Posted by: Þórgrímr
« on: April 19, 2010, 10:22:32 AM »Gina made another attempt with the controller and, finally, Adam's cap came into view. "Sure you don't want to shoot him before we leave, Major?" Gina said as she pointed at Major Martin, lying prostrate against the far wall, struggling to regain full consciousness.
Adam couldn't miss the tone in her voice; she had meant it to sound like a joke, but there was no doubting she would not regret his death. Adam met Vickers' eyes and then answered Gina in a voice as tired as she had ever heard him use. "Nah, It's time to go, kids."
Vickers' own tired voice stopped Eagle Eye-28 as they started to turn to the mirror. "I don't suppose you know of a good place to hide? Martin's got a long memory and he's going to want my organs for this." There was a quirk of a smile, but the attempt didn't last long.
Daniel took a step forward and pulled a pen and paper from the pocket of his newly-recovered jacket. Forcing his bloody, stiff fingers around the pen, he scratched out a gate key and location as he spoke. "Go here. You won't see them; they will watch you before they make contact. The forest is sacred, so don't try and kill any living thing in it for food, or they won't talk to you. You'll think they're simple, but they have the power to keep you safe." He pulled the paper off the pad and handed to the General. "Trust me. You will be safe." His raw voice broke on the last word, and he swallowed.
"The Sarlei?" Adam asked, and Daniel nodded. "Also, don't be sarcastic," Adam added. "They may look dumb but they're way smarter than you. Honest." Adam said with a grin, and Vickers grinned back at him, a fraction of the fatigue fading from his eyes.
"Hey, do you have a pack ready?" Vickers shook his head, and Adam made a gesture to Joran. "Joran, give him yours." He looked back at his counterpart. "There's enough MRE's to last a week... more if you're careful. It may take awhile before the natives wanna talk." Joran removed the pack and handed it to Vickers.
"Don't kill anything," Daniel repeated. "And when you're ready to move on, they will help you find someplace else... unless you've ticked them off and they think you need to learn patience," he added the last bit an attempt at a smile through his battered face.
Vickers returned the smile as much as he was able, then the team touched the mirror, and with a flash of energy were gone from his life. He saw them reach the other side, then Gina made a motion with the controller, and the mirror went dark.
Leaving the room Vickers paused in front of Major Martin, who had pulled himself to a sitting position. He could barely speak, but his eyes locked with Vickers' and he hissed, "There isn't a place in the universe you can hide from me, old man."
"Oh, shut up, Danny," Vickers said as he stunned his former second-in-command. With a convulsion and a gasp of pain Martin returned to unconsciousness.
Vickers stunned a few more reviving soldiers on his way back to the shuttle bay, made a search of the room for any conscious personnel, and shot out the security cameras before he stepped up to the shuttle's doorway. The last thing he needed was to be followed to what he hoped would be a safe haven.
Heentered the shuttle, sat down and began to carefully enter the lift off signals and waited for the bay door to retract, thinking as fingers touched the buttons of the house and belongings he would never see again. He was glad he still carried a picture of Wendy in his wallet... it would be the only one he had now. With its customary grind the overhead bay door opened, and Vickers paused just a moment, wondering if the man he had allowed to be beaten for the better part of the last day was sending him into a trap.
{Trust me. You will be safe.}
With a shrug, Vickers lifted off and headed for the jump gate without a backwards glance.
[center:1cu3uapi]Epilogue[/center:1cu3uapi]
Daniel looked out at the distant stars, then back to the glasses in his hands. Below him he could hear the laughter in Adam's living room step up in intensity. The last round of drinks must have kicked in, he thought, and then he heard uneven footsteps. That will be Adam, coming to check on me.
It was Adam, and soon they were leaning against the rail together, looking at the glasses in Daniel's hands. Adam ventured a guess. "Headache?"
"Umm, no. No, just..." his voice trailed off and he frowned, then looked sideways at Adam. "Adam, do you think I should have eye surgery? I mean, I know it can be done, I just hadn't thought about it before. I could probably see 20/20, and we would never have to worry about these again. It is kind of stupid to be wearing glasses in the field, isn't it?"
Adam looked at the new pair of glasses in Daniel's hands for a moment. Even after the recovery time they had had, Daniel was still processing... they all were, if he really thought about it. Looking at Daniel looking back at them with the eyes of a killer had been deeply disturbing for the entire team, Gina, in particular, was harboring a few ghosts. It was a given they weren't angry with Daniel, though, and just as much a given that he was feeling guilty anyway. It was one of the things that defined him as 'Daniel'.
Adam reached out and took the glasses carefully out of Daniel's hands and turned to face him. He slid the ear-pieces into place and pushed the bridge up Daniel's nose until it rested properly. Adam noted that in the dark he could hardly see the last of the fading yellow bruises. Daniel smiled with amusement and Adam patted his shoulder. "Nah, no eye surgery. At least, not for a while... okay, Daniel?" Daniel nodded silently.
"So, have any of us ever told you how much we appreciate your being you and NOT being some psycho asshole?"
"Um, you know... I don't... no, I'm sure no one's ever told me that."
"Trust me, Danny-boy, we do." Adam grinned in the darkness and a new round of laughter broke out from the living room. Daniel could hear Jeanie and Gina giggling in unison.
Daniel looked in the direction of the sound and smiled. "What's going on in there?"
Adam laughed. "Joran's telling Iskarendi jokes."
Daniel's mouth dropped open, then he shook his head. "But," he finally worked out, "Iskarendi jokes aren't funny."
"Ya know, it's the damnedest thing, but they are funny when you're drunk." Adam took Daniel's elbow, and maneuvering with only a slight limp, began to steer him back in the direction of the party. "C'mon, kid. There are people here who want you around."
Daniel smiled with gratitude at that, and let himself be led back to the party.
[center:1cu3uapi]The End[/center:1cu3uapi]
Adam couldn't miss the tone in her voice; she had meant it to sound like a joke, but there was no doubting she would not regret his death. Adam met Vickers' eyes and then answered Gina in a voice as tired as she had ever heard him use. "Nah, It's time to go, kids."
Vickers' own tired voice stopped Eagle Eye-28 as they started to turn to the mirror. "I don't suppose you know of a good place to hide? Martin's got a long memory and he's going to want my organs for this." There was a quirk of a smile, but the attempt didn't last long.
Daniel took a step forward and pulled a pen and paper from the pocket of his newly-recovered jacket. Forcing his bloody, stiff fingers around the pen, he scratched out a gate key and location as he spoke. "Go here. You won't see them; they will watch you before they make contact. The forest is sacred, so don't try and kill any living thing in it for food, or they won't talk to you. You'll think they're simple, but they have the power to keep you safe." He pulled the paper off the pad and handed to the General. "Trust me. You will be safe." His raw voice broke on the last word, and he swallowed.
"The Sarlei?" Adam asked, and Daniel nodded. "Also, don't be sarcastic," Adam added. "They may look dumb but they're way smarter than you. Honest." Adam said with a grin, and Vickers grinned back at him, a fraction of the fatigue fading from his eyes.
"Hey, do you have a pack ready?" Vickers shook his head, and Adam made a gesture to Joran. "Joran, give him yours." He looked back at his counterpart. "There's enough MRE's to last a week... more if you're careful. It may take awhile before the natives wanna talk." Joran removed the pack and handed it to Vickers.
"Don't kill anything," Daniel repeated. "And when you're ready to move on, they will help you find someplace else... unless you've ticked them off and they think you need to learn patience," he added the last bit an attempt at a smile through his battered face.
Vickers returned the smile as much as he was able, then the team touched the mirror, and with a flash of energy were gone from his life. He saw them reach the other side, then Gina made a motion with the controller, and the mirror went dark.
Leaving the room Vickers paused in front of Major Martin, who had pulled himself to a sitting position. He could barely speak, but his eyes locked with Vickers' and he hissed, "There isn't a place in the universe you can hide from me, old man."
"Oh, shut up, Danny," Vickers said as he stunned his former second-in-command. With a convulsion and a gasp of pain Martin returned to unconsciousness.
Vickers stunned a few more reviving soldiers on his way back to the shuttle bay, made a search of the room for any conscious personnel, and shot out the security cameras before he stepped up to the shuttle's doorway. The last thing he needed was to be followed to what he hoped would be a safe haven.
Heentered the shuttle, sat down and began to carefully enter the lift off signals and waited for the bay door to retract, thinking as fingers touched the buttons of the house and belongings he would never see again. He was glad he still carried a picture of Wendy in his wallet... it would be the only one he had now. With its customary grind the overhead bay door opened, and Vickers paused just a moment, wondering if the man he had allowed to be beaten for the better part of the last day was sending him into a trap.
{Trust me. You will be safe.}
With a shrug, Vickers lifted off and headed for the jump gate without a backwards glance.
[center:1cu3uapi]Epilogue[/center:1cu3uapi]
Daniel looked out at the distant stars, then back to the glasses in his hands. Below him he could hear the laughter in Adam's living room step up in intensity. The last round of drinks must have kicked in, he thought, and then he heard uneven footsteps. That will be Adam, coming to check on me.
It was Adam, and soon they were leaning against the rail together, looking at the glasses in Daniel's hands. Adam ventured a guess. "Headache?"
"Umm, no. No, just..." his voice trailed off and he frowned, then looked sideways at Adam. "Adam, do you think I should have eye surgery? I mean, I know it can be done, I just hadn't thought about it before. I could probably see 20/20, and we would never have to worry about these again. It is kind of stupid to be wearing glasses in the field, isn't it?"
Adam looked at the new pair of glasses in Daniel's hands for a moment. Even after the recovery time they had had, Daniel was still processing... they all were, if he really thought about it. Looking at Daniel looking back at them with the eyes of a killer had been deeply disturbing for the entire team, Gina, in particular, was harboring a few ghosts. It was a given they weren't angry with Daniel, though, and just as much a given that he was feeling guilty anyway. It was one of the things that defined him as 'Daniel'.
Adam reached out and took the glasses carefully out of Daniel's hands and turned to face him. He slid the ear-pieces into place and pushed the bridge up Daniel's nose until it rested properly. Adam noted that in the dark he could hardly see the last of the fading yellow bruises. Daniel smiled with amusement and Adam patted his shoulder. "Nah, no eye surgery. At least, not for a while... okay, Daniel?" Daniel nodded silently.
"So, have any of us ever told you how much we appreciate your being you and NOT being some psycho asshole?"
"Um, you know... I don't... no, I'm sure no one's ever told me that."
"Trust me, Danny-boy, we do." Adam grinned in the darkness and a new round of laughter broke out from the living room. Daniel could hear Jeanie and Gina giggling in unison.
Daniel looked in the direction of the sound and smiled. "What's going on in there?"
Adam laughed. "Joran's telling Iskarendi jokes."
Daniel's mouth dropped open, then he shook his head. "But," he finally worked out, "Iskarendi jokes aren't funny."
"Ya know, it's the damnedest thing, but they are funny when you're drunk." Adam took Daniel's elbow, and maneuvering with only a slight limp, began to steer him back in the direction of the party. "C'mon, kid. There are people here who want you around."
Daniel smiled with gratitude at that, and let himself be led back to the party.
[center:1cu3uapi]The End[/center:1cu3uapi]