Chapter 26 – Shown and Tell

"Welcome back to the SGB, GC-1," Hoffman greeted Alex, Daniel, and Dagón as they walked numbly down the ramp. "I see your time with the Sage did not go well. You each will come to my office and tell me what she told you at 22:00 hours. Is that okay?"

Each nodded feebly and left for their quarters, wanting some solitude to digest the information that was stuffed into their brains.

Daniel knocked on Alex's door after an hour of meditating in his room. He wanted to know if she felt better, and he wanted to know of the myths about the Preserver, and what the Sage meant by what she had told him.

"Come in," her muffled voice said from the door, and Daniel put his hand on the reader, making the sliding door move upward. He walked into her room.

It was almost exactly like his. There was a bed, a dresser, a closet, and an adjoining bathroom, but it looked like someone actually lived in it, like it was almost home. Around the room, there were touches of home: a stuffed animal, a painting, a decorative hanging… There was also a wooden cross hanging on the farthest wall with a padded couch-like bench in front of it.

And before the cross sat Alex, her head bowed in prayer.

"I'm sorry…am I interrupting you?" he asked softly, as he hung back by the door.

"No, no…it's okay. I've been doing this a lot lately. Helps me think clearer, you know? Helps me deal with the things we face here day after day…"

"Mind if I join you?" he asked. "I sure could use a clear head right about now…"

"Not at all," Alex said, and indicated the space on the bench to her left. Daniel allowed the door to slide down again and he sat next to her, his head bowed, his mind set on prayer.

Another hour passed in friendly silence as the two of them talked to their God.

"Alex," he said, breaking the silence, "what is the legend about the Preserver? The Sage said that I should ask you about it the next time we were off on the ship. I think that this time is now. Would you tell me?"

Opening her eyes, she looked at him. "The Sage said that I should tell you when you asked…she said that you would be ready." The Major smiled. "I guess she is as good as she seems to be!"

"And?" Daniel asked. "What about it?"

"Well, the legend began quite a few thousand years ago…it said that a man would be 'reborn' into The System…one that would be an anomaly. He would fight alongside his friends and allies, and because of him they would triumph over the Androidians. The Preserver is also the rightful ruler of Tierra. Even though it is in an Ice Age and in a Dark Age now, that's just induced by the Androidians. Once they are defeated, however, the planet will thaw very rapidly and the civilizations down there will advance at a very rapid rate. This very fast development will be from the Sage, as she wants to show her gratitude for the people who destroyed the race that destroyed hers."

"That's it?" he asked.

"Yes, that's it."

"I think there's more that you're not saying…" Daniel said, being able to read the tone of voice she used.

"All right, all right. There's also a Prophesized Female. One who could spur the Preserver on. She is said to be very strong and beautiful…like a lifeline for the Preserver and will be his queen on Tierra when he is triumphant in battle. It has been said that offspring between the two of them would result in the most powerful force the Universe has seen in many years."

"And she hasn't been found yet?"

Alex shook her head, though Daniel got the twinge of feeling that she was bluffing again. He let it slide, however, as he knew he had lied to her before. He would ask Dude, Dagón, or John about it later.

"You know, I wasn't very religious before," she said, breaking the silence between them. "Were you?"

"Not very. I attended church when I could, but I was usually at home grading papers. I had no life."

"Yeah, that was me, too. But then my father left us three years ago…he had leukemia and cancer, and he just vanished into thin air. My mother and I tried to look for him, but he wasn't anywhere; it was like he was wiped off the face of the Earth. I prayed every night for his return, safe and sound, just like I prayed for the cancer and leukemia to go away…but so far I've never found him."

"Is that why you entered The System?" he asked softly, learning things about Alex he never knew before.

She nodded. "Yes. If my father would've been there with us, I would've refused the General's offer. I would've wanted to actually still know my father and have him know me so that I could be with him during his sickness…but when he was gone, it was like I had nothing to lose anymore. I joined The System, and now my mother doesn't even know she has a daughter and is only mourning the death of her husband, whose body has never been found.

"I'm sorry, I'm rambling. You must be bored and annoyed with my problems. You should've stopped me."

"No," he said, his voice gentle and kind, "I'm here for you and I'll listen to anything you want to tell me. We'll find your father…I'll help you for as long as you look. We will find him."

"Thank you," she said, and they both looked at the cross on her wall.

Opening his mouth to say something a while later, Daniel was interrupted by Alex. "Whoa. It's almost 22:00 hours. We'd better go see what Hoffman wants. I'm very tired," she added with a yawn. "I'd like to get some sleep."

"You and me both," the linguist said while standing up, stretching out his arms and legs. "What does he do anyway?"

"Well," the Major replied as she accepted help from Daniel for getting up, "he listens and jots down whatever we tell him the Sage said and he'll consider what it means."

"So we could just tell him anything, say that the Sage said it, and he'll believe us?"

Alex had her old gleam back in her shaken eyes. "Well, yeah…I think he would. I've never thought of that before! But you mustn't do it, Daniel! It wouldn't be nice."

"Yeah, yeah…all right. I wasn't actually going to do it!" said Daniel defensively. "I was merely speculating."

"Well, don't do that, either, when you have a head full of new news. It makes you almost as bad as John."

"Oh! The horror!" the linguist whispered in a faked frightened tone. "Me like John! Ahh!"

Alex smiled. "Let's go tell the General what we know and get it over with. As it is your first time, it'll be an adventure for you."

"Great…" Daniel said and they left the Major's room, heading for Hoffman's office.

Daniel and Alex sat down before Hoffman on either side of Dagón. The General did not look like he was having fun. He motioned for Dagón to begin, and the alien began to relate to Joseph what he had learned from the Sage.

"Sir, she told me that me talking'd change sometime soon. That I'll have my brain altered from something and that the result will be very different. She also say the thing 'ill change the way I act. I be very wary 'bout this. I don' wanna change the way I be, but if she say that it's fer the better, then I guess 'll be content with who I become."

"Is that all she said?" Hoffman appeared to be concerned about what Dagón had revealed to him.

"Nay," the alien said. "She also said to tell ye this: a frien' 'ill turn into the enemy to remain a frien'. If ye knows what that means, then ye'll be ready for part of the journey to defeating the Androidians."

Hoffman looked up from writing it down. "Thank you, Dagón. You may go turn in for the night."

"Thank ye, sir," the alien said with a salute and tiredly stumbled off towards the sleeping quarters.

The General looked over at Daniel. "Would you like to continue?"

Daniel shook his head. "Sir, could I go last? There are a lot of things that I would like to tell you that are best told in private. Sorry, Alex," he added.

Hoffman nodded. "All right, doctor. Major, what information did you get?"

"Well, sir," she said, while wringing her hands, "she said the same thing to me as she did to Dagón—that friend and enemy thing. She also told me that, um…that, uh…that I've already met the Preserver, if he so chooses to accept the role. She also told me that my almost getting raped was for a purpose, though she didn't tell me more than that, telling me that I must figure it out on my own. She also told me that I would have to reveal a truth to someone, which would help them to fight a fatal disease and get better. She was pretty vague, but she said that when the time came, I'd know."

Hoffman looked up from his writing. "Is that all?"

"Yes, sir," she said with a yawn. "She told me other things, but they were for me."

"All right. Good night, Alex."

"Thank you, sir," she said again, and left the room, glancing back to see Hoffman indicate to Daniel to move to the center chair.

"So, Daniel, how'd it go?" the General asked when his door closed for the second time that night.

"Not very well, sir." Daniel said this with total sincerity, and the General became instantly alarmed.

"What did she tell you?"

"Well, sir, she said that there would be a lot of hard times ahead, not just for me, but for all of us. She also told me that I have the potential to become the Preserver, if I so choose to take that path in life."

The General looked at him with a solemn expression. "And are you going to?" he asked softly, as if he wanted no one else to hear.

Daniel was taken aback. "I-I'm not sure, sir. I still need to think about it. I need to see what I can picture myself doing and make a decision from there. I might make a subconscious decision to follow that path, though not know it until I'm so into it that I know what I'm doing and so acknowledge it in that way. I guess what I'm trying to say, sir, is that I'm not really sure right about now."

Hoffman nodded. "I understand. Is there anything else she told you?"

"She told me of the friend and enemy thing that both Alex and Dagón have told you about. She also said that I'd be…um…well…physically, er, connected with an Androidian goddess…um…mate if you will. Yes, I know…I don't like it either. I'll also have my mind erased, and I will come very close to death. It sounds really fun, doesn't it?"

Daniel looked up from the spot on the desk he had been looking at, and saw that the General was staring at him with his mouth slightly open. "That's what she told you?"

Daniel nodded glumly. "She also said that I'd fall in love, though for how long or with whom she did not specify."

"Could it be with the Prophesized Female?"

"Who exactly is that? Alex said something about her, but she wouldn't elaborate on it." Daniel looked at the General with tired eyes over his glasses. "Please tell me. I need to know. Everyone but me knows about these myths and I'm supposedly the one who is this myth."

"The Prophesized Female is the woman to whom the Preserver is to fall in love with. It is said that she will save him from certain death, and they will have an unbreakable bond of love. A child between the two will be the most powerful human in the world, having all the secrets of the Universe at its disposal. No one knows who this prophesized woman is, other than that she will be human and the bond you have will outlast the human race. It'd be interesting to see if the prophecy comes true…"

"Oh, yeah. Thanks. But falling in love is a good thing…right?"

Hoffman smiled slightly. "It is. But you do know that personal relationships between personnel on the same team aren't allowed, right?"

Daniel was confused. "It isn't?"

"No. The President doesn't want any permanent bonds between operatives. That way, you won't think with your heart instead of your head in hard situations…"

"Ah. So, theoretically, if…oh, say…the Colonel was involved with, uh, Dr. Fields—that wouldn't be allowed?"

"No," the General said tiredly and yawned. "Thank you for telling me what the Sage said. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yes, sir. Good night, sir," Daniel said and left, trying to smother a laugh. Walking down the corridor to the dormitories, he had the sudden urge to go get a cup of hot chocolate, as the very core of his being somehow felt like an ice cube.

Walking into the kitchen with a smile, he saw Alex was surprisingly there, already drinking a steaming cup.

"Mind if I join you?" he asked, walking to the table with a cup in his hand.

"Sure," she said weakly and took another sip. "What's up? Why're you so happy?"

"I'm not really happy," he confessed, "but the General just told me that romantic relationships between operatives were forbidden, and I just asked him, theoretically, that if John was involved with Kate it would be prohibited, and he just said yes, like it was an example. He didn't even take the hint…"

Alex smiled slightly. "That would've been so funny to see. How did you manage to not laugh while you were in there?"

"I'm not sure," Daniel said after taking a sip of the drink, feeling its warmth course through his body. "I struggled with it until Hoffman dismissed me. When I was gone, it came then. It was pretty funny to see him take it as an example only. Are we the only ones who see it? Is everyone that blind?"

Alex put her mug down and looked up at him before she answered. "I guess. They don't usually see beyond their own wants and needs. I usually don't, either. You do. That's a good quality."

"I do? I didn't notice I did that. I mean, I've been alienated all my life, so I guess I've gotten used to eyeing people, keeping track of what they were doing, and seeing whether if what they're doing would be a threat to me or not. It's a habit, I guess."

"But it's a good habit," she said, then yawned and looked at her black standard-issued military watch. "Wow. It's passed midnight. I'd say it's safe to say that we should be in bed by now. I bid you goodnight."

"Wait! I'll walk you there. I should go to bed, too." Daniel took both their mugs and put them in the sink. Then, they turned off the lights and left, Daniel already missing the way he could easily talk to her.

"Good night," he said to her when they had reached the bedrooms; he opened the door to his room.

"You, too," she said and entered her room, leaving him with a small smile.