Rascals II - Chapter 12


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A couple of weeks passed, then Janet returned to the base, now a Tok'ra. She was to be stationed at the SGC again, as was her symbiote Rhiva, of course. They had managed to convince the Tok'ra Council that it would be a good idea to have a Tok'ra there to help with the growing Tok'ra contingency on the Tau'ri base.

Today, the children were sitting in their room on the base, playing with LEGO as they often were. Suddenly, O'Neill came into the room, followed by Teal'c and Janet. They all looked concerned.

"Kids...could you each pack a bag of stuff you'd like to bring with you for a somewhat long-ish trip. We'll pack clothes, so just toys and such." O'Neill told them.

"Sure...where're we going?" Sam asked.

"You're going to stay with Jacob for a little while...or maybe a longer while, we don't know yet."

"Why?" Daniel frowned.

"Is something wrong?" Martouf looked worried.

"Did we do something to make you are angry at us?" Anise asked, giving O'Neill, Teal'c, and Janet concerned looks. "You do not want us here anymore?"

"No, no. Not at all, sweetie. It's nothing like that. Of course we want you here. Just think of it as, ah, a vacation." Janet pointed towards their drawers and closets. "I'll start packing some clothes, then you find your toys. Okay? It'll be fun, you'll see."

"It is nice in the tunnels." Martouf said, slowly. "And I'll admit we have missed it. Yes, it will be...fun, to go  back there for a short time."

"But there is no television." Anise argued. "No cartoons!"

"You have computers you can bring, and some dvd's with cartoons you can play on them. Besides, I'm sure you'll find lots of other stuff to do, so you'll quickly forget about television." O'Neill reminded her.

Anise nodded. "Yes...maybe..." She did not look convinced, but joined the others in packing the things she wanted to bring.

"O'Neill, would it not be wise to tell them the truth?" Teal'c asked in a soft voice, when the children were at the other end of the room, occupied by packing.

"No, not right now. They don't need to know Anubis is on his way here with his ships, nor that I'll probably go crazy soon from that damn Ancient database I got downloaded into my brain again! They'll know soon enough - let'em think it's just a vacation, for now." O'Neill said.

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"Welcome to Sanesh." Malek greeted them, smiling at the children.

"Thank you, Malek." Martouf smiled at him. "Ah, the base is on a desert planet again."

Sam looked around. "Where's Dad?"

"Jacob will be here momentarily. He had to attend an emergency Council meeting." Malek explained.

Anise had crouched down and picked up a handful of sand, which she now let run through her fingers. "Nice sand for building castles. Is there any water?" She looked at Malek.

Daniel added, frowning, "I forgot to bring my bucket and shovel. Do you think the Tok'ra have one?"

"I am sure we can find something you can use." Malek said, smiling at them. "Though I am afraid there is little water on the surface around here." He looked thoughtful. "Johan points out that is not completely correct. There is an oasis behind those dunes." He pointed. "I will show you at a later time. Right now we should get down in the tunnels."

"Okay." The children followed him happily.

"Ring transporter! Wheeeee!" Martouf said excitedly, as the rings came up around them.

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A few days later.

"I'm bored." Daniel said. "I've already played with every toy I brought; the tunnels all look alike and we're not allowed to run in them; we're not allowed to play in the science labs...and Sam's been acting weird, having several Jolinar flash-backs and thinking she is Jolinar!"

"Why do you care? You're not the one she tried to kiss - after having put on stinky camouflage paint instead of make-up, in a mis-guided attempt to look like Jolinar!" Martouf complained.

"Yeah, that was fun!" Anise said, grinning, as she remembered Martouf trying to get away from Sam. "You sure can run fast!"

"It was the paint, not Samantha I was fleeing from!" Martouf grumbled.

"Speaking of which...where is she?" Daniel frowned.

"Are you talking about me?" Sam asked, as she walked into the room the children were staying in while in the tunnels. "See what I got." She held out what looked like very small metallic insects. She put several of them down on the floor beside the others.

"What is it?" Daniel wondered.

"No idea, but I can control them with these!" Sam said, pulling out two boxes from her pockets. "Look!" She exclaimed, excitedly, as she made the small metal insects crawl along the floor of the tunnels.

"Cool!" Martouf said.

"Awesome!" Daniel smiled. "Can I try?"

"I think I have seen those before..." Anise said thoughtfully. "Where did you find them, Sam?"

"In a room full of interesting stuff! No one was in there, so I couldn't ask, but I doubt they'd mind I took these? They look like toys!"

"Yeah...they do! Perhaps they made them for us?" Daniel suggested.

He and Martouf had grabbed one of the small control-boxes each, and now raced each other, trying to see who could move the little metal-bugs quickest to the other side of the room.

"Hey - why don't we put up some obstacles?" Sam suggested. "I think they can crawl over them!"

"Good idea - I wonder how high up on the walls they can crawl without falling? And how slippery a surface they'll cling to?" Martouf said, enthusiastically.

"Let's find out!" Sam ran eagerly to the drawers, followed by the other children, and they began building a test-course for the little metal insects. This would be fun!

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"What in Netu are you doing with the proto-type listening devices!" Ren'al exclaimed.

She, and her assistant Sova, had noticed the devices were missing, and had been looking for them,

"Uh...testing them?" Martouf offered, nervousely.

"Listening devices?" Sam asked. "I thought it was toys?"

"Toys?! Why did you think we kept toys in the Section for Experimental Warfare?" Sova said.

"Uhh..." Daniel looked very worried. "Experimental Warfare?"

"Oh, yes...no I remember..." Anise frowned, looking ashamed. "I helped develop these."

"Why do they look like beetles?" Sam demanded.

"And walk like them..." Martouf added.

"They were meant to be used for spying against the Goa'uld, and so they were supposed to be inconspicuous! That way no one would suspect anything if they found one!" Ren'al sighed deeply. She suddenly spotted one of the metal bugs, lying in the corner - broken. "What happened to this one? Do you now realise how valuable these are? They are not toys for children!"

"We...uh...were testing how well they could climb the walls." Martouf explained. "We even kept notes. See?" He handed Ren'al a piece of paper.

Ren'al stared at the paper, before she handed it to her assistant with a sigh. It was filled with barely readable scribbles made with a crayon.

"Well, not a complete waste, then." Sova said, trying to suppress her laughter.

Ren'al sent her an angry look.

"They climbed quite well, even in butter." Anise said.

"Until suddenly they did not." Daniel looked apologetic.

"But they were almost at the roof, then!" Sam happily added. "Aren't you happy they are such good climbers?"

"Ecstatic!" Ren'al groaned as she noticed the trail of butter from the floor, almost all the way to the roof - and the dangerous-looking make-shift step-ladder the children had made out of a box and a drawer with a chair on. "I will talk to Jacob. Do not expect to be allowed outside this room for the next week!" She shook her head and grabbed the control-boxes and the listening devices and left quickly.

Sova followed, still snickering softly.


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