A/N: My first attempt at a fic with a serious undertone. All reviews welcome! There will be no shippiness here. This is a Jack/Daniel friendship with team. I don't understand why 4/5th of the fics out there seem to contain romance. It just seem odd to me. That's just me, of course.

Huge huge thank you to Lennie for the editing! Also a thank you to everyone who reviewed and got me to look for a beta! Or two or three. I didn't think this story would generate enough interest to warrant beta-ing!

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"How can you be sure that Dr. Jackson won't cooperate?" the man in the dark suit asked. A casual observer might pin the man sitting behind the spotless desk as a high level executive: the way he dressed, the way he held himself, with a voice well used to giving commands and leaving no doubt that he'd be obeyed.

"Sir, you must have a pretty good idea what the SG teams are like. Especially SG-1, given their heavy involvement with us..." the man opposite him replied. "I have seen the condition they were in after their return from certain missions. I'm convinced no method, however persuasive, could turn Jackson to our cause."

The man behind the desk leaned forward. "I have ways. I just need certain information to help carry it out."

The anonymous informant nodded. "You'll have it."

He eyed his subordinate as he leaned back in his chair and said, "You have been invaluable to our organization. Your loyalty in helping us protect Earth is truly appreciated."

The informant actually gave a short laugh. "You and I both know my participation has nothing to do with loyalties or the protection of this planet, though I don't mind having an advantage against those alien bastards. I'm in it because I'm paid well. Sir."

The suited man smiled a genuine smile. It was rare to find an honest man nowadays.

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Daniel and Jack's eyes were locked. Strategies played out and dismissed in their minds in rapid succession. Each believing his move would gain the upper hand and neither would back down. Teal'c and Sam looked on, both wanting to weigh in but knew it would not be welcomed. By either of them.

Jack made his move, with Daniel already analyzing the next step before Jack had set the piece down. "Ha." Jack grinned.

Daniel frowned. That was good. Very good. He looked up at Jack with suspicion but left it unvoiced.

Sam smiled at the game's progression then turned her attention to Teal'c. "So, what are you going to do for the next five days?"

Teal'c's usually stoic face broke into a small, warm smile. "I have plans to visit with my son and rendezvous with Master Bra'tac to discuss past campaigns and battles that could be of benefit to us."

"So you're going to catch up with the man and rehash old war stories?" Jack asked with something closely resembling a smirk.

Teal'c's smile never quite vanished, more like it was suppressed. He gave a slight nod in Jack's direction and didn't correct the colonel's assessment.

Sam nodded, though her original thought of what Teal'c meant was more along the lines of finding battle tactics that could help with the fight against the Goa'uld. The colonel really had a gift for breaking things down into their simplest terms.

Daniel made his move on the chessboard before turning to Sam to ask for her plans.

"My dad and I are going to visit Mark and his kids. It's so rare for us to find time where we're both free." A note of regret colored her cheerful words.

Daniel nodded in sympathy. A picture of Sha're inevitably flashed through his mind at the mention of family. It felt like a lifetime ago since he last saw her. It was a different lifetime when they shared their first and only year together. He had changed much since then.

"Daniel," Jack's voice broke through Daniel's reverie. He glanced up from the chessboard to see the colonel's slightly annoyed look directed at him. "It's your turn."

Daniel smile apologetically and carelessly moved one of his pieces with no thought to his current strategy. It wasn't only he who had changed; the rest of his team only saw a preoccupied Daniel, perhaps concentrating too deeply on the game or thinking of the work left undone. Three years ago they might have picked up the subtle signs of his distress. Two years ago they wouldn't have left him alone until they figured out what was wrong. His team had drifted apart from him and he didn't know how or why.

A noise from Jack brought him back to the present. The other man was grinning madly as he casually broke through Daniel's carefully placed line of defense. Daniel said ruefully, "Good move, Jack."

Jack definitely smirked this time and said graciously, "Why, thank you, Daniel."

Daniel ducked his head to stare intently at the game. The banter was still there, and he could still feel the camaraderie, but his relationship with SG-1 has changed; it just made it easier to pretend that everything was the way it was.

"So, what about you, sir?" Sam asked, while they waited for Daniel to salvage what he could of his defense.

"It's been predicted that it'll be warm and sunny for the next week, Carter. What do you think?"

Teal'c sighed. Or, as it sounded to the others, something comparable to a disapproving bear. "Fishing," he stated with distaste.

Sam actually snickered while Jack frowned in his friend's direction. "Something wrong with fishing?"

"My experience with the... sport... leaves much to be desired." Teal'c gave a slight inflection to 'sport' as if questioning the choice of word used to describe such an activity.

"No appreciation whatsoever. I thought if anyone would understand, it'd be you, T!" Jack shook his head as he turned away in dismissal "Daniel, before my whole head turns gray."

Daniel raised his eyes at that and couldn't help sliding a look to Sam, who choked back a laugh. "Sorry, Jack, I think you've got me. You'll have me in checkmate within six moves."

The older man looked surprised. "Really?" He stared at the game for a long silent moment. "Huh."

"You're not going to make me show you, are you, Jack?" Daniel asked.

"Could you?"

Daniel rolled his eyes.

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The man in the suit was talking to a woman this time, and not at his office. They seemed to be in a lab, glass and stainless steel, all being lit by harsh florescent lights.

"Mr. Amery, listen to me. The prototype is nowhere near ready to be tested, let alone expectations of it actually working! You have to give my team more time."

"Unfortunately, Doctor, time is what we don't have. This is the only way we'll ever obtain his help. I know for a fact that it worked on all of SG-1 before, so there should be no reason why it wouldn't work again."

The woman glared at him coldly. "It worked, for a while. They later regained their memories on their own. Teal'c himself needed multiple treatments for it to take effect for even a short time. It was apparent that their machines are not compatible with human physiology."

"That is the reason why you and your team were assigned to this project! You've had over a year to make it work and this is all you have to show for it?" he asked in a low, dangerous voice.

The woman made no move to back down. "We've had to reprogram it each time we experiment with a new alien device, hoping to cobble together something that would work to your specific parameters. It is a time consuming process involving many trials and errors. The recent breakthrough with the Tok'ra memory device was pure luck; the technology behind each device are so vastly different we were surprised that they could work in conjunction with one another in the first place."

"You're boring me with your excuses. I need it to work within four days."

"Four days!" The scientist could only gape in disbelieve.

"That is when our window of opportunity closes. You have your orders, Doctor." He turned his back and left without another word.