Chapter 6
The first thing Jack sensed the next morning when he awoke was the aroma of dirt, grass, and blood.
Confused, Jack checked his body and glanced around the room, but found nothing. As the sleep left him, and he became more aware, he shook off the stench, realizing it was nothing but remnants from a lingering dream. But…he was chilly.
Shivering, Jack huddled under his sheets and his blanket, feeling a cold sweat forming on his brow. Was he coming down with something? Was he sick?
If he was sick, then maybe the past few days had been just a fever dream.
But when Jack stumbled into the bathroom, and saw his reflection staring back at him, he was crushed. This was no dream, he was beginning to realize.
He didn't want to lose all hope just yet. He still wanted to explore every avenue possible, and see if maybe, soon, he could rebuild things with Carter so they could start making sense of it. Then, he'd be able to ask more about Teal'c. Maybe even Daniel would come around at some point.
There was no way he could just forget ten years of his life.
Resolved to keep working at uncovering the truth, Jack went about his new morning routine. He would shower, trying to rid himself of the grime and stink he woke up with every morning, and then he would shave. He would dress next, grabbing whatever clothes were hanging around so he could be presentable. After some breakfast that either never seemed to satisfy him, or left him ill, he would turn on CNN and watch the news. By the time he received his fill of the junk on TV, then he would lock up his house and head out to see Daniel.
"Hey, Daniel," Jack said, entering the room.
Today, Daniel was on his bed, lying on his back as he stared at the ceiling. He didn't stir, not even when Jack called him again. Sighing, he let Herman do his job.
"Daniel, up and at 'em!" Herman called, tapping Daniel on the shoulder. "Let's go. Your friend Jack is here to see you."
Moaning softly, Daniel lazily turned his head to the side, staring right through Jack again. With the shock factor gone, he was beginning to find that gesture more annoying than sad.
"Get up, Daniel," Jack ordered, standing near the bed.
Daniel snorted at him, his eyes narrowing. Surprised, but also encouraged, Jack stared him down. Something told Jack that maybe Daniel wasn't quite as stupid as everyone made him out to be.
"Looks like you caught him in a bad mood today," Herman said, his tone almost apologetic. "He can get like that."
"Don't I know it," Jack grumbled.
Herman clapped his hands, causing Daniel to jerk. "Let's get up and have some fun."
Daniel's reply? He snorted again and turned over, showing them his backside. Jack shook his head. Some things would never change and he guessed Daniel's stubbornness just wasn't going to go away any time soon.
"See?" Herman sighed. "This just won't do."
Herman walked to the other side of the bed, and placed a hand on Daniel's shoulder. He kept talking to him, trying to get him to get off the bed, or at least turn around, but his words only caused Daniel to curl up even more. Finally, Jack heard a whisper, an actual spoken word by Daniel, though he couldn't make it out from where he was standing. Whatever Daniel said, it caused Herman to back away, shrugging his shoulders before he moved to meet Jack.
"Busy," Herman said. "He says he's busy."
"Busy," Jack repeated. "Out of all the words he knows in that big head of his, he has to say 'busy'?"
"Daniel doesn't talk very often, but when he does, we don't discourage him." Herman waved vaguely in Daniel's direction, not at all concerned that the man was wrapped in a tight ball. "While we don't like it when he withdraws like that, sometimes it's because he's trying to work out something mentally. He struggles a little bit when it comes to thinking, so when he actually voices something, we let him go. Most of the time," Herman clarified. "I think he might be trying to make sense of you and why you're here."
Which was all well and good for Jack, but having him curled up tighter than an armadillo wasn't.
"So, what are you trying to tell me?' Jack asked.
Herman looked uncomfortable, but smiled nonetheless. "Why not give him a day or two to come to terms with everything. Doctor MacKenzie will be here later, and I'd rather Daniel be in good form for when he gets here."
Ah. Jack got it. "Won't look good for you if Daniel's not at his best, right?"
Herman frowned. "Not at all. But I don't want MacKenzie talking to Daniel and then have Daniel inadvertently blame you for something. I think it's a good thing that you come by. I don't want that to change."
Jack nodded. The kid certainly had heart.
Glancing over at Daniel, Jack decided to listen to Herman. Jack wasn't feeling his best today, anyway. But there was something new that was disturbing Jack, something that was swelling deep inside him, something more than the flu or whatever he might have caught.
He looked at Daniel again before Herman shut the door.
He had the exact same scar as Jack.
The next two days had been torture. Not only did Jack feel like crap, he couldn't get Daniel's face out of his head.
Before he'd left, he was certain he had seen a scar running from Daniel's forehead to his left temple, in the same exact spot where Jack had his. That couldn't be just a coincidence. That wasn't even normal.
No, Jack was more certain now than ever that something fishy was happening. There was no way they could have both been whacked in the same exact spot. Had they been part of some off-world experiment? What had Jack been doing off-world in the first place?
Jack had called Carter again, trying to get in touch with her for some answers, and maybe for them to make things better over cake and pie. Of course, Pete had answered the phone and told him she was busy.
Funny thing is that Jack believed him. He didn't sound like he was lying which probably meant Carter was off-world on some mission or something. Or, she was stuck on base indefinitely.
So, Jack called the base. Again. And again. And again. He didn't have much luck, but he finally had gotten in touch with Siler.
Siler didn't tell him much. Nothing in fact.
This made for a long two days.
Though, by the time it was done, Jack couldn't really tell anymore. It was almost as if time had no meaning, and could move as quickly or as slowly as it pleased. Like some higher power, or Goa'uld, was controlling time itself.
Plus, for a day there, he was sick as a dog and could barely remember anything. Add to that his wild fever dreams of running through forests, or lying near pools of vomit and blood, and he was about ready to call Schneider up for some happy pills. But by the third day of his separation from human contact, he was feeling a bit better and a lot steadier on his legs.
It was that day he figured he was ready to see Daniel again.
After a horrible start to his day, in the name of a flat tire, Jack finally made it to the facility. Part of him was nervous that Daniel might have forgotten him, though Jack couldn't confirm he'd ever missed him in the first place.
When he finally got there, he met a guy named Thomas. Herman had the day off, and had asked for Thomas to meet Jack. Now, Thomas was a bit of a different guy. He was shy, and very quiet, but still big. Jack was starting to form the impression that it was no coincidence that Daniel had body builders looking after him. He might be frail, and if they were really ten years into the future, then he'd be pushing fifty by now, but Jack guessed there was still a little bit of strength and spunk left in the good Doctor Jackson.
When Jack reached the room, there he found Daniel, lying in bed again. Only this time he wasn't pouting or feeling anti-social. Today, he seemed content in clacking his tongue and swinging his feet back and forth as he stared at the ceiling. It was…odd.
"Good to see that you're as weird as ever," Jack said, hoping Daniel didn't take the sarcasm the wrong way.
Daniel turned his head at the sound of Jack's voice, but didn't say anything to him. After studying him closely for a minute, Daniel rubbed his forehead and pointed to Jack.
That was the first time Jack had seen anything that resembled an attempt to communicate. "What?" he asked.
Daniel repeated the gesture.
"He's asking if you're feeling better," Thomas said softly.
For the third time, Daniel rubbed his head and pointed to Jack. How did Daniel know he was sick? Was he aware enough to see it? Or had Jack looked that bad?
"How'd you know?" Jack demanded more than asked.
Daniel went through the gesture again, only this time he kept his hand extended to Jack. Blinking at him, Jack knew an open invitation when he saw one. Cautiously, he stepped forward, allowing Daniel as much space as he needed, careful not to overstep the other man's boundaries.
But Daniel didn't flinch. He waited for Jack expectantly, his hand unwavering as it reached out to him. Pressing a little further, Jack stepped closer and finally eased himself onto the bed, sitting at the edge and looking down at Daniel.
Daniel didn't smile or frown. He moved his hand down, gently touching Jack's left temple and pressing gingerly on the scar.
"Yeah, I have a scar," Jack said, his voice a mere whisper. Daniel had finally reached out to him. Could things be mending between them? "But it's okay. I feel okay."
And surprisingly, he did.
"Daniel, the scar—"
Daniel suddenly turned away from him, fumbling at his nightstand and nearly knocking over his glasses. When he turned back to Jack, he held up his little pyramid proudly, twirling it around in the air.
"That is nice," Thomas said from behind them. "That's the nice present you got the other day."
Daniel sighed, sadly looking down at the pyramid. Then, after a moment of gazing at it longingly, he handed it back to Jack.
Surprised, Jack shook his head. "No, it's yours. You get to keep it."
No answer. Of course not. Daniel tried again.
"No," Jack said. Without thinking, he grabbed Daniel's hand and wrapped it tightly around the toy and brought it to his chest. "It's yours."
It was only after he had touched Daniel that Jack realized what he had done. Stiffening, he attempted to withdraw before Daniel started yelping and screaming again. But Daniel actually stopped him, holding his hand in place, and gazed at him in silence.
There was an understanding between them, some thing that wasn't there just a few days ago. It gave Jack hope.
Jack squeezed Daniel's hand in return. He might not be the same Daniel but at least…
He lost himself mid-thought when he felt Daniel's fingers press into the toy. Instantly, the mummy popped out, and Daniel laughed in his weird little way, filling the room with his noise. Looking content and utterly amused with himself, Daniel sighed, and even grinned, gazing up at Jack with bright eyes.
Smiling back, Jack thought maybe this wasn't a bad day after all.
Over the course of the next few visits, Daniel and Jack had fallen in to a rhythm. Jack would come over to the facility and Herman or Thomas would escort Jack to see Daniel. Sometimes Daniel would have good days, and interact with Jack on a limited basis, other days Daniel would be entirely closed off from everyone and Jack would just sit with him, either watching TV or reading the newspaper or even just talking to Daniel. He knew that Daniel couldn't have a normal conversation with him, but sometimes, when Jack was certain his imagination was getting the better of him, he thought Daniel just might be listening.
That was the case on the tenth day.
"I was thinking, isn't it funny that we have similar scars?" Jack asked him, pointing to his head. "I got one on my left temple and so do you."
Daniel stared at him blankly.
"I mean it," Jack said. The two of them were sitting on Daniel's bed, rolling a ball between them. "A little more than a coincidence."
Daniel grunted, pushing the ball back towards him. When the ball stalled halfway, getting tangled in the covers, Jack grabbed it and rolled it back.
"You can grunt all you want, but it's important somehow. An experiment? A lab accident?" Daniel grunted again. "Hey, none of that attitude," Jack scolded him. "This is usually your department, remember?"
He thought he saw Daniel smile.
"Oh, you think it's funny?" Jack asked, but without any anger. He grabbed the ball as it returned to him, pleased that Daniel's smile was only intensifying. Holding it for a moment, he tossed it in the air and caught it. "Making me do all the thinking is hurting my brain."
Wrong thing to say, Jack thought, watching Daniel's expression change.
He looked absolutely crestfallen. Hanging his head down in shame, Daniel pushed away from Jack, and turned his back to him, bringing his knees to his chest. Jack recognized this as Daniel's way of protecting himself, having seen him curl in on himself numerous times now since this whole "thing" had started.
"Daniel, look, I'm sorry."
But for Daniel, that was the end of the conversation, leaving Jack to ponder for the rest of the day just what really was going through Daniel's mind.
He had started to remember bits and pieces, stragglers here and there, as if something was pushing his memories to the forefront but suppressing them at the same time. This tension wasn't something that Jack found comforting, and in fact, he felt a little uneasy and unnerved by the whole thing.
"I remember a place," Jack told Daniel. "It's cold and dark, like a lab. Was it a lab?"
Daniel didn't reply to him, still engrossed in his chess game. Thirty minutes ago, Jack had walked into his room, ready for a visit, surprised to find Daniel sitting crossed legged on his bed, huddled over a chessboard. At first, Jack was jubilant—okay, a bit of a strong word—but happy nonetheless, hoping this was a sign Daniel might be improving, completely ignoring the fact he'd been this way for ten years. But when he had noticed the chess pieces were all mixed together, and on the wrong squares…
Daniel didn't know what he was doing. He was just going through the motions.
So Jack had decided to just sit with him. No harm in that.
Jack had eased himself onto the bed, giving some comfort to his aching knees and back, and had watched Daniel "play." After awhile, Jack had started to drift into a light doze, and that is when the memories had started to tug at him.
"I think it was a lab," he said again, still eliciting no response from Daniel. "Or maybe it was a theater. A mess hall?"
Jack walked down the small aisle, wrinkling his nose when he sniffed at the sulfuric smell in the air. The place was dark, and cold, with only the glow from the lamps covering the vials keeping the room alight.
Hell, did he just see vials?
Frowning, and extremely displeased with his current arrangements, Jack stopped, carefully glancing over one of the small blue vials. "Olin…what the hell are these?"
Olin, the sly little bastard, stopped and turned to face Jack. "Did we not discuss our ways, O'Neill? Did we not tell you all questions would be answered by the High Lofar?"
"Well, so far I haven't seen hide nor hair of Loafer, so I'm getting a little testy."
Olin just smiled vaguely at him. "I am taking you to High Lofar now. All will be well soon."
Yeah, how many times had he heard that one?
"You know that I am not worthy to speak to you in such a way. Only you and the High can make the exchange."
Which is precisely why he needed Carter here. Now.
From what Daniel had told him, Olin was Carter's "counterpart," whatever the hell that was supposed to mean, in this screwed up society, which meant Jack was out of the loop with anything concerning the labs, and the planet's technology.
So, why Olin was taking Jack on a guided tour of…this place was beyond him.
It conflicted with everything Daniel had told him.
What was it exactly Daniel had said about these people?
"What did you tell me?" Jack asked him.
Not at all surprised that Daniel remained silent, Jack sighed and tapped at the closest chess piece. The king.
The motion caught Daniel's eye, and the other man stopped fiddling with his pieces, keenly watching Jack's every move. Just to test him, Jack pushed at the base of the piece with his finger, sliding it ever so slowly towards another square. Inwardly, he chuckled, sadly amused by Daniel and his full concentration on the piece.
There was a time when Daniel whipped his butt at this game.
But even more importantly, in the here and now, Daniel was aware of Jack, aware of the game, and aware of his room. Jack was finding it hard to accept that these so called doctors and nurses had found Daniel to be anti-social and withdrawn.
"Hmm," Jack said, wriggling the piece back and forth. "What do you think would happen if…" He charged the piece across the board and struck a lone rook that was just asking for it. "Ha, score one for me."
Daniel blinked, looking absolutely horrified over what Jack had done. For an instant, Jack was convinced Daniel was going to wail on him again. But instead, much to Jack's surprise, Daniel laughed, making that horrible wheezing-moan sound. In fact, he was so excited, that he brought his hands to his chest, his fingers spasming as he tried to control himself.
Jack allowed himself silence as he watched Daniel's reaction. Part of him started to wonder if Daniel wasn't as bad off as the doctors liked him to believe. Maybe all Daniel ever needed was some real companionship.
"You liked that?" Jack asked him. Armed with a small smile, Jack moved the king to jump his next victim. This time he was focused on the bishop. With a whoop of triumph, Jack used the king to smack the piece aside.
Daniel jumped at the noise, and nearly bounced in place, so frenzied over the action. Yet this time, instead of sitting and laughing, Daniel brought one of his shaking hands to the chessboard. That is where he waged a full assault on the mixed collective of pawns on Jack's side, using his knight to lay waste to the game.
Jack decided he liked Daniel's thinking.
Within seconds, the two of them totally trashed the chess game, sending pieces flying all over Daniel's room. In the end, only two pieces remained, Jack's unopposed king and Daniel's valiant knight.
"Well, might as well go for the gold," Jack said with a crooked grin. When he went to swipe the last two pieces off with the back of his hand, Daniel grabbed him, stopping him in his tracks.
"What?" Jack asked.
Daniel let go of his hand, and gently pushed the knight to stand by the king's side. When Jack raised his eyebrow, Daniel gazed at him, almost as if he were pleading with him.
"Leave them?" Jack scratched his head. He supposed Daniel was going to have some weird quirks. "Knight protects the king?"
Daniel snorted, a sign Jack took as a yes.
"Okay." Jack shrugged. "Knight protects the king. Even if it defies the rules of the game. Though, I guess that doesn't matter," he mumbled, looking at the disaster that was Daniel's room. He would be in so much trouble if he didn't clean this up. After taking a moment to pick up the pieces, and leave the hallowed king and knight behind, he arched his eyebrow again and said to Daniel, "Ready to play again?"
Though Daniel didn't speak, Jack could read the answer in his eyes.
Grinning, Jack set the pieces on the board and began his first attack.
