Author's notes: sorry if I'm late posting this! Our special thanks go to our loyal reviewers..... Bixata, Angsty-Otaku, PatricaS... you are the best!!! Of course, anybody else who has reviewd: thank you, too! You make us smile.... Now on with the story, you are all dying to find out where Teal'c went, aren't ya?

"What's happening?" Daniel asked.

"Shh, I think the Colonel's got him now," Sam rushed to say with one finger pressed against her lips.

They both heard the hesitation in Captain Potter's voice as O'Neill threatened him. The technician in the van was recording the whole conversation.

"Teal'c? The word?" Sam smiled at the way her CO had built up the conversation. She was glad she wasn't in Potter's shoes right now.

"...tell you all you want to know. Please..." The scientist was falling for O'Neill's ploy. Carter heard it in his voice. She waited for the confession to come, but heard a soft sound instead, followed by a soft thump.

She threw a worried glance at Daniel. "Shit, what's happening?" she whispered.

No voices were coming anymore, but they could all hear a door being shut.

"What's that hissing sound?" Daniel said, listening carefully.

"I don't know..." Carter answered. She didn't know why, but she didn't like it a bit. "Something's wrong. Let's go." She grabbed her stuff, getting ready to leave the van. The barely audible "Teal'c" was the last word she heard as she threw the doors open, jumping out with Daniel on her heels.

Rushing towards the entrance took only a few minutes but it seemed ages. Sam was ready to kill the guard at the door, as the time he took to check the ID's before letting them in was too long for her liking.

Then they were inside.

Carter had visited the NID headquarters several times and knew the way to the lab. Without looking back she started running, knowing Daniel would follow her. Only a couple of minutes later they arrived at their destination.

The lab was empty.

No sign of Colonel O'Neill and Teal'c. No Captain Potter either.

"Damnit," Sam cursed. "Where are they?"

Daniel already was checking out the lab for signs of trouble, but couldn't find anything amiss. There were no signs of a struggle, nothing. One window was open, letting fresh air into the lab and Daniel moved over to look for tracks outside. Turning around, he lifted his shoulders in despair. "I don't like this..." he muttered.

Carter stared at him, then looked back at the door as she heard footsteps approaching.

A tall man with short, dark hair and a high forehead stepped inside, frowning in surprise. "Can I help you?"

Sam stepped forward. "I'm Major Samantha Carter. This is Dr. Jackson. We're from the SGC and are here to meet with our colleagues, Colonel O'Neill and Teal'c." She'd managed to throw a glance at the man's ID. It was Colonel Simmons. "Do you know where they are, Sir?"

"Ah, the famous SG-1... Welcome to the NID, Major Carter. Dr. Jackson," Simmons reached out to shake hands with the two members of SG-1, smiling widely. "I'm Colonel Simmons. Now, I've not seen Colonel O'Neill today, but I think I've heard he already left the building. Are you sure you were supposed to meet here?"

"Yes," Daniel nodded.

"That was the plan, Sir," Carter quickly added. "But maybe something's come up. Daniel, let's get back to the SGC. I'm sure Colonel O'Neill will be there."

Getting ready to leave, Carter saluted at the superior officer. "Nice to meet you, Sir."

"Give my regards to Colonel O'Neill, when you find him," Simmons said, still smiling. "I'm sure we'll meet again."

"Sir, we've got them. What do we do now?"

"I only need O'Neill. Get rid of the Jaffa," was the short answer.

"Sir?"

"Think, Lieutenant. Think," came the sharp reply. "How many people do you think know what he is?"

"Just the SGC and ..."

"Exactly," the voice responded. "If we want to make them believe we're not the ones behind this we can't keep him. Others would soon discover the tattoo and God knows what else and wouldn't be able to handle that. If we keep him, they'll know it's us. Is he out cold?"

"Yes, they are both unconscious and won't wake up for a while. What about the others that came to the building?" the first man questioned.

"They have nothing to go on. They already left."

"So what do you want us to do with the Jaffa then?"

"When it's dark, dump him near O'Neill's truck. He has nowhere to go but back to the SGC."

"Yes, Sir."

"And make sure he doesn't wake up before you're all gone. Then meet me at the cabin. I've got to talk to O'Neill and I might need you to convince him of some things."

Colonel O'Neill slowly awoke, discovering a couple of most unpleasant facts.

First, he was lying face down on a cold, hard floor. Second, his hands were bound together, behind his back, and the ropes were cutting into his flesh. Third, his feet had received a similar treatment. But what pissed him off the most was that his head was pounding unmercifully and that his stomach was churning so badly he was afraid he would start throwing up any minute.

A soft moan escaped his lips as he tried to shift a bit to turn his head and scan his surroundings. The room he was in was completely empty. The floor was just brick tiles and the walls were made of wood. There was one tiny little square window, letting in light, but it gave O'Neill no clue about where he was. He could spot nothing but the sky and the top of a tree. There was only one door, which no doubt would be locked.

What the hell happened?

He remembered interrogating Captain Potter at the NID.

Damn.

Somebody shot the Captain before he could talk and then filled the room with some sort of knock-out gas.

He remembered now. He'd tried to reach the door but hadn't made it. What had happened to Teal'c? Shit, his friend had been watching the door but he wasn't here with him. So where the hell was the Jaffa?

Wondering about that wasn't getting him anywhere, so stubbornly, Jack started working on the knots around his wrists with his long fingers. They were tight and, ripping a nail, he realized it wouldn't be easy to get them loose.

Shit, if only that hammer would stop beating on the inside of his skull. It was getting worse now he was forcing his body to work on the knots, but giving up was not on his list.

It was pitch dark. Only a few streetlights illuminated the parking lot, and it took Teal'c a while to recognize where he was. He had aroused from his deep unconscious state, unable to remember what had happened to him.

He was lying on his back in the cold grass and soon he could make out O'Neill's truck. He had a severe headache and his pouch hurt. He recognized the feeling of a bruised area, and knew that somebody must have punched him several times.

O'Neill. What had become of O'Neill?

He had been watching the corridors of the NID while O'Neill talked to the NID scientist. Teal'c was certain he had heard the sound of a passing bullet. He had moved to check upon his friend when he had felt the sting of a dart hitting him in his neck. He had tried to remove the dart but the poison it was laced with had a fast paralyzing effect.

Groaning, Teal'c slowly raised his upper body to a sitting position. He touched his neck and felt the sore spot where the dart had struck him. The feeling of failure spread through his body and the Jaffa moved to lean his back against the truck, with a dark expression covering his face.

He remembered how O'Neill had hit the deck and he could not be sure if his CO had been injured. He could still recall the desperation he had felt as his body had failed to respond. He had been unable to assist O'Neill. The poison that was spreading through his veins had paralyzed him and he had slid to the floor. He could remember somebody approaching him, but he had not been able to recognize a face. His vision was blurring at that time. Although the effects of the drug made it impossible for him to move, he had not completely lost consciousness. It must have been his symbiote protecting him against it.

Voices.

He remembered voices. Teal'c shook his head in an attempt to clear the fog that was still clouding his brain. There had been people talking and there was one word printed in his memory.

Bradfort.

He was certain he had heard the people talking about it, although he could not remember the rest of the conversation. Somehow he had known it was important information.

The memory of the rest that had happened was even vaguer. They had injected him with another dose of the drug. He remembered people laughing. He remembered being hit or kicked, but had been unable to respond properly.

His face grim from what he recalled, Teal'c suddenly felt at his wrist, only to discover that the watch with the bug was gone.

Voices. Bradfort.

The Jaffa struggled to his feet. He was still dizzy and shaky, but he needed to find the whereabouts of his friend. Although his subconscious already told him O'Neill was not present, Teal'c searched the parking lot just in case. He wanted to be certain not to miss anything.

It took him about thirty minutes. By that time, the cool fresh air had cleared his head and he knew O'Neill was nowhere to be found.

He now needed to decide on his next piece of action. Somehow he needed to discover what Bradfort meant.

Author's notes: I'm going away for a few days.... I hope to find some internet connection and a possibility to post the next chapter over there, otherwise: I will be back on Friday! Don't forget to leave a review for us while you're waiting!