A/N: I know there are two levels of elevators but I totally blanked on that fact while writing and in order to shave another month off before posting this, I left the snafu in. Also, where do these guys park? I assume it's outside of the institution because it would be a security risk to have people drive in and out of the facility all day long. Anyway, that's my take on it. On a personal note, I'm sorry it took so long to get this out but real life intruded in the form of mandatory overtime and illness. Luckily,the finale is nearly comlpete and shouldn't take nearly as long to finish. Thank you all for your patience. I hope it was worth it. Rae
Now, on with the story!
He was going crazy!
Three days spent cooped up inside the base being poked and prodded from one end to another was about all he could take. He had watched Sam leave five hours ago and since then he'd had to restrain himself from banging his head off the wall. Resultantly, his paperwork was now all up to date, he had dusted, swept, rearranged and organized his bookshelves and he had alphabetized his computer files and current translations.
Seeing his office cleaner then it had ever been, Daniel snapped. Grabbing his jacket, he headed with a determined step to his office door and peeked to see if anyone was coming. The hall was clear, and with only the teeniest ounce of guilt, he quickly made his way down the corridor toward the elevators that would take him to sunshine and fresh air. His heart beat rapidly within his chest, sweat tickled his forehead. He pushed up his glasses with a shaky hand as he glanced around, keeping an eye out for anyone who would try to stop him. He felt jumpy, nervous. That is the only reason he squeaked when Sam suddenly appeared in front of him.
With a hand pressed to his chest, Daniel looked into the twinkling eyes of Major Samantha Carter. He thought it amazing that she could look so joyful with so much discoloration marring her face.
"I thought you left." It wasn't a question. It was an accusation. He tried to recover from his shock. He tried to appear nonchalant. He failed.
"I thought you knew better than to sneak off base while under lock-down?" Sam stared Daniel down with a smirk on her battered face. She was enjoying Daniel's discomfort. She watched as he hugged himself and scuffed the floor with his shoe. He was trying to think up a believable excuse. She saw it in the wrinkle above his eyes and the look of panic that appeared on his face whenever he was caught being less then 100 percent professional. These were moments to cherish. But Sam knew that too soon his boyish guilt would turn into Daniel guilt and those are two entirely separate things so she took pity on him and handed over her offering. She watched his face light up as he grabbed the java from her hand and began to inhale the exotic aroma.
"Thanks Sam." Daniel turned and headed back to his office with a nod telling Sam to follow. Without a thought to his stitches, he flopped into his desk chair with only a slight wince and took a much needed sip of liquid caffeine. He felt better already. He looked up as Sam perched across from him on a stool.
"So."
"So."
"Why aren't you home resting? You should be resting." He took another sip of coffee and felt life stir within him. This is what he needed. A thought suddenly occurred to him. "Does Janet know I have this?"
"You're off caffeine restriction as of twenty minutes ago. I asked Janet before I left." Sam's eyes wandered around the room to the artifacts that covered the walls and shelves. She looked at the pictures and books. She looked everywhere but at Daniel.
"You didn't tell me what you're doing here Sam." Daniel set the coffee down but didn't take his hands off it. He stared at Sam's profile, willing her to look at him. Willing her to say what she obviously needed to say.
"Do you ever wonder, what if?" Her voice sounded so small. So unsure. So unlike Sam.
Daniel leaned back, relinquishing his hold on his coffee and began to fiddle with the frayed fabric of the chair's arms. He cleared his throat. "What if what, Sam?" The room became quiet. The hush of his expectation seemed to throb within his head, making it ache. He knew this conversation was going to change everything and nothing at all. It was a crossroads and Sam had chosen him to share it with. He almost wanted to tell her to leave. Almost. But he suspected there was something he needed to say as well.
After what seemed like forever, Sam looked up across the silence and met his eyes with her own and damned them both.
"What if it's not worth it?" She held his gaze and saw Sha'uri flit across his heart. She knew every battle and every scar played through his mind as it did hers. She saw the pain of loss and fear of defeat reflected from tired eyes that knew too much heartache.
His voice was soft and low when he responded. He looked into her eyes and he absorbed the angry contusions that blackened her face. "I have to believe that it is."
Silence reclaimed its throne while Sam swallowed the lump in her throat and looked away from Daniel. She nodded and left without another word spoken.
Daniel trembled as all the grief of the last few years washed over him. A solitary tear threatened to fall so he picked up his coffee and took a long, hot pull from the cup and felt the bitter liquid burn away the memories, at least, for now.
The sudden jangle of his desk phone split through the quiet and sent a steaming splash of that coffee onto his lap. The gloom forgotten, Daniel jumped up cursing and held the green material away from his skin as he danced around the office in an attempt to reduce the burning. It was useless. He was scalded. In a fit of frustration he picked up the persistent phone and answered more sharply than he'd intended.
"What?"
"Doctor Jackson, is everything all right?" The unmistakable voice of General Hammond shot through the phone with a mixture of shock and concern.
Daniel halted all motion and slapped a hand over his face to smother his headache and make this day go away. Dropping his hand, he saw that all remained the same and decided to answer. " Ah, everything's fine, sir. I've just managed to spill a bit of coffee."
" Well then, I'll cut to the chase. I'm holding Dr. Frasier's medical recommendation."
"Oh." He tried not to sound too eager, as though he weren't chomping at the bit and prancing at the gate. Hammond's soft chuckle alerted him to the possibility he may not have pulled it off.
"Yes, well, I see no point in keeping you in suspense. There seems to be nothing medically wrong with you. Your blood work is clean, and you're free of any virus' and bacteria. In short doctor, you are cleared to go home."
"Really? What about the headaches?" He did not just ask that!
"Those, according to Dr. Frasier, are attributed to stress and you are required to take a long weekend and relax. We don't want to see you around here for at least three days. Is that clear, son?"
"Yes, General. Perfectly." Daniel was practically hopping as he hung up the phone. Tossing his empty cup in the garbage, Daniel gave his damp lap another swipe before turning off his lights and locking his door.
He was free.
He was free.
He was forgetting something.
Daniel stood in the quiet corridor and tried to remember what it was that he thought he forgot. Lights? Check. Door locked? Check. Poking his hands into his coat's pockets he felt his keys scrape his knuckle and the vague sense of alarm faded. Pulling the keys from his pocket, he headed toward the elevator as he twirled them around his index finger. He was suddenly in an excellent mood. It was early afternoon and the whole day awaited him. He stepped up to the elevator and jabbed the up button with his keys dangling from his finger. Twirling them one last time, he caught them in his hand and put them back into his pocket. He was tense and jumpy as he poked the button again. He was beginning to bounce impatiently waiting for the car to reach his floor.
With a ding, the elevator doors finally swung open and Daniel bounded forward as his mind started listing all the things he wanted to do that day. He was going to need to get gas, and coffee. Oh, and he could swing by Barnes and Noble and pick up those books he ordered and oh-
Daniel jumped and spun around when a hand clasped his shoulder from behind. Finding Jack, with an amused 'I caught you' look on his face, Daniel's thought process ceased.
"I was cleared. Janet said I could go." The words escaped his mouth in a panicked rush before his brain remembered they were the truth.
"Really." It didn't sound like a question, but coming from Jack, one never knows.
"Yes. Really." Daniel adopted his defensive posture and put his hands on his hips and broadened his stance. Jacks response had his arms flopping limply to his sides.
"Alright." Jack slid his hands into his jeans' pockets and met Daniel's confused gaze calmly.
"All right." Daniel's confusion became audible.
"Okay." Jack looked down the hall and then back at Daniel's continued confusion.
"Okay." Daniel pushed absently at his glasses and began to chew his bottom lip.
Daniel looked at the floor in confusion as Jack rolled his eyes toward the ceiling, rocking back on his heels. It was an awkward moment all around. It never sat well with them when they agreed.
"So," he drew the word out slowly, "going up?" Daniel poked the ground level as Jack stepped into the elevator.
They stood, silent in the confined space. Daniel watched the lights blink on and off as they passed each floor. He waited while the quiet ate at Jack as it always did. It didn't take long.
"So, got any weekend plans?" Jack asked.
"No. Not really. You?" Daniel spared Jack a quick glance as the doors slid open and the two stepped out onto the main floor. They stepped up to the desk and swiped their ID cards on their way to the door.
"Fishing. You wanna come?" Jack pulled his sun glasses from his inside pocket and fixed Daniel with a shady stare as they stepped from the cool mountain into the comfortable warmth of a Spring afternoon.
"Ah, maybe next time." Daniel readied his keys as he approached his car. Daniel gave a slight wave before sliding behind the wheel. Buckling up, he sighed as he turned over the ignition. He was really free to leave. He had half expected some MP's to come rushing out to escort him back to the medical bay. But no, he was pulling out onto Suffolk Street and heading into town.
He cracked the window and enjoyed the caress of the wind sliding through his hair, bringing the scent of the mountains with it. Squinting into the late afternoon glare, he turned onto Anderson Avenue and blinked away the sting the sun had put in his eyes. Glancing up, he caught site of a black SUV turning onto Anderson a few car lengths back. With a jolt of annoyance, Daniel applied more gas and made a sharp right onto Brenton Street. After a few moments the SUV rounded the bend and with frustration, he pulled into the gas station and slammed on his brakes at the pump. It took only seconds for the SUV to follow suit, pulling up to the other side of the pump.
Daniel hopped out of his car and slammed the door, turning to face the driver of the other vehicle. He watched as the other man slowly stepped out of his truck. Taking off his shades, he casually turned to face Daniel.
"What?" Jack studied the man in front of him. He knew the look well. The fire in his eyes, the throbbing vein in the neck. This was pissy Daniel. He just wondered what caused it.
"What. That's all you have to say?"
Jack looked around and tried to compose a better response. "Nice day, huh?"
"Jack!" Daniel took a few hops before jabbing a finger at him. "You're following me."
"Whoa! Paranoid much?" Jack threw up his hands and took a step in retreat from Daniel's accusation.
"I don't think so. You have no reason to be on this side of town. You live THAT way." Daniel again pointed, this time back toward Anderson Avenue. "Why? Why? Why are you following me? I'm fine."
"Look, Daniel, I'm not following you! I have stuff to get for the weekend, and the shop is downtown. Is that okay with you, or is there a form I need to fill out first?"
Daniel studied Jack's face, finding no trace of a lie, he began to feel embarrassment creep up to heat his cheeks. "N-n-no. That's fine. I'm sorry. I just . . . "
"Hey, no problem. I get it. You were just sprung. Gotta feel like it's still a dream." Jack pulled out his wallet and began searching for his gas card.
"Yeah. I guess." Daniel turned to the pump and fumbled with the nozzle for a moment before settling it into his tank. He spared a glance behind as Jack began filling his tank. He turned his attention to the ball game across the road. A small boy came up to bat and the pitcher began instructing his teammates to move in. Daniel felt the sting of humiliation for the child, and returned the nozzle a bit too forcefully. He turned his back on the taunts of the sandlot game to pay the cashier for his gas.
Jack watched the game with the bitter taste of regret in his mouth. Baseball always brought a crushing wave of sadness with it. That's why he was a hockey man now. As painful as it was, he couldn't look away. He was trapped in a moment of pain. Of loss. It stole his breath and left him defenseless.
The click of the pump saved him. Snapping out of his memories, Jack returned the nozzle and screwed on his cap. He grabbed his receipt and leaned against his truck to compose himself. The crack of a bat had his head whipping up to the sky. He saw a blur of white flying through the air. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Daniel emerge from the store with his head down, counting his change. There was no time to shout a warning. It all happened so fast. Too fast for him to come up with an explanation for what transpired next.
Daniel felt the hair raise up on the back of his neck as he raised his arm to protect himself. The stinging ache filling his right hand had him looking to see what had hurt him. Clenched in his fist was . . .
A baseball.
He stared, without comprehension, at the object resting in his hand. A shadow fell across his vision and he looked up into wide eyes.
"So. What's new, Daniel?"
"I caught a ball." They returned their eyes to the object in Daniel's tight fist. A cool breeze picked up and swept debris along the pavement. The kids across the street began shouting for their ball back.
"I noticed that. I'm thinking we should head back to the base." Jack said, causing Daniel to jerk his eyes up to lock on his friend.
"What! W-why?"
"Daniel! You just caught a ball." Jack pointed it out in case Daniel didn't know what he was holding.
"I know I caught a ball. I just said I caught a ball! What I don't understand is why you think I need to go back to the base?"
"You don't find it odd that you caught a fly ball one-handed without looking?"
"I got lucky. That's all." Daniel squirmed under Jack's direct gaze. His head hurt and the kids were getting louder and his hand stung like a giant bee sting. He wanted to shake it out but he wouldn't with Jack watching.
"No. Daniel. That's not all. We need to get you back to the infirmary so Janet can check you out."
"She's been checking me out for days. There is nothing wrong with me." He clenched the sweaty wad of dollars he had been trying to organize and shoved them roughly into his pocket.
The children's persistent shouts began wearing on his frayed nerves. He didn't want to go back to the infirmary with the needles and cold sheets. He wanted to go home and have a decent cup of coffee and crack open a good book. He wanted peace and quiet. He wanted to be blissfully alone. But he wasn't alone, Jack was giving him that 'you're not going to win' look and those kids were still screaming for their damn ball back making his head throb more than normal.
Pulling back, Daniel swung his arm and let the ball fly, knowing as it slipped from his grasp that it would only reach the curb and his embarrassment would increase to new heights. Sportsman, he was not. But in shock, he watched it fly past the curb, past the chain link fencing of the sandlot, past the eager gloves of so many children, to land with a dusty plop in the parking lot on the opposite side of the baseball diamond. A dozen children stared at him with awe while Jack stared at him with worry. Daniel looked at his empty hand, then across the street and then back at his hand before saying anything.
"Okay, now that was odd."
"Yeah." Jack slapped Daniel on the back while herding him toward the vehicles. They were going back to the mountain.
They sat in the briefing room and waited in silence for Janet to arrive. They had been at it for nearly fifteen minutes. Sam had been called in earlier and they were all retested with cultures and blood samples and physical assessments. It had eaten up most of the day and now with it nearing eleven o'clock at night, they sat in a quiet room, on a quiet base waiting to hear what he had told everyone from the start. He was fine.
"I'm sorry I'm late. I wanted to compare a few conflicting results." Janet rushed over to find a seat next to General Hammond and across from Jack. It was a position of power, of authority. It was never a good thing when a doctor needed to take that seat.
"So. What can you tell us, Doctor?" General Hammond gave Janet his full attention as she fiddled with files and charts. She was nervous. Another bad sign.
"Well, actually, Sir. Nothing." She adverted her eyes until Jack spoke. Then she looked directly into his eyes.
"What exactly do you mean by nothing?"
"Just that. Medically, there is nothing wrong with Daniel. All his tests returned clean of any virus or infection. He's not sick. None of you are."
"Why do I get the feeling that's not the end of it?" Daniel slouched in his chair, as far away from her charts as he could get. As if distance could protect him from her findings. He wanted to push away from the table when she pinned him with her eyes.
"Your physical assessment showed extreme deviations from your normal scores."
"What deviations?" Jack sat forward and clasped his hands together.
"Yeah, what deviations?" Daniel echoed, with the first hint of apprehension in his voice.
"You've improved in stamina and increased strength since your last physical, three days ago."
Jack waved his next question to Janet with a flick of his wrist. "When you say improved . . . ?"
"By at least 50 percent." She let her answer hang in the stunned silence as all eyes turned to a straight-faced Daniel.
"I've been working out." He thought he heard crickets in the background and chose to move on quickly. "Right. Do we have any idea why this is happening?"
"Well, the only logical conclusion I can draw is the dust you inhaled on P3X-492."
"And exactly what is it doing to me?"
"As far as I can tell, it's improving your physical endurance only it's not changing your muscular structure at all. I don't actually know what to tell you. There is no possible way for this to be occurring and yet . . . it is."
"Doctor, should we be concerned for Dr. Jackson's safety? Is his health in any danger of deteriorating from this thing?"
"My first guess would be no, General. At least, not anytime soon but I'm hazarding that guess from limited information. Without a better understanding of the substance he inhaled all we can do is monitor his vitals and wait and see. He's already surpassed the incubation period for most known contagions and exhibits no physical symptoms of infection. Other than a persistent headache, he seems to be perfectly healthy."
All eyes turned to General Hammond as he regarded Daniel. "Taking Dr. Frasier's diagnosis into account I see no reason to institute a quarantine. I don't believe we're dealing with a contagion. However, we are dealing with an unknown alien illness, for lack of a better word. Doctor Jackson, I'm ordering you to remain on base until such time as we can assure ourselves of your condition."
"What?" Daniel stood quickly, sending his chair sliding backwards into the wall. "You can't be serious!"
"I'm sorry, son. We need to be sure that you're truly well before we allow you to leave the mountain."
"Just in case, right?" Daniel spat the words out but didn't wait for an answer. Instead he turned his back on his shocked friends and stormed out of the room without waiting to be dismissed.
"Hey." Jack sauntered into Daniel's office and stared at the cleanliness. "Bored out of your mind, huh?"
"I'm going to apologize, but not right now. Okay?" Daniel spoke from within his curled arms as he rested his head on his desk.
"It's fine with me." Jack found a new mask on a shelf and picked it up. Sniffing it, he deemed it safe and placed it over his face. Panning the room through tiny eye slots, he searched for a mirror. He caught sight of a bemused Daniel and lowered the mask slowly. "Where'd you get this?"
"On P3X-173. It was a ceremonial mask laid over the faces of fallen warriors as they lay in the sun, waiting for the Gods to retrieve the soul. They often lay for weeks, decaying in the hot sun with only that mask remaining in tact."
Jack gently placed the mask back on the shelf before joining Daniel at his desk. "I suddenly feel the need for a shower." Perching on a stool, Jack gave it a good spin, then settled his gaze on his friend.
"I'm fine."
"Of course, you are." Jack spun again.
"I'm serious. Nothing's wrong." Jack nodded as he continued in another nauseating circle.
"It's just . . ." Jack stopped abruptly and encouraged Daniel to continue.
"It's just, what?"
Daniel heaved a sigh and leaned back in his chair. "The first time it was overnight, just in case. Jack, I ended up stuck here for three days. Now it's indefinite. I'm just so tired of, of, everything!"
"It sucks. But we've all spent our fair share of time in the infirmary."
"I know, and I don't know if it's just that. I've just been, I don't know. Something. I'm feeling something that I can't define. I need something else. But I can't put a name to it. I'm restless, and moody and I feel like there's something more I can be doing. Something more I should be doing."
"Daniel, you give 100 percent to every person we come across, whether they're friendly or shoving a weapon in our face. You've been a liaison between Earth and countless other worlds. Countless other cultures. How can you feel like that's not enough?"
"I don't know. I just do." Daniel shut his eyes to the conversation and allowed it to drop into silence. He allowed that silence to sit there, between them, like an immovable wall. A wall, he just realized, he'd been building for some time.
Daniel stared at the sight before him with something akin to fright. He wanted to run away, but doctor's orders prohibited it. He just couldn't do it. They were asking too much. Janet was asking too much. For cryin' out loud, he was going to laugh and then he was going to die. Teal'c approached from the far end of the track. Daniel muffled his amusement and turned to face the brick wall behind him.
He would not laugh.
He would not laugh.
Daniel turned to face Teal'c as he stopped behind him. He was so going to laugh.
"DanielJackson. I am glad you have joined me."
"Yeah. Ah, Teal'c. What's with the outfit?"
"I was told this is the appropriate attire. Is it not a running suit?" Teal'c scanned his outfit, searching for any irregularities.
"Ah, yes. It is a running suit. It's just the color doesn't, ah. What I'm trying to say is it's just so, um, you know? Pink!"
"The retailer suggested that it set-off my skin tone. I deferred to her judgement." An eyebrow arched as a snicker escaped from Daniel's lips.
"So, this retailer was pretty."
"Indeed, she was." Daniel gave Teal'c a brotherly slap on the back.
"We've all been there before. Now, why don't we scare you up a nice pair of sweats, because I can't concentrate on my breathing if I have to hear you swishing next to me."
Several minutes later, humor gone, Daniel jogged next to Teal'c in a repeating circle, that he was told would continue for five miles. Boredom kicked in fiercely and had Daniel regretting the wardrobe change. A swish-swish every now and again might have helped him from passing out due to mental abeyance.
Daniel squinted into the torture device Janet was using to sear his retinas.
"Headache?"
"Yeah."
Janet shifted closer until her face was mere inches from his. He could smell her perfume mingled with the mint on her breath. It was a pleasant scent, one he had come to associate with safety and comfort. Even when she was jabbing him with needles and locking him up on base.
She also smoothed his hair back when he lay fevered, tucked in his blankets when he fought the cold, and pushed him to sleep when she saw he needed rest. In short, she cared. So he allowed her to continue to fuss after the MRI and CAT Scan revealed no cause for the headaches, and her medicines failed to ease his pain.
"How was your run with Teal'c?" She clicked off the penlight and rolled her stool over to the tray that held his chart.
"Fine."
"Care to elaborate?" she smirked when he sighed the sigh of the heavily put upon.
"We ran. I kept pace. I was bored."
"No shortness of breath, dizziness or nausea?"
"None of the above." Daniel began swinging his legs and rocking on the gurney.
"Well, I'd like you to remain active for the next few days. Nothing amazing, just enough to help me gauge this things progress."
"Fine."
"Well then, you're free to go. I'll see you at five."
"Yeah. Thanks, Janet." Daniel hopped off the bed and gave a popping stretch before absently scratching at his stitches.
"Daniel, how's your injury?"
"My what?" he said, regarding her with confusion.
"Your, um, injury." she pointed her pen towards his rear and caused a pink flush to steal up Daniel's face and his hand to drop to his side.
"Oh, um, that. It's ah, good. Yeah. Good." he said, inching towards the door.
"I think I should have a look, you could have popped a stitch while running."
"Oh, that's not really necessary. Everything's fine. Yep, just fine."
"Daniel. I insist." she snapped on a pair of gloves and waited for him to comply.
Turning, Daniel undid his pants and allowed them, along with his boxers to pool at his ankles. Thankful for his shirt tails, he crossed his arms and glared at the monitor in front of him. He felt Janet lift his shirt and then the slight pull of the tape as the bandage was removed. Then, he heard Janet's gasp as she pushed at the skin of his right cheek.
"What?" he tried to look over his shoulder but all he could see was Janet's head. "What's wrong?"
"It's healed. There's scar tissue and it's grown over the stitches. I don't know how this is possible." Janet strode to the cabinet and pulled out a medical gown and tossed it to Daniel. "I want you on the table in five minutes. I'll begin as soon as I update General Hammond."
Daniel faced her, holding the gown in front of him. "Shouldn't you update me first? What's going on?"
"Daniel, I don't know. It's some kind of accelerated healing. That is a healed wound. It's not a scab, it's a scar. A damn small scar for the amount of damage I stitched up only four days ago."
"That means?"
"That means, I tell the general and I remove the stitches before infection sets in and then I try to figure out what the hell is going on."
"Sounds like a plan."
"Danny!" Jack dribbled the ball across the court before passing to a less then excited Daniel. "How's the ass?"
"Fine, thanks for asking." Daniel rubbed at the fresh wound and cringed at the thought of the glue holding his flesh together.
"Good, then you're up for a little one on one." Jack tightened his knee brace then jogged onto the court. Daniel stared at the ball in his hands before joining Jack.
"You know I'm terrible at this." he said, passing the ball to Jack.
"Yeah, I know. You wanna bet on it?" At Daniel's unamused face, Jack bounced the ball before shooting past Daniel and sinking his first basket. "And that would be point one."
"Oh yeah. This is gonna be fun." Daniel turned to block Jack as he shot past him again to get his second point.
"Trish, would you get me the first blood sample we took from Dr. Jackson."
"Yes, Doctor." Janet watched the blonde hurry off before turning her attention back to the charts in front of her.
"Oh yeah! Take that." Daniel continued on his victory lap while Jack fought to pull air into his lungs. Somewhere, somehow the game had taken an unexpected turn and Daniel had kicked his proverbial ass. It was inconceivable and yet, he watched as Daniel started to hum the theme from 'Rocky' on his third lap around the room.
"You know, this is a side of you I've never seen. And I must say, it's unseemly."
"Would that be my winning side?"
"How about best two out of three?" He bounced the ball towards Daniel and tried to straighten without groaning aloud.
"Sure. I have time to humiliate you again." he said as he darted around Jack and slam dunked the ball. "How's that?"
"Oh, that's just perfect." Jack said, limping after the suddenly obnoxious Daniel.
Janet stared at the vial without comprehension. Again, she inserted the needle into the tube and met with the same resistance as before. Putting the needle down, she stormed out of her office and down to the medical bay. Something was horribly wrong, she just needed confirmation.
Jack felt a small tremor of satisfaction as he stepped in Daniel's path and managed to block his lay-up. He had chased him all over the court to no avail but somehow, he had finally maneuvered himself in front of him. Down 15 to 1, Jack needed to redeem himself, and he needed to do it quickly. His satisfaction, however, was short-lived as Daniel's elbow dug into his collarbone, shoving him to the floor while Daniel continued on his way toward the hoop.
With a shout of triumph, Daniel made the shot and danced around the sprawled man on the floor.
"Ah, foul." Jack punctuated his claim by lifting his hand in objection.
"No way!"
"Yes way."
"No."
"Yes."
"Jack! I made it in." Daniel stared down at the prone body on the floor and hugged himself.
"You knocked me on my ass. That's a foul."
"You fell."
"What?" Jack sat up to shake out his head. "I'm sorry. I, what?"
"Fell."
"Okay, that's it. What the hell is going on with you?" Jack stood and stared Daniel in the eye. He almost dared him so say it again.
"You're a sore loser. That's what's going on."
"Okay, that's it. You're getting just a little too irritating to be around right now." He said, heading toward the showers. However, Daniel's words had him turning around.
"You're a joke, you know that? It's all fine and dandy to hang out with me when you're the winner, but as soon as I come out on top you retreat. Can't you take it, Jack? Can't you handle me winning something?"
"You need to watch yourself, Daniel."
Daniel met his challenge and stepped up into his face. "Why? What are you going to do?"
They stood there, toe to toe. Neither giving an inch until Daniel scoffed in Jack's face and strolled out of the gymnasium.
Janet held the tube upside down and prayed for something to happen. Anything. With a jumpy feeling settling into her stomach, she placed the vial next to its three companions. They were all the same. Staring at the vials, Janet tried to come to terms with the facts at hand. Daniel's blood had somehow become impenetrable.
Jack followed Daniel into the hall. He called out to him but Daniel just quickened his step and continued on. Rushing to catch up, Jack grabbed Daniel's shoulder only to have a fist sail past his face. "Daniel!"
"Fuck you, Jack!" Daniel swung again, this time hitting his target. Jack fell into the wall as Daniel's fist came again and again. "F'k." Daniel's words became grunts as he continued to pound on him.
Jack threw his arms up, receiving as many blows as he deflected. It was hard to fight back, Daniel's strength outdistanced his own and he was beginning to lose this battle. He didn't know what was going on, but he was afraid of his friend and he didn't like it one bit. Suddenly, Daniel shrieked and stumbled back holding his head.
Jack reached out but reigned in his hands when Daniel steadied himself. "Daniel?"
Daniel's head came up to reveal pale skin speckled with sweat. "J'k?" Daniel cried out again, wobbling as he shot a hand to his temple. Jack reached out in time to catch him and help lower him to a sitting position against the wall. "Daniel, what's going on?"
Daniel lifted his head and tried to tell Jack he was fine. All he heard was a buzzing as two arms supported him while he slipped into darkness.
Jack held Daniel's limp form and shouted for help. Two corporals disappeared around the corner, running for the medical bay. Feeling confident that Janet would soon be on her way, he relaxed and tried to convince himself that all would be okay.
Everything would be fine.
Wouldn't it?
To be continued...