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Part Two
Daniel leaned wearily against a tree, his pack feeling twice as heavy as it had earlier although he was carrying barely one fourth of the equipment they'd started out with. They'd been walking for over two hours and Daniel could finally see the remains of the old temple in the distance, back-lit by an incredible sunset. He knew they probably wouldn't make it to the temple itself tonight, Jack had already contacted Sam and Teal'c to try and find out where they'd camped out, and was in the process of zeroing in on their location.
Jack changed direction, turning slightly south and so keeping the amazing color display to their right. The light was fading fast, and at the moment Daniel simply wanted to find a place where he could sit down and rest. He was feeling much better than when they'd started out, but he still had no energy to speak of. Hell, he'd slept most of the day away, you'd think he'd be feeling refreshed?
He couldn't keep his eyes off the colourful sunset, not that it wasn't breathtakingly beautiful, but something kept nagging at him.
“Jack, is the sky supposed to be moving like that?” he finally asked, coming to a standstill. While walking, the movement had been so slight it had been hard to make out. But now that he'd stopped, he could tell that the colors were shifting, blending, expanding, visible to the naked eye. It was almost like the Northern Lights.
“Jesus,” Jack swore as he stood staring up at the sky. “Carter, can you and Teal'c see the sunset?”
“Affirmative, O'Neill,” Teal'c's voice rang in Daniel's ear. “It is obviously not a natural occurrence.”
“Ya think?” Jack said softly to Daniel. “It looks like the freaking Aurora Borealis,” he said into the radio. “Do you think this is what spooked the villagers last night?”
“I think so, Sir,” Carter added. “We just heard two persons running down the road, screaming to one another that it was happening again. I'm not sure, but it might not be safe to be out in the open. Apparently whatever is going to happen is going to do so when it's fully dark.”
Daniel glanced at Jack and they both picked up the pace.
“We'll be with you in twenty,” Jack said. Daniel tried to ignore the alien exhibition and faced the direction they were travelling in. They began jogging, trying to take advantage of the minimal light. Pretty soon they were forced to slow down in order to watch their footing. The sky had darkened, the colors remaining, but turning a deeper hue.
Daniel slowly became aware of a brightening of the area before him. Jack obviously had also, slowing down when the way ahead of them became as clear as day. They glanced at one another, Jack positioning his weapon more comfortably in his hands while Daniel tried to peer into the light.
Long and thin, round and elongated, bright and colourful, soft and muted, constantly shifting tendrils moved among the trees, slowly approaching the two men. They moved continuously, stretching twenty feet into the air, and then quickly or slowly snapping back into a luminous ball no more than one or two feet in diameter. They shifted through the spectrum of the rainbow, sometimes all one color, sometimes several at once. There appeared to be seven or eight of them, but they were so intermingled that it was hard to tell at times where one began and the other ended.
As the lights moved towards the two men, Jack changed direction, veering hard to the right, out of the way. The shifting amorphous lights swerved just as quickly, staying with them and speeding up. Before they knew it, they were surrounded.
Daniel turned in a circle, the display of these creatures incredibly beautiful. He realized Jack was staying still, his gun aimed at the one being remaining relatively motionless before them. It displayed soft, pastel colors as opposed to the very vibrant shades of its brethren. It varied its colors occasionally, although green appeared to be the dominant one. All the others continued to sway and shift, but by its demeanour, this one appeared to be a leader or spokesperson. Because Daniel was positive these were intelligent beings. He just hoped they were friendly, intelligent beings.
“Hello,” Daniel said, stepping forward. Jack's arm was a hard barrier, stopping him short. Daniel frowned at Jack, then raised his eyebrows in supplication. “Jack, it can't hurt to try and talk to them.”
“Careful. Carter says they're responsible for a few deaths.” Jack lowered his arm, granting permission. But as Daniel stepped forward hesitantly, Jack followed him pace for pace. He stopped about two feet away from the being of green light, whose color changes slowed even more.
“I'm Daniel Jackson. We're visitors to this planet. We, um, came to study the strange mass out there in space,” Daniel said, waggling his fingers towards the sky, “but I guess that's all your doing, huh?
“Can you tell us what it is you're doing here? Is there something you wanted? Is there a way of communicating? Are the colors you're exhibiting words? Expressions? Emotions?” Daniel cast a quick glance at Jack, who had his eyes glued on the leader. “You don't understand a word I'm saying, do you?” Daniel huffed this last in exasperation. The light continued to shift slowly, showing no reaction to his words.
Daniel took a slow step forward, reaching his hand out. Swearing, Jack grasped him firmly, pulling him back, saying his name in a scolding manner. Daniel was still glaring at Jack when the luminous being reached out and touched a filament to his retreating hand.
Sky and earth exploded, sounds and colors rang riot in his head. He tasted grit in his mouth and tried to spit it out, his teeth crunching uncomfortably on it. Until he felt his head and shoulders lifted off the ground, he hadn't even realized he was horizontal. The world tilted until he concluded it was him who was half lying on Jack's legs. Warm hands touched his face, wiping gently at painful scrapes.
He blinked a few times to clear his vision, and saw the being scrunched into a ball above them, its colors now swirling painfully and sickeningly fast. Daniel wondered if perhaps their shift in colors reflected their moods. Would this be anger? Or concern?
He eased off Jack, feeling his friend help him straighten up. At his movement, the being pulled away from them, stretching again as its colors slowed slightly. Jack was talking, at least Daniel thought he was talking because his mouth was moving. He shook his head and rubbed his ears with his palms. Jack stared at him and Daniel saw him articulate the word ‘what'?
“My ears are ringing, I can't hear anything,” Daniel said. Jack's mouth started moving again and Daniel knew he'd be blushing if he could have understood the words. “I'm fine, I'm fine,” he quickly said as he stood up, bringing Jack's cursing to an end. He brushed himself off, feeling a few bruises along his shoulder and hip.
He looked around. The leader had gone back to its original position, but it was still shifting colors quickly. The ringing in his ears began to change; it became a more musical tinkling, like rain falling on leaves, easing back in volume. Actually, he thought he could hear Jack now. He looked at his friend, and saw him talking into his radio.
Daniel reached for his ear and realized his earpiece had fallen out. He put it back in and was rewarded with Sam's voice.
“…all congregating at the temple, Sir. There appears to be hundreds of them, maybe thousands.”
“Just make sure you stay away from any stray lights, Carter. Don't go and touch them, they seem to wallop quite a punch.”
“Um, I guess Daniel…”
“Roger that,” Jack said, looking at Daniel with a tight smile.
“I'm fine,” he reiterated. “Do you think we should keep on going to the temple? There must be something there that these beings want. Or maybe we'll find the answers there to this mystery.”
“If they let us out of here,” Jack replied. “Carter, Daniel and I are going to try and make our way to the temple. Meet us there, but don't go inside, understood?”
“Yes, Sir. Understood. Carter out.”
Jack took a tentative step towards the temple, which he could see glowing brightly like a laser show. The beings sprang apart, allowing him to pass between them. The leader quickly floated beside and slightly above them, keeping pace, while the others raced up into the sky, bobbing and weaving over their heads like an aerial escort. Its light lit up the way before them, and Daniel could see why they were called ‘shadow chasers'.
As they moved away, the chiming sounds faded. He could still hear a slight sound and realized it was coming from the leader.
“Can you hear it?” Daniel asked Jack.
“Hear what?” Jack looked over at him with a quizzical expression.
“Never mind,” Daniel said, suspecting that whatever he was hearing was due to the creature's touch earlier.
The ground was well lit thanks to the aerial display, and Daniel had no fear of tripping over hidden roots. Actually, the colors were so vivid that everything appeared surreal. They walked for twenty minutes, Daniel's eyes beginning to water from the brightness of the congregated beings. Finally, he snapped his clip-ons onto his glasses, earning him a bit of relief. He noticed Jack had donned his sunglasses.
As they finally trudged up the overgrown path to the old, abandoned temple, the sounds he'd heard earlier came back, but much louder. The laser-like show, if anything, increased in intensity, causing Daniel to squint beneath his dark glasses, his eyes tearing once more with the glare. The noise kept getting worse, becoming almost painful. On top of this, his head throbbed with a budding headache.
He gritted his teeth and continued on. As he approached the ruins, Daniel could see the damage the years had wrought. Pillars and walls had fallen, although the entrance had been cleared of debris. He was only a few feet away when many of the lights swooped down towards him, causing both him and Jack to duck. The noise of their passing blared on his sensitive ears, and he lost his balance trying to block the sound by covering his ears with his palms. He felt hands holding him up, and he blinked into the glare, seeing Sam and Teal'c kneeling beside him and Jack
“I'm fine,” he said as he rose to his feet. The leader of the group suddenly drew itself up into a long, thin tendril, stretching straight up into the sky. It glowed white for a moment, then changed to a beautiful emerald green, and held onto the color and shape for several moments. Movement in the sky stilled, looking like a snapshot. Then all but a dozen of the beings zoomed away in various directions, the quiet and the darkness a more than welcome relief for Daniel. He removed his clip-ons and put them away.
When the still-green being shrank back into its smaller, more-rounded size, Daniel thanked it. He assumed it knew the others had been causing him discomfort. He led the way into the interior of the temple, noting how the ceiling and walls had been shored up. This was the reason why he'd come on this mission; although abandoned for centuries, the locals had recently begun excavating the interior and had discovered a large room behind the debris. Daniel had offered his services as the language he'd seen in the videos had appeared familiar. He assumed it was a derivative of one he'd seen on another planet and had figured it would be worthwhile to study it, possibly proving useful in future missions.
Assuring himself that the building was safe, he quickly spotted the newly-excavated corridor and followed it till he found the until-recently hidden room at its end. Daniel settled before one wall that held several painted pictures and writings, all in fairly good condition. One painting, in particular, held his attention.
“Jack,” he said excitedly. “When I first saw these in the videos SG-4 sent back, I assumed that these were clouds,” he said as he pointed to several colourful squiggles painted above houses. “But here's the proof that these… shadow chasers, have been here before.”
He glanced around at more pictures, moving excitedly from one to the other, forgetting his headache and fatigue. “Look, they're touching,” he pointed to another picture where man and being were touching hand to tendril, just like he had unintentionally done earlier tonight.
“Great. Can you tell me what they are, what they want and what they're doing here?” Jack said sarcastically.
“Of course not. I'll need to translate this before I can even come close to hazarding a guess.” He glanced at his friend with affection, knowing his gruff demeanour sometimes was his way of letting off tension. Two of the beings had entered the room with them, providing just enough illumination for Daniel to work with. He quickly pulled out pad and pen from his pack, and settled down on the sandy floor before the wall, intent on doing his best to translate the script.
The writing, as he'd suspected, was a derivative of one he was somewhat familiar with, having come across it last year on a planet in a totally different part of the galaxy. But since Jack had left the notebooks and textbooks he'd brought with him back at their original campsite, he had to rely on memory and deduction. It was slow going and soon he was engrossed in his job.
It was only when the light began to dim and he couldn't see well enough to work did he look up in irritation. The creatures had left the room, their glow fading as they floated down the corridor. He got up, surprised at how stiff he was. His back and legs were cramped from hours of sitting in the same position, a hazard that came with his job but one that he was accustomed to. His head still throbbed, but it was a manageable pain, just distracting. His bruised hip and shoulder, on the other hand, were very stiff and he stretched carefully as he groped for his mag light. Turning it on, he left the room and met Jack coming down the hallway, his own light blinding Daniel until Jack aimed it towards the ground.
“They're leaving,” Jack said, turning around and leading the way back outside. As Daniel left the temple ruins, he could see the sun rising in the east, and faint colourful streaks lit the sky, moving towards the fading Northern Lights. The leader was still hovering nearby, bobbing up and down in short, anxious movements.
He walked up to it, hearing the chimes in his head coming fast and harsh. “You'll be back tonight?” he asked of it, knowing it probably couldn't understand him. “Hopefully by then I'll have finished translating the rest of the stuff in there, but I know for a fact that your people befriended those of this planet, and you're not here to harm anyone. I think you're just as surprised at their reaction as they are at seeing you.”
It stopped its up and down movements, glowed a soft purple for a moment, then extended a still purple-tinted tendril towards Daniel. He flinched, then forced himself to stand still. His skin tingled as he felt an energy surrounding him before he was hit with the overwhelming memory of dry heat, sand underfoot, musty tombs, and childish laughter as large, loving hands carried his small body against an adult one. Right on top of this memory came the scent of Shau're's musky perfume, the heat and sand of Abydos blending right in with those of the Egyptian desert, her small arm encircling his waist as they both walked side by side across the desert sands. The cool, recycled air of the SGC's ventilation system was almost a shock, but Jack's warm hands clapping his back in friendship, Teal'c's strong grip as he grasped his bicep and Sam's enthusiastic hug were as heart warming as the previous two memories.
He opened his eyes, feeling at peace with himself. He saw Jack looking at him with worry and he smiled, breathing deeply. He searched for Sam and Teal'c, who were watching with concern. His friends, his family.
The tendril move towards Jack and the older man took a step backwards, keeping away from it.
“Whoa!” Jack exclaimed.
“It's okay, Jack,” Daniel said softly. Jack looked at Daniel, stilling at his words. Daniel watched Jack's eyes close as the being seemed to stroke the air just before his cheek, and a gentle smile graced his friend's face. The being fell back after a couple of seconds, and Jack opened his eyes, looking at Daniel, then his gaze moving on to Sam and Teal'c. Daniel knew pretty much how Jack felt.
“Wow,” Jack said simply.
“Yeah,” Daniel agreed as they watched the being float away into the night sky.
Daniel yawned, suddenly tired. He felt like he could sleep, but he knew he needed to finish translating the wall.
“How about we all grab some breakfast,” Jack said, clapping Daniel's back in mimicry to the flashback Daniel had just had. Daniel nodded, joining his two other friends as they made a small campfire to boil water for coffee and to heat their MREs.
As they ate, Daniel related to them the bits that he had managed to decipher.
“These beings would come and visit every time this planet passed close enough to their home,” Daniel explained, waving towards where the Aurora Borealis display had been visible during the night. “Sam, you said that a meteor probably hit the planet some 500 years ago? Could that have been enough to shift the planet off its orbit?”
“It's possible, but doubtful,” she replied. “At least not to the extent we're talking about here.”
“Well, something's prevented these aliens from visiting for the past couple of centuries. Maybe there are periods where the two just don't pass close enough, I don't know. Maybe their home is drifting, with some passes they're just too far away to meet the planet's orbit? Probably Doctor Lalonde could answer these questions, but suffice it to say that they were always welcome here. They weren't considered Gods or anything like that, just friends coming to visit. Their coming was usually looked upon with lots of rejoicing and partying. I'm guessing the meteor hit caused a lot of damage.”
Sam nodded when he turned to look at her.
“So people were more interested in simply surviving after that cataclysm than believing in folktales, especially if, for whatever reason, the aliens didn't come when expected.”
“So you think these beings didn't cause any of the deaths or fires they were accused of?” Jack asked.
“Did they look dangerous to you, Jack?” Daniel huffed.
“Well, you went flying pretty hard when it touched you,” Jack snapped.
“That was my mistake,” Daniel admitted. He played with some dirt trapped in a scrape along his finger. “I put my hand out in greeting. According to one of the paintings, it's one of their ways of communicating. But in the painting, there appears to be a buffer between man and light, some kind of device, I think. The man is reaching out to the being with one hand, and his other hand is touching what looks to be a crystal. I need to go and examine the text there today,” he said as downed the last of his coffee. He eyed the coffee pot, wondering if there was any left. He smiled his thanks when Sam picked it up and emptied the last of its contents into his cup.
“The fire and most of the injuries could have been caused by people panicking,” Sam said as she rinsed out the empty coffeepot. “There weren't any eyewitnesses to any actual injuries or deaths, unless somebody did what Daniel did and stuck their hands out to them.”
“From what I hear, everyone's cowering under their beds and wouldn't have the courage to approach any of these guys,” Jack snorted. “Carter,” Jack said as he wiped his face with a dirty hand. “You and Teal'c go back to the village, see if the creatures might have caused any more havoc, intentionally or not. Try and explain to those in charge that they're harmless, and that we're trying to work on a way of communicating with them. Also try and see if you can get to talk to any of our people, maybe they can answer some of the questions Daniel has come up with.”
“Yes, Sir,” she replied. She stood, wiping her hands on the seat of her pants. “Daniel, we found what looks like some sort of lamps stored in a corner of the temple. You might be able to use those to illuminate that little room.”
“Thanks, Sam. If they're not bright enough, maybe SG-4 has some lighting equipment at their camp.”
Teal'c rose gracefully and he and Sam both grabbed their weapons and started down the path towards the village.
Daniel yawned, wiping a gritty hand over equally gritty and stubbly face. He figured his friends were just as tired as he was. No, they had to be even more tired since he'd slept the day away, they hadn't. He got up, wincing in stiffness, and reluctantly limped back to the temple and work. He knew Jack would spend his time watching the area, leaving him to work in peace.
He found the lamps Sam had mentioned and he carried a few into his work space. After fiddling a bit with them, he realized they were oil-based, and although he needed several to properly illuminate his surroundings, they did give off enough light to save the batteries of his flashlight.
Daniel sat down stiffly and set out to work. But he wanted nothing more than to sleep, his tired body drooping and fighting his attempts at sitting up straight. Soon the shapes and squiggles before him blurred and seemed to shift. His body ached, and felt heavier than normal. He kept having to drag his focus back to his work, his mind feeling like it was stuffed with cotton, his earlier energy having faded with the departure of the beings.
He hadn't realized he'd dozed off until the scrape of a boot on stone startled him awake. He bent his knees and picked up the pencil that had fallen out of his hand and held it poised over the pad of paper he'd repositioned on his lap, trying to pretend he'd been working hard. Jack entered the room, his shadow blocking out the meagre daylight and forcing Daniel to squint up at him.
With a sigh, Jack joined him on the hard ground. He spread his legs before him and leaned back tiredly on the stone wall.
“Teal'c just radio'd in,” he said in a strangely low voice. “The townspeople panicked last night,” he continued, looking straight ahead and not at Daniel. “They broke into the building where our people were being held. Doctor Lalonde was killed, as was Captain Carmichael. Three more are injured, one severely.”
Daniel sat there in shock. There had been no reason for this, the beings were harmless, the people here had been safe. It was ridiculous, neither SG-4 nor the astronomers had anything to do with this. Daniel should have gone to the town, spoken to the people, convinced them…
“Why?” Daniel finally managed to ask.
Jack rubbed his open palm over his mouth and cheeks. “You tell me.” He sighed heavily. “They believed the devil came down to punish them, brought here by the people studying the sky. It's just a matter of too little information and too little time.”
“If I hadn't gotten sick yesterday, this might not have happened,” Daniel said with a sinking heart.
“Oh, come off it, Daniel,” Jack growled. “Don't go blaming yourself for something you know you couldn't help. We don't even know if they'd have listened to us yesterday if we'd tried talking to them.”
“But maybe I could have found the buffer for what I'm sure is a communications device. We could have talked to the aliens, shown the people they meant no harm.”
“You mean that thing?” Jack asked, pointing with his chin towards the picture of the alien and human touching. The thing in question was a two foot high tripod receptacle, the legs appearing to be intricately worked metal intertwined together. They merged on top to make a nest for a smooth rainbow-hued crystal about the size of a dinner plate.
“Yes. We could talk with the shadow chasers if we had it. We could show the people here that there's nothing to fear from them. The beings could tell them exactly why they're here, explain the history of these drawings, everything the people on this world have lost in the past centuries.”
“It's here. I saw it buried behind some rubble.”
Daniel felt a rush of energy at Jack's statement but as he turned excitedly towards his friend, the next words just as quickly drained him, and he fell back heavily against the wall.
“The crystal isn't there, just the frame.”
“Damn,” Daniel muttered, taking his glasses off and rubbing his burning eyes. His tired brain suddenly woke up. “If the crystal isn't with the receptacle, maybe it's buried somewhere else? Come on, we can start looking.”
Ignoring his encroaching exhaustion, Daniel jammed his glasses back on and stood up quickly, and the world tilted alarmingly. He braced himself on the wall as his ears rang and his vision grayed out. He felt Jack's arms holding him, and he concentrated on breathing deeply until the room stopped spinning. His legs felt shaky and Jack's voice still seemed to come from far away.
“I'm fine, just got up too fast,” he finally managed to say to still Jack's concerned questions.
“Like hell. You look like shit. C'mon.” Jack tugged on Daniel's arm and Daniel followed him out into the corridor, suddenly anxious for some fresh air and sunshine. He sat down gratefully at their small campsite and took several sips from the canteen and scowled at the proffered power bar. He broke off a piece and chewed. It tasted dry and crumbly, and he swallowed it down with difficulty.
“Look, you didn't get any sleep last night, and you're still not quite recovered from whatever hit you yesterday. Why don't you lie down and sleep for a couple of hours?”
Daniel wanted nothing more to do just that. His head had begun pounding and he was feeling jittery and was having trouble concentrating on things. But he couldn't, not now. Not with what had happened in the town last night.
“I can't. I have to finish the translations, and we have to find that crystal before dark. I…” He quieted at Jack's upended finger, his friend's lips pressed together in a way Daniel knew he'd brook no argument from him.
“I'll look for the crystal, you get some sleep, and then when your mind's a little clearer, you can go back in there and finish up with the translations. Don't try to kid me, Daniel. I saw you didn't get much work done this morning.”
Daniel hung his head, knowing his notebook sat mostly empty since he'd gone back to the room this morning. A warm hand squeezed his knee and he looked up at Jack's concerned face.
“You really look like you could use the rest. Look, we both know you're tired and not running at a hundred percent. Carter and Teal'c are talking with the guys in charge, trying to get our people released. I'll let you sleep until they come back, and then we'll decide on our next step, okay?”
“I should at least try to finish the translation, Jack,” Daniel said guiltily.
“Yes, you should. And you will. After you've had some rest. Damnit, Daniel, you weren't breathing for a long time yesterday. We don't know what caused that, and we don't know if it's gonna hit you again. I'm laying bets here that your exhaustion isn't going to help you any and so help me God, if you get sick again because you're too stubborn to get a couple hours of sleep…” Jack's words trailed off and Daniel only then began to get a sense of the worry he'd inadvertently put his friend through yesterday.
“Okay, I'll lie down for a while. But you'll promise to wake me up in a couple of hours?”
“Scout's honor,” Jack replied as he raised his right hand up to his shoulder while pressing two fingers together, then waggling them a bit before lowering his hand.
“I could still go help you dig through the rubble,” Daniel said as he carefully and slowly got up. Oh who was he fooling, he felt like he was going to keel over if he did.
“I know,” Jack replied as he spread out Daniel's sleeping bag on the ground near the small fire he'd kept burning throughout the day.
“I could get some rest later,” Daniel argued as he sat down a little too fast on the inviting make-shift bed, landing hard and jarring his back, his teeth closing with an audible snap.
“You could,” Jack said as Daniel rubbed his hip and then gratefully lay down in the sleeping bag.
“Two would be faster than one,” he continued as Jack pulled the edge of the material up to Daniel's chin. Daniel closed his eyes, relishing the feeling of actually lying down.
“Um hmm,” Jack said softly. Daniel felt Jack remove his glasses then felt the weight of his friend's hand before he squeezed his shoulder. “Go to sleep,” Jack ordered.
“Daniel, wake up.” Daniel squeezed his eyes tightly before forcing them open. Sam was kneeling beside him, her hand resting on his forehead, a smile on her face. He realized he'd been hearing her voice calling his name for what seemed a long time, seeming to come from far away.
“What?” Daniel mumbled, feeling like he'd been dragged from a deep, deep sleep.
“The Colonel says you've been sleeping for three hours and he'd promised to wake you up.”
Daniel rolled onto his back and rubbed his eyes, trying to get the sleep out of them. Yeah, he'd asked Jack to wake him, and he knew he had work to finish, but his body felt like it was rebelling and he just wanted to go back to sleep.
Steeling himself, Daniel pushed the sleeping bag aside and sat up wearily. His stomach churned sickeningly and his head felt more muddled now than when he'd gone to sleep. Sam handed him his glasses and he looked around for his friends.
“Where's Jack?” he asked, not seeing either Jack or Teal'c around the camp. The somewhat battered frame from the painting had been removed from the cave and was lying on its side across the fire from him.
“He went back inside to show Teal'c something,” Sam answered as she sat down beside him on the foot of the sleeping bag. “Are you feeling okay?” she asked. “I was a little worried, you were hard to wake.”
“I'm fine, just a little tired.” He was. Fine, that was. And still tired, of course. Nothing that a nice hot shower and a soft bed and twenty-four hours' worth of uninterrupted sleep wouldn't cure, though. He thought of getting up to go see if Jack had found any sign of the crystal when he spotted him coming from the ruins, Teal'c a step behind him.
“Did he find the crystal?” he asked Sam.
“No, but—”
“Hey, you're up,” Jack called out to him as he approached, interrupting Sam.
Teal'c came up to Daniel and knelt beside him, smiling.
“I am relieved to find you were merely resting. I was concerned upon arriving and finding you asleep.”
“Yeah, for a second there, we thought you'd fallen sick again.” Sam's voice was a little strained. Her face was pale, and Daniel suddenly remembered she'd discovered that their people had been killed.
“You couldn't get the rest of the prisoners freed,” Daniel stated. Sam shook her head sadly, and Daniel felt guilt course through him, knowing he'd wasted more time sleeping. He had to get back inside, find the crystal, finish up the translations.
“Jack, Sam said you didn't find the crystal. Did you look everywhere? Maybe the four of us can go over the area.” Blaming himself for the situation they were in, he gathered energy and began planning the excavation of the immediate area in his mind. “Damn, it could even be outside,” he said, looking at the overgrown bushes surrounding the crumbling walls of the temple. “Maybe two of us can look outside and the other two can go check the insides again. There might even be another hidden corridor like the one that was discovered where the pictures are—”
“Whoa ,whoa, slow down,” Jack said as he handed Daniel an MRE. “The crystal's not here. Teal'c just informed me he saw it over in one of the buildings in town today.”
“He did?” Daniel turned to Teal'c excitedly. “You did?”
“Indeed. I saw a representation of it stating it was a holy relic being kept in their church.”
Daniel took a bite of food, feeling too tired to eat but forcing down the food anyway.
“Then we can go to the town and ask to borrow it,” he said with his mouth full. He swallowed quickly. “We'll show them tonight that this was all a mistake.” He shovelled in another forkful of food and chewed eagerly, feeling a little more energetic now that they knew where the crystal was.
Jack scratched the underside of his chin with his fingers. “Yeah, well, it seems that that building is closed off to us for the time being. The Headman wants us in the town hall at sunset.”
“Kareeb doesn't trust us, and he made it clear from the start that we weren't permitted to go inside the church,” Sam explained. “Teal'c and I thought maybe there might have been old records inside which we could bring to you to look at, but when we asked, the Headman got angry.”
“But we can still ask Kareeb tonight. I'm sure when we explain why we need it, he'll let us use it.”
“Daniel, think about it a minute. If we ask Kareeb for something he thinks of as being sacred and tell him we're going to use it to talk to the devils, how do you think he's gonna react?”
Jack was right. Damn it, Daniel should have figured that out on his own. His brain obviously wasn't running on all cylinders quite yet.
“Yeah, maybe not my brightest idea,” he admitted. “But what if one of us sneaks into the church? Then we could bring it out when the aliens show up and…” He paused at Jack's hard look.
“No. Kareeb wants us all there, he knows there are four of us, people have seen us together. He threatened to kill the rest of his prisoners if we don't show up before sunset. We have no choice.”
“But—”
“What part of negative do you not comprehend?” Teal'c asked him. Daniel turned to the Jaffa in surprise, then smiled when he saw the glint of amusement on his face.
“Thanks, Teal'c,” Jack said with a smirk. Teal'c inclined his head, the start of a smile curling at his lip.
“Jack, we're just so close. I hate this,” Daniel said, appreciating his friends trying to make light of the situation, but feeling frustrated at being so helpless. He threw the uneaten portion of his meal onto the ground in pique. Daniel stared at the blades of grass peeking up and around the material of his sleeping bag. A hand on his shoulder squeezed in empathy.
“Me too. Look, we'll bring the fancy stand with us and try to explain to Kareeb. Maybe someone will recognize it and realize it goes with the crystal. Or maybe the guy will be so desperate by then that he'll allow us the use of it. We'll just play it by ear, okay?”
Daniel nodded reluctantly. He checked his watch, noting it was mid afternoon. “We have a couple of hours, right? I'm gonna go see if I can get more of the writing translated.”
He walked away without waiting for Jack's answer. He knew his friend would come and get him when he was ready to leave. He just needed to be alone right now. He had to figure out a way to get that crystal, they so needed to talk to the aliens.
- - - - - -
The sun was low in the sky when the town limits appeared before them. Jack cast another worried glance towards Daniel, who had been trudging along beside him. Daniel had easily kept up the pace Teal'c had set, but Jack could see his friend was slowly losing ground. He was still too pale, and Jack had caught him nodding off a few times whenever he sat still for too long. He definitely hadn't recovered yet, and Jack hated having to bring Daniel into what could become a volatile situation in a couple of hours. He wished he could have simply cocooned Daniel into a snug little corner and let him sleep for several more hours, and he smiled at the thought of what Daniel's outraged comments would have been at the suggestion.
A welcoming committee was waiting, and without any words exchanged between them, the five men surrounded them and led SG-1 down into the small city. Jack looked around curiously, seeing scared faces peering out of doors or windows.
Daniel stumbled and Jack reached out to steady him, as did Teal'c. He smiled his thanks at them then put his head down, walking without showing interest in his surroundings. This worried Jack; Daniel always was interested in new architecture and this town reminded Jack a little of a small European city. He half expected Daniel to tell him exactly where the roots of these people came from, but Daniel was solely interested in watching the back of Carter's boots before him.
They were led into a large open building where many people were jammed inside. Their escort pushed a way through the throng and SG-1 was led into a smaller side-room, where the city officials were waiting for them. The noise of the crowd lessened as the door was shut behind them.
“Colonel O'Neill, this is Kareeb,” Carter said, stepping to the fore and pointing out the Headman of the village. Kareeb inclined his head and motioned for Jack's team to join him at a table already laden with food and drink.
“Please, sit. It is past time we discussed what has been happening.”
“Right,” Jack said as he counted the number of guards in the room with them. They weren't heavily armed, Jack figured if it came to a fight, they'd be able to shoot their way out of this room, but they'd never escape with the mass of people between them and the exit in the other room.
As they approached the table, Jack saw Daniel sway and catch himself on the wall.
“Kareeb,” Jack said as he watched Daniel make his unsteady way to the table. “My friend here has been sick and hasn't quite recovered. Is there a place where he could lie down and rest for a couple of hours?”
“Jack, no, I'm fine,” Daniel said as he straightened himself with obvious effort.
“Of course,” Kareeb said, taking in Daniel's still-pale face and shaking hands. “There is a room with a cot in the basement of this building. It is located in the back of the building and I assure you, it will be quiet. Many of us use it on occasion. You are welcome to take your rest there. Delar can show you the way, and you can return and join us when you are refreshed.”
Before Daniel could open his mouth to complain, Jack quickly assured him. “We'll wake you up just before sunset, Daniel. I figure you can get two, maybe three hours' snooze before all hell breaks loose again. Look, we three can handle the discussions now, we'll need you sharp and steady a little later, comprendes?”
Daniel sighed heavily and nodded, turning around and reluctantly following the man Delar. Knowing that Daniel would be getting some much needed rest, Jack pushed that particular problem to the back of his mind and sat down, eyeing the food before him. He was hungry, and the food looked appetizing. Carter and Teal'c sat beside him, Teal'c placing the wrapped bundle that was the receptacle down beside him.
“So, Kareeb, tell me about these so-called demons that have come to call,” Jack said as he helped himself to a piece of bread.
- - - - - -
Daniel pressed his hand hard against the bloody wound in his side, feeling the warm liquid trickling down his waist and leg. He stopped and leaned against the wooden building and looked around it, hoping the coast was clear. It was.
He held the blood-slicked crystal tightly against his chest and staggered down the empty street, aiming for the communal building. He could hear the murmur of the crowd inside, and the closer he got, the louder the buzz.
He turned down the alley that ran alongside the building with relief, and found the steps leading down to the room that he had been provided with just thirty minutes earlier.
What an idiot he was. He'd managed to fool Jack into thinking he was more tired than he actually was, hoping that he'd be able to excuse himself and leave the group with the excuse of going to sleep somewhere. He had even been left alone to rest in the small room without a guard. His plan had worked wonderfully until he'd sneaked into the church and had been caught by surprise, and had literally walked into the knife held by a very bewildered priest. He wasn't sure who had been more shocked, him or the priest.
He'd zatted the man into unconsciousness, hoping that the room had been dark enough so that he hadn't made out Daniel's face or his clothes. Daniel had tied the priest up and dragged him into a small side chamber. Hopefully, with luck, nobody would find him for a few more hours.
He entered his room and shut the door behind him, making a beeline for his pack. He placed the crystal on the bed beside him and fumbled in the pack for bandages. He removed his jacket and lifted his tee-shirt, seeing the deep slash for the first time. He knew it needed to be disinfected and at the moment he had no wish to incur more pain on himself. He settled for putting a pressure bandage on the wound, and then cleaning the blood off of him as best he could.
He downed several painkillers before changing his tee-shirt for a clean one, wincing as the movement pulled on his injury. He took off his pants and rinsed the blood out in a small sink, then put them back on, figuring they'd have time to dry before Jack came to collect him.
He examined his jacket and was grateful that whatever blood he had gotten onto it hadn't quite bled through to the outer side. Satisfied that there were no visible signs of his injury, he rinsed off the crystal, cushioned it in his torn and bloody tee shirt, and stuffed it into the bottom of his pack. By that time reaction and pain were setting in and his legs suddenly had trouble holding him up.
He staggered to the bed and stretched out on it, removing his glasses and clumsily dropping them to the floor near the head of the bed. Soon he was shivering and he sat up to pull the folded blankets at the foot of the bed up and over him. His side began throbbing as he curled up in exhaustion. Despite the pain, he quickly slid into sleep, aware that he was still feeling cold and weak.
Cool hands on his face woke him, and Jack's uttered ‘Jaysus, he's burning up' had him turn and blink dazedly at his friend.
“Jack?”
“Yeah, it's me. Carter, you got some water with you?”
He was hot, and the blankets were smothering him. He tried to kick them off, but Jack was sitting on the bed, effectively pinning them beneath him and his legs didn't seem to have enough strength to push them from the other side.
“Hot,” he muttered irritably, and he felt the mattress move as Jack stood up. Soon the blankets were pulled off his body and cool air swept over him. Sam soon traded places with Jack, her hand brushing his cheek before she helped him lift his head up. Water dribbled into his mouth.
“Daniel, I need you to try and swallow these.” He blinked and focused on the blur of pills sitting in Sam's hand. “We need to get your fever down and hopefully some antibiotics might help whatever it is that's causing this.”
He pushed himself onto an elbow and felt a cool hand on his back helping to support him. His head throbbed, his whole body ached and his ears were buzzing. How had he gotten feverish so fast?
The blade. He hadn't disinfected his wound and he suspected the priest might have picked up some sort of ceremonial knife which had probably been sitting around on display in the church, gathering all sorts of germs until it had been wiped clean against Daniel's insides.
Stupid, stupid, stupid!
He swallowed the pills with more water, and then pushed himself into a sitting position, biting back a groan as his side erupted in agony when he tried to shift his legs over the edge of the bed. Teal'c was behind him, holding him up and Daniel was grateful for the support. He wanted to wrap his arms around his ribs to try and ease the burning that had started up with the movement. He wanted to lie back down and tell Jack he was hurt and to take care of everything. But instead he looked around for his glasses, forgetting where he'd put them.
“Here,” Sam said, bending down and picking them up off the floor. Daniel put them on and glanced out the open door. It was dark in the alley but he could make out the last rays of sunshine bouncing off of something on the roof, tinting the interior of the room with a reddish glow.
“It's almost time?” he asked.
“Be dark in about fifteen minutes. But I think you're better off staying in bed.” Jack's face looked grim in the strange light, long shadows making it look skeletal and non-human.
“No, I'm fine.” He pushed himself up with effort, his legs seeming heavy and cumbersome. With a few tottering steps, he made it to the door. He began climbing the handful of stairs with Jack at his side, his hand on Daniel's arm. Teal'c and Sam were right behind them. Suddenly Daniel stopped. He'd forgotten the crystal.
“My pack,” he exclaimed, realizing it was still inside the room.
“It's okay, we'll come back for it later.” Jack pulled gently on Daniel's arm, trying to get him to continue up the remaining few steps.
“No, I need it.” He dug his feet in and refused to budge, almost losing his balance when he pulled away from Jack's insistence.
“It'll be safe here, Daniel.”
“Damn it, Jack. I want it now.” Daniel hated the way he sounded, like a whining child. He began to turn around to go back inside when he heard footsteps going into the room, Seconds later, Sam's voice called out.
“I got it, Daniel.” She appeared in the door, pack in hand. Daniel reached for it and when she handed it over, he found the pack seemed to weigh three times more than normal. He shrugged it over his shoulder and allowed himself to be steered up the stairs and down the alley.
“What did Kareeb decide?” he asked as he forced his heavy legs to move his feet in a straight line.
“Didn't want to hand over the crystal, doesn't quite believe the aliens mean them no harm, did let us see our people for a few minutes, though. Not that we were able to do anything for ‘em except try and make ‘em comfortable.”
Daniel glanced at Jack, seeing the closed look on his face. He guessed the wounded weren't doing that great. He hoped nobody else got hurt again tonight when the aliens returned. He hugged his pack to his chest when it slid off his shoulder, praying his decision and action had been the right one.
They stopped in the middle of the street, before the entrance to the communal building. He saw Kareeb and several dozen more people standing huddled near the entrance, nervously looking around. Teal'c squeezed by them and entered, returning a short time later with the receptacle. He placed it on its wobbly legs on the dirt road before Daniel.
“They didn't…” Daniel waved at the metallic frame as Teal'c pushed and pulled at its legs until it stood firm.
“Didn't ring a bell with them, nope.” Jack was looking up at the now visible Aurora Borealis-like display beginning to decorate the sky. “Won't be long now, kids,” he warned quietly.
Daniel couldn't stand looking upwards for long; the lights and the angle of holding his head up were making him dizzy. He glanced at the small crowd gathered nearby, watching as they nervously peered up, unconsciously gathering even closer together. The communal building was still crowded, though; he could still hear the hum of conversation over the ringing in his ears.
He heard the faint, familiar tinkling sound, getting louder as the seconds went by.
“They're coming,” he said. Within moments streaks zipped by, reminiscent of shooting stars. The noise and light assaulted Daniel's already strained senses, and he squeezed his eyes shut, feeling himself swaying as nausea assailed him. The light bled through his tightly closed eyes, and he felt someone fumbling at his jacket, then at his glasses. Hands gripped him and then an arm went around his back. The person holding him was slight, he knew it to be Sam and he gratefully lowered his head onto her shoulder as she held him steady.
Long, uncomfortable moments ensued, until the sounds suddenly eased off. Shivering suddenly, Daniel pulled away from Sam and cautiously opened his eyes. A slight breeze wafted over him and he felt goose bumps erupt on his skin. He had his sunglasses on, but most of the beings had risen high above them that he didn't need the dark lenses to cut the glare of their essences.
“You okay?” his friend asked, her eyes a vivid blue in the strange lighting. He nodded, tensing his muscles as he held back another shiver. His body felt strange; his muscles obeyed sluggishly, and he felt lethargic, heavy.
An alien was floating before them, once again glowing an emerald green. It bobbed slightly towards the metallic frame, then insinuated itself around it, almost like a cat rubbing on its owner's legs. It quickly glowed a bright orange, then pulled back to float once again before them, slowly going through the colors of the rainbow.
Daniel glanced behind him, noting that half the observers had fled the scene. Kareeb, however, had taken a step forward, watching intently. With a silent prayer, Daniel reached into his pack and slipped his hand beyond the now crusty tee-shirt, and removed the crystal. Hiding it with his body from the townsfolk, he dropped it onto the cradle and took a step back.
“Son of a shit!” Jack exclaimed. “Daniel, you didn't!”
Wrapping numb arms around himself both to retain heat and to try and still the throbbing in his side, Daniel raised his head and stared at Jack.
“There's no other way to convince them, Jack. We have to get the aliens and the people talking. This was the only thing I could think of.”
“You stole their relic?” Jack shook his head, suddenly smiling widely at Daniel. “Doctor Jackson, you never cease to amaze me.”
“So, shall we get this show on the road?” Or rather, Daniel thought, let's get this over with before his legs decided they weren't going to obey him any longer.
Placing one hand on the crystal, he raised his other one out towards the leader. When Daniel had produced the crystal, the alien had begun bopping up and down very quickly, the colors changing faster with the movement. As Daniel brought his shaking hand up, it stilled its movements and a tendril slowly reached out and touched Daniel's fingertips. He felt a spark of energy course through him, not quite unpleasant but somewhat disorienting. He thought maybe if he hadn't felt so sick, it would have been nice.
“We are pleased. We are happy. We have waited many years before this world's orbit permitted us to return. We have missed your sounds.”
The sudden words seemed to come from all around Daniel. He shook his head, thinking for a moment he'd imagined them, but he saw Jack straighten up, and the townspeople had begun whispering amongst themselves.
“The interval between visits was longer this last time, wasn't it?” Daniel asked, realizing the alien had spoken.
“Yes. We were anxious to return. We do not understand why you did not bring the transposer earlier. We have missed your sounds.”
“The transposer is this thing I'm touching?”
“Yes.”
“Sounds? Do you mean speech?”
“No. Yes. The discussions are welcome, as always. But we enjoy hearing your harmonizations.”
“Music,” Daniel said softly, almost to himself. “Music and song.”
“Yes.”
“The people here have forgotten about you. They didn't know what the transposer was. They're afraid of you.”
“Forgotten? But we have not forgotten them.” Swirls of white and lavender blinded Daniel for a moment and he turned his head away from the glare, his eyes tearing. When he was able to see again, he continued, this time looking at his feet instead of the being of light before him. His hand was shaking where he was holding it up to maintain contact with the tendril, the muscles in his arm beginning to burn.
“There was a cataclysm here after your last visit. Many of these peoples' records were destroyed. Their memories of you are vague. It wasn't their fault, they had to reconstruct their way of life. But your appearance here two nights ago has frightened them badly. We…”
Daniel swayed, suddenly dizzy. He swallowed, his mouth suddenly full of saliva. He cleared his throat, then tried to continue.
“We have been trying to convince them… that you won't harm them…”
“Daniel?” Jack's voice seemed to come from far away.
“You are not from this world.”
“No.” The word came out as a sigh as Daniel's vision filled with grey.
“Then your people are unkind. Why do they allow you to suffer such agony?” A yellow tendril floated towards Daniel, brushing millimetres from his wound.
A hard thump along his right hip and back sent pain screaming along his injured side. He panted in agony while hands raised his shoulders and something soft supported his head. He shivered, and something covered his upper body, helping to ward off a fraction of the chill he was experiencing. There was noise in the background that he couldn't quite make out.
Finally the pain began to ebb and he opened his eyes. Jack was kneeling before him, a worried look on his face. His hands were pulling at Daniel's tee-shirt and were gently removing the bandage he had placed over his wound earlier.
Daniel caught a glimpse of Sam's blond hair above him and he realized his head and shoulders were resting on her lap. He didn't remember lying down, or even sitting down, for that matter. Then the sounds he'd been hearing finally coalesced into loud, angry voices. He could see Teal'c's legs standing beside Jack and he realized the Jaffa was guarding them.
“They are evil! We warned you, but you would not heed our words!” That was definitely Kareeb, with many others echoing his sentiments.
“Oh, for crying out loud, the aliens didn't do this to Daniel! Look, he's been stabbed. These floating lamps couldn't even hold a knife if they wanted to.” Then more softly, Jack asked, “Christ, Daniel, what the hell happened?”
“Didn't leave an offering when I took the crystal, and walked into a knife for my trouble.” Was that his voice? He sounded so breathless, weak. “Tell Kareeb, the priest… I tied him up… but he's okay. Someone should go untie him.”
“Damnit, somebody should have been watching your six,” Jack told him softly as he pressed the bandage back into position. “Daniel got hurt when he stole the crystal,” Jack yelled over Kareeb's loud protests.
“Who did this?” Kareeb demanded, his voice seemingly closer than what it had been earlier. Daniel tried to turn his head to see if the man had actually approached them, but Sam was in the way and he couldn't make anything out.
“Daniel says he surprised someone, a priest. Who by the way might be a little pissed when he finds out he's missing this party. He's fine, by the way, just a little tied up at the moment.”
“It is nothing less than this one deserved,” the outraged voice replied. “He stole something that was ours.”
“That thing he stole is what your people used to talk with these aliens! Your shadow chasers.”
“Jack,” Daniel said, lifting his arm and grabbing Jack's bare arm. He frowned at the feel of chilled skin beneath his fingers, confused. Then Daniel realized that Jack had wrapped his jacket around him. “Talk to the aliens,” he whispered. “Show Kareeb that they're harmless. I think they want to hear music. And song. There were references in the translations about festivities where music was played for days on end.”
“Daniel, you're hurt. I can't—”
“I'll be fine. Go talk to them,” Daniel urged, feeling his pulse beating in his head as he raised his voice.
“Get him back into bed,” Jack ordered as he exchanged a look with Sam and Teal'c. Jack got up and shifting his P-90 so that it hung out of the way, he resolutely placed a hand on the crystal and offered his other to the alien.
Someone lifted Daniel to a sitting position and he groaned in pain. Teal'c's strong hands lifted him up onto his feet, his knees nearly buckled but Teal'c was there to support him. With the man's help, Daniel began reluctantly shuffling down the street.
He could hear Jack talking and the alien responding, but as he was slowly helped back to the small room in the back of the building, only snippets of the conversation made its way through his muddled brain.
“Aided… destroy… Stargate… parasitical enemy… Goa'uld… our enemies too… sounds… joy… you mean music… no fear.”
Suddenly he was being lowered onto a bed and he gladly gave in to its comfort. A soft glow infused the room and Daniel realized one of the alien beings had accompanied them. Warm blankets covered his legs and hips, and the bed dipped as Teal'c sat beside him.
“Here.” Sam popped into the room and handed Teal'c a pack. “Do you need my help?”
“I do not. Although perhaps some of your water would be beneficial.” Teal'c removed the first aid kit from the pack and took out disinfecting materials.
Sam unclipped her canteen from her belt and placed it on the floor by Teal'c's feet. She smiled down at Daniel. “I'll be back as soon as I can,” she told him. He blinked, and she was gone.
“I am reluctant to administer morphine for your pain,” Teal'c said as he popped two pills from a blister pack. “The drug would most likely affect your respiratory system and I am uncertain if you have recovered fully from your earlier illness. These will help, but it will take time before their effects are felt.”
Daniel accepted the Vicodin and gratefully gulped the pills down with water. As he lay his head back onto the pillow, Teal'c warned, “This may be painful,” as he removed Daniel's dressing. Daniel tensed, knowing that there was no *may* about it. It would hurt, but it needed to be done and should have been done sooner.
The alien that had followed them approached, glowing a soft orange. As Teal'c touched Daniel's wound with an antiseptic pad, it touched a tendril to Daniel's head and the pain disappeared. He could feel the cool, wet liquid on his side, but other than that, there were no other sensations. The relief was beyond belief and he gasped in surprise.
“DanielJackson?”
“I'm fine. It doesn't hurt. He's stopping the pain,” he whispered, relaxing totally into the mattress. Teal'c worked quickly, probably knowing he wasn't causing Daniel any pain allowed him to speed the job up. But the moment another pressure bandage was applied and his tee-shirt pulled down over it, the pain returned. Slowly, increasingly, getting worse and worse until Daniel was biting his lip and trying not to yell from the agony. He wasn't sure now if the short reprieve had been worth it.
He felt Teal'c's hand on his forehead and then something cool and wet wiped away the layers of sweat and grime from his face. After what felt like an eternity, he began to get accustomed to the agony and slowly he relaxed. He lay in a feverish haze, waiting for the medication to kick in.
“You don't have to stay with me,” he finally said to Teal'c, somewhat uncomfortable, knowing that Jack had two less team members to back him up.
“I will not leave you alone in this condition, DanielJackson,” Teal'c replied softly. “And I prefer the quiet of this room to the discussions proceeding outside.”
“Jack might need your help,” Daniel argued.
“Do not fear for O'Neill. He is in control of the situation. Do you not hear? Kareeb is now communicating with the visitors.”
Daniel strained to listen but could only hear a faint murmur over the blood rushing through his ears. He lay shivering on the bed, enveloped in a cloud of fever and pain.
Slowly, the Vicodin began to kick in and the pain began to ebb. He was feeling sleepy and he closed his eyes, allowing himself to drowse to the sound of falling rain.
“Teal'c!” Sam's voice held an urgency that got through to Daniel's drug-induced rest. He opened his eyes as her footsteps neared his bed and was surprised to see her face near his own.
“The ceremonial dagger was laced with poison,” she told Daniel breathlessly. “Not much, just a trace. But enough of it so that it's probably going to make you sick.”
“You mean, I'm not sick now?” he joked, forcing a smile, his lips feeling numb and dry as they stretched across his teeth.
She drew her fingers gently across his cheek, then paused. She frowned at what she found.
“I think we should give him more Tylenol for his fever,” she said, speaking to Teal'c. She turned back to Daniel, explaining. “The knife that stabbed you is used to represent the Goa'uld's defeat. They keep a trace of poison on the blade as a ritual to prove that they're ready for battle should the Goa'uld return. Kareeb assured me there's not enough poison to kill you, but it'll make you pretty sick.”
“Oh great,” Daniel sighed.
“We'll be leaving for the Stargate at first light. Colonel O'Neill has made arrangements to get everyone out, and he's getting transportation ready for us all. He's with the other prisoners now. They're finally getting medical attention, although I'm not sure if Captain Howard…” Her voice trailed off and Daniel realized she didn't want to worry him more. “Try to get some rest, okay?”
She helped raise Daniel's head when Teal'c produced the medication and Daniel swallowed the pills and water, feeling the liquid land into the pit of his stomach and begin to churn the already not-so-pleasant contents that were beginning to make him nauseous. His fuzzy brain realized he'd taken antibiotics and painkillers already on an empty stomach, and he really didn't want to add throwing up on his list of maladies.
The next time he opened his eyes, Sam was gone and Teal'c was sitting on the floor beside him. Relieved to know that Teal'c had remained with him, Daniel closed his eyes and let himself drift off, the sound of music coming faintly through the closed door, weaving with the tinkle of rainfall through his fevered dreams.
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