Two Wrongs, No Right
Title: Two Wrongs, No Right
Author: Sg Wonderland
Rating: Gen
Prompt. Daniel and Steven Raynor. Daniel talks to Raynor after he wakes up after surgery.
“Steven. Steven!” Daniel’s voice is urgent, insistent. I must be late for class or Dr. Jordan needs me. I struggle to open my eyes. Instead of the Oriental Institute, I see a plastered wall, a large opened window with thin curtains blowing in the breeze. And what looks like antiquated hospital equipment.
And Daniel Jackson. Standing by my bedside. Wait, why am I in bed? “What happened?”
“Steven. You have to listen. We don’t have much time.” He drags a chair over and slumps into it. He looks terrible; his face is pasty white, at least the parts not fiery red. Like he has a really bad sunburn.
“Daniel, what happened? What are you doing here? What am I doing here?”
“What’s the last thing you remember?”
I try to think back and suddenly my mind flashes. “Sarah. She was…I don’t know what the hell she was.”
Daniel nods. “She…Sarah wasn’t herself, Steven. You know that, right?”
“What…,” I stammer. “Daniel, her eyes were glowing!”
“Steven, you cannot tell anyone what happened. Anyone.”
“Her eyes were glowing,” I repeat just in case he doesn’t get it. “That is not natural.”
With a sigh, he pulls the rolling tray forward. “I have a nondisclosure agreement. You’ll need to sign all three copies.” He fumbles the envelope open.
I stare at him in disbelief. “Not tell! Daniel, that amulet proved your theories were right! You have to publish.”
“Steven, you cannot reveal what happened in that tomb. As far as the Egyptian authorities are concerned. Sarah stole the amulet and was killed when the tomb collapsed. End of story. Sign here.”
I shove the papers onto the floor. “I’m not signing anything and you can’t make me. If you won’t publish, then I damned well will.”
“No one is telling this story. If you don’t sign the nondisclosure agreement, you’ll be turned over to the Egyptian authorities and charged with stealing the amulet and deliberately causing the willful destruction of an archaeological site.” His eyes are unwavering. “And causing the death of Sarah Gardner.”
I stare at him in horror. Where is the Daniel I knew? The driven, slightly goofy guy who could see the nuances in dead languages but couldn’t see the life right in front of him? “You can’t be serious.”
“The Egyptian government needs to blame someone for the loss of the site. You’re elected.” He picks up the papers and lays them on the table.
“You were there! It could just as easily have been you.”
“I wasn’t in Chicago when Dr. Jordan died. I’m not the one who smuggled a stolen amulet into Egypt for unknown purposes.”
“And that makes you above reproach.” I sneer to hide the fright.
“I work for the Air Force, Steven. With one phone call, I can make your life a living hell. I won’t make that call if you sign. All you have to do is sign and keep your mouth shut. You go back to Chicago and your nice, quiet life.”
I snatch the pen and scrawl my signature, shove them back to him. “And where do you go, Daniel? Where do you go after this is all swept under the rug? Do you even care that what you know, what we know, changes the face of history on this planet?”
Silently, he checks the pages, making sure I’ve signed. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry, Steven.”
“Well, you can just go to hell, Daniel.”
A hint of a smile flits across his face. “I’m already there, Steven.”
Author: Sg Wonderland
Rating: Gen
Prompt. Daniel and Steven Raynor. Daniel talks to Raynor after he wakes up after surgery.
“Steven. Steven!” Daniel’s voice is urgent, insistent. I must be late for class or Dr. Jordan needs me. I struggle to open my eyes. Instead of the Oriental Institute, I see a plastered wall, a large opened window with thin curtains blowing in the breeze. And what looks like antiquated hospital equipment.
And Daniel Jackson. Standing by my bedside. Wait, why am I in bed? “What happened?”
“Steven. You have to listen. We don’t have much time.” He drags a chair over and slumps into it. He looks terrible; his face is pasty white, at least the parts not fiery red. Like he has a really bad sunburn.
“Daniel, what happened? What are you doing here? What am I doing here?”
“What’s the last thing you remember?”
I try to think back and suddenly my mind flashes. “Sarah. She was…I don’t know what the hell she was.”
Daniel nods. “She…Sarah wasn’t herself, Steven. You know that, right?”
“What…,” I stammer. “Daniel, her eyes were glowing!”
“Steven, you cannot tell anyone what happened. Anyone.”
“Her eyes were glowing,” I repeat just in case he doesn’t get it. “That is not natural.”
With a sigh, he pulls the rolling tray forward. “I have a nondisclosure agreement. You’ll need to sign all three copies.” He fumbles the envelope open.
I stare at him in disbelief. “Not tell! Daniel, that amulet proved your theories were right! You have to publish.”
“Steven, you cannot reveal what happened in that tomb. As far as the Egyptian authorities are concerned. Sarah stole the amulet and was killed when the tomb collapsed. End of story. Sign here.”
I shove the papers onto the floor. “I’m not signing anything and you can’t make me. If you won’t publish, then I damned well will.”
“No one is telling this story. If you don’t sign the nondisclosure agreement, you’ll be turned over to the Egyptian authorities and charged with stealing the amulet and deliberately causing the willful destruction of an archaeological site.” His eyes are unwavering. “And causing the death of Sarah Gardner.”
I stare at him in horror. Where is the Daniel I knew? The driven, slightly goofy guy who could see the nuances in dead languages but couldn’t see the life right in front of him? “You can’t be serious.”
“The Egyptian government needs to blame someone for the loss of the site. You’re elected.” He picks up the papers and lays them on the table.
“You were there! It could just as easily have been you.”
“I wasn’t in Chicago when Dr. Jordan died. I’m not the one who smuggled a stolen amulet into Egypt for unknown purposes.”
“And that makes you above reproach.” I sneer to hide the fright.
“I work for the Air Force, Steven. With one phone call, I can make your life a living hell. I won’t make that call if you sign. All you have to do is sign and keep your mouth shut. You go back to Chicago and your nice, quiet life.”
I snatch the pen and scrawl my signature, shove them back to him. “And where do you go, Daniel? Where do you go after this is all swept under the rug? Do you even care that what you know, what we know, changes the face of history on this planet?”
Silently, he checks the pages, making sure I’ve signed. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry, Steven.”
“Well, you can just go to hell, Daniel.”
A hint of a smile flits across his face. “I’m already there, Steven.”