Chapter Fifteen: Scrying Memories
Dorou pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to dispel the steady ache growing behind his eyes. It didn't help. With a sigh, the young Shadow Agent picked up his scrying crystal by its silver chain and held it over the map of London spread out on his desk. It slowly spun in a circle.
"Come on," he growled softly. He was having difficulty using his power to track down the elusive Goa'uld Kheti. London just had too many people in it to make it easy to pick out the life-energy of just one.
The crystal continued to waver in the air over the map, not drawn to any particular spot the way it would if he managed to sense the Goa'uld
"Mai'tac," he muttered. Sawyer had managed to stake out the cult's meeting place about a week ago, two weeks after the mage Fisher had given the League his warning. This had caused some concern among his teammates, who constantly worried about his safety. That doctor- Jekile or whatever his name was- insisted on checking Sawyer over every time he returned from one of the cult's services to make sure he hadn't been implanted with a Goa'uld. To limit the risk, the group had decided that the only person to stake out the meeting place would be Sawyer.
Dorou snorted at the memory of the last such mandatory check-up. As if they were necessary- if Sawyer were to be implanted with a primta, or even an adult symbiote, Dourou would be able to sense it. All Goa'uld- and Tau'ka- had trace amounts of a metallo-quartzite mineral called Naquadaa in their bloodstream. Goa'uld hosts also had it in their systems as a result of their blending. Naquadaa was extremely reactive, and when it combined with the iron in hemoglobin, it produced a compound that vibrated in the presence of more of itself. The carrier could sense blood-borne Naquadaa in the form of a tingling sensation in their bodies. And by the time Sawyer returned to the League after being implanted, the parasite would have healed the wound its entry created.
The Shadow Agent had made a point of checking everyone in the League for blood-borne Naquadaa whenever they returned from their searches. So far, he had found nothing- though as Dorou had a deficit of blood-borne Naquadaa in his system, he couldn't be entirely certain that his tests were accurate. But so far there had not bee any significant change in any of the groups' personalities, although the invisible thief had commented that Sawyer seemed a bit more testy than usual for the past two or three days. Dorou was fairly certain that the American's irritation was aimed more at Dorou himself than anything else.
He stared out his window at the snow that now fell from the sky. He hated this place, with its cold, damp weather and seemingly constant precipitation. As much of an honor as it was to serve his first solo mission on a high-profile world as Earth, he would gladly have traded the honor for a chance to go back to Verris. Or at least an assignment on a civilized planet. The Tau'ri didn't even know how to work their Stargate. Barbarians.
The crystal suddenly leaped to a point on the map, its tip drawn to the spot like an iron needle to a magnet. Dorou stared down at the location it was pointing to in surprise- an alley not too far from the mansion the League had taken up residence in.
He smiled triumphantly. "Now that is much better," he said aloud. He memorized the location and its relation to he mansion and put the crystal away.
OSCOSCOOSCOSCOSC
Dorou hurried down the stairs, passing Jekyll in the hall. The tall doctor quickly pressed himself to the wall to get out of the way.
"Where are you going?" Jekyll asked as the Shadow agent brushed by him. Jekyll was one of only two members of the League currently in the mansion- all of his companions except for Nemo were out on their patrols looking for the Goa'uld.
"I found one of them." Dorou snapped. "I'm going after them."
Jekyll looked bewildered. "F-found one of w-what?" he stammered, eyes wide.
"One of the Goa'uld!" Dorou snapped. "Are you deaf?"
He'd like to be, Hyde grumbled. Henry, let me out so I can crush him…I'm sick of this little twit.
The Tau'ka gave him a disgusted look. "Stay out of my way, Dr. Jenkins," he said as he headed out the door. "I can handle this myself."
"It's Jekyll," the doctor muttered under his breath as the front door slammed shut. He left the hall, heading towards the library where Nemo was working. "Captain, Agent Dorou says he found one of the Goa'uld."
Nemo looked up from a large map of London with pins topped with various colors of sealing wax stuck in it. "He does?" he inquired. "He scryed them?"
Jekyll nodded. "He just left- said he could handle it alone." He slumped into a nearby chair, feeling drained. "He managed to get my name wrong again too."
The captain raised a dark eyebrow. "He is not making any effort to endear himself to anybody," he commented.
"No, he is not." Jekyll gazed dully at Nemo's map for a long while as his companion added another pin. "What are you doing?" he finally asked.
"Mr. Fisher provided me with a list of the men who work for him," Nemo explained. "I am attempting to determine if there is any relationship among them between the homes of those who are taken into this cult and who are not." He looked up from the map and studied Jekyll carefully. "You do not look well," he commented at last, noting that the other man looked thinner and more tired than he had in a long time. Actually, Nemo couldn't remember a time when Jekyll had looked so ragged. "Is Hyde giving you trouble?"
"What?" Jekyll's head jerked up, and he blinked nervously. "N-no, of course not," he stammered. Nemo gave him a long, hard look. "Yes," he admitted. "I can't shut him out. He's always there, trying to get me to release him, constantly wearing at me." He buried his face in his hands, fingers clutching at his limp reddish hair. "I don't know how much longer I can take it."
Nemo frowned. It was as if Hyde were water, slowly freezing inside the fragile glass container that was Jekyll. If this kept up, Jekyll was going to crack. "We can try the idea we discussed," he suggested. "I can have my men empty the ice room for you…"
"No!" Jekyll cried, sitting bolt upright. "If I let him out, I won't be able to fight him later!" Jekyll knew that he wasn't strong enough to resist Hyde if he gave in once. He was ashamed to admit the weakness, but there it was.
Come on, Henry! Hyde growled. Just let me out!
"Shut up!" Jekyll told the insidious voice in his head, though he felt the protest was ineffectual as Hyde laughed mockingly at him.
You'll do it eventually. I'll win. I ALWAYS win.
Jekyll slumped again. "He wasn't so bad when Daria was here," he said after a moment. "God, he hasn't been like this since…" He paused to think for a moment. "Since I left London."
"You miss her," Nemo said. It wasn't a question, just a simple statement of the facts as he saw them.
"I do, but what's the point?" the doctor said glumly. "Her Council won't let her come back." Once again, he buried his face in his hands, thinking, Why did I ever fall in love with her?
"The point?" Nemo repeated, his dark eyes blazing. "It is clear to anyone with eyes that she cared about you!" Jekyll flinched under the captain's stern gaze, and Nemo softened slightly. "Don't give up on her yet, Doctor," he said, memories of his own family rising unbidden. He pushed them away, not wanting to deal with the grief they still held for him at that moment. "She may yet find a way."
Jekyll met Nemo's eyes. "I hope you're right, Captain."
OSCOSCOSCOSCOSCOSC
"Dhar'ya, either pay attention or get out of the ring," Vader said sharply. "That's the fifth time I've had to pull a blow because your mind is somewhere else."
The Tau'ka blinked, then her face settled into a determined expression. "No, I'm alright," she said firmly. She resettled her grip on her sword and brought it up into a ready position. "Go."
Vader bowed slightly and brought up his own weapon. Normally he fought with a lightsaber- a new one with a deep red-purple hue he'd constructed after leaving the Emperor- but for practice purposes with the Tau'ka, he used a light-weight sword. Even then, the Force gave him an unfair advantage against almost any opponent- only the Battle-Precognitives really stood much of a chance against him.
The scarred Force-Adept stepped forward slowly and twitched his blade. Daria reacted to the feint, striking out to swat it away. Vader parried the 'attack' forcefully and darted in to carefully tap her unprotected side with his sword.
"Kill," he said in his raspy voice.
"Go," Daria repeated. As soon as he'd nodded, she lunged, striking high and low. Vader stepped back to avoid the swings. She closed on him, and he snaked the tip of his sword around hers to rest at the hollow of her throat.
"Kill."
"Go."
Vader sighed but complied. This time, as the Tau'ka lunged in with no sense of timing or strategy, he sidestepped and smacked the back of her leg with the flat of his weapon. Daria stumbled and fell to the floor.
"That's enough," he said firmly. Daria's sword flew out of her hand at his telekinetic summons. He snatched it from the air by the hilt and looked down at her. "I have never seen you so off-form. What has gotten into you?" he demanded. "Where is your brain this morning?"
The Tau'ka rolled to her feet. "I'm okay," she said irritably.
Vader glowered. "No, you are not. I've seen younglings with better strategy then that. You never used to fall for that feint, Dhar'ya! If you keep this up, you're going to get yourself hurt or killed."
She glared up at him. "Well, then that's my problem, isn't it?" she snapped.
He stepped back, stung by her angry tone. Daria never snapped at him. Ever. "Don't take it out on me," he said gruffly. "I haven't done anything but make sure you didn't get injured."
The Tau'ka opened her mouth to reply sharply, but then closed it again and looked down. "Sorry," she mumbled. "You're right."
Vader raised one eyebrow in surprise at the apology. Contrite was not one of her usual moods. He knew what this was about- Daria was still furious at the Council for reassigning her and was chafing under the new restrictions they had put her under. In addition, she was missing Jekyll. He could read it in the Force- she was projecting waves of hurt and loss that attested to the fact. Actually, he was surprised she didn't have half of the Empaths on the base banging on her door trying to get her to a counseling session.
He was suddenly struck by how familiar this scene seemed to him. Vader could distinctly remember several times during the Clone Wars he had snapped at his mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi, frustrated at the lack of progress in the struggle and at being separated from his beloved Padmé.
Of all the ironies the Force ever threw at me, this one takes the Corellian vyshcate, Vader thought with a trace of dry amusement. Who ever would have thought I'd be in Obi-Wan's position? Me, the most unorthodox and rebellious Jedi in the Order- when I was in the order, anyway. I'll bet the old man is laughing at me if he's watching, wherever he is.
Vader forced himself to ignore the confusion of emotions that always threatened to swamp him whenever he thought about Obi-Wan. The older Jedi had been like a father to him growing up- albeit a rather distant, difficult to please one who was constantly exasperated with his escapades- but he never could forget the way Obi-Wan had left him to live or die on Mustafar…
"Dhar'ya," he said quietly. "It's going to be okay. I understand how you feel."
"Do you?" she snapped, the fire coming back into her eyes for a moment. She suddenly realized who she was talking to. "Oh, right. Sorry."
He stepped nearer to his friend, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder. "If it helps, I'll fly you to Earth myself the next time the Council gives you leave."
Daria looked up to meet his concerned blue eyes. It wasn't fair, that she missed Henry so much… "Thanks," she said, touched by the offer.
Vader nodded. "You're welcome." Stepping back, he tossed her the sword he'd confiscated. "Do you think you can pay attention now?"
Daria caught it by the hilt and smoothly lunged forward, taking Vader by surprise as the tip of her blade snaked up to rest just over his heart.
"I think so," she said.