Sam, Vala, and Cam left for the town just as dawn was breaking. Sam wanted to time it just right – after the crowd had gathered, but before they had started whatever god-awful punishment they had cooked up for Daniel for today. Her teammates didn't speak as they walked, but judging by the looks on their faces, they were just as determined as she was to put a stop to this. One way or another, they would get Daniel home.

As they neared the courthouse, Sam could see the crowd in front of the steps. They were surprisingly quiet, but she could hear Loren's voice carrying over the crowd. She moved closer, desperate to know what was happening. "I am saddened to say that I am ashamed of my own people!" Loren was saying. She pushed her way through the crowd with Cam and Vala on her heels. "I chose to accept the position of judge because I believed in our justice system. I believed that I could make decisions that would be best for all of our people, but this! This is not justice!"

Finally, Sam was able to push far enough into the rows of people to be able to see the scene clearly. She couldn't hold back her gasp when she finally got a good look at Daniel. He was kneeling in front of the courthouse steps. He was shirtless, and she could see at least three bandages on his torso, each stained with blood. He was pale, and he sat heavily on his heels, his lips tightened in a bleak expression. His hands weren't yet bound, but Sam could tell that Daniel had no fight left in him. These people weren't in any danger of having their prisoner make an escape attempt.

Teal'c stood close by, much closer than they had been allowed the first day. Sam guessed that Teal'c had helped Daniel out of the courthouse and down the steps. Despite his lack of weapons, Teal'c looked every bit as formidable as Sam knew he was.

On the courthouse steps, Loren continued to address the crowd. Just at the bottom of the steps, facing the crowd and Daniel, stood Merrick, wearing an expression that made Sam worry for Daniel's safety.

"Through this man," the judge was saying, "our people have gained retribution from the Tau'ri for any wrongs that we may have suffered. I beg you, let this end. Grant mercy to the accused."

"If you want to end this so badly, then end it!" Cam shouted from behind her. The crowd turned their attention to him as he stepped out in front of her. "Aren't you in charge here? Don't you have the power to stop this?"

Loren's worried glance at Merrick told Sam that the judge still feared the man's threats. "If I believed that I still held the authority-"

"You do!" Brenna's voice carried from somewhere behind Teal'c. The older woman stepped out of the crowd and addressed the judge. "You were asked to step into your position because you are a just and merciful man. That has not changed. We have never before disagreed with your decisions, and we will not now."

There were mutterings in the crowds, and Sam clung to hope that at least some agreed with Brenna. "Do you forget so quickly the losses we suffered at the hands of the Tau'ri?" Merrick yelled above the chatter. "Are the lives of your children, your spouses, your parents, not worth proper retribution? My son's life deserves to be avenged, and I will take my retribution, as our law allows."

"Your laws aren't in place so that you can take revenge on an innocent person!" Cam argued. "It's one thing to expect someone to pay a penalty for a crime they committed, but Daniel Jackson hasn't hurt anyone on this planet!"

"You are more than welcome to take his place," Merrick sneered. "I will take my retribution on any of the Tau'ri."

"Enough!" Loren descended the courthouse steps and addressed Merrick. "The Tau'ri have suffered enough at our hands. They are right; it is time I do my duty as judge and stop this cruelty." He stepped forward, leaving Merrick behind and addressed the crowd. "By our laws, the people of the Tau'ri have been tried and convicted. Their victims have been granted retribution, and that retribution has been dispensed to their fullest extent that I can, in good conscience, allow. Therefore, I hereby grant the Tau'ri mercy!"

Sam was caught in the middle of a sigh of relief when Merrick let out a roar. He ran at Daniel. The rest of SG-1 moved together, converging on their teammate, but none of them could reach him before Merrick did.

Daniel didn't make a sound when Merrick drove his knife into his abdomen. Teal'c reached him first and roughly pulled the man to the ground. While Teal'c restrained Daniel's attacker, Sam fell to her knees beside Daniel, who lay gasping on his side. With Cam's help, she turned Daniel onto his back and then pressed her hands to the hole in his belly. Within seconds, her hands were covered in blood, but she held them there, pressing with the full weight of her body, desperately trying to stop the bleeding.

Everything else around her faded into a blur. She hardly noticed Vala yelling Daniel's name, Teal'c wrestling to subdue Merrick, or Cam pleading with Loren for help getting Daniel home. Her whole focus was on Daniel, his unsteady breathing coming in pants, his wide eyes looking confused and faint, and the blood that seemed to be pouring from his body. "Stay with me, Daniel," she begged quietly. "Please."

She wasn't sure how much time had passed when a roughly made stretcher appeared. Cam and Teal'c lifted Daniel onto it and hoisted up the stretcher. As they began their trek out of the city, Brenna caught up with them. She handed Sam a damp cloth and indicated that she use it to wash the blood off of her hands. "Thanks," Sam said weakly.

"Merrick will be held accountable for this," Brenna assured her. "We will not allow him to behave in such a manner without repercussions." Sam nodded mutely, not trusting her voice to answer. "I am sorry," Brenna continued. "We should have acted sooner. We should have . . . I do hope Daniel will survive."

Sam nodded curtly at the woman as she fell away. They left the town behind, each of them stoically putting one foot in front of the other. Survival. Sometimes it seemed like such a small task, but at times like this, survival was the most difficult thing anyone could ask of you. But Daniel had to do it. He just had to.