Translations (10/19)
Title: Translations ( Table of Contents)
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Nothing you recognize is mine. I gain nothing of material value from this.
Pairings: Gen.
Chapter1 Chapter2 Chapter3 Chapter4a-- 4b Chapter5 Chapter6 Chapter7 Chapter8 Chapter9 Chapter10
XXXXX
Chapter 10: Alien
XXXXX
12 December 1997; SGC, Earth, 1400 hrs
Daniel learned about something called 'influenza' that winter, although most people simply called it 'the flu.' He also learned that Janet was much more stern when she was acting as a doctor and not just a friend, especially when her patients were lazy about checking in with her.
When he'd started coughing, she'd made him go to see her every morning for days and not go to the office until afternoon. As it turned out, having the flu did make him a little tired, but compared to illnesses on Abydos, it was nothing. Maybe that had more to do with the medicines here, though, which made him sleepy but also would have been like miracles to people back home.
Still, Janet said something about differences in germs between planets and had wanted to be careful. After the incident with the Touched on P3X-797, he supposed he couldn't blame her for wanting to be watchful about absolutely every illness that passed through the base, even something apparently Earth-based and mild.
Robert got more nervous, though, even when Daniel was almost better aside from a few lingering coughs and sneezes. Daniel was pretty sure it was because he didn't want to get sick, too, and flu was one of those diseases that could be spread between people.
So when Daniel sneezed in the office, Robert asked without looking up, "You still getting over that 'flu, or just allergic to dust?"
"What exactly does that mean?" Daniel asked idly, sniffing and shaking his head to clear it. "People here keep saying 'allergic to dust,' but isn't dust just very small...anything? How can you be allergic to 'dust' if dust is different everywhere? Or is there something common to all dust that people can be allergic to?"
The scratching of Robert's pencil stopped at that, and he looked up with raised eyebrows. "I didn't... It's actually dust mites. Not the actual...dust. It's just easier to say."
"Dust mights?"
"They're bugs. Mite, as in tiny. Microscopic." Robert knew a lot about allergies. He even had an inhaler that he'd shown Daniel before, for when it got really bad--'allergic asthma,' he'd called it--although he usually didn't need to use it.
"Oh. Maybe dust mites don't live in deserts. Or they just don't live on Abydos. Or maybe there are dust mites, but they're different from the ones here somehow, so I wasn't allergic to them there but I might be here." He rubbed his eyes, then yawned.
Robert snorted and shook his head. "Daniel, you are such a geek. A simple 'it's still the flu' would have sufficed, you know."
"You asked. I just wanted to be precise. And Janet says I'm not contagious anymore."
"Just don't sneeze on an artifact," Robert said.
"I won't," he promised.
"How's that coming, anyway? Is my transliteration clear enough?"
"Yes, it's fine. I'm having trouble with a few words, though; they don't sound Goa'uld, so they might be...that Babylonian language."
"It's an Old Assyrian variant," Robert corrected. "Mark the words. I'll go over them. If I can't figure them out, we'll assume they're Goa'uld and ask Teal'c when he gets back from Chulak with SG-1."
Sam had recently brought back footage of a huge stone covered in what Robert identified as cuneiform. All that SG-1 had been to see of the planet was a long beach that stretched for miles and an ocean that stopped them from continuing on foot. Even the writing didn't tell them much, though obviously there was--or at least had been--someone living on the planet, or there wouldn't have been any writing at all.
It was a laborious process. With help from several references, Robert could decipher the cuneiform and knew how it was pronounced, but it turned out to be an odd form of Goa'uld, and Robert only knew the most common Goa'uld terms so far. Daniel had become somewhat proficient at understanding the modern standard Goa'uld that Teal'c spoke, but he didn't know cuneiform, and there were a few words he couldn't make out that apparently also had roots in Old Assyrian or were words that the cuneiform symbols wouldn't represent effectively. Robert was rewriting the cuneiform script so that Daniel could read it phonetically and translate it back from Goa'uld to something resembling English.
"Did you used to do this a lot?" he asked suddenly.
"Transliterating cuneiform?" Robert said. "No--not since my early grad school days studying classical languages. I studied Egypt, remember? Not so much Babylon."
"No, no, I mean, did you always work mostly from an office? Or did you ever..." Daniel gestured in the direction of the door. "Do you miss going on digs, I mean?"
"A little," Robert allowed. "I like doing bookwork and such, but yeah, you can't replace getting down in the dirt and doing things with your own hands. Why?"
Daniel traced a finger over the printed picture of the rock SG-1 had seen, irrationally disappointed when he touched only paper instead of rock. "No reason. I was just wondering."
Sam had taken a picture of the ocean, too, just for him to see. She'd assured him that it was digital and didn't waste film or anything. Daniel had never seen so much water in one place before--the river that supplied Nagada and the surrounding towns was nothing like this. He wished he'd been able to go, if only to step on sand and then see ocean waves for the first time.
The phone rang. "Robert Rothman speaking," Daniel heard, then stopped listening.
At least some of the teams regularly took pictures of unfamiliar areas and script to send back to base; Sam did that, when she wasn't too busy with soil analysis or examining the engineering technology. Robert and Daniel had also identified a few promising locations on the basis of bared on data from MALP transmissions that might possibly have indicated Goa'uld presence. The two of them had just recently sent SG-4 and -7 for a better look at a couple of them--at least one of them was peopled by a society that, if nothing more, could read and write.
Still, if they could just go and look for themselves sometimes, Daniel was sure it would go faster. Wouldn't first contact be easier with an interpreter around whose main job was to understand and deal with the people there? It struck him as ironic that he was the only civilian truly eager to be sent into the field, without needing a previous determination of safety, and also probably the one civilian who'd have the hardest time convincing them to let him.
Turning back to his work, he'd just decided that 'omoroca' had to be either a name or another word he didn't know when he heard Robert say, "Daniel?"
"What?" he mumbled.
When no answer came, he looked up and realized Robert was speaking to someone over the phone. "Yes, sir, I'll send him right down." He hung up and said, "The general wants to see you in the briefing room."
"Me?" he asked stupidly, then amended, "Why? What did I do?"
Robert shrugged. "He didn't say. Just make a note of where you left off and leave your stuff there."
...x...
Daniel didn't recognize either of the two men standing in the briefing room with General Hammond. They were dressed in suits, rather than the BDUs that most personnel wore around the base, and his nerves began to tingle. "General?" he asked tentatively.
"Come in, son," the general invited, though his voice was very serious, and Daniel obeyed, wondering with a little jolt when he'd stopped noticing--and stopped minding--when the man called him 'son.' "Have a seat. You're not in trouble."
That wasn't very comforting, however, considering that he still didn't know why he was there. One of the men pulled out a chair at the end of the table and gestured to it. Daniel would have preferred sitting out of reach of the two men, but he reminded himself that even non-SGC personnel couldn't do anything to him on base, and in front of the general besides. With a glance up at the man holding out the chair, he sat reluctantly, staying perched lightly on the edge of the seat.
"Daniel," the other man said, enunciating his words slowly and clearly, "my name is Colonel Harry Maybourne, and this is Agent David Smithley. We want to ask you a few questions."
He had an inane urge to introduce himself, because he couldn't think of what the correct response was, and ended up remaining unmoving and trying not to look as apprehensive as he felt. A camera was set up in the corner, and he had to force himself not to stare at its blinking red light.
"Do you understand?" Colonel Maybourne asked.
Daniel wondered for a moment what there was not to understand, then flushed indignantly when he realized they thought he didn't understand the language. Before he could snap back in his own defense, General Hammond said, "English is one of Mr. Jackson's first languages, Colonel."
"Let the boy answer, please, General," Maybourne said.
"I understand," Daniel said sharply. "What's going on?" It was only then that he realized that anyone who was in the base and knew he wasn't from America must also know he wasn't from Earth, which meant they might know a lot more about him. He folded his arms defensively.
"These gentlemen are from an organization called the NID," General Hammond said. "It's their job to oversee the operation of the SGC."
Daniel frowned. "What does NID mean?"
"That's not important," Maybourne said, which was ridiculous, because the name of something wasn't ever unimportant, and if it was, that could tell him something, too. He'd forgotten about the agent still standing behind his chair, out of sight, so he jumped when Agent Smithley spoke.
"It's not a secret, Colonel. The NID is the National Intelligence Division." Daniel reflexively turned his head toward the voice, stopping when he realized he was just twisting himself around and making himself look ridiculous anyway. His glasses slipped when he faced forward again, and he pulled them off, deciding he wouldn't need them now.
"Daniel, how did you get glasses on your home planet?" Maybourne asked, watching him. "Did the aliens develop the technology to make them?"
"The alie--you mean the Abydonian people?" he asked, bemused by the odd question. "This is something I keep saying--you have to keep in mind the perspective of the person to whom you are talking, Colonel, and remember that 'alien' is a relative term when a...a major goal here is diplomatic relations. I suppose that kind of thinking could be part of why you aren't a member of the exploration teams?"
"Mr. Jackson," the general said as Maybourne's eyebrows shot upward. Daniel turned toward him, just in time to see a small smile disappear. The sight made him relax a little, even though he hadn't realized before that he was so nervous. "Why don't we stick to the question. Colonel Maybourne was asking about your glasses."
"No, we didn't have things like that," Daniel said. "Dr. Frasier gave these glasses to me after I..." He looked toward General Hammond again, wondering how he was supposed to phrase things. The organization overseeing Stargate operations would have clearance, right? When the man said nothing, he continued, erring on the side of caution, "...after I arrived, uh...here."
"Yes, the official report calls you a 'refugee granted asylum within Stargate Command,'" Maybourne said, recovering and reading from a file. "What were the circumstances of your displacement?"
Daniel blinked, running the question through his mind. "The...circumstances of my...displacement? Um..." Since leaving Abydos and Chulak, he'd never actually been anywhere where he had to worry about what he was allowed to say, but he knew everything was supposed to be a secret to people outside the SGC.
"Go ahead," the general told him. "You don't have to hide anything."
"Yes, sir," he replied, relieved. "Apophis came through the Stargate on Abydos with his guards. They attacked us, and--"
"Who is 'us,' Daniel?" Agent Smithley prompted.
"Um..." Was he actually expected to remember every person who'd been there at that evening meal? "Bolaa, Tobay, Skaara--I think Dabeh was there--"
"Ah...we don't need the names, son," Maybourne interrupted, and Daniel had to curl his fingers into the fabric of his jacket to stop himself from telling the man that it wasn't okay to call him 'son' just because the general did.
"You asked who was there," he pointed out instead.
"Just generalize."
Still somewhat confused, he offered, "We were having our evening meal together, and a lot of people gathered to help to welcome the Tau'ri soldiers."
"Tau'ri?" Maybourne asked. "Does that mean 'human'?"
Annoyance flared up. "We're humans on Abydos just like you! I meant the soldiers of Earth."
"My mistake," the colonel said. "Go on."
Daniel gritted his teeth, then answered, "It was the Earth soldiers and...about twenty Abydons."
Smithley came around to face him. "You didn't mention your parents."
"I said there were several Abydons," he retorted tightly. "If you wanted exact names, you shouldn't have stopped me when I tried to give them to you."
Maybourne looked amused. "Fair enough. Moving along...what weapons did you have when the aliens came through the Stargate?"
Not relinquishing his irritation--because it was more comfortable than the alarm that was making his palms slick--he returned belligerently, "When you say 'aliens' this time, do you mean the Abydons, because we're foreign to you, or the Tau'ri, because they were foreign to us, or Apophis and his Jaffa, because they were different species?"
"Mr. Jackson," the general chided in a tone he sometimes used with Jack. "I don't want to have to tell you again."
"Sorry, sir," Daniel apologized, his anger immediately deflating at the general's words. He sighed and cleared his throat. "Uh...weapons. The Tau'ri had guns. Four n'chaapa'ai wa'talu and my mother and father had guns, and two others had knives or...uh...rods. Like bashaak--um. Staffs. Staves?" None of them seemed to realize he was asking which form was correct, and when they didn't answer, he continued, "Some of the rest of us had smaller knives. Not made for fighting, but it was all we had at the time."
"What was that word you used?" Maybourne said.
N'chappa'ai wa'talu. "Which word?" he asked, not feeling cooperative. Neither man was fazed.
"You said four of them had guns and the others had knives."
"It means 'guards of the ch...Stargate.'" He noticed his foot tapping on the floor and stopped with an effort, drawing in a deep breath and coughing nervously.
"What were these guns made from?"
Bewildered, he let his gaze drift to General Hammond again before snapping back to watch Colonel Maybourne's unreadable face. He wished Agent Smithley would stand closer so he didn't always have to look away from one of them to look at the other.
"You're reluctant to tell us?" Maybourne said mildly.
"No," Daniel protested, instinctively more afraid now that he could tell there was some motivation he didn't understand, though he still didn't know exactly why he should be afraid. "I don't...how would I know what you make guns from? You would know better than I would." He didn't even know what they were called, precisely, or how to use one--just that they were guns, and they had bullets with little sparks of fire, and he had never been allowed to use them. "Metal?" he tried, imagining how they looked and felt. "But not entirely..."
"Colonel Maybourne," General Hammond broke in. "There's some confusion here. The guns Mr. Jackson is referring to were automatic weapons from Earth, is that correct?"
"Yes, sir, of course," he answered, not knowing what else Maybourne had expected them to be. "We don't have guns of our own--they were left there after the Great Rebellion."
"The rebellion against Ra, yes," Maybourne said. "We'll come back to him in a moment. Now, let's get back to how and why you left your planet."
("Danny!"
"Shim'rota, Sha'uri, Dan'yel!")
"Um." He swallowed again, uneasily. "There were too many attackers and it was too fast for us to stop them. Their weapons were stronger, and they wore...uh..."
Yi shay. Why couldn't he remember the word?
"They wore...arma," he said, gesturing to mime covering his body. As soon as he said the Latin word, he remembered and quickly amended, "Armor. They wore armor." Careless. Getting nervous; getting sloppy. He could even feel his accent slipping, and he forced himself to focus.
"They overpowered you," Smithley said, nodding. "Then?"
"Then Sha'uri, my...uh, my friend? She was taken by a Jaffa. Her brother tried to shoot the Jaffa with his gun, but he ran out of bullets. I tried to run to find Colonel O'Neill and Captain--I mean, Major Kawalsky, but I was caught."
"Did you recognize the Jaffa?"
Not then, he thought, stilling. I didn't know Teal'c yet. "No, I didn't," Daniel said honestly.
Something must have shown in his face, because Maybourne narrowed his eyes shrewdly and said, "Let me rephrase that. Could you tell us now who the Jaffa were?"
"No," he insisted staunchly. He wasn't above lying when he needed to. Or thought he might need to. What did they want, anyway? There was a long silence, and he added, "They wore...masks." Wrong word. "Not for disguise. Uh...galeae. Armor over their head."
"Helmets," Smithley supplied.
Daniel felt his cheeks burn--it had been years since he'd stumbled so much over English, but he hadn't needed words like 'helmets' in the privacy of his home on Abydos.
"What happened after you were caught?"
("Na nay...Sha'uri!")
"They...they used a djera'kesh to make me fall unconscious," Daniel said, trying to remember it objectively, without the fear that usually made him avoid that set of memories. "I assume they did the same to Sha'uri and Skaara. We woke up in the dungeon on Chulak where Colonel O'Neill and Captain Carter found us."
"What was that device they used on you?" Smithley said.
Unable to stop a shiver of terror at the memory of overwhelming pain, Daniel shook his head slightly to push the thought aside and tried to explain, "A djera'kesh is a device that the Goa'uld use. It...looks like a metal glove, but with chains holding the fingers together. In the center of the palm is a red stone that you can see through, like glass...uh, a, a...a crystal. It can cause...pain, or be used to...push someone very hard, but that's all I know about it."
"It's usually referred to in our reports as a 'Goa'uld hand device' or 'ribbon device,' Agent," the general added. Daniel nodded to confirm, wishing he'd remembered that name on his own.
"The word you just used, Daniel--that's in the Goa'uld language?" Maybourne said.
"Yes."
"How would you know a word like that when the SGC itself doesn't use it?"
"I've been learning to speak Goa'uld," he answered, suspicious, knowing they were digging for something but unsure what it was. "There are lots of words I know that most people in the SGC don't know."
Maybourne's eyes became more interested now. "How?"
"Teal'c has been teaching me." Oh. Uh-oh. They were after Teal'c, then?
"That's a strange word to learn," Maybourne commented. "Usually, when people learn foreign languages, weapon names aren't the first thing they pick up. For example, you're very well-spoken in English, yet you stumbled over words like 'armor' and 'helmet,' even though you've used the language for years. At the same time, you know the correct name for a Goa'uld weapon, when you've been speaking that language for...what, a couple of months?"
Or maybe it wasn't about Teal'c, after all.
Daniel shifted nervously, then said, stiffly, "I learned English from my parents at home and from books they had. I read a lot of dictionaries, but I don't claim to know every word used in every situation." He took particular, meticulous care in his words now that he knew how closely they were listening. "I first heard Goa'uld when I was trapped in a dungeon, and I continued to learn with Teal'c because we're fighting the Goa'uld. It's only natural that my lexicon is biased toward words pertinent to the operations of a military base. I specifically asked Teal'c what the...hand device was called, because I was curious."
"But you knew those words in...was that Latin?"
"We had a copy of Commentarii de Bello Gallico," he said. "That's, uh, Caesar's Commentaries on the Gallic War. It's a text commonly taught to students of Latin in this country, I believe. There were a few other books--histories, mainly, and like the Commentarii, many of them centered on wars or...or other conflicts." His parents had taught practically taught him Latin directly out of Caesar's texts, after he'd learned the Roman alphabet system.
"You had a copy on Abydos? Why?"
"My parents brought it with them, along with many, many others." But now it had been mentioned, he couldn't help wondering why, as well. Suddenly, he hated the colonel for making him wonder, when he had no way to ask. "It was just a reference book," he said defensively. "I read it while learning the language, for its clarity of prose."
"It's just that it's an odd choice of reference material to bring on this sort of mission. And you know what else seems odd to me?" Maybourne asked. The man's tone was different this time. It was lighter now, but with more of an edge lurking behind it, the kind of tone that meant someone was hiding something.
Daniel thought the question was rhetorical, but when nothing followed, he said, cautiously, "No."
"The Jaffa Teal'c was personally involved in your kidnapping and the deaths of your friends and parents," Maybourne said. Daniel flinched minutely.
"Teal'c is a trusted and valued member of this command, Colonel," the general said, a warning in his tone.
"I've read the reports, sir, I know. It just sounds to me like Daniel's been getting along very well with him now. I simply can't understand why."
Daniel considered not answering, because there hadn't been a direct question to address, but he suspected his silence would be misinterpreted the worst possible way. "I've discussed it with Teal'c. How we...handled forgiveness is personal and between the two of us."
"That's too bad, Daniel," Maybourne said, "because that leaves me to wonder why two aliens happened to be in the right place at the right time to meet a team from Earth, and why those two aliens can now often be found whispering together in the language of the enemy. Keep in mind that one of these aliens supposedly kidnapped the other and killed his family."
"S-supposedly?" Daniel choked out. "What are you trying to--"
"Colonel Maybourne," General Hammond said sharply, "you're crossing a line, here."
"I'm doing my job, General, and you'll find our superiors will support me," Maybourne countered. "If I'm wrong, let Daniel contest it."
The general pursed his lips but nodded in Daniel's direction. "It wasn't--" His voice cracked. "It wasn't just a coincidence that we met Jack and S...that we met Colonel O'Neill and Captain Carter."
"Not a coincidence? It was planned?"
"No, that's not what I meant! After we were taken from Abydos, they came--I mean, went--specifically looking for us. Because Chulak is ruled by Apophis, they were put into Apophis's prison, just like we were. It's not a coincidence, because both incidents were caused by the same initial event."
"And Teal'c?"
"Teal'c was Apophis's slave. Of course he was there, too. We speak together in the language of the enemy now, because we need to know what the enemy is saying in order to fight them. And we don't whisper," Daniel added defiantly, though the effect was ruined when his voice trembled, slightly but audibly, "because we're not hiding anything."
"But no one can verify what you say to each other, because no one else speaks the language well enough. I understand even Teal'c himself isn't here now," Maybourne said.
"Teal'c and SG-1 are on a mission to...off-world," he answered, deciding not to mention that they were on Chulak, trying to stop Teal'c's son's prim'ta implantation. "General Hammond can tell you there's nothing suspicious about that."
"What about the other two who were kidnapped with you from Abydos? Did you know them? You called them friends of yours."
("Sinu'ai," Skaara said proudly, tying the leather strands around Daniel's smaller wrist.
Daniel solemnly clasped arms with him, looked up into the older boy's dark eyes, and repeated, "Sinu'ai. My brother.")
"Their father leads the council of the elders, so he met my parents during the Rebellion," Daniel said. He found himself fingering Skaara's band on his wrist and made himself stop. "I grew up with them. We were--are--very close." Anticipating the next question, he said tensely, "And Apophis chose them as hosts for his Goa'uld, so, no, I don't know where they are now, and no, I have not been secretly communicating with them." He glared up at the agents, daring them to challenge his word.
"All right," Maybourne said, slapping a folder on the table loudly enough to make Daniel start. "That's good for me. Let's move on." Daniel felt his eyebrows draw down in confusion. That was it? "We're wondering something else about you, Daniel. Ra ruled over your planet for how many years?"
"Nine thousand, four hundred and twenty-five," Daniel answered easily. "Approximately, judging solely by the earliest recorded writing found on Abydos, although that could be wrong by a couple thousand years. And that's in our years--I don't know what it is in Earth years."
He was gratified to see Maybourne finally looking a little surprised, but it only lasted a few seconds. "That's...very exact. My point was, he chose that planet for its naquadah, correct?"
"Probably."
"Probably?"
"Well, I wasn't there!"
Maybourne chuckled. "I'll give you that, kid." Daniel twitched and clenched his jaw. Some nicknames, he decided, were only okay when they came from the right person's mouth. "What I meant was that your planet is rich in naquadah."
"I...didn't bring any with me, if that's what you're asking."
"Not at all. We've read the reports Dr. Rothman filed on some newly translated texts. It seems that naquadah can exist in the bloodstream."
Daniel blinked. "How did you know that?"
"We have access to all SGC files."
He looked to the general, who looked disgruntled but nodded once in confirmation. "So?"
"So, we're wondering whether the presence of naquadah in the body has to do with environmental factors--there might be some residual that builds up in the body, like any heavy metal. Living close to a naquadah mine, for example. Drinking water that flows over a riverbed that could contain naquadah traces. Breathing air that could have particles of naquadah dust."
Daniel had an absurd urge to say, But I may be allergic to dust. Out loud, he said, "The texts you're talking about said that naquadah is part of the Goa'uld body, not a...an environmental...thing. Captain Carter isn't sure if normal humans can have naquadah in their blood. We're not even sure that's a correct translation."
"Captain Carter's degree is in physics, not physiology," Maybourne said. "And there's also the fact that you've been exposed to Goa'uld technology at least twice, and we know, thanks to your translation, that Goa'uld devices are powered by and sometimes constructed of naquadah. Whether or not it's the same thing, we think it's worth testing to see if there's some sort of effect."
"Testing?" he asked with trepidation. Then the rest of Maybourne's words sank in, and he corrected, "I was only exposed once to the djera'kesh."
"I'm talking about the sarcophagus, too," Maybourne said.
"Sarco... The Goa'uld sarcophagus, the healing device? I've never used one. I've only heard about my parents' using it."
"You have, actually," Maybourne said, "though I'm not surprised you don't know. You used it along with your mother during the original Abydos mission. Her medical exam showed that she was already carrying you when she went to Abydos and was later revived in the sarcophagus. In fact, that part's even in your own records."
Daniel blinked. He looked at the general but couldn't read his expression. "Tha--what?"
"She was advised not to go, but, well, she was very insistent on being included, which struck some people as strange. And bringing texts by Julius Caesar of all people--and many more books, I understand, that were unrelated to the mission--it's almost like they'd planned to stay there all along, wouldn't you say? I guess it was a little irresponsible of her to get caught up in a firefight, then, knowing what her condition was."
"Maybourne, what kind of interrogation is this?" the general demanded.
"I'm just making an observation, sir," Maybourne said.
"My mother was a hero," Daniel countered shakily. Mentally, he tried counting the days between the Great Rebellion and his birth, but his mind felt slow and foggy, and he gave up. "She helped save thousands of people from a tyrant. I don't know what you're trying to say, but don't you dare call her--"
Maybourne backed away a step. "No offense intended, of course. But it does raise some interesting possibilities."
"Possibilities? How do you even have our medical records?"
"If it could affect national--or, should I say, planetary--security, then I have them."
"But what..." he started. Wrinkling his forehead, he asked, "How does that have anything to do with anything's security?"
"I'd like to know that myself," General Hammond said, looking highly displeased.
Colonel Maybourne reached down to the folder he'd put down before and pulled out four sheets, each with a photograph on it. "We have been doing intermittent research on a few artifacts that have been recovered from various sites--mostly near Giza--over the last decade. Do you recognize any of these?" he asked.
Cautiously, Daniel took the photographs. The first two were completely unfamiliar to him--something like an intricate ring and a small sphere--but he recognized the third one. "We call this one a page-turning device at the SGC--or a PTD," he said. "You use it to change the image on a data-display device that looks like a tablet."
"You don't know the Goa'uld name for it?"
"Jaffa are rarely allowed to use things like this. Teal'c only knew how it worked because he'd seen the Goa'uld use them before, so the only way for me to learn the word is if I eventually come across it in some text and identify it from context."
"So where's the tablet that goes with it?" Smithley asked, looking interested.
"I...don't know. Where did you put it?"
"Perhaps it was lost or hasn't been found," Maybourne interrupted. He pulled the sheet aside. "What about this one?"
Daniel shivered involuntarily and pulled his jacket tighter. "A djera'kesh. Hand device."
The general had come closer to look as well. "Why hasn't the SGC been informed about these?" he demanded.
"We've been working on these at Area 51 since before the SGC was established, General," Agent Smithley said. "We were never able to make them work, but after seeing recent reports from SG teams, we've reopened our investigations on them. Of course, we will establish better communication between our research departments from now on."
"It's especially imperative now," Maybourne added. "The Goa'uld, after all, are able to use them."
Daniel thought back to the tablet books he'd worked on. "The page-turner would work for anyone if you just had the tablets for them. But we think you have to be a Goa'uld for some devices, like the dj--hand device, maybe even because of the naquadah in..."
"In the blood," Maybourne finished.
Daniel gaped at him. "You think I can use these just because I lived on a planet with naquadah? I don't even know what half of them are!"
"We have no idea how human physiology is affected by exposure to this technology," came the response. "After all, the Goa'uld make extensive use of sarcophagi, and naquadah is part of the Goa'uld symbiote's physiology. It seems like a logical connection to me."
"Wrong," he countered uneasily, even though he thought it might be if they knew more about sarcophagi. "There's a connection, obviously, but it doesn't mean there's any causality to be inferred. That's...insane."
"How do you think naquadah was first introduced into the Goa'uld physiology?" Maybourne asked.
"I don't know! I don't know anything about Goa'uld physiology. Maybe they're born with it."
"Or maybe," the colonel suggested, "that's an effect of the sarcophagus--healing and leaving traces of naquadah behind. Who knows what it would do to a developing fetus?"
Daniel felt himself blush uncomfortably at the frank analysis but argued, "Why would you even reach a conclusion like that? And there could be some other reason why they can use the devices while we can't--it might not have anything to do with naquadah at all. They're a completely different species, yes?"
"But," said Maybourne, "if there's even a possibility you're able to use these devices, we need to find out."
"Well, how?"
"We'll bring you back to Area 51 with us and see if we can't get them to work," Maybourne informed him.
Daniel's mind froze.
"I won't approve of that without a damn good reason," General Hammond said, scowling. "And I'll need something better than ifs, maybes, and flimsy speculation."
"All due respect," Maybourne told him, "we don't need you to approve."
"General Hammond?" Daniel said nervously, clutching the sides of the chair as if it would stop them from taking him away.
"You don't need my approval, Colonel Maybourne?" the general repeated, his voice low.
"My actions are sanctioned by the NID and those who oversee our operations, General," Maybourne answered smoothly. "Daniel Jackson isn't even under your command. You have very little say in who has authority over him."
Daniel slowly slid backward in his seat. General Hammond didn't take his gaze from Maybourne as he said, "Daniel Jackson has protected status in this facility--at the moment, I have authority over what happens to him. Moreover, he is a part of the scientific effort at the SGC. I would say that he is very much one of my people."
Maybourne wasn't even fazed. "I'd like to remind you, sir, that the NID has jurisdiction in all matters concerning this facility, and that includes suspicious circumstances surrounding its members. Our goals, after all, are the same as yours."
"After the interrogation I just witnessed," the general snapped, "I'm beginning to have doubts about that."
"General, there is nothing you can do to change this--we're only wasting time," Maybourne said. "To be perfectly frank, sir, Daniel Jackson is not a citizen of this country, nor even of this planet. We are planning, of course, to treat him with the courtesy we would extend to any American, but there are many other ways this can be done."
Daniel's breath caught and tickled at his throat, making him cough into his sleeve.
"Colonel..." Agent Smithley said.
The general's eyes flicked toward him before he growled, "I'm sure both of our superiors would be very interested to know about the NID's stand on human rights."
Agent Smithley stepped forward, a placating hand held out. "We have no intention of harming the boy," he said, with a glare at Maybourne. "This is simply something that must be tested--you of all people understand the need for every advantage Earth can get. If he is unable to use Goa'uld technology, as he claims, we will have him flown back here immediately. He is not a prisoner."
"F-flown?" Daniel stammered, feeling dumb. "But I can't fl... What?"
Maybourne chuckled. "This is an Air Force base, Daniel. You might as well get used to the idea of planes."
Right--planes. Airplanes. He imagined the udajeets zooming overhead on Chulak and the remains of one that had crashed (crashed, out of the sky) on Abydos during the Rebellion before he was born, and he had to swallow a sudden queasiness.
Udajeet, he thought firmly, determined not to feel dizzy at the idea of being so high... Tel'tak. Airplane. Avion. Vliegtuig. Tayara.
General Hammond let out a heavy breath. "I'm sure Mr. Jackson would be more at ease going with someone he knows."
Yes, please, please. At least wait until Jack gets home.
"As we said, General, no one will be doing anything to make him feel uneasy," Maybourne said. "The faster we get started, the faster Daniel can be back. Besides, your men's time would be better spent here, don't you think? I have written orders here, if you need more convincing." He held out a folder and opened it to show the papers inside.
"My people are not resources to be requisitioned," the general said angrily, but he did scan over the documents.
"I didn't say that, General," Maybourne said, shrugging, "and I'm sure that wasn't the intention at all...still, orders are orders."
The general pursed his lips, studying the papers, then walked forward and lay a hand on Daniel's shoulder.
Daniel's stomach dropped. "General?"
"Mr. Jackson," the general said firmly, the way he spoke when giving orders, "I'll find out what's going on. In the meantime, I'd like you to go with Colonel Maybourne and Agent Smithley and cooperate with what they ask you to do. Is that understood?"
He nodded, then squeezed a stiff "Yessir" past his tightening throat.
The general looked back up at the two agents and asked coolly, "When can I expect him back in Colorado?" It was only then that Daniel realized he didn't have a clue where Area 51 was, much less how long it was supposed to take to get there and back. He had the fleeting thought that he really had to learn more about Earth geography before remembering that he had other things to worry about now.
"Within a day or two if everything goes as planned," Agent Smithley informed him, "barring any unexpected discoveries. We'll provide him with whatever he needs for the duration."
"I'll hold you to that, Agent," the general warned. "And let me make it clear to you gentlemen that the loyalty of Daniel Jackson--or of Teal'c--is not under question. I hope I won't be hearing of unwarranted harassment while he's with you."
"Of course, General," Maybourne said. "Come on, Daniel. There's a car waiting."
Daniel wasn't sure exactly why he was still sitting until General Hammond said, "Let go of the chair, son." He unclenched his hands and stood mechanically.
When he'd been herded to the door, sudden panic washed over him. He turned and blurted, "General, I left some translations in Robert's office that I didn't finish, and he doesn't know where--"
"Dr. Rothman will manage without you."
"But they're in Goa'uld."
"Then I'll let him know where you are, Mr. Jackson, and you can finish them when you get back," General Hammond said.
"But. All right, but--"
"I will also let Colonel O'Neill and SG-1 know where you are when they return. We'll see you soon, Daniel, I promise." The general gave the other two men another long look and nodded once to Daniel.
A tiny bit relieved for no good reason, Daniel took a breath and decided he didn't want the general to think he was terrified of something that shouldn't be dangerous, even if he was. "Yes, sir," he answered, and followed the men out.
From the next chapter ("Area 51"):
"I trust the people I know there," Daniel retorted. "That's more than I can say for the NID, since you won't tell me much of anything."
"That frustrates you, doesn't it?" Maybourne said. "Not knowing things, or having facts hidden from you. You'd rather be in thick of it the way the SGC won't let you. For example, I see what a valuable ally Abydos would be. The SGC...well, they're the ones who closed that connection, not us. We want to open it."