Chapter 61

"How did you do that?"

Anubis looked up at Daniel Jackson with tremendous amusement, "I told you there was a different path for you then what the Ancients had in mind, and I just now demonstrated it to you."

"And what kind of path would that be?"

"The path of genetic memory, dear Daniel. It is the path the Ancients always feared to tread. But it is one you will master."

"And how am I supposed to do that?"

"The Goa'uld knew how to master genetic memories and the Ancients knew how to keep them in check. You have the memories of both inside of you now. You just need to be able to work thru them both. That is where I come in."

"You?"

"Yes, me. I was both Ancient and Goa'uld. I can navigate thru both. And with my help. So will you. This place that we're at, think of it as a sanctuary. A meeting place between the Ancient knowledge and the Goa'uld. You're very own virtual Kheb."

"So, what, now you're my Oma?"

"I am what Oma was always afraid to be?"

"What, evil?"

"No, Daniel Jackson. A true teacher. Oma only taught as far as her fears allowed her. And she treaded no further. She saw within me potential to master both worlds. It was her fears and that of The Others that stopped her from seeing where this could lead. She never allowed herself to explore the true potential of what we could have been together. It is why you chose to descend, it was why she wiped your memories, because she knew with you, as she did with me, that you had the potential to be what she was too afraid to think of."

"And what would that be?"

"The Archetype."

"Archetype of what?"

"Human evolution. You see, Daniel Jackson, as Shifu showed you, genetic memory can go both ways. It can show us the past as well as the possibilites of the future. As I mentioned before you will have more children after Adria. Two, to be exact. And they will be so important. More important than either of us will ever truly know or understand. Your son will be magnificient, a great leader of men. Your daughter will be beautiful, a great scientific mind. They will be your legacy. And the world Shifu showed to you, will be created by them."

Tears flew freely from Daniel's eyes, "Can I see them?"

"In time, Daniel Jackson. You will know them long before they are ever born. But for now, you must concentrate on yourself. And the kind of world you will be bringing them into. The kind of person you will be. That will all be determined in how you handle the gifts that are given onto you and how you use them to shape the world around you. Know now, Daniel, that their lives will be tremendously difficult. And that life for them will not be easy. But you can make it better for them by working with me now to ensure that this unending cycle that began with Orion ends with you. As Indra warned, either you will be The Prophet or you will be his father. What you do from this point forward, how far down the dark path you go, will determine if they will inherit your fate. The choice is yours."

Daniel stood a moment and allowed what Anubis told him to settle. His mind continually going back to what Shifu had showed him and spoke to him about. He understood now that by choosing the second door he had changed the course of his fate. All the glory, the hope, the greatness, no longer fell to him. Instead it would fall to his children. They would be the legends. The were the chosen ones now. What remained for Daniel was to be their father. To love them. To teach them. To make the world as safe as he could for them. And the first he had to do was to ensure that The Ori were taken care of and that the whole business with The Prophet ended with him.

"I'll do ask you ask, but there is one thing I need to know."

"And what would that be, Daniel Jackson?"

"Will Vala be their mother?"

"That remains to be seen," Anubis said as he inched closer to Daniel. "But the possibility is great. It all depends."

"Depends on what?"

"Whether she is with you or with them. What is happening with Vala's heart cannot be stopped. The two of you are connected. What happened to you, will happen to her. But how bad it will be depends greatly on where she is when all is said and done. If she is with you and thus surrounded by proper medical care, she will be healthy, no permanent damage. If she is still in the Ori galaxy, she will more than likely die."

oooo

Vala laid up in bed, propped up against at least half a dozen pillows. The pain was only getting worse. She agreed to hold up at the safe house for the night before making moves in the morning to try and pecure a ship off the planet. From what she had been told by other members of the underground, the moon they were heading for had a gate. Even though she knew it was too far away to reach the gate to Earth, it was a something, and right now that was all that she needed.

Terik had left her alone about an hour ago. Satisfied that there was very little he could do other than annoy Vala out of getting any real rest. But she couldn't rest. Not as long as Daniel's fate remained uncertain. She tried to push the thoughts out of her mind that she was too late. That this had all been for nothing. She couldn't fathom it. She had worked so hard. Suffered so much, and for so long. The last thing she wanted to think about was getting back to Earth to learn that Daniel had died. She didn't think she would survive it.

Vala was hit with a sharp wave of pain as another one of her bouts came on. She stiffled her cries, not want to waken Terik and his friends who could do little to soothe her suffering. She lay there with her eyes squinted shut, one had pressed tightly against her chest, the other grabbing her bed sheets til her knuckles went white. A few minutes passed before the pain ebbed but Vala felt awful. Worse than she ever had. Taking a look at her bedsheets, she realized she had vomited. Although incredbily weak, she slowly picked herself up and walked over to the wash basin. Knees wobbly, she wet a cloth and ringed it out. As she turned towards the bed, she felt an incredible kick in her chest, sending her to knees, her head falling hard on the mattress.

She was having another bout, and only a minute after the first subsided. In tremendous pain she grasped at the bedsheet with both hands, crying so loudly she woke the entire house. Terik was the first in her room.

"Grab my satchel!" he exclaimed to an onlooker who had followed him in the room.

The next few minutes were a fog. Vala remembered Terik desperately trying to get her to let go of the bed, but she was in so much pain, she was frozen. She barely remembered Terik moving her head to the side and pouring something into her mouth.

"Do not vomit!" he cried as she swallowed the putrid liquid down her throat.

Within seconds the pain subsided, and Terik was able to pry her off the mattress.

"Help me," he motioned to a woman standing nearby as the two of them lifted her up and onto the mattress.

Vala was still out of sorts, but felt noteably colder than she ever had after a bout. Especially in her chest.

"What did you give me?" he asked weakly.

"A last resort," Terike replied as he helped pull the covers over Vala. "In your present condition, you will not last long and given your determination to continue to Ver Vallis, I had to given into something I do not like to use. The liquid I gave you is a powerful potion. It will lower your body temperature significantly, to the point of hypothermia. This will significantly slow down your heartbeat and with it, hopefully, stop these bouts for now. However, this does not come without risk. Your heartbeat will be extremely slow and tremendously weak. It is my hopes, as past precident as shown, these bouts will be ceased for a short time. There is a possibility that it doesn't work. If it doesn't and you have a bout in this state, I will not be able to save you. Although, I do believe you would not have survived the hour had I not intervened."

"How long will this last?"

"There is enough of the potion in your system to last three days. After which I cannot give it again. There are Healers on Ver Vallis who are more adept and skilled at treating your kind of illness. It is my hope to make it there before it runs its course."

"When do we leave?"

"First thing in the morning," Terik said as he carressed the side of Vala's cheek. "We have intel on a ship. Now get your rest."

"I'm coming Daniel," she whispered as she closed her eyes as fell asleep.