DISCLAIMER: Not Mine. MGM and the Stargate writers got to play for real, I get to play in my head now that they are finished with them! And Suzanne Collins provided the inspiration for the backdrop/plot into which I will be throwing Daniel and Vala this time!

A/N: Thanks for sticking with me guys! More is on the way!

SG-1 sat, dumbstruck, on the edge of a stone fountain as they watched the opening ceremony of the Gabanese games come to a close.

Having talked to a few people in the market that afternoon they had managed to get an idea of what the games were about, how they worked. They really didn't like the sounds of it.

Arriving in the main square that evening, as Secretary Vicar had suggested, Sam, Cam and Teal'c had found a place to sit amongst the crowd that had already gathered. The sun set slowly, the closed market stalls casting long shadows and the stars began to blink into existence above them. As they waited for the broadcast to begin, none of the team said much, just listened to the low buzz of conversation coming from the people that surrounded them. Based on what they had learned they were all dreading what they would see on the screen and how Daniel and Vala could be involved; particularly since this year was apparently for previous victors only.

The ceremony began and they watched the ridiculous looking hostess conduct her interviews with the people they now knew to be criminals turned combatants. They saw clips of previous games shown before and after each interview; clips of vicious battles as the 'contenders' fought for their lives, their freedom, while a planet full of spectators watched.

"How very Gladiator of them" Cam had commented, with a disgusted look on his face.

SG-1 had watched contender after contender being introduced and listened as kill counts were reported like batting scores or field goal stats. Finally, they heard Daniel's name announced. They weren't entirely surprised, considering what Secretary Vicar had said (or not said), but Sam's hand flew to her mouth nonetheless at the sight of Daniel walking across the stage as a contender and Teal'c clenched his fists against his thighs, his jaw clenching. Cam steeled himself and leaned forward, trying to gain as much information as possible from the screen before them.

Listening to Daniel speak they quickly caught on to what had happened earlier that afternoon. He had been trying to protect Vala who had stumbled into an unexpected situation and as a result had blundered his way into the games, having volunteered to go with her. None of this really surprised the team; it was all very…Daniel.

It was Vala's interview that truly shocked them. Not because of what she said. It was true that the pain Sam could see in Vala's eyes worried her, and that Cam could hear a quaver in her voice that rattled him more than he would like to admit. However, it was the clips they showed after Vala's interview that left the team rather shaken.

It had been obvious from her conversation with the hostess – disjointed as it was - that this was not Vala's first time in the Gabanese games. She was in fact a victor. But, when they saw the highlights from her last experience in the games they could hardly believe their eyes. The announcers noted in their introduction of the archival footage that Vala had been a contender in the games some 10 years ago. Based on what Vala had told SG-1, that meant that it couldn't have been too long after the Tok'ra had freed her from Qetesh. The person they saw on the screen was most definitely not the woman they had come to know as their teammate, their friend. They knew Vala had done terrible things as Qetesh, things she herself refused to talk about. They also knew that after undergoing the extraction ceremony she had lied, cheated and stolen to get by, but they had never known her to be a killer.

In the first clip they watched as a young Vala, her grey jumpsuit dirty and her hair pulled back haphazardly, dropped from a tree onto the back of a extremely large, muscular, bald man and without hesitation slit his throat with a long knife. She then proceeded to grab his pack and hurry away into the nearby underbrush. As the man's blood spilled out onto the ground around him, the camera caught Vala looking back, just once, and Cam thought he could see a hint of remorse in her eyes.

In the next clip Vala was still in the same forest, but they were clearly looking at footage from later in the games. She was crouched low in front of two very large men, both of whom were holding very deadly looking spears. Her clothing was torn, her face was covered in dirt and sweat, and her hair was loose and wild. In each hand she was holding a vicious looking weapon with curved blades and her eyes were angry. Vala let out a fierce yell of warning as one of the men attempted to go around her, towards what seemed to be a young man propped up against a tree a good distance behind her. They seemed to be at a stalemate when suddenly Vala lunged forward, throwing one of her blades into the stomach of the first man while swiftly slashing the neck of the second. Within moments they were both on the ground, dead. Vala didn't even pause, she jumped over their prone bodies and ran quickly out of the camera's view, breathing heavily and shouting something they couldn't hear.

The audio was replaced by the announcers once more. They noted that this was in fact the final battle that resulted in Vala being declared victor, and that it was still one of the most replayed moments of any games in recent history. They hinted at the tragedy of it, something about someone named Leenan, but the reference was lost on Cam, Sam and Teal'c, who could only stare at the frozen shot of their friend still on screen: a young woman they barely recognized with wild, pain-filled eyes and streaks of dirt and blood covering her face.

"...Alright. It may be time for Plan B," Cam said finally, breaking the silence that hung over the shocked group as the credits rolled before them.

"I was not aware we had a Plan B Colonel Mitchell."

Cam glanced at Teal'c, then slowly slid his gaze back to the now blank screen.

"Yeah...yeah, I know. That's the kicker."

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