The excitement was palpable, as everyone wanted to join in the discussion about PR9-330. It was the 15^th stargate address to be investigated by remote probes from the list of coordinates obtained by Colonel O’Neill after he acquired the knowledge of the Ancients. A meeting was called in a large amphitheater, with General Hammond bringing it to order, "Attention everyone! I’m glad to see so many of you were able to attend. I want to open discussion regarding the UAV and MALP data from PR9-330. It seems we have a potentially remarkable find here…"

Captain Carter opened the discussion; "At first we were somewhat disappointed. The MALP showed us a nicely forested, almost virgin appearing world. Breathable atmosphere, tolerable temperature ranges, and no sign of atmospheric pollutants - and so, we reasoned, little chance of finding advanced civilization. As we did with the prior 14 planets, we followed up with aerial reconn. The UAV sent back these images." She replayed the tapes of the flight as she spoke, "This world is clearly more than nicely forested. All the trees, plants, shrubs seem arranged with a landscaper’s precision. Flowering plants blend harmoniously, and there’s not a weed or thorn in evidence. Here you see the thick carpets of green grasses and manicured fields of what appear to be crops." Then, as the UAV traveled over a mountaintop, it revealed a glorious city - brilliant, almost white washed in appearance. Carter continued, "Closer inspection shows the beings inhabiting this city are human. They travel about in noiseless vehicles with unknown propulsion systems, easily switching from ground to airborne. The city itself is arranged in large, concentric circles around an immense central structure. See, it gleams as if decorated in gold."

Doctor Daniel Jackson took over the podium, "From what we can gather from rewatching the video, these are highly advanced humans. We can only speculate what their connection is to us on Earth, or other civilizations… such as the Asgaard or even the Ancients themselves. Whatever the central building is, it appears to be the focus of the city’s activity. We counted eight such cities in total. There is no sign of conflict or warfare. The stargate is located in a somewhat remote area, unguarded but clearly functional. Perhaps it is used relatively infrequently… perhaps not at all."

Teal’c commented, "I can see no signs of Goa’uld technology or design. Perhaps this world could prove to be extremely valuable."

Colonel O’Neill offered his opinion, "Fact is General, no one’s been able to figure out what might be powering these cities. They obviously light up at night and the vehicles must run on something, but as Carter said there’s not a hint of pollution and no readable radiation levels from nuclear power sources."

"So, what you’re telling me is that we may have discovered the most advanced human society so far, that is apparently unknown to, or avoided by, the Goa’uld? I can’t think of a better reason to authorize a mission! SG-1, you are cleared to go. You’ll be leaving at 0800 hours tomorrow. After the initial reconn, you make the call, whether you’d like additional science teams, or perhaps a negotiating team to join you. I urge you to use caution, however, as I seem to remember the last world that seemed so peaceful and beautifully engineered - you found yourselves trapped in the Keeper’s machines!" The discussions and speculation on the videos continued long into the evening.

Finally, Sam began to close up the labs for the night, when she saw a light still on at the end of the corridor. "Don’t you ever sleep?" she called out, poking her head into his office - smiling at her startled teammate.

"Just looking at the videos one more time," Daniel answered distantly. "Hey, Sam… wait a minute… there it is… I thought I saw something! Look, off to the left of the picture as the UAV is lifting away from the stargate. What do you see?"

"A small road, trees, a mountainside…" Sam observed.

"On top… near the top of the mountain," Daniel encouraged, "look carefully… there!"

"They seem to be small huts or shacks of some sort. Awfully hard to see, as if they’d been camouflaged. Didn’t even notice them the first… 50 times through!" Sam smiled and tousled his hair a bit. She was clearly not concerned, but always appreciated her fellow scientist’s attention to detail.

Daniel wrinkled his nose, pushing his glasses back to place, "Doesn’t fit with the rest of the place… just doesn’t fit."

"I don’t know, Daniel, maybe some kids were playing there and built them. They certainly don’t look dangerous."

Daniel wasn’t so certain, or at the very least he was extremely curious, "Still, they’re not too far away from the stargate. Maybe we should check them out?’

Sam nodded, "Sure! Sounds good! Meanwhile, get some rest - tomorrow promises to be quite a day!"

Daniel had already rewound the tape and sat transfixed, "I’ll get some rest, don’t worry. G’nite Sam."

She headed for the sleeping quarters, sensing that she’d find him slumped over his desk in the morning - in desperate need of some coffee and a shower.

Jack had managed to turn in early, but was having a very restless night. Dreams tossed his sleep and images of the newly discovered world blended with remembered visions of things he’d learned from the Ancients. Something was telling him this was a world gone wrong… that it no longer represented what the Ancients had intended… but why? He struggled in his dreams to make some sense out of the feelings, but ended with puzzlement and confusion. He woke with a start about 4 am and couldn’t return to sleep. He hated it when he had these unsettled feelings… premonitions… they were too often right.

"And Jackson is…?" O’Neill asked impatiently as the rest of the team stood ready to depart the following morning.

Carter shrugged, knowing full well if she told the Colonel that she’d only just awakened Daniel minutes earlier, he’d most likely launch into an angry tirade.

"I believe he is busy retrieving some translations of the language of the Ancients, thinking they might perhaps prove useful," Teal’c lied… convincingly. He knew the linguist had been busy organizing his notes at about 4 am, most likely leading to his oversleeping and resulting lateness. Better to keep O’Neill calm, he reasoned, although the concept of a ‘white lie’ did not sit easy with him.

Sam looked at the Jaffa wide-eyed and glanced down at the floor, making no further comment. This entire protective undercurrent was lost on Jack as he fidgeted with his watch, "For cryin out loud… he shows up now, or…"

"I’m here!" Daniel hurried into the embarkation room, fumbling with the strap of his pack while attempting to adjust his hat. "Calm down, I made it… we’re only a few minutes off schedule!" He briefly locked eyes with his team leader, thought about asking Jack just how much time he’d put into preparing for this mission… then quickly reconsidered. "I’m sorry, I was…"

"Don’t need to hear it," O’Neill cut him off. "Just so glad you could make it," he finished, heavy on the sarcasm. With a brief wave to the control room, as the final chevron clicked into place, the team began their momentous journey.

Daniel’s last thought was a sense that Jack’s sarcasm might be covering his worry over another possible run in with the Ancients.

The first things he noticed were the sweetness of the air and the enchanting beauty of the birdsong, then his soldier’s instincts kicked in and he began a sweep of the perimeter. "All clear!" he announced, wishing to remain alert, focused… but all the while he felt the urge to relax, admire, soak in the unparalleled beauty of this place. It was…

"Perfection!" Sam called out, as if she knew just how to finish his thoughts. "Just look at the colors of the landscape! The tapes didn’t do it justice… indescribable!" she continued to gush, looking down the mountainside toward the valley that held the "Golden City" as she had come to call it.

"I also have never experienced a place so pleasing to the senses. The people of this world are truly fortunate," Teal’c commented.

"Speaking of which, I think we’re supposed to establish contact… right? So, let’s head for the main road and find out if the natives are friendly! Daniel, remember, you wait for my orders before you talk to anyone or even show yourself… Daniel?" Jack began to look about the edges of the clearing, realizing now that he’d not heard any comments from his usually loquacious teammate. "Carter? Please tell me Daniel’s with you," he shouted.

"Ummm, no Sir!" came her hesitant reply. "But I think I know where he might have been headed!"

"You do? Someone forget to let me in on the change of plans for reconn?" the Colonel was more than a little frustrated. Just when he’d convinced himself that Daniel had finally learned and come to terms with the flow of a military mission… he was off again, on his own… just like on Abydos when that dust mop of an animal dragged him halfway to kingdom come, and just like the dozens of other times he couldn’t reign in on his curiosity or enthusiasm! And this time… this time especially… he wanted it all to go down as planned… by the numbers.

"He noticed on the videos what seemed to be crude dwellings, just over that ridge… near the mountaintop. He really wanted to check them out, Sir." Carter knew the blame rested squarely on Daniel’s shoulders this time, and she wasn’t going to defend him. He really should have discussed this with the Colonel.

Making no attempt to hide his anger, Jack led a quick paced march to locate the man. "When we find him, you stick to him like glue… got it Teal’c?"

Unfamiliar with yet another of O’Neill’s odd comments, Teal’c tried to picture just how such a thing might be accomplished… but refrained from asking. Making their way into another clearing, they saw a group of people, engaged in excited conversation with… yes… it had to be… Daniel Jackson.

‘This is fantastic! People!’ Daniel thought. ‘But very different from those in the city…’ His musings were cut short as they approached him, somewhat fearful and cautious, but certainly not threatening in any way. After a brief discussion, these people seemed relieved to know he was a stranger to their land, and had not come from City One. When he tried to ask them questions about the City, he was ignored, politely at first, then he came to understand he’d best avoid the subject altogether.

It was then that he became aware of the baby. He was beautiful, and had chubby pink cheeks, blue eyes, wisps of deep golden hair - and a lilting laughter that immediately lightened Daniel’s spirit. He inquired as to the name of the child, "Samus" his young mother replied. "Do you want to hold him?" Showing no fear or distrust of the stranger, she placed the warm bundle into Daniel’s waiting arms. The boy squirmed a bit, then settled into a curious study of this new playmate’s face.

"DANIEL!" Jack yelled to him. "Making friends? Disregarding protocol? All in a day’s work, hmmm?"

"Oh, Jack… ummm… these people live in the homes… uhh… I guess I didn’t tell you about the homes…" The archeologist tipped his head to one side and considered a moment just how upset the other man seemed to be, and decided to continue on, "They live in the mountains, apparently wanting nothing to do with the City or the people who live there. Sounds like a kind of self-imposed exile, although they aren’t keen on providing many details."

"Cute kid," O’Neill commented, noting the child in Daniel’s arms, "We’ll chat a bit with these nice folks, but not for too long. After, we move out, then you and I talk, got it?"

"Sure, anything you say," Jackson motioned for his team leader to move ahead and join with the rest of the mountain people. Sam and Teal’c followed as well.

Lost in a game of ‘peek a boo’, he barely noticed as the rest of the team walked with the villagers and continued exploring along the ridge. The child was a delight, laughing and squealing. Daniel tried unsuccessfully to ignore the comparisons his mind was drawing between the boy and Sha’re’s son. He’d be about the same age now. Who played with him? Taught him? Was he safe? Who did he know to be his parents? "You’re a lucky fella," he cooed playfully to the baby, "you have mommy and daddy… You are one lucky little guy."

"So, why aren’t we supposed to go into the City?" Jack asked with mild suspicion.

"We are not like…" the young mother began.

"We are not welcome, and neither are you likely to be," her husband cut off whatever she was about to say. "You only need to know that we believe in a different god than they do."

Teal’c and O’Neill exchanged worried glances at the mention of different gods. "So, you basically avoid each other, but there’s no sign of fighting." Jack inquired further. He squinted a bit and looked around at the small settlement they had just reached. It was primitive, but orderly. All seemed very peaceful. The young man simply walked away, not willing to discuss the situation any further.

"I’ll see what I can find out, Sir. Did you notice the odd markings all the adults have on their left forearms? None of the children appear to have them," Carter whispered to the Colonel as she went to talk with Samus’ mother.

"Teal’c? Where’s Daniel gone off to now?" Jack asked in an irritated tone, suddenly aware that the archeologist was once again missing from the group.

"He was walking some distance behind with the young child, O’Neill. I will locate him," Teal’c obediently responded.

Daniel began walking to catch up with the others, but when he reached a fork in the path, took the left, bringing him down off the ridge - not knowing that this was forbidden. No one ever left the high ground, under any circumstances. After walking about a half-hour, he suspected he’d taken a wrong turn, "Whadda ya think, Samus? Can I call you Sam? Might get confusing though! Seems we’ve gone the wrong direction, well, guess we’ll retrace and…" Daniel hesitated, then froze, stepping behind a tree for cover. A vehicle drove by, slowed to a stop and began to back up the footpath. Two men in white uniforms got out and started to look about. They were going to leave, when the baby let out a loud squeal. Daniel tried to hurry back up the path, but could not outdistance the pursuing men with the baby in his arms.

"Stop!" one of the men commanded. "There has been a disturbance of God’s Gate, and we’ve been asked by the City Council to bring in anyone found in the vicinity, for questioning. We will not hurt you…" the man paused a moment, seemingly astonished as he saw what Daniel carried, "Is that your child?"

Daniel had stopped, not daring to endanger the child. There was something in the man’s tone, something that told him he should not reveal the rest of his team or where the baby’s true parents were. He remembered the looks of fear when the villagers spoke of the City. "Him? I… well… umm… of course!"

"Do you have a name?" the other abruptly questioned.

"Yes! It’s Daniel Jackson, and … ummm… I’m new here. Sorry, I don’t know anything about God’s Gate, so I can’t help you out. If you just let us go on our way, we’ll be just fine!" He tried to move away from the men and edge his way down the path.

One of them moved to block his way, but did nothing else to threaten him. His tone softened, becoming friendlier, "Forgive our lack of manners, and welcome! You must accompany us. You can give a brief statement and then return here, if all seems in order."

"If you are truly new to this land, you must have many questions. Come with us, and we can ease your mind, help you to understand… see things clearly," the second man offered. Noting Daniel’s continued reluctance, the man changed tactics, "Perhaps a ride to your destination then? We can take you and your child home. You did say he was your child didn’t you?"

Daniel tightened his hold on Samus, and the boy began to wail… sensing the mounting tension. The baby gave him no option to resist or flee, and he found himself led protesting into the waiting vehicle.

Daniel woke up, seated in a hard white chair under a bright light. His left arm ached slightly, he found it difficult to focus his vision without his glasses, and his head was slightly dizzy. Apart from that he felt fine. As he remembered the baby, he snapped to full awareness, his eyes coming to rest on a woman seated in a large chair across the room, "Hello… Can you tell me what’s happened? Where’s the baby?"

The woman smiled and crossed the room, standing next to him, "It is good that you are awake! Can I offer you something to eat or drink?"

It all seemed odd, out of place. She was so entrancingly beautiful, dressed all in white, with flowing golden hair and sparkling green eyes. Offering him food, like he was an invited dinner guest. He wasn’t bound or restrained in any way, and he seemed to be in a parlor of some sort - clearly not a cell. Daniel began to get up off the chair when she motioned for him to sit back, "You must remain seated," she firmly stated.

He relaxed only slightly, and remained sitting, "No, thank you. I’m not hungry. I came here with a little one… a… a baby. Where is he?" Daniel asked softly.

At the mention of a child, the woman’s interest intensified, "My name is Gaia, I am High Priestess, Final Judge and Arbiter for City One."

"Look, I’m sure you are a wonderful, and important, person - but I’d really like to be going. Could I please have my glasses back?" he motioned with circular movements around his eyes to describe the missing glasses.

"It would go less well for you at your trial, should you wear them. Your vision, is it less than perfect?" Gaia questioned him.

"Yes… I’m a bit nearsighted… trial? Am I accused of some sort of crime?" Daniel was greatly confused.

"A strong case could be made on several counts, and then there is the matter of the child…" she hesitated, sensing a true lack of comprehension in the man… an innocence.

"Well, I didn’t kidnap him or anything, we simply went for a walk," Daniel impulsively responded, then thought better of it… how would he have ‘kidnapped’ his own son.

"I am not familiar with the term ‘kidnap’ - very little about children is known to me. Surely you know that you are guilty of creating a child, not ‘kidnapping’ one! It is an offense to god and to the law of the City to perform such a vile and animalistic act. Don’t you know that the child will not be perfect?" her eyes flashed with determination.

"No one’s perfect," Daniel reflexively commented.

Her angry look silenced him, "I am perfection, as are the people of this blessed City. Fabricated without flaws in honor of our god, who demands and expects absolute perfection from us all. God punishes those who fall short of perfection. Those who disobey the ultimate law that maintains purity and perfection, must be punished for that sin, by those such as myself!"

Daniel began to squirm uncomfortably in his chair under her scrutiny. From what little he’d seen so far, this world seemed extremely advanced, technologically, but was mired in an ancient belief that infirmity meant a sin or punishment from god.

"You are a natural born?" Gaia pronounced the words almost as if they were distasteful.

Daniel remained silent, not certain how to respond.

"You are clearly not fabricated!" she began pacing now, growing impatient at his reluctance to speak.

"Fabricated?" he echoed back, "Like a test tube baby… or a… a clone?"

"I am unfamiliar with all such terms, but I would guess you’ve been raised in the mountains, so your knowledge is somewhat limited. You may come to learn in time… still I sense a certain intelligence about you." Yes! She sensed many things about this man, one of them was a strong attraction to the forbidden. "I have one more question," she asked, her voice taking on a strange quality. "You have performed the act of procreation?"

"Act of… oh… you mean sex? Yes…" Daniel answered cautiously.

"I want you to describe it for me… in detail," she commanded. "The court will certainly ask you, and you must be prepared."

He cleared his throat, not wanting to get himself into even more trouble, "You need to know something about me, I’m not from this place." Daniel stood now, determined to explain to her that he was visiting from another place - certain she’d free him when the truth were told.

At this, she approached him and gently took his arm, examining the forearm. "You were instructed to remain seated," Gaia again ordered sternly, as she removed a small remote device with colored buttons from her pocket.

She pressed the yellow button, and Daniel felt a slight buzz and twinges in his left arm, then a flooding sensation of total relaxation. His knees buckled and he slumped back into the chair. He couldn’t remember why he’d wanted to stand up in the first place. Gaia was so beautiful and kind, he was fortunate to be here.

"You truly are new to this place! In time you can tell us all about where you are from, for now you must learn the ways of my people and how to leave your sinful ways behind. You have been given a great gift! The instrument of god has become part of you - it will bring you peace, and perfection in thought and action. The council and priests will be your guides in the transformation, as will I. The buttons on my link to you are color-coded - yellow for calmness, serenity, purple for restful sleep, red summons you into alertness, and black… Do not worry, it will never be necessary to use the black button for you. It is a deep trance from which you can not return. It prepares you for a voyage through God’s Gate."

Her voice was melodious, easily lulling him into a contented stupor. Buttons with god given powers that activated such responses within him - he couldn’t think clearly enough to fully comprehend it - but that at least explained the mark on his arm. He felt perfectly content to just sit there… admiring her.

"What do you mean he’s gone?" Jack asked incredulously.

"I regret that I must tell you, he has been taken away in a vehicle… the child also with him. I arrived too late to prevent his being taken," Teal’c answered regretfully.

Sam approached them with representatives from the village. "Sir. You’d better listen to what these people have to say… it’s quite a story. We need to be very careful how we approach these cities."

The Colonel motioned for them to speak and sat back listening in amazement to tales of the Ancient ones and a City lost in zealous devotion to gods long gone.

Gaia began to counsel Daniel on his trial… no glasses, he should deny procreation, he is not to admit to any knowledge of outsiders; instead he should express a strong desire to repent, live in devoted service to the temple and accept a place if offered him in the unblemished order of things.

After a few minutes, the haze began to lift from his mind. His heart rate sped up, and he could feel his level of anxiety mounting. She noted that he began to shift and fidget once again. This would take time, but she was confident he would assimilate well. She did not want to leave him, but there were duties she must perform… especially now that she had been near him, touched him. There were elaborate cleansing rituals. "You must sleep now," she ordered.

"I… I’m really not tired," he answered as he felt his sense of reason beginning to return. "Please, let me at least see the baby? Please?" He watched helplessly as she pressed the purple button and guessed that he’d be falling asleep soon. He wasn’t even allowed the satisfaction of his own anger as it was chemically washed away.

"You will find it much more comfortable if you lie down on the bed," she motioned to her sleeping quarters.

He moved slowly, purposefully to the bed, weighed down by an overwhelming tiredness. His conscious mind lost all worry, and just before dozing off - he felt her loosening the front of his jacket. ‘Yes, sleep was just what he wanted right now.’

She undressed him, peeling off each layer of clothing in anticipation of what lay underneath, all the while telling herself it was completely for his comfort. A firm, muscular chest… strong arms… a tight stomach. She removed boots and socks, noting he must be cleaned… purified. His pants were next, the belt undid easily, she hesitated at the zippered front. A very unfamiliar feeling began to well up inside her - deep, warm, primal. The sinful words had flowed from his lips so easily, innocently… he had agreed to creating a child… to performing sex. She imagined what it could possibly be like with a man such as this, thoughts so wicked… completely forbidden.

For now, she would look at him, cleanse him… for now that would suffice. She could plead for his life at the trial… ask that he be placed in service to her. Slowly she pulled the zipper down, shifting him slightly to ease the pants off. His body was young and strong - sadly she shook her head, he was so close to perfection, and yet if he were perfect… she would not feel this attraction. His mind, so curious, so intelligent, very different from other natural borns. One piece of clothing remained - a kind of loin cloth with stretching fabric at the waist and openings for the legs.

The man smiled in his sleep at her touch, as she went to remove the last bit of covering. Clearly he enjoyed this touch, and Gaia gazed in longing appreciation at him. She ran her fingers over his chest and felt her heart race, sweat forming on her hands and feet. Her breath became shallow, her face flushed. She removed her flowing white gown and pressed her body to his, kissing his full, slightly parted lips. This felt wonderful! She began to imagine vividly what might happen if this man awoke. He appreciated her beauty - she’d seen it in his eyes. He was at ease with things forbidden. What forbidden wonders awaited her?

She moved to kiss him again, and was surprised to feel his arm tighten around her… still in his sleep. Publicly she must condemn him, accuse him of terrible sins - but in the privacy of this place… once the City court turned him over to the church.. she would…

A knock at the door broke her reverie, "Who is there?" she called out, trying to pull on her robes. "I was just preparing for my bath!"

"It is Lon, your servant, most Holy Priestess. Your Uncle is here and has heard of the new criminals. He intends to interrogate the man… now! He is not pleased that you sent out patrols and knew of the use of God’s Gate - but did not tell him."

Gaia grabbed the remote device. For a Priestess of her position to be found in the same room as this man, dressed only in a loin cloth, would be an unforgivable sin! Pressing ‘red’ she dove into the bed and under the coverings. The man began to stir, groggily. She let out a startled scream.

Daniel hadn’t the time or coordination to react. A group of men burst through the door, and roughly grabbed him off the bed.

"Uncle! I am so glad you have come! This outsider was about to attack me! He spoke of terrible things! I was so afraid!" Gaia lied… hopefully convincingly. Her life depended on it.

"Do not worry, Priestess… the man will have much to answer for! As we speak the child is being studied, then the trial will be…" her Uncle began to explain.

‘Studied? What do you mean studied?" Daniel shouted as he fought the nausea of the drugs and the guards’ iron grip on his arms. "I demand to see the child! I demand…" Daniel felt his arms pinned even more painfully behind him as he was pressed into a prone position on the floor.

Upon a commanding look from her Uncle, Gaia pressed the yellow button once again and Daniel began to relax into a drugged oblivion. He could no longer recall what had made him so upset, as the nice guards helped him to his feet and offered him his clothing.

"So, you see my friends from afar, what little research we have been able to do has shown us that the gods so worshipped by the Cities no longer exist. In fact, we believe they are not gods at all - simply very remarkable beings who tried to build a civilization based on…" he paused for a long moment, trying to stop his body from shaking. This was blasphemy of the highest level, and he did not know these strangers at all well… but they seemed trustworthy… and they were going to help bring back his son. "Based on a code of law that is discriminatory, unjust… ludicrous! To expect… no demand perfection in all things!? I do not worship these ancient ones… I despise them!"

"My husband, please, calm down," the young mother pleaded with him. "It is not our way to hate. We have not chosen to live this life of hardship out here in the mountains only to teach our children bitterness and hatred… have we?" She turned now to Sam, "There are writings, very old ones, deep within the central church. The priests always guard them. No one else is allowed access, and we have come to know why. Eppin, my husband, has been gifted with the ability to interpret and decipher many languages and codes. When we were living in the City, he had heard rumors of holy writings - locked away… too holy for the simplest of people to see. One day, he discovered those writings, and began to read them… a little at a time, the translation was difficult. What he tells you, he remembers as he dared not write anything down - to do that would have been a punishable sin. He was able to learn much about who these ancients were, but he was found out before he could come close to finishing. He believes the priests have long ago lost the ability to translate the writings, and are only pretending to carry out what they ask."

Sam asked what she knew to be difficult questions, "So, when he was found out, they banished you?"

"No," the man answered for himself. "They assumed I was unable to read the writings, and made sure I never had access again. We left the City because my wife was with child." He reached out to hold the grieving mother now. "Your friend was found in the mountains… with a child. Those who found him will assume he is a natural born, as he is not implanted. They will also assume Samus is his child. Your friend will find himself in much danger - as is our son."

"Implanted?" Jack reacted to the word strongly. Whatever it meant, it didn’t sound good.

Eppin extended his left arm and showed Jack a two-inch scar along the inside of his upper forearm. "This is where the "instrument of god" is implanted. God has nothing to do with it. It forces you to comply - keeps you docile, interferes with your judgment. The device is controlled remotely and, although I have never seen it used as such, it is said to have the ability to kill. All those who live among the mountains have removed theirs and have vowed that their children will never carry them!"

"You mentioned ‘natural born’ and that Daniel being found with Samus is somehow bad?" Sam continued the interrogation.

The young woman started to sob uncontrollably, fighting to calm herself enough to respond. "My baby! It is forbidden to have children, they are provided by the church and are already quite grown - assimilated and … perfect… so the priests say. What will they do to my baby? He is natural born and so young?"

"Why do they allow you to continue living here?" Jack voiced his puzzlement.

"They know you aren’t believers… don’t they consider you a threat?"

"As our numbers grow, I fear they will consider taking action against us. For now, as long as we remain high in the mountains, the priests have convinced the City people we are a race of ‘imperfects.’ That we are either insane or mentally deficient… and out of kindness, they allow us to live out the remainder of our days in a place of exile that will not take away from the beauty and oneness of the City. My wife and I have not left this mountaintop in 15 seasons, maybe more!" Eppin tried to console his wife, but she would not be comforted.

"Tell us how to find Daniel, and we’ll bring your son back as well. You don’t have to risk…" Jack began but Eppin interrupted him.

"He is my son. I will go with you. We will travel as visiting priests from City Six. For now, we must all wait - until the proper robes can be fashioned. I need to warn you, there are many things that could happen to your friend, implantation, interrogation, a trial… none of them are pleasant. If judgment is passed upon him, and it is not favorable… you may not wish to find your friend - better to be content with the memory of how he was."

Jack waved to the young couple as they went about their work, then sat with the remainder of his team to formulate a plan. He refused to even consider the notion of not searching for Daniel. Something in the back of his mind began to twitch again… something about the ancient writings. He could have sworn a small voice spoke to him in an unfamiliar language… yet he understood. The voice was speaking about an important mission… that he could be the deliverer. "Deliverer of what? The people? Good news? Bad news? What?"

"What?" Teal’c and Sam asked in unison.

"Nothing! This place makes me nuts," Jack shot back, shaking his head.

"Listen, I’m willing to request back-up once we determine Daniel’s situation. Right now all we have is the word of these people. Let’s hope they’re wrong and he’s just fine. Teal’c, you stay near the Stargate and we’ll keep in touch by radio. Eppin seems to think it would be impossible to explain your presence in any kind of believable way to the City folk."

"Daniel’s been gone almost seven hours now, Sir," Carter informed him.

"Damn this waiting!" Jack began to pace, clearly frustrated about having to hold back on the search. He knew all too well what unfriendly interrogations could be like and he’d give anything to spare Daniel that. He looked out over the beautiful countryside to the sparkling city below. It had lost its enchantment ‘For now… we wait…’ Jack thought.

She felt the warmth of the cascading water attempt to soothe her worries. The cleansing had been going on for hours now, but she could not wash away the memory of what she had done. Her Uncle would be merciless toward her would-be attacker. Daniel would have no idea how to respond! Gaia tried to think of other things. Her daily duties… soon it would be time to gather for the evening meal and she would lead the prayers of thanks as always. She did not feel thankful… she felt like a hypocrite.

Finally she breathed a deep sigh… what is done is done, it cannot be changed. Sadly she accepted the fact that it was very likely she’d never see him again. Perhaps there was something she could do for his child, though… yes… that perhaps she could do for him.

Daniel awakened slowly. It was very dark, and he had no idea where he was. The other people in the room were barely visible but he could make out that they were wearing dark robes and hoods. He could not see their faces. He tried to speak, but realized with a start that there was some sort of tube in his throat… making it impossible to talk. He was seated in a chair. Something like a blood pressure cuff was around his right arm. Machinery was in the room too, making soft clicks and beeps. It was as if his head were in a vise, holding it perfectly still.

Becoming increasingly aware, he noticed that every part of him was attached in some way to the machinery - either by a probe or taped on electric lead.

He was afraid, and remained completely unaware of where he was. His last memory was of a beautiful woman with green eyes, then everything got fuzzy after that. As his nervousness increased, the clicks and beeps of the machines became louder… faster…

One of the figures in the room moved to Daniel’s side in response to the readings on the machine. "At last you have returned to consciousness. Good! Now you must listen as I explain what is about to be done to you. Our gods insist on flawlessness and we strive to comply, but our natures are such that we fall short in some ways. When interrogation becomes necessary, it is conducted out of sight of the pure ones, the unblemished. They would not want to think of it. Were we truly perfect, we could examine your mind chemically and electrically - open and understand your thoughts and memories, thereby finding out all we need to know without resorting to other methods of persuasion. You must know, we are working on that process, but it is not yet ready…"

Daniel didn’t like the way he said ‘methods of persuasion.’ If they were going to ask him questions, why did they make it impossible for him to answer? There was no way for Daniel to know how long he’d been held there.

He tried to gain courage by picturing his impending rescue. The others had to find him…

"What we have done is perfect the process so that pain and discomfort can be elicited by direct brain stimulation. The parts of your brain and spinal cord that are involved with pain perception are well known, as are those parts that produce fear responses. Sometimes the response to the pain and fear is so overwhelming, other parts of the brain and body shut down… therefore we are equipped to restart your heart if necessary, and the tube in your throat allows for forced respiration… should you stop breathing. No matter how terrifying and painful the process becomes, there will be no "real" damage to your body. We can repeat the interrogation over and over until it is your will that breaks… your body remains perfectly well. You see?" the man asked excitedly, "You must agree that we have developed a perfect form of torture!"

"The purpose of this session is to show you, on a somewhat small scale, what is possible. Then, you will be brought to a more comfortable place and asked questions. If I am not satisfied with your answers, you will be returned here for a much longer period," a very authoritative voice sounded throughout the room, as if it were being played through a loudspeaker. "Do make certain I am satisfied with your answers! For now, there is not much you can do, except sit there and experience, and more importantly remember, pain as very few people have ever known it!"

‘Try to think of something, Jackson!’ he told himself as he attempted to retreat to a place in his mind hopefully removed from the pain and fear that was promised. But there was no time… he was completely unprepared for the assault on his senses that followed. First there was a dull ache that coursed through him, as if all his muscles were overtired and strained. ‘They must be stimulating different brain regions through the skullcap around my head,’ he reasoned. The sounds of the monitors remained rather constant. This - at least - was uncomfortable but bearable.

Then, without warning, a sharp pain began in his spinal cord and flowed outward… following the path of every nerve fiber exiting his spine. A painful, electric shock applied to all of his nerve endings simultaneously, was the only way he could describe it. The machines wailed a warning. ‘God!

It hurt!’ And that was before the intensity was increased…

Jack, Sam and Eppin stood outside the City gate, dressed in purest white robes adorned with golden stripes along the sleeves and around the bottom. Eppin had wrapped a bandage from Sam’s medical kit around the scar on his arm. Priests were never implanted. He knew that entering the City would not be a problem… it was the friendliest, most welcoming place one could imagine… that is, as long as you met certain criteria! He looked closely at the strangers next to him. They would pass on appearance as fabricated, each having handsome features and good intellect - no obvious flaws. Whether they would seem to be priests concerned him, they would need to say as little as possible.

As they began to walk around, Sam’s excitement over the place grew at the same rate as Jack’s feelings of unease. The people were so friendly, happy, and apparently healthy. Everywhere was a new gadget or piece of technology that could prove very useful to Earth. Carter tugged on her guide’s sleeve;

"Do you think it might be possible for us to obtain information on some of this technology? Their power source? Their medicine?" She had the sense of walking through ‘Futureworld’ at Disneyland, and had to keep reminding herself that all of this was very much real.

Eppin did not answer, instead he cautioned her not to continue speaking with a finger to his lips. In silence they continued on. Upon reaching the doors to the church, the group was greeted by a young man, "Welcome! You have journeyed here?"

"Yes," Eppin answered. "We come from City Six and bring you greetings."

"Much love and blessings upon you, brothers and sister! Dinner is now being served! All are invited to attend! Come, the High Priestess herself will preside and the food is… how can I describe it… probably the very best you have ever tasted!" the man beamed.

"Thank you! You are most kind, and many blessings returned to you as well!

We do hunger, please - lead on," Eppin responded.

When the group entered the church, Jack could hear the inner voices as they began a conversation with him and with each other. They spoke louder, much more clearly, and in the long forgotten dialect… yet he continued to understand them.

‘This was always the plan, that you would come here,’ one voice began.

‘But you do not come here to offer your help. Your reasons for coming are selfish… centering on your own kind,’ another continued.

‘All signs are that you are not ready, yet we have no choice in the matter. You must freely decide to assist us, before we can do any more. Damage to your mind resulted in the prior time because we attempted to use it for our own purpose. This was wrong… we now realize… and… it also did not work properly…’ the first voice commented rather snidely.

‘The Asgaard were wise to remove us from your conscious mind. They were fools to say you ever had hope of becoming the Fifth race. You are flawed, out of harmony, violent…’ a third offered its opinion.

‘OK,’ Jack said to himself as he tried to concentrate on where they were going and any signs of Daniel or Samus. ‘Either I’ve officially cracked up and I’m actually insulting myself, or you guys are real and somehow trying to talk to me… from somewhere… about … something… Who are you anyway? Can you help me find Daniel?’

‘You do not yet understand,’ the three voices said in unison. ‘You must freely decide, first…’ then they ceased talking.

"Sir? Sir, are you feeling alright?" Sam had grabbed him by the shoulder, seeing the vacant look in his eyes, and how he had continued walking although the rest of the group had stopped. "We’re going into this room, it’s apparently where they all eat."

Jack mumbled something about being fit as a fiddle, and proceeded to walk into the grandest, most sumptuous dining hall he’d ever imagined. The aromas, and visual appeal of the food! The laughter and sound of light conversation! So far there were absolutely no sign of trouble, and as he sat down to eat, he pondered what he was being called to do and whether or not to trust these muses.

Daniel’s hair was soaked with perspiration; tears ran from the corners of his closed eyes and water from his nose as well. Minutes earlier, when the pain was at its peak, he had begun to suffocate. Mercifully, the respirator kicked on, and now he was once again breathing normally. The pain was ebbing now, but he was certain he would never forget it.

A voice blared out to him once again, "When I question you, remember to answer truthfully and completely… in order to avoid more of the pain! Now, for a sample of uncontrollable fear. I find this to be even more effective than the pain… it tends to bring forth many long forgotten unpleasant memories, or perhaps some newly created ones! This aids in the process of breaking the subject’s will."

Daniel felt his heart begin to race and flutter as the rest of his body trembled. ‘This isn’t real,’ he kept telling himself. ‘There is nothing causing the fear… nothing… nothing…’ he repeated, mantra-like.

At first, although his body was responding physically as if in a fear reaction, his mind remained unconvinced. Then, slowly, as the stimulation was varied and intensified, frightening visions appeared to him. He could see Sha’re being tortured… calling out to him. Next he found himself alone, being pursued by an unseen, terrifying beast. Everything was so real, he could feel it, smell it, hear it… How he wanted to yell out for them to make it stop, but still he was unable to speak. His heart crashed against his chest in frantic beating… then vibrated to an abrupt stop. He welcomed the blackness of unconsciousness - even if it meant death, he would have welcomed it.

Now, he sat in a comfortable chair, in a bright, airy room. People were talking to him, asking if he were ready to answer a few questions. Was he ready? He truly didn’t know. He also had no idea where he was. A friendly looking older man, dressed in a white robe, sat across the room from him.

He spoke, "Daniel… you must do your best to answer me truthfully… do you understand?"

Something about that voice… something… His throat was a little sore, "Could I please have some water?"

They brought him water and began to ask a series of questions, about how he came to be living on the mountainside, how many children had he fathered, did he know of any other outsiders with violent tendencies, why had he tried to attack the Priestess. He had trouble remembering.

"Daniel, we have someone here who will help you to remember!" They brought a beautiful baby to him and placed the child on his lap. The child reacted as if he knew Daniel, and leaned closer for a cuddle.

"I… I’m sorry… I have no idea what you are talking about!" Daniel answered honestly.

"You have been warned as to the punishment for not answering completely!" the man’s tone turned threatening. "Do you remember the pain? The fear?"

As if programmed to the sound of these words, Daniel did recall those things. The color drained from his face, he felt weak. He knew he must answer or face more pain, but who were these outsiders the man spoke of? He was certain he had fathered no children… but who was this lovely child on his lap? "I can’t answer you! Please, listen to me! I will tell you everything I know of… but your questions mean nothing to me! I… I’ve come here from a planet called Earth. I traveled through the Stargate…"

"He lies!" the man shrieked. "No one ‘travels’ through God’s Gate… unless they are being punished by the gods themselves!"

Daniel shook his head in stunned silence. He heard the heavy steps of guards coming down the hallway. He also heard a voice, a soothing, melodious voice… and he was certain he knew it… yes… Gaia! The Priestess! He was beginning to remember, but he could not imagine ever wanting to attack her. Something was very wrong.

"Uncle! Uncle Petrach, we have visitors, is it permitted to enter?" Gaia knocked persistently on the door.

Daniel looked up at the man he now recalled to be his tormentor, and silently cursed Petrach as he watched him remove a brightly colored remote from the pocket of his robe. The now familiar feeling of complete contentment washed over the captive man, he began to relax and recline in the chair, but anger remained in his eyes.

"Enter, and welcome! I was chatting with one of our fine citizens!" Petrach smiled warmly.

Jack tried not to appear too interested in the young man resting on the chair before him. He couldn’t believe their luck… for it to be this easy! Daniel appeared to be just fine… the baby was here too…

‘He is not fine, he has been through terrible torture!’ a voice reprimanded him.

‘Your eyes see only the surface of things, the baby is also in danger,’ a now familiar second voice chimed in.

‘Look into his eyes, touch his hand… what do you see there?’ they admonished.

Jack extended his left hand in greeting, "I am pleased to meet you, friend!" As Daniel responded in kind, their eyes met. At first, Jack saw an unfocused dullness to Daniel’s eyes, then a shift to brilliant blue and with it - a brief flash of fear and pain, then he could read nothing more. He did note the presence of a healing wound on Daniel’s arm that seemed fresh. "What happened to this man?" Jack questioned.

The interrogator smiled, "Are you a seer?"

"Is it custom to answer a question with a question in this place? I sense he has suffered, what’s happened?" Jack responded, hoping to force a true answer from the man, yet not appear too threatening.

Gaia stepped forward in her Uncle’s defense; "Surely he has not been mistreated! Ask him yourself!"

"Are you feeling well? Have they treated you poorly? You can tell me… I promise they won’t hurt you again, everything will be alright…" Jack encouraged his teammate as the prodding of the ‘muses’ continued.

Daniel was prepared to answer. Things were much clearer now; Jack and Sam had come to rescue him, just as he had hoped! He wanted to tell them they all must leave now, and all about the torture. His hands began to shake. As he heard Jack speak, however, another warm buzz filled his mind and his concentration was lost. Everyone waited as he fumbled for words, "I must tell you… that… that… all that has happened to me… I… I… I have honestly never felt better in my entire life!" Daniel answered with a huge grin.

Gaia winced. She knew from the smug look on Petrach’s face that much had happened to Daniel. How she hated to see her strong, fantasy lover reduced to this shell of a man. Empty… smiling… especially since she had a part in it. "Perhaps you would like to join us, as we tour about?" she smiled invitingly. "You are doubtless bored talking with Uncle all day!"

"I require his continued presence here," the Petrach sternly spoke.

‘He should come with you, he can be of help in interpreting the writings,’ a voice spoke to Jack.

‘Whoa… wait a minute… writings? Those Eppin spoke of? No way! I’m grabbing Daniel, and the kid and we’re outta here!’ Jack angrily thought. He could hear a few more comments; ‘Fool’ ‘Self serving’ ‘He will learn…or he will perish…’ and the voices left him.

Carter moved to one side of Daniel now, grabbing his elbow and helping him stand, "We don’t mind if he walks with us a bit… then we’ll bring him right back… OK?"

"Hi’ya Sam!" Daniel called out to her. "I really am feeling great, ya know? And that Priestess there? She’s wonderful! Everyone is, unless you do something bad, or you aren’t quite…"

Up until now, Eppin had remained silent. He had feared perhaps Gaia might recognize him, but now upon seeing his son and hearing the conversation take such a dangerous turn, he could hold back no longer. "Curious to find so young a child in your midst! What methods of fabrication does City One use these days? This one seems not fully developed! May I?" he held his hands out to receive the baby.

Gaia and her Uncle exchanged looks, "Certainly! Feel free to examine him. He is… an… experiment. Nothing more." As Eppin hugged his son tightly, Gaia turned her attention to Sam, "I fail to understand how a citizen of our City could possibly know a Priestess from your City - and call her by name as well!" She came to stand directly in front of Daniel now - "How is it you know this holy woman?"

Daniel’s eyes grew wide… what had he said? Never had he felt so confused. Why wasn’t he supposed to know Sam? The drugs disoriented him terribly. He remained silent.

"I assure you, Priestess Gaia, this man does not know me!" Sam tried to sound casual. "You said it yourself, it is not possible!"

Sensing that everyone was paying attention to the unfolding drama, and not to him, Eppin wrapped the baby in his robes, slowly edged his way to the door, and slipped out into the hallway. In seconds, he had fled the building and would be out of the City well before they realized he was gone.

Petrach seized the opportunity to return to his own agenda, "I have been less than honest with you in hopes of preserving the peace of your stay here. This man is a criminal, but he is not dangerous. He is properly sedated. His trial is set for tomorrow, for now - I must insist he get some rest." He spoke soothingly to Daniel, "Are you tired, my son?"

"Yesssssssssss… verrrrrrrrry… tirrrrred…" was Daniel’s drugged reply.

"See? Gaia, feel free to continue your tour with these fine visitors. He will rest then perhaps join you later. In fact, one of your group has already taken liberty to leave, and with the child. I suggest you retrieve them, NOW Gaia!" Petrach urged them toward the door, as Jack and Sam shot nervous glances at each other and Daniel who was now almost asleep on the chair.

Gaia noted with curiosity these priests’ interest in the stranger. She suspected them of not being truthful, but she would discover whatever secrets they were hiding soon enough. For now, she wanted to continue looking after Daniel - they had been interrupted before, and the memory burned within her.

Daniel tried to process the conversation buzzing about him. They really weren’t going to leave him there, were they? Certainly did seem like it!

Jack was determined he wasn’t going to leave without Daniel, and he reached inside his robe, his hand wrapping around the zat gun hidden there. He noticed out of the corner of his eye, that Sam was doing likewise. There was not going to be any sort of trial if Jack O’Neill had anything to say about it… and what was it these damned voices said about torture? The guy looked well enough… but still… Slowly he began to draw the weapon, when the loud protest of one of the voices made him jump in startled surprise.

‘NO! YOU MUST NOT! DO NOT ATTEMPT TO FIRE A WEAPON!’

‘Tsk, tsk, tsk… violent… stubborn…’

‘Quiet, the two of you! He deserves an explanation! The weapon will not operate properly. You have noticed the peace in this land? The lack of warfare? The inhabitants here have not actually chosen this path, exactly, it’s because they have learned that the City will not tolerate harm coming to any of the inhabitants!’

‘You told me they tortured Daniel!’ Jack said - hopefully not entirely to himself.

‘Part of the reason we hoped you might decide to help us.’

‘Much has gone wrong here… there might be a way you can help to make it right again.’

‘I’d sure like to know how! Heck! I don’t even know if you guys are real!’

Jack continued to converse within himself.

Sam was really having a bad feeling about the Colonel. First, he reached for his gun and she followed suit, then there was a long hesitation, and she could see his lips moving. Now, he motioned for her not to take out her gun, "Oh… um… fellow priest - did you hear what kind Gaia is proposing? She’s suggesting that - this… um… criminal here be ceremonially bathed, by her! Meanwhile we’re supposed to walk around and enjoy ourselves! Si.. um… your holiness? Are you OK with this?"

"Sure!" Jack answered, still very unsure himself. "That’ll give us a chance to locate our missing friend… and stuff…" his voice trailed off.

Petrach did not like having to acquiesce to his niece, but he definitely did not wish to arouse the suspicion of the visitors, and the young man did need to be bathed before trial. He would interrogate him later, perhaps while everyone slept. He so much enjoyed the second time - the prisoner would know what was coming and the anticipation greatly increased the pain! "Gaia, always duty ahead of any personal pleasure, hmmm? Fine, take him. I will join you later."

Sam and Jack were ushered into the hallway and found themselves alone. Sam exploded, "Colonel! Sir! Could I respectfully ask why we didn’t just free Daniel back there?"

"It wouldn’t have worked," Jack calmly answered.

"What? You know this? We didn’t even try!" Sam bordered on insubordination with her tone.

Again a voice called to him, ‘This should be amusing, ask her to shoot you!’

"Ya, right, have her shoot me!" Jack responded out loud.

"Who are you talking to, Sir?" Sam looked about, feeling spooked.

"Carter, have I ever given you reason to doubt my judgment?" Jack asked.

"No… Sir…" Sam hesitatingly answered.

"Well, I’m telling you, I have it on good authority, the weapons won’t work here!" Jack told her.

"Good authority?"

"These… voices… in… my… head," Jack winced at he incredulous look he was receiving from his second in command.

"Mind if I conduct and independent test?" Sam questioned further.

"Be my guest," he motioned.

She removed her zat gun and promptly fired, disintegrating a statue.

"Certainly seems to work fine to me, Sir!"

‘We told you, she must shoot as you, remember? Personal harm? The City cares not for statues!’ he heard the voice snicker.

"Captain, point the thing at me," Jack cleared his throat nervously.

Sam hesitated.

"That’s an order, Captain! Worst thing that will happen is I’ll hurt like hell for a minute or two and then know for sure I’ve lost my sanity. Now … shoot!"

Sam raised the zat gun, armed it, closed her eyes and dutifully fired. When she opened her eyes, the Colonel stood there smiling, "See? Told you!"

"Oh," she responded, stunned, "and you knew this from voices in your head?

What else did they tell you?"

"Somehow I have to help them, and this whole city, even though I’m violent and whatever. And for now, Daniel has to wait. They want me to look for one of those - machines. You know, the kind the Ancients used to ‘share’ their knowledge with me!" Jack looked at her with worried eyes. He dreaded this, but the voices had been right so far. What he couldn’t tell was whether these ‘voices’ were at all interested in sg-1’s well being, or only in what he could achieve for their purposes.

Jack wasn’t the only one who was worried. Daniel found himself abandoned by his friends and now he stood in the presence of a beautiful woman who was ordering him to undress. Behind her, he could see a steaming pool of water, as well as an assortment of bottles and cloths. She had wakened him from his forced sleep and waited for him to regain all his mental functioning. Now she issued the command as if he would simply comply. "Gaia, I really don’t think this is such a good idea. I would love to rejoin my… I mean, the visiting priests. Maybe later a bath would be fine, but.."

"I promise you a time of such bliss, you will have nothing to compare it to, for I am certain however you have gained pleasure from women in the past, I can be even more pleasurable!" Gaia dared to be so bold in this man’s presence. After all, who would listen to him should he repeat all of this? "Now," her hand hovered over the remote once again, "undress, or I shall cause you to sleep and undress you myself… as I did once before!"

Daniel swallowed hard. This woman was completely serious, and not simply interested in her ‘priestly’ duties. His hand reached for the top button of his shirt, and he noted with a sinking feeling in his stomach, how thrilled she was by his simply undoing it. "This is wrong, Gaia, please don’t…"

Again she cut him off, "I do not wish you to speak, unless I ask you to. You must know, the entire reason I desire you this way is because it is wrong! Continue… now!"

Teal’c first greeted Eppin with excitement and great anticipation, especially when he saw the baby had been returned. "Greetings, Eppin! I can see your visit to the City was a success, where are the rest of my team?" Eppin tried to avoid the scrutiny of the large man, and hurried past him to bring the child home. Teal’c would not be deterred, however, and placed his hand on the man’s shoulder - forcibly detaining him. "Perhaps you did not hear me, I had inquired as to the whereabouts of my friends!"

Eppin kept his eyes downcast and mumbled a response, "They were unable to return with me. They have remained to secure the freedom of your friend, Daniel."

"You did not stay to assist them?" Teal’c asked, not wanting to think this man had actually run off and abandoned the others.

"I did not ask for you all to come here! It was your friend who put my child in danger! I did all that I could, and still leave safely with my child," Eppin answered.

"Then I must go help them!" Teal’c announced.

"It would be very foolish of you. They will see how different you are and you will be immediately arrested," Eppin cautioned.

"I have no choice but to go, they are my friends!" Teal’c gave one parting look at Eppin, then began the walk into the City. He planned to enter by the cover of night. A sense of urgency sped him onward, feeling something wasn’t going well, as O’Neill had not yet sent him any radio communications.

"Carter?" the Colonel asked as they continued their exploration of the City.

"Yes, Colonel?" she reflexively responded.

"I don’t actually remember much from that time, you know, when I wasn’t exactly myself - and I supposedly built some contraption and reprogrammed the base computers. In fact, most of what I know I read from reports. I’m going to have to depend on you to make the calls here. If it happens again, and things don’t seem… well… right, somehow… you’ll have to take command and get us home. All of us, if possible," he didn’t look to see her reaction. It was very hard for him to even consider losing control and having to give up command, but he could think of no better person to hand the responsibility to.

"Understood, Sir, you can depend on me," Sam answered firmly. She knew she was capable of taking charge, but so much was uncertain or unknown. Now, to see her commanding officer being led around by imaginings in his mind. Were things already "not right" or should she wait and see what happens? Sam opted for the latter and assisted Jack in his search. All the while, she couldn’t help but marvel at the promise this City held, and hope for an eventual good outcome to the mission.

Jack found it difficult to focus on his Captain’s comments, as he was constantly being directed from within. All his instincts for team and self preservation told him to locate Daniel and escape, but he could not ignore the call of the inner voices, so strong was their compulsion. Finally, deep within the Church, he was drawn to a small, dimly lit room. He pulled Sam inside and closed the door, and as he did so, the wall shifted and moved into place - covering the exit door and sealing it shut.

‘You have arrived,’ Jack was told from within.

‘Waste no time, your friend has a way of finding danger and now is no exception,’ the second muse spoke.

Jack realized they were speaking about Daniel, it was the second time they had expressed concern for him. "Captain, no need to look around the place. There’s no other exit, I have to activate the machine, just like we did before… then we’ll find a way out. It seems we also need to hurry, Daniel’s… let’s just say he could use our help, and soon!"

Sam located the circular pattern on the floor of the room, motioning for the Colonel to step through the lines, as he had done before. One of the walls blossomed into life, and the now familiar machine appeared with an inviting central aperture. Jack stood transfixed, he wanted to move into position but he continued to remain frozen in place.

‘You must delay no longer!’

‘Approach and we will fill your mind, but not as before. We have learned much, and we will not cause you such damage.’

Jack looked at the woman standing at his side, and offered her a respectful salute. She realized he had just handed over command, and she nodded her understanding. Holding his breath, he leaned forward, gazing into the swirling lights within the alien machine. He gritted his teeth against the pain as robotic limbs leapt out and encircled his head, holding him tightly for the assault on his mind. Strobes of painful light flashed and he could hear a deafening rushing in his ears. An eternity of seconds passed, and he was released - falling limply to the ground. He could no longer hear the voices, it was more as if they were a permanent part of him… they had become him… or he had become the embodiment of them. It really didn’t matter which, either way he had been changed.

"Gaia, I will speak with you!" Daniel demanded as he slowly undid the rest of his shirt buttons. Anger was building within him, as he walked a fine line between complying fully and just enough to keep her satisfied and keep her finger off the damned remote. These people, so intent on being ‘perfect’ for their gods… yet they’d go along selfishly doing and saying anything to achieve their own goals and desires, with no concern for others… and Gaia was no exception. He examined her face closely, she gave no sign of forbidding him from talking, so he continued. "You seek pleasure from me? And you want to give me pleasure? I simply can’t! For one thing, your Uncle will come for me soon."

She looked away from him.

"Do you know what interrogation is like? Do you want to hear all about how I wanted to scream out my pain, beg them to stop, only I couldn’t? He made certain the pain went on and on…" Daniel’s voice was strained as he tried to hold back from screaming at her.

"Petrach did not harm you, it is forbidden to harm! I don’t want to hear this!" Gaia put her hands to her ears and remained looking away from him.

"Not HARM me? Gaia - look at me!" Daniel shouted now. "Whenever I even think of it, I can’t stop shaking! I can’t even describe what such a pain is like… and to be so helpless." Daniel grabbed her arm and turned her to face him. "I was tortured, and you might as well have caused it yourself! If he is allowed to repeat it…" Daniel couldn’t even finish the sentence.

"Petrach means only to protect me and the City," she defended.

"No, Gaia, he enjoys it," Daniel spat out the words.

When it seemed as if the woman was on the verge of breaking down at this truthful revelation, she collected herself again. She would yet convince this man to yield to her desires, and then she would protect him from Petrach if necessary. Her voice turned soothing; "I will not let my Uncle subject you to that again. I want you to relax, enjoy this time with me." She tenderly removed his shirt and reaching for his hand, placed it inside the fold of her dress, encouraging him to explore her breasts. Instead, he pulled back. Now, she became angry, "You still refuse what I offer?"

"You still don’t understand," Daniel continued. "You want me to desire you, sexually, you wish to be the fulfillment of my dreams. But Gaia… there is no love between us! What you call "wicked" and "forbidden" - where I am from, it’s the ultimate expression of deep and committed love. Without that love, it can never be great! And especially for me, to do this while I love another… that would be very wrong!"

Tears formed in Gaia’s eyes, if he were telling the truth - she would never know this pleasure. He must be an accomplished liar! "Undress… completely… now! No more words!" she commanded, wiping away the tears and regaining her regal composure. "But first, you will kiss me!"

Daniel saw her fingers rest on the black button and felt he had no choice but to comply. As Gaia pulled his face into a strong, desirous kiss and began to stroke him with her hands, he felt his body begin to betray him and respond to her touches. His mind made unbidden comparisons with Hathor’s touch… her foreplay… and her conquest of him. He trembled visibly and pulled back from her, a fury boiling within him. "This is what you want, your most Holy and Perfect Priestess? Oh, you can take me, like this, under threat of death or half drugged out of my senses. In fact, incredibly enough… it’s happened to me before! And with a woman so evil… I remember it as a terrible nightmare! Go ahead! Do it! Whatever you want!" Extreme passion from long suppressed memories drove him now, "DO IT! Only I won’t remember pleasure and desire… only hatred of you!"

He stood, offering himself as a sacrifice, arms extended, eyes closed and waited. The Priestess stared at the man, no one ever had spoken to her in such a tone. She had never been denied anything. He looked so beautiful, standing at the edge of the water, his face flushed and chest glistening from the sweat of his passionate speech. She needed him…

‘No’ she told herself. ‘What you need is a quick fix for your passions, and Daniel was the victim.’ Gaia sighed, knowing she couldn’t continue if he were not a willing partner.

Daniel felt her remove the rest of his clothing and lead him into the tepid water. Something had changed, he didn’t know exactly what at first, but as he allowed himself to be led, unprotesting and obviously aroused, her touch had become more gentle and respectful. After several minutes, he realized she was only bathing him, performing the required cleansing ritual, with love and care. He had managed to change her heart. History would not repeat itself. "Gaia," he softly called her name as he looked down at her kneeling before him.

Slowly she rose, handing him a large cloth to cover himself.

"Thank you," he gratefully kissed her.

She smiled at him, "The woman you have given your love to is so very fortunate! I hope she appreciates you!" It confused her to see a response of pain in his eyes, but she inquired no further.

They left the pool and she allowed him to dress, promising to take him in search for the foreign priests, "I knew they were not from one of our cities. They’ve come here looking for you?"

"Yes, but I don’t understand why they left me. We’ve come here looking for help for our world. It exists very far from here," Daniel tried to explain, not certain what she knew of space and the function of the Stargate.

"Through God’s Gate?" she asked, piecing what she had heard together.

"Yes. A short time of travel through the Gate, but an extremely large distance away. We have an enemy that threatens our home, Earth. We had hoped whoever created your cities here, might know something about defeating this enemy of ours. We hoped to find helpful technology here, or something about a race called the Ancients," Daniel rushed to explain.

"You must be speaking of our Ancient gods, who built the Cities, made the laws. Are you clever with languages… translations?" she asked hopefully. At last, there may be something she could do to make amends to this man.

"Yes!" Daniel enthusiastically responded. "Is there something you can show me?"

"The great truths of the church and the law are written on strange tablets, embedded in the walls of the holy room. Only high members of the City Council may enter the room, but I don’t believe anyone goes there anymore. The councilmen, priests, all the people have lost the ability to translate the old messages, and now there is fear among the rulers about what they might reveal. I have always found it odd that we worship what we can not possibly understand!" Gaia grew increasingly excited. There might be truths uncovered to help Daniel and her people as well.

"Will you take me there?" he asked.

"If we are discovered committing this sacrilege, I will be powerless to protect you," bravery and worry played across her face.

"I understand... Before we go, Gaia, can you remove this - ‘instrument of god’ from my arm?" Daniel knew it kept him at an extreme disadvantage should they encounter any more of the priests, or Petrach in particular.

"No," she shook her head. "It must be cut out, surgically. I lack the skill as well as the tools."

"If you get me a knife, something to prevent infection, and a clean dressing I will attempt to remove it myself," Daniel insisted, growing a bit queasy at the thought… but it was preferable to another interrogation session.

"You don’t understand, it isn’t just the skill to not injure your arm. Removal of the instrument can cause the release of all of the chemicals it contains, if not done precisely, and that would be very dangerous for you. It could cause poisoning of your mind."

He asked her one more favor, "Could you give me the remote? At least I could activate… what is it… the red button, in order to keep myself alert."

She handed him the remote with no further questions, and with it a silent pledge to see him safely returned home. They began their journey to the holy room, staying well hidden in shadows. Night had fallen, and she knew that soon Petrach would come looking for Daniel.

Petrach had indeed gone searching for Daniel, looking first in the bathing chambers, then the sleeping quarters and finally Gaia’s rooms. Seeing that she was also not present, he activated the locator function within the stranger’s implant. Soon his guards would tell him exactly where his niece and Daniel were.

Pacing up and down the corridor, he waited impatiently for a response back. What he least expected was to be grabbed into the shadows by a large, muscular man with strange markings on his forehead. "Do not call out!" the man ordered, "or I shall be forced to silence you! I need to locate certain individuals who have come to your city. Will you direct me to them?"

At first, Petrach nodded a frightened ‘yes’ in response and began to lead the man down the hallway. Then, as the shock faded, he began to smile to himself. ‘Yet another stranger who must be shown the power of this City!’ he mused, as he stopped walking and turned to confront his attacker.

"You are not from this place!" he astutely commented. "What would you do if I refused to guide you any further? Would you attempt to force me? And if I were to call out an alarm, would you perhaps harm me in some way?" his eyes gleamed with anticipation. The gods were wise to create a City that so ably defended its people.

"I do not wish to hurt you, I only want to find my friends and we shall all leave," the warrior answered.

"But, if I were to shout… like this… HELP!!!!… and try to flee?" Petrach started to run away, but Teal’c’s reaction time was much faster, and he grabbed the man by the back of his robes, dragging him forcibly back.

Suddenly, a warm sensation flowed over Teal’c. It seemed to emanate from the very walls around him, and as it penetrated his muscles, he became immobilized. After a few seconds, he stood statue-still frozen in the position of attempting to grab hold of Petrach. He remained fully aware of the people gathering around him, and was unable to resist as the guards took him away. He could hear Petrach laughing uncontrollably, issuing orders for his implantation - and at the same time he felt the severe agitation of his larval Goa’uld. This place, something about this place was familiar to him,

This was the first Daniel had been able to walk about freely. His scholarly mind made constant notes of the types of statues, carvings and paintings that adorned the passageways. Every turn of a corner revealed another object of great beauty. Many of them seemed extremely old.

"Gaia," he whispered as they walked along, "have you been to the other cities? Are they all the same as this?"

"I have only heard stories from those who have gone out, there is no need for me to go elsewhere. This is the greatest of the cities… City One! The gods talk to each other, between cities, in brilliant flashes of many colored light. The flashes travel from church top to church top, beginning here. It is a glorious sight, I wish you could witness it," Gaia easily told him.

"City One has people of many talents; healers, those who repair, builders, planters, those who harvest and prepare food, and those who help design the next to be fabricated and prepare them for their place in the proper order of things." It was clear she couldn’t envision a society run any other way, and had never questioned it.

Daniel was very curious, "So, you have no childhood… no family life? Every joins society… um… the proper order of things… when they are pretty much fully grown?"

"Yes, the City and the gods help grow and instruct the new ones. That is the most perfect way."

In an almost offhand way, Daniel commented, "I can see why some people might choose to leave."

Gaia was shocked, "What? No one leaves! We have everything here. We owe our very lives to the City. To leave would be at best disrespectful and at worst… a sin!"

"If no one leaves, who are the ‘natural borns’ you spoke to me about?" Daniel continued questioning.

"Oh." She became quiet, "Daily I pray for them, it is most sad. They were not fabricated properly - they are flawed… perhaps because of their sins. The Council insisted they leave the City and now they bear imperfect, natural born children. I fear for them, living outside the City - without the guidance and direction of the gods. Stories say they are unable to learn and are physically weak… they probably will not survive."

"I have seen them, and your stories are wrong!" Daniel revealed. "They’re happy living a life where they are free to choose and worship for themselves. They enjoy family life and liberation from … this…" he thrust out his arm.

"You cause me to think improper thoughts! You are confusing me!" She wanted to believe Daniel. A free world where people thought for themselves sounded wonderful. But the teachings had long explained how this would lead to disaster; violence, imperfection, unhappiness.

Daniel noted that the walls became plainer - less decorated - as they turned down the final corridor to the holy room. Gaia had explained it as a small chamber, under the altar in the main worship hall.

"You must stay back and hand me the activator… the ‘remote’ as you call it. I will calm the guards and call when it is safe for you to come," Gaia instructed.

When she called for him, the guards were sleeping peacefully on either side of the chamber doorway. Gaia was puzzling over how to open the door, staring blankly at the symbols carved into it. "I have been told these writings are a warning for none but the most perfect to enter here."

Daniel’s eyes as well as his hands flitted over the carvings. The symbols varied in slight ways but he knew he could decipher them. He spoke softly, in order not to be overheard but also in respect of Gaia’s faith, "There’s been an error in translation either accidental or by design. The writings on this door invite all to enter and learn the truths. They practically require it of the people. And look… here… this tells how to get inside, as long as no one has tampered with it."

As Gaia watched him work, she knew in her heart that he was telling the truth. She had the dizzying feeling of her faith beginning to break down and dissolve with each new discovery.

"Colonel! Sir? C’mon sit up… talk to me. How are you feeling?"

Concerned blue eyes stared down at him as strong arms helped him sit up. It was difficult to choose words to speak, the first impulse being one of a blended language, but the woman… Carter… would not understand. "I’m - uh - I guess I’m OK, a little weak."

"Do you still hear voices?"

"No! No, I can’t hear them like before… like they were talking from somewhere close by - now…" he stopped to catch his breath. This was gonna sound very weird, "now they’re simply other thoughts my own mind is having. Do you understand?"

She was certainly trying, but this made no sense to her, "No sir, I don’t believe I do."

"I hear you talk, and my mind reacts to it in four different ways… one part is me… the others must be… them." He stopped briefly. "Sounds nuts, huh? I also know things…" His voice changed from a tone of explaining what he was feeling to an urgent statement, "There are some things I need to do." Jack got slowly to his feet and walked to the sealed entranceway. He touched the panel in two places, the door opened, and he strode quickly out of the room - never looking back.

Sam hurried to join him. She didn’t like what she was hearing, nor the sound of his voice as if it were struggling to keep his thoughts in order. So far, there were no signs of his mind slipping away from his control. She’d continue to watch closely, but if he did get into trouble, she wondered how she’d be able to help him.

Petrach growled out his orders, "Wake up and assemble the City Council! Judgment will be passed tonight on the two strangers! Also locate the visiting priests. Has the child been recovered?"

"No," was the trembling reply of the guard.

Petrach made a fist, pounding it repeatedly on the tabletop. "I am told the newest stranger’s body resists implantation? And that a beast grows within this man? I sense pure evil here - the City will be rid of it before the rising sun! Instruct the Council to review the law regarding use of God’s Gate. Finally, where is the other stranger? Has he been located?"

"Yes, but you will not be happy - he is in the holy room of truth."

"Choose five of your best men and come with me. My niece is to be brought to my quarters and detained there. The man is to be taken for final interrogation, conducted solely by me… Get your men! Go now!"

This was amazing! The amount of knowledge contained here… and history of the people of this world. Volumes upon volumes of information - it would take a lifetime to study it all. He focused on a few of the oldest appearing texts, ones with writing closest to that he’d come to associate with the Ancients. "Gaia, I must teach you… all your people how to read this! Your "gods" as you call them, don’t expect perfection; they want understanding, tolerance, unity, equality and peaceful coexistence. There are some beautiful things written here…" When she didn’t respond, he kept reading. Some interesting papers that might have been discussions on Goa’uld larvae… hard to tell at a quick glance. There were technical manuals there too, including diagrams of stargates. There was more information than he ever expected to find. He eagerly consumed it - unaware of why Gaia had stopped responding.

Gaia could see them entering the room behind Daniel, she placed herself protectively between him and his would be captors. "Uncle, we have discovered much. Things that can no longer be ignored or hidden away."

"Take her," Petrach commanded, and the guards obeyed.

Daniel reacted to the sound of the guards entering and Gaia’s protests. He fumbled in his pockets for the remote and froze in place when he realized the priestess had taken it back from him. Petrach was speaking to him now, but the lightheaded feeling from the sleeping drug mixed the words up in his mind. He wanted to leave the room… his life depended on getting away from his tormentor… but he could only stumble forward, and fell face first onto the floor.

He didn’t need to open his eyes to know where he was. The room had the same smell - it was cold and sterile. The chair held him tightly and his head was locked in place… as before. There were some differences though, no monitor sounds, no pressure cuff, no airway tube - there were simply the probes and electrodes that delivered the pain stimulation. Daniel’s throat was too dry to swallow, and at the same time his clothing was drenched in nervous sweat. He didn’t open his eyes… didn’t want them to know he was awake. ‘He probably wants to hear me beg this time,’ Daniel thought, ‘and doesn’t give a damn if I die here.’

The voice spoke to him, only not over some speaker this time… the voice was speaking directly into his ear; "You must be awake. I have summoned you to wakefulness. No matter, I do not require you to answer me - your screams will be conversation enough!"

"You have to be careful, Petrach," Daniel opened his eyes, summoned his courage and talked to the man. "More of your people will come to know the truth, and they will see you for what you really are."

"The people are mindless fools, who look to me to tell them what is right and wrong. You, and those with you, have tried to upset the balance, but I will not allow it to happen!" He leaned over, his mouth inches away from his captive, "How much pain can you withstand? And for how long?" He hesitated a long while, enjoying the fear he was instilling within the helpless man. "Remember it? Some have described it as their nerves being torn right out of their skin… or set on fire… all manner of wonderful descriptions! How did it feel for you, Daniel? Trust me, you won’t have to think about it much longer!" He left Daniel’s side and sat down at the controls.

He couldn’t turn his head to see the man’s face, but Daniel knew there had to be a smile. Begging wouldn’t help, it would probably excite Petrach even more… Somehow he needed to stall him. Where were Jack and Sam? They had to be coming back, they couldn’t have left him there. "Are you at all curious about what I managed to find out?"

"No," the inquisitor calmly answered and let out a slight yawn. "I am growing tired, I think I ought to proceed with your interrogation…don’t you?"

Laughter rang out and Daniel’s heart raced as he dug his fingers into the chair. ‘God help me,’ he prayed.

By the time the Captain had found him, the Colonel had opened a hidden stairway within the steeple of the church and had made his way almost to the top. She stared in wonder at what he’d found there, a bank of electronic consoles… much like computers. What appeared to be keyboards, consisted of hundreds of colored lights in slightly differing hues. O’Neill paced busily between them, entering what must be information codes first into one machine and then another. She watched him for a moment, silently observing. "Colonel, are you… fixing… something?" she asked for lack of a better guess at what he was attempting to do.

A voice that was not entirely Jack’s answered her, "Mistakes of a millennia, sweet, inquisitive Captain Carter!"

"We do not mean to imply that we believe you to be simply sweet… you can be as violent and single minded as the Colonel can be… at times. We believe you might call it… ‘human nature’ correct?" he continued to talk to her - but referring to himself in the third person.

"What’s happened to the Colonel?" Sam’s voice rose to a worried pitch.

"Don’t fret, Carter, I’m still here," familiar, yet not reassuring words were spoken in response.

"Do you understand what you’re doing, sir?" she was ready to pull him out of there at the first sign of danger.

"I don’t have time to explain… I’ll put it this way, I need to turn all this stuff off. It’s screwing up the people here. They need to run things for themselves," he stopped briefly and looked at Sam. "Make sense?"

"Turn it all off? That’s what these voices needed you to do?" she decided to go with it, for now she had no other choice. She could see brilliant strobes of colored light flashing from the top of the church, out into the darkness beyond.

"It’s working!" Jack announced excitedly. "Won’t be long now!"

The City Council assembled outside, fearful of the unexpected displays from the church tower. They regarded Teal’c with great suspicion, thinking it must be a sign of the gods’ disapproval of his presence there.

For his part, Teal’c was beginning to sense why there was a familiar feeling to the City. He rarely received impressions from his larval Goa’uld, but now it was expressing something to him… an unfamiliar emotion. It certainly was not fear. It was more of a longing, a sensation of being reunited with something lost. It was the Goa’uld itself that recognized something about this place… perhaps from it’s genetic memories. This confused Teal’c, as the place was obviously not of Goa’uld origin - and in fact had many signs of being created by the Ancients. He began to wonder if there was a past association between the Goa’uld and the Ancients that had been long forgotten.

The Leader of the Council began speaking to the gathering crowd, "The Council has determined that the gods are angered, and it becomes necessary to appease them. The stranger will be sent through God’s Gate, using the symbols of activation!" He held up a large scroll, revealing the seven symbols, as the crowd cheered its approval.

Teal’c’s eyes grew wide and he called out, "You must not do this! I know those symbols… it is a place I must never travel to, if it is in fact real! The home world of a most ancient Goa’uld… a place of myth and legend… it is Tuat… the ancient home of Sokor!"

The Council leader responded directly to Teal’c, "It is the only set of activation symbols we know of. Our gods have given the symbols to us. That you fear this place does not surprise me, it is the place of eternal punishment and damnation!"

It had begun. Daniel was so tense, he thought his fingers would break from their tight grip of the chair. Petrach was toying with him. Slight jolts of pain to his legs, his arms… nothing terrible… all of it terrifying because of what was to come. Gaia’s words rang in his ears, and he tried to speak them, "For…bidden…. to … to… harm … others…"

He could hear Petrach laughing again, "If the City prevents your death, so be it. I will enjoy all the pain it permits me to inflict upon you!"

Apparently he tired of the chase and went for the kill. The pain levels increased four fold and Daniel found himself screaming uncontrollably as his back arched and his body made a futile attempt to free itself from the bonds. When pain becomes that intense, it whites out all other sensation and thought. He was riveted to it as much as he wanted to escape from it. He would forget to breathe, until the traumatized and oxygen starved lungs would pull hard enough to force gulps of air inside him. His skin color changed to a blistering red, as if it were on fire. Muscles spasmed, eyes squeezed uncomfortably closed and veins bulged. There was nothing to feel but the pain, and it became increasingly impossible to tolerate. There was no riding it out, no distraction from it. He couldn’t even direct his voice to scream any longer.

Petrach grew annoyed when the screaming stopped. It was a reassuring sign that the torture was having the desired effect. He dialed back slightly on the degree of stimulation and watched with satisfaction as his captive became more visibly aware.

Daniel knew what the sadist was doing, for as soon as his body began to relax - just a bit, and his head clear to a minor throbbing… the pain would return, even more viciously. He couldn’t hold back the screams. In a more lucid moment, he began calling for Jack - yelling that he needed him… begging for him to come… Then more jagged bolts of white-hot pain. A horrible thought occurred to him, perhaps he could last like this for hours.

The very same, and very exciting thought had also occurred to Petrach as his sweaty hands danced over the controls.

"Go!" Jack commanded her. "Daniel’s in big trouble… go… now!"

"What?" Sam asked, quite confused.

"I’ve just managed to turn most everything off… and now…" he hesitated. The horrible realization was just hitting him. "We have turned off the City’s defense system, which prohibited inhabitants from doing each other irreparable harm. Your friend is about to become the first victim of our decision, if you do not hurry!" Jack nearly pushed her out the door as he hastily directed her to where Daniel was being held.

"How do you know this?" she asked. There was no response, as the Colonel returned to his work. ‘OK,’ she said to herself, ‘here goes! Hang on Daniel, I’m coming!’

She sat thinking in her Uncle’s chambers, but for once she was not pouting in a self-absorbed snit. She could think only of Daniel, the strange priests (or whoever his friends were) and an odd feeling that had come over her. The City had changed, it just didn’t feel right. She had been tuned to its heartbeat ever since she could remember. Something was different - a palpable emptiness filled the very walls.

Gaia knew Petrach must have Daniel by now, and she was determined to go to her new friend’s aid. Checking the doorway, she discovered the guard’s attention was drawn to some sort of gathering in the courtyard below. She took the opportunity to silently slip out, unnoticed, and head for the place where criminals and sinners were held. She’d never ventured there before - not wishing to know what actually went on. Now, she remembered Daniel’s pained account of what he was subjected to, and she vowed to help him.

Torture is certainly about pain, but it is in equal measure about powerlessness. It is about the effect on the mind, body and soul of repeated brutality and cruelty that a person is helplessly forced to endure without hope of relief or possible escape. Part of the person’s mind remains forever affected, permanently imprinted. For Daniel, shock was beginning to set in and with it a certain amount of numbness.

Petrach was preparing to leave, having lost interest in his almost comatose subject. He felt wonderful, revitalized and a bit hungry. His hand rested on the lever that would inflict maximum pain if depressed fully. He never pressed the lever, in fact he had no time whatsoever to react, Carter wouldn’t give him the chance. Knowing full well that her weapon would now work, she drew the zat gun and fired a long blast. Petrach was greatly surprised and complained loudly about the pain before collapsing onto the floor.

"Daniel!" her voice cried out, as Sam moved to his side. Quickly sizing up the situation, she deftly removed the probes and began to undo his restraints. "It’s gonna be OK… we’re going home now." She could tell that he saw her, but nothing registered in his eyes. When she went to help him up from the chair, he cowered as if he were about to be attacked. "Daniel! Do you hear me? Look at me… it’s Sam!"

Just then, she heard a noise behind her and Sam whirled about expecting to see Petrach trying to get up, instead it was the Priestess who entered the room, her eyes filled with tears, her hands shaking. "Have I come too late? He said I may as well have tortured him myself… did I also cause his death?"

"No," Sam answered her, relaxing a bit, "he’s alive, but he’s not responding."

"Daniel! It is Gaia! You have taught me so much about love, the true meaning of my faith, becoming less selfish… you have more to do! You must teach me how to translate, how to read the holy texts. Daniel?… He does not answer me!"

Sam nodded, "He’s in shock."

"Perhaps his instrument has started to malfunction as well," Gaia pointed to his arm. "I do not know how to remove it."

Sam examined Daniel’s arm. The wound had been scratched open, as if Daniel had tried unsuccessfully to pull the device out before being captured. She prodded it gently, judging by how raw it appeared, that any touch would be extremely painful. Daniel showed no reaction. "Gaia, help me get him out of the City and back to the Gate, please? I need to take him home."

"There will be many people at God’s Gate. The Council has condemned a man to be punished there - another stranger - a tall, dark-skinned man with gold markings on his head."

"Teal’c" Sam breathed. "How long ago did you see this?"

"Just now, as I was making my way here. You know this man as well?" Gaia marveled at the many people and places she must know nothing about.

"We came here together, we’re a team… the four of us. And with your help, I intend us to return together as well," Sam finished hopefully.

With the women’s help, Daniel was able to walk albeit slowly, he remained unresponsive when they tried to speak with him.

"OK… done!" O’Neill announced proudly. "I’ve finished everything you guys wanted me to do - now you can get out of my head."

‘That’s not exactly possible.’

"What do you mean, ‘not exactly’?" Jack was not interested in hearing excuses.

‘We are not really here… we are a projection, using your mind and body from where we truly are - quite far away!’

"So… you’re not really here… then… GO!" Jack spoke with exasperation.

‘What we’re saying is once we are projected on your mind, it can not be reversed… we can’t just jump out!’

‘Besides, we rather like it here. For all your flaws, you perform remarkably well!’

"Let’s get something straight. I DON’T like you here! If you’re the same guys who messed with my head last go round, the Asgaard took you away!" Jack nearly yelled at the voices.

‘Oh… Asgaard… Asgaard… so sure of themselves, always doing the right thing… saving planets - quite high on themselves really!’

‘Never liked them much myself… too overrated!’

Jack exploded, "WILL YOU LISTEN TO ME? They got rid of you, right?"

‘No, not exactly. They disconnected the projection of us from your conscious thought. Then we faded over time. It seems to usually work that way.’

‘But your mind remained receptive to our calling… good thing, or you’d not have known to help us!’

Jack continued to speak to the voices as he began a search of the buildings for the rest of SG-1, "So, you are the race called the Ancients? And you have these machines hanging around so you can plug projections of yourselves into people’s brains? Why?"

‘It seems that as we ran about your galaxy, we were a young, impulsive race.

We made mistakes!’

‘Many of them.’

‘They required repairing, modifying… so we devised a way to project ourselves with the aid of deliverers. Slowly we’ve gone about, fixing things.’

Jack complained once again, "I’d really like you to fix ME!"

‘You are not in any danger. We have learned how to work with your mind, not stress it and overtake it as before. You are perfectly fine!’

"LOOK AT ME! I’m walking around, talking to voices in my head which are projections of actual aliens, galaxies away. I don’t think the US Military would say I’m perfectly fine!" Jack continued to object.

‘Probably, we’ll fade as before.’

"PROBABLY? Come on! I helped you… now the least you could do is…" Jack began.

‘I know! Find the Asgaard again… mister fixits … then you’re all set!’

"I don’t know how to find the Asgaard, and you should know that!" Jack reminded them.

‘Then, live with it. Our guess is… not longer than 40 or 50 Centemes!’

"Centemes? What a relief!" Jack sarcastically responded. "I’m really not going to like this am I? Here’s a question for you… was Earth one of the places you made mistakes?"

‘He would ask.’

‘At times, too clever.’

‘Don’t answer him!’

‘Why not? He can search our thoughts if he tries hard enough and find out for himself. Yes, we made mistakes… a rather big one actually. Then we took off in rather a hurry! Seems we discovered a dying race and took pity on it.

We studied their larvae for hundreds of centimes… nurtured them… ‘

‘Tell him right out. We brought the one called Ra to Tau’ri… what you now call Earth. We had no idea what sort of beings the Goa’uld would turn out to be!’

‘Nasty creatures!’

‘We designed our machines not to ever use one of them as a deliverer.’

"Ahhh, that explains why it didn’t work on Teal’c, he’s a member of my team - a Jaffa," Jack told them.

‘Why do you keep explaining things to us? We live within your mind, remember?’

"For cryin out loud! I don’t like anyone being in my mind but me! And now you tell me YOU are responsible for rescuing the Goa’uld race. Do you know they transplanted humans and used them as slaves throughout the galaxy?" Jack chastised them.

‘We brought humans too. In order to set up wonderful places for them, perfect places such as this!’

"Oh ya… this certainly worked… well!" Jack scoffed.

‘You can be snide if you want to, but we have done wondrous things! We may have been a bit too enthusiastic, but we meant well!’

"Here’s the really big question. Can you help us fight the Goa’uld?" Jack asked directly.

‘We aren’t fighters. In fact, we are adept at running away from violence.’

"Something tells me, if you let us in on some of your technology, we’d be able to use it to Earth’s advantage," Jack encouraged.

‘You are not ready.’

‘Too violent, too impulsive… self-centered.’

"We’re talking in circles here, and I’m not exactly what you’d call an ambassador. Do you know where the rest of my team is?" he returned to the important issue, finding everyone.

"They seem to be at what you call the Stargate, clever name for it by the way. We like the name! We designed them you know!’

‘You might want to go and speak to the crowd assembled there. They wish to punish the Jaffa.’

Jack looked at the man staggering down the street in front of him, and a thought came to mind, "I’ll give ‘em someone to punish!"

Although it was proving futile, Teal’c tried to appeal to the Council and the crowd to reconsider. The Leader of the Council expressed his regret that Teal’c could not be properly prepared for passage, but since implantation was not achieved, he must remain aware through the entire process. Next the man launched into a series of chants and prayers. The crowd joined in, as Teal’c stood restrained by four guards eyeing the DHD pedestal nervously.

In the darkness behind the crowd, he perceived some movement. He relaxed as he saw who it was, and spoke to the man, "Eppin! You have come… at great risk. I thank you!"

"The people of the mountains have put aside their fear. They have come to God’s Gate to prevent yet another injustice from happening. We will not allow the people from City One to put yet another person to death, who’s sin is only that of being different from them… or somehow less than perfect!" Eppin spoke bravely and with great conviction. To Teal’c he offered, "I knew it was only a matter of time until they decided to be rid of you. I also knew I could not run away! Not anymore!"

Gaia approached the assembly, and upon hearing the outsider speak, she knew great changes were about to happen to her world. They were good changes, and she would help to bring them about.

When the common people from the City saw the High Priestess, they began to bow in worship.

She forbid it, "Do not bow to me! This night I will show you the true intentions of the gods… of the makers of this place. Listen to what this outsider says! He tells you wisely that it would be a greater sin to cast this man into God’s Gate, than to welcome him into our midst… including his faults and differences!"

Sam marveled at how the young priestess was blossoming into a true leader. The Council members didn’t appear to be at all convinced. It wouldn’t be easy for Gaia to unite her people, but Sam sensed that she had the strength of will to accomplish it.

Sam turned her attention to Daniel. He would’ve loved to see what an impact he’d had on Gaia, and how things were about to change for the good, in large measure because of him. He didn’t seem to be seeing or hearing anything, and a distant sadness remained in his eyes. Sam gently guided him to a sitting position on a rock and watched the drama unfold before her.

Many were unwilling to free Teal’c, they questioned why the gods seemed to be upset… why the church had flashed so unusually. In the midst of the debate, two more figures appeared. Jack walked into the middle of the group and roughly tossed Petrach onto the ground. "If you folks are looking for someone guilty of crimes and sins… take a good, long look at this fella!"

Gaia proceeded to tell the story of her Uncle’s secret interrogations and manipulations of the City Council, as well as his suppression of the truth about the ancient writings. Teal’c was forgotten as the people gathered to listen to their priestess.

Jack embraced each of his team members in turn, saving Daniel for last. "How is he?" Jack asked Sam.

"I don’t know. Physically, he’ll be alright, needs to heal. As for the rest… I really don’t know," Sam had a very sad tone to her voice.

O’Neill pulled Sam and Teal’c aside to continue his questioning out of earshot of Daniel, "Petrach had him hooked up to some sort of torture chamber?"

Sam nodded her acknowledgment, "Between that and the constant use of the drugs to control his behavior… it’s going to take a while, sir. Gaia tells me Daniel began to decipher some ancient texts. The real truths these people want to be living by. She’s talking about him as quite a hero!"

"We need to ask him… which book did he like best? We have our personal favorites you know!" Jack answered her.

"Sir?" was her startled reply. "You still hearing ‘them’, Colonel?"

"Ya… about ‘them’, Captain. Seems they might be around for … well… Centemes! If things seem to be settling down around here, it might just be a good idea for me to stay awhile longer. At least until ‘they’ … fade…" he looked for her reaction, completely embarrassed at what he’d just said.

"Fade… sir. You did say, fade? Um, sure! Sounds like a plan! I really think we should get Daniel back though. Someone’s got to remove that blasted device from his arm." Sam turned to look at him, and was very pleasantly surprised at what she saw.

Samus’ parents had plopped the baby on Daniel’s lap and the child had begun to clamor for attention. At first, Daniel barely recognized there was a baby in his arms. He wanted all of existence to simply go away. He had stopped trying to cope. Then he felt small hands tracing his lips, poking at his nose. The child leaned into his chest for a comforting snuggle and complained in a whining tone until he would receive one.

The complete innocence of the baby, its trust and spontaneous lilting laughter… they all reached Daniel’s heart in a way that nothing else could that night. He hugged the child back, and at the same time as he found himself smiling, he also began to cry. He had survived, through something he’d never want to think about again, but would undoubtedly come to him in darkest hours. He was alive, and life, although certainly not perfect, continued on about him.

Daniel became aware of the concerned looks of his teammates, as he tried to manage a teary eyed smile back at them. They joined him, encircling him, placing hands on his shoulders - silently supporting their friend. Jack squatted down next to Daniel, "Kid still looks cute! You however… are another matter entirely! Know what? We never did have that talk I wanted to have! You know the one... about sticking next to me... following protocol..."

"Jack, I… I feel like hell… so empty, tired…" Daniel spoke his first words, since his ordeal and it felt good to be saying them to Jack.

"You’ve got a long way to go, Danny," Jack answered him softly. "Believe me, I know. We’ll take it bit by bit each day as it comes. You’re gonna be fine!… So! We were just curious, which of the ancient books did you like best?"

Daniel tipped his head and looked quizzically at Jack. "Are you feeling alright? You kinda just switched to the royal ‘we’ or something…"

"Oh... about that... seems we have a lot to talk about!" Jack looked away, trying to think of a way to explain all that had happened to Daniel... then thought better of it - at least for that night.

Meanwhile, Eppin had reassured Sam that he could safely remove the instrument in Daniel’s arm. He also announced that his family had been invited to return to the City... and he was seriously considering the offer.

The team sat in quiet reflection, watching the crowds slowly filter back to their homes, each member sensing that the full impact of the what had happened would be felt for some time to come.

Epilogue

Three months. I think SG-1 is setting a record for longest, continuous off-world mission, but it’s been worth every minute. Gaia had suggested I keep a detailed record of all that’s happened. I couldn’t bring myself to write it down, until now.

Gaia… what a smart, compassionate leader she’s turned out to be! And her people - I think they’re happy with the changes, although some are happier than others are. I suppose those who considered themselves most perfect have felt the greatest disappointment and disorientation. The Council warned of an increasingly violent society. That hasn’t happened, at least not yet. What I see is a hard working, honest and open people trying to create a society that they can truly call their own. The ancient texts are a good guide, at least the way they were originally intended.

As a whole, those who felt their belief system ripped from them when the ‘gods’ were suddenly exposed, became profoundly sad, terribly affected. An unlikely spiritual guide stepped from among us to teach them how to cope and build a new faith. It was Teal’c. He had experienced similar feelings and thought he was best equipped to help. He also became a constant companion to Eppin, learning a great deal from him about their vehicle propulsion systems. A few nights, I’ve seen him meditating and trying to contact his infant Goa’uld directly. He thinks he might achieve communication, and that would open up a whole other set of possibilities! Mostly, Teal’c has been keeping constantly busy in order to avoid Jack. - at least that’s my opinion. Jack has been, well, more on that later.

General Hammond was interested in pursuing the Goa’uld Stargate address provided by City One. I recently read the reports from the SGC’s attempts to send MALPs. Didn’t surprise me, the MALPs apparently were able to reintegrate, but were immediately destroyed before any useful data could be retrieved. Either the planetary conditions were too harsh causing the MALP to vaporize, or there is some sort of defense mechanism in place. In a way, I’m glad. I felt this was not a place we would want to travel to.

Sam didn’t know what to study first! She seemed so pleased with herself, once everything calmed a bit, and she could stop fretting over me. Finally, she was able to begin to understand the power source for the DHD and the Gate itself. Seems it has to do with the molecular structure of the naquada mineral, the alignment of the subatomic particles and tapping into their energy. I wish everyone could have seen the time she brought one of the technical manuals I had begun to translate to Jack… for some input from the Ancients. To say that Jack was ‘pleased’ to be able to explain subatomic physics to Sam, is quite the understatement! In fact, Sam had a similar experience as well. The Tok’Ra requested a new bit of knowledge she’d acquired from here, and she was more than willing to help. I won’t say she lorded it over them, but at the same time I could sense a great satisfaction at a Tau’Ri teaching the Tok’Ra a thing or two! Jack is continually harassing her. He’s desperate to know how long a centeme is supposed to be!

Now I come to Jack… Whenever I fully understood what he’d allowed to happen to himself, how he risked so much to help these people, I was… well… I wasn’t shocked or really even surprised, Jack can operate that way when he wants to. My respect for the man just deepened a hundred times over. (He better not read this!) And, yes, he does ask me about centemes as well. Those voices are still around, perhaps a slight bit less… but we all take it in stride now. Jack prefers not to go home until they are gone. Hammond doesn’t much care, as long as SG-1 keeps sending useful information. I think Jack is flattered that the Ancients seem to like him so much.

Hmm, looks like I’ve left someone out… namely me! Apparently they took me back to SGC for one week after… for drug detox. I don’t remember any of it! Then, when I could think straight again, they allowed me to come back and begin the translation and teaching phase of the mission. For a month, I was in heaven! Nice people, great working conditions… and the things I learned, about the Ancients, Earth, philosophy, and culture… it will most definitely fill a book or two!

Five weeks to the day when… when Sam… freed me… I had a breakdown of sorts. I couldn’t stand being in a room by myself and I started having terrifying dreams. The kind you don’t go back to sleep after. Then, one day, I had a beer - or their equivalent - and when I began to feel the relaxed buzz, my mind snapped. I took off for two days, no one could find me. I still don’t remember where I went. Gaia told me it was time to remember and face the fear of my… of when… it all happened. I tried to make light of it, insisting I wasn’t afraid.

She took me to the room, 8 weeks to the day. She’d purposefully left things just as… he… had placed them. The first time, I could only walk into the room and I had to leave.

This is much harder to write than I thought it would be!

The next time I returned, I sat in the chair… I even asked Gaia to leave, feeling secure, confident that nothing could hurt me. I didn’t expect the flashbacks that threatened to paralyze me, but I wouldn’t let them. I willed them to scroll through my mind, keeping control, but just barely. It was then that Jack came in. He didn’t want me to relive those memories alone, and I was very much in need of a friend’s touch by then.

He saw me shaking, I guess, and we didn’t need to exchange words. He grabbed hold of me, it seems he’s had to do that a lot. At times like that, he’s a rock… someone to anchor me… someone who knows exactly what I’m going through. I started to mumble an apology for being so weak, he waved it off immediately. I remember he told me, "Daniel, you’re facing the hold this has on you, and you’re beating it! You’re winning! That takes guts and strength!"

Two weeks ago, as we left the dining hall, Jack told me there was one thing left that I hadn’t done yet and until I did it… the nightmares would continue. He’d also told Sam and Teal’c and they joined up with us as well. I suspected what he meant, and as we entered the row of homes that had become quarters for rehabilitating criminals, I was certain. They were taking me to face Petrach. There, I wrote his name! I couldn’t even speak or think it until two weeks ago.

He seemed old and a bit tired as he came to the door to greet us. Doctors had placed him on psychoactive medications and his violent tendencies had lessened. I had no idea what sort of reaction he’d give me as Jack provided the introduction. The man reached out to shake my hand, and I felt my knees going weak, Teal’c helped me to a chair, as Petrach hurried to get me a glass of water. He seemed very concerned about my welfare, and I don’t think he remembered who I was…

I relaxed, there was no need to fear this man any longer. Jack never took his eyes off of me. After we said our good byes, he took me aside and wanted to know how it felt… to finally confront my… to confront the one who… tortured me. There, I can finally say that as well! I told him it was good, it made me feel peaceful, relieved. I saw that he wasn’t the monster my mind constantly dreamed of, and I could begin to forgive him… just the littlest bit. Jack confided that he’d wanted to be able to do just that, ever since Desert Storm and the Iraqi jail. That’s why he made sure I got the chance. I made a mental note to get him talking one of these nights - about what he’d been through, what nightmares still remained. I was more prepared to listen with an understanding ear now.

Three months of our lives! The voices of the Ancients have got Jack poking fun at the Asgaard now… sure hope it doesn’t get him into trouble one day! He told me, when he asked them about the Furlings - they laughed hysterically and begged not to get them started! They’d love for Jack to come visit them… you can imagine HIS response to that! Ya… right!

Daniel put down the diary and sat back in a dreamy haze. Perfection… Daniel reflected, gazing up to the sparkling night sky. He thought of a quote long forgotten, told to him by a professor who realized the promise in a student who applied himself so tirelessly to his work, trying to figure it all out… trying to get it just right…

"The indefatigable pursuit of an unattainable perfection, even though it may consist in nothing more than in the pounding of an old piano, is what alone gives a meaning to our life on this unavailing star." (Logan Pearsall Smith)

"Unattainable perfection," Daniel muttered. A fine goal to give meaning to life, as long as one realizes, that a life well lived strives for perfection... all the while content in knowing it can never be reached.

© June 20, 1999 The characters mentioned in this story are the property of Showtime and Gekko Film Corp. The Stargate, SG-I, the Goa’uld and all other characters who have appeared in the series STARGATE SG-1 together with the names, titles and backstory are the sole copyright property of MGM-UA Worldwide Television, Gekko Film Corp, Glassner/Wright Double Secret Productions and Stargate SG-I Prod. Ltd. Partnership. This fanfic is not intended as an infringement upon those rights and solely meant for entertainment. All other characters, the story idea and the story itself are the sole property of the author.