Author's note: this is a slightly updated version, but I think there is going to be some greater changes to the later chapters. Thanks for following.
Chapter Two: Panic Attack
Daniel stared at the woman rudely but she had such a presence to her. She was a slender woman but had plenty of curves in all the right places if he was attracted to anyone other than his off-limits male Colonel. The woman almost reminded him of his late wife Sha're.
She had long black hair and there were silver streaks all through out, not prematurely grey but silver. It shone in the shimmer of the candlelight in the tent but also it seemed to shimmer without any help at all. Her skin was dark; like she was born of Native Americans but her eyes were green. They were a deep green that but there was a circle close to the iris of a light lime green. It was an interesting color and Daniel felt pulled into her gaze as she looked at them all.
As usual Jack seemed to clear the fog first, "Why shouldn't we have gone to the snow globe city? We have been knocked out already by your people as well as held here against our will."
The woman smiled and Daniel felt safe and calm, which freaked him out. He remembered the calm acceptance that came before the rape when Hathor attacked the base. He moved as far as he could from her and searched anywhere for an escape. Daniel could feel Jack's gaze on him, standing slowly and followed Daniel around the room. The younger man reached out to grab Jack's arm. "Jack… Hathor…" he panted.
Daniel watched as Jack turned to the woman whose face was pulled into a concerned scowl. "May I help in some way?" she asked gently.
"Are you doing something to us, to keep us calm?" Jack demanded, putting the pieces together from Daniel's response. Suddenly Damnation was next to the woman's side as if she needed protecting though Daniel was sure she didn't. She was holding a hand out to stop him.
"I'm sorry that it caused your friend such a negative response, my Magis Zara likes to keep everyone on an even keel. She does it to keep me safe, who is this Hathor and what did she do to Daniel?"
"Again with the knowing of our names!" Jack snarled. Daniel knew the Colonel was feeling out of his element and as such, he was striking out before someone could strike at him. "Its none of your business what she did, you are scaring him and that's all you need to know."
The woman looked at Damnation who was pushing at Zarkina's arm like he was going to attack Daniel and Jack, "I am fine Vane, they are not hurting me. They are just scared."
Damnation stepped back, so he wasn't a menacing presence not that he was bothering Daniel. The calming sensation he'd been getting since Zarkina walked in was dissipating. His breathing started to slow, his hear rate skittering back down to normal range and he found himself holding onto Jack and reluctant to let go.
The Colonel still stood close to Daniel, that comforted him as he stepped up closer to the woman again, "Hathor was a monster that used some mojo on us to keep us complacent and she used it to rape me," Daniel explained. He noticed that Jack as well as Sam flinched at the word. He didn't normally talk about that particular situation and he'd never said is so bluntly. The only reason he was saying it now was because the woman needed to know.
"I am sorry that you had that experience, I will not use it unless I feel my life is being threatened. I am Akina Jewel Sky-Merrick, Queen of the Vannas. My position demands that you call me Zarkina though I wish we could be a little more informal. I am hoping to answer some of your questions but I am equally hoping that you will share some information from your time."
"Let me guess, you know our names already?" Jack asked.
"Yes, Jack I know your names because Vane shared them with me when he contacted me about your arrival."
"So you have telephones or some method of communication?" Daniel asked, curiosity winning out against the fear he'd been feeling at the prospect of someone controlling his actions.
Zarkina smiled, "He contacted me telepathically."
Jack threw his hands in the air, as if he was just done with the conversation. "I cannot deal with all this magic crap! We dealt with this with the Nox, I didn't like it then and I don't like it now."
Daniel looked to the queen who was grinning, apparently enjoying the show. "You might want to accept the 'magic thing' because all my people, the Vannas, are all magical beings."
Jack grumbled under his breath and crossed his arms over his chest. Daniel grinned, he knew Jack was struggling with the constant shifting of information. It was true, Jack hated magic stuff when it came across their desks, he could handle the high techniology because Sam could reverse engineer it but magic was not something Jack didn't like, Sam didn't understand where as Daniel and Teal'c seemed a little more open about it. "Let her tell us the information she needs to tell us."
Daniel watched as Jack gave a quick jerking nod and Daniel gripped the Colonel shoulder gently before he refocused on the woman before them. Again, noticing the woman's beauty and becoming slightly distracted by it until she started speaking again, straight to Sam instinctively knowing she was the one to ask. "What do you need to make this transportation device to work?"
Jack started to zone out Sam's technological based explanation, and it was semi-dummed down for someone who wouldn't understand the words she was using. Zarkina listened intently and Daniel focused on Jack who was swaying side to side. He watched the quiet strength in his friend until Zarkina coughed and he looked at her, seeing the little smile she was shooting at him as if she knew what was going on. And of course she could be capable of such a thing, Damnation had known their names without being told and she could probably read his mind.
Daniel blanked his dirty thoughts about Jack's body and tried to listen to the tale end of Sam's explanation. When Sam was done, Zarkina nodded as if she understood everything the scientist had said and with her abilities, its possible that she did. Sam had tried very hard to put the information into simple terms and ideas.
"Well I do not know about the city but there is a few of my people who might be able to boost the Gate's power source but the problem is how do we going to estimate these solar flares. I do not even know what they are."
Sam started to launch into an explanation of them but Zarkina just held up her hand to stop the scientist. Sam stopped and waited.
"Zarcorp has the most information on technology and my informants have told me about much of his science projects but he is not interested in the sky and beyond. I do not really know how to get you home. I am very sorry."
Daniel felt his heart seize up; there was nothing they could do. The only reason they'd been able to go back home the last time they were thrown through time was because they had help from the past. There was no way they were getting that this time, they were in essence dead in their timeline. They were going to realize that something went wrong when they didn't check in then they would search for them and then in weeks they would be written off as M.I.A and maybe they would have books written about their world saving exploits but that was only if the Stargate ever got declassified and Daniel didn't really think that was possible.
Sam had a family back then, so did Teal'c and because of some major glitch in the gate system they were all dead to everyone who may have ever loved them. "Oh God! What are we going to do?" Daniel gasped.
Jack grabbed his shoulder and suddenly they were all wrapped around each other, offering comfort in a situation that there was no real comfort to be had. Daniel felt the tears rolling down his cheeks, "I am sorry Teal'c, Sam. You had family."
"Its okay Daniel, at least we're together. We are family too," Sam responded with her face tucked into the back of his shoulder.
Daniel nodded into Jack's shoulder and tightened his grip on the man's vest. Zarkina cleared her throat and the team stepped back from each other and looked at her again. "I know you are suffering right now, please know that you are safe and protected here and after you have had the chance to become more familiar with your surroundings and all that it entails, I hope you will join me on my island. For now, stay with Vane and learn all that you can about this time and this world because there are things that can hurt or kill you. Vane and his people will show you what I am talking about. I will see you very soon."
Then she was gone, not moving quickly out of the room but popped out of there. Jack took a couple deep breaths to keep from freaking out when Daniel grabbed his wrist and kept the freak out at bay. For a second anyway, "I don't think I can deal with the magic crap. I don't trust it!"
Daniel patted his shoulder in comfort. He couldn't make this better for the Colonel, they couldn't change the situation they were in and there was an even greater chance they were never getting home.
"Hello," another female voice said as someone walked into the door. They all turned again and Daniel could tell he was done for the day.
"What?" he snapped at the three women who were standing with trays of food. They walked in and put the trays down, Daniel got the sense of slim figures and tanned skin. One had blonde hair and the other two had dark hair. That was all Daniel saw as they leaned down and deposited their trays and started walking out. The two dark haired women touched all four of them and the blonde did as well, kissing Jack on the cheek after touching lips to Sam's cheek as well.
Then they walked out of the tent and Jack spoke, "That was strange but it seems strangeness is suddenly on a sliding scale."
They settled down to some peace and food, which was all pretty normal. There were fruits and vegetables but they were strange colors to them not that it changed the taste all that much. Then as the sun was setting they were led to a place to take care of their business before bed.
Daniel settled back down on his cot to sleep, finding that he couldn't sleep. He tossed and turned, not really knowing why he couldn't find a way to sleep after a bad day like the one they had. All he could see when he closed his eyes was kissing Jack over and over again. He wanted so badly to reach over the short distance to the other man and touch him again. They had been in constant contact with each all through out the day and it wasn't enough anymore. He'd been living with these feelings for the better part of three years and today was the day he could no longer deal with the rules and not having him.
"Danny, sleep." Jack's voice whispered across Daniel's skin and made him squirm a little more.
"I can't Jack, I need to get some air."
"You are not leaving my sight in a place that we don't know with a bunch of people I don't trust."
Daniel smirked in the darkness of the tent, "Then come with me."
Jack grumbled but they both put their shoes back on and walked out of the tent. They walked past all the tents and kept walking for a little while finding themselves in a clearing where there was a pool of water. The pool was enchanted to stay warm as it was used for bathing and somehow they kept the water clean as well, magic in this world did a lot of things that Daniel didn't really understand.
They settled down against a large downed tree trunk and Daniel stared at the water as he breathed in the freedom of being out of the tent. He leaned his head back and stared at the stars in the sky instead. He couldn't see the constellations that he'd grown up looking at; they were either gone or moved.
With a heavy sigh Daniel spoke, "This isn't the earth we know. How are we going to survive this place?"
Jack lifted his arm and Daniel burrowed into his shoulder, finding comfort in the man's touch. The Colonel didn't get this close to Daniel, ever. This was something new and frightening as well as exciting. Daniel pulled away and looked at the older man though in the dim lighting he couldn't see more than the vague outline of Jack's features, "What's going on with you Jack?"
Jack looked at him, leaned forward and touched his lips gently to Daniel's. The younger man was shocked by the touch never thinking it was possible. There was an instant where he didn't do anything and then the dam burst and Daniel was on top of Jack before he knew he was moving. He slipped a leg over Jack's lap and slid up close and personal with the older man and slid his tongue in to massage Jack's.
He couldn't believe what was happening, he was kissing Jack O'Neill.