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Runaway To Hell

Chapter Two

Those in the control room knew simply by looking at the primary team as they one by one emerged from the wormhole that the mission had been a failure. It wasn't just that only four people walked down the ramp; their faces told the story if not the details. The debrief was quick, for there wasn't a lot to tell.

"So where do we go from here?" Hammond looked expectantly at the four dejected faces staring at the tabletop like it held all the answers.

For a long moment there was only silence then Sam cleared her throat. "Sir, there was something familiar about the weapon the assassin used, but I can't think where we've seen it before."

Teal'c gave a single nod of agreement having also had a sense of familiarity. "Perhaps if we go through our old mission reports it will prompt our memories."

"You think that by backtracking from the assassin you may discover who the target was?"

Sam nodded. "It's a long shot, I know, but we may get lucky. Another long shot, we could run an analysis on the shirt. There might be trace elements on it that we could pinpoint to a specific planet."

"That'll only tell us where she's been," Daniel said quietly. "Not where she is."

"Someone may remember her, maybe she slipped up and made a comment about where she was going. Asked for directions to a safe planet or something." Sam was clutching at straws. She knew it and so did everyone else in the room. At the moment straws were all that they had.

Hammond nodded his approval then caught the frown on his 2IC's face. "General, something you'd like to add?"

"We're missing something. Something so ginormously huge it should be staring us in the face. I just have no fuckin' idea what it is." Jack blinked, his head shooting up as if he only just realized where he was and to whom he was speaking. He grimaced swiping a weary hand over his face. "I'm sorry, sir, was that my outside voice?"

"Apology accepted. This past week has been trying for all of us." Hammond's gaze swept across all of them. They were exhausted. Since Annika had runaway he doubted that any one of them had had a full night's sleep, knew for a fact that Daniel hadn't. They had spent days going through everything of Annika's, searching for some clue as to why she had run and to where. Had even visited the Nox planet in the hope that Annika had turned to them for refuge, only to discover the small villages deserted, the Nox still attending the summit. They had searched her belongings again and had finally discovered that tagged on vision.

"What I meant to say, is that I'd like to go through Casper's hocus pocus stuff again. Maybe there's something else hidden in there that we missed."

"I found some more notes at home last night," Daniel said. "There didn't seem to be anything relevant, but fresh eyes may see something different."

Hammond gave another nod. "All of you are dismissed after you're cleared by Doctor Fraiser. Try and get some rest and we'll look at the situation with fresh eyes in the morning."

With the briefing over they each went their separate ways to fill in the time until the results of the post-med check came back. Sam started the shirt analysis. While she was waiting for the report to print out, she organized a secure laptop for Teal'c to take off base so that he could access their mission files. None of them were under any real illusion that they would get any sleep. It was by unspoken agreement that they would congregate at the Jackson household to brainstorm and to simply offer support to Daniel. Teal'c started his search to try to identify the mystery weapon while Jack and Daniel began sifting through the hocus pocus intel Annika had left behind.

Having no reason to think that the med checks would come back with anything other than the all clear, both Jack and Daniel were surprised when Janet called Daniel back to the infirmary rather than simply phone it through.

Entering through the swinging doors, Daniel warily eyed the tray the doctor had set up by one of the beds. Cautiously he sat down, not at all encouraged by the smile she gave him. "What's that?" He gestured with his chin to the filled syringe.

"It's a mix of vitamins and such to boost your immune system," she replied, motioning for him to lift his sleeve.

"That's all?" There was suspicion in his tone and he made no move to bare his arm.

Janet nodded. "Your white cell count is down due to the sleep deprivation you're experiencing. It should have been given to you earlier, but I was hoping that today's mission would be successful and you wouldn't need an artificial boost." The doctor finally clued in to the reason for Daniel's wariness, could have kicked herself for not assuring him as soon as he walked in. "There's no sedative in this." She gestured to the syringe.

Still a little bit wary, Daniel rolled up his sleeve and let the CMO inject him.

Jack, who had followed Daniel in, was leaning against the wall. "Would Casper also have this low cell count?"

Janet nodded, her eyes filled with worry. "Probably more so. From what we know, she's been getting less sleep than Daniel because she's waiting until after Daniel goes to sleep before resting herself." She turned back to the archaeologist, holding out a small bottle of pills taken from her lab coat pocket. "These are for you to take."

Blue eyes became slightly defiant before he reluctantly took the bottle of sedatives and tucked it into his top pocket.

"You need to sleep." The doctor's voice was gentle yet firm. "I know you don't want to hear this, but today has proven that it could be a while before Annika returns. You need to start establishing a sleep routine, otherwise you are going to make yourself sick."

"I know. I'll take them."

Janet wasn't convinced by his tone. Her gaze flickered to Jack who gave a barely perceptible nod, silently answering the CMO's unspoken order to make sure he took them.

Daniel scowled at them both. "I said I'd take them and I will. When I'm ready."

Janet took a deep breath, hating to use this kind of emotional blackmail, but seeing no way around it. "Think about Annika-"

"All I'm doing is thinking about Annika," he interrupted harshly.

"Daniel, if you collapse from exhaustion, you will be surrounded by your team, or here where we can take care of you. Who will take care of Annika if she collapses?"

Annika should have thought about that before she walked out. He barely stopped from snarling the comment aloud. "I said I'd take them," he snapped, sliding off the bed to his feet and striding out.

Giving Janet a taut smile, Jack followed. He caught up to his best friend in the locker room.

Daniel glanced up from changing, warily eyeing Jack's hands. He remembered all too clearly that Jack had blindsided him with a sedative injection the last time he'd been sleep deprived. "If you're hiding a shot, you'd better be on the other side of the galaxy when I wake up."

Jack held up his hands, proving he was sedative free. "The Doc's only concerned about you and Casper."

He sighed. "I know...I just..." he broke off, sitting wearily on the bench. "She's unconscious right now...has been since the planet. She can't maintain the block of our bond. For the first time in seven days I can actually feel her. It's faint because she's so far away but…Jack, please don't make me give that up. When she wakes up I'll take the pills, I promise."

The general gave a nod.

There was a quiet rap on the door. Both men looked up to see the general's assistant at the threshold. He acknowledged the colonel but turned to Daniel.

"Doctor Jackson, General Hammond would like to see you in his office."

Daniel nodded tying up his laces. "I'll be down in a moment."

A A A

Hammond clasped his hands loosely and rested them on his desk, composing his thoughts as the archaeologist took a seat opposite him. "Son, I was wondering if given today's events your thoughts have changed regarding Annika's...mindset."

"You mean because she nearly killed herself to keep away from us?" Daniel couldn't stop the bitter edge from creeping into his voice.

He nodded. "All the evidence is pointing more and more to her leaving of her own free will, that she wants this."

"I know it does," Daniel conceded. "But...I don't know how to describe it, sir. There was a desperation in her flight. Her control blocking our bond slipped while she was running away. She was being controlled by panic such as I've never felt before, but beyond that I could feel how much she wanted to turn around and run right back to m...us." He paused. "And then there was what happened three nights ago."

"Oh?"

"She unwittingly split her astral self. She was physically running." His tone unconsciously deepened with emotion. "I couldn't feel her or see her face, she had the hood up of her cloak, but I could hear her. She was crying like her heart was breaking." For a moment he was lost in the memory of those heart wrenching couple of minutes. The feelings of uselessness, of frustration, of the need to hold her in his arms and kiss away her tears so strong it was a physical ache. "If she was happy about leaving, she wouldn't have been acting like that. If she'd left because of something I'd done...well, the truth is she wouldn't have left, not without confronting me about it first. She's never been backward in expressing herself. And if she was so determined to cut all ties...if her love had turned to hate for whatever reason, she would have severed our bond...she wouldn't be subconsciously astral traveling to me." Daniel wasn't sure if he was trying to convince Hammond or himself of that reasoning. Wouldn't admit to the fear that had started off as a whisper the moment he had seen those patches and her gun left behind, and had steadily grown louder, that she no longer loved him and had walked out on him and their marriage.

The general could hear that Daniel was desperate to believe his own words. Wished that he could reassure him without compromising the situation he found himself him in.

Daniel's face paled. "You're not..." he swallowed. "You're not calling off the search, are you, General?"

Hammond immediately shook his head. "No. Just the opposite. I wanted to assure you that we will continue to explore every possible avenue until we find her."

"Thank you, sir." Daniel felt a surge of relief at having the general's continued support. Hammond's nod ended the meeting and as Daniel left he couldn't help but acknowledge the sense of déjà vu. Once again he found himself using the intergalactic portal to search for his wife. There was a cold hollow knot in his stomach at the memory of the search for Sha're...the search that had taken three years and ultimately ended in her death. He pushed the fear aside. This time was different. Annika hadn't been taken over by a Goa'uld... Anger trickled through his veins. No, this time his wife had runaway. This time they didn't even have the 'clue' of a Goa'uld mindset that they could use as a basis for their search. They had nothing...only the vague knowledge of which quadrant she was in. Even as he had that thought he felt that curtain descend, blocking their bond. Now I don't even have that. Fighting down the sense of helplessness, he went in search of the others.

Hammond saw the dejected slump to the archaeologist's shoulders and it took all of his willpower not to call him back. His gaze flickered to his filing cabinet. At the moment he was stuck between a rock and a hard place. The conversation with Daniel had been more than just to offer reassurance. He wanted confirmation of what Annika's husband felt regarding her unexplained departure, especially given what had happened early this morning when the CO had just started his shift. His mind drifted back to the unexpected visit and he pulled out a notebook and pen. His gut was telling him that even the smallest detail could be important, and as he replayed the incident in his head he jotted down every word and detail he could remember...

"Come home, please. Whatever the problem is we'll sort it out."

"You think I haven't thought of that?" she snapped. "I keep having variations of the same vision over and over again. When I even think of trying to change things it makes it worse, a lot worse. I can't risk it. I won't be responsible-" she cut off, her shoulders drawing back resolutely. "I'll come back, if I'm still welcome, only when the event date has passed, not before."

Hammond stared at the place where she had been then bringing himself out of the memory, read the notes he'd just written to make sure he hadn't missed anything. Placing his notes in the file that held that single page of vision details she'd given, his cast iron gut started to churn as it had all morning since her visit; a churning that had in fact started a week ago when his primary team had walked down the ramp one person short with shell-shocked expressions. Something besides the obvious wasn't sitting right with him. He'd keep his word to Annika, but he wanted record of any of her future visits, even if it was just for himself to review. There was something about Annika's behavior that was wrong. He just couldn't put his finger on what. He hit the intercom on his desk. "Lieutenant, find Sergeant Siler and have him report to me ASAP, but keep it on the down low."

"Yes, sir."

A A A

Annika became aware of quiet voices. Before the fuzziness of sleep had a chance to fade, she concentrated on blocking the bond she and Daniel shared. Wouldn't let herself acknowledge the presence of Daniel's emotions nestled against her solar plexus. It was easier to cope when she enforced the block if she treated it like tying up her shoe or washing her face, just part of her normal routine. If she let herself ponder that she was cutting off the love of her life, that his hurt and confusion was turning to anger tinged with the first signs of hate, she would wind up a gibbering mess. And she couldn't do that, she had to maintain control or risk them finding her in that moment of weakness.

She cracked open one eye. She was in a room, not a cell, so that was a bonus. Even better she was in a room on some sort of ship, which meant she was no longer on the planet. And she didn't recognize the design of the room. Another bonus. She wasn't on an Earth, Goa'uld or Asgard ship. She was among strangers.

She peeked at the door. It was open and she could see a man standing sideways near the entrance, talking to someone out of sight. She dimly recalled him from the alley where she had collapsed. Okay, so she wasn't locked up, but she doubted she'd be allowed to go anywhere.

The alley guard glanced up and saw her sneaky stare. He spoke to the still out of sight second person in a slightly accented voice, but the words were too softly spoken to determine more than that. There was a brief exchange, and then the black-haired man her visions had directed her to save stepped into view. He entered the room with more curiosity than cautiousness, but Annika figured that having a bodyguard barely a step behind him gave him a decent sense of security.

A tentative smile touched his face. "So, the assassin's assassin is finally awake."

"I didn't kill anyone." She slowly sat up, being sure not to make any sudden moves, although her hand tentatively poked at her side where she distinctly remembered being shot. The area was tender, but there was nowhere near the pain that she knew she should be feeling.

"No, but you stunned him so my people could." He watched her careful self-examination. "We healed your wound."

Annika winced at his first comment. She'd saved one life, just to have another one taken. "I wish you hadn't killed him." Gave a smile of gratitude tapping at her side. "Thanks for that."

"It's my general practice not to leave assassins behind to try again." He studied her carefully. "Was he someone whom you cared for?"

"Never laid eyes on him until today."

"And yet you knew he was going to try to kill me."

"No, I knew someone was going to try to kill you."

"Whom do you work for?"

"Nobody."

"You're a hired gun?"

"No."

"Then who hired you to protect me? How did you know of the assassination attempt?"

"The Powers That Be informed me of the attempt."

"I've never heard of them. Who's their leader?"

Annika chuckled. "It's not an organization. Call it what you will, Fate, spirits. I'm shown glimpses of the future and act upon them. I'm a psychic." She saw him frown at the unfamiliar word. "A seer, witch, shaman, fortune teller."

"That sounds more than a little farfetched."

"I get that a lot," Annika shrugged. "Look, I don't know who you are, don't particularly care. Don't know who that man was or why he wanted to kill you. For all I know you deserved that pulse blast."

"Then why stop him?"

"Maybe I believe that no child should see their daddy killed in cold blood, regardless of who that daddy is."

He lapsed into silence, and both men just simply studied her, considering her responses.

Annika returned their gaze, patiently waiting for the next round of questions. After a full minute, her gaze flickered to her belongings. "Can I get a drink of water?"

Mahj'arc hesitated a moment and then nodded at Veta. The bodyguard moved to the left of the room and pressed a button on the wall. A small panel slid open to reveal two rows of refrigerated shelves. He removed a carafe of clear liquid.

"I'd prefer my own canteen if you don't mind."

"And if we do mind?" Mahj'arc asked curiously.

"I guess I go thirsty," she shrugged.

"Have you had a chance to test the canteen's contents?" Mahj'arc asked Veta. He was wary, having witnessed first hand people self-administer poison to escape questioning.

"Not yet." Veta poured out a glass from the carafe and held it out to her. "It's not drugged."

To both men's curiosity, she seemed to be studying the air around them. After a moment she took the glass and held it gingerly for a few seconds, again with that intent stare. The two men exchanged glances. Was the woman praying?

A second later she sipped the liquid.

"You're normally so suspicious?" Veta asked, ignoring that being suspicious was ingrained into his own nature.

"I prefer the term 'experienced'." Annika gave a small smile. "Just as you're suspicious of sudden acts of heroism from strangers."

"Let's just say it doesn't happen very often," Veta replied dryly.

"You don't know the right people." Neither man missed the flash of sadness that crossed her face. For a moment she seemed to be lost in a memory, then she drew in a deep breath. "Look, just leave me at the nearest Stargate and I'll get out of your hair."

Mahj'arc raised an eyebrow at the term. "Stargate?"

"Chaapa'ai, portal of the gods, cosmic elevator...whatever it is you call it in these parts. The big stone ring with pretty flashing red lights."

"Not just yet."

She nodded, resigned to being stuck here for a while yet. "Where are we?"

"In orbit."

"Above the planet?" Terror clutched at her chest. "I can't stay here. I have to leave!" She lurched to her feet, fighting back a wave of wooziness as her body, weakened from the healing, protested. "How long was I unconscious? Minutes? Hours?" She staggered towards her belongings, her intent to gather them up and get the hell out of Dodge.

The men were surprised by her sudden panic. Logically the hysterics should have started as soon as she realized she was in their custody. But surprised or not their reflexes were quick. Mahj'arc leapt to block her way to her gear, or more specifically to her weapons, while Veta grabbed her from behind.

She struggled against the strong arms restraining her, shoving aside the instant bombardment of images that flashed in her mind. "Let me go! I can't stay here! I have to get away!"

Veta was surprised by the ferocity of her fight. "You're not going anywhere until we get some answers." The last came out in a whoosh as he received a hard elbow jab in the stomach.

"It's not safe!" she yelled with more than a touch of hysteria. She tried to draw on her telekinesis but she was too drained from the healing to gather even a spark of mental energy. "They saw me! They'll have locked on to me, already be planning a rescue. I can't go back!"

"No one knows you're here," Mahj'arc managed to capture her leg as it lashed out, barely missing his groin. Through the babbling yells he was able to determine what had freaked her out and tried to put her mind at ease. A prisoner who doesn't want to be rescued, that was a new one. "We broke orbit of the planet of the assassination attempt the moment we transported onto the ship. We're orbiting a different planet."

The words penetrated her panicked mind and Annika stilled. "You did? We are?"

"You think we'd stick around for a second attempt?" Veta growled. He kept his hold on her, not trusting that she wouldn't freak out again.

"Did you fly a direct path or take evasive measures?" She held herself taut, waiting for the answer. With her being unconscious, unable to maintain the mental block on their bond, Daniel would have latched onto her direction. Their bond may be hazy as far as a specific location went, but she had no doubt that Sam would be able to plot the course Daniel would be sensing, especially if it were in a straight line.

"Evasive," Mahj'arc replied, studying her face. He could see some of the wildness drain away with that single word, and her body relaxed beneath their hold.

Her voice had also calmed considerably. "I don't recommend you remain here." Evasive was better, but though it would take longer, Daniel might be able still track her.

"You don't even know where 'here' is," Veta pointed out. This woman was just bizarre. He couldn't make heads or tales of her. He did know that she wasn't going anywhere until he had some answers that made sense.

"Doesn't matter. Dan-" She cut off, not even unable to say her husband's name without her heartache threatening to overwhelm her. "They can track me while I sleep."

"Track?" Mahj'arc looked sharply at his security officer. "I thought you said-"

"The sweep was clean," Veta interrupted. "Did it twice. There are no tracking devices."

"It's not a device of any kind." Annika cursed the panic that had let more slip than she intended. Fought down another wave of sadness at the wonderful memories of how much Daniel loved their invisible connection. "It can't be removed. It's a mental link...sort of. I can block it but only when I'm awake."

"By 'they' you mean...?" Mahj'arc let the question hang.

Annika swallowed. "My team."

"Your team is who sent you to stop the assassination?"

"No," she sighed. She knew she was going to be subjected to a lot of repeated questions in the foreseeable future. "They don't know anything about you. I don't even know what they were doing on that planet."

"So their presence was just an uncanny coincidence?" Mahj'arc didn't try to hide his skepticism.

Annika hesitated. Was it a coincidence? Or had Daniel found a way to get passed her mental block without her knowing? Maybe it was the Fates determined to make her vision come true. "Possibly."

With the adrenaline rush gone, the visions from the men's continual touch was more difficult to ignore. "Can you let me go now?" As one, both men began to shake their heads and she realized her request had been misinterpreted. "I don't mean let me off the ship, although it probably would be better for you if you did, but I figure I've got Buckley’s and none chance of that happening..." she tapered off, knowing she was rambling, then got back on track. "I meant, just stop touching me. I'll answer your questions, well, some of them anyway, but I can't do that with you touching me. It's too...distracting."

For the first time Mahj'arc and Veta noticed that her eyes seemed to be going in and out of focus, like she was watching something over their shoulders. Worried she was going to pass out they unanimously decided to stop crowding her.

"Okay." Veta couldn't help but double check that the room was empty except for the three of them, before cautiously releasing her. She had definitely been looking at something.

Mahj'arc also stood back.

Annika heaved a sigh of relief as the images stopped. Gave a longing look at the vanilla oil on the small table that would help calm her frazzled nerves, but figured there was no way they would let her near it for fear it was a poison. Instead she scooted back further on the bed, putting as much distance as she could between her and them. She leant against the wall, only to stiffen as a new set of images started to filter over her sight when she touched the cool metal. This wasn't the onslaught of competing visions she'd had a moment ago, rather it was a steady stream of a few single moments. Her eyes darted to the security guard, matching his face to her vision, then traveled down his body, which in her mind's eye was naked.

"I see you've had some memorable times in this room." She inched forward a little to stop the image of a very intimate liaison between Veta and a man approximately ten years his junior. She wouldn't have pegged the burly man as being homosexual, but to each his own. The last image that flickered before her eyes brought a glimmer of a smile. "Nice tattoo."

Veta's eyes went wide. "How did you...?" He wasn't sure if he was asking about her knowledge of the flings he'd had or of his body art.

"Hmmm...guess you missed the part where I mentioned I'm a psychic."

Mahj'arc couldn’t help it, he burst out laughing. He wasn't any where near ready to accept her absurd claim, however, the look on his usually unflappable friend's face was priceless. Even if this 'avenger' was an undercover law agent sent in to get evidence of his lucrative ship of pleasurable sin in action, she would be worth keeping on for entertainment value. He gave his friend an elbow nudge. "Told you, you needed to be more discreet."

Veta glared at him, then turned back to Annika. "Why don't we start at the beginning?"

"Sure," Annika agreed amicably. If she was going to be stuck here for a while, she may as well have some fun; it was a good distraction from the constant ache of her heart. "I was born, so I've been told, on an usually warm day even for summer.
 Apparently there was the scent of cherry blossoms in the air when the doctor caught my exodus from my mother's womb and slapped me on the backside, which is kinda odd I've always thought, considering there are no cherry trees in the city..."

"Stop!" The guard held up his hand.

Obligingly she did as bid, with quizzical head tilt. "Not enough detail for you?"

"How about a little less detail?"

"Okay." She gave it some thought. "I was born, I grew up, was introduced to the wonders of the Stargate. Did quite a bit of planet hopping and here I am."

Veta's sigh was one of exasperation. "A little help?" he pleaded of his friend.

"Oh no, you're doing so well." Mahj'arc's answer was said seriously yet his eyes were dancing. "You've confirmed that she was born."

Veta just scowled in response. "Let's skip the history right up until you decided to jump in front of a pulse blast to save my boss."

"Getting shot wasn't exactly part of my plan," she replied dryly. The banter felt good. It felt like a lifetime ago that she’d had any kind of decent conversation, though it had only been a week. A week of watching every word, the few that she'd spoken, so that no one would remember any slip ups of colloquialisms, or wonder at her accent. Given that she had hurled herself in front of the assassin's blast, she figured these two wouldn't be forgetting her any time soon, so she went with the moment and enjoyed the luxury of being herself. Some of the earlier images began to filter back into her mind, prompted by the guard's words. "And 'Mahjee' is not your boss. He's your best friend...and equal partner in this...establishment."

Her last comment made the two friends dart a shocked look at each other. There were only three people who knew of Veta's silent partnership. Mahj'arc, Veta and Rinnie, Mahj'arc's wife.

Mahj'arc cleared his throat and referred to the other little snippet she had come out with. "Mahjee?"

"It's a nickname for you, isn't it?" she asked, raising an eyebrow for confirmation. "Your wife, and only your wife, calls you that."

He nodded slowly. He didn't know who her source was, but whoever it was, they were damned good. Those little details were known to a very select few. The pet name, he supposed, could have been overheard at any number of places, but Mahj'arc's mind kept coming back to the silent partnership. Rinnie would never have told anyone, and he knew himself and Veta hadn't, so how had this woman found out? He began to give her seer claim more merit, however he needed more than a couple of details. "So, you say you're a seer?"

She nodded, knowing that this moment was inevitable. It always was.

"Prove it."

Annika gave another nod. At least this time she had a little something up her sleeve that would make their acceptance of her gift easier. It would be hard to deny, especially if she got a few snippets of their childhood before they became a 'target'. "I'll need an item from my kit. The small disc that was with the gems." She made no move to get it herself, knowing they wouldn't let her get that close to her weapons. They were willing to indulge her so far, but they didn't trust her yet.

Veta crossed the room and picked up the pouch, though he paused when he turned back. There hadn't been time to run a diagnostic analysis on the device, for all they knew it was a weapon. He had confirmed that she was not one of the parasitic race when he'd scanned her. But that begged the question, "Why would you need Goa'uld technology?"

So they knew about the snakeheads in this neck of the woods, yet from their demeanor didn't consider them a threat. Did that mean that the planets around here were part of the Protected Planets Treaty with the Asgard? Or were they from one of the many civilizations the Goa'uld had abandoned? She pushed the questions aside. Hopefully there would be time to ask them once she had proven her gift. "It's a memory device that has been specially modified to assist with my visions."

"It enhances your supposed mysticism?" Mahj'arc asked.

"No. It enables others to see what I see as I see it." She held their gaze, hoping that they would believe her. Not that she needed it, she figured if she'd been able to convince Jack of her hocus pocus, then these two would be a cake walk. Another pang of misery hit her as she recalled the day that had cinched her acceptance into the SGC. "It also reduces the emotional turmoil on me."

Another quick glance of the men asking for the other's opinion and Veta tossed the pouch towards her.

Annika fished the device out and pressed it to her temple. "My gift works by touch usually," she said, wincing a little at the mild sting of activation and held out her hand. "So who wants to go first?"

Again the men conversed silently with a look. It reminded Annika so much of SG-1, especially of Jack and Daniel, that it took a few deep breaths for her to refocus on the matter at hand. When Mahj'arc took a step closer she pulled her hand back slightly, feeling obliged to warn, "I have no control of what actually comes through."

"I hear a but coming."

"More often than not, my gift will hone in on things that are private, secrets you want to keep hidden. Nothing is sacred. I could see anything from your first sexual encounter to what you had for breakfast, to discovering where the bodies are buried. So if you've got things you don't want revealed to one another..." She let the sentence hang.

Both men shrugged.

"We don't have anything to hide, not from each other." Mahj'arc held out his hand to her.

"Don't say I didn't warn you." Without further ado Annika grasped his fingers. Instantly the images began to flow, picking up from where they had left off earlier. Rather than try to decipher the pictures, for she really didn't care what her third eye was showing, she just let them play out. Instead she looked through the images to the men beyond, watching their reaction. As much as it irked her that providing proof of her gift was a necessary evil, since finding acceptance from Daniel and her team, it now always amused her to watch the process of the skeptics switch to believers. The placating, often condescending, expressions melted into stunned disbelief. The next stage tended to be split into two distinct reactions, depending on whether the person had a ton of secrets to hide, like Kinsey, or if they were the 'good guys'. The former tended to recoil in horror and fear, the latter watched with fascination and often, embarrassingly, with awe. She wondered how these two would react to that one 'clincher' image, for it always came down to a single moment that made them into a believer.

Annika knew the moment had come by the way both men's jaw dropped. Oddly enough it was Veta who spoke.

"Is there some way to replay that...er...scene?" His voice was strangled.

She was about to nod, when Mahj'arc tugged his hand free. "That won't be necessary, I'm convinced."

"Like hell it's not necessary," Veta growled.

Annika looked from one man to the other. Both had equal authority, so she wasn't sure whose 'order' to follow. But Mahj'arc's expression filled her with curiosity. While still a little shocked, there was the most mischievous gleam to his eyes she had ever seen. It even topped Ferretti after he pulled one of his practical jokes. Veta however, looked like he was going to strangle his friend. She half seriously thought that she hadn't 'saved' Mahj'arc's life after all.

It turned out that the replay wasn't necessary. Veta had seen enough and he rounded on his friend.

"You sent those god-forsaken flowers?"

Annika's curiosity got the better of her, and she fiddled with the memory device to rewind the recorded images. The scene seemed innocuous enough to her. Mahj'arc was placing an order in what looked like a florist. Annika was almost distracted by the strange and exotic alien flowers, until Mahj'arc moved from the counter, bringing her attention back to him. He was pointing to a very large bouquet of white blossoms with a few sprigs of smaller yellow flowers. In its center was a single red orchid-type bloom.

"Now, Veta, it was just a joke."

"A joke? It was a marriage proposal! You knew damned well the significance of that red flower on that crazy planet! I've had 'Lose Your Balls Beth' stalking me, lying in ambush every time we dock on Ritarta!"

"Can I help it if she doesn't know how to take no for an answer?" Mahj'arc had recovered from the shock of having his 'secret' revealed and it was replaced by complete amusement. "You really need to be more convincing when you say you're homosexual."

For a long moment Veta glared at his best friend then shook his fist at him. "You just wait, I am so going to get you back for this."

"I'm quivering in my boots," Mahj'arc grinned.

Annika tuned out the banter, drawing her legs up and resting her head on her knees. She steadfastly kept her mind from wondering about Jack, Sam, Teal'c and especially Daniel; it was easier to cope that way. Instead she tried to formulate what her next move would be. So far her only goal was to keep moving. She'd thought that her planet choices had been totally random, but obviously she must have created some sort of traceable pattern for SG-1 to have turned up on the planet like that. Her mind however, was too tired to even attempt to figure out what it was. When she was allowed off the ship, she'd 'gate to a new planet and then just take things from there.

It took a moment for her to realize that the playful bickering of her 'hosts' had stopped and she twisted her head to look up at them.

"Are you alright?" Veta asked concerned.

Annika stopped the automatic false pleasantry from spilling from her mouth, though she figured that these two really didn't want to know just how not alright she was. So she ignored the question. "Am I free to leave now?"

The two men again exchanged glances then nodded.

"But I'd like to thank you in some way for what you did," Mahj'arc said.

"No thanks are necessary," Annika replied, getting to her feet and starting to gather her belongings.

"Let us offer you some hospitality on this ship," Mahj'arc pressed. "You can stay for as long as you like."

"No really, I have to keep moving."

"At least let us offer you a hot meal," Veta jumped in. "We've got the finest chefs in the galaxy, guaranteed to be far better than the rations and whatever that packet beverage is you've been surviving on."

At the mention of food, Annika's stomach grumbled and she realized that it had been awhile since she had taken the time to eat. She held up one of the coffee packets that held not the usual granulated coffee, but a tea-bag type pocket of real ground beans. "Don't knock a girl's coffee until you've tried it." She gave them a smile. "But a meal is something I can accept."

"Great," Mahj'arc beamed, grateful that he would be able to repay her act, even if it was only with a meal. He stepped aside, clearing the path to the door. "This way to a taste bud's delight."

Veta, however, held out a hand stopping their exit. "I cleaned you up while you were unconscious." He gestured to her forehead. "We can wait if you want to cover that back up."

Annika's hand automatically rose to the distinguishing purple star. She gave the burly man a small smile, touched that he was trying to help her maintain her disguise even if he didn't fully understand the reason for it. "Thank you." She picked up the concealer cream and applied it, using the compact mirror she had stashed with her toiletries to ensure it was entirely covered. She then fingered the tunic she was wearing. "Um...do you mind if I change into my own clothes?"

"How about we have them washed for you?" Mahj'arc suggested. "By the time we finish eating they'll be ready for you."

Annika barely hesitated in her nod. Clean clothes sounded better to her than the hot meal. She weighed up the pros and cons of also having her one bra washed and figured she could let the girls hang free for the hour or so it would take. Wishing that she could also wash her bikinis, for there was only so much she was willing to strip in the company of strangers, she shoved her bare feet into her boots. "Not exactly a picture of elegance," she grinned, sliding the belt from her BDUs and putting it around her waist.

Neither man commented when instead of reaching for her weapons to attach to their designated spots on the belt, she just picked up one of the small bottles of sweet essence, poured a couple of drops onto her palm before tucking it into one of the small leather pouches clipped on the side.

"You look fine," Mahj'arc assured.

Rubbing the calming oil into her skin, Annika let the men lead the way.

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