Summary – Since you made it till here, I believe you already know all you need to know. :) Have fun.
Sandra – S(L)AVE WHALES:)))) inak, upozornujem ze tento jeden, hoci mne sa paci, moze istym ludom pripadat…ehm..pateticky, ale ja au tak dufam, ze ty jako vecna romaticka preklenies klise a nakoniec sa ti to bude pacit. Snad. :)
Leenie – Gotta love you more and more! Thanx to you is this story becoming better and better. KISS!
ALL others –Thanx to all who read and especially those who reviewed. I was so happy to find so many great and sweet reviews, many of them being thoughtful and expressing opinions on my story. You gave it a bit of though and I am very grateful for that. THANX!
BTW, We are nearing the number 50 of reviews! I am overwhelmed!!!THANK YOU ALL! Your reviews keep me going!
As usual - RER – read – enjoy – review. Cos I LOOOOVE FEEDBACK! But you already know, don't you? ;)
Where the truth lies
by- liz parker
Chapter 6 – Yes and No
It was exactly 8 o'clock in the morning when SG-1 stepped through the wormhole. Not that it would matter much. At the end of the event horrizon awaited a completely different world that had it's own time and space rules anyway, so having a watch or checking time was absolutely unnecessary. Yet, for Daniel, it meant something. Exactly 24 hours ago, he was a happy unconcerned man, who was preparing for a mission in good spirits. A mission that should get Earth a bunch of new friends, but no, instead, it had gone completely wrong. And the one person responsible for all of that was now stepping through this wormhole with him, without bothering about the events that happened on the previous day. Yeah. Everything seemed normal about his relationship with Vala. Except for the little detail that the two of them weren't talking to each other.
Yet, Daniel was partially wrong on one account. The one person he held responsible was not really responsible. At least not for what Daniel thought this person might have done. And there was also a second thing, one on which Daniel was completely wrong. Vala may have acted as if nothing had happened the previous day, yet her insides were boiling with anger, hurt, fury and disappointment. Every now and then, one of these feelings would overcome her, only to be replaced by another in a short period of time. Hurt was the most predominant one, though.
The five members od SG-1 were standing half-knees up in snow. The wormhole behind them closed and now the only sound that could be heard was the scowling of chilly wind. Daniel stepped to the DHD, making a quick observation of the signs on the panel.
"Everything alright here." He said with narrowed eyes. It was a wonderful chilly day, the sky was blue and the sun shining. However, it was an unpleasant thing, hence the strong sunlight bounced of the snow, literally blinding them.
"Ok then. 10 bucks that we go…." Cam pointed out his finger in the direction ahead of him, "straight ahead," he finished, putting on his sunglasses.
Teal'c gave his compass a quick glance.
"I am afraid you are wrong Col. Mitchell. We have to go in the exact opposite direction."
"Damn! Close enough." Cursed Mitchell. Teal'c raised an eyebrow.
"I will visit your office and collect my winnings after our homecoming." Said Teal'c in the most serious voice.
Cam gave a shocked face. He definitely didn't expect the Jaffa to take his bet seriously, but he didn't dare speak up. Sam bit her lips to suppress the wide grin that threatened to escape them. Cam still hadn't learned that Teal'c was not one to joke around. At least not after Jack had taught him how to win or lose a bet. At the memory, she smiled inwardly, a warm sensation spreading through her chest.
They five turned around and started off, on their way towards the rocky mountains they had been told lay somewhere ahead. None of the remaining two members of the team acknowledged the little exchange between Cam and Teal'c and their stolid looks slowly spread over the others as well. There was an uncomfortable silence, which was very untypical for SG-1, since the five of them always chattered about anything they could come up with and then laughed at Mitchell's goofy jokes and Vala's teasing of Daniel. Not today though. The only sound that could be heard was the crunching of snow underneath their feet.
As they were passing a frozen lake, Cam decided to use this opportunity to start a conversation.
"So! Can anyone tell me why the report states we should stay away from the lakes?"
Silence. Daniel didn't catch the lure. Or he just didn't want to, so Sam stepped in.
"Well, SG-7 mentioned some unusual earth quake activity probably caused by the thermal water streams underground."
"And what exactly is THAT supposed to mean?"
"I believe what they meant was that now and then, we may feel the earth shaking slightly, caused by the streams of hot water underground."
"You tellin' me that underneath all this snow and ice actually lie streams of hot water?" Asked Cam incredulously. Sam gave him a bright smile and nodded.
"Wow!"
"Wow, indeed! Doctor Cass assumes that apart from the freezing water in the lakes, there are some areas where underground hot streams flow upwards and mix with the cold water. That's also why SG-7 recommended us to stay away from the lakes. The ice covering them looks pretty stable, but you can never be sure when there might be some hot streams underneath. With the occasional earth quakes, it's probably best we stay off the ice." She shrugged and then gave a laugh at the memory of her scientist colleagues.
"Doctor Cass can't wait to come here and examine the lakes. And you should have seen the faces of the geologists when they heard they had to postpone their research until we were done looking for the remains of possible ancient cultures. They were furious!" Sam gave another laugh.
"I don't believe those geeks are capable of producing real fury!" Cam waved his hand dismissingly.
"Hey!" Said Sam half jokingly, half offended.
"Of course I didn't mean you! You are NOT a geek! You are …brainy!"
Sam gave him a disbelieving look, then turned to Teal'c. "What about you Teal'c? Do you also think I'm a geek?"
"Certainly I do not. Yet I have to concur with Col. Mitchell. You are the smartest human I believe I have ever met."
Sam blushed.
"Gee, thanks Teal'c. What about you guys?" She addressed the remaining two members of their team, trying to somehow pull them into the conversation. Yet, she had to almost shout the second sentence, since the two of them were both plucked away from the main group. Daniel was a few feet ahead of them, focusing all his energy into maintaining a quick pace. And on the contrary, Vala was a few feet behind.
Both of them were probably deep in their thoughts, since no one answered Sam's question. She sighed but continued with the conversation as if nothing happened.
"Pretty chilly out here, isn't it?"
"Yeah! I am already freezing my butt off. Pretty nippy!"
Then, he bent closer to Sam and muttered: "And I don't mean just the weather." He pointed his head in Daniel direction, then looked behind himself at Vala.
"How long do you think this may last?"
Sam shrugged. "I have no idea. I've known Daniel for ten years, but I've never seen him as furious as this." She shot Cam a worried look.
"Ya think it's that serious? He looks pretty composed to me."
"Trust me, It's not just the streams underground boiling..." Cam sighed heavily, then decided it was time for them to once again stick together.
"Hey Jackson. Jackson!" Shouted Mitchell at Daniel, who had enforced such a quick pace, that they were already nearing the rocky mountains in their attempt to keep up with him. Daniel stopped in his tracks and turned around.
"Could you please hold on? It's not like the rocks are going anywhere." Daniel pulled an annoyed face. This was not the right time to crack O'Neill jokes, although he knew it was not Cam's intention to do so.
They all caught up with him and waited a second for Vala to catch up with them in turn. Yet, even though she saw they were all waiting for her, she didn't hurry. On the contrary, she seemed to reduce her pace even more. Cam knew she was doing it on purpose, as well as he knew why Daniel had set up such brutal tempo.
Vala finally joined them and this time, they all continued forward at an equal pace. But, silence pervaded once more.
They rocky area was not more that 50 feet away and Cam could see that despite his outward aloofness, the nearer they came to the rocky valley, the more excited Daniel grew. Even in his anger, he could not mask his excitement when thinking about the possibilities that lay in front of him.
They finally arrived at the spot. Suddenly to their right, from underneath the ground, they could see vast masses of stone and rock emerging to form a maze of passageways, caves and natural objects. On their left lay yet another frozen lake, whose shores continued to outline the rocky area, until some 100 feet ahead, where the lake ended, and the rocks formed a cliff over the lake.
"You guys realize this would be a the perfect retreat for people if the lake wasn't frozen, don't you think?" Said Sam excitedly.
"The edges of the lake follow the rocks very closely, leaving only a short passageway between them. The lake only ends some 100 feet ahead, where it finally joins the rocks. It would make a perfect shelter. You are protected from one side by water, on the other side by rocky mountains." She gave them a meaningful look.
"Indeed." Said Teal'c.
"So what you guys are saying is…" Said Mitchell
"…that if a civilization ever existed on this planet, maybe thousands of years ago, before this ice age took over, the rocky enclosure would have been the ideal place to live." Finished Daniel thoughtfully yet excitedly.
He finally found his words again, his mind, for a while, suppressing the unpleasant thoughts that had festered within it. He knew that at least as long as his mind was switched to work-mode, he could subdue the disturbing notions and doubts that had eaten him alive since yesterday.
"You-you see, there might be some great historical artifacts in those caves. If the ice age came unexpectedly, the people wouldn't have any time to react or adapt. They would have frozen to death before they could find a solution to survive the cold. So …" Daniel pushed his thoughts even further, "…the ice would have preserved all the remnants of their civilization. You understand where I am going with this? This place could be the source of great findings! Artifacts that are so well preserved are priceless!" beamed Daniel with sparkling eyes.
At that point, Vala gave a small but very audible snort.
"Well, I wouldn't use the word "priceless". We'll probably only find some junk, equipment, pottery and such."
Cam, Sam, even Teal'c knew she didn't intend her words to sound as bad as they did. It was so like her to say something extremely thoughtless. On a different occasion, they would have all shared a laugh, and Daniel would have probably shot something ironic and teasing back at her.
But not this time. To Daniel, it was like a slap in the face. After all the recent events, how did she have the guts to mock him and mock the work that was most sacred to him?
"Yes. Definitely nothing for you Vala. Such junk wouldn't catch your sticky fingers, would it?" He shot back coldly. There was no trace of joviality in his tone.
"What?" She asked wide-eyed.
His cold, accusing tone took her by surprise. She was indeed angry with him for the previous day, for not trusting her and accusing her of theft, but she hadn't meant to worsen the tension with what she had said. She had blurted it out without thinking about it really. Wasn't he being too pompous thinking that everything she said or did concerned him in some way? Her world didn't consist solely of Daniel Jackson after all!
"You are being a bit touchy today, don't you think?" Asked Vala in a slow tone, her eyes narrowing.
"Guys…" Stepped in Sam, her tone attempting to placate the situation.
"Gee, I don't know, do I look touchy to you? I'm sorry; I definitely didn't want to hurt your feelings Vala. If you had any, that is." Said Daniel mockingly. His voice and nerves were clearly on edge.
"Why do you have to be such a moron, Daniel? Damn, how do you even dare to talk to me like that?! The way you behaved yesterday, it should be ME to be angry with you!" Vala shot back.
Cam stepped in between the two of them before Daniel got a chance to reply.
"Hey! Stop that! Both of you! Jeez …" He sighed. "Can we discuss this at home?"
"NO!" Was the simultaneous answer.
"Please, don't force me to make it an order." Pleaded Cam in despair.
"I am afraid you can't order them, Col. Mitchell, they both are civilians." Said Teal'c in an almost explanatory voice.
"Gee Teal'c, thanks for the back up!" Breathed Cam in an ironic tone.
Teal'c was silent. He hated disputes of every sort.
Vala and Daniel were both glaring at each other, each of them thinking about words that would hurt the other more. Sam saw the danger of the situation and tried to stop its escalation.
"Ok guys, we all know that you are angry at each other and that's ok. But I am afraid that right now, you are not thinking clearly, and you feel like you have to prove something to one other, but please, stop being so stubborn and step down."
The two of them were still looking at each other challengingly, but then, a dose of reality sobered them up in some way, causing both to ease up and turn away.
At that point, everything could have ended up just fine if Daniel hadn't, for whatever reason he couldn't recall afterwards, let out one last sniping remark.
"I am definitely not the one whose stubbornness usually gets us in trouble." He mumbled angrily, loud enough for everyone to hear.
Vala turned abruptly, giving him a contemptuous look.
"Is this how you fight Daniel? Attack from behind?"
Cam gave a despairing cry.
"I've finally learned something from you, didn't I?" Said Daniel, knowing his words had no other purpose but provoking Vala.
Vala growled, giving an angry howl. Everybody except Daniel found it more than troubling.
"So you think I'm stubborn, huh?" Asked Vala in a quiet, menacing tone. "Alright then. I'll show you stubborn."
At that point, she set out straight towards the lake and continued without hesitation onto the ice.
"Vala! What the hell are you doing? Get your ass back here, ASAP!" Shouted Mitchell, but she didn't care. She continued her pace, until she was about 20 feet across the lake, then stopped and turned around.
"Vala, stop it! Come back, this won't prove anything, you are just endangering yourself!" Shouted Sam in despair.
"Your actions are most unwise, Vala Mal Doran!" Added Teal'c.
Even Daniel got uneasy. "Vala, come back! You have no idea what you're doing! Stop being foolish and come back!"
"Oh, but that's the main problem with me, isn't it Daniel? Me being foolish, reckless, disobedient, stubborn and always the troublemaker, right?"
"You know what, Vala? YES! That's EXACTLY the problem with you. You are always more trouble than worth. Now, look at yourself! Look at what you are doing! You think you are making a point? No! The only thing you're really doing now is getting into trouble. Again!"
His words sounded cold, but his insides were clenched. This was not funny anymore. If there were some hot stream underneath the spot she was standing, the ice might not hold her weight and could break. Yet, she did not flinch. Either she was completely insane, or making her point, whatever that might be, was so important to her that she was willing to risk her life for it.
Daniel knew that he would achieve nothing with this kind of attitude. She wouldn't move an inch.
Vala, on the other hand, knew that if she returned to the solid ground now, the others would rebuke her and make the two of them stop fighting. And she wanted to solve this now and for all. Not later, not tomorrow, or the day after, NOW.
Daniel saw he had no other choice and finally gave in with a deep sigh.
"Ok Vala, you made your point. I'am sorry and everything, ok? Now would you be so kind and come back here?" He said calmly, yet obviously not meaning a single word he said.
"What are you sorry for?" Shouted Vala defiantly back at Daniel.
"What?" Asked Daniel.
"Are you sorry you were wrong I stole the mace? Or are you sorry for something else and still believe I am quilty?" She asked firmly.
"Oh, so that's what all this is about?"
"No Vala, we trust you!" Cried Mitchell in despair. He wanted that bloody reckless chic back that instant, safely if possible.
"Indeed." Confirmed Teal'c, joining Cam.
"You know I do too, Vala." Said Sam knowingly.
"What about you Daniel?" Asked Vala.
"Vala, come back this instant! Don't make me come after you!" He avoided the answer.
"Yes or no, Daniel?" Her question was still firm, but her voice was shaking with emotion.
What did she want from him? What would it prove if he said yes? Daniel knew that the only rational thing to do would indeed be to say "yes". But he found he couldn't. She wanted an honest answer and he wouldn't lie. He wasn't sure she stole the mace. His doubts were stronger now than they had ever been, but it still wasn't enough to convince him completely. Daniel knew it was his emotional side speaking when thinking about her innocence, not his brain. He knew that his heart WANTED her to be innocent, but that didn't mean she truly was. And the thought of him deciding to believe her but being proven wrong in the end horrified the hell out of him. And so he chose a path somewhere in between – he wouldn't believe either way without proof. But he realized now it was this middle path that brought them here in the first place.
"Yes or no Daniel?" She asked again, but he could see her steady posture was slowly starting to fall apart.
All the events of the previous days crashed down on him. All the evidence against Vala…Tabuti's testimony…her startled look when he found her in the treasure chamber…he pinning her down to the ground during the snowfight…her shaking hands with the Mayor while holding something tight in the other…her face closing in on his own …her lips pressed against his own…
Suddenly the ground shook. Yet it was not the slight shake SG-7 mentioned might happen. It was a violent one that caught them all by surprise and caused them to fall down. Daniel looked up at the lake and saw Vala had fallen as well. Her body lay still, she seemed unconscious. Daniel wanted to get up, but another quake forced him down again. After several agonizing moments, the ground finally stopped shaking and Daniel and the rest managed to get up. They all started to call after Vala, who had obviously regained consciousness in the meantime, but seemed disorientated and languid, looking around her in confusion.
Daniel and the others didn't wait any longer. They all made their way towards the lake at once, but suddenly heard the most horrific sound, the sound of breaking ice. Vala seemed to recognize the danger as well, but she wasn't quick enough. Before anyone else could react, the ice around her broke and she disappeared into the dark water.
TBC
AN – Ok, this was all a bit mean, but hey ppl, YOU said you liked angst!:) Not that I would direct my story after your wishes, cos it lives on it's own, but anyway. :)
I won't hold you up long this time, I just wanna let you know, that now with the school and everything, I might post more irregularly, with using every opportunity to write, but dunno, maybe I won't have time in weeks, I might have time 2morrow.
But no matter what, I am NOT giving up on this story. I love it far too much. :)
Still, you don't need to worry that now I won't post for half a year or so, definitely NOT, Sandra will take care of that, woncha honey? ;) Just be prepared for possible longer paused between chapters.
Ok, that's everything, and if you have time, pls don't forget to review.
Dismissed!;)