Chapter 2
"Agh! I can't *be* here, General! I have to go back! You don't understand!" Daniel paced impatiently around the infirmary as Dr. Fraiser hovered over him.
The need to touch Daniel, to grant herself physical reassurance that the man pacing in her infirmary was really SG1's archeologist was becoming too much for Dr. Fraiser to bear. She glanced in the General's direction, knowing he was as tortured as she. Placing a hand gently on his forearm she was taken aback as Daniel turned anger visible on his face. "Not *now*! I don't…they don't have time for your prodding, and needles and scans." Dr. Fraiser glanced down as Daniel began to almost convulsively clench and unclench his hands his exasperation and frustration increasing exponentially. "*You need to…"
General Hammond stationed himself in the path of Daniel's kinetic pacing. "*You* need to let Dr. Fraiser check you out. *You* haven't been gone that long to think that the SOPs of SGC have changed. *You* know infirmary first and foremost, then we will debrief. *You* do remember that until Dr. Fraiser has cleared you medically, I do not want to see you upstairs. Understood?" General Hammond looked at Daniel and exhaled loudly. All of Daniel's nervous tics had halted and he had wrapped his arms around his body in a gesture of self protection…an idiosyncrasy of Dr. Jackson's that brought a tender smile to the General's face.
"I'm sorry, sir."
"I understand son…"
"Goddamn it sir, with all due respect, I don't think you *do* understand. I don't think anyone here could understand. *I* left them behind General. *I* left *all* of my team behind on that planet. With those people." The General could see that Dr. Jackson was working himself right back up to where they had been. Relying on years of military training, a look and one word, "*Enough*," the General was able to bring a halt to Daniel's ramblings. Pointing to an infirmary bed, he turned his back and departed the infirmary, leaving Dr. Jackson in the hands of SGC's chief medical officer.
* * * *
Sam sighed and dropped her pen on her workbench before dragging her fingers through her hair. She closed her eyes, trying to banish the latent images pressed into her mind from staring at endless formulas and calculations for far too long. She laughed ruefully into her hands as she remembered that she'd brought this headache on herself. It was her answer to everything… she'd focus her mind on something so completely that everything else would just fade into the background. For awhile, anyway.
She'd just laid her head down on her arms for a moment, when she was startled into awareness by a quick rap on the doorframe of her lab. She had left the door open and when she heard the knock, her head shot up and she looked toward it.
"Uh, Major Carter? May I come in?"
"Jonas," she sighed, pushing a few stray wisps of hair from her forehead. She put on her best fake smile and stood up, gesturing him in. "Sure. What can I do for you, Jonas?"
Jonas Quinn smiled awkwardly as he crossed the threshold into her lab and tilted his head a bit as he thought of something to say. Sam took a deep, cleansing breath and allowed the intensity of her smile to fade a bit as she waited for his response. He wasn't really paying attention to her anyway.
"Well, Major," he finally said. Sam lifted her head expectantly. "I, uh… well, here," he said, holding out what looked to her like an old-fashioned film can. She gave him a puzzled look and he smiled again as she took it from him.
"What is it?" she asked, examining it as she headed back over to the workbench. Jonas shoved his hands into his pockets and followed her.
"Well, I guess you could say that the Naquadria wasn't the only thing I stole before leaving Kelona."
"What do you mean?" Sam asked, distractedly, as she worked on prying the lid off the tin canister. As it popped open, she sat back down on her stool and looked over at Jonas briefly before examining the reel of film inside.
Jonas shrugged. "We kept very good records, Major, and the Naquadria research was extremely important to my country's government. Aside from extensive reports and detailed journals, the scientists on the project also recorded all of their experimentation sessions with the Naquadria and the bomb they were building."
"So, this is…"
"This," Jonas continued, gesturing toward the filmstrip, "Is the film from… it's the tape depicting the… the accident. The whole thing was recorded. Doctor Lee wanted me to destroy it, but…"
"But you brought it here, instead. Jonas, why? Why didn't you just show this to your superiors? If this is the proof of Daniel's innocence, then why-"
"They'd already *seen* it! Major, they already watched it, and ignored it. They *wanted* Dr. Jackson to take the blame! Better than our own people being at fault…" Jonas replied emphatically, his frustration evident. Sam averted her eyes, and looked back down at the object in her hands.
"Anyway," Jonas continued, head hanging. "I just… thought maybe you, Colonel O'Neill, and Teal'c would want to watch it. Doctor Jackson, he… he knew exactly what… but he still…" Jonas shook his head and started heading toward the door. "I'm sorry to have disturbed you, Major," he mumbled, as he rushed out of the room.
Sam watched him go, heart thudding in her chest. When he moved out of view, she surveyed her lab, looking anywhere but down at her hands. That film was… was *Daniel killing himself*. Part of her wanted desperately to watch it, just to see him one more time, while another part wanted only to burn it, erasing the memory of Daniel's ugly demise.
As her eyes settled on some dusty video equipment in the corner, her curiosity won. Her endless formulas and calculations forgotten, Sam set to work converting the film to video, half dreading the moment she would finish.
* * * *
Losing the battle to control the smile that had been threatening to erupt since Dr. Jackson's return through the Stargate, the General asked, "It's really him?"
Shaking her head, she replied, "Yes, it's really him. DNA testing confirms it." Janet mirrored the General's smiles with one of her own. "The good doctor comes complete with appendix scar, scar from the staff weapon, and allergies. The MRI, CAT, and PET scans revealed no presence of any Goa'uld, now or in the past." Opening the files spread before her, Dr. Fraiser continued, "Full body scans did reveal a recent head injury and fracture of the left arm. Healed perfectly. Stubbornness has not improved in the past year…fought me every inch of the way regarding a sedative."
"And…is that why he is not here?" The General did very little to hide the disappointment in his voice. He had found it difficult to leave Dr. Jackson in the infirmary, out of his line of sight.
"No," Dr. Fraiser said with a shake of her head. "He wanted a cup of coffee and a shower. I sent an airman with him…and he gave me full voice of his linguist talents because of that. We haven't even begun to see the repercussions of what occurred while SG1 was missing."
"I agree wholeheartedly, Dr. Fraiser. While in the infirmary, did he mention any…"
A knock on the door brought a halt to the conversation.
"Come in. Excuse me, Dr. Jackson, please have a seat."
Taking a seat, Daniel opened his mouth, audibly shutting it when the General slid a folder in his direction. The General glanced down at the folder then at Daniel as an acknowledgment that he should pick it up. Adjusting his glasses, Daniel opened the folder. "General, I don't see what this has…"
"Dr. Jackson, read it," the General commanded.
Skimming, more than reading, he slammed the folder on the desk. "Sir, to reiterate, I don't see what my mission report regarding Bra'tac's use of the Rite of Mal Sha'rim to return Teal'c back to us has any bearing whatsoever on retrieving the remaining members of SG1."
The General slid another folder towards Daniel. "Read."
Daniel grimaced as he took a sip of the cold coffee that he had brought with him. Sighing, he opened up the file and quickly closed it. "General, why do …"
"Dr. Jackson…are you aware how long SG1 has been missing?"
Daniel shrugged, confused. Rubbing his eyes under his glasses. "Umm… awhile?"
"That folder, the last one you read…the briefing before your mission to PX8904…That was your last briefing."
"Sir, you must be mistaken…that was over 12 months ago," Daniel stammered. "I can't seem…" His hands were shaking so badly, droplets of coffee feel onto the mission reports.
"That's right son. SG1 never returned from that mission. We were never able to reinitialize the wormhole after your team stepped through it."
Visions of the posters that Talin had pointed out to him in the Control Room mentally appeared with frightening clarity. Daniel jumped from the seat and began to nervously circle the room. Breathing heavily, he began to tick off a list.
"Anubis."
"Who?" the General questioned.
"Undercover mission with Jacob and myself to a Goa'uld summit?"
"Daniel?"
"Chaka…Civil war? Cassie and Nirtii? Reese and the replicators? Tanith? The destruction of the Tollans? The Russian DHD?" Daniel dropped back down into the chair and buried his face in his hands. Dr. Fraiser attempted to place a hand of comfort on Daniel's arm. He pulled away in response and lowered his hands. "Twelve months worth of missions that never existed here…my God, we've been living out missions…Oh my God, he wasn't lying…Talin was telling the truth."
"Dr. Jackson…where has SG1 been for the past 12 months?"
"We've been… I've been…" Daniel took a deep breath. "SG1 has been kidnapped to provide viewing pleasure to a planet."
* * * *
It was late and Jack O'Neill thought he would be able to just leave the mountain and go home. Teal'c was Kel'no'reeming for the night. Now that Daniel had ascended, he was Oma Delsala's worry to tuck in at night. That left Sam, and since the light was on in her lab, well he figured she was still up. Never knocking, he walked into her lab, surprised to find her bending over a TV screen.
"Watcha watchin'?" he whispered in her ear.
Sam jumped up, amazed at the Colonel's Black Op skills once again. "Umm… the video tape, or their equivalent of one, anyway, from the Kelona lab. Just as Daniel…ya know."
He rubbed her shoulders lightly, as much to offer comfort to himself and to her. "And you're torturing…I mean watching this because…?"
"Well in all honesty, this should not even be in SGC's possession. Jonas gave it to me… I believe out of guilt to show Daniel's heroism. But I'm confused… Something doesn't ring true, sir. "
"And that would be what, Carter?"
"Watch it sir," she ordered, as she proceeded to rewind the tape.
"Carter…I really would rather not."
"Please sir…it is important," she implored.
Watching the scene playing out before him, he couldn't look for the question that Carter was asking, too distraught over seeing Daniel's actions. He saw the resolve in his teammate's face…and that was all he saw. Awareness dawned when he realized that what Daniel had done was no different than his actions on Abydos, when he placed his body in front of Jack's to save his life. But then, there had been a sarcophagus. This time, there had been only…only Oma Desala. But gone was gone, as Carter had so eloquently put it.
Jack scrubbed his hands over his face in frustration when the tape ended. "Carter, fill me in. I'm still missing what you're trying to show me."
Sam took a deep breath and prepared herself to slip into her familiar roll of explaining things to the Colonel. "The radiation level in the lab was off the scale. The scientist, Tomas Lee, at the first sign of the impending accident, warns them *not to break the glass* because everyone would be killed from the dosage of radiation. He disappears to safety, Daniel shoots out the glass window…the whole window shatters sir. The whole window. Jonas was standing in front of the window, next to Daniel. Jonas did not have any sign of radiation poisoning nor did he have any sign of ever being in close contact to the radiation. I don't understand it sir. Jonas was in close enough proximity to have gotten sick from radiation exposure. Something is wrong ….a piece of the puzzle is missing."
Jack paused and pulled up a chair next to Carter. Pointing to the screen, he said, "Carter, replay the tape again."
Sure enough, he saw the problem this time, though ignoring the image of Daniel was… hard. Jack scrubbed his mouth and chin with his hand, deep in thought, as the video concluded. Carter watched him intently, waiting for his response. He took a deep breath.
"You're sure. You're absolutely certain that there's something wrong here? There's no way that maybe the Kelonans have some sort of… I dunno, *immunity*?" he asked.
"Yes, sir. Positive. Otherwise, why would Jonas and the other scientists be so concerned about it? I mean, if they weren't susceptible to radiation in the same way we are, there wouldn't be any reason to be afraid of it," Carter answered.
Jack contemplated that for a moment before reaching over and picking up the phone on the worktable. "I'm calling Teal'c," he explained upon noticing Carter's questioning look. "He should see this, too. Then, we'll decide what to do about it."
"You think we should take this to Hammond?" Sam asked. "I mean, no matter what we do, it's not like it'll bring Daniel back."
"That's beside the point, Carter. If there was foul play here at all, I want it on record."
* * * *
*"That's beside the point, Carter. If there was foul play here at all, I want it on record."*
Talin shook his head in dismay as he watched the scene unfold on the monitors in front of him. This was a most unfortunate development… for more than a few people to be sure. He looked discreetly to his left and saw that his *former* technical advisor had buried her head in her hands. So ironic, he thought, that while she couldn't even engineer a simple death, she was able to so quickly realize that her career was over.
As if sensing the attention focused in her direction, she lifted her head and glanced at her employer, grimacing at the words she knew were well on their way.
"Leske," Talin said, very calmly and with a slight grin on his face. "You are dismissed."
Leske nodded and stood silently, collecting her bag. She looked around the room one last time before leaving. For such a hub of activity, the control room was remarkably silent. There were a good two dozen people silently milling about, cautiously avoiding her perusal, there were people sitting at tables, eyes glued to various monitors, headphones stuck to their ears. Closer to her own workstation, several people sat before computers, programming new scenarios and characters, fixing bugs in the system, and maintaining the Environment. In the center of the room, surrounded by monitors and machines of his own, sat Talin, keeping careful tabs on everyone and everything in the room and beyond.
Leske glanced one last time at the monitor at her workstation, at two of the people she had come to know intimately over the last year, still talking in the lab, then she turned to the door and strode toward it, head high and chin defiant. It opened for her then closed behind her, just as she had rehearsed thousands of times in her head.
She silently praised Dotrin for his performance as Jonas Quinn. When Talin had hired him to play Daniel's replacement, she had been worried, if only because his arrival had sealed Daniel's fate. But when she met him, she realized that he could very well be of use. At first, he'd been reluctant to join their cause, but had soon relented as he became more and more familiar with Talin's methods.
The young woman remembered the disgust the man had hidden away as he played his role, his hatred of the situation SG1 had found themselves in, and had thankfully chosen to accept her offer. Thanks to him, their plan had effectively left the ground.
Leske smiled sweetly at the guard in the hall as she slipped a small object from her clasped hand and into her pocket. Once out of his view, she quickened her pace and expertly navigated the brightly lit maze of corridors in the building she had practically been living in since she joined this project. She flew down several flights of stairs, through several guarded doorways, into secret passages. It had always been amazing to her that one of the most well-known places on the planet was so carefully hidden.
She glanced at her chronometer as she finally stopped at a lone, nondescript door, complete with normal, everyday handle. She had made good time and her codes had not yet been deactivated. She took her stolen device out of her pocket and touched a sequence of buttons on its face before placing a second device under her shirt, attaching it to her chest.
With a great deal of satisfaction, she noted that she was no longer wearing her very professional looking suit, but a baby blue button-up shirt and navy pants, covered by a neat white jacket. Hell, she even had a set of… what were they called again? Oh, yes… dogtags. They jingled ever so slightly under her shirt as she opened the door and stepped calmly into the corridors of the SGC.
If Talin was stupid enough to believe that her poor performance in creating Dr. Jackson's heroic downfall had been accidental, an unfortunate result of careless oversight on her part, he wouldn't realize what she was trying to do until it was too late.
After all, Leske was a very good actress.
She nodded curtly to a passing airman, as he greeted her with a smile. "Airman," she acknowledged as he gave her a slight salute.
"Dr. Fraiser," he replied, nodding back.
'Dr. Fraiser' smiled and began walking toward the elevator at the end of the hall.
As she entered the elevator, Leske pushed the appropriate level to the infirmary with shaking hands. She leaned against the elevator wall, exhaling the breath she was not even aware of holding. She began to nervously, tap her foot on the floor, counting the levels until the infirmary. As the doors opened, Leske continued on her way, the heels on 'Dr. Fraiser's' shoes echoing through the hallway. She had one purpose in mind…the mission to continue to save a life that she hoped had survived his ascension.
'If Ronar had been able to successfully dial the planet earth. If Ronar had been able to successfully input the GDO codes for earth without alerting anyone. If the codes were still accessible. If the iris opened. If the real SGC even opened the iris based on faith. So many variables, almost too many.
Leske entered Dr. Fraiser's office locking the door behind her. She knew where all the viewing cameras were mounted. Skillfully avoiding them, but never giving the impression to the viewing audience that she was, in reality, pulling the wool over their eyes. Laughing to herself, she became aware that she had even picked up some of their planet's euphemisms.
She unlocked the filing cabinet, removing the thickest file there. Turning around, Leske gently placed it on her desk, caressing the folder lovingly. Grabbing a tissue from the ever-present box on her desk, Leske dramatically wiped her eyes. She sensed, as opposed to actually hearing , the whirring of the viewing cameras focus in on the name located on the tab of the medical records of "Doctor Daniel Jackson." Leske could visualize at least 100 million of the viewing public across her world grabbing a tissue in commiseration with Dr. Fraiser and echoing words of sympathy.
This acting on Leske's part was important, but the information contained in Daniel's medical records was imperative. As Dr. Fraiser, she picked the medical record up and held it tightly to her chest. As Leske, she knew that this action would lead the viewing public not to question why Dr. Fraiser was going to depart the infirmary with a four inch thick medical record under her arm.
What the public did not know, was that three quarters of the chart was empty, and the last part contained Daniel's visits to the infirmary within the past year, as well as, the codes that would deactivate the neuorofilter that was implanted in Daniel's brain. All of SG1 had been fitted with these filters upon their arrival to the planet. Without these codes in Daniel's hands, or in the hands of the real Dr. Fraiser, this filter, which allowed Talin to remove continuous neuro-feedback and memories from the SG1 team, would self-destruct, ending for real, the life of Daniel Jackson.
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