Chapter 12
The next flashback happened only ten minutes away from his cabin.
Jack had to stop and take a leak in the worst way. Not to mention the fact he was concerned over Daniel, too.
Pulling off to a secluded part of the roadway, Jack had undone his seatbelt, making sure Daniel was buckled in tightly, and wandered a few feet to do his business. When he was finished, he came back to the truck and helped Daniel out into the grass. He'd checked him over, his body stiffening when he realized that Daniel's hands were clean.
"What the hell?" he asked under his breath, turning Daniel's hands over and over in his own.
Daniel looked at him, almost in that way he used to look ten years ago. That knowing, slightly amused but also annoyed face, as he peered at him with raised eyebrows.
"What?' Jack asked, biting back down some of the hurt that expression brought him. "Know something I don't know?"
Daniel snorted, ducking his head.
Jack just rolled his eyes, trying to keep his concern masked with his sarcasm. "So, not telling me the truth, eh?"
"It is true," the queen said sadly. "We have not been truthful with you."
No kidding, Jack thought, staring at her. Though, he supposed it could be argued they hadn't been entirely honest with them either.
"What's going on?" Jack said, but kept his tone even, non-threatening.
"It is true that the Goa'uld are long gone. But we did not destroy everything after they left us." She sighed, tossing what looked like a plum back into her basket. "Our ancestors kept some of the weapons, in order to defend ourselves."
"Then, why the sham?"
"We learned how to use their weapons. We studied their books and had learned their language. Over time, we advanced ourselves, creating our own weapons, technology, and science in order to further ourselves."
"Not much unlike what we've done, Sir," Carter reminded him.
"So, this is all is just a cover?" Daniel asked her, dropping all decorum. "You created this culture, this simple life, to hide the fact you're really an advanced society." He turned to Jack. "That's why I haven't been able to pinpoint their origins. It's all a farce."
"Not all of it, Jackson," she said, forcing a soft smile. "We keep records of our old ways, even though we have abandoned them. We did not want to remember where we came from."
"No offense to you and your people, High Lofar," Daniel continued, "but an important part of your identity is always reflected in your past. You don't have to dwell on it, but it makes you who you are. To ignore that completely is to deny a part of yourself."
"And astute statement," she said with a smile. "Your kind is one of wisdom."
"Some of us," Jack told her, trying to bring the queen's attention back to him. "So, that begs the question. Why all the weaponry? I understand that you want to protect yourself from the Goa'uld, but those labs I saw are pretty impressive. Based on the fact you've got yourselves some biotechnology, I'm going to take a leap here and say they're not just for medical purposes."
"No," Lofar said quietly.
"Then why?" Carter asked. "If the Goa'uld haven't been here for centuries, and you haven't had any problems, why would you need to keep stockpiling weapons?"
Lofar exchanged a nervous glance with Ayi before sighing. "We are at war, Carter."
Jack swayed, clutching onto Daniel for support. He fought off the haziness that always accompanied these vivid flashbacks. To his surprise, Daniel grabbed his arm, his grip strong and steady, and helped keep Jack from buckling under his own weight. Quietly, they supported each other as they made their way back to the truck.
Jack arrived at his cabin in the late afternoon. By now, the sun was low in the sky, lighting the pond aglow with little shimmers of orange and red. Though, even from the bumpy road, he could see that the cabin hadn't been touched in years. The surrounding woodland had become overgrown, encroaching the cabin itself, and the path down to the pond was full of weeds. He didn't even want to think about the condition of the water.
Sighing, he put the truck in park. He needed a few minutes to clear his head, and try to process what was happening. The flashbacks left him drained, almost as if he'd been through hell and back. Not only that, they left him disoriented and confused.
Especially his latest flashback. He had gotten the impression the people of Aria were a fearful bunch, hiding to protect themselves from harm. Why would they turn around and torture the both of them? Had they found something that caused the people to turn on them?
Carter and Teal'c said the natives had lied to them. Jack assumed that the last flashbacks solved that mystery. They lied to protect themselves. No? There was more?
War? What war?
Why the hell couldn't he just remember so he could put these memories behind him and get on with his life?
Grumbling under his breath, Jack swung the door open and slammed it behind him. He'd spooked Daniel, but he didn't care. He just wanted this to end already.
Pausing, Jack took a moment to survey the area. It was going to take a few minutes to clean things up so they could sit outside and enjoy some downtime, but he could handle it. Besides, Carter and Teal'c would probably be here any minute. He was surprised they hadn't beaten him to the cabin, waiting to lock him up and throw away the key. Instead, the whole area was eerily quiet.
"Okay," he said, opening the car door and patting Daniel on the shoulder. He roused the tired but still sleepless man into focusing on him. "Time to get out and stretch our legs."
After a few minutes of quick clean up, Jack had settled two chairs by the deck, grabbed Daniel's stuff, and had taken out his fishing equipment. As an extra safety precaution, Jack had dug out an old life jacket too, and had struggled to fit it on a fussy Daniel. He obviously wasn't pleased, pouting and puffing out his lips as he tugged at the jacket, but he would have to get used to it.
Jack thought maybe a distraction was all that Daniel needed. He had brought the duffel bag, and wedged it between the two of them, just in case Daniel wanted some of his belongings. But to Jack's surprise, Daniel had nothing to do with the bag, his sad gaze settling onto the soft ripples of the pond.
"What?" Jack asked, readjusting his fishing pole so he could lean closer to Daniel. He placed a supportive hand on his shoulder. "Just relax."
"Sam," Daniel whispered. "Sam."
"Carter's not here," Jack said curtly. "So relax."
"Sam." He looked out into the forest, almost as if he expected her to just appear out of nowhere. "Sam. Teal'c."
"Later, Daniel," Jack told him. "Now just sit there and enjoy the view."
Daniel sighed and leaned back, slumping into the chair. He cast his eyes downward, wringing his hands nervously.
Hands that no longer held any trace of blood.
When Jack had first noticed it, he had been unsettled, receiving confirmation that he was a nutcase. Daniel was fine, not a scratch on his body, no evidence that whatever had occurred in the truck had ever happened.
Jack was dangerous. Daniel would be in danger the longer he stayed with him.
Carter had been right. Dammit, she had been right.
If Jack continued to walk that fine line between reality and fantasy, how could he possibly help Daniel? How could he convince Carter that Daniel didn't have to be shipped off to Hammond and that he belonged here with them?
He realized that he couldn't. He couldn't since he'd started to believe it himself. Daniel would be better off with Hammond, or with people that would keep him safe and out of danger. People that could give him what he deserved. Jack couldn't do that.
This would be the last time he would see Daniel.
Sighing, Jack slumped deeper into his chair, mimicking the sorrow that was emanating from Daniel. After a moment, he shifted uneasily, feeling Daniel's eyes on him. Unable to stand his intense stare, Jack forced himself to look at him.
Jack turned to Daniel. Daniel turned to Jack. In that moment, they knew the end was at hand. At one time, Daniel might have held a flustered expression of panic, or shock, or even openness as he searched for Jack's guidance, but now, his eyes held the pain of their grim reality.
Jack jolted, his heart pounding from the sheer depth of sorrow that came from his latest flashback. When he gaped at Daniel, searching the man for any sign of understanding, anything that could help Jack piece this puzzle together, he only was met with his regretful expression.
"Daniel?" he asked.
"Sorry," he whispered in response.
"Sorry?" Jack repeated. "What? Daniel…"
Did Daniel remember what happened ten years ago? Did Daniel have those memories in tact? Could…Daniel read his mind?
Jack thought back to all the different times they'd been together over the past few weeks. There were instances where it seemed as if Daniel was cut off from the world, and yet there were other times when it was like Daniel was right there with him, understanding everything that was happening. Then, there was the incident in the truck.
That was too bizarre for Jack. No way.
He was having another mental delusion. He must be doing everything he could to keep himself in denial.
But still…
Scowling at Daniel, demanding answers with his hard glare, Jack leaned closer. "Daniel, do you know what happened? Do you?"
Daniel gave him a half-hearted smile before quickly diverting his sad gaze back to the pond. Jack shuddered at the reaction.
That was all he needed to know.
"Tell me what happened," Jack demanded. "You're the only one that can give me a straight answer!"
Daniel squirmed uncomfortably, pushing away from Jack. His chair teetered from the unbalanced weight, swaying a little too close to the edge of the deck. Quickly, Jack steadied him, bringing the protesting man closer. Daniel still refused to look at him.
"Daniel, I need for you to tell me what happened."
He winced, screwing his eyes shut. "I try," he whispered, pain laced throughout his voice. Bringing the heel of his palm to his head, he smacked himself once. "Try. I try."
Jack brought his hand away from his face before he hurt himself. Squeezing his shoulder softly, Jack tried to be as supportive as possible. "Try harder."
Daniel shook his head.
"It's important. Now tell me what you know," Jack said sternly. "I don't exactly have the time to pussy foot around the subject here."
"Eh-I—"
"Daniel." When he saw Daniel begin to bend over, curling on himself, he stopped him, struggling to keep him focused. "Daniel, talk to me."
"They came!" Daniel blurted out suddenly, panting hard. "Came! Went…down." He inhaled sharply. "Boom!"
Even this far into the castle, the blast was enough to penetrate and jeopardize the integrity of the walls of the small room. Jack braced himself by grabbing onto the corner of one of the lab tables, casting a wary glance over some of the shaking equipment.
The lab was the last place he wanted to be right now.
"Alright," he said aloud, instructing SG-1 to stay close with the flick of his wrist. "It's been nice, and we'd love to stay and chat, but we'll be heading back to the Gate now."
"Jack…"
Jack held up his hand, not even bothering to look back at Daniel. They were not staying. Not this time. Not now.
And he wasn't going to Carter on this one, either. Despite the fact she was the leader of SG-1, this was Jack's call. Daniel knew it.
High Lofar nodded sadly. "Be—"
"They have broken through the West Wall!" one of the attendants shouted. "Our security has been compromised!"
The High's eyes widened. Snapping her head to Jack, she searched him pleadingly. "Doom has come for us."
"What?" Jack asked, willing himself back to reality. Breathing hard, he grabbed onto Daniel, afraid to lose the man to the depths of the murky pond. "What? Who came? Not the Aria?"
"Lies," Daniel sobbed. "Lies."
"What lies!" Frustrated, Jack realized he was beginning to shout and possibly scare Daniel. But all this turmoil for a month…"They lied to us, I know! What lies? More? They did more?"
Ayi grabbed Daniel's arm, halting him. "The mind tells tales," she warned. She slipped something into his hands, and squeezed them tightly. "Arm yourself."
Daniel frowned, but nodded slowly. Jack didn't have time for more chitchat. With a swift yank, he pulled Daniel away from the woman, and dragged him towards the exit.
They had little time. They had to make use of every minute they had.
Jack shook, feeling dizzy. Who the hell were these people? They lied to them about their weapons and then they offer advice? It didn't make any sense. Just how insane had Jack become?
He felt like there was a war going on in his mind, like there was a struggle of wills. All battling…
Jack stared. War? They'd walked into a nation at war?
"With whom are you at war?" Teal'c asked evenly.
"We need to have means of protecting ourselves from the Decreed," Ayi answered.
Decreed? Damn, this was sounding worse and worse by the minute. If Jack had known they were getting involved with a race that was a warring people, without understanding any of the reasons…
Frowning, he shot a disapproving look to Carter.
"We didn't know, Sir," she answered to his silent reproach.
"Who-who are the Decreed?" Daniel asked.
The High, nodding once to Ayi. The younger woman quickly exited the room.
"They were once with us," Lofar said sadly. "Only, after time, they began to twist the old ways. They have become to believe that our oppressors were truly gods and that they are the rightful descendents to their rule."
Jack groaned inwardly, rubbing his forehead. Not another civil war.
"They believe they should take the place of the Evil Ones as leaders of this land." She gazed at Jack, her expression on the verge of pleading. "They have weapons they will use to enslave us, as the Evil Ones once had. They will destroy us."
"Ma'am," Jack said, trying to put this as kindly as he could. "We've run into situations like this in the past. We can't get involved in a planet's, a country's, whatever, political unrest."
"This is why you weren't truthful, wasn't it?" Daniel asked. "You were afraid we'd turn our backs on you?"
She nodded quietly.
Jack wasn't going to allow Daniel to get them involved this time. "How do we know that you're telling the truth?" Jack asked, his gaze hard. He remembered the mess on Euronda and he wasn't about to go there again. "How do we know that it's not the Decreed that are good guys and you're the bad guys?"
"I can understand your hesitation and your reluctance. But we would not have been so dishonest if we were not desperate."
"Lofar is a kind and wise ruler," Ayi said, returning with a large book in her head. She bowed to Daniel and handed it to him. "She can see the just and the fair, or else she would have never have showed you what you have seen."
"The labs," Carter said. "You showed us your labs because you trusted us."
"Yes," Lofar said, pleased. "We also allowed for your doctor to test and study our medical equipment even though he is not a medical scholar."
Daniel's head shot up at that remark. Even Jack had to admit that one had thrown him.
"Oh my God," Carter said, her eyes widening.
Whatever she had realized, the light struck Daniel as well. "Of course you know. You could sense my hesitation. You're not quite human. You're empathic people."
"What?" Jack asked.
"Empathic. They can feel what we feel." Daniel blinked with surprise. "You can tell when were being truthful, or deceitful, when we're happy or nervous, or even if we're decent or unjust, can't you?"
If Lofar wasn't pleased before, she was now. "Yes."
"But, you're history and Earth, I thought…"
Lofar pointed to the book in Daniel's hands. "Some of us were taken from your world. Some of us were not. Between the blending of two kinds, we became what we are now. This book is a gift to you, for you to study our ways and understand us. It is what you desire."
Daniel nodded in that way where Jack knew these people had just received his seal of approval. Time to draw things back to the here and now. "Which is fine and all," Jack said, interrupting the party, "but I still can't just authorize support in your war. When we make contact with a people, we make contact with all of them."
"I see," Lofar said sorrowfully. "This is a sad day for us, but we understand. Though, you understand then we cannot just give our technologies to you freely? I have the interests of my people at hand."
Jack just knew she was going to say that. Of course they wouldn't be walking away with any freebies. "Yeah, we know."
"Though, perhaps our peoples will be able to continue a discourse together? For a time when the warring days are over?"
"We'd like that a lot," Jack said sending her a smile, a genuine one.
"Then perhaps this day was not so sad after all," she said brightly. "Come with me. I shall show you back on your way."
Jack and SG-1 packed up and headed towards the exit. While Jack was unhappy that his trip through the Gate hadn't worked out as planned, he could at least report back to his superiors they might have a future ally. With some more trips and some negotiations, they might be able to tease out the truth on Aria, and figure out just what was going on here. When that day came, and if it turned out they could make a peaceful deal, then maybe the trip wouldn't come across as such a waste in the end.
"Your history is fascinating," he heard Daniel say to Ayi and Lofar. Then he paused. "I get to keep the book, right?"
Just about everyone in their party laughed at the request. "Yes," the queen said. "It is our gift to you."
They had begun their descent back down the stairs, when a young man gasping and struggling for air greeted them. When he finally caught his breath, he pointed vaguely to the west, his eyes wide.
"High Lofar, they have come! The day is here! They will take us this day!"
"It wasn't them," Jack said slowly, opening his eyes. He found Daniel leaning into him, holding him like a vice. "It never was them."
Daniel shook his head, confirming Jack's worst fears.
Removing Daniel from him, he slumped back into his seat. "Carter and Teal'c lied."
His old team, torn and splintered. Why would Carter and Teal'c lie to him? He could have bought the tale Carter told him over the phone, about wanting to protect them, about wanting to allow them to live without those painful memories plaguing their lives. But why would they lie about what happened?
Daniel would be leaving with them. This nightmare would start all over again.
"They lied. Son of a bitch. They lied," Jack muttered, glaring at the water.
Dejected, Daniel stared into the forest. Jack thought he looked a little green, and for the first time since Jack had started to visit Daniel, he noticed the younger man's eyes were sunken. Uneasy, Jack leaned forward, studying him more closely.
"No," Daniel told him, without breaking his distant gaze.
"No? What 'no?'"
"No," he said simply. "Liar."
Jack sighed, scrubbing at the back of his neck. "I know. Carter and Teal'c lied to us. And don't you know I'm going to rip them one once they get here."
"No."
Jack glared at him. "Daniel, they—"
"Liar. Lies." His voice was biting. Turning to Jack, he glared at him with an intensity he hadn't seen in this Daniel since the beginning of this ordeal. "You lie."
The accusation stung him down to his core, leaving Jack numb. The most coherent thing Daniel had said to him was laced with anger, pain, and fear.
It was aimed at him. Solely for him.
He didn't know what to say. Daniel had to be delusional. When had Jack ever lied to him? Recently, that is. He couldn't even remember what happened. He'd lost ten years of his life to some memory less vacuum.
How could this be his fault?
Jack tried not to get angry, but he couldn't help himself. Him? Lying to Daniel? Where did he get off thinking that?
Then again, Daniel could barely take care of himself, Jack told himself, biting down the worst of his irritation. Daniel didn't know what he was saying.
"Tired now," Daniel said at last, his tone full of defeat. He pulled his shaking hands close to his stomach, bending over so low he nearly lost his glasses. "So tired."
Maybe it was the lack of sleep that was affecting Daniel. Standing, Jack pushed back his chair and helped Daniel to his feet, slowly guiding him back towards the cabin. Jack ignored his own aches and pains, and the stiffness in his right side, concentrating on supporting Daniel as best he could.
"You know," Jack said after awhile, as he led Daniel into the bedroom. "You'd think a lot clearer if you'd just go to sleep like a normal person. This is what years of coffee addiction will do to a guy," he joked.
Daniel didn't laugh. He did allow Jack to help him into the bed, though, a sign to Jack that Daniel needed rest in the worst way. Stepping back, Jack couldn't help but think Daniel looked like he was beyond help, as he lay there curled up in a ball, lost among Jack's sheets.
"I'm going to put some dogs and burgers on the grill while you take a little nap," Jack told him, pulling the covers over Daniel's huddled body. He slipped off his glasses and put them on the nightstand. "We'll all be rested, have some grub, and talk things over when Teal'c and Carter get here." Jack forced a small smile, knowing what he was about to say was in fact a lie. "It'll be like old times."
He gave a quick reassuring pat to Daniel's covered leg and headed for the door. He paused when he heard Daniel's small voice call out to him.
"Stay," he whispered. "Stay."
Jack hesitated. There was desperation running through Daniel's trembling voice. He didn't know if that was the lack of sleep talking, confusion over being on medication and then abruptly stopping, or if Daniel had become accustomed to Jack's company.
"I'll be right outside. Call me if you need anything."
"Stay," Daniel said again. "Stay for Sam. Teal'c. Stay."
Jack didn't understand. "I'm right here, Daniel. Right outside."
"Promise."
"Okay, sure, I promise," he vowed, humoring Daniel. "I'll stay for Carter and Teal'c."
Daniel's gaze rolled to Jack. "Promise?"
"I said, yeah. Promise."
A soft but sad smile touched Daniel's lips. For the first time, Jack thought Daniel actually appeared to be at peace. Then, slowly he closed his eyes and drifted into slumber.
"Alright, Daniel. Let's go!" Jack shouted from outside the bedroom. He rapped on the door twice. "Food's going to get cold."
Jack coughed, wiping his hands on a towel as he waited for Daniel to get his ass out of bed. Getting impatient, Jack called him again, realizing that this Daniel was as good at following his orders as the old one had been ten years ago. After a few more minutes, Jack had just about had it, and marched into the bedroom to rouse him.
"Get up," Jack told him, shaking him gently. "Let's go."
When Daniel didn't respond, Jack shook him more forcefully, determined to have him on his feet for when Teal'c and Carter arrived. He threw off the sheets, shaking him once more.
"Come on already, Daniel," Jack muttered. "Get up."
Jack laid a hand on Daniel's cheek only to withdraw it sharply.
He was cold.
Cold. Unnaturally cold.
Jack stumbled back, losing his composure as the reality hit him in the face. It only took him a second to regroup, and spur into action. He did his best to push down his fears and his doubts, propelling himself into military mode. Reaching out with shaking hands, Jack swept his palm in front of Daniel's parted lips. Feeling nothing, Jack cursed, and pushed his fingers into his neck, searching, praying for a pulse.
"Come on," Jack whispered, aggravated and terrified. "Daniel, come on."
His composure didn't last long. It couldn't. He wasn't young anymore, and the years of war and stress had taken its toll. He'd lost his family, so many of his friends. A soldier, battled hardened…that was who he was. Who he had been made to be. But now, ten years later, ten years of living in nothingness and lies, he couldn't take it.
Desperately, he fumbled around Daniel's neck, at his limp wrists, just looking for something, anything, even it was the faintest beat. He leaned closer, resting his head near Daniel's mouth and he continued to search.
"No, Daniel. Don't do this to me." Still nothing. No breath. No warmth. Nothing. "Dan. Daniel! Daniel, come on, now. Come on!" He shouted. "Breathe for me. Don't you die, Daniel. Get up!"
Jack stood, running his trembling hands through his hair. Twenty minutes. He'd left Daniel alone for twenty minutes. Was it another stroke? A heart attack? God, why did he bring him here in the first place?
He wasn't going to lose him. He couldn't accept what had happened.
Struggling against Daniel's weight, Jack attempted to roll the man onto his back. There was no time to call the paramedics and they were too far into the woodland for them to make a difference. Jack was going to have to do his best to remember the tenets of CPR and first aid that he'd learned years ago.
He needed a defibrillator.
Jack leaned over him, again trying to position Daniel so he could assist him. But instead Jack slipped, and fell to the floor, wrenching his back, and knocking the wind out himself. Even worse, he'd tangled himself with Daniel's cold limbs, bringing the man down on top of him. Jack groaned, feeling the pain throbbing on his right side as he lay immobile on the floor, trapped under the weight of his lifeless friend.
"Daniel," Jack said, struggling to keep his voice from crackling. "Just breathe, dammit. Breathe!"
He couldn't move. Daniel wasn't breathing. Daniel's heart had stopped. Daniel was gone, and Jack was powerless to help him, to revive him.
Jack cried out, calling for help, for anything. For it to be all a dream or a hallucination. Just anything to undo what was happening.
"Come on," Jack said, pushing against Daniel, determined to keep struggling, despite the weakness he felt in his limbs, and the pain flaring through his body. He ignored the blood pounding at his temples, and grunted as he tried to move Daniel to his side. "Daniel, get up! Dammit, listen to me! You're not dying here!"
As Jack fought to rise to his feet and untangle himself from Daniel, he froze, shocked to see the silhouette of a woman standing in the doorway to his bedroom. As recognition registered in his mind, Jack breathed a sigh of relief.
"Carter!" Thank God for Carter. "Daniel needs attention now."
"Sir!" she called back, rushing into the room.
Sir? Jack blinked at her, studying her with confusion as her image clarified and came into sharper focus. She was dressed in military fatigues, her hair short, her face lined with worry, but not with the baggage of a life gone wrong.
"Carter?"
Carter kneeled by his side, dropping her fingers to Daniel's neck. Her eyes widening, she snapped her head to her left and started yelling.
"I need a medical team over here! They're here!" she shouted into the forest.
Forest? Jack turned his head, watching as the cabin melted and fragmented into splinters, revealing a forest of mixed browns, greens, yellows and reds, contrasting sharply with the pale blue gray sky that hovered over him.
"Carter…" he let his voice trail, feeling light.
"Stay with me, Sir," she said, bringing him back to awareness. "I need you to stay with me."
Jack nodded, but found it hard to concentrate. Everyone was talking, all in hushed muted sounds. He felt as if he were on fire and freezing at the same time. The pounding wouldn't stop.
Daniel. He remembered Daniel.
"Daniel!" he shouted, struggling to sit up.
Carter held him in place. That was when Jack realized Teal'c was with them, and Daniel was no longer pressed onto his stomach. Somewhere, sometime, they'd peeled Daniel from him.
"Daniel?" he asked again, surveying the surrounding area.
"It's going to be, okay, Sir," Carter said to him, her voice strong but soothing. "Just be still and let the doctor look at you."
There was a doc around, too? Sure enough, some guy, Jack couldn't recall his name, had moved to kneel beside Carter. His face looked haggard, and he spoke but no words came from his lips.
The doctor was shaking him, but Jack was too concerned with everything else. He saw Teal'c standing over him, some field medics buzzing to and fro like flies, but he couldn't find Daniel.
His head hurt. He couldn't think straight. Everything was fuzzy.
"O'Neill, you must keep still for the doctor to attend to you."
That was the last he'd heard from Teal'c. The Jaffa had moved into the group of medics, and for a moment, Jack thought he saw some of the Aria. Ayi was her name? She was hanging in the back, crying. She'd been crying.
Jack inhaled sharply, hissing at the doctor when he pressed his hand to Jack's right side. "It's been wrapped well," he commented. "He did a good job. This will make things easier. I need a stretcher over here!"
Wrapped up…what was he some kind of mummy? Strangely, he couldn't help but think back to the toy he'd given Daniel. How ironic.
Jack hissed again, feeling the doctor press on the wound again. "Hold still, General," he said to him.
The pain…
The sound of a volley of shots rang through the air, slicing through the serene crispness of the cool morning sky. Grunts, screams, and silence.
Daniel dropped to his knees. Blood flowed like a river.
Jack frowned, shivering as he felt the cool air flutter over his body. Still flashbacks? Was he creating another fantasy?
"We're going to take you back through the Gate, Sir," Carter said to him, pronouncing her words slowly and deliberately. "Do you understand me?"
Jack nodded, wondering what the hell her problem was. Hallucination? Another dream?
Despite his affirmation that he understood them, Carter and the doctor exchanged a nervous glance, as if they were questioning his sanity. Again.
"We don't know how his mind was affected. We'll take all the precautions, Colonel."
"What the hell?" he snapped, swatting them away from him. "Get lost. I want to have a word with her." He pointed to Ayi. "They've been messing with us from the start. Where's Daniel? Go help him and leave me alone."
A small smile broke over Carter's face, but it was tempered with pain and worry as she kept stealing glances to somewhere over his left shoulder. "It's good to have you back, Sir."
The intensity of the emotion in her features caused him to pause, his hand slowly making its way to his right side. There, he found the remnants of a sticky cloth, pressed hard and wrapped tightly to his side. He smelled of blood, vomit, and burnt flesh. He gagged, withdrawing his hand with shock.
Daniel dropped to his knees. Blood flowed like a river.
No, it was different…
Gasping, Daniel rushed to Jack's side, pressing his hand on his abdomen. Then, filled with rage, Daniel dropped to his knees, withdrawing his berretta, firing with brutal anger into the forested landscape. There was a sharp cry from the distance as the enemy fell, rolling down the hill. But not before…
Daniel yelped, stumbling back as the projectile embedded itself deep into his chest.
Blood flowed like a river.
Jack's…blood flowed like a river.
"Damn, I've been shot," he muttered with realization. He'd been shot. Staff blast. Again. "Dammit!"
Jack found himself panting, struggling against the soldiers that were trying to keep him in place as they waited for the stretcher. Carter had vanished along with Teal'c, leaving him alone with a bunch of young idiots, and the doctor he couldn't remember.
Pushing one of them away, a young woman who was blocking his view, he finally was able to spot Teal'c and Carter. They were to his left, huddled over…Daniel. Doctors, medics, everyone that wasn't with Jack were swarmed around him.
Carter shifted and Jack saw. Hell, Jack saw too much.
Daniel was laying there, flat on the ground, his blood soaked hands in direct contrast to the green grass under him. One of his limp hands still rested on his radio. With lips parted, Daniel wore a haunted expression, his lifeless eyes staring straight at him.
Daniel…died.
Wet, dirty, covered in mud and vomit, and strangely pale, Daniel appeared to be only a shell of himself. Sad, sunken eyes stared back at Jack, only emphasizing Daniel's empty hollowed cheeks. If Jack hadn't known better, he would have thought Daniel had walked straight out of a zombie movie…
Dead.
Dead, with a small metallic sliver attached to his left temple.
Staring at Daniel with horror, Jack reached up and touched his own left temple, feeling the same object.
What had happened?
"Get the paddles!" one of the doctors shouted. "Stand back, here we go."
With morbid fascination, he watched as they worked on Daniel. Pumping hard, trying to revive him. He wanted to do something, to be there. He should be doing something.
"Get up," he whispered. "Get up."
Time seemed to slow, or stop. Jack didn't have much of a handle on time, his mind still foggy, his body throbbing with intensity. All he knew was that he was now being led away, removed farther and farther from Carter, Teal'c, and Daniel, as he was dragged back towards the Gate.
But despite the fact he was going home, and leaving death and destruction behind him, the stench followed him, trailed him back to Earth, and invaded the privacy of his dreams.
