Title: Interlude
Author: Jewels
E-mail: jhantor@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: All publicly recognisable characters and places are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret Productions. They're not mine, never have been mine, even though I wish they were.
Summary: Set during Serpent's song, Sam and Martouf have a little chat.
Rating: G
Status: Complete
Spoilers: Serpent's Song
Archive: RR, my site, anywhere else I've forgotten that I've already given permission to.
Category: Missing Scene
Notes: I got bored during the Eurovision Song Contest (hey, who wouldn't) which my sis insisted on watching. To pass the time between stuffing my ears full of cotton wool and looking up the phone number of the fashion police (some of those outfits... *shudder*) I wrote this. Enjoy.

**

I didn't like telling Samantha that I knew of no way for the Tau'ri to protect themselves. It was like telling her I couldn't help her, couldn't help protect her. Of course, if she had ever known that Lantesh and I had any sort of feelings like that, she would have not been best pleased. She's like Jolinar in that way. Strong-willed and proud of it.

After the first abortive attempt to dial out to Sokar's planet, I made my way to the control room, where the group that had been present, including Colonel O'Neill and Doctor Jackson, was gradually disbanding. I turned my attention back to the one I wished to speak to, who was currently tapping her colleague on the shoulder.

"Pull up the dialing program we're using for P3X-127." she instructed.

"Sure, Captain..." the young man responded, punching several keys on what Lantesh persists in referring to as an inefficient computer interface.

"Thanks, Lieutenant."

"What are you doing?" I asked, taking the vacant seat beside her and watching her as she continued to hammer away at the keyboard.

"Writing a new dialing program." she responded tersely, not taking her eyes away from the screen which displayed reams of incomprehensible characters, which might have been programming code or may have been her own language... I just didn't know. "Since we don't have a DHD we have to dial the gate manually." She said, not pausing in her programming. "Which is why the inner wheel spins. By calculating the time taken to spin between one glyph and the next at the maximum speed we can turn the gate at, I can try and reduce the dial out time." She fell silent for a moment.

"Oh." I said, finally. Lantesh gave the mental equivalent of a shrug and told me to not bother pretending I had followed those rapidly spoken words.

"You are disturbed." I put forward after watching her tap the keyboard for several long moments, her fingers dancing as they inputted the commands. She seemed to not want to focus on anything else.

For a long time, Samantha said nothing, and I thought that she did not want to speak to me. Then, she suddenly said, "What if the parasite dies first? Leaving the host? Toss him back through the Gate, isn't that what you said?" asked Samantha, pulling up some more information, tapping some more keys, then returning to her meaningless characters.

"It is... easy to forget that there is a host there." I admitted, remembering the look on Apophis' host's face. Of all the things I had expected from the system lord, that had not been one of them. "After such a long time, I would not have expected anything to remain."

"You're willing to let Sokar torture him. The host is innocent." Samantha told me fiercely, but in a low voice, slamming her hand down on a key and almost causing the casing to crack. "He's done nothing except suffer at the hands of a murderous parasite." Abruptly, at the end of the last word, she cut her voice off, visibly reigning herself in from saying much more.

'Unless I'm very much mistaken,' put forward Lantesh, slightly bitterly. 'She's identifying with Apophis' host.'

'Would she also class Jolinar as a murderous parasite?' I asked, receiving nothing but silence from Lantesh. The same thought had obviously occured to him.

Samantha sighed, regaining her temper. "I can only hope that the host dies as well." she muttered.

I contemplated reminding her that Sokar had a sarcophagus in his posession - as would all system lords. But she didn't need to hear it. She wanted to have the illusion that the host would be spared from the pain and torture that awaited him. I chose not to break those illusions.

'Of course, that assumes that the Tau'ri grow some intelligence and actually return Apophis to Sokar.'

'Lantesh, not now.'

I guessed that she had not yet come across Jolinar's memories of Naetu. Otherwise she would have been much more vocal in her defense of the host.

Samantha continued to do her programming, occasionally reaching up to run a hand across her forehead as the temperature increased. I didn't feel the heat in the same way; Lantesh manipulates my hypothalamus to ensure that I deal with the increased temperature much more efficiently.

"I feel for the host." I offered. "But Apophis must not escape punishment."

"As Lantesh said." Samantha replied in a tense voice. "But how would you know the suffering of a host." she eyed me, her fingers hovering above the keyboard for a long moment. "Your relationship with Lantesh is benign, beneficial even."

I wordlessly agreed with her, and was extremely grateful for that fact. What would it have been like if Lantesh wasn't Tok'ra, but Goa'uld. Not something I wanted to think about.

"You don't know what it's like to be locked out of your own body, screaming for release. For me, it was a day or so. For Apophis' host, it was for centuries. I watched myself threaten friends, manipulate them. Apophis' host has been witness to things I can't even begin to imagine."

Her voice had dropped to a whisper, not harsh, but on the verge of tears, and she turned away, tapping away with a speed that was less to do with the urgency of the situation and more to do with the need to focus on something other than her emotions. She's right, I can't understand. Neither can Lantesh.

But I can listen.

"Samantha," I laid a hand on her forearm, stopping her from typing. "You are correct. I do not know. But you can tell me. I will always be hear to listen."

"Except when you're off on the other side of the galaxy kicking the crap out of the Goa'uld." she said, and despite the deadpan tone of her words, I could sense the beginnings of a smile in her voice and her eyes.

'At least she's regaining her sense of humour.' I commented.

'Good.' responded Lantesh. 'Although I've never truly understood the Human tendency to laugh at a perilous, or serious situation. Rather inappopriate if you ask me.'

I actually managed to smile a little, partly from Lantesh's words, and partly in response to Samantha's comment. "Just so." I answered her.

"Major..." A Tau'ri soldier appeared and glanced at us. I automatically removed my hand from her arm.

"What is it, airman?" Samantha asked briskly, the signs of threatening laughter or tears both gone.

"General Hammond wishes to see you in the briefing room immediately," the Airman turned to me. "Sir, you as well."

"Thank you, airman." Samantha said, dismissing him. She tapped in several commands and stood, gesturing to the stairs. "Shall we?"

I smiled and stood up also, following her to the exit.

-End