In fact, I didn�t wake until ten O� clock the following morning and even then only because Teal�c was knocking on the door. It took me a minute, as I sat up and rubbed the sleep from my eyes to remember exactly where I was and another minute to remember that Teal�c couldn�t just enter because I had locked the door. This was another thing that made me smile, the lock had kept me safe from anyone who might�ve wanted to come in my room at night. I was safe in this place.
�Good morning, Teal�c.� I greeted as I opened the door, surprised to see he was carrying a tray.
�Good morning, Quinn.� He greeted me with a polite nod and I paused before remembering � this was my space now. I was supposed to tell people if they were allowed in or not.
�I�w-would you like to come in?� I asked and the reply of,
�Thank you, Quinn.� Made me feel guilty for my delay.
I sighed guiltily as Teal�c placed the tray of what appeared to be food down on the table.
�I�m sorry I didn�t invite you in sooner, Teal�c.� I looked at the floor as I spoke but Teal�c�s voice forced me to look up.
�You have no need to bow your head to me, Quinn of Kelowna. You are a brave warrior, keep your head high.�
I nodded at this but it was a struggle not to drop my gaze down the floor. I�d been trained to be submissive but programmed to obey orders. I managed to keep eye contact though and I smiled a little as Teal�c�s brown eyes softened somewhat.
�There is no need for any apologies. I have lived in this place for six years and still unwise to many of it�s ways.�
I just nodded, slightly unbelieving � Teal�c seemed very well integrated in this culture to me although I didn�t plan on arguing with him. Instead I turned my attention to the tray Teal�c had set down on the table.
�I thought you might desire sustenance.� I heard Teal�c explain and I turned to face him, �I wondered if I might be allowed to join you?�
I just nodded wordlessly, turning my attention back to the variety of foods on the table. I had slowly got used to not have to rely on scraps of food for meals and to getting to eat at the table. Even to sitting at the same level as SG-1 but never had I had food brought to me and never had I seen so many different types.
�I�that would be�sure.� I nodded as I took my seat at the table, Teal�c taking his place opposite me.
I yawned as rubbed my eyes with the backs of my hands as I sat down and I was aware of my spiky hair looking even more unruly than normal as I stared through half lidded eyes at my reflection in the mirror.
�I-I�m sorry I didn�t wake up earlier. I was up late last night.�
�As I have said, Quinn, there is no need for an apology.� The Jaffa told me and I swallowed, deciding it would be best if I didn�t apologise again for a while. Instead I lifted something off the tray and held it up to better see it. It was round in shape and a light brown colour. The outside was hard yet as I applied pressure the surface cracked and revealed a softer centre.
�It is known as a bread roll.�
Teal�c explained and I nodded my understanding before biting into it with a curiosity I hadn�t allowed to surface for many years.
It was through this method of explanation and eating that I discovered I had a taste for Fruit Loops, toast, apples, strawberry jam, cornflakes, croissants, sausages, eggs and bacon. I also discovered the beverages of orange juice and tea to which I took an immediate liking.
In the relatively small pile of foods I didn�t like lay a yellow crescent shaped fruit known as a banana and an oat based dish called porridge although these were still preferable to the scraps I had been fed in my old life.
I sighed contentedly as I leaned back in my seat and I could see Teal�c shoulders loosen a little - probably the closest a warrior like him ever came to relaxing � I reasoned. I would have been content to just sit and rest for a while but as my eyes flickered over the now empty tray I was drawn to a loose sheet of paper. I squinted to make out the markings they weren�t Kelownan or English and I looked up to Teal�c, frowning a little.
�Is this another Earth language?� I asked thinking back to what I had learned in the base library. Whereas Kelowna had only four languages, Langaran �known as English on Earth, Kelownan, Andarian and Teranian, Earth had many. Colonel O�Neill had told me Daniel Jackson spoke 23 but my reading in the library had revealed many more.
�It is not.� Teal�c replied, turning the paper for me to read but the strange markings meant very little to me. �It is a language known as Ancient.� The Jaffa continued and I nodded slowly before tilting my head to one side.
�Then�it�s really old?� I asked, frowning a little � I was used to Teal�c speaking in a dialect slightly different from my own but I had never known him to confuse an adjective with a noun before. Still�I reasoned, it was far more likely that it was I who had made the mistake than Teal�c.
�No. The language is known as Ancient. It was created by a race known as the Ancients.� The Jaffa explained, a small smile twitching at his lips and I bowed my head feeling, not for the first time, incredibly na�ve compared to the people in this facility.
�It is very complex.� The Jaffa continued solemnly and I nodded although the markings meant nothing to me.
�Can these beings not teach it to you?� I asked, wondering if perhaps Jaffa were forbidden from learning as I had been in my old life.
�That would prove difficult, Quinn.� I could see the slight smile appearing again. �The Ancients have been extinct for millennia.�
�Oh.� I raised my eyebrows. �Then it is really old.� I said quietly, awed that a civilisation could have lived so long ago.
�Indeed.� Teal�c intoned and I looked back to the paper.
�But if everyone who speaks it isdead then why are you learning it?� I frowned.
�The Ancients were technologically advanced and knowledge of the language is necessary to operate many of the devices we find on other worlds.�
�I see.� I nodded solemnly and then looked down to the paper on the table. �So what does this say?� I asked pointing to the text, my eyes alight with curiosity, but Teal�c�s sudden serious�well, more serious than normal, expression caused me to immediately regret asking.
�I am afraid I cannot tell you that.�
The simple reminder of my status as an outsider was enough to wipe any curiosity or excitement from my thoughts and I just managed to whisper,
�Oh.�
And I realised I had jumped to conclusions yet again. I was expecting to be allowed to participate and be included but I had forgotten my place. And the voice from my earlier flashback echoed again,
�You�re a Kelownan, your needs come last!�
It wasn�t until I realised that Teal�c was speaking again that I managed to snap myself out of my miserable thoughts and I forced myself to listen to the Jaffa�s deep voice that my unhappiness lifted a little.
�I cannot tell you because I do not know.�
I looked up sharply and raised my eyebrows at this. I hadn�t thought there was something these people were unable of doing. They always seemed so sure and confident in themselves and I had thought them capable of managing any challenge. Still�if they couldn�t do it�
�Is it even possible to learn?� I asked, voicing the end of my trail of thoughts and Teal�c�s raised eyebrows indicated he found my question confusing.
�I mean�if there�s no dictionary or�anything�� I trailed off under the Jaffa�s deep gaze suddenly not as confident in my thoughts as I had been just a few seconds ago.
�Both Daniel Jackson and Jonas Quinn became fluent in this language whilst they were on Earth.�
The Jaffa replied but I couldn�t seem to read his emotions � his face and body language were the same as always and I sighed, feeling frustrated at my ignorance � I had probably annoyed him. And yet, as I stared at the marks on the paper I now saw not just a sheet of meaningless symbols but a challenge, a puzzle to be solved and I gathered up all the trust and courage I had built up since my arrival in this reality as I raised my green eyes to Teal�c�s and asked as strongly as I dared,
�Can I give it a go?�