"Look, I hate to be negative, but this guy is too powerful for you all," Jack protested. "He was toying with you all! He wasn't even breathing hard. He never opened his mouth. I have never seen someone fight like that."

"Which is why we have to kill him. If we don't then this entire planet is destroyed! We have to try. We are among the few who know what is going on with Sephiroth. We are the only ones who can," Cloud said.

"He wants to kill the planet. He can't do that," said Aeris.

"If you want to go, we understand. It is a task not easily accepted by outsiders," commented Red XIII. Jack looked at the others. Daniel stepped forward.

"Jack, if he is an Ancient and he can do this to a planet, who's to say he couldn't come to our and do the same? He may know how to operate the Stargate."

"This is a little more than we bargained for when we agreed to join," Jack said. He looked around. He saw all the faces looking at him, even SG-1. They had a look of determination and survival. They knew they would probably die doing what they had to give the rest of the planet life. He knew that look well. But he couldn't do it.

"SG-1, move out."

"But sir," started Sam.

"I said move out. This isn't our fight. We need to report back to General Hammond. I'm really sorry. I hope you win." And with that, Jack set off the way they had come. Sam, Daniel, and Teal'c followed reluctantly. Cloud and his team slowly started walking the other way.

"This isn't right Jack," Daniel said after about a mile.

"Do you want to die fighting for this place you know nothing about? Our orders aren't to get involved."

"Since when do you follow orders?" Jack stopped and rounded on Daniel.

"Look, if you want to stay here and die, then go ahead. But we have other missions and things to do! I can't be playing superhero. Now let's get going!" Jack took a step forward and suddenly felt a sword pierce through his shoulder. He followed the extremely long blade from his arm down to a black-gloved hand down up to piercing turquoise eyes. It was Sephiroth. A searing pain tore through him as he was lifted into the air by the sword blade and thrown across the woods into a tree. As he was flying in the air, he heard gunshots and yells. From the ground, he lifted his head in time to see Teal'c take a slash to the leg and go down and Sam fall back firing with Daniel. Sephiroth leaped over Teal'c and backhanded Sam, knocking her down. He pulled Daniel's gun out from his hands and flung in right at Jack, knocking him unconscious.

Jack woke to Sam's rough shake and was reminded that he had not only a large welt on his head were the gun hit him, but a hole through his shoulder. He groaned and looked around. Teal'c was seated across from him, tying a piece of fabric around his leg to stop the bleeding. But Daniel wasn't anywhere.

"Where the hell's Daniel?" groaned Jack.

"Sephiroth took him," Sam said. She looked down. "I don't think he killed him though. I don't know why, but for some reason he left us alive. A mass murderer isn't prone to taking prisoners, so he must have a use for him."

"Dammit, Daniel!" yelled Jack. Now he had no choice but to go back. He couldn't leave Daniel behind. For all his talk, if Daniel did stay on the planet out of will, Jack would knock him out and carry him back. They started on their way back to where they were with Cloud. Soon, after traveling at a pace that was above what they should have been with two wounded, then found Cloud and the others. Vincent found them first, stepping out from behind a tree directly in their path, startling them.

"I knew you'd be coming back..." he whispered. He motioned for them to follow him with his finger. They were with the rest quickly. Cloud gave them a nod of recognition, but with no apparent feeling behind it.

"I thought you were going," commented Cid.

"I thought we were too," Jack said, breathless. "Daniel was kidnapped by bad guy," he breathed again. Tifa and Barret frowned and Aeris looked worried.

"Sephiroth doesn't take prisoners," Barret said.

"Sephiroth attacked and left us three alive, but wounded. When we arose, Daniel Jackson was gone without a trace. He must have been taken prisoner," Teal'c commented. Aeris looked them all up and down.

"You're wounded!" she said, as if just noticing. She rushed over and started a healing spell on both of them.

"Sephiroth must be preparing something if he is taking prisoners now. There isn't any point if he's going to destroy the whole world though. I wonder..." though Red XIII.

"Are you all okay?" asked Yuffie. Sam nodded to her, to assure her.

"So what do you plan to do?" asked Cloud.

"Well, I thought since we all seem to be traveling in the same general direction, we could join up," Jack said reluctantly.

"After your flat out refusal to help our dying planet?" Cloud asked, angered. Aeris stood sharply and glared at him, which set him back a little.

"If they are willing to help, then let them! Our planet is at stake and we need all the help we can get. So stop with the petty rivalry! They need their man back; we need more people who can fight. What's the problem?" There was a brief silence while Aeris stood fuming. Barret chuckled.

"She's got a point." They all began to nod one after the other. Cloud did as well eventually, still somewhat surprised by her outburst. He turned to Jack again.

"But this doesn't mean we are a team. You have your own mission, we have ours. Don't interfere and we won't. Try and help a little bit and so will we. Got it?" Jack nodded silently. "Good. Let's move." He started walking again. Jack twisted his arm and smiled.

"You fixed her up real good there, Ace," he commented to Aeris. She frowned at the odd usage of the nickname "Ace" but smiled back anyway and started walking.

"Yeah about that..." Sam trailed off as she followed Aeris, obviously wanting to know how she healed.

"Here we go again," quipped Jack. Teal'c merely arched his eyebrow and followed soon after.