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thefroggTitle: Where We Live (9/?)
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
thefrogg
Beta:fluffnutter
Rating: PG13-ish
Disclaimer: Everyone but Webber belongs to other people. Damnit.
Summary: Lorne's team has long been responsible for Todd's security. When they take Todd out to investigate an abandoned Wraith base, their changing attitudes towards the captive Wraith sparks a series of events no one in Atlantis is ready for.
A/N: Big thank you to my readers for patience!
Previous Chapters: Prologue | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Interlude | Part 8 | Notes
"Have a seat, Doctor Jackson."
Daniel froze instead, watching as Lorne closed his office door and circled his desk.
"Sit." Lorne looked up and jerked his chin sideways.
"I'm not your enemy, Evan." Daniel spoke softly, edging smoothly toward the indicated chair.
Frustration and challenge flashed in Lorne's eyes. "If you were anyone else, I'd have told you to go home." One hand fisted on the desktop; Lorne inhaled deeply, then added, "Except Teal'c. Maybe."
"I'm not here to make things difficult for you, either. Or Todd."
"Why are you here then?"
"To talk to Todd. Because no one knows anything about the Wraith. Because he's just like Teal'c was, but-"
"No, he's not."
Daniel blinked at the interruption. "Evan, Teal'c-"
"Was First Prime of Apophis when he joined SG-1," Lorne stated flatly.
"Okay, and Todd's a Wraith."
"The parallels are superficial at best, Doctor Jackson." Lorne crossed his arms and glared, his entire body so tense he was all but vibrating.
A furrow appeared between Daniel's eyebrows. "Okay," he said, nodding uncertainly. "Granted, I don't know that much about Todd, but-"
"Teal'c was First Prime." Lorne leaned over his desk, hands flat on the surface as he lowered himself to eyelevel without sitting down. "He had a position of trust and power. He was physically healthy and mentally stable."
Daniel swallowed, adjusting his glasses. "And Todd?"
"Does January 27, 1945 mean anything to you? Because comparing Todd to the survivors would be generous." The last word was hissed through bared teeth.
"Of course, the liberation of Auschwitz by the Soviets, but that's not--Evan, I haven't met him, but that, that can't be--" Daniel stopped, shook his head.
Lorne waited, snagging his chair with one foot and sitting down.
"You're obviously pissed at Sam," and Daniel couldn't quite keep the resentment from coloring his tone. "I'm not entirely sure why, and I don't have a clue what you think you're going to manage by antagonizing her. Taking it out on me isn't going to help."
"If I'd wanted to antagonize her, I wouldn't have tapdanced around the fact that the SGC barely pays lip service to the Geneva Conventions," Lorne said mildly.
"That's not true and you know it!"
"Do I? Then tell me something, Doctor. What do the Wraith consider to be torture?"
Daniel had no answer.
"You don't know, do you? They were written by humans, for humans, and we don't bother to work out what the equivalents would be for those we call our friends and allies. Much less for our enemies."
"For Todd."
Lorne nodded.
"Why didn't you say anything? If Todd's in as bad a shape as you say he is, then--"
"There are only a handful of people in this city who haven't been treating Todd as their personal whipping boy. I am not about to give anyone any more amunition."
"And telling people what they've been doing wrong also tells them how to make things worse. Okay, wow, that's..." Daniel rubbed his forehead, trying to stave off the headache blossoming behind his eyes. "So how can I help?"
"Well, now, that depends on you."
"You have to know that this policy of enforced ignorance isn't going to help him in the long run. All it's doing now is burning your bridges."
"They're my bridges to burn."
"Evan, I'm trying to, I came here as a friend. You said so yourself, you would have turned anyone else away. This is not helping." Restless, Daniel pushed himself to his feet and paced the small area between the desk and the door, one hand rubbing the back of his neck. "You asked Sam what she knew about Wraith biology, social structure, laws and customs. I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that some of that information would be dangerous for Todd if it were widely known. What about the rest? Are there things I can ask him without putting him at risk? Things that will give me leverage?"
"And here I thought I was going to have to kick you back through the 'gate."
Daniel stopped and turned, surprised less at the lack of humor on Lorne's face than the sudden loss of tension. "You were baiting me. You were baiting Sam. Jesus, Evan, you could have told me--" He sank back into his chair.
Lorne shrugged. "Like I said, my bridges to burn. The only one I give a damn about right now is Todd."
"And," Daniel said slowly, bits and pieces fitting together, "you can't afford to be angry around Todd, because he'll pick up on it and might think you're angry at him."
"I'm not going to tell you what you can't talk to Todd about. He doesn't work like that."
"I don't--"
"There are some things that will be more valuable if timed properly. And some that I'd prefer to keep a secret, period."
"Okay? So if you're not going to limit my questions, then...?"
"You'll know. Or you can ask me. One thing I will warn you about..." Lorne shifted his weight, drawing his sidearm.
"What's that?" Daniel eyed Lorne warily as he ejected the clip, then removed the round from the barrel. "And why--?"
"Don't use sarcasm around him." Lorne slid the full clip across the desk, then stood and reholstered his weapon. "Hold on to that."
"Um, okay? Is this--?"
"I'm not entirely sure how Todd's going to react to you in our quarters, but if I'm right, we'll just call it item number one on the list of things to keep secret."
Daniel looked down at the black case in his hand and swallowed.
Author:
thefroggBeta:
fluffnutter Rating: PG13-ish
Disclaimer: Everyone but Webber belongs to other people. Damnit.
Summary: Lorne's team has long been responsible for Todd's security. When they take Todd out to investigate an abandoned Wraith base, their changing attitudes towards the captive Wraith sparks a series of events no one in Atlantis is ready for.
A/N: Big thank you to my readers for patience!
Previous Chapters: Prologue | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Interlude | Part 8 | Notes
"Have a seat, Doctor Jackson."
Daniel froze instead, watching as Lorne closed his office door and circled his desk.
"Sit." Lorne looked up and jerked his chin sideways.
"I'm not your enemy, Evan." Daniel spoke softly, edging smoothly toward the indicated chair.
Frustration and challenge flashed in Lorne's eyes. "If you were anyone else, I'd have told you to go home." One hand fisted on the desktop; Lorne inhaled deeply, then added, "Except Teal'c. Maybe."
"I'm not here to make things difficult for you, either. Or Todd."
"Why are you here then?"
"To talk to Todd. Because no one knows anything about the Wraith. Because he's just like Teal'c was, but-"
"No, he's not."
Daniel blinked at the interruption. "Evan, Teal'c-"
"Was First Prime of Apophis when he joined SG-1," Lorne stated flatly.
"Okay, and Todd's a Wraith."
"The parallels are superficial at best, Doctor Jackson." Lorne crossed his arms and glared, his entire body so tense he was all but vibrating.
A furrow appeared between Daniel's eyebrows. "Okay," he said, nodding uncertainly. "Granted, I don't know that much about Todd, but-"
"Teal'c was First Prime." Lorne leaned over his desk, hands flat on the surface as he lowered himself to eyelevel without sitting down. "He had a position of trust and power. He was physically healthy and mentally stable."
Daniel swallowed, adjusting his glasses. "And Todd?"
"Does January 27, 1945 mean anything to you? Because comparing Todd to the survivors would be generous." The last word was hissed through bared teeth.
"Of course, the liberation of Auschwitz by the Soviets, but that's not--Evan, I haven't met him, but that, that can't be--" Daniel stopped, shook his head.
Lorne waited, snagging his chair with one foot and sitting down.
"You're obviously pissed at Sam," and Daniel couldn't quite keep the resentment from coloring his tone. "I'm not entirely sure why, and I don't have a clue what you think you're going to manage by antagonizing her. Taking it out on me isn't going to help."
"If I'd wanted to antagonize her, I wouldn't have tapdanced around the fact that the SGC barely pays lip service to the Geneva Conventions," Lorne said mildly.
"That's not true and you know it!"
"Do I? Then tell me something, Doctor. What do the Wraith consider to be torture?"
Daniel had no answer.
"You don't know, do you? They were written by humans, for humans, and we don't bother to work out what the equivalents would be for those we call our friends and allies. Much less for our enemies."
"For Todd."
Lorne nodded.
"Why didn't you say anything? If Todd's in as bad a shape as you say he is, then--"
"There are only a handful of people in this city who haven't been treating Todd as their personal whipping boy. I am not about to give anyone any more amunition."
"And telling people what they've been doing wrong also tells them how to make things worse. Okay, wow, that's..." Daniel rubbed his forehead, trying to stave off the headache blossoming behind his eyes. "So how can I help?"
"Well, now, that depends on you."
"You have to know that this policy of enforced ignorance isn't going to help him in the long run. All it's doing now is burning your bridges."
"They're my bridges to burn."
"Evan, I'm trying to, I came here as a friend. You said so yourself, you would have turned anyone else away. This is not helping." Restless, Daniel pushed himself to his feet and paced the small area between the desk and the door, one hand rubbing the back of his neck. "You asked Sam what she knew about Wraith biology, social structure, laws and customs. I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that some of that information would be dangerous for Todd if it were widely known. What about the rest? Are there things I can ask him without putting him at risk? Things that will give me leverage?"
"And here I thought I was going to have to kick you back through the 'gate."
Daniel stopped and turned, surprised less at the lack of humor on Lorne's face than the sudden loss of tension. "You were baiting me. You were baiting Sam. Jesus, Evan, you could have told me--" He sank back into his chair.
Lorne shrugged. "Like I said, my bridges to burn. The only one I give a damn about right now is Todd."
"And," Daniel said slowly, bits and pieces fitting together, "you can't afford to be angry around Todd, because he'll pick up on it and might think you're angry at him."
"I'm not going to tell you what you can't talk to Todd about. He doesn't work like that."
"I don't--"
"There are some things that will be more valuable if timed properly. And some that I'd prefer to keep a secret, period."
"Okay? So if you're not going to limit my questions, then...?"
"You'll know. Or you can ask me. One thing I will warn you about..." Lorne shifted his weight, drawing his sidearm.
"What's that?" Daniel eyed Lorne warily as he ejected the clip, then removed the round from the barrel. "And why--?"
"Don't use sarcasm around him." Lorne slid the full clip across the desk, then stood and reholstered his weapon. "Hold on to that."
"Um, okay? Is this--?"
"I'm not entirely sure how Todd's going to react to you in our quarters, but if I'm right, we'll just call it item number one on the list of things to keep secret."
Daniel looked down at the black case in his hand and swallowed.
