A feeling of confusion filled Ariadne when the call came in for her to report to the morgue. The only reason she might be called there at this time was if, perhaps, the humans had overestimated the capabilities of her healing device. There was nothing it could do for someone already dead. Only a sarcophagus had that power, and even that was limited. Nonetheless, she made her way there as quickly as possible. At this moment, the captains orders were paramount, more so than usual.

She was not entirely prepared for the sight that greeted her when she entered the morgue however. A human cut open, innards on display in a grotesque but strangely clinical way, entirely unlike even the most horrific of Goa’uld torture sessions she had witnessed. Perhaps worse was her hosts reaction to the sight. Idalia had never witnessed such things, having avoided any particularly horrifying scenes in Ariadne’s memory. The feeling of shock and revulsion that washed over her was horrible, and the intensity of it stopped her from entirely restricting the reactions of Idalia’s body. She managed to at least stop them from losing the contents of their stomach, but she could feel the blood drain from her face.

Somehow the Tau’ri doctors were unaffected by the grisly display, having caused it themselves by the looks of it. In an effort to not appear meek, Ariadne spoke with the symbiote voice in as strong a tone as she could manage. “[i]You wanted to see me.[/i]” She said more as a statement than a question.

“Actually Joseph wanted your second opinion on the body.” Niven broke in, his eyes jerked up the corpse while Joseph had dissected organ pieces into smear slide then arranged them on a rack. 

Likely the smell didn’t help the situation but Joseph had become jaded to such trivial matters he overlooked the details that others might not be as adapted. It took several tries and on the fourth mention of his name, the doctor’s head whipped back to Niven. “Joseph, Ms. Idalia is here. The second opinion?” “Yes, of course. Ms, Idalia, I need you to see this area and verify what I suspect it is. Namely since I’ve never this before outside research and I rather be thorough.” Came Joseph’s words, in the same even and solid tone, his hand reached out to point out splayed area where there seemed to be a sac near the spine. 

“[i]Ariadne. Idalia is not accustomed to such sights.[/i]” Whether the distinction registered with the man was not really a concern of hers right now, as things were starting to come together. She stepped closer to the body, and despite how Idalia protested, she leaned close to get a good look at the spot Joseph was indicating. As she got close, she detected the faint hint of Naquadah from the body, and all her suspicions were confirmed. The body had, until very recently, been the host to a symbiote. Quite probably Vanja, as the possibility that there was yet another symbiote onboard was approaching preposterous.

Her immediate instinct was to lie, conceal the facts behind the body, but that was pointless as the Tau’ri would discover soon enough. Instead, she stood, put her hand on Josephs shoulder to make him look up at her and looked pointedly at him for a long moment before speaking. “[i]I need to speak to the captain. Immediately.[/i]” She spoke to convey the importance of the matter, and with just a hint of threat, as if to say the information should not leave the room. This situation was rapidly spiralling out of control and she would now have to take a leap of faith, lest she find herself at odds with all sides involved.

“If you’re going to inform of what I already know, its a little late.” Joseph admitted when he looked into Ariadne’s direction. Her skin had paled, though he partly suspected it was because of her host’s discomfort over the dead body, and it seemed very edgy even for her usual calm demeanor. “I’ve already notified the Captain what was odd with the body and while I’ve kept my suspicions confidential, your reaction confirms my original guess. Ms. Ylva Falk was originally a host to a symbiote. Now the question is this: was it Goa’uld or a Tok’ra?” 

Joseph made it clear he had done his homework and did it well, namely when it came to the biology reports on both subjects. “Evidence would suggest it was a Tok’ra since Goa’uld hosts aren’t often willing.” 

“[i]I cannot give you a final answer for that question Joseph. What I can tell you, is that the symbiote, whoever or whatever they are, was not the traitor. Be they Goa’uld or Tok’ra, no symbiote would willing sacrifice itself for the destruction of an enemy. We are, by nature, a self centered race, and survival is our most basic and important concern.[/i]” Ariadne was quite pleased he had not yet moved onto the real question: Where is the symbiote now? It clearly did not die with the host after all. She knew it would not be long before that question was asked however, which is why she had to get to the captain and answer it for her as quickly as possible.

“[i]For your own safety, I suggest you do not investigate this matter without orders to do so. If a symbiote has infiltrated this far, they will know when they are found out, and they may do anything to ensure they are not compromised.[/i]”

“Well they aren’t alone in that behavior. Humans can be just as bad sometimes.” Joseph chipped in then continued, his body twisted about to fully face. Mostly a defensive habit when he felt shit about to hit the fan and he had brace against it. “Currently, I wouldn’t be surprised if it found another host already. It’s self preservation instincts would’ve kicked in and entered the nearest body. If I wanted panic and chaos, I would’ve mentioned all my concerns. It’s not hard to put two and two together when I see something that concerns me. Though most is simply theories and no evidence to support them.” 

He eyed her with a firm stare, his sight steadied for any indications he was right. Then he pulled away and set the rack on the counter. He leaned over it, his voice calmer and steady compared to his earlier displeasure. “It’s not my safety which matters. I’ve lived a longer life, both good and bad, but if this secret hurts my patients then I hold you responsible. Don’t make me regret trusting you against my gut, Ariadne.” 

“[i]You have my thanks.[/i]” was all Ariadne said in reply. She would not make promises she could not keep, and promising the safety of the crew was definitely not something she could do. With that, she turned and left the unpleasant room, reaching for her radio. “Captain, I must speak with you at once about a matter of great urgency.”