Tittle:
Show Me The Meaning of Being Lonely
Author:
KaraMeL
Email:
Kristine_sci@hotmail.com
Summary:
When Sg-1 arrives on a deserted planet this start to change...
Rating:
PG-13
Disclaimer:
This story belongs to MGM and all the other companies/cooperations that
own Stargate. So, initially the characters don't belong to me. Darn.
"Oh geez." The exclamation came from the figure in the corner of the vast room. It wasn't that big, but it sounded big to him. There was nobody else in the room, it was void of any emotion, or personal belongings. It seemed more of a place a person would inhabit than live in. The walls were different from any wall the lone occupant had ever felt, his eyes were useless any ways since no light touched the darkened room. The walls. That was the only thing that kept his sanity in check. They were strange. Hieroglyphics lined up like a morbid wallpaper, except they were made of pure gold. Only one place he could remember had such a wall. It had escaped him from the moment now. His fingers traced the delicate designs and followed them. He dropped his heavy, all terrain coat on the floor as a marker. He followed the wall until he nearly tripped over a neatly placed table. Leaving his wall he placed a hand on the table. Ordinary, smooth. It held two objects. A pitcher of water and a metal cup adorned the table. He filled the cup, downed it and continued his search. The room was longer than he had expected, maybe at least fifty meters long. Going across was another story. While he turned the corner he closed his eyes. Memory would help him survive. Memories that would reopen fresh wounds. Smiling slightly he mouthed one word aloud: Sha're.
"Show me the meaning of being lonely..."
A new world, a new experience.
That was what he felt, that was the only thing that mattered. His four friends,
more team members than anything, but he considered them friends. It had
been so long since he could say that word without gagging. Although it had
been more than a year since he had met them, he had never considered them
the focus of friendship, to him the word was meaningless, almost non-existent.
But then again, there was Abydos. It was the only place he dared to associate
with friendship. People over there would break out in open conversations,
some asking him to relive an adventure for a child, to tell a story long
forgotten by the inhabitants of his second home. It was no big deal now
when they went to a new world. Extra terrestrials became a word seldom used
as well in this new, more interesting perspective. Most aliens that were
portrayed in Earth's strange cults and unnatural phenomenon sightings were
seen as small, blue creatures with overly large eyes and slim builds. One
could imagine such creatures exist, as they did but in a view that only
a handful of people knew about. This world was almost no different from
the others. It held little difference to his native home, Earth, but it
always held a slight sign of another culture or civilization founded by
earth. Every human was different, as was each planet. This planet was different
by the heaviness of the air and the lightness of his step when he walked.
The heaviness, his friend Sam told him, was caused by the rich oxygen content
in the air. It felt wonderful to breath in such fresh, unpolluted atmosphere,
he had of course sampled fresh filtered air, but that was usually when he
was half-conscious. He laughed under his breath. Beside him, his molten-faced
statue-like friend gave him a concerned look, as if he were sick or slightly
deranged. He had received those looks before, from his esteemed colleagues
in the field of archeology. He wiped away the illusion of laughter from
his face, and set himself up to immerse himself in the little knowledge he
was able to have gathered during to short debriefing. Jack, his by far,
his most humorous, and in other ways idiotic friend, gathered his thoughts,
looked around. In a few words he summed up his view of the planet before
him.
"What a dump!" A look from Sam
and a sidelong glance from Teal'c made Jack shrug nonchalantly. Jack squinted
at the assault of bright sunlight and looked out towards the distance.
"It's not a dump." He intervened
then looked at the pile of broken something's by his feet. He shrugged,
imitating the gesture he found so annoying no less than a couple of seconds
ago. He caught himself before he could imitate another one of the Colonel's
trademark annoyances, the sarcastic comment. He never seemed to be of any
help around the older man. The sky above was laced with dark purple hues,
and soon the sky darkened even more, putting the Colonel in a position of
power.
"Okay Campers, let's pack it
up. We've got to find shelter." He looked to his left to his second in command,
who had begun to pack up her equipment. "Any signs of a possible danger,
no snake heads?" Sam grimaced as the backwash of ugly thoughts invaded her
mind.
"No sir, no sign of danger -
well, except maybe for that sheer drop down the side of that cliff right
over there." She pointed and he shuddered. Jack noticed his reaction.
"Don't worry Danny-boy." Jack
stopped himself and shrugged his usual unconventional shrug. "We won't drop
you. You're too valuable, or so you'd like to think." He looked at the darkening
horizon, then back at the older man gibbering at him.
"Thanks, I don't think you would
take it too kindly if we left you in Antarctica again now wouldn't we?"
Jack shot him a murderous look. Point one Daniel. It seemed that the last
rays of the sun's glare had hit a cave, and already the massive Jaffa had
left the comforting presence of three to search it out. Jack looked at the
disappearing figure and shouted.
"Teal'c? Where you going?" Daniel
fought back the tongue-lashing he would give the Colonel on proper speaking
techniques. He was a grown man, and how he choose to speak was his problem
but it irritated him to hear his grown friend talk like an uneducated teenager.
Jack went after the lumbering figure ahead, choosing to remain solid and
unrelenting as Jack tried to ask him a question. Some things never changed,
he mused. It was an odd sight the cave was. It was almost like any other
type of cave on earth but it seemed to be lighted within. On closer expection
he realized that the glow came from the sun, shining off of a metal alloy
unlike anything on earth. It was naquada. Jack ran his hand on the smooth
surface of the back wall where the shiny metal alloy was nestled.
"It's naquada sir." Carter's surprised
exclamation made him turn. She, out of all people, should have figured it
out first. Jack nodded.
"And a lot of it." Teal'c nodded
as if he were contemplating the existence of life itself. Meaningless, completely
meaningless. He pondered what the Jaffa might have been thinking before
launching into his own questions.
"I wonder why this stuff hasn't
been mined. I mean if the Goa'uld have been on this planet, providing that
it was on the Abydos cartoush, this stuff wouldn't be here." He contemplated
his own words to let the realization sink in to the other team members.
"Well," Sam started hesitantly,
"there's always a chance that they are mining now sir." Jack looked up sharply.
"You are kidding right?" Jack
asked with a hint of uncertainty. Sam shook her head. She pointed at the
smooth surface of the metal.
"For raw material, it seems highly
unlikely that it would be this smooth. Either they've stopped for the day
or the Goa'uld have left this planet. At this point sir, I'm weighing in
the first choice." Jack nodded.
"Well, maybe you're wrong. I
hope you are captain, dead wrong." He turned away from his scrutinization
of the wall and stepped out of the cave. He surveyed the valley so far below,
little dots of light framed the sky above and Jack breathed in a sigh. The
purple sky above darkened even more in the illusion of night. He turned
back to the team who all had looks of expectancy on their faces.
"Okay campers. Set up camp. Looks
like we're staying here for the night. Tomorrow we ship out at 0600 hours."
They moved apart and did everything necessary to get as comfortable as possible.
"So many words for the broken
heart
It's hard to see in a crimson
love
So hard to breathe
Walk with me, and maybe
Nights of light so soon become
Wild and Free I could feel
the sun
Your every wish will be done
They tell me..."
"Argh!" If he had heard the
cry of torture himself he didn't react at all. His friend's torturer stopped
in confused relent.
"Why will you not talk Tau'ri?"
The voice was grated and uneven like a tape recording that somehow went
haywire. But it wasn't a technical glitch. It was real, and the threat was
genuine. He didn't know where he was, he hadn't known for the last hour
or so that had been a waking nightmare. He knew that the Goa'uld was addressing
him and he choose to stay silent and look blankly at the ceiling above him.
The harsh sound of an energy weapon reared it's ugly head above him. He
could hear the voice, more in his mind then anything else around him.
"Talk, or else you will be forced
to watch your friend suffer more." That word - the word that dreams are
made of. Friends. It was a liberty and a privilege - but that notion seemed
like a lifetime ago. He rolled his eyes further upwards, his eyes watered
when a harsh glare from above suddenly blacked out his vision. He closed
his eyes. The hiss crackle of the energy weapon made him look up. The menacing
figure was almost face to face with him. He restrained himself from letting
out an exclamation of startlement. The face wasn't more pleasant than horrifying.
He had thought his tormentor, and Jack's, had been a man. He was wrong.
It was a woman and a familiar one at that. His mouth moved but no words
came out. The woman was dressed in a dress of dark purple, which became
darker and darker until the top of her dress was a midnight blue. In her
long, luscious hair she wore a tiara of silver and gold intertwined and
in the middle fountained upwards to create two snakes with their heads facing
together. Her eyes were deeply outlined in Kohl and were lit up with an
inner fire unlike anything he had ever seen before. Her hand suddenly raised
and it took him a while to feel the stinging sensation of a slap across
his right cheek. If he could, he would have probably put his hand to his
face, but his body was tied to some sort of bed and almost all movement
was impossible. He felt a slight trickle down his cheek and a drop of blood
appeared on the breast pocket of his coat. He looked down at her hands;
perfectly manicured and bathed in jewelry. He looked at the rings trying
to figure out which had cut him. Her arms were almost covered in bracelets
from her shoulder down. On one arm a gold encrusted jeweled weapon flared
slightly. He didn't look up to meet her ghostly eyes. They did not fill
with recognition; they filled with a malice of unforeseen proportions. He
swallowed slightly. The woman before him, his beloved - Sha're smiled.
"You will suffer greatly. Your
friend will die. I know of you, you are Dan-iel of the planet Earth, you
are my host's husband are you not?" Daniel closed his eyes and narrowed
his eyes slightly at the woman before no one.
"I am Sha're's husband. You are
not Sha're." The woman smiled wider. Daniel anticipated another slap. It
never came.
"I am Ammonet. My host's memories
say she loved your face. That is where I shall inflict the most pain.
" Daniel flinched. Ammonet smiled even wider. He wondered how she could
have not hurt herself smiling that much. She raised her hand, not to slap
him but to call over her guard. That had been the man that was torturing
Jack. He couldn't let Jack get hurt any more. Sha're - or rather, Ammonet,
seemed to be conferring with her inner-self. Daniel hoped that she was going
to let them go. He didn't think that was going to happen, but hope was always
a good thing. The sizzle of the energy weapon snapped over his face. He
closed his eyes. Once the pain began, he didn't intend to cry out.
"Show me the meaning of
being lonely
Is this the feeling I need
to walk with
Tell me why I can't be there
where you are
There's something missing
in my heart..."
When he awoke he was in a bed,
it was oriental and reminded him of the stories of Cleopatra's bed, covered
in silk mattresses and surrounded by the same cloth. There were at least
half a dozen large pillows beneath him, he really couldn't tell. He really
couldn't move either. He felt like he was floating on air, he wasn't at
all anchored to the ground and he seemed to ride with the wind. Behind the
silk he heard a voice that frayed his nerves. He tried to call out, to talk
to his wife. Then he remembered. He didn't have a wife anymore, he was alone,
and he would always be alone. Jack was gone, He had no idea where Sam and
Teal'c were, he wished he was at home, on Abydos, he wished that Apophis
never existed to take over his former wife, he wished that his parents had
never died so that he would have the thing that he had always wanted, friends.
Wishes. That's all they were, wishes. A flutter by his arm made him look
down. A beautiful butterfly, or moth, he really couldn't tell, had landed.
It's wings were blue but when it fluttered it's wings, they turned an opalescent
green-purple. He watched in silence. It was beautiful. The silk curtains
blew away slightly and he watched the butterfly fluttered away, and in it's
place Sha're came from the shadows. His voice still wouldn't work. She smiled,
her eyes brimmed with curiosity and wisdom, like a woman who had viewed
the world. She knelt down beside him and she caressed his hand. She looked
up to her face and her expression fell.
"My Dan-iel, What have I done?"
He looked at her as if she were mad. Then, slowly, he raised his hand to
touch his face, Ammonet had said she would do something to him. He forgot
to breath for an instant as he touched his face, Multiple scars lined his
once unscathed features. They were deep and hot to the touch. His hand started
to quake, they lined his face and he lurched to his feet. Sha're was still
by the bed, her face hidden in the silk coverings. He didn't know if she
was still Sha're or if the Gou'ald possessed her. He stumbled to the glass
that served as a mirror. He ran light fingers on his face again. Deep scars
pitted his cheeks, forehead and other parts of his face. He backed away.
The sudden movement jarring his hand. He winced at the pain. In the mirror
he saw Sha're come up behind him. She was blurry, he couldn't see her that
well, but the tell tale glow of her eyes told her that Sha're was no longer
present. Ammonet came up from behind him, turning him towards her.
"Go 'way" His voice was guttural
and his mouth hurt. He backed away from her as she raised her wrist. Daniel
closed his eyes and kept backing up.
"Dan-iel, what is it?" Ammonet
smiled cruelly, a perfect imitation of Sha're's voice and accent. Daniel
opened his eyes, in the corner he saw the mirror.
"Where 're my friends?" He asked
shakily, his voice overlaying his idea. Ammonet smiled and stepped closer.
"They are dead, as you will
be. You will either stay in loyal service to me or you shall die, which
shall it be?" She moved closer, he could almost see the mini circuitry
of the jeweled weapon. He backed up some more. Ammonet smiled wider and
he grabbed the large silver mirror that was no beside him. With almost inhuman
strength he raised it over his head, his knees began to quake.
"I would never join you, where
're my friends?" She stood straighter, appearing more intimidating than
Apophis.
"Would you risk killing your..
" she searched for the unfamiliar word. "Wife. Your friends are dead.
I am all you have left." Daniel's knees finally gave out. He fell, his
wife above him. He didn't move and he saw Ammonet's shadow fell over him.
"You shall not disappoint me again. You will be condemned to the dungeon
until I decide you are worthy of being let out." She grabbed his jaw
and forced him to look up. Her eyes widened. "No!"
"Go to hell." He took the mirror
and slammed it into her face. She reeled back unconscious. Daniel wiped
the tears away from his face. They stung his burns. He searched the room
for some sign of a door, anything that would let him out. He pulled away
some silk and remembered that the door could be opened by a raised glyph
of a coiled serpent. Before he touched it he hesitated. He walked back to
his wife and picked her up, putting her in the bed.
"I'm sorry I couldn't protect
you from Apophis, I sorry I can't take you home. I just hope you weren't
right about my friends being dead." He covered up her still form and left
the room. Peeking out of the chamber he was relived to see no guards. Obviously
Ammonet was very overconfident. Or had she expected this? His head hurt,
and he was feeling slightly woozy. Hoping that he wouldn't pass out in the
hall he went down a darker hallway. He was surprised to find barred windows.
Looking into them he found prisoners of all sorts, all had high intensity
energy burns on their bodies. He continued down the hallway He started to
get desperate when he realized that his vision was starting to get fuzzy.
He didn't know what he was looking for, maybe some sign that Ammonet was
lying. The last door came into view and he put in a last burst of strength.
This door was unlocked which made it altogether so strange. There were three
people in the room. He opened the door wider so he could go through. The
room seemed to double in size as he struggled to keep on his feet. He stumbled
as he reached the first figure. He turned the man, he was large.
"Teal'c?" He said aloud, he was
hoping more than anything. The man was unresponsive but as he put two fingers
at the man's throat, he felt a faint pulse. He sighed slightly. He moved
to the next figure, crawling on his knees now. Sam's blond hair made it's
appearance in his blurred sight. He sighed again. She was just knocked unconscious.
He was missing Jack. But there was more to the superficial burns on his
face as his injury. He struggled to the last figure. It was Jack. He could
see the annoying glasses perched on the edge of his nose. Daniel was breathing
hard, and found his eyes wandering in any other direction but the one he
needed to focus. Seeing was becoming extremely difficult. He placed a shaking
hand on Jack's neck and he felt a pulse. He slumped back, everything was
going too fast, he was getting nauseous. He closed his eyes and fell into
a deep blackness.
"Life goes on as if it never
ends
Eyes of stone observe the
trends
They never say forever gaze
Guilty roads to an endless
love
There's no control
Are you with me now
Your every wish will be done
They tell me now..."
He was running, it was an endless
run. No matter how hard he tried he never got anywhere, the same stone statues
stared down at him. Anubis's jackal-head seemed to see right through him,
it's opaque eyes bored right through him. No matter what he did, no matter
what he tried he couldn't hide. At the end of the hallway he couldn't pass,
he saw three figures they beckoned to him, pleaded to him to go faster.
"Friends!" He called to the darkness.
"Where are you?" He ran harder, suddenly he was moving and he came to a
new hallway. Three statues were in this room, but they were real. They were
the heads of Anubis from the Abydos mission, but wasn't he dead? There was
also a Serpent guard, that wasn't a big deal, he always saw those, but wasn't
Apophis dead? The third and last statue was in the middle a Horus guard,
it's delicate winged headdress moved as if it swayed with the non-existent
wind in the room. The two figureheads on the right and left of the Horus
guard had the long intricately carved staffs that Teal'c always carried.
The one in the middle held a shorter stick, it looked slightly like the
candy canes his parents had given to him on the last Christmas they had
been together, as a family. This cane was gold and blue, like Orisis' cane
in the underworld. Daniel swallowed. He approached them and he stopped.
The two guards of the Horus had moved. He lowered his head as a sign of
acceptance of power. The Horus guard nodded. Daniel looked into the deep
red and blue eyes of the Serpent and Anubis he could not see the identity
of the two persons. He reached out and touched the button that folded the
helmet back into the uniform of the guard. The Anubis helmet retracted and
Jack's face came into view. Slowly the Serpent guards helmet folded back
at the nape of neck and Teal'c came into view as well. Finally, Sam's face
was uncovered, her face pale and eyes closed. In fact, they all looked pale
with their eyes closed. Sam's eyes were outlined in kohl. Then her eyes
flickered open, as did Teal'c's and Jack's. Then, in unison, Their eyes flared
with a deep-pitted fire.
"No!" he choked out. "No!" His
eyes widened as he stumbled back. It wasn't true, it couldn't be. He backed
away, unaware of the hole that had appeared behind him. He tripped, his
arms flailed and he fell into the yearning darkness below. The fall was
scary enough but without light, the illusion was complete. If all failed
he would prevail. He had to save Sam, Jack and Teal'c. Maybe it was a drug,
some sort of addiction. Maybe he could get them to Thor's Hammer. But the
darkness swallowed him; he couldn't help them when he couldn't even help
himself.
"Show me the meaning of
being lonely
Is this the feeling I need
to walk with
Tell me why I can't be there
where you are
There's something missing
in my heart..."
He was back in the dark room. He couldn't hear, he couldn't see anything. It was all a living nightmare; the darkness swallowed up everything, taking instead of providing. He wished desperately that he was back on Abydos, Sha're's warm breath caressing him like the warm breezes that flowed through Egypt on his stays in Cairo. He remembered the river that ran through the desert on Abydos like the Nile, reeds outlined the river and swayed in tune with the wind, beating on the hull of a long forgotten boat, buried in time like the history of the people who inhabited that planet. He remembered how he used to nuzzle Sha're's nape, searching for comfort like a newborn. He remembered the nightly swims during the summer where they would float and splash each other like teenagers. He remembered. He sat down in the third corner he had passed. How may hours had he been doing this? Reminiscing like he had lost everything again, for the umpteenth time. But he had. He had lost too much, and even the little things, the memories that plagued his mind couldn't stop the overwhelming onslaught of derived and deranged thoughts. He could feel the scars, still hot to the touch on his face. His only feature visible underneath the heavy terry cloth clothing of the SGC was distorted, forgotten lost like the endless sea that rolled beneath his feet like an imaginary snap on reality. Was it not the Keeper who had told him that risks were part of the journey? Wasn't it Jack who told him life wasn't worth living if you dwelled on mistakes long gone? Wasn't it Sam who had been his secret confidant when he had believed Jack to be an old man and lost to him forever? Wasn't it Teal'c who had saved then lost his family to his best friend and Apophis? It was life, it was the past, it was over and done. They all lived though it, they made the best of what they could, when the could and how they could. They were his friends and if they were here, listening to his rant and rave about unfairness to a society that had never cared for fairness or justice, they wouldn't. They would pick him off his rear and tell him to fight, to live, to be a part of this time in a way that wouldn't be forgotten to human kind. Mistakes were a part. To admit a mistake was to say to a long adored woman 'I love you.' But he was here now, not dwelling, he was focused, and he would be damned to let a woman destroy his life, to let his own wife become the enemy. He loved her, nothing changed that and he would, as he had promised, to love her forever and ever. Getting up from his place on the floor he felt the walls and continued his way. Halfway through the third wall he found a raised hieroglyphic. Hoping for the best he pushed it upwards, and with a grinding sound a large metal door opened. The light from the outside nearly blinded him. After spending who knows how much time in that dark room he was used to the darkness. Stepping though he let the light wash over his ruined features and welcomed what he could as comfort.
"There's nowhere to run
I have no place to go
Surrender my heart, body and
soul
How can it be what you're asking
me to feel
The things you never show..."
The darkness was still here,
lurking in the cover of jutting out walls. He kept in the light, relishing
the warmth. He no longer had his jacket. He had forgotten it in his dark
prison. He didn't want to go back there. This was an odd place. It reminded
him too much of Apophis's ship, and in a way, the sarcophagi. Still, he
felt a cloyness to the air, like something big was happening, he just couldn't
see it. He stepped back to the shadows trying to derive and dredge up any
useful information that could help him any any way. He closed his eyes for
a second. He felt like he was playing a movie reel, for some reason he could
see the distortions caused by Gate travel, the spinning turns, flashing
solar systems, and finally the event horizon. Something was defiantly wrong.
He got up from his hiding place, searching for a doorway, a hole in the
wall, anything to get out of the featureless or rather meaningless walk
he was partaking. As he searched on, he began to become frantic. Why was
everything like this? Was he still in that dark room, still trying to get
out while his mind wandered elsewhere? Questions. He loved questions, but
answering was the best part of it, but in this empty, bleak hallway, he
couldn't see any sign of an answer. Why was he here? Again, he asked himself
the unanswerable. He could torture himself like this, tell himself he should
have changed what he had done on that planet in some way, he should have
helped Jack, played along with Ammonet so he could free his friends. He
didn't know if they even existed anymore in this private hell that was created
for him, it was a walking nightmare now, being alone. He hated being alone;
he hated seeing his parent's coffins laid out before him like a sick joke.
That's what it was, how was he supposed to know he could have saved them?
Instead his punishment was to watch them die in front of him. He hated going
from one home to another. He hated not having friends and he hated being
here. Hate, another mystery that plagued a fragile universe. Respect was
a dream that didn't exist sometimes, Hate was a constant. It was always
hate wasn't it? A motivation of horrific proportions. Death was also there,
hiding, attacking when we were most vulnerable. A sudden flash of something
coursed through his veins like his limbs were moving but with little instruction
from him. Around a corner, he saw a light, brighter than one in the hallway.
He started to run, almost tripping over his feet. It was a large window,
like a view on a reality that never really exists. He was seeing through
his own eyes, he wasn't controlling his body; he was just an observer. He
watched as he moved, he didn't remember that command to his body. He stood
up, he saw Jack, and he seemed to be staring at him with certain contempt.
Daniel tried to speak, to yell at his friend, but his voice only resounded
from within the walls of his prison. Instead, he could hear his voice, like
an electronic squeal.
"I demand to be set free!
" Jack stood straighter.
"Let me talk to Daniel." Inside
he couldn't believe what was happening, what was Jack saying? He was right
here. He tried to yell.
"Jack!" The pitiful voice that
he had now echoed in the bleak hallways. Outside the man, he thought to
be himself smiled. Jack came closer to the bars. Bars? He asked himself.
Why would he be confined in bars? He felt his body come closer to Jack.
A flicker of fear went across Jack's face, replaced by resentment.
"Daniel? Daniel, come on kid,
talk to me." A weird laughter filled the air in his hallways. It was as
strange as it was expected.
"He is weak," said the
guttural voice, "He didn't last long." Jack seemed to get intensely
angry at the words. His lips turned down from a sort of pleading madness
to pure madness. He brought a weapon from the folds of his uniform.
"I've done this before," Jack
started and raised the weapon. It was a Zat gun. Inside, the real Daniel
cringed.
"Go ahead, shoot. I dare you.
" Inside, he tried to fight the voice that had all control over him. He
couldn't do anything. Instead, he directed his attention back to the screen
of sorts where he saw Jack open the door, raise the weapon again and shoot.
The alien within his body let out a screech of pain and he felt a flickering
as the being became silent. Another wave of something rolled over him, it
pushed his inner-self upwards, to the surface. He blinked. He was him again.
A shadow bent over him and he grabbed Jack's lapel.
"Jack." His hoarse voice surprised
even him. He tried to get up, but his limbs were like spaghetti.
"Daniel." At his nod Jack continued.
"You've been taken over by a Goa'uld. We don't know how, but we figured
it out after we brought you back. You had really bad burns all over your
face, now they're gone." He choked a bit. "I'm sorry I should have been
there to stop it." Daniel shook his head weakly. Jack gripped his shoulder.
"Cimmeria Jack, Cimmeria." Jack
closed the door and watched as once again his friend was lost.
"You are missing in my heart
Tell me why I can't be there
where you are
There's something missing in
my heart..."
He could hear the gate opening
behind him, but he couldn't turn at all. He was once again a prisoner in
his own body, he was aware of all around him but he couldn't move, couldn't
speak and couldn't find anyway to beat this thing that controlled him, his
entire essence. He could feel himself getting weaker, all his efforts were
draining his pent up strength and energy. He decided to be quiet again,
he needed his strength for one more battle. Across from him, the Stargate
spun for the final time, it's shiny naquada chevrons lighted up. He could
hear the technicians in the background. They were unusually silent. The
loudspeaker behind his non-responsive body squawked to life.
"Seventh symbol is locked. All
teams prepare to disembark." The Goa'uld inside him didn't even flinch as
the Stargate gushed open, spilling forth an unstable wormhole of unknown
proportions. Blue un-space spewed out and then retracted, creating a passage
from world to world. He smiled inside himself. The Goa'uld had no way to
know where they were going. He had forgotten too. Almost. The Goa'uld would
never be able to get that information. Behind him, the stomp of boots alerted
him of a presence. Four guards aimed at his outer body. He hoped the Goa'uld
wasn't going to do anything stupid. The heavy metal doors opened on either
side and Jack, Teal'c and Sam walked in. He stood passively as Jack walked
up to him. He flinched inwardly as a look of hate passed over his face then,
folded back. He was hurting. The inner him realized that. Jack felt guilty.
Obviously the Goa'uld realized Jack's tap on emotions. He could feel his
face smiling. He tried to stop it. He couldn't. The thing inside of him
spoke and his inner-self flinched again.
"Where are you taking us?
" Jack smiled a bit, victoriously.
"Well," he said thoughtfully,
then his face distorted into a strange grin. "No." Daniel could feel the
Goa'uld inside him churn in anger.
"I demand it." Jack looked
at his second in Command, who shrugged.
"Now you can't really demand anything
now can you?" His eyes flared, like a cold fire burned upwards and coursed
through his veins. Suddenly he felt the presence of the Goa'uld vanish and
himself roll up to the surface. He blinked in shock and he raised his clear
eyes to Jack who backed off. He had seen Daniel's body shudder in the transition.
"Jack?" Jack looked at his suspiciously.
"Daniel." He nodded vigorously.
Inside, the Goa'uld started to churn. He wasn't going to last long. He turned
his pleading eyes to Jack.
"Hurry. You've got to hurry."
Then he disappeared. He didn't return to his room, but sank further into
his own mind, the experience in itself was frightening enough but it was
like an endless fall, one that never should have happened. He could see
things that he was probably never meant to see. It was horrifying, he was
watching himself do something that he never remembered doing. He remembered
himself on a table, a black monster wriggling on his chest, he remembered
the brief pain and then nothing. He saw hands, his hands caressing Sha're.
His lips kissing her, but he couldn't remember that it was him who had done
it. He saw somebody face to face with him, It was Jack he was saying something,
it was important but he couldn't remember it. He saw Sam trace his face.
He jerked away. She could have sensed something. She didn't. He touched
the scars too, unsure whether they were actually there. He blinked as Jack
grabbed his arm, protectively and unaware of the sudden danger he was facing.
Then he remembered that he too was hurt. He no longer had a shirt but had
only old scars, nothing new. A voice told him it had been a ruse, that his
friends were deceiving him, that he was nothing to them. He wondered why
he couldn't move his own body, as if he were unattached and the only orders
were the ones from another, smaller part of himself. He didn't struggle
which was odd. Something was wrong. He saw the gate opening. Jack smacked
his back, an affectionate gesture. Teal'c seemed amused, Sam smiled slightly.
They stepped through and so did he, the whirling feeling of disorientation
accompanied the stars that flashed by and then the space in front of him
folded back into thousands of stars. Then he was home, but it wasn't home
either. He saw men with guns then they lowered the weapons that he felt
no fear of. That didn't sound right either. He felt himself breathe with
relief, then he walked. Next, he saw his own hands shifting through paper.
But what did he want? He remembered a voice telling him something. He turned.
Jack, his outerself smiled and his eyes fell to the holster that was so
obviously placed on Jack's hip. Jack stood uncomfortably and he walked up
to Daniel. He wanted to know what was wrong. A voice said he was fine, just
tired. Jack's hand lowered. He said something about Janet. A voice gibbered
again. He was fine. Jack's hand dropped further. Then he had the gun in
his hand, pointed it at him. He said he was fine. Then his eyes flared inhumanly.
Jack's hand lowered slightly. No. One word. He could feel his body move.
He was beside Jack, his hand crushing Jack's hand relentlessly. He couldn't
stop. The gun clattered to the ground. He released Jack's hand and pushed
him to a seat. Jack sat, passively and watched who he thought to be his
friend pick up the gun, examining the weapon with exaggerated care. Interesting
weapon. That was all he said. He didn't point or shoot. He tossed the gun
aside. It broke something. Jack sat there staring at him. He took a chair
and sat across from him. He talked, he thought, and all through it, Jack
sat. At the end Jack stood. He did too. Then it happened. Jack was sitting
one second then he was standing, two empty vials in his hands. He had seen
them before. Carter had received one to knock her out. He could feel parts
of him shutting down, first his legs then his arms and his mouth moved,
but no words slipped past. He collapsed and Jack caught him neatly and he
looked up drowsily and then closed his eyes, aware of the sound of an alarm
in the background.
"Dremt Kree! Let me go!" The voice
resounded through his head and it brought him out of the memory well in
his mind. With a great suddenness, he found himself facing the blue wormhole.
A hand shoved him into the shimmering pool and his view changed from the
blue pool to the backwash of stars and far off galaxies. Once again, as
always the stars folded onto space-time and met up with him. He stepped
out of the wormhole and eyed the three other members of SG-1 as they stumbled
out of the wormhole. He would have tried to run if not for the shackles
that held his legs and hands together. His eyes surveyed the New World with
distaste. The Goa'uld within him churned and he felt himself get a bit weaker.
He watched as the peasants around him started to chant. Jack grasped his
arm and forced his body to his knees. He couldn't feel the age worn stone
under his legs but he knew what was going to happen. Inside he felt the
Goa'uld recoil. He had learned what his fate was going to be and now he
was powerless to stop it. He could feel a strange smile play upon the lips
of his inner-self. At least Earth would be safe, and now he would be free,
or rather he hoped. A blue light pierced Sam, she narrowed her eyes against
the bright blue beam. It passed over her. Next it covered Teal'c. He took
a breath but the beam passed over him. It went to Jack, again it passed.
Then it came to him. In the back of his mind the voice dimmed and began
a steady screaming. He felt his body regain control and a sharp pain lanced
through his stomach, making him bend over. The bright light intensified
and the low humming increased to a pitch. A bright light surrounded his
body and he was taken. The next thing he remembered was a strange sensation,
his mind, his body was his own. Above him a face coalesced and shimmered,
a voice floated to him, no two voices. One was a recording a bland voice
that held power and command droned on about food and weapons. He ignored
it and focused on the face above him. Jack smiled.
"Hey Danny-boy." A tear, unbidden
and unwanted slid down his cheek. He blinked. A simple name caused his emotional
barriers to crumble. He tried to stand up, but his legs seemed to be made
of jelly. Jack wordlessly offered a hand and helped Daniel stand up. He
almost collapsed but Jack caught him and helped him up. He blinked and held
back a wash of tears that threatened to make a re-appearance. He turned
to Jack, still blinking.
"Where are we?" He knew of course
but wanted to hear it from Jack himself. Jack let go of him and walked to
the recording of Thor. He had heard about this place. All Goa'uld were taken
here on arrival to the planet. Jack had described the place as dark, dank,
smelly and basically a cave. Jack's report had been more detailed but He
had never really read it. It hadn't occurred to him that he might actually
visit this place someday on his own. He turned to Jack, thankful that the
beast within him was asleep for the time being. He knew it wouldn't be too
long before he would be lost once again. Who knew when he would 'wake up'
again, who even knew if he would 'wake up' at all. Jack seemed to notice
his silence and answered his question.
"This dump?" The words were all
too familiar. "All Goa'ulds come here after they've been 'dropped off.'
He said looking around and tapping the wall with his automatic. "Still looks
the same from when I left it." He grinned. It was fake. Jack turned to him.
"You okay?" He nodded.
"You know," he stopped himself.
"Um, uh," he fell silent. Jack patted his shoulder. He took out a set of
keys from his pocket. He unlocked the shackles and tossed them aside. He
stepped aside and Jack realized inside of him shudder and churn. He sank
to his knees, clutching his head in pain. Jack tried to come towards him,
but he scrambled away. He was afraid that he would hurt Jack if he happened
to be taken over again. He could feel the beast
"No." He ground out. The floor
in the back of his mind opened to a yawning pit of darkness. Jack pulled
back his hand. Instead, he knelt too.
"Don't give up. Will get through
this. Don't worry." Jack looked straight into his eyes and flinched slightly
as the deep blue eyes across from him flared inhumanly and his friend had
disappeared into a place where no person should ever be.
"I will torture your friend
and you." The deep electronic voice was back. Maybe someday, when both
he and Daniel were older, much older they would talk about this. Maybe he
would tell him how unnerving it would be to see one of his closest friends
taken over by what the whole SGC was set up to fight, well, almost. Just
one breath, one mistake and almost everybody's life that was remotely connected
with Daniel's went crumbling like dominoes. Well, that was an if. In the
five seconds it had taken Jack to finish his line of though, Daniel, or
rather the Goa'uld inside of him, had stood and had a half-crazed look in
it's or his eyes.
"Look, You want out?" The thing
that had once been Daniel, or still was stood. Daniel was always shorter
compared to him, but with that look in his eyes he was nothing human and
towered over Jack like a steeple. Jack looked at the deep pools that once
held life; Daniel's eyes. Now they were empty. Jack made a placating gesture
and Jack could see the struggle that Daniel was undergoing. Jack stepped
foreword, he grabbed Daniel's face.
"Please, listen to me. Daniel,
come on fight, please." Daniel blinked hard, and suddenly his eyes were
clear and shiny. He could see tears at the corners of his eyes. Jack didn't
release him though and he could feel a slight vibration go through Daniel.
He was scared. Jack realized that he was scared to make good on his promise
to kill him. Daniel shoved his arms in front of him and fell to his knees.
Jack also knelt. A shiny sheen of sweat covered Daniel's forehead and he
was folded on himself, clutching his stomach. His face was red and Jack
put a hand on Daniel's shoulder. Minute shivers transferred to him and he
almost shivered himself. Daniel jerked away. He looked up for a second and
Jack felt a type of darkness pass him. Daniel's eyes fell to the gun strap.
Jack moved away, he couldn't risk anything.
"Promise me J-jack." The shivers
now were full-fledge. Jack knew what he meant. But he refused to understand
it in the way he was told.
"I'm not going to kill you." It
was a statement, a fact, nothing more.
"J-jack." Daniel doubled over
farther. As his body jerked.
"Daniel, hang on. That's an order."
Daniel's sweat covered face met his. He was almost crying, tears threatened
to make an appearance.
"J-j-jack please," he sobbed.
"I'm g-going to h-hurt u-you. P-please." Jack dropped his head slightly.
"I'm sorry Daniel. No." Daniel's
body jerked again and Daniel was gone, he had succumbed, but he was strong.
The man across from him was to be treated like a POW but no matter what
his mind said, his heart told him otherwise.
"Tau'ri take me to the Chaap'pai.
" Jack's finger slid into the trigger slot. It was involuntary. Instead
of giving up and shooting the only friend that he had trusted with anything,
with his memories, his life. There was no small price to pay to save his
friends life. He stood up and as dispassionately as he could jerked his
head in the direction of the hammer.
"There. I'll take you." He wished
that this had never happened, but it was wishful thinking. He didn't regret
many things, the few numbered three. Number three was the mission in Germany.
After the Keeper, he had accepted the fact that he couldn't change the past
by dwelling on it. Number two was Charlie's death. From the crystal world,
the number of the extrapolation escaped him at the present moment,
he had learned that Charlie was inside of him, not once had he dwelled on
it since then. Instead, he had accepted it. But not once could he accept
that his friend, probably the only one that he could even consider the longest,
to be what he loathed the most, had become a part of the insurmountable.
Nothing would ever change the fact that the Goa'uld had taken his adopted
kid, Skaara, his sister Sha're and Sam, more taken by Jolinar then a Goa'uld,
well, actually a Tok'ra, and then Daniel. His friend, his family of sorts
and brother. He smiled inwardly to himself. Nothing could change that. He
winded down hallways and almost lost track of time. When he checked his
watch, he had to re-check it again. They had been here for almost ten hours.
Ten hours without food, sleep, anything. Now he could see the last stretch,
the final sprint, the one and only way. This was the trial, the sentence
and punishment all rolled into one body, one end and one way out. He could
turn now, tell him what would happen. He figured that Daniel wouldn't tell
the Goa'uld. It was smart. Jack felt himself smile with pride. He knew Daniel
was strong, but the last obstacle was there, in front of him. He stepped
through the doorway that had once been Daniel's obstacle. He remembered
with a suddenness the look on his friends face when he raised the staff
weapon and fired, freeing his friend Teal'c and losing the opportunity to
save his wife, his life. Now it was Jack's turn to play hero. He walked
through the hammer. The door across from him opened into a dark cave that
led eventually to a bright light, and then outside. Behind him he heard
the Goa'uld, he reminded himself, breathe at the sight of freedom. It was
strange that the Goa'uld had taken almost everything. Lives, weapons, superior
technology, wives, children, and in an essence in itself, worlds, they had
never, ever been able to earn the one thing that had given life to all human
and alien kind alike. Freedom. Freedom was important, it was the building
block of society, if there was no freedom there wasn't hope. If freedom
wasn't there then there was a fight for one, he was reminded of the controversy
in the south, the war between the colored races. The white got slaves from
the other side of the world to serve them. The Goa'uld took slaves from
the other side of the galaxy. The blacks got the notion that they were equal.
They fought, they went to Canada and they won their freedom. But there was
still hate, there would always be hate. There was death too. Senseless fights,
senseless deaths. But there was still freedom, and Daniel wanted freedom,
he needed freedom, he had to have it. Jack looked at his friend, the shell
of a man he had been before, what would he be like when he got out of this?
Would he be the same naive man that he had met nearly two years ago? Would
he sill be the outgoing archeologist that he had become to know as a friend?
The wooden stare met the decayed body of Unas, the first one. Jack remembered
the fight, and the pain that Teal'c went through, but then he remembered
that he would never forgive himself if he destroyed the hammer and saved
what he could from the ashes. He turned to the wall, to the door. He heard
his friend, or what he thought was his friend, walk towards the door. He
heard more rather than saw the red-maroon light. He couldn't turn to see
his friend suffer and wither in the light that had a fifty-fifty chance of
killing him or saving him. It was a chance Jack was willing to take. The
monster inside of his friend called out, screeched and yelled in denial
then the voice turned human and Jack turned, he wanted to watch his friend,
he needed to watch his friend suffer to live. Without the knowledge of seeing
his friends last or first moments of his new life, he could never see what
effort Daniel put towards his life, if he really though it was worth it.
Jack lowered his eyes for one second. He saw his friend's face, full of
suffering, of confusement and then of bliss. Jack saw his friend slowly
fall then collapse onto the stone floor. Unconscious or dead. The red-maroon
light vanished and Jack found himself walking, then he began to run. His
hand touched the grimy, sweat streaked forehead and he searched the face
for any sign of life. His hand moved over Daniel's mouth then stopped at
the neck. With trembling fingers, he placed a hand at the throat. Nothing.
Jack's eyes widened.
"No." The word was low and almost
inaudible. "Daniel, come on. Danny-boy, wake up." He slapped the man's cheek.
Daniel's head lolled to one side. Completely lifeless and void of emotion.
Dead. Jack started to panic, he was not yet ready to accept his friends
death, he was not supposed to die, he was too young to die. "Come on Daniel."
The words were unstable and full of emotion he had never really been able
to show. He began compressions. It was maybe a minute later when he realized
that it was a futile effort. Dead, he had given up. He had given up on life,
on his wife and he had given up on Jack. One tear, salty like the ocean's
breath, rolled down his cheek. He was going to accept the fact that his
friend had died a free man, and that Jack was to blame. Him, Jack. The tear
slipped free of his weatherworn cheek and fell down to hit Daniel's forehead.
It was the only sign of movement on the pale drawn face, which had seen
too much pain in such a short time. Jack turned away to compose himself,
to get ready to carry his friend's lifeless body back to the Stargate and
put him to rest properly. He turned back to his friend, and he pushed back
the unruly hair that covered his forehead back. At that same moment, a rasp
came from the man in front of him. It was an attempt to get air. Jack panicked
again. His friend was trying to breathe, to live. Franticly he grabbed Daniel
whose lips were beginning to turn blue. He was choking on something. Putting
his fists under Daniel's ribcage, he pushed. Daniel coughed again and bent
over, he was still unconscious so it was a subconscious action. Jack pushed
again and something flew out of Daniel's mouth. At first, Jack couldn't
see what it was. It had black skin and by the looks of it was half-decayed.
It was the Goa'uld. Jack was disgusted and turned away. Instead, he took
Daniel's pulse. He resisted no move Jack made to get him to lean back and
for a moment Jack thought he had stopped breathing again. He put a finger
to Daniel's throat. Weak, thready. But it was there. Jack pushed back Daniel's
unruly hair and sat there for awhile. Dreams were where miracles came from.
Dreams. After some after thought he shrugged off his heavy jacket, shivering
minutely in the heavy cold and silence that blanketed the hammer. He wrapped
the coat around his friend and grabbed his shoulders, standing up, bending
over and picking up his friend. Daniel was lighter than he had expected,
but the last few days, Jack knew that his friend hadn't eaten, slept or
been himself. After the last few days, he would need a long, long, long
vacation. Jack looked down at his friend, he had a long way to go. At the
end of the tunnel, he heard voices. Carter. Teal'c. Jack smiled ruthfully
and looked down at his friend.
"We're going home Danny-boy."
The words may not have held any specific meaning to the man he held but
to him it meant a lot of things, broken bridges, new ones, and maybe, just
maybe a beer. He took a deep breath and watched the lights play on the back
of the cave wall. Daniel was free, and there's nothing more rewarding then
freedom.
"Show me the meaning of
being lonely
Is this the feeling I need
to walk with
Tell me why I can't be there
where you are
There's something missing
in my heart..."
For the first time in two days,
he opened his eyes. At first the room around him was black and had no visible
features but then the bright light above him dimmed and he blinked slowly.
Everything was an effort, but then again, everything was his own again.
He blinked again turning his head. He winced at the pain that shot up his
spine. Jack. Beside him, slumped on a chair, those 'damn plastic chair'
Jack called them. He almost smiled at the memory. Almost. It had worked.
He was his own now, his body was his own, his thoughts and his brain was
his own. He argued the idea of waking Jack up. He really didn't feel like
talking. He had a lot of time to think about his 'taking' during the infestation.
Instead of talking to Jack, he carefully levered himself up, almost falling
back down. He was determined to get away to be alone. He spotted a pair
of fatigues in the corner of the room. He turned them over and fingered
the lettering on the breast pocket. Daniel Jackson. He blinked as an emotional
stab of pain coursed through his body. Was he really Daniel Jackson now?
He felt dirty, like he ha been raped. He felt as if he had been used, abused
and tossed away like garbage. He swung his feet over the edge of the standard
bed and proceeded to pull out all the wires and tubes that covered his body.
First came the IV. He winced slightly and pressed his finger on the wound.
Pain felt rather good. It was a distraction. He pulled out the next tube.
Strange, he thought to himself he never remembered waking up before with
two IV's. He pulled the stand closer and frowned. Anti-depressant. He shoved
the IV away and ripped the wires away from his body. Immediately the screens
across from him went blank and Jack snorted in his sleep. He froze. Instead
of waking, Jack tossed and turned and he took the opportunity to slip on
the fatigues. He took another look around the room, blurry, as it was he
spotted his glasses on the metal table. Dragging them towards him with a
finger he opened and then slid them on his nose. Everything snapped into
focus again. He looked around the room. Nobody yet. He grabbed the table
and he pushed himself off the bed. He almost landed at the floor. With a
hand still on his bed, he straightened. Jack was still snoring. He walked
the space between the door and the bed with relatively little trouble, but
by the time he had managed to make it outside the door, he was thoroughly
exhausted. He managed to keep in the shadows, slipping back as every person
went by. One person, well actually Teal'c had almost found him, but with
relatively little breathing and his glasses off, Teal'c had passed. He should
have talked to him. Teal'c was his friend. Nothing could ever change that.
But the only problem was that He had become the same thing that Teal'c had
managed to hate, to want to destroy. He couldn't face him now. He couldn't
face Jack or Sam either. A steady walk came from the other end of the hallway,
from the direction he came from. He slid back further. He realized as the
two figures came down the hallway that they were looking for something,
or someone. Voices, familiar voices floated down the hallway. The two people
were still hidden, but without his glasses they would be blurry any ways.
Daniel slipped his glasses into his pocket. Who knew who might find him?
The two figures came up further and he recognized them. Janet and Jack.
They looked worried.
"He was there before." Jack's
voice.
"I don't understand. How could
he have managed to get away?" Janet. She seemed worried about someone. He
tried to keep the minute shivers that rolled through his body unnoticeable.
"Great, he can get into all the
trouble and after two days in the ICU he's up and at it again." Jack was
also worried. Why would he be? He sank back as far as he would go now. He
couldn't... he didn't want to talk to anybody now. He needed to be alone.
"He tore out all his IV's, wires,
everything. I guess we noticed a bit too late that he was gone." Daniel
looked up. The two figures were almost right in front of him. He closed
his eyes in a vain attempt to hope they would pass by. Just then, the red
emergency light's snapped on.
"Incoming wormhole. Security
team to the embarkation room." Jack looked up at the blaring sound system
and red lights.
"No one was scheduled to be coming
in." As Jack spoke the speaker above him squawked again.
"Medical team to the embarkation
room." Janet shot a look at Jack who nodded. She ran off and the hallway
was empty once more.
"Daniel, come on out." It was
an order. One he did not intend to follow. Jack narrowed his eyes against
the red flaring lights. "Daniel, come out. I know you're here somewhere."
Jack looked around at the sound deafened corridor and sighed. He hugged
his knees, aware of the sudden cold that penetrated the deep cotton coat
that he had grabbed. He closed his eyes. An image appeared in front of him.
What was he doing? He saw a man in front of him, but he knew this man. It
was a guard he had known, what was his name? Jur'tac. That was his name.
He was chained to a wall. He could see himself in the man's eyes. They were
widened, with pain or fear. He had something in his hand. It was a strange
device. It had three gems on the ends of the gold woven ring, which twined
to the back of his third and fourth fingers. He seemed to feel satisfied
at the amount of fear Jur'tac showed. He raised his hand and watched the
three gems burst open like flowers and form a three sided pyramid of light.
He raised the ring to Jur'tac's face, the light surrounded his captive's
head and He smiled, widely. He watched as his hands move down to the man's
stomach and the gem's power intensified. He smiled; he could see it in the
man's eyes. The man in front of him refused to buckle, to cry out. Then
he slackened and fell over, his eyes wide and unseeing. A voice in the back
of his head told him that this man deserved to die. But inside he looked
down at the dead man and wished that he had died or was dead. Then he was
back. He didn't recognize the hallway at first, mostly because there was
a large and extremely worried face in front of his. He jerked back. The
shaking of his shoulder stopped and he felt his teeth chatter.
"Daniel. Danny-boy, come on get
up. Let's go back to the infirmary." His arm was being tugged. For a moment,
he thought that it was Shackle over him and he pulled back. The voice paused.
A rustling of clothes and a scrape made him look up. Jack, the person was
Jack. Jack sat beside him breathing out a sigh. He looked away from Jack.
"What's wrong Daniel?" He looked
up. There was no mistaking the kindness in Jack's words. He wanted to talk,
but now he wasn't sure what to say. He opened his mouth then closed it.
"I'm sorry." That was the only
thing he could say. Jack looked at him and noticed his shivers. He looked
at the white face of his friend.
"Why Daniel? Why would you be
sorry?" Daniel hugged himself and disappeared further into the folds of
his jacket. Jack knew that he should try to get him back to the infirmary
but he was truly curious about what his friend was so upset about.
"I should've stopped it." Jack
noted with a start that he felt just as guilty about the infestation as
Jack did. He looked up at Jack and shivered more violently.
"You have nothing to be sorry
about. If anything I should have stopped it." Jack looked miserable. This
entire thing had them both on edge. Jack stood up. He took his friend's
shoulder and hand and hoisted him up. He winced slightly. Jack saw that.
He looked around the hallway. He hadn't gotten that far from the infirmary,
just a couple meters but it had seemed like much more. His knees buckled
slightly and he would've fallen if not for Jack. Jack helped him get back
on track without a word.
"Why Jack?" The tone of voice
he used was pitiful enough, but his pinched pale face made him look like
a child. He blinked slowly as if contemplating his own words. Jack looked
around the empty hallway.
"Because you're family Danny."
Jack didn't elaborate. He looked questioningly up at the other man.
"Why Jack?" he choked on the words.
"I watched Skaara taken away
from me, Sha're from you, Sam. I should have been there to stop it from
happening to you." He shook his head. Jack was trying to blame himself.
They got to the infirmary and Jack pointed him to a bed. Jack made him lay
back. "Stay." He ordered and walked off to get Janet. There were many things
in life that could have been worse. Death, addiction, hurt worse. But the
worst pain usually had no way of being healed. He stared up at the ceiling.
He could hear Jack coming back. He opened his closed eyes when he felt a
shadow come over him.
"She'll be here soon. He shot
a pointed look towards three other men who flocked one side of the infirmary.
They seemed agitated and jumpy. He noted the blood stained on one of the
men's jackets. Blood was thicker than water. He looked back at Jack.
"It could have been worse Jack."
His large eyes blinked slowly. He was tired and right now didn't feel like
talking. He wanted to sleep. Jack sighed.
"You know what Daniel," he said,
"it could have been, but you know what, I guess I should be glad that you're
here and that your not lying somewhere dead or dying. I've made a couple
mistakes in my life. Learned to fix 'em in my own way, but you Danny-boy,"
he stopped and patted his arm. "Are defiantly not a mistake." Jack stepped
away. He was asleep. Stepping into the brightly lit hallway Jack turned
to the infirmary. He heard Daniel say something, just so he could hear.
"I'm glad you think so Jack, I
really do." Across from the two of them the three team members smiled as
Janet told them that their teammate would live. A shiny sparkle caught his
eye. It was a tear. He looked at himself in the mirror. A tear. He smiled.
It wasn't one of sadness or anger; it was one of happiness. Jack looked
at his watch. H still had time. Reflecting on the last couple of days, he
said to himself a lot of time.
KaraMeL
This song is from the new Backstreet
boys CD. Blame the idea on my beloved sis, she gave me the idea of making
this story. XOXOX luv ya all.