Chapter 17 - Journey of Revenge.

Jack arrived at Daniel's lab and, finding the situation practically identical to how he had left it, scowled at his best friend. The sight making him regret, for the millionth time in the last couple of days, letting Daniel be the one to stick his head in that confounded machine.

Okay, 'letting him' wasn't exactly how it had happened, Daniel had done it deliberately, before any of them had a chance to stop him, but that fact didn't stop Jack feeling responsible. He was the CO. He knew how Daniel was feeling, knew how desperate he had become and knew his friends self-sacrificing nature… He should have seen it coming. Had he had the foresight he would have done it himself, before Daniel had a chance. At least he knew what to expect. Daniel didn't. He may have seen Jack go through it once years before, but witnessing it was a far cry from living it. He had hoped that with Daniel's understanding of the Ancient language it would been simpler for him, at least he would be able to understand the thoughts that would be pouring forcibly into his mind. However, his hope had been short lived, for Daniel seemed to be just as bewildered and confused as Jack had felt.

Whoever was better suited for the task, Jack knew he certainly wouldn't be wasting, what little time he had, rooting through the copious amounts of clutter in Daniel's office. What would be the point? What could he possibly do with it all? Other than, hold the world's first intergalactic clearance sale. Or possible start a museum. Whatever Daniel's reason, it wasn't contingent to the problem at hand and it was starting to grate on Jack's nerves.

Daniel was on his knees, his attention locked on the bottom shelve while he rummaged through the many artefacts, tablets and various 'rocks' that were housed there. Slowly, he picked up a tablet and standing, he pulled it closer to his face, studying it carefully. The surface was peppered with indentations over the ancient text, the edges were framed with the constellation symbols of the familiar chevrons.

"On na matta momenti. Tua deserde ad invenio et plurus." he said absently. His fingers grazing over the markings, as he scrutinized the worn surface.

"This?" Leesia asked hopefully, studying the tablet from over his shoulder.

Daniel turned to face her, confusion shining in his blue eyes.

He shrugged.

"What did he say?" Sam asked.

"He said that this tablet is very important. We need to find the others." she explained eagerly, delighted and relieved that at least they seemed to be getting somewhere.

"Posterus." Daniel continued in the same absent tone.

The hopeful look fell of Leesia's face. She sighed in disappointment. "Later." she explained, as Daniel delicately placed the tablet on the shelf he had dubbed as 'urgent'.

"Later?" Jack snapped irritably, unable to believe what he was hearing. "You're kidding me right? Daniel, need I remind you that we're on a time limit here?"

Daniel turned his attention to Jack, looking like he had forgotten Jack was even there.

"As fascinating as all this may be, the fate of the planet is at stake." 'That and we don't have a way to get that crap out of his head yet.' Jack thought, not wanting to voice it aloud, Leesia was panicked enough as it was. She wasn't the only one; in fact, it seemed that Daniel was the only one in blissful ignorance to the danger he was in.

Thankfully Jack's warning seemed to get though to Daniel. He double slapped his desk and left the lab with a purposeful stride, his teammates and wife following like protective shadows.

Jack lengthened his strides so he could catch up with Daniel. "What are you doing?"

Daniel shrugged and shook his head. "Non coniecture ego habeo."

"He has no idea." Leesia translated.

"Well whatever it is, do it fast." Jack ordered. Daniel didn't seem to realise how little time he had left to do…whatever it was he was doing and to find a way to get that stuff out of his head before it proved fatal. He had already lost the ability to speak English.

Yep, Daniel was running out of time, but Jack was refusing to think negatively, the fate of the planet rested on this mission.

…

Jack tapped on Hammond's office doorframe and stepped through the open door without waiting for an invitation.

"Update Colonel." Hammond requested.

"Daniel's…packing." Jack told the General, subsequently eyeing up the many boxes that currently littered the office. "Looks like he's not the only one...apparently."

"Have your team geared up and ready to leave as soon as he's finished."

"Consider it done. Sir, I'm going to be taking Leesia with us."

Hammond paused his activities. "Are you sure that's wise, she's been through a lot recently."

"I understand that, but not only is she Daniel's only way of communicating with us, but with her ability she may be our only chance at working the weapon if…"

"If the worse where to happen?"

"Yes, sir." Jack reluctantly admitted.

Hammond slowly nodded. "I see…granted," he said, adding a framed photograph of his smiling granddaughters to the box on his desk.

"Having a spring clean, sir?" Jack asked.

"Not exactly. I've been promoted. I'll be overseeing this last mission and, if it pans out, I will be transferring to a new post dubbed Homeland Security."

Jack was momentarily speechless, as he took in the magnitude of what the General had told him.

"I'd rather that didn't happen, sir." he said bluntly, sounding more like a confrontational child, then a seasoned Air force Colonel.

"The decisions already been made." Hammond said in a way that told Jack that no amount of protesting was going to make a difference.

Jack rocked on the balls of his feet, lips pursed while he thought. "And what jumped-up, toffee-nosed, high and mighty, pen pusher are we going to be lumbered with?"

Hammond smiled at him, knowingly.

…

"You?" Sam asked, her baby blue eyes growing wide with surprise.

Dressed in their olive green BDU's and vests, Jack, Teal'c and herself stood to the side of the gateroom, ready and impatiently awaiting Daniel to have a eureka moment and give them a destination. Daniel sat crossed-legged on the floor in front of the ramp, surrounded by packing crates and other pieces of equipment he had insisted he needed. He was putting together a number of small rectangular contraptions, approximately the size and shape of a tissue box, wrapped in copper wire. Occasionally he would murmur something in Ancient and Leesia would hand him whatever it was he was asking for, her tense nervousness clear in her movements.

Jack paused his inspection of his P-90 to give Sam his best scowl. "You don't have to sound so shocked, Carter." he griped.

"Sorry, sir, it's just I never pictured you as the office type. I mean, you don't even use the one you have now."

The Colonel's checks stopped for a second time, this time out of surprise. "I have an office?"

Sam rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Yes, sir."

"Do you not wish to have the position, O'Neill?" Teal'c asked with a questioning raise of his eyebrow.

"I dunno." Jack answered. "There's a lot of advantages. Parking space, pay rise et cetera."

"The big chair?" Sam offered teasingly.

"That to." Jack agreed, completely missing Sam's intended mockery. "I just don't know if I'm ready to sit back and watch you guys go off and have all the fun without me."

"Your presence within the team would be greatly missed."

"Why, thank you, Teal'c."

"On the other hand if you don't take it we could be stuck with someone much worse." Sam continued, earning herself a second glare, in as many minutes, from Jack. "That didn't come out right." she quickly back peddled. "What I mean is; who are the other options?"

"Doctor Weir. She's some political lobbyist that Kinsey's recommending."

"N.I.D?" Sam inquired.

Jack shook his head. "I wouldn't put it past that smarmy, opportunistic, power grabber, but from what Hammond witnessed, it looks like Hayes is on to him. So, I very much doubt it. I'm guessing he just wants the SGC out of military hands."

"Giving the position to a civilian would give him a greater chance of influence things around here." Sam agreed.

"It would appear that your decision is a deceptively simple one." Teal'c observed.

"Yeah," Jack sighed out in defect, turning to see Daniel complete what looked like the fiftieth device. "Any idea what his doing?"

"A few, sir." Sam replied. "But none I'd care to voice at this time."

As they watched, Daniel finished attaching the last device to the previous one, so they stretched out like the many vertebrae of a lengthy, curled spine.

"A weapon?" Jack asked her hopefully, as Daniel dragged the end around, until it joined up with the first one, encircling him and began linking a naquadah generator to the connection.

"I don't think so, sir." Sam said with a small shake of her head.

"I believe he has finished." Leesia called as Daniel eagerly waved them over.

They stepped carefully over the interlocked devices that encircled him and the items he had gathered. As Jack, who was the last to step into the circle, joined them, Daniel activated the naquadah generator attached to the device and suddenly five rings rose up around them. With a hum and a raising beam of light from within, SG-1, Leesia and the crates vanished from the gateroom.

…

Jack revolved on the spot, taking in the darkened view of the Goa'uld ship's control room. Slowly, turned to face Daniel in mock surprise. "You built a ring device in the gateroom?"

Daniel looked back at him, shrugged and murmured something Jack didn't understand.

"He says not to get excited," Leesia explained. "It will only operate the one time."

"Daniel, we've not been cleared to use this ship." Sam pointed out.

"That is why he kidnapped us." Leesia told them after listening to his smug explanation.

"He's got a point." Sam agreed. "Kidnapped by someone under the influence of an alien technology is a pretty solid defence."

Jack nodded in agreement. Not that he needed an excuse; he would have taken the ship anyway, regardless of the threat of being court marshalled when they got back. "You know, eventually we're going to play that hand once too often."

"Reparnió." Daniel asked Leesia gently, gesturing around them to the ship, expectantly.

"W-what?" she stammered. "Repair? I-I cannot. I am…I'm not strong enough. I…" she broke off, flustered, her eyes wide and full of turmoil.

Daniel huffed in irritation. Building the ring device had cost him a lot of time (as well as his favourite coffee machine), time he didn't have, but of course things really could never be that easy. It was all for nothing if she couldn't restore power to the ship.

He took a deep breath, steadying himself for what he had to do. Hating himself even as he considered it, but ultimately knowing there was not enough time to try anything else.

He scowled down at his wife. "And why would you even try, right?" he snapped out angrily. Hearing the words in English, but realising his friends and wife would only hear them in Ancient. "It's not like it's your planet that's at risk!"

"Daniel?" Leesia gasped out, stunned by his attacking words. He had never spoken to her like that before. She couldn't help but backup slightly as he invaded her personal space. His hands fisted on his hips, eyes wide, menacingly.

"Once an Ascended always an Ascended, huh?" Daniel spat, re-closing the distance between them. "Don't interfere, no matter who gets hurt, who's at risk. How many have to die before you break that rule? Or don't the lesser beings mean enough to be worth the bother? The others have the power to have prevented any of this from happening and yet they haven't done a damn thing about it! Why should I expect you to be any different?"

"You know it is not that way." Leesia said pleadingly, as Daniel backed her up against the wall.

Jack stepped forward to intervene. He couldn't understand what Daniel was saying, but he didn't need a translator to tell him that whatever it was, it was far from pleasant. Daniel posture and tone, as well as the way Leesia was recoiling away from him, told Jack all he needed to know. But, even as he opened his mouth to object, he found Teal'c arm suddenly thrown across his chest, holding him back.

"T?"

"Do not interfere, O'Neill. It is necessary." Teal'c said quietly, so not to be heard by Leesia over Daniel's continuing aggressive shouting.

"How is him tearing her a new one necessary?" Jack demanded in an urgent whisper.

Teal'c frowned, not fully understanding the meaning of 'tearing her a new one', but assuming that Jack was referring to Daniel's verbal assault on his wife. "Her emotions give her strength." he explained quietly to the others. "I have experienced tactics such as these before. He is attempting to empower her."

Leesia could do nothing but gawp as Daniel continued to close the insignificant gap between them. The heated word that continued to flow from his mouth in her native language stabbed at her wounded heart and made her blood run cold.

It wasn't what he was saying that distressed her so deeply that it made her shudder, no, it was the manner in which he was saying it and the stance that he had taken. Daniel was far from being a scrawny man, he was broad and muscular, but because of his gentle nature, he had never seemed intimidating or threatening before. But, that was exactly how he seemed to her, as he loomed over her, so close she could feel his every breath puff against her face as he spoke.

"STOP IT!" Leesia yelled loudly, as she squeezed her eyes tightly together and clasped her hands over her ears, desperately trying to not see that look Daniel was wearing or hear that tone to his voice.

She jumped, startled when she felt his hand on her forearm and tightened her hold on her own head, expecting him to try to wrench her hands away from their position, covering her ears and force her to listen.

However, his touch was…gentle and soothing as he rubbed his thumb over her skin, lovingly.

Eventually, she braved a peek and was taken aback when she noticed the bright lighting that lit up the previously dark interior of the ship. Taking her hands from her ears, she also heard the low, yet clear hum of the engines.

"Good work, Sparky." Jack beamed, giving her a congratulatory slap on the shoulder.

Daniel was looking down at her with apologetic eyes. His hand ran down her arm to take hold of her hand as she lowered her hands from her ears, in stunned silence. His thumb continued its soothing rubbing, now moving back and forth across the back of her hand.

She gazed back up at him, in stunned realisation. "You did not mean any of it?" she gasped out.

He smiled mournfully and shook his head. "Haud." he said gently, bringing his free hand up to touch her cheek. His smile widened when she didn't jump with his new touch, instead she leaned into it. "On eram matta tario. Illic eram nullus temoris… Tua venia ego?"

In relief, she rushed into his arms. "I understand." she said, as he tightened his arms around her. "There is nothing to forgive."

"Yadda, yadda, yadda," Jack interrupted. "Can you two just kiss and make up already, so we can get this show on the road?"

Daniel smiled and for once, he followed Jack's suggestion, without any arguments whatsoever.

…

"Still can't believe we travelled all that way for a battery." Jack said, turning the brightly lit Z.P.M over in his hands. The irony was not lost on him that they needed to travel light years away to gain a power source for something that was back on Earth. Nor, that an alien race so advanced, that the immensity of their knowledge would be deadly to others, couldn't invent a way of recharging them.

"I guess we just have to trust Daniel knows what he's doing." Sam said. Not knowing how stable the multi-coloured power source was, she gingerly took it from Jack's hands and returned it to the sponge lined packing crate.

"How much longer?" Jack griped impatiently.

"We should arrive at the coordinates Daniel Jackson gave in approximately thirteen minutes." Teal'c told the pacing Colonel from his position behind the control orb, in the pilot seat.

"Anyone told Daniel that?"

Sam turned her apprehensive gaze back to her fellow academic. "I didn't want to disturb him."

Daniel was arm deep in the rings, pulling out crystals and replacing them elsewhere. Wires circled around him like a nest as he made his adjustments. All the while he ranted away, in Ancient, to Leesia who was sitting next to him looking extremely anxious as she tried to absorb his every speeded word.

"Right," Jack sighed, seeing the responsibility rested on him. He made his way to the rear of the ship and crouched down on his haunches in front of Daniel. "We'll be there soon." he told him softly, as if any raised volume would break him.

Daniel didn't cease his activities; in fact, he didn't even seem to register Jack's closeness.

"Daniel?…Buddy, you with us?" Jack asked, louder this time, as he waved his hand in front of Daniel focused, expressionless face.

Daniel's speeded speech didn't pause, he just ignored his friend and continued to make his modifications.

"I do not believe he can understand us anymore, Jack." Leesia said sadly. The pain and concern evident in her soft voice.

"You getting all this?" Jack asked her.

Leesia nodded, running her hands nervously down her thighs. "I think so." she said, trying to sound confident, and failing miserably. "He is repeating himself." she added, with a shaky breath.

The situation was terrifying her, in more way than one. Firstly and most importantly was Daniel's time was running out. She could almost see the timer hanging over his head until the knowledge fully spooled into his brain, entirely destroying the most beautiful mind she had ever known. The digits were indistinguishable, but that didn't make them any less real. Secondly, and greatly adding to her increasing panic, was what Daniel was explaining to her. No, not what, it was why. He wouldn't need to be explaining all of this if he was planning to be around to see this mission through. She clung to the one thought that maybe, just maybe, he was being cautious.

"Anubis will not have missed our arrival." Teal'c announced in a deep warning tone as he brought the craft to a hover over the precise coordinates that Daniel had previously given.

Daniel rose to his feet, but after only taking one step, he stumbled, throwing his hands out to catch himself.

"Daniel?" Leesia was by his side almost instantly, wrapping her arm across his shoulders.

He turned his heavy head to the side, to face her. His blue eyes were almost vacant and seemed to gaze through, rather than seeing her, as he spoke. "Ego stralus." he insisted, firmly.

"No, you are not fine, Daniel" Leesia argued. "You cannot even focus." She tried to ease him down, but he gently pushed her aside and stumbled blindly over to the controls. He activated the rings.

Only when he heard the hiss of the beam cutting though the ice bellow them did he allow himself to collapse to the floor. Wearily, rolling onto his back, he brought his fists to his head and groaned loudly.

He felt Leesia's presence alongside him. She began working her fingers nibbling through his hair trying to work away the pain, that she must have realised, was steadily flooding through his mind in powerful shockwaves. He quickly tried to go back over his instructions to her, but soon realised that she was talking over him. He could see her lips moving and hear her voice, yet the sounds that she was making were foreign to him. He wished he could focus his sight clearly, so he could guess what she was saying from her expression. Her tone was soothing, reassuring and he hoped that that meant she understood his instructions…because he was out of time.

He reached up slowly and cupped her cheek in his palm. "Ego amor tua."

A tear ran down her cheek. "I love you also." she forced the words out of her emotionally tight throat. She knew a goodbye when she heard one. She had seen it coming, but the awareness that his time was running out had not prepared her for the event. Deep down she had assumed Daniel would find a way out, a loophole, he always had a plan.

"Ego reveio." he told her confidently, thumbing the wetness he could feel from her cheek. "Et…certiorem facio Jack…ille mel non mentior circa et…ekalom fron doleo." he added weakly, a small smile gracing his lips.

She nodded her understanding, her quivering lip pinched between her teeth. Her tears flowing freely down her cheeks, dripping heavily down his wrist and to the floor.

Slowly his eyes closed and his head lolled to the side.

"Daniel. Daniel!" Leesia cried out in overwhelming despair and panic, feeling Sam pull her away from him, even as she did.

Jack quickly took up her position by his side, pressed two fingers to the side of Daniel's neck, feeling for a pulse...

He found none.

"Come on, Daniel, don't do this." he said urgently, as he placed his palm on the centre of Daniel's chest, covered it with his other hand, leaned over and started compressing his chest, desperately trying to keep the blood pumping round his motionless body.

As Jack pressed down hard for the third time, suddenly Daniel started to glow. Jack's hands fell through the spectra onto the pile of clothes that now lay empty on the floor. The light glowed brighter and slowly started to rise.

Leesia felt a tingle brush up against her cheek as a tear traced down the opposite direction. She could do nothing but watch as slowly his light rose up. It hovered briefly at the ceiling, as though it couldn't make up its mind, before disappearing through it.

"What did he say?"

Without removing her gaze from where his light had vanished Leesia answered her. "He said; he'll be back… And to tell Jack he shouldn't have lied about the immensity of the head ache."

"Approaching Al'kesh!" Teal'c's booming voice broke through the heart-wrenching scene.

"Leesia." Jack called, taking her by the shoulders and giving her a gentle shake. He wished he could be sympathetic, but the urgency of the situation didn't allow it. Grieving had to come later; the fate of the planet was at stake. "We have to know, did he tell you what to do?"

She turned her tear stained face towards him and drew in a wavering breath. "There is an Ancient outpost directly below us, beneath the surface. The power cell is dead. You will need to replace it with the one you brought back form the other planet. There is a control chair down there. Jack, you will be required to use it order for the weapon to be activated."

"Me?"

She nodded. "It requires an Ancient operate it, but you carry the gene that will allow you to control its system. It essentially works through changes in your brain waves, so you must concentrate on what and who you wish the weapon to target."

The group of them stumbled, only just managing to stay on their feet, as the ship was rocked with the incoming fire from Anubis's gliders and Al'kesh. As quickly as they were able to so on the unsteady floor, they rushed to the front viewport.

"More ships approach from the left." Teal'c proclaimed.

"I don't know how much-" Sam began, but Teal'c quickly interrupted her.

"-They are not Goa'uld."

Sam leaned over the console to see clearly out of the viewport. A squadron of F-302 fighters were charging in, immediately opening fire on the Goa'uld ships. Behind them approached the large mass of the familiar angular ship. "Prometheus." she gasped.

Hammond voice sounded over the radio. "SG-1, this is Hammond, do you read?"

"Yes sir," Sam smiled. "It's good to see you." she said as they were cast into shadow of the great ship as it took up a defensive position above them.

The multitude of crafts swarmed around them, the skies littered with shots and explosions.

"Sam, what are the Earth fighters powered by?" Leesia queried, as an F-302 passed close by, leaving a trail of blue, gray smoke from its wing, in its wake.

"Petroleum mostly and Nequadria in the hyperspace window generator. Why?"

"And the weapons?"

"Projectiles."

With a wicked smile playing across her lips, Leesia slowing turned back to the window. "Sometimes they make it too easy." The earth vessels used different power sources from those she was picking up from the enemy. She waved them away. "Go. I have got this."

Daniel had shown her the way. She summoned all her anger, all her grief, all her hate, every droplet of agony she had experienced since their kidnapping on their wedding night, feeling the strength of her emotions building in the pit of her stomach. She focused on the pain she had seen in Daniel's face only moments before. Anubis had taken her baby and now her husband was dead because of his actions. She screamed all of the pain out in one immense blast.

"Remind me never to piss her off." Jack said, as the three of them moved over to the rings.

"I, for one, am glad she's on our side." Teal'c agreed.

"You know what they say… Payback's a bitch." Jack said, toeing at the changes Daniel had made to the ring device. "Don't we need to repair this first?"

"No need, sir." Sam told him. She held up the beaming device she had first found on the ship.

…

"Well, this looks vaguely familiar." Sam said, as they used the light on top of their P-90's to look around the darkened underground ice cavern.

"There." Teal'c pointed to a raised platform, in the middle of which sat an Ancient control chair.

"Power it up." Jack ordered.

As Sam pushed the ZPM down into place, the chair and platform lit up.

Cautiously, Jack lowered himself into the chair. Got comfortable and wiggled his fingers over the gelatinous pads on the armrests.

Sam and Teal'c froze, expectantly.

"I got nothing." Jack exclaimed, sounding resigned.

"Daniel said you just had to concentrate."

"Yeah, that's easy for him to say." Jack huffed.

"Try thinking; active." Sam offered.

"Active?" he blew out a long breath, as he closed his eyes and tried to focus his thoughts. 'Okay… Active.'

"Whoa!" he gasped out in shock, as the chair eased back, the footrest rising, seemingly of its own accord. "Thinks fast…Right, I got this" He re-closed his eyes and concentrateon one thought.

'Big, honking space weapon!'

…

Leesia gasped in astonishment as dozens, hundreds, thousands of bright light yellow tentacled drones erupted up out of the created hole in the hard compacted ice and snow in one beautifully deadly show. They twisted through the air as gracefully as a shoal of fish. The steam separated, like vines, each branch heading for a new enemy with fierce accuracy, arced and curing around any 302's that where in their path. The ha'tak's and death gliders exploded, lighting the skies like the fourth of July. Still the drones continued to swarm up out of the atmosphere, heading for the ships in orbit.

Leant over the console, Leesia sighed in relief. It was over, she could rest.

Manipulating the Goa'uld weapons, on the vessels that came close enough for her abilities to have an effect, had sapped a lot of her strength. Wearily, she half-stumbled, half-crawled back over to the rings and the pile of Daniel's abandoned clothes. She collapsed along side them, her fingers grasping at the material as tightly as her exhaustion would allow.

A.N ~ please review. It really does spur me on and speeds up future chapters. Thanks, hope you enjoyed :)