Chapter 7

Jack and the rest of SG-1 along with some support crew headed straight for 554 the same day Daniel had been taken by the two beings posing as his parents. None of SG-1 could believe how he'd been taken, but it'd happened. He'd been snuck right out of a high-security base and to another planet. Even with the Stargate, what they'd done was pretty incredible. What galled Jack the most of all was that they'd managed to do it even while they'd been expecting it. How pathetic was their vigilance?

If he'd had a TER in his hands when they'd been invisible…

"Sir?"

Jack came back to "earth" with an unpleasant bump. "Carter?"

"I was wondering…just how are we going to find Daniel once we get there? I mean, it's a pretty big planet, and there are any number of caves…"

"I've been thinking about that," Jack lied. "I figure we go first to that cave that Alberich showed us. Try talk to…what was her name? Alys? Yeah, talk to her. Let her know how very concerned we are and all of that, and could we have Daniel back?"

"And if she refuses?"

"That's where the plan gets fuzzy."

"Oh."

"I don't intend to leave without him, Carter."

"I didn't think you did, sir," she said quickly. "I'm just worried, I suppose."

"I'm worried, too. Heck, even Teal'c's worried."

Both of them looked over at Teal'c, who was standing by a window, looking out at the passing stars.

"He's worried on the inside," Jack amended.

"Yep."

Sam sat down in a nearby chair and looked thoughtful. "What do you think Daniel's doing right now?"

"If we're lucky, he'll be talking to them and boring them to death, and then he'll be headed home."

Sam smiled. "Or he could be having lots of Mom's home cooking."

"Or Dad could be playing baseball with him in a backyard somewhere."

Jack fell silent, and Carter guessed that he might have done that with his own son. She didn't say anything.

"Or maybe they'll have put him down for a really long nap. You know, he'd be easier to control if he's asleep."

"Maybe."

Both of them went off into their own thoughts, wondering if any of the scenarios they'd imagined could be true. They had no way of knowing what was really happening, and they were very sorry later that they'd missed it.

Space

Daniel could not remember ever being so tired before in his life. Not after his parents' deaths, finishing his thesis, or even after his wedding night. He was exhausted. He couldn't move or even think beyond "I am so tired."

Why was he so tired? He'd thought he'd been tired before, but this was infinitely worse. He thought hard and remembered what had happened—his "parents" had taken him through the Stargate. With that memory he found the strength to open his eyes and sit up. For a moment, he wondered if he were still asleep and dreaming, but he was certain he was awake. He was in a bedroom, but from what he could see, it was underground somewhere, perhaps in a cave. The walls looked like rough stone, and the ceiling was covered with stalactites. Torches burned in sconces on the walls, and the chill of the cave was eased by a fire in a built-in fireplace. He was in a bed with a featherbed mattress and a down comforter over him, with tons of pillows. There were two easy chairs in front of the fire, rugs on the floor, and shelves filled with books on the walls. There was not a window anywhere, but there were two doors, and they were closed, keeping him from seeing out.

Slowly, Daniel eased out of bed and pulled on the robe that had been draped over the foot of his bed. Tying the belt, he headed straight to the nearest door and tried the handle, and it opened to reveal a bathroom. Immediately he went to the other door and tried to open it, but it was locked.

"Well, I don't know what else I expected," he muttered, moving away from the door. Looking about, he spotted a wardrobe and decided to dress. After all, if a chance to escape presented itself, he couldn't escape in a robe. Inside he found pants, shirts, shoes, and everything else he might need. He pulled some clothes on without thinking about it and was just buttoning the last button when his door opened, revealing his "parents."

"Danny!" his mother said, smiling. "We were just coming to wake you."

"Were you?" Daniel said, wondering just how to handle this. They might persist in pretending, or they might tell him the truth, but only if he played his part correctly.

His father nodded. "Feeling better, scout?"

So, they were still pretending. Well, he could handle that. "I'm feeling much better," he said, sitting down to put on shoes. "Just one thing puzzles me: Where are we? It looks like we're in some kind of cave system below the ground."

"Oh, yes, we are," his mother admitted, going to the wardrobe and pulling out a vest. "This goes over your shirt, Danny."

He didn't say anything as he put it on, but he examined the total effect in a mirror on the back of the wardrobe door. The outfit was definitely foreign, almost alien, in its appearance. That settled it. His "parents" were alien. It had been obvious for a while (their escape from the base, their appearance at the base in the first place, their abilities to automatically know things) but he had a good feeling that if they had had their origins on Earth (however unlikely that was) they would have had Earth clothing for him to wear, or at least a reasonable facsimile.

"You must be hungry," his father said. "You've been asleep for a while."

Daniel thought about this. "How long have I been asleep?"

"Last night and most of the morning," Claire said. "You were one sleepy peep, Danny."

Daniel smiled as he heard that, remembering that his mother had often said the same thing. He stayed quiet as they led him out of the room and into a corridor, which in turn led to a large kitchen. There was food on the table, ready and waiting and still hot. He looked about as both of them invited him to sit down and eat. It wasn't a modern Earth kitchen, but rather what one would find in a house from a century or two ago. Interesting. There was a cast iron range, but there was also a fireplace with a large hearth for cooking. There was a large hutch for holding dishes and silverware, benches, and a table and chairs. A sink with a pump on the far wall completed the room, and Daniel wondered just how you would do dishes with that thing. While he was looking about, his parents filled a plate for him and pulled out a chair, repeating their invitation. He sat and wondered just how he was going to handle this. They seemed to have tacitly admitted that they were aliens, but they were still pretending to be his parents. Why? What possible reason could they have for that?

Space

O'Neill woke up when someone banged on the door of his quarters. It was their third day out on their quest to find Daniel. It would take them perhaps a week to get there if they kept up their current speed, and the waiting had been getting to him. He'd gone to his quarters to attempt to relax, but that had quickly turned into a nap. He leapt from his bunk and flung open the door, stopping to stare at Carter.

"Sir--" she said, fighting down a smile. "An Asgard ship just hailed us."

Jack blinked. "Who?"

"It's Thor, sir," she said, the smile winning through. "He asked what was going on, and when we told him about Daniel, he offered to tow us to 554."

"As in being there instantly?" Jack said, pulling on his jacket and shoving his feet into his boots.

"Yes, sir."

Jack grinned. "Well, what are we waiting for?" he wanted to know as he shot out of his quarters and headed towards the bridge. "Remind me to take Thor fishing with me the next time I head to Minnesota."

Behind him, he heard Carter laughing. As he reached the bridge he saw people milling about, obviously waiting for him, and on the viewscreen he could see Thor.

"Thor! Buddy!" he said, scooting to where Thor could see him. "Great to see you! You know what's going on?"

"I do, O'Neill," Thor said, giving a single nod. "I am here to offer my assistance."

"Great! Wonderful! Daniel needs our help. He's been there way too long for me to be happy about it."

"I am uneasy as well, O'Neill. From what Major Carter described, these people could be good allies or terrible enemies. We must proceed with caution."

"Caution. Yep, definitely caution. Thanks, Thor. We appreciate it."

"It is, as you would say, no problem, O'Neill. Prepare to be towed."

The viewscreen went blank, and as the ship gained momentum, Jack felt calm for the first time in what seemed like an eternity.