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The Amadeus Effect	By : NeenaVarscona Category: Stargate: SG-1 > General Views: 6242 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate: SG1, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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The stargate on the Negloma home world opened onto a wharf where representatives of the Negloman Ministry had a boat waiting to convey SG-1 to the capital city, Pini. The small, yacht-like boat was fast, but the deck was open to the elements, and the bitter wind cut through Daniel�s jacket, making him shiver.

Jack, sitting next to Daniel on the short bench at the stern of the boat, shifted closer to the younger man when he noticed the slight trembling. Daniel looked at him questioningly, but Jack kept his eyes on the passing scenery. Sam, however, caught Daniel�s eye, and he could tell that her C.O.�s odd behaviour hadn�t gone unnoticed. It was good to know he wasn�t imagining it, thought Daniel. Although he still didn�t know what to make of Jack�s hot and cold running affections.

The boat ride only lasted a few minutes, as the government buildings had been built backing onto the river on the opposite bank from the stargate. It was barely enough time for Daniel to skim through the file SG-9 had compiled on the Negloma. Of course, it didn�t help matters that Daniel got seasick whenever he tried to read, or that Jack kept distracting him by nudging his knee every few seconds. And he downright refused to admit that the tingling, itchy pain was slowly starting to reassert itself. He�d convinced himself it was just his body�s way of rejecting the organisms, nothing more sinister than that.

They docked next to a long string of motor- and rowboats that were moored near the largest of the three government buildings. Jack got out of the boat last, following close on the heels of Daniel, who, he�d decided, was too quiet and withdrawn for comfort. Jack didn�t know what was going on inside his friend�s head, but something had him out of sorts, and he had a pretty good idea what it was. As they walked behind the Negloman representatives to the main hall, Jack drew up next to Daniel and bumped shoulders with him. �You okay?� he asked quietly.

Daniel frowned at him, part annoyed, part confused, and�something else. Discomfort, maybe?

�Right,� said Jack. �You don�t wanna talk about it.�

�Now�s not exactly the best time, Jack.� Daniel answered tersely. �But, yes, I do want to talk about it.�

Jack was a bit taken aback by Daniel�s confrontational tone and he stepped back, realising that his continued intrusions into Daniel�s personal space might be the cause of his friend�s discomfort. Jack knew he�d been overly touchy-feely with the guy, but he couldn�t help it! It had been hard enough to keep to a strictly hand�s-off policy with Daniel even before the Amadeus device�but now? Jack couldn�t seem to drag himself away from the youngest member of his team for more than a minute or two, and he felt antsy whenever Daniel wasn�t in sight.

The team was finally brought to the antechamber of the great hall to sit and await the arrival of Freyson, the chief minister of Pini. They didn�t have to wait long. The thick, wooden doors of the main hall opened and Minister Freyson and his aide stepped through to the antechamber to greet them.

SG-1 got to their feet as the minister�s aide made the formal introductions. There was a moment of sizing up, during which the air was filled with mutual tension. Freyson did not look like a typical politician�in fact Jack thought he looked more like Friar Tuck, but in a silk suit instead of a cowl. His bright eyes were sharp and intelligent, and he gave the impression of being a man to contend with. They all bowed politely, and then Daniel stepped forward.

But instead of offering up his usual dish of platitudes and peace-talk, he did something completely unexpected. He stepped up to Freyson, getting right into his face, and then he exploded in a tirade of angry insults. He yelled out accusations and curses with such vehemence that his face turned red and spittle flew from his lips. And the language! If jack hadn�t been totally floored by Daniel�s behaviour, he would have been impressed!

The minister�s reaction was equally surprising. To the amazement of the rest of SG-1, Freyson froze for a moment and then burst out laughing, slapping Daniel jovially on the back.

�This is one who brings meat to the table!� Freyson roared in delight, his bulky frame fairly vibrating with mirth. �Leave us�we will confer over a shared meal, and you will have your answer concerning SG-9 within the hour.�

It was not a suggestion, but a command, and the rest of SG-1 were blocked by guards as Freyson wrapped a meaty arm around Daniel�s shoulders and guided him into the main hall.

*****

The main hall turned out to be a banquet room fit for a medieval castle. Daniel couldn�t help admiring the beautiful, faded tapestries that striped the high, stone walls at regular intervals. Each one was filled with images of people and mystical-looking creatures, and they each likely told some historic tale of the people and their mythology.

Freyson once again clapped Daniel hard on the back and beamed a hearty grin at him. �I see you are a connoisseur of past ways?�

Daniel tore his attention away from the tapestries long enough to smile back at his host. �It�s what I do,� he explained. �I study ancient and modern cultures, especially their languages.�

�A man of great skill and wisdom, then,� said Freyson with approval. �Come, sit! We have much to discuss.�

It was only then that Daniel really noticed the enormous wooden table that spanned the length of the far wall. It was a glossy, red wood that reflected the flickering light of the three large fireplaces behind it. A truly magnificent piece of furniture, with legs carved into ornate sculptures of what appeared to be sea monsters.

Freyson chuckled and led Daniel to a spot along the table that was nearest the largest of the three flagstone fireplaces. Daniel sat, feeling the heat of the flames at his back, and a prickling sweat on his brow that had nothing to do with the fire. He pushed past the nagging prickling and concentrated on the parade of servers carrying in platters of meat dishes and salads. A full-sized banquet was laid before them, complete with ripe fruits and a cake iced with what looked suspiciously like chocolate frosting.

Freyson picked up a decanter of wine and poured a generous amount into two goblets. He lifted his in a toast, and Daniel copied him. �To the renewal of friendship between us and to a prosperous future!�

�To faithful friends and loyal allies,� Daniel improvised, plastering on the best smile he could summon.

Freyson winked at him and downed his wine in one gulp. Afraid of insulting the minister, Daniel followed suit, feeling the rich, fruity drink burn a path down his gullet. He was just thinking that a wine of such calibre should be savoured, not guzzled, when a blinding, white-hot pain torched through him. His goblet hit the floor with a clatter, but he never heard it, or the screams that emanated from his own throat� he was engulfed in a world of agony unlike any he�d felt before. Even when he was stuck in the infirmary with Jack off-world, it had never been this bad. His one thought, twisting repeatedly around in his head, was that he wanted to die�he wanted to swallow a bullet and put an end to it.

Freyson, thinking he�d somehow inadvertently poisoned his feisty young guest, panicked and hit the alarm. With all of his strength, he wrestled the writhing, bucking man into a bear hug to prevent him from injuring himself. Within seconds a horde of muscle-bound and heavily armed guards descended upon them. The two beefiest men took over from Freyson, who directed them to take Daniel to the health centre. With little effort, the two guards carried the squirming, screaming man over to one of the hall�s tapestries, pulled it aside to enter a hidden alcove where a transport pad was waiting to take them to the nearest health centre.

There was a flurry of activity as Freyson ordered the guards to coordinate with the health centre�s security to establish diplomatic security protocols. With all of the shouting and controlled chaos, no one paid much attention to Jack, Carter and Teal�c, who had pushed their way into the hall shortly after the guards had rushed in.

Jack managed to corner a still-flustered Freyson, having scanned the room and found no sign of Daniel. �Where is he?� Jack demanded. He�d heard Daniel�s cries from all the way down in the atrium, and he knew exactly what had happened. Teal�c had been right�Daniel still needed him, and being away from him for so long had triggered the pain again. He needed to get to Daniel immediately, and he didn�t give a damn about the treaty or playing nice with aliens. �I said, where is he!� he bellowed, shaking Freyson by the shoulders to get his full, undivided attention. Carter appeared in the corner of his vision, looking frightened and unsure what to do. He ignored her and continued to stare down Freyson, his fingers digging painfully into the man�s shoulders.

�Your young friend became ill from the wine,� Freyson answered, wringing his hands anxiously. �But do not worry, I have sent him to our health centre.�

Jack�s blood pressure shot up so high he could feel the vein in his temple throbbing. �I need to see him! Now!� he barked. Carter made a move, as if she wanted to pull him away but was reluctant to overstep her bounds as his 2IC. Jack got the point, though, and he released Freyson with a little shove for good measure. �You have to take me to him.�

Freyson straightened his suit jacket and puffed out his chest, trying to regain some of his dignity after being so crudely manhandled. �You are in no position to make demands, Colonel O�Neill. I promise you, Dr. Jackson is in good hands.�

�The only hands he needs to be in right now are mine!� Jack snapped, refusing to back down.

Freyson�s eyes narrowed as he stared off against Colonel O�Neill in preparation for another round of their shouting match, but then something he saw in O�Neill�s eyes gave him pause for thought. With dawning realisation, Freyson smiled and stepped back, having guessed the real reason behind O�Neill�s passionate protectiveness.

�Of course, Colonel O�Neill,� Freyson said, all smiling and benignant. �Had I known the nature of your relationship with the young doctor before�by all means, follow me!�

Jack, stunned by Freyson�s sudden change of heart, was only too willing to overlook the man�s insinuation about his relationship with Daniel. Hell, he�d declare his undying love in front of his team and the whole damned Negloman ministry if it meant getting to Daniel any faster.

Freyson led Jack to an alcove hidden behind one of the room�s many tall tapestries and they were joined moments later by Carter and Teal�c. The four of them crammed onto a platform that looked like it had been designed to fit one and the entire team glared at Freyson as if daring him to tell any of them to get off.

Freyson took it in stride, though, and simply nodded as he punched in the transit code for the health centre. The trip was almost instantaneous, but in the brief span of time it took to demolecularize and remolecularize, Jack felt as if he�d relived the 70�s�but only the bad parts. Jack and Carter swayed precariously for a second or two before getting their bearings�only Teal�c seemed to be immune.

�The effects of transit will quickly wear off,� Freyson reassured them, and with an outstretched hand, ushered SG-1 through the health centre�s atrium to the main desk.

The lanky young man at the reception desk finished straightening up his papers and looked up at his new visitors. His jaw dropped open in astonishment at the sight of his prestigious guests and he sputtered, �Minister Freyson! No one told me you were coming!� He proceeded to nervously tidy his already impeccably tidy workspace and then stood, wiping moist palms on the front of his tunic.

�Relax, son�this isn�t an inspection,� said Freyson, kindly. �We�re here to visit a patient who arrived not long ago.�

The poor kid blanched as if he�d been asked to serve hot dogs at a royal wedding. The only patient who�d arrived recently was the unfortunate young man who�d been carried in screaming and twisting like he was on fire. Surely the minister hadn�t meant him?

To buy time, the young receptionist consulted his chart carefully. �Would that be�� he frowned, pretending to have trouble making out the name, �Doctor Jax?�

�Close enough,� snapped Jack, eyeing both the receptionist and Freyson to pick up the pace.

�Yes, that�s the one,� Freyson replied, smoothing the boy�s ruffled feathers. It seemed the colonel was every bit as feisty as the young Dr. Jackson�so much more�human�than the other delegation Earth had sent.

The receptionist cleared his throat and addressed Freyson, averting his eyes from the threatening glare of the other man. �They took him to Crit. Ob.,� he said.

Freyson thanked him and led the way down one of the mint-green painted hallways that radiated off of the atrium. They walked at a brisk pace, their combined presence causing the centre�s employees to scatter before them like frightened sheep.

They soon came upon another, smaller atrium with another, smaller desk where a perky brunette with pale pink lipstick smiled cheerfully at their approach.

�We�re here to see Dr. Jackson,� Jack said, skipping the pleasantries. �He was brought in a few minutes ago.�

�I�m afraid that won�t be possible,� she replied with a somewhat dimmer smile. �Dr. Jax is being restrained in quarantine�no one can go in there without medical clearance.�

�Restrained?� Jack asked, leaning menacingly across the desk.

The woman nodded, completely unfazed by Jack�s posturing. �He was out of control and screaming�there was no other choice.�

�I need to see him. Now.� Jack�s glare would have been enough to make a Marine pee in his pants, but the woman just shook her head.

�Ours doctors will take very good care of him. We have the best care facility on the continent,� she assured him, smiling sweetly at Jack, which only made his face go a deeper shade of red from suppressed rage.

Jack began pacing, tossing frequent threatening glances at Freyson, who was attempting to sway the inimitably cheerful receptionist. Carter and Teal�c wisely stayed out of his way as his pacing became more agitated. Listening to Freyson�s jovial chatter with the receptionist was like being tortured with nails scratching across a blackboard. But after several minutes of flattery, bribery and pulling rank, Freyson finally got some information out of the peppy brunette.

With a proud mile, Freyson turned to the others. �He�s in room 110,� he told them. The colonel was off like a shot, closely followed by the others, and Freyson shouted after them, �but you can�t go in there!� With a frustrated sigh, Freyson took off after them down the first hallway to the right, but they had a pretty good head start on him.

Jack ignored the minister�s warning and half-jogged down the hallway, slowing only to peer through the glass windows of every door along the way. The hallway veered abruptly ended in a T-junction, but it was a no-brainer on which direction Daniel�s room was. A pair of the minister�s guards was standing sentry in front of a room half-way down the hall on the left. They were heavily armed, and it looked like they�d been told to expect them.
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The Amadeus Effect