What Hurts the Most
Chapter 6: Adios Ori, Adios
Mesmerized by the molten metal, Daniel never made a single, solitary sound until he could feel its heat a good ten feet away. " Mitchell, a little help here," he called out to the military man, tugging on the chain in a futile attempt to escape.
" Shit," Mitchell said and hurried over to try and help free the man when he was thrown back and knocked unconscious from the force of the blow when the back of his head connected with the wall of a building. He slumped down in a heap at the base, head lolling on his chest limply.
A roaring wall of fire rose from the fallen body of the chosen prior. Flames licked at Daniel's unprotected face, driving him away from the chains and closer to the flowing metal as it crept to him.
Tugging at the chains that held his arms, Daniel tried to get some leeway to swing the sword at the Ori's natural form. There was no room. If he didn't act now, he would be burnt to a crisp and it would be sure that he would never see Sam again. Stabbing the blade down, a natural shield sprang up, protecting him as the metal slowly flowed around him, hardening as it touched the cold barrier.
Mitchell woke up groggy, his head furiously pounding to the rhythm of his favorite band. Eyes opening a crack, he watched as the molten metal hardened around Daniel before his air was cut off as an invisible hand closed around his throat. Testing the strength of the hand, he knew that struggling was a waste of time.
" Would you wish to have your friend here pay the price of your misdeeds?" a deep, menacing voice asked.
Looking up, Daniel growled. " Leave him alone," he hissed, drawing his weapon from the stone, chains rattling around him as he stood up. " You want me, not him. Come and fight me."
" Very well," came the answer and the hand cast Mitchell away, never hesitating to draw a broadsword from his belt. It attacked ferociously. It never gave Daniel a chance to try to defend himself as it attacked.
Daniel groaned inwardly. This just had to happen. Here he was, shackled to a stone burning altar and fighting off the Ori while Mitchell tried to regain his sense of balance and orientation from a sure concussion. Things couldn't get any worse, could they? He thought as he parried with the Ori, fighting to live and to see Sam once again before he was ready to die.
Suddenly, he could feel all the people of Earth giving him energy, as if they had sensed that something was wrong and were concentrating on it, trying to figure out what it was they felt. He could feel Teal'c as he meditated in his room. Kel'no'reem, as it was called. Sam, as she hugged a pillow and cried, wishing for him to come back safely. Jack, as he paced in his old office, wondering why he had never told how he felt about the archeologist's work. Sarah, as she stopped in cold blood, dropping an ancient tablet, shattering it into many pieces. General Hammond, as he sat at a desk in the SGC, thinking about the future of the program and its personnel. The Kelownan, Jonas Quinn, as he gazed around Daniel's old room, eyes falling on the tablet of the ascended that he had helped to acquire when Daniel was ascended for the very first time. The President, as he realized that the Stargate program had to be revealed to the public that very day, or sometime just as soon. Those who had gone to Atlantis as they paused in their fight against the Wraith as one, their combined strength creating a shield and helping him out. Other races that he had met in his travels from the Stargate; the Asgard, the Tollan, the rebellious Jaffa, the Knox, the Unas and other races that he couldn't all remember were stopping their daily activities and lending power to the ascended archeologist. He could feel the other ancients as they gave him all their power to him to finish off this evil. He came to one conclusion as he fought.
He would win at any cost.
Drawing on the strength that he was receiving, Daniel swung the sword with all of his might, knocking the broadsword out of the Ori's grasp. He took out a dagger, a dagger forged by the ancients, and stabbed down on his opponent.
" I shall not lose," the Ori ground out, embracing Daniel as it started to die.
Mitchell watched in amazement as Daniel started to fade with the Ori. Snap aiming his P-90, he gazed on as Daniel faded entirely from view. Wide-eyed, he walked over to the spot, turning in a circle as he tried to figure out what happened. Finally, common sense took over him and he ran to the Stargate, dialing for home. He sent his GDO, or garage door opener as Jack called it when he was leading SG-1, and waited while the iris was open and was given the go ahead to step through the event horizon.
As soon as he stepped through the Gate and was on the other side, he went straight to the briefing room, forgoing the post-examination and explained what had happened on the Ori home world.
" He what?" Jack nearly screamed out once he heard the news. Now that was bad. Daniel had died again, and Carter was anxious to see him again. Taking a deep breath, he sighed and headed to the infirmary.
Sam waited while Dr. Lam finished her tests. She dearly wished that Daniel would make it back safely. She had heard the klaxons go off about five minutes ago and eagerly waited for him to come to her. She had wondered what he had done to her when they kissed before he left. When she heard a knock, she looked up eagerly, but seeing that it was only Jack she put on a small smile for his benefit.
" Hey, Sir," she said.
" Carter. I um, have some news for you," Jack said, sitting down next to her.
" What happened?" Sam asked, knowing from his tone of voice that something had happened to Daniel after he had left.
" Daniel won the fight. But he paid a price. You see, the Ori took him with it when it died," Jack explained, knowing how this would affect her, and it would be worse than the time when he ascended for the second time.
" No. He can't be gone," Sam cried, eyes closed, before deciding that pounding the General in front of her would be a good way to get rid of excess anger, which she had a lot of.
Jack winced as her blows connected with his chest. Taking her hands in his, he warded off the blows until some one on the medical staff could sedate her. He sat by her side until Dr. Lam came in.
" I did have some good news for her," the doctor said. " Turns out, what Dr. Jackson did was make her pregnant, the equivalent of a one month pregnancy."
" I don't think that she'll take this very well now that he's gone from her life again, but some how I know that he knew he wouldn't come back from this one," Jack whispered as he stared down at her still form.
General Landry called the President, personally informing him of Daniel's death in the line of duty, again. Saddened by this turn of events, he decided to postpone the big event of revealing the Stargate program that very day.
" Hank, I need to let you know something. I know that everyone on the planet felt it when Daniel was fighting the Ori, and they will be wanting an answer, so I will be airing the documentary that Bregman filmed at the end of next week," the President said, waiting for the General's reaction.
" I believe that that would be a good idea, but so soon after this incident? Why not wait a little longer? We all know that Dr. Jackson has a problem staying dead," Landry said.
" I know, but believe me, when the press come knocking at your front door, you'll have to meet with their demands, or run chances with millions of conspiracy theories running wild out there, some of which are absolutely ridiculous," Hayes responded. " My decision is finalized. The program will be aired next week. How does the rest of the team take the news, Hank?"
" Pretty bad, Sir. Jack's blaming himself, Teal'c has no heart in anything any more, George is feeling down as well, and Carter's pretty out of it. Speaking of Sam, before Daniel left, he did something to her, something for the good of things. He made her pregnant. Jack somehow thinks that Dr. Jackson knew that he wouldn't be coming back this time around," Landry replied.
" That's some type of good news then. How does she feel about it?" the President asked.
" She doesn't know. She attacked Jack when he told her about Daniel and has been kept under. She should be waking up soon, and it will be a third war down here when she does," Landry answered.
" Let me know about things. I'm scheduling a live press conference after the documentary has been aired," the President said before hanging up and leaning back in his chair. Next week was going to be a hell of a busy one, that he knew and he didn't need a psychic to tell him that. Taking a deep breath, he picked up the phone and called the news cast, intending to schedule a live conference on the specific date and time he wanted and he would have them broadcast the program before hand, informing every one else to tune in as well. This was going to be a very big shocker.
Sam lay in bed, not willing to move or to respond to any one. She had withdrawn into herself since she had woken up, the final reality of Daniel's death hitting her like a ton of bricks moving at light speed. 'Why did it have to happen this way? Why did you have to die Daniel? Why?' she thought, unable to contain her emotions any longer and sobbed out loud.
Dr. Lam watched from the observation window. The heart breaking sobs were heard clearly across the speakers. The physician watched as the woman in front of her curled up on herself, trying to cut herself off from this world. Having been informed of the SGC's near future, she had been left with the responsibility of telling Dr. Carter as soon as possible.
" Daniel," Sam cried his name over and over, drowning herself on sorrow, worse that the last time. She had been told that she was pregnant a few hours ago and had promptly screamed bloody murder at the nurse and threw the clipboard at the woman. Ever since she had stopped listened to others while they tried to talk to her, and she had blocked them from her mind. Hearing the door open, she curled in on herself even further, trying to disappear from the pain.
" Sam? Samantha? Listen, I was told to tell you this, but I really have no idea how to tell you, so I'll tell you the way they told me," Dr. Lam said, taking a chair and positioning it bedside. " Sam, the SGC is going to be revealed by the end of next week. The President has decided to air the documentary the Mr. Bregman did a couple of years back and then hold a press conference. He wants to have some specimens of other aliens and would like you to speak and tell them what the Gate is made up of along with other things that I have no idea of."
Sam stayed silent. Why was the President revealing the program? Why did he want her to speak? Didn't he understand that she didn't feel the need to concentrate on work anymore? That she wanted to die from the ache from the empty space that Daniel had left in her heart?
" I know that you're not feeling up to it, but you have an obligation. To let Daniel's memory live on from all the work that he's done. Translating the cover stone, fighting the Goa'uld, translating the ancient's tablet that led to Atlantis, and more, much more. He wouldn't want you to be wallowing in your emotions. He'd want you to live and love life to the fullest with your child that he gave you," Dr. Lam continued. " Please, Sam, don't drown in sorrow. You found a great life, even if it was cut too short with Daniel, and live it. It hurts all of us that he's gone, but I've lost friends, some who were patients of mine, but I live with their memory inside me. I know how they would feel if I was doing like you are right now."
She was right. It was time to let Daniel's memory live on, to let the world know of the work that he had done to keep Earth free from the slavery of the Goa'uld. She had to live for him, and her child, no matter what. Lifting her head from the bed, she looked straight up at Carolyn. Tear reddened eyes hardened with their will to live. " I will do this for him," she said before giving a small smile. She got off the bed and headed to the bathroom to freshen her appearance.
" Good for you, Sam," Dr. Lam whispered before rising from the chair and heading out of the room, intending to tell her father the news.
Hey people. I know that these latest chapters are taking long. I'm running a slight case of writer's block. Keep reviewing for my sake. I also need ideas as what to do with Kinsey.
Next chapter, the Stargate revealed.