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~Epilogue~
So,
this is where it happened.
Daniel
paused in the doorway to his darkened office, holding a cup of coffee in one
hand while his other dangled limply by his side.
So
many conflicting emotions…
Standing
here, alone, Daniel felt his pain resurface, remembering his screams, his
shouts as he pleaded with Thoth. There was another way, he had urged, flooding
the symbiote with all his emotions and thoughts, willing himself to be heard.
We
can do this another way! I swear to
you! We can keep our word without involving Teal'c!
Teal'c…Teal'c
lying unconscious on the floor.
There
had to be another way…
Daniel
closed his eyes, feeling weak. He remembered…He had been trapped, stuck between
his devotion and love for a friend, for all his friends, and his promise to the
symbiote.
Find
another way…
Opening
his eyes, Daniel stared at the broken security camera in his office, feeling a
chill.
He
felt, more than knew, that Thoth never had any intention of killing Teal'c.
Daniel was certain he had gotten through to the confused and misguided entity.
If not…
Daniel
swallowed hard.
But
Daniel knew Thoth had been desperate. Scared and forlorn, a man will do rash
things when faced with his own mortality.
Even
a symbiote had these feelings.
Feeling
his hands begin to tremble, Daniel settled the coffee on his desk, staring at
surface numbly. All the gadgets, all that he had done…
He
wasn't sure he understood it himself.
Daniel
found himself by one of his cabinets, switching on a nearby light, before he
nervously glanced over his shoulder. Tentatively, he opened the door and pushed
back a few items, reaching his hands inside.
He
was glad that Teal'c hadn't been harmed, though Daniel knew his own guilt would
stay with him for a while. He was grateful Sam and Jack had barged into his
office when they did.
That
had given Thoth more than enough time to complete his work.
Daniel
blinked, staring aghast at the Coptic jar in his hands. The first Coptic jar.
Sam
and Jack had been successful interrupting the process on the clone in the
second Coptic jar, breaking Thoth's concentration as he copied both of their
consciousnesses into the parasite. The symbiote had died from the strain of the
events unfolding in the office. But not the first…
Swallowing
hard, Daniel sensed the buzz of life within the jar, almost feeling as if he
could touch the consciousnesses swimming in harmony within the protective
casing. He wondered if maybe Jack had been right about being compromised.
But
a promise is a promise, and Daniel would not be able to live with himself if he
had broken that promise, even if it was with a symbiote.
Their
mutual benefit.
Self-preservation.
Freedom.
Shaking
his head, feeling cold and disjointed, Daniel quickly placed the jar back into
the cabinet, pushing it as far back as he could, and covered it. For added
protection, Daniel slid some old, rarely used artifacts in front of it, before
closing the drawer.
He
exhaled.
"Daniel?"
Daniel
jerked at Sam's voice, pressing his body against the cabinet as she entered the
room. She smiled at him, holding up a videocassette, and waved it in front of
him.
"I
have that movie that you've been dying to see." She motioned to the door.
"So if you're ready…"
"Uh,
yeah, sure."
Daniel
winced the moment the words were out of his mouth.
Frowning,
Sam took another step forward. "You okay?"
He
nodded quickly, pressing a little closer to the cabinet. "I'm fine. I'll
be right there." Seeing her hesitate, he shook his head, sending her his
best smile. "No, I mean it. I'll be right with you. I promise."
Sam
nodded, mouthing an "okay" before she reluctantly left the room.
Breathing
out, Daniel brought his head to his hands. He needed to put this behind him. He
needed to be able to move on.
But
for a moment, as his heart pounded and his mind whirled, Daniel just stared at
the cabinet, wondering what could have been or what will be.
But
that time was not now.
As
Daniel dimmed the lights to his office, and exited into the corridor, he
thought back to the infirmary and his last moments with Thoth, hearing the
symbiote's final words echo through his mind:
Perhaps
one day, you, or someone new, will be ready to accept the knowledge that I
possess, and the shared understanding we accomplished together. Until then, I will wait, patiently, and
dream of the dawn of a new day.
~The
End~
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