It seemed to Daniel that he was definitely going somewhere and that he definitely had a purpose. He was going to meet someone . . . or was he trying to find someone? Maybe, he just needed a vacation.

He was dreaming again, or was he? He was dressed this time, atleast – the usual field uniform that had innocuously taken over the whole of his wardrobe. The halls of the Cheyenne Mountain Facility were empty, which was a little eerie at best.

"I have to be dreaming," he muttered to himself as he entered the control room.

There was silence suddenly.

The consoles blinked, he stepped forward – but there was no sound. Effortlessly, he dialed in. Beyond the room's plexiglass windows, the Stargate came to life. The iris slowly opened, as the swirling blue vortex beyond materialized. There was a grim smile smeared across Daniel's reflection, but it was not his own.

And then he was before the gate.

In all ofits vastness, all of the possibility . . . there was something simple and small, evenminute.

"Just one foot in front of the other, pal," Jack's voice echoed in his head.

Daniel closed his eyes, as he tentatively touched the gate. A memory played in his mind of the first time the Stargate had been brought to life, the portal-substance sticking to Jack's fingers as he probed it experimentally. He thought of Jack then, of Sam, Teal'c and Jonas – General Hammond and Dr. Fraser.

Was he really dreaming?

One step later, he found out.

>>>>>>>

"What's up, General? Why the emergency call?" O'Neill asked as he stepped into the briefing room, idly buttoning up his jacket. Carter and Jonas sat around the table.

"We're just waiting on Dr. Jackson," Hammond informed as he sat down.

Carter explained, "There was an unauthorized activation of the Stargate, last night. Well, this morning, actually."

"What?" Jack boggled, sitting down as well. "How is that possible?"

"We don't know," Carter said.

"What's taking Daniel so long?" Jonas demanded suddenly.

"Sleeping in again. I'll go get him," Jack moved to get up.

"There is no need," Teal'c stated as he entered the room. "Daniel Jackson is gone."

"I don't like the sound of this," Jack muttered, rubbing his brow. He and Jonas shared a look.

"Where are the security tapes from last night, General?" Carter asked, trying to ignore the train of thought that was picking at the back of her mind.

"They should be here momentarily," Hammond explained. "Now, what I want to know is how someone managed to run the entire system by themselves without even setting off one of the alarms."

"Where the hell would he have gone?" Jack demanded of no one in particular.

"Sir, you're not thinking that Daniel . . ." Sam trailed off.

"Well, everyone else is thinking it," he defended.

"Look, it's just not possible, right?" Jonas tried. "You've set everything up just to prevent this sort of thing. Besides, he doesn't even know how to work any of the equipment. It has to be something else."

"Then what?" Jack wondered.

As if on cue, a junior office came in with the tapes in question. He set them on the table, saluted, then left. Everyone present stared at the tapes for long moments. With finality, Jack stood, grabbed the first tape and put into the vcr in the corner of the room.

The television monitored showed nothing but static.

Jack tried the next one . . . the one after that.

Static.

"Well, that's odd," he commented after the third try.

"Wait," Sam exclaimed as she rose from her seat. "Let me check something. I'll be right back."

Jonas watched her leave, then turned his attention back to the monitor. He clasped his hands together, face contorting thoughtfully. "So, is there a point to checking for Daniel?"

>>>>>>>>

"There he is," Sam said excitedly, tapping the screen.

The security footage showed Daniel leisurely walking down a hallway around two am in the morning.

"It doesn't look like anyone is even noticing him," Jonas observed.

Jack studied the image for awhile, watching the tape play out until the camera lost sight of Daniel. "So, where's he heading?"

"The control room," Sam said simply.

Jack sighed loudly. He knew it had to be Daniel who was responsible for the gate's activation. There was only one thing he could think of doing though.He left the room abruptly.

A couple of junior officers saluted as the colonel strode into the control room. There were various technicians running diagnostics all over. The senior techie he pulled aside.

"Can you bring up the last destination dialed in to that thing?" he asked, pointing to the various contraptions that controlled the use of the Stargate.

"Already have, but the co-ordinates aren't for any known destination."

"Well, dial them in."

ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

Dun dun dah.

Sorry, couldn't resist a little SH reference. Can somebody help me? Does anyone know the name of the guy with the glasses that always doesthe dialing in? Anyways, thanks for reading – please review! – K. Ramsey

Ps- sorry if this chapter was a little choppy.