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"Do you remember anything about your life?" Daniel asked. She shook her head slowly, her eyes glued to the floor. "Do you know how you got onto the Nox' planet? What about your name? Or your markings- do you know what they mean?" Every question was answered with the same slow head motion. "Do you remember being Ascended?" he finally asked in desperation.
At this question she looked up at him. "You were Ascended."
"Yes!" Daniel exclaimed momentarily over-joyed to finally have a foothold. "I was Ascended and you were too... were being the operative word, which is why you have absolutely no memory." He trailed off and rubbed his head tiredly.
"You are upset with me," she remarked timidly.
He shook his head. "No, I'm not upset. It's just..."
"Upsetting that I don't know anything?" she offered. "What are you looking for in me other then the answer to a dream?"
"How did you know about that?"
She shrugged. "It's on the surface of your mind. Quite frequently, actually. Some of the others as well... Jack and Sam, you call them, but they answer to other titles."
"You're psychic," he said slowly. "That's how you knew I was Ascended?" She nodded. He rubbed his chin, watching her closely. "Okay, I don't want you to tell anyone that you can do this, alright?" he said quietly, kneeling down in front of her. "It's very important."
"You are afraid your friends will react in a negative manner," she said slightly confused.
He nodded. "Yes, actually, I am. Most people around here can't read other people's minds quite as well as you can. If others find out, some people we don't like too much might try to take you away from us. Can you promise you won't let anyone know you can do this?" She nodded her head solemnly. Daniel nodded in return. "Alright. Good... So you really don't know your name?"
She shook her head again, and then they sat in silence for a short while. "They're not tattoos," she said quietly.
"What?" Daniel asked, surprised by unprovoked remark. "What are you talking about?"
"On my back. They're not tattoos," she said a little louder. "Criminals are tattooed so all can know their misdeeds. What I have are markings I received at birth so none would mistake me."
"Mistake you as what?" he wondered.
She shook her head. "I don't know."
He shrugged. "Well, at least that's something. You don't happen to know what language they're in?" he asked hopefully. Her only response was to slowly shake her head. He watched her carefully and then sighed. "Why don't we start this again?" he asked rhetorically, extending his hand. "I'm Daniel."
She smiled and slowly extended her hand.
~~~~
"I'm hungry," the girl said to Janet as the doctor monitored her vital signs for the fourth time in the past half hour.
Janet nodded. "That's good. Do you know if you're allergic to anything... no, you wouldn't," she said in response to the girl's blank stare. "Nor would you know what to choose from a list of foods." She sighed and watched the girl's face as she thought about what to do. "Why don't we start you off easily, with some pretty simple foods and see how you do?"
She turned to one of the nurses who nodded and immediately went in search of simple foods for the girl to eat. "Are you thirsty?" Janet asked as Jack entered the infirmary. She nodded with much more enthusiasm then before, her eyes widening slightly.
"She's been here for seven hours! Are you trying to dehydrate the girl, Doc?" Jack baited as Janet handed her a cup of cold water. "Is something wrong?" he asked as the girl made a face while swallowing the liquid.
"I don't like this," she said, handing over the full cup.
Jack raised an eyebrow. "It's water. Water tastes the same everywhere- like nothing."
She shook her head. "I don't like this," she repeated.
"What are you going to drink?" Janet demanded mostly to herself, taking the cup away from her. "I suppose you could have coffee," she muttered absent-mindedly.
"What, and turn her into an addict like Daniel?" Jack demanded as Janet poured her a cup.
"I can hook her up to an IV again, but if her mouth's dry, she has to drink something," Janet retorted.
"It's hot," she said, taking the cup from Janet.
She nodded. "That's how coffee is." The girl drank a small amount and then stopped before swallowing. "You don't like it?" Janet guessed as she unceremoniously spat the drink back into the cup.
"I'd prefer your water," she muttered bitterly as Janet prepared her an IV.
Jack laughed as he poured the discarded coffee down the drain. "Daniel will be so disappointed to hear he won't have to compete with you for his precious coffee."
Janet frowned slightly at this remark. "Colonel, would you be so kind as to watch our guest? I'm going to go help my nurse pick out food for someone who doesn't like water."
Before he could say he something else to do, Janet was down the corridor and on her way to the commissary. Jack looked at the girl and she returned his stare.
"So... no name, huh?" he started slowly. She shook her head. "And I guess you wouldn't know if you have any interests... And you wouldn't know how do your eyes do that glowing thing to make me look less crazy to everyone? It isn't a snake in your head, is it?"
"My eyes?" she parroted. "They glow? Why would I have a snake in my head?"
He nodded. "I kinda figured you wouldn't know. It was a longshot but I still had to try it." They sat quietly for a moment, watching each other. "So... have any idea what you name is?" She shrugged slowly than shook her head. "Any idea what you *want* to be called?"
"Why do I have to be called something?" she asked slowly.
Jack smiled slightly. "Because we can't just call you kid all the time. Besides, we have something here called paper work that's very difficult to do if you don't have a name."
She thought carefully, biting her lower lip. "Something not to complicated. Like Ann."
Jack smiled and reached over to ruffle her hair. "I'll pass this onto the committee in charge of naming you. But they might decide to call you something else. Something really long and confusing."
"Why?"
He shrugged. "Because it's Daniel and Carter."
"Do you remember anything about your life?" Daniel asked. She shook her head slowly, her eyes glued to the floor. "Do you know how you got onto the Nox' planet? What about your name? Or your markings- do you know what they mean?" Every question was answered with the same slow head motion. "Do you remember being Ascended?" he finally asked in desperation.
At this question she looked up at him. "You were Ascended."
"Yes!" Daniel exclaimed momentarily over-joyed to finally have a foothold. "I was Ascended and you were too... were being the operative word, which is why you have absolutely no memory." He trailed off and rubbed his head tiredly.
"You are upset with me," she remarked timidly.
He shook his head. "No, I'm not upset. It's just..."
"Upsetting that I don't know anything?" she offered. "What are you looking for in me other then the answer to a dream?"
"How did you know about that?"
She shrugged. "It's on the surface of your mind. Quite frequently, actually. Some of the others as well... Jack and Sam, you call them, but they answer to other titles."
"You're psychic," he said slowly. "That's how you knew I was Ascended?" She nodded. He rubbed his chin, watching her closely. "Okay, I don't want you to tell anyone that you can do this, alright?" he said quietly, kneeling down in front of her. "It's very important."
"You are afraid your friends will react in a negative manner," she said slightly confused.
He nodded. "Yes, actually, I am. Most people around here can't read other people's minds quite as well as you can. If others find out, some people we don't like too much might try to take you away from us. Can you promise you won't let anyone know you can do this?" She nodded her head solemnly. Daniel nodded in return. "Alright. Good... So you really don't know your name?"
She shook her head again, and then they sat in silence for a short while. "They're not tattoos," she said quietly.
"What?" Daniel asked, surprised by unprovoked remark. "What are you talking about?"
"On my back. They're not tattoos," she said a little louder. "Criminals are tattooed so all can know their misdeeds. What I have are markings I received at birth so none would mistake me."
"Mistake you as what?" he wondered.
She shook her head. "I don't know."
He shrugged. "Well, at least that's something. You don't happen to know what language they're in?" he asked hopefully. Her only response was to slowly shake her head. He watched her carefully and then sighed. "Why don't we start this again?" he asked rhetorically, extending his hand. "I'm Daniel."
She smiled and slowly extended her hand.
~~~~
"I'm hungry," the girl said to Janet as the doctor monitored her vital signs for the fourth time in the past half hour.
Janet nodded. "That's good. Do you know if you're allergic to anything... no, you wouldn't," she said in response to the girl's blank stare. "Nor would you know what to choose from a list of foods." She sighed and watched the girl's face as she thought about what to do. "Why don't we start you off easily, with some pretty simple foods and see how you do?"
She turned to one of the nurses who nodded and immediately went in search of simple foods for the girl to eat. "Are you thirsty?" Janet asked as Jack entered the infirmary. She nodded with much more enthusiasm then before, her eyes widening slightly.
"She's been here for seven hours! Are you trying to dehydrate the girl, Doc?" Jack baited as Janet handed her a cup of cold water. "Is something wrong?" he asked as the girl made a face while swallowing the liquid.
"I don't like this," she said, handing over the full cup.
Jack raised an eyebrow. "It's water. Water tastes the same everywhere- like nothing."
She shook her head. "I don't like this," she repeated.
"What are you going to drink?" Janet demanded mostly to herself, taking the cup away from her. "I suppose you could have coffee," she muttered absent-mindedly.
"What, and turn her into an addict like Daniel?" Jack demanded as Janet poured her a cup.
"I can hook her up to an IV again, but if her mouth's dry, she has to drink something," Janet retorted.
"It's hot," she said, taking the cup from Janet.
She nodded. "That's how coffee is." The girl drank a small amount and then stopped before swallowing. "You don't like it?" Janet guessed as she unceremoniously spat the drink back into the cup.
"I'd prefer your water," she muttered bitterly as Janet prepared her an IV.
Jack laughed as he poured the discarded coffee down the drain. "Daniel will be so disappointed to hear he won't have to compete with you for his precious coffee."
Janet frowned slightly at this remark. "Colonel, would you be so kind as to watch our guest? I'm going to go help my nurse pick out food for someone who doesn't like water."
Before he could say he something else to do, Janet was down the corridor and on her way to the commissary. Jack looked at the girl and she returned his stare.
"So... no name, huh?" he started slowly. She shook her head. "And I guess you wouldn't know if you have any interests... And you wouldn't know how do your eyes do that glowing thing to make me look less crazy to everyone? It isn't a snake in your head, is it?"
"My eyes?" she parroted. "They glow? Why would I have a snake in my head?"
He nodded. "I kinda figured you wouldn't know. It was a longshot but I still had to try it." They sat quietly for a moment, watching each other. "So... have any idea what you name is?" She shrugged slowly than shook her head. "Any idea what you *want* to be called?"
"Why do I have to be called something?" she asked slowly.
Jack smiled slightly. "Because we can't just call you kid all the time. Besides, we have something here called paper work that's very difficult to do if you don't have a name."
She thought carefully, biting her lower lip. "Something not to complicated. Like Ann."
Jack smiled and reached over to ruffle her hair. "I'll pass this onto the committee in charge of naming you. But they might decide to call you something else. Something really long and confusing."
"Why?"
He shrugged. "Because it's Daniel and Carter."
