CHAPTER 4
"Jackson!"
Daniel's eyes snapped open to notice not only was he was still in the infirmary but he had apparently never left. Taking a moment to look at each of his teammates, it had become painfully aware that the conversation he had with Vala might not have been a private one.
"Are you all right DanielJackson?"
"I'm fine, Teal'c."
Teal'c exchanged with Mitchell what only could be described as a look of concern before Mitchell sat down in the chair next to Daniel's bedside.
"Well a few seconds ago you were kind of talking to yourself."
"I kind of figured that based on the way you're looking at me right now."
Sam especially was giving Daniel a look of great concern. Whatever had happened must have really freaked them out.
"The last thing we talked about was Vala being in trouble," she said as she motioned for Mitchell to get up from his seat. "Then you started talking to yourself. We tried everything to get your attention."
"It was creepy, Jackson. We were this close to calling for Dr. Lam."
"Well I'm glad that you didn't."
"We tried to make out what you were saying Daniel, but it was sort of hard to follow."
Mitchell picked up a pad of paper that had been lying at the foot of Daniel's bed.
"From what we could make out it had something to do with being in a house in place called Ver Isca with some guy named Seevis. I think there involved someone being chained up… not too sure I want to know more about that part."
"I was talking with Vala."
"Was Vala chained up? Or did she have you chained up?"
"I though you didn't want to know about that part?"
"I said I wasn't too sure I wanted to know."
"And now you do?"
"Well - - "
"Do you think you were actually speaking with her?" Sam interrupted throwing Mitchell a glance that made him stop talking, "Or was it the result of the memory burst that she had sent to you when she was first connected to the stones?"
"I'm not sure Sam, but it was just so real. I was in a room, just like the kind that the two of us encountered while we were in Ver Ager that is the village where Harrid and Sallis had lived. We were in this bedroom and I was lying down, Vala seemed to be tending to me. She started to tell me things."
Mitchell smiled and opened his mouth as if to say something sarcastic but quickly changed his demeanor when both Sam and Teal'c gave him looks that screamed: Don't go there.
"Like what?" he said instead, trying desperately to look like he had not been told nonverbally to shut up.
"Like the fact that she is in a village in the Ori galaxy called Ver Isca and from what she has been able to gather so far there are ships and soldiers preparing to come to this galaxy at any time. Its just like I feared, they are preparing for crusade."
"That would mean that the Ori have a working Supergate?"
"Yes, Sam," Daniel said pulling himself up from his bed. "And if we have any chance at stopping them, we have to find it first."
"What else did Vala say?"
"Most of the things she told me were about what she had been up to since being stranded in Ver Isca. The most important thing that we know right now is there is a Supergate somewhere out there and that is going to need all of our concentration."
"Did she tell you anything else that maybe of use?"
"Not yet."
"Dr. Lam believes that she can release Dr. Jackson from the infirmary within the next few hours," General Landry said as he took his seat in the briefing room "What concerns me right now is the fact that the Ori have a working Supergate and we never knew about it until now."
"We have the Tok'ra doing long range sweeps of any known black holes within a thousand meter radius of the first Ori beachhead," Sam said looking over her notes. "We have also sent SG's 3, 5, & 11 to planets orbiting nearby black holes to look for any signs of the Supergate."
"The Jaffa have also sent several ships to scout areas they believe may be of interest to the Ori."
"Thank you, Teal'c. Let the Council know that this effort on their part is most appreciated," Landry said turning to Mitchell. "Did Dr. Jackson mention anything else about this vision that he had?"
"No," Mitchell said tapping his pen against the table. "However I'm a little bit worried about these visions of his."
"How so?"
"He was completely unresponsive during the hallucination. I think that we need to find out if it was a side effect of the memory burst Vala sent to him or if it was actually Vala herself. If this is a side effect of the memory burst then we can find a way to control it. If not . . "
"Then Dr. Jackson could literally be taken over at any time, I see you're point."
"Vala has no way of knowing what Daniel is doing at a certain time or when. If we were off world and this happened, there is no way for him to be able to defend himself."
"So what exactly are you suggesting Cam?"
"What I'm suggesting is that I think until we can figure out exactly what's going on with Jackson, I don't think he should be released from the infirmary."
"Cameron – "
"Just hear me out Sam, please. I don't want to keep Jackson locked up anymore than anyone else, however, the last thing we need is for him to end up getting hurt, or worse or getting anyone else hurt or worse, just because he is Jackson."
"DanielJackson, will not be pleased."
"I know that big guy, but I know he'd understand."
"I'll talk it over with Dr. Lam," Landry said getting up from his seat. "See what she recommends before I make a decision."
"Yes, sir."
"If you'll excuse me, I have a meeting with Woolsey in about twenty minutes I need to prepare for."
Mitchell watched as Landry left the room. Once the General was gone he couldn't help but notice the hard looks that he was getting from his teammates. He knew that he had just crossed a line. He knew that it wasn't gaining him any points in the leadership department. Being the new guy was difficult enough but being a new guy positioned to lead a group of seasoned veterans made respect an impossible but ongoing feat. Jackson was one of the first people to give that respect to him. To treat him like a kid brother, to welcome him into the fold. He knew that his suggestion would not win over points with the other members of SG-1 but he knew Jackson well enough in the last few months to realize that if there positions were reversed, he would do the same for him.