The Price of Knowledge

 

Story Notes:

See Chapter One

Chapter Ten

Meeting the NID

 

             Janet felt betrayed.  When General Hammond had asked her for a status report on Daniel, she hadn’t expected this.

             The status report was good.  Daniel had been with them for two weeks, and the near-constant presence of SG-1 for the first week had done wonders.  It wasn’t uncommon now to see Daniel roaming the corridors, usually with a colored picture to deliver.  He was becoming more and more comfortable away from Jack, Sam, and Teal’c, slowly gaining both independence and security.  His memory, although still limited to his years with the Stargate program and missions with SG-1, also seemed to be improving.  Janet was pleased with his progress.

             The nightmares had her worried, though.  According to Jack, Daniel was sleeping for longer stretches, up to four or five hours at a time, but nightmares still woke him, and Jack usually had to calm and hold Daniel until the terror passed.  Jack hadn’t even attempted to persuade Daniel back to his own bed.  As was typical for Daniel, he didn’t like to discuss his nightmares except to say they were always about the Others.

             After receiving Janet’s status report, Hammond had nodded sadly and informed her that despite his best efforts, Dr. Elaine Rosenberg of the NID would be arriving within the hour to speak with her and Daniel.  Since there was no medical reason to prevent it, his hands were tied.

             While she and Dr. Rosenberg waited in the briefing room for Daniel’s arrival, Janet struggled to keep her professionalism intact.  The moment they’d met, Janet knew she didn’t like the NID doctor.  She couldn’t pinpoint why.  Dr. Rosenberg—who, one doctor to another, insisted upon “Elaine”—seemed pleasant enough.  She offered compliments on how Janet had dealt with particular alien diseases and even quoted from an article Janet had written for a medical journal.  She wasn’t as rude or arrogant as other NID agents who’d given the SGC grief over the years.  Janet supposed past experience had made her leery of anyone associated with the NID

             They heard Daniel first.  Given a subject he loved, whether child or adult, Daniel could talk long and fast.  Right now, he was telling Mister General about his lessons with Ally, who was teaching him how to write the whole alphabet and he had gotten to “S” which was a real tricky letter to write even though it looked like a snake so it should be easy, shouldn’t it, Mister General, and why’d you make that funny look, Jack, what’s wrong with snakes?  Janet felt herself smile.  Then she glanced over at Elaine, and her inner warning alert tingled.

             Elaine had risen to her feet, and she was leaning forward in an anticipatory way that made Janet nervous.

             General, colonel, and child entered the room, and the child was the only one who was truly smiling.  Hammond had worry lines creasing his forehead, and Jack’s lips were pressed tight, a sign that he was not happy about this at all.  Daniel caught sight of Elaine and stopped talking in mid-sentence.  He scuttled around Jack, hiding behind him and clutching at the pant leg.

             “Who’s that?” he asked in a loud whisper.

             “Daniel, this is Doctor Elaine Rosenberg,” Hammond said.  “She’d like to ask you a few questions.”

             Jack’s lips thinned into a tighter line.  Daniel peeked out at Elaine for a few seconds and returned to hiding behind Jack’s leg.

             “No.  Make her go away.”

             Janet lifted an eyebrow.  Daniel hadn’t been uncooperative like this since his first couple days.  Hammond cleared his throat and gave Jack a “deal with this” look.  Jack sighed and bent to Daniel’s level.  Deprived of his hiding place, Daniel studiously avoiding looking in Elaine’s direction and concentrated on the floor.

             “Hey, buddy,” Jack said softly.

             “This is a big people rule, isn’t it?”  Daniel crossed his arms over his chest, and Janet wasn’t sure whether the move was meant to be rebellious or self-comforting.  She was betting on the latter.

             “Yep.  It’s a rule for General Hammond.  He has to let certain people talk to you.”

             Quick as ever, Daniel said, “Because I was ’scended.”

             “Probably.  Think you can give it a try?”

             Daniel sighed with the air of one imparting a great favor.  “I suppose.”

             As Jack stood, Elaine rounded the table.  Too eager, too fast.  When she focused on Daniel, the gleam in her eyes was almost predatory.  Janet’s warning alert howled.  Elaine extended a manicured hand toward Daniel.

             “Hello, Daniel.  I’m thrilled to finally meet you.”

             Daniel gave the hand a look of disdain and then glared up at Elaine, announcing firmly and loudly,  “I don’t like you.”

             There went the other eyebrow.  Janet was beginning to feel like Teal’c.  She could count on one hand the number of times she’d heard Daniel being deliberately rude, and with most of those, he had been under some kind of alien influence.

             “Daniel.”  Despite the warning note in Jack’s voice, Janet knew the colonel well enough to know he was trying not to laugh.

             Elaine smiled brightly.  “I’m sure you’ll like me once we get to know each other.”

             Daniel narrowed his eyes.  He had already expressed definite opinions to one of Janet’s nurses on how he did not appreciate that patronizing tone directed at him.

             General Hammond cleared his throat again.  “Doctor Rosenberg, this is Colonel Jack O’Neill.  Colonel, Doctor Elaine Rosenberg.”

             Jack inclined his head.  “Doctor.”

             “Colonel.”  She glanced briefly at Jack and seemed to dismiss him as insignificant.

             Janet winced.  Oooh, bad move there, girl.

             Daniel clambered into the chair beside Janet and gave her one of his dazzling smiles.  Jack settled into the chair next to Daniel.  His nod toward Janet was far more respectful than the one he had just offered Elaine.  General Hammond headed for his office.  After a troubled glance at Jack, Elaine followed.

             “General, a moment, please.”  Although Elaine’s voice was pitched low, she could still be clearly heard.

             “Yes, Doctor?”  Hammond made no attempt to lower his voice.

             “I was assured there would be no military presence during my interview with Daniel.  We agreed on Doctor Frasier, but clearly Colonel O’Neill--”

             “Colonel O’Neill is not acting in a military capacity, Doctor.”

             “I don’t understand.”

             “Doctor, you’ve asked to question a six-year-old boy, who has requested his guardian’s presence for any and all interviews.  Colonel O’Neill is acting in his capacity as Daniel Jackson’s legal guardian.”

             “That wasn’t in the paperwork sent to us.”

             “The official notification just came through this morning.”

             Jack’s lips twitched.  He exchanged a vindictive glance with Janet over Daniel’s head, obviously pleased at having pulled one over the NID.

             When Elaine returned to the table, she didn’t seem the least bit perturbed by the news.  She seated herself gracefully.  She and Jack locked gazes, as if they were assessing  equal threats.  Janet felt the tension in the room spiral upward.  Daniel shifted uneasily in his chair, glancing back and forth between the adults.

             “Jack?”  Daniel’s fingers snagged Jack’s sleeve.

             Jack broke the eye contact, shifted his attention to Daniel, and gently disentangled the small fingers from the material.  “It’s okay, Danny.  Not going anywhere.”

             Elaine also focused on Daniel, smiling.  “May I ask you some questions, Danny?”

             Daniel shot her a surly look in return.  “You can’t call me that.  My name is Daniel.”

             Elaine’s smile didn’t falter.  “Daniel, then.  I’m Elaine, but my friends call me Ella.  You can too, all right?”

             Daniel stared back haughtily.  “I’m not your friend, Doctor Rosenberg, and I got ’portant things to do.  If you wanna ask me stuff, then hurry up.”

             Janet bit the inside of her lip.  Jack strangled a chuckle.  He turned aside, covering his amusement with a bout of fake coughing.

             Elaine glared at Jack.  She lost the smile, leaned back in her chair, and pressed the tips of her fingers together.  She studied Daniel over her fingernails.  Daniel held the scrutiny at first, but after thirty seconds of cold silence, he squirmed and looked away.  Elaine’s lips twitched upward.  Janet shivered.

             “Very well, Daniel.  Why don’t you start with your time as an ascended being?  Tell me about that.”’

             Daniel avoided her gaze and shrugged one shoulder.  “Don’t ’member it all.”

             “Tell me what you do remember,” Elaine purred.  Janet felt like gagging.

             “Can’t,” Daniel mumbled.  “I’m not supposeta.”

             “Did Colonel O’Neill tell you that?”  Elaine flashed a scowl at Jack, who touched his chest in mute declaration of his innocence.

             Daniel lifted his head, quick to defend Jack.  “No.  Shifu did.”

             “I see.  And what else did Shifu tell you?”  She paused, but Daniel didn’t answer.  “Did Shifu teach you how to do things, Daniel?”

             Again, Daniel didn’t answer, but the panic that crept over his face was answer enough.  Elaine smiled her satisfaction.

 

 

 

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Disclaimer:  The Stargate characters all belong to Gekko Film Company, Glassner/Wright Double Secret Productions, MGM-UA Worldwide Television, Showtime, Sci Fi Channel, and Stargate SG-1 Prod. Ltd. Partnership.  This fanfic is not intended to infringe on any of those rights and is meant solely for the purpose of entertainment.  All other characters, the story idea, and the story itself are the sole property of the author.