I'd like to make it clear that although this story involves incidents in Iraq, I have no affiliations with any political group or any other concerned in that country whatsoever and anything contained in these pages is purely fictional, coming entirely from my imagination. I mean no disrespect to any organisation or people herein.

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Title: Unity.

Author: LetitiaRichards.

Previously:

Daniel fell asleep too, right where they were, huddled together for warmth, his head resting on Jack's shoulder, sharing their body heat against the freezing night.

Chapter 11

Daniel woke sometime later, stiff and uncomfortable; his butt was numb but he didn't want to disturb Jack. It was dark outside the tiny window, and he unconsciously tightened his grip on his friend. He reached up and felt the heat pouring from his forehead and grew ever more anxious for him. He heard a noise; a movement from outside and suddenly the door to their prison opened and several men stepped into the room, and someone flicked on a light.

They all stopped behind the elder of the men, who was dressed in a sand-stained white dishdashah and open sandals, his face hidden beneath the grubby white gutrah draped casually across the lower half of his face and across his shoulder. The others, all younger, men, were dressed in sandy coloured military uniform. A couple of them were dark skinned and one was of western origin. The other two wore Arab headdress but their thickly-moustached faces remained uncovered.

Jack hadn't stirred at their entrance, which hardly surprised Daniel at all, he was totally out of it, his temperature was climbing ever higher and he appeared to be in a deep fevered sleep. Daniel couldn't move without disturbing him as he was still slumped heavily against his chest.

After a few moments, the man Daniel assumed was the leader spoke.

"Do not think you can escape from here Dr. Jackson. You and your Colonel are my guests until your government decides to withdraw its troops from my country and you will also reveal the secret of the Stargate Programme."

"The what?" Daniel asked in puzzlement. He had expected them to demand that the President withdrew the troops, that was a foregone conclusion, but the mention of the Stargate Programme took him completely by surprise, and he did everything in his power to stop himself from showing it.

"Oh please Dr. Jackson do not try to deny its existence. I have heard many incredible things about your involvement with the USAF. I wish to know all about them."

"I'm just an interpreter and an archaeologist, currently working with the Air Force, nothing more. I don't know anything about a Stargate Programme."

"Not so Doctor. You and the Colonel here, fell straight into my little trap I set for you. Yes I know all about you Dr. Jackson; that you were the man responsible for unlocking the secrets of the Stargate. I seized those men and forced General Kelly into action, removing everyone in the way until he would have no choice but to order Colonel O'Neill into undertaking the rescue. I have my methods, sometimes messy ones but very effective don't you think Doctor?"

Daniel was mentally kicking himself. Jack had suspected it could have been a trap, but it was too late now to worry about it. He could only deny all knowledge.

"I have no idea what you are talking about but you're killing him you know. He's going to die unless he gets some medical help. My government won't bargain anything for a dead body."

"He is much easier to control while he is in his present condition Dr. Jackson, and it will be much harder for him to attempt an escape. I have heard much of Colonel O'Neill and his escapades. Your government ranks his freedom at a high price; the President has already made a statement concerning your repatriation. Perhaps it would do well to allow him to suffer much pain, it may yet persuade them to step up their negotiations. I will not rest until my country is free, nor until I learn the truth about the gateway to the stars. Your government has a choice...Liberation for my countrymen or I announce to the rest of the world the secret of the Stargate which you and Colonel O'Neill revealed to me under duress."

"That's a lie!" Daniel denied vehemently.

"That maybe so Dr. Jackson, but they will not know that at the time."

"The truth is, whoever you are, you will not get anything from us, or our government, because you're talking nonsense." Daniel answered with a deep sigh.

"But you have as much admitted its existence by denying it so eloquently."

"I did no such thing," Daniel snapped, but knowing he had unintentionally given the game away by being goaded into a denial.

"You are too late Dr. Jackson, you cannot deny the truth," the man roared.

"Hey!" came a weak voice. "D' ya mind keepin' the volume down. 'm tryin' a sleep here!" Jack rasped softly, not really with it yet.

A swift kick to his injured thigh by one of the soldiers, had Jack yelping and rolling over on the floor in agony, cradling his leg to quell the pain.

"What the hell was that for?" Daniel demanded, trying to calm Jack down and check the 'so-called' bandage where fresh blood was welling from the wounds.

Jack fought off the effects of nausea and the blackness that hovered at the edges of his sight; taking deep gulps of air to counteract the pain.

"He must learn that I will not tolerate his insolence. Remember, I have heard of his reputation for insubordination."

"Who the hell are you anyway?" Daniel asked, wanting to know who this guy thought he was.

"I am Tariq Al Hassim. I do not expect you to have heard of me. I am a leading member of 'La confrérie'; The Brotherhood of Freedom and Truth."

"You're right. I've never heard of you," Daniel snorted.

"You are treading on dodgy ground Dr. Jackson. Together you will both suffer the indignities of our hospitality if you do not co-operate. You have no choice because I know who you are, and my price has risen indefinitely with your admission."

"They won't give in Hassim, you know they won't."

"Maybe not for you, but for Colonel O'Neill they will."

"No they won't!" a tremulous voice gasped, snapping their attention back to Jack. "They'll be glad to be rid of me! I'm too much of a trouble maker for them, you know that. Always breakin' the rules, remember," he paused, breathing through the agony, throwing Hassim's words back at him.

"Jack? You okay?" Daniel asked, barely touching his arm.

"Oh yeah, just peachy!" he said pushing himself back up to a sitting position, with Daniel's help.

"That maybe so Colonel, but you work in a top secret location and I wish to know what exactly it is you do inside that mountain and what has it to do with this Stargate."

Daniel cast Jack a look of wariness and saw the same reflected back when Hassim mentioned this. Both of them wondered how this guy came by such knowledge.

Hassim laughed.

"I see you do know something that is worth its weight in gold."

He snapped an order to his guards, and they moved forward to grasp Daniel by his arms, then dragged him away from Jack. Daniel struggled but the men were stronger than they looked.

"He doesn't know anything," Jack said calmly, not wishing to make an issue out of it, knowing that Hassim would pick up on his concern if he showed how worried he was for his friend. "He's just a civilian linguist. It's me you want. I'm the one with all the military secrets."

"Nice try Colonel, but your ploy will not work on me. Take him!"

Jack sat silently cursing, watching as Daniel was led from the room. Hassim glared down at him watching for any sign of concern, but Jack schooled his features to keep his face blank, and Hassim eventually left him to stew. As soon as the door slammed shut behind the man, Jack cursed, and thumped the floor with his fist in frustration. He had certainly met his match in this Hassim; the man was no fool, and Jack just wasn't at his best right now. The fever of infected wounds was getting harder to ignore so he lay down and let himself relax in its hold, drifting off into a fitful sleep to conserve his strength.

OoOoOoOoO

That was the longest 24 hours that Sam had ever wanted to spend. She was hot, travel stained and weary beyond anything words could ever describe. How was it, she wondered, that they could gate to other planets and not feel in the least bit tired, yet travelling any great distances here on Earth left her feeling shattered?

The air conditioning inside the aircraft had been cool and pleasant, and the heat, once she'd stepped from the airplane, hit her as it would if she'd just stepped into a blast furnace; despite the fact that it was still early in the morning. Sweat beaded on her forehead as she walked down the steps to meet the welcoming party.

General Kelly had actually gone out of his way to make things as pleasant as possible after mistakenly ordering Jack and Daniel to take part in the raid and losing them to the terrorists. To say the President hadn't been happy was an understatement of huge proportions. With two of his best kept secret 'weapons' taken hostage, he was livid. The General had put up with an ear-bashing he'd never forget, and it was a wonder that he hadn't faced a court-martial.

By the way they were being greeted, and the hospitality that she, Teal'c and the others were shown, was far beyond the normal pleasantries allotted to a Major, a civilian and a team of soldiers.

An air conditioned saloon met them at the foot of the steps and the General's aide welcomed them to the base.

Sam couldn't help feel a smug satisfaction at seeing the aide blanch when he caught sight of Teal'c, dressed in a sleeveless sand coloured T-shirt with his desert camouflage pants and a bandana wound round his head to cover his Goa'uld tattoo. If she hadn't seen him step back against the car for support and gulp when her team-mate approached him, she though the diminutive man was about to faint away at the sight of Teal'c's huge biceps.

However he quickly recovered and as soon as they were seated he had them driven off towards the main building where they were to meet with General Kelly. The members of SG-2 and 3 were less fortunate and followed behind in the back of an open truck under the stifling heat, though they were taken directly to their quarters.

The General practically leapt from his chair and came round the desk to greet them personally. He did gulp a little as he glanced up at Teal'c, but Sam gave him his due, he didn't appear as intimidated as his aide had, and she guessed that was because he hadn't earned his present rank by being a coward, despite being an idiot.

A little part of her wanted to show him that Jack had never have been cowed by the size of any Jaffa. In fact he'd never shown fear of any kind in facing the Goa'uld, so in her books, Jack was by far the better man and deserved more than this General ever would.

General Kelly took his seat again and began to apologise to them for sending Colonel O'Neill and Dr. Jackson out on the mission, but, he explained, he really didn't have a choice.

Sam accepted his excuse for now, he said he hadn't realised how important the Colonel and Daniel were until the President had called him. Kelly never revealed that the President had already threatened him with a court-martial because of his stupidity. Sam battened down her own feelings and emotions on the subject because she really needed to know what their latest information was, which was sketchy to say the least.

TBC