Innocent Imprint
 
By Travelling One
 
 
Email: travelling_one@yahoo.ca
Web: http://www.travellingone.com
Summary: Recurrent memory lapses put Daniel in danger.
Category: Drama, adventure, smarm
Related Episodes: Legacy
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. 
10/15/02
 
 
 
They had found him lying there, the two young airmen, but by the time medics had arrived in the corridors of level 26, Daniel was already sitting up, albeit groggily, and feeling fine but very much embarrassed. How, or why, he had fallen asleep or unconscious on the corridor floor was not within his ability to answer, the conditions surrounding his presence there escaping him. As far as he could remember, he'd been in his lab, looking at some digital photos of the drawings from P8X 090…
 
"Daniel?" Jack was bending beside Dr. Fraiser now, relieved at seeing his teammate cognizant and alert. "Hey. What's going on?"
 
"He was apparently asleep…" Janet frowned, answering for Daniel.
 
"Here? On the floor?" Jack raised his eyebrows, ignoring the small crowd that had begun to gather.
 
"Okay, guys," Daniel interjected, blushing, not meeting their eyes. Rather apprehensive and flustered, he wasn't feeling too appreciative of the attention and multiple sets of curious eyes staring at him. Some of these people he didn't even know, and he wasn't too eager to have tonight's grapevine specialty menu serving up Jackson gossip. Not that he normally cared so much what others thought, but usually he was a little more in control of his own actions. "I don't know what happened, okay? I don't even remember coming this way. I feel fine, though. Really."
 
"I still want you in the infirmary for tests, right away, Daniel." Janet advised.
 
"Oh, he's on his way," Jack grinned falsely, holding out his arm to help Daniel up. His jest being just that, a role-play to keep the atmosphere light and controlled, Jack's concern overpowered his outer appearance. What had just happened to his teammate?
 
"Coming. On my way," Daniel agreed. But really…he felt fine.
 
_____
 
 
"There's nothing apparently wrong with you," Janet gave the news to a nervous Daniel, after the multitude of tests had been concluded and analyzed. "But stay on base tonight, Daniel, I want to keep an eye on you."
 
Daniel let out a relieved breath, echoed by his teammates behind him. "'kay."
 
"You sure he's okay, Doc? Relatively speaking, I mean?" Jack glanced slyly at his friend. Teasing came easier with the release of tension, cause or effect not completely clear nor always separable.
 
"Well, none of the tests show any abnormalities. But there's always a reason for someone to be rendered unconscious, and I do intend to find out what it is."
 
"Fatigue," Daniel lied. He felt fine. A bit worried, but physically…fine.
 
"He wasn't unconscious, he was asleep,"Jack argued, not quite convincing himself. Why would Daniel have even stopped to rest in the hallway in the first place, unless something was wrong?
 
"Could be," Fraiser said doubtfully. "But sleep won't normally create a memory loss." Making some final notes in the folder she'd been holding, Janet addressed the archaeologist. "Well, we'll assume for now you're fine, Daniel. Let me know if you experience anything unusual…headaches, dizziness, anything of that sort."
 
"'kay," Daniel repeated. Headaches? He always had headaches. Then again, so did everyone else he knew at the base.
 
_____
 
Daniel hadn't even looked up yet, and Jack had to have been standing there for, oh, at least four minutes. Watching his friend from the doorway, observing how absolutely normal he'd looked in his intensity, Jack had felt the concern he'd been harboring for the past couple of hours lifting. Until, that is, Jack had realized that Daniel had barely moved in those few minutes, staring almost blankly at the open book on his desk.
 
"You sure you're okay?"
 
Startled out of his reveries, Daniel jumped visibly, turning towards his CO. "How long have you been there, Jack? And yes, I'm fine," he repeated yet again. Daniel had been contemplating the morning's incident, hoping to fill in his missing moments.
 
Jack sat down, making himself as comfortable as he could manage in the swivel chair. "What happened, Daniel?" he asked softly.
 
"Can't tell you that, Jack… I already told you that."
 
Jack regarded his friend closely. He didn't seem to be hiding anything, and with Daniel he could usually tell if something was up. "Carter's having that water analyzed."
 
Daniel sat back, recalling the last minutes of their previous mission…
 
…Daniel dipped his toes into the glittering green waters of P2W 444. Cloud patterns embedded in the deep turquoise sky reflected their twists and turns in the mirrorlike lake before him, and he sighed. They had stopped for a few moments' respite after their three days with the highly efficient yet accomodating inhabitants of Tradoui. They were on their way home, now, tired but contented with their highly successful mission.
 
"Wha…" He pulled back his toes, surprised at the unusual feel of the water.
 
"What?" Jack had seen the look of surprise on Daniel's face, had seen the jumpy movement.
 
"This water feels…kind of jelly-like," Daniel said. He bent down, scooping up some of the liquid with his hand. It dripped slowly from his palm, slightly viscous and thick. "Looks like glycerine."
 
Sam came over to have a closer look. "The locals didn't say anything about their water."
 
"Why would they? I mean, it's probably normal to them."
 
"Is this what they drink?" Sam wondered aloud. SG-1 had been using only their own water for the past three days.
 
"Doesn't matter, kids, we're not going back to ask them. I don't see anyone swimming in here, do you?"
 
"I'll take some samples back with us, Sir, and test them at the lab."
 
"So Daniel, if you'll get your feet back into proper military attire, we'll be off." Jack was already standing.
 
 
"You think what happened to me has something to do with the water?"
 
Jack shrugged. "The thought had crossed our minds. You were the only one of us playing in it."
 
"Great. So it's …what? inside me now, making me fall asleep?"
 
"Let's wait and see what they come up with before we start worrying, Daniel. Care for some lunch?" Maybe Daniel had just passed out from lack of nourishment… that was possible, wasn't it?
 
Daniel paused; then, scribbling down a page number and a note to himself on a sticky, laid his book aside. "Not really, but …yeah. Sure."
 
_____
 
 
In Jack's words, Oh crap.
 
Not again.
 
Daniel raised his head off the bathroom floor; his bathroom, thank goodness, and tried to get his attentional bearings. Hadn't he been reading in his living room?
 
The last thing he could remember was reaching for the cup of coffee on his lamp table, engrossed in his book on the role of witchcraft in traditional Bolivian medical practices.
 
Daniel remained where he lay, oblivious to the cold marble tiles, and shut his eyes. He couldn't for the life of him figure out how, or why, he had had the need to lie down on the floor of his bathroom. That was about as likely as going to sleep in the SGC corridors. Damn, what was going on here? This was really starting to get freaky.
 
Rising slowly, making sure he was uninjured, Daniel hesitantly made his way into his living room. There was his coffee, luke warm and dripping down onto his carpet, the cup having tipped over. What the hell had happened?
 
Lowering himself slowly onto his couch, Daniel pondered this latest event. No, he had felt no fatigue, just the usual release of stress after a long day's work, although that was basically gone now, what with the nervousness surfacing inside him. Maybe he should call the lab or Sam, find out how those tests on the water had been coming along.
 
Daniel's hand stopped midway to the phone. They'd ask him how he was… did he want to tell anyone about this? Spend his first off-weekend in a month being stuck with needles and probes and confined to base?
 
No. He'd wait until Monday, get some proper sleep, maybe some food. He wasn't hungry… well, just a bit. Okay. Maybe he was hungry, he'd grabbed a quick sandwich over eight hours ago. No headache, nothing, thank goodness. He felt fine.
 
Everything would be okay.
 
_____
 
 
"Thought I'd let you know Carter said the water is basically water, with a higher density of molecules or something, I wasn't really listening. They're still working on the exact chemistry but she doesn't think there's anything that might have caused a reaction in you, nothing allergenic or anything."
 
Daniel frowned. That was impossible, they had to be missing something.
 
Jack studied Daniel's reaction, the pout not passing unnoticed. "What? Not happy about that?"
 
Leave me alone, I'm …okay. "No reports to write, Jack? You seem awfully bored."
 
"Bored? Nah. Really?" Jack paused in his game of pencil hockey, momentarily putting down Daniel's eraser and writing implements. He swivelled 'round in the chair, grabbing onto the corner of the desk to stop a backwards roll.
 
"You wouldn't be checking up on me now, would you?" Daniel eyed him warily. You're not getting me to tell you anything, Jack, no matter how much clowning you pretend to distract me with.
 
"Aw, come on, Daniel. Give me some credit here. I just came to tell you …what I told you." The hockey game resumed. "And what would be so bad about making sure you're okay?" Shit, gotta get some new diversionary tactics.
 
"I'm okay. And you're annoying me." I'm not okay. Something weird is happening, and now I'm scared. If it's not the water, what the hell is it?
 
"So?"
 
Daniel paused, then continued on with his internet search. "Sorry I'll be keeping you guys at home this week. Janet says I can probably go offworld again in a few more days." I'll be fine, I'm in control.
 
"We could go anyway, Daniel. Decided to wait for you, that's all. We all need a break."
 
Daniel wasn't sure if that was the truth, but he accepted the explanation without comment. He rose. "I think I'll go to the lab, Jack, and see what exactly their tests did show."
 
_____
 
"Hey, Daniel."
 
"Sam, Janet. Jack said the water isn't what caused me to, um, fall asleep in the corridor on Thursday."
 
"It doesn't seem that way, Daniel. We're still analyzing it, but haven't come up with any toxic or foreign substances. The lab mice suffered no ill effects after drinking the water this weekend, and they had no reactions when they were washed in it. Maybe you were just exhausted," Janet caught Daniel's gaze. Was that a frown in his eyes? About to ask the next question, Sam beat her to it.
 
"Have you been okay since then, Daniel?" Sam's tone of voice seemed to warrant a positive answer.
 
If it wasn't the water… and they didn't know that for sure… what the hell was going on with him? Stress reactions? He could all too easily remember another time he'd appeared to go off the edge, and both he and Jack had been sure it was stress. But no, he'd ended up in a mental ward before anyone had come close to figuring out his problem. No way would he let them jump to conclusions this time. And no way was he ready to deal with a serious medical complication. This was starting to scare the daylights out of him and right now, it was too early for scary answers. His problem originated offworld, he knew that, and he'd make sure they found out what it was. Hopefully, they'd also be able to find a way to counteract the effects.
 
Janet had told him he was fine, hadn't she? So no reason to go worrying anyone, no reason to become the subject of myriad lab experiments and curious eyes. It had only happened twice, anyway, and the last time had been three days ago; he was feeling fine, now.
 
Sipping the luke warm coffee he'd nearly forgotten was in his hand, he made his decision. No, he wasn't going to tell Janet about this. He wasn't going to tell Sam; hell, he wasn't going to tell anyone. He just would make sure nothing like that ever happened again. He'd just have to stay in control; yes, he was in control.
 
"I'm fine," was his curt answer, as he turned and left the lab.
 
_____
 
 
Daniel awoke with a start, the sharp jabbing in his back highly uncomfortable. Feeling around, he removed what felt much like a rock from underneath him. Where was he and why was it so dark?
 
Daniel slowly came to the realization that he was outside, and it was nighttime…well past the hour of midnight, according to his watch …12:52 am. Where the hell was he?
 
Sitting up, Daniel bumped his head on something above him. His vision focussing fully, Daniel's blood ran cold as he realized that he was lying under a bench …a park bench …in the dark of night. Oh …shit. Around him were the outlines of tall trees against the sky, and in the moonlight he could see an overturned trash can spilling its contents nearby.
 
Daniel froze. He knew, knew that he had not come anywhere near here intentionally. He could fully remember leaving the mountain, just after eleven, and heading down to his car. He could remember the drive home, and then …nothing. Parking …had he parked? Yes, but from there on his mind was blank.
 
Voices roused him from his anxious recollections. Rising, Daniel slowly made his way around some nearby trees, following the sounds. Not too far ahead, a fire was burning in a trash can, as three ragged men warmed their scraps of food. For the first time, Daniel realized he was shivering, partly from the cold, but mostly from the danger he had potentially placed himself in. What a place to go to sleep, in a city park. God, what was he doing here?
 
"Got 'nnything to share?"
 
The voice from behind startled him, and Daniel spun around. A shabby fellow was standing a bit too close for comfort, invading precious personal space.
 
"Uh …no. No, sorry," Daniel turned and hurried off in the opposite direction, hoping it would take him to the street. Another time, another place, he might have stopped to help, might not have been so nervous and afraid…another time, any other time, he might have known what he'd been doing there.
 
7th St. That was what the street sign said. Had he driven here? He could walk home in about thirty minutes, so, hurrying up his pace and trying not to think too much, keeping an eye out for his car …just in case …Daniel arrived at his apartment, letting out a relieved breath at the sight of his vehicle parked along the street, where he'd been almost positive he'd left it. At least some part of his memory was intact. It chilled him to imagine abandoning that car somewhere, having to ask Jack for a lift to the mountain because he couldn't remember where it was… having to explain how he'd woken up in a city park in the middle of the night with no recollection of having headed there.
 
Not that he could avoid telling anyone…everyone. Even if something wasn't really wrong with him, he knew he should still try to get to the bottom of what was going on.
 
Deep down though, Daniel knew that something was wrong, had to be very wrong, because waking up in strange places knowing not how you'd come to be there just wasn't…normal. The thought that he might be losing control of himself scared the hell out of him, and right now he needed time to deal with this alone, no curious eyes or probing hands forgetting that he was a sentient being and not a test subject. Having people talk behind his back, treating him as a curiosity and medical challenge, just wasn't going to happily fit into his current state of mind.
 
No. He wasn't going to mention this, not yet. He couldn't stand to think of the interrogations, the investigations, the psychological analyses. He didn't want the ramifications to extend to captivity in a mental institution, been there, done that, and maybe this really was just an alien bug in his system, he was sure of it.
 
Sure?
 
Positive.
 
Was he?
 
Daniel frowned, going through all the possible planets they'd been on lately in which he might have come across something sinister.
 
Other than P2W 444's water, nothing came to mind.
 
It had to be the water. Please, let them find something in the water.
 
Showering and sliding into bed, he prayed he'd wake up right here, in his own room, in the morning. Not knowing that for certain, he tried to tuck away the realization of just how scared he really was.
 
_____
 
"…with the terrain being as such. So, the mission to P5L 585 will proceed as planned. You'll leave Friday morning at 0800 hours, and you'll have twenty-four hours to make your observations, SG-1."
 
"Yes sir." Three teammates and a general rose to leave.
 
Daniel remained seated, disturbed. Day after tomorrow, SG-1 would be going offworld. He knew he couldn't go with his team, it wouldn't be fair to risk something happening, risk losing consciousness in the moment of battle, not that he expected a battle on P5L 585. Still, this wouldn't work, he was as responsible for his team's safety as anyone else on this base; more so, in fact, and he would never do anything to endanger their lives. And even if there was no danger involved, the possibility remained that he might wander off while on watch as his teammates slept, leaving them unguarded, and he really didn't fancy getting lost alone on an alien planet. No, he had no choice but to tell them.
 
Just …not here, not right now.
 
Of course here, now, before the mission was set, before it was too late to replace him.
 
He could do this.
 
"Hey. You okay?" Jack had remained behind, his expression revealing concern.
 
"Jack…" Can't do this. "Yeah, I'm fine."
 
"You'd tell me if anything was wrong, right?"
 
Tell him. Trust him. "Right." I'll tell you. Just not yet.
 
________
 
 
Honking….loud, persistent honking. Angry voices. Swearing, then concerned voices mixed with more shouting.
 
What was going on?
 
Daniel was startled to full consciousness. Opening his eyes, he jumped to his feet, realizing suddenly that the noises and voices were being directed at him.
 
"He's okay. He's okay, just sleeping."
 
"Sleeping! Fuck! What the fuck were you thinking?"
 
"Damn you, get the hell off the street!"
 
"What the hell….."
 
The sounds of swearing, the angry looks, the insults hurled by as Daniel leapt to the curb, his heart pounding viciously. He'd been lying on the street, this time? Drunk, they all thought he was drunk.
 
Oh God. Daniel's pulse was racing, his forehead sweaty with that cold clammy feeling of nausea. Oh God, he could have been run over. This was getting too damn dangerous.
 
Making his way through the few early pedestrians who had likely heard a commotion but not realized that a body had recently passed out and fallen onto the street in the approaching dawn, Daniel weakly made his way to a corner phone booth. What day was this?
 
Oh god, why couldn't he remember how he'd gotten here? Or where he'd been going?
 
He had some money with him, he had a quarter.
 
I'm okay, I'm okay.
 
Resting his head on the glass wall of the telephone booth, Daniel closed his eyes. I'm fucking not okay.
 
Remaining in that position for several moments, lassoing his nerves and waiting to regain control of his writhing stomach, gluing his thoughts back to the place where his emotions kept his heart pounding hard and way faster than normal, he finally cleared his fears enough to admit what he had to do. Day after tomorrow…no, tomorrow morning now, his team would be going offworld. Without him.
 
Pressing the buttons of the phone, Daniel prayed this would go over a little better than he was expecting it to.
 
"Hello?" came the sleepy voice after the fourth ring.
 
"Jack…"
 
"Daniel?"
 
"Uh, yes," his voice was shaky, nervous.
 
"Daniel? You okay? What time …Daniel, it's 5:40 am."
 
Yeah, and if it had been later there would've been more traffic, and I'd have been …After a brief pause, Daniel answered. "No, I'm not okay. Jack, …uh, would you mind picking me up?" His voice trembled. He was still too scared, no, terrified, and calming down was for some point in the future, maybe after his friend arrived to reassure him that everything was going to be okay. He knew the tests he'd already endured were nothing compared to what was about to happen to him, yet anything was better than being squashed under a truck's tires and waking up dead.
 
And telling Jack was better than having him read it in the headlines.
 
But no way, no way would he let them put him in a padded cell. Don't let them do that to me again, Jack.
 
The voice on the other end sounded concerned, and definitely more alert. "I'll come get you. Where are you?"
 
"Um …across from Wal-Mart. Phone booth, at the corner of East Platte and Don Juan."
 
Jack paused. "Where's your car?"
 
"At home… I think."
 
"Be there in twenty minutes."
 
"Thanks, Jack. Sorry about this."
 
"Not a problem, Daniel."
 
_____
 
Jack hung up the receiver. He knew it. He'd known something was not right with Daniel the past few days. A guy doesn't just wake up on a hallway floor for no reason.
 
He thinks his car is at home?
 
Daniel had damn well better be okay.
 
_____
 
Jack could see the phone booth where Daniel was sitting cross-legged against the glass, his head leaning back for support, eyes closed. Pulling into the parking lot by Wal-Mart, Jack jumped out, racing across the street to the corner.
 
"Daniel." He knelt down, as his friend opened his eyes and slowly pushed himself off the ground with both hands.
 
Seeing Jack's car and saying not a word, Daniel crossed the nearly empty street, letting himself into the passenger side, Jack observing the dejected demeanor from a few steps behind.
 
"Okay, spill it. What's going on?" Jack pulled out of the lot, heading for home.
 
Daniel swallowed, looking out the window. After a few moments, ignoring Jack's glances towards him, he began.
 
"You know when I woke up on the floor at the SGC?"
 
Jack nodded. "Of course."
 
"I've since woken up on my bathroom floor, under a park bench, and…" he continued to look out the window, the streets and road signs and traffic lights passing in a blur.
 
Crap. This much Jack hadn't been expecting.
 
"And…?" Jack saw his friend's distant glassy gaze. Reaching out, he touched Daniel's arm, keeping his left hand on the steering wheel. "Tell me, Daniel." So. His teammate had been having more problems. Damn it, Daniel, I'm not your enemy.
 
"And on the road just before."
 
"On the road? Meaning…?"
 
But Daniel had grown silent.
 
Shit, Daniel.
 
Jack turned off down a sidestreet, steering the car now in the direction of the SGC. This was probably what Daniel had been dreading, but… tough, he was going to the infirmary, happy about it or not.
 
_____
 
SG-1, Dr. Fraiser, and General Hammond were gathered around the table in the briefing room, after the many in-depth tests had yet again turned up nothing of significance. Daniel was, it seemed, perfectly healthy.
 
Jack looked at Daniel, who sat gloomily slouching in his chair, head down, hands in his lap. So damn frightened, Jack realized, all of us gathering to discuss what might be happening to him. What is happening to him.
 
Carter was eyeing the archaeologist with concern. Her friend had not been himself lately, seemingly preoccupied and distant, often on edge. Now, hearing of his ordeals had been disconcerting. Why hadn't he shared this with them…with her?
 
"So, Doctor," General Hammond looked intently at Janet, "If it's not physical, then what are we dealing with here?"
 
"Well Sir, there's the possibility of sleepwalking, but…" she looked at Daniel.
 
"But?" Hammond encouraged her to continue.
 
"Well, Daniel says he wasn't asleep any of the times he lost awareness. He was doing other things…parking his car, reading…" she glanced up at him, her features troubled, not wanting to admit where she was going next.
 
"What are the other possibilities, Doctor?"
 
"Well, since SG-1 can't seem to connect this with anything that occurred offworld…"
 
"Yet," Jack interrupted. "Yet. We haven't tried very hard, Doc." No, they weren't going to make the same mistake as last time. No jumping to conclusions about Daniel's mental stability, not if he had any say in it. And he did; over his dead body and dead only, would they cart Daniel off to another white room, or even a normal locked one. This time, he'd raise such a damn fuss no one would be able to ignore the possibility that Daniel was an innocent bystander stationed at the wrong place at the wrong time.
 
"…dissociative identity disorder patients, formerly known as multiple personalities, have much the same symptoms, that is, waking up having experienced a time loss. Other parts of their personalities know where they've been, what they've done, but on a conscious level the individual can't recall any of that."
 
"I'm not crazy." Daniel kept his gaze on the polished surface of the table. He could almost see his reflection, almost symbolic, he thought, for his likeness to be faded, semi-clear like the memories they were sitting around chasing…
 
"Daniel, we can deal with this," Janet tried, and failed, to console.
 
"How?" Jack glared at her. Daniel, with multiple personalities? No goddamn fucking way. That would be way, way too bizarre, too scary for him to deal with. He'd been around Daniel every mission, nearly every day of downtime for the past four years, he'd know if there was more than one personality working to control the guy. How could you not know something like that? Hell, how could Daniel not know? That was way too weird, and not an acceptable possibility. No, he could handle only one Daniel at a time, as is, and that one was good enough for him.
 
"We can regress him under hypnosis, perhaps find out what happened in his missing time."
 
"What if I don't want to find out?" Daniel asked quietly.
 
"Daniel…we have to know why this keeps happening to you."
 
"Why would we have not known this about Daniel Jackson previously?" Teal'c now voiced his own reservations about this most unacceptable topic of discussion.
 
"D.I.D. patients frequently cope so well during their lives that it takes particular stressful situations to bring the problem to the forefront, and the people around them often pass off their changes as mood swings. Daniel has definitely gone through a lot of stress in recent times, and as for what may have caused such a disorder in the first place, well…" the doctor paused, hoping this would come across tactfully, "he certainly had enough trauma in his childhood for parts of his personality to need to branch off in order to help him survive."
 
In the uncomfortable silence that followed, Daniel's heart pounded mercilessly while he tried desperately to settle his stomach from the circus acts it was intent on performing inside him. No way, they couldn't seriously believe he was being taken over by other parts of himself, could they? Oh shit, oh damn. They were going to lock him away again, he just knew it. Damn it Jack, can you hear what they're saying? Help me, please. His wide terrified eyes locked with those of his CO, and for a moment he believed his frend could hear his panicked thoughts.
 
"Sir,…Janet? I can think of another reason people have experienced missing time," Carter broke in. All faces turned in her direction, all but Daniel's, for he no longer had the courage to look his friends in the eye.
 
"Go ahead, Major," General Hammond urged.
 
"Uh," she shook her head faintly, averting her gaze. "alien abductions," she finished quickly.
 
Breaking the imposing silence, Jack spoke. "Y…oh. Aren't those 'alien abductions' supposed to be by little guys looking a lot like Thor?" he queried.
 
"Maybe," Sam agreed. "We've seen memory devices, we've seen Asgard invisibility devices, zatarc mind control; maybe this is similar. Maybe Daniel's being influenced to go somewhere not under his control."
 
"Why would some alien want him to sleep under a park bench?" Jack wasn't sure he could buy into this. But, anything was possible. They'd seen everything impossible as well, in their years at the SGC, and he definitely preferred it to the notion that Daniel was being controlled by multiple personalities. Not that the thought of any sort of mind control was comforting; what would anyone want from Daniel, and when would it have been initiated? No, not comforting at all; each new theory was nearly as bad as the previous. Once again, Jack shifted his gaze over to Daniel, who was looking decidedly uncomfortable and ashen. The guy had probably stopped listening ten minutes ago.
 
"Or, maybe some faction of the Asgard…or even an alien species we haven't encountered yet, has been …abducting him." Sam shrugged, wrinkling her brows as she continued.
 
Daniel was listening to this discussion, passively on the outside, his inner self frigid. Hell, this was him they were talking about. This was him.
 
"Daniel, would you be willing to undergo hypnosis to determine what happened to you during your missing time?"
 
Oh yeah, one way or another Fraiser was going to get him into that hypno chair. "Is there another choice?" he asked cautiously.
 
"No," came four voices at once.
 
"It does not seem so," said the fifth.
 
_____
 
Okay, this agitation needed to stop if he were to get comfortable. Daniel shifted uneasily in the chair.
 
"Would you prefer to lie down?" MacKenzie asked him.
 
"N…no, I'm okay here," Daniel lied.
 
"Good. Close your eyes. Relax your body. Take a deep breath… now exhale. You feel your body relaxing… each time you inhale, your body relaxes even more. Now, you feel your toes relaxing, the relaxation is moving along your feet into your legs," and MacKenzie slowly continued through each body part, one at a time.
 
"Now, in front of you is a flight of stairs, the stairs are leading to a corridor, a long long bright corridor. As I count from ten to one, you will descend the stairs, one at a time, and you will find yourself going deeper and deeper with each breath you take, deeper and deeper, more and more relaxed. Ten…"
 
…as the voice droned on, Daniel lost track of the time, of the room surrounding him, of his purpose. He could hear the words being spoken by the psychiatrist, and he remained aware of his friends surrounding him, listening in. But the agitation had left him, and he found himself willing and ready for whatever came next.
 
"…in front of you is a door. As you open this door, you find yourself deeply relaxed, so relaxed that whatever is in this room comes vividly to mind. Open the door, and take a step in. Look around…imagine a large screen on the wall in front of you. There is a large screen, and it plays anything you want it to. Beside you is a table, and on that table is a remote control. Pick up the remote control… now, turn it on. The screen is lighting up …it is showing your car …imagine your car. You are inside, driving your car. You're driving your car home, it's the night of May 9th, just three days ago. Do you see yourself driving your car home on the night of May 9th?"
 
"yes." Daniel's whisper was barely audible.
 
"Good, very good. You have arrived home now, and are parking the car. Do you see this?"
 
"yes."
 
"Good. What is happening now?"
 
"I'm …I'm lying somewhere …it's cold, uncomfortable."
 
"Where are you, Daniel?"
 
"In a park. Under a bench."
 
Jack scrunched up his eyebrows, throwing Teal'c and Carter a harrowed look.as the doctor urged Daniel on.
 
"Tell me what happened just before you woke up in the park."
 
"I was parking my car."
 
"Go forward, Daniel, from the moment you leave your car. What are you doing?"
 
No response, as Daniel sat still with his eyes closed, unmoving.
 
"Where are you, Daniel?"
 
"Under a park bench."
 
"Let's move backward in time now. It's the night of May 5th, and you are in your living room. Do you see this?"
 
"yes."
 
"What are you doing?"
 
"reading."
 
"What are you reading?"
 
"Mythology and Witchcraft in Bolivian Traditional Medicine."
 
"Good, good. Now, move forward in time a few minutes. What are you doing?"
 
"reading."
 
"Where?"
 
"on my sofa."
 
"Go forward until you leave the living room. What is happening?"
 
"Shit!"
 
Three teammates jumped.
 
"What is it?"
 
"I just woke up on my bathroom floor. What happened?"
 
"You tell me. What happened?"
 
"I don't know." Daniel's eyes remained closed, although he was becoming agitated.
 
"Relax, relax, Daniel. This is all happening on a movie screen, you can't be hurt. You're watching it, you're the onlooker. Move back in time a few seconds. Where are you?"
 
"on my sofa." Daniel had quieted, the tension having left his features.
 
"What exactly are you doing now?"
 
"reading."
 
"What happens between the time you're on your sofa, reading, and the time you wake up on your bathroom floor?"
 
A pause. "nothing."
 
"Something happens, Daniel…what do you see?"
 
Silence.
 
"That's fine, Daniel. Put down the remote, and leave the room now. You find yourself back at the stairs, and as I count from one to ten…"
 
Jack shook his head. Motioning Dr. Fraiser to follow him out of the room, his two teammates directly on his heels, he asked,"What just happened, Janet?"
 
"Well," she looked uncomfortable, "either Daniel's completely blocked the memories, which is unlikely given the state of trance he was in, or … there's nothing there to remember."
 
"So…?" questioned Carter.
 
"So… this doesn't appear to be a case of Disocciative Identity Disorder, or alien abduction. As far as mind control is concerned…" she just shrugged. "It looks more like he was sleepwalking."
 
_____
 
"At least we know Daniel's not crazy." Sweetest words this side of Texas. Or Abydos. Or Netu, Argos, Euronda,…
 
"Nicely put, Jack," Daniel glared at him. "Thank you." The relief he felt had been shared by his teammates, he knew that, and being able to joke with Jack was one of life's little perks that came with the territory, a territory that had been threatened of late and saved from destruction by, of all people, Dr. MacKenzie.
 
"You're welcome." Jack grinned. "So it has to be the water."
 
"I'm sure it's not the water, Colonel." Fraiser's wide eyes bore into him.
 
"Then let's go back to P2W 444 and find out what else Daniel might have touched."
 
"I'll send a team to investigate any unusual biological or chemical substances on the planet, Colonel. Going offworld for Dr.Jackson is out of the question. In the meantime, what do you suggest, Doctor Fraiser?" Hammond queried.
 
Janet noticed that all the others seated around the table were staring at her.
 
"Sir …I think Daniel should be confined to the base and guarded. We don't know where he'll end up the next time he takes off. I think someone should be with him at all times, for his own protection."
 
"Oh …great," Daniel sighed. He glanced at the doctor. "Sorry, Janet, but what if this goes on for …" he didn't finish the thought aloud. Weeks? Months?
 
"Well, we'll see if you have any more episodes, Daniel. You don't really want to be alone through this. And in the meantime, we can try to figure it out."
 
"General," Jack began, "Daniel doesn't have to be confined here, does he? I mean, I can keep an eye on him at my place, at night."
 
"You don't have to babysit me, Jack."
 
"No, I don't. So, how about it, Sir?"
 
"What if Daniel Jackson tries to leave, O' Neill, and you are unable to restrain him?"
 
"So …I'll follow him. Keep him out of trouble. Try to find out what's happening," he added. I can take care of my friend, thank you very much.
 
"We can give that a try, if Dr. Fraiser has no objections." All eyes looked towards the CMO, not the least being Daniel's wide pleading ones. As embarrassing as this might be, he was still grateful for Jack's offer and concern, not to mention the trust.
 
"That sounds alright, Colonel. But maybe Teal'c should stay with you as well."
 
Daniel turned his face back towards the table. Guarded by security now, along with the babysitting. He felt his face growing red.
 
"SG-1, your mission will be postponed for five days, during which time you can work on base. Colonel, take Dr. Jackson home as soon as his work for today is done. For now, Dr.Jackson, assist Major Carter in trying to contact the Asgard to see if they might know anything about this."
 
"Sir?"
 
"We won't leave any stone unturned, Major."
 
"Yes Sir. But if they're outside of this galaxy, I don't think we'll have much luck."
 
"Do what you can, Major. Dismissed."
 
_____
 
"The phone appears to be ringing, O'Neill."
 
"I know that. Right in the middle of my turn. You answer it. Maybe it's Carter." He'd lost his concentration now, damn. No way would he let Teal'c checkmate him three times in a row.
 
"The residence of O'Neill," boomed the deep voice proudly. Jack could've sworn the Jaffa had lowered his voice a notch and was enjoying this.
 
"Teal'c?" General Hammond was on the other end. "Let me talk with Doctor Jackson, please."
 
"He is in the shower, General Hammond."
 
"Let me talk to Colonel O'Neill then, Teal'c."
 
Teal'c inclined his head to the receiver. "General Hammond would like to speak with you," he said, offering the phone to Jack.
 
"General?" Jack held the phone under his chin, still concentrating on his next move. "What's up?"
 
"Jack ….Get yourselves back here right away, Colonel. We have some news."
 
"What's going on, Sir?"
 
"Just get Doctor Jackson down here now, Jack."
 
O'Neill hung up the phone, concerned. That sounded ominous.
 
"Teal'c…take the soup off the stove, okay? I'll get Daniel."
 
_____
 
Daniel probably hadn't heard those first knocks on the bathroom door, but he'd been in there long enough anyway. "Daniel," Jack knocked again. "Hammond wants us at the mountain. We have to go."
 
When there was still no answer, Jack pounded harder. "Daniel?" he shouted. "Open up." Still no response. "Daniel, I'm coming in." As Jack slowly released the doorknob, he could feel the steam of the shower overwhelming the room. "Daniel?"
 
There was no standing shadow behind the glass shower door, and the apprehension of knowing something was very wrong tightened his abdomen. Jack slowly slid open the partition, not wanting to have his fears confirmed.
 
Oh crap.
 
Daniel wasn't in there.
 
_____
 
 
Oh God, not again. This so wasn't fun.
 
Daniel quickly regained consciousness when he realized he was once again lying on the ground, the coldness of the hard floor beneath him. Opening his eyes revealed that the floor was polished hardwood.
 
And he was wet.
 
Wet, and ….
 
…and he had been in the shower.
 
Oh god, oh god, oh god, oh god …oh god …….oh god……..
 
Rising rapidly to his feet, Daniel frantically glanced around for something soft and pliable. His bare footsteps creaked on the wooden floor.
 
This was an office, a home office, judging by the furniture, and it wasn't Jack's.
 
He heard the door opening, and grabbed a paper-filled clipboard off of the desk. Holding it in front of him as he spun around, his face registered both panic and deep humiliation as a balding, middle-aged man entered the room, startled at the figure before him. Shocked, the man stuttered, "Wh …what the hell?"
 
"I …I …" Daniel had no explanation as to what he was doing there. Oh god, oh god. He felt weak, oh god, needed to sit down, needed to escape, to sink into the floor, rise through the ceiling. Oh god, this wasn't happening. This wasn't happening, it wasn't.
 
Tap your heels three times and convincingly repeat 'there's no place like home …'
 
Without taking his eyes off Daniel, ignoring the look of fear on the young man's face as he stood immobile, his own anger growing phenomenally in all directions except that of compassion, the man moved over to the phone and lifted the receiver, pressing three numbers. "Get me the police, I have an intruder in my house." He glared in growing rage at Daniel. "How did you come in, through the window? Looking for something?" He disdainfully wrinkled his face at Daniel's appearance. "My wife, maybe?"
 
Oh god. Daniel closed his stinging eyes and lowered his head. He couldn't explain this. And even if he could…it was classified.
 
This humiliation would do for several lifetimes.
 
_____
 
They'd allowed him one phone call, given him one quarter, but nothing to cover himself with. "What, we have a modest streaker here?" they'd sneered. "Live with it." At least he'd been alone in the holding cell, thank goodness, and the whistles and cat calls had been mostly from police officers determined to humiliate him even more than he already was. His face burned red just remembering. He hadn't exactly endeared himself to them when he'd refused to get out of the police vehicle, either, after which they'd certainly taken their sweet time processing him. Having to phone Jack had been the second worst thing that had happened to him in the past three hours and twenty-six minutes, but Jack seemed to have been expecting it, by the time they'd allowed him to call.
 
Jack walked into the station, bringing both the bail cheque and a bag of clothes, as his friend had requested. Luckily for the SGC's available funds, Daniel was a "first-time offender", and unarmed…obviously…as they'd so bluntly put it, and Jack had cringed at the thought of his teammate being labelled as such, the words themselves reeking of disrespect and indignity.
 
"Dr. Daniel Jackson?" he inquired at the desk, emphasizing the doctor. If nothing else, he could at least make sure these guys realized that Daniel was someone of high intelligence.
 
The officer smirked at him. "Yeah, we'll bring him out…although I bet he'd rather you go get him," he added, picking up the phone.
 
This was unreal, Jack thought. What they go through for the Stargate program.
 
Jack shifted uneasily, waiting, not knowing whether to make a joke upon seeing Daniel, or keep it serious….until he saw the look on his best friend's face, sheer terror and shame.
 
"I brought your clothes," he said softly.
 
"Thank you." Daniel avoided his eyes, looking down at the floor, his voice barely audible, and held the bag in front of him. But he didn't begin to get dressed, until Jack turned around.
 
_____
 
"We're going to the mountain?" Daniel knew without having it confirmed. Teal'c had remained silent in the back seat, and Daniel had not dared look him in the eye.
 
"The General wanted to talk to us, he called while you were in the shower. Or weren't," Jack added.
 
"Does he know…you know," Daniel felt his face growing hot once more.
 
"Daniel," Jack looked over at his friend, "you know I called him. He wanted to see us asap, and you'd disappeared."
 
"So …Janet knows?"
 
"She needed to know."
 
Daniel swallowed, closing his eyes. "Sam?"
 
"I don't know."
 
Jack noticed Daniel's frown.
 
"Honest, I don't. Maybe by now."
 
"Jack…you have no idea what it's like to wake up somewhere like that." The tremble in Daniel's voice was evident.
 
"I …can imagine."
 
"Don't try."
 
"At least you weren't on a busy street again." There were positive ways to look at everything. Jack reached out to gently squeeze his friend's arm.
 
"What if they press charges? I was inside their home, Jack." This whole ordeal was nothing but an extended nightmare; all he'd wanted to do was take a relaxing shower and forget the world for a while.
 
"I know. We'll get you out of it, Daniel."
 
"How?" Daniel finally turned to look at Jack. "I'm not going to a ward, Jack. I can't. I may be sleepwalking but I'm not crazy." His voice was pleading. "I'm not crazy."
 
"That's not the answer, Daniel; something else is going on. We'll find out what." He'd promise, if he could. "And unless you left via the bathroom window, I don't think you walked out of there on your own, either. You never could have made it all that way …without being seen." One thing was certain, Daniel hadn't taken a bus across town. "Let's just find out what the general wanted to tell us, okay?"
 
"Perhaps Major Carter has indeed contacted the Asgard," Teal'c quietly offered from the back seat.
 
_____
 
"Doctor Jackson, what were you doing the other night when you found yourself … on that road?" General Hammond was questioning him, again.
 
"I'd been writing in my journal, Sir."
 
"At 5:30 a.m.?" Jack queried.
 
Ignoring him, the general continued. "Writing about what, Doctor?"
 
Daniel frowned, trying to remember. "I was making notes comparing the religious aspects of Bolivia's traditional medical practices, with those of P7Z 213."
 
"What were you writing with?"
 
Daniel bit his lip, wondering at the relevance of this questioning.
 
"General," Jack interrupted, as though reading his thoughts, "Where are you going with this?"
 
"Bear with me, Colonel. Doctor Jackson, were you using a blue pen with gold markings?"
 
"Cuneiform, actually. Yes, General. That pen was a gift from Robert back in university."
 
"SG-1," Hammond looked around at the three tense teammates, "they've found Doctor Jackson's journal and his pen in a lab at Area 51."
 
All eyes looked up sharply. "Sir?" Daniel knew he hadn't been to Nevada recently…had he? He'd never lost that much time.
 
"Come again, Sir?" Jack was not trying to hide his confusion.
 
"Doctor Jackson, do you recall an artifact you brought back from P3X 833?"
 
Daniel thought a moment.
 
"Daniel…that opal box with the crystal insets and the panels that wouldn't open," Sam supplied the memory.
 
"I opened one." Daniel reminded her.
 
"Well, people," the general continued, "it seems that they've been experimenting with it over at 51. They have no idea what that device is, but they've informed me that Dr. Jackson's journal and pen appeared in the same lab, moments after they began their tests that night."
 
"Okay …I don't get it, General. What are we talking about?" Jack frowned.
 
"Well Colonel, it seems they were working on that object all the other evenings Doctor Jackson lost time as well."
 
"Like …it's controlling him?" Jack asked with sudden realization. "How?"
 
"Or is it a transportation device …Sir?" Carter's eyes were searching the general's face, hoping for more tangible answers to her teammate's recent plight.
 
"That's what we need to find out, people." Hammond steadied his gaze on Daniel, who was now staring back, eyes wide. "In conjunction with Area 51's full participation, we would like to conduct a test tomorrow, if it's alright with you, Doctor Jackson."
 
"You want Daniel to be a lab rat, Sir?"
 
Daniel closed his eyes. Shit. This was still him they were talking about. "Is there another choice?"
 
"I'm afraid not, son."
 
Terrific. But this was still better than forever worrying about waking up nude in someone's home office …or worse.
 
_____
 
 
"Don't worry, son. The test will be fully controlled, and you'll have everyone's protection."
 
"And you don't have to be worried about your clothes this time." Okay, Jack had to get one jab in. There'd be no more, though, he could see Daniel was having a bit of a rough time with this. His features softened, as he squeezed his friend's shoulder. "It's okay, Daniel." Daniel responded with a nod, and a fleeting unconvincing smile.
 
Gathered in the locked cell …for his protection …were Daniel, the rest of SG-1, General Hammond, and Janet Fraiser. Two members of security waited outside the door. There would be no way Daniel could walk out of the room; however that device was controlling him, he would hopefully not be damaged by being held captive once it was activated.
 
In his hand, Daniel held a note, written, dated, and signed by himself. If he were indeed being transported and leaving items behind, this would be all the proof they'd need. His hand was trembling as he sat on the edge of the bed fingering the rough gray blanket. God, why was he so nervous?
 
Sam watched her teammate abstractedly twist the threads of the coarse military bedding. "We'll figure this out, Daniel," was all she could think of to reassure him with, hoping it was the truth. She was rewarded with another silent and partial nod.
 
General Hammond was already making the call. "Yes, we're all set up. Doctor Jackson is here now ….Any time, Sergeant." He looked over at the anxious teammates, and at Daniel's bowed head. "They're not sure how to activate the object, but they believe it has to do with the crystal inlays in that drawer you released, Doctor Jackson. They'll begin working on it any moment now," he said, listening into the receiver. "Yes …yes, we're ready to go." He listened as the countdown reached one…
 
…and Daniel had disappeared.
 
"General?" asked a perplexed Jack, his gaze sharply turning from Daniel's empty spot on the bed to the frowning Hammond.
 
Carter stared wide-eyed, then sat abruptly down next to the spot Daniel had vacated. "Oh my god, all this time they've been playing with him," she whispered in disbelief.
 
"They did not know what they were doing, Major Carter," Teal'c announced as though bringing some news.
 
"General?" Jack was becoming agitated. "We have to get him back." Anxiety for a teammate was not something he dealt with easily. Rage was starting to build as he realized what Carter already had figured out; that Area 51 had put his teammate and closest friend at risk, subjecting him to an ongoing and dangerous nightmare, however inadvertently, while his colleagues again convinced themselves it was Daniel's fault.
 
The General listened into the phone. "Another few minutes," he told the impatiently waiting group.
 
"Aw, come on, General," Jack was nervously pacing. "Daniel's out there somewhere, he could be hurt for all we know."
 
"There." General Hammond turned once again to the group. "Dr. Jackson's note has just turned up in the lab."
 
"What about Daniel?"
 
"No. They're closing that panel now, hopefully deactivating the device. Let's hope we hear from Dr.Jackson soon."
 
As the general hung up the phone, silence permeated the room, and eyes flicked worriedly from one to the other. Now, all they had to do was wait for Daniel to contact them. All they had to do…
 
Was wait.
 
_____
 
Daniel opened his eyes to pitch blackness this time. Panic, resignation, then hope filtered through his nervous system in succession.
 
For this time, he knew what had happened. Area 51's experiments had been transporting him …he could never have walked out of that secure room, in front of half a dozen witnesses, of that he was positive. He sighed in relief as he realized that the white room no longer beckoned it's condescendingly threatening finger.
 
Rising, he swatted away at substances tickling his skin. Stumbling in the blackness, some large objects were sent crashing to the ground beside him as he reached out to balance himself. If he had to guess, this was probably a windowless storage closet. Not a speck of light was coming in, not even from under the door, wherever that might be.
 
Carefully shoving more objects out of the way with his foot while trying not to trip, Daniel felt his way along the walls as best he could, for items and boxes seemed to be stacked up high. Spider webs tickling his face and hands indicated this place had not been used in a long while.
 
His only prayer, at that moment, was that the device could not have sent him to another planet.
 
Finally, Daniel reached what felt like the door, and grabbed at the knob. Oh …hell.
 
He couldn't get it to turn.
 
Daniel banged on the door. "Hello?" he shouted. "Is anyone out there?"
 
He heard no sounds from the outer vicinity. More banging and kicking proferred up the same futile response, and he reached for the cell phone his teammates had wisely and mercifully tucked into his pocket.
 
_____
 
Finally.
 
Jack grabbed the phone, as the others waited, motionless, breaths held, while General Hammond turned up the connected speaker.
 
"Daniel?"
 
"Uh …I guess we figured it out, Jack." Daniel let out a relieved sigh. So his fingers had managed to fumble for the correct numbers in the darkness.
 
Jack released a deep breath. "Christ, Daniel, we've been worried. Where the hell are you this time?"
 
The pause told him something was not as right as it should be. "Daniel?"
 
"I have no idea."
 
"What?"
 
"I'm in a storage closet. It's locked."
 
"Oh crap ….Is anyone around to let you out?"
 
"If someone was around, Jack, I wouldn't be locked in a closet."
 
"Damn." Jack turned to the group. "What do we do?"
 
"Jack?" Daniel broke the silence. "I know I'm on Earth, anyway. The phone connection works."
 
"Sweet. Thanks for narrowing it down."
 
Sam spoke up. "The place is probably closed for the night, Daniel. I know how hard it will be for you to wait, but if that's the only choice… someone will show up in the morning."
 
"No …I doubt that, Sam. This place is full of spider webs …I don't think it's been opened in years."
 
Oh crap, no one had expected that. Sharp inhalations filled the room.
 
"We'll find you, Daniel." Jack's voice was soft, emanating an eery quality that Daniel didn't stop to wonder about.
 
"How?" he just asked.
 
Jack had no answer. "I don't know, yet. But we will, Daniel. I swear, we'll find you."
 
_____
 
"Can't we trace where that call came from, Carter?"
 
"It came from your cell phone, Sir."
 
"Daniel didn't dial long distance, so he's somewhere in this city."
 
"In an old abandoned building."
 
"Okay…now what?"
 
"I have no idea."
 
"I shall gather some chocolate bars."
 
"What?" the others looked at Teal'c in confusion. "Why?"
 
"When we find him, he will indeed be hungry."
 
"Yeah…we're on Earth, Teal'c, we'll take him to McDonald's." Jack turned back to Carter in exasperation. They'd been at this for over an hour, knowing only that Daniel was out there somewhere, locked in a dark closet and needing them desperately. The only help they'd received from Area 51 was a guarantee that they'd stop using the alien device…for now.
 
Oh, wait a minute…
 
_____
 
Daniel had tried searching for a light, but if there were bulbs in the sockets they'd burned out long ago. So you couldn't have thought to pack me a flashlight, guys? Maybe with some light, a box or other type of packaging in this room might at least reveal a name… maybe the company they belonged to. A location …something.
 
But the pitch blackness remained, along with the odd crawly thing up his sleeve or across his cheek.
 
And he was hungry. He'd been too nervous to eat for hours before the experiment.
 
Daniel refused to allow himself to think that it could be weeks before anyone found him. Or it could be never. Same thing, really. Damn. He refused to give in to panic; no, there'd be plenty of time for that later. Yup, later. Panic later. Later, when he got really hungry.
 
Daniel continued to futilely feel through the equipment and closed boxes for something that might reveal a clue as to his whereabouts.
 
_____
 
He jumped at the ringing of the phone. "Jack?" he nearly shouted, his voice echoing in the stillness.
 
"How're you doing, Daniel?"
 
"I'm hungry, I have to pee, and if I sit down I'll soon be the foundation of an arachnid housing development, Jack. How do you think I'm doing?"
 
"We're turning on the device once more, Daniel."
 
"What? Why?" as soon as the words left his lips, Daniel realized the answer to that question. Why the hell hadn't he thought of that? Why had it taken so long for them to? "Oh, right. Get me out of here, guys."
 
"Prepare yourself, buddy. We don't know where you'll go this time."
 
"Outside, hopefully."
 
"Yeah. Okay, hang on. Put the phone in your pocket or you'll end up depositing it at Area 51."
 
"They don't pay me enough for this, Jack."
 
Daniel did as he was told, though, then braced himself for another intraplanetary ride. Disneyworld could make a fortune with this.
 
_____
 
The others found themselves holding their breaths one more time. Daniel was right, none of them made enough money for what they did on a daily basis. How could one put a price tag on life? Just don't let him end up on a highway, or out in the ocean, or inside a rock …could that happen? They could play this game all day, until Daniel was somewhere they could get to, as long as his next deposition didn't kill him.
 
The phone had barely rung once, before Jack grabbed it.
 
"Daniel?" his voice was breathless. This anticipation was giving him an ulcer.
 
"It's me."
 
"And…?" Give it to us already, Danny. At least he sounded okay.
 
"I seem to be in a school yard. Hang on, I'll walk out to the street and let you know the location."
 
The room was filled with sighs and chuckles of relief. Jack let out a low whistle. O-kay.
 
_____
 
The school was only forty minutes across town, and Daniel was sitting on the front steps when the car pulled up, spouting three exuberant teammates.
 
"Daniel!" Sam shouted cheerfully.
 
Jack grinned at Daniel, ignoring his dishevelled appearance. "51 says they'll keep the experiments off until they figure out how to deprogram you from it. Apparently that thing imprinted itself on you, or something. By opening that panel you programmed it to be your own personal chauffeur, probably something to do with fingerprints, they're thinking."
 
Daniel scoffed. "Wouldn't be so bad if I could tell it where I wanted to go, and when."
 
Jack resumed his grinning. "Yeah …that's what they want to work on."
 
"Huh?"
 
"After they disentangle you from it," Jack reassured him, sitting down beside his friend, looking him over. "I was going to hug you, but …ugh," he teased, swiping a mass of spidery tissue from Daniel's hair as the archaeologist flinched. Gazing more seriously at his friend, he continued,"You scared the hell out of us. Welcome back."
 
"You're sure they're turning off the experiments, Jack?"
 
"For now," O'Neill answered. Not quite the reassurance you were hoping for, Danny, I know, but it's the best I can do for you at the moment.
 
"And do we trust them?"
 
You just had to ask that, Daniel, didn't you. "For now." Jack looked sincerely at his teammate. They'd have him on their backs, and if they dared try anything even remotely resembling a risk to Daniel's life, there'd be hell to pay, and that he could damn well promise. "Come on, we'll drive you home."
 
"I figured that's what you came for."
 
Jack ruffled Daniel's dusty hair. Yeah. For the safety of his teammates, he'd gladly do this job for free. Hell, to always get what he'd come for, he'd even sell his soul to Sokar.
 
"You sure I won't go to sleep and wake up somewhere else?" Daniel wasn't making a move to get up yet, sitting there staring down at his lap, where his fingers were doing that com-traya thing.
 
"Yeah …it never happened when you were sleeping." Oh for crying out loud, give him a straight answer, O'Neill. Maybe if Daniel would stop asking those impossible questions…
 
"Probably because they were too, Jack."
 
"Daniel… you can't live in fear." Not in this job, that's for sure. Jack understood how much worry the man before him was still carrying. He realized how much concern he himself was trying not to acknowledge, but …there really was no reason not to trust 51's word, was there? After all, they knew how this was affecting Daniel. Still, how could they disengage that thing from him if they didn't play with it some more? Crap.
 
"It's over, Daniel." If they didn't know what to expect, at least he could put Daniel's mind at ease with some optimism. "We'll contact Area 51 in the morning, and work something out. I'm sure they won't mind if we all put our heads together on this one. Come on, let's go home." No more of this discussion, not for tonight. Time for a decent meal; Daniel had to be famished if his own stomach was talking to itself about pulling a hold-up at the first fast food chain in sight. Jack stood, holding out his hand to help his friend.
 
The archaeologist accepted the aid and pulled himself up off the step."Look, Jack." In the west, the setting sun was burning the horizon, outlining the clouds with crimson and coral.
 
The four friends stood watching the magnificent fire display, Sam reaching an arm around Daniel's waist, Jack watching more than just the sunset. With all they'd been through, was it getting harder to keep his family safe, or easier?
 
Good thing you're dead, Sokar, Jack thought to himself as he turned back to face the west, figuring though, that at some point he might have to trade his soul to Area 51.
 
 
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