Purgatory's Gate
by Winterstar

I

Blood smelled like metal. He learned that fact as a member of Black Ops. In the zone of being his country's special assassin, he remembered inhaling the smell like it was the feast of a good wine, an aroma filled with bounty and promise. He had used the smell as if it was an aphrodisiac urging him toward the final climax of the kill.

Now he hated the smell.

He bent forward, climbing through the narrow tunnels of the catacombs beneath the main cave. His flashlight caught on the dried bones, the frayed and eaten fabric of the dead. Rotting corpses dotted the tombs, corpses turning to dust when he chanced to touch them. Their desiccated forms weren't the source of the stench. He gagged but held it back as the rest of his team — what was left of it — followed behind him. Pushing the thick webs and sodden mold aside, he moved into the inner chambers of the underground maze.

"Oh God," he gulped back his words then squeezed his eyes shut. His stomach rebelled but he had too many years of experience in death and horror to surrender to it. He heard the inquiries of his team as they awaited him to enter fully into the ceremonial chamber.  Once he went inside and shared what he'd found it would become a reality.

He stepped aside. A gasp echoed through the dusty chamber and the flicker of the flashlights danced wildly as Jack's team attempted to steady themselves against the sight before them. He fought his own limbs, forced his legs from their paralyzed atrophy and walked forward to the figure.

The body hung upside down, chained to the cave's ceiling by the legs. The figure's arms hung loose. The light from his torch traveled upward to see the manacles. Jack glanced toward the ceiling of the chamber and tried to make out how the chains were attached.  The mode of death was simple and efficient — a slice to the throat to cut through the jugular. The vicious blade cut deep, nearly decapitating its victim. Blood still dripped into the lake-like puddle spreading over the floor. With the amount of blood on the floor, he was damned well sure he wouldn't find a pulse. He swallowed it down and told himself not to be foolish.

Daniel was dead.

Daniel's head swung from ligaments, the skin devoid of all color, only the red streaks of blood painted the corpse of his friend.

"God damned it to hell," he whispered as he heard Teal'c slipped forward and start to reach up. "Just a minute, Teal'c." He bit back the tears threatening to form and spill over him. "Give me a minute."

Teal'c said nothing, only stepped off to the side and stood in silence sentinel mode at the entrance to the inner chamber of the Under Realm maze. Jack's fingers drifted across the cooling flesh and he wondered if Daniel had suffered when those things had killed him, slashed his throat. He wondered how long it took and how long Daniel had been conscious before the ebbing of his life finally drew to a close. He cursed again low in his throat and shoved back the emotions.

He bowed his head as if in prayer, but no words to God came to his lips. Nothing came to him. Empty cold space filled his brain because Daniel was dead. Dead, cold. Hung like a side of beef, a carcass in a damned tomb millions of light years from home. Damn it to hell, damn it to hell. He shuddered and dragged his grief laden brain up from the dregs of his hatred and pain. Lifting his head, he gazed one last time on the face of his friend.

Daniel's eyes opened.

Opened, right before him.

On a dead man.

He stumbled back, tripping and falling as he stared at the corpse before him.

Words tumbled out of the thing before him, words echoing and pleading. "Jack, Jack," Daniel whispered. "Find - find me."

He lashed out, punching the air and hands grabbed his flailing arms. A grip imprisoned him and he fought, struggling to get away from the ghastly sight. A din rushed his hearing and he thought it might be the sound of his screams as the thing, the corpse swayed wildly, reaching for Jack to save him.

"Jack, Jack."

He struck and impacted with flesh, warm and unyielding.

"Damn it Jack," the voice cracked the air.

He blinked once and opened his eyes. He jumped up and banged his head against the pole of the tent he was in. Before him Daniel crouched, fingers dabbing at his split lip as blood leaked down. "Why'd you hit me?"

He was in a tent — off world with Daniel and the rest of SG1. There weren't any catacombs. There wasn't any zombie Daniel coming to get him.

Bending his head down, Jack pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes and scratched his short silvering hair. Shit. He inhaled once then looked up and stared at a very much alive and very indignant Daniel. "Sorry, just-." He gave a wave out to the air when Daniel didn't supply the needed words he said, "Just a dream."

"Where you were using me as your own personal punching bag?"

"No where you were dea-."

"Dea?" Daniel pulled a few tissues from his pack and cleaned up the blood from his mouth. "I think I'm going to have a fat lip, thanks to you."

"Then stop impersonating a zombie in my dreams."

Peering over his shoulder, Daniel said to him, "Really Jack perhaps you should rethink your strategy of putting hot sauce on MREs to make them taste better. A zombie?"

He shook his head and Daniel left the tent, said, "You should put something on that, you're gonna look like shit in the morning."

"It is morning," he murmured as he exitted the tent. Somehow those simple words shivered through Jack and he shook his head to clear the after effects of his nightmare.

II

Blood tasted like metal. He could still taste the blood in his mouth. Pulling his glasses off, he pinched his nose and closed his eyes. His shoulder protested slightly, the ligaments, tendons and muscles still tender even after three months of recovery and physical therapy. Daniel had been lucky to be release and reassigned to active duty. His first order of business had been to request a return to the planet where the accident had taken place.

Lassie's planet. That was what Jack liked to call it. Daniel gave a little chuckle but bit back a grimace as the tear inside his cheek stretched. He glared at the tent where Jack still hid away from the beckoning morning light. Welcome to Lassie's planet. Here's a punch in the face for you.

He cursed. Quizzing Jack about the name brought up a myriad of jokes and sarcastic remarks until Daniel realized the reason for the name. Sam and Daniel had spent the better part of their last visit to this planet trapped in what they first believed had been a well or mining shaft of some sort. The plummet into the depths of the well remained only as vague flashes of memory for him. Even the hours or day that it took for their rescue to be initiated was barely clear in his head. One thing impressed upon his memory and that was the fact that the writings he had to decipher for their eventual escape while imprisoned in shaft had been rooted in the Furling language. This world, Lassie's planet or as Jack some times called it 'Timmy's trapped in a well and can't get out' planet, was the only place they'd encountered the Furling language other than Ernest's planet.

So even though he'd been impaled with a wooden stake through his shoulder and it took the better part of three months for him to recover, Daniel had argued for a return to the planet to investigate the writings in the underground cave they discovered. General Hammond agreed but raised a hand to Jack's protests and conceded that an engineering team had to clear the area for study.

The engineering team shored up the entrance to the cave, re-enforced the walls and gave the all clear. Strangely the engineering crew decided to go back through the Stargate, offering only a weak explanation of fatigue. He cringed when he heard what they were doing. It was tantamount to sacrilege — touching an archeological site with hammers and nails, with drills and bits without an archeologist to direct them — it was close to desecration. When he complained to Jack, his friend gave him a half smile, placed a hand on his shoulder and stated that Daniel wasn't getting near that site if those engineers didn't do a little blasphemous work.

"Well campers, are we ready to face the day?" Jack said as he slipped out of his tent.

Daniel winced as he sipped the coffee he'd poured into the metal cup. He probed the tender split on this lip with his tongue. Frowning, he studied Jack as his friend gathered supplies from their neatly organized camp.  When he had been fortunate or had the misfortunate depending on which way the wind was blowing in their friendship to share a tent with Jack, Daniel couldn't recall nightmares plaguing the man. Off world, Jack slept lightly, almost alert - ready to leap up at a moment's notice to answer the urgent calls for help or to respond to any questionable incident. For Jack to suffer a nightmare was something extraordinary. He wondered if he should mention it to Sam. As he turned to her, Daniel touched his soft, slightly swollen lip.

"Daniel Jackson in what way have you injured your lip?"

He looked up at Teal'c but it was Jack's glance that caught Daniel's eye. As if they were conspiring children, Jack lifted his chin and gave Daniel a wink. He shook his head in reply and just said to Teal'c, "It's nothing. I'm fine."

Teal'c considered the answer with a scowl on his usually immobile features. After only a moment's pause, the Jaffa gave him a nod to say if you say so then walked toward the edge of the camp to check the perimeter.

Sam scurried about the camp, checking her different instruments and though he made a concerted effort to listen to her briefings and follow her interests, there were times her behavior absolutely befuddled him. She munched on a granola bar as she flicked switches and compared her laptop screen to readings on the different machines placed about her. She looked like a kid in the middle of her open toys at Christmas time, clearly not sure which of her presents to play with first.

He laughed low in his throat and brought the coffee mug to his lips again. It burned the slit in his mouth and he hissed. A hand nudged his shoulder and he looked up to see Jack standing over him while he sat next to their open fire. Jack handed him a cold pack — a luxury they normally didn't have but since they were here for a bit their camp included a small battery operated cooler for important supplies including first aid kits.  Taking the pack, Daniel nodded to his friend and tentatively placed it against his fatten lip.

"Strange," Sam said.

"Shouldn't that be fascinating?" Jack asked.

Sam peered up from her study of the instrument's screens. "Sir?"

"Mister Spock always said fascinating." Jack smirked as he adjusted the strap of his P90.

"Sir?" Sam still didn't get it and Daniel only shook his head.

"Jack, you really have to work on your material," he commented then turned to Sam and asked, "What is it Sam?"

She gave a glance to her superior then, shaking her head, said, "I keep getting electromagnetic spikes." She pointed to the monitor. "There's nothing to explain such spikes in the area. No civilizations and no natural phenomena would explain these patterns."

Daniel stepped over to Sam's set up. "Patterns?"

"Yes, look." She waited as the graph on the screen only showed a single flat line. It started then, a single peak, then two peaks, then three peaks, then five peaks, then seven peaks, then it stopped and went back to a flat line.

"Prime numbers," Jack said. Both Sam and Daniel turned as one and stared up at Jack as he stood over them. "What? I'm right, aren't I?"

"Perfectly sir."

"Now that Jack, was fascinating."

"Funny Daniel, funny." Jack said as he turned away.

Daniel ignored the enigma that was Jack and focused his attention on Sam and her conclave of equipment. "In the absence of a civilization Sam, what would explain the pattern?"

Shaking her head and pursing her lips, Sam sat back in her haunches and said, "Hard to say, it could be a residual signal from a past civilization. Perhaps some technology left behind by an advanced culture?" She looked at him to verify this was a valid hypothesis and when he shrugged his shoulders and nodded that it could be possibility she continued her theorizing. "There are very few natural phenomena that would oscillate or pulse in such a manner. A pulsar for example does have its own signature."

"Carter," Jack called.

She rolled her eyes in response and said, "At this point, I have no clue where it is coming from."

"Did you see this last time?" Daniel asked.

"I never had enough time to actually record anything."

"We could have a little hide and go seek for left over advanced technology going on here? Sweet. So kids, that means we look sharp on this little camping trip," Jack commented then said to Teal'c, "Check in with base is at 0900 hours, why don't you go back to the 'gate and report. Tell them we're going spelunking."

With a raised eyebrow, Teal'c said, "I am unfamiliar with this term, O'Neill."

"He means we're going into the cave, Teal'c."

"Isn't that what I just said?" Jack gripped his P90 and nodded to Teal'c as the Jaffa slung a pack over his shoulder to make the short trip to the Stargate. A single man — or Jaffa in this case — could make it back to the 'gate in less than half an hour. A trip to the Stargate with injuried teammates ended up taking a longer route to avoid some precarious climbing impediments.

"I will return O'Neill," Teal'c said and started toward the path headed in the direction of the Stargate.

Jack shifted from foot to foot as if anxious to get started. If Daniel knew anything, it was that Jack was anxious, anxious, worried and agitated. Unknown signals with a pattern to them possessed the ability to set a former Black Ops military man on edge. Daniel dumped the rest of his coffee; it wasn't sacrilege if the coffee was burnt again. He walked over to the neat wall of metal trunks lining their camp and opened his equipment. He scooped up his pack and stuffed a few tools, reference materials and a video camera in it. Without much thought, he grabbed a few granola bars, chocolate and blister packs of acetaminophen. These were essential to his survival — especially the chocolate. He smiled when he thought of Chaka and pocketed one more bar.

Slinging the pack over his left shoulder, he followed Sam and Jack into the dark recesses of the cave. He still compensated for his right shoulder's weakness from his injury the last time they were on this planet.

"And Daniel, don't touch anything."

"I didn't touch anything the last time and we still ended up trapped."

"As I recall from the report, both you and Carter were standing on the platform," Jack commented as he leaned into the cave and fumbled to find the lamps rigged into the support scaffold.

"Sorry Jack, last time I looked levitation wasn't on my curriculum vitae-." Daniel halted any further protestations as the lights buzzed on and then illuminated the inner sanctum of the cave.

The mold laden walls glinted and reflected the light, the plants innate bioluminescence activated. Yet it wasn't the iridescence of the sparkling walls that caught his attention, his gaze focused on the engraved stone. The shapes and letters — the very cadence of the language though silent blared at him. He heard the lilt and drop of the words as he scanned them. Furling.

He raced to the wall, his hand perched over the lettering. This dialect rooted in the Furling language. He'd finally be able to study something more than Rosetta Two, the information from Ernest's planet that had been gleaned from the old man's notebooks.

"Happy Birthday, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Daniel," Jack said and laughed.

He peered over his shoulder at Jack and smiled. This was only the beginning. His eyes skimmed over the wall, taking in the words, the pictographs. The stories told there. The words indicated a mystery to be solved by the sacrifice to the Under Realm. Sacrifices.

Ritualistic Sacrifices.

This was Furling site. It didn't add up.

But it couldn't be a Furling site, could it? This wasn't a Furling site at all. That's when he saw it, the simple pedestal in the middle of the room. Like a moth to the flame, he gravitated toward it. There were times in Daniel's life that he felt the boil of understanding heat the blood in his arteries and veins. When he saw the constellations in the newspaper and linked it to the cartouche on the coverstone, had been one of those times. When he discovered the meaning of the writings scrawled over the walls of the temple on Keb was another time. This would be recalled as another of those moments in his life.

He knew instinctively what to do. He didn't comprehend then why he knew, he just did. He passed his hand over the rounded globe and it throbbed to life. Beneath the dirt and grime, a red glow emanated from it.

"Daniel?"

"This isn't a Furling site, Jack."

"Not Furling?" Sam said.

"Daniel."

When his fingers touched it — it felt cold, slippery like a reptile beneath his palm but it flared to life and sizzled to burn him. He snatched his hand away and the room shook.

"Daniel!"

"Electromagnetic readings are off the chart, sir!" Sam reported and started toward the entrance to the cave. A great rumble heaved the ground beneath their feet and the very rock rose up in a wave. He faltered, staggered as a rain of rocks and pebbles showered down upon them.

"Carter, a quake?" Jack yelled.

"It's not seismic activity, sir." Sam huddled near the cave entrance, waiting for them to join her. "The EM readings are spiking."

Jack ordered them out of the cave.

A groan issued forth and the ground beneath his feet shuddered. If it wasn't some kind of quake it sure felt like one. The scaffolding installed by the engineers of the SGC snapped like a toy erector set. The lights flashed and flickered sending out sparks. A massive rumble jarred him and Daniel toppled to his knees. He heard Jack ordering Sam out of the cave. His pack flew from his grasp, items scattering from the unzippered pocket. Scrambling, he gathered as much of the items as possible and tugged his pack onto his weakened right shoulder and started to rise but the floor yawned opened, cracking and splitting.

"Carter, I said get out of the cave!" Daniel heard Jack yell.

"But sir, Daniel," she said back.

He stumbled on his feet and called out, "I'm coming." But the pack caused him to tip off balance and he crashed to his hands and knees. Jolts of pain speared up his knees and he cursed against the onslaught.  His shoulder gave out and he dropped, slamming his chin against the hard stone of the cave. Rolling he struggled to get to his feet when Jack's steady hand yanked him up.

Arm slung over Jack's shoulder, Daniel found himself half dragged, half carried toward the cave entrance. That's when the stone beneath his feet surrendered to the vibrations rocking the planet and disintegrated. Without purchase, Daniel slipped and plunged into a void of darkness.

III

This planet was cursed.

Sam swore as she tumbled out of the cave and shielded her head from the pelting rocks and gravel. "Damn it."

The grit and dust grimed her eyes and she squinted against the fog of the rock slide. She coughed and rolled over to look up at the brightening of the sky. The ground stilled and a quietude drew out over the landscape. Lifting her arm, she blocked out the rays of daylight with her handheld scanner. The small screen indicated no electromagnetic pulses; the graph showed no activity at all. Huffing, Sam pulled herself up and keyed the radio.

"Sir?"

No answer.

"Colonel O'Neill, do you read?" she coughed again but continued her hails. "Sir, are you there? Please respond."

No answer.

Grimacing, she tried again. "Please Daniel, tell me you're there?"

Silence greeted her and she bit back the hell riding low in her belly. She stared out at the contours of the mountains and the rising colors painting the sky. It was all so very beautiful and she hated it.

"Damn it." She switched the frequency and pressed the switch again. "Teal'c?"

Immediately her answer came. "Major Carter, how may I assist you?"

She pressed her lips together, tasted the dirt deep in her throat. "We experienced seismic activity that didn't register as a quake. Colonel O'Neill and Daniel are trapped inside the cave."

For a moment no response came and then Teal'c stated, "Major Carter you are contending that there was a quake that did not register as seismic activity and that both O'Neill and Daniel Jackson are now trapped in the site in which they were to explore."

"Yes."

"Please standby," Teal'c said. She nearly protested his answer. Standby? Crap she didn't need to wait around for Teal'c to process what was going on. As she went to hit the radio switch again, Teal'c voice broke the silence. "Major Carter, I am at the Stargate and am engaging the dialing sequence. I will call for backup if you believe it is necessary."

Staring at the wall of rock and gravel separating her from their team mates, Sam frowned. Back up? Did they need back up? Well that could be considered the understatement of the year. "Teal'c get the engineers back here and I need Siler. Something isn't natural about what happened here."

"Not natural?"

The seemingly simple question surprised her and it took a moment for her to frame her response. "I recorded some peculiar electromagnetic pulses before the incident. I need Siler and some equipment. Since the cave in I haven't been able to reach the Colonel or Daniel."

"Major Carter, I have contacted the SGC and am now conversing with General Hammond. Please list your requests in detail and I will relate them."

As she considered the list of instruments she wanted to consult, the one in her hand started to beep. Looking down, she saw the prime number sequence played out on its screen again. The land about her gave a great quake and pulsated in rhythm to the readout. She plummeted down the hill, skidding across the gravel and stone of the rock. Turning end over end, the last thing Sam heard was Teal'c calling her name and then the din of unconsciousness folded over her as her head smashed against a boulder.

IV

His arm wrenched, pulled taut by his grip on Daniel. He slid a few precious inches more toward the crevice. Peddling his feet, he found no purchase and Jack tightened his grasp around his friend's wrist.

"Jack!"

He groaned to himself and bowed his head, clawing at the loosen rocks and dirt about him and mentally willing his body to stop his slow glide toward the hole. Though he held onto Daniel's wrist, the archeologist didn't return the favor, his right hand hung limp in Jack's clutches.

"Let — let go," Daniel yelled from the darkened pit.

Dead again Daniel has entered the building, Jack cursed. "Just shut up, Daniel." He managed to stop the slid toward the jaws of the pit but he discovered he couldn't reach forward with his free hand to grasp Daniel and haul him over the lip of the hole without losing traction.

"Please," Daniel said, his voice breaking. "Let —- go."

"Cut the bull and grab my arm."

"Can't."

Jack heard the cracking in Daniel's tone, the edge of pain sharp and bitter. "Daniel?"

"Shoulder," Daniel said through clenched teeth. "Dis — dislocate."

"Your shoulder's dislocated?" Jack asked and made a note to get the hell off this planet with Daniel intact and never ever — no matter how much one insane archeologist begged and pleaded — ever let him gate back to this place.

"Don't." Daniel's answer was interrupted by a moan. "Hurts — might be — dislocated. Let go — please."

He tried to peer over the lip of the pit but all he succeeded in doing was dropping loose rocks and pebbles all over his friend. He heard a distinct swear word tumble from Daniel's mouth before he cried out against the movement of their linked arms.

"I can't let you go Daniel. A dislocated shoulder is a hell of a lot better than being dead."

"Not far."

"What?"

Daniel growled deep in his throat and Jack swore he felt the vibrations of it through his hand. "Drop — isn't far."

"How the hell can you tell? It is pitch black down there. Do you have a flash light?"

"Pack," Daniel answered.

"Yeah, me too."

"Give me your other hand," Jack said, knowing full well the pain it would cause Daniel to lift his uninjured arm across his chest and reach up to grasp Jack. The howl of pain ripped through Jack as Daniel grappled and swayed with the motion. Just the pressure of Daniel dangling caused Jack to slip a few more inches toward the edge. His friend stopped his struggles without exchanging hands.

"Please." The sound tore Jack's heart out, Daniel was begging.

"I can't, Daniel, don't ask me to." He pressed his forehead into the dirt of the ground, keeping his grip firmly around his friend's wrist.

"Can tell — no far. Feel of it."

"How the hell can you tell by the 'feel of it'."

"Archeologist — can — tell."

This conversation was getting old, they should be concentrating on getting Daniel up and out of there and digging themselves out of the cavern. Just as he was about to order Daniel to shut up about letting go, his radio crackled and he heard Carter calling for him. "Damn it."

Without a free hand he couldn't trigger the radio and answer her. "Daniel can you reach your radio?"

"Kidding?"

"No, just key your radio and answer Carter while I tried to figure out a way to get you up."

Daniel fell silent and the swing of his arm told Jack that his friend was actually attempting to follow orders for once. That was a bad sign. How many different curse names did he have for this Shithole of a planet?

"Not working," Daniel gasped out, then said, "Fuck Jack, let me go." The pain in the words lanced through his heart. "Not far — please."

Daniel was right of course and that killed Jack. He couldn't hold onto Daniel for too much longer. The weight on his own shoulder and muscles tore away at his strength and scissored across his back with burning jabs. If he could just inch his other arm around without losing any ground, he might be able to haul Daniel out of the hole.

The decision was taken away from him as the ground trembled beneath him. He had time to curse once before the rock split open and jolted him. His hand released and he cried out, "Daniel!"

He heard a shout but the fracturing of the rock about him deafened Jack to all else. It sounded like the bones of a giant splintering all about him. The force of the shake threw him against the side of the cave and a stab of pain shocked him but he concentrated on the falling rocks. Damned engineers. This place was supposed to be safe. He didn't give a damn that the engineers were not aware of any seismic activity or whatever the hell this was. Planet Crappy was supposed to be safe for his archeologist.

The quake shuddered to a halt and he got up on his hands and knees. A pinch on his side told him he'd probably bruised his ribs and he noted as he crawled to the open pit his knees weren't happy at all.

"Daniel?" He called as he yanked the flashlight from his pack. He switched it on and fell back. Shit. Rocks had collapsed into the pit, nearly covering the entire opening. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise. Perhaps he could climb down and get Daniel out. He eased toward the pile of rocks but just the touch of his weight caused several of the rocks to plummet down into the darkness. "Daniel!"

The dark below him was still with only the trickle of falling pebbles to answer him. He sat back and squeezed the switch for his radio. "Carter? Carter, come in."

The sizzle of noise fizzled out of the radio.

Edging toward the pit, Jack called, "Daniel?"

His mind spun around one scenario, a single reason why Daniel wasn't answering. He gulped back the nausea and glared at the pile of rocks, knowing it was Daniel's grave.

V

Siler was a good man. O'Neill had confessed this to Teal'c on several different occasions.

Teal'c reassured himself of this knowledge as the search and rescue team exited from the wormhole. He observed the ripples of the event horizon and thought of Major Carter. Her failure to answer his hails concerned him greatly but he stayed at the Stargate as commanded by General Hammond until the requested personnel from the SGC came through to the planet.

Siler directed several of the airman, ordering them to assist in setting up the FRED to traverse the path back to the ruins and the site of the cave in. General Hammond appeared at the event horizon in fatigues with a stern expression. Although Teal'c was surprised to see the commanding general of the SGC off world, he comprehended the man's worry regarding the loss of the SG1 team members.

"Teal'c."

"General Hammond." Teal'c bowed slightly in respect for the leader of the SGC. As he greeted the General, Doctor Janet Fraiser stepped onto the platform where the Stargate was situated. This was her second visit to this world. The first visit had been to ensure the safety and treatment of both Major Carter and Daniel Jackson after their rescue from the shaft. He recollected the furious pace at which the doctor worked to revive his fallen team mates. He trusted her with his life, but more importantly he trusted her with the valuable lives of his friends.

"Son, can you give me an update?"

"I cannot," Teal'c said. "It has been impossible to contact O'Neill, Major Carter or Daniel Jackson since radio contact was interrupted with Major Carter for unknown reasons." He glanced toward the path he'd taken to get to the Stargate.

It would be impossible for them to travel to the cave site through that road. With the equipment packed onto the FRED, they would need to journey across the open plain, then around the jagged cliffs. He recalled Doctor Fraiser cursing the length of their path during their rescue of Daniel Jackson and Major Carter. The very time it took to return to the safety of the infirmary at the SGC ate precious moments from the doctor's ability to save his friends. But she had succeeded and only recently relented in her orders with respect to Daniel Jackson's return to duty. The hard set of her features and the harsh method she utilized to give commands to her nurses and medics advised Teal'c that she blamed herself for any injuries that Daniel Jackson may have acquired.

Siler nodded to him and saluted the General. "We're ready to move out when you are sir."

"Thank you Sergeant," General Hammond said and turned back to Teal'c. "It'll take us a while to get to the site."

"Proceeding on the required path to transport all the needed equipment will demand the use of the path that is approximately five klicks. At the speed of the FRED it will take over half a day to get to the site." Teal'c considered the deepening blue sky, the rugged mountains cutting razors into the sky. "May I request your permission to continue to the cave site on the shortened path through the mountain pass?"

General Hammond nodded. "Request granted. Stay in radio contact, I'd like to know as soon as possible about your team mates, son."

Teal'c gave a bow to the commander and, starting toward the mountain pass, looked to confirm the doctor was readying her equipment. When he was certain the medical team was prepared, he gave them a farewell and left to find his team mates.

VI

Blood possessed a thick silken feel to it. She noted this as she reached out and touched the pool accumulating in the tunnel within the catacombs. The bioluminescence of the mold covered walls glittered and shimmered in the river of blood as the thin line of fluid snaked its way across the caverns.  Cringing, Sam blinked away her fears and stood from her examination of the blood. She straightened her shoulders and prepared to confront the source of the blood.

Her heart thrummed in her chest and she swallowed against the nausea it bubbled up. She started down the tunnel, crouching down in the confined space. The caves walls jutted out and tore at her uniform as if knives cut into her clothing. Sam tugged her sleeve free and turned the flashlight she held into the deeper recesses of the cavern. She knew the Colonel and Daniel were somewhere down in these caves beneath the mountains. It had taken her sometime to crawl through the small crevice she'd discovered at the foot of the mountain. Her hands and knees were scraped and stinging from the rough terrain.

She should have waited for Teal'c; she should have contacted him. Her radio was out and a sense of urgency overwhelmed her when the land tilted again and the pulses flashed across her screen again. As she passed through the caverns, a sense of treading upon the under world — the realm of purgatory prickled over her flesh and she shivered.

Depressing the switch for the radio, Sam called for her missing team mates. No answer followed, so she embarked on tracing the line of blood to its source. She clambered over a slight incline and entered the cramped grotto. As she scanned the flashlight over the catacombs, her breath caught in her throat. Strange iridescent markings sketched across the walls of the cave. It reminded her of the holographic lights in the Goa'uld pleasure palace, except this wasn't a holograph at all. It was the very mold pulsating and emitting light around her. She turned off her light and for a moment the mold growing up the walls glowed but it slowly faded to darkness.

Moving into the cavern, she bumped into something clammy hanging from the ceiling of the cave. Sam flicked on the light and shined it upward.

"God," she gasped out and staggered backward. Her stomach lurched at the sight and heaved. The splatter of vomit echoed in the darkness. Her breathes came in short pants and she tasted bile as she puked again. Her mind reeled and the world, the flashing mold spun about her. She grabbed the flashlight which she'd dropped when she started to vomit and turned it to illuminate the body hanging from the ceiling.

"Oh God," she sobbed. "Daniel."

She dropped to her knees, close to the puddle of vomit. She didn't notice the stench, she noticed nothing but the body for it could only be a body — not a living human being anymore. She steadied her hand as she looked at her former friend.

He hung from chains linked around his wrists from the ceiling of the cave. His head limp against his arm had his face in quiet repose as if he'd been sleeping. It was oddly out of place — the serenity did not fit the brutality of his death. The light streamed downward and she flinched as if she'd been assaulted by a loud noise. She murmured a prayer as she examined the gutted belly of her friend. He'd been slashed from the bottom of his rib cage to just below his navel. Someone, some devil had sliced him open and yanked out his intestines, cutting them into shreds. Blood still streamed from a cut the murderer had made on Daniel's main artery. That cut had been a mercy, she realized. Gutting a person was a slow and agonizing death but the stab wound to the aorta had stolen Daniel's life and eased his suffering.

She heard the crying then, the gentle soft sobs. Her flashlight spun to the corner of the cave to find the Colonel curled into a ball. His face hardened at his discovery but he never dropped the large hunting knife he held or the strands of Daniel's intestines. He mumbled over and over again. "I can't find him. Can't find him."

She crawled forward and peered down at her CO. "Sir?"

He glanced up at her, his eyes wild and seeking. "Where's Daniel? Can't find him, can't find him."  His whole body shook and sweat beaded up on his forehead even though the underground caverns were cool.

Stepping away from him, she went for her radio when she heard Teal'c voice calling her.

"Major Carter you must answer."

For a moment her body seemed paralyzed, lost in a daze at finding her friend murdered and her CO the murderer. Her arms felt heavy, weighted. Dragging one up to her shoulder to key her radio, she tried to answer but no words came out.

Hands touched her face. "Major Carter, are you awake? Are you able to respond to me?"

Her eyes stuck together but she pried them open and squinted against the glare. "Teal'c?"  Attempting to sit up, the Jaffa pushed her down.

"You must remain still, Major Carter. You have sustained a head injury in your fall from the cave site."

"Fall?" She blinked against the watering of her eyes and looked around. The jagged mountain side greeted her and she realized she'd never been in a cave tunnel, never set out to find the Colonel and Daniel, never found her friend dead. She quaked with relief as Teal'c helped to prop her up. He laid his jacket beneath her head. "How long?"

"I am unsure how long you have been unconscious but I would estimate it to be a little over two hours."

"The Colonel and Daniel-." She struggled to sit up further but he pressed a hand to her shoulder and stopped her.

"Please Major Carter, you must remain still. When I arrive it took me several minutes to revive you. You vomited several times before attaining full consciousness." He indicated the newly overturned earth. He must have cleaned up the mess as quickly as possible so that she would not be confronted by it when she fully awoke.

"Thanks Teal'c but I think I can sit up now." She eased up and while he protested, he did offer to assist her. "I promise I won't puke on you."

"While I am pleased to hear this Major Carter my primary concern is your welfare at the moment."

A smile crept over her lips, yet the circumstances of her team's separation dampened her mood and she asked, "Is there a rescue team?"

"They are currently traversing the longer trail to join us at the cave site." Teal'c glanced up at the skid marks in the dirt she'd obviously made in her tumble down the hill. "They will not be here for quite some time I fear."

"Daniel and the Colonel are trapped inside the cave." Sam adjusted her sitting position, then steadied herself as another wave of dizziness overcame her.

"Are you unwell, Major Carter? May I assist you in some manner?"

She grabbed hold of Teal'c extended hand and squeezed it, keeping her eyes closed for a minute. Nodding, she said, "I'm fine now. Fine." The vision of Daniel torn apart mocked her and her eyes flashed open. "I think we should concentrate on getting the Colonel and Daniel out of that cave. Something just isn't right about this place."

"I will attempt to contact O'Neill," Teal'c said and switched on his radio. "O'Neill please respond."

Static answered.

"O'Neill please respond."

"Teal'c?" A voice crackled over the radio, the signal weak and distorted. "-m —able ——-can —— me?"

"We are having some difficulty hearing you O'Neill," Teal'c said.

"Daniel —— down ——help."

"That's pretty clear if you ask me," Sam said and cursed as her head pounded in rhythm to her heart. Her CO and Daniel trapped together, in a cave. She shivered.

VII

He rolled onto his side, curling his knees up to his chest. A groan escaped his lips and he didn't try to muffle it. The pain ripped away at his shoulder, tore newly mended ligaments and tendons asunder. He pressed his face into the dirt and soil of the cave floor. If the pain didn't abate soon then he knew he would be sick. Even as he thought about it, the urge overwhelmed him and Daniel vomited.

Damn it. His eyes welled up and he shuffled away from the mess. He needed to get Jack down here; he needed someone to put his shoulder back in place. He flopped onto his back and moaned as the pain jarred across his chest. A number of curse words fell from his lips in several different languages.

He needed to concentrate, take his mind off the edge of the pain. So he latched onto language. It had always been a habit of his when he was small in foster homes. Lying alone in a strange bed at night, he would shift the sheet over his head and slowly count to ten in as many languages as he knew. It became a challenge to learn a new language each year. But this time he needed something a little more difficult than counting to ten. His mind focused now and he spat out verses of Dante's Inferno in the original Italian.

It was soothing in its aspect and his panting breath stilled to normal breathing as he was able to once again think beyond the pain. He needed to call out to Jack and see if his friend had survived the latest catastrophe on this planet from hell. Pushing further toward the cave wall, Daniel angled himself to sit up and, taking a deep breath, called out, "Jack?"

"Daniel?"

"Jack?"

"You okay?" The disembodied voice in the darkness echoed through the cavern.

"I'm fine. Can you get down here?" Daniel asked.

"The slide is pretty iffy Daniel, I'm not sure its safe." He heard a rustling and then a few pebbles trickled down the slope. "Teal'c just called and the rescue team is on its way."

On its way. Daniel laid his head back and realized he would need to deal with hours of sitting in the dark with a dislocated shoulder. As he felt around for his pack he happened to touch his leg and cursed at the sticky wetness he encountered. The stabbing pain hadn't been from a sprain but a gash slicing up his calf muscle. He really needed to find his pack.

"Daniel?"

"Jack?"

"Daniel, how bad is it?" Jack paused then asked, "How many places are you bleeding from?"

Shaking his head, he knew Jack phrased his question specifically so that if Daniel didn't answer directly he would be accused of lying later. There was no point in concealing the truth at this point anyway so he answered to the best of his ability. "I think my head and my leg. Head isn't so bad, just a bump really."

"Leg?"

"A gash, I need to find my pack so I can bandage it." As his hands fumbled around he bumped into the soft canvas and mumbled a soft prayer that Sha're had once taught him. "Found it."

He rifled through the bag and pulled out the flashlight, turning it on. The gash ran the length of his calf but as far as he could tell it wasn't muscle deep. It didn't look too serious to his untrained eyes. He dug out his small first aid kit and took out the one pressure bandage he had. Before he pushed it against the open wound, he splashed some antibiotic cleanser on it and flinched from the sting. In due time, he wrapped his leg in the bandage and sat back as a wave of pain shot through his abused shoulder.

"Update, Daniel, update?"

"Okay, I'm okay." He breathed through the spasm of pain. His chest tightened as the ligaments protested his slightest movement. He growled against the onslaught, sobbing out as it overtook him.

"Jesus, Daniel, I'm coming down," Jack said.

The crunch of stone against rock scratched the air as Jack eased his way down the side of the incline. The rock slide was not conducive to climbing and as Jack gingerly fought to find his footing the steep slope gave way. His friend's scream broke the silence along with the crash of the avalanche of stones and rocks. Scrambling to his knees, Daniel crawled over to Jack's prone form.

"Jack? Jack?" Daniel reached out to shake his friend's arm but his shoulder ached and the room whirled about him. He braced himself against the cave wall and breathed through his mouth. Lightly as not to disturb the precarious hold he had on keeping the room from its dizzying spin, he touched Jack. "Jack?"

Even as his fingertips brushed over his friend, the fabric of his uniform shifted and changed. He explored the scaly, reptilian features of it as his brain leapt and jumped trying to make sense of what he was experiencing. The figure before him twisted and curved, the limbs dissipating to mold into the length of the body. He hissed as it rose up before him.

It faced him and its features solidified. Jack's face metamorphosized, the rugged lines and etched bones softened and lengthened. In a distinctly feminine voice, it spoke, "Daniel Jackson, you've finally come to complete your Descension to the Under Realm."

VIII

The brilliant glare of daylight burned across her vision and she huddled further into the shade of the wet clothe Teal'c had provided. She gulped another dose of acetaminophen and laid back to watch as her team mate reviewed some of the data she asked him to gather. Immobile from the concussion she knew she must have, Sam refused to remain quiet while the Colonel and Daniel were still trapped under the side of a mountain.

Thus far with information collected by Teal'c, she had been able to ascertain that the side of the mountain had collapsed. Not a surprise considering the amount of debris and rock scattered in front of the cave opening but it was alarming to realize the entire side of the mountain had come down. The Colonel and Daniel were lucky to still be alive. Getting them out would be a monumental feat of engineering and while she was the top in her class astrophysicist, she was not a mechanical engineer. So she was forced to wait along side Teal'c.

Her latest recordings showed that the mountain was probably not a mountain at all but an artificial edifice made to look like a natural land formation much like the mounds of Ancient North America near the Mississippi basin. They already knew from their last stay on this oh so wonderful planet — not time to channel the Colonel — that the top of the mound probably served as some kind of ritualistic platform where priests or high holy men appeared through the shaft mechanism that Daniel and she had unfortunately chanced upon and triggered to plunge into its dark depths. The SGC discovered the cave below it upon looking for a way to extract them. Her question now was how far below the cave did the actual artificial mound go — were there any signs or indications of chambers below the main cavern.

Sam frowned as she wiped away tears from her straining eyes. The concussion made it impossible to read let alone concentrate. But she willed herself to ignore the revolving world around her, to press ahead and beyond the throbbing pain ricocheting in her brain and focus only on the task at hand. She stretched out the data, the graphs and the screens around her to compare the data recorded for her by Teal'c.

Her Asgard enhanced Ground Penetrating Radar indicated the mountain or mound was really hollow inside and the cave system wormed its way into the center of the structure.  What was there — she had no idea. What she did know was that there must be some other way into the mound. While discussing the mission, Daniel had noted that the underground cave they essentially fallen into was probably an antechamber to a much bigger complex. Pyramids, Ziggurats used for ceremonial purposes were not simple structures but complex buildings utilized for both ceremony and preparation. At the time they spoke neither Daniel nor she had any idea what the inner chambers might offer.

As she scanned the readouts, Sam searched for one thing — another entrance. If they could locate another entrance to the cave system fairly quickly, then they could forgo trying to excavate an already dangerous rock slide to rescue the Colonel and Daniel.

Teal'c walked over to her and knelt on one knee. He slipped his large hand under her head to support her and gave her a canteen. She sipped it and thanked him.

"I believe Major Carter that it would be wise for you to rest while we await the arrival of the rescue team." He did not permit her to reply. "It will be mid-afternoon by the time they make it to the cave site even though they will journey only five klicks. The need to convey large equipment to the site for the excavation of the rock slide will cause a considerable delay. We will need to work through nightfall so we must conserve energy and our health at this time."

He was right of course. But the Colonel and Daniel might not have the time for them to literally dig them out. "If we could find another opening or entrance then we might not have to do that Teal'c." Before he could respond, she pointed to the topographical map she had. "My studies show that there's definitely a cave system. I'm fairly certain there will be more than one entrance to the surface. We just need to find it."

"It will be necessary to discover a way through the maze network of the caverns below the mountain."

"Yes." She eyed him and something gave as she gazed at him.

"I am at your disposal Major Carter. Please direct me to how you would prefer me to assist you in your search."

She let go a breath and grasped Teal'c arm. "Right now Teal'c, my brain is fried. I can't stand up let alone go traipsing around the mounds here to check for geological markers. What I need you to do is to be my eyes and my legs." She pulled a map onto her lap. "I need you to go out and examine specific areas on this map and tell me what you find. I'm pretty sure we'll be able to get into one of these areas if we are persistent enough."

"You are, Major Carter, a fairly persistent person."

"Thank you," she paused then added, "I think." Shaking her head, Sam pointed to the map. They'd tried to contact the Colonel and Daniel to no avail. They didn't have the luxury of time, they needed to start now. "Shall we start?"

"Yes we shall."

IX

Jack was starting to wish he'd just called in sick today. This planet had serious mojo issues and seemed to have a special liking toward his archeologist. Glancing toward the collapsed ceiling of the cavern, the mountain of rock and debris covering what little area they could only hope to escape, he decided a new course of action was needed. Perhaps certain little gray guys could suddenly know they were in trouble and beam them the hell off Planet Doom.

He doubted they would be able to climb up the collapsed cave especially since the latest cave in had all but obliterated the opening. Crawling over to Daniel, he dug out his friend's flashlight and turned it on. The archeologist curled in a ball in the corner of the cavern, he favored his right shoulder seemingly even protecting it while unconscious. Jack needed to set the shoulder but first he needed to assess any other injuries Daniel acquired and check the surrounding cave. He waved the light over Daniel, noting the pressure bandage on his leg, the bruises and scrapes on his friend's face and hands. He slipped a hand on Daniel's torso and pressed lightly, verifying that there were no flagrantly broken ribs or strange swellings.

All in all, Daniel wasn't in the worst of shape. As for himself, Jack knew he'd hit his head in the fall and that the goose egg growing on the back of his skull was a testament to the probable concussion he had. The piercing headache and the whirl of the chamber anytime he turned his head too fast confirmed his suspicions. He'd knocked his head around enough to know it wasn't serious. What worried him more was his knee — he'd had knee injuries in the past but his left knee protested when he put any weight on it at all. He'd most definitely twisted it when he toppled down the slide and caused the avalanche.

Glimpsing the pile of rocks reaching to the ceiling and concealing any exit from the cave, Jack leaned down to touch his friend's face. There wasn't any sign of waking from Daniel so he concluded when the rocks cascaded down like a waterfall one of the pelting projectiles must have impacted with Daniel's head. He felt around his friend's skull but didn't immediately discover a bump of any kind. That had to be a good sign.

Anything good on this planet made him hopeful. He swung the flashlight around the cave and noted the slide probably indicated the side of the mountain had disintegrated into the cave. He made it to his feet and hobbled over to the side of the pile. He aimed the light up and his fears were answered. Daniel and he were lucky not to be dead already. The entire side of the mountain had collapsed into the hole. He grappled to keep his legs steady as he swayed from his aching head. The light flickered over the cave's walls and he noticed a darkened area. Easing over to the recessed area, Jack discovered a crevice. The flashlight illuminated the narrow opening and showed a tunnel that could be crawled through with some work. It could be a dead end or it could be a way out of here. Either way, Jack needed to get Daniel up so that they could at least explore their options. Trying the radio had led no where.

Making his way over to Daniel by using the wall to crab crawl over to him, Jack slid down and sat next to the unconscious archeologist. First things first, he had to deal with Daniel's dislocated shoulder. He'd fixed these things enough when in combat with buddies. He placed the flashlight to point toward his friend and, with care, moved Daniel onto his back. It was better to do this while Daniel was still unconscious. Fingering the joint, he hissed. The entire area was inflamed and swollen. That meant twisted or torn ligaments. Daniel would be lucky to get movement back in this joint after all the abuse it had taken. They'd face that hurtle later. He readied himself, bracing his bum knee and then gave the joint a yank.

Daniel cried, coming away with a jolt and slamming a fist out toward Jack. He barely ducked in time to avoid getting a broken nose. Panting, Daniel sobbed out and cradled his shoulder with his opposite hand. "What, what the hell? What are you doing?"

He didn't apologize just pushed Daniel toward the wall of the cavern and examined the joint. "Setting your shoulder. Come on, I need to get it immobilized."

"I thought," Daniel paused and took a shaken breath. "Thought you were out. Bad dream. You turned into some kind of creature."

Jack frowned. Okay Planet Sucks could officially be called Planet Creepy too. Both of them plagued by nightmares caused his skin to prickle. "No creature, just me Daniel. Let me get this arm in a sling."

Daniel nodded and leaned his head back while closing his eyes. His left hand clenched his right arm to his chest. "Janet's gonna kill me."

Jack searched through Daniel's pack and found a few of the rags he sometimes used to wipe off artifacts in the field. He tied them together to make a sling and then gently maneuvered the material around his friend's arm and shoulder. Only a muffled grunt objected to his ministrations. "You okay?"

Daniel licked his lips and nodded. "Sure, yeah, right. Gonna be fine."

"Is it torn?"

Daniel didn't answer right away as if he was testing how the joint felt. "Don't know, feels like crap though."

"Does it feel better now though?"

He gave the shoulder a slight rotation, grimacing as he did. "Actually it does, hurts still but at a lower notch then like hell."

Jack squeezed Daniel's hand and said, "That's good." He pulled out his canteen; he hadn't been able to find Daniel's anywhere. Handing him a blister pack of acetaminophen, Jack said, "Take some of these but save some for me."

Daniel grasped the pills and popped two into his mouth, sipping at the water. "How bad?"

"Concussion, probably mild — just about what you probably have," Jack said. "Plus a sprained knee."

"Damn."

"You got that right."  Jack downed a couple of the pills as well and took a swig of the water. He wanted to save as much of the water as possible considering their situation. "You up for some exploring?"

Daniel squinted at Jack and for the first time, he realized the man had lost his glasses again.

"Where is your extra pair of glasses?"

"Pack," Daniel said his eyes fluttering closed.

He tapped Daniel's arm a few times. "No sleeping now. We have to find a way out of here." He dug around the pack and found the glass case. "Here you go." He opened them and gave them to Daniel.

"Thanks," Daniel said and blinked a few times.

"Now are you ready for some exploring?"

He glanced around then laid his head against the rock wall again. "I don't see what we need to explore. Doesn't look like much to me."

"I tried the radio, we're totally cut off from Teal'c and Carter," Jack said as he stowed all their equipment into Daniel's pack. "That cave in is going to be impossible to excavate because of the nature of this cave. And yes Daniel I do listen when we have briefings."

Daniel raised his one hand in surrender.

"There's a crevice over behind the slide that might lead somewhere. From your briefing, I recall you said something about the possibility of a larger cave system within the mountain."

"Yes, I did." Daniel kept blinking his eyes as if he thought he might clear away this strange imposter of Jack.

"That tunnel might be a way out of here."

"Agreed."

"Damn it."

"What?" Daniel asked.

"You just agreed with me and no one was around to hear it," Jack said as he clambered to his feet. His knee speared his leg with pain. Ignoring it, he used the wall as a brace and gestured for Daniel to get to his feet.

Daniel mimicked him, using the rock wall for support as he climbed to his feet.  He kept his weight off his gashed leg which made him unbalanced as he tried to protect his shoulder.

"You think you can crawl?"

"You didn't say anything about crawling Jack."

"No I didn't."

"Jack."

"Daniel."

His friend just shook his head and shuffled forward as Jack led him toward the crevice and the tunnel. Jack flashed the light across the recess. Daniel cursed low in his throat but crouched down and peered into the gap. "This was an open tunnel, probably collapsed sometime in the past but it doesn't look too dangerous right now. It probably leads toward a more complex cave system — maybe catacombs.."

"Catacombs?" he asked as visions of Daniel's slashed throat haunted him.

Daniel must have identified the waver in his voice. "What?"

"Nothing, nothing," Jack said, gripping the flashlight harder to make sure it didn't shake. "Let's go."

Daniel nodded and waited for Jack to crawl into the tunnel. He groaned as he stressed his knee. "Damn it."

"Are you okay?" Daniel called to him.

"Yeah, yeah just regretting not retiring." He dragged his leg forward and listened for Daniel to enter the tunnel. Jack heard a huff as the archeologist got down on his hand and knees. A low moan issued from Daniel but Jack ignored it. It wasn't as if he didn't sympathize with his friend — he did — but right now they needed to concentrate on moving forward and getting out of these caves and off Planet Hellhole.

The crevice ended up being short and he edged his way out of the tunnel into a larger cave. He swung the flashlight so that Daniel could follow its light to the end of the crevice. Offering him a hand, Jack helped him out of the tunnel. It wasn't until Jack twisted around and shone the light on their surroundings that he staggered and would have fallen if Daniel hadn't caught his arm and supported him.

Catacombs.

His heart rammed in his chest. Catacombs would normally not freak him out.

"Jack?"

But these catacombs, these were exactly like his nightmare. His skin crept with fear but his heart pounded in his throat when Daniel said, "This is just like the dream I just had."

X

Daniel hunched in on himself. Though Jack had completed the setting of his shoulder, the joint still ached and he worried the recently healed ligaments had torn. His hand felt numb and his elbow stung as if he'd hit the funny bone. He persuaded himself not to concentrate on the pain, but to focus on the walls and tunnels around them. Inscribed along the catacombs and tombs of the dead, the writings told a story much different from the one eluded to in the carvings in the upper caves.

He turned the flashlight he'd yanked from Jack's grasp toward the writings and shook his head. "This isn't Furling at all. I don't understand how I could have been so wrong."

"It doesn't make sense Daniel. You translated that wall in the cave so that we could get to you when you were trapped with Carter." Jack slumped against the wall, his knee obviously hurting him. "You said it was Furling."

"It was."

"Daniel, you're not making any sense. Not that you do on a daily basis but normally it is usually a bit better than this."

Shifting up his glasses, Daniel squeezed his eyes closed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Jack was right — none of this made any sense at all. "The upper cave is based on Furling but it really isn't Furling. I had to see all the carvings in order to assess the foundation for the language. For example, romance languages find their root in Latin but Portguese isn't the same as Romanian."

"So this Furling that isn't Furling is what?" Jack grabbed hold of the carved wall, avoiding the skeleton of the dead wrapped and shrouded on the shelf.

"It's a split, a branch in the language. I can translate it because I have the basic rudimentary understanding of Furling, but I might get some of it wrong because of how language changes with culture and time."

His friend nodded. "What are you getting here?" He waved to the inscriptions lining the graves of each of the tombs. "Is it telling us that this is Uncle Wilbur here?"

"Actually no," he said and went up to the words lining the tomb. "It says 'With this blood, Descension to the Under Realm is assured.'" He shivered and followed the writing. "Damn it, Jack." He peered over his shoulder at his friend. "I know this sounds nuts but this says what I dreamt about when I was out."

"It doesn't sound nuts at all," Jack said. "Unless I'm nuts too. I dreamed of this Under Realm too."

The touch of the rock transformed under his fingers, the roughness melting and shifting. He stumbled away from the wall, Jack catching him before he fell. Together they circled around as the walls moved like a thousand tendrils of a great beast.

"We get out of here, we get out now," Jack said, tugging his arm and yanking him toward the tunnel going into the heart of the catacombs.

Lurching to follow, Daniel caught his breath as they dashed without regard to direction through the changing catacombs. "Not sure this is a good idea, Jack. We're just going further into the lair."

"Lair?" Jack dragged his one leg, but kept up a pace to race through the maze of tunnels.

Daniel tripped, pitching forward. Jack seized his right arm and Daniel howled in response, the sling ripping away and he staggered to plummet into the dirt and gravel of the underground grave. Sharp daggers of pain jolted through his shoulder and he reflexively curled into a ball. Halting Jack knelt beside him.

"Crap, sorry Daniel," he said. "Can you get up?"

His eyes clamped closed, sweat beaded over his forehead as the pain waved over him, a tidal wave of spasms. He nodded into the dirt, clawing the ground to get his balance as he grappled to stand but he stumbled back staring up at the glimmering forms that emerged from the walls.

"We have watched." The figures were long and sinuous, their supple forms twisting as if winds surrounded them. They shined black and dark as if made of dark matter itself. They were not human or humanoid, their faces were long skulls with flowing appendages reminding Daniel of the Medusa. Their length weaved into something snake like yet graceful.

"We have waited," another said.

"It is time."

"Crap, time for what?" Jack said, his body shielding Daniel from the encroaching figures. "Who the hell are you?"

"Are you Furling?" Daniel asked.

"The Furling mothered us, brought us into being. We sought what the Furling feared, what the Ascended dismissed." Their shimmering figures slipped forward, encircling them. "We were once the Beloved of the Furling but no longer, they have abandoned us for what we sought."

"Don't come any closer." Jack's hand went to his holster but Daniel laid a hand over his and shook his head.

"You can't hurt them Jack, they aren't corporeal." He turned his attention to the creatures surrounding them. "What did you seek?"

"What you sought when you repudiated the Upper Realm."

"Upper Realm?" Jack asked.

"I think the Upper Realm is the realm of the Ascended to them," he said. "I don't understand."

"You seek the Under Realm."

"Daniel, I don't care if you want to do the peaceful explorer bit," Jack commented. "This Under Realm ain't about going all glowy and sweet. It's about eating off the lowest of what we are, the worst part of us."

"It is about the glory of death and the act of death," one of them said.

"I'm telling you Daniel, these ain't your normal Oma glowy chicks."

He gave Jack a short wave and said, "How do you know me?"

"Before, you were here before." The ruffle of the non-existent wind streamed through the tendrils of hair on the creatures.

"How come you didn't make yourself know then?"

"Called out but you never heard, called for you to come to us." Their voices were soft and melodious, ringing like a chorus of harps. "Couldn't get to you, too far into their world."

"You couldn't reach us because we didn't venture far enough into the caves."

"To the gate of the Under Realm."

"How'd they make us have these nightmares then?" Jack asked.

"Probably the signals, the prime numbers are like a beacon," Daniel supplied and the creatures seemed to nod all as one.

"These catacombs, these dead people — they're part of this Under Realm?" Jack asked his body still braced up against Daniel's to protect him.

"They suffered, they died. They became part of the Realm, yes." One glided forward and leaned down, its multifaceted eyes glowing with iridescent colors. "We felt your descension Daniel Jackson."

"Friends of yours Daniel?"

"You must complete your journey to Descend to the depths of the Under Realm." It shifted and where its breast would have been, it broke open to reveal the screaming faces of thousands of the dead. "You will become one of them."

"Damn it to hell." Jack backed up and pushed against Daniel. "Let's just forget the journey. We forgot our tickets."

"You will help." The creature oozed forward. "You will be the instrument of his death."

"Think again, lady," Jack cursed and grabbed hold of Daniel's collar to drag him to his feet. "I think we'll be leaving now."

The creatures converged on them, swirling about them in a mad whirl of wind and gravel. A tornado of stone, bones and dirt spun about them, biting their skin and scraping their clothes. Through the smog of dirt, Jack heaved him through the torrent. He coughed and groaned against the pain radiating from his shoulder but he clasped Jack's arm and followed.

"No other way but through it," Jack yelled.

He nodded in reply; the dirt burned his throat. The mass of the creatures concentrated then into a single whirling cyclone and without hesitation it drove to its target.

Jack.

Piercing his chest, the ghostly stream of creatures burrowed into his friend as Daniel screamed and jumped to guard against the onslaught. When he attempted to defend Jack against the invasion, a force flung him against the cave wall. He sat stunned yet watching as the creatures merged with his friend.

He panted as the brief attack stole the breath from his lungs. Jack lay still in the dark catacombs, the flashlight tossed aside. There was no sign of the creatures, and Daniel stared in shocked disillusionment as he realized his friend had been compromised. He needed to get up and get Jack out of the cave.  From his brief discussion with them, he understood they were confined to a certain Realm of existence; they could not venture farther a field.

Using his one good hand, Daniel forced himself onto his feet and scuffled over to Jack. He checked for a pulse; it was strong and steady. He swallowed against the nausea overwhelming him. He couldn't carry Jack that much was clear. He pulled the radio from Jack's shoulder and called into it. "Teal'c, Sam do you read?"

No answer but then again he didn't expect one. At least there was static — that much must be a good sign, right? He shook his head — getting help wasn't an option. Leaving Jack was out of the question. So there was only one option. He had to wait for Jack to wake up and face whatever had possessed his friend.

XI

Night had drawn over the mountains and Teal'c glared at the last glimmer of daylight as it faded to lines of purple at the horizon.  With these last moments of daylight, the warrior recalled how he had cursed his helplessness when his team mates Daniel Jackson and Major Carter were trapped within the shaft. O'Neill had told him those months ago that he had been integral to the success of the mission yet he could not identify how he had been of any utility at all.

"Teal'c they've found another entrance to the cave system," Major Carter called from her resting place. Doctor Janet Fraiser had confined the Major to a sheltered area but she had failed in forcing Major Carter from participating in the recovery effort.

He walked over to his team mate. "Has there been any word on the status of O'Neill and Daniel Jackson?"

She shook her head. "No, but I thought you might want to go to the entrance and join the rescue team." She blinked a few times, the glare from the large flood light bothered her sensitive eyes. He stepped over to give her a shadow to sit in as they spoke.

"I will remain in radio contact with you as long as I am able Major Carter."

"Thanks Teal'c."

He bowed slightly and then turned to follow the teams as they headed toward the newest entrance to the under ground cave system. They marched around the mound, through a narrow pass toward an outcropping of the cliffs. Both General Hammond and Doctor Fraiser had joined the rescue party. He offered a hand to the petite doctor has they climbed through the steep cliff. She ended up jumping down into his massive hands, but he handled her deftly and gently set her down. She thanked him and they bent to get under the overgrowth as they entered the catacomb system under the mound.

He heard before he saw anything, the collapsing of several of his colleagues of the SGC, falling back and retching as they confronted the sight. He stuck out an arm to stop the doctor from entering the chamber ahead of them. He moved the webs and strings of plant overgrowth from the cavern tunnel.

His days as a warrior and First Prime of Apophis did not prepare him for the sight. He braced himself against the edge of the rock and gazed at the shredded body of his friend. The more disturbing sight though was O'Neill. His commander stood over their friend and slowly carved pieces of flesh from his friend's reposed body. Daniel Jackson's face was peaceful in its aspect but his body was in ruins, sliced and ribboned. Ligaments, muscles, and vital organs ripped and cut into unrecognizable lumps of tissue. He looked mauled, eaten. He lay in the recesses of the tombs. As O'Neill worked, his eyes remained dazed and he kept repeating over and again one phrase.

"Got to find Daniel. Find him. Find him."

Teal'c refused to stomach anymore of O'Neill's deceitful behavior and strode over to the crazed man to yank him from the corpse. O'Neill flailed and beat the air, his scream animalistic in character as Teal'c fought against the man.  General Hammond stepped in and ordered O'Neill to cease.

"Teal'c let him go, we'll deal with this another way," General Hammond said. "Teal'c, Teal'c."

He startled awake and glanced around, the night of the planet shielded the landscape around him but he knew by the feel of the air and caress of the wind that he was not in the cave. He was outside, awaiting the rescue team's review of Major Carter's data and his findings along the side of the mound.

"Son are you all right?"

Teal'c only nodded yet he was unsure of his state. He settled back as General Hammond patted his shoulder and reported that the rescue team was about to check out some of the possible alternative openings to the cave system to find the Colonel and Doctor Jackson.

"Thank you, General Hammond." As General Hammond walked away, Teal'c closed his eyes and wished for the ability to reach the deepest state of kel'noreem. It was impossible to attain such a deep state of mediation since he lost his symbiote. And he thought of this as both a blessing and a curse.

XII

His eyes felt crusted over but he couldn't rub the grit and dirt out of them. His arms refused to move. His sight swam and the underground cavern swayed within his vision. Jack wanted to roll over, but his body laid limp, dead to his commands. Paralyzed, he cursed in his head. How the hell did that happen?

His sight was different; it seemed faceted like what he would imagine an insect to have. The light streaming from the flashlight burned in swirling colors. He realized then he couldn't blink his eyes, that a film glossed over his corneas. Crap what had happened? He needed to get to Daniel.

Without intending to Jack sat straight up and scanned the cavern for any sign of Daniel. There was no sign of him. Something in him rollover, curdling his stomach with a bloody want. He couldn't understand it. What was happening?

He felt a caress deep within his belly, a sensuous silken touch across his flesh yet it originated within him. Though the need to hyperventilate came over him, his body remained still, not reacting to his increasing alarm. Something was here — with him — in him. It wasn't a snake; he remembered that much. The memory flooded back, a dam bursting and gushing forth the rapids of an untamable river of images. Those things, those descended beings were inside him, wanting to kill Daniel.

As he mentally sighed his relief that his friend had done the right thing and left him, Daniel walked into the cave and said, "Jack, you're awake."

Damn it to hell and back again. Daniel get the hell out of here. Of course, he couldn't say anything of these things, his mouth immobile to his commands. Instead, he climbed to his feet, his movements at first stilted and robotic in function. Daniel had the good sense to keep his distance.

"You're not Jack, are you?"

Words and a soothing voice not his own came out of his betraying mouth. "The slower and more painful death will assist you in your final passage to the Under Realm, Daniel Jackson."

"Well thanks for the invite, but I decided against the trip," Daniel said.

Why wasn't he leaving? Get out now before these things figure out how to move my body, Jack thought. Get out Daniel — Get out! His screams were muted by the creatures possessing him.

"And luckily I disarmed you while you were out," Daniel said. "And hid the weapons."

"We do not need your primitive weapons." Jack heard the creatures speak and he felt them stretch their mental control of him, as if they stretched his hands into gloves. His fingers danced and splayed out. Any minute now they would lunge at Daniel and he couldn't do a damned thing about it.

"I guess then you'll have to try and kill me with your bare hands." Daniel said.

Daniel, you got the knife out of my inner pant leg, right? Jack let out a scream yet no sound came out. The things inside of him jerked and bent down. Shit he'd told them about the knife, they hadn't known about the knife. How much of his knowledge did they have access to and how much didn't they?

The knife slipped out easily and Daniel stumbled backward cradling his injured shoulder. "I think it's probably time for me to run."

"There is no escaping the passage into the Under Realm."

"I beg to differ," Daniel said and leapt toward the nearest tunnel.

Jack fought against the things inside of him, cursing as they took control of his legs and without much delay raced after Daniel. In seconds, Jack knew they were accessing parts of his brain, his Black Ops training to hunt and seek prey. He prayed that Daniel didn't under estimate him, that he understood these creatures were now in power over a Black Ops Specialist.

Daniel had taken off without the flashlight, smart and not so smart all at once. He should have taken the flashlight but not used it. Jack leaned down and seized it as he turned down the corner toward the tunnel after Daniel. His thumb switched it on and he caught the image of his friend waiting in the corner of access cave.

Damn it Daniel. Get out of here.

Daniel nodded as if he heard and slipped through another tunnel. The dead remains glinted in the light of the torch he held as he swung it around to follow Daniel's movements. The creatures inside of him stirred with want and need. They urged him forward and he had no other choice but to ignore all else and go after his friend.  The skeletons seemed to laugh at him as if he was already a ghost among them.

He heard the scrape and crunch of booted feet on the graveled rock floor. He sniffed and could smell the blood from Daniel's gashed leg. The smell fascinated the creatures within him. They celebrated with bursts of energy causing him to fall off balance and he tumbled to the ground with a huff as his sprained knee hit the sharp rocks. Daniel was getting away, he moaned with the need to overtake his team member. He needed for Daniel to be here, the need grew aching and deep within him.

The sensation from the creatures contaminated his mind, seeping into his consciousness. The need to find Daniel, it seduced him as he searched about the caverns.  Knocking the dead aside, the need hollowed out his bones.

"Daniel, Daniel." It was his own voice, his own cry that called out to Daniel and he cursed his want, he cursed the creatures using him.

He caught a glimpse of Daniel as the man scurried ahead of Jack, his direction along the labyrinth seemingly mapped out. He felt his throat constrict as he shriek out at Daniel, his fist white knuckled about the knife.

Daniel squeezed through a narrow passage, just making it through as Jack rounded the corner and spied him. He ducked into the crevice and shoved his way forward to his destination. It was then that Daniel fell, grunting down to the cave floor.

His body lurched forward, sprawling on top of Daniel to crush him into the rough ground.  With desperate strength, Daniel forced Jack off of him as he rolled over onto his back. It did nothing to stop the creatures moving his limbs, pushing him forward like some damned, nightmarish marionette puppet. He kneed Daniel in the groin as his friend struggled to get to his feet and he went down, groaning in rasping gasps. He yanked on the injured shoulder and Daniel let out a howl, his legs kicking and thrashing.

"Why do you fight the descension. You have forsaken the Upper Realm," Jack growled out.

"Jack don't do this, fight it." Daniel clasped onto Jack's fist, attempted to dislodge the knife. "It's just a little way out."

Sweat poured down his forehead and dripped into his eyes blinding him as he sliced downward to stab at Daniel. With only one good arm, Daniel was at a clear disadvantage but he brought up his knee and managed to smash his booted toe at Jack's sprained knee. He flailed away from Daniel, shivering with the staggering pain.

Daniel grappled to his feet, wavering and swaying. "Jack, you have to follow me."

Damn it Daniel, what the hell do you think these things want? Jack cursed mentally.

With a weak gesture, Daniel waved for him to follow. "This way, come on."

Run, Daniel, run, Jack pleaded in his head. He fumbled to his feet, his knee throbbing while he panted and the things within him caused that long forgotten lust for blood to surge forward. With renewed purpose, the creatures strode to the tunnel Daniel had taken and searched for his friend.

God Daniel, are you stupid? Jack wondered. He actually loitered in the narrow passage, awaiting Jack's appearance.

"Jack?" Daniel was breathless with pain aching through the words. "Follow me, this way. It's only a bit more." Daniel glanced up at the inscription above the entrance way and the creatures screeched in response.

Was Daniel on to something? Was there a purpose to his madness?

He didn't find out as the creatures launched his body at Daniel, the knife stabbing downward and impacting with resistant flesh. He felt the skin tear away, the ligaments and muscle give away in Daniel's newly healed shoulder. His friend bit back his cry as if to save Jack from hearing his pain.

The knife plunged straight through Daniel's shoulder pinning him to the dirt and gravel of the cave floor. But the creatures had made a strategic mistake and Jack smiled to himself — he knew that Daniel recognized it. He saw the flicker of understanding flash through the hurt and muffled sobs of pain. The creatures had attacked his already injured shoulder, leaving Daniel his uninjured arm to defend himself.

A mistake.

They comprehended it and jerked the knife free of its home but Daniel swung hard, crashing his fist into Jack's jaw. He hurled across the small cave, his head ricocheting against the rock. It gave Daniel that second as Jack laid there to escape. But he stayed and Jack swore deep inside his mind.

His friend grasped his wrist and dragged him across the floor.

Disarm me, Daniel — God damn it, Jack thought. He isn't thinking straight anymore.

"Tunnel's too narrow." Daniel keyed the radio and called, "Teal'c, Sam? Are you there? Can you read? If you can hear this I believe we're traveling in the opposite direction of the cave in. I'm pretty certain that's the way out from the inscriptions in the cave."

The pounding from the bruise on his jaw was matched by the throb at his temple where his head had smashed against the rock face of the cave. Jack remained immobile for several more minutes as the creatures gathered their strength to force his injured body to move again. His body curled and scratched at the dirt.

Daniel fumbled away from him, his face smeared with sweat and his own blood. Jack glimpsed his friend and realized Daniel's time was out. Blood flowed from his shoulder and his right arm hung dead. Breaths crackled in his throat as he tried to stay conscious.

"Jack, just a little bit farther," Daniel said, squeezing his eyes open and closed a few times. "Hold them back a little bit longer, please." He inhaled and his gaze implored Jack. "Please, please Jack."

Jack's heart dropped and plummeted. He wished he could help Daniel but nothing about his body worked under his command. Jack heaved himself to his feet; the creatures clenched the knife, knowing full well this would be the killing blow.

The knife slashed downward in a vicious arc crossing Daniel's chest, but his friend staggered away at the force of the blow. It saved him, if only for a moment.

"Teal'c? Sam?" Daniel yelled into the radio as he crawled over to the tunnel. Jack grasped his ankle and yanked him back to the center of the small cave.

"Not yet, Daniel Jackson. You haven't passed into the Under Realm." The creatures twisted his voice to sound almost sexual as they spoke. Jack slammed his boot into Daniel's rib cage, causing the man to cry out. A second time brought tears to his eyes as he watched Daniel writhe in pain.

The vile things controlling him hauled Daniel over to one of the inner tombs of the cave. His one hand still around Daniel's leg, he searched with his other until he stumbled upon the manacles about the skeleton's ankles. He yanked the metal free and flipped the metal clasp open.

Daniel fought against the bindings and kicked out at Jack. But the creatures bashed another boot into Daniel's chest causing him to gulp for breath. He glanced at the ceiling but his mind faltered and he couldn't think of a way to lift his prey upward to hang upside down. His eyes roamed across the grotto looking for something else and finding it. Metal hooks adorned the wall. He nodded. This would be good, this would work.

Limping to the farthest wall, he dragged Daniel to the side of the cave and with one great wrench connected the chains to the hook. All of Daniel's weight rested on his injured shoulder.

His friend depressed the radio switch again, his voice begging, "Sam, Sam? Please. Can you hear me?"

The creatures grabbed the radio and threw it against the opposite wall, it shattered into pieces.

"Jack you have to listen to me," Daniel said in pants. "You have to get to the outer antechamber. Like the one you rescued Sam and me in. You remember right? You have to get there — outside the sphere of influence of the Under Realm." He paused, the pain waved over his features and he groaned deep and long. "The inscriptions say that the — the Under Realm cannot physically touch you out there. Fight — fight them, get out."

"Oh but there is no escaping purgatory, Daniel Jackson." The knife perched over his neck, ready to cut through him.

A step of gravel averted Jack's gaze on his captured friend. A shadow converged on him, the staff weapon swerved like a bat and slammed into Jack's head and he knew no more.

XIII

"Hey Danny, come on now."

Daniel shifted slightly and recognized the familiar feel of the infirmary bed, the sound of the monitors beeping, the smell of the disinfectant around him. For once he welcomed it. He swallowed, his throat dry, his lips cracked. He furrowed his brow; the last thing he remembered was Teal'c and Janet hunched over him in the cave.

"Daniel?"

Turning his head, he opened his eyes in slits to see Sam and her father standing over his bed. He opened his mouth to greet them but only a croak came out. Sam offered him a cup with a straw and he drank the cold water down.

"Easy does it, Janet will kill me if you get sick again." Sam smiled and reached out to gently draw the fringe of his hair off his face. "How are you?"

"Exhausted." He laid his head back into the cushion of the pillows, the flood of events assaulting him. "Jack?"

"The Colonel is resting. The creatures released him just as you predicted they would once we moved him into the antechamber." Sam shook her head. "Whatever the creatures were they could influence our dreams and signal to us but they couldn't exist beyond the lower cave system."

"The Under Realm," Daniel said. He couldn't recall how much of his translation of the cave system's inscriptions he had related to them. Obviously, it had been enough to free Jack from the grips of those creatures. "From the inscriptions, the Furlings created them but they split from them after some disagreement on the way to enlightenment. It seemed some kind of battle happened but I don't think it was a conventional war like we would understand it. The Furling finally built some type of barrier or gate to keep their creation inside away from the world. But still the primitives that once lived there must have discovered them, made sacrifices to them. The Beloved-."

"Wait," Jacob said as he raised a hand. "The Beloved?"

"What the creatures called themselves in the inscriptions," he said and continued, "They believed that to be enlightened was to be one with the blood of all others, to descend into the Under Realm."

"Are we talking about Hell here?"

Daniel gave a shrug and for the first time realized he could move his right shoulder freely and without pain. He looked at Jacob and the Tok'ra smiled.

"As soon as Janet released me from the infirmary, I asked General Hammond to get in touch with Dad. Your shoulder was ruined Daniel," Sam explained. "Even the orthopedic surgeon couldn't do anything with it. I called Dad and had him come with the healing device."

"Since I couldn't really help you last time, well I thought I'd give it the old college try this time," Jacob said. "You'll still be sore for a few days Danny but I think Selmac managed to mend it fairly well."

"Thank you."

Jacob looked down for a moment and then raised his eyes. His voice changed, lowered and echoed. "I would have it no other way, Daniel."

"You were saying Daniel about the Under Realm?" Sam prodded.

"All four races, the Ancients, the Furlings, the Asgard and the Nox agreed that the way to enlightenment was the method we've been introduced to before."

"By Oma."

"Right, but these creations of the Furlings, believed something different."

"It shows us there's something more than just Ascension doesn't it?" Sam said. "But why would the Furlings create this race? Did the inscriptions give you a clue about why they would create such a race?"

"No, perhaps it was their method of evolution? Or their way of perpetuating their race," Daniel said, the conversation draining the last of his reserves. "I would have to go back and review the inscriptions to get a real view of why they did what they did."

"I do not believe that Colonel O'Neill would permit such a mission Daniel Jackson," Teal'c said as he entered the infirmary.

"Thank you Teal'c," Daniel said as the Jaffa took his outstretched hand. "Thanks to all of you."

Teal'c only bowed in response as both of the Carters smiled.

XIV

It was time to face the music of what he had done to his best friend. Jack hobbled into the infirmary on crutches to greet Daniel. He limped to the side of Daniel's bed and watched as his friend slumbered. There were a few cuts and bruises on his face, all mementos of what Jack had nearly accomplished. He cringed as he thought of the blood lust the creatures evoked in him, how he didn't truly try to fight off the invaders in his body because of that lust. How would Daniel forgive him when he realized what had happened? Jack had betrayed Daniel pure and simple.

Daniel shook his head a few times as he came awake and, squinting his eyes against the glare of the light, smiled at Jack. "Hey."

"Hey yourself."

Daniel raised his hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. "I feel like I've been run over by a truck."

"Well that's a new one."

"As cliché sayings go Jack, that one is fairly unoriginal."

Jack eased down onto the bed next to Daniel's and said, "I was talking about the fact you actually admitted to feeling like shit. Most of the time it's just the I'm fine crap."

"Give him what he wants and he still complains," Daniel said and gave a little chuckle.

They sat in silence as Jack wrestled with how to approach Daniel and discuss what happened. Sorry I tried to kick your ass and slice open your throat when I was possessed. While it was the plain truth, it just didn't ring as sincere.

Daniel saved him. "I know it wasn't you Jack."

"Do you Daniel?" He kept his eyes lowered, staring at his hands.

"Jack, I've known you for too long not to know who you are," Daniel said.

"But you know, you don't Daniel," Jack said and looked up at his friend. He coughed once and rubbed the strained muscles around his thigh. "There was a time in my past when I did it for the high, you know. I killed and it gave me some kind of special thrill."

Daniel remained still as the words dropped over him. A wash of calmness filled the air as his words shattered the fragments of his image in Daniel's eyes. He found himself holding his breath and he exhaled releasing the pent up energy and stress of confessing the deep truths of who he once was.

Daniel peered up at him. His eyes were piercing blue, his expression was inviting and honest. "Jack, I'm not going to deny that there are parts of your past I object to, things that you did that I cannot support. But Jack are you that same person now? Are you a killer?"

Jack stared at the wall, anywhere but at Daniel. "They, those creatures made me feel that way again. I must be that person."

Out of the corner of his eyes he saw Daniel shake his head. "No, no. Those creatures fed off of fear and pain. They dug into your past, dregged up a part of you that you no longer accept and forced you to relive it. They tortured you Jack. Don't you see that?"

"Crap Daniel! I tried to kill you. I felt the lust, the thirst for blood," Jack said. He wanted to pace, to rant, to rave but his damned bum knee forced him to stay where he was. "It doesn't matter if they were feelings and emotions from years ago. The fact of the matter is, I didn't try to fight them. I let them take over me to kill you."

"I won't accept that."

"You are the most annoying, irritating, and stubborn man on the face of the Earth or this galaxy."

"Thank you."

"Damn you to hell Daniel," Jack said.

"Just got out, don't want to go back."

"Shit."

"I know what you mean," Daniel said. After a moment's solitude, his friend continued, "Jack I saw you. I saw your eyes; you wanted to say things to help me. I knew those creatures made a mistake by attacking my injured shoulder because I read it in your eyes."

"My eyes didn't even feel right to me."

"That just proves my point. Everything felt wrong to you, so how can you possibly know how much you fought?" Daniel asked. "Your Black Ops trained Jack, and I nearly got away from you even though I was lingering to draw you out to the antechamber— explain that one, can you? Can you even begin to explain how a science geek evaded you?"

Jack bowed his head and murmured, "You know I should have learned my lesson years ago with both you and Carter around."

"What?"

"Arguing with the both of you wears me out," he conceded. "I think I need to retire."

"You'd miss us too much."

The silence that answered him startled Daniel and he looked at his friend. Jack's gaze lifted up from his clenched hands in his lap. Sorrow beckoned there, but more than that a clear yearning.

"Jack, I know you are not that person anymore," Daniel said, never letting his eyes drop or look away — willing his friend to believe him. "I know."

Jack nodded, sighed and with that exhalation released the tension in the room. "Then I guess I'll have to stick around a little longer."

"Good, otherwise who would I torment?"

XV

"You're going home today," Jack said as he used the crutches to guide him to Daniel's bedside. The archeologist was fully dressed, his legs swinging freely back and forth off the edge of the gurney as he awaited his discharge orders.

"Don't know why Janet kept me here so long anyway. Jacob repaired most of the injuries."

"Now don't let the Napoleonic Wench hear you say that. We have to make her feel useful," Jack said and sat in one of the chairs. He eased his leg straight and huffed once.

"Maybe you should have Jacob take a look at your leg before he leaves," Daniel said as he jumped off the bed and took the paperwork from the passing nurse. She smiled at him and scurried away.

"It's okay, just a sprain. I'll live," he said.

Daniel shook his head, not voicing what Jack knew he wanted to say. That Jack was secretly punishing himself, using the pain from his abused joint to remind himself what he nearly did to Daniel. He shook his head; sometimes he did believe that — that he wanted the pain to remember the crazed fever of blood lust, the need to kill. He wanted the pain to recall his shame at enjoying a part of what those creatures had done to him. But then he also hated all Goa'uld technology that was even remotely connected to that damned sarcophagus thing, so he could hide behind that excuse as well.

Teal'c and Carter walked in just in time to save him from Daniel's interrogation techniques. As they approached Daniel's corner of the infirmary, Fraiser came out of her office, gave him a glaring look then turned and smiled at her favorite patient. He let a muffled curse slip out loud enough for her to hear it.

She scowled at him but never faltered in her soft intentions toward Daniel. He guessed once you died a few times on a doctor, they had a tendency to treat you with kid gloves. He dropped his head; everyone had a soft spot for Daniel.

"I know Sam's father mended your shoulder and the gash on your leg, but remember Daniel you lost a lot of blood. The hand held healing device is not as comprehensive in its treatment as the sarcophagus," Fraiser was saying. "I gave you several transfusions and I want you to rest. No working for at least a week." She gave him her sternest look when he tried to protest. "And I'll reassess for return to light duty by the end of the week."

Daniel looked away but then faced Fraiser and nodded. He had no other choice being under the care of the nefarious painmonger. She averted her attention from Daniel to him and he felt bullets of sweat gather around his brow. How did she manage to do that every time?

"And you," Fraiser snapped. "You will not be returning to duty for some time. Sam will drive the both of you home and I don't want to see you again for at least three weeks, unless it is for a check up. Understood?"

He swallowed hard and nodded.

"Good, now the Napoleonic Wench has said her piece," Fraiser said with a twinkle in her eye. "Get some rest you two." She squeezed Daniel's hand before she left them.

"She must have bionic hearing," Jack whispered.

"I heard that!" the doctor called from her office.

Carter laughed as Teal'c shifted his stance so that Jack could not read his expression. It must be something considering the man could take a staff wound and barely blink an eye.

"Are we off then?" Daniel said, pulling a small bag from under the bed. He spied books and a laptop computer in the duffle bag. Sneaky little devil.

"I say we escape now while the escaping is good," Jack said.

"Should I not procure a wheelchair for your conveyance to the surface, O'Neill?"

"I'm not an invalid," Jack said.

"That would be a good idea, Teal'c," Fraiser commented from her office. "An absolute requirement as far as I'm concerned."

He wanted to growl at the woman but his knee was throbbing and it would probably be a heck of a lot easier to get topside without shuffling down the corridors with the crutches. A nurse wheeled a chair over to them and he eased himself into the seat. She raised the one leg so that he could stretch out his painful knee.

"Are we off to see the wizard, kids?" Jack clapped his hands.

"Seems so sir," Carter said as Teal'c gripped the handles and they all started down the hallway. Companionable quietude fell over them but then Carter broke it with a simple question. "Daniel did you ever figure out how those creatures knew you?"

"They said they recognized me from when we were there before," Daniel replied.

"But they knew you'd Ascended, right?" Sam peered over her shoulder at the trailing archeologist. He stopped and Teal'c halted the progress of his wheelchair then swung it around to face Daniel. "Right?"

"Yeah, they did."

"How'd they know?" Sam asked.

Daniel shook his head, his gaze popping about the corridor. He bowed his head then and said, "I don't know."

"But they can't get out, can they Daniel?" Jack asked, the thrumming of his knee matching the speed of his heart.

"No, they can't," Daniel murmured. "At least I don't think they can."

"How do we find out? How do we make sure they can't Daniel?" Jack said. He was leaning forward in the wheelchair, practically jumping out of the seat.

His friend shook his head then bit his lower lip. Shifting the bag on his right shoulder as if it ached him, Daniel said, "We go back to the planet."

"That's not an option."

"Then I take my chances," Daniel said and a shivering wind went through his friend, touched all of them as they stood in the corridor of the SGC.

The End

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