Title: Frequency

Author: Moonshayde

Season: Three

Category: Drama

Spoilers: The Nox, The Fifth Race, One False Step, Legacy, Fair Game

Pairing/Character: Jack/Daniel friendship, Team

Summary: When an off-world recon mission goes wrong, Jack and Daniel find themselves separated from the team while lost on an alien landscape with one of their own succumbing to an inexplicable attraction to the strange alien life that surrounds them. It's a race against time as they search for Sam and Teal'c, fight against their alien pursuers, and try to unlock the truth over Daniel deteriorating condition before they are all lost to the secrets of the planet.

Rating: PG-13

 

Author's Notes: Many thanks to my beta MegTDJ, Misty, and Ancient's Gate. Originally published in Ancient's Gate 10: Remember When.

 

 

At first, he embraced the soft, luscious wetness that churned over his tongue and throughout his mouth. It made him feel alive, comfortable, and secure. For a moment, it almost reminded him of Sha're, and her tender but aggressive kisses under the moonlit nights on Abydos. But as consciousness came, the sense of security vanished, as did the thoughts and memories of his wife.

 

Instead, he felt cold while the smoothness in his mouth –oh, no, no…it was mud.

 

Daniel coughed and gagged, spitting out as much of the stuff as he could. It was only then that he realized he was immobile, stuck in the grime that had encapsulated him in this dark place. Wherever this dark place was.

 

"Hello?" he managed to ask, hearing his voice echo through the darkness and bounce back to him again. Wincing, he heaved his body to the side – or at least he thought it was his side –and spit more of the mud out of his mouth. "Hello? Anyone?"

 

"Stay still."

 

"Jack?"

 

"Yeah. Hold still."

 

Daniel nodded, relieved to hear the sound of Jack's voice. It floated somewhere above him, maybe to his right, but Daniel couldn't tell through the blackness.

 

Daniel felt like he was drowning.

 

He coughed again, trying to ease the panic that was growing inside. But just as it started to swell, he heard a click and the heaviness that surrounded him broke into several pieces.

 

All was still black. The panic started to bubble to the surface again.

 

"It's mud," Jack said. The darkness started to crack, allowing little flashes of light to poke through and shake his vision. "Or some crap. I swear it's alive," he said dryly. "The stuff is like quick-drying cement."

 

When Jack had finished freeing him of his cement prison, Daniel stirred, blinking rapidly as he struggled to adjust to the dim lighting in the room, the hall, the tomb…wherever they happened to be trapped. Moaning, he attempted to sit, only to find a spider-web pattern of pain splinter throughout his body.

 

He hurt.

 

He felt like he had been hit by a Mac truck. Not that he knew what it felt like to be hit by a Mac truck, but that was really neither here nor there. The fact remained that he was sore all over.

 

Daniel blinked again, and despite the pain, he found himself able to gather his bearings.  He pushed himself into a sitting position, and started to take a good look around the room. Small and dark, the room held the distinct feel of a tomb, muffled with dampness and a distinct foul odor, one that reminded Daniel of old socks. He could hear the trickle of water as it ran down the walls before splashing into little pools on the surface below. Thankfully, the water was a blessing, even if it was a nuisance. The pools helped reflect what little light they had, light that poked through a small circular opening at the top of the mound-like room.

 

Stifling the urge to rub his eyes with his dirty hands, Daniel stared at the light for a minute, wondering just how they had managed to get trapped in this place.

 

"Daniel?"

 

Daniel jerked at the sound of his name, his gaze falling to a not-so-patient mud-covered Jack O'Neill. Jack stood in front of him, thumbing his belt, and Daniel suddenly had the impression he looked out of place. When Daniel started to study Jack a little harder, the other man sighed, finally breaking his sour expression, only to replace it with another.

 

"The bastards took our guns," Jack said.

 

"What?"

 

"Weapons, Daniel. Let's get that mind into motion."

 

Daniel ignored the insult and glanced down at himself. Jack was right; he'd been stripped of everything, except for his canteen, thankfully, and oddly enough, his allergy medication. Slowly, he started to check his pockets to see if they might have missed something else.

 

After a moment, Daniel paused as he began to feel more alert. "Where are we?" he finally asked.

 

"Good question," Jack said. "I'm thinking prison."

 

"Prison?" Daniel looked at the ceiling, watching as light flickered in and out of the hole. "If it's prison, it's not a very good one."

 

"All the better for us." Jack walked past him, but kept his body close, almost guarded, as he stared at the ceiling. "Now that you're finally awake, I think it's about time we left this party."

 

"Party?"

 

"What? Do you think you're a parrot?"

 

Daniel blinked at him. "Parrot?"

Jack shot him a look, one that Daniel had trouble reading. He thought it was anger, or maybe worry, or maybe…

 

"Daniel, what the hell is the matter with you?" Jack hovered a little closer, studying him in a way that made Daniel feel uncomfortable. "Let's go. I don't need an absent-minded professor today. I need for you to get moving."

 

Daniel nodded and slowly rose to his feet, knowing that Jack was right. Of course, they needed to be alert and focused when off-world, especially when they ran into problems, such as being trapped in a mud-hole prison. But Daniel couldn't help but feel a little annoyed. He'd just woken from a mud-encased tomb. He needed a minute to regroup.

 

"I say the sooner we're out of here the better," Jack mumbled, his gaze on the ceiling hole. "I'd hate to impose on our roommates any longer than necessary."

 

Daniel almost repeated "roommates" just to spite Jack, but thought better of it. They did need to get out of here as quickly as possible, and the fact remained that he hadn't even realized there were other people in the room with them.

 

Daniel stared at the two aliens that were huddled along the circumference of the circular room. Both were long, although how long Daniel couldn't tell, and had a pearly bluish hue to their skin tone. Daniel was positive he counted three eyes, maybe a mouth, and little small nubs on their chins. Even their clothes were different, translucent, but with a silky shimmering effect to reflect their luminescent skin. Daniel laughed. They looked like tall, mutated Asgard going out to a disco.

 

Daniel probably could have stood there all day staring at the funny looking aliens if it weren't for Jack's urging.

 

"Daniel, for cryin' out loud, will you focus?" he asked, sounding exasperated.

 

"I'm focused," Daniel replied. "Look at that, how they move." Daniel swayed when he noticed the smoothness as they shifted. He nearly lost his balance and would have fallen if Jack hadn't stepped forward to grab him. "Whoa," Daniel said. "That—I think I'm drugged."

 

"Ya think?" Jack shook his head before guiding Daniel away from the aliens. Carefully, he helped ease Daniel into a seated position on the floor. "Stay there while I think of something."

 

"It must be in the mud," Daniel mused. He smiled, waving his hands in front of his face and watched the light dance between his fingers. "I must have swallowed some. I feel off."

 

Jack pointed to Daniel's canteen. "So, wash out your mouth."

 

"Oh." That would help.

 

Slowly, Daniel unhooked his canteen and poured some of the water into his mouth, swishing it a few times before spitting. He wanted to be annoyed with himself for being so forgetful or to chastise himself for his lack of focus, but he couldn't seem to bring himself to care.

 

As he put away his canteen, Daniel found his gaze returning to the two aliens on the other side of the room. So far, they hadn't made a sound, or even attempted to venture forth to meet with either of them. Daniel stared at the aliens, studying them as best he could without the help of his glasses. Jack's pacing certainly didn't help.

 

"No doors. No compartments," Jack said aloud, stopping to gaze up at the hole in the ceiling. "I think we can make it. Daniel?"

 

"Hmm," Daniel said with a nod. "I think they're sexless."

 

"What?"

 

"The aliens." Daniel motioned vaguely with his right hand to where the aliens were sitting. "I can't discern any external genitalia, and they look nearly identical. It's possible that—"

 

"Daniel."

 

He jumped, surprised by the decisive tone Jack had taken. Pulling his attention away from the aliens, he studied Jack, catching the intensity in his eyes. Daniel had seen that look on more than one occasion. Jack was distressed and was nothing but business. Daniel tried to keep his mind in place.

 

"I don't care about the damn aliens," Jack continued. "I need you to focus on getting out of here so we can find Carter and Teal'c."

 

Daniel gaped at him, suddenly feeling hot as he canvassed the room, searching the prison floor. Sam and Teal'c weren't with them. He hadn't even noticed. He didn't even remember how they had gotten here.

 

Immediately, Daniel went for his radio on the off chance he could contact either one of them. But when he groped at his chest, he remembered that whoever had thrown them in here had taken away nearly all their equipment and belongings. Sighing, he dropped his hands to his lap.

 

"Jack, I don't remember anything."

 

Jack glanced at him over his shoulder, before turning back to the hole. "You're not losing your mind." He pressed a knuckle to his nose and shifted slightly, changing his position. "I don't know how we got here, either. But I'm starting to think that little abandoned village wasn't so abandoned after all."

 

Abandoned village? Daniel sifted through his memories, poking around for anything that would seem familiar. He couldn't remember a village, abandoned or otherwise. He couldn't remember exploring any of the surrounding area that might hold a village.

 

He couldn't remember how they got here.

 

"Jack," Daniel said, his voice rising as he scrambled to his feet. "I don't remember how we got here!"

 

Jack stopped studying the hole for a moment, remaining quiet as he eyed Daniel.

 

"No, Jack," Daniel mumbled, by-passing Jack's silent rebuke. "I mean I don't know how we got here. Here."

 

Daniel wasn't sure if it was the tone of his voice or the fear in his face that made Jack abandon the hole and take a tentative step towards him. But he did, and the frown on Jack's face spoke volumes.

 

"You can't remember how you got here or here here?" Jack took another step closer. "As in here," he said point to the ground, "or…

 

"Here," Daniel said weakly.

 

Jack exhaled, shaking his head, and Daniel thought he even heard a swear somewhere in there. But this was Jack, and he always seemed to recover quickly. The moment of anger vanished, leaving Daniel faced with a colonel once again.

 

"Nevermind. We'll sort through that later," Jack told him. "Right now, we need to leave."

 

Daniel nodded and swallowed hard, trying to ignore the harsh scratchiness in his throat. Jack was right, but it didn't mean Daniel felt any better.

 

He didn't have any memory of how or when they had come to this place, and the idea in and of itself was rather frightening.

 

At least he had all of his other memories.

 

Right?

 

"Daniel."

 

Daniel shook his head, once again shaken by the sound of his name. When he focused on Jack this time, he noticed Jack appeared more impatient – if that were even possible –with hints of anxiety poking through the surface. Jack never had been very good with emotions.

 

That much he remembered.

 

"Give me a foot hold, will you?" Jack continued, as if nothing had happened.

 

Gazing upward, Daniel studied the small hole, wrinkling his nose as the mud continued to run around the rim before it would break away and splat down on the floor or onto the two of them. "We're not going to fit through there," Daniel said softly, mesmerized by the continual pattern.

 

"No, but we will."

 

Daniel heard the sharp click of a knife. Jerking, he took a step back, staring at Jack's hands.

 

"They didn't take away everything," Jack said with a smile.

 

For once, Daniel wasn't complaining.

 

With a grunt, Daniel helped to heave Jack up towards the hole. He struggled to keep his balance for the few seconds Jack needed to scout the ceiling, before his strength gave out and he had to release him. Jack jumped down, creating an audible thud, one that was muffled by the dirty ground around them. Sniffling, Jack wiped his nose and tucked the knife into his belt.

 

"All right," Jack said. "It's soft." His gaze fell over to Daniel, waiting expectantly. "Me or you?"

 

Since Daniel didn't quite trust himself with a knife at the moment, he sighed and deferred to Jack. "You."

 

"You going to be able to handle it?"

 

Daniel snorted, not even bothering to reply. He'd been handling Jack since he'd first met him.

 

"Good," Jack said. "Hold still and don't look at our friends. It'll throw your balance."

 

"Jack, give me a little credit," Daniel muttered.

 

Jack arched his eyebrows, barely holding back a small grin. Then, before Daniel had a chance to protest, Jack moved behind him, pushing Daniel to the ground. As he felt Jack's weight start to press onto his back, Daniel winced, but held back the pain and started to push upward.

 

Jack wasn't a heavy man, but he wasn't a lightweight, either.

 

Ignoring the burning through his back and shoulders, Daniel continued to rise, securing Jack's legs over his shoulders. It wasn't as if Daniel had never done this before; on several of his digs he would help hold up some of the smaller women when scaffolding was short so that they could complete rubbings or duplicate art on the higher sections of the pyramid walls. Sometimes he even helped men who were slighter in build than he was. Other times people would hold him.

 

Daniel groaned, feeling his legs shake. Academia had made him flabby, but SG-1 was toning him. Even so…

 

"Jack, you have to hold off on the cake," he mumbled, panting.

 

"This coming from the man who keeps a stash of candy bars in his vest pockets."

 

Daniel rolled his eyes, but it started to make him wonder. Did he have any left or did the whoevers take those, too?

 

"Don't," Jack warned. "So help me God, Daniel, if…"

 

"I wasn't going to," Daniel said, before taking another gulp of air.

 

He started to hear the sound of crumbling dirt and stiffened as he saw a huge chunk fall on his boot. Pausing, he considered how quickly – or slowly – Jack might be working.

 

Thank God Jack had long arms, Daniel mused, sneaking a peak upward to watch Jack as he hacked at the ceiling. The last thing Daniel wanted was to have Jack's boot cutting into his shoulders.

 

"Hey, eyes down," Jack muttered as he cut at the dried clay around the hole. "I don't want you to fall over."

 

"You don't want you to fall over," Daniel corrected, but did as he was told.

 

"Yeah, that, too. So, keep still."

 

So, Daniel waited. Waited as his shoulders continued to burn and his legs shook under Jack's weight. When more light began to break into the room, Daniel began to wonder just how long they had been trapped down here. Daniel thought back to Jack's assessment that this place was a form of prison. Could it be something else? If it was a prison, Daniel didn't really want to think about what transgressions the aliens had committed to be thrown in here.

 

Daniel started to think about the prison of Hadante.

 

"Stop fidgeting," Jack said, digging his knee into Daniel's shoulder. "I've almost got it."

 

"Well, you stop—"

 

Inhaling sharply, Daniel caught a flicker at the peripheral of his vision. When he turned his head, he was surprised to find the aliens had risen from their corner, one moving towards them. It hovered and appeared to float on air. Its luminescent hue caught Daniel long before Jack started cursing his name.

 

As his center of balance shifted, Daniel knew he was in for a hard fall. He tried to twist to fight the pull of gravity, but it was too late. Daniel stumbled to his right, his legs buckling, bringing Jack with him.

 

A tangle of limbs, the two men just stayed there for a moment, trying to focus after the shock of the fall.

 

"Dammit, Daniel. What'd I say?"

 

Daniel ignored him, pushing Jack away so he could see the aliens. The one that had started toward him had stopped and retreated back to its corner with the other one. Strangely, both remained quiet throughout the whole ordeal.

 

Daniel studied them for a moment longer, intrigued by the other's small pad that rested in its lap. It kept passing its palm over the top, causing the pad to flash with each movement. Frowning, Daniel sat back on his heels, going over possibilities in his mind.

 

He wondered why if this were a prison, why the aliens would be allowed to carry technology. Then again, both he and Jack had been allowed to keep some of their personal belongings.

 

The glint of metal caught Daniel's attention, and he shifted his focus away from the aliens back to Jack. Daniel remained silent as Jack walked over to stand by him, brushing off his pants casually, knife still in his free hand.

 

Daniel realized that knife could have gone anywhere, really. And based on Jack's scowl, Daniel knew he knew it, too.

 

"Do you want to try this again without the roaming eyes?"

 

"They were coming toward us," Daniel murmured in defense, his voice trailing as he stared at Jack. Once again, Daniel had the feeling that Jack looked out of place. Something seemed different about him, but Daniel couldn't put his finger on it. "Yeah," he said to try to finish his thought.

 

Jack raised his eyebrows. They seemed so dark. "Daniel?"

 

"Just-just give me a moment," Daniel whispered as he closed his eyes.

 

Quietly, he bowed his head, struggling to push past the fog that had settled into his brain. His memory was spotty, his concentration shot…Daniel could only hope that whatever was causing his problems wasn't a sign of something more serious.

 

"You seem…dark. Or fuzzy." Daniel wasn't sure which better fit the profile.

 

"It's dark in here," Jack said, sarcastically, his voice almost rising in a way that was both childish and condescending. "And you don't have your glasses."

 

Daniel sat a little straighter, gingerly touching his cheeks with his fingers. "Oh, right," he managed to say. "I'd—"

 

"Forgotten. I can tell," Jack mumbled. Then, quickly he grabbed Daniel by the arm and gently lifted him to his feet. "I'd say it's about time we left, now."

 

Daniel nodded, allowing Jack to lead him towards the hole. His body still felt weak and achy, and even though he wouldn't admit it, he was thankful for the support.

 

"All right," Jack said, stopping under the hole. "The opening is big enough for us to squeeze through one at a time and this hell hole isn't too big. We should be able to get through it with climbing and support. You got that?"

 

Daniel gave a half nod, but stayed pensive as he studied the aliens. "Look, I think that one is taking notes."

 

The second alien remained engrossed in his game of Simon, while the first kept watching them closely. At least Daniel thought it was studying them. He couldn't read anything into their black marble eyes.

 

"Okay," Jack said, stepping in front of him to block his view of the aliens. "No more. This isn't a field trip."

 

"I'm not all about studying, Jack. But isn't it important to know your surroundings…" He found his voice trail off as Jack started to knot a rope of what looked like vine. "Where did you get that?"

 

"Upstairs," Jack said flatly. He swung the vine around Daniel's waist and secured it snuggly over his hips. "It's important to know your surroundings, huh?"

 

Daniel scowled. To be honest, he couldn't remember Jack obtaining the vine. He must have grabbed it when he'd cut away at the hole.

 

"I don't need this," Daniel protested as he ran his hand over the rough material around his waist and thighs. "I can—"

 

"It's insurance." Jack gave the vine a hard jerk, making Daniel wince. "I think we both know it's good to have a back-up plan."

 

Daniel glared at Jack and then the hole. "Our back-up plans never work."

 

"They do." Jack looked offended. "Just not…well."

 

"Oh, just not well. That makes me feel better."

 

Jack went back to pretending to ignore him as he studied their escape route one last time. This gave Daniel one last opportunity to get a good look at their friends as well. Tilting his head, Daniel stole a peek at the aliens. The alien had stopped playing with its toy, having joined its partner in staring at Daniel.

 

He shivered. Their gaze made his skin crawl.

 

"I was thinking," Daniel said abruptly as Jack checked his harness for the fifth time. "Why would they be in here taking notes anyway?"

 

"Doesn't matter," Jack said. "Once we're out of here, we'll find Carter and Teal'c and leave."

 

"But, seriously."

 

"I am serious."

 

"Jack…"

 

"No, Daniel." Jack shook his head. "For all we know, these guys are plotting ways to kill us. We leave and we leave now."

 

"Ways to kill us?" Daniel shook his head and crossed his arms. "Thanks for that inspiring message, Mister Positive."

 

"Glad to oblige," Jack replied off-handedly. "Now, look. One of us is going to have to climb up and pull the other through the opening."

 

Daniel sighed and nodded, following Jack's finger as he pointed to the hole. While it was substantially bigger now, Daniel knew it was still going to be a tight squeeze getting through it. Not to mention the height problem.

 

"I assume this is where the rope comes in?" Daniel held up the end and started to twirl it.

 

Jack nodded, grabbing the end and pulling it down. "Once I'm through, I pull you to the surface."

 

Daniel knew what that meant. "I'll be in here alone with the aliens," he said softly.

"I know." Jack reached over and squeezed his shoulder, gazing at Daniel squarely in the eye.  "You going to be all right?"

 

"I'll be fine," Daniel said, and he meant it. He was possibly drugged, sluggish, and trapped in a place he didn't know, but he'd been in far worse situations.

 

He would just have to not think about Jack's theory that the aliens wanted to kill them and he'd be perfect.

 

"Good."  He looped the end of the vine around his belt and tied it. "Let's get moving, then."

 

"Right."

 

Daniel started to crouch, attempting to give Jack as much leverage as possible without falling over in the process. Quickly, Jack moved into position, using Daniel as a footstool. With a grunt, he climbed onto Daniel's back and found his balance as Daniel slowly started to rise to his feet. When Daniel felt relatively secure, he pushed Jack forward, refusing to look up, relying on his imagination to see what Jack might be doing.

 

He figured Jack would draw his knife and stick it into the harder ground around the hole, using that as his focal point to climb through. After that, Daniel wasn't sure what he would do.

 

He heard another grunt and suddenly the weight lessened. Daniel breathed out in relief, hissing as he moved his shoulders. He still ached all throughout his body; Jack had only made it worse.

 

"Ready?" he heard Jack call.

 

Gazing upward, Daniel saw Jack's head silhouetted by the light that was streaming past him. The light only seemed to blacken Jack's already dark features.

 

Daniel swatted at the dark splotches and rubbed his eyes. "Yeah," he muttered, wishing he had his glasses.

 

"All right, on three, jump." Jack paused as Daniel prepared himself. "One, two…three."

 

On three, Daniel leapt into the air, pushing himself off the ground with as much force as his tired muscles could offer. At the same time, he heard Jack swear, pulling and yanking with all his might from the other side. Within seconds, Daniel found himself off the ground, but not high enough to get a hold of anything. And though Jack was strong, Daniel knew he didn't have the muscle training to pull all of Daniel's weight alone.

 

Daniel knew he was slipping. He felt the strain of both the vine and of Jack's control as they started to unravel. Somehow, Daniel didn't think he would be leaving their prison today.

 

"Dammit. I'm lowering you back down. I have to try something else."

 

Daniel nodded, feeling the tension release as he slowly was lowered down into the pit. Nervous, he checked the rope and confirmed that part of it had started to come undone. He needed something to hold secure the thick vine somehow. Eyeing the mud carefully, Daniel decided it couldn't hurt. He slapped the clay onto the trouble spot, covering as much of it as he could, and hoped that the slick material would help to bind the organic fibers.

 

"On three," he heard Jack call from somewhere beyond the opening.

 

Once again, on three, Daniel jumped, relying on Jack to pull him towards the opening. This time, they made better progress, and Daniel felt that they could overcome this hurdle. It wasn't that the height of the room was anything overwhelming, but the alternations of viscosity and slickness of the mud walls and circular shape of the pit made scaling impossible.

 

That left to pulling.

 

Which then stopped.

 

Startled, Daniel gripped the rope tightly, as he found himself stuck in mid-air, swaying left and right, right to left, back and forth and around again. While he wasn't up very high, he could still dangle his legs.

 

"Jack?" he called.

 

"Yup," he heard. "Hit a snag. Hold tight."

 

"Oh, sure. I'll just hang around…"

 

While Jack worked out whatever snag he must have hit – one that Daniel hoped didn't involved vines and sharp, jagged rocks – Daniel took the opportunity to survey the room. He realized it wasn't as big as he originally had thought. Not only was the room not as round as he'd envisioned, it also wasn't as even. Some parts of the clay-covered tomb had a dry, almost ceramic texture, as if they had been oven-cooked, while other parts had a slick, shiny wet look. Daniel found the contradiction intriguing.

 

Until he noticed their friends had disappeared.

 

Frowning, Daniel turned in his makeshift harness, causing the vine to spin and twist. He quickly scanned the area, wondering with growing anxiety where the alien creatures had gone. Then, as an idea struck him, he paused and glanced over his shoulder.

 

The aliens stood both behind him, nearly eye to eye with him. Daniel bristled, but found himself mesmerized by their lucid stare. From where he was, Daniel could see every detail in their smooth faces and their shiny black eyes. After he tore his gaze from theirs and titled his head upward, he noticed their scalps, from the central fuzzy strip that Daniel hypothesized as hair to the bizarre nodules that littered either side of their head. He even thought he saw fluid swishing around inside the translucent bumps.

 

"Wow," Daniel whispered, leaning a little closer. "I wonder what—"

 

They moved to match his gaze, their shining eyes focusing into a hard stare. Daniel began to get that crawly feeling under his skin again.

 

"Jack…"

 

"Give me a minute."

 

"I'd love to but now's not a good time." Daniel gasped as one of the aliens wrapped its long fingers around his knee.

 

"What?" Jack asked, sounding breathless. "Why?"

 

Daniel forced a smile, bringing his hand down, and pried the alien off of him. "They're getting touchy-feely."

 

"Crap."

 

Daniel didn't even have a chance to reply to Jack when he felt an urgent tugging upwards. Obviously, Jack had worked out his snag and had begun to concentrate on getting Daniel on the surface as quickly as possible, ignoring a little thing called precision. So much for technique.

 

By the time Daniel reached the top, he was a little rough for wear, but had never been so glad to see something other than the color gray. Digging one hand into the dirt, he fumbled with the other, before finding a solid patch of grass to mutilate in his grasp. He grunted and heaved, only to have Jack grab him when they were certain Daniel wouldn't tumble back through the hole.

 

With the "escape" behind him, Daniel collapsed onto the ground and closed his eyes. Somehow, he thought this entire prison break took far more effort than it should.

 

Once Daniel gathered his bearings, he slowly opened his eyes and glanced around the area. Wherever they were seemed to alternate between flat plains with long grasses and thick thorny bushes, any of which could have easily been Jack's snag. Though, as he studied them more closely, he could make out that at least one of them had a long vine wrapped and secured around its large trunk.

 

Or that could be a tree, he figured.

 

Daniel moaned and squeezed his eyes shut.

 

"Hey." He felt Jack standing over him. "You all right?"

 

Oh sure, Daniel thought. I can't remember anything. We're lost. We have no supplies. An alien tried to grope me…

 

"No," Daniel said as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

 

"Well, sit here and think or…do whatever you do." The add-on comment made Daniel open his eyes. Jack smirked at him, though it was fleeting. "I'll just be a few feet away, doing…"

 

"Doing what you do," Daniel said knowingly.

 

Jack's face flickered with a ghost of a smile, but it disappeared as the concern overcame his battle-hardened features. He put his hands on his hips, taking a moment to survey the area before he turned away from the hole.

 

Daniel sat quietly as he watched Jack take a few tentative steps towards what looked like moderately forested area. He wasn't sure how they could maneuver their way through the forest or any terrain without any supplies. As an archaeologist in the field, Daniel had been trained in survivor skills, aside from what he'd learned at the SGC, and knew what to do in situations on Earth when supplies ran low – or God forbid – ran out. But this wasn't Earth. And this wasn't a dig.

 

He didn't know how they'd make it out of this one.

 

Or how the aliens would, for that matter.

 

Armed with this new thought, Daniel glanced over at the opening in the ground. Though he didn't know why the two creatures had been put into the underground tomb with them, he couldn't help but feel nervous over their condition. From what he had observed, there wasn't much – meaning none – in the way of comfort, clean water, or food. Not that Daniel knew how they ate or if they ate. That wasn't the point.

 

He could debate with himself over the issue endlessly. But he wasn't about to have an argument with himself in the middle of nowhere. Firstly, it would look insane. Secondly, well, Daniel didn't have a secondly just yet, but he was sure it would be just as bad, not to mention he'd already done enough arguing with himself in public in the past.

 

His decision made, Daniel rolled over onto his stomach and crawled over to the opening of the hole. There, inside, the aliens stood right where he had left them, their marble-like eyes staring straight through him.

 

Daniel swallowed down a nervous laugh and pushed aside the tingling he felt under his skin. Carefully, he dropped his arms down into the pit, dangling them over the aliens' heads. As he started to wriggle his fingers, he hoped they understood his invitation while he prayed he wasn't silently telling them to jerk off in their own culture.

 

Finally, one of them seemed to understand what he was offering and reached out its own hand towards him.  Considerably taller, or at least longer, both in body height and arm length, the alien had no problem in reaching Daniel. As it stretched, it grazed his fingertips, giving Daniel a cool, icy sensation.

 

He wondered what caused that.

 

Before he could give it another thought, Daniel yelped, feeling a tug backwards. After he was pulled away from the hole, Jack stood firmly between him and the opening.

 

"Are you trying to get yourself killed?" he asked angrily.

 

"Yes, Jack, that has always been my goal in life," Daniel replied sarcastically. "In fact, I'm becoming very good at it."

 

"Well, stop it. You don't know where they've been." He pointed to the hole as he spoke.

 

Daniel glared at him. "I'm not going to catch rabies off of them."

 

"You might." With a mutter or two under his breath, Jack walked up to Daniel and helped him to his feet. "Can we keep the interaction to a minimum?"

 

"Why?"

 

"You have to ask why?"

 

"Well, yes," Daniel said, ignoring Jack's tone. "We—"

 

"We don't know anything about them. They could be murderers or cannibals."

 

"Cannibals?" That was incredible. "Their mouths aren't big enough to hold a straw. Not to mention cannibalism implies the same race."

 

"Maybe they are very good at what they do." He shook his head and lowered his voice. "Nevermind, just don't. They give me the creeps."

 

And in those few words, Daniel realized that he had to agree. There was always something about Jack's small confessions that caused Daniel to tense and to take him more seriously than he usually did. Jack's little moments of pure insight weren't to be taken lightly.

 

"Okay," Daniel started. "So…"

 

"So, we have to start somewhere." Jack rubbed his face, barely holding back a frown. Daniel recognized that he was more distressed that he wanted to let on. "I saw a path inside the forest. We'll keep to that but mark the way we've come."

 

Daniel nodded. "Okay, so we can keep track how lost we are."

 

"Don't be a smartass. Just – shit!"

 

Daniel jerked, caught off-guard by the abruptness in Jack's tone and posture. Turning around, he took step back, surprised to see one of the aliens standing next to the hole.

 

"Oh."

 

Jack wasn't as impressed. "How the hell did he get up here?"

 

Daniel couldn't say. But then, as if on cue, the second alien rose through the hole, hovering soundlessly, and glided through the air, only to gently touch down on the steady ground around the opening.

 

"Oh, um…" Daniel motioned to the second alien. "Floating."

 

"Thanks, I hadn't noticed," Jack said dryly.

 

Daniel shrugged off the comment. "Well, you've got your answer."

 

"No," Jack muttered. "Now, we have more problems."

 

"You mean…" Daniel drawled out the word as he mulled over their newest set of problems. "Why didn't they do this before?"

 

Jack nodded, his dour expression firmly aimed at the aliens. "Oh, yeah."

 

That was something Daniel would like to know. If they could have just floated out of the pit from the start, why didn't they? Why did they wait?

 

"I'm not staying around to find out why," Jack said. "I think it's about time we left. Let's go."

 

Daniel agreed and nodded, but it was a slow, deliberate nod. He used the few minutes afforded to him to grab one last look at their alien companions. They hadn't moved, cemented to their spot by the hole, staring at him with those terrible intense eyes.

 

Any regrets he had about missed opportunities vanished as he felt the chill sweep through him once again. He scratched his chin as he latched onto that final thought – final emotion – before he followed Jack into the forest.

 

"Well, isn't this nice. We're a regular parade."

 

Not even five minutes had passed when Jack and Daniel had realized that their alien companions had decided to follow. Since then, Jack was right. It did feel like a parade.

 

Daniel glanced at the aliens over his shoulder while he continued to walk by Jack's side. The aliens walked, or more like glided, behind them without a sound. Staring and staring. Daniel thought the sun illuminated their robes and skin threefold. More staring.

 

"Maybe they're just curious," Daniel commented as he turned his attention back to Jack.

 

Daniel could already anticipate where this conversation was going just by the way Jack raised his eyebrows.

 

"No, really," Daniel said. "I mean, they could have left that pit any time they wanted. But they chose to stay with us. Now, why would they do that?"

 

"Maybe they don't have TV," Jack mumbled.

 

Daniel shook his head, turning away from Jack in order to try and keep his cool. He might feel off kilter, but that didn't give him the right to allow his emotions to fly off the handle. He took a moment to check his anger before he stopped walking and concentrated on the aliens. "I think they just want to understand." He faced Jack and offered a half-smile. "Communication and exploration are fundamental to the advancement and structuring of complex societies. Human civilization would never have reached our level of complexity if not for curiosity and the need to discover."

 

"They aren't human."

 

"No, I know." Daniel knew that he was projecting his own biases and ideas onto an alien landscape, but it wasn't as if he were anthropomorphizing some non-sentient object either. "But the majority of alien races we've encountered that are non-human, they have always had some element, some trait or characteristic, that we could consider human."

 

"Fascinating."

 

Daniel pursed his lips. "No, listen—"

 

"No, Daniel," Jack said firmly. "Look, I don't care if they're curious, or 'just want to understand.' We don't know anything about them or what their intentions are. Common sense dictates we should be cautious."

 

"Common sense?" Daniel crossed his arms and glared at Jack, wondering just where he thought he was going with this. "Since when does instantaneous travel to other planets make any sense?"

 

"Daniel, I'm not getting into semantics with you, so drop it."

 

"Miscommunication has been the basis of many of the wars and conflicts on Earth."

 

"Yeah, and we're not on Earth."

 

"That doesn't matter. Well-well, have we even tried to communicate with them?" Daniel frowned, running over the events of the day, passing through the fog in his mind as he tried to settle on the one thing that had been nagging him all afternoon. "We haven't even tried to communicate with them at all, have we?"

 

Shaking his head angrily, Daniel turned and left Jack, heading straight towards the aliens. He couldn't believe how careless he had been, forgetting the most basic and intrinsic part of his job. He hadn't even tried to talk to them.

 

Daniel stopped in front of the two aliens, forcing a half-smile as he gestured vaguely to himself and then to Jack. "Um, hello. My name is Daniel Jackson. This is—"

 

"Tried that."

 

"What?"

 

"Already tried talking to them."

 

"You did?" For some reason, Daniel couldn't fathom Jack playing diplomat. As far as he was concerned, Jack almost ruined the negotiations with the Goa'uld and the Asgard until he'd bluffed. "Did you say anything nice?"

 

"Yeah, I did," Jack said flatly.  "Back when you were snoozing. They don't speak English."

 

"They don't speak English…" Daniel licked his lips, examining the aliens closely. During the entire conversation, they had remained motionless, continuing to stare at the both of them in that creepy way of theirs. Their appearance, their gestures, and their silence didn't give Daniel much to go on.

 

Usually, based on a planet's root culture, he could make a relatively safe guess as to what language they spoke, or what language they could have spoken at some point in time. But with completely foreign beings, even a guesstimate could be way off course. Daniel supposed that he could always start with any random language.

 

Daniel licked his lips again, taking another step forward. He was about to speak when he felt Jack's hand clamp down on his shoulder.

 

"No, they don't speak. Period."

 

Daniel found himself gaping at Jack and then at the aliens. Didn't speak at all? Could they be like the aliens they'd found on PJ2-445?

 

"Well, have you even tried another language?"

 

Strangely, Jack looked uncomfortable. "Might have. Doesn't matter. Let's go."

 

"Wait. You speak another language?" Daniel asked, though really he knew he shouldn't be surprised. "What?"

 

"It's not important," Jack said. He started to steer Daniel away from the mute aliens, but Daniel wasn't interested. Frowning, he brushed Jack's hands off his back and stared at him.

 

"Of course, it's important. What if we encounter a race that speaks the language you know? This could have helped us out before!"

 

Jack sighed. "I don't speak ancient languages."

 

"Well, you can sort of speak some Latin…or Ancient."

 

"Under protest," Jack said bitterly.

 

That was beside the point. But Daniel knew it wasn't Latin. It had to be something else. Jack knew some other language and he'd never told him. Daniel wondered if Sam and Teal'c knew.

 

"Is it French? Spanish?"

 

Without another word, Jack started to walk away. The aliens forgotten, Daniel walked as quickly as he could to catch up with him without losing his center of balance.

 

"What is it?" Daniel figured it would need to be something useful, something that Jack would have used on his military campaigns. "Russian?" Daniel snickered. "Pig Latin?"

 

The corners of Jack's mouth twitched, forming the faintest of smiles. If Daniel hadn't been looking for it, he might have missed it. "I'm still waiting to find a planet where people speak it."

 

Suddenly the image of an entire world of Pig Latin speakers running after them as they tried to make it home entered Daniel's mind. He couldn't help but chuckle and wondered if it was stress or his drugged mind that made the image seem so funny.

 

Jack seemed to understand. "Imagine SG-9 trying to negotiate that one."

 

"That-that would be something I would need to get on camera."

 

Glancing over his shoulder, Daniel's gaze fell to the aliens. He wished he had his camera.

 

Jack steered him away again as they worked their way deeper into the forest. Silence fell between them as they left the joking aside and continued to trek across the alien world in order to find their friends. Daniel was conscious of the increasing thickness of the underbrush and the height of the trees. All seemed to buzz with depth and greens darker than he could describe.

 

He scratched his neck, regarding them thoughtfully. Everything seemed so much more alive.

 

He was also conscious of the aliens that continued to follow them. And if he was, then Jack was as well.

 

"Come on," Jack said quietly. "Let's keep going."

 

They kept going. It seemed like forever, but they kept going.

 

Daniel kept in step with Jack or at least a step behind Jack. Most of his concentration was focused on trying to stay focused, so that didn't leave Daniel with a very much room to…focus.

 

He had good moments and bad ones. Sometimes he had moments of pure lucidity, where everything seemed so sharp and clear. But equally, he would have moments where his mind was nothing but a hazy fog, moments where he had enough trouble remembering that he was walking. Those times scared him.

 

Mostly, though, he was more or less himself – or felt that way – with a few cracks or lags that slowed him down.

 

And, at least he could hold a conversation. Granted, that would only work if the second party would say something.

 

Daniel had tried three times to start a conversation with Jack. Three times he'd either get silence, one of those looks, or silence and one of those looks.

 

Daniel needed to talk. Daniel needed to have some of the gaps in his memory filled. And if Jack was unwilling to do that right now, Daniel at least needed a distraction.

 

"I was thinking about the alien life forms that we've found on this planet," Daniel began again, vaguely gesturing behind him to the stalker aliens. "I wonder if they have visited Earth like the Goa'uld or the Asgard."

 

"I wonder," Jack mumbled.

 

"It's possible. For all we know, most of the folktales and myths back home have some connection to some race or form that we've met." Daniel couldn't even fathom all the possibilities. "Even races like The Nox, their physical appearance, or just their attitude can be attributed to fairy culture in Wales or more likely Greece and Rome."

 

"Hmm."

 

"Speaking of Greece, classical oral narratives like the Iliad and the Odyssey were filled with references to what we'd consider standard mythic figures." Daniel paused, captivated by the rustling treetops and how their myriad of colored flowers clashed together. Recovering from his distraction, Daniel rubbed at his throat as he continued. "Though not triclopic, like either of our friends here, Polyphemus, a Cyclops, was an interesting creature that could have roots beyond just literary circles." Daniel chuckled, considering the volumes of Greek literature he'd read one summer as a child. "Son of Poseidon," he said majestically. "A noble sheep herder. Though, cannibalistic, which I suppose could be a problem."

 

When Jack didn't respond, Daniel interpreted that as his cue to continue. "Actually, now that I think of it, the Rakshasas are a better comparison." Daniel nodded to himself in confirmation. Why hadn't he thought so before? "According to Vedic traditions, they can manifest with…multiple heads, which bears no significance here, per se, but…more relevant are descriptions of large arms, and yes, multiple eyes."

 

Jack kept walking.

 

"Uh, well…the Rakshasas, while civil and even caring towards each other, have been known to be not as kind towards men. Actually, the phrase, "indulging in the flesh of mere mortals" comes to mind."

 

Daniel frowned. Now, that wasn't good at all.

 

"On the other hand, they could be likened to any generic kind of demon found throughout Earth culture or a keremet."

 

Jack stopped and stared at him. Daniel smiled. Bingo.

 

"What?" Jack asked. "Like, Kermit the Frog?"

 

"Keremet," Daniel corrected, trying his best to hold back his sense of smug satisfaction. "They're a form of natural creature, or I should say, devil, that are part of the folklore of the former Soviet Union."

 

Jack sighed and shook his head. "Of course they are. Dare I ask what they do?"

 

"Oh, the usual. Bearers of disease, sickness, plague, misfortune," Daniel rattled off, articulating his points by moving his hands in a circle.  "Oh, and even death."

 

"Sweet."

 

"But I doubt they're keremets," Daniel added quickly. He didn't want to give Jack the wrong impression. He was just theorizing in general; he didn't actually know if there were any links between the different myths he'd studied and the silent creatures that kept following them.

 

Turning to the aliens, he noticed they had stopped as well, hovering only a few meters away from them. He wondered what they were thinking.

 

"I bet you had a lot of nightmares as a kid," he heard Jack say. "Everything's a demon with you."

 

Daniel was barely listening. One of the aliens had taken out its pad again and had started waving its hand over the screen. But this time, Daniel found that it wasn't the alien technology that captured his attention, but the movements of their arms.

 

Whenever the alien moved its arm, a streak of light followed in its wake before fading into the darker air. In fact, every time the aliens made the slightest movements, there was a faint glow that would leave its mark around them before eventually fading.

 

It was a light, almost peachy color.

 

"What? Is this supposed to be payback? Are you doing this to annoy me? Because if so, it's working."

 

The color seemed slick and wet, like paint, with the same pearly hue as Daniel had noticed back in the pit. But didn't they have blue skin? Confused, Daniel leaned over and squinted, knowing that would do no good, but unable to stop despite himself.

 

Before he knew it, Jack had him locked under the arms and was dragging him back.

 

"Jack?" he asked.

 

"You want to tell me what's so fascinating that you had to start a staring competition with the Bobbsey Twins over there?"

 

It was a flippant remark, but Daniel could feel the concerned undertones that it tried to conceal. "I didn't start it," he countered weakly. He swallowed hard. "Did I pass out?"

 

"Can't remember?"

 

Daniel shook his head.

 

Jack cursed, moving backwards while dragging Daniel along with him. By the time the two of them nearly stumbled over a stone, Daniel realized what Jack was doing.

 

"I can walk," Daniel said under his breath.

 

"Sure you can. But you won't, and that's a problem." Jack turned Daniel away from the alien and pushed him back down the path. "I want you as far away from them as possible," Jack said, his voice flat.

 

It only took a minute for Daniel's shock and confusion to change into indignation. "Excuse me?"  With a scowl, Daniel pushed away from Jack and straightened himself despite his lightheadedness. "What the hell are you doing?"

 

"What the hell are you doing?"

 

"I-I—" Daniel didn't know. He didn't know why he felt drawn to the aliens. He didn't know why he felt so disoriented. He didn't know why he felt so…off. But he did know one thing.

 

"You," he said bitterly. "You're the one that won't tell me what's going on."

 

"I don't know what's going on," Jack countered, his voice filled with contempt.

 

"I can't remember things!" Daniel shouted. "I can't even remember that I've forgotten!"

 

Daniel stopped, blinking as he tried to process why he was even arguing with Jack. Here they were in the middle of nowhere. This…wasn't helping.

 

Beginning to feel anxious, Daniel lowered himself to the ground and leaned against an old log. "Jack, I think there is something wrong with me," Daniel admitted. "Whenever I look at the aliens, I don't feel right."

 

"Then don't look at them."

 

"I-I—" He wished he had an explanation.

 

"Still have holes?" Jack asked, but Daniel knew it wasn't really a question but more of a confirmation.

 

Daniel sighed and nodded. Catching Jack's wary glance over to the aliens only made Daniel feel worse. "You won't tell me because of them."

 

Jack remained firm. "I'd rather not discuss certain things in front of them." He paused, his discomfort bubbling to the surface, spreading across his face. "Do you--?"

 

"No, it's not like that," Daniel said quietly. How could he even begin to explain it? "I know who I am. I know who you are. I know where I'm from, what I do, and how I act. I don't have amnesia, Jack."

 

"No, but you do have selective memory."

 

Which might not be as bad as full-blown amnesia, but it was still a problem. A big problem.

 

He had forgotten key elements and had forgotten them for a reason. The why and how wasn't something Daniel felt comfortable exploring.

 

And as an explorer, this in and of itself scared him more.

 

"Maybe you need food," Jack said in an obvious attempt to bring his mind off their dilemma. "I know you have stuff stashed in your vest. Let's see what you've got."

 

Upon seeing the twinkle in Jack's eyes, Daniel couldn't help but smirk as he checked his pockets. Sure enough, he had a couple of candy bars secured and ready for him, and Daniel realized at that moment he was eternally grateful that whoever had thrown them into the pit hadn't understood what kind of treasure they'd left behind.

 

"I keep them stashed for a reason," Daniel said.

 

"Yeah, I know." Jack cleared his throat and stretched his arm forward while performing what Daniel had to admit was the sorriest excuse for hiding a grin that he'd ever seen. "Didn't teach you to share in kindergarten?"

 

"I was an only child. I never had to share."

 

"Sharing is nice."

 

Daniel covered his pockets. "Not for me."

 

"Oh, just hand over the damn candy bars."

 

Daniel chuckled and reached into his vest, revealing two different kinds of chocolate. Normally, he would carry three, if his memory served him correctly, so he figured he'd already eaten the third somewhere between leaving home and ending up in a muddy tomb. He could really use that third bar right about now.

 

"I'm thinking we should conserve," Jack said, motioning to the candy.

 

He was right, of course. Really, they had no way of knowing what was edible or non-toxic on this planet and without their supplies or any idea of when they could find help or help would find them, conservation made sense.

 

"I have…Snickers or Milky Way."

 

Jack frowned. "What? Those are my only choices?"

 

"I stopped bringing Three Musketeers when I realized you kept stealing them."

 

"There's no way to prove that, you know."

 

Daniel was about to say he already had, but he thought better of it. He wasn't going to put a damper on Jack's parade, especially when he was trying so hard to keep their little group of two together.

 

Sighing, Daniel grabbed the Milky Way – in his opinion, the candy bar symbolized their journey and seemed appropriate; Jack was nutty enough to break out the Snickers just yet – and peeled back the wrapper. The chocolate and nougat itself had become soft and pliable from the heat of his body, but it made for easy distribution. As Daniel handed Jack a piece of the candy bar, he marveled at the ribbons of caramel it left in its wake.

 

Jack eyed him closely and popped the piece in his mouth. "You definitely need a hobby."

 

Daniel smiled at the remark as he wrapped his finger around the stray wisps of caramel. They seemed electric. "I used to slice open candy bars when I was a kid and study their stratified layers." He took a bite.

 

"See, now that's just not normal. Can't you just eat it like everyone else?"

 

Relishing the bit of heaven he had, Daniel passed Jack a wayward glance. Jack didn't have to know about his mashed potato pyramids, or the igloos he used to make out of his sweet potatoes or the French fry rafts that would float in a sea of ketchup.

 

Daniel chuckled to himself over the memories. But the humor didn't last long. He gasped, feeling Jack tug him to his feet and push him to the side.

 

Daniel held onto the candy bar and stared. The aliens had ventured closer.

 

"Back," Jack warned, brandishing his knife.

 

The aliens made no move, no sign of acknowledgement. They kept staring, hard, cold, their eyes swirling like shiny black tar.

 

Daniel shivered.

 

"Can you hear us?" Daniel asked, bringing his hands to his lips and then to his ears. "Hear?"

 

"They don't have ears."

 

Daniel glared at Jack. "Just because they don't have any physical…" He touched his ears. "Doesn't mean they lack auditory organs."

 

Jack snuck him a sly look while remaining focused on the aliens. Just by his posture, Daniel could read that Jack was getting agitated and he wouldn't be surprised if Jack took a swipe at them at some point.

 

Daniel knew Jack well. He knew for Jack these aliens represented something foreign and were to be considered the enemy. As far as Daniel was concerned, this could be nothing but a misunderstanding.

 

"We don't want to hurt you," Daniel said again, this time giving Jack a pointed look.

 

If only Daniel could make the aliens understand. Maybe they could work together to try to find somewhere to go, somewhere to get resources.

 

Daniel didn't have the opportunity to think any more of it. Frowning, he turned his head at the sound a soft buzzing – no, a rustling – from the bushes by his side. The noise was enough to cause a momentary distraction for Jack. Daniel felt Jack's glance towards the bushes.

 

Instantly, a swarm of multi-colored fireflies broke free from the bushes and circled above their heads. Soundless, they blinked and flashed, creating a rainbow of streaked color that haloed above them. Then, again without sound, they whizzed away and darted into the treetops.

 

Daniel stared after them wondering if he'd ever seen something so beautiful in all his life. "Wow," was all he managed to say.

 

Jack on the other hand…

 

"What the hell?" he muttered.

 

Tearing himself away from the rustling treetops, Daniel figured it would be best to stay focused on Jack and the tall aliens. When he turned back, chastising himself for the distraction, Daniel jerked with surprise.

 

Jack and Daniel looked at each other.

 

The aliens were gone.

 

Late afternoon had fallen and neither Jack nor Daniel had caught sight of their alien friends. Wherever and however they disappeared remained a mystery, but they seemed good at it.

 

Daniel sighed as he brushed his hands against the tree branches that jutted out into the makeshift road. He knew someone had made the paths that he and Jack kept stumbling upon. He wondered if there was a settlement nearby or if this planet was in ruin. The paths were old and overgrown, but even now they could tell they'd been traveled recently.

 

Daniel thought back to the aliens. Despite the creepiness that surrounded their one-time companions, Daniel couldn't help but feel lost without them. He had wanted, or needed, to understand them. This went beyond just idle curiosity.

 

Daniel felt like he would fall apart without them.

 

He didn't tell Jack. Part of him knew that he should be completely honest about how he felt, about the strange magnetic pull he had towards the beings. Daniel knew how important it was to be upfront about these things, especially when it came to planetary travel. He knew the dangers that faced off-world teams if their commanding officer wasn't aware of his team members' health and state of mind. It could be disastrous. Daniel would never willingly undermine something that important.

 

But there was this other part of him that just didn't care. It was that part of him that had started to worry him.

 

He glanced back, sorting through the deep greens of the forest, to someplace where they had last seen the aliens. He wondered where they could have gone. He sighed.

 

Jack seemed to think it was a good thing.

 

Since the aliens had vanished, Jack wasn't as edgy. Granted, he wasn't skipping through the forest, but he'd lost some of the tension and gruffness that he'd held only an hour ago. But that didn't mean Jack wasn't vigilant. On the contrary, Daniel could see Jack's ever-watchful gaze as he scouted the area. Side to side and even up and down, Jack seemed to be searching for anything that could help them or waiting for something to strike.

 

Daniel used this as his opportunity to badger Jack with a bunch of questions. "How did we get here? What happened?"

 

Jack stole a glance over to Daniel before he continued with his scouting. "What do you remember?"

 

It wasn't much, Daniel had to admit. He could remember General Hammond giving them the okay to leave the SGC and then…

 

"I remember the pit."

 

Whatever ease Jack had adopted vanished as quickly as the aliens. He stopped. "That's it?"

 

Daniel went to open his mouth to reply, but quickly shut it instead. What could he say? He couldn't remember this abandoned village that Jack had mentioned. He couldn't remember ever seeing Sam and Teal'c on this planet.

 

Refusing to give into panic, Daniel closed his eyes, licking his lips as he concentrated. He had to have some memory. His thoughts couldn’t have been erased into oblivion.

 

Daniel sighed and opened his eyes. "I can't remember." Upon seeing the displeasure in Jack's face, Daniel offered a nervous chuckle and scratched his chin. "But, on the bright side, my mind isn't as foggy." He guessed whatever drug was in his system must have worn off.

 

Jack shook his head angrily. "See? I'm telling you. It's those damn aliens."

 

"Jack, we don't even know this has anything to do with them."

 

"I'm thinking it's a little more than a coincidence that you start feeling better after they do their magic vanishing act."

 

Daniel crossed his arms and glared at Jack. He was unwilling to concede that point just yet.

 

"Look, Daniel, all I'm saying is that it's better that we go this alone. Once we find Carter and Teal'c, we'll think of a plan to get off this rock."

 

But that was ignoring the obvious. "What if we never find Teal'c or Sam?"

 

Daniel should have known he was asking for it. Jack's glare bore into him like daggers of death. His anger made him seem so much darker.

 

"Well, we're not going to find them if we stand around here all day."

 

"You're the one who stopped."

 

Jack just shook his head and turned back to the dirt road. Despite having only won a small victory for himself, Daniel smiled and followed Jack down the path.

 

By the time dusk approached, Daniel was beginning to have doubts that they would find Sam and Teal'c. Or, even worse, that they would last very long on their own.

 

Daniel had walked miles upon miles several times in his past. Several times on SG-1. But now, he was tired. He was tired of walking, tired of their circumstances, and tired of Jack.

 

Mumbling to himself, Daniel snagged a twig off a nearby tree and scratched at the bark. So far, Jack hadn't been very helpful in refreshing his memory. They'd tried discussing it five times now, and every time Jack had mentioned the camp they'd made, the village they'd found, or the MALP readings that Sam had questioned, Daniel had drawn a blank. Finally, Daniel had become so irritated by the whole thing he'd asked Jack to stop.

 

They hadn't spoken about it ever since.

 

Instead, Daniel decided to keep a mental catalogue of the flora and fauna they happened to pass along the roadway. He'd noted several different kinds of trees, none of which he could recognize, and various bushes to match. Most of the bushes and low lying trees tended to flower, but nothing that seemed to set off his allergies. What he did notice were that the flowers tended to be bright, almost fluorescent, and stuck out like neon signs in the brush.

 

Daniel found he loved the colors of the flowers. Every so often, he'd see a firefly or two hiding under the large flapping petals of the flowers, or sometimes he'd find what he called a caterpillar – though it had three "heads" – slinking down the stems.

 

As for larger animals, Daniel hadn't found any. He kept his eyes cast downward as he searched for anything that could resemble a squirrel or a rabbit. Anything that would hold a sense familiarity.

 

Maybe that is why he enjoyed the flowers so much. At least he knew what they were.

 

Or maybe it was just the color. He'd noticed fairly quickly that the colors on this planet were full of vibrancy and almost pulsed with a life of their own. He couldn't help but feel taken by the throbbing greens of the forest, or the rainbow fireflies, or the pearly slickness of the blues and peaches from the aliens, or even the pulsing orange of the setting sun.

 

No matter the color, it always felt warm and inviting.

 

But even the colors couldn't wash away the uneasiness Daniel was feeling over their situation.

 

"It's getting dark, " Daniel said. "What are we going to do?"

 

Jack slowed his pace, but didn't answer him. Frankly, he didn't need to. Both of them knew that they only had two options. They could brave the night and keep walking, defenseless, or they could find a clearing and camp out, defenseless.

 

Neither sounded very appealing to Daniel, but he knew at some point they would have to rest no matter the circumstances.

 

"I say we have another hour or so until we lose all light. Let's keep moving."

 

Daniel nodded. They were just delaying the inevitable, but for now it was okay with him.

 

For the next half hour, Daniel went back to his survey of the planet, watching calmly as its small moon became visible. It lacked the familiar pockmarks that their moon had and instead had a new shiny quality to it, as if it were a recently polished plate. Even as it fought with the setting sun for dominance, the silver glow that it cast over the treetops was enough to make it noticeable.

 

Immediately, Daniel thought of old childhood rhymes and fairy tales. Which, really, only angered him even more. He could remember silly tales about the cow and the moon and the plate and the spoon but he couldn't remember something as simple as how he got here?

 

"Hey, diddle, diddle…" he muttered, glaring at the moon.

 

Jack glanced over his shoulder, sending Daniel an odd look.

 

Daniel shrugged and rubbed his neck. "It's not like anyone can hear us and—" He stopped, frowning, not sure that he could trust his eyes as he gazed ahead. "Is that what I think it is?"

 

"Oh yeah," Jack answered, hopping over a downed branch. Daniel was quick to follow.

 

An SGC issue pack lay alone in the middle of the road. From what Daniel could see, it looked relatively untouched, only streaked with some traces of mud and dirt. And if it hadn't been sacked…

 

Jack had already begun to investigate the pack. Daniel watched him as he tossed aside the sleeping bag, checked the sides, and dug into the interior.

 

"Well, isn't this convenient," Jack muttered, easing himself back on his haunches. His gaze locked onto somewhere behind them.

 

Daniel didn't need to look to understand. He knew they were there. He knew they were back. "Maybe this is their way of communicating with us," he offered.

 

Jack shook his head, giving the pack another once over. "You and me both know that's not what's happening here." He sighed, smacking the pack. "Damn aliens are playing head games with us."

 

Inwardly, Daniel tensed at the comment, not wanting to believe the beings he felt drawn to could be that callous. Maybe the aliens had found the knapsack. Maybe they were trying to make a peace offering.

 

But as he stood there, quietly observing Jack inspect the MRE's and other supplies while the aliens viewed on in silence, Daniel started to suspect something more sinister.

 

Confused, Daniel turned to the aliens. "Why-why are you doing this? Is this fun for you?"

 

The aliens said nothing, continuing with their awkward and nerve-racking stares. Daniel didn't know what to do. He wanted them to say something. He wanted them to do something. He wanted them to stop staring at him.

 

"It's Carter's."

 

Daniel snapped his attention back to Jack. "Sam?"

 

"Yeah."

 

That was bad news. Bad news no matter how you looked at it. If Sam's pack was here all by its lonesome, chances were that Sam had been caught, too. If Sam was trapped somewhere, like he and Jack had been, Teal'c might be taken as well. It also meant that Sam, if alone, had no supplies of her own.

 

And if that wasn't bad enough, for Daniel, it confirmed a suspicion that he had tried to ignore from the beginning.

 

He glared at the aliens, feeling a deep betrayal cut through him. Not even their pearly colors could mend that wound.

 

"I tried to help them," he whispered.

 

Jack, to his credit, didn't try to smooth things over or berate him, either. He just crouched in front of the pack, bowing his head in subtle, thoughtful nod. Then, as the acknowledgment ended, he lifted Sam's knapsack and moved to stand beside Daniel.

 

"We'll make camp just down the road," Jack told him, his voice low. "Then we’ll figure out what to do."

 

Jack was figuring out a way to ditch the aliens.

 

For the past half hour, Jack had started to set up camp, instructing Daniel to sit and rest while he worked. At first Daniel was angry, reminding Jack he wasn't an invalid, but he calmed down once he realized what Jack was doing.

 

Aside from the fact Jack wanted Daniel to be firing on all six cylinders, he was intent on keeping his focus on the aliens. With Daniel seated close by, Jack could set up camp while keeping his gaze trained on them.

 

So far, the aliens hadn't moved. They stood close to the tree line of the clearing that Jack had found, but far from the actual spot where Jack was unpacking items from Sam's knapsack. Of course, they remained silent through the whole event, not even flinching when Jack would bang something around. Though, Daniel still got a shiver down his spine no matter how far away they stood.

 

They kept staring.

 

Daniel wondered if that was all they could do. Maybe they weren't capable of blinking. They apparently weren't capable of talking, or if they were, they were good at keeping it a secret.

 

Sighing, he bowed his head and closed his eyes. He thought if he griped long enough about Jack, or their alien friends, he could clear his head. Though, he knew the distraction was just that – a distraction. Inadvertently, his mind would find itself drifting back to where he didn't want it to go.

 

Sam.

 

If Jack was right and the aliens were toying with them, then they had Sam. They had to have Sam. He didn't want to think about what they could have done to her, or what they could be doing to her now. Was she still alive? Was Teal'c with her?

 

God, he hoped Teal'c was with Sam. Not in a bad way. He just hoped Sam and Teal'c had gotten away somehow.

 

"Daniel?"

 

Daniel didn't bother to respond to Jack's call. He just squeezed his eyelids harder, trying to remember, trying to block out his fear over the fate of his friends.

 

There was a shifting of light; Daniel could tell Jack was standing in front of him.

 

"I've set up a guarded perimeter around our base camp," Jack said. "We'll light a small fire. Temporary. Then, I'll keep watch."

 

Daniel opened his eyes, but instead of looking up at Jack, he returned his hard gaze to the aliens. They stood outside of what Daniel guessed was supposed to be the perimeter, but in reality was just a circle of stones.

 

"It's nice to know the military opted for the latest technology," Daniel said bitterly.

 

"Only the best," Jack said cheerfully.

 

"You do realize that they can float over that," Daniel muttered. His gaze followed the aliens as they swayed back and forth, their skins shimmering slightly under the soft moon. "They float."

 

"Yeah, but do they sew?"

 

Daniel rubbed his eyes and squinted at Jack. The darkness of the night seemed to spill over him. "What?" he asked.

 

"Carter had some thread in her pack. I've wrapped it around some of the trees and used some adhesive in the medical kit to secure it to the rocks." Jack made a vague motion to the aliens as he spoke. "If either one of our fans here try to get too close, or too high, they'll get snagged."

 

"Wow," Daniel managed to say, searching for the thread. It had to be too thin to be seen at night, or he just really needed his glasses.

 

"Wow?"

 

Daniel blinked at Jack. "I guess I just didn't expect you to be this resourceful."

 

Jack sent him a forced smile. "It's a gift."

 

"A gift…" He allowed his voice to trail off as he surveyed the surrounding area. Absently, he started to scratch at the nape of his neck. "I don't suppose you have any other invaluable skills that could help us tonight?"

 

"I can play 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star' with my arm pits."

 

Daniel snapped his head around, ignoring the sense of vertigo that it gave him, and frowned at Jack. Jack smirked, barely able to dampen the devious gleam he often got in his eyes when he was hunting for prey.

 

The smirk had the immediate effect of making Daniel chuckle, a result he figured was Jack's intent all along.

 

Jack seemed pleased with himself as he sauntered back over to rummage through Sam's pack. Daniel didn't have the heart to remind him that the aliens possessed the ability to float extremely high and, by the look of things, wouldn't have any trouble gliding over the mesh of threading. Of course, Jack probably already knew that, and was either hoping Daniel hadn't noticed, or knew better to even bring up the topic.

 

So, Daniel let it go. In the end, nothing was going to help them anyway.

 

Instead, he found himself eyeing Sam's pack. Again. Miserably.

 

Maybe she'd dropped it. Maybe she and Teal'c were at the SGC right now.

 

Maybe they were dead.

 

Daniel winced inwardly, trying to shake off his doubts. He had to think about something else. There were plenty of other things he could think about.

 

Plenty…He scanned the forest that surrounded them. There were the trees, the bushes, and the little wet drops that beaded on the leaves…

 

Daniel rubbed his eyes. Or, there were the rocks, the string, the moon, the aliens…

 

No, don't go there, he told himself. Not thinking of aliens.

 

Jack cooking up some supper. Dirt. A thing that resembled a caterpillar. The aliens…

 

Swallowing hard, he struggled to keep from gazing at the lanky watchers. But the more he fought, the more he felt compelled to observe them.

 

In the cool of the evening, their color looked subdued, less wet, and dustier, like pale talc power. Even when they swayed, the color didn't streak across the sky like it did before. Instead, it left a faint trail of chalk, a light scattering that vanished as quickly as it appeared. Daniel found himself mildly disappointed at the sight.

 

"I wonder if it's something in their pigment," Daniel muttered aloud. "A reflectant. Something to do with the sun."

 

He noticed Jack glance up from his work, but didn't say anything.

 

Daniel agreed with him. That sounded stupid.

 

Or maybe not. They were alien, after all. And even if there wasn't something natural that enhanced their skin, maybe it was artificial. Really, it would be no different than painted faces or war attire or ritual sacrifices from the various cultures he'd studied.

 

Or, he was aware that he might just be losing his mind. Hooray for alien drugs.

 

A light clanking sound shook Daniel from his thoughts. Concentrating on the center of their camp, Daniel watched as Jack began to finish heating their MRE's.

 

"Those are Sam's," he said suddenly.

 

"Yeah."

 

"She needs those."

 

Jack looked down at the MRE's and then back to Daniel. He raised his eyebrows slightly.

 

"Right," Daniel mumbled before pressing his fingers to the bridge of his nose. He closed his eyes. What was he thinking? "Of course."

 

"Maybe you should stop thinking for a little while," Jack told him. "Rest like I told you."

 

"It's hard to rest when you know we're just delaying the inevitable."

 

"The inevitable?" he heard Jack ask. Then came some incoherent mutter. "We're okay. Carter's going to be fine."

 

"We're eating her food," Daniel pointed out.

 

"She's not using it."

 

Daniel sighed angrily, opening his eyes to glare at Jack through his tired, blurred vision. "That's not the point. The point is Sam doesn't have anything."

 

Jack didn't break. "She's resourceful. She'll find something."

 

"Find-find something?" Daniel couldn't believe what he was hearing. How could Jack be so blasé about this? "Jack, we're on an alien planet. Sam's not a botanist and even if she was, these plants aren't even native to Earth."

 

"She'll be fine, Daniel."

 

His name was said with the definite end-of-discussion tone he'd learned came from an angry Jack or a fearful Jack. Daniel was guessing this was a combination of the two.

 

Daniel sighed. "I know you're worried about her. And Teal'c, too."

 

"They're trained well," Jack said, not bothering to look over to Daniel. "They'll make it just fine. Then, when we find them, I'm going to have a talk with Carter about the accuracy of our UAV surveys."

 

"There was no way to know that we'd run into a problem like this."

 

"Then I say we need better equipment."

 

Daniel shook his head. "There was no one here when we first arrived. And the homes in the village were made of wood. No kind of equipment is going to give us any other information than we already had."

 

It was true. Unless they all became psychic, then what more could they do? They would just run into the same problems over and over…That is what they did everyday. Risked their lives.

 

Why was this bothering him so much?

 

Why was Jack staring at him?

 

"What?" Daniel asked, feeling uncomfortable under Jack's gaze. He'd had enough of it from the aliens.

 

"What else do you remember?"

 

"What else do I remember?" Daniel stopped. "I don't remem—Oh."

 

Wood. They had little thatch wood homes. Well, not little and not exactly thatch, but that's the mental image that came to mind.

 

Daniel remembered the peculiarity about them. They were large one-roomed structures, made entirely out of wood and bound with vine. No windows. Odd. He felt the lack of windows were odd. And only one door, a small entrance, too small for Daniel, Jack, Sam or any human to walk through comfortably.

 

"We had to hunch over to get inside," Daniel said softly. "They smelled."

 

"That's an understatement," Jack muttered as he shut down the cooker.

 

"They were dirty. Very dirty." Daniel snuck a sideways glance at the aliens. "I don't think they could have lived there."

 

"Nope. Not when they have nice handy do-hickeys like that," Jack said with a motion to the alien with the pad.

 

Good point. The aliens were obviously an advanced race. Daniel couldn't find any correlation between the run down shacks in the village to the technology the aliens carried with them. Then again, they'd been wrong about the Nox.

 

When he realized Jack was waiting for him to continue, he shook his head. "Nothing else. I don't remember anything more."

 

"It's all right," Jack said in a tone that was anything but all right. "It'll come back to you."

 

"I shouldn't have forgotten to begin with…" Daniel shook his head as Jack offered him a cup. He wasn't cold or hungry at this point. Sighing, he glanced over at the aliens. "I wish I knew more."

 

"Just eat."

 

Daniel shook his head again. To make his point, he shoved his arms into his jacket and leaned forward, curling in on himself, but remaining firm.

 

"I've been thinking about the aliens," Daniel said at last.

 

From the corner of his eye, he saw Jack sigh and place the second cup onto the ground. "Again?" he asked.

 

"I think it's more than just curiosity," Daniel told him. "They're trying to figure something out. Something about us."

 

Jack's eyes grew darker. "Like what?"

 

He wished he knew. "I don't know. It's more than just studying us. It's something different."

 

"Yeah. It's called messing with our heads."

 

"No, no. I mean…"

 

He wasn't sure what he meant. Frustrated, he glared at them. Silent and still. But there definitely was something behind their eyes. Something he just couldn't read.

 

If only aliens, even people for that matter, we as easy to read as ancient text.

 

He considered that concept for a moment before he heard Jack clear his throat. "So far, all you've told me were that they could be killer Muppets. I'd like something a little more positive than that idea."

 

Daniel was fairly sure he'd never mentioned anything about murderous Muppets. He wanted to remind Jack that it was his idea in the first place, but by now he was too tired. Not even his curiosity over this planet really held anymore.

 

Cocking his head slightly, Daniel listened as a light breeze shook the treetops. "Ever heard of the wendigo?"

 

"A what?"

 

Daniel kept staring into the forest. Despite the encroaching darkness, it still pulsed with vitality. He wondered if more aliens were hiding in the bushes.

 

"The wendigo. It's a North American native spirit, often known to inhabit the woods in Canada." He paused, listening carefully to something that reminded him of crickets. "It's said that they hide in the woods and make noises that slowly drive people mad. Then, they ambush them."

 

He caught a flicker of movement from Jack. His gaze bore down on the aliens.

 

"They could also possess people, you know."

 

"Great."

 

"Oh, and they were man-eaters," Daniel added with a smile.

 

Finally, he turned to Jack, not even trying to hide his amusement. Naturally, he wasn't pleased. For a man that classified the Simpsons as television at its best, Jack could seriously lack in the humor department sometimes.

 

Jack continued to glare at him. "You really need to get out more."

 

"Yes," Daniel agreed. "Isn't that what we're doing?" he asked bitterly, waving his hands into the air. "We're out."

 

"Oh, you're out, all right." Jack looked down and took a sip from his cup.

 

Somehow the conversation had ended, and Daniel realized that his words had been turned on him. Shaking his head, but at least smiling over the shift in his mood, Daniel brought his hands down.

 

And watched the streaks of color that followed.

 

Daniel stiffened and blinked, struggling to process what he'd just seen. Or not seen. Or hoped to not have seen.

 

Tentatively, he brought up his right hand and held it in front of his face, wriggling his fingers carefully, deliberately.

 

The colors danced around them, shades of a rippling light blue, almost like streaks of neon lights. They followed and enveloped him, bringing his skin to life.

 

How long had this been doing that?

 

He chuckled, turning over his hand, waving it again, watching as the blue trailed behind. It was amazing.

 

Smiling, he broke his gaze away from his hand, and readjusted his vision to the darkened forest. His amusement wore off quickly, however, when he realized what was happening.

 

Jack stared at him, his mouth slightly parted, his eyes stony but open. Daniel knew that look. The look that bordered in that netherworld between concern and outright anger.

 

Daniel paled and buried his hand into his jacket.

 

What the hell was going on?

 

Once, one summer, or maybe it was over some Christmas break long ago, Daniel had been taken with Armenian folklore. There was no rhyme or reason to it, really. He'd just been bored.

 

Later on, his studies would help him come up with several viable (and not so accepted) theories about cross-cultural pollenization.  Syria, Persia, Egypt, Babylon…the similarities were endless. But back then, whatever helped him keep his mind off Nick was perfect.

 

And the Armenians loved their demons.

 

Which of course, brought Daniel back to the here and now.

 

Ays.

 

One of the Dev. Strangely, he could remember the tales as if he had read them yesterday. Demons, immortal spirits that lived within old ruins, kind of like spiders hiding in the closet. Supposedly, Ays was the embodiment of the wind.

 

Daniel shivered.

 

Ironically, and this truly was the best part, Ays could creep inside of a person, and drive him mad. Make him see things. Hear things. Feel things.

 

Or there was always the pleasant alternative of being a demon, too.

 

That thought…Daniel shook, refusing to look at his hands. Or Jack.

 

Jack hadn't asked him about his behavior earlier that evening, but he kept watching him. Closely. Daniel could feel his eyes on him. That was the indicator Daniel needed to know something wasn't quite right. He wasn't sure if Jack had seen the colors, too, but he wasn't about to bring it up and make himself look like a fool. Especially if it was just a hallucination.

 

Daniel cringed inwardly.

 

He didn't want a repeat of that experience again. Ma'chello had offered him a once in a lifetime encounter that he didn't care to repeat. Daniel named it "once in a lifetime" for a reason.

 

But what if Ma'chello's little bugs were still in him? What if he'd been carrying more than one? What if only one had been transmitted to Teal'c and there were more squirming around, buried underneath his skin undetected all this time?

 

The thought was ridiculous. He knew that. They'd done the calculations. There weren't any more of Ma'chello's contraptions.

 

Then why did he feel like his skin was crawling?

 

Daniel resisted the urge to scratch his chest.

 

Whatever was going on, the aliens wanted something. Daniel was sure of it. He just wasn't sure what it was.

 

"Daniel."

 

"Hmm."

 

"You're staring."

 

Daniel blinked several times, shaking his head as he realized he had been staring. Quietly, he sighed and brought the cuff of his jacket to his eyes. He rubbed them slowly.

 

"And you seem to have strayed a bit from the camp," Jack told him. "Why don't you come back over here?"

 

Frowning, Daniel forced some awareness back into his muddled brain and realized, again, that Jack was right. Daniel had no recollection of doing so, but apparently he'd scooted back and away from the fire.

 

"I'm fine here," Daniel said. And he was. He felt comfortable here.

 

Jack looked anything but impressed. "Okay. Then, mind telling me what happened back there?"

 

"Back where?"

 

Jack glared at him. "Your hands. What the hell were you doing?"

 

Daniel stiffened, suddenly feeling smaller and smaller under Jack's scrutiny. Just by studying his face, Daniel could tell that Jack hadn't seen. No, he hadn't seen at all.

 

God, Jack hadn't seen the colors.

 

Daniel bit down on his tongue, his gaze scanning Jack for any sign of understanding. But Jack's face just grew darker, his features swallowed by the shadows cast by the small fire, an act that only seemed to exacerbate the irritation he possessed.

 

Quickly, Daniel looked away.

 

"Daniel?"

 

"I-I…" Daniel brought his gaze back to the two aliens. Their chalky dust seemed to float around them. "What do the aliens look like?" he asked suddenly.

 

"Excuse me?"

 

"The aliens," Daniel repeated, keeping his voice steady as his gaze trained on them. "How do you see them?"

 

"Just get over here."

 

Daniel shook his head. "Humor me, Jack. What do they look like?"

 

"Like something from a bad sci-fi movie."

 

"Jack," Daniel snapped impatiently.

 

After a long pause, Jack sighed and spoke. "I don't know. Tall. Ugly. Brown. Like a greenish-brown."

 

Daniel stared at the light pale yellow hue of their skin as they passed through flickers of blue and peach.

 

"What about their clothes?" he added quietly.

 

From the corner of his eye, Daniel saw a flash of annoyance pass Jack's face. "Clothes? Daniel, for cryin' out loud, enough. Let's go."

 

"No." Daniel had to know. He had to understand what was happening. "Just tell me what they're wearing."

 

"Tan robes or something. You and I both know they're trying to blend into the forest."

 

Of course, Daniel thought, studying their pale, semi-transparent coverings. It would make sense for them to try to blend into their environment. It would make sense for them to move in and out of the forest with ease.

 

Then, why wasn't he seeing it?

 

"Why?" Jack asked. "What do you see?"

 

"Uh, about the same." He inhaled deeply, trying to keep his rattled nerves under control. He looked up to Jack, momentarily surprised that he had moved to stand beside him. "A little fuzzy without my glasses."

 

Daniel thought he saw Jack narrow his eyes, but it was hard to tell. While overall he felt more alert than he had this morning, he still found it hard to concentrate on objects that were darkened by the night. Daniel squinted as he tried to center on Jack's body as it swished in the blackness.

 

"So, what, those questions were just for kicks?" Jack asked.

 

"I was just curious. My eyes…"

 

"You're eyes are not that bad," Jack reminded him, his face tight. He paused for a beat. "I think it's about time you were honest with me."

 

Daniel sighed and closed his eyes. What was he supposed to say? How was he supposed to process any of this? Hallucinations? Effects of a drug? Nerves and fear? Or was it what he'd been theorizing from the very start?

 

"I think the aliens are trying to communicate with us," he said at last.

 

Jack shook his head. Typical response. He knew Jack wouldn't understand. He couldn't understand. Not with what Daniel knew now.

 

"They don't speak and they are obviously playing head games with us. You know that they could have floated out of that little hole in the ground any time they wanted, but they didn't. You know that it's more than just a coincidence we found Carter's pack. You know they've been following us and keeping track of what we're doing with that little gizmo of theirs. You know that they affect you somehow." The frown on Jack's face deepened, causing his anger to bubble to the surface. "That's what this is about, right? Your defense for those creeps."

 

"That's not true. We don't know anything."

 

"Exactly."

 

"That's not my point," Daniel said, biting back his frustration. "Isn't it possible they've been trying to communicate with us all this time and we weren't listening? Or, maybe we just can't understand them."

 

Jack glared at him with disbelief. Angry, he pointed to the two silhouettes standing on the fringe of the forest.  "Aliens. Damn floating aliens."

 

"They're obviously intelligent. And they haven't done anything to hurt us."

 

"Not yet," Jack said.

 

Daniel closed his eyes and clenched his teeth. Jack was missing the point entirely. After all this time, how could he not grasp what Daniel was saying? Jack always wanted to jump to the worst-case scenario. And he considered Daniel a negative thinker.

 

After another sigh, Daniel opened his eyes. He gazed down at his hand, watching the colors dance around his fingertips.

 

Jack shifted his weight, an uncomfortableness slipping into his posture. "Look, it's pointless to have this conversation. Just come back near the center of camp and we'll deal with this later."

 

Always trying to put off the inevitable…

 

"Jack, I think they're trying to communicate with us through color."

 

He blinked at Daniel. "Excuse me?"

 

"Color," Daniel repeated.  "They can't speak, or at least we can't understand them if they're trying." He raised his hand, creating circles of light in the air. "Maybe-maybe they're reaching out to us through a spectrum of colors."

 

"Reaching out to you," Jack said pointedly.

 

"Yes." He knew how bizarre it sounded, but couldn't it be true? This pull toward the aliens that he felt…why couldn't there be a purpose behind it? "I see their colors." He wriggled his fingers. "I see…my colors."

 

"Daniel." Jack's voice was raw, edgy.

 

"I know it sounds crazy. I know. But there has to be something—"

 

"No, there doesn't."

 

"Jack, just listen!"

 

"No! Look, Daniel. As soon as the Dynamic Duo here made their reappearance, you started getting weird again. Coincidence? I don't think so." He saw a flash of discomfort in Jack as he wiped his mouth and stole a glance over at their companions. "Why didn't you say something before now?"

 

Daniel took exception to that comment and narrowed his eyes. "I thought maybe I was hallucinating."

 

"You are hallucinating!"

 

Daniel crossed his arms defiantly. This was precisely why he didn't want to say anything. He felt – no he was sure – that he was reliving the Ma'chello nightmare all over again. He wouldn't go through that again. His sanity wouldn't be questioned. He wouldn't be left to doubt himself.

 

"Give me some credit," he said crossly.

 

"Drugs, Daniel. Drugs. You got something going on in that head of yours, and I'm willing to bet it's because of them," Jack said, jabbing an accusing finger at the aliens.

 

"You can't assume that," Daniel said in response. His gaze returned to the aliens. They remained where they had been standing for the past hour or two, unwavering in their vigilance, swaying figures on the fringe of forest and base camp alike. They looked serene, even if their presence gave Daniel a crawling feeling. He shifted uncomfortably, ignoring the persistent itch he felt. Harmless. They had to be harmless. They hadn't tried to hurt them. Feeling more annoyed now than before, Daniel turned to glare at Jack. "That's not fair."

 

"Life's not fair." Unexpectedly, Jack grabbed Daniel's shoulder and pulled him to his feet. He dug his fist into Daniel's jacket, dragging him back towards the center of the camp. "Let's go."

 

Despite his anger, Daniel didn't resist. In fact, when Jack started to haul him past the log that he was sitting on, Daniel hadn't cared either way. But somehow, when he saw the flames of the small fire licking the sky, he froze, feeling a surge of panic overcome him.

 

The aliens. He could see them through the fire. The lights set their eyes ablaze, the shadows casting an ominous wash of darkness over their smooth faces. Like demons. Like wendigos.

 

And when he looked over at Jack, to his horror, he saw the same heartless reflection.

 

Gasping, he struggled to free himself from Jack's grasp, tugging, pulling. He needed to go back. He needed to somehow free himself of this overlap and contradiction he kept seeing in front of him.

 

"Hey, what—"

 

"Let go!"

 

Daniel pulled again, thrusting his shoulders back. The jerking tired his muscles, but he couldn't stop himself, not even when Jack started to fight back.

 

"Dammit." Jack grabbed Daniel and shook him. "It's just fire."

 

No, not just…passed…Daniel's head was spinning. Then, before he realized what he was doing, before it sunk in, Daniel reared and pushed forward, his fist connecting with Jack's face.

 

Jack, stunned, lost his balance, both from the force of the blow, and the unexpectedness of Daniel's attack. He stumbled back a couple of steps, only regaining his balance when he bumped into the trunk of a nearby tree.

 

"Damn." Jack touched the tender spot beneath his left eye. Even from where he stood, Daniel could see the redness, the pulse from the pain and blood flow. "What the hell?" he heard Jack ask.

 

Daniel found he couldn't answer. He couldn't even speak. He stared at Jack, wondering whatever had possessed him to act out like that, why he would do such a thing. But what bothered him the most, was that it didn't bother him at all.

 

In fact, he felt mildly satisfied with himself.

 

Frowning, Daniel stumbled back a few steps and fell onto the log. What was happening to him? What did all this mean?  Bowing his head, he closed his eyes and gave himself a moment to drift.

 

If only he could think. If only he could have a moment to clear his head completely.

 

He opened his eyes. Jack, though wary, seemed to be able to shrug off the attack, even if just for show. Though, Daniel could see that Jack's discomfort had grown, his entire posture stiff and defensive. "Well, obviously, they just don't want to communicate anymore," he muttered.

 

Daniel had nothing to say to that. Well, he did, but didn't feel it was appropriate at the time.

 

"It's still a form of communication," Daniel said anyway.

 

"Some way to communicate." He gingerly traced his fingers over his cheek. "Damn."

 

Daniel looked away, rubbing his hands nervously. He snuck a peak at the aliens, not at all surprised to see their stoic, emotionless faces peering back at them.

 

He couldn't read them. Out of all he'd been through, the cultures they'd met throughout the galaxy, the allies and enemies, he couldn't read them. He couldn't make sense to them.

 

He was only drawn to them. Drawn to their colors.

 

Colors that only he could see.

 

Sighing, Daniel shook off the strange feelings of vertigo and dissociation he felt, and turned to Jack. Despite the distance he felt between the two of them, he had to take control, like he should, and like Jack wanted. That was the only way they could survive. He owed Jack that much.

 

Daniel opened his mouth, but frowned instead, studying Jack carefully. The man looked as if he were in pain, distracted at the very least, hunched over the trunk that he'd backed into early.

 

Oh God, had Daniel hurt him that bad?

 

"What's the matter with you?" Daniel asked suddenly, surprised at how sharp and bitter his tone was.

 

"Nothing," Jack muttered. But his grasp on the trunk just tightened, and Daniel noticed the sweat trickling down his nose. "It's nothing."

 

Jack looked like he was going to explode. Daniel had never seen nothing that was so anything but nothing before.

 

"Jack, you look…oh."

 

Daniel knew that face. He started to feel uneasy. Disappointed, Daniel realized the discomfort he'd been reading in Jack all along might not be about Daniel's problems and the situation after all. It might be something more basic.

 

"Uh…" Daniel started, watching the sweat bead on Jack's forehead. "You can…"

 

Jack shook his head as he leaned against the tree. He shot a warning glance over to the aliens before he hunched again, letting out a string of curses.

 

Daniel looked down at his hands. When he realized they were still pulsing with color, he tore his gaze away from them, trying to focus on anything else. He found that no matter where he looked, there seemed to be a trail light, various colors that danced around objects, both animate and inanimate.

 

He focused on Jack.

 

His face had darkened. He also seemed to have taken to pacing. His posture was wrought with tension and he moved back and forth, his right fist clutching the knife tightly.

 

"Jack?"

 

"Not a word, Daniel."

 

Jack paced close to the aliens, pausing to glare at them before walking back towards Daniel. He did this repeatedly for the next minute until Daniel couldn't take it anymore.

 

"Just go," Daniel told him.

 

"I'm fine," Jack replied.

 

Jack was anything but fine. Daniel thought maybe Jack was turning colors, but then again, Daniel wasn't sure if he was or if he was seeing things again. Either way, Jack couldn't put this off forever.

 

"For my sake," Daniel said. "Just go."

 

Jack stopped pacing long enough to give Daniel a hard, almost suffering look. Daniel glared at him through the colors.

 

"We're going to have to take shifts anyway," Daniel reminded him. With just the two of them, there was no way that Jack could expect to stay on watch all night and then be in top form for another trek into the unknown tomorrow. They were impeded enough, and this latest problem, which didn't make Daniel feel any better, was going to make things even worse. "So, we might as well give this a try. Honestly, what could happen in a few minutes?"

 

The look that Jack gave Daniel was unlike anything he'd ever seen before. It made Daniel wonder why kids would even feel the compulsion to flock to Jack.

 

"Forget I said that."

 

Jack let out an angry sigh, stabbing at the aliens with a quick cold glare, before he seemed to finally relent. "Don't move," he told Daniel, pointing his finger. "I mean it."

 

Daniel forced a smile. "Where am I going to go?"

 

Jack wasn't amused. Charging over to Daniel, he grabbed the knife and cemented it in Daniel's hand. "If they come close, call me and don't be afraid to use it."

 

Daniel narrowed his eyes, not too amused with being treated like he was inept. "I haven't grown stupid." But he frowned when he glanced down at the knife. "What about you?"

 

"I've had years of hand-to-hand combat." Daniel knew that was Jack for I-know-about twenty-different-ways-to-kill-a-man. The thought of Jack becoming affected by whatever was affecting him made him uncomfortable. Jack patted his shoulder. "Don't talk to them. I'll be right back."

 

Daniel sighed, keeping the knife up and ready as he stared at the swishing aliens that stood opposite him. Don't talk. What would he even say? The aliens didn't exactly speak.

 

Keeping that thought in mind, Daniel forced another smile and waved to them.

 

Waving turned out to be a bad idea. The alien with the notepad moved first, gliding to the right while the other started to drift to the left. Their colors stood out against the swishing of the night forest.

 

Part of Daniel felt compelled to watch the silent war of color, the clashing of different hues. It was strangely enticing. What were they trying to tell him? Why wouldn't they talk to Jack?

 

He stood, but kept the knife posed in defense.

 

"I'm Daniel," he said, eying them closely. "Daniel Jackson. We don't mean you any harm," he continued, tensing as the aliens stalked around Jack's makeshift string fort. "We-we just want to understand."

 

The one with the notepad began to press his long fingers to the screen, each fingertip bursting with color from the contact. Mesmerized, Daniel found himself lowering his knife and staring.

 

He couldn't understand how just the sight of these aliens made his skin crawl, made it feel like a thousand snakes were slithering just out of sight, through his body, struggling to burst out. Yet, at the same time, he felt unmistakably drawn to them, wanted to be as close as possible. He felt excited and fearful, half of him wanting to withdraw, the other half wanting to meet them.

 

He shook, forcing himself to stay focused and raised the knife again. "Back," he told them.

 

The aliens paused. Daniel was sure that they hadn't understood a word he'd said, but maybe he could communicate through the tone of his voice and through body language. He had been mildly successful with the painted aliens on PJ2-445. He had to think of something. He couldn't read their colors. He didn't have any point of reference to try to understand something so foreign.

 

He took a step forward. "Stay back."

 

The alien with the notepad started to drift closer. Quietly, its hand slid between the mesh of thread, extending out, towards Daniel.

 

"Hey!" Daniel heard, jumping at the sound of Jack's voice. Before Daniel even had a chance to process where Jack was coming from, he felt his hand clamp down on his wrist, like a vice grip, before ripping the knife from his hands. Jack started pursuing the alien, knife drawn and ready.

 

Daniel watched, mouth open. "What are you doing?"

 

"Getting rid of your Winnebagos."

 

"Wendigos," Daniel said, correcting him.

 

"Whatever."

 

"Jack, we don't even know if they have an equivalent on Earth." His unease grew when he saw Jack come closer to the alien. "I was just theorizing."

 

"And I'm theorizing these guys are bad news." He thrust the knife forward, causing the alien to glide back. "Get lost if you know what's good for you."

 

Even if the alien couldn't understand English, it obviously understood Jack. It slunk back, drifting deeper into the forest, closely followed by its companion. Soon, their colors became lost in the forest, but Daniel knew they weren't gone. He could still feel them nearby, and could sense the anticipation and repulsion fighting somewhere deep inside of him.

 

They were watching them.

 

"We need to get off this damn planet," Jack muttered, crossing in front of Daniel to sit beside him. He reached over, grabbing the cold MRE's that he'd cooked earlier and handed some of it over to Daniel. This time, Daniel accepted, realizing he'd begun to feel hungry.

 

Daniel started to eat his meal, occasionally glancing over to Jack. The man appeared to have a million things on his mind, his eyes darting back and forth, his attention focused on somewhere deep within the forest. Daniel could tell this was hard on Jack. He'd lost his team, under his command, and now Jack was stuck with a not-so-sane Daniel. If Daniel were Jack, he'd have lost patience with this situation a long time again.

 

He lowered his bowl, using his free hand to scratch at his chest as he continued to think about their situation. There had to be something that Daniel could do to try to take their minds off this whole ordeal.

 

"Merde!" Daniel shouted suddenly, flicking off the caterpillar-like bug that had climbed onto his boot, spilling his soup in the process.

 

The shout took Jack by surprise. He turned to Daniel, his face exposing the confusion he must be feeling. "What?"

 

"Oh, nothing," Daniel muttered, feeling disappointed. He motioned toward the bug before wiping some of the liquid from his pants. "Sometimes when I'm taken off guard I shout in other languages."

 

Jack eyed him, suspiciously it seemed, before he reached in Sam's pack and pulled out a spare towel. "I've never heard you shouting in Goa'uld or Abydonian on missions." He handed it to Daniel.

 

Daniel shrugged before nodding with acceptance as he took the towel. "Gracias."

 

"Welcome." Jack froze before he groaned and rolled his eyes, turning away. "Shit."

 

Laughing, Daniel beamed with triumph as he wiped the rest of the soup off his lap. "I knew you spoke another language. So, it's Spanish."

 

"Everyone knows what 'gracias' means."

 

Daniel crossed his arms. "Then why—"

 

"Have you been planning this the entire time we've been out here?" Jack asked impatiently.

 

"No, I was just waiting for the right time," he said with a smile.

 

Jack glared at Daniel, but some of the weight that Jack had been carrying over the past few hours seemed to evaporate. Just seeing Jack seem a little more relaxed was enough to calm Daniel.

 

Since, well, Daniel was feeling a little guilt for giving Jack a shiner. He didn't want to think about that.

 

"So, what else do you speak? Russian? Maybe a little. Or German. I bet maybe even a little French, even if you keep denying it." Daniel allowed his mind to wander, trying to piece together different clues from Jack's life. "Arabic. You must know a little Arabic."

 

"This conversation is over," Jack said, but without a hint of a malice or annoyance in his voice. He grabbed Sam's pack and drew it close before raising an eyebrow at Daniel. "I guess the more appropriate question should be what languages don't you speak."

 

This caused Daniel to chuckle. Smiling, he leaned over and took another bite. And for the first time that day, the aliens were the farthest thing from his mind.

 

There had been a bit of a disagreement about taking shifts over night, where Daniel wanted them and Jack didn't. But, really, there was no way Jack could expect to stay awake all night, every night. The truth of the matter was that neither one of them knew when this would come to an end.

 

Daniel had convinced Jack to let him go first. That request was mainly based in the fact Daniel didn't trust Jack to wake him up so that they could switch. Therefore, it made sense for Daniel to go first. When Daniel got tired enough, then he'd wake Jack.

 

Maybe.

 

So far it had been quiet. He heard some chirping that sounded almost like crickets, somewhere close by, reminding Daniel of home. He wondered if they really were crickets or a species related to them. Maybe even crickets developed out here and were brought to Earth. With all they'd learned, it was impossible to know anymore.

 

Thankfully, it was warm. The fire had died, much to Daniel's relief, and they were left alone to contemplate what would happen if the aliens did come back. While Jack knew the fire was an easy give-away, he also saw it as a protective deterrent.

Daniel didn't think so. He didn't think the aliens were afraid of the fire at all.

 

With a sigh, Daniel toed a nearby rock. Jack was sleeping soundly, or at least pretending to sleep, to his left. Daniel hoped for their sakes it was the former and that Jack could get some rest. They had no idea what would happen tomorrow. Daniel didn't want to think about the future at this point.

 

Bored, or maybe just looking for something to distract him, he pushed and pushed at the rock until he was able to dislodge it from its muddy foundation. It toppled and exposed its underside to Daniel.

 

Oh, well, that was interesting. Daniel scratched his neck and turned his attention to a slick stream of multicolored pinpricks, little dots of light that were no bigger than a pinhead. They churned around both on the flat surface of the rock and in the ground where the rock had once been embedded. Daniel thought they were fascinating.

 

Though, maybe he wasn't seeing anything at all. This problem with color that he'd developed only seemed to be getting worse. It seemed to him that everything pulsed with some kind of color, whether it was loud and abrasive, or soft and diminutive. He wished there was some way he could understand it, to comprehend what the aliens were trying to tell him.

 

He shifted his gaze upward, past the throbbing trees to the bright moon. Even the moon seemed to dance with light, not its own light, but something distinctly different from what he saw from the living creatures on this world. It was significant somehow, but he just couldn't see the meaning behind it. Not now.

 

The colors on the aliens were constantly changing. Could it be a representation of mood? Or something else?

 

Daniel kicked the rock. He wished he knew. He wished he could figure out what the hell was happening.

 

Daniel looked down at his own hands, watching as their blue hue glistened under the moonlight. When he rolled the handle of the knife back and forth through his hands, he could see the stream of light that would follow. It wasn't dark, but nearly white, and shimmered without restraint. He wondered why.

 

Sighing again, Daniel shook his head and turned his attention back to the little dots under the rock. Frowning, he sat a little straighter, noticing that the colors had become subdued, almost nonexistent as a large shadow hovered over them.

 

Hovered…

 

Daniel tightened his grip on the knife and was about to jump to his feet but they were too fast. Soundlessly, one of the aliens grabbed his wrists, holding them above his head, while slapping some kind of white adhesive over his mouth. Daniel snorted, trying to make a sound, but not only did the strip hold his lips in place, it also seemed to leak some kind of paralyzing agent into his mouth. God, he couldn't scream. He couldn't make a sound.

 

Angry, Daniel flung his legs up, trying to shift his body enough to kick Jack. But again, the alien was quick. He pulled Daniel by the arms, causing him to lose any kind of coordination before pressing its knee into Daniel's stomach to keep him still. Knee pad? The alien was wearing a knee pad?

 

Daniel was effectively pinned to the ground. He struggled, and despite his own strength, he couldn't match the firmness the deceptively lithe alien seemed to possess. What was worse, in his latest attempt to break free, Daniel lost hold of his knife.

 

He was stuck in the alien's grasp, unable to move or talk, while Jack was just a couple of feet away, oblivious to everything. The aliens were so fast, so smooth that they didn't make a sound, making sure that despite Daniel's struggle, he didn't, either. Any movement had been contained before he could make any real noise.

 

Jack stayed alert and was generally a light sleeper on dangerous missions, though in any other circumstance he was dead to the world. Had he been so tired that he couldn't hear anything? Had they drugged him? God, had they killed him?

 

That thought brought a flood of unwanted emotions to the fore, forcing Daniel to finally look at the alien that had attacked him.  It hovered over him, its face cool and unwavering, as if it had been carved from stone. The only sign of life was encapsulated in its three black eyes, eyes as dark as tar but as sharp as a razor.

 

It was searching him. It wanted something.

 

Daniel squirmed in its grasp wondering where its partner was. He jerked his head to Jack.

 

Still asleep. No sign of the other alien coming to attack him, either.

 

Whatever it was these aliens wanted, Daniel decided he wasn't going to make it easy for them. Despite the pressure on his stomach, and his lack of mobility, Daniel struggled. He turned his head to the side, trying to arch his back, and kept moving his legs underneath the alien. If he could hit something, make enough noise to wake up Jack – if Jack was still alive – then he could bring an end to this.

 

The alien moved his free arm to join the one that had bound Daniel. Quickly, he separated Daniel's arms, and held them firmly in separate grasps. Then, as he placed additional pressure on his stomach and chest, the alien began to bring one of Daniel's hands close to its face.

 

No! Daniel shouted to himself. He fought back against the alien, pulling his arm away from it. But the alien proved to be too strong and easily manipulated Daniel's right hand to its head.

 

Daniel shivered.  The alien was pushing his fingers closer and closer to its scalp, toward the strips of transparent globular nodules that lined each side of its head. From this angle, being this close, Daniel could once again see the liquid that swished inside the small semi-spheres. It was like the alien had his head covered on either side with water-filled bubble-wrap.

 

Good God! Daniel suddenly realized what the alien was going to do.

 

Daniel bucked, fighting with everything in him against the alien. It was unrelenting. The alien's grasp only strengthened, tugging Daniel before it pressed Daniel's fingers against the membranes on its head. Pressure…harder…

 

One of the bumps popped.

 

Then another, and another. Daniel felt the sticky liquid pour over his immobile fingers, seeping into his skin as if it were a sponge.

 

Was this what had happened the first time? Maybe this is what had happened when they were both unconscious in the hole.

 

He couldn't let—

 

Daniel sucked in a deep breath, shocked by the feel of the liquid. Ice. It was like ice. Cold, hard ice ripping through his veins.

 

And it wouldn't stop. It kept surging through him in a quest to take over his entire body. Daniel found himself shaking, and if he had been able to move his lips, he knew his teeth would be chattering. So cold, like death.

 

Then, it turned. In what seemed like an instant, the ice became a raw heat. Fire. It felt as if fire were coursing through his body, surging through his veins and scorching his mind.

 

His insides were on fire. He was burning. He was dying.

 

Jack, Daniel tried to say, wishing he would wake up. Daniel felt the fire leaving him in ashes, destroying him piece by piece. It was as if a thousand voices were crying out inside him, imploring for help, little parts of himself begging for mercy.

 

The cries and the pain became too much. Daniel felt his body slumping, his energy spent, the hollowness inside claiming him. The alien must have sensed the shift, as his grip lessened, and he allowed Daniel to lie in a smoldering heap.

 

As the numbness started to seep into Daniel, he could see the alien was pleased. He wasn't sure how, as the creature had never moved its plastic face, but somehow Daniel could tell. Nonchalantly, as if nothing had happened, the alien picked up its little notepad, and waved his hand over the screen. Daniel saw the pad light up a couple of times. He wondered if the alien was recording his impeding death.

 

That's when he saw the other one. It had been hanging low in the darkness, presumably watching this entire episode. But there was something different in its posture. Daniel realized that if he studied the aliens closely, he could pick up on emotion, albeit it small and subtle. This other alien, his posture wasn't the soft, gliding movement that Daniel had noticed earlier. It was stiff, even angry, if you could classify it as such.

 

The other alien approached the one that had attacked Daniel, its eyes pulsing with what Daniel definitely read as anger. The one that had held him seemed unperturbed, only exuding a bit of defensiveness.

 

Daniel might have found all of this fascinating if he hadn't become paralyzed through whatever they had done to him. He couldn't move; he was having trouble thinking.

 

Crap, he thought, realization striking him. His mind was growing foggy, less defined, and he was quickly approaching that place he had been earlier that day.

 

The alien had drugged him. Or something. Did something.

 

Daniel fought to keep his eyes open, focusing on the aliens through the dimness that clouded his vision. Then, in another horrible moment, Daniel had the impression the alien was going to assault him again. Arm outstretched, it reached for Daniel's hand…

 

He attacked.

 

But it wasn't the alien.

 

Surprised, the alien stumbled back, losing its grace as Jack sliced through its arm. Through the haze, Daniel could see that both of the aliens had not been expecting Jack's savagery, and as the one started to bleed its green alien blood all over itself, the other grabbed the notepad and its companion before they hurried off into the forest.

 

Jack must have grabbed the knife. That was nice.

 

There was a tapping on his cheek, bringing Daniel from his thoughts. Jack was talking to him. His lips were moving, but Daniel didn't hear anything.

 

If Daniel could smile, he would. It looked funny.

 

Suddenly, pain flared over Daniel's mouth, affording him a moment of clarity. He blinked, realizing the adhesive was gone. Jack was hunched over him, looking angry and worried and maybe even little guilty. He tapped Daniel's cheek again, before his fingers slid down to Daniel's neck.

 

Still alive, Daniel wanted to tell him. But dead inside.

 

"Daniel?" Jack said, his voice sounding so empty and far away.

 

Daniel couldn't answer him. He was feeling sleepy.

 

"No," he heard the far away voice say. "Dammit. Stay awake."

 

He thought maybe Jack was shaking him. Maybe even hitting him. But he couldn't feel it anymore. Jack was slipping away, going far away, allowing Daniel the peace of floating into the clouds that had claimed his vision as their own.

 

And he was gone.

 

Daylight was near. The dark midnight blues and purples had started to fade into pinks, oranges, and soft yellows. The stars and the moon itself were nothing more than fading memories.

 

Sha're had told him that poem once. It had been one night, not long after Jack and his team had left Abydos. Daniel had been very new, uneasy, and had still been trying to make his mark while adhering to the customs of those living in Nagada. Sha're had told him a mythological poem – or at least he had thought so at the time. It was a story about Ra and Apophis battling over the day and night. In their ongoing war, the night, the stars, and the moons were left abandoned and lost, fading into nothing.

 

Quite a progressive tale for a people enslaved by Ra.

 

It was a sad, bittersweet poem, but Daniel would never forget the way she recited it to him. Her words and her voice were filled with a gentleness and compassion that made the tale come to life. The people of Abydos might not have had writing to record their stories and their history, but they had oral tradition. That night, Sha're had given him a piece of herself. The story had been told to her by her mother.

 

Now, he could imagine the words again, bringing life to this planet as the colors spilled over the horizon, bringing with them a breezy warmth.

 

The only problem was that Daniel couldn't see the horizon.

 

Blinking, Daniel stared at the sky, realizing for the first time since he'd woken that he was lying on his back, his face turned toward the sky. He ached, his mind felt muddled, like he'd been drinking beer all night.

 

Where exactly was he?

 

Confused, he tipped his head back, watching the world spin. That…had been dumb. But he kept searching anyway, fighting the wave of dizziness and nausea. Finally, he caught sight of a fireless campsite, and a man sitting beside it, completely lost in thought.

 

Jack looked scared. He had his hands folded and pressed to his lips, his gaze turned outward to some place Daniel couldn't see. There was a green something-something splattered over his arm and Daniel was sure he had a knife by his side.

 

He looked terrible. Not only did Daniel get the impression Jack was scared, he also looked defeated. There was a flurry of emotions that Jack left exposed on his face, some which looked like regret, guilt, and devastation. But he also looked strange, off-kilter.

 

It took Daniel a moment to realize he was upside down.

 

Daniel quickly averted his gaze and went back to staring at the sky.

 

He'd caught Jack in a personal moment, something that Daniel wasn't meant to see. Jack was contemplating something, that much Daniel knew. He probably didn't even know Daniel was awake, as Jack would never willingly expose himself, especially when it was something very private. Daniel didn't feel right watching him. Daniel would leave Jack to his thoughts so that he could try to find his own.

 

He remembered aliens. He remembered…traveling. Was that why he was sore? He remembered forgetting. Forgetting. He'd forgotten something. And Jack was upset.

 

Sucking in a deep breath, he forced himself to relax, waited a minute, and finally let out a deliberate cough. Daniel's little outburst had the immediate effect of finding Jack at his side.

 

"Daniel?" He felt Jack's hand on his shoulder.

 

Daniel coughed again, only this time not so deliberately, and rubbed his eyes as he tried to shake the fog that had settled over him. He instantly regretted it. There seemed to be mud, dirt, and grime everywhere. Annoyed, Daniel moved his dirty hands back to his side and instead focused on Jack's stubble ridden face.

 

Confused, Daniel forgot his disgust and reached back to his face to find his own stubble. God, how long had they been out here?

 

Wait, where was here anyway?

 

There was a shake to his shoulder. "Daniel," Jack said firmly.

 

"Wha?" Daniel heard his voice croak and frowned, dropping his hand to his throat. Now there was something wrong with his voice?  What was that noise?

 

Oh, Jack was talking to him again.

 

"You all right?" Jack asked him.

 

Daniel started to nod, an automatic reaction, but then quickly changed his mind and shook his head. No, he wasn't all right, he decided. His mind felt like jello and his body felt like it had been hit by a Mac truck.

 

He frowned and closed his eyes, wondering why that seemed so familiar.

 

"Oh no, you don't." Daniel felt a tapping to his cheek before he was tugged into a sitting position. "No napping," Jack said.

 

Daniel nodded this time. He hadn't finished licking his lips when he found his canteen in front of him. Grateful, he sipped some of the liquid. It felt cool against his parched throat.

 

When he felt a little stronger, a little clearer, he refocused his energies on Jack. "What's going on?"

 

Daniel swore Jack looked as if he would have a heart attack. "You don't remember?"

 

Daniel hesitated. He felt like he should be remembering something, but he was drawing a blank. He knew that couldn't be a good thing as he and Jack were sitting in the middle of the forest, dirty and alone.

 

His hesitation told Jack all he needed to know. He left Daniel's side and started to pace before he kneeled in front of SGC issue equipment.

 

Daniel found himself frowning again. "Isn't that Sam's?" His frown deepened. "Where's Sam? Where's Teal'c?"

 

To his surprise, Jack slammed down the pack and marched back to Daniel, grabbing him by the shoulders and heaving him to his feet. "Look, I need you to remember. I need for you to stop going off to where you're going and focus. Can you do that for me?"

 

Daniel glanced down to where Jack's fists were embedded in his jacket. His hands carried traces of the green something with a smell that was close to rotten eggs. Daniel turned his head away and found his gaze finding the sky again.

 

It was pretty.

 

"Daniel!"

 

He turned his head back to Jack. His face was angry, tight, but his voice had been filled with a fear that Daniel didn't hear very often. This was serious.

 

The idea of forgetting so much information grated at his nerves. They were out here, in the woods, someplace, and for Jack to be acting the way he was, without his flippant irreverent manner, had to mean something big was happening. Something really big and all Daniel could seem to think about was what a pretty shade of blue the sky had turned.

 

Daniel smiled, feeling his head roll back in order for him to get a better view. The sky seemed to shimmer. Er, no, actually the trees…

 

"Daniel! I said stop it!"

 

Daniel blinked at the sound of his name and forced himself to stay focused. Stay focused on Jack's face. His mean, dark face.

 

He cleared his throat. "Yes," he said under his breath. "But-but it's all foggy."

 

"I know," Jack said, this time with more control. "Not the mud after all, eh?"

 

Daniel was going to ask him what mud, but he thought better of it. But if he remained silent, then they would get nowhere.

 

"So, tell me," Daniel said at last, hoping Jack wouldn't notice he was holding onto him for support. "Tell me what's going on. It may jog my memory."

 

Jack hesitated, casting sidelong glances as if he were expecting something to jump out of the bushes at any second. After a moment, he brought his gaze back to Daniel, and he immediately knew that Jack was searching him, disassembling him in his mind as he plotted his next move.

 

"Look," Daniel finally said, "Something's going on. Obviously, I'm not going to remember any time soon, so why don't you fill me in?"

 

Jack's gaze bore right through him. Daniel wasn't sure what options there were to weigh, but something was eating Jack and he wasn't much in a sharing mood it seemed.

 

"Jack," Daniel said imploringly.

 

So, Jack told him. Jack told him about the village, the aliens, and how they had traveled the terrain for a day. He mentioned "the plan" was to find Sam and Teal'c and then to leave the planet as soon as possible. Daniel nodded, listening carefully, though he fully suspected he was getting the Reader's Digest version of events. The fact that Jack seemed to be developing a shiner was a dead give away. Daniel crossed his arms.

 

"What?" Jack said.

 

"That's it?"

 

Jack stared at him with disbelief, as if it were some great transgression for Daniel to dare question him. "We don't have time for twenty questions." He grabbed Sam's pack and hoisted it over his shoulders. He started down the path. "That's it. Let's go."

 

Daniel sighed, knowing it was pointless to bother arguing with Jack when he got like this. Still, his suspicion remained. After taking a moment to focus and gather his bearings, Daniel followed Jack down the dirt road and hoped that his memory would start cooperating soon.

 

His memories came back faster this time. Sure, there were a few holes here and there, but Daniel could sense that they would quickly fill with the information that he needed.

 

He was more concerned about something else.

 

His memories weren't the only thing that had come back to him.

 

Daniel remained quiet as he studied his surroundings. The trees, the ground, the animals that remained hidden behind the brush—they all pulsed with life, with color. The trees swayed, leaving a trail of dark green in their wake while the flowers glowed neon. Everything seemed to hold its own color, its own signature. To Daniel, no two colors were exactly alike. The difference was striking. But it didn't erase his discomfort over the aliens.

 

They puzzled him. Their colors shifted, changed, while the forest and the little creatures he came across remained centered on their own, personal colors. Maybe the aliens' anomaly had to do with finding the right frequency to try to communicate with him? He had no idea.

 

He followed Jack down the path, scratching his chin as he thought. It could be that their colors shifted with mood. Or maybe because they were sentient. But something else had begun to bother him. Despite their shifts and changes, the aliens always changed their color in unison. The both of them had appeared to be a pearly blue, or a soft peach, to more subdued colors after dark. There was uniformity in their change, no individualism.

 

How could every thing on this planet have its own identifying signature, but the aliens they met be uniform in their difference? Was it adaptive?

 

Why would it be adaptive?

 

A shiver caught him, and he glanced down to his own shimmering blue hands.  He rubbed his calloused fingers together, watching the color mimic his movements. He couldn't see how this could be adaptive in the slightest. Jack had told him the aliens presented themselves in earthy tones, to blend into their surroundings. Daniel saw—No, Daniel was a lighter color.

 

What did that mean?

 

Daniel cursed to himself, angry that he couldn't seem to figure this out. Annoyed, he swatted away a firefly and tried again.

 

He knew the color was a signature of some kind. He knew some kind of communicative process was happening, on some level, even if he lacked the words to explain it. But he also knew he was missing some vital piece of information. He needed a point of reference. Any kind of clue.

 

Keeping his gaze focused, he brought his awareness to the here and now, leaving the forest behind him. He knew it was right in front of him. And that frustrated him even more.

 

Why?

 

He narrowed his eyes.

 

Part of the answer rested in Jack.

 

Jack was different. He wasn't affected by the aliens. He didn't see the colors. His memory was in tact and he seemed to be the same old Jack that Daniel tolerated every day.

 

Except for one thing. Daniel could see his colors.

 

Out of the spectrum of color Daniel had witnessed on this planet, from bright, to light, to subdued, Jack's was the most fascinating. Unlike everything else on this planet, including himself, Jack had a distinct lack of color. In fact, Daniel had guessed he was some sort of a vacuum of light or at least someone on the edge, where the light and shadow would play across his face.

 

But as Daniel's senses became sharper, he realized that wasn't exactly true. Jack did hold color, an immersion of color so deep that it collapsed all around him.

 

Blackness. Darkness.

 

Oddly, despite his fascination, he was repulsed by the color. He found no aesthetic interest in black aura that wafted off Jack like heat from a fire. If it were up to his impulses, he wouldn't bother with him at all. It was only through his scientific curiosity and the simple fact this was Jack that he held on.

 

And there was more. At times, Daniel was certain he saw streaks of red, or sharp sparks of dark blue try to poke through the blackness, but they were slight, and disappeared so quickly that Daniel often felt he must be imagining it. Maybe he was imagining the whole thing. Or maybe he was really seeing Jack's color signature.

 

He continued to study Jack and his colors in comparison to the rest of the planet. Daniel found it was like watching those visuals, the visualizations on the computer. Not like Doctor Fraiser's spirographs, but more like special effects. He saw Jack as something like a Plenoptical viewscape, full of imagery, like a spiroscope of intense overlapping images. He couldn't stop staring. Hypnotizing. Like streaks – no particles, moving through the dark opaqueness.

 

"Stop it."

 

Daniel blinked. "Stop what?"

 

Jack sent him a sidelong glance, which looked suspiciously like a glare, before continuing to trek down the pathway. "You've been staring at me for ten minutes now."

 

Daniel looked away, uncomfortable. He scratched at the nape of his neck as he thought. How could he even approach the subject with Jack without being labeled insane?

 

He sighed. Daniel was really tiring of the genius-freak stereotype, by the way.

 

Jack beat him to the chase. "What?" he asked as he stopped.

 

"I see the colors again."

 

Jack rolled his eyes and turned his back to him. He started walking back down the dirt road, without another word to Daniel.

 

"You failed to tell me that part," Daniel said hotly, jogging to catch up with him.

 

"It wasn't important. Finding Carter and Teal'c is the main objective," he said. "If they're here, they can't be far. We haven't been on this planet long enough to get that lost."

 

"Unless we've been traveling in the opposite direction. Oh, or," Daniel started as he raised his finger. "Or unless they're dead."

 

"Daniel…"

 

He couldn't help it. Daniel tried to be an optimist when it came to their intergalactic troubles, but they had so many. Many which, in fact, they only managed to escape by the skin of their teeth. He could only keep hoping that Sam and Teal'c made it off this planet alive.

 

"Right. I'm sure Sam and Teal'c are back gathering reinforcements as we speak," Daniel muttered.

 

Jack glared at him. "It'll work out."

 

Daniel nodded, but he wasn't convinced. Especially when he suspected Jack's words were to reassure himself, not Daniel.

 

If that was the case, then why bother to hold back? Daniel felt he might as well go all the way.

 

"I see your colors, Jack."

 

Jack took pause, but quickly started to walk again. He didn't bother to answer Daniel, not that he had expected him to reply. Jack would just ignore what he said, like he always did with things that made him uncomfortable.

 

Unless Daniel pressed him hard enough.

 

"They're different. Not like anything else that I've seen."

 

Nothing.

 

"Your colors are amazing."

 

Jack stiffened, but kept walking. "Yeah, I'm sure my colors are fascinating, but can we leave my colors out of this and focus on the problem?"

 

"I am focusing on the problem." He frowned. "I just have a different approach than you do."

 

"My colors have nothing to do with finding Carter and Teal'c," Jack said thinly. "So, let's drop it and find them."

 

"But the aliens—"

 

"Aren't here. Drop it."

 

Daniel stopped and crossed his arms. He understood that Jack was stressed. He knew Jack was under a lot of pressure, especially with everything that happened. But Daniel wasn't nuts and he knew this was important somehow.

 

Jack stopped in response, his face drawn, his whole demeanor almost condescending. Thumbs at his belt, Jack offered a near patronizing smile as he waited for Daniel to continue.

 

"I think the aliens communicate on a different frequency than we do. They communicate through color, or maybe that's the way we perceive it." Daniel took a deep breath, knowing this would go over poorly. "Jack, I think they're trying to change me, to communicate with me."

 

Jack took a moment to choose his words. Or maybe to keep his cool. Either way, Daniel knew this was going to blow up in their faces.

 

"Daniel, I know you're right about a lot of things, but believe me. This time, you're wrong."

 

"Why? Just because I can see something that you can't?"

 

"No, because you've been drugged and compromised by the aliens!"

 

Daniel might have been drugged, attacked, and misled, but he wasn't a fool. He knew there were patterns and connections he hadn't made, yet. He knew there was some significance in the fact that he felt linked to the aliens while Jack didn't. He knew the answer lay somewhere within the colors. There was something very important in the fact that Jack wasn't seeing what he was witnessing. He needed to find the key that would unlock it all for him.

 

He closed his eyes and pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose. What was he missing?

 

Daniel.

 

He held up his finger. "Just a minute, Jack. I'm thinking."

 

"What?"

 

Daniel opened his eyes. "What?"

 

Jack eyed him suspiciously. "I didn't say anything."

 

Daniel shifted his weight, suddenly feeling extremely uncomfortable. Memories of a past conversation with Sam flooded his mind. "You didn't call my name just now?"

 

Jack shook his head and wavered in his darkness. "No." He paused before lowering his voice. "You hearing voices?"

 

Daniel opened his mouth to say no, but how could he? It would be an obvious lie. He thought of Ma'chello's bugs and shuddered. "I think I'm just tired," he said instead.

 

Jack eyed him closely. "Yeah," he said, though it didn't sound convincing. Daniel's lie only seemed to further fuel Jack's distrust in their situation, and his urgency to find Sam and Teal'c. After readjusting the pack on his back, Jack reached over to pull Daniel closer. He gave him a supportive pat on the back before encouraging them to keep walking. "Come on, let's get out of here."

 

Daniel didn't understand it. He just didn't understand. He would have expected distance from the aliens would have been good for him. Not to mention that the drug was wearing off. The fact that his memory was returning and his awareness was sharpening ordinarily would be good things.

 

But the colors were increasing. They were growing, expanding, and crystallizing into wondrously frightening kaleidoscopes in front of his eyes. Sometimes the colors blurred to the point of taking him completely out of reality.

 

He fought against those moments. He didn't want Jack to see him falter. That was the last thing he needed right now.

 

What made things worse was that Daniel was starting to question himself. Daniel knew he wasn't insane, but…what the hell was going on? He was still sure that the aliens were trying to communicate somehow, but he didn't see the point. Were they in fact changing him? Or was he just delusional? He felt something different inside him, as if his mind were shifting, being pushed toward a different spectrum or…something. He just couldn't understand.

 

And he felt off. He found it hard to describe, to explain even to himself. While he felt better, there was something about it – him – that he couldn't place.  He felt the sluggishness wearing off; he could think more clearly. But he felt on edge. Anxious. Maybe even a little paranoid.

 

He…Sometimes he thought he heard someone calling him.

 

Daniel knew the consequences of admitting to hearing voices. The incident with Ma'chello was still raw in his mind. He could remember in vivid detail how his friends had looked down on him with pity and sympathy. No one had believed him then, and why should they have? As far as anyone was concerned, he was crazy.

 

Now, here he was again, feeling as if he were reliving that nightmare. Only, Ma'chello was dead and they hadn't encountered any of his technology. So what was happening? Maybe the aliens had been prepping his mind in order to ready him to receive their language.

 

No, that sounded rather crazy.

 

Daniel licked his lips and returned his attention back to the forest. He thought he had heard…there was a low murmur, like a humming. Maybe a clicking. He strained his ears, trying to figure out the cause of the sound. No, it was definitely a humming. The sound made Daniel think of humming birds or the distant buzz of fireflies.

 

Daniel held his breath. The humming sounded like it was trying to form into words…

 

Maybe Jack was right and he just thought too much. They'd find Sam and Teal'c, get off this planet, and everything would be okay.

 

"You're quiet," Jack said, his voice cool.  Daniel noticed Jack was glancing in his direction.

 

"So?"

 

"So, you're usually talking up a storm."

 

Daniel really didn't care about what Jack thought right now. He shifted uncomfortably and rubbed his chest. "Well, maybe I just want some quiet." He glanced over his shoulder, but nothing was there. "I'm just thinking."

 

Jack gave him a once over before returning his attention to the front. "Thinking about what?"

 

Daniel…

 

Daniel jerked, whipping around to search the woodland behind him. He saw the forest pulse its vibrant green, dancing with life as the light breeze rustled the treetops. Nothing, The aliens hadn't returned. Everything was the same as it had been for the past couple of hours.

 

"Daniel?"

 

Jack, who had stopped and was waiting with his thumbs hooked on his belt, arched his eyebrows and glared at him. Daniel thought Jack was waiting for him to say something, but he couldn't be sure. His features were blurred by the darkness that floated around him.

 

Daniel shifted his weight, reaching to rub the back of his neck. Had Jack called him or was he hearing things again?

 

"What?" he asked hesitantly.

 

Jack paused. He narrowed his eyes, searching Daniel again. "You still hearing voices?"

 

Daniel, Daniel, Daniel…

 

Daniel swallowed hard. "No."

 

Daniel kept still as Jack appraised him. He wasn't sure what Jack expected to find, but Daniel knew he wasn't buying his lie.

 

"Stay close." He beckoned with the wave of his hand for Daniel to remain by his side. "I don't trust for us to stay alone for long."

 

Daniel…

 

"You-you, uh, you don't…" Daniel cleared his throat and glanced over his shoulder. "You don't think they'll come back, do you?"

 

"They pop up every chance they get. So, yeah, Daniel. I think they'll come back." Jack frowned, lips tight, as he watched Daniel. "They're worse than a bad fungus."

 

Daniel…

 

Daniel chuckled nervously. "Right."

 

Jack stared at him.  "Yeah…"

 

Daniel forced a smile as the two of them continued down the path. The aliens would come back. Daniel felt part of him excited at the thought. He didn't know why, but even now, he still felt drawn to their colors. Yet, Daniel couldn't deny the fact that there was something sinister about the aliens. He just didn't know what.

 

Daniel…

 

He ignored the voice, but glanced over his shoulder. He scratched his chin, searching the woods for any sign of their pursuers. He heard the quiet chirping of some…thing. That was all.

 

"Okay, that's it. What's the matter with you?"

 

Daniel turned around to face Jack. "What?"

 

"You've been…jumpy for the past few hours."

 

"Jumpy?"

 

"Anxious. Restless. Jumpy."

 

Daniel…

 

He shook his head. "I'm not jumpy."

 

"No?" Jack stopped, shifting his weight onto his left leg. "Then why do you keep looking around as if the Boogey Man is going to jump you at any minute?"

 

"Well, in case you've forgotten, there are aliens stalking us on this planet."

 

Jack arched an eyebrow. "Stalking you."

"Exactly. So, I think I have every right to be jumpy."

 

"Not buying it, Daniel," Jack said, shaking his head. "I don't know what the hell you're hiding from me, but if we're going to find Carter and Teal'c, we've got to stay focused, you hear me?"

 

Daniel…

 

Daniel shook away the voice and glared at Jack. "I'm focused."

 

"Sure," Jack said, evaluating him again. "But I need more than what you've been giving."

 

Daniel sighed and rubbed his jaw. "Fine," he said, starting down the road. "Let's just go."

 

Jack stopped him with his hand. "And what the hell is with all the scratching? You have bugs?"

 

Daniel froze. "What?"

 

"Will you stop?" Jack asked. "You've been doing it for over a day now and it's bugging me."

 

Daniel blinked and withdrew his hand from his face. He hadn't even realized he had been scratching his cheek.

 

"Sorry," he managed to say, knowing he sounded distracted, but didn't care. As they started to move again, he glanced down at his hand, watching the blue streak across his vision.

 

Daniel…

 

He stiffened, glancing over his shoulder again. Not surprisingly, there was nothing there. But just the same, Daniel felt on edge, sensing that crawly feeling coming back. He fidgeted uneasily.

 

Daniel…

 

What? What do you want? he asked the voice silently.

 

Daniel…Out, Daniel…

 

Out? What do you mean? I don't understand.

 

Daniel, Daniel, Daniel…

 

He winced, trying to shake the voices out of his head. What had the aliens done to him?

 

"Daniel?"

 

Frustrated, Daniel turned away. "I don't understand!"

 

Jack moved to the side, forcing himself into Daniel's view. "All right," he said, the patience gone from his voice. "What are they saying?"

 

"What?" Daniel took a step back. "I don't know what you’re talking about."

 

"The hell you don't. What are you hearing?"

 

Daniel lowered his gaze. "Them. They keep saying my name."

 

Jack sighed, shaking his head before he turned to glare at Daniel. "The aliens. You think it's them."

 

Daniel nodded. "Yes."

 

"Dammit," Jack swore, rubbing his forehead.

 

"Jack," Daniel said, taking a step towards him. He opened his hands up, pleading with him to understand. "I think they're trying to communicate with me. They've tried through color and now, I think they're trying to speak with me telepathically."

 

"Daniel, you know that sounds insane."

 

Daniel, Daniel, Daniel…

 

"Yes, I know." He licked his lips. "But hear me out. What if they realized that we couldn't read their colors and tried a different way? What if all of what we've been through is just a…a phase where my mind had to adapt to theirs? Something like changing frequencies."

 

He studied Jack's hard and tight face, searching for any sign of understanding or at least tolerance for his theory. But he seemed distracted. Frowning, Jack grabbed Daniel's left elbow and held up his arm.

 

"Jack?"

 

"What the hell is that?" Jack asked, pointing to Daniel's arm.

 

Daniel frowned, looking down at his hand and the part of his arm exposed from under his jacket. He saw his skin and the light blue glistening all around it.

 

"It's my arm," Daniel said dryly.

 

"Funny," Jack said, obviously not amused. He raised Daniel's arm a little higher. "That," he said, pointing to a more specific area on Daniel's wrist. "When did you get it?"

 

Squinting, Daniel leaned closer, trying to filter past the color to see what the hell Jack was talking about. At first, he didn't see anything at all and thought maybe Jack was the one that needed his head examined. But right when Daniel was about to tell him off, Daniel found it. He had what appeared to be a small red mark on his wrist. The blotch was swollen, but not overly so, and small enough that it was a miracle Jack had even noticed it was there.

 

Daniel stared at it. "I-I don't know."

 

"Have you had that all this time?"

 

Daniel…

 

Daniel felt itchy again. "Um…" He squirmed, trying to move out of Jack's hold. Jack didn't budge. "I don't know."

 

Jack stared at him.

 

"I said I don't know!" He jerked his arm out of Jack's grasp.  Feeling his nerves flare, Daniel rubbed his hand along his neck as he spoke. "I can't remember. It's not like I can really see all that well right now."

 

Daniel…

 

Leave me alone.

 

He heard an angry sigh from Jack. "Well, maybe if you stopped scratching…"

 

Daniel stopped touching his neck. After Jack's urging, a new thought occurred to him. He bit down on his lip, attempting to shake off the crawly feeling that was creeping up on him before he lifted his shirt collar and peeked inside.

 

"Oh my God," Daniel whispered. "What is that?"

 

Jack moved to his side, swatting Daniel's hands away so he could get a better view. Daniel held his breath as Jack tugged at the collar of his shirt and looked at Daniel's chest. He jumped back. "Crap! They're all over you!"

 

He was covered with them. Splotch after splotch littered his chest, and possibly his neck and shoulders. Daniel didn't doubt they had to be running up his arms, maybe even his legs.

 

He started to breath hard. "Jack. What-what's wrong with me?"

 

"Allergies?" Jack wiped his mouth. His eyes were lit with worry, possibly fear. "Take your allergy meds. You still have those."

 

"What?"

 

"Your meds, Daniel." He glared at Daniel. "Or have you forgotten what those are, too?"

 

Daniel stared at him. Here he was, trapped alone with Jack on a planet with half a memory and gruesome welts bubbling up all over his body and Jack wanted to be glib? He wasn't sure whether to be angry or scared. Since fear didn't seem to be his best option right now, given the past day or so, Daniel decided to settle on anger.

 

"Contrary to popular belief, I am not allergic to everything."

 

"No? Says he who sneezes a lot?" Jack jabbed his finger at Daniel's wrist. "Looks like an allergic reaction to me," he muttered. "Take them anyway."

 

Daniel shook his head. This was ridiculous. Jack wasn't a doctor. "I used to have hodophobia, Jack. That has nothing to do with allergies. It's fear of travel."

 

"Yeah. I don't care." His eyes darkened. "Take them."

 

Daniel…

 

Daniel shifted his weight, stifling the urge to scratch his chest before crossing his arms. They had no idea what was even causing the splotches. Part of him didn't really feel comfortable taking anything, even his allergy medication, without Doctor Fraiser's approval. Jack was reacting out of fear; this conversation would get them nowhere.

 

"Jack, I'm not having an allergic reaction. I haven't been sneezing or—"

 

"There are big flowers on this planet. Maybe you touched one while we've been walking."

 

Okay, so Jack had a point. But, aside from pollen being the one allergy he had developed during his time with the program, there wasn't anything on the planet that would set him off. Not that he knew of. And he wasn't sneezing.

 

"I didn't touch anything," he mumbled.

 

"Daniel, don't fight me on this one. Just take the pills. They can't hurt."

 

"We don't even know what this is!"

 

"They're hives!" Jack said in exasperation.

 

Daniel sucked in a deep breath as he glanced down to his chest. He poked at one of the welts. He didn't feel any pain, but that didn't mean anything. He had absolutely no idea what caused the splotches. Was it when the aliens had touched him? Was it something else? He poked at it again.

 

It itched.

 

Jack reached over and grabbed his wrists, careful not to touch his skin. "Don't."

 

Daniel pulled but Jack refused to let go. "It itches."

 

"Then, don't scratch it!"

 

"Jack!" Daniel grunted as he tugged. "Let go. I'm not two."

 

Jack squeezed harder. "Promise me you'll stop."

 

Daniel rolled his eyes. "Fine. I'll stop. Just let go."

 

Jack studied him for moment, trying to assess his sincerity, no doubt. Finally, he let go, making a circular motion with his fingers while pointing to Daniel's vest pocket.

 

This time, Daniel obliged. He slipped out the allergy medication, grabbed two pills, and pocketed the rest. After popping them in his mouth and washing them down with some water, Daniel took a break and leaned against the nearest tree.

 

"What?" Jack asked him. His voice softened. "You okay?"

 

Daniel looked away. He didn't want to admit to Jack that he was scared or that he felt hopeless. They'd been stuck on this planet for well over a day now, with no sign of Sam or Teal'c. Daniel's memory, while improving, was still spotty. He was being stalked by aliens who were trying to communicate with him, but whose ways he didn't understand. Daniel saw colors that no one else could see. He heard voices that no one else could hear. And now he was breaking out with some kind of infection or allergic reaction.

 

Then it dawned on him.

 

Side affects. These were side effects. There was something wrong with him. There was something else happening.

 

Daniel…

 

He shook his head. He knew how this had to end.

 

"Jack, you're going to have to leave me."

 

Jack froze, his face going slack. He recovered quickly, the shock morphing into anger. "Right. Like that's going to happen." He motioned ahead. "Let's get moving."

 

Daniel shook his head again. "I'm serious."

 

The darkness around Jack's face intensified. "So am I."

 

Daniel, Daniel, Daniel…Out, out, out…

 

Quiet, he mentally sent them.

 

He sighed, blocking out the voices again. "Jack, there's something wrong with me. I don't know what it is. I don't know what they did to me. I don't know." He resisted the urge to scratch his chin. "What if I've caught a contagion? A disease?"

 

"I know what you're thinking and the answer is no," Jack said between thin lips. "Obviously, it's not contagious because I haven't caught it."

 

"Not yet."

 

"It's not a disease. It's those damn aliens."

 

"We don't know that."

 

"Yes, we do."

 

"Jack…"

 

"Daniel," Jack said impatiently as he rubbed his forehead. "I am not leaving you behind."

 

Daniel just stared at him. "I'm slowing you down. You could always come back for me after you find Sam or Teal'c."

 

"No."

 

"Look, you know it's the right thing to do. I can't think straight. I'm hearing things and I am breaking out in some unknown virus or whatever it is." He searched Jack, pleading with his eyes. "You can't keep watching your back and mine. Not when I'm like this. Besides, the aliens are after me. I can create a diversion so you can find Sam and Teal'c."

 

"Daniel." Grabbing a fistful of vest, Jack pressed him into the tree. "I am not having this conversation with you. As long as you are under my command you will do as I say. And no, don't you even say it because that is not acceptable." He gave Daniel a little shake. "We are going to find Carter and Teal'c. We are going to get off this damn planet and when we get home, Fraiser is going to fix you. Do you understand?"

 

Daniel fidgeted under Jack's grasp, but didn't try to punch him again. He wanted to keep his skin as far away from contacting Jack's body as possible.  Sighing, but letting his protest be known through his burning gaze, Daniel gave in. "I understand."

 

"Good" Jack said, letting him go. "Now, get yourself in gear and let's head out. The day's a wasting."

 

Daniel muttered under his breath, but nodded just the same. As he followed Jack down the pathway, Daniel started to consider different ways to lose him so that maybe he could at least give Jack a better chance to survive.

 

Every time Daniel tried to slow his pace and fall back, Jack would stop and wait for him to catch up. Daniel had tried this tactic several times before he finally gave up, realizing Jack was onto his game. Actually, he knew that Jack knew right off the bat, but Daniel was nothing if not stubborn.

 

Since he couldn't seem to place enough distance between him and Jack, Daniel had considered just making a break for it. If he ran, full force, into the forest without looking back, maybe Jack would let him go. But Daniel had soon ruled out that idea. He knew that he wouldn't get very far, not with his difficulty seeing through the blobs of color, and the fact that Jack was way faster on foot than he looked. Then both of them would be lost, off the beaten path, so to speak, which was exactly what Daniel wanted to avoid.

 

He'd have to wait until nightfall.

 

Daniel glanced up to the sky. The sun would be setting soon and they would be left alone in the dark once again. Daniel felt guilty for considering leaving Jack alone to fend for himself, but at the same time Daniel knew that it would be the best thing to do. The aliens were after Daniel, after all, and if he could spare Jack, Sam, and Teal'c, he would.

 

Daniel, Daniel, Daniel…

 

The voices were driving him mad. They spoke his name over and over and somehow only added to the incessant itch that covered his body. Daniel found it increasingly difficult to block out the voices or to stop from scratching at the welts on his chest and arms. While he wasn't in any pain, he was uncomfortable and couldn't seem to keep himself still. He knew Jack was keeping tabs on him.

 

Daniel inched his fingers down his leg.

 

"Don't even think about it," Jack said not even glancing back at him. "I swear, Daniel, I will tie your hands together."

 

Daniel scowled, curled his fingers into a fist, and brought his hands back to his side. The prickling on his thigh was killing him, but he knew Jack was right.

 

Daniel, Daniel, Daniel…

 

What do you want? What do you what from us? From me?

 

Hungry…

 

Daniel blinked. What?

 

Hungry, hungry, hungry…

 

Daniel frowned. You’re hungry? What?

 

Daniel, Daniel, Daniel…

 

He muttered under his breath and kept walking, only to crash into Jack. Startled, Daniel stumbled back, briefly catching Jack's hard gaze.

 

Daniel cleared his throat. "You stopped."

 

"Nice of you to notice."

 

Daniel ignored the comment as he tried to focus. "Um, why are we stopping?"

 

"Well, I thought maybe you'd like to let me in on your conversation." He gestured with the dip of his hand. "You're acting like a Tok'ra."

 

Daniel looked away. He hadn't realized he'd been miming along with the fake conversation in his head.

 

"Daniel…"

 

But he wasn't listening. Frowning, Daniel pointed to the road. "Isn't that Sam's cap?"

 

Jack turned away from Daniel and walked up to the little lump in the road.  After he picked up the material, he held it up and confirmed Daniel's worst fears. He was holding Sam's cap.

 

Neither of them needed to say anything.  Daniel could read the anguish that flickered in Jack's eyes.  Feeling sick, Daniel bowed his head and covered his mouth.

 

"Well, I think this speaks enough for itself," Jack said, squeezing the cap in his hand. He glared at Daniel. "I'm not all to keen on the idea that we're being led."

 

"What are we going to do?" Daniel asked quietly.

 

Jack tucked the cap into his pocket. He lifted his chin and stood firm. "We're going to find Carter and Teal'c and get out of here."

 

Daniel nodded, though he wasn't feeling overly optimistic about finding them. They weren't going to find Sam and Teal'c. The aliens had Sam and were using her against them, in some sort of sick game that Daniel couldn't understand. Sam and Teal'c were dead. The reality of the situation was that Daniel would succumb to whatever disease he had, and Jack would die alone on this planet.

 

He inhaled sharply at the thought and rubbed at his chest. He had to think of something. Some way to talk to the aliens to negotiate for Jack's safety.

 

Please don't hurt my friends.

 

Friends, their feathery voices repeated. Friends, friends, friends…

 

Yes, friends. Don't hurt my friends. Just let them go.

 

"Daniel."

 

"Not now, Jack." Daniel closed his eyes and concentrated harder. He had to do this.

 

Let my friends go.

 

Friends, friends, friends…Out, out, out…

 

Yes, please let them go. He ran his fingers up and down his neck, the urgency in his pleas mirrored in his actions. Please don't hurt them.

 

Hungry, hungry, hungry…

 

Daniel jerked, surprised when he saw that Jack had grabbed his wrists. Slowly, Jack lowered his arms, bringing his hands away from his neck. When he realized Daniel wasn't going to fight him back, Jack let go and fingered his collar. Daniel felt his breath hitch; he knew this couldn't be good.

 

Jack's eyes widened.

 

Daniel wasn't sure he wanted to know. "What?"

 

Jack paled beneath his black haze. "You're turning all tutti-frutti."

 

Daniel pushed Jack away and grabbed at his shirt. Peeking inside, struggling to see past the blue that glided across his skin, Daniel squinted at the splotches. He could barely identify them, but from what he could see…damn. Some of the red splotches remained a rosey color, but others had turned. He could see yellow, purple, even green spots dotting his chest. Orange, blue…

 

What the hell was happening to him?

 

"You have to leave me," Daniel said, breathless. Jack started toward him but Daniel took a step back. "Jack, I don't know what this is. You-you have to go on without me. You can always come back for me."

 

"Not going to happen." Jack's voice was low, nearly a growl. "Didn't we already have this conversation? Why, yes. We did. End of discussion. We're going."

 

Daniel shifted his weight from his left to right leg, and then back again, fighting the urge to scratch the itch on his shoulders. His skin felt like it was crawling; he felt like he would be torn apart. Daniel winced.

 

He swallowed hard, his fearful gaze locked onto Jack. "They're back."

 

Jack's attention remained somewhere over Daniel's shoulder. He didn't reaffirm Daniel's words and didn't need to. Daniel could feel them hovering somewhere behind him.

 

Jack snapped. Before Daniel had a chance to block him, Jack charged forward, his knife drawn. "Whatever you did to him, undo it now!" He jabbed the knife at them, causing them to flinch.  "You understand me! I said fix him!"

 

Something flopped in Daniel, something deep under his skin, and he felt compelled to stop him. Grunting, Daniel sprinted forward and wrapped his arms around Jack's shoulders. He squeezed hard, trying to restrain Jack so he could grab the knife.

 

"Jack! Don't!"

 

Jack easily broke free, pushing his arms apart to break Daniel's hold. Still firmly grasping the knife, Jack kept his gaze on the aliens, while slamming his left shoulder into Daniel's chest and stomach. Daniel gasped for air and stumbled back. The black spots he saw almost robbed him of what little sight he had left.

 

Daniel knew that Jack would use the distraction to his advantage. Quickly, he spun around, grabbed Daniel and flipped him onto his back. While Daniel struggled to breathe, he watched Jack hover over him, the knife the only barrier between them and the aliens.

 

"I said fix him!" Jack yelled, his face turning red.

 

Daniel coughed, pushing himself into a kneeling position as he fought for the strength to intervene. The aliens hadn't flinched this time. Instead, they stared, their shiny black eyes piercing his skin, making him squirm.  Daniel sensed something different in them – not in the one that had the pad, but the uninjured one. Its eyes had lost some of their luster, having grown cold and dark. This much he could tell through their blinding streaks of bright peachy-blue color.

 

Daniel's heart started to pound harder and he froze, feeling a shiver creep up his spine. The uninjured one wasn't touching the ground.

 

Trouble.

 

"Jack!"

 

Jack was way ahead of him. Even before Daniel had finished shouting his name, Jack had grabbed Daniel by the arm and pulled him to his feet. The two of them started to run down the path, pushing their tired legs to keep moving. Daniel did his best to focus; the blur of motion and the kaleidoscope of colors collided, suffocated him. Overcome with dizziness, it took everything within Daniel to remain on his feet. Jack knew. Even as they ran, Jack kept hold of Daniel's shirt.

 

Daniel heard the rustle of the aliens gliding behind them. He felt a quiver throughout his body.

 

Closer. They were getting closer.

 

Daniel, Daniel, Daniel…

 

Daniel couldn't let them get to Jack. He had to think quickly. He had to find a way to distract them.

 

Jack would never leave him. But he—

 

Daniel gagged as his shirt collar tightened and he was yanked backwards. The aliens had grabbed hold of his jacket and part of his shirt, dragging him towards them.

 

Daniel glanced back as he fought against them. It was the injured one – the one with the pad – that had latched onto him and wouldn't let go. Horrified, Daniel watched his light purple form streak back and forth, the nodules on its head throbbing.

 

God, he was going to do it again. He was going to mess with his head.

 

He thought he called out for Jack or that Jack called out for him. But he couldn't tell anymore. The voices were buzzing in his head, screaming at him.

 

Daniel, Daniel, Daniel!

 

Help me!

 

Out, out, out, Daniel. Hungry, hungry, hungry!

 

That was it. Daniel tore at his jacket, trying to rip his clothes for freedom. The alien was relentless, its long boney fingers holding more power than Daniel thought possible. Daniel could feel its knuckles digging into his back as it tried to cement its hold on him. He turned his head away, pulling hard against the alien. He knew he couldn't look at them. He knew that if he focused on them for too long, he'd be lost.

 

Finally, Daniel shrugged out of his jacket and ducked his head, running blind into the forest ahead of him. The colors of green and black crashed into him, while the tree branches whipped and stung his sensitive skin, nearly throwing his balance. Daniel ignored the pain and the dizziness, pushing himself despite his limitations.

 

He fumbled aimlessly through the forest without stopping. He couldn't slow down in case they were behind him. He knew they were behind him. He could only hope that Jack was okay. Maybe Jack could find Sam now. And Teal'c.

 

He gasped, feeling them hover somewhere behind him. He wished he could see clearly. The colors continued to roll around in front of him. Pulsing green. Streaks of black. Light wisps of something else. God, was that them? More green. A crack of red.

 

Jack?

 

"Jack!"

 

Tugged by his shirt, Daniel was propelled forward, past the trees and into an open clearing.  The road.

 

"Daniel, just keep on running!"

 

It was Jack. And while Daniel still felt the conflicting pull between his need to be near the aliens and his terror over what they could be doing to him, he knew that right now, his best option was to stay with Jack. Not only would that give Daniel a chance to think, but it would prevent Jack from dodging into the forest in pursuit of him.

 

They kept running. Daniel didn't know for how long, but he had noticed a change in the atmosphere. It was damp, cool, and the air felt heavy – saturated with moisture. Daniel wiped the sweat from his forehead as they slowed to a halt.

 

"What?" Daniel asked. He couldn't see much through the speckled gray haze that had settled in front of his face.

 

"Water. It's a pond."

 

Daniel glanced over his shoulder before he turned to Jack. Most of his features were lost in his darkness, but Daniel could see that he was frowning. "What?"

 

"Let's just say I'm not all that excited about taking a swim in the Black Lagoon."

 

"There's something in the water?"

 

"When isn't there?" Jack paused. "Damn, they're behind us." He nudged Daniel forward. "We're going."

 

"Yes, but—"

 

Daniel didn't have a chance to finish protesting. Within seconds, Jack and Daniel had started wading through the water. To Daniel's surprise the water was shallow. He felt it ripple in smooth calming circles near his ankles, making him wonder if this wasn't just a pond, but actually part of a larger system of lakes and rivers on the planet.

 

The farther they moved, the higher the water became. Daniel kept hold of Jack's jacket as they proceeded. He could see the water rising towards his waist, its color softer and less intense than the other colors on the planet. Daniel decided he liked it. The subdued nature of the water gave Daniel a chance to unwind and actually focus. The cacophony of bright colors he found in the forest had started to give him a headache – now was his chance at recovery.

 

"They're not following us," Jack said, still pulling Daniel towards the other end of the pond.

 

Daniel, Daniel, Daniel…hungry, hungry, hungry!

 

Daniel glanced over his shoulder. He was right. The aliens had stopped on the shoreline, hovering in the distance. If Daniel hadn’t known better, he would have sworn the injured alien looked distressed. He stretched out his arm to Daniel, curling his fingers as if beckoning him.

 

"They're afraid of the water," Daniel said.

 

Jack helped guide him to the opposite shore. "How nice for us."

 

Daniel climbed onto the shore, falling to his knees as he grappled with the weight of his waterlogged clothes. He started to squeeze the water from his pants when he noticed Jack move away from the shore. Jack had started to pace, arms stiff at his sides as he scouted the area.

 

Daniel coughed, frowning as he eyed Jack. "Where's Sam's pack?"

 

Jack sent him a weary look that bordered on annoyance. "I had to drop it when those creeps came after us."

 

Daniel rolled back on his haunches and balled his fists in an attempt to fight off a wave of panic. Now they were stuck without any supplies. This day just kept getting better.

 

As a passing thought, Daniel considered heading back into the cool comfort of the water. The aliens couldn't get him there.  It didn't matter the how or why, or what dangers could possibly wait in the waters. The pond had soothed his itchy skin.

 

But just as he started to seriously consider that idea, he found Jack standing above him, waiting impatiently for him to get moving. Daniel grimaced at Jack's sour face and pushed himself to his feet.

 

"I'm going to guess that you have a plan?" Daniel said, knowing his voice sounded pathetic.

 

"Nope." He waved his hand for Daniel to follow. "But I'm not going to sit around and wait for our friends to join us." He reached out to presumably give Daniel a supportive pat, but stopped just shy of his shoulder, his gaze studying Daniel's polka dot design. "We'll stay close to the shore line and see where this goes. Any sign of trouble, retreat back to the water. Got it?"

 

Daniel nodded, glancing up at the sky. The sun had started to set, splashing its vivid reds and purples across the horizon. With a nervous sigh, Daniel rubbed his arms, feeling the chill of night start to creep over him. As he started after Jack, Daniel had the feeling that this would be their final night on this planet and he knew it wasn't going to end well.

 

Jack and Daniel had only traveled a few minutes down the shoreline when they stumbled onto something unexpected. Surprised, Daniel blinked and threaded his hands behind his head while Jack let out a whistle.

 

"I'll be damned."

 

Jack couldn't have been more right. Daniel felt as if they had walked into hell. Just past the next thicket, there was a partial clearing, one that held the remains of a small town. Immediately, Daniel thought of the abandoned village they had encountered earlier – or at least his fragmented memories of it – but he couldn't be certain until they saw the buildings close up.

 

As soon as Daniel took a step toward the village, he felt Jack clamp his hand down on his shoulder. "No exploring."

 

"Jack, this could give us the vital clues we need to get out of here."

 

Jack's arched his eyebrows. "By studying old ruins? Somehow this sounds like it will help you more than us." Even before Daniel had a chance to protest, Jack shook his head and urged him forward with the wave of his hand. "We'll keep lookout for any supplies as we pass by the settlement. We won't be stopping to sight see. It's getting dark."

 

Daniel sighed but started following Jack past the village anyway. He was right. The sun had now fully set, with only its afterglow keeping the forest from total darkness.  The stars weren't visible, yet. Since the forest seemed denser here, Daniel couldn't make out the small moon, either.

 

Then again, maybe he was the only one that couldn't see them.

 

Daniel…

 

He bristled, ignoring the growing discomfort that bubbled under his skin, and kept moving.

 

As they passed the wooden homes, Daniel struggled to make out any form of writing or indicators of what kind of civilization had lived here. He was too far away to see anything concrete, and his limited vision was only making matters worse. Though, he could have sworn he could smell burning wood.

 

Ignoring the incessant itch on his back and shoulders, he switched his gaze to Jack. Jack frowned, apparently thinking the same thing as Daniel. Abandoned civilizations don't smell of freshly burned wood or…something else.

 

Daniel sniffed the air. There was a hearty scent nearby. It almost smelled like…

 

"Smells like supper is ready," Jack muttered, withdrawing his knife as they came closer to the site. Passing a building that had been obstructing their view, both Jack and Daniel stopped dead in their tracks.

 

A campsite rested before them, the embers still flickering with an occasional spark as they cooled. All around the dead fire were items – cloth, bowls, a mesh of fibers, ash, and bones.

 

Lots of bones.

 

"Shit," was all Jack could manage to say.

 

Daniel stared at the bones. Most were long and thin, with the flesh torn clean from their outer surface. But he didn't feel like standing here and dwelling on their form. He wasn't sure what the bones used to belong to, and like Jack, he wasn't too keen on sticking around to find out.

 

Daniel, Daniel, Daniel…

 

Daniel blinked, taking a step back. "I think we should go."

 

"Going sounds like a good idea."

 

The two of them backed away from the fire and the massive piles of bones that lined its perimeter.  They were about to break for the outskirts of the forest when they heard something.

 

"Sounds like...moaning," Daniel whispered.

 

Jack nodded, but instead of continuing to move away from the settlement, he started around the shacks, near the back of one of the smaller clusters. Daniel, while not comfortable being cornered in back of the site, followed Jack and the soft muffled sound. As they stalked the area, Daniel listened more closely. His sight might be near useless, but he could at least still hear through the buzz of colors. The noise…it was like…it sounded like…When they reached a little clearing beside the settlement, Daniel gasped with surprise.

 

"Carter!" Jack yelled.

 

Daniel breathed out, barely able to contain the relief he felt. Sam. It was Sam. Sam was alive.

 

Sam was only a few meters away, lost in some light haze that Daniel could barely penetrate. From what he could see, her hands and feet were bound, and she was tied to a large post that stood off-center in the clearing close to the cluster of thatch homes. Her head was bowed; Daniel figured she might be unconscious but at least she was alive.

 

Daniel rushed forward to greet her, but Jack held out his hand and shook his head.

 

"Trap?" Daniel asked.

 

"Trap." The flicker of relief in Jack's eyes quickly turned to grief and anger as he switched back into military mode. Quietly, he gestured with his hand for Daniel to remain silent as he scouted the immediate area.

 

Daniel did as he was told. Silently, he waited by the side of one of the buildings, watching as Jack prowled around the bushes and a couple of the homes nearby. So far, they hadn't seen or heard anything other than Sam struggling to break out of her stupor.

 

He wanted to be with Sam. He wanted to help her. He glanced over in her direction, trying to comfort himself with the fact she seemed okay.

 

Daniel, Daniel, Daniel…

 

Daniel shuddered, his skin prickling at the constant whisper of his name. From where he stood, he realized he had a vantage point of the campsite. It remained untouched. The embers and ash had finally stopped smoldering. The bowls, bones, and other materials remained intact. Everything was quiet, aside from the buzzing of colors and the soft sounds of the night. Bringing his gaze upward, he noticed the moon had risen past the treetops, and the stars had started to come into view, providing some light in the dark. Each star flickered, shining with their own light, their own life. Some even were worlds they had visited at some point.

 

They made him think of home. He wondered if he'd ever see Earth again. He wondered if he'd ever see Sha're again.

 

Daniel hugged himself, rubbing his arms as if he were cold. He had to keep thinking. He had to do something with his hands to keep himself under control.

 

He stared at the campsite and felt another shiver. Just because nothing was visible in the area, didn't mean they were safe. If this was a trap…

 

Daniel turned his head to the buildings. From what he could recall, they seemed similar to the ones from the village they had visited yesterday. Though he couldn't distinguish every minute detail of the structures, he could see that they were definitely made of wood, and probably had the secure vine-bindings that they had seen at the other village. To Daniel, it seemed foolish to build flammable living structures near a fire, but how could he pass judgment if he didn't even know the culture or the conditions these people, or aliens, were experiencing?

 

Daniel…out, out, out…

 

Daniel shook away the voice, bowing his head as he pinched his nose. Focus, he told himself. Ignore the itching. Ignore the voices.

 

"Right now, the coast is clear," Jack said, sidling up beside him. He motioned to Sam with his knife. "Stay with me. We're cutting her off this thing."

 

Daniel found himself nodding again, but it didn't make him feel any better. His skin felt like it would burst from the prickly sensations he kept getting. That is, if he didn't go insane by the colors first. Resolved to keep himself under restraint, Daniel followed Jack.

 

They crept into the clearing, settling by one of the small buildings. Sam was positioned right beside it, which afforded them some cover in case something went wrong. She was still unconscious, head bowed, with her hair obscuring her face. Jack gave her a quick check, careful not to touch her skin, or any exposed area of her body.

 

Daniel realized exactly what he was doing.

 

"She looks clean," Jack told him.

 

Daniel would take Jack's word for it. Sam's features were blurred through the mesh of colors; Jack's darkness seeped into the pulsing greens of the forest, which then contrasted with the blue that was shimmering off his own body. Sam stood out. He found himself drawn to the light stream of yellow and pink that puffed around her like smoke.

 

He hadn't realized he was reaching out to her until she coughed, jerking him back into the present. He lowered his hand.

 

"Sir?" she asked, her voice cracking.

 

"We're here, Carter." Jack started to saw through the vine-rope that bound her hands and feet. "We're going to have to move. Can you walk?"

 

She moaned, and then grunted, exercising her now free wrists. She nodded once before she winced and let out a soft whimper.

 

Daniel immediately went for his canteen. While Jack worked on her feet, Daniel offered Sam some of his water. She smiled at him, moving to except it.

 

Jack intercepted the canteen. "Why don't we wait and let Carter have some of mine?"

 

Daniel's face fell, but he understood perfectly. Without another word, he withdrew his canteen and waited for Jack to finish working on Sam's feet. He forced a weak smile before he turned away and crossed his arms.

 

Daniel stared at the run-down shacks. He couldn't understand it. The aliens that he and Jack had encountered possessed advanced technology. The pad the injured one used, even the whole way they carried themselves, spoke to a higher understanding of themselves and their environment, and even toward higher intelligence. Why they felt the need to live in the woods and live on base needs, he had no idea.

 

That just didn't make any sense. Well, then again, the Nox hadn’t made sense either, but these creatures weren't the Nox.

 

He sighed. What was he missing?

 

Daniel, Daniel, Daniel…

 

Please…he begged them. Just stop.

 

When he heard coughing, he returned his attention to Sam and Jack. He felt her eyes on him. Despite being tied and dehydrated, Sam was sharp, and he knew that she was trying to piece together what was happening. Daniel squirmed uncomfortably. Unable to face her, he averted his gaze.

 

"Colonel? Daniel? What's going on?" she asked. Daniel caught her baffled expression from the corner of his eyes, feeling her gaze burn through him. Suddenly, her eyes widened. "Oh my God! Daniel!"

 

"Carter, we have a situation." Jack finished untying Sam and passed her his canteen.  She drank quickly, taking a couple of swallows before wiping her mouth and returning it. "Daniel's been compromised. We need to get him back to the base so Fraiser can take a look at him."

 

"I'm not compromised," Daniel muttered, ignoring the shock that filtered through Sam's eyes. He hugged himself harder. He had to battle the pull he felt towards her colors and the urge to scratch the dots that littered his body. If he could keep his arms secure, he wouldn't touch his skin. He wouldn't touch Sam or Jack. He could try to curb this infection, somehow. Even if it drove him insane.

 

Daniel, Daniel, Daniel…hungry, hungry, hungry…

 

He closed his eyes again, filtering out the urgent voices and struggled to recall everything that had happened over the past two days. There had to be something – anything – that could help them.

 

He remembered the aliens. He remembered how they constantly followed them. He remembered how they seemed to affect him differently than Jack. He always seemed drawn to them; they affected his mind. They had drugged him or…something. The colors. The village.

 

"Daniel? What do you think?"

 

Daniel stopped in front of one of the thatch-like homes, placing his hands on his hips as he appraised their size and structure. "I'm not sure exactly. They look like small homes, but I haven't seen any evidence of farming or pastoral work." Daniel took a step towards a cluster of buildings. "No stonework. They're made of wood. Obviously, these aren't ancient ruins by any stretch of the imagination, but there's nothing to indicate anyone has lived here for a long time."

 

"The UAV didn't pick up any signs of life," Sam said.

 

"Perhaps whoever lived here has since left," Teal'c added.

 

"They could be nomads," Daniel said with a nod, stepping closer to one of the buildings. He turned to Jack. "I'd like to take a closer look."

 

Jack seemed to consider the request, though Daniel could tell by the frown on his face he wasn't too happy about it. Any planet they visited as a result from Jack's run-in with the Ancient repository always seemed to bring out the worst in him. "All right," Jack finally said with a sigh as he rested his arm on the butt of his gun. "Carter, Teal'c – you check out the west side of the settlement. Stay in radio contact. Daniel, you're with me."

 

Daniel opened his eyes. He blinked a few times as he struggled to process the memory and to place it into some kind of context. He knew it was there; he could feel his mind opening up. This place – somehow this place – was the right trigger for his memories.

 

He knew that he needed to get closer.

 

Daniel shot a glance over to Sam and Jack. Sam seemed to test her legs – Daniel couldn't really tell – as she grabbed onto Jack for support. Only after a few seconds, Sam appeared stronger, ready to move out. Jack seemed to be urging her on. They needed to move. He knew that. But still, Daniel couldn't even voice his relief. He would have never thought they would find Sam alive. But Teal'c…

 

Daniel shook away the pain and focused on the wood structures. If they were going to find Teal'c and help him, then Daniel would have to try to pull up his missing memories. They needed to find a way out of here, and at this point, Daniel was losing hope. He sighed. Daniel wasn't very confident he'd be making it off this planet alive.

 

Quietly, he inched forward, battling past the colors that flooded his senses so that he could move close enough to touch the rough bark with his fingers.

 

No windows.

 

The fact that the little wooden buildings didn't have windows wasn't a big deal, but Daniel found it odd even if he couldn't figure out why. As he hunched in the doorway, Daniel tried to make sense of the dark interior.

 

"This can't be someone's house," Jack said from over his shoulder.

 

"No, maybe a shed or a storage facility." Daniel ducked his head to enter the building.

 

"Oh yes," Jack muttered as they made their way inside. "Some store room."

 

Daniel blinked with surprise, staring blankly into the empty room. "Well I didn't say it had to be a storeroom."

 

"Then what do you suggest?"

 

Daniel sighed. "I have no idea."

 

He rubbed his hand up and down the side of the building, pausing briefly to touch the vine that acted as more or less a type of glue for the structure. The vines were interwoven to bind the strips of bark and panels of wood together. Daniel noticed several openings between the pieces, as if the structures had been hastily put together. The entrance was only a few feet away.

 

He decided he had to see the inside.

 

He glanced back to Sam and Jack. Sam looked better and Jack seemed less tense. He knew it was just a matter of time before they got moving again. Which was fine. The sooner they left, the better. But if only Daniel could remember what he needed to remember before they started on their way again.

 

Jack would kill him if he snuck into the settlement. Daniel moved a little closer to the building.

 

"I lost Teal'c," Sam said.

 

When he heard Teal'c's name, Daniel froze, and slipped away from the shack. He'd have to wait for his moment.

 

"What happened?" Jack asked.

 

"We were ambushed, sir. After we saw a couple of aliens take you and Daniel, we tried to follow." She wiped her brow. "There were more. I tried to fight them off, but I lost consciousness. I don't know what happened to Teal'c."

 

"Great," Jack muttered. "This planet could be teeming with them."

 

"But Teal'c could still be here," Daniel added. "Or he could have made it back to the base."

 

Sam nodded. "One can hope." Pausing, she eyed Daniel carefully before she took a step closer to him. "Let me see, Daniel. Maybe I can do something until we make it back to Janet."

 

"Negative, Major," Jack said as Daniel took a few steps back. "Daniel's infected with something. As far as we can tell, he—"

 

Daniel broke himself from the conversation, and looked away, both embarrassed and angry. He was becoming a liability and he knew it.

 

Glancing back, he found his gaze riveted to the buildings. Part of him wanted to leave now; the rest of him wanted to stay. He could still hear Sam and Jack discussing their next course of action behind him. And discussing his "condition." He knew it wouldn't be long before they left.

 

He had to act now or not at all. Moving silently, Daniel slunk back to the building and peeked inside the entrance.

 

I don't get it, Daniel thought to himself as he crouched inside the structure. The interior of the building was filthy. Everywhere he looked, he found dried mud. Annoyed, Daniel slapped his thighs and stood.

 

Jack just remained next to him, with a smug face, looking bored. "Find anything?"

 

Daniel passed off the facetious remark and gave the room another precursory glance. "There must be something here that will help me make sense of this place."

 

"Daniel, there is nothing here. So far, this has been a complete waste of time. I am going to give the outside one more clean sweep and then I'm calling Carter."

 

"But Jack—"

 

"No buts," he said with a finality that made Daniel throw his hands up with frustration. He winced, shaking his arms as they hit the low ceiling. Angry, Daniel narrowed his eyes. He was certain he had caught a smile on Jack's face before he had bent down through the exit.

 

These buildings were empty, too. No, wait.

 

Well, this was certainly interesting. Frowning, Daniel studied the interior of the building. He crept forward, dusting away some of the dirt to find some material, a cloth of some kind. When he picked it up and studied it, he could see the obvious burn marks where the cloth had been set on fire.

 

A fire?

 

Pursing his lips, Daniel started to check the rest of the building for any signs of fire. And he found them. Strewn over the far corners of the small shack were bits of material, mainly the tattered remains of cloth. What baffled him was that the buildings themselves were made of wood, and therefore highly flammable. Why would these homes, or whatever they were, remain intact if there had been a fire?

 

Unless there had never been a fire.

 

At least, not how Daniel was imagining it.

 

Daniel looked around the room again, this time studying the structure and the crevasses more closely. He found more burnt cloth, some oven-dried bricks, and the remains of some old robes. The wooded walls were fire blackened and smelled of smoke. To Daniel, that meant that whatever fire had been here had been controlled, perhaps from a hearth.

 

Or in the case of this village, maybe the aliens had brought fire from the campsite into the huts.

 

Why would they do that?

 

Daniel, Daniel, Daniel…out, out, out!

 

 Daniel bit his lip, hesitating as he stopped to tug at his collar. He caught part of Sam and Jack's conversation.

 

"How many?" he heard Jack ask Sam.

 

"I counted at least twelve the last time I was conscious, sir. There could be more."

 

"Yeah, I'm not staying around to hold a census." There was a pause. "Daniel?"

 

Blocking out Sam, Jack, and the voices, he moved deeper inside the small building.

 

The scorch marks on the wooden panels were haphazard and random; there was no distinguishable pattern, no way to calculate which direction the fire had come or where it started. Daniel likened it to the game "pin the tail on the donkey." It was almost as if someone had come in with pokers and had been stabbing at the room.

 

Daniel frowned, unnerved by the thought. He dug deeper.

 

In the corner, he thought he saw something – something that might have missed the destruction of whatever happened here. Curious, Daniel swept aside some of the dried mud and dirt only to find some object wedged between two of the wooden planks at the bottom of the wall. If he hadn't been diligent, he might have missed it. It was nearly invisible in the shadows of the adjacent panels.

 

Daniel reached for it but stopped, catching a flicker from the corner of his eyes. He stared at the wall, waiting to see if the light that streamed through the cracks changed. "Jack?"

 

No reply.

 

"Jack?"

 

"You have one minute."

 

Daniel muttered under his breath and shook his head. He kneeled down and dug his hand into the gap in the corner. Just a little bit more, he thought, tugging.

 

He flinched, scraping the wood with his knuckles. But at least he'd claimed his prize.

 

It was a doll.

 

Wet and moist, it seemed to have missed the burning. Daniel figured it hadn't been seen, trapped in the damp shadows of the corner. But it did nothing to ease the nausea he was feeling. He sighed. There had been children here.

 

But, now, it wasn't the fact there was a doll in the shack that niggled at his brain but what the doll represented. He remembered the straw poking out of its long arms and legs, its long oval face…

 

It's three distinct black eyes.

 

Daniel, Daniel, Daniel…hungry, hungry, hungry!

 

Oh my God.

 

Daniel backed away, trying to put as much distance between the room and himself as possible. He jumped when he bumped into a figure behind him.

 

Daniel spun around to see Jack's black hazy face pulsing with anger. "Hey, what the hell did I say?"

 

"Oh, Jack. I was wrong, Very wrong."

 

"What?"

 

"They're not here to communicate with us." He licked his lips, feeling his heart race. "They're here to consume us."

 

Fire. They had burned them. God, burned them alive.

 

Jack's black haze darkened to near opaqueness. "Daniel, they don't even have mouths. How the hell--?"

 

"It doesn't matter how, just that they do." Daniel rubbed his face before leaning on the building for support. "All I know is that we have to get out of here. Trust me."

 

Jack didn't need convincing. His face shifted to the campsite and then back to Daniel. "Cannibals?"

 

He thought of the long slender bones they'd found, the fire, and the scorched buildings. "Cannibals," he said with a nod.

 

"Dammit." Jack nudged Daniel forward and motioned to Carter. "All right, let's—"

 

"Colonel!"

 

Both Daniel and Jack turned at the sound of Sam's cry. Just past the campsite there were three, four – no maybe five – of the aliens floating towards them. Through their shifting patterns of light, he caught the intense burning in their eyes.

 

And yet, he felt compelled to meet them.

 

Jack nudged him harder, this time with his elbow to his back.  The shove was enough to bring Daniel back to his senses. He swallowed hard, fought back against the itchiness to his skin, and took a step back. Jack and Sam did the same.

 

"Slowly," Jack warned them. "Let's move back to the shoreline. When we pass the clearing, we run. Can you do that?"

 

"Yes, sir."

 

"Daniel?"

 

He nodded, quietly moving his hand to grab Jack's jacket. He dug his fingers deep into the fabric, clutching it until he felt his knuckles go white. The three of them took a few more steps back. The aliens did not slow their pace.

 

"Go!" Jack shouted.

 

They ran. They charged through the forest, through whipping branches and through thorny bushes. When they broke into the clear, running along the side of the lake, they picked up the pace, breaking into a full run. Daniel attempted to keep up with Sam and Jack, cementing his hold on Jack's clothes. The blur of their colors, the trees, and the small animals that chirped in the forest clashed so hard with the tranquility and calm of the lake that it made his stomach lurch. He could barely see, which was problematic, and knew that if he were to let go…

 

Panting hard, Daniel afforded himself a glance back. He saw the aliens' colors, swishing angrily with a strange blackness pulsating from their abdomen. It repulsed him, sort of like Jack's colors, but at the same time his curiosity was driving him to learn more.

 

That's when he saw it –a flash of white, the gleam of silver, gnawing, grinding against each other with the distinct sound of metal on metal.

 

Daniel, Daniel, Daniel…hungry, hungry hungry!

 

Daniel gasped, pushing his legs harder. Suddenly, he didn't care about the aliens anymore. He didn't care about their colors. He didn't care about their culture. He didn't care about learning more.

 

It couldn't end like this. He couldn't fail Sha're.

 

Daniel swallowed down another breath, feeling the aliens glide closer. He didn't need to look back again to imagine their quick and silent glide over the grass and dirt, their shining ominous eyes, their gnashing teeth that gleamed in the abysmal center of their stomachs.

 

Jaws. Huge jaws.

 

He could almost feel their breath on his neck.

 

Then, Jack stopped.

 

Daniel grunted, crashing into Jack's back. By the time Daniel shook off his disorientation, he could already hear Sam's protests and rebuffs.

 

"…behind us!"

 

Jack ignored her and kept his arms splayed out across their chests, as if they would work as some effective barrier against attack. Daniel was about to push Jack himself. Had Sam and Jack seen the jaws? He wasn't sure they had. He started to nudge Jack when he stilled, catching a rustling from the bushes in front of them.

 

Daniel started to pant harder despite his mind screaming for him to be quiet. They were surrounded. This was it.

 

When the figures jumped from the bushes and charged forward, Jack grabbed Sam and Daniel by their shirts. "Get down!" he yelled before the three of them hit the dirt.

 

Daniel winced and covered his ears as he heard the gunfire blast overhead. There was a tremble in the colors, like an energy discharge rippling forward. Daniel squeezed his eyes shut, pushing away the blast of light and sound that wanted to cripple him on the spot. It was only a shake to his shoulder and the urgent calls all around him that finally brought him back.

 

"What?" he asked.

 

He saw more colors. Colors hovered all around him. Most were dark, angry, or cool and controlled. Some were light, vibrant and wispy. Others were slippery, morphing and changing into various forms. Even more were so awkward and tantalizing, he couldn't even describe them.

 

"All targets have been eliminated, sir."

 

Daniel blinked. That sounded like Johnson.

 

Marines? Wait, eliminated?

 

Daniel whipped his head back, searching the ground for the aliens. He saw nothing—no angry colors, no pursuing blobs of brightness, just the fading light wafting off their bodies like heat from a cooling fire.

 

He slouched down, confused as he felt both relieved and mournful over their fate. He thought he heard Sam trying to talk to him. He closed his eyes and pressed his fists to his eyes.

 

He thought maybe he drifted off when he was startled awake. Daniel heard the distinct click of a sidearm near his ear followed by one of Jack's impatient grunts. "It's about time you guys got here."

 

"You can always count on the Marines," Daniel heard Colonel Makepeace say.

 

"What took you so long?" Jack asked.

 

There was a snort and a chuckle, followed by something about retracing "his" steps. Daniel didn't catch the rest. He was too busy staring at their colors.

 

One moved toward him, shifting in a creamy darkness, like the color of night. He saw hints of dark purple, with pearls of silver and flecks of gold. Daniel sat and watched the silver and gold antagonize each other, until they started to form into shapes near his face. Daniel blinked and jerked back. Oh, that was Teal'c.

 

Teal'c.

 

"Don't touch me!" he yelled out, flailing his arms in different directions. Daniel momentarily lost his balance, but before he could fall onto his back, he twisted his body and dug the heels of his palms into the mud.

 

There was a splashing. A ripple of water washed over his itching fingers.

 

"Daniel Jackson!"

 

"Don't touch him, Teal'c," Daniel heard Jack say. "Don't touch any of us, for that matter. Not until Fraiser takes a look at us."

 

There was a pause. "Do you feel an illness?"

 

"The aliens did something to Daniel," Jack informed him. Daniel could almost imagine Jack giving him a pointed look. "Carter and I don't look compromised, but we've been exposed to whatever's got a hold on Daniel."

 

He heard a rustling as SG-3 absorbed the new information. Or maybe they were just trying to move away from him.

 

Daniel rubbed the smooth clay-like mud between the pads of his fingers as he heard them – his team and SG-3 – gear up to move out. Jack and Sam were arming themselves; Daniel couldn't be trusted with a weapon. He sighed, waiting as they made the final preparations. While he sat there nervously looking over his shoulder, anticipating the aliens and voices to return, he found himself drifting again, thinking of the prisoners, children included, who had been locked in those makeshift prisons.

 

The aliens were so strong. The buildings made such poor prisons. Why would they eat their own people? Why didn't they bother to escape?

 

Daniel, Daniel, Daniel…out, out, out!

 

Daniel stiffened, snapping out of his thoughts long enough to search the lakeside. He felt uncomfortable, like they were watching him. They were there. There were more of them.

 

 

"Colonel…" Sam's voice trailed off briefly before she cleared her throat. "If Daniel's right, then they could be using drugs to influence or paralyze their victims before consuming them." He saw Sam's colors shift. "Sirs, we have to move."

 

She didn't have to say anything more. They all knew there could be more waiting for them.

 

"Teal'c's the one that marked the path," Makepeace said. "He's the best way in and out of here."

 

"Good job, Teal'c," Jack said. "Let's move."

 

The colors shifted in front of him, all surging together. Some ran parallel while others ran perpendicular. They clashed and wrestled with each other, stinging his already sensitive eyes. He screwed them shut. He knew they had to leave but he just couldn't summon the energy to move any more. Not when the mud was cool and soothing.

 

Daniel scooped up a handful of the claylike substance and smeared it over his neck. It was cool to the touch, causing him a little shiver as he coated his neck and chest with the mud. It felt good. It helped to ease the itch and the tingling. Daniel knew he could easily stay here without a care.

 

"Sirs, he's not moving," Daniel vaguely heard someone say.

 

"Daniel?" That time it was Sam.

 

He forced himself to look away from Sam's colors and instead focused on the lake. Maybe she was right. Maybe the pull he'd been feeling all this time had to do with whatever drugs the aliens had pumped into him. Maybe that is how they lulled their victims into a false sense of security.

 

He didn't feel foggy headed anymore, but he still felt the pull. He couldn't even begin to explain it. Common sense told him everything to the contrary.

 

With a sigh, Daniel tapped the water, creating small ripples that stretched outward through the lake. Then, he washed his hands, enjoying the coolness of the water almost as much as the feel of the clay on his body. He went to reach for the lake again.

 

Daniel felt his shirt collar constrict around his neck before he was yanked to his feet. He saw Jack's blackness encroaching upon him.

 

"We've had this talk before, Daniel. Time to go."

 

Daniel nodded and grabbed hold of Jack's jacket. He realized if he kept moving his hands across the fabric, he could quell some of the itchiness that kept spreading across his skin. It wasn't mud or water, but it was something.

 

He clenched the material and rubbed it against his hands, watching with mild fascination as the blue of his skin clashed with the darkness that puffed from Jack. He knew he must look like a fool to the Marines, but he'd stopped caring. Besides, he knew that Henson liked to sing in the shower. That was enough to even the playing field.

 

Daniel fidgeted, biting back the tingling sensations that were touching his legs and clutched the jacket harder as they started creeping along the shoreline. When the sensation passed, he spread out his fingers and pressed his palm into the fabric. He stumbled a bit, his vision worsening, but as long as he could lock onto Jack's colors, he would be fine.

 

Daniel, Daniel, Daniel…

 

His blue shimmered, but never wavered. The edges were swallowed by the darkness that clung to Jack, but neither overpowered each other. Daniel thought he even saw some of his blue bleed into the black. Or was it that the black was bleeding into the blue.

 

Daniel frowned and withdrew his hand. The color was overpowering, but he was sure he'd seen something. He slowed his pace and drew his hand closer until it was right in front of his nose. Squinting, Daniel struggled to study the details of his hands.

 

It wasn't much. But despite the overwhelming blue, Daniel could discern two little pinpricks on the side of his right middle finger. They were empty, cold, contrasting sharply with the light blue that shimmered all over him.

 

What was that? Why hadn't he seen that before?

 

He wondered if it was due to his memory problems or if it was something to do with the aliens. He'd been so preoccupied.

 

"Jackson!" yelled Makepeace. "What the hell is he doing?"

 

Daniel felt a tug at his shirt. He blinked a few times and allowed Jack to pull him away.

 

He had strayed near the lake. He would have walked right into it.

 

"Daniel Jackson, it is not wise to venture off in your condition."

 

His condition…it was almost like he needed to be locked up for his own good.

 

Daniel paused and looked down at his hand.

 

"Is he sound enough to make it to the Gate?" Makepeace's dark greens danced in front of him like little swivels.

 

Gate? Daniel frowned, his memory tugging at him. He was supposed to remember something about that word.

 

"He'll make it." Jack nudged him with his elbow. "Focus. Can you do that?"

 

Daniel stared at his hand.

 

His knuckles hurt from where he'd scraped them, but he was too busy marveling at his prize.

 

It was a doll. Not human. Definitely not human. It had three eyes and a long slender look, but it seemed old.

 

He rubbed his fingers over its wet, muddied cloth face. It looked like it had years of wear and tear. He doubted it held any ritual significance. It probably had belonged to a child.

 

He sighed and ran his fingers over its dress. What had happened here?

 

He froze, catching another shadow obstruct the light that streamed into the hut. "Jack?" Again, Jack didn't reply right away. "Jack?"

 

He squeezed the doll as he waited for Jack to reply. When he didn't answer, Daniel decided he should probably try to radio him or Sam.

 

"Ow," he muttered, dropping the doll. After a shake to his hand, he spread his fingers, frowning at the two little pinpricks on his middle finger.

 

He started to rise from his crouched position and to move towards the exit. He froze, catching sight of the tall shadow blocking the doorway.

 

Jack shook him. "Daniel?"

 

Daniel blinked several times, struggling with the images in his mind. Suddenly feeling cold, he stepped away from Jack and glanced back to the forest. "Uh-oh," he whispered.

 

"Uh-oh?" Sam asked. He could hear the unease in her voice. She wanted to leave. They all did. Every minute they remained here was time wasted.

 

It was a shame Daniel wouldn't be going back with them.

 

"Daniel? We have got to go," Jack told him sternly. "Don't make me make Makepeace knock you out."

 

Daniel forced a nervous chuckle, stifling the urge to tell Jack to try to say that five times fast. He bowed his head and scratched at his chest.

 

"It's a leper colony," he said quietly.

 

"Excuse me?" Jack asked.

 

"Daniel, those buildings aren't made for full medical quarantine." Sam's voice sounded emphatic, maybe touched with a little fear. "Whatever those aliens did, we can fix it. But we need to go now."

 

"They never had any intention of a quarantine." He stared out over the lake. "No, you never intended to contain it, did you?"

 

"Colonel…"

 

They thought he was nuts. Why not? It wasn't like he was acting normal.

 

Jack's colors fluctuated impatiently. "Daniel…"

 

"It's in the mud," he said suddenly. "Oh my God, why didn't I see it before?"

 

It made perfect sense. Something was in the mud. That's why the aliens made their containment shacks out of wood. That's why the mudhole he and Jack woke up in had been partly baked.

 

Something bit him. The aliens knew. They aliens had contained him and Jack. They had taken Sam. They were in his head, tormenting him, making him want be near them.

 

They were going to eat them.

 

"Daniel, are you telling me these aliens are infected with something and they eat each other anyway? Why the hell would they do that?" Jack's color shifted, suddenly becoming starker. "Nevermind. I don't want to know. And I'm not staying around any longer to find out the hard way."

 

Daniel heard the group moving again and wasn't surprised when Jack grabbed his shirt and dragged him forward. His grip was tight and hard. If Daniel could see, he was sure Jack was about to belt him.

 

Daniel stumbled forward, trying to keep up. "In many cultures, ritual consumption of animals – or in some cases, people – imbue those involved in the sacrifice with certain powers." He rubbed the knuckles of his left thigh to quell an itch. "So, why not here?"

 

"Don't care," Jack muttered. "Our people don't eat each other, sick or otherwise."

 

Daniel thought about that, wanting to point out to Jack that many cultures on Earth – some still around today – practice forms of anthrophagy, even if in some cases only symbolically. He settled for something else. "Well, why do people eat blow fish?"

 

"Because they're idiots." He pulled Daniel harder. "Not so interested in this conversation at this time, Daniel."

 

"The more I think about it, the more I believe this is ritually related somehow." He held onto Jack's arm, struggling to keep in step with the rest of them. "This is where they contain their sick whether they drug them to keep them subservient or not." He swallowed a mouthful of air, pausing to bite his lip as the itching intensified. "Then, they burn and eat them. It's possible that they are trying to usurp whatever powers and qualities their infected brethren might—"

 

The party froze as a loud whoop resonated through the air.

 

Daniel grew quiet, feeling his body start to tremble with anticipation. "Did you hear that?"

 

"Oh, I don't like that sound," Sam said softly.

 

Daniel saw Teal'c's colors darken. "Nor do I."

 

"They never made a sound before," Jack said.

 

Daniel glanced over his shoulder. "Well, they never had mouths before, either."

 

Another whoop. The party cocked their weapons. Daniel found himself holding his breath, waiting, watching for any sign of their colors. Waiting…waiting…

 

The next howl carried over the trees, but was loud enough to rattle the ground. Daniel jerked from left to right. It seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at the same time.

 

Then they broke through the forest.

 

"Go, go, go!" he heard Jack yell.

 

There was a thunder across the ground, only slightly muffled by the thick mud near the shoreline. Daniel felt the rush of the people shooting past him as Jack tugged him along. Gunfire sounded somewhere to his left and he turned, needing to see if the military had hit their targets.

 

One of the aliens' colors blinked out. Two more took its place.

 

Daniel stared, horrified.

 

It was then that he realized he'd lost hold of Jack. He turned, searching for Jack, Sam or Teal'c. Even Makepeace. Instead, he saw the colors intersect each other, crisscrossing and bursting in front of his eyes. He tried to swat them away and run at the same time, but the stimuli was too much for him.

 

He heard another howl.

 

"Jack! Sam! Teal'c!" The colors swished and buzzed. He ran. He ran and ran.

 

Daniel, Daniel, Daniel! Out, out, out! Now, now, now!

 

Daniel gasped, grabbing at his chest as a sudden burst of fire burned through his skin. Not now, he though. Not now.

 

Daniel, Daniel, Daniel!

 

He held his stomach, dropping to his knees. Please…

 

"Daniel Jackson!" He heard Teal'c but he couldn't see him. He couldn't even identify his colors. "Daniel Jackson! We must proceed to the Stargate!"

 

Stargate.

 

That was what he couldn't remember. That was what he wasn't supposed to remember.

 

Stargate? Stargate, Stargate, Stargate…Daniel, Daniel, Daniel…Show us the Stargate.

 

He shook, feeling the burning increasing everywhere. It scalded him, but chilled him at the same time. He could feel the sweat dampening his hair, beading on his forehead, and threatened to trickle down in nose.

 

And he itched. He itched everywhere. He dug his fingers into his clothes – under his clothes – scratching at the spots that speckled his body.

 

He heard the lapping of water by his knees. He was back at the lakeside.

 

Daniel! Daniel! Daniel! Out! Out! Out!

 

He groaned, scraping at his skin as he tried to will away the fire inside. It was worse than when the alien had touched him. Instead of leading into a peaceful oblivion, Daniel felt the heat increase, the colors sharpen and multiply until it threatened to overwhelm him completely.

 

It was as if he could taste, touch, smell, hear and see a thousand times over, all at once, in disharmony.

 

It hurt.

 

He panted and turned to clutch his right arm. The muscles there had started to spasm, the lights on his skin dancing in a frenzy that pushed past his light blue shimmer. He saw the red, the orange, the green…move.

 

His breath caught in his throat as he stared at his arm, near panic as he saw one of the red spots shift and push.

 

Pushed hard.

 

Daniel bit back the pain that rippled outward from his arm and forced himself to face his reflection in the lake. He could see nothing but his color, highlighted by thousands of little dots of multicolored light that streamed beneath the blue.

 

Daniel! Daniel! Daniel! Hungry! Hungry! Hungry! Out! Out! Out!

 

Oh God.

 

He let out a scream as he felt them tear through his skin and burst into the night sky. He gasped and fell forward into the water, his energy spent.

 

Then everything went silent.

 

The world came rushing back to him. He gasped as he felt and heard the loud swoosh of water while he was forcibly taken from the lake. Daniel coughed before he rolled back and slumped.

 

Quiet. The voices had stopped.

 

"Teal'c!" he heard Jack yell. He sounded so distant.

 

"I will be fine. My symbiote will protect me." Daniel felt a shake and realized it was Teal'c holding him. "Daniel Jackson, we must leave this place."

 

Daniel went to speak but nothing came out. He rolled his head to the side. He was so tired. He felt part of his consciousness slipping.

 

"Oh hell, what is that?"

 

Daniel's eyes fluttered when he heard Jack's voice again. This time it seemed closer. Determined to do something, Daniel moaned, trying to get his body to cooperate.

 

He felt…sticky.

 

He heard more gunfire in the background.

 

"Sir, he may be in shock." Daniel saw Sam's face hovering over him. She frowned, nearly reaching out to touch him. "That's impossible," she said in one breath. "Sir, it's like a medical adhesive. All the openings seem to have been sealed."

 

"Great. Daniel?" Jack shook his shoulder. "Daniel?"

 

But Daniel was too busy staring at Sam's face. She was worried, her forehead pressed into fine lines while the corners of her mouth turned downward.

 

He could see it. He could see every detail.

 

The best he could without his glasses, of course.

 

"Mmph," he managed to say, struggling to right himself. He winced from the soreness in his muscles, feeling like he'd run a marathon. Frowning, he poked at the little rips and tears that littered his clothing.

 

"Daniel, we have to go," Sam said, her voice full of concern. She glanced up to the sky and then back to him.

 

"Damn, they're swarming," Jack muttered. "Let's go."

 

Teal'c helped Daniel to stand before he grabbed his staff weapon from Jack. To Daniel's surprise, his legs were steadier than he had thought. He could feel the rush of energy, or maybe adrenaline, as he gathered himself to leave.

 

Gunfire continued off in the distance, filtering through the trees. Another loud howl filled the sky.

 

Daniel glanced upwards, his lips parting in awe as he stared at the swarm. Just like the group he and Jack had seen yesterday, they soundlessly whirled in a circular pattern while weaving in and out of each other in steady streams. Their shining colors – colors from all across the spectrum – blinked brightly against the night sky. They pushed higher and higher until they changed direction and darted into the forest.

 

"It was them," he said, his voice almost lost amidst the gunfire. "All this time it was them."

 

Daniel switched his gaze to across the lake. An alien was standing there, alone, quiet and dejected. For the first time, Daniel really saw it for what it was.

 

It was the injured one. His skin was sallow, brown, worn with worry and stress. His three black eyes no longer held that shine and gleam Daniel had once thought he had seen, but instead were dull and lack luster. If not for the light from the moon and stars reflecting on the lake, Daniel would have missed him completely.

 

He still held the pad in his hand as if it were the only thing he had left.

 

When Daniel looked in his eyes, he saw the failure of all failures dying inside. He saw everything he'd failed to see himself.

 

It had tried to help him. It had tried to cure him.

 

"Come on!" Daniel shouted across the water, motioning with his hand for the alien to follow. "Come with us! We can save you!"

 

The alien hesitated, clutching the pad harder as it stared at Daniel. Again, Daniel motioned with his hand and pushed toward the water, ignoring the shouts of his friends behind him.

 

Daniel saw its nervousness as its gaze flickered over the water and back to him.

 

It was afraid of the water. Of course. The fireflies lived in the water and the mud. Wherever there was moisture.

 

It was all making sense now.

 

"Come anyway!" Daniel yelled, stopping at the shore but waving more frantically. He only stopped once to look back, catching the shock in Jack's angry face. Jack raised his weapon. "Daniel!" he yelled.

 

Daniel turned back to the alien. "Jack, trust me on this." He beckoned to the alien again. "Come with us! Please!"

 

The alien's eyes flickered with sadness before finally tossing aside the pad and lifting its tattered robes off the ground. Quickly but silently, it glided above the lake waters, its arms outstretched towards Daniel. He thought he saw hope in its battered face.

 

The staff blast hit it squarely in the chest.

 

"No!" Daniel yelled, watching the alien drop into the lake. It hit with a hard splash, momentarily dipping under the water until its body bobbed to the surface. Its green blood seeped into the chilly water.

 

Livid, Daniel spun around and glared at Teal'c. "He wasn't our enemy!"

 

"Hey." Jack stalked over to them, shifting his body to step between Daniel and Teal'c. "Daniel, you just gave birth to about a thousand Skittles. You've been compromised and we don't know our friendlies here. That thing could have been infected just as much as you were. We had no way of knowing. Now, we have got to go."

 

Daniel glared at Teal'c long and hard until he finally moved to join Jack. They hadn't taken two steps away from the lake when Sam called out.

 

"Colonel! Behind you!"

 

Daniel and Jack turned around to see SG-3 press back to them, firing into the forest. Five more aliens burst through the woods, trailing SG-3, their razor-sharp jaws chopping from inside their stomachs. Three more glided behind them.

 

Sam and Jack readied their weapons and joined into the fray. One alien fell which only incensed the others. Angry, their mouths widened as they flung themselves at SG-3.

 

The fireflies bolted from the forest, darting towards all of them like missiles.

 

The aliens howled, the first to be struck by the bugs. Horrified, Daniel watched as the beautiful colored creatures chewed at the sagging brown flesh of the aliens, burrowing into them while weaving in and out of their skin.

 

God, they were eating them alive. Eating them inside and out.

 

"The light from the staff weapon," Daniel said, staring at the multicolored bugs. "They're attracted to the light."

 

"Good enough distraction," Jack clapped Daniel on the shoulder and nudged him forward before signaling to SG-3. "Let's go before they want dessert."

 

Both SG-1 and SG-3 ran from the shoreline, following the trail Teal'c had marked through the forest on the way to the Stargate. Daniel was still angry with him, but some of his fury cooled as he started to recognize the landscape. Whatever strategy Teal'c had used to track Sam and make it back to the Gate for reinforcements was working.

 

Maybe he would be able to leave the planet. Maybe he would see Sha're again.

 

"Colonels!"

 

Daniel reluctantly glanced over his shoulder as he ran, following the sound of Sam's voice. "Dammit," he heard Jack mutter.

 

A new group of aliens pushed through the forest, appearing out of nowhere. Hands outstretched, they reached for them. Their jaws continuing to grind and salivate. Daniel could see the fireflies in hot pursuit.

 

"Get to the Gate!" Makepeace yelled. "We'll cover you!"

 

Sam and Daniel sprinted forward, ahead of the rest, moving toward the end of the forest. They could see the DHD far off in the distance, past the final thick of trees they needed to clear. 

 

They were almost there.

 

Sam cried out, caught by an alien that jumped from the brushes beside them. "Sam!" Daniel shouted. He tried to grab at her MP-5 as she struggled against the alien and its yapping jaws.

 

"Major Carter!"

 

Daniel breathed out. Thank God for Teal'c. Effortlessly, Teal'c drew his staff weapon and shot the alien in the shoulder.  The alien seemed stunned by the assault, leaping back to touch its smoking flesh. Sam used the opportunity while she could. Grabbing her MP-5, she readied her weapon and fired into the alien.

 

Dead, it dropped to the ground.

 

"Go!" she yelled. He saw her wince and touch her ankle. "Go, Daniel. I'll be right behind you."

 

Daniel nodded, making sure that Teal'c helped Sam to her feet. When he saw that they were hobbling after him, he made a break for the DHD.

 

Daniel rushed through the forest into the clearing that surrounded the platform that lead to the Stargate. The DHD was right in front of him, teasing him with promises of safety and security.

 

The fireflies knew of the Stargate. They would come.

 

Daniel threw himself at the DHD, not even slowing to a stop. Breathless, he started to dial Earth. Sam and Teal'c broke through the clearing behind him.

 

The sound of the chevrons locking was music to Daniel's ears. He couldn't help but smile as he entered the very last symbol and watched the Stargate spring to life.

 

Sam grabbed the DHD for support as she sent the signal through the Stargate via the GDO she was holding. He had no idea whether it was hers or someone else's but he didn't care. They were going home.

 

She snatched Teal'c's radio and stared into the event horizon. "General Hammond, this is Major Carter. Sir, we're coming in hot. Upon arrival, no one is to engage Daniel." He jerked, surprised by the comment. "Repeat, no one is to engage Daniel. He might have been compromised. We need a full medical quarantine."

 

"Copy that, Major," Daniel heard General Hammond say. "The Gateroom is on alert."

 

"Thank you, sir." She tossed the radio to Teal'c and aimed her weapon at the forest. "You go, Daniel. We'll be right behind you."

 

Daniel hesitated. He nervously searched the edge of the forest.

 

"We shall follow once O'Neill and the others reach the platform," Teal'c told him. "You must go."

 

Daniel glanced over to the active Gate and back to the forest again.

 

Come on, Jack, he thought. He couldn't bear to think of his fate if the fireflies had gotten to him and SG-3.

 

Jack and Colonel Makepeace broke through the forest, followed by Johnson, Henson, and Santos. Two of the aliens and a swarm of the bugs were hot in pursuit.

 

"Go!" Jack shouted, pointing with his hands.

 

Daniel nodded and bolted for the steps. Pushing with everything he had, he hurled himself through the Stargate. Within seconds, he found himself stumbling onto the ramp inside the SGC and facing a room full of armed soldiers and medical personnel. Immediately, Daniel skidded to his knees and held his hands up in the air.

 

Two people in hazmat suits rushed over to him and started to check his vitals. He realized that the entire Gateroom was sealed and even the soldiers were wearing protective gear. When Daniel glanced up at the control room, he caught General Hammond watching carefully, his gaze refocusing on the event horizon. But before Daniel could explain, Sam burst through the Stargate, limping down the ramp with Teal'c's support, signaling for the airmen to stand ready.

 

Daniel didn't see how weapons would be of any use against brightly lit bugs.

"Major Carter," General Hammond called. "Where is Colonel O'Neill and SG-3?"

 

As if on cue, Jack and SG-3 burst through the event horizon and stumbled down the ramp. Without hesitation, Jack pointed back at the ramp. "Close the iris!" he shouted to the general.

 

General Hammond was a step ahead of him. Even before Jack had finished shouting the order, the iris closed. Daniel cringed as he heard thump after thump hit the iris.

 

But he was home. They were home. He could feel everyone's relief in the air.

 

"Will someone tell me what in Sam Hill is going on?" he heard General Hammond ask from the control room.

 

"Oh, you're going to love this one, General," Jack said. Daniel ignored the sarcasm and allowed himself to relax and to collapse onto the floor. He heard Jack continue as he closed his eyes. "Great story to tell the kids over a campfire."

 

Doctor Fraiser drew back the curtain to reveal General Hammond, Jack, and Teal'c standing by Daniel's bedside. Sam was resting in the bed adjacent to him, her left ankle wrapped and laptop perched on her thighs.

 

"Well, from what I can tell, he's a little dehydrated but nothing else is out of the ordinary," Fraiser announced to her crowd. "I recommend that Daniel stay overnight for observation to be on the safe side."

 

"So, no bugs?" Jack asked. When Daniel scowled at him, he shrugged apologetically.

 

"No, sir," Doctor Fraiser said with a chuckle. "No bugs."

 

Jack knew full well Daniel didn't have any problems or he would have never been released out of quarantine. Daniel guessed he was just looking for a little reassurance.

Daniel couldn't really blame him.

 

"What happened?" General Hammond asked them.

 

"We're not exactly sure," Sam replied.

 

"Based on initial statements from Colonel O'Neill, Teal'c, and Major Carter, and coupled with reports from Doctor Jackson, it seems to me these 'bugs" were a form of parasite," Doctor Fraiser said. "They aren't all that dissimilar to the bugs you encountered on BP6-3Q1.  They need a host to incubate their young. Only when they reach maturity do they leave the host instead of rewriting any genetic material. In fact," she said, pointing to Daniel's arm, "they seem to incubate just under the skin. There is no apparent tissue damage and the areas where they broke through the skin seem to have sealed and are healing nicely."

 

Sam nodded. "The creatures must secrete a healing compound, like the one we found on Daniel, when the host gives birth to them."

 

Jack cocked his head at the statement, his eyebrows arching as he turned to gaze at Daniel with a smug smile on his face. If Jack dared call him bug boy, Daniel swore he'd give him another shiner to match the one he already had.

 

Which, by the way, was worse than Daniel remembered. He cleared his throat and looked at General Hammond.

 

"The fireflies were attracted to light," Daniel explained. "Everything I was feeling and everything I saw was influenced by them. It could be why I was drawn to lighter colors and not darker ones. It might have been why they initially bit me, too." He paused to scratch his chin. "I didn't think of it then, but now I believe that the fluctuations I saw in the auras of the other aliens were an adaptive trait to try to survive."

 

"So, these fireflies – as you call them – were natural predators to the other aliens you encountered?" Hammond asked.

 

Jack glanced over to the general. "Walked right into the food chain, sir."

 

General Hammond nodded. "What about the other aliens?"

 

"They proved to be hostile to our presence," Teal'c said.

 

Daniel glared at him. "We don't know that. They could have been trying to help us."

 

"You said so yourself, Daniel. The aliens that we encountered were cannibalistic in nature," Sam said. "We saw their shacks, their campsite, even their remains. They willingly slaughtered their own kind, and they imprisoned us."

 

Daniel sighed and folded his arms. He doubted he could convince him of what he felt. Why would they believe him? Why should he believe himself? He was obviously compromised. "I believe that the villages we saw on the planet were containment areas for their people. Once they became symptomatic, they were locked up and remained there until—"

 

"Until they burned them," Sam finished.

 

General Hammond's interest piqued at that comment. "Come again?"

 

Jack sighed and rubbed his eyes. "From what Daniel could see, it looks like they ritually burned their victims before they ate them, sir."

 

"Yes," Daniel said. He wasn't denying that point. "But one of the aliens that was with us was trying to help. Why else would it have risked its life and stayed with us in a mud pit that could have been contaminated?"

 

"They're the ones that nabbed us and put us in there in the first place, Daniel," Jack said angrily. "I doubt they were doing us any favors."

 

"Could it not be the aliens themselves who orchestrated the scene to infect you?" Teal'c raised his chin as he spoke.

 

Daniel continued to glare at him. "Well, I'll never get to ask it now, will I?"

 

Teal'c's jaw quivered, and he looked away.

 

General Hammond cleared his throat. "Doctor Jackson—"

 

"Look," Daniel said, trying one last time. "It was the aliens that repressed my memory. They didn't want the other creatures to know any vital information I might have been carrying. One of them even tried to cure me." Upon seeing the puzzled expressions on his friends' faces, he sighed and continued. "When the alien drugged me or did whatever he did, I could feel the fireflies dying inside me. I couldn't understand it then, but I understand it now."

 

He searched their faces, looking for any hope that they could understand. All he saw was concern, sympathy, and pity.

 

General Hammond turned to Jack. "Colonel?"

 

Jack stared directly at Daniel as he spoke. "We're not one hundred percent sure about that, General."

 

Daniel shook his head and hit his fist to his thigh. Of course not.

 

"In fact, I say we lock PJ5-790 from our dialing computer," Jack added.

 

General Hammond gave a slight nod. "That's already been done, Colonel." He lowered his voice and eyed SG-1 carefully. "Now, you've all been through a rough ordeal. I suggest you get a good night's rest. As per the doctor's orders, you're all to remain on base tonight. But try to get some sleep. We'll debrief in full along with SG-3 tomorrow."

 

"Yes, sir," Jack and Sam said while Teal'c bowed and Daniel nodded.

 

"Well, you heard the general," Doctor Fraiser said. "You need to rest."

 

"We're rested." Jack glanced over to Teal'c. "We're rested, aren't we?"

 

The smallest of smiles touched Teal'c's lips. "We are indeed rested, Doctor Fraiser."

 

She chuckled and shook her head before giving Jack a very pointed look. "Ten minutes tops. Then, I want you to head over to your VIP room on base and Teal'c can head back to his quarters. I expect for you to report to me first thing in the morning."

 

Jack rolled his eyes but nodded. Teal'c inclined his head ever so slightly.

 

"Good." Doctor Fraiser turned her attention to Sam and Daniel. "Now, I want you both to rest. No work," she said to Sam and then to Daniel. "If you need anything, just ring for me or one of the nurses on staff."

 

"Thanks, Janet," Sam said with a smile.

 

Daniel offered a smile of his own. "Thank you."

 

Doctor Fraiser grinned and patted his arm before she slipped out of the room to leave them alone. Sam and Daniel waited expectantly for Jack to say something.

 

He cleared his throat. "So, uh, the Doc says you're fine."

 

"Oh really?" Daniel motioned between Sam and himself. "Because it's not like we were in the room when she told us."

 

"Haha," Jack muttered. "Funny."

 

Sam chuckled. "It's okay, sir. Janet says I strained my ankle. It will be sore for a while, but there's no damage."

 

"And I've been poked and prodded enough to know I'm fine," Daniel added.

 

"No more voices?" Jack asked.

 

"No."

 

"No more colors?"

 

"No."

 

Jack nodded. "Good." He nodded again, this time more confidently, and a smile – a real smile – spread across his face.

 

Finally seeing Jack able to relax did wonders for Daniel. He knew the past two days had been especially tough for Jack as he worried for the welfare of his team and had to deal with a compromised Daniel. Truth be told, Daniel wasn't sure he would have made it if Jack hadn't helped him keep it together.

 

He watched Jack and cringed inwardly at the puffiness that surrounded Jack's discolored eye. Breathing out, he brought his finger up to point to Jack's face. "Uh, sorry about…the uh…"

 

"Yeah. No, forget it," Jack said quietly. "What happens on the planet stays on the planet."

 

Daniel nodded while trying to keep the mischievous twinkle from his eyes. Jack knew. Jack understood. "Gracias," Daniel said.

 

Jack shrugged. "De nada," he answered with a knowing smile.

 

Teal'c turned his attention away from Sam and frowned at Jack. "I am unfamiliar with this term."

 

Jack smiled and patted Teal'c on the shoulder. "I'll teach it to you sometime. But now, I say we leave them to do…" He motioned with the flip of his hand. "Whatever they're going to do." When Sam went to protest, Jack shook his head. "Because I know neither one of you is going to listen to Fraiser."

 

Sam and Daniel exchanged a knowing look. Of course not.

 

"Goodnight, sir," Sam said cheerfully. "Goodnight, Teal'c."

 

"Carter. Daniel." Jack waved for Teal'c to follow. "Let's go."

 

Teal'c began to follow Jack to the exit before he paused and turned to face Daniel. "I am sorry about what happened on the planet," Teal'c said, his voice low and soft. "But it was only my intention to protect you. It is my hope that it shall never happen again."

 

Daniel nodded. "Mine too." He tried to smile, to bring some kind of reassurance to Teal'c, even if Daniel didn't fully feel it at the time. "I-I understand."

 

Teal'c considered his words before inclining his head in a small bow. Quietly, he followed Jack out of the infirmary and down the hall.

 

Daniel sighed and leaned back on the pillow. He found himself staring at the ceiling, watching the glow of the overhead lights. They were normal, sterile, boring white, but a true comfort that Daniel couldn't explain in words. He cherished the peace and normalcy that the infirmary offered him.

 

Imagine that.

 

But still, he couldn't help but wonder about the aliens, the glowing bugs, and their world. Beyond mythology, they were real, caught up in a struggle of survival just as fierce if not more so than their battles with the Goa'uld.

 

He wished he could have learned more. He wished he could have saved that one that tried to help him.

 

If he had, Daniel reminded himself. Daniel knew he was the only one that believed in the alien, but he was sure that he was right. It was a shame that the truth had died with him.

 

Daniel…

 

Daniel froze, his breath catching in his throat as he heard the sound of his name. Clutching the sheets, he looked around the empty room, eyeing the tables, the walls, the equipment before his terrified gaze found Sam.

 

She stared at him, the curiosity in her face changing to concern. "Daniel?"

 

"Uh…"

 

"I said did you want a candy? Teal'c smuggled me some treats from the vending machine in the commissary."

 

Daniel chuckled nervously and exhaled in relief. "Sure."

 

Sam chucked a piece of candy at him, laughing when it bounced off his head. Daniel groaned, reaching down to pick it out of his tangled sheets. After thanking her, Daniel popped it in his mouth and leaned back, closing his eyes as he chewed.

 

While he remained there, quiet and reflective, he pondered all the possibilities, all that was lost, and all that was real and unreal. And for a brief moment he paused, swearing he had heard the word hungry whisper in his ear before it was gone and he was left to wonder yet again.

 

THE END

 

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