Well, this was supposed to be on hold, with one thing and another, but uh... yeah. Here's chapter 8. Even though after demanding to be written, it pitched a fit and wouldn't come out right. See part 1 for header.

#####

Parker made a point of reading every word of the non-disclosure agreement carefully, somewhat surprised when Eliot flicked through just looking for the alterations. Frowning, she returned to her reading as Eliot was instructed to go with the newcomer with the major's golden oak leaves on his collar after he signed the agreement and slid it back across the table to the dark haired woman who had handed them out.

The pair had returned before she had finished and handed her form back to the brunette captain who had arrived with the major, Eliot settling next to the woman and across the table from herself and Hardison, shoulders tense and expression set.

Not happy, but not making a break for it.

Interesting.

She wondered what the major had on Eliot to put the wary man so definitely on his side. She wondered if it was the same thing that Dubenich had.

Her musings were interrupted by General O'Neill clearing his throat as he gathered his own paperwork. "Major Ford, you have my permission to requisition personnel, within reason, with the understanding that you are participating in a research project. Beyond that, as with all research projects, the only thing I want to know is the bottom line. Lieutenant Colonel Carter; with me."

And with that the pair were gone, the general very carefully not glancing back at any of them, even though the set of his shoulders said that he wanted to.

Hardison was the first of the trio to catch on, his startled, "Oh, hell no. The General just gave you carte blanche, and we're the personnel!" letting everyone know exactly how happy he was with the situation.

The Major fixed him with an inscrutable look. "I would suggest; given the seriousness of your situation; that you shut up and listen, because Dubenich has you all well and truly in the palm of his hand unless we can find a way round it."

He waited until Hardison had stilled, Parker noted, before giving a sharp nod.

"This is the plan," he started, leaning forward in his chair.

#####

"Was that wise?" Sam asked quietly as the General shut the door behind them.

Jack snorted. "Not in the slightest. But it'll work."

She gave him a sceptical look. "We've tried before, sir. Nothing sticks on Dubenich. He's like- like Teflon!"

Smiling slightly, Jack gestured towards the commissary and started walking. "Let's just say that Nate has a fair bit of experience in situations like this and leave it at that, shall we?"

Eyes narrowing at him, Carter almost asked and then decided that, no, she really didn't want to know. She had made the mistake of asking in the past and had learned details about her commanding officer's past that she was not entirely sure she had needed to hear. She had known about his past in black ops, but hadn't known about it, and wanted to be able to continue thinking of him as the genial man she had come to know over the seven years on his team.

Slowly, she nodded. "Yes sir," she agreed, equally slowly, falling in to step with him.

#####

Daniel glanced up from the text he was studying as a tray clattered onto the table next to him.

"Oh, hey Sam," he greeted, attention barely wavering until the note pad was lifted from his hands.

"Jack!"

Jack huffed in resignation. "Daniel. You can have it back when you've eaten your... whatever it is. Jeez, what is this stuff?"

Blinking, Daniel turned to his plate and wrinkled his nose in realisation that Jack had disturbed him before he had finished. He really didn't think he could stomach military chow knowing what it was he was eating. He rolled his eyes and pushed the plate away as Sam snickered.

"You know what, Jack, I think I'm done," he groused.

Jack smirked. "Pizza later?" he asked.

Staring at him sceptically, Daniel considered before glancing at Sam.

She shrugged. "Sure," she agreed. "Sounds good to me. Your place sir?"

Daniel barely restrained himself from laughing out loud at Jack's expression. He would have happily offered his own place if he hadn't known what Sam and Feretti had done earlier, and hadn't known that Feretti had probably left something amusing at Jack's.

Jack narrowed his eyes at her, but apparently couldn't come up with a feasible excuse and agreed with a nod.

Smirking, Daniel yanked his notepad out of Jack's now-lax grip. "Yeah," he agreed. "Pizza sounds great."

#####

Eliot froze as the door to the cell he, Parker and Hardison had been returned to swung open.

He wasn't prone to nerves but as he saw Teal'c over the guard's shoulder, he couldn't help the way his throat was suddenly as dry as dust.

The guard jerked his head, indicating that Eliot was to follow, which he did, but the hairs on the back of his neck seemed keenly aware that Teal'c was following mere paces behind them as they made the trek down the corridor to the convenient office that the three prisoners had been taken to individually to give statements.

Entering the room, he moved as surreptitiously, but as quickly as was humanly possible so that his back was to the wall on the far side of the room.

And of course Teal'c noticed.

As First Prime to Apophis, he would have been well versed in tactics.

Teal'c raised a brow at him and gestured to the guard that he could leave. The man glanced to Eliot with a smirk and closed the door firmly as he left.

Eliot heard the man's footsteps retreat down the corridor.

The silence in the room stretched for a long moment before pulling out the heavy chair from in front of the table, allowing it to screech on the floor, dark eyes never leaving Eliot, allowing the silence to stretch once again as he gestured that Eliot should seat himself on the other side of the table.

Reluctantly, although he knew that it didn't matter how far away from Teal'c he was if the other man genuinely wished to cause him real harm, Eliot moved to the second chair; the one which had been specially bolted to the floor.

"The word my people use for traitors," Teal'c informed him almost conversationally, causing Eliot to freeze in place, "is Shol'va."

Eliot swallowed hard, but sat.

#####

Hardison glanced up as Eliot was returned to their cell. The man looked faintly ill.

A glimpse of Teal'c in the corridor told him all he needed to know about the expression on his co-conspirator's face, and he deliberately turned away to give the man a bit of privacy. He rolled his eyes as Parker's quiet, "Oh crap," floated across to him and he mentally tried to will her into silence.

No such luck.

If they got out of this, he was going to teach the damn woman the basics of social interaction if it killed him.

If she killed him.

With a sigh, he sat up and exchanged a rueful glance with Eliot, who rolled his eyes before stalking across the room.

"Offa my bunk," he growled at Parker, hauling her out and dumping her none too gently on the top bunk she had originally claimed. "Go to sleep, Parker," he added as she leaned down to stare at him.

Hardison exchanged a glance with her and shrugged, before rolling over and calling, "Get the lights, Parker," as he pulled his own pillow over his head.