Defiant: What we do in life, echoes in eternity
Defiant: What we do in life, echoes in eternity
by Demon Faith and Stephali
TITLE: Defiant: What we do in life, echoes in eternity
AUTHORS: Demon Faith and Stephali
EMAIL:rosabeth@hotmail.comandstephalij@hotmail.com
CATEGORY: Sam/Daniel, Angst, Drama, Mini-series
SPOILERS:
SEASON/SEQUEL: Direct sequel to Defiant. There will be a sequel to this one too.
RATING: PG-13
CONTENT WARNINGS: Injury, implications and violence
SUMMARY: On the distant world of Saphyr, a legacy was born...
DISCLAIMER: We don't own Stargate, but we're beginning to think Stargate owns us...
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Yes, well, what can I say? What started as a stand-alone fic kinda developed into a mini-series. Can't say I'm thrilled or disappointed, so I'll say I'm okay with it. If you're really not that bothered what happens next, tell us so. If you really, really want the next part, tell us that too. Pleas send some mail to poor Steph: I keep getting all of it, including the hate mail. But don't send that to her; in fact, don't send it to either of us. It's just not nice!
Df/xx
It's been three whole weeks since I last saw Daniel alias Apophis heading off that ship into outer space. Three whole weeks! Anything could have happened in that time. Who knows what that time has been like for Daniel? Everything in my, or rather our lives, has gone wrong since we went to P4T 505. And there's been nothing I can do to help. Sam's totally withdrawn; she hasn't spoken a word about what happened to her whilst she was gone. But I can guess. She's been seeing Janet a lot recently; I'm guessing Ra didn't just want her for a travelling companion. She's tough though, our Major. If anyone could get through this, she could. What I'm afraid of though is that it's not a human issue.
When we first stepped back through the Gate, everything was in an absolute mess. The entire computer system needed to be set back up, so guess where Carter's been most of her time. Although that was important, I should have been able to persuade her to take a break. I failed again, as always, some CO I am. This was my fault. I shouldn't have trusted thatwitch,that's where it all went wrong. Because of me, my friends' lives are ruined and I gave the Goa'uld everything they wanted handed on a plate. Apophis is probably having a whale of time in Danny's head and he wouldn't be able to do a thing about it.
Teal'c keeps telling me it'snotmy fault, that he too trusted thewitch,and I know he feels the pain same as I do, but I can't help feeling responsible for everyone. If Earth gets attacked because of this... I don't know what I'll do. Probably just stand there and get killed by the man who was once my best friend.
~
Jack O'Neill sighed and laid down his pen. Janet had suggested that they wrote down how they all felt, and he for had one had secretly taken up her offer. This was just too hard to deal with. But he had to, for the sake of the others, for the sake of the world, for the sake of Daniel Jackson.
Everything was falling apart around him. The base was basically a wreck and all anyone could remember was sketchy details of their 'possession'. Except for Sam. Jack had a nervous feeling she could remember every detail, but she wasn't sharing. It wasn't hard to guess what had happened with Ra, but Sam wasn't angry. She was almost...confused. Unsure, afraid and without a trace of anger in her voice, she had said: "Well, I was his Queen." And those were the only words she had said all the way through the de-briefing.
It was almost as if Daniel was dead. For all they knew, he could be. But, everyone was taking it as if he wasn't coming back. But Jack knew better: Daniel would come back, just not the Daniel they knew.
~
Janet sat in the infirmary, wanting to just break down and cry. Cry for Jack, for Sam and, most all, for Daniel. Sam had told her everything that had happened; and it was nothing like Janet had expected. Ra had loved her, adored her, practically worshipped her; Sam had even laughed at that. Janet had carefully studied her face all the way through the account, but all she could pick up was...acceptance. Cool, calm acceptance that this was how it would be. And there was no anger, no pain or even a sense of violation.
"Sam...can I ask you something...personal?"
Sam looked up at Janet, trying to keep her face straight. Deep down, she was sobbing continuously, an enormous sense of loss threatening to overwhelm her. She had felt real, undying love, and not just from Ra. She had convinced herself that her love for Ra was drug-induced but what she had felt for Daniel...
Sam suddenly jumped up. She shrieked and clutched her hand to her head. She could hear him, crying out in pain. They were still connected! Sam remembered the bleeding well; she still had the scar on her hand. Their blood had merged, creating a 'bond'. And it was still there. Sam called to Daniel, trying to put as much mental volume behind it as she could.
"Sam? Are you alright?"
Janet was watching her carefully, and ran over to support her.
"He's not," she managed to say. "Someone's doing something to Daniel and they won't stop..." she yelled again, even more painfully than before.
Janet didn't know what to do.Was Sam hallucinating? She didn't think so. This seemed so real.Of course some people claim to be linked 'psychically' to one another, sharing each other's joy and their sorrow, in sickness and in health.So she helped Sam lie down, quickly dosing her with a sedative, when her friend's head was turned the other way.
"I'm sorry Sam," she whispered, and then left the infirmary.
~
Sam's eyes flickered open and hazily she made out the forms of Janet and Jack. She sat up; Teal'c was standing in the corner and even General Hammond was in the room.
"Do you remember what happened?" Janet asked.
"I was hurting... he was hurting... we both were hurting."
"And he is, Major?"
"Daniel, sir. He was reaching out to me."
"May I ask, how exactly?" Jack did sound slightly sceptical now you think about it.
Sam swallowed, she didn't really want to go through the painful story, but she felt that she had no choice. "When Ra was here he mixed our blood in some... ritual."
"Found that, sir. Over the floor of his office."
"And he said some words and things and then... it just happened."
Teal'c spoke up, "How is Daniel Jackson feeling at this moment, Major Carter?"
"Not too bad. At least he's not yelling in pain anymore. But it still hurts."
General Hammond turned to leave, "Keep me briefed, Doctor."
Janet was just about to answer 'Yes, sir!' when Sam called out again, but not this time in pain, rather in anger.
"Are we not going on a rescue mission?"
"I'm afraid Major, I can't authorise that mission. It is too great a risk to put this planet and all the people on it in."
"But sir!"
"I'm sorry. I wish that Dr. Jackson was back here with us, but unfortunately that is not an option." He shut the door behind him.
~
Sam waited until the infirmary lights were dimmed and Janet had finally gone home, before attempting her 'mission'. She crept into the corridor, a lithe shadow in the eerie half-light of the destroyed base. Soon, she had all she needed and stole away to the Stargate Room. She put her Zat gun to good use and stepped through the shimmering blue circle, to find her love.
~
"Shewhat?"
Jack couldn't believe it. His calm, collected and thoroughly controlled major was off on a wild-goose chase for their elusive archaeologist. And Jack was seriously worried. Not just because she was on an almost-impossible search for a Goa'uld, but also because he was extremely doubtful of her sanity. Especially after this.
"There's no note, no clue of when she left, or even what coordinates she dialled. The logs have been erased. All we know is that the Stargate was activated sometime last night. She could be anywhere!"
Janet threw her hands up in frustration and sat back down at the table. What on earth was wrong with Sam?
~
Sam could sense that she was going in the right direction. Her mystical bond with Daniel felt stronger since she had stepped through the Gate. She was getting closer to him. She looked around. There were not many places for a Goa'uld to be hiding on this planet, especially not one with a very large fleet of ships. Sam knew it was only a matter of time before she found him. What she didn't realise was that maybe, he was looking for her too.
~
She saw him standing in the shadows. Even through the dim light she could tell it was he. She did not need sight, sound or any of the physical senses to know whom her destiny was. Her sixth sense, her inner, most personal side of all was drawing them together. He turned and smiled, reaching out his arm towards her. She ran into his arms, losing all comprehension of fear, or loneliness, or pain. He stroked her hair softly.
"Come on Sam. It's time we went home."
Sam drew back from his embrace, suddenly remembering.
"But what about.... Apophis?"
"Forget him. He's gone. Let us never speak of the past; only think of the future. This time, I won't let anything stand in out way. I promise."
They walked back towards the Gate, holding each other all the way, as if they'd never let go.
"I love you Sam."
"I love you too Daniel."
They stepped back through the Stargate, back to their awaiting Earth.
~
Klaxons blaring and lights flashing, Cheyenne Mountain prepared for the inevitable wormhole. The blue light gushed forth, followed instantly for a command to 'open the iris'. The huge metal cover spiralled back, revealing the dazzling event horizon. And Sam and Daniel came through.
Almost immediately, Daniel crashed to the floor, clutching his hands to his head. Sam knelt beside him, calling for Janet. Everything seemed to move in slow motion, a stall on time echoed through the base. Daniel writhed in pain on the floor, fighting the shadow that hung over him. He could feel it in his mind, a stabbing pain that was so...wrong. He mentally yelled for Sam again and she gasped.
"I'm here, Daniel. Just...hang...on..."
Suddenly, the pain of his telepathic screaming became too much and Sam collapsed.
~
"I just don't understand it. The MRI shows no sign of Goa'uld presence or a protein marker. It seems Apophis left Daniel willingly."
Janet turned to the beds where Sam and Daniel lay, obviously even pained in slumber. Suddenly, Sam cried out and sat up, eyes wide.
"You have to help him! Janet, please; help him!"
"I don't understand what's going on." She waited a moment before continuing. "It doesn't make any sense. However, as it is still obvious he is in pain and he is hurting you Sam, I believe it would be best to keep him sedated for at least 24 hours. That way we would be more likely to determine what is still affecting him."
Sam moved as if to voice a complaint, but she suddenly caught her breath sharply and winced.
"That settles it Sam. Even if it is unintentional he is still causing you pain."
Sam sank back down onto her bed. "I'm staying."
Janet hesitated, "You know I'm going to have to let Colonel O'Neill and Teal'c in to see him if they want."
"Just give me ten minutes Janet, please..."
She smiled, "Of course, I'll go inform the General."
As soon as Janet left, Sam slid herself off the bed, trying not to jar her head too much. She moved slowly towards Daniel, taking in the waxen pallor and pained expression. She softly brushed a hand through his hair, biting down on her lip.
"Oh, Daniel, why you?" she whispered to herself.
She sat on the edge of the bed, gazing fondly down on him, trying to find peace in a universe of chaos.
Why Daniel? Why her? Why Daniel and her? Questions with no answers, no logical ones anyway.
Why so much pain? Why so much hurt? Why so much love? Words Sam could never get her head around.
Words were Daniel's thing, Maths was hers. She could never say what she truly wanted to; she never had the words. Perhaps that's why she had never confessed, never hinted at something more than friendship with her best friend. She wasn't blind; he was attractive, fun, wonderful...
Sam suddenly sniffed, aware of tears steadily trickling down her cheeks. She brushed them away before laying her hand on his arm.
"What the hell..."
A rod of energy shot up her arm. Sam gasped in pain, before stiffening and falling to the floor with a crash.
~
Jack knocked on the door before going in to see Daniel. He understood Sam had requested some time alone with him and he didn't really want to interrupt anything. There was no response. He tried again, this time knocking a little louder.
"Perhaps they did not hear you O'Neill," Teal'c said and then he knocked on the door, considerably louder than Jack had done. Jack frowned, puzzled.
"Well, that's odd. We should check..."
Teal'c noted Jack's hesitation, and smiled to himself. Jack was always extremely uncomfortable around couples, and now Sam and Daniel...well, were 'together' in the vaguest sense of the word. Teal'c would never understand Tau'ri. On Chu'lak, one simply announced their love and then married a few months later. There was no 'dating', no real choice in the matter. But Teal'c realised this was Earth, and the Tau'ri valued their freedom greatly. Perhaps that was the reason.
"Then, we shall, O'Neill."
Teal'c opened the door and stepped inside, Jack staying in his shadow.
"Major Carter!"
Teal'c ran over to the unconscious woman, Jack close behind. But then Teal'c faltered, staying a few inches from Sam's prone form, and stopping Jack with his arm.
"Do not move closer, O'Neill."
"Why? What's going on?"
Teal'c grimaced, then pointed to the light blue sparks flitting between Sam's head and the IV stand beside Daniel's bed. Jack's widened and he immediately panicked, rushing to the wall phone.
"Janet! Get down here quick! Sam's just been electrocuted..."
~
Jack and Teal'c found themselves being forcibly and hastily removed from the infirmary by one of Janet's assistants.
"I'm sorry, sirs. You can come back later."
~
Jack was getting increasingly frustrated by this. It seemed as if anything and everything was going to happen to Carter and Daniel and there was nothing he could do to help them. As well as this, nobody would tell him what was happening. Nobody would let him visit them. General Hammond kept calling him off for debriefings and strategy sessions that could have been postponed but weren't. He hit the wall in frustration, but then recoiled, grasping his hand in pain.
"That is not going to help anyone O'Neill."
At least Teal'c was as much in the dark as he was.
Suddenly he heard a sharp call from Janet that radiated confusion, disbelief and annoyance. Then Jack understood: nobody knew what was going on. Nobody knew what would help.
~
Sam was lost. In a torrent of dreams, pain and ecstasy, but definitely lost. She was spinning through a sea of nothing and everything, disorientated, detached and suddenly afraid. Why was she asleep? Where was Daniel? Suddenly, she had lost him, aware of an overwhelming emptiness where his presence had been. Something had happened, something important, but the memories wouldn't come.
Then, there was light. Painfully bright at first, but then softening to a warm glow. All the disorder fell away, to be replaced with complete clarity. And, there was a voice. A low, echoing voice, telling her something special, something brilliant and unusual. And she listened, knowing this would help somehow in some way.
*Millennia ago, when Egypt was ruled by the Goa'uld, there was a world that lay deep in the Goa'uld dominion, called Saphyr. It was a world of peaceful co-existence between two highly-advanced races, which hated the Goa'uld and wanted them to leave their planet. One race was skilled in the art of genetics, the other possessing a command of unique psychological powers. They combined their knowledge and formed a plan to rid their world of the Goa'uld. They...argh!*
The voice cut and Sam was swamped in darkness once more.
~
In the infirmary, Daniel sat up. Janet was immediately beside him, trying to make him lay back down.
"No, Janet, I can't! Where's Sam? Where's she gone?"
There was a panic in his voice, an unspoken urgency in his manner that made Janet begin to worry. What was going on? Why the sudden recovery, the need to see Sam? Something was not right. Then, he stiffened and seemed to regain some composure.
"Sorry...Janet. I'm sorry. I'll go now..."
"No, Daniel. I need to keep you for obser..."
"NO!"
Daniel threw a tray of medical instruments over and stormed out. Janet just stared after him, wondering what she had done wrong.
~
He ran out into the corridor, not knowing where to go. He had mixed feelings about where to go, what to do. He just knew he had to get out of there, away from other people. He needed some time alone, to think things through. At the end of the passage, he saw a young man whom he recognised from when he stumbled through the Stargate. This man was one of the ones operating the computer systems. He had an idea about how to get away from people without alerting Janet, General Hammond and most importantly, Jack. He wasn't ready for a confrontation.
"Excuse me, I was wondering, did you move my office while I was away? I'm sure I heard someone say that they had."
"No Dr. Jackson. Your office is just where it always was, turn left here, third door on the right."
"Thank you. I'm still a bit disorientated, it's been quite a few weeks."
"I understand that, sir."
~
Safely within the confines of his office, Daniel sank into his chair, automatically reaching to his right. Then, he stopped, wondering why his hand had moved. He looked in that direction, saw the coffee maker and frowned. He stood up, examining the machine carefully. His hands moved before him, beyond his control, just hovering above the coffee maker. The coffee jar unscrewed, a teaspoon collecting a measure of coffee granules and placing it in the cup. Daniel watched in wonder, as his hands made no contact with the objects butmovedthem all the same. The water in the kettle was stone cold, but with a single thought, it was boiling hot. The kettle tipped the water into the cup and Daniel caught sight of his reflection. Eyes fiery red, face impassive, and a foreigner's eyes staring back at him. The water levelled in the cup and the milk and sugar spread themselves evenly through the coffee. The cup lifted off the desktop and into his hands. Daniel just stared at it, but his hands moved it to his mouth, which swallowed the bitter coffee. He placed the coffee on the desk and his face contorted into a sickly smile.
"So, that's how it works..."
~
She had no idea how long it had been since that comforting mass had enveloped and surrounded her, but she did know that she was desperate for it to return. The dark and chilling gloominess was gradually grinding her emotions down, leaving her open to desolation, pain and sorrow. Sam shook, trying to call out, to scream, but nothing happened. Silently she mouthed a prayer to whoever was out there, wishing that someone would hear her and release her. And then he came. The light surrounding him washed away the emptiness and cold. She saw no human form, or shape that she could recognise, but that did not matter. As long as she was not alone, she had a chance that she could finally understand.
*They offered the Goa'uld a deal, a treaty to save their world. In exchange for their freedom, they combined their knowledge and power and gave their enemy the means with which they could devastate more races. It was not without reason though, the Goa'uld arrogance ensured that they accepted the gift that would eventually destroy them. The Goa'uld spent centuries searching for the gift and when they did...*
There was silence for a moment, as the voice gathered his thoughts, then returned, but this time the voice was definitely familiar...
*...they took it. The first one to take a Defiant host was Ra himself. The young boy he took in Ancient Egypt was a Defiant. He was the one Jack and I blew to pieces on that space ship. Ra was long gone by then...and then he found me. Yes, I'm one of these 'gifted' few, who are highly sought after by the Goa'uld. Can't say I'm thrilled, but hey...*
[{(Daniel? Is that you? What's going on? Why are you telling me this?)}]
The voice hesitated and the light around Sam fluctuated.
*Sam, I can't tell you. There's something preventing me from...mentioning...it's difficult...Sam, don't...ask...*
Sam sensed the sharp, biting pain from Daniel, hating the evil that had caused it. Her quick mind worked at the jigsaw puzzle plaguing her, and the final pieces fell into place and she gasped. Then, Daniel's mental scream filled her and the world was again dark.
~
Daniel moved swiftly through the corridors, trying to avoid detection.
"Daniel!"
Too late...Jack strode up to him and dragged him to the Briefing Room, making noises about disappearing acts and needing to know.
~
"The thing is General, with all due respect, no-one here can sympathise with his position. How can we possibly ask him about what he's been through and how can we possibly understand?"
"What are you suggesting Doctor? I'm assuming we can't just ignore it."
"I feel it might be appropriate to involve the Tok'ra, they are the people most likely to have experienced anything..."
The door opened into the room and Jack and Daniel entered, having obviously overheard the previous conversation.
"No Janet... no...don't get the Tok'ra involved...I can't... I just can't. Seeing them would just bring it all back, even if they aren't Goa'uld."
General Hammond nodded, motioning for Jack and Daniel to sit down. "As you might have guessed, we're here to try and figure out what happened. We've heard Major Carter's side of the story, but there still remain a lot of unanswered questions."
Janet leant forward, "We need you to tell us what happened to Apophis, Daniel."
"I don't know."
"Come on Daniel, you can do better than that."
"No Jack! I can't. I don't remember anything. The last thing I remember was on P4T 505."
Teal'c stepped in, "When we released Skarra from Klorel he claimed to have remembered and witnessed all the events of the time since he had been taken a host."
"Well it didn't happen with me, ok? I don't know why."
"So what happened when Apophis went?"
"I just woke up and the Gate was dialling, having nothing to lose I went over. Sam was there and we came home. I don't know any more than that."
Daniel was getting extremely worked up and Jack laid a comforting hand on his arm, only to have it slapped away.
"I don't need this, okay? I just want to forget it all! Where's Sam? I haven't seen her, is she okay? Did I hurt her, at any time, come on, someone tell me!"
The gabbled speech came out in a rush but everyone knew exactly what had been said. Janet became distinctly uncomfortable and Jack grimaced. Then, Daniel drew himself straight and turned away.
"Where are you going, Doctor Jackson?"
"Who bloody cares," was the only reply.
~
Sam knew what was coming before it did. She welcomed the approaching light and embraced it, but this time it was different. It was flickering and less controlled. The emotions spiralling away from it were more intense and scattered, as if someone was going to break.
The voice came back, as detached as it was before.
*The Goa'uld sought after these hosts, theseDefiant.When found they awakened the supernatural powers within themselves, giving them more power than ever imagined before. This was rare though. The people of Saphyr bestowed this gift upon people scattered far throughout the universe, meaning that this hunt proved most often to be fruitless.*
There was a moment's silence, and then the light cascaded, as if enslaved by anger or fear.
*But it worked Sam. They found me. If I had known, if there was someway I could have realised what would have happened, I would never have left Earth. I'm sorry for what he or I might do to you Sam.*
[{(But didn't you say yourself, that there was a way for a Defiant host to fight back?)}]
The light became brilliant white before muting to dull orange.
*Well, at the moment, I'm not really in control of anything. I can't keep this up for long. I'm trying to fight but it's pushing down on me. It's as if he can only control the Defiant abilities...*
Daniel's voice faded away, to be replaced by numbing pain. Sam clenched her imaginary fists and resolved to break free.
~
Jack sat down beside Sam's bed, deep in thought. It was obvious she had answers but she was asleep, almost as if it was planned to keep her quiet...
There were no explanations. The nearest electrical socket was several metres away, no water near her, nothing to produce the electricity. And there was no burning, none at all. There wasn't even a reason for her to be unconscious...
"No! Let me out!"
Jack stood up, yelling for Janet. Sam writhed in her sleep, yelling oaths and curses that brought damnation on some evil or another.
"Save him, save him please Trapped, so alone; save him!"
Jack was confused now. Save whom? From what? Janet rushed in, eyes wide. What the hell was going on?
~
Whilst Jack was contemplating this, the door flew violently open and a small tornado ravaged through the infirmary. Daniel strode in amongst the destruction, smiling as he did so.
#We see you have been told of the Defiant. We think now it is the time to show you of our capabilities#
Jack was totally dumbfounded. He looked at Sam and saw realisation in her eyes. She did not seem in the least fazed by the fact Daniel's voice was now echoing and what appeared to be a storm cloud was forming above her head. Thinking of that, he yelled...
"Sam! Look out!"
"Jack, get the hell out of here. All of you, out! This is between Apophis and me."
"APOPHIS?"
Sam violently pushed Jack to the floor, as a lightning bolt headed straight for his position. He cursed and dived to the side. A bubble of light formed around Sam and she smiled.
"Now, see what I can do."
Apophis backed off and Sam raised her hand, eyes flashing red.
#Look what I've done, Apophis. You'll find you're all alone over there now#
Jack looked from one to the other. On one side of the room, there was Daniel. Or rather, Daniel's body that apparently was host to Apophis. On the other side, there was Sam, but with glowing eyes, a Goa'uld voice and claiming to now be hosting Daniel. He was confused.
Apophis smirked. "You have given me exactly what I need. I have the Defiant with no resistance from him. Earth will be mine."
#That's where you're wrong. You can't harness the abilities without the soul of the original host. You're just a failed burglar now, there's nothing left for you to take.#
"You are fooled again, human." Apophis pulled a gun from his side. "There's everything left to take, starting with your mind." He raised the gun and fired. Once. Twice.
The bullets flew towards Sam, Jack helplessly watching as they sang their song of death. It was not to be though. They froze in midair, halting just short of Sam's chest.
"It's over, Apophis. I could kill you right now but that would make me as bad as you. However, I'm sure Sokar would have no objections to your presence..."
[{(Nice one, Daniel!)}]
*Don't get too excited. I'm...argh...about to lose...ow...control any second*
Sam burst forward and the glowing eyes faded and the echo disappeared.
"You can't hurt me, and I won't let you hurt anyone else. Daniel may not want to shoot you, but I sure as hell do!"
Sam raised her hand and Jack's gun flew straight into her hand. She pointed it straight at Apophis but he knocked it from her grasp. She concentrated and mentally spun it out of his hand, pointing straight at him and willed the trigger to fire. The gun emptied and Apophis crashed to the floor, followed shortly by the gun. Sam saluted Jack before collapsing to the already-cluttered floor.
Jack ran over to her, checking for a pulse and nodding to Janet. He warily felt Daniel's wrist and bit down on his lip.
"Oh Danny, please tell me you stayed with Sam..."
#You could say that...#
Jack turned round, to see Sam sitting up, eyes glowing red and voice echoing. Jack hugged him, glad both of his friends were safe. He broke away and wagged a finger at him.
"You have a lot of explaining to do..."
#Yeah well, not right now. I'm gonna jump back to my own body, after Janet's patched 'me' up. Then, I think Sam and I are gonna be asleep for a little while. Apophis wasn't exactly kind#
Jack nodded to him, suddenly realised how different Sam's eyes looked with Daniel behind them. He patted Sam's shoulder and walked over to Janet, who nodded.
She started work immediately, and 'Sam' strode around, fidgeting and radiating guilt like only Daniel can. Jack watched until he literally collapsed from exhaustion. Teal'c carried him to a bed, before announcing 'I think I should rest, Janet Frasier' and collapsing on the opposite bed. Janet shook her head as if the world had gone mad. 'Sam' smiled at her and she clapped both hands to her head.
"After this, Daniel Jackson, you're gonna tell me _everything_."
Daniel gave her sloppy salute, as she finished work on his body. He lay down on the bed and closed his eyes.
His corpse drew breath, and the pulse quickly returned. Janet just stood there with her mouth open, then glanced back at Sam whose posture had slumped into sleep. Janet shouted to one of the medics before lying on a bed herself and falling fast asleep.
~
"Dr. Frasier! Dr. Frasier!" Janet turned over as someone shook her awake. She almost told him to just go away when she realised that it was General Hammond. She leapt up at once, smoothing her hair quickly before giving him a quick salute. She was about to apologise for falling asleep, but he stepped in ahead of her.
"At ease Doctor. I was wondering about the condition of your patients. They have all awakened and are... how shall we put this... eager to get out of here. I told them they'd have to wait until you'd given them the all clear."
"Of course, General. There are still a few checks I need to run, considering what has happened to them, so they'll have to stay in until then at least."
"I'll give them the good news."
"Thank you, sir."
She did indeed still have some unanswered questions of her own: like how did the MRI fail to show up Apophis? He had been in Daniel's head all that time and no one had noticed until the end, and that was only because Daniel himself had told them.
She was also a bit concerned about something else as well. Technically, Apophis had died within Daniel, which would probably leave him with a protein marker and the ability to sense if someone else was a Goa'uld. However, wouldn't that also leave him with some of Apophis' memories, most likely the ones that would hurt Daniel most?
And one final, rather disconcerting thing: could Daniel change 'host' (for a want of a better word) at will, calling upon these 'powers' every time he was in another's body? That would definitely need some thinking about.
She was prepared to ignore all these concerns for the moment though, just happy to see her friends alive and relatively well. She also guessed that Daniel and Sam might not want to tell her all the answers: not just yet, anyway.
She looked around the infirmary, smiling at the rather familiar positioning. Jack was slumped against the wall, whistling softly to himself. Teal'c was in full 'Jaffa mode', glaring at anyone who came too close to Daniel. And Sam was sitting beside Daniel's bed, clutching his hand tightly, as if she could will him awake. Actually, now, maybe she could...then Janet started. Hadn't the General said everyone was awake?
"I thought you were all ready to go..."
Jack looked up, Teal'c nodded to her and Sam just gave a hesitant smile.
"No, Daniel hasn't woken up yet. Jack was just asking for permission in advance."
Janet frowned, immediately suspicious. Something odd was going on...
"Oh no, no more secrets. Spill, the lot of you!"
Sam shifted in her chair, Jack tried to look hurt and Teal'c smiled one of his 'amused at the Tau'ri' smiles. Janet tapped her foot impatiently and stared directly at Sam, who squirmed.
"Well, Daniel did wake up. Then, he collapsed back on the bed. He's been out ever since."
Janet raised eyebrows, surged towards the bed and began basic examination, while calling for MRIs and x-rays. Sam jumped back, as medics crowded round and Janet's voiced her concerns.
"Apophis managed to conceal himself from the scans; how could he do that?"
Sam frowned from a second, then, strangely, closed he eyes and cocked her head to the side.
"Daniel says there's an implant in his forehead. It projects a perfect image of Daniel's brain to any scan."
Sam reached out to touch Daniel's head, and pulled the skin tight across, revealing a small, metal rectangle under the skin.
"Which would be that. That's also how Apophis controlled Daniel's pain, exposing him to sharp bursts when Daniel tried to break free. That's what I was picking up."
Feeling more than a little confused, Janet nodded and called for someone to telephone Dr Warner and prepare Daniel for theatre. She quickly shooed SG1 out, much to their indignation. Sam took Janet's hand and made her listen for a moment.
"Janet, Daniel wants me to be there. He wants to know what you're doing. If anything goes wrong, he wants to be given time to 'jump ship'."
'Jump ship' Sam made it all sound so easy.
"Are you.. is he... sure? We don't what we're dealing with here. What if it does go wrong?"
"I'm speaking for us both here Janet, we know what we're doing."
There was a pause, Janet was considering. Finally she said, "Let's hope it doesn't come to that."
~
It was odd, Janet thought, definitely odd, to be operating on a patient's brain who was still 'conscious' and communicating with people. Sam, who was seated in the corner, kept fidgeting and shifting, as if something was annoying her. She could feel that Daniel was getting very impatient with this, Janet seemed to be taking a very long time.
"I'm sorry to interrupt Janet, but this is still hurting him."
Dr. Frasier was getting slightly annoyed with her constant protests. "Thank you Sam. Next time why don't you wait until I'm slicing his head open to interrupt me. "
"Sorry, I'm only trying to do what's best."
"I know you are. So am I. So just let me get on with this."
~
A tense few minutes later, Janet was still in indecision. She had taken a closer look at the implant, and was unsure about about whether simply removing it would cause intense damage to Daniel's nervous system.
Sam saw her friend's hesitation, so she asked Daniel if he knew why she was worried.
*I could, you know, perform the operation myself. I know more about it than anyone here. Apophis delighted in tormenting me about it.*
{[(You meanwecould. Don't you think Janet would feel offended though?)}]
*Trust me, she'll be relieved.*
Sam slipped out of her conversation, still worried at the violent surges of pain Daniel was desperately trying to suppress. She opened her eyes, to find Janet staring at her, as if waiting.
"So, what did he say?"
"He wants to take over."
Janet's eyebrows shot up and she stared from Daniel to Sam, then back again.
"He knows what he's doing, I guess. But won't his body die without him..."
"Not if I'm there instead."
Sam cut off the mental yells from Daniel, trying to field Janet's horrified expression. Daniel finally managed to break through her mental wall, but only with choked whispers.
*Sam, you can't do that. If my body dies, it'll be suicide...*
[{(No, I'll jump back if it gets that bad. Trust in me, Daniel. I'm not going to lose you again)}]
Daniel didn't know what to say. Sam just smiled at Janet, closed her eyes and channeled herself towards Daniel. She didn't know how, but she awoke in darkness, dimly aware of the infirmary around her.
*Are you okay, Sam?*
Sam got a sudden spasm of pain, mentally grimaced and put back a reply.
[{(Just hurry)}]
Daniel was worried now but just opened Sam's eyes wow,he just couldn't get used to that and smiled at Janet.
#Well, shall we start?#
~
Jack and Teal'c paced relentlessly up and down the corridor, crossing each other every so often.
"They'll be alright, won't they?"
A nurse had just told them about Sam and Daniel switching bodies and they were worried sick.
Teal'c didn't reply to Jack's question.
"I mean, what was Carter thinking? And how the hell did she do it anyway? I thought Daniel was the only one..."
"O'Neill! Be silent!"
Jack's eyes widened, as Teal'c glared at him. He sat down and mumbled to himself.
"Touchy."
~
Janet stood back, amazed at what she was seeing. The fluid hand movements didn't belong to Sam or Daniel, something strange and exciting happening when they were together, or at least connected.
#I am trying to sever the implant by cutting the connectors themselves. The remaining pieces of naquadah won't cause any trouble#
Janet just nodded, as Sam's fingers moved swiftly between connections and pulled the implant straight out.
#Sam's gonna want to study that...#
Daniel grinned, mentally turned to Sam and pulled her gently back, while swinging himself into her place. Sam opened her eyes, just as Janet was closing the skin.
"Will there be a scar?"
"I don't know, not with this new physiology..."
Janet put in the last stitch, removed the needle and stared. The tiny line of stitches gradually melded back together before her eyes, forming smooth skin.
"I guess that's a yes."
Janet looked back at Sam, mouth wide open, then turning again when Daniel stirred and sat up! He swung his legs over the side of the bed, accepted Sam's hand and jumped off.
"Thanks Janet, I really appreciate it."
Daniel grinned at her, put his arm around Sam's waist and they left the infirmary, leaving a shell-shocked Janet behind them.
~
They passed Jack and Teal'c, racing to Daniel's office and cracking open the coffee and biscuits.
"You okay, Daniel? You seem tired..."
"Yeah, a little."
Daniel smiled at Sam, who blushed. She got up to close the door, but slipped on some spilt coffee. Daniel knelt beside her, worry written all over his face.
"Are you alright? What happened?"
Sam held up her hand, frowning.
"I have a rock in my hand."
One of Daniel's antique knives was sticking out of her hand; only a small one, about the size of a pencil. Daniel held up the hand and they stood up together.
"Perhaps we should go to Janet..."
"No, I'll just pull it out..."
"Sam, you shouldn't..."
Sam pulled the knife easily out of her hand, dropped it on the floor and looked at her hand. Slowly, she held it up to Daniel.
"What's...happening to me?"
The blood dried and the skin healed in seconds, leaving a thin red scar, which also vanished in moments. Daniel took her hand in his, staring at it. And Sam looked up at him with wide eyes.
"Oh God, I'm Defiant!"
TO BE CONTINUED...
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