• Season: Seven
• SUMMARY : How many times can a person become lost, and still find their way home? SG-1 fears that Daniel may be lost forever,
• PG [Hc] [A]

Jack adjusted his cap again as he waited for the rest of his team. Why was he always the one waiting on his motley crew? He glanced down at his watch again. Well, so he was a little early. Early-bird gets the worm. Ain’t that what they say? Or maybe the early-bird gets the snake. Yeah. He liked the sound of that better. He’d have to tell that one to Teal’c. His humor was finally coming along, even telling some of his own Jaffa jokes from time to time. What the devil was keeping them?

He ran his finger along the cut on top of his hand. Three butterfly strips and four stitches held together the two-inch gash. He could have sworn Frasier was grinning just a little too much when he came in to the infirmary with his hand wrapped in paper towels earlier that morning.

He finally heard familiar voices coming closer to the gateroom right before the science twins and the as-big-as-twins Teal’c came into view. Just as he figured. They were yapping on and on about the unusual energy readings Carter had been drooling over ever since the M.A.L.P. was sent through to P5K-892.

"Hi Jack" Daniel walked toward the ramp then stopped and hefted his pack up onto his back with an audible thud and a grunt.

"You’re gonna break your back with that one of these days. What the devil you got in that thing anyway?" Jack asked as he stared at the over-filled, lumpy canvas now gracing his teammates’ entire upper back.

"Just some books I might need. There weren’t any writings in the area surrounding the M.A.L.P, so no pictures and no writings mean I have no idea what language I’ll need to reference." Daniel answered and then a mischievous grin stole over his face. "You remember?…. Books? Jack… You know…. Those nifty things you use to prop up the leg to the desk in your office?" He broke out in a smile and chuckled.

The wormhole swooshed out toward them and Jack started up the ramp.

"Good one." Jack quipped as a new and devious thought came into his head. "So, Daniel. I take it you haven’t missed that book from your office yet then? The nice thick sturdy one with all those pictures of Greek Goddesses on the front?" Jack and his wide grin disappeared into the blue shimmering wormhole as a gaping archaeologist rushed after him.

Jack was the first to exit the wormhole and he immediately scanned the circular room, watching, listening for any possible danger. Although the Oh-So-Trusty M.A.L.P. had shown no life forms for the two days it had been sending back reports, he thought it best to take those reports with a grain of salt. Truth was he trusted that hunk of metal about as much as he trusted Daniel’s hunk of metal he called a car.

Sam and Daniel stepped through the wormhole followed by Teal’c. The Stargate stood on a round pedestal with two stone steps leading down into the room. To say the room’s features were sparse would be an understatement. The plain, ivory colored walls were smooth as glass with no visible seams. No pictures or writings to set Daniel’s heart a flutter. Nothing. Nadda.

"Jack. About that book…" Before Daniel could finish a blue light shot down from the ceiling and a ring of blue flickering light ran down over each one of them from their head down to their feet.

"Carter?" Jack inquired of his 2IC.

"I think we’ve been scanned, sir."

"Okay. Figured that." Jack looked around uneasily, flipping the safety off on his P-90. "I’m just guessing Carter, but there is probably a ‘who’ responsible for that little body check?"

"I would say so, sir."

His grip tightened around his P-90 and then suddenly it was gone. He looked down at his empty hands where his trusty weapon used to be and then looked at Sam, who was empty-handed and stunned as well.

"I believe someone does not wish us to possess weapons, O’Neill." Teal’c said as he stood suddenly unarmed, having had his staff weapon and his zat ‘zapped’ away.

"Ya think? Okay. Daniel dial us home. We’re outa’ here."

Daniel walked over to the compact futuristic DHD standing off to the side and stared at it. Instead of the large carved symbols there were small buttons that reminded him of a phone.

"Cool."

"Daniel, quit drooling over the DHD and dial for heaven sakes." Jack told him impatiently.

"ET, phone home." Daniel mumbled to himself as he studied the device. Although this DHD had all the usual symbols, it also had a few that he had never seen before. It would be better to take a minute and do it right than to send them all to who knows where.

Jack, Sam and Teal’c stood tensely, but on alert, looking around the unadorned room as the floor began to glow slightly and they could feel a low humming through the soles of their boots.

"Daniel?" Jack started over to the DHD to see what was taking him so long.

"Yeah. I’ve got it." Daniel told him as he pushed the first button.

They all spun around when one of the panels hidden in the wall slid open and an alien being floated into the room.

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~

Daniel watched the alien slowly float toward him. It reminded him a bit of Thor with the exception that these beings wore long flowing tunics made of an iridescent type of material and they were taller. At least they appeared taller. Possibly because they didn’t walk, they sort of floated along the floor. He thought of all the times they had come across beings on other worlds that he had attempted to communicate with. He felt at a distinct disadvantage this time because there had been no clues as to what language was spoken here.

"Do not be frightened."

Daniel glanced over at Jack then took a tentative step toward the alien and brought his fingers together to tap his chest saying, "I’m Daniel."

Jack took a step closer to Daniel.

"Daniel? What are you doing?" Jack asked quietly.

Daniel kept his eyes on the alien as he tilted his head toward Jack. "I’m talking to him…it."

Jack mumbled low. "Well. Is it going to talk back to you?"

"It did."

"No it didn’t."

"Yes it did, Jack."

"So why didn’t I hear anything?"

"Maybe their telepathic. I didn’t see his…its lips move."

Jack whispered, "They have lips?"

"Jaaack." Daniel gave him a glaring, impatient glance. "I don’t know. Probably not. But it spoke to me and told me not to be frightened."

"I didn’t hear that."

"I know. You said that."

The alien turned to face Jack.

"You are the leader. Yes?"

Jack stared at the being with his mouth open then glanced at Daniel who had a smug look on his face.

"Okay. I heard THAT." Jack admitted.

Sam was becoming increasingly uncomfortable with the disjointed one-sided conversations she was hearing. "Sir. Is the alien speaking to you and Daniel? Because I haven’t heard anything. Have you Teal’c?" She asked.

"I have not." Teal’c answered.

Daniel and Jack exchanged puzzled looks as the alien floated over to Sam.

"You are curious about the energy your device detected. Yes?"

Sam’s eyes shot open wider and she glanced briefly at Daniel and Jack’s grinning faces before turning her attention to the alien a few feet in front of her.

"Yes. Uh…I am. I’d like to know more about your technology."

The being floated over to Teal’c next and stared a few moments. "You possess the shadow of our enemy."

"My symbiote is no more. I renounced the ways of the Goa’uld. My allegiance is now to the Tau’ri and I fight by their side." Teal’c gave the being a slight bow of his head.

"They’re telepathic." Daniel said as he observed the apparent interaction between the alien and his teammates. "Evidently they can only speak to one of us at a time."

"Ask them where our weapons are, Daniel." Jack told him.

"Um… Okay." Daniel stepped over to the alien and it turned to stare at him. "We had weapons to defend ourselves when we came through your gate. Did you take them?"

"You have no need for such devices here. We mean you no harm."

"I don’t think they’re dangerous, Jack." Daniel assured him.

Jack stared at the alien suspiciously. The disappearing guns thing reminded him a little too much of the Tollans, who also had refused to share squat because the people of Earth were seen by them as ‘too young’, as they had so arrogantly put it. Of course he had to keep in mind the fact that they’d never so much as harmed a hair on their ‘young’ heads, either.

Sam stepped up to her CO and leaned toward him speaking quietly. "If they wanted to hurt us they’ve had plenty of opportunity, sir. If these beings are willing to share their technology with us we could gain a definite advantage against the Goa’uld."

"Not to mention the benefits of having an advanced civilization as an ally." Daniel added.

Jack kept his eyes on the alien as it looked at each of them in turn. "We don’t exactly have a good track record with the brains-as-big-as-watermelon aliens wanting to share their toys with us pea-brained-munchkins, Carter."

"I know that sir. But there’s always the possibility that one day one of them will. Who knows. These could be the ones."

Jack tossed around everything his teammates had said and kept his gaze focused on the alien. "Daniel. Ask the..uh…being if we can stay and chat awhile."

Daniel grinned and turned back to the alien. "We would like to meet your…people, and share our culture and technology."

There was a pause and the alien ‘spoke’ to Daniel. "Come." The alien then turned and floated toward the open doorway and Daniel followed.

"Daniel?" Jack asked in his singsong voice.

"Yes, Jack." Daniel stopped but kept his eyes glued on the alien floating away.

"What are you doing?"

"I’m following him…er it."

"Do you think that’s… wise?"

"They’ve rolled out the welcome mat for us, Jack. I think we should follow ..it."

Jack thought for a moment then shrugged and motioned for Daniel to go ahead.

"Okay, Munchkins. Follow the yellow brick road." He nodded at Sam and Teal’c and they went in pursuit of the strange being.

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~

Jack, Sam, Daniel and Teal’c stood at the bottom of the staircase and looked around. It seemed the only way to go was up, so up they went. The alien had, of course, already ascended the staircase since it was able to float right up the stairs without missing a beat. Finally at the top they stood at the entrance to a spacious room and stepped inside.

Jack mumbled to Daniel. "I wish I’d brought my hockey gear. This place is huge."

Daniel rolled his eyes and continued into the room up to the curved table where at least a dozen more of the aliens sat, or stood, or whatever it was they did. Daniel bowed his head in greeting and looked up, his eyes searching for the alien they had followed here from the gate room, but they were almost identical except for the tunics they wore. Some had blue stripes, some had yellow, and others had combinations of the two. Possibly some social position or rank, he speculated.

"You are Daniel Jackson from Earth." One of the aliens relayed silently to Daniel and he glanced down the row of aliens trying to tell which one of them had ‘spoken‘. His eyes locked onto the being down the left side of the table and knew somehow that it was the one who had communicated with him. The alien ’spoke’ again. "Welcome to Bahakeen."

Daniel gave a polite bow of his head. "Um…Yes. Thank you. We’re explorers from earth. We’d like to learn more about your…people and culture."

The aliens turned to one another as if SG-1 weren’t even in the room. Jack whispered to Daniel. "What are they doing Daniel?"

"I think they’re talking it over."

The alien with the blue striped tunic came forward. "We are the Ashtani. We welcome the Tau’ri and wish to share our resources. You…" the alien stared at Sam as she excitedly stole a glance over at her teammates "You wish to study our power source. Come."

She looked to her CO for permission to join the alien who was already floating off down the long hall.

"Teal’c, go with Carter. Keep in radio contact. You notice anything not kosher, get back here ASAP."

"Yes, sir." She grinned and quickly took off after the alien followed closely by Teal’c.

Another alien floated up to Daniel. "You study the past to learn of the future."

Daniel wasn’t sure if he was expected to respond or whether it was simply a statement.

"Yes. Yes I do."

"Come. You may see our Great Hall of Wisdom."

Daniel glanced expectantly at Jack and then back to the alien who was already halfway out of the room. "Oh… All right." Jack took off in pursuit of the quick moving being with Daniel by his side.

They finally reached the doorway the alien had disappeared into and Daniel stepped inside, looking around with his mouth gaping.

Even Jack was pretty awestruck at the floor to ceiling writings. The room was so bright he had to squint to try to see where the ceiling ended above them. It seemed to go on forever.

"Wow, Jack. Isn’t this incredible? Have you ever seen anything like it?" Daniel spoke as he gazed upward, trying to see everything at once.

Jack looked up, squinting. "Wonder how they got all the way up there to write that stuff."

"Well, they could have just floated up there I suppose." Daniel replied, obviously fascinated with their new alien friends.

"Daniel. You know we aren’t going to be here long enough for you to read much of this stuff."

"Yeah…I know."

Jack felt the tone that those three words were spoken with, slice right through him.

He almost wished he hadn’t said anything, but he felt the need to keep Daniel’s latest obsession under rein. Daniel’s voice was of one who had been given these same opportunities countless times and yet been repeatedly denied the chance to fully explore. And this mission was no different. They had twelve hours until they were due to check in and twenty-four hours until their scheduled return.

Jack walked over to the nearest wall and sat down, leaning against the smooth surface, ready to keep watch while Daniel did his thing. He watched Daniel lay his pack down on the floor, only glancing up as the alien floated out the doorway. He started getting things out he would need. His digital camcorder, notebook and pencils.

Jack had to grin as he watched the enraptured look on Daniel’s face as he gazed around the vast room. That was one thing he really admired about his friend and teammate. His ability to still see the wonder, the magic in the world or should he say, ‘worlds‘. Still see good in everyone, even when it was less than obvious to everyone else around him. Although his friend had been faced with an undue amount of pain and personal sacrifice in his life, he was still an innocent at heart. Daniel started walking slowly along the wall scanning it with his camera. Every now and then muttering an exclamation of awe.

Jack looked down at his hands dumbly. They felt naked without his weapon. He leaned his head back against the wall as he started his long wait. He could do this waiting thing. He glanced down at his watch. As long as it wasn’t for more than a few hours. He looked over at Daniel again grinning from ear to ear taping with his recorder for awhile then looking at the wall in awe. Ah, heck. Maybe he would even ask General Hammond for another day here.

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~

Sam and Teal’c followed the blue-striped tunic-clad alien to a series of rooms where several other aliens were apparently quite busy. She walked up to the consoles where lights were blinking intermittently and there were some unusual crystals pulsating.

She watched the alien place a chunk of what looked like an iridescent rock into a cylinder and after pushing a few buttons the machine started to hum and the lights on the console blinked in sequence over and over. Within a few minutes the humming stopped and the alien reached into the opening and pulled out a perfectly formed crystal.

Sam looked at the alien as it held out the object to her. She grinned, taking it from the alien’s two fingers. She nodded and then studied the crystal in her hands. She looked back to the alien. "Is this where you get your energy from? These crystals?" She asked. The alien started to answer her question before she had even spoken all the words out loud which was going to take some getting used to.

She heard the affirmative answer in her head and looked up at Teal’c. "These are similar to the crystals used to power the force fields and energy weapons on Goa’uld ships and it’s one of the main components in the sarcophagus and healing device."

"Indeed. It would be invaluable to learn how these alien beings produce such crystals"

The alien had evidently heard her thoughts because the next thing she knew the alien was beckoning them to follow through an adjoining doorway.

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~

Jack looked at his watch once again. He’d given Daniel plenty of notice for when they would be leaving this room to join up with Teal’c and Carter, so he assumed it was gonna be one of those times when he just had to actually physically remove him from the room.

He stood up and stretched his stiff legs.

"Daniel. Time to go." He walked over to where he was still sitting on the floor scribbling. Jack picked up the camcorder and stuffed it into Daniel’s backpack, then cleared his throat and held out his hand.

He heard an audible sigh as Daniel reluctantly handed the notebook and pencil up to Jack’s waiting hand. Letting his now empty hands drop to his lap, he stared past Jack with a faraway look.

Jack leaned down and put his hand on Daniel’s shoulder. "Carter and Teal’c will be waiting. Come on. Let’s see what gizmos they’ve been playing with." He gave his shoulder a quick squeeze and Daniel pushed himself up off the floor and looked around the room wistfully before turning back to Jack. He picked the pack up off the floor and slung it over one shoulder. Jack nodded toward the doorway giving Daniel his very best ‘don’t ask, just go’, look and Daniel dropped his head and started walking toward the door. Jack hoped Daniel would get more time to study this room after all the General was usually a little more lenient when it came to Daniel’s passion for discovery.

They met up with Sam and Teal’c in a large room that he supposed was the closest thing the alien’s had to a living room. There were curved seats that looked like they would be uncomfortable but surprisingly the opposite was true. He wondered if they could order a dozen or so for the infirmary.

A plateful of odd looking colorful shapes was lying on a square cube that served as a table of sorts. Jack assumed this was the alien’s attempt at providing food.

He looked over the odd assortment of shapes lying on the platter. "Anybody tried the hor’duerves yet?" he asked as he picked one up and eyed it suspiciously.

Daniel walked over and picked up one of the yellow round shapes. "Is that what these are?"

"I don’t know, sir." Sam said as she picked up and examined a blue square one. "It sort of reminds me of those little gift soaps they sell at the mall."

Daniel sniffed the one in his hand. "It doesn’t smell bad."

Jack gave Daniel his ‘I dare you’ look. "Well, why don’t you try it, Daniel?"

"What?…You want me to be your official taste-tester now?"

"Sure, why not?" Jack told him. "If you don’t keel over, we’ll all try one. Right kids?" He glanced over at Sam and Teal’c, nodding as if he were answering for them both, then looked back at Daniel grinning mischievously, his eyes staring at the yellow thing that Daniel was holding, daring him to try it.

Daniel glared defiantly at Jack, took a large bite of the yellow shape and made a big show of chewing. Then suddenly he slapped his hand over his mouth, his eyes grew large as he looked around frantically for a waste basket, a bucket, anything. Seeing a small bowl lying on a table across the room, he darted for it and as soon as he had it in his hands he threw up.

Sam glared at Jack and stepped over and rubbed Daniel’s back while he expelled the remainder, sending daggers back in his direction as she comforted her teammate.

Jack held his hands out, shrugging. How was he supposed to know it would make him sick. Well, my name’s mud now, if the looks he was getting from Sam and Teal’c were any indication.

He went over to one of the curvy chairs and sat down again. So the aliens couldn’t cook. At least they knew how to make some mighty fine furniture.

After Daniel rinsed his mouth out with water from his canteen, he dragged his heavy backpack over to the far wall and slid down to sit against it. He got out his notebook and started going over his notes, giving Jack a stony glare every now and then.

Sam walked over to her CO and sat down in the seat across from his. Suddenly she reached out and grabbed his hand staring at it.

He grabbed it back. "Carter! What the devil you doin‘?"

"Your cut, sir…it’s gone." She told him as she reached over, her eyes growing larger as she began to peel the butterfly strips away, revealing new flawless skin.

Jack grabbed his hand back again. "Hey! I used to have a few hairs there." He looked down at his hand. The ugly looking cut that had been there just hours ago, was now completely healed. "What the …"

He looked up at her. Okay now this was definitely not normal. "Carter?"

"I don’t know, sir. There must be something about this planet that speeds up healing."

"Ya think? Speeds up as in what? Healing device? Sarcophagus?" Jack asked as he began to get an uncomfortable feeling gnawing in the pit of his stomach about this too-good-to-be-true planet.

Teal’c looked around at the smooth ivory walls curiously. "It is possible, O’Neill, that these rooms have been made with the same material as a sarcophagus."

"Now I really do not want to hear that, Teal’c." Jack said. He looked around at the walls that if you looked closely, they almost seemed to emit a luminescence beneath the surface. Haunting images of the inside of a sarcophagus on Ba’al’s planet flashed through his head as he tried to weigh the ramifications of Teal’cs theory.

"Sir? How have you been feeling since we came through the gate." Sam asked as if suddenly having a revelation.

Jack thought about all the normal aches and pains that he usually felt and realized he felt fine. Better than fine. Much better than fine.

"Well isn’t this special." He said curtly.

Then they all seemed to look over at Daniel at the same time, each remembering the suffering he had faced from his addiction to the sarcophagus on Shyla’s planet.

Jack rubbed his hand roughly over his face, "Great."

His eyes met Sam’s mirroring his worry and he kept his voice low as he leaned toward her. "Carter, you and Teal’c go see what you can find out. I’ll try to keep Daniel occupied."

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~

Jack was pacing the floor. He’d already used up all his waiting on Daniel earlier and he just didn’t have any more ‘waiting’ left in him. Especially with their latest suspicions about the possible hidden danger on this planet to them all. He was relieved that Daniel had bought his story about Sam needing to look for a bathroom. But it was all he could come up with on such short notice. Daniel was getting antsy though and he kept looking up at Jack and watching the doorway. The only thing that stopped Daniel from asking more questions about where Sam and Teal’c had gone was the simple fact that he was still a bit peeved with him.

Sam and Teal’c walked through the doorway with somber faces.

"Well?" Jack asked as he met them as soon as they walked in.

Sam glanced over at Daniel and then turned to her CO worriedly. "It’s what we suspected, sir. This race was nearly wiped out years ago by a plague that swept through their galaxy. They discovered a material native to this planet that healed their injured and stopped the plague from killing any more. They set up a sort of, well, screening room or decontamination room for lack of a better word, in the immediate vicinity of their Stargate. It protects their planet from any threat from disease or from the Goa’uld. The device that scanned us after we came through the gate was checking us for symbiotes. According to the Ashtani council, if one is found the person is immediately disintegrated. If not, their weapons are simply removed and their body is purified. The aliens built their entire city out of this material. It’s how they stay healthy, by being continuously exposed to the healing material. But now their bodies physiology has been altered to the point that they can’t leave the planet."

"What of the effects to DanielJackson?" Teal’c asked his voice laced with concern.

Sam stared at Teal’c a moment then turned to her CO. "If this planet is built with the same technology as that of a sarcophagus, then we’ve all been exposed to low levels ever since we came through the gate. We know from Daniel’s experience that using a sarcophagus on the human body when there are no injuries to heal, has a much more potent effect. It’s entirely possible that Daniel’s body has already been exposed to enough even in the short time we’ve been here to cause significant problems when we return home, sir. Actually all of us may experience some form of withdrawal after we leave."

"Well, how’s that possible? That was four years ago, Carter. How would that matter now?" Jack asked.

She glanced over at Daniel who was returning her stare. She turned back to her CO keeping her voice low. "The use of a sarcophagus leaves a unique energy signature in the cells of whoever uses it. Where it took several days for Shy’la’s sarcophagus to get Daniel hooked, it would now take less than half that time. We have to go back, sir."

Jack scrubbed his hand down his face. He glanced up to see Daniel making his way over in their direction. "Crap!"

~^~^~

Daniel had been watching his teammates huddled together on the other side of the room talking quietly amongst themselves. Sam’s eyes had locked onto his and he’d heard Jack curse. He had laid his notebook and pencil down beside his pack, and pushed himself up off the floor, and made his way over to see what was up.

As he walked up to them they all looked at him worriedly.

"What’s goin’ on?" he asked beginning to feel uneasy and just a bit paranoid about their secretive looks and whispers.

Jack put his hands on his hips, then finally met Daniel’s gaze. "Apparently this planet is just one big sarcophagus."

Daniel clenched and unclenched his fists as he listened to Jack, then turned to look at Sam. "What is he talking about?"

Sam was concerned already about his unusual nervousness. "How do you feel right now Daniel?" she asked. "I mean really feel?"

He looked at her puzzled. "I feel fine. Why?"

Jack let out a puff of a sigh "You always say that." He turned to Sam, "He always says that."

"Daniel," Sam said gently, "the Colonel had a cut on his hand when we came through the gate. Now it’s gone. Completely healed."

"So?"

"So, the only thing that could have done that is a healing device or a sarcophagus. We suspected there might be some healing properties associated with this planet. And it would have to be something pretty powerful to have healed it this quickly. Daniel looked at each one of them "Well, that’s just crazy," he said and stormed off back to his corner of the room and flopped down, picking up his notebook once again.

Sam walked over and knelt down. "Daniel. Listen. We spoke to the Ashtani Council. It’s true. Those crystals they showed me, they’re made of the same material that’s in a sarcophagus. Every minute we stay here our physiology is being altered to the point where our bodies will most probably go into withdrawal when we leave."

He looked up at her defiantly. "I don’t believe you."

Sam turned and looked back at her teammates worriedly, then looked back at Daniel.

"Daniel. I don’t know if you’ll be able to accept this right now or not but, look at you," she took his trembling hands in hers. "you’ve already been affected by it."

Daniel snatched his hands back and hugged his arms to himself tightly, as the nervous energy flowing through his body continued to build. It was frightening and intoxicating all at the same time. He stared at her and glanced over at the others on the other side of the room. He wanted to stay here forever and also run away as fast as he could. He’d never felt so torn. Or had he? He could feel the continuous pull and he knew he had felt it before. He could feel the whispers of electricity humming through his veins. The edges of his vision started to narrow and he could feel himself tilting. Instantly he felt hands touching him, lifting him up by his arms and he looked around dazed, wondering how he had risen.

His teammates words swirled around him like a restless breeze.

"Carter, grab his stuff. Teal’c, help me get him back to the gate."

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~

"I don’t understand why we couldn’t have stayed longer." Daniel said irritably as they emerged through the wormhole in the SGC gateroom. "I told you I feel fine."

Jack glanced over at Sam whose face mirrored his own frustration and worry.

Doctors Frasier and Warner met SG-1 as they stepped off the ramp.

"Colonel, you and Daniel come with me. Dr. Warner will examine Sam and Teal’c." She stood aside to let them go ahead of her. "This way, Sir. Daniel."

Daniel shrugged off Jack’s hand from his back and stormed out of the gateroom, followed by a stunned Doctor and a not so stunned Colonel. Daniel had really been a royal pain in the mit’ka. He thought for awhile they were going to have to carry him back to the gate. And then suddenly he had shaken off the hands supporting him and turned around to go back. When Jack and Teal’c stopped him he had vehemently argued to stay, saying that whatever damage was already done, and he was willing to deal with the consequences when he returned to the base, Yadda, yadda, yadda. Like THAT was going to happen.

Once in the infirmary, Janet pointed to a gurney and Jack hopped up on it. Daniel had turned his back on them, his hands shoved deeply into his pockets.

She stepped over to him and laid her hand on his back. "Daniel?"

She jumped back a step when he jerked around and stared at her with a wild look in his eyes that was all too familiar. She glanced over at Colonel O’Neill who was eyeing Daniel worriedly and ready to spring off the bed if necessary.

"I need to examine you now Daniel. Would you hop up on the gurney so I can have a look at you?"

He looked at the gurney like it was a bed of nails before looking back at Frasier with a mixture of anger, confusion and fear in his eyes.

She motioned toward the gurney. "Please? The sooner we start the sooner you can get out of here." She neglected to say where exactly ‘out of here’ would be, but at this point her top priority was to keep her patient calm so she could get on with her examination.

Daniel pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes briefly and when he opened them he stepped over and slid up onto the gurney. "I’m … sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking. Sorry." Daniel lowered his head and gripped his trembling hands together between his knees.

She glanced uneasily at Jack and pulled the curtain.

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~

General Hammond heard a knock at the door. He was hoping to hear some word about his flagship team.

"Come."

The door opened and Dr. Frasier stepped inside holding some charts in her arms.

"Have a seat, Doctor. I take it you and Dr. Warner have had a chance to examine SG-1?" He asked. His deep concern written on his face.

"Well, that’s why I’m here, sir. I’m keeping all of SG-1 for 24-hour observation. The infirmary is pretty full what with all of SG-7 still being treated for the severe sunburns they received on their mission yesterday, so I’m just going to have SG-1 stay in the medical suite. That way they can stay together except when they want to sleep. Then they can just use the adjoining sleeping quarters. Plus the nurses and I can keep an eye on them a lot easier if they’re all in one place."

"How are they doing?" He asked.

She opened the first chart. "Well, Teal’c was, not surprisingly, the least affected. I may actually be able to release him some time this evening if his blood tests come back clear." She closed it and opened the next one. "Major Carter is suffering from mainly a mild headache, muscle cramps, some nausea which is responding well to medication. So I thoroughly expect she will be released tomorrow with no residual effects."

She flipped the next chart open and grinned. "Colonel O’Neill is suffering from much the same symptoms as Major Carter except to a slightly greater degree. They’ve all been exhibiting varying degrees of irritability and tension. I also suspect that the Colonel’s request for…let me see, a yo-yo, a ream of cardstock paper and as he requested, a book, ah yes here it is, ‘The Ultimate Paper Airplane‘, could be his reaction to the physical withdrawal, but then with the Colonel it’s difficult to tell.

They all seem to be unusually restless and anxious, but I’m reluctant to medicate them without knowing exactly what and how much they were exposed to. Although, I haven‘t completely ruled out the possibility. Actually, I might suggest that they all be allowed to take a few days off after they’re released. Preferably away from the base and each other." She looked up to meet the General’s grinning face.

"A little too much togetherness?" The General asked comically.

"Well, let’s just say, I’m glad they’re such close friends. At least I don’t think they’ll actually kill each other before I release them." She chuckled.

General Hammond chuckled and then his face grew more serious. "What about Dr. Jackson?"

Janet opened the last folder. "Daniel is having the most severe withdrawal, which was not unexpected what with his history. He’s been extremely irritable and angry, but at other times seems severely depressed. Some of his initial vitals were alarming but have since lowered to a more acceptable level. I’m also keeping a close watch on his temperature because he did have a slight fever when he returned from the planet."

She closed the chart and held the stack in her grip. "I don‘t expect any of SG-1 to have to stay under observation for more than 24 hours, with the possible exception of Dr. Jackson. I may have to keep him here a little longer depending on what his blood tests show. The nurses, much to the objection of SG-1, are taking blood samples every six hours. I should know more in the morning, sir."

"Very well. Keep me posted, Doctor."

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~

Jack flipped another paper football into the empty coffee mug. "Three points. Yessss!"

Teal’c cocked his head in Jack’s direction and looked at him curiously, then turned his attention back to the paperback book in his hands.

"T my man. Wanna play? Ten cents a point." Jack had tired of making paper airplanes hours ago after his best creation landed in Sam‘s jello. She had looked positively viscious when she wadded it up and threw it back at him. She didn’t even crack a smile when he said ‘Incoming!‘ Some people have absolutely no sense of humor. She didn’t have to go ballistic and throw all his paper away though. If he was a betting man he’d bet she was on one her hormonal tirades. He’d been reduced to scrounging around in the wastebaskets for scraps to makes paper footballs instead.

"I do not wish to pay you money to put triangles of paper into a cup, O’Neill." Teal’c told him patiently.

"Party pooper." He glanced over at Sam. Surely she had forgiven him by now. "Carter? You up for a challenge?"

Sam looked up from the laptop impatiently at her CO. With his cap turned backwards he looked like a kid. A very annoying kid. She snickered, shook her head and turned her attention back to the paper she was working on. "Just being here is enough of a challenge for me, sir."

Jack looked crushed and feigned a stab to his heart then sat up in the chair and looked around for a worthy opponent. The only one who hadn’t yet turned him down. Daniel. He finally saw him across the room lying on the floor with his hands clasped over his chest staring up at a spot on the ceiling. He’d been unusually quiet since the nurses had been in taking more blood a few hours ago. He didn’t know if it was because of the withdrawal or just because he was still ticked off about them leaving the planet so abruptly. Probably a little of both.

Jack stood up, stuffed a handful of paper footballs in his pocket and stretched his arms above his head. The muscle spasms were making it hard to sit for very long. If he did, when he finally got up he would have muscle cramps in places he didn’t even know he had muscles. He stretched them enough for them to settle down. If only his headache would be as cooperative. But at least the throbbing in the back of his skull had went from a steady cadence to a low tapping.

He walked across the room and stopped beside Daniel’s prone figure, peering down at him. The man didn’t bat an eye. Jack squatted down to the floor and he nudged Daniel’s arm and he continued to stare at the ceiling.

"Daniel?"….no response. Now this was beginning to creep him out.

"O…kay. Daniel. Can we say, zoned…out?" Jack noticed a fine sheen of sweat covering Daniel’s forehead and fine tremors were sporadically coursing through his body.

Jack waved his hand in the air above Daniel’s eyes and snapped his fingers a few times until he finally saw him flinch. His blue eyes darted over to Jack’s with a vacant look. He rubbed his eyes and sat up.

"Do you need something Jack, or are you just bored again?"

"Just wanted to know if you’re up for a game of chess."

Daniel rubbed the back of his neck. "No. I’m not." He suddenly lifted himself to his feet and started walking out of the main room to his adjoining sleeping quarters. "I’m tired. I’ll see you guys in the morning."

Jack watched Daniel go through the door and close it behind him.

Jack stood there with his hands on his hips a bit befuddled. "Well. That was just rude."

He turned and walked back to the table. "Anybody else notice Daniel’s been a bit unsociable since we got back?" Jack asked whichever of the two remaining in the room would care to listen. Man, his headache was now beating drums in the back of his head again.

Sam looked up at her CO. "I think it’s just Daniel’s way of dealing with the withdrawal, sir."

"How? By not talking to anyone? Not eating anything? Or by lying on the floor in a coma?"

She paused and took a deep breath before she continued. "I’m pretty sure he was lying down trying to meditate to keep himself calm. He’s having a rough time of it, sir. He just hasn’t said anything to anyone."

He gave her a puzzled look. "If he ain’t talkin then how do you know so much about what’s going on with him?"

Sam stared at Jack. They each had similar withdrawal symptoms. But they were still individuals who dealt with pain, be it physical or emotional, in obviously very different ways. VERY different ways. She had watched her CO for hours as he cut out small squares of paper, folding each into a small triangle so he could flip them in a cup.

Of course, that was after he built and flew a sizable number of complicated paper airplanes. Including that LAST one. She smiled as she thought of the look on Jack’s face when she plucked it out of her jello, wadded it up and threw it back. Then proceeded to confiscate every last sheet of his paper. So that was one way he dealt with his restlessness and tension.

She was more likely to focus on her work. Obsessively. Equations, complicated mathematical theories. They drove her even now, although she could only work on them in theory and not hands-on in her lab.

Teal’c read or meditated. And it was he who had shown some of his meditation techniques to Daniel. Now, Daniel on the other hand was suffering more intense withdrawal than the rest of them and he dealt with this the way he did with many things. By withdrawing and shutting everyone out until he found a way to rise above it.

She was sometimes in awe of her teammate. No matter what life threw at him, he always found the strength to pick himself up and go on. Without animosity. He rarely allowed anyone into his private pain. The only one who seemed to be able to penetrate that wall around him was Jack. Sometimes she was envious of their close friendship. Oh, sure, she knew the four of them were all the best of friends, as close or closer than family. But Jack and Daniel had a bond that few people were ever fortunate enough to have in their lifetime.

Daniel was hurting. That was obvious. But he hadn’t complained. That was so like Daniel. Keeping his pain inside so he wouldn’t add to yours. She had tried to draw him out of his shell but he wouldn’t take the bait so she had left him to his own devices. Having to be content with keeping watch over him from her desk.

"I’m sure he just didn’t want to worry you, sir. He wants out of here tomorrow as much as the rest of us."

Jack stared at the closed door. "Yeah…maybe you’re right. I’m just being an …" He turned as the nurse walked into the room carrying some charts and a blood pressure cuff. "Okay. Who wants to be first?" she asked a little too cheerfully.

Jack moaned. Did they really have to do this so often? He eyed her more closely. At least he didn’t see any needles this time.

Jack sighed. "All right. Me. Just get it done." He walked over to the table and she followed him, laid the charts down and got ready with the cuff. Jack sat down and rolled up his sleeve. She wrapped the cuff around his arm and started pumping it up.

After finishing she ripped the cuff apart and laid it aside. "You can stay seated, sir. Dr. Frasier was right behind me to take blood samples. Major Carter. You want to go next?"

~^~^~

Janet knew the massive muscular man could move quickly when he needed to but she couldn’t help but chuckle at the speed in which Teal’c had fled out of the medical suite. The look of relief on his normally stoic face, had been priceless. His last blood tests had been back to normal so she had released him to return to his own private quarters. Much to Jack and Sam’s disappointment. Not that they weren’t happy for him. She suspected it was because they had begun to get on each others nerves and since it didn’t seem like Daniel was spending much time with his teammates, they had only each other to aggravate. Dr. Frasier put the vial in the container and glanced around the room. "Where’s Daniel?"

Sam rolled her sleeve back down. "He said he was tired and he went to his room."

Janet picked up her supplies and walked over to the closed door and tapped lightly. "Daniel, it’s Dr. Frasier. I need to take another blood sample." A muffled word came through the barrier and she slowly opened the door and stepped inside. She closed it a bit to give him some privacy, and as her eyes adjusted to the dim light, she saw Daniel lying on the bed in the dark with his arm draped over his eyes. She noticed that he hadn’t bothered to change out of his BDU’s. She stepped over to the bed and looked down. "Daniel?"

"Yeah." He laid his arm out flat on the mattress at his side and turned his head away. "Go ahead."

"I need to turn the light up a little brighter, is that okay?"

Setting the supplies down on the bedside table, she took the rubber tubing and began tying it around his upper arm. After putting on a new pair of sterile gloves she wiped a small area on his arm with an alcohol pad. Daniel had turned away and laid his other arm across his eyes. If she hadn’t been watching closely she would have sworn he was asleep. But the slight trembling of his other hand gave it away.

She picked up the syringe, took the cap off and pressed her expert fingers against his skin feeling for a vein. "There’ll be a stick." When she was finished she capped the syringe, untied the tubing and placed a folded up piece of gauze against his arm and pressed it, then lifted it to check it, before placing a bandage over it. Janet walked around the bed to the other side. "I need to check your blood pressure too, okay?" He took his other arm away from his eyes and laid it on the bed looking up at her squinting. She glanced at the furrowed brow that spoke of pain and wrapped the cuff around his upper arm.

"Headache?" She asked.

"Yeah."

"I can give you something for that and to help you sleep, you know."

"No… I’ll be fine."

Done, she let the air out of the cuff and unwrapped it folding it in her hands as she looked down at her patient. "You’ll feel better in the morning if you’ve had a good night’s sleep, Daniel. And you and I both know that that isn’t going to happen as long as you’re up most of the night with a headache."

A minute passed as she got together her supplies and she paused at the foot of the bed.

"Daniel?"

"Okay."

She was a bit surprised actually that he had given in so quickly. Either he was really hurting that bad or something else was going on. "I’ll send in the nurse with your medication."

She stepped through the doorway, quietly closing the door behind her. After giving instructions to the nurse she gathered the rest of her things and started to leave.

Sam looked up from her computer. "Janet, how is he?"

"He’s coming along. I’ll see you all first thing in the morning, then."

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~

Sam closed the door to her sleeping quarters and groggily looked around the main room. She smelled coffee and bacon and…was that fresh doughnuts? She walked over to the large table where Teal’c was already finishing up his second stack of pancakes and plucked a donut from the open box. Jack was biting into a strip of bacon while he read the newspaper. She snickered. If she didn’t know better she’d swear she’d walked into a sitcom.

"Good morning, sir. Teal’c."

Jack looked up at her over the newspaper and grunted.

"Teal’c? I thought Janet released you. What’s the matter, did you miss all the fun?"

"I did not."

She grinned and then seeing the quick look he gave Jack she laughed. She looked around the room realizing she hadn’t seen their fourth.

"Where’s Daniel?" she asked as she took another bite.

Jack lowered the newspaper, nodded toward the closed door. "He hasn’t come out. Guess that shot Frasier gave him last night knocked him out."

"Shouldn’t we wake him up so he can eat?" Sam asked.

Jack glanced at Teal’c who raised his eyebrow curiously and told her, "If YOU want to wake him up, go ahead. Just don’t blame me when he bites your head off and you end up in the infirmary instead of going home."

Sam gave him an exasperated look and walked over to the door and rapped on it lightly. "Daniel? Are you awake? There’s breakfast out here."

Jack snickered. "Oh yeah. I’m sure that’ll do the trick." he laid the paper down and looked at her incredulously, "Carter, this is Daniel we’re talking about. Breakfast is not in his vocabulary, as extensive as it is. I know. It’s a fluke."

She rolled her eyes and knocked a little louder. "Daniel? We’ve got coffee, nice and hot. Do you…" Sam looked at her hand suspended in the air as it prepared to knock at a door that was now very open with a drowsy looking teammate standing in the doorway rubbing his eyes yawning. "Oh…Good morning Daniel." She stepped aside to let him into the room and he stumbled past her heading directly to the coffeemaker. He picked up a mug, poured it full of coffee and turned and headed back to his room, closing the door behind him.

Sam shrugged and walked back to the breakfast table to get her abandoned donut seeing a snarky grin on her CO. "See. I got him up."

Jack looked her up and down. "Well, you’re still in one piece. I’d say you’re lucky that wasn’t de-caf. Or he’d already be out here chewing you a new one."

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~

Daniel set the mug down on the lavatory, quickly undressed and got into the shower hoping it would be cool enough to drink by the time he finished. As the warm water poured over his head he could feel the tension of the enforced confinement starting to ease up a bit.

Once Janet released them he knew he was going to have to apologize to Jack and Sam and Teal’c as well. He hadn’t been very pleasant to be around. What with the throbbing headaches, nausea and feeling like his nerves were continuously buzzing. Not to mention the spasms his muscles had been subjected to for the past twenty some hours. It was all he could do to put one foot in front of the other.

Once the withdrawal had begun in earnest the only thing that had helped at all had been the meditation techniques Teal’c had taught him a few months ago. Of course the sedative Janet had given him last night had helped him get some much needed sleep. Now if only he could shake the lingering fuzziness in his head he’d be all right.

He knew now that Jack had made the right call in getting them all back to the SGC when he did. Thank God someone was using their head. He certainly hadn’t been. God knows what would have happened if they’d stayed longer. Remembering what he’d gone through a few years ago when in the midst of severe withdrawal he had almost shot his best friend, sent a shiver up his spine. He needed not only to apologize, but to thank them.

He turned off the water and stepped out, grabbing a towel and rubbed it briskly over his aching body. The muscle cramps had left him sore all over. He tossed the towel over to the bathtub, grabbed the coffee and walked into the next room to get dressed. He pulled on his boxers and pants then grabbed his t-shirt off the bed. He flipped it over gathering it to slide it over his head and…

Suddenly he was surrounded by a forest and sounds of shouting seemed to be coming from several different directions. He looked around in a panic as he found himself ducking down just in time to avoid the fiery streak of a staff blast that hit a tree a few feet away. He could smell the odor of burnt wood and he gasped. When he looked around again, he was back in his sleeping quarters in the medical suite.

He sat down heavily on the bed, his head in his hands. What on earth was that? His heart hammered in his chest and he fought to catch his breath. After a few minutes he regained some level of control and he squeezed the bridge of his nose, trying to make some sense out of what had just happened. It must be the withdrawal. Great. He doubted Janet would release him if his withdrawal was still this bad. He yanked the t-shirt over his head and picked up his glasses. He knew if he mentioned what had just happened he would be stuck in here for another twenty four hours. Maybe more. Maybe forever. No. Better to just wait and see what Janet said about his last blood tests.

He finished getting dressed, picked up his half empty mug and started for the door.

All three of them turned their heads when Daniel opened the door and stepped into the room.

He forced a smile and made a bee-line to the coffee.

"So…Frasier been here yet?" Daniel asked hoping he sounded and looked just the right amount of normal to get out of here today.

"Not yet." Jack answered. Somewhat surprised at his change of mood.

"She’s here now." All eyes turned toward the doorway. Standing there with charts in hand was Dr. Frasier and one of her nurses.

"So who wants to be first?" She asked.

Jack exchanged wary glances with the others and spoke up first. "The last time I volunteered like that I got stuck with a needle."

She laughed and walked into the room, sat down at the table and picked up a muffin. "I promise, Colonel. I brought no sharp objects with me today."

"Well, in that case. I’m all yours."

Janet cocked her head, just noticing Teal’c sitting at the table working on the leftover bacon. "Teal’c didn’t I release you last night?"

"I was summoned here this morning by O’Neill to share the morning meal." He wiped his mouth with his napkin, folded it and laid it on the table. He directed his attention to Janet. "Doctor Frasier, I neglected to thank you properly for allowing me to retire to my own personal quarters last night. For that I am eternally in your debt." With that he bowed slightly and left the room.

Jack watched him go. "Ya know, I’m not sure but I think he might have just insulted us."

Janet chuckled and stood up gathering her charts in her arms. "We’d better get started then. Colonel, if you don’t mind, I really would like to take a look at Daniel first."

Jack made a motion toward Daniel. "Be my guest."

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~

Dr. Frasier jotted down one last thing in Sam’s chart then looked around at the expectant faces. "All right. You’re all cleared to go home. But I want each one of you in here bright and early in the morning so I can repeat your blood work one last time. And I do mean go home. I don’t want anybody driving until after I see you in the morning so I’ll arrange with General Hammond to have an airman drive each of you home."

After the doctor walked out of the room Jack jumped up exuberantly. "Yessss!"

Sam unplugged her laptop and snapped it shut and started for the door. She stopped beside Daniel who was still nursing his cup of coffee. She patted his arm. "I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then."

"Yeah. Tomorrow." Daniel flashed her a brief smile and went over to set his cup down on the table.

Jack shoved the newspaper under his arm and grabbed a donut as he headed for the door, but stopped and turned around.

"Daniel, you’re welcome to stay at my place if you want. There’s a hockey game on tonight. I could probably even scrounge up something to eat."

"No thanks, Jack. I…I think I’ll just go home." Daniel stacked the books he’d brought and picked them up heading out the door toward his office so he could drop them off.

"Well, if you change your mind just have them drop you off at my place."

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~

As hard as Jack tried to hurry and get his report typed up and sent over to Hammond, it wasn’t fast enough for him to catch Daniel before he left. He must have high-tailed it out of there and made a beeline for the exit where the airman was ready to drive him home. And when had he finished his report anyway? Jack dropped his tired frame down onto the sofa. This was one of those weeks that left him with jet lag 24/7. Or in this case space-lag. Things sure could go to hell-in-a-hand basket in an awfully big hurry.

They’d finally found a nice enough bunch of aliens, a bit too quiet perhaps, but still, they’d actually invited the ‘young Tau’ri’ to play in their galactic sandbox and share their cool toys, only to find out the sandbox was full of ants.

He wearily stood up and walked into the kitchen to get a beer. Or ten. He opened the fridge and reached in, grabbing two bottles, he made his way back into the living room. Might as well save himself a trip. Warm or cold, it didn’t matter to him. He plopped himself back down on the sofa and took off the bottle cap, tossing it into the empty cup on the coffee table. Three points.

He scrubbed his hand roughly through his hair. The last thing he wanted to be reminded of was the quaint little twenty-four hour sleepover Frasier had insisted upon after their return from the mission. All right. True. They had all been having symptoms from being exposed to that big floating sarcophagi in the sky, but for some reason having to spend twenty-four hours together here on earth was a whole heck of a lot harder than spending 48 hours together off-world. More distractions there? Maybe. More focused on a mission and the possibility of danger lurking around every corner? Could be. But the truth is they had all been feeling like crap by the time the post-mission examinations were completed.

At least the entire mission hadn’t been a bust. Carter had been allowed to bring one of the crystals back with her to study. And Daniel…well he had come away with a lot of pretty pictures and an addiction. Jack took another swig of the brew draining the last of the cold one. Guess he’d get to drink them both cold tonight.

He opened the second bottle, flipped the cap on the coffee table, turning it around and around in his hands. He supposed he should be thankful that Daniel’s guardian angel was finally working on at least a part-time basis now. It could have been worse. A WHOLE lot worse, compared to the last time he’d suffered through withdrawal. Instead of only one day under Frasier‘s care it had taken weeks that time to get Daniel‘s body back to some kind of normal.

Weeks spent sitting by Daniel’s side while he shook from head to toe, soaking his clothes with sweat so often he had to change several times a day, and puking his guts out was something he never wanted to see his friend have to go through ever again. He glanced over at the phone. He hadn’t really expected Daniel to change his mind about coming over, but the truth was, he was worried about how withdrawn he’d become.

If Daniel was still ticked off at him for leaving the planet so quickly, then he’d just have to get over it. He did the right thing. He did the only thing he could have done to protect his team. Risking a repeat performance of sarcophagus addiction was not on his list of the ‘best souvenirs to bring back from a planet’ brochure.

He just wished Daniel wasn’t distancing himself from them now. He’d hardly spoken a dozen words in the medical suite. And some of those were pretty venomous. Especially for Daniel. Of course he knew a big part of that was the addiction talking. Or rather not talking. But the fact that Daniel had gone out of his way to avoid any contact with any of them after Frasier released them gave him an uneasy feeling. He glanced over at the phone. He could call and see if he wanted to go grab a bite or maybe he could find a game playing downtown if he could get tickets on such short notice, that is.

He stood up and walked over to the phone and reached to pick it up when he suddenly remembered Frasier’s instructions. Crap! His vehicle was back at the SGC, and so was Daniel’s. It almost felt like they were under house arrest. He stood there with his hands resting on the counter staring at the phone. Well, at the very least he could call him up and make sure he was okay.

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~

More Ashtani entered the huge room lined wall to wall, ceiling to ceiling, with screens. Each screen filled with images playing out from the minds of the countless visitors to their planet. The undetectable inorganic microchip they placed in each being that came through their gate had provided enjoyment and stimulation for their race for countless generations.

With their technology, the Ashtani were able to ‘see’ other worlds, other galaxies, through the eyes of those who had been linked. And since their race was unable to leave the planet, being able to experience the day to day lives of such a vast assortment of other beings and cultures was the only way they could add to their knowledge.

The four latest additions to the room were proving to be less than what they’d hoped for. They had only been able to see them together in a common room, interacting very little. If it wasn’t for the vivid dreams of the female, the Ashtani would have lost interest very quickly and removed them to the secondary viewing room. Now it appeared the four had been separated to different places and the images were now sending a renewed energy through those who were gathered around their screens.

One screen showed a dark being surrounded by deep shadows and flickering lights, and the images, while not terribly exciting, were still most unusual. A second screen showed a female species immersed in what appeared to be a liquid substance and the melodic sounds coming from her voice were most pleasant. The activity was not something their species completely understood but it had still caused quite a stir.

A third screen showed a silver-haired being consuming a liquid and speaking to a device held in his hand. And from the looks of the fourth screen that being was also talking to the same device. The fourth screen had not drawn much attention since it had only been sending back images sporadically. What was causing the malfunction was unknown but if the signal eventually was lost there were many others to keep them entertained.

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~

Daniel thanked the airman for the ride to the base and hurriedly made his way to the elevator that would take him deep within the mountain. If only there were someplace deep enough to hide from himself as well. He just hoped he didn’t run into anyone wanting to chat until he’d at least had a chance to grab some coffee. To say he was exhausted was putting it lightly.

He hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before after horrific dreams woke him. He’d been a little short with Jack when he called but the vision or god-forbid, hallucination that had happened while he was in the medical suite had shaken him deeply. And when another one had hit shortly before the phone rang, he hadn’t exactly been in the mood to be grilled with questions from Jack.

The vision he’d had the night before had him feeling confused and jumpy. He had only been home a short time when suddenly without warning he was instantly inside Teal’c quarters surrounded by candles. Or so it seemed. He could feel the warmth of the candlelight and smell the wax as it melted. He could even hear him breathing. And then just as abruptly he was back in his kitchen.

He didn’t know what was happening but he suspected it had to be some residual effects from the withdrawal. Although he’d experienced hallucinations before when he’d been addicted to the sarcophagus, they had never been this vivid or this real. Hopefully they would pass quickly because the alternative was too unsettling to even consider.

He couldn’t let anyone know what had been happening. He didn’t even know himself. The only thing he knew for certain was that if they found out, he would be marched right into a padded room and they’d throw away the key. He could only hope and pray that one of these episodes didn’t happen when anyone else was around. And the only way to lessen the chances of that happening was to try to steer clear of any unnecessary togetherness.

He hadn’t let himself think about what he would do if SG-1 was put on the schedule for a mission and the hallucinations were still happening. He had gotten up early so he could get to the base before Janet came on duty. That way Dr. Warner would be taking, hopefully the last sample of blood for awhile, and doing a quick exam. Janet knew him too well, and he was afraid his body language would give him away. And once she had suspicions, she would keep poking around until she discovered what he was so vehemently trying to hide.

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~

Sam adjusted the settings again and placed the crystal into the slot. She turned the switch and sat back to wait for the readings to be displayed. A tapping sound drew her attention toward the doorway where Daniel was standing, smiling sheepishly. She looked up and smiled.

"Daniel."

"You busy?"

"Yes. Well sort of. I’m doing a lot of waiting and watching to be honest with you. Come on in. I’m never too busy for you. You know that."

Walking hesitantly into the room, he stopped beside her work table glancing at her nervously. He tried to look interested in whatever it was she was working on. He motioned toward the machine and eyed it curiously.. "So…is that the.. uh.. crystal?"

"Yes. I’m comparing its’ properties with those from the healing device. I still can’t believe they just let us have it."

"Yeah. Me too."

Daniel ducked his head down as he tried to figure out how to ask her without raising suspicion. "So…How are you feeling? I know Janet said our blood tests were almost back to normal, but I was just wondering,…I mean…are you doing all right now?"

Sam watched as he twisted the phone cord around his fingers over and over. He was here to talk about something, but what? Maybe if she tried to lighten up his pensive mood it would help.

"I’m feeling a lot better than I was. I think if Janet had made us stay in there one more day together I would have strangled somebody." she laughed.

Sam eyed him worriedly but tried to sound non-threatening. "How are you doing with everything? I mean not only the withdrawal but I know you were disappointed that you couldn’t translate more of their records."

"Oh…you know…It’s not the first time. Won’t be the last." He tried to smile in all the right places but he was feeling more and more nervous by the minute. He was afraid that if he looked into her eyes she could see inside himself at what it was he was trying so hard to hide.

She’d been concerned with Daniel’s quiet demeanor since they’d returned from P5K-892. And from the looks of the shadows under his eyes he wasn’t sleeping well either. "Did you see Janet this morning?"

"Yeah. Well…no. Actually I came in a little early. Janet wasn’t in yet so Dr. Warner took my blood and checked me out. I’m beginning to feel like a pincushion."

"Yeah, I know what you mean." All right. Sam thought. That’s a little better. The humor helped loosen him up a little. Now if I can just…

He let go of the cord, flashed a brief smile and turned to leave. "Well, I’ll see you around, Sam."

"Wait." Okay now I don’t want to push him, he’s almost out the door already. "I thought we might get together later. You know. Relax a little before we go off-world again. General Hammond told me he would consider P6R-H8C for our next mission."

Sam watched as Daniel’s expression went from nervously quiet to panic stricken in mere seconds. And even as she watched she could see him close himself off from her as he waved, mumbled something and left. What the heck was going on with him?

She watched him go, then turned her attention back to the readings on the healing crystal, making a mental note to speak to the Colonel to see if he knows what was bothering him.

There was one good thing about the healing properties of P5K-892, and that was the fact that the cramps she’d had when she went through the gate to Bahakeen had completely disappeared once they’d been there a short time. She grinned as she turned the setting on the machine, wishing she could put some of that in a bottle to keep handy. The team, being confined in such close proximity, with each one suffering from varying degrees of withdrawal, was worse than being confined in a room full of women with nuclear PMS.

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~

Daniel had tried to concentrate on the video footage from Bahakeen, but after he’d experienced another episode in his office, he was simply too shaken up to stick around. He hated to think what would have happened if Jack had been there. Or Sam. Or Teal’c. What if it happened in the briefing room? Or, oh jeez..…. while he was driving!

He sucked in a breath and hurriedly pulled into the small grocery parking lot just a few blocks from his house. His hands were shaking so badly he dropped the key when he took it out of the ignition. If he had a vision when he was behind the wheel of a car he could wreck and kill someone. Suddenly his being released by Janet to drive lost all its appeal.

He looked out through the car window at the people walking by. People with normal, ordinary, everyday lives. When had his life gotten so far from normal? Had he ever had an ‘ordinary’ day? A day where no one he was close to got hurt or worse. A day that he didn’t have to watch his teammates and friends being tortured. A day not spent fighting an enemy these ordinary people didn’t even know existed? He cringed as the realization washed over him that if Airman Lewis had come to his office a mere five minutes later he would have been in the throes of yet another hallucination.

The latest vision was still fresh in his mind. He had suddenly found himself seeing through the eyes of a woman who was walking through a busy marketplace. As her eyes darted left and right, he could also see what she was seeing. He heard a cry and when he looked down he had a child in his arms. Suddenly he was running and he could feel the woman’s heart pounding and feel the adrenaline racing through her body. Then just as abruptly, he was sitting at his computer with his hand in mid-air ready to punch a key. It had completely freaked him out to the point where he’d had to escape the confines of the mountain.

What was he going to do? He couldn’t take it anymore. He hit the steering wheel with his hand. He was tired and frustrated, but most of all, he was scared.

Maybe it was time to talk to Janet. Surely she would have some idea of a way to, if not get rid of them, at least block them.

He just needed to sit here a few minutes to calm down. Then he would just walk the few blocks home. The walk would hopefully help clear his head.

The realization that sitting here wasn’t doing that much to calm his frayed nerves, he took a deep breath, let it out and opened the door. He grabbed his jacket and got out, locking the doors. As he looked up at the store, he thought he might as well pick up a few things he needed while he was here.

He walked to the entrance and stopped at the door, taking a deep breath before he pushed it open. Nodding to the familiar face of the cashier, he went in search of the few items on his mental list. He hurriedly went through the store gathering what he needed in his arms. On the way to the checkout he stopped to pull out his wallet and he froze as his world around him suddenly changed.

He looked around frantically and saw trees and cars passing by in a blur. The abrupt switch from having his feet planted firmly on solid ground to that where he was all of a sudden surrounded by a world that was in motion was beginning to make him nauseous.

Daniel glanced wide-eyed at the object hanging from the rearview mirror. He immediately recognized the crystal pyramid Jack had in his truck. The one Jack had told him he’d bought after Daniel disappeared from Abydos. He stared as the prism sent colored lights shimmering all around him. This couldn’t be. And yet as he stared at the pyramid dangling from the mirror and caught a glimpse of silver peppered hair, he suddenly knew exactly where he was. Somehow he was in Jack’s truck looking out through Jack’s eyes. The motion of the moving vehicle as it turned the corner, twisted his stomach into knots and he felt like his world was starting to spin all around him. The edge of his vision started to darken and he could feel himself falling. Suddenly his body hit something solid and his eyes popped open. He looked up at the faces staring down at him. The touch of a warm hand on his arm startled him and he jerked his head around and found himself looking into the worried face of the cashier.

"Are you all right Mr. Jackson?"

Daniel squeezed his eyes shut and opened them again feeling relief in the small fact that she was still knelt down beside him. He suddenly realized he was on the floor and quickly sat up looking around trying not to panic. He pushed himself up off the floor and felt a sharp pain in his hand as he stood. He straightened up and held out his hand to see what was causing the piercing pain and saw a piece of glass sticking out of his palm. A trickle of blood was starting to run down his wrist. He picked the glass out and stared at it in confusion.

"Mr. Jackson?" The cashier looked at him worriedly.

He looked around and saw the carry-out boy shooing the curious shoppers away.

"I’m … I’m fine."

He looked down to the floor at the broken jar and then back to his bloodied palm.

"I’m sorry about the mess… I’ll pay for it of course." He reached his good hand into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. Holding it gingerly in his injured hand he pulled out some money and handed it to her. Stepping around the broken jar he strode quickly to the exit. He just wanted to go home, to someplace safe. But right now, he was beginning to think that place didn’t exist.

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~

The Ashtani were fascinated with their latest acquisitions. The four Tau’ri had provided much needed stimulation for their minds. Even though the signal from the young one had been sporadic at best, when the signal did come in clearly it was one of the most popular screens available for viewing.

Several of the Ashtani gathered at the young one’s screen when the images grew sharp and clear once again. It seemed that this one was in a state of sleep but even so, vivid images filled his mind. Up on the wall they watched in fascination as a black-robed figure with no discernable facial features was taunting the young Tau’ri. Words were spoken back and forth between the two until finally the Tau’ri gathered a ball of pure energy from within himself. And when it had grown sufficiently to almost consume him, the young one thrust the massive energy sphere at the dark menacing figure. Suddenly the powerful energy was catapulted back at him and the screen lit up in a fiery blaze. Ripples of excitement ran through the group of Ashtani who were watching the screen with fascination. Suddenly the screen flickered and filled with gray static. A collective sign of disappointment filled the great hall.

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~

Daniel watched as the elevator door slid open but didn’t make a move to exit. His eyes traveled down the long corridor to where the infirmary lay. He’d decided this morning that he was going to talk to Janet about the visions.

He was jolted out of his daze by the airman who stepped into the elevator and reached over to the panel to punch a button. "Going down, sir?"

Daniel stared at him. "I…um…yes. No. Sorry." He stepped out into the hall and slowly started toward the infirmary. He made it to the closed doors and stopped, then turned around and leaned his back up against the cool concrete wall. He shoved his hands into his pockets and closed his eyes in an attempt to find the courage to walk through those doors.

The visions that he had assumed were some residual effects from the planet had not disappeared as he had hoped they would. If anything they had increased in intensity and frequency. And why did he seem to be the only one affected? He opened his eyes and stared at the opposite wall. What was he going to tell Janet? That he was seeing things? And not just seeing things. These visions were too real. It was almost as if he were inside someone else’s head and could see, hear, smell and feel everything they were experiencing. What would Dr. MacKenzie have called them? ’Visual and auditory hallucinations’? That label ought to earn him a nice cozy little padded room. A one-way ticket to the loony bin. Just send my mail to Dr. Jackson, care of ‘The Nuthouse’.

He turned his head as the elevator doors opened at the end of the corridor and Sgt. Siler stepped out and started walking in his direction. He pushed away from the wall and tried to look casual, like he wasn’t actually waiting to go into the infirmary. As the Sergeant came closer he saw he had a wad of paper towels pressed against his head.

Daniel turned toward him. "Are you all right?"

Sergeant Siler stopped at the doors. "Sure. It’s nothing. Just a little accident." The Sergeant put his hand on the door to push it open and paused. "Do you need to see Dr. Frasier? I could tell her you’re waiting out here if you want?"

Daniel straightened up and nervously shoved his sweating hands into his pockets again. "No… No. That’s all right. I…uh don’t need to see her. I was…just…um…on my way to.." Daniel pointed down the hall. "I’d better go. Hope you’re gonna be okay." He turned and quickly started walking down the hallway. He heard ’I appreciate that Dr. Jackson’, behind him. What the devil was I thinking? I can’t do this.

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~

Sam walked into the Gateroom where her CO and Teal’c were waiting to embark on their latest mission. It just didn’t feel right not having Daniel here too. He had left the base after only being here a short time and then had called in complaining of a bad stomach ache, which according Daniel, was most likely caused from some take-out food he’d eaten the night before. No amount of cajoling would convince him to come into the infirmary so Janet could check him out.

Apparently he had spoken to General Hammond and convinced him to send SG-1, minus himself, on the scheduled mission since there was very little in the way of ruins to translate or even an alien race, according to the MALP. But Daniel was so much a part of SG-1, it felt odd to not have him standing here with them as they waited for the chevrons to lock one by one.

She was glad the mission was for only twenty-four hours. If standing here felt strange it would be stranger still being off-world with only the three of them. They’d done that a few times after Daniel ascended. And even when they had acquired a fourth member she had never quite gotten used to it. That plus the fact that she wouldn’t have him to bounce ideas off of was positively disappointing.

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~

Daniel looked around his living room, his body starting to tremble as the relief that he was back in his own world washed over him. Not another one. He pressed the heels of his hands into the sides of his temple as the throbbing threatened to split his skull in two. When these visions first started he hadn’t had the headaches. But in the past twelve hours or so each vision was followed by a blinding headache. Thank goodness he hadn’t gone with SG-1 on their mission. He’d done the right thing calling in sick. Of course at the time he had no idea just how sick he was gonna be.

He slowly tried to stand, trying to feel his way to the bathroom to where the aspirin was. Barely opening one eye, he made it to the medicine cabinet and flung it open. He looked over the few bottles on the shelf and seeing a stronger pain killer Janet had given him several months ago, he opted to grab it instead.

A wave of pain swept through his head so strong he had to grip the edge of the sink so he wouldn’t pass out. Praying almost that he would. He unscrewed the cap, shook out a couple of pills and tossed them in his mouth. He turned on the water, leaned down and cupped his hand under the trickle and took enough sips to wash the pills down.That monumental task completed, he let himself slide down the wall onto the floor and closed his eyes to wait for relief, either from the medication or unconsciousness, he didn’t care which.

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~

Daniel glanced at his watch once more as he hurried down the corridor toward the gateroom. SG-1 would be coming back from their mission any time and he wanted to be there to meet them. He’d had time to think about what was happening to him and what his options were.

One thing had became abundantly clear, he had no choice but to tell Janet about the hallucinations. With his teammates off-world without him he’d come to the realization that if he intended to ever go through that gate again, the hallucinations would have to be stopped. And since he didn’t have a clue as to how or why they’d started in the first place, he would have to reach out for help elsewhere.

He wouldn’t put his teammates at risk, and if the episodes he’d had the past several days were any example, they could definitely put them all in harm’s way if it happened at an inopportune time. Not that there was ever a good time. He heard Sergeant Davis announcing SG-1’s code just as he walked into the gateroom. He stepped over to the base of the ramp, shoving his sweating hands into his pockets, and nervously waited for his teammates.

The iris opened and Sam was the first one through. Her face lit up when she saw him and she quickly walked down the ramp and gave him a quick hug, whispering in his ear that if he ever missed another mission, food poisoning would be the least of his problems. She rolled her eyes, glanced back at her CO and Teal’c, shook her head smiling and took off for the infirmary. He returned her smile and watched as Jack and Teal’c came down the ramp.

Teal’c stopped in front of Daniel. "It is good to see you have recovered, DanielJackson."

"Uh…Thank you, Teal’c."

He nodded and started out of the room. Jack stepped up beside him grinning and eyeing him curiously. "Miss me?"

"Sure, Jim." Daniel chuckled nervously and lowered his eyes barely missing Jack‘s playful swat at his head.

They walked out of the gateroom together and Jack looked over at Daniel, noticing he was quieter than usual.

"So. You feeling better I take it?"

"Yeah."

"Don’t tell me you ordered from that Ching Chang something place again." Jack asked teasingly.

A smile lit Daniel’s face for just a moment then was instantly replaced by a mask of distress, as he stared down to the far end of the corridor deep in thought.

"No. I didn’t… actually I…" Daniel stopped abruptly.

He closed his eyes briefly and let out a quiet sigh, then looked at Jack.

"Jack. Do you have a minute before you have to go get checked out?"

"I have loads of minutes. Your office or mine?"

"It doesn’t matter."

"O…kay, then. How about neither?"

"Huh?"

"Come on." Jack put his hand against Daniel’s back and steered him down the hall to the elevator. Daniel’s whole demeanor had been sending up warning flags ever since he saw him waiting at the end of the ramp. But now Daniel was really starting to worry him.

~^~^~

There were several well worn paths on top of Cheyenne Mountain. With no windows in the underground complex, the area got its share of men and women who

needed to escape the cool gray endless concrete. Once they reached a clearing where the view of the city in the distance was the most spectacular they stopped, staring out at the sight.

Jack glanced over at his friend. Daniel looked even more nervous than before, if that was possible.

"So. Daniel."

"Yeah."

"You wanted to talk?"

"Uh…yeah."

"So …I’m all ears."

Daniel had been thinking all morning about what he was going to say, but now all twenty some languages failed him. He stared at the ground trying to gather the courage to tell Jack what had been happening to him for the past few days. How do you admit to your best friend that you think you’re going insane?

"I don’t really know how to tell you…except to just tell you." Daniel stared back down at the ground as images of his grandfather locked up in that institution kept sweeping over him.

"Daniel. Talk to me. What’s wrong?"

"I’m seeing things." His voice broke even with his valiant efforts to stay in control.

"Seeing…as in…."

"Hallucinations, visions, whatever." Daniel looked up into eyes filled with concern.

"All right. You’ve had these… how long?"

"Since we came back from P5K-892."

"And you didn’t say anything? Jeez, Daniel!" Jack stared at him in disbelief, then looked away, taking a deep breath. The last thing his friend needed right now was a lecture. That could wait. Right now Daniel just needed a friend. Jack looked back at him. "Have you talked to Frasier yet?"

"I wanted to talk to you first."

Jack steered Daniel over to a log and motioned for him to sit.

Jack sat down beside him. "Okay. Tell me what’s been going on and then we’ll go see Frasier."

"Jack. I think I really am losing my mind this time." He hung his head down, and raised his hand, pressing his fingers to his eyes to keep the moisture from escaping and felt a strong hand gently squeeze the back of his neck.

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~

Jack was still pacing outside the examination room where he had deposited Daniel over two hours ago. What was taking so long? She could have examined ten people in that amount of time. By the time they got to the infirmary Daniel was visibly shaking. The look on his face as the nurse was taking a blood sample had made the lump in his throat grow larger and the knot in his stomach twist harder. Janet had sent him out to wait in the hallway when they took Daniel to have a CAT scan. Even though he knew they really had no choice, he still felt like he had thrown Daniel to the lions. Not that Frasier wasn’t top notch when it came to medicine, especially the alien kind.

It was unbelievable the things his distressed friend had told him. At last the doors opened and Daniel stepped though with Frasier right beside him, both with somber expressions.

"Daniel? You all right?"

He looked up only briefly with a flash of a forced smile them dropped his gaze. "Could be better."

Jack looked at Frasier. "Well? What’s going on with him?"

"I honestly don’t know, Colonel. I’ve run every test I can think of and, well I can’t find a single thing that could be causing this. Since you and the rest of SG-1 don‘t seem to be affected, I’m hoping that might help narrow down the possibilities."

"So what are we gonna do about it?"

"For now I want Daniel to stay on the base. He can stay in one of the VIP rooms so I can keep an eye on him and so someone will be here if he has another episode. Some of the tests won’t be back for another twenty-four hours. Once I get those back. I’ll take another look at the situation and then we’ll go from there."

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~

Sam tossed the papers down on the desk and a few of them flew out onto the floor. She cursed under her breath and bent over to retrieve them. There simply had to be something in this crystal that could shed some light on what was happening to Daniel. She must not be looking for the right thing. She was still stunned by what she’d been told about the visions Daniel had been having.

"Are you in need of assistance, Major Carter?" Teal’c stood in the open doorway waiting for her to acknowledge him.

Sam popped her head up above the desk and looked at him. "No. Thanks Teal’c." She picked up the last of the papers and laid them on the desk with the others. Sitting back down, she started sorting through them when she stopped and looked up at Teal’c. "Weren’t you scheduled to go on a mission with Colonel Browning’s team?"

"I was. The Stargate was not secure when General Hammond sent the MALP through a short time ago. The mission was cancelled."

"Oh. That’s too bad." She said as she went back to sorting through the mixed up jumble of papers

"Were you been successful in contacting your father?" Teal’c asked her.

"Yes. He was here for a couple of hours. You just missed him."

Teal‘c studied her troubled face closely. "Did he not possess knowledge of how we may assist DanielJackson?"

"No. not really. He said he’d go back and talk to the High Council. But I don’t know, Teal’c, I get the feeling he was keeping something from me."

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~

Daniel sat staring at the computer screen in the dimly lit VIP room. He’d been working in his office most of the day after much pleading to Janet. He’d convinced her that without his work to focus on he really would go nuts. A fleeting maniacal laugh escaped him and he closed his eyes. Yeah, that’s a good one. Like he wasn’t nuts already.

He supposed as compared to some of his other days, only having two ‘episodes’, as he would prefer to call them, could be seen as an accomplishment. He glanced down at his watch. Ah. But the day was young. He wouldn’t break out the party hats and balloons just yet. He stopped for a moment to rub his gritty eyes. When had he gotten so cynical?

He opened his eyes again and stabbed his finger at the keyboard bringing up the next set of images. What’s the use? As much as he’d been over and over the video footage from P5K-892, he was no closer to finding an answer than he was a week ago. He would never get to go through the gate again unless they could find a way to stop this from happening.

Since the hallucinations hadn’t started until after he’d been to P5K-892, he’d hoped the answer might be there. But he’d been through every piece of video footage and notes he‘d taken, which wasn’t exactly abundant, read over Jack, Sam, and Teal’cs mission reports to see if there was something they had observed that he was missing, and still he’d come up empty-handed.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door and a familiar voice filtered through. He dropped his head with a groan. The last thing he needed was an audience if he had another ‘episode’. The main reason he was hiding out in the VIP room now was because he’d had one of those episodes while in the commissary. Totally lost it for several minutes, right in full view of what looked like half the base. It was even more humiliating than the incident at the grocery store. He might never show his face in either place again.

The rapping at the door repeated.

"Daniel? I know you’re in there."

Reluctantly he stood up from the small desk, walked over to the door and opened it. Jack was standing in the hall with a large Styrofoam container of coffee in one hand and a sack from his favorite deli in the other, holding them up grinning.

Daniel eyed the offerings suspiciously then opened the door the rest of the way and turned around, walking back to his desk to focus once again on the computer screen.

Jack awkwardly stepped inside and closed the door behind him. He really did not want to be here for the reasons that he was but he would rather Daniel hear the news from him rather than from the grapevine.

"So." Jack found himself shifting uneasily from one foot to the other trying to find an easy way to tell Daniel what he’d come here to say. "Thought you might be hungry."

Daniel looked up from the computer screen at the fidgety man and glared.

"Why? Did you hear about what happened in the commissary already?" He grumbled irritably.

Jack looked at him puzzled not knowing what he was talking about. He had just come to the base directly from home. "What happened in the commissary?"

Daniel quickly looked away. "Oh.. nothing. Just forget it. You can set those down over there on your way out."

Jack stepped over to the table and set the coffee and food down and glanced back at Daniel. He suddenly wished he were anywhere but here. But he owed his friend this much.

"What do you want, Jack?" There was a hint of impatience in his voice as he looked over to see Jack not making any move to leave.

Jack developed a sudden interest in the plastic plant on the table and absently twisted it in his fingers.

"So. How have you been feeling?"

Daniel stood up angrily and exploded. "How do you think I feel, Jack? I’m getting the Sci-Fi channel in my head. I can’t go through the gate on another mission until somebody finds a way to turn it off. Oh, and I made a complete fool of myself in the commissary today, not to mention the grocery store a few days ago, so it looks like I’m never gonna eat here or at home again. Assuming I ever get to GO home again." He turned away and tried to get his anger under control.

Jack ran his hand over his tired face. More bad news was the last thing Daniel needed to hear right now but as usual when they had anything that involved the Tok’ra he was choiceless. He grabbed a chair and sat down. Leaning forward, he clasped his hands in front him, trying to find a good way to say what he’d come there to tell him.

Daniel looked over at Jack beginning to feel uneasy about the man’s reason for coming.

"Why are you really here, Jack?"

"The Tok’ra are on their way."

"Why?"

"To see you."

"To see me why?"

"Well, it seems they’ve been busy little beavers. They’ve been working on a new memory recall gadget."

"So?"

Jack hesitated. "Well, they want to try it out on you."

Daniel stared at him not believing what he was hearing. "What are you talking about?"

Jack sighed. This was so unfair to Daniel. As if he wasn’t under enough stress. "Those visions you’ve been having, they seem to think there’s something in them that could help them fight the Goa’uld." Jack could see the combination of anger, fear and disbelief on his friend’s face. "Yeah, I know. I don’t trust them as far as I can throw them either. As a matter of fact I wouldn’t mind throwing them right back through the gate the minute they arrive here."

Daniel turned away from Jack and stared at the wall.

"You’ve told me what you came to tell me. You can leave now."

"You know if it was up to me I’d put call-blocking on the Tok’ra’s signal so we’d never have to hear from them again….except maybe for Jacob."

"I know. Thanks."

Jack watched as Daniel stood up and walked toward the bathroom.

"You can let yourself out."

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~

Daniel could feel the tension in the briefing room even before his foot touched the bottom step. All eyes around the expansive table turned as he entered and followed him as he took his seat, He glanced around nervously at the faces of his teammates and an unfamiliar one that stared at him with a curiously cold look. Jack’s hand on his back steering him to a chair helped bring his own near panic to a more manageable level. Jack waited until Daniel had slid into the seat before he took the chair next to him.

General Hammond was standing and he spoke in a voice tainted with anger at the reason he’d been forced to call this meeting.

"All right. We might as well get started. Dr. Jackson, let me say first of all that this meeting was not of my doing." He looked at Daniel regretfully, then took his seat before continuing.

"It seems the Tok’ra have expressed an interest in studying Doctor Jackson’s visions and will be here first thing tomorrow morning. They have requested that he return with them to their planet. According to the Tok’ra they have developed a more sophisticated memory recall device they wish to use on him."

The General glanced at Major Carter, who cringed and lowered her head. He had already briefed her on the message sent through from the Tok’ra but he knew the fact that her father was one of those who now sought to take her friend and teammate had felt to her like the ultimate betrayal. But since the message was sent from Delick and not Selmak, he suspected Jacob was not aware of their request.

He looked briefly at the visitor seated to his left, his anger clearly visible, and continued. "Also, I just found out a few hours ago that the head of the senate finance committee has authorized Agent Warren from the N.I.D. to question Dr. Jackson about the visions he has experienced since returning from P5K-892. They’re ultimately demanding that Dr. Jackson return with them to a facility at Area 51 to keep him under observation for an undetermined length of time in order to extract information from Dr. Jackson while he is having these visions."

Daniel up glanced at the NID Agent who was staring at him like he was bug on the wall.

"When hell freezes over. Sir." Jack said as coldly as possible.

"Colonel O’Neill, as much as I object to the Tok’ra and the NID’s request, there is still very clear military procedure we have to follow." The General paused and looked around the table. "I am still trying to reach the President about this matter. And when I do this will hopefully put an end to what is in my opinion, a blatant disregard for Doctor Jackson’s well-being."

Jack glanced at the General, then glared at the Agent sitting smugly returning his stare. "So. The Tok’ra snakes want Daniel and the NID snakes want him too?" Jack said with as much disgust in his voice he could muster.

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~

Sam stood at the door to the VIP room where Daniel had been holed up since the meeting. All because of her. Well not entirely, since the appearance of the NID agent came as a surprise although it really shouldn’t have. But she was definitely feeling her share of guilt for having the Tok’ra chomping at the bit to get ahold of her close friend on the other side of that door.

She took a deep breath and knocked lightly. She wondered if maybe he might be asleep or with Janet in the infirmary until she finally heard a voice inviting her in. She opened the door and looked around the darkened room until she made out a shape lying on the bed facing the wall. She closed the door behind her as she tentatively stepped into the room.

"Hi Sam."

"Daniel?"

He turned onto his back and looked over at her.

"There’s a chair…"

"I…can’t stay but a minute. But thanks."

"It’s not your fault, Sam." He said softly.

She stared at him momentarily stunned by his instant absolution. She lowered her eyes.

"Daniel…"

"No. Listen Sam. It’s no one’s fault I’m having these…visions. Just don’t let what the Tok’ra do tarnish the feelings you have for your Dad. He’s in a difficult position."

She wiped the tear that escaped down her cheek. "Still… I’m sorry."

"There’s nothing to be sorry for. You were just trying to help."

"But it’s because of me that the Tok’ra are coming. I’m the one who contacted them. Even if my Dad doesn‘t know they’re doing this, they still found out about you from me."

He pushed himself up off the bed and walked over to where she stood stiffly. He reached out to touch her shoulder and she suddenly wrapped her arms around him sobbing. "They want to take you away. They want to hook you up to their machines and study you like a …" her words were choked off by her sobs.

He hugged her tighter. "It’s all right Sam. I’m not going with them. Any of them. If I have to I’ll find a way to get out of here and go where they can’t ever find me."

She tore herself away from him and stared, slowly shaking her head.. "No! You can’t just leave. There’s got to be another way." She pleaded.

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~

Briefing room : 0900 hrs.

"According to the treaty between our two worlds, there is to be a full exchange of all sources of information concerning the Goa’uld. And since the human has acquired the ability to see other worlds, including Goa’uld controlled ones, in his mind, we demand full access to the source of that information."

The Tok’ra representative stood with his fists clenched resting against the table, his anger having already forced him to his feet. The NID Agent jumped up glaring at the Tok’ra across the table from him. "And what makes you think your precious treaty takes precedence over our own planet’s safety?"

"Oh for cryin out loud. General?" Jack had heard about all he could stand. He glared at the two men standing. "We are talking about a person here by the way. And his name isn’t ’human’. It’s Doctor Daniel Jackson and he happens to be sitting right here at this table, in case you’ve forgotten."

The Tok’ra’s eyes flashed at Jack. "Need I remind you, Colonel, that it was the Tau’ri who insisted that with an alliance between our people we would both be in a better position to fight the Goa’uld? If I recall that alliance includes the sharing of any and all information and technology. Does it not?"

"Need I remind YOU that Daniel isn’t some lab rat you can poke and prod and experiment on. What would you think if we took one your snakes and experimented on it?"

"If it meant that all Tok’ra would benefit then I am certain any of us would be willing to make that sacrifice" The Tok’ra said haughtily.

Jack shook his head with disgust. "Oh, I should have known. You don’t give a rat’s ass about sacrificing your own people. Fine! But if you think for one second we’re just going lie down and watch while you or the Neanderthal Idiotic Death squad over there take Daniel off this base, you’ll need more than an alliance to protect your snaky little butts." Jack was on his feet too by now. His patience with this entire topic of conversation had already fled the room.

"Is that a threat?" Agent Warren asked angrily.

"Gentlemen! Please. This is getting us nowhere fast. I expect everyone…" General Hammond’s words froze as the room was suddenly engulfed in a blinding flash of a white misty light and then it was gone.

The stunned silence was finally broken by Sam whose voice broke with her words. "Where’s Daniel?" All eyes shot to the space at the end of the long table. Jack stared down at the empty chair beside him and a knot started in his throat and moved down to settle in the pit of his stomach. He looked over at General Hammond whose shock was mirrored in his eyes.

Agent Warren was on his feet now. "What kind of trick are you people trying to pull?"

Jack clenched his fists so hard he could feel his nails cutting into his palms. He turned away from the still stunned faces and strode angrily from the room.

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~

Several of the Ashtani were gathered at the screens linked to the four Tau’ri. These four had been very popular among their race. It seems the Tau’ri had an extremely fascinating mind not only when they went about their day to day lives but also when they were asleep.

The female displayed a myriad of emotions, especially when alone and it was fascinating for the Ashtani to observe her as she experimented on various objects. Including, interestingly enough, a crystal from their own planet.

The dark one spent much time reading and learning more about the Tau’ri which in turn allowed the Ashtani through their link to learn more about the them as well. This one had uneventful sleep and the gathering would often move to another screen when the dark one was at rest.

The silver haired one spent much time on the move. His screen’s images were constantly changing as he went from one place to the next. Sometimes angrily speaking to others and sometimes staring up at the stars.

The young one was a most amazing link indeed. In his periods of brief sleep this one displayed captivating images. Mostly from his world, earth, but many from a world the Ashtani had not seen or heard of before. A world of swirling shadow beings. Unfortunately the link to the young one had evidently been damaged some way and it was feared his link was severed permanently as it suddenly went black. Then the other three screens also went black and a whispered moan filled the Great Room as the signals were apparently lost.

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~

General Hammond closed the door to his office and tiredly walked over to his desk. He laid his palms down on the rich dark wood and leaned heavily against it. He took a long deep breath and straightened up as he made his way around to his chair easing himself into the warm leather. His eyes traveled around the room as he thought about the many memories that lurked in the shadows of this office. A lot of good ones. Some bad ones too. Far too many bad ones. He glanced out through the glass separating his office from the briefing room where the latest fiasco had ended abruptly and unexpectedly.

He couldn’t even begin to speculate as to what had transpired only a few short hours ago. Whatever possible explanations had been thrown back and forth after Doctor Jackson disappeared wouldn’t alter the fact that somehow a valuable, vital member of this facility had vanished without a trace.

He’d witnessed a lot of unusual occurrences here in the bowels of this mountain. Why ,they had even seen a person disappear right before their very eyes on more than one occasion when Thor took Colonel O’Neill to his ship. But something told him deep in his gut that this was entirely different.

Dr. Jackson’s disappearance didn’t have the earmarks of Thor beaming his people away. This reminded him of only one thing and that one thing was the reason he couldn’t bring himself to leave the base just yet. The white flash of light that had filled the briefing room earlier that evening was too reminiscent of what they had seen when Doctor Jackson died and ascended well over a year ago. That day would always stand out in his mind as one of the saddest events, if you could call it that, that he had been witness to since he had taken over as commander of this facility

His heart felt heavy and from what he’d seen in the faces of SG-1 after Dr. Jackson vanished a few hours ago this wound would take a miracle to heal.

He ran the events of the meeting over in his mind remembering the look on Major Carter’s face and the sobs that she had been unable to contain as she was assisted to the infirmary. Teal’c had stayed seated not moving a muscle, just staring at the empty chair for over an hour. The stony exterior of the warrior had seemed almost fragile. His look had given him the impression that he hoped if he stared long enough and hard enough at the once occupied chair, the soft-spoken archeologist would somehow reappear. Finally without uttering a word he’d stood and walked out.

The mere fact that the Colonel hadn’t floored the Tok’ra or Agent Warren amazed him. His silent sudden exit left him suspecting that this might very well be the last time Colonel O’Neill stepped foot in this facility. The seeming ‘death’ of the soft-spoken archaeologist, had nearly torn SG-1 apart. If they couldn’t figure out how to locate Doctor Jackson this time and bring him back, he had his doubts if there would continue to even be an SG-1.

He rubbed at his tired eyes. It had been a very long day. The only redeeming value was that the Tok’ra had left through the gate an hour ago, since the reason they’d come was now… gone. He looked at the red phone on his desk. He just had one more piece of trash to remove from the base and hopefully he could take care of that little problem himself. He picked up the receiver.

"Yes, Let me speak to the President."

"I realize it’s late, Mr. President, but we have a little problem I was hoping you could help us with. Yes, about Agent Warren…"

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~

The first thing Daniel noticed was that the hair all over his entire body felt like it was standing on end like the room was filled with static electricity. The second thing was that he was lying down. He pulled himself to his feet, looking around dazed and confused. It seemed he wasn’t exactly in the briefing room anymore. Evidently he wasn’t even in a room at all. He looked around at the swirling mist uneasily. Okay. He must be having another hallucination. He wrapped his arms around himself and squeezed his eyes closed for a few moments waiting for the vision to run its course like all the others had. But when he opened his eyes all he saw was…

"Oma?"

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~

Jack hit the bag again as hard as he could and still it barely moved. He wanted to see it split open and then rip the stuffing out and shove it down someone’s throat. He was going to have bruised hands tomorrow but he didn’t really care. Right now all he cared about was beating the crap out of the holier-than-thou Tok’ra and the NID. They were the reason he was now in the gym trying to pound the stuffing out of a punching bag instead of a person.

He didn’t want to think about what had happened, but each time the sight of that empty chair flashed into his mind the anger and grief threatened to drown him. What the devil had happened to Daniel in the briefing room? Thor was the only one who had a bad habit of snatching people out of the SGC, but Thor had never before taken Daniel, only himself… Lucky me.

He simply couldn’t make any sense out of it. It didn’t have Thor’s MO. The little guy had always snatched him in the blink of an eye. One moment you were there, the next, you were gone. No bright white mist like this time. If it was Thor, then why hadn’t he contacted them yet?

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~

Daniel stared at the hallucination that looked suspiciously like Oma Desala. She certainly looked real and as he looked around nervously at the swirling mist, he had a distinct feeling of déjà vu’. He eyed the vision before him as it stared back at him smiling.

He took a shaky deep breath and closed his eyes once more hoping that this hallucination would vanish soon like the others had done. But when he opened his eyes and saw that it was still there he began to worry. Okay, he must have really gone off the deep end this time.

The feeling of static came washing over him again and he looked down at his hands and then to his feet. Whoa! Looking down was not a good idea. He could feel something solid below him but when he looked down he could see forever through the swirling clouds. He involuntarily reached out his hands to steady himself from the vertigo that was threatening to overwhelm him. A hand reached out toward him from the Oma hallucination and he grabbed at it without thinking.

As soon as he’d grasped it he drew back his hand like it had been burnt, stumbling backward before regaining his footing. He stared at the outstretched hand. That felt awfully solid to be a figment of his imagination. And just when he thought things couldn’t get any worse, his hallucination spoke.

"If you have never done anything evil, you should not worry about devils knocking at your door."

Daniel stared. That sure sounded like Oma.

"Why is your heart so fearful, Daniel?"

"Well, it could be the fact that I’ve completely lost my mind." He answered slowly, still staring in disbelief.

"And what has led you to believe this?"

He nervously chuckled as his voice climbed higher. "Maybe because I’m talking to a hallucination?"

"Do I not look and feel and sound real to you?"

"Hallucinations always say that." He told her. "My insane Grandfather told me that once."

"Only those who have traveled the road, know where the holes are deep."

He glanced around nervously. "Yeah, well, the hole I’ve fallen into this time must be a doozy. I’ll just wait here for the rabbit carrying the clock, the one that’s really late, to show up here any second." He glanced down at his watch, not surprised to find it wasn’t working. whopper

"There are many paths to the top of the mountain, but the view is always the same."

"Well, I’m a little afraid of heights, so if this is the top of a mountain I’d really like to get off now cause I think maybe I’m not getting enough oxygen or something up here." Could he actually be lying on some planet somewhere, brain starved for oxygen, hallucinating all of this? Or maybe even everything that happened the past two weeks? He pinched the bridge of his nose, squeezing his eyes shut. He just couldn’t think straight.

"The man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones."

"Now, see, I must really be losin’ here it because I…I actually understood that."

He fought the urge to look down again as he concentrated on the question he wanted to ask his hallucination.

"So if you really are Oma Desala, does that mean… Am I dead?"

^~^~^~^~^~^~^~

Sam sat up groggily from the sofa where she’d fallen into a restless sleep the night before. Her eyes, her entire face felt puffy and swollen. She moved her hand up to the side of her face to see if it really was as bad as it felt. Her fingertips touched the streaks where a river of tears had flowed.

She squeezed her eyes shut when they started to sting with yet more unshed tears. Tears that could never wash away the pain of her loss or her guilt from her part in it. The image of seeing the white wash of light and then the shock of Daniel’s empty chair, stabbed her with renewed pain. She didn’t realize your heart could actually hurt this bad without it shattering.

The pain she’d felt when Daniel died over a year ago had been staggering. But somehow she had survived. They all had survived. The world that she felt surely must have stopped that day had much to her surprise only paused and life had went on. The realization that the world could still go on without Daniel Jackson in it had seemed unfathomable.

But she had somehow managed to get back up on her feet and take one step at a time. Back to a world that felt emptier, darker, like things were not as bright as before.

What would she do now? Her team had somehow managed to still be a team the last time one of their own went missing. She doubted that would be the case this time. She had seen the look in her CO’s eyes even if he wouldn’t talk about his pain, she could see the devastation mirrored there.

Yes. It really did feel as if the world had been put on pause.

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~

"He who asks is a fool for a moment, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever."

Daniel eyed her suspiciously. "So are you telling me I’m a foolish dead guy?" He continued to stare at this figment of his imagination wondering why he was getting so irritated at something that wasn’t really there.

"I dreamed a thousand new paths___I woke and walked my old one."

Oh here we go with the path thing again. "So am I dreaming all this? When am I gonna wake up and get back on my old path again?" Daniel looked more confused than ever and right now he just wanted to close his eyes and open them with the familiar surroundings of the SGC.

"This is not a dream, Daniel." Oma told him slightly amused.

"Okay…Not a dream then." This was really starting to freak him out a little. Well, actually a lot. "So maybe this time the ‘dreams teach’ thing isn’t working. Listen I don’t know what this is, or why I’m here talking to… you. But I just want to go home."

"What answers do you seek?"

"All right. Well, first. If I’m not dreaming then this must be a hallucination, right? ………….Okay, dumb question." If he could find a wall he would just beat his head against it. He took a deep breath and looked at her again as she stood there calmly smiling. "Am I where it looks I am…Ah Ah! and don’t give me any of that ‘if you think you are here then you really are here‘ stuff." He looked around at the somehow familiar sights and turned to her with concern. "Am I Ascended? Again?"

"Yes and no."

Daniel pressed his palm against his forehead and took another deep breath, trying to resist the urge to give Oma a good shake. "Could you possibly try to elaborate?"

"You are in the Realms of Ascension but it is only I here with you. The Others are elsewhere. I am very real."

"Elsewhere…..right, Of course they are." He said mockingly. "I’m assuming you’re the one who brought me here. So…why?"

"It was necessary to separate you from your kind."

"Why? Because they were fighting over who gets to pick my brain, right?"

"When spiders unite they can tie down a lion."

"Okay… Here we go again..…Listen, It’s been a difficult couple of weeks and I really don’t need this." He rubbed at his temples. His head was really beginning to ache.

"Those who seek us will destroy you."

"So…What? You zapped me away from my home so you could protect yours?"

"Their path is wide yet their vision is so narrow."

"Yeah, I get that part. Listen, don’t get me wrong I appreciate what you tried to do, but I can’t stay here. So you can beam me back to my friends now."

"To return, we must first remove what encumbers you."

"What are you talking about?" He asked, impatiently. He certainly hoped he hadn’t irritated Jack and Teal’c this much when he came to them as an ascended being like they claimed he had.

"There are those who seek what is still hidden in your mind."

"You mean the visions I’ve been having?… Or, wait. Do you mean the memories of when I was ascended?"

"Yes."

"So…why am I here again?"

"The visions are no more and soon the memories will join them."

"You stopped the hallucinations." He looked at questioningly.

"Yes. The race you encountered recently altered each of you so that they might see through your eyes."

"Are you telling me the Ashtani put something in our heads, all four of us, when we were there so they could see our thoughts?"

"Yes. But you are different. The thoughts of many that were meant to be seen by the Ashtani, instead, were linked to you."

"So. I’m different because I was ascended and that caused the thing in my head to, what, malfunction or something? The visions I was having were me actually seeing through the eyes of other beings who had these things put in their heads?"

"It is done."

"Well, thank you. For doing that. So… I guess I can go home then."

"You may cover the flame, but the embers still burn."

Daniel was growing tired of Oma’s riddles. He was a skilled linguist, but this ‘language of the Ascended’ just made his head hurt. He was still not entirely convinced he wasn’t hallucinating all of this.

"Listen Oma. Or whoever you are. It’s been a hoot but I just want to go back. Now."

"You cannot continue on your path encumbered by flames dancing at your feet."

Daniel threw up his hands. "Okay. I think I’ll just find my own way out and leave you with your riddles." He glanced around trying to find something that could possibly be a way out.

"Only by removing the stones in your path, may you continue your journey."

Stones in my path? Daniel thought for a moment. "You mean my memories? From when I was ascended? There hasn’t been that many, believe me."

Daniel was beginning to feel like Oma was a little too obsessed about his memories.

"Listen, if you’re afraid I’ll give away your little secrets, I haven’t been able to remember but just a few things from that time."

"Sometimes the greatest obstacles are the ones we cannot see." Oma took a step closer and continued. "We will remove the stones so that your journey may continue. And we may continue ours."

"My memories." He was getting a bad feeling about the direction this conversation was headed. "You want to take away my memories of when I was ascended. Is that it?"

Daniel took a few steps back as he tried to understand exactly what she was telling him. "Well, if I remember correctly, which I’m pretty sure I do, no thanks to you, the last time you tried that little selective memory sweep, you got a little carried away with the eraser."

"When the weeds are pulled, the flowers are disturbed also. But in time they will bloom again."

"So I assume you’ve been working on that all or nothing memory erasing thing, right?" The uphill battle to regain his memories when SG-1 brought him back to the SGC from Vis Uban were still fresh in his mind. It was not something he wanted to repeat. "So you can just take those memories and leave the rest alone?" Even as he said the words he was unsure if he would trust an affirmative answer from her.

He looked at her but she was strangely silent.

"Why do I get the feeling there’s something you’re not telling me?" Daniel got more concerned the longer Oma stared at him. It was almost as if she were waiting for something.

Oma drew closer to him as she spoke gently. "I regret the result will be as it was before."

Daniel just stared at her not wanting to believe what she was saying. "Are you telling me that ALL my memory will be erased again? Everything?"

Her eyes lowered then she looked up at him with a determined sympathetic look. "You will be as you were when you left us to continue the journey on your former path. But in time your other memories will return."

Daniel’s voice broke as he was filled with a myriad of emotions from what she had just said. "What?… No, you can’t do that. I won’t let you do that."

"The choice is not yours." Oma told him gently.

Daniel held both hands up as if to shield himself from her words as he slowly backed further away "No! There has to be some other way. I can’t go through that again…I…No!" Daniel’s eyes darted around at the distant swirling shadows coming closer from all directions. As his eyes went from them to her he felt the skin prickling up in the back of his ne