Slowly, Sam opened her eyes. She blinked a few times, accustoming herself to the lighting, and recognized the ceiling and walls typical of Tok'ra tunnels. Turning her head to the right, she saw Jack - she'd decided to go along with Anise on thinking of him by his name rather than rank - on a similar table, still asleep. She saw some Tok'ra-esqe garments folded next to their beds, and realized they were each only covered with a blanket. She pulled her stack of clothes under the blanket with her, and tried to dress. It would have been no more difficult than changing in a sleeping bag, except that she was still quite weak.
With Anise's help, she managed to complete the task without putting anything on backwards. With an effort, she propped herself up on her elbows. She finally managed to sit upright, swinging her legs over the right side of the bed. 'I thought the Tok'ra don't use doors,' she said, seeing the door in the wall on the far side of Jack.
'You were in isolation when you were first brought here. This segment of tunnel was created and sealed off in order to prevent the spread of the disease. A force field would have sufficed, but if there had been a power failure before this room had been properly decontaminated, the entire base could have been exposed.'
'Making it impossible for Freya to give you up without succumbing, herself, to the disease,' observed Sam.
'Quite correct,' Anise answered.
Sam turned her attention back to Jack. He seemed to be resting peacefully enough. She tried a quiet "sir?" to see if he was awake. His eyes fluttered open, and he seemed to be straining to focus on the ceiling above him. "Over here, sir," Sam said, gaining his attention.
Turning his head toward her, he gave her a weak smile. "Carter. Good to see you're up and about," he said hoarsely. "Nice threads," he added after another moment.
"How're you doing, sir?" she asked.
"I'm alive," he said bluntly. Nope, he wasn't enjoying the blending. "And you can lay off the 'sirs' while I've got this snake in my head, please." Not enjoying it at all.
'Do you think you can handle calling him "Jack?"' Anise asked cheekily.
'Oh, I think I'll manage,' Sam mentally replied. 'And I promise you I'll enjoy every minute of it.' Not that she'd want to spend her life like this, but Sam was not minding her new confidant. "Jack," she said aloud, catching him off guard by her sudden use of his name, "just don't try to fight the blending. Kanan can help you a lot more easily if you let him."
"So he's told me," he admitted. Apparently, he'd been getting acquainted with his symbiote as well. "Doesn't mean I have to like it, does it?"
"I guess not," Sam conceded. She watched as he shut his eyes and made an effort to sit up. He got as far as propping himself up on his arms, when he gave in and laid back down. Sam was about to tell him to take it easy, when he sat up quickly and swung his legs around, mirroring her position.
"What?" he asked.
Sam realized she was staring. As he sat, his blanket had slipped down to his waist. "Uh," she answered eloquently.
Jack looked down at himself, then at her, then saw his own stack of clothes. "Would you excuse me?" he said quickly, reaching out for the garments and whipping them under his blanket.
"Sure," said Sam with a smile, turning away to give him some privacy. She heard him wrestling with the strange clothes, and knew he was having as much difficulty as she had. At last, the muffled curses ceased.
"That's better, I guess," she heard him say.
Turning back to him, she saw him seated once again, now dressed in a typical Tok'ra outfit.
"Better than nothing," she consoled.
"So, who's your... ?" he asked, gesturing toward her head.
"Anise, actually," Sam answered him. She and Anise were equally amused at the frightened look that came over Jack's face.
"Really?" was all he said.
"Yes, and I do know about Freya's attempted seduction," she continued brazenly, "but you don't have to worry. Anise wasn't really interested in you herself, so she's not going to try and get me to do anything to you." Sam was proud of how she was able to look him straight in the eye as she spoke, and nearly burst out laughing at his shocked expression.
Jack recovered well enough, and moved quickly to gain the upper hand. "That's a relief," he said, looking around the room briefly. "I was starting to worry that these close quarters and lack of clothes had been her idea." He turned back to her with a rather flirtatious grin that caught Sam off guard.
Chickening out, Sam turned the conversation. "Is Kanan going to be able to report on his last mission?" she asked abruptly, not meeting his eyes and fighting down the blush she felt creeping up her neck.
'Samantha,' came the reprimand, 'I am surprised at you; backing down from a challenge. You did start it, after all.'
'Yes, well,' she retorted, 'I'm sorry. I wasn't expecting him to come back like that.'
"Sam?" Jack asked, calling her back from her thoughts.
She looked over at him, and saw the concern on his face. "Sorry," she said, pleased that he'd dropped the "Carter". "We were just chatting," she said smiling, and pointing to her head by way of explanation.
"Ah," he replied, with a more relaxed expression. "Well, I said yes, he's got his report all set to give to the council."
"That's good," said Sam, adding, "I'm sorry about his last host."
Jack looked uncomfortable, but only said, "It happens." After a moment, he seemed to come back to himself, and glanced at the door. "Any idea how long we need to stay in here?"
'I do not believe the door is locked,' Anise supplied. 'You should be free to leave.'
"We should be able to leave whenever we want," Sam answered. "Anise doesn't think they locked the door. It was just installed for before they'd decontaminated the room."
Jack jumped off of his slab, but found his legs weren't quite ready to support his weight. His knees buckled, and he only just caught himself by leaning on Sam's table. Automatically, her hand went to his arm to help him. "I'm okay," he said, shakily bringing himself upright.
"Maybe you should take it easy, Jack," she said with a smile, enjoying the look he shot her as she played innocent. She slid off of her slab more carefully, leaning slightly on his arm where she'd been supporting him.
He held her elbow until she'd steadied herself. "All set?" he asked, when she seemed settled.
"Let's go," she answered, and followed him to the door.
She didn't see any control interface, let alone a handle, as they approached. Jack walked up to the door and gave it a push, without success. He pressed his face against the transparent section, scanning the hallway outside. Apparently catching sight of someone, he began knocking on the door and called out, "Hello? Anyone got the key to this thing?" He stood back, and Sam heard a few clicks. The door slid open, and she followed Jack through what seemed to be an air lock and into the corridor. "Hi, there," said Jack to the Tok'ra who had let them out. "Baldesh, is it?" He nodded. Sam was pleased to see that Jack was apparently on good enough terms with Kanan that he was accepting input such as the names of his fellow Tok'ra. "Yes, well, we're just going to have a look around now, if that's alright." Baldesh nodded again, and Jack started off down the hallway to their left. After they'd walked a short distance, Jack leaned over and spoke quietly to Sam. "Kanan's a bit disoriented," he admitted. "Do you know where they keep the bathrooms?"
Sam smiled. "Right this way," she said as Anise communicated the information to her. She circumvented the corridor they'd just taken, so that Baldesh wouldn't see them reversing direction.
After they'd reached their destination and performed the necessary ablutions, they went in search of food. Locating the Tok'ra version of a commissary, they filled their plates, and took a table in the corner for themselves. They ate fairly quickly, both out of hunger, and out of a desire to think as little as possible about what they were really consuming.
As they finished their meal, a voice called to them from the commissary entrance. "Colonel O'Neill, Major Carter." It was Freya. She walked over to their table, and took the seat next to Jack. He moved over to ensure she had plenty of elbow room. "I am pleased to see you are both doing well," she said.
'May I?' Anise asked Sam.
'Oh, sure,' she replied, realizing that Anise wanted to speak directly with her former host.
"We are quite well, Freya," Anise said aloud, through Sam's altered voice. Jack's head shot up, wide-eyed, but seemed to compose himself quickly enough. "How are you doing?" Anise asked.
"It is quite strange, but I am physically fine. You are missed, my friend," Freya answered with a smile.
"Was there anything else you wanted?" Jack interjected.
"Yes," she replied. "When the council learned you were awake, they sent me to ascertain whether Kanan would now be able to deliver his report," she answered him.
"I am able, as soon as the council wishes to convene," came Kanan's reply. Sam now understood Jack's shocked expression of a few moments ago. It was a definite surprise to hear the Tok'ra speaking through Jack.
"Then you should come with me now," Freya replied. "They are currently in session, and will be able to hear you shortly," she said, getting up from the table, apparently waiting for them to follow.
Freya led them through the corridors, toward the council chamber. She paused on the way by a room on their right. "Major Carter, you may wish to wait here. These quarters have been made available for you and the Colonel for the duration of your stay. Kanan's mission report will be at a closed session."
"Ah, alright," Sam answered, poking her head through the doorway and surveying the space.
"I'll meet you here when we're done, Sam," Jack told her.
She nodded, and watched the two continue down the corridor and around a corner. Entering the room, she saw a couple of smaller rooms leading off of the main. Inside the apparent bedrooms were some slabs, only slightly more comfortable looking than the ones that had been in their isolation chamber. She sat down on a chair in the main room, and suddenly felt exhaustion catch up with her.
As her eyes began to drift closed, Anise spoke. 'Perhaps you should lie down, Samantha,' came the suggestion.
'Good idea,' Sam replied. Getting up with an effort, she just managed to reach one of the beds and lie down, before letting sleep take over.
Sam awoke some time later to the sound of unfamiliar voices outside of her room. "Thank you, Thoran. I am sure I shall be fine from here."
"Take care, my friend. And be assured, our search continues."
"Thank you, indeed," came the first voice again.
One set of footsteps seemed to depart, while another sounded like they were coming toward her room. Sam opened her eyes, and rolled on her side to watch the doorway. To her relief, Jack appeared.
"Hey, there," he said, stopping at the doorway when he saw her lying there.
"How'd it go?" she asked.
"Fine. Kanan got to spill all the juicy details on ol' Zippy and his fleet. Some good stuff, actually," he said.
"That's good," Sam replied. "Was that you I heard? Talking to 'Thoran,' was it?"
"One of Kanan's buddies," Jack explained. "He's sent a message to Hammond, letting him know we're still recovering. I figure we can call home ourselves tomorrow." After a pause, he added, "They're still looking for a host for him." Sam thought he looked worried for a moment, but then saw his face relax in what she now recognized as an internal discussion with his symbiote.
She remembered how nervous she'd been when she thought she might be carrying Anise indefinitely. "I'm sure it'll work out," she said, now sitting up with an effort.
"I didn't mean to wake you," he said, coming out of his reverie. "I was actually hoping to lie down myself for a while."
"How long have I been out?" Sam asked, realizing she still felt rather tired.
"I've only been gone about three hours," Jack answered, "so it depends on how fast you fell asleep."
"About three hours, then," Sam replied with a smile. "Okay, I'll see you in a bit," she said, quite willingly lying back down and feeling her eyes close heavily.
"'Night, Sam," Jack said quietly, turning from the doorway.
"G'night, Jack," she said weakly, sleep already taking her.
To be continued...