CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

Both Jack and Daniel sat in on the debriefing that came after lunch even though the archeologist knew he should be resting instead.

Daniel was fascinated by the news about the Goa'uld queen they'd found in a tank who was getting ready for another spawning cycle.  The archeologist knew that Goa'uld symbiotes were normally spawned with the genetic memory of the maternal bloodline, but this queen apparently had no intention of passing on her genetic memory to the larvae she'd be spawning, symbiotes that Anubis would be using in his soldiers.

"Isn't that like what Egeria, the Tok'ra queen, did?" he asked.

Jacob nodded.  "Yes.  The queen must have been in league with Anubis.  She deliberately kept her brainwave pattern as low as possible while spawning so that her genetic memory would not be passed on.  Any larvae she spawned would have been like blank slates, with no minds of their own.  Anubis could imprint them with anything he wanted to."

"We guessed that Anubis got the idea from Jonas' mind back when he was captured by Anubis and his mind was scanned," Sam said.  "Jonas knew about what Egeria did, and Anubis must have decided it was exactly what he needed to make warriors completely loyal to him."

"But you killed the queen, so that's going to put a damper on him making more," Jack said.

"Yes, but only temporarily," Jacob responded.  "Sooner or later, he will find another queen who is willing to go along with his plan, especially since he is the most powerful Goa'uld out there now.  The only hope we have is that the device Daniel and Doctor Lee retrieved will enable us to create an effective weapon against those soldiers.  The Tok'ra will want to get started as quickly as possible on that.  Unless there's some objection, I'll take it with me when I go."

"Good riddance to the thing, as far as I'm concerned," Jack responded.

"Hear, hear," Daniel murmured.

"I don't think there will be a problem with that, Jacob," Hammond said.  "I'm sure that Area 51 would love to get their hands on it, but they'll just have to wait their turn."

After the debriefing ended, Daniel and Danny headed straight for the elevator, the archeologist intending to curl up on the cot in his office and get a little sleep.  He definitely felt like he needed it.

Sam came up to them.  "How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Tired.  I'm going to grab a nap in my office."

"You should go to your room.  You'll get more rest."

"Yeah, maybe I will.  I need to stop by the office first, though."

Sam accompanied Daniel and Danny on the elevator, saying goodbye to them when she got off on the level her lab was on.

Daniel helped Danny gather up his laptop and a few other things so that the boy would have something to do in their room while Daniel slept.  They were interrupted by the arrival of Jacob.

"Hello, Danny," the Tok'ra said, smiling at the boy.

"Hello, Jacob."

Jacob glanced at Daniel.  "Um, Danny, I'd like to chat with Daniel in private for a moment.  How about if you go down to the commissary?  I bet some ice cream would taste good."

Danny looked at Daniel uncertainly.

"Go ahead, Danny," he said, taking a seat at his desk.

After the boy had left, Jacob also sat down.  He studied the younger man closely.  "Are you feeling all right?"

"Yeah, I'm just tired, and I need to take another pain pill."

Jacob gazed at him sympathetically.  "Daniel, I would never ask you to tell me something that you didn't feel comfortable about, but I know that you went through a rough time in Honduras.  I know about the telepathic link between you and Danny and that he sensed you were being harmed by your captors.  Thankfully, I was never a prisoner of war here on Earth, but there was that little incident on Netu, and I had buddies in the service who were in the hands of the enemy and were brutalized.  So, if you feel the need to talk to someone, and you don't think you can talk to one of your teammates, I've got a listening ear you can borrow."

"Thanks, Jacob.  I appreciate that."

The Tok'ra smiled and patted Daniel's arm.  He got to his feet.   "That's all I wanted to say.  I'll let you get some rest now.  I'm going to be heading back soon, so I'll go ahead and say goodbye.  Take care of yourself, Daniel."

Daniel nodded, smiling.  Once Jacob had left, he took a pain pill, seeing that his hands were shaking even more than before.  Deciding to lying down on the cot until Danny returned, he pulled it out.  It did not take long before he was asleep.

"Sam, you should have come straight to the infirmary," Janet scolded as she examined the astrophysicist's arm.

"The Tok'ra already looked at it, Janet.  It's no big deal, just a mild sprain and some strained muscles."

"Let me be the judge of that."  She rotated and palpated the arm, causing Sam to wincing in pain.  "There is some swelling.  It wasn't dislocated?"

"No, though I'm lucky it wasn't.  Actually, I'm lucky I don't have broken bones and a nasty concussion.  Those supersoldiers hit really hard."

Janet continued the exam, asking Sam some questions and having her move the arm around.  She finally admitted that the diagnosis had been correct.

The doctor helped Sam back into the sling.  "You're going to have to take it easy on that arm until it heals.  No motorcycle riding."

Sam nodded.

Janet studied her closely.  "Is there something else?"

"Yeah.  It's about Daniel.  The colonel told me what the rebels did to him.  Janet, is he really okay?  All he will admit to is that he's tired."

Janet sighed.  "As well as could be expected, I guess.  Did the colonel tell you that Daniel was exposed to the device for several minutes?"

"No.  He was?"

"Yes, the rebels turned it on.  It partly healed the injuries he sustained beforehand, the burns and most of the bruises.  He'd be in a  lot more pain, if it wasn't for that.  In fact, I probably would have insisted that he stay here another day.  But, even with the partial healing, he still isn't in great shape.  And we're just talking physically.  Psychologically. . . ."  Janet gave a slight shrug.  "There's bound to be at least some fallout from this, and, knowing Daniel, he'll try to hide it."

"Yeah, but I'm not going to let him.  He needs to learn that we want to help him when he's hurting."

When Daniel woke up, he saw that Danny was back and at his computer.  The archeologist looked at his watch and saw that he'd been asleep for three hours.  He should be feeling better.  So, why wasn't he?

"Hey," he called out.

Danny turned to him, smiling.  "You're awake.  Jack and Teal'c came over, but they left when they saw you sleeping.  Jack told me not to let anybody wake you up, so I didn't."

"Thanks."  Daniel sat up and slowly got to his feet.  A wave of dizziness struck him, and he had to grab the wall to keep from falling.  He saw that his hands were shaking violently.  It felt like his whole body was shaking.

A feeling of dread filled Daniel.  Oh God, no.  Please, not that.

Even as the thought entered his mind, Daniel's vision greyed out.  His legs crumpled, and he fell to the floor.  He heard Danny cry out his name in fear.

"Danny, get help," he gasped.  Then the blackness closed over his mind.

Sam picked up the ringing phone in her lab.  "Carter."

"Sam, come quick!" cried Danny's terrified voice.  "Daniel's sick!  Hurry, please hurry!"

"What?!  Danny, what happened?"

"I don't know!" the boy wailed.  "He's not moving.  Please hurry."

"Where are you?" Sam asked, trying to remain calm.

"In Daniel's office."

"I'll be right there."  Sam hung up and called Janet, telling her that something was wrong with Daniel.  Then she was out of her lab.  Knowing that it would be faster, she bypassed the elevator and took the stairs.  Upon reaching Daniel's office, she quickly opened the door with her keycard and rushed in. She came to a screeching halted, horrified at the sight before her.  Daniel was lying still on the floor.  His head was in Danny's lap, and the boy was sobbing.

"He's dead.  He's dead," Danny was saying over and over again.

No!  Sam dashed forward and fell to her knees before them.  She felt for Daniel's pulse.  An intense wave of relief nearly drowned her upon finding one.

Sam cupped the boy's face in her hands, turning his eyes to meet hers.  "Danny, he's not dead.  He's alive.  Here.  Feel this."  Sam placed the tips of Danny's fingers over the pulse point in Daniel's neck.  "You feel that?  That's his pulse.  It means that his heart is still beating.  As long as you can feel that, it means that Daniel is alive."

Danny stared down at Daniel, feeling the movement beneath his fingers.  "H-h-he's alive?"

Sam caressed his hair.  "Yes, sweetheart."

"He fell, and he wouldn't wake up.  I thought he was dead."

At that moment, Janet arrived.  The doctor took Sam's place and began checking the archeologist's vitals.  As she was doing that, a medical team came in with a gurney.

"Janet, what is it?" Sam asked.

"I can't say for certain yet, but I'm afraid it may be what I've been worried about since I learned of his exposure to the device."

Sam understood what she was saying.  "Oh, no."

"What?  What's wrong?"  Danny asked.

"I won't know for sure until I do some tests, honey," the doctor replied.

Daniel was loaded onto the gurney, and everyone hurried to the infirmary.  Sam and Danny were not allowed to follow as Daniel was taken into an exam room.

Sam went to the phone and called Jack's office.  When he didn't answer, she had him paged.  He arrived a couple of minutes later.  Seeing the state that Danny and Sam were in, he knew that something was very wrong with Daniel.

"What happened?"

"Daniel's really sick," Danny replied, tears still coursing down his cheeks.

Jack's eyes went to Sam.  "Carter?"

"We don't know for sure what's wrong yet, sir, but Janet thinks. . . ."

"What?" Jack snapped.

"The device, Colonel."

Her meaning was immediately clear to him.  "Crap," he cursed.

"What do you mean?" Danny asked, his level of fear rising up another notch.

"Let's wait to see what Janet says," Sam replied.

Teal'c arrived just then, and the three teammates waited with Danny for word on Daniel.  The child finally stopped crying, but he continued to cling to Sam, who'd put him on her lap.

It was quite some time before Janet came out.

"What's wrong with him?" Jack immediately asked.

"I'm afraid that he's suffering from withdrawal.  His exposure to the device must have been long enough to create a certain level of addiction."

"You mean he's going to go through that hell again?"

"To be honest, I don't know what to expect, Colonel.  He is not presenting exactly the same symptoms as before, though there are some similarities.  We're not talking about a sarcophagus this time.  This is technology we have no experience with."

"What do you mean?" Danny asked, frightened.  "What does withdrawal mean?"

Jack knelt before the boy.  "You know the thing that Daniel went to Honduras to get?"

"Yeah."

"Well, it got turned on by the men who kidnapped him.  It's very harmful.  Daniel is sick because of the time he spent near it.  But he's going to be okay."  Jack looked up at Janet.  "Right, Doc?"

As a doctor, Janet's first instinct was to tell the truth, that she honestly didn't know if Daniel would be all right, but she knew she couldn't say that in front of Danny.  She looked down at the boy.  "We'll do all we can to make him well."

"Is it like radiation?" Danny asked in a tiny voice.

"No.  No, it's not like radiation, Danny, not at all."

"He died from the radiation."

Janet's heart clenched, the memories of that time rising back into her mind, her desperate yet hopeless struggle to save her friend.

She squatted before the child.  "I know, Danny, but this isn't the same thing.  Yes, Daniel is sick, but he's not dying.  He has a good chance of coming out of this okay.  So, you just keep thinking positive thoughts, all right?"

Danny nodded, sniffling.  "Can I see him?"

"No, honey, I'm sorry, but he's too sick right now.  But, as soon as he's well enough, you can visit him."

"Danny, could you go with Teal'c for a while?" Jack asked.  "Sam and I need to talk to Janet."

"But I want to stay here until I can see Daniel."

Teal'c held out his hand to the boy.  "Come, young Daniel Jackson.  We shall go to my quarters and perform Kel'no'reem.  The moment that you will be allowed to visit Daniel Jackson, I will bring you here."

Reluctantly, Danny went with the Jaffa.

"Okay, tell us the truth, Doc," Jack said to Janet.  "How bad is he?"

"He's conscious now, but he's not fully lucid.  He's confused and disoriented.  Among other things, we're seeing severe chemical imbalances, like we did last time.  He is presently exhibiting many symptoms similar to what you'd see in someone suffering from Serotonin Syndrome."

"What's that?"

"It's a condition that is caused by elevated serotonin concentrations in the body.  It's generally brought on by the use of serotonogenic drugs, like some antidepressants.  It can also result from the use of drugs like cocaine, amphetamines, ecstasy and LSD.  The thing is, though, that Daniel has also been showing symptoms that you'd see after the use of a powerful depressant.  The levels of serotonin, dopamine and other neurotransmitters keep fluctuating."

"So, what does all this mean?" Sam asked.

"It means that treating him is not going to be easy.  We may have no choice but to let this run its course and just try to make him as comfortable as we can.  It also means that he's going to have a very rough time of it, both physically and emotionally.  One good thing is that I don't believe he will become violent or exhibit signs of paranoia like he did last time."

Jack frowned.  "So, eventually, he'll be okay, right?"

"I honestly don't know, sir.  If those neurotransmitter levels go too high or drop too low, it could be fatal.  We're going to be taking frequent blood tests to keep an eye on things.  At this point, there's not much else we can do, although I am giving him medication to relieve the muscular symptoms.  I can't chance giving him any drugs to raise or lower the level of a chemical that could turn around and decrease or increase on its own.  It would be far too dangerous, and I could end up killing him."

"Can we see him?" Sam asked.

"All right, but just for a little while."

Janet led Jack and Sam to a room in the ICU.  Daniel was lying on the bed, his body moving restlessly.  His flushed face was bathed in sweat, his entire body wracked with tremors.

Sam laid a hand on his face.  It was hot.  "Daniel, it's Sam.  Can you hear me?"

Daniel's eyes opened.  "Sam?  Where am I?  What's happening?"

"Shh.  It's okay.  You're safe.  You're in the infirmary."

Daniel's face filled with anguish.  "Oh, God.  The sarcophagus."  Tears began leaking from the corners of his eyes.  "I'm sorry.  I'm so sorry."

Jack stepped to the other side of the bed, grasping his friend's shoulder.  "No, Daniel, it's not the sarcophagus.  That was a long time ago, and you have nothing to be sorry about.  Remember Honduras?  You went to get the Telchak device.  It got turned on."

Daniel's eyes darted back and forth, his brow furrowed.  "Telchak?  The device?"

"Yes, that's right.  You're going through withdrawal because it got turned on."

"No!  Please, not again," Daniel cried.  "I'll hurt somebody."

"You're not going to hurt anyone, Daniel.  You and everybody else will be fine."

"Danny.  Don't let Danny see me like this.  Please."

Tears filled Sam's eyes.  God, this was awful.  "Danny loves you, Daniel.  We all love you.  We all want to be here for you."

Daniel no longer seemed to be aware of their presence, his eyes staring at nothing.  His respiration and restlessness increased dramatically.

"Nnnooo," he moaned.

Sam rushed to the door and cried for help.  Janet was there in seconds.  Daniel had begun to struggle, as if against an unseen foe.  Jack had hold of his flailing arms and was trying to calm him, but it was as if Daniel wasn't even aware of his presence, his consciousness lost in some horror within his mind.

The doctor hurriedly called for help and for someone to bring a sedative, then rushed to the bed, her eyes on the monitors.  Daniel's vital signs were going crazy, heart, respiration and blood pressure extremely elevated.  The heart rhythm was broken by frequent PVC's, his heart repeatedly skipping beats.

Three nurses ran in, one with a hypodermic.  Janet took it and injected it into the IV.  The other two nurses moved in to help Jack hold Daniel down, but it suddenly no longer became necessary as the archeologist's eyes rolled back into his head, and he abruptly went limp.  Janet's gaze shot to the monitor.  Then she checked his pupils.

"Janet?" Sam said in a frightened voice.

"He's lost consciousness," the doctor replied.

"What the hell just happened?" Jack asked.

"I don't know, sir."  Janet straightened.  "What happened before I got here?"

The two members of SG-1 filled her in on everything.

Janet sighed.  "It's possible that Daniel was having a flashback.  As you already know, flashbacks are a common symptom of PTSD, but they also occur after the use of certain drugs that alter brain chemistry, like LSD.  Daniel's brain chemistry is fluctuating significantly, and I'm afraid that he may experience flashbacks and severe nightmares."

"Isn't there anything you can do?" Sam asked.

"As I said before, I'm very limited on what medications I can give him because of the instability of his brain chemistry, but I'll do all I can to lessen the symptoms.  I'm going to assign a nurse to check on him every ten minutes, and we'll keep a close eye on his vital signs at the monitoring station.  If there's another incident, we'll know about it before it gets out of hand."

"Shouldn't somebody stay with him?" Sam asked.  "I could stay."

"Sam, when was the last time you got a decent night's sleep?  You need rest."

"I'll stay with him," Jack said.

"Actually, Colonel, I was wondering if you could talk to Danny.  He's very frightened.  He's going to want to see Daniel, but, until Daniel's condition has stabilized somewhat, I can't let Danny visit.  It would be too dangerous and far too upsetting for him.  He needs someone he trusts and feels safe with to assure him that Daniel will be all right."

Jack studied her closely.  "And will he be all right?"

"I can't guarantee it, but I think so.  It just may take a few days, which is another reason why Danny needs to be talked to.  The longer we don't allow him to see Daniel, the more upset and frightened he will become.  I'm hoping that, by tomorrow or the next day, Daniel will be well enough for Danny to visit, but that's not for certain."

"All right.  I'll talk to him."

As Sam went off to attempt to get some sleep, Jack went to Teal'c's quarters.  When he got there, he was presented with a sight that he'd never have expected.  Teal'c was on his bed, his head and back propped up against the headboard.  A sleeping Danny was on the bed with him, curled against the Jaffa's side, an arm draped over Teal'c's stomach.  Jack couldn't help but smile at the sight of the powerful Jaffa being hugged by the sleeping child like a huge teddy bear.  And what's more, Teal'c didn't appear to be the least bit uncomfortable about it.

"How is Daniel Jackson?" he asked.

"Not too good, T," Jack replied.  He explained what had happened.

"Doctor Fraiser believes that he will recover?"

"Yeah, but she's not giving any guarantees.  She thinks it's possible that something like this might happen again."  His eyes went to Danny.  "How long has he been out?"

"No more than a few minutes.  He is deeply concerned about Daniel Jackson."

"I know.  That's why I'm here.  Fraiser wants me to talk to him."

"I have already spoken to him about the many times that Daniel Jackson has survived against great odds."

"All of them?  That must have taken a while."

"Indeed."

"You're right, Teal'c.  Daniel is a survivor and has made it through stuff that a lot of guys wouldn't have.  But, unlike us, Danny hasn't seen that for himself.  He's a little kid with memories of losing his parents who is now scared to death that he's going to lose the person he loves more than anyone else alive.  I just hope I have the right words to say."

"I trust that you will be able to find them, O'Neill," Teal'c responded.

"Thanks."

Danny's eyes opened just then.  Jack smiled at him.

"Hey there, sleepyhead."

The boy sat up.  "Is Daniel okay?  Can I see him?"

"No, not yet, Danny.  I'm sorry.  It's still going to be a while before you can see him."

"But why?"

"Because he's just too sick, like Doctor Fraiser said."

Tears welled up.  "He's dying, isn't he.  He's dying, and you don't want me to know."

Jack leaned forward, bringing his face closer to Danny's.  "Hey, you listen to me.  I wouldn't do that, Danny.  If Daniel was that sick, I'd tell you the truth.  I wouldn't hide it from you."

"You promise?"

"Yes, I promise.  He is very sick, but Janet is pretty sure he'll be fine.  But it might take some time, several days at least."

"But I can see him before then, right?"

"I think so, probably not until tomorrow or the next day, though."

Danny's face fell.  "But that's a long time."

"I'm sure it'll pass quickly."

Danny's gaze dropped to the bedcovers.  "Uncle Jack, how bad did those men hurt Daniel?"

Jack stilled.  Oh, crap.

"Daniel said they hit him and didn't give him food or water," Danny continued, "and I know he got shot.  But I think there's something else he's not telling me."

"Why do you think that?"

"I don't know.  When Daniel was getting hurt and I felt it, I know it was really bad.  He was screaming and scared, and his thoughts were all mixed up."

Jack wondered exactly how much of the experience the boy had sensed.

"You said you'd tell me the truth," Danny finished.

Shit.  What was he supposed to do now?  He knew that Daniel didn't want Danny to know the full extent of the torture, and Jack agreed with him, but the boy was obviously going to have to be told something.

Jack sighed.  "Yes, they hurt him more than that, Danny."  He sat down on the edge of the bed.  "Have you ever gotten shocked, like when you touched an electrical outlet?"

"Uh huh.  It tingles and kind of hurts."

Jack nodded.  "Well, the men who took Daniel did something like that to him, but with a whole lot more electricity.  It was very painful.  That's what you were sensing."  He paused.  "Danny, even after Daniel is well, there is a good chance that he'll have nightmares about this.  I just want you to be prepared for that and not be frightened by it."

An announcement came over the P.A. for Jack to go to General Hammond's office.  He got to his feet.  "I need to go see about that, Danny."  He looked at the boy closely.  "Are you okay?"

Danny nodded very faintly, his gaze lowered.  It didn't take a genius to see that the boy wasn't really okay.

Jack watched him for a moment, then went to the phone.  He called the infirmary.

"Hey, Doc.  Is Daniel still out?"

"Yes, he is."

Jack looked over at the child.  "Do you think it would be okay if Danny just peeked his head in for a bit?"

The question made Danny's head quickly rise, hope shining in his eyes.

"Well, I guess it would be all right," Janet answered.  "Just a quick visit."

"Great.  He'll be there in a few."  Jack hung up the phone.  "The doctor says you can go see Daniel, but just for a minute."

Danny scrambled off the bed.  "Thank you, Uncle Jack."

"You're welcome.  Teal'c, can you take him?"

"Yes."

The Jaffa took Danny to the infirmary.  When they got there, Janet met them.

"Okay, Danny, you can go see him, but just for a little while.  He's asleep right now, and we don't want him to wake up."

"Okay."

Teal'c, Janet and Danny went to Daniel's room and quietly entered.  Janet lowered the railing on one side of the bed so that Danny could see the archeologist better.  The boy gazed at Daniel's face.  Seeing the flushed skin and perspiration, he touched the man's cheek.

"He's hot," the boy said.

"Yes, he has a fever," Janet responded.  "It's not too terribly high, though."

"He's going to get better?"

"Yes, I think so, Danny.  It will take a while, but I believe he will get better."

Danny leaned over and rested his head on Daniel's chest, an arm going around him.  "I love you, Daniel," he whispered.

The expression of love almost brought tears to Janet's eyes.  She wished that she could allow the boy to stay, but she didn't know what Daniel's mental state would be when he woke up.

They let Danny remain like that for a few seconds longer, then Teal'c walked up to the bed.

"Come, young Daniel Jackson.  We must allow him to rest."

The three of them left the room.

"Thank you for letting me see him, Janet," Danny said.

The doctor smiled down at him.  "You're welcome.  I hope that, by tomorrow, he'll be well enough for you to talk with."

"I'll be glad when he's better."

"So will I, Danny.  So will we all."

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