Author's note: Thanks for the reviews! I greatly appreciate it. To answer
Layton's question: The story takes place early in season three, before
"Forever in a Day" so Shau'ri is still alive.
Part II: Limbo
"Apophis?"
"That's good, O'Neill, that's really good," the bounty hunter exclaimed. He leaned against the door frame and chuckled merrily.
O'Neill frowned in confusion. "What's good?"
"That innocent routine you've got going. I know enough about you to know not to be fooled by anything you pull, so it's not going to work."
O'Neill opened his mouth to protest, but closed it. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to tell the bounty hunter that he had no memory of who he was or what it was he was supposed to have done to get this Apophis mad at him.
"Okay, so humor me. What horrible things have I done to merit my being hunted for bounty?" O'Neill tried to make his tone as casual as he could, hoping that the other man wouldn't see that he was grasping for any information.
The bounty hunter chuckled again. "I think the question is what haven't you done?"
O'Neill began to feel a bit faint, so he slowly walked toward the cot where he'd awakened and sat down. "If you're so smart and know so much about me, why don't you prove it?"
The bounty hunter's eyes narrowed. "I don't know what game you're playing, but I'm willing to go along, for now." The man slid down to sit on the floor in front of the door, and regarded him for a moment before he spoke. "Colonel Jack O'Neill, leader of a group of explorers named SG-1. You hail from a planet called Earth, which the Goa'uld refer to as 'the first world'. It's apparently the world where most of their hosts originally came from. You lead this group of people to different planets, exploring and exploiting cultures wherever you go. Sadly, you're not the brains of your team. no, that dubious honor goes to Major Samantha Carter and Dr. Daniel Jackson. Also on your team of oddities, you have a Jaffa named Teal'c. The Jaffa used to be a loyal servant to Apophis, before taking off to join your group. So you see, Apophis has it in for you for that alone."
The bounty hunter paused for a moment, regarding him with a look bordering on admiration. "You've also managed to eradicate a half a dozen Goa'uld, sending the System Lords into power struggles that would amaze even the strongest of leaders. Who would have thought that four lowly humans could accomplish so much?"
O'Neill stared at the man sitting in front of him, trying desperately to make sense of everything he'd just been told. He wasn't given the chance to think about it much, because the bounty hunter wasn't finished.
"Don't let your head get too big, O'Neill. You're not the only one being hunted. There's a sizable bounty on all four of you. I just happened to find you by yourself."
"So you were watching us the whole time, before you grabbed me? How did you get away?"
The bounty hunter smiled. "I was watching and waiting. Actually, I stopped on Venitas because I knew it was uninhabited and I wanted a place to stop and rest. I couldn't believe it when I saw your base camp. I have to admit that there aren't that many images of you and your human team members, so I took a chance on grabbing the right person. I'm glad I was correct in my guess. Even if I hadn't been, I'd still have gotten money for you. As for how I got away, I used this vessel. It has never let me down before."
O'Neill sat in silence, overwhelmed at the information he'd been given.
"My team mates are probably looking for me," he stated, hoping that it was true.
The bounty hunter shrugged as he got up off the floor. "It doesn't matter if they are; they're not going to be able to find you. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a ship to run."
With that, the man walked out of the room, locking the door behind him.
O'Neill remained where he was, too tired and confused to attempt an escape. His mind was whirling in a million directions at once. How could it be? How could he be a militia leader of some kind, going around killing people? It just didn't seem possible. for some reason, it didn't fit. What was all the stuff the bounty hunter had said, stuff about Goolds and hosts and first planets? None of that made sense to O'Neill either, no matter how hard he tried to make it. What about this team of his, were they really looking for him? If the man was right and he did have two geniuses on his team, it made sense that they'd be able to find him. How, if he didn't even know where he was or where he was going? The name Apophis didn't ring any bells either, but he didn't sound like a nice person. What was he supposed to do when he finally got there? How could he answer for crimes he didn't remember having committed?
It was too much. His headache had intensified with each passing moment. His whirling thoughts did nothing to alleviate it, but he couldn't stop thinking about the information. It seemed so odd, like it didn't belong to him, at least not entirely.
O'Neill shook his head, hoping to clear the thoughts away. Instead, he was hit by a stabbing pain so deep that his vision blacked out for a moment. He tried to calm down, but succeeded only in panicking further. He got to his feet to try to get the bounty hunter's attention, but found that he couldn't see. He put his hands up to his head and before he knew it, he was on the floor, unconscious.
**~~**
"Colonel O'Neill, what were you able to find?" General Hammond asked his second in command as soon as he'd stepped through the Stargate.
"Daniel is gone, sir. Whoever took him left on a ship."
Hammond frowned. "How can you be so sure of that, Colonel?"
"Major Carter found traces of the ship's engines, and evidence of a ship's landing in a clearing. When we went to investigate, I found Daniel's vest, his watch, knife and side arm discarded on the ground, but no sign of Daniel."
Hammond sighed as he took in the weary appearances of SG-1 and SG-2. "Very well, people. We'll debrief in two hours. Get to the infirmary and cleaned up and then we can talk."
He left his people in the embarkation room and made his way up to his office, where he heavily sat down on his chair. He looked up at the wall in front of him, not really seeing it at all.
He hated to lose anyone under his command, as all commanders did. It was getting harder and harder to deal with as the years went by and he became more familiar with those that worked at the SGC. However, he'd always had a soft spot for SG-1 and what happened to them always affected him a bit more. He knew how close knit they all were, which was why he knew that Dr. Jackson's disappearance had hit the three remaining members hard. He didn't have to look into their haunted eyes to see that, because he could feel it himself.
The worst thing of all of this was that if Colonel O'Neill was correct, then they'd have no way of finding Dr. Jackson. If he'd been kidnapped and taken off the planet on a ship, he could be anywhere by now. They had no ships of their own and therefore no way to go after him. They had no spies planted anywhere so they couldn't rely on them for information. They couldn't get a team together and go after Dr. Jackson, because they didn't know where to go. Wherever he was, Dr. Jackson was on his own.
"God help him."
**~~**
Jack walked into SG-1's locker room and headed straight for Daniel's area.
"Dr. D. Jackson," Jack read the name tag on the wall out loud as he plopped down onto the bench in front of where Daniel stored his extra uniforms. He set the vest and watch on the bench, grimacing as he saw them again.
Through the medical exam and debriefing, Jack had refused to let those items go, intent on coming to the locker room and putting them back in Daniel's locker where they belonged. He'd gone through the debriefing on autopilot and noticed that the rest of SG-1 was pretty much doing the same thing. Carter had been the one who contributed the most, because she had been in charge of the UAV. They had nothing but the UAV readings and Daniel's discarded equipment to go by and that wasn't anywhere near enough to find the missing man.
Jack got up and grabbed a hanger from the rod where the rest of the uniforms hung. He neatly hung Daniel's vest on the hanger, before putting it next to Daniel's blue field jacket. The watch he picked up off the bench and took it to his own locker, where he placed it beside his own. He reached into his pocket and removed Daniel's broken glasses. He fingered the broken, bloody lens, before placing them in his locker.
He'd given the glasses to Dr. Frasier so she could run tests and do a blood type on the blood to confirm that it was Daniel's, but had insisted on having them back when she was done. They were possibly the last thing they'd have of him and Jack felt the morbid need to keep them safe.
"Colonel?"
Jack looked away from his locker and found himself looking into Carter's sad, blue eyes. He motioned for her to sit beside him on the bench in front of his area of the locker room and she complied.
"What can I do for you, Carter?"
She remained quiet for a moment, before raising her head and meeting his eyes. "How could this happen? Why would someone take Daniel like that?"
Jack swallowed the lump he suddenly found in his throat, before he was able to formulate a response. "I don't know, Carter. We were all there; we should have known it was happening."
She nodded and looked away from him to study her boots. She shifted in the bench, before wrapping her arms around her waist. "I just can't imagine what it was like for him. It had to have happened quickly, or he would have called for help."
She paused momentarily as she struggled to fight the tears threatening to fall. Jack couldn't see them, but he could hear them in her voice.
"We have to find him, Colonel. I don't care what we have to do, but we have to find him. We can't just leave him out there with god knows who."
Jack sighed. "We're going to find him, Carter. We have to find him. I'm not sure how or when, but I can tell you that I'm not going to give up anytime soon."
She looked up at him then, a slight smile on her face. "Yeah. we'll keep looking. I'm going to contact my father to see if the Tok'ra can help us. After all, they have spies everywhere."
"Good plan, Major. I'm going to see if I can talk to Thor. Maybe the Asgard can help. If the Asgard can't help, then maybe the Tollans can. Someone should be willing to help us. Don't worry, Carter, Daniel is resourceful. He can take care of himself."
**~~**
"Whoa, wait a minute! You can't seriously be suggesting that we go in there"
"Of course I am. They're harmless people who just want to understand us. I, for one, want to understand them."
"In case you haven't noticed, they're all NAKED!"
"Yes, they are. but that's the way their culture dictates that they dress, or not dress in this case. Who are we to say that they're wrong?"
"I don't know about you, but I am NOT getting naked."
"Don't tell me you have a modesty problem?"
* * *
"So what does it do?"
"I think it's used to power up the gate, sir."
"Isn't that what the DHD is for, to give the gate power?"
"It is indeed."
"Maybe it's a portable source of power for when the DHD isn't working. Is that possible?"
"Yes, it is. Let's check it out."
"Wait, should you two really be messing with alien technology that you know nothing about?"
"Isn't that what we do every day?"
* * *
"Great, just great. I hate it when the snakeheads are around."
"I wonder which one it is this time."
"Tau'ri, kree! Lord Apophis is waiting for you."
"Wonderful. Why can't that particular snakehead just stay dead? I mean, how many times have we killed him already, two?"
"Yeah, two."
"Do me a favor, don't bait him this time?"
"Me? Why would I do that?"
"Oh, I don't know. it seems that every time you're in a room with Apophis, you bait him only to get yourself beaten up. Why don't we save the witty comments this time?"
"Can you blame me? After all, I learned from the best."
****
O'Neill woke up to again find himself in the spacious room with the golden walls, which he now knew was the cargo hold of the vessel Liberty. Ironic name, considering that he was anything but free at the moment. He was lying on the floor, where he'd fallen when he lost consciousness. Carefully, he rolled over onto his back and lay there until the pounding in his head settled a bit. It didn't help that the part of his head that was making contact with the floor of the vessel also hurt, but he let that go.
He'd been dreaming, of that he was sure. Whether those dreams were memories or merely fragments of his imagination, he couldn't tell. All he remembered was hearing snatches of conversations; conversations that he was sure he'd participated in. He also remembered seeing people in his dreams. The one who most appeared was an older man with graying hair, who was usually dressed up in an outfit similar to one that O'Neill was wearing now. There hadn't been any names attached to the faces, but O'Neill felt that he knew them. The other two people he'd seen with the most frequency was a blond, beautiful woman and a dark, imposing man with a tattoo on his forehead. They, too, had been dressed similarly to the way he was dressed now.
Could those three people be his team, the one that the bounty hunter had told him about? The woman could be Major Samantha Carter. That left the other two, Jackson and Teal'c to identify. The bounty hunter had said that Teal'c was a First Prime, whatever that was, to Apophis. Somehow, O'Neill figured that involved some kind of bodyguard position, so he assumed that the imposing man was Teal'c. That left the older man, who O'Neill assumed was Dr. Daniel Jackson. Odd, the man didn't look like a doctor of any kind.
There were other faces as well: a bald man in what looked to be a uniform. a short, dark haired lady in the same type of uniform. an older man in robes. a younger man, also dressed in robes, with long hair and expressive brown eyes. a beautiful young woman with long, dark hair and captivating eyes... that same woman, dressed in silk robes and adorned with jewels. All of these were the faces of people he couldn't place nor remember ever seeing before.
O'Neill closed his eyes, mentally weary from trying to figure out who he was and what he'd been doing, from only a conversation with a bounty hunter and snatches of conversations he'd heard in a dream. What could have happened to him and why couldn't he remember?
He turned his head to one side and gingerly fingered the wound at the back of his head. That part of his head was a little swollen and very sore. Could that have caused his memory loss? It was possible, wasn't it? He had no idea. If the injury was that severe, then why was he conscious? Shouldn't he feel worse?
O'Neill shuddered at the thought of feeling worse than he did now. It was all he could do to keep himself from throwing up every time he made a move, and the dizziness and blurriness of his vision hadn't gone away. He didn't want to panic, but O'Neill was sure that something was seriously wrong with him. He slowly sat up and leaned against the cot he'd been sleeping on earlier.
The bounty hunter hadn't given him any information about himself, not even a name. O'Neill figured that if the man really was a bounty hunter, then lack of information was probably his way of life. It didn't help O'Neill try to figure out why he'd been taken, other than the fact that there was money involved.
The door to the main part of the vessel opened and admitted the bounty hunter. The man looked down at him, a cross between a grimace and a smile on his face.
"Well, Colonel, we've reached our destination," the bounty hunter announced. "We have docked with Apophis' ship, and he's eagerly waiting to get his hands on you, so I suggest we hurry along."
The man walked up to O'Neill, leaned down and roughly pulled him to his feet, causing his stomach to clench painfully and his head to pound. Blackness threatened to overcome him and he stumbled, but was held in place by the bounty hunter.
"Come on, now's not the time for theatrics. You can do all the pretending you want once I've gotten my money and you're in Apophis' custody. Until then, you will walk out of here on your own two feet, understand?"
O'Neill didn't say anything, he just concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other, as the bounty hunter pushed him out of the ship and onto another room.
If he'd thought that the Liberty was gaudy and over decorated, he was wrong. The ship he now found himself in was twenty times worse that the Liberty. There was even more of the funny writing on the walls and on every other surface. Men with tattoos on their foreheads, similar to the one on Teal'c's, stood guard on the other side of the door, waiting for them.
Could Teal'c be here? After all, if these people were like him, could they be allies?
O'Neill doubted it, if this Apophis was the ruler of everything on the vessel. If these men worked for him, then he didn't think they would be friends of Teal'c.
"Before you turn me over to this Apophis, don't you think I should at least know your name?" O'Neill asked, more to make conversation than anything else.
The bounty hunter gave a bark of laugher, which sounded unbearably loud in O'Neill's left ear.
"My name is Lota Fi. That's all you need to know."
O'Neill nodded, grateful to know at least that much about the mysterious man. They reached a turn in the corridor, and Lota jerked him around so fast that he was momentarily disoriented. He stumbled into the back of the man in front of him, who turned quickly around, pushed him away and pointed his weapon at him.
O'Neill blinked to try to get his vision back under control, while wearily looking at the big man.
"Sorry, I tripped," he mumbled. Lota tightened his grip on O'Neill's arm and pulled him backwards towards him.
"What the hell do you think you're doing? You're not going to ruin things for me now."
O'Neill's jaw tightened and he jerked his arm out of Lota's hand. He turned around to face the bounty hunter, ignoring the fact that there were weapons trained on him.
"I didn't do anything. You're dragging me though these gaudy corridors despite the fact that I have a head injury, probably a concussion, which YOU gave me. Why don't you chill out and just walk a little slower?"
Lota glared at him for a moment, and then started to laugh. "You do have spirit. Apophis is going to enjoy breaking you."
**~~**
"My Lord Apophis, Lota Fi has arrived at your receiving chamber."
Apophis turned to glare at his current First Prime. "Very well, I will be there momentarily."
He watched the Jaffa leave and gave himself the satisfaction of a smile. Finally, something had gone well. After having the Tau'ri step into and ruin his previous attempts at conquest, he finally had the upper hand. If he could extract information from the human O'Neill, then he would be one step closer in being able to defeat Earth.
Apophis stepped out into his receiving chamber and stopped in his tracks when he noticed Lota Fi and his prisoner. He frowned, his fists clenching in fury. Lota Fi was not going to get away with lying to him.
"Approach me, bounty hunter. Jaffa, take the captive to my chamber."
"No, way, Apophis. I get paid first."
Apophis raised his ribbon device and pointedly aimed it at the bounty hunter. "I said approach me."
The Goa'uld could see the bounty hunter swallow nervously, but he did as he was told.
"What is the meaning of this deception?" Apophis asked when the other man was within range.
The bounty hunter frowned. "What deception? I told you I'd captured O'Neill and I brought him to you."
"That man is not Jack O'Neill."
"Yes he is. He's been answering to that name ever since I picked him up."
"Do not fool me. Deception is an automatic death sentence, especially when you're on my ship," Apophis said, bringing the ribbon device closer to the bounty hunter's head.
"Ask him yourself. I had to knock him out to capture him and when he came to, he answered to the name O'Neill. I'm not lying." He paused as a thought occurred to him. "If he's not O'Neill, then who is he? I had never seen images of them, so I just took whoever I could grab."
"He is the scholar, Jackson. I knew it was too easy. O'Neill is not easily captured. Jackson however, is not as well trained or as careful."
The bounty hunter took an involuntary stepped back. "Why would he lie to me about his identity? I already had him prisoner, so there was no reason to. No, if that man isn't Jack O'Neill, then for some reason, he really believes that he is. Either way, I brought you a member of SG-1. I'm still entitled to my payment."
Apophis glowered at the man, but he did have a point. "Very well. You may not have brought me O'Neill, but Jackson will do just as well. My First Prime will give you the payment you've earned. Now leave."
The bounty hunter nodded once, before turning on his heel and leaving the room. Apophis watched him go and motioned for the remaining Jaffa to escort him off the ship. Right now, he had better things to do.
He slowly walked back to his chamber, where Jackson, along with two Jaffa, were waiting. The scholar was standing in the middle of the room, looking around. He had a hand on the back of his head, and it was then that Apophis noticed the blood on the man's shirt, hair and face.
"O'Neill."
Jackson turned towards him slowly, grimacing as he did so. He met Apophis' eyes and did not look away. Apophis frowned, surprised to see curiosity and fear in the eyes, instead of the hatred and contempt he was used to seeing in Daniel Jackson. Did the man really believe he was Jack O'Neill?
"Who are you?"
"Do you not know how I am?" Apophis asked.
"Not really, but by the looks of things, I'm assuming you're Apophis."
"You assume correctly. You are Colonel Jack O'Neill?"
"Yeah, I am. So what do you want with me? What have I done that merits you paying a bounty hunter to hunt me down and kidnap me?"
Apophis narrowed his eyes as he stepped closer to the Tau'ri. He really believed he was Jack O'Neill. It was no game; Jackson was not trying to fool him. Jackson seemed to have lost his memory, which could be very beneficial to Apophis if he played his cards right.
"The answer to that is complicated, O'Neill. Please have a seat."
Apophis motioned to an ornate couch, which Jackson carefully lowered himself onto. The man seemed to be disoriented and in pain, but he wasn't going to do anything to cure Jackson of that. He needed Jackson as disoriented and in as much pain as possible so he'd be less of a problem.
"You used to serve me, O'Neill. You were a loyal advisor and leader of my forces. I sent you on a special mission to infiltrate the Tau'ri," Apophis explained, watching Jackson's expression as he digested the words. He had the man's full attention and it was all he could do not to smile. "Something went wrong and you never returned. A few years later, I was made aware that you had joined the Tau'ri to fight against me. I came to the conclusion that you'd been brainwashed and turned against me. I hired Lota Fi to find you and bring you back to me."
"Why would they do that?" Jackson asked.
"The Tau'ri want to destroy me. What better way to do that than to turn one of my loyal servants against me?"
Apophis watched as Jackson tried to work through what he'd just been told, his eyes drooping the more he tried to think.
"There will be time for explanations later, for now, rest. My First Prime, Ma'tek, will take you to a place where you can rest. We will discuss more of this tomorrow."
Jackson got up and stood uncertainly, until another Jaffa, Ta'het, escorted him out of the chamber.
"Keep an eye on him at all times. He's not to be left alone. Post a Jaffa inside the room and two more outside. I want to be informed if he tries anything."
"Yes, my Lord," Ma'tek replied and made his way out of the room.
Apophis watched them go. He couldn't believe the opportunity he'd just been handed. The Tau'ri had taken Teal'c, his most loyal servant, and turned the Jaffa against him. It was time for the humans to experience the same thing. He would take Jackson and turn him into one of his most loyal servants. He would get Jackson to denounce the Tau'ri just as Teal'c had done for his own people. The man's mind was a blank slate, ready for any and all information he'd be willing to put there. All Apophis needed was time. Since no one knew where he was, time was something he had plenty of.
Part II: Limbo
"Apophis?"
"That's good, O'Neill, that's really good," the bounty hunter exclaimed. He leaned against the door frame and chuckled merrily.
O'Neill frowned in confusion. "What's good?"
"That innocent routine you've got going. I know enough about you to know not to be fooled by anything you pull, so it's not going to work."
O'Neill opened his mouth to protest, but closed it. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to tell the bounty hunter that he had no memory of who he was or what it was he was supposed to have done to get this Apophis mad at him.
"Okay, so humor me. What horrible things have I done to merit my being hunted for bounty?" O'Neill tried to make his tone as casual as he could, hoping that the other man wouldn't see that he was grasping for any information.
The bounty hunter chuckled again. "I think the question is what haven't you done?"
O'Neill began to feel a bit faint, so he slowly walked toward the cot where he'd awakened and sat down. "If you're so smart and know so much about me, why don't you prove it?"
The bounty hunter's eyes narrowed. "I don't know what game you're playing, but I'm willing to go along, for now." The man slid down to sit on the floor in front of the door, and regarded him for a moment before he spoke. "Colonel Jack O'Neill, leader of a group of explorers named SG-1. You hail from a planet called Earth, which the Goa'uld refer to as 'the first world'. It's apparently the world where most of their hosts originally came from. You lead this group of people to different planets, exploring and exploiting cultures wherever you go. Sadly, you're not the brains of your team. no, that dubious honor goes to Major Samantha Carter and Dr. Daniel Jackson. Also on your team of oddities, you have a Jaffa named Teal'c. The Jaffa used to be a loyal servant to Apophis, before taking off to join your group. So you see, Apophis has it in for you for that alone."
The bounty hunter paused for a moment, regarding him with a look bordering on admiration. "You've also managed to eradicate a half a dozen Goa'uld, sending the System Lords into power struggles that would amaze even the strongest of leaders. Who would have thought that four lowly humans could accomplish so much?"
O'Neill stared at the man sitting in front of him, trying desperately to make sense of everything he'd just been told. He wasn't given the chance to think about it much, because the bounty hunter wasn't finished.
"Don't let your head get too big, O'Neill. You're not the only one being hunted. There's a sizable bounty on all four of you. I just happened to find you by yourself."
"So you were watching us the whole time, before you grabbed me? How did you get away?"
The bounty hunter smiled. "I was watching and waiting. Actually, I stopped on Venitas because I knew it was uninhabited and I wanted a place to stop and rest. I couldn't believe it when I saw your base camp. I have to admit that there aren't that many images of you and your human team members, so I took a chance on grabbing the right person. I'm glad I was correct in my guess. Even if I hadn't been, I'd still have gotten money for you. As for how I got away, I used this vessel. It has never let me down before."
O'Neill sat in silence, overwhelmed at the information he'd been given.
"My team mates are probably looking for me," he stated, hoping that it was true.
The bounty hunter shrugged as he got up off the floor. "It doesn't matter if they are; they're not going to be able to find you. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a ship to run."
With that, the man walked out of the room, locking the door behind him.
O'Neill remained where he was, too tired and confused to attempt an escape. His mind was whirling in a million directions at once. How could it be? How could he be a militia leader of some kind, going around killing people? It just didn't seem possible. for some reason, it didn't fit. What was all the stuff the bounty hunter had said, stuff about Goolds and hosts and first planets? None of that made sense to O'Neill either, no matter how hard he tried to make it. What about this team of his, were they really looking for him? If the man was right and he did have two geniuses on his team, it made sense that they'd be able to find him. How, if he didn't even know where he was or where he was going? The name Apophis didn't ring any bells either, but he didn't sound like a nice person. What was he supposed to do when he finally got there? How could he answer for crimes he didn't remember having committed?
It was too much. His headache had intensified with each passing moment. His whirling thoughts did nothing to alleviate it, but he couldn't stop thinking about the information. It seemed so odd, like it didn't belong to him, at least not entirely.
O'Neill shook his head, hoping to clear the thoughts away. Instead, he was hit by a stabbing pain so deep that his vision blacked out for a moment. He tried to calm down, but succeeded only in panicking further. He got to his feet to try to get the bounty hunter's attention, but found that he couldn't see. He put his hands up to his head and before he knew it, he was on the floor, unconscious.
**~~**
"Colonel O'Neill, what were you able to find?" General Hammond asked his second in command as soon as he'd stepped through the Stargate.
"Daniel is gone, sir. Whoever took him left on a ship."
Hammond frowned. "How can you be so sure of that, Colonel?"
"Major Carter found traces of the ship's engines, and evidence of a ship's landing in a clearing. When we went to investigate, I found Daniel's vest, his watch, knife and side arm discarded on the ground, but no sign of Daniel."
Hammond sighed as he took in the weary appearances of SG-1 and SG-2. "Very well, people. We'll debrief in two hours. Get to the infirmary and cleaned up and then we can talk."
He left his people in the embarkation room and made his way up to his office, where he heavily sat down on his chair. He looked up at the wall in front of him, not really seeing it at all.
He hated to lose anyone under his command, as all commanders did. It was getting harder and harder to deal with as the years went by and he became more familiar with those that worked at the SGC. However, he'd always had a soft spot for SG-1 and what happened to them always affected him a bit more. He knew how close knit they all were, which was why he knew that Dr. Jackson's disappearance had hit the three remaining members hard. He didn't have to look into their haunted eyes to see that, because he could feel it himself.
The worst thing of all of this was that if Colonel O'Neill was correct, then they'd have no way of finding Dr. Jackson. If he'd been kidnapped and taken off the planet on a ship, he could be anywhere by now. They had no ships of their own and therefore no way to go after him. They had no spies planted anywhere so they couldn't rely on them for information. They couldn't get a team together and go after Dr. Jackson, because they didn't know where to go. Wherever he was, Dr. Jackson was on his own.
"God help him."
**~~**
Jack walked into SG-1's locker room and headed straight for Daniel's area.
"Dr. D. Jackson," Jack read the name tag on the wall out loud as he plopped down onto the bench in front of where Daniel stored his extra uniforms. He set the vest and watch on the bench, grimacing as he saw them again.
Through the medical exam and debriefing, Jack had refused to let those items go, intent on coming to the locker room and putting them back in Daniel's locker where they belonged. He'd gone through the debriefing on autopilot and noticed that the rest of SG-1 was pretty much doing the same thing. Carter had been the one who contributed the most, because she had been in charge of the UAV. They had nothing but the UAV readings and Daniel's discarded equipment to go by and that wasn't anywhere near enough to find the missing man.
Jack got up and grabbed a hanger from the rod where the rest of the uniforms hung. He neatly hung Daniel's vest on the hanger, before putting it next to Daniel's blue field jacket. The watch he picked up off the bench and took it to his own locker, where he placed it beside his own. He reached into his pocket and removed Daniel's broken glasses. He fingered the broken, bloody lens, before placing them in his locker.
He'd given the glasses to Dr. Frasier so she could run tests and do a blood type on the blood to confirm that it was Daniel's, but had insisted on having them back when she was done. They were possibly the last thing they'd have of him and Jack felt the morbid need to keep them safe.
"Colonel?"
Jack looked away from his locker and found himself looking into Carter's sad, blue eyes. He motioned for her to sit beside him on the bench in front of his area of the locker room and she complied.
"What can I do for you, Carter?"
She remained quiet for a moment, before raising her head and meeting his eyes. "How could this happen? Why would someone take Daniel like that?"
Jack swallowed the lump he suddenly found in his throat, before he was able to formulate a response. "I don't know, Carter. We were all there; we should have known it was happening."
She nodded and looked away from him to study her boots. She shifted in the bench, before wrapping her arms around her waist. "I just can't imagine what it was like for him. It had to have happened quickly, or he would have called for help."
She paused momentarily as she struggled to fight the tears threatening to fall. Jack couldn't see them, but he could hear them in her voice.
"We have to find him, Colonel. I don't care what we have to do, but we have to find him. We can't just leave him out there with god knows who."
Jack sighed. "We're going to find him, Carter. We have to find him. I'm not sure how or when, but I can tell you that I'm not going to give up anytime soon."
She looked up at him then, a slight smile on her face. "Yeah. we'll keep looking. I'm going to contact my father to see if the Tok'ra can help us. After all, they have spies everywhere."
"Good plan, Major. I'm going to see if I can talk to Thor. Maybe the Asgard can help. If the Asgard can't help, then maybe the Tollans can. Someone should be willing to help us. Don't worry, Carter, Daniel is resourceful. He can take care of himself."
**~~**
"Whoa, wait a minute! You can't seriously be suggesting that we go in there"
"Of course I am. They're harmless people who just want to understand us. I, for one, want to understand them."
"In case you haven't noticed, they're all NAKED!"
"Yes, they are. but that's the way their culture dictates that they dress, or not dress in this case. Who are we to say that they're wrong?"
"I don't know about you, but I am NOT getting naked."
"Don't tell me you have a modesty problem?"
* * *
"So what does it do?"
"I think it's used to power up the gate, sir."
"Isn't that what the DHD is for, to give the gate power?"
"It is indeed."
"Maybe it's a portable source of power for when the DHD isn't working. Is that possible?"
"Yes, it is. Let's check it out."
"Wait, should you two really be messing with alien technology that you know nothing about?"
"Isn't that what we do every day?"
* * *
"Great, just great. I hate it when the snakeheads are around."
"I wonder which one it is this time."
"Tau'ri, kree! Lord Apophis is waiting for you."
"Wonderful. Why can't that particular snakehead just stay dead? I mean, how many times have we killed him already, two?"
"Yeah, two."
"Do me a favor, don't bait him this time?"
"Me? Why would I do that?"
"Oh, I don't know. it seems that every time you're in a room with Apophis, you bait him only to get yourself beaten up. Why don't we save the witty comments this time?"
"Can you blame me? After all, I learned from the best."
****
O'Neill woke up to again find himself in the spacious room with the golden walls, which he now knew was the cargo hold of the vessel Liberty. Ironic name, considering that he was anything but free at the moment. He was lying on the floor, where he'd fallen when he lost consciousness. Carefully, he rolled over onto his back and lay there until the pounding in his head settled a bit. It didn't help that the part of his head that was making contact with the floor of the vessel also hurt, but he let that go.
He'd been dreaming, of that he was sure. Whether those dreams were memories or merely fragments of his imagination, he couldn't tell. All he remembered was hearing snatches of conversations; conversations that he was sure he'd participated in. He also remembered seeing people in his dreams. The one who most appeared was an older man with graying hair, who was usually dressed up in an outfit similar to one that O'Neill was wearing now. There hadn't been any names attached to the faces, but O'Neill felt that he knew them. The other two people he'd seen with the most frequency was a blond, beautiful woman and a dark, imposing man with a tattoo on his forehead. They, too, had been dressed similarly to the way he was dressed now.
Could those three people be his team, the one that the bounty hunter had told him about? The woman could be Major Samantha Carter. That left the other two, Jackson and Teal'c to identify. The bounty hunter had said that Teal'c was a First Prime, whatever that was, to Apophis. Somehow, O'Neill figured that involved some kind of bodyguard position, so he assumed that the imposing man was Teal'c. That left the older man, who O'Neill assumed was Dr. Daniel Jackson. Odd, the man didn't look like a doctor of any kind.
There were other faces as well: a bald man in what looked to be a uniform. a short, dark haired lady in the same type of uniform. an older man in robes. a younger man, also dressed in robes, with long hair and expressive brown eyes. a beautiful young woman with long, dark hair and captivating eyes... that same woman, dressed in silk robes and adorned with jewels. All of these were the faces of people he couldn't place nor remember ever seeing before.
O'Neill closed his eyes, mentally weary from trying to figure out who he was and what he'd been doing, from only a conversation with a bounty hunter and snatches of conversations he'd heard in a dream. What could have happened to him and why couldn't he remember?
He turned his head to one side and gingerly fingered the wound at the back of his head. That part of his head was a little swollen and very sore. Could that have caused his memory loss? It was possible, wasn't it? He had no idea. If the injury was that severe, then why was he conscious? Shouldn't he feel worse?
O'Neill shuddered at the thought of feeling worse than he did now. It was all he could do to keep himself from throwing up every time he made a move, and the dizziness and blurriness of his vision hadn't gone away. He didn't want to panic, but O'Neill was sure that something was seriously wrong with him. He slowly sat up and leaned against the cot he'd been sleeping on earlier.
The bounty hunter hadn't given him any information about himself, not even a name. O'Neill figured that if the man really was a bounty hunter, then lack of information was probably his way of life. It didn't help O'Neill try to figure out why he'd been taken, other than the fact that there was money involved.
The door to the main part of the vessel opened and admitted the bounty hunter. The man looked down at him, a cross between a grimace and a smile on his face.
"Well, Colonel, we've reached our destination," the bounty hunter announced. "We have docked with Apophis' ship, and he's eagerly waiting to get his hands on you, so I suggest we hurry along."
The man walked up to O'Neill, leaned down and roughly pulled him to his feet, causing his stomach to clench painfully and his head to pound. Blackness threatened to overcome him and he stumbled, but was held in place by the bounty hunter.
"Come on, now's not the time for theatrics. You can do all the pretending you want once I've gotten my money and you're in Apophis' custody. Until then, you will walk out of here on your own two feet, understand?"
O'Neill didn't say anything, he just concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other, as the bounty hunter pushed him out of the ship and onto another room.
If he'd thought that the Liberty was gaudy and over decorated, he was wrong. The ship he now found himself in was twenty times worse that the Liberty. There was even more of the funny writing on the walls and on every other surface. Men with tattoos on their foreheads, similar to the one on Teal'c's, stood guard on the other side of the door, waiting for them.
Could Teal'c be here? After all, if these people were like him, could they be allies?
O'Neill doubted it, if this Apophis was the ruler of everything on the vessel. If these men worked for him, then he didn't think they would be friends of Teal'c.
"Before you turn me over to this Apophis, don't you think I should at least know your name?" O'Neill asked, more to make conversation than anything else.
The bounty hunter gave a bark of laugher, which sounded unbearably loud in O'Neill's left ear.
"My name is Lota Fi. That's all you need to know."
O'Neill nodded, grateful to know at least that much about the mysterious man. They reached a turn in the corridor, and Lota jerked him around so fast that he was momentarily disoriented. He stumbled into the back of the man in front of him, who turned quickly around, pushed him away and pointed his weapon at him.
O'Neill blinked to try to get his vision back under control, while wearily looking at the big man.
"Sorry, I tripped," he mumbled. Lota tightened his grip on O'Neill's arm and pulled him backwards towards him.
"What the hell do you think you're doing? You're not going to ruin things for me now."
O'Neill's jaw tightened and he jerked his arm out of Lota's hand. He turned around to face the bounty hunter, ignoring the fact that there were weapons trained on him.
"I didn't do anything. You're dragging me though these gaudy corridors despite the fact that I have a head injury, probably a concussion, which YOU gave me. Why don't you chill out and just walk a little slower?"
Lota glared at him for a moment, and then started to laugh. "You do have spirit. Apophis is going to enjoy breaking you."
**~~**
"My Lord Apophis, Lota Fi has arrived at your receiving chamber."
Apophis turned to glare at his current First Prime. "Very well, I will be there momentarily."
He watched the Jaffa leave and gave himself the satisfaction of a smile. Finally, something had gone well. After having the Tau'ri step into and ruin his previous attempts at conquest, he finally had the upper hand. If he could extract information from the human O'Neill, then he would be one step closer in being able to defeat Earth.
Apophis stepped out into his receiving chamber and stopped in his tracks when he noticed Lota Fi and his prisoner. He frowned, his fists clenching in fury. Lota Fi was not going to get away with lying to him.
"Approach me, bounty hunter. Jaffa, take the captive to my chamber."
"No, way, Apophis. I get paid first."
Apophis raised his ribbon device and pointedly aimed it at the bounty hunter. "I said approach me."
The Goa'uld could see the bounty hunter swallow nervously, but he did as he was told.
"What is the meaning of this deception?" Apophis asked when the other man was within range.
The bounty hunter frowned. "What deception? I told you I'd captured O'Neill and I brought him to you."
"That man is not Jack O'Neill."
"Yes he is. He's been answering to that name ever since I picked him up."
"Do not fool me. Deception is an automatic death sentence, especially when you're on my ship," Apophis said, bringing the ribbon device closer to the bounty hunter's head.
"Ask him yourself. I had to knock him out to capture him and when he came to, he answered to the name O'Neill. I'm not lying." He paused as a thought occurred to him. "If he's not O'Neill, then who is he? I had never seen images of them, so I just took whoever I could grab."
"He is the scholar, Jackson. I knew it was too easy. O'Neill is not easily captured. Jackson however, is not as well trained or as careful."
The bounty hunter took an involuntary stepped back. "Why would he lie to me about his identity? I already had him prisoner, so there was no reason to. No, if that man isn't Jack O'Neill, then for some reason, he really believes that he is. Either way, I brought you a member of SG-1. I'm still entitled to my payment."
Apophis glowered at the man, but he did have a point. "Very well. You may not have brought me O'Neill, but Jackson will do just as well. My First Prime will give you the payment you've earned. Now leave."
The bounty hunter nodded once, before turning on his heel and leaving the room. Apophis watched him go and motioned for the remaining Jaffa to escort him off the ship. Right now, he had better things to do.
He slowly walked back to his chamber, where Jackson, along with two Jaffa, were waiting. The scholar was standing in the middle of the room, looking around. He had a hand on the back of his head, and it was then that Apophis noticed the blood on the man's shirt, hair and face.
"O'Neill."
Jackson turned towards him slowly, grimacing as he did so. He met Apophis' eyes and did not look away. Apophis frowned, surprised to see curiosity and fear in the eyes, instead of the hatred and contempt he was used to seeing in Daniel Jackson. Did the man really believe he was Jack O'Neill?
"Who are you?"
"Do you not know how I am?" Apophis asked.
"Not really, but by the looks of things, I'm assuming you're Apophis."
"You assume correctly. You are Colonel Jack O'Neill?"
"Yeah, I am. So what do you want with me? What have I done that merits you paying a bounty hunter to hunt me down and kidnap me?"
Apophis narrowed his eyes as he stepped closer to the Tau'ri. He really believed he was Jack O'Neill. It was no game; Jackson was not trying to fool him. Jackson seemed to have lost his memory, which could be very beneficial to Apophis if he played his cards right.
"The answer to that is complicated, O'Neill. Please have a seat."
Apophis motioned to an ornate couch, which Jackson carefully lowered himself onto. The man seemed to be disoriented and in pain, but he wasn't going to do anything to cure Jackson of that. He needed Jackson as disoriented and in as much pain as possible so he'd be less of a problem.
"You used to serve me, O'Neill. You were a loyal advisor and leader of my forces. I sent you on a special mission to infiltrate the Tau'ri," Apophis explained, watching Jackson's expression as he digested the words. He had the man's full attention and it was all he could do not to smile. "Something went wrong and you never returned. A few years later, I was made aware that you had joined the Tau'ri to fight against me. I came to the conclusion that you'd been brainwashed and turned against me. I hired Lota Fi to find you and bring you back to me."
"Why would they do that?" Jackson asked.
"The Tau'ri want to destroy me. What better way to do that than to turn one of my loyal servants against me?"
Apophis watched as Jackson tried to work through what he'd just been told, his eyes drooping the more he tried to think.
"There will be time for explanations later, for now, rest. My First Prime, Ma'tek, will take you to a place where you can rest. We will discuss more of this tomorrow."
Jackson got up and stood uncertainly, until another Jaffa, Ta'het, escorted him out of the chamber.
"Keep an eye on him at all times. He's not to be left alone. Post a Jaffa inside the room and two more outside. I want to be informed if he tries anything."
"Yes, my Lord," Ma'tek replied and made his way out of the room.
Apophis watched them go. He couldn't believe the opportunity he'd just been handed. The Tau'ri had taken Teal'c, his most loyal servant, and turned the Jaffa against him. It was time for the humans to experience the same thing. He would take Jackson and turn him into one of his most loyal servants. He would get Jackson to denounce the Tau'ri just as Teal'c had done for his own people. The man's mind was a blank slate, ready for any and all information he'd be willing to put there. All Apophis needed was time. Since no one knew where he was, time was something he had plenty of.