Again, thank you all for reading, following and, of course, reviewing!

Author's note: As promised, a faster update and finally, we're getting down to the reasons behind the alien's behavior. This chapter, as well as the next one, will hopefully clear up a lot of things. However, the explanations grew rather long, again, so I had to split it up into two chapters. Don't know why, but the chapters for this story tended to get quite long.

And I wanted to let you know of a few things. First of all, this story is already finished. I have it typed out completely already, though I'm still proof-reading, line-editing and spell-checking. And it's long. So far the longest thing I've written. And actually, the aliens don't play much of a role in the story. They're not even the main enemy. You'll soon see, why. And all the time, the relationship between Jack and Sam is and was my main focus in this story, even if we still have to get to that point.

And with this said, on with the show…

Beyond Reason

Chapter Ten – Discussing

Daniel yawned and scrubbed roughly over his tired eyes. Almost on habitual reaction nowadays, his hands reached out for the coffee mug standing in front of him and he practically inhaled the scorching hot coffee, not caring if he perhaps burned his tongue. The coffee was so strong it actually didn't taste any good but Daniel had forgone the taste long ago. At the moment, caffeine was simply a means for him to stay awake. And he had been running on that stuff for how long exactly now?

Daniel glanced at his watch. Oh, Monday already? That made it a little over a week…

A little over a week since Sam and Jack had returned in their critical state. A little over a week the archaeologist had spent locked up on the viewing platform of their isolation room, alternating between translating the alien files on his friends and arguing with Janet, if he could visit his friends instead of only watching them from afar. So far he'd lost all those arguments. At least he had been more successful in translating those files Kemp had cracked for them. In fact he had made enough progress for General Hammond to call this rather impromptu briefing.

Daniel looked down the rows at the people silently waiting for the General to arrive. Teal'c, Freya and Jacob all looked something between composed and carefully guarded, but neither of them in any way tired. Their symbiotes assured that they didn't feel the exhaustion the days of little sleep would cause in their bodies. Daniel felt inclined to envy them, when his weary eyes began aching once more. They had all stayed with him almost the entire time, but none of them actually had to nap in those hard plastic chairs in the viewing room. They just were no replacement for a real bed, even if Daniel vehemently refused to leave his post to get a few hours of decent rest, no matter how little sleep he ran on.

The only one of their little assembly that looked even worse than Daniel himself was Janet. Dark circles hung under the good Doctor's bleary eyes and while her military training visibly fought the exhaustion taking hold of her body, Daniel thought he'd seen her sway slightly once or twice.

The only one looking indeed halfway rested, even if he had undoubtedly pulled a few all-nighters himself, was Doctor Kemp who sat next to Janet, fiddling absentmindedly with a data stick he'd brought. Actually, the search and rescue teams in charge of the mission to bring back Jack and Sam should have all been present for this briefing, too, but an urgent mission had forced SG-3 and SG-15 to go off-world a few hours prior. They had stayed on-world for this briefing and ironically, had then been the only teams General Hammond could have send when an emergency occurred. At least, SG-15 had left Doctor Kemp back to participate in the briefing. Daniel knew General Hammond had briefly considered calling SG's 8 and 21 to the briefing but he would have to do another meeting with SG's 3 and 15 anyways, so he had decided to stick with the bare minimum of needed people for this initial briefing.

General Hammond entered the briefing room, nodding at all assembled. Janet stood routinely, but her movements were sluggish. The General motioned for her to sit down again and she complied wordlessly.

"So," the General began. "We have been through a few hard weeks…"

Hesitant nods were seen over the table, grim faces telling of the still fresh memories they were remembering.

"But from what I've heard, the situation's finally stabilizing and so I'd like to hear, where we're standing right now," the General continued gently. He seemed well aware of the drained state most of the people sitting at this table were operating on.

"Doctor Fraiser?" the General prompted softly.

Janet nodded and cast a quick glance at the thick folders lying in front of her. Daniel knew it were Jack's and Sam's medical files.

After a moment of hesitation, Janet concluded: "They're getting better, sir."

Relieved sighs were heard all around the briefing table, when the CMO continued: "Colonel O'Neill's spasms have finally subsided, mostly, and Major Carter's fever has finally gone down to bearable temperatures. All wounds they had have healed nicely and without complications. They're both still unconscious however."

"That's good news," the General smiled and from the corner of his eyes, Daniel saw Jacob run a hand over his face groggily, but with a relieved smile. Janet, however, hesitated once more.

"Janet?" Daniel questioned, when he picked up on the little sign of uncertainty.

She sighed. "I'm not sure," she admitted. "Of course I'm relieved they're doing better but I fear they're still some way from recovering completely."

She shot an apologetic gaze towards Jacob, before stating: "It's their blood tests that are worrying me."

"What's wrong with their blood tests?" Jacob inquired immediately.

Janet took a few sheets of paper out of the folders and laid them out on the table. Daniel looked at them, but he couldn't really make much out of the medical results, even if he deemed the furious red circles Janet had drawn around several markers a bad sign.

Freya's eyes closed briefly and then Anise took hold of one of the sheets, her eyes scanning the contents with a decidedly unamused expression on her face. This didn't bode well, either, Daniel concluded.

"Fraiser, I'm no Doctor!" Jacob reminded the CMO impatiently.

Janet nodded understandingly. "I've taken blood samples of Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter every day. What you're currently looking at are the first results I got back. They show worrying abnormalities. And much to my dismay they haven't gotten that much better until now."

Janet pointed to the paper still lying on the table. "These are Major Carter's results. They are showing an unusual high amount of white blood cells, which is an indicator for an infection her body is fighting. Her high fever would be another. And her whole mineral parameters are off the chart. The values of metals and proteins in her blood are completely messed up."

"What does this mean?" Jacob asked, frowning.

"Each human body normally possesses a certain amount of metals and proteins it needs to function. But almost none of Major Carter's parameters are anywhere I would consider healthy anymore. And I even found a few substances I can't place, so I would assume them to be alien," Janet explained, shrugging. "I have no means of knowing but I assume she's gotten something alien transferred to her body."

"Actually…" Doctor Kemp cut in hurriedly. "I could shed some light into that."

He stood up and went to the front, hooking up his data stick to the large monitor. An image flickered to life and gasping, Daniel gazed onto a familiar picture: Jack and Sam bound on the two metal tables they had found in their cells, their bodies restricted by thick bands running across their frames and their whole equipment strapped down with them. Neither of them seemed conscious for they both had their eyes closed and stayed too still to be sleeping.

"After some digging I found video data," Kemp explained needlessly. "They recorded the whole time."

Wordlessly, they all watched as the Jack on the screen slowly came to. He seemed to assess his surroundings, his alert eyes observing his environment scrupulously. He detected that he still had all his weapons with him – a fact that left Daniel's brain racing – and then tried to take hold of them to free himself. To Daniel's wonder however he was barely able to move enough to breathe with those bands restricting him and finally, he gave up. Then the Colonel noticed Sam next to him and Daniel saw him call out to her on the screen, but apparently in vain. She wasn't reacting to him.

At that point, they all watched a few of those aliens enter their cell, the red one Daniel, Janet and Jacob had found dead in their cell in the front. The aliens spoke in their unknown language and thanks to days worth of working through it, Daniel actually understood bits and pieces of their conversation. The Jack on screen however did not. He frowned. Then the aliens asked him something and he answered with his familiar sarcasm, apparently unimpressed by the whole situation, but also completely missing the point. The aliens seemed vastly impressed that he spoke to them, even if they apparently had no idea, what he was talking about. Daniel watched their reactions – or what little reaction they let themselves show – to Jack's answer. If he didn't know it any better, he'd say they hadn't expected the Colonel to be able to answer. But why not? Jack and Sam were humanoid, just like them, so why would the aliens assume they couldn't speak? Or was it the fact that they were able to speak in a language rather than the fact that they could produce sound? Because as far as sound went, animals could produce that, too. But a language? That was something completely else. But just like Jack hadn't understood them, the aliens had had no means of knowing what he'd said, too. Even when they had noticed that he was indeed using a language. And perhaps this was what they hadn't expected. But why not? Daniel gnawed on his lip in deep thought. He had the impression the answer to that riddle was important, but just like it had been with translating the alien language, Daniel felt he was still missing out on some information.

"What are they doing now?" General Hammond asked into Daniel's thoughts.

Daniel looked up to the screen and saw an alien device sweep over Jack and Sam, Jack observing it with a skeptical gaze.

"I'd say they are scanning them," Kemp answered, slightly insecure, while shooting gazes towards Janet in the hopes of support.

But it was Daniel who answered when he suddenly remembered something. "Actually, I think I've read something about this…!" he said, before ploughing through his notes and translations, cursing himself for not taking the time to bring them in order. Flipping through the various notes he'd brought, Daniel finally grabbed onto the paper he'd searched for.

"Scans… scans…" he murmured absentmindedly, while quickly skipping over his notes to find the place he was thinking of. "Ah, there!"

He looked up again and found all eyes keen on him. "They really did scans on Sam and Jack," Daniel began explaining. "Actually, they analyzed their complete physique, including bloodwork."

Puzzled, his companions around the table stared at him.

"Why would they do this?" General Hammond asked lastly what seemed written in the faces of nearly all present.

Daniel tapped his fingers against the table, his brain racing. Actually, now it all started to finally make sense. To be exact, all information he had needed had been there the whole time but with Daniel's state of constant exhaustion, he'd failed to put the pieces together. But maybe he'd finally thought of the missing piece he had needed to unravel the riddle.

"Because they have never seen another race before," Daniel explained slowly. "From what I've read they had no idea what the Stargate was for, even though they are an advanced race. It had simply never activated as long as they could think back, until we sent our MALP through."

"So what?" Jacob asked. "They kidnapped Sam and Jack to study another race?"

"Mostly, yes," Daniel agreed.

"But why?" Janet inquired. "From what I have seen, those aliens have a similar physique than we have. They are human, too."

"Mostly, yes," Daniel repeated.

"Mostly?" Janet immediately inquired.

"Um, yeah," Daniel said, scratching his head distractedly. "They once were probably like us, but in their… development, they lost a few important… traits."

"Could you be a little more exact, Doctor Jackson?" General Hammond demanded mildly.

"Of course," Daniel complied instantly, his brain racing faster to connect the dots he'd observed than he could explain his thoughts to his audience. "I have translated most of the medical files they created of Sam and Jack and I noticed that they compared their physical data, but I had no clue to what exactly. But now I think it's their own physical traits. They noticed the similarities to our team when we arrived at their planet and they also noticed the differences."

"What differences?" Janet asked concentrated.

Daniel pointed towards the monitor, where Kemp had frozen the picture so they wouldn't miss something while Daniel explained his discoveries. It showed the red alien facing off with the Colonel.

"Those aliens are short and slim. Their bodies almost contain no fat cells anymore. There's almost no mimic and their movements are strangely edgy. And coupled with those odd body suits they're all wearing…" Daniel looked up earnestly towards General Hammond. "General, I think they're developing backwards."

There was a short moment of silence, before Anise cut in, her scientific curiosity clearly picked. "Developing backwards?"

Daniel nodded heavily. He knew he was just doing some assumptions from his observations but he also knew he was right with this. "From what we've seen, they're fairly developed technologically. But we haven't found anything nearly resembling a weapon. They didn't even seem to know what the weapons we brought were for, and then they left Jack and Sam with their whole equipment! So I assume they never had any foes at all, not even natural foes as the planet seems to have only sparse animal life and–"

"Bottom line, Doctor Jackson," General Hammond cut him short, when Daniel was about to lose himself in speculations. Daniel changed sentences without blinking an eye. He was used to Jack's interruptions, so the General cutting him off wasn't fazing him that much.

"They never had the need to defend themselves. They were living a happy, lazy life, their advancing technology taking over more and more for them. They didn't need to do anything for themselves anymore! And it made their bodies re-develop. Their muscles were building back until they were unable to function properly anymore. That's why their bodies are so small and thin. And I think those body suits help them move, taking over for their failing muscular system," Daniel elaborated.

"Then it must have been… surprising to see humans actually walking on their own.", Anise commented.

Daniel nodded again. "And from what I've discovered, the aliens saw it as their great chance. They could study them and see what they could do to reverse the process that was happening to them."

Janet shook her head, deep in thought. "If they are indeed similar to us, then that isn't possible," she stated. "You can train muscles that have been inactive for a certain amount of time, but muscle tissue that isn't there anymore can't be trained."

"It is even possible that with passing time such a deficiency is incorporated in the very DNA of the race," Anise agreed. "They would become unable to actually build up muscle. Their bodies would be stuck on the bare minimum of muscle tissue and be dependent on external help systems forever."

"So whatever they were experimenting with on Sam and Jack wouldn't help them at all!" Jacob exclaimed frustrated. "Why torture them then?"

"Maybe they have found another use for O'Neill and Major Carter," Teal'c said, for the first time actually speaking in the conversation. He sounded grim and furious.

"Unfortunately, I think Teal'c's right," Daniel agreed. "Kemp, let the video continue."

The other Doctor pressed a button and quietly, the room watched as Jack got something injected and fell unconscious once more.

"Fast-forward," Daniel commanded and again, Kemp complied. For seconds nothing happened, then Sam awoke. Daniel didn't say anything and so Kemp let the video go on. For a while there was only Sam seen, her head tilting left and right to take in her surroundings since it was about the only thing she could still move. Then Jack woke up again. The video continued, showing the officers of SG-1 talking. Then the aliens came back and without Daniel having to say anything, Kemp stopped the video. They watched as metal cuffs were placed around Jack's and Sam's upper arms, before they were hooked up to various cables and wires. The aliens touched something on the cuffs and they activated. Suddenly, they all saw both officers twitch under their restraints, their bodies going tense, and then blood flowed freely from under the cuffs.

"What happened?" General Hammond asked astonished while they watched the two officers trying to cope with what seemed to be rough pain.

Janet was the one to answer. "My team and I have analyzed those cuffs," she said.

When the General turned towards her with a questioning gaze, the CMO explained: "Colonel O'Neill didn't have them with him anymore when they returned but when we were on P3T-643, I found a cuff in their cell that I assume was his. Major Carter however still had hers with her. In fact, Sergeant Siler had to cut them from her arms, because they were pretty tight."

Janet snatched a sheet of paper from Daniel across the table and without asking, she turned it over and began to scribble on the backside. She drew a circle and then attached various lines to it so that it looked like sun drawn inwards.

"This is a rough sketch of the cuff," she described. "On the outside are holes to attach cables and wires, just as you've seen on the video, but on the inside, there are numerous needles of various sizes that shoot out when the device is activated…"

Several winces rang out along the table, when the people currently present imagined the pain that had to cause. Janet continuing to talk wasn't making it any better: "…those needles embed into the veins, the flesh and the muscle."

Daniel was suddenly glad there was nothing in his stomach but coffee.

Janet went on, unimpressed by the uneasiness that had overtaken her companions: "I assume those cuffs are needed to transfer… substances to the prisoners. Um… anesthetics, medication or drugs, for example."

Now it was Doctor Kemp's turn to cut in: "Doctor Fraiser is right," he agreed. "Mostly, anyways."

Daniel opened his mouth to ask what the other man meant, when the Doctor motioned towards the monitor. Simultaneously, they all turned and were greeted with the picture of Jack and Sam writhing under some blue energy that danced over their bodies. Their restraints ensured they couldn't trash from the pain, but their overstretched heads with their tightly shut eyes and the suffering expressions on their faces were indication enough to know that it had to hurt like hell. Daniel winced in sympathy, when he understood that he just saw his friends getting tortured with some kind of energy akin to electricity.

Sam was the first one to give in. She slumped into her restraints, unconscious, the Colonel following her not long after. The aliens had stopped the electricity the moment the Major had given in and now Daniel could see them leave the cell on the video with something akin to a fat smile gracing their unmoving faces. Daniel wanted to throw something, so angry did he feel. Astonished, he noticed that his fingers had curled into fists on the table, his fingernails almost cutting into his hands.

"What was that?" the archaeologist growled under his breath.

Kemp sighed exhausted. "A system check," he answered glumly.

"A system check?!" Jacob yelled uncontrolled. "What do you mean, a system check?!"

Kemp twitched uneasily with the pretty expected anger he was facing. "As far as I can tell, the aliens only tried if the devices would work on their prisoners," he explained ruefully.

Jacob crossed his arms in front of his chest, his eyes shooting dangerous sparks and his jaw working restlessly while the older man tried to get his rage under control. Undoubtedly, Selmak was having her hands full to calm the retired General down.

"Let's continue," General Hammond decided, probably to divert Jacob's attention. In hindsight, Daniel wondered if that had really succeeded.

Kemp fast-forwarded the tape once more and again, they all watched. They watched as the cuffs activated and a sticky substance got transferred to Jack and Sam, neither of them actually noticing, because they were still unconscious.

"It seems to be something like nourishment…" Janet theorized while observing the substance with analyzing eyes.

"What makes you think that?" Jacob asked.

"Well," Janet said matter-of-factly. "Something kept Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter alive and I haven't seen anything resembling actual food more than that."

Daniel scrunched up his face. He thought the commissary's oatmeal gruel looked more appetizing than that stuff, but at least the substance his friends had gotten fed had ensured they had survived, and for that he was grateful.

"The scans they've done probably told them what Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter would need in order to survive," Janet speculated.

This made Daniel actually remember something. He went through his notes again and found a list within his translations. He gave the list to the CMO and raising a perfectly shaped brow, Janet scanned the contents quickly with used movements. Then she nodded reluctantly. "It's a list of nutrients. Basically all an average human needs to survive," she said. "Only the amount they've received is worrying. I assume those aliens had no means of knowing how much a Tau'ri human actually needs, so they've given them the portions a prisoner of their race would probably get."

"And that means?" General Hammond wanted to know.

Janet looked up shortly, before letting her eyes wander over the list in front of her absentmindedly once more. "Well sir, I'd say Major Carter would have been able to make do with the amount somehow, but I fear it's way too little for someone like Colonel O'Neill. He would have needed much more. So right now I'm seriously at a loss, why he hasn't earnestly lost a lot of weight…"

"Maybe there will be an explanation, if we continue to watch the video," Teal'c cut in.

Daniel shot a quick glance at his friend. The Jaffa almost hadn't said a thing during the whole conversation and the archaeologist wondered if everything was alright. Teal'c sat ramrod straight with a dark expression on his face Daniel hadn't seen all too often. Obviously the large Jaffa was fighting for control as much as Sam's dad was. Suddenly, Daniel had the vague impression that those aliens had no idea what powerful enemies they had provoked by capturing and torturing Jack and Sam.

Kemp let the video continue and then Daniel had to sit through seemingly endless minutes of Jack getting tormented with electricity. Daniel felt his eyes burn with a telltale wetness, while the video tape raced through uncountable times they subjected the Colonel to this… treatment. Daniel saw his friend's body twitch and tense under the restraints and noticed how his eyes pressed shut tightly with the pain that wrecked his body, and he observed the anguish and fear that haunted Sam while she had to watch, similar to what they were doing right now all around the briefing table. It hurt, simply from watching.

Then, suddenly, Kemp halted the video. Daniel glanced around the table quickly and noticed grim, almost hateful expressions on several faces. Only Janet and Anise looked carefully guarded and Kemp seemed slightly overtaken by what he had to witness, a hand resting warily on his stomach. By now Teal'c and Jacob looked positively murderous and even General Hammond showed an unusually grim expression.

Poor Jack, Daniel thought sympathetically. No wonder he'd been unconscious for about a week. If that had continued through his whole imprisonment, then his body seriously had needed time to recover.

"Why are they doing this?" Anise asked suddenly, her voice sounding as unfazed as possible, even if Daniel suspected that she wasn't totally unaffected at seeing Jack being put through this.

"Well, I'd say they are torturing a prisoner," Jacob hissed back.

"I am aware. But why?" Anise insisted. "As far as we know, they had no means of communication, did they? So they could not have gained any knowledge from him by torturing him. Furthermore, Colonel O'Neill is bound tightly by his restraints, so he could not have been a danger to them. I fail to see, what the aliens could have gained from torturing him."

Stumped, Daniel realized she was right. What, indeed, did those aliens gain from shocking his friend repeatedly with electricity?

"I think, they are experimenting," Teal'c said unexpectedly.

"Excuse me?" Daniel asked back puzzled.

"What do you mean, Teal'c?" General Hammond inquired simultaneously.

The Jaffa inclined his head shortly, before he began explaining: "I have noticed they are varying the amount of electricity they have put O'Neill under. Sometimes it seems to be more electricity, sometimes it appears to go on longer. So I believe they are testing something. But what exactly I am unsure about."

Daniel almost gaped at his friend open-mouthed. Thank god for the Jaffa's observation skills! "Teal'c, you're a genius!" Daniel whispered.

The Jaffa didn't acknowledge the compliment in any way, but all others looked at him uncomprehending.

"I think, Teal'c's right," Daniel elaborated. "They were trying out ways. Different ways to get control over Jack! They have seen him react to pain and electricity, so they're trying to find the right amount to get him to surrender…"

Jacob snorted in the background and Daniel immediately knew what the other man was thinking. Good luck with that task. Jack would have chosen death over giving up or in. Least of all to the enemy.

"But why would they want control over Colonel O'Neill?" Kemp asked hesitantly.

"Because he has something they wanted or needed," Daniel answered immediately, once more seeing the connection. "They weren't aware of the possibilities the Stargate offers. But when they saw it to be some kind of an entrance door, they must have feared some kind of attack through the Stargate from all we know right now. After we've arrived on their planet, they must have begun to realize they weren't alone out there and they tried to prepare for that. So they probably took Sam and Jack to study them and because they thought they had something they could use. But what exactly did Jack have they could have needed?"

"Physical strength," Anise replied instantly.

Daniel gulped, but then he saw what the Tok'ra was hinting at. "She's right," he murmured, finally understanding, and he couldn't help the sarcasm that crept into his words, when he went on: "They had no means of defending themselves, so why not use the two strangers with the unrivaled strength and the knowledge of the Stargate they've stumbled upon?"

"So what? Are you telling me, they've tried to use Jack as a… guard dog…?" Jacob asked perplexed.

"For the lack of a better term? Yes," Daniel confirmed grimly.

"That is…!" Jacob began, but trailed off, obviously not finding an appropriate word to describe his affront.

"I agree," Daniel said. "But I really think those aliens merely thought us to be something akin to… Neanderthals. No brains, but brawns. All muscle, but no higher intelligent life form. I mean, they were surprised Jack and Sam could talk, in an actual language, so they probably assumed them to be some kind of animal. Hell, they tried to train Jack like an animal by exposing him to pain."

"That is just wrong on so many levels…" Jacob grumbled and Daniel agreed inwardly, as all the others probably did, too.

"Well, it seems they are not really succeeding in their task, though." Anise commented. "It appears Colonel O'Neill is unwilling to surrender to their techniques, no matter how much electricity they use on him."

Yeah, that was Jack for you, Daniel thought, slightly proud. He'd seen his friend fall unconscious all the times after they had subjected him to the torture, but stubbornly, Jack had held out until they had been finished with him. He had held out, until those aliens had given up and had left, no matter what they'd put him through.

"I really hate to burst your bubble…" Doctor Kemp interjected.

Daniel watched him push the button to continue the video tape and all of a sudden, he understood that the other Doctor had already watched the video and knew what was heading for them. Daniel's stomach did a painful fall to somewhere around his knees while his head swiveled around to see what was happening. The video fast-forwarded again until Jack came awake again and the aliens returned. Daniel saw the Colonel get ready for another round of torture but for a moment nothing seemed to happen.

Then, suddenly, a high-pitched scream erupted from the screen, startling all assembled. It was such a contrast to the stubborn silence Jack had shown that Daniel needed a moment to sort through what had happened while his heart pounded away with the unexpected shock. Sam was trashing in her restraints as much as possible, her head thrown back, while she screamed. Blue energy danced over her body where Daniel saw the bands tighten over her in a try to chain her back to her stretcher, probably cutting off her air supply altogether.

Daniel's mouth went dry and gulping became painful while he watched Sam suffer through the torture. Meanwhile Jack was shouting, enraged. First for her, then at their captors. He fought against his restraints but visibly unsuccessful.

Behind Daniel, Jacob surged from his chair and began to pace through the briefing room that was filled with his daughter's screams.

Suddenly, thankfully, her yells ended and Daniel saw her sink limply into her restraints. She'd lost consciousness. Eerie silence descended in the briefing room, only interrupted by Jack's heated curses and shouts of 'Carter!' on the screen. His eyes were glued to her and although he tried to hide his fear, Daniel saw it in his eyes. And going by their captors' self-satisfied smirk they had, as well.

Daniel almost groaned. Jack had fought his captors to the best of his abilities but lastly, his foes had found his Achilles heel. They had found the right buttons to push with him. Jack would give a shit about his own safety and health, Daniel knew, but there was no way he would jeopardize Sam's wellbeing. He would do anything to protect her. And apparently having understood that, his captors had used it against him. They had used Jack's own integrity, his own need to guard his team and the desire to protect what Daniel knew to be the woman he loved against him. They had found the leash to put on Colonel O'Neill.