Author's Note:
Sorry guys, but it's exam time again for me, so I might not be updating this story as fast as I could, as I have to study :(. Hopefully though, as I am halfway through the next chapter, I won't be too long!
Cheeky.
P.S. I just want to say thank you to everyone who reviewed! I'm a sucker for feedback and it was really great to hear what you think of this!
The Hunt for Babylon:
By cheekychaos
Chapter Seven:
Sam sighed in frustration. She'd gone over the CIA intel so many times her head hurt. She, Sydney and Vaughn were stuck in her lab, going over all the CIA's files on Rambaldi. And there were a lot of them. The CIA had been gathering information on the prophet for almost 50 years now.
Throwing down the file in disgust, she reached for her coffee and found it cold and bitter. "This is getting us nowhere." She said in annoyance.
Sydney nodded as she threw down her own file. "I know."
Vaughn looked up, an annoyed frown on his face. "This is all the information on Rambaldi we have." He said. "We need to find out what Sloane is up to."
"Yeah, but we're not going to find it here." Sydney said, gesturing at the piles of paper and files around them.
"I think the problem lies in the fact that the CIA didn't know the connection between Rambaldi and the stargate – or have any information on the Stargate Programme."
Sydney smiled with amusement. "True." She said. "And here we are thinking we knew everything that was important."
"Sydney…" Vaughn began.
"No, Vaughn." Sydney interrupted. "We've been acting rather arrogant. We keep assuming that only the CIA would have information on Rambaldi. But it's possible that the SGC has come across him too."
"Unfortunately, if we have, we don't know it." Sam said. "I haven't heard any reference to a prophet or inventor that sounds even close to Rambaldi and you've already read all the information we have on P4X-239."
"Still, it's worth a look, don't you think?" Sydney said.
Sam yawned. "Yeah, but can we leave it to the morning?"
Before Sydney could reply or Vaughn could voice whatever problems he seemed to have with their plan, Jack stuck his head around the door. "Carter!" he barked. "Go home!"
Sam sighed. "Yes, sir." She said.
Jack narrowed his eyes. "Yes, sir?" he asked. "No arguments about your latest doohickie?"
Sam smiled slightly. "No, sir. No arguments."
"Alright, who are you and what have you done with Carter?" Jack asked.
Sam laughed. "I promise it's really me, sir."
"Fine. Just go home." Jack told her. "We can deal with your obvious alien possession when the sun is shining."
Sydney smiled wryly. "But how can you tell it's not this far underground?" she asked.
Jack turned to her and winked. "Magic." He said.
Sam and Sydney laughed, while Vaughn frowned. "Are you leaving now, sir?" Sam asked after a moment.
"Yeah. Barring any Goa'uld invasion or intergalactic crisis." Jack replied.
Smiling, she gathered up a few files, Sam replied. "I'll walk out with you, just give me a minute to…"
"Carter." Jack interrupted with a warning look.
Sam looked at her commanding officer and rolled her eyes. "Yes, sir." She said.
Sydney raised an eyebrow and looked at the two of them. "Did I just miss half of that conversation?" she asked. At the looks both of them gave her, she laughed. "Never mind, I get it."
Grabbing her coat, she jumped up. "Mind if I join you?" she asked.
"Be my guest." Jack said. "I'm going to go change. Meet you back here in ten minutes."
"Yes, sir." Sam said as he walked away. She turned to Sydney. "I need to change too."
"No, problem. I'll wait right here." Sydney replied.
As she waited in silence for Sam and Jack to return, Sydney turned to watch Vaughn still sifting through all the files. She felt the familiar pang that she always did. It wasn't a pang of love it had once been, for Vaughn had stopped making her heart skip a beat a long time ago. But it was sadness. Once upon a time, Sydney had believed Vaughn was her soul mate, but it hadn't exactly worked out as planned.
Finally Vaughn broke the somewhat uncomfortable silence. "What?" he asked.
"Nothing." Sydney replied.
"Look, Syd, if you want to talk, I'm here, okay?" he said, putting down the file he was reading. "I'll always be here for you."
"No, you won't." Sydney said. "You're married to someone else, Vaughn. We'll never be like that anymore."
"Sydney, I explained what happened…" Vaughn started.
Sydney held up her hand. "You don't need to defend your decision again, Vaughn. I'm not going to argue about it again. I'm getting over it. But the fact remains that we can't have what we had. Not anymore."
Vaughn looked sadly at her. It was the look that always reminded Sydney of a puppy who had just been told off. Once, she had thought the look was cute. Now it just annoyed her. "I'm still your friend, Syd." He said.
"Yeah." Sydney said. "You are."
At that moment, Sam and Jack reappeared, arguing good-naturedly. "Ready to go?" Sam asked her.
"Oh, yeah." Sydney said, smiling back at Sam.
She turned back to Vaughn. "I'll see you in the morning." She said. "Oh, and Vaughn? Call your wife. She'll be missing you."
And with that, Sydney joined Sam and Jack on the long walk back to the surface and the everyday world.
Lara tried to stop her yawn as she walked through the door into Daniel's apartment. It had been a long day, particularly due to her plane trip and her exhaustion was finally catching up with her. Daniel caught her yawn as he turned. "Tired?" he asked.
"A little." Lara answered. "I'll be fine."
"How about I make you a cup of coffee?"
"That would be fantastic." Lara smiled.
"Great." Daniel said. "Oh, and the spare room is down the corridor, second door on the left."
Lara walked towards the corridor, through the lounge room as Daniel headed to the kitchen. His voice followed her as she moved. "The first door is the bathroom and the one on the right is my bedroom."
Lara smiled as she walked into Daniel's spare room. The bed was neatly made and the room was decorated in soothing tones like the rest of the apartment, but Daniel also seemed to have used it for extra storage space for his books and notes. Even a few relics decorated the room, probably form Daniel's earlier travels.
Placing her bags at the end of the bed, Lara walked out to join Daniel in the kitchen. She found him happily humming away as he put on a fresh cup of coffee. The smell was divine. "Mmm." Lara said as she walked up.
Daniel smiled. "Told you I liked coffee." He said.
"Obsessed was the word you used, I believe." Lara teased.
Daniel shrugged. "Everyone needs an obsession or two."
"I absolutely agree." Lara said with a grin.
Daniel turned back to the coffee machine as it finished and handed Lara a cup. "Hungry?" he asked.
"What have you got?"
He walked to the fridge and peered inside. "Ah…" he said, when he saw the contents. "…takeout?"
Lara caught her own glimpse of the contents over Daniel's shoulder. "Daniel." She said. "I'm shocked. You live on takeout."
When Daniel turned around, looking sheepish, he caught Lara's teasing grin and smiled. "I know. I think I've forgotten how to cook."
Lara laughed. "How about Chinese, then?"
"I'll call." Daniel said.
The pair placed their orders and settled into the lounge with the books, their notes and the artefacts. Lara continued to read about Babylon, hoping to find clues to the city's location. She absently wished for her own library back at the manor, even though Daniel's was probably just as good. She just didn't know it as well as she knew her own. Daniel continued his work on translating the markings on the artefacts.
The pair took a break when the food arrived, with Daniel carefully placing the artefacts back in their case before opening the door. When they were both back on the couch eating their rather late dinner, Lara took a moment to take a long look at Daniel. His hair was sticking up at odd angles because of the way he ran his fingers through it when he was frustrated. His glasses were still perched on his nose, making his eyes seem very blue.
"What?" Daniel asked, and Lara realised she had been staring at him a little to long.
"Nothing." She smiled, looking back at her food.
"What's your favourite book?" Daniel asked suddenly, breaking the silence.
Lara raised an eyebrow. "Fiction or non-fiction?" she asked.
"Fiction." Daniel smiled.
Considering her answer, Lara took another bite of noodles with her chopsticks. "It would have to be The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. And I am partial to the works of William Blake." She said. "And you?"
"Jane Eyre." Daniel said, with a slight blush. "Or the Count of Monte Cristo."
Lara laughed. "Are you telling me, you're a romantic at heart, Dr. Jackson?" she asked.
"Yeah, I guess I am." He said. "Just don't tell Jack, okay?"
"Your secret's safe with me." Lara promised.
Daniel took a mouthful of rice and chewed thoughtfully. "Why William Blake?" he asked.
Lara looked at him and said softly, "My father loved his poems. He used to read them all the time and I guess, they just make me feel closer to him." She left out what had happened with the Illuminati and Triangle of Light, only because it would be too hard to talk about.
"He died when you were young, didn't he?"
"Yes." Lara nodded. "I was eight at the time. Lost but never forgotten."
"My parents died when I was a kid too." Daniel told her. "They were crushed when a stone from their exhibit fell on them."
Lara looked at him. "You never stop missing them, do you?" she said, more of a statement than a question.
"No, you don't." Daniel agreed.
The pair finished their meal in relative silence, each lost in their memories. "You know, I saw my father once, a few years ago." Lara said, suddenly needing to say what was on her mind and knowing that Daniel would understand. "Not as a dream or a memory, but real and standing right in front of me."
Daniel looked as if he wanted to ask how, but wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer. "I once had to watch my parents die over and over again, unable to stop it, thanks to alien technology." He said instead. "It was painful to be sure, but the first time I saw their faces in front of me…I was so happy."
Lara smiled, but it didn't quite chase away the shadows in her eyes. "It seems, Daniel," she said, "that we are very much alike."
"Yeah…" Daniel agreed, but whatever else he was going to say was lost as the apartment's door slammed open.
Instinctively, Lara rolled off the couch, taking Daniel with her, as silenced bullets slammed into the back of the couch from the doorway. She swore softly and in as many languages as she could when she realised she had left her guns in her bags – which were in Daniel's spare room. She didn't think she would need them. Silly her.
Daniel tapped Lara's arm, gaining her attention as their attackers moved further into the apartment. He gestured to the right, towards the kitchen, and began to crawl towards it. Lara followed and the two of them took refuge behind the kitchen counter. Resting his head against the cupboard behind him, Daniel closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Now what?" he asked when he opened them again.
"Weapons." Lara whispered back. "We need weapons."
Spying some knives in a block on the countertop, Lara took a deep breath and carefully peered around the counter at their attackers, to see if she had enough time to jump up and grab the knives. What she saw however, made her swear again. The three black clad and masked intruders had headed straight for the case containing the artefacts are were presently ignoring Daniel and Lara.
"What is it?" Daniel asked in a whisper.
"They're stealing my artefacts!" Lara hissed back.
She made to jump up and attack the thieves, but Daniel yanked her back down. "You'll get yourself shot!" he whispered.
"I have to do something!"
Daniel considered her a moment, before letting go of her arm. "Be careful." He whispered.
Lara nodded and tried to smile reassuringly at him. "Stay down."
Moving into a crouch, Lara peered around the counter again and judged the distance between her and the nearest of the three intruders. Timing carefully, she leapt out and tackled him, knocking the gun from his hands and slamming him into the floor. They tussled for a few minutes, with Lara on top, while his companions yelled out in surprise and uncertainty.
Lara knocked out the intruder and quickly rolled to her feet. Unfortunately, by now the other thieves had recovered. The nearest intruder, who was also of slighter build than the other two, brought his gun up to shoot, but Lara was ready for him. She snapped her booted foot up and around in a tight arc, catching the thief's gun hand before he could fire.
The gun flew out of his hand and landed on the carpet about five feet away. The man didn't bother to go after it, instead throwing a couple of sharp jabs at Lara's head. She blocked easily and retaliated with a punch of her own. The man blocked, and with surprising speed and balance, lashed out with a fast roundhouse kick toward Lara's head. Barely seeing it in time, Lara tried to duck under it and caught a glancing blow to the jaw. It was enough to throw her off balance as the faint taste of blood filled her mouth.
Taking his opportunity, the man tried to grab Lara by twisting her arm behind her back, but Lara still had a few tricks left. She twisted her body away from the man and used her momentum to reverse the hold. Using her free hand, she yanked off the mask, wanting to see his face, but careful to keep pressure on the shoulder joint so he wouldn't get a chance to struggle.
When she yanked of the black mask, Lara was surprised to see long brown hair tumble out. He seemed to actually be a she. Using Lara's momentary hesitation, the woman twisted in her grip and wrenched her body to the side. Lara managed to catch her foot behind the woman's, sending her sprawling. Unfortunately, she landed right near the gun. Lara had a moment of recognition, before she threw herself backwards.
It was Anna Espinosa.
Lara rolled over the countertop and landed heavily on the tiled floor, just beside Daniel. Bullets pierced the air where she had been only seconds before and embedded themselves in the counter. Anna kept Lara and Daniel's position covered as she snapped out orders. "Grab him and the case!" she snapped.
Lara was about to get to her feet, when another volley of bullets hit the other side of the counter. She stayed where she was and hoped Anna wasn't going to come around and finish them off. There was only so much you could do when faced with a gun. But there were only a few scuffling sounds, before the apartment fell silent.
A few minutes later, Lara cautiously around the counter and found the apartment empty. She swore. "They're gone."
Daniel sighed in relief, then swore himself. "They got the artefacts, didn't they?"
"Oh, yes." Lara said.
Frowning, Daniel swore again, before looking at Lara as she crawled into a sitting position. "You're bleeding." He said, noticing her split lip. Her cheekbone was also swelling nicely, so she'd probably have a bruise in the morning.
Lara reached up a hand to touch her lip. "So I am." She said.
"Are you alright?"
"I'll be fine." Lara reassured him. "But what are we going to do now?"
"I'll call Jack." Daniel said.
He got up and walked to the phone. The number he dialled was as familiar as his own and he hoped Jack was still awake. There was a moment of silence on the other end when someone picked up, before a gruff voice muttered, "This had better be important!"
"It is, Jack." Daniel told his friend and colleague.
"Danny?" Jack asked, sounding more alert. "Why are you calling at…one o'clock in the morning? This isn't another crisis, is it?"
"Depends on your point of view." Daniel answered dryly. "I'm calling because Lara and I just had a visit from our friendly Russian spy."
"Anna Espinosa was there?" Jack was wide awake now, and his question had the edge of command to it. You know, the type that demanded an answer.
"Yes." Daniel said, getting right to the point. "She stole the artefacts."
Jack swore loudly. "I'll call the General." He said. "Are you both alright?"
"We're fine." Daniel answered. "Do you want us to go in, or can we handle this in the morning?"
"You and Lara get some sleep." Jack told him. "If there is anyway to get the artefacts back, I'll handle it. But I'd recommend you get to the base a little earlier than usual."
"I'll do that. Thanks, Jack."
"No problem, Danny-boy. It's my job." And with that, Jack hung up.
"Jack's handling it." Daniel said, turning back to Lara. "There's nothing we can do until morning."
Lara nodded. "I tried to jam the door shut." She said, motioning to the door, which she had propped a chair against.
"Thanks." Daniel said.
"It's my fault she came here." Lara told him.
"No, it's not." Daniel told her firmly. "She could have tried at any point to grab the artefacts."
Lara sighed. "True." She said, straightening. "Do you mind if I take the first shower?"
"No." Daniel said with a small smile.
"Thanks." Lara smiled back and went to grab her stuff. "Goodnight, Daniel."
"Goodnight, Lara."
To be continued…