Stories for a Rainy Day:

 

Forever Young

 

 

by Travelling One 

---

http://www.travellingone.com

---

 

Some of them were sleeping, some of them were playing with their fingers. Some were grasping colourful foam shapes while sitting up, but almost all were innocently looking up and smiling at the four people gaping in at them through the sheer crystal window panes.

 

"Oh God."

 

"I thought that was a pet store?"

 

"That one was."

 

"And this one's selling babies?" Daniel glared uneasily at the discount signs in the window, blastingly brilliant in colour and texture, their huge tacky letters written with English words in lettering that was more like ancient Egyptian cursive. Daniel could read it. With this mixture of tongues and writing, this world had probably been seeded by the Goa'uld with people from the First World, Earth. Goa'uld influence and language had few remaining traces. "New selections in this month, discount on two," Daniel deciphered the print, his stomach feeling the pull of disgust and revulsion. "Oh geez."

 

Jack grimaced, while Carter turned away momentarily before regaining her own composure and turning back to the smiling little faces in the window. This was nearly like looking into a twisted version of a maternity ward; none of these infants appeared to be older than six or eight months. But here they were, in the window of the equivalent of an alien strip mall, just a door down from the window offering this planet's version of monkeys, birds, raccoons, and weasels. Those were signs that Daniel had translated with a bit more humour; that was before they'd reached this stretch of sidewalk. Now the Earth visitors were all feeling subdued and a bit sickened.

 

This world had not noticed their arrival. The gate had been located in a fenced-in yard of disarray, a junkyard of sorts. Broken machinery, piles of trash, and leftover remains of broken mosaicked bricks had been partly obliterated by the outpouring vortex. The tall weeds had been mowed down just in front of the stargate, courtesy of the Earthly visitors. No one seemed to care, no one seemed to notice. The people wandering along the patterned streets, those driving small two-seater enclosed machines down the sidewalk tracks, graced the visitors with brief curious stares before continuing on their hurried ways. Only the clothing stood out as potentially unusual; colours of the inhabitants' apparel were eclectic but the layered styles were freer, looser-fitting than those of SG1.That was all that differentiated the team from the locals.

 

The strip mall, this hexagonal double row of shops, had been located only two blocks from the Stargate yard. SG1 was still just getting their bearings.

 

"What kind of a world displays and sells babies?" Daniel repeated, disturbed at the lingering thoughts he'd rather relinquish to the wind. "Do they take them from their parents? Do the parents just give them up?" Are they orphans? The disagreeable stirrings deep within were exceedingly unpleasant.

 

Daniel felt a hand on his shoulder, heard a moment of silence. "Let's go ask some questions," Jack suggested quietly. "Although you know it will end up being none of our business." Nothing we can do about this, Daniel. And not why we're here.

 

"It's our business if we're thinking of doing business with these people," Daniel retorted, unable to tear his eyes away from the infants lying in their open blue capsules, playing with whatever was at hand. The sleeping babies looked so peaceful, so oblivious to their futures; the alert ones, so carefree. Come on in and buy me, they yelled in silence; buy me and see if you know how to take care of me and if you still want me when I grow up…

 

"Daniel?" Jack's hand tightened slightly on his friend's shoulder. "You with us?"

 

"Oh. Uh-huh," Daniel nodded, shaking off the invisible barriers against his memories.

 

"Shall we enter?" Teal'c had already moved to within inches of the door.

 

"Yes, enter," Jack agreed, almost nervous. Would they want to find answers within? He'd make sure to keep an eye on Daniel; any undue distress and they'd be oh so out of there.

 

Sam touched Daniel's arm now, smiling timidly as she caught his eye. Daniel nodded, touching her fingertips with his own, before following Jack into the shop.

 

The store was immaculate, everything in its place and shining beige and white. More of the blue tiny cribs lined two walls, the window display comprising only one third of the shop's infants. There in the center of the room was a brightly coloured mat filled with toys and construction links, amongst which sat and played children of all ages. If not for the doubts and disturbing suspicions, SG1 might have thought this to be a babysitting area or children's daycare. The adults perusing the wares could have been parents or teachers. If not for the garish signs in the window.

 

But the single most eerie component of this place was the silence. There were sounds from the infants along the walls and from the window display, sounds of cooing and gurgling, hiccups and the occasional single cry, but the toddlers and older children playing in the center of the room were oddly quiet. No friendly bantering, no sharing of toys, no conflicts - and no real joy.

 

First impressions linger and imprint, but this time the peacefulness of the situation was tarnished by the proven accusations of what was taking place here. Daniel's thoughts were immediately interrupted by the voice of the stranger, and his glance shot up.

 

"I want to return this one."

 

The man was standing at the counter, behind which was a white-aproned employee. On the counter was propped a small child, who sat obediently looking at the children playing with the toys scattered around the floor.

 

"Is something wrong?" The employee casually asked. "Or is it a trade-in?"

 

"My wife wants something older," the man replied. "She's had enough of the baby."

 

The man behind the counter pulled some paper work, Daniel looking on from halfway across the room, his expression perturbed, thoughts distant yet all too consumed by the unreality of the moment. "What?" he whispered, knowing his teammates were at his side, listening in as well. While some of the words were not completely English as they knew it, the gestures and body language made comprehension and intent undeniable.

 

"I can't refund you for a trade-in, but you'll get a discount if you choose another from us. Feel free to look around."

 

"What?" Daniel again whispered, aware that something embarrassing was happening to his eyes. Wiping his face quickly with his sleeve, he tossed a quick glance at Jack. The CO was wearing an undisguised expression of hostility and dismay. "Jack?" Daniel's strained voice was anguished.

 

As the customer sauntered off towards the older children playing on the mat and the young child on the counter was deposited into a back room, a young couple advanced to the payment counter carrying one of the small blue cribs. Daniel remained paralyzed, his attention focussed on the impending transaction. "We'll take this one."

 

"This one's not discounted, he's just come in this week. You'll have a one month trial, however. He comes with a set of clothing and this energy formula, which must be given to him every day."

 

The sounds were blending into muted tones, the visions into mist. Daniel's mind was shutting down, no longer able to process the images, the thoughts, the fear, the intent pervading this sale of children. Who these youngsters were no longer mattered; where they had come from or who had given them up were involvements of the past. Children were children, lives were lives, and even if these people were to give their new playthings good homes, the morality involved was too mind-boggling to assimilate.

 

"Daniel? You okay?" But Jack knew Daniel could not be okay if he himself was disturbed to the point of wanting to turn and run. They should try to know more, they needed to know more, but Jack did not want to know more before deciding this world was not one he wanted to support or trade with. Allies who cared so little about life could not be good, could they? Yet the children seemed to be well cared for; maybe this was a more humane way to deal with the unwanted youngsters of one's homeland than shoving them into institutions that acted as home. Unless all children were taken at birth to be sold… no, Jack didn't want to go there, didn't really want to know more.

 

But Hammond would.

 

"No." The whispered reply was all Daniel could manage.

 

"We should go," Jack was ready to guide his teammate out, back to the gate, back to where he wouldn't have to remember anything meant to be buried.

 

"Do you need assistance?" Another cheerful shop clerk appeared at Jack's side. "Are you looking for anything specific? Male, female, shade?"

 

"Where are these babies from?" Jack asked sharply.

 

"They are all local. We have certificates for each, don't worry."

 

"But where do you…"

 

"He won't answer you." The clerk was frowning curiously at Sam, who had been kneeling by one of the older children, trying to engage the youngster's attention. The six-year-old had looked shyly at Carter, then had turned his head away.

 

"Why not?" The scorching look Jack threw at the clerk could have toasted bread.

 

"This group has had their speech centers inhibited."

 

Inhibited? Removed? Obstructed? Speak when spoken to, were older children not allowed to express their feelings, share their discontent, disagree with their elders… their owners? Did this make them more enticing to mock parents? It certainly would keep them from telling of the horrors of their previous homes. Daniel's eyes filled with private agony. All he could hope was that these children would find happiness in a home that wanted most of them. Had these older ones been returned? Were they newcomers, not knowing what their fates held in store? Were they missing their parents, did they even know who their parents were? Were they awaiting nothing but a life of playing with construction sets in a shop until they were old enough to fend for themselves? At what age would that happen on this planet?

 

"Let's take a breather, Daniel. Come." Jack took Daniel's arm, himself needing the time to cool off. He was seething internally, and Daniel was hurting. "Carter? Teal'c?"

 

"I'm coming too, sir," Sam's voice broke. She couldn't watch any more of the bargaining transactions, and she knew Daniel was feeling even more strongly than she was for these homeless, nameless children. Her teammate was in pain and she could feel for him.

 

Once outside, Jack took a deep breath. He watched as Daniel stooped over, hands on his knees, eyes closed. Daniel had seldom spoken to them of his childhood, nor of being unwanted by his grandfather and who knew by how many others, but Jack knew this was striking too close to home. He caught a glimpse of Carter facing away from the window, fingers squeezing the bridge of her nose. Teal'c appeared disturbed, and was hovering cautiously between his other two teammates. Jack placed a hand on Daniel's back. "Want to go home?"

 

Straightening up slowly, Daniel shrugged. "Don't leave here because of me. I'm okay."

 

"Maybe buying these kids ensures them of a good home, Daniel. Better than if the county gave temporary parents monetary compensation for caring for them."

 

You mean better than what I went through, Jack? "Did you hear any of those people even ask about the babies? They never asked who they were, what their names were. Or why they were even in there." Daniel's features were tight. "They're nothing but pets, playthings."

 

"Pets usually get good homes." A weak comfort and perhaps a tactless comparison, but Jack could think of nothing to say that would appease any of them.

 

"Many don't." Try them out then give them back, or lock them out of the way. Feed them at your own convenience and kick them when you've had a rough day. "Those kids reminded me of the ones on Orbana, Jack, after their minds had been sucked out."

 

The door to the shop opened, and a man and woman stepped out into the sunshine of a deceptively lovely day. Instead of continuing on down the street, they turned to the four gate travellers. "Forgive us. We overheard your conversations inside," the woman spoke in a broken version of English mixed with an unusual, slightly Abydonian accent. "Are you against the sale of these babies?"

 

"Yes!" both Daniel and Jack echoed each other. Carter moved closer, and Teal'c remained at the rear, listening.

 

"Then join with us. We have amassed a large number of supporters."

 

"Who are you?" Jack interrupted warily.

 

"I am Radiq, and this is Hojie. We are members of the movement against the sale of these babies, always looking for new recruits. We were inside taking count today when we overheard your distress." Radiq stared up at Daniel. "Are you not well?"

 

"I'll be alright. Where… where do they get these children from?" Daniel held his breath, bracing himself for the worst.

 

All that was forthcoming was, "Do not ask these questions. You do not want to know."

 

"But I do," Jack disagreed. "Why do shops sell and trade children?"

 

"Come. Let us not speak here." Radiq and Hojie led SG1 towards the street, where one of the two-person vehicles waited on the sidewalk tracks. "We will not all fit into our movers. We shall find you a ride."

 

"To where?" O'Neill's hesitancy manifested as impatience.

 

"To our headquarters. It is not far."

 

"Kids? Any thoughts?" Jack turned to his teammates, his eyes specifically upon Daniel.

 

"I'd like to know more about a movement that opposes the sale of children, Jack." The fire in Daniel's eyes could melt ice; the hurt and distress could melt his teammates.

 

"Maybe we could help, sir. Some of these people might end up being decent allies."

 

"Teal'c? Want to make it unanimous?'

 

"Indeed."

 

Jack turned to the two patient locals, who were already flagging down more of the small vehicles. "Lead the way."

 

_____

 

The headquarters turned out to be a small room in the home of Nipia, a middle-aged woman with long brown braids and a guarded smile. Dusty rays of sunlight streaked through the bare windows and the hard benches were indented with bright mosaics. A colourful woven mat was placed on the tiled floor in the center of the light blue room.

 

"Long ago our royalty travelled a great deal. They used the round mover through which you came," Radiq eyed the team knowingly, sharing a glance with Hojie.

 

"The stargate?"

 

"I do not know your words for it. Only those on other sides of the mover spoke your language at that time. Frequent travellers of the palace brought knowledge of your tongue, although it is still not spoken by all. They brought back many things. One time, they returned with medicine that cured all illnesses. It was taken by many over time, but it had the unexpected effect of rendering all individuals unable to have children."

 

"Oh boy," Daniel looked sideways at Jack. "Sounds familiar."

 

"Many couples remain this way to this day. Children, if longed for, must now be purchased. And so, the baby shops do a good business."

 

"Where do they get the children from?"

 

"They are raised in different areas, and transferred to the shops when they are ready to be sold."

 

"Breeding centers?" Jack frowned. So many questions.

 

"So not all of your people were rendered sterile?"

 

"There were some children among us who did not take the medicines. Now, they are adults and have a duty to society to reproduce."

 

"But…"

 

"There is a rally this very evening, outside the biggest shop in Pattarin, our village. You did not see the grandest shop." Hojie seemed a man of few words, but he was now becoming vitalized, changing the subject. "Please join us. The more, the better."

 

"How many are in your movement?" Daniel asked.

 

"So far, only about one hundred. Many will not join for they themselves want children. Most people support the baby shops as they, too, need to make use of them. For most there is no other way. We are the ones who believe this business should be stopped."

 

"What will occur at this rally?" Teal'c queried.

 

"We will chant for the closure of the shops. Nothing more. We have a voice and wish to be heard. We do this every few moons; we do not wish for the people to forget our existence."

 

"What good will it do? If people need to get children this way, who's going to listen?" Sam tentatively wondered, shifting position on the hard bench.

 

"It doesn't matter," Daniel responded vehemently. "We have to speak out for the children. They can't be heard without us. They have no choice." He was nearly pleading.

 

For the sake of Daniel's peace of mind, Jack agreed. It was the least they could do for the children. It wasn't much, but it was also something he could do to appease the ghosts of his teammate's haunted past, as well as his own.

 

"We'll go."

 

_____

 

Yes, all they were doing was chanting, one verse again and again, the language interpreted by Daniel. All SG1 was doing was watching the crowd warily and following in its midst. Safety in numbers and curiosity fulfilled. Perhaps tonight they'd learn more about this strange society. Perhaps they'd learn more about what could have befallen Earth itself had they made a deal with those Aschen. An alternate possibility was indirectly being played out for them to witness, a mistake Earth had very nearly bestowed upon itself.

 

And yes, it was all very peaceful.

 

But as the hundred or so people lined the front of the shop where the greatest number of children were contained and sold each year, SG1 had not expected to come face to face with the local authorities.

 

Huge vehicles chugged down the patterned road, cutting through pedestrians and onlookers and avoiding the sidewalk tracks of this planet's personal transport system. Stopping in front of the demonstrators, red uniformed officers jumped from the clumsy tank-like trucks.

 

"What's going on?" Jack whispered uncertainly, suspiciously, to Hojie beside him, as they watched the sixteen officers speak to the demonstrators and send them moving on.

 

"This is the system. We arrive and make our presence known, and they take our names and move us on. We go home."

 

"That's it?"

 

"Until next time, this is what happens."

 

"Stay close," Jack warned his teammates as the officers drew nearer and the crowd grew smaller.

 

"He's asking your name, Jack," Daniel's low words translated from Abydonian. "Daniel Jackson," the archaeologist told another of the approaching officers. "Do you speak English?"

 

The officer switched to the language spoken by these outsiders. "I have not come across your name before. Where do you reside?"

 

"We're from another world. We travelled through your round mover."

 

The sudden silence caused heads to turn and brought uneasy reminders of the eerie quiet in the children's shop. Movements around them ceased, and then the remaining officers left the other demonstrators and guided themselves towards SG1.

 

"Daniel?" Jack had not heard the interaction, himself in the midst of an interrogation.

 

"I just told him we travelled through the stargate, Jack. He knew we weren't from around here." It wasn't as though their people had never used that giant ring of naquadah.

 

"You'll come with us." The officers pointed towards the trucks, waiting for SG1 to move.

 

"Uh, no," Jack shook his head, hands tightening around his P90. The movement was observed by the officers, who reached towards Jack's weapon as the leader of SG1 brought it up to his chest. Suddenly short weapons were sparking in the grips of the officers, and their tones had taken on an unfriendly twinge. Jack found his rifle being yanked away and his team shoved in the direction of the foreboding vehicles.

 

"What's going on?" Daniel turned to Hojie desperately, panicking, "What did I say?" But Hojie was grinning, and the Abydonian words he shouted to the officers spurred Daniel to a vehement denial. "No, that's not true," Daniel shouted back in both Abydonian and English.

 

"Daniel? What's he saying?" Jack heard his teammate's cries, Daniel's replies to the words of the alien Hojie.

 

"Jack, he's telling them we're coming with troops, with more people from our world to break down the doors of the baby shops. He's threatening them with our supposed power."

 

"Damn. They used us!" Jack shot back as he was ushered into the police vehicle along with Carter, Teal'c, and now Daniel behind him. "They planned this? All they wanted was the publicity?"

 

_____

 

SG1 found themselves in a containment yard, fenced in all around to a height of at least twenty feet by concrete walls and a canopy of a yellow plastic-type repellant opaque fabric, reflecting the diminishing sunlight and absorbing the heat. The ground beneath them was dirt and pebbles, with spurts of dry grass and weeds demonstrating their tenacity by springing up in the most desolate of conditions. The entire space was no more than twenty-five square feet, enough for three humans and a large Jaffa to lie down in, yet not enough for four people to comfortably pace. There were several guards stationed outside the walls and four more within.

 

"What did you say they're looking for, Daniel?" Carter sat down beside the linguist, her back against a rough concrete wall, forearms resting on her knees.

 

"They haven't had anyone travel through the stargate since that drug was brought back, Sam," Daniel glanced up at Jack, who was listening in. "They're checking everything we brought to see if we might pose another danger."

 

"They believe we have come for nefarious purposes," Teal'c added. "And that we are once again coming to damage them."

 

"Crap. What more damage can they possibly be thinking of?" Jack lowered himself to the ground by Daniel's other side.

 

"I have no idea, Jack. Maybe they think we came to sell them something worse. Maybe they're afraid we really will bring troops to bring down their social system and way of life."

 

Jack looked at Daniel. "Why don't they just send us home?"

 

"Because we might come back with troops." He tossed a quick glance at the guards, but none seemed to be paying attention to the low discussion. At least, not openly. Perhaps they didn't even understand.

 

"And if they look through our oh-so-harmless gear and still decide they don't like us?"

 

Daniel hesitated; after all, he really wasn't sure what this meant. One glimpse at Teal'c told him that the Jaffa had heard and understood the Abydonian threat as well. "What does 'eliminate them' mean to you, Jack?"

 

The CO's eyes narrowed; mouth tightening, his lips thinned. "Crap."

 

_____

 

"Look at it this way. We might make the headlines and strike some points for the Offworld Children's Protection Act." Daniel's sarcasm was fueled by irritation and frustration. They had been used by these people, and his own behaviour had spurred his team into acting before their own plan was truly and carefully thought out. Why had they been so quick to take part in an alien rally, however peaceful were its intentions? Yet Daniel knew the answer, as did the rest of SG1. They did it because it seemed the right thing to do; they did it to be a voice for the children. They did it because they hadn't had a lot of time to consider the issue or their own actions. They did it to try to make a difference, to bring their own opinions and wisdom from their homeland Earth. They did it to make judgements and cast stones, to criticize another populace's practices and values.

 

But these were children, not pets. Young people whose basic needs were being used for monetary gain by those who had no right to own them, no right to sell them. But what was so different from his own early circumstances, Daniel wondered, if he were to be truly honest with himself? He'd been traded, borrowed, returned… although not bought. But what was really so different?

 

At least his speech center hadn't been screwed around with.

 

Daniel hadn't realized his eyes were closed, nor that he hadn't spoken in minutes, or that his teammates were looking at him through their own silences.

 

Daniel saw those babies in his mind, saw them playing and cooing and smiling and crying and giggling and spitting and squeezing their soft toys. Shouldn't they have been warm in someone's arms instead of on display in a window? Shouldn't there at least be nurses and caregivers playing with them, talking to them, feeding them?

 

He could see the older children, playing peacefully but so alone, and he knew the hidden feelings within. Where were the books, the stimulation? Where were the kind eyes, the comforting words? Where the hell were their parents? Were they dead? They certainly hadn't died in car accidents; those little vehicles seemed to be spaced on those tracks so that none could come within a dozen feet of each other, a designated stopping range.

 

"Daniel?" the sound was soft, almost ethereal, pulling Daniel from his reverie. "Daniel?" the voice was in the present now, louder as the younger man focussed, pulled back to the enclosed lawn under the yellow canopy. Opening his eyes, he realized for the first time that his teammates were staring at him, expressions lined with concern.

 

"Oh." Daniel attempted an unsuccessful smile. "Sorry."

 

"Look, I know this is hard for you…."

 

"You too."

 

"In a different way, sure. I'm just saying, if you need to talk about it…"

 

Daniel nodded. "Maybe. Thanks."

 

As Daniel made no effort to contribute further, Jack let his glance drift to Carter. "I don't get it. If they were given the drug by the Aschen, where are the Aschen?"

 

"Perhaps they were unsuccessful in obtaining this planet's coordinates," Teal'c offered.

 

"So when these people refused to join the Aschen Confederation, this was their retaliation?" Jack queried

 

"That's just an assumption, sir," Sam countered.

 

"And oh so very plausible, Carter. The scheming conniving boring little squirts. Maybe these people were smarter than we were. Almost. Than we almost were."

 

"Or maybe the drug was acquired second-hand, sir. These people weren't out there negotiating, they were simply travelling. Visiting royalty may have brought it back as a gift, from another of the worlds in the Confederation. They may not even have met the Aschen."

 

Interrupting, Teal'c's voice was stern. "They are returning." The officers were indeed reopening the gate in the wall, and Jack rose to his feet.

 

Turning a bag upside down onto a concrete slab and freeing it of its contents, the guards then turned to SG1, who noted an assorted collection of their own supplies.

 

"What are these for?" One of the officers queried in a mixture of English and Abydonian.

 

There was Tylenol, Excedrin, antihistamines, two epipens, a syringe of Novocaine, some anti-nausea tablets, and penicillin. A bottle of Vitamin C, anti-malarials, rehydration powder, Midol for Sam, Pepto-Bismol and Imodium. Bug spray, shampoo, rubbing alcohol, antiseptic and antibiotic ointment. Whatever one would take with to the far-off reaches of Earth itself, came with the SGC teams offworld. Not to mention the instant coffee, sugar, powdered milk, and packaged MREs that were also sitting there as unknown potential medicinal agents.

 

"What are these for?" came the question a second time. Either this officer was unable to fully speak the language of the detainees, or he had no desire to.

 

Daniel got up, preparing to explain Earth's necessities to the perfectly capable-of-understanding, intelligent suspicious aliens. No matter that they were ready to eliminate his team if they weren't satisfied with his answers. Or maybe even if they were.

 

He'd start with the easy things, and picked up an MRE. "This is food. Yes, I know, it doesn't look really good but we travel a lot."

 

Going through the items, the officers made no comments nor gave any indications of their thoughts, putting some of the items aside and others back in the sack. When he was done, Daniel saw that all the medications and pills remained.

 

"Explain these again."

 

He did. "These are just for us. Nothing here can hurt your people."

 

"How can we believe you?"

 

Daniel sighed. "I don't know."

 

"Show us."

 

"Show you what?"

 

"That they won't hurt. Take them."

 

"They're for when we don't feel well. We don't need them now."

 

"But if they don't hurt, it won't matter if you don't need them. Show us."

 

Sighing again, Daniel turned to his teammates. "If we take this stuff they'll believe it's not harmful."

 

"Crap." Jack eyed the assortment of drugs. Hopefully these creeps would settle for them consuming one of each and not the entire contents. "I could do with a Tylenol. But god, an MRE?" Jack rolled his eyes. This night would be oh so much fun.

 

"I'll take a vitamin and antihistamine." Daniel suggested. "Anyone feel like volunteering for an epinephrine high?"

 

"I do not believe my symbiote would react well to the stimulation," Teal'c replied.

 

"Fine. I'll do that one too," Jack scowled. "This is stupid, Daniel."

 

"Yes, so is being eliminated for possession of an epipen. What about the Imodium?"

 

"I shall take that," Teal'c agreed.

 

Jack raised his eyebrows. "You do know what that's for?"

 

Carter wordlessly scooped up a Midol. "I'll take an anti-malarial, sir. Daniel and you both have side effects to those." Yes, they all remembered the little buggers causing hallucinations one night offworld when the two teammates were bitten by unidentifiable insects in a wet marsh. Better take precautions, they thought.

 

"I guess that leaves me with the Novocaine," Daniel grinned without humour.

 

"Do it in your butt," Jack suggested. "Maybe you won't feel the hard ground tonight."

 

"Each of you."

 

"What?" Daniel's eyes shot up, as Teal'c moved forward, also comprehending the officer's instructions.

 

"We would witness the effects of each medication on both male and female of your race. It offers no proof if some of you are already immune or affected."

 

"No. Some of these are no good taken together. We won't feel well, and what will that prove?"

 

The officer's brows narrowed. "So you are admitting your medicines are potent and dangerous?"

 

"No. God, no. They just… damn." The exasperation in Daniel's eyes bore through the guard.

 

Both Jack and Carter had understood most of the interaction.

 

"I don't think we have a choice, Colonel."

 

Jack's glare was returned by the officer, turning it into a seal of defeat. "Fine. I won't take a Midol though, or an Imodium."

 

But in the end, it wasn't his choice to make. At least they had settled for one per traveller and not downing the entire contents of each bottle. Even the officers of this world knew beneficial medicines could be harmful if abused.

 

And so the drugs were ingested, injected, digested, and absorbed into their bloodstreams as SG1 spent an uncomfortable night in semi-darkness, below an eerily moon-illuminated yellow canopy and under scrutiny by the standing guards. The officers watched diligently; in the morning, they would be forced to review the charges. Yet would a single night be all that was needed to witness the effects of those medicines? Their own people had not learned for a year the effects of their wellness drug. Still, the strangers had willingly agreed to the test... no, not so willingly; there had been much complaint. And in the event of their honesty and freedom, would they bring more of their own kind, intent upon demolishing the community's way of life? The travellers could not be trusted; they could not be released to freedom, nor allowed to return home through the round mover.

 

"You doing okay?" Daniel asked a now moderately less irritable colonel, the epinephrine high having subsided substantially.

 

"Yeah. At least those things only last for a short while." Jack had been far too restless and electrified for his liking that past half hour. He'd noticed Carter having a hard time settling down as well. They'd all resigned themselves to a night of nausea, cramps, jitters, and headaches. Not to mention the dreams from the malaria tablets if he and Daniel were to fall asleep. "You?" Jack noticed Daniel's watery eyes in the dim moonlight that was filtering into the yard through the canopy.

 

"The anti-nausea tablet is trying to put me to sleep, and the antihistamine is fighting to keep me awake, actually," Daniel yawned, blinking hard. "My head feels odd, the lower half of my body doesn't want to respond to my brain signals, and I feel as though time is moving in slow motion."

 

"How long does all this crap last?"

 

"The pills? They should all wear off within eight hours. The Novocaine wears off in two or three."

 

"So, no sleep tonight?"

 

"Jack, we're imprisoned in a twenty-foot junkyard. Who's going to fall sleep?"

 

_____

 

Jack hated to shake Daniel awake, as the guy had managed to fall asleep only an hour and a half earlier, restless dreams making even that short period unpleasant. The others had woken from sporadic sleeps, still feeling groggy, irritable, and headachy. But the gate was being opened; it appeared that their time was up. Daniel groaned, opening one eye.

Light from the morning had finally seeped into the covered enclosure, and food was now being brought in to SG1.

"Happy now?" Jack muttered to an officer, his own stomach and head still not feeling quite normal. "We lived through the glorious night." And as long as he could keep his food down, he would continue to convince them that the drugs were harmless.

 

The guard addressed not Jack, but Teal'c and Jackson. "You are alive and well. But how do we know these medicines you bring will have no long-term effects?"

 

"Did we not agree to take them, thereby proving that we were not putting ourselves at risk?" Teal'c asked patiently.

 

"Your people may all be immune."

 

"Look," Daniel began in frustration, having forced himself to rise. "We came to your world to meet your people, to see if we could be allies, see if we could do something to perhaps help each other. We had no idea of your past problems and we did not come to hurt you."

 

"You are not from among those who gave us those deceitful drugs so long ago?"

 

"No! In fact, we kept those same people away from our own world."

 

"Then why do you work with the Ekedrians?"

 

"Who?"

 

"Those who fight the sale of the children."

 

"Because selling children is wrong!" Daniel was growing increasingly disturbed.

 

"Daniel Jackson," Teal'c moved closer to his agitated friend, preparing to step in to this discussion. He, too, was ready to fight their unwholesome practice with words, but first he must ensure freedom for his teammates. For this, he required Daniel Jackson's assistance. "We have no intention of bringing more of our people to your world. Upon our return home we will speak of you no more."

 

"But you work with the Ekedrians! They have assured us of your loyalty to them."

 

"You have been misinformed."

 

"But we won't deny that what you do with the children is wrong," Jack interrupted. He would not give in to these people without getting his message across. His, and Daniel's.

 

"The Ekedrians promote the auctioning off of children. Yet you choose to aid them in this practice!" The officer argued loudly.

 

"No! They want it stopped!" Daniel's voice was rough.

 

"They want the selling stopped in the shops so that they can increase the value of those they auction!"

 

"They …what?" Daniel stopped his agitated movements, and stared at the officers. "What?" His eyes met Jack's, neither man comprehending.

 

"What are you talking about?"

 

The officer took a long look at Daniel, and then studied the other three teammates. "How much do you know?"

 

"Only that they disagree with the selling of children, as do we. It's not a practice on our world."

 

"So, on your world, people are able to have their own offspring."

 

"Yes."

 

"Then do you not realize what it would mean for couples to have no children to live with, here?"

 

"But …I was a child with no home and no family," Daniel realized he was biting his lip, and continued on in haste. "I wouldn't have wanted to be bought and sold like a piece of furniture."

 

"These children can not compare to you. They have no feelings."

 

Four teammates felt the revulsion of the statement mix with inner hostility.

 

Daniel glared in shock, taking a moment to calm his thoughts before responding. "Oh geez. How can you say that?"

 

Teal'c interceded on behalf of his friend. "Do you not believe that children are capable of feeling abandoned, of experiencing shame and sorrow?" he asked, his eyes addressing each of the officers in turn.

 

Enlightenment, comprehension seemed to dawn in the officers' eyes. Insight, into the lives and minds of these humans they had been holding captive all night. Suddenly it was as though these people might be worth the effort of explanation. "You really do not know anything, do you. You joined the rally without really knowing with whom or what you were dealing. Come. There is something you all should see."

 

_____

 

Still questioning their freedom, SG1 agreed to follow three of the officers, reluctantly accepting the fact that their weapons would not be returned to them just yet. In one of the large vehicles the four teammates were once again driven towards the main area of town, their confines never really having been located too far away in the first place. The single truck stopped in front of the children's shop closest to the stargate, the one they'd been in the previous day.

 

"Come inside."

 

The gate travellers were guided through the pristine shop, past the babies and the mat with the children who continued to play in silence. Daniel focused on the floor, unable to direct his eyes to again witness the hollow longing of empty hearts. Through a door behind the counter, past the stares of both the customers and employees, they were led by the men in red uniforms. Down a stairwell into a basement, along one hallway and then another, until the noises began to increase in volume, and they were ushered through a doorway and into a massive, high-tech room.

 

Conveyor belts were manned by blue-aproned workers, trolleys packed with goods were being rolled in every direction. Sounds of grinding, of wheels, of drills and hammers. Clicking, tapping, banging, singing. Yes, people were singing, talking, laughing, right in the middle of being busy.

 

Yet with all the sights and sounds and dusty smells, SG1 still did not know why they had been brought here.

 

"Look." The officers stopped first at a nearby work station.

 

Before them, a dozen small metallic structures were being assembled on the long table. Parts connected with screws and wires, copper plating, plugs and small discs inserted, blowtorches and hammers creating resonances and heat that Daniel felt forced to move away from.

 

"Now follow."

 

Stepping carefully around loaded trolleys, they followed their guides, coming to a second work area. Here, the metallic sculptures were being covered with an outer layer, the objects beginning to take shape…

 

….looking very much like dolls.

 

"What are these for?" Jack asked.

 

"Come over this way. In a moment, you will see."

 

Numbly, SG1 continued on.

 

Dozens of the dolls were being dipped into vats of waxy solution, some already drying on platforms of layered shelving. They looked nearly human.

 

"I… don't understand," Daniel whispered. He felt a comrade's light touch against his back.

 

"This is where the children are created. This," the officer indicated the vats, "gives them the look and feel of skin. They are given sixteen coatings in all."

 

"But," Daniel's voice caught, half filled with shock, half disbelief, "the babies are too lifelike… to be…"

 

"Machines? You have not yet seen their sensors activated," the officer explained with pride. "They are equipped to respond to the minutest changes in their environment. They are able to laugh, to cry. They respond as living babies would, and are kept energized with a copper and zinc sulfate formula which must be given them each day."

 

"Battery fluid." Jack surveyed the area, the shelving of dolls, which would sustain the belief that there lay rows of live little children, if one didn't - now - know better. And he looked at Carter, and Daniel, and shook his head, sighing in relief. Those shops were selling damn freaking toys. "What about the older kids?"

 

"They too are models. We are slowly developing the technology to incorporate meaningful speech with regards to environmental stimulation, although they do utter the basic vocabulary of a child when their speech centers are turned on. Those in the shop are not activated, in order to save energy. We should have a full speech center designed sometime within this year."

 

Teal'c tilted his head slightly. "If you do not have a complete speech program for older individuals, then you yourselves are indeed all human?" Thoughts of this being the technology that had created Reese were eliminated.

 

"Why, of course. Our creations do not function with intelligence, nor with emotions or opinions. They are but toys. The remaining individuals who are still capable of having children now realize their obligation to society and to our continued existence."

 

"So there are breeding centers?" Jack accused.

 

"Come. We can find a quieter place to talk."

 

SG1 was led past the remaining workstations, Daniel stopping to gape at the final stages of the doll-making. The babies could have passed for human, with their natural eyes watching his every move yet their hands and bodies still motionless. Leaving the factory behind, they stopped in a lounge where SG1 was offered vessels of water and juice.

 

"So, you have breeding centers?" Jack repeated.

 

"Yes. While those who are still healthy and capable of producing children are not obliged to do so, nearly all realize it is their duty to our society, and slowly our healthy population is recovering. Most of the adults in our villages are quite old but in perfect health, yet they wish for youngsters to live with and keep them company. So our factories allow them the pretense of having a long-forgotten normal life. The children will never grow, but they can be traded in for other models, older versions at any time."

 

"So, what happens to the children that are raised… in a breeding center?" Daniel was edgy, afraid that after all this he was about to hear exactly what he hadn't wanted to.

 

"They are auctioned off. They attract the highest bidders, for they are the real children."

 

Daniel turned away, closing his eyes. That was so what he didn't want to know about.

 

"You auction off the living children, the ones who have their own parents?" Carter repeated angrily. "And that, you agree with? You showed us that it was alright to sell these, these babies, because they weren't real. But those human babies…" catching a glimpse of Daniel's distress, she calmed her voice, "you don't have a problem with that?"

 

"We do. The people you were helping, those at the rally, the Ekedrians, want these shops closed so that the auctions they manage will bring in more money. Obviously if there is no other way to buy a child, no matter how unnatural, the value of the real ones will shoot up immensely. Even now, those are the most coveted. But the poorest of the populace already have no hope of buying a living child; these toys are all they are able to afford."

 

"So you want the auctions closed down, and they want the shops closed down," Jack clarified.

 

"Not exactly. Our society would not recover without the breeding centers. No parents would want to have several children if they had to raise them all themselves. What we want is for the shops to continue to satisfy the needs of most so that the prices at the auctions will remain reasonable, not accessible solely to the richest."

 

"And the children will forever continue to be pawns in your games." Daniel felt defeated, tired. Too much turmoil struggled within, and he didn't want to fight with these people.

 

"Only until the population gets back on its feet, and there are enough young ones to carry on. Then they will be able to have fewer children and decide how many of them to keep for themselves."

 

"Right." The acknowledgement was thick with sarcasm, but his eyes were watering.

 

"Daniel." Jack reached for the tip of Daniel's sleeve, and guided him into a hallway. "Look, if people spend a lot for these kids, if they're seen as valuable commodities, they're bound to be well taken care of, wouldn't ya think?"

 

"Jack, I've seen priceless show dogs bred and kept in cages. What difference does price or value make?"

 

"We're talking about children. They grow up talking, learning. Talking back."

 

"Do any of these people know how to raise kids? I mean, it's not like they have many role models. They've practiced on toys, for god's sake."

 

"That doesn't mean their hearts aren't in the right place."

 

Daniel paused. "No, it doesn't."

 

"It's no worse a situation than what you went through, Daniel."

 

Refusing to meet Jack's eye, Daniel surveyed the sterile hallway. "So you agree with this?"

 

"No. But I don't see that they have any alternative."

 

"They can stop the breeding centers and let their population grow naturally."

 

"Maybe."

 

"They won't."

 

"No, they won't. So what do you want us to do, Daniel?"

 

Daniel took a long look at his CO, the other man staring directly back at him, eyes unwavering. "These people want children, but only a select few can afford them. Earth is overflowing with children who have no homes, who die of diseases and who never know when their next meal is coming."

 

Jack stared at his friend. "You want us to bring children here from Earth?"

 

"Why not? Think about it, Jack. All those children orphaned in wars, in earthquakes, all those left in institutions because their own parents couldn't cope with them, all the children around the world who are dying from hunger - why not bring them to people who desperately want them? Why can't we use the stargate to do some good, Jack? Why is it always for destruction, a search for weapons? Why can't we use it to do something good for a change?" Jack could tell Daniel was losing it, nearly pleading in his desperation. But the younger, idealistic man needed to listen to himself.

 

"Because that would entail us telling the people where they were going."

 

"I know."

 

Jack's eyes widened, comprehension into Daniel's intentions and inferences dawning. "You want us to tell the world about the stargate?"

 

"If we have to."

 

"Daniel - "

 

"Why not? Why can't we use the stargate for something good, Jack? Why can't we turn it into something to benefit mankind? I mean, we …we… we have an overpopulated planet, yet there are all these planets out there with clean air and water and trees and space… we have people dying of hunger, and children longing for someone to care about them and here we have a planet whose adults compete with each other for the privilege of buying a child; so why can't we, Jack? Don't you think people would buy into the idea of a stargate that was used to benefit Earth and its people, instead of one that's used for fighting unkown enemies and gaining powerful technologies that will end up killing more than it saves? Why send machines to take pictures of Mars in the hopes of someday establishing a base in an inhospitable environment, when all this is right here at our doorstep? When we've got so many choices, so many places where people can choose to live, places where children can have homes, why are we so afraid to let the world know?" Daniel paused, taking a moment out from his tirade, feeling spent and emotionless as his adrenaline slowed and he realized who he'd been spouting off to.

 

Jack looked away from Daniel for the first time. "Because it's not up to us."

 

The younger man closed his eyes, taking some deep breaths. Slowly he leaned against the wall, pushing his way down to the floor. Eyes still closed, he bowed his head. "I know."

 

Jack sighed, sinking down to Daniel's level, leaning against the wall. "It won't happen."

 

"I know that too."

 

"Even though you're right."

 

The two of them sat there a while longer, knowing their other teammates were giving them space, Teal'c and Carter both aware that something was going on that needed to remain undisturbed, knowing this because they had all been aware of Daniel's diminishing state of mind.

 

Sounds from the factory drifted to them through the hallway, and the hard old floor returned them to reality and chained them to the present.

 

"You feel the same way I do?" Daniel's voice was a mere whisper.

 

"About this, yes."

 

"And you believe in the same things I do."

 

"Sometimes."

 

Daniel nodded slowly.

 

"Usually." Jack knew he might later hate himself for admitting that. "More or less."

 

Daniel let out a soft, surrendering chuckle.

 

"This time more."

 

"Jack…:"

 

"What haven't you told me, Daniel?"

 

"You know everything I do." Daniel sighed, those words somehow haunting.

 

"I know nothing about you, Daniel."

 

"You know everything you need to."

 

"Need to know. Terrific. The line doesn't suit you."

 

Daniel nodded. "You're right. It doesn't. And that boy in there… that toy in there, on the mat, in the striped shirt, the one not talking to Sam, looking away not because his speech center wasn't activated but because he was too tired of wondering who would pick him next, tired of waiting, knowing it no longer really even mattered because it wouldn't make a difference… that wasn't him, that was me." Daniel shrugged. "But you already knew that."

 

"Yeah." Jack let his hand fall onto his friend's back. "Yeah. I did."

 

"I know those things in there aren't concerned about their futures, or their parents. But the real ones…"

 

"They won't remember. They're getting homes that want them. That's all you have to remember, Daniel, when we leave here."

 

"Which is when?"

 

"Any time you're ready."

 

Daniel nodded. "Let's go then."

 

_____

 

And so the needs of one world and the secrecy and fears of another destined neither to cross paths for more than a few hours of history, a moment of insignificance in the grand scheme of things.

 

---

back home

back to Rainy Day

comments