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CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Sam felt eyes upon her.  She looked up to see that Ke'ra was watching her.

"Daniel has told me that you and he are in a relationship," the woman said.

The statement surprised Sam.  "Um, yes, we are.  Most people here don't know about it, though, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't talk about it around other people."

"May I ask why you are keeping it a secret?"

"It isn't really a secret.  My teammates know.  So do General Hammond and Janet.  We just don't want to be the target of a lot of gossip around base.  It's . . . kind of a complicated situation."

"I see."  Ke'ra studied Sam for a moment.  "Are you in love with him?"

"That's an awfully personal question, Ke'ra."

"I am sorry.  You're right.  It is not my place to ask."

This time, it was Sam who was doing the staring.  "Okay, let's put all our cards on the table.  I know that you're interested in him.  He told me about what happened in your quarters."

Ke'ra was obviously surprised.  "He did?  I would not have expected that."

"Daniel and I have a very honest relationship.  He would not have kept something like that a secret from me."

"I see.  Then I will be honest as well.  I find Daniel to be a very attractive and stimulating man.  Since the Vorlix, everyone on Vyus has chosen not to embark on any relationships because none of us know if we are attached to someone.  It has been . . . very lonely."

"Yes, I can imagine so."

"In Daniel I see someone with whom I could become very close.  However, that will obviously not be the case if he is in a relationship with you."

At that moment, Janet came back into the room, something for which Sam was grateful.

"It's late," Janet said.  "General Hammond suggested that we all stop for the night and get some sleep.  We can start fresh in the morning when our minds will be clearer."

"When will we resume?" Ke'ra asked.

"Let's make it seven a.m."

Ke'ra exited the lab, Sam watching her leave.

"Is something wrong, Sam?"

The major turned to Janet, who was looking at her questioningly.  "I don't know if I should tell you this, but Ke'ra hit on Daniel."

The doctor's eyes widened slightly.  "She did?  When?"

"Right after he took her on that tour of the base."

"What did he do about it?"

"He let her know that he was in a relationship with me, and that's as far as it went.  But Ke'ra was just probing me about our relationship, and. . . ."

"And what?"

Sam shook her head.  "It's nothing.  I think I'm just letting my knowledge of who she is affect what I'm seeing."

Janet frowned.  "Sam, though Ke'ra may have no memory of the atrocities that she committed, something in her personality allowed her to become what she did.  Now, I'm not saying that, without those memories, she'd still go down the same path, but if you have a bad feeling about her, you should be honest about it."

"No, it's okay.  Like I said, I'm just being influenced by what I know about her past."  Sam rose from the stool upon which she'd been sitting.  "I'm going to go get some sleep.  I'll see you in the morning."

Instead of going to her quarters, Sam went to Daniel's office.  She came to a halt upon seeing him asleep at his desk, his head pillowed on his crossed arms.  Smiling softly, she came up to him and laid a hand on his shoulder.  His eyes blinked open, and his head lifted.

"Sorry.  I guess I dozed off," he said as he put on his glasses.

"Why didn't you go to bed?"

"I wanted to know how things were going."

"We've stopped for the night.  I'm on my way to my quarters now.  We have made good progress, though."  Sam tugged at his arm.  "Come on.  We both need to get some sleep."

Daniel and Sam went down to Level 25 together.  They came to a stop at the door to Sam's quarters.

"I wish we could share a bed tonight," the archeologist said.

"Me too.  I'm really hoping we'll have an antidote soon so that I don't have keep sleeping on base."

The couple wished each other good night, and Daniel walked two doors down to his own quarters as Sam entered hers.  She got ready for bed, then crawled under the covers.  After turning off the light, she laid in the darkness, thinking about Ke'ra and the "vibe" she'd gotten from the woman.  It wasn't really hostility.  It was more of a feeling that Ke'ra looked upon her as a rival.  The problem was that rivalry could sometimes turn nasty, especially in the case of two women interested in the same man.  Not that Sam thought that Ke'ra would try to compete for Daniel's affections.  Even if she did, she wouldn't get anywhere with him.  Of that Sam was certain.  Even so, she couldn't wait for Ke'ra to be away from Daniel and out of their lives.


Sam approached Ke'ra and Janet.  The former was in the process of mixing two chemicals.

"Now be careful, Ke'ra," Janet warned.  "That could become unstable or even explosive."

Ke'ra's gaze turned to her.  "An unbalanced mixture could create a deadly poisonous gas.  We must not exceed a three percent solution."

"Okay.  Three percent."

Knowing that there was nothing she could do to help them, Sam went over to Daniel, who had arrived a few minutes ago.

"She's brilliant," the astrophysicist said in a low voice so as not to be overheard.

Daniel nodded.  "Yeah."

"She's so far ahead of us, Daniel.  It's frightening."

The archeologist frowned slightly at the comment.  The attempt to find a cure to the amnesia had resumed just a few hours ago, but, from what he could see, had already made great strides.  At the rate they were going, they might have an antidote well before the end of the day.  Once they did, he would have no choice but to tell Ke'ra that she could never take it and the reason why.

It was so sad that a woman as brilliant as Linea had become so evil.  Her knowledge and skills could have saved millions.  Instead, they took the lives of millions.  Why?  Why did she turn out like that?  It was a question that would very likely never be answered.

"Are you all right?"

Daniel looked at Sam, who'd asked the question.

"I'm just thinking about how someone with so much potential for good could turn out so bad."

"I know what you mean."  Sam's gaze grew searching.  "Are you also thinking about what you're going to have to tell her?"

Daniel nodded.  "I've tried composing the words in my head, but no matter how I say it, I know it's going to be hard for her to take."

Sam laid her hand on his arm.  "I know you'll do the best that anyone could.  You are so good at things like that.  You always seem to find the right words to say to make people feel better.  You've done it with me more times than I can count."

Daniel gave her a smile of gratitude.  "Thanks.  I appreciate the words of encouragement."

Across the room, Ke'ra glanced up and saw Daniel and Sam gazing at each other.  Jealousy speared through her.  The feelings that had grown inside her for Daniel were strong, and it upset her that he did not feel the same, that his heart belonged to another woman.  If only he could forget about Samantha Carter.  Then, surely, he would come to feel something for her.

For a moment, Ke'ra thought about exposing him to the concentrated form of D'Argol.  Then all his memories would be gone, including those of Major Carter, and she could convince him that they were lovers.  He would then be hers.  The problem was that it wouldn't work since the people here at the SGC would tell him the truth.  And if they did succeed in coming up with an antidote, it would be given to him as well.

Ke'ra mentally shook her head.  She shouldn't even be thinking such a thing.  It would be wrong to do that to Daniel.  She needed to just concentrate on coming up with the antidote.

Ke'ra and Janet finally succeeded in creating a mixture that tests indicated would not harm brain tissue and might succeed in dissolving the D'Argol residue.  There was, however, only one way to know for sure if it would work.

They were now in the infirmary with Orner and the Vyun woman, Diean.  Orner was sitting on one of the beds.  Also there were Sam, Teal'c, two guards, and some other medical personnel.

Janet filled a hypodermic with the test antidote as Ke'ra watched her.

"There is some danger," the blonde said.  "I would prefer to test it on myself."

"That's not an option," the doctor told her.

"May I ask why?"

"Because, if it's unsuccessful, we'll need your help to try again."

"If it's unsuccessful, Orner may die.  I would never forgive myself."

Orner spoke up.  "Then I forgive you now.  I know how important this is to our people."

Both Ke'ra and Diean looked unhappy about the situation.

"It must be injected directly into the carotid artery," Janet told Orner.  She sterilized the spot on his neck with a swab.  "Right here."  She met his eyes.  "You ready?"

Upon getting a nod, Janet placed the hypo against the man's neck.  Under any other circumstances, she would never dream of doing something like this without a great deal more testing, but the situation with the Vyuns would not allow for months of drug-testing, nor even weeks.  Every day brought the civilization closer to collapse.

Praying that she didn't kill Orner, she injected the fluid into his artery.

"How do you feel?" Ke'ra asked the man.  "The effect should be almost immediate."

An expression of surprise came to his face.  "I feel something."  His heart rate began to increase.

"Are you recalling anything?" Janet asked.

Suddenly, Orner went into convulsions.  He fell back on the bed.

"Orner!" cried Ke'ra.

"Help me hold him down!" Janet called to a nurse, who ran up and grabbed onto him.

Seconds later, the sound of the heart monitor changed to an unending tone.

"He's not breathing," Janet said.  "There's no pulse.  It's a code blue!"  The nurse put an oxygen mask over his face as Janet began doing chest compressions.

Medical personnel came rushing in with a defibrillator.  Janet was getting ready to lay the paddles on Orner's chest when his heart abruptly resumed a steady beat on its own.

"Wait a minute," the doctor said.  "He's stabilizing."  She put her stethoscope to his chest.  His eyes blinked opened.

Seeing that the crisis had passed, Janet asked the nurse to help get his head onto the pillow.  He looked around and spoke Ke'ra's name.  She went to his side.

"Do you remember?" she asked.

He shook his head slightly.  "I am sorry."

"Next time it will work."  Ke'ra looked at Janet.  "I believe I know where I miscalculated.  May we begin again?"

A little angry about her attitude considering what just happened, Janet replied, "Why don't we wait and see how Orner feels in a little while?"

"The effect would have been immediate.  It did not work.  We must try again."

Janet stared at her.  "And we will.  Later.  We need to let Orner rest for a while.  Besides, I think it's time that we all take a break."

"As you wish."

Just then, Daniel came in.  He looked around and saw everyone's expressions.

"What's wrong?"

Janet replied.  "We tested the antidote, but it didn't work, and Orner had an adverse reaction to it.  We're going to take a break and let him recover fully.  Perhaps you could take Ke'ra back to her quarters."

"Um, sure."

He accompanied Ke'ra to her quarters, along with Teal'c and the two guards.  When they got there, her eyes met the archeologist's.

"Daniel, may we be allowed to speak alone?"

"Sure."  He turned to Teal'c.  "I'm just going to stay for a minute."

"I will accompany you."

"I really don't think that's necessary."

The Jaffa stared at him.  "I am concerned only for your welfare, Daniel Jackson."

"I know, but it'll be all right."

Teal'c looked at Ke'ra, who was taking a seat on the bed.  He then turned away.

"Very well," he said, though it was obvious that he was not happy about it.

"Thank you."

Daniel entered the quarters and shut the door.

"They believe I am Linea," she said after the door was shut.

"Yes."

"Do you?"

Knowing that the time had come for him to tell her everything, Daniel dropped his gaze from hers.  "The Vorlix made the population of Vyus younger, years younger.  You couldn't find the elders because you were the elders."  He lifted his head and looked at her.

Ke'ra stared at him in disbelief.  "How can you believe that?"

"We have the proof, Ke'ra.  There is a test.  It compares what we call DNA.  It proves that you and Linea are the same person."

"Well, the test is wrong.  I'm not Linea."

Daniel stepped up to her.  "In a way, you are right about that.  Your memories as Linea are gone, so, in that way, you are no longer her.  As long as that doesn't change, you will never be her again."

"You're telling me that I will never be able to take the antidote."  Ke'ra got to her feet and faced him.  "I would never harm anyone, Daniel.  Do you believe me?"

"Yes, I do.  The woman you are now would not hurt anyone."  He paused a moment, then took her hands.  "Ke'ra, I know this is hard for you to accept, and I know that you wanted to regain your memories, but this is the way it has to be.  You are a good person, and you can stay that way.  You can go back to Vyus and continue helping people there."

Ke'ra stared at Daniel for a long moment, then suddenly stepped forward and pulled his lips down to hers.  He immediately broke away and took a quick step back. Seeing the look on his face, Ke'ra drew back a pace as well.

"Forgive me, Daniel.  I had no right to do that.  It is just that what I feel for you has grown so strong, and I cannot help but believe that you and I could—"

"Ke'ra, stop.  Please."  Daniel gazed at her, feeling both uncomfortable and a little upset about what she did.  He wanted to get out of there, but he had to talk to her about it.  "Okay, look.  You are a beautiful, appealing woman.  If I was not in a relationship with Sam, and we had met at some future time, I might have shared your feelings, but the truth is that it was not long ago that I lost my wife.  I loved her very much, and her death hit me really hard.  But then Sam and I became more than friends, and what I have with her has come to be very important to me.  I do understand what you're feeling, Ke'ra, and I am flattered.  Really I am."

Ke'ra turned away.  "But you can never feel the same for me."

"No.  I'm sorry."

She turned back to him.  "Thank you for being honest with me.  I would like to be alone now."

"Of course."

After Daniel left, Ke'ra stared at the closed door.  That brief moment that her lips were on Daniel's had made her feel so many things, excitement, longing and, most of all, intense desire.  She wanted to feel those things again.  She wanted to feel what it would be like to make love with him.  But it was a desire that would never be fulfilled because he loved another.

Daniel had said that, if he was not in a relationship with Major Carter and the two of them had met at some time in the future, he might have reciprocated her feelings.  That gave her some measure of hope.  Perhaps a day would come when Major Carter was no longer his lover.  Then she might have a chance with him.

But he believed that she was Linea, and that must be affecting his feelings for her.  Ke'ra was certain that he was wrong, that they were all wrong.  She was not Linea, and, somehow, she had to prove it.  But there was only one way to do that, and that would be to regain her memories.  Once she had them back, everyone would know the truth.  Then she could wait for the day that Daniel would come to her and fulfill her desire for him.


Daniel sat staring at the contents of his coffee cup, oblivious to the goings-on in the commissary.  What happened in Ke'ra's quarters was bothering him quite a bit.  He could understand the power of unrequited feelings, having experienced them himself in the past, but what Ke'ra did had still taken him by surprise.  He had believed her to have more self-control than that.

The truth was that he was also surprised by the strength of her feelings for him.  He had thought that it was just physical attraction caused by her lack of intimate contact with any men since the Vorlix, but it looked as if it was more than just that, and that could prove to be a problem.

Someone sat down at the table, but Daniel didn't look up to see who it was.

"You look like a man with a great deal on his mind," said the person, revealing that it was Jack.

Daniel let out a sigh.  "Yeah."

"Care to share?"

"I'm not sure that would be a good idea."

"Oh?  Do you mean just to me or to anyone?"  When the archeologist didn't reply, Jack guessed the answer, and it bothered him.  "You do mean just me."

"No, not just you, but I am probably going to have to tell Sam."

Jack stared at him.  "Daniel, what is this about?  Does it have to do with Ke'ra?  I heard about what happened at the test.  I also know that you talked to her alone in her quarters, which, in my opinion, was not exactly a wise thing to do.  Teal'c was not a happy camper about it."

Daniel finally looked at Jack.  "She knows that we believe she's Linea."

"Oh.  Did you tell her?"

"No, she figured it out for herself.  She thinks we're wrong."

"Well, I can understand that."  Jack's scrutiny intensified.  "So what else?  There has to be more to this than that."

Daniel went back to staring at his coffee.  "She, um . . . has feelings for me."

Jack's eyebrows rose.  "Feelings?  As in. . . ."

"Yeah."

"Wow.  You sure do have a knack for attracting the wrong kind of women, don't you."

Daniel winced and ducked his head.

Feeling contrite, Jack said, "Sorry.  But you can't deny that it's true, that is except for Carter.  Speaking of Carter, she doesn't know?"

"Yes, she knows, or at least part of it.  She doesn't yet know what just happened."

"Which is?"

Daniel glanced about the commissary.  They were virtually alone, everyone else at the opposite end of the room.  Even so, Daniel lowered his voice even more.

"Ke'ra . . . kissed me.  It caught me completely off-guard.  I stopped it right away, of course."

Jack was now frowning.  "Does she know that you and Carter are together?"

"Yes, I told her that the moment I found out that she was attracted to me, on the day she came here."

"And yet she's still going after you."

"I wouldn't exactly say that.  I think she was just caught up in her emotions."

Jack's frown had grown deeper.  "Daniel, I don't like this.  I want you to stay away from her."

The archeologist looked at him.  "She's not a danger to me, Jack."

"That woman coldly slaughtered who knows how many people, and now she's fixated on you, but you're not giving her what she wants.  If she remembers who she is, you will be her first target.  So you stay away from her, Daniel.  I mean it."

Daniel paused, then nodded.  The truth was that he was leery of being in Ke'ra's presence now, especially with no one else around.

He got up from the table.  "I'm going to go back to my office.  I'll see you later."  Coffee cup in hand, he left the commissary.  Jack watched him leave, the frown still on his face.  He then also departed the commissary.  He went straight to Teal'c's quarters.

"You look troubled, O'Neill," the Jaffa said upon seeing his expression.

"Troubled?  Yeah, I'm troubled, all right.  I just found out that the Destroyer of Worlds has a thing for Daniel."

"A thing?"

"She wants him, and, apparently, she's having a bit of trouble taking no for an answer."

Now, Teal'c was frowning.  "She desires Daniel Jackson?"

"Yep.  He's told her that he's with Carter, but I guess that wasn't enough to stop her from making a move on him."

"This is unsettling, O'Neill."

"You're damn right it is.  Now I've told Daniel to stay away from her, and he agreed, but this thing's got me worried.  I don't care what Daniel says about her memories.  She may not remember being Linea, but a leopard can't change its spots.  Once a genocidal monster, always a genocidal monster."

"You believe that, even if she never regains her memories, Ke'ra will become that kind of person again?"

"I think it's a possibility.  And who do you think she's going to be most eager to kill, if she does?"

"The man who rejected her advances."

"Exactly."

"What do you propose?"

"Whenever she's not in her quarters, I want you to stick to her like glue.  Don't let her out of your sight."

"I assure you that I will not, O'Neill."

"And, once that antidote has been made and given to the Vyuns, we are all going to have to think long and hard about what we're going to do about Ke'ra, because, as far as I'm concerned, Daniel won't be safe until that woman is behind bars . . . or dead."

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