Disclaimer Stargate Sg-1 and its characters are the property of Stargate (II) Productions, Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author. This story may not be posted elsewhere without the consent of the author.

Jack limped into the clearing, his fingers wrapped tightly around the branch he was using as a crutch. Ahead of him, Carter paused, looking around.

"How much further?" Lorne asked softly.

Jack shrugged. "Got me." Lorne frowned. "Last time we went straight from the labyrinth to the gate. Carter and Daniel are the only ones that saw Kendra's place."

"I hope she finds it soon." He motioned towards the sky. "Weather's moving in. I'd really like to be under a roof when it hits."

Jack looked up, frowning when he realized that he'd been so focused on keeping up with them that he hadn't even noticed the gathering clouds. "Carter," Jack called out, waiting until she turned to continue. "Unless you have a tent in that bag of yours, we could really use that cabin."

She looked towards the sky and nodded, acknowledging his warning. "Sir?" Lorne questioned.

"I'm not pushing, I'm urging," Jack said, glaring at the man. "Unless you're up for a romantic stroll in the rain." Lorne glared daggers at him and Jack held up his hand, relenting and silently apologizing. "Why don't you go walk by her, see if you can tweak her memory." Lorne nodded, walking forward. "And tell her that I'm too damn old to bivouac in the rain," he called out louder, pitching his voice so that Sam could hear him.

Once they were ahead of him and talking - or at least it looked like they were talking - Jack let his mask slide, allowing himself to grimace with each lurching step. His leg hurt with every step, the sharp pain feeling like that damn shiv was still stuck in his leg.

He looked ahead, his eyes settling on the large black bag Lorne was carrying for Carter. There were painkillers in that bag. Nice little white pills of relief.

Pills that he couldn't take. No, that was an exaggeration. He COULD take them. He was just trying not to. The medkit that was in there was the standard one given to off-world SG Teams. Which meant that it was designed to deal with minor injuries or to patch someone up until they could get to real medical treatment. It wasn't designed to be the sole source of treatment for an injury. They'd already used up too much of the stuff treating his leg, he wasn't going to deplete their meager medicine supply any more than he had to.

"Colonel!" Jack looked up. "We found it."

Jack followed Lorne's pointing hand and caught a glimpse of a thatched roof between the trees. Jack caught up with them and could see more from their vantage point. Next to the small thatched house was an out building and a lean to, all nestled in a small clearing.

"It looks deserted," Lorne said. "No smoke."

"Let's go find out," Jack said.

The three of them slowly approached the house, Jack's eyes scanning the clearing for any sign of habitation. There were no animals in the pens, which struck him as odd. Farms always had animals, even if it was just chickens.

"That looks like a horse corral," Lorne said.

"Probably," Jack said. "But I'm not seeing any of those either." As Jack got closer, he could see other signs of abandonment, long grass that would normally be mowed, some broken twigs and limbs that he would expect to be cleaned up. "This place has been abandoned for a while," Jack said as Lorne approached the front door. He knocked and then opened it, sticking his head inside.

"Oh yeah," he said, glancing back at them. "You can smell it."

Lorne pushed the door open and Jack followed him and Sam. He was right, the small house smelled like it was abandoned. They walked into the house and Lorne pushed back some shutters, allowing daylight into the building.

Jack found a chair and gratefully sank down on it, watching as Lorne and Sam explored the place, opening windows and lighting some candles. It was nice as small houses went. One wall was dominated by a large, deep fire place with a heavy wooden mantle and cast iron cooking platform. The wall across from the door had two windows with a set of shelves between them that appeared to hold personal effects and the door they'd just walked through was flanked with a pair of windows as well. The wall across from the fire place was lined with shelves and cabinets that Jack guessed served as a larder.

All the furniture appeared to be handmade and consisted of a table with three chairs, two benches and two rocking chairs, one of which Jack was now sitting in. He could see a wooden ladder leading up to a loft that Jack was pretty sure would contain a bed.

"No running water," Lorne said. "But we do have food, and a roof over our heads."

Jack nodded. "Let's claim squatter rights. Lorne, why don't you go get some wood and I'll get a fire started. We also need some water. Carter, you in the mood to see what we can eat?" She nodded. "Ok, let's settle in for the night, kids. Hopefully, Daniel and Teal'c will show up pretty soon."

Jack watched as Lorne left and Carter climbed the ladder to explore the loft. Finally alone, he sank back in the chair and closed his eyes. After a few seconds he opened them and looked at the ceiling, listening as Carter puttered and explored. Something told him that, presuming there was a bed up there, it sure as hell wasn't going to be big enough for five.

/\/\/\/\/\

Strong hands holding her arms with bruising force. Turning her protests into futile wastes of energy. They dragged her down a sterile grey hall into a sterile grey room, not caring if she could move her feet fast enough to walk on her own.

They dragged her back against the wall, holding her still as more men entered the room, dragging their own victim between them. They threw him down on the ground, one of the goons delivering a petulant kick to the rotund older man. "What the hell is the meaning of this?" he demanded, struggling to his feet, his movement hampered by the cuffs securing his wrists in front of him.

"You've been looking for Captain Carter. Here she is," Samuels said, strolling into the room.

Hammond turned his head, looking at her for the first time. "Captain?" He stepped towards her, his brows knitted with concern. She slunk back, afraid to speak, afraid of what they'd do. Samuels didn't like it when she talked. That was his rule.

Hammond spun back to face Samuels. "What have you done to her? Why isn't she in the hospital?"

"She's receiving the finest care here," Samuels said. "Aren't you Captain Carter?"

Sam looked down, unable to meet his eyes. He didn't like that either. Didn't like it when she looked at him.

"What kind of game are you playing, MAJOR?" Hammond asked, deliberately accentuating the man's rank.

"You'll find that those stars you're so proud of are rather useless here," Samuels said. In a flash, he pulled his sidearm and fired twice, the loud reports echoing painfully off the cement walls.

Sam watched in horror as Hammond stumbled, staring dumbly down at the blossoming blood as it painted his once white shirt a shiny red. Gasping in shock, his knees gave away and he fell hard to the floor, groaning softly.

Samuels stalked past him and grabbed Sam's arm, pulling her from her escorts and pushing her to her knees beside Hammond. "Maybe this will motivate you," he said, tossing the healing stone so that it landed on Hammond's chest.

Sam slowly reached out and picked it up, her hands shaking so hard that she nearly dropped the stone. She couldn't. She'd never been able to make it work. That was why Samuels hated her so much. She could never do what he wanted her to do.

Hearing Hammond's gurgly breathing, she looked down at him, his frightened sad gaze making her sick to her stomach. She slowly shook her head, watching as the blood spread, streaming down his side to pool on the floor. "I can't," she whispered, looking up at Samuels.

"Excuse me?"

"I…" She held up the stone, shaking her head. "I…it won't work."

"That's because you won't make it work."

"No."

"Yes!" he insisted. He grabbed her hair and pushed her head down, forcing her to look at Hammond. The man's face was a sickly grey white and his lips were ringed with blue.
"You did this," Samuels yelled. "You killed him. YOU did this." He pushed her harder, forcing her to lay over the dying man. "His blood is on your hands," he said.

Staring at the dying man in front of her, Sam was barely aware of Samuels and his men retreating from the room, leaving her alone with the corpse of her godfather.

Sam jerked awake, her heart pounding in her chest. She glanced around and remembered where she was. Looking quickly at her companions, she was relieved to find both of them still asleep, Jack sprawled in his rocking chair and Kevin lying across one of the benches.

All three of them were gathered around the fire, soaking up its warmth, replete after a filling if simple meal of a stew, cobbled together from salted meat and some roots they'd found in Kendra's cellar.

Her nerves still jangled from the nightmare, Sam carefully got to her feet, silently cursing the tangling skirts of the dress she was wearing. She padded over to the door, glancing back at her companions before she opened it, wincing when the lock clicked.

Making sure that Jack and Kevin were still asleep, Sam slipped outside pulling the door shut behind her. Alone in the quiet of the night, she leaned against the walls of the house, wrapping her arms across her middle. A shiver raced up her spine and she felt tears prick at her eyes. She could still see it, still see him lying on the floor, silently begging her to help him, to save him.

The only thing he'd ever asked of her and she couldn't do it. She couldn't help him. She was weak, too weak and he'd died because of her. A branch snapped and her eyes shot open, her heart lurching. She scanned the trees at the edge of the clearing, searching for some movement. She heard another sound and she edged towards the door, retreating back inside as quickly and quietly as she could.

Latching the door she hurried over to Kevin, shaking him awake. "Wha-" He blinked sleepily.

"Someone is out there."

Instantly awake, he rolled off the bench, reaching for the gun lying on the table.
"Colonel?" Kevin woke Jack. "We got company."

"What?" Jack asked, pushing himself out of the chair. "What's going on?"

"I don't know. Sam just said that someone's out there."

Jack looked at her and Sam was afraid that he'd discount her report. "With any luck, it's Daniel and Teal'c," he said, lurching over to join Kevin at the door. Sam hung back a bit, aware that Kevin was the only one of them that had a weapon.

"We didn't arrange any sort of code word did we?" Kevin asked.

"Daniel's idea of a code word is Open Sesame," Jack said. Kevin frowned at him. "A trait I'm fairly certain is common across the realities."

"Yeah well, a yard light would do wonders about now," Kevin groused.

"Wait for them to come close," Jack said.

"And if they don't?"

"They will. We're the only thing around. Even if they don't see the windows, they'll smell the fire."

Sam edged towards the window, careful not to stand in front of it. She looked out into the darkness, straining her eyes to see something. For a minute she doubted what she'd heard. Maybe it'd just been an animal, a deer or something moving in the brush. Two figures melted out of the shadows, walking slowly towards the house. "It's them," Kevin said, shoving the handgun into the back of his borrowed trousers before opening the door.
"'Bout time you guys got here," he said.

"Look what the cat dragged in," Jack said.

"I notice how you guys met us half way," Daniel said, staggering a bit as he approached the house.

"We had a little trouble on the way out," Kevin said, moving aside to let Teal'c and Daniel into the small house. "The colonel got caught in the leg."

"Are you ok?" Daniel asked.

"I'll live," Jack dismissed. "How about you two?"

"We are well," Teal'c said, sinking down onto one of the benches.

"Long walk, great scenery. Not one I'm willing to repeat though." Daniel sat down too, sighing as he stretched out his legs. Sam busied herself, retrieving the bucket that held their fresh water. She scooped out two servings, using some drinking horns they'd found on the shelves. Daniel and Teal'c nodded their thanks, drinking deeply while Kevin retrieved the pot of stew they'd left by the fire.

He scooped up two bowls full and set them in front of the two travelers, both of whom started to eat greedily. "Nice clothes, by the way," Daniel said after a few minutes and half a bowl of stew.

Jack shrugged. "Better than what we had."

"We found some homemade soap," Kevin said. "There's a stream about a hundred yards to the east. Cold as hell but it's better than being dirty."

"And a razor too, I see," Daniel observed. During their afternoon, both Jack and Kevin had availed themselves of the meager amenities of the house, basic grooming supplies among them. While they'd splashed around in the creek, Sam had taken advantage of having the house to herself, settling for a sponge bath and change of clothes borrowed from those found upstairs.

Unfortunately, Kendra didn't seem to share Gairwyn's preference for trousers so she'd been limited to the woman's dresses which, even though they were not her style, were much better than the dirty and torn sweats she'd worn for the past few days.

"Lorne can take you there in the morning," Jack said.

Daniel nodded, finishing off the bowl of stew. "What do we do now?"

Jack shrugged. "We can probably hang here for a while. At least until Kendra and her family return to evict us."

Daniel looked at Teal'c. "I don't think that will be happening."

"Why?" Lorne asked.

"On our journey here, we discovered a cemetery," Teal'c said. "One of the graves there was marked with the symbols of Kendra's name."

"She's dead?"

Daniel nodded. "Looks that way."

"Damn," Jack cursed. "I wonder how it happened?"

"There could be any number of disease or accidents," Daniel said. "It's amazingly easy to die."

"Well, if we're gonna be here for a while, we're gonna need some supplies," Jack said, looking around. "Livestock, something more substantial to live on than salted meat and carrots."

"The purchase of such items will require something to barter," Teal'c said.

"Sam said that there was a village about twenty clicks away," Kevin said.

Jack looked at her. "Yeah, there is. We never made it there though."

"It'll be our best source for supplies," Daniel said.

Jack nodded. "There's enough here to tide us over for a few days. We'll rest, chill out. It's gonna be a hell of a long walk." He sighed. "Let's settle in for the night. Tomorrow, Daniel, you and Teal'c can get cleaned up. We'll inventory our supplies, take a look at the outbuildings, see what we need to put on the shopping list."

"And see if there's anything in the barn that we can trade," Lorne said.

"Ok," Jack lurched to his feet, hiding a grimace when he put his weight on his leg. "Let's call lights out, kids. We'll deal with the rest of this in the morning."

/\/\/\/\/\

"You know, this place is pretty well stocked," Kevin said, looking over his shoulder at Jack. "Plow, hoe, rakes, scythes. All the implements are here for a farm."

Jack nodded. "I'm guessing that flat area down by the creek was the field."

Kevin nodded. "Yeah. It's fallow, but it hasn't been for long. Probably less than a year."

"How do you get that?"

Kevin looked at him. "Huh?"

"How do you know it hasn't been fallow for years?"

"No trees," he said simply. "Any open field is prime space for treelings. I didn't look close, but if there are any baby trees there, they're little ones. Definitely not more than a year old."

Jack nodded. "That makes sense."

"You know, sir, presuming that a tractor is out of the question, I think all we'd need is a horse and some seed and we could be in business."

Jack cocked his head and shot Kevin a look. "You're a farmer?"

Kevin chuckled. "Not quite. But my uncle was. I spent a few summers at his farm. I'm no pro, but I bet I remember enough to fake it."

"Ok. So we'll add that to our shopping list. Which is getting pretty damn long. And we seem to be a bit short of cash."

"Well, there are these," Kevin said, gesturing towards a small pile of tanned furs in the corner. "They gotta be worth something."

"Seed and food stuff, sure. A horse?" Jack asked skeptically.

Kevin shrugged. "We don't have to stay here. We could just get some supplies, rest up for a few months, maybe take a couple trips through the gate to find somewhere else."

In truth, Kevin wasn't sure what he wanted to do. In one way, staying here sounded appealing. Living the simple life, little farming, little hunting. On the other hand, he knew it wasn't nearly as idyllic as it sounded. Survival on a planet stuck in the eighteenth century was more than a full time job. And the house, while a decent shelter, was definitely not meant to shelter five adults.

"Yeah," Jack said distractedly, frowning as he limped towards the door.

"Sir?" Kevin asked, puzzled by Jack's behavior.

"Where the hell is she going?"

Kevin moved to look out the door, following Jack's gaze. He saw Sam making her way up the trail that led deeper into the forest. "Call of nature?"

Jack shook his head. "Wrong way. Come on."

He walked out of the barn, following Sam as she made her way deeper and deeper into the forest. Knowing that they'd probably not get an answer from her, Kevin stayed quiet, dividing his attention between Sam and Jack.

He knew that Daniel and Teal'c were down at the creek cleaning up, so he doubted that she was trying to join them. She walked for quite a ways and Kevin could see that the hike was getting harder for Jack with each step. Just as he was ready to suggest that Jack turn back, the trail opened up into a large clearing. Kevin stopped, raising his eyes to look around. He saw antlers strung up in the trees, some wrapped and adorned with strips of leather and fur. Small rings and mounds of stone delineated each grave, marking it clearly. He saw Sam walk slowly through the cemetery, her hands reaching out to trail her fingers over the tombstones. Some of them were plain, consisting of nothing but what Kevin guessed to be the name of the deceased. Others were decorated, with flowers and other items that looked like personal possessions.

He saw Sam stop by one of the graves. She knelt down beside it and reached out her hand, tracing the name carved into the flat stone. Jack limped past him and made his way over to Sam. Sensing that this was something best left between friends, Kevin hung back, keeping his distance.

/\/\/\/\/\

Jack knelt beside Sam, grunting when the maneuver pulled on his injury. She ignored him, keeping her gaze riveted on the head stone. "She was a good person," he said.

She kept ignoring him and Jack sighed, closing his eyes for a second. It hadn't escaped his notice that the only person she really talked to was Lorne. Even Daniel and Teal'c were often the recipients of silence and a quickly smothered glare.

"I'm sorry," he said, saying it as much for his benefit as for hers. "I never should have listened to Doc. Never should have let them put you in that place." She still refused to look at him, but he could hear the pace of her breathing change. She might not look at him, but she was hearing him. "I swear to you, if I'd have known, I'd have stormed that place and busted you out myself." She closed her eyes and pulled her arm back towards her, laying her hands in her lap. "I can't change what they did." He reached out and took her hand, wrapping her cold fingers in his. "They will NEVER get their hands on you again. I swear," he said, emphasizing his words with a squeeze. She finally looked over at him, her gaze wary. "I will kill you myself before I let them use you again."

She stared at him for a second and then looked down, nodding slightly. "I'm gonna go back. It'd probably be best if you weren't here alone. Not until we get a better idea of the lay of the land. You care if Lorne stays?"

She shook her head and Jack released her hand, getting to his feet. He limped back towards Lorne, grateful that the man had kept his distance. "I'm gonna go back," Jack said. "Why don't you wait for her?" Kevin raised his eyebrows. "I'm not crazy about anyone being out here alone, especially her."

"Sir?"

"Women's lib is not big on the galactic scale. Used to drive her batty. Anyway, let's not press our luck. Something tells me that this place isn't as abandoned as we think it is."

Kevin nodded, leaning against a tree trunk. "Sir?" he said, straightening back up.
Jack turned to see Sam walking towards them. He caught sight of something in her hands and squinted, waiting until he was closer to know for sure. She met his gaze defiantly, her fingers curling around the ribbon device in her hands.

"Where the hell did she get that?" Kevin asked.

"It was on Kendra's grave," Jack said, recalling seeing the small tray of possessions when he'd talked to Sam.

She stopped and glared, silently challenging him to try and take it from her. Jack shrugged. "Just don't let the locals see you practicing with that thing. We're trying to make a good impression here." She quirked her head and walked past him, sliding the device onto her hand as she walked.

"Colonel?" Lorne asked.

Jack shrugged. "We need weapons." Jack walked past him, following Sam back towards the house.

"Yeah, we do. But I was thinking guns. Rifles. Explosives." Jack grinned, listening to Kevin's rant fade as he left the man behind. Were things perfect? No. But they were definitely looking up.

/\/\/\/\/\

Daniel walked up the path, shivering slightly when they passed through the shadows. Even though he and Teal'c had hiked a bit downstream and found a nice wide, sun dappled stretch of water, it still didn't change the fact that the water was bone chillingly cold.

He heard a rustle in the underbrush and stopped, looking back at Teal'c. "They are large herbivores," the Jaffa rumbled. "Should we be able to fashion a projectile weapon of some sort, we should be able to hunt one quite easily."

"All we need is a good way to preserve the meat," Daniel said. "Something better than salting it."

"Drey'ac was well versed at drying it," Teal'c said. "She possessed a unique form of spices that was quite good."

"Think you can replicate it?"

"It is possible. I rarely participated in food preparation, however I did often obtain the ingredients at the market."

Daniel nodded. "That'll be good. You know, we could also see if we can smoke it. I wonder if Jack knows how to smoke meat?" Daniel stepped out into the clearing, stopping when he caught sight of the house. "Teal'c, didn't you close the door?"

"I did."

Daniel nodded towards the open front door. "You think Jack and Kevin are done in the barn?"

"I think it is most likely that Captain Carter is attempting to further dispel the air of disuse that pervades that dwelling," Teal'c said, giving him a look.

He walked towards the house, leaving Daniel behind. Daniel shook his head and followed, shifting his dirty clothes from one hand to the other. "Teal'c, you think we could go find some more of those nuts?" he called after him. "They might go good with dinner. I'm not sure about that fungus stuff though, although Jack might like it. He's got this thing for weird stuff on his pizza."

A figure appeared in the doorway and Teal'c stopped in his tracks. Daniel joined him, staring at the person. "Daniel Jackson."

"Yeah?"

"It appears that my assessment was incorrect. Captain Carter is not within the dwelling."

"It happens to the best of us," Daniel said, patting Teal'c's shoulder. "Gairwyn!" he called out, raising his hand to wave.

"Doctor Jackson, Teal'c. Hail!" Gairwyn walked towards them, her cape trailing behind her. She was dressed very similar to the last time they'd met. Light colored leggings tucked into high, soft leather boots and a dark tunic, tied at the waist with a thin leather thong. "I was wondering who was seeking refuge here."

"Yeah, sorry about that. We, aah, we needed shelter and…We found the grave," he said, lowering his voice as she got closer.

"Yes," she nodded. "I did not think that you would ever return. We sent the box through the portal many moons ago."

Daniel looked over to Teal'c and sighed. "I'm sorry," he said. "The aah, the SGC is different now. New leader, new rules." He knew that it sounded lame and weak but he didn't know what else to tell her.

"So you did not come in response to our message?" she asked.

"No, we didn't. Why did you send the box?" he asked. "Did Thor come?"

Gairwyn smiled sadly. "I wish that Thor had returned. Perhaps then my family would still be alive." Daniel frowned. "The Etins have returned."

/\/\/\/\/\

"What happened?" Jack asked as Daniel finished serving Gairwyn a horn of water.

"Many months ago, here was fire in the heavens. Five or six bursts in the sky in a straight line. But no sound. Then we heard an evil thunder and a great metal point came through the clouds..."

"That sounds like a Hatak ship," Daniel said.

"A pyramid ship," Teal'c translated.

Gairwyn nodded. "It landed near our village." She looked down. "Most of them are dead, the rest enslaved."

"How did you escape?" Kevin asked.

"Kendra and I were gathering herbs. We eluded them for quite some time, however, not long enough." She sighed. "They captured her family. She, and they, were killed as an example to any who would resist."

"How come we haven't seen any signs of Jaffa?" Jack asked, not doubting the woman's words, but also feeling the need to confirm them. Even though they'd only been on the planet for a few days, he still had yet to see signs of anything goa'uldish.

"And why didn't they destroy the hammer?" Lorne asked. "I would imagine the hike's a bit of a bitch."

"It is said that Heru'ur wishes to keep this planet a secret. He does not wish for Thor to return, so he has not destroyed the hammer. His men do not use the Portal, they use their ships."

Daniel shrugged. "Makes sense. I mean, for all we know, there's some sort of alarm on it or something."

"So, this is another difference?" Kevin asked.

"What?"

"Cimmeria didn't get invaded in your reality?" he clarified.

"Oh." Daniel looked down. "Actually it did."

Jack raised his eyebrows, surprised at the admission. "It did?"

"Yeah, Heru'ur came, he blasted the Hammer and-"

"Then WHY did you suggest we come here?" Jack demanded, frustrated with the man.

"I forgot," Daniel said sheepishly. "I just…we came, we got rid of the goa'uld, I thought it'd been the same here," he said with a shrug. "I should have realized that it was SG-1 that got rid of Heru'ur, and since SG-1 hasn't been here since…"

"I do not understand. The Etins are here. They have not been, how do you say it, gotten rid of," Gairwyn said, interrupting his ramble.

"It's complicated," Daniel said. "I'm not the Daniel Jackson that you met a couple of years ago. I'm from an alternate reality, a place that's very much like this one, but obviously not exactly alike. If it was exactly alike, then Thor would have already come and-"

"Daniel!"

"Thor?" Gairwyn looked around the table. "You know how to summon Thor?"

Jack looked at Daniel, biting his tongue to avoid reaming him out in front of everyone. "Daniel," he said carefully. "A moment?" Jack got to his feet and limped to the door, opening it to slip outside. He waited until Daniel joined him, then he closed the door, giving them some privacy. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I know how to summon Thor," Daniel said.

"So?"

"So, we can go, get Thor's help and let the Cimmerians get back to their lives."

"Or we can get to the gate, hopefully avoiding any Jaffa patrols and get the hell out of Dodge before we find ourselves in another prison," Jack said.

"Jack, we haven't seen any signs of Jaffa."

"You mean other than the cemetery full of corpses," Jack said.

"We owe it to them. We broke the Hammer to get Teal'c out."

"We?" Jack asked pointedly.

"Yeah, we," Daniel shot back. "I seem to recall you tossing me the staff weapon to disable the Hammer. Despite the fact that it was the only way we knew of to get a goa'uld out of a host. Something I was kind of interested in," he said, letting his annoyance show.

"Teal'c was there. Shau'ri was and IS somewhere out in the expanses of the universe," Jack said, reliving the old argument. "I was not going to let one man die on the basis of a 'what if'."

"And I agree with you. But that still doesn't change that the goa'uld invading this planet is our fault."

"How is it our fault?" Jack asked. "You heard her, they didn't come through the gate, they landed in ships."

"It still doesn't change the fact that I know a way to call Thor. Last time, he came and he fixed things, this time he'll do the same."

"Presuming this isn't another little difference," Jack snapped. "What if there's no Thor?"

"Then I'll have wasted a couple of hours and we'll just make our way to the gate and find somewhere else to live," Daniel said, squaring his jaw. Technically, this Daniel wasn't 'his' Daniel. But the similarities were unmistakable. "Or we'll just apologize to Gairwyn. I'm sure she'll understand why we won't help. It is every man for himself after all."

Jack glared at Daniel. "Dare I remind you that we're not exactly equipped to take on a group of Jaffa?"

"We've done it before."

"What we had before was a team. Not a green captain, a civilian from another universe, me with a hole in my leg and don't even get me started on Carter."

"All of whom probably just heard everything you said," Daniel said, gesturing at the door. "You don't have to go. None of you have to go. I'll get some directions from Gairwyn and I'll go myself. I know all the answers to the riddles. If I'm not back in twenty-four hours, you can bug out."

"Daniel-"

"I'll go with him." Jack turned to see Lorne standing in the doorway, flanked by Carter, Gairwyn and Teal'c. "I may not have much experience going through the gate, but know how to walk in the woods." His tone was even, but Jack could see the hurt in his eyes and knew that Daniel was right, they'd heard every word.

"Given a year long occupation with limited resistance, it is likely that Heru'ur's Jaffa are complacent. We should be able to infiltrate their compound with little difficulty," Teal'c said.

"Infiltrate their compound?" Jack asked. "When the hell did this happen?"

"They have her son," Sam said softly.

Jack raised his eyebrows, looking at Gairwyn. "My family was in the village when the Etins came. My husband and his brothers died sending the box to your world. Gunnar is the last of my kin."

"The five of us can't liberate a whole city," Jack said.

"It's one kid," Lorne said.

"As soon as I get to the Hall of Mjollnir and summon Thor, we won't have to do any liberating," Daniel said. "The Asgard will do it for us."

"I know the place of which you speak," Gairwyn said.

Daniel nodded. "I know. You showed it to me last time." She frowned at him and Daniel turned to face Jack. "I'm going," he declared.

"Me too," Lorne said, stepping out of the doorway to join Daniel.

"I shall accompany Gairwyn back to the village," Teal'c said. Sam moved to join him, her gaze defiant.

Jack stared at them for a few seconds before closing his eyes and sighing. "When the HELL did this become a committee?" he asked, not expecting an answer.

/\/\/\/\/\

Kevin followed Daniel through the woods, resisting the urge to ask - again - if he actually knew where he was going. They'd been walking for the past day and a half, splitting off from the others early the previous morning.

"Daniel-"

"I know," he said, stopping and turning back to face Kevin. "Look, it was over a year ago and I was following Sam and Gairwyn," he excused.

"I know," Kevin said, aware that his frustration was a bit misplaced. It wasn't like Daniel was deliberately leading him astray. "Let's take five," he said, gesturing towards a fallen log. The pair of sat down, Kevin pulling his canteen from the pack and taking a drink. "Does any of this look familiar?" He asked, handing the canteen to Daniel.

Daniel shook his head, taking the canteen. "Maybe. I think I recognize that tree." He pointed off to the distance.

"The tree?"

"Half of it's dead. That looks familiar."

Kevin nodded. "Does it fit in with Gairwyn's directions?"

"I think so."

Kevin fell silent, taking the canteen back and putting the top back on. He set it at his feet and reached into his pack, pulling out a small bag of jerky. He tore off some of the dried meat and handed it to Daniel who took it gratefully. "All we got to do is get close, right?"

"Huh?"

"I mean, we're looking for a hall. So we just have to find a building and-" Daniel sighed and Kevin stared, a sinking feeling settling in the pit of his stomach. "We ARE looking for a hall, aren't we?"

"Kinda."

"Kinda?"

"It's not really a building. It's more of a…pillar."

"A pillar?"

Daniel nodded. "About six-seven feet tall. Covered with carvings. Big red stone in the middle."

"A stone?" Kevin asked skeptically, regretting not pressing for more details before agreeing to this trek.

"It's kinda like a front door. You touch the stone and it transports you down into the hall. Then you pass some tests and Thor appears and…the rest is history," he finished, pasting a confident grin on his face.

Kevin chewed on the jerky, staring off into the distance. In one way, their mission had sounded a lot easier than the one undertaken by O'Neill and the others, returning to the village to retrieve Gunnar, but in another, he seriously wondered if they were on little more than a wild goose chase.

Searching for some mythical doorway to make an intergalactic phone call to get alien help? It sounded more like a really bad plot of an equally bad Sci-Fi movie.

"What exactly are these tests…" Kevin's voice trailed off as the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. He looked around, searching for some sign of danger.

"You know, in hindsight, they're not all that tough but at the time I was really glad that Sam was-"

Listening to his instincts, Kevin reached over and grabbed Daniel, one hand smothering his surprised out cry while the other pushed him to the far side of the log. Kevin used his own body weight to hold Daniel down, the hand over his mouth tightening as the voices grew closer.

Feeling Daniel relax, Kevin looked down and slowly removed his hand as he saw comprehension in Daniel's eyes. They laid there for several minutes, both barely breathing as the voices got closer and closer, then faded.

Hoping that they were far enough away, and intensely curious, Kevin carefully raised his head, peering over the top of the log. He felt Daniel ease himself out from under him and Kevin moved to allow him to sit up. "Were those what I think they were?" Kevin asked, careful to keep his voice low.

Daniel stared at him for a few seconds, frowning furiously. "That's right, first mission," he muttered. "Yeah, those were Jaffa."

"Cheery fellows."

"Oh yeah, they're a real bundle of laughs," Daniel said.

"Ok, so maybe we should lose the chatter and-"

Kevin felt an odd blast of heat blaze by him bare milliseconds before he heard a strange whumping sound. Before he could truly comprehend what had happened, Daniel's fingers dug into his shirt and pulled him forward, barely giving Kevin enough time to snag the pack. They dashed through the woods, zigging and zagging in a pathetic attempt to keep a tree, any tree, between them and the Jaffa. More staff blasts tore past them, scorching the trees that they hit.

His heart pounding in his chest, Kevin tried to run faster, forcing every ounce of strength he possessed into his legs. His eyes barely had time to focus on the various branches and plants they ran around and through as he heard the sounds of pursuit growing closer. Just as he felt Daniel pull him to the left, his eyes caught sight of something and Kevin grabbed for his hand, pulling Daniel to the right.

He skidded to a stop, his feet sliding in the muddy dirt and he fell, pulling Daniel down with him. "This it?"

A staff blast sizzled over his head and Kevin ducked, burying his face in the leaves. Daniel didn't answer him but dove for the obelisk, frantically throwing out his hand and slamming it against the red crystal with bruising force.

Just when he was convinced that they'd made a mistake, a brilliant flash of light washed over them and they were plunged into darkness.

/\/\/\/\/\

Jack groaned, wincing as he slid off the horse. Gairwyn dismounted behind him, chuckling softly. He looked over and was mildly relieved to see Teal'c and Carter in the same straits.

"Have I ever mentioned that I hate horses," Jack groused, walking slowly in a circle to loosen up his tight muscles.

"Many times, O'Neill," Teal'c said, affecting a tone of long suffering tolerance.

"I am sorry, this is the only form of transportation that we possess," Gairwyn apologized. "A cart or wagon would have taken too long and drawn too much attention."

Jack shook his head, smiling at her. "It's ok," he said, holding up his hand. "It's nothing personal. And you're right, we needed speed."

"How much further must we travel until we reach the village?" Teal'c asked.

"We're here," she said. "This is why we traveled at such a pace. I hoped to arrive here by nightfall."

They'd left Kendra's house at first light after a short hike the day before to a farm five miles down the road to borrow some horses. Fortunately, after Kendra and her family had been killed, Bader took in her live stock, including her draft horse. Which was what Sam and Teal'c had ridden, the sturdy animal up to carrying the bulky burden of a Jaffa and a human while Jack had ridden pillion on Gairwyn's horse.

They'd ridden pretty much non-stop, taking only short breaks for lunch and to answer the call of nature.

"How big is the village?" Jack asked.

"See for yourself," she said, pointing towards a large outcropping just beyond the treeline.

Jack nodded and edged towards it, motioning for Gairwyn to keep low. Fortunately, both Sam and Teal'c did the same, both crawling to the edge. Below Jack could see a large group of dwellings, most no larger than Kendra's, especially along the outskirts. In the center he could see several blocks of stone buildings, a few of which stood a full two stories tall.

There was one wide avenue down the middle of the village and the rest of the roadways looked narrow and twisting, as if they'd originally been nothing more than the space between the homes. A space that grew into roads as the village expanded.

People milled around, mostly women and children from what Jack could see. But he didn't think that there were enough people. Not considering the number of buildings. "The men toil all day in the mines," Gairwyn said. "The healthier women as well. Only those that are old or caring for younglings are exempt."

"And your kid?"

"He stays with my sister. She cares for many children now." Jack frowned. "It used to be that orphans were rare. Now they are all too common," she said sadly.

"And she's not gonna mind us taking only Gunnar?"

"She will not. I only had her care for him while I was gone."

"How shall we attain access to this village?" Teal'c asked.

"You shall not escape notice. The village is too small. I shall go down and retrieve my son."

Jack nodded. He didn't like the idea of putting Gairwyn in danger, but really didn't see another way. She was the only one of them that could make it into the village without being noticed. "OK," he said. "When are you going to go?"

"I shall go now. We will leave the horses where she can find them and borrow two of hers. I will then bring Gunnar here and we can go back to Kendra's to await Thor's arrival."

"We will not be able to travel far in the dark," Teal'c said.

"We will not need to," Gairwyn said. "Many of the Jaffa are afraid of the woods and do not often venture into them. There is a cave a short distance in that direction, we can shelter there for the night and leave at first light. We will not need to travel as quickly on our return."

Jack nodded, refraining from telling her that he personally felt the more distance between them and the village the better. Then again, they wouldn't be accomplishing much if they tripped and broke something in the dark. He watched as Gairwyn took the reins of the two horses and led them down into the village.

Teal'c settled down by one of the trees, closing his eyes as he settled into kelnoreem. Jack watched until Gairwyn entered the village then he crawled back from the edge, finding his own tree trunk to lean against.

"You are eighteen shades of stupid," he muttered under his breath, stretching out his injured leg. While riding was certainly better than walking, his leg still hurt like hell. Given the nature of the puncture wound, he was pretty sure that it was healing poorly, the skin knitting on top while an infection remained within. As soon as they got back he needed to examine it. Maybe even cut it open and make sure that there were no nasty surprises in there.

A pebble skittered against his foot and Jack looked up to see Carter beckoning him. He pushed his own worries to the side and crawled back to the over hang. "What's up?" he whispered.

She pointed down and Jack squinted, wishing that he had his binoculars. There were Jaffa marching through the village, joined by others that were searching the houses. As Jack watched, the villagers were rounded up and pulled from their homes. Some were released, thrown to their knees in the dirt, but most were not.

They were marched to the edge of the village, manacles and chains quickly quelling any resistance. "Gairwyn," Sam whispered. Jack changed his focus and spotted the woman as she was being chained with the rest.

Once the raid was complete, the Jaffa marched their captives out of the village, directing them towards the hatak ship in the distance, parked over what Jack could only guess was the mines.

"One of these days, something is going to go right," he muttered, sincerely hoping that Daniel and Lorne were having better luck.

/\/\/\/\/\

Daniel stood in the pitch darkness for a few seconds before the total lack of visual cues led to him losing his balance and he fell to the floor. Fortunately for him, he had a soft landing. Unfortunately for Kevin, he was the source of that soft landing.

"God!" Kevin groaned, pushing Daniel off him.

"I'm sorry," Daniel apologized, trying to get away from Kevin without doing him further injury. His fingers encountered the canvas bag and he pulled it to his lap, digging inside for a flashlight.

"That's ok. I wasn't planning to have kids anytime soon," Kevin said. Daniel could hear the rustle of the man sitting up as his fingers curled over the flashlight. He pointed it towards the ceiling and snapped it on, still wincing from the bright light. "Tell me this is normal," Kevin requested, making no move to get up.

"This is what happened last time."

"Cool, so now what?"

As he spoke, a red stone on the far wall flared into life and a familiar - to Daniel anyway - hologram illuminated the room.

I am Thor. You are brave to come before me. However, only the worthy may witness Thor's might.

"What? Do we need credentials?" Kevin asked. "I hate to break it to you but I left my ID in my other pants."

The room began to shake and Daniel stepped back, memories of a year before washing over him. When he opened his eyes, he could see that most of the floor had fallen away, leaving only a narrow beam in the middle. He looked down and, despite knowing that it was all an illusion, felt his stomach drop.

You have shown true selflessness and bravery. Willingness to sacrifice oneself to save another is honorable trait. I salute you.

Remembering that Thor had some way to monitor them, Daniel made a snap decision. He was not going to tell Kevin that it was all a hologram, that one slip did not mean that they'd fall to their deaths. "It's a test," he said, inserting confidence into his voice.

"A test?"

Daniel nodded. "We need to get to the other side."

"Of course we do," Kevin said sarcastically.

"Look, it's not as bad as it looks. I'll even go first."

"Be my guest," Kevin said, making a sweeping gesture with his hand.

Daniel took a deep, steadying breath and moved to the edge of the ledge. He focused on the narrow path before him and stepped out onto it, carefully placing one foot in front of the other. It took him only seconds to make it to the other side and he took a moment, enjoying the sense of accomplishment. He hadn't done this last time. Sam was the only one to make it across.

Daniel turned back to Kevin, waving his arm. "It's not that bad," he said, smiling.

"Aahah. Says the person who's done this before."

"It's just like basic training," Daniel encouraged. "Just without a net."

Kevin glared then nodded skeptically and positioned himself in front of the beam. He stepped out onto it and Daniel watched, carefully holding the flashlight to keep it shining on the narrow beam.

It took Kevin only seconds as well to navigate the beam and soon he stood beside Daniel, his breathing still a bit fast from what Daniel knew to be the adrenaline, not the exertion. "Now what?"

Daniel waited, hoping that in one of them not falling they hadn't messed up the routine. He was rewarded in just a few seconds when the hologram appeared again.

Now you must add wisdom to courage. Solve the riddle of the runes and I will show you my true might

A light flashed from the walls again and Daniel hid a grin. This was going to be easier than he thought.

/\/\/\/\/\

"You want to do what!" O'Neill demanded, barely remembering to keep his voice down.

"We shall go liberate Gairwyn," Teal'c said.

"You expect the three of us to take on a platoon of Jaffa?" O'Neill asked.

"No," Sam said, her quiet voice silencing his protests more than any amount of yelling.

"We shall waylay one of Heru'ur's Jaffa and I shall adopt his armor. I will then escort Captain Carter to the pens holding the prisoners and we shall liberate Gairwyn and return her here," Teal'c elaborated.

"What's Carter got to do with it? Why can't you just go down and get Gairwyn?"

"A Jaffa removing a slave will be questioned. However one delivering a prisoner will not."

"If it's a slave you need, take me," O'Neill said.

Sam shook her head. "No one will notice a woman," she said. She held up her left arm and O'Neill caught a glimpse of the ribbon weapon wrapped around her wrist. "And I will not be unarmed."

"Captain Carter is correct. A female is beneath the notice of most Jaffa. They will not see her as the threat that they will see a healthy male." Teal'c looked at him. "They are also likely to question how a worker has escaped their notice."

"What about the kid?"

"We shall retrieve the child and the horses. That task will be easier with the Jaffa distracted by the escape of their newly gathered slaves."

"And do I get to do anything in this grand plan of yours?" O'Neill asked.

Teal'c looked to Sam, then back to O'Neill. "We shall depend upon you to provide covering fire should we run into an issue. And if we do not return, then we ask that you find and liberate Gairwyn's son and return with her to Kendra's domicile."

O'Neill sighed and plopped down on a nearby rock, crossing his arms over his chest. "You're gonna do it whether I want you to or not," he said.

Captain Carter looked at him and Teal'c quirked his head, unable to deny the man's words. "We shall make every effort to return by dawn." He walked past O'Neill and saw Captain Carter fall into step behind him. The two of them slowly made their way down the out cropping and towards the slave pens.

Teal'c led her for several minutes, moving further and further into the trees. Once they were a decent distance from the village he motioned for her to seek shelter off the trail. "I shall go on alone." She frowned at him. "It is best if I obtain the armor on my own. I shall return momentarily."

She nodded and Teal'c slipped away, getting closer to the slave pens. He was hoping to find a Jaffa alone, perhaps lulled into a false sense of security by the longevity of their occupation.

It took him only moments to find his prey, a young Jaffa apparently seeking the cover of the woods to relieve himself. He was quickly dispatched and stripped, his body hidden beneath a few boughs of a small tree.

Teal'c returned to where he'd left Captain Carter, belatedly remembering that he had not established a code word with the woman, something to identify himself as friend, not enemy. "Captain Carter?" he called out softly, tensing when a nearby bush rustled.

A familiar pale face appeared and Teal'c relaxed, grateful that she had not come to harm. "The slaves are lightly guarded," he said. "They do not expect a rebellion." She nodded and Teal'c saw uncertainly in her eyes. "I believe that I can complete our plan without your assistance," he offered.

"No," she said softly. "I can do this."

Teal'c nodded. "The best way to explain your late arrival is perhaps the least pleasant. You ran from the culling and I pursued you. To make this subterfuge believable, I will be forced to treat you roughly," he warned.

"I know."

"Very well." He reached down and dug his fingers into the dirt, bringing up a handful. He smeared it on her skirt and arm. She pushed him away and bent down herself, picking up some dirt to smear across her face and into her hair.

After a few seconds she looked up, silently requesting his endorsement. He nodded and grabbed her right arm. "You must keep your other arm hidden," he warned. "You must also maintain your distance from the Jaffa lest they sense the remnants of Jolinar within you." She nodded and Teal'c turned on his heel, dragging her unmercifully through the underbrush.

He did not enjoy abusing his friend in such a manner, however he knew that the success of their mission depended upon no one questioning them. As they got within sight of the pens, Teal'c activated his helmet, shielding his face from view.

Only two sentries were stationed and neither paid them much attention as he dragged Captain Carter to the pen. She struggled convincingly, once even losing her footing and falling to her knees. He ignored her cries and threw her to the ground, delivering a carefully pulled kick that was little more than a tap on her side.

He manipulated the catch on the gate and grabbed the heck of the cape she was wearing, pulling her to her feet and tossing her into the pen. "No one runs from service to their lord," he intoned, pitching his voice so that the two sentries could hear.

Affecting a façade of annoyance, he stalked back towards the encampment, hoping that no one would question his presence. Once he was out of sight of the sentries, he slipped into the trees, lowering the helmet to give himself better vision and hearing.

He silently made his way back to the slave pens, maneuvering himself until he was directly behind the Jaffa that was closest to the pen. Fortunately, neither of them seemed interested in the slaves and Teal'c waited, ready to respond to Captain Carter's sign.

He noticed her moving, making her way over to Gairwyn. She made contact and drew the woman close. They edged towards the gate and Teal'c saw Captain Carter raise her left hand, hesitating only a second before a burst of orange shot from her palm, splintering the gate.

The noise awoke the slaves and they got to their feet, standing as they looked at each other. "Free yourselves!" Gairwyn yelled, waving her arms at her kin. They surged forward and Teal'c stepped from the trees, dispatching the sentry with one shot.

He picked up the man's staff weapon and fired across the clearing, hitting the other sentry in the chest. Hearing the faint cries of alarm from the encampment, Teal'c hurried forward, directing the escapees with simple fear. They ran from him and he shepherded them away from the encampment and towards the village.

As he ran, he tore off pieces of his armor, not only to increase his speed but - hopefully - to prevent one of the villagers from mistaking him for a foe.

They ran into the village and Teal'c veered off, hiding in a small copse of trees. Once there, he hurriedly removed the last of the armor before making his way into the village. If the fates were kind, Captain Carter and Gairwyn would be waiting with horses and child in tow.

The village was oddly quiet and Teal'c altered his pace, slowing to a cautious walk. Perhaps the villagers had abandoned their homes and sought shelter in the woods? It would be a wise thing for them to do since it was inevitable that Heru'ur's Jaffa would seek vengeance upon them.

He stepped around the corner of a dwelling and stopped, staring at the horrific sight before him. The villagers were gathered in a small group, a score of armed Jaffa surrounding them, their staff weapons lowered and primed. In the middle of the Jaffa stood one in golden armor, Captain Carter held in his grasp.

"Who is this that dares to challenge me!" Heru'ur demanded, his fingers digging into Captain Carter's hair. If she answered, Teal'c could not hear it over the smothered cries and mutterings of the captives. Heru'ur threw her roughly to the ground and stepped back, his Jaffa closing ranks. "Kill them all!"

/\/\/\/\/\

Daniel dragged his finger through the sand, smiling when it suddenly stopped defying gravity and spilled out of the wall, pooling at his feet.

"Cool," Kevin said. "Now what?" Daniel turned, expecting to see Thor appear at any moment. Seconds passed, and then minutes. "I'm guessing this didn't happen last time."

"No. Last time Thor-"

There was a flash of light and a diminutive alien appeared in the corner of the room. "I am the one whom you know as Thor," he said. "I am the supreme commander of the Asgard fleet. In the ten-span since I created this world, you are the first to reach this level of contact. You have finally grown wise enough to see me in my true form."

"Yeah. Umm, hi, Thor. We've never met here, but my name is Daniel Jackson, and this is Kevin Lorne. We're both from Earth and we need your help."

"You are not from Cimmeria?"

"No," Daniel said. "We're from Earth and we sought refuge on this planet, but the goa'uld are here and they're hurting your people."

"Impossible. Cimmeria is a safe world."

"Yeah, umm, that kinda got messed up," Daniel said. "About a year ago we were here…well not quite 'we' but that's another story. Anyway, there was a Jaffa with the group and he was sent to the Hammer and to get him out it was disabled. Which is how come the goa'uld are here now, although they seem to be using ships more than the gate-"

"The Jaffa serve the goa'uld, they deserve their fate."

"Not this Jaffa. He's denounced his god and he helps the humans in their fight for freedom."

"You are of the Tau'ri?"

"Yeah, we are," Daniel answered.

"The Tau'ri once held promise, but now are little better than the goa'uld they once fought," Thor said, his voice rife with condemnation.

"Not all the Tau'ri," Daniel said. "A few very powerful ones, yes. But not all of them."

"They held him captive," Kevin said, finally finding his voice. "Beat the crap out of him. They abandoned us and left us to rot in some place called Hedantes." He stepped forward, moving in front of Daniel. "When we left, the SGC was run by an honorable man named George Hammond. We explored with respect and curiosity. We screwed up, sure, but we didn't mean to. But now apparently the place is run by a bunch of thieves and cowards but there's nothing we can really do about it. We can't go home."

Thor frowned, or at least Daniel thought it was a frown. It was kind of hard to tell. "Look, please, don't let the mistakes the people on our planet have made condemn the people of this planet. Help them, make the goa'uld go away and I promise you we'll leave. We'll go away and never come back."

There was another flash of light and Daniel stumbled, surprised not to find himself back in the forest. "Where are we?" Kevin asked.

"I'm guessing an Asgard ship," Daniel said.

"Is this a good thing?"

Daniel shrugged. "He could have dumped us back in the middle of that Jaffa patrol."

"So, now what do we do?"

Daniel shook his head. "I guess we wait." He looked at Kevin and saw the unease on the man's face. "The Asgard aren't bad aliens," he reassured. "They won't kill us or anything."

"The Asgard in YOUR universe aren't bad," Kevin said. "He sounded a little pissed to me."

"They're not vengeful," Daniel said. There was a slight jolt and another flash and Daniel found himself on what could only be the bridge of the ship. Thor stood behind a console, his spindly arms manipulating tear drop shaped stones across the smooth surface.

"There is indeed a goa'uld presence on Cimmeria," Thor said. "It is easily eradicated."

The view screen flickered to life and Daniel watched in amazement as beam after beam washed over the land, leaving no Jaffa behind. "That's incredible," Kevin said, moving up to stand beside Daniel.

The view changed from the countryside to a village and Daniel stared in horror as he watched a Jaffa throw Sam to the ground. He saw the other Jaffa raise their staff weapons, clearly intending to open fire. "Help them, please." Thor moved the stones and the beam swept over the village, taking the Jaffa with it. "Not that one!" he said, moving forward to point out Teal'c who had just stepped around the corner of a building.
Daniel turned back to look at Thor. "That's our friend. He won't hurt anyone, I promise."

Thor glared slightly but spared Teal'c, instead taking every other Jaffa from the village. Daniel watched him finish scanning the planet, the bright white beams finally fading. "You will identify your companions," Thor instructed.

"What are you going to do?" Kevin asked.

"You already know Teal'c," Daniel said, following his instincts. If Thor wanted them dead, they would be already. "Sam's there, the light haired woman." Daniel saw Sam get to her feet, Gairwyn helping her. "I don't know where Jack…there he is." Daniel watched his friend make his way down the incline, his weapon in his hand.

"Whoa! What the-" Jack exclaimed, staggering as he sought his balance.

"Hi," Daniel said, waving slightly.

"Hi," Jack answered. "Lemme guess, it worked."

"Jack, meet Thor, Thor, this is Jack O'Neill. Captain Carter and Teal'c," Daniel introduced.

Thor nodded a greeting and maneuvered the stones again, this time producing a beam that flowed over each of them in turn. "Hey!" Jack protested. "What the hell was that?"

"I merely wished to ascertain that the information relayed to me is factual," he said.

Jack turned to look at him. "Daniel?"

"Apparently, Earth has developed quite a reputation. And it's not a good one."

"Ah," Jack said. He turned to face Thor. "Look, I don't know what's going on back home. We haven't been there in over a year."

"And you are in the company of a Jaffa and a curiously unblended human." Thor directed his attention towards Sam.

"It wasn't a goa'uld," Daniel said. "The symbiote that took Sam was a Tok'ra. It died saving her life."

"Look, we're just trying to survive here," Jack said. "The only reason we came to Cimmeria is because Daniel knew that it was a safe place. I'm sorry things got messed up here. It wasn't something we meant to do. If you can just let us get to the gate, we'll go. And we won't come back."

"And the people of your planet? You will allow them to continue to steal and destroy?" Thor asked pointedly.

"They took her," Jack said, pointing at Sam. "They held her captive and forced her to use her abilities with that healing thing to cover up the fact that they're getting their own people killed. They beat the crap out of him when he wouldn't tell them what they wanted to know." He pointed at Daniel. "And they left us to rot. Whatever the hell is wrong with my planet, it's big. It's more than the five of us can fix."

"So you will allow the people of your planet to continue to steal from other races?"

"It's not everyone on our planet," Daniel said. "Most of them don't even know that the Stargate exists. It's just a handful of people that are abusing the Stargate for their own gain."

"This is very unfortunate. We had high hopes for the people of your world," Thor said.

"You still could," Daniel said impulsively. "Help us fix things."

"Daniel?" Jack said. "What are you doing?"

"Jack, don't you see? Thor can help us."

"Help us do what? We don't know how far it goes."

"We can find that out." Daniel moved towards Thor, his enthusiasm growing with each step. "We have lie detectors. You have to have them. I know of at least two people in the
SGC that aren't in on the conspiracy, and there have to be more. We can blow the lid off this whole mess."

"And what do you intend to do with the guilty parties?" Teal'c asked.

"Sending them to Hedantes is probably out of the question," Daniel said, having no answer to the question.

"We lock their asses up," Kevin said.

"You are willing to do this?" Thor asked.

Jack stepped forward. "We obviously have no idea what's happened in the past year." He looked around, his eyes passing over each of them. "And I think we'd all like to go home. But if we walk though the gate right now, we'll be dead within a day."

"If you take us to Earth, can you beam out just one person?" Daniel asked.

"What are you thinking of?" Kevin asked.

"Doctor Frasier and Sergeant Siler helped me escape. If we can beam them up here, they can tell us who some of the compromised people are. And who to trust and…we can just start getting names."

"Bauer and Samuels," Sam said, speaking up for the first time. "Ratner, Kelso, Martinez and Wood."

Daniel reached over and squeezed her hand, all too aware of just how she knew who the 'problem children' were.

"Unfortunately my transporter beams are unable to identify one human from another," Thor said.

"Can you deliver us in secret into the facility?" Teal'c asked.

"What's your plan?" Jack asked.

"We are aware of the identities of these individuals. If Thor can provide us with communication devices we can gain custody of these people and notify Thor when he should activate his transporter."

"We could beam right into Bauer's office and grab him," Kevin said. "Same with Samuels."

"Aah, let's just slow down here," Jack said, raising his hand. He turned to look at Thor. "I appreciate everything you've done for us but before we start planning a coup here, I think we need to think about it."

"O'Neill is correct," Teal'c said.

"I shall make quarters available for you on the Beliskner," Thor said. "It will take me several hours to repair the Hammer. Is there anything on Cimmeria that you wish to retrieve?"

Daniel looked around and nodded. "Yeah. We had a bag. It had something in it that we really can't leave down there. It's nothing dangerous," he hurried to reassure after he saw Thor's eyes narrow. "Just something that we need."

Thor nodded. "We shall retrieve the item and depart in a few hours. It will take two days to travel to Earth. I will need your decision before that time."

/\/\/\/\/\

Jack strolled into the room, his hair still wet from the shower. He had to hand it to the little grey guys, what they lacked in stature and clothing, they made up for in hospitality. He and his people had been given comfortable - if Spartan rooms - consisting of a bed, of a sort, and bathroom facilities.

The food, after a few misunderstandings, was plentiful and edible and Jack gave more than a passing thought to seeing if they could hang out a bit longer, rest and recuperate.
"Jack, we need to talk," Daniel said, barely waiting until he was in the room.

He was seated on a sort of sofa positioned in the middle of the common room they all shared. Their quarters were situated around this common room with a sixth door, Jack guessed, leading out into the corridor.

Jack sighed and sat down, accepting that he couldn't keep avoiding the discussion. Thor's time limit was almost up and Jack knew that the little guy would be demanding an answer pretty soon.

"Well?" he asked, shrugging. "Let's talk."

"Umm, ok." Daniel looked around at the group.

"I think it's less a discussion of what needs to be done once we get there, but whether or not we even try," Jack said, kick starting the conversation.

"We have to try." Daniel insisted.

"Do we?" Jack countered. "Daniel, do you have any idea how long this will take? How deep the conspiracy might go? You said that Kinsey is President and he's pulling the strings. Which means we're not just looking at cleaning out the SGC, it's Washington and the Pentagon too. We're gonna be taking on some very powerful people, ones that obviously don't have much of a compunction about killing the inconvenient."

"Jack, do you have any idea what's at stake here?" Daniel asked.

"The reputation of a planet that left us for dead?"

"We're not just a planet," Daniel said. "In my universe, we visited a planet, P3R272. When we were there, you walked through this beam of light and activated this thing and ended up getting a whole database downloaded into your brain."

"Downloaded?" Jack asked, considering for a second that Thor had been holding out on him and that Daniel had gotten his hands on something about 100 proof.

"It was the term that Sam came up with. Or maybe it was Janet. Anyway, you got this huge info dump but your brain couldn't handle it and you started to have issues," Daniel continued.

Jack looked around the room. "I don't have issues."

Daniel simply grimaced. "You built a device, it allowed us to use the Stargate to dial a planet, not in this galaxy, and you made contact with the Asgard and they fixed you."

"Well, that was nice of them."

"Yes, wasn't it?" Daniel asked rhetorically. "While you were there, they told you something about us being the Fifth Race and that we had potential."

"Potential for what?" Kevin asked.

"They never really went into detail," Daniel said quickly. "My point is, at least according to the Asgard, the human race is special and if we don't do anything to stop Kinsey and his cronies they're going to doom our whole planet."

"Doom is a bit strong," Jack said.

"I do not believe so, O'Neill," Teal'c said. "I have spoken to Daniel Jackson about the differences between our universes. The most pointed of which is that his Earth has several allies, among them the Tok'ra and the Asgard."

"None of which we can count on happening here," Jack said.

"They're killing people," Sam said. Jack looked at her, the pain in her eyes stilling his protest. "They enslave other planets, forcing them to work in mines or to gather things."
She looked at Jack. "They're no better than the goa'uld."

"How?" Jack asked, drawing the conversation back to the root issue. "It's gonna take more than the five of us. Who the hell do we trust?"

"Whoever Kinsey has locked up," Kevin said.

"It's only been a year," Daniel said. "Kinsey can't have replaced everyone. The public will only tolerate so much. If we can get to the SGC, find Doctor Frasier and Sergeant Siler. They can help identify some of the bad guys. If we can use Thor's transporter beam, we can get Bauer and Samuels out of there. Lock them up somewhere until we find out who we can trust."

Jack looked at his team, searching for some sort of dissension or disagreement. Not surprisingly, he saw none. Only a grim determination and acceptance that they were at a crossroads and ready to undertake a mission from which there would be no turning back.

"I never thought I'd be planning a mutiny," he muttered, leaning forward and pushing his fingers through his hair. "We need to talk this over with Thor," he said. "See how far he's willing to go to help us." He looked each of them in the eye. "If all he's gonna do is beam us down and cut us loose, we're not doing it." Slowly, they all nodded, agreeing with his ultimatum.

Now all they had to do was figure out how to infiltrate the SGC and save the planet…without getting killed in the process.

/\/\/\/\/\

Kevin blinked, the flash of the Asgard transporter catching him off guard even though he knew what to expect. Aiming quickly, he fired his tranquilizer gun, shooting both of the guards working in the security room. "Lock the door," he said to Daniel as he pulled the unconscious man out of the chair and laid him on the floor.

Kevin heard the lock catch as he sat down at the console, scanning the readings.

"How long until shift change?" Daniel asked.

Kevin looked at the clock in the corner of the computer. "Half an hour," he said. "You know, I have no idea what the codes are. I couldn't begin to do much, not without risking messing things up."

"We don't have to," Daniel said. He finished tying up the two men and joined Kevin at the consoles, claiming his own seat. "All we need to do is keep track of who's where and let Jack know."

Kevin nodded and reached into his pocket, pulling out the communication device given to him by Thor. It was part of the limited assistance they were getting from the alien. Thor was beaming them in, providing them with communicators and he'd beamed up tranquilizer guns for their use. Anything beyond that, the humans were on their own. "Colonel, security room is secure," he said.

"Understood, beaming in now."

Kevin typed some commands and brought up the control room camera just as the colonel, Sam and Teal'c appeared in the control room. They efficiently disposed of the personnel there, tying them up in the corner of the room. "It's showtime," Daniel said.

/\/\/\/\/\

Sam stood in the control room, watching as Jack and Teal'c secured the personnel they'd just shot. "Carter. Get on those codes," Jack ordered.

She nodded and sat down at the console, staring at the keyboard for a few seconds. She knew what she had to do, she just wasn't sure if she could do it. What if they'd changed things? Erased things? Altered the codes.

"Hey?" Jack put his hand on her shoulder. "You can do this. Just take your time and get us a list of anyone that Bauer or Samuels have locked up. Or anyone they've vouched for to be transferred here. Give us somewhere to start."

She nodded and took a deep breath, sliding the ribbon weapon off her hand and laying it in her lap. She started to type, the codes and passwords coming back to her as she worked. They'd changed some of them, which was what she'd expected. But not all. She found her way through database after database, concentrating mainly on the people that had been transferred to the base in the past year. "Jack?" she heard Daniel's voice come over the communicator. "Bauer's evidentially an early riser. He's on his way down from the surface."

Sam looked over her shoulder, staring at Jack and Teal'c. They weren't supposed to be here, not yet. Jack glanced at Teal'c and shrugged. "Let him down. We'll be waiting."

He looked over to Sam and smiled at her. "Don't worry about him. Keep up what you're doing." She nodded and turned back, applying herself to her task.

/\/\/\/\/\

"This should be interesting," Daniel said, glancing over at Kevin.

Kevin shrugged. "Had to happen eventually. It'll be easier if they come to us."

Daniel nodded, well aware that, at this stage at least, their little coup needed to stay confined to the SGC. Right now it'd be far too easy for Kinsey to spin it as them assisting in an alien invasion. "What else do you see?" Daniel asked.

Kevin typed a few commands and different pictures flashed up on the monitor as he switched from camera to camera. Daniel watched image after image, all a snapshot of the base in the early hours of the morning. There wasn't much activity, which seemed a bit odd to Daniel. Sure, Earth time dictated that it was pre-dawn, but time literally was relative and dawn here could be sunset somewhere else. A familiar face caught his eyes and Daniel leaned forward. "Go back," he ordered.

Kevin pushed a couple of buttons and pulled up the camera he'd just passed over. "What do you see?"

"An ally." Daniel pointed at the screen. "Doctor Frasier. She's on our side."

"We'll remember that."

Daniel shook his head. "We need to talk to her. Find out who's on Samuels' side."

Daniel got up from the console and walked over to one of the unconscious men. "What are you going to do?" Kevin asked, getting out of the chair.

"I'm gonna go get her."

"You can't just walk out there."

"You've seen the cameras. No one's here."

"And the day shift starts in less than half an hour," Kevin argued as Daniel unbuttoned the man's shirt.

"Which means the longer you argue with me the later I'll be," Daniel said, unwilling to change his mind. "You gonna help me?"

Kevin sighed and joined Daniel in stripping the man's uniform off. "So were you this big a pain in the ass in your universe?"

/\/\/\/\/\

Jack crouched under the briefing room table, shifting his weight from one knee to the other, grateful that Thor had healed the wound in his thigh. At least he didn't have to worry about it hindering him in some way.

Footsteps echoed down the hall and Jack glanced over at Teal'c, grateful that the man hadn't chosen to check on the control room first. Jack heard the general unlock the door and he signaled Teal'c. They silently slid out from under the table and split up, each taking a different door. "Morning, General," Jack said cheerfully, aiming the tranquilizer gun directly at the man's chest.

"Who the hell are you?" Bauer demanded, his hand reaching for the red phone.

"Ah, ah, ah."

"That would not be wise," Teal'c said.

Bauer looked at him and frowned. "What's going on?"

"Think HMS Bounty," Jack said. "Step away from the desk."

"Shall I restrain him, O'Neill?" Teal'c asked.

Jack saw comprehension flash across Bauer's face. "O'Neill? You're Teal'c?" he asked.

"And you're an asshole. Tie him up," Jack said.

"You're dead," Bauer said, not resisting as Teal'c moved to his side and turned him around. "You were lost on that planet and-"

"And we've spent the past YEAR in a fucking hole in the ground because you left us behind!" Jack said, stepping forward and yelling in the man's face. Much to his pleasure, Bauer blanched, his eyes skittering away from Jack's. "Let's get him downstairs where we can keep an eye on him," Jack said.

Jack turned on his heel, stopping dead in his tracks when the sharp report of a gunshot tore through the air.

/\/\/\/\/\

Sam typed on the keyboard, a smile creeping across her face as she hacked into database after database. She knew it wasn't all the names. It couldn't be all of them. But it was a good start.

They just might be able to do this. For the first time since Daniel and Jack had come up with the idea to clear Earth's name, she actually thought that they might do it. All they had to do was to get this information to a non-compromised person and they'd have to do something. Have to investigate, have to dig deeper.

This couldn't be covered up forever.

"Well, well, well, what have we here?" Sam's fingers stilled and her stomach twisted as the cool voice cut into her thoughts. "Get away from the console," he ordered.

She obediently dropped her hands into her lap, her fingers encountering the smooth, cool surface of the ribbon weapon lying on her legs.

"I figured you would return eventually." Samuels continued, his voice growing closer.

'His death is your fault!'

"Are you as eager to continue our little sessions as I am?" He stepped closer and Sam could feel the heat of his body on the back of her neck. "It's really too bad you didn't come a day sooner though. Siler really could have used your services. In fact, there are several men who are dead now because you had to go and run away. Desert your post, neglect your duty."

His hand settled on Sam's shoulder and she gasped, a year of fear washing over her.

Heavy hands dragging her from place to place.

A cold, sterile room without even a blanket to shield her from the cold.

Desperate eyes, begging for mercy, watering from pain. Cold fingers digging into her arm, pleading with her to save them. The blood on her skin, blood on her hands. The blood of every failure, every person she let die.

Every person he killed. Every person he would keep killing as long as she let him.

Fear turning into anger she spun in the chair, raising her left hand as she faced him. Without saying a word she poured her grief and rage into the device and threw Samuels across the room, unable to suppress the smile that curled her lips at the sight of hem crashing into a bank of computers, his grunt of pain barely audible over the shower of sparks.

She barely registered the sharp bang of the gun before a heavy force slammed into her back and she knew no more.

/\/\/\/\/\

Janet pulled the files from the cabinet and shoved them into her bag, sniffing slightly when the tears threatened yet again.

"Damnit," she muttered, hearing the printer signal that it was out of paper. She opened a new ream and filled the drawer, silently urging the machine to move faster. She was running out of time. She needed to get out of here. She had to be setting off alarm after alarm with the files she was accessing and knew that, once Samuels got in and checked the security logs, he'd come and get her.

She had to get this information out of here, find someone who would look at it. Better yet, someone who wouldn't be afraid to talk about it. Talk far and wide and as loud as they could. Maybe if she got enough people talking then Kinsey wouldn't be able to shut them up and make them go away.

She glanced at her watch and realized that she couldn't wait any longer. She pulled the last of the papers off the printer and crammed them into the case, not caring if they got wrinkled or bent.

She hurried out of her office and ran straight into a figure dressed in green. Afraid that she'd been discovered, she pushed him away and turned on her heels. Maybe if she made it to the other entrance she could…Strong arms wrapped around her waist and she cried out, struggling to free herself. No. No. She couldn't let them get her. Couldn't let them-
"Doctor Frasier! Doctor Frasier. It's ok. It's me, Daniel Jackson!"

The familiar voice finally penetrated her terror and Janet relaxed, craning her neck to get a look. "Jackson?"

"Yeah, it's me, I'm back. Don't hurt me, ok?" She nodded and he let her go. She turned around, frowning when she realized that he was wearing a uniform that clearly wasn't his. "What's going on?" he asked. "Why are you so scared?"

"What are you doing here? I thought you were-"

"Yeah, we were," he interrupted. "And it's a very long story. But right now, we need to get you somewhere safe."

She snorted, his words striking her as funny. "Somewhere safe. Happen to have plane tickets to Mexico on you?"

His eyes drifted down and he frowned. "Where are you going with those?" he asked.

"I've got to get out of here. And you shouldn't have come back."

"What happened?" he asked sincerely.

Suddenly too tired to speak, she dug in her satchel and pulled out a file, holding it open for him. "This happened," she said, taking no small measure of satisfaction when he blanched, swallowing convulsively.

"Siler?"

She nodded. "Four days. Ratner worked on him for FOUR days and he still wouldn't talk. They broke his bones, cut him, shocked him…they killed him by inches and he still died protecting me." She looked at him, unashamed of the tears in her eyes. "I can't do this anymore. I can't keep on doing this. Someone has to know and-"

"Ssh, ssh," he said, closing the folder and pulling her into a hug. "Someone is gonna know. That's why we're here. We're gonna stop them. We need your help."

She pulled away from him. "What can I do?"

"Just exactly what you're doing." He glanced around. "I have somewhere safe you can hide. Will you come with me?" She nodded and he took her hand in his. "You are not gonna believe who we met."

/\/\/\/\/\

'SG-9 just returned from Taldor, sir," Samuels briefed him, laying the folder on his desk.

'What did they have to say about SG-1?" Gordon asked, shuffling the papers around.

'They were executed, sir.'

'Executed?'

Samuels nodded. 'One of the more creative uses for the Stargate, sir. They send all their prisoners through the gate to a Mercury type planet.' He sighed. 'At least it was painless, sir. They would have died in an instant.'

The sharp sound of an echoing gunshot tore Gordon from his memories.

"Crap," O'Neill muttered.

"Captain Carter-"

Boot steps pounded up the metal stairs and in just seconds a half dozen SF's had them surrounded.

"You'll never make it out of this mountain," Gordon said, unwilling to have bloodshed on his base. Besides, he would never find out how two dead men got into his office if they were killed.

O'Neill sighed and raised his hands, Teal'c doing the same. "Secure them," Gordon ordered, turning to let Sergeant Markham cut his own bindings. "Bring them with us."
Gordon walked out of his office and across the briefing room towards the staircase. He quickly descended the stairs, shocked at what he saw.

The duty personnel were sitting against the wall in the corner, their hands and feet tied while Sergeant Ratner was helping Samuels to his feet.

Across the room, a woman lay on the floor, a growing pool of blood identifying her as the victim. "What happened here?" Gordon demanded, making his way over to the injured woman.

"She was hacking into the computers," Samuels said. "When I attempted to stop her, she tried to kill me. The Sergeant here saved my life."

Gordon knelt down and checked her pulse, barely able to find it fluttering under his fingers. He couldn't ignore the growing red stain on the back of her dress. "What was she looking in the database for?" he asked, trying to reconcile the idea with the image he had of the woman.

'The damage is quite extensive, sir," Samuels reported. 'The symbiote apparently damaged a significant portion of Captain Carter's brain, including language and comprehension.'

'And there's nothing we can do?'

'I'm afraid it's beyond our abilities to fix.'

"Carter!" O'Neill struggled against his guards, only stopping when one of them punched him in the gut. He fell to his knees, gasping.

Samuels staggered over to join Gordon. He roughly rolled Carter to her front, examining the wound. "At least the brain stem is intact. We'll finally be able to study how the symbiote attaches itself and takes control," he said.

"Captain Carter requires medical attention," Teal'c said.

"Shut up, Jaffa!" Samuels ordered. "You'll be next."

"Oh my god!" Bauer turned, frowning as Doctor Frasier hurried into the room, stopping in her tracks when she caught sight of the situation.

"Doctor, we need you," Bauer said, putting aside his questions for the moment. He was no doctor, but he knew from the amount of blood that she was losing, Carter wouldn't live much longer.

Frasier hurried forward, dropping a satchel of paper as she knelt down. Bauer saw a shadow in the doorway. "Someone's out there," he said, motioning for Markham to check it out. The man did as he was bid and returned in a few seconds, leading another man. "Doctor Jackson," Bauer said, the situation getting more confusing by the second.

"I need a medical team down here, now!" Frasier ordered.

"Doctor, do whatever you need. Markham, lock these three up."

"Yes, sir."

Bauer got to his feet and moved over to the sergeant, lowering his voice. "No one but you and your men have access to them. Am I understood?"

Markham looked over Bauer's shoulder and Bauer saw his eyes settle on Samuels, narrowing slightly. "Yes, sir, and not a problem, sir."

Bauer nodded. "Untie those men and lock this place down. No one gets in or out until I figure out what the hell is going on."

/\/\/\/\/\

Jack sat in the cell, his back against the wall and his knees drawn up. He watched as Daniel paced, wishing that he had the luxury of such an outlet. "Why won't they tell us something?" Daniel demanded.

"Because we're in the brig," Jack said.

"Refusal to share information is a common interrogation tactic," Teal'c said.

"I don't want information, I just want to know if Sam's alive."

"You wouldn't be worrying if we hadn't have come," Jack couldn't resist saying.

Daniel turned. "Jack, you heard the Asgard-"

"I heard you," Jack interrupted. "If Earth is so damned important to Thor, why the hell isn't he here?"

"I don't know," Daniel confessed. He sank down in one of the chairs, his shoulders slumped. "It wasn't supposed to be like this," he said softly.

"All hope may not be lost," Teal'c said.

Jack sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. It was cleaner now but he still hadn't been able to get it cut. "If Carter's lucky, she's dead," he said. Daniel looked at him with stricken eyes. "Can you honestly tell me you want her to go back to being their slave?" He stared for a second, then dropped his eyes, shaking his head. "You do whatever you gotta do," Jack said. "You don't owe anyone anything, your only responsibility is to yourself."

"What are you talking about?" Daniel asked.

"O'Neill speaks of the trials you are likely to face in captivity," Teal'c said. He looked at
Jack and Jack knew that the Jaffa was well aware of the limited scope of their future.

They weren't just prisoners, they were inconvenient. They were proof of a conspiracy and would probably not live out the day. "If you want to survive, do whatever you have to. And if you don't…that's no one's business but your own," Jack said evenly.

"If I don't?" Daniel asked, raising his eyebrows.

"There is more than one way to escape captivity, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c said.

The lock clicked and Jack looked up, not surprised to see Kevin Lorne pushed into the room. He scanned the man, searching for any obvious injury and found none. "Fancy meeting you here," Jack said.

"How far did you make it?" Daniel asked. Their mutual decision had been, if things took a turn to the worst, for each of them to try and escape the SGC and get out, hopefully taking the truth with them and to either survive or to find someone that would believe them.

"They met me at the surface," Kevin said. He held up his hands. "I think I got blisters."

"Did you find out anything about Sam?" Daniel asked.

Kevin shook his head. "I stayed long enough to see them take her to the infirmary." He looked at Jack. "They were moving too fast for it to be good."

Jack nodded, expecting his words. "You did the best you could," he said.

Kevin sighed and nodded and Jack could see that while he'd heard his words, he didn't believe them. "Now what do we do?"

"We wait," Teal'c said.

/\/\/\/\/\

Gordon slowly flipped through the reports, his heart sinking with each word. "How? How did it get so bad?" he muttered, setting aside one report for another. He read the autopsy report, his experience allowing him to read between the lines. There were, after all, only so many ways that 'tortured to death' could be sugar coated. Especially when the victim wasn't an alien or enemy, he was one of their own.

Gordon wasn't so naïve to think that torture didn't happen. It was a sad fact of life, especially for those for whom life and death was a common part of their jobs. But not to their own. They were never supposed to harm their own.

He looked at the files on his desk and knew that they were but a drop in the bucket. "I've been a fool," he whispered, setting the sickening file to the side.

He'd been too lazy, too lax, too complacent. And he'd given Samuels too much leeway. He couldn't control this. Couldn't fix it. It was too big.

He reached for the telephone and dialed the number of the only person he felt he could trust. The one person that he knew Kinsey hated with a passion.

/\/\/\/\/\

Hearing the all too familiar recording, Albert Samuels indulged himself in a fit of pique and tossed the receiver into its cradle, not caring that it bounced right out and skittered across his desk.

Sighing at his own lack of self-control, he carefully picked up the receiver and replaced it, settling for staring at the offending bit of plastic. "Whoever the hell heard of locking down communications?" he asked rhetorically, leaning back in his chair.

It'd been six hours now since he'd run across Carter in the control room and not only was the base physically locked down, the computer and telephones were locked out as well, effectively cutting the SGC off from the rest of the world.

A shadow crossed his door and Samuels looked up, motioning for Ratner to join him.
"The prisoners?"

Ratner shook his head, his thick neck making it look like he was shaking his whole upper body. The burly sergeant was built like a boxer, his thick arms and legs speaking of a compact strength. "They won't let me close. Markham's got the whole hall cordoned off."

"And the infirmary?"

"Same way. They got Carter in one of the isolation rooms. No one's allowed in but medical personnel."

Samuels shook his head. "He's been compromised somehow. That's the only explanation."

"How?" Ratner asked. "The President's had him under constant surveillance since he took command."

"We'll figure out the how later. Right now we need to see about getting control of our base back."

The phone rang and Samuels frowned, waiting until the second ring to pick it up. "Samuels? Yes, certainly, I'll be right there." He hung up the phone. "The old man's calling a meeting." He pushed his chair back and got to his feet, motioning for Ratner to join him.

It took them only minutes to make their way down to level twenty-seven. The base was running on a skeleton staff, the night shift pressed into a double duty since their replacements were turned back at the surface.

They walked into the briefing room, Samuels' confident pace slowing as he saw Markham and his team escorting the four male fugitives in as well. "What are these criminals doing out of their cell, Sergeant?" he asked.

"General's orders, Colonel," Markham said, accentuating the ranks.

All five men sat on opposite sides of the table and Ratner took up station behind Samuels. The door to Bauer's office opened and three people walked out, Bauer, Doctor Frasier and a third man that Samuels didn't recognize. "General on deck," Markham said.

Samuels got smartly to his feet while O'Neill, Jackson and Teal'c ignored the order, only Lorne making a half-hearted gesture to stand, before he too remained sitting. "As you were," Bauer said. He gestured for Doctor Frasier to take her seat. "This is General Vidrine," he introduced, deferring to the taller black man.

Samuels frowned. He didn't recognize this man. "If I may, sir, I thought we were on lockdown?" he asked.

"You may not," Vidrine said sharply. Bauer took a seat and Vidrine remained standing. "I am here to announce the temporary cessation of all activities within the SGC. As soon as possible, all off-world teams will be recalled and will be placed on stand down.
Within twenty-four hours, we will be joined by several members of a newly created oversight committee. This committee will be comprised of both civilian and military personnel and will be answerable to the Joint Chiefs of Staff only."

"Sir," Samuels said. "The President-"

"Will be informed of our findings when we are ready to inform him, and not before," Vidrine interrupted. "This command, and everyone in it, is under investigation of charges, not limited to, kidnapping, assault, murder and treason. EVERY member of this command will present him or herself to questioning by this committee. Should evidence be found to support these allegations, appropriate actions will be taken."

"This is preposterous," Samuels declared, shooting to his feet. "The President-"

"The President is the guiltiest of the bunch," Vidrine said. "And you, Colonel, will remain seated." He turned his hawk like gaze to Ratner. "You too, Sergeant. In fact, we have enough preliminary information to confine both of you to the brig. For your own protection, of course. We wouldn't want something to happen to you before the committee has a chance to speak with you."

Markham's team shifted their position, moving to stand behind Samuels and Ratner, effectively boxing them in. "General, we're not the enemy here. Hell, Jackson isn't even from this reality. You can't trust them."

"I think I can trust them a damn sight better than I can trust you," Vidrine said. He turned to look at O'Neill, Teal'c, Lorne and Jackson. "Gentlemen, for the time being you are also confined to quarters, under guard." He turned back to Samuels. "Should anything happen to any of these men, or to Captain Carter, I will hold you personally responsible."

"Sir," Lorne spoke up. "How is Sam?"

Vidrine looked at Frasier, giving her permission to speak. "She's stable for now. The bullet did quite a bit of damage and she lost a lot of blood, but I think she'll pull through."

"We'd like to see her," O'Neill said.

Vidrine nodded. "That can be arranged." He turned to Bauer. "I think these four men can have access to their quarters, the infirmary, the gym and the commissary, under escort of course."

"Yes, sir," Bauer agreed.

"I'm sure you understand that you cannot have contact with the outside world, not until we come up with a good story to explain your sudden resurrections. I apologize for any hardship, however I have enough of a mess to deal with at the present time."

"I think, other than my ex, Lorne is the only one of us that has family," O'Neill said.

"Very well," Vidrine said. "General, you are relieved of command. I'm having a security contingent flown in as we speak. They will take over the security of this facility. As of this moment, every computer, file and record in this facility is off limits to the personnel of this base. Any attempts to destroy evidence will be dealt with most severely."

"Yes, sir," Bauer said. Samuels looked at his former commander, again grateful that the man was a spineless idiot. It wouldn't be too difficult to spin things favorably.

"And General?" Vidrine said. "It takes a true officer to expose the truth, especially when that truth does not show him in a favorable light." He sighed. "This briefing is over. Dismissed."

/\/\/\/\/\

Daniel walked into the infirmary, nodding at Janet as he made his way to the far bed. That was where she'd put Sam to give her the most privacy and quiet that she could. She was recovering, slowly but surely, although he knew that it'd be several more weeks before she was anything approaching well.

Kevin spent most of his days at her bedside, keeping her entertained and running some interference between her and the other base personnel. Daniel knew that Jack and Teal'c visited too, however both of them had been busy like him, their days filled with near constant debriefings and depositions.

However, they all had a newly made tradition. As soon as Janet said that Sam could have normal food, the four of them hit the commissary and brought their dinner down to eat with Sam.

"You're late," Jack said, moving over to give Daniel room.

"But I come bearing gifts," he said, holding up a small glass of blue Jell-o. He set it down on Sam's tray and took his own chair, balancing his tray on his knees.

"Thank you." She abandoned her partially eaten goulash and picked up the Jell-o, accepting the spoon Kevin handed to her.

"Have they decided what to do with Yu?" Jack asked, shoveling the food into his mouth.

Daniel shook his head. "Not that I've heard. Some of the committee want to let him go. But some of the others are afraid he'll just attack us."

"They locked him up for six months and tortured him. Can't see why he'd be pissed," Jack said.

"Yu is one of the more honorable goa'uld," Teal'c said. "However his treatment does give him just cause to seek vengeance."

"Seth is easy," Daniel said. "He was on Earth for so long, no one out there really cares. And he committed enough atrocities before he was caught that they've got a good case to keep him locked up."

"I still find it rather ironic that it's Samuels' own paperwork that's putting the noose around his neck," Kevin said.

Jack shrugged. "He and Kinsey thought that they'd be held up as heroes. Gotta have that documentation to write your memoirs."

"A lot more people are coming forward," Daniel said. "Especially now that they know that they're going to be listened to and believed."

"Doctor Frasier said that they've subpoenaed a lot of her records," Sam said.

Daniel nodded, glancing over at Jack. They both knew what Sam left unsaid, that not only did Frasier's records deal with the injuries and deaths that Samuels and Bauer covered up, but they also dealt with the treatment of personnel on this base, Sam among them.

"Which pretty much eliminates 'he said/she said'," Kevin said, touching Sam's hand reassuringly. Daniel knew that she was on the list of people to interview, in fact, very much on the top of the list. However, Doctor Frasier insisted that they wait a few more weeks at least.

"Vidrine and I had a little chat today," Jack said, finishing the last of his goulash and setting the tray on the floor. He picked up his glass of iced tea and held it in his hands.
"He's talking about sending a team through the gate."

"For what purpose, O'Neill," Teal'c asked, also setting his tray down.

"I thought gate travel was suspended indefinitely."

"This isn't a normal mission," Jack said. "They want us to get evidence from Kinsey's off world victims." He looked around at the small group. "They've done a LOT of nasty shit
out there."

"How can they be tried for crimes against people that the world doesn't really know exists?" Kevin asked. "Most of the public still thinks that Apophis' attack was a high altitude nuclear missile explosion. If I remember right, Kinsey blamed a half dozen middle eastern countries."

"He still does," Jack said. "Only the Joint Chiefs knows the truth. It doesn't matter if no one knows about the Stargate Program. The crimes against sentience - which is how the lawyers are phrasing it - is gonna be used as leverage. Something to shut down any of his supporters."

"Gathering evidence will not be an easy task," Teal'c said. "The Tau'ri do not possess much credibility with the various alien races they have wronged."

"Didn't say that it'd be easy, just that they want us to do it," Jack said.

"Us?" Kevin asked.

"Yeah," Jack confirmed. "As far as the committee sees it, other than our rather obvious conflict of interest with Bauer and him leaving us behind, we're the only ones in this facility who are not under suspicion."

"Being off world for a year gives you a very good alibi for anything that's happened since then," Daniel said.

"Yep."

"What does he have in mind?" Kevin asked.

"Talking to them, probably videoing testimony. There's a hope that the JCS will authorize some sort of compensation," Jack said. He looked at all of them. "If you guys don't want to go, Vidrine is gonna dig up some people he knows. Folks that have nothing to do with Kinsey, Samuels or even him."

"And if we do go?" Kevin asked.

Jack shrugged. "Well, like Teal'c says, there's a good chance we won't get a warm welcome. Vidrine is working on authorizing some humanitarian aid in place first, soften them up a bit."

"I will assist you, O'Neill," Teal'c said.

Daniel shrugged. "Might as well." He looked around. "Presuming, of course that umm…"

"Being from another universe is a pretty damn good alibi."

They all turned to look at Kevin who shifted uncomfortably. "I aah, I don't know. I was kinda thinking of spending a little time Earth side." Daniel looked over at Jack, smothering a grin as both Sam and Kevin's faces flushed.

"Not all missions end badly," Sam said. "Sometimes they can even be fun."

"Says the person who thought gate diagnostics were fun," Jack teased. He looked at Kevin. "It won't happen for a couple of weeks. It's gonna take them that long to finish deposing the rest of the SGC and the people at Area 51."

They talked for several more minutes, the conversation slowly dwindling as the men noticed that Sam was falling asleep. One by one, they quietly got up and slipped out of the room, taking their dirty dishes with them. "She lasted longer than yesterday," Kevin whispered once they were out in the hall.

"It takes a while," Jack said. "When we got back from the Antarctic I think I slept eighteen hours a day for a while."

They put their dirty trays on a cart in the hall and Jack looked at his watch. "It's almost time for 'The Simpsons'. Daniel, want to join us?"

He shook his head. "I think I'm gonna go hit the gym."

"Suit yourself." The other three walked down the hall and Daniel went the other direction, bypassing the gym. Instead he made his way to his quarters, seeking refuge in the one place he knew he could have some privacy. He plopped down on the bed, sighing as he shut his eyes.

He couldn't believe that it was over. Ok, so over was a bit of an exaggeration. From the looks of things, 'over' was a few years off. But, all in all, their return to Earth and the arrests of Kinsey, Samuels and their cohorts had gone relatively smoothly.
He found it hard to believe that, just a little over a month ago, he'd been in his own universe.

"Hammond's dead, so's Teal'c. I don't know about Carter but…Daniel someone has to get out of here that knows what's going on. That knows what the goa'uld are and how to fight them. That's you."

"Jack-"

"Daniel. Go. Get your ass out of here."

He missed his friends, the fact that he'd spent the last few weeks with other versions of them made his feelings all the more muddled. How could he mourn the deaths of people that he could still talk to?

An odd feeling washed over him and Daniel opened his eyes, frowning for a moment at the bare grey ceiling over his head. A ceiling that looked nothing like the ceiling of his quarters at the SGC. "Thor?" he asked, slowly sitting up.

"Greetings, Daniel Jackson." Thor slowly walked over to him from his place behind a control console.

"We'd thought you'd left."

"I have been monitoring the situation. I wished to observe your planet's reactions to its activities."

"Then it's probably a good thing that you kept a low profile," Daniel said. "They're not too fond of aliens down there."

"That is an expected reaction," Thor said.

Daniel nodded, getting to his feet. He slowly paced around the bridge, taking a moment to look out the view screen. The Beliskner was in a high orbit above Earth, high enough that he could clearly see the curves of both east and west horizons. "You know, " he said, a thought occurring to him. "They have satellites that are supposed to detect things like space ships."

"We have been visiting your planet for many years. We have yet to be detected," Thor said.

"That's aah, interesting," Daniel said, pondering the irony that the only way they'd been able to curb the power Kinsey had assumed using the threat of an alien invasion was with the assistance of an alien…one with technology more advanced than any of them could dream about.

"The Asgard High Council is pleased with the actions your people have taken," Thor said.

"Well, good for them," Daniel said.

"Do you not agree with the actions of your leaders?"

"Of course I do, I just….Sam almost died," he said, broaching the topic that had been
bugging him for the past two weeks.

"Captain Carter's injuries were a unfortunate occurrence."

"Unfortunate?" Daniel asked. "She almost died. Why didn't you help her?"

""As you said, any revelation of our presence would severely undermine your credibility. And, Captain Carter is recovering."

"Yeah but-"

"And she will continue to recover," Thor interrupted. Daniel frowned. "In fact, your physician will describe her recovery as quite miraculous."

"You're helping her," Daniel said, Sam's transition from being at death's door to on the mend in fourteen short days now making sense.

"I am limited in what assistance I can offer since I cannot transport her to my ship, however, her recovery will be a most expeditious one."

"That's good, I guess," Daniel said.

"I wished to speak of another matter," Thor said. He walked back to his console and held something up. Daniel recognized it as the controller to the quantum mirror. "While I have been stationed here, I took the liberty to examine this device." He handed it to Daniel. "I believe that I have discovered the reality that is yours."

Daniel shook his head. "My mirror was destroyed. The self-destruct probably buried it under the mountain."

"On the contrary Daniel Jackson, your mirror still exists."

"How?" Daniel asked. "I remember the explosion."

"I do not know. However, I have matched your cellular resonance to that of the universe programmed into that controller."

Daniel stared at the small device in his hand. He'd been carrying it around for so long, taking it out of the SGC to keep Samuels from accidentally figuring it out. Carried it all over Hedantes and Cimmeria. In fact, the only time he really let it out of his sight, before leaving it up here with Thor for safe-keeping had been when he'd left it in the bag with Sam while he and Teal'c were sent to the labyrinth.

"I can go home?" he asked slowly.

"Indeed you can. You need only use that device to activate the mirror," Thor answered.

"What's there?" Daniel asked. "I mean, when I left the SGC was being invaded. Jack said that there were ships in orbit and…" he sighed. "It was bad."

"I do not know. I am unable to access the mirror without exposing my existence. However, you can use that controller whenever you wish to return to your universe."

"I thought I couldn't ever go back," Daniel said slowly, turning the controller over in his hands. Thor remained silent. "They could still be alive. Teal'c wouldn't be I guess. I remember Jack saying that he was dead. But Sam might be. Maybe they defeated the Goa'uld? Maybe you got there in time." He turned to look at Thor. "There was the treaty. The Asgard had to have helped us."

"I cannot know the details of a treaty that I did not negotiate," Thor said. "I merely wished to return this device to you and to inform you that we shall have no further communications."

"Why not?"

"Your race must again prove itself worthy. This must be done without outside interference."

"But Sam-"

"I will remain to observe," Thor interrupted. "But I will not interfere."

"What if we don't prove ourselves worthy?" Daniel asked.

"I have every confidence that you will. The human race shows great promise, Daniel Jackson. Perhaps, more than you can even imagine."

As he finished speaking, he moved his hand across the control panel and Daniel found himself back in his quarters, the controller still in his grasp.

His knees weak, he sank down on the bed, staring at the controller. He could go home. That was something he'd never even thought was a possibility. But, did he want to go home? Was there even a home left to go back to? Yeah, Thor said the reality was there but…was Earth free or was it some barren wasteland? Or, worse yet was it under the dominion of a goa'uld?

If that was the situation, then he could be walking back into a trap. He could find himself a prisoner again. And he'd be lying if he said that he wasn't concerned about that. The few days he'd spend in Hedantes definitely proved that he wasn't too fond of captivity.

But what if it wasn't that bad? What if they'd won and Earth was free and Jack and Sam thought he was dead? Shouldn't he go back home? Didn't he BELONG back home?

The Daniel Jackson in this universe was dead. Maybe he was supposed to be dead. What if he was screwing things up by staying here? Didn't he belong back in his universe?

But did he have the courage to go back?

Could he face it again? The death and destruction. Picking up the pieces of a shattered world and starting over. He'd started over so many times in his life, after his parents' death, when he 'graduated' from foster care, after going to Abydos, coming back from Abydos…he was tired of starting over.

And he had so much here. Jack and Sam and Teal'c and…they were going to need some help fixing everything that Kinsey and Samuels had messed up. There were a lot of ticked off people out there. And he did have knowledge that they didn't have. He could help them, maybe steer them towards allies.

But what if he messed things up? What if he wasn't meant to be here? He could make things worse. He could lead them to allies that weren't meant to be allies here. He could screw everything up.

He set the controller down and leaned back, propping his back against the wall. He didn't know what to do.

/\/\/\/\/\

Sam slipped out of the infirmary, stepping to the side to get out of the way of the paint crew. They'd been busy the past month, neatly and liberally coating the walls of the SGC with a fresh layer of nice grey paint.

She used to love the smell of paint. It evoked memories of things being fresh and clean and new. But now all she could think of was what the paint was covering. The freshly patched concrete, the black scorches on the walls, the splattered blood of her friends and comrades.

She made her way to her quarters, operating more from habit than really paying attention. She was tired, more tired than she'd ever been in her life, but she couldn't sleep. No matter how hard she tried, every time she closed her eyes all she could see was the battle and its aftermath.

Airmen solemnly picking up the dead and gently laying them in the thick plastic bags.

Parts and pieces jumbled together, tattered remains of clothing the only way to identify them as friend or foe.

Making the list, ticking off the names.

Piles of little metal tags on the general's desk, his own among them.

Frantic days and long nights, assessing the damage and counting the dead.

It still didn't seem real. Even after all this time, it was like a bad dream, a too-realistic nightmare. It couldn't have happened. It just couldn't be real. She'd turn around a corner and find Teal'c standing there, a calm look on his face but his eyes alight with humor and fun.

Daniel shuffling along, trying to read and walk at the same time and the colonel…the colonel ambling down the hall, his hands stuffed in his pockets, a ready quip on his lips.
She wanted it back, she wanted it all back.

The klaxons blared and she stopped, quickly wiping her face. What the hell was going on? SF's pounded past her and she clumsily stepped to the side, staring as they piled into one of the store rooms.

What the hell kind of threat was in the store room? Someone stealing toilet paper? Surprisingly, she didn't care. She wasn't even curious. She'd just head onto her quarters and read the report in the morning. It probably wasn't anything big. The base was still on a skeleton staff, and likely would remain that way until the folks in Washington decided whether or not to re-open the Stargate.

"Look, I know how this looks. If you'll just listen to me."

She stopped, her hand going out to steady herself. It couldn't be. She was hearing things. Had to be hearing things. Maybe she'd finally cracked up, finally took that last turn around the bend. "Just keep walking," she whispered. "It's not there."

Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes and took a step forward, her goal solely to make it to her quarters without making a complete and total ass of herself. She couldn't get banned from the base right now. She had to be here, just in case he needed her.
"I have a really good explanat---Sam! Oh my God, Sam!"

She heard a scuffle and started to turn around, her motion interrupted by a pair of hands that pulled her back. She stared in amazement as her eyes registered the person whose hands were currently wrapped around her arms. "I was hoping that you'd made it."

The SF's surrounded him and tried to pull him off her, shouting orders that she simply couldn't make out. "Sam? Sam?"

Unable to speak, she simply stood there, staring at Daniel as the blackness rushed in and her world faded away.

/\/\/\/\/\

Daniel sat in the uncomfortable chair, his attention torn between the two guards at the door and the person lying in the bed. As if on cue, Sam's eye lids began to flutter and he leaned forward, motioning for Janet to join them. "Hey. Take it slow." She looked at him, then closed her eyes, raising her hand to her face. "You're not seeing things. I'm real," he reassured her.

"If it makes you feel any better, I see him too," Janet said, joining them.

"You're dead," Sam muttered.

"No." Daniel glanced over at Janet. "I was in an alternate universe. I kinda got stuck there."

Sam opened her eyes and looked at Janet, seeking her confirmation. "He's the real Daniel," she said. "I don't have the preliminary DNA results back, and I have no idea what he's been up to for the past month, but physically, he's a perfect match for our Daniel."

Sam slowly pushed herself up, ignoring Daniel's offer of help. "I passed out in the hallway didn't I?" She asked ruefully.

"Pretty much, yeah," Janet said. "And just because I'm in a good mood, I'm gonna bypass my normal lecture on the importance of little things like sleep and food."

"What happened?" Daniel asked, tamping down on his concern for his friend. She looked like crap. In fact, he couldn't think of a time when he'd seen her looking so tired and drawn. She'd scared the hell out of him when she'd passed out. Of course, he probably scared the hell out of the SF's that had taken him into custody. "When I left, we were in the middle of a battle."

Sam sighed. "What's the last thing you remember?"

"I ran into Jack. He said that there were ships in orbit and he told me to get to the surface and get out."

Sam nodded. "He wasn't exactly right. The ships weren't IN orbit, but were in the system. They made it as far as Mars before they just turned around and went away."

"He said that the self-destruct was going to go. That's what I thought happened when I went through the mirror, that the base had blown up."

"We don't know exactly what happened. The self-destruct never blew. A couple of Jaffa got there and disarmed it. On the upside, the base was still locked down. It took us a couple of days, but we finally got all the Jaffa."

"Who attacked us?" Daniel asked. "I mean, wasn't the protected planet's treaty supposed to have stopped things like this from happening?"

"Only if the goa'uld belonged to the system lords and felt like following it," Sam said. "At least that's what the Asgard said when we called them. We do think that's why the ships left."

"So, the invasion never happened?"

"Not beyond the SGC," Janet said. "None of the Jaffa ever made it to the surface."

"How bad was it?" Daniel asked.

Janet and Sam looked at each other. "We lost thirty-eight," Janet finally said. "General Hammond, Sergeant Davis and Colonel Makepeace among them."

"All of SG-5 and 9," Sam said.

"Teal'c?" Daniel asked. "I remember Jack saying that-" Both women looked down instead of answering. "He's dead, isn't he?" Daniel asked.

"I'll show him," Sam said. She slowly slid off the bed. Daniel followed her as she led him out of the infirmary and down the hall towards the isolation room. He didn't fail to notice that the SF's stayed with them and figured that the only thing keeping him out of the brig was that he'd scared the crap out of some poor guy who'd been cataloging stuff in the store room when he'd come through the mirror.

"So, aah, if General Hammond is…I mean, umm…"

"His name is General Landry," Sam said, looking over her shoulder at him. "Apparently he's an old friend of General Hammond. He's different but…so far he's ok."

Daniel picked up a tone in her voice and moved closer to her. "Sam? Are you ok?"

She smiled slightly. "It's been a very bad month."

Daniel followed her into the isolation room, grateful that the SF's stayed out in the hall. It was one of the smaller isolation rooms and often served more as a private room for someone in the infirmary.

She led him over to the bed, pausing and turning to look at him. "It's really not as bad as it looks," she said softly.

Daniel joined her, staring in horror at the bandage-wrapped figure in the bed. "Oh my god," he muttered. "What happened?"

"We think it was a grenade," she said, reaching down to take his right hand. Half of his face was covered with thick white bandages and a tube down his throat was helping him breathe. "He lost his eye and there's going to be some really bad scarring," she said. "But Janet doesn't think that there's any brain damage. There were a lot of shrapnel injuries to his chest and…"

She trailed off and Daniel looked down, seeing the injury that she didn't list. His left arm lay on top of the covers, more white gauze hiding what he knew to be the most heartbreaking of injuries. "They tried to save it," Sam said. "But there was just too much damage."

"He's been unconscious since the attack," Janet said, joining them.

"But Teal'c's never been like this for so long," Daniel said.

Janet shook her head. "A few months ago, when you guys were taken by Hathor, Teal'c was injured. He was in a coma for almost three weeks before he woke up."

"But kelnoreem-"

"I think if we can just keep him alive until he's strong enough to kelnoreem, then he'll heal."

Daniel stared at the still figure in the bed, realizing just how much he'd missed in the other universe. "And Jack?" he asked, somehow knowing what the answer would be.

"Four bodies were never recovered," Sam said. "You, Sergeant Miller, Captain Singh and Colonel O'Neill." She reached into her BDU pocket and pulled something out, holding it up in her palm. Daniel recognized a blackened and battered dog tag. "This was all we found."

Daniel stared at the tiny piece of aluminum, its significance sinking in. "He's dead?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah. Died a hero."

~Fin~

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