DISCLAIMER: All 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 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.
One second Jack was kneeling on the platform on high, looking down at Daniel.
The next he was still kneeling only now it was on the wind-swept barren rock in front of the Stargate.
Well, at least he hadn't blacked out this time.
Still, he was beginning to feel like a - hackey sack. Bounce me here, bounce me there. Excuse me, getting off the ride now.
Tir was standing beside them, a slightly questioning expression on his delicate, alien features. Well, at least what Jack took to be a questioning expression.
"Ya wanna give a guy some warning before you go doing that again?"
Jack felt an answering trill of amusement in his thoughts. He shook his head and turned his attention back to the man in his arms.
The bad stuff was closing in on him fast. Trying to crush his spirit, smother his soul. Still, Jack could see a stubborn, faint light that was Daniel, refusing to give in to it, trying to push it back with everything he had. Which wasn't very much at the moment. Still, that tenacious spirit that refused to surrender, succumb or back down fought to stay with him, and was looking to him for something to hold on to.
"Jack." he panted in a voice that was much stronger than it should have been. "Can't feel - anything. Numb. help."
Jack gaped at him, momentarily helpless to do anything simply because he didn't know what to do. Daniel's eyes closed and he began to shake.
*Feel. Feel. He can't feel. Needs to be able to feel. *
Jack didn't know if the inspiration came just from him or from the deeply sympathetic K'Haya dude at his side, but suddenly Jack knew exactly what he had to do. Wherever it came from he couldn't give a toss. Now that he knew what was needed he just threw all of that aside and did what he did best. Going into action.
He unwound the cloth that was loosely swaddling Daniel and wound it tightly back around him again, pinning Daniel's arms to his sides so snugly he hoped he wasn't cutting off the circulation. Then he folded him into his arms again, squeezing him as forcefully as he could.
He held him fiercely like that feeling the shuddering gradually subside for what seemed to be an eternity before he finally heard the ghost of a whisper.
"Better. That's - better. Like that. Thanks. Thanks."
"Hey," Jack said softly back to him. "You okay enough to go home now?"
He felt Daniel's head move against his chest in a faint nod. "Just don't let go..."
"No way, pal. Not a chance in hell."
However, Jack had just realized they had a HUGE problem. How he was going to make good on his promise to take Daniel home. It seemed that they had sashayed through the Stargate without thinking to pick up a signal device.
Attention to detail. He was really going to have to work on that one.
However, it seemed as if someone had thought of everything. Someone who apparently was going back with them to see what last minute assistance he could render to Daniel and also to be of service in the capacity of providing an - explanation for a few things. Possibly maybe even helping to keep a certain Colonel from spending the rest of his life doing the off off off Broadway version of "Jailhouse Rock."
Just as well, couldn't hold a tune in a bucket.
The Stargate was active, Tir had already told him, via global information insert, that the iris had been disabled so they weren't going to get creamed upon arrival, always a condition to be avoided at all costs, and they weren't going to get shot at by their own guys when they got there. Also not on the top of his list of favorite things to do in an afternoon. So all that was left to do now was the shuffling off to Buffalo bit.
He started to pick Daniel up only to feel the vigorous shake of his friend's head vehemently protesting his intention. Unbelievable. Daniel wanted to walk back. He wanted to walk. Definitely not inclined to argue with what he considered to be a very good sign, Jack helped his friend to his feet, keeping his arms wrapped around him as firmly as he could in order to maintain the constant pressure that seemed to be helping. Leaning heavily on his rock solid support but definitely standing and definitely ambulatory, Daniel Jackson walked back through the Stargate, his friend on one side of him and the little K'Haya Tir on the other.
There were a lot of very solemn faces looking at them on the other side. Jack did a quick visual reconnaissance and was extremely relieved to see that Maybourne was not one of them. That would have been way too much to have to deal with at the moment.
The trip through the gate had been a bit too much for Daniel; his legs were buckling and he was beginning to sag. Jack hurried to bolster him as Sam, Teal'c and Dr Frasier arrived to lend a hand.
"Daniel," Sam said softly, her voice dangerously fragile with emotion. At the sound of it he turned his head toward her, his eyes awash with misery and the desperate appeal for it to be taken away. Daniel leaned toward her as she added her embrace to the one that already enveloped him, allowing his head to find a haven in the comfort of her shoulder. She looked down at him a moment, as if trying to comprehend the depths of his anguish, then cast deeply troubled eyes at the man beside him. Although she didn't say a word, the question she asked Jack was quite plain to him.
*What's happened to him? What's wrong? *
Janet was there as well, trying to pull Jack a little to the side in preparation for putting Daniel on the stretcher that was being brought up the ramp. All ready for them. Good. It pays to call ahead.
As soon as he understood what she meant to do Daniel began to try to violently pull away from her, shaking his head and shrinking back towards Jack. "No - No - Jack..." The panic in his voice was terrifying and deeply disturbing.
"Colonel - what's wrong -" Janet started to say. Jack shot her a 'I'll-tell-you-when-I-get-a-minute' glare and looked around for their guest, who was already right there under his nose.
Maybe he couldn't 'fix' Daniel, but as Jack was desperately hoping, it appeared he could help. As Tir reached up and started patting the distressed man gently on his cloth-covered arm he trained the full measure of his wide-eyed, healing stare upon Daniel.
It only took a few seconds and Daniel's panic lessened and then ceased. His head began to nod, his legs slump. In less than 15 seconds he was deeply asleep and between them Jack and Sam were able to quickly and efficiently lower him to the waiting stretcher.
The corpsmen picked it up and were about to walk back down the ramp when Tir put up his little blue hand. He focussed those eyes on the Doctor and Jack could not help but feel a smile creep over him as he watched her eyes widen in shock and wonder, and then turn and focus on him with profound concern as she understood what Tir had just 'told' her.
Oh, this guy was going to make the debrief a snap. Wonder if he would consider a career in the SGC.
He also was doing a fair job of running interference for him. The General had more than a slightly bemused expression on his face as Tir took his hand and started to lead him out of the embarkation room. They made a really sweet couple. The man from Texas and Little Blue Boy. Jack would have killed for a camera.
"Uh - I'll be right with you, Sir," Jack called after him. Hammond made no sign that he had heard him or even particularly cared what he did. Sweet.
Oh man, he definitely had to get Tir to show him how he did that before he left.
Motioning for Sam and Teal'c to follow him, he hurried to make tracks after the men who were bearing Daniel away.
As if he could have stopped those two from following.
As if he even needed to ask.
He tried to bring them up to speed as tersely as possible while they made the trip to the infirmary. By the time they got there they hadn't heard the whole thing, but they had heard more than enough to put them well into the picture.
They transferred Daniel to a gurney. He continued to slumber peacefully, completely oblivious to what was being done to him. Jack felt a stab of panic seize him as Janet started to remove the covering that encased him, and before he realized what he was doing he put his hand on her arm to stop her.
She stopped, and flashed him an understanding look. "It's all right, Colonel," she said. "I know. Tir told me that the application of constant, steady pressure helps him. That's very interesting. It's a technique used quite successfully to calm autistic children and help them become gradually desensitized to physical stimulation. It might be instructive to run some brain scans targeting the areas of the brain - "
"Doctor!" Jack snapped only a little bit, feeling in that moment an absolute paragon of restraint. "Just - do what you have to do quickly and then make sure that he is wrapped up again. I don't want him to wake up - " Jack's voice broke off and he could not finish the sentence.
Janet nodded and looked away. "Yes, Colonel. Tir told me that Daniel will not wake up until he comes back and returns him to his natural state of sleep. We can check him out and get him settled again without having to worry about upsetting him."
"All the same, be quick about it, Doc. Okay? Even though he is asleep I don't want him to have to go through anything that is not absolutely necessary. I think he's been through more than enough already."
"Yes Sir. I'll take good care of him, Colonel."
Jack smiled at her and meant it. "I know you will, Doc."
He spared another moment to look to Sam and Teal'c. She beat him to the punch.
"Don't even have to say it, Sir," she said with a tight smile, her comment echoed by a solemn nod of the man who stood behind her.
Of course he didn't. What had he been thinking? Acknowledging their loyalty to their friend with a curt nod of his head he cast one final look at Daniel and then made himself walk out of the room to join Tir and the General.
It seemed that Hammond had been getting along rather famously with their guest. Tir appeared to be having an equally good time. The pair was positively merry when Jack joined them. Evidently he had scarcely been missed or required.
Wasn't really quite sure how he felt about that. Oh man, he needed to get some sleep or something. Focus, Jack.
Jack sat himself down with Laurel and Hardy and the scientific supporting players and immediately felt himself drawn into an amazing story. He'd only gotten part of it back there during his first encounter with Tir. There was more. A lot more.
The K'Harra/K'Haya and the tree-like beings they were allied with, the GI were the two forms of sentient life on their world. Each GI was a support system for a collective of entities such as Xi'a, the first aspect of an life form whose life span would take it through three stages of the manifestation of life.
As part of the GI they were largely members of the vegetative kingdom. Jack couldn't follow all of it - he was no scientist and he suspected the General couldn't either, but it's not like either one of them was going to admit that fact to the other. That's what the scientific guys were here for.
When they were ready to enter the next phase of their development they selected a compatible host from those of the K'Harra that were presented to them for that purpose. Sometime it took a long time and a lot of K'Harra to get the right combination, but when it clicked the podling flew the nest, joined with their new support system and became a fully fledged member of the animal kingdom in the a'tah stage of their being. This happy state of affairs continued until they were ready to make the next transition. To transcend matter entirely, and become pure energy as one of the S'il. The host was similarly transformed, left with the gift of profound psychic abilities and he or she then became K'Haya and joined the ranks of the faithful who tended the bower and saw to the needs of the GI.
All in all it was a pretty satisfying relationship for everyone concerned. It had been that way for an awfully long time. And it had been that way until the despoiler had come to call.
Very infrequently travelers came through the Stargate. The K'Haya had never made any specific effort to keep their existence a secret - there had never been any need to. When the odd traveler did come through the gate they were welcomed by the K'Harra, taken to the city on the other side of the mountain and even occasionally allowed to visit the sanctuary. Sometimes they came out of curiosity, out of need, but whatever the reason, when they came, they were welcomed.
Then one day a man came into the midst of the K'Harra who literally ripped the life of the gentle people asunder. He came as a false friend, asking many questions, seeking to be trusted, with a secret place in his mind where the K'Haya could not go. It did not trouble them; they had no reason to fear or to wonder what he might possibly have to hide from them, but they were soon to find out.
As soon as he had gained their confidence and access to the bower he used a device that created a noise that hurt their minds, rendering them incapacitated and unable to prevent him from taking Xi'a and making his escape with one of their children. Their grief had been terrible and the K'Harra and many of the races who knew of them and were friends to them had looked for her for a very long time. But they had never been able to find her. There had been no clues to follow, no trace of her for hundreds of years. Until Daniel Jackson somehow had heard her cries for help, and had offered himself up willingly to take her home.
Jack started. He hadn't known that. Hadn't realized. He thought Daniel had just stumbled on her, opened the box like he wasn't supposed to like he was always doing and gotten himself snagged for his pains.
But it hadn't been that way at all. It hadn't been an accident. He hadn't been forced. Or trapped or sucked into it. He had known - what was going to happen. What it meant. What might happen to him as a result. And he went and did it anyway.
As soon as that boy was in any sort of condition to get yelled at Jack resolved he was going to sit him down and have a very serious discussion with him about talking to him first before he decided to bring home any more strays.
That was, if Jack decided to let him live long enough for it ever to possibly come up again.
The rest of it he pretty much knew. Not that it took all that long for the General to get the rest of the story. As they started covering the ground from 'Daniel wakes up onward' Hammond started looking at him with a very pensive expression on his face. Jack wasn't sure just how much messing Xi'a had done with everybody's heads before he and the twins had decamped, but Hammond appeared to be connecting a few dots right before his eyes and there was a very real possibility that there might be a few rough spots to be smoothed over in the days to come. Oh Lordy, maybe more than a few rough spots. He was not liking that look Hammond was hurling at him one bit.
But it seemed that Tir had wrapped it up, and to Hammond's interrogative 'did-he-have-any-more-to-add-to-this' look Jack shrugged and muttered something like "I dunno, sounds as if he pretty much covered it."
Then to his complete amazement the General gave out with an enormous grin, dismissed the rest of the scientific personnel attending the briefing and then got to his feet while saying in a jovial, expansive voice, "Well Colonel, that's just fine! What say we all go down now to the infirmary so that our good friend here can check on Dr Jackson before he has to go home."
Tir turned his large yellow eyes briefly upon Jack before looking back at the General, putting his little hand into Hammond's, and walking placidly by his side as they left the briefing room. Jack watched them go, needing to pick his lower jaw up off the floor before he was able to follow them. He couldn't believe what he had just seen.
The little bugger had WINKED at him. He wondered if trying to kiss an alien was against SOP's.
When they arrived in the infirmary Daniel was lying in one of the beds, tightly cocooned in a sheet, still very much asleep. He had jammed himself up against the raised bed rail. Sam was holding up the wall beside the bed and Teal'c - well, Teal'c was sitting on a chair beside the bed, one large hand pressed firmly against Daniel's back.
As soon as she saw him, Sam waved him over. "Colonel," she said. "Come over here and look at this. This is really amazing." Tir left Hammond and padded up to the bedside beside him as Jack moved to Daniel's side.
"Go on, Teal'c," she prodded. "Show him."
The Jaffa gracefully arched an eyebrow at her, looked up at Jack and then slowly lifted his hand away from Daniel's back.
Almost the same instant he broke contact Daniel started to react. He began to move fretfully, stirring fitfully as gentle signs of distress began to play across his sleeping features. Teal'c kept his hand above the obviously disturbed man for a few seconds more, and then he carefully, deliberately replaced it, renewing the contact and the pressure. Daniel stopped moving instantly, settling back into his previously placid state.
"Holy." Jack heard himself saying.
"He was beginning to become disturbed as the Doctor was finishing her tests," Teal'c supplied. When I touched him, he became calm. For some reason he seems to find the contact reassuring."
"I shouldn't wonder," Jack said as he patted the Jaffa's shoulder in a small gesture of his own gratitude. "Thanks."
He turned back to Janet to hear what she had to say, leaving his other teammates with Tir while the little K'Haya gave Daniel the once-over for the last time.
"Physiologically, Daniel checks out just fine," Janet began, making her report to both Jack and the General. All scans are normal, there doesn't appear to be any brain damage or any other physiological damage. He's perfectly healthy, physically perfectly fine. Now as to the psychological trauma - I'm afraid that there's nothing for that but time. It's up to Daniel now."
"So what happens now?" Jack asked.
"Well, I would like to keep him here for a couple of days for observation, but to be honest with you, there's really not a lot we can do for him here. He needs time, understanding and a lot of help from his friends if he is going to make it through this. Maybe you should take him home."