Ancient Legacy
Part 3
The next two planets they had scanned had proven to be lifeless. They were now headed for a more promising-looking planet with a small moon.
As Sam scanned, she shared her findings with Teal'c. Major Reynolds and Major McKenna had drifted in, standing behind Sam as she analyzed her monitors.
"This one has strong life signs." She tried not to get excited prematurely. A few seconds later she looked up and gave Teal'c a bright smile. "Technology and naquadah."
"You believe this is the location of Ba'al's base?"
"I think the chances are good this is it."
"Have you detected O'Neill's and Daniel Jackson's locator chips?"
Sam looked back down at her monitors, making some adjustments. "No." She looked back at her teammate. "But that doesn't mean they aren't here. Their chips could have been deactivated."
No one was going to mention the other possibility for why their locator chips wouldn't be transmitting.
"I'm sure that's it," Major Reynolds said sympathetically.
"But it will make it harder to find them once we're on the planet," Major McKenna pointed out.
"We can narrow the search area using the concentration of life signs and technology and split our teams into several groups to search more thoroughly," Sam offered.
"Have you detected any ships in the area?" Teal'c asked.
"No, which is a little odd. I still think this is worth checking out." Sam hoped they weren't wasting their time; hoped this turned out to be Ba'al's base and that it was where he had brought the general and Daniel.
"Then let us prepare," Teal'c said decisively.
There wasn't an inch of his body that didn't hurt. The shock Daniel had received from the vines entwined around his body had been like nothing he'd ever felt before; worse than a zat and even worse than a hand device. It had felt like every nerve was on fire and had lasted an interminable amount of time. He was glad the vines had retracted, but he could still feel where they had been. His muscles still quivered and he fought to bring his breathing back to normal. Add a headache and dizziness and he was thoroughly miserable.
Suddenly, the force holding him against the metal frame released and he pitched forward. Big hands grabbed his arms, aggravating the pain but keeping him from hitting the ground. His legs refused to work on their own and the Jaffa on either side of him dragged him forward and dropped him at the base of Ba'al's throne where he lay unwilling and unable to move.
The hands turned him onto his back and he squeezed his eyes shut against the light that was sending daggers into his head. "Don't go to sleep, Doctor Jackson, we are not done yet." Ba'al's voice sounded from inches away and Daniel opened his eyes and squinted, seeing the goa'uld standing over him. Ba'al nodded to someone and Daniel heard chains rattle. Two Jaffa dragged Jack past him and up to the metal web where they positioned him with his back against it. As they stepped away, it was obvious the artificial gravity had taken hold of Jack's body, immobilizing him.
Two of the non-Jaffa—probably scientists, Daniel decided—rolled a blank screen between Ba'al's chair and the metal frame that held Jack prisoner.
Ba'al turned back to Daniel. "Now, Doctor Jackson, let us begin again. I want to know on which planets I can find Ancient technology. Search your memories and show me their locations."
Daniel looked at Jack, knowing Ba'al would hurt him like he'd just been hurt. Jack knew what he was thinking. "Don't do it, Daniel!"
Ba'al stepped back to his throne and pressed a button. Daniel watched as the vines emerged from the web and began twining their way across Jack's body. Jack appeared calm, but Daniel knew he had to be fighting panic.
"You hesitate, Doctor Jackson. You know what will happen if you refuse. Give me a location."
Unbidden, images flashed into Daniel's mind and were broadcast on the screen. He fought to control which ones were brought to the fore. An image settled on the screen. It showed a large temple with a huge statue on top. Next, the image of a wall was displayed. Two appendages reached out and grabbed Jack's head, downloading the Ancient repository. The image switched to the team stumbling across a field with the repository exploding behind them.
"Not of much use to me, is it," Ba'al's pleasant voice now held an edge to it. He turned to the chair and pressed a button.
Jack's face creased with pain and his arm tensed then began to quiver. Daniel couldn't let him suffer. "Wait! Let me try again."
Jack's body seemed to relax and he took several gasping breaths. Daniel knew Jack was suffering his worst nightmare because of him. He had to find a way to stop this. There was only one thing he could do. He was afraid to try, worried Ba'al would be able to get what he wanted, but he had to risk it if there was any hope of getting out of this.
"Very well," Ba'al replied. "Be warned, I do not have infinite patience."
Daniel closed his eyes and took a calming breath as he began the meditation, finding it was much easier now to go through the steps and find his way. He tuned out the sounds around him and left the sensations of his physical body behind as he moved through the swirling blues towards the silver.
Jack shivered as the pain eased and he tried to catch his breath. The pain had been excruciating and he didn't particularly want to experience it again. He had heard Daniel call out and offer to try again and also Ba'al's warning to him. He wanted to tell Daniel not to give the snake anything, but he couldn't get enough breath to form the words.
Looking at the screen, Jack saw the earlier images fade away to be replaced with swirling clouds of blue. What was Daniel remembering?
"You are taking a great risk with your friend's life, Doctor Jackson, by not giving me what I want." Ba'al was definitely unhappy now.
Daniel didn't respond and Ba'al walked up to the prone man. "Doctor Jackson." Ba'al nudged him with his foot and still didn't receive a response. Ba'al called to his First Prime. "Dreg'nor, wake him."
Dreg'nor walked up to Daniel and extended the pain stick, touching the man's chest. Jack watched Daniel's body jerk but he remained silent and still. Ba'al turned to Jack again, furious. "I don't know what game you're playing, but I will get the information I seek, one way or another."
Ba'al returned to his chair and pressed another button. Instantly, the controls began to spark and sputter. Ba'al backed away and turned to Jack just in time to see the vines retract into the web and the gravity field disappear, releasing Jack from its hold.
Sam and Teal'c stood alongside SG-7 and SG-3, completing their gear-up. They had decided to split into three groups and beam into different locations in the complex that had been detected on the planet. Kornan and the other Tok'ra, Zaris, would stay with the cloaked ship, ready to beam them back.
"Colonel Carter," Kornan called from the control console, "you need to see this."
Sam moved across the room to the console, with Teal'c at her side. "What is it?"
"Our sensors are detecting one of your people's locator chips."
Sam felt a wave of relief wash over her, but then realized Kornan had said 'one'. She almost didn't want to ask whose chip it was—who had survived and who hadn't? Either way, she had lost a teammate. "Which one?"
"It is Doctor Jackson's."
She exchanged a smile with Teal'c, even though she knew he was thinking the same thing—what had happened to the general? "Can you beam him up?"
"This is strange," Kornan replied as he looked at the monitors. "I do not detect any life signs in that location, only the chip."
Oh, God, no! Was Daniel dead? Or had his chip been removed? Either way, they needed to get him back. "Beam the teams in so that we're surrounding that location."
"Very well. Are your ready?"
"We are," Teal'c replied.
"Good luck," Kornan said before beaming them away.
Jack had fallen to his knees when the web had released him and he remained in that position as he tried to recover from the pain it had inflicted. He didn't know what had caused him to be released, but Ba'al didn't look like it had been his idea. It looked to Jack like the controls had shorted out.
Ba'al was now chastising the scientists who were scrambling to fix the problem.
A Jaffa strode purposefully into the room and went to one knee in front of Ba'al. "My lord, forgive me, but there are intruders in the palace."
"What?!"
"Our security scans detected groups in three different areas of the palace."
"Why have they not been captured?"
"We are attempting to do so, my lord. I am sure we will have them apprehended soon."
"Make sure none escape."
"Yes, my Lord." The Jaffa rose and hurried from the room. Ba'al turned back to Jack. "This is your doing!"
"Hey, I'd like to take the credit, but I don't know a thing about it," Jack replied.
"We will continue this later," Ba'al said, the false pleasantness gone from his voice. "Dreg'nor, take charge of the search." "Yes, my Lord."
"Sur'ac, take the prisoners back to their cell."
"Yes, my Lord."
Just as Sur'ac reached down to grab Jack's arm, an explosion rocked the room. Taking advantage of the Jaffa's momentary distraction, Jack reached up and grabbed his arm, pulling him down to the floor, his head impacting with a smack. Jack pounded him with a fist before rolling away and grabbing his zat. Deftly, he rose to one knee again and fired at Sur'ac before he could recover.
The two Jaffa guarding Daniel aimed their staff weapons at Jack, but weapons fire in the hallway had them turning in the opposite direction.
"Guard the door," Ba'al ordered as Sur'ac's partner continued to train his staff weapon on Jack.
Jack cautiously moved across the floor to Daniel's side and checked for a pulse, zat trained on the Jaffa. Sur'ac picked himself up off the floor and turned eyes burning with fury towards Jack. He extended a hand to the second Jaffa, who relinquished his staff weapon. Sur'ac raised it towards Jack.
"Sur'ac," Ba'al's voice halted his movement, "bring the prisoners and come with me. General O'Neill, you cannot fight and carry Doctor Jackson at the same time. Drop the weapon."
Jack was pretty sure who the intruders attacking the base were and he knew they would find them if he could buy a little more time. "I don't think so. Daniel and I are staying right here."
Another explosion sounded, shaking the room. Ba'al was beginning to look concerned. "Have the ship transport us," he instructed Sur'ac. The Jaffa spoke into a communication device, but received no reply. Ba'al's forehead pinched in confusion and he pressed a button on his hand device. It looked to Jack like the one Osiris had used in Daniel's bedroom. Still nothing happened.
More weapons fire could be heard, this time closer to the throne room. The sounds of P-90s became distinct among the staff blasts. The two Jaffa at the door began firing but were quickly cut down, dropping lifeless to the floor.
With a glare at Jack, Ba'al shouted, "Leave them!" He quickly moved towards the back of the room followed by the two Jaffa and the scientists. A door hidden in the wall swung open and the goa'uld and his minions passed through it, leaving Jack and Daniel alone.
Just as the group exited, Carter and Teal'c appeared at the room's entrance, weapons sweeping the room, searching out any remaining threats. Behind them, Jack saw Reynolds watching the corridor; he was glad to know there was at least one more team backing up SG-1.
"Sir?" Carter came up beside him, not lowering her weapon. Teal'c continued to prowl the room, making sure they were alone.
"You just missed Ba'al. He and his buddies took off through the back door," he said, jerking a thumb in the direction the goa'uld had gone.
"Are you all right?"
"Mostly, but I'm not too sure about Daniel."
"My god, what did they do to him?" She was surveying the numerous welts that trailed across his chest, arms, face, and even his feet.
"Ba'al's new toy. I'll tell you about it later. What's the plan for getting out of here?"
Sam pushed aside her horror at seeing what had been done to Daniel and slipped immediately back into military mode. "We have a Tok'ra Al'Kesh waiting to beam us up."
Surprise was Jack's first reaction; he figured the Tok'ra would vamoose and leave them to clean up the mess. But instead, they had loaned them an Al'Kesh.
"Colonel Carter." A familiar voice came over her radio and Jack recognized Major McKenna. He smiled inwardly—even if he hadn't had a talk with the man about Daniel, he knew the major would do whatever it took to get their missing archaeologist back. Pride in the people of the SGC swelled within him.
"Yes, Major?" Sam replied.
"We're in a lab—we have one of the scientists. He said General O'Neill and Doctor Jackson are with Ba'al. Thought you might want to question him some more."
"We have the general and Daniel. Bring the scientist with you—we don't have time to question him now."
"Hold on!" Jack interrupted. "Have you found the sarcophagus? We need to either bring it with us or destroy it."
"Haven't come across it, sir. Wait a sec." There was a brief silence before he continued. "The scientists says Ba'al didn't have a sarcophagus. It was one of the things he was trying to get his hands on."
No sarcophagus? That didn't make sense.
Weapons fire resumed in the hallway.
"Colonel Carter, more Jaffa just showed up!" Reynolds shouted.
"Sir, we've gotta go," Sam said looking at Jack.
"Right." He'd figure it out later. Right now, they needed to get out of here.
"Major McKenna," Sam said keying her radio, "did you set any charges?"
"Yes, we did, colonel. We're ready to go."
"Kornan, this is Colonel Carter. Can you lock on to all of us?"
"Yes, Colonel. Beaming now."
A hum and a flash of bright light brought the eight of them out of Ba'al's palace and onto the Al'Kesh. A moment later SG-7 joined them with Ba'al's scientist in tow. Matthews was gripping one arm—a tattered sleeve revealing scorched skin.
"T, can you help me with Daniel?" Jack asked.
"I will gladly carry Daniel Jackson." Teal'c handed his staff weapon to Jack then carefully reached under Daniel's shoulders and legs, gently picking him up and pulling him close as he carried him from the room. Jack observed the tightening of Teal'c's jaw as his eyes surveyed the welts on Daniel's body.
Jack leaned on Teal'c's staff as he followed them through the ship to another room. He was still a little weak from his ordeal with the vines. Sam walked beside him, eyes glued to Daniel's still form.
McKenna took the scientist off to another room where Jack knew they would keep him restrained while they questioned him. Reynolds and SG-3 followed Jack, hanging back a little to give the teammates some breathing room.
Carson settled Matthews in a corner and began assessing his wound. Teal'c laid Daniel on a cot that had been set up and stepped back, allowing Sam to check their teammate. She handed her weapon to him before kneeling next to Daniel.
Sam pointed to the disk on Daniel's temple. "Is this—"
"It's a regular memory device, as far as I know," Jack replied, knowing what she was asking.
Sam gently took hold of the disk and pulled, easily detaching it from his temple. She checked his pulse, respiration and pupils before declaring, "His vitals are all normal."
"Yeah, well, those welts aren't normal." Jack hadn't meant to be short with her and sighed. "Sorry. They were caused by these vine-like things that came out of that... thing."
Sam grimaced as she examined the red, raised welts. "What did they use to do this?"
"It was like an electrical shock—but they burned like acid."
Sam looked up at him, then at his arm. "Why don't you sit down, sir, and let me look at yours, too."
He started to protest but decided that sitting actually sounded like a good idea. He leaned one hand on the wall as he sank onto another cot next to Daniel's. They'd obviously anticipated that their teammates might need medical attention when they found them.
Jack glanced over at the members of SG-7. "How's Matthews?"
"It just grazed his arm, General," Carson replied.
"I'll be fine, sir," Matthews added as his arm was bandaged.
"Glad to hear it, son," Jack replied.
A loud 'whump' sounded as the ship shook violently.
"We're under attack," Kornan announced over the intercom.
Teal'c turned and ran from the room, followed by SG-3. Matthews stood up, intent on joining them, but was stopped by Carson. "You should rest, Justin."
"I'm fine and I'm coming with you," Matthews said adamantly.
Carson shook his head but didn't argue as both men left the room.
Jack lifted himself off the cot, intent on going, too.
"Sir, you should stay here," Sam said.
"I'm fine. Stay with Daniel and see what you can do for him."
"But—"
"That's an order."
"Yes, sir."
Jack exited the room, headed for the pel'tak, and Sam turned back to Daniel.
Do what you can. It wouldn't be much because Sam had no idea what else had been done to him or why he was still unconscious. She unclipped her pack and let it drop. Digging through it, she pulled out a med kit. This one carried more than their field kits—they had tried to be prepared for the possibility of finding their friends in less than perfect health.
She pulled out an ointment and began the task of treating the numerous welts criss-crossing Daniel's skin.
Another thud and shudder rocked the ship and she stopped her ministrations until things had settled. She resumed her work, anger and outrage gradually transitioning into sadness as she thought about all Daniel had been through. He had died again, for God's sake, and in a horribly painful way. Anger flared again as she thought of the replicator with her face running a blade through Daniel's chest. For him to see the face of someone he trusted—her face—deliver the mortal blow made it even more horrible. She looked down at that same chest now that showed no signs of being sliced open, looking whole except for the angry welts across it.
Pulling herself together, she finished treating his chest and moved to his arms, gently dabbing the ointment onto the raised, red lines. Next she moved to his face, gently brushing aside the short hair on his forehead before carefully applying the medicine to it, then moving on to his chin. She paused as she finished his face, wishing she could see those beautiful blue eyes looking up at her, but he remained quiet. There had been no reaction to her touch and she found herself worrying that more serious damage might lie beneath the surface. A tear escaped and rolled down her cheek. She would not lose him again!
"Daniel, if you can hear me, you're safe now. We're on a ship headed back to Earth. Hang in there, Daniel; we don't want to lose you again." She pressed a kiss to one of the few spots on his cheek that was not covered by a welt.
"Carter." The colonel's voice on her radio broke the silence and she realized the impacts had stopped. "How's Daniel?"
"The same, sir. I've treated the welts but he's still unconscious. What's happening out there?"
"It was a Ha'tak—probably Ba'al's. It was hiding behind that moon. We managed to jump into hyperspace, so hopefully we've lost it."
"That's great, sir. Why don't you come back and let me treat your wounds."
"That's okay, I'm— Hey! Teal'c, I can—"
"Colonel Carter, I will see that General O'Neill returns for medical attention immediately."
Sam laughed, sniffing back the tears that threatened to fall. "Thanks, Teal'c."
"You are most welcome."
Realizing she hadn't treated Daniel's feet, Sam set to work once again, letting the warm feeling the laugh had brought stay with her, lifting her hopes that things would be all right.
Jack had returned to his cot and allowed Sam to treat the welts on his arm. His eyes had drifted to his friend more than once while she worked, hoping to see some sign that he would wake up. He'd done it on Ba'al's ship; surely he'd do it again.
As Sam worked, Jack realized just how tired he was. I really am getting too old for this, he thought as he drifted off to sleep.
Jack woke, feeling the change in the sound of the engines. He pushed himself up to a sitting position and glanced at Daniel again, only to find he was still out.
"O'Neill, we are preparing to land."
"Where?" He rubbed his eyes, feeling like he could use more sleep.
"The Tok'ra base from whence this ship came. There is a stargate we may use to return to Earth."
"Daniel?" He hoped Teal'c would say Daniel was just sleeping, but that hope was short-lived.
"There has been no change." Teal'c's voice conveyed his own displeasure with the situation.
Sam entered the room as the ship landed. "Sir, we're here."
"I will carry Daniel Jackson," Teal'c stated and Jack didn't argue. Once again, using actions that were incredibly gentle for a man his size, Teal'c lifted Daniel and cradled him to his chest.
It was killing Jack to see his friend so still and lifeless. He refused to believe this was permanent.
They were met in the corridor by the rest of the SG members, each throwing a concerned glance to the unconscious man in Teal'c's arms. The group exited the ship into a barren land of low mesas and an overcast sky. A slight breeze ruffled their hair, its coolness spreading a chill over them.
There was a small group of Tok'ra waiting outside the ship. One of them walked up to Jack. "General O'Neill, it is good to see the mission was successful. Is there anything we can do for you and your people?"
Once again, Jack was surprised by the Tok'ra's willingness to help. He had figured after Jacob's death most of them would have no use for the Tau'ri. Maybe he'd have to rethink his attitude towards them. Maybe. "Thank you, but we just need to get Daniel back to the SGC."
"Of course. I do hope he recovers."
"Thanks, and... thanks for the loan of the ship, too."
The man bowed and turned towards the stargate which sat some fifty yards away. The SG members headed for the gate where Sam punched in the address and, after the connection was made, sent the IDC. Receiving confirmation, they entered the wormhole.
They arrived to the sound of klaxons blaring in a room full of SFs. At the base of the ramp General Hammond stood as though time had rolled away and nothing had changed, greeting SG-1 as they returned from another mission. His gaze took in each member of the group, making sure everyone had returned and assessing their condition. His eyes lingered a little longer on the motionless man cradled to Teal'c's chest before settling on Jack.
"General O'Neill, welcome home."
"Thank you, sir, it's good to be back."
"How is Doctor Jackson?"
Jack took a deep breath and sighed. "We don't know, sir. He hasn't woken up."
Hammond nodded before turning back to Teal'c. "Teal'c, take Doctor Jackson to the infirmary. The rest of you, get checked out, too. We'll debrief afterwards."
"Yes, sir," Jack replied, anxious to get Daniel in the hands of the doctors.
Two medics entered pushing a gurney, but Teal'c refused to relinquish his burden. The medics moved aside and allowed him to carry Daniel, falling in behind him.
They were met in the infirmary by Doctor Brightman and several nurses who allowed Teal'c to settle Daniel on a bed before setting to work on their unresponsive patient. Jack filled Doctor Brightman in on what had been done to Daniel—at least the part he knew about—including how he had acted when he'd been awake.
Doctor Meyers led Jack to another bed and checked his injuries while the rest of the teams waited their turn. Jack kept his eyes on his friend, answering the doctor's questions without looking at him.
Daniel was hooked up to several monitors, his blood taken and his injuries assessed. The curtain was pulled and Jack's view was cut off. He suddenly became aware of Doctor Meyers giving him instructions on treating his arm and then releasing him. With a quick "Thanks," he walked over to the curtain around Daniel's bed where he was joined by Sam and Teal'c. The curtain was pulled back to reveal Daniel, now dressed in scrubs and still out of it.
Orderlies began pushing the bed towards the door. "Where are you taking him, doc?" Jack asked.
"We need to do an MRI and see if there's any brain damage. His EEG is a little unusual."
Brain damage. Jack's chest tightened at the words. Not Daniel, his brilliant, think-outside-the-box, explain it to you in a dozen languages, pain-in-the-ass friend. He refused to consider it. Daniel had come out of the unresponsive state he was in and been lucid in Ba'al's palace. Jack had to believe he would come out of this whole yet again. But that niggled something in his brain and he thought back to the unanswered questions he had put aside earlier. No sarcophagus. The web shorting out as it was about to torture him. Carter and Teal'c knowing where to look for them. And he knew. It was far-fetched, but hey, what wasn't around here? But he was sure.
He glanced at Carter whose eyes were shimmering with tears. She looked at him, asking for reassurance. "He'll make it, Carter, and he'll be fine." Saying the words fortified his own hope that things were going to turn out all right.
"Indeed," Teal'c agreed.
"I suggest you all get some rest," Doctor Brightman instructed before following the bed down the hall.
"Carter, Teal'c." Jack jerked his head in the direction of the door. They followed him into the hall where he stopped, looking around to make sure he wasn't overheard. "We need to talk—privately. Follow me."
Exchanging questioning looks, Sam and Teal'c followed the general down the hall.
Taking the elevator a couple of levels down, they got off in an area of storage rooms. Jack led them to one, and looking both ways to make sure they were unnoticed, and entered.
It was a storage room about the size of a small bathroom with floor-to-ceiling shelves on either side. A room that had no surveillance camera. They squeezed themselves inside and Sam and Teal'c turned and looked at Jack expectantly.
"Before we meet with Hammond, we'd better get our stories straight."
"Sir?"
"To what do you refer, O'Neill?"
"Some things happened on this mission that will raise some questions. There's only one explanation that I can come up with and it's not something we want anyone else to know about. This has to stay off the record."
"You have my word, O'Neill."
"Of course we won't say anything, sir. What things are you talking about?"
Jack raked a hand through his hair and paced a couple of steps and back. How was he going to say this without sounding crazy?
"On Ba'al's ship, I got beaten pretty badly. Enough that it caused internal damage."
"Are you sure? You checked out okay with Dr. Brightman, didn't you?"
"I have enough experience to know what it feels like, Carter. I'm sure."
"How do you explain your recovery, O'Neill?"
"I remember feeling warmth in the injured area and was aware of this white light around me, even though I had my eyes closed. When I woke up, I could tell it was healed and I assumed Ba'al had put me in the sarcophagus."
"But Ba'al's scientist claims he didn't have one."
"I don't think he did. When I woke up, Daniel was lying next to me and his hand was on my stomach. After he woke up, he kept saying, 'You were hurt' even though he was unconscious the whole time."
"Sir, are you saying Daniel healed you?" Her voice was incredulous. "But how?"
"I'm not sure, but the Tok'ra were trying to get to his Ascended memories. What if something they did allowed him to tap into them?"
"I... I don't know. I guess it's possible," Sam said, still processing what this would mean.
"You spoke of more than one event," Teal'c said, "What else occurred that you believe could be attributed to Daniel Jackson?"
"Ba'al put him on that web and used the vines to torture him. When Daniel wouldn't give him anything, Ba'al switched our places, hoping to get Daniel's cooperation by threatening to torture me. He zapped me once and Daniel said he would try again. Instead, he became unresponsive again. When Ba'al went to zap me a second time, the device shorted out. And there's one other thing; Ba'al was going to transport us to his ship, but his communicator wouldn't work. That's when he ended up hightailing it out the back door."
Sam and Teal'c silently considered the events Jack had described. "Sir," Sam's voice was serious as it broke the silence, "Daniel's locator chip suddenly began working before we beamed to the palace. It helped us narrow the area to search."
Jack looked her directly in the eye, his voice just as serious. "Carter, I watched Ba'al smash those chips."
"I believe Daniel Jackson has found a way to use the Ancient knowledge hidden in his memories," Teal'c stated.
"Then why is he still unconscious?" Sam asked.
"He was already pretty weak when Ba'al tortured him. Maybe using the Ancient knowledge to do all this stuff drained him."
"Then perhaps he will recover once his body has had time to heal," Teal'c suggested.
"I hope so," Jack said. "But in the meantime, we can't let this information get out. If anyone else found out he actually had gained access to the Ancient knowledge, they'd lock him up so they could 'study' him."
Sam shuddered at the thought of Daniel being locked away at Area 51. But she knew that's exactly what would happen if this got out. The Tok'ra and Ba'al had already made attempts at getting that knowledge; what would happen if word got around that Daniel could actually use the Ancient knowledge?
"Sir, how are we going to keep this contained? How are we going to protect Daniel?"
"First, this doesn't go beyond the three of us. Depending on what happens when Daniel wakes up, we may have to include Hammond and Brightman. As for protecting him—I've got an idea about that. For now, let's get through the briefing. I'm not gonna say anything about being injured or about Ba'al's device shorting out. You leave out the part about the locator chip."
"Yes, sir. I won't give anything away."
"Nor will I."
"I know you won't. Now, let's go see Hammond."
They skipped the showers, though Jack stopped to get a fresh shirt, and headed for the briefing room. Major McKenna, Colonel Reynolds, and Dr. Brightman were already there. Noticeably absent were any members of the IOA and the Tok'ra.
Everyone took a seat with General Hammond sitting in his old spot at the head of the table.
"General O'Neill, for the purpose of this debriefing, I will remain in command. As soon as we are finished, I will officially return control to you."
"That's fine, sir."
"Why don't you begin by telling us what happened at the Tok'ra base?"
With a quick glance at Sam and Teal'c, Jack began his story.
When he finished, Sam gave her account. Teal'c, McKenna and Reynolds all added their viewpoints, including how they had detonated explosives in several key areas of Ba'al's palace.
"It looks like we've put a crimp in Ba'al's rebuilding plans," Hammond concluded.
"Unfortunately, he got away," Jack noted unhappily.
"We'll deal with him when the time comes," Hammond assured him. "Doctor Brightman, your report?"
Doctor Brightman gave her notes on the health of the team members, ending with Daniel. "He has numerous welts from those vines you spoke of, and he's a little dehydrated—we're taking care of that with IV fluids. But I can find no reason for him to still be unconscious. We're waiting on the results of the MRI—that should tell us something."
Jack looked across at Sam and then Teal'c. He knew they were all wondering the same thing. "What will it tell you?"
"We should be able to tell if there's damage anywhere, which areas are functioning properly and which are not."
Jack had a feeling it might show something else—something unexpected and something they wouldn't want made public. It looked like he was going to have to have a chat with Hammond after all.
The phone rang and Sam got up and answered it. When she hung up, she announced, "Daniel's showing signs of waking up."
"Sir—" Doctor Brightman began.
"Go ahead, doctor."
She excused herself and left the room.
"If that's all, people, we'll close the debriefing." Seeing no one had anything to add, Hammond continued, "Dismissed."
Sam and Teal'c hung back as McKenna and Reynolds left. "You go ahead and check on Daniel," Jack said. They both nodded their understanding and left Jack with General Hammond.
"Jack, I'm officially returning control of the SGC to you."
"Thank you, sir. Before you leave, I have one more thing that's rather urgent that I need to discuss with you."
Hammond gave him an assessing look, being familiar with Jack's propensity for leaving out certain details from briefings, before agreeing. "All right."
"Let's use my office," Jack said, leading the way.
Sam and Teal'c entered the infirmary and headed towards the bed that held their friend. A nurse was checking his vitals and smiled at them as she finished. "He's been a little restless—I think he'll be waking up soon." She left and Sam and Teal'c took up positions on either side of the bed.
Sam reached over and brushed the hair back from Daniel's forehead, taking care not to touch any of the welts. Daniel stirred, turning his head toward her touch.
"Hey, Daniel, it's Sam."
His brow wrinkled then relaxed again. Sam found herself visually following the paths the vines had taken across his face and neck. They had faded from red to a dark pink and were no longer raised and angry-looking as they had been earlier.
She looked up at Teal'c. "Do these welts look different to you?"
"They appear to be diminishing and I believe their color has lightened." He gazed back at her, unspoken thoughts passing between them.
Daniel mumbled something, bringing their attention back to him.
"We're here, Daniel," Sam soothed, taking his lax hand carefully in hers. She squeezed lightly and felt a gentle squeeze in return. "That's it, open your eyes."
At that moment, Jack, Hammond, and Doctor Brightman walked into the infirmary and approached the bed. Doctor Brightman looked slightly flustered, but sounded professional when she spoke. "We have the results of his MRI back and they look good." She gave Jack a quick glance before continuing. "Has he been awake, yet?"
"He's been moving around a bit and he mumbled something once," Sam reported.
Jack moved closer and leaned down. "Hey, Daniel, I've got a fresh mug of your favorite coffee here."
The forehead wrinkled again before eyelids began to blink. "Jack?" Daniel squinted, narrow slits of blue searching their surroundings.
"How'd you do that, sir?" Sam asked.
"Just gotta have the right motivation, Carter." He turned back to Daniel. "You with us now, Dannyboy?"
"Sam?"
"Right here, Daniel," she replied, keeping her hold on his hand.
"It is good to see you awake, Daniel Jackson."
"Teal'c?"
"I am here."
"Coffee?"
"Uh, sorry, maybe later, Daniel," Jack smiled, unrepentant. "Let Doctor Brightman check you out first."
Daniel's forehead creased even more but he didn't argue as Doctor Brightman moved in and did her own assessment, including a close examination of his welts. Upon finishing, she looked him in the eye. "How do you feel?"
"Well, uh, a little tired."
Jack snorted and gave Daniel a challenging look.
"Are the welts still causing you pain?" Doctor Brightman continued.
"Not really, they're—ow!"
Doctor Brightman looked at him apologetically as she removed her finger from his arm. "Sorry. They do look better." Once again she glanced at Jack before returning her attention to Daniel. "I think we'll keep you overnight just to make sure," she said.
"But I feel—"
"Daniel, listen to the doc," Jack interrupted.
"Since when did you start following the doctor's orders?" Daniel shot back.
"Ach! No arguments. You're lucky to be alive. One more day in here would be a good idea."
Daniel started to protest but stopped when he saw the look in Jack's eyes. No longer teasing, only the deep concern of a friend.
"Okay."
Teal'c's eyebrow rose sharply and he glanced at Sam, who simply shrugged. Still holding Daniel's hand, she leaned over and kissed an unblemished spot on his cheek. "Get some rest, Daniel, and we'll see you later."
He squeezed her hand in return before she pulled away. "Thanks, Sam."
Teal'c bowed and followed her out of the infirmary. General Hammond moved closer and smiled at Daniel. "It's good to have you back safely, son."
"Thank you, sir. It's good to see you again."
Hammond left and Jack sat down next to his friend. "You gave us another scare, Daniel, and I gotta tell ya, I'm gettin' too old for this."
"Sorry, Jack. This isn't exactly what I had planned, either."
"Yeah, well, if you ever ask to go off with the Tok'ra again, I'll kick your butt."
Daniel smiled but quickly sobered. "Anise—is she—"
"Not dead. They told me it was touch and go there for awhile, but the symbiote was able to heal her—them—with the help of the Tok'ra. She wants to come back and apologize when you're up to it."
Closing his eyes again, Daniel was relieved that Anise had not died. Even though she had tricked him into going off-world with her, she had tried to help him when their 'questioning' went too far. He was suddenly aware of how tired he still was. Apparently, so was Jack.
"Rest now, Daniel," Jack said. Daniel opened his eyes again and looked at his friend. "We'll talk more later. I think we have a few things to clear up."
Daniel searched his friend's face and realized he knew what 'things' Jack was referring to. Jack knew. Daniel wasn't looking forward to that conversation, but he tried not to show it. "Sure, Jack." He closed his eyes again, the sound of Jack's footsteps as he left the infirmary the last thing he heard.
Daniel sat at his desk, notebook open, a small stone statue covered with unusual script resting in front of him, waiting for him to unlock its secrets. But he wasn't focused on the statue—his mind churned with the events of the past few days.
Doctor Brightman had kept him most of the next day, releasing him in time for his three friends to herd him towards the commissary for a meal before escorting him back to his on-base quarters. The doctor had confined him to base for the next three days to 'ensure he recuperated properly'.
Jack had gotten an earful from the IOA and had given them the short version of what had happened before they, and Hammond, had left. The Tok'ra had left, too, taking the rebel scientists to face the judgment of the High Council.
So, here he was the next morning, sitting in his office, ready to work on his translation, only to find he couldn't concentrate on it. The images and feelings of what he'd experienced filled his mind instead. And he knew Jack would be coming to have that talk.
He closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind. It was almost like it was calling to him now, pulling him toward that calm center. As he relaxed into the sensation, he became aware of someone watching him. Opening his eyes, he looked towards the door—Jack was standing there, a curious look on his face.
"Hey, Jack."
"Daniel." Jack moved into the room, closing the door behind him. He stopped next to Daniel's desk, moving the ever-present coffee mug to the far corner before perching on the edge. "Whatcha workin' on?"
"A translation of this statue SG-16 found on P8E-04X," he explained, pointing to the figure in front of him. "It looks like it might be related to—" He stopped and looked up at Jack who had his lips pursed. "But you didn't come here to talk about that, did you?"
"No, I didn't." Jack tilted his head slightly as he stared at Daniel. "I wanna talk about what happened to you, Daniel; about what you did."
Daniel flicked his eyes up to the security camera in the corner.
"It's offline temporarily. Carter's working on it."
Daniel looked back at him and saw the slight smile on his face, and offered his own in return.
"I know what happened, I just don't know how," Jack continued, back on the original topic.
"I'm not sure myself," Daniel replied quietly, looking down at his hands.
"Could you do it again?" Jack gently pressed.
"I... I don't know. I'm not sure I want to try."
"You saved my life, you know, by healing my injuries."
"That's what pulled me back. I knew you needed my help." Daniel looked up again and held Jack's gaze.
"Thank you, Daniel." Jack stood up, staying close to the desk. "This is one time I'm not going to press you." He placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Carter, Teal'c and I won't say a word. Hammond is gonna keep an ear to the ground in DC and let us know if he hears anything. And Doctor Brightman intercepted your MRI before anyone else had a chance to look at it. Good thing, too, because it sounds like it was a bit unusual. I'm pretty sure it's managed to get misfiled, though, so I doubt if anyone will ever see it."
Now it was Daniel's turn to be grateful. Jack, Sam, Teal'c, Hammond, and even Doctor Brightman, had all gone out of their way to protect him, even though they were risking their jobs by doing so. "Thanks, Jack."
"You know, that kind of power can be a scary thing, Daniel. It's also very tempting as we both know. If anyone digs deep enough and figures it out, we might have to deal with this again. But you know we'll do everything in our power to protect you."
Daniel was moved beyond words, but managed to choke out, "I know."
"And to that end, I have a couple more things to tell you. First, I've been offered the job of Head of Homeworld Security—and I've accepted."
"What? But—"
"Hammond's going to be an advisor to the President. He asked for me personally as his replacement."
"Really?"
"Gee, don't act so surprised, Daniel."
"No, no, it's just—wow! That's a big move, Jack."
"Yes, it is. But there's more. You remember that request you put in to go to Atlantis? I approved it. You leave in two weeks."
Daniel sat with his mouth hanging open, unable to believe what he'd just heard.
"Well, that's a first," Jack said.
"Uh... huh?"
"Daniel Jackson, speechless."
"I... I don't know what to say, Jack. This is what I've wanted for so long—what I've worked for. Thank you." He stood up and Jack grabbed him by the shoulders, pulling him into a hug.
"You deserve it, Daniel," Jack said, slapping his friend on the back before pulling away, hands still grasping Daniel's shoulders. "It's a good time for you to get away. Just remember, if you need help with this, you know where to find me."
"I know," Daniel replied.
Jack took hold of Daniel's hand and turned it over, revealing the fading pink lines across it. "This could come in handy someday, if you ever figure out how to do it again."
"I know," Daniel repeated.
"I'll leave you to your packing them," Jack said, moving toward the door. "Don't forget, Carter and Teal'c are expecting us in the commissary at 1800 sharp."
"I'll be there."
Jack strolled down the corridor, spirits lifted. Sending Daniel to Atlantis would be the best thing for him right now. Out of reach of the IOA, the Tok'ra, and the goa'uld. Jack could rest easy knowing in a few short weeks Daniel would be on his way to Atlantis. Surely he would be safe tucked away in the city of the Ancients. And surely even Daniel couldn't find trouble on base in the next two weeks.
Atlantis! Daniel couldn't believe he was finally going. And now, he had another reason for wanting to explore the city of the Ancients. He knew his friends would do anything to protect him, but now he had to protect them. No one would know, not even Jack.
He looked up at the camera—no red light meant it was still offline. His gaze then settled on the mug Jack had moved to the far corner of his desk, and he reached out his hand towards it.
The mug slid smoothly across the surface of the desk, gently nestling itself in his open palm.
The End
