Chapter Fourteen

Daniel had laid down next to Sam to get some rest after a long day of walking and the next thing he knew he was tightly strapped to a cold unforgiving surface. His eyes were open, but he couldn't focus on anything. He pulled on the snakes that held his wrists captive without much success.

"What did I do this time?" Daniel muttered half coherently.

There were people around him, he could sense them. His mind struggled to make sense of his surroundings. His first thoughts were that he was in the infirmary. It would not be the first time he had woken there in leather restraints.

However his half reclined position and the painful way they had tethered him made him doubt that he was among medical professionals. There was a nervous energy in the air that turned his stomach. He tried to sit up, but a cold hand held him down.

"This had better work." A gruff voice grumbled.

Daniel turned his head and finally caught sight of the others in the room. Jack was standing directly at his side. He looked angry, in fact he looked down right murderous. Sam and Teal'c were standing a bit further back. He couldn't read Teal'c's expression, but Sam looked uncharacteristically anxious.

"Jack? What's going on?"

"He can't hear you." A calm voice echoed in Daniel's mind. "Nor can he help you. Only I can. Now, please, relax."

"I don't understa..."

Daniel tensed as an invasive pressure caged his heart. He looked to Jack and his friend smiled reassuringly despite the worried look in his tired eyes. The half hearted smile helped put Daniel at ease, but as soon as he relaxed an odd sensation filled his chest. When he fought it the discomfort blazed into a visceral pain.

He grit his teeth and growled, he didn't want to cry out and upset Jack any further than he already was. He remained as quiet as he could as the sourceless pain increased in intensity. Daniel tried breathing through it, knowing that if Jack was near by and somewhat calm, then everything must be okay.

Daniel decided that he must be injured, they were trying to help him. However, every time he tried to let go and allow his friends to do whatever they were doing a terrifying fear crept into his mind. It was like nothing he'd ever experienced, like falling into an abyss, and he did everything in his power to stop it.

"Stop fighting me!" The voice from before ordered.

"Jack! What are they doing to me?!"

"Pay attention, Daniel!"

Daniel looked up through a red haze of pain. A stranger with short blonde hair and pale, watery blue eyes was looking down on him. His facial expression was one of compassion, but the tone in the unfamiliar voice had been one of irritated frustration.

Daniel realized that the pressure on his heart was this man's hand on his chest. Even though he wasn't visibly pushing down it felt like he had his fingers wrapped tightly around the rapidly beating organ.

"Who are you?"

"That is not important. I need you to relax."

"Maybe if I knew who yo..."

Daniel stopped as Tekis increased the phantom grip on his heart. Struggling for breath Daniel strained against whatever was pinning his wrists and ankles down. He automatically jerked his face away when someone touched his cheek. Turing in that direction he found Jack just staring at him.

"Jack, help me!"

"Don't bother with him, you only think you're speaking to him. As long as I am in contact with you I control everything. Asking for help is useless, only I can hear you. The quicker you understand that the quicker I can release you. I honestly don't want to hurt you anymore than I have to."

"Then let me go!"

"You must do something for me first." Tekis announced. "When I push down on your chest I need you to relax and not fight against me. If you resist the pain will return far greater than before."

"Wait, I..."

Tekis pressed on Daniel's heart crushingly. It felt as though his captor's hand was actually sinking into his flesh. Since Jack was right at his side Daniel decided that the strange man must be trying to help him some how. He swallowed convulsively and attempted to relax.

Tendrils of hot liquid suddenly leaked into his chest and began spreading up his throat. The sensation panicked Daniel and he battled against it mentally and physically. Meeting resistance the liquid turned to acid in Daniel's imagination.

Daniel finally cried out against the nightmarish torture. He strained to free himself and when that didn't work he threw his head back against the hard glass chair. Tekis pushed harder, but he backed off as Daniel's heart came close to failure.

"Daniel!" Jack's voice was strained with helpless fear.

"He is fine." Tekis assured. "I told you this would be painful."

"Jack!" Daniel cried desperately. "Help me! Please, Jack, he's killing me!"

"No, you're far too important to simply kill."

"How much longer?" Jack snarled.

"It will take sometime."

"Less if you cooperate with me." Tekis informed Daniel silently.

"Why should I?!"

Daniel convulsed as a buried memory suddenly erupted in his mind. Tekis was still over him, but he wasn't pretending to be doing him any favours. He forced a silver liquid down his throat, but Daniel never actually swallowed it. Instead the millions of tiny machines seeped directly into his system. Tekis had his hand on his chest, ordering him to relax as he repetitively pushed against him. Every time he did Daniel's every sense was assaulted by a wave of mind twisting pain.

It took the Nanites an agonizing hour to rip into his memory, but when they did everything in his conscious mind was laid bare to be picked over. Tekis hadn't been very interested in memories of events, it was pure knowledge that he was seeking. He found it, and there was nothing Daniel could do to keep him from taking it.

Daniel snapped out of the memory. The only thing that seemed to have changed was the fact that now Jack was with him, watching him anxiously. The burning pain in the back of his throat and the way Jack held his restrained hand told Daniel that he had been screaming.

"I'm sorry, Daniel..." Jack squeezed Daniel's hand.

"I didn't have to let you live...but I'm not one to take lives."

"I remember you now." Daniel hissed angrily.

"That's because I want you to. Now, must we go through all of that again, or are you going to be more willing this time?"

"What more can I give you?!" Daniel growled. "You stole everything I know."

"Not everything, in fact far from it."

"Jack! Sam! Teal'c!" Daniel cried desperately. "Someone please kill this..."

"For someone so smart, you're not very bright. You are not speaking to them, and they brought you to me of their own free will. They are not going to save you."

Daniel fought madly against his bindings once again. Jack reached out and gently ran his fingers through Daniel's sweat drenched hair. Daniel glared at him accusingly, but Jack just forced a sad smile.

"It's alright, Daniel." Jack whispered. "It will be over soon."

"He's more right than he knows." Tekis's voice chuckled in Daniel's mind.

"Damn it, Jack!" Daniel roared silently. "How could you possibly think this is helping?!"

"Sir," Sam put her hand on Jack's shoulder "can I talk to you...alone?"

"That a girl, Sam. Talk some sense into him."

"Carter," Jack shrugged her hand off "we don't have any choice."

Sam looked down on Daniel. Since she clearly couldn't hear him he tried to silently implore for help, knowing that she was better at reading facial expressions than Jack. However the moment he tried a searing pain raced down his spine. The suddenly increase in sensation pushed him back over his threshold. Arching his back Daniel screamed.

"I am sorry, General." Tekis said insincerely. "However, it does mean that it's working."

"Just not well enough." Tekis growled to Daniel.

"It had better be," Jack hissed "or I will personally see to it that you suffer through worse."

"Your friends are very loyal." Tekis mused to Daniel. "I wonder if you would be more willing to give me what I want if they were the ones writhing in agony?"

"I don't even know what you want!"

"I want in your mind."

"You're already here!" Daniel panted.

"No, I want in the place where you keep the Ancient Knowledge." Tekis explained. "I have placed Nanites in your system, they are connecting us. However I can only get in if you let me."

Despite his growing fever Daniel's blood crystallized into ice. He suddenly understood the tugging he felt in his mind. It was the Nanites trying to pry open places that even he couldn't access. Tekis implored him to relax again and pushed down on his chest forcibly bringing the breathtaking stabbing pain with it.

Fearing that this was going to quickly develop into more than he could take Daniel closed his eyes and sought escape. He didn't fear Tekis gaining the Ancient Knowledge, it was more than anyone could consciously hold. Daniel knew that if that door was opened in his mind it would simply kill him, maybe even kill them both.

Daniel found the escape he was looking for. Free to move once again he stretched like a cat napping in a sunbeam. He opened his eyes and was greeted by the pleasant sight of a Japanese style home. Before him lay the sand filled ring that he had first learned about the Acendeds in.

He had expected to see the Zen like room. He was however surprised to find that Tekis had joined him. The blonde alien looked more annoyed than anything else.

"What happened?" Tekis demanded.

"What do you think happened?" Daniel smiled. "Please, take your shoes off."

"My...shoes?"

"Yes. Let's talk about this like civilized men."

Daniel wasn't wearing shoes to begin with. He was dressed in the light cream sweater and khakis that he had become fond of during his time as an Ascended. Stepping into the ring he walked out into the middle and sat cross-legged in the cool, comfortable sand.

"Are you going to join me?" Daniel asked politely.

Tekis looked furious, however he calmed himself. He flashed Daniel a tight smile and bent down to remove his shoes and the silky black socks he wore. Gingerly stepping into the sand he settled himself in front of Daniel, crossing his legs as well.

"What's your name?"

"Tekis."

"Hello, Tekis." Daniel greeted. "I take it that you are not human."

"Correct."

"And you want the Ancient Knowledge?"

"Correct."

"Are you willing to work for it?"

"What?"

"I only know one way to get the Ancient Knowledge and that's to Ascend." Daniel explained. "Trust me, it's not easy. Nor is it all that it's cracked up to be."

"It is already in your mind." Tekis hissed. "My Nanites must simply be allowed to get to it and transmit it to me."

"That will never work. It is far too vast for any machine to cope with. You will simply kill us both."

"You don't understand my power."

"If you were powerful enough to deal with the Knowledge then you would already have access to it." Daniel replied with a sigh. "You said you didn't want to hurt me anymore than you had to."

"I still do not wish to."

"Then let me go."

"No."

"Why are you doing this?"

"That is not your concern! I must have that Knowledge." Tekis insisted. "I will do anything to get it."

"You can torture me until the end of Time. It won't help either of us."

"Your strength is admirable, and I can see why your friends are so desperate to get you back." Tekis smiled. "If you would just let me copy the information you carry I will gladly restore you to them."

"Even if I could give it to you, which incidentally I can't, I never would." Daniel said firmly. "It is not meant for humans...or I guess in your case 'mortals'."

"You assume too much, Dr. Jackson." Tekis said loftily. "I am no mortal."

"You're not a 'god' either."

"Not yet."

"Oh great..." Daniel rolled his eyes "you're one of 'those'."

"Those?"

"Jack would use the term 'Wackjob'."

"Actually he called me a 'Cheezemo'."

"That sounds like him." Daniel chuckled. "In either case you can't become a god. End of story."

"What did I tell you about assuming?" Tekis asked. "I have been collecting knowledge for thousands of years, from hundreds of various races. They all have one common mistake in their thinking."

"And what would that be?"

"The idea that 'God' is a creator."

"Isn't that the definition?"

"No. Far from it. God is simply all knowing."

"You think that if you know everything you'll be a god?"

"Not a god, the God."

"You are a total Wackjob." Daniel sighed.

"And you are close minded!" Tekis snapped. "Think about it: every complicated and powerful thing in the Universe is made up of smaller, less powerful elements. You yourself are mostly Carbon, Hydrogen, and Oxygen. And yet you hold the illusion that you are an important, free thinking, unique being. I will soon be composed not simply of elements, but of all the Knowledge of all the Ages. God is our future, not our beginning. I am that future!"

"Wow." Daniel said in stunned amazement. "I have heard some seriously megalomaniac speeches in my time...but that...that is Oscar worthy."

"You insult me? You can not possibly even begin to fathom me! You are simply human."

"And yet...I'm the one who has the missing piece you need."

"And you will give it to me. You say I can torture you till the end of Time? You have no idea how true that is. With the technology at my disposal and knowledge I already have I can keep you alive for millions of years. For every second you defy me your friends will suffer in agony for a hundred years!"

Tekis was breathless with rage. His impassioned speech had left his pale complexion flushed and beaded with sweat. After a moment of stony silence Daniel fixed his ice blue eyes on Tekis.

"Listen to me: Nothing will ever make me give you even a glimpse of the Ancient Knowledge. It has been locked in my mind by beings far more powerful than you will ever be. I do not want to use lethal force to protect myself and what I know, but I will. If you do not let me go, if you do not remove your Nanites, I will kill us both."

"You are in no position to be making such threats!" Tekis snarled.

"I think you will find that I am."

Daniel ignored the soaring spike in pain as Tekis called out to his Nanites for help. He closed his eyes again and took a deep soothing breath. The Nanites were still assaulting him, but with effort he could control the pain..for now.

He suspected that given enough time they would break through. However he figured it would take more time than he had left in his life so he was not worried. Tekis may have all the technology in the Universe, but it would do him no good if he could not reach it.

Slowly opening his eyes Daniel looked around his former home on Abydos. He was more comfortable here, the constant needling of the Nanites wasn't as sharp anymore.

Tekis looked around at the new scenery in shock. He weld his colourless eyes shut for a minute, he looked like he was concentrating on escape. Daniel put an equal amount of concentration into keeping him captive. When Tekis opened his eyes again he turned a spiteful glare on Daniel. A slight smile twitched the corner of Daniel's lips. Tekis bared his teeth in rage.

"What is going on?!"

"You wanted into my mind...now you're stuck here."

"You can't keep me here forever!"

"Oh yes I can. I've had practice."

"What?"

"You've been in my memories and you don't know?"

"I...I was only looking for knowlage, not memories."

"Hmmm. For someone so smart...you're not very bright."