Twisted Fate
Prologue
He can see the blinding light from the hand ribbon device. Carter's eyes are huge, pools of dark swimming in the white grimace that's her face. She screams and he can't reach her, can't move.
He's cold to the bones, shivering, teeth clattering.
Carter's screams are mingled with the distorted sound of Hathor's little toy and the snake's mildly disappointed voice, "I had hopes for you."
He grits his teeth to stop them from clattering. It takes all his willpower to move even a muscle. But he gets up from the ground, willing his protesting limbs to obey, crawling a good part of the way until he's behind Hathor.
Slowly he comes to his knees, to his feet.
And then his arms close around the bitch, in an awkward strangling embrace.
Hathor howls in rage and tries to get rid of him, but he holds on to her, not sure where he's getting the energy from. Hate maybe. Hate's a pretty good motivation.
"We will destroy you for this!" she snarls.
Oh yeah? Guess what...
"We would just like you to go away!" It doesn't even take much of a wrestle to throw her into the cryogenic pit where she disappears with a final theatrical scream.
Gotcha. Another one down.
There's no time for celebration though.
He looks after Carter and she's okay. He pulls her to her feet and they share some body heat for a moment. He feels like a frigging Popsicle.
But he's himself. Not snaked. Not blended.
Carter, who still holds on to him, gives a quick report. "Colonel Raynolds came through with half a dozen SG teams to rescue us. But Trofsky's got us cut off from the Stargate. He's using an energy barrier. It originates from somewhere in this facility. The plan is to blow it before General Hammond sends reinforcements."
Great plan. "And how do we plan to do that?"
It's the Tok'ra who's helped him to get rid of his symbiote that answers him. "What you seek is hidden within the mockup of your Stargate facility."
He thaws some more as he follows Carter through the corridors of the faked SGC until they end up in the "gate room". Doesn't take long for them to find the generator and attach the C4 to it, set to detonate by remote.
Now all they have to do is get outta here and to the gate.
Piece of cake, right?
Wrong.
They make it outside, a landscape consisting mostly of sand, slit and small shrubs. They take cover behind an embankment. The gate is in sight, but they know there's the invisible barrier between them and...
"This part of your plan, Carter?"
"No, sir," she says, exhaustion lacing her voice.
Reynolds and his team are kneeling in front of the gate, guarded by Trofsky and a handful of Jaffa. Daniel is with them, his face slightly bruised.
"I know you are still out there, Captain Carter! I grow tired of this. Surrender now, or your friends will be killed one by one," Trofsky threatens and aims his zat at the back of Daniel's head.
"Don't listen to him, Sam!" Daniel yells, his voice steady and determined.
"Silence! I will give you one minute," Trofsky oh so generously offers, the zat still pointed at Daniel, not wavering.
Carter bites her lip and whispers, "The reinforcements should come through in a couple of minutes. We could detonate the C4."
"No. Trofsky's going to start shooting any minute. We gotta buy some time... He thinks I'm a Goa'uld, right?"
Carter nods and he tells her to blow the C4 the minute the cavalry comes through the gate.
"What if they don't?"
Excuse me? That kind of attitude isn't acceptable on my team. "What if they don't?"
"Uh... They will, they will."
"That's better."
He scrambles over the embankment and heads across the clearing, towards the waiting Jaffa. This is probably a bluff Daniel would handle better as he's more skilled with the language. But Daniel's on the wrong side of the barrier with a zat aimed at his neck.
"Jaffa, kree!" Hey, that's not too bad, right?
Trofsky yells back, "Kel mak, Goa'uld! Kree tak!"
Okay, right, that's... different. His and Daniel's eyes meet over the distance. Daniel frowns, trying to figure out who's talking...
"You heard me, I said Kree!"
With that he has blown it and Daniel's eyes widen as he calls out. "Jack?!"
Trofsky fires.
And fires.
And Jack leaps forward in slow motion, his lips moving, yelling Daniel's name...
... Jack woke with a start, his sweat drenched limbs tangled in something. He was tied up... Struggling against the restraints, the colonel twisted and turned – and fell out of his bed, the covers still slung around his body.
Slowly he peeled himself out of the blanket and sat up, rubbing the back of his head where he'd hit the hard wooden floor of his bedroom.
Damn, he thought as he heaved himself off the ground and traipsed into the bathroom, splashing cold water into his face, still only semi awake. The nightmare lingered in his mind like the scent of bad rented sex would linger in the bedsheets long after the hooker was gone. And yeah, he knew that was a screwed up analogy but it was too early to think straight anyway.
That nightmare was an old foe. Among all the other nightmares of course. So getting up at the odd hours of the night to chase the ghosts away was routine by now.
Grimacing, Jack grabbed his tooth mug, filled it and gulped down the water in one guzzle. He knew from experience he wouldn't get any more sleep for a while, so he pulled on some sweats, slipped into socks and shoes and, on his way to his backdoor, grabbed his leather jacket.
Jack O'Neill, USAF colonel, climbed the platform to his roof and sat down at his telescope to look at the cold night sky for a while.
The stars used to calm him even though he knew about the threat out there, lurking beyond them. But the times where the stars gave him comfort were long gone. Frankly, he didn't really know why he still came up here so often. Jack gazed at the Milky Way, knowing each star constellation by heart – and felt nothing.
Nothing but...
Jack?
... the fading whispering voice inside his head... a voice from the nightmare. From the past. Just another nightmare. Just another mission gone wrong. No wait... Hathor was dead. So it actually had been a success and earned him some extra brownie points.
For a while anyway. Until he screwed up everything else.
Swell.
1
"You heard me, I said Kree!"
Daniel tries not to be too hopeful, but that sounds suspiciously like... "Jack?!"
And it is Jack. Somehow Jack must have gotten rid of the Goa'uld Hathor put into him...
"Hey guys. Makepeace, nice rescue. Good job!"
He has never been so glad to hear Jack's voice as he is now. Trofsky is still standing behind Daniel, the zat pointed at him.
"Silence!" the Goa'uld barks.
It takes more than that to make Jack shut up, Daniel thinks, and almost smiles.
"All right, listen up. There's something you should know before you start shooting and killing and ruining what could be the start of a beautiful friendship. Our beloved Hathor… is dead."
Trofsky isn't happy at Jack's revelation. "What you say is impossible. Hathor is a queen. More than that, she is a goddess."
"Yeah, ok, ex-goddess, maybe. I killed her myself. You should trust me on this, she's gone. She is no more. She's… well, let's face it, she's a former queen. So why don't we just put an end to this right now?"
Daniel feels the anger radiating off the Goa'uld standing behind him. He is scared and almost wishes Jack would stop antagonizing Trofsky. Daniel feels like he needs to go to the bathroom, but of course he can't do that right now. His stomach is all queasy and he hopes he isn't going to throw up. Trofsky might shoot him if he does.
But instead of zatting Daniel, Trofsky moves away from him, yelling at Jack, "We will end this with your surrender!"
And there it is... Daniel hears the chevrons as they activate and the gate begins to spin...
Trofsky barks out orders. "Jaffa, kree, Chappa'ai!"
Jack yells at Sam. "Now!"
There's an explosion coming from Hathor's ship as something blows up. At the same time the gate opens and they all tumble forward and duck as a death glider races through... and immediately begins to fire at the Jaffa...
Daniel is much smaller these days than he used to be. So he can curl up into a ball and roll away from it all, behind a dune of sand.
There's gun fire and yelling and dust and the smell of burn and the noises of staff blasts. Daniel raises his head and sees Jack running toward one of the turrets near the gate.
Trofsky has a staff. He whirls it around, aiming it at Jack's back.
"Colonel!" Sam cries out a warning.
"Jack!" Daniel is up and running, his bound hands useless behind his back. He has no idea how, but he has to reach Jack somehow... It's the instinctive reaction of a child that sees his father getting hurt... the part of Daniel's mind remembering who he really is, has shut down, the child taken over... he propels his small body forward... if something happens to Jack it'll be all Daniel's, fault... they went on this mission because of him. Because Sam said there might be technology on this planet to resize him...
"Daniel! Get down!" Jack yells.
The staff blast whizzes over Daniel's head as he falls face down into the sand.
When he looks up, sand and dirt on his face and between his teeth, Jack is dead...
...Daniel bolted upright and bit his lip to suppress the scream that was about to burst out of him. His heart throbbed and thumped too loud and fast in his chest as he clutched his blankets with both hands.
"DanielJackson?" Teal'c's calm voice reached him in the semi dark quarters.
"I'm fine, Teal'c," Daniel whispered, sorry he had disturbed the Jaffa's Kel'no'reem once again.
"I do not think that is so," Teal'c replied without reprimand in his voice. "Do you need anything?"
Rubbing his burning eyes, Daniel shook his head. He looked around and the lights of the many candles pulled him out of the nightmare completely. He was grateful for the warm glow that seemed to wrap around him like a warm blanket.
"It was just a bad dream."
"Very well." Teal'c's large hand readjusted the covers as Daniel lay back down. "Try to sleep again. It is still early."
Daniel gazed at the ceiling and realized in an instant he wouldn't be able to sleep again. "Um, Teal`c?"
"Yes, DanielJackson?"
"Do you mind if I..."
"I do not."
Daniel left his bed and padded over to sit across the Jaffa. He mirrored Teal'c's position, sitting lotus style. Meditation had always calmed him and helped to get rid of the bad dreams and clear his cluttered mind. It just didn't work as good as it did when he still had been a grown up.
Obviously being ten messed with your attention span a lot.
He tried to open his mind and reach that state of relieved nothingness where he felt as if there was no burden on his shoulders and no pain in his life. It used to help him deal with so many things.
When he had been an adult.
Which he wasn't anymore.
Thanks to some weird thingamajig – that was what Jack had called it – Daniel Jackson, triple PhD, now resembled an approximately ten year old kid. Give or take a few months, according to Janet. The fact of being downsized and having to live like this had been scary in the beginning. And annoying because he wasn't allowed to go off world anymore and had to give up his position as head of the archaeological department. But as there was nothing he could do about it, he just went with the flow and tried to live his life as normal as possible under the circumstances. While Jack had still been around it even was fun sometimes.
And Jack had helped with everything, had been his anchor and – to some degree – his father.
Not anymore.
Daniel felt okay living with Teal'c most of the time by now.
What Daniel still struggled with was his lack of concentration for lengthy times and the limits this little body pushed him to. He began to wriggle his toes and there was an itch in his nose and then he felt his left eye twitch and he had to scratch his arm real bad.
The more he tried to still himself, the more annoying the itching got.
He guessed this was how Jack must have felt whenever he had to sit still and listen in briefings for longer than usual.
Daniel rubbed his nose and scratched his arm, then went still again, desperately trying to keep his thoughts away from Jack.
How could it still sting so much after almost a year?
Why did he still have to have this dream?
Daniel gazed down at his pajama-clad legs and his restless fingers found a loose thread to fiddle with.
"I do not believe this to be efficient," Teal'c's deep voice pulled him out of his thoughts.
"I'm sorry," Daniel mumbled and ducked his head.
"There is no need." Teal'c stood and looked down at him, a thoughtful expression on his dark face. "Come. We will walk."
Daniel jumped to his feet and grabbed for his miniature BDUs and black t-shirt. He went into the bathroom and dressed quickly. With Jack he had spent nights like this in front of a fire, being held by strong reassuring arms while the demons of his dreams were swept away in the always-present feeling of family and belonging.
Walking the SGC by night with his giant Jaffa was different, but Daniel had learned to seek comfort from this, too.
The SGC was different at nights.
When only the cleaning crew was busy and the on-duty SFs were patrolling the corridors. When only those who clearly had no life were still in their offices or labs. When even General Hammond had gone home... the SGC was quiet and only the humming of the air conditioning and the power generators could be heard on most levels.
Those were the times Daniel, the man, had loved as well. When he had been in his office only accompanied by coffee mugs and a box of cookies or chocolate to keep his blood sugar up, and his work.
After the downsizing those days had been over as he was hauled off the mountain and home at appropriate times to have dinner and where "working through the night" was a case of "not gonna happen".
Now the mountain was Daniel's home again and he kind of liked it. The SGC was familiar, safe and he was near his office and artifacts. Daniel still worked. He categorized artifacts and helped with translations. It wasn't overly exciting, but it was better than having to go back to school or doing nothing.
Teal'c and Daniel stopped at the control room and said hi to Sgt. Davis, who always seemed to be at the mountain as well. Walter had company. Siler was with him and they shared some coffee.
"One of those nights again?" Walter asked sympathetically and offered Daniel a tootsie roll.
"Ah-huh," Daniel said and took the roll. "Thanks."
"Sorry, it's not coffee," Walter said with a wink.
Janet had banned coffee from Daniel's life.
"It's okay." It wasn't. Not really. But he had gotten used to it. And he managed to sneak in a coffee here and there. Jack had given him coffee on the weekends for breakfast. Jack just understood Daniel's cravings and how hard it was for him to let go of simple things like coffee in the mornings...
Daniel unwrapped the tootsie roll and munched on it as they all gazed out at the silent gate. There were no incoming teams scheduled for tonight so the gate room was empty except for two armed SFs. If an emergency occurred, Walter would give the word and the gate would be heavily guarded again before the wormhole opened.
They stayed for a little while and, when Siler left to go back to work, continued their walk through the bowels of the mountain.
"Do you think Sam is still here?" Daniel wondered. "I know Thor came through the gate this morning, bearing a gift."
Teal'c's left eyebrow rose. "I was not aware you were informed about Thor's mission regarding the SGC."
"I wasn't. Err... I mean, I... not officially. I accidentally heard about it... somewhere," Daniel spluttered, blushing.
"I see."
Daniel only caught on the slight chastising undertone because he knew Teal'c so well.
"I don't know much, really. Only that Thor came through and brought something with him and then Sam and you and Doctor Rothman were stuck in that briefing for a very long time. And I didn't eavesdrop either. I kind of happened to be... in the control room when the klaxons went off."
Actually he had been running to the control room when the unauthorized off world activation was announced over the speaker. He had once been part of it all. They couldn't blame him for not being able to break with old habits, right?
"General Hammond does not wish to see you near the stargate or the control room unless I, or CaptainCarter, accompany you. He made it very clear you are not allowed to be there during an emergency situation either," Teal'c reminded Daniel.
"I know. But it wasn't an emergency. It was just Thor." Whining came with the downsizing, too. Though Jack had said Daniel always whined when he didn't get his way. Which was so not true.
"You had no way of knowing this until Thor arrived at the SGC," Teal'c said stoically.
"Yesss, I know." Daniel followed Teal'c into the awaiting elevator and slumped against the wall, gazing at his feet.
Sometimes when the gate was activated from another planet and no team was due to be back... sometimes Daniel still hoped... the childish part in him hoped anyway, that it might be... But of course he didn't believe in Santa Clause anymore and he had seen Jack going down, hit by Trofsky's staff blast.
He had been at the memorial service. There was no mystery here, no hope. Jack was gone.
Drawing a deep breath, Daniel dug his hands into his pants pockets and balled them into fists.
When the elevator started moving, Teal'c's large warm hand squeezed Daniel's shoulder. "Maybe CaptainCarter is indeed still here. She might be in need of a break."
Sam was bent over what appeared to be a black shimmering sphere, the size of a bowling ball. It was attached to several wires and measuring instruments, which were attached to several laptops and other equipment Daniel couldn't name.
Sam straightened and gave her nightly visitors an exhausted smile. "Hey, guys."
"Hi, Sam." Daniel stepped next to her and eyed the sphere curiously. "What's that?"
"Is it of any danger to DanielJackson?"
Shaking her head, Sam raked a hand through her blond hair. "No, I don't think so. Thor gave me a device to build a force field around it so even when it's on, it has no effect on us."
"What does it... do?" Daniel reached out a hand to touch the sphere, but Sam pulled his arm away.
"Better not touch this, Daniel," she warned worriedly. "The force field might give you a small electrical shock."
Sometimes Sam and Teal'c were as bad as Jack had been, Daniel thought as he stepped back. The sphere rotated on some kind of flat holder and now Daniel heard a low humming sound.
"Thor does not want word to anyone not involved in this mission, DanielJackson," Teal'c said quietly.
"He was very firm about it, actually. This is a top secret project," Sam mumbled as she tapped some keys on her laptop. The screen changed and showed several layers of energy levels. "He asked us to hide it until they were ready to develop it further. They fear it might fall in the hands of the replicator."
"So they hide it here? But we recently had a replicator attack on Earth," Daniel wondered.
"Yeah. But we managed to get rid of them when we blew up that Russian submarine," Sam said absently while she made more adjustments on her laptop.
Daniel tried not to think of how close Teal'c had come to being blown up along with the Russian submarine when he and Colonel Reynolds were trapped in the boat, trying to destroy the replicators.
It had been a very close call, but Thor had saved them.
Noone had clued Daniel in on the details, but he was still "adult" enough to imagine how it went in vivid colors.
"So... this thing..." He pointed at the sphere. "Does what exactly?"
Sam turned and looked at him as if she was seeing him for the first time. "You heard what Teal'c said. It's classified. VERY classified," she said apologetically. "I'm sorry."
"Saaam... who do you think I'm gonna tell about it?" Daniel settled on her swivel chair and started twirling with it, pushing himself off at the edge of her desk so he gained more speed. "Come ooon."
"Daniel... ." She came over and took his shoulders to stop him from spinning around. Crouching in front of him, she gave him what was supposed to be a sympathetic smile. "You know exactly why we can't include you in everything anymore. General Hammond was very strict about this."
Daniel started swinging his legs and one of Sam's hands came down from his shoulders to settle on his knee. "As long as you're in the body of a ten year old you're too vulnerable and if the NID get their hands on you... well let's just say the less you know, the better. You understand that, don't you?"
"I already know enough for them to torture me, drug me and take away my candy until I'll spill," Daniel said, tipping a hand to his head. "It's all in here and if they ever find out I'm more than a little kid, they'll try to snatch me anyway."
"Yes. I know." She reached out to ruffle his hair, but he jerked away and managed to hop from the chair to escape her hands.
"I still can't tell you, Daniel. Sorry. Direct order."
Daniel sighed and glanced at the sphere once more. The black surface looked as if there were fluctuating lights just beneath it. It was beautiful. If a piece of technology could be beautiful, that was.
"Okay," he mumbled and gave Sam a one shoulder shrug. "I guess."
"I'm really sorry," she said again, voice soft. And he didn't have to look at her to know she meant it.
Teal'c chose this moment to announce that it was time to return to their quarters and Daniel managed a smile and a friendly, "Night Sam." before he followed the Jaffa out.
2
Daniel had forgotten about the Asgard's device and probably wouldn't have remembered it if he hadn't overheard a conversation between Robert Rothman and one of his colleagues a few days later.
It was really a coincidence or an unfortunate series of events that Daniel was in Rothman's office at the wrong time.
Robert's was the closest office to Daniel's with a coffee maker. Daniel didn't sneak in there very often. He intended to live to see another day so he really wasn't interested in getting into trouble with Janet. But from time to time the urge became quite... strong.
So one morning while he was categorizing artifacts, Daniel realized that SG-1 was off world and Janet, who kept an eye on him when Teal'c and Sam were gone, would most likely be occupied at the infirmary until lunch.
He couldn't resist the temptation.
He left his office and tiptoed over to Robert's, hoping the coffee maker was already on and that he could snatch a mug full. To his delight there really was a freshly brewed pot of coffee simmering.
He felt his mouth water as the aroma hit his nose.
Oh, yes!
Daniel had brought his own mug with him and happily filled it. That was when he heard footsteps and voices in the corridor, coming closer. And one of the voices clearly belonged to Robert.
Oh-oh...
He didn't think Robert would tell on him. But there was someone with him and Daniel didn't know who. Hastily he placed the mug by the coffee maker and did the first best thing. He squeezed himself underneath Robert's desk and tried to make himself as small as possible.
His heart pounding in his chest he waited and hoped no one would notice his coffee mug on the counter.
As soon as Robert and his company arrived, Daniel realized he'd made a huge mistake. What if Rothman stayed in his office, working for hours? Daniel couldn't stay under his desk all the time. For now though he was stuck.
He saw Robert's legs as he crossed the room and heard some rustling and the scraping noises of a chair being pulled back.
"It's not an artifact! It's not an artifact!" the unknown voice snorted. "What does she think it is? It's probably a hundred years old..."
"No, it's not. It's a fairly new piece of technology. The Asgard developed it not so long ago," Robert said in his usual allergy-driven, nasal voice.
"How do you know that?"
"I was at the briefing when Thor brought it in."
"And why were you at the briefing if it isn't an artifact?"
Robert blew his nose and answered a little annoyed. "I was assigned to help Captain Carter analyze it and assist with translations. There are writings on it and Thor didn't have the time to stay long enough to explain everything. So I was there to be clued in and then help Captain Carter. And we managed to decipher most of it yesterday."
"Really? What did you find out?" Robert's company seemed to be excited now. Daniel stopped trying to figure out who he was. Probably a new guy. He did sound very young.
"Uh, it's classified," Rothman mumbled.
"I am cleared, you know..."
"Yes, sure, I know, uh... close the door please? Daniel might be somewhere around and Captain Carter ordered me not to tell him anything about it."
Daniel heard footsteps crossing the room and then the door was closed.
"I don't get why that kid is still working down here anyway. He is a high security risk. They should give him to foster parents who take care of him. The SGC is no place for a child," the other guy muttered.
Under the desk, Daniel slung his arms around his pulled up knees and bit his bottom lip hard.
"It's not that simple. He can't live like a normal kid with all that knowledge in his head," Robert said and Daniel thought he sounded sad.
"Still he can't live at the mountain forever. Too bad O'Neill bit the dust. I think he was just what the boy needed."
Daniel placed his forehead on his knees and squeezed his eyes tightly shut as a wave of pain washed over him like it was yesterday that they had lost Jack.
That he had lost Jack.
"Yes. The two of them had something special. Even I could see that. And I'm not good with people," Robert sighed.
"So what is that sphere?"
"It's a time travel device," Robert blurted out.
Daniel's head shot up so fast, he almost hit his skull on the underside of the desk.
"It's what Thor explained to us in the briefing," Robert went on. "And the writings pretty much confirmed that. We are to hide it and in return are allowed to study it."
"How does it work?"
"I have no idea, how exactly. There were many formulas and numbers besides the text I translated. Apparently it manipulates time and engulfs you into a beam that carries you back in time. It's a prototype of something called the... time dilation device. But apparently that device is far from finished yet and this sphere was something they accidentally developed while working on the time dilation thing."
"So, really not an artifact," Robert's friend muttered.
Robert blew his nose again before he answered. "No."
"Do you want us to have coffee before I go back to work?"
Daniel sent silent prayers to whoever was listening that Robert was too busy to have coffee right now.
"Maybe later. I... uh... need some papers done before lunch."
Yes! His prayers were heard! Daniel carefully wriggled around a bit.
The other guy said bye and left. Robert sat at his desk, his black boots almost kicking Daniel's side as he stretched out his legs. Daniel shifted backwards, but there wasn't much space to move as the wall was right there in his back.
Oh man, what should he do? He was trapped here as long as Robert stayed in his office. And when lunchtime came and he wasn't in his office Janet would call his mobile to locate him and tell him to meet her at the commissary...
Mobile phone!
Sticking out his tongue in concentration Daniel slowly retrieved his phone from his pants and made sure it was set to silence. Then he began to type.
A moment later, Robert's phone beeped and Daniel heard muttering and sighing as the scientist pushed back his chair and hastily left the office.
"Yes," Daniel whispered as he scrambled out from under the desk and scurried out of the room. His longing for coffee was gone by now so he decided to get his mug back later.
He rounded a corner just as Robert left Daniel's office and almost ran into him.
"Hey, Robert," Daniel said.
"Huh?" Robert blinked at him from behind his glasses. "Oh, hey Daniel. Did you just send me a text message?"
"Me? I did?"
"Yes, uh... it said to meet you in your office. About some research?"
Daniel slapped his forehead and laughed a bit nervously. "Oh! That was meant to go to Sam! I'm sorry, I must've hit the wrong button." Wondering if Rothman would call the bluff, he felt his hands getting sweaty. But Robert was too engrossed in his own world of work and probably would have forgotten about it in a minute.
"Oh. Okay. Isn't Captain Carter off world?"
"Err... yesss. It was for when she gets back," Daniel said lamely.
"Right. When she's back." Robert nodded and hastened past Daniel back to his own office.
"Phew," Daniel sighed, vowing to himself not to try and snatch coffee anytime soon.
It just wasn't worth all the hiding and lying and trying to be Special Ops.
That evening Teal'c, Sam and Daniel went to MacDonald's for dinner. While Daniel indulged himself with the junk food and eating with his fingers and secretly enjoying the little toy that came with the kids menu, he tried to think of a way to make Sam talk about this sphere.
But of course it wasn't about to happen. Neither Sam nor Teal'c – who was now Murray, wearing a funny hat – would talk about anything SGC in public. Daniel suppressed a sigh and wiped his ketchup sticky hands on the paper napkin Sam handed him. Then he reached for the toy and fiddled with it.
It was a ball which slid open when Daniel pressed a hidden button on its underside. Inside was a small snow globe. Ronald MacDonald stood in the middle and when Daniel shook it, it snowed so that the figure was hidden in all the glitter.
A time traveling device!
Daniel didn't even dare to think what this might mean... aside from all that lecturing about the grandfather paradox Sam would come up with. No, there was absolutely no way Hammond, Sam or Teal'c would allow Daniel to use the sphere to... repair the time line.
Because to him it felt like the time line was wrong without Jack being here.
And the sphere could maybe fix it.
If only... if only he wasn't a kid. If only he could get his hands on it and was allowed to study it. If only...
This time Daniel couldn't suppress the sigh as he gazed into the snow globe where Ronald MaDonald was to be seen again once the liquid cleared.
"Are you tired, DanielJackson?" Teal'c asked.
"Yes," he replied absently, shaking the snow globe again. It was funny to see how the inside of the globe turned all glittery and the figure vanished.
Like it was caught in a beam.
"Then we better leave," Sam said and began to pile all their trash on one of the trays. "It's late."
Teal'c asked Daniel if he wanted to take the snow globe home and Daniel nodded. He clicked on the hidden button again and pushed the globe closed so it looked like a yellow plastic ball now. It was a stupid little toy. But sometimes these days it only needed little things to fascinate him.
As they left the MacDonald's Daniel let the ball slide into his jacket's pocket, but once they were in Sam's car on their way back to the mountain, he pulled it out again and played with it some more.
When he caught Sam smiling at him in the rear mirror he blushed a little, but for some reason couldn't put the globe down.
"I had one of those when I was a kid," Sam said.
"What do they use for the snow?"
"Oh, I'm not sure. I know some are made with gold foil or plastic pieces. This one looks like it has non soluble soap flakes in it. The liquid might be water or oil with glycerin so it slows down the fall of the glitter..."
Sam explained some more of it, but Daniel zoned her out as he thoughtfully gazed at the globe.
It took Daniel a week and another mission of SG-1 before he was brave enough to sneak into Sam's lab.
Colonel Reynolds, the new commander of SG-1, stuck his head into the commissary during breakfast one morning to inform Sam and Teal'c they had a go for a S and R mission because another team had gone MIA.
Sam hugged Daniel and Teal'c clapped his shoulder and reminded him to report to Janet immediately so she knew they were gone. "I do not know how long this mission will last, DanielJackson. If DoctorFraiser suggests you go home with her, please oblige."
"Okay," Daniel replied. They all knew he'd rather stay on base so he could wait and be sure all was well the minute they were back. But Janet refused to let him stay on his own for longer than a day or two. "If you're not back by tomorrow I'll pack my bag."
"Very well," Teal'c gave him the hint of a smile and they left him to his syrup-drowned pancakes.
Not feeling very hungry anymore Daniel soon wandered the corridors of the SGC not sure where to go. The control room was off limits unless there was an adult with him. He pondered starting on his newest translation, but somehow his feet seemed to have a mind of their own because he found himself in front of Sam's lab a moment later.
Boy, was he going to be in trouble if he got caught.
But he had to know. He had to know if he could figure this device out. And if he did... maybe he could convince General Hammond to try it. He would volunteer to go. He wasn't important for the program anymore so it didn't really matter if he didn't come back, right? He was just Daniel, the kid now. They really didn't know what to do with him anyway. Not even after a year. So he could go and try to...
"To do what?" he mumbled.
How was he supposed to change the time line? What if he traveled too far back? To a time where he was still an adult? He was ten. No one would believe him.
Feeling his heart sink, Daniel turned and was already on his way back to the elevator, when he stopped once again.
But even if he didn't get the time right. Sam would be there. She would probably listen to him. After Janet had proved that he was really Daniel Jackson. They had seen and experienced the strangest things in the last four years. Why not a time traveling downsized Daniel?
"I have to get it right," he said to himself.
If he managed to calculate the time travel device to a date just before they went on that mission where Hathor kept them hostage in the faked SGC... Daniel would already have been a kid then. So at least his current age wasn't a problem if he calculated it to the right time.
"Okay," he whispered, whirled around and with new bravado walked back to Sam's door and entered her lab. "I'll just take a look at it for now."
He wouldn't really use it without the general's approval.
And if the general would allow him to go, Sam could adjust it for Daniel.
That would work.
Daniel carefully closed the door behind himself and squinted up at the security cam. Sam's lab wasn't exactly forbidden territory for him. At least no one had told him so. But he was pretty sure that if someone saw him taking a close look at one of Sam's study objects, there would be an SF knocking at the door soon.
At first Daniel couldn't find the sphere. Sam's working area was tidied up and the device nowhere in sight. Her laptops sat neatly on her desk and all the screens were dark.
But then he spotted it on a shelf. The surface was black now without any fluctuating lights underneath.
"It must be off," Daniel muttered to himself as he grabbed the stool from a corner and carried it over to the shelf.
He could do this. A guy must do what a guy had to do.
That goes for kids, too, Daniel thought, nodding his head. Jack would probably have disagreed and so would Teal'c and Sam.
Daniel hated to make them worry or mad.
Instead of climbing the stool he sat on it, hugging himself and chewing on his bottom lip. "Okay, so this whole time traveling is probably a very bad idea," he said. Only silence answered him. "Jack would ground me forever if he was still here." Daniel grimaced.
But that was just the point, wasn't it? Jack WASN'T here anymore. Jack had died on that planet. Trofsky had shot him. And if Daniel was able to bring Jack back... what was a little punishment for exploring the sphere and bringing Jack back?
Determined to fulfill his mission, Daniel stood and grabbed for the shelf with both hands as he proceeded to climb the stool.
Once he stood, he was able to reach the sphere easily. As he had hoped, the force field wasn't activated. He jiggled the ball around until he could hold it with one hand and press it to his body, using the other hand to hold onto the shelf as he climbed down the stool.
"Okay, that went well," Daniel said to himself and placed the sphere on Sam's desk.
It felt very smooth and cool as he slid his hands over the surface until he found what he was looking for. A very small dent. His forefinger fit perfectly into it and when Daniel pressed, the sphere sprang to life. Lights began to fluctuate underneath the black surface and he heard the low humming.
Now Daniel could also see the tiny writings Robert had talked about. They were only visible when the lights touched them.
Daniel's heart sank. It would take him forever to decipher all of it. He could videotape it... or try to get his hands on Robert's translation... no, he couldn't do that. That was way more than he was willing to risk.
Daniel's fingers brushed over the writings and suddenly his finger probed another dent.
As he pressed down on it, the sphere opened.
Daniel almost let it drop because the sudden movement startled him.
Like the snow globe sphere from MacDonalds it slid open halfway to reveal something inside.
Fascinated by the bright yellow light and particles of what looked like fairy dust, Daniel could do nothing but gaze into the sphere.
It was beautiful.
Like a fountain, light beams and glittering pieces of... of... something...
"Magical," Daniel whispered.
...shot out of the sphere and engulfed Sam's desk, the lab and the boy, who stood frozen in place
Daniel felt the floor dissolve under his feet and he was hovering in thin air. The golden light was all he could see and feel. It tickled his skin and seemed to make his hair rise.
Then the light abruptly disappeared and Daniel felt the concrete floor under his feet again.
He was still in Sam's lab.
Feeling dizzy and weak in his knees, he grabbed for the desk with both hands and tried to hold on to it. But the room started spinning around him and his last realization before a gentle darkness carried him away, was that the sphere wasn't on Sam's desk anymore.
It was gone.
3
Daniel opened his eyes and blinked.
His head hurt and he was hit by a wave of nausea so strong, he began to heave and dry retch. A kidney dish appeared from somewhere and a hand gently held his head as he threw up what little he'd had for breakfast.
When he was done he lay back into the pillow, exhausted.
Infirmary.
That's where he was.
"Hey there," a familiar voice said and when Daniel opened his eyes again, Janet looked back at him a tentative smile on her lips. "How are you feeling?"
"Head hurts," Daniel mumbled and to his embarrassment felt tears dampen his cheeks. "'m sorry."
"Shh, it's okay. You just rest for now."
Daniel looked down at his hands and absently plucked at the IV line that vanished into his right wrist. "What's... what's wrong with me?"
"You're running a fever. The IV line has medications for that and the headache. You'll be fine soon." Janet assured him. "You don't have to be afraid."
"I'm not." Daniel said, then licked his dry lips. "Can I have a glass of water, please?"
"Sure. In fact you should drink plenty." A glass was handed to him and Daniel gulped the cool water down.
"So," Janet said briskly as she took away the empty glass, giving him an encouraging smile, "Do you remember anything..."
"I touched the sphere in Sam's lab." Daniel cringed. "It opened and there was all that light. I didn't mean to... I just wanted to look at it." He clutched his blanket, wringing it with his hands. "Oh, they're gonna be so mad at me. General Hammond will kick me off the base." He lifted his head for the first time. "Janet? Is SG-1 back yet?"
When he caught the gobsmacked expression on her face, Daniel blanched and there seemed to be ice cubes in his tummy all of a sudden.
Was it possible...?
"Did it work?" he squeaked like the kid he was. "Did it? What year is it? What day? Can I talk to Jack? I need to talk to Jack, right now!"
He looked around the infirmary with wide eyes, taking in his surroundings for the first time since he had woken up. There were rows of beds on the other side of the room, mirroring the beds on Daniel's left and right. Everything looked just the way it used to.
Of course it does, he told himself. He hadn't traveled centuries back in time. A year or so ago the infirmary had looked the same as it did now.
There was the cabinet containing meds, bandages and other equipment on the left wall, the defibrillator right next to the door, the familiar gray walls...
"Janet?"
"So you know who I am... And what's your name?" she asked with raised eyebrows.
"Oh, sorry, sorry... I'm Daniel. Daniel Jackson. I'm not sure where the sphere sent me, so just in case I'm still an adult here, don't let that confuse you. I'll get downsized at one point and then I'll look like this. Jack says I'm cute, but he's just bein' silly... well he was, anyway... But that's not important right now... I need to talk to Jack. He can't go on the mission to...," Daniel bit his lip as he tried to remember the gate address, "P3X-277."
"Okay. Why not?" Janet still looked spooked.
"'cause they'll get ambushed and taken to another planet where Hathor will make them believe they're in the future and everyone else is dead. But it's not true. It's a trap. And Jack..."
Janet paled and stopped Daniel's rushed explanation by putting a hand on his arm. "I think you should talk to General Hammond," she said quietly. "I'll call him down here so you can tell him exactly what you just told me, okay?"
Daniel nodded nervously and watched her leave.
A nurse checked his IV line, then he was alone in the room as there weren't any other patients. Despite his anxiousness Daniel dozed off while he was waiting for the general. His head still hurt and he felt very hot and uncomfortable.
When he woke up this time, an SF stood guard in the doorway to his room.
Daniel was very thirsty again, so he called for the nurse and was relieved when she brought him more water. Only after he had gulped down half of the liquid did he ask if the general had already been here.
"Yes, he was but you were asleep. Do you feel better?" She was a heavyset blonde with an open friendly face and short curly hair. "I'm nurse Reyna by the way. If you need anything, just give me a call, okay?"
Daniel realized he had never seen this nurse before and for some reason it disturbed him. "Thanks. Are you... are you new here?"
"No. I've worked here for a couple of years. Hey, I'll let Doctor Fraiser know you're awake."
Daniel stared at her retreating back. It wasn't odd that he didn't know every nurse who worked here, right? Except he was pretty sure he knew most of the staff since he had spent lengthy periods of times in the infirmary. And Stargate command wasn't in the habit of changing their personnel very often.
Janet entered the room a few minutes later, followed by a very serious looking General Hammond and a woman with blond straight hair, tied at the back of her head.
"Sam!" Daniel blurted out, gaping at her.
She gave him a blank stare and pursed her lips. "Yes?"
"What's...what's... with your hair?"
Her eyebrows wandered upwards and vanished underneath her straight bangs. "Um, my hair?" she echoed.
"Yes!" Daniel realized he was pointing at her and hastily lowered his hand and clutched the blanket again.
"How are you feeling, son?" General Hammond asked with concern.
"I'm fine," Daniel mumbled, then added, "sir."
"Sounds like someone I know," Janet remarked dryly. "He's running a fever and was sick when he woke up. It's a minor effect of the radiation he was exposed to."
"Radiation?" Daniel interrupted.
"It wasn't a high dose and there shouldn't be any after effects, but he needs to stay under observation for at least a couple of days," Janet ended her report to Hammond.
"Do you have any idea what might have caused this, Doctor?" the general asked.
"No, sir. Not without knowing where he comes from. Or rather what brought him here," she replied.
"Excuse me? Radiation?" Daniel felt slightly disturbed.
Janet gave him a smile. "Nothing to worry about... Daniel."
The three adults exchanged a look and finally the general addressed him again. "You claim to be Daniel Jackson. Is that true?"
"Yes. Doctor Daniel Jackson," Daniel said, squirming under his bed covers. He felt interrogated and that wasn't a good feeling. Licking his dry lips he forced himself to stay calm and focused.
Again the adults passed glances around at each other.
"What kind of Doctor are you?" Janet inquired in a friendly manner.
"Um," Daniel raised a hand and counted off on his fingers. "You know... Linguistics, archeology, anthropology." He paused and waited until they were done exchanging weird looks again before he continued, "I was born July 8th 1965 and my social security number is... Uh, I actually forgot what it is and I don't carry my adult ID around anymore. See, you probably... I mean... I'm me. I'm really... me."
"Sir," Sam said, "can I have a word with you outside?"
"Yes, Major." And to Daniel, "We'll be right back."
Daniel's eyes followed them as they walked outside and stopped in the corridor talking quietly to one another.
Major?
A memory suddenly popped up and he felt sick all over again. "Oh, no. Oh, god, no. NO!" He threw back his blanket and started to climb out of bed. "General Hammond!"
Janet was at his side in a flash, gently pushing him back into the pillow. "You need to calm down, honey. You can't get up yet. The general will be right back," she soothed, a steady hand on his shoulder to keep him from getting up again.
"P3R-233," Daniel said. "It's like... what happened on P3R-233! That sphere must've sent me..." He felt his heart pounding in his chest as he realized he probably hadn't gone back in time.
General Hammond entered the infirmary without Sam. Daniel tried to look past the general, but couldn't see her anywhere.
"Can you tell us what happened? How you came here? You just mentioned P3R-233. Was that where you came from?"
"No," Daniel mumbled. "That was where the mirror was."
"The mirror?"
"The quantum mirror," Daniel said. "Didn't you find one? On P3R-233?"
General Hammond shook his head. "I'm sorry, son. But go on... anything you can tell us might help to clear this up."
"Can I see Jack?" Daniel asked, feeling very small all of a sudden. "There's... there's a Jack O'Neill here, yes?"
"As a matter of fact, yes, there is. But he's not here at the moment," Janet replied.
"Oh. Is he off world? Will he be back soon? I... ." Daniel trailed off. It was just like when he had stepped through the mirror. He was surrounded by familiar faces. But he didn't know any of those people. And they didn't know him. Which brought up another question. "Is there another me around?"
Because if there was, Daniel would be in trouble. He was sure that even though nobody knew about the quantum mirror there would still be entropic cascade failure.
Hammond smiled at him, but his blue eyes remained serious. "Why don't we hold off all those questions until a little later and you start from the beginning. How did you come here?"
But the questions were important... he needed to know all this... Daniel fiddled with his IV line and stubbornly stared at the bald man in front of him. As he did so, he suddenly realized that this General Hammond wasn't as bald as his own had been. There was still a small fringe of reddish hair and for a moment Daniel was engrossed in gazing at it, even forgetting how annoyed and a little scared he was.
"Daniel?" the man prompted.
"Uh... I want to see Jack. Or Teal'c," Daniel demanded, squirming under his bedcovers.
The general looked up sharply and his eyes narrowed. "Teal'c?! What do you know about Teal'c?"
Uh-oh. Daniel should have kept his mouth shut. Crossing his arms over his chest, he said, "I won't say anything else until Jack... Colonel O'Neill gets here."
"Major Carter is currently investigating her lab, where you were found," General Hammond said. "Doctor Fraiser will be able to identify you as Daniel Jackson – if that's who you are. Unless there's proof of your story, I'm afraid I can't give you further information nor let you talk to anybody else. I'm sorry."
Daniel huffed. "This is the highest-secured military facility on Earth. How do you think I'd get in here? I didn't come through the gate and definitely not through the front door."
"That's what I'm determined to find out," the general replied. He didn't indicate any threat, nor was his voice unkind. But Daniel realized that if they didn't find out how he'd gotten here or if they didn't trust him, they could lock him away forever and no one would ever know.
No one would miss him or search for him.
No, he thought. This is the SGC after all. This is General Hammond and Janet. They won't do anything like that.
But if he was honest with himself, he was well aware that he was an intruder here. And for all this Hammond knew, Daniel could have been sent by the Goa'uld, brainwashed, carrying a bomb...
Daniel swallowed hard and, once more, fought against tears. If he didn't feel like he was burning up from the inside and if his head didn't hurt that much, he'd be able to control himself better. But right now he really didn't feel very good and he really wished he wasn't a kid.
Jack would believe him. Jack would recognize him if there was a Daniel Jackson in this reality. And eventually Jack would trust him. Jack liked kids, too. Daniel had learned to live with all the complications of being a kid again because Jack had helped him cope.
His Jack.
And surely their Jack couldn't be that different, right?
Janet clucked her tongue and shook her head. "I think this is enough for now. You need to sleep and later we have lots of work to do."
"Can't I please talk to Colonel O'Neill?" Daniel asked. His fingers started to hurt from clutching the bedclothes so hard.
"Colonel O'Neill isn't here right now," Janet repeated and Daniel could sense she was looking at Hammond for some sort of support or permission. After a long pause the general said, "I'll see what I can do. In the meantime, do as the doctor tells you and sleep."
With that the commander of the SGC turned and left, exchanging a few words with the SF on his way out.
Daniel didn't think he could rest or calm down. But all his worried thoughts and questions couldn't keep him from dozing off and finally falling into an exhausted deep sleep.
By the time he roused, they had moved him out of the regular infirmary and into isolation. He was still hooked to the IV, but his bed was the only one in the room now and when he looked up he could see the observation windows.
That probably meant he was a security risk.
The friendly nurse, Reyna, helped him to the bathroom and brought him a tray with food and a bottle of juice. She told him the juice was a special juice for sick children with electrolytes and vitamins in it so he'd get better soon. She took his temp and asked him a couple of questions about his headache and whether or not he felt sick.
Daniel told her he felt better, which was true. The headache was gone and he didn't feel so warm anymore. Or queasy.
Reluctantly he ate from the soup and nibbled at the cinnamon bun she gave him for dessert, knowing he wouldn't get anywhere if he refused to eat.
Later Reyna praised him for eating and carried the tray out. A moment later she returned with a box of crayons and a pile of paper. "Cassie always has crayons and paper in her mom's office. She's Doctor Fraiser's daughter," she shared with Daniel. "Sometimes she comes to visit after school."
"I know," he mumbled. He used to be "Uncle Daniel" to Cassie and when he'd been turned into just Daniel, they'd sometimes spent time together, watching movies or playing on Cassie's computer. It had been awkward at first, but they soon got used to their new level of friendship and Jack had said it was good for Daniel to have a "pal your current age".Daniel thanked Reyna as she placed everything on the bedside table along with another bottle of the "special juice". She told him Doctor Fraiser would be with him soon, then she went back to work.
Ignoring the crayons, he gazed at the bleak wall across the room. There was no point in trying to get out of here. He knew the door was locked and there was an SF guarding it. Daniel grimaced at the security camera in the left corner at the ceiling, sure that somebody was watching him.
Swallowing, he tried to stay cool. But the feeling of being totally alone was overwhelming even though he reminded himself Janet would take him for tests and that everything would be all right once they found out he really was Daniel Jackson.
Sam would find something in her lab that supported Daniel's story. Janet had said he was radioactive, so there was maybe some of that radioactivity in Sam's lab... some energy reading from when the sphere had transferred him to here... anything...
But what if there was no trace of energy? What if for some reason Janet's tests didn't prove who he was? What if the radioactivity or the switch between universes had altered his DNA or something like that? What if they forgot him down here... What if there was no Daniel here and they had no clue who he was, even though he suspected they knew...
The door opened and Daniel jumped, startled, almost ripping his IV line out as his arms protectively closed around himself.
"Hello, Daniel," Janet greeted him cheerfully. "You slept for almost ten hours. You should feel better now. I heard the headache is gone?"
He just nodded and stayed still while she shone her penlight in his eyes, took his blood pressure and looked into his mouth. Janet scribbled on his chart, nodding and making "Mh hmm," noises. Then she put the chart at the foot of Daniel's bed and announced she needed to take several tests. She explained to him the meanings of MRI, the necessity of taking his blood and urine and Daniel let her talk, even though he knew about all this.
Since he was a kid again, he was a little scared of the MRI scanner because it was loud inside and even though he wore ear protectors he could hear the knocking sounds generated by the machine. Daniel had had a MRI scan after his downsizing and again six months later, to make sure his body was growing and functioning as it should. Jack had been with him both times. Of course he couldn't be in the scanner with Daniel. But they were able to talk over the headphones and Jack had made all kinds of bad jokes and it had made Daniel laugh and feel better.
"We'll do all the other tests first and keep the scan for last since you just had lunch. It's important that you didn't have anything to eat two hours prior to the MRI scan, so we can give you a little sedation," Janet told him.
"I... I don't need a sedation," Daniel said.
"Believe me, honey, it's better that way. You have to lie very still for a long time and it's loud in there."
"I know. I've had MRI scans before. It doesn't hurt. I... um... I try to avoid sedatives. They make me all... queasy. Since I'm... a kid, I get sick from sedation." He even got sick from Children's Tylenol, especially the chewable tablets. One time he had had a fever and Janet gave Jack flavored chewable pills for Daniel and he'd thrown up all night. It had taken them some time to get to the bottom of that. Suddenly realizing he should probably mention it to this Janet, Daniel said, "I'm allergic to some kids medications, too. I can't take Tylenol."
She gave him a long look, her kind brown eyes very sincere. "You know what you can take?"
"Ibuprofen works when I'm sick. But I don't know about sedatives," Daniel said, relieved she was taking him seriously.
"Okay. Let's get to work and I'll think about a solution for the MRI," she said.
She called the SF and he brought in a wheelchair for Daniel, who immediately protested that he could walk. But if there seemed to be one consistent thing in both their universes, then it was Janet being Janet. Allowing no backtalk, she helped him to settle in the chair and wheeled him out.
