Latest fic
Title: Two Bad Days
Author: Hatcheter
Rating: uh…PG? Only for the very occasionally swearing.
Summary: An unwelcome visitor causes Daniel to recall one of the worst experiences of his life.
Disclaimer: Don’t own it, never will.
Two Bad Days
by Hatcheter
A Langford University Story
“Okay guys, really,” Daniel called as he approached the small crowd gathered outside his office, “you’ve got to tell me the shortcut you’re taking to get here from class so quickly.”
The students laughed and stepped back to let him reach the office door. He shifted his stack of books to one arm and dug his office keys from his pocket, then paused. “Did I forget to announce that office hours are cancelled today?”
“I guess so,” he added as the students groaned. “I’m sorry, I’ve got to meet with the dean and some of the school’s board to discuss the summer research program.”
“Doctor, what about my-“
“You’re making straight A’s, Miss Satterfield. I’m sure this paper will be as good as your previous ones, and I’m looking forward to reading it. I’ll see you all on Monday,” he called as the students began to depart. “Have a good weekend.”
He smiled to himself as Satterfield and the others left, many of them wishing him a good weekend as well. He stepped into his office and dumped the stack of books on his desk.
The lights in the office were on, and the door to the back room was slightly ajar. He could hear a woman’s voice, laughing. Curious, Daniel walked into the large storeroom. Rows of tall shelves stood in room, crammed with books, papers, and artifacts from all over the world. Jonas’ desk was squeezed in at the back, between a shelf full of scrolls and the broken lower half of a large feline statue.
Jonas sat on his desk, chuckling lightly at something the woman sitting in his chair said as she twisted back and forth. Her back was to Daniel, hiding her features behind thick, dark hair. He could see the gold scepter she held, carelessly waving it about as she emphasized her point.
Jonas noticed Daniel and smiled. “Doctor Jackson, guess who’s here.”
The chair turned and the woman rose to her feet, grinning brilliantly. “Daniel!”
Daniel took a half step back. “Vala? What…why are you here?”
Vala walked forward, smiling as she brandished the gold rod. “I’m here to steal the scepter of Apophis from you, of course. Again we see there is nothing you can possess which I cannot take away.”
Daniel snatched the scepter out of her hand, quickly setting it on highest shelf within reach. “Is there any reason why I shouldn’t call security to throw you off campus right now?”
“Throw me out? What have I ever done to you?”
“Doctor Jackson? Daniel!”
Daniel craned his neck to look through the crowd at customs. A tall, bearded man in a dark suit burst out of the crowd and hurried toward him.
“Doctor Kasuf!” Daniel called.
“Welcome back, my friend,” the man said, hugging him. “These are all your students? There are so many.”
“Most are just here for the two week tour,” Daniel said, picking up his duffel bag. “Only five will be staying for the extended survey.”
“Excellent,” Kasuf replied. “I’m looking forward to having you join the project. I do not want to get your hopes up, but I have just learned that the team already on site has discovered a chamber which they believe might have been a library.”
“A library? Really?” Daniel exclaimed, dropping his bag as he turned to face the other archeologist.
“Perhaps,” Kasuf said, trying to calm him. “They have recovered an amazing number of scrolls already, and have only begun to examine the chamber.”
“That’s incredible. If they really have found something, maybe I should head over there now and-“
He was cut off by Kasuf’s laughter. “You would abandon your students? Let the diggers find out what’s down there, and then you can get to work cataloging and translating. I’m told that it is very dusty in there; we don’t want your allergies ruining another three thousand year old document.”
“You’re never going to let me live that one down, are you?”
“Of course not,” Kasuf grinned.
Daniel turned to look over the two dozen students he had brought with him. “Is everyone here” he called. “ Make sure you have your all your bags, and that your IDs are handy. I assume there’s a bus waiting for us?” he asked Kasuf.
“Of course. Come, there is someone you need to meet.”
Kasuf lead the group out of the airport. Daniel swapped his glasses for a pair of prescription sunglasses as he stepped out into the brilliant sunlight. He tossed his bag into the cargo compartment and followed Kasuf onto the bus.
There was a woman waiting for them on the bus. “Vala, this is Doctor Daniel Jackson. Daniel, this is Vala Mal Duran. She will be your guide and Ministry representative during your stay.”
“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you,” Vala said, extending her hand. “Doctor Kasuf has told me so much about you.”
“Good to meet you too,” Daniel said, shaking her hand. “Representative during the initial tour, right?” he asked Kasuf.
“For your entire stay.”
“New Ministry rules,” Vala said. “The Ministry of Culture is concerned about foreign researchers reporting all found artifacts.”
“Not that I am worried about you, Daniel,” Kasuf added. “Vala’s primary task is to make sure your time here is as productive as possible.”
“I’m looking forward to working with you, Doctor.”
“Thank you, Miss…Mal Duran?”
“Please, call me Vala.”
“Daniel.”
“Where should I begin?” Daniel asked.
“You’re not going to bring that up, are you?” Vala asked. “That’s ancient history.”
Daniel glared at her.
“Okay, not ancient,” she corrected, rolling her eyes. “That’s the trouble with archeologists, you have no perspective on time. Unless it happened to someone who’s been dead for two thousand years, it’s still worth carrying a grudge over.”
“I don’t think three years is too long to carry a grudge.”
“It’s not like I dumped you naked in the middle of Cairo.”
Daniel continued to glare at her.
“I thought she dumped you naked on the outskirts of Cairo,” Jonas quipped.
“Not personally,” Vala replied.
Daniel turned away from Vala. “Jonas, did Doctor Lee send his carbon dating report yet?”
“Yeah, I’ve got it right here,” Jonas replied, shuffling through the papers on his desk. “Somewhere.”
A pair of arms wrapped around Daniel from behind, pulling him into a hug. “You’re not really going to give me the cold shoulder, are you?” Vala asked, pressing her body against his back. “After I came so far to see you?”
“I have to meet with my superiors,” Daniel said, shrugging out of her grip. “We’re working out the details of the next summer trip to Egypt.”
“Need a guide?”
“No.”
“Here you are,” Jonas said, pulling a stack of papers from his desk and handing them to Daniel. “I took the liberty of making some color pie charts as well, to emphasize your main points.”
“To make sure Jack doesn’t get confused?” Daniel asked, grinning.
Jonas shrugged innocently.
Daniel turned for the door to find Vala blocking his path, hands on her hips and feet planted firmly on the ground. “I came a long way to see you, Daniel, and I won’t have you simply brush me off.”
Daniel sighed and walked to the other aisle between the shelves, but Vala hurried around to block his path again.
“Alright, fine,” Daniel sighed. “If you need to talk to me, than make an appointment. I think I have fifteen minutes free before my first class on Monday.”
Vala glared at him.
Daniel sprung forward to dart past her. He feinted right, then went left as she reacted. His shoulder hit the shelves as he darted past her, rocking them.
“Look out!” Jonas called, too late, as an ornate jar fell off the top shelf.
Daniel and Vala sat at the café next to the hotel, papers spread across the table between them. They sipped strong, dark coffee as Daniel explained his plans for the next six weeks.
“Minister Kasuf was right,” Vala said, smiling over her coffee. “You really are like a kid in his sandbox.”
Daniel smiled back, slightly embarrassed. “I guess I was born to do this.”
“He told me about your parents, the famous Doctors Jackson. I’m sorry about what happened to them.”
“It was a long time ago. I was moved through foster homes in the states, but Kasuf kept in touch with me. Once I started high school, I was able to come spend my summers with him and his family.” Daniel took a sip of his coffee. “There was never anything else I wanted to do.”
He leaned back in his seat. “What about you? How did you come to work for the Egyptian Ministry of Culture?”
Vala shrugged. “Just…fell into it, I guess.”
“Fell into it?”
“I was traveling though southern Europe when I heard that the Ministry was hiring guides. I knew enough Arabic to get into trouble, so I applied.”
“When did you start?”
“Yesterday.”
“Yesterday? Wow.” Daniel set his coffee cup down. “Had you been to Egypt before?”
“No, but I lived in Yemen for part of my childhood.”
“That’s…”
“Not the same, I know,” Vala sighed. “Minister Kasuf holds you in the highest respect. I think he put me with you so I could learn about what I’m supposed to be doing.”
“Well, I’ll be happy to show you what this is all about.”
“I knew you would,” Vala smiled. “I have a feeling that we’re going to get along splendidly.”
“Daniel? Daniel, wake up!”
“Doctor Jackson?”
Daniel groaned, squinting as the light assaulted his eyes. He was flat on his back, with Vala and Jonas hovering over him. “What happened?”
“The Isis jar fell off the shelf and hit you,” Jonas said.
“Is it broken?”
“Yeah,” Jonas replied. “But look at this. I think these are snake bones.”
“You’re bleeding!” Vala exclaimed. She quickly reached into his jacket and pulled a handkerchief from the pocket.
Daniel sat up and absently felt his back pocket, making sure his wallet was still there. “I’m fine,” he said. He brushed his fingers along his hairline, wincing as he touched the cut. “It’s nothing,” he said, standing up.
“It’s bleeding, Doctor,” Jonas objected. “You should get it checked out.”
“I’ll be fine.”
“Do you remember what Janet said the last time you ignored a head injury?”
“No,” Daniel said, getting to his feet. His swayed back, and Jonas and Vala quickly grabbed his arms to keep him upright.
“Who’s Janet?” Vala asked.
“Of course you don’t,” Jonas said. “You had a concussion.”
“Another girlfriend, Daniel?”
Daniel leaned against the nearest shelf. “What? No.”
Behind Daniel, Jonas rolled his eyes.
Vala smiled wickedly. “Is she hot?”
“I, uh, I…” Daniel mumbled.
“She’s probably just getting back from lunch,” Jonas said. “We should head over right now.”
“Fine,” Daniel relented. “But grab the Osiris jar. Maybe we can get Janet to X-ray it, and gain something useful from this catastrophe.”
“It was just one old jar,” Vala said.
Daniel frowned at her. “That’s not the catastrophe I’m referring to.”
The afternoon sun shone brightly into the open jeep as it rumbled down the desert road. Vala rode in the passenger seat, pressing a hand down on her hat to hold it in place as she looked around.
“So how valuable are these scrolls you found?” she asked, looking at the boxes in the back of the jeep.
“Priceless!” Daniel enthusiastically replied. “They seem to be progress reports on the construction of the Pyramid of Khafre. We’ve never seen documents about pyramid construction before.”
“So this is something other people will wish they had gotten their hands on first?”
“Absolutely. We might be able to figure out an accurate date for the constructions of the pyramids, maybe even details on exactly how they were constructed.”
“So, would this be a good time to point out that that truck has been following us for the last fifteen miles?”
“What?” Daniel asked, twisting around to look at the vehicle that trailed them.
“Look out!” Vala screamed.
Daniel turned back to see another truck cross the road in front of them. He slammed on the brakes and spun the wheel, missing the truck by inches.
“Are you alright?” he asked, turning to Vala.
“I don’t think so,” she replied, indicating out his door toward the truck. Daniel turned back to find a pistol pointed at his head. Swallowing, he raised his hands.
“Uh…hi. Can I help you?”
“Be silent, and do not move,” the man said. A second man appeared, leveling a weapon on Vala, while two more men climbed out of the truck that had been following them. They quickly moved to the back of Daniel’s jeep and grabbed the boxes.
“Is that all of it, Vala?” the second armed man asked.
Daniel’s head snapped around. “Vala?”
“Oh, bloody hell,” Vala groaned. She put her hands down and climbed out of the jeep. “You idiot! What the hell are you thinking, using my name when you rob me? I ought to shoot you right here and now.”
“You’re in on this?” Daniel demanded, rising out of his seat. The man outside his door grabbed his collar and pushed him back down, pressing the pistol to his temple.
“What do we do with him?”
“We’ll have to take him with us,” Vala replied. “Knock him out.”
“No! Wait-“
Daniel’s protest was cut off as the butt of the pistol crashed down on top of his head. There was an explosion of stars soaring through his vision, and then nothing.
By the time they reached the infirmary Daniel was walking steadily, and was deep in conversation with Jonas about the ramifications of the snake bones within the ancient Egyptian jar. A few of Daniel’s students had joined them, having spotted the trio heading toward the student center. Jonas shooed them away once they reached the infirmary.
“Doctor Jackson’s students are certainly eager to learn from him.” Vala muttered to Jonas.
“I’m surprised we attracted so little attention,” Jonas quietly replied. “There’s usually a sizable flock following wherever he goes.”
Vala chuckled. “And he doesn’t have a clue, does he?”
Jonas rolled his eyes. “Not at all.”
Janet Fraiser emerged from her small office, pulling on a pair of rubber gloves as she approached Daniel. “Head injury again?”
Daniel sighed. “Again,” he admitted. Janet took his arm and guided him to the examination room in the back, and had him sit on a stool.
Vala leaned closer to Jonas. “What bout her?” she quietly asked. Jonas shook his head. Vala nodded.
Janet gently wiped dried blood away from the cut. “Okay, Jonas, what happened to him this time?”
“That’s my fault, I’m afraid,” Vala quickly said. “I paid my Daniel a surprise visit, and I’m afraid I made him late for a meeting. Of course, now I guess I’ve made him miss the meeting…”
“And you are?” Janet asked, eyeing her critically.
“Vala Mal Duran, an old and very dear friend of Daniel’s,” she replied, smiling broadly.
Janet frowned and turned back to Daniel. “Ow!” Daniel winced as she began to probe the edges of the wound with her fingers.
“I think this one’s going to require stitches,” she declared.
“What? No, it’s not that bad,” Daniel objected. “Is it?”
“What did this, exactly?”
“A four thousand year old ceramic jar,” Jonas supplied.
“Four thousand? When was your last tetanus shot?”
“About three years,” Daniel replied.
“We might need a booster as well.”
“You know I’ve had worse,” Daniel objected.
“This year,” Jonas added.
“I don’t mess around with head injuries,” Janet said firmly.
“Head injury?” a new voice cut in. Jack O’Neill strode into the exam room, looking at the cut on Daniel’s head.
“Hi Jack,” Daniel sighed. “Sorry about the meeting.”
Jack shrugged. “Don’t worry about it.”
“How’d you find me?”
“Where else would I look?”
Daniel opened his mouth to object, thought better of it, and nodded.
“He comes here often?” Vala asked.
“All the time,” Jack replied, turning to her. He quickly sized her up, and offered his hand. “Jack O’Neill. Board of Trustees.”
Vala shook his hand. “Vala Mal Duran, freelance antiquities dealer.”
“The Vala?” Jack asked. “The one who dumped Daniel naked in the middle of the desert?”
“It wasn’t in the desert,” Daniel said.
Vala’s shoulders sagged. “Everybody makes such a big deal over a simple misunderstanding.”
“No, no, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” Jack grinned. “I’d like to get an accurate version of those events, so I can repeat the whole story at opportune moments.”
Jack turned back to Daniel as Janet began setting up the equipment need to stitch the wound closed. “Doc, do you really think that’s necessary? All that needs is a couple of those stretchy band-aids.”
“Butterfly bandages?” Janet asked.
Jack nodded. “Yeah, those. Come on, doc, after you, I’m probably the most knowledgeable person on campus about cuts, stitches, and head injuries.”
Janet rolled her eyes. “Jack, I don’t know if I should-“
“Did you know I had a skull fracture once?” Jack interjected.
“You did?”
“Explains a lot,” Daniel muttered under his breath.
Jack shot him a glare. “On second thought, doc…”
Daniel quickly straightened. “Yes, great idea Jack. Janet, how about some bandages? I’ll come by tomorrow so you can check the cut again, and I’ll let you stitch it then if you feel it isn’t healing properly.”
Janet looked around the small, crowded exam room and sighed. “Alright, fine.” She quickly applied the bandages and gave Daniel a small bottle of painkillers. “Call me if you have any headaches tonight.”
“I will,” Daniel promised, rising from the stool.
“Daniel?” Jonas asked, holding up the jar that he had brought with him.
“Oh, right.” Daniel turned back to Janet. “Do you have time to take a few X-rays?”
“Out,” Janet ordered, pointing to the door. The others quickly complied.
The first thing Daniel became aware of was pain. A sharp, throbbing sensation radiated down from the top of his head, reaching through his skull and down his spine to settle in his gut. As his sluggish senses began to report, he found that the rhythmic pounding in his head matched the footsteps in the room. Somebody was pacing up and down a concrete floor, their footsteps echoing painfully inside his skull.
Daniel cracked one eye open and found the room mercifully dim. He slowly turned his head, looking for whoever was with him. “Vala?”
“Daniel?” Vala hurried over to him, kneeling in front of him. “Daniel, are you alright?”
“Vala?” Daniel asked again, squinting as he tried to focus on her face. He tried to reach for his glasses, and found that his hands were tied to either side of the chair. “Vala?”
“Yes Daniel, I’m here.”
“Vala…what the hell?” he demanded.
Vala stepped back as Daniel winced at the volume of his own voice.
“Daniel, I’m in a lot of trouble.”
“Kidnapping a foreign citizen,” Daniel surmised, tugging experimentally at his bonds. He was starting to get angry, and focusing on that helped him ignore the pain in his head.
“It wasn’t supposed to happen like this. Daniel, they’re blackmailing me. They’ve threatened my parents, my sisters…if I don’t help them, they’ll kill them.”
“Help who do what?”
“They just want to steal certain ancient artifacts,” Vala said. She knelt in front of Daniel again, and slipped his glasses into place. “They promised me no one would get hurt.”
“Who promised you?” Daniel demanded.
A large metal door rose open at the far end of the room, letting brilliant sunlight pour in. Daniel gasped and squeezed his eyes shut against the onslaught.
Three men walked in and the door slid shut behind them. “Vala, do you have the scrolls?”
“Yes, they’re here,” she replied, crossing the room to where the crates were stacked.
“Who’s he?” the man asked.
“Doctor Daniel Jackson, an American, and a close friend of Minister Kasuf.”
“Why is he here?”
“One of your idiots used my name during the robbery. The incompetence of your operation blew my cover before I had a chance to-“
The man reached back and slapped Vala, hard. Her head snapped around and she staggered back, sagging against the wall. Vala pushed herself back up, wiping a trickle of blood from the corner of her mouth.
“I should kill you now for your failure,” the man said.
Vala stared back defiantly. “So that’s it then?”
The man sighed and shook his head. “We can salvage this. I’ll have my men dump you both on the outskirts of Cairo. When the police find you, tell them you were attacked and robbed.”
“Um, excuse me,” Daniel spoke up. “How about just letting us go? With our property? We’ll promise not to report you to the cops.”
The man smirked and approached Daniel. “Of course you won’t. I own half the police in this city.” He turned to the other men. “It would be simpler if the police find this one dead.”
“No!” Vala shouted, rushing forward. “You can’t, he can still be useful to us.”
“How?” the man asked.
“There are still other items at the dig site he can obtain, and he could point us to others worth stealing, or-“
“No,” the man said. He glanced at his watch, then reached into his jacket and withdrew a pistol. “I’ll give you one hour to find an acceptable use for him. If you cannot, kill him,” he ordered, offering the weapon to Vala.
Vala frowned, and took the pistol. “Very well.”
The man nodded and left.
“Well,” Vala said, once the three men were gone. “This is a problem.”
“So what about the meeting?” Daniel asked as soon as they were outside.
“You were unusually brief,” Jack replied.
“I- what?”
“One of your students delivered your presentation files to us.”
“Satterfield was hanging around the building when we were on our way to the infirmary,” Jonas explained. “I asked her to get the files and take them to the meeting.”
“I didn’t notice that,” Daniel said.
“That was when you were trying to convince Vala you didn’t need her help walking across campus.”
“Your Miss Satterfield seemed quite concerned about your well being,” Vala said, nudging Daniel with her elbow.
“Yes, well, the students here are like that,” Daniel replied. “So will the meeting be rescheduled?” he asked Jack. “If the committee members are still on campus, I could meet with them individually to explain my plans.”
“No need. We went over the files, and found your plan and budget to be acceptable. All those pie charts helped explain things clearly.”
“Jonas made those,” Daniel said.
“Good job,” Jack told him. “Usually, Daniel talks so fast it leaves our heads spinning. Anyway, the committee approved everything, so you’re going back to play with rocks again this summer.”
“They’re not…” Daniel started to object. Sighing, he stuffed his hands in his pockets.
“Well, that’s great news,” Vala said. “Do you need a guide?”
“No!”
“Well. Why don’t you sleep on it?”
Daniel sighed again.
“So Vala, how long will you be here?” Jack asked.
“I fly out of country tonight,” she replied.
“Really?” Daniel asked.
“I just have a bit of business to conduct with Daniel.”
“That’s a shame,” Jack replied.
“But, I could be convinced to reschedule.”
“No, no, I would hate to keep you,” Daniel quickly interjected. “I’m sure you have very important things to do. Why don’t we go complete our business, so you can leave.”
Vala nodded. “Well, it was a pleasure meeting you Jack,” she said. “I do hope we meet again, and soon.”
“You too.”
Vala tucked her arm in Daniel’s and pulled him toward his building.
“So, Jonas,” Jack called, stopping the younger man. “I hear the ladies are having their weekly lunch at the café. Wanna go crash it with me?”
Jonas frowned. “I don’t know. I’ve got a lot of work to complete-“
“Aw, come on,” Jack cajoled. “If we don’t hurry John Sheppard might crash it first. Besides, nurse Rush is going to be there.”
“Real- I mean, nurse Rush?” Jonas quickly corrected. Jack grinned at him.
“And I supposed Sam Carter will be there too?”
Jack shrugged. “I dunno, I suppose so.”
Jonas nodded. “Alright, I’m in.”
“How’s your head?”
“It hurts,” Daniel replied, twisting his head away from Vala’s hands.
“I didn’t mean for you to get hurt.”
“That doesn’t really mean anything now, does it?”
Vala stared at him for a moment, conflicting emotions playing across her face. She picked up a knife and approached Daniel. “Can you walk?” she asked, cutting the plastic ties that held him.
Daniel sprung out of the chair as soon as he was free, quickly putting distance between himself and Vala.
“I’ll take that as a yes. Listen, Daniel, we have a chance to take him down.”
“Who, your boss?”
“His name is Lucian Alazso, and he’s one of the most powerful smugglers and arms dealers in the Middle East.”
“So lets go to the police.”
“He controls the police,” Vala replied. “Or at least enough of them to make sure that we won’t survive if we try to betray him.”
Daniel frowned. “What are you planning?”
“I want to bring him down, and I need your help.”
“Me?”
“Can you drive?” Vala asked, tossing Daniel a set of keys.
“What are you going to do?” Daniel asked, following Vala out of the building and to his jeep.
“Alanzo is on his way to meet with a buyer for the scrolls we discovered,” she said, climbing into the jeep.
“We’re going to stop him?”
“Oh, no, not at all. The scrolls are fakes.”
“What?”
“I replaced the real scrolls with forgeries last night.”
“Where are-“
“Safely hidden at the dig camp. The buyer will examine the scrolls, discover the forery, and assume Alanzo is trying to betray him.”
“So where are we going?”
Vala smiled at Daniel. “To make sure it gets ugly.”
“So, what ‘business’ have we got?” Daniel asked as they entered his office.
Vala released his arm and went to his desk, lifting a large metal case from behind it. “I recently obtained a pair of items which I believe to be of great value, and you are the only person I can trust to determine their worth. I’ll let you make the first bid on them, if you like.”
“You stole them and you needed someone out of the way to fence them for you?”
Vala glared at Daniel as she opened the lid. “How can you have such a low opinion of me?”
“Do you really need to ask that?”
“Can’t we go back to the way things were when we met?”
“When I was your unsuspecting victim as you cased my operation?” Daniel asked.
Vala pursed her lips and examined Daniel closely for a moment. “Alright then. To business.” She reached into the case and pulled out two thick gold bands.
Daniel took the one that she offered. It was a wide gold bracelet, intricately carved with figures of animals and people. “Where did you get this?”
“It was found at a dig south of Cairo,” Vala said. “The ruins they were found in were thirty-five hundred years old.”
“Did you recover these from the site yourself?” Daniel asked.
Vala shook her head. “They were delivered to me for analysis.”
“They’re fake.”
“What?”
“Reproductions. Forgeries. Look at how sharply carved these figures are. There’s no way ancient Egyptians could have made something this flawless with the tools they had.”
“That can’t be,” Vala objected, swiping the bracelet from Daniel. “Look at this. Even I can tell that these bracelets are worn with time.”
“You can’t pass off a duplicate if it looks brand new. I’d guess that these were made in the late nineteenth or early twentieth century. You need to pick your targets better.”
Vala’s shoulders sagged and she sat down on Daniel’s desk. “Is it even made out of real gold?”
“I think so,” Daniel said.
“Well, then maybe this wasn’t a total waste.”
“You can’t melt this down.”
Vala twisted around to look at Daniel. “Why not? They’re fake.”
“Fake or not, somebody obviously put a lot of effort into these. They’re modeled on ceremonial bracelets used by priest of the sky goddess Nut.”
“Nut?”
“The fact is, these are quality reproductions, and can be displayed if they’re properly identified.”
Vala rubbed her eyes tiredly. “Display a forgery?”
“Did you notice the artifacts on display on this floor?” Daniel asked. “Most of them are identified as reproductions of artifacts I found on may digs. It’s very difficult to get permission to remove historical items from Egypt, so I rarely get to bring back anything I find.”
“So what you have out there are…?”
“Models, reproductions, all labeled as such.”
“I see.”
Daniel examined the bracelet closely again. “I might want to add this to the display.”
“What, really?”
“Well, what else are you going to do with it?”
Vala shrugged. “It’s yours.”
“It is?”
Vala smiled and reached out, patting Daniel on the cheek. “Something to remember me by every time you look at it.”
Daniel climbed up the ladder, following Vala to a catwalk that ran along the of a large warehouse. Rows of narrow windows ran the length of the catwalk, and Vala carefully pushed one open. They peered inside, spotting Alanzo and his men in the building, on the far side of a long table. Another group approached the near side of the table.
“They’re making the exchange now,” Vala said as one of their captors set the case for the scrolls on the table. A man from the other group approached and opened it up. “The buyer’s expert will verify that the scrolls are authentic.”
“But they aren’t,” Daniel said, as the man examining the scroll slammed it down on the table.
“Well, that didn’t take long,” Vala remarked. “My skills must be slipping.”
“Skills?” Daniel asked. Vala shushed him as the voices in the building rose. She carefully drew the pistol and released the safety.
“What are you doing?” Daniel asked, watching the gun with wide eyes.
“Those are some of the most dangerous men in region down there,” she replied. Vala stuck the weapon through the window and fired three wild shots before ducking back down on the catwalk. “Nobody will miss them if a few of them don’t walk out.”
Gunfire erupted in the building. Daniel threw himself down on the catwalk as bullets shattered the glass next to him.
Vala crawled over him and toward the ladder. “Coming, Daniel?”
He quickly turned around and scrambled to the ladder. Hurrying down, he slipped and fell the last five feet, landing on his back.
“Come on,” Vala urged, pulling him up. “We’ve got to get out of here.”
The shooting in the building had stopped, and Vala pulled Daniel along as she ran for their jeep. Behind them, the doors of the warehouse opened a limousine shot out. It sped past them and swerved to a stop, blocking their path. Two men emerged from the vehicle and aimed their weapons.
Daniel tried to stop, but Vala continued to pull him forward. “They’re with us,” she explained. Under the two men’s cover, Vala ran to the back of the car and opened the door, shoving Daniel in first. She and the two men climbed in, and the car took off.
“Take us out toward the camp,” Vala ordered. “Are you two all right?
“We got the packages,” one of the men said. “You could have left it to us.”
“I wanted to make sure you two didn’t get cold feet.”
The driver snorted. “Are you sure you didn’t want us dead so you could take the scrolls and the money?”
“That would have been very unfortunate, Tenat.”
“You didn’t hold up your end of the bargain, Vala.”
“Of course I did.”
“Maybe we’ll keep the scrolls as well,” the man in the passenger seat said.
“Go ahead, Jup. They’re not the real scrolls.”
“What?”
“The real parchments are safely hidden,” Daniel said. “And will be turned over to the Egyptian government.”
“Actually, I got a better offer,” Vala said.
Daniel stared at her blankly. “What?”
“Another buyer offered me twice what Alanzo had been offered. I arranged all this to get him out of my way.”
“But, what about your family? The ones being held hostage?”
“My parents died when I was a small child.” Vala laughed. “Kasuf told me you were naïve, Daniel. You really had no idea what was going on around you, did you?”
Daniel reached for the door handle, but froze at the sound of a cocked hammer. He slowly turned to find Vala casually pointing her pistol at him. “We’re not done yet, Daniel. I want you to call you camp,” she said, offering him a cell phone, “and tell them you have sent me to pick up the real scrolls, along with the tablets, and that Ra necklace you wound last week.”
“You can’t really expect me to do that,” Daniel objected.
“Of course I can,” Vala replied. “Think about how poor Kasuf will feel if you don’t survive this. He was the one who unwittingly threw you to the wolves. Not to mention your students. They’re foreigners and completely unfamiliar with this country. Some unscrupulous person might take advantage of them.”
She handed Daniel a phone. “Tell them you’ll be in town, and that they can come meet you for dinner when they finish today’s work.”
Daniel quickly dialed the camp and gave the instructions to his students. Once he finished, she took the phone back.
“Now,” she smirked. “Remove your clothes.”
“What?!”
“What?” the driver echoed.
“Daniel.”
“No.”
Vala raised the pistol and fired, shooting out the window next to Daniel.
“Strip,” she ordered. “I promise not to look. Much.” She cocked the pistol’s hammer again, and Daniel reached for his belt buckle.
By the time he finished undressing, they were on the outskirts of town, heading into the desert toward the camp. “I suggest you lay low until your students come,” Vala said. “The locals may take offense to a naked foreigner wandering around.”
“Vala, I won’t let you get away with this,” Daniel protested.
“Well, Daniel, do you want to work for me?”
“Isn’t that and offer you should have made before taking my clothes?”
“Oh, right,” Vala said, glancing over him. “So, do you want to be an antiquities smuggler with me?”
“No.”
She nodded. “I didn’t think so.”
Vala reached past Daniel and opened the door behind him. The driver hit the brakes as she kicked him out the open door. Daniel landed on the dusty road and rolled into a ditch as the car sped away.
He sat up slowly as the dust around him cleared. “Damn.”
Daniel carefully packed the bracelets into a sturdy, padded case. He locked the case and set it in the corner of his office. Turning on his computer, he quickly wrote an email.
Minister Kasuf,
I have recently come to posses a pair of bracelets that I believe you will
be interested in. I have not had the opportunity for an in depth analysis,
but I believe them to be priestly ornaments dating to the Middle Kingdom.
The previous owner was under the impression that they were replicas, and
donated them to Langford University. However, as they are authentic, I
believe it best to return them to Egypt. I will have them shipped to you
immediately.
Regards,
Daniel
Leaning back, he smiled as the message sent. He shut the computer off and picked up the phone, hitting the first number on his speed dial.
“Hello, Janet? No, I’m fine. No, the bandages are still in place. I was wondering if you would like to go to dinner?”
Author's Notes: This fic has been sitting half finished for a few weeks, and I finally got the inspiration to complete it. It’s not beta’d so all mistakes made in spelling, grammar, characterization, plot, or attempting to write in the first place are my own. And I’ll totally take credit for sticking as many SG-1 references in as I could.
Author: Hatcheter
Rating: uh…PG? Only for the very occasionally swearing.
Summary: An unwelcome visitor causes Daniel to recall one of the worst experiences of his life.
Disclaimer: Don’t own it, never will.
Two Bad Days
by Hatcheter
A Langford University Story
“Okay guys, really,” Daniel called as he approached the small crowd gathered outside his office, “you’ve got to tell me the shortcut you’re taking to get here from class so quickly.”
The students laughed and stepped back to let him reach the office door. He shifted his stack of books to one arm and dug his office keys from his pocket, then paused. “Did I forget to announce that office hours are cancelled today?”
“I guess so,” he added as the students groaned. “I’m sorry, I’ve got to meet with the dean and some of the school’s board to discuss the summer research program.”
“Doctor, what about my-“
“You’re making straight A’s, Miss Satterfield. I’m sure this paper will be as good as your previous ones, and I’m looking forward to reading it. I’ll see you all on Monday,” he called as the students began to depart. “Have a good weekend.”
He smiled to himself as Satterfield and the others left, many of them wishing him a good weekend as well. He stepped into his office and dumped the stack of books on his desk.
The lights in the office were on, and the door to the back room was slightly ajar. He could hear a woman’s voice, laughing. Curious, Daniel walked into the large storeroom. Rows of tall shelves stood in room, crammed with books, papers, and artifacts from all over the world. Jonas’ desk was squeezed in at the back, between a shelf full of scrolls and the broken lower half of a large feline statue.
Jonas sat on his desk, chuckling lightly at something the woman sitting in his chair said as she twisted back and forth. Her back was to Daniel, hiding her features behind thick, dark hair. He could see the gold scepter she held, carelessly waving it about as she emphasized her point.
Jonas noticed Daniel and smiled. “Doctor Jackson, guess who’s here.”
The chair turned and the woman rose to her feet, grinning brilliantly. “Daniel!”
Daniel took a half step back. “Vala? What…why are you here?”
Vala walked forward, smiling as she brandished the gold rod. “I’m here to steal the scepter of Apophis from you, of course. Again we see there is nothing you can possess which I cannot take away.”
Daniel snatched the scepter out of her hand, quickly setting it on highest shelf within reach. “Is there any reason why I shouldn’t call security to throw you off campus right now?”
“Throw me out? What have I ever done to you?”
“Doctor Jackson? Daniel!”
Daniel craned his neck to look through the crowd at customs. A tall, bearded man in a dark suit burst out of the crowd and hurried toward him.
“Doctor Kasuf!” Daniel called.
“Welcome back, my friend,” the man said, hugging him. “These are all your students? There are so many.”
“Most are just here for the two week tour,” Daniel said, picking up his duffel bag. “Only five will be staying for the extended survey.”
“Excellent,” Kasuf replied. “I’m looking forward to having you join the project. I do not want to get your hopes up, but I have just learned that the team already on site has discovered a chamber which they believe might have been a library.”
“A library? Really?” Daniel exclaimed, dropping his bag as he turned to face the other archeologist.
“Perhaps,” Kasuf said, trying to calm him. “They have recovered an amazing number of scrolls already, and have only begun to examine the chamber.”
“That’s incredible. If they really have found something, maybe I should head over there now and-“
He was cut off by Kasuf’s laughter. “You would abandon your students? Let the diggers find out what’s down there, and then you can get to work cataloging and translating. I’m told that it is very dusty in there; we don’t want your allergies ruining another three thousand year old document.”
“You’re never going to let me live that one down, are you?”
“Of course not,” Kasuf grinned.
Daniel turned to look over the two dozen students he had brought with him. “Is everyone here” he called. “ Make sure you have your all your bags, and that your IDs are handy. I assume there’s a bus waiting for us?” he asked Kasuf.
“Of course. Come, there is someone you need to meet.”
Kasuf lead the group out of the airport. Daniel swapped his glasses for a pair of prescription sunglasses as he stepped out into the brilliant sunlight. He tossed his bag into the cargo compartment and followed Kasuf onto the bus.
There was a woman waiting for them on the bus. “Vala, this is Doctor Daniel Jackson. Daniel, this is Vala Mal Duran. She will be your guide and Ministry representative during your stay.”
“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you,” Vala said, extending her hand. “Doctor Kasuf has told me so much about you.”
“Good to meet you too,” Daniel said, shaking her hand. “Representative during the initial tour, right?” he asked Kasuf.
“For your entire stay.”
“New Ministry rules,” Vala said. “The Ministry of Culture is concerned about foreign researchers reporting all found artifacts.”
“Not that I am worried about you, Daniel,” Kasuf added. “Vala’s primary task is to make sure your time here is as productive as possible.”
“I’m looking forward to working with you, Doctor.”
“Thank you, Miss…Mal Duran?”
“Please, call me Vala.”
“Daniel.”
“Where should I begin?” Daniel asked.
“You’re not going to bring that up, are you?” Vala asked. “That’s ancient history.”
Daniel glared at her.
“Okay, not ancient,” she corrected, rolling her eyes. “That’s the trouble with archeologists, you have no perspective on time. Unless it happened to someone who’s been dead for two thousand years, it’s still worth carrying a grudge over.”
“I don’t think three years is too long to carry a grudge.”
“It’s not like I dumped you naked in the middle of Cairo.”
Daniel continued to glare at her.
“I thought she dumped you naked on the outskirts of Cairo,” Jonas quipped.
“Not personally,” Vala replied.
Daniel turned away from Vala. “Jonas, did Doctor Lee send his carbon dating report yet?”
“Yeah, I’ve got it right here,” Jonas replied, shuffling through the papers on his desk. “Somewhere.”
A pair of arms wrapped around Daniel from behind, pulling him into a hug. “You’re not really going to give me the cold shoulder, are you?” Vala asked, pressing her body against his back. “After I came so far to see you?”
“I have to meet with my superiors,” Daniel said, shrugging out of her grip. “We’re working out the details of the next summer trip to Egypt.”
“Need a guide?”
“No.”
“Here you are,” Jonas said, pulling a stack of papers from his desk and handing them to Daniel. “I took the liberty of making some color pie charts as well, to emphasize your main points.”
“To make sure Jack doesn’t get confused?” Daniel asked, grinning.
Jonas shrugged innocently.
Daniel turned for the door to find Vala blocking his path, hands on her hips and feet planted firmly on the ground. “I came a long way to see you, Daniel, and I won’t have you simply brush me off.”
Daniel sighed and walked to the other aisle between the shelves, but Vala hurried around to block his path again.
“Alright, fine,” Daniel sighed. “If you need to talk to me, than make an appointment. I think I have fifteen minutes free before my first class on Monday.”
Vala glared at him.
Daniel sprung forward to dart past her. He feinted right, then went left as she reacted. His shoulder hit the shelves as he darted past her, rocking them.
“Look out!” Jonas called, too late, as an ornate jar fell off the top shelf.
Daniel and Vala sat at the café next to the hotel, papers spread across the table between them. They sipped strong, dark coffee as Daniel explained his plans for the next six weeks.
“Minister Kasuf was right,” Vala said, smiling over her coffee. “You really are like a kid in his sandbox.”
Daniel smiled back, slightly embarrassed. “I guess I was born to do this.”
“He told me about your parents, the famous Doctors Jackson. I’m sorry about what happened to them.”
“It was a long time ago. I was moved through foster homes in the states, but Kasuf kept in touch with me. Once I started high school, I was able to come spend my summers with him and his family.” Daniel took a sip of his coffee. “There was never anything else I wanted to do.”
He leaned back in his seat. “What about you? How did you come to work for the Egyptian Ministry of Culture?”
Vala shrugged. “Just…fell into it, I guess.”
“Fell into it?”
“I was traveling though southern Europe when I heard that the Ministry was hiring guides. I knew enough Arabic to get into trouble, so I applied.”
“When did you start?”
“Yesterday.”
“Yesterday? Wow.” Daniel set his coffee cup down. “Had you been to Egypt before?”
“No, but I lived in Yemen for part of my childhood.”
“That’s…”
“Not the same, I know,” Vala sighed. “Minister Kasuf holds you in the highest respect. I think he put me with you so I could learn about what I’m supposed to be doing.”
“Well, I’ll be happy to show you what this is all about.”
“I knew you would,” Vala smiled. “I have a feeling that we’re going to get along splendidly.”
“Daniel? Daniel, wake up!”
“Doctor Jackson?”
Daniel groaned, squinting as the light assaulted his eyes. He was flat on his back, with Vala and Jonas hovering over him. “What happened?”
“The Isis jar fell off the shelf and hit you,” Jonas said.
“Is it broken?”
“Yeah,” Jonas replied. “But look at this. I think these are snake bones.”
“You’re bleeding!” Vala exclaimed. She quickly reached into his jacket and pulled a handkerchief from the pocket.
Daniel sat up and absently felt his back pocket, making sure his wallet was still there. “I’m fine,” he said. He brushed his fingers along his hairline, wincing as he touched the cut. “It’s nothing,” he said, standing up.
“It’s bleeding, Doctor,” Jonas objected. “You should get it checked out.”
“I’ll be fine.”
“Do you remember what Janet said the last time you ignored a head injury?”
“No,” Daniel said, getting to his feet. His swayed back, and Jonas and Vala quickly grabbed his arms to keep him upright.
“Who’s Janet?” Vala asked.
“Of course you don’t,” Jonas said. “You had a concussion.”
“Another girlfriend, Daniel?”
Daniel leaned against the nearest shelf. “What? No.”
Behind Daniel, Jonas rolled his eyes.
Vala smiled wickedly. “Is she hot?”
“I, uh, I…” Daniel mumbled.
“She’s probably just getting back from lunch,” Jonas said. “We should head over right now.”
“Fine,” Daniel relented. “But grab the Osiris jar. Maybe we can get Janet to X-ray it, and gain something useful from this catastrophe.”
“It was just one old jar,” Vala said.
Daniel frowned at her. “That’s not the catastrophe I’m referring to.”
The afternoon sun shone brightly into the open jeep as it rumbled down the desert road. Vala rode in the passenger seat, pressing a hand down on her hat to hold it in place as she looked around.
“So how valuable are these scrolls you found?” she asked, looking at the boxes in the back of the jeep.
“Priceless!” Daniel enthusiastically replied. “They seem to be progress reports on the construction of the Pyramid of Khafre. We’ve never seen documents about pyramid construction before.”
“So this is something other people will wish they had gotten their hands on first?”
“Absolutely. We might be able to figure out an accurate date for the constructions of the pyramids, maybe even details on exactly how they were constructed.”
“So, would this be a good time to point out that that truck has been following us for the last fifteen miles?”
“What?” Daniel asked, twisting around to look at the vehicle that trailed them.
“Look out!” Vala screamed.
Daniel turned back to see another truck cross the road in front of them. He slammed on the brakes and spun the wheel, missing the truck by inches.
“Are you alright?” he asked, turning to Vala.
“I don’t think so,” she replied, indicating out his door toward the truck. Daniel turned back to find a pistol pointed at his head. Swallowing, he raised his hands.
“Uh…hi. Can I help you?”
“Be silent, and do not move,” the man said. A second man appeared, leveling a weapon on Vala, while two more men climbed out of the truck that had been following them. They quickly moved to the back of Daniel’s jeep and grabbed the boxes.
“Is that all of it, Vala?” the second armed man asked.
Daniel’s head snapped around. “Vala?”
“Oh, bloody hell,” Vala groaned. She put her hands down and climbed out of the jeep. “You idiot! What the hell are you thinking, using my name when you rob me? I ought to shoot you right here and now.”
“You’re in on this?” Daniel demanded, rising out of his seat. The man outside his door grabbed his collar and pushed him back down, pressing the pistol to his temple.
“What do we do with him?”
“We’ll have to take him with us,” Vala replied. “Knock him out.”
“No! Wait-“
Daniel’s protest was cut off as the butt of the pistol crashed down on top of his head. There was an explosion of stars soaring through his vision, and then nothing.
By the time they reached the infirmary Daniel was walking steadily, and was deep in conversation with Jonas about the ramifications of the snake bones within the ancient Egyptian jar. A few of Daniel’s students had joined them, having spotted the trio heading toward the student center. Jonas shooed them away once they reached the infirmary.
“Doctor Jackson’s students are certainly eager to learn from him.” Vala muttered to Jonas.
“I’m surprised we attracted so little attention,” Jonas quietly replied. “There’s usually a sizable flock following wherever he goes.”
Vala chuckled. “And he doesn’t have a clue, does he?”
Jonas rolled his eyes. “Not at all.”
Janet Fraiser emerged from her small office, pulling on a pair of rubber gloves as she approached Daniel. “Head injury again?”
Daniel sighed. “Again,” he admitted. Janet took his arm and guided him to the examination room in the back, and had him sit on a stool.
Vala leaned closer to Jonas. “What bout her?” she quietly asked. Jonas shook his head. Vala nodded.
Janet gently wiped dried blood away from the cut. “Okay, Jonas, what happened to him this time?”
“That’s my fault, I’m afraid,” Vala quickly said. “I paid my Daniel a surprise visit, and I’m afraid I made him late for a meeting. Of course, now I guess I’ve made him miss the meeting…”
“And you are?” Janet asked, eyeing her critically.
“Vala Mal Duran, an old and very dear friend of Daniel’s,” she replied, smiling broadly.
Janet frowned and turned back to Daniel. “Ow!” Daniel winced as she began to probe the edges of the wound with her fingers.
“I think this one’s going to require stitches,” she declared.
“What? No, it’s not that bad,” Daniel objected. “Is it?”
“What did this, exactly?”
“A four thousand year old ceramic jar,” Jonas supplied.
“Four thousand? When was your last tetanus shot?”
“About three years,” Daniel replied.
“We might need a booster as well.”
“You know I’ve had worse,” Daniel objected.
“This year,” Jonas added.
“I don’t mess around with head injuries,” Janet said firmly.
“Head injury?” a new voice cut in. Jack O’Neill strode into the exam room, looking at the cut on Daniel’s head.
“Hi Jack,” Daniel sighed. “Sorry about the meeting.”
Jack shrugged. “Don’t worry about it.”
“How’d you find me?”
“Where else would I look?”
Daniel opened his mouth to object, thought better of it, and nodded.
“He comes here often?” Vala asked.
“All the time,” Jack replied, turning to her. He quickly sized her up, and offered his hand. “Jack O’Neill. Board of Trustees.”
Vala shook his hand. “Vala Mal Duran, freelance antiquities dealer.”
“The Vala?” Jack asked. “The one who dumped Daniel naked in the middle of the desert?”
“It wasn’t in the desert,” Daniel said.
Vala’s shoulders sagged. “Everybody makes such a big deal over a simple misunderstanding.”
“No, no, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” Jack grinned. “I’d like to get an accurate version of those events, so I can repeat the whole story at opportune moments.”
Jack turned back to Daniel as Janet began setting up the equipment need to stitch the wound closed. “Doc, do you really think that’s necessary? All that needs is a couple of those stretchy band-aids.”
“Butterfly bandages?” Janet asked.
Jack nodded. “Yeah, those. Come on, doc, after you, I’m probably the most knowledgeable person on campus about cuts, stitches, and head injuries.”
Janet rolled her eyes. “Jack, I don’t know if I should-“
“Did you know I had a skull fracture once?” Jack interjected.
“You did?”
“Explains a lot,” Daniel muttered under his breath.
Jack shot him a glare. “On second thought, doc…”
Daniel quickly straightened. “Yes, great idea Jack. Janet, how about some bandages? I’ll come by tomorrow so you can check the cut again, and I’ll let you stitch it then if you feel it isn’t healing properly.”
Janet looked around the small, crowded exam room and sighed. “Alright, fine.” She quickly applied the bandages and gave Daniel a small bottle of painkillers. “Call me if you have any headaches tonight.”
“I will,” Daniel promised, rising from the stool.
“Daniel?” Jonas asked, holding up the jar that he had brought with him.
“Oh, right.” Daniel turned back to Janet. “Do you have time to take a few X-rays?”
“Out,” Janet ordered, pointing to the door. The others quickly complied.
The first thing Daniel became aware of was pain. A sharp, throbbing sensation radiated down from the top of his head, reaching through his skull and down his spine to settle in his gut. As his sluggish senses began to report, he found that the rhythmic pounding in his head matched the footsteps in the room. Somebody was pacing up and down a concrete floor, their footsteps echoing painfully inside his skull.
Daniel cracked one eye open and found the room mercifully dim. He slowly turned his head, looking for whoever was with him. “Vala?”
“Daniel?” Vala hurried over to him, kneeling in front of him. “Daniel, are you alright?”
“Vala?” Daniel asked again, squinting as he tried to focus on her face. He tried to reach for his glasses, and found that his hands were tied to either side of the chair. “Vala?”
“Yes Daniel, I’m here.”
“Vala…what the hell?” he demanded.
Vala stepped back as Daniel winced at the volume of his own voice.
“Daniel, I’m in a lot of trouble.”
“Kidnapping a foreign citizen,” Daniel surmised, tugging experimentally at his bonds. He was starting to get angry, and focusing on that helped him ignore the pain in his head.
“It wasn’t supposed to happen like this. Daniel, they’re blackmailing me. They’ve threatened my parents, my sisters…if I don’t help them, they’ll kill them.”
“Help who do what?”
“They just want to steal certain ancient artifacts,” Vala said. She knelt in front of Daniel again, and slipped his glasses into place. “They promised me no one would get hurt.”
“Who promised you?” Daniel demanded.
A large metal door rose open at the far end of the room, letting brilliant sunlight pour in. Daniel gasped and squeezed his eyes shut against the onslaught.
Three men walked in and the door slid shut behind them. “Vala, do you have the scrolls?”
“Yes, they’re here,” she replied, crossing the room to where the crates were stacked.
“Who’s he?” the man asked.
“Doctor Daniel Jackson, an American, and a close friend of Minister Kasuf.”
“Why is he here?”
“One of your idiots used my name during the robbery. The incompetence of your operation blew my cover before I had a chance to-“
The man reached back and slapped Vala, hard. Her head snapped around and she staggered back, sagging against the wall. Vala pushed herself back up, wiping a trickle of blood from the corner of her mouth.
“I should kill you now for your failure,” the man said.
Vala stared back defiantly. “So that’s it then?”
The man sighed and shook his head. “We can salvage this. I’ll have my men dump you both on the outskirts of Cairo. When the police find you, tell them you were attacked and robbed.”
“Um, excuse me,” Daniel spoke up. “How about just letting us go? With our property? We’ll promise not to report you to the cops.”
The man smirked and approached Daniel. “Of course you won’t. I own half the police in this city.” He turned to the other men. “It would be simpler if the police find this one dead.”
“No!” Vala shouted, rushing forward. “You can’t, he can still be useful to us.”
“How?” the man asked.
“There are still other items at the dig site he can obtain, and he could point us to others worth stealing, or-“
“No,” the man said. He glanced at his watch, then reached into his jacket and withdrew a pistol. “I’ll give you one hour to find an acceptable use for him. If you cannot, kill him,” he ordered, offering the weapon to Vala.
Vala frowned, and took the pistol. “Very well.”
The man nodded and left.
“Well,” Vala said, once the three men were gone. “This is a problem.”
“So what about the meeting?” Daniel asked as soon as they were outside.
“You were unusually brief,” Jack replied.
“I- what?”
“One of your students delivered your presentation files to us.”
“Satterfield was hanging around the building when we were on our way to the infirmary,” Jonas explained. “I asked her to get the files and take them to the meeting.”
“I didn’t notice that,” Daniel said.
“That was when you were trying to convince Vala you didn’t need her help walking across campus.”
“Your Miss Satterfield seemed quite concerned about your well being,” Vala said, nudging Daniel with her elbow.
“Yes, well, the students here are like that,” Daniel replied. “So will the meeting be rescheduled?” he asked Jack. “If the committee members are still on campus, I could meet with them individually to explain my plans.”
“No need. We went over the files, and found your plan and budget to be acceptable. All those pie charts helped explain things clearly.”
“Jonas made those,” Daniel said.
“Good job,” Jack told him. “Usually, Daniel talks so fast it leaves our heads spinning. Anyway, the committee approved everything, so you’re going back to play with rocks again this summer.”
“They’re not…” Daniel started to object. Sighing, he stuffed his hands in his pockets.
“Well, that’s great news,” Vala said. “Do you need a guide?”
“No!”
“Well. Why don’t you sleep on it?”
Daniel sighed again.
“So Vala, how long will you be here?” Jack asked.
“I fly out of country tonight,” she replied.
“Really?” Daniel asked.
“I just have a bit of business to conduct with Daniel.”
“That’s a shame,” Jack replied.
“But, I could be convinced to reschedule.”
“No, no, I would hate to keep you,” Daniel quickly interjected. “I’m sure you have very important things to do. Why don’t we go complete our business, so you can leave.”
Vala nodded. “Well, it was a pleasure meeting you Jack,” she said. “I do hope we meet again, and soon.”
“You too.”
Vala tucked her arm in Daniel’s and pulled him toward his building.
“So, Jonas,” Jack called, stopping the younger man. “I hear the ladies are having their weekly lunch at the café. Wanna go crash it with me?”
Jonas frowned. “I don’t know. I’ve got a lot of work to complete-“
“Aw, come on,” Jack cajoled. “If we don’t hurry John Sheppard might crash it first. Besides, nurse Rush is going to be there.”
“Real- I mean, nurse Rush?” Jonas quickly corrected. Jack grinned at him.
“And I supposed Sam Carter will be there too?”
Jack shrugged. “I dunno, I suppose so.”
Jonas nodded. “Alright, I’m in.”
“How’s your head?”
“It hurts,” Daniel replied, twisting his head away from Vala’s hands.
“I didn’t mean for you to get hurt.”
“That doesn’t really mean anything now, does it?”
Vala stared at him for a moment, conflicting emotions playing across her face. She picked up a knife and approached Daniel. “Can you walk?” she asked, cutting the plastic ties that held him.
Daniel sprung out of the chair as soon as he was free, quickly putting distance between himself and Vala.
“I’ll take that as a yes. Listen, Daniel, we have a chance to take him down.”
“Who, your boss?”
“His name is Lucian Alazso, and he’s one of the most powerful smugglers and arms dealers in the Middle East.”
“So lets go to the police.”
“He controls the police,” Vala replied. “Or at least enough of them to make sure that we won’t survive if we try to betray him.”
Daniel frowned. “What are you planning?”
“I want to bring him down, and I need your help.”
“Me?”
“Can you drive?” Vala asked, tossing Daniel a set of keys.
“What are you going to do?” Daniel asked, following Vala out of the building and to his jeep.
“Alanzo is on his way to meet with a buyer for the scrolls we discovered,” she said, climbing into the jeep.
“We’re going to stop him?”
“Oh, no, not at all. The scrolls are fakes.”
“What?”
“I replaced the real scrolls with forgeries last night.”
“Where are-“
“Safely hidden at the dig camp. The buyer will examine the scrolls, discover the forery, and assume Alanzo is trying to betray him.”
“So where are we going?”
Vala smiled at Daniel. “To make sure it gets ugly.”
“So, what ‘business’ have we got?” Daniel asked as they entered his office.
Vala released his arm and went to his desk, lifting a large metal case from behind it. “I recently obtained a pair of items which I believe to be of great value, and you are the only person I can trust to determine their worth. I’ll let you make the first bid on them, if you like.”
“You stole them and you needed someone out of the way to fence them for you?”
Vala glared at Daniel as she opened the lid. “How can you have such a low opinion of me?”
“Do you really need to ask that?”
“Can’t we go back to the way things were when we met?”
“When I was your unsuspecting victim as you cased my operation?” Daniel asked.
Vala pursed her lips and examined Daniel closely for a moment. “Alright then. To business.” She reached into the case and pulled out two thick gold bands.
Daniel took the one that she offered. It was a wide gold bracelet, intricately carved with figures of animals and people. “Where did you get this?”
“It was found at a dig south of Cairo,” Vala said. “The ruins they were found in were thirty-five hundred years old.”
“Did you recover these from the site yourself?” Daniel asked.
Vala shook her head. “They were delivered to me for analysis.”
“They’re fake.”
“What?”
“Reproductions. Forgeries. Look at how sharply carved these figures are. There’s no way ancient Egyptians could have made something this flawless with the tools they had.”
“That can’t be,” Vala objected, swiping the bracelet from Daniel. “Look at this. Even I can tell that these bracelets are worn with time.”
“You can’t pass off a duplicate if it looks brand new. I’d guess that these were made in the late nineteenth or early twentieth century. You need to pick your targets better.”
Vala’s shoulders sagged and she sat down on Daniel’s desk. “Is it even made out of real gold?”
“I think so,” Daniel said.
“Well, then maybe this wasn’t a total waste.”
“You can’t melt this down.”
Vala twisted around to look at Daniel. “Why not? They’re fake.”
“Fake or not, somebody obviously put a lot of effort into these. They’re modeled on ceremonial bracelets used by priest of the sky goddess Nut.”
“Nut?”
“The fact is, these are quality reproductions, and can be displayed if they’re properly identified.”
Vala rubbed her eyes tiredly. “Display a forgery?”
“Did you notice the artifacts on display on this floor?” Daniel asked. “Most of them are identified as reproductions of artifacts I found on may digs. It’s very difficult to get permission to remove historical items from Egypt, so I rarely get to bring back anything I find.”
“So what you have out there are…?”
“Models, reproductions, all labeled as such.”
“I see.”
Daniel examined the bracelet closely again. “I might want to add this to the display.”
“What, really?”
“Well, what else are you going to do with it?”
Vala shrugged. “It’s yours.”
“It is?”
Vala smiled and reached out, patting Daniel on the cheek. “Something to remember me by every time you look at it.”
Daniel climbed up the ladder, following Vala to a catwalk that ran along the of a large warehouse. Rows of narrow windows ran the length of the catwalk, and Vala carefully pushed one open. They peered inside, spotting Alanzo and his men in the building, on the far side of a long table. Another group approached the near side of the table.
“They’re making the exchange now,” Vala said as one of their captors set the case for the scrolls on the table. A man from the other group approached and opened it up. “The buyer’s expert will verify that the scrolls are authentic.”
“But they aren’t,” Daniel said, as the man examining the scroll slammed it down on the table.
“Well, that didn’t take long,” Vala remarked. “My skills must be slipping.”
“Skills?” Daniel asked. Vala shushed him as the voices in the building rose. She carefully drew the pistol and released the safety.
“What are you doing?” Daniel asked, watching the gun with wide eyes.
“Those are some of the most dangerous men in region down there,” she replied. Vala stuck the weapon through the window and fired three wild shots before ducking back down on the catwalk. “Nobody will miss them if a few of them don’t walk out.”
Gunfire erupted in the building. Daniel threw himself down on the catwalk as bullets shattered the glass next to him.
Vala crawled over him and toward the ladder. “Coming, Daniel?”
He quickly turned around and scrambled to the ladder. Hurrying down, he slipped and fell the last five feet, landing on his back.
“Come on,” Vala urged, pulling him up. “We’ve got to get out of here.”
The shooting in the building had stopped, and Vala pulled Daniel along as she ran for their jeep. Behind them, the doors of the warehouse opened a limousine shot out. It sped past them and swerved to a stop, blocking their path. Two men emerged from the vehicle and aimed their weapons.
Daniel tried to stop, but Vala continued to pull him forward. “They’re with us,” she explained. Under the two men’s cover, Vala ran to the back of the car and opened the door, shoving Daniel in first. She and the two men climbed in, and the car took off.
“Take us out toward the camp,” Vala ordered. “Are you two all right?
“We got the packages,” one of the men said. “You could have left it to us.”
“I wanted to make sure you two didn’t get cold feet.”
The driver snorted. “Are you sure you didn’t want us dead so you could take the scrolls and the money?”
“That would have been very unfortunate, Tenat.”
“You didn’t hold up your end of the bargain, Vala.”
“Of course I did.”
“Maybe we’ll keep the scrolls as well,” the man in the passenger seat said.
“Go ahead, Jup. They’re not the real scrolls.”
“What?”
“The real parchments are safely hidden,” Daniel said. “And will be turned over to the Egyptian government.”
“Actually, I got a better offer,” Vala said.
Daniel stared at her blankly. “What?”
“Another buyer offered me twice what Alanzo had been offered. I arranged all this to get him out of my way.”
“But, what about your family? The ones being held hostage?”
“My parents died when I was a small child.” Vala laughed. “Kasuf told me you were naïve, Daniel. You really had no idea what was going on around you, did you?”
Daniel reached for the door handle, but froze at the sound of a cocked hammer. He slowly turned to find Vala casually pointing her pistol at him. “We’re not done yet, Daniel. I want you to call you camp,” she said, offering him a cell phone, “and tell them you have sent me to pick up the real scrolls, along with the tablets, and that Ra necklace you wound last week.”
“You can’t really expect me to do that,” Daniel objected.
“Of course I can,” Vala replied. “Think about how poor Kasuf will feel if you don’t survive this. He was the one who unwittingly threw you to the wolves. Not to mention your students. They’re foreigners and completely unfamiliar with this country. Some unscrupulous person might take advantage of them.”
She handed Daniel a phone. “Tell them you’ll be in town, and that they can come meet you for dinner when they finish today’s work.”
Daniel quickly dialed the camp and gave the instructions to his students. Once he finished, she took the phone back.
“Now,” she smirked. “Remove your clothes.”
“What?!”
“What?” the driver echoed.
“Daniel.”
“No.”
Vala raised the pistol and fired, shooting out the window next to Daniel.
“Strip,” she ordered. “I promise not to look. Much.” She cocked the pistol’s hammer again, and Daniel reached for his belt buckle.
By the time he finished undressing, they were on the outskirts of town, heading into the desert toward the camp. “I suggest you lay low until your students come,” Vala said. “The locals may take offense to a naked foreigner wandering around.”
“Vala, I won’t let you get away with this,” Daniel protested.
“Well, Daniel, do you want to work for me?”
“Isn’t that and offer you should have made before taking my clothes?”
“Oh, right,” Vala said, glancing over him. “So, do you want to be an antiquities smuggler with me?”
“No.”
She nodded. “I didn’t think so.”
Vala reached past Daniel and opened the door behind him. The driver hit the brakes as she kicked him out the open door. Daniel landed on the dusty road and rolled into a ditch as the car sped away.
He sat up slowly as the dust around him cleared. “Damn.”
Daniel carefully packed the bracelets into a sturdy, padded case. He locked the case and set it in the corner of his office. Turning on his computer, he quickly wrote an email.
Minister Kasuf,
I have recently come to posses a pair of bracelets that I believe you will
be interested in. I have not had the opportunity for an in depth analysis,
but I believe them to be priestly ornaments dating to the Middle Kingdom.
The previous owner was under the impression that they were replicas, and
donated them to Langford University. However, as they are authentic, I
believe it best to return them to Egypt. I will have them shipped to you
immediately.
Regards,
Daniel
Leaning back, he smiled as the message sent. He shut the computer off and picked up the phone, hitting the first number on his speed dial.
“Hello, Janet? No, I’m fine. No, the bandages are still in place. I was wondering if you would like to go to dinner?”
Author's Notes: This fic has been sitting half finished for a few weeks, and I finally got the inspiration to complete it. It’s not beta’d so all mistakes made in spelling, grammar, characterization, plot, or attempting to write in the first place are my own. And I’ll totally take credit for sticking as many SG-1 references in as I could.