Artifice
Chapter 1
Teal'c stepped through the 'gate and onto the ramp of the SGC gateroom. His gaze settled on O'Neill who still had one hand wrapped around Daniel Jackson's arm.
He, too, was concerned over their teammate's admission of having an 'upset stomach'. Daniel Jackson rarely had a problem with offworld food, and when he did, he just as rarely admitted it. Teal'c continued to observe the archaeologist, who turned his gaze to take in the gray walls and tall silo above the 'gate as though seeing it for the first time. All of which did nothing to ease his mind about the condition of his teammate.
"Daniel?" O'Neill was obviously concerned as well.
"Jack?"
"Whatcha doin'?"
"Uh, just thinking."
"That's a surprise."
"It is?" Daniel Jackson's gaze turned downward to meet O'Neill's.
"Oh, so you're a comedian now?" Teal'c didn't fail to notice that O'Neill kept a firm hold on Daniel Jackson's arm.
"Am I?" Wide, blue eyes blinked owlishly at the leader of SG-1.
"Yeah, why don't you think about taking your act on the road?"
"Uh… uh, thank you, I'll… I'll consider it."
O'Neill's left eyebrow hitched upward as he tilted his head at the response. "Okay, now I know you're sick. Your first stop's gonna be the infirmary."
Major Carter laughed, shaking her head as she turned her attention to General Hammond who was waiting patiently at the base of the ramp.
"Welcome back, SG-1. Is there a problem with Doctor Jackson?"
O'Neill tugged on Daniel Jackson's sleeve before releasing his hold. "Isn't there always, sir?" At General Hammond's confused look, O'Neill responded, "Upset stomach, sir. I'm sure Doc Fraiser will be able to take care of it."
"Very well, report to the infirmary," General Hammond ordered, "We'll debrief in one hour."
Teal'c watched as Daniel Jackson observed the exchange, his eyes occasionally darting to the SFs who had retreated to the back of the room after SG-1's arrival. Something was amiss and he quickly resolved to determine what it was.
~oOo~
Daniel stared, not believing what he was seeing. How was it even possible? Urngarn's words echoed in his mind and cold realization hit him. His friends wouldn't miss him because there was a Minaran with his face out there.
'He will return if he is able.' Oh, God. His team had returned to the SGC with his doppelganger—and he had been left behind. But why? He had no doubt that his friends would see through the ploy and return for him. It was just a matter of time. Just how much time is what concerned him.
"They'll figure it out, you know," he said schooling his features into a calm, passive mask.
"It will not matter," Urngarn shrugged. "Oressa will not tell them anything. And, if they decide to return, it will be too late—we will be gone."
"Why do you need 'gate addresses?"
Urngarn paused, looking at him with those dark eyes that Daniel had faced off against more times than he could count. From the hair and the eyes, to the voice and the way he carried himself when he walked, Urngarn was identical to his friend. But this callus man before him wasn't Jack—of this he had no doubt. "We need them—that is all you need to know." He moved closer until he was standing over Daniel and then bent down until he was face to face with him. "Let us start with the planet of light and dark that you spoke of."
The Land of Light? Tupelo's people were their allies; there was no way he'd give these creatures access to those gentle people.
"I won't give you any 'gate addresses." He didn't know what they wanted them for, but he was sure it wasn't anything good.
"I believe we can persuade you." The words were cold and threatening, sending a shiver down Daniel's spine.
"I've faced 'persuasion' by the best of them and won." He was determined not to let them intimidate him. "Give it your best shot."
"Are you sure about that?"
No, he really wasn't, but Urngarn didn't need to know that. He lifted his chin stubbornly, drawing his mouth into a tight smile as he tried to block out the familiar face staring back at him.
"Very well," Urngarn replied, twisting Jack's mouth into a smirk. "Arpello," he nodded to someone behind Daniel, "you may begin."
~oOo~
Jack worked on buttoning his shirt, glad to have the post-mission prodding over with. His eyes flicked to the bed where his archaeologist was being examined by the base's CMO. Daniel looked all right—better than when they'd left the planet—but he also knew his friend could put on a good front when he wanted to. Maybe he'd better make sure Daniel had shared all pertinent information with the Doc.
"I, too, am concerned." Teal'c's unexpected voice at his side startled him. He really, really needed to figure out how the big guy could be so stealthy.
"Probably just ate something that didn't agree with him."
Teal'c turned to look at him, one eyebrow inching upwards on his forehead.
"Yeah, I'm not buyin' it, either," Jack conceded.
"There is something 'off' about Daniel Jackson."
He was pretty sure Teal'c wasn't talking about Daniel's stomach. "Spill—what do you think's goin' on?"
"His behavior has been unusual since his return from the temple on P2K-619."
So, it hadn't just been his own over-sensitive crap detector that had been going off. "You, too, huh? Why didn't you say something?"
"Why did you not?"
Good question. Letting the comment slide, he nodded towards the man in question. "Why don't we find out what's goin' on?"
"Indeed."
~oOo~
The man behind Daniel, Arpello, reached around and quickly replaced the blindfold over Daniel's eyes. His heart rate sped up at the sudden plunge into darkness—probably exactly the desired effect. He mentally tried to force it to return to its normal rhythm, but gave up as hands gasped his arms. He was surprised when the ropes around his hands were undone and he was hauled to his feet. Another pair of hands took hold of his t-shirt and pulled it up and over his head, forcing the others to release their hold. It was short-lived, though, as they resumed their grasp a heartbeat later.
Goosebumps prickled his skin as the cool damp air touched his body. This wasn't a good sign. He tried, oh so hard, to keep his mouth shut, but he just couldn't do it.
"What's going on?"
As expected, he got no reply. Instead, he felt cold metal snap around each wrist. Instinctively, he tried to pull away, but he was held fast. Another click on either side of him and the hands released him, only he now found his arms outstretched and immobilized.
A knot of dread twisted in his stomach as he waited, wondering what their preferred method of torture was and questioning what it said about his life that he could think of so many possibilities.
Seconds ticked by, allowing his anxiety to fester, and it did, despite his efforts to keep it under control. And then he felt it—the touch of bare fingers against his right shoulder blade. At first there was nothing, but then a sliver of ice began snaking its way through his body until it reached his right lung where it wrapped its icy fingers around it. Suddenly, he couldn't breathe. His body struggled to draw in air while his lung remained frozen in the grasp of whatever they had used on him.
Just as he felt his body sliding toward unconsciousness, the fingers disconnected. The ice melted, freeing his lung, and his chest heaved as he gulped for air. He braced his feet, trying to maintain his balance as his body struggled to return to normal.
"The symbols for the land of light and dark."
Urngarn's voice—sounding so much like Jack's—was hushed as he spoke inches from Daniel's ear, hot breath blowing across his neck. No matter how hard he tried to tell himself it wasn't his friend, he couldn't shake the image from his mind. As exasperated as Jack might be with him on occasion, he would never threaten him like this—it was the one thing he could hold onto to remind himself of who was really doing this.
Jack might want to kick his butt, though, after what he'd done. Why had he told them about other worlds they'd visited? He thought he'd been trying to make them comfortable with SG-1, with the whole idea of 'gate travel. What a mistake it had been. There was no way he'd unleash these people on the Land of Light.
"Sorry, don't remember it." He thought he sounded surprisingly convincing.
"Then let us help you remember."
Crap.
Fingers made contact again, this time with both shoulder blades. Daniel tried to prepare himself, but it was impossible. Ice formed around both lungs, freezing them to the core. He jerked in the restraints as he fought for breath.
Not a pleasant way to go, he thought as he passed out.
~oOo~
"Colonel, I'm surprised to see you back here so soon." Janet Fraiser's eyebrows lifted, reinforcing her statement.
"Oh, you know me, Doc, can't get enough of your tender loving care."
Fraiser's surprised expression was quickly replaced by one of suspicion. "Well, I can always find some more tests to run on you since you enjoy my company so much."
"That's exactly why I'm here." Rarely could Jack render the petite doctor speechless—not as rarely as with Daniel, but still pretty infrequent. "Not for me, Doc, for Daniel."
Regaining her composure, she nodded in the direction of her office. "Why don't we discuss this in private?"
"Good idea," he agreed, falling in behind her as she headed for her office.
~oOo~
Daniel awoke to find himself on his knees, arms still stretched and secured on either side and the blindfold still in place. Hands kept firm grips on his arms, but when he lifted his head, they let go. His breathing was still labored, his lungs aching with every breath, but at least he could breathe. Whatever they were doing to him, it added a new number on his list of torture methods—and it was near the top.
"Shall we try again?" Jack's voice was no longer next to his ear, instead coming from somewhere in front of him.
"If it's all the same to you, I'd rather not."
"You can avoid it by giving us the symbols."
As Urngarn finished, Daniel's blindfold was removed. He blinked, letting his eyes adjust to the dimly lit room. There was a table in front of him, on which was placed a drawing of the DHD, complete with 'gate symbols. On the other side of the table stood Urngarn, still wearing Jack's face. Daniel focused his eyes on the 'gate symbols, preferring not to look at the unsettling image of his friend as the one directing his torture.
What could he do? He couldn't give up the 'gate address and subject the people of the Land of Light to whatever the Minarans had planned for them. If they even were the Minarans. The only thing he could do was stall and hope the rest of his team would figure out that the Daniel they'd taken back with them wasn't the real one. How long could that take? Maybe he'd better not think about it. He just hoped they figured it out before the Minarans got tired of dealing with him.
"All right, you win. I'll give them to you."
"Good. Let us begin."
~oOo~
"Hey, Daniel." Jack watched Daniel flinch and quickly turn away from the bookshelf he'd been perusing for the entire five minutes Jack had been watching him from the doorway.
"Oh, hello, Jack." Daniel blinked owlishly a couple of times as Jack continued to watch him. "Is there something you need?"
"Just came to tell you that Fraiser wants to see you in the infirmary."
"Oh, I see. Well," Daniel avoided Jack's gaze, glancing back at the bookcase, "thanks. I'll go down and see her when I'm done."
"Now, Daniel. Whatever you're doing, it can wait."
"Is there a problem?" Jack didn't miss the way Daniel was nervously shifting from foot to foot.
"I don't know—you'll have to ask her."
"All right, I'll go now.'
Jack stepped aside as Daniel moved towards the door, allowing him to pass into the hallway.
"You don't have to go with me," he said as he passed Jack.
"That's okay. Teal'c and I were headed that way anyway, weren't we?"
Teal'c dipped his head as he stepped into view. "Indeed we were."
Daniel took a step back, eyes widening almost imperceptibly. "Uh, thanks," he replied, quickly turning and heading at a fast pace down the hall.
Jack exchanged a glance with Teal'c and hurried after his oddly-behaving teammate.
~oOo~
"I am not amused by your delaying tactics."
"Really? The real Jack would have enjoyed it."
"Enough!" Urngarn's, or rather Jack's, face was red and scowling, probably due to Daniel giving him the address to a world where he knew the 'gate wouldn't connect. The man had been decidedly unhappy when his men came back with the news that the symbols Daniel had given them wouldn't work.
This time the fingers touched his neck and he tensed as he waited to see what part of his body would be affected. It didn't take long. Warmth quickly spread from his neck to the rest of his body, gradually intensifying until he was sweating profusely. His throat became parched but he knew he'd be given no water if he asked. His head felt like it would explode as his body temperature climbed higher and higher.
Mercifully, it began to ease, the heat dying gradually until his sweat-soaked skin felt almost normal again. He knew his body wouldn't be able to take much of this without causing permanent damage.
"Is it too warm for you?" Urngarn asked with a smirk plastered on Jack's face. "We can help you with that." The dark eyes held no warmth, only malevolence It reminded him again that throughout all of their disagreements and differences of opinion, Jack had never looked at him this way; one more thing to reassure him this wasn't his friend.
Fingers again touched his neck, but instead of heat, a numbing cold seeped into his blood, flowing through his veins like a river of ice. He shivered, goosebumps spreading across his arms and torso. Teeth chattering as the cold intensified, he looked up into the familiar face that continued to watch with a thin smile.
"I … w-w-won't … h-h-help … you," he barely managed to grind out as the shivering became more severe.
The thin smile on not-Jack's face morphed into a scowl. "We do not have time for this! Arpello—continue! Show him this is not a game."
As soon as the touch left his neck, his body began to warm. The shivering gradually subsided, an occasional spasm the only reminder of what he'd experienced.
He turned his gaze to the floor. It was getting harder and harder to block Jack's image from his mind. It's not Jack, it's not Jack.
Once more, Daniel felt the light touch of Arpello's fingers, this time at his temples. He tried to breathe normally as anxiety churned in his gut. Blinking, he realized his vision was becoming fuzzy. Slowly, it continued to fade until, looking up, he could no longer distinguish Jack's face on the man in front of him. The darkness increased little by little until Daniel found himself completely blind.
The churning in his stomach became a whirlwind of fear. Realizing he needed to gain control of it, Daniel forced himself to breathe slowly and evenly, trying to relax his muscles the way Teal'c had instructed him when meditating.
Urngarn's voice sounded at his ear again, obviously a tactic used to unsettle him. "We can make this permanent, Daniel." It still sounded like Jack's voice and Daniel tried hard to convince himself it wasn't his friend. Jack would never hurt me.
"Why do you want the addresses?" Daniel asked, attempting to find something he could use to get through to Urngarn.
"It is important for our survival—that is all you need to know."
"Maybe my people could help you if you'd tell us what you need."
"The only way you can help us is by giving us access to other worlds."
"I won't help you harm the people of other planets."
"So, you are concerned for the welfare of others?"
A new jolt of fear struck Daniel with the realization of what he'd just done. He clamped his mouth shut, not trusting himself to respond, and dooming himself at the same time.
"Bring him."
~oOo~
"Janet, I feel fine."
"That's good," Janet replied, exchanging a quick glance with Jack, "but I'd just like to run a few more tests. Your teammates said you were ill back on the planet. I'm only doing a follow-up to make sure everything's fine."
"It was just a stomach ache; nothing to be concerned about."
"Well, you can never be too careful. You know as well as anyone that alien organisms are nothing to be complacent about."
"Alien organisms? You think that's what I have?"
"That's what the tests are for, Daniel, to make sure you don't have any hitchhikers."
Daniel hesitated, glancing at Jack and Teal'c before settling on Janet again. "Um, sure. But I thought you did an examination when we returned?"
"That was just the basics. I think a more thorough exam is in order."
"All right. If you feel it's necessary."
"I do. Let's get started. Colonel, Teal'c, you can wait outside." She held up a hand, warding off his impending argument. "I'll call you if I need you." Her lifted eyebrows told Jack she understood his concern, but expected him to allow her to work without his 'help'.
"We'll just hang around out here and wait for Daniel." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder, letting her know they wouldn't be far away if she did need help.
She nodded in response before turning back to her patient. "Lieutenant Cole, would you draw some blood from Doctor Jackson?"
Once outside the infirmary, Jack plopped himself in one of the worn plastic chairs and let out a sigh.
"What do you believe is wrong with Daniel Jackson?" Teal'c continued to stand, hands clasped behind his back.
"I wish I knew, T, I wish I knew. We'll just have to hope Fraiser can figure it out."
~oOo~
Daniel's vision began to clear the second the fingers left his temples. He squinted, relieved to be able to distinguish his surroundings again. Hands scrabbled with the metal at his wrists, an audible click signaling his release. He was roughly dragged to his feet, tight grips on both of his arms pulling him towards the door and then down a dimly lit tunnel.
Several twists and turns later, they came to another thick wooden door. A man who must have been following behind maneuvered around Daniel and his escorts and pushed the door open.
Bright sunlight seared his eyes and he squeezed them shut. He stumbled over the rocky ground as his handlers propelled him forward. Daniel was in no hurry to find out what the Minarans had in store for him next; digging in his heels, he tried to wrench himself from the grasps of the thugs holding him. He managed to free one arm, using his elbow to ram the man's face, sending him staggering. Turning to the second man, he pulled his arm back preparing to throw a punch, but instead, something heavy landed across his back, knocking him to the ground.
Before he could recover, they were on him. One held him down while another tied his hands behind his back, a third removing his boots and socks. A hand grabbed a fistful of his hair and yanked as another pair of hands pulled him up by the arm.
Breathing heavily and wincing from his bruised back, he was startled by someone leaning into his face.
"You will not try that again."
Aches were temporarily forgotten as a familiar deep voice captured his full attention. He looked up, straight into Teal'c's scowling face.
TBC