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Appearances can be deceiving... Part 4
Wordcount of the day: 1,001
wordcount in all: 6,784
Previous parts
The prequel - War Games...
---
For the fifth time in the last hour, Daniel sighed inwardly and turned his attention back to the runes on the wall. Outside the old fortress the icy rain pelted down. They'd barely made it to the sheltering building before the heavens had opened, releasing their cold water.
A quick check told him that Teal'c was still standing next to the entrance, a dark shadow against the grey light from outside. Jack was making another round, which explained why Thompson had retreated again. The Major had kept looming over Daniel, trying to intimidate him. Not that it was working, but it broke Daniel's concentration. Whenever one of them spoke, a ghostlike echo accompanied it. That of course kept Thompson from *saying* anything. With a wry smile Daniel went back to the runes.
A few minutes later, Thompson was back. This time he leaned against the wall Daniel was studying. Daniel ignored him until the man started tracing the runes on the wall. The prickling feeling, the gut wrenching certainty... Daniel opened his mouth. "Don't..." as he was surrounded by a blinding flash.
---
"...touch that!"
Daniel's voice echoed back to him, as he found himself still crouching but no longer by the wall, but in the middle of a bare room.
"What the hell...?" Thomson spun around, searching for his weapons.
"Don't bother," Daniel said as he slowly rose, checking their surroundings. A second later Thompson grabbed him by the font of his jacket.
"What the fuck did you do?" Thompson spat out the question.
Daniel kept calm. He wasn't really surprised, he'd even expected this. *I* didn't do anything. You pushed one of the runes on the wall."
"The fuck I did! Now get us back!" Thompson was positively seething.
The only thing that kept Daniel from losing his temper was the fear he saw below the anger. Thompson had only been off-world twice, and both times he'd been 'abducted' - really, this way he'd end up breaking SG-1's track record, Daniel mused. Damned, why couldn't he be trapped here with Jack instead? 'Because Jack's learned the hard way not to touch...'
"Are you going to let go of me anytime soon, Thompson? Someone might get the wrong idea..." Daniel kept his voice level, but there was only so much he'd take from the other man.
Thompson grew red and looked ready to explode. "You'd like that, fag, wouldn't you?"
"You're not really my type, Thompson. I prefer mine with a little more brain." 'However well they hide it...' Daniel narrowed his eyes, pursing his lips. "And if I were you, I wouldn't use that word again. I can assure you, you'll regret it."
Thompson's grip grew tighter. "You and what army, prettyboy?"
Daniel didn't answer, but kept up his stare until Thompson let go.
The far wall grew brighter for a moment and a huge portal barred by heavy stone doors appeared. Daniel took a deep breath before walking over to it. The arch itself was littered with runes as were the towering doors.
"Thompson?" Daniel frowned as he worked on recognizing the runes. There was no answer. Daniel drew a deep breath before turning around. "Major, *please*..." Daniel pushed his glasses up his nose as he watched the silent figure of the other man in the middle of the room. "Do you remember what the rune you touched looked like?"
"No."
Daniel's inner voice, sounding suspiciously like a certain USAF Colonel yelled at him. No fucking way. The man was a trained soldier. Hell, Ferretti had managed to memorize the gate-address to Chulak, wounded and near unconscious. How could Thompson not remember *one* fucking rune...?"
"Look, Thompson, the sooner you cooperate, the sooner we can get out of here." Daniel would try with reason first. If that didn't work...
Thompson's shoulders sagged for a moment before the man finally moved over to Daniel's side.
"Do you think you might recognize it?" Daniel stepped back to give the man some room.
"Yeah..." Thompson stared at the portal for a moment. "It... it was sort of an 'F', only... the horizontal lines were pointing downward." He shrugged.
Daniel searched the arch and the doors. Midways down the doors he saw the rune. "Of course! Ansuz, the Ancestral God, Woden, better know as Odin."
Thompson gave him a strange look. "Is that good or bad?"
"Well, according to myth, Odin did often have a hidden agenda, but I hope that's just part of the myth. That the Asgard version isn't like that." Daniel frowned as he pushed the rune. It changed color, lighted up a little, but nothing else happened. "Hmm, some of the other runes are for other gods, and some of the markings are more pictograms than runes."
Taking a deep breath Daniel plunged into the translation of the door, or rather, tried to find anything he could tie to the rune for Odin. He said out loud: "Odin had two ravens, scavengers as well as bringers of tidings. Huginn," he tapped a rune, "is 'thought' and 'sensitivity'." He searched a little further to the right and found the other. "Muninn is 'memory,' 'mind' or even 'longing'." That one lighted up as well. Nothing else happened after that.
"Now what?" Thompson sounded almost... interested. Well, of course, he wanted to get out as much as Daniel did.
"Hmm..." Daniel dug into what little he could remember. At least it wasn't one of the minor Asgard gods, because then he'd have trouble remembering much of anything. "Wolves," he sudden cried out.
"Where?!" Thompson spun around.
"Oh, sorry," Daniel tried to look contrite, knowing he was failing utterly.
The glare Thompson gave him was positively deadly.
"Odin never ate. He ever only drank wine... whatever food was served to him, he would feed to his wolves..." Daniel's hand hovered over the writings on the door. "Freki, 'the greedy'," he pushed another rune. "And Geri, 'the ravenous'." One touch to the last rune and the door flashed.
TBC
---
wordcount in all: 6,784
Previous parts
The prequel - War Games...
---
For the fifth time in the last hour, Daniel sighed inwardly and turned his attention back to the runes on the wall. Outside the old fortress the icy rain pelted down. They'd barely made it to the sheltering building before the heavens had opened, releasing their cold water.
A quick check told him that Teal'c was still standing next to the entrance, a dark shadow against the grey light from outside. Jack was making another round, which explained why Thompson had retreated again. The Major had kept looming over Daniel, trying to intimidate him. Not that it was working, but it broke Daniel's concentration. Whenever one of them spoke, a ghostlike echo accompanied it. That of course kept Thompson from *saying* anything. With a wry smile Daniel went back to the runes.
A few minutes later, Thompson was back. This time he leaned against the wall Daniel was studying. Daniel ignored him until the man started tracing the runes on the wall. The prickling feeling, the gut wrenching certainty... Daniel opened his mouth. "Don't..." as he was surrounded by a blinding flash.
---
"...touch that!"
Daniel's voice echoed back to him, as he found himself still crouching but no longer by the wall, but in the middle of a bare room.
"What the hell...?" Thomson spun around, searching for his weapons.
"Don't bother," Daniel said as he slowly rose, checking their surroundings. A second later Thompson grabbed him by the font of his jacket.
"What the fuck did you do?" Thompson spat out the question.
Daniel kept calm. He wasn't really surprised, he'd even expected this. *I* didn't do anything. You pushed one of the runes on the wall."
"The fuck I did! Now get us back!" Thompson was positively seething.
The only thing that kept Daniel from losing his temper was the fear he saw below the anger. Thompson had only been off-world twice, and both times he'd been 'abducted' - really, this way he'd end up breaking SG-1's track record, Daniel mused. Damned, why couldn't he be trapped here with Jack instead? 'Because Jack's learned the hard way not to touch...'
"Are you going to let go of me anytime soon, Thompson? Someone might get the wrong idea..." Daniel kept his voice level, but there was only so much he'd take from the other man.
Thompson grew red and looked ready to explode. "You'd like that, fag, wouldn't you?"
"You're not really my type, Thompson. I prefer mine with a little more brain." 'However well they hide it...' Daniel narrowed his eyes, pursing his lips. "And if I were you, I wouldn't use that word again. I can assure you, you'll regret it."
Thompson's grip grew tighter. "You and what army, prettyboy?"
Daniel didn't answer, but kept up his stare until Thompson let go.
The far wall grew brighter for a moment and a huge portal barred by heavy stone doors appeared. Daniel took a deep breath before walking over to it. The arch itself was littered with runes as were the towering doors.
"Thompson?" Daniel frowned as he worked on recognizing the runes. There was no answer. Daniel drew a deep breath before turning around. "Major, *please*..." Daniel pushed his glasses up his nose as he watched the silent figure of the other man in the middle of the room. "Do you remember what the rune you touched looked like?"
"No."
Daniel's inner voice, sounding suspiciously like a certain USAF Colonel yelled at him. No fucking way. The man was a trained soldier. Hell, Ferretti had managed to memorize the gate-address to Chulak, wounded and near unconscious. How could Thompson not remember *one* fucking rune...?"
"Look, Thompson, the sooner you cooperate, the sooner we can get out of here." Daniel would try with reason first. If that didn't work...
Thompson's shoulders sagged for a moment before the man finally moved over to Daniel's side.
"Do you think you might recognize it?" Daniel stepped back to give the man some room.
"Yeah..." Thompson stared at the portal for a moment. "It... it was sort of an 'F', only... the horizontal lines were pointing downward." He shrugged.
Daniel searched the arch and the doors. Midways down the doors he saw the rune. "Of course! Ansuz, the Ancestral God, Woden, better know as Odin."
Thompson gave him a strange look. "Is that good or bad?"
"Well, according to myth, Odin did often have a hidden agenda, but I hope that's just part of the myth. That the Asgard version isn't like that." Daniel frowned as he pushed the rune. It changed color, lighted up a little, but nothing else happened. "Hmm, some of the other runes are for other gods, and some of the markings are more pictograms than runes."
Taking a deep breath Daniel plunged into the translation of the door, or rather, tried to find anything he could tie to the rune for Odin. He said out loud: "Odin had two ravens, scavengers as well as bringers of tidings. Huginn," he tapped a rune, "is 'thought' and 'sensitivity'." He searched a little further to the right and found the other. "Muninn is 'memory,' 'mind' or even 'longing'." That one lighted up as well. Nothing else happened after that.
"Now what?" Thompson sounded almost... interested. Well, of course, he wanted to get out as much as Daniel did.
"Hmm..." Daniel dug into what little he could remember. At least it wasn't one of the minor Asgard gods, because then he'd have trouble remembering much of anything. "Wolves," he sudden cried out.
"Where?!" Thompson spun around.
"Oh, sorry," Daniel tried to look contrite, knowing he was failing utterly.
The glare Thompson gave him was positively deadly.
"Odin never ate. He ever only drank wine... whatever food was served to him, he would feed to his wolves..." Daniel's hand hovered over the writings on the door. "Freki, 'the greedy'," he pushed another rune. "And Geri, 'the ravenous'." One touch to the last rune and the door flashed.
TBC
---
"Wolves!"
*tee hee*
(Made me think of Babe.)
I'm likin' this one...*sits on edge of seat*
Re: "Wolves!"
I couldn't help myself. We all know Daniel can be such a bastard... *g* his inner devious self should be exercised every once in a while *eg*
no subject
::it's four a.m. should go to sleep::
p.s. i don't feel pity for thompson.
Re:
and yes, sleep is unfortunately necessary *g*
no subject
I always think of Daniel's inner evil demon as sounding like Jack! *g*
no subject
Well, it SHOULD sound like Jack *eg*