Embryos

 

By Travelling One

 

Email: travelling_one@yahoo.ca

Web: http://www.travellingone.com/

Summary: A needy civilization forces Daniel to share more than just knowledge.

Season: 1-5

Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. I have written this story for entertainment purposes and no copyright infringement is intended. Any original characters, situations, and storylines are the property of the author. Archive only with permission please.

 

This is not a new story. Written in the fall of 2002, it was printed in the 2003 zine Foundations 3, published by Pyramids Press.

 

NOTES: If this story is having problems fully loading, please press "Stop" and then "Refresh". If this doesn't work, please let me know. - T.O.

 

_____

 

The wormhole swept them into a long cylindrical tunnel, the darkness broken only by multiple beams of their handheld lights reflecting off shiny metallic surfaces. Their boots clanged echoingly in the bare reaches of the never-ending tin can, and while the floor offered up some degree of traction for a tolerable journey, the corridor's smooth sides had no apparent seams, apertures, or accoutrements.

 

No one on this world had shown any interest in the Stargate's activation; if there were indeed beings alive on this planet, they had not allowed their faces to be seen in either of the two MALP tests, and their possible existence remained a mystery to SG1.

 

As the team walked down the seemingly endless corridor towards the now apparent form of a distant door, flashlights illuminated their way, glowing eerily off the glinting metallic walls. Curiosity was gaining the better of them, their initial anxiety and reservations alternately increasing and dissipating. They still feared, in the back of their minds, that there could be Goa'uld at the end of this road, an end that was now in sight and finally drawing near.

 

_____

 

General Hammond had not been the one to order this assignment. Forced to take time off while some recurring health problems were monitored, he had been temporarily replaced by General Hennessy, a middle-aged epitome of a military leader, much less approachable than Hammond, although less intense than what O'Neill recalled of General West. Still, Hennessy had not warmed Jack's heart, coming on strong with his narrow-minded, opinionated resentment of civilian work assignments. He had nothing against civilians in the research lab or operating as technicians and engineers, but off-world, he insisted, was the place only for military personnel. And nothing Jack could say within the limits of pre-insubordination could change his mind.

 

"I will not interfere with General Hammond's running of this operation; I respect the man," Hennessy had finally admitted. "But one screw up of your archeologist while I'm in charge here and I will place him on stand down. I have no desire to be responsible for the life or accidental death of a civilian." And with that, Jack could tell, he had spoken his final words on the matter. At least it was something, for in the meantime Daniel could at least remain on assignment with SG1. No, it was more than something. It was everything, because Jack knew Daniel wouldn't screw up any more than he or Carter or Teal'c would. Maybe the guy wasn't military, and maybe it had taken a bit of time for Jack to realize this himself, but Daniel was good at what he did.

 

The one thing Jack wasn't certain about, however, was this entire mission. Not a minor detail, if you wanted to look at it that way. His team had congregated in Daniel's office, waiting to hear the outcome of the Hennessy/O'Neill match.

 

"You're still on the team, Daniel. He's given the green light for you to come on the next mission, 0730 tomorrow."

 

Daniel breathed in relief. "What did you have to offer him, Jack?" he joked.

 

"Not sure yet, Daniel, but it'll be big if something happens to us out there. He's given us 229."

 

"The tunnel? Why? For all we know, Jack, that's a Goa'uld facility. We have absolutely no information about it beyond what we can see down the corridor. Which is, to use your word, squat. That one needs more study time."

 

"Hennessy's ordered us to go."

 

"Sir, does he even realize the possibilities of what might be out there? I mean, he even admitted that he's only had time to read a few of the SGC's reports from the past few years."

 

Jack looked intently into Sam's concerned gaze. "No, Carter, I don't think he does."

 

"Do you not feel comfortable with this assignment, O'Neill?"

 

"I'm not sure, Teal'c. Like Daniel said, all we have on this place is an empty corridor. Metallic, granted, but it's sure not Tok'ra, and there's not even a DHD. I think Hennessy's just convinced himself it's a dead-end, and we'll be back in minutes. Then he won't have to send us out for a few more days, during which time he can keep the civilian on base." Jack looked apologetically at Daniel. "Sorry."

 

"That's not a good reason to risk our lives, Jack."

 

"No, Daniel, it's not. But he's ordered us to 229, so that's where we're going. We've gone through the gate under worse conditions. Chances are this place is abandoned anyway; no one seems interested in their gate being activated."

 

"Jack, we once gated aboard a Goa'uld mothership. They hadn't paid any attention to their gate being activated either."

 

"O'Neill, did we not encounter the Linvris after following yet another dark corridor?"

 

Some moments of silence ensued.

 

"Won't know until we find out, will we?"

 

"I think I want to talk to him, Jack. Maybe you can't question orders, but I can."

 

"No, Daniel, don't. It'll just give him a reason to ground you."

 

_____

 

So now, as the teammates found themselves nearing the end of the mysterious tunnel-like corridor, facing the only door they had yet encountered, hesitation reigned.

 

"You sure we should do this?"

 

"It's what we came for, Daniel. Come now, what's the worst that could be in there? Vengeful Goa'uld who hate us, right?" Jack rolled his eyes. "Stand back, weapons ready, kids." Aiming their flashlights forwards and steadying their weapons, three members of SG1 moved aside as Jack tried to push against the heavy partition. It slid an inch to the left.

 

"It's on a spring mechanism. Help me out, Teal'c."

 

As Teal'c, Daniel, and Jack put all their weight into sliding the door aside on its rusted springs, stale air hit them from inside the dark room. Stepping forward cautiously into a chamber bathed in darkness, four flashlights immediately brought the room to life - in more ways than one.

 

"Oy."

 

"Oh my God."

 

The team gazed around aghast, scientific fascination and curiosity beckoning them forward, and the atmosphere was permeated with a stillness that compounded the musty odours of a windowless lab. Reaching out to touch Daniel's arm, Sam stepped closer.

 

Row upon row upon row of shelves lay before them, and on these were groupings of jars, hundreds of them in fact, each one containing a single embryo.

 

Teal'c stepped up to the nearest shelving unit while Jack remained where he was, gaping. Daniel and Sam moved to the left, close by each other's shoulders.

 

"These fetuses…look!" Daniel did not elaborate, but by this time the whole team had seen as well. The specimens were all in a state of mutation; with or without limbs, multiple limbs and heads, tails, protrusions that should not have been there at all; every combination of genetic abnormality and defect that could have occurred was represented here in this dark lab, highlighted by wavering battery-operated beams of light casting shadows on the eeriest of all forms, the human baby preserved in a jar.

 

Cautiously, not quite comprehending yet the significance of their find, the four members of SG1 spread out around the vast room, their beams of light pausing every now and then, focussing on some particularly uncomfortable sight, or aiming into the distance to convince their eyes of just how many of these… specimens… there actually were.

 

"I have previously seen no experimental lab with subjects such as these," stated Teal'c.

 

"I thought at first they were animals," Daniel's subdued voice filtered across the room.

 

"I thought they were plastic," Jack admitted.

 

"Sir," Carter began as Daniel moved further into the dark room, his shape soon completely obscured from view, "these jars are all wired with tiny electrical currents, and each embryo seems to be attached to something inside the jar lid. I don't think the liquid they're in is formaldehyde, Colonel."

 

"What are you saying, Carter?" Jack asked, appearing at Sam's side.

 

"If I could hazard a guess…I'd say these fetuses are in embryonic fluid. They're still alive, sir."

 

"What?" Daniel's muffled voice reached them in the stillness.

 

"Carter?" Jack started. "Okay kids, I say we call in the genetics team and let them have a go."

 

"Do you believe the inhabitants of this planet were experimenting with genetic engineering, O'Neill?" Teal'c had come up beside them both, now.

 

"Looks like it Teal'c, don't ya think?"

 

"Where -- how would they get so many fetuses?" Carter wondered in horror, not really wanting to consider the possibilities. "You think these are unnatural deformities, created here in the lab, sir?"

 

"Carter - "

 

"Jack?" Daniel's voice called from somewhere. "There's a staircase here."

 

"Wait up, Daniel. Where are you?" Daniel's beam of light flashed at them from a distance, as the other members of SG1 made their way around many more rows of silent babies to where Daniel stood before a deep dark staircase, at the end of which was a solid metallic door.

 

"Want to see what's down there?" Daniel looked at the others, his face in partial illumination, and saw Jack weighing the options. They'd come to explore, and explore they would. His team was not known for running away from shadows.

 

"I take point." Jack made his way to the bottom of the stairs, this time sliding the door easily aside on his own.

 

"Oy," he uttered again.

 

Before them, partly illuminated by Jack's small portable light, was another stairwell, so deep that their flashlights did not even signal its end.

 

They jumped as the door snapped shut behind them.

 

Cautiously making their way to the bottom of the stairs, they squeezed against the walls as another door slid open, leading into yet another long metallic tubular corridor. By this time the team's tension was escalating; still not knowing what to expect but hoping to avoid any real danger, they opened the final barrier at the end of this cylindrical artery and stepped through.

 

Noises bombarded their ears from all directions, shouts, screams, chaotic cacophony, and the four teammates found themselves suddenly swarmed by a myriad of hands and limbs and bodies, forcing them to the floor. Arms were reaching out, pulling off their weapons, grabbing at their packs, tossing aside the naquadah reactor that would get them home, and the four startled teammates had no time to react or even think before they were pulled away from the entrance and the door slammed shut.

 

As chaos gave way to a semblance of control, or so it seemed as frantic activity eased around them, the bodies finally separated, offering the team a partial view of their new surroundings. In the subdued light, they could see the tents and canopies, more bodies, and the activities of a lifetime spent living underground. There were clothes hanging, hammers clattering, dishes drying on blankets. This, they quickly realized, was the Town. And it would have reminded them vaguely of Hadante, except for the women and children, the inhabitants of all ages, and, most obvious of all, the assorted mutational deviations. These adults and growing children, SG1 now saw, were the fully developed versions of the jarred embryos. These people were all human… probably.

 

Daniel froze at the sight. This was not one or two souls who had been offered by luck or God or nature a singular deformity, souls to be nurtured and taught and given a decent chance at life. No, this was an entire town, and the malformations were multiple and disabling. Something had gone terribly wrong in their evolution… or their experimentation.

 

"Sir?" was the only word uttered before the four stunned teammates were once again deluged with bodies touching them, grabbing at their hair and clothing, feeling their skin. Resisting was futile. There were far too many, and all were way too eager.

 

"I don't think they're malicious," Daniel gasped between appendages touching his lips and nose, sensations in his hair and at his back. From his vantagepoint on his knees, there were too many hovering moving forms to make out individual faces. "I just don't think they've ever seen anyone who looks like us." He couldn't see his teammates through the multitude of bodies.

 

"We have." The voice halted all activity, and the crowd slowly backed off, revealing an individual whose deviations consisted mostly of upper body and facial protrusions.

 

"You can speak Goa'uld?" Daniel questioned in astonishment, slowly rising to his feet. "We're explorers from another world. We've come to exchange knowledge."

 

The response came in a mixture of Goa'uld, highly accented English, and Abydonian. Clearly, the Goa'uld had been a major influence here at some point in this planet's history. Had they been the ones doing the genetic experiments on these people? Were they responsible for the lab? Teal'c may never have seen such an experimental workplace, but there were many Goa'uld activities and creations of which he'd had no knowledge. Even the personal defense shield of the System Lords, which had nearly been their undoing on the Nox world, had been a surprise to him.

 

All four members of SG1 understood, at least vaguely, what the man was saying, as he now tried to speak mostly English, with a slight mixture of all three languages. Teal'c and Daniel could comprehend it all.

 

"For whatever reason you're here, my people are excited. We need those like you. No one has come to visit for a very long time."

 

"Need us?" Jack repeated warily. "Care to explain that?"

 

"I am Valtador. Come, I will show you around. You will see for yourselves."

 

_____

 

The squalor that bombarded their eyes and senses seemed not to be evident to their guide. The filth was apparent in the aisles between tents, in the bodies of the naked children, in the omnipresent odors. The children were screeching, rolling and tumbling over each other, grasping onto SG1's bootlaces and getting underfoot. Men were gesticulating and arguing, many with tails or extra limbs, which wouldn't be a bad thing, Jack found himself thinking, except maybe for getting clothing to fit. Others were hauling themselves along the floor, and Daniel's heart cried out to the injustice of whatever had happened to these people. This couldn't be the natural evolutionary process of an alien species, or each individual would have had the same type of deviation. This seemed as if some random, vindictive phenomenon had hit them somewhere long in the past, careering them into uncontrollable circumstances and desperate conditions. Certainly living underground - and why was that, anyway? - had something to do with that.

 

"We have delegations here in our town. There are those who have been chosen to mend the clothes, others who do the cleaning, those who grow or cook the food. Those with functioning upper limbs work in the lab. It all depends on what one's physical capabilities are, but not necessarily one's interests." A door was opened, and the dim light of the torches illuminated tables and more shelves. It took only a moment for SG1 to realize that these, too, were covered with jars of fetuses.

 

"What are they used for?" Daniel inquired hesitantly, not too sure that he really wanted to know.

 

"We are continuously searching for a way to halt or even reverse our degenerative genetic conditions. While we have adapted considerably, my people remember a time in the past when we were…" he paused, "…all the same. Like you. It was a time when we each had… choices."

 

"You experiment on the unborn babies?"

 

"We must. There is no other way to see if any of our vaccines will enable the human child to grow normally."

 

"But…to get all these embryos…" Carter began, not intending or knowing how to finish the thought.

 

"Most are cloned."

 

Daniel and Sam looked up sharply.

 

"The cells and eggs are prepared and incubated in artificial environments," he continued nonchalantly.

 

The two SG1 scientists caught and held each other's gaze, each knowing intuitively what the other was thinking. These people, living in such despair and neglect, were far more advanced in genetic biology than the scientists of Earth. Then again, it wasn't too difficult to see how this particular science might have become a priority for a race that was degenerating so profusely.

 

"Don't the fetuses grow? They're still alive, aren't they?" Carter inquired curiously. How many of their inhabitants had been incubated in these jars?

 

"They're in suspension, and we always use the oldest first."

 

"When did …all this, um, …start happening to your people?" Daniel asked carefully.

 

"Generations ago. We are unsure of the cause, but we believe a race calling themselves the Goa'uld contaminated our atmosphere." With eyes transfixed on Teal'c, he continued. "My people began to mutate, to be born disfigured, and we moved underground. Now, we rise to the surface only to retrieve more of the specimens from the upper storage chamber."

 

"Bastard Goa'uld strike again." Jack muttered almost inaudibly.

 

"I am Jaffa." Teal'c had obviously been aware of the man's stare. "I once served a System Lord, but I do so no longer." He felt the need to push this out of the way, to ensure no future hostility.

 

"I thought so," was the reply.

 

They were led back into the main accommodation area, downtown, as Jack found himself labelling it, where the foursome and their guide followed a cluttered maze of pathways for what would have been dozens of city blocks. The area itself was immense, but the overcrowding lent itself to a drearily bleak existence, lifespans locked in dark desolate confines never seeing the sun, the sky, or breathing healthy air. These people had adapted in the only way they could.

 

"These people are growing the food." Patches of white vegetables showed through fibrous mesh enclosures, a bed of pathetic life under a purple tinted glow. The wires imitated those that Carter had noticed attached to the embryonic jars. Somewhere in this makeshift town was a mini power plant.

 

"We use the fibers for clothing, as well. Water is drained automatically from the surface, filtered, and recycled whenever possible."

 

"I'd like to see those facilities," Carter mentioned a bit too enthusiastically for Jack's liking.

 

Daniel approached a woman who was tending the vegetables. "What are these?" he asked her, indicating the unappetizing brownish specks on most of the leaves.

 

The woman pointed to where three girls were grinding something with a mortar and pestle, their multiple upper limbs and plentiful fingers coming in handy. "They are grinding spices for our food, which we sprinkle on the young leaves. It makes the food more flavourful to be eaten raw," she said proudly, "or boiled." Daniel watched the ease with which the women worked. He looked around, realizing that each individual here clearly knew his trade, allowing the town to function more independently than had at first been apparent. The languages, the tunnels, the genetic experimentation, the power source, the underground construction of this entire place… the more he learned, the more Daniel was convinced of the brilliant minds amongst these people. The unfortunate living conditions, the degradation, had been thrust upon them, instigated by circumstances well beyond their control.

 

"Is this all you have to eat?" Carter asked Valtador, as Daniel stepped up to her side.

 

"No. When a citizen perishes, we feast."

 

The intake of breath couldn't be helped, and SG1 hoped it wasn't too obvious. Did that mean what they thought? Did they just celebrate, or…

 

Jack spoke up first. "You eat your dead?"

 

"Of course. What else would we do with them?"

 

Of course.

 

And Jack now wanted desperately to get his team out of there. For the question, now, that had been so near the tips of their tongues upon arrival and then had been forgotten, came back with shocking clarity. "You said your people… need us. Why, exactly, would that be?" Jack squinted at Valtador suspiciously, wondering if it had been a while since his people had last… feasted. And wondering, angrily, where their naquadah reactor had been deposited.

 

"That should be clear to you now. To obtain cell samples for creating vaccines, we need healthy, live tissue."

 

Oh, fuck fuck fuck.

 

"Oh…no, you don't." Jack grabbed Daniel and Sam by the sleeves. "Teal'c! We're so out of here!" All four made a break in the direction from which they'd arrived, having no plan and no real hope of succeeding, but it was, if nothing else, at least a course of action. The alternative, they knew, was to offer themselves up as lab rats. But they realized the moment they'd turned on their heels that the attempt was rash and futile, if for no other reason than the multitude of observers they had to trip over.

 

For several hundred desperate beings knew their places and where their vested interests lay. Far outnumbered, the small group of Earth explorers was quickly subdued and wrestled to the ground, finding themselves pinned beneath dozens of heavy determined body parts.

 

The weight on top of Jack effectively glued him to the floor, and from his position he could see at least one other member of his team similarly pinned. Even struggling was impossible, as he had not a single free muscle capable of moving. Where would he have gone, anyway, and how far would he have gotten? What the hell have we led ourselves into now? he asked himself in disgust.

 

Just a misunderstanding, Daniel tried to convince himself. They just need to release their frustration, to be given some hope, some help… just, how does one go about offering that, lying flat on one's stomach under a dozen energized aliens?

 

"Release them." Valtador's voice had the effect of Moses parting the Red Sea; as the crowd separated, the four teammates felt the weights being lifted from their limbs and backs. Slowly Jack and Teal'c rose, followed by Daniel, rubbing his shoulders, and then Carter. Weapons were pointed at them by a few who could manage… SG1's weapons, and they were surrounded.

 

"Leave them for now in the lab annex," was the essence of Valtador's words, although Jack was convinced something was missing from Daniel's translation; the man's order had seemed a lot longer than that. This one had not been in English.

 

"So we're hostages now?" Jack shot back.

 

"I'm sorry," was the genuine reply, "but we need you."

 

"Yes, so you've said."

 

The teammates were directed - pushed - towards the lab, and thrust inside an adjoining room, dark but for a single wall torch. This room and the lab seemed like the only solidly built structures in the Town, but what this room was used for was still up for speculation. SG1, however, was not quite ready to speculate. The door was shut, and they were left alone.

 

Daniel slid down the wall in despair and stared at Jack, his CO's features unnervingly distorted in the shadows.

 

"What?" Jack asked sharply, seating himself opposite the archeologist. Daniel only shrugged, and looked down at the packed dirt floor tightly covered in mesh.

 

"Will the SGC not send a team to retrieve us, when we are declared overdue?" Teal'c attempted conversation.

 

"That won't be for three days, Teal'c," Sam responded.

 

"Crap, Teal'c. We're talking about Hennessy here. I don't even think he knows the meaning of retrieval."

 

"He does not appear to me to be a heartless human."

 

"Or very bright. He just wants to get through his command at the base with as few casualties as possible and the most discoveries. Almost makes me think he's hoping for an easy promotion."

 

"And got stuck at the SGC by accident?" Daniel questioned.

 

This time it was Jack who shrugged.

 

"So…what do we do now, Jack?"

 

Right. Always look to him for the answers, like he was in charge or something. Oh yeah, he was… why would Daniel pick now to show his good faith?

 

"We can't force our way out of here, there's way way way too many of them, and they have our weapons while we….. don't." Good enough answer, Danny?

 

"So, we enjoy our time as lab rats until Hammond gets back? Which, as you know, may not be any time this month."

 

"Stall."

 

"What?"

 

"We try to stall until…we come up with something better."

 

"How?"

 

"I have no idea, Daniel. Help me out here, will ya?"

 

_____

 

The door slid open sideways, as had those in the corridors, and a man they had glimpsed earlier limped in, pushing a small tray across the floor with his foot. "Here. Food, you must be hungry." He glanced at each team member in turn, then turned and limped back out, sliding the door closed with one of his three shoulders.

 

All four members of SG1 stared at the tray.

 

"Sir?" Carter looked inquiringly at O'Neill, knowing he understood.

 

"I think I'll pass, Carter. But you go right ahead."

 

"I'm not too hungry, sir."

 

Jack looked at Daniel but said nothing.

 

Daniel glanced over at Teal'c, and sensed near amusement on the Jaffa's face. "Don't let us stop you, Teal'c; it's all yours if you want it. Your symbiote will protect you, right?"

 

Teal'c blinked before responding. "You are correct, Daniel Jackson; I would be able to eat the food here with no ill effects. However, the idea of consuming human flesh does not appeal to me at this time."

 

"Aw, come on Teal'c. You heard the man, that's only for special occasions." Jack taunted his friend. "This is more than likely the cool white spinach."

 

"Indeed."

 

"So?"

 

"No."

 

Daniel smirked, before his thoughts returned to their present situation. Stall. Maybe they could do that by getting sick from the food. Nah… Jack would probably never go for that.

 

_____

 

This time it was Valtador and his allies who entered. He eyed the untouched food tray, and motioned for it to be removed. Jack stood, his action copied by Teal'c.

 

"Our researchers are ready."

 

Jack's stomach flipped at the words. "Swell."

 

Daniel rose and moved closer to Sam, who was now getting to her feet as well. "What are you going to do?" he asked cautiously.

 

"Choose one of you."

 

"I'm the leader," Jack cut in. "You have to take me…it's an Earth rule."

 

Valtador considered this odd statement for a short moment before his attention was interrupted.

 

"I'm youngest," Daniel said quickly, succeeding in directing the focus away from his CO. At a scoff from Jack, he added, "His knees are bad."

 

"I am the strongest," Teal'c put forth.

 

"And I'm…" Sam had no idea what to add to this nonsensical game of Pick Me For the First Lab Rat. "…female."

 

Valtador, however, paid her no attention. "You are Jaffa," he grunted at Teal'c, "and of no use to us." Aiming a zat gun at Teal'c he fired once, downing the Jaffa as the rest of SG1 glared helplessly. "This one has no immune system; he is artificially healed. Deposit him above," he advised his cohorts.

 

"Give him that box we came with!" O'Neill called after Valtador's retreating form. "And his bag!" Without the naquadah reactor and GDO, Teal'c would be stranded up there.

 

As a multitude of limbs and mobile humans lifted an unconscious Teal'c and pulled him towards the exit, the rest of the team was ushered backwards into a smaller enclosed space also adjoining the lab. This room had that purplish glow of a faint neon sign, and a basket of equipment had been set up by the wall. A crowd of disfigured beings remained with them on the inside of this enclosure, all staring at each other in the dim purplish glow of their electrical field, the three teammates silent and unnerved.

 

"The researchers will arrive soon. They are gathering up their equipment," SG1 was told, not unkindly.

 

"Swell," O'Neill whispered to himself once more. Glancing at his teammates, he could see the shock on Carter's face and the panic in Daniel's.

 

Through the doorway a moment later, Valtador appeared with another man, the latter having four arms strong and full. He seemed only to be missing some fingers and his nose, though he, too, walked with a limp. "We will start with the healthy younger one," he said firmly, eyeing Daniel.

 

Oh shit, okay…he'd asked for this. Stall, stall, stall… "No!" Daniel cried out, as a swarm of surging bodies jostled him to the floor, wresting off his jacket and lifting his shirt. Multiple arms and legs and protrusions fell on top of him as he realized that struggling was futile, for he was far outnumbered.

 

"Hey!" Jack shouted, as he and Carter were similarly restrained, pushed standing against the back wall. There were at least thirty bodies inside this tiny room.

 

Valtador stepped up to Jack, his gaze firmly focussed on the furious brown eyes. He spoke gently. "We have no desire to be cruel. We will finish with one before we start on another. It is he," he nodded towards the struggling archeologist, "who offers our best chance of success right now. You and the woman will not yet be used. You may not even be needed," he added as if to offer comfort and reassurance, "if this one works out."

 

"Shit." Jack looked over to where Daniel now lay motionless, giving in under the weight of the nine men holding him down. Their biologist was aiming a hell of a big needle-looking thing at his friend, its bulbous tip leering ominously. "Don't do this," Jack begged Valtador. "Please."

 

"We must. We have waited a generation for healthy ones to come, ones such as yourselves. It has seemed like twice that time, here underground where we have no hope of improving our lives. Perhaps with a vaccine, we can once again live on our planet's surface. You have given us our first hope in longer than we care to remember. Only the Goa'uld have come through our doors, and even they quickly left. Perhaps they did not like what they had created."

 

"Ow! Geez…stop!" the cry came from Daniel, who was struggling again on the floor a few meters away. Two tubes of blood were being filled and, with the aid of two assistants, the biologist now seemed to be scraping some skin from Daniel's abdomen.

 

"What's he doing?" Jack asked angrily.

 

Valtador responded serenely. "Don't worry, there will be minor damage. We must collect cell samples from blood and tissue, and some scrapings from bone. The final collections for now will be from both muscle tissue and one of the internal organs."

 

Jack steadied his glare. "Are you nuts?" he growled rhetorically in a monotone that swelled with hatred and promised retaliation.

 

"It will be done quickly. Saldarat is well experienced in the method."

 

"Oh, I'll bet he is. Tell me, how many samples do you get from your own people?"

 

"One from each."

 

"Ah…one? Then how do you know what this will do to Daniel?"

 

"We cannot worry about it. When he is no longer of use, well," he looked over at Jack and Sam, "there are the two of you."

 

The syringe attached to the large suction tube was already inserted into Daniel's abdomen, as the archaeologist tried not to cry out. Writhing, he couldn't hold back a groan.

 

Oh god. Daniel felt the piercing of a point the size of a knitting needle, inserted through layers of skin and muscle. He tried to break free but was pinned tightly. Shit shit shit this wasn't what he'd expected when he'd woken up this morning. So much for offering himself before his teammates…no, no, he didn't want this to be them. Oh geez, what were they doing inside him now? The internal probing offset the feeling of the needles still sucking up his blood from his arm and thigh. Why couldn't their meager variety of plants have allowed them to invent anesthetic? "Stop," he pleaded, squirming under his captors.

 

"I thought you said this would be quick?" Jack spat, as the suction pump was pressed and released, pressed and released. Sam had been keeping her eyes closed throughout most of the procedure, unable to block out the sounds, but Jack's glare was enough for the both of them, trying to bore holes through the heads of those holding Daniel down. Shit, he'd had to go and convince Hennessy to let Daniel come; good job, O'Neill. How about a jumpstart to the brain with your morning coffee, Colonel? Aw, crap. What was he thinking? They couldn't have left Daniel behind on Earth any more than they could offworld.

 

"There. We're done for now," the biologist Saldarat looked relieved, motioning for the others to release Daniel. "Rest while we test these samples," he told SG1's young linguist, wiping the syringes on his rags and replacing them in the basket which he now gathered in his arms. Daniel groaned as he tried to sit up, then lowered himself back down, hoping the nausea and dizziness would pass.

 

Within moments, SG1 was alone in the purple-tinged room.

 

Daniel lay where they'd left him, sweaty and trembling as Jack and Sam sprinted over to his side.

 

"Daniel," Sam soothed worriedly, resting her hand on his rapidly breathing chest.

 

"Hey." Jack placed his palm lightly on his friend's cheek, his voice quiet. "How're you doing?"

 

Daniel opened his eyes. "I probably should have eaten those vegetables before giving blood," he quipped quietly. At Jack's soft chuckle, he added, "That suction felt…not nice, Jack."

 

Right. What could he possibly say that would help? Jack patted Daniel's cheek once more, then gently squeezed his teammate's shoulder. "Let's hope that's the end of it."

 

"It's not, sir."

 

"Carter?" Jack glared at her. No, Major, that is not what I want to hear.

 

"There's no way they'll get a vaccine in such a short time, and without refrigeration I doubt they'll use more than a few cells from each sample they took. They'll be wanting fresh ones for the hundreds of embryos they have to work with. It's only just begun for us, Colonel."

 

"She's right Jack. They're going to poke and prod and scrape us until they can't use us any more." And then they'll eat us, Jack.

 

"You don't know that." One of us at a time…they'll try to use you like that, Daniel, but I'll damn well kill each and every one of them before that happens. "Teal'c has probably made it back by now for reinforcements." If they gave him the reactor.

 

"Right; the ones you said Hennessy won't send?"

 

Ignoring the remark and the overly large foot he'd placed in his own mouth, Jack addressed Sam. "Carter, help me get some pressure on these punctures. They're still bleeding." And some sterile dressings might be nice, but…

 

_____

 

"You will not be returning."

 

"I cannot be harmed by atmospheric contaminants, General Hennessy." The infuriating man had not only vetoed the sending of backup teams to rescue his friends, he would not let Teal'c himself return to the planet, and Teal'c could sense his own patience diminishing. His teammates needed him; they needed help. "If you do not trust the hazmat coverings, rest assured that the healing power of my symbiote protects me from such negative variables."

 

"No, Teal'c. One less casualty from General Hammond's team is in everyone's best interest. I doubt the general would approve of sending you or any other team back and risking more members of the SGC not returning. I intend to keep you safe in the best way I know how. Besides, if we break through those doors, which you said they locked behind you, we will be exposing those people to more contamination. No one goes, Teal'c. That's my final word." His glare dared Teal'c to argue. He'd have the alien confined if that's what it took to get him to follow orders. How the hell had Hammond kept control around this place? And what was that about the archaeologist leading them down the stairs into that zoo in the first place? Civilians off-world were nothing but trouble, he was definitely convinced of that. When they got back - if they got back - that scientist would be grounded, and retained in the lab where he belonged.

 

Teal'c turned and left the room, no further words exchanged. Making his way into the gateroom, he proceeded up the ramp, depositing himself cross-legged in front of the Stargate. If he could not go offworld, then no one else would, either.

 

On the other hand… if some team were, in fact, to gear up and present themselves at the foot of the Stargate ramp, then indeed he would be going with them. He could gate to his friends' location on P2R 229 from any planet.

 

_____

 

They had returned, as Sam had predicted, as Daniel had known.

 

As Jack had tried so vehemently to deny.

 

More scrapers, more needles, more suction, a dozen desperate individuals holding him down forcefully, stronger than he was, and Daniel again ceased to struggle.

 

"I am sorry," the biologist apologized to the archaeologist. "We don't choose to hurt you, but this is important to us… to our race. You must see that. We must accept casualties in the search for survival." Daniel had grudgingly accepted the fact that he had become the first of three lab rats, and prayed only that they would get what they needed from him before having to use his teammates.

 

"Oh…God. Don't do it there," Daniel groaned. Futile, resisting was futile, just get this over with, twenty more minutes, maybe thirty, that was it. Then they'd go away and leave him alone with his friends for a few more hours while they tested out his cells on still more living embryos.

 

_____

 

Finally, SG1 was again left alone, and Jack was supporting Daniel, his arm around his friend in comfort. On Daniel's other side was Sam, her hand holding gently onto one of his as she stroked his fingers soothingly.

 

"Jack?" Daniel said softly, trying to ignore the stinging pains of his body, the nausea, the throbbing. "I feel like I'm in a horror movie."

 

"Got news for you Danny…"

 

"And… I've been thinking, Jack. Maybe this wasn't all caused by the Goa'uld."

 

"What are you talking about, Daniel?" Sam asked gently.

 

"Sam, if the air is bad only on the surface, why aren't things getting any better for these people? We know the role genes play between parents and offspring, and their gene pool is, frankly, lacking in variety. But apart from that, they also eat each other, Sam. Can cannibalism… of those with genetic defects… cause worse defects, in the long run?"

 

"I'm not sure, Daniel. These people should logically be getting terribly sick from eating naturally deceased flesh, no matter what the species or physical condition. They've definitely learned to adapt, physiologically speaking, to situations that would cause bodily havoc on Earth. I doubt the cannibalism even began until these defects had already forced them underground. But as for the genetic aspect, yes, things are just going to keep getting worse."

 

"Unless they engineer a vaccine. Sounds pretty hopeless, Sam."

 

"Daniel, it was still the contaminated atmosphere that caused the mutations in the first place and forced them down here," Jack agreed with Carter, "and they have no choice but to inbreed."

 

"But still, Jack, what if we could convince them to let Sam go back to Earth to have Fraiser test their blood samples? And also the food they eat, and the so-called filtered water from the surface. At least we might be able to help them that way. What if we promise to bring them food - protein - that doesn't come from their own people?" Stall. Those unhealthy-looking vegetables kept playing on Daniel's mind. Surely these people would let at least one of them return home, with the promise of healthy food and water.

 

Carter looked at Jack. "Sir? It's worth a try. If we offer to supervise better nutrition and sanitation for these people, they might be willing to let us go."

 

"Sounds like a plan, Carter. So. You're saying all we need to do is convince them to let you leave, right?" No problem there, Jack thought wryly.

 

_____

 

"We will get out of here, Daniel."

 

"Not according to them."

 

Daniel was leaning with his eyes closed, head on Jack's shoulder, waiting for the spinning to stop. Some sugar might help combat the amount of blood they'd taken from him, or even food in general. They'd come for him again; more embryos to experiment on, and more cell samples needed from the healthy young male. He was feeling not so healthy any more, his arms wrapped around his sore abdomen, the bruises and needle punctures on his limbs and internal body feeling tender, his scraped clavicle and ankle stinging from the inside out, the rasped areas of skin releasing continual droplets of blood. No permanent damage, he had many healthy cells, they kept saying. They didn't mean to hurt him; how many times would they reassure him of that? Yes, they were skilled at what they were doing.

 

"Carter will come back with good news."

 

"That's what you said about Teal'c."

 

Yes…where was Teal'c, anyway?

 

_____

 

"I have the two of you here, Major, and that's one less headache for me. You're not returning to P2R 229."

 

"Sir…!" Carter was frustrated. This is what she'd heard from Teal'c, and now she was facing the general herself. "We can't just leave them there!"

 

"And going back won't get them freed, Major, without exposing those people to further contamination, as well as yourself."

 

"I was on the gate level already, General, and the doctor assured me I have no ill effects."

 

"So far."

 

"I'll wear hazmat…sir."

 

"We have no idea what the contamination is, Major. No radiation showed up on our MALP readings; we don't know what we're dealing with. May I remind you this is Goa'uld technology, possibly biological warfare? For all we know it could be something that can seep through even hazmat protection."

 

"Sir! Daniel and Colonel O'Neill are down there, right now."

 

"And maybe the contamination is not confined to the surface. For all we know, for all those aliens know, it could be just as hazardous below ground, otherwise their predicament would have improved generations ago. The rest of your team, Major, is as of now considered compromised."

 

"What?" Carter cried out. For a single moment she thought of putting 'sir' on the end of that, then turned and walked out of the room without dismissal. This man would likely, hopefully, be leaving in a few weeks; let him court-martial her and explain it to Hammond. Brusquely, she strode into the gateroom and joined Teal'c on the ramp.

 

_____

 

"How're you feeling?"

 

Daniel had awoken from a restless twenty-minute sleep, more donations from him having been solicited. "I hurt in places I didn't know I had."

 

"Yeah, I figured." Jack shifted so that his teammate could get more comfortable. "I'm sorry they started with you, Daniel."

 

"Don't be."

 

"It's just that, well, I don't want you…to…"

 

"I know."

 

"I hate to see you like this."

 

"I'll be okay."

 

"I hate to watch it happen."

 

"Jack?"

 

"What?"

 

"I didn't want it to be you, either."

 

"You got your wish, I didn't. You owe me one."

 

"I'm sorry."

 

"Quit it."

 

"But - "

 

"Sshh. It's okay, Carter'll be here soon."

 

"You said that six hours ago, Jack."

 

"They have to analyze all those things at the lab. Said so yourself." And you're usually right.

 

"Yeah."

 

"Yeah." Yeah. But even then it may not be over. Imperceptibly Jack tightened his grip on his friend. They'd kept wiping those damn needles on their rags, for crying out loud. Jack didn't want to even consider what they might be putting into Daniel, besides taking out of him. His right hand subconsciously stroked Daniel's thumb. "I still don't understand why they need so many different samples."

 

 Daniel wasn't sure if Jack was being naïve, or hiding in denial. "The greater chance of a clone working, Jack."

 

"A clone?" Jack repeated.

 

"You didn't think they were just testing out vaccines, did you?"

 

Actually…well, yes. Clones of Daniel? Fresh healthy embryos to experiment with? Wouldn't that take like…months, to get it right?

 

Daniel sighed. "Just don't tell them about bone marrow."

 

_____

"Sir, you have to let Major Carter and Teal'c return to P2R 229." Doctor Fraiser had knocked on the general's door loudly and had seen the determined look on the man's face when she had so boldly stomped in. But she knew he would have to face the determination in her face now, too, for he could not refute the evidence she was about to present, nor offer any more rationalizations for keeping the rest of SG1 on Earth.

"I have to do no such thing, Doctor Fraiser."

 

"There are no atmospheric contaminants on that planet, sir. Doctor Jackson's theories were correct. The spices those people are putting on their food contain massive amounts of a substance that mimics and exaggerates one of the chemicals found in thalidomide, only much more potent. Sir, these people are eating themselves into degenerative genetics."

 

General Hennessy stared for several moments at the doctor. "Are you sure?"

 

Geez…you bet your damn rank and commission I am, General. "Positive," she stated calmly. Now, do your own damn job and get the rest of SG1 out of there, SIR!

 

_____

 

Daniel was finally asleep, and Jack reluctantly released his hold on his friend. His own legs were in desperate need of a stretch, but he would have to be cautiously quiet. No way would he unintentionally or carelessly disturb his teammate's well-deserved rest. They'd been graciously left alone for the night, and while Jack's exhaustion was not yet debilitating, he knew Daniel's was.

 

Rising carefully, then stretching the muscles in his back and shoulders, Jack squinted at his friend in the dim light, the purple glow steady no matter what time of day or night.

 

Jack was sickened by the events that had transpired on this mission and the situation they'd been thrust into. Why don't we just gate to a lab where they can do some genetic experimentation on us this time, huh? What d'ya say, kids? Why don't we just offer them Daniel?

 

So maybe it hadn't quite gone down that way; maybe he hadn't said the words, but in reality it's what they'd gone and done. What kind of a wacko job was this, where a guy could eagerly and innocently come to work in the morning, and then be forced to surrender his body to science?

 

How the hell did we get into this, Daniel?

 

And why the hell hasn't anyone come back for us yet?

 

Jack cursed Hennessy. He cursed the fact that he himself had been the one forced to drown out Daniel's misgivings, knowing them to be sound. As much as he trusted Carter, Jack had no faith in their present commander, for Teal'c would've been back with reinforcements long ago, if he'd been allowed. Getting Carter out of here had been the only way to rescue another member of his team; helping these people had not been foremost on Jack's mind.

 

Daniel moaned in his sleep, flexing his legs, and Jack held his breath. Not yet, not yet, don't wake up.... There was nothing he could do for his friend but hold him, and pray that this wouldn't go on until someone made a fatal experimental error, or caused an internal infection. All he could do for Daniel was watch him be hurt.

 

Shit.

 

I'm sorry Daniel. This isn't what archaeology is supposed to be about, I know. This isn't what you spent your life studying for.

 

Jack stretched one final time, then silently lowered himself to the cold hard ground. Daniel's eyes fluttered, then opened drearily.

 

"Sshh. Lean on me. Go back to sleep."

 

God. We're still here. Dream scenes of unwittingly eating human soup still lingered in partial alertness, as Daniel awoke to the piercing points of fire and throbbing aches within his body. He reached an arm across Jack, pulling himself in closer and more comfortably. "I could kind of use a symbiote right about now, Jack," he muttered, closing his eyes once more and forcing his mind to rest.

 

You and me both, Jack thought. It was Junior that got Teal'c sent home.

 

_____

 

Oh Christ, stop it. Jack's face registered nearly as much pain as Daniel's. Though it was killing him to watch this, as long as Daniel had to go through it, the least he could do was be strong for his friend and not cringe away. He knew Daniel was trying hard not to cry out, but the frequent moans and half-stifled gasps betrayed his teammate's defiance and courage. That suction thing was pulling bits of raw tissue out from inside him, for crying out loud. Wouldn't he be bleeding in there? How many biopsies could Daniel go through in two days?

 

Ah geez, shit, stop it.

 

Damn you, Hennessy. And you truly believed Daniel couldn't pull his own weight?

 

The syringe-like spear was finally retracted, and Jack exhaled for what seemed like the first time in forty-five minutes.

 

Daniel's groan redirected his attention.

 

"You don't need a sample from his mouth!" Jack shouted, pulling against the limbs holding him against the wall.

 

"On the contrary," came the calm but firm reply. "Over the years we have not discovered which cells work best, nor have we had pure individuals to use for testing our theories. As is clear, if we had met our goals, we would not need to do this now." Saldarat looked at Jack as though this was obvious, before wiping the scraper on his rag and continuing intently on his work, Daniel's head held steady by a variety of limbs and fingers, his eyes scrunched tightly shut.

 

Valtador entered. "Enough for now, Saldarat. Their people have returned."

 

Yes, finally! The hold on Jack was loosened, as the grip on his friend's face was released, and the eight other men holding the archaeologist down freed his limbs and slid out of the room. Daniel gasped heavily and rolled onto his side, curling his knees up to his abdomen. Jack rushed to his teammate's aid, pulling his friend against him. "What's the news, Carter?" Both she and Teal'c had looked victorious upon passing through the doorway, until their eyes had set upon their contorted linguist.

 

"How is Daniel Jackson?" Teal'c's expression appeared troubled, and Sam came to kneel by her teammate, pressing her palm against his forehead. She frowned, noting the blood on his abdomen below the loosened shirt and penetrating the small slices in his lower clothing.

 

"He's hurting and wants to get out of here. Which is what we're about to do now, right?" Jack squinted, daring them not to disagree.

 

"Hopefully, sir." Sam looked at Valtador. "We've discovered why your people are mutating. It's not because of the air on the surface, Valtador, and it's not because of anything done to you by the Goa'uld. The air is clean. Nothing you've done in the lab has worked because you've been looking in the wrong place. Even if you'd come up with a potential antidote, you keep contaminating yourselves and your results. There's no way your research could have worked." She turned to her teammates. "Sir… Daniel was right. It's what they're eating. The flavourings they use have large amounts of a chemical extremely similar to, and even more potent than, thalidomide."

 

"What?" both Daniel and Jack exclaimed simultaneously.

 

"Explain," said Saldarat, the biologist.

 

"The spices your cooks use…how long have they been putting them in your food?" Carter addressed the men.

 

"For generations. Recipes are handed down within families."

 

"Stop using them. Your children will eventually stop being born with defects."

 

"Teal'c, could the Goa'uld have introduced that substance to these people?" Jack asked the Jaffa.

 

"It is not impossible, O'Neill. They have many destructive chemicals at hand."

 

"Well," Jack extrapolated, indicating he was speaking to Valtador, "at least that means your people can go and live on the surface again… outside, in the fresh air."

 

"And grow real food in sunlight," Daniel commented weakly, spitting out some blood. He was thrilled at the news… although he'd show it later.

 

Jack's thoughts returned to the friend curled at his side. "Can we leave now, Valtador?" He stroked the short hair at Daniel's forehead where the tuft had been snipped, subconsciously knowing the touch would soothe, and wiped the perspiration threatening to drip into his friend's eyes.

 

Valtador thought for several moments. "Even if we stop using these spices, our women will still need men with healthy genes. It will take some time."

 

Oh shit. Jack saw Daniel's face pale, as he, too, understood Valtador's inference.

 

"Jack?" Daniel whispered in panic, grabbing at Jack's sleeve as if the act of hanging on might keep him safe.

 

"Sperm bank, Daniel," Jack countered quickly, rubbing his friend's arm reassuringly. "Carter, let these men know how we can help them, and then go get what they need. Oh, and Carter? Make it fast."

 

"Sir?" Sam appeared worried. "We can't just walk into one of those places and demand a large supply, Colonel. This may take a while."

 

"Look, Carter, you'll think of something. Get volunteers from the SGC, or make up a long-term schedule. We can send it through the gate at intervals. I don't care what you do, just do it. Go with her, Teal'c." Jack turned to Valtador and Saldarat. "And until they get back, you two keep everyone away from Daniel!"

 

_____

 

He was waking up again, damn.

 

"Jack?" Daniel clutched weakly at Jack's hand.

 

"I'm here."

 

"I hurt," the soft voice was barely a whisper. "I'm so tired."

 

"I know." Jack held his friend more tightly. "It won't be long now." Maybe soon Daniel would be able to accept one of those energy bars Carter had brought.

 

"I want to go home."

 

"Carter'll get us home soon. Just rest, let yourself heal."

 

"…it was the food?" he asked weakly.

 

"Those spices, you were right. You did good, Daniel."

 

"So they've been living down here all these years for nothing?"

 

How could he answer that? "At least it's over for them now, Daniel."

 

Daniel was silent, leaning against his CO, and Jack rubbed his friend's arm, resting his own head against the wall. Come on, Carter… if Hennessy's the one holding you up, I swear…

 

_____

 

Damn, that man was infuriating.

 

Jack hated to imagine the day George Hammond actually called it quits, for the SGC and possibly Earth itself might be in huge trouble. Replacing their leader would be like trying to replace his own teammates… damn near impossible. Why did all the general's stand-ins turn out to be so narrow-minded and irritatingly stubborn? Was this what he'd been like a few years ago, closing his eyes to all that Daniel had to offer because the guy wasn't a member of the Soldiers' Club? The man was a scientist, and Jack hadn't been too eager to forgive him for that. Wasn't this how Hennessy was treating Daniel now?

 

Jack peeked into the infirmary, and quietly stepped inside.

 

"He's asleep, Colonel."

 

"Right, doc. I know." Yes, Jack could see that Daniel was sleeping. Blessed sleep, at last. They'd been back for only four hours and he knew better than to expect his friend to be alert, although he had been hoping to catch the linguist in a state of momentary consciousness. While Jack could wait indefinitely to discuss the mission, it was vital that they talk about Hennessy. He really didn't want Daniel to hear this from an unconcerned third party.

 

With eyes on his ill-used and exhausted teammate, Jack tried to settle the emotions of frustration and anger flaring within. Damn it. Daniel was an important part of his team. Just how many times did the guy have to prove himself?

 

More often than the rest of us, apparently. He was a civilian.

 

And for the time being he was off the team.

 

Fervently believing that this situation was temporary, Jack still despised the thought of Daniel having to get well while dealing with the feelings of disrespect, distrust, and suspicion emanating from higher administration. Incompetence was a trait befitting General Hennessy, not Daniel, and he knew his teammate would be hurt by the implications of being suspended from active participation in the program.

 

Cursing Hennessy under his breath, Jack turned to leave. "Call me when he's awake, Janet. No one else comes in here before me, okay?"

 

Never mind. He'd check back in half an hour.

 

_____

 

"Daniel?"

 

Daniel heard the quiet voice and forced the weights off his upper lids, opening them a crack. "Jack?"

 

"Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."

 

"Yes. I can tell."

 

"How're you feeling?"

 

Daniel paused, concentrating on the dulled throbbing within. "Better than this morning. Tired."

 

"Janet thinks there's no permanent damage."

 

Daniel just nodded.

 

"Daniel...look, I'll let you get back to sleep. I just wanted to warn you that Hennessy's on the warpath."

 

Daniel's blue-eyed gaze settled softly upon Jack's concerned features. "He doesn't want me around."

 

"He doesn't want you offworld."

 

Daniel glanced down, focussing on his blanket, an inanimate article that couldn't read the disappointment in his eyes. "Damned if I do, damned if I don't, I guess," he responded softly. "Have you heard when General Hammond might be back?" Please tell me he's coming back.

 

"No." There wasn't anyone at the SGC who was willing to voice the worry that this could be permanent. "Rumour has it that it might be a few weeks."

 

A few weeks. Enough time for his teammates to be hurt or captured offworld. Hell, that could happen in just minutes, and he'd be powerless to help them. Weeks of pacing and nail biting, impatiently waiting for them to return from missions safely.

 

"You don't deserve this, Daniel. I've tried to get through to Hennessy but I don't know how."

 

"It's okay, Jack. It helps just knowing you don't agree with him."

 

Jack's eyes narrowed. "Of course I don't." Don't tell me you have doubts about that, Daniel. He studied the impassivity in his friend's face, or was that resignation? "Get some rest. The time will fly by."

 

"Yeah." Daniel closed his eyes, sinking back into the pillow. "Yes, I'm convinced."

 

_____

 

The official post-mission briefing, held two days into Daniel's recuperation, wasn't going well. "Dr.Jackson, tell me again why you were the one who ended up getting chosen." Hennessy was damn well not going to be responsible for the injuries of a civilian. Let Hammond take the blame for that.

 

"I was the youngest male," Daniel replied.

 

"Another reason to replace you with someone older and more experienced."

 

"In military matters, you mean?" Daniel asked. "'Cause only Jack, Feretti, and I have the most experience when it comes to missions through the Stargate." Just in case Hennessy didn't know - and he probably didn't - it wouldn't hurt to tell him. He'd even managed to keep some of the sarcasm out of his voice.

 

"In military matters, yes."

 

"Sir, we attend to a lot more out there than just fighting and protecting ourselves," Major Carter objected.

 

"Which Daniel does well enough these days anyway," Jack contributed.

 

"Really? Then why was he the one who got hurt?"

 

"He was also the one who got us out of there," Jack reminded him bluntly.

 

"No, that was Dr. Fraiser," Hennessy countered.

 

Crap. The man not only blamed Daniel for what he'd been through, he refused to even admit Daniel's theory had cracked a mystery that had plagued an entire race of people for generations. Jack noticed Daniel fidgeting, biting his lip and gazing into his lap. He was obviously trying to stay diplomatic, weighing his next thoughts. Jack couldn't remain so placid. "Only because Daniel convinced them to send Carter home. He came up with that suggestion, too."

 

"Nevermind, Jack."

 

"What?" Jack raised an eyebrow at Daniel.

 

"The general obviously wants to see it only one way, and he's not going to allow me offworld again. His mind's made up."

 

"Sorry, Daniel. I don't accept that." If Daniel remained grounded, Jack would pull the Teal'c strike pose and do the lotus at the base of the ramp himself; no way was he going offworld with a team member absent or replaced. Somehow, he would have to get Hennessy to admit that a civilian could be as reliable and valuable as the rest of them.

 

"Your archaeologist finally understands where this is going, Colonel. As long as I'm in charge here at the SGC, Dr.Jackson will remain on base." Why the hell was he even arguing about it? The insubordination of this colonel was unforgivable; his orders should not be questioned. While it was true that Daniel Jackson had withstood the abusive experimentation courageously, he'd only been in the situation because, and this was admitted by the entire team, he'd been the youngest male, reinforcing his own belief that Dr.Jackson… civilian… ought to remain Earthbound. And while they all seemed to be arguing that the linguist had figured out the situation on P2R 229, how could they deny that, in all honesty, the real work been done by Dr. Fraiser?

 

"General, you have no good reason…"

 

"Nevermind, Jack."

 

"Daniel!"

 

"General, sir," Carter cut in, "we need Daniel for a lot more than you realize…"

 

"…but if you'd read the reports, you'd know that!" Jack added.

 

"Colonel! That's enough. Dr. Jackson will be replaced on your next missions! Dismissed!"

 

"And why, exactly, would that be, General?" Hammond stood in the doorway.

 

_____

 

Jack stopped to watch his archaeologist reading, three children snuggling up against him on the floor as he leaned against a stone grinding table, six others squeezing in closely to listen to Daniel's Goa'uld version of Green Eggs and Ham. Not that these kids knew what eggs were. Jack's mind played with the words to fit his own recent experiences… I do not like white spinach with spots, I do not like it, I do not; I would not eat it in the rain, I would not eat it on a train… Jack shook his head, returning his attention to Daniel's storybook translations. Pretty cool, he thought, for a guy whose sole use, according to General Hennessy, was identifying artifacts. Even these people had been more apologetic to his teammate than Hennessy, and Daniel had forgiven them far easier than he'd been able to. Hammond's timely visit may have created some internal tension, but it had at least achieved results that SG1 could live with for a while.

 

The collection they'd taken up from SGC members had added up to nearly a thousand dollars, making for an appetizing celebration here on P2R 229. The pots of stew were simmering - beef, Jack kept reminding them - and teams were on the surface checking out home construction strategies. Carter was inspecting the homegrown vegetables, and Teal'c was above ground, offering what aid he could. Later, these people would all go up to the surface and see the sky for the first time in their lives, an event his whole team was eagerly anticipating. Given time, these people would probably be okay.

 

Daniel laughed, nearly falling over with the addition of two more small bodies in his lap. These kids sure weren't hindered by their lack of or additional appendages, but then again, why would they be? This was all they had ever known. SG1 probably looked just as badly off to them... except Daniel could turn pages. Anyway, Jack couldn't help but smile. Daniel was having a great time. It had taken him less than a week to recuperate, and, so far, all blood tests had come back negative.

 

Jack parted with reluctance, finding he couldn't tear his eyes away. He'd promised Carter he'd be over soon, but this was more intriguing than albino vegetables. Oh-oh, looked like Green Eggs was about to be followed by The Teddy Bears' Picnic. Pretty cool, for a teammate of his to be able to translate that into twenty-odd languages, huh? Singing, yet. While laughing. Jack threw one last look back towards Daniel. Yeah, way cool.

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