Keep those reviews coming guys. I love them. Thanks to Froggy 0319; Spacejunkie82 and Revvie-S. Glad you're enjoying this.

DISTANT MEMORIES

By Lingren

Previously:

He studied their eager faces. Delight was clearly evident in their features when he turned to face them. The woman gasped in relief and flashed him the biggest smile he'd ever seen and not only did it stir his inner thoughts but surprisingly, his desire too. So who was she?

Chapter 6

"Jack what happened?" Daniel was concerned about Jack's injury, but was overjoyed that he was still alive. "We thought you were dead...I mean they told us you'd died."

Tobin shrugged, and shook his head.

"No. Only wounded," he replied cautiously.

For long moments nothing was said whilst Tobin stood there thinking hard, trying to recall more of his life. He'd been told when he'd woken up previously in the hospital, that a bomb blast had given him concussion resulting in selective amnesia and that, given time, his memory would eventually return.

"Colonel," the woman began. "We were really worried about you. At first we were told you were probably imprisoned in another camp..."

"Imprisoned?" he gasped in disbelief. "Me? Why should I be?"

"Well, because we are," Daniel answered, a little puzzled by Jack's incredulous expression.

"So?"

"Jack what happened at the gate? Were you wounded in that fight? They said you'd been killed when we came through the gate."

"Nope! I'm still here. Near miss though!" he answered wryly, wondering how they knew of the blast that almost took him out. "But what's this gate you talk of?"

"Colonel?"

"Jack? The Stargate of course! Look, we're really glad you're okay, but you have got to get us out of here!" Daniel insisted.

Tobin studied them in silence for another long minute then looked straight at the woman.

"Why?"

"Why?" Sam squeaked in disbelief.

"Perhaps because we're your team Jack!" Daniel replied sarcastically, wondering what was going on.

"You know me?" Tobin asked. "You know who I am?"

"Sir?" Sam questioned, stunned by this question.

Tobin frowned. 'Sir'? he wondered. Since when does a woman call him 'sir'?

"Jack?" Daniel fretted, worriedly. Jack was acting strange, and in some way he wondered if Jack was trying to wind them up for some sick joke of his. But then, Daniel could see that Jack's face held a mixture of seriousness and curiosity.

"Just answer the damn question. I asked you if you really know me?" he snapped getting frustrated.

"What kind of a stupid question is that anyway? Of course we know you..." Daniel sighed.

"Daniel wait!" Sam said, and Tobin was certain he knew then that that was indeed the man's name. Daniel, he mused. It suited him, but what was his other name. A Doctor came to mind, but he didn't look like a medic.

He stared long and hard at Sam, his mind replaying the dreams of her. One name sprung to mind which he uttered, half afraid that it would break the spell, and half afraid to face the uncertain part of his life.

"You're Therra?" he asked tentatively, seeing in his mind's eye her face backlit by flickering flames again and wondering how it could be so. The name had suddenly popped into his head.

By the stunned look on her face he wondered if he'd been so wrong. Perhaps he'd been mistaken somehow. Another woman, another place maybe; it was dark wherever it had been. She'd visibly paled at the sound of the name and Daniel had taken her elbow as if to hold her up.

"Oh God!" Sam gulped, shocked. He hadn't called her that in over a year. Why? Why now?

"No sir!" she answered reluctantly. "It was for a short while a long time ago, but it's S..."

"Sam?" he gasped suddenly. "Your name is Sam! Am I right?" Maybe he did know them after all.

"Yes sir! It is Sam. Sam Carter. Major Samantha Carter, Colonel. Your second in command."

"What?" he exclaimed with a surprised snort. A woman soldier. This was just too weird. Everyone knew that women never took up arms.

Daniel looked at him in astonishment wondering whether he'd somehow stepped through another one of those quantum mirrors, and that this Jack wasn't the Jack they thought him to be.

"Sam?"

"It's okay Daniel, I think I know what's happened," she whispered. "Amnesia if I'm correct. He must have hit his head or been knocked out or something when we were attacked. Perhaps that's why they told you he'd died. Especially if he can't recall who he really is."

"Jack! That's your name." Daniel tried to jog his memory.

"And? So!"

"You're Colonel Jack O'Neill."

"No I'm not! Actually it's Colonel Jack Tobin," he answered confused.

"No, no, no. You're Jack O'Neill! We know you damnit!" Daniel cried angrily.

"No I'm not!" he denied again wondering if they were quite mad.

"Yes, yes you are!" Daniel cried fervently.

"Am not!"

"You are!"

"Not!" Jack denied vehemently.

"Jack!" Daniel sighed wearily. How could he get through to his friend? "Please. Believe me. You are Jack O'Neill."

Sam dropped her eyes then looked back into the darkness of the prison and sought out Reynol's eyes. He shook his head sadly, knowing the probable reason for the Colonel's denial, though Sam became more confused by this.

Jack waited in the silence, ignoring Daniel's outburst. He kept his eye's fixed on Sam before he finally turned to face the agitated young man.

"Then who exactly are you?" he asked.

"Jack, it's me, Daniel. God, why can't you remember us? What's happened to you?"

Jack looked even more confused; his forehead wrinkled and his head tilted to one side just as it always did when he tried to think clearly. He lifted a hand from the wooden crutch to rub at the headache building over his eyes.

"I asked you who you were first damnit!" he snapped tersely. "And how come you think you know me?" He needed answers, and now.

"Jack we came here as a team, through the Stargate from Earth. You..." Daniel pointed at him. "...are our leader, the CO of our team, SG-1. You're Colonel Jack O'Neill. I'm Daniel, your friend. Dr. Daniel Jackson. I'm an Archaeologist and Linguist. And somewhere out there, our fourth member, Teal'c, is still missing. Jack, have you seen Teal'c? Big guy, bald head, with a gold symbol on his forehead."

"Teal'c?" Jack said slowly, digesting the information, then shook his head. "I don't know anyone called Teal'c or of that description!" Though he did recognise the him through his dream for some reason. Was this Daniel speaking the truth?

"Yes you do Jack. Think!" Daniel pleaded earnestly, almost jumping up and down with impatience. "You have a ranch style house in Colorado Springs. You're divorced from your wife Sara; your marriage broke up because your son Charlie died. You have a deep scar on the right side of your neck, where Hathor implanted you with a Goa'uld!" Daniel gasped, trying hard to make Jack recall who he was.

Jack's heart ached with remembrance of that day again. Once more he could hear the deafening roar of the gun going off and the screams coming from Sara. He closed his eyes and tried not to think of how much it hurt. His fingers itched to rub over the familiar scarring at his neck, but he wasn't sure he wanted to acknowledge that fact to these people, not until they had completely convinced him they were right. Suddenly he didn't know who he was or what he was.

"No!" Jack yelled. "I can't remember! There's nothin' there! I don't know you, and I can't be who I'm not! I'm sorry."

Jack was so muddled he couldn't think straight any more. Without another word he turned abruptly, trying not to lose his balance, and limped away from the prison, away from the people who said he was their CO, and back to his assigned quarters. Their frustrated cries echoing in his ears as he limped away. He needed time to think, he was so confused.

He had a lot of jumbled memories he needed to sort out and was desperate to know exactly where he stood. Had these people, these strangers lied to him? How could he be this Jack O'Neill? He knew some of the things Daniel had said were true. How else would be know about Charlie? Had his own superior officers and everyone around him lied to him? He just didn't know who to believe any more.

Daniel turned to Sam and sighed.

"Well that went well."

"What do you suppose they really did to him?" Sam asked, absolutely certain that this was her Jack O'Neill. She was curious to know the answers behind his strange behaviour though, and why had he had remembered her as Therra? No-one else would know her as that, except the real Colonel and her close colleagues. It was all a mystery.

"I don't know Sam, but I think he must have had a pretty hefty hit on the back of the head for him to say those things. He obviously knows part of his name...just not all of it or us," Daniel sagged with frustration and dropped to sit on the floor again, leaning against his usual spot near the bars.

Sam followed him, sliding down the wall to sit with knees bent wrapping her arms round them, head flopping forward to rest on her knees in defeat. They sat in silence for a moment and then Reynol was there.

"You really think you know him?" he indicated the limping man as he retreated to the other side of the base.

"Yes. He's our CO, the leader of our team," Sam looked up and nodded.

"You're sure?"

"Yes. Absolutely!"

"Then the powers that be, behind the Opposition have obviously recognised his skills as a great warrior, yes?" Reynol sighed knowingly.

"What?" Daniel exclaimed. "What are you saying?"

"That because of his prowess in your military, they are using him," Reynol replied bluntly.

"You're not telling us he..." Daniel gasped at the preposterous idea. "But that's..." he gave another gasp in disbelief.

Reynol nodded.

"It's the only reason that I can think of. They must have wiped his memory, and replaced it with one of him as a soldier in their army. I told you. It's what they do!"

"Yes but you said they wouldn't..."

"If they saw him in action, then why wouldn't they take the chance and use him to their advantage?"

"Oh God, Jack!" Daniel wailed, dropping his head into his hands. Now he knew the possible truth. He just found it difficult to believe why they would do that to his friend.

"What can we do to reverse the effects?" Sam asked needing to know how she could help the Colonel should the opportunity arise.

"You can't. You just have to let it return naturally, usually it's within months, maybe a year. That is, if they don't re-programme you again or the other side might do it too if you're caught. They'll be coming for me soon. Then I'll find myself fighting all over again, but for the Opposition this time."

"What?" Daniel's head shot up again when he realised how long it could take. "We can't leave him here that long, in the hope that he'll remember and spring us out of here."

"You won't be in here much longer. A week is the usual allotted time limit," Reynol warned.

"Yes, but you were wrong before, what makes you think they won't do the same to us or keep us here indefinitely? And we'll just have to keep jogging his memory before it's too late," Daniel suggested determinedly.

"If he comes back to see you at all. Otherwise how else would you reach him from here?"

"General Hammond should be sending a Search and Rescue team in soon. We passed our return window hours ago." Sam said thoughtfully. "Maybe they'll reach us before we're toast or whatever."

OoOoOoOoO

"Chevron seven...locked," Sergeant Davis' voice carried around the control room and over the top of the noise made by the Stargate as it exploded into life.

The MALP made it's way at a snail's pace up the ramp, to crawl slowly through the shimmering event horizon.

"Receiving MALP telemetry in 5...4...3...2...1... Receiving video footage now sir."

General Hammond stood silently watching the pictures as the camera panned the area around the alien Stargate on PZ8 927.

His best team had failed to report back to the SGC and were now overdue by 24 hours. He'd given them a huge margin for unavoidable problems but still they had failed to report in. Now he wanted to know why.

A small figure moved into the line of sight and peered at the robotic probe.

"Colonel O'Neill! Come in please. This is the SGC. Over." Hammond barked into the mike.

There was no comeback to his call.

"Major Carter. Please respond. Over."

Still there was no reply, but the stranger on the planet leapt backwards and yelled something before he hurried away.

Within minutes another image filled the screen, then bent down to peer into the camera.

"Teal'c!" Hammond exclaimed in relief.

"General Hammond," Teal'c replied. I was about to contact you."

"What's up Teal'c. Where are Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter?"

"We believe they are prisoners of the enemy General Hammond."

"What happened son?" he sighed, feeling the first pangs of real anxiety nibble away at him now he knew the truth.

"We were fired upon almost directly we stepped from the Stargate. They were using some form of stun weapon and each of us was rendered unconscious. However, when I awoke I was a 'guest' of the Government forces," he grimaced in recollection of his all but temporary imprisonment but masked it with his usual stoicism. "However, there was no sign of either Colonel O'Neill, Major Carter or Daniel Jackson. It seems I was left behind for some unknown reason, and was discovered by the government troops who then carried me into the city where I have been waiting for positive news of their whereabouts."

"So you don't know where they are either?"

"We do now General Hammond. We were about to go to their aid."

"I have SG-2 and SG-3 already standing by to join in the search and rescue Teal'c."

"Their services would be appreciated General Hammond. The government of Ban Danara cannot spare many troops for our rescue attempt."

"Understood! I'm sending them through now Teal'c. Keep me posted son."

"We will succeed General Hammond. Of this I am sure!"

"I know you'll do your best Teal'c. Hammond out."

The red light on the camera blinked out and moments later eight khaki clad figures stepped through the Stargate.

"Major Ferretti it is good to see you. Major Griff," Teal'c acknowledged as he greeted the team leaders with a polite dip of his head.

"Hey Teal'c! You wanna fill us in so we can go rescue Jack's ass?" Ferretti snorted grinning.

TBC