Back on base, Jack tried to keep Teal'c and Danny distracted with games and such, but it was a difficult task given that his own thoughts kept wandering to what was happening light-years away, on some anonymous Tok'ra base. It was the first time Sam had been out of his sight since the event that had changed all their lives just a few short weeks ago. He tried to rationalize the child in his mind, that he pictured undergoing all sorts of unknown procedures, with the picture of the more familiar woman that he'd known over the last seven years.
He'd told himself that this trip was necessary, that the procedures his overactive imagination was visualizing enacted on Sam's small body were needed if they had any hope of returning her and Teal'c and Daniel to normal. And he knew, rationally, that there was no better person to watch out for Sam than her father. Jacob would not allow harm to befall his daughter even at the cost of his own life. Jack was confident of this, or he'd have never let her go. But even still, Jack felt helpless and powerless, and he wanted to be there.
Danny and Teal'c had sensed his mood; either that or they too missed Sam, because that had been unnaturally quiet, and very well behaved. It was definitely a good thing, because Jack wasn't sure he could concentrate on much else until Sam was home again safe and sound.
AsLongAsWeGotEachOther,WeCanTakeAnythingThatComesOurWayWhen he'd decided she'd relaxed enough, Jacob took Sam back to Anise. "Hi," Sam said cheerfully, not the least bit disturbed by Anise's lack of overt friendliness. Jacob noticed with a smirk that more of the items on the table had been removed in their absence.
Anise ignored Sam and looked at Jacob. "Are we ready to continue?"
Jacob sighed, and lifted Sam back onto the table, letting his fingers tickle her in the process as he let her go and making her giggle. "Yes, we're all ready."
Anise started by making sure the biosensor was still in place, Sam readily lifting up her shirt again. "I have only a few more scans."
The scans were completed in about a half hour. Anise looked at the final readout and made notes in her notebook. Jacob watched her expectantly; Sam colored in her book, legs swinging slightly. "Well?" Jacob prompted when Anise remained silent for several moments.
Anise looked up from her notebook, and closed it. "I think the memory recall device may prove beneficial."
Jacob looked at the little girl, blonde head bent over the coloring book, oblivious to the conversation. She looked so small. "Do your really think it's necessary?"
"I do. My tests of Samantha support Colonel O'Neill's supposition that SG-1's memories are blocked, and possibly close to the surface which would explain their high level of trust in each other and in such unbelievable circumstances. The memory recall device is the best chance at retrieving those memories if that is the case. I will continue to monitor your daughter's bio readings Jacob, I have no desire for her to come to harm, and every desire to discover a way to reverse what has happened to her." Anise looked at him, arms crossed over her closed notebook, holding it against her chest.
With another sigh, Jacob gave in. "Ok, but the first sign of trouble we take that thing off."
"Of course." Anise set her notebook down and opened a cabinet, lifting out several small items. Jacob turned to Sam.
Gently, he took the coloring book out of her hands, and set it to the side. "Hey Sammy, we're going to do one more thing."
Sam narrowed her eyes. "This one is going to hurt isn't it?"
He ducked his head, wincing at her perception. He looked back up. She was watching him. "Yeah, 'fraid so, but only for a little bit. But I'll be right here, remember?" She looked fearful, but nodded bravely. He ruffled the hair on the side of her head. They'd had to take the cap off long ago since so many of the scans and tests had centered on her head. "That's my girl," he told her, his voice full of pride.
Sam did try to be brave, and hold still, but she was still a little girl, and when Anise tried to place the device on her temple Sam squirmed away. In the end, Jacob climbed up on the table and pulled her into his lap, holding her head still, her small hands clinging onto his arms. She whimpered when Anise neared, and Jacob was only slightly prepared for the wailing that followed the implantation. Instinctively, he brought one hand up to protect the newly implanted device, and the other down to wrap securely around his daughter, crooning to her, gently rocking and soothing her until she stopped crying. "There, all done, it's all done, you did great. You were perfect, and it's all done now, it's in." Anise busied herself with the biosensor readout, and Jacob noted that even she looked slightly remorseful.
"We're going to hook you up to a TV now Sam," Jacob said, distracting her, when Sam had quieted, though was still clinging to him and hiccupping.
Anise was able to connect the small wire while Sam looked at him skeptically. "A TV? You can't hook me up to a TV."
He laughed, skillfully keeping her small hands from probing at the alien device attached to her temple and the small wire. "You'll see, we have to turn it on first."
"Oh, how do we turn it on? Where's the remote?" Sam had become fascinated with remotes. They'd had them back when she'd been growing up before, but not to the extent they had them now.
"Right there." Jacob motioned to the small cylindrical object in Anise's hand. Sam looked at it dubiously, and pulled away when Anise moved it towards Sam's head.
"Will it hurt?" she asked distrustfully.
"Nope." Jacob answered her confidently, and hugged her. She snuggled against him.
"Ok." All the same she leaned against him, and watched Anise's every move, still flinching slightly when the device was used. She looked at her father. "Now what?"
"Now we see what you remember kid." He decided to start with something safe and recent. "Let's think about how we were playing Monopoly with Teal'c and Danny before we left. You remember when I had to pay all my money to Danny?"
Sam giggled. "Of course I remember, silly Daddy! That just happened!" As she spoke the words, the screen in front of them formed, and an image appeared. Sam stared at it in amazement. "Hey! There you are, and Danny and Teal'c! But where am I?"
"Now who's being silly, these are you're memories, so we won't see you." Jacob smiled at the picture, the perspective from a seven year olds eye was rather different compared to the one he was used to. Everything looked a lot bigger, including himself. Sam looked at him as his words sunk in. The memory forgotten in her distraction, the picture dissolved, and Jacob realized they would have a hard time keeping the child's mind focused.
"Hey, where did the picture go?" she demanded, disappointed.
"The picture is only there while you are remembering something," he explained patiently. "Ready to try again?" She nodded eagerly, and he decided to try for something a little less recent, but equally safe.
"You remember your last birthday party? You remember what you got for it?" She nodded, and the screen came to life again, and he saw the world again through the eyes of a child, as small hands unwrapped a long thin box, containing a telescope. "You wanted to set it up right away, but it would only work in the dark."
"Mommy said I had to wait for the stars to come out." Summoned by the memory, the woman appeared on the screen, and Jacob felt his breath catch. The picture was so sharp and clear, that Jacob had to remind himself that to Sam, right now, her mother was still alive. She didn't know that her mother had died years and years ago, and the memory was as vivid and fresh as if she'd seen her yesterday. Jacob felt waves of comfort coming from Selmak as he fought to control his grief for the sake of his daughter. "We had a big cake, and I blew out all of my candles, that means my wish is going to come true." Sam continued, not noticing her father's distress. Anise sent him a look over Sam's head, understanding that he'd seen something emotional on the screen, though she didn't know what.
Regaining his composure finally, Jacob spoke again. "Well, your seventh birthday was great, but it was no where near as good as your eighth birthday."
Sam blinked up at him in confusion, the screen going blank as she lost the thread of memory. "But I'm only seven, not eight."
"Let's pretend, OK?" Jacob shared another look with Anise, who made a few notes in her book. The screen remained blank.
"Ok." Sam snuggled into Jacob's lap expectantly. "Did we have a party?"
"We sure did. But first, that morning, you woke up and came downstairs, Mommy was making breakfast, your favorite, blueberry pancakes. Your presents from Mommy and Daddy were on the table. Do you remember what you got?"
"No, what did I get?" Sam smiled excitedly; sure she was in for a secret now. The memory screen remained blank, she obviously didn't remember.
Jacob kept trying. "So you don't remember the microscope?"
"Really? Cool. I really want one of those. Can we get one? Please?" She was wriggling in his lap now tugging on his hand, but the screen remained blank. Jacob shrugged helplessly at Anise, getting to his feet and setting Sam down after gently disconnecting the wire for a little while so she didn't dislodge it by accident. She was now bouncing up and down excitedly jabbering about microscopes and just what she would look at if she had one. Leaving her to talk to herself for a moment, Jacob stood beside Anise.
"I don't understand it, she loved that thing, spent all day looking at slides. We had to practically peel her away from it so she could come eat birthday cake and open her other gifts, and then she went right back to it. Would talk about nothing else for weeks." Sam was still chattering to herself, totally wound up. Apparently, they'd had one at her last school, which is why her parents had ended up buying her one. Looking at the experience in retrospect, Jacob decided it had been a good investment.
"The memory blocks are strong, they have been placed using a technology far superior to ours." Anise looked thoughtful.
"So you're saying the memory device is a bust." Jacob sighed.
"I'm not ready to give up on the memory recall device just yet. However, I do not believe that it alone will be enough to penetrate the memory blocks that have been placed on Samantha's memories." Anise was writing in her notebook again.
Jacob's eyes narrowed. "So what are you suggesting?"
A/N: Sorry for taking so long on the update, but I keep obsessively watching the news. I keep hoping things will get better, and while there are stories of hope and perseverance, everyday seems to bring new stories of despair and tragedy. Yesterday showed the first signs of real progress as the massive relief effort stepped up, but only time will tell how events play out.