CHAPTER SIX

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Jack swung around at the sound of Daniel's scream. Time seemed to slow as he watched his friend grab Carter's rifle from the ground, prime it and lift it in one smooth motion, his intent clear on his pale face. In some detached part of his mind, the colonel couldn't imagine himself doing a better job of readying a weapon with one hand busted to smithereens.

The report echoed through the evening air, shattering the eerie silence that had fallen in what seemed like only a second of time.

"Oh, my God," murmured Carter into the deathly quiet. "Daniel."

Jack's gaze moved from the smoking barrel of the gun to the expression of shock on Tezca's face.

"What have you done?" asked the old man. His brows furrowed and he let go a short puff of air as he stared wide-eyed at the archeologist. He dropped to his knees, one hand moving to the dark red patch that suddenly blossomed on the front of his brown robes. "You will not do this to me," he hissed and Jack saw the grey eyes flare with cold fire.

Daniel dropped the rifle and gripped his head, letting go a wail of pure misery. His body shook convulsively and Carter wrapped her arms around him to steady him.

The air around Jack seemed to shift and he knew he was in the presence of something purely evil. In the space of a heartbeat, all the pieces fell into place and the colonel loathed the completed puzzle. It had been Tezca all along---and he was killing Daniel.

He was killing Daniel.

"Leave him alone, you rat bastard!" Jack shouted as he raised his MP-5 and fired. At the same moment, the hiss of a staff weapon blast fractured the air.

Tezca's incredulous eyes were still fixed on Daniel even as the cold darkness in them ebbed away. Jack knew he was dead before his body hit the ground, a trail of smoke rising from the charred remains of his chest.

Jack turned quickly to look at Kaatzál who still stood unsteadily near the bridge. "Teal'c, watch him."

"With both of my eyes, O'Neill."

The colonel dropped to Daniel's side, the young man still wrapped in Carter's embrace. He met the major's eyes seeking an answer to his unasked question.

"I don't know, sir."

Jack placed his hand on the bowed head. "Hey, there," he prodded gently. "You all right?" He could feel his friend's body spasm with aftershock, hear his harsh breathing. "Daniel?"

"Cold."

The colonel nodded at the single word. "I'll bet," he replied. He pulled the sleeping bag up around Daniel's shoulders then settled his hand on the back of the younger man's neck, squeezing gently. "He's dead, Daniel. It's over."

The archeologist just nodded.

Jack leaned in close. "Just hang in there, buddy, we're going to get you home."

Again, Daniel just nodded.

"I'll see if I can put together a stretcher," said Jack quietly as he lifted his eyes to meet the major's. "He's in no shape to walk."

He gave Daniel's neck one last gentle squeeze then helped Carter settle back against the log. Together, they lowered Daniel until his head was cradled in the major's lap. The archeologist curled himself into a protective fetal position under the sleeping bag, his body still noticeably shaking. Carter slowly stroked her long fingers through her friend's sweat-dampened hair and Jack heard Daniel's breathing ease and slow. He hoped sleep would take the younger man quickly.

"Take care of him, Carter."

The major smiled, but her concern was clear in her blue eyes. "Yes, sir."

Hating to leave his friend's side, Jack rose and turned to face Kaatzál. The old man's face shone with perspiration and he looked pale and shaken, but he straightened his posture under the colonel's harsh gaze.

"How is Daniel Jackson?" asked Teal'c.

"Oh, he's been better."

"He is stronger than even he realizes," said Kaatzál.

Jack slit his eyes then pointed a finger at the old man. "I don't want to hear a word from you---not one word."

Kaatzál nodded, looking adequately admonished. He wavered on his feet, his pallor ghostly.

"Oh, for crying out loud," snapped the colonel. "Sit down before you fall down."

The holy man moved slowly toward the edge of the makeshift camp and settled on the ground cross-legged just near enough to the fire to no doubt feel its warmth.

"If Daniel so much as whimpers---," added Jack menacingly.

Kaatzál raised a trembling hand in a placating gesture. "I assure you, Colonel, I will do no harm."

Jack looked at Teal'c. "We're going to need to make a litter for Daniel. I'll be right back."

"I will go, O'Neill."

"You sure?"

"I am."

Jack patted the Jaffa's arm. "Okay, thanks, big guy."

"You will watch Daniel Jackson?"

The colonel smiled. "With both my eyes, Teal'c," he replied.

Teal'c twitched an eyebrow and dipped his head then staff weapon in hand he hustled to the nearby tree line.

"Did you----were you able to feel what Daniel was going through?" asked Carter suddenly.

Jack dropped his gaze to the old man in time to see him nod in acknowledgement.

"Is he going to be okay?"

"I do not know, Samantha. But as I said, he is stronger than even he realizes."

"What the hell just happened here?" demanded Jack.

"The end of something that began a lifetime ago," replied the elderly man tiredly turning his head to look at the remains of his brother.

Jack screwed up his face. "What?"

"I do not know what Tezca told you, Colonel, and perhaps it is not even important now. What is important is that he is gone and Daniel is not." Kaatzál drew his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, his eyes focused back on the fire. "I should have told you to leave once you stepped through the Ring of Stone, but I knew that the young one's raw emotions would draw my brother out, that he would not be able to resist the temptation. I thought I could stop him before he hurt Daniel, but I was wrong."

"So Daniel was the bait for your trap."

Kaatzál looked up at Jack with regretful eyes. "Yes, Colonel, much to my shame---yes." He turned his gaze back to the flames. "I did not understand the depth of Tezca's iniquity and I underestimated his need for what the young one had to offer, but please know that I did what I did to save the Alaran people."

"You nearly got Daniel killed!" hissed Jack bitterly.

"He would not have killed Daniel."

"Oh, that's right! What was I thinking? He would've just left us with an empty shell of our friend. That makes a HUGE difference."

"I am not asking for your understanding or your forgiveness."

"Don't you dare play the martyr, Kaatzál."

"It wasn't his fault, Jack."

The colonel looked down at the curled up form still shaking beneath the sleeping bag. "Do NOT defend him, Daniel."

The archeologist regarded Kaatzál through dull blue eyes. "He told me he needed it to survive. Was that true?"

"No, Daniel. He craved it, but he did not need it. He consciously chose to be the way he was."

"He made me remember."

Jack could hear the weakness in his friend's voice and it worried him. He met Carter's eyes briefly to see his feelings mirrored there then she looked back down at Daniel, her fingers still running comfortingly through his short-cropped hair.

"Our bodies secrete a natural chemical through our palms that in my people enhances emotional responses. We are not tactile solely for this reason. Only when we seek intimacy, either from friendship or love, do we touch. My guess is that in your people, the secretion stimulates memory as well as the feelings attached to those memories."

"I cou----it was hard to----move."

Kaatzál furrowed his brow in concern at the young man. "Perhaps another side-effect of the secretion, I do not know." He sighed deeply. "I am sorry, young one. Tezca used something that is dear and beautiful to our people to do you great harm."

Jack watched as Daniel bit his lower lip. The archeologist turned his head into Carter's thigh and squeezed his eyes shut, the action forcing a few unbidden tears to slide from beneath his closed lids.

"I am sorry," repeated Kaatzál.

"Yeah, well, your endless number of apologies isn't going to help Daniel, now is it," spat Jack bitterly moving his angry eyes back to the old man.

"O'Neill!"

The colonel turned to see Teal'c returning carrying two heavy tree limbs.

"These should be strong enough to hold Daniel Jackson's weight," continued the warrior.

Jack appraised the sturdy limbs then nodded. "I'll get the rope from my pack. We'll have Daniel back to the village in no time."

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"Daniel?" coaxed Sam as she leaned down close to her friend's ear. "The colonel and Teal'c have the litter ready now. They're going to lift you onto it, okay?"

"I can walk."

Sam smiled. "I know you can, but it'll give these two something to do."

Daniel struggled to sit up. "No, I can walk, Sam," he repeated with earnest. He clumsily threw back the sleeping bag and used his good hand to push himself onto one hip. His left hand he held cradled against his chest. Sam could see the effort that small action had taken on the archeologist's pale face. She could also see the goose flesh break out on his bare arms. She curled her legs up at her side and rolled onto her knees, reaching out to support her friend.

"Hey," barked O'Neill as he knelt next to Daniel. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Walking, Jack. I'm perfectly capable---of walking."

"With no boots?"

Sam watched as Daniel looked down at his sock-covered feet and scowled. "Oh," he muttered.

"Yeah, oh," said the colonel. "Not to mention your feet are ripped to shreds from your little trek through the woods." He urged the young man back down then covered his shivering body with the sleeping bag. "Teal'c and I are just going to lift you between us, Daniel. If we hurt you, just let us know, okay?" He looked at Sam. "Watch Kaatzál."

"Yes, sir," replied the major as she climbed to her feet and pressed her calves back against the log to give her teammates room to move. She glanced at the old holy man who remained seated then turned her attention back to Teal'c and O'Neill.

The colonel slid his hands under Daniel's shoulders then hooked them under his arms while the Jaffa maneuvered his big arms beneath his friend's back and knees. Together they lifted Daniel then stepped around the fire to where the litter laid waiting. They lowered the archeologist carefully then O'Neill proceeded to thoroughly cocoon the younger man in the sleeping bag. He slipped a hand in to cradle Daniel's jaw then whispered something Sam couldn't hear. She saw Daniel's weak nod then watched as his eyes slid closed. O'Neill hesitated a long moment regarding his friend then drew his hand back and stood.

"I will assure the fire is extinguished," stated Teal'c.

"Good man," replied the colonel. He reached down and snagged his pack then hoisted it on his back.

Sam stepped over to help him attach it to the vest he wore. "You're good to go, sir," she said after the last clasp clicked closed.

"Thanks, Carter."

Sam zipped her jacket closed, slid the shoulder strap of her MP-5 around her then turned to Kaatzál. The old man glanced up at her then pushed himself to unsteady feet. He wavered for a moment then took a tentative step toward the bundled up form in the litter.

"Carter, you walk with Kaatzál," said the colonel his words bringing the old man to a stop. "We'll send someone from the village to collect---that mess." He nodded toward the crumpled body of Tezca.

The group walked at a slow even pace in deference to Daniel's comfort and while they moved, Sam explained to Kaatzál what Tezca had said about their parents and about Teóti.

"His story is mostly accurate," replied the holy man. "Except, of course, for the roles we each played in that story."

Sam shook her head. "And you really couldn't sense his presence here?"

"There were times during gatherings that I sensed deeper colors, but I could not tell from whom they came."

"And what about the Alarans?" tossed O'Neill over his shoulder from his position at the foot of Daniel's litter. "Did they ever know this---darkness was your brother?"

Kaatzál sighed. "No, Colonel. They never truly accepted that he lived among us. To them, the Darkness was just an evil that would take their children with no reason. The Alaran children are taught at a young age to stay in after dark and to never wander too far from the village alone until after they have reached their age of change. No one knew that all it would take was a touch from Tezca."

"You knew," snapped the colonel.

"Yes, but I didn't know who he was. There was no pattern to the children's disappearances. Sometimes months would pass, other times only weeks. There were never any hints as to which child had been touched."

"So he drew his victims away from the village?" asked Sam.

The holy man nodded. "After I began living amongst the Alarans, it didn't take very long for me to realize that my touch had a more powerful effect on them than it did on my own people. The mere brush of my fingers on their skin gave me a sort of power over them, one that I did not embrace, but apparently my brother did."

"Explain this power," prompted Teal'c from the head of Daniel's litter.

"I am not entirely certain I can find the appropriate words, Teal'c. It was as if I could influence what they were feeling just by wanting it." Kaatzál looked down at his feet. "There was a woman, Laianna. I was greatly attracted to her, but she was wary of me because I was not of her people. I touched her hand as a show of my affection; just a gentle brushing of my fingers over hers, but it was enough to change her. I could have convinced her she was in love with me if I had so chosen, but I did not. It was then that I realized the power my brother would knowingly weld over the Alarans."

"He touched my hand," murmured O'Neill absently.

"Colonel?"

"When we were talking in the village square that day, he touched my hand and I just spilled everything that had happened to Daniel and Jacobsen willingly. That sonofabitch."

"Maybe that's how he managed to take Daniel right from under our noses."

"You mean right from under my nose, Carter? He was taken during my watch."

"If Tezca touched you, Colonel, then he would have been able to influence your feelings, used them to distract you," explained Kaatzál. "Apparently, we have an even greater effect over your physiology. It was not your fault."

"Like hell it wasn't."

Sam looked sympathetically at her CO's rigid back then turned her attention back to the old man beside her. "You said that you were coming to warn us."

"After talking with Daniel and feeling the warmth and depth of his colors in my mind, I immediately began to regret my plan. I was not only going to warn you, but to ask you for your help. I don't think my brother knew when he hit me who I was. I just don't think he wanted a possible complication in his grand plan to take the young one."

"I think I'm the one who told him who you were," said Sam sheepishly. "Daniel had told us how you could see our emotions as colors in your mind and when Tezca told me he could do the same thing, well----."

"You didn't know, Samantha."

"Jack!"

Daniel's strangled cry shook Sam to the core.

O'Neill and Teal'c immediately set down the litter and the colonel dropped to Daniel's side. "Hey, hey," he soothed taking Daniel's face between his hands. "It's okay, now."

"Don't touch me!" cried the archeologist. His hands moved under the sleeping bag and Sam knew instantly what he was doing.

"Daniel," she cautioned as she knelt and reached for the cover.

"Let him, Samantha," said Kaatzál who appeared at Sam's side. "It is his way of finding his way back to what is real."

"But he is doing greater harm," stated Teal'c.

"Daniel, it's me," whispered O'Neill. "Come on, buddy, wake up."

Sam could see the outline of Daniel's joined hands beneath the sleeping bag, could see his ashen face taut with his self-inflicted pain, still clutched gently between the colonel's hands. "Can't you do something?" she asked turning to Kaatzál. "You said that you can influence what we feel. Can't you touch him, give him at least a little respite?"

"I can not."

"But look at him. He's suffering because of what your brother did to him." Sam knew she sounded desperate, but seeing her friend hurting so much was definitely shaking her carefully held control.

"I will not influence another, Samantha. I will not."

"No, Carter," confirmed O'Neill harshly. "Daniel's got enough of that crap in his system. He doesn't need anymore."

Sam swallowed convulsively, finally winning her internal battle. "Yes, sir, of course not."

Daniel's eyes flew open and he looked around frantically before he focused on the man hovering over him. "Ja—Jack?"

"Yeah, it's me. You back with us now?"

"Dreaming," mumbled Daniel breathlessly. "Just dreaming." He squeezed his eyes shut then snorted without mirth. "God, Jack what's happening to me? I don't know whether to laugh or cry or hit something."

O'Neill drew his friend up and pulled him close, one hand supporting his back, the other gripping the base of Daniel's skull. "You can do one or all of the above, Daniel. Just do me a favor. If you choose 'hit something', hit Teal'c, okay?"

Sam heard Daniel snort again and O'Neill tightened his hold on his trembling friend, tossing a small smile in Teal'c's direction. The big man's brow twitched slightly and his lips curved into what Sam knew to be a sign of his amusement.

"You okay now?" continued the colonel.

Daniel nodded against O'Neill's shoulder then let out a shaky sigh. "Tired."

"Yeah, well, why don't you try to get some more sleep? We're about fifteen minutes outside the village."

"No----um---that's okay. I think I'll just stay awake for a little while if you don't mind."

The colonel slackened his hold on his friend and started helping him settle back into the litter.

"Ow?"

O'Neill scowled. "Did I hurt you?" he asked.

"No, I think I---um---hurt myself," replied Daniel.

"How DID you break your hand, Daniel?" asked Sam as she carefully tucked the sleeping bag up around the archeologist's shoulders.

"Long story."

Sam took the hint and dropped that particular line of questioning, but she frowned when Daniel coughed suddenly. "How do you feel? Any difficulty breathing?"

"I'm fine, Sam, really."

The major pursed her lips. "Okay," she drawled out. She looked up at the colonel who met her gaze and merely shook his head putting an end to that line of questioning as well.

"Let's say we get back on the road again, Teal'c."

"It is in fact a trail, O'Neill."

The colonel waved a dismissive hand. "Road, trail, whatever, let's just get moving again, big guy."

Teal'c canted his head in acknowledgement.

Sam stood and watched as the colonel and the Jaffa easily lifted the litter between them. Daniel lay silently and stared at the evening sky.

"You have someone who will help him back at your home?" asked Kaatzál.

"If we could get him home," replied Sam. "We can't establish a wormhole from this side." She turned to see a look of bafflement on the old man's face. "We can't get the Ring of Stone to work."

Kaatzál looked uncomfortable. "Perhaps I am the cause for the Ring's failure. I could not risk Tezca discovering the secrets of making the Ring work so I long ago took a part from beneath the table of symbols."

"You mean to tell me that you have the missing crystal?" asked O'Neill.

"I believe so, yes."

"For crying out loud."

Sam smiled. "Then yes, Kaatzál, there is someone at our home who will help Daniel."

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TO BE CONTINUED