CHAPTER EIGHT
As Janet got some clothes for Egeria, Hammond and Daniel's teammates left, the latter three telling the archeologist that they'd see him later.
"They are your friends," Egeria guessed.
Daniel nodded. "And my teammates."
Figuring that now would be a good time to do so, the archeologist told Egeria the rest of the story about how she came to be there.
"So, my original consciousness died with my body," she said.
"Yes, but not before she . . . you gave the Pangarans what they needed to save their people. But you didn't just save them, Egeria. You saved the Jaffa race as well. Teal'c and several other rebel Jaffa no longer carry Goa'uld larvae. Thanks to you and the Tok'ras' ability to synthesize Tretonin, they are no longer dependent on the Goa'uld for survival. We're hoping that a day will come when all Jaffa are using Tretonin."
"That would be a great day." Egeria smiled. "You have brought me to this time to the wonderful news that the days of the Goa'uld are surely numbered."
Janet returned with some civilian clothes that she'd borrowed from one of her nurses. She took Egeria to the bathroom and helped her get dressed. While she was at it, she also instructed the woman on how the toilet, sink, and towel dispenser worked.
"We could dress you in BDUs, but I figured that you'd be more comfortable in civilian clothing," the doctor said.
"BDUs?" Egeria repeated.
"Battle Dress Uniform. It's what many of the personnel here wear."
"Ah, the clothing Daniel and his teammates are wearing."
"That's right. It's not especially attractive, but it's practical."
"Is Daniel in your world's military?"
"No, he's a civilian, although he is equally as capable as any of the military personnel in a battle situation. He's had to learn to be in order to survive."
Egeria shook her head in wonder. "On Estrania, he was a scholar and an architect. It is strange for me to think of him fighting in battles."
"Well, it took him several years to really get used to doing that, and, even now, I know that he wishes that it wasn't necessary."
Egeria looked at the doctor closely. "Then why does he do it? Are there not other duties he could perform that would not require that he fight?"
"Well, Daniel is also the lead archeologist and linguistic expert in the program, as well as our lead negotiator, so he has a great many duties to perform besides going out on missions. If he wanted to, he could leave SG-1, his team, and just work on base, but I think Daniel feels that he also needs to be going out there in the galaxy, helping the people we encounter, doing all he can to stop the Goa'uld."
Egeria nodded, her expression softening with admiration and affection. "Yes, that is no surprise. He has a great need to help people all he can."
Janet studied the woman. "You two became pretty close, I'm guessing."
Egeria smiled softly. "He is the dearest friend I have ever had. He became very precious to me."
Wondering if their relationship had been more than just friends, Janet exited the infirmary with Egeria and took her to the lab that had been set up for making the drug. Daniel, Jacob and Ellan were there, along with one of the program's civilian scientists, a chemist named Doctor Albert Breck. Daniel introduced the former Goa'uld queen to the man.
"Well, since I will be of absolutely no use to you with this, I'm going to go get my report done," he then said.
Egeria's gaze went to him. "I will see you again later?"
"Uh huh. I'll come back in a while and see how you guys are doing."
Egeria watched him leave, wishing that he would stay if for no other reason than that she could look upon his face. A part of her still feared that this was some kind of dream, that she would soon awaken to find herself still a prisoner of the Pangarans. It all seemed just too wonderful that she was not only free but was also with Daniel again.
"Shall we get started?" asked Ellan, his voice bringing Egeria's mind back to the task at hand.
She nodded and stepped forward, now focused fully upon the task of saving Egerania's children.
It was well into the evening when Daniel returned to the lab. Egeria smiled upon seeing him.
"How's it going?" he asked.
"We're coming right along," Jacob replied. "Most of the chemicals are ones that we can get here. There are just a few that we're going to have to get off-world. Ellan will be leaving in a bit to go see about that."
"That's good news." Daniel turned to Egeria. "Are you getting hungry? I thought that we could get something to eat, if you can leave for a while."
"I would like that very much." She looked at the two Tok'ra and Doctor Breck. "Can you carry on without me for a short while?"
"Sure," Jacob replied. "Actually, we really should all take a break and eat something. I'm pretty hungry myself."
Ellan got to his feet. "I will leave for the Tok'ra base now, then. I will return when I have obtained all of the required chemicals." He turned to Egeria and bowed his head deeply. "If it pleases you, I will pass on a greeting from you to the Tok'ra High Council, My Queen. They are all eager to see you."
"It would please me greatly for you to do so. However, I wish for you not to address me as 'My Queen'. I am not your sovereign, Ellan. I am Egeria, your mother. Please call me one of those two things."
The Tok'ra scientist paused, then nodded once. "I will be honored, then, to call you by your name." Saying that he would be back as soon as possible, he then left.
Jacob joined Daniel and Egeria for dinner in the commissary, Doctor Breck choosing to get something to take back to the lab so that he could keep working.
Selecting the items for Egeria's dinner proved to take a while as Daniel explained what each thing she didn't recognize was and tried to describe what it tasted like. When they got to the dessert section, she saw something she recognized immediately.
"Is that chocolate?" she asked with an eager smile.
Daniel looked at the piece of cake. "It sure is," he answered with a little smile.
"Oh, may I have some? I have not had chocolate in so very long."
"You bet." He picked up the plate and set it on her tray.
Upon sitting at a table, Egeria wanted to eat the cake right away, but she knew that she needed to eat her dinner first. She tried each thing on her plate one at a time, finding that she liked some things far better than others. She did not like the thing called cauliflower at all, finding it too bland.
"I'm not a fan of it either," Daniel told her, "although it's not bad mixed with broccoli."
He turned back to his own meal and resumed eating, unaware that Egeria was now watching him. Jacob was quite aware of it, however. From his place at the table, he had a ringside seat to the way that Egeria's eyes were all but devouring the archeologist. There could be no mistaking the look that was in those eyes and written all over her face.
'She still loves him,' Selmak said inside his host's mind.
'Oh, yeah. That's quite obvious. So, what do you think this is going to mean? Once she's in her new symbiote body and blended with a host, she'll be rejoining the Tok'ra.'
'Yes, you are right.' The Tok'ra watched as Egeria and Daniel began a conversation, the dark-haired woman's attention focused intently upon the archeologist. 'But that is not the only issue. Once Egeria is in her cloned body, she will be a young queen again with her entire life span ahead of her. Daniel is a human. Even if he agreed to become a Tok'ra, which I seriously doubt he would, he still would not live nearly as long as her.'
Jacob sighed internally. 'So, sooner or later, she's going to lose him again.'
Egeria managed to fight temptation and finished her dinner before digging her fork into the chocolate cake. Daniel watched in amusement as she put a piece in her mouth, her eyes closing at her first taste of chocolate in hundreds of years.
"Mmmm," she sighed blissfully as she chewed. When she opened her eyes, she saw Daniel grinning at her, his blue eyes bright with laughter.
"Taste good?" he inquired.
She swallowed the piece and scooped up another. "Oh, yes." She paid more attention to the flavor on the next bite. "I believe it tastes different from the chocolate you created."
"Yeah, it would. This is the real thing, not something put together with substitute ingredients."
Egeria shook her head. "Yours was equally as delicious, Daniel. It was simply a little different."
"Well, thank you. If I ever decided to quit the program, I guess I can start a career making chocolate."
"Yeah, and forget about just going global. You could go galactic," Jacob suggested, smiling slightly.
Daniel shook his head. "The shipping costs would be murder."
Once Egeria had consumed every crumb of the cake, she, Daniel and Jacob returned to the lab. Daniel then went back to his office.
It was going on ten o'clock when he looked up to see Egeria standing in the doorway.
"Hey," he greeted with a smile. "Are you done for the night?"
Egeria came in the room. "Yes, there is not much more that we can do until Ellan returns with the other chemicals." She looked around. "This is where you work?"
"Yep. Actually, I just about live here, when I'm not on a mission."
Egeria's eyes focused upon him. "You do not have a wife and children now?"
Daniel shook his head. "No, I never remarried. The truth is that I was . . . gone during one of these last three years," Daniel said.
Egeria was puzzled by the odd way he said the word "gone" and the look that was on his face. "What do you mean?"
Daniel paused for a moment. "I wasn't planning on telling you this quite so soon. You see, around a year and a half ago, there was an accident off-world."
The archeologist told Egeria the whole story of the radiation sickness, his ascension, what he knew about the year he was ascended, and the circumstances of his return to human form. Egeria's eyes were wide and filled with wonder at the tale.
"This is extraordinary," she said. "I know of the Ancients, as do all Goa'uld. It is incredible that you were among them for a year." She smiled. "This Oma Desala chose wisely in selecting you to join them."
Daniel ducked his head. "Well, I don't know about that. I'd say that there was probably more than one of the Ascended who thought I was a pain in the ass."
Egeria laughed softly. "And why is that, my Daniel?"
"You should know, Egeria. You had firsthand experience on how stubborn I can be when I'm trying to get someone to see things a certain way."
The mother of the Tok'ra smiled fondly. "Not stubborn, my dear Daniel, perseverant."
"Oh, Jack would definitely argue with you on that point." Noticing that she looked a little tired, he got to his feet. "I'm sure that you'd like to get some sleep. I'll take you to your room."
As they exited the office, Daniel saw a sergeant standing a few feet away, who straightened from his relaxed stance upon seeing them. Realizing that he was probably Egeria's escort, the archeologist told the man that he'd take over. The sergeant bid them good night and left.
Daniel and Egeria descended to Level 25. As they got off the elevator and headed down the corridor, the linguist said, "We got lucky with your quarters. Normally, guests are put in the section with the VIP rooms, but the room right across from mine was empty, so I got them to put you there. In that way, if you have problems or want to talk about something, I'll be right there across the hall from you."
They stopped at one of the doors, and Daniel ran his keycard through the lock, telling Egeria that he'd get her a keycard tomorrow. They entered the room.
"It isn't much," Daniel said, "certainly nothing compared to your chambers in the palace. Seeing as we're underground, a balcony or window isn't possible."
"It is fine," Egeria assured him. "When I was in hiding from the Goa'uld, I slept in places far worse than this." She sat on the bed and ran a hand over the covers. "I often did not have a bed at all."
"Right. Of course. Well, I'll let you get some sleep. I'll see about having someone bring you some clean clothes in the morning. You may have to wear BDUs until someone can do some shopping for you."
Daniel was almost to the door when Egeria's voice stopped him.
"Wait. Please stay for a while."
Hearing the quiet plea in her voice, Daniel came over and sat beside her on the bed. "What's wrong, Egeria?"
Her eyes searched his face, a hand coming out to touch his cheek. "In my mind, I know that all of this is real, but my heart still fears that it is not. It has ached for so long to see you again. Even after I knew that you must be dead from old age, I still dreamed of you returning someday."
Daniel's throat began to tighten. "Egeria, I'm so sor—"
His apology was cut off by her fingers covering his mouth.
"No, do not apologize, Daniel. I knew from the moment we said goodbye that you would never return. I understood then, and I understand even more now that I know the whole truth. You owe me no apologies. As much as I may have wanted you to stay, you could not have done so. What you do here is far too important." She smiled and took both of his hands in hers. "So tell me about yourself, all the things you could not tell me before."
"Aren't you tired?"
"A little, but I do not wish to sleep yet."
"Um . . . all right. Well, first of all, my full name is Daniel Jackson."
Egeria sounded out the name, deciding that she liked it. "Where were you born?"
"In Egypt."
That surprised Egeria. "Ra's domain?"
"Well, it hasn't been his domain for a very long time."
Egeria nodded. "Yes, of course."
"He's dead now."
Egeria's eyes stared into his intently. "How?"
"We killed him, me and Jack, to be precise, blew him and his ship up in a nuclear explosion."
"Tell me about it," Egeria requested eagerly, delighted that her most hated enemy was dead.
Daniel told Egeria all about the first mission through the Stargate, which, of course, led to him telling her about Sha're, how they met and how he ended up married to her. He could tell that Egeria was amused by the tale. He went on to recount the rest of the events, culminating with his decision to stay on Abydos with his wife.
"How long were you with her on Abydos before she was taken by the Goa'uld?"
"Around a year and four months, Earth time." Daniel hesitated a moment. "It was Apophis who took her. She became the host to his mate, Amaunet."
Egeria's gaze sharpened. "What of Teal'c?"
Daniel's gaze dropped from hers. "He was there. This was before he rebelled."
"But, as First Prime, it would have been his duty to be the one to present women for Apophis and Amaunet's selection."
Daniel gave a low sigh. "Yeah."
"And yet he is now your friend and teammate."
Daniel's gaze drifted across the room. "In the beginning, after I learned his part in Sha're becoming a host, I really wanted to hate him, but I realized that he had no choice. If he had refused to do those things, he'd have been killed, and someone else would have taken his place. Nothing would have been accomplished. I know that he hated the things he was made to do."
Egeria was amazed. She had come to see how very much Daniel had loved his wife, and yet he'd given forgiveness to a man who had a part in her being taken from him.
"Well, it really is getting late," Daniel said.
Egeria nodded, saying nothing. She did not want him to leave. She wanted so badly for him to stay, to be there when she woke up in the morning.
Chastising herself for her weakness, Egeria stood when he did and went with him to the door.
"I'll see you bright and early in the morning," he said with a smile. He was reaching for the doorknob when he found his other hand in Egeria's grasp. And then she was holding him.
"I cannot express the joy inside me over our reunion," she murmured.
Knowing that she really needed this, Daniel pulled her close. She laid her cheek on his shoulder and held on.
As Daniel held her, he felt something stir deep inside him. Almost of its own volition, his hand began to stroke her long, silky hair. He could feel Egeria's warm breath on his skin, and it felt good. Holding her felt good.
Unsettled by what he was feeling, Daniel gently pulled away. He smiled down at her.
"Good night, Egeria. Sweet dreams."
Releasing him, Egeria watched him leave, knowing that her dreams tonight would be very sweet indeed.
Daniel knocked on Egeria's door, hoping that it wasn't too early. He'd realized after going to bed last night that no one had thought to show her how to use the shower, and he figured that she might want to wash up.
"Who is there?" asked a voice through the door.
"It's Daniel."
"Enter."
The archeologist ran his keycard through the slot and went in. Not seeing Egeria, he looked toward the bathroom just as she came out – wearing nothing but a blouse and panties.
Daniel gasped, his throat suddenly going dry. He couldn't stop his eyes from passing over her body and down to her long, shapely legs.
Flushing and dropping his gaze to the floor, he stammered out, "I-I-I'm sorry. I-I'll, uh, come back after you're . . . you're all dressed."
As he took a step backwards toward the door, he was surprised to hear her laugh. He looked up to see her smiling at him.
"Why does this embarrass you?" she asked. "You have seen far more of my body than this. True, it was not this body, but there were no great differences between it and this one."
Daniel told himself that she was right. It's not like he could really see all that much anyway. There was no need to get all flustered.
With that thought in mind, he focused his gaze resolutely on Egeria's face, keeping his mind off the fact that she was quite clearly not wearing a bra under that blouse.
"Um, I thought you might want to wash," he said, "and I doubt that anyone told you how to use the shower."
"Shower? Is that the small cubicle with the glass door? I saw that it had handles like the sink, but I did not know its purpose."
Daniel moved past her and went into the bathroom. "These rooms don't have bathtubs, just showers." He opened the shower door and turned on the water, adjusting the temperature until it was nice and warm.
Egeria put her hand under the spray and smiled. "It is like warm rain."
"Uh huh. You can make the water hotter or colder by turning the handles." He gave her a quick lesson on how to adjust the temperature. Then he showed her the bottle of shampoo and the bar of soap.
"I'll let you wash up," he said, "and I'll see about getting you some clothes to wear. The towels there are for you to dry off with."
After Daniel had left, Egeria removed the blouse and panties and got into the shower. The feeling of the warm water hitting her body felt quite pleasant, and she just stood there for a few moments. She then began to wash herself. As she ran the soap over her body, she thought about how Daniel had looked at her before he'd dropped his gaze to the floor. She had seen the way his eyes passed over her body, the admiration in their blue depths, and it had filled her with pleasure. She wanted to see desire in those eyes.
Egeria looked down at herself, examining the body in which she now resided. It was taller than Arria's, the hips a little fuller, the breasts a bit larger. She closed her eyes as she imagined these breasts cupped by Daniel's large hands, his fingers gliding over the peaks.
Feeling herself becoming aroused, Egeria pushed that thought out of her mind. Now was not the time for such thoughts. There was work to be done.
Egeria was out of the shower and combing her wet hair with her fingers when there was a knock on the door. Very tempted to greet Daniel with nothing on at all, she resisted the temptation and wrapped a couple of towels around her body. She was disappointed when it turned out to be a female member of the personnel instead of Daniel.
The woman gave her some clothes, along with a comb, brush, blow-dryer, and toothbrush and paste. She showed Egeria how to use the blow-dryer, a device that the Tok'ra queen thought was quite wonderful, then explained the purpose of the toothbrush and paste.
Once the woman had left, Egeria dried and brushed her hair, then got dressed. Though she did not mind the T-shirt and pants, she hated the boots, which felt heavy and clumsy on her feet. She was accustomed to much lighter footwear. She removed them and put on the shoes that she had worn yesterday.
Another knock heralded Daniel's return. He was relieved to see that she was all dressed when he opened the door. He'd had a hard time getting the image of her body out of his mind.
Noticing that she was not wearing the boots, he smiled. "Don't like the boots?"
She frowned. "They are heavy and awkward. How can the other women walk in such things?"
"They get used to it. So, are you ready for some breakfast?"
Egeria loved the pancakes she got, just about drowning them in syrup. She was halfway through the stack when Daniel's teammates came over to the table, trays in hand.
"May we join you?" Sam asked with a smile.
"Sure," Daniel replied.
Once the three people had taken their seats, Egeria began to study them. She knew almost nothing about them, except what she had learned about Teal'c. She wanted to know more, who these people where that were Daniel's friends. She turned to the blonde-haired woman beside her first.
"How did your father come to be Selmak's host?"
"Oh, that's a bit of a story. We'd only just met the Tok'ra at the time. Dad was dying of cancer, and the only hope he had was to become a host. He didn't know anything about the Stargate Program, or the Goa'uld, or anything else, so we had to do a lot of explaining."
Egeria frowned. "Why did he not know those things?"
"Oh, um, that's something I didn't explain," Daniel replied. "You see, the majority of Earth's population doesn't know anything about the Stargate. We've kept it and the knowledge of the Goa'uld and other alien races a secret from them."
"Why?"
It was Sam who answered. "Because we don't think that they're ready to know. You see, up until we figured out what the Stargate was, we had no hard proof that there was intelligent life in the universe besides what was here on Earth. Many people believed that there must be some out there somewhere, but it was all just theories and speculations as to what might be living on other worlds."
Daniel took over. "There is a concern that if Earth's people discovered that there is an evil and powerful race of beings out there whom we are at war with, they wouldn't react well."
"Panicking and rioting is a concern," Jack remarked.
"So, until we think that everyone could handle it, we're keeping it a secret."
Egeria nodded. "I agree that it is wise for you to do so."
As she continued eating, Egeria learned a few things about Daniel's teammates. She was impressed by the intellect of Samantha and recognized in her the same passion for her work that was within Daniel. She was also impressed with Teal'c, whose fire and determination to bring about the end of the Goa'uld was quite easy to see. The grey-haired man named Jack O'Neill was harder to read. She got the impression that he did not fully trust her, though he never said anything untoward.
After the meal was over, Daniel took Egeria to the lab.
"I do not believe that your friend, Jack, trusts me," she remarked on the elevator.
Daniel sighed. "Don't mind him. He's just got an issue about what you used to be."
"A Goa'uld."
"Yeah. Jack is not someone who gives his trust easily. You have to earn it. It's just going to take him a while to get past the Goa'uld thing."
"I understand."
Egeria, Jacob and Doctor Breck had been working for about an hour when Ellan returned with the needed chemicals. Three hours after that, the four of them went to the infirmary.
"We've got it," Jacob announced to Janet.
The doctor looked at the bottle in his hand. "And you're sure that the formula is the same?"
"We had to substitute a couple of the chemicals with Earth equivalents, but, yes, it should work the same."
"So, what is the procedure?"
Egeria explained how the drug should be administered. "You will know when she is ready to be placed within the sarcophagus when you see her skin flush."
Janet gave a nod. "All right. I have to admit that using an untested drug on a child makes me really nervous, but I trust you when you say that this will work."
A while later, Janet, Jacob, Egeria, and three-quarters of SG-1, were in the gate room, along with Patricia, who lay in a deep coma on a gurney. Marcus and Flavia were not there, the two having reluctantly gone back home after the girl was placed in the cryogenic capsule. The other person who was missing was Sam, who'd said that she needed to get something.
She arrived a couple of minutes before the scheduled departure time. She walked up to Egeria and held out to her the items she was carrying.
"These are called sneakers," she said. "They'll be a lot more practical for wearing on the mission than those shoes you have on, but I think you'll find them more comfortable than the boots. You look like you're just about the same shoe size as me, so they should fit okay."
"Thank you, Samantha."
The Tok'ra queen sat on the ramp and put on the socks that Sam had also brought, then the sneakers, getting a quick lesson from the major on how to tie the shoelaces. She then stood and tried the shoes out.
"They are quite comfortable," she said approvingly. "They feel lighter than what I would expect."
Sam nodded. "Those are running shoes, designed especially for jogging."
"Jogging?"
"A form of exercise where you do a lot of running," Daniel explained.
At that moment, the gate began to dial, ending the conversation. Teal'c gently gathered Patricia into his arms. He would be carrying her through the gate.
When they arrived on Egerania, Egeria was quite surprised to discover that the Stargate was inside, and Daniel explained the reason why it was.
As they reached the stop of the stairs and Egeria saw the city, she let out a gasp, her eyes widening. Daniel had told her that it was incredible, even grander than her beloved city on Estrania, but his words had not been enough to prepare her for the sight.
"Oh, it is glorious, Daniel, more beautiful than I could have imagined."
As soon as the guards at the gate saw who had arrived, a message was sent to Marcus. Having been told in advance to do so, they immediately took the group from Earth to the sarcophagus. The Chief Magistrate met them there.
"You have the drug that you said would enable us to use the healing box?" he asked anxiously. He had been told about the drug, but nothing else, so he had no idea who had provided the formula.
Daniel smiled at him. "Yes, we do. Marcus, I'd like you to meet someone." He looked at the black-haired woman beside him. "This is—"
"Ria," Egeria interrupted.
Daniel stared at her in surprise for a moment. Recovering, he said, "She was, um . . . instrumental in creating the drug. We couldn't have done it without her."
Marcus took one of Egeria's hands in both of his. "Thank you. I cannot express my gratitude."
Patricia was laid on the top of the sarcophagus, and Janet injected the drug. They all waited for it to take effect. When the girl's whole body appeared flushed with fever, Egeria said that it was time. The child was placed within the sarcophagus. Several minutes passed before the healing was complete. As soon as it was, Janet gave the girl a fast-acting sedative, then the heavy-duty painkiller that she hoped would enable Patricia to withstand the pain caused by the drug.
"The sedative will keep her out for a couple of hours," the doctor explained. "Let's get her home and to bed."
Carriages quickly took everyone to Marcus' home. Patricia's parents and grandmother were anxiously waiting outside as they pulled up. At Egeria's instruction, a bed was made up for the child on one of the balconies that was in the sun. Janet and Patricia's parents remained there as the others went back downstairs to await the girl's awakening.
Daniel pulled Egeria aside.
"Why didn't you want me to tell Marcus who you are?" he asked.
"Because I do not wish for these people to know. You told me that they chose to honor me by refusing to have a king or queen rule them, but I am their queen no longer."
"You're afraid that, if they find out who you are, they'll want you to take the throne."
Egeria nodded. "It is better for them to be unaware of my true identity."
Patricia awakened at right around the time Janet had anticipated. Her parents and grandparents gathered around her.
"Mama?" the child said.
Flavia grasped her hand. "I am here, my darling."
"Mama, it hurts."
Janet immediately stepped forward. "Where does it hurt, Patricia?"
"All over. It burns." The child began to whimper. "It burns."
"It is the pain of the drug," Egeria said with a sigh.
Janet frowned. "I gave her a high dose of pain medication. The pain must be excruciating if she's still feeling it that much."
Egeria nodded. "It was only because of my natural abilities to deaden pain that I was able to withstand it when I used the drug."
"Can you give her more pain meds?" Jack asked, really hating to see the little girl suffering.
"She's almost on the maximum dosage now, Colonel," Janet replied. "I don't think that the little more I could give her would make much of a difference." She shook her head, watching as Patricia began to cry from the pain. "We may have no choice but to keep her sedated until the drug's side effects fade." She looked at Egeria. "How long can we expect that to be?"
"Several days, I am afraid."
"Maybe we should take her back to Earth," Sam suggested.
"That would be fine for her, but what about all the other kids we're going to do this for?" Daniel asked. "We can't take them all."
"You're right," Janet said. She injected Patricia with another dose of sedative. After a few minutes, the girl's whimpering ceased as she slipped into sleep.
"So, how are we going to do this?" Jacob asked. "Not only are we going to have to sedate all the kids, we're also going to have to make sure they get enough sunlight."
Janet turned to Marcus. "Do you have a stadium? Some kind of outdoor arena?"
"Yes, there is the arena where the games are played."
"I hope it's big enough to hold all the children we'll be putting there, if this turns out to work."
Jack looked down at the sleeping child. "So, now we have to wait to make sure that she won't have withdrawal symptoms?"
Janet gave a nod. "Judging by what happened with the other children, we'll know for sure by tomorrow morning. In the meantime, we can start making preparations. We need to move the sarcophagus to the arena. Then we're going to have to set up a triage area for the kids that will be coming in. I'll need some of my staff here. As each child is treated, we'll sedate them and hook them up to an IV to keep them under. I really don't like the idea of keeping them sedated for so long, but there's nothing else we can do. I need to contact the base. I'm guessing that we're going to need a whole lot of sedatives."
"And a whole lot of that drug," Jacob added.
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