Serpent's Vow

21: Flash-bang

Daniel wasn't sure what to do about the thing that looked like Kaiba  currently standing guard by the door. It hadn't said a word since it  appeared. It? He? Kaiba had called it Cloning. Was that its name? Was it  a shapeshifting creature? If so, what species was it and where the hell did it come from?

Blue  eyes glanced curiously at him and Daniel blinked. Cloning's eyes  weren't quite the same as Kaiba's. The color was right but they weren't...  They just didn't seem... right. Wow, that was not a great description but  it was the best Daniel could come up with. It wasn't a visible  difference so much as a... feel difference. Kaiba's gaze was  always wary but curious. This blue gaze was more curious and lacked the  hard edges of Kaiba's glacial ice.

"Um, hi," Daniel said, raising a hesitant hand in a half-hearted wave. "I'm Daniel."

Cloning tilted its head in acknowledgement but said nothing.

Okay. Maybe it couldn't speak.

...and this was getting awkward. Guess it was time to go back to the Mirror.

Adjusting  his grip on the remote control, Daniel grimaced and sighed. A twitch of  the dial and the reality reflected on the Mirror's surface changed yet  again. It was familiar but no one stood on the other side and the lights  in the room were out. Keep searching.

Change. Nope. Change. Closer but still nope. Change. Change! Wow. Daniel had not been ready to see that. He did not want to think about Jack in a clown suit. Why had that even happened?! What could have possibly convinced Jack to do that? What... You know what? Nevermind. Don't question it.

He would have nightmares about that though. He shivered and adjusted his glasses.

Next  world. Boring. Next. Not right. Next. Closer. Next. Woah! The Mirror  was outside? And moving? Oh, it was being loaded on a plane. Not right.  Next.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed but the distinctive  sound of Jaffa boots marching towards him would knock him out of any  funk. Startled, he whirled around to see Cloning crouched by the  doorway, the golden bladed rod gripped tightly in his right hand. Daniel  hesitated. Should he keep looking through the worlds? Each change made  noise. What if he was caught? The Goa'uld could not be allowed  to get control of the Quantum Mirror. He could only imagine the havoc  they would cause by traveling between realities.

"Jaffa! Kree!"

Damn!  He didn't have to look over his shoulder to know he'd been found out.  At least he hadn't been shot yet. The sound of metal striking metal sent  jolts of adrenaline racing through his system. Cloning must be keeping  the Jaffa at bay. But how long would that last?

Thud.

Huh?

Ka-thud-clang.

This  time, Daniel couldn't resist. He turned and saw the bodies of two,  fully armed Jaffa splayed out on the floor. One's throat had been cut  and the other twitched pitifully around a bleeding, gaping hole it his  abdomen. Their staff weapons were discarded on the ground. Was that one cracked?! How did that-

A  flash of gold drew Daniel's attention to the bloody golden rod in  Cloning's hand. No way. But gold was a soft metal. It wasn't exactly  preferable for weapons or armor. It was decorative and useful, but not  for warfare. How could a solid gold rod, even with those identical  blades on either side of the rod's spherical top, possibly break a staff weapon? Unless it wasn't solid gold but gold plated perhaps?

But  there were no dents in it. Actually, there wasn't much blood on it  either. How did... It was drenched two seconds ago. Where did all the  blood go?