Part Ten.

Yup. His career was officially over. A thought that bought with it a certain amount of shame and disappointment, something Dooley never thought would happen. He always thought he wanted out of this life but now that that moment was quite possible here he was actually a little, sad. He figured he had just became accustomed to it all and hell, he had definitely made some good friends and he hoped they would continue to stay in touch when they were posted in the back-of-beyond and he was serving a prison sentence.

A sobering thought and he guessed he had better start packing. Wait, would he be allowed to take his stuff? Well, better pack just in case.

He turned the last corner head still down, watching his feet so he didn't notice the figure stood at his neighbours door, not till he was reaching for his own key and lifting it into the lock.

"Oh, Captain."

"Private." Carter offered back before turning back to the door, which Dooley now knew to have belonged to Mitchel before the new guy had moved in.

"Hey I never got the chance to thank you for..."

"Don't thank me, Private. I might have believed you but no way do I condone what you did."

He felt his face turn a deep shade. "No, neither do I." He muttered and quickly pushed his door open and disappeared inside.

---

Sam shook her head when Dooley entered his own room glad to be rid of him. She didn't want to nor did she see the point of making small talk with a man who organised a whole 'fan club' against her CO. The thought made her blood boil, considering the Colonel was kinda taking it all a little hard. He was tough and put up that front, but just a few minutes in the corridor she got the impression it really was bothering him and her stomach knotted with both anger - at Dooley - and Concern for the Colonel.

She raised her hand to knock on the door again but go no reply, and reaching for the master key which she had been given by the CO for this level, she pushed it into the lock and turned. The door unlocked and Sam pushed it open, feeling a little weird searching someones room without permission, but this was important. She just had to keep reminding herself why.

She braced herself for the worst, after all the guy who had lived here - and of course the guy now residing here - were guys. She had grown up with two brothers and knew fine well just how revolting they could be. But then this was the military and it always managed to surprise her just how disciplined men could be when closely managed under a routine like this. The room still smelt a little funky to her. Manly feet and manly smells, all of which made her nose wrinkle as the air from inside rushed out as she entered.

Like most rooms it was dark inside, being so far under-ground there were few, if no windows and so she hit the light switch.

The room was tidy, the few belongings the personnel were allowed to keep either packed away in the drawers or on display in the room. Photo's of family and obviously, the occupier. She took a moment to make herself familiar with one of the shots so that if he did return she knew who she had to explain herself to. He was broad built with blond hair, and a very dazzling smile. He looked the friendly sort and an array of books lining one shelf told her he was one of the more cultured killers of the base.

Sam stood in the centre of the room, hands on hips as she tried to figure out where to look, and what for. After all the room had been changed since Mitchel, who's to say - what ever it was - was here?

A brief search showed nothing and a little disappointed she sat herself down on the bed and rubbed the back of her neck. It was aching, not doubt a symptom of her fatigue, after all it had been non-stop since she got back through the gate. Her ears were ringing to, not so much uncomfortable, but definitely irritating. It was making her head ache.

And then she saw it.

From her spot on the bed she could see a vent. Even from this distance she could see two of the screws were missing and not lingering a moment longer, she got down on her hands and knees to check it out. The panel come away really easily and she was able to peer inside the blackness of the vent beyond...or at least she thought it would be black. Something she could see was shining back at her.

"What are you doing?!" Sam jumped out of her skin, obviously the rooms occupier had returned only to find a strange blond woman inspecting his floor. She silently cursed her luck as she quickly scrambled to her feet and turned.

The guy looked, hurt. He was breathing heavy as if he had been running and his right arm was limp at his side. The cap he wore hid his face well, too well and Sam found herself backing off slightly.

"I..I'm sorry but General Hammond ordered a search of your room. It's nothing to do with you, more to do with person who had the room before you."

Silence. Except for the ringing in her ears.

"I'm almost done. I think I found what's causing the problem."

"Oh really?" He took a step towards her and Sam found herself wondering if she could run by him. The guy was huge, but hurt so maybe she could take him if needed.

"Yeah, something in the vent." She judged the distance between her and the door. "I can go and get a team here to remove it." She started to pass, but he reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her back with such force that she collided with the wall behind her, her head banging solidly off it.

By the time her senses returned enough to realise she was in big, big trouble, he was all but in face and she could now see his eyes. Dark, so dark with a strange light in the centre of his pupil. It was like a beam, as if the light inside him could only escape through that point, focused at that point and pointing directly at her. It hurt her eyes as she looked into them, trapped as she was, but she couldn't look away. And slowly...the light was all she saw...

---

"I don't follow, Dr. Jackson." The General stated and he rubbed his eyes wearily. He had been here about ten minutes listening to Daniel ramble on as the still slightly dizzy archaeologist tried his best to not only explain, but remember at the same time.

"I think, or rather I don't think Mitchel was to blame for the attacks on Colonel O'Neill. I think it was something inside of him."

"Like a Goa'uld?" He asked, Janet however answered that for him.

"We found no traces or evidence he was infected by such a being, General."

"Then what?"

"I don't know," Daniel began, rubbing his eyes tentatively as he tried his best to remember more of the details. He knew he knew...but it was like his mind had been wrapped in a warm goo.

"Daniel?" Frasier had come closer, though he hadn't heard her or noticed her hand which was now on his hand pulling it down from his face.

"Sorry, I'm sorry."

"It's fine, look you've been through a lot. I did tell you it would come back in time, don't force it."

"I need to, this is important because Jack could still be in big trouble."

"From what, though, Dr. Jackson? I can't afford to post men to the Colonel again, especially when we do not know who or what they need to be on the look out for."

"I know General, but I know...something is still here." He closed his eyes briefly and having given up trying to find the answers in his own head, Daniel went back to doing what he done best. Asking questions. "What killed Mitchel?" He asked.

"He...he died from Cardiac-arrest."

"Brought on by?"

"As yet, unknown."

"Okay, so heart attack. But, you're a good doctor. You could have brought him back?"

"Could have and should have. I did try but..."

"But what?"

"Well, the equipment, the first crash cart shorted out. We had to rush in another one while I done chest compressions. I think if we had the use of the first cart we could have saved him."

Daniel frowned. "Shorted out? How?"

"I don't know, it's being looked into now."

Daniel continued to frown hitting a blank everytime he tried to remember. He knew what Janet was saying had to make sense, he could almost see the answer as it dangled just out of reach of his comprehension. It was that point the lights in the entire ward started to flicker, adding more irritation to Daniel's growing headache, but it done something else.

Light then dark, light again and then...

---

"Arrggggh!" Mitchel's body writhed and spasmed as the lighting struck the man. The storm had been building up for hours and was nearing its grand finale. Their fight had continued on regardless of the environment, all Daniel cared about was stopping this Hunter from doing what he had been contracted to do. Paid to kill Jack.

Promise of his own safety didn't matter to him, Daniel wasn't going to sit by and watch as this Alien bounty hunter killed - what he thought to be the Tau'ri leader. Daniel half contemplated whether he should tell the guy this, that the Tau'ri had no single leader, that there were many, all speaking and representing the different people of the planet Earth, but that might cause even more problems and so it was a fact Daniel chose to keep to himself.

The flight had gone on for so long, Daniel was amazed he had been able to keep the guy back for this long. At the end of his strength all he could do was back off as Mitchel and the Alien Entity inside gathered up some kind of charge, ready to fell the civilian, not caring that he was expending resources on someone he was not being paid to kill. It seemed Daniel had caused him much more trouble, and now that course of action was deemed necessary.

Mitchel had stood and seemed to gather energy from the very world around them, not aware that a strike from the lightning storm above them would also be drawn to the man. He screamed as the folk drove through his, very human body and into the ground through his feet, Daniel, in shock and on the verge of collapse hypnotised by the sudden flashing of the light...

---

"Daniel?" Janet tapped his face lightly. He was obviously exhausted and by the time the lights had come back on she had found him collapsed against the pillows. He moaned softly and his eyes flickered open briefly. It was best to let him sleep, she decided and slowly adjusted the head of the bed so he was laid down once more.

"What do you suppose he was trying to say?" Hammond asked, still utterly confused.

"He obviously thinks there's is much more to the attempts on the Colonel's life than we all think." Janet finished fussing over Daniel and started walking with the General back to her office. "He may have a point, who's to say the Goa'uld are the only species we know who can take a host? What if Mitchel was possessed?"

"And, the Heart-attack was caused by, what?"

"The stress of that 'Entity' leaving the host body?" She shrugged. "I'm only theorising here, sir. I can't tell you more till I know more myself."

"Is there anyway to determine what Dr. Jackson is saying from Mitchel's body?"

"All we can do is try. I'll rush those other tests through, sir and as soon as I know you..."

"Dr. Frasier! Come quick, it's Colonel O'Neill!" Wally called from the door of the ward and Janet wasted little time in following him out and into the hall, the General following and suddenly Daniel's words of warning were confirmed. This wasn't over.