Dying for Gold

By Travelling One

 

Email: travelling_one@yahoo.ca

Web: http://www.travellingone.com/

Summary: SG-1 pays a heavy price in their search for naquadah. Is their quest always worth it?

Category: Drama, angst, smarm, h/c, adventure

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.

10/25/02

 

---

Even the Stargate was gold.

 

Or gold-plated, maybe …but the effect was the same.

 

This planet, or area of the planet, for they never knew what really lay beyond the tiny portion of land they were able to reach from the Stargate, was even more incredible when viewed in person. That the MALP's videos had shown golden statuettes glistening in the sunlight was true, but the full effect was that the brightness nearly hurt their eyes without sunglasses. There was very little in the way of what one might call true habitation in such proximity to the gate, but all the evidence indicated that it was very, very close.

 

While the damp, sparkling soil looked rich and promising for mineral content, beckoning Major Carter with her vials and labelled specimen jars, Daniel slowly strolled around the golden bird-shaped objects, running his fingers over the smooth glinting surfaces. Many of them, lined up in two rows and stretching far into the horizon, seemingly ending over a distant hill, gave the impression of lining a path into civilization, just as the road of sphinxes still led to the temples of Luxor and Karnac.

 

The strangest thing, though, was that each of these golden winged sculptures was caged within four sides of golden bars, each roofless cage open to sunlight and freedom, as if enclosing the birds in boxes out of which they were allowed to fly. Daniel puzzled over the contradictions.

 

"Sir? Daniel?" From a few feet away, Sam called out excitedly to her teammates. Daniel turned, witnessing the eagerness in her features.

 

Her CO spoke first. "What's up, Carter?"

 

"I'm not sure, Sir, but I think this soil is going to be very interesting to analyze. Not only does it seem to have particles and larger chunks of silver and lead, a mineral we know as galena, but there are traces of gold, and I'd say fairly massive amounts of naquadah. I'd like to collect samples from a few more areas around here."

 

"Need any help, Sam?"

 

"It's okay, Daniel. You go have a look at those sculptures. Teal'c can help if he wants, and the colonel…" she looked up, questioningly.

 

"Yeah…sure, okay," Colonel O'Neill agreed. He had nothing much else to do at the moment. Much. "Civilization looks like it might be a bit of a distance away though, kids, so what do you say we set up camp here for tonight, you collect your samples, Major, and tomorrow we'll set off to …find a new culture for Daniel here." He grinned smugly.

 

"Yes, Sir. Do you mind if I continue while you set up camp, Sir?"

 

"Nah, Carter, go for it. Come, Teal'c…lend a hand?"

 

Teal'c inclined his head towards Jack, readily volunteering his services.

 

"Here, Sam, let me have some vials."

 

"You sure?"

 

Daniel smiled. "Positive. I can't do much with those sculptures, there isn't any writing. I'll just go …over there a ways." Daniel put a few of the jars in his pack, and headed into the distance, still within sight of the Stargate and their slowly emerging camp.

 

_____

 

 

"You! Drop it!"

 

Without realizing he even understood, Daniel spun up and onto his feet, turning to see a horse and rider approaching swiftly. As the rider closed in, Daniel also saw a long ominous weapon pointing directly at him.

 

"Whoa…" he blurted out, oblivious to the fact that he was speaking in the man's tongue, a seemingly basic Spanish dialect. "My name is Daniel Jackson. We're peaceful …"

 

"Hand it to me!"

 

"What?"

 

The weapon's long coiled cylinder knocked the small jar from Daniel's fingers, then aimed itself back at his face as the soil spilled onto the ground. In the distance, his teammates had noticed the commotion, but Daniel was barely aware of the running figures in the periphery of his vision.

 

"I was only taking samples…"

 

"To steal from us!!" The figure visibly shaking with anger before him was barely concerned with listening to words.

 

"N…No…; no, we weren't trying to steal from you, we needed soil samples to take to our lab…"

 

"Stealing our soil."

 

Daniel stopped speaking. Stealing their soil? If that was a crime, he was guilty.

_____

 

"My God, he's angry, Daniel. What's going on?" Sam whispered, taking stock of the man in his billowing deep blue leggings and flowing white garments. A gold headband wound 'round his forehead.

 

Not taking his eyes off the enraged rider, Daniel answered, "He's accusing me of stealing the … soil."

 

"What?" her gray eyes grew even wider.

 

"Put down your weapon!" Jack's tone relayed what his English words couldn't; his eyes flashed unpleasant warnings not to dare lay a hand on his teammate.

 

Then, over the nearby hills, more action became evident, and all heads turned to the scurry of galloping horses, the confusion of nearly a dozen more riders kicking up the dust and pebbles in the wake of flying hooves.

 

Jack knew that they were sorely outnumbered; any action on his part now could get his team killed. He lowered his rifle, slowly, and Teal'c followed suit with his staff weapon. The rider's muzzle remained aimed at Daniel.

 

"I have more soil samples in my bag, Daniel."

 

"Don't let them find them, Sam."

 

"It's back at camp."

 

"Let's hope they don't check."

 

By now, the contingent of manned horses had spun up to the group, and the flurry of activity included those who were hopping to the ground as well as those who hung back, observing.

 

SG-1 remained silent, waiting for a cue.

 

"You caught them stealing ore from our soil?" A question for the rider in blue.

 

"This one." He raised his arm, the weapon edging closer to Daniel's chin, and the archaeologist blinked fast, keeping his apprehension under control.

 

"Daniel…" Jack tensed, wanting to react, yet knowing any movement could be seen as provocation.

 

"Take them to the hamlet. Search their camp," the second speaker commanded the others, and each rider seemed to know exactly what to do.

 

_____

 

Even the chains were gold.

 

Chains that locked their ankles to one another, each to one golden post of a huge roofless cage, reaching twenty feet above their heads into the setting sun. They could sit, or stand, or sleep, but they could not walk. Could not leave the bars through which an unchained person could easily pass.

 

The villagers had stared with unmasked contempt at the criminals being brought into town. All around was testament to the thriving gold production; there were sculptures, temples, doorways of gold, although the people themselves seemed to live in modest brick houses. Golden paintings adorned their outer walls, however, and for many, shining golden fabric covered their bodies. Even the women and female children had golden makeup along their eyelids, golden bindings in their long silky black braids.

 

Deep pits lined every street, every yard of every home, causing the environment to appear in a state of disarray. Tunnels appeared out of nowhere, and people and equipment were hammering, digging, washing rocks and separating clumps of shining soil. The gold mining industry was in full swing. Processed lumps and sheets of gold lay piled in the streets.

 

"Who are you?"

 

The voice startled Daniel out of his reverie. This was the first time SG-1 had been addressed; the first time Daniel had a chance to even attempt to get themselves out of this mess. Try. He had doubts about his ability in this regard; he'd already innocently admitted his guilt, and recoiled at the irony.

 

"My name is Daniel. We're travellers from a place called Earth. We go to different worlds through the… um…golden ring, to meet new cultures, share ideas and technology." Daniel spoke quickly, hoping the man was listening…no, not just listening, but processing his message.

 

"And you have run out of gold so you need to steal from us," the man filled in his own words in a callous tone. His eyes flashed hatred and annoyance, impatience with those who could be so impudent, so foolish.

 

"What? Gold …No …." Daniel stared in confusion, in surprise. "No! We don't want gold," He paused, not sure whether to mention their need for naquadah. Would it matter what they had come here to take, without permission? "We were testing the ground to see if it had something we could use on our own world." Oh hell, that sounded just as bad.

 

"Stealing."

 

Some villagers came shuffling up, SG-1's packs in hand. "We found more of the soil in these packs, Berrin," the interrogator was informed.

 

"You and your team have committed a very serious offence…Daniel," said the man.

 

"Not my team. Those jars belong to me," Daniel lied. Don't contradict me, Sam, prayed Daniel, although he knew she could not yet understand the language. But she spoke some Spanish; she would, in time, find communication possible. Daniel just hoped he'd find a way out of this before she figured that out.

 

"What's he saying, Daniel?" Jack nudged his friend.

 

"They were helping you," the man named Berrin continued.

 

"No, they were just setting up camp," Daniel denied the allegations aimed at his teammates. No sense in all of them going down, and if he could just get the others freed, they would be able to …do something to help him.

 

"Daniel?"

 

"You are not allowed to camp on our land, it is forbidden."

 

Great. What other laws had they unwittingly broken?

 

"We have gold at home, we don't need yours. What we need is naquadah," Daniel decided to admit the truth.

 

"Daniel! What's going on?" Jack was showing his impatience.

 

"What is …nackwada?"

 

"It's what the Stargate is made of …that ring we came through, at the end of your, um, golden road." Daniel noticed the man relaxing, just a bit …or was it his imagination?

 

"No, the Ring of Life is made of gold," the man denied, growing annoyed once again.

 

"I think…underneath, it is naquadah. Your … Ring of Life … is the first we've seen that is golden," Daniel pressed on. "Ours is made of naquadah…but we have none of this important mineral on our planet."

 

"It makes no difference. The rings are powered by gold. You have none left and have come for ours, I imagine."

 

"What are you talking about?" Daniel frowned. "The rings are not powered by gold."

 

Berrin was becoming more and more agitated. Who were these impudent ones? What far distant town were they from, whose leaders could no longer maintain their own Ring of Life? "Do not take me for a fool. You know as well as I that if we stop powering the Ring with gold, our land will be devastated, demolished. The gold must go through with each new cycle, you know this."

 

"Daniel, what's going on?" Sam touched Daniel's arm.

 

"Sam, is there any way that gold can be used to power up a Stargate?" Daniel looked at her.

 

"Oh, sure," Jack complained. "Me, you ignore. Carter asks you once…"

 

"Not that I know of, Daniel. Why, what's going on?"

 

"He's trying to tell me that's what they need the gold for, that if they don't send it through the gate on a regular cycle, their land will be destroyed."

 

"Does this not sound like the workings of the Goa'uld, Daniel Jackson?" Teal'c addressed the archaeologist.

 

"We've seen this before, Daniel, with naquadah," Carter reminded him.

 

"So they're sending the gold through to the Goa'ulds?"

 

"Not to mention they keep a heck of a lot of it for themselves," Jack remarked.

 

Daniel turned to the man. "What will happen if you stop sending gold through the ring?"

 

"The winds that meet from each side of our Ring, from the two ends of our land, are kept in balance by the gold. If we do not send it through, the imbalance turns the Ring's shields to water, and strong winds and fire blow through, meeting in the greatest of explosions, destroying everything."

 

…Turns the rings' shields to water? The event horizon? "Has this ever happened?" Daniel asked.

 

"It has been recorded four times in our history. But how can you not know of this? Is this not what your nackwada does?"

 

"Uh, no …uh, Jack? Their town has been destroyed four times in the past when they haven't sent the gold through on time."

 

"Guess who that sounds like."

 

"I do not know of this particular world, O'Neill, but I do know that there are many worlds from which the System Lords obtain the gold for their motherships," Teal'c offered.

 

"Now…why didn't I ever wonder where that came from?" Jack grimaced.

 

"Total destruction wouldn't do the Goa'uld any good," Sam theorized, "as there'd be no one left to do their mining. They must do just enough damage to scare the populace."

 

Daniel returned his attention to Berrin, a question unsettling him. "But …you must turn the ring to water when you send the gold through?" Didn't they know how the stargate worked, then?

 

"Yes, the gold settles the winds. If we do not send the gold, we cannot control the imbalance that follows." Berrin was still speaking. "When you take your nackwada, you take our gold," he insisted. "It is all in the soil. You have violated our most sacred laws, you have scoffed at our very existence. Your friends may take their belongings and return home with a warning, but you, Daniel, will remain here until we decide what to do with you. Perhaps we shall offer you up with the next load of gold and the Ring of Life shall decide for itself."

 

The unlocking of chains drew a clap on the back from Jack. "Good job, Daniel!" he exclaimed, as one by one his teammates were freed and squeezed themselves out between the bars. But Jack's jubilation faded as Daniel's chains remained locked and the man they called Berrin trudged away.

 

Three teammates faced the archaeologist in surprise and shock.

 

"Why do you remain confined, Daniel Jackson?"

 

"I'm the one who stole the soil," Daniel answered quietly. His gaze met Jack's only briefly before he was forced to turn away.

 

"No, Daniel…" Carter began.

 

"Aw, for crying out loud Daniel…" Jack's interruption collided with Sam's.

 

"Guys, is it better for all of us to be chained up here? Go find a way to get me out. Without killing anyone," he added.

 

_____

 

The team made itself at home outside Daniel's golden bars that night, having retrieved anything they needed to make his night and theirs more comfortable, and discussed their predicament well into the twilight hours. They were kept under many a watchful eye, so trying to unlock Daniel's chains was not even a possibility. While Carter and Teal'c had kept watch from the outer perimeter, Jack had spent most of the night inside the pen with Daniel, more at ease without the bars between them. Daniel had been outwardly grateful for the gesture.

 

Getting reinforcements from the SGC and using force had not seemed to be the wisest choice, although Jack knew it may well end up being their only one. No one knew what was being planned for Daniel, and he had no intention of waiting too long to find out. Still, he didn't think there was any way they could succeed in battle against an entire village. Their captors had threatened to send Daniel off to the Goa'uld world along with the gold, whenever that might be, and Jack was in no way letting his archaeologist out of his sight long enough for that to happen.

 

The sun had risen and the coffee was being consumed, when Berrin and some others were seen heading their way. Jack straightened up, standing next to the bars that housed his fourth teammate.

 

"Daniel." Berrin approached the spacious pen as Daniel stood, his teammates all waiting anxiously to see what was about to transpire. Berrin nodded at the man in blue, the rider whom Daniel had been captured by the previous day. "We are willing to make a trade. Have your town send us a large quantity of gold, and we shall allow you to return home."

 

Daniel stared at the men in a daze, until Jack touched his shoulder through the open bars.

 

"Daniel? What's going on?"

 

"Uh…they'll let me go if we get Hammond to send through a lot of… gold."

 

"Bail?"

 

"More or less."

 

Jack looked around at the blocks and sheets of gold scattered over the foreground, and at the pits and mounds scarring people's lawns. "Why do I get the impression that a large amount to them is something that the SGC will not be able to afford?"

 

"I too have that feeling, O'Neill."

 

"So do I, Sir."

 

"I know. It's kind of obvious, Jack. They'd probably want a barrelfull."

 

"Ask them."

 

Daniel shrugged, and ruefully posed the question. "How much gold would that be?" he inquired.

 

"Enough to fill the box in our Great Golden Temple," Berrin answered. "That is all."

 

Daniel's eyes flicked to each of his team members. "They have a box they want to fill," he told them quietly.

 

"Oh great," Jack grimaced. "Something tells me it's not a shoebox. Do we get to see it?"

 

Daniel spoke again to the men. "We would have to see this box to know how much you ask for," he told them.

 

"Come, it will be done," Berrin nodded to the free members of SG-1. "Tell them they must be quiet in the temple and respect our traditions."

 

_____

 

Daniel had been impatiently awaiting the return of his friends, as he sat leaning against the golden bars to which he remained chained. He had little hope that the SGC could afford to fill any size box with gold, even that theoretical shoebox would be out of the question. Unless these people couldn't tell the difference between goldplating and the real thing…no, he quickly passed that thought aside. A culture that spent its entire existence specializing in the production of gold would certainly be able to tell a counterfeit. Although they did seem to think the Stargate was solid. But then…perhaps it was, with just enough naquadah to make it work.

 

His friends now approaching, Daniel rose to his feet. The expressions on their faces looked…unusual.

 

"Jack?" Daniel inquired before they had even drawn close.

 

"Daniel…that 'box' is a sarcophagus. They use it for storage…they keep blocks of gold in it."

 

"And," Sam continued, "they revere it, Daniel. Inside that temple people were bowing to everything golden, and kissing the sarcophagus. They don't just mine gold here, they worship it."

 

"That's not too hard to understand, Sam. They do think it's what saves their universe from being wiped out."

 

"Bottom line, Danny…and I'm sorry," Jack paused, his eyes piercing his friend's with regret, "we can't fill that thing, it would cost …lots. Not that I don't think you're worth it," he added. "But that much gold wouldn't even be available to us for months, even if it was possible. They'd never let us stall that long. And I'm not leaving you in here that long."

 

Berrin and his men were looking at SG-1, confident and triumphant, anticipating their ideal trade and good fortune.

 

Daniel took a deep breath, not knowing what would await him now. "I'm sorry. Our world cannot send that much gold."

 

The expressions turned venomous. "We knew your land was not so abundant. You have come here to steal from us!"

 

"No!" Daniel cried out. "Just…just some naquadah, and we would have asked you, had your village been nearby. We would have come to you in the morning, if you'd given us the chance."

 

"Daniel?" Jack was worried. No, worried was too mild an emotion. He could sense the agitation and tension in his friend's voice, in the air, and in the demeanor of the alien citizens. He was ready to break Daniel out of here, with or without backup from the SGC. His teammate would take the fall for them over his dead body.

 

"We will decide what is to be done with you now. Send your friends home."

 

Daniel looked glumly, nervously, at his teammates. "They want you to leave."

 

"We have our weapons, Daniel. We'll wait until they come to a decision."

 

"You know you can't use them, Jack. You'd have an entire town acting as a lynch mob."

 

"We're not leaving yet." Not leaving you behind, Daniel. I'll send Carter soon, but that's it.

 

_____

 

"So, what do you think they'll decide?" Sam worriedly searched Daniel's face for an answer. It was the question each of them had silently been pondering for the past ninety minutes since the men had gone, leaving a new group of villagers to guard them.

 

"I don't know, Sam. They said they might send me through the gate. I doubt they'll want to keep me out here too much longer. They don't even understand how the gate works; they really do think their gold is being swallowed up as… fuel."

 

"Which means they believe that sending you through might kill you, Daniel, and they're okay with that!" Sam frowned at her teammate. "That's even worse than them knowing they're sending you off to be dealt with by Goa'ulds."

 

"We could find out the coordinates, and have the SGC send backup to that planet," Jack commented.

 

"What if it's a Goa'uld stronghold, Sir, with a heavily guarded gate? Daniel would be killed or taken prisoner on sight."

 

"We'd be going through first, Carter. Or maybe send a bomb."

 

"Jack, you're not going to kill an unknown number of people just to save me."

 

"So what's you're plan, Daniel?" Jack eyed his teammate quizzically.

 

"Perhaps we can bargain with them, O'Neill."

 

"Trade something else?" Jack thought a moment.

 

"They only want gold, Jack."

 

"What about offering to help them mine their gold, if we can take the naquadah back with us?" Jack thought a compromise might work.

 

"They don't trust us not to steal the gold along with the naquadah."

 

"O'Neill…" Teal'c nodded in the direction of the plaza.

 

The negotiations apparently having ended, four of the men were already returning.

 

"An hour and a half to decide your fate," Jack muttered under his breath to Daniel. Damn them, they hadn't given SG-1 long enough to formulate a plan.

 

Berrin stepped forward.

 

"We have decided. You will be given one way to redeem yourself and set yourself free," Daniel was told. "In the hills is a sacred cavern that none of our people have been through, for its passage is forbidden. Legends say that there is great wealth within it's belly. If you agree to explore the cave and bring out its treasure, which we have reason to believe may be gold, we will consider this your debt paid and allow you to leave. We shall lead you there in the morning."

 

Daniel stared at them. Go down into an uncharted cave? He'd rather not do that, thanks …but what choice did he have? "Why are you allowing me to go down, if the cave is sacred?"

 

Berrin chuckled. "The gods will see a stranger trespassing. We will not be blamed."

 

"A few youngsters have been allowed to enter the initial chambers in the past," one of the other men admitted, "to carry out ceremonies. No one has dared taunt the gods by going deeper."

 

Turning to his teammates, Daniel explained. "There's a cavern they think is filled with gold. It's forbidden for them to enter so they don't know exactly what's down there. If I go down they say they'll let me go."

 

"Not alone you're not."

 

Daniel turned to the men. "My friends will come with me."

 

"You will go alone. Your friends have not dishonoured our traditions, or our Ring of Life…unless you have lied to us." He eyed Daniel quizzically. "It will be an insult to allow them in with you."

 

"Jack… they don't want any of you down there."

 

"Daniel, get them to let me come with or you don't go." Jack was not sending his teammate into an uncharted cave alone.

 

"This does not sound wise, O'Neill. Even the villagers do not know what dangers the cavern contains."

 

"Exactly why Daniel's not going down alone."

 

"No," was the adamant answer from Berrin after Jack's condition had been relayed. "The cavern is sacred. We do not intend to have more strangers entering. However… tell your friend that Luzio here says he is willing to guide you part of the way. He is one who was allowed to enter the first chamber as a youngster, and he is confident he can do so again with no reprisals from the gods. You must, however, agree to go alone into the unexplored chambers. Then, if there is too much gold to be brought to the surface, we may consider allowing your friends to help. This is our only offer."

 

"Greed triumphs over traditions, huh?" Jack retorted sarcastically when the translation had been made. "Tell me, Daniel…what happens if you don't find any gold down there to bring up?"

 

"I have no idea, Jack. But I have to try, I have no other choice."

 

_____

 

"I really don't like this, Daniel." Jack had argued throughout the second night, but Daniel had refused to speak to the men again. The linguist knew he would not be able to change their decision without admitting that his teammates had also been collecting soil samples. And Carter, much to his dismay, was now beginning to understand some of the language.

 

"Do you prefer me to be chained up here, Jack? Or sent to the Goa'uld world? We have no choice. Luzio told me he'll accompany me the first part of the way. It seems he's one of a few people who carried out ceremonies in the first chambers as a kid, and he seems to be more curious than the others. Maybe they really are starting to question their legends, and just need someone else to prove the falsehoods to them. This is probably just a regular cave, stalagmites and all that. No big deal." Daniel knew he was trying to convince himself as much as his teammates. Pools of stagnant water, sudden drops, a labyrinth of passageways, carbon dioxide accumulation, loose and falling rocks, were just some of the dangers he could be facing. Maybe the Goa'uld had even left something down there they wanted no one to find.

 

"You have your flashlight?"

 

"I do, Jack."

 

"Extra batteries?"

 

"Yes."

 

"Water, energy bars?"

 

"Right here." Daniel smiled. This concern was probably unfounded, but he accepted it without challenge. It felt good to have this family looking out for him, whether he'd ever admit it to Jack or not.

 

"Rope?"

 

"There's not a lot, but I have what we brought with."

 

"Your radio?"

 

"No. They think it's a weapon. Luzio doesn't trust me."

 

Jack just stared. "That's not good, Daniel. I don't trust him."

 

"Don't worry, Jack. I'll be fine."

 

"Come." Berrin and Luzio had unchained him and were now impatiently waiting, as several other men trailed from behind to make sure that Daniel was prepared to follow.

 

"Guess we can't just make a run for the Stargate," Jack murmured.

 

"They have horses and weapons, O'Neill."

 

"Yeah…thanks for reminding me, Teal'c." Jack eyed the horses…and weapons.

 

The walk through the town and across the fields in the early morning light was endured in silence, a group of men on horseback accompanying the team and their few guides. The path soon took them uphill, the route becoming more strenuous towards the summit of the escarpment. Climbing over rocks and roots, it was a somewhat difficult trek of about two hours.

 

"Jack, he's saying you should go on a couple miles to the point where I'll be coming out."

 

Jack eyed the archaeologist carefully. "Why can't you come out from here?"

 

"Well …I suppose if the, um, gold …is in the the heart or rear of the cave, it's quicker to exit through the back way."

 

"And we get there, how?"

 

"He'll show you." Daniel nodded towards one of the men on horseback. "Follow him."

 

Jack looked uncertain. "You just have to find the so-called treasure, right?"

 

"I just have to find the so-called treasure. If there is any."

 

"So you might not have to go through the whole cave."

 

"Only if I can't find anything down there."

 

"We'll be waiting, Daniel."

 

Daniel smiled, hiding his nervousness. "I expect you to."

 

"We'll find the exit, then I'll send Teal'c back here. In case you need anything."

 

_____

 

As the other men stayed put outside the entrance, Daniel followed Luzio into the cave, where a huge cavity greeted them. With the light of Luzio's torch and Daniel's flashlight, it was evident that either no riches had been deposited here, or they had been removed over the centuries. This room was plain rock, not even a stalactite had begun to grow.

 

"This way." Luzio led him, crouching, through some narrow low passageways, finally entering into a wide spacious chamber. This too, was bare and plain. Daniel shone his light around the walls and ceiling, the eery shadows and cool air combining to send an unexpected shiver through him.

 

Beyond the main flooring, the room sloped downhill, ending in a vertical shaft in the ground. "Here we must descend," Luzio explained, attaching a rope ladder to some protrusions of rock. "I will accompany you down, but you will go first."

 

Daniel observed the man. He seemed to be growing nervous. This could turn out to be one of his most stupid adventures, Daniel thought. But then, what other choice did he have?

 

Scraping the sides of the shaft, they descended the homemade rungs into the deep cool interior, Daniel leading the way, as Luzio looked around anxiously. A few small pebbles tumbled down after them, clattering to the rocky ground, as Daniel eyed them uncomfortably in the beam of his light. "This is as far as any of us have ever dared come," Luzio whispered.

 

Daniel struck his lighter to test for oxygen and carbon dioxide levels. "Look …it's okay," Daniel reassured him. "I'm sure nothing will happen to us. I've been in caves like this before, the rest of it will probably look pretty much like this." In fact, Daniel was almost certain there was nothing down here in the way of treasure; that was probably just some myth perpetuated by a bored storyteller centuries ago, nevermind any Goa'uld. There seemed to be no more of a Goa'uld presence down here than in his own apartment, although the shadows could definitely trigger one's imagination. What would the villagers do, if he failed to bring up any treasure? Would they chain him up again? Would they even believe him? Daniel had to make sure Luzio came the rest of the way, to testify that he was telling the truth.

 

"Luzio…I know you haven't come farther than this before, but I really think you want to. Come with me, I promise nothing will happen to you."

 

Luzio eyed Daniel for a few moments. "Daniel…I have no intention of turning back. I've wanted to come down here since I was a boy. Do you see that hole in the floor? I shall attach this ladder, but it is my last one. You have more rope if we need it?"

 

"Yes, I do," Daniel smiled at him, a small weight lifting from his worries.

 

"Then I will leave the ladders in place, in case we need to come back this way…for some reason."

 

"Luzio, how do you know of the back exit, if no one's ever been down here?" Something just wasn't feeling right for Daniel; he had to be missing something.

 

"Daniel, I know only what the legends tell us. Some of us have gone partway along the rear exit, even though it was forbidden by our parents. It does lead into this cavern."

 

"Okay. You'll leave the ladders there?"

 

"I will."

 

Daniel watched as Luzio attached the second ladder. He then smiled uncertainly, beginning his descent. This hole went much deeper, the chimney growing even narrower before finally becoming a free pitch and opening into a wide yawning chamber, and more stones were scraped from the sides as Daniel lowered himself through. Reaching the last rung and shining his light into the blackness to make sure he wouldn't be landing in a pool of water, Daniel let himself drop the last three feet, Luzio following with apparent trepidation.

 

Once again, the flame stayed lit.

 

And in this huge, cool, underground chamber, the flashlight now gleamed off massive stalactites, shining brightly from the ceiling. Their counterparts met them upright from the floor forming columns, and Daniel could see the shapes becoming fantasy figures, if he let his imagination roam freely. Flowstone formations cascaded over the walls as if frozen in action, giving the impression of colourful ice in winter. Quartz crystals of various colours glinted off the walls, soda straws clustered in niches and clung to the higher surfaces, gypsum flowers embroidered the ceiling. The beauty itself may have led these villagers to think this place was sacred, or the legend may have been started by those who wanted to keep this cavern intact. Nothing like groups of gaping tourists to destroy a fragility nature took thousands of years to create. Here was where the treasures lay, and Daniel was even more convinced now that there would be nothing like riches or gold for him to bring back to the surface. Either way, though, they'd have to get through to the back exit to show that they'd made it through with no ill effects, having searched for gold the best they could. The sooner this was accomplished, the sooner he could get home… although he'd love for his teammates to see this.

 

Luzio was gaping in awe. "I have never imagined anything like this," he said.

 

"Luzio …I have a feeling this is the only treasure we will find down here."

 

Daniel searched the chamber, his flashlight finding two different passageways. One was a flattener, just a narrow opening through which they would have to slide on their stomachs, a small pile of debris partly blocking the way. He chose the second path, wide enough to let them squeeze through standing. Climbing over some broken rocks and a large fallen stalactite, he made his way into the passage.

 

Following this narrow winding corridor, Daniel found himself in a small open gallery, again filled with calcite and crystalline beauty. Studying the formations for a short while, he realized this room led nowhere, and if the flattener or squeeze in the first chamber was a dead end, their time in this cavern would be short-lived. They would have no choice but to return the way they'd come.

 

"Luzio? Come see this," Daniel called, his voice echoing. "This room is beautiful too, but it doesn't lead anywhere. We'll have to try the other hole." After waiting a few moments, after which time Luzio had still not appeared, the archaeologist squeezed back into the larger, generously endowed room.

 

Daniel froze in his tracks.

 

He couldn't return the way he'd come; the ladder was gone, and so was Luzio.

 

"Luzio!" He called, knowing the futility of the attempt. This had been a trap, and Luzio wasn't coming back.

 

"Luzio! Damn it."

 

Daniel stared in shock at the unreachable hole high in the ceiling above him, his flashlight barely illuminating it a dozen yards above his head. There was no other way up or out of this place, at least not back the way he'd come. He shone his light once again around the crystalline chamber, searching for any possible passage that he may have overlooked the first time, his feelings of awe having given way to frustration and despair.

 

Finally admitting defeat, Daniel realized that he would either have to wait for Jack to declare him missing, not that the villagers would let his team come down here after him, or check out the possibility of a back exit himself by way of the other smaller opening. At least that was something he could do now, instead of sitting around uselessly waiting.

 

Daniel turned to the miniscule tunnel in the limestone wall. Hopefully, this would lead to larger chambers and the back exit of the cave where his friends would be waiting for him. His flashlight indicated a slightly twisted route, and he couldn't see what lay beyond the first turn.

 

Pushing the debris out of the way, Daniel reached into the aperture with his arms, and pulled the rest of his body inside. This would be a tight fit, but spelunkers did it all the time. He'd done it more than once himself, in deep underground pyramids. No need to worry, right? Yet deep within, Daniel had the sinking feeling that this passage didn't really lead anywhere, that the outer, eerily beautiful room would be his home until his friends arrived. What had been the purpose of stranding him here? The men had to know his teammates would come looking for him eventually, and if the plan was to trap them all down here, why wouldn't they all have been allowed to come through in the first place? Were they hoping his friends would just give up and go home? Or had they done something to his teammates? This wasn't making any sense. Maybe Luzio had just gotten scared, and turned around out of fear.

 

So, why had he pulled up the ladder?

 

Daniel pushed his way forward, sliding and groping his way around the first bend in the tight crevice. Not his imagination, this was definitely getting even narrower, his jacket scraping bits of limestone off the sides of this horizontal aperture as he pulled himself through. Directly encountering a second turn in the tunnel, he carefully squeezed himself into a position on his elbows, the ceiling an inch or two higher at this point, and peered around the bend. Daniel's hopes shattered, as his light jammed up against nothing but solid rock. This tunnel led absolutely nowhere.

 

And out of another nowhere, the rushed noises began.

 

"Luzio?" Had the man come back, after all?

 

Sudden crushing sounds, a dragging and scraping coming from the opening from which he'd begun. Daniel tried as quickly as he could manage to slide back around the bend to the far end of this compact tunnel, when his feet hit rock.

 

What the….

 

Oh, fuck.

 

Daniel lay motionless on his stomach, frozen in shock. His mind was collecting images that made no sense, his belief system shattering with the trust he'd placed in some misguided aliens. Luzio had come back, not for him, but to entrap him within a shallow, suffocating split in a rock wall, and he'd been stupid enough to fall for it. God, they'd trapped him in here.

 

In a matter of mere moments, a group of unenlightened citizens had plugged up his only way out.

 

Muffled voices mixed with more scraping and shoving of rock. Luzio and the others had obviously been waiting for this move from up above.

 

This never had been a sacred cave.

 

"Luzio!" Daniel called futilely. A barely audible, muffled voice came to him from beyond several feet of plugged-up space.

 

"You stole our soil. The earth has you now."

 

Daniel couldn't believe he'd let this happen. All the signs had pointed to deceit…his radio being taken from him, his friends being told to wait on the other side of the cliff. Pretense of riches in a cave no one had ever ventured into. God, how could he have been so stupid?

 

Daniel turned onto his back and kicked at the rock beyond his feet, but whatever plugs had been jammed into the aperture were staying put.

 

Time to get suspicious, Jack.

 

_____

 

They'd reached an even higher level of the escarpment, where it snaked around a bend to offer a stunning view of the countryside, after having hiked for another two solid hours. This had been way farther than the couple of miles Daniel had mentioned. A massive hole now loomed before them, and Jack stepped inside, seeing nothing but a large, empty, cavernous space. "Back door, huh?" A hand on his shoulder caused him to swing around. Their guide, a local who had come on horseback as far up the cliff as his animal would go, had a hard look on his face, and was shaking his head.

 

"O'Neill, I do not believe you are welcome to proceed any further."

 

"Yeah, well. Just checking out the neighbourhood." As the villager settled himself comfortably in the center of the cave entrance, Jack looked at the Jaffa. "Teal'c, I hate to do this to you, but would you mind going back to the front door now and keeping watch? Keep in radio contact, okay?"

 

"Indeed, O'Neill."

 

As Teal'c set off, Jack caught Carter's eye. "And now we wait," he sighed, sitting down just below the entrance to the cave, looking over the view from his position high above the valley.

 

_____

 

No matter how hard he kicked at those rocks, they wouldn't budge, and now his ankles and calves ached fiercely. There wasn't even enough space in here to turn around. Not that that would help him, those rocks were wedged in tightly. Surely his teammates would come soon? The air was getting thick and stale in this cramped narrow space, and the heat was nearly intolerable. The assumption that all caves, at least those on Earth, stay basically at the cool temperature of 54ºF did not seem to be holding true for narrow blocked passages within them. At least not with a single individual inhaling most of the air and both ends blocked off from further ventilation.

 

Daniel twisted around, trying to get into a more comfortable position. He couldn't relieve the discomfort nor the distinct feeling that soon he would be inhaling nothing but carbon dioxide.

 

_____

 

Jack slumped down next to Carter, tired and bored of pacing. "What's taking so long?"

 

Sam shrugged. "I have no idea, Sir. Maybe there's writing down there. Or the tunnels are a lot longer than we anticipated. Cave passageways often wind for miles, leading nowhere, forcing you to backtrack."

 

"Or something's happened. We wouldn't even know, Major."

 

"He's alright, Sir. I'm sure of it."

 

"Oh you are, are you? And how exactly do you know that?"

 

Sam stared at Jack squinting at her, that determined expression enveloping his features. Okay, he'd called her on that round of optimism, and she had no answer.

 

_____

 

Daniel had kept kicking at the barricade of rocks blocking his only way out, succeeding only in jarring his ankles. The mass that Luzio's group had put there wasn't budging, and judging by the shortened length of the opening, they must have shoved in several extra feet of stone, likely including that broken bit of stalactite. The enclosure was now not more than eleven or twelve feet long, counting the narrow twist, and was barely the width of his body. Turning was difficult and cost him to expend more energy and air than it was worth, so he lay where he was on his back, trying to calm his fears and lower his intake of oxygen. For hours now, Daniel had felt the dusty air growing musty and hot, thick with the use of oxygen not being replaced. Breathing had grown difficult, and Daniel could feel his pulse rapidly racing. What little air was left in here wasn't going to last the afternoon, and that was an overestimate, but surely his friends would come looking for him long before that? And where were they, anyway? He must've been trapped here for most of the day already.

 

Deep inside, in a place he really didn't want to acknowledge, Daniel had a bad feeling that something terrible had happened to them. His friends may have been overpowered and sent home, or maybe they had been tricked in some other way. After all, it was now obvious these people had not been honest in their intentions, and really had not believed SG-1's truthful story about the gold and naquadah. His friends had been sent to wait for him at an exit that didn't exist, a wild goose chase, almost an hour 's hike each way; had they still not realized that they'd been fooled? Or had they been pushed over the cliff? In the blackness, it was hard to quell the fears and terrible images that kept surfacing.

 

Lying there in the darkness, for there was no reason to waste his flashlight batteries, the archaeologist closed his eyes and lay still, the sound of nothingness encompassing him in this claustrophobic rocky tomb. God, this was too absurd, how could he have let this happen?

 

Yet no matter which way he thought of it, Daniel could see no other option on his part or that of SG-1. How else could they have set him free? Why would they have considered these people to be lying? What clues had there been to tip them off to the dishonesty of Berrin and his friends? The greed of these people for the supposed treasures inside these caverns was such a plausible probablility, so characteristic of what they had come to know of these people in such a short time, that it had barely occurred to Daniel to assume they were lying.

 

Maybe they hadn't been? Maybe their curiosity had been sincere? No, they'd intended all along to kill him, to entrap him in this crevice. They'd been down here enough to at least know of the existence of this hole. They must have set this up during the previous night or presumed negotiations earlier in the day.

 

They'd known what they were doing, known that it wouldn't take long before the air would get so consumed he wouldn't be able to breathe. His head was feeling light, dizziness had been accompanied by a severe headache for the past hour or more, the taste in his mouth was not being relieved by water, and nausea was escalating. The feelings of panic were swelling, and Daniel knew that his friends were not going to make it in time. He knew what it felt like to suffocate; it had happenend to him once before with a brute's arm around his throat, and the inability to get air into his lungs had been a terrifying sensation. Now, it was happening again, only way more slowly. No one was choking him now but the dark recesses of a planet's rocky interior. And this time, he was alone.

 

God, what a turn of events after innocently setting out to collect naquadah samples, something they were so used to doing as a first-contact team. Jack would blame himself if his teammate died in here, Daniel knew that.

 

Jack. I can't even say good-bye.

 

You tried to warn me last night but I wouldn't listen; it's my fault, Jack. You'll know that and still you'll blame yourself; you'll curse me and you'll be angry for so long, but please forgive me at some point, Jack, please don't hate me for not listening to you.

 

Striking his lighter for the third time was more difficult in this confined space, hampered by trembling fingers he had little control over, but this time, as Daniel had suspected would happen, the flame quickly died out.

 

A moment of sheer terror seized him, and Daniel slammed his fists against the stone wall. "NO!!!!" he screamed out, a final display of panic heard by no one, and he slammed his fists again. The pain was irrelevant, for he knew that any time now it would be gone, everything would be gone, and he would have to feel no more.

 

_____

 

Jack looked at his watch yet again, and at the sun fading beyond the horizon. The villager had gone about half an hour ago, miming that he was going to feed his horse and would be back. "Daniel should've been out by now, Carter. The area doesn't look that big. He should've been out by now." He spoke into his radio. " Teal'c? Any activity at your end? Is anyone with you?"

 

"Negative, O'Neill. There has been no one here since I arrived."

 

"What do you think's taking so long, Teal'c?"

 

"It is likely that Daniel Jackson has indeed found something of interest within the cavern. Perhaps there are writings on the walls."

 

"Yeah, well maybe something happened to him. I say we go in the back way and get him out." Jack's distinctly uncomfortable feeling had been tugging at him for a while, his instincts warning him that something was wrong. Daniel might have been intrigued by something down there alright, maybe that cave really was an ancient gathering place of gold-worshippers, but he had also been guided down there by someone Jack didn't have any reason to even partially trust.

 

"Let's give it another hour, Sir. There should still be about two hours of daylight left."

 

"I'd rather go in before Horsefeed gets back."

 

"They made it clear they don't want us in the cave, Sir. That wouldn't go over well for Daniel."

 

For Daniel. Fine. Jack settled down restlessly. Outnumbered two to one, he'd compromise and give it forty-five minutes, whether or not that other guy came back.

 

_____

 

no air

 

no air

 

one more breath, almost

 

no air

 

And Daniel struggled second by second, each unsatisfying gasp now just one extra moment of life. He was too weak to move, too much effort was involved in raising an arm to wipe away the sweat from his face, the tears from his eyes. Mostly now, the shaking wouldn't stop.

 

His chest felt like it was being crushed.

 

Where are you guys?

 

I'm dying down here.

 

_____

 

"Enough." Jack had given them thirty-five minutes, and still Daniel had not shown up. Readying his flashlight, he climbed up the few metres to the cave's back entrance where he and Carter had been perched. Entering the spacious chamber, he headed towards the back passageway, a narrow tunnel which stretched about fifteen feet in length, before twisting around a corner. Looking back to see his teammate following, Jack continued on.

 

Rounding the bend in the limestone wall, crouching so as not to bump his head on the low ceiling, Jack froze.

 

"Sir?" Carter called, seeing him pause in the pathway.

 

"Dead end, Carter."

 

"That's impossible, Sir!"

 

"Oh it is, is it?" Jack swung around, his eyes flashing in anger. "There is no back entrance to this damn cavern, Carter!"

 

Sam' confusion was not hidden in her voice. "Why would they tell us there was, Sir?"

 

"Your guess is as good as mine, Major! Teal'c?" he shouted into the radio. "Wait for us, we're coming down. Be there in a couple of hours." And what do you bet we won't meet a rider feeding his horse along the way?

 

_____

 

Can't think

 

Where am I?

 

Is this Earth?

 

Can't focus

 

Where's … J…uh…?

 

Jack?

 

No one gets left behind

 

Can't

 

What's happening?

 

And a sudden calmness overtook him, the man who had survived three staff wounds, four ribbon devices, a barrage of rocks in a naquadah mine, and suffocation in another underground prison.

 

_____

 

No, he hadn't wanted Teal'c to enter the cave alone, and now he could see why. The depressions in the ground led into a deep downwards fissure, too steep and narrow to be attempted without ropes. If Daniel was hurt down there, there'd be hell to pay.

 

"Daniel?" Jack called into the shaft. There was no response.

 

"Damn it." Jack turned frostily to his two teammates. "Let's go find those townspeople. How much of the language did you pick up, Carter?"

 

_____

 

It had been dark for at least two hours by the time they located the house they thought to belong to Berrin. He'd slammed open the unlocked door, and now O'Neill's eyes blazed furiously at Berrin, Luzio, and three other men, eating dinner at a table with three middle-aged women dressed in long frocks and aprons embroidered with gold. Behind Jack, Teal'c and Sam watched in silence.

 

"Carter - ask them what they've done with Daniel."

 

Sam stepped out of the shadows, passing Jack. She hesitantly spoke in Spanish, substituting some of the vowel sounds and consonants she'd heard Daniel use. She knew most of what she was saying was incomprehensible to these men, but she also knew they understood SG-1's body language and facial expressions, and they did understand Daniel's name. These men had probably been expecting them for hours, laughing at how long they'd been fooled.

 

Sam was able to understand better than she could speak.

 

"Sir…they say they all left hours ago. I think they said they don't know where Daniel is, that he probably, uh, 'chickened out' and came out the front."

 

"Bullshit!" Jack exploded. "Teal'c was out there the whole time! If Daniel had come out before Teal'c got there, they would've met up on the way."

 

"I know that, Sir." Carter's eyes held the same fear he was feeling.

 

"Damn them. Let's go."

 

"Sir?"

 

"Daniel's either still in the cavern, or they've got him locked up again somewhere. I'm guessing the cavern."

 

"What about the ropes, Colonel?"

 

Jack paused for just a moment. "Ask for them, Major."

 

Heads shook and shoulders shrugged at Carter's words. The men either didn't understand, or were unwilling to comply. Sam took out a paper and drew a picture, a rope ladder, as the men looked at each other and shrugged once again.

 

Charging Luzio, Jack's arm was across the man's throat, pinning him to the wall before anyone could react. "We need ropes," he growled. Teal'c aimed his staff weapon as the other men moved towards Jack, and in a moment the device was charged. Teal'c fired once at the back wall, leaving a gaping hole in the painted brick, then turned the weapon on the men.

 

"Ropes!" Jack glared into Luzio's frightened eyes.

 

Teal'c's weapon remained charged and aimed at the group of nervous men, until one woman disappeared into another room, re-emerging with two rope ladders. Carter grabbed them away. "Got them, Sir."

 

Jack released Luzio, saying nothing more before exiting and taking off into the darkness, knowing intuitively that the rest of his team was following.

 

_____

 

Two more hours of exhausted trekking in the darkness, several stumbles but the pace intentionally quicker than before, and the black hole of the cavern loomed before them.

 

"Teal'c, keep watch out front. Let us know if anyone approaches." Jack didn't want the rest of his team to disappear the way that Daniel had, and he didn't trust the men in the village not to appear out of the darkness.

 

Entering the cave, O'Neill led the way through the low narrow passageways. "Daniel?" he called, reaching the open room. The sound echoed through the cavern, but there was no reply.

 

"Sir, here's the drop. I can see where they attached the ladder."

 

Climbing down, the two teammates entered another open spacious chamber, but could see no sign of their missing teammate. "Daniel?" Jack tried calling again.

 

"Another vertical pitch, sir. It's deep."

 

"If this isn't the last, Carter, you'll have to come up here again and pass me down the ladder, then wait here. I'll need you up on top to catch the rope later when I…we come back up." Daniel had to be stranded down there somewhere, maybe hurt, but he was down there.

 

"Yes Sir."

 

Descending the ladder, they came upon the glorious crystal and calcite room, the stalactities and stalagmites casting shadows on the walls of limestone as the flashlights illuminated the wondrous interior.

 

"God, Daniel must've loved this," Sam murmured.

 

"Daniel?" Jack called, heading into the narrow tunnel which led to the second sparkling room, only to return moments later. "It's a dead end," he reported.

 

"That can't be, Sir…so Daniel really did exit after Luzio?"

 

Jack's flashlight and eyes had fallen on the far wall, where a three-foot stretch of gold pipe locked in place seemed to be barricading a boulder. Bits of fallen rock and broken stalagmites were piled against it. Walking over, he shoved the fragments aside, letting them clatter around the hard rock ground, then slid the barrier out of its chiselled holding loops. "Strange place for a barricade, you think?" his glare caused a shudder to course through Sam.

 

"Something's been locked inside…this could have been done centuries ago, Sir …a wild animal, or …Goa'uld?" This could be the source of the legends. More than once, they'd seen long-buried Goa'uld set free. What if the colonel was about to do the same now?

 

"I'm betting this pipe's newer than that, Carter." He did not want to think of what might really be barricaded into the tunnel. "Help me here."

 

The boulder turned out to be a large circular section of calcium carbonate stalactite, and was wedged in tightly. Even with the two of them pulling, scraped fingers was the only result. "Carter, you have some tools in your bag that you get naquadah samples out of the ground with?"

 

"Yes Sir." Sam pulled out a chisel.

 

Jack began to gouge the edges of the calcite mass, until finally he could get a better grasp. Together, they slowly pulled out the plug, jumping away as it crashed to the ground and slid a few inches. Clumps of broken limestone rock presented themselves before him, but these were easier to remove. Finally, having suffered a number of scraped and bruised fingers, crawling a few feet into the hole to remove the last of the small boulders and praying he would not be setting free a live Goa'uld, O'Neill pulled out the final of the smaller rocks plugging up the first few feet of passageway.

 

Turning his light now into the narrow tunnel, his stomach lurched as his vision confirmed what he had been dreading. Peering into the hole, he could make out a pair of boots and legs. "God," he whispered, trying to calm the chill that shuddered through him.

 

"Sir?" Sam was at his back.

 

"Daniel," Jack whispered. He cleared his throat. "Daniel?" he said more loudly, but there was no response. Quickly, crawling into the tunnel on his stomach he grabbed the boots, pulling. Slowly, carefully, he and Carter dragged the body through the narrow aperture, and helped lower their friend to the floor.

 

Daniel's eyes were partly open, and he was not breathing. The expression of tranquility on his face was betrayed by the dried tear tracks coursing through the dust on his cheeks, revealing the truth of his final moments.

 

"Oh!" Carter's stifled gasp forced O'Neill to meet her eyes, her horrified expression matching the agony within him. Grabbing Sam tightly, Jack held his arms around her neck, her body rigid as she pressed her fingers into his shoulders and clamped her eyes shut.

 

Oh God. Jack continued to hold onto Carter, staring down in shock at the teammate lying at their feet, so silent and still. Oh god.

 

Oh god, Daniel.

 

Carter could no longer stifle the sobs that were building up within her, and she pulled away. Disappearing into the narrow passageway at the far end of the cavernous, beautiful room, she lowered herself to the cold rocky ground, holding her head in her hands, and, as quietly as she could, let her tears fall.

 

Slowly, Jack knelt down, leaning over his friend. Daniel, no.

 

God.

 

Frozen with disbelief, Jack stared into the half-open eyes of his lifeless teammate. Daniel. God.

 

Daniel.

 

What the hell have we done to you? God, what you were going through, while we sat and did nothing. While I sat and waited for you to come out a nonexistent exit, you waited for a rescue that wasn't coming. Oh God I'm so sorry. Jack touched his friend's cold face. I'm so sorry. He didn't bother stopping the wetness rolling down his own cheeks onto his friend's jacket; who the hell was here to see it anyway…

 

I'm so, so sorry.

 

Trembling fingers continued to rest on his friend's cold cheek, as Jack tried to cope with the emotions that were waging war within him.

 

Sam's voice was strange in the echoing chamber; it had a haunted, eery quality that told of someone who had just suffered an inescapable loss, suddenly finding a magical hope. "They have a sarcophagus."

 

"I know." Jack remained motionless.

 

"Won't…" she cleared her throat, and tried again. "Won't we use it, Sir?" We have to use it, Colonel.

 

"Of course, we will, Carter." How the hell could she think they wouldn't?

 

But having a sarcophagus doesn't negate what you were forced to go through while I did nothing. Jack couldn't take his eyes off the closest friend he'd had since Sara, lying there pale and cold because of his lack of action. Because of his lack of command. He'd trusted, where he'd learned long ago not to trust. Trusted against his friend's life, his teammate's pain. I'm so sorry, my friend. So, so sorry. Resting his hand in Daniel's hair, Jack closed his wet eyes, the images of Daniel's silent features permeating even that terrible darkness.

 

I never meant to hurt you Daniel, to leave you alone like this. I never wanted anyone to hurt you.

 

You know that, don't you? You have to know that.

 

"How soon after… do we have to use it?" he asked quietly.

 

"I have no idea Sir. But we should try as soon as we can."

 

"We will."

 

Jack took a deep breath, and switched on his radio. "Teal'c…we need your help in here."

 

_____

 

They carried him down the slope of the escarpment, carried him across the fields to the village, carried him past the town that was in bed for the night, carried him tenderly and silently. Stopping four times along the way for a rest, not knowing if time was of the essence or irrelevant, they had no choice but to lay Daniel down periodically and flex their arms and other muscles.

 

But laying him down was almost worse than not stopping at all, for never was there such a striking disparity, such a horrifyingly stark contrast, between the breathing, moving actions of healthy individuals even in a state of shock, and the lifeless, limp form of a valued and loyal friend.

 

Jack would not leave his teammate's side, while Sam couldn't bear to be close. Seeing his body in the short grass, even by the light of the stars, caused her heart to scream of their failure, and she fought the urge to hold him while at the same time wishing to deny his silent existence only four feet away. His existence… he'd been vibrant and alive, albeit worried, when she'd seen him last in the morning… but where was he now? If his soul had carried on, surely no sarcophagus could still revive him?

 

Teal'c stood in deep sorrow, gazing upon his young friend from several feet away. The warrior had little doubt the technology of the Goa'uld would heal his teammate, if it was indeed still operational, but appropriating its use might lead to violence. Yet he would give his own life before leaving this planet without having tried, of this there was no doubt in his heart. He continued to observe his two other teammates, hating to witness such internal, emotional turmoil and pain. He would reassure them if he could, yet he knew it was best to remain silent. We do not know for what reason the Goa'uld left the sarcophagus behind, O'Neill; it may not properly function, were words he would not burden his teammates with. Yet even without speaking, he was aware this fear lay deep within them as well.

 

Jack knelt by the body of the friend who had pulled him out of many a foul mood with his humour, his patience, his words, his presence, a man whose friendship he'd taken for granted, barely taking the time to acknowledge, yet knowing he needed desperately. Unable to take his eyes off Daniel's pallid stillness, he grasped a cold, swollen and bruised hand tightly in both of his and silently repeated, like a mantra on autopilot, I'm so sorry, my friend. So very, very sorry.

 

Teal'c did not choose willingly to break into the thoughts of his forlorn teammates, but he felt they had rested enough and this lapse was doing Daniel Jackson no good. "We must continue, O'Neill," he said quietly.

 

_____

 

When they finally arrived at the temple's walls, glinting golden in the moonlight, eight men appeared out of the darkness, barring their way.

 

"You are not allowed access to the Temple," was a statement understood by the remaining three teammates. The body language spoke for itself.

 

"Let's put him down, Teal'c," Jack advised, and, upon doing so, raised his zat and fired at four of the men in succession. The remaining four grabbed their weapons and directed them at SG-1.

 

"Tell them we have something better than gold, Carter." Jack stated loudly while staring the men down. "Tell them we can offer eternal life."

 

"Sir?" Carter looked worried. "You know what the sarcophagus will do to them."

 

"I know what it won't do for Daniel if we don't get him in there. Tell them."

 

"I'll try, Sir." So, in her broken Spanish, trying to add what she'd learned from Daniel and feeling she was getting nowhere, Sam relayed the message as best she could. "If your golden box can bring him back to life, will you let us go home?" she added.

 

The others watched in awe as the zatted men began to recover; what manner of magic was this? They had seen the men shot and fall right before their eyes. After a brief huddle, they moved away and allowed SG-1 to pass through the temple doors.

 

_____

 

Things did not go over so well with the few night temple patrons when SG-1 began to remove the gold blocks from the sarcophagus.

 

"They are stealing again?" the men shouted, and SG-1 found themselves once again facing long coiled muzzles, the men trying to force the teammates up against the wall.

 

"You said we could use your box!" Carter thought she shouted something resembling that message. "So you get the gold out!"

 

Throwing them a disdainful look, the large men finally began to lift out the dozens of gold blocks, hoisting them well out of the way of SG-1 and depositing them at the far end of the room, where four armed men were then stationed to guard over their hoard. They were taking no unnecessary chances with their precious 'power source'.

 

Ignoring his vulnerability by sitting down, Jack kneeled at Daniel's shoulder, looking at his young teammate… his young, dead, teammate. Tracing his fingers down Daniel's cheek and shuddering again at the coldness, he was having difficulty believing his friend would really wake up, that this box could bring life back into his fragile body and love back into his compassionate soul. He was just so… dead.

 

No. He'd wake up, he had to. Jack had seen Skaara rise again after being killed with O'Neill's own bullets; he'd seen Daniel and Sha're revived, and this time would be no different.

 

As long as this long-unused sarcophagus still functioned as it was supposed to. Why had the Goa'uld left it here, if it did?

 

Jack gazed upon his friend's lifeless face, eyes formerly expressionless only in sleep, features hiding the horror of asphyxiating while waiting for a rescue that could easily have come on time. Only Daniel's hands testified to the panic he'd lived through. If this didn't work, Jack knew, he would not only never be able to lead a team through the Stargate without Daniel, he would never be able to face himself again.

 

As the men worked, and there was certainly a lot of gold to get out of that sarcophagus, Sam watched the emotions playing across her CO's face. Her own eyes were still wet, that had barely changed since the moment they'd horrifyingly discovered Daniel's body, and she knew the colonel was going through his own hell. Right now, though, she couldn't bring herself to acknowledge his pain; she was having too much trouble trying to cope with her own. Daniel had not deserved this treatment; even if this sarcophagus restored life to her best friend, she would feel the guilt each and every time she looked into his eyes, encountered him in the corridors, stood beside him on the Stargate ramp. She had convinced her CO to wait just that little bit longer…wait for a Daniel who was in all likelihood caught up in some great new find within the cavern and losing track of time; wait for a Daniel to emerge who was in fact in the middle of frantically trying not to die… while she convinced her CO to sit around looking at the glorious view from the hilltop.

 

And all this because Daniel had been helping her collect soil samples.

 

Damn it, she couldn't stop the tears again, and covered her face with her hands. Now that they had a moment to stop and rest, it was too easy to think of what Daniel…her closest friend and confidant… the compassionate colleague who had charmed his way into her heart from the moment they'd met… had gone through. He'd been left all alone, by his teammates, abandoned, even though they had not realized they were doing so. They'd let him down, so badly. God, even if the sarcophagus could revive him, he had died alone, and that could never be disputed nor erased.

 

And even if Daniel didn't wake up blaming them, hating them …Sam knew that both she and the colonel would never stop blaming themselves.

 

The men had packed the final block of gold onto the back pile, and now stood as if waiting for the magic to begin. The skeptical looks on their faces indicated that they expected this was just a trick, another lie.

 

SG-1 had no idea what would happen to them if the sarcophagus didn't work as expected.

 

Carefully, Jack and Teal'c placed Daniel into the bottom of the Goa'uld contraption.

 

As the lid slid closed over their friend and fellow cosmic explorer, the remainder of SG-1 once again sat down to wait.

 

_____

 

It was obvious the men were growing impatient.

 

The snide remarks were only partly understood by Carter and Jack, but the body language and tone of voice were comprehensible in any language.

 

And SG-1 themselves were growing unnerved, it had already been eighty-four minutes.

 

How would they know if this thing was working?

 

Could it be …like, unplugged? Power source off? And what of all the years of it being used as a storage compartment for bars of gold? Could that not wear it out, cause a short, blow a fuse…? They had no idea at all how a sarcophagus operated. In all their years dealing with Goa'uld arrogance and devices, they had never had the chance to actually study one of these machines. Could it have been reprogrammed by the Goa'uld to treat the gold… and therefore Daniel… as stored goods?

 

Jack alternately paced and sat, his nerves waging war on his abdominal muscles. "How can you do that, Teal'c?"

 

"To what are you referring, O'Neill?"

 

"Your ability to just sit there and not move. You haven't said anything in the past two hours."

 

"There has been no more I can do to help Daniel Jackson, O'Neill. We have little choice but to wait calmly."

 

"Right." Right, right, right, no. Damn it, Daniel, wake up, wake up, wake up. Jack paced some more, glancing over at the sarcophagus as if daring it to open.

 

Several of the men were leaving, others had brought some food back in and were noisily munching away. Carter felt her stomach churning at the very thought of eating now. She'd been holding the nausea back for the last four or five hours, since leaving that cavern. Daniel was still dead, damn it, and he was lying in a box of alien origin. No matter how many times she had heard about her teammates using this contraption, even having seen Daniel survive a staff blast and the colonel's Jaffa pouch healed, this was the first time that she had actually seen it up close and working on the dead… or expecting it to. Sam considered the possibility that she might never feel like eating again.

 

_____

 

"I don't think it's working." Jack had finally uttered those words, too quietly for the village men to hear, not that they would have understood anything but the resignation and hopelessness in his voice. It had been four and a half hours…hell, back on Apophis's ship Daniel had been healed in mere minutes. Not that he'd been dead, of course. "I think he was… gone too long."

 

"Sir…" Sam tried to control her tears again, and found herself temporarily succeeding. "No disrespect intended, but …shut up, Sir… please."

 

The colonel looked up sharply. "Come again, Carter?"

 

"I'm not ready to give up yet, Colonel. Not for Daniel."

 

Jack remained quiet. Well Daniel, it's surprisingly difficult to kill you… A statement that he'd uttered in relief to his friend after a vigil of fearing him dead in a naquadah mine, it surged swiftly into his mind now, Jack cursing the stupidity of those words. Easy to say to a Daniel who had been standing there alive and healthy in front of him, they now seemed like a jinx, daring his friend to try yet again to survive against all odds.

 

He was exhausted, how many nights had it been since they'd properly slept? It had been a while since he'd gotten up to pace, and now he contented himself with leaning his head against the wall, eyes closed, and praying. Not that he believed in that or felt he had any right to do so, sticking his friend in a contraption of alien origin because he'd failed to do his job of keeping his teammate safe in the first place. But Daniel…Daniel had the right to have prayers, and if anyone was listening, he would be the one they'd listen for.

 

They say the good die young; no wonder you have to keep going through this, Danny. They want you up there, on the other side, with them, just the same as we do.

 

Teal'c had been in a state of kel'no'reem for most of the past hour; Jack would've bet that maybe he was praying too, in his own way. In whatever way Jaffa learn to do that.

 

"Sir…I'm sorry. But if you remember… Skaara, Klorel, had been in the sarcophagus for eighteen hours after you shot him."

 

"I do remember, Carter. I thought of that. But I figured it was because he had a host and a snake to heal."

 

"Maybe it was just because he'd been dead, Sir. For a shorter time than Daniel."

 

"It healed Sha're in minutes, on Ra's ship."

 

"But …but she hadn't been dead very long, Daniel told me that."

 

"Or maybe the box isn't working properly, Carter."

 

_____

 

The men had finally gotten fed up. Rising, three of them lifted their weapons and angrily motioned for SG-1 to open the box and leave the temple with their dead one.

 

Jack jumped wearily to his feet, finding adrenalin quickly rushing to his brain and muscles, sore after nearly six hours of sitting. The sun was already rising, its embers filtering in under the temple door.

 

"Shut up!" he yelled, waving his zat. "And sit down!" Motioning to the men to go back and join the others, he had, in plain English fury, made his point.

 

Seating himself back down against the wall, Jack threw them his dirtiest look, and muttered to his surprised teammates, "Daniel's not ready to leave yet."

 

Carter was right, Daniel could take all the time he wanted.

 

I can't leave him like this, and I won't…… so this whole friendship thing we've been working on the last few years……this is crazy, we don't know what could be there waiting for us when we come through…….this is a good day to die … I guess I never really knew you at all ……If you know in advance that everything will be going back to the way it was, then you could do anything……I just don't understand why they would continue to fight a war when there's another choice…… we've communicated, we're friends…… Jack, don't be an ass……

 

Behind his closed eyelids, mission after mission played itself out, echoing Daniel's words and life and enthusiasm, his pain and frustrations and anger. Over the years Daniel had become more and more bold, trusting implicitly that he could make himself heard, his feelings known, without being ostracized, knowing he was part of an unconditional family that had chosen to have him as a member. The voice in Jack's head, Daniel's voice, was unintentionally lighting a fire under his guilt of having left his friend alone, trusting a situation that had no right to be trusted. He'd let Daniel be buried alive.

 

Jack jolted awake. The dark, claustrophobic confinement that he'd been in for only a few moments while pulling out his friend's lifeless body, was already giving him nightmares. And Daniel had been forced to lie trapped in there for hours.

 

His teammates had dozed off against the wall, but exhausted as he was, Jack had no desire to fall back asleep. The minutes ticked on, and Jack knew he'd wait for days, if it came to that. Daniel could take all the time he needed, and they'd wait as patiently as Daniel had waited for a rescue that had never come.

 

So it was almost unexpected when the sarcophagus' wings slowly slid open, fourteen people suddenly sitting upright, holding their breaths.

 

"Daniel?" Jack jumped up, making his way over to the box. Would this thing open if the person inside could not be healed?

 

_____

 

Daniel took a deep inhalation, savouring the oxygen seeping into his lungs, his first thought being that the airless enclosure had not killed him after all.

 

And then, he saw the misty light streaming in above him, and the space …no longer was he entombed in a rocky fissure. How stupid he had been, to climb into that in the first place. Jack would so give him shit. But he could breathe, and that joyful realization caused him to smile.

 

"Daniel?"

 

He heard the voice from out there, and slowly he sat up, as a head… Jack's head, peered down at him. Oh hold on …shit, he knew this feeling…this was a sarcophagus? Oh, not again.

 

"Yes!" Jack's grin was seen by all in the temple, and Daniel felt himself being pulled into a tight …very tight… embrace.

 

Daniel thought he could imagine what his teammates had been going through for …how long had it been? A couple of hours? But they'd known about the sarcophagus, so why did Jack seem so surprised, so relieved? Daniel, on the other hand, had forgotten all about it, as he'd lain struggling for breath.

 

Jack couldn't seem to let go. He really, truly hadn't known whether this thing would work, whether he'd ever talk to Daniel again, offer him a beer, buy him a steak, order pizza after a long hard mission… one sort of like this, actually. He hadn't really known that for sure, although he'd hoped… prayed…. His friend had been healed in a machine constructed on an alien planet, using technology no one on Earth knew about. This was all so very, very unnatural and he didn't give a damn.

 

"I do not understand why you are still crying, Major Carter." The quiet voice at her shoulder brought her thoughts back to reality. For the past few moments she'd watched a miracle, and seen her CO releasing his emotions as on another day when Daniel had come back from the supposed dead …yet again. That time, she had felt so joyous to be in the archaeologist's presence, that she had vowed never to forget her feelings towards him. She had, though, or at least let them be buried on too many occasions. From now on, she'd have to keep reminding Daniel just what he meant to her.

 

Now, Teal'c was reminding her that her eyes seemed to be leaking even more furiously than before, but the tears were those of relief and contentment. God, she had her confidant back, and could nearly forget how angry she'd been with herself the past few hours. Later, she'd think about that. Later. Right now, she'd just enjoy looking at him, talking to him, hugging him, as soon as her CO let go.

 

They had all but forgotten the men of the village, the eleven who had spent the night with them in the temple and were now staring wide-eyed, in shock, fear, terror, surprise, glee. Whatever magic this was, they owned it, for the golden box belonged to them and these strangers could not steal it from them.

 

_____

 

Daniel had finally been helped out of the sarcophagus, and had turned to the village men whose subdued conversation he was comprehending.

 

"Yes, you can heal your citizens if the Ring of Life is activated and causes destruction," he warned them, "but if you take advantage, use this box when you do not need to, it will destroy your souls. That is what it does." What right did he have to keep using it to restore his own life, and ask them not to do the same for themsleves? No, they could be free of the Goa'uld for good, no longer fear them, with this box.

 

These people would no longer have to work so hard at sending gold through the Stargate, to a race of parasites they didn't even realize existed. For with an alternative to the fear of bombs and destruction, they now had a reason to challenge the power of the Ring of Life.

 

"Bury the Ring of Life. The destructive forces will not be able to come through." This was the best advice Daniel could give them. For if they thought nature could be halted, that would be all they might need to alter their way of life.

 

"You are certain of this?"

 

"Positive."

 

"And if you are wrong and we are taken… if many are taken from us …they can be revived!" they cheerily shouted, the first of a people to find themselves acknowleging their freedom from the slave Ring that had bound them for centuries. They would still have to convince the many others; to those who had not seen Daniel rise it would seem like sacrilege.

 

But Daniel knew that because of his ordeal, these people would, soon enough, be free.

 

"Bury your ring, put it deep below ground. Nothing will be able to harm you through it," he promised. "Of course, wait for us to go home first."

 

_____

 

As they neared the gate, Daniel contemplated the golden bird statuettes in their open cages. Long ago, some of their people must have known the gods or legends were false, perhaps those who had started the myth of the winds in the first place, people under Goa'uld rule. For these lovely birds in their open cages were being allowed to fly, as the sarcophagus would one day allow their people to be set free. These little symbols of freedom from gold worship were just waiting for the moment that someone would come and interpret their message, their wisdom, and act upon it.

 

Daniel noticed Jack watching him. "These are symbolic of the freedom of these people, Jack. Someone a long, long time ago knew the power of the sarcophagus, and tried to tell them, in story, in art, of their eventual victory over the Goa'uld."

 

"You would see it that way, Daniel."

 

"But Jack…it's obvious."

 

Jack's fleeting smile matched his imperceptible nod. And if we had been forced to leave here without knowing that, would it have made any difference? If you had not been here to share that, would we have missed it? Jack thought of all the little bits of knowledge Daniel had passed on to them over the years, and his own exasperated reactions. Would he miss never experiencing those again?

 

Damn right he would.

 

_____

 

"Jack?" Daniel had finally cornered him in the parking level of Cheyenne Mountain. "Have you been avoiding me?" Less than a mouthful of words had passed between them since they'd returned to Earth yesterday, Jack always rushing off to meetings or to the gym. Daniel hadn't figured this chat would be worth enduring a round of sparring.

 

Jack sighed. "Not really," he lied, trying to avoid Daniel's intense gaze. Damn, there was nothing to fiddle with here except his keys. "Want a ride?"

 

"Uh …thanks, no. I'm not ready to leave yet."

 

"So why are you in the parking garage?" Jack looked at his friend. He knew damn well why, and knew also he could no longer avoid this conversation.

 

"Jack… you couldn't have known."

 

"Daniel… look, I waited a hell of a lot longer than I knew I should have. I'm really, really sorry."

 

The guilt was evident in Jack's expression, in his voice, in his eyes, and Daniel wanted to ease it away before it interfered with their friendship. "I don't think you made any wrong calls, Jack."

 

"Listen, Daniel…"

 

"No, Jack, it's okay. I admit I was scared, it was hard being trapped in there, but we got through this like we've done before." There was no real need to tell Jack just how terrified he'd been, both of dying, and of leaving his friends. He'd never even thought of the sarcophagus.

 

"Sure, everything's okay, they had a sarcophagus," Jack uttered sarcastically. "SG-1's luck strikes again. What if they hadn't, Daniel? What if it had been some cardboard box they were filling with gold? What if we'd never seen it at all? You died, Daniel. You died. A member of my team died on this week's mission, and I'll never forgive myself for that."

 

"Jack…"

 

But now on a roll, his pent-up emotions breaking the surface, Jack knew he wasn't done. "I saw you dead yesterday, Daniel." Jack cut him off, speaking emphatically. He paused, Daniel's blue eyes wide and attentive. "I knew they had a sarcophagus, but I didn't know if it was functional. I mean, I kept thinking, 'why would the Goa'uld have left it there if it still worked'? It terrified me. I've seen you dead, I remember Ra's ship, but that was before I really knew you, and it scared the shit out of me then but yesterday… yesterday it was like, maybe the sarcophagus would heal you, maybe you'd be okay …and I didn't know for sure …but even if it did, I still saw you dead. And it ripped my insides out."

 

Daniel kept his attention locked on Jack's pain. "I understand," he finally said, quietly.

 

"Do you?"

 

"Yes." For a moment, there was silence, as Jack's fingers stopped fiddling with his keys, and then Daniel softly continued. "I understand that you'd miss me, as I'd miss you if you started avoiding me now because of guilt."

 

Jack stared at the friend he knew he'd have missed more than the SGC itself if there had been no sarcophagus on whatever that place was called. "Yeah," he smiled nervously. "So now what?"

 

Daniel knew the answer to that. "Now, I think I'm ready to leave," he said with a smile, walking around to the passenger side of Jack's car. "So where did you say we're going?"

---

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