Massive apologies for the late posting of this chapter - Chevron 8.2 totally blew my mind and proved to be one of the best experiences of my sci-fi life! Took a week to recover from it all! Anyway, here we are - belated next chapter. Dive in.
- o - o - o - o - o - o -
Chapter 6 A Hope in Hell
Much of Dakara was in ruins. Many buildings around the Temple were now nothing more than smoking piles of stone and clay. The covered market place was partially destroyed. Goods and produce of all kinds lay in a tangled mess across broken tables and carts, even spilling out into the street. Houses which at the beginning of the day had been cheerful homes were now hulks of rubble – the precious possessions of many families scattered around the ruins.
People were beginning to return – they moved slowly, as if dreaming – clambering among the devastation, trying to locate their treasures. A few straggly trees lay on their sides, ripped up by the roots, hampering people's progress through the streets. In several places bodies, covered in bright shrouds, could be seen. A group of Jaffa had already begun to organize a chain of people to transfer the dead into the peace of the Temple.
The Temple - which by a miracle still stood, as a beacon of hope to the depressed and disheartened inhabitants of Dakara. Much of its top floor was gone, and a large area on the right hand side of the building now lay open to the skies. Dust and small pieces of rubble lay everywhere both inside and out but otherwise, apart from a few cracks in the walls and a spectacularly askew front door, the Temple remained.
It was a miracle. The people realized – those stubborn, Free Jaffa and their allies – that while the Temple stood, their hopes still stood and they clapped each other on the back, amidst their sadness, and spoke of retaliation and rebuilding.
Even the Stargate was still standing. After Mitchell had performed his super-hero type leap into the wormhole the Alkesh's bombs had hit the pedestal on which the 'gate stood, toppling it flat onto the sand and blowing the outer cover off of the DHD.
Within hours a crowd of industrious Jaffa had hauled the Stargate back into a vertical position and propped it upright with pulleys and branches and rocks. The DHD cover was in several pieces but they managed to fit it back together after a fashion – the central red sphere was smashed but someone rigged up a contraption made of clothes pegs, glass and an old staff weapon to enable a person to press the locking mechanism.
When Mitchell, Daniel and Vala came through from the SGC, later that day, and looked backwards it was clear that the seventh chevron was pointing off sideways in a different direction from previous but who cared? By a miracle the Stargate still worked.
- o - o - o - o - o - o -
Vala was sitting on the Temple steps, gazing at the distinctly crooked Stargate, when Sam found her, early that evening.
"Hey," the Colonel plopped down heavily next to her friend.
"Hello," Vala said quietly.
They both carried on contemplating the 'gate for another few moments in silence.
Eventually the alien woman sighed. "Athena is a bitch," she said, succinctly.
Sam's eyes widened. She wasn't quite sure what she'd been expecting Vala to come out with, but it hadn't been that. However, she did add - "Agreed."
"Look at the mess." Vala sounded hopeless as she gesticulated around at what had been the neat and orderly area. Her hand trembled slightly.
Sam slipped a gentle arm around her friend. She had a suspicion that Vala was remembering other times when she'd been on a girl's night out with Athena, during her Gou'ald days. "It's okay," she reminded the alien. "I mean, it's not okay but it will be. It's not your fault."
Vala smiled widely and blinked. "No, no it's not, is it? Not this time."
"She nearly got what she wanted though," Sam said, sadly. "People destitute, homes gone, Temple flattened – I mean, it's still here for the moment but if she sends the Ha'tak again…."
"You think that she will?" Vala's stormy gray eyes were troubled. "You think that she'll come back?"
Sam shrugged. "I don't know. I suppose – yes, I think that she will. She must know that the Temple is still standing. I mean, she wasn't expecting the Hammond to turn up. She probably planned on finishing the job then and there."
"At least you managed to throw a screwdriver in the works," Vala nodded, thoughtfully.
"Spanner." Sam corrected her friend automatically.
"Spanner in the works." Vala leaned her chin onto her knees.
"True." Sam smiled softly. "We'll need to do more than hurl just one spanner – or screwdriver – to beat her completely though. At least if she comes back in the mean time she'll find the Hammond here to greet her!"
"How long are you staying here for?" Vala's gaze traveled across to the X-304, standing about half a klik away from the city border.
"Not sure. No orders yet. For the moment – indefinitely. The Jaffa are too close to us as allies to just leave them in the lurch." Sam leaned back and stretched out her legs. "If we only knew where Athena was coming from, where her base is, then we could go there and take her down. But as soon as the Ha'tak hits subspace, nobody knows where it goes. We can't track her."
"Track her…." Vala was musing, her voice quiet and face thoughtful.
Sam watched her carefully. There was a long, long pause.
"What if – what if we didn't need to track her?" A pair of large, apprehensive eyes looked back at Sam. "What if – I mean, suppose Samantha – if we knew… I mean, if I remembered…" Vala paused, a strange, arrested expression on her face. She cleared her throat. "If say, someone knew where her base was? Or if someone had known once upon a time? I mean it would be a start, wouldn't it?"
"Vala…." Sam looked serious. She watched the other woman very carefully. "If you're proposing what I think you are…"
"Well, it's all we've got, isn't it? I mean, you silly Tau'ri don't have any better ideas, do you?" Vala raised her eyebrows. "Nobody knows exactly where Athena's palace is, but it's somewhere out there. I know it is. I – I – …" she paused and swallowed. "…I remember it. Going there."
She stopped speaking again.
"Vala," Sam took hold of her friend's hand and squeezed it gently. "Are you sure about this? You don't have to do it."
"I know," Vala nodded, trying to look braver than she felt. "I know. But – it really is the only way, isn't it? We have to find her. We have to, Sam. I think – I really do believe – that it will have to be me. I have to put on the memory device."
o – o – o – o – o –
"Absolutely not!" Daniel said firmly. "It's out of the question – I won't let you do it!"
"Well, darling, strictly speaking it's not down to you, is it?" Vala smiled sweetly at him. "And you can't actually tell me what to do. If I want to put the memory device on then I will."
"Over my dead body." Daniel stated, flatly. His expression was stony, eyes hard.
"I"d rather it wasn't, Daniel, I rather like your alive body." Vala sighed theatrically. "You're making a mountain out of a mouse hole, darling."
"Molehill," he answered, through gritted teeth.
Vala raised her eyebrows as she watched him, hands on her hips.
"I would much rather that you didn't use the memory device," he spoke in clipped, low tones. "You remember what happened last time."
And that was it – he'd said it – it was out in the open. Last time Vala had worn the memory device, when she was captured by Athena, it had led to her losing her memory and going missing for over three weeks. The thought of the same thing happening again was appalling. Daniel took off his glasses, folded his arms across his chest and pinched the top of his nose. Unexpectedly, he felt someone else's arm hook around his waist and when he opened his eyes, he found Vala in front of him.
"It's not the same," she spoke softly. "The other time – the machine was blown up – it fried the device. It'll be different this time." She gazed up into his face, eyes large and shining. There was a hint of trepidation in them, but that was all. "It'll be fine, Daniel. Really. Sam's worn the device before and she was okay, wasn't she? It'll be okay. I'll be okay."
Daniel didn't answer at first. He slipped his left arm around Vala's waist, at the same time catching a lock of her blonde wavy hair around the fingers of his right hand. He twisted it, watching how it swirled, his gaze intent. The archaeologist wasn't sure what he was thinking, his thoughts were in turmoil. He didn't want Vala to use the device, but at the same time it was a good idea. It had malfunctioned in a huge and spectacular way the last time she had worn it, but those had been extreme circumstances. If – if – she used it again it would be in the controlled environment of the SGC. And it could work – it really could – Qetesh had been an ally of Athena's for a while, she must have known where the palace was, even if only as close as which solar system it was in.
Vala hardly dared breathe. Her heart was thumping as she watched Daniel play with her hair. She was afraid to put the memory device on again, but only because of what had happened last time. She wasn't going to admit it though. Especially not to the archaeologist.
Daniel dropped the lock of hair that he was playing with and looked directly into her eyes. "Her memories though," he said. "Qetesh's. You – you've buried them, in your subconscious. You couldn't find them, even if you wanted to."
"The device can." Vala's gaze was searching, her eyes huge – they locked with Daniel's own. "Sam said – she didn't even carry Jolinar for long, but she could find the memories. That Tok'ra guy…"
"Martouf."
"Yes, him. He helped her. They found what they needed."
Another long pause.
Daniel nodded slowly. "They did, but it was painful for both of them. Physically and emotionally. And Qetesh's memories would be deeper buried, I'm sure. It would hurt you. Really hurt you." He brought one hand up to touch her face gently.
Vala smiled tremulously. "It'll be alright. You'll – you'll come with me, won't you?"
Daniel cleared his throat. Another pause. He stroked one finger along Vala's jawline.
"I'll come with you," he affirmed.
o – o – o – o – o –
First thing the next morning found Daniel and Vala standing in front of General Landry at the SGC, putting across Vala's idea about using the memory device.
Landry frowned, but didn't say much – a few gruff "Uh huh"s and "Mmm"s". At one point he looked sharply at the alien woman with a glare so ferocious that his eyebrows seemed to have merged into one single entity.
Vala grinned widely back, a slightly hysterical giggle rising in the back of her throat. Those eyebrows have a life of their own, she thought, knotting her fingers together nervously.
Eventually the General reluctantly agreed to sign the release forms that allowed the memory device to be freed from the lock up at Area 51 and transferred immediately to Cheyenne Mountain as a top priority.
"She's going to come back, isn't she? Athena?" Landry leaned on his desk, looking from Daniel to Vala and back again.
"I would say so, sir," Daniel's face was taut. "She's got nothing to lose, and she wants to take the Temple. She'll be back."
"That's why I really have to do it," Vala spoke quietly, but with resolve.
Silence fell for a moment or two.
General Landry smiled wryly. "Well, as long as we don't have to chase you over half of the county this time, Ms Mal Doran!"
She hunched her shoulders, grinning. "That part really wasn't my fault!"
"Agreed." Landry looked at his watch. "Well, give the guys at Area 51 a couple of hours to get here, then the device is all yours. You know how to make it work?" He looked at Daniel.
The archaeologist nodded. "Yes sir. I remember seeing Martouf use it on Sam. It's quite simple."
Hank nodded. "Use one of the isolation rooms – it'll be quiet, you won't be disturbed and there's a bed for Ms Mal Doran if she wants to lie down. You need Carolyn to be on stand by at all?"
"I don't think so," Daniel said.
Vala shook her head.
"Very well." The General nodded his dismissal. "Then good luck!"
o – o – o – o – o –
The memory device turned up just before lunch.
Daniel collected it from security on level 16 and stood outside one of the small isolation rooms for a minute or two, just looking at the package. Nothing about this was ideal, but when had any plan that they'd ever put together against a Gou'ald been ideal? It was the fact that Vala was doing it which was really messing up the good doctor's very tentative karma. The years apart had done nothing to dim the attraction which Daniel had for Vala – in fact, since they had been back together again he could almost believe that it had increased.
And for the first time he thought he could see that behind all the fake bravado and flirting Vala felt the same. Had she always felt the same? He acknowledged for the first time to himself that yes, she probably had. And he now suspected that all of those times he'd rebuffed her in the past – when she'd pouted and sulked and plastered on the fake grin – underneath she'd been trying to tell him how she felt.
Dammit! Daniel screwed his eyes up and pinched the top of his nose again, shoving his glasses up towards his forehead. So much time wasted.
"Why are you just standing there doing nothing, Daniel?" Vala came patrolling along the corridor like a Brigadier on a parade ground. She slapped the archaeologist on his six, hard, and snatched the package out of his hands. "Is this it?"
"Yes," he said, edgily, and snatched it back. "Don't touch it! I'll be the one touching it – you'll be the one wearing it. Don't fiddle!"
"Well, we won't be doing anything with it if you're just going to stand out here in the hall all day, darling." She rattled the handle on the door of the isolation room. "Have you got a key card?"
"Obviously." Daniel removed one from his pocket and nudged her out of his way. One downward swipe and the lock whirred open.
Vala pressed down the handle and swung the door wide. She looked a lot braver than she felt, but she wasn't going to admit it. She knew that Daniel already felt bad enough about what they were doing. Instead she headed for the little cot bed, swung her legs up and leaned back like she was sunbathing on a beach, with her head propped on her hands. "Come on then darling. Let's get this party started!"
Daniel paused, regarded the small parcel briefly, then stepped resolutely into the room, shutting the door behind him.
TBC...