Sam had given one of the most difficult and painful orders of her career. She had ordered the ship to make a jump into hyperspace. This had effectively stranded her fiancé and friends on Ortus Mallum, at the mercy of the Ori ships that had attacked the Odyssey earlier. She could only hope that Daniel, Vala and Tomin had found the Ark and that they were safe. With those thoughts amongst others in mind, she joined Captain Binder and Major Marks in the corridor outside of the room that housed the Asgard core of the ship. Soon afterwards, Cam joined them, remarking with a hint of weariness in his voice,

"I assume you haven't found the magic cut-off switch."

Sam replied, worried, "No. If the Replicators are gonna come after the core sooner or later, I don't know why they haven't yet." She tried not to think that as a result of her order, which had saved the ship, Cam's fiancée was stuck on a planet with there being a possibility that they could never go back. Sam hoped that he wouldn't hold it against her for too long.

The officers discussed their options, and Sam briefed the others on known Replicator tactics, the Astrophysicist having had more experience with the metallic scourge than the rest. Eventually, it was decided that Sam would be sealed into the core room while Cam went in search of the Replicator Queen, leaving them with a proverb from his much-quoted grandmother,

"You want honey? Follow the bees."

Sam tried not to be concerned about how the other Colonel was dealing with things. Marks remarked as they put their plan into action while Binder left to arrange his men, "Sounds like a good way of getting stung to me."

0o0o0o0o0o0

Daniel was barely aware of the ground dragging beneath his feet. He frowned, wondering in a transient state of delirium just why his feet wouldn't co-operate with his brain, and why the Ori soldiers escorting him felt it necessary to drag him. It wasn't as though he was going to escape. In all honesty, he would rather have just slept like the dead until the dawn before having to deal with whoever had captured him, and presumably Vala and Tomin. However, the chance that that desire had of being fulfilled was about the same as Adria suddenly revealing herself to be part of an elaborate test of worthiness from the Ancients.

A semi-conscious Daniel, whose glasses had presumably been discarded of, was painfully dragged through what appeared to be a medieval dungeon. The seemingly endless journey from one nameless place to another ended abruptly. He was painfully dropped to the ground in what appeared to be a cold, dark cell, and he grunted in pain as the pain from the impact and his previous injuries flooded his body. In an attempt to distract himself from his pain until it died down somewhat, he tried to remember what it felt like to be in Sam's arms.

It hit him that he might never see her again. He groaned as he rolled towards the bars, bloody cuts on his face, the Archaeologist wanting to see if there was a way out, even if his body didn't want to. At last, the pain and the weariness became too much for his body to function effectively, and, breathing shallowly, he passed out as he muttered his fiancée's name in an attempt to call out to her as he did sometimes when he woke up at home from nightmares.

Not long afterwards he stirred on sensing a presence, only to see the looming figure of a Doci standing next to his prone form. He groaned. The situation wasn't going to get better any time soon. He groaned, still breathing shallowly from his injuries. He muttered, sounding as though he was in pain,

"Oh God."

The Doci replied, typical Ori arrogance in his voice, "Your gods cannot save you now, Daniel Jackson."

Daniel retorted tiredly, "Actually, that-that's just a statement of general dissatisfaction." He rolled away from the Ori, trying once again to imagine being at home with Sam again as he hoped that the rest of his friends were in a position to improve the situation some time soon.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Elsewhere in the Ori dungeon complex, Vala was being subjected to torture from a Prior. He used his staff weapon to mentally torture her as he attempted to indoctrinate her, continuously repeating a phrase in the Ori language. A tortured scream tore the monotony of the torture, intensifying it when she realised the source. Feeling both physical and mental pain, Vala could only hope that Tomin would die soon so that he would escape the insufferable level of pain that he was being subjected to. As the Prior continued his task, Vala held onto the bars of her cell, looking out with an anguished expression as she consciously felt her mind slipping. Her head was filled with painful and traumatic memories from her past – from her days as a host to the Goa'uld Qetesh, to fears of losing Cameron and Daniel.

0o0o0o0o0o0

The Doci stood outside of Daniel's cell. The jewel on his chest piece glowed, emanating a lilac hued light. He repeated the follow phrase continuously, "Enim lupin purnum pravus intus." The phrase translated into English as 'Verily, the corrupted sinner will be cleansed from within.' His eyes were on Daniel's form, as though he was certain that it wouldn't be long before the Archaeologist cracked and 'repented'.

Daniel, meanwhile, lie on the floor of his cell, his face contorted in intense pain as he felt the Doci reach into his mind. As the chant continued, Daniel felt the Doci reach into his memories, bringing to the fore disturbing images: a dying Teal'c in the forest of Ortus Mallum; Sam crying in his arms as she contemplated that she would never become a mother; Jack going into stasis in Antarctica; his parents dying. The last image burned in his mind as the Doci implied through showing it to him and continuing the chant that had he submitted, he could have had a chance to save them.

He closed his eyes, trying not to let the Doci get to him as he became overwhelmed by an intense and prolonged explosion of pain, both mental and physical. As he fought, the images soon turned to representations of his deepest fears. He saw each and every one of his friends dying at the hands of Ori soldiers and explosions. He saw a very weak Sam being tortured painfully. He cried out as his feelings of helplessness and despair grew on seeing that particular image. The image grew in intensity until it was as though she was there with him, her eyes beseeching him to save her as she whispered his name.

He cried as he fought back, struggling to push the Doci out of his mind; struggling to prevent further violation and exploitation of his private thoughts, fears, feelings and memories. His eyes bloodshot, he felt himself slip away, feeling 'Daniel' beginning to give under the overwhelming pressure of the Doci's mental torture.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Cam, meanwhile, was embroiled in what appeared to be a fight to the death with Merek. Merek had earlier been infested by Replicators in the brig, and was now being controlled by them. The Colonel had repeatedly been beaten by the Replicator hybrid, thrown up against various walls, thrown down onto the floor just as many times, yet he refused to give up. Unfortunately Merek showed no signs of giving up either.

In the cargo hold of the ship, a bloodied Cam was repeatedly being beaten and kicked each time he attempted to get to his feet. Cam's movements, as a result of his injuries and continued beatings, slowed exponentially. Merek slammed him up against power conduits on the wall, his hands tightly gripping the BDU vest. Cam refused to give up, having received many beatings and near-death experiences during his command of SG-1.

Cam took the opportunity to remove a long Replicator leg from the base of Merek's skull, something that he had spotted during earlier stages of the fight. Merek's consciousness surfaced, the man's facial expression going from a harsh and angry one to a pained and desperate one. Merek pleaded with the Colonel to end his life.

Cam retorted angrily, feeling weaker and weaker from his own injuries as he looked up at the ceiling, "Believe me, I'm trying."

"They did this to get the self-destruct code."

Cam frowned. Was that it? What was he supposed to do with that piece of information? Save the ship by running through it, screaming at the top of his voice something that Sam might possibly have worked out hours previously? He groaned quietly and demanded,

"What is it? Tell me!"

"I don't know. It's on the other side of the crystal."

Well, that was a little more helpful in that it narrowed down where Sam had to look.

An explosion separated the two men, and almost instantly Merek's consciousness was subjugated as the Replicator within him took over once again. Cam noticed the Replicator hybrid's expression and posture change back to stiff and rage-filled, so he grabbed a power conduit from the wall. Sparks flew as he ripped it from its position, and he rammed the conduit into the hybrid's stomach as Merek rushed towards him. A huge electric charge burst through his body, the Replicator within unable to inhibit the flow.