Daniel didn't smile at her. Maybe the glib answer would've done the trick before, but Daniel wasn't laughing now. His fingers curled and flexed on the bar. It felt old enough, rough. Used. How many people put their hands on these bars? How many people had been in this cell? And what had they done to get inside? "Maybe I can talk to Leon about a shower or something for you." The brush was probably out of the question.
He found it hard to look at her. It wasn't entirely because of her current appearance. Daniel found he couldn't look at her and not see her tearing another living being's face off in front of him, or see him shooting the man twice. What was just sickening was that Daniel had looked into her eyes and read it crystal clear; she got something out of it. Maybe even enjoyed causing that much suffering and violence. Daniel had seen it before in the Goa'uld. She might even have gotten off on the power trip too. She had the same eyes.
Jesus, why hadn't he stopped her sooner? It happened so fast, and maybe he still hadn't shaken off what Jack once called the 'Civilian in the Headlights' mode yet, but Jack would've stopped her before it got further. So would Teal'c and Sam, so why hadn't he? Maybe he was just as much to blame. Inaction and ignorance was no excuse.
"No, it doesn't really," Daniel said mildly. It was the same clipped tone Daniel retreated to when Jack did something so incomprehensibly short-sighted or wrong that Daniel was either out of words or didn't care to waste them on him.
But no matter what arguments they got into, Jack had never, never done anything like this. And if he ever did, Daniel thought, or at least, he hoped he'd act differently, like show some remorse. This wasn't an argument that had blown out of proportion, maybe said some things they shouldn't have, and it wasn't an accident. Sorry didn't erase what happened. And it didn't spare the man the suffering. Even if the cultist had somehow had the pain blocked, it didn't make it right. They weren't animals. They weren't like this.
Daniel leaned in, pressing a cheek to the bar. He forced himself to stare at her, blue eyes cold. "Just tell me something. You were planning on taking those measures all along, weren't you? When I asked you to help me, and you agreed, you just wanted somewhere private if it came down to- to that," he couldn't bring himself to say it. Daniel licked his lips and pressed on. He had to know. "You didn't want to treat him from the start. You were counting on this happening."
no subject
He found it hard to look at her. It wasn't entirely because of her current appearance. Daniel found he couldn't look at her and not see her tearing another living being's face off in front of him, or see him shooting the man twice. What was just sickening was that Daniel had looked into her eyes and read it crystal clear; she got something out of it. Maybe even enjoyed causing that much suffering and violence. Daniel had seen it before in the Goa'uld. She might even have gotten off on the power trip too. She had the same eyes.
Jesus, why hadn't he stopped her sooner? It happened so fast, and maybe he still hadn't shaken off what Jack once called the 'Civilian in the Headlights' mode yet, but Jack would've stopped her before it got further. So would Teal'c and Sam, so why hadn't he? Maybe he was just as much to blame. Inaction and ignorance was no excuse.
"No, it doesn't really," Daniel said mildly. It was the same clipped tone Daniel retreated to when Jack did something so incomprehensibly short-sighted or wrong that Daniel was either out of words or didn't care to waste them on him.
But no matter what arguments they got into, Jack had never, never done anything like this. And if he ever did, Daniel thought, or at least, he hoped he'd act differently, like show some remorse. This wasn't an argument that had blown out of proportion, maybe said some things they shouldn't have, and it wasn't an accident. Sorry didn't erase what happened. And it didn't spare the man the suffering. Even if the cultist had somehow had the pain blocked, it didn't make it right. They weren't animals. They weren't like this.
Daniel leaned in, pressing a cheek to the bar. He forced himself to stare at her, blue eyes cold. "Just tell me something. You were planning on taking those measures all along, weren't you? When I asked you to help me, and you agreed, you just wanted somewhere private if it came down to- to that," he couldn't bring himself to say it. Daniel licked his lips and pressed on. He had to know. "You didn't want to treat him from the start. You were counting on this happening."