Chapter Twenty-eight

"Ah," Jack said with a smile "this is better."

"Better?" Carter asked skeptically.

"Well...I guess not 'better', just more like what I expected. You know, all creepy and dank."

"It is most certainly that." Teal'c growled and raised his staff weapon.

Daniel looked around the dilapidated room they were in with all the excitement of a cat in a canary sanctuary. The sounds of dripping water echoed off the high ceiling, adding a musty humidity to the still air.

Some form of phosphorescent fungus was growing on the walls and cast a dull blue light on everything. There were consoles along the right hand wall that looked more like the Ancient technology design that they were used to seeing. What had once been viewing screens lined the wall as well. One was cracked and water dripped from it like clear blood seeping from a wound.

There were several arched doorways that lead to other hallways and rooms. Jack walked over to the far wall to the only one that had a door on it. Unlike the doors on the other world this one didn't react to him. Looking around the edge of the door he found a clear panel that was stained in red.

"How much of my blood did this Vampire take?" Jack complained.

"Sir?" Sam asked as she walked over.

"There's more blood over here."

"Try putting your hand on the panel." Daniel suggested.

"Do I have to?"

Noticing the look he was getting from the rest of the team Jack reached out and spread his palm against the dirty glass rectangle. The door slid open. Beyond was more decay and destruction. There was a lot more clutter in this room. Broken devices, fungus covered tables, more consoles, and other objects whose purpose could only be guessed at lined the walls.

"You got to hand it to those Ancients," Jack mused "they built stuff to last. I mean these days you can't get five good years out of a car. This door is millions of years old and it still works."

"Looks like it's just about the only thing that does though." Sam said. "I'd guess this was some kind of lab."

Daniel had to agree. He stepped inside and walked up to the most dominate feature in the room. A large dirty glass tube, about four feet in diameter and eight feet tall was mounted to the floor. It looked like an art deco aquarium.

A jagged hole had been smashed into the front of it. Although the liquid had long since drained there was still a transparent purple stain coating the inside and the edges of the broken hole. Daniel moved closer to inspect it further when he suddenly caught sight of a figure standing just beyond it. He took an alarmed step back as the older man came around to face him.

"Hello, Gabriel." The stranger growled.

"W...what?"

"You are most unwelcome here."

"My...uh...my name isn't Gabriel. It's Daniel."

Jack turned his attention away from the console that he'd been looking at. Daniel was starting at a broken glass structure, talking to himself.

"For crying out loud," Jack grumbled "Danny's losing it again."

Jack hurried over to Daniel and turned him away from the glass container. Daniel looked at him in confusion. Jack raised his hand and snapped his fingers in front of Daniel's eyes a few times. Irritated Daniel pushed his hand away.

"Jac..."

"Daniel, where are you?"

"I don't know where this is anymore than you do," Daniel replied annoyed "ask him."

"Him?"

"You can't see..." Daniel turned and stopped. The man was gone. "There was a man here a second ago."

"Right." Jack looked around. "That's it, we're going home."

"We can't go yet." Daniel protested.

"You're talking to yourself."

"No." Daniel said firmly. "There was someone here."

"You're losing it and I'm not going to risk having you go schizo this far from home. We're going back."

"He was probably an Ascended, which would explain why you couldn't see him and how he disappeared."

"I don't care." Jack said stubbornly. "Rebecca has obviously come and gone, and we're going to do the same."

"Ja..."

"No arguments, Daniel." Jack interrupted.

Jack reached out to take Daniel's wrist. Pulling away violently Daniel caught the back of his hand on the broken glass. He hissed in pain as the jagged edge scrapped his skin.

"Sorry." Jack muttered.

"It's just a scratch."

"Come on, let's go."

Realizing that he could argue with Jack until Judgment Day and still not get anywhere Daniel just nodded. As they stepped back into the larger console room the scratch across the back of Daniel's hand began to burn. He looked down at it and noticed some of the purple stain had come off the glass onto his hand. He tried to rub it off and found himself suddenly dizzy.

"Takas, these numbers can't be right." An unfamiliar voice said suddenly. "Where did you get them from?"

"Leena."

"Leena, come here, my child."

Daniel looked up sharply and stood in amazement at the new life that suddenly bustled around him. It looked just like the room he'd been in, only in perfect working order. The screens scrolled a mind numbing amount of information in Ancient text while various people in richly coloured garb stared at them and manipulated the consoles.

Despite standing in the middle of the room, no one noticed him. They just went about their lives as though nothing were out of place. Daniel closed his eyes, hoping it would go away. However when he opened them nothing had changed. One of the men walked towards him.

"Um...hello." Daniel greeted.

The man said nothing. He came closer and before Daniel had a chance to move out of the way the man passed right through him. Daniel gasped and whipped around sharply. Staring at the man's back in disbelief Daniel absent mindedly rubbed at his temple.

"Maybe you were right, Jack, maybe I am losing it."