer: The SG characters aren't mine, wish they were but Imika and Rina belong to me.
Category: Drama, Angst and Action Adventure
Rating: PG-13 for mature content in one scene (dialogue) and Psychological Trauma (Danny whumping)
Chapter 3: Mark of the Chameleon
*********************************
"Daniel?"
The familiar gentle voice resonated around him in haunting echoes.
His eyes fluttered and when he opened them, they squinted at the light dancing from left to right. Daniel connected the voice with the warm face staring back at him--Dr. Janet Fraiser.
"Hey," Janet said, smiling at the Archaeologist while he recuperated. She flicked off the light of the optic instrument and tucked it into the pocket of her white coat.
He grunted, groggy and disoriented from the many painkillers that had been pumped into his body through the IV. Daniel wet his parched lips and his eyes rolled every moment or so, trying to remain awake.
Janet asked, "Do you know who I am?"
Daniel acknowledged. Slowly, he nodded up and down.
"Good. Where are you?"
"In the--," his voice slurred, "In the infir-ma-ry."
She smiled again and relieved to know his memory had not been affected by the trauma. Janet hoped he would stay awake a little longer, but with all the drugs she administered to ease the pain he suffered, Daniel slipped back into the arms of sleep that returned for him.
~The Dream~
There has to be a way out.
Daniel shivered from the cold biting through flesh and bone. He didn't think this was funny at all, trapped in a dark cave, like a crazy maze. Going around in circles, trapped and desperate to escape. A dead silence spooked him. So quiet, the only sound heard was the frenetic beating of his heart.
There was a turn up ahead. Daniel raced toward it, thinking this has to be the exit. And when he sped around the corner, he slammed into the misshapen creature that was Imika. The anger in her jade eyes burned though every fragment of his soul. She raised her arm, then opening the taloned fingers about to strike...
Daniel bolted from the pillow. He gasped as if the air had been vacuumed from his lungs. His wide blue eyes gazed wildly around the infirmary.
"Daniel!"
Sam, frantic about what to do was a second away from calling Janet, but when she saw he calmed down, she canceled her decision and stayed with him. It's been an hour since she sat in a chair beside him. She tried to focus on Daniel getting better, and then the anger would return when she thought of Imika...what she had done to her best friend.
Daniel looked up and met her soothing gaze. "Sam," he uttered breathlessly.
Sam sniffed and smeared a tear from under her right eye. "I'm right here, Daniel. You're gonna be okay." She comforted him with her gentle smile.
Daniel smiled back, a weak one he expressed briefly and then he closed his eyes.
Sam watched him turn his head away from her. While he slept, she noticed something other than the bruises on his face. She leaned over him to get a closer look. On the left side of his neck was a 3-inch scratch, a deep one Imika had inflicted. Sam continued to study the swollen and ruddy scratch. Her thoughts racked with frustration, because they weren't dealing with something primitive. Imika was highly intelligent, sadistically clever and she hoped Rina thought of another way to find her...or else the SG-1 would.
It was time for Sam to leave. Unfortunately she had other things to take care of---the things that seemed minute compared to her concern for Daniel. Her eyes lingered on him one last time and then she closed the door behind her. Jack and Teal'c waited outside and she noticed they were eager to know Jack's condition.
"Sam?" Jack said, uncrossing his arms.
"Well," she hesitated and breathed. "He's hanging in there so far, thank God. The bruises are healing and..."
Teal'c sensed the concern in Sam's voice. "Are you sure Daniel Jackson is well?"
"He's getting better," Sam answered defensively. "It's just, he has nightmares. What he went through was a traumatic experience."
"Carter," Jack explained, "We're not doubting what he experienced. We're just concerned and hope he makes it through this--emotionally I mean. You know Daniel and what he's been through in the past."
Sam reassured them with a confident smile. "And Daniel has always bounced right back."
Jack nodded. "You're right," he answered unconvincingly and wondered if Sam and Teal'c fell for what he hoped was good acting.
Hands buried in the pockets of his pants, Jack peered through the window at Daniel. He knew Sam and Teal'c were upset. The anger in him boiled at such a point, he had no reservations about wanting Imika dead.
*******************************************************
An hour later, the team and Rina met Hammond inside the briefing room.
"Rina," Hammond said at the table, sitting across from her. "Is there any other way this alien can be contained and brought back to your planet?"
"General, I've been thinking of another way. It won't be easy because these aliens can hide. They can blend with its surroundings."
Sam interrupted, "Like what a chameleon does."
Jack peeked out from beside Tea'lc and acknowledged her answer.
"Good analogy. Wish I would've thought of that."
Sam blushed slightly and then she straightened herself, careful to hide her attraction to O'Neill.
She gave Rina her attention again. "That's why I couldn't see it in the trees, but I heard something moving. So it's not impossible to catch her."
"I agree with you, Major Carter," Rina stated, "But she's very fast. The tracker would enable me to get close enough to catch her. Now that she has removed the device, it won't be easy to find her. The only other advantage I have is, when a Kar'tuc hides, it's not invisible. It will blend into an object, but a keen eye would see something moving. It would appear like ripples over for example, the chair I'm sitting on. But she's not here. She's on a planet where she can be anywhere."
"All right, then," Hammond said. "P49-865 is declared unsafe until we can find a way to catch this thing."
"And destroy it," Rina added firmly. "I know Imika. She would never surrender and come back willingly to my planet. If I or anyone gets in her way, she will kill, and that's why it was decided she must die."
*********************************************************
Janet wasn't thrilled about the idea of Daniel leaving the infirmary. It had only been a week since the incident. She went to see Hammond inside his office and hoped he understood her concerns.
"Sir," Janet said, standing in front of his desk. "I think it was too soon for Daniel to leave the infirmary."
Hammond sighed and looked up at Janet. "When I asked you how Daniel is doing, you told me he's much better. He said he feels better. If you can give me a good reason he should stay in the infirmary, then he would have to obey that order. Other than that, we can't make him stay."
"Sir, physically he's better, but emotionally," she paused and shook her head. "I'm not so sure."
"Doctor, all we can do is keep an eye on him, but you can't keep him confined in the infirmary."
Janet thought for a moment, suspecting something she had to ask. "You're sending him on another mission?"
"I think it's best."
"With all due respect, Sir, after what Daniel experienced, I don't think he should go anywhere but home for a while."
Janet's persistence about Daniel irritated Hammond, but he refrained from raising his voice.
"Doctor, SG-1 has been through--,"
"I know," Janet interrupted. "SG-1 has been to hell and back, so another mission won't hurt."
Taken back by her sarcasm, Hammond answered sternly, "I understand your concern because you're a doctor, but I know the only way Daniel will get through this is if he goes on another mission."
Frustrated about Hammond's idea, Janet inhaled and then she let out a deep sigh.
"All right, if you think it's best. I apologize for my tone before and I, uh, I better get back to the infirmary."
Hammond watched her leave. He knew she was upset, tempted to call her back into his office, but he slumped against his black leather chair.
Janet, I have to do what's best. I have to...
Hammond sighed as his forehead sank into the palm of his right hand.
******************************************************
Daniel sat quietly in his office. Usually he was busy on the computer, studying mythologies of various cultures or an artifact found on another planet while savoring his freshly brewed coffee. But today he sat at his desk and stared absently at the monitor. His mind obsessed with tortuous thoughts of Imika. She kidnapped him into the cave, though he was rescued...now she had kidnapped his mind. Furious at her control over his thoughts, he slammed his fist onto the desk. The rage rippled from his fist, like tremors had rattled the full cup of coffee. Some sputtered onto his hands and on the desk. Exasperated by what just happened, Daniel flung the coffee off his hands.
One knock rapped at the slightly open door.
"Daniel?"
Daniel's powder blue eyes behind his glasses darted from the computer to Jack peeking inside the office.
"Jack? I didn't see you--how long have you been standing there?"
"Only a few minutes. You mind if I come in?"
Uninterested at the moment of Jack's visit, he only nodded.
Ouch, Jack thought, sensing Daniel's frigid welcome.
He was concerned about Daniel's unusual behavior; nevertheless, Jack strode toward Daniel's desk and stopped beside it.
In the light from the desk lamp, O'Neill saw Daniel's face clearly. He looked better despite the bruises that left their faint traces on his skin.
Annoyed by his stare, Daniel asked coldly, "Jack, what are you looking at?"
"Huh? Oh, nothing." He cleared his throat and crossed his arms behind his back. "Just making sure you're okay," said Jack, trying to remain calm.
"I'm fine," Daniel grumbled through his teeth while cleaning up the coffee with a tissue. "How are you?"
Jack flashed a wide cheery grin. "Great. Never felt better."
Daniel couldn't shake the feeling and the question as to what Jack wanted. He thought, maybe he came to talk about something, like what happened on P49-865.
"Daniel," Jack began, "If you, you know, need to talk..."
Daniel angrily tossed the tissue into the trash and glared at his superior. "What do you want to know, hmm? What? The bruises and the other injuries, that's not enough for you? You wanna know more?"
Daniel sprang from his chair. His eyes blazed like those of a madman.
Jack stepped back a little, raising his hands as if to stop Daniel from doing something crazy.
"Daniel, I just thought we could talk."
"Yeah," he growled, stalking toward Jack. "You wanna know about the other details, the way she pinned me down, what she forced me to do!!! You like that don't you? You wanted to hear me say it!"
"Daniel!"
The Archaeologist grabbed Jack's neck and slammed him against the wall. He pinned him there, tightening his grip.
A stunned Jack O'Neill couldn't believe what was happening. Pinned to the wall by Daniel who suddenly possessed an incredible strength, an abnormal strength that was enough to kill him. He glimpsed the scratch on the left side of Daniel's neck. A few days ago it appeared to be healing, now it swelled again. The color also changed from red to a pale grey.
The Colonel struggled to breath. "Daniel," he croaked. "Your neck..."
Daniel, realizing what he was doing to his friend, released his grip. From the moment Jack walked into his office, it was as if he didn't recognize him, hating the stranger who provoked him.
Jack choked in a few spurts while holding his neck. He watched a confused and disoriented Daniel Jackson stumble backward sped out of the office.
******************************************************
Daniel fled to his quarters where he would get ready before going on a mission. He opened his locker and on the right side was a mirror. Tilting his head a little, he saw what Jack warned him about. He swallowed hard while watching the hideous mark. It appeared to be growing, like a parasite leeched onto his skin. And then Daniel knew something was very wrong.
******************************************************
"Sir?" Sam said, bumping into Jack in one of the corridors. "Are you okay?"
Jack rubbed his neck that still ached.
"Carter," he replied breathlessly, "Daniel isn't--Daniel."
"What?"
"He attacked me, like he wanted to kill me but he didn't. And the scratch on his neck, it's changing."
"Where is he now?"
Jack winced and shook his head. "I don't know."
*********************************************************
"What happened?" A bewildered Janet Fraiser looked up from her chair and into the concerned faces of Jack, Sam and Teal'c.
After the incident in Daniel's office, Jack along with his 2IC and Jaffa friend had no choice but to urgently see Janet in her office.
Jack was the first to acknowledge Janet's question. "I'm telling you doc, Daniel wanted to kill me."
Janet believed him when she noticed the signs of potential red bruises around Jack's neck.
The Colonel continued, "And then after I told him what I saw on his neck, he stopped and ran out."
"The scratch you mean?"
"Yeah, but it's--," Jack grimaced at what he remembered. "It's changing into some grey looking thing."
Sam intervened, "Janet, he's not himself. Whatever this alien did to him, it's affecting his behavior. It's like she has control over him--," Sam froze as if she figured out the answer to a difficult equation. Her eyes brightened. "Wait a minute...the scratch on his neck, the way he's behaving, it reminds me of what a vampire does to its' victim. Is it possible that's what we're dealing with? A vampire type of alien?" She chuckled. "Wait, it's silly..."
Immediately, Janet shook her head. "No. It's not silly. You may be right about Imika. We have to let the General and Rina know what's going on."
"We should find Daniel Jackson," Teal'c suggested. "He may have gone back to his office."
"Wait," Jack said and sighed deeply. He wondered if he should mention what Daniel confessed to him, but he felt it was important for them to know. "Daniel, before he tried to *kill* me, he uh...he told me Imika held him down and forced him to do...something."
Janet's delicately arched brows furrowed. "Are you saying he was raped?"
Jack cleared his throat and again he grimaced. "It's possible that's what...happened."
Sam mumbled, "Oh my God."
An awkward silence lulled over them.
Janet, feeling an overwhelming sadness for Daniel, stood from her chair. She took in a deep breath and sighed. "Well, we should definitely let the General and Rina know about this situation...and we better find Daniel."
*********************************************************
Daniel had gone back to his office after what he saw on his neck. In the middle of the room, he cushioned his head against the leather swivel chair. Slowly, he twirled himself round and round. His eyes fixated on the ceiling, as if he saw something there. Three knocks pummeled on the door behind him.
Annoyed at the knocks interrupting his fun, Daniel halted his merry-go-round obsession and stared ominously at the door.
"Who is it?" He grumbled.
"It's Dr. Fraiser."
Daniel rolled his eyes and sulked. "Entrer!" He shouted sarcastically in a very convincing French accent.
Janet sauntered inside his office. Sam, Jack and Teal'c ambled behind her.
Daniel straightened himself in the chair and glared at his friends. He battled the reasoning of why they irritated him so much-a battle he slowly lost.
"I'm sorry, Daniel," Janet said gently. "We're concerned and..." Her voice trailed; distracted by the black turtleneck he wore. "Why are you wearing a turtleneck sweater? I thought you were going offworld?"
He smirked. "Because I want to. Sometimes it can get a bit nippy on some of these planets."
Cautious, Janet stepped closer to him. "I need to see the scratch on your neck."
Daniel stood abruptly from the chair. His arms were hidden behind him.
Janet stepped back with the others, eyeing him carefully.
"I'm fine," He snarled at Dr. Fraiser. "You don't need to be here."
"I just want to make sure you're okay."
Daniel's arms sprang from around him and pointed a side arm at those he perceived to be his ex-friends. "I'm fine!"
Jack raised his hands. "Whoa, Danny boy."
Janet's lips fell. She stumbled back with the shocked team. They watched him, speechless at first and for the moment, paralyzed by the gun aimed at them.
Daniel seethed. "Leave me alone. All of you! I know what you're doing. You want to keep us apart but it won't work. I'm getting out of here."
Daniel opened the office door, keeping his gun locked onto them. "If any of you even try to stop me, you're dead."
When Daniel escaped out into the corridor, Sam raced out of the office and pounded the red alert button.
*************************************************************
The wailing alarm beckoned Hammond out of his office and into the control room.
"What's going on?" he asked, wanting an immediate answer from the few technicians sitting at the computers.
Like him, they were also baffled about the alert. There was no warning of an incoming traveler.
"Sir!" Sam said as she hiked frantically up the stairs. Janet, O'Neill, Teal'c and Rina sped behind her.
"Would someone tell me what's going on?"
Sam waited to catch her breath and then she explained. "It's Daniel. He threatened to kill us with a gun when we questioned the scratch on his neck."
"Sir," Janet said assertively. "He's having a psychotic break, which we believe is from Imika's control over him."
"What the," Jack muttered while looking down inside the gate room. "It's Daniel, he's trying to leave through the gate."
Soldiers swarmed into the room with their guns ready and locked on their target standing at the bottom of the ramp.
Hammond breezed through the sliding door with the team behind him.
"Dr. Jackson," Hammond yelled. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Don't you understand?" Daniel pleaded. "I have to get out of here."
His wide, blood shot eyes glared wildly. "If you don't let me go, I'll..."
Daniel dropped the gun. He screamed and collapsed onto his knees. His hands clenched his temples, squeezing them.
Janet and Sam rushed over to his slumped body. While Janet ordered the medics to come, Rina thought she saw something odd near Janet, Sam and Daniel. The air rippled around them.
Rina shouted, "Get away from him! She's here!"
Suddenly, Janet and Sam were yanked from their feet and thrown across the floor.
"General!" Rina warned. "It's Imika!"
Imika uncloaked herself. The seven--foot alien hissed at her hunter and when the soldiers fired, Imika sped away, dodging their bullets and barging into more soldiers swarming inside. They were flung out of her path as she escaped through the sliding door.
Rina stared at the door that clanked shut, thinking...
All this time, she was here.
***************************************************
AN: Not done yet...more to come!