Wondering at the familiar vibes he was getting from the place, he acknowledged the arrival of the waitress beside him.
"What can I get for you?"
Looking up, he found himself staring at a vaguely familiar face. Hadn't he just been talking to this woman? Why did she seem so familiar. Had he been here before, and had the same waitress served him then? He glanced back down at the table before him and closed his eyes for a moment, hoping for the clouding which seemed to be surrounding his mind to shift. Glancing up at the woman once more, his mind sifted through names...Oma? Oma de Sala... was that her name. Yes, a voice seemed to reply to him. His body involuntairly shivered for a moemnt, the clouds he'd been feeling lifted suddenly and he found himself sifting through an immense amount of knowledge flooding back to him. He was Daniel Jackson, and the last thing he had seen were not replicator chips tiling the floor of replicarters ship. It was the bright familiar surrounding light of ascension. Before he had a moment to speak to the woman standing before him, a voice sounded behind him.
"Hey! What do I have to do to get some more coffee around here?"
"Find your enlightenment"
Definetely sounded like Oma de Sala, at least he thought it did. Daniel checked the table and found nothing to order from and so looked back to Oma.
"Menus?"
"We don't need them here - just order what you'd like."
"OK, I'll have the truth, with a side order of clarity, please"
"The Replicator version of Sam was in your head trying to access the knowledge buried in your subconscious, but you gained control of her instead. She killed you to stop you. That's where I stepped in. How's that?"
"Pretty clear"
Oma watched silently on the sidelines as Daniel Jackson once more walked along the plains and ignored the irritating snigger of 'Jim' behind her, remarking snidely on how long it would take Jackson this time to figure out her little role in the whole scheme of things surrounding his small part of the universe.
She also ignored the chiding remarks of the watchers, the shaking of heads and shuns of her peers. Once more she had broken the rules, intervened, some even questioned why she offered Daniel ascension once more he had been so insistent on his return the last time. She had been there when Daniel had fought so hard agaisnt the replicator, all to save his minute corner of the infinite galaxy. Then he knew how small and insignificant it all was, when the replicator opened his mind to the possibilities hidden within. And yet he had still fought, had taken the oppurtune moment to save his race, fighting her where he was the most powerful. For those few seconds he had been a most powerful force, and Oma refused to let him die there, after such revelation of his potential. Even the replicator had realised the potential power Daniel could posess, and killed him in a futiel attempt to prevent him from stopping her weak attempt at galactic domination.
'Jim' had been present then also, too busy heckling the replicators to realise Oma stepping forward once more and bringing Daniel through the mist. The others had stepped in, refusing to allow her to go further. Impossible, he must decide for himself. And so there they were, waiting for Daniel to gain some clarity in his wanderings. Eventually they found themselves sat at booths, digesting the neccesary information in his mind to fit in, whilst able to watch as always the plight of the one who had fallen from their graces long ago, dogged by the incessant mistake she had brought upon herself and the human she refused to give up on.
Daniel had to admit, although the answer had been clear, things were only just starting to clear in his head. The familiarity of the diner was overwhelming and for a moment he was sitting opposite his grandfather, and the atmosphere was a little more strained and awkward. The scent of waffles with syrup caused to speak.
"Waffles." He said, with a slight frown at the memory.
"Bacon on the side?" asked Oma, scribbling into the pad
"No - I remember this place." Replied Daniel, glancing over the table once more at the misty imgae of Nick swathed in black, trying to make up for what the day had brought.
"You should - it came from your mind"
"My grandfather brought me here after my parents' funeral. I had waffles"
Daniel found himself explaining the strange occurrence to Oma, although at the back of his mind he knew she knew everything anyway. But the clarification he stated, helped bring his mind more into focus as to what was going on.
"Waffles it is." Said Oma, before leaving to place the order with the cook.
"Wait." Said Daniel, with uncertainty "How do I know it's really you this time? How do I know this isn't some trick Replicator Sam's playing to stop me from controlling her?"
Oma turned with that familiar all knowing look in her eyes and Daniel didn't need an answer, but she continued.
"How deep is the river if you cannot see the bottom?"
'Yes, defintely Oma' thought Daniel, not even trying to comprhend the meaning. Once he started figuring things out, he could start swapping rhyme and reason with her. Right now he need to stop and think and unravel the images and memories in his mind.
