fic: Iron and Wine (PG-13)
Opening Numb3rs
$1 million ransom
27 different languages
2 government agencies
1 kidnapped linguist
Prologue - Into the Dark
The darkness surrounded him, nearly robbing him of any of the visual clues that would tell him what his surroundings were. His head pounded fiercely, a fusillade of cannon fire ricocheting around his skull. By the dry feeling in his mouth, he had been out of it for a while. He opened his eyes onto greyish-black light, the kind that comes just before dawn. Beneath him a dusty concrete floor chilled his skin, and he cautiously sat up, slowly coming upright.
He stopped when he saw flashes of red and yellow before his eyes, bile attempting to rise in the back of his throat. Forcing himself not to vomit, the battered figure stretched his hand out in front of him, trying to get a feel for the space he was in. He encountered a wall about ten feet away, and the same to each side as he continued to explore his cell. He almost missed it, but there was a faint sliver of golden light coming from somewhere.
It appeared to be coming from under a door of sorts, so he went towards it, hoping to escape from the prison he was in. Encountering no handle on his side, he stumbled away and slumped back against the far wall, leaning his aching head against the cool and soothing wall. He barely remembered how he got into this predicament. The last thing he remembered, he had been walking back to his hotel room after the first of his lectures at the International Linguistics Convention here in LA. He had just taken out his room key to open the door when someone had snuck up behind him and sedated him with a syringe. The bass drums pounding in his head slowly faded, giving him some sense of relief, little as it was. Daniel Jackson sincerely hoped that he would be found, soon, and by those he trusted most…
Chapter 1- More than a picture
A/N: Please note that there won't be any brilliant Charlie-math in this story, since A) I'm not too good at math, and B) it doesn't fit with the story. Charlie plays a part, but it's a small one. Sorry. Also, this is set sometime before 'The Janus List'.
Mandarin Glossary:
Qiè nuò ér zi de mǔ niú- Cowardly son of a cow
Zhòumà tā duì dì yù- Damn him to hell
End A/N
Charlie Eppes wandered into the War Room of the LA FBI office, his dark brown eyes scanning the familiar faces gathered there. 'Hey, Charlie.' Megan said, grinning at him. 'Good to see you.'
'You too,' Charlie replied, returning her grin with a smile of his own. 'What's going on?'
'There's been a kidnapping,' Don told him, pushing a button on a remote and causing a picture to pop up on the viewing screen. It showed a man in his late thirties, his large round glasses not really concealing his vibrant blue eyes. He was dressed in a black shirt and tan slacks, standing on a large stage in front of a good-sized crowd. The photo appeared to have been candid, taken without the knowledge of the subject. 'His name is Daniel Jackson,' Don continued, zooming in on Jackson's face. 'He was reported missing after he missed his first lecture of the day today and didn't call in sick. This was taken yesterday.'
'He teaches?' Colby asked, studying Daniel's picture.
Don shook his head saying 'He was here for the International Linguistics Convention. About 1500 linguists from 27 different countries attend the Convention yearly, and Doctor Jackson was one of the key-note speakers. He's a civilian consultant to the military in Colorado.'
'So this kidnapping was political?' David asked.
'That's our best guess. Now, a note was found stuck to Jackson's hotel door, labelled "To the FBI and the SGC". We don't know who or what the SGC is, but we're looking into it.' Don told his team.
'Perhaps we can help with that,' a voice said from the doorway. Everyone turned to look at the newcomers, and beheld three people standing there: two women and a man. They all wore semi-casual clothes, ID badges that the FBI Agents didn't recognise clipped to their lapels. One of the women was a study in black: her pants, blouse, shoes, and calf-length coat were all the same shade of onyx, making her look like a chic mourner. Her shoulder-length red hair was held out of her face with two hair clips, freeing her dark blue-grey eyes from obstruction.
'I'm Colonel Jack O'Neill, Air Force, and these are Major Samantha Carter and Doctor Riley Hunter. We're with the SGC.' Continued O'Neill, coming forwards and extending a hand to Don, who shook it briefly.
'Nice to meet you, Colonel.' Don replied. 'And you, Major, Doctor. Now, what exactly is the "SGC"?'
Sam glanced at Jack, who spoke softly. 'Hammond said they've been given clearance, Carter.' He told her, nodding slightly. Sam sighed, and then cleared her throat as Riley shut the door behind them. 'The SGC-also known as Stargate Command- is located in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The cover story given out is that we do "deep-space telemetry", but in fact, we are the frontline in an intergalactic war against a race of parasitical aliens called the Goa'uld.' The FBI agents were starting to stare at Sam, but Charlie seemed strangely unfazed by this information.
'Aliens?' David asked finally, his tone disbelieving.
'Yes, actually.'
Everyone turned to Charlie, who shrugged slightly. 'Larry and I did some consulting for the SGC in '96 and '98, doing calibrations and stuff.'
'Really? Huh.' Don ran his hand through his hair, mussing it up even more than usual. 'So, what does Doctor Jackson do, then?'
'He's on an exploratory team called SG-1, comprised of myself, Colonel O'Neill, and a Jaffa named Teal'c, who's one of our allies.' Sam replied. O'Neill nodded, leaning against the glass wall behind him. Riley was gazing at Daniel's picture, her expression carefully neutral, though Megan noticed a certain tension around her eyes. The Scot moved forwards, her footsteps as silent as a cat's.
'Was there a letter in the envelope?' she asked, picking up the evidence bag Don had left on the table, startling the others as she spoke.
'Yeah.' Don changed the picture and a scan of the note popped up, filling the screen. The assembled people took in the words, the message sinking in.
To the FBI and SGC-
Hello. By now, you'll have realised that Doctor Jackson is missing, and his subcutaneous tracker has been disabled. My demands are simple. I merely want $1 million wired to an offshore account I will provide. Doctor Jackson is safe-for now. I am not an uncaring person; see, I give you hope. You may observe Doctor Jackson through a webcam whose live streaming video can be found at the following website: sdj .com /videofeed (A/N: please note that this is not a real website, but used specifically for the purposes of the story. Thanks .End A/N) Oh, and Doctor Hunter? If you wish for Jackson to live, you will stay within the confines of the FBI compound. Have the money wired to Account #465-76897-09879 at the Bank of Switzerland by November 15, and Doctor Jackson will be released. I will not contact you any more. Follow my instructions to the letter, and Doctor Jackson will not be harmed. If not, he will be killed- slowly.
Yours truly,
Mal Loup.
Charlie glanced at Riley, who was staring at the screen, her expression blank. It unsettled the mathematician; surely the woman felt something.
'That qiè nuò ér zi de mǔ niú,' she said softly, her voice tight. 'He didn't even say why he took Daniel. Zhòu mà tā duì dì yù!'
'Riley, stop swearing in Mandarin, though I'm sure we all share your sentiments.' O'Neill said idly. 'Can we access that website?'
'Yeah, hang on.' Charlie connected his laptop and entered the address into his browser. The page loaded, and an image appeared, lit only marginally from an outside source. It was of a man sitting on the floor of a small room, his chin resting on his chest as he slept fitfully. The man was proven to be Daniel when he twitched, his face coming into focus as his hair was thrown out of his eyes. Daniel's clothes were wrinkled and mussed, as well as slightly torn. Riley made an inarticulate noise of distress and turned away, shutting her eyes. Sam laid a hand on her shoulder but Riley pushed it away, swiftly moving out of the war room and into the hall, quickly moving out of sight. Charlie went to go follow her, but Jack held the younger man back.
'Let her be,' he murmured. 'She needs some time to herself. She won't go far.' Charlie nodded, and Jack released him, patting him on the shoulder. 'She speaks Mandarin?' Colby asked. Sam nodded. 'She tends to favour it when she's angry, though I've heard her swear in four different languages in a row when Daniel managed to get himself badly injured when he was on an off-world mission- at an archaeological dig. The look on Daniel's face was priceless.'
'Yeah, made me wish I had a camera.' Jack chimed in, smiling slightly. 'Doc Frasier wasn't too happy with him either, as I recall.'
'Judging by Doctor Hunter's reaction, am I safe in saying that she and Daniel are together?' Megan asked, looking at the two Air Force officers for confirmation.
'Kinda. They've known each other since college, but they're not actually dating- as far as we know, anyways.' O'Neill replied, shaking his head shortly.
'Can we trace this?' Sam asked Don.
'I don't know. I'll get our guys working on it.' He said.' Colby, you and David go back to the hotel, see if we missed anything. Megan, take the letter down to Questioned Documents: maybe they can tell us something that'll help. I'll take care of Major Carter and Colonel O'Neill-' he turned to them. 'I need you to tell me all you can about who you think might've done this, and why. Charlie-'
'I'm going to go check on Doctor Hunter, see how she's doing. If she's to stay here, is there anywhere she can sleep for the night, Don?' Charlie asked his older brother, who shrugged.
'She can use one of the holding cells, I guess.'
'The holding cells? Really, Don?'
'You got a better idea, Charlie?'
'What about one of the break-rooms? She could sleep on one of the couches.' Megan supplied before heading out of the room.
'Alright, that'll work.' Don nodded, and then shooed Charlie out of the room.
'Knowing Riley, she probably won't sleep until Daniel is back safe and sound.' Jack muttered in Sam's ear.
'Probably.' Was her reply as they left the room, Daniel's image still up on the screen.
End chapter 1
Chapter 2: Dark waltz
Daniel napped haphazardly, waking in fits and starts. He had wedged himself into a corner away from the door, the better to see anyone coming in. His chin was resting on his chest, his eyes closed. He kept his breathing regular, trying to stay as calm as possible. He heard a soft whirring from high up near the ceiling, and opened his eyes to investigate. The noise proved to be the wall mount of a security camera; he could see a small red light. Hmm. So that meant someone was watching him.
His head was feeling better, though. Now that he wasn’t focused entirely on his headache, Daniel realised that his right wrist was extremely sore and quite possibly sprained or even broken. He assumed that it had been injured when he had been thrown into this pit of a prison. Cradling it with his left hand, he gently explored the sore spots, but soon stopped when it began to ache even more fiercely than before.
Daniel sighed, and then lurched to his feet, feeling a pressing urge that demanded to be taken care of. The only spot that was out of the camera’s view was directly beneath it, and, sincerely hoping that the camera wasn’t sound-equipped, Daniel relieved himself as quickly and as quietly as possible, feeling better as he did so. Awkwardly wiping his hand on his pants, Daniel returned to his corner, slumping against the chill wall.
He was starting to get hungry, but since there seemed to be a lack of service about, he highly doubted he’d be eating soon. Digging around in his pockets with his left hand in the hope of a packet of crackers he vaguely remembered possibly putting there, he found instead a small baggie of mini choco-walnut cookies. Taking them out of the inner pocket of his jacket, Daniel smiled slightly as he realised that Riley must’ve put them in there to snack on during the convention. She had done that sort of thing before, usually making sure he had a bag of cookies in his pack when he went off-world. She must’ve snuck them into his jacket the night before he had left when the rest of SG-1 were over at his apartment for their bi-monthly movie night. They had finally decided on Finding Nemo, though Teal’c had campaigned for a Star Wars marathon.
Daniel opened the bag, the distinctive sound of a Ziploc opening filling the air. He retrieved one of the cookies and resealed the bag partway, determined to make his newfound- and only- source of food last as long as possible. He set the bag on the floor beside him and bit down on the cookie, relishing the flavours of the walnuts and chocolate on his tongue. Thank God for good cookies and thoughtful friends. He thought. Though lately, his friendship with Riley seemed to be evolving into something more, though the archaeologist wasn’t sure what. He contemplated this train of thought as he munched on his cookie, unaware that 20 miles away on the rooftop of the FBI building, the focus of his thoughts was reflecting on the same thing as she gazed across the cityscape and over the dark line of the ocean.
-End Chapter 2-
Chapter 3- Ballad of Serenity
Charlie was thoroughly frazzled by the time he found Riley up on the rooftop of the FBI building an hour after he had set out to find her. The red-haired archaeolinguist was standing near the edge of the roof, held back only by a knee-high parapet. She was staring across the cityscape, her eyes focused on the few stars visible over the lights of the city. Her hands were jammed deep into her coat pockets, a slight zephyr causing the hem of her coat to flap gently. Charlie came up behind her, trying not to startle her. 'Hello, Professor Eppes,' Riley said without turning around, her gaze still on the faint constellations. 'Did Jack send you to find me?'
Charlie paused before speaking, trying to figure out how Riley knew it was him. 'No, I came on my own.' He replied. 'How'd you know it was me?'
'Your footsteps. Jack, Sam, and the FBI agents here have very distinctive treads. In the case of Jack and Sam, theirs are more precise than an FBI agent's, though the agents do have a measured step. You, on the other hand, tend to step on the balls of your feet before you step down with your heel.' Riley sighed and then changed topic with a rapidity that caught Charlie off-guard. 'Look, Cassiopeia and Ursa Major are visible.' She turned her head to look at Charlie, smiling slightly. 'They're two of my favourite constellations, though Orion is a close third. What about you?'
'I'm not sure, actually,' Charlie said, joining her at the edge of the roof. 'I don't look up at the stars much these days.'
'Not many people do,' Riley murmured, and looked back at the stars. She stood there for a while, a far-off look in her eyes. 'Y'know, 15 years ago, if you'd told me I'd be fighting a war against aliens, or that aliens even existed, I'd've called you crazy. But then I started working at Torchwood, doing research on alien tech, and then at the SGC. Think of all the people in this city- in the world, even- who go about their daily lives without the slightest inkling about what's actually goin' on out there. 'She lapsed into silence once more, leaving Charlie to digest what she had said. They stood there in companionable silence until the sound of the door opening behind them and measured footsteps reached their ears.
Riley tilted her head to one side slightly, registering the particular cadence, and then sighed softly. 'Yes, Jack?' she asked, turning to face the Colonel. 'Any news?'
'Well, one of the tech-people- they're recording everything from the webcam, by the way- said she thought she saw Daniel take something out of his coat pocket and eat it. You know anything about it?' Jack asked, used to Riley's "psychic" act of knowing who was behind her.
Riley frowned slightly. 'I'm not sure. Were there any surveillance tapes from the hotel?' She began walking towards the door Jack had just come through.
'Nope,' Jack shook his head and followed her, Charlie trailing behind. 'Apparently, it was "down for maintenance", but I don't believe any of that crap.'
Riley nodded absently as she went down the stairs and into the bullpen, her stride as graceful and silent as a panther's. 'Where's the A/V Lab?' she asked a passing Agent, who pointed her in the right direction. She thanked him, and then headed off, Jack and Charlie behind her. When she arrived at the A/V Lab, Don and Megan were already there. Don looked up as they entered, one eyebrow rising slightly as they trooped in. 'What's goin' on with Daniel?' Riley asked him.
'Nothing much, actually.' was his reply, turning back to the screen upon which the video feed was displayed. 'We thought he was eating something earlier, but we weren't sure.'
'Could you bring it up for me?' Riley asked just as Sam turned up with Colby and David. The A/V tech did as requested, a secondary window opening up and displaying the footage. 'Hang on,' Jack said suddenly, making the tech jump. 'What's that?' He pointed to a particular spot on the screen. 'Can you enhance it?'
The tech typed a few commands, and an enhanced image popped up in a bigger window in front of the archived footage. They studied it for a moment, and then Riley realised what was in the baggie. She began to blush, a hint of rose colouring her cheeks. 'Ah,' she murmured, standing back.
'Riley?' Jack inquired, turning to look at her.
'You're the one, aren't you?' Sam asked, starting to grin. 'The infamous "Cookie Ninja"?'
'They call me that?'
'Mostly the Colonel, though I think Daniel's said it a couple of times.'
'Anyone care to fill us in?' Charlie asked.
'It's sort of a tradition, ' Riley began hesitantly. 'When Daniel and I went to college together, I would make chocolate-walnut cookies for him before he had a big test or presentation the next day. Now that he goes off-world, I've been putting a small bag of cookies in his pack, 'cause those are his favourite kind of cookies.'
'And you put some in his coat pocket?' Megan asked, beginning to smile. Riley ducked her head briefly before looking back up, a sheepish grin on her face. 'Yeah. They were for the convention, though I wasn't sure when he'd wear that jacket...'
Jack shook his head, smirking. Hah. Siler owed him thirty bucks. He turned to Don. 'Any luck on the tracing of the signal?' Don shook his head, frustrated.
'No. The signal seems to be bounced and scrambled through 15 different ISPs.'
'Can I have crack at it?' Riley asked, glancing at the keyboard. 'I know a few tricks.'
'Excuse me, but if the top computer analysts of the FBI couldn't track it, why do you think you can?' David asked sceptically.
'Have you ever heard of Toshiko Sato and Sarah Taylor, Agent?' Riley asked, folding her arms against her chest.
'Am I supposed to have?' David replied.
'They're only two of the most brilliant computer geniuses in the world!'
David and Riley turned towards the A/V tech, who shrank a bit in her chair. 'I wrote a paper on them in college. No-one's seen or heard from either of them for about five years now, and no-one knows why.'
Riley smiled to herself, shaking her head. 'Well, I can tell you, they're not dead or anything.' She said. 'I used to work with them, especially Sarah. They just work for the British Government. But don't tell anyone I said that. Anyways, I learned quite a bit from them. May I try?'
The A/V tech got up out of her chair, saying, ' Be my guest.'
'Thank you. What's your name?' Riley asked, smiling slightly as she sat down.
'Masha. Good luck finding your teammate.' The tech replied as she left the room to get a cup of water and some rest. Riley turned to the computer and began typing rapidly, entering commands.
The screen emptied quickly, until only two windows were left, the live footage and Riley's search programme. The Scot began muttering under her breath, a fluent mix of English, Mandarin, and French, alternately cursing and cajoling the computer. Numbers flashed across the screen almost too fast to see until, after almost an hour later, Riley stopped typing and sat back, a set of latitude and longitude coordinates resting on the display. Jack opened his eyes from where he was propped up against the wall, dozing on his feet, and spoke drawing the attention of the others, Sam and Charlie looking up from an impromptu game of "Go Fish". 'Those the coordinates?' he asked, searching his person for a pen and a scrap of paper.
'As close as I can get. It's at least within 200 feet of where tha' camera is.' Riley replied, rubbing her temples wearily as she got up. She wobbled slightly when she did so, catching herself briefly on the desk.
'Riley, you need to sleep. You've been up for 28 hours, not counting the plane ride here from Colorado. Go to bed.' Jack told her, looking concerned.
'No, Jack. I'm not goin' to sleep until Daniel gets back.' Riley replied stubbornly, her accent thickening, a sign of the true depth of her exhaustion.
'That wasn't a request, Riley.'
'Jack-'
'Bed. Now, Hunter. That's an order. Carter, make sure she gets there and stays there.' Jack ordered, his voice unyielding. Sam nodded curtly and led Riley out, not listening to the linguist's protests as they went down the hall.
'Let's get surveillance to this location, check it out.' Don told his team. 'Colonel, you up for a little recon?'
'Yeah, sure, youbetchya.' O'Neill replied, grinning.
'Colby, David, you're with us.' Don continued. 'Megan, you and Charlie stay here, keep an eye on the video feed and Doctor Hunter. We've assumed that whoever took Doctor Jackson is keeping a watch on the buildings; I don't want this going south any further than it has to, if at all. Let's go.'
They left the room, Charlie going to stay with Sam, leaving Megan alone in the A/V Lab, watching Daniel sleeping once more, his right wrist cradled in his left hand.
-END CHAP 3-
CHAPTER 4 - SOLITUDE
A/N: I almost forgot to say, but here goes: I hereby apologize for/to any and all offended people who understand the Mandarin used in my stories, and get mad, as it is unintended. I use various online translators, and am not fluent in the language. Sorry.
Daniel had awoken once more, unaware of actually having fallen asleep. He checked his watch, and was surprised to see that it was 3:00 in the morning. Surely that couldn’t be right? He had arrived back at his hotel around midnight, hadn’t he? He highly doubted that he had been here for only three hours, and his suspicions were confirmed when he checked the date. It was now Sunday, which meant that more than 26 hours had passed since he got here. Daniel sighed heavily and tilted his head back, staring up at the ceiling. He had slept most of the time, occasionally eating a cookie or relieving himself in the corner. He had three cookies left out of the original dozen, and was determined to make them last.
He hadn’t seen or heard anything from his captors since the hotel; it felt as if he was in a ghost house. To keep his sanity together and to pass the time, he began reciting poems, first in English and then translating them into different languages. When he came to Mandarin, he paused, reminded of Riley. Wondering what she was doing at the moment, Daniel paused in his recitation of Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken”. Their friendship had lasted across 18 years and two continents, though as Riley had once said, the UK wasn’t actually a continent, but was considered part of Europe purely because it wasn’t big enough to actually count as anything other than a rather large island. Daniel smiled slightly as he remembered the first time he had met Riley at UCLA.
-Flashback-
It was the first day of Ancient Languages 101, and he was stuck on a problem that Professor Alex Sanders had set for the class: partner up with the person to your right, choose two words that you think would best describe them (using an animal in the description), and then translate it into a language of your choice that is not English. Unfortunately, there wasn’t anyone sitting to Daniel’s right, and the 16-year-old genius was stumped. He was contemplating asking for a seat change when the classroom door opened and a rather flustered young woman entered, trying to be as quiet as possible and failing miserably. She was followed by an older woman who spoke briefly to Professor Sanders and then left, the redheaded girl left standing next to the Professor’s desk.
Professor Sanders spoke quietly to the girl, who smiled hesitantly and brushed her hair out of her eyes, which the young Daniel noticed were a deep and vibrant blue-grey colour. The girl nodded when Sanders finished speaking and went to sit down, her eyes travelling over the rows of seats until they came to rest on the empty seat next to Daniel. She made her way over and slid into the seat, setting her books down and wincing at the sound they made. ‘Damn,’ she swore softly as a few papers escaped and drifted to the floor. She went to retrieve them and Daniel caught the scent of her perfume, a subtle mix of citrus and lavender. It was clean and fresh, and Daniel found that he rather liked it. He felt her hand accidentally brush his ankle as she gathered up her papers. ‘Can I help?’ Daniel asked, watching her trying to sort out what went where. She looked up, pausing in her work. ‘What?’ she asked, her voice laced with a light Scottish accent.
‘D’you need help?’ Daniel repeated as she straightened up, blinking.
‘Uh, no. Thanks, though.’ The girl smiled at him as she put her papers back into their folder. ‘I’m Riley Hunter, by the way.’ She held out a hand for Daniel to shake, which he did so, replying, ‘Daniel Jackson. Nice to meet you, Riley. Are you a transfer student?’
‘Sorta. I’ve got dual citizenship, but I lived in Glasgow with my mum.’ Riley replied. ‘What about you, where are you from?’
‘Nowhere in particular, actually.’ Daniel said, choosing his words carefully. ‘I moved around a lot when I was younger.’
‘Hmm. So, any idea what we’re supposed to be doin’ right now?’ Riley inquired, glancing around at the other students who had paired off and were animatedly discussing what they had written.
‘We’re supposed to be attempting to describe the person to our right in two words and then translate it into a language of our choosing, using an animal in the description.’
‘Hmm.’ Riley looked at Daniel for a moment and then smiled. ‘Got yours.’ She announced, scribbling something down on a blank sheet of notebook paper. She covered it when Daniel tried to see what it was, saying, ‘Ah! Not until you figure out mine.’
Daniel raised an eyebrow in mock disbelief and then studied Riley, taking in her lithe form, her bright blue-grey eyes, and re-gold hair. He was tempted to use the word “goddess” as one of his words, but discarded that quickly as being too juvenile. He finally decided on “Lovely Fox”. Now, to decide what language to translate it into. Playing with the idea of Welsh, he finally chose Portuguese, since he wasn’t too fluent in Welsh.
‘Alright, got it.’ He told her finally. ‘You go first, though.’
Riley smiled slightly and then spoke. ‘Right. Yours is “Jì Liáo Láng”. It means “Lonely Wolf”, since you didn’t have a partner when I came in. That was in Mandarin, by the way.’ She said. ‘Now you.’
‘Fine. Yours is “Raposa Bonita”. It’s Portuguese, and it means-‘ But before Daniel could finish his sentence, the bell rang, signalling the end of class, and the mild babble of the class grew into a dull roar as everyone gathered up their belongings and made their way towards the door. 'I'll see ya tomorrow, Daniel.' Riley told him, raising her voice to be heard over the noise. 'Save me a seat, yeah?' She waved and then left, her stride graceful. Daniel watched her go as he gathered up his own belongings and made his way out of the class, feeling glad that he would have someone to talk to who didn't care how old he was, even though he was two years younger than the 18-year-old Scot.
-End Flashback-
Daniel had slipped into a sort of waking dream, his gaze unfocused and staring blankly at the wall, a small smile flitting across his face as he lost himself in memories.
Chapter 5 - Rush
A/N:I will switch viewpoints to Riley a little way in, just to let ya know. I won’t, however, do so in the middle of any action.
Don and the FBI agents had arrived at the coordinates Riley had come up with to find an abandoned restaurant, its once vibrant blue paint flaking and sun-bleached. They set up a perimeter, blocking all entrances and exits. A SWAT team was on stand by, just in case things got hairy. Colby and David were in a separate van from Jack and Don, prepared to go at a moment’s notice. Don glanced at the Colonel, who was checking over his equipment-for the fifth time. Jack had insisted on bringing a few of his own personal armaments, including two that Don didn’t recognize: an oddly shaped gun and a large silver ball with a button set into it. Don wanted to ask what these items were, but wasn’t sure if he’d like the answer if he did.
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Back at the FBI office, Sam and Charlie were having trouble convincing Riley to relax and go to sleep in one of the offices that had a couch in it, having decided that a small room would be easier to keep her in rather than a large breakroom. ‘Riley, I‘ve already told you this,’ Sam said patiently, though her voice was sounding a little strained. ‘You’re not in any shape to be doing anything other than sleeping. You’ve been up for God knows how long, and need to sleep.’
‘Not until Daniel is safe,’ came the stubborn reply from the opposite side of the door. Charlie shook his head, sighing. ‘She’s worse than a 4-year-old.’ He muttered to Sam.
‘I heard that!’
Sam thought for a moment, and then came up with a plan. ‘Riley, I’m going to go get some coffee. D’you want anything? Tea, maybe?’
‘That sounds good, thanks.’ Riley said, her voice holding a smile. ‘If they’ve got Earl Grey, I would love some.’
‘Alright. Be back in a few.’ Sam turned to Charlie, pulling him a few feet away from the door and lowering her voice. ‘I’ll be back with her tea in a few minutes. Now, she won’t go to sleep unless we make her, and I have a solution.’ She pulled a small bottle out of her coat pocket and held it up for Charlie to see. ‘They’re mild sleeping pills. Doctor Frasier, our CMO, prescribed them for Riley when she’s overworked herself. She’s so stubborn she won’t take them willingly, so we have to put them in her food or drink. They dissolve quickly in liquid, so I’m going to put one in her tea. She has little tolerance for soporifics, so she’ll be out for a while. Watch the door until I get back, okay?’
Charlie nodded, and Sam went off, heading towards the breakroom. She returned a few minutes later, holding a paper cup half-full of tea, as well as a cup of coffee. Handing the coffee to Charlie to hold, Sam knocked on the door, calling out to Riley. ‘Riley, I’ve got your tea. It’s raspberry, I’m afraid. They didn’t have any Earl Grey, sorry.’
‘That’s alright,’ Riley replied, and Sam opened the door, leaving it open a crack so Charlie could see in. Sam handed the tea to Riley and stood back, watching the Scot sip at the doctored brew.
‘Thanks,’ Riley told Sam, smiling slightly. She sat down on the couch, her blue grey eyes focused on the light red liquid within the cup. ‘I hope Daniel’s okay.’ She yawned, covering her mouth with her free hand. ‘Sorry,’ she apologized, setting her cup down on a nearby table. ‘I don’t want to sleep, but I’m so tired.’ She yawned again, her eyes half-closed. ‘Wake me in ten minutes, okay? That’s all I need. Promise, Sam?’
‘Sure, Riley.’ Sam agreed, nodding. Riley curled up on the couch, resting her head on an armrest. Her breathing soon slowed, and Sam covered her with a nearby blanket. She left the room, closing the door quietly behind her. ‘She won’t wake for about 6 hours,’ she told Charlie sighing slightly. ‘I don’t like doing this, but it’s necessary sometimes.’
‘Wish I could do that with Don,’ Charlie remarked, a lopsided grin on his face. ‘He could do with more than 10 minutes’ uninterrupted sleep.’ Sam nodded, and they left, going back to join Megan in the A/V Lab.
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‘Do we have anyone inside?’ Don muttered over his headset, glancing out the darkened window of the van.
‘Two suspects in the kitchen,’ reported an agent.
‘Any visual on Jackson, Jeanine?’
‘Negative, sir. The suspects are unarmed.’ The agent replied.
‘Good. Let’s move in. Go, Go, Go!’ Don announced, throwing open the van door and leaping out, gun at the ready.
‘Hold it,’ Jack said, talking the silver sphere out of its pouch. ‘Let me go first. Keep everyone back.’
‘What is that?’ Don asked, looking askance at the device as they moved up next to the restaurant.
‘Stun grenade.’ Was Jack’s reply before he depressed the button and threw it through a window of the kitchen. With a flash and a high pitched whine, the stun grenade went off, incapacitating the two inside. Zat drawn and activated, Jack kicked open the door, scanning the room. Two men lay slumped over a rough wooden table in the once spacious kitchen, beers spilled and dripping onto the floor. A laptop computer sat on a nearby counter; it was open to a secure page that would let them monitor both Daniel and the bank account.
Don took in the scene before him and looked at Jack, surprise written across his features. ‘That was one hell of a stun grenade,’ he told him, awe in his voice. ‘Did we make it?’
‘No.’ Jack replied shortly, his zat still drawn. He began calling out for Daniel, pausing occasionally to listen for a reply.
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Daniel was just about to eat his last cookie when he heard an almighty banging and shouting form outside his cell, before everything fell silent for a few seconds. The faint murmur of voices was then replaced with a single voice, one which filled the archaeologist with a great deal of hope. It was Jack, calling out Daniel’s name every few seconds. Daniel staggered to his feet and crossed to the door, pounding on it. ‘Jack?’ he tried to shout, but his voice was creaky and dry.
He cleared his throat, attempting to summon enough moisture to speak. He kept pounding on the door with his left hand, his right arm held tightly against his chest. Footsteps outside the door caused him to pause, and then he heard O’Neill’s voice.
‘Daniel?’
‘Jack? Thank God!’ Daniel replied, his relief evident in his voice. ‘Can you get me out of here?’
‘Stand back, Daniel.’ Was Jack’s reply, so Daniel did as he was told (for once), and moved back, supporting his injured arm before it could be jarred too badly. The bag with its lone cookie was safely in his pocket once more, slapping gently against his leg. Suddenly, blue tendrils of electricity covered the door. Once, twice, three times Jack fired his zat, making the door disintegrate. He hurried in, but stopped when he caught sight of Daniel. ‘Daniel!’ he exclaimed, holstering his zat. ‘You okay?’
‘I think my arm’s hurt, and I could really use a drink of water, a shower, and a change of clothes, but other than that, I’m surprisingly good. How did you find me?’ Daniel asked, moving forwards.
‘Riley tracked the signal of the camera somehow.’ Jack told him, putting an arm around the younger man’s shoulders. ‘Come on; let’s get you out of here. There’re paramedics outside.’
-END CHAP. 5-
Chapter 6: Golden Slumbers / The End
A/N: Italics within the story mean that the characters are speaking in another language.
Riley woke up, disoriented. She wasn’t in her office or lab at the SGC, nor at her apartment. Odd. Sitting up, she took in her surroundings. It was a nice room, neat and simple, all the hallmarks of a guest room. Pushing the covers back, she noticed she was only wearing her undershirt and panties. She sincerely hoped that it had been Sam that had undressed her; otherwise there would be hell to pay. Her clothes, freshly laundered and neatly folded, sat on a chair nearby. She got dressed quickly, the tantalizing scent of pancakes, coffee, and bacon wafting in under the door. Riley opened the door and moved down the hall, looking at the framed photos lining the wall.
She recognized Don and Charlie, though an older man and woman were featured in a few of them. The woman seemed to disappear in the later photos, leaving Riley to wonder what had happened to her. She crept down the stairs on bare feet, holding her shoes in one hand. She reached the bottom of the stairs and looked around, trying to figure out where the delicious smells were coming from. After setting her flats down by the door, she followed her nose to a dining area, where a table surrounded by chairs was placed. Don, Charlie, Jack, Sam, and the older man from the pictures, who Riley figured was Don and Charlie’s father, sat around the table, plates with bacon and pancakes on them in front of each person, save for Charlie, who had eggs instead of pancakes.
'Morning, Riley,' Jack said cheerily, waving his fork at her and nearly flinging the syrup-covered piece of pancake on it at Sam. Riley looked around the table, frowning when she didn't see Daniel.
'Something wrong, Riley?' Sam asked, scooting away from her slightly overenthusiastic CO.
'Hmm? Oh, no, everything's okay.' Riley answered, putting on a smile. 'How'd it go last night?'
'It was okay.' Was Jack's reply. 'Why don't you go get some food? The bacon's in the kitchen, along with the coffee and pancakes.'
'Alright.' Riley said. 'But I want to hear what happened when I get back.'
Jack nodded, and returned to his food as Riley went through the door into the kitchen.
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Riley ran a hand through her hair, attempting to put it into some semblance of order. She sighed, and then began to fix her plate, putting a few pieces of bacon and a pancake on a plate. As she reached for a coffee mug, she failed to hear the door leading into the garage open and shut. She retrieved the mug and turned to get the coffee pot, but stopped in surprise when she saw who was standing in front of her. The mug fell from her nerveless grip as she took in Daniel's smiling face. His right wrist was wrapped up in an Ace bandage; it had only been badly sprained after all.
'Hey,' he said, smiling slightly at her. 'Sleep well?'
Riley blinked, and then launched herself at him, throwing her arms around him in a hug that threatened to make his ribs creak.
'Never do that again!' she said, her voice muffled in his shirt. Daniel chuckled weakly, and the hugged her back, saying, 'Riley, I can't breathe. Let up a bit, Raposa.'
Riley lessened her grip a bit, still holding onto Daniel as if she was afraid he would disappear. 'You haven't called me that in years.' She said, tilting her head back to look at him. 'Not since college.'
'Yeah, well, I had the unique opportunity to reminisce about our college days. The memories kept me occupied. Thanks for the cookies, by the way.' Daniel gently released her, and Riley let him go, blushing heartily.
'You're welcome,' she replied, looking at the floor briefly. 'I thought you'd like them.'
'I did, and a little bird told me that you're the one who's been putting them in my pack, though I figured it was you.' Daniel informed her, leaning against the counter. Riley snorted softly and shook her head.
'That "Little bird" is gonna want a sarcophagus when I'm through with him.' She growled as she looked for a broom to sweep up the shards of her mug. 'I swear, that man can't keep mum for more than five minutes.' She swept up the remnants of the mug, carefully using the dustpan to get every last bit. Tipping them into the trash, she shook the last slivers off and returned the broom and dustpan from which they came. Before she could turn around, Daniel came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, firmly holding her against his chest.
'I would say "I'm sorry", but I'm not sure if that would apply in this case, since I got kidnapped and everything.' He murmured, his chin resting on the top of her head. Riley leaned against him, her eyes closing as she took in his familiar and comforting scent of soap and coffee. 'You smell good.' She said softly.
'And you,' he replied, his voice vibrating within his chest. 'still use the same perfume as when I first met you; which I like, by the way.'
Riley laughed, and then turned around in Daniel's arms, resting her hands against his chest. 'Are you okay?' she asked, her eyes travelling over his face.
'A few scratches and bruises, nothing more.' Daniel answered. 'The worst thing is that my wrist's sprained, but that's about it.'
Riley's eyebrow raised slightly. 'You have a gift for understating things. You know that, right?'
'Yeah, well, I did learn from the best.' Daniel said cheekily, nodding towards the door leading into the dining room.
'Hmm.' Riley shook her head, a smile crinkling the corners of her eyes. 'You may be right about that.'
On an impulse, Daniel began to lean down to kiss Riley, but before he could, Jack came in carrying his empty plate. He paused when he saw Riley and Daniel standing in their embrace, his eyebrows threatening to disappear into his hairline. Riley laughed softly at the look on the Colonel's face, and stepped away from Daniel, retrieving her plate.
'Daniel, I think we'll need to continue our "discussion" at a later time, somewhere that we can be a bit more private. Perhaps in a park?' She said over her shoulder in Mandarin, smiling coyly.
'I'd like that.' Daniel replied in the same tongue. 'After breakfast, maybe?'
'Sure.' Riley walked past Jack and went into the dinging room, giving no indication to the others as to what had happened in the kitchen. Daniel and Jack watched her go, then Jack turned back to the younger man.
'Well?' he asked, crossing his arms across his chest. 'What was that about?'
Daniel shook his head, smiling. 'For once, Jack, I'm not going to translate something.' He replied, a lilt in his voice. 'Talk to you later.' He followed after Riley, a slight bounce to his step that Jack couldn't fail to miss. The Colonel grinned to himself, shaking his head. Good for you, Daniel. he thought before rejoining the others, grabbing an extra folding chair for the archaeologist to sit on.
-END CHAPTER 6-
-END STORY-