They stepped out of the Stargate onto another planet and Dr. Daniel Jackson stopped in his tracks, his mouth falling open in disbelief. As he stared at the looming giant in the distance, only one thought managed to penetrate his shock-to call the video feed sent back by the MALP `inadequate' was a gross understatement. Unable to take his eyes off the sight, he fumbled for his binoculars.
Beside him, Colonel Jack O'Neill immediately swore. "Captain, why in the hell didn't the MALP show us *that* little detail?"
Samantha Carter shook her head, her eyes wide. "Sir, I have no idea. It's rather, uh, hard to miss."
Guessing his C.O.'s thoughts, Daniel said quickly, "Relax, Jack, it's not an Egyptian pyramid."
"So?"
"So," the archeologist said as he lowered his binoculars to look at Jack, "it wasn't built as a landing site for a Gou'ald ship. I don't think you need to expect them to show up any time soon." He glanced around at the thick jungle surrounding them. "I wonder where the people are on this planet. It could be-"
As he was speaking he took a step forward, only to run into O'Neill's hastily out-flung arm.
"Ah!" Jack snapped. "Do I have to remind you of our recent discussions?"
Daniel dropped his head momentarily to hide his embarrassment but his attention was inexorably drawn back to the colossal mountain of stone directly in front of them, rising high above the jungle.
"Sir," Carter was studying one of her small, hand-held gadgets with rising excitement, "that structure is not registering on my equipment."
"What are you talking about? It's as big as a damn mountain! Right in front of us."
"Yes, sir. But according to these readings, it doesn't exist."
"How can that be, Captain Carter?" Teal'c queried, having just returned from a brief trek around the immediate perimeter.
"I'm not sure, Teal'c." She turned to O'Neill. "Sir, it's possible that some kind of stealth technology may be involved."
Jack's eyebrows shot up but before he could respond, Daniel said, "Now I remember! It reminds me of the pyramid at Teopanzolco."
O'Neill looked from one scientist to the another, his expression faintly beleaguered. "Okay," he demanded. "One at a time."
"Well, sir-"
"Jack-"
They spoke simultaneously and O'Neill groaned. "Hold it! You first- " he pointed a finger at his 2IC. "How can something visible to the eye be invisible to your equipment? How in the hell would that work? And why?"
Sam shook her head, practically dancing in her excitement. "I have no idea, sir. But according to my equipment, there's nothing there- " she shook her head again in amazement, "even though it appears that there *is* something right in front of us. It may not be stealth-involved. What we're seeing could be some kind of artificially-induced visual hallucination. But a visual hallucination the size of that-that structure is, well, I would think it'd be impossible. And, regardless, there should still be some indication . . ." Her words trailed off as Sam contemplated the possibilities, her eyes shining with the thrill of the unknown. "Sir, we really need to study this more closely."
O'Neill stifled another groan. Unusual energy readings sent back by the MALP were the reason they had come to this planet for a preliminary survey. But now there was nothing for Carter's gizmo to read?
He shook his head in frustration. "Yeah, sure, of course we need to." Then he looked at his archeologist, who also appeared to be on the verge of dancing with excitement and impatience. "Okay, you're up. What the hell is Tepa-, Teepo- whatever you just said?"
"Teopanzolco," Daniel repeated. "It's an excavated site located in the city of Cuernavaca in Mexico. The pyramid there is one of the few surviving examples of the Aztec twin-stair pyramid style that was popular in the Early Aztec period, approximately 1100-1350 A.D." He noticed that his C.O. was looking rather glassy-eyed and offered him an apologetic shrug.
"Mesoamerican history is not one of my specialties but, as I recall, Teopanzolco was an Early Aztec site that was abandoned during the Late Aztec period, which covered 1350-1521 A.D."
"Okay, okay, time out." Jack rubbed his forehead but the gesture didn't help his blossoming headache, brought on-he was sure-by Daniel's rapid-fire explanation. He gave the archeologist an exasperated grimace.
"Can you break it down into English words of two syllables or less?"
Daniel opened his mouth, studied his C.O.'s expression, and closed it. Then tried again. "This pyramid indicates that the Aztecs, or a culture descended from the Aztecs, lived here at one time. Or, perhaps, this culture originated on earth and is responsible for the creation of the Aztec culture there."
"If they originated on earth, what are they doing here?"
"It's only a theory, Jack. But maybe some advanced race brought them from earth-" He hesitated when O'Neill grimaced. Perhaps he needed to cut to the chase, Daniel thought.
"There's really no way to know without getting a closer look at that pyramid, Jack."
"I have read of these Aztecs," Teal'c said unexpectedly. "They were fond of human sacrifices, were they not?"
O'Neill straightened, his hand tightening automatically on his MP-5. Daniel threw a faintly reproachful look at the Jaffa.
"Well, human sacrifice was practiced at Teopanzolco but I don't-"
"Enough background for now," the Colonel interrupted, his eyes suspiciously searching the thick jungle surrounding them.
"Jack," Daniel protested, "even from here it's obvious that pyramid is very old and not in good condition. It's not likely that any descendants of the culture that originally built it are using it to-"
"Hold that thought, Daniel," Jack interrupted. "As close as that pyramid may look, it's got to be at least a ten-mile hike from here to there. Carter, what about those energy readings that brought us here in the first place?"
Sam checked her gizmo again, pressed a couple buttons, and shook her head. "I'm not getting anything, sir. Not since we arrived. And they were working fine when I tested them at the SGC."
"Well, isn't that just swell," O'Neill growled. He looked around at his team, Carter-eager but contained, Daniel-*very* eager and not contained at all, Teal'c-his usual contained self. Whatever that pyramid might or might not be, it seemed to be the only game in town.
"Okay, let's stay alert,( he said with a glance at Carter and Teal'c, who both nodded. "Teal'c, you take point. Carter, you got our six. Daniel, let's go."
~*~
At the behest of the Air Force, Jack O'Neill had been in a few different
jungles over the course of his military career. In his experience, they were
uniformly overgrown and extremely humid, which made traveling through them not
only difficult but downright
unpleasant.
As he trekked through the current overgrown jungle, he felt as if he was being enveloped in a massive, hot, and very wet blanket. The feeling was enough to remind Jack all over again of how much he disliked jungles.
Despite somehow missing the giant pyramid right in front of it, the MALP had been able to transmit images of the jungle terrain back to the SGC. And some thoughtful soul had managed to locate and pack a few machetes in their packs. Which were coming in very handy.
Daniel had pointed out the remains of an old path leading away from the Stargate in the general direction of the pyramid, and Jack decided to follow it. But in just a few minutes it disappeared almost to nothingness while the jungle closed around them, incredibly lush, intensely green, still dripping from a recent rain. And thick, which made it very hard to get through. But since they were still heading toward the pyramid that might not actually be there, SG-1 doggedly continued along the path that wasn't really there either. Except for sometimes when it was.
O'Neill had had Teal'c take point for more reasons than usual. The Jaffa was immensely strong with endurance that pretty much went on forever, at least in comparison with the Tau'ri. Although his progress was slowed by having to hack away the growth that impeded their forward progress, his exertions didn't seem to be tiring him.
But fair was fair.
"Want to trade places for awhile, Teal'c?" Jack called an hour into their trek, as he sidestepped yet another muddy depression in the ground. He had already discovered that some of these depressions were surprisingly deep and he was trying to avoid a full-body mud bath.
"That is not necessary, O'Neill," the Jaffa said over his shoulder, swinging his machete with what looked like real enjoyment.
O'Neill shook his head, once again reminded of how glad he was that Teal'c was on their side.
Directly in front of the Colonel, Daniel stumbled. Jack grabbed the back of his pack as he started to go down and hauled him upright.
"Th-thanks, Jack."
"Sure. Watch where you're going, Daniel."
"I am," he retorted indignantly.
Jack shook his head again. If he didn't know better, he would've thought Daniel's head was about to fall off. That shaggy head was in constant motion, looking at everything, swiveling in every direction, almost simultaneously sometimes, or so it seemed. Except the direction in which he was going.
"Hey, Jack?"
"What?"
"Have you noticed, there are no birds."
Huh. As he listened, Jack realized that the archeologist was right. He hadn't seen or heard any birds since they arrived on the planet. And now that he thought about it, he realized that they hadn't seen any animals, either, not even tracks. And now that he thought about it some more, they hadn't been bothered by any- He looked harder at the passing vegetation and didn't notice any insects on the foliage or in the air. That couldn't be right, could it?
O'Neill shifted his pack on his shoulders, suddenly uncomfortable. "What's the likelihood of no life in a jungle like this?"
In front of him, he saw Daniel's shoulders lift and fall. "It seems extremely unlikely but I'm not a biologist."
Unlikely. That was a good word. Maybe it was nothing. But maybe it was something.
"You have anything to share, Captain?" O'Neill said over his shoulder.
"Afraid not, sir," Sam returned brightly. "I'm not a biologist, either."
Jack grimaced, both at this new puzzle and his 2IC's unseemly cheer. He just knew her mind was going a million miles an hour trying to figure out what was going on with that pyramid or whatever it was . . . or wasn't.
He had wanted a simple, straightforward mission. According to the MALP, there was nothing to be concerned about on this planet. Just look around, check out some unusual energy readings, and back home again in 24 hours, or less.
It had seemed like a good way to ease Daniel back into gate travel after the disaster on Shyla's planet. Even after the archeologist had recovered from his sarcophagus addiction . . .
even after they had returned to that damned planet and Daniel persuaded the manipulating little bitch to destroy the sarcophagus . . .
even after he was able to convince her that her people would work better as free men and women than as slaves . . .
even after he had helped a diplomatic team to set up ongoing relations with her planet that would enable Earth to receive naquadah in exchange for medical and social assistance . . .
Even after all that, Daniel had remained subdued and introspective.
Jack swiped at the sweat dripping down his face, hating the feeling of his uniform clinging to him like a second skin. He already disliked this planet, particularly for its unusual aspects that might ultimately present a danger to his team.
But in one respect, his plan was working. In the past hour, Daniel had shown more animation, been more like his old self, than in the entire past month.
Hell, he really hoped nothing would ruin that.
Maybe everything would be fine.
A Colonel could hope.
~*~
Thanks to the jungle's reluctance to let them pass, night was falling by the time they reached a small clearing approximately a mile from the pyramid. Despite the archeologist's pleas, O'Neill refused to allow them any closer.
He looked around the small clearing with satisfaction. The ground was flat and dry, two important considerations. This should work for their campsite.
In spite of his attempts, ignoring the youngest member of his team was not working. Daniel moved with him, almost in lock-step, arguing all the while. When Jack finally paused in exasperation and turned to face the archeologist, he nearly got a wildly gesturing hand in his face.
"Jack," Daniel said, still waving his arms, "I just want to confirm that it's actually there and not some kind of visual hallucination. Then I'll come right back, I promise."
Behind him, silent but clearly supportive, Sam's anxious, hopeful gaze flicked between the archeologist and their C.O.
Though secretly pleased by this reappearance of the passionate- albeit often annoying-archeologist, Jack had no problem putting his foot down.
"Daniel," he said with careful deliberation, "it's getting dark and we're all beat. If this pyramid of yours actually exists, it'll still be there in the morning. If it doesn't, well, that'll answer another question, won't it?"
"But-"
"You and Carter get the camp set up. Teal'c and I will check out the perimeter."
He barely swallowed a grin at their simultaneous, disconsolate head bobs and Carter's faint, "Sir." Kids!
Less than an hour later, night had truly fallen. Apart from the crackling fire and their lanterns, the camp was enveloped by a damp, warmly-oppressive darkness. Neither the temperature nor the humidity had dropped, which left O'Neill squirming uncomfortably in his sodden clothing. Right now, he'd give six months' salary for a little lake, hell, even a creek would work at this point. Any body of water large enough in which to take a little dip and cool off.
But they hadn't found any signs of appreciable water. Not during the trek from the Stargate and not in their exploration of their current campsite. Apart from the still wet foliage and the high humidity, there was no evidence of any water. Anywhere.
Knock it off, O'Neill, he told himself. Water had to be around somewhere. They just hadn't come across it yet. But he had to admit, if only to himself, that the lack of animal life had him on edge. Sitting in their camp, surrounded by night, made the lack even more obvious. In every jungle he'd ever experienced, nighttime had been alive with the sounds of all kinds of creatures, large and small. In every jungle-except this one.
For all he knew, they might be the only living creatures on this planet.
As soon as the thought crossed his mind, Jack snorted at himself. How old are you, O'Neill? Five? Next thing, you'll be expecting a monster to jump out from under your bed!
He glanced around the camp and saw exactly what he expected. Daniel and Carter were carrying on an excited, rapid-fire discussion of possibilities concerning the pyramid-that-might-not-actually-be- there. Teal'c was stolidly finishing up his meal, his eyes still scanning their surroundings. Although Jack could hardly see beyond the light of their lanterns, he knew the Jaffa's senses were sharper than humans.
"Everything okay, Teal'c?" he said quietly.
"I can sense nothing disturbing, O'Neill."
Nonetheless, Jack recognized that the Jaffa was disturbed, though he didn't voice his awareness out loud. He suspected that Teal'c was unsettled by the same thing O'Neill was-the apparent lack of all life, except for the trees and plants that made up this jungle.
It might be nothing. But it might be something.
Eventually, Jack had had enough. Not bothering to hide a yawn, he said, "Okay, kids. Time to hit the sack. Teal'c, you take first watch, then Carter, then me, then Daniel."
There were nods from everyone, reluctant in Daniel's and Carter's case, neither of whom looked ready to cease their discussion. Jack swallowed a smile. Same old same old.
Later, he lay on top of his sleeping bag, listening to the silent night. As if the heat and humidity weren't bad enough, the damn silence made O'Neill's skin crawl. Maybe this was normal for the planet but it was nothing close to normal in his experience.
He was also acutely aware of the sleeping figure on top of the sleeping bag next to his. Amazingly, Daniel had fallen asleep as soon as he put his head down. Or, not so amazing, considering the past month.
O'Neill's decision to take the third watch involved more than the usual reason that the third watch was the worst. Halfway through the night, yet with hours still to go before dawn, it was always the hardest on one's body. It was the reason he normally took that watch.
But this time, there was another reason.
The archeologist had been staying at O'Neill's place since Dr. Frazier released him from the infirmary, and Jack quickly learned that Daniel's worst nightmares tended to happen in the early hours of his sleep. By the time the night was half over, the nightmares usually diminished, as if Daniel's exhaustion was finally sufficient to suppress them. Until the next night.
That had been the pattern for the first few weeks. Fortunately, the worst of the nightmares began to diminish thereafter. But here and now, O'Neill wanted to be close at hand early on, in case the nightmares decided to make a return appearance. If he could stop them when they were just beginning, Jack had discovered that Daniel had a much better chance of resuming a healing sleep. Otherwise, he could pretty much guarantee that the archeologist would spend the rest of the night drinking coffee in Jack's kitchen.
Happily, that hadn't happened in the last couple of weeks.
Just four days ago, after they had returned from their follow-up visit to Shyla's planet, the archeologist had insisted he was ready to move back to his apartment. Jack kept his doubts to himself and agreed. He had seen how Daniel's self-esteem, never his strong point, had nearly been destroyed by the fiasco on that godforsaken planet. And Jack recognized that the archeologist needed the unstinting support of his best friend and C.O. in order to begin the long, painful process of letting go of the past and learning to become comfortable in his own skin again.
So, despite his private concerns, O'Neill had given his friend exactly that. And in the past few days he had been pleased by what he saw. In their last visit to that damned planet, Daniel's final conversations with Shyla-whatever they had involved-seemed to have done the trick in laying to rest the worst of the demons that had haunted his nightmares.
The lingering guilt was another matter. Jack knew all about that kind of hell. That was something that would take time. Lots of time. And he would make sure that he remained close so that when Daniel was ready to talk about it, the archeologist would have an ear available.
At least no nightmares appeared to trouble Daniel's sleep this time. And, after tossing and turning for several fruitless hours, O'Neill finally gave up his efforts at sleep. When he went outside he found Carter just settling down again after a tour of the perimeter.
"Everything okay?" he said quietly.
"Yes, sir, but it's not time for you-"
"Yeah, I know," he interrupted as he sat down, "but it's too hot to sleep."
She grinned. "But you expect me to?"
"Of course I do. Go to sleep, Carter. That's an order."
Sam rose, unable to completely stifle a snicker. "Yes, sir. Going to sleep now, sir."
~*~
Daniel awoke with a jerk, his pulse pounding in his ears. For an instant he was aware of the fading remnants of a nightmare, then it was gone. He blinked and looked around, vaguely nauseous and disoriented. It took a moment for his heart to settle and memory to return. They were on PXR 512 looking for unusual energy readings. But instead they'd found an ancient Aztec twin-stair pyramid.
Maybe.
He scrubbed the sleep out of his eyes, took a long drink of water, pulled his perspiration-soaked clothing away from his body, and wished futilely for a shower.
Jack was standing just a few feet away when Daniel finally joined him.
"What's up?" the archeologist yawned.
"Nothing. It's just too hot near the fire."
Ah, Daniel nodded. As nice as a fire was to illuminate their campsite, this climate was far too warm to need the heat it also offered.
He yawned again. "Coffee?" he said hopefully.
O'Neill snorted and headed for their supplies. "It's 120 degrees with about 200% humidity and he still wants coffee," he growled to the surrounding jungle.
"I can-"
"If you think I'm letting you near a fire when your eyes aren't even open, think again."
Daniel grinned and followed him, settling down cross-legged a few feet away. Although his back was to the older man he was very aware of Jack rummaging through their supplies, grumbling theatrically all the while. Only half-listening, Daniel could feel a sense of warmth welling up, chasing away the chill left over from his unremembered nightmare.
Though he doubted if he could ever verbalize it, Daniel had felt an extra degree of comfort in the presence of his best friend during these last weeks. And, yes, as Jack had made clear in a hundred different ways during the past month, they were still best friends.
He was not certain that he would have survived if not for Jack's unflagging support. Daniel's impulsive rescue of Shyla on P3R 636 had opened a can of worms, the likes of which the archeologist could never have imagined. He still cringed at the memory of his behavior on that planet. That, and the horrific withdrawal he had endured afterwards, were both matters that he knew he would be re-living in his nightmares for years to come.
But even worse than the physical effects of the sarcophagus withdrawal was the corrosive guilt that had nearly destroyed Daniel. Would have destroyed him, if not for the stubbornness of Jack O'Neill.
As soon as Dr. Frazier permitted him to leave the infirmary, Jack had dragged Daniel home and installed him in his spare bedroom, the same bedroom in which the archeologist had stayed during those first weeks after he returned from Abydos.
Warmth filled him as he recalled the discussion he and Jack had had in the middle of the night two weeks ago, when Daniel could not sleep. After tossing and turning for several hours, he finally snuck down into the kitchen to make himself a cup of coffee. Of course, Jack had discovered him shortly thereafter.
He was just pouring himself a cup when Jack appeared, yawning and scratching his head.
"Pour one for me, too," he said, slumping down into one of the kitchen chairs.
Daniel obeyed, giving him the cup before sitting down across the table. "I'm sorry for waking you," he apologized. "I tried to be quiet."
Jack shrugged. "Too many years in Special Ops," he said before taking a gulp, then swearing. "Shit, that's hot!"
"Sorry-" Daniel started again but Jack was already at the refrigerator, pulling the ice tray out of the freezer and popping an ice cube into his mouth.
A minute later, he took his seat again as he noisily crunched the remaining pieces of ice into oblivion. He eyed the cup of coffee suspiciously, then shoved it away.
"Stop apologizing, Daniel," he said abruptly.
Daniel studied his friend's expression. "Am I correct in assuming your words don't apply only to what just happened here with your coffee?"
Jack smiled wryly. "Not bad," he noted, making a point of checking the clock on the wall, "for 2:45 in the morning."
Suddenly chilled, Daniel leaned over his coffee. "I owe you and Sam and Teal'c more apologies than I'll ever be able to-"
"Daniel-"
"Why I ever let Shyla talk me into getting back into that sarcophagus-"
"Don't," Jack interrupted with a shake of his head. "Daniel, you were trying to win her trust so that she'd let us go. So you did as she asked and got back into that sarcophagus. You didn't know what would happen. Hell, none of us knew, not even Teal'c. None of that was your fault."
"If I hadn't stopped her from jumping-" Daniel's throat closed up.
To his surprise, Jack smiled. "You wouldn't be Daniel Jackson if you were capable of standing by and doing nothing while someone tried to kill himself." As he studied the disconsolate young man across the table, his smile died.
"In this whole mess, there's only one thing I can really fault you for. You shouldn't have gone chasing off by yourself in the first place. You made a mistake, Daniel. And, yes, I was pissed as hell about it. Your mistake cost all of us, but you worst of all."
He rested his elbows on the table as he leaned forward. "Look at me, Daniel."
Jack waited until the archeologist raised reluctant eyes to meet his. "I made a big mistake, too. I was so pissed with that guard that I decided to make a break for it without even thinking it through. You'd just said you were too tired to move but I ignored that. I just took off with Carter and Teal'c and left you sitting there. I didn't even look back to see how you were doing." Jack cringed inwardly at the bitter memory. That abject failure on his part had already figured prominently in his own nightmares. He swallowed and forced out the rest of what he had to say.
"I was so pissed with that guard I almost got you killed. I screwed up, big-time. And my screw-up threw you right into that damn sarcophagus." He saw the archeologist flinch and silently cursed the original decision that had sent them to that godforsaken planet .
"The most important thing is that we survived, Daniel. You need to remember that-"
"Oh, I remember a lot of things."
Jack bristled at the defeated tone. "So do I. I remember that even when that sarcophagus had totally screwed you up, you still managed to get us out of that mine."
He was pleased to see a bit of softening of the sadness and guilt in those intense blue eyes. Great, O'Neill. Keep it up.
"And I remember what happened when we went back to that planet. You not only got Shyla to destroy that damn sarcophagus but you convinced that her people would work better free than as slaves. That's a really big thing you need to remember, Danny Boy."
He reached out to tap the top of the archeologist's hand. "Everyone screws up sometimes, Daniel. It's what we do with it afterwards that really counts."
Daniel looked at him, desperation in his eyes. "How can you just forgive me for-for what I did?"
"Oh, for crying out loud!" Jack glared across the table. "Haven't you heard a word I've said?"
"Yes, I've heard every word you said." Daniel stared at his hands resting on the table. "I just don't know how . . ."
Jack's hand closed over his and he looked up in surprise to see those dark brown eyes staring at him as if they could see straight into his soul.
"I know about guilt, Daniel," he said, so quietly the archeologist could barely hear him. "I know it from the inside out and I'm telling you, you need to let it go. Let it go or it'll destroy you."
Daniel swallowed hard, unable to look away. "I don't know how," he whispered.
Jack nodded slowly. "Yeah, that's what I figured. I'll help you with it, if you'll let me."
Staring into that dark gaze, Daniel was suddenly reminded of his first sight of this man. He had appeared to be almost a parody of the perfect soldier, immaculate uniform-even his *hair* had been standing at attention-crisp, precise diction and movements, all of which had made the archeologist think that he was looking at the military's newest robot. The perfect fighting machine. Unreal.
It hadn't been until they were hiding in the cave on Abydos after escaping from Ra, that Daniel got a real look at the tortured man beneath the facade. Those brief, embittered words about his son had rocked Daniel as nothing else had since his parents' deaths. The man was dying, literally dying, under the weight of his guilt and grief. The realization took his breath away and-in that moment-made him fear not only for the man, but for all of Abydos.
Sitting across the kitchen table from his best friend, while remembering the lost and tragic figure in that dimly-lit cave, Daniel understood for the first time that Jack O'Neill could help him come to terms with this disaster, and his abject failure, better than anyone.
Unable to do anything else, Daniel felt himself nod. And was rewarded by a faint lightening in that dark expression.
Looking back, Daniel remembered that night as the true beginning of his recovery. Jack had indeed helped him, in so many ways Daniel couldn't keep count. His unstinting support, as well as Teal'c's and Sam's, continued to help him when his guilt threatened to become overwhelming.
Every time Daniel had started to sink under the weight of his guilt, Jack was there to pull him out as only he could do. By cajolery, by argument, or simply just by being a pain in the ass, Jack refused to allow him to drown in the guilt that still haunted him.
"Hey."
Abruptly jerked from his thoughts, Daniel realized that he was no longer in Jack's kitchen. He was sitting in their camp, just a mile from an ancient-hopefully real-Aztec pyramid.
Jack sat down beside him, holding two cups of coffee, one of which he extended toward the archeologist. Daniel snatched it immediately.
"Thanks, Jack," he managed before taking a deep gulp.
O'Neill shook his head. "How you can drink it when it's so hot and not end up with second-degree burns is beyond me."
Daniel laughed softly. "Actually, I was just thinking about that night a couple weeks ago when you burned your mouth and had to eat ice cubes."
"Yeah, well, it worked, didn't it?"
They grinned at each other. Despite being on an alien, possibly dangerous planet, surrounded by a jungle containing a number of puzzles, and sweltering under the worst heat and humidity either of them had ever experienced, all was suddenly right in their world.
It was a good feeling.
They ended up sharing the watch for the rest of the night. When the first pink and gold streaks began to lighten the black sky, Jack sighed in relief. Daniel looked at him.
What is it?"
O'Neill tapped his watch. "Just glad that this planet's sunrise coincides pretty closely with ours. In a few more hours we can go home and I can spend the rest of the day in the shower."
Daniel smiled and looked down, but not before Jack noticed and bumped him lightly with his shoulder.
"Don't tell me you're not thinking exactly the same thing," he growled in mock disapproval.
"I admit," Daniel said readily, "a shower will feel good. But what I really want to do right now is to check out that pyramid."
Of course he did. Jack rolled his eyes. They didn't come any more single-minded than his archeologist. But before he could comment, the air was slightly displaced by Teal'c's arrival.
"O'Neill, Daniel Jackson," he rumbled.
"Hey, big guy."
"Good morning, Teal'c."
The Jaffa stood over them while he surveyed the quiet campsite. "All went well during your watches?"
"Fine," Jack acknowledged as he climbed to his feet. "Pull up some ground and join us. I was just about to see what's for breakfast."
"And we're almost out of coffee," Daniel said as he peered into his nearly-empty mug.
O'Neill swung around to glare at the archeologist. "And whose fault is that?" he demanded.
"All I said-"
"Yeah, yeah, we heard what you said. We also heard what you didn't say, right Teal'c?"
"O'Neill, how can one hear words which are not verbalized?"
Daniel snickered softly. If Teal'c hadn't been doing this to them for the last year and a half, the archeologist would have taken his words at face value.
As for Jack, he was now glaring at both of them. "The sun isn't even up yet and I've got Larry and Curly yoking around. I can't wait for Moe to show up."
Daniel and Teal'c exchanged looks while their C.O. stomped off to their supplies, grumbling. The Jaffa settled gracefully on the ground, giving Daniel a measuring eye.
"Did you not sleep well, Daniel Jackson?"
As Daniel had learned long ago, subtlety was not part of the Jaffa's character. If something was on his mind, he said it. Trying to pretend ignorance in the face of Teal'c's blunt concern rarely succeeded, but the archeologist had become skilled at evasion.
"Pretty well," he said casually. "I just decided to join Jack for the last part of his watch. Then, of course, it was my turn."
Teal'c inclined his head, not looking convinced but, surprisingly, willing to give Daniel the benefit of the doubt. The archeologist swallowed his relief, glad that his interrogator hadn't been Jack. The Colonel knew all of his avoidance techniques and never minded calling him-often, quite loudly-on each and every one of them.
"Morning," Sam yawned as she came up behind them and plopped down on a nearby rock.
As Daniel and Teal'c responded with conventional greetings, Jack turned around, rubbing his hands together.
"Good morning, Moe," he said to his 2IC. As Sam's eyebrows shot up, he quickly continued. "All righty, then, campers. For our morning meal we have a wonderful assortment of MRE's to choose from-"
He stopped abruptly as the ground shivered beneath their feet. Instantly, everyone was standing, only to stagger when the ground lurched again.
"Head's up!" Jack snapped, to the accompaniment of nearby trees groaning behind them.
Suddenly, the ground heaved upwards, sharply, and Sam stumbled. Immediately, Teal'c caught her arm to steady her.
Daniel reeled sideways a few steps, then danced backwards in an effort to keep his balance as the ground rolled more vigorously beneath their feet. He began to hear a faint roaring sound coming from the earth, like a train coming toward him, getting louder.
Of greater concern were the trees stirring around them, the trucks beginning to sway with increasing force.
Above the other noises, ominous cracking sounds began to echo around the clearing.
Shit, O'Neill thought desperately, catching himself as the increasing tremors forced him to sidestep to keep his balance. He looked here, there, everywhere, for cover.
But there wasn't any.
He and Teal'c had confirmed that last night when they checked the perimeter.
"It is beginning to subside," the Jaffa said abruptly.
Jack held his breath, reaching out with his senses. A moment passed before he was able to recognize what Teal'c had already felt. The ground was settling down again beneath their feet. Looking at the trees, he noticed that their swaying was also beginning to diminish.
A few more moments passed while they waited tensely, half-expecting another, larger disturbance. But instead the planet resumed its oppressive silence as if nothing had happened.
There was a more-or-less simultaneous releasing of pent-up breath as the team relaxed. O'Neill looked at his 2IC.
"Captain, did you bring any equipment that'll tell us if we can expect more of that?"
She shook her head. "No, sir. I could go back to the SGC for other equipment that can monitor seismic activity but-"
But that would take several hours and we're due to head back to the SGC in a few hours, anyway," Jack interrupted with a nod.
"Jack," Daniel said in obvious dismay, "that was just a little tremor. There's no reason to leave now."
O'Neill looked at the archeologist. "For all we know, that may have been a little foretaste of something a lot bigger just around the corner."
"There are no obvious signs of any recent seismic activity, sir," Carter said quickly.
Jack scowled at the junior members of his team. Scientists!
"O'Neill, the structure is but a mile from our location. Do you believe it is wise to abandon our efforts now when we are so close to our goal?"
He shifted his scowl to the Jaffa. "Et tu, Teal'c?"
"Sir," Sam said, her lips twitching, "if I may, I think Teal'c is right. We're very close to the pyramid. Whether this involves stealth technology or something else, it could very well be important. And this is the first seismic activity we've experienced since we arrived on this planet." She gestured around them.
"You can see for yourself that there are no downed trees, no rock falls or other disturbances you'd expect to find in an earthquake-prone area." She looked at her other teammates, then back to her C.O., her chin slightly lifted.
"It's my recommendation that we continue to the pyramid, sir."
O'Neill studied her determined expression, then the supportive expressions of both Daniel and Teal'c. Well, hell.
He glanced around the clearing in frustration. His instincts-first, to protect his team, second, to complete his mission-were at war. Not for the first time, Jack thought wryly.
Leaving the planet before they had completed their mission smacked unpleasantly of failure.
Staying on the planet only to be squashed like bugs in an earthquake was an even more unappetizing scenario.
However, his 2IC's arguments made sense. And the other members of the team obviously agreed with her.
But it was his call.
As always.
Sometimes being C.O. sucked big-time.
O'Neill noisily blew out a lung-full of air. "Okay," he said. "Let's get something to eat, then we'll pack up and head toward that whatever-it-is."
Carter smiled, Daniel's face split wide in a rare, broad grin, and Teal'c nodded as they all moved toward the supplies.
Jack looked around at the eerily silent jungle pressing in on them. He'd never thought he'd feel this way, but, right now, he would be thrilled beyond words by the sight of just one, lousy mosquito.
O'Neill kept that sentiment to himself and a half-hour later they were headed toward whatever-it-was.
Now so close to their destination, Daniel's eagerness revealed itself in his continuing efforts to speed past Teal'c. Each time, Jack caught the back of his pack to slow him down. The third time it happened, he snapped, "Damn it, Daniel, you know better. Knock it off."
The archeologist's shoulders hunched slightly. "Sorry," he murmured, just loudly enough for his C.O. to hear.
O'Neill sighed to himself.
But there was no keeping the archeologist down. Just a moment later, Daniel's head began twisting around again as he looked here, there, everywhere. "Ever since we started through this jungle," he noted, "I haven't been able to see the pyramid above the trees."
"Perspectives change when you're moving," Carter said.
"I know," Daniel nodded, "but it's so tall, I'd think we'd still be able to see it over the treetops."
Maybe we can't see it because it's not really there, O'Neill thought. But he didn't have the heart to voice his suspicion aloud.
Thanks to the continuing denseness of the jungle, a hike that should have taken them less than fifteen minutes took more than twice that. But all at once, the jungle ended. By silent consent, they stopped in their tracks and stared.
"Okay," Jack said finally, "that looks real. And big. Very big."
Daniel barely heard him over the pounding of his heart. His eyes devoured the massive structure. The obviously ancient twin-stair pyramid stood in the center of a large, flat expanse that was perhaps four miles wide and at last five miles long. Almost completely filling that space reared a monumental structure that looked as if it had been the model for the Teopanzolco pyramid.
Except this pyramid was much larger.
The archeologist could only stare, feeling his own excitement and awe bubbling up as his first shock began to subside.
It was magnificent.
It was unbelievable.
It was right in front of him.
"Whoa!" O'Neill grabbed Daniel's arm as he started to dash forward. "Damn it, Daniel-"
The archeologist turned sharply in his grasp, his blue eyes blazing with excitement. "Jack, I have to-"
"You have to wait until we check things out, is what you have to do." He deliberately made his voice hard in an effort to break through to the younger man.
Daniel looked over his shoulder at the pyramid. "But-"
"No, Daniel," Jack interrupted. "Absolutely not. N.O. No. Are you getting my drift?"
The archeologist gazed longingly at the incredible structure. "All right, all right. But maybe I could-"
"NO!"
Daniel jumped, finally yanked from his excitement by his C.O.'s yell. He looked at O'Neill with hurt eyes but Jack just shook his head again.
"You stay here with Carter. Teal'c and I are going to check things out."
He managed to refrain from rolling his eyes as he moved away. Even before the disaster on Shyla's planet, Jack had known Daniel's habit of leaping before he looked was deeply ingrained. Clearly, it wasn't a habit he was going to overcome quickly. Jack just hoped he could keep the archeologist alive long enough for the younger man to finally realize that looking *before* he leaped was the way to go if he wanted to keep his head attached to his shoulders.
Turning away from the archeologist, O'Neill gestured at his 2IC. As she reached him, he lowered his voice so that only she could hear.
"You keep him here, Carter, no matter what. If you have to, knock him out. That's an order."
Her eyes widened as she stared from her C.O. to the disconsolate figure nearby, who was still looking at the pyramid with longing eyes.
"I'm sure that won't be necessary, sir," she said quietly.
"If it becomes necessary, I expect you to follow my orders, Captain," he returned, his tone unrelenting.
She swallowed. "Yes, sir."
He nodded once, sharply, then turned away. "Let's go, Teal'c."
~*~
Carter returned from her third foray around the immediate area to find Daniel standing exactly where she had left him, his arms firmly wrapped around his chest, and his long fingers tapping restlessly against his sides. His eyes never left the pyramid, not even to acknowledge her return.
"Want something to eat?" she offered as she came to a halt beside him.
"Uh-uh," he said absently, his gaze unwavering.
Sam studied him closely and suddenly realized what he reminded her of-a racehorse standing in the starting gate, its entire quivering attention focused on the track spread out before it, restricted from that smooth expanse only by a gate.
She hmm-ed under her breath, suddenly uncomfortable. It would take very little to set Daniel off. And when he did, she was not sure she could stop him.
Maybe getting him to talk would distract him.
"Tell me something, Daniel," she said. When she didn't respond, she said more loudly, "Daniel!"
He started and looked at her. "What?"
"Does that really look like the pyramid you were talking about earlier?"
"At Teopanzolco? Yes, just like it. Except-" he gestured with rising excitement, "it's much larger, Sam. And except for the damaged portion at the north end, it's in better condition than I expected . . ." his voice trailed off as his eyes returned to the pyramid.
"Really?" She gazed at the structure with more interest.
Daniel nodded rapidly. "I wish Jack and Teal'c would get back. I *need* to see this up close. It looks like it's made of stone, Sam. Huge blocks of stone."
Sam eyed the pyramid thoughtfully. They couldn't be certain until they were able to get up close and personal with the structure, but it did look like stone. But what was so exciting about that?
"Is that unusual?"
"Look around, Sam. There's nothing but jungle for as far as the eye can see. If that pyramid is made of stone, where did the stone come from?"
Her eyebrows rose. Good question, except- "Just because we can't see anything but jungle doesn't mean there's nothing but jungle."
"I know." He threw her a quick glance. "Do you think when we get back to the SGC we can convince the General to send a UAV back here?"
Sam considered. "This planet contains a number of riddles. I think he would probably agree to it."
She studied the massive structure again. It certainly looked real. Real and solid and right *there* in front of her.
If this was an artificially-induced visual hallucination, it was using technology far beyond Earth's capabilities.
If this was an artificially-induced visual hallucination, why choose *this* particular visual hallucination?
The more she thought about it, the more questions she had.
"Finally!" Daniel exclaimed.
Sam followed his gaze. Two figures were emerging from behind the near side of the pyramid. Both were moving easily, freely, and she relaxed for the first time since they had disappeared from sight-she glanced at her watch-almost an hour ago.
Throwing his pack over one shoulder, the archeologist headed straight for the pair at top speed.
"Daniel-" but it was too late.
Sam grabbed her pack, settled it on her back, then started after the youngest member of the team.
Even before he reached them, Daniel was peppering them with questions. "Can we go now? What did you see? Is the structure intact all the way around? Is there any significant damage to the back side?"
O'Neill stopped and held up a hand. "Whoa, there, big guy!" He had to grin. In spite of his discomfort and suspicion over the puzzles the planet had revealed to them, he couldn't help but be pleased by the sight of his archeologist back to his normal, passionate, annoying self.
Daniel skidded to a halt in front of them, still gasping questions. O'Neill gripped his shoulder and gave him a shake.
"Take a breath, Daniel, or I'm not telling you anything."
The archeologist's mouth dropped open, then he took in a gulp of air. "I'm fine, Jack," he managed breathlessly as Carter reached them.
He looked past his C.O. at the pyramid that was suddenly much closer, and took an unconscious step toward it.
So much for taking time to enjoy his back-to-normal archeologist.
"Ah!" Jack scowled, gripping his shoulder more tightly. "Don't you want the answer to your most important question?"
That turned Daniel sharply around. "Most important?"
Jack stared at him for a moment, then his scowl dissolved into a smile. "It's real."
Daniel's eyes suddenly sparkled like twin sapphires. "Jack, is it- are you sure?"
"Sure am. I tossed a rock at it."
The excited archeologist suddenly gave way to an outraged protector of history. "You threw rocks-you damaged a structure that's thousands of years old? What were you-"
"Daniel-"
"You had no right to-"
"Daniel!" It took his raised voice, again, to momentarily silence the indignant scientist. Jack quickly continued. "I threw one *small* rock, smaller than my thumb, at a piece that had already crumbled off of the pyramid. Back there," he waved an arm at the damaged north end. "That's all. I didn't hurt your pyramid. I promise."
"Oh, well . . ." Daniel swallowed, suddenly deflating. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have, uh, jumped to conclusions."
"That's okay," O'Neill returned magnanimously, before giving the younger man a pat on the arm. "So. You ready to check out that great big rock?"
"It's not a rock-" Daniel started automatically, only to stop and smile sheepishly when Jack grinned.
"You're easy today, Danny Boy."
"Well, I've got something else on my mind," he retorted as they headed toward the massive pyramid. With each step closer, it loomed ever higher above them, looking for all the world as if it was stretching up into and merging with the ancient sky above.
Jack couldn't help darting occasional looks at the archeologist beside him as they moved ever closer to the pyramid. Even after a year and a half of working side by side, Daniel's intense focus still amazed him. As he had discovered through painful experience, once the archeologist's attention was engaged, even a nearby explosion couldn't break through his concentration.
Which was, of course, why O'Neill always had someone assigned to the archeologist. Usually Jack himself. Both Carter and Teal'c had proved themselves vulnerable to pleading blue eyes begging for "just a few more minutes!" Okay, Jack was also vulnerable to those blue eyes, but when he put his foot down, he meant it. And Daniel knew it. The one time Daniel had tried to ignore him when they absolutely had to leave, O'Neill had simply thrown the younger man over his shoulder and marched back to camp, ignoring the archeologist's struggles and yells on the way.
Jack grinned to himself at the memory. That had been the last time the archeologist had ignored his "Time to go, *now*, Daniel!" demand.
Shit-
"Wait a minute," he snapped, grabbing Daniel's arm as he started to rush past.
"Jack! You've already checked it out!"
"Just let Carter do one more check with her gizmos," Jack ordered.
Daniel glared at him and O'Neill could feel the tension vibrating through the arm he still held. Which made him decide to hang on a bit longer.
"Easy, Daniel," he said more gently. "Just another minute and then it's all yours."
Jack turned his attention to his 2IC who was checking out he didn't know what on a couple of her handheld dohickeys. They waited in silence for the few minutes it took for her to finish and look up.
"Sorry, sir. It's the same as before. Nothing's registering and the equipment appears to be functioning normally."
Damn, he hated the unknown. Too much potential danger.
O'Neill looked at Daniel and Carter who were both obviously chomping at the bit to go play with their exciting new, albeit huge, toy.
"Okay, kids. Go for it. But remember, we're heading back in a couple of hours."
"Jack!" The archeologist whirled on him but O'Neill immediately cut him off.
"Don't start, Daniel. You knew going in this was a preliminary survey that wasn't going to take more than 24 hours. Do what you can in the time you have now, and we'll see what Hammond says about a return mission."
The archeologist hesitated, obviously torn between rushing to the pyramid and arguing for more time. Jack glanced at his watch.
"Time's a' wasting," he noted, holding up his wrist so that Daniel could see the watch face.
Daniel gave him a last glare and, with a huge, put-upon sigh, turned his attention to the giant structure before them.
"Be careful about touching things," O'Neill threw in one final warning, and got an absent wave of the hand over the shoulder before he ceased to be part of the archeologist's awareness.
Jack watched his scientists for another minute as they moved toward the massive wall, then jerked his head at Teal'c.
"Let's go keep an eye on things, big guy."
Sam glanced back to watch them leave, Teal'c heading back around the pyramid and the Colonel striding toward the jungle that grew to within several yards of the pyramid at this point. When they were out of sight, she turned to her companion to find him on his knees beside the great wall. He had pulled out one of his brushes and was gently brushing away the dirt to reveal the weathered stone beneath.
She frowned at the huge blank wall of stone-and it certainly appeared to be stone. "Do you really want to begin here, Daniel? I don't see any writing or anything."
"Right now, I just want to get a feel for it," he returned absently.
Trying not to smile too obviously, she crouched down beside him. "Not meaning to sound like the Colonel here, Daniel, but you really do need to be careful about what you touch here. This is an alien structure, after all, and so far I can't-"
She stopped as he suddenly looked up at her.
"Sam, do you know what one of the most exciting aspects of archeology is?"
"What?"
"Actually being able to touch history." He turned back to the wall, running a reverent finger over the stone. "It's like no other feeling in the world."
Carter mentally shook her head at herself. She should have seen that coming.
"I understand that, Daniel, but-"
"Do you?" His tone was gentle but it stopped her short. "Look here." Daniel leaned forward and carefully stroked his brush down one of the blocks of stone.
"The Teopanzolco pyramid on earth is several hundred years old. It's very well preserved, considering. But I'd be willing to wager that this pyramid is much older, perhaps thousands of years older." He glanced up again, his eyes shining in wonder.
"When was the last time you touched something thousands of years old, Sam?"
Carter leaned back on her heels. As an astrophysicist, she was accustomed to examining objects that were far older than this pyramid. While a student at the Air Force Academy, she had been permitted (probably the result of her father's connections, although he always denied it) to examine one of the moon rocks that had been brought back from that first mission to the moon, decades ago. It had been a never-to-be-forgotten moment.
But this was . . . a small thrill traveled down her spine as Daniel's words sparked her imagination. This pyramid had been built by humans millennia ago. While the bones of those people had long ago turned to dust, the creation of their minds and hands still existed, rising tall and unconquered on this alien planet, a testimony to the race that had brought it into existence.
"The age of this pyramid," he said softly, his brush gently caressing the stone, "is, I suspect, far greater than any man-made object on Earth."
"How do you know, Daniel?"
"I don't, not for sure. Yet. For now, call it a hunch." His brow furrowed and he glanced up at her. "Sam, your equipment doesn't register anything?"
She shook her head apologetically. "I'm afraid not. But they may just not be strong enough to pick up any readings. Maybe I can get some kind of readings with other equipment, more powerful, more sophisticated. Providing the General lets us come back here."
"He's got to," Daniel murmured, leaning forward until his nose was almost touching the stone.
Sam ran her fingers through the dirt and saw some of the smaller pieces of stone that had broken off the wall. Setting down her rifle and pulling off her pack, she rummaged around until she found a small sterile container. She carefully picked out several of the pieces from the dirt and placed them inside the container, then tucked it back into her pack.
"I'll take these back to the SGC. Maybe they'll give us something when they're analyzed by more sophisticated equipment. It might add weight to our request to come back here for more extensive tests."
She leaned back and peered up the height of the huge wall. From this perspective, the wall appeared to disappear right up into the sky.
Sam smiled at her whimsy and looked back at Daniel. She wondered how long it would be before he was ready to check out the structure from a different vantage point. Sam herself was looking forward to climbing those incredible flights of stairs. It would certainly put her physical conditioning to the test!
As she recalled, the top of this pyramid was flat, not pointed like an Egyptian pyramid. What was supposed to be at the top of this kind of structure, anyway?
She looked affectionately at the shaggy head a few feet away. Even if Mesoamerican history was not one of Daniel's specialties, she suspected that he would know the answer to her question.
"Daniel, what's at-"
"I thought I heard some familiar voices."
The new and completely unexpected voice behind them had Carter grabbing up her MP-5 even as she whirled around.
"Hey," Daniel protested, startled out of his thoughts by Sam's leg suddenly shoving him aside. Then he looked up and his mouth fell open.
Face-to-face with the impossible, Carter's own thought processes seemed to have come to a grinding halt, and she fell back on her training.
"Don't move," she snapped, her weapon trained on the intruder as she fumbled for her radio.
"Colonel? Sir, come in."
Static.
"Colonel? We have a situation here."
Static.
"Colonel? Teal'c? Please respond."
More static. Damn!
"Take it easy, Captain."
Standing just ten feet away, Major Charles Kawalsky kept his hands in the air. But even facing an MP-5 didn't seem to faze him because he was grinning.
"I admit, I was trying to be quiet until I could be sure that what, or who, I was hearing was really real. But even so, I never expected to be able to fly in under the Colonel's radar."
"Guess again," said an iron-hard voice directly behind him.
Emerging slowly from the jungle, O'Neill kept his weapon trained, unwavering, on the Kawalsky look-a-like.
"Indeed," came another, very familiar voice from their opposite side.
Sam spun around, her relief swelling higher at the sight of Teal'c reappearing from behind the near side of the pyramid.
The intruder looked around at this new voice and his grin evaporated. "Son of a bitch!" he snarled as he reached for his weapon.
Instantly O'Neill fired, the bullets kicking up the dirt at the feet of the man who so resembled the soldier Jack had once fought beside.
"Next time I take your head off," he gritted.
Daniel had been sitting frozen on the ground, staring from one figure to another. Now, he realized, it was time to get up.
"All right," he said pacifically as he hastily rose. "Let's everyone take it easy here, okay?"
"Stay put, Daniel," O'Neill snapped.
"Jack, take it easy," Daniel urged. "This may not be as strange as it looks."
"Just stay put, damn it!"
Daniel barely heard his C.O.'s words. His mind had started racing the moment he first laid eyes on the man who so resembled the Kawalsky he remembered. The man's response to Teal'c staggered him although he knew better than anyone the possibility of what he was thinking.
"Jack, if this is the real Kawalsky, you don't want to shoot him, do you?"
The Kawalsky look-a-like tore his angry gaze away from the Jaffa long enough to give the archeologist a quick grin.
"Keep talking, Daniel. You gotta convince the Colonel-"
"Shut up!" O'Neill snarled.
Although not allowing her weapon to shift from the newcomer, Sam Carter's own mind had also been speeding through various scenarios in an effect to explain this impossibility facing them. But when she heard Daniel's words, a new hypothesis suddenly flashed into her thoughts.
Throwing a quick glance at the archeologist, she realized they were on the same page.
What if . . .
"Sir," she said, "we may be dealing with another situation created by a quantum mirror."
Daniel nodded vigorously. "This may really be Major Kawalsky, Jack."
O'Neill heard first one, then the other, of his scientists, and his heart dropped down to his boots.
"Shit!" he swore, glaring impartially at everyone.
"It's true, sir," Kawalsky said. "And even though it happened to me, even though I'm standing here with all of you, I'm still not sure I believe it."
Daniel could certainly sympathize with the soldier. He looked at his C.O. "Jack, couldn't everyone put down their weapon so that we can talk about this?"
O'Neill considered the proposition. "Why'd you try to go after Teal'c?" he demanded.
"Who-" Kawalsky stopped to throw another scowl in the Jaffa's direction. "You mean him? Sir, can I ask what's he doing here?"
"He's a member of SG-1," O'Neill retorted coldly.
"What?" Kawalsky stared from Teal'c to Jack and back again. "But-how . . . I mean . . ."
"I think I understand," Daniel said, remembering his own brief stint in an alternate reality. "If Teal'c was leading the attack on the SGC in the Major's reality, then seeing him here with us would be a shock."
Kawalsky swung back on Daniel. "How'd you know about that?"
Daniel sighed. "It's a long story, Major. But here, in *this* reality, Teal'c really is a friend and a part of SG-1."
The Major looked completely flummoxed.
Once again, Daniel could sympathize with what the man was going through.
"Okay," Jack said abruptly. "You-" he pointed at Kawalsky with his weapon, "stay put. Carter, check him out."
"Yes, sir." Sam stepped up to the man and quickly disarmed him of some small weapons in his vest, then picked up his rifle and backed away.
"Now what, sir?" she asked.
With Jack still scowling, Daniel figured it was time to lower the temperature a few degrees. "How about," he suggested, with a hopeful glance at his C.O., "we all settle down and hear what Kawalsky has to say?"
O'Neill hated this. He damn well fucking hated this whole alternate reality shit. Once had been bad enough. But now, just a few months after SG-1 had done its whole saving-the-planet bit, which would never have been possible in the first place except for the information that Daniel had brought back from *his* trip to an alternate reality . . . now here was a living, breathing Kawalsky from still *another* alternate reality . . .
Hell, Jack's head felt like it was going to explode.
He rubbed his jaw savagely before giving a short, abrupt nod. "Fine," he said, lowering his MP-5 until it was pointing at the ground. "So talk."
Kawalsky looked around, then back to the Colonel. "Okay if I sit down, sir? I'm kind'a tired."
"Yeah, sure, whatever."
The Major settled on the ground, where he was quickly joined by Daniel. "Well," he started slowly, "I guess I should start with the Gou'ald ships suddenly showing up in our solar system yesterday."
"Yesterday!" Sam exclaimed.
"Carter," O'Neill snapped, "let's hold the questions until the end of class."
"Yes, sir, sorry, sir," she said in a chastised tone.
"As near as anyone could figure," Kawalsky continued, "the ships had some kind of cloaking protection. We had no clue they were coming until yesterday, when they, uh, became visible. They ignored all our attempts to communicate, and, when they got close enough, they just started destroying city after city all over the planet."
His lips twisted and then firmed again as he looked straight at the Colonel. "Then they came for us, sir, for the SGC. But not to destroy. It was a full-fledged invasion."
~*~
"Go, go!"
The SF's raced by them, heading toward the elevators while the klaxon blared unceasingly over their heads and the warning strobes flashed along the corridors, bathing the rushing figures in an eerie crimson light.
His MP-5 cradled in his arm, Kawalsky ran in the opposite direction, staying right behind the fast-moving figure of his C.O., Jack O'Neill. Although O'Neill was also armed, he was hindered from using his weapon by the package clutched in his arms. This was all the more reason for Kawalsky to remain close, hovering protectively, if one could hover protectively in a flat-out run.
Multiple explosions rocked the base and O'Neill stumbled, almost losing his balance. Kawalsky lunged forward and grabbed him with his free hand, supporting the other man until he regained his footing-a task complicated by more SF's rushing by. When they were gone O'Neill staggered back against the wall, gasping for breath, his sweating features twisted in pain.
Kawalsky understood why when his C.O. took a wincing step and paused.
"Colonel!" he shouted, trying to be heard over the din. "Let me hold it!"
But O'Neill shook his head, clutching the package more closely.
"Sir," the Major tried to project calm in the midst of the chaos surrounding them, "if you-
Another explosion, closer this time, nearly sent both men to their knees. As they regained their footing, weapons resounded behind them along with the screams of dying men. Already facing that direction, O'Neill saw what was happening before Kawalsky. In one swift, fluid move, he shoved the package into Kawalsky's arms and jerked up his own MP-5.
"Go!" he yelled as he opened fire.
Despite every instinct screaming at him to remain and fight, Kawalsky started running, clutching the package against his chest. Knowing the elevators were out of commission, he headed for the stairwell, praying that it was not yet occupied.
Thank God!
He stumbled down the stairs, almost losing his balance in his haste. As he grabbed the railing more explosions sounded overhead and he cringed as his experienced imagination filled in the blanks.
Getting to the Stargate was no longer an option. That left him only one, unlikely, chance.
He burst through the stairwell door and headed for the laboratories. As he charged into Captain Carter's lab, he heard the computer's mechanical voice through the base-wide communication system.
"Alert! Self-destruct has been activated. The base will self-destruct in one minute."
Kawalsky cursed as he scoured the lab for-
There!
The mirror-like contraption stood at the far end of the lab. He feverishly searched the counters for the small device that controlled it.
Had it only been last week when Captain Carter had been excitedly advising her C.O. and Kawalsky of the possibilities of their newest discovery? He and O'Neill had vied for most bored during her rapid-fire explanation.
But now he was abjectly grateful for it. Without realizing it, she had given him the information he needed to save himself.
Himself.
It was so wrong. He should be with his C.O., fighting alongside the rest of the SGC against the invaders-
But he had his orders.
"Self-destruct in thirty seconds."
Shit!
Kawalsky's search grew more desperate and he swept the counters free of their clutter as he hunted for the device. A task made more difficult because he had only one free arm. He shifted the package awkwardly while his gaze swept the room-
There!
He snatched up the device and whirled back to the mirror machine. How to turn on this fucker-
"Self-destruct in ten seconds."
The mirrored surface flared briefly, then settled back to reveal the interior of what looked like a large cave.
No immediate signs of hostiles.
Good enough.
Clutching the package more tightly, Kawalsky reached out to touch the mirror.
~*~
Kawalsky swept them with a weary gaze.
"Sure enough, I ended up in a big, empty cave." He threw a quick grin at Daniel. "Except it was man-made. The walls were smooth, huge blocks of stone. I started down the tunnel and about fifty feet along, it opened up to the outside. Then I realized I'd been inside some kind of pyramid." He glanced at his watch and missed everyone's start of surprise.
"I got out about an hour ago. Then I started looking around and, after awhile, I heard voices. When I snuck closer I saw Captain Carter, and, well, you know the rest."
Along with the rest of his team, O'Neill had listened intently. For the moment, he set aside the fact that the quantum mirror had sent Kawalsky out of his reality and into Daniel's pyramid. By itself, that connection gave rise to a whole bunch of possibilities he wasn't about to consider now.
By now, the SGC in that alternate reality had been blown to hell. What about that Earth's fate? He winced at the thought.
As much as the whole idea of alternate realities gave him a headache, Jack couldn't reject Kawalsky's story. Not after Daniel's experience, which, of course, had led to them saving *their* Earth from Apophis' attack.
Not to mention the little fact that Kawalsky, dead for the last year and a half, was right here in front of him, bruised and battered but obviously real and alive.
So much more *real* than that damned Gamekeeper's little illusion. Nope, not going to think about that. His head hurt enough as it was.
Jack glanced around at his teammates as they considered what they had heard. Teal'c was as expressionless as always, but O'Neill recalled Kawalsky's reaction when he had first seen the Jaffa. He had no doubt that Daniel's guess was right-Teal'c had also led the assault on the mountain in Kawalsky's alternate reality, just as he had in Daniel's alternate reality.
*Daniel's* alternate reality? Hell, just *that* thought was enough to make O'Neill's headache worse.
Carter was obviously torn between the tragedy that Kawalsky had barely escaped and her excitement over yet another quantum mirror and still more evidence of alternate realities. Jack just knew that she was going to want to bring this mirror back with them, along with their unexpected visitor.
And Daniel-
Jack's eyes narrowed as he observed his friend. Under the bright sunlight, the archeologist was looking a little pale. Hell, this was probably bringing back memories for Daniel of his own little alternate reality jaunt. Yet another destroyed SGC . . . and Earth.
Kawalsky chose that moment to grin at Daniel. "You're lookin' good, Doc. I never expected to see you again after Abydos."
Daniel's eyes weren't the only ones that widened but he was the first to respond. "What-what about Abydos?"
Kawalsky's smile dimmed. He looked around at them all. "This alternate reality shit-uh, stuff, is confusing as hell."
Jack snorted. "Truer words were never spoken." He glared at Carter who was the only astrophysicist currently available to glare at. If it wasn't for scientists like her discovering all this crap, he wouldn't now have a headache thinking about it.
As if she knew what he was thinking, Sam responded with a vaguely apologetic shrug and what looked suspiciously like a poorly- suppressed smirk.
But Daniel would not be sidetracked. "What did you mean about Abydos, Major?"
Kawalsky darted an indecisive eye at O'Neill who nodded in resignation. He knew, too well, that there was no stopping Daniel once he got hold of an idea. Whether it was good or bad news, the archeologist was not going to let go until he was satisfied.
"Well," the Major started slowly, "I'm not sure how different things here are from my, uh, reality. But you stayed behind on Abydos when we came back to Earth, then the Stargate program was shut down. Until a little over a year ago when a Gou'ald named Apophis came through, blew up the `gate room and kidnapped one of our people." He paused, still looking at the Colonel, who nodded again. Yep, this was all sounding very familiar. He gestured for him to continue.
"Long story short, Colonel O'Neill got recalled, and Lou Ferretti and me got re-assigned to Cheyenne Mountain. The new C.O. had found out that the Colonel lied-" Kawalsky threw O'Neill an apologetic grimace but Jack simply shrugged, "in his report and you, Doc, were still on Abydos. So the General told the Colonel to bring you back."
Okay, still very familiar sounding. Jack wanted to relax but he couldn't. Kawalsky's original words to the archeologist still disturbed him.
Daniel nodded encouragingly but remained silent, his focused gaze clearly making Kawalsky a little uncomfortable. The Major shifted slightly, cleared his throat, and continued.
"Well, when we found you on Abydos, you weren't about to go anywhere with us. Not that we could blame you any. With Sha're due to have her baby any time it's no-"
"What!"
"What!"
The simultaneous exclamations came from O'Neill and Carter. Teal'c merely watched, his face as blank as a block of obsidian. Daniel sat as if frozen, all color draining from his features.
Kawalsky looked around with startled eyes, obviously surprised by their reactions, then looked back to the archeologist.
"Uh, you said that you wouldn't leave her, Daniel. And you weren't about to bring Sha're back to Earth through the Stargate with her so close to having the baby. And the Colonel agreed. He told you what had happened with Apophis and that you should make sure the Abydos gate was buried after we left. And I guess that's what you did, `cause the day after we got back to Earth we tried dialing the Abydos coordinates again and this time they didn't work."
He shook his head sharply. "Wait. Uh, I mean, *that* Daniel said and did all that stuff. Damn, this is really confusing."
Stunned silence followed his words as each of them tried to assimilate this startling divergence from the reality that they knew. Sam was the first one to break it. Although casting concerned looks in Daniel's direction, her question was indicative of her own natural interest.
"While you were there, on Abydos, Major, did you see a room, a large room with the walls-"
"Oh, yeah," he nodded energetically. "The map room. You showed it to us, Daniel. I mean, *that* Daniel, uh, well, anyway, the walls were filled with those, um, what d'ya call `em-"
"Cartouches," Daniel said quietly, automatically.
"Yeah," Kawalsky repeated, then continued. "You, I mean, that Carter," he grimaced, "filmed the whole damned place. That's what we've been using ever since. You know, for gating to other planets." He wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"There was no trouble when you visited Abydos that last time?" Despite Daniel's soft tone, his words caught everyone's attention.
"Trouble?" Kawalsky repeated in obvious confusion.
O'Neill spoke quickly to save Daniel that bit. "No appearance by Apophis or his Jaffa?"
The Major's eyes widened. He looked quickly at Daniel then away. "No, sir. Everything was fine while we were there."
Sam spoke with uncharacteristic hesitancy. "You don't think . . . after you left . . ."
"That is unlikely, Captain Carter." It had been so long since she had heard the Jaffa's deep voice that she started. Teal'c continued matter-of-factly.
"Even if Apophis had invaded Abydos after their departure, the Abydos Stargate should still have been functional. It is most likely that the Daniel Jackson of that reality heeded his O'Neill's instructions and buried the Stargate after their departure."
Daniel was vaguely aware that Teal'c was speaking but he was too engrossed with his own thoughts to pay attention. In Kawalsky's reality, when he had visited Abydos just over a year ago Sha're had been about to give birth. Her son or daughter would now be approximately one year old. *Her* son or daughter. And his.
No. Not his.
Daniel stared at his hands, clasped together so tightly the knuckles were white. As hard as he tried, he was unable to suppress the waves of pain surging through him, pain caused by an invisible knife plunged into the exact center of his heart.
Not his child, he thought in anguish. Sha're's Daniel of *that* reality was the father. *That* Daniel was still living on Abydos with his Sha're and their beautiful, growing child. They were happily enjoying life together and with their extended family, a family that would include Ska'ara since Apophis had never come to Abydos.
Somehow, some way, it had all worked out for the Daniel Jackson in that reality.
So why couldn't it have worked out for him in *this* reality? The invisible knife twisted, sickeningly, in his heart.
Watching the archeologist's bowed head, Jack had a pretty good idea what was going through his mind. Although he would have given anything to help Daniel with this, he knew he couldn't. There were no words, in any reality, that would help. Besides, there was another, more critical issue, he needed to address right now.
As much as he wanted to accept everything Kawalsky had said, O'Neill couldn't. There was a huge hole in the Major's story. He had been waiting for the man to fill it in, but Kawalsky apparently had said all that he was going to say. And that was not good enough.
Carter glanced at the sun high above, then threw a look of longing at the pyramid-so close yet so unattainable.
"If we're going to get back to the Stargate on schedule, sir, we need to start gathering up our gear now. Once the General hears our report, I'm hoping he'll allow us to come back with more equipment." She smiled at Kawalsky.
"There's also the quantum mirror, sir, that the Major came through-"
Jack shook his head. "Not just yet, Captain." As he spoke he raised his MP-5 and pointed it at Kawalsky again.
"Something you're forgetting to tell us, Major?"
Still sitting, Kawalsky gaped at him. As soon as O'Neill aimed his weapon, Teal'c immediately lifted his staff and also pointed it at Kawalsky. Sam stared at her C.O. with shocked eyes. But, nonetheless, she followed his example and brought her MP-5 to bear on the hapless Major.
Only Daniel made no move toward his sidearm. Jolted from his misery by his C.O.'s action, he looked around at the suddenly frozen tableau and said quietly, "Jack, what's going on?"
Still staring at Kawalsky, O'Neill said, "He tells a good story. Except it's bullshit. The Kawalsky I knew would never have run away from a fight. No matter what." His grip tightened on his weapon. "If I didn't need to know what's really going on, I'd blow your fuckin' brains out. Trying to make me think that a man I fought beside for years was a coward."
Kawalsky sat still for another moment. Then he nodded slightly, as if to himself. Looking back up, he offered them a more concrete nod. With his hands held away from his body, he carefully rose to his feet and stood in front of O'Neill. Surprisingly, he smiled.
"Thank you for those kind words, sir. Believe me, I wanted to stay and fight. But you-uh, that Colonel O'Neill ordered me to leave."
"Why in the hell would I've done that!" Jack snapped.
Kawalsky studied him for another moment, then sighed. "Because of the package you gave me to take care of, sir. You originally intended to send it through the gate to the Alpha site, but we got cut off from the gate room. That's when you remembered that mirror thing SG-1 discovered on P3R, uh, 233 last month. That's what we were headed for when everything went to hell."
P3R 233 was the same planet where they had discovered their quantum mirror, Sam thought. The same planet, the same quantum mirror, that had sent Daniel into that first alternate reality and given him the means by which SG-1 was able to save their own world. Her mind reeled at the possibilities.
Kawalsky glanced around, his gaze lingering briefly on Daniel before he looked back at the Colonel. But O'Neill shook his head, his eyes still hard.
"Just what was so special about this package?"
"I can show you, sir, if you'll let me."
Jack snorted. "You expect me to just let you walk away and come back with god knows what?"
Kawalsky took a step closer, his dark eyes burning into O'Neill's. "Sir, it's really me, the same guy who served with you those years in Special Ops. If you want to get the package yourself, I'll tell you where it is. I hid it not far from here. But, Colonel, I'd like to bring it to you."
Uh-huh. O'Neill recognized what was going on. It was all about trust. At least it was if the man was for real.
Jack stared into that intense gaze. If this was the real Kawalsky, he would trust him with his life. No question. Could he trust this Kawalsky now?
All of his adult life, Jack O'Neill had trusted his gut more than his training or even his experience. And, as he listened to it now, he sighed as he realized what he had to do.
"All right," he said quietly, as he lowered his rifle. "Go." Immediately, Teal'c and Carter also lowered their weapons.
Kawalsky nodded. As he turned away his eyes fell on Daniel again, who was surprised by the intensity of that dark gaze. But then Kawalsky glanced back to the Colonel and his smile flashed briefly. "Be right back, sir."
He quickly disappeared into the lush growth just a few yards away. Sam looked after him, hoping the Colonel wasn't making a mistake. For his part, Teal'c stood unmoving, except for his eyes which were never still.
The team waited in silence but after a few minutes had gone by she had to ask.
"Shouldn't someone have gone with him, sir?"
O'Neill shook his head impatiently. "Hell, yes, Captain. But I-"
Teal'c turned sharply an instant before the others heard and saw the foliage rustling. They could make out, intermittently, the figure of Kawalsky as he moved toward them. Daniel, who was closest, caught his breath and looked quickly at his C.O. That was enough to bring Jack forward, his hands tightening again on his weapon.
Then Kawalsky broke through the last of the thick jungle growth and stopped at the edge of the clearing, the package in his arms now visible.
Without any warning, time slowed. Then stopped.
The entire universe constricted, narrowing down to this single place and moment.
Jack stared, unaware that he was shaking, blinking hard in an effort to see through his sudden tears.
The small figure in Kawalsky's arms turned slightly and Jack found himself looking into brown eyes almost identical to those that he saw in the bathroom mirror each morning. Then came the small, achingly familiar voice that had always filled his best dreams and worst nightmares-
"Daddy?"
He couldn't breathe, couldn't speak, but somehow-
"Ch-Charlie!" he choked out.
And the impossible became reality.
END (for now)
Notes: Special thanks to Charlene who read this fic over beforehand to confirm a certain detail. And *extra* special thanks (with chocolate on top) to her for giving me the idea that saved me a lot of work, revision-wise. You da best, Char!
© June 2005 SG-1 and its characters are the property of Sci-Fi Channel, Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. No copyright infringement whatsoever is intended. The story is for entertainment purposes only. The original characters, situations and story are mine. Please check with me first if you want to archive or link to this story.