Hi guys, second chapter. Thanks for the reviews, but I want more….
Have a nice week

Chapter 2: Delphi

The first thing Daniel noticed was the cold. His body felt hard and utterly cold. But that was normal for a trip through the Stargate and he had experienced this hundreds of times. He could already feel the tiny ice crystals on his face melting and dissolving into water droplets.

The stabbing pain in his head however, that was new. It felt as if someone was cutting away the skin of his skull with a sharp scalpel. As the cold disappeared, the pain only got worse and spread through his entire body. Momentarily paralyzed, Daniel had no choice but to lie still and wait for it to go away. He pressed his face against the stone floor beneath him. The cold which radiated off the flat stones was little consolation for his sore skin. Somewhere near him, someone moaned softly.

Then he felt the pleasant weight of a supporting hand on his shoulder.
"Take it easy, Daniel. It'll be over soon." Promised the unknown person. He recognized the voice immediately. It was Sam. At least he was not alone. Just as she had told him, feeling returned into his arms and legs and the stabbing pain left his body. Two helping arms supported him while he tried to sit up.

"Don't overdo it. It takes a few minutes until the dizziness passes."
Daniel nodded an supported his body with his still shaky arms. He looked at Sam and realized that she must have coped with their unusual journey through the Stargate much better than him. She was already busily rummaging through her backpack and eventually found a flashlight. Only now did he notice, how dark it was around them.

The inarticulate "Thank you" that he managed as Sam put the backpack behind his back so he could lean against it was a clear sign, that his body was still processing whatever had happened to them. But at least his hand obeyed him so far that he could take the gun Sam held out to him.
"Stay here. I'll take a look around." No sooner that she had said this, she disappeared into the shadows surrounding them.

Resting against the backpack and waiting for the full control of his own body to return, Daniel looked around the dark room. They had definitely not returned to the SGC, that was sure. The silence complemented the feeling of being alone. A nervous glance around confirmed his assumption. No trace of Mitchell and Meyers. They must have been separated. Sam and him landing here, while their teammates maybe had returned to earth.

Oh yeah, something had gone entirely wrong. But he forced himself to stay calm and finish his observations. Behind him loomed the reassuring presence of the Stargate, but an important part was missing. The DHD! It was nowhere to be seen. Instead, there was only the gate. It stood quietly on some kind of pedestal. No trace of activity or that it had recently spat out two travelers from another planet.

Following Sam's example, he sat up straight and examined his surroundings some more. The room was large. Although it was gloomy, there were some isolated light sources. The dim light came from small spotlights that were embedded into the floor and directed towards a series of glass boxes arranged around the room. The atmosphere in this room seemed strangely familiar to him. He looked at the cold stone floor, the illuminated display cases and the slightly musty smell and embraced the feelings that washed over him. It was shock, fear and despair, but also curiosity, intimacy and the knowledge that this felt like home, somehow.

At that moment, Sam appeared out of the shadows between two showcases. The P90 hung from her shoulders, her right hand resting relaxed on its butt. From her posture, Daniel could see that her little exploring had revealed no potential dangers for them.
"Daniel, I think we are in a…" she stated and Daniel finished the thought. "…a museum! I know."

She looked at him inquiringly and he just shrugged his shoulders briefly.
"I've spent almost my whole childhood in museums. If you know one, you know them all, I guess."
Daniel could pinpoint the exact moment, Sam remembered that he had lost his parents in an accident in such a place. She lowered her eyes apologetically and held out a hand. Daniel took it gratefully and let her pull him onto his feet.

Pleased that his balance had returned, he took a few steps and looked at the Stargate questioningly.
"So, uh…what happened? Malfunction?"
"Seems obvious. Something must have caused a defect right after we passed the event horizon."
"What about Mitchell and Meyers?"
"Well, they're not here. I think whatever caused this malfunction hasn't interfered with their journey through the Gate."
Daniel took a few seconds to digest that information.
"Makes sense. That would mean that they arrived at the SCG and are hopefully looking for us?"
"I hope so."

"Do you have any idea how this happened or where we are?"
Sam's gaze wandered pensively through the dark room. She had been a soldier for such a long time, that not much remained hidden from her trained eyes. Then she looked at the Stargate and pursed her lips. Normally, they were used to the Stargate located at an open area. A clearing, a plaza or another central location. Almost always a place that could be easily reached and used for transportation. In rare cases, they found themselves in a confined space after jumping through the Gate.

"Doesn't look like the Gate is damaged. But the DHD is missing and I see no technology that fits a culture we already met. There's also no evident energy source. But I need more hints to say what could have possibly happened. To be honest, I was hoping you could look at the exhibits more closely. Maybe there's something you recognize?"
Daniel blinked. Why hadn't he thought of that? His body's reaction on the ruff journey through the Gate was probably still affecting his brain.
"Oh! Of course." He shook his head at his own passivity, then roamed the showcases with Sam in tow.

He didn't see anything special at first. At least nothing that could give him a hint about this place. Jewelry, clay pots, cast iron pans, antique pens and coins. Nothing that piqued his interest. The stuff was to unspecific. But he still looked at everything carefully. Sam stood a few steps behind him, giving him enough space to think. She fumbled with the handle of her P90 while she waited patiently for his conclusion.

He took his time to examine the contents of another display case, but no sudden inspiration. A plan of this museum would be nice, he thought. One with a red dot that said 'you are here' and one that said 'the way back home is there'.
"Well…" he began and caught himself unconsciously searching for his glasses. He was using contact lenses for some time now, but he forgot when he was deep in thought.
"Yes, Daniel?"
"So, there's not much to see."
Carter's eyes looked around in disbelief. The room was huge with dozens of showcases and hundreds of exhibits and Daniel was claiming that there was nothing to see? The archaeologist understood her wonder and continued immediately.
"I mean, of course, there are many exhibits. But nothing that indicates where we are right now. Nothing is specific enough. We could be anywhere."
"There must me something we can work with." She said stubbornly and studied the artifacts herself.

"Well, all the artifacts that I've seen so far have strong similarities with the Greek culture. If I had to define it, I'd say they resemble the Hellenic era most. Definitely before the Roman expansion."
Daniel's voice echoed softly through the room as he rummaged through the large amounts of knowledge that he kept stored in his brain. Sam was right. So many pieces. There had to be something useful to them. And there was something that stood out. All the exhibits showed a glaring absence of deities. Remnants of the Hellenic period on earth were normally full of heroic images, pictures of mythical figures, titans or other legendary creatures. He turned around for Sam to tell her about his latest insight, but she was gone.

"Uh, Sam?" he whispered into the darkness. Although they appeared to be alone in the museum, he didn't want to risk alarming someone. Just when it seemed that the silence extended around him, Sam's voice reached his ear.
"Daniel! Up here, second floor." Her voice was subdued, so Sam was aware of their treacherous safety too.
"Second floor?" From his position he could see only countless showcases, but no stairs.
"There's a staircase in the back."
Daniel strode past the glass boxes and navigated towards the direction of her voice. A beam of light cut through the darkness. It was Sam's flashlight and it showed him the way towards a massive staircase made of white marble. As he crossed the first steps, he recognized the blond hair of his companion on the top.
"Daniel, you have to see this!" She called to him excitedly. He was infected by her enthusiasm and took two stairs at a time.

When he reached the top she grabbed him by the sleeve and pulled him further into the next room. To say that what he saw there made him speechless, would be an understatement. Daniel felt as if his eyes wanted to jump out of their sockets with the desire to perceive all at once.

They stood in the middle of a room that consisted entirely of white marble. The floor was not square, like they were used to, but rhombic. Instead of walls, the facades were completely made of glass so that they could enjoy a 360 panoramic view around. It was dark outside and suggested that it was either night or early morning on this planet. The glass of the windows seemed to have some sort of special cut, because it caught the starlight and channeled it into four beams that met in the center of the room, illuminating a large statue with golden starlight.

Daniel recognized him immediately.
"This is Apollo." He exclaimed and stepped closer.
Before him stood the oversized statue of a man made of pearly stone. A big golden shield lay by his feet. A bow hung around his shoulder and his right hand held a sword that pointed at the heaven above. Speaking of heaven…even the ceiling was glass and offered one of the most spectacular views of a starry sky he'd ever seen.

The glass walls and ceiling, combined with the bundled starlight made them feel like standing in the middle of the starlit sky. Together with Apollo, son of Zeus. Very symbolic.
"It's wonderful." Was the only thing he could offer at the moment.
"Like we're sitting on a could." Sam breathed.
Unlike him, she was able to turn her eyes away from the statue, walking to one of the glass windows instead. Not only could she see the starry sky above, but also the bright lights of two cities. The museum lay embedded into the houses of a small town, a dark forest close by. In the background glistened the bright lit skyline of a much larger city. The contours of the city stood out in the dark like a huge metropolis. Colorful lights of flashing neon signs and headlights broke through the darkness of the night and illuminated the outlines of big skyscrapers, making the city pulsating with life. In the horizon loomed the bright outline of another luminous planet. It seemed, in spite of the nocturnal darkness, as if the planet was wide awake.

Wherever they were, this planet was urbanized and at first glance, technically advanced.
"Sam, look at that." Urged Daniel's excited voice. She turned to him and her eyes followed his outstretched arm to the ceiling. Only now did she notice that the sky there was not the same as outside. It seemed rather like a projection of another complex star system. The system housed two, no four stars and each of them was encircled by several smaller stars and other celestial bodies.
"Do you recognize anything?" Daniel wanted to know, because stars were her métier.

"It's a double-double star system!" she breathed spellbound and despite Daniels confused staring, couldn't turn away from the projection.
"Huh? Double-double star? I only see two." At first it seemed that she didn't hear him, but then she responded and it was clear to see, how hard it was for her to tear her eyes away form the star system.
"Look more closely! A double-double star system consists of two double stars that are located in a special kind of way. It looks as if there are just two stars, but there are four of them. Even if it looks as if the stars are close together, they are not. They only reside along the same line of sight. This one is even more evident that Epsilon Lyrae."
"O-kay…Epsilon Lyrae?" Daniel mumbled absentminded and squinted his eyes to see what had Sam so captivated. Only with a lot of effort could he make out that there were indeed four stars. However, his definition of 'evident' was clearly different from Sam's understanding. If she wouldn't have pointed it out for him, he would most definitely not have noticed the four stars.
"Epsilon Lyrae is the most clearly recognizable double-double star in the milky way. It's pretty much 162 light-years away from Earth. But I've never seen a double-double star like this. That's fascinating! I whish we had a camera here!" She almost rejoiced, ignoring Daniel's presence when she turned back to the projection.

The archeologist gave her a few silent minutes during which he wondered, if he was as unreachable as she was now when he discovered a ruin that fascinated him. Thoughts of Jack came unbidden. Jack would give him a moody answer to his question, garnished with several grouchy words. He quickly repressed the memories of his once best friend before they could trigger the usual bitterness. There was no time for that. They had to find a way out of here and preferably a way back home.

He took a step towards his friend and touched her arm gently. He didn't want to interrupt her. After all, it had been months since she'd found something that inspired her like that.
"Sam? Can you conclude where we are?"
Her regretful glance was his answer.
"No, I'm sorry. It's definitely a double-double star like Epsilon Lyrae….but like I said. I've never seen one like this. It…It's perfect."

"So-we don't know where we are, how we got here and how we can get back." He summarized their situation deflated, while trying again to grab the glassed that were still not there. He would have to break this habit sometime.
"What about you? Can you classify this guy?" She turned to him and looked at the stone Apollo and it's obvious nudity with skepticism.
"Well, this is Apollo. He was the son of Zeus and Leto. His legend arises from the Greek mythology. He's the god of light, healing, music and patron to the archers. This is why he is often portrayed with bow and arrow…" he stopped talking so abruptly, that Sam cast a worried glance at him.
"Daniel? You okay?"
During his explanation, he had walked around the statue and noticed that the bundled starlight was reflected by something golden in Apollo's left hand. As if hypnotized, Daniel stepped up to the statue and stared at the object right in front of his face.

His brain rejected what his eyes could clearly see. His heart beat faster with fascination.
"Oh my God! That can't be true…but, I mean I can see it. It has to be…how is that possible?" he murmured as if he was only speaking to himself and Sam struggled to understand him. She followed his awestruck gaze and frowned when she saw the golden arrow in the statue's left hand. What was so great about an arrow?
"Daniel?" She asked him quietly to share his thoughts. He started several times and stopped again, overwhelmed, before he finally found intelligible words.
"The arrow of Apollo!" He cried out and his slightly unbelieving face met Sam's puzzled one.

"In Greek mythology, Apollo was also the god of destruction and rescue. A big part of the Apollo cult is based on his visionary abilities. He received these by killing Pynthos and appropriating his ability of divination. He killed Pynthos with an arrow. The same arrow which he used to end the Trojan war and exact vengeance on his father. Do you understand? This here…" he interrupted himself to gesture towards the golden arrow.
"I think this here is the original arrow of Apollo. The artifact on which not only the Apollo cult is based on, but also countless myths and legends. If this is the real arrow…it means that these legends are all true. Or at least that there is a real model for the mythical figure of Apollo and maybe even the other gods too."

Carter watched her friend skeptically.
"I don't know, Daniel. Are you even sure that this it the real arrow? And why is it here instead of earth?"
Daniel frowned, pondering the arrow's, and Apollo's, existence on this planet.
"Hmm…according to the legend the arrow actually existed. But with the spread of the Roman culture in Europe, the old legends and all clues to the whereabouts of the arrow disappeared. Many experts are sure that it never really existed. That's it's just fantasy."
"But you're not one of them." Sam concluded and was rewarded with a satisfied smile.
"No. I have always believed that there was some truth in these legends. I mean, the arrow is mentioned in so many of them. Not all of it can be fiction."
"And of course you have a theory about what happened to the arrow."
"Umm, well, not really…" he confessed with a shy smile. "I've been too busy with other godlike guys." He pointed out, thinking of the Goa'uld.

"Of course." She said at last, her eyes wandering again through the mesmerizing room. She had really seen a lot of fascinating and beautiful things these last years. But this combination of elegant marble and stone, the bright rays of starlight and the perfect darkness of the night sky had the potential to make it into her top five list. Unfortunately, it brought them no closer to the answers they needed to get back home. Sighing, she turned back to Daniel.
"So. How does the arrow get from earth to this planet?"
"Goa'uld?" Offered Daniel helpfully.
"I don't think so." Sam thought out loud and made a sweeping gesture to the skyline visible through the massive glass windows.
"Doesn't look like this civilization has been visited by the Goa'uld lately." She finally concluded and Daniel was inclined to agree. The Goa'uld had always haunted worlds before they could develop even a technical minimum standard. What they did not destroy, the self proclaimed gods stole and integrated into their own ships and weapons. The Goa'uld would have never allowed a civilization to develop like this, to a standard that would have allowed this planet and it's population to present a potential danger for the system lords. So, either the snakes had known nothing about this planet, or the people who lived here had found a way to fight them off.

"What now?" he wanted to know and Sam shrugged her tired shoulders in response.
"We find a way out of here and mingle with the crowd. Maybe we'll get to know something about their culture and how they use the Stargate."
Daniel affirmed this suggestion with a silent nod. They had mastered many similar situations because they had managed to adapt. Well, some better than others, he added silently and again, he saw unwanted memories of Jack O'Neill. His childish behavior and loud protest when they were forced to put on some embarrassing clothes or take part in a bizarre ritual. Although they had often been in mortal danger when that happened, he was able to think about it with a honest smile. For many months it had not been possible for him to remember something, even if it was trivial, about his friend without the desire to hit something. Anything. But he had learned to allow just the good feelings and memories to come to the surface, just like he did with Sha're. No negative feelings. It wasn't easy and took time, but was way better than the alternative.

With a glance at Sam as she stood at the wide glass windows, looking longingly, searchingly, out to the vibrant skyline, Daniel suddenly realized that his friend hadn't reached the same level of coping with bereavement. She couldn't let go of the pain and focus solely on the good things. That was probably the reason why she always seemed listless and depressed. Why there was a thick wall between them. Daniel felt like the biggest idiot and wanted to hit his head. He had been so busy with his own grief and mourning, that he had not realized that Sam was still trapped in her own valley of tears. At this moment, he swore to himself that he would help her to move on with life. Jack wouldn't want them to suffer. Especially her. But Sam was resigning and he couldn't let that happen. There was still so much she could do and give. He just had to make her see. As soon as they had found a way to get back home. He'd even postpone his trip to Atlantis, if he had to. Sam was more important. But first, they had to get back to Earth.

"Shall we?" He woke Sam from her daydreaming und nodded towards the marble stairway. There were not further doors or stairs in the room, so he guessed they would have go back the way they'd came from. Sam shouldered her heavy backpack and went ahead.

What exactly had persuaded him to do what the did next, Daniel had no clue. He hadn't really thought about it. It was like a reflex, an invisible pull. In retrospective, he really should have known better. All those years, he had spent as a child and later adult in museums. Even though he had no idea where they were, or how they could go back, he should have known that valuable artifacts like the arrow of Apollo were alarm protected in every civilization. But like he said, he just wasn't thinking. So he yielded to his need to touch the arrow just once. To feel history coming alive under his hands. As he watched his hand slowly approaching the arrow, he could hear Jack's voice -or was it Sam?- loud and clear.

"No, Daniel! Don't touch it!"
But it was already too late. When his finger touched the golden arrow, the museum's peaceful atmosphere was passé. Instead, spotlights brighter than daylight and several sirens roared through the whole building. His face twisted into an expression of apology, as he turned to Sam.
"Daniel!" she admonished with the aura of a desperate teacher who didn't know how to tame her problem students. He ducked his head and managed a half-hearted "Sorry."
She sighed again and peered down the stairs. Nobody seemed to respond to the alarm, but that wouldn't last long.

Just as she was about to open her mouth, the loud voices of several men reached their ears from the lower floor. Their eyes met alarmed. The men's steps sounded heavy and she concluded that they were probably heavily armed. Judging from their calls, there were at least half a dozen of them. Daniel and she were outnumbered and outgunned. With quick hands, she began to disarm herself. First, the P90 landed a few feet away on the ground and before she'd registered Daniel's quizzical look, several knives and her pistol joined the personal defense weapon on the floor.
"Away with the weapons, Daniel! Whoever that is, they are many and we don't want to give them any reason to shoot." She told him. Daniel understood at once and also got rid of his weapons. He kicked his gun away from him not a second too soon. Together with Sam's weapons, they'd build a not unimpressive heap of firepower just as several men stormed up the stairs. Following Sam's example, he raised his hands and tried to appear as harmless as possible.

The men positioned themselves in front of the stairs and blocked their only escape route. Not that Daniel wasted one thought on the idea of fleeing. With all the fire power those guys carried in their muscled arms, he probably wouldn't take one step without being perforated. He was sure they'd turn him to Swiss cheese.
They were all dressed in black with matching anonymous storm masks and assault rifles, looking ready to shoot first and ask questions later. His heart pounded so wildly, that his temples began to ache. Almost incidentally, he registered how similar clothing, behavior and weapons of this foreign security forces were to their own equipment.

For a painfully long moment, both parties faced each other. Then the two men standing in the middle stepped aside and opened a way for another man. He quietly walked up to them and studied first the weapons on the ground, and then Sam and Daniel with the cool look of a man that had experienced situations like this a lot of times. He wore no mask and weapon, apparently he thought that the firepower of his men was good enough to keep two unarmed strangers in check.
"I'm Mashall Belzen from Caprica Security Forces. Who the hell are you and what are you doing in my museum?" His voice was hard and admitted no contradiction.

While Daniel's brain worked frantically to find connections between the knowledge that was already in his brain and the mention of a place called Caprica, he shot Sam an asking glance. While she was the senior officer and commander of SG-1, first contact had always been his task.

So he raised his hands in a gesture which hopefully reassured his opponents and cleared his throat.
"My name is Dr. Daniel Jackson…" he began respectfully, pointing with a nod to Sam, "…and this is Colonel Samantha Carter. We are peaceful explorers. We are looking for friends to trade, or share culture." He recited the speech he had spoken about a hundred times already. At the same time, he noticed that Sam grimaced and immediately recognized his almost faux pas. He sincerely hoped, that the armed men wouldn't see their weapons, hear his speech and conclude that for them sharing culture was synonymous with stealing culture.

But Marshall Belzen, clearly the leader of the troop, didn't react to Daniel's words.
"Why did you break into the museum?" He asked instead, ordering one of his men to pick up the several weapons from the ground. He pointed at a P90 and examined the weapon with interest. He skillfully removed the magazine and threw it at their feet. Apparently he knew how to use such weapons.
"Peaceful, you say?"

"Well, we made a lot of friends on our travels. But not every planet is friendly. Sometimes, we have to defend ourselves." Daniel tried to explain, looking at Sam for help. But she was busy seizing up the armed men. She was cataloging weapons, equipment, discipline and stored this information away for later.
"Why don't you tell me, Dr. Daniel Jackson, what kind of enemies you expect to encounter in a museum at night?"
Daniel opened his mouth spontaneously and then closed it again. Marshall Belzen had a point there. Museums weren't particularly very dangerous places.
"Okay, granted, this doesn't look very good for us.." He began and was already aware of how snippy he sounded.

Luckily, Marshall Belzen remained calm, almost to calm, as he made a threatening step towards Sam and Daniel.
"I always counter terrorists with a maximum force of arms." He growled and Daniel turned his face away from Belzen's stale breath, as the accusation hit him.
"Terrorists! We're not terrorists!" he exclaimed and admired Sam's discipline. She stood beside him like nothing could affect her. She gave nothing away of what she felt right now. Not like him. He was apparently communicating a lot, even if the didn't say something. The Marshall grinned at him coldly.
"Who are you then? And please, no frak* about peaceful research."
"But that's the truth! We are scientists, from Earth!"
Daniel's words were supposed to sound convincing, but instead Belzen's facial features derailed and he alternately pointed a threatening finger at Sam and Daniel.
"I don't want to hear anymore of that crap! Who are you? Why are you here? Who are your accomplices?"
His gruff questions shot around Daniel's ears like bullets and again, he turned to Sam for help.

"My friend is telling the truth. We are scientists. We are not danger for you. We came through the Stargate. It malfunctioned, that's why we are here. We just want to go back home." Sam finally explained and Daniel was relieved, that her voice was calm and sober, despite their predicament. But her words didn't reach the Marshall's understanding.
"What the hell is a Stargate?" He appeared to lose his patience with them. Well, you're not the only one getting annoyed, thought Daniel. The man was so damned stubborn, that it was slowly hacking away at Daniel's nerves.
"Um…the round circle of stone downstairs? Chaapa'ai?" he offered and registered with pleasure, as the man's eyebrow began to twitch nervously.
"Cappa-frakking what?!"

"I've got no time for that." He said to no one particular as he gave his men an order.
"Bring those crazies to the Global Defence Department." And he added casually, "Let them deal with this shit. I'm not putting up with all the paperwork, I've got tickets for the Pyramid-final*."

Sam and Daniel looked at each other with confusion. Global Defense Department? Pyramid finale? None of this sounded familiar to them. Although no one wanted to talk to them, it was clear to see that the men were well trained and professionally. After they were cuffed with strangely looking handcuffs, they were roughly shoved through the room, down the stairs and out of the building. Outside, black vans already waited for them. Sam tried to observe as much as possible. Before they were both pushed unceremoniously into the van, she risked one last look into the dark night sky.

On the horizon, the light of the rising sun lurked already. Sam sighed, the sunrise would have been beautifully so see from the glass room. Instead, they were on an unknown planet and in the hands of an unknown executive which was convinced that they were terrorists and should be taken care of. The van drove them away from the Stargate and away from their only way home. It was months ago that they had been in such a crappy situation and Sam could not say that she had missed it. But at least, she was not alone. She gave her companion an encouraging look. Daniel returned her gesture and shrugged as if to say 'We've survived worse'.

*frak=popular cussword on the planet; synonymous to 'fuck'
*Pryamid=most popular team sport on the planet