Chapter 17: It's so tacky
"Now would be a good time to do something," Daniel whispered in her ear in an atrocious imitation of her native language. She nearly jumped. "Just… distract them," he added in English, his lips less than an inch from her ear. She gently reached into the Force and set to work, delicately clouding Samuels' mind.
"The other NID guys are coming…"
"I know. Be quiet." She concentrated until she could feel her brain hurting, knowing it was wrong. Using the Force wasn't supposed to be an effort.
"You can do it," warm hands on one arm. "Relax." She shuddered - and everything clicked.
"Now," she said. "Run."
They ran so close to Samuels she could have given him a haircut. "How do we get down to the gate level?"
"Down here. It's a service stair."
"Say what?" She slid down the handrails like a fireman.
"Used by the cleaners."
"Oh. Right." It was deserted. "It doesn't go all the way down?"
"No, not to the bottom floor. We'll have to…" She yanked him back.
"They're there."
"You can tell?"
"They are jumpy, and hostile, and scared and that's easy to feel. Where is the gate room from here? In a straight line?"
"I'm… not sure. We're above a storage room…"
"They're not in the gate room," she said, stretching her mind gently and her voice dropping. "Yet. This room here…" She ducked in.
"The occupant must be out."
"Good."
"Good?"
Varielle pulled out her lightsaber. "I once swore I'd never do this," she said in her native language, carefully cutting a circle in the floor. "It's so tacky, not to mention destructive." She kicked the circle of concrete and it fell with a huge clang.
"Forgot the noise," she grimaced, dropping. "Come on."
"What can we do…" Before his eyes, the concrete was floating, levitating upwards. He said nothing, staring at Varielle. Her face seemed filled with a quiet, radiant peace.
"Put some boxes under it," he said softly, not wanting to disturb her. "Then they can't follow us." A stack of crates moved themselves over to hold the concrete plug up.
"Now, we run," she said, thundering down to the embarkation room. Daniel headed into the control room. She swore, then turned to follow him and caught his elbow.
"There's only four of them," she said softly. "Let me."
"There's six in the gate room."
"Shut up and let me concentrate. You do realise you'll be in huge trouble for this."
"It's the right thing to do."
"Definitely like Janama. She always did exactly what she believed was right as well. I sometimes wonder how she and Amarell ever got married." She closed her eyes and focused, slipping into a light trance almost without realising.
She genuinely didn't want to hurt anyone; that made it all the harder. Minds were so different from chemicals, they changed on their own unpredictably, twisted and writhed in the most delicate and most crushing of mental grips… a curious reflection on people, and Varielle bit back the urge to giggle.
Everyone in both rooms slumped over.
"I'll get the gate started, send you to a safe planet. You can go on from there to… Varielle?" Her legs had given out as she slid down the wall. Her slender energy reserves were gone. "Varielle!"
"Just… tired," she said softly. "Very tired." She fell forward a little and tried to push herself up. "I… I can…"
"You can't," he lifted her up. "You're heavy."
"Sorry," she wheezed as they headed downstairs. She concentrated on walking, letting him take the weight. "Didn't know… thought I had more in me… damn." The last came out with venom as they walked past slumped troopers and up the ramp. She leaned hard on the handrail.
"Doctor Jackson!"
"Shit," she said in her language as the NID rushed into the control room and grabbed the mike.
"No," she shook her head. "Daniel, will you be alright?"
"You're worried about me? They want to kidnap you, and you're worried about me?"
"Yes," she forced herself to stand straight, even if it took both hands to do it. "And don't tell me you will be fine. You will be lying."
General Hammond was trying to get the trigger-happy airmen to hold their fire, but one didn't listen. Varielle slumped as the tranquilliser dart over-rode her will to stay awake.
"Get away from her, Doctor!" One officer shouted as Daniel dropped to his knees, holding her up by the arm-pits.
"Varielle?" Her eyes were darkening and her eyelids drooping. "Varielle!"
Her fingers struggled to grip the mesh of the ramp. Someone yelled that if he didn't step away, they would fire.
In fine dramatic style, Daniel leaned sideways and tipped both of them into the waiting wormhole.
"Now would be a good time to do something," Daniel whispered in her ear in an atrocious imitation of her native language. She nearly jumped. "Just… distract them," he added in English, his lips less than an inch from her ear. She gently reached into the Force and set to work, delicately clouding Samuels' mind.
"The other NID guys are coming…"
"I know. Be quiet." She concentrated until she could feel her brain hurting, knowing it was wrong. Using the Force wasn't supposed to be an effort.
"You can do it," warm hands on one arm. "Relax." She shuddered - and everything clicked.
"Now," she said. "Run."
They ran so close to Samuels she could have given him a haircut. "How do we get down to the gate level?"
"Down here. It's a service stair."
"Say what?" She slid down the handrails like a fireman.
"Used by the cleaners."
"Oh. Right." It was deserted. "It doesn't go all the way down?"
"No, not to the bottom floor. We'll have to…" She yanked him back.
"They're there."
"You can tell?"
"They are jumpy, and hostile, and scared and that's easy to feel. Where is the gate room from here? In a straight line?"
"I'm… not sure. We're above a storage room…"
"They're not in the gate room," she said, stretching her mind gently and her voice dropping. "Yet. This room here…" She ducked in.
"The occupant must be out."
"Good."
"Good?"
Varielle pulled out her lightsaber. "I once swore I'd never do this," she said in her native language, carefully cutting a circle in the floor. "It's so tacky, not to mention destructive." She kicked the circle of concrete and it fell with a huge clang.
"Forgot the noise," she grimaced, dropping. "Come on."
"What can we do…" Before his eyes, the concrete was floating, levitating upwards. He said nothing, staring at Varielle. Her face seemed filled with a quiet, radiant peace.
"Put some boxes under it," he said softly, not wanting to disturb her. "Then they can't follow us." A stack of crates moved themselves over to hold the concrete plug up.
"Now, we run," she said, thundering down to the embarkation room. Daniel headed into the control room. She swore, then turned to follow him and caught his elbow.
"There's only four of them," she said softly. "Let me."
"There's six in the gate room."
"Shut up and let me concentrate. You do realise you'll be in huge trouble for this."
"It's the right thing to do."
"Definitely like Janama. She always did exactly what she believed was right as well. I sometimes wonder how she and Amarell ever got married." She closed her eyes and focused, slipping into a light trance almost without realising.
She genuinely didn't want to hurt anyone; that made it all the harder. Minds were so different from chemicals, they changed on their own unpredictably, twisted and writhed in the most delicate and most crushing of mental grips… a curious reflection on people, and Varielle bit back the urge to giggle.
Everyone in both rooms slumped over.
"I'll get the gate started, send you to a safe planet. You can go on from there to… Varielle?" Her legs had given out as she slid down the wall. Her slender energy reserves were gone. "Varielle!"
"Just… tired," she said softly. "Very tired." She fell forward a little and tried to push herself up. "I… I can…"
"You can't," he lifted her up. "You're heavy."
"Sorry," she wheezed as they headed downstairs. She concentrated on walking, letting him take the weight. "Didn't know… thought I had more in me… damn." The last came out with venom as they walked past slumped troopers and up the ramp. She leaned hard on the handrail.
"Doctor Jackson!"
"Shit," she said in her language as the NID rushed into the control room and grabbed the mike.
"No," she shook her head. "Daniel, will you be alright?"
"You're worried about me? They want to kidnap you, and you're worried about me?"
"Yes," she forced herself to stand straight, even if it took both hands to do it. "And don't tell me you will be fine. You will be lying."
General Hammond was trying to get the trigger-happy airmen to hold their fire, but one didn't listen. Varielle slumped as the tranquilliser dart over-rode her will to stay awake.
"Get away from her, Doctor!" One officer shouted as Daniel dropped to his knees, holding her up by the arm-pits.
"Varielle?" Her eyes were darkening and her eyelids drooping. "Varielle!"
Her fingers struggled to grip the mesh of the ramp. Someone yelled that if he didn't step away, they would fire.
In fine dramatic style, Daniel leaned sideways and tipped both of them into the waiting wormhole.