MISSING SCENE for Tangent
"Thank you, Your Eminence. I appreciate you taking the time to speak with me."
"I regret that we are unable to do anything to assist Colonel O'Neill and Teal'c. Their loss will be mourned on Tollana as well as Earth."
Daniel winced at her words. "Thank you. Jackson out." The connection broken, his fist slammed down onto the table with a resounding crack. "Ow!" Cradling his bruised hand he glared at the silent communication device left with the SGC by the Tok'ra. He'd contacted them first, and the nasty little prick -- easy does it, Daniel -- who'd answered the call had made it clear that the High Council was in the Tok'ra equivalent of a closed door session and nothing short of a Goa'uld attack would get them out.
Rising quickly, he paced the small confines of the room, wishing for something to do. This entire... mess was entirely over his head. Give him a room full of antiquities or documents in other tongues and he was fine. All this... physics was a nightmare. Not to mention the math. God, just watching Sam and Major Davis do the calculations necessary to finally find Jack and Teal'c gave him a headache. Sighing, he rubbed his temples trying to ease the pain in his head, a low-pitched beep going unnoticed for a short moment.
"Oh my God!" Daniel leaped for the Tok'ra device, stumbling over a chair in the process. Catching the table in front of him to keep from falling, he flipped the switch on the device, gasping out a frantic "Jackson here!"
He could hear the amusement in the voice coming over the transmitter. "Dr. Jackson, it is good to hear your voice."
"Anise?"
"Yes. I must apologize for Gadner. I was only made aware of your attempt to contact the High Council a short time ago. What is it you wish to speak to them about?"
"Anise, Colonel O'Neill and Teal'c were testing a new hybrid fighter, made partially from the two Death Gliders we salvaged a couple of years ago --"
"That was most unwise, Doctor Jackson."
"Uh, what... was unwise?"
"Goa'uld technology is well beyond your limited capabilities. Your people are --"
"Much too young. Yes, I know. Been there, done that, wrote the screenplay."
"I do not understand."
Daniel moaned, cursing his momentarily lapse into Jack O'Neillisms. "Never mind. We can debate the wisdom of the move at a later time. The ship has gone out of control, and has left Earth's orbit. I believe it's near Jupiter right now. We don't have anything that can retrieve them. The Tollans cannot intercept their ship in less than a year. Obviously that won't work. I haven't been able to reach the Asgard --"
"That is most worrisome." Anise's voice held a hint of concern. "The Asgard have always been most --"
"Look, Anise, right now I don't care about the Asgard. Can the Tok'ra help Jack and Teal'c or not?"
"We cannot." Her cool, crisp tones revealed no emotion whatsoever.
The color drained from Daniel's face as he sank weakly into a nearby chair. His voice was a study in misery. "You don't have a ship close enough."
"On the contrary, we do."
"You... do." Daniel was decidedly puzzled.
"Yes."
"Is there something that I'm missing here?" Daniel's normally patient temperament was fading rapidly.
"I do not mean to belittle the situation Colonel O'Neill and Teal'c have found themselves in, but the only ship we have nearby is a Tok'ra Teltac --"
"Terrific! That'll work great. How fast can it get there?"
"Please, hear me out, Dr. Jackson. The Teltac contains a Tok'ra agent who is on a vital mission for the H--"
"High Council. Yes, I get the picture. Well, change his mission."
"I regret that I cannot. Two lives are unimportant in the --"
"We're talking about Jack and Teal'c here, ANISE!"
"It is not necessary to shout, Dr. Jackson. You have already told me who occupies your ship."
"And you don't care!"
"On the contrary, Dr. Jackson, the Tok'ra will grieve --"
"At the deaths of Jack and Teal'c. Yeah, yeah. Peachy. I'm sure they'll appreciate it." Daniel took a deep breath to try and calm himself before continuing. "So, you won't help them."
"Once the agent completes his mission, he will be diverted to their position."
"What if that's too late to help them?" Daniel screamed into the transmitter.
"Please, Dr. Jackson --"
"I know. Don't shout."
"Precisely. I am confused. I had assumed from studying Earth traditions that the burial rituals were extremely important to your people. If we are unable to save Colonel O'Neill and Teal'c, we will return their bodies for internment. And I assure you, the High Council will send representatives to pay our respects."
"They'd rather you send the God-damned ship!" He rubbed his hand nervously through his hair. "I know. Don't shout!"
"Dr. Jackson, the Tok'ra who is on this mission is of great importance to Major Carter and yourself. I assure you, he will hasten to Colonel O'Neill and Teal'c's aid as soon as he hears of their predicament."
"And you won't tell him until he's completed his mission."
"That is correct."
"I guess we have nothing more to talk about. Sorry to have bothered you and your... missions."
"Please, Dr. Jackson, I have already told you more than you really needed to know. I will perform the appropriate ceremonies in hopes of a... how do you say it? Oh, yes... a happy ending."
Recovering his composure Daniel swallowed back yet another angry retort. "Thanks for your time, Anise. Jackson out." Disconnecting quickly before he could say more, he muttered. "Thanks for nothing."
God. So near, and yet so far. A ship within reach of Jack and Teal'c and they'd still die because the Tok'ra had a mission. No one would tell him about their... problem until it was far too late. An innocent pencil caught the brunt of Daniel's anger as he hurled it across the room. He watched enthralled as it hit the wall and snapped in two. Horrified, Daniel realized that he really wanted that to be Anise's neck. Crap!
They'd help if they could. He knew that. Anise couldn't help being... heartless. It was the Tok'ra way. After all, a Goa'uld by any other name was still a... Shit! He really wished he could have talked to Jacob. He'd always figured that Sam's father was the best Tok'ra around. Surely he could have made the High Cou... Jacob? Could it be that -- Anise had said the agent was important to both of them. The agent had to be Jacob.
He had to find Sam. If they could communicate with her father, Daniel was quite sure the older man would do everything in his power to save Jack and Teal'c. Daniel dove for the door, paused and turned to face the Tok'ra transmitter. "Thank you, Anise. We will save them. We will! Yes!" Slapping the doorframe with his open palm, he raced from the office, his heart much lighter than it had been in hours. This... fiasco would not end in failure. It simply couldn't.
© September 16, 2000 The characters mentioned in this story are the property of Showtime and Gekko Film Corp. The Stargate, SG-I, the Goa'uld and all other characters who have appeared in the series STARGATE SG-1 together with the names, titles and backstory are the sole copyright property of MGM-UA Worldwide Television, Gekko Film Corp, Glassner/Wright Double Secret Productions and Stargate SG-I Prod. Ltd. Partnership. This fanfic is not intended as an infringement upon those rights and solely meant for entertainment. All other characters, the story idea and the story itself are the sole property of the author.