11x1
"Ice"
The human condition which includes inspiration, faith, intelligence, strength, imagination, determination.
"Incoming wormhole," Sam announced.
On the bridge of the Odyssey, SG1 stood staring out at the view screen as the bright blue flare of the Supergate formed a connection to their galaxy.
"Yeah. I think that went well," O'Neill said sarcastically even as six Ori warships came through the Supergate.
"We knew eliminating the Ori might not stop their followers," Mitchell said, staring at the incoming wormhole.
"I still think it was the right thing to do," Daniel said. It had been a risk he and Merlin had been willing to take. Destroy the Ori but not their followers. That was something Merlin told him they would have to take care of on their own. He had to believe that.
"We may have made things worse right now. But in the long run, it could be our only chance to win the war," Mitchell said, finally looking away as the last of the ships went into hyperspace.
Daniel felt a wave of dizziness and he staggered. Standing next to him, Vala reached out to catch him as his knees buckled. Perhaps I should have stayed in the infirmary, he thought before everything went black.
"Daniel? Hey, help!" Vala yelped as she tried unsuccessfully to support his weight and Mitchell quickly reached Daniel's other side. Jack none too gently pushed Vala aside and assisted Mitchell with getting Daniel on the floor.
Mitchell tilted Daniel's head back to clear his airway and checked to see if he was breathing. Then he placed two fingers against Daniel's neck and felt for a pulse. He cursed and straightened, opening Daniel's mouth with his fingers and made sure there were no obstructions.
"He's not breathing and he's got no pulse," Mitchell said, looking across at the General. He nodded once and began CPR. He pinched Daniel's nose and gave two long, slow breaths while Jack checked Daniel's pulse again.
"Daniel? Daniel! Dammit!" Jack waited for Mitchell to sit up so he could begin chest compressions. "One, two, three, four, five," Jack counted through gritted teeth. As Mitchell continued rescue-breathing, he muttered. "C'mon, Daniel, come ON! Don't do this."
Vala sat down on the floor, stunned as she watched the two men working on Daniel. Teal'c came rushing in from one of the corridors, carrying a yellow fluorescent box containing a portable defibrillator and handed it off to Sam. Vala hadn't noticed Teal'c leave the bridge in the first place. Jack handed Sam a pocket knife as she knelt down and she efficiently slit the scrubs Daniel was wearing, exposing his chest.
She expertly applied the pads and shouted, "Clear!"
Daniel's body arched upwards, and then fell back limply.
Vala barely noticed as she was pulled to her feet by Teal'c. She knew, she KNEW this wasn't supposed to happen, Merlin had said he'd revert Daniel back to normal. Against all odds, they'd gotten Daniel back and that crazy plan of his had actually worked! They'd destroyed the Ori and this was not supposed to happen! She'd read enough of SG1's mission reports, all the crazy missions that they'd lived through.
This wasn't supposed to happen. They'd won, hadn't they?
* * *
His head was pounding and all Daniel wanted to do was crawl deep under the covers and not wake up until he felt better. He was so cold! But it appeared somebody else had other ideas as he felt someone shaking him.
"M' up," he said, rubbing his eyes. What little light shone between his fingers caused a spike of pain that felt like a nail was getting pounded in his head. He covered his eyes with both hands and stifled a groan.
"Ah good, finally awake, I see. How is the head?" asked a familiar voice. Daniel peered between his fingers, squinting against blurry vision. It had to be Mitchell. Nobody else could sound that 'up' while he was feeling so crappy.
"Horrible," Daniel said in a raspy voice. He took a deep breath and took stock of his body. Aside from being very cold, the only thing hurting was his head but at least it seemed that the sharp pain was receding. Deciding his head wasn't about to fall off, he tried to sit up. "What happened?" he asked, his head pounding steadily. Mitchell reached down and helped him up, propping him up using some cushions for his back.
"You took a fall off your horse. It is a small wonder you didn't break anything. You just landed on that hard head of yours, but thank the stars, that is all you hurt."
"I don't remember," Daniel said as he gently scrubbed a hand through his hair. He was just beginning to marvel at the lack of bumps or bruises on his scalp when the rest of what Mitchell had said sunk in. "Wait a minute, you said horse?" He looked up at Mitchell, baffled at the very idea of his being on horseback while on an off world mission. Jack would be pissed if he found out Daniel had lost his memories again. But this didn't count. He knew who he was this time; he just wasn't sure how he got here. Wherever here was.
"Yes," Mitchell chuckled, "and the horse is fine. Just a bit spooked, but no harm came to her."
Between the pain in his head and subsequent confusion Daniel realized there was something 'off' about the way Mitchell talked. He blinked a few times, and took a good look at the man sitting next to him. His heart pounded in his chest as he realized that no, this was not Mitchell at all. The resemblance was remarkable, but the set of his eyes, the shape of his face differed slightly from that of his friend. They could pass as brothers, but it wasn't Mitchell. What the hell was going on?
"I don't remember that. Where am I?" Daniel asked, uncertain now if this was a friend or foe. He looked around and saw that he was inside a large tent, with multi-colored rugs strewn on the floor. He sat on what appeared to be a stack of thick furs. Try as he might, the memories of what had happened before he got here would just not come. He looked down at himself and saw that the shirt he wore was homespun fabric, pale gray and had drawstrings at both the cuffs and collar. He rubbed at his temples, trying to remember, but it was hard to focus as the pain settled behind his eyes.
"You're inside my tent. I thought it best that you not be left alone while you slept," the man said softly, as if realizing that Daniel was still in pain.
"How long have I been unconscious?" Daniel asked, having no idea where he was or how he'd even got here. Where was the rest of SG1? He shifted and slid his feet out from under the blanket that had been covering him. He wiggled his bare toes and wondered if he could get shoes on if he needed to make a run for it.
"Three days and nights, Galahad. We worried at first, but you began to stir the night before last and we had hope that you would recover soon after." At hearing those words, Daniel suddenly knew who he was speaking with. The face, so tantalizingly familiar now had a name. Percival. His heart quickened again and he wondered if he'd somehow been caught inside one of Merlin's memories. That he wasn't exactly somewhere, but some *when*.
Percival fidgeted and straightened in his seat before speaking again. "I wished to wait until you had more time to heal, but I am afraid I have grave news."
"What?" Daniel asked and he wondered again if he was dreaming, but the steady throbbing in his head felt real enough to make him believe that he was somehow physically in the presence of a man long dead. Not to mention his cold feet. He slid his legs back underneath the blanket, trying to warm his toes.
"Our King…" Percival turned away and took a deep breath. "Our King has been murdered by his foul son, Mordred. All...all is lost, my friend. Arthur is dead," Percival told him gently, resting his hand on Daniel's shoulder before standing.
Daniel stared at him uncomprehendingly as for a fleeting moment the image of Baal flashed in his mind at the name Mordred. That was enough to trigger his last memory of being on the bridge of the Odyssey and watching the Ori bring more ships through the Supergate to his galaxy. Perhaps they'd been attacked and he'd been injured? A head wound would explain the pain. It would also explain the delusion that came complete in 3D Technicolor. Walking, talking hallucinations. And the cold must be the cold of deep space. Or maybe the IOA had managed to freeze him after all? He fought back a hysterical laugh.
"I... Yes, I agree. That is terrible news," Daniel began, and then paused. If this was a dream, he'd better pay attention because dreams teach. He rubbed his hand across his forehead, trying to work out what to say, trying to think of what he should be learning. If this was all just a dream, then finding SG1 wasn't going to be possible. What he needed now were answers, but how could he ask the right questions without admitting he wasn't Galahad? "I am very sorry for your loss, but I really think something is terribly wrong here," Daniel said, looking up at Percival who had walked to the other side of the tent and had begun to collect what looked liked articles of clothing from inside a wide trunk.
"Is...Is Merlin here?" Daniel asked as inspiration struck. If anybody could make sense of what was happening, Daniel was certain it would be Merlin. And Merlin *had* to be here. This was the place where his legend began, the legend which started Daniel down the path that had led him to where he was right now.
Percival nodded and walked back over to him. "The king's councilor wished to see you once you were up and about," he said with a slight smile and handed him a bundle of clothing. "Will you require assistance getting dressed? You are still too pale for my liking. I wish we could delay, but we do not have much time."
"No, no. I'm, that is, I'll be fine. Just a little shaky still, but maybe some water might help?" Daniel asked. Percival nodded and walked over to pour him a cup of water while Daniel pulled a woolen tunic over his aching head. He hoped it wasn't a long walk to wherever the old wizard was. Just once he'd like it if these ancients would give him a straight answer, instead of making him jump through hoops. He sighed and continued getting dressed. He needed to get back home to SG1 and right now Merlin was his best chance of doing that.
* * *
In the ship's infirmary, reminiscent of their vigil of only a few hours ago, Jack and Mitchell were at Daniel's bedside. Daniel was hooked up to several monitors that let them know he was still alive.
Mitchell paced from one side of the infirmary to the other.
Jack sat on the next bed over, arms crossed as he stared at the heart monitor, willing Daniel's heart to keep beating steadily. He wished Daniel would wake up already. Carter had no firm answers as to what had happened, except for a wacky theory that Daniel's body overloaded and couldn't handle all the physical changes that he'd gone through. As far as they knew, any Prior who went against the Ori burst into flames. She told them they were lucky that the worst that had happened was that Daniel's heart stopped. She didn't have to tell them that without proper medical attention, Daniel's condition might deteriorate further than it already had. That one they could all figure out for themselves, thanks to the high tech medical equipment he was hooked up to which kept bleeping every time it didn't like the results of an automated test it ran.
Shortly after getting Daniel settled back in the infirmary, Carter had then informed them that whatever voodoo Merlin had done to the ship was causing it to stop responding to normal helm commands. In other words, the Odyssey was a sitting duck; the one small mercy was that the ship was still cloaked.
"Six more Ori ships have passed through the Supergate," Vala said as she walked into the room, carrying two cups of coffee. Jack gratefully took one of the offered cups and Vala moved over to Mitchell and offered him the other.
"You guys figure out how to move this bucket yet?" Jack asked hopefully and took a sip of the coffee. It wasn't as hot as he normally liked it, but it was strong and that was what he needed right now. They were all going on over twenty-four hours of no sleep and they were starting to look it.
"No luck yet. Sam's hopeful that all Merlin did was a soft rewiring of the ship's systems and it'll be enough to reset the command control crystals. We're almost done dismantling the last of the crystals so Sam said I could take a bit of a break. The big job will be resetting the crystals from the main subsystem," she said, stifling a yawn. "And that might take all night."
Jack nodded, pretty sure that if Vala was here it was because she was more of a hindrance than a help to the others. That was the problem with getting too close, he reflected, knowing how easy it was to start thinking with your heart and not your head. He'd learned the hard way it gained you absolutely squat in return. He hoped that Mitchell would be able to deal with this little 'problem' before it became a serious one.
He turned his attention back to Daniel's heart monitor and sipped at his coffee, fully aware how hard this whole thing had been on the entire team since the moment SG1 had returned to Earth and reported that Daniel had been taken by that Ori bitch, Adria.
"How is he?" Vala asked Mitchell as she approached Daniel's bed.
"Machines say he's holding his own, but he hasn't woken up yet."
"Well, with any luck, by this time tomorrow we'll be on our way back to the SGC," Vala said hopefully. She perched on Daniel's bed and very carefully took hold of his hand.
"O'Neill, we have just received a data burst communication from the SGC. There is a coded message marked for you." Teal'c's voice boomed through the communications radio. Jack walked over to the wall and punched down the comm button.
"Can you patch it down here?" Jack asked, leaning against the wall. Well, finally, it was about time the SGC responded to their request for communication. He looked around briefly, spotting the small office tucked into the far corner of the infirmary. "To the doctor's terminal?" he added.
"Indeed."
Jack walked over to the office and settled on the chair. He sighed softly and keyed in his password. A few seconds later, the communiqué popped up. It was from Landry and the fact it wasn't addressed to just 'Jack' was not a good sign.
General O'Neill,
We received your data burst and are in communication with Atlantis. We do not have ships to spare should you require further assistance, but we have put out a message alerting our allies of the additional Ori ships now in our galaxy. Your new orders are as follows: You are to return to Earth with all due haste with Colonel Carter. Upon your return, Colonel Carter, along with Doctor McKay, who has been recalled from Atlantis, are to begin work on Merlin's phasing technology as the IOA now believes this is the only viable solution to protect Earth against the Ori.
I regret to inform you that in regards to Doctor Jackson, by Presidential order, he is to be executed on sight as he has been deemed too dangerous to be kept alive. Communiqués have been sent to all our allies informing them of the danger Doctor Jackson represents to both Earth and her allies.
I don't think I have to tell you, Jack, that there is now a cloud of suspicion over your actions and thoseof your team. If it wasn't that they need Colonel Carter's expertise, I'm sure that they'd be asking for ALL of your heads right about now. The only words of advice I can offer are that a general's only as good as the people he commands. God speed.
Gen. Hank Landry
Jack re-read the note, furious but thankful that Hank had given him all the information he needed to make decisions. Returning to the SGC was no longer an option. They'd have to find an ally that wouldn't turn them in or kill Daniel outright. He supposed that since Daniel was hardly a threat to anyone now they might have a good chance of getting help. And it helped Daniel no longer looked like one of the pasty-faced bad guys. The question was, who could he trust? The folks at the SGC had their hands tied, and the only other people were the very ones here on this ship with him. He crumpled the now-empty cup and threw it against the wall across from him. He needed to clear his thoughts.
Vala jumped at the noise. "What? What is it?" Her eyes immediately went back to Daniel's face, then over to the monitors that reported his health. No change from what she could see.
Jack ignored her question. "Keep an eye on him. Call me when he wakes up. I'm going for a walk," Jack ordered.
Vala narrowed her eyes as Jack walked out of the infirmary and knew something was up. And if he wasn't saying, it couldn't be good news.
"I don't know why he didn't just tell us," she mused aloud. "It's not like I can't just break into the computer and see what the SGC has to say." She slid off the bed, careful not to jar Daniel and walked over to the doctor's terminal.
"Vala, don't," Mitchell warned, following her. Vala rolled her eyes and settled herself in front of the keyboard and began to type.
"Don't what? You saw him, didn't you? Did it look like he got good news to you?" she asked as she continued to tap away at the keyboard. She first tried Sam's old passwords but those didn't work. Then she tried a combination of Simpson character names, because she remembered Daniel mentioning how much Jack loved that show. Nothing. This was taking her longer than she'd hoped. She paused for a moment, fingers poised over the keyboard when inspiration struck. She typed 'BRTM0NKEY' and pressed enter. "Ha! So easy. Now, let's see." Her grin faded a she quickly read through the note. "That's-"
"Not good," Mitchell finished for her as he read over her shoulder.
"Thought you didn't want to read this?" Vala asked, not bothering to hide the anger she was feeling now and truth be told, her fear for Daniel. But she trusted these people. Daniel had said they'd all been to hell and back, he and SG1, the original SG1. They'd do anything for each other. She had to trust that they wouldn't let him be killed.
"Shut up, Vala."
"So what is he going to do?" she asked, all too aware of the possibility that Jack had left to get a weapon to kill Daniel with. But no. No, she couldn't believe that. Daniel had faith in him, in them. Jack had come all the way from Washington when he'd heard Daniel had been captured. He'd called every day to get an update. He'd even talked to her, in his own odd way, after Daniel had been taken. No, she couldn't believe that. But that little voice inside her head, the one who kept telling her to run just wouldn't let it go.
"He who?" Mitchell asked as he dogged her steps.
"He, your General Jack," she snapped.
"Oh. Well, it's hard to say. I don't think he's going to be listening to what the IOA has to say."
"It's not the IOA I'm worried about. Your President has ordered Daniel's death sentence!"
"The General is not about to let anything happen to Daniel." Mitchell paused and then took her arm, and pulled her towards him, forcing her to look at him. "You know that, right? The General isn't about to listen to those idiots at the IOA and it's them that's forcing the Presidents hand."
Vala took a steadying breath and nodded once. "Yeah, right. I know. It's just, you know." She waved her hand in a vague gesture before letting out a rather noisy pent up breath. "We need a plan."
"What do you have in mind?"
"Well, my first idea would be to steal this ship. It's not hard if you put your mind to it. But since the ship isn't working, I don't think it would be wise to wait and see if Sam can figure it out. I mean, who knows if one of our supposed allies will decide to show up? We'll be sitting ducks since, thanks to the SGC, they know we're cloaked." She shook her head and started pacing. "So the next best thing would be for me to take a 302 and fly it to the nearest planet with a Stargate. Once there, I can hit on my contacts and see if I can get a lead on a healing device. It can't be that difficult and I am the best out there."
"Right. No. Bad plan."
"What? It's a good plan. And once I'm back, which hopefully wouldn't be more than five," she counted off with her fingers, "eight, maybe ten hours, tops, I can heal Daniel and if the ship still isn't fixed by then, we can get him out of here in the 302. It's the best plan we've got," she said and emphasized it by poking his chest with her finger.
"First off, we're a TEAM, something which I'm surprised you've forgotten so quickly. Second, you don't even know where the nearest stargate is, so how can you give a time estimate? Third, a better idea is if I fly the 302 and go with you to back you up. And fourth, the General won't let you off on your own, but he might agree if we both go." He paused then huffed a laugh. "Besides, I wouldn't want to be the one to explain to Daniel why you weren't here if he wakes up before we get back."
"I like my plan better," she pouted and walked back over to Daniel. She nudged him on the thigh, in the hopes that would elicit a response but he didn't move.
* * *
Daniel followed Percival out of the tent, noting the rocky and uneven ground. The cold air made him shiver slightly and he blew into his hands, trying to keep them warm. Through a dense fog, he could see tents had been erected in the surrounding area and dozens of campfires lit up the night sky. Around the tents were people, some sitting and eating, others huddled together for warmth, still others silently crying as they stared into the distance. A wave of dizziness caught Daniel by surprise and he stumbled and would have fallen had Percival not caught his elbow.
"Uh…Percival? I don't, I don't feel so good," Daniel said and stopped walking, afraid his legs weren't going to hold him up anymore. He put one hand up to his head, the pain having spiked so suddenly he could see bright sparkles behind closed eyelids. And worse, a dull pain had started in the center of his chest, throbbing in counterpoint to his head. He thought at first he'd gotten a head injury, but now he worried over the pain in his chest. What the hell was wrong with him?
"My friend, I know you have been ill, but we cannot delay further. There is much to do, too much to put in order and the knights are all struggling." Percival urged him gently. He draped Daniel's arm across his shoulder, gripped him firmly at the waist and helped him walk. Daniel didn't protest as he was unsure if he could make it on his own. He hoped Merlin would have some answers for him.
"Who are all these people?" Daniel asked, hoping to keep his mind off the pain as he focused on putting one foot in front of the other.
"You see before you the end of Camelot. All our dreams…our hopes," Percival said, his voice cracking. He coughed, clearing his throat. "With Arthur dead, his land has quickly followed. Winter has come early and the crops have failed, the animals sicken and die. We sent him on to Avalon and our people flee behind him." Percival sighed and pulled Daniel along.
As they wound their way through the throng of people, Daniel saw something looming up into the night sky. He paused, took some of his own weight from Percival and looked up with a squint. A cold breeze shifted the fog and Daniel saw the telltale circle of shimmery light.
"That…that's a Stargate!" Daniel exclaimed, his pain momentarily forgotten as his mind tried to sort out the logistics of a Stargate on Earth circa 6th century AD. Could there be a third Stargate? Just wait till he told Sam…though he was pretty certain it wasn't still on Earth anymore, or they'd have long since found it in his time.
As Daniel watched, a procession of people walked through the active Gate, some leading farm animals, others pulling small carts. As Percival said, these people had all uprooted their families and homes and now were relocating to other worlds. Daniel remembered that Merlin had seeded other planets with people, and he now understood perhaps that this was the genesis.
"Our King was the first to go through the mists to Avalon. Our people now follow their knights through to the new lands. I will be leaving tomorrow." He paused and took a deep breath. He leaned into Daniel slightly and said, "I had worried I would not speak to you again before having to leave Camelot. What we do is important, the most important thing of all." He smiled at Daniel, giving his shoulder a squeeze. "But I will miss you."
"I...I don't know what to say." Daniel floundered for words and wondered if he should just come clean and tell the truth. Before he had a chance, Percival tugged on his arm again. "Come, perhaps Myrddin will give you something for your aching head," Percival said as he led him away from the procession and towards a small stone building in the distance.
* * *
Jack headed towards the command deck, taking deep breaths and tried to calm down. General Hammond had once told him that the hardest part of commanding was sitting back and watching his people get into trouble without him. Hammond had commanded the SGC for years, and it was always with a faint sense of amusement that Jack hadn't managed to last one year. Jack had always known that one day he'd be forced to make a decision he didn't want to make, just like the one the President wanted him to make: choose between following orders or doing whatever it took to make sure his kids were safe. ALL of his kids.
Jack shook his head and grimaced. As if there was ever any doubt which he'd choose.
He paused at a bulkhead, halfway to the command deck when he changed his mind and made his way back towards the infirmary, thinking that he'd have to thank Hank personally for the little note. That is, if he ever saw him again. Once Carter got this tub moving, Jack was going to order her to take them to the nearest Stargate and then he and Daniel were getting the heck out of Dodge. And as for Daniel, he was damn sure Daniel would recover 100% from this, whatever it was. Leftovers from being Orida'd and Merlinized. Daniel would come back from it, just like Daniel always did.
As he stepped closer to the infirmary, he could hear voices, arguing and for a moment he'd hoped it was Daniel arguing with Vala. But as he got closer, he could hear it was Mitchell and Vala and he walked into the tail end of their conversation.
"Planning a plan, are we?" Jack asked, catching the two of them unawares. Mitchell had at least the decency to look guilty and stood at attention. Vala, however, straightened and spoke up.
"Well, Mitchell thinks we should take an F302 to the nearest Stargate so that I can find a healing device."
"Daniel's stable-"
"For now. But how long with that be? It's not like we can take him to our allies now and the SGC is completely out of the question."
"And why would you think that?" Jack asked cautiously. He should have known that girl was trouble.
"I…uh…." She laughed nervously and Jack knew she was trouble.
"Read the note from Hank, did you?" Jack said, gauging her reaction.
"Well, yes, of course I did. And I'm telling you right now, ALL of you, that I will not let you kill Daniel. I stole a ship like this once before and I'll do it again if I have to."
"Calm down. Daniel will be fine. We're not going back to the SGC." He looked at Mitchell and decided the less people who knew what he planned, the better. "I think it might be best if you go help Carter right about now. And no talking about Hank's little note. That's an order." Loyalties would be tested and Jack was pretty damn sure he knew where Vala's were. But he wasn't willing to risk Mitchell's career. He'd sworn he'd keep his kids safe, and even though Mitchell wasn't ever under his direct command, he'd handpicked him and felt a certain responsibility.
"No, sir, I'm fine here," Mitchell said, standing at parade rest.
"I can make that an order."
"I am aware of that, sir. I'd appreciate it if you didn't, though," he replied.
"You up for a court-martial?"
"I don't think it'll come to that, sir."
Jack chuckled, and then rubbed his hands across his face and glanced over at the still-unconscious Daniel.
"Be that as it may, Colonel, the less you know, the better it'll be for all of us. But basically, as soon as Carter gets this ship moving, she's going to drop us off at the nearest Stargate."
"What? You can't do that. It's stupid to move him. What if his heart stops again?!" Vala asked.
"It's the only chance we got. It also gives the rest of you a chance to go back to your lives."
"Well, my life is with Daniel," Vala declared then hesitated when Mitchell quirked an eyebrow at her. But then she lifted her chin in a stubborn tilt and tossed her head slightly. "Well, you know what I mean. My loyalties lie with Daniel. He's done more for this entire galaxy than that little weasel man can ever imagine."
She earned some points in Jack's book by saying that. Jack turned to Mitchell and wondered just how far he'd go for one of his teammates. "And where do your loyalties lie, Mitchell?" he asked. "This isn't about saving the galaxy. It's just about saving one man," Jack continued.
"I beg to differ. That man is the only hope we all have of getting out of this mess. My loyalty is to SG1, the SGC, to the Air Force, and by extension, to Planet Earth. Keeping him alive is the best reflection of that loyalty."
"Is it worth your career?"
"I'm not in this for my career. I'm in this for saving as many people as I can."
"Fair enough." Jack had to give the man credit for his tenacity and loyalty. He had to fight back a wash of emotion as he suddenly felt proud of having this newcomer as part of his command.
"What about Sam? Are you going to tell her or Teal'c?" Mitchell asked.
"Right now, the plan is to keep Carter out of this as much as possible. She's needed on Earth and that's priority number one, right after we get Daniel out of here."
"What are you planning on not telling me?" Carter demanded angrily from the doorway, arms akimbo. Teal'c loomed as he came in behind her.
Shit. It seemed today was the day for people to overhear conversations they weren't supposed to overhear. Jack shifted his attention to them.
"Hey, Carter, T. Shouldn't you be figuring out how to move this thing?" Jack asked nonchalantly. He gazed over to Daniel, who remained unconscious through all the commotion.
"We took a quick break to check on Daniel. Nice little meeting you're having. So, what are we discussing?" she asked, walking stiffly over to Daniel and picking up his chart.
"Carter, we aren't having a meeting. We're just discussing a few things because Vala and Mitchell here are overreacting," Jack said, trying to placate her. He needed her focused and not angry.
Sam gripped the chart in her hands and stopped herself from flinging it across the room. "Dammit, do not think for a minute that you can just shut me out of whatever it is you were all discussing?"
"O'Neill, what has transpired?" Teal'c asked almost serenely, as if he could calm everyone with his presence alone. Jack sighed and took a seat next on the bed next to Daniel's. He folded his arms across his chest and took a deep breath.
"The IOA is recalling McKay from Atlantis. They want the two of you to start work full-time on Merlin's phasing technology. They feel the best plan for the protection of Earth is to hide it from the Ori. Seems your little jaunt to the alternate universe has given the IOA some ideas. Least Hank isn't running for President anytime soon."
"McKay doesn't need me. He can figure it out on his own," Carter scoffed and Jack was surprised to hear her admit something like that.
"We should just steal the ship," Vala declared, earning a sour look from Jack.
"What?" Carter said, incredulous. Looking between them, Jack suddenly wondered how the conversation had taken this turn, but he was grateful if only because Carter wasn't glaring at him anymore.
"We should steal the ship," Vala repeated. "It's not as if they'll use it anyway! Sam, you know first hand that hiding will only make things worse for Earth. We need to give them another option and we need Daniel for that."
"She's got a point, Sam," Mitchell chimed in, half under his breath.
"We need Daniel to give them another option but the IOA wants us to kill him," Vala blurted out.
Teal'c quirked a brow and Jack nodded. "Yeah, that's what the message from Hank said. The IOA has their collective heads up their ass and it looks like they've taken President Hayes along for the ride."
Sam took a deep breath, pursed her lips and glanced at each person in the room. "What do we need and what do we have?"
"We've still got a dozen Ori ships flying out there and now we've got a ship that cloaks," offered Cam.
"We've got Daniel," Vala added seriously.
"We have SG1 present and accounted for," Teal'c said somberly, letting his gaze settle on Jack.
Jack sat back and watched his team go back and forth and he was suddenly reminded of the black uniformed SG1 that had come through the wormhole along with dozens of other versions of SG1. That team had gone through hell and back to make sure their Earth would be safe from the Ori, willing to do anything and he idly wondered if this wasn't just history repeating itself.
He cleared his throat to get their attention. "Do you realize what you're saying?" Jack asked as he glanced between Carter and Mitchell. "This'll be the end of your careers. There'll be no more going back to Earth, no more SGC or SG1. Are you willing to do that?"
Carter looked at Jack for a long time before replying, "What I know, sir, is that SG-1 is my family, and I won't give that up for anyone."
"Mitchell?"
"Sir, I think I made my intentions perfectly clear. We shouldn't break up the band," he offered with a half grin.
Vala cleared her throat loudly and jumped up to stand in front of Jack, waving her arms around. "Well, now that we know we aren't going back to Earth and killing Daniel in the process, can Mitchell and I go get that healing device now?"
Jack scowled at her. "Now wait just a minute…"
"No. No I won't. Daniel might not have that much time. Seems to me you have your plan, General O'Neill. Now let Mitchell and I get on with ours."
"Vala," Jack started, but she cut him off again.
"What? You expect us to just sit around and wait for him to wake up like nothing happened? Sam can't fix him. He needs medical attention that we can't get him to. So we do it my way. I know where we can get a healing device and that will be faster than waiting however many more hours 'til we can reset the ship's system."
Jack didn't like it, he didn't like sending his people out blind, but she was right. If they were going to plan their next step, if they were seriously going to steal this ship, they would need Daniel in better condition than he was in now.
"Fine, go," Jack ordered, catching Vala just as she was taking a deep breath to continue her tirade. "You-" he pointed to Mitchell, "-make sure you both get back here in one piece."
"Yes, sir!" Mitchell saluted and then chased after Vala as she ran out of the infirmary.
Jack stood and ran a hand through his hair. Days like this, he expected it to just fall off in clumps. "Carter, don't you have a ship to fix?" he asked, trying to contain his sigh.
"Yes, sir," she said, smiling softly and she, too, left the infirmary, leaving Jack with Teal'c and Daniel.
* * *
Daniel staggered as Percival led him through a stone archway. The walk took longer than Daniel had expected and by the time they'd made it there, he was all but dragging his feet. The pain in his head and chest had receded for a few short minutes a number of times along the way, but every time it came back, it was with a vengeance, leaving him confused and unsure of what was going on.
Sudden dizziness overwhelmed him and Daniel's knees buckled. Had Percival not been there to catch him, Daniel would have fallen flat on his face.
"Easy! Easy!" Percival exclaimed helping to steady him. "Myrddin has been patiently waiting for you to wake all these days. It wouldn't do for you to pass out again before speaking to him. You're the last Knight with whom he needs to speak."
"Merlin?" Daniel asked, dazed and confused. His head was pounding and he was unable to keep his thoughts straight. "Merlin is dead," he said, suddenly sure of that anyway even if he couldn't be sure what was happening to him.
Percival shook his head as he led him down the long corridor that opened into a wide laboratory.
"News of my demise is quite premature, I assure you, Galahad," said an amused voice from the far side of the room.
Daniel's eyes adjusted to the light and he looked closely at the young man in front of him. His face was so familiar, but Daniel couldn't be sure who it was. Confusion clouded his thoughts, and before Daniel could form a question the pain in his head exploded and sparkles of light flashed before his eyes. He felt himself being lowered to a chair and he let his head fall back as he panted through the pain.
Callused fingers touch either side of his head, settling at his temples. Warmth flowed through the touch, and a familiar feeling of being held, protected and cherished flowed through him. The pain receded, letting clear thought and memory flow. The Ori. The Supergate. Merlin's weapon. Daniel's eyes flew open and he stared into a face so familiar he wondered how he could have forgotten.
"Merlin," he said softly, unable to stop the soft pang of loneliness at the loss of this man he'd spent so much time with. Jack would be the first to call it Stockholm Syndrome, but Daniel knew better than anyone what Merlin had sacrificed to keep him alive and sane during his time with Adria. For the first time since he'd woken up in this strange place, Daniel felt sure there was a logical reason to be here.
"Daniel Jackson. Now that is a name I have not heard in a millennia," Merlin said with a chuckle, letting his hands drop from Daniel's head. He grabbed both of Daniel's hands in his and squeezed. "Despite all my years, despite all I've learned and all I know, you have always managed to surprise me. I'm sorry about your head, but it was the only way to get you here."
"Why did you bring me here?" Daniel asked.
Merlin sighed and let go of Daniel's hands, then sat back against his own chair and ran a hand through his hair. "There isn't enough time Daniel--there is never enough time--so I made sure that I would have the time I need to accomplish what needs doing," Merlin began vaguely.
It took Daniel mere moments to remember what he'd learned about Merlin when he'd done his initial research. "The old legends, about Merlin aging backwards…they're true, aren't they?" Daniel asked, even as he wondered how he'd never realized this during the time they'd spent together.
"In a way, yes. It's slightly more complex than that, though."
"And the Ancients didn't stop you from doing that? You found a loophole." It wasn't a question.
"You are refreshingly observant," Merlin said with a chuckle. "Yes, it affects only me, so they have no cause to stop me. But let us turn to you…What do you remember?" he asked, staring intently at Daniel.
"We, ah…well, that is, I, because you were already gone by then..." Daniel frowned for a moment, rubbing his chest idly. "We--my team and I, that is--watched the Ori ships come through the Supergate. We knew that the Ori followers might come through anyway, but we had hope that the device would destroy the Ori themselves."
Merlin met his gaze for a long moment before he pulled his brows together, reaching a hand to tap at the side of his nose.
"Daniel, I didn't design my device to destroy the Ori."
Daniel felt as if he'd been punched in the gut and he thought he was going to be physically ill. He suddenly wished the pain he'd been in would come back, because anything was better than the certainty that he had doomed his entire galaxy and SG1 along with it. He'd believed in Merlin's lies. "Wh…what?" he gasped.
* * *
It had been twelve hours since Vala and Mitchell left, ten hours since he'd ordered Carter and Teal'c to get some sleep, and only five hours since he'd dropped off into a light doze. The infirmary beds weren't very comfortable, which suited Jack fine as he didn't want to sleep too deeply. He refused to worry about the two he had just sent on their own without backup and he refused to worry about Daniel, or how they might all get out of this predicament in one piece, so he let that stress settle nicely in the pit of his stomach. He morosely thought it might be possible he wouldn't live long enough for the ulcer he was working on to actually bother him.
A sound disturbed him and he opened his eyes and spotted Carter checking on Daniel and making notations on his chart. Apparently flying a desk was making him soft if Carter could effectively sneak into the room without his noticing.
"How's he doing?" he asked quietly, sitting up on the bed and stifling a yawn.
"Oh, uh…well, looks like his blood pressure is steadily getting higher. I'm not sure if I should give him anything for it or not."
Jack grunted and scrubbed at his face. A glance at his watch told him it was now early morning Earth time.
"Any word on Mitchell and Vala?"
"Nothing yet. But the good news is that the repairs are going fairly well. We figure another few hours and we can reset the system."
"You know, if this thing works, we'll be sitting ducks out here until you can get this ship into hyperspace."
"Yes, I know. But I feel pretty confident that we can get all systems online within ten minutes after power is restored," she said as she checked the IV line. "We just have to hope that Vala and Mitchell aren't on their way back here if we have to leave in a hurry." Carter picked up the chart and started recording Daniel's vitals in it.
"Do you trust her?" Jack asked, completely changing subjects on her. It had been on his mind for quite some time and he had never been able to think of when he could ask the question. It wasn't his team anymore, after all.
Sam paused in her writing. "Vala?" she asked, and then looked down at Daniel and then glanced up at Jack. "When it comes to Daniel, yeah. Yes, I do. Daniel trusts her."
"But?"
Carter looked at him across from Daniel. "But sometimes I wonder what she might do if she had to choose between him and us."
Jack shifted a bit uncomfortably in his seat and fiddled with his watch. Dammit, that was just what he didn't want to hear.
Sam let the back of her hand rest on Daniel's forehead, checking for fever then smoothed his hair back. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, letting her hand slide down to rest on Daniel's chest, resting over his heart.
"Once, I thought I might have to worry about that, when it came to you. It took me a long time to see, to understand what it was between all of us. For a long time, what I wanted…" she paused, not looking at him, "What I thought I wanted was what you could give to me. And then Pete happened and I realized…I realized the house and the kids just wasn't for me. This…SG-1…this is the family I wanted and I never knew I had until I almost lost it. Being away at Area 51 and then later when I was stuck in that alternate universe, showed me the only thing missing in my life was all of you. You're my family. I can't, I won't lose that. Not again."
"I was wondering when you were going to realize that," Jack said softly and Carter finally looked up at him.
"Contrary to popular belief, I'm not perfect," she teased with a smile.
With no warning, all the lights in the ship dimmed, then blinked out. They would have been plunged into darkness had it not been for the emergency lighting. Daniel's medical equipment began to beep frantically and Carter quickly switched it over to battery backup.
"Shit!" Carter cursed, as she quickly checked to make sure Daniel's vitals hadn't changed.
"Thought you said we had another few hours?" Jack griped, moving to stand next to Daniel's bed.
"Told you I wasn't perfect," she answered and then walked over to the communications console. "Teal'c? What happened?"
"Colonel Carter, I believe I have found the original source of the disruption. Unfortunately, it appears that this data crystal was key to other parts of the system."
As Teal'c spoke, Carter pulled up the control panel and checked the computer systems readout.
"Well, looks like the cloak is definitely off, along with our shields, weapons and engines," she grimaced.
"Shall I continue with the reset?" Teal'c asked.
"No, I think we got what we needed. Start putting the crystals back in. I'm on my way back up there now."
Jack sat back down and alternated between staring at Daniel and his monitoring equipment. All this sitting and waiting reminded him of why he hated his desk job in D.C. He took a deep breath and let it out with a sigh. And just like he sometimes did in his office in D.C., he decided to try to catch up on his sleep again.
* * *
"The device. That's not what I designed it to do," Merlin explained calmly.
"Wait a minute, just wait one minute." Daniel pushed himself up out of his chair, letting it clatter behind him as despair turned to anger. "You told me, YOU told me that's exactly what the device would do!" he shouted, hands shaking as the implication of what Merlin was telling him sank in.
"I have spent almost my entire existence preparing for the time when the Ori would become a threat to this galaxy and I left nothing to chance. Nothing. I brought you here to tell you the device was meant to buy you time."
"Time? Time for what?" Daniel spat out, furious now. "Why, why would you lie to me? We risked everything, everything for that one shot! I trusted you and my friends trusted me!" Vala's words of doubt rang in his ears and he felt both the betrayer and the betrayed. He'd already accepted the mantle of responsibility for introducing the Ori to their galaxy, as much as Jack and Vala insisted it wasn't his fault, but now he'd made it worse by allowing them free access through the Supergate. Without warning, Daniel felt his chest spasm and the sudden pain dropped him to his knees.
"Daniel, my dear one, Oma was not the only one to believe you worthy. I looked into your heart and knew you would be my last, true weapon against the Ori. Trust and remember what I have accomplished by your time and you will find your way. But hurry, the Ori won't stay trapped forever. The answers you seek are all there--" Merlin tapped one finger to Daniel's temple. "--you just need to remember where to look. Trust in me, Daniel, as I trust in you to finish what I began."
Fire lanced in his chest even as icy tendrils began to wrap themselves around Daniel. He curled himself up in a ball, shivering and gasping for breath, unable to do more than gape up at Merlin even as his vision began to fade. Trust? Merlin wanted him to trust him again, even though he'd lied to him. Daniel felt ice creeping into his veins, freezing muscle and tissue even as his heart fluttered and pounded, fiery bands squeezing the breath out of him.
All those months, so many months believing the final answer was Merlin's weapon only to be told it was a lie. As his body began to lose all sensation, his mind focused solely on the pain centered in his chest, even as the sense of betrayal and despair overwhelmed him. Merlin's words echoed in his mind, "trust me as I trust you" Daniel held on to the one thing: faith that SG-1 would help him find his way. They were all he had left.
* * *
Jack was startled out of his doze in the semi-darkness as Daniel's medical equipment blared another alarm.
"Shit!" he swore, all but jumping out of the bed. He went to check the monitors, not really sure what he was looking at but not liking the numbers flashing in red. That couldn't be good. He dashed over to the communications panel and punched in an open channel.
"Carter, get your ass down here," he ordered. "Something's wrong with Daniel."
More alarms started to blare, even as the ship regained power.
"What the hell is going on?" Jack demanded, angry now that he hadn't gotten a quick response. Long moments passed before the comm crackled with Teal'c's voice.
"O'Neill, Colonel Mitchell and Vala Mal Doran have returned. I apologize for not letting you know sooner, but their ship's sensors have been damaged and they are having problems docking. Colonel Carter has gone to assist them."
"They onboard yet?" Jack demanded, keeping one eye on Daniel, the other on the machines going haywire.
"Indeed, sensors are now showing that they have docked," Teal'c assured him. "I am now attempting to restore the Odysseys hyperdrive control crystals."
"It's all in the timing," Jack muttered before he punched a system-wide page. "Mal Doran! Get your ass in here NOW!" he bellowed. Daniel had once told him that Vala was very good at what she did. It wasn't always easy to believe what Daniel said, but he always was able to believe *in* Daniel. That was why he had faith she wouldn't come back to this ship if she didn't have that healing device in her hands.
The blaring alarms were suddenly overridden by one long steady beep. That could not be good. Jack turned and saw Daniel's heart monitor was now nothing more than a flat line.
"Damn it to hell! You will NOT die on me, Daniel, do you hear me?" Jack managed to ground out between his teeth before he leaned in and started rescue CPR. He didn't notice when the ship jumped into hyperspace.
* * *
Vala skidded to a halt in front of the infirmary door, looking worse for wear. Her hair was a ragged mess, her face bruised and streaked with blood. Jack looked across from Daniel at her and felt some relief when she pulled out what he hoped was a healing device. It was much smaller than the ones he was used to, but he remembered Daniel telling him she had a small, personal one.
Wherever the hell they had gone, it didn't look like it was the walk in the park Vala had implied it would be. But what was done was done and they were here now, Vala doing what she had set out to do.
"It's okay, I've got him now," she whispered and Jack moved out of the way. Vala slipped her hand over his chest, closed her eyes and concentrated. Jack held his breath and watched as the healing device glowed beneath Vala's hands. She focused her attention on Daniel's chest, hovering over his heart and worked the beam there. She'd come too far to fail now. The monitors continued beeping in fits and starts as Vala concentrated.
Mitchell came in, limping and looking just as bruised and bloody as Vala had. Assisted by Sam, she helped him climb up on the bed Jack had been using. They both looked on quietly as Vala worked. Jack shut off the machines, one way or another Daniel wasn't going to be needing them anymore. He watched, grim-faced, as Vala attempted to heal Daniel.
Vala worked steadily, long minutes passing until the beam finally shut off in her hand. She sighed as she took the ring off and stared at it. The crystal inset in the device had turned black, no longer functional. She'd healed as much as she could and hoped it would be enough. She looked down at Daniel and tapped him lightly on the cheek, telling herself that it HAD been enough.
"Daniel?" she asked.
Daniel stirred and Vala felt her own heart fluttering. "Can you wake up for me?" she asked.
Daniel opened his eyes and blinked a few times before he focused his gaze on Vala. "Whahs goin on?" he croaked.
"Way to go," Jack said, grinning widely. He slapped her on the back and Vala stifled a groan, grimacing from the pain. Jack winced and murmured an apology before turning to Daniel again. "Welcome back, Doctor Jackson," Jack said.
Despite his apparent confusion, Daniel frowned at Jack and turned to look at Vala.
"Are you okay?" he asked her, his voice barely a whisper, trying to reach out a hand to touch her face.
"Am I okay?" Vala huffed a laugh, half in surprise, half in relief, her own pain forgotten. "I'm fine. I'm perfect. How're you?" She grabbed hold of the hand he'd reached up and held it to her chest.
"I…I'm fine. Where's Merlin?" He tried to sit up only to find Jack pushing him back down. "What's going on?" he asked, confused and uncertain of what was happening.
Vala looked at Jack, not sure what to make of Daniel's request for Merlin, not sure what she should tell him.
"What's the last thing you remember, Daniel?" Jack asked.
Daniel frowned briefly before he turned his head to look at Mitchell.
"I…I had the strangest dream. Everything was covered in ice," Daniel whispered.
* * *
At the SGC, Landry entered his office, followed closely by Woolsey who was clutching a folder tightly in his hands. He gestured for the man to sit as he closed the door behind them. Hank settled himself behind his desk and leaned back in his chair. He wondered how SG1 and Jack were doing and he'd hoped that Jack would take his warning to heart. In the meantime, Hank had to deal with the bureaucracy that was trying to wrest control of the SGC from the military. They'd already dictated terms, and all but forced the president into signing an innocent man's death warrant. With a sigh, he began, "What brings you to the SGC, Mr. Woolsey?"
"General Landry," Woolsey began, "thank you for meeting me on such short notice. And I do apologize for the awkwardness of what I am about to say but with all due respect, sir, I have read your report." He gestured to one of the files he had in his lap. "We can not presume that SG-1 is simply MIA. With their track record, they most likely have been compromised by the Prior formally known as Daniel Jackson and I do believe that it's in our best interest to place them all on a 'persons of interest' list. You know this and yet, you submitted this report to the IOA." He emphasized his words by gesturing once more to the folders resting in his lap.
"This is SG1 we're talking about," Hank reminded him with a chuckle, even as he fingered the edge of the blotter on his desk. "They've saved the world more times than I care to think about. If they haven't responded to our communications, it's because they can't, not because they don't want to. Give them time and I'm sure they'll show up." No doubt with some kind of anti-Ori weapon, he thought privately to himself.
"What you fail to take into consideration, General and what the IOA council agrees with, by the way, is that Doctor Jackson has proven to be a significant threat. He was able to single handedly steal the Odyssey and for all we know, he's gotten all of SG-1 under some kind of mind control. We have to seriously consider that their combined knowledge and expertise is now in the hands of the enemy and a threat like that just cannot stand unchallenged. Even the President agrees."
"I understand what you are saying," Hank said, realizing even as he spoke that he wasn't about to change his mind. He was still in command of this facility and the President hadn't fired him yet. "Although frankly, I think you are full of it. The IOA may hold a lot of sway around the decisions we make around here, but as far as military personnel are concerned, that is my responsibility and one I take very seriously. As such, my report still stands. Colonels Mitchell and Carter, as well as General O'Neill have been listed as missing-in-action. We will take no other action than to continue our search for them in order to bring them home. We do NOT leave our people behind."
"I am very sorry to hear that, General Landry." Woolsey gathered himself up and pulled out a blue file from the pile of folders he carried and slid it across Landry's desk. "These are your new orders concerning the command of this facility. As of right now, by Presidential order as well as with the full support and cooperation of the IOA, you are to recall ALL off world personnel immediately. By this time tomorrow, we'll be dedicating all of our resources to Operation Phase Shift."
-end episode