Here is the final part of this story. Thanks again for all the great reviews everyone.
Darkness Hides the Hunter – Part Nine
They had murdered him.
Tied him to the bed, given him some drug, and killed him.
Put him down like an animal.
His last conscious thought was the regret that they had won.
xoxoxoxoxoxo
They had finally been allowed to visit the Colonel, days after his fight for life had begun in earnest. He had been awake several times before, but Janet had refused to let them in, saying that he needed absolute rest.
This time she had relented and now they were waiting.
Sam could see the toll the illness had taken on the normally strong, healthy man. He looked even thinner than usual, his eyes sunken into his face.
But at least they were his eyes. There had been no sign of their enemy from the forest since his attack on the General. Janet was hopeful that the combination of traditional rabies vaccine and other medications that she had administered had not only saved the Colonel's life, but had brought him back to normal. Although the Colonel's symptoms had been very similar to those of someone with encephalitis due to lyssavirus, they hadn't been identical, and no one was quite sure what the long-term effects might be.
The straps had been removed during treatment, and Janet had made the decision not to reapply them. The General had agreed, on the condition that a guard be stationed inside the Colonel's room at all times.
The sleeping man eventually began to stir, his head tossing restlessly on the pillow. Sam watched as Janet moved to stand next to him, speaking softly.
"Colonel O'Neill. Time to wake up."
The lids seemed to open in slow motion and his eyes tracked as if searching, until they fixed on Daniel. After a moment they began the search again, finding Teal'c and finally Sam herself.
"Hey, kids."
She couldn't help an internal sigh of relief at the weary voice.
"How are you feeling, sir? And I need the truth." Janet smiled gently at her patient.
"Like crap, Doc."
Daniel bent in. "Well that's appropriate, because you do look like crap, Jack."
A small smile twisted the corner of the Colonel's lips. "Thanks, Daniel."
"Headache?"
The Colonel turned his attention back to the doctor. "Yeap."
"Nausea?"
"No."
Janet nodded, making notes on the chart. She lowered the pen and looked up again. "Do you remember why you're in the infirmary?"
This time the answer was longer in coming, as the Colonel's brow furrowed in thought. "No. Why?"
Sam exchanged a glance with Daniel, waiting for Janet's response.
"We'll talk about that later, sir. For now I want you to concentrate on getting better."
A flash of the old Colonel O'Neill suddenly surfaced. "Tell me now." His voice held an echo of command despite its weakness. "Was I injured?"
He moved to sit up, but was stopped as the Doctor placed a hand on his chest.
"Sir, you've been very ill, plus you have a fractured shoulder." The Colonel's eyes flickered to the bandages and sling holding his left arm against his body. "I promise you that I will explain, but for the moment I want you to rest. Will you do that?" Although the frown of annoyance stayed on his face, he nodded, albeit reluctantly. Janet nodded in return and clipped the chart back to the foot of the bed. She turned to the other members of SG-1, including them all in her next words. "You can stay for a few more minutes, but then I want the Colonel to rest."
The obviously drowsy man had shut his eyes again as she was speaking, but opened them as soon as she left the room.
"Well?"
"Well what, sir?" Sam hedged as best she could, avoiding his eyes.
"What happened?"
She was grateful when Teal'c's words directed her commander to transfer his attention to the Jaffa. "I do not believe that Doctor Fraiser wishes us to discuss it with you, O'Neill."
The frown turned into a full grimace. "What if I ordered you to tell me?"
"I do not believe you would do that, O'Neill."
The Colonel nodded in defeat. He lifted his head slightly, once more surveying the room. At the sight of the guard standing quietly in the corner, he turned startled eyes back to his team.
"What's going on?"
"Ah... you were having some pretty violent nightmares, Jack."
"And?" The dry voice was becoming more irritated by the second. "Daniel?" He reached out, his hand grasping at the other man's arm. "Tell me what's going on."
Sam knew that Daniel couldn't help it. As soon as the Colonel's hand touched the archaeologist, he flinched, stumbling back. She stepped forward, but stopped, frozen by the look in the Colonel's eyes. A mixture of hurt, speculation, and confusion flickered across his face almost too quickly to be seen.
Then the shutters came down.
xoxoxoxoxoxo
"That was awkward."
Teal'c nodded, acknowledging the Major's words. "Indeed."
"Do you really think Jack doesn't remember anything?" Daniel lowered his voice, aware of the interested glances being cast at them from all corners of the cafeteria.
"Janet did say that memory loss was a possible result of viral encephalitis." She picked up her sandwich, staring at it as if it was an alien being. "It could have been much worse. He could have lost his sight, or hearing, or even his speech."
"Is not O'Neill's inability to remember what occurred a positive result?"
Daniel thought about what Teal'c had just said. "You know, you're right. Just think how Jack would feel, knowing what he did. This way we can all get back to normal as soon as he's well."
"It'll be hard to avoid his questions. He knows there's something going on."
Daniel thought guiltily of his instinctive reaction to his friend's touch. It had been obvious that Jack noticed it, and he had remained silent for the rest of their short visit, drifting off to sleep within a few minutes.
He nodded. "I know, and I didn't help." He looked up, feeling his face reddening with embarrassment. "But we'll just have to put what happened on the planet behind us. It wasn't Jack who did those things. Janet explained the effect the alien virus had on him, causing his personality to change, and she's sure the effects have completely gone."
They sat in silence as they continued their meal, then Sam spoke.
"I can't help wondering whether that person we were with on the planet was completely the product of the Colonel's illness." Her fingers played with the edge of her plate, turning it on the table as she spoke. "I mean, how much of that was the real Jack O'Neill, the Jack O'Neill that is hidden below the surface."
God! Daniel stood, unable to stay seated any longer. He leaned both his hands on the table and spoke with as much force as possible, but making sure that only his friends could hear what he was about to say.
"I cannot, and will not, believe that there was one iota of the man we know in that cold blooded killer. I know that Jack has had to do some difficult things in his past, especially when he was in Special Ops, but the man I know is honourable and good. And I also know that he would be horrified if he ever found out the details of our last mission." He straightened. "And I for one will do everything I can to make sure he never does."
He was answered by two firm nods of agreement from his teammates.
xoxoxoxoxoxo
Jack blinked, not sure for a moment where he was, the sound of wind in tree branches and soft rustling of leaves underfoot slowly melting away as he came properly awake. The familiar feeling of his own bed brought him back from where he had travelled in his dream, back from that alien world to the safe confines of his house.
He had been home on medical leave for two weeks now, after his extended stay in the infirmary. The twinges whenever he moved his left arm had almost gone, and he was religiously following the exercise regime designed to strengthen his weakened muscles. In fact he had been following the Doc's orders to the letter for once, his boredom compelling him to get back to duty as soon as possible.
He lay still, reaching out with all his senses, trying to work out what had woken him.
Finally he relaxed, shutting his eyes again, drifting back to sleep and welcoming his return to the forest, his blood singing in his veins.
And the hunter hid once more in the darkness.
xoxoxoxoxoxo
General Hammond watched from the Control Room as his premier team finished their final preparations before their mission.
Major Carter was smiling at the antics of Doctor Jackson, as he argued with his team leader, the bone of contention seeming to be the rather large sheaf of papers he was trying to fit into an already overfilled pack.
Hammond leaned into the microphone. "Is there a problem, Colonel?" He couldn't help smiling at the long-suffering look on his second's face as he answered, lifting his eyes as if in supplication.
"No, sir. No problem."
The General barely concealed his laugh when the Colonel's words were accompanied by his grabbing the offending papers, opening his own pack, and fitting them inside.
This was the first mission SG-1 had been on since the Colonel had been taken ill so many weeks ago, and he had made sure that it was as safe as possible. Not that any mission could be guaranteed safe, but this was as close as he could get to a milk run. Jack hadn't even argued about it when he had read the report, obviously just grateful to be back on full duties and heading out through the gate.
It had been touch and go for a while there, but Doctor Fraiser's report that the illness was completely gone, leaving no residual effects, plus the Colonel's obvious lack of memory of the events leading up to his awakening in the infirmary, combined with his own recommendations, had convinced Washington to declare the file on the whole matter sealed. The Colonel's team had attended several sessions with Doctor Mackenzie, with a positive report from the psychiatrist, and all in all, it seemed that the whole affair had ended with the best possible outcome for all concerned.
It was back to business as usual for SG-1.
They hadn't lost one of their most experienced officers.
Thank God.
The General turned to the clock, checking that they were on schedule, noticing the pleased looks on the faces of the Control Room staff as he did so.
Yes, they were all glad to have things back to normal.
Down in the Gate Room, Colonel O'Neill was repositioning his own gear, having finalised the issue with the papers and the irate archaeologist. He picked up his knife, but suddenly hesitated before placing it into its position at his waist. As the Colonel's long fingers stroked over the blade, almost caressing it, Hammond felt the air become chill, fine hairs rising on the back of his neck.
But then the moment snapped, and the same Colonel looked up at him, smiling.
He smiled grimly back.
"SG-1, you have a go."
As they disappeared into the rippling blue surface, he shivered.
Jack was back.
But then he had never really left.
The End