(Telboriel, thanks. I liked Narim too. I still hope he comes back on the show, since we never actually saw what happened to him. Being gone this long though, I doubt it. JD alien freak, thanks. Your situation sounds like mine a couple years ago. I hadn't seen most of the episodes, and finally started watching every one I could. As you said, it can make it rather confusing. It helped a great deal when sci fi started showing the reruns in order every night. Eric Raptor Wenner, lol, and thanks. Glad you like my cliffhangers and paring.)

Part 16, The Poison

--Sam--

"We need it off this ship," Selmak says with slight panic. "Or we need off this ship."

"Can we use the escape pods?" I suggest. "Empty the ship's atmosphere while we are in them, and the life support system will refill the ship with fresh air."

"That is a good idea. There won't be any poison in the escape pods, and what little there after we enter will quickly be filtered out by environment controls." Selmak heads over to the escape pods. "Samantha, you share one with Lantash. He shouldn't be alone."

From the side, I see Pete frown at that, but he says nothing. I start picking up Narim, and Pete comes over to help. It reminds me back on the planet years ago when I was half carrying Elliot/Lantash around. Now I'm half carrying Narim/Lantash, and I'm more worried now than I was then. What if they don't wake up? We prop them up against the back wall of the escape pod.

I enter with, facing them.

"I'll get you when it's safe," I hear my father's symbiote say as the door closes.

--Lantash--

I wake up, and it's dark and confined.

"Lantash," says Samantha's voice, filled with concern

"Wha-ow!" My head, legs, and feet hurt, and I feel strange.

"We are standing in an escape pod."

Actually, she was standing in an escape pod. My feet and legs were squished under me because, well, unconscious people can't stand on their own. Now they are as the Tau'ri would say, "asleep," to the point of pain. I try to move up on them, but that doesn't work.

Samantha tries to help me stand as she continues to explain. "We are in here until the atmosphere in the ship returns. We had to clear it because it had the Tok'ra poison in it which was on the planet."

"The Tok'ra poison?" That can't be right.

"Yes."

Now I'm angry. "The Tok'ra poison! That! Again!"

"Lantash."

"What a great idea we had." I say sarcastically, referring to all Tok'ra as "we." "Let's create a poison that can instantly kill us!!"

"Lantash," she repeats.

"I hate that poison!"

"I know," she says, and I notice she is covering her ears.

I realize that having someone yell while you are about an inch away from them probably isn't pleasant. "I'm sorry."

"Selmak said he'd...or she would get us out. Does Selmak prefer being referred to as a male or female?"

"Selmak usually identifies better as a female."

"How does the symbiote decide that?"

That's a good question, Narim thinks.

"Tok'ra symbiotes usually identify the same as their first host. Some though, like myself, changed their mind once they had a host of the opposite sex. Others don't care either way."

"What about you?"

"I prefer being male. It just...feels more right, and over the years I noticed that I also get along better with male hosts."

My feet still hurt, but with Samantha's help, I was able to stand up on them. The pain is easing, though I am working to help it ease faster.

"Your in control more than you were with Martouf."

Where did that come from? How long have we been in here, and how bored was she while I was unconscious? "The Tau'ri seemed more comfortable with him in control. Also-"

You aren't going to tell on me, are you? Narim asks.

Yes, I am. "-with Narim, for one, we both felt it would be safer if I were in control more in prison, and two, he sometimes doesn't give me a choice."

You told on me! Though he tries to sound angry, but he is mentally chuckles. I join him.

"You don't always have a choice?" she asks as she feels Narim's pulse.

"A symbiote trying to give a host control who doesn't want it, is just as hard as a host trying to get control from a symbiote who doesn't want to give it up." I smile. "Narim isn't as bad as I indicated, however, as you know, when a person is not in control their senses are dulled. If they chose, their senses can almost be gone, which is why one can be asleep while the other is awake. Sometimes when we are in a situation that is uncomfortable, like now, he puts me in control. It's not always on purpose. Often he does it instinctively to get away from the discomfort, and then realizes he gave me control."

Samantha nods lightly.

"It'll take time, but we'll find the balance to when to give or take control."

I wiggle my feet. "Escape pods were not meant for two people."

"Selmak didn't want you to be alone."

I smirk very lightly, and hope she can't see it in the dark. I'm sure Pete wasn't happy to hear that.

I see the door open as cold air seems to rush in. Samantha promptly falls backwards, but it caught by her father. I shiver slightly, take a step forward, and slip to my knees.

"How are you feeling, Lantash?" Jacob asks as he sits his daughter down.

I glance to her, and she is rubbing her own feet. I realize her feet are probably asleep as well. After all, it wouldn't have just been my feet I squished while I was unconscious. "I am feeling better. My head hurts, but not as much as it did before."

"Clean air must feel great after breathing that poison for a few days," Jacob says as he releases Pete. He bows his head, and Selmak is now in control. "When you are ready, we should try to figure out why the poison didn't kill us."

I get to my feet, forcing them to hold me even if they are tingling in numbness. "I am ready." I am more than ready to figure out why this poison refuses to kill me.

--Samantha--

I watch Selmak and Lantash quickly move to the computers, and start tapping at it. I keep where I am, rubbing my feet to wake them.

"Samantha," Pete says as he smiles.

"Pete."

He sits down. "What's wrong?"

A lot of things were, and I realize, so was our future together. "Pete, it's...now isn't the time."

He gives me a gentle kiss, but pulls back when my response is missing. "I love you, Sam."

"Pete."

I can see the hurt in his eyes. When you kiss someone, and tell them you love them, hearing them say your name with a tone of "we need to talk" is never good.

"What is it?" he asks.

He looks so hopeful.

"Whatever it is, telling me later isn't going to make any difference."

"Pete...it's...us...this isn't going to work."

He starts speaking quickly. "If we are moving too fast, then we can slow down. We can call off the engagement, and continue dating. Perhaps try again in a year, or ten years. Whatever makes you happy." He loves me, and I can almost see his heart crumbling as this conversation continues.

I resist the urge to look down. "I'm sorry."

He looks to the other two, and then back to me. "I know I didn't make a good impression on your father. I'll try to make up for that."

"My father has nothing to do with this."

"It's them, isn't it? Lantash and Narim."

"They are part of it."

His expression and tone seem to turn to stone. "They seem to be it. Do you love them?"

I instinctively glance down, and don't catch the action until too late.

"For how long?"

"Before we met. I thought they were dead, and...I didn't fully realize how I felt."

"When did you realize?"

"After we came on this ship, and they collapsed...when I thought I lost them again."

He moves away quickly, and settles in a corner.

His reaction is almost eerie. I almost would have preferred anger. Deciding to distract myself, I stand up, and walk over to Lantash and Selmak, who are simultaneously scanning each other. Despite having just broken it off with Pete, I smile at the scene, especially when they both stop and look up at me on the same time.

"Finding anything?"

"Not yet," Selmak says as she inputs her findings into the computer. "Hmm."

"Selmak," Lantash says, who is looking at the readings he found. "You are chemically imbalanced."

My eyebrows raise slightly to that.

Selmak turns around looking just as puzzled. "I'm what?"

"Your adrenaline and phosphate levels are low. Naquadah is a little high, and your sugar level is very high."

Selmak thinks for a second. "Oh, yes, I was given yilow a week ago. As it stays in the system for weeks, it would account for the imbalance." Selmak walked over to look over her own readings. "I don't understand why my sugar would be so high."

"What is yilow?" I ask.

"It is a type of sedative used to slow down the metabolism of a symbiote and host. Jacob and I were injured, and it was used to help me heal both of us."

I wonder... "Is it used for someone in stasis?"

Selmak glanced over to the other Tok'ra, who was staring at the computer as he scans Selmak again. "Yes, it would have been in Lantash's system when he was exposed to the poison."

"It counteracts the poison," Lantash said. "With interaction, they break down, and rebuild into sugar." He glances to Selmak. "I'm watching what is left of the yilow and poison in your system turn into sugar. It wouldn't be in my system any more though. Why did I survive?"

Selmak answers, "The cells normally attacked by the poison were damaged from your first exposure. They were rebuilt stronger, and so the poison didn't have immediate effect. Had you kept breathing it though, it would have killed you."

In one move, Selmak gives my father control as they head over to another console. "SGC had contacted the Tok'ra, and told them you were missing, Sam. I am going to try to contact the Tok'ra, and let them know you were found. They can relay the message to earth. The Tok'ra should also know to stay away from the Feran System. I don't know how the poison got there, but whatever method is being used would have to be constant for the poison to still be around."

As he continues to tap, he gets no reply from the Tok'ra. "Tomorrow we can head to planet with a stargate, and go to earth from there." He looks at the computer. "It seems no one wants to talk to us. We can sleep here for the night."

He pulls blankets and small pillows out of storage. Narim, who I didn't see switch to control, takes one of each, and sets the blanket down. He lays on half of it, and brings the other half over him. Dad gives me two of each. "Pete would probably prefer getting the pillow and blanket from you."

Either Dad was clueless about the break up, or was pretending to be clueless.

"Of course," I say as I take them from him.

Today had been rather overwhelming with a mixture of emotions. I'm glad it's over, and can't wait to return home.

to be continued...