Epilogue
The steel blade flashed in the late afternoon sun, and the glint of metal caught Daniel Jackson's eye as he tried to finish the translation he was doing. He turned, just in time to hear a groan of defeat as the knife came down, and a squeal of victorious laughter. Someone was being a bad winner. There was a curse, and Daniel grinned. Someone was being a bad loser, too.
"You're cheating."
"I am not."
"Am I going to have to separate you two?"
The two combatants looked up and saw Samantha Carter standing over them, holding her canteen, and Jack O'Neill scowled.
"She's cheating."
"I am not."
"Talon's helping you, isn't he? That's two on one. I should be allowed a helper, too."
"I don't need Talon to beat you, Jack. Tic-tac-toe is easy once you take a while to study the probabilities and the-"
"He IS helping you!" Jack accused. She never talked like that before her blending.
"No, he's not." Mitchell grinned, and wiped the dirt off her knife. "I just had a conversation with him about the game once, and he told me how to win. Is that so wrong?"
"Yes!"
"Want to sit down and have a conversation with him about the subtleties of tic-tac-toe, Jack?" She asked, innocently.
Daniel laughed, and took a bite of the fruit he was eating. Those two had not been changed by Colonel Mitchell's blending, and if anything, their relationship had become even stronger, as far as Jackson could tell.
"Colonel?"
O'Neill and Mitchell both looked up as Anderson walked over, and he grinned and pointed at Mitchell. "That Colonel."
She gave O'Neill a slightly smug look. "He probably wants lessons, Jack," She told him. "Don't take it personally."
Jack decided not to say what he was thinking, since it would have been oh so wildly inappropriate in mixed company – but if it had just been him and Melony he wouldn't have hesitated. The somewhat naughty gleam in his dark eyes told her he was thinking something personal, though, and Mitchell pointed at him, giving him a warning that whatever it was he wanted to say, he'd better keep it to himself. O'Neill grinned, but kept it to himself.
"Actually, Colonel," Anderson said, grinning, "I was wondering if you were ready to try that room? Teal'c says he's ready whenever you are."
She held her hand up, and Anderson hauled her to her feet. Symbiote or not, Mitchell was still lazy.
"I'm ready, Brad." She said, dusting off her hands. "Let's see how many of those crystals we can get." And she led the others to the entrance.
...
They'd gone back to the pyramid because of the crystals. Talon had an interest in these things – even more of an interest than Samantha Carter, although the reason was the same. The symbiote thought they could be used in one of the new weapons he was building. Not for a laser, but for another application, and he'd wanted to gather some for testing.
Before he could, though, there were a few things he had to do, and the first one was to come up with an antidote for the poison that had nearly killed Mitchell. She'd sent a message through the Stargate and the poisoned darts had been sent back, which Talon thoroughly examined, tested, and finally synthesized an antidote that would protect any other human from the poison. Another was to answer the SGC's request that they be allowed to send a couple teams with Mitchell, to gather some crystals of their own. It was crap, and Melony knew it – since Hammond knew fully well that Mitchell would never keep any of the things she and Talon found for the Tok'ra alone, but it was nice of the General to give her a chance to see the others, and of course she said yes.
The Tok'ra hadn't approved. The high council – minus Jacob Carter, who was on an assignment – wanted to check out the crystals on their own first, and then see what they might be able to do with them, and THEN let the Tau'ri in on the secret. Talon didn't give a shit what the high council wanted. He never had anyways, and he was important enough to their cause that he was pretty much given free rein to do whatever he wanted. His host wanted to see her friends – and her mate – and Talon wanted the crystals. From Melony's memories, he knew there were plenty to go around, and he finally told the complaining Tok'ra that if they didn't allow him and his host to go, he'd make sure the Tau'ri knew the Tok'ra were trying to hold back on their end of the treaty that had been made. And the Tok'ra had backed down. Reluctantly, of course, but down they went. Besides, they needed Talon, and he knew it. And his host knew it.
Talon had changed a bit since his blending. He'd always been a scientific type – brilliant even for a Tok'ra – but now he was a lot bolder, as well. The host was the difference, of course, since his last host had been too old for so long that going out and doing things had been pretty much impossible. Now that he had a younger host, and one who was brash and headstrong – and more than willing to tell the rest of the Tok'ra to go to hell, the Tok'ra were finding that Talon and Mitchell were far harder to control than they'd originally hoped.
So they'd gone to Earth, Talon and Mitchell, and they'd spent a few days getting ready for another crack at the pyramid, and testing Talon's antidote on lab rats – just to make sure it worked – which it did. Then they'd gathered a bunch of gear – enough that they could stay for a few weeks if necessary – and SG-1 and SG-2 had gone through the Stargate, accompanied by Mitchell, who would play guide, but mainly was there because it was her idea, and who deserved another crack at the damned pyramid than the one that had almost been killed by it?
Of course, once they'd reached the pyramid, Mitchell, O'Neill and Anderson had gathered the teams together, and decided that Mitchell and Teal'c would go first and trigger any more traps. Hopefully they wouldn't get hit by any darts, but if they were, the Tok'ra and the Jaffa were by far the best to handle it. (Of course, the darts hurt, so they'd do their best to avoid them)
...
Mitchell looked at Anderson and O'Neill, grinning cockily. Both of them had twin worried looks on their faces as they watched her and Teal'c position themselves at the entrance to the second room.
"Stop that, you guys. We'll be fine. Won't we, Teal'c?"
"Better than fine." The Jaffa agreed, stepping through the entrance and shining his light up at the crystals that were on the ceiling. The room immediately lit up brilliantly.
"What could possibly go wrong, Jack?" Melony asked as she stepped forward as well.
Nothing could go wrong, and she knew it, and Talon agreed. The two of them were invincible, and as a teak, they were going to get whatever they needed to finish building the weapon they needed to conclude their big plan and wipe out the Goa'uld.
The end
The steel blade flashed in the late afternoon sun, and the glint of metal caught Daniel Jackson's eye as he tried to finish the translation he was doing. He turned, just in time to hear a groan of defeat as the knife came down, and a squeal of victorious laughter. Someone was being a bad winner. There was a curse, and Daniel grinned. Someone was being a bad loser, too.
"You're cheating."
"I am not."
"Am I going to have to separate you two?"
The two combatants looked up and saw Samantha Carter standing over them, holding her canteen, and Jack O'Neill scowled.
"She's cheating."
"I am not."
"Talon's helping you, isn't he? That's two on one. I should be allowed a helper, too."
"I don't need Talon to beat you, Jack. Tic-tac-toe is easy once you take a while to study the probabilities and the-"
"He IS helping you!" Jack accused. She never talked like that before her blending.
"No, he's not." Mitchell grinned, and wiped the dirt off her knife. "I just had a conversation with him about the game once, and he told me how to win. Is that so wrong?"
"Yes!"
"Want to sit down and have a conversation with him about the subtleties of tic-tac-toe, Jack?" She asked, innocently.
Daniel laughed, and took a bite of the fruit he was eating. Those two had not been changed by Colonel Mitchell's blending, and if anything, their relationship had become even stronger, as far as Jackson could tell.
"Colonel?"
O'Neill and Mitchell both looked up as Anderson walked over, and he grinned and pointed at Mitchell. "That Colonel."
She gave O'Neill a slightly smug look. "He probably wants lessons, Jack," She told him. "Don't take it personally."
Jack decided not to say what he was thinking, since it would have been oh so wildly inappropriate in mixed company – but if it had just been him and Melony he wouldn't have hesitated. The somewhat naughty gleam in his dark eyes told her he was thinking something personal, though, and Mitchell pointed at him, giving him a warning that whatever it was he wanted to say, he'd better keep it to himself. O'Neill grinned, but kept it to himself.
"Actually, Colonel," Anderson said, grinning, "I was wondering if you were ready to try that room? Teal'c says he's ready whenever you are."
She held her hand up, and Anderson hauled her to her feet. Symbiote or not, Mitchell was still lazy.
"I'm ready, Brad." She said, dusting off her hands. "Let's see how many of those crystals we can get." And she led the others to the entrance.
...
They'd gone back to the pyramid because of the crystals. Talon had an interest in these things – even more of an interest than Samantha Carter, although the reason was the same. The symbiote thought they could be used in one of the new weapons he was building. Not for a laser, but for another application, and he'd wanted to gather some for testing.
Before he could, though, there were a few things he had to do, and the first one was to come up with an antidote for the poison that had nearly killed Mitchell. She'd sent a message through the Stargate and the poisoned darts had been sent back, which Talon thoroughly examined, tested, and finally synthesized an antidote that would protect any other human from the poison. Another was to answer the SGC's request that they be allowed to send a couple teams with Mitchell, to gather some crystals of their own. It was crap, and Melony knew it – since Hammond knew fully well that Mitchell would never keep any of the things she and Talon found for the Tok'ra alone, but it was nice of the General to give her a chance to see the others, and of course she said yes.
The Tok'ra hadn't approved. The high council – minus Jacob Carter, who was on an assignment – wanted to check out the crystals on their own first, and then see what they might be able to do with them, and THEN let the Tau'ri in on the secret. Talon didn't give a shit what the high council wanted. He never had anyways, and he was important enough to their cause that he was pretty much given free rein to do whatever he wanted. His host wanted to see her friends – and her mate – and Talon wanted the crystals. From Melony's memories, he knew there were plenty to go around, and he finally told the complaining Tok'ra that if they didn't allow him and his host to go, he'd make sure the Tau'ri knew the Tok'ra were trying to hold back on their end of the treaty that had been made. And the Tok'ra had backed down. Reluctantly, of course, but down they went. Besides, they needed Talon, and he knew it. And his host knew it.
Talon had changed a bit since his blending. He'd always been a scientific type – brilliant even for a Tok'ra – but now he was a lot bolder, as well. The host was the difference, of course, since his last host had been too old for so long that going out and doing things had been pretty much impossible. Now that he had a younger host, and one who was brash and headstrong – and more than willing to tell the rest of the Tok'ra to go to hell, the Tok'ra were finding that Talon and Mitchell were far harder to control than they'd originally hoped.
So they'd gone to Earth, Talon and Mitchell, and they'd spent a few days getting ready for another crack at the pyramid, and testing Talon's antidote on lab rats – just to make sure it worked – which it did. Then they'd gathered a bunch of gear – enough that they could stay for a few weeks if necessary – and SG-1 and SG-2 had gone through the Stargate, accompanied by Mitchell, who would play guide, but mainly was there because it was her idea, and who deserved another crack at the damned pyramid than the one that had almost been killed by it?
Of course, once they'd reached the pyramid, Mitchell, O'Neill and Anderson had gathered the teams together, and decided that Mitchell and Teal'c would go first and trigger any more traps. Hopefully they wouldn't get hit by any darts, but if they were, the Tok'ra and the Jaffa were by far the best to handle it. (Of course, the darts hurt, so they'd do their best to avoid them)
...
Mitchell looked at Anderson and O'Neill, grinning cockily. Both of them had twin worried looks on their faces as they watched her and Teal'c position themselves at the entrance to the second room.
"Stop that, you guys. We'll be fine. Won't we, Teal'c?"
"Better than fine." The Jaffa agreed, stepping through the entrance and shining his light up at the crystals that were on the ceiling. The room immediately lit up brilliantly.
"What could possibly go wrong, Jack?" Melony asked as she stepped forward as well.
Nothing could go wrong, and she knew it, and Talon agreed. The two of them were invincible, and as a teak, they were going to get whatever they needed to finish building the weapon they needed to conclude their big plan and wipe out the Goa'uld.
The end