Daniel Jackson had a headache. Not just a normal headache, a full-scale migraine. Since when did I have a "normal" level of pain? He asked himself. He didn't answer, of course. He groaned and scrubbed the stubble on his chin, his eyes moving aimlessly over the books he had brought back from the last planet…Vermegille? Something odd and old sounding. The one they almost hadn't made it out of alive. He began to massage his temples, willing the pain and the problems he faced to disappear. Why oh why did I rejoin SGC…he didn't answer that question either.

"Hey – what's the matter?"

Sam knocked on the doorframe before entering, her brows furrowed in a concerned V. Daniel quickly drew his hands away from his head and made an attempt to look like he was awake. "Oh, nothing, just, um…just trying to translate this one word. Frustrating, actually. I've had to cross-reference Ancient, Old English, French, Latin…all sorts of fun stuff." He cracked a small smile and blinked innocently. Sam's eyes narrowed, suspicious of his lively demeanor. "Daniel, do you know what time it is?" Daniel blinked again, but this time in surprise.

"…No…"

"I thought so," Sam said, turning to leave. "Good night, Daniel. Sweet dreams." "Yeah, you too," Daniel muttered as he checked his wristwatch: 11:13 pm. Daniel sighed and carefully marked the page in the dusty tome he had been scanning. Dang. They had an off-world mission in the morning, checking out one of the planets listed in the "sleeping city's" hall of records. And with this headache, he was going to be lucky to get any sleep at all.

Bypassing his normal getting-ready-for-bed routine, Daniel simply popped some Ibuprophin and rolled onto the cot he'd set up in the corner of his office for overnighters. He took off his glasses and set them on the side table, and tried to find a comfortable position to fall asleep in. It took him a while to forget that he had left his desk lamp on. Daniel let out a dry chuckle when he finally did, getting out of bed and heading toward his desk to turn off the offending light. I'm so stupid...

The pain in his head caught him completely off-guard. He gasped and fell to the floor, scattering papers and files as he clutched at the desk for support. He couldn't think. He couldn't breathe. He had no choice but to succumb to the dancing, flashing colors that flitted like birds in his head...

oooo

Daniel woke up in the middle of a forest. The scent of pine needles tickled his nose, and from what little of the sky he could glimpse it was just after dusk. He took a moment to gather his wits; the most coherent thought he came up with was this is not the SGC. Odd. He sat up and checked his surroundings: nothing but trees, although the ground seemed to be sloping downward. It didn't feel like Earth. He couldn't have said why, but he had that feeling. A million thoughts were rushing through his head: He had no equipment with him whatsoever, as he hadn't exactly been planning on being spirited away somewhere strange. The only thing he had was his pager which (predictably) wasn't able to reach anybody. His glasses were gone too, sitting on his nightstand wherever Stargate Command was, which made everything more than ten feet away nice and fuzzy. Well, I can't stay here all night. I must have been transported here somehow…by somebody…which means that there is probably some sort of building or city here somewhere. Hopefully.

Daniel shivered; the night was brisk, and almost felt wintery. He had taken off his jacket to go to sleep, something he now regretted. He sighed and began to walk, massaging his arms to keep them warm as the temperature steadily dropped.

I should be worried how this…event…isn't scaring me or surprising me. It should scare me. I'm in the middle of nowhere with no knowledge of the planet or how I got here. For all I know, I could have a wild indigenous predator stalking me at this very moment. Daniel glanced at the trees around him, but without his glasses it was all he could to do pick out a path between the trees. Or I could be wandering right toward an Ori camp. Heck, anything is possible. Why am I here? …Maybe I had some sort of weird Ancient device in my room that I activated by…by…yawning? Daniel glared at a small sapling that had tangled his feet and almost tripped him in passing. I don't even know if this planet has a Stargate.

oooo

"Do you know where Daniel is?"

Colonel Mitchell looked at Samantha with surprise as she walked into the Gateroom. "He isn't here?" "No," she replied tersely, her eyes flitting around the room as though expecting to see her teammate hiding in a corner behind the Stargate. "I think he stayed here last night, I saw him as I was leaving. But his bed isn't slept in, and his papers are scattered all over his room." "He was attacked?" Mitchell asking, heading immediately for Daniel's office-slash-home. "It didn't look too messy in there," Sam admitted as she jogged after Mitchell, "but he is missing, isn't he?"

A quick survey of Daniel's office showed up nothing useful. His jacket was lying at the foot of his bed, the covers were thrown back, and his research papers (mainly ciphers for ancient codes) were scattered all over the floor. A handful were bent, but not by searching hands. "His room wasn't locked?" Mitchell asked, checking the door over. "No," Sam said. "And all of is equipment is still here." Mitchell glanced at Daniel's gear in the corner next to his bookshelf, all ready to go for this morning. Mitchell's radio buzzed.

"Colonel? Do we have an off-world mission today or not?" General Landry's voice was merely inquisitive, not expecting anything unusual on such a fine morning. Mitchell regretted to ruin his mood. "General," he sighed, glancing once more around the room, "we've got a bit of a problem…"

oooo

"What do you mean, 'Daniel's missing?'" Landry asked. Mitchell and Sam filled him in as Teal'c walked into the briefing room. "Where is Daniel Jackson?" he asked mildly in his bass voice. "That is the question we're all asking, Teal'c," Landry said. "I could look at the surveillance cameras," Sam offered, "they have to have caught something." "You do that," Landry agreed, "I don't think there is going to be a mission today with one of your members missing, Colonel. SG-2 is free right now, they can handle it. I suggest you spend your time finding Dr. Jackson." "Yessir," Mitchell concurred, slinging his gun off his shoulder. Daniel, what mess have you gotten yourself into now?

"Cameron, Teal'c, check these out," Sam said, typing at her computer that she'd set up on Daniel's desk. "I've taken the footage from Daniel's office and isolated the hours of eleven to seven, which is when we first noticed Daniel was missing. We should get something."

The tape began to play, showing Daniel sitting at his desk. He went through the motions of flipping through his books, and massaging his temples. "Headache?" Mitchell suggested. Seconds later Sam appeared in the doorway. "I told him to go to sleep," she said, gazing intently at the screen of the computer. Her eyes showed concern as the three remaining members of SG-1 watched Daniel take the painkillers, showing clear need for them. "He's never told me about having a migraine," Sam murmured, watching Daniel get into bed. They watched him laugh and get up to turn off the light. "Whoa," Mitchell said under his breath as Daniel collapsed on the floor, clutching his head.

"He is in pain," Teal'c commented. Sam diplomatically ignored his statement, but Mitchell couldn't resist rolling his eyes. Teal'c just would never stop being Teal'c.

Daniel's body relaxed, almost as if he was falling asleep. "He's passing out," Sam explained, her worry now present in her voice as well. "God, that's got to be a lot of pain." Mitchell frowned. "Is that the camera?" he asked, as Daniel's form began to take on a misty quality. "I don't think so," Sam said, checking the specs on the computer. Daniel continued to fade. Moments later, he was gone. A single paper fell to the floor. The tape played on, but Daniel did not reappear.

"So, he…dissolved." Mitchell said, trying to hide his fear.