CHAPTER ELEVEN

Within seconds of Sam's call, Janet was in the isolation room.  She looked at the monitor.  Sure enough, the archeologist's heart rate had increased to about nine beats per minute, and his respiration had almost doubled.  His brain wave frequency and blood pressure had also risen.

Over the next several minutes, Daniel's vital signs continued to climb slowly.  He was also displaying occasional muscle movement, a hand or a foot sometimes twitching.

Jack and Teal'c came into the room.

"What's up?" the colonel asked upon seeing Janet and Sam both hovering over Daniel.

"We think he's waking up, sir," Sam replied.

The two men immediately came forward and saw for themselves what was happening.

"Daniel?  Come on there, buddy.  It's time to wake up," Jack said.

There was no response, but Daniel's heart rate did increase a little more.

For the next eight minutes, Janet and Daniel's teammates remained huddled around the bed as their friend's vital signs kept climbing toward a normal range.  At last, he was in the equivalent of a deep sleep.

"Daniel?  Can you hear us?" Sam asked, hoping for a response.  She got one.  Daniel's eyes opened.  He blinked a couple of times, then stared at the people gathered around his bed.

"Um . . . hi," he said, as if he'd merely awakened from a nap and was a bit surprised to see everyone hovering over him.

Sam started laughing, tears of happiness filling her eyes.

Jack laughed, too.  "'Hi', he says, like nothing of any significance happened.  Daniel, being dead is not something you're supposed to take for granted, even when it turns out that you weren't really dead after all."

Daniel looked at him in confusion.  "What?"

"Do you remember what happened?" Janet asked him.

The archeologist frowned.  "Sort of.  I remember the download, going to Praclarush Taonas, then coming back here and. . . .  Oh."

"Oh?  What does 'oh' mean?" Jack asked.

"You thought I was dead?"

"Well . . . yeah, that's sort of what a person usually assumes when no heartbeat or breathing is found to be present."

"Can you explain what happened?" Janet asked Daniel.

"My mind had been almost completely overwhelmed, and I knew that, if I didn't do something quickly, I'd probably die.  I tried to make it to the stasis chamber, but I was too far gone.  I knew that I could put myself in stasis using what I'd learned from the Ancients' knowledge and my abilities with biofeedback.  I tried to tell you what I was doing, but I guess you didn't understand."

"Everything you said was in Ancient, Daniel," Sam explained.

"You died, Daniel," Jack said, "or we thought you died."

"But you found out that I was alive when you got me back to the SGC?"

Janet shook her head.  "No, Daniel.  A corpsman checked your pulse when SG-1 got you back here.  When he didn't find one, I didn't even consider checking any further."

The archeologist's eyes widened a little.  "Then that means that you. . . ."

"You were sitting in the morgue, Daniel," Jack said bluntly.

"For close to four hours," Teal'c added.

"Thank God I didn't have you put in the refrigeration unit," Janet stated.

"Thank God you didn't do an autopsy!" Jack nearly shouted.

That's when the color drained from Daniel's face, making Jack regret opening his big mouth

"Oh, jeez, Daniel.  I'm sorry.  I shouldn't have said that."

"No, you shouldn't," Janet agreed in a tone of censure.  She turned to her patient.  "That would not have happened, Daniel.  As soon as the first cut for the Y-incision started to be made, the person doing the autopsy would have realized that something was going on when you began to bleed.  He'd have stopped immediately."

Instead of soothing Daniel, the doctor's words made him feel a little sick, and with good reason!  The thought of some guy with a scalpel bending over to. . . .  Ugh!

Seeing the look on Daniel's face, Jack turned to Janet.  "And you ball me out for what I said?  I mean, could you be any more graphic?  What you just said makes me ill, and I wasn't the one it would have happened to!"

Janet bit her lip, realizing her mistake.  "I'm sorry, Daniel.  I wasn't thinking."

Daniel nodded, his gaze focused downward.  When he'd placed himself in stasis, he hadn't considered that everyone would think he was dead.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, addressing all of them.  "When I did it, I didn't consider that you might think I was dead."

"You haven't a damn thing to apologize for, Daniel," Jack told him.  "You're alive.  That's all that matters.  Yes, you unintentionally put us all through over four hours of hell, but, considering that it's what kept you from dying for real, I have no problem with that."

"We're just so happy that you're alive," Sam told him.

"Indeed," Teal'c agreed.

The doctor looked around at the others standing around the bed.  "Okay, everyone, out you go.  I need to examine Daniel and make sure everything's working properly."

Sam gave the archeologist's hand a squeeze.  "We'll be back later."

Janet gave Daniel a complete physical, checking pretty much everything that could possibly be checked.  She paid extra attention to testing his neurological functions.  At the end of it all, she found him to be in perfect health.

"Amazing," she said.  "Well, Daniel, you have once again made medical history.  If I could actually write a paper about you, it would be the talk of the entire medical profession."

"What a shame you can't publish," Daniel responded with mild sarcasm.

"Yes, isn't it?"  The doctor then smiled.

"You know, what I did isn't really all that extraordinary, Janet.  It has been proven that Tibetan monks and Indian yogis can dramatically slow their heart rate and respiration while meditating.  There was a case of a yogi who meditated for fifty-six hours inside an airtight cubicle that was only five feet by five feet by eight feet, which isn't nearly big enough for a normal person to survive in for that long without a source of oxygen.  Afterwards, they completely filled the cubicle with water, and the yogi remained in there for an additional seven hours.  When he was taken out, his pulse, blood pressure, and respirations were all normal.  There were no signs of stress at all."

"That may be so, Daniel, but what you did is still amazing to me."

Daniel ducked his head.  "So, can I go now?" he asked after a moment.

"Tired of our hospitality already?"

"Pretty much.  I've been staying at this hotel way too often lately."

Janet shook her head.  "I'm sorry, but I am going to have to keep you a little longer, Daniel."

"But—"  Daniel stopped when she held up a finger.

"Not all that long ago, you were in a physical state that was just about as close to being dead as it's possible to be without actually being dead.  I want to keep an eye on you for just a little longer.  There's also another concern."

"What's that?"

"The knowledge of the Ancients was not removed from your brain like it was Colonel O'Neill's, Daniel, which means that it's still in there somewhere."

Daniel went silent for several seconds.  "I know."

Janet stared at him closely.  "Daniel, do you remember it all?"

"No, not consciously.  It was just too much for me to keep it all in my conscious mind.  Don't ask me how I did it, but, somehow, I managed to shove most of it away into my subconscious.  It might be possible that I could dig some more of it out, but I'd almost be afraid to.  I wouldn't want to start the whole process over again."

"I agree.  So, what do you remember?"

Daniel's gaze drifted off.  "Images mostly, memories of worlds and life forms that we have yet to discover.  It was all in there, Janet, every world they'd ever been to, every race they'd ever encountered.  Millions of years of exploring the galaxy."  He turned back to her.  "Janet, for right now, this needs to remain a secret.  I'll tell Jack, Sam and Teal'c, and if he agrees not to report it to his superiors, I'll tell General Hammond, but no one else, at least not yet.  Do you recall what happened after Shifu gave me that dream in which I had all the knowledge of the Goa'uld?"

"Yes, the NID thought that you might have retained the knowledge in your subconscious and wanted to see if they could dig any of it out."

"Just about the same thing happened after I descended.  Some people thought that all that knowledge of the Ancients was still in my mind somewhere, and they wanted to get at it.  As you'll recall, I let them hypnotize me that time to see if some of the stuff could be unearthed, especially my memories of the year I was ascended."

"But it failed."

"Yeah.  I'm pretty sure it wouldn't this time."

"And you don't want to take the chance of it triggering another overload."

Daniel nodded.  "There is so much knowledge there, Janet.  It could be used to do a lot of good, but it could also be used to commit unspeakable evil.  No matter what I do, I need to make sure that this knowledge never gets into the hands of someone who would misuse it."

Since there appeared to be nothing physically wrong with Daniel, Janet moved him out of the ICU and into one of the private rooms.  She would have put him in the main ward, but she figured that he would likely be getting even more visitors now that he was conscious than he did before, and she didn't want the other patients constantly disturbed.

Daniel had no sooner been settled in his room when his teammates returned.  Janet had given them the good news about his physical condition.

The moment she entered the room, Sam came up to Daniel, who was standing by the bed, and pulled him into a fierce embrace.  The archeologist wrapped his arms around her and held on.  It was a long time before Sam finally let go.  There were tears in her eyes when she gazed up at him.  He gave her a gentle smile and a soft kiss on the forehead.

The hug from Sam had not surprised Daniel, but the next one he got did.  The moment Sam had moved away from him, Jack was there, giving him another tight hug.  The colonel then cupped his face and ruffled his hair, just like so many years ago when Jack, Sam and Teal'c had discovered Daniel alive and well at the SGC after Apophis' ships were destroyed above Earth.

"Damn, it's good to see you alive, Daniel," Jack said.

"Indeed it is," agreed Teal'c as he stepped forward.  Daniel got a hug from him, too.

"Janet told us that you're okay, completely healthy," Sam said, smiling.

"Yes, I'm fine, not a thing wrong with me," Daniel confirmed.

"But the little power monger won't let you go, right?" Jack asked, smirking.

"No, and I couldn't get her to change her mind.  She wants to make sure I don't have a relapse."

Daniel's statement instantly sobered everyone.

Jack looked at his best friend worriedly.  "There's no chance of that, is there?"

Daniel didn't reply, which heightened the concerns of his teammates.

"Daniel?" Sam said, a touch of fear in her voice.

Daniel sat on the bed.  "There's something you need to know."

"We're not going to like this, are we," Jack guessed.

"Well, I don't know.  In some ways, it could be a really good thing.  In others. . . ."  Daniel looked at his teammates one by one.  "I still have the knowledge of the Ancients."

Everyone's eyes showed their surprise.

"You remember it all?" Sam asked, stunned.

Daniel shook his head.  "No.  I only consciously remember some things.  Ever since I descended, we've all wondered if the knowledge I gained when I was ascended was still in my mind somewhere.  I tried so hard to get at it, but, other than that memory of Erebus, I was never able to recall anything, not until I remembered what Baal did to Jack.  And, even if all the memories of what I saw and did during that year were still there in my subconscious somewhere, there was no guarantee that everything else was, too, the Ancient knowledge I would have gained after ascension.  This time, it's different.  I know that it's all there, everything that the repository downloaded into my mind.  And, if I really tried, I'm almost certain that I could bring it out of my subconscious."

"Holy Hannah," Sam breathed.

"I second that emotion," said Jack.  "With all that knowledge, we could kick some serious Goa'uld ass.  We could probably make more weapons like that one in Antarctica, arm ships—"

"Jack, you don't understand," Daniel interrupted.  "If I tried to access that knowledge, there is a chance that it will all come flooding back into my conscious mind again."

"And you'd be in the same situation you were in before," Sam realized.

"Oh," Jack said.  "Okay, forget what I said.  We don't need it."

"Not yet, but there's no telling what the future will bring," Daniel told him.  "Regardless, for right now, I think it would be best if nobody else knew about this.  I had considered telling General Hammond, but it might be better not to put him in a position where he may have to lie to his superiors.  If he doesn't know, he won't get into trouble."

Jack nodded.  "I agree.  Let's keep this just between us."

"I concur," Teal'c said.  "Such knowledge could be dangerous if certain individuals were to learn of it."

"Yeah, like the NID," Jack muttered.

Daniel shook his head.  "I'm not worried about the NID, Jack.  I can handle them.  There are other people we have to worry about a whole lot more."

The archeologist's teammates all pondered on his words, thinking about the people who were behind the incident in Los Angeles and may have also been involved in the murder attempts on Daniel and the theft at Area 51.

"So what else do you remember?" Jack asked.  "Do you remember everything that happened after the download?"

"No.  I remember a lot of it, but my memories of the things that happened during those last few hours are kind of sketchy.  It's like I wasn't all there anymore.  Most of the time, I was still somewhat aware of everyone, but I was so focused on the stuff inside my head that everything else was only on the periphery of my senses.  There are some moments that I have no memory of at all in regards to what was going on around me.  But I remember the last few minutes perfectly, everything that happened from the time I sat down in that chair at the Antarctica outpost and took control of that weapon until I put myself in stasis."

"Do you remember healing Teal'c?" Sam asked.

Daniel's eyes met the Jaffa's.  "Yes.  I looked at him, and I just knew that I could heal him.  I didn't even think about it."

"Your actions saved my life, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c said.  "I am in your debt."

Daniel shook his head.  "No you're not, Teal'c.  If our situations had been reversed, you'd have done the same thing."

"How about that amazing piece of piloting you did in the mountains?" Jack asked.  "I gotta tell ya, Daniel, I was damn impressed.  The next time we have to go up against some death gliders, I'm letting you take the controls."

The archeologist gave him rueful look.  "Sorry, Jack, but I don't think I could ever do that again.  I think that, because of the download, my brain was on overdrive.  While I was flying that ship, my senses expanded way beyond anything that's ever happened before.  I'm pretty sure that I'm not capable of that ordinarily, just like I couldn't ordinarily heal someone."

"Too bad.  It was one hell of a ride."

Janet kept Daniel in the infirmary the rest of the day and that night.  During that time, he rarely lacked for company.  At least one of his teammates was often there, and he could have sworn that nearly half the personnel on base came to visit at one time or another.  Every single person who came to see him thanked him for what he'd done.

Come Saturday morning, there had been absolutely no indication that Daniel was going to suffer a relapse.  Even so, when Janet released him, she insisted that he remain on-base for the rest of the weekend.

The archeologist didn't waste any time leaving the infirmary.  He headed straight for his office.  He was almost there when Jack came walking up to him.  Actually, bouncing would have been a more accurate description.

"Hey.  Doc just let you out?" he asked.

"Yep, and, now, I've got a million things to do before I leave."

Jack frowned.  "Leave?  What do you mean leave?  I thought Fraiser wanted you to stay on-base through the weekend."

"She does.  But, come Monday, I need to make arrangements to go to Antarctica."

"Why on Earth would you want to go back there?"

"According to the team that's there now, there's a ton of written data that the Ancients left behind.  It's all written in Ancient, so. . . ."

"So, you being the only guy around who's fluent in it, they want you there."

"Uh huh.  They've requested my help.  Who knows what information is there, Jack.  We might still be able to find the Lost City."

"Daniel, you just died, for cryin' out loud!  Well, okay, so you didn't really die, but we all thought you did, and it was damn near close to it.  Don't you think that maybe, possibly, you might want to take some time off?  You know, kick back, relax, have some fun.  You do remember what fun is, right?"

Daniel sighed.  "Yes, Jack, I do remember what fun is, but I can't afford to take time off right now.  This is too important."

The archeologist made a move to resume his journey to his office, but he was stopped by Jack's hand on his shoulder.

"Ah ah!  Not so fast.  I happen to know that you've not had your breakfast yet, and I am here to take you to the commissary.  Doctor's orders."

Daniel looked at him suspiciously.  "Doctor's orders or your orders?"

"Doesn't matter.  You're coming either way."

Figuring that it would be easier just to go ahead and go with him, Daniel let the colonel lead him to the commissary.  He was surprised to see that the doors were closed.  As he swung them open, a loud "Surprise!" made him freeze.  Daniel's mouth fell open.  The entire commissary had been decorated with streamers and other party decorations.  The place was packed with grinning people, some of them wearing party hats.  A big banner that read "Saved the World Again!" was hanging from the ceiling.

Grinning, Jack said, "You didn't think we were going to pass up the opportunity for another 'Saved the World' party, did you?"

Daniel looked at him.  "How come nobody told me?"

Sam came up and gave him a hug.  "Because you're the guest of honor, and we wanted it to be a surprise."

"But . . . but we all did it together," Daniel objected.  "It wasn't just me."

"Yeah, the rest of us played a part," Jack agreed, "and so did all those F-302 pilots and the crew of the Prometheus, but, if it hadn't been for you, nothing that any of the rest of us did would have mattered."

Before Daniel could make any more objections, he was dragged into the party.  Since no alcoholic beverages were being served, the archeologist was not in danger of getting drunk, but so many people handed him glasses of punch to toast with that he was in danger of floating away.

It was a great party, full of lots of happy conversation and laughter.  About an hour into it, General Hammond walked up to Jack, his eyes on Daniel and Sam, who, at the moment, were laughing at something they were talking about.

"That's a wonderful thing to see, Jack," he said.  "This victory would not have been nearly as sweet if we'd lost him."

"No, it wouldn't, sir."  Jack pulled his gaze away from his best friend and faced his C.O.  "Sir, Daniel talked about going to the outpost in Antarctica."

Hammond nodded.  "His translation skills would be a big asset to the team that's there."

"Sir, Anubis is history, so there's no big rush to find the Lost City now.  And, well, I'd consider it a personal favor if you would order Daniel to take a week off.  I think he could really use it."

Hammond nodded.  "Consider it done.  In fact, consider yourself, Major Carter and Teal'c also on leave, effective Monday.  I believe that Doctor Jackson is under medical orders to remain on base until then."

"Yes, sir.  And thank you."

"You're welcome."  Hammond looked over at Daniel.  "It's the very least I can do for that young man."

Daniel wasn't all that happy a short while later when Jack rather smugly told him that SG-1 had been ordered to take a week off.

"Oh, cheer up, Daniel," the colonel said.  "I think it's safe to say that Antarctica isn't going anywhere.  It'll still be there in a week or two."

"Besides, we could all really use some time off," Sam remarked, which made Daniel stare at her in surprise.

"I'd have thought that you would be eager to dig into all that technology at the outpost," he said.

"Oh, I am.  Absolutely.  But, like the colonel says, it'll still be there after our leave."  There was no way that Sam was going to pass up the opportunity for some time off, not when she planned on spending a good part of that time off with her best friend, celebrating the fact that he was alive.

Daniel finally shrugged.  "Yeah, I guess you're right.  A little time off might be good."

Jack smiled.  "Darn right it will.  After all, even superheroes need a vacation every once in awhile, especially after saving the Earth yet again."

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