On Thin Ice

Medran emerged from the forest and hurried along the path to the temple, his grey robes rustling with each step. He found O'Neill sitting in front of the entrance and stopped, his body casting a shadow over the other man.

"I would like a word with Daniel Jackson," Medran said stiffly.

The colonel spat out the grass blade he had been chewing on and gave the Escuvaran a wolvish grin.

"That's handy, 'cause I would like a word with you. You said there wouldn't be any side effects. You said it would be fine. Does that look like fine to you?"

He pointed an accusing finger at Daniel.

The archaeologist, though looking a little washed out, tried to head him off, but Medran interrupted his assurances.

"It seems in your concern for your charge you are forgetting mine. Because unlike Daniel Jackson, my charge is not fine."

He walked around O'Neill and poked Daniel in the chest with one long finger.

"I want to know what to know what you did last night."

Medran's voice was low but had none of its usual mildness. His pale blue eyes gleamed with determination. O'Neill muttered a curse and stepped between the men.

"Hold on a second. Nobody has done anything to your precious charge. Daniel never even spoke to her."

Medran ignored him and built himself up to his full height, towering over the archaeologist by half a foot.

"What did you do to her?"

Daniel jerked away from the Escuvaran, almost banging his head on the temple wall. Medran inched forward, his teeth bared in a grim smile.

"She is strong and she wants to protect you, but she can be no match for our abilities. I will find out what you did. And you had better not be here when I do."

He turned on his heels and marched back towards the village, his tunic flapping in the wind.

Jack whistled softly through his teeth.

"Nice." He clapped a hand on Daniel's shoulder. "Danny-boy, that's it. We're out of here."

He grabbed his radio.

"Teal'c, Carter, get packing. We're going home."

He only got static in response.

"I haven't finished with the lab," Daniel bristled.

"You know what, I don't care. You want any of this stuff, take it with you."

O'Neill walked around the clearing in to get a better reception. He had known it would be mistake to come here, and if it had been up to him, they would have locked the whole damn planet out of the dialling computer months ago. Right after dumping Ellen here, in fact. He checked his watch. If they made good time to the gate he could be in the canteen before the breakfast menu closed.

"Daniel, get going. We'll meet Carter in the village."

The archaeologist grabbed another handful of data crystals and stuffed them into his backpack, muttering under his breath. It was always like that. Jack had made up his mind, and trying to talk to him now was like trying to make a goat solve stochastic equations. He was on to something, he knew it, and if he could just get enough information together he might actually be able to make sense of what Karttikeya had used this place for. Jack was calling again from the entrance. Daniel pulled out the digital camera for a last minute sweep of the room.

"Just a second, I need to…"

Then it happened. For a fraction of a second he stood in a pool of intense fear and pain. Then silence. His mind blanked and he lost his grip on the camera, stumbling forward to steady himself on a lab bench.

O'Neill poked his head around the corner. He rushed into the room.

"Daniel? Are you OK?"

Daniel swore softly, shaking his head to clear his vision.

"Something just happened."

"Yeah. You dropped the camera."

O'Neill picked it up and wiped dust off the lens.

Daniel straightened slowly as his world shifted back into focus.

"No. Something just happened. Call Teal'c."

Jack looked at him impatiently.

"I can't get them. Damn radiation." He reconsidered. "Damn planet."

Daniel's knees turned to jelly and he slid down the temple wall to the ground, shaking uncontrollably. He felt cold, colder than he had in his entire life, and at the same time alone, despite Jack's warm hand on his arm. He knew the other man was talking to him, but he couldn't hear him. All he could feel was the cold cutting him to the bone and a crushing sense of desolation. Then, in one breath the world came rushing back and it struck him: Ellen.

Daniel turned away from the silence in his mind and looked at Jack.

"What just happened?" the colonel demanded.

"Something… I don't know. Something's wrong." Daniel's own voice seemed to come from very far away.

"Crap." O'Neill worked the radio again. "I can't raise Teal'c and Carter. I've had about enough of this Medran guy. If that's his idea of cosmic justice…"

Daniel worked his way back up to a standing position, leaning heavily against the wall. At least the dizziness was diminishing, if not the cold.

"I can't feel Ellen anymore," he said softly.

O'Neill paused. "I thought you can't do that anyway. That was the whole point of leaving her here."

Daniel shook his head.

"Yes, but not like this. Not like… Something's wrong."

Jack looked at him dubiously.

"You look like shit. Are you good to go?"

Daniel pushed himself off the wall and walked out of the temple. The bright sunshine warmed his clothes but didn't seem to penetrate his skin. The heat felt incongruous, out of place, and he was glad when they reached the cool darkness of the forest. O'Neill was walking a few paces behind him with Daniels' backpack slung over his shoulder and constantly muttering into the radio, with no response.

Medran met them at the entrance to the village clearing. He was ashen-faced and his normally impeccable tunic was stained with smears of dirt.

"They took the girls," he said without preamble. "Yeroon and Lestarta. And Ellen. They took Ellen." For a moment a look almost like panic rose in his eyes, and he controlled himself, smoothing his tunic with one hand.

He looked back at the empty clearing.

"You will be pleased to hear that both Teal'c and Major Carter are still amongst us."

His voice broke and he turned stiffly to disappear into his hut.

Aitor broke away from a small group in front of her dwelling, her expression deeply saddened but collected.

"This is now a village in mourning. We hope you will respect our grief and leave."

TBC