"How much time left?" Cam asked tensely, looking over to Walter from where he and Teal'c were standing.
"Five minutes, sir," Walter answered in a serious voice, not looking away from his monitor as he tapped away at his keyboard. The man found it necessary to just focus on what he was doing, he really didn't want to think too much about what had happened before he had arrived.
Shortly after Daniel and Jack had left the Control Room, Walter had come in for his scheduled shift. He was astounded by what he'd walked into. It was still difficult for him to deal with the fact that Keegan had been a Goa'uld, and that he was dead now. The blood splatters that seemed to cover the Gate Control Room were a grim evidence of the story he'd been told of the violence and murder that the symbiote possessing his former coworker had wrought.
The Colonel and the Jaffa shared a worried glance at Sergeant Harriman's answer. They both then thoughtfully looked up the smaller, undamaged spiral staircase on the far end of the Gate Control Room. Colonel Mitchell started to speak, "Maybe we should go check..."
Just then General Landry came quickly down the stairs, muttering angrily under his breath. Cam cut himself short, regarding the General with a worried eye. He glanced back at Teal'c, sharing his troubled gaze. The large Jaffa raised an eyebrow in reply, his expression deep with concern.
Looking back over at Landry as he approached the two, Colonel Mitchell asked, "I take it there's no good news from the IOA?"
The General came to stand by the two, shaking his head. "No," he said definitively. He sighed heavily, then said, "They nixed our plan, they don't want to commit any more forces to PX8-317 in...what did they call it? 'a futile attempt to save men who were probably already dead'." Landry's expression became bitter, as if he was spitting out a foul substance.
Cam and Teal'c's faces grew just as dark. The Jaffa spoke, "If they do not see the value in the lives of our men, then perhaps they would be more concerned with losing the Ancient Library and having it fall into the wrong hands?"
"I tried that, Teal'c," Landry answered wearily, "and the IOA agreed with that point..." the General hesitated.
"But...?" Cam prompted, furrowing his eyebrows as he waited tensely for the rest of it.
"But they want to take action that has a certainty of success," Landry answered. "As such, they've decided a coordinated strike is best, from orbit and the gate. Since Daedalus is now assisting in the Pegasus Galaxy, they want to pull the Odyssey out of our current arrangement with the Jaffa to help guard Dakara from another attack."
"It's time, sir," Walter then announced, looking over at Landry.
"Dial up PX8-317," the General answered with a sigh.
"While that is a pretty good 'big-picture' kinda strategy," Cam answered, crossing his arms as the Stargate started to spin, "that's not going to really be any comfort to the families of Anderson, Burns, and Harris."
Turning to look back at Mitchell, Landry raised an eyebrow. "Don't you think I know that, son?" he asked with a bitter voice.
"Yes, sir," Mitchell answered, looking abashed. "Sorry, we know you did the best you could. I guess we just can't expect those politicians to give a damn about the soldier in the field."
Landry was about to answer the Colonel when suddenly Walter announced, "Chevron seven locked," and the wormhole was established with a loud whoosh. Turning to look up at the General again, he said, "We're ready to transmit, sir."
Sighing, the General turned away from Mitchell. "This is General Landry of Stargate Command," he began, "I'd like to speak with Commander Javis Remmol of the Hebridian Confederate."
He waited, listening to the quiet static for a few moments, exchanging worried looks with Cam and Teal'c as the silence dragged on. He pursed his lips, taking in a breath to speak again, when suddenly a voice came through the speakers, filling the Gate Control Room, "This is Dranis Yaskin of the Hebridian Confederate, answering General Landry of Stargate Command."
Landry furrowed his eyebrows at this, looking alarmed. He shared a glance with Mitchell and Teal'c, who both looked just as confused. "This is General Landry," he answered, "with whom am I speaking? I need to talk with Javis Remmol regarding a very urgent matter."
"I'm sorry, but I fear that won't be possible," Dranis replied coldly. "You see, General, Commander Remmol has been relieved of duty. I am the political officer for his unit, and I am now in charge of the situation on this planet."
Daniel's mouth hung open at Vala's words, the shock plainly written on his face. "Are you sure? I mean, could you be mistaken...?"
Sighing, Vala shook her head. "No, Daniel," she answered with a weary voice, "When Sam and I realized Keegan was a Goa'uld in the first place, it was because he had so much naquadah in his blood that it was just screaming at us." She pursed her lips as the memory of it overwhelmed her briefly. Shaking her head, she continued, "But this time I could only sense trace amounts in Keegan, like with Carter or other former hosts."
Daniel furrowed his brow in grave concern, looking to the doorway they had just wheeled Keegan's corpse through. "I need to tell Landry and the others, we've gotta find where the symbiote is now..."
"I'll help," Vala immediately volunteered. Daniel turned and looked at her incredulously.
"Vala, there's no way," he began. "You can't even stand on your own two feet."
The raven-haired woman furrowed her brow and opened her mouth to protest, when suddenly the nurse they had spoken to previously came over to them. "Dr. Jackson, you really need to take Ms. Mal Duran back to her bed. She shouldn't be up and about just yet, you might tear her stitches" Vala turned to glare at the woman bitterly.
"Thank you, that's just what I was trying to tell her," Daniel answered. The nurse smiled sympathetically. He then asked her, "Can you help us, please?"
The nurse started to say something, when Vala cut her off. "Listen...Becky, is it?" she asked bitterly, looking at the other woman's name tag. Becky frowned slightly at Vala's tone, but nodded wordlessly. "I really appreciate the concern, but we're dealing with a bit of a crisis here. So, why don't you go run along and find some other patients to harass?" The nurse scowled at this, even as Daniel sighed from the tips of his toes at Vala's bitter words.
"Okay," the archaeologist announced with an irritated voice, "time to get you back to bed." He paused, and glanced back over at the nurse "Look, I'm really sorry for that..." he hesitated, then asked awkwardly, "Could I...ask you to please take her back for me?" Vala looked at Daniel incredulously. "I need to phone down to the Gateroom. Vala wasn't kidding about a crisis."
Becky hesitated for a moment. "Certainly," she finally said, "it's not a problem, Dr. Jackson." Vala frowned at this, huffing but said nothing in reply. The nurse came over on the other side of Vala. Daniel shifted Vala's weight over to Becky, who wordlessly supported the other woman. "You can use the phone on my desk over there," the nurse told the archaeologist.
Glancing over to where she pointed, he nodded. Looking back to the women, he answered with a measure of relief, "Thanks a lot." He tried to make eye contact with Vala, but she refused to look his way. Sighing, he made his way to the desk and picked up the receiver, punching the buttons on its base.
While Daniel was on the phone, Becky helped Vala make her way back. With some effort, the nurse helped the other woman to sit her back in her bed, although she slipped and almost fell on the first try, the nurse catching her and helping her back up. As Vala laid back down and stretched out, Becky diligently worked to clean up the array of tubes and cords from the stand and within a few moments, Vala was settled once more. Becky then took a moment to check Vala's stitches. As she did, the raven-haired woman looked over to where Daniel was, watching him on the phone with a dark expression. Within a moment the nurse nodded to herself, satisfied that Vala's wound was alright.
Then Daniel hung up the phone and came back over. The raven-haired woman huffed as she settled into her bed, regarding the nurse and Daniel with equal irritation. The archaeologist sighed, and looked over to Becky apologetically. "Look, I'm sorry for the trouble," he said as the nurse looked up from Vala's wound. "and I really appreciate the help."
She grinned wryly at him. "Don't worry about it. I've dealt with much worse patients, I can handle her." Vala watched the two talking with an increasingly bitter gaze, particularly when the nurse smiled sweetly at Daniel as she walked off.
Daniel watched the woman leave, then turned to Vala. She frowned, looking up at him with a sour expression. "Vala," he sighed, sitting down on the bed next to her. "I think it's great that you're so eager to help us find him, I really do. But right now, you need to stay here and rest. I mean, come on, you've just come out of surgery for a gunshot wound." The archaeologist paused at this, but she didn't say anything. "If you'd like to help, just tell me what happened down there. Since the Goa'uld isn't dead yet, we need to figure out what he's here for."
Vala stared at him sullenly for another moment before shaking her head and answering him. "There's really nothing to tell, Daniel. He wasn't doing anything when we discovered him," she said plainly. "Sam and I walked into the Control Room and sensed Keegan was a Goa'uld because we were both former hosts. Keegan sensed we were former hosts because he was Goa'uld, and he knew we'd be able to sense him. He shot us when he saw we'd figured him out." She shrugged, "we didn't catch him doing anything."
Daniel pursed his lips, nodding. "You're right," he said, sighing regrettably. "That's doesn't really tell us anything, does it?" He smiled slightly at her, covering her hand with his. She didn't move at all. Clearing his throat, he said, "Look, I'd better go and help them find the Goa'uld..." She looked away at his words, frowning even more deeply. "Please promise me that you'll stay in your bed and cut the nurses some slack?"
The raven haired woman continued to look away from him, refusing to speak at first, her jaw clenching in silence. When she did, her voice was thick with emotion. "I'm not going to promise that, Daniel," she answered tightly, turning to look at him again. He was surprised when he saw that her eyes were wet. "Not until you promise me you're going to be careful out there."
Daniel watched her with a stunned expression, completely taken aback by her display of emotion. After a moment he sighed quietly, reaching out to caress her cheek with his hand. Vala closed her eyes at this, leaning into his touch. "Vala," he said with a tender whisper, "I'll be fine. I've handled my share of Goa'uld over the last ten years, remember?" He grinned slightly, waiting for her to look at him again. When she did, he said gently, "I'll be okay."
"Daniel," Vala said, her voice still tense, taking his hand in hers and pulling it down from her face. "I know you can take care of yourself, but this...creature...has already left a trail of bodies behind him." She stared into his eyes, asking in an angry voice, "How many people did he kill today?" Daniel pursed his lips, his smile fading quickly as he looked down. She squeezed his hand. "Look what he did to me, look what she did to Sam..." she added, struggling to hold back her tears as she mentioned their friend, the worry she had from before consuming her again with a vengeance.
Daniel's expression grew pained at the sight of her anguish. He moved closer and wrapped her up in his arms, hugging her to him. She clung to him as she buried her face in the crook of his neck, saying bitterly, "I just got you back, I can't lose you again...not after everything that's finally happened between us..."
He squeezed her tightly to him. The memory of how afraid he had been for her life just a half hour ago flooding over him as he felt the same tension within her. He sighed heavily, softly kissing her neck and cheek tenderly as he inwardly cursed himself for a fool. He continued to kiss her face tenderly until his lips found hers. She responded eagerly, kissing him passionately as they clung to one other. As much as he longed to linger there, he felt the strong need to go and help the others.
Reluctantly, he broke the kiss. Whispering against her lips, he told her, "I'll be careful, Vala, I promise." He pulled back and watched as she opened her eyes slowly. He stared into her gaze, gently stroking her cheek. "You're not going to lose me."
The raven-haired woman nodded silently, closing her eyes as she drew in a deep breath, trying to get control of her emotions. She swallowed hard, her hands still clinging to Daniel. She then said quietly, "I promise I'll behave. I'll stay in my bed and do what they tell me." She looked at him again to see him smiling slightly, a smile she found it impossible not to return, if only barely.
"Thank you," he whispered, leaning in to kiss her once more, cupping her face in his hands. She reached up and caressed his cheeks, eagerly rubbing her lips against his, quickly deepening the kiss as she moaned softly against his mouth. Daniel sighed happily as he lost himself in the moment. Her tender caresses called out to him, making him desperately wish that he could just stay here with her. At the same time, however, he felt a tight knot of worry in his gut for the threat that was still lurking, hiding in the SGC. Reluctantly, Daniel pulled away, lingering close to her for just a moment. Neither opened their eyes, each breathing hard from the passion of their kiss.
After a few moments, he wordlessly stood up and left. Vala swallowed hard as she watched him leave. He paused at the doorway and looked back at her. She smiled gently at him, waving slightly. He couldn't help but smile in return as he waved back in kind. Then he was gone.
On the far side of the room, Becky sat at her desk. She had watched the whole exchange between the two, her expression tender with sympathy at the sight of their heartache. Sighing heavily, she went to go about her paperwork, but found it impossible to focus. Pursing her lips, she picked up the phone and started to dial.
After she watched Daniel disappear, Vala drew in a deep breath and lay back in her bed. Closing her eyes, she tried again to get her emotions under control. She was terrified of losing Daniel now, and she also felt frustrated at her helplessness. Maybe she could fall asleep, she reasoned, after all she was feeling rather tired. Her mind refused to let her rest, however. The events of the last several hours kept playing themselves over in her head. Something was bothering her.
Then her eyes flew open. "Oh no," she said in an alarmed voice as she realized what was wrong.
"I'm sorry?" General Landry asked in a surprised voice, "What do you mean, 'relieved of duty'? What is the condition of our people?"
"You're people are fine," Dranis replied cooly. "I can assure you, they are in no danger, and are being taken care of with the greatest of consideration. As to what happened to Javis Remmol, I relieved him of duty for acting without political authority." There was a brief pause before the man added, "He should not have attacked your people without provocation, I can assure you it was done without the authorization of the Hebridean Confederate. I, however, am acting on behalf of my government. I would like to extend to you our most heartfelt apologies for the harm we have done you."
Landry shared concerned gazes with Teal'c and Mitchell. "That's cold comfort now," Landry began to answer in a hard voice, "what's done is done. If you're truly interested in making amends with our government, then you'll release our people immediately and yield the territory you seized."
There was a pause, and then Dranis replied. "I'm afraid I cannot do that, General."
"Of course he can't,"Landry muttered under his breath as Yaskin continued speaking over the radio.
"What I would like to do is have a dialog with you to discuss options about this planet," he said carefully. "In the meanwhile, we will keep custody of your men, to ensure their safety. This planet is quite dangerous, as I'm sure you must know by now."
The General frowned bitterly at this. "That's not an acceptable answer, Dranis. If you're interested in friendly relations with our government, then you must return our people to us immediately."
"Do not get me wrong, General," Dranis answered, "if it were up to me, I would see them home right away. However, my government does not feel comfortable releasing them right now, at least not until you and I have had a chance to speak, face to face."
"Dranis," Landry began, his voice losing patience. Just as he was about to speak, the phone on the wall rang, momentarily distracting him. Cam ran over to pick up the receiver, allowing Landry to continue. "If you're looking for diplomatic relations with our government, this is not the way to pursue it. I guarantee you that holding our men hostage will only result in further violence.
Now, you'll have to forgive me, but I'm not ready to take your word that my men are alright. I'd like to speak with them, please." Landry glanced over to Mitchell, who was listening quietly on the phone with a dark expression.
"That I can arrange, General," he replied. "Just one moment." At about the same time, Cam hung up the phone.
The radio grew silent again and Mitchell walked back over. "What was that about?" Landry asked the Colonel.
"Oh, just more wonderful news, General," Cam answered in a bitter voice, looking even more frustrated than before. He opened his mouth to continue, but then they heard Colonel Anderson's voice on the speakers.
"General Landry," he began, "this is Colonel Anderson."
"It's good to hear your voice, son," Landry answered, "How're they treating you?"
"Well enough, sir," the Colonel said in a relaxed voice. "Dranis saw to it that we weren't really treated as captives any more. We've been unshackled and allowed to walk around a little. I'd still say we're POWs, but its a lot more like the Geneva Convention rather than Beijing."
"That's good to hear," Landry replied. "How are Burns and Harris?"
"They're doing well, sir," Anderson stated plainly. "The three of us are being treated fairly by Dranis, I can say that."
As the radio again grew silent, Teal'c observed quietly, "He again made reference to only the three of them." Cam and Landry nodded, the three growing silent again as the radio crackled to life once more.
Dranis voice could be heard once more. "Now you have assurance that your men are safe," he said calmly. "So I would like to repeat my appeal to you for a face-to-face conversation."
Landry was quiet for a moment, glancing over at Teal'c and Cam. Then he spoke. "I can't guarantee it, but I will submit your request to my superiors. Let me tell you this, however. Should any harm befall my people, I can guarantee you that peaceful negotiations will no longer be an option."
He waited for a reply, the silence growing long. "I understand, General. We will await the answer from your leaders."
"Very well," Landry answered, "We'll dial you back up within a few hours, after my superiors have had time to discuss the matter. Landry out," he added with finality, tapping Walter on the shoulder. At that, the tech tapped on the keyboard and the wormhole suddenly closed behind the Iris.
The General sighed heavily. "Well, at least it doesn't seem like our men are going to be executed."
"I don't trust this guy," Cam answered, "he's sounds slicker than a chased greased hog."
Teal'c blinked in surprise at Mitchell's words, momentarily regarding the Colonel with a raised eyebrow before answering, "Indeed. Dranis Yaskin does not strike me as a trustworthy individual. He should be dealt with cautiously."
"I agree with you both," Landry pronounced, "but unfortunately, he's who we're dealing with now. With any luck, this Dranis is actually being truthful, at least about his government wanting to avoid any further conflict." Shaking his head, Landry sighed, "Did you hear what he called himself? A 'political officer'...I felt like I was back in the cold war," the General lamented, frowning. "Now before I go up and talk to Hammond, what was that phone call all about, Mitchell?"
"That was Daniel," the Colonel answered. "On a good note, Vala's up from surgery already and doing rather well." Landry and Teal'c nodded at this, but then Mitchell continued, "The bad news is, it seems Sergeant Keegan wasn't a Goa'uld when he died. In all probability, the symbiote is now in someone else on the base."
"Are kidding me?" Landry asked incredulously, furrowing his eyebrows. "When did the symbiote have a chance to switch hosts?"
"They don't know, sir," Cam answered. "Vala only realized this about five minutes ago. Apparently Keegan wasn't killed right away after he was shot. The Sergeant was just rushed into the medical bay right in front of the two of them, and Vala used her funky 'I used to be a host' snakey-sense to realize that the rat had jumped ship."
Landry looked extremely worried. "If that vermin is in another host, then we need to keep him from leaving the base. He already tried to escape through the Stargate. Since that way is closed to him now, he might be interested in getting to the surface. I'm ordering a base lock down, effective immediately." With that, he strode over to the phone on the wall and took the receiver off the hook.
"We've gotta find this thing," Cam said. He hesitated, then looking over to Teal'c as Landry stood on the far side of the room, speaking on the phone. "You can sense when there's a Goa'uld nearby...right, big guy?"
"Unfortunately I cannot do so anymore, Colonel Mitchell," the Jaffa answered. "It was through my prim'tah that I would be made aware of the presence of a Goa'uld. Since using tretonin, however, I am no longer able to detect the presence of a symbiote."
"Okay, that sucks," Cam complained, "Well, I guess that leaves asking Vala to help us. I hate to ask her since she's still getting over a gunshot wound, though." The Jaffa opened his mouth to reply, but then Landry walked back from the phone.
"I've ordered the complex sealed off from the surface," the General said as he came to rejoin the other two. "No one gets in or out now. I've also ordered a full review of the base gatehouse logs for the past two hours to find out if he might have slipped out already. Base security is reviewing camera footage to see if they can find anything suspect inside."
Looking over to Walter, he added, "Sergeant, cancel all upcoming missions. Call up all off-world teams and have them return to the Beta Site, but keep the iris closed. After that, and until I say otherwise, I don't want any outgoing wormholes without my presence."
"Yes sir," Harriman answered, tapping away at his keyboard in response.
Looking back at Mitchell and Teal'c, the General said, "Alright, do we have any insight into why there is a Goa'uld on the base in the first place? What's he looking to accomplish?"
"I think the only people that might have any clue about that would be Sam or Vala, since they blew his cover," Mitchell answered. "Jackson told me on the phone that he'd ask Vala what she knew before he came down." He paused, shaking his head, "but I'm betting that we're not going to learn a whole lot.
"Any thoughts on how we find him?" Landry asked in return.
"Well," Mitchell answered, "seems pretty simple. Vala can detect when there's a symbiote nearby."
"She just got out of surgery, son," Landry reminded Mitchell, "from being shot while helping us out in the first place."
"I know that, sir," Cam answered. "That actually works out okay. We make up a story of a contagion that came through from PX8-317 on that last wormhole. Order everyone on the base to go to the infirmary for inoculations. The docs can just stick everyone with a saline solution. But, as everyone's walking through the line to get their needle, we keep Vala hidden behind a curtain, and she can tell us when the snake-head walks through the door." He paused for a moment, then added, "the cover story also explains why we just locked down the base."
Landry nodded as he quietly considered Cam's plan. "Not bad," he remarked. "Do you think she'll go for it?"
"Well I'm not really the person you should ask," the Colonel replied, to which Landry chuckled and Teal'c grinned slightly. "Jackson would probably have a far better chance of getting her to agree than I would."
"Get who to agree to do what?" Daniel asked as he hiked up the stairs from the hallway outside.
"Dr Jackson, impeccable timing," Landry replied, turning to look at the archaeologist as he approached the three. The General's grin widened as he said, "We were just talking about how to find the Goa'uld."
"Oh?" Daniel asked, raising his eyebrows and looking interested.
"Yeah," Cam replied, somewhat hesitantly. "We need you to ask Vala to do us another favor..."
The gray-haired man sat at the helm of the cargo ship, looking out the window in silence. The scene spilling out before him was one of lush, green, rolling hills and evergreen trees that rustled in the wind. Rising up out of the hills before him was a majestic mountain, partially covered in the same dark-green trees. Between the broad patches of trees were ridges of cragged rock. One particularly long stretch of rock left the impression that the mountain had a spine, as though it were in fact the back of some giant colossus, bent over. The darkening, deep blue Colorado sky framed the entire scene while the edge of the mountain was crested with the deep scarlet light of the setting sun that had already disappeared behind the horizon.
The man tilted his head slightly as he considered the beauty of the panorama before him. It was a rare thing in his life to be able to stop and enjoy such a moment, and he tried to always savor the opportunity whenever it presented itself. Now, however, he was continually distracted by the irritating chatter from behind him. The three others that had journeyed here with him were considerably younger, and had little patience for such moments. The elder shifted in his chair with a sigh, his joints creaking as loudly as the battle-worn armor he wore. He grinned slightly as he idly wondered if any of the others would be successful over time in their careers as mercenaries, living long enough to gain the same appreciation he had for the little pleasure of life.
Glancing back over his shoulder, he considered the question silently. They were good, he thought, but not as good as the few in the galaxy that had ever won his respect. Still, they were better than the thugs Natan had attempted to force upon him. Chuckling quietly, he turned forward, grinning sardonically as he decided he knew the answer to the question.
The old man looked back out the window, watching the fading light from the sun hiding furtively behind the majesty of the mountain. The deep reds had already faded to a pink blush, and continued to lose their hue as the night ever so slowly crept out to assert itself.
"How much longer?" came a young voice, thick with irritation. The old man flinched at the sound, having expected it and dreading it at the same time. Was he truly ever as foolish as these, the decades ago that he shared their youth and ignorance?
"What does it matter to you?" the old man asked idly. "You're getting paid the same whether we sit here and wait or rush right in."
"Exactly," the younger said. "We're not getting paid for our time, we're getting paid for the job. The longer we wait, the longer until we can move on to the next one." The old man sighed quietly to himself as he continued to watch the ever darkening sky, watching the last bits of pink fade into the dark blue of the rest of the sky. He lamented the fact that this fool had ruined the last moments of the sunset.
"We won't get paid if we don't do the job right," the elder reminded the other. "We wait for the signal before we move. If all is not ready when we strike, then we are simply rushing to our deaths," he said plainly. Turning around to face the other three, he added with a derogatory grin, "Then what would your payment be worth?"
The outspoken one frowned at the old man, his face flushed as he felt the others leering at his impudence. "Have a care, Artix," the youth answered, glaring at the other sitting at the helm. "Or you'll find your long history has suddenly come to an end."
Artix began to laugh heartily at this, regarding the vocal youth with a contemptuous gaze. "You have skill and pluck, young one, but you're a fool if you think you can succeed where so many others have failed." He suddenly stopped laughing as he regarded the other harshly. "Have a care yourself, or you'll never live long enough to get the wisdom it's taken me fourty years to earn." He stared harshly at the other, his hand moving to grip the handle of a pistol he kept strapped to his thigh.
The two stared intently at one another, neither moving. The others were deathly quiet as they watched the battle of wills silently raging between the younger and Artix. A bead of sweat could be seen to roll down the forehead of the youth, while Artix merely watched on with a cold gaze, waiting with detachment as the other considered his options.
Finally, the younger broke eye contact, looking down at the floor. Artix grinned slightly, casting his glance to the other two, both of whom looked away. He nodded to himself. "Very good," he answered with a deathly calm. "The three of you just might prove smart enough to live a few more years, at least."
The three looked back over at him abashedly, waiting for him to say something. At first, he made no comment, only looked back at them. Finally, he said, "we wait for the signal. We do not make a move before then." The three nodded, each turning away and making their way to other parts of the craft. Artix watched them silently, then turned forward again, looking out the dark window as he waited patiently.
"Ms. Mal Duran?" Becky asked hesitantly as she approached the bed, one hand behind her back.
Vala started out of her thoughts and looked over in surprise. She was still in shock from what she had just realized about the whole situation, and really wasn't in the mood to deal with this woman again. Hesitating, she furrowed her brow and asked in a defensive voice, "what is it?"
The nurse smiled as she came over, "I was thinking about it and there's probably no reason you couldn't have something to eat from off base if you like." At that she brought her hand out from behind her back, producing a colorful, glossy, folded up piece of paper. "I've got a menu here from one of the local restaurants, if you'd like to take a look."
Vala blinked in surprise at this. She wasn't sure what she had expected, but it wasn't this. "Oh, uhm..." she hesitated, still taken aback. "Thanks, but I'm afraid Dr. Jackson won't be able to pick anything up for me. He's off handling that silly crisis we told you about..."
The nurse smiled as she held out the menu to Vala. "I know, I couldn't help but watch you two saying goodbye," she said gently. Vala looked uncomfortably surprised at this, blushing slightly as her expression grew self-conscious. "So, I called up...a friend of mine and asked him to pick it up for you." Vala tilted her head, her expression relaxing. She hesitated as she considered the other woman, then slowly reached out and took the menu. The pictures of food on the front brought a smile to her face as she remembered suddenly how famished she was. "If you just tell me what you want," Becky continued, causing Vala to look back up at her, "I can call it in and he'll go pick it up."
Vala's smile grew as she listened to the nurse, looking down at the menu and back to her again. "Thank you," Vala said with an appreciative voice. Becky smiled back at her and nodded, turning to walk away.
"Wait," Vala suddenly said, causing the nurse to stop and look back. The raven-haired woman's expression fell. "I, uhm," she looked down and cleared her throat, then looked back up at the other woman. "I'm sorry I was mean to you before. There really was no reason for me to be so spiteful. I gave you no reason to be nice to me but, here you are doing me a favor when I really didn't deserve it..."
The woman smiled warmly, "It's alright, Ms. Mal Duran. I understood why you were so angry when I watched you say goodbye to Dr. Jackson." She glanced away from Vala for a moment, her gaze growing reflective. Looking back, she said, "I understand completely."
Vala tilted her head at this, regarding the other woman thoughtfully at her words. The two then shared a secretive, knowing smile and the nurse turned to leave again.
Just then an SF strode into the infirmary. Becky stopped as she caught him out of the corner of her eye, her face lighting up at the sight of him. "David, what're you doing here? I told you I'd call once I put her order in..."
Vala smiled sweetly as she heard the nurses words and watched the two light up at the sight of each other. "I know," he answered, "but I just wanted to come down and apologize in person." Becky furrowed her brow at this as he said, "I'm afraid I can't run out for you. They just locked down the base, no one can come or go."
Becky tisked at this, sighing as she frowned at the news. She paused, then turned to look at Vala. "I'm sorry," she said sincerely.
The raven-haired woman smiled gently at them. "Oh, it's no worry," she answered "I'm sure the meatloaf won't be that bad..."
David chuckled, saying to Becky, "Yeah, she's never eaten the infirmary food, has she?" The nurse tisked at him, slapping him playfully on the shoulder as she regarded him with a chiding gaze. The man only grinned the more at her.
Vala smiled all the more at the two. "Actually," she began, continuing as the two looked back at her again, "there is one favor I'd like to ask of you two, since a nice dinner in isn't an option."
"Oh?" Becky replied with a friendly smile. "What's that?"
"Oh, you have got to be kidding me," Daniel said as soon as Mitchell finished explaining his idea.
Cam exchanged glances with Landry and Teal'c, both of whom looked equally confused by Daniel's reaction. "What's wrong with the plan, Jackson?" He furrowed his brow, "we've got a Goa'uld we can't find, Vala can detect the presence of a Goa'uld. Seems like a no-brainer to me."
Jackson crossed his arms, "You do remember that she just got out of surgery, right?" Mitchell exchanged pained glances with the other two. "Of course, lest we forget, her operation was right after she passed out from losing too much blood because she was shot by the very same Goa'uld..."
"Yeah, Jackson, we know that," Mitchell answered in an irritated voice, crossing his arms as well. "What part of 'she can hide behind a curtain and tell us when he walks in the room' do you not get?"
Tilting his head angrily at Mitchell, Daniel shot back, "Do you guys realize that the Goa'uld can detect when there's a former host nearby? I mean, she's not really in any condition to defend herself right now. We'd be putting her at serious risk..."
Landry spoke up at this, "Dr. Jackson, I assure you we'll secure the area completely. We'll have the whole area sectioned off with screens and curtains, no one who comes in for the shot will be able to see Vala. I'll position a platoon of SFs all over the area, both inside and outside of the room, armed to the teeth." He glanced back at Teal'c and Landry, who both nodded. "She'll be perfectly safe."
Daniel pursed his lips and he grew silent. He furrowed his brow in thought, but couldn't come up with anything more to say. Cam raised an eyebrow, "What, you don't think she'll go for it?"
"No, no," the archaeologist answered with a sigh. "She's actually quite eager to help out..."
"So what's the problem, son?" Landry asked as he and the others shared another confused glance.
"Nothing," Daniel answered, hanging his head and rubbing his neck. "It's the fastest way to find the Goa'uld." He sighed, adding, "I'll talk to her about it, I'm sure she'll be glad to do it..."
Teal'c chimed in. "Daniel Jackson, if something is wrong, then perhaps one of us should ask Vala instead."
"No," Daniel answered a little too quickly as he looked back up at the three. "Nothing's wrong, I'll just go right back up there and talk to her. Go ahead and make the arrangements, she'll be ready to go by the time we set this thing up." The others watched him with increasing amusement as they read his resigned expression. They still had no clue as to what was bothering him about this so much, but after so much time watching Daniel together with Vala, each had no difficulty imagining any number of amusing possibilities.
"You're sure?" Landry persisted, his grin growing as he watched Daniel's discomfort. "It's no trouble, I could just ask for her help myself..."
"No!" Daniel blurted out firmly. He winced immediately, closing his eyes and sighing. "Sorry, didn't mean to snap like that," he said as he looked at the three again. Landry wasn't angry, quite the opposite. Daniel added, "look, everything's fine, really." The others were obviously still unconvinced, judging by their amused expressions.
Clearing his throat, Daniel half turned to go. "Okay, I'm uh, gonna go talk to her now..." he said, pointing to the door and nodding.
Cam grinned as the three waited for him to follow through. The archaeologist continued to hesitate, and the Colonel then said with a grin, "you sure about that?"
Glancing back at Mitchell with a glare, Daniel sighed one last time and then turned about, walking briskly down the stairs and out of the Gate Control Room.
The three watched him go without another word, Landry and Mitchell chuckling as soon as he was out of view. Even Teal'c smiled warmly, raising an eyebrow as the three shared another amused gaze.
"Something tells me that poor boy is gonna be in the doghouse when he tells her what our plan is," Mitchell grinned. "I have no idea why, but watching him just now, it must have been something he said to her in the first place..."
Landry tried very hard to stifle his grin, but was failing miserably. "I'm sure it's nothing," he tried to say with a straight face but somehow ended up chortling instead. Clearing his throat, he drew in a deep breath and sighed, regaining his composure. He then said, "Alright, you two have some work to do. I'm going to go upstairs and make that phone call about the Hebridean situation." As he talked, the others grew more serious, the weight of their circumstances returning. "Keep me apprised of the situation as it develops. Let's get this viper before he does any more damage."
The two nodded solemnly. Mitchell answered, "Yes sir, we'll smoke him out for ya."
Landry nodded, then turned to face the larger spiral staircase, about to step towards it. He stopped short as he saw it, having forgotten that it was damaged by the Hebrideans when SG-16 and SG-18 came back hot from PX8-317. Sighing, he shook his head and went to the smaller stairwell in the other corner of the room, muttering to himself.
Teal'c and Mitchell watched him walk off. The Colonel looked over at the Jaffa, "Alright, let's go get this thing set up."
Daniel leaned against the back wall of the elevator with his arms crossed, sighing heavily as it carried him upwards. The thought of what lay ahead weighed heavily upon him. After admonishing Vala just minutes ago that she wasn't in any condition to help, here he was on his way to ask her to play the key role in their plan to find the Goa'uld.
She would never let him live this down, he realized.
The elevator doors opened. Jackson didn't move, looking out into the hallway with a long face. The doors started to close again. Daniel stepped forward and reached out, stopping them from closing completely. The doors started to open again and he looked down the corridor with a sigh. Reluctantly, he entered the hall and made his way to the infirmary.
It seemed like the hallway stretched on forever as he walked down its length. The dread welled up in him as he turned the corner and saw the door to the infirmary. He walked to just a few feet of it, then paused, pursing his lips. Drawing in a deep breath, he strode through.
When he stepped inside, he saw the same scene as before, except that Vala had a laptop on her lap and she was busily typing away. All dread of the upcoming confrontation instantly disappeared as he suddenly recognized the computer. Instead, he found himself feeling very irritated with her, just like in the old days. He walked over to her bed, watching with an incredulous expression on his face as she hammered away at the keyboard.
As approached, Vala continued to work on the computer without noticing, her brow furrowed in intense concentration. It was only when Daniel sat down on her bed that she startled, looking up at him with a surprised expression. Her eyes flew wide as she saw his face. "Daniel...!" she exclaimed softly, her blue eyes instantly regarding him guiltily.
"Hi there," he said sternly, staring at her with a hard gaze. He looked down at the laptop, then looked back up at her, "What'cha got there?" he asked in a rhetorical tone.
"Oh, uhm, this?" she asked awkwardly as she forced a smile. Her cheeks began to flush a rosy crimson as she sputtered in trying to answer him "it's just...I was..."
"That's my laptop," he answered for her, looking at her accusingly. She hesitated, swallowing hard. He looked down at the lid, pushing it halfway down, "Archaeologists Dig It," he read off of the sticker he'd put on the lid years ago. Looking back up at her, he pursed his lips and stared at her intently.
Vala cleared her throat, swallowing hard before she answered. "Yes, yes it is yours, isn't it?" she answered with a resigned voice. His expression grew dark at this, and she hurriedly pleaded, "Daniel, please, let me explain..."
"Explain what?" he said incredulously, interrupting her.
"What I'm doing with your laptop..." she tried to answer, only to be cut off again.
"Vala, right now, I don't really care why!" he snapped back.
There was a silence as he stared at her with an harsh gaze. She shifted in her bed uncomfortably, watching him with a wary eye. Drawing in a deep breath, she said quietly, "You're angry, aren't you?"
Daniel blinked incredulously. "Angry?" He huffed and continued in an irate and impassioned voice. "Why would I be angry? Let's see, you only violated my trust by taking my laptop without permission, not to mention breaking your promise to stay in bed..."
"Ah!" she interrupted him, holding up one finger between them. He stopped short, glaring at her finger then at her again. "I did not break my promise to you. I've not set one foot outside of my bed, and I've been a model patient," she said indignantly.
"Then how did you get my computer?" he asked with an exasperated, disbelieving tone, gesturing with his hands emphatically.
Vala opened her mouth to reply but then stopped herself. "Friends," she answered simply, pursing her lips as another guilty expression came over her face.
Sighing, he answered, "fine, so you had accomplices." Vala glared at him bitterly now. He started talking again, building up speed as he spoke and sputtering somewhat, "You-you-you still violated my trust, you still took my computer without permission..."
"Daniel, the base computers have been compromised," she blurted out loudly over top of him.
Daniel stopped mid-sentence, his mouth hanging open as he regarded her with a stunned expression. "What?" he finally managed to ask after a few moments, furrowing his brow in confused concern at her words. It was clear from the look on his face that a battle was raging within him between the part of him that was angry with Vala and the part that was trying to process the very serious news she just tossed at him.
"The SGC's computers have been compromised," she repeated, slower and more calmly. "That's why Sam and I were in the Gate Control Room in the first place when we ran into Keegan. We were on our way to tell Landry. Sam had figured out we were..." she hesitated, trying to find the right word.
"Hacked?" Daniel supplied, still looking confused.
"Yes!" Vala answered brightly, her face lighting up as she snapped her fingers. "Hacked," she repeated, grinning at the word. "We had just visited the mainframe so Sam could ensure it wasn't affected, and we were on our way from there to tell Landry the news." The raven haired woman drew in a deep breath. "That's when Keegan attacked us." She swallowed hard, watching his expression like a hawk, trying to read his reaction. "In all the confusion, I'd completely forgotten about it until just after you left to go downstairs..."
"That's why you had someone go and get my laptop?" Daniel asked hesitantly.
"Yes," she answered softly. "I wanted to try and help," she added with a slight pout to her voice.
Sighing, the archaeologist asked, "Why didn't you just call downstairs and let us know what was going on? We could have..."
She slowly shook her head, "What could you have done, Daniel?" He pursed his lips at this, apparently he already knew the answer. "Sam might be on her death bed, and while I haven't been here for that long, I've definitely gotten the impression that no one knows the computer here nearly as well as she." Daniel hesitated, struggling to find an argument. Finally, he nodded with a resigned expression. While there were many technicians about the base, he'd gotten the same impression over the years. The men and women that serviced the bases computers were very good at what they did, but wouldn't be able to handle something like this very well.
"I was there when she found the breach," Vala said. Then she paused, blushing again. Daniel furrowed his brow at this, confused. She drew in a deep breath and continued. "I saw the systems she logged into..."she paused, clearing her throat. Daniel furrowed his brow at this, narrowing his eyes at her. She swallowed hard as she watched his reaction, and said weakly, "and her passwords..."
Daniel groaned, hanging his head. "Vala..." he sighed, running his finger through his hair.
Vala answered hastily, trying to win him back over, "But Daniel, the point is I knew where to look, I could log in there myself, and I saw enough of what she was doing to pick up where she left off." He looked back up at her, watching her with a gaze that was a tumultuous mixture of emotions.
Silence settled between them for a while, Daniel watching her with an unreadable expression. Sighing, he asked, "So what'd you find?"
The raven-haired woman drew in a deep breath, still not sure what he was thinking about all this and worried because of it. "I found the breach," she said. "And it's just what I was afraid of..there's a Goa'uld program installed on your computers."
Daniel blinked at this as he sat up a little more straight. He said hesitantly, "So the symbiote in Keegan..."
"...broke into your computers and installed some very nasty software," Vala finished for him, with a serious voice. She was somewhat encouraged by his increasing attentiveness, but still watched him with a nervous eye.
"What's the software do?" he asked with a worried voice.
"I'm not sure about that just yet," she answered, "but it's pervasive in all of your systems." She glanced back down at the laptop, opening it up completely again. She typed at the keyboard a few times, then nodded. "There's something familiar with his software...I think I might be able to access it, I'm not sure..." she paused, squinting her eyes as she looked at the display, concentrating intently. She sighed, shaking her head, "that's what I was trying to do when you came up..."
"You're trying to break into his software," he said slowly with a grin, his gaze now slowly growing into one of admiration.
Vala smiled from ear to ear at his reaction, quietly breathing a sigh of relief. "That's right," she nodded, answering exuberantly. "I figured that he put that software in there for a purpose, and Sam and I ruined his plans by exposing him when we did. Since he survived the ordeal and got a brand new host in the bargain, I thought he might be looking to finish what he started."
Daniel nodded silently as he listened, his smile growing. She continued, talking more quickly with an excited tone as she watched his reaction, "So, I've been monitoring what the software's doing, and trying to access it myself." Pausing, she added, "So far it's dormant. It hasn't done anything yet, and I can't get into it." After a moment, she added with a wink, "at least, not yet."
The archaeologist grinned in spite of himself as she winked at him, shaking his head. He watched her silently for a moment, then asked softly, "Why did you have to take my laptop for this? I mean, why didn't you just ask me if you could have it?"
Vala tisked, smirking wryly at his words. "Come now, darling," she said quietly. "If I'd asked, would you have said yes?" Daniel opened his mouth to reply, but then she lifted an eyebrow at him. He hesitated, then closed his mouth with a sigh, shaking his head slightly. She smiled sadly at this, but nodded sullenly.
"That's what I thought," she said. Drawing in a deep breath, she said, "as to why your laptop? There wasn't really any option, Daniel." He furrowed his brow at this, looking confused. Chuckling, she explained, "Darling," she said patiently, "Your laptop is one of the only ones in this base that can display and type in Goa'uld..." Daniel closed his eyes at the realization, nodding silently. "Not to mention," she added hesitantly, "because Becky saw our emotional farewell, it was easy to convince her and her boyfriend that you wouldn't have an issue with them getting your laptop for me..."
The archaeologist opened his eyes at her words, sighing lamentably as he once again found himself to be the fool for the grief he gave her. Guilt overwhelmed him, and he looked down, unable to maintain eye contact with her. Swallowing hard, he slowly reached out and ever so hesitantly towards her hand. She watched him wordlessly, a smile slowly blooming on her face. She firmly grasped his hand as it came near, looking at him with an adoring expression. As she held his hand in hers, Daniel hesitantly looked up at her.
He watched her silently for a few moments, absorbing it all. He sighed, but it was much more relaxed. Shaking his head, he said with a wry smile, "You're amazing, did you know that Vala?" The raven-haired woman smirked smugly at this, watching him with sparkling eyes.
"Thank you, Daniel," she said breathlessly, watching him intently, squeezing his hand in hers. He responded in kind, holding her hand tightly.
Drawing in a deep breath, she sighed happily as she watched the way he looked at her. "So," she finally said, "why did you come back so quickly? Surely you haven't found the Goa'uld already..."
"Artix is here?" the prisoner asked Kethmal incredulously.
"Yes," the Goa'uld answered coolly, "he arrived on this pathetic little planet several hours ago, and has been waiting for my signal that the preparations are finished for his arrival." He turned around and walked over to Agent Mitchell's corpse, bending down to pick up the pistol from the dead man's hand. "I was unfortunately delayed by an unforeseen complication," he continued as he inspected the weapon, then stood, turning to face the other once more. "However, I was able to," he paused, grinning malevolently, "rectify the situation in a most pleasing fashion."
He walked over to the prisoner, handing him the pistol. The other took it, and Kethmal reloaded his own weapon. "Now, all we have lost is time." After a moment's thought, he amended himself, "Indeed, the opportunity to strike is greater now than it ever was." After loading the fresh cartridge in his weapon's handle, he pulled the top back with a loud, metallic clacking sound.
Putting the pistol back in its holster, he reached into a large pocket on the leg of his pants and pulled out a small device about the size of an index card. It was flat, an electronic display taking up the one side, with Goa'uld writing on the screen. He strapped it to his forearm so that he could read the display. Looking at the newly mounted device, he read the writing, then tapped on a few icons. The display changed a few times, then he tapped on a few more. The display changed once more and Kethmal smiled wickedly.
Reaching into a pocket, he produced a small device, and pressed the button on it. The device began flashing as the Goa'uld walked to the far side of the room and placed the instrument on the floor.
Walking back to the other, he looked at him and grinned. "It is time," he said simply.
Daniel's expression fell as Vala asked the question, a look of dread coming across his expression. The raven-haired woman was completely confused by his reaction. "What's wrong, darling?" she asked with a concerned voice.
"Uhm," he hesitated, the apprehension of what he had to ask her washing over him again. Vala furrowed her eyebrows, looking very worried and confused.
She sat forward, taking his hand in both of hers now. She watched him with a caring, tender eye. "Please, Daniel," she said gently, her voice soft and tender, "tell me what's wrong..."
The archaeologist only felt worse at her reaction, his cheeks flushing as she watched him with an increasingly worried gaze. He opened his mouth to answer, but hesitated.
Suddenly the phone over on the nurse's desk rang, causing Daniel to jump. He and Vala glanced over as the nurse on duty picked up the receiver and spoke briefly into the handset, then listened. Daniel turned back to look at Vala, and she to him. Drawing in a deep breath, he considered how he'd do this.
Before he could say anything though, the nurse called out, "Dr. Jackson?" The two looked over again at the sound of her voice, "Colonel Mitchell says that he and Teal'c are almost done getting the soldiers ready. They'd would like to know if Vala has agreed to help yet."
Vala furrowed her brow intently at the nurse's words, looking back over to Daniel intently. The archaeologist groaned inwardly, sighing as her stare bored into him. "Help with what?" she asked in a voice that suggested she already suspected the answer.
Daniel swallowed hard, watching the raven-haired woman sitting across from him with a cagey eye. "Well," he began hesitantly, "Mitchell, Teal'c, and Landry would like you to help us find the Goa'uld."
She started to smirk at this, but quickly suppressed it, trying very hard to take on a serious look. "Would they?" she asked in an indifferent tone that had a hint of amusement behind it. "I don't know, Daniel," she continued, "like you said, I only just came out of surgery. I'm all delicate and fragile right now." She paused, apparently to suppress a laugh. "Of course, there's also the promise I made to you, I can't go off and violate your trust by breaking my word..."
He sighed heavily, his cheeks flushing as he he saw how much fun she was having with this. "Vala..." he began with a tired voice.
"Besides," she said, talking over him in a melodramatic voice, tossing her hair to one side, "what could I possibly do to help?" She stared intently into his eyes, a subtle smile playing upon his lips. As he stared back at her, he could tell that of course she knew the answer. He could also tell that she was savoring every moment of this.
Clearing his throat, Daniel answered slowly, "You can detect when there's a symbiote nearby. They were thinking you'd..." he paused, then said, "they were thinking you'd be the ideal person to find the Goa'uld for us."
He sighed heavily as he said the words, watching her smile blossom at this. She stared into his eyes, saying nothing for a time. Then raised an eyebrow at him, asking softly, "and what do you think, Daniel?"
The archaeologist said nothing at first, he merely returned her gaze. He drew in a deep breath, then answered gently, "I think it'd be great if you can help out." She smiled and sat silently, waiting as she could see more in his eyes. "I just," he started, hesitating. "I'm just afraid you'll be hurt again, Vala...or worse..."
The raven-haired woman smiled sweetly at his words. Grasping his hand firmly in hers, she moved closer to him. "Daniel," she whispered, staring into his eyes deeply. "I'm not fragile. Far from it," she chuckled. "I can take the punishment from all this, same as you." He nodded, sighing as he looked back into her gaze and smiled. "I mean, come on," she added, her grin growing crooked, "I kicked your ass didn't I?"
Daniel pursed his lips at this, raising an eyebrow at her. She smiled all the more, saying gently, "but you are so sweet to be this worried about me." Reaching up with her one hand to caress his cheek, she squeezed his hand in her other as she added softly, "it means the world to me, darling." He sighed at the touch of her hand upon his face, instinctively leaning closer to her. She smiled seductively, leaning in the rest of the way, pressing her lips to his.
All of the stress and apprehension Daniel had felt was washed away as he felt her soft lips caress his so tenderly. As with each time before, he quickly began to lose himself in the moment. Wrapping his other arm about her, he pulled her even closer as he sighed happily against her lips. She smiled within the kiss, gently teasing him with her tongue while her hand continued to stroke his cheek lovingly. Daniel immediately parted his lips for her. Their tongues entwined together lovingly, each pressing their lips to the other hotly as the rest of the world faded from their awareness.
Suddenly the base klaxon went off, causing the two to pull apart in shock, looking about with great concern. Daniel looked over to the nurse, whom he saw still had the phone of the hook, the receiver held on her shoulder as she looked through the papers on her desk. "Hey!" he called over to her. "Is Colonel Mitchell still on that phone?" The nurse nodded in response. The archaeologist looked over to Vala. Squeezing her hand tightly once more, he said, "I'm going to see if he can tell us what's going on, and let him know about the hack..."
Vala nodded answering quickly, "Good idea." She looked back down at his laptop as he got up and ran over to the nurse's desk.
"Thanks, Sarah," he said to her with a smile as he took the receiver. "Cam," he said into the mouthpiece. "What's going on?"
While Daniel was on the phone, Vala typed away at the computer, her face growing concerned. "Oh, no," she said quietly as she started to type faster. After a few moments, she looked over to the two at the desk. "Daniel...!" she called out with an urgent voice, glancing back at the computer, then over to him again.
"What?" Jackson answered as looked over, putting his hand over the mouthpiece.
"The software just became active!" Vala said in a panic, looking at him with a worried gaze.