Stargate Horizons

CHAPTER FIVE

As a show of support for their teammate, Jack and Sam remained on base that night.  Teal'c, who still lived on base, had invited Daniel to join him in Kel'no'reem, but the archeologist declined, not wanting to chance that something might happen.

The next morning, Janet told him that she hadn't found any irregularities in his bloodwork.  She also told him that Hammond had granted permission for Eliza White to be told what was going on.  Daniel already had an appointment at two o'clock with the woman and decided that would be as good a time as any to tell her.

It was shortly before one o'clock when Hammond called Daniel to his office.

"I read your report on the mission, Doctor Jackson, and there is a question that I must ask you.  Do you feel that you can gain full control of this ability of yours?"

"I hope so, sir.  I believe that I can.  I shouldn't have tried doing something like what I did on the planet with so little practice.  It was too much too soon.  Looking back on it, I should have tried something else, maybe attempted to disarm the Jaffa."

Hammond leaned forward, putting his elbows on the desk.  "I have to be honest, Doctor Jackson.  From a military standpoint, this new ability of yours could be a tremendous asset.  It could save a lot of lives and make some things possible that might otherwise be too dangerous to attempt."

"But?"

"But some individuals might consider your abilities to be too valuable to risk on off-world missions.  As it is, there are already people who think that your knowledge and skills are too valuable to put at risk.  You have no idea how many times I've had to justify keeping you on SG-1, especially after you descended with the full knowledge of the Ancients' language.  After all, you are the only person on the planet with such an extensive understanding of it."

"And now that this has happened, they're going to be even more insistent that I'm taken off the team."

"I'm afraid so."

Daniel looked straight into Hammond's eyes.  "Then what good would these abilities be?"

"What do you mean?"

"You said it yourself, General.  They can save lives.  They can help make the impossible possible.  What good are they going to do if I'm not allowed to go out there and use them?  I'm not saying that I want this power.  I wish to hell that I didn't have it.  But my life has already been permanently changed by this.  If I can't use them to help people and fight the Goa'uld, then it'll all be for nothing."

General Hammond gazed at the younger man.  "You're absolutely right, and I will use that very argument if it should become necessary."  His expression became sympathetic.  "I'm sorry, but I am going to have to report everything to my superiors today.  I cannot put it off any longer."

"Yeah, I already figured that."

"If there was some way that I could keep this confidential, I would, but something like this cannot be kept under wraps.  I have a responsibility to report it."

"I know, sir."

"But I promise you that I will fight for you with all I have.  I will do everything within my power to keep you out of Area 51 and on SG-1."

"Thank you, General."

"Once I make my report, there will, no doubt, be people who will want to talk to you.  For that reason, I'm putting SG-1 on stand-down.  I'll inform Colonel O'Neill of this."

Daniel nodded, having already guessed that he wouldn't be allowed to go on another mission until after all this was settled.

Hammond dismissed him.  As he turned to go, Daniel paused.  "Sir, there's something that your superiors and the NID need to understand.  There is no other job in this government that I'd be interested in taking and no other . . . project outside of the SGC that I'd be willing to be assigned to."

Hammond met his eyes.  "I understand, Doctor Jackson."

"If I am forced to leave the SGC and work for someone else, then I will cease to be an employee of this government and, very likely, will cease to be a resident of this planet."

There was a hard look in the archeologist's eyes that the general had never seen before, and he realized that, if worse came to worst, Daniel would walk through the Stargate and never return – and there wouldn't be a damn thing that anyone could do to stop him.


"Hello, Daniel," Eliza greeted.  "I missed not having day before yesterday's session with you."  She searched the man's eyes.  "Is everything all right?  Doctor Fraiser was asking me some questions about you.  Has something happened?"

"Uh, yeah, you could say that."

"Something serious, I'm guessing."

"I think you'd better take a seat, Eliza."

The doctor settled into her chair, Daniel lowering himself into the other one.

"Okay, what I'm about to tell you is something that you wouldn't have had clearance to know a day ago,"  Daniel began, "but General Hammond gave permission for you to be told since it's connected to your field of expertise."

"Oh, boy.  This is serious."

"You have no idea.  I think we're about to find out how open-minded you really are, Eliza."

The therapist waited silently for Daniel to continue.

"First of all, I need to tell you about something that happened to me a year and a half ago.  We were on a mission on a planet called Kelowna when I was exposed to a lethal dose of radiation."

"Oh my God."

"Three days later, I . . . died."  He paused upon seeing the eyes of the woman before him widen in shock and dismay.  "Except that I didn't really die.  I became something else, a form of life that lives on a higher plane of existence.  My mortal body ceased to exist, and I became pure energy."

Eliza's mouth was hanging open.  "Daniel, are you serious?"

"Very.  Several years ago, we encountered a being made of pure energy while on a mission.  We later learned that these beings call themselves the Ancients.  Many thousands of years ago, the Ancients were flesh and blood like us, but some of them learned how to ascend to that higher plane.  When I was dying, the one I met before, whose name is Oma Desala, came to me and told me that I could also ascend, become one of them.  I took her up on her offer."

"Daniel, this is . . . my God, this is incredible."

"The Ancients and the others who have learned to ascend are very powerful.  They can control fire and lightning and move objects at will.  As one of them, I had those powers as well, but I wasn't allowed to use them to help anyone."

"Why not?"

"Because the Ancients have rules against interfering with the lives of others.  To make a long story short, I couldn't live by those rules, and I helped SG-1 try to defeat a powerful enemy.  My punishment for doing that was to be made human again.  I was left on another planet with no memory of who I was.  SG-1 and another team found me there two months later.  In time, I regained most of my memories of my life before I ascended, but, to this day, I still have virtually no memory of what happened during the time I was ascended."

Eliza stared at him.  "Wow.  That is . . . that is the most amazing story I've ever heard.  And here I thought it was amazing when I found out about the Stargate."  She gave herself a little shake.  "So, why are you telling me this now?"

"Because, on Tuesday night, something happened.  You remember when we were talking about the beliefs of various cultures regarding psychic abilities?"

"Yes."

Daniel looked at her closely.  "Do you really believe in those abilities, Eliza?  Do you think that the human mind has the potential to do things that would be considered paranormal by most people?"

Eliza didn't hesitate in her reply.  "Yes, I do, Daniel.  In working with the human mind like I do, I've come to believe that there is something more, that there are depths and abilities we have yet to discover within ourselves."

"Well, that's good.  Then maybe it won't surprise you when I tell you that I've done it."

"What?"

Knowing that, sooner or later, he'd have to demonstrate to Eliza what he could do, Daniel decided that now was as good a time as any.  He looked over at the pen sitting on a nearby table.  This time, it took only a couple of seconds to achieve the proper mental state.  The pen flew across the room and into his outstretched hand.

Eliza gasped sharply.  She stared in stunned fascination at the pen, then lifted her eyes to Daniel's.  "Daniel, how did this happen?"

Daniel told her about what happened on Kheb, leaving out most of the information concerning the Harcesis.  He then told her what happened Tuesday night.

Eliza shook her head.  "Incredible.  Daniel, there are things that I didn't mention before regarding EEG biofeedback.  A lot of people have done research on the various brainwave frequencies and have discovered some remarkable things.  As I already told you, the different frequencies have specific physical, mental and emotional effects on humans.  You found that out for yourself during your training.  However, a few individuals have also discovered that some frequencies can enable people to tap into previously latent psychic abilities.  One of those frequencies is the one that you just spoke of, seven point zero.  Among other things, that frequency has been linked to telekinesis, which, as you may know, is the power to move objects with the mind.  Of course, this has not been proven to the medical or scientific communities, but there are a lot of people who wholeheartedly believe it."

"So, you're saying that this might not have anything to do with my ascension, that I might simply have stumbled upon just the right frequency to make this happen?"

"Not necessarily.  For one thing, I haven't heard about anyone lighting or putting out fires by using biofeedback, although that doesn't mean it isn't possible or that someone out there hasn't succeeded in doing it.  For another thing, I've never heard of anyone exhibiting the level of skill that you managed to master in a single evening."  Eliza noticed a strange look pass across Daniel's face.  "What is it?  Is there something you haven't told me yet?"

"Yeah.  There was an . . . incident during our last mission.  We were attacked by enemies and got pinned down with no way of escape.  I, um, decided to try using my abilities."

The tone in his voice warned the therapist that something bad had happened.  "What happened, Daniel?"

"I accidentally incinerated about half a dozen of them."

Eliza's breath drew in sharply.  "My God."

"I hadn't intended for that to happen.  I just wanted to scare them, drive them away.  But I miscalculated and lost control of the fire."

Seeing the expression of guilt in the man's eyes, Eliza reached out and laid her hand upon his.  "Daniel, I am so sorry that happened, but it was an accident, and you were protecting yourself and your teammates.  Would those people have killed you if you hadn't acted?"

"Most likely.  Either that or they'd have captured us and taken us someplace to be tortured for information."

"Then you need to focus on that and not on what you accidentally did."  Giving his hand a little pat, Eliza leaned back in her chair.  "What you just told me gives me reason to believe that your ascension does have something to do with this.  It may very well be that the human mind, on its own, has the kind of power that you've demonstrated, but, outside of the realm of science fiction, I don't think that any human being has ever tapped into it.  The fact that you have, and so easily, leads me to believe that, when you retook human form, something was altered in your brain, something that took it to a higher level of evolution."

Daniel recalled what Thor had said about Jack being a genetic step forward in the evolutionary chain.  Did this mean that he was, too?  Had he always been that way or had his time as an ascended being done this to him?  That was something he might never know.

"Daniel, what is all this going to mean for you?" Eliza asked.

"Good question.  General Hammond is going to report everything to his superiors today, and you can bet that some people are going to be very interested in what I can do."

"Yes, I'm afraid that you're right about that.  Is there anything I can do to help?"

"No, I don't think so, Eliza, but thanks for offering."

The therapist fell silent, her teeth gnawing on her lower lip.  "Daniel, I know that you aren't going to want to be turned into some kind of test subject, but, if you're willing, I'd like to hook you up to my equipment and see what's going on in your mind and body while you use this power of yours.  It might answer some questions."

"Janet has already scanned, poked and prodded every millimeter of my body to find out what's going on inside me.  You might as well take a crack at it, too."

"Daniel, if you'd rather not. . . ."

"No, it's okay, Eliza.  I've already been hooked up to your equipment plenty of times.  Once more isn't going to kill me.  Besides, you're right.  It might answer some questions."

"All right.  I don't have an opening today, but we could do it tomorrow afternoon.  Chances are that we'll have to get permission from the general anyway."

"Okay."

Daniel and Eliza both stood.

"Everything will be all right, Daniel," the therapist said.  "If you ever want to talk, I'll be happy to listen."

"Thanks, Eliza.  I appreciate the offer."

Daniel said goodbye to Eliza, who told him that she'd discuss the tests with General Hammond.  He'd barely made it back to his office when Jack and Sam showed up.

"So, did you tell her?" the major asked.

"Uh huh."

"How'd she take it?"  That question had come from Jack.

"Good.  Doctor White is a very open-minded person, Jack.  She was surprised, but she had no trouble accepting what I told her."

Sam sat in a chair.  "How much did you tell her?"

"About my ascension, Oma Desala, Kheb, what happened on Tuesday and yesterday's mission."

"Wow.  That's a lot for her to take in all at once."

"Yeah, but she was fine."

Jack leaned his hip against Daniel's desk.  "So, did the good doctor have any answers to all of this?"

"Well, she seems to think that I might have joined your exclusive club for the genetically advanced."

"Cool.  Let's build a clubhouse.  I've always wanted to come up with a secret handshake."

Sam smiled at the colonel's remark, a humorous image of him and Daniel sharing a complex, secret handshake, complete with bumping hips, flashing through her mind.  The seriousness of the issue quickly sobered her, however.  "What exactly did she say?" she asked Daniel.

"Well, put in a nutshell, she thinks it's possible that I might have returned to human form with a brain that's a bit higher up on the evolutionary scale."

Daniel recounted to his teammates what Eliza had discussed with him.  Jack, of course, was very skeptical regarding all the stuff to do with brainwave frequencies relating to psychic abilities.  Sam was a lot more willing to believe what the therapist had said, especially considering what was happening to Daniel.

"Does Janet know about the tests Eliza is going to do tomorrow?" she queried.

"Probably not yet, but I'm sure that Eliza will tell her.  I doubt that she would do them without Janet's okay."

"Hammond told me that he's going to submit his report about you today," Jack said.  "He's probably already done it by now."

"I know.  And SG-1's on stand-down since I can't be allowed to go on a mission."

"That's just temporary, Daniel."

"Let's hope you're right.  If not. . . ."

"What?"

Daniel looked at Jack in the eyes.  "I won't allow anyone to take away my freedom, Jack.  I won't let the NID or anyone else control my life and rob me of my ability to choose my own destiny."

"Daniel, what are you saying?" Sam asked, a sinking feeling growing in the pit of her stomach.

"If I'm forced to leave the SGC and am turned over to the NID, I'll have no choice but to leave Earth."

Surprised and alarmed by Daniel's declaration, Jack asked, "And go where?"

"I don't know.  Maybe join the Tok'ra.  There's no doubt that they'd be delighted to have my . . . special skills at their disposal.  At least then we'd be able to see each other once in a while."

The thought of Daniel leaving Earth and the SGC upset Sam a lot.  She'd missed him terribly during the year he was ascended and didn't want to think about losing him again, even if they would see him on occasion if he joined the Tok'ra.

"Well, that's not gonna happen, Daniel," Jack stated emphatically.  "There is no way that we'll let the NID get their claws into you, and you are way too important to the SGC for us to lose you.  Maybe if the NID gets too pushy, you could put on a little pyrotechnics show to scare them off."

"Oh, yes, Jack.  Then they'd just label me a threat to Earth and throw me in some secured prison somewhere."

"Well, it was a thought."

"Daniel, maybe if you talked to the president personally, made him understand, he could tell the NID to leave you alone," Sam suggested.

"If that's what it takes, I'll do it."

"And I'll go with you," Jack told him.  "The president likes me."

Daniel gave a tired sigh.  He'd gotten very little sleep the last three nights, and it was beginning to catch up to him.  "The next few days are probably going to be pretty hectic.  I doubt it'll take much time for the NID and other representatives to show up."

"Which is why you need to get some sleep, Daniel.  You look like crap."

Daniel wanted to argue that he couldn't sleep, but he knew that Jack was right.

"Go get some rest, Daniel," Sam said gently.  "You'll feel better.  Would you like me to get something from Janet to help you sleep?"

"No, I'll be okay."

Daniel went to the quarters that would be his home for at least the next few days, possibly longer.  He was just about to lie down when he got a call from Eliza, who told him that everything had been okayed and set up for 12:30 tomorrow afternoon.  Thanking her and ending the call, Daniel laid down on the bed.  For several minutes, he lay staring up at the ceiling.  He knew that he could probably put himself to sleep with biofeedback, but, ever since the mission, he'd been afraid to attempt it, although as long as he didn't linger at the seven point zero frequency, he'd probably be okay.

After an hour of unsuccessfully trying to get to sleep without the biofeedback, Daniel finally admitted defeat.  Using the techniques that were quickly becoming second nature to him, Daniel lowered his brainwave frequency.  He had learned that going to a frequency of four to six hertz, then slowly lowering to one point five to two point five would put him right to sleep.  He quickly lowered his brainwaves to six hertz, then took it down two more notches to four.  There, he lingered.

Daniel did not know how long he'd been at that frequency, when, all at once, his awareness of himself faded away.  A hazy image formed in his mind.  He saw Sam, Jack and Teal'c running across a large meadow as if he was looking through his own eyes and they were coming toward him.  In the distance were dozens of Jaffa, the blasts from their staff weapons heating the air all around the team.

"Go, Daniel!  Get to the gate!" Jack yelled.  Then he spun around and fired off his P-90, taking out several Jaffa.  The image shifted, and Daniel saw the Stargate before him.  He was dialing Earth's address.  Before he could finish, however, the scene changed again, back to Jack, Sam and Teal'c.  The two men were in the lead, Sam having fallen slightly behind as she fired her weapon.

Suddenly, an Al'Kesh attack bomber swooped downward, aiming toward Jack, Sam and Teal'c.  Bombs dropped from the underside of the craft, transforming the field into a living hell.  Helplessly, Daniel watched as one of the bombs hurled directly toward Sam's position.

"Sam!" he heard his own voice scream.

Sam looked up just in time to see her death coming toward her.  Then there was fire, and heat, and blood – and she was gone.

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