ambiguity

Ambiguity

EMAIL: travelling_one@yahoo.ca

WEB: http://www.travellingone.com

SUMMARY: Heart and warrior…what seems crystal clear upon first reflection may seem transparently questionable from behind the glass. SG-1 becomes trapped in an ambiguous quest for answers; whose way will get them home? (Play along and help them as they go…not that they'll listen.)

DISCLAIMER: The theme and main characters have been borrowed from the Stargate SG-1 tv series, and are copyright property of MGM-UA Worldwide Television, Gekko Film Corp, Glassner/Wright Double Secret Productions and Stargate SG-I Prod. Ltd. This story has been written for entertainment purposes only. No copyright infringement is intended.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Inspiration for this came from a room of seemingly infinite reflections in a museum in Jerusalem.

04/04/02

Oh crap.

Yeah. Well,…now what?

So the MALP had shown them a lovely blue room, barren but for a handful of glittery wall crystals and a DHD, a way to get home if this didn't pan out. Except that Daniel was now grimly passing his arm through that DHD, give the aliens an A+ in holographic realism.

And the others were staring in fascinated silent shock…at both the DHD and the Stargate, whose ring contained not chevrons… but symbolic engravings.

A quick glance around the gateroom informed them that there were no doors here, but behind the gate was a mirrored back wall with one entranceway.

"So…we take door number one, sound about right to everyone?" Jack asked dryly, breaking the silence.

"Just give me a minute to check out these inscriptions, Jack," Daniel suggested in a voice more quiet than usual.

"Yeah, maybe you should do that." Jack headed over to the DHD, walking through it twice. Sam ran her hand over the tiny wall crystals, but they revealed nothing of their purpose.

Daniel mumbled something into the Stargate in front of him, briefly stopping to look back over his shoulder at his teammates.

"Jack,…Sam…everyone? Uh…come see this."

"What do you have, Daniel?" Sam came to stand by his side, dropping her pack on the floor, the thud muffled in spite of the room's hollow emptiness.

"This is all multilingual…I think they're instructions…it's all written in Goa'uld, ancient Egyptian, early Latin, and the language of the Ancients! Along with a few others I don't recognize at all."

"So you and Teal'c can read it?" Jack was peering over Daniel's shoulder, while checking to make sure Teal'c was having a go.

"Indeed, O'Neill."

"So what's it say?"

Daniel translated. " 'The correct answers will take you home. The wrong path will lead you to yourself'…in a nutshell."

"The way I like things," Jack muttered sardonically. "So what the hell does that mean, ya think?"

"The translation in Goa'uld says 'wrong answers condemn the foolish to an endless searching'," Teal'c added.

Silence.

"Answers to what?"

"There's no more here, Jack. That's it."

"Super. So… door number one?"

"Door number one."

_____

"Holy mangled reflections." Jack was mesmerized by the sight of thousands of crystalline mirror images of his team standing there, just past the entranceway, by far the largest Ikea decorating center of its sort he'd ever seen. "Think these aliens got a bit carried away with the mirrors?" Their reflections looked back at them from the walls leading far into the infinite distance in every direction, up on the ceiling, down on the floor they stood upon, reflections reflecting into other multiple reflections and so on and so on and so on… . The room was mirrors, and nothing but, seemingly illuminated from within or behind. If there were passageways here they were disguised within the myriad of reflecting surfaces.

"What would the question be … how many of yourself can you count?" While Jack could think of a few lewd comments, he said no more. Well, nearly… "Here's a question: so how old d'you think the air is in here?" Other than a sour glance and a frown, his teammates chose to ignore him.

"I believe the question is here, O'Neill." Teal'c was looking up at the edge of a nearby mirror. There were words engraved into it, once again in a slew of different languages. Daniel entered into the small space next to Teal'c, and began to read.

"You find yourself in a place with … huh? No means home?" He glanced fleetingly at Teal'c. "What do you do?" Daniel turned to the others with a smirk.

"Daniel…it doesn't really say that?"

"Indeed it does, Major Carter," Teal'c answered.

"Sweet. Aliens with a sense of humour. What are they doing, watching us?" Jack turned and shouted into the air, "Having fun?"

"The writings are mostly in ancient languages, Sir. Whoever is responsible for this place is probably long gone."

"Jack - wait. I think I've found something." Daniel was reading the top of another set of crystal-like mirrors…or mirror-like crystals? It was hard to tell what this substance was, so reflective and multi-faceted. "Wait for help."

"This one says, 'continue on the path'," Teal'c read from a mirror on the opposite side of Daniel's.

"Well there's not much choice then, is there?" Jack asked no one in particular. "Hammond gave us almost three days here. And we can't contact home."

"I believe there are narrow entranceways between the mirrors at both of these angles, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c was pointing out. There were indeed, now that one knew where to look, two separate corridors. One looked as though it curled back out to the blue dead-end gateroom.

"Correct answers will take us home," Daniel reiterated.

"So…assuming we're supposed to "continue on the path"… and that other one leads nowhere…" Jack didn't finish his sentence as he led the way down the mirrored passageway connected to the apparently correct choice. They had to tread slowly, often reaching out to feel with their hands; it was damn hard to tell the path from the mirrors. Reflections were everywhere, even above and below, reaching to an illusory infinity; even the hallway itself reflected other hallways.

"A crossroads, sir," Sam suddenly stopped them all in their tracks.

Damn, they'd barely noticed it, except that they had otherwise come to a dead end. As Daniel looked up, there on the mirror above him were more carved words.

"You're confronted by your known enemy, and highly outnumbered." He turned to look at Jack.

"There are choices, Sir," Sam pointed out two groupings of words, and they could now vaguely see the corridors leading off in the different directions corresponding to each. Teal'c read out one, Daniel the other.

"You have weapons, and you choose to fight."

"You lay down your weapons and surrender."

The four teammates looked at each other. "That's it?" Jack queried.

"That's it, Jack."

"Okay…we fight." Jack turned towards the corresponding hallway.

"Wait, Jack!"

Daniel's voice forced him around, and Jack turned questioningly to his friend. "Problem, Daniel?"

"Uh, yes, actually. What if that's the wrong answer?"

"Hey, how can it be wrong to defend yourself?"

"Because you're outnumbered. You'll end up dead."

"And if you surrender, you'll end up dead. Or worse." Jack was giving Daniel his 'I'll humour you for about thirty more seconds, and that's it' look.

"But if you fight, not only you but many of your enemy will end up dead."

"So?"

"So… look around you, Jack. This place is highly developed technologically… what about that hologram? What if it was built by the Ancients, or the Asgard, or the ancesters of the Tollans or Nox? None of them condone confrontations or violence."

"Daniel, these are cheap funhouse mirrors…okay, maybe not so cheap…but this place could easily have been built by the Goa'uld for some bizarre reason, and they love violence."

The four teammates stared at each other, seemingly caught in a stalemate.

"We could each go different ways." Daniel knew Jack wouldn't go for this idea, he didn't like it himself. But no way was he going to go in a direction that he somehow knew was wrong.

"No. If only one of these passageways is the right one, that would mean half of us might never get out of here. If the wrong turn leads us to more wrong turns… would we even know? Best we all get out, or none of us. Any objections?"

"No, Sir."

"I have none."

Daniel shook his head.

"Good. So …which way?" Jack was willing to listen to the group. So maybe this wouldn't be the piece of cake he'd earlier thought. "I vote we go with the truth. And the truth is I'd fight to defend myself, take a few enemies down with me."

"I think we should assume this was built by a benevolent and peaceful race, Jack."

"Well…Sir, if this place was built by the Goa'ulds…do we really want to find out what's at the end?" Sam was more willing to play by Daniel's rules.

"Teal'c?"

"I believe our own way home lies in trusting that there is good at the end of this path."

"Meaning…we treat our enemies like wayward pets? Play nice?"

Teal'c raised one eyebrow.

"Fine. You win. We lay down our weapons." Jack motioned his arm outward to Daniel, indicating for the archaeologist to lead the way this time. "I was so hoping for a cryptic riddle this time through the gate."

____________________________________

AUTHOR'S NOTES: For those of you wishing for SG-1 to choose the alternate path and fight the enemy, scroll waaayy down now to Section 3 …

____________________________________

Daniel led the way, slowly, carefully, along the mirrored tunnel that seemed to stretch out far into the galaxy, mesmerized by the thousands of reflections of himself, of his friends. Alternates. He couldn't help thinking that if each of these panels could be an alternate personal reality, multiplied exponentially in its reflections within each of the others…and if there were a tunnel, a question, for each universe… hell, they could be here for a long time.

His hand hit a wall, another mirror, and he looked around for the next situation. It was easy to find, sculpted as it was into the upper mirrored panel.

"You come across an injured child."

"That's not a question." Jack feigned early confusion.

"Indeed, O'Neill, it is the circumstance, for here is the first choice. You stay to help him, though you know an enemy is not far behind you."

"Here's the other choice, guys. You leave him and continue your escape."

"What's this, Daniel?" Sam was pointing at another panel.

"Uh… third choice…" Daniel looked quickly away from Jack's penetrating stare. "You put him out of his misery and move on."

Jack let out a low whistle. "Who'd pick that one?"

"The Goa'uld," came Teal'c's speedy reply.

His three teammates were momentarily speechless.

"So if the Goa'uld built this place…"

"That's what our answer'd be, Daniel."

"And this place would be the tunnels of the warrior," Sam contributed.

"I have never seen nor heard of such a place as this being used by the System Lords," Teal'c frowned.

"It must've been,Teal'c," Sam theorized. "One of the languages is Goa'uld."

"But not necessarily built by them, Sam. Let's assume it wasn't, and follow the path of our hearts, or of honesty," Daniel argued. "And help the child. If we didn't, Jack, I'd feel like we'd cheated."

"Let me play devil's advocate here for a minute," Jack looked from one teammate to the other. "If we help the child and our enemy approaches - and here I'm substituting Goa'uld for enemy - we're putting the kid in danger. If we move on and leave him, and the enemy approaches, he could point out which way we went and his chances of being left alive are greater."

"What if he died first, when we could have saved him, Sir?"

"Crap. So. You're all saying, the heart leads, even if that means we might be in here searching for …what, eternity?" He rolled his eyes, giving his head a quick shake.

Daniel licked his lower lip, raising his eyebrows, his eyes widening automatically, hands grasping his elbows. "At least we'd be following our own truth. Is there anyone here who'd walk away from the child?"

Three heads shook in negation. And so the quartet continued on that path, Daniel once again in the lead.

________________________

SECTION 2

________________________

"Daniel?"

Daniel paused to look backwards at Jack. "Yeah?"

"What do you think happens to those on the wrong path who choose the wrong answers?"

"How should I know? I guess they wander until they die of starvation or something." He continued walking.

"Then we're on the right path."

"How do you know, Sir?"

"Because we haven't come across any bodies yet. Or bones."

"So they've cleaned up, Jack."

"Or maybe, Sir," Carter commented, "no one's ever been through here before."

"Oh, come on, Major. Do you think aliens would go to the trouble of building a place like this that no one would ever use?"

"O'Neill. Perhaps each path leads to its own exit, one in which exists a society like that which you have chosen to follow."

"I like that, Teal'c. So we're going to find kind-hearted, welcoming aliens at the end of this. I like that." Jack cheerfully gave a thumbs up.

"I doubt that, Teal'c." Daniel was aware of Jack's scowl. "Sorry, Jack. That would be like Goa'uld and Asgard, or whoever, living side by side in harmony. And as Sam said, the aliens are probably long gone. And the warning clearly said that the wrong path leads to an eternity of searching."

"Wasn't so clear," Jack mumbled.

"Could be metaphorical, Daniel," Sam countered.

"Yes, just give me a good cryptic riddle any day." Jack continued moving onward. "Whatever. We're following this path; anything else is hypothetical at this point, and I'm kind of an action man. So at the next junction, what do you say we break out an MRE, take a short rest, and then see if we can get out of this place sometime today?"

There were no objections to that suggestion.

_____

"Okay kids, our stopping point." Jack was looking up at another set of unrecognizeable engravings, feigning comprehension. "Here's the question: do we read this now and argue over it while we eat, or do we eat in peace and read it later?" He turned and grinned smugly at his team.

"Would we not be saving time, O'Neill, by deciding which path to take while we are resting?"

"Ah, now, yes we would, Teal'c. However I think my mind needs a break from thinking for a half hour. Carter?"

Sam grinned. "I say we take a rest, Sir."

Jack sat down on the mirrored floor and began to open his pack, picking at the MREs within.

"How come you didn't ask me, Jack?"

"Because, Daniel, you can't sit without thinking. I know you'll be translating while you're eating no matter what, so what's the point in my asking?"

Daniel blushed. "I can do quiet."

"So do it."

Daniel glanced up at the inscription, and quickly pulled his eyes away. He could see Jack studying him, waiting to pounce with an "I told you so." Daniel sat down and pulled a sandwich from his pack.

"Uh…Daniel?"

"Jack?…What? MREs are tasteless and sandwiches keep for the first day." Daniel ignored the smirks of his teammates as he bit into his lunch. "Mmmm," he intoned, halting a brief grin.

But he couldn't keep his eyes off the alien inscription. His curiosity getting the better of him after all, Daniel finally rose to his feet and gazed upwards, leaning lightly on the mirrored wall…..

……and feeling his arms, his body, his legs being sucked in, into something, an awful feeling of pressure from the outside, from the inside, of helplessness, a strong force pulling, pushing, "Guys!" he called, as he looked at them from inside a haze, saw them jump to their feet, stunned, frightened looks on their faces, and he saw their lips moving, screaming something, but he couldn't hear their words…….

"Daniel! God, Daniel!" Sam turned fiercely towards the others, nearly shouting her question at them. "Where did he go?"

Jack was feeling the edges of the mirrors now, pounding on them, and Sam and Teal'c were joining in. Daniel had been sucked right into that thing, right in front of their eyes.

"Daniel! Danny, can you hear me?" Jack was frantically pushing at the panels, but nothing was giving beneath his fingers. He tried banging with the butt of his P-90, and still the mirrors held. What were these damn things made of? "What the hell happened?" He turned swiftly to the others, dismay clouding his eyes, half eaten MRE discarded and forgotten on the floor. As Teal'c raised his staff weapon, Jack lunged for his arm. "No! You might hit Daniel in there."

"Jack?" Daniel was beginning to panic. Couldn't they see him? "Sam? Teal'c?" He was shouting, wasn't he? Teal'c! Don't aim that thing at me! Couldn't they hear him? Where…where was he? What was happening?

He looked behind him, saw more mirrors glinting in the somber dimness, but just his own reflection this time, he was alone…a reflection that was panicking with fear beside him, laughing above him, sobbing behind him. He leaned back and felt the mirrors, reached out and felt more mirrors on all sides. There was no corridor where he was, he was trapped in a hole and surrounded, but the mirrors gleamed with his reflections, smiling, smirking, grinning, weeping, screaming, a thousand questions flitting through his head, memories, theories, ideas, so many thoughts he felt his mind might burst, flashbacks, memories, choices…all the choices he had ever made throughout his lifetime, were they the right ones, was he following the correct path, reflect upon your life, Daniel, reflect…so many alternate realities he could have planted along the way, so many choices, filling every minute of every day, why was he even here, he wouldn't be here if he hadn't joined the SGC, wouldn't be here if he'd married Sarah, wouldn't be here if he'd taken that job teaching Spanish at UCLA, wouldn't be here if he had taken Sha're to the market that fateful day, wouldn't be here if he'd moved downtown with those 'friends' who'd been caught growing marijuana in their back yard, wouldn't be here if he hadn't gotten out of bed this morning……

He'd chosen to study, instead of fight

He'd chosen to walk to school that day, the day they lurked behind the wall, waiting for him

He'd chosen to befriend Justin, the lost soul he couldn't save

He'd chosen to continue on in Egyptology, despite the memories of his parents…

He'd chosen to stay behind on Abydos…could Sha're have had a different husband, different memories…?

He'd chosen to lean on a wall that was trying to consume him

Was his entire life questionable

A doubt

A joke

A mistake?

And the thoughts kept coming, coming, coming, choices, choices, choices, reflect upon your life, Daniel, reflect…"JACK! God, Jack!" he cried out, and the reflections changed. What were they trying to tell him, trying to make him see, why were they sending these doubts into his head, doubts about his whole life, every decision he'd ever made, every path he'd scrambled down either obligingly or forcedly, if he'd made only one different choice, where might he be, where might he be …alternate universes within his own basic trivial life that meant nothing to anyone but himself. And now why was he choosing to stand here panicking, would that help him, was that the right thing to do…

Lost, lost, overwhelming sense of desperation and despair…no. No, let me go, let me go, I won't give in to whatever you are, my life is right, I'm okay, my life has been right since I've been on my own ….Daniel banged on the mirrors in front of him, the ones Jack was banging on from the outside, and he thought his arms must surely be seen from their vantage point. "Jack!…Please, oh god, Jack, get me out of here, please," and he sobbed, he couldn't help it, as he continued banging on the mirrors.

"Colonel!" Sam's eyes widened in horror as two bodiless arms poked out almost from her own reflection on the wall, fingers grasping at nothing, aimless wavering in the air, nearly catching onto her jacket by intent or coincidence. "Oh god, what should we do?"

But Jack and Teal'c weren't unsure of this choice, as they each swiftly grabbed one of the arms and tugged. And slowly, slowly, a terrified Daniel Jackson was pulled free of the horror of the questioning and questionable mirrors.

As Daniel fully emerged, tears still cascading down his cheeks, he jumped away from the solid, undamaged reflective wall and was caught by the strong arms of Teal'c.

"Are you injured, Daniel Jackson?"

Daniel stared at him with his blue eyes wide and frightened, breathing rapidly, slowly recovering from the shock of being absorbed by an immense and intense energy that he knew would have soon consumed him with doubt, insecurity, and guilt.

"N …n.no, Teal'c, I'm um, I'm okay,… I think." He stared at his friends, sweating and trembling slightly, catching his breath. "Oh god, Sam, Jack. That's what eventually happens to those who make the wrong choices."

"In here?" Jack asked, still frowning in concern and alarm.

Daniel just nodded.

"Daniel, are you sure?"

"Oh god, Sam. Don't ask me to be sure of anything right now. Please." Daniel still sounded terrified. Even in the narrow hallway, he was staying well away from the walls.

"So now we know why there are no remains around here, Sir."

"No, Carter, there are no remains because we're on the right path. Whatever happened to searching for eternity, Daniel?"

"I …I think this is where… what happens eventually, Jack. Maybe after…I don't know…eternity continues.. .I just had the feelings."

"In there? Daniel? What was that?"

"There's another kind of … path …sort of. Only it's more, um …internal. I think. God, I don't know what that was."

"Okay, Daniel, it's okay. Calm down." Jack gripped Daniel's shoulder.

"The mirror could not have wanted you forever, Daniel Jackson. It allowed you to be set free."

"Wanted him, Teal'c? You're saying this thing makes it's own decisions? Choices?"

"I do not know, O'Neill."

"Why would it… take you, anyway, Daniel?" Jack needed answers before subjecting his team to any more lurking dangers.

"I don't know. I think it was making a point. Maybe because I'd made a choice and then changed my mind… went against my word. Or chose a different path than yours. Like it wanted me to reconsider…everything."

At Jack's confused look, Daniel explained, "I told you I'd eat first, but then I got up to translate that writing anyway."

"Indecision," Teal'c stated. "Uncertainty within oneself. Temptation."

"Crap. Daniel…that means this tunnel is listening to us. It's aware of us?"

"Or maybe the future just can't happen with indecision, Sir …too many indefinite alternate realities."

"That makes no sense to me, Carter."

"It's just an idea," she shrugged.

Jack threw her an exasperated look. "Let's just keep moving, people. Daniel, start translating. I've had enough of this place."

"You've had enough?" Daniel readily grabbed his pack and slung it over his shoulder. "First thing I'm doing when I get home is taking down all my mirrors."

Jack moved past him. "Hard to shave."

_____

It had been hours, and now they could only stare at one another, weary and exhausted. Jack closed his eyes and shook his head, resting the base of his palms on his forehead. "Oy."

Daniel reread the situation and choices silently. Your village is under attack. While sustaining some injuries, you can save your wife; your four closest friends; six strangers; or yourself alone with no harm done. Yup, four wonderful choices. They had unanimously ruled out door number four, at any rate. One down, three to go.

"Daniel?" Jack chose to ask him first. "Suggestions?"

Daniel sighed. "As much as it would hurt, I suppose the wife would have to be left behind." Been there, done that, again and again and again.

"Would not the correct answer be to choose the greater number, Daniel Jackson? I believe six strangers would be correct upon the road we have chosen."

"I agree." Sam looked fairly confident.

"Seeing as this is all theoretical, I would agree too, Teal'c. But to be honest…I'd want to save my friends."

"Seeing as we're following the path of the heart," Jack conceded, "…I have to agree with Daniel. As team leader I wouldn't abandon my friends either."

"Nor would I, O'Neill."

"Major?"

Sam wore her distress in her eyes. "I'd choose my four friends too, Sir…"

"Okay, then…it's unanimous."

"…but it's the wrong answer."

"Excuse me, Carter?"

"It's selfish, Sir, and we're not on the path of selfishness."

"As I first indicated." Teal'c stated.

"Daniel? It's your call." Jack had long since discovered, throughout this harrowing and no longer enjoyable outing, that Daniel's intuition often held the best bet in reading between the lines, outweighing either his own common sense at times or the logic of both Teal'c and Carter. And right now, Jack's instincts told him that Daniel needed the vote of confidence.

Daniel stared at Jack. God, his head was starting to hurt. Closing his eyes, Daniel contemplated the choices. He really didn't want to be responsible for his team. He couldn't do this, he couldn't do this…how confident could he be any more of anything he had ever decided in his life? No, he couldn't make a choice that might be wrong, with three lives besides his own at stake here. Hell. This is what Jack had to do all the time. Now, Jack was putting his trust in him. Trust. Jack must truly trust him. Jack…trusted him? Daniel opened his eyes, and saw something in the returned gaze from his friend's brown eyes that he'd never seen before…never really, truly noticed….Jack trusted him…with his life. He, Daniel Jackson, archaeologist, pacifist, was here on a military mission, and the CO was relinquishing control and entrusting him with four lives. And Daniel realized that if he hadn't made the decisions along the way that he'd made, no he might not be here now, trapped in a wild ride, but then he wouldn't know these people… these people who trusted him with their lives. And he was certain that his choices had all been the right ones so far… or at least, good ones. And while he knew that the final decision was still up to Jack, he also knew that his team leader had given him this opportunity for the very reason of making him face and challenge his own weariness and fears.

Daniel smiled, then it was gone.

"The truth? Four friends," he whispered. "Because then there would be five whole people, connected in space and time and willing to make a difference, instead of seven disjointed entities going their own separate ways, being forgotten by the universe."

A moment of contemplation, and then Jack announced, "Sounds good enough to me. And if the tunnel's listening…how'd that sound to you?" he shouted into the echoing hallway behind him. "Let's go." And if it was the wrong choice, well, then there'd just be four whole friends following each other down a never-ending path until the mirror swallowed them together.

_____

"Your enemy faces you with a sword, but you are unarmed. He steps towards a hidden bottomless pit that only you are aware of."

"Choices?" Jack requested wearily. He was oh so tired of this game. It had been a bloody long day.

Daniel spoke with a voice that held resignation mixed with spirit, for though he was tired, his team was still together, still alive. Not that that meant anything, yet, but hope remained that they were continuing on the right track, if there were truly such a thing. "Okay. Um …There are only two choices this time. You draw him forth into the pit, or you warn him of it as he steps towards you."

"Oh for crying out loud. Let him step into the damn pit. It's self-defence and someone's going to get killed either way."

"I agree, but that's the wrong answer, Jack."

"Why?" Jack had had enough.

"Because it's the wrong thing to do."

"To save yourself, Daniel?"

"To let him fall for eternity. I think the operative word here is a bottomless pit."

"Perhaps the next hallway allows us to rescue him."

All eyes looked upon Teal'c, curiously. None of the team was sure if he had just made a joke.

"Well. I say we tell the truth here again. We'd all lead him to the pit, even you, Daniel." Jack glared at his teammate, daring him to disagree.

"It's inconsistent with our choices so far. No, I wouldn't want someone to be falling for … eternity, Jack."

"Nor trapped inside this mirror system, Daniel Jackson?"

"No, definitely not."

"It is kind of the same thing, Sir," Carter admitted.

"Okay, fine. Fine! Warn him, get a sword in the gut, and your basic average snakehead lives to do it again to someone else. Sure, why not."

"Jack?"

"What is it, Daniel?"

"We're all trying to get out of here."

Of course they were. Jack knew that. "And doing a much better job at it than I am, apparently." Lead on, Daniel…go ahead and get us the hell out of here.

"We're a team, Jack."

"Daniel, let's just go, okay? We only have water for two more days, and I'd rather not end up inside that mirror. Personally, I think we blew it with that friends question."

Daniel looked away. He'd been worrying about the same thing for the past couple of hours. Would they know yet if they were on the wrong path? Could they really be condemned to some hopeless game of chasing their tails and searching for their souls for who knows how long, because of one mistake? His mistake?

Jack looked down the dizzyingly mirrored hallway they had previously been following. "Back in a minute," he told the group with his back still turned, as he headed off the way they had just come.

"Uh …Jack? Where're you going?" Concern intercepted Daniel's thoughts.

Jack turned back to look at them for a moment before continuing. "Hang on …I just want to see how easy it is to find the turnoff if we wanted to backtrack." With the team's reflections beckoning to him a thousand times over along the corridor, deceptively projecting a room seemingly the size of a baseball field, or a galaxy, Jack had begun to wonder if they really could retrace their steps, should they want to rethink a former decision. And if, for some barbaric reason, they were still in here three days from now, they'd need to backtrack to the gateroom, should Hammond try to initiate contact.

"I shall come with you, O'Neill," Teal'c volunteered, leaving Sam and Daniel staring after them.

As Jack and Teal'c felt their way through the maze of mirrors to hopefully find their previous turnoff, Teal'c abruptly stopped. "O'Neill! Do not continue."

Jack swung around. "Teal'c?"

Teal'c was gazing up at a carved grouping of words above them. "You and your friends have travelled through desert for many days, and have but one flask of water remaining." Teal'c frowned, facing Jack now. "O'Neill…"

"We didn't pass that one before," Jack finished the sentence.

"Perhaps it could not be seen from the direction in which we were headed."

"But we have no idea which hallway we came out of. These options," Jack nodded upwards at the three choices corresponding to the only three visible passageways, "could lead us in a totally different direction than the one we've been following."

"Indeed."

"So we can't backtrack, even if we wanted to."

"It so appears."

"Terrific."

"It is not."

Jack threw Teal'c a frustrated look, turning around once again. "Let's go tell the others."

As they continued on down the passageway from which they had made their about-face, Jack pondered the relevance of this new revelation, the knowledge that all choices were, indeed, permanent. No second-guessing allowed, apparently. One more thing to put them all on edge, for at the back of all their minds, until now, had been the belief that if necessary, they could at least go back and revise their path, or return to the blue room that still housed the MALP. This, however, put a whole new meaning on the word 'pressure'. They were, indeed, trapped inside this thing.

Jack halted in his tracks. Eyes uplifted, his voice was strained. "Teal'c? Uh …what's that?"

Teal'c met the direction of Jack's gaze. "It appears to be another circumstance, O'Neill. There are indeed four passageways here."

"No… There were no turnoffs between ourselves and Daniel and Carter. We didn't turn, Teal'c. No questions in between us and them. I know that."

"Yet we are no longer on the same path, O'Neill."

"Oh, come on! Now that's not possible!" Jack was not about to panic…yet. "Daniel…? Carter, come in!" He radioed his teammates, but received no reply. "Come in,…Daniel? Can you hear me?"

"It appears our radios do not work in here."

"Ya think?" Jack was irritated, his annoyance close to exasperation. "Damn."

_____

Daniel turned nervously to Sam, who had resumed her pacing. They still had not been able to raise their teammates on the radio."They've been gone way too long, Sam. We have to go after them."

"Whoa, Daniel, do you think that's such a good idea? If they managed to lose their way, we could all get very lost in here. We have to continue and try to get help."

"Sam, what if they got sucked into those mirrors? We have to get them out." Daniel's eyes were pleading, yet determined. He had already made up his mind.

"Why would that have happened?"

"Well, when it seemed I had changed my mind, those…mirrors lost no time in manhandling me and treating me to an involuntary mind massage, Sam. And if it thought Jack and Teal'c had changed their minds… by heading back, I mean…"

Sam, however, was not about to lose another teammate in here, nor any chance of rescue for them all. "Daniel, there's a good chance that if we go back, the same thing could happen to us. There won't be anyone left to get help." The sincerity in her voice and truth to her words caused Daniel to hesitate.

"But Sam …the mirrors…" his eyes were huge, frightened with memories still freshly pervading his battered psyche. "They scour your mind until it's like all your layers of self-deception are exposed to raw wind and air, you can think of nothing but all the wrong choices you may have made throughout your life, what if I'd done that instead, would other people's lives have been better, happier, what did I do when …god, it's like all the cause and effects of every moment of your existence are put on trial, dominoes fallng against each other, reverberations of each action going on and on and on …all you feel are self-doubts and recriminations and accusations until you can't stand it any more, can't take it ….and I was only in there for …what? Six or seven minutes?" his eyes shone with the debilitating memories. "We can't leave them in there."

Sam spoke softly, laying her fingers gently on his arm. "We don't know for sure that they just haven't lost their way, either. And even if they are in the mirrors, we would never find them, Daniel. We couldn't see you in there." Sam looked deeply into her friend's eyes, not knowing if he had even realized this. "We can't risk going backwards in here, Daniel."

Daniel closed his eyes. She was right. Their only real hope was to get to the end of this path …the right path, Daniel was almost certain…and get help.

_____

Jack was just thankful Teal'c had followed him in here, as he sank down to the shiny reflective floor for a breather. Not that he wanted anyone to be trapped with him, but without Teal'c to read those damn questions, he'd've been stuck in here for good, stumbling on blindly and haphazardly on his own. What was the point in continuing, if they were already on the wrong track, if Daniel and Carter were on the only right one? No, there must be another way out of here. He adamantly believed that. Sort of. At least, a way to get back to the path Daniel and Sam were on.

And so, with each successive circumstance and choice option, Jack had tried to creatively put himself inside Daniel's head, to make the decision he believed the archaeologist would have embraced. Not always the easiest thing to do, and it sometimes required him to put his own common sense to the test, but so far, Teal'c had never outrightly disagreed. Hopefully, at least Daniel and Sam were having better results, and would find a way out for themselves. Unless, of course, they'd tried to backtrack to find Teal'c and himself… shit, that was a definite possibility. Good job, O'Neill, leading your team into oblivion.

For the moment, however, it was time to rest. Perhaps even sleep. They'd been at this for nearly sixteen hours.

_____

This hallway was longer, much longer than the others. As they walked, the reflections became fewer, and suddenly they were looking not at another riddle nor junction, but at an exit…

Daniel gingerly led the way out into the bright light of sunshine, blinking in the sudden assault on his optic nerves.

"Oh …wow." Sam stared around her at the towering mountains, the sparkling fountains, the nearly florescent flowers covering a small but well-kept lawn. The grass seemed both wild and tamed at the same time, and the beauty was astounding. "So, we were inside a cave, not a building,"

"Apparently." Daniel was gazing around in awe. "And we've come out in Shangri-La. Where do you think the caretakers of this place are?"

"Well, they're not in there," Sam motioned back towards the exit they'd just left. "And I see no other caves… doorways…" she turned full circle. "… Daniel, do you see any way out of here?" The realization was dawning that there was still nowhere for them to go, as the two turned to face mountains in every direction, agitation building within.

"Did we take the wrong paths?" Daniel voiced what was now becoming an insistent question in both their minds.

"No. You have reached our home," the voice caused them to turn towards the cascading vines to the left of their doorway, although the words had been spoken in Latin. There, flowing translucent, was a stunning apparition of beauty, joy… the figure was female, though not quite human in essence. Now there were others appearing around her, male, female, children, and all were as incredibly delicate and beautiful. Their voices were the songs of spring and summer, of flowers growing golden, and fountains streaming down ivy-laced walls.

Daniel took a moment to compose himself and find his voice, but his words were English. "You, um, who are… I mean, this is your …where … where you live?"

"It is. And you have proven yourselves worthy to live here with us."

"What?" Daniel found himself mesmerized, still. He translated their words for Sam.

"Uh, Daniel? That was in English, that time." She smiled at his nervousness, still somewhat flustered herself.

Daniel looked at Carter. "What? Oh …oh. Oh …you speak our language!" Whoa, Daniel, snap out of it. Relief mixed with exhaustion, he figured.

"You have made wise and caring choices in our inner sanctuary. We welcome only those who are truly worthy of our hospitality, to join with us for eternity. Those who choose greed and dishonour wander until they have no choices left, and are then absorbed into the walls. They become one with the sanctuary, forming additions to our reflecting spirits. And," she smiled, "we do absorb the languages of all those who become one within our system."

"What?" Sam began, "you mean all those mirrors…they used to be living beings?"

"In part, yes. In a way you will eventually come to understand. Their essences, free will and thought. Their ability to learn and absorb is still growing, still aware. While not all the panes were once beings with different structures, most are organic, while some are the original formations of basic crystal reflecting surfaces. However, the interior of our sanctuary has grown immensely over what you would term … millennia, winding throughout these mountains. Many who seek us out are not worthy of acceptance. They must learn from within."

Daniel paled, and he could see Sam tense up. "What about our friends? They're trapped inside. We have to get them out."

"They must find their own way. They left the path you were following."

"No," intervened Sam, "they just wanted to see if it was possible to go back the way we'd come."

"The only purpose for this would be to deny a previous choice, and try again."

"No," Daniel refuted, trying to explain. "They wished to rejoin us …they were only curious …for a moment."

"They are warriors. They must find the answers in their own hearts."

Right, Daniel thought. They might never get out. He blushed, wondering what Jack would think of his lack of faith. "Well, if you won't help us, I'm going in to find them." He turned back towards the entrance of the cave.

The lilting voice halted him. "You would choose this? To leave your freedom behind and search for those lost in the system? You may need to search for eternity."

"Yeah, well. Hopefully it won't take that long." Daniel found that the entrance no longer entered…anything. His way was blocked by a full set of solid mirrors, and the only reflections were his and Sam's.

"You are not able to enter from this direction, you have found your way and are unable to go backwards. Please be thankful for this. A reverse direction in life is rarely a good thing. Second-guessing one's decisions seldom leads to success or happiness. You have chosen wisely and sincerely, with much concern for your comrades, and we are certain now your hearts are pure. Yet you must wait for your friends to find their own fates."

Hovering off to a shadowed place below a glistening stream of water gently caressing the rock wall of one mountain not too distant, the beings left Daniel and Sam to themselves.

"I don't understand this place, Daniel."

"I don't know, Sam. A lot of ancient cultures have believed that man journeys through the 'maze of life' back to his source."

"Source of man, or source of himself?"

Daniel shrugged. "For some, it could be the same thing."

"And the source of oneself is to be found …in there, somewhere?"

"I don't know, I really don't know. In their eyes, maybe. Something is going on inside those mirrors, I can tell you that. Something we'll …what were her words… "eventually come to understand"?"

Sam shook her head slowly. "And what does that mean?"

Daniel closed his eyes for a moment, then caught Sam in an intense blue gaze. "I'm not really sure I want to find out. Unless it helps us find Jack and Teal'c."

In the ever-present sunlight, the duo sank down to rest …and wait, behind a colourful boulder, realizing they'd been at this for over fourteen hours. In the meantime, disturbed sleep might come, but they were helpless to do anything else.

_____

"How long's it been?" Daniel was tired of adding up the hours.

"Five hours, Daniel."

"What if they're stuck in there, or winding even deeper into that mountain range, Sam? How long can we wait here? Their water and food are only going to last about another day and a half."

"What else can we do, Daniel? I don't see any way home, do you?"

Daniel had been trying to avoid thinking about that, but he was not stupid. He just wanted them all back together, to figure this out as a team. And the last thing he wanted to contemplate was the possiblility of Jack and Teal'c inside that contraption, subjected to an infernal internal purification system, hoping for a rescue that wasn't coming.

Adjusting his hat to keep out some of the sun's perpetual glare, he resumed drumming his fingers on the soft grass. This was ridiculous. Maybe he'd go and talk to the aliens …maybe he could find a way around this.

_____

"You choose unhappiness." The beings spoke before Daniel had uttered a single word. They'd been watching, unsure of interruptiing these new souls before they were ready.

"That's because we're unhappy," Daniel agreed.

"But this is not a wise choice."

"It's not a choice, it's a feeling. An …an emotion. Our friends… we, we all belong together, not separated like this."

"Without you, your friends would have made many wrong decisions."

"Four heads are better than one, friends help each other," Daniel countered with clichés, wouldn't Jack be proud. "And we never chose to play your games in the first place. You forced that upon us."

"But you came to our land…"

"And we want to go home. Together," Daniel interrupted. "And how do you know what choices my friends would have made?" What …had they been watched, the whole time they were in the maze? Were they seeing Jack and Teal'c right now? "You can see us in there?" Of course …the wall crystals in the blue room, were they viewers? If these were in the mirrored hallways as well, they never would have been noticed.

"All mirrors reflect into each other."

"So help our friends!" Daniel repeated earnestly, his voice pleading. "They're afraid, they're worried about us, and we're worried about them."

"They can still redeem themselves," the alien continued brightly. "There are many choices within the system, many chances. Some take longer than others. The system stretches throughout these mountains." Daniel again eyed the circular mountain range snaking its way in an intricate formation of patterns and delicate ridges. The indentations and outcroppings would add miles to each twisting, winding leg of the maze game of Trivial Philosophical Pursuit. God, that could take a lifetime. Or more.

"Will they get caught in the mirror… system?" He had to ask. He had to know. If they were already in it, these beings would know…they would tell him, wouldn't they?

"Only if they continue indefinitely making the wrong choices. One may falter, and redeem oneself. Many wrong choices in a row tends only to lead one further into the mountain depths. The mirrors take one only when it seems there is no hope left."

"But they took me…"

"They did not take you. They showed you, and tested your friends. There are those who would have left you there."

Daniel closed his eyes briefly. That, at least, was apparently a no. "So …one wrong answer…"

"Does not set you too far behind."

Daniel breathed a sigh of relief. Jack and Teal'c might not yet be mired in too deeply. He realized he had enough trust in both men to believe they would continue making the correct choices. They did, after all, have intrinsically good hearts.

Daniel returned to where Sam had been restlessly dozing, and settled himself down beside her. For now, finding a way home was put to the back of his mind.

_____

"You are trapped alone in a secluded maze." Teal'c began. "Here are the alternatives, O'Neill. Do you choose to remain alone; or do you wish for a friend to join you, so that you may carry on together?"

Jack had figured four hours of sleep was enough, and they'd resumed this tedium early, but now lack of sleep was mixing uncomfortably with irritability. He oh so wanted to be out of this place with its aggravating riddles and threats of eternal damnation inside a wall of mirrors. The reflections were down to two now, and he was more concerned about Carter and Daniel than about the diminishing water supply. And he wasn't sure the keepers of this place, if there were any, would be terribly thrilled about his having relieved himself in a polished and gleaming reflective hallway. But if they didn't like it, they could just damn well let them out of here to find somewhere else to go.

Grimacing at the new question as he remembered his vague feeling of relief that Teal'c had joined him in his ill-attempted investigation, he knew he would have hated for his companion to have given up apparent freedom. At the time, they'd all been just as trapped.

"That would mean he'd be trapped too."

"I believe that is what it would mean."

"Finally, an easy one, Teal'c. I wouldn't wish this on anyone else. No matter the comfort."

"I concur."

Continuing on their way for the second day, hope was a little less evident in their demeanor than it had been the day before. "Let's hope Carter and Daniel have at least found sunlight by now." For the radios still were apparently inoperative, effectively barring communication.

The path began to lengthen, and around the next bend, Teal'c and O'Neill found themselves facing not another new circumstance, but …an exit.

"Finally!"

But glorious relief turned to dismay when their entrance into a blue room revealed a DHD and a Stargate ... whose ring held not chevrons, but a series of inscriptions that, as far as Jack could remember, looked overly familiar. Eight quick strides took him straight through the DHD. Twice.

"Oh crap."

So …this place just went 'round in circles? It didn't really lead anywhere? So Daniel and Carter must still be wandering around inside somewhere…

Slowly, Jack backed up to the nearest wall, sliding down to the floor. Resting his arms on his upraised knees, head bowed in resignation, he barely comprehended nor cared when Teal'c commented, "O'Neill. I do not believe this is the same room in which we first disembarked."

Jack looked up half-heartedly, fatigue and weariness too evident in his tone. "And what makes you think that, Teal'c?"

"There is no MALP here."

Jack rose, annoyed with himself. Okay, he should've noticed. "Maybe whoever runs this place took it? Or it got sucked up into the mirrors?"

"That is possible." Teal'c had made his way over to the inscriptions carved into the Stargate. "'You appear to have reached the end of your journey. Yet it is not where you wish to be.'"

"That's not what the other one said!" Jack had renewed energy now, and crossed over to where Teal'c was standing. "So… do we get choices?"

"There do not appear to be any. Nor do I see passageways within this room."

"Terrific."

"It is not."

"Teal'c…! Nevermind. What now?"

Both men were gazing about the room, a replica of the one into which they had first arrived, with blue walls and a mirrored entranceway behind the Stargate. Jack walked over to the panelled back wall, inspecting it carefully.

"O'Neill."

Jack turned around, his quick gasp becoming an unbelieving, frustrated chuckle as Teal'c passed through the seemingly solid metallic exterior of the Stargate's ring. From end to end… twice. Give those damn aliens an A+.

"And now, folks, for my next illusion...I give you the SGC." Jack shook his head, turning back to his task. He was getting too used to this. "Or just give us Daniel and Carter," he muttered.

"Wait a minute …Teal'c? I think I found something…" Teal'c was beside him in an instant. Jack gestured to a high point on the multi-faceted panel by the entranceway…the exit through which they had just come. "Words?"

"Indeed. 'You return through the passageways of your soul to reevaluate prior decisions'."

"So we can go back again, you think?"

"Indeed. However, O'Neill, that has not proven to be such a wise choice in this place."

"Not to mention that we've been pretty certain…okay, kind of certain… of our choices this far."

"Many of them were Daniel Jackson's choices, O'Neill."

"Oh for crying out loud. I happen to think Daniel's choices were the right ones."

Teal'c raised an eyebrow in an otherwise passive face. "Do you?"

Jack, taken aback by the bluntness, gazed intensely at his teammate long and hard. "Yeah. Yeah, I do."

"Then there must be more options elsewhere in this room, O'Neill."

Jack threw up his hands in frustration, but both men set about examining the mirrored wall. Not too far into the search, they found what they needed.

"Ah. All you need is to know what you're looking for." Jack shook his head and groaned, lifting his eyes skyward. "I bet you didn't do this to Daniel, did you?" he aimed his question at the blue ceiling. Carved into a recess in what had seemed to be smooth mirror panels, was not only a series of sentences, but an entranceway, disguised from their previous vantage point. "Teal'c…?"

Teal'c began to translate. "You choose to move forward in life, accepting all that has transpired and continuing onward with grace and endurance."

"Okay… sounds about right. Third choice?"

"There is none."

"Teal'c… does this mean we made some wrong choices and have to start this whole thing over?" Jack sighed. He was hoping for some words of wisdom from his teammate.

"I believe it means we must cease worrying about what we may have done incorrectly, O'Neill. If we continue with the challenges, I am convinced we shall succeed. As in life," he added. He, for one, knew all about embracing new starts in one's existence instead of dwelling on past mistakes. Guilt, he knew, could bring a man down heavily.

"Thank you. I think I needed that."

"You are welcome."

And so the two teammates continued on through the passageway, their eyes and brains having by now become so inundated with images of themselves that they wished for more blue rooms, just to alleviate the penetrating and dizzying monotony. But more hallways did not come, nor more aggravating questions. This new hallway was different, longer, wider…

And it opened out into daylight.

"God, Teal'c …it's SO about time!" Finding no hair to ruffle, Jack grabbed his teammate's shoulder and squeezed.

Stepping out into the bright sunshine, Jack lowered his eyes and reached for his sunglasses. He breathed the fresh crisp air for more than its life-giving qualities; it also beckoned them with layers of intense relief and a whole garden of hope.

The flowers shone in a multitude of colours and sizes, towering mountains surrounded the entire area, waterfalls gently sprayed their mist outwards into the soft warm breeze.

"So …we were in a cave, not a building."

"So it would seem."

"And we've found Shangri-La."

"I do not know the name of this location, O'Neill. But it seems we have found more than this." Jack looked to where Teal'c was motioning. In the near distance, their backs against a large rock formation facing a mountain, were their two teammates. Jack didn't bother to contain his grin. "Yes!"

As the two made their way over to the rest of SG-1, Jack lifted his radio to his lips, "Got a good book?"

Carter and Daniel jumped. Communication? Daniel grabbed his radio to reply as Sam slapped him lightly on the leg, pointing. Seeing their lost teammates approaching, the two jumped up, grinning themselves.

"You made it," Daniel stated the obvious, as his friends drew near. His relief was evident, and he clapped Teal'c on the back before grabbing O'Neill's shoulder.

"Without your help, I might add." Jack wasn't going to mention he'd put himself in Daniel's shoes for the better part of a day. Admit that to Daniel? Not a chance.

"O'Neill, did we not…"

"Right Teal'c, we were worried." Jack changed the subject, cutting his partner off with a warning look. "How long have you two been here?"

"Since yesterday, Sir."

"And we met the, um, caretakers, I guess we could call them. Come, I'll introduce you." Daniel took Jack's sleeve, pulling him over to the neighbouring mountain bend. Jack raised an eyebrow, but allowed Daniel to guide him. He could understand his friend's relief, he was feeling it himself, much more than he'd admit out loud.

_____

"We welcome you all," the beings smiled. "You are no longer unhappy," the female softly remarked to Daniel. "You have all followed the lessons of lifetimes which we hold dear, thus proving yourselves worthy of sharing our abode for eternity. All those who are able to reach our garden are welcome to remain."

"Yeah, well… no offense intended here, but we'd really just like to go home," Jack interrupted.

The beings looked at each other with interest enveloping their glistening features. "We do not understand."

"Oh boy. Um, we'd like to use your Stargate, um, Chappa'ai, that we came through… to take us back to our own home," Daniel attempted to explain. Although how they'd dial Earth was a problem he hadn't dared think about yet. If they could get a working DHD, maybe the dialing would automatically connect.

"You are referring to the vertical pool in the hall?" the being responded. "This cannot be done. That pool flows only one way, and that is the way you have come."

"Hold on there. Your DHD …the small holographic wheel with the symbols on it …that device can get us back to our own planet. Where's the real one?" Jack was beginning to feel frustration overcoming him, again.

"There is none that functions for the pool through which you arrived. That which you witnessed is merely decorative."

"Crap."

"My friends, look around you. Did you not come to be joined with us?"

Daniel spoke before Jack could further show his irritation. "Um, no …we came to find you, to learn from you, but we didn't realize you'd want us to stay."

"But we have much beauty here. This is all anyone could ever want, the guiding force for all who seek us out. You will never again know sickness, hunger. It is serenity."

"Yes, yes it is," Daniel quickly agreed. "You truly live in a paradise. But still …we'd really like to go home."

"But no one has ever asked this of us." The beings fluttered around, barely touching upon the ground as they moved, conversing. SG-1 was bewildered, feeling even more lost and helpless than they had inside the maze. At least there, things had been under their own control, to some extent.

"Daniel? How do we get out of here?"

"I can't tell you that, Jack. You've heard everything I have."

"Is this not a pleasant place to live out one's life, O'Neill?" Teal'c queried.

"What? In a garden with great weather, cascading fountains, fruit trees, happy peaceful inhabitants? Sure, Teal'c, it's a great place to retire."

"Don't forget the four whole friends, connected in time and space." Daniel interceded with a false grin.

Jack glared at him.

"Well we did make that choice, Jack."

"What happened to 'willing to make a difference', Daniel? And how can we do that here in …paradise? The Goa'uld are still out there," Jack's fingers fluttered in the direction of outer space, "waiting to pounce on the unsuspecting inhabitants of Earth."

Daniel stepped forward. "I'm sorry," he addressed the spokesperson. "We love this place, it's truly wonderful. But our home planet needs us. There are still things there we must do. We really need your help in finding a way home."

"You would choose to return to help your home planet, instead of remaining here where your life would be unhindered for eternity?"

"Yes, we do. I'm sorry,"

"Then you have made the final decision, and it is the correct one."

"Huh? This was still part of our test?" Jack inquired. Three startled teammates shifted uneasily beside him.

"It was," the beings smiled. "Now, you truly do have the choice to remain or to return home. You are welcome here."

"Well then, we'd like to go home." Breaths were held, unknowingly.

"Of course. Follow me."

As uncertain glances passed between SG-1 members, Jack wasted no time in following the swaying, sparkling, translucent robes. Rounding a bend alongside the base of one of the towering mountains, they realized that what had seemed like steady continuous mountain range had been, in some places, nothing more than false mirror images, holograms, and reflections. For lying before them were dwellings of great beauty and elegant design, all surrounded by luxurious gardens, colourful rock formations, and glorious sparkling waterfalls. And just beyond, the team could see another Stargate… and a - hopefully - functioning DHD.

"Another illusion? I thought she said there was no DHD," Jack whispered close to Daniel's ear.

"Um …I think her words were more like, there was none for the pool we arrived from."

"Aand…. this isn't …that one," Jack finished, shaking his head. "So this would be the departure lounge?"

"Apparently."

"Daniel …do they make everyone go through that just to keep out unsavoury characters?"

"It's probably more complicated than that Jack, but …I can't explain it any better, at this point."

"Why don't they just get an iris?" Jack muttered under his breath as the aliens turned to speak.

"You are certain you do not want to stay?" the beings smiled back at them.

"This is all … extremely amazing. Really, it is. But no, we have to return home." Daniel couldn't help but be sorry that they weren't going to be here for at least a little while. "Jack… General Hammond isn't expecting us until tomorrow."

Jack thought for a moment. What the hell. "Mind if we just visit for a little while? A day or so?" he asked the …woman.

"You are most welcome here for as long as you wish to stay, and any time you wish to return. You now know what path you must follow to reach us. Come now, I will show you where you may rest."

As SG-1 was led to a bejewelled, decorative dwelling in their newly found Shangri-La, Jack wanted only one promise, and this from Daniel. "Give me your word, Daniel, that no matter how intriguing these aliens turn out to be, you'll be coming home with us tomorrow."

Daniel smiled. "You have my word, Jack."

"Promise."

"I promise."

"Swear."

"Jack, I swear I'll come back with you."

"Cross your heart?"

"You're exasperating, Jack."

"No matter how intriguing…………………………………………………?"

* * * *

End of Ambiguity

* * * *

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________

SECTION 3 (alternate ambiguity cont'd from part 1)

_________________________________________

Carter hesitated. "On the other hand, Sir… if some Goa'uld is here, watching and waiting… our unwillingness to fight is displaying a weakness that will probably backfire on us…"

"Oh for crying out loud, Carter!" Jack flapped his hands in exasperation. "I thought you said no one's here any more?"

"Theories, Sir."

"Fine. Daniel, listen up. If this place was built by good guys, they won't hurt us, right? If it was built by Goa'uld and they're around here somewhere, we have to play tough. We're doing this my way."

"Jack…"

"NO, Daniel. My way."

Without waiting for an argument, Jack took the path indicating the choice to take up arms and fight off the enemy. Frowning at Sam, Daniel glumly trailed behind the trio. Eventually, he'd leave them if he had to…

No, he wouldn't.

Sighing in resignation, he slowly, carefully, wandered along the mirrored tunnel that seemed to stretch out far into the galaxy, mesmerized by the thousands of reflections of himself, of his friends. Alternates. He couldn't help thinking that if each of these panels could be an alternate personal reality, multiplied exponentially in its reflections within each of the others…and if there were a tunnel, a question, for each universe… hell, they could be here for a long time.

Jack's hand hit a wall, another mirror, and he looked around for the next situation. It was easy to find, sculpted as it was into the upper mirrored panel.

"Teal'c?"

Teal'c gazed up at the Goa'uld inscription, and began to read. "You encounter a war in a foreign village far from your home."

"Choices?"

"Here is one, " stated Teal'c. "You join in the battle."

"Do we get to find out first what the battle's about?" Jack asked in confusion.

"Two: 'you continue on your way, clearing your path of hindrances'." Daniel frowned, dropping his pack onto the mirrored floor.

"Meaning…whoever gets in the way?" Jack lifted his eyebrow.

"Doesn't specify, Jack. Probably."

Jack let out a low whistle. "Who'd pick that one?"

"The Goa'uld," came Teal'c's speedy reply.

His three teammates were momentarily speechless.

"So if the Goa'uld did build this place…"

"That's what our answer'd have to be, Daniel."

"And this place would be the tunnels of the warrior," Sam contributed.

"I have never seen nor heard of such a place as this being used by the System Lords," Teal'c frowned.

"It must've been,Teal'c," Sam theorized. "since one of the languages is Goa'uld."

"But this wasn't necessarily built by them, Sam."

Jack interrupted the futile debate."Okay, kids …is there another choice?"

"Here, Sir." Sam had found a third option close by. "Daniel?"

"Give aid to the injured, without question."

"Kind of risky. Fourth choice?"

"No, Colonel. Sorry."

"But this is easy, Jack. Just blast whoever gets in the way, right?" Daniel's outright sarcasm was uncalled for, but he was still certain this direction was leading them into trouble.

"That your choice, Daniel? Fine." Jack started to head down the corresponding hallway.

"Jack!"

"What?" Jack turned, glaring.

Daniel sighed, closing his eyes and lifting his pack back onto his shoulder. "I'm sorry, okay? Please… let's just take this seriously."

Jack, frustrated at their present helpless situation, knew he was just taking his anger out on Daniel, but damnit, the man always had to have his own way. He returned more calmly to his waiting team.

"Ok …so do we join the battle, or give aid?"Jack wasn't as clear on this one as he'd been before. Both answers had their advantages and risks, both were options he'd consider in reality.

Daniel looked away. He knew Jack knew what his choice would be.

"Without knowing more about the battle, Sir, I don't think we can say we'd take part."

Jack stood silently for several moments, unfortunately remembering Euronda. "Give aid, then?"

Three heads nodded in agreement.

He continued on down their chosen corridor, his teammates following.

The reflecting mirrors confused their senses, overwhelmed their vision, kept them unsteady until they finally began to get used to the mesmerizing multiplications of themselves everywhere they turned. Slowly approaching the next junction, Daniel paused to translate.

"The leader of a world approaches…we can, um…eliminate him and take control," Daniel saw the frowns of his teammates from his peripheral vision, "or hope he's friendly and introduce ourselves," Daniel looked around for a third option, but found none.

"Hope he's friendly?" Jack grimaced.

"If he's not, Jack, I guess we then eliminate him and take control," Daniel smirked.

Scowling at the linguist, Jack commented,"Well, this route's fairly obvious."

"And what if the Goa'uld are observing us, O'Neill?"

"Screw them. In their eyes we blew it on that last question anyway. If we need the 'right' answers to get out of here …and 'right' turns out to be that universal good some of us Tau'ri are so well known for…" Jack glanced fleetingly at Daniel, "I guess we'd better forget about the Goa'uld for the time being." Jack had by now begun to realize they could only play at this one way, and following his own truth didn't mean giving up all that his individual team members believed in.

Daniel chuckled. "That's what I've been trying to tell you, Jack."

"So. What we're saying here, is the heart leads, even if that means we might be in here searching for …what, eternity? Or end up facing a pompous Goa'uld contingent?" Jack rolled his eyes, giving his head a quick shake.

"We have to follow our own truths, Sir. We really don't know why this place was built."

"Teal'c?"

"I concur."

Jack sighed. There would be areas of contention along the upcoming path, he knew, but if they all stuck together…and that meant his listening to Daniel as well … and did what they knew in their hearts to be right, then at least whatever the outcome, they would know they'd done their best. That, Jack conceded, was all he could ask of his team.

He nodded for Daniel to lead on.

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'Gate back to Section 2

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