Warnings and disclaimer in chapter 1.
Enjoy.
It was several days before they saw Minister Joris. They waited impatiently at his manor for him to return, but all they ever saw were the men who escorted them back. They prowled restlessly and even attempted to leave the manor, but the men warned against it. One of the men called for backup and within minutes a security force arrived. The team relented and returned to the manor, restlessly pacing back and forth throughout the house. When Joris finally rejoined them they were almost crazy, combating their frustrations by looking through the extensive library in his study.
"Where's Sam?" Jack asked as soon as he spotted the Minister. The other members of the team looked up sharply from where they were sitting. No one else heard Joris come in.
"How do you know that name?" Joris asked quietly, his eyes widening in shock. Jack snarled and leapt toward the minister. Daniel, who was closer to the door, quickly stepped in front of the enraged Colonel.
"How do you?" Daniel countered, pinning the Minister with his stare. The rest of the team had gathered around them. Joris locked eyes with all of them before returning his attention to Jack. Joris breathed deep, making a decision, and squared his shoulders. He held up his finger to his lips, signaling them to silence, and pulled a small electronic device from his pocket. He began scanning the room, finding several listening devices which he promptly deactivated before returning the device to his pocket. Daniel opened his mouth to talk, but Joris shook his head before he could. He went to the door, stepped into the hallway, and called all his servants forward. Within minutes everyone who worked in the manor was gathered together.
"I appreciate all your concern for my daughter," he began, ignoring the gasps he heard coming behind him. "Thankfully it appears Kianna will make a complete recovery. It will be a long process though." He paused for a second, gathering his thoughts. "Kianna's accident, and the several hours of waiting to know if she was even alive, have made me understand the importance of family. When Kianna returns we will need your support more than ever. For now though, I would like to show my appreciation by giving you a gift more precious than any on the planet; time. Take the remainder of the week and spend this time with your family. Never forget that in an instant everything can be taken away." The servants slowly dispersed, many of them coming to Joris with kind words or thoughts, both for him and for Kianna. When at last the hallway was clear, he returned to the study and shut the door.
"She's been here the whole time," Daniel gasped, floored by the discovery. In his shocked state he didn't notice Jack rush past him, followed closely by Teal'c. It wasn't until he heard Joris gasp for breath that he realized Jack had thrown the man into the wall and was choking him. "Jack," he said desperately. "Stop."
"He's the one who took her away," Jack said in a calm voice completely contradictory to the rage that fueled his actions. "He kidnapped her and tortured her and did whatever else he did to her. It's all his fault." Daniel looked to Joris, finding him shake his head no. Whether he was disagreeing with the Colonel's statement or just trying to break free of his grip Daniel couldn't be sure.
"Teal'c," Daniel begged, but far from wanting to help the captured man, Teal'c looked as if he was waiting for his turn to extract his own vengeance. Daniel glanced helplessly at the rest of the group. They had gathered around the scene, but showed no signs of stepping in to stop Jack before he went too far. "Jack, please stop. You know you don't want to do this."
"Give me one good reason why I don't want to do this," he snarled.
"I can help you," Joris said, struggling with every breath. Jack roared, throwing the man across the room. He careened into the desk, colliding with the books Daniel had been reading before everything crashed to the ground in a giant mess. Teal'c was there immediately, not restraining the man but making it clear he would not be able to escape. Joris took a few deep breathes before looking up at the team. "I can help you get her back."
"Why should we believe you?" Cam asked. The team gathered around the fallen man, not ready to help him but not quite wanting to hurt him either. He coughed, massaging his sore throat with his hands.
"I love Kianna, more than I ever thought I was capable." He stood and faced the team. "I did not bring Kianna here, my government did. They are who you are up against. She is their latest trophy, and they will do anything to protect their trophies. To go up against them you will need my help." It was several long, tense minutes before Jack finally nodded his approval.
"Thank you," Daniel said gratefully. The rest of the team mumbled their agreement, Jack and Teal'c almost reluctantly, and Daniel knew if Joris was lying he would pay for it with his life. He also knew he wouldn't do anything to stop them.
"Before we start, we need to make sure the mansion is secured. As you can see," he gestured to the devices he previously deactivated, "my government trusts no one when it comes to one of their trophies. Also I would not limit their intrusiveness to simply mechanical listening devices. When my staff returns, you must assume that they are planted here to be the eyes and ears of the Chancellor."
"What about cameras?" Jack asked, looking at the primitive bugs closely. Joris shook his head.
"Being Science Minister does have its advantages. They would not dare infringe upon my station in that way."
"They put in listening devices," Cam pointed out.
"I already was aware of those. They are standard when housing a trophy. Along with the ones in this room, there are several in the dining room and Kianna's bedchamber. Either they must be deactivated or our planning should be confined to this room only."
Jack grabbed the device Joris used to locate the bugs in the study. "We'll sweep the whole house to be safe."
"You should secure the house as well," Joris suggested. "If they believe Kianna has been compromised, I do not think my position will protect us." Jack nodded, motioning Teal'c and Cameron to follow him. Daniel and Vala stayed in the room with Joris, who quietly began picking up the scattered books and papers from his desk. Daniel bent down and helped him. Soon the room was back in order.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Of course," Joris replied.
"Why did your government do this?" Joris sighed.
"Has you're government never done things that initially seemed sound but as time passes the horrors make themselves known and you cannot figure out how to stop it?" Daniel thought for a few minutes.
"Unfortunately we have," he admitted. "Too many times for my liking."
"How were these programs stopped?" he asked.
"Others from my planet eventually stepped in and forced the policies to change. Regrettably it was too late for millions of people."
"Perhaps that is our problem," Joris commented. "Perhaps hundreds of victims isn't enough to garner the attention of the other systems. Perhaps they don't care until the number reaches millions."
"Or maybe they simply need one man to stand up for what is right to understand what is really happening here and help you stop it." Joris looked at Daniel and smiled weakly.
"Thank you Daniel. You have given an old man hope where before stood only despair." They looked up at the opening of the door. Jack, Teal'c, and Cameron came back into the room. Jack passed the bug detector around the room before being satisfied.
"The house is secure," he said, dropping the device on the desk. "You got into see Sam right?"
"Briefly, but yes," Joris told them.
"How is she?" Jack asked. The tension was palpable as everyone waited for his answer.
"The doctors were convinced her physical injuries would heal with time. It was her mental injuries the Chancellor was most concerned with." At their concerned faces he elaborated. "She sustained several broken ribs in the rockslide, as well as a broken arm and wrist. Her lungs are damaged due to the amount of smoke she breathed in, as well as several minor burns and cuts. As I said the doctors are confident she will make a complete recovery."
"So what is going on here?" Cam asked pointing to the piles of devices they had removed from every room in the house.
"What you have stumbled onto is a centuries old agreement between the government of Birona and a group of people known as the Inturi."
"Inturi?" Vala asked sharply, her head snapping up and suddenly giving him her entire attention.
"You know them?" Daniel asked.
"I know of them though I've never had the displeasure of meeting them in person," she told them. "They of course do the required criminal behavior; smuggling, thieving, piracy; but they are known for being able to acquire hard to get cargo. Specialty cargo. Human cargo."
"Slave traders," Teal'c spoke up for the first time.
"That's what the rumors say, though nobody can confirm the speculation. Of course, nobody has ever returned from their attempts to prove the Inturi slave trade."
"Sounds pleasant," Daniel murmured before turning back to Joris. "What do you mean you have an agreement with these people?"
"Many centuries ago," he explained, "a small craft crashed on Birona. Though the occupants were relatively unharmed, their craft was nearly destroyed. The occupants were the Inturi. My people wanted to help them rebuild their ship, but were lacking the technological knowledge to help. These two Inturi formed the beginning agreement; they would provide needed technological knowledge to fix their ship, while Birona would provide the raw material needed. Birona would gain all their knowledge while the Inturi would be able to leave this system. Each party gained something. But during the long years it took them to repair their ship the Inturi had thoughts about making their new partnership long term."
"Why not simply take them to the Sanctuary and allow them to leave through the Stargate?" Teal'c asked.
"The political stability of the system was far from what it is today," Joris replied. "None of the systems trusted each other, and the fear of outsiders was even worse. The Monks kept hold of the Stargate through force, not harmony as it is today. If we turned over the Inturi to the Monks they would have been killed. It was an agreement designed to help the Inturi. It has significantly darkened throughout time."
"Why didn't the others step in and put a stop to this? Or the Monks?" Daniel asked, his earlier conversation with the older man making more and more sense.
"The other systems to this day do not know about our agreement, and certain steps were taken to ensure the Monks never realized they were being deceived. This is the greatest kept secret on the planet, and the Chancellor isn't going to let it go without a fight."
"So we go in, grab Carter, and get the hell out of Dodge," Jack said, getting the conversation back on track.
"It will not be that easy Colonel. The government does not easily let their trophies go, and the High Chancellor himself is personally interested in the continued performance of Kianna. Even as her father, I was allowed no more than a ten minute visit, with guards stationed inside the room. The entire ward is blocked off; guards stationed at every entrance and a command post in the hospital lobby. It would be suicide to try and get her there."
"We aren't leaving without her," Jack stated.
"We can't take her without getting into a fire fight," Cam reasoned. "We don't have enough manpower or weapons to take on their entire army."
"We can return to the SGC and gather reinforcements," Teal'c suggested. "Perhaps we will be able to recall your team to our location Colonel Mitchell."
"They could alert the Monks," Daniel added, "maybe they'll help us." The team continued to strategize, apparently forgetting the other two people in the room
"Stop!" cried Joris. They all stopped and turned toward him. "Any forced attempt you make on the hospital will end badly for everyone." He paused for a few minutes, making sure he had their entire attention. "It is a hospital and there are sick and injured people there who have no idea what our government did. I will not allow you to hurt anyone who is innocent."
"Do you have a better idea?" Cam asked. Joris nodded.
"As her father, Kianna will be released into my care as soon as her physical injuries have sufficiently healed. Simply wait and she will be delivered to you."
"Fine," Jack agreed after a few minutes. "But in the mean time let's do a little recon at the hospital."
"That can be arranged," Joris agreed.
The next morning found the group hauling out the video cameras again as Joris arranged transport to the hospital. "Remember focus on security checkpoints, entrance and exit points, and accessibility." The team nodded, knowing if they had to storm the hospital they didn't want to cause any undue damage or injuries. They also knew that this might be the only time they were able to roam around the building uninhibited.
"The transport has arrived," Joris told them shortly. They nodded, checked their gear once more, and piled into the carriage. Soon they were following Joris to the reception desk of the hospital.
"Minister," a well groomed man who did not look like he belonged there came from behind the desk as he saw the group approach. "I received your message last night but was not aware that an examination of our medical services was scheduled."
"That's because it was not originally scheduled," Joris told him, shaking his proffered hand, "however upon hearing my daughter was injured and is currently being treated here, our visitors offered to change their plans to allow me to be close to my daughter." The man gazed at the group intently. "Allow me to introduce Nievan Ultrive, Administrator of the hospital." He smiled as he shook hands with everyone.
"How thoughtful," he said, though they could hear the underlying tension in his voice. He turned back to Joris. "You do realize you and your daughter's positions would, of course, limit the visitors allowed to see her."
"Administrator," Daniel interrupted, "As tragic as the circumstances that brought us here, I believe this could be mutually beneficial for both our peoples. We would be thrilled to see what advancements you have made and perhaps offer you insights our own scientists have discovered. We understand that it would be improper for us to demand to see an honored member of your society, but we also do not wish to begrudge the Minister this precious time with his daughter. Perhaps a tour of your facilities would both provide an insight for us to your medical needs as well as allowing the Minister a few hours with his daughter before we return to our previous schedule." Administrator Ultrive looked at the group, thinking carefully, before smiling.
"As you say, perhaps we can turn this tragedy to our benefit." He motioned to another attendant at the reception desk, who was delighted at the opportunity to give a tour of the hospital. Joris and Administrator Ultrive exited left while the group followed their chatty tour guide right, the video cameras out and recording everything they could.
A few hours later, and still as happy as ever, their tour guide led them back to the main lobby where Joris was waiting for them. He thanked the Administrator and his staff for accommodating them so readily and turned and left the building. A warning look was enough to keep the team quiet until they reached the safety on his manor, but once inside everyone asked their questions at once. Rather than talk over them, he held up his hand for silence, which was quickly achieved.
"Kianna is doing well," he started, then stopped and shook his head. "I'm sorry. Samantha. Samantha is doing well. The imminent physical danger has passed, leaving only the slowly healing annoyance of broken bones and torn tendons. Should she continue to recover without incident, she will be released to my care tomorrow evening." The others laughed in relief, only Jack noticing how Joris's face didn't burst out in a smile.
"What else," Jack asked.
"Her mental state is faltering again," he said grimly. "There is talk of removing her to the Inturi."
"The Inturi are here?" Vala hissed.
"Again?" Jack asked dangerously. Joris hung his head.
"Never before in all our dealings with the Inturi have any of our trophies challenged their treatment. This was one of the factors that led us to believe the Inturi were keeping their original agreement; all who had their treatment would volunteer to help Birona. Before Kianna we never even doubted that was the case, although it seems a bit foolhardy now.
"When Kianna first came to us she was known as Nouhe. She took her place in society, as all other trophies did, and performed amazing accomplishments while she was there. Then Volaurd, her caretaker, noticed strange things happening. She would shout out words in the middle of the night that he had never heard. She would fall into trances she would not remember, and recite phrases that none knew. Ashamedly I intended to abandon Nouhe to her own insanity, for what other reason was there for her condition, but Chancellor Notte overruled my decision. He had become fascinated with Nouhe's advances and obsessed with her potential. It was the first time we had ever returned someone to the Inturi."
"What did they do?" Vala whispered.
"I don't know," he grudgingly admitted. "A few weeks later the Chancellor approached me. 'The Inturi,' he said, 'believe the lack of emotionally bonded family ties created a rift in her mind.' He went on to explain that on her homeworld family ties were the most important thing and the Inturi thought they could overcome this problem if they added a family tie to their conditioning. He proposed that in the new conditioning she be imprinted as my daughter. Intellectually their explanation made sense to me, as did their solution. I agreed." He stopped for a few minutes, steadying himself before he continued.
"The Inturi collected me and took me to their laboratory, though were it is I have no idea. They hooked me up to a machine and told me my thoughts and memories would be transferred to Kianna, as her new name would be. They had me think of the happiest memories I could recollect. Most were of my wife though some from my early childhood and adolescence still resounded in me. I watched in awe as their computers collected a small part of my soul. Eventually the computer finished whatever it was doing and a tiny shot of electricity would shoot from it. It would follow a wire through a wall to the next room. As I produced more and more memories the spark would appear sooner and sooner, until it was nearly a constant stream. A few seconds later the screams started.
"Startled, I jerked up in the chair, my thoughts stopping abruptly. The Inturi said what I had given would suffice and quickly removed me from the device and escorted me out of the room and back to the ship which would take me home. The screams followed me until the door on the ship was closed and we were on our way back. In the days that followed I tried my best to forget the screams I heard. I had much to do to prepare for Kianna's arrival. The staff at my manor would need to be replaced to avoid attracting unnecessary attention, and a cover story would need to be concocted for the Science Ward. The new staff was told how my daughter contracted an illness while working in the mines and was very sick.
"When she returned home none questioned her presence, in fact they welcomed her like a long lost daughter. Only when I heard her laugh did I realize she was the one screaming. I paled and sank into the nearest chair, and she comforted me. She comforted the person who caused her so much pain." Again he paused, wiping his eyes briefly with his hand before starting again. "Eventually we fell into a rhythm. Never having children I thought I could treat her as I did my wife, which I am ashamed to say was with indifference. I was wrong. I watched as she settled into her new position with pride. I contented myself with the knowledge that, although I had hurt her in the past, it was to provide a better future. I studied her intently for the signs Volaurd had warned about, but as more time passed I thought her troubles had faded."
"But they started coming back, didn't they?" Daniel asked quietly, not even trying to hide the tears in his eyes.
"I tried to hide the truth from the Chancellor. I tried sending her to the Sanctuary, hoping they could help her. It worked at first, but her condition continued to deteriorate. The Monks helped as much as they could, but eventually the Chancellor learned the truth about her condition. I tried to protect her. But there is talk of returning her to the Inturi once again. I couldn't live with myself if that happened."
"We'll stop them," Jack told him, the wild gleam back in his eye. "We'll save her if we have to destroy the entire Inturi."
"I thought you'd say something like that," Joris told them, a smile slowly working its way back to his face. "I also thought you would like to start a plan to retrieve Kianna, just in case they do not release her in a timely matter."
"We've already started," Jack told him, motioning towards the cameras that they were already reviewing.
"Perhaps I can be of assistance. The construction plans for all buildings are on file at my office in the Science Ward."
"I'll go," Daniel immediately volunteered, surprised when Jack did the same a few seconds later.
"Excellent. There is one more thing I would like to show you, which is at my office as well. We should return within the hour."
"Lead on," Jack said as he shared a look with Teal'c. Teal'c nodded quickly and continued working on an extraction plan as Jack and Daniel followed Joris out of the room. They were quiet during the short ride to the Science Ward. He checked his office for bugs, disabling any that he found before motioning that it was safe to talk.
"The plans will be over there," he directed Daniel to a large filing cabinet while he began digging in his desk for something.
"What did you want to show us?" Jack asked as Daniel pulled out several files from the cabinet.
"What Kianna has been working on." He finally found the folder he was looking for and laid it open on the desk. Daniel and Jack began studying it intently. "Our greatest scientists have tried to decipher its meaning. So far none have been successful. It is unlike anything we have ever seen."
"It looks like computer code," Daniel said, pulling a sheet of ones and zeros toward him, "but I don't know enough about computer language to help you." He looked to Jack who was intently studying the pages. "Does it mean anything to you?"
"These are Stargate glyphs," he them, flipping through the pages quickly. "At least some of the lines are." He shrugged at Daniel's incredulous stare. "I was bored one day when she was rewriting the dialing program. I wondered how long it would take her to get annoyed with me, so I interrupted her whenever she was writing the code for any of the gate glyphs. She put up with it for a lot longer than I thought she would."
"Wait. Was that the day you guys came down to my office after lunch and Sam told me you really wanted to know the history and meaning behind the constellations?" Jack nodded. "I always wondered why she did that. You probably don't even remember what I said, do you?"
"Of course I remember. It started with 'I don't really think he cares,' and ended with 'Are you even listening?' The middle gets a bit murky though." Joris smiled at their conversation before Jack turned serious again. "But why would she write anything with the gate glyphs on it? You don't even have a gate unless you go to the Sanctuary, which has a perfectly working DHD." Jack stared as Joris's expression turned from amused to guilty. "You don't have a gate do you?"
"No," Joris started hesitantly, "however the purpose behind Kianna's acquisition was to build our own Stargate. We asked the Inturi to provide us with a Stargate expert. It has taken several decades and the most Naquadah we have ever needed to acquire her. This is one of the reasons the Chancellor is not going to let her go easily."
"How close to completing this Stargate are you?" Jack asked. Joris shook his head.
"It was never beyond the theoretical stage when last I worked on it. However that was nearly twenty years ago and before Kianna came to work on it. I don't know how far it has progressed since then."
"Is it here in the Science Ward?" Daniel asked, looking around for a big metal ring they somehow missed. Joris shook his head.
"The Stargate project predates the creation of this complex. It is located at one of the few remaining facilities in the old city."
"You said the old city was reclaimed," Daniel pointed out as the grabbed the folders and headed back to the transport.
"The mine is as is most of the city. However the facilities where the scientists worked were located a fair distance from the city to further help keep the scientists origins a secret. Over time many of the smaller projects relocated to the Science Ward, but the Stargate project was not one of them." They arrived back at the manor and quickly joined the team. Jack laid the blueprints on the desk and they had just started going over them when there was a knock at the door. Joris quietly excused himself and returned a few minutes ashen faced.
"What's wrong?" Jack asked immediately.
"The Chancellor has decided to return Kianna to the Inturi," he said quietly. "They will retrieve her tomorrow morning and try the procedure for a third time."
"The hell they will," Cam declared. "If they're coming for her tomorrow morning we have to get her out tonight."
"How does security look like?" Jack asked, having been out when Teal'c and Cameron went over all the footage they had.
"Nothing we can't handle until we get to the ward where Major Carter is being held," Cam reported.
"It appears the Inturi have significantly improved security in these sections," Teal'c pointed out several rooms on the top floor of the hospital.
"There's no mention of any special security features present in the plans," Daniel pointed out.
"There wouldn't be a record of it if the Inturi designed and installed it," Joris told them. "And only the Inturi would know exactly what the security features are."
"What if we just blasted our way in?" Jack thought out loud.
"I think stealth is our best option," Cam chimed in.
"I agree," Daniel said. "Any show of force would have us in the Chancellor's crosshairs immediately."
"As well as the Inturi," Teal'c pointed out. "Having never encountered them before we do not know the limit of their technology."
"But stealth only gets us as far as the front door," Jack said, "unless you can hack into their computer database and produce us an access card before morning."
"Boys, boys, boys," interrupted Vala as she casually leaned across the desk to look at the blueprints. "You're forgetting the first rule of treasure hunting. Never stress yourself with the front door when the back door is much simpler." She pointed to a single door at the end of the ward. "No matter how secure you're facility is, there is always a cleaner able to enter."
"You're forgetting the key card," Cam pointed out.
"Oh you mean this?" She pulled an item from inside her bra and laid it on the table in the middle of the plans.
"You little thief," Daniel said astonishingly, reaching for the key card.
"Oh Daniel. You know me so well already," she smiled seductively at him before pulling out another item from her shirt and laying it on the table. "I also have fingerprints and retina scans as well as the code for the card. All we need to do is use the back door, grab the treasure, and leave just like we're taking out the dirty laundry."
"We'll need to distract the night custodians," Jack said.
"Consider it done," Vala answered mischievously.
"And a transport," Jack continued.
"It is no problem," Joris told them.
"So now the only question is when does the night shift start?" Daniel said.
"In about thirty minutes," Vala told them.