DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognisable characters and property of Stargate SG-1 belong to MGM/UA, World Gekko Corp. and Double Secret Productions.  This fan fiction was created solely for entertainment purposes and no money was made from it.  Also, no copyright or trademark infringement was intended.  Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.  Any other characters, the storyline and the actual story are the property of the author.  Not to be archived without permission of the author(s).

Part Four: by Jmas

Sam Carter was almost as worried about the colonel as she was about Daniel. The colonel had been barking orders from the moment his mouth had cleared the event horizon and promptly got on everyone’s nerves. The situation was tense enough and under normal circumstances Colonel O’Neill knew that the kind of yelling he was doing was generally counter-productive. Everyone understood that it was a very vocal by-product of the colonel’s deep concern, but that understanding quickly began to wear thin as the colonel stormed from team to team demanding any and all information.

It had finally been Colonel Makepeace, surprisingly enough, who had taken Colonel O’Neill off for a little talk. Sam would have given anything to know what had been said between the two officers, but mostly she was just glad that it seemed to have worked … at least for now.

They had combed the winding corridors and maze-like tunnels of the central pyramid for hours. No stone, rock or artifact had escaped scrutiny. Ground teams had been covering the area in ever-widening circles and two UAV’s had been launched to perform aerial reconnaissance. Over fifty people from support staff to medical staff to ranking officers had been turned out in response to General Hammond’s call for volunteers.

Sam thought to herself with a stinging smile that Daniel would be more than a little shocked to see how many of his military coworkers were concerned for his safety. Anthropology was more Daniel’s forte than hers, but Sam knew enough to understand that SGC was a classic closed-society…given its top-secret nature, it had to be. Nearly three years of service, facing everything they had as a command, had earned Daniel a valued place in that society. Sam knew that the SGC was responding just like SG1 to a certain degree…one of their own was threatened and nothing would stop them from getting him back.

But, so far, nothing had been found. Sam was growing more and more certain that this was not simply a case of ‘missing archaeologist’ … Daniel had been taken. The question was … by whom?

A shout from the UAV techs brought them all running. They’d found something.

Jack couldn’t stop the feeling of cold dread that washed over him as he stared down at the imprints in the blowing sand. He knew, even before Teal’c confirmed it, exactly what they were imprints of. A Teltac. One f those Goa’uld cargo vessels. Just like the one that Aris Boch had used. Just like the one they’d flown to Netu and back. Someone, invariably connected to the Goa’uld, had taken Daniel.

Jack wandered around the circumference of the landing gear’s rapidly disappearing tracks, his thoughts in a jumble. He was starting to get a familiar feeling in his gut, a feeling that always made his insides twist when one of his kids was in trouble. The severity of the current feeling told him that Daniel wasn’t just in the usual variety of trouble … he was in a shitload of trouble, up to his neck and sinking faster with every minute that passed.

Jack was just about to turn and rejoin Teal’c and Carter when he spotted something, nearly buried by the drifting sand.

It was Daniel’s hat. That well-worn, floppy-brimmed hat-on-a-string that Daniel refused to replace. Jack felt his heart tug at the memory of his always…well, nearly always…logical friend digging in his heels when Jack had outright demanded a few months ago that Daniel replace the ragged headwear with a new one. For whatever reason, something in Daniel’s voice had caused Jack to back down on that particular demand.

Jack held the hat tightly in his hand for a moment, trying to keep his imagination from running wild with theories of how the hat had become separated from its owner…finally realizing that Carter, Teal’c and Makepeace were treating him to some pretty worried looks. Jack clamped down on his raging emotions. Traipsing back to the Stargate with Teal’c, Carter and Makepeace in tow, Jack found himself focusing on one task and one task only … if he had to call in every marker the SGC had accumulated across the galaxy … they were going to find Daniel.

Whoever had done this had gone to a lot of trouble to track Daniel down, watch and wait to catch the kid alone, then grab him out from under Makepeace’s nose. For all his bluster in Hammond’s office, Jack knew that Makepeace had done all he could. Even if Jack had been there himself, it would have happened. Which didn’t go very far to making Jack feel any better. When had they become so vulnerable? And who in the hell wanted Daniel so badly that they’d go to this much trouble?

'Make a list, O'Neill...'

Apophis turned away from the communication console, allowing his anger free rein for one flashing moment before he reined it in tightly and regained control.

"Lo’wn!"

The Jaffa entered quickly, bowing before Apophis. "Yes, my Lord?"

"The bounty hunter has betrayed me. He seems to think he can name his own price for Daniel Jackson. "

"My Lord?"

Apophis tried to remain patient with his new First Prime, but it was difficult. A year on Netu had taught him much about patience, but to have Daniel Jackson so close to his grasp and be thwarted by this upstart slave of a bounty hunter…

"Boch intends to auction Daniel Jackson to the highest bidder. It is not my desire to let the System Lords learn of my new status just yet. You will have to go in my place." Apophis stepped closer to Lo’wn, speaking slowly as if to a child … but with an edge of rage that was in no way fatherly. "Do whatever it requires, but bring me Daniel Jackson."

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