Chapter 16

John Sheppard found himself staring at Elizabeth Weir from across the briefing room table, a mixture of concern plastered across her face.

"Penny for your thoughts."

Elizabeth smiled at John, "There aren't enough pennies in existence to cover what I am thinking right now."

"I know what you mean, as if the problem of the Wraith isn't bad enough, now we have to worry about a possible Ori invasion too. It doesn't seem like we can catch a break."

Elizabeth shook her head, "No, it doesn't."

"Which is why we have to hope that Vala gave Dr. Jackson correct information, because if this works, we have one less problem to deal with."

"You do know that the SGC and IOA have not given the authority for us to partake on such a mission and if we go forward, you understand that this mission will not be and never was sanctioned by either of them."

Sheppard nodded.

"I know, it never happened. Whatever we do, it doesn't exist."

"This is why I only told you first. I know for a fact that everyone here would be more than willing to do anything for Dr. Jackson, hell, half of them wish that he was the one heading Atlantis instead of me. However we can and probably will get into a lot of trouble for this."

"You can bet Woolsey will serve all of our asses on plates."

"Which is why I think the less people involved the better. You know that you don't have to be involved John, you will probably end up court marshaled."

"Elizabeth, I would have gotten court marshaled for half the crap that I do here on a daily basis. This is no different. Atlantis is being threatened. I don't see another option. Do you?"

"No."

"Well, that settles that then."

"You do also understand that if you choose to accompany Dr. Jackson that it's more than likely a one way mission to Ori controlled space."

"I know that too but the same could have been said about Atlantis. It may have taken a year but we got back in touch. I know its going to be difficult and I know that it seems impossible that we will ever make it home, but when has that ever stopped us?"

"Never."

"Exactly. And besides they need someone to fly the ship and we both know that I'm the best person to have behind the wheel and one of the best chances we have of getting home."

Weir took a moment to let what Sheppard say sink in. He was right. If this mission was to have any success they needed someone with the ability to fly a Puddle Jumper well and quite frankly John was the only person she could think of for the mission given the circumstances they faced.

"So who will you be bringing with you?"

"Well we have Dr. Jackson and Colonel Mitchell. Rodney wanted to come but Dr. Jackson nixed the idea stating that they needed his expertise working with Colonel Carter on the other gate. Bringing anyone else from the SGC would seem too suspicious so the rest of the crew has to be made up of people from Atlantis. I am thinking maybe Zelenka for tech support and Carson as medical."

"Who else do we need?"

"Well for the kind of mission we are leading the less people in a Jumper the better. I am thinking at the most nine, leaving room for Vala. So we could probably fill up the rest of the detail with some grunts for protection detail."

"Anyone in particular?"

"Not yet, but I got some ideas. I want to run this by Zelenka and Carson first. However I doubt they'll say no. I mean, it's not every day that you get to blow up a planet filled with Wraith in order to create a one way wormhole to another galaxy."

Tomin sat outside Vala's chamber door lost in thought. It had been hours before her screams had subsided and only then because her throat too raw and too bloodied to continue. His mind lingered on about what he had just witnessed. Not the splendor of being in the presence of the Orici, no, that was somewhere that he dared not to dwell. No, his thoughts were on Vala's reaction to realizing that she had just sent the Agent of Evil, this Daniel Jackson, into a trap. He found the entire incident unsettling. There was something more to her reaction, something in her eyes that betrayed her. Something that filled Tomin with feelings that he had never before felt. Getting up from his chair, he turned and entered Vala's chambers. Vala looked up at him, tears welling from her eyes as she lay chained to her bed. Her tears only made him more determined to do what he was about to do. Giving it no second though he walked over to Vala and wrapped his arms around her throat. As Vala struggled in his grasp Tomin looked at Vala straight in the eyes and to her fear, there was nothing but venom staring back.

"You used me! I took you in! I nursed you to health! All the while you charmed me like the wicked temptress that you are. You made me fall in love with you. Not because you loved me but in order to protect yourself. I took you in my home, my bed and I came to love you more than my own life. When you told me you were with child, I couldn't help but keep thinking, that the Ori had looked down on me for all of my years of devotion and blessed me. But you're no blessing, you're a curse. You never loved me! It was never about me, was it? It was always about you . . . and him, wasn't it? You never planned on staying with me, did you? It was all some trick. A way to bide you're time until you get contact him and you could go back to him. This unbeliever. This Daniel Jackson. Isn't it?"

Although Vala couldn't speak a word, once again, her eyes conveyed her answer.

"Consider yourself fortunate that you carry the Orici, otherwise I would squeeze your wretched life out at this very moment. But rest assured that I will kill you but not before I defeat the Agent of Evil. In fact, I think I will extinguish his life before your eyes, make you watch as he fades away. All my life I had been told about evil and I prayed I would never see it. I guess that I was wrong."

Giving one last look at Vala, Tomin released his hands from her throat and swiftly walked out the door. Vala wanted to stop him. To say that she did come to care for him, but she knew it would do no good. The truth was she didn't love Tomin, not in the way he needed to be and it broke her heart to think that the kind and gentle soul she had met when she first came to Ver Isca had been corrupted. And as much as she tried to not beat herself up over it, she knew, deep down, that she had only herself to blame.

Daniel was about to walk into his death and for the first time she felt powerless to stop it.