Potentia

Chapter 5

Jack stepped out of the wormhole and onto the ramp to find the room filled with personnel, from SFs to technicians, all standing silently at attention. Major Fields had radioed ahead to prepare the base for their arrival.

At the bottom of the ramp a gurney was waiting, and Jack allowed the medical personnel to transfer Daniel's body to it, covering it with a sheet. Jack shooed the doctor and medics away and resumed his position at Daniel's right shoulder, Carter and Teal'c taking up their positions again, also. No one moved to stop them. He took hold of the sheet and pulled it down, exposing Daniel's face, and proceeded to transport the gurney to the infirmary.

The hallways were also lined with personnel, some saluting, others watching quietly, eyes damp with tears. All here to pay their respects to Daniel.

Once in the infirmary, Daniel was wheeled to one corner of the room while the rest of them were put through the usual post-mission check up. Walter had followed and was quietly and efficiently giving Jack a status report. Jack's gaze rested on Daniel's gurney as the medical personnel respectfully moved around it, but he snapped his attention to Walter when he heard the man say, "The Odyssey reports debris from what appears to be several hat'ak vessels—"

"Hold on—are you saying the hat'aks were already destroyed when the Odyssey arrived?"

"Yes, sir. There were no other ships reported in the area and they were unable to determine how they were destroyed."

Jack looked back at the corner of the room where a curtain now shielded Daniel's body from the rest of the infirmary. Had Daniel done it? Or did he have help? Either way, it was an amazing feat.

"Sir?"

Jack turned back to Walter who was waiting with clipboard in hand. "Thanks, Walter. Let me know when Odyssey checks in again."

"Yes, sir," the Master Sergeant replied glancing at the curtained off corner of the room. "Sir, did Doctor Jackson really…"

"Yes, Sergeant, he did."

Walter nodded silently, his gaze going to his clipboard.

"You're dismissed, Walter."

"Thank you, sir," came the quick reply as Walter turned and left the room.

Doctor Brightman walked up, holding a chart. "Well, sir, everything looks good. Whatever injuries you had, they've all been healed."

All but one, Jack thought. "I know," he said. "What about Carter and Teal'c?"

"I'm fine, sir," Carter answered as she approached the bed. "No concussion."

"Good to hear," he replied, noticing the bandage across her temple.

"I, too, am uninjured," Teal'c added as he joined them.

"That's not necessarily true," Doctor Brightman countered, "The injuries just happen to be minor ones."

Teal'c dipped his head in acknowledgment, then turned his gaze to the curtained-off area. "May we see Daniel Jackson?"

Jack looked up sharply at him, surprised by the request. Doctor Brightman appeared to consider it briefly before nodding. "I don't see why not. We're going to move him to the morgue shortly, so you might want to do that now."

Jack got up and walked towards the far corner, Carter and Teal'c flanking him on either side. Doctor Brightman took hold of the curtain and pulled it back far enough for them to enter. "I'll be in my office," she said before leaving them in privacy.

Jack walked up to the head of the gurney, reaching out and pulling the sheet down to reveal Daniel's face. It wasn't as pale as he expected; in fact, if he didn't know better, he'd say his friend was just sleeping. He heard Carter take in a shaky breath before she moved to the opposite side of the bed. Reaching over, she gently brushed the hair back from Daniel's forehead.

"I can't believe he's really gone," she said, eyes filling with tears.

A low rumble from Teal'c signaled his agreement.

"Yeah, well, I must have lost track," Jack remarked, "I didn't think he'd used up all nine of his lives yet."

Carter gave a choked laugh, slightly easing the tension in the room. Jack exchanged a look with her and with Teal'c, the weight of their shared loss easier to bear together.

"Eight."

The hair on the back of Jack's neck prickled at the whispered word. His gaze darted to the bed, afraid to hope that what he'd heard was real.

"O'Neill, did you hear—"

"Sir, I heard—"

His teammates spoke simultaneously, but he held up a hand, halting their voices. Staring intently at the man on the bed, Jack strained to see any movement. He wasn't crazy—they'd all heard it. "Daniel?"

"Eight." Lips moved, parting enough for the word to makes its way out again.

The three of them pressed closer, unable to believe what they were seeing.

"Daniel, can you hear me?" Jack asked, eager to elicit another response.

"Hear… you." Eyes fluttered open and looked blearily up at them.

Jack let out a whoop, grinning from ear to ear as he reached down and placed a hand on Daniel's cheek. "You are unbelievably hard to kill, Doctor Jackson."

Sam was grasping Daniel's hand between hers while Teal'c towered over the bed, beaming down at his friend.

"Eight." Daniel said again.

"What?" Jack asked, confused. "What are you trying to tell us?"

"Only used… eight… lives… not nine."

Jack gave a sharp bark of laughter while Carter sniffed back tears and leaned forward to plant a kiss on Daniel's forehead.

"What's going on here?" Doctor Brightman demanded as she rounded the corner of the curtain. She stopped abruptly as she took in the scene—Daniel smiling weakly from the bed while his teammates continued to celebrate his return.

"It's okay, Doc," Jack assured her, "after you've been here awhile, you'll get used to Daniel's talent for coming back from the dead."

~oOo~

The soft beeping of monitors was the only sound breaking the silence of the darkened infirmary. The night shift nurses were checking on the two patients at the other end of the large room, they only other occupants besides himself.

Daniel shifted, trying not to disturb the sleeping man in the chair next to his bed. His fingers moved across the cool fabric of the sheet and he marveled at its texture. Lifting a hand, he examined it, every line and crease just as it had been before. His nose wrinkled at the smell of antiseptic and something more—somewhere a pot of coffee was brewing. He turned his head as Jack's soft snores caressed his ears. All things he'd missed while stuck in his 'prison'; things he always taken for granted but had a newfound appreciation for. He rested his head back against the pillow, savoring the sensations of a living human body.

Daniel didn't know why he was even still in the infirmary. So he'd been incredibly tired when he woke up—like he'd run a marathon—it hadn't lasted and his energy had quickly returned. His resurrection had come with a completely healed body—something Doctor Brightman had been unable to explain. Jack, Sam, and Teal'c had understood; it wasn't the first time they'd been on this ride.

He didn't know if he could explain it himself—except that as he was falling he'd remembered Shifu's words: That which dooms you will also save you. It had been his love for his friends that had been his undoing while fighting the Others, but he was sure it was also the thing that had allowed him to retain something from that higher plane—something that enabled him to come back to them.

"What are you smiling about?"

Daniel turned his head, finding Jack's gaze on him. "Just thinking how good it is to be back."

"Not that we're not glad to have you back, but I kinda thought you'd be happy to have another shot at exploring the universe."

"Yeah, well, it isn't all it's cracked up to be."

"Really?" Jack seemed genuinely surprised by his declaration. "Do tell."

"Long story."

"Well, now that things have calmed down, I think I've got time to hear it."

But he really didn't know if he was ready to tell it. Besides, there were more pressing matters to take care of—that was something he did need to share. "I'm not so sure this whole thing is over yet."

"What are you talkin' about?" Jack leaned forward, elbows on knees.

"Boreas was working with three other Goa'uld," he held up a hand, blocking Jack's interruption, "I know, that's not their usual M.O., but these three are different—they always work together. They're called the Anemoi—the Greek wind gods."

"You think there are more out there?"

"I'm sure there are; I just don't know where. And I'm also sure that their target is SG-1."

"How do you know that?"

Daniel raised his eyebrows, conveying his unspoken, how do you think?

Jack narrowed his eyes as he appraised Daniel. "Okay, so answer me this—"

"What is this, twenty questions?" And Jack called him stubborn.

"Daniel."

"Jack."

"How is it you remember this stuff if you're no longer a puffy little cloud?"

"I was not a puffy cloud!"

"Answer the question." Jack refused to be distracted.

"I just do."

Jack leaned back in the chair, crossing his arms, a slightly annoyed, or maybe it was pissed, look on his face. "I want the whole story, Daniel."

Daniel sighed and looked down at his hands, knowing he couldn't put this off any longer. "I didn't do any 'exploring' this time. The Others weren't too happy about this revolving door I seem to have with ascension." He heard Jack's soft snort of agreement and lifted his head, meeting the dark brown eyes that were scrutinizing him. "They kept me isolated in some kind of 'cell', only able to see as far as wherever the three of you were."

Jack tilted his head as though he hadn't heard it right. "They can do that?"

"Apparently."

"So, the whole time we were at the SGC, you were a… a prisoner?"

"Basically."

Jack's mouth tightened into a thin line before he spoke. "Daniel, I never thought I'd say this, but could you give me more than one-word answers?"

"What do you want me to say? Yes, I was a prisoner—I couldn't go anywhere, had no access to any Ancient knowledge, and couldn't see anything beyond the area immediately around the three of you, for which I'm extremely grateful, by the way."

Jack's features relaxed slightly. "That must have been a pain in the butt."

Daniel huffed a laugh. "You could say that—it was very… frustrating."

"How did you get out?"

"Shifu was able to speak to me while I was 'confined'. He helped me see that it was possible for me to achieve more than I had before—that I was capable of freeing myself."

"Which you apparently did. Wanna tell me how you were able to hold off an entire swarm of angry Ancients? That was one hell of a show you put on up there," Jack said, pointing upwards with his thumb.

"I wasn't going to sit back and watch you guys get slaughtered, or captured. Let's just say I tapped into something that gave me an advantage."

Jack scooted forward, resting his arms on the bed. "An advantage? Some secret stash of Ancient powers?"

"Not exactly—well, sort of."

Exasperation colored Jack's voice. "Daniel—"

"I ascended to an even higher plane of existence."

Jack closed his mouth and sat in stunned silence for a few seconds. "How?"

Daniel took a deep breath and let it out. "I'm not sure, exactly. Shifu gave me a hint that I was capable of doing it; but when I saw the three of you about to be overrun by the Jaffa…" Daniel shook his head. "Jack, you were dying. All of my anger and frustration just… suddenly exploded and I could feel the universe opening up to me. It was much more than I experienced when I previously ascended, and yes, I remember those times now."

"You mean they didn't wipe the slate clean before they sent you back?"

"Not this time—thanks to that 'advantage' I told you about."

He could almost see the gears turning as Jack processed that. "Does this mean…? " Jack waggled a finger at his own head.

Daniel did a quick scan of the infirmary before returning his gaze to Jack. "Maybe… "

Another pause as Jack considered the implications. "So how did you end up getting kicked out again?"

"I didn't have enough power to fight the Others and help you at the same time. They took advantage of my attention being divided; there were too many of them—I couldn't hold them off."

"What about your Lazarus act? Did you have help, or are you gonna tell me that was all your doing?"

His gaze locked with Jack's—he could see all the other questions waiting to be voiced, but he wasn't sure if he could explain it, or even if he should explain it. He wasn't worried about Jack, Sam, or Teal'c saying anything, but there were others who might hear of it; others who would be more than a little interested in someone who was able to come back from the dead. Better to let people think it was Oma's or Shifu's doing.

Jack regarded him for a few seconds before giving him a tight smile and small nod, and Daniel knew Jack understood.

Placing a hand on Daniel's shoulder, Jack reassured him, "However it happened, we're glad to have you back. I gotta tell ya, I thought we'd really we'd lost you for good this time."

Daniel smiled back. "Face it, Jack—you're stuck with me."

"You do make life interesting, Doctor Jackson." He squeezed Daniel's shoulder reassuringly. "Although I gotta admit, I'm ready for things to settle down."

Daniel's good feeling began to fade as he remembered the threat that was still out there. "I'm not sure how settled things are going to be. The Anemoi are still out there; the attack on Cretera was their first attempt to get rid of us, and this was their second. I have a feeling they haven't given up, yet."

"Now that we know about them, we'll be prepared."

"That may not be enough if they try again."

"Actually, we might have some help in that department."

"What do you mean?"

"When you were, uh, tossed out, we saw a swarm of gold-colored lights go after the red ones. And there was another shockwave that took care of the rest of the Jaffa. Friends of yours?"

It had been Shifu and Skarra and a score of others who felt as he did. He had become aware of their arrival just as he lost his battle of wills with the Others. They had come to his aid, albeit a tad late. He suddenly realized he had no idea if one side had prevailed, or if they were now locked in eternal battle, just like Oma and Anubis.

"Daniel?"

He looked up into Jack's concerned face. "Shifu brought together a group of ascended beings who opposed the Others. But I don't have any idea what happened after I… fell."

"The Odyssey reported that the hat'aks in orbit were all destroyed when they arrived."

So, they had been able to help him after all. "That's good news but it doesn't mean we won't hear from one of the Anemoi again. I have no idea who won that confrontation; we might not be able to count on their help next time."

"Daniel, stop worrying. We'll handle whatever Boring Ass's cronies throw at us."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because, Daniel, we've got you back. You don't even let death stop you! I'd say our chances are pretty good."

Even though he'd be more than happy to take those chances alongside his friends, he couldn't ignore the annoying little voice at the back of his mind warning him that things were far from over. He'd keep that bit of information to himself for now, along with the trove of knowledge that would continue to remain hidden—at least until he needed it. The Others hadn't succeeded in taking everything from him. In the meantime, he'd savor every moment spent in the company of his friends.

Jack was watching him, waiting for a response. "When did you become Mr. Optimism?" Daniel chided, smiling.

"Oh, about the same time you decided to come back to life on that hospital bed. In fact, I went out and bought a lottery ticket just for the occasion."

"Feeling lucky, are you?"

Jack reached up and ruffled his hair. "Yeahsureyabetcha."

End