"Kull armor? We don't have any?" Vala looked around at the others. "Do we?"
Along with Teal'c she had just joined the others as Cameron was going over his plan to board the Ancient ship and rescue Daniel and Anna.
Cameron turned to Vala. "You're right we don't have any. Yet." Turning back to the others. "Sam, correct me if I'm wrong, but the ship's matter converter..."
"...could make a set of Kull armor", carried on Sam.
Jack gave Sam a questioning look. "Carter?"
"Sir, when the Asgard upgraded the ship they gave us their matter conversion technology. With just a slight modification to the beaming technology it's now possible for us to convert matter. So far the Odyssey has only used it to make food, water and oxygen, but it can make other things...."
"...like a set of Kull armor," finished Cameron.
"Mitchell's right. The armor's good, certainly equal to what the boys in black are wearing." Vala liked the sound of this, she knew from her own experience just how good the armor was.
"You would know since you're the only one in our band that's worn it." Cameron gave Vala a smile as he remembered the mission report where Daniel had first met Vala. He would of loved to have been a fly on the wall during that mission.
Vala preened a little at this piece of news and returned Cameron's smile with a smug smile of her own. It was nice to have an acknowledgement that she had skills and experience that the others didn't.
"Colonel Mitchell and Vala Mal Doran are correct. The Kull armour should provide sufficient protection against the Furlings weapons," advised Teal'c.
"So we have a plan." Cameron looked over at Jack as he said this. Though he knew he was in charge, he respected Jack and the fact that Jack and Daniel had a close friendship.
Giving a nod Jack gave Cameron a smile. "We have a plan"
~*~*~*~
The Furlings had come for them, this time taking them both.
They were now in another darkened room. Anna was several feet opposite Daniel, on her knees. One of the Furlings was pressing a small device to the side of her head. The device had been used on them before, so they both knew what was coming. They knew that the pain would be intense. Only this time they would witness the torture of the other.
Anna bit down on her cracked bottom lip, causing it to bleed again. She concentrated on the taste of blood, hoping that the metallic salty taste would give her something to focus on. At the same time she curled her hands into fists, digging the nails into her palms. In the dimness she could see Daniel. His face was filled with concern for her and anger at the Furlings. She pushed her thoughts to the taste in her mouth, the pain in her hands, and Daniel's face, anything other than the pain that was building inside her head and traveling down through her body.
"Leave her alone!" Daniel yelled out, struggling helplessly against the Furling that restrained him. He sensed that Anna was strong, that she was a fighter, but none of these thoughts gave him any comfort. Seeing someone in pain was never easy, but when that pain was being intentionally inflicted there were no words that could describe the helplessness he felt.
The Furling torturing Anna turned its head towards Daniel, still holding the device against Anna's head. "You wish us to stop"
"Yes!" Daniel pleaded.
Anna gave a shake of her head at Daniel , letting him know that there was nothing he could do.
"And why would we do that?" The Furling turned away, dismissing everything that Daniel had said.
Daniel had known that in all likelihood that the Furlings wouldn't listen, but he had to try something, anything to buy them time. "Torturing her isn't going to help. You'll going to kill us anyway, no matter what we tell you."
"We can wait. The entity will come. Until then we can learn everything we can about your kind. We have only encountered your species a few times. They were even more primitive than you. They did not survive long. You are different. We shall learn from you and add to our knowledge." As it talked the Furling turned the device, making it glow more brightly.
Tears formed in Anna's eyes, slowly trickling down her face and chin. She bit down even harder, making the blood flow even more, so that the blood also trickled down her chin, mingling with the tears.
"We're... lab rats?" Daniel couldn't quite believe what he was hearing, and yet part of it made perfect sense. Everything he had seen and heard about the Furlings showed him that they had little if any regard for anything other than acquiring knowledge. To them the universe was a science lab and everything in it was a specimen for them to study.
Realizing that there was nothing he could say to get the Furling to stop Daniel looked away from the Furling, turning his concentration to Anna. Their eyes locked, and with it they conveyed everything they were feeling. As Daniel felt the tears forming in his own eyes and sliding down his cheeks, Anna's screams filled the room.
~*~*~*~
"Wicked!"
Cameron stood admiring the suit. He had to admit that it looked impressive, he couldn't wait to try it on and give it a go. With that he leaned forward picking up a piece of the suit.
"We should test it first. I used all the information we had on the armor to recreate it...."
"I sense a but coming." Jack smiled at Sam as he said this. He could tell she was pleased with how it came out but he knew her well enough to know that she had some reservations and that she wouldn't be completely happy until they tested it fully.
Sam returned Jack's smile. "But. As I said we recreated it. We don't know how well it will work. And you'll need to get familiar with it."
"Well, alright then. Lets get this thing on and try it out." Cameron began to pick up the various pieces.
Vala, who had been standing back a little, spoke up, "You don't need to get familiar with it."
Cameron stopped what he was doing to look up. "I appreciate your confidence but Sam's right we should test it out."
"That's not what I mean." The others turned to look at Vala. "YOU don't need to get familiar with it because I'M already familiar with it. It should be me that wears it. I should be the one to go."
Cameron shook his head. "Vala I appreciate the offer..."
"I know you want to do this. But it makes sense. I know how to use the armor. It should be me. I can handle this." Vala stood there with her hands on her hips looking at Cameron. For a few seconds they stood there looking at each other, both of them knowing that she said was true.
~*~*~*~