Chapter 6

Daniel stared out over the camp from his perch in one of the lower branches of a tree. He felt a cloud of oppressive gloom settling in around him, but nothing he could do would chase it away. He had been so sure that the answer to this puzzle lay somewhere on this planet, but so far nothing had been forthcoming.

It would help if they'd just give me two minutes alone, Daniel thought to himself, his brow creasing with sudden pique. He thought of the sand-colored cube safely hidden in his bag in the tent, and had to force himself not to grit his teeth.

He didn't dare experiment with the object while his chaperones were nearby, but he had very little privacy. Even now, a discrete guard was pretending not to watch him while standing on the path below.

He turned his gaze toward the ruins, with a sigh. From here, he could see "his" team of archeologists working away, trying to decode the mysteries of the building. Fat lot of good it would do them. The cube was the key, and he didn't dare give it to them. They'd just fall into the same trap that he'd fallen into.

Suddenly, a bit of movement caught the corner of his eye and he turned to see an approaching figure. Janet. Just what I need. Guess the vacation's over...

He didn't bother trying to talk to her. In fact, he didn't bother looking at her. Test after unhelpful test had revealed that Daniel's condition was "stable," ...which to him meant "not improving" no matter how many times Janet pointed out that it also meant "not deteriorating." No more tests were going to change that. Impulsively, he pushed himself off the branch, and jumped to the ground with a clumsy thud.

As Dr. Fraiser continued to approach, he continued to walk away, ignoring her as she followed him down the trail.

"Daniel?" the doctor queried, trying to get his attention.

Sarcastically, he replied, knowing she wouldn't understand a word, "What's the point, Janet? You can't even understand what I'm saying. I might as well be talking to a wall..."

He didn't bother looking to see her reaction. He could practically feel her wary gaze boring into his back as he walked down the path that would eventually lead him back to camp and his own tent. "Daniel," she repeated, in a more authoritative tone, "We need to run more tests. We think that maybe if we…"

At last, Daniel's temper snapped and he turned on her. Without a word, he merely glared, and made a cutting motion with his hands. In case she doubted his determination, he lifted his chin, and planted his feet, stubbornly.

Dr. Fraiser stared at him in shocked silence, her mouth an open 'o'. It was a rare moment indeed when one of her patients failed to respond when she took that tone. Daniel waited patiently as she regained her equilibrium. But when she spoke, she merely said, with forced calm, "Daniel…I just want to help."

"How can I make you see, I don't. Want. More. Tests," Daniel said, more for his own benefit than for hers. She gave a nervous smile, before he finally stepped forward toward her.

Doctor Fraiser stood her ground, her hands going to her hips, and her face taking on a more stubborn expression, but her slight glance to the unsubtle guard was enough to clue him in that she was nervous. Nervous enough to stop pestering me? He wondered, unhopefully.

"Daniel... We're all doing everything we can to help you. You could at least try to be cooperative..." The litany continued, with Daniel becoming more irritated with every second.

"NO. You listen to me. I'm through being cooperative. I'm through taking your pointless tests. And I'm through letting other people do my research, when it's my life that's on the line here." He knew she couldn't understand him, but he made sure to put every ounce of frustration and anger that he felt into his tone of voice. A small, wicked part of him felt a sick satisfaction at the shocked, slightly fearful look with which she regarded him.

The larger part of him, however, just felt sick. Without another word or even a glance to his 'guard', Daniel turned and ran, taking off into the brush lining the path.

Within minutes, for the first time since he'd lost the ability to communicate, Daniel was truly alone.

As Daniel approached the camp, he could hear voices murmuring ahead of him. Perhaps he was growing weary of human company, or perhaps he was merely suspicious of the secretive tone, but something spurred him to duck behind a tent, taking an alternate approach that would keep him hidden.

All the recent on-the-job training had made him much more effective when it came to skulking about. Somehow, he managed to remain hidden until he was just within earshot.

He could identify two voices: Jack and Sam. They seemed to be having some sort of meeting.

"Sir, we've examined the building that Daniel keeps showing us, but we can't get inside. None of the men's weapons can break through, and there's no visible entryway that I can find," Sam was saying.

Good, Daniel thought, somberly, The last thing we need is two gibbering archeologists around here...

Jack didn't seem much impressed by the failure, though. "There has to be a way in there, Carter. I don't care what it takes."

Carter again, "I understand, sir. We're working on it. We're trying to see if there might be something that Daniel accidentally triggered behind all those creeping vines. I've got a team clearing away the greenery, but it's going to take some time. That stuff is impossible to burn, and it takes a lot of muscle to tear it free from the wall."

Suddenly, there were footsteps on the path. Daniel ducked down further behind the tent, not daring to peek out for fear of being seen. You'd think I was back on Chulak, he reflected, bitterly.

"I think we may have a problem," Daniel heard, and his bitterness turned to sinking dread in a moment. It was Dr. Fraiser. "Daniel is behaving very strangely. I think...Well, I think it might be something similar to the Gate room incident..."

Daniel didn't wait to hear what she was going to say. He was running out of time. With his heart in his shoes, he crept back the way he had come, sneaking around to his own tent to fetch the cube.

If they aren't going to let me work on this, I'm just going to have to take matters into my own hands...

Jack knew that they were being watched, and he was fairly certain that it was Daniel. He groaned inwardly as the doctor approached, and glanced toward the tent where he'd heard the archeologist snooping. When she spoke, his gaze snapped back toward her, but he lowered his voice.

"Look, Doc, I know you have good intentions, but I think Daniel just needs some space..." He glanced to the Doctor, raising his eyebrows significantly, and she suddenly realized that he was speaking purposefully loud... He wanted Daniel to overhear.

Slowly, she caught on, and he didn't like the nervous glance she sent in that direction. "Ah...You're probably right, sir...I just...um..."

Jack lowered his voice, gesturing the doctor nearer, "Look, I'll take care of this. Act like you're going back to work, but try to keep your people out of the way. Just in case..."

After sending the doctor on his way, Jack started off purposefully in the direction of the tent. A cursory inspection told him everything he needed to know. Someone had been snooping around back here, and he'd bet his life that it was Daniel.

"Colonel O'Neill?" Carter asked, interrupting his reverie. She'd followed him, and the look of confusion and worry on her face was a reflection of Jack's own feelings. Carefully, he kept his expression composed.

"Carter, I want you to get Teal'c and find Daniel. I want to get to him before he does anything else that we'll all regret," Jack ordered.

"...Yes, sir," Carter replied, hesitantly. She opened her mouth to say something, but then she thought better of it and turned to march off, Jack felt a great sense of relief. The last thing he wanted to think about was his feelings about what was happening to Daniel.

He had a gut feeling where he would find Daniel, but as he strode off in the opposite direction from Carter, he hoped with everything he had that he was wrong.