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Chapter 15
Sam ran down the corridor, zat in hand, her mind racing as her commanding officer's words echoed through her mind.
Revenge on Teal'c. Daniel wouldn't allow it, would he? Daniel must have some influence over the symbiote, in some way, to stop this from happening. Daniel wouldn't allow it. Daniel didn't feel the need to seek revenge on Teal'c. At least she hoped…
No, Daniel wasn't weak. And Thoth had even stated he allowed for influence from his hosts.
A sudden disconcerting thought struck her. What if Thoth had been leading them along all this time? What if he had been bending the truth just to get close enough to them so that they would believe him? Daniel may have never surfaced. Daniel may truly be gone.
Sam shook her head, refusing to think negatively, and turned the corner. The alarms were blaring now, and Daniel's office lay just ahead.
Pushing herself harder, she sprinted towards his office, watching as Colonel O'Neill surged from the other direction, sidearm drawn and ready, with three airmen running behind him. O'Neill shouted and waved to her, ready to enter the dark room.
Sam motioned the airmen to move behind her as she reached the office, quickly powering her zat as she cautiously entered.
The two of them stalked in carefully.
"Daniel, don't move!"
O'Neill's order bounced off the walls of the room before becoming swallowed by the darkness. Warily, she hit the lights.
"Oh my God, Teal'c!"
Those were the first words she uttered as she rushed over to his limp form. Kneeling, but still holding her zat gun high, she checked for a pulse, relieved to find one.
"He's alive," Sam assessed, staying by Teal'c's side, but diverting her attention to Daniel.
Daniel—or Thoth—was standing behind his desk, his arms outstretched and over his head, his blue eyes staring at the sidearm in the colonel's hand. He didn't appear nervous, and almost seemed to be resigned to the situation, his expression wavering between sadness and desperation.
"What the hell did you do?" O'Neill demanded, shoving the sidearm forward.
"He does nothing more than sleep, so I can complete what needs to be done," Thoth stated simply.
That is when Sam realized it. There were various, small devices scattered across Daniel's desk, and a hauntingly familiar jar in front of him. Her unease did not lessen when she noticed an electrode implanted on Daniel's temple snake down to connect with the jar itself. Or whatever was in the jar.
As Colonel O'Neill stalked closer to Daniel, Sam felt her unease continue to increase. The cuffs that had bound Daniel were no longer attached. "Sir, be careful. I have a hunch what might be in that jar."
"So do, I, Major. So do I."
Sam did another cursory check on Teal'c before returning her attention to Daniel and the colonel. O'Neill was edging closer and closer to Thoth, gripping his sidearm tightly. Thoth appeared unperturbed.
"I am going to ask you again," O'Neill began. "What did you do to Teal'c?"
"I would never hurt my friend, Teal'c."
"Not your friend!" O'Neill yelled. "Nothing of this is yours, do you hear me?"
Thoth did not reply. His gaze sadly fell to the desk in front of him.
Sam was starting to think maybe the colonel's statement was inherently wrong.
Wide-eyed, she started at Thoth.
He smiled back knowingly.
Oh God, she thought.
"My host and I are as one," Thoth said definitively.
"That's a bunch of bull," Colonel O'Neill retorted, leaning in closer with his gun. "I know it. You know it. And Daniel knows it."
"Sir—"
"Don't want to hear it, Carter." O'Neill cocked his gun. "Daniel's still there. Daniel's in there."
"You should accept me as I am," Thoth said wickedly. "Daniel has never left you. You now have us."
Sam shuddered at the thought. This was a nightmare.
"Not for long," O'Neill muttered, his eyes narrowing. "Your time's just about up."
"He'll never choose you," Thoth said with a snarl. "Not when he has me."
"Shut up," O'Neill snapped. He stepped closer. "Carter," he said, without turning his head. "Call for—"
"Sir!"
Colonel O'Neill shoved the gun into Daniel's face, threatening him as he saw the man move his hand towards the table. In response, Thoth halted, setting his jaw in that way Daniel did when he was mad. The sight was enough to throw Sam off-balance for a second, but she quickly recovered, keeping her aim steady, her other hand checking Teal'c's pulse again.
"Don't think so," O'Neill stated, motioning Thoth to step away from the desk. "Just what do you think you're doing anyway?"
"Attempting to prevent the inevitable," Thoth mumbled solemnly.
Sam frowned at the comment, her studious gaze soaking in the gadgetry on Daniel's desk. She could only assume that Thoth had smuggled the items into Daniel's office sometime after they had arrived base and before the debriefing had begun.
"Who's in the jar?" O'Neill asked hotly.
Thoth's gaze fell to the jar. "No one."
"See, I'm not buying that. People say you can't lie, and yet, here we have this little incident here." O'Neill pushed Thoth further back, herding him back to the wall. "Plus, you've been playing Daniel, and to me, that's the biggest lie there is."
"There is a difference between a falsehood and deception." Thoth breathed out, his gaze settling on the gun. "I only did it for our protection."
"Whose protection?" the colonel pressed. "Yours? Those little bugs swimming in my people's brains? Whose? 'Cause it's not mine, or Carter's or Teal'c's and certainly not Daniel's."
"You cannot understand. You are too simple to grasp what I hold."
"Not simple enough that I can't grasp this gun and blow you out of the water," Jack said vehemently.
"You would do that to Daniel?"
The colonel did not respond.
Sam watched the exchange, her own nerves on edge. She should be able to fix this problem. She was expected to find ways to solve the problems that happened in the SGC. Why couldn't she be more useful? What good had she done? Teal'c was lying unconscious. Her commanding officer was about to lose it. Daniel was a prisoner in his own mind.
She swallowed hard, her eyes once again fixated on the wiring that hung from Daniel's temple.
"What has happened?" came the shout from the Tok'ra in the doorway.
Sam managed to steal a glance to the left, catching Akana's astonished expression as she looked from Thoth to the ceramic jar. Akana blinked at it, her cool eyes scanning the small devices on the desk. Furious, she brought her gaze back to Thoth, a devastating finality to them.
"You have attempted to transfer your consciousness to another symbiote?" she asked incredulously.
Thoth scoffed at her. "I am still here, am I not?"
Sam's eyes went wide as she thought of a more catastrophic possibility. "Did you put Daniel's consciousness in there?" she yelled angrily. "Did you?"
O'Neill had stiffened at her outburst, his tall frame appearing to break from the pressure.
"Answer her!" he yelled. "What the hell have you done!"
"Self-preservation," Thoth replied quietly.
"Where have you learned the technology to transfer consciousness?" Akana asked, stepping forward, and entering Daniel's office.
"I know a great many things," Thoth said calmly. "More than the Tok'ra." He smiled, gleaning as much pleasure from the moment as possible. "There was no transfer."
"We might have gotten here in time, sir," Sam stated, remaining by Teal'c as she eyed Thoth cautiously.
"Not a transfer then," Akana said, nodding with understanding. "Did you believe you would be successful in copying your consciousness to another symbiote?"
With a nervous laugh, Thoth shrugged his shoulders. "I had very little choice."
"That's right, bucko," Jack snapped, waving his gun at Thoth. "Keep those hands up."
"What about Daniel?" Sam asked, biting down her own fears. "Is he still in there with you?"
"More so," Thoth whispered. "Ever more so."
"What?" Jack shook his head. "Stop it! Answer her!"
"Daniel resides within me now," Thoth said with a smile.
Sam felt her hands grow cold. "What?" she asked, her voice near a whisper.
Akana stood tall, her eyes narrowed with anger. "If what you say is true, the Tok'ra will charge you with the most heinous of crimes for violating your host in such a way."
"No way am I buying that you uploaded Daniel into that snaky little head of yours. Not possible. Right, Carter." He paused. "Carter?"
"Uh…" She looked over to Akana for help, disheartened with her grim expression.
They already knew that upon blending, the symbiote carried all the memories, and in the case of the Tok'ra, the feelings and thoughts of the host before them. At least, to some extent. Through her father and Selmak, she had learned much about the former host Saroosh, but it wasn't like Saroosh was actively with them. Saroosh was a memory, a companion to Selmak that was long gone.
Daniel wasn't gone. Daniel couldn't be gone.
And if he was part of Thoth now, completely part of Thoth, how could they even separate them?
"Carter?" O'Neill's voice was wavering.
"I-I don't know, sir. I—"
Thoth smiled, satisfaction lighting his eyes.
O'Neill snarled coldly. "You son of a bitch."
"Is it not the most opportune for all of us?" Thoth said proudly. "Daniel is still here. And you have me as well. I can teach the Tau'ri many things. With our knowledge, we can defeat your enemies." He grinned at his own fantasies. "Wisdom will abound."
"Deceiver."
Sam inhaled sharply, jerking her head at the sound of Teal'c's voice. He sat up slowly, his fiery gaze cutting through Thoth like a knife. He growled as he attempted to stand, using Sam's shoulder for support.
"Teal'c? Are you alright?" she asked him, holding him while keeping focused on Thoth.
"I will be fine." Raising his head, he continued to stare at Thoth. "Deceiver," he repeated. "He deceives you even now. His left hand."
Thoth raised his eyebrows, appearing amused by Teal'c's accusation. He cocked his head lazily, coming to meet Colonel O'Neill's gaze. O'Neill walked closer, snapping the electrode off Daniel's temple before cautiously reaching over to his left hand.
"Uh, careful, sir."
"Yep, I know," O'Neill mumbled. He jammed the gun into Daniel's throat, slowly bringing his left hand down, spreading the palm open to examine it. "Whatcha hiding?"
Thoth remained silent, but did not struggle to move. Sam used this as her opportunity to move closer; Teal'c remained by her side, using her as a crutch. He grunted with each step, but as they approached the desk, his gait became steadier, and she could feel the strength returning to his shaky limbs.
"His left fingers," Teal'c stated evenly.
"I don't see anything."
"It is there," Teal'c insisted.
"Show me, Teal'c. I am not letting this gun off him."
Teal'c nodded, releasing himself from Sam. Now able to walk on his own, he came to the colonel's side. Sam cautiously circled the desk, approaching Daniel from the opposite side, providing the cover they might need in case Thoth acted out.
Carefully, Teal'c ran his fingers over Daniel's palm, tracing the patterns and dipping with the groves. Sam exhaled, watching Thoth's expressions—or Daniel's—believing her own heart might explode.
Daniel looked as if he could cry.
Suddenly, Teal'c stopped, arching a knowing eyebrow at Thoth. Pausing at the very end of Daniel's left index finger, Teal'c scratched at the surface, shocking both Sam and the colonel as he began to peel back the skin.
Not skin, Sam thought, correcting herself. But hell, it looked like skin.
"What the hell?" O'Neill asked for her.
One by one, Teal'c peeled off small flesh colored circles, small enough to conform to an adult's fingertips. The circles left pinpricks of blood in their wake, providing ample evidence where small thread-like filaments had wormed their way into the skin. Carefully, Teal'c placed them on Daniel's desk.
Akana joined Sam, and even the Tok'ra was unable to conceal her shock.
"What are these?" she asked.
"They are mine." Thoth glared at O'Neill. "Used to be mine."
"Before I lost consciousness, I recall feeling an electrical jolt to my body," Teal'c informed them, releasing Daniel's hand. "It appeared to have come from the fingers of DanielJackson."
Sam rolled his statement through her mind, starting to piece things together. "Of course," she stated. "Electrical. Those," she motioned with a thrust of her chin, "those mechanisms must use the electrical current present in the human body to emit some kind of jolt, or shock, into a person." She glanced at the zat in her hand. "Just enough to knock you out, Teal'c."
Thoth nodded. "I said I would never hurt my friend, Teal'c. But much needed to be done." He sighed. "My host would never want any harm to come to any of you." He set his jaw but bowed his head. "Though I do not see why," he mumbled.
"This appears to be quite advanced technology," Akana declared, stepping closer to the desk. "Devices that do not rely on naquadah would make for interesting study."
"They are not for you!" Thoth yelled suddenly, his eyes flashing golden-white. "You have no need for them!"
Akana chortled. "You no longer have any use for them, either."
Thoth stood straighter, stealing a quick glance at Sam before staring straight ahead. "They are not meant for you. They are my gift to the Tau'ri."
"Our treaty requires we share all technology," Akana stated. "We shall need to review these devices."
"You see?" Thoth said, snapping his head to Colonel O'Neill. "They deceive you."
"And this is coming from you, the guy pretending to be Daniel?" O'Neill answered sarcastically.
"What use would a Tok'ra have for such devices? They are not made for Goa'uld or Tok'ra. The Tok'ra wish to keep such things from you. They wish you not to advance beyond them." His eyes gleamed wickedly. "The Tok'ra want you to know your place."
"That's not true," Sam stated in their defense. "The Tok'ra are our allies. If you're anything like Daniel, you know that."
"Then let the Tau'ri have my gift," he said to Akana, raising his eyebrows.
"We will need to review the items to be sure there is no harm," Akana stated coldly.
"Ah, I see," Thoth said with a nod. "Even the dense Colonel O'Neill can appreciate where this is going."
Sam winced when colonel slid more menacingly towards Thoth. But, she had to admit it, Thoth had a point.
"The terms of our alliance state we share tech—"
"That is of little consequence right now," Akana snapped, interrupting Sam. "I believe it would be in the best interest of the host for Thoth to be removed from Doctor Jackson immediately."
"They are trying to shut me up now. They do not want you to know!" Thoth sucked in a deep breath before he continued. Sam thought she could see pleading in his eyes. "I can offer you so much. These devices, to fight the Goa'uld. My life's work. My knowledge of many lifetimes." He turned to face Sam. "I can offer you explanations for all my designs, and decipher my notes for all the technologies I have studied, Sam." He then quickly turned to Teal'c. "My Jaffa friend, I can help find a way to free you and your people from the Goa'uld, the symbiotes, and even the tretonin." He stopped at O'Neill. "And I-I have nothing to offer you."
"Wasn't looking," the colonel said smugly. He held his sidearm steady but flashed a quick look to Akana. "You can take him out? Seen enough of him interacting already?"
"We have. Bring him to us immediately and we will remove the symbiote."
"You are making a mistake!" Thoth yelled, struggling as Teal'c grabbed him. "Don't do this! I do not wish this!"
Teal'c battled with Thoth, but easily gained the upper hand. Thoth grunted under Teal'c's restraint, pushing against the other man's massive hands, doing him little good. Finally, in an act of desperation, he reached out to Sam.
The pain—his expression brought her so much pain. Daniel's eyes, wide, so fearful and vulnerable. She couldn't imagine what the real Daniel was going through, how violated he felt under the oppressive control of the parasite.
Sam found herself inhaling sharply once again, caught in the sheer terror that had established itself in Daniel's face.
"You're afraid to die," she said bluntly as he was dragged past her.
He nodded vigorously. "I do not wish to die!"
"You will not die," Akana said coolly. "You will be brought before the High Council."
"You will kill me!" he cried, shaking his head. "Please, I beg for sanctuary among the Tau'ri. I am of great use to you. Together, we do not need the Tok'ra!"
"Funny how you were so looking forward to meeting them before," Colonel O'Neill said wryly, following Teal'c.
"I did not expect such Tok'ra to come." His arm flung out and grabbed for Sam, missing her by mere centimeters. "I do not want to die! I have seen death. I have felt the death in my host. We do not want this!"
"That's too damn bad," O'Neill mumbled. He motioned to Akana and flicked a curt gesture over his shoulder. "Let's get this crap packed up and out of here. Be careful," he stressed. "Let's go, Carter."
Sam didn't know what to say. If they removed the parasite, did they lose Daniel? Would they lose Daniel anyway? Was it Thoth who was truly afraid of dying, or just some memory of Daniel's?
Locking away her doubts, Sam hurried off to follow her commanding officer, and the thrashing body of the man she once called friend.