As each chevron locked into place the SG1 team took defensive cover. Too far away from the gate to see the address, the moment the first traveller set foot upon Rekhyt, it was obvious that the Goa'uld had arrived. First came the foot soldiers with their snake-head armour and staff weapons, then their commander for the mission, Zelmar, who replaced Teal'c as the first prime of Apophis.
"Oh crap!" exclaimed O'Neill as he readied his weapon for a confrontation. Stealthily, SG1 moved into a formation that, through training and experience, had proven to be most effective against their enemy.
As Apophis' men approached, Jack silently counted down, using sign language so as not to give away their position or the advantage of surprise before the battle commenced. Three…two…one…
O'Neill's and Carter's P90 sub-machine guns spat into life. Teal'c discharged his staff weapon and Daniel Jackson joined the fray with his standard issue 9mm Beretta. The foot soldiers began to drop, one-by-one, but not without a fight. The returning fire set trees and shrubs ablaze as the energy glanced off the rocks behind which SG1 sheltered. Suddenly, a blast from a Goa'uld staff weapon hit its target - Daniel lay motionless on the ground. Unable to reach their friend as the battle continued, the rest of the team fought on harder still until the last of the enemy had fallen.
Sam was the first to reach Daniel. He was badly wounded and had lost a lot of blood. "Sir, we need to get medical help or he'll die. I can only feel a feint pulse."
"Well we can't use the gate, it's not secure," O'Neill declared.
"We've got to get him to the village. At least there we can get help."
"What? From a bunch of kids?"
"Sir, we don't have any other option."
"OK. Teal'c, do you think you can carry him?"
"I can."
Fortunately, it wasn't far to the village as Teal'c carried his friend across his broad shoulders. As he gently lay Daniel down upon his bunk, Sam became visibly more concerned for their friend.
Yasram witnessed the team return to the village and he too was distressed to see Daniel in such a bad way. "What has happened to your friend?"
"He's been hit by a Goa'uld weapon. Do you have a doctor, any medical supplies?"
"No, we have never had any need for them."
Daniel's heart stopped beating and he ceased breathing. Sam unstrapped Daniel's combat waistcoat and ripped open his khaki shirt sending buttons ricocheting in all directions, before commencing with mouth to mouth and chest compressions.
"Sir, I need your help!"
Without a second thought O'Neill moved to take over the heart massage as Sam maintained Daniel's breathing. After approximately one minute of continuous CPR, Sam checked Daniel's pulse again. "It's feint, but he's alive!"
Jack was visibly relieved if not somewhat exhausted. Even Teal'c was seen to exhale with a subtle smile.
Yasram bolted for the door leaving the remaining occupants vaguely bewildered by his actions.
"You alright?" Jack asked Sam.
She nodded, but it was clear that she too needed some rest. A tender moment passed between them as they realised just how close they had both come to losing someone they care about.
Changing the subject to dispel the awkward silence, Jack announced "Teal'c, how about you and I head back out to the Stargate to make sure all those nasty snake-heads have gone. No offence…"
"None is taken."
After O'Neill and Teal'c had gone, Yasram returned with a small bowl of water. "Here," he offered. "Bathe his wounds with this and pour a little into a small cup to keep his lips moist. When he wakes, try and get him to drink a little."
"What is it?" Sam asked.
"Trust me, please. It will make him well again."
Sam complied with Yasram's instructions and decanted a small amount of liquid into a beaker. Using clean gauze, she soothed and dressed Daniel's wounds with the remainder. It was going to be a long night and none of the SG1 team were sure that their friend and colleague was going to survive until the morning.
Jack and Teal'c returned to the place of the earlier battle only to find that all the dead Goa'uld had gone. "That's a little weird," remarked Jack.
"I suspect that their bodies have been vaporised," explained Teal'c in a very matter-of-fact tone.
The Stargate area, too, had suffered little more than a few bullet holes and scorch marks, the only evidence to there ever being any kind of skirmish. O'Neill dialled home and sent a radio transmission direct to General George Hammond back in Cheyenne Mountain, the top secret base that is home to Stargate command, also known as the SGC. His report outlined their circumstances, Daniel's condition and a request for SG4 together with a medical team to be dispatched as soon as was physically possible.
SG4 and the medical team, lead by Dr Janet Frasier, arrived through the Stargate less than an hour after Colonel O'Neill had sent his message. It proved to be a sombre reunion. SG4's orders were to secure the Stargate and prevent Apophis from making any return visits. Jack and Teal'c lead the way back to the village, fearful that the help that they had brought with them would be too late.
At the cottage, Dr Frasier took over from Sam. Daniel's condition had stabilised, but in her opinion, he was not in any condition to be moved. She would have to do the best she could where they were. It was not the news the team wanted to hear.
Assuming the liquid in the beaker to be plain water, Dr Frasier carefully moistened Daniel's lips where they had become dry and him dehydrated. Janet also removed Daniel's bandages so that she could examine his wounds. Sam was shocked by what she saw. "That's not possible! When I dressed his wounds, they were…well, they were far more serious than they are now!" she exclaimed.
"I don't understand, are you saying that these injuries have somehow healed themselves in the past hour or so?"
"I can't explain it, but yes! All I did was bathe his wounds in the water that Yasram had brought me, and dress them in standard field bandages, and I'm telling you that his injuries were far worse than they are now."
Jack nodded confirmation of what Sam had said.
"Indeed," acknowledged Teal'c.
"Well, I don't know what they put in the water around here, but it's doing far more good than anything I could offer him."
"Of course, the water! Sir, perhaps this is why there is no evidence of adults here in the village. If this water has the regenerative powers that it appears to, perhaps as the villagers drink it, wash in it etc, it continues to regenerate their bodies keeping them looking young - like children!"
"A kind of Fountain of Youth?"
"Yes! That's it exactly. Do you realise the possibilities of this liquid? It could cure untreatable diseases, heal life threatening injuries…"
"Do wonders for the anti-aging corporations…"
"Yes. Can you imagine never having to grow old?"
"Doc, take a sample of that stuff and get it analysed when we get back home."
Dr Frasier dutifully poured a small sample into a sterile specimen bottle and packed it carefully away in her medical kit. Her first duty, however, was to her patient.
Throughout the night SG1 kept a vigil at Daniel's bedside. Teal'c sat cross legged on his bunk in an attempt to practice his 'Kel-nor-reem', but either the conditions were not right, or he could not concentrate, for he was unable to maintain his meditation for very long; Sam sat at the table, her head resting on her folded arms. Exhaustion carrying her into a fitful sleep. Jack, on the other hand, could not settle. He paced up and down the room occasionally stopping to check on his friend's progress.
The water was doing its job. The wounds were definitely healing, slowly at first but with increasing rapidity. Daniel's overall condition was improving too. His blood pressure had stabilised, his breathing had become more regular and his pulse was almost normal.
Suddenly, Daniel's fingers flinched. Jack and Janet both witnessed it. "Don't get too excited," she warned. "It could just be a reflex action following the trauma he's received."
But it didn't stop there. Next, Daniel's eyes fluttered as he blinked away the darkness that had engulfed him for the duration of his unconsciousness.
"Hey, Danny boy - it's good to have you back!" Jack greeted cheerfully.
Jack's fuzzy image sharpened as Daniel's eyes adjusted to the light and began to focus properly. By the time Teal'c and Sam had joined Jack at his bedside, Daniel was trying to sit up. Dr Frasier held him back, insisting that he rest for a while longer.
"Wh-what happened? Last thing I remember…we were fighting the Goa'uld," panic increasing in Daniel's voice.
"Yeah, and we almost lost you," Jack spoke softly and reassuringly. "It's OK now, the Goa'uld are gone and you are going to be just fine."
"Yasram brought us some water. We think its what saved your life. It has amazing healing powers and, we believe, some sort of regenerative properties. That's why there are no adults around here, the water is what makes them appear so young."
Daniel blinked again, trying to take in all this information. His wounds were healing, but his mind remained foggy with the pain. Dr Frasier offered Daniel the cup of water to drink from. He took a couple of sips and lay back down to rest. She also gave him 5cc of sedative to help him sleep.
"You get some rest now - doctor's orders!" she smiled. Daniel grinned back, closed his eyes and slept soundly until morning. The rest of the team were now able to get some much needed rest too, sound in the knowledge that their friend was going to be alright.
Dawn heralded a beautiful colourwash of oranges and pinks leading into a crisp clear blue sky. It was time for SG1 and their colleagues to leave. Before going, Nirak came up to the group and gave Jack one of the moulted feathers from his best hunting falcon. "I heard that you stopped the Luminopti from entering our world, we are very grateful. This is so you remember us."
"Thank you, but we won't forget."
"You are leaving now?" asked Yasram seeing the four travellers packed up and ready to go.
"Yes. I think I owe you a great debt," Daniel began. "You saved my life."
"It is a gift from Horus," Yasram bowed slightly and smiled.
"Then I thank him too," Daniel bowed reverently too.
"OK, kids…erm, team, time to move out," instructed Jack.
Daniel's right arm was in a sling, but the wounds had almost completely healed. Only the faintest of scars remained to even say that he had been injured at all. With his left hand, he dialled the address to return to Earth. As the wormhole established and cascaded back into a rippling pool of energy, Daniel once again turned to thank Yasram. "Perhaps, we might return one day and examine further the writings in the cave?"
"I hope so. You will always be welcome here in Rekhyt."
"Thank you," Daniel placed his good hand on Yasram's shoulder before turning to leave with the rest of his team.
A few days later, SG1, Dr Frasier and General Hammond sat around the large oval table in the briefing room to discuss their latest mission. Dr Frasier had received the results back from the liquid that they had brought back from P3X-781.
"I have run every test imaginable on that liquid and each time the result comes back the same…it's water. Normal H2O!"
"How can that be?" asked Sam in disbelief.
"I have no idea," she replied shaking her head.
Daniel, on the other hand, just smiled.
THE END
28th March 2005.
