The archaeologists of Stargate Command were seated in the briefing room, the gateroom visible through the window behind them. The briefing room table had been pushed against a wall, and the archaeologists were seated in rows. Doctor Cameron Balinsky, the archaeologist of SG-13, addressed the delegation, occasionally referring to slides which were projected on the whiteboard behind him. He had accepted the request to take over Daniel's presentation at short notice but now he was in front of everyone, he felt as though he had taken on far too much responsibility.

"As your packages already mention, Doctor Jackson discovered the ruins of a temple on P5X 543 while on a mission with SG-1. The temple – as you can see –..." He flicked to the next slide, glancing back at the projection as he combatted his nerves. "... is clearly similar to the Sumerian Ziggurats here on Earth, particularly Chogha Zambil in modern day Iran. But the..."

He was interrupted by a raised hand from an archaeologist in the front row. The archaeologist in question – Doctor Dwight Cooper – never usually talked to him. He stopped as Cooper spoke, noticing how unconvinced everyone else looked at his presentation. He gulped, feeling as though he was twelve years old again and bullied by his peers.

"Doctor Balinsky, you're not on SG-1... and you weren't even on this mission..."

Balinsky suddenly felt hot under the scrutiny of his peers as he shifted from foot to foot. He said, gulping, "Major Carter asked me to take over Doctor Jackson's work for the time being."

Amidst a murmur of disbelieving voices, Cooper sneered, "Really?"

Balinsky cleared his throat and carried on with the presentation, clicking to the next slide. "But the tests of the soil, the material it is constructed from, and the local fossil record suggest that it is at least 6000 years old, almost three thousand years older than Chogha Zambil..."

Cooper piped up again, "Cameron... as interesting as this is, you could have just emailed the packs to us and saved yourself this embarrassment." He raised the information pack he had on his lap. "You're not telling us anything new. Why can't Doctor Jackson do his job for once instead of pretending to be soldier?"

Whatever was left of Balinsky's confidence disippated quite quickly. He couldn't do this – he wasn't qualified. He hadn't even been on the mission to P5X 543 and he had only read Daniel's mission report and pre-prepared slides thirty minutes prior to the presentation. He flustered, fumbling with the projector remote. He noticed out the corner of his eye of someone standing up. He looked up slowly to see a young man – he couldn't have been more of than a boy – approach him, trailed by an SF. Everyone's attention was drawn to the young man as Balinsky looked at him in confusion.

Danny said with a slight smile, "Thanks, Cameron."

Balinsky stammered, unsure of what was happening, "W-w-who are y-you?"

Cooper sneered, glancing around at the other archaeologists, "This keeps getting better and better. First, someone who wasn't even on the mission – now an intruder to the base is going to tell us about Sumerian architecture."

Amidst some quiet laughs from the others, Danny glared at Cooper disdainfully. He said, "You were always an obnoxious ass, Dwight."

This appeared to silence Cooper, and Balinsky slowly skulked back to the wall in an attempt to avoid any further scrutiny. Danny turned to look at Balinsky, stopping the SG-13 archaeologist in his tracks. He said,

"Doctor Balinsky, I believe you were about to tell us about the composition of the soil." He glanced smugly at the confused archaeologists. "It really is something."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Later in the afternoon, the briefing room table back in it usual position, Jack, Sam, and Teal'c were sat around it, General Hammond seated in his usual place at the head. Jack appeared bored as he tried to inconspicuously doodle on the report in front of him until Hammond shot him a glare. Sam and Teal'c briefed the General about their findings. They had visited a number of people who had reported alien abductions.

Sam said, glancing down at a report in front of her, "Sir, the accounts were pretty much identical and matched Daniel's account exactly."

Hammond appeared to mull over this as Teal'c continued, "Daniel Jackson is the only one who has experienced a physical change as the result of his experience."

Sam nodded, looking back to the General. "But the rest of the details are congruous: being taken while asleep, floating paralysis, having an out of body experience, four green globes levitating around them and buzzing like insects." She paused. "That is too specific a detail compared to the cliché of alien abductions."

Jack quipped, "Little green men?"

Sam looked at him but said nothing. Teal'c instead said, deadpan, "It would appear grey coloured beings of small stature."

Sam, looking troubled, said, "The Asgard haven't responded to our attempted communications."

The three members of SG-1 and Hammond looked up as Janet entered the room. The doctor said, looking highly concerned, "Well, if help is coming, it better arrive soon."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Danny was seated in guest quarters, reading archaeological journals which Sam had brought him. Of course, the journals had been fully vetted to ensure that they contained no classified information. He pouted slightly as he realised that she hadn't brought him the journal in which he had contributed a harmless article about ancient Babylon. It would appear that even names of people pertaining to the Stargate programme were too classified for his reading. He sighed, putting down the journal he had been reading, and he looked around at the room. He would have to get used to this if they didn't find a solution. He didn't have any of his belongings: he wasn't allowed any of his books or his photograph of Sha're. Sam would never look at him the same way again. He sighed again, thinking that it wasn't personal, and that he probably would be just as sceptical if another member of his team had suddenly physically regressed overnight. It didn't stop it from being so frustrating though. He reclined back in his chair and closed his eyes.

A knock at the door roused him from his self pity. He sighed once again at the intrusion. Judging by the solid knock, it was Teal'c. At least Teal'c wouldn't look at him like a lost cause like Sam would, or mock him like Jack would. Perhaps some kel'no'reem would distract him from his troubles. He called, "Come in."

The door opened and Teal'c strode into the room. Danny noticed that Teal'c appeared graver than usual. Danny stood and said, "What's up, Teal'c?"

Teal'c said, "Janet Fraiser has concluded her scrutiny of the genetic team's analysis of your results." He paused, an unusual thing for Teal'c to do. "You are dying, old friend."

Danny slowly sank back in his chair. He looked up at the looming figure of his friend in shock. Jack's voice played in his head 'It never rains but it pours with you, Danny.' That remark had been uttered by Jack on numerous occasions following particular dramatic missions. Danny said,

"Why?"

Teal'c showed a fraction of the sorrow which he was feeling which compounded the situation further. "Your genetic structure is becoming more unstable."

Danny blinked in shock as the situation sank in.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

In the Infirmary, Danny was seated on a trolley. He appeared frustrated as Janet took a sample of blood from him. He glanced at a bored looking Jack who was seated nearby who had taken to spinning his chair. Danny said, returning his attention to Janet, "Not that I doubt you, but surely if I was dying, I'd feel it? I feel fine... I mean, I should know what dying feels like: it has happened a few times already."

Janet looked at him in concern, saying as she handed the blood sample to a nearby nurse, "You'll start to notice symptoms as the condition worsens." She looked even more concerned as she asked, "How do you feel?"

Danny retorted tiredly, "Fine." He said with a sigh, "So how long do I have?"

She replied reluctantly, "It's hard to say."

"Well, say it anyway. I'm dying – who am I going to tell?"

It must be serious, he thought. Jack had stopped spinning and was actually appearing to pay attention for once. Janet replied, "Daniel, I'm so sorry. It could be weeks, days... we don't know. You'll notice fatigue first of all... and then your vital organs will shut down." She paused. "It's as though there is something causing total system failure. I can't give you a timescale – this is like nothing I've ever seen before."

Danny appeared dejected as he spoke bitterly, "This is the thanks we get for helping them with the Replicators, I guess."

Jack looked perturbed. He remarked to mask this display of emotion, "Next time, we'll send them to voicemail."

Janet, ignoring Jack, said, "Daniel, we're doing all we can... but it doesn't look good."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Sam climbed the stairs from control room to the briefing room. With her, was her father, Jacob. During a break from her racing thoughts, she said gratefully, "Thanks for coming. I'm sure it'll help coming directly from you."

Jacob looked at his daughter as they reached the briefing room. She looked sad. Selmak's whisperings about her and Daniel being more than friends gave him further food for thought. He knew she would get defensive – just as he would – if he tried to address the subject directly. He asked, instead, "How are Mark and the kids?"

She replied distractedly, "Good, great; the kids are great. Steph's skipping two grades." She smiled at the thought of her precocious niece. "I'll tell them you said 'hi'."

Jacob paused on noticing Danny, Jack, Teal'c, and Hammond stood at the briefing table. His thoughts shifted back to the situation. He stared at the young man, having already been briefed about what had happened. It still made no sense. He voiced both his and Selmak's confusion.

"I'm sorry, Sam told me what was going on." He shook his head slightly and said, "But what could anyone gain from this?"

Sam said, not meeting Danny's gaze, "We think that perhaps they were hoping to make him younger in order to access his memories from the time he spent ascended."

Jacob glanced at his daughter and then back at the nervous looking young man who squirmed under his scrutiny. He said, "It makes sense but it's clumsy."

Jack remarked, "Kid's not getting any younger."

Jacob glanced at Jack as they approached the briefing room table. He said, facing Danny, "Well, as I told Sam, are options are pretty limited."

Jack opened his mouth to speak, but Danny spoke first. He said sarcastically, "It's an awfully long way to come to say goodbye."

Sam fought back her tears as she once again contemplated losing him. She couldn't do it again. Jacob subtlely brushed her forearm, jolting her back to the present. The retired General said, "I'm here to recommend we put you in stasis until we better understand your condition."

Danny said quietly, "You want to cryogenically freeze me?"

Jacob said, concerned, "Daniel, we're not talking about cryogenics here on Earth. The risk involved is minimal."

Sam added, "It's our only option."

Before Danny could reply, Jack angrily retorted, "No, you're not freezing him. I've been down this road with the Tok'ra before. No offence, Jacob, but the last time you helped me out of a jam, I ended up rescuing an old girlfriend I'd never met before." He continued in an uncharacteristic moment of emotional vulnerability, "We're still getting over the last time he died... we're not losing him again."

Jacob looked from a tense looking Jack, to a tired looking Danny. He said, "We would never subject you to a blending without your express permission."

Danny blinked, thinking of Sha're. He said quietly, "Good... because I would rather be dead."

Sam's heart broke once again on seeing him looking so dejected and recalling the tragedies he had faced. She looked to her father who looked at Danny. Jacob said, stepping closer to him, "No pressure, Daniel, but you need to make a decision. We have a team standing by, but if you wait too long, we may not be able to reverse the cellular breakdown. You're already displaying fatigue."

Sam, ignoring the fact her superiors were present, reached for Danny's hand. She hadn't been able to face him before now but her fear of losing him was greater. She said, tears in her eyes, "Daniel, please."

Danny looked at her, falling in love with her all over again. His chest ached for her, for how she couldn't accept him for who he was. He pursed his lips as he thought of his options: they weren't many in number. His heart felt as though it was breaking as he considered the only option which seemed practical. He hadn't come back to be frozen. He met Jacob's gaze with a grave expression as his legs gave way. Teal'c grabbed him, depositing him into a chair. Sam stood back as Danny fended off the concern of his colleagues. He said,

"Jacob, I don't want to be put in stasis. What if you don't find a cure?"

Sam knelt next to his chair and said, "Daniel... you have to fight it. You have to." She snapped, "I didn't spend half the day trying to contact my Dad just so you can give up on me."

Jack turned away to punch the wall as Danny said, his head bowed, "I'm tired of fighting."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

In the Infirmary, Hammond, Sam, and Teal'c stood before Janet as she spoke to them. Nearby, Jacob was seated at a computer. Hammond was confident a solution would be found: Doctor Jackson was too much of a valuable asset and a friend to lose him now. He had watched that young man grow from the shy, nervous but stubborn and determined archaeologist who had had rudimentary firearms training from his original trip through the Stargate, to the skilled warrior who had now given up.

Teal'c remained as stoic as usual which belied his tumultous interior. He had never known Daniel Jackson to surrender. Daniel Jackson had remained bloodied but unbowed throughout the tragedies and pain he had experienced in his short life. It gave him great pain to know that his friend was ready to surrender. Teal'c did not make a habit of hoping, except for when it came to seeing his son again. But now he hoped that there would be an intervention; a last minute saving grace. Perhaps the Ancients would intervene – he once was one of them even if they had inexplicably cast him down.

The three of them were drawn back to Janet speaking. The doctor gestured towards Jacob.

"Selmak has had a chance to digest some of the DNA test results we've been collecting, and it seems that Daniel's condition isn't what we first thought."

Janet looked around at Hammond, at Sam, and at Teal'c. They were coping as well as she was. The last time she felt as helpless was when he was dying from radiation poisoning. At least there had been some sort of an intervention then... even if she still had trouble wrapping her head around the whole thing. She couldn't face Cassie's heartbroken face again. But it looked as though their luck had run out: Daniel's luck; his penchant for coming back from the dead or from impossible situations. She'd at least hoped he would have stopped dancing around his feelings for Sam before his next death. Her racing thoughts were interrupted by Sam speaking.

"He isn't dying?"

Ah, the hope in her eyes. She hated it: she hated seeing hope in the eyes of relatives or team members when she knew she would erase it with the truth. But it was so human: to want to conquer the impossible; the inevitable. Janet fought hard to control her voice as she felt as though she was close to breaking down. She said,

"He is dying but we think we know the cause. When we first compared Daniel's DNA samples to the ones we had on file, the match was almost perfect."

Dammit, Sam still looked hopeful. Hammond said, appearing confused, "Almost, Doctor? I believe you said that there was a tiny abnormality."

Janet nodded, replying, "That's right; Selmak thinks he knows why."

Everyone's attention was drawn to Jacob as he closed his eyes, opening them again to look at them, his eyes glowing as they did when his symbiote spoke through him. Selmak's deep voice spoke from within him.

"This is not Daniel Jackson."

Hammond, Sam, and Teal'c appeared perplexed to varying degrees as Jacob's eyes stopped glowing and he resumed work at the computer. Janet, just as perplexed, drew their attention back to her by saying, "He's a clone."