A ring of watchful Security Forces troops silently observed the arrival of the SG teams who had gone to P3R233. General Hammond grimly took in the site along with the Gate operators. His face was stony, without expression, but the airmen with him could feel the sadness, the frustration. The general then wheeled about, heading down to the Gate Room itself. He came through the main doorway and walked up to a now tired looking Jack O'Neil.

The two of them stepped aside as medical personnel took the fallen Marines and Major Phillips to the infirmary. The wormhole collapsed behind them, and Hammond signaled the SFs to stand down. He then looked at O'Neil.

"What happened out there, Colonel?"

Jack O'Neil's eyes were hard, despite the weariness in his countenance. "We screwed up," he grumbled.

"How so?"

"Ah...Tanith shows up with a whole new bag of tricks, crap that we've never seen before. Caught us flatfooted."

"What sort of tricks?" Hammond inquired.

Major Samantha Carter recounted what she had observed, "New powers, sir. New technology. Someone is helping him do this, whatever this is."

Daniel looked pensive.

"Something the matter, Doctor Jackson?" Hammond asked, looking at Daniel curiously.

"Ah...it's true what Samantha said, Tanith is getting help. But it's not technology, at least, not in the traditional sense. He stole Jack's IFF, but that's about it. Other than that, he's tapping into something directly. Or something is tapping into him."

"Meaning what?" Hammond asked. O'Neil and Carter also looked at Daniel wonderingly. However, Teal'c's expression remained neutral.

"I...I'm not sure," Daniel confessed. "Look, I know this is going to sound a little loopy, but the images and impressions I've been getting have been crystallizing of late. Tanith is getting help here. He is tapping into powers and resources of a sort we haven't seen before. The writings I found referred to darkness, to anti life, to something outside this universe."

"Anti...life?" Jack asked, giving Daniel THAT LOOK.

"Yeah, Jack. And no headaches, no stress. Especially when I got hit with that darkness wave. Clarity. A lot of it was written in those writing I had found."

"Where are those writings now?" General Hammond asked.

"Uh...Tanith got them," Daniel said sheepishly.

Jack sighed. Samantha looked down at her feet. But Teal'c spoke up and said, "That does not matter. You can see what he saw. You can see all he read. You know where the Black Gate is and how to get to it. Do you not, Daniel Jackson?"

Everyone looked at Daniel.

"Yes...yes, I do," Daniel realized.

"How is that possible?" Samantha asked.

"Yeah, and how would you know, Teal'c?" Jack wondered.

Daniel and Teal'c looked at each other.

"I don't (do not) know," they both said at the same time.

Samantha looked like her tech mind was fully engaged, and getting lost in what she was hearing. Jack just looked lost. And increasingly pissed.

"I can see it in my mind," Daniel admitted. "And I'm still getting more impressions."

O'Neil looked at Daniel, "You never mentioned this before."

Daniel returned Jack's intent gaze, "Actually...I did."

Teal'c raised an eyebrow.

Hammond was about to ask how it was possible, then said, "Get some rest. We will meet in the conference room at 0800 tomorrow morning to decide what to do next."

The team members silently wandered out of the Gate Room to try to recover from the recent events.

That night, Daniel slept. And he saw a Goau'ld mothership. A Stargate in the hold on board this ship opened up. Then something dark came forth...