Generation 4, Chapter 4: On the wrong side of the law

I should have known better than trust the word of a criminal.

The mistake was all mine, in the end. I tried to take advantage of her supposed soft-heartedness and made a move to escape, which ended in me having my back flat against the ground, hardly able to move. There was also the subject of her being a woman. I had always been taught not to raise my hand against one, but at that very moment, every part of me wanted to break that rule.

"Just kill me already. It won't help for you to torture me. I have nothing to say," raising my head slightly, I coughed the words out, almost expecting blood to stain my shirt. Surprisingly enough, it didn't.

"Oh, that's not what I was going for... I actually need your help," I could see her grinning as she maneuvered around me. "You see, I found out that you're an archaeologist...someone that finds riches in dangerous parts of the world. My organization needs more riches, so you're going to help me found one in particular, which happens to be here in France. A very sacred artifact, apparently."

"Correction: Archaeologists do dig out historical artifacts, but they don't always have a lot of value, and most of all, I'm not one to go into dangerous places."

"That's all about to change, mister... I'm sorry, I never did catch your name?"

"Daniel Jackson... Doctor Jackson, actually."

"Ah, so you're a clever one. Fantastic," edged with her English accent, the word sounded even more sarcastic than it was intended.

My instinct for self preservation and survival proved to be to strong, and I made the fatal mistake. I tried to run again, and regretted it instantly as her boot collided with my back.

"Now don't go making foolish decisions like that, Daniel. Or how about Danny? Do you mind if I call you that?"

"Yes," I croaked.

"No matter," she chuckled. "My name's Vala. There, we're no longer strangers. Do you think you could be a little more cooperative now?"

"Not a chance, bitch," I coughed this time, kicking away from her. Though it had been a foolish delivery, it served its purpose, actually colliding with her knee. She keeled over on her back, groaning in pain.

I may have been a push over in the beginning, but not for much longer.

Unfortunately, I hadn't taken into account that she might recuperate quite fast.

Like a lightning bolt sent from the heavens, she attacked me, causing us both to hit the floor, where I ended up being the cushion, shielding her from most of the pain that followed.

"What's up with the blonde highlights?" I couldn't help but ask as strands of her hair tickled against my skin.

"I'm a criminal, Daniel, and that means I have to change my identity, sometimes my appearance as well. After this scandal, I'm going blonde... I just wanted to get a preview of what I'm going to have to live with for a very long time."

"If you weren't a thief, you could keep your hair color, your natural appearance. You wouldn't have to change for anyone, except yourself."

"You're hurt...you're bleeding near your lip," she pointed out, ignoring my statement. Her next move was so unexpected, it still shocked me when I repeated the memory inside my head. She bent down with her head, planting a kiss on my lips. When she pulled back, she bore a massive smile.

"You're a fruitcake," I said, taken aback by her actions.

With careful precision, she headbutted me. All that followed was darkness.

~*~

"Are you okay, sir?" the confused repairman raised an eyebrow as he observed the behavior of the man who stepped inside the broken down elevator.

"I'm fine... But an acquaintance of mine isn't. If you could shut up for a few more seconds and focus more on the elevator itself than me, things would go a lot more smoothly."

Mitchell was thankful for Daniel literally saving his life, but he wasn't prepared for him to die. It was against how he was raised, letting someone else take the fall. Of course, he had done nothing wrong. However, Daniel had done nothing wrong, either."

"I can't help Daniel on my own...," he muttered almost to himself, ignoring the irritated gaze of the man beside him. "There is someone that would go to the ends of the earth to help him, though."

With practiced ease, Mitchell's finger maneuvered over the screen of his phone, typing in a familiar number.

"Hi, Darcy? This is Mitchell. Your brother needs your help. It's an emergency."

~*~

"You know that Daniel is going to kill you when he finds out you've been smoking in his living room, since he pays the rent and all...," Darcy couldn't help but point out that small fact as her gaze was glued on the television screen. The smell emanating from the busted-up cigarette bothered her.

"He doesn't need to know," Jack blew a cloud of smoke into the air. "He's in Paris, for Pete's sake. Who's going to tell him? Little old you?"

"No," she shook her head, pointing at the smoke detector. "Little old that."

"Oh, shit," frantically, he threw the half-smoked cigarette into the sink. "Why the hell did he have to install that crappy thing."

"For two reasons. One, to alert everyone that there's a fire in his house that he might not have started and did not know about, which alerts the fire department, and two, to keep you from smoking in his apartment. Satisfied with the answers?"

"No," he grumbled, making his way over to the couch.

There had always been a sort of attraction in the relationship between Jack and Darcy. Mostly from Jack's side, of course. Darcy was thoroughly repulsed by the man, and only accepted him around her for Daniel's sake. He was, after all, Daniel's best friend. How that had happened was something that spooked Darcy down to her core.

So when Jack had decided to try his luck yet again, it was expected for her to deny his request.

"You must be really chilly...," was Jack's opening line that morning. "How about I keep you warm for a while?"

"Jack, no, just...no. You're a pig, you know that," she shied away from his touch.

"Oh, come on! Why wear such a revealing top if you don't want the attention it garners?"

"I don't know. Maybe because I like wearing it. Did you ever think of that?"

"Never crossed my mind, really."

"You're an idiot," with her fingers massaging her forehead to ease the oncoming headache, she walked out of the room and onto the balcony.

Before she could lose herself in her own thoughts, the sound of her phone buzzing in her pocket brought her back to the real world. Grudgingly, she struggled getting the phone out, but finally pressed the green button, not even bothering to check the caller ID.

"Hey, this is Darcy, Whoever this is, you better make this good, otherwise, I'm disconnecting this call."

"Hi, Darcy? This is Mitchell. Your brother needs your help. It's an emergency."

That qualified as "good" in Darcy's book. In reality, it was extremely bad, edging towards being disastrous.

"Oh, this is bad...," Darcy breathed as Mitchell hung up, having explained most of his situation, and the danger they were in.

Turning around, she aimed towards the door to tell Jack everything she had just been told, but stopped in her tracks as she noticed a blonde haired woman occupying the space near the kitchen, looking very displeased with Jack and vice versa.

"Trust me, the air force is ten times better than the military. You could at least have a life later on, and it's so much more exciting. They actually need someone with your expertise, Jack."

"You're just feeding me that speech to recruit me. And though it's compelling, I'll admit, I can't say yes."

Stepping in to avoid a bloodbath from erupting in her brother's apartment, Darcy took it upon herself to learn all she could about the girl arguing with Jack. Anyone that disliked him qualified as a friend of hers.

"Hi there, may I help you?" Darcy chirped, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "My name's Darcy Jackson, this is my brother's apartment. I'd like it if you at least introduce yourself before tearing this place up."

"Captain Doctor Samantha Casey," she held her chin high, even though she was eyeballing Jack the entire time.

"A captain and a doctor? Holy Hannah, that's quite an accomplishment."

"Thanks," she smiled slightly. "Now if you could just explain it to Jack here... You could ascend the ranks easily, you know. With your attitude, you can do almost anything."

"Seriously?" he looked thoughtful. "Huh... Colonel Harrington. I like the sound of that. I'll think about it."

"Hold your horses, Jack," Samantha rolled her eyes at him. "You don't get to that rank so easily. You earn it."

"As much as I want to see how this plays out in the end, and what Jack's decision will be, there's an emergency," Darcy cleared her throat, catching the attention of the two people in front of her. "Daniel got himself into a bit of trouble in Paris. We need to go help bring him back. I'm on my way to go call the airport and book us some tickets...that is, if you want to come with Jack."

"There's no need for that," Samantha interrupted before Jack could say a word. "My dad is pretty influential. I'm sure he could charter a plane for us. We could be there in no time."

Jack groaned. "What's the catch? You women don't do anything without an ulterior motive."

Samantha shrugged. "You join the air force."

"Oh, so I have to give up my freedom to save my best friend? ...I'll do it."

"I like you already," Darcy chuckled, fetching the apartment's keys off of the table and leading the two out the door.