Fading Memories
By: Terri D. Thomas
Part 12
Daniel risked a glance at Teal’c. The man’s face was set in stone. There was no sign of emotion, no fear, no anxiety. One would never know by looking that the Jaffa was, in his mind, lost and stranded on an alien world.
Nothing had been said between the two men for over fifteen minutes. The deafening silence was taking its toll on the young anthropologist. Not being able to tolerate the quiet any longer, Daniel risked conversation. "You know that I’ve been to Chulak," he stated simply and then held his breath in anticipation of the reaction.
He could sense Teal’c’s surprise by the comment, even though the facial expression did not change. "You are to be silent," the man finally said.
Ignoring the warning, Daniel trudged forward. "The last time I was there you introduced me to Drey’auc and Rya’c. Do you remember?"
Listening carefully for a response, Daniel caught the slight inhalation of breath from the Jaffa. He glanced over at the large man again and saw his eyebrow arch in what appeared to be a mixture of curiosity and confusion. "You do not speak the truth," Teal’c finally whispered.
"I do. Don't you remember? Rya’c was preparing to undergo the Prin’tah. You tried to stop him from being implanted with the infant Goa’uld, but he was ill. He needed the larva to survive. In the end, you gave him your Goa’uld to save his life."
Teal’c’s raised eyebrow turned to a frown. Daniel knew Teal'c's expressions well enough to know he had struck a cord. Before Teal’c could recover, he continued. "Master Bra’tac helped us escape."
Suddenly Teal’c’s hand flew to his forehead. His brow creased in obvious pain. "Stop!" the deep voice bellowed, the sound echoing in the small vehicle.
"Teal’c!" Daniel shouted, concerned by his friend’s obvious pain. Making sure he was clear of traffic, he pulled the car over to the side of the road and then turned to help his friend. "You okay?" he asked, knowing that the question was not the most intelligent. There was no doubt that Teal’c was far from being okay.
Daniel reached over with his left hand and cautiously placed it against his friend’s shoulder trying to provide some level of reassurance and comfort. Teal’c pushed the hand off. "You will cease these lies," he growled.
"You’re starting to remember things, aren’t you? You are starting to realize that what I’ve been telling you isn’t a lie."
Teal’c closed his eyes and attempted to block out the sounds coming from his companion. The stranger’s voice spoke of things that made no sense, things that only served to confuse him. The manipulation would not be tolerated.
"Why is it so hard for you to believe? How can you explain that I know so much about you. . .your family. . .your home?" Daniel pressed. "I’m your friend, Teal’c."
A buzzing sound filled Teal’c’s head, slowly drowning out his captive’s irritating words. Teal’c focused on other images. He saw pictures in his mind’s eye which made his heart soar. He flashed on his family and home. Warmth filled his being as he remembered the passion in his wife’s eyes on the day they were joined as one, the beauty of her face as she gave birth to their son. He remembered the pride he felt when he spied Rya’c, no more than four years old, pretending to wield a long tree branch like the staff weapon carried by his father. He remembered the promise he made to Master Bra’tac that someday he would find a way to free his people and his home from enslavement by the false gods.
‘False gods,’ his mind screamed. ‘You serve false gods. You do nothing to ensure that your child will be free.’ The words were punishing, the feeling of betrayal, overwhelming.
The pain in Teal’c’s head intensified. Once again, he felt the unwanted hand resting on his shoulder. Angrily, he flung his left hand out as he roared, "Stop!"
Daniel, not expecting the sudden movement from Teal’c, was not prepared to defend himself from the blow. In the small confines of the car, he could do nothing but shrink away. The fist connected with his injured right shoulder. Daniel gasped at the knives of agony that ran down his arm and into his chest. He collapsed against the steering wheel, helpless in the clutches of pain.
The soft knock on his door slowly brought Jack out of his slumber. He rubbed his eyes, slightly disoriented. He looked at his surroundings and then tried to recall exactly why he was sleeping on base. As the realization of the night’s events finally hit home, he groaned and pushed himself up from the pillow and into a sitting position, his thin blanket still covering his legs. "Yeah," he finally called out, hoping his voice didn’t sound as tired and mushy as it did in his head.
The door cracked open. "Colonel?"
Jack recognized Sam’s voice instantly. "Come on in, Captain."
"Sorry to bother you, Sir," the blond woman said as she entered the room with a hint of reluctance.
"What’s up?" Jack responded, ignoring the apology.
"I thought you’d want to know that Daniel’s car wasn’t at the bar."
Jack was instantly wide awake. "What?"
"Our people went to O’Malleys. The car was gone. Hammond already called the police impound yard. It wasn’t towed."
"Stolen?"
"Maybe. Or maybe Daniel and Teal’c are on their way back."
Jack shook his head, his anger building. "That would be way too easy," he muttered as he threw back the blanket and stood, favoring his injured ankle. He hobbled a few steps forward, intending to follow the woman out of the room.
Before he could move further, Sam’s voice stopped him mid-motion. "Uh. . .Sir," she mumbled, averting her eyes and pointing at him. She then turned around and moved to the door. "I’ll meet you in Hammond’s office," she said as she exited the room, not looking back and not waiting to be dismissed.
Jack looked down at where the woman had been pointing, suddenly feeling the cool breeze on his bare legs. Sighing, he shook his head and muttered, "Guess it's a good thing I decided to keep those on."
Reaching over to the desk beside his bed, he pulled his pants from where they were resting on the back of the chair and slipped them on over his briefs.
It took several long minutes for Daniel’s vision to clear. The pain in his right shoulder was not easing up and he seemed to have no control over the attached limb.
When he was finally able to lift his head from the steering wheel, he looked over at Teal’c. The man’s dark eyes were staring at him. ‘No,’ Daniel corrected silently, ‘staring through me.’ Teal’c seemed to still be lost in thought. Perhaps, just maybe, he was beginning to put the pieces of his memory back together.
Daniel wasn’t sure what to do. The Jaffa no longer appeared to be in pain, but he clearly was far from being fully recovered.
Before the younger man could make a decision about his next course of action, Teal’c’s eyes cleared and he directed his attention back to the doctor. He frowned and motioned to the highway before them. "You will take me to the Chaapa’ai." The voice was barely above a whisper.
Daniel sighed, fighting the wave of defeat that had washed over him. He had failed.
End Part 12
To Part 13