8After Sacrifices:

C2 'Surroundings'

Within the Light

Daniel drifted in and out of consciousness. He was only aware that he was levitating inside a resplendent light. Within himself, he could feel his senses starting to become acute to his surroundings. There was a sound of water flowing that accounted for the new feeling of movement upon his feet. His eyes slowly opened again. The last time he only caught a glimpse of the mystifying light before passing back out, but this time he could make out light blue figures within the white brightness.

Feathery sensations were swirling around on Daniel's face. He felt something connect with his mind and start examining parts of himself that he held so dear. When the force bid his emotions and will to the surface, it seemed to focus on his aspirations. Images flashed into existence one after another of instances where Daniel wanted to assist and help the right ideals prevail. He could felt warmth and joy as the probing existence drew his wistful memories out into the open then vanished.

Daniel allowed his eyes to only partially open as he attempted to move from the position he was in. By doing so, the fluid that was flowing over his feet started to overtake the rest of him. Darkness covered his unattired body that had been shrouded in light. The darkness brought a sting of coldness that he could feel on his skin and within his mind.

As he drifted back into oblivion once again, he heard a voice reverberating in the darkness, "So fragile, and yet so filled with life."

Within the Darkness

Daniel came back to himself in a state of fear, as he was just barely able to open his eyes and move his hands. He felt submerged inside an uncomfortably cool and yet flowing substance within total darkness. Instead of feather delicacy touching and exploring his mind, there was a steely vine that crept along activating the parts of his mind and memories that he preferred to keep hidden. He felt alone and consumed with fear in the darkness.

One memory flashed into his mind of when he was in a deep sleep long ago. He was given a taste of how it felt to have a Goa'uld's thoughts and technology in his mind. He used the technology to dominate the world. The vine circled those feelings Daniel had of dominance over the SGC and the program. Now here in the present, he was held captive as the icy vine pushed the emotions he had over those under him to the surface. He could feel the sadistic feelings of pleasure as he used the Goa'uld hand devise while making someone pay for not obeying him.

The presence moved on to other memories and shadowy feelings. Daniel was helpless in the dark against the pursuits of the invader. He was reminded that with all his good intentions and self sacrifice, he was still capable of great goodness and dark evils. As he struggled with the trespasser in his mind, his predominant will to do the right thing strove forward. His capacity for good outweighed his capacity for evil, and the vine slowly retreated.

Daniel became conscious of his body ascending out of the dark liquid as his mind raced…What happened? We walked into the Stargate. Where am I? Why can't I move? What just happened?

All motor functions of his body seemed to be suspended as he was hovering in the air. Daniel could hear voices again that seemed to surround him.

One spoke as if it were parallel to him, "He has finished the examination. Complete. I must hereby relinquish him back to you."

New Surroundings

A brisk light was shining in Daniel's face as he awoke. His first instinct after the other ordeal was to lean away and hold his hands out in front of him.

His eyes adjusted, and he saw he was alone inside of what looked like a regular house. Had that been a dream? Am I back on Earth?

He looked down realizing he was only wearing a pair of black boxers. These aren't mine. Who's house am I at that I am wearing someone else's underwear?

Glancing out the window, all he saw were trees. Daniel then strode across the room to the closet. He grabbed a pair of navy blue cloth pants and matching shirt that seemed to fit him. After venturing to the restroom where he changed and washed his face, he started searching the house to find out where he was.

All he found were locked doors and windows within nicely decorated rooms of tan, green, and blue. Everything looked normal except for the fact that he was locked in. That was when he noticed that there were no light switches. In their place, he found circular disks attached to the walls. Daniel experimentally pressed one that in turn caused the ceiling to glow.

There were three doors he had seen as he evaluated ways of escape. One door in the main room, another in the bedroom and the last was just off of what looked like the kitchen. There were two bedrooms, a great room, dinning room, kitchen, library, several closets, and extravagant furniture. There were three other rooms that he had no idea what they were for.

Daniel started feeling strange again, "Ok, Stargate, flash flash bright light, eternal night, psycho-house, am I missing anything here? Hello?"

"Good wishes," Daniel jumped and spun around to face what he had thought was a picture hanging on the wall. A dark figure shrouded in a dark cerulean cape and hood spoke from what appeared to be a display screen. "I trust everything is pleasing and acceptable."

Daniel wanted to yell at the druid looking figure, but decided to act as calm as he could and maybe he could find a way out. "Not exactly, what am I doing here and who are you?"

The hooded figure replied with a superior haughtiness, "You are living and breathing, and I am one who is not confined. Things were made in consideration to your expectations on your world."

Daniel waited hoping he would say more. He walked up to the screen and noticed it was permanently fixed on the wall. It had a set of buttons on the left side in various colors. "Why are you keeping me here? Where are the others in my group?"

The figure in the screen turned slightly, "You are here. You will have to remain confined within this area of dwelling. The other two were sent back to your world. They were unacceptable. Press the blue button when you are in need of assistance. Farewell."

Panic started to churn inside of Daniel till he heard clicking sounds on the doors. Daniel ran out the closest door to find the house sitting in a about ten square miles of green grass and flowers. It looked as if a field with a house was dropped from the sky in the center of a forest. On one side, there was a beach with a sizable lake or ocean.

Not wanting to chance getting locked back in the house, Daniel looked down at his bare feet and wished he had put on shoes. He glanced around again then took off running for the forest. Just as he was about a few yards into the trees, he bounced off of an invisible spungy barrier and fell back to the ground.

He leaned up on his elbows feeling dazed, "If an idiot falls in the woods, ahh never mind, no one will hear anything. I'm all alone." He lay back in the underbrush and folded his arms over his chest. With his eyes closed, he relaxed as he listened to the sounds of the forest.

Over the next two weeks, Daniel constantly searched for a way around the barrier. He went as far as to try to swim under water to get out, but once he reached a certain point he was reflected just like in the forest.

He started talking to himself when he got aggravated.

Back inside the House

Several times Daniel had pressed the blue button on the viewing screen and asked for things from the druids. He decided he would call them that till they corrected him. "Ok, every time I call you guys no one talks to me. I ask questions, and you just stand there." Daniel took off his glasses. The hooded figure reveled part of its hand that appeared to be reptilian.

Daniel squinted, "I don't think you guys understand. We humans need social interaction with each other in order to not lose our minds, you know, go crazy." Daniel ran his fingers through his hair and pulled on the short ends for a second. The screen turned off, and he stood there alone.

"Yep, I am being held by evil druid crocodiles. Sounds like another one of the monster movies on the Scifi channel. No…lions and tigers and bears, they always have giant snakes or manskitos. Add druid crocoman to the list."

The next day, Daniel was walking in the garden when he saw movement in the forest. He quickly walked to the edge of the barrier and saw a woman with dark burgundy hair running. He followed her as far as he could, and when she got close, he yelled to her. She did not even as much look in his direction. In a flash of light, two caped and hooded figures clad in bright red appeared in front of her, and she tried to evade them to no gain.

Daniel became furious as the eight-foot figures grabbed the women off of her feet. "Let her go! Leave her alone you druid reptiles!"

One bright red hooded figure turned his face toward Daniel as he stretched out a hand in his direction. Daniel could feel the steely vine returning into his mind. A voice whispered to him, "You must enter the dwelling now, or we will force you to return."

Daniel headed the warning as he saw the human woman disappear in another flash of light with the other druid reptile. Once inside he paced back and forth wondering where they were taking the burgundy haired woman and if she was ok.

"What is going on? Did she find a way of escaping the force field? I need to get out of here."He sat down on a plush chair and put his face into his hands. "Why hasn't Jack, Teal'c and Sam showed up to rescuer me? They have to notice that I am not around. That thing said that he sent the others back, so I guess they are looking for me. I just have to remain calm." Daniel stood up and wrapped his arms around himself trying to find something to keep himself busy.

Daniel Jackson startled when he heard a crash at the main door, which was a lot taller than the others. Two beings entered in pitch black cloaks well hidden from view. They turned to the side, and Daniel saw that they were carrying another human female with creamy tanned skin and long wavy hair of equal color. Her sapphire blue eyes sparkled with anger as she kicked and fought as best she could against her captors. The diamond eyed woman grit her teeth and let out a long scream as they held her by her wrists off of the ground.

They set her down and one released her. This caused her to start attacking the one still holding her.

Daniel took a step forward as he intended to assist her in her struggle to get free. The guard who was holding her released her completely then flung her across the room as if she were simply cloth and not a human. The woman collided with a wall with a loud thud. She slumped to the floor.

Daniel's jaw dropped in astonishment at what they did to her. He was so enraged that he could not make a coherent sentence as he glared at the two aliens.

The one closest to him walked back out the door and the other turned to him with that deep arctic voice, "Now, you have a companion, so you will not lose function of your mind. She belongs to you." With that, both beings that were draped in dark hooded cloaks disappeared in a flicker of light.

A/N: College classes are taking time out of my writing. Here is the next chapter. What do you think so far?