Her fingers danced in the air as they flowed over the board, bringing the mathematical numbers to life. She carefully explained how they'd have only a 30-minute window to get in and get out. Otherwise the new technology they had developed would wear off, and any Ori in the area would detect them.

No questions were asked. Everyone knew his or her role. Daniel as the contact, Cam as the back-up trader, Sam as the engineer and time watcher, Teal'c as the muscles, and Vala, well she was to keep Jack on point as they did recon for one of the locals who had explored the planet and had sent an SOS back.

Mission: Search and Rescue.

Search: For advance knowledge of Earth, local planets, and upcoming Ori missions. The team, along with many others, discovered the Ori were getting sloppy now that they thought they had the resistance quelled.

Rescue: The soldier who had risked his life to test out new anti-Prior and anti-Ori defense.

Get in. Get out.

Simple.

Thirty minutes, and they were out. Thirty minutes and they'd be compromised. Thirty minutes…

So much had happened.

Daniel woke up with a start, his pen skirting across the pad. Another dream. He cursed softly. Maybe he should go into the city and get some fresh air. Maybe he should go over to Cam's house and apologize for his behavior. He didn't see it as excessive, but deep down he could hear Sam telling him he wasn't in the right. With that singular thought, Daniel pushed back from the table and placed the pen down.

He spotted the cat crawling off the lower book self and stretching himself. Daniel nodded toward the stairs. "Let's go get some food and maybe a shower. Who knows, I may let you out to go hunting today."

Schrödinger made a small meow and rubbed against him. Switching off the overhead light, Daniel locked the basement door once more. Moving into the kitchen, the waffle that he had made the previous day still sat on the plate, lonely and looking unappetizing now. He threw it into Schrödinger's bowl and mindlessly watched him crunch away at the foreign substance.

Finding a bowl, and sniffing the milk, or this planet's version of milk, Daniel searched for a pack of cereal. Finally, he found the box of wheat oats and settled in, trying to eat something. He chased the oats around with his spoon, not sure what he wanted to do with this new day ahead of him.

A normal day would be Sam "breaking" into his house and already have a cup of coffee waiting, with some new breakfast item she had discovered she could cook on a plate, or that was ready to be served. Then they would spend a few hours talking about strategies, comparing notes on past missions and combining the tactical methods with their individual expertise. The team might swing by for a pow-wow disguised as lunch, and would usually leave when the "science nerds," as Jack had started to playfully call the pair, started techno-babbling, or finishing each other's sentences before they began talking.

Daniel had enjoyed the change that had happened in their relationship. It had come back to where it was many years ago. They had always had a special bond, but the level of communication had gone back up. Science had once more come back to their interactions and Daniel had even commented he felt like he was an explorer once more. For so long he had trained himself to stand along side the military personnel and he had forgotten the academic "geek" that still resided within him.

Daniel finished his cereal and placed the bowl in the sink. Staring out the small window he once more tried to think of what he wanted to do. Sighing, he let Schrödinger out, and went back upstairs to take a shower and prepare to go into town. He'd been in the same four walls too long.

After thirty minutes, he arrived at the bus stop and sat in the shade. Once more he couldn't help but marvel at how this planet looked and felt so much like Earth. Transportation was on the level that could be found in London, New York or any modern city. It had been the topic of discussion when they had first moved to their new home; how could a place on the, literally, far reaches of the galaxy look and function so much like Earth? After a bit of digging, Daniel concluded it had to be because the Asguard had been watching Earth evolve and had set up the Plantanions as their own mini-Earth. Somehow that was both creepy yet also pleased the small group of actual Earthlings.

The bus arrived and he boarded, looking around the few people on the transport to make sure no one he knew was there. He really couldn't deal with another "how are you?" or "things will be better," from his teammates. He wasn't fine, and no, things will not be better, because none of them were doing a damn thing. Daniel pushed his fingers through his growing hair; he could feel his temper reach the end of his fuse.

The ride into the inner city, or where ever he wanted to go, was a long one, so Daniel sat at the window and watched as the neighborhood went past and merged into tree-lined streets, past open parks and back into dense living spaces. He watched the shops go by and the people who walked the streets. He imagined he was back on Earth and on his way to the library in Chicago. He thought of those days often. He also thought a lot about the lecture that had been both his greatest failure, and the launching pad to his greatest accomplishment. He owed a lot to Catherine Langford.

Finally the bus terminated at a stop and he filed out after the dozen more people who were now on the bus. He swiped his card to go to the sky transit, an in-the-air version of subways, or the Underground, as Jack liked to say. Not sure where he was going, and really not caring because he really had no destination in mind, Daniel slid into one of the cars as it was closing the doors. The car was full and he stood, looking around at the people.

They had not only found friendly people and allies in the Plantanions, but a race that felt like theirs. Jack had often commented how he felt he was back on Earth and walking among those of Earth and not some planet so many ways removed from their home world. Daniel had mused more than once that perhaps this was how Teal'c had felt when he first came to Earth; a race of peoples like his, only free and with some different views. Jack had always quipped that he was glad the Plantanions didn't have pouches in their stomachs.

After three stops, Daniel took a free seat and studied the map on the wall of the train. Maybe he'd get off at the Plantan-Trans-Parlament, the seat of the government, and home to several well developed science labs, museums and the location of the historic documents of this region of space. Daniel merely looked at the map, willing it to give him an answer, a destination, something to do to pass the day. Anything but to have to think.

Because, Daniel discovered, the more he thought, the angrier he got at Cam, at Vala, at everyone who was on the mission, but mostly himself. He had grown to hate himself. Hate what he did, or didn't do. No matter if there wasn't anything he could do, as Cam had told him over and over the days after the mission. Daniel couldn't help but think he could have done a better job protecting Sam.

He should have been the one to disappear.