True to Form

by Jb

part five, of nine

The MALP tilted slightly to the right as it dipped into the shallow depression, but fortunately it didn't bog down too badly. With most of the rocks laboriously cleared from it's path, Panter had hoped it would have been a quick trip across the uneven ground - it only needed to go about a hundred and fifty feet - but it hadn't turned out that way. The ungainly probe had hung up on even the most innocuous of things; even the skinny rotted branch he had missed picking up had tangled in the treads. It had taken over ten minutes just to get that straightened out. Damn MALPs were pieces of junk at the best of times.

It was almost there now. Panter twisted the control on the remote and the new probe shuddered to a halt just fifteen feet from the line of trees. He walked forward and checked the path he had cleared into the low brush, kicking the dirt around to smooth it over the tangled surface roots. It would do. Just as he put the MALP back into forward motion, Panter was alarmed to hear the low whine and familiar sounds of the Stargate chevrons lighting up one by one. Shit. He wasn't ready for the rest of the stuff yet.

Urgently, he manipulated the remote to drive the MALP into the brush, and shut it down. Using the butt of the Beretta he had appropriated from Jackson days before, Panter smashed the sending and receiving arrays and hastily threw branches and brush over top of the MALP. Satisfied that even if it was located despite the hasty camouflage job, it would be useless, he ran back along the short path through the trees.

Scanning the valley before him, his M16 at the ready, Panter paused at the treeline. The Stargate was active, the event horizon rippling in the late afternoon sunlight. There was no sign of life out there, but still, he waited. It wouldn't do to be caught out in the open if they came back now. Panter snarled to himself. Teal'c and that useless drone Rykert had been back to check out the Stargate at least eight times that he knew of, over the last four days. Each time, they had re-examined the DHD, carefully searched the area for tracks, and given the damaged MALP yet another once-over before heading back to the trail up the cliff wall. And each time, Panter had lain silently in his dug-out depression at the tree's edge, covered with leafy branches and drenched with nervous sweat.

He'd been forced to cower like a sick dog hiding from a pack of wolves. Well, things might have been a little ass-backward up until now, but that was about to change. Deciding the area was clear, Panter jogged over to the dais and began to gather up those packages which had fallen off the FRED as it had come through, pleased to see the special item he had requested right on top of the pile. Hammond may have disregarded him in deciding to send the new MALP and the rest of this crap, despite what Panter had told him and had asked of him, but at least the old fart had done one thing right.

Panter tucked his prize into the waistband of his pants and attended to the task of repacking the FRED so he could remove it from the clearing. He glanced over his shoulder at the original destroyed MALP which still sat at the foot of the steps. Satisfaction brought a sadistic leer to his face. They'd never know. At least, not until it was far too late.

Teal'c kicked dirt over the dying embers of the fire, turning slightly to watch his friends as they prepared to leave this place. To watch one friend in particular. As Captain Carter, O'Neill and Rykert finished packing up, Daniel Jackson sat perched on a sleeping roll, notes in hand, staring off at... well, Teal'c suspected the archaeologist wasn't seeing much of anything in particular.

The day before had been a long and difficult one for Daniel Jackson as the young man laboured to decipher the remaining glyphs, and the night which had followed had been worse. Teal'c knew his friend had gotten little sleep. Daniel Jackson had spent long hours alternately staring at his notes in the dim light from the fire, and huddled in a ball unsuccessfully fighting bouts of nausea and pain. Teal'c had tried to help but had been rebuffed, as had Colonel O'Neill. Of even more concern was during this last night, as with the entire previous night and day, Captain Carter had not even bothered to make the effort.

"Teal'c, let's just stow this stuff along the back wall for now." He turned to see O'Neill indicating a pile of gear. "We'll just take a couple of day packs and the weapons."

Teal'c nodded in agreement. That was sensible. Should the address be the correct one, they would no longer require any of the gear. Should it not, they would need to return to this place. There was no sense in carrying what was not essential on the trip back to the Stargate. He rose to help, but Captain Carter appeared at his side.

"It's okay, Teal'c. I'll help stow this stuff. Maybe you could re-check the day packs..." She cast a glance in the direction of their ill teammate. "Maybe give Daniel a hand organizing his notes?" Teal'c studied her face. Daniel Jackson did not need help organizing his notes.

Her eyes flicked quickly between him and Daniel Jackson, and she moved away to join O'Neill and Rykert at the far wall. Her expression and actions plainly indicated she needed some distance, but didn't want Daniel left alone. Teal'c supposed he could appreciate her quandary. The continued aftermath of what Teal'c was well aware had been an intense argument between the two pained all of them. The tension between Captain Carter and Daniel Jackson was palpable, disturbingly pervasive. The extent of the rift between them had become all too clear to Teal'c during the past day and two nights, when their friend had repeatedly been ill and Captain Carter had not even attempted to offer assistance.

They were just about ready to leave. Teal'c offered a hand to his friend. "Daniel Jackson, we should leave now." After a moment of hesitation during which Teal'c feared even this most minor of concessions to illness might be rejected, his hand was grasped and he hauled the young man to his feet. Teal'c felt slightly reassured at the remaining strength in the hand that gripped his own, and was gratified to see Daniel was more or less steady on his feet. Nevertheless, Teal'c moved his hand out from Daniel's and placed it on the young man's shoulder. "I will accompany you down the path. Captain Carter can take my place and proceed with Colonel O'Neill."

Teal'c thought he saw faint gratitude mixed with shame, in Daniel's eyes. He mentally shook his head. These Tau'ri could be their own worst enemies at times.

Jack leaned against the DHD. He watched as Carter sauntered not-so-aimlessly back and forth between the Stargate dais and the boulder just a few feet to his right. He knew she was trying to be discrete about comparing the Stargate ring symbols with those of the DHD, but she wasn't doing a very good job of hiding her concern. Jack was glad Daniel wasn't here yet, that Daniel wasn't aware of the actions which he'd undoubtedly misinterpret as a vote of non-confidence.

She stopped, leaning against the large rock. Jack raised an eyebrow at her. "What?"

She looked hesitant, almost guilty. "I... I don't know. I just wish there was some way of being sure. I mean, if it doesn't work, then we're going to have to hike all the way back up the cliff, right?"

"Well, it is going to work, Carter."

The strong doubt in her eyes disappeared as she obviously, purposefully, blinked it away. "If you say so, Sir." She averted her gaze, mumbling at the ground, "I sure don't want to think about him having to climb back up there."

Jack understood that concern well enough. He and Carter had been careful on the way down to the valley, scouting every nook and cranny, but even so they'd already had almost two hours to survey the Stargate area thoroughly and still there was no sign of the others. Jack knew Teal'c and Rykert could handle anything - anyone, actually - that he and Carter might have missed. There'd been no radio contact, no unmentionable sharp noises filling the air, nor any other indications of a problem... so, Daniel must be moving really slowly. Jack was both stumped and worried almost to the point of distraction. He knew the kid had taken a bad smack to the head, but his continued difficulties, especially the nausea and the ever-increasing weakness, were wearing pretty thin... not to mention that unbearable irritability.

"Carter, just what is it with him? If it were more serious than a concussion, wouldn't he have keeled over by now? He's still with us, but all this other stuff... hell, it's been days."

Yes, but when you think about it, what's happened over those days? There's been no time for him to rest. You and Teal'c..." Jack was glad to see her pause, to obviously decide she was better off not going in that direction.

"Okay, Sir, I've been thinking a bit more about that. I admit I thought it had to be something more serious. But if that were so, he'd be a getting a lot worse. So, I think I was wrong."

Oh, yeah, as if he wasn't worse? Jack really wasn't sure what she was getting at; Daniel was sick as a dog, and steadily going downhill from there. His expression must have said as much, because she hurried to elaborate on her statement. "I meant neurologically, Sir. He's still awake and alert. I don't know for sure, but I think if it were a more serious head injury he'd probably be well on the way to becoming comatose by now." She let out a derisive snort. "That's hardly the case, is it?"

Hardly, was right. It had gotten to the point that Jack sorely wanted to bop Daniel another really good one right on the head, just to see those bleary eyes finally closed for longer than just a few scattered hours at a time. Jack was well aware Carter's turn-around was likely more related to regret over what she had said to Daniel - what the rest of them couldn't help but overhear - than it was an objective appraisal of his condition. But still, she had a point. "Okay, Carter... so what is it, then? We need to keep him functioning here. Daniel was puking his guts up right from the start, and he still can't keep much of anything down."

"Yes, right. So, now he's weak and dehydrated, as well as still having those headaches, and all that just makes him feel worse. That makes sense. I mean, all of his symptoms aren't unusual, right? You've been hit on the head hard enough to put you under for hours, Sir. Remember P4Y332? I seem to recall you not feeling very well for at least 12 hours after that, and all you had to do was lay around and have us fetch and carry for you. And you weren't exactly thinking straight for a while either."

Ah... there it was. He'd known if he waited long enough, the immediate concern which she was trying so hard to skirt around would stick it's nasty head out and take a peek at the scenery. Whatever they called Daniel's problem, concussion or anything else, wouldn't change the bottom line. "So you think this might be a post-concussion syndrome kind of thing, made worse by a vicious cycle of pain, the pukes, and a lack of rest. And you don't trust his judgment." Jack waved a hand at the Stargate. "Well, you know what? I buy his argument, Carter. If the little green men who built the Stargate gave us our ideas about the constellations, then they sure could have given the Altairians the same images."

He looked at her for some sign that she was with Daniel here, but he didn't get any. "All right, look... even if he's wrong, what's the worst that can happen? The glyphs won't work, that's all. And if he's right and he does open the Stargate, we've covered all the bases, Carter. We have no way of knowing if or how badly Panter might have spooked the SGC, but the worst that can happen in that case is Hammond might not answer the first time the doorbell rings. But, he will answer, when he receives the GDO code."

"What if he doesn't, Sir?"

"What if he doesn't? You know Carter, Daniel's not entirely batty here. You have a negative streak in you. We've all just been far too intimidated by you to say so... except for Daniel. Oh, but on second thought, then, I guess you must be right - Daniel's judgment must be impaired."

Carter didn't respond to the lame attempt at humor. Feeling vaguely unappreciated, Jack reverted to reassurance and positive thinking. If anything was needed here, it was positive thinking. "Daniel's address will work. And we'll know it's right for sure, because Hammond will send another probe when he gets the code and we don't follow it through. It'll be fine, Carter."

Daniel carefully compared Jack's original sketches with the DHD itself, checking, image by image, line by line, the accuracy of the drawings. He took his time. Any deviations, no matter how slight, could make a world of difference. After all, his basic process for translating the symbols was highly interpretive and while he was absolutely certain of their derivation, the addition or subtraction of a line here or a curl there could conceivably alter an entire conceptualization.

Relieved beyond measure when he found the drawings to be highly accurate, Daniel finally raised his head. "I'm ready."

"Okay. Let's go for it, then." Jack turned and looked at Daniel for a moment, giving him a brief smile of support, before once again turning his back on him.

Jack stood nearby, just the other side of the boulder, with Teal'c several feet beyond him. Both of them faced outward, away from the Stargate and the DHD. Daniel could see Sam and Rykert at the opposite edge of the Stargate clearing, their backs to him, Rykert also concentrating his gaze outward over the low valley which stretched in front of them while Sam looked back at the treed area behind the Stargate. Daniel knew what they were looking out for. Who they were looking out for. His stomach, already quite queasy enough, twisted into yet a tighter knot.

He pushed his nervousness aside. "Right. I'll dial the six locator glyphs, and then start at the top of the outside ring for the point of origin. That's the same symbol that's at the top of the Stargate ring. I hope we don't need to do this very many times..."

Jack nodded without looking at him. Raising his arm, he called out to Carter and Rykert that Daniel was about to begin, before directing a comment Daniel's way. "However many times it takes is okay, Danny. We'll get it. Teal'c gave you his GDO, right?" Then the serious brown eyes quickly turned his way and raked an assessing glance over him. "You feel well enough to handle that?"

"Yeah." Daniel looked at the transmitter strapped to his right wrist. He knew why Jack had asked the question. It wouldn't do to activate the Stargate, only to punch in the wrong code and then sit around and wait for nothing to happen. He remembered the code, he could see the small numbers on the keypad... the weight of the GDO on his arm was reassuring. Yes, he could do this. "Okay, here goes." He punched his first altered glyph, the one he'd identified as having to be Auriga, according to his interpretative use of the Altairian language. The first chevron on the Stargate lit up. His lips held together in a tight line, Daniel pressed on his second choice; what he was certain could only be Cetus. Obediently, the second chevron came to life.

If the glyphs were incorrect, the sequence not a valid address, the DHD and the 'gate would immediately shut down. Daniel knew it was unlikely, on only the first few symbols, he would inadvertently dial an incorrect sequence. He felt sure of his interpretation of the first two symbols, and the next symbol, the one replacing Centaurus, had been relatively easy - it was only slightly altered and the ideogram pleasantly straight-forward. Without so much as a quick breath, Daniel pressed down on it and sure enough the third chevron glowed orange. Daniel heard Jack's grunt of approval. Three down, three to go.

Earth's address, the six constellation pictographs that were so familiar to all of them as to be as memorable as the everyday Arabic numerals one through six, went from Auriga, to Cetus, then Centaurus, and next to Cancer. That had been the most difficult one. Daniel paused, his hand hovering over the foreign symbol which he had designated as Cancer. If there was going to be an error, it would be here. One of two things would happen; either the gate would shut down right away, the sequence of four not forming the first part of any valid address, or it would remain active and Daniel wouldn't know for certain if the symbol he'd chosen as being Cancer was a correct part of Earth's address until he dialed each of the next two glyphs.

"Daniel? Problem?" Daniel jerked his head up at Jack's soft question. He realized his upper arm ached. How long had he been standing here, his hand held over the glyph? Shit. He must have zoned out momentarily. He choked down the acid and the fear which rose in his throat.

"No. It's okay." One quick breath, one quick jab at the symbol, and both the DHD panel and the chevron lit up virtually simultaneously. Daniel looked over toward Jack to find himself facing a huge grin. Jack winked at him before turning his attention back to the surveying the glade. Daniel felt himself break out into a smile of his own, the first in many days of pain and doubt and fear. Scutum and Eridanus were next, and Daniel was inexorably certain of both. The moment of truth was right now... there were only six specific glyphs per individual planet address. If Scutum and Eridanus lit, then Cancer would have to be correct.

They'd be going home.

Alternately shifting her gaze between her assigned watch of the trees behind the Stargate and Daniel at the DHD, Sam felt her nerves settle as the fifth chevron lit. Even from a distance, even though she stood over fifty feet away, she recognized the change in Daniel's posture. The tense hunch of his shoulders relaxed noticeably, and he casually leaned forward to rest his upper thighs against the front edge of the DHD. As he did so, Sam realized that other than the quick darts of his hand on the glyphs, that was the first time Daniel had actually come into any sort of normal contact with the DHD. As she looked from Daniel over to the Stargate, she realized the change in Daniel's demeanor was far more reassuring than even the sight of the five lit chevrons.

Make that... six lit chevrons. Sam's heart leapt to her throat. The chances against inadvertently entering six symbols which formed a valid address were astronomical. Without actually knowing an address, someone could stand there for weeks and not be able to do what Daniel had just done on the first try. Oh, God. He'd been right. Six symbols. Six points in space, locators for only one possible destination. This was the correct address. He'd done it.

She swung her gaze from the 'gate over to the DHD, to see Daniel duck his head and raise both fists to shoulder level in an unmistakable gesture of both infinite relief and victory. He raised his head and she waved her arm high to catch his attention. God... her chest swelled painfully with the need to tell him just how thankful, how proud of him, and how terribly, horribly, sorry she was. But a wave would have to do.

Sam's relief at the thought that Daniel was taking them home was tempered by the memory of the things she had thought, of what she had said - of what she had done. In no time at all they'd walk through the Stargate together, side by side... but after that? Would they ever be able to comfortably, truly, stand side by side again?

She sagged in sympathy as his demeanor changed again when the Stargate shut down as he pressed the seventh symbol. But that wasn't unforeseen. She knew Daniel had fully expected it would take a bit of experimentation to find the point of origin. That was okay. Sam watched as the Colonel delivered what had to be the same reassurance... as he moved forward, reached out across the boulder, and touched Daniel's shoulder briefly before backing off toward Teal'c.

There was a sudden presence at Sam's own shoulder, and she turned to greet Rykert. His face was split in a huge smile, his eyes moist. The Stargate chevrons were lighting up once again as Daniel punched the six locator glyphs in rapid succession, readying for a second try at finding the point of origin. Sam punched Rykert on the arm. "It's okay. I know it's been a nightmare for you, but we're going back, Ry. Won't be long now."

The heartfelt gratitude on his face almost brought tears to her own eyes. But then his pupils suddenly dilated and he grabbed her wrist, gripping with an intensity that did bring tears to her eyes as his hand painfully twisted her arm. Sam saw the shock in Rykert's eyes at the exact same moment she heard the unmistakable sound of a zat gun firing.

Firing once... twice... three times, in quick succession.

She whirled to face toward where she thought the sound had come from, bringing her M16 up in the same motion, only to let the weapon sink again immediately at the sight of Panter and the rest of SG-1. Teal'c and the Colonel both lay on the ground, Teal'c showing the effects of the zat blast in small tremours while O'Neill lay on his back, knees up and arms clasped tightly across his chest, writhing slightly.

But it was Daniel's situation, jerking in pain from the zat blast as Panter mercilessly used his full weight to pin the smaller man face down against the boulder, which captured her full attention. Panter had the tip of the zat gun pressed firmly against Daniel's head. All that was needed was for Panter to step back from Daniel a pace...

And a second shot, delivered so soon after the first, would kill.

Rapidly, Daniel redialed. He knew it would take a while to find the point of origin; the odds against getting it right on the first try were simply too great to ignore. He'd tried the symbol at the top of the Stargate ring in the wild hope this would be one of those Stargates which made finding the point of origin child's play. But he'd suspected the Fates wouldn't be so kind. So why was he so disappointed? Shaking his pounding head slightly in the vain hope that might help to dispel the headache which continued to dog him, Daniel wryly admitted to himself that the odds against him ever having gotten this far were probably just as great. Why not have looked forward to a second miracle?

Oh well. He only hoped it wouldn't take a full thirty-two more tries. His trek down the mountain had been as fraught with sickness as had the entire previous day and night, and Daniel wasn't at all certain how much longer he could stay on his feet. Rubbing the still sore bridge of his nose, he pushed down on the sixth glyph and reached toward the top of the DHD outer ring for a second try at the point of origin. His hand never made it there.

Conscious awareness of the sudden whine of a zat gun was swallowed up completely by the shock and the pain... by the incredible jolt which caused his chest to seize up and his limbs to spasm uncontrollably. Daniel collapsed onto the face of the DHD and would have slid to the ground were it not for the hand which roughly grabbed the back of his vest. He vaguely recognized the sound of two more discharges, was only distantly aware of an impact on his chest and face as Panter whirled him around by his vest and slammed him solidly up against the boulder. He could barely breath, couldn't see, couldn't feel much of anything except the tortuous burning.

As the pain ebbed Daniel became aware first of his position against the hard rock, of the heavy weight against him and the sharp jut of stone digging into his chest, and then of voices. Sam's voice, followed by another one, harsh and loud, just above his left ear. He twisted, trying to see, but the pain and shock hadn't settled enough and with his attempt at movement, associated nausea swamped him. Daniel tried to arch up away from the rock. He was going to throw up; he had to get his face clear of the stone. But something cold and hard pushed against the back of his neck, forcing him down again and he struck his mouth and chin against the boulder. He felt his teeth sink in and tasted blood; swiped his tongue across the inside of his lower lip and felt the fresh split there.

"No... Major Panter, let him up. Please, can't you see? He's going to be sick."

Yeah... can't you see... Daniel gagged on the bile which rose in his throat. He struggled to keep control, to push it back down where it belonged. They were talking, more voices joining in - angry voices - and someone was moving around in front of him. Daniel could hear and sense them, but he ignored the words and movement in favour of trying to keep a handle on his rebellious stomach. He tried to take deep breaths but he was pushed too firmly against the uneven and jagged surface of the boulder, his body crushed by Panter pressing too heavily on him from behind. The sharp fluid rose again, filling his mouth, and he gagged as he felt it burn the back of his throat and rise up into his sinuses.

Choking, his eyes stinging and tearing, Daniel pressed his thighs and hands against the boulder and abruptly reared up and backward with all his strength. Panter's response, delayed just enough so Daniel's chest managed to clear the rock by a good twelve inches, was angry and unequivocal. The irate Major let out a loud curse and using both the zat gun and his hand which remained wrapped in the back of Daniel's vest, pulled Daniel backward some before suddenly and powerfully reversing the motion. Putting all his weight into the shove, using his forearms, elbows, and shoulders, Panter viciously slammed him back down onto the rock.

His face impacted the stone just before the rest of him did the same. Daniel felt the give in his chest just seconds before the fresh pain hit. He had no choice but to give up the battle and allow the bile to spew out onto the rock, where it joined with the blood from his split lip.

Anger, burning hot and ice cold all within a few seconds. Jack was so angry he could barely see straight. Which all in all, oh God if only it were literally true, might not have been such a bad thing. Because he knew for certain what would come next; that what he was about to see, was something he would be sure to remember for a long time to come. He knew those memories would haunt him late at night, in the dark, when he could erect no defenses. But the Rykert didn't understand; he wasn't listening to Jack.

He grunted as the climbing rope dug deeper into his wrists, drawing blood, his arms and shoulders tense and aching from his struggles. There was only one person he could appeal to but even as he did so, for what had to be the tenth time in half that many minutes, Jack knew that the man would not - could not - alter his course. Ultimately, Rykert was as helpless as those he had just bound so tightly, hand and foot, with the rope from the day pack.

"Look, stop what you're doing and think... damn it... just think..." There was no response.

Teal'c strained against his bonds. Carter joined in, kicking out with both feet and adding her own desperate warnings to his. Rykert turned a white face toward Jack, helplessness and frantic self-deception evident in his eyes.

The coarse laugh which came from the direction of the DHD infuriated Jack further. The action immediately following the laugh stilled both Jack's voice and his heart. Carter stopped resisting immediately and Jack heard her low gasp of protest as Panter cruelly pushed on the Beretta, driving it cruelly into the soft flesh under Daniel's chin, forcing his head further back against Panter's shoulder. Daniel's throat, already visibly constricted from repeated gagging, spasmed wildly in response and a fresh trickle of blood from his mouth made its way lazily over his jaw and down onto his exposed neck.

Rykert hesitated, casting a confused look toward O'Neill and a terrified one at Panter before bending to secure the knot on the ropes which now bound Carter's ankles. The young marine then plucked the remote from her wrist and threw it toward Panter. "There. That's the last one. Now let him go... you said you'd let him go."

Panter laughed once more and mercilessly twisted Daniel's arm further up the young man's back, pushing the weapon even more firmly against Daniel's neck. Jack seethed silently as he watched Panter dip his head and whisper something into Daniel's ear, then grin maniacally and abruptly yank the end of the pistol around and train it onto Rykert.

Rykert stood stock still, his face paling even further. Panter leered and yanked on Daniel's arm. "Oh, don't worry, Rykert. This one's reserved." Panter waved the Beretta, fanning it back and forth between Rykert and Daniel. "It's just for him. Thought it would be a nice touch if he died from his own weapon. Spacemonkey brains everywhere... what a great visual image, eh? But you saved him. You've been a very good boy, Rykert."

Rykert relaxed noticeably. Panter's leer grew wider. Thumbing the safety and dropping the handgun onto the ground next to him, Panter immediately reached across in front of himself, the exact nature of his action hidden behind Daniel's body. "This is the one for you." The hand came up holding the zat gun.

Jack knew he had to act, had to do something, no matter how futile the effort. As he threw himself up onto his knees and prepared to do anything it might take short of suicide, he heard the low growl which came from deep within Teal'c' chest and saw that Teal'c was ahead of him. But not far enough ahead as just as Teal'c's lunge brought him into contact with Rykert, knocking the Marine backward, the zat gun whined and spurted. Both Teal'c and Rykert shuddered, the bluish arcs of electricity passing from one body and back to the other binding the two men together in a hellish embrace.

Okay, well, that wasn't exactly the strategy he'd had in mind. Panic flared in Jack's chest and he positively screamed at Teal'c. "Teal'c! Get out of there! Roll-away-godammit-roll..." At the sound of the second discharge and as the bright flash flicked through the air, Jack squeezed his eyes shut in horror. Teal'c... oh God no... Teal'c...

But Carter yelled something about Daniel and there was a roar of disgust from Panter. Jack opened his eyes to see the blue threads harmlessly fade into the dirt to the left of the intended target, and quickly brought his head around just in time to see Panter strike Daniel in the side of the head with the zat gun and push him away. As Daniel collapsed in a heap, Panter raised the zat gun again and Jack followed it's path... to see Teal'c twisting away from Rykert. The Jaffa yelled out "No!" as Panter fired again.

Once, twice - and Rykert was no more.

There was no time for Jack to properly register his own anger and grief, as Panter whirled and in a fit of rage trained the zat gun onto Daniel. He kicked out and screamed at the fallen man, obviously one step away from completely losing all control. "You stupid shit! I've had enough of you... you won't ever do that again! You want some? You want some more of this, here, I'll give you some..." The zat discharged once again as Daniel frantically tried to roll out of the way, the point of impact ending up on the ground to the right of Daniel's head as the coarse tremours of Panter's rage threw his aim off just enough to help Daniel out.

Carter saved it. "Don't! Panter, stop and think. The DHD blanked out... you don't know all the symbols do you? You can't be sure you'll remember them right. He's the only one who can get you home! Panter, think!"

Silence, thick and suffocating, fell over them as Panter pulled back his arm and stood, shaking, staring first down at Daniel and then over to the Stargate. Then over at the rest of them. He turned and leaned over the DHD, brushing his fingertips lightly over the carved glyphs. Staring concertedly at he face of the DHD, he broke the quiet with a monotonous yet infinitely menacing tone of voice. "I'm going to have you dial this up again, Jackson. I know it won't work if you dial it wrong, so you won't try anything funny. You blow it, and someone's going to die. And then, Doctor Spacemonkey, we're going to keep on going through it until we get the point of origin, until the 'gate opens, so I know it's done right."

Panter turned his head to stare fixedly at Jack. "And you, Colonel, and your little friends, are going to just shut up and lay there. Not a single word. Because if I hear so much as a sneeze out of any of you, I'll be only too happy to have Jackson here dial it up all alone."

Jack didn't need any explanation of that last comment, nor was it hard to judge the seriousness of the threat. Panter needed at least one of them alive to be sure of maintaining control over Daniel. Each one of them represented an essential increment of power. He returned the stare as openly as he could, considering he had to twist sideways in order to make eye contact. "You're going to make sure you end up alone, anyway."

Panter shook his head and laughed, quietly. He sounded almost pensive. "Oh, yeah. I'll be going home... alone." He straightened up and in a suddenly uncertain gesture, scrubbed his hand through his hair. His voice became so soft as to be difficult to hear. "I didn't mean it. Jackson, you saw it. He attacked me... he made me..."

Jack opened his mouth to call the man a bloody liar, an insane maniac, but then caught the look on Carter's face; the one that told him in no uncertain terms that he needed to just shut up right now. Nobody spoke. Nobody moved.

Daniel groaned and with a convulsive movement noisily threw up on himself.

Panter snapped out of his reverie and cast a disgusted look Daniel's way. "You're a goddamned mess, Jackson." He reached down and grabbed Daniel by the upper arm, hauled him to his feet, and shoved him over to the DHD. "Dial it up again."

Jack simply nodded as Daniel cast him a pained and uncertain look. They really had no choice. He, Carter and Teal'c were securely trussed up with the unbreakable nylon climbing rope, Panter had all their weapons and the remote transmitters, and Daniel was in no condition to even try to take on the big man. God. How could he have let things get to this point? Jack chastised himself for not having taken the time to hunt down Panter days ago. That had been a stupid decision.

Panter stood on the opposite side of Daniel, where he could both supervise the DHD and keep an eye on the rest of SG-1. With one hand gripping Daniel's upper arm and the other holding the zat gun against the young man's head, Panter was muttering softly to Daniel as he dialed. Daniel's head turned slightly as he gave an answer, and Panter nodded. Jack couldn't hear what they said, but from the look of Panter's relaxed stance, he figured Daniel was being very cooperative. Jack's eyes narrowed and he mustered all the mental aggression he could as he stared at Panter. If he couldn't sass the man with his mouth, then he'd just have to satisfy himself with doing it in some other way.

Panter must have felt the stare, as he turned his head toward Jack and returned it. How very rewarding. But then the maniac gave Jack an evil leer and turned his attention back to Daniel, roughly yanking on Daniel's arm and waggling the zat gun as if to prove a point to O'Neill. Okay, so maybe it wasn't so rewarding after all. Jack gave up; the only one to suffer from any belligerence on his part would be Daniel, and he didn't want that. Enough was enough. Jack wondered, yet again, about the zat gun. He had a theory about that and he swept the area around the Stargate with his eyes, searching for any signs of confirmation, but from his position on the ground he couldn't see anything worth getting excited about.

He settled his gaze on his friend, doing a quick assessment. Daniel bled from a few spots; from a graze on his chin, and with a stronger trickle intermittently coming from his mouth. Erratic blood trails snaked along his jawline and down his neck like highway lines on a map. Every few minutes Daniel would turn his head and spit... it was all too clear just what it was he was trying to get rid of. There was blood higher up on his face as well, from the old laceration on his forehead which seemed to have opened up a bit, but at least that flow had stopped now. Abstractedly, it occurred to Jack that Carter would probably be miffed about that; she'd put a lot of care into cleaning up that particular gouge. And Daniel's clothing... Jack wrinkled his nose, not even wanting to think about how uncomfortable Daniel must be with that.

Daniel was still on his feet, though, legs spread widely, leaning forward as he pressed his thighs against the front edge of the DHD and pushed on the glyphs with one hand. Jack frowned when he noticed Daniel's other hand was pressed to his chest. He saw Daniel sway slightly and shake his head, and Jack knew the kid was having considerable trouble. Even so, he was doing it. Jack marveled at his stamina; Daniel was rapidly dialing over and over again, working his way around the outer ring trying for the point of origin. Six chevrons repeatedly lit, only to wink out as the wrong seventh symbol was pushed.

When the seventh chevron finally did light up, Panter let out a loud whoop and clapped Daniel on the back hard enough that the young man collapsed onto the face of the DHD. With an exclamation of impatience, Panter pulled Daniel back from the DHD, not giving him a second glance as Daniel stumbled and fell. Panter reached forward and activated the Stargate. Jack's heart leaped in his chest at the familiar whoosh and turbulence, only to immediately turn to stone as he remembered that Panter was the only one going through.

Daniel was on his knees, grabbing for Panter, latching onto the man's pant leg and although Jack couldn't make out the words at that distance, he could see the rapid chatter and the pleading expression. He could imagine the exact nature of the appeal Daniel must be making, the tact he must be taking. Won't work, Danny...

Jack figured he was proven right when Panter leaned over and grabbed Daniel by the hair, forcefully tipping the injured man's head back and coming nose to nose with him. Words were exchanged, a lot of words. That uncomfortable conversation seemed to go on forever, although Jack knew that it only seemed that way, mostly because of the pained expression on Daniel's face. Jack was getting damned tired of seeing people in pain.

Suddenly Panter let go and pushed Daniel flat onto the ground. Daniel lay there on his stomach, motionless. Panter walked around the boulder toward Carter and pointed the zat gun at her. "Dr. Jackson and I have come to an agreement here. Now, I'm going to leave. And you people aren't." Panter looked across to Daniel, who still lay unmoving. He smiled. "Good. At least one of you knows how to take an order." He laughed. "Who'd ever of thought it would be him?"

Panter withdrew the zat gun and moved over to where the packs and weapons were stacked. As soon as Panter had left Sam and walked off to the equipment, his back turned to the area of the DHD, Jack saw Daniel make his move.

With lunge more energetic than Jack would have thought possible considering Daniel's condition, Daniel launched himself over to where the pistol still lay on the ground beside the boulder. Jack watched with his heart in his throat as Daniel managed to snatch up the weapon just as Panter heard the noise and whirled back to face him, the zat coming around with him. Jack knew it was only a few seconds during which the two men stared at one another, in which Daniel fumbled with the safety and the two weapons came around to bear, but it seemed to be happening in slow-motion. The seconds seemed to stretch into eternity.

Jack was only too well aware Daniel had never harmed a fellow human before. He'd helped defend them against the Jaffa, against the Goa'uld presence which stole his wife and his home from him and threatened his new life... but this was different. Jack willed Daniel's shaking hand to steady, to aim, to just do it and save the regret for later, but at the same time Jack decided if Daniel couldn't do that, it would be okay. Because that was Daniel. Whatever happened would just have to be okay. Enough was enough.

The click-whine of the zat gun was all but inaudible as the Beretta discharged. Jack wanted to scream out 'all right' as the blue arc of energy never came and Panter fell to the ground clutching his side. There was blood there. Daniel scrambled up onto his knees, the pistol still trained on the other man, but the gun wavered alarmingly. Daniel wavered alarmingly, and Panter was moving... rising up himself, not just onto his knees but continuing the motion until he was standing. Jack saw murder on the man's face.

Jack screamed to Daniel to shoot, and half-heard Teal'c and Carter also urging Daniel to fire again. And Daniel responded. Jack knew Daniel was trying his best but it was clear his strength was flagging. He tried, but his aim was off, and this time the blue arc of energy did appear, snaking it's way across the distance to Daniel and driving the young man to the ground in a writhing heap. And this time Jack found himself screaming a denial as Panter reasserted the aim of the zat gun and took a step forward toward Daniel.

Just one step. An unsteady step. Then the man's arm lowered and he sank to his knees, a pained expression on his face. Panter gaped at the spreading bloodstain on his vest and jacket, and then at the Stargate. He turned his head and stared directly at Jack before turning his gaze onto Daniel. Inexplicably, he thanked the still twitching young man. "Halfway decent shot, Dr. Spacemonkey. But I'm still breathing, and you know, this is going to help things. Pretty good idea." Panter rose unsteadily and looked back to Jack. "You're all dead anyway."

Under his fear and disappointment Jack felt a wild hope well up inside him. Amazingly enough, Daniel hadn't yet been zatted into oblivion, and the initial shot was starting to wear off. Maybe Panter wasn't going to shoot them all where they lay after all. He had no idea what Panter's comment to Daniel could have meant, but with a bit of luck, maybe they would all live long enough to wonder about it together.

Without warning, Panter brought zat gun up and disintegrated the entire pile of packs, equipment, and weapons with a series of quick shots. Then he just as quickly entered the code on the single remaining remote and staggered to the Stargate. Within seconds, he was gone. Seconds after that, so was the wormhole.

Go on to part six

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