Sam swayed a little, trying to adjust to the images flooding her brain after so much darkness. "What?" She said blankly, looking about.

Out of her team-mates, only Teal'c was on his feet, and barely so. Daniel was unconscious on the floor, and the Colonel was in a half kneel with an arm up across his face defensively. As he lowered it, she saw a large burn across the side of his head. It was too small for a graze from a staff weapon blast, and she vaguely wondered how he'd got it. Actually she wondered what had been going on for the last half-hour or so. She realized the alien was addressing her.

"Though your stubborn pride almost caused the death of both you and your friends, you managed to subdue it enough to save them." The cold voice stabbed each syllable into her. "Sometimes Samantha Carter, it is less important to be able to protect your team, than to have faith in them to protect themselves, and you." She was dimly aware of the alien stepping away from her, "I will return soon." And she was gone. Sam put a hand against the cool stone wall she found near her, and sank in a hopeless heap to the floor.

"Danny boy."

A voice, couldn't they shut up? He was trying to sleep.

"It's a SCHOOL morning Daniel, don't want to be late."

School? He didn't go to school; he left…a lot of years ago. Someone shook his shoulder, get off already, I'm up, I'm up. He blearily opened reluctant eyes.

"Jack?"

"Yes."

"You shot me."

"Good Danny Boy." An arm on his back pushed him to a sitting position, "Now Dorothy, did the munchkins do much damage, or are you set to find those slippers?"

Typical Jack, munchkins? Oh…the bugs…the trial…

"Sam?"

"I'm here Daniel" A pale and rather anxious face appeared at his right side. "Are you alright?" Daniel stared at her, his mind somewhat hazy, could she-

"Yes Daniel, Carter got her sight back, which reminds me, how are your glasses?"

His glasses? Right, he dropped them shooting at those bugs, or was it when Jack was shooting at him? He hopefully checked his pockets, nothing.

"Lost them." Jack's face was a picture.

"You lost them."

"Yes."

"Now? After all that."

"Well you did shoot me!"

"I never shot your glasses off Daniel!"

"Sir!" They both turned to look, with difficulty in Daniel's case, at Sam. She was attempting to scowl at them, though a grin was edging its way across her features. "As important as this is, we have a bigger problem to deal with?"

Problem, right, alien woman, weird eyes, boy his head hurt.

Jack was sat back, "Ah yes, the wicked witch." Daniel rolled his eyes. "Well as far as I see it, I take this test thing, complete it, and we go home."

Teal'c raised an eyebrow across from Daniel, "I do not believe it will be that simple O'Neill."

"Hey you all managed it. Have a little faith in an old man eh?"

"Sir, Teal'c is right. We don't even know if she will let us go after we've finished. This could just be a source of entertainment for them. She doesn't exactly seem to care what happens to us one way or the other."

Daniel watched as Jack considered, "Carter haven't I warned you about this boundless optimism of yours?"

"Sorry Sir." Daniel suppressed a smile.

"Look, as far as I can see, we aren't going anywhere." Jack waved an arm carelessly at their surroundings. Daniel saw they were back in the cell they had originally been in. Or one similar, in the dim light, and without his glasses, it was hard to tell really. "And whatever challenge our wonderful host has in store for me, I'll handle it. Okay?"

A muttered, "Yes Sir", he vaguely made out Teal'c nodding, and he added his "Sure Jack" to the mix.

"Now kids, get some rest, big day tomorrow. I'm taking first watch, Carter second, Teal'c third, then Daniel. "

Unable to keep his eyes open much more, Daniel leaned back against wall nodding. Within seconds he was asleep.

About half an hour into his watch, Jack realized three things.

One. His right side hurt.

Two. His side really hurt.

And three. His 2IC was awake and probably beating herself up over what that blasted alien said.

"Carter." He saw the fatigue clad figure in the corner give a start.

"Yes Sir?"

"Quit it."

"Sir?"

"Stop thinking about what Miss White-eyes said, it's a load of bull and you know it."

Despite the shadows, he swore he could see a frown on her face. "I nearly got you killed Sir."

"No, those damn bugs nearly got us killed, you saved us."

"Sir, If I had just-"

"If, could, might, should, doesn't matter. You came through for us and for that Carter…" He paused, "for that, I'm buying you a beer." He really could see her grin this time.

"A beer Sir?"

"Well maybe two. You can have Teal'c's as he still won't drink. And of course Danny boy should stick to lemonade, given his…unusually small capacity to hold down more than one bottle." Definitely a smile. "Going to drink me under the table Sir?"

"I'd hate to embarrass a lady Major."

"I'm afraid the feeling isn't mutual Sir"

Good one, "Touch" He opened his mouth to make some sarky comment about insubordinate 2IC's when…

"Rouse your team-mates." She was back, not even a flash this time. The room seemed to brighten with her entry however, and he could see better.

"You know nice people say please." Jack answered, his irritation overriding his good judgement. The alien stared down at him disdainfully. "Wake them. Now."

"Fine." Jack was tired of talking with her. He nudged Daniel, seeing Teal'c already wakening, "Hey guys! We have a guest."

Leaving Daniel at least to wake up fully, Jack stood up, very pleased when he didn't wince.

"So lets get started, where do you want me?" Jack said casually, in a tone just short of insolence that had riled so many Goa'uld and Jaffa over the years. Didn't seem to work on this woman though, she just kept on staring.

"You shall remain where you are and I shall explain the task so your primitive mind can understand it." Came the cool reply. Jack felt uneasy, if he wasn't being removed from his team, they could be involved in his task somewhere, like they had all been caught up in Teal'c and Carter's tasks. He wanted his team the heck away from this place.

"But-" Nothing changed in her face, but something about her made him stop, his words reduced to an indistinct mumble. "Fine." He managed, refusing to turn away. The woman just stared at him, before finally deigning to speak again.

"Listen carefully Colonel, as the leader of your people you are responsible for their well being, for their lives in fact. So shall you be tested. We know you would die for them, that each of you would die for the others. But we believe this is too easy an option." A deep feeling of dread settled itself in Jack's stomach. This did not sound good.

"To die, to embrace the abyss is simple, it is a moments act. But to live? To carry on your friends legacy after they are gone."

"Gone?" The team sounded in chorus, Jack could feel their shock. The alien was unperturbed.

"Here is your task O'Neill. One by one your friends will begin to suffer, they will endure the worst pain they have ever felt, until you choose to end it." She pointed a hand to the floor and three syringes of a murky green liquid materialized on the floor next to him.

"Inject this into your friends, and it shall end their suffering. They shall have a moment's peace before they slip into oblivion." Jack was frozen his head ice. "If for any reason you do not end their suffering, they shall remain here and endure an eternity of torment as they descend into madness." Jack stared mindlessly into her eyes. Desperate to see mercy, sadness, even triumph just SOMETHING besides that impassive, blank face. Those colorless, relentless, eyes…

"If you succeed in this task, you Colonel O'Neill shall be allowed to return to your home. You must then make a choice. To spend your life keeping alive the memory of those you call friends, or to cowardly end your life, meeting death as you meet me, with fear." The almost-taunt didn't even sting. He was numb, a corpse with nerves. "You said we could leave. That if we passed we could go." Those eyes didn't flicker.

"I never said any such thing." A pause, terrible in its silence. "The task will begin in ten minutes. Your friends may choose the order of their demise, if they do not choose, we shall." Her gaze passed from him to past his shoulder unexpectedly and back to him. "Make your choices Colonel."

And she was gone, leaving the condemned prisoners in silence.