"Okay Carter, we'll all here. Let's get this show and tell started," said General Jack O'Neill.
The rest of SG1 along with Jack had joined Sam in one of the labs, after she had requested them all to come. She had been rather cryptic only saying that they needed to see something. Within minutes of her request they were all there, curious as to what she had found.
Sam touched a key on on console. "You need to hear this from Tho.r" With that the holographic image of Thor appeared.
"Greetings O'Neill. Colonel Carter has informed me of the events that have taken place since your arrival at your current destination. It is with regret that I must inform you that my program has been compromised. Earlier when I was activated my program was being manipulated by an outside force."
Jack looked at Thor, then at Sam. "Outside force?"
"Sir, what Thor is trying to tell you is that when we activated his program it wasn't Thor or at least it wasn't the Thor program that was communicating with us. It was the entity."
"Okay. THAT I wasn't expecting." Jack turned to the hologram of Thor. "What the hell is going on? And don't tell me you don't understand what I mean. I want to know why the entity appeared as you and what it's up to, unless of course you're still the entity." Jack went closer to the hologram and bending down at the knees to look Thor in the eyes. "Are you the entity?"
"I understand your concern, but no I am not the entity. It is no longer controlling my program."
"Well, that's a relief." Jack stood back upright, running his hand through his hair. Grabbing a stool he sat down facing Thor. "Okay, so why don't you tell me what's going on."
"I will do my best. When the entity detected your presence when you arrived through the Stargate, it entered the ship's database to determine if you were a threat."
"It thought we were like the Furlings," injected Cameron who had moved to the console beside Sam.
"That would be the logical assumption. The Furlings have destroyed much. They terminated the life of one of the entity's own kind. It was, I believe, acting with self-preservation in mind. Merging its conscious with the ship's computer was not easy. Once it had adapted and realized that you had no intention of harming it, it tried to communicate with you through my program. Sensing that the Furlings were going to attack again it left in an attempt to protect you."
Cameron moved behind Sam, going closer to Jack and Thor. "Well we appreciate the help, but its not doing a very good job, is it?"
"Its actions may appear less than helpful, but all is not as it first seems. Your lives are more important than you realize. The entity desires the preservation of life, your life. It is protecting the lives that are in the most danger. The lives of Doctor Jackson and Doctor Shaw."
"How?" asked Jack.
"Knowing that Doctor Jackson and Doctor Shaw were in danger from the Furlings, it took the only action that it was capable of doing. By taking control of Doctor Shaw's body it can protect them both."
Cameron did his best to keep the surprise off his face. He had not been expecting that and more importantly he was now even more concerned about Anna, though none of these emotions were revealed on his face. To anyone looking at him he appeared calm and in control
"The last time one of those things entered Anna it just about killed her, now you're telling us that another one is inside her."
"It felt it was the only choice. It will do everything it can to ensure that no harm comes to Doctor Shaw by joining with her. If it begins to sense that she is in danger from the union it will leave her."
"I hope you're right." Cameron knew he had no choice but to trust it and to trust what the hologram was telling him. But it didn't mean that he had to like it.
Thor moved closer to Cameron. "Doctor Shaw is in good hands. It chose her for a reason. It will not harm her. To cause harm, to kill a living thing, is alien to its nature."
"How do you know this?" Jack
"Some of its thoughts, feelings remain in my program. By merging with me it has altered my program. Though I still represent much of the Thor that you knew, my program has been enhanced by my encounter with the entity. I am now able to express emotions but I assure you that despite this I am still capable of logical thought. The emotions do not impair my ability to function."
Jack could see that Thor was having trouble dealing with the fact that he now had emotions. Not that he had ever thought that Thor didn't have feelings. Out of all the Asgard Thor had always seemed the most... human. He may not of shown emotions in the usual way, but Jack had always felt that in his own way, Thor had cared about them. And now it looked like he was able to express and show those emotions more freely as a result of merging with the entity.
"Don't worry about it buddy, we won't hold it against you."
"Thor you seem like a nice enough hologram. And I realize that you now have emotions.. But you do realize that this doesn't change anything. We may still need to use the Asgard database as leverage in getting Daniel and Anna back. If it comes down to saving you or them, you know which way I'm going to vote. I know the database is your legacy, but these are lives we're talking about here."
Cameron felt he had to say this. He didn't want to lose the database as much as anyone. It was important, he and the others would do what they could to save it from the Furlings, but in the end the lives of Daniel and Anna were more important.
"I understand Colonel Mitchell. And I agree. As does the entity. It is why it left and went with Doctor Jackson and Doctor Shaw. It will protect them at all cost. I suggest that we offer my program as a trade. The Furlings will try to take the database regardless, but I am confident that the enhanced protection that Colonel Carter has implemented will safe guard the database from them. Once they realize they cannot get through the protection they may be willing to trade, but do not under estimate them. They will kill you all, no matter what the outcome."
"We know. They don't like you very much either you know. I know they killed a few Ancients and I'm sure they deserved everything they got, but why did you have to declare war on them. You know it's only pissed them off more," said Vala.
Personally Vala thought the Furlings needed their butts kicked big time, but from the little she knew about the Asgard she did wonder why they had gone after them in the first place. Maybe if they had left them alone none of this would of happened. Still part of her blamed Daniel for getting them in the middle of this war. He just had to go and find something he didn't understand anything about. It was so like him to jump on in without thinking about the consequences. She really hoped that the entity was looking after him, because if it didn't she might just hand it over to the Furlings after all.
"It was not a few Ancients that were killed. The Furlings destroyed an entire Ancient outpost. All 10,000 inhabitants were slaughtered. We could not leave such atrocity unpunished. The Asgard are tolerant but not that tolerant. Our only recourse was to confront the Furlings. We were not aware that they lured us to their galaxy with the intention of destroying us. We did not start the war. They did. Long ago." Though Thor appeared calm, they could all tell that he was filled with disgust by what the Furlings had done.
Vala looked at Thor sensing that she had hurt him. When would she learn to think before opening her mouth. Daniel kept telling her she could be insensitive at times. Going over to Thor she put her hand near where his shoulder was and looked down at him
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it the way it sounded. It's not your fault. It never was. The Furlings are monsters. I'm just worried about Daniel and Anna. And when I'm worried I tend to say the wrong thing." Vala struggled to keep the tears at bay. She didn't what the others to see her cry. For them to realize how very scared she was for Daniel and Anna.
Thor the hologram looked at her for a moment. "I understand you concern. I will do everything in my power to help get them back. I will not let the Furlings take anymore lives." With that he reached around to where Vala's hand was hovering in an effort to offer sympathy and comfort, his hand moved right through hers.
Vala looked at Thor, moved by his effort to comfort her. With that she turned around walking out of the lab.
The others all looked on in sympathy and understanding. Not only for Vala but strangely enough for the hologram. They all realized the enormity of what they had just seen, it really was beginning to sink in how much the hologram of Thor had been changed by the merging with the entity.
"I will go and check on Vala Mal Doran," said Teal'c, giving a nod to the others and Thor, before leaving the room.
"That's a good idea T," said Jack to Teal'c retreating back. Turning his attention back to the others. "Okay we need to get organise and work out this plan in detail. We've got a rescue to get under way."
~*~*~*~