Chapter 39

"Follow me," Kebechet said as she grabbed Daniel by the hands and let him away from the aquarium.

As they walked Daniel found his mind begin to fog again, and he knew that it was the nanites at work. Whatever they were exactly doing to him was unclear, but he felt more and more like Pavlov's dog unable to resist salivating, or in his case, accepting without question, things he normally wouldn't be able to shut up about. They walked only a few feet to the other side of the aquarium. There in spectuacular prismatic color and design was an ancients weapons platform like the one they had discovered in Antartica. Only the designs on the chair were more triangular and intricately multicolored. The chair itself at least twice the size of any other he had seen previously.

"The primary function of these devices had always been for defense. However the Agarthians had no need for protection. They were a place of peace and no matter what differences they may have had with their Lantean bretheren, it remained so. When the city was built they decided to put the platform to a better use."

"What does it do?" Daniel asked when he finally found the strength to speak.

"It reads genetic memory."

"Genetic memory?"

"Our memories, our emotions, they are more than just mental they are biological. Whatever happens to us in our minds leaves a physcial imprint so small that if a being is strong enough, it can become encoded on their DNA. All living creatures possess the ability to create it, some, like the Goa'uld, are more affected by it that most. The Ancients moreso than others. Humans, however, seem to be less and less affected by genetic memory as they evolve."

"It makes sense, humans once were creatures of instinct, they needed to rely on the foreknowledge of their ancestors in order to survive a harsh environment, as they adapted to that environment such knowledge must have been supressed when there was no longer a need for it. What did they use it for?"

"The Agarthians used it for educational purposes. They felt that a more interactive approach to learning would allow younger generations to appreciate the past in a way that simply reading about it ever could. A living textbook, if you will. Uniquely suited to your own DNA, giving every situation, especially shared ones, many perspectives."

Daniel approached the platform with caution, remembering all too well how sensitive they were to even the slightest movement. As he stood there staring at something he had always attributed to being a weapon of war, he realized that he had always been so occupied by the grandoise nature of the Ancients he never gave a great deal of thought to such simple things as educational standards. However with such an opportunity before him, now seemed as good a time as any to do just that.

"What do I have to do?" he asked as he turned towards Kebechet beaming widely.

"Before I show you what you need to see there are things that I need for you to keep in mind. The first is that there is no such thing as destiny. No matter how well mapped our lives might be, whether its ourselves or thru others, it is ultimately our choices that lead us down certain paths. Destiny is a word people tell themselves when they have limited choices and with little options they end up at the same destination no matter what decision they make. The second is that if you come to a fork in the road and all four paths are covered in darkness, choose wisely before you select a road to travel down. There are different degrees of darkness and its important that you be able to tell the difference. Some dark paths one cannot turn back from once traveling on them. The last and most important, the journey for which you are about to embark holds many dangers. Genetic memory itself being the biggest. It is powerful and seductive. Like a drug, if you allow oneself to get caught within its thrall it is too easy to become lost in it. Oma had the foresight to try to prepare you, but I doubt even she could have had the ability to predict this. Once you get caught in the grip of the genetic memory, you cannot turn back. It is why where you are going I cannot follow. I do not possess the strength to resist its temptations. I only pray, that for all our sakes Daniel Jackson, that you are stronger than I."

Daniel merely nodded, allowing the information to sink in as he stepped up onto the platform and sat down in the chair.

"Do not force it. You will only be able to go where you are ready to go. If a door does not open, move on to the next. The barriers exist to protect you both mentally but most importantly, physically. Your body has been under an unusual amount of stress in the past few days and the device requires an enormous amount of concentration to work effectively. The workload put on vital functions, especially the beating of the heart, is tremendous. Even for the Ancients. They had strict regulations on its usage. They never allowed a single person to use it for more than thirty minutes during one sitting."

"Why thirty minutes?"

"That is how long, according to Ancient records, it takes the physical strain to cause a 'heavy and irreversible systemic collapse of vital cardiac functions in widespread extent.'"

"On my planet, we just call it a heart attack."

Sensing Daniel's tension at this revelation, she spoke softly and reasurringly.

"The risk is great, but the reward you will gain from it is even better."

"Its an awfully big risk for something you could easily tell me about."

"I could tell you but you would never truly understand."

"That's still a big risk."

"You've always been a risk taker. You have gambled with your life for less and often for no reason. And now, at a moment where the payoff will be spectacular, not just for you, but for all of human kind, you're afraid to take the risk? That is not the Daniel Jackson I had come to know."

Daniel hated to admit that she had a point. He had died for less than the benefits he could gain from the experience. And even if things were to go awry The Odyssey is in orbit. And if the whole point of this journey was a way for him to return to the person he was before his life experiences jaded him, why not just go for it? What the hell do I really have to lose?

"How do I turn this thing on?" Daniel asked alook of fierce determination crept across his face.

Kebechet looked down at Daniel with what he thought was pride.

"Start with thinking about a happy place. This destination will act as your window out should you become overwhelmed before you have reached the timed limit. Are you ready Daniel Jackson?"

"As I could ever be," he replied as he sighed deeply and closed his eyes.

A few seconds later the chair began to glow as it reclined backwards. Kebechet watched as Daniel's eyes moved rapidly beneath his lids, as if dreaming. The console to the right of the chair turned on, displaying Daniel's vital. A soft melodic, and slowly increasing heartbeat, which she recognized as belonging to Daniel, echoed fiercly in the room.

"Good luck," she whispered as she exited the room swiftly, closing two large panels behind her.