"Daniel Jackson." A shiver went up his spine as the Goa'uld addressed him by name. He knew her, of course, though the last time he'd seen her had been at the Goa'uld Summit two years prior.
"Kali the Destroyer," Daniel said in acknowledgment from where he stood between two Jaffa guards, so large they almost made Teal'c look short and scrawny. Daniel was still a bit dazed from the tranquilizer used to capture him. He'd only been awake for a few minutes and was still slightly disorientated. Shaking his head to clear it, Daniel looked around the immense room in which he currently stood.
The fortress was like a medieval castle with this room being the main hall. The ceilings were so high Daniel had to crane his head back to even catch a glimpse of them. Though it was the middle of the day, the sunlight filtering through small, high windows in the masonry walls wasn't enough to dispel the gloom. An enormous open fireplace blazed at one end with dozens of lamps lit along the walls.
Daniel stood perfectly still, his attention once again returned to Kali as she walked slowly around him, feeling her eyes move over every inch of him. "You would make a perfect new host for my consort," she announced with an evil smile. Daniel's blood ran cold at her words. She stopped in front of him, gripping his chin in cruel fingers to turn his face left, then right.
"Unfortunately, you are not mine to do with as I please." She paused, eyes narrowed and Daniel thought he detected a trace of . . fear? "The other System Lords have sent you to me because we have a task for you."
"A task?" Daniel queried, his skin crawling where her fingers still held him.
"A vital task." Kali released his chin and turned away, her elaborate robes flaring out dramatically as she moved to sit on her large gold throne. "Perform it well and you will be allowed to live. Osiris will be here in three days to review your efforts." Daniel swallowed at the mention of the other Goa'uld, his throat suddenly very dry.
"Take him to the west tower," Kali told her Jaffa with a negligent wave of her hand. "And Daniel Jackson-" He paused at the silky tones. "Do what we wish or I will kill you myself."
Daniel's first view of the west tower was from between the same two huge Jaffa, their fry pan sized hands securely wrapped around his upper arms. The vast sunlit room, situated on the left hand side of the castle, was bathed in warm afternoon sun. Spread out within the room were several tables, their surfaces littered with scrolls, tablets and papers.
"Lord Sobek and Lady Renenet," one of the Jaffa guards addressed the room's only occupants, his deep voice echoing within the walls. "Our lady Kali presents you with the Tau'ri, Daniel Jackson."
"Bring him forward," Sobek commanded the Jaffa. Daniel had no choice but to obey the command as he was taken further into the room. He was brought to a halt before a man and woman; his two Jaffa guards released him and moved to stand at one side.
Daniel sized up the two Goa'uld before him. Sobek was a typical Goa'uld host - tall, handsome and slim. 'Maybe the Goa'uld will get unpredictable one day and choose ugly hosts,' Daniel thought before turning his attention to the female, Renenet. Abstractly Daniel thought she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Long blonde hair, so pale it was almost white in the sunlight, framed a perfect face. Only the coldness in her green eyes detracted from her overall beauty. She watched Daniel with an uncomfortable intensity.
"You will decipher all this for us," Sobek's cold two-in-one voice told him, indicating the room and its contents with a wave of his arm.
"Just this?" Daniel was unable to hold in the sarcastic remark. He kept his face blank as his eyes flitted around the room. 'No chance of escape here,' he thought, knowing the many flights of stairs he had been forced to climb since leaving Kali would put this room hundreds of feet above the ground.
"Begin your task." An arrogant sneer distorted Sobek's features, taking away from his handsomeness. Daniel, having little choice, moved even further into the room. Several chairs had been placed near the tables. Daniel walked to the nearest table, collected several scrolls then pulled up a chair to sit down.
While Sobek stayed at a distance, studying the countryside from the open window, Renenet came to stand at Daniel's side. "Do you recognize the text?" she asked him, once again making him uncomfortable with her direct assessing eyes.
"Some of it," Daniel answered warily as he silently weighed his options. He knew his chances of escape were slim while his immense Jaffa guards were kept nearby and, even if he did manage to escape this fortress, not knowing its location or even if it had a Stargate only added to his problems. Daniel sighed softly and decided it was best to play along for now.
"This," Renenet pointed to the scroll he had lying open in front of him, "is written in the language of the builders of the Stargates. This other one is unknown to us, though Osiris has informed us you will know how to read it."
"It's cuneiform." Daniel identified the writing as he unrolled the indicated scroll. "An ancient Earth writing," he explained. Looking up he found himself mesmerized by the green eyes of the woman next to him. Swallowing quickly, he turned all his attention to the scrolls, uneasy with her intense regard.
After spending several hours working on the scrolls, Daniel removed his glasses. With his elbows on the table he held his head in his hands, rubbing fingers over his tired eyes. "Enough for one day," Renenet announced. As Daniel's eyes met hers, she commanded the Jaffa. "Take him to his cell."
Daniel was escorted back the way he had come earlier that day by his Jaffa guards, bypassing the main hall to go down stairs into what he assumed were the dungeons, judging by the dank and unpleasant odors assaulting him. His spirits plummeted. He'd hoped his prison cell would be above ground to at least give him some hope of escape. Daniel and his guards made their way down a dark tunnel to stop at an open doorway. Without ceremony Daniel was thrown into the cell.
"Thanks," he said sarcastically, picking himself up off the cold floor. The door closing with a solid clank was his only reply. Daniel shuddered, the coldness already soaking through his BDUs. He let his gaze roam around the cell. Solid brick walls surrounded him, with the only opening a slight slit in the wooden door to allow the guards to check on him. On the cot against one wall were folded blankets, a bowl of something with steam rising from it and a cup of what looked like water. 'All the comforts of home,' Daniel thought wryly.
He walked forward to sit on the bunk. Picking up the bowl Daniel brought it close to his face to cautiously sniff the contents. Much to his surprise it smelt quite appetizing. The brief thought that it was drugged crossed his mind only to be dismissed - why would they bother? He quickly ate the contents of the bowl, only at that moment discovering how hungry he was. Thinking back he realized he hadn't eaten anything since breakfast that morning, or was that yesterday morning?
Afterwards, he unfolded a blanket to wrap around his shoulders and sat back on the cot, resting against the wall, slowly sipping the water. He missed his teammates and wondered where they were and what they were doing.
0000000000000000
"Dammit." The frustrated voice sounded loudly in the SGC briefing room. "Where the hell could he have taken Daniel?"
Teal'c raised an eyebrow. O'Neill had asked this same question many times during the past day, with increasing irritation.
The mission to M3C-567, an apparently deserted planet with no signs of any activity for a long time, had seemed the perfect opportunity for the four friends to reconnect, a chance for them to sit around the camp fire in the evenings and talk for hours.
On day two, while Sam and Teal'c were busy taking soil samples, Daniel, with Jack looking on, had been in the remains of a nearby temple. Daniel had been trying to read the faded inscriptions on the wall, without much success. Jack had only left him alone for five minutes while he did a perimeter check. He'd returned to find Daniel's notebook and pen scattered on the ground but no sign of the archaeologist.
Jack did a quick reconnoiter of the area but found no sign of his friend. He radioed to Sam and Teal'c but they hadn't seen any sign of their other teammate either. The sound of the Stargate activating had them all running in that direction. Coming over the crest of the hill they were just in time to see a giant of a man with a seemingly unconscious Daniel slung over his shoulder enter the Stargate. The wormhole shut down before they were close enough to read the address, leaving Jack cursing that the Stargates needed a redial ability.
Over the next couple of hours the remaining three members of SG-1 had scoured the area, looking for clues. Teal'c had finally found the giant's footprints and remains of a basic camp within a concealed cave several hundred feet from the Stargate. The fire had been two days old. "He must have watched us since we arrived," Sam had surmised, feeling a chill at the thought.
"He was much skilled at stealth," Teal'c added. Jack just sighed; they still had no clue as to where Daniel had been taken and no choice left but to return home.
Now, hours later they sat dejectedly back on Earth. They'd put out a call to the Tok'ra to see if their operatives had heard anything but so far had received no reply. The most frustrating part was that, with so little to go on, they had no options to start a search themselves.
Jack's eyes moved from the fingers he was drumming on the briefing room table to the other members of his team. Sam was sitting quietly, her red eyes testament to the fact that she had been crying. Jack knew how she felt - Daniel had only just returned to them, losing him again was just too hard to accept. She looked up and caught his gaze. "It's just not fair, sir," she said, then unconsciously echoed his own words, "we'd only just gotten him back."
"I know." What else could he say? He felt so damn useless, sitting there doing nothing while Daniel was God knows where, with God knows who. Jack's gaze fell on Teal'c.
The Jaffa was throwing Sam concerned glances, unaware that Jack was doing to same to him. This situation was hitting them all hard. When Daniel had only escaped death by ascending and had left them for that year, they had all suffered his loss in their own way. Getting him back was a miracle, a second chance. They'd vowed they would appreciate every minute they could spend together, time was too precious. Now Daniel was missing again and it felt like their heart had been ripped from them once more.
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The door swung open, creaking on its hinges, allowing muted light to enter the dark cell. Daniel, sitting against the hard cold wall, jumped
immediately to his feet, preparing to take advantage of any opportunity to escape. He frowned as he noted the figure framed in the doorway. The meager light was enough to illuminate the pale blonde hair of Renenet.
"Dr Jackson." The two-in-one Goa'uld voice startled Daniel momentarily, though why he couldn't explain. Being held a prisoner of Kali and hearing a Goa'uld speak wasn't unexpected. Perhaps what was startling was the hesitancy in the tone.
"What do you want?" Daniel answered carefully, moving to stand closer to the woman, looking over her shoulder to note in surprise that she appeared to be alone. Though not as tall as he was, she was still above average height for a woman. He didn't intend to underestimate her if he had to fight to get away.
"I am not who you think I am," the woman said. Seeing his total confusion, she continued, "I am Anise."
"Anise?" Daniel couldn't have been more surprised. This was not the Anise he remembered. His startled blue eyes met bright green. "Where's Freya?"
A deep sigh followed his question. "Freya sustained mortal wounds during a fight with Jaffa nearly two years ago." The grief in her voice evident, the quiver in her sigh echoing in the small cell. "My new host is Zea."
"Hello Dr. Jackson." Daniel knew that he was now speaking to Zea. "Anise has told me much about you."
"Um . . good," Daniel said uncomfortably, remembering the snippet of information that had given Jack such pleasure to impart - Anise was interested in Daniel for his intellect. "It's . . . ah, nice to meet you."
"We must get you out of here." The voice now indicated Anise was once again in control. From behind her she pulled out a black hooded cloak to match the one she was wearing. "Put this on," she instructed him. "There isn't much time. The guard I disabled won't stay unconscious for long."
Daniel hesitated for a moment. He only had this woman's word she was indeed Anise in another host, though his gut instinct screamed that she was telling the truth. He decided he had nothing to lose. He knew he had a better chance of escaping if he was out of this cell and above ground. If she proved to be false he would deal with that when it happened.
Under the covering of the hooded cloak Daniel followed Anise out the doorway. Pausing while she closed the door, Daniel looked both ways down the hall. The dim lighting allowed him only a limited view. Anise, taking Daniel by one sleeve, turned him in the opposite direction from the stairs he had been forced down earlier and together they made their way quickly down the dark passage.
Daniel nearly ran into Anise as she stopped abruptly in front of a section of wall. Frowning, she consulted a small hand held device she was clutching. Looking over her shoulder, Daniel could see a map of what he guessed was the fortress illuminated on the tiny screen.
Taking a deep breath, Anise pressed a button on the device. Nothing happened for a few seconds, then the wall parted to reveal a secret passageway behind. Anise again took Daniel by the sleeve and pulled him into the dark opening after her. Another button was pressed and the doorway closed, sealing Anise and Daniel in a tunnel leading away at right angles from the original hallway.
Yet another button on the device was pressed and it emitted a beam like a torch to light the way. Taking Daniel's arm, Anise led him through twisting tunnels, damp with mould covering the sides. Daniel could feel the floor under him gradually rising as they walked further and further away from his cell. Finally they stopped in front of another seemingly solid wall. Again a button was pushed and they emerged outside into fresh, clean air.
This was Daniel's first view of the planet he had been imprisoned on for the day. Pressing up against the cold masonry wall of the castle, they surveyed the area. Though it was dark, two moons cast enough light to see without difficulty. Satisfied they had so far escaped unseen, Anise closed the opening in the wall. Pulling up the hood on her cloak to cover her pale hair, she motioned to him to follow as she quickly ran to a nearby grove of trees. Daniel, after copying her action, quickly followed.
"Does everyone here live in the castle?" Daniel asked as he joined Anise.
"No," Anise answered. "There is a village on the other side of this structure where most live. Between the fortress and the Stargate."
"We have to get around the castle?" Daniel asked, attempting to gauge the distance they would need to travel to escape. "Then past the village?"
"No, we cannot use the Stargate to escape,." Anise informed him quietly. "It is far too well guarded."
"What then?" Daniel asked, his heart plummeting.
"I have sent a message to the Tok'ra at the Alpha Site - they are sending a ship." Her voice indicated her distraction as she scanned the area around them. "The pilot will be someone you know." At Daniel's look of inquiry her face was lit by a shy smile. "Jacob Carter and Selmac." Again she pulled him along by one sleeve. "We must hurry. Kali and her entourage are due back through the Stargate within the hour. She will want to see if her prize Tau'ri is still where he is supposed to be, as well as his progress in interpreting the texts."
The way Anise led was away from the Stargate and the castle. They made good time. Only an hour after the escape Anise and Daniel stopped in a clearing several miles from the fortress that had briefly been his prison. Motioning Daniel to remain where he was, Anise moved to the middle of the clearing and placed a small beacon on the ground, then moved back to re-join him. "Now we wait," she informed him, settling comfortably upon the ground behind a large tree, out of sight.
Daniel joined her, still trying to catch his breath. Anise had set a quick pace to put as much distance between them and the fortress as possible in the shortest amount of time. The terrain had been difficult enough without the added disability of lack of good light. Looking at the sky, Daniel assessed they still had several hours of night left.
During the hike Daniel had appraised his companion and was surprised by her abilities and composure. Even though time was of the essence Anise had taken the precaution to cover their tracks from search parties which would no doubt follow as soon as he was discovered missing, crossing numerous creeks to disguise their path. Now, sitting near the clearing, Daniel couldn't help but keep glancing her way, she was so different than he remembered.
Just as the sky was lightening into day the sound of a cargo vessel broke the silence. The vessel quickly and effortlessly landed in the clearing. Anise paused for a moment to identify both the vessel and pilot. Satisfied, she once again took Daniel by the sleeve to lead him towards the ship. In no time they were safely aboard.
"Jacob." Daniel greeted the pilot with a relieved grin as he entered ahead of Anise. There were two seats near the pilot and Daniel sank gratefully into the nearest one.
"Daniel. Anise." Jacob smiled in greeting while manipulating the controls to quickly leave the planet far behind them. Daniel sighed in relief to be away so easily. Once safely in hyperspace, Jacob turned to face the young man in front of him. "It's good to see you again."
"You too," Daniel said as Anise sat in the chair next to him. "How did you know I was here?" he asked them.
"It was only by accident that we found you," Zea informed him.
"Anise was working undercover when you were brought in. We received word from the SGC that you were missing almost the same time Anise contacted us to say she knew where you were. The SGC aren't even aware as yet that we know your location." A huge grin suddenly split Jacob's face. "Bet Jack's frantic! Losing you after only getting you back a few months ago."
"Yeah well, you know how Jack is." Daniel was uncomfortable with the idea of how much this would have worried his teammates.
"Even more so now, Daniel." Jacob reached over to pat the younger man on the shoulder in consolation. "What Jack hated most about the year you were ascended was that he couldn't keep an eye on you to keep you out of trouble."
"And eventually the trouble I got into was because of his insistence." Daniel shrugged. "Not that I could have stood back and not gotten involved." Visibly shaking himself out of his thoughts, Daniel turned to the woman sitting beside him. "Thank you for breaking your cover to get me out. Sorry your mission was ruined."
"There are other Tok'ra operatives within Kali's ranks," Anise said with a shrug. "They will have to complete the mission without me."
"Want to tell us how you were captured?" Jacob asked.
"We were on what was supposedly a deserted planet. Jack had only just left me to do a quick perimeter when I found myself face to face with this giant. He shot me with a tranquilizer gun. That's the last thing I remember until I woke in Kali's castle."
"The giant is a bounty hunter," Anise informed him.
"What? Are any of the others prisoners, too?" Daniel asked in horror. He remembered Aris Boch and the mission on which SG-1 had encountered him. At the time he'd informed them that they were all wanted by the System Lords.
"No, you were the only one taken." Jacob calmed the younger man.
"Just me!" Daniel exclaimed. "What about Teal'c, Sam and Jack?"
"The bounty hunter works alone, he was only able to take one of you," Anise explained.
"We've heard that Anubis particularly wants to get his hands on you," Jacob told him. "As well as the System Lords. Count yourself lucky they were willing to pay the most for you."
Daniel felt a shiver go up his spine at the thought of once again facing Anubis. "Great. So am I being actively hunted?"
"No, I'm guessing the bounty hunter got lucky," Jacob said. "Thousands of planets in the galaxy. Bet he counted his lucky stars when you fell into his lap."
"So, what was Anise doing undercover?" Daniel asked.
"The System Lords are worried about Anubis and the power he has," Jacob answered. "They've been actively searching for some time for a means to tip the balance of power their way." He shrugged. "The Tok'ra need to keep an eye on their efforts. We have spies amongst all the remaining System Lords."
Anise took up the explanation. "The scrolls and tablets you spent the afternoon deciphering were copied from walls in an ancient temple found on a remote planet. The walls were covered in a variety of writing. What they have been able to translate tells of an unlimited power source, one that can be used for numerous applications to better the lives of many. Of course, all the System Lords can see are possible weapons applications. They have united in an effort to get their hands on it to defeat Anubis."
"An ancient temple?" Daniel asked Anise, intrigued. "So, is the power source on that planet?"
"What has been translated so far is too vague to say," Anise said. "It has been proven that the peoples who built the temple journeyed to other planets through the Stargate, so it could have been found anywhere."
"So, other than what I was able to do today, how much more have they translated?" Daniel asked cautiously, his mind reeling with the possibilities. If the SGC could procure an unlimited power source, it could help so many on Earth. The Naquadria, despite high hopes, had proven to be less than successful. Plus supply was extremely limited.
"I don't know." Anise shrugged. "I had to break my cover to help you escape before I was able to find out. The System Lords are keeping pretty quiet about this. Only they know the full story. I'm hoping the other Tok'ra will be able to tell us more next time they call in."
Daniel bit his lip, unsure what to tell the Tok'ra. "There could be another reason the Goa'uld want me," he finally admitted.
"Why?" Jacob asked.
" To find out what I know about Oma Desala. She and the ascended are actually the Ancients," he told them, then clarified, "the builders of the Stargates."
"That would explain much," Anise said in sudden understanding.
"And Anubis was ascended at one point," Daniel continued.
"What?" Jacob was astounded. "How did that happen?"
"I don't know. He found out how to ascend but the Ancients didn't want him - they tried to send him back but couldn't do it completely. He's stuck somewhere in between." Daniel could see the fear his words created in the Tok'ra before they masked the emotion. "Could I see this temple?" he asked.
"There is no need. I was able to get a copy of all the information on video disk." From within her dress, Anise pulled out a small round disk.
"Great." Daniel took it from her with a smile. "Can't wait to get started."
"Then let's get you back to Earth," Jacob said.
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"Sir, it's the Tok'ra IDC," the technician told General Hammond. The unscheduled off-world activation had interrupted another meeting with SG-1. The general and the balance of his flagship team had spent the last day trying unsuccessfully to locate Dr. Daniel Jackson, taken from under their noses during their last mission.
Hammond turned to look over his shoulder at Colonel O'Neill, Major Carter and Teal'c. All were showing signs of considerable strain.
The general sighed, thinking of how many difficult times he had endured during this command, the loss of Daniel Jackson for that year the hardest of all. The young archaeologist had only rejoined his other team members two months ago. The other three members of SG-1 were still very over-protective of their teammate and friend and were extremely upset at losing him yet again. The general sighed, as was he. As Hammond turned back to face the Stargate the voice of the general's old friend, Jacob Carter, came through the radio. "George?"
"Jacob." The worry of the last day made his tone flat.
"I think we've found something that belongs to you." There was a lightness in the tone of Jacob's voice which made his daughter, Sam, draw in an expectant breath from her position at Hammond's right shoulder.
"General." Hammond sighed in relief at the sound of Daniel's voice.
"Dr. Jackson. Thank God." He turned to SG-1 who were smiling in relief. "Open the Iris," Hammond told the technician. "Come on home, son," he told Daniel.
Daniel cleared the event horizon just as Jack, Sam and Teal'c entered the gateroom at a run. "Daniel." He found himself enveloped in a tight hug from Sam, then passed onto Teal'c, with Jack beaming at him over the large Jaffa's shoulder.
"Dad." Sam addressed her father as she moved from Daniel's side to warmly embrace the older man. Jack took the opportunity to grab Daniel by the arm and ruffle his hair, checking him over for any signs of injury. Before he could ask what had happened, the beautiful blonde woman who had accompanied Daniel and Jacob stepped forward.
"Colonel O'Neill." Jack frowned as he studied the woman in front of him, sure he had never seen her before, though it seemed she knew him. "It is me, Anise." The head dipped for a moment. "And I am Zea, Anise's host."
Jack's mouth fell open in surprise as his eyes studied the smiling face before him. "Um . . ." was all he could manage in reply. Freya had been very attractive, but in a cold, arrogant way. Zea was truly beautiful, ethereal even and, though her hair was nearly as white as snow, she exuded warmth.
"Freya was killed nearly two years ago," Anise said, in answer to the question Jack was struggling to articulate.
"Oh." Jack let his eyes briefly rest on the man at his side and idly wondered if Anise's feelings for Daniel had changed. "Nice to see you again," he lied. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Jack turned and shook Daniel lightly. "What happened on M3C-567, Daniel?" he asked, his fear for Daniel's safety changing to anger now the young man had returned unharmed.
Jack was interrupted as Janet entered the gateroom. "Dr. Jackson," she said to gain Daniel's attention. "I need you to come with me to the infirmary so I can check you out."
Jack grimaced as Daniel sent him a beseeching look. "Sorry, buddy. You know the rules." Daniel sighed in resignation and followed Janet towards the infirmary, Jack keeping his hand firmly wrapped around Daniel's arm. It seemed every time Jack let Daniel go something happened to him.
"Jacob, you and Anise can wait with me in the briefing room," General Hammond said as he watched Sam and Teal'c also leave the room and head towards the infirmary.
The briefing began half an hour later. "Dr. Jackson was taken by Alk Hema, a bounty hunter, and sold to the System Lords. Kali held him at her fortress," Anise informed everyone after they had taken their seats. "I was there undercover and recognized him."
"Anise got me out and Jacob picked us up and took us to the Alpha site." Daniel finished the story, keeping the details as brief as possible. He'd already filled SG-1 in on what happened, in between all the tests Janet had to run and the reassurances his teammates had needed of his safe return.
"I'll need a full written report," Hammond said. Daniel nodded.
"It seems the Goa'uld have their people looking out particularly for Dr. Jackson," Anise informed all at the table. "His value is now much more than all of you combined."
Daniel cringed at her stark announcement. He dared a glance at Jack, whose face darkened. "Why?" the colonel asked. "Because he was ascended?"
"No," Daniel answered. "Because I can translate cuneiform."
Anise explained about the temple and the power source. "It is capable of creating more power than any other source, more powerful than the Naquadria you found, as well as being far more stable."
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Daniel sat in his office in front of his computer. He had been at the translations for hours and was making considerable progress. So far he had deciphered all the Ancients' script and had just started on the cuneiform, which made up most of the balance.
Slowly a picture was emerging of this power source. It wasn't a mineral like Naquadah or Naquadria - what it was actually eluded Daniel. There were symbols mixed in with the cuneiform which, though they looked familiar, he couldn't place. Sam sat at his side reviewing all the notes he had made. She rubbed a hand through her hair, mussing the blonde strands, then over her tired eyes.
"How about we give this a break for a while, Daniel?" she suggested with a yawn. "We've been at this non stop for nearly six hours."
"Just what I was about to suggest," Jack said from where he and Teal'c stood in the doorway watching their teammates with almost identical expressions of annoyance. "Again!" They had left Daniel and Sam working several hours ago after a promise they would take a break and get some sleep.
The Tok'ra had left Earth to return to the Alpha Site shortly after the briefing. Jacob and Anise planned to fly the cargo ship to a moon near Kali's planet to wait for word from their operatives within the fortress.
"O'Malleys," Jack said, three pairs of eyes turned to him in query. "How about a steak dinner? I'm buying." The ban on SG-1 at O'Malleys had been lifted by the management shortly after Daniel's descension.
"Jack," Daniel complained, sitting back in his chair. "There's still so much to do."
"Come on Daniel," Jack whined. "Make an old man happy."
"Who?" Daniel queried with a smile, having heard this approach before. "General Hammond?"
"No, smartass!" Jack said, then paused to answer, "Teal'c." This smart remark earned him a sideways glance from the large man at his side. Jack gave him a toothy grin in reply.
"Yeah, Daniel," Sam chimed in. "This has waited for thousands of years; a few more days won't make any difference."
"It will if the Goa'uld get theirs deciphered first," Daniel countered, his last effort before conceding to his friends' wishes.
"Like that's going to happen without you," Jack groused. Daniel put down his pen, knowing he had lost this argument.
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Daniel looked around the interior of O'Malleys as they entered, remembering the last time he had been there with Jack and Sam, and his lips twitched at the memory. Jack bumped his arm against Daniel and, when Daniel looked up, Jack winked, obviously recalling that occasion as well.
There was a fairly big crowd for a Monday but, within a few minutes, they were seated at a nice corner table. "Three steaks, Daniel?" Jack queried with a twinkle in his eye.
"Um . . ." Daniel pretended to give this question some thought. "Just one tonight I think." He smiled as Sam told Teal'c the story of their last visit.
Later, over dessert, Daniel suddenly stopped mid sentence. "Nem."
"What?" Jack was confused. Daniel had been distracted all evening, his mind still obviously back at the mountain on the translations. Jack almost regretted suggesting this outing, even though it was doing them all the world of good. Daniel had been relating an amusing tale from his archaeology days in Egypt when he had suddenly stopped. The alien's name was a complete non sequitur.
"There are symbols appearing throughout the scrolls that I can't decipher. They're intermingled with the cuneiform. I knew they looked familiar but couldn't place where I've seen them before - now I remember!" Daniel told him teammates excitedly. "I saw them when I was with Nem."
"We aren't going back to that planet, Daniel," Jack told him in his no-argument-on-this tone, keeping his voice low in the loud atmosphere of the restaurant.
"We can't," Sam commiserated, reaching over to place a hand over one of Daniel's and giving it a squeeze. "The MALP recordings from a year ago showed the planet was even more unstable than when we were there last."
"It is too dangerous, DanielJackson," Teal'c added.
"I know," Daniel said softly. "I remember visiting the planet when I was ascended. Nem's dead. He was the last of his people." A deep sigh accompanied these words. "The Oannes are now extinct." Then his brow crinkled into a frown. "Could it be water?"
"What?" Jack asked, clearly completely lost with Daniel's wandering conversation, and losing patience fast.
"Some of the symbols I found could be translated to mean water." Daniel turned to ask Sam. "Could the unlimited power source be from water?"
"Carter?" Jack also turned to Sam, who sat there stunned.
"Well," Sam said slowly. "This isn't my area of expertise but there are ways of getting energy using water."
Daniel said, "One of the symbols could be for wind."
"Wave power." Sam frowned in thought. "When wind hits water, it transfers massive amounts of potential energy to the water. We currently capture some of this energy in oscillating water columns to compress the air and force it through air turbines. But it's expensive and not very efficient."
"The Oannes were water dwellers," Daniel said excitedly. "Possibly they found ways to streamline the process. Or maybe some other way of extracting power from water. This may be the information found and written onto that temple wall."
"This could be a major find, Daniel," Sam said, catching her friend's excitement. "A better, more efficient way to extract wave power, or a way to get power from water, could supply the people of Earth with unlimited cheap clean power."
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"Damn." Jack, Sam and Teal'c walked into Daniel's office two days later only to overhear this expletive.
'What's up?" Jack asked, propping himself up on the corner of Daniel's desk, moving aside a large stack of papers to do so. Sam and Teal'c sat in the chairs nearby, surveying the mess on Daniel's desk. Besides the stacks of papers there were numerous open books and four empty coffee mugs.
"Part of the data is missing." Daniel turned to them, throwing his hands into the air. "I've translated everything and checked it twice. There's a portion missing - the most important portion." He stopped to take a deep calming breath. "We have to go to this planet and I have to see this temple for myself."
"Well, I don't know if that would be such a good idea," Jack said slowly, exchanging glances with Teal'c and Sam.
"Why?" Daniel asked, eyes moving to each of his teammates.
"Daniel." Sam leaned forward in her chair. "Don't you think your escape with Anise was a little too easy?"
Daniel's blue eyes turned to Sam in surprise. "Easy?" he queried, remembering the desperate midnight hike.
"Anise is a scientist, for crying out loud!" Jack said. "Yet she got you out of a heavily guarded fortress and led you on a long cross-country hike on a hostile planet in the dark without any resistance."
"You think it's a set up?" Daniel asked slowly. Jack nodded. "But, why let me escape?" Daniel was confused. "They said they can't do the translations without me."
"Yes, but you said yourself you'd never have been able to complete the translations without the resource material here on the base," Sam reminded him, waving a hand around the office at all Daniel's research books. "Maybe they knew that."
"Osiris would know that," Teal'c stated with certainty.
"With the most important part of this missing they knew we would have to go to that planet to get it," Sam continued.
Daniel said, "And that's what we have to do."
"It's too dangerous, Daniel," Jack said.
"I agree. It is most likely a trap," Teal'c added.
"Maybe," Daniel conceded, his eyes downcast. When he looked up a moment later his eyes were glowing with suppressed emotion. "This is only speculation. Without that missing text this," he waved his hand to encompass all the translations he had done over the past several days, "means nothing!"
They were interrupted by the klaxon sounding throughout the base. After a quick exchange of glances, SG-1 headed off quickly for the gateroom.
"Unauthorized off world activation," Sergeant Davis informed General Hammond as he arrived to stand next to him. The wormhole settled into place behind the iris. "It's the Tok'ra IDC, sir."
"Open the iris and call SG-1 to the gateroom," Hammond ordered.
"We're here, sir," Jack informed him as the four members of SG-1 came to a halt in the doorway.
"It's the Tok'ra," Hammond revealed. As one, SG-1 turned, heading down to the gateroom.
The iris opened and, moments later, two Tok'ra walked through. SG-1 met them at the bottom of the ramp. "Anise. Jacob."
After a nod to the welcoming committee, Anise said. "We have intercepted a transmission between Osiris and Kali that you need to hear." In Anise's hand was a video disk similar to the one she had given Daniel several days ago. "It was in code but we were finally able to decipher it."
Back in Daniel's office, Jack frowned as the recording played. "What's it say?" Jack queried. Daniel just sat down heavily in his chair.
"In summary, we believe we have all been fooled by the System Lords," Anise said.
"This whole thing has been a set up." Anger filled Jacob's words.
"They withheld some of the writing knowingly, didn't copy it off the temple wall. They knew that once Dr. Jackson had finished translating what I had given him, you would need to go to the temple to get the rest," Anise said. "They were setting a trap to catch all of you."
"We'd already figured that out for ourselves," Jack informed the Tok'ra, his concerned eyes on his friend, now slumped in his chair, head down.
"We still have to go," Daniel said, raising his head, his eyes locked on Jack. "It's too important to not get the information."
"No, Daniel. It's far too dangerous!" Jacob protested.
"Is it worth your life and that of your team? Is it worth the System Lords getting hold of this information?" Anise asked. "I will go to the planet for you," she volunteered.
"No!" Daniel exclaimed. "That's unacceptable."
"Dr. Jackson," Anise said. "Someone has to go who will know what to look for."
"And, if it's a trap they'll get you." Jack laid out the hard, cold facts.
Anise paled but stood firm. "I'm aware of the risks. It's my fault. They used me to get the information they wanted to you. If only I had worked this out earlier we could have gone to that planet immediately we left Kali's fortress - taken them by surprise."
"I didn't know information was missing until I did the translation," Daniel pointed out.
"I should still have known something was wrong. I'm a scientist, I shouldn't have been able to get Dr. Jackson away so easily but I thought for once luck was with us. I was wrong and I'm sorry." Jack was surprised, not by the admission but by the apology.
"Maybe if we hold off going for a while?" Daniel suggested as a compromise, not happy but understanding the potential dangers. "A few weeks."
"Maybe years," Jack said with a wince, waiting for the explosion from his younger friend, which came immediately.
"What if we don't have years, Jack?" The question seemed to burst from Daniel. "What if they get sick of waiting, copy the data then destroy the source?"
"Then we get it off them some other way," Jack stated. He turned to his friend, placing a hand on his arm. "Daniel, I know how much this means to you but it's not worth risking you or us for."
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Three SG teams plus the two Tok'ra exited the Stargate. It was now two months since Daniel's capture by Kali and the Pentagon's patience had finally run out. They wanted results. The push for a mission to collect the needed data had started in earnest a month ago.
General Hammond wasn't happy at the risk to his personnel. By his order the SGC teams had brought through with them heavy artillery in case of trouble.
Jack noticed with relief that an area of a square mile surrounding the Stargate was mostly flat and devoid of all trees. On the only small hill in the area, about half a mile away, the temple stood surrounded by crumbling ruins. Jack looked overhead, the sun shining down out of a cloudless blue sky.
"Secure the gate," Jack ordered Major Coburn after the perimeter had been secured and claymores placed at intervals. "Keep the wormhole open to Earth as long as you can, redial each time, but don't send the GDO signal. Check in every ten minutes." Jack looked around - though everything looked calm his trouble meter was working overtime. Leaving SG-3 behind, SG-1 and SG-5 made their way to the temple.
"This is the section missing from the information you gave me," Daniel told Anise as he identified a small section of wall only around eight foot square. "I'm betting it contains all the technical information." The temple, though looking intact from the outside, was without a roof, and several outer walls had crumbled to ruins.
"Any idea what the writing is?" After years of looking over Daniel's shoulder Sam had begun to recognize some writing; she could identify the cuneiform but it was intermingled with something that was totally different to anything she had ever seen before.
"It's Nem's language. Oannes." Daniel said. "While I was his prisoner I had a lot of time to study it."
"Can you translate it?" Anise asked from her position at Daniel's other shoulder.
"Eventually," Daniel answered absently as he prepared his video camera to start recording the information. "With the Oannes extinct I may be one of the only people in the galaxy who can."
Daniel spent the next hour and a half video taping the entire section, piece by piece. Jack alternated between standing tapping his foot silently urging Daniel to hurry and making perimeter checks. Coburn's check-ins came on schedule with no sign of any trouble.
"Why didn't the Goa'uld copy this bit?" Jack asked. Finally they were packing up ready to head back to the Stargate, then onto Earth.
"We wanted to leave that for you," came a cold voice from the shadows.
"What?" Jack swung round. Osiris, Kali, Sobek and two dozen Jaffa stepped out of the dark corner into the light. Suddenly all weapons on both sides were pointed at each other.
"We only copied part of it," Osiris said, "to get Dr. Jackson's attention, knowing he would need to return here to get the rest. We knew he would bring you with him so we now have you all." Satisfaction dripped from her words. "With the added bonus of two Tok'ra spies."
"Don't trust your own people with all the information?" Jack baited the Goa'uld. "So that's why you didn't have it all copied."
"True." Kali walked forward slightly. "Because of the Tok'ra we never know who we can trust. But now we have what we need."
"You somehow rigged the Stargate so you'd know when we came through," Sam speculated.
"Yes, this planet is only a short distance from mine," Kali said. "We waited in comfort for you to feel safe enough to risk coming here."
"Coburn, come in." Upon hearing this, Jack quickly checked in with the Major.
"Coburn here." The voice came over the radio, clear as a bell, to Jack's surprise.
"Is the gate still secure?" Jack asked.
"Yes, colonel," the Major confirmed, sounding surprised at the request.
"Good, keep it that way," Jack ordered.
"Yes, sir."
A cynical laugh echoed in the ancient room. "We don't need the Stargate, we have our own transport." The silky voice of Osiris filled with silent laughter.
"They have a ship," Sam guessed.
"Yes, and there is an area below these ruins that provides ideal cover," Osiris informed them. "Your guards had no hope of hearing our arrival."
"Jack, we can't let them have this information," Daniel whispered to his friend.
"I know," Jack hissed. "What do you suggest?"
"Destroy it, shoot it." Jack turned to give Daniel a shocked look at his suggestion, knowing what it took for the archaeologist to make the decision to destroy such an important find. "You sure?" Daniel nodded.
Without any warning Jack turned and fired at the wall, the P90 spraying pieces of stone in all directions. The destruction was over so quickly no-one had time to do more than duck out of the way of flying debris. When the dust cleared the entire section of the wall was now illegible - small pieces of stone missing from all over it. Jack turned back to face the Goa'uld.
"You fool! Now you'll all die!" Osiris yelled in anger, his eyes glowing in the dim light.
"I don't think so." While all the others had been distracted by Jack, Daniel had opened his video camera and removed the tape from inside. Tape in one hand and grenade in the other he stood and turned to Osiris. "Let us go or I'll destroy this. It's the only remaining record of what was on that wall."
Daniel's words hung in the sudden silence.
"Blow it up and you'll all die too," the Goa'uld said.
"It would be worth it just so you couldn't get your snake hands on it," Jack said with a sneer.
"Let us go through the Stargate and I'll let you have this." Daniel promised, locking his eyes with Osiris.
Osiris' eyes narrowed in hate. "Go. But be warned. We'll meet again." The words were squeezed out through clenched teeth.
From the Stargate, Major Coburn watched the other two SG teams and the Tok'ra return. His fingers tightened painfully on his P90 as he saw the Goa'uld and the Jaffa guards following behind. Turning, he signaled his men to meet him at the bottom of the stairs leading up to the active wormhole. "Send through the GDO," Jack ordered as he got within twenty feet.
SG-3, SG-5, Jacob, Anise, Sam and Teal'c went through the wormhole immediately upon arriving at the Stargate. Jack stayed with Daniel, their backs towards the open wormhole, eyes surveying the scene before them. All the Jaffa had their staff weapons trained on the two Tau'ri, the Goa'uld glowering from behind their guards.
"Daniel," Jack said to get his friend's attention, silently asking if Daniel were sure he really wanted to do this. Jack hated the Goa'uld to win.
"Jack, we have no choice," Daniel said, his tone defeated as he pointed to all the staff weapons leveled at them.
Jack grimaced, accepting they were choice less. This power source was important but not enough to throw away their lives for. "Okay."
"Here." Daniel threw the tape at Sobek. Jack took him by the back of his jacket and, together, they backed safely through the Stargate before the tape even reached the Goa'uld's hands.
"Well, looks like the Goa'uld have the power source," Jack said as the iris closed and the wormhole disengaged. "They have the tape and a video camera to play it back on."
"They still can't translate it," Sam said, her eyes searching Daniel's face anxiously, knowing how this would have hurt him.
"Yet," Teal'c stated as he too watched his young teammate.
"I had no choice but to use that tape to get us out of there," Daniel said to them, Jack putting his hand on the younger man's shoulder in understanding. "Not that the tape they have will do them much good," Daniel continued, his lips twitching.
"Why?" Jack asked cautiously, for once unable to read Daniel's expression. Sam and Teal'c exchanged a questioning look.
With a huge grin, Daniel reached into his pocket to pull out a video tape. "The one in the camera was blank; I'd only just changed it over because this one was full. We have all we need here."
"Danny-boy." Jack reached over to pull the younger man into a hug. "You've done it again!" Sam's delighted laugh echoed around the gateroom.
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"So, the Pentagon are pretty pleased with us?" Daniel asked. He had finished putting away all the books off his desk and was now moving several coffee cups to the sink.
"Sure are." Jack idly played with a statue on Daniel's desk until the other man doubled back to reach over and put it safely out of harm's way.
"Do you really think they will release the information about the power source to the rest of the world, sir?" Sam asked as she took the cups from Daniel to soak in hot water, crinkling her nose at the contents.
"Eventually," Jack said. "Hey, kids. We did good!" he said, noticing all the suddenly glum expressions, Daniel returning to slump in his chair. "This is something that will ultimately help all the people of Earth. With this one act, we've got the chance to repay all the money the Pentagon and the American public has plowed into the Stargate program over the past seven years."
"Indeed," Teal'c agreed, then frowned. "O'Neill, you believe the System Lords do not have another copy of the writing on the wall?"
"I think their reaction to Daniel's threat proves that we have the only copy," Jack said with a smile. "Anyway, O'Malleys for dinner. The general's shout."
"Let's go," Daniel said as Jack pulled him bodily off his chair and herded him out of the room.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: A big thank you to Aloysius for the excellent Beta and all the encouragement and support.
© July 11th, 2003 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.