Chapter 9

Daniel awoke after a short chemical induced sleep to the sounds and sights of a half-wakened infirmary with very few people near by. He checked his watch and it seemed that he had been out for 2 hours, Wonder if that's enough 'rest' for the general, he though, and was in desperate need of real coffee.

"Claire!" he whispered loudly.

The passing nurse drew closer and batted her eyelashes in a manner that would be extremely hard to confuse with sexy.

"Yes Daniel." She replied her voice as sweet as honey.

"Could you get me some more coffee? The doc took the last stash and she put me on de-caf for the rest of my life."

"Oh your poor thing, of course. Are we still on for Friday?" she said her eye wide and expectant mixed with a little fear.

"Yes, yes." A flash of doubt shone through his eyes, but it was soon covered with resolve and a fake smile, "I can't wait."

She returned two minutes later with a large flask. Nothing more than a flash of smiles and a painful rather than playful looking flutter of eyelashes took place between then in this exchange. He stashed the coffee beneath the pillow making sure it was completely sealed and shut and praying that the he would not see the good doctor before he reached the safe harbour of SG-1's locker room.

He smiled a wicked grin as he escaped the infirmary with the coffee gripped firmly in both hands. He took no time in getting to the locker room, and it was only mere seconds later that he opened the flask and took a sip of the black shimmering liquid.

Something wasn't right.

He let the flask down from his lips and it was only at this time that he felt the rough strip of paper contrasting with the smooth stainless steel of the flask stuck to its side. Twisting it slightly to face him, then adjusting his glasses he read:

'Approved by the CMO of SGC.'

"Noooo!"

oOo

Daniel walked at pace towards the base cafeteria and the harbour of his saviour; but as he approached the swinging door his ears were met with muffled sounds of scuffling; the soles of combat boots hurrying across the thick concrete. He paused for a second (his coffee-less mind needing more time than usual) to ponder on the meaning of the noises and wonder if anything was wrong.

The noises stopped suddenly – so with out another synapse being bothered he pushed through on to an eerie and heartbreaking scene.

It was eerie because of the enclosing silence and the gazes that were purposefully not looking in the archaeologist's direction. It was heartbreaking because all three of the SGC's coffee machines had sign that read "Out of Order" hanging from them.

He let out a barely audible whimper only caring about the broken machines before him and moving without a care for those around him giving him strange side-ways glances. With a kind of desperation his soldiered forward to the counter, and the clerk behind it.

"Tell me you have coffee." He pleaded.

"Yes sir. But only de-caf instant I'm afraid."

'You should be.' thought Daniel. "Why?" he said out loud more to himself than to anyone around him, but he received an answer none the less.

"The machines were sabotaged." Whispered the clerk leaning forward as if it was the biggest scandal to hit the SGC, "When we told the general about the plugs being pulled from the wires he didn't seem too bothered. But the really strange thing is that just as any real coffee from the machines becomes unavailable – the order for instant goes missing as well. Today's supply never made it here."

"Really?" said Daniel uninterested and making his way to leave.

"Dr Jackson?" said a lieutenant he'd seen around the base, "Are you all right, after that incident in your office and all?"

To this he had no reply.