CHAPTER FOUR
Daniel slowly regained consciousness. The ache in his body reminded him that he'd been zatted yet again. Getting to his feet, he looked about. He was in a cell. The opening was protected by a force field like the one that had kept Jonas a prisoner on Anubis' ship. Daniel wondered if there was some way that he'd be able to disable it.
At that moment, Daniel sensed the presence of a host and symbiote and turned to see Osiris coming up to the cell.
"Hello, Doctor Jackson. I hope you are feeling well. It would be a shame if I damaged that very valuable mind of yours."
"Oh, I'm just peachy," Daniel told her, not caring that he sounded like Jack.
"Good. I have to say that I am quite fascinated by this ability of yours. It is very impressive. Tell me. Do you possess other powers that I have yet to see?"
"Would you like me to show you? I'd be happy to give you a demonstration if you let me out of here."
"That will not be necessary. Very soon, I will know all about your powers. I had been intending to give you to Anubis, but I have decided that I will take you for myself instead. With you as my new host, I would be more powerful than any of the other Goa'uld. I will conquer them one by one until I control all."
"Um, well, I can think of a couple of flaws in your plan," Daniel said. "One is that, even with me as your host, you couldn't defeat Anubis. I'm not all-powerful. There are limits to my abilities, and I couldn't possibly do anything to harm someone who is half-ascended."
"I'm sure that I will find a way," Osiris said confidently.
"Well, the other flaw is me. There is no way that I'll let you take me as a host."
"You will not be able to stop me. I can easily render you unconscious. In that state, you will be powerless to prevent me from taking your body."
"I'll kill myself first."
"There is a sarcophagus aboard this vessel. I will merely revive you." Osiris took a step closer, smiling in triumph. "You are helpless to stop me, Doctor Jackson. You will be mine."
Sam sat in the briefing room, sick with worry. She was almost positive that Daniel had been taken captive by Osiris, and she had this horrible fear that, at this very moment, he was being made a host to the Goa'uld. If that happened, what were they going to do? A Goa'uld with Daniel's powers would be a deadly threat. If they ever encountered him, they'd have no choice but to kill him. They couldn't try to take him captive.
"Major Carter?"
Sam's head snapped up. "What?" She looked around at everyone. Jack, Teal'c and Hammond were all staring at her. "Oh, um, sorry, sir. What were you saying?"
The general gave her a kindly look. "I asked if you had any idea where Osiris might take Doctor Jackson. Teal'c believes that she will not turn him over to Anubis."
"Uh, no, probably not, not if she knows about Daniel's abilities. The Goa'uld are always looking for ways to make themselves more powerful and get the upper hand on other Goa'uld. She would most likely take Daniel as a host so that she could use his powers to defeat the others and take over their territories."
Teal'c nodded. "As I said a moment ago. Osiris would not be willing to part with such power, even if it means betraying Anubis."
"What are the chances that Osiris doesn't know about Daniel's abilities?" Jack asked.
"Well, if she took him completely by surprise, I suppose that she could have knocked him out before he could react," Sam replied, "but if Daniel was in the bed, he wouldn't have been thrown against that wall by a ribbon device blast. It was pretty obvious that whoever hit that wall was airborne at the time."
"Couldn't she have surprised Daniel when he came walking in the room?" Jack knew that he was grasping at straws, but he just didn't want to believe that Daniel had been taken to be made into a host.
"Daniel Jackson can now sense a Goa'uld," Teal'c reminded him. "It is unlikely that he could have been taken by surprise if he was conscious."
Jack had forgotten about that. Daniel's sixth sense usually warned him if someone was nearby, unless he was extremely distracted, and he could now sense the dual presence of a host and symbiote. He'd have known about Osiris's presence immediately.
"I suppose it is possible that Osiris could have beamed down right in front of Daniel and knocked him out right away," Sam said, also searching for anything to give them hope.
Hammond nodded. "All right. The fact is that we have no way of knowing if Osiris is aware of Doctor Jackson's abilities or where she might have taken him."
Just then, Janet came into the briefing room. She had been off duty when Hammond called her but immediately came back to base when he told her about Daniel and asked her if there was someone on base who could examine some evidence gathered by the police forensics team.
"I have some news," she said. "Among the stuff gathered by the forensics team were several strands of long, curly blond hair, which were caught in one of the masks that were found on Daniel's floor.
"Oh, crap," Jack said, knowing that was not good news. They all knew who had long, curly blond hair, and the fact that the hair was found on something that used to be on Daniel's wall could mean only one thing.
"Daniel did fight her," Sam said, speaking Jack's thoughts aloud, "which means that she knows."
Hammond looked at them all grimly. "I'm afraid that this leaves me no choice. All SG teams will be told that there is a strong chance that Doctor Jackson has been made a host. If any of them encounter him on a mission and it is confirmed that he has been taken over by a Goa'uld, they are to shoot to kill."
Daniel's heart was thudding in his chest. If Osiris knocked him out, she could easily take him over. He couldn't let that happen, no matter what he had to do to stop it. He knew that he could blow up the Al'Kesh, killing both himself and Osiris. It was not an option he wished to use, but, if he had no other choice, he wouldn't hesitate to do it. It's not like it would be the first time he gave his life to save others.
There was another possible choice, however. The idea of killing Sarah before his eyes sickened him, but if he had to choose between that and being made a host, there really was no choice to be made. Yes, he could put her in the sarcophagus afterwards, but the act of killing her would still forever haunt him. Once before, he'd made the decision to kill Sarah and Osiris, though it had torn him apart. Even more was at stake this time. No matter what, he had to prevent his psychic abilities from getting into the hands of the Goa'uld. Daniel knew that, physically, it would be so easy to do. He could do it right here and now. That force field would not stop him.
His stomach clenching, Daniel prepared himself to snuff out the life of a woman he had once cared for very deeply. But, before he could strike, Osiris unexpectedly smiled, turned and walked away. Daniel stood unmoving for several seconds, not quite believing that he'd been given a reprieve. Finally, he relaxed and set his mind to finding another way out of this situation.
Daniel's eyes cast about the prison cell, looking for something that he could use. Eventually, his gaze returned to the force field. There had to be a mechanism somewhere that controlled it. If he could destroy that, the force field would collapse. But what if he was being watched? The Goa'uld were not really big on anything like closed circuit cameras, so Osiris probably couldn't see him, but the ship could be equipped with sensors that tracked his precise location, meaning that, if he escaped from this cell, Osiris would know about it. Daniel didn't want to be zatted again. At least he did have the advantage that he could sense her presence, which would warn him if she was near. That might be enough.
Daniel knew that he might still have no choice but to kill Osiris and Sarah, but at least there was hope now that it wouldn't be necessary.
Daniel pressed his face against the wall near the doorway of the cell and attempted to see some kind of control panel for the force field, but it was useless. If there was one, it was beyond his sight. He stepped back. It might not be beyond another kind of sight, however. Could he use the same ability that enabled him to find Sam when she was marooned on the Prometheus? Even if he could, would his telekinetic ability work on something he couldn't see with his eyes?
'I guess I'll be finding out soon enough,' he said to himself.
Closing his eyes, Daniel went through the process he had used when he found Sam. Upon reaching the right brainwave frequency, he attempted to 'see' the mechanism that was controlling the force field. It proved to be a lot harder than it had been to see Sam, and, for a few minutes, Daniel thought he was going to fail. But then, all at once, he found it, or at least what he thought was it. There was only one way to find out if he was right.
Daniel focused his mind fully on the mechanism, willing it to explode. For a second or two, he didn't think it was going to work, then there was the sound of something exploding inside the wall. The force field instantly vanished.
Daniel cautiously stuck his head outside the cell and looked in both directions. If he was right about the sensors, the moment he stepped outside the cell, Osiris would know. He would have to be on guard, every sense alert, including his sixth sense. If she surprised him and zatted him again, she would most likely take him as a host immediately rather than taking the chance of him escaping again. But he would accomplish nothing by staying here. He had to gain control of the ship and get it back to Earth.
Senses on full alert, Daniel stepped out of the cell. He headed in the direction that he believed the bridge to be. He was almost there when he suddenly sensed Osiris' presence and realized that she was behind him. He dove to the floor an instant before hearing a zat gun discharged. The blast shot past him, missing by mere inches, close enough that he felt the energy.
Daniel rolled over and attacked. A fireball exploded into being and raced straight toward Osiris. She dove out of the way, and it struck a wall, leaving a huge scorch mark. Stunned by the unexpected form of attack, she aimed the zat at Daniel. She never had a chance to fire. The weapon burst into flames. With a cry, she dropped it, staring as it melted into an unrecognizable blob. She looked back up at Daniel and watched him slowly rise to his feet, blue eye piercing straight into her.
It was then that, for the first time in her life, Osiris felt true fear. Scrambling to her feet, she turned and ran, ducking around a corner.
Daniel watched her leave. His head was pounding. The fireball hadn't been bad since it was much smaller than the ones that he used against the enemy Jaffa. It was the added effort of melting the zat that gave him the headache. Like the staff weapon, it took a lot to reach the melting point. It might even be made from the same material. The headache wasn't too terribly bad, though, nothing compared to what he'd felt before a few times. Even so, he needed to take it easy, if at all possible. Unfortunately, he had a feeling that wasn't going to be an option.
Daniel took off after the Goa'uld. He'd seen fear on her face, something that he'd seen on the face of a Goa'uld only once before, when Apophis was dying after being tortured by Sokar. Either she was going to get another weapon or she was going to try to escape. Since they were in hyperspace, she wouldn't be able to launch an escape pod. Therefore, she'd have to drop the ship out of hyperspace first. Even as he had that thought, he felt the sudden deceleration. Knowing that he had to hurry, he dashed toward where the escape pods would be.
Daniel spied the figure of Osiris inside one of the pods just before the door slid completely closed. Acting quickly, he grabbed hold of the pod with his mind and held it in place. It wasn't easy. The launch mechanism was fighting to eject the pod from the ship. Daniel held on, feeling his headache worsening dramatically.
Realizing that it was the only thing he could do, Daniel began pulling on the pod, trying to rip it from its moorings. There was the sound of tortured metal, and the pod jerked violently. Trying harder, Daniel saw it jerk again. Then, all of a sudden, it tore free, and toppled to the floor. Daniel joined it on the floor a moment later, the pain in his head like a red-hot poker. He closed his eyes and tried to push past the agony, knowing that, if Osiris got out of the pod now, he wouldn't have the strength to fight her.
It took a couple of tries, but Daniel managed to get to his feet. He staggered over to where he hoped to find some weapons. He was relieved to see a zat gun, along with some other weapons and devices.
Sitting with his back against the wall, Daniel kept his eyes on the escape pod holding Osiris, the zat gun ready to be fired. When, after five minutes, the door still did not open, Daniel began to wonder if she'd been knocked unconscious. Then he heard some pounding coming from inside. It occurred to him that the systems on the pod may have been damaged. Osiris might not be able to get the door open. It was also very possible that the life-support system was inoperable, which would mean that she would run out of air pretty quickly.
Though his head still hurt horribly, Daniel knew that he had to get the door open. He couldn't let Sarah suffocate. He went up to the pod. Zat aimed at it, he concentrated on the door. Slowly, it began to slide open. Trying to ignore the fact that his headache was getting worse again, Daniel kept at it. At last, Osiris was visible. Her eyes met his, both fearful and defiant. Without hesitation, Daniel pulled the trigger on the zat. Osiris' body jerked spasmodically as it was hit.
Knowing that the zat would incapacitate the Goa'uld for only a few seconds, Daniel hauled her out of the pod and put her on the floor beside it.
"Daniel?" said a weak voice, Sarah's voice. He looked at her, remembering that a zat blast could enable the host to temporarily regain control of the body.
"Sarah?"
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," she said, crying, both with pain and with shame.
"Shh. It's okay," Daniel said soothingly, stroking her cheek. "Everything will be fine."
"Don't let it take me again, Daniel. Please. I'd rather be dead."
"Sarah, you're going to be free soon. I promise."
There was no answer as Sarah's eyes flashed with the light of a Goa'uld presence. Daniel stumbled back and aimed the zat at the person who had become Osiris once again.
The Goa'uld sat up. She looked at the escape pod, then back at Daniel. "Your power it very great, Daniel," she purred. "You have become a god."
"Um, no. You see, unlike certain people I know, I don't have delusions of grandeur. I'm still just a man."
"If you and I were to join forces, we would be unstoppable. We could rule the galaxy."
Daniel couldn't help it. He started laughing at the absurdity of the Goa'uld's offer. Osiris glared at him.
"What makes you think that I'd want to rule the galaxy?" he asked. "I'm perfectly happy being who and what I am, little, insignificant Daniel Jackson." He gave her a fake smile. "Well, maybe not quite insignificant. After all, I beat you."
Osiris glared at him furiously. "You will pay for this. I will snuff out your puny life with my own hands."
"Puny life? Um, excuse me, but didn't you call me a god just a couple of minutes ago? That's an awfully fast demotion. You know, I could always put you back in the pod if you refuse to be nice."
"You would never do that. You value the life of my host too much."
"Oh, I'd leave the door open enough to let air in . . . barely. So, your choice. Tied up or put back in the nice, comfy, cozy escape pod?"
If looks could kill, he'd be a candidate for an autopsy table right now.
"I will allow you to bind me," Osiris said.
"Oh, thank you so very much. How generous of you."
Daniel got to his feet, trying very hard not to sway. He was still in a lot of pain, but he had to hide it. If Osiris perceived any weakness in him, she'd attack.
Waving the zat at her, Daniel told the Goa'uld to get to her feet and go back to the bridge. She did as he ordered. Once they were there, Daniel commanded Osiris to sit near the wall. Now, he had to figure out what he was going to use to tie her up. Goa'uld were very strong, so a piece of cloth wouldn't be enough.
Just then, Daniel's eyes fell upon something. It was a ribbon device. He picked it up and examined it. This might work. Glancing at Osiris to make sure she was going to stay put, Daniel laid the zat gun down and tested the strength of the metal. He found that he could not bend it with muscles alone. Good. Unfortunately, using this to bind Osiris would mean that he'd have to use his abilities again, something he really didn't want to do right now. But, since he didn't have anything else he could use, he'd just have to deal with it.
With his mind, Daniel snapped the links that connected the portion of the device that fit on the user's hand to the part that wrapped around the wrist. Discarding the 'glove', he was left with a spiral of golden metal. He concentrated on it and slowly straightened it. Once he was done, he glanced at Osiris again. She was watching him in fascination, an expression almost like lust on her face. He knew that look was not sexual. She was lusting after his power.
Daniel walked up to her. "Turn and face the wall, and put you hands behind your back." Osiris did not obey. His eyes narrowing, Daniel said, "Now," his tone making it clear that he was not in the mood to put up with her attitude. His headache had gone back up a notch.
Shooting him another glare, Osiris did as he had ordered. Now would be the tricky part.
"Okay, I'm giving you a warning," Daniel said. "If you make any moves against me, I will snap your neck. And don't think that I won't do it. Yes, I hate the thought of killing Sarah, but I will do whatever I have to to keep from being made a Goa'uld, even if it means killing both of us by blowing up this ship. Oh, and in case you're wondering, I've already blown up one Al'Kesh. Another one won't be a problem. So, have I made myself clear?"
There was a pause before Osiris answered. "I will not attempt to fight you."
"Good."
Kneeling behind her and watching for any sudden moves, Daniel grabbed her wrists with his hands and, with his telekinetic ability, wrapped the band of gold around her lower arms, making it tight, but not so much so that it cut into the skin or hindered circulation.
Once he was finished, he got to his feet and backed away, telling Osiris that she could turn around.
"All right, let's see if we can get this ship back to Earth," he said. "I don't know about you, but I could really use a good night's sleep."
Daniel went to the navigation console and instructed the ship to return to Earth. Once that was done, he looked at Osiris. He really, really needed some sleep, but he didn't dare rest unless he was absolutely certain that she couldn't cause trouble. Perhaps temporarily putting her in the pod would be the best solution.
A few minutes later, Osiris was back in the pod, the door cracked open about half an inch to allow enough air to enter. He had been forced to suffer through a few curses and the usual Goa'uld stuff about punishing him for his insolence, yadda, yadda, yadda.
Daniel then went in search of the sleeping quarters. He found the 'master bedroom' pretty quickly. Looking at the huge, plush bed, he longed to throw himself upon it, but that's something he couldn't do.
He found the Goa'uld version of a bathroom, complete with hot and cold running water, where he cleaned away the blood on his neck and rinsed off the scratches. There were no first-aid supplies, of course, so that would have to wait until he got home.
Gathering an armload of bedding, Daniel carried it back to the bridge. He made up a bed on the floor, against the wall, then he laid down, zat gun within easy reach. Ten seconds later, he was asleep.
Jack, Sam and Teal'c were all in Daniel's office. None of them had gotten any more sleep last night. They were all too worried about their missing teammate, knowing that there was a very good chance that he was now no longer the man they all cared about so much.
"Sir, I don't know if I can continue being on SG-1," Sam said in a low, anguish-filled voice. "If we were ever on a mission and encountered Daniel, I don't know if I could. . . ."
Jack closed his eyes. He understood exactly what Sam was saying. How could he look into the face of his best friend and pull the trigger? How could he kill Daniel?
"I, too, would have great difficulty firing upon Daniel Jackson," Teal'c admitted.
Jack sighed. "Yeah." He met their gazes. "But Daniel wouldn't want to keep living as a Goa'uld. He'd want us to end it."
Sam felt tears sting her eyes, and she blinked them away. This was hurting so much, almost more than she could bear. "We can't give up hope. Maybe Osiris decided to wait before . . . before taking Daniel as a host. Or maybe he managed to get away or even overpower her."
"None of us are giving up hope yet, Carter, not as long as there is some chance that Daniel's okay."
"I heard that Hammond called the president."
Jack nodded. "He had to be told about the possibility that Daniel is now a Goa'uld."
"The Tok'ra will have to be told, too."
"Colonel O'Neill, Major Carter and Teal'c, come to the control room immediately."
The voice over the P.A. sent the three members of SG-1 running out of the office and heading down to the control room.
"What is it, sir?" Jack asked Hammond as soon as they arrived.
The general's face was serious, but there was also the tiniest glimmer of hope there. "We just received an audio transmission from Doctor Jackson."
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