Work Text:
______
Jack squeezed Daniel's knee in sympathy and support. He and Daniel had talked, a little. During that time, Jack had been allowed to see a small amount of the pain Daniel had hidden from his friends and from himself. He'd been given a glimpse of the raw emotions that were eating at Daniel's soul, the deep anguish of loosing his wife, and the rage and weight of guilt his friend carried inside for not being able to stop it from happening. A little healing had started.
At least, it was a start.
Jack knew Daniel needed time to work it out on his own and he was still too damn angry at what Daniel had nearly made him do. What'd the hell Daniel think he was doing, standing in front of a loaded weapon, my gun, to protect Kera, a woman he recently met, who now knows she's actually Linea, a mad psycho bent on mass murder, 'The Destroyer of Worlds'? Jack was getting worked up again. 'Not doin' any good here… need to get this anger under control.
He got up from where he and Daniel had been sitting on the edge of Teal'c's bed. Daniel remained sitting, staring blankly down at his hands. Jack was deciding if should tell Daniel he was leaving, but noticed Daniel was looking at him as he opened the door. Jack saw apprehension and understanding on Daniel's face. There was also gratitude. He gave Jack a slight nod with a small smile, and then looked away. No words had been spoken. Jack grimaced inwardly. He wasn't going to let Daniel just shrug this off. There would be more talks, a lot more. He'd make sure of it.
Jack turned to leave and found Teal'c standing at the open door. There was concern on Teal'c's face as he looked past Jack toward Daniel. Jack gave him a reassuring smile while patting him on the shoulder, encouraging Teal'c to follow him. Daniel needed to do some serious thinking.
While Jack reached behind him for the doorknob, Teal'c spoke softly, "O'Neill, Dr. Frasier indicated that in order to reverse the process additional planning would be required. She stated the need for more time to determine the correct procedure. I suggested that Ke'ra be placed in a cell until Dr. Frasier was ready to begin. Ke'ra has been moved there now."
Jack nodded approvingly, but hoped Daniel hadn't heard. He'd wanted to get this Ke'ra problem behind them already. Looking back over his shoulder, Jack caught a look from the corner of Daniel's eye before he returned his gaze to the floor. It was enough... he'd heard.
Dammit.
//
Jack resisted the urge to slam his fist against the closed door. Leaving Daniel in his depressed state in there had been hard, but had he stayed, the anger building in him would have started coming through and Daniel so did not need that right now. Hell, he didn’t need that right now. This anger had to be dealt with, quickly.
Dropping his arms, Jack then flexed his fingers trying to calm himself. Then turned to face Teal'c, who was waiting patiently. "Teal'c, got some time to help me work some things out in the gym?"
Teal'c nodded. "It would be my honor, O'Neill."
"'Knew I could count on ya, buddy." He and Teal'c walked away, down the hall together.
"How is DanielJackson doing?" Teal'c inquired, concern obvious in his voice.
"He's going through some tough stuff, T. It's gonna take a lot of healing on his part and a lot of patience on ours."
Teal'c sighed. "I see. It saddens me deeply that DanielJackson did not feel he could share his pain with us. I owe him a great debt and would like to provide whatever assistance he may need."
"Daniel will appreciate hearing that from you, Teal'c."
"Does he not know that he has friends that wish to help him?"
"Yeah, T. He does. It's just hard for Daniel to accept that people actually care for him."
"That too deeply saddens me, O'Neill."
"Me too, T. Me too."
//
Inside Teal'c's room, Daniel absently rubbed his legs, gripping a knee every so often, while reviewing his actions in the VIP room earlier when he defended Ke'ra from Jack, from everybody. He thought about how Jack's talk with him had touched something in him he hadn’t realized he'd buried. What had he been thinking? Sha're, his beloved wife, was only recently buried. Any husband with a modicum of decent morals would be mourning the loss of their wife, not getting involved with another woman. So what did that make him? Less than a person. Much less.
Worthless.
He had felt so righteous putting Ke'ra on a pedestal. Protecting her from all the unprovoked ills aimed her way by Jack and his other friends had just spurred him on. Now, after standing in front of Jack’s raised gun to protect her, trying to get him to see there had to be another choice, he remembered the look of anger in his friend’s face, not for Ke’ra, but for him. He now realized that at that moment he had chosen who was more important, more worthy to live, and how little he'd come to care for himself. Now, he realized how far he'd fallen. Jack had been so right.
How would he ever find forgiveness from Sha're? What could he do to make amends now? She had said she would always be with him. Had she watched him as he had carelessly discarded his feelings to be with another woman who’d shown him affection? Had he wanted human touch so badly that he’d thoughtlessly tossed his mourning aside? What had he become? Had he lost himself so completely?
He had promised to stay with the SGC to find the boy, Sha're's child. But was that the only reason he did? No. He had made friends, real friends who stood beside him, fought at his side. Yet through the ribbon device, moments before her death, Sha’re had shown him how willing he was to give it all up. He didn’t deserve her in life... or death. She was pure and innocent and devoted to him until the very end, and he was not man enough to honor her in kind. He had failed her. He was a worthless being. Why would anyone wish to be near him? He couldn’t stand himself.
Daniel looked around Teal'c's room, a place of calming solitude, a place to center your thoughts. He slowly dropped to the floor and pressed his back against the bed as he crossed his legs in a meditative position. Teal'c had shown him a technique to help you relax and focus.
He exhaled deeply, letting all the pent up emotions leave his body with an exhalation, visualizing all the things he’d done, that he wished he could change, exit his body and dissipate. When he could breathe no more out, he inhaled deeply and slowly, visualizing a new path to walk, ways to make amends and heal deep wounds. He held that breath in as long as he could then slowly released it. He repeated the steps, visualizing his mistakes leaving his body and positive possibilities and ways to better himself filling him.
Once he calmed himself, Daniel stood. He knew what was first on his list of amends. He stepped over to the door and gripping the knob, repeated a mantra that had helped him in the past, "New starts are an essential part of living. No time like now to start." He left the room determined to find closure and start anew.
His feet brought him to Ke'ra's cell. The two guards acknowledged him, then he moved toward the small window in the cell door and peered in. Ke'ra was sitting on the bed facing away from the door. "Ke'ra, it’s... it's Daniel."
She twisted her head around and was up, moving toward the door. "Daniel, after what I did, you came to see me?"
He could see her hands on the bars. Daniel resisted the urge to move back. The guards noticed him stiffen and moved to pull him away from the cell window. Daniel waved them away then focused on Ke'ra. "Yeah, I did..." he winced, "but not for the reasons you're thinking."
Ke'ra looked at him, confused, taking one step, then another backwards. "Then why are you here?"
"I-uh needed to clear the air between us. I've been confused and angry since I lost…" Daniel shook his head, "bottom line is I haven't been myself."
Ke'ra smiled mischievously. "Funny, I could say the same about me." But her smiled quickly faded when Daniel didn't find her joke funny.
"I've come to say I was wrong... about us... about a lot of things. It's not fair of me to lead you on so I've come to say... it’s over."
"W-what's over? You still care for me. You showed me how much you cared. How can you so callously take that back like it was nothing, like I was nothing?" Her voice had become spiteful, and her face formed a snarl. She looked like the Linea he had seen emerge briefly in the VIP room earlier. "Ke'ra? Ke'ra, I do care for you, as a friend and I want to help you—"
"A friend? We are so much more than that, Daniel. I haven't felt like this for anyone, ever! It's love. I love you! You, you love me too!"
Daniel momentarily looked away then back at Ke'ra who had walked backward during their talk until she was pressed against the cell wall. She looked so scared, so shattered, Daniel gentled his voice. "Ke'ra, I... care for you, but I don't love you. I'll help you through this. I will. That's a promise."
Ke'ra dropped to the floor of the cell and hugged her legs. "No, you love me, you do, you do..."
Daniel placed his hand against the door. "I'm sorry, Ke'ra. I'm so sorry I caused you pain." He dropped his hand and walked away but turned when he heard a strangled cry from within the cell. He rushed back to the cell. "Ke'ra?"
"She's busy crying right now... because of you."
Daniel's eyes widened as he took a step back. "Linea."
A quiet malicious laugh came from within the room. "Yes, Daniel. Thanks to you my strength grows as Ke'ra weakens. You dealt her a heavy blow, and she cowers in the corner of our mind, free to let me roam and grow. It would be so easy to squelch her now, but I'm not quite ready yet."
Daniel narrowed his eyes at her. "You mean you're not strong enough yet." Linea moved to the window. The guards pulled Daniel back, ordering Linea away from the window. She smiled malevolently at Daniel. "I'm not ready yet." Daniel frowned as he watched her move out of view. What did she mean?
"Daniel!"
Daniel nearly jumped out of his skin as Jack came up fast from his left. "Jack, don’t DO that!"
"What the HELL are you doing down here?"
"What you asked me to do. What I realized I needed to do. I'm trying to right a serious wrong, clear my conscience and start over."
"What? What are you talking about? Never mind, we'll talk later... and we will! Right now though, I'm getting you out of here."
"It's okay, Jack. I said what I needed to. I'm ready to go." He pulled his arm out of Jack's hold and headed for the elevator. Jack ran after him.
Inside the cell, Linea rubbed her arms then smiled. She was almost ready. She just needed to do a few more things and one of them included Ke'ra.
//
Jack pushed Daniel against the elevator wall. "What were you thinking? Are you trying to piss me off to the point I want to kill you here and now 'cause I'm right on the edge... right there! I mean re-ally close."
Daniel should have expected the outburst, but he hadn't thought Jack would slam the emergency stop and blow in the elevator. "Jack, I was there for a good reason."
Jack backed off and ran a hand through his hair, pacing the car. It was obvious to Daniel that he was trying to gain control of his anger. "A good reason? What possible reason would you have to go see her again, knowing she remembers being Linea, and this better be good, Daniel or so help me..."
Jack, enroute to the gym with Teal'c, had been informed that Daniel was down on the prison cell level. With his anger incited once again, he'd stormed off to shake some sense back into his misguided friend. Teal'c had stopped him, requesting to accompany him, but he'd told Teal'c that he had to handle this on his own. And he did, but when he thought of the real reasons behind his words to Teal'c, some of the anger left him to be replaced by concern. But there was still a heck of a lot of anger left to feed on when he'd laid eyes on Daniel and then heard him talking to... Linea. Dammit, Daniel, when will you learn?
Daniel ducked his head and wrapped his arms around himself. "I-I went there to say I was sorry. To tell Ke'ra that I'd made a big mistake, to... to get closure."
"That's what you said before, what does it mean?"
Daniel looked Jack in the eye while placing his arms against the elevator wall behind him. "I know it was wrong involving myself with Ke'ra. I thought long and hard about what you said and realized how much I had buried my guilt for Sha're's death, so deeply in denial that I didn’t even mourn her decently. I-I need to try to make amends, seek forgiveness for my actions, since…" Daniel looked away again, "…since I can't ask Sha're to forgive me." Daniel blinked back tears. "I don't like who I've become, Jack. She was so much better than me. I'm nothing. Worthless."
Jack sighed as he looked at his friend. "Daniel." He put his hands on Daniel's shoulders, encouraging him to look at him. "God, Daniel," he shook his head, "you are not worthless. You are a way better person than me... really than anybody I know."
Daniel looked up and saw the sincerity in Jack's eyes.
"You’ve just been through a heck of a lot and got a little confused. You need to talk to us. Let us help you get through this. Me, Carter, Teal'c, we've been with you through ALL of this. We know how much you loved Sha're. I was at your wedding, Daniel, and I saw how smitten you were when she kissed you goodbye on Abydos, remember? She was really lucky to have had you in her life. We all are."
Daniel hadn't realized how much he'd needed to hear words of compassion. Suddenly, it was like a wall inside him had fallen away exposing what lay behind it. He couldn't stop himself when he found he was hugging Jack and crying uncontrollably.
Jack seemed taken aback when he was suddenly embraced by his sobbing friend but he quickly adjusted and wrapped his arms around Daniel, awkwardly patting his shoulders then gradually rubbing his back to comfort him as he mourned for his wife.
As Jack consoled his emotionally distraught friend, he couldn't help but think back to another moment when he'd held Daniel like this in a base storage room, holding Daniel's poor, exhausted body while it shook uncontrollably from massive withdrawal effects from repeated use of the sarcophagus. It had been a long time before Daniel beat that addiction. Jack had tried to be a good friend through it all and helped Daniel as much as he could. After it was over, he and Daniel had talked. Daniel had opened up to him, revealing things to Jack he said he'd never told anyone before. Jack, in turn, had felt compelled to share something he'd buried for too long, the pain of losing his son. The guilt he'd carried with him since that day for allowing it to happen. It had felt so good to be able to talk about it with Daniel that night. Jack hadn’t realized how much guilt he'd held in until he'd felt the weight lift from him. That evening, their friendship, that had been growing since they'd first met, had become a whole lot stronger.
As Jack let Daniel cry into his shoulder in the elevator car, he fiercely felt that bond now, knowing how much he cared for his friend. He squeezed Daniel's shoulders while rubbing his neck comfortingly. "It's gonna be okay, Daniel. Remember, I'm here for you, buddy."
Daniel tried to squeeze back the tears, but they refused to stop welling in his eyes. "I know, Jack. Thank you. It means a lot to me." He could feel the tears begin to fall from his eyes and again tried to suck them back.
"Don't try to hold anything back, Daniel. Just let it all out. I'll still be here when you’re ready to talk."
Daniel couldn't force them back any longer, he held Jack closer and let the tears fall again.
//
A call over the speaker startled Daniel. He pulled away from Jack to quickly compose himself. Jack watched as a mask fell over his friend's face. Inwardly, he grimaced. Daniel still had so much to work out.
He and Daniel exited the elevator and Jack led him to a VIP room to get some sleep. Daniel didn't argue with him as he collapsed on the cot. Jack said he'd wake him in a few hours but questioned himself as to whether he should stay nearby. Daniel was still really confused, but he seemed to have calmed down significantly. Would he actually appreciate him hanging around, or would he see it as "mother-henning," Daniel's term which Jack had to admit was probably true. Plus, his friend was emotionally exhausted.
He'll sleep, and I'll get some work done. Then we'll talk more.
//
Linea hid the device under the skin of her palm. The idea had come to her when she’d felt the sensation of nodes as she’d rubbed her finger over her palms and arms earlier. Suddenly a vision came to her of being trapped for a long time until once again freed and then modifying parts of her body to incorporate the operation of her devices, one of which kept her from ever being trapped like that again. She had created the device that was now embedded below her modified skin layer from equipment she had obtained in the lab when she hadn't been so closely watched. Ke'ra had been a fool for thinking it could be used in place of the lengthy process to help her people adapt to gaining back their memory. A few small changes integrated with her DNA had converted the device to a much more useful tool. Originally designed to keep certain people thinking her way, she could use it to control people here as well. She need only have them touch her palm. Her feeble-minded guards would be no problem, but she would have to think of something else to control for her strong-willed target.
Two strong-willed minds fighting for dominance over one body. Linea had found Ke'ra to be stronger to quell than she'd imagined, but with the right trigger, Ke'ra had been easy to mold to her wishes. Ke'ra had already been emotionally drained with her encounter with Daniel Jackson. But Linea had sensed that even after the lambasting she'd received from Jackson, Ke'ra still wanted him. That was all it had taken to gain full control and squash the silly girl - just the slightest suggestion that she could get Daniel Jackson for her, all for her. Linea had felt Ke'ra mortified by the suggestion, yet she was also enraptured by the idea of having Daniel back with her again. Ke'ra's morbid curiosity to question the possibility of having Daniel Jackson again had been her undoing, just as Linea had predicted. While Ke'ra was distracted by thoughts of being close to Jackson, Linea had found the vice she needed.
Like a fly suddenly caught in a spider's web, Linea's powerful mind, reinforced by the impending memories that Ke'ra had fought so hard to keep from bringing forward, had swept down upon the girl's weakened mind, relinquishing her hold of the body they shared. Linea's dominant mind tightly wrapped tendrils around the naïve girl's fantasies, suffocating her. Linea knew everything Ke'ra did, everything she felt. Once in control, she had further insured Ke'ra stayed where she'd put her by continuously berating the foolish woman, laughing at her, telling her that Her Daniel would never want her. It was working. Ke'ra's attempts to stop her had dwindled in strength - believing her words, with no others to disprove them - remembering what Jackson had told her in the cell earlier. Now Ke'ra, fight as she may, had no hope of overcoming Linea's dominance and the more Linea remembered who she was, the less Ke'ra became a problem. Soon Ke'ra would be gone forever.
Linea chuckled quietly as she slowly pulled lengths of wires, conduit crystals, and the activation disk out from below her skin along her lower right arm, hiding from the cameras the small amount of blood that seeped out. She then directed her attention to her other arm to pull out the remaining items required to instigate her plan. Now to convince the guards to bring Daniel back here because Ke'ra desperately needed to speak to him.
//
Huh? What was that? Something startled Daniel from his nap. There was a knock on his door. He recognized the sound as what had awakened him. "Who is it?" He swayed a bit getting up, but the dizziness faded for the most part when he switched on a light. There was no response to his question. "Who is it?"
"Dr. Jackson, sir, you are needed."
Daniel opened the door. One of Ke'ra's guards was standing in the hall outside.
"It's the prisoner, Ke'ra, sir, she requested you see her."
Daniel blinked a bit to try to shrug off the remaining feeling of sleepiness. "I-I don’t think Jack, I mean Colonel O'Neill, wouldn't—"
"The Colonel has approved it. The prisoner is about to be taken to the infirmary and wishes to tell you something."
Jack said it was okay? The infirmary? That meant Ke'ra would be given the Dargol drug to make her forget. Jack must have realized that this was Ke'ra's last chance to speak to him and that she needed closure just as he had. Although, as he thought about it, this just didn’t sound like something Jack would do.
"Please, sir, time is short."
"O-okay." Daniel shut the door and followed the guard who had set a fast-pace.
//
As they neared Ke'ra's cell, Daniel could hear crying. When he'd last been here, it had been Linea in the cell. Daniel was hesitant until he heard Ke'ra call his name. He tried to rush past the guard but was held back. Remembering protocol, he waited for the guards to announce him to the prisoner. Then the guards parted to allow Daniel to get closer.
"I'm... I'm here, Ke'ra. You called for me?" Ke'ra had her back to him and was sitting on the floor hunched over. Daniel frowned. "Are you okay?" The sobbing didn't stop. "Look, Ke'ra. I've said what needed to be said. I'm sorry it had to happen that way. I'm not trying to be cruel, but I know you don't have a lot of time here, so..."
Ke'ra looked over her shoulder up at him. She looked so sad, so lost. He had caused this. Daniel resisted the urge to rush in and hold her. Then she turned and Daniel saw blood dripping from both of her arms.
He gasped. "Call for a medic! Ke'ra, hold on! What have you done?" She didn’t respond, just continued to stare blankly down at her arms, crying.
"Let me in there!"
"But sir, I don't think you—"
Daniel turned to face the guard who had spoken. He looked him in the eyes. "Let me in there."
The guard exchanged a glance with his partner and then opened the door. Daniel barreled past them, missing the slight smirk on their lips. He immediately dropped to Ke'ra's side. "Hey, Ke'ra? Look at me. Show me your hands." Ke'ra threw her arms around Daniel. Daniel grabbed both of her arms, prepared to pull them away for a better look.
"Oh God, Daniel, I feel so lost."
Daniel couldn't remove her arms from around his neck. So instead he tried to pull her back so he could look into her face.
Ke'ra spoke again. "I'm so sorry. She made me do this."
What did she say? She made me do this? She let him pull her head back. The knowing gleam in her eyes and the smirk on her face told Daniel the mistake he'd made.
"Linea!" Daniel tried to pull away. There was a prick on the back of his neck. "Ow! What the— No!"
Frantically, Daniel pushed her away, trying to get up and feel the tiny wound on his neck. The room was starting to spin, the cell walls blurring. He was losing control of his arms and legs. "Guards!" Daniel fell to his knees, then caught that the guards hadn't moved from their posts. They were just watching.
"No!" Daniel was terrified. He had to get help but found he couldn't move. Fear of what Linea had done to the guards and what she had planned for him overwhelmed him. He'd been such an idiot, so trusting, so damn naïve. Now, his poor judgment had led him right into a trap. With Ke'ra gone, how could he stop Linea?
Daniel tried to fight against the invading sense of lethargy to figure a way out of this, but couldn't seem to concentrate. "C-can't let you escape... have to be stopped!" He couldn't see her but could hear her laughing at him. A tingly numbness quickly poured into him. Alarmingly, Daniel realized how rapidly he was loosing the battle to stay conscious.
Oh God, did Linea just poison me? Am I... dying?
Daniel prayed that he'd be her only casualty. Everything was getting dim around him, his thoughts were muddled. S'all up... Jack now. He tried to resist as he started to slump uncontrollably against Linea. Whatever she said, he didn’t hear as blackness enveloped him.
Linea gripped Daniel's limp form, whispering in his ear, "Thank you for your help, my dearest Daniel." She kissed his forehead, "and thank-you, Ke'ra." A moment of laughter followed. Then Linea ordered the guards to support him as she pursued her plan. Soon she would be free.
//
Jack was up and moving the instant the alarm went off. He got to the Control Room where everyone was hovering over a video screen. Carter was manning the station. "General, what's up?" He had a feeling it was really bad.
"Linea has Daniel."
"What? But I left him sleeping in the VIP room. How the hell—" Jack watched as Linea, followed by two guards, carried an unresponsive Daniel past a hall camera. Linea was holding one of Daniel's arms close to her. There was something in her hand. Dammit, not Daniel. "What's she holding?"
"Sir... I don’t know, but…" Carter paused, swallowing hard, "it looked like it was inserted into Daniel's arm."
"Into his arm?" God, no. "Where are they?"
"Heading this way. She’s just a few floors away. Sir, she says she'll kill Daniel if we don’t let her leave."
Hammond walked over to Jack. "Colonel, she needs to be stopped. She can't leave here, not again and not with Dr. Jackson. Am I clear?"
Jack nodded grimly then turned to Carter. "Okay, Carter keep in contact so I can pinpoint her location through you. T, and you four men, with me."
//
The floor was moving, but Daniel didn't think it was caused by him which was very disorienting. Then there was pain in his arm, but for some reason, he couldn’t move it. He had the vague sensation of being carried by someone. He tried to focus and pull his feet under him, but they wouldn’t comply with his commands.
"Hurry with him. We must go faster."
That voice... it was familiar. He let the movement of being carried work for him and brought his head up for a moment. He saw blonde hair momentarily before his head sagged down again. It was Ke'ra... no, Linea. He tried to push the fuzziness to the side to figure out what had happened. He could just make out the two guards from her cell on both sides of him, supporting him, with Linea leading them. His left arm was stretched out in front of him over Linea's shoulder. Okay, so not dead.. but not good either. He couldn't see his arm or hand but knew they were being held, and there was pain in the same arm at his wrist. He tried to pull his arm back, but couldn't seem to find the strength. The blurry walls going by were familiar as were the muffled noises and lights.
Suddenly, they stopped. He felt more pain in his arm but still couldn't move it. Linea was saying something. He tried to concentrate to understand it, but things started becoming unfocused again, and then there was nothing.
//
"Move closer and I'll give Daniel more. Know that a full dose will kill him. Ah, Colonel O'Neill, I was wondering when you would show up. I suggest you escort me to your Gate Room if you wish your friend to live."
"You know this won't work." Jack looked Daniel over. His friend hung limply between two of their own men. Linea had pulled one of his arms over her shoulder and inserted a syringe into his wrist. In his current position, he couldn't tell if Daniel was alive, but he had to believe he was. Just drugged. "We won’t let you leave with Daniel."
"Would you let me leave without him?" A moment of hesitancy answered her question. "Then we are at an impasse."
"What have you done to Daniel and my men?"
"Nothing that isn't irreversible at this point, but I warn you, get in my way, and he dies." She emphasized her threat by injecting a little more of the contents of the syringe into Daniel's arm.
"Easy, easy... just calm down." Jack saw Linea inject a little more of whatever was in the needle into Daniel's arm. Jack swallowed hard and prayed that his friend hadn't just been given a lethal dose. He was deeply worried for Daniel, but there was a job to do. Linea wouldn't be leaving here alive. Jack refocused his concern for Daniel into completing his mission and getting Daniel out of this alive.
"Do we understand each other, Colonel?"
Oh yeah, lady. I've got a really good idea about what you're capable of. Should'a shot you when I had the chance. Jack backed up enough to let her move forward but kept pace just ahead of her. He motioned for Teal'c to clear the way for them.
//
Linea looked at all the weapons aimed at her, as they slowly made there way toward the gate.
There are just so many obstacles to my freedom. I will destroy all that get in my way - she rubbed Jackson's arm - beginning with this one as a momento when I exit through their gate.
No! You can't hurt him.
Ke'ra! You've still got some fight in you, do you? Perhaps I should kill Your Daniel now. I need only press down on this plunger.
No! I will fight you. You must be stopped, even if I die with you.
You are too weak, my child.
That's what you think. I've only been holding back.
We shall see. I enjoy a good challenge.
//
"No, this isn’t right. This isn't me. I don't want to hurt anyone. I have to stop her."
Ke'ra? It had sounded like Ke'ra. The cover of black that had fallen over Daniel before had lifted slightly. He thought he'd heard Ke'ra. It had been a small voice but it had been close. He heard the sound of a large door opening. He glanced up to see the gate looming ahead. No. This had to end now.
"Ke'ra? Ke'ra, stop her. You don't want to hurt anybody. You're a fighter. Your people need you. You have to stop her... now."
The grip on his hand changed. Then it was back even stronger than before. "She is gone, Daniel. I won. Soon I will be free and you will be dead... the first of many to follow."
"No... won't let you take her." Daniel tried to shake away the numbness, he had to reach Ke'ra. "Ke'ra, listen to me..." Daniel tried to struggle in the guards’ grip as they neared to gate. The pain in his wrist increased and the room tilted. He saw spots in front of his eyes although what he could see near him wasn’t as fuzzy. His attempts hadn't slowed them. He was still too weak. "Ke'ra, I need your help. You like to help people. You're a good person. You are important to so many that need you. Remember? Remember all the good you've done. Without you, they were lost. Remember?"
They stopped moving forward. Daniel could barely raise his head. He saw a blurry image, but the movements were familiar. Jack was between them and the gate. He tried to focus and could just make out that Jack was armed and had his weapon trained on Linea. Daniel sighed, inwardly. "I won’t stand in your way this time, Jack," he whispered. Linea had to be stopped but he still had to try and reach Ke'ra.
Jack saw Daniel try to raise his head. Thank God! Daniel's alive and fighting. Jack saw confusion on Linea's face. He lined up a head shot to take her out the moment she glanced away. Teal'c and his men were coming up behind them. This would end one way or another. Jack only hoped that he could take her down before she was able to inject a lethal dose into Daniel.
"Ke'ra! Do it now. Fight her!"
"Daniel?" Ke'ra looked down at her hands where they held a loaded syringe ready to be injected into Daniel's arm. "Oh, God, what have I done?' Her hands were shaking terribly as she reached down and jerkily pulled the syringe out, then let it drop to the floor. It shattered on contact. She turned to face Daniel and the men holding him. "Let him go!" The guards instantly complied and Daniel fell. She was there to ease his descent. "Oh God, Daniel, I didn't know how to fight her." Ke'ra began sobbing into Daniel's shoulder.
Jack moved closer and took aim.
Daniel saw movement near the gate coming closer. He knew it was Jack. As Jack approached, Daniel could see he had his gun sight set on Ke'ra. "No, Jack. Please stop! It's not Linea. It's Ke'ra."
No way! Not again. There was pleading in Daniel's voice. Jack fingered the trigger. One shot is all it would take.
"Jack, she's not Linea. She stopped her."
"Dammit, Daniel! How do I know for sure? How do you know?"
"I-I just know. I can tell the difference, and you just have to believe me."
Jack kept her in his sights while motioning to Teal'c and his soldiers. "Grab her and cuff her. Medic team to the gate room. SHE gets her memory erased now!" Jack lowered his weapon slightly but signaled for Teal'c and the others to stay alert.
Daniel looked from Jack to Ke'ra when she squeezed his arm. She wept openly as she spoke, "I don't know how long I can keep her from taking over again. I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry." He wanted to comfort her but his arms wouldn't move. So she held him instead.
As the soldiers approached, Daniel spoke softly to Ke'ra. "Ke'ra, you know what has to be done?"
She tried to compose herself and shakily nodded. "It should be done quickly." She looked Daniel in the eye and smiled. "I will miss you." Then she lightly touched his cheek with a hand wet from tears. Her arms were pulled behind her a moment later by Teal'c as a medic team helped Daniel up onto a stretcher.
Daniel watched as Ke'ra was led away. She was trying to compose herself and kept looking back at him until she'd left the room. Then Janet came into view, spoke briefly to the soldiers holding Ke'ra and headed his way.
Jack was there next to him. "You okay?" He had his military commander face on but, he couldn't fool Daniel, he knew Jack was really worried.
"Not sure yet. 'Can’t seem to move much right now, and things are pretty fuzzy. Daniel looked Jack in the eye. "You didn't shoot her. Thanks, Jack."
Jack knitted his brow, shoving his fists in his pockets. "Meet you in the infirmary, after I see that Ke'ra gets there and gets juiced." Jack gave him a long look filled with concern.
Daniel smiled.
Jack nodded once then left to join Teal'c to escort Ke'ra to the infirmary. A few minutes later Janet was certain Daniel was not in immediate danger and he was on his way to the infirmary as well. He felt exhausted and lost the battle to stay awake before they got out of the elevator on the infirmary level.
//
"Hey, welcome back. How ya feeling now?" Jack's head came into view. It was close to his. Too close. Daniel jerked back. He also tried to move his arms and legs and was relieved when they responded. "Oh, thank God! I wasn't sure what Linea had done to me. Why are you hovering over me like that?"
"Doc asked me to see if you could focus on things when you woke. So, since you're not wearing your glasses, I figured it would have to be something really close to your face for you to focus on."
Daniel frowned up at Jack's looming face. "Would me telling you your nose is clear of boogers satisfy your curiosity?"
"Guess its good enough." Jack sat back down next to Daniel's bed.
Daniel looked at the bandage on his arm. "What was it, Jack? What she gave me? It was so weird. I could feel my legs and arms but couldn’t get them to move for me. I-I was worried that I might never be able to walk again. I mean, considering it was Linea."
"It’s okay, Daniel," Jack put his hand over Daniel's, "Doc said it was some long wordy mixture of drugs that combined muscle relaxants with paralysis drugs and something else that slows the circulation down. You can ask her what the name was when she gets back. Linea only gave you small doses of it at a time. All of it and Janet said your heart would have slowed then stopped. She said there were no real lingering complications.” He patted Daniel's hand. "You should be outta here by tomorrow if your condition doesn't change."
"That's good to hear. Where is Janet now?"
"Juicing Ke'ra."
Daniel frowned at Jack. Jack raised his hands, gesturing apologetically. "Sorry. I'll just be glad when this is over."
Me too. Just a few things left to take care of, Daniel thought. "Uh, Jack, I don’t really want ice chips. Think you could get me some water?"
"Uh, sure. Be right back."
When Jack was out of earshot, Daniel snatched the I-V out of his hand and shut off the machines. He was out of the bed, bracing along the edge for support until he found his feet. Though he was swaying a bit, he grabbed his clothes and headed out.
//
Janet was waiting for her patient to awaken. So far the procedure had worked and was even perfected to be less painful. Steps behind her alerted her that she would soon have company.
She turned and glared at the unwanted visitor, hands on hips. "Daniel, what are you doing here? I even had the Colonel watching you. Get back in bed this instant or I will—"
"Janet, please. I just really need to be here. I have to know for sure she doesn’t remember... any of it." Janet continued to glare at him as he neared. "Please, Janet. I'll go back after I know for certain," he pleaded.
She sighed, then dropped her arms in disgust. "You've got five minutes." Daniel smiled gratefully at her. "Thanks, Janet."
Daniel moved closer to the bed in the room. Janet's patient began to stir. Then her eyelashes fluttered open. A blank stare met Daniel's. He looked at Janet. Janet nodded at him, and he moved closer slowly, still cognizant of the last time he had been fooled. Daniel could feel her tense at his touch. She looked frightened. Tears welled, then fell down her cheeks. "Ke'ra... It's all right. You're among friends."
Janet leaned over to look at her. "Do you remember anything?" She shook her head. "Nothing."
Daniel felt mixed emotions about that but kept it from showing on his face. "Your name is Ke'ra. You've been a visitor here. Now it's time to go home." She nodded graciously and was slowly helped off the bed.
Jack rushed in at that moment, a frown on his face aimed at Daniel. Janet moved away from the bed then turned to scold him for not watching Daniel closer and to instruct him to make sure Daniel returned to his bed. Jack looked over and saw that Daniel was focused on Ke'ra. He motioned to Janet. "Doc? 'D'you ever find out how she was able to… those thing on her arms and palms, are they gone now?"
Janet nodded. "Yes, Colonel, they are gone. Ke'ra won’t have any curious nodes to ponder on her palms and I surgically removed the synthetic skin layer over her arms."
"Good, that's really good to hear." Jack empasized his approval with a lot of nodding and hand gesturing.
Janet continued. "I also found a few other places Linea was using on her body to store supplies, such as wires, capacitors, transmitters—"
Jack grimaced and motioned Janet to stop with the itinerary. "Okay, I get it. She was a walking hardware store. It's all gone, right?"
Janet smiled and looked over at her patient talking to Daniel. "Ke'ra is just Ke'ra, now. No artificially or enhanced anything."
"Thanks, Doc."
Jack waited for Janet's alotted five minutes to end before he hauled Daniel's ass back to bed, with a severe reprimand from him for being played.
Daniel moved away from the bed. Ke'ra watched him leave, a look of curiosity on her face.
As Daniel started walking off with Jack, he grabbed Janet's hand. "Janet, I want to see her off." Janet shook her head. "Daniel, I have been more than lenient with you— "
"Please Janet, I need to do this." Daniel laid on the puppy dog eyes. The result was an ever so slight smile in Janet's eyes, not quite reaching her mouth, as she relented.
Jack rolled his eyes. Wish that worked like that for me.
Janet patted Daniel's hand. "Go sleep. I'll come and check on you later. If you answer all my questions correctly, and you know I'll know if you don't..." Jack cringed inwardly at Janet's remark. Glad it wasn’t aimed at him. "... then we'll see."
"Thanks, Janet. Jack?"
Jack eagerly led Daniel away.
//
In the gate room, the bright light of the open gate glowed on Carter's back as she spoke with Nodall and Layale. Ke'ra was led in by Janet, followed by Daniel.
"She did this willingly?" Layale asked.
Carter replied. "Yes. With her help, we were able to synthesize a small amount of the enhanced Dargol that caused the Vorlix, and reintroduced it into her bloodstream. Her memory is gone again."
Daniel stepped in front of Ke'ra. She turned to look where he was pointing. "Ke'ra, these are friends of mine, Teal'c, Jack, General Hammond, Sam... and these are friends of yours." He pointed to Nodall and Layale. "They've come to take you home."
Ke'ra smiled with wide innocent eyes. "Do you know me?"
"We do, Ke'ra." Nodall answered taking her hand. "We understand you have lost your memory. Know that you are a great leader of our people, and you are most welcome."
Ke'ra nodded then frowned slightly in confusion as she looked back at Daniel. "I sense we knew each other well, before my memory was lost. Did we?"
Daniel held his breath, his heart clenching slightly as she continued to stare at him. Thoughts of Linea nearly killing him filled his mind. He reflexively rubbed the bandage on his arm, but tried to push his fears aside. There was a slight touch on his back, and he knew it was Jack. It had only been a moment before he answered her, but it seemed much longer. He let the mask fall into place again. "No. No, we never really did. Goodbye, Ke'ra."
Ke'ra smiled at him like a diplomat meeting someone in a line of people. "Goodbye." She then turned and let Nodall and Layale lead her toward the gate. She turned one last time and smiled at Daniel. Then they were gone.
Everybody started leaving the Gate Room. Daniel stayed a bit longer, staring at the closed gate, lost in thought about what had transpired in the last twenty-four hours, and the look Ke'ra had given him before she left.
"There had to be some attraction to begin with," Jack said from behind him. "That look she gave you... she doesn't remember, Daniel."
"I know, Jack." And he did, but it helped to hear it from his friend. He turned from the gate to look at Jack. "I know."
"Come on." Jack clapped Daniel on the back as they walked toward the exit. "Janet said you had some unfinished business with her. Then once she gives you your clearance papers, we've got some stuff to talk about. We'll do it over some pizza and beer."
"Okay. Um, Jack?"
"Yeah."
"Thanks for..." Where to begin? "For..."
"You’re welcome, Daniel."
They turned from the gate and walked out of the Gate Room.
END