Sam
ran down the corridor, zat in hand, her mind racing as her commanding officer's
words echoed through her mind.
Revenge
on Teal'c. Daniel wouldn't allow it,
would he? Daniel must have some influence over the symbiote, in some way, to
stop this from happening. Daniel wouldn't allow it. Daniel didn't feel the need
to seek revenge on Teal'c. At least she hoped…
No,
Daniel wasn't weak. And Thoth had even
stated he allowed for influence from his hosts.
A
sudden disconcerting thought struck her.
What if Thoth had been leading them along all this time? What if he had been bending the truth just
to get close enough to them so that they would believe him? Daniel may have never surfaced. Daniel may
truly be gone.
Sam
shook her head, refusing to think negatively, and turned the corner. The alarms were blaring now, and Daniel's
office lay just ahead.
Pushing
herself harder, she sprinted towards his office, watching as Colonel O'Neill surged
from the other direction, sidearm drawn and ready, with three airmen running
behind him. O'Neill shouted and waved to her, ready to enter the dark room.
Sam
motioned the airmen to move behind her as she reached the office, quickly
powering her zat as she cautiously entered.
The
two of them stalked in carefully.
"Daniel,
don't move!"
O'Neill's
order bounced off the walls of the room before becoming swallowed by the
darkness. Warily, she hit the lights.
"Oh
my God, Teal'c!"
Those
were the first words she uttered as she rushed over to his limp form. Kneeling,
but still holding her zat gun high, she checked for a pulse, relieved to find
one.
"He's
alive," Sam assessed, staying by Teal'c's side, but diverting her
attention to Daniel.
Daniel—or
Thoth—was standing behind his desk, his arms outstretched and over his head,
his blue eyes staring at the sidearm in the colonel's hand. He didn't appear
nervous, and almost seemed to be resigned to the situation, his expression
wavering between sadness and desperation.
"What
the hell did you do?" O'Neill demanded, shoving the sidearm forward.
"He
does nothing more than sleep, so I can complete what needs to be done,"
Thoth stated simply.
That
is when Sam realized it. There were various, small devices scattered across
Daniel's desk, and a hauntingly familiar jar in front of him. Her unease did not lessen when she noticed
an electrode implanted on Daniel's temple snake down to connect with the jar
itself. Or whatever was in the jar.
As
Colonel O'Neill stalked closer to Daniel, Sam felt her unease continue to
increase. The cuffs that had bound Daniel were no longer attached. "Sir,
be careful. I have a hunch what might be in that jar."
"So
do, I, Major. So do I."
Sam
did another cursory check on Teal'c before returning her attention to Daniel
and the colonel. O'Neill was edging
closer and closer to Thoth, gripping his sidearm tightly. Thoth appeared
unperturbed.
"I
am going to ask you again," O'Neill began. "What did you do to
Teal'c?"
"I
would never hurt my friend, Teal'c."
"Not
your friend!" O'Neill yelled. "Nothing of this is yours, do you hear
me?"
Thoth
did not reply. His gaze sadly fell to the desk in front of him.
Sam
was starting to think maybe the colonel's statement was inherently wrong.
Wide-eyed,
she started at Thoth.
He
smiled back knowingly.
Oh
God, she
thought.
"My
host and I are as one," Thoth said definitively.
"That's
a bunch of bull," Colonel O'Neill retorted, leaning in closer with his
gun. "I know it. You know it. And Daniel knows it."
"Sir—"
"Don't
want to hear it, Carter." O'Neill cocked his gun. "Daniel's still
there. Daniel's in there."
"You
should accept me as I am," Thoth said wickedly. "Daniel has never
left you. You now have us."
Sam
shuddered at the thought. This was a nightmare.
"Not
for long," O'Neill muttered, his eyes narrowing. "Your time's just
about up."
"He'll
never choose you," Thoth said with a snarl. "Not when he has
me."
"Shut
up," O'Neill snapped. He stepped closer. "Carter," he said,
without turning his head. "Call for—"
"Sir!"
Colonel
O'Neill shoved the gun into Daniel's face, threatening him as he saw the man
move his hand towards the table. In response, Thoth halted, setting his jaw in
that way Daniel did when he was mad.
The sight was enough to throw Sam off-balance for a second, but she
quickly recovered, keeping her aim steady, her other hand checking Teal'c's
pulse again.
"Don't
think so," O'Neill stated, motioning Thoth to step away from the desk.
"Just what do you think you're doing anyway?"
"Attempting
to prevent the inevitable," Thoth mumbled solemnly.
Sam
frowned at the comment, her studious gaze soaking in the gadgetry on Daniel's
desk. She could only assume that Thoth
had smuggled the items into Daniel's office sometime after they had arrived
base and before the debriefing had begun.
"Who's
in the jar?" O'Neill asked hotly.
Thoth's
gaze fell to the jar. "No one."
"See,
I'm not buying that. People say you
can't lie, and yet, here we have this little incident here." O'Neill
pushed Thoth further back, herding him back to the wall. "Plus, you've
been playing Daniel, and to me, that's the biggest lie there is."
"There
is a difference between a falsehood and deception." Thoth breathed out,
his gaze settling on the gun. "I only did it for our protection."
"Whose
protection?" the colonel pressed. "Yours? Those little bugs swimming
in my people's brains? Whose? 'Cause it's not mine, or Carter's or Teal'c's and
certainly not Daniel's."
"You
cannot understand. You are too simple to grasp what I hold."
"Not
simple enough that I can't grasp this gun and blow you out of the water,"
Jack said vehemently.
"You
would do that to Daniel?"
The
colonel did not respond.
Sam
watched the exchange, her own nerves on edge. She should be able to fix this
problem. She was expected to find ways
to solve the problems that happened in the SGC. Why couldn't she be more
useful? What good had she done? Teal'c was lying unconscious. Her commanding
officer was about to lose it. Daniel was a prisoner in his own mind.
She
swallowed hard, her eyes once again fixated on the wiring that hung from
Daniel's temple.
"What
has happened?" came the shout from the Tok'ra in the doorway.
Sam
managed to steal a glance to the left, catching Akana's astonished expression
as she looked from Thoth to the ceramic jar. Akana blinked at it, her cool eyes
scanning the small devices on the desk. Furious, she brought her gaze back to
Thoth, a devastating finality to them.
"You
have attempted to transfer your consciousness to another symbiote?" she
asked incredulously.
Thoth
scoffed at her. "I am still here, am I not?"
Sam's
eyes went wide as she thought of a more catastrophic possibility. "Did you
put Daniel's consciousness in there?" she yelled angrily. "Did
you?"
O'Neill
had stiffened at her outburst, his tall frame appearing to break from the
pressure.
"Answer
her!" he yelled. "What the hell have you done!"
"Self-preservation,"
Thoth replied quietly.
"Where
have you learned the technology to transfer consciousness?" Akana asked,
stepping forward, and entering Daniel's office.
"I
know a great many things," Thoth said calmly. "More than the
Tok'ra." He smiled, gleaning as much pleasure from the moment as possible.
"There was no transfer."
"We
might have gotten here in time, sir," Sam stated, remaining by Teal'c as
she eyed Thoth cautiously.
"Not
a transfer then," Akana said, nodding with understanding. "Did you believe
you would be successful in copying your consciousness to another
symbiote?"
With
a nervous laugh, Thoth shrugged his shoulders.
"I had very little choice."
"That's
right, bucko," Jack snapped, waving his gun at Thoth. "Keep those
hands up."
"What
about Daniel?" Sam asked, biting down her own fears. "Is he still in
there with you?"
"More
so," Thoth whispered. "Ever more so."
"What?"
Jack shook his head. "Stop it! Answer her!"
"Daniel
resides within me now," Thoth said with a smile.
Sam
felt her hands grow cold. "What?" she asked, her voice near a
whisper.
Akana
stood tall, her eyes narrowed with anger. "If what you say is true, the
Tok'ra will charge you with the most heinous of crimes for violating your host
in such a way."
"No
way am I buying that you uploaded Daniel into that snaky little head of yours.
Not possible. Right, Carter." He
paused. "Carter?"
"Uh…"
She looked over to Akana for help, disheartened with her grim expression.
They
already knew that upon blending, the symbiote carried all the memories, and in
the case of the Tok'ra, the feelings and thoughts of the host before them. At
least, to some extent. Through her father and Selmak, she had learned much
about the former host Saroosh, but it wasn't like Saroosh was actively with
them. Saroosh was a memory, a companion to Selmak that was long gone.
Daniel
wasn’t gone. Daniel couldn't be gone.
And
if he was part of Thoth now, completely part of Thoth, how could they even
separate them?
"Carter?"
O'Neill's voice was wavering.
"I-I
don't know, sir. I—"
Thoth
smiled, satisfaction lighting his eyes.
O'Neill
snarled coldly. "You son of a bitch."
"Is
it not the most opportune for all of us?" Thoth said proudly. "Daniel
is still here. And you have me as well. I can teach the Tau'ri many things.
With our knowledge, we can defeat your enemies." He grinned at his own
fantasies. "Wisdom will abound."
"Deceiver."
Sam
inhaled sharply, jerking her head at the sound of Teal'c's voice. He sat up slowly, his fiery gaze cutting
through Thoth like a knife. He growled as he attempted to stand, using Sam's
shoulder for support.
"Teal'c?
Are you alright?" she asked him, holding him while keeping focused on
Thoth.
"I
will be fine." Raising his head, he continued to stare at Thoth.
"Deceiver," he repeated. "He deceives you even now. His left
hand."
Thoth
raised his eyebrows, appearing amused by Teal'c's accusation. He cocked his
head lazily, coming to meet Colonel O'Neill's gaze. O'Neill walked closer,
snapping the electrode off Daniel's temple before cautiously reaching over to
his left hand.
"Uh,
careful, sir."
"Yep,
I know," O'Neill mumbled. He jammed the gun into Daniel's throat, slowly
bringing his left hand down, spreading the palm open to examine it.
"Whatcha hiding?"
Thoth
remained silent, but did not struggle to move.
Sam used this as her opportunity to move closer; Teal'c remained by her
side, using her as a crutch. He grunted with each step, but as they approached
the desk, his gait became steadier, and she could feel the strength returning
to his shaky limbs.
"His
left fingers," Teal'c stated evenly.
"I
don't see anything."
"It
is there," Teal'c insisted.
"Show
me, Teal'c. I am not letting this gun off him."
Teal'c
nodded, releasing himself from Sam. Now able to walk on his own, he came to the
colonel's side. Sam cautiously circled the desk, approaching Daniel from the
opposite side, providing the cover they might need in case Thoth acted out.
Carefully,
Teal'c ran his fingers over Daniel's palm, tracing the patterns and dipping
with the groves. Sam exhaled, watching Thoth's expressions—or
Daniel's—believing her own heart might explode.
Daniel
looked as if he could cry.
Suddenly,
Teal'c stopped, arching a knowing eyebrow at Thoth. Pausing at the very end of
Daniel's left index finger, Teal'c scratched at the surface, shocking both Sam
and the colonel as he began to peel back the skin.
Not
skin, Sam
thought, correcting herself. But hell, it looked like skin.
"What
the hell?" O'Neill asked for her.
One
by one, Teal'c peeled off small flesh colored circles, small enough to conform
to an adult's fingertips. The circles left pinpricks of blood in their wake,
providing ample evidence where small thread-like filaments had wormed their way
into the skin. Carefully, Teal'c placed them on Daniel's desk.
Akana
joined Sam, and even the Tok'ra was unable to conceal her shock.
"What
are these?" she asked.
"They
are mine." Thoth glared at O'Neill. "Used to be mine."
"Before
I lost consciousness, I recall feeling an electrical jolt to my body,"
Teal'c informed them, releasing Daniel's hand. "It appeared to have come
from the fingers of DanielJackson."
Sam
rolled his statement through her mind, starting to piece things together.
"Of course," she stated. "Electrical. Those," she motioned
with a thrust of her chin, "those mechanisms must use the electrical
current present in the human body to emit some kind of jolt, or shock, into a
person." She glanced at the zat in her hand. "Just enough to knock
you out, Teal'c."
Thoth
nodded. "I said I would never hurt my friend, Teal'c. But much needed to
be done." He sighed. "My host would never want any harm to come to
any of you." He set his jaw but bowed his head. "Though I do not see why,"
he mumbled.
"This
appears to be quite advanced technology," Akana declared, stepping closer
to the desk. "Devices that do not rely on naquadah would make for
interesting study."
"They
are not for you!" Thoth yelled suddenly, his eyes flashing golden-white.
"You have no need for them!"
Akana
chortled. "You no longer have any use for them, either."
Thoth
stood straighter, stealing a quick glance at Sam before staring straight ahead.
"They are not meant for you. They are my gift to the Tau'ri."
"Our
treaty requires we share all technology," Akana stated. "We shall
need to review these devices."
"You
see?" Thoth said, snapping his head to Colonel O'Neill. "They deceive
you."
"And
this is coming from you, the guy pretending to be Daniel?" O'Neill answered
sarcastically.
"What
use would a Tok'ra have for such devices? They are not made for Goa'uld or
Tok'ra. The Tok'ra wish to keep such things from you. They wish you not to
advance beyond them." His eyes gleamed wickedly. "The Tok'ra want you
to know your place."
"That's
not true," Sam stated in their defense. "The Tok'ra are our allies.
If you're anything like Daniel, you know that."
"Then
let the Tau'ri have my gift," he said to Akana, raising his eyebrows.
"We
will need to review the items to be sure there is no harm," Akana stated
coldly.
"Ah,
I see," Thoth said with a nod. "Even the dense Colonel O'Neill can
appreciate where this is going."
Sam
winced when colonel slid more menacingly towards Thoth. But, she had to admit
it, Thoth had a point.
"The
terms of our alliance state we share tech—"
"That
is of little consequence right now," Akana snapped, interrupting Sam.
"I believe it would be in the best interest of the host for Thoth to be
removed from Doctor Jackson immediately."
"They
are trying to shut me up now. They do
not want you to know!" Thoth sucked in a deep breath before he continued.
Sam thought she could see pleading in his eyes. "I can offer you so much.
These devices, to fight the Goa'uld. My life's work. My knowledge of many
lifetimes." He turned to face Sam. "I can offer you explanations for
all my designs, and decipher my notes for all the technologies I have studied,
Sam." He then quickly turned to
Teal'c. "My Jaffa friend, I can help find a way to free you and your people
from the Goa'uld, the symbiotes, and even the tretonin." He stopped at
O'Neill. "And I-I have nothing to offer you."
"Wasn't
looking," the colonel said smugly. He held his sidearm steady but flashed
a quick look to Akana. "You can take him out? Seen enough of him interacting already?"
"We
have. Bring him to us immediately and we will remove the symbiote."
"You
are making a mistake!" Thoth yelled, struggling as Teal'c grabbed him.
"Don't do this! I do not wish
this!"
Teal'c
battled with Thoth, but easily gained the upper hand. Thoth grunted under
Teal'c's restraint, pushing against the other man's massive hands, doing him
little good. Finally, in an act of desperation, he reached out to Sam.
The
pain—his expression brought her so much pain. Daniel's eyes, wide, so fearful
and vulnerable. She couldn't imagine what the real Daniel was going through,
how violated he felt under the oppressive control of the parasite.
Sam
found herself inhaling sharply once again, caught in the sheer terror that had
established itself in Daniel's face.
"You're
afraid to die," she said bluntly as he was dragged past her.
He
nodded vigorously. "I do not wish
to die!"
"You
will not die," Akana said coolly. "You will be brought before the
High Council."
"You
will kill me!" he cried, shaking his head. "Please, I beg for
sanctuary among the Tau'ri. I am of great use to you. Together, we do not need
the Tok'ra!"
"Funny
how you were so looking forward to meeting them before," Colonel O'Neill
said wryly, following Teal'c.
"I
did not expect such Tok'ra to come." His arm flung out and grabbed for
Sam, missing her by mere centimeters. "I do not want to die! I have seen death. I have felt the death in
my host. We do not want this!"
"That's
too damn bad," O'Neill mumbled. He motioned to Akana and flicked a curt
gesture over his shoulder. "Let's get this crap packed up and out of here.
Be careful," he stressed. "Let's go, Carter."
Sam
didn't know what to say. If they removed the parasite, did they lose Daniel?
Would they lose Daniel anyway? Was it Thoth who was truly afraid of dying, or
just some memory of Daniel's?
Locking
away her doubts, Sam hurried off to follow her commanding officer, and the
thrashing body of the man she once called friend.
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