TITLE: The Lost Ones
AUTHOR: Cyn(di)
EMAIL: custardpringle@yahoo.com
RATING: PG-13 for weird evil happenings and general suffering/pain on the parts of all concerned. Also language, as always. And "thematic issues," whatever the hell they are.
CATEGORY: supernatural, drama
SUMMARY: Daniel is having terrible nightmares. And the worst thing is, they're not only in his head . . .
SPOILERS: I'm too lazy to keep track, so let's say anything up through "Death Knell."
AUTHOR'S NOTE: When I posted chapter three I was averaging seven reviews per chapter. Now it's down to about four and a half, and the last couple only got one or two each. I really don't think I'm doing *that* bad a job. It's up to you, people . . . if you'd rather, I can just stop here and leave Daniel comatose and Sam noncorporeal indefinitely. Have it your way.
--------------------------------------------------
"You knew this was going to happen from the start, didn't you?" Daniel accused. "That's why you never told me where Shifu is."
Oma shook her head. "Not exactly. You are correct that we were afraid the Perii would attempt to corrupt you. However, the use of Samantha Carter as a hostage was wholly unexpected."
"You could've at least warned me. I might have been able to keep her from being taken."
"Perhaps, perhaps not."
Daniel began to pace. "Why are they doing this, anyway? Aurel can read minds; she must know I have no idea where the Harcesis is. What's the point in trying to get me to reveal something I don't even know?"
"That's the problem." Oma sighed. "I told you, I believe, that your memories of being fully Ascended have not been erased, simply suppressed. Therefore, the knowledge is in your memory somewhere, even if you cannot currently recall it. Aurel and Anubis both know this."
"Great. Just great. So what exactly are we going to do about it?"
"Nothing," Oma said helpfully. "It would seem that we are at an impasse."
"You know what?" Daniel stabbed a finger at her. "I don't agree. I think there is something we can do."
She clasped her hands behind her. "What would that be?"
"I'm going to agree to their demands," he said.
"Are you crazy?" Oma stared at him. "Do you realize the disastrous results that could come-will, in fact, come, without a doubt-if Anubis gains access to the Harcesis?"
"I do." Daniel nodded soberly. "But I only said I would agree to the bargain. I have no intention of actually fulfilling the agreement."
She exhaled in relief. "What good will that do? They will know that you are deceiving them."
"Not necessarily," he explained. "With luck, I'll be able to control my thoughts to the point that Aurel won't realize I'm bluffing. Then I may be able to free Sam."
"But then what will happen to you?" Oma asked. "I suspect that Aurel will not be particularly pleased to learn of your deception."
Daniel smiled grimly. "You've seen me fight, Oma. Do you really think I won't be able to defend myself?"
"Point taken," she assented. "Will you be requiring assistance?"
"I need you to put me to sleep until I'm finished, but I'll also need to be able to wake up right away if I have to."
Oma nodded gracefully. "Of course."
Daniel could almost feel his body go limp back on the couch. "And one other thing."
"Yes?"
"If this is really as important to Anubis as we think it is," Daniel observed grimly, "he may well decide to come deal with me himself."
Oma bit her lip. "We must hope it does not come to that."
"I agree. But if it does, I'm going to need to be able to defend myself against him. Can you keep the Others off my back if that happens?"
"They will not be pleased to learn that you have done this in the first place," she objected. "I cannot be certain of convincing them not to obstruct you."
"Please try," Daniel said urgently.
"Agreed," she said finally. "I wish you the best of luck, Daniel."
"So do I," he said seriously, and left.
-----
Jack wasted no time in swinging Daniel's unconscious form up from the sofa into a fireman's carry and heading out the door. Then he remembered that he had walked there.
Fortunately, he found Daniel's keys in a pocket. Within seconds he was starting his friend's car with one hand, its proper owner buckled limply in the passenger seat, and flipping a cell phone open in the other hand.
"Hey, doc," he greeted as he pulled out and headed down the street at breakneck pace. "Yes, I know it's two in the morning . . . Oh, I was doing just great until about an hour ago . . . Look, could you please have a medical team waiting when we get there? Daniel's passed out and I have no idea what's wrong with him . . . Thanks. See you very soon."
Jack cast a brief glance over, narrowly missing crashing into a truck in the process. "Hang in there, Danny. Hell, I'm not even sure you are in there right now. Whatever's going on, just get through it."
-----
"Colonel, Doctor, report!" General Hammond called out, appearing at the end of the corridor as an orderly was wheeling the stretcher into the infirmary. "What the hell happened?"
"I have no idea, sir," Jack reported. "I hung up the phone when I was done talking to you, went into the living room and found Daniel like this. Got him here as fast as I could."
"Doctor Fraiser?"
Janet was shining a penlight into Daniel's eyes; she didn't look particularly pleased with whatever she saw there. "He's totally unresponsive, sir. I'd say he's almost certainly comatose, especially since pulse and respiration are down. Hook up an EEG, would you?" she added to the nearest nurse.
"He told me he's been Ascending in his sleep," Jack offered. "Would that explain it?"
"It's possible," she said doubtfully. "I really don't understand the process well enough to say for sure."
Teal'c suddenly appeared at Jack's shoulder. "How severe is Daniel Jackson's condition?"
O'Neill jumped. "Christ, T, don't do that. My poor old heart can only take so much at one time. As for Daniel's condition, we've narrowed it down to either coma or Ascension, which are apparently so similar that it's impossible to tell the difference." He slumped wearily into a chair at Daniel's bedside. "I personally don't know which to hope for right now. Plus, just to make things interesting, Carter's been taken hostage by an evil Ancient who's trying to help Anubis get Shifu."
"The situation does seem rather hopeless," Teal'c observed. "However, if Daniel Jackson has indeed temporarily Ascended, he is most likely doing his best to rectify it."
"That had better be what's going on," interjected Janet, who was frowning at the EEG readout. "Because, as far as I can tell, Daniel is completely brain-dead."
"Oh, great." Jack dropped his head into his hands. "Daniel," he muttered, "whatever you're up to, I sure as hell hope you know what you're doing."
AUTHOR: Cyn(di)
EMAIL: custardpringle@yahoo.com
RATING: PG-13 for weird evil happenings and general suffering/pain on the parts of all concerned. Also language, as always. And "thematic issues," whatever the hell they are.
CATEGORY: supernatural, drama
SUMMARY: Daniel is having terrible nightmares. And the worst thing is, they're not only in his head . . .
SPOILERS: I'm too lazy to keep track, so let's say anything up through "Death Knell."
AUTHOR'S NOTE: When I posted chapter three I was averaging seven reviews per chapter. Now it's down to about four and a half, and the last couple only got one or two each. I really don't think I'm doing *that* bad a job. It's up to you, people . . . if you'd rather, I can just stop here and leave Daniel comatose and Sam noncorporeal indefinitely. Have it your way.
--------------------------------------------------
"You knew this was going to happen from the start, didn't you?" Daniel accused. "That's why you never told me where Shifu is."
Oma shook her head. "Not exactly. You are correct that we were afraid the Perii would attempt to corrupt you. However, the use of Samantha Carter as a hostage was wholly unexpected."
"You could've at least warned me. I might have been able to keep her from being taken."
"Perhaps, perhaps not."
Daniel began to pace. "Why are they doing this, anyway? Aurel can read minds; she must know I have no idea where the Harcesis is. What's the point in trying to get me to reveal something I don't even know?"
"That's the problem." Oma sighed. "I told you, I believe, that your memories of being fully Ascended have not been erased, simply suppressed. Therefore, the knowledge is in your memory somewhere, even if you cannot currently recall it. Aurel and Anubis both know this."
"Great. Just great. So what exactly are we going to do about it?"
"Nothing," Oma said helpfully. "It would seem that we are at an impasse."
"You know what?" Daniel stabbed a finger at her. "I don't agree. I think there is something we can do."
She clasped her hands behind her. "What would that be?"
"I'm going to agree to their demands," he said.
"Are you crazy?" Oma stared at him. "Do you realize the disastrous results that could come-will, in fact, come, without a doubt-if Anubis gains access to the Harcesis?"
"I do." Daniel nodded soberly. "But I only said I would agree to the bargain. I have no intention of actually fulfilling the agreement."
She exhaled in relief. "What good will that do? They will know that you are deceiving them."
"Not necessarily," he explained. "With luck, I'll be able to control my thoughts to the point that Aurel won't realize I'm bluffing. Then I may be able to free Sam."
"But then what will happen to you?" Oma asked. "I suspect that Aurel will not be particularly pleased to learn of your deception."
Daniel smiled grimly. "You've seen me fight, Oma. Do you really think I won't be able to defend myself?"
"Point taken," she assented. "Will you be requiring assistance?"
"I need you to put me to sleep until I'm finished, but I'll also need to be able to wake up right away if I have to."
Oma nodded gracefully. "Of course."
Daniel could almost feel his body go limp back on the couch. "And one other thing."
"Yes?"
"If this is really as important to Anubis as we think it is," Daniel observed grimly, "he may well decide to come deal with me himself."
Oma bit her lip. "We must hope it does not come to that."
"I agree. But if it does, I'm going to need to be able to defend myself against him. Can you keep the Others off my back if that happens?"
"They will not be pleased to learn that you have done this in the first place," she objected. "I cannot be certain of convincing them not to obstruct you."
"Please try," Daniel said urgently.
"Agreed," she said finally. "I wish you the best of luck, Daniel."
"So do I," he said seriously, and left.
-----
Jack wasted no time in swinging Daniel's unconscious form up from the sofa into a fireman's carry and heading out the door. Then he remembered that he had walked there.
Fortunately, he found Daniel's keys in a pocket. Within seconds he was starting his friend's car with one hand, its proper owner buckled limply in the passenger seat, and flipping a cell phone open in the other hand.
"Hey, doc," he greeted as he pulled out and headed down the street at breakneck pace. "Yes, I know it's two in the morning . . . Oh, I was doing just great until about an hour ago . . . Look, could you please have a medical team waiting when we get there? Daniel's passed out and I have no idea what's wrong with him . . . Thanks. See you very soon."
Jack cast a brief glance over, narrowly missing crashing into a truck in the process. "Hang in there, Danny. Hell, I'm not even sure you are in there right now. Whatever's going on, just get through it."
-----
"Colonel, Doctor, report!" General Hammond called out, appearing at the end of the corridor as an orderly was wheeling the stretcher into the infirmary. "What the hell happened?"
"I have no idea, sir," Jack reported. "I hung up the phone when I was done talking to you, went into the living room and found Daniel like this. Got him here as fast as I could."
"Doctor Fraiser?"
Janet was shining a penlight into Daniel's eyes; she didn't look particularly pleased with whatever she saw there. "He's totally unresponsive, sir. I'd say he's almost certainly comatose, especially since pulse and respiration are down. Hook up an EEG, would you?" she added to the nearest nurse.
"He told me he's been Ascending in his sleep," Jack offered. "Would that explain it?"
"It's possible," she said doubtfully. "I really don't understand the process well enough to say for sure."
Teal'c suddenly appeared at Jack's shoulder. "How severe is Daniel Jackson's condition?"
O'Neill jumped. "Christ, T, don't do that. My poor old heart can only take so much at one time. As for Daniel's condition, we've narrowed it down to either coma or Ascension, which are apparently so similar that it's impossible to tell the difference." He slumped wearily into a chair at Daniel's bedside. "I personally don't know which to hope for right now. Plus, just to make things interesting, Carter's been taken hostage by an evil Ancient who's trying to help Anubis get Shifu."
"The situation does seem rather hopeless," Teal'c observed. "However, if Daniel Jackson has indeed temporarily Ascended, he is most likely doing his best to rectify it."
"That had better be what's going on," interjected Janet, who was frowning at the EEG readout. "Because, as far as I can tell, Daniel is completely brain-dead."
"Oh, great." Jack dropped his head into his hands. "Daniel," he muttered, "whatever you're up to, I sure as hell hope you know what you're doing."
