CHAPTER TWO

The moment that Jacob was gone, Jack walked over to a wall and leaned against it, arms crossed.  The stern expression on his face immediately warned Daniel that the man was on a mission, and he was pretty sure that he knew what that mission was.  An instant later, he was proven correct.

"Okay, you and I are going to talk about you volunteering for Tok'ra missions," Jack said.

"I already made my decision, so there's nothing to talk about."

"I beg to differ."

Daniel sighed loudly.  "Jack, if there was some mission for the SGC that really needed my abilities, one that would save lots of lives or deal a major blow to the System Lords, wouldn't you be for it?"

"That all depends on how dangerous it was."

"So, you're saying that, even if I could prevent the deaths of hundreds of people by going, it wouldn't be worth it if there was a good chance I'd get killed?"

"I didn't say that."

"Then what are you saying."

Jack pushed away from the wall.  "I'm just saying that I'd have to weigh the possible benefits against the possible losses."

"And the possible benefit of saving hundreds doesn't outweigh my possible death?"

Jack threw up his hands.  "Dammit, Daniel.  What do you want me to say?  'Cus I gotta tell ya.  If I could have chosen between letting that little chunk of Kelowna blow to hell or watching you die a horrible, excruciating death, I really think I'd have let the city go boom."

Daniel stared at him in shock.  "How can you say that?"

"It was easy."

"So, what about when all of us went on what we believed was a suicide mission to save Earth?"

"That's different."

"Why?"

"Because it was for Earth and because. . . ."

"Because what?"

Jack walked away a few feet, his back stiff.  "Because it was all of us, the whole team," he said in a low voice.  "We were in it together."

It suddenly all became clear to Daniel.  "And, if we all died together, you wouldn't be left behind to grieve."

Jack began fiddling with something on the worktable.

"You let me go on the mission with Jacob," Daniel reminded him softly.

"Which was a really big mistake, one that I bitterly regretted the moment you were gone, just like I regretted letting you and Bill Lee go off to Honduras without me."

Daniel waited, letting Jack choose his moment to continue.  It came after several seconds.

"I've lost a lot of people I care about, Daniel," Jack said, still turned away.  "I lost my son, my wife, a lot of good friends.  I watched Carter die.  Hell, I pulled the trigger!  I watched Teal'c die.  And you . . . I've watched you die or thought you were dead too many times to count.  And I have to say that last time was a real doozy.  So, I just . . . I really don't want to go through that again."

The tiny hint of pain he heard in Jack's voice speared right through Daniel's chest.  "I know, Jack," he said gently.

Jack sighed quietly.  "But you're going to go on those missions anyway."

"Yes, I am, because I have to.  I can't value my life above hundreds of others.  I can't turn my back upon people who need my help."  Daniel paused.  "Would you really want me to?"

"Yes, sometimes.  I wish you weren't so quick to throw your life away."

"Jack, when have I ever thrown my life away?"

The colonel didn't answer, knowing that the younger man had a good point.  Daniel had never gotten himself killed or nearly killed for no good reason.  Every time, it had been either through no fault of his own or because he was fighting to protect someone.  Even when he was nearly strangled to death on Hadante, it had been because he was trying to save those men from being killed by the energy vortex of the opening wormhole.  And when he risked his life to save Ke'ra, even though he knew that she was actually Linea, it was because he'd seen the good that was in her and believed that goodness was worth saving.

Jack met Daniel's eyes.  "You're right, Daniel.  I'm sorry I made that accusation."

Jack knew that he needed to explain why the thought of Daniel going off on dangerous Tok'ra missions bothered him so.  "Daniel, when we all go on a mission, I know that there is a chance that one or more of us could get killed.  I can accept that, though I always hope that, if one of us is going to die, it'll be me.  The point is that it's us out there on a mission together, backing each other up, taking equal risks, being a team."  Jack looked straight into Daniel's eyes.  "The problem is when you do things on your own, like deciding to beam up to an alien ship that you know I'm about to blow up or . . . or going off and throwing yourself through a window when you know that you'll be exposing yourself to a lethal dose of radiation.  That's not all of us risking our lives for a mission, it's you choosing to sacrifice yourself or put yourself in extreme danger, and that really bothers me.  I'm not there to back you up, to pull your ass out of trouble if you need it."

Daniel's eyes bored into Jack's soul.  "To give your life in place of mine?" he questioned gently.

Jack's gaze slid away from his.  "Yes, if there's no other alternative."

"Do you think I'd want that, Jack?"

The colonel didn't answer.

Daniel covered the distance between them.  "Jack, I don't want to die.  You know that.  I don't want to put my life on the line.  But, sometimes, I have to make a decision on my own to do something that could get me killed because I know that it's worth it, that whether I live or die isn't as important as what I would accomplish.  How many times have you done the same?  And don't tell me that it's different when it's you, because it's not.  There is no difference.  I once told you that my life is no more important than anyone else's, and that includes you.  You, me, Sam, and Teal'c have all risked our lives in our fight against the Goa'uld and in our exploration of the galaxy.  How do you think I felt all the times when I was the one who thought that I had lost or was going to lose one of you, sometimes all of you?  When we blew up Apophis' ships, I thought that all three of you were dead."

Jack's eyes returned to Daniel's, seeing the traces of that old pain there.

Daniel continued.  "But if there was some mission or some other situation where one or more of you needed to risk your life to save others, I wouldn't try to stop you, because I'd know that what you were doing was right and that I couldn't put my feelings and what I wanted ahead of the welfare of others."  He searched Jack's eyes.  "And I could never ask any of you to go against what you believed was right just for my sake."

Jack's gaze dropped from his friend's.  He knew this.  He knew that what Daniel was saying was right, as much as he hated to admit it.

"And I would never want you, or Sam, or Teal'c, or anyone else to give your life for mine.  I would far rather die myself," Daniel stated.  He took one more step.  "I can only make you one promise, Jack, the same promise that I made Sam a while ago, that I'll put a little more thought into it before jumping into a situation that could get me killed.  I hope that's enough."

Again, Jack met Daniel's eyes.  "It's enough.  I'm not saying that I'm going to be happy about it, but it'll be enough."  Jack gently poked Daniel in the chest with a finger.  "But, if you ever are in that kind of situation again, I'm going to be right there with you, backing you up, if I have any say in the matter."

Daniel nodded, giving Jack the tiniest of smiles, his eyes full of understanding.  "I can live with that."

"See that you do.  Live with it, that is."

Daniel's smile grew fractionally.  "So, we're all settled?"

"All settled."

"Good."  Daniel went back over to his desk and sat down.  Jack perched himself on the corner of the worktable.

"So, are you going to try to do the . . . thing again?" the colonel asked.

Daniel quirked an eyebrow.  "The thing?"

Jack waved his hand about.  "The psychic stuff, to try finding out what's happened to the Prometheus."

"Oh.  Um, actually, I already did.  I saw something else, but not much.  Like I said, I really don't know how to make it work.  When I had that vision of Sam dying, it was unintentional.  It just happened.  The same goes for all of the times I've had premonitions and sensed things.  It just happens, almost like it's a new sense that I've developed to go along with my five others."

"A sixth sense?  Daniel, so help me, if you say, 'I see dead people,' I am outta here."

Daniel fought back his smile.  "Relax, Jack.  The only time I ever saw dead people was when I was infested with that Goa'uld-killing slug of Ma'chello's."

"What a relief.  All this other stuff going on with you is weird enough.  That would be way over the top."

The humor in Daniel's eyes died, and his gaze dropped to the desk.  Realizing that he'd screwed up yet again, Jack hurried to make things right.

"Not that I think that you're weird, Daniel, I mean, no weirder than I always thought you were.  It's just that these things you can do are, you know, kind of. . . ."

"Spooky?  Freakish?  Unnatural?"  There was a slight pause.  "Alien?  Pick an adjective, Jack.  I've got a few more if none of those are what you're looking for."

"Hey, come on.  I didn't mean it that way."  Crap.  Sam had said that they needed to treat Daniel like he was no different than he was before, and here Jack went and made the guy believe that Jack looked at him like some kind of freak.

"Daniel, listen to me," Jack said in a quiet but firm voice.  He waited for the younger man to look at him.  "Yes, these things that you can do are way beyond the ordinary, everyday, run-of-the-mill kind of stuff, and, yes, they can be pretty spooky and are sometimes downright scary, when you think about it.  But they are just things that you can do.  They don't change who you are, no more than . . . than learning a new language changes who you are.  You're still Daniel Jackson, archeologist, anthropologist and linguist extraordinaire.  You're still a member of SG-1, the premiere team of the SGC."  Jack paused.  "And you're still my friend.  A bunch of psychic powers aren't going to change that."

Daniel searched Jack's eyes, looking for any doubt, any hesitation.  He saw none.  A tight little knot inside his chest loosened, sending a feeling of relief flowing through him.

"Thanks, Jack," he said.

"Nothing to thank me for, Daniel.  I'm just stating things the way they are."  A sudden thought occurred to Jack.  "Are you having trouble with some of the personnel because of all this?"

"No, everything's okay.  At first, there were some people who didn't know how to act around me, but that's mostly gone away.  Every once in a while, I still get an odd look or two, but I'm sure that will fade in time.  Do you remember what it was like for Teal'c during those first few weeks here?"

"Yeah."

"Well, take away the hostility and suspicion because of who he was and the fear and gross-out factor because of the Goa'uld larva inside his stomach, then tone it down a bit because everyone here already knew me before this happened, and you'll have some idea of what it was like during those first few days."

"People were nervous, hesitant, kind of leery of you?"

"Uh huh.  Not everyone, though.  Just some.  To be honest, I could handle that a lot better than the other reaction."

"What reaction is that?" Jack asked, already knowing.

"The, um. . . ."

"Awestruck hero worship?" Jack suggested with a smirk.

Daniel's made a face.  "I wouldn't call it hero worship, Jack."

"Oh, I don't know about that.  I know of a certain young lieutenant who was tripping all over his own tongue while going on about how awed he was over you blowing up an Al'Kesh and how much he respected you.  It was quite entertaining to watch.  And I hear that a lot of those rebel Jaffa you put on that show for would jump at the chance to follow you into battle."

Daniel's gaze returned to the desk.  "That's not what I wanted, Jack.  Some of them looked at me like I was a . . . a god.  You have no idea how upsetting that was to me."

"Hey, the Abydonians thought that we were all gods when we first showed up there."

"That was different.  They didn't know any better.  Those Jaffa should know better.  After all, they'd all rejected the belief that the Goa'uld are gods.  They'd realized that displays of great power didn't make someone a god."

"Yeah, but the Goa'uld can't melt staff weapons, create fire and move things with only the power of their minds.  You can't really blame some of those Jaffa for looking upon what you did as godlike, especially considering how they were all raised from infancy to view the Goa'uld."

Daniel let out a sigh.  "No, I guess not.  I just hope that Bra'tac is right, that they won't keep thinking like that."

"So, you don't want to be the new god of the Jaffa?" Jack asked in amusement.

"No, not especially.  I've got too much work to do as it is."

"Yeah, I should imagine that being a god would pretty much be a full-time job.  But, hey.  There is one advantage.  Other people do your paperwork for you."

Daniel smiled faintly.  "But I like paperwork.  Remember?"

"Oh, yeah, that's right.  Okay, scratch the god gig.  Definitely not the right job for you."

"Now, if the Goa'uld would just come to feel the same way, we'd be all set."

---

The time that the Prometheus was supposed to check in had come and gone without one word being received from the ship.  They were now two hours overdue in reporting.  Normally, this would not be all that worrisome since their contact schedule was, out of necessity, rather flexible because of all the unknowns that could cause a delay.  But, because of Daniel's premonition and the visions he'd had, Hammond was willing to accept that the Prometheus was in trouble.  Daniel, Jack, the general and Jacob were all in the briefing room now, discussing the situation.

"I saw some kind of alien ship," Daniel said as he talked about what he'd seen in his visions.  "It wasn't like anything I've seen before.  What I saw also leads me to believe that the gas cloud Sam wanted to investigate is involved somehow."

"Gas cloud?  What gas cloud?" Jack asked.

"The Prometheus was going to be passing near it, and Sam wanted to check it out.  She said that it had some interesting properties."

"I knew it!  I knew that there was something more to this trip than her just wanting to make sure the hyperdrive engine didn't have any problems."

"The real reason for Major Carter volunteering to go is not important at the moment, Colonel," Hammond stated.  "What is important is that she and the rest of the crew may be in danger."

"She's alone," Daniel murmured.

Hammond looked at him with a frown.  "Alone?  But what about the rest of the crew?"

"I don't know, but I am certain that Sam is alone.  There's nobody to help her."

The general turned to face Jacob.  "Can the Tok'ra send a ship to look for them?"

Sam's father shook his head.  "I doubt it.  We have no ships available right now."

"What about the Asgard?" Daniel asked.

"They don't have a very good track record when it comes to responding to our calls for help in a speedy manner," Jack replied.

"Nevertheless, we will try to contact them," Hammond said.  "I'm afraid that, for now, that's all we can do."

A thought occurred to Daniel.  "Maybe not.  If the Prometheus ran into trouble, they might have managed to make it to a planet with a Stargate.  Couldn't we send SG teams to all of the planets that would be within range of the ship's route?"

"If they made it to a planet with a Stargate, they'd just gate home, wouldn't they?" Jack pointed out.

"Not necessarily.  When the hyperdrive failed on the Prometheus' maiden voyage, you were nearly stranded on P7X-009 because nobody knew where the Stargate was."

"It still sounds like a longshot to me."

"Well, it's better than doing nothing," Daniel responded, not liking Jack's negativity.  "I can put together a list of planets that would be possibilities."

Hammond nodded.  "Do it.  We'll send as many SG teams as we can on the search mission, including SG-1."

"Um, sir, I'd rather stay here," Daniel said.  "I want to keep trying to get more information."

"All right."  The general looked around at the assembled men.  "Is there anything else?"

"I'd like to contact the Tok'ra to make sure we have no ships available," Jacob replied.

"Of course.  Everyone dismissed."

The men filed out of the room.  Daniel went to his office and immediately got to work on the list.  He hadn't gotten very far when Jack came in.  The colonel handed him a sheet of paper.

"Hammond told me to give you that.  It's the general area that the Prometheus should have been in when you first sensed that there was trouble.  Of course, it's not taking into consideration any delays . . . including any unscheduled side trips."

"Good.  Thanks.  I'll put the planets in these areas at the top of the list.  I should also find out where that gas cloud is and see if there are any gates in the vicinity."  Daniel glanced at Jack.  "I suppose that you're ticked off that Sam didn't tell you about the gas cloud."

"I wouldn't say ticked off, just not pleased."

Daniel turned his full attention on the colonel.  "Jack, she's an astrophysicist on a big spaceship.  Could you really expect her not to want to explore?"

"No, I'd just have liked to have known that she was planning on doing that."

"Well, for one thing, she didn't know if she'd be able to.  It would all be up to Colonel Ronson.  For another thing, you were already unhappy about her going.  If you'd found out that she had an ulterior motive, you'd have been even less happy."

"What did she think, that I'd forbid her to go?"

Daniel shrugged.  "I don't know."

Jack frowned.  "I wouldn't have forbidden her to go."

"Then you'll have to tell her that when . . ." Daniel hesitated, his gaze going to a framed photo of the team, the figure of a smiling Sam catching his eyes, "when she comes home," he finished in a quieter tone of voice.

Jack watched the emotions flitting over his friend's face.  "You're really worried about her," he said.

"Yes.  I know that something is really wrong, Jack.  She's hurt, and she's alone, and scared, and doesn't know what's going on."

"Is that something you felt from her or just something that you can sense?"

"I don't think that I'm empathic or telepathic, if that's what you mean.  I didn't tap into her thoughts and emotions.  It's just a feeling that I have."

"We will find her, Daniel," Jack assured his friend.

The archeologist looked up at him.  "You were being pretty negative in the briefing room."

"Just trying to be a realist.  You have to admit that, if they did have trouble, the chances of them having gotten to a planet with a Stargate, let alone landing anywhere near the gate, are pretty slim."

"Yes, you're right that the odds aren't good, but at least there is some chance.  It's better than doing nothing."

Jack studied the archeologist's expression.  "I'm worried, too, Daniel, but Carter's a smart woman who is very good at taking care of herself.  She's pulled our nuts out of the fire more than once."

Daniel's head nodded slightly.  "Yes, you're right.  She'll be fine.  She'll probably get the Prometheus out of whatever trouble they're in all by herself."

"Knowing Carter, that wouldn't surprise me at all."

Jacob came walking into the office, his expression serious.

"I'm guessing by the look on your face that the Tok'ra don't have a ship available," Jack said.

"No, they don't, just as I thought.  It will likely be a few days before they do.  But, now, another problem has come up.  Two of our operatives are in big trouble.  They were on one of Baal's planets when a nearby volcano decided to get cranky.  The Jaffa and the minor Goa'uld who were there escaped through the Stargate, leaving all of the humans behind to die."

"So, what else is new?" Jack muttered, not the least bit surprised by the action.

"The Tok'ra attempted to evacuate the people in the area, but the DHD was severely damaged by one of the rocks that the volcano is spewing out.  As for the cargo ship the Tok'ra came in, let's just say that it was parked a bit too close to the volcano."

Jack gave him a tight little smile.  "Not gonna be flying anytime soon?"

"I doubt it.  Fortunately, one of the Tok'ra had a long-range communications device, and they contacted the Tok'ra base.  The problem is that, even if there was a ship available to rescue everyone, it would take far too long to get there.  I just talked to General Hammond, and he agreed to loan us a Naquadah generator to power up the gate."

"How far are they from the volcano?"  Daniel asked.

"I don't know, close enough that there is definitely a danger."

"Did the Tok'ra tell you what kind of eruption it is?"

"There's a huge column of ash erupting from the volcano.  Ash and pumice are already starting to cover the ground, and, like I said before, there have been some rocks as well as lava bombs coming down.  Everyone is taking shelter in the buildings.  The Tok'ra were going to try evacuating all the people from the danger zone but were told to wait in case we could come up with an alternate plan."

Daniel shook his head.  "There may not be enough time to set up a Naquadah generator and then dial the gate by hand.  A pyroclastic flow could wipe out everything at any minute."

"A pyro what?" Jack asked.

"A pyroclastic flow.  Think of it as a kind of avalanche, except that it consists of hot ash, pumice, rock fragments, and volcanic gas, with temperatures as high as eight hundred degrees Celsius and traveling at hurricane-force speeds.  It'll destroy virtually everything in its path."

"Oh, joy.  So, how come you know so much about volcanoes?  That's not part of archeology."

"It is if you're working on digs like the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum.  I spent the summer there during my junior year in college.  And believe me.  If this eruption is anything like what happened to Vesuvius in 79 A.D., we've got to get those people out of there as fast as possible."

"What other option is there except a Naquadah generator?" Jacob asked.

Jack saw the expression on Daniel's face.  "No, Daniel.  Absolutely not.  I know what we just talked about, but you are not going to go traipsing off into the middle of a volcanic eruption.  You remember what happened to the Tollans when we first found them?"

"Yes, I do, Jack, which is why I can't stay here if there's something I can do to help."

"Would somebody like to explain, please?" Jacob asked, confused.

"I can dial the gate manually," Daniel told him.  "We would still use the generator to power it up, but I can turn the ring a whole lot faster than anyone could by hand."

"You can do that?" the Tok'ra asked in surprise.

"Well, actually, I've never tried, but the chances are good that I can."

"And if you can't?" Jack asked.  "You'd be stuck there."

"I'll run a test on our gate."  The archeologist looked at Jacob.  "How many people are in the danger zone?"

"They don't know for sure, but the village where the two operatives are has a population of around four or five hundred."

Daniel gave a sharp nod.  "Okay, let's go see if I can dial the gate."

They headed to the control room.  Hammond was called to the room, and Daniel explained what he wanted to do.  The general gave him permission to try a manual dial-up of the gate and gave warning to the men in the gate room.

Complete silence descended on the control room as Daniel stared at the Stargate intently.  Finding that he no longer needed to prepare himself first, he immediately focused his mind on making the inner ring of the gate turn.  For a long moment, nothing happened, then, slowly, the ring started to move, gradually gaining speed.  Once he reached the first glyph he wanted, he locked the chevron in place, then went on to the second glyph, and then the third.

By the time Daniel did the sixth chevron, he was turning the ring nearly as fast as the SGC's systems could.  At last, the seventh and final chevron locked, and the wormhole burst to life.  Daniel turned around in surprise at the sound of applause behind him.  All of the control room personnel were clapping, impressed smiles on their faces.

"Congratulations," Jack said.  "If the computers ever go down, we'll call on you."

Hammond told the technician to shut down the gate.  "All right, Doctor Jackson, you've proven that you can dial the gate.  You've got a go for the mission, but I'm sending a MALP through first to check on the conditions."

"Sir, permission to—" Jack began.  He was interrupted by his C.O.

"Granted, Colonel.  I wouldn't expect you to let Doctor Jackson go without you.  Take Teal'c and SG-6, too."

"Yes, sir."

The next forty minutes were spent quickly gathering the things that would be needed.  Siler would be going along to hook the gate up to the generator, and some medical personnel would be coming to treat the injuries that, no doubt, would have occurred.  The rescuers would not be returning directly to the SGC.  Because of the large number of refugees, they would all be going to the Alpha Site.  Once the rescue team was through the gate, Hammond intended to let the people at the Alpha Site know what was coming their way.

The moment that the wormhole was established, Hammond ordered the MALP to be sent through.  The image it showed looked like something straight out of a disaster movie.  Just a few miles away, a volcano was spewing forth a miles-high column of ash and pumice.  They could see the stuff falling downward like dirty snow to cover the earth.  Everything all around the gate looked grey and dead.

All at once, several people appeared, filthy, terrified figures running to the gate, screaming pleas for rescue.  Daniel's eyes met Jack's, and the colonel nodded.  There was no question now that they had to go.

A few moments later, as Daniel stepped through the gate, a thought passed through his mind that he hoped the rest of SG-1 survived long enough to welcome Sam home.

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