CHAPTER TWO

It was late morning of the following day when Daniel gave his report to General Hammond, also giving a copy to Jack.  Hammond read the report with surprise and more a little alarm as it described in brutal detail how the genetic knowledge of the Goa'uld turned a gentle, compassionate, deeply noble man like Daniel Jackson into a cold-blooded mass murderer.  It sent a chill down the general's spine, and he could only imagine what Daniel must be feeling at witnessing himself become such a heartless killer.  No wonder the young man didn't want anyone trying to unearth the Goa'uld knowledge.  He was probably terrified that he'd become that person for real.  It was a fear that was completely justified.  If the Goa'uld genetic knowledge was hidden somewhere within Daniel's subconscious and the Tok'ra memory recall device brought it forth into his conscious mind, Daniel could very well become the Goa'uld-like person that he did in that dream.  It was a very real danger, one from which they needed to protect both Daniel and Earth.

The general called Jack to his office.  When the colonel arrived, Hammond gestured toward Daniel's report.  "I'm assuming that you've read this."

"Yes, sir.  Daniel told me some of it yesterday, though he skipped over a lot of the details.  It's hard to imagine him becoming that kind of person.  Even when he was affected by the sarcophagus addiction, he didn't entirely lose his sense of what was right and wrong.  If he had, he wouldn't have kept trying to get me, Carter and Teal'c out of the mines.  He'd have just left us there to die.  But that genetic knowledge, it completely erased the kind of person Daniel is, made him a Goa'uld.  It's no wonder that he doesn't want anyone digging around in his memories."

"Yes, and you can be certain that will not happen.  What Doctor Jackson reported here should be enough to convince the Tok'ra and everyone else that this 'Pandora's box' needs to remain closed."

"You sure about that, sir?  The Tok'ra are so arrogant that they might think they wouldn't be corrupted by it.  There's also the fact that all those genetic memories aren't inside their heads.  If they hooked Daniel up to one of those memory gadgets and took a look at what's in his head, it's Daniel who'd pay the price, not them.  The Tok'ra would simply get whatever info they wanted about the weapons and other stuff, then leave Daniel to his fate, which would end up being a prison cell where he could never hurt anyone."

"I should hope that the Tok'ra have more integrity than that, Colonel."

"I hope so, too.  I also hope that our 'friends' in the NID don't get any ideas about doing something like that."

"I hate to admit it, Colonel, but that concerns me more than the Tok'ra do."

Jack sighed.  "Yeah, me too."

Just then, the warning of an unscheduled off-world gate activation blared over the speakers.  Jack and the general went to the control room, where they learned that it was the Tok'ra.  A few moments later, two Tok'ra appeared through the Stargate.  Jack was relieved to see that one of them was Jacob.  Unfortunately, the other one was Garshaw.

"Oh, boy," he muttered.  "This is not going to be fun."

Sam came into the control room.  "Dad's here?  Uh oh.  Garshaw too, huh.  Is this about Daniel?"

"No doubt."

"Should we call him?  I think he's still hiding out in his office.  He's hardly stuck his head out of there since yesterday."

"I'm out now," said a voice behind them.  They all turned to see Daniel.  He walked up to them and watched as the two Tok'ra left the gate room.  "I see that they're here already."  Everyone could hear the anxiety in his voice.

"Hey, what did I tell you before, Daniel?" Jack said.  "We're not going to let them do anything to you that you don't agree to."

A few moments later, Jacob and Garshaw entered the control room.

"Hey, Sam," Jacob greeted his daughter.  Sam stepped forward and hugged him.

"I'm glad you came, Dad," Sam told him in a low voice, knowing that her father would be fair and would care about Daniel's welfare.

"General Hammond, Colonel O'Neill," Garshaw greeted.  She looked at Daniel.  "Doctor Jackson."

Hammond also turned to Daniel.  "Doctor Jackson, I believe it would be best if you did not attend this meeting."

"What?  Why?  I'm the one this whole thing is about.  I think that I have the right to hear what's said and to argue my own case."

"I know that, Son, but you've already given the best argument possible in your report, which I will be sharing with the Tok'ra.  We are simply going to be discussing things.  No decisions are going to be made without you being present.  If I feel that you should be involved in the discussion, I will have you paged."

"Don't worry, Daniel," Jack told him.  "I'll be there."  He looked at Hammond.  "Right?"

The general nodded.

Jack turned back to his friend.  "I'll be your, um, advocate, okay?"

The archeologist looked at Jack for a long moment.  He wanted to insist on being at the meeting, but maybe Hammond was right.  He didn't think that he'd be able to keep a lid on his emotions if Garshaw started insisting that he undergo the memory recall procedure.  It might be best if he kept his distance for now.

"All right."

"Good," the general said.  "Major Carter, it appears to be lunchtime.  Why don't you and Doctor Jackson go to the commissary and get yourselves something to eat."

"Yes, sir."

After she and Daniel left, the Tok'ra were ushered into the briefing room.

"As you have apparently already guessed, we have come to ask that you and Doctor Jackson reconsider allowing us to use the memory recall device on him," Garshaw said once they had all taken seats.  "We cannot stress enough how important the knowledge he may carry could be to our efforts against our common enemy."

"Yes, we figured that's why you were here," Hammond confirmed.  "But, before we start this discussion, I think you should see why Doctor Jackson is so dead set against it and why he told all of us that the Goa'uld genetic memory is too dangerous."  He got Daniel's report and tossed it onto the table in front of the two Tok'ra.  "That is Doctor Jackson's report of what happened in the dream the Harcesis child gave him.  I suggest you read it.  It's quite an eye-opener."

The Tok'ra began to read the report.  A frown formed on Garshaw's face and a look of surprise on Jacob's.  Sam's father looked up at Jack and Hammond.

"Daniel actually did these things in that dream?"  There was a note of disbelief in his voice.

"That's what he said," Jack replied.  "And, judging by how the memory of that dream is affecting him now, there's no doubt that every word is true."

"The Tok'ra have always known that the Goa'uld genetic memory is the reason why all Goa'uld are born with a lust for power and a lack of morality, but we never considered the possibility that, if exposed to that genetic memory, the same thing would happen to a human.  I guess it stands to reason that it would.  The genetic memory would be so powerful that it would overwhelm the person, completely corrupting their own personality."

"So, you can understand why Daniel doesn't want to let you play around with his memories.  It's way too risky."

"It is possible that, if we proceed with caution, we could retrieve just the memories of the Goa'uld technology and leave the most damaging memories untouched," Garshaw said.

Jacob opened his mouth to say something, but Jack beat him to it.  "And what are the odds of that being successful?" he asked angrily.  "Do you honestly believe that we'd be willing to risk Daniel being turned into a human version of a Goa'uld so that you can get at the memories you want?"

"Sometimes, risks have to be taken and sacrifices made.  It is regrettable, but occasionally necessary."

"Well, so much for your integrity," Jack snapped.  "You Tok'ra have never shown all that much concern or compassion for humans who aren't hosts to your kind.  You can be as callous as the Goa'uld sometimes."

Garshaw's eyes flared.  "How dare you compare us to the Goa'uld!"

"Well, then stop acting like them!  Stop acting like unfeeling robots who don't care how many humans die as long as it helps you in the war."

"Colonel O'Neill, that is enough," General Hammond commanded.  He turned to Garshaw.  "Although I do not agree with all that the colonel said, he is right about at least one thing.  Though, in war, risks do have to be taken and, sometimes, sacrifices made, it would be utterly unconscionable to force Doctor Jackson to submit to something that could result in the loss of who he is as a person.  I will not allow that to happen, regardless of the possible benefits."  He looked at Jacob.  "Do you feel the same as Garshaw does?"

"No, I don't, George.  I already told Garshaw and the rest of the council that I would not be party to forcing Daniel to do anything against his will.  Now that I've read this report, I am completely in agreement with you that we need to leave well enough alone.  We'd be playing with fire, and Daniel's the one who'd get burned the most."  Jacob turned to Garshaw.  "You know very well that the memory recall device is not capable of selectively isolating and bringing forth specific memories while leaving all other memories alone.  It would be impossible to just get the knowledge of the Goa'uld technology.  Do you really want to see Daniel, who has bravely fought the Goa'uld for four years and has repeatedly helped the Tok'ra, turned into what he became in that dream?"

"No, of course not," the woman replied.  "It would be a tragedy if that were to happen.  But if his knowledge could put an end to the Goa'uld and save the lives of millions of humans and Tok'ra, would it not be a price worth paying?"

"Not to us," Jack answered, "and certainly not since there's no guarantee that you'd get anything from Daniel that would put an end to all the Goa'uld.  Even if you could get the plans for some fancy new weapons, the Goa'uld could turn right around and steal them from you.  You've had more than one instance in the past where one of your own turned out to be a rotten apple.  And there's that whole Zatarc thing, too.  One of your people could be turned into one of them and programmed to steal the technology.  Then we'd all be in big trouble."

Jacob nodded.  "That is a good point."

"Daniel called this a Pandora's box, and I think he hit the nail right on the head when he said that.  We need to keep this box closed and locked."

"Very well," Garshaw said reluctantly.  "You do make a convincing argument.  It would be disastrous if any technology we gained from the Goa'uld genetic memory fell into their hands."

"I hate to say this," Jacob said, "but this brings up another possible danger.  What if the Goa'uld learn about what happened and decide that they want to see if Daniel has that information somewhere still in his head?  That could put Daniel in a great deal more jeopardy."

"We just have to hope that doesn't happen," Jack responded.  "You've got all those spies in the enemy camp.  They can just keep their ears to the ground, and if they learn that some Goa'uld has found out, you can tell us, and we'll take precautions."

Jacob gave them a nod.  "We'll do that."  He looked at everyone.  "If we're finished, I'd like to visit with my daughter for a few minutes before Garshaw and I head back."

"Certainly, Jacob," Hammond responded.  "If they followed my instructions, you should find both her and Doctor Jackson in the commissary."

Jacob went to the commissary.  Sure enough, his daughter and the archeologist were there.  Daniel was just poking at his food, and it was clear that Sam was trying to cheer him up.  Her hand was resting on his left forearm, and she was looking at him intently, speaking in a low voice.

"Hey, you two," Jacob said as he came up to the table.

Twin pairs of anxious blue eyes lifted to his questioningly.

Jacob smiled down at the linguist.  "Relax, Daniel.  We've all agreed that the memory recall device should not be used on you."

Daniel visibly relaxed, as did Sam.

"Thanks, Jacob."

"Thanks from me, too, Dad," Sam said.

Jacob took the seat beside his daughter.  "I can't stay long, Sam, but we've got a few minutes.  Care to have a short visit with your old man?"

Sam smiled.  "Sure, Dad.  I'd love to visit with you."  She turned to Daniel.  "I'll see you later, okay?"

"Okay."

Sam gave his arm a squeeze.  "Everything's going to be fine, Daniel."

He gave her a little smile and a nod.  "I know."

As Sam and Jacob left, Daniel turned back to his food.  Even having gotten the good news, he still didn't have much of an appetite.

After the incident with the sarcophagus addiction, Daniel had been utterly ashamed of what he did while under its influence.  It had taken a lot for his teammates to convince him that it wasn't his fault, that he had not been responsible for his actions, and that the person he'd become was not the real Daniel Jackson.  If the events of the dream he experienced yesterday had happened for real, would they have been able to forgive him again?  Of course, Teal'c couldn't have.  He'd have been dead, the victim of Daniel's hatred of him over the death of Sha're.  Was that hatred lurking for real inside Daniel somewhere?  He didn't want to believe that.  When he, Sam and Jack were prisoners of the Bedrosians, would he have protected Teal'c with such determination if he'd hated the Jaffa?  Daniel didn't think so.

"So, you gonna eat that or just use it to decorate the plate?"

Daniel looked up to see Jack standing beside him.  The colonel sat in the chair Sam had vacated.

Daniel put down his fork with a sigh.  "I guess I'm just not very hungry."

"Didn't Jacob tell you that everyone agreed to leave your brain alone?"

"Yes, he did.  And thank you for being my advocate.  I'm sure that it wasn't easy to convince Garshaw to agree."

"No, it wasn't.  I had to point out the fact that, if they did get anything from you, their track record for having traitors in their midst was not good."

Daniel smiled faintly.  "I brought up the same point in the dream when I insisted that we not tell the Tok'ra about the Goa'uld defense system we were going to build."

"Ah.  Well, you know what they say.  Great minds think alike."

That made Daniel's smile widen a little more.  It didn't last long, however.

"Daniel, are you still bothered by what happened in that dream?  I thought we got it all straightened out that you would have been powerless to resist those Goa'uld memories."

"We did.  It's just that some of the things still bother me, especially what I did to Teal'c.  I was also pretty awful to Sam.  I accused her of being jealous."

"Jealous?"

"Yep, because I was the one to come up with the means to defend Earth against the Goa'uld, not her.  Then I had her thrown in jail."

"Give me any nice compliments while you were at it?"

"Oh, you bet.  I said that you never were all that bright."

"Ouch."

Daniel looked at him earnestly.  "I don't really believe that, Jack."

"I know, Daniel, though, compared to you and Carter, it is true.  Daniel, all the things you said, all the things you did in that dream, they weren't you.  You would never send Teal'c off to be killed.  You would never do those things to Carter.  You would never do anything horrible enough that I would try to kill you.  Don't even start to think that any of those things came from some dark part of your psyche, because it's not true.  Yes, we all have a dark side to our natures, but not even the darkest part of your soul would do something even close to what you did in that dream.  It just isn't possible.  Take my word for it, the man you couldn't pull the trigger on even when you were crazed from withdrawal and your mind had been twisted by the sarcophagus."

Daniel's eyes closed tightly in remembrance of that moment in the storage room.  He felt Jack's hand on his shoulder.

"Come on, Daniel," the colonel said.  "I asked Hammond to give you the rest of the day off to unwind, and I'm going to help you do it.  I've got a couple of tickets to a hockey game tonight.  I was going to ask Teal'c to join me, but I think you need to get your mind off everything."

"Jack, I'm really not all that crazy about hockey."

"Yeah, I know, but there's nothing like the roar of the crowd and the sight of twelve guys battling it out on the ice to make you forget about your troubles.  Come on, Daniel.  I'll take you wherever you want to go for dinner before the game."

Daniel hesitated, then gave Jack a nod.  "Okay."  He had to admit that it would be good to put everything out of his mind for a while.

Jack grinned broadly.  "Great.  Let's go get into our civvies and get out of here."

Daniel had more fun that evening than he had thought he would.  He could thank Jack for that.  The older man refused to allow him to mope.  It made Daniel feel good to know that Jack still cared like that.  Over the past year, things had not been so good between them, and Daniel had begun to feel like their friendship was failing, especially since the events on Euronda.  It had been really nice to spend an evening with Jack.  They didn't do that very much anymore.

They were now at Jack's house, sharing a few beers and talking about the game.  Actually, it was Jack who was talking about the game.  Daniel was mostly just listening.

As Jack paused for breath, Daniel excused himself and went to the bathroom.  As he was washing his hands, he glanced at his reflection in the mirror.  Suddenly, an intense memory from the dream hit him.  He was standing in front of the mirror, shaving and thinking about how he was going to get rid of Teal'c and make it appear to have been unintentional.

Daniel gasped and stepped back hastily.  His heart beating heavily in his chest, he stood unmoving for a long moment, staring at himself.  Then he turned the water off and dried his shaking hands.  He waited until he had calmed down before exiting the bathroom.

"What took you so long?" Jack asked.  "I was beginning to think you fell. . . .  Daniel, are you all right?"

Daniel saw the concern on his friend's face.  "Um . . . yeah, I'm okay.  I just. . . ."  He shook his head.  "Nothing.  It's nothing."

"Now, why don't I believe you?  Cough it up, Daniel.  Obviously, something happened while you were in the john."

Daniel sat on the couch.  "I just had a really strong flashback of something that happened in the dream, that's all.  It was . . . disconcerting."

"Disconcerting?  It was something 'disconcerting' that made you look like you'd seen a ghost?"

"I flashed back to when I was plotting how I was going to kill Teal'c," Daniel told him bluntly.

Jack grimaced.  "Oh."  There was a long, uncomfortable moment of silence after that.

"I can remember every action I took in that dream, every thought I had," Daniel said in a low voice, "but I have no recollection of the Goa'uld knowledge or genetic memories.  I can recall myself drawing out the blueprints for the defense system and helping to build it, but I can't remember the details of the blueprints, how the defense system was built, what made the weapons work, nothing.  I can remember how my mind and soul were changed by the memories of the Goa'uld, but not what those memories were.  But, now, I'm starting to worry that, someday, that will change, that I'll remember everything and become that . . . that person I was in the dream."

"That ain't gonna happen, Daniel.  I'm certain that Shifu made sure those memories were locked up tight inside your head.  Maybe they're no longer even there."

Daniel said nothing for a long time, then, "Jack, I need you to promise me something.  I need you to promise that, if it ever does happen, if I start to turn into what I was in that dream, you'll kill me."

"Daniel, don't ask me that!" Jack exclaimed, distressed.

Daniel looked at him pleadingly.  "Jack, please.  You tried to do it in the dream, but you were too late.  You waited too long.  I need to know that I can count on you to stop me from hurting anyone.  You'd do it if I was made a host to a Goa'uld and you had no other choice, wouldn't you?"

Jack couldn't answer for several seconds.  This was touching on a fear he'd had for a long time, that he'd be forced to kill a member of his team after they'd been taken over by a Goa'uld.  But Daniel was right.  If there was no other choice, Jack would do what he had to . . . no matter how much it would kill him inside.

"Yes, I would, Daniel.  I'd try everything else in my power first, but, if it was the only thing I could do, I would."

Daniel relaxed.  "Then promise me that you'll do the same if I regain the Goa'uld genetic memory and it changes me."

Jack sighed deeply.  "All right, Daniel.  I promise."

"Thank you."

"But it's never gonna happen, so it's a promise I will never have to keep."

After that, the air between Daniel and Jack was subdued.  A short while later, the younger man went home.  Troubled by the thoughts that Daniel had brought up, it took a long time for Jack to get to sleep.

"Where in the hell is he?" Jack asked angrily.  He, Sam and Teal'c were in the briefing room.  They were scheduled to go on a mission, the first one since the incident with Shifu five days ago.  Daniel had called from his car, saying that he was running a little late and would be there in plenty of time.  It was now fifteen minutes past the time that the briefing was supposed to start.  They'd tried his cell phone, but got no answer.  General Hammond was presently in his office on an unexpected phone call.

"Sir, what if Daniel got into an accident?" Sam asked worriedly.

That instantly doused Jack's anger, replacing it with anxiety.

"Perhaps we should attempt to learn Daniel Jackson's location," Teal'c suggested.

"Yeah, maybe we should," the colonel agreed.

General Hammond returned to the room.

"Sir, we're starting to get worried about Daniel," Jack said.  "He should have been here by now.  When he called, he said that he was on his way and wouldn't be late.  Something must have happened, something that is preventing him from calling the base."

The general's face adopted a concerned look.  "You think that he may have had a car accident?"

"I really hope not, but, yeah, it's a possibility.  The roads are kind of slick.  We'd like to go out and look for him.  I know the route he takes to work."

Hammond nodded.  "Do it."

"Thank you, sir."

A short while later, the three members of SG-1 were in the colonel's car, searching for their missing teammate.  They were all getting pretty worried now, knowing that Daniel would not be this late unless something had happened.

They were only about a mile and a half from the base when Sam thought she saw something off the side of the road.

"Sir, stop!  I think I saw something back there."

Jack halted and backed up the car.  They looked down the embankment and saw something that sent their hearts up into their throats.  Daniel's car was at the bottom, smashed up against a big pine tree.

Sam, Jack and Teal'c scrambled out of Jack's car.

"Daniel!" Jack called.  He slid down the bank, followed closely by Sam and Teal'c.  Terrified of what they might find, they ran up to the car.

"He's not here," Jack said, unsure if he should be relieved or frightened.  What if Daniel received a head injury and, in his confusion, had wandered off into the woods?  It could take hours or even days to find him.

"Daniel!" Jack yelled, Sam doing likewise as they stepped into the forest.

"O'Neill!  You must see this," Teal'c called.

Jack and Sam returned to the car.  The Jaffa was kneeling beside the front end on the driver's side.

"There is paint from a car of a different color here."  He pointed at a place where the body was badly scraped and dented.  Sure enough, streaks of black were visible on the blue paint of the car.

"Somebody hit him, and he went off the road," Jack said.

"There is more," Teal'c announced.  He rose to his feet and pointed at the ground.  "There are tracks from three men here.  They removed Daniel Jackson from his car.  He was apparently unconscious or badly injured."  Teal'c followed the tracks a short way.  "He was dragged up the embankment and no doubt placed in the vehicle that caused his car to go off the road."

"My God," Sam whispered.  "Somebody took Daniel."

Jack's face hardened.  "The question is, was it an accident and whomever was responsible stupidly decided to take Daniel to a hospital themselves or was this deliberate?"

Sam's eyes widened in fear.  "Sir, what if it was the NID?  What if they did this to get at the Goa'uld genetic knowledge?"

Jack cursed.  "Carter, call Hammond and tell him what happened.  He needs to send a team here to look for forensic evidence."

As Sam did that, Jack walked away a few paces, his shoulders stiff with anger.

"Do you believe that Major Carter is correct about the NID?" Teal'c asked as he came up beside the colonel.

"I don't know, but my gut is telling me yes.  Dammit!  I should have guessed that they might try something like this.  We knew that all the players weren't caught after I went undercover for the Asgard, Nox and Tollans.  We have proof that Kinsey was involved in that whole thing, and he's still free."

"Would not those who took Daniel Jackson need one of the memory recall devices to get the knowledge from him?"

"I don't know.  They might try using drugs or some other method.  But it wouldn't surprise me if they did get their hands on one of those memory things.  Look at all the stuff they managed to steal from the Asgard and the Tollans."

Sam came up to them.  "A team is on the way, sir."

"All right, let's get back up to the road and wait for them.  Then we need to get back to the base and make a few calls."

They ascended the embankment and waited beside Jack's car.

"Sir, if the NID did take Daniel, and they manage to pull those memories out of his subconscious. . . ."  Sam's voice trailed off.

"I know, Carter," Jack responded in a low voice, his stomach clenching.  Sam and Teal'c had both been told the whole truth about Daniel's dream and knew what was at stake, what it might mean if the Goa'uld genetic memories in Daniel's head were released.

Jack recalled the promise he made to his friend four days ago.  'Please don't make me have to fulfill that promise, Daniel.  You have to be all right when we find you.'  But what if, by the time they did find him, the NID had killed him?  Jack had to hope that they wouldn't do that, that they'd consider Daniel to be too valuable a resource for information.

Once the forensics team had arrived, Jack, Sam and Teal'c returned to the base.  They went to Hammond's office to find out if he'd learned anything.  The general, who was clearly very worried, told them that a call to the nearest hospital had revealed that Daniel had not been taken there, confirming that the archeologist had, indeed, been kidnapped.  He then gave the three members of SG-1 unofficial permission to do whatever was necessary to find Daniel and bring him home.  As they left the general's office, he was picking up the red phone to contact the president.

The three members of SG-1 went to Daniel's office.

"What are we going to do, sir?" Sam asked Jack.

"First, there are some phone calls that I can make," he replied.  "I've still got quite a few contacts in the intelligence community and several favors that I can call in."

"Is there anything that I may do to aid the search?" Teal'c asked.

"Not right now, but if we need to beat up a few people to get them to talk, I'll be sure to let you share in the honors."

"I will be quite willing to do so, O'Neill," the Jaffa said, a dangerous tone in his voice.  Jack almost pitied anyone who got in Teal'c's way during their efforts to find Daniel.  On second thought, maybe he'd just get a bag of popcorn and sit back and enjoy the show as Teal'c tore the person limb from limb . . . that is after he broke a few of the guy's bones himself.

"Sir, I'd like to do some poking around on the Internet," Sam said.  "I might be able to find out something."

"Good idea."  The colonel looked at his second in command, seeing the fear in her eyes.  "We're going to find him, Carter.  Count on it."

"I know, sir.  But will we find him in time?"

Not answering, Jack left for his office, praying that the answer to Sam's question would be yes.

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