Moebius: An Immortal Spacemonkey Story
Disclaimer: As much as I might wish, I do not own Stargate: SG1, Highlander: the Series, or any recognizable characters from either show. However, any characters that are not from either show are mine and I will use and abuse them as I see fit. Everyone else will be returned eventually, for I am only borrowing for a while, but they might end up a bit scuffed.
A/N: This story fits into my Immortal Spacemonkey universe if you think of the timeline being like a moebius strip. The events are weaved together with no beginning and no end. I hope this story makes sense and doesn't seem too weird. Daniel is the only survivor of the original line up of SG-1. This story tells how he survived and learned to live as an Immortal.
The character Dilijan comes from the non-cannon Big Finish stories of the Highlander universe (no infringement is meant). His information can be found over at the Highlander wiki sight, from which I heavily borrowed. He was responsible for the creation of the Horsemen and I wanted to somehow tie my Danil to the Horsemen. I hope you enjoy this story.
Thank you to Lori for being a fantastic beta. Thank you for all of the red ink you bled all over my rough drafts.
~SG1SG1SG1SG1SG1~
It took a while, but the rebellion against Ra was successful. It took about two years from the time the alternative timeline SG-1 members flew through the gate in the Puddle Jumper for Ra to finally give up and leave Earth. This also included the time it took for Daniel to finish inscribing the cover stone and take the video letting Stargate Command know where the ZPM could be found.
Once the cover stone and video were complete, Jack, Samantha, and Teal'c agreed to find a new home on another world. They didn't want to mess up the timeline too much and did not like the primitive conditions that life in ancient times provided. They said they were probably going to go see if they could live with the Nox or other civilizations that Daniel told them about. He provided them several gate addresses where they could find shelter in societies that had indoor plumbing and air conditioning. Daniel made sure to tell them to avoid the Shavadai or those like them. While he didn't know if they were around at the current time, he figured Samantha would not do well in their male-dominated society if they did exist in this distant past.
Daniel told them that he would not be joining them on their journey through the galaxy. He had to remain on Earth, for the time being at least and learn the rules of that dictated Immortal lives and how to survive the Game.
That part he didn't share with the others. He just told them that being here in Ancient Egypt was too much of a lure and he wanted to see things as they were happening, it was no longer just an old tale learned about in a dusty book or on an archeology dig. It was something to be lived. He also held out the hope that he would survive long enough to be reunited with his friends in the late twentieth century.
"But Daniel," Samantha began, looking up at her more than acquaintance, less than a brother, friend, "You know about all of this already. There is so much out there in the galaxy to see." Her blue eyes looking at him with hope that he would join the three of him.
Daniel put on a false smile for the woman that looked like his friend Sam. "I've seen the galaxy, many times over Samantha. This is something I have to do. There is stuff I want to accomplish here. There is stuff I have to learn."
Jack stood by listening to Samantha, his wife, try to talk Daniel into joining them. Secretly he was hoping that the guy from the timeline that was an alternative to his own timeline would not join then. He noticed, from time to time, that Daniel would get this far off look, like he was lost in the past and when he would snap out of it, he would have a look on his face that scared him. Jack was not a person that could scare easily, but there was something about Daniel that alarmed him. There was a violence just beneath the surface that was working its way slowly to the top. He knew that it was only a matter of time before Daniel snapped and he really didn't want to be there when it happened.
And it all had something to do with the stranger that appeared about three months after their arrival.
~SG1SG1SG1SG1SG1~
flashback
They were living among the natives in their tents. It was hard living, but not impossible. They had shelter, food, and water. Granted things are smelly and the lack of regular bathing was a thing that influenced their outlook on ancient life. They did spend their time helping the locals with daily chores and organizing the rebellion. While it wasn't their ideal situation, they made the best of it.
The rebellion, while it began when the Jaffa of Ra surrendered, it was not a completed task. They had to organize the people and the Jaffa who were willing to reject their false god. They had to launch raiding parties to acquire more weapons and demoralize the remaining followers of Ra. Their harassment, before the full, out-right attack, gave them time to prepare and experience things in Ancient Egypt.
Daniel, while he seemed to have more in common with Teal'c, kept mostly to himself, even with Jack and Samantha. He didn't relate to them very well. They hadn't experienced life in the SGC, seen the sights he had seen, fought in the war against the Goa'uld like he had with his friends. They had not gone to hell and back with him.
He did come out of his shell somewhat with a stranger who has ridden into their camp one early evening. He wasn't an overly tall man, at least by modern standards, but tall for the time period. He was maybe five inches shorter than Daniel, long black hair kept tied back in an intricate braid. His eyes were dark and his skin was the color of café au latte. He said his name was Dilijan and was here to teach Daniel.
Dilijan was the first Immortal Daniel knowingly encountered. He explained the pounding headache that Daniel was currently experiencing. He also told him about Immortality and the rules surrounding their combat to the death, called "the Game."
Daniel and Dilijan were strolling around the camp at night. No one gave them the slightest look. All of the locals knew Daniel and trusted that anyone he was with was not an enemy to hurt them.
"I am supposed to fight other people to the death and cut off their heads?" Daniel asked in disbelief.
"Killing someone is not easy," Dilijan replied, his accented Egyptian making him sound somewhat like he was originally from the Himalayan region to Daniel's trained ear.
"Killing is easy," Daniel said, sarcasm dripping from his tongue. "Learning to live with it is what is hard."
Dilijan blinked. This was not what he expected to hear from his new student. Danil, as was his pronunciation of the man's name, looked to be a scholar and a teacher. He didn't have the look of a hardened warrior. "You have killed before? Did you pray to the gods for forgiveness afterwards?"
"I have been fighting in a secret war for some time against those like Ra. He is a false god and needs to be stopped. As for praying to gods, I don't hold to any particular faith. If there is a Creator out there, he hasn't made him or herself known to me in any way. Plus, for the most part, it was done in defense of myself and others. I don't feel like I need forgiveness for that," Daniel explained, pulling his robes tighter around him. The desert was chilly at night.
"You are in much pain, Danil. I can help you with that too," Dilijan said, noticing that Danil seemed to be disturbed and in need of a sense of relief.
Daniel laughed hollowly. "Unless you can bring back my three best friends from the dead, end this rebellion with Ra, and transport me back to my home, there is nothing you can do to end my pain."
"If that is your wish Danil, the son of Jack. You do need to be taught how to use a sword and not those weapons that your people use. They are not allowed in a fight between Immortals and probably would not have much effect."
Daniel suddenly stopped walking and turned to face Dilijan in the faint glow of the remaining campfires. "Why are you doing this? And my name is not son of Jack. That is just weird." There was no way in hell he was going to have Jack be his daddy figure.
"Doing what Danil?"
"Offering to teach me how to use a sword. Wouldn't it make more sense to not teach me and kill me yourself?"
Dilijan chuckled softly. Danil's words echoed the words of several his past students. "We don't have to fight each other, but if challenged, you need to be able to defend yourself. We don't go out and kill each other every week. There aren't many of us in the world. I came here because I heard a rumor that there was a foreigner who died but came back. I wanted to see if this foreigner was one of us. And I found you. It is our duty to pass along what we know and what we have learned to the younger members of the Immortal people."
"Thanks, I guess," Daniel grumbled. "So, what now? I have obligations to these people and the rebellion. I can't just drop them."
Dilijan smiled, hoping that he was getting through to the stubborn young man. "I understand that. We will meet in the morning after chores and begin your lessons."
~SG1SG1SG1SG1SG1~
The next morning, once the tents had been prepared, food gathered, water drawn, roving Jaffa avoided, and weapons supply inventoried, Daniel met with Dilijan outside of the encampment. There he began his training in how to use a sword.
It was hard work learning how to properly hold a khopesh, an early Bronze Age sword that was approximately two feet in length, made from a combination of copper and arsenic, and the business end of the sword was curved. The outside edge of the curve was the only sharp edge and the pommel was made from wood. It was different from a P-90 or a Zat, to say the least. The good thing about a sword, as opposed to a gun or a Zat, was that a sword wouldn't run out of power or bullets. As long as it was kept clean and sharp, it would last longer than any modern or alien weapon.
Each morning, as long as Daniel wasn't occupied with the rebellion or chores, he was working with Dilijan on fight tactics, footwork, or endurance. The ability to use a sword and keep up in a fight was taxing on one's energy and stamina. While Daniel had greatly improved his fitness levels while with the SGC, it did not fully prepare him for the necessary strength and endurance needed for a fight with a sword.
Daniel slowly, but surely, improved in his sword work; his speed and quickness developed as well.
Jack and Teal'c would occasionally watch the training sessions. They found it interesting to watch. Sam didn't like it and refused to have anything to do with swords. She said it was horrible.
Despite their, Jack and Teal'c's, interest, they didn't understand why Daniel needed to learn how to fight with a sword. Daniel told them that he thought it was interesting and as a historian it was exciting to be living out something that was only learned about in history books and cheesy movies.
Daniel wondered at what point in his life lying became easy for him.
Dilijan was a good teacher. He was patient and encouraging. He didn't understand why Danil really hated Ra and he questioned Danil's ties to the three others that spoke his odd, foreign language. Daniel wouldn't tell him where they all came from beyond saying they were from "a long time ago, in a galaxy far way," which made no sense to him. Dilijan also noted that Daniel seemed disturbed in spirit and wanted to help him deal with his pain, but Daniel wouldn't talk to him about it. He did notice that it seemed to increase when he was with his three friends. Being near them caused him spiritual and physical pain, but he forced himself to ignore it.
~SG1SG1SG1SG1SG1~
Nearly twenty-one months after Dilijan arrived, the rebellion was over. Ra had left the planet and left the Stargate behind. Daniel also finished the coverstone, made the tape with the others and stored it in a canopic jar with the ZPM so the modern-day SG-1 could find it.
Soon it was time for Jack, Samantha, and Teal'c to leave. They were going to go and see if the Tolland were around and after that, they were going to see the Nox if the Tolland weren't modern enough or didn't exist. Once they had gone through, the people of the settlement were going to place the cover stone over the ring and bury it.
Daniel saw the others off, doing his best to keep his emotions at bay. While he knew they weren't his friends, and they were reminders of all that he had lost, he did enjoy Jack sarcasm and Teal'c stoicism. Samantha was a reminder of Sam's curiosity and intelligence. With them gone, it further reinforced how alone he really was.
Also, the Game scared him. He didn't like the idea of fighting someone with a sword, hoping to kill and decapitate his opponent. It was brutal and plain gross.
Daniel also hated the khopesh sword. It was awkward and unbalanced. To rectify this, Daniel visited one of the local blacksmiths in the settlement and had him make a weapon, one unique to this era in design. While it was still made of bronze like the other weapons of the day, it had a straight blade that was sharp on both sides, much like one of the swords he had kept in his office in Colorado Springs as a decoration.
Daniel remained in the area, training with Dilijan, practicing with his new sword, increasing his knowledge in how to fight.
One day, while Daniel was busy helping to prepare the fields for planting, he suddenly was over taken by the pounding sensation in his head that he only got when Dilijan appeared. He looked around, but could not spot his teacher. He did notice a stranger standing not far away, staring at him.
The stranger, was wrapped in layers of traditional desert garb. His robes, all of them were in various shades of brown, protected him from the fierce winds and unforgiving sun. They also prevented a person from seeing if he was armed or not.
Daniel did his best to ignore the man, hoping that eventually he would go away. The crops needed to be planted to provide food for the people, least they starve. He also did not have his sword upon him. Working with a piece of metal strapped across your back was not practical while working in a field. Eventually the outsider left, but Daniel had a sneaking suspicion that it wouldn't be for long.
Early that night, while everyone was gathered around the community fires, celebrating their freedom from Ra, Daniel felt the presence of the other Immortal.
Daniel looked towards his teacher, who was busy flirting with one of the village elder's daughter not far away, looking for confirmation that he too felt "the Buzz."
The stranger, tall and arrogant, strode through the crowd, looking all about him for the other Immortal. He could not sense Dilijan, who had hidden his Immortal signature from others. The only one he could sense was Daniel.
"You," the stranger called, clearly picking Daniel as the source of the Quickening he sensed, "I challenge you!" He spoke in the local dialect, his accent matching the others in the area.
"Why?" Daniel asked calmly, slightly perplexed. Who was this guy and what was his problem, he thought? I haven't pissed anyone off lately, beyond Ra.
"Because the gods demand it," the man called.
"Really? What kind of supreme being would demand someone kill another," Daniel yelled back, full of sarcasm. "I think you need a new set of gods."
"You are a coward then? Afraid to meet the gods in the afterlife? Osiris will judge your heart to be full of fear and doom your soul to being destroyed and your heart eaten by the demon Ammit. But first I will take your head and your Quickening," the other Immortal shot back, his black eyes glinting with excitement.
Daniel looked slightly bored. "Osiris is full of shit and so are you," he said, ignoring some of the gasps of shock coming from the villagers who, while they might have rejected Ra, that didn't mean they rejected the rest of the gods. Full-on Jackson snark was making itself appear, helping him to calm down, while managing to potentially offend others. He really missed Jack right then.
"Face my challenge and die with some sense of honor," the other said, throwing off his cloak, revealing the khopesh sword he carried.
"Fine, you damn stupid bastard," Daniel muttered in English also casting off his outer cloak, revealing his short sword.
The combatants moved away from the people and into an open area between the fires and tents. The people nearby, moved away from the Immortals, watching carefully to see what would happen next.
Daniel faced off against the other Immortal, his sword held high, waiting in anticipation of the coming fight. "So, who are you?" he was curious, wondering who this guy was. He was of average height for the time period, with black hair and brown eyes. He looked like someone from Palestine, in Daniel's opinion.
The stranger laughed. "What does it matter to the man I will be killing?"
"Morbid curiosity," Daniel replied, looking at the unknown Immortal across from him.
"I am known as Tupkish from Urkesh."
Daniel rolled that information around in his head. "Northern Syria then. Interesting," he muttered in English, something he was prone to do when he didn't feel like sharing his thoughts with others.
Suddenly the fight was on. Tupkish swung his blade, aiming for Daniel's neck with the curved edge slicing through the air. The blades clashed with a dull clanging sound. The two combatants circled each other, getting a feel for each other's defenses and level of skill.
Daniel was cautious since this was his first time fighting another Immortal. Training with Dilijan didn't count since they weren't trying to kill each other. He knew he was the unexperienced fighter, while Tupkish had the look of someone that had experience in one-on-one combat; he knew what he was doing with his sword.
Tupkish tried at one point to bludgeon Daniel with the dull tip of his sword when Daniel stumbled slightly over loose gravel and dirt. Daniel blocked the attempt, but only barely. His scalp was slightly grazed by his opponent's sword. While it wasn't serious, he could feel the familiar healing tingle caused by his Quickening, it was enough to remind him to focus.
Remembering a long-ago lesson in fighting from Jack, Daniel suddenly stepped in towards his opponent, crossing swords that made a sickening screech as they clashed. Once inside Tupkesh's personal space, Daniel let go of the hilt of his sword with one of his hands, and with his free arm, and slammed his elbow into face of the shorter man, causing him to stumble backwards slightly, giving Daniel then enough room to smash his foot into Tupkesh's knee.
Tupkesh dropped his guard, hobbled slightly by having his knee kicked in. It was enough for Daniel to get a clear shot and quickly decapitated his opponent.
The head rolled away off to the side while the body slowly dropped to its knees and then toppled over.
While he knew what to expect next, it still came as a surprise.
Blue lightning flowed from the decapitated corpse as a weird mist enveloped the area around Daniel and Tupkesh's body. The lightning sought out another receptacle and easily found Daniel. It surrounded him and forced its way into his body, filling him with its unearthly electricity.
The Quickening caused Daniel to scream as strange and foreign memories filled his mind. He saw scenes of a village, not too different from his own. He saw people that he recognized as family members of Tupkesh. He saw an attack on the village by a band of raiders, how people were slaughtered all around him. He heard the screams of the victims, he could almost taste the blood on his tongue. He felt the despair of Tupkesh who realized that he was the only survivor of the attack. Daniel saw the crumpled body of a woman, whom he identified at Tupkesh's wife, in the street. The body had been badly burned.
Daniel also felt the rage that consumed Tupkesh. That rage was raw and powerful, it was overwhelming.
Soon the mini storm passed, and Daniel was left lying on the ground, sobbing from the amount of emotions that were not his own, but filled him anyway.
"Danil," Dilijan called quietly, once the storm was over, gently touching his shoulder.
"Go away," Daniel ground out, pissed that his teacher hadn't told him how terrible the Quickening was. "So much pain. It's too much."
Dilijan grimaced. "I know Danil. It will pass. The other's Quickening will settle down eventually and the pain won't be so noticeable."
"It's not just his. It is the Quickening of his opponents I feel. I feel their pain, their anger, their loss," Daniel explained.
"Find the joy in their lives and focus on that," Dilijan advised, wanting to ease the pain his student was experiencing.
Daniel was silent for a moment. "I can't find it. There's too much anger. I don't feel any joy," he admitted, trying his best to search the memories that weren't his own.
"It will come. Give it time. As Immortals, that is the one thing we have plenty of," Dilijan said and stepped back, giving Daniel space. The villagers wanted to see Daniel, to make sure their protector was okay after the bizarre light show. They didn't understand what had happened, but they wanted to make sure their protector was okay.
"Danil," called Turo, a boy that reminded him of Skaara. "Are you okay Danil?"
"No," Daniel replied, trying to stand up on his shaky legs.
Turo ran over to Daniel and tried to help him stand, but Daniel just waved him away. "I need to be alone for now," he told the boy, wrapping his arms around his torso, moving away from the people he had grown to care about. There was stuff he needed to deal with on his own.
Then it hit him. He was alone. He didn't have Jack, Sam, or Teal'c to help him deal with any of this. His best friends weren't there as they always had been to help him share the burdens that life gave him. He wouldn't get to hear their voices, listen to Sam prattle on about new technology that in no way did he understand. He wouldn't have Teal'c's reassuring presence to remind him that things weren't that bad. He wouldn't have Jack nearby, making a smartass comment to lift his spirits. His best friends were in his past and that was the most depressing thing he could think of. Yes, he could go and visit their graves, but it wasn't the same. It wasn't enough.
He spent the rest of the night in his tent, trying to process all the new memories and knowledge that was bouncing around in his head. He also spent the time alternating between feelings of rage and sorrow.
Daniel was pissed that Jack, Sam, and Teal'c died, leaving him alone. He was also pissed because of memories that were not his own. He was pissed at fate for making him Immortal. He was pissed at Dilijan for teaching him to survive as an Immortal. The burden of his existence and knowledge was almost too much for him to bear.
The next morning found Daniel exhausted. Between some manly crying and wanting to punch someone, he didn't get much sleep.
He then felt the presence of another Immortal. He judged it to be Dilijan, but still gripped his sword tightly, not trusting himself to be lax around another Immortal so soon after taking a Quickening. One of the new memories he had acquired involved a teacher taking a student's head after his first Quickening.
"Danil," Dilijan called from outside of his tent.
Daniel rose and left the safety of his tent to join his teacher. "How can I help you?" he asked, squinting in the bright morning sun.
The ancient Immortal frowned at his student, noticing how different Daniel's voice seemed. "I was wondering how you were. Did you get any sleep last night?"
Daniel looked off into the distance, wrapping his arms around his chest, feeling his sword resting on his hip. It made him feel safer, knowing there was a weapon nearby that he could use to defend himself. "No. I didn't sleep. Is it normal to have this much chaos going on in my head?"
"For now, yes. It will settle down soon enough. Give it time," Dilijan suggested.
"Great," Daniel muttered, kicking at the ground in frustration. "Anything else you need? I have to help Ahmose in the fields today."
"It will be okay Danil, I promise," Dilijan said as Daniel abruptly left to join the others in finishing the planting.
~SG1SG1SG1SG1SG1~
The remainder of the week passed quickly. The fields had been planted, thus freeing up more time for other pursuits. He joined in with the other men helping to hunt for food for the people. They had taught him how to hunt with a bow and arrow, survival skills that has once been declared antiquated in the future were necessary to sustain life in ancient times. While he wasn't the best hunter out of the group, he was good enough to assure that he wouldn't starve. Probably.
All the while, Daniel avoided people as much as he could. His mind was full of anger and sorrow. It consumed him. Dilijan tried to talk to Daniel, to draw him out, but couldn't get more than a few words out of him. Even, Aat, the daughter of a village elder who was sweet on him, couldn't bring Daniel out of his shell. For all intents and purposes, Daniel had emotionally shut down.
Later that evening, when everyone had pretty much gone to bed, Daniel included, shadowy figures stole through the village, moving as quietly as possible, hoping to not be seen or heard. They quietly snuck into Daniel's tent and surrounded him. Daniel, not expecting anyone to attack him in the middle of the night, slept on despite the terrible dreams that plagued him.
The men that encircled Daniel's sleeping form quickly grabbed him, preventing him from escaping. Daniel abruptly woke up and struggled against the hands that held him in place to no avail. It was too many people and he couldn't break free.
"Bring him outside," Dilijan ordered the group, "and bring him by the fire."
"What are you doing?" Daniel protested as the others carried him from his tent. "Why are doing this to me?"
"It will help make you whole again Danil," Dilijan consoled his student who still fought against his captors, swearing colorfully in several languages.
The group brought Daniel over to the fire where they laid him down on the dirt but kept a tight grip on him so he couldn't escape.
"Turn him over," Dilijan ordered the villagers.
"What in the hell are you doing Dilijan?" Daniel called out as he was turned over, face down on the ground. "Let me go!"
Dilijan looked at his student with little expression on his face. "You need help Danil. This will help you release your pain," he explained as he brought out what looked to be a railroad spike and a hammer.
"I don't need my pain to be released you idiot," Daniel snarled. He had caught a glimpse of the tools that Dilijan was carrying, and he did not like it one bit. "This will not help me! Trepanning is bullshit! It doesn't help."
The mortals held Daniel down with their hands while Dilijan crouched over Daniel's prone form. He held the awl, pointed side down, on the back of Daniel's skull.
"This will release your pain Danil. Don't fight my help," the ancient Immortal called out right before he drove the spike into Daniel's skull with the force of the hammer, punching a hole in the bone.
Daniel couldn't help but scream from the pain it caused.
Dilijan did it again, cracking the skull open to release the supposed evil spirits from Daniel.
"Leave him," Dilijan ordered the others back and to release Daniel.
Daniel, a bloody mess thanks to the two holes in the back of his head struggled against the pain and the urge to throw up all over the place and rose slowly to his feet, staggering like a drunk. Blood ran down the back of his skull, matting his longish lighter blond hair to his head. The pain was blinding. Even though he could feel his Quickening starting to heal the wounds, having a spike driven through his skull hurt. He couldn't remember experiencing a worse headache than this, not even the time in college he got seriously black-out drunk after finals and spent the next day puking his guts out.
He also felt betrayed.
And it pissed him off.
Even though he was unarmed, he attacked Dilijan, grabbing the man and throwing him on the ground. He then jumped on him, punching his teacher repeatedly in the face before finally wrapping his hands around his neck and choked the life out of the man.
Once Dilijan expired, Daniel climbed off him and spit on him. The others, seeing the look of pure rage on Daniel's face scattered to the winds, not wishing to find themselves on the receiving end of Daniel's wrath.
Dilijan finally revived with a gasp.
"If I see you tomorrow, I will kill you," Danil ground out, beyond furious, breathing heavily. Luckily there was a small part of him that did not want to kill his teacher. Also, he didn't have his sword with him which helped Dilijan's survival rate.
With that, Danil turned and stumbled his way back to his tent. He didn't totally blame the locals for helping Dilijan. The Immortal had a magnetic personality that drew others to him and to do his bidding. He got how the others could be persuaded to follow his orders, but still, he wasn't overly happy with them at this moment. He grabbed ahold of his sword and kept it close to him throughout the night, not even bothering to wash the blood off. Danil wasn't about to be caught again without a weapon.
The next morning, Dilijan was nowhere to be found. He had taken his few meager possessions and his sword and disappeared into the night. Danil was happy to see his mentor gone, wanting to have nothing to do with the crazy bastard.
Danil knew that he couldn't stay in the village any longer. He no longer trusted the others. When they had held him down, allowing Dilijan to perform trepanning on him, that level of trust was broken. He quickly gathered his stuff: his journal and writing materials, some water and food, an extra cloak, and his sword. He also packed away a few of his possessions that remained from his days with the SGC: a combat knife and Jack's binoculars. The rest of his and the others' belongings had been destroyed to help preserve the time line. He threw all of his necessary possessions into a canvas bag, secured his sandals, and left his tent.
Outside he was confronted by Aat's father, the village elder. He had heard what had happened the previous night and wanted to make sure his friend was okay.
"I'm leaving," Danil announced. "I can't stay here."
Herihor looked distressed at hearing this. He was prepared to offer his daughter's hand to Danil if it kept the young man with the tribe. He loved Danil and thought of him like his own son. "But Danil, please don't leave us. Don't judge us by what Dilijan did."
Danil looked at the older man with a cold look. "I don't. Well, not entirely, but I can't stay here. I don't trust the people anymore and I won't stay in a place where there is no trust. Who is to say you won't turn on me again."
Herihor, seeing the look of suspicion and anger in Danil's face, knew that there was nothing he could say to keep Danil with the tribe. It might even be for the best. Having someone that angry at the world with them would only invite more trouble. "Please be safe Danil and may the gods watch over you."
Danil laughed hollowly. "The gods would be better off if they kept their distance from me. They've done nothing but bring me misery."
Soon after, Daniel left the encampment, leaving the people he had helped free from Ra's tyrannical rule behind him.
~SG1SG1SG1SG1SG1~
Flash forward
Over five thousand years later, Daniel was standing in his office with Jack, Sam, and Teal'c, watching a video left behind by the members of SG-1.
"You son-of-a-bitch," Jack exclaimed, looking at his best friend who looked mildly amused. "You knew all of this was going to happen and you didn't say anything."
"Jack, it has been a long time and I had forgotten a lot of the details from before. Some things were different this time around. I didn't want to upset the natural order of how things were supposed to happen. Plus, it's all a wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey thing really."
"What happened after that DanielJackson? Where did you go after that?" Teal'c asked.
Daniel shrugged. "I went up the Nile, did some sightseeing. Settled with some people eventually near the Black Sea, met my first wife, hooked up eventually with my friends, did some horse riding, spread terror and mayhem across a couple of continents. You know, the usual," he said casually, his hands in his pockets, doing his best to ignore his friends' wide-eyes looks.
"Holy crap Daniel!" Jack exclaimed, feeling like his brain was going to explode from the information overload. "What ever happened to Dilijan, your teacher?"
Daniel's eyes hardened briefly, then took on a look of sorrow. "The dumb bastard killed Adam's wife in the eighteen hundreds with a slow acting poison. He eventually hunted him down."
"He killed him then?" Jack asked.
"No, in true Horseman style, he tortured Dilijan and left him a broken mess in a mental hospital a hundred years after Violetta was killed. Adam promised his wife that he would not kill Dilijan because she feared he would return to his old ways. He didn't promise he wouldn't get his revenge though. He loved Violetta and what the Old Man did was pretty mild," Daniel explained, neither justifying nor judging Methos' actions. Bad shit happened all the time.
"So, was there ever a Daniel Jackson from this time period?" Sam asked after digesting that tidbit about Dr. Pierson, her blue eyes searching her friend for an answer.
Daniel nodded. "He was orphaned by his parents' deaths, just like mine did, but eventually he disappeared. I don't know what happened to him, but I did manage to steal his identity to eventually get myself to this point here in the SGC with you guys. I missed you guys."
"Is Nicholas Ballard really your grandfather DanielJackson?" Teal'c asked, looking at his long-lived friend.
"Yes and no. He was my grandfather, as I knew him from my original timeline, but obviously not my biological grandfather. I did make myself known to him as his grandson so he would have family and someone to look after him as he aged. Thankfully he bought it. It was the least I could do. Really, it is wibbly-wobbly thing you had best not think too hard about. It will only make your head hurt," Daniel hedged. Time travel always made things so complicated.
"Cool," Jack said and then took the crate away from Sam who wanted to examine the ZMP nestled in it. "So, any idea as to what is coming up next Danny-boy?"
Daniel grinned and shook his head. "Nope. It is all new territory from this point on. I am as ignorant about the future as the next person. Should be interesting. Right now, I want to sit in a lawn chair, drink some beer, and relax. You guys can ask me all the questions you want when we get to your cabin."
"Spacemonkey," Jack muttered as he herded everyone out of the lab. His fishless pond and a case of beer were calling his name and he wanted his team, his family, to share it with him before everything changed again.
The end
A/N: Well, what did you think? Hit the shiny review button and let me know what think. All constructive criticisms are welcome, flames are not. Thank you though for reading my story. It is appreciated.
I got the stuff about Dilijan from the Highlander wiki site. The information about trepanning came from Wikipedia, and according to Highlander wiki, Dilijan was responsible for creating the Horsemen and drove Caspian and Silas to madness due to his experimenting with trepanning, believing he could "eat" their pain with this technique. I thought it was interesting and I wanted to use this to tie Daniel to the Horsemen.
Tupkish was a king of Urkesh, an area settled in northern Syria by the Hurrians in the 4th millennium BC; I just borrowed the name and the region.
I hope you enjoyed the story. It was fun to write and helped break up the boredom at work.