His head was throbbing and his butt was numb.

Minor details to some, but right now those two items made up the majority of Jack O'Neill's world.

Aspirin would be nice.

Trying not to think too hard, Jack began taking stock of his situation. It seemed as if every part was still attached, his arms and legs free of any binding or restraint, although his body twanged with pain. It was uncomfortable, if not entirely pain-free, to breathe. Ribs. Something had happened there. He didn't think they were broken. Broken was a different twinge. This was most likely a bruise, and a pretty good one at that.

It was quiet, too quiet to be the infirmary. He knew those sounds intimately—a knowledge he wished he didn't have.

He was not alone, however. He could sense the presence of others—more than one—his radar working overtime.

And the room felt big. Not a scientific deduction, he knew, but his gut was usually correct in situations such as these.

The next step was for him to open his eyes, but it would be so much easier to just go back to sleep.

That, unfortunately, was not an option. He needed to know where he was and what was going on. According to his last working neuron, he should have been dead, but apparently someone else had another idea.

Not that he was complaining, mind you, but he could surely do without the marching band.

The brush of a hand against his neck nearly made him jump out of his skin and he couldn't help but twitch.

"Jack?"

Daniel was here. And he was talking—go figure. At least one of his teammates was accounted for. Two more to go.

Jack creaked an eyelid open and a blurry Daniel edged into view. "Jack?" Daniel looked away briefly, calling out over his shoulder. "Sam? Jack's coming around." He turned back to Jack a moment later, a half-smile on this face.

Two down. One to go.

"Daniel?" he croaked, trying to moisten his lips a little, his voice rough. He pried open the other eye, the darkness surrounding him unexpected. "What happened? Where are we? Where's Teal'c?"

Whatever answer Daniel was going to give was interrupted as one slightly frayed Captain stumbled into view, kneeling beside him. "Sir, how are you doing?"

"Confused, Carter. Where are we? What happened? Where's Teal'c?" His voice sounded a little stronger, so Jack tried to raise himself up to get a better look around, but was held down by one of Daniel's hands against his shoulder.

"Take it easy, Jack."

"I'm not crippled, for crying out loud. Let me up," he growled, pushing a little against his friend's hand, pain flaring in his mid-section. He was surprised, however, at how strong Daniel had become. Or was it something else? Something twanged in the back of his mind, but he ignored it.

"Sir," Carter said, her tone carrying a hint of anxiety. "It might be better if you lie down, at least for a little while. You were unconscious and have a pretty good sized gash on the back of your head. I wouldn't be surprised if you have a concussion."

"It's not like I've never had one before, and from the heavy metal concert going on in there, I figure you're right. But that doesn't mean I can't get up."

"Jack—"

"Sir—"

He narrowed his eyes, glaring at the two of them. Instead of belaboring the point, he settled for another question. "Where's Teal'c?"

"I don't know. He's not here." Carter shared a glance with the archeologist. "We're hoping he's still in the city somewhere."

"Damn," Jack said, trying to think past the marching band in his head. "How long was I out?"

Both Carter and Daniel glanced away but the archeologist turned back a few seconds later, his blue eyes meeting Jack's at last. "You've been unconscious about an hour longer than me, so about three hours total."

Three hours? Crap. "That's not good."

"No, Sir. We've been worried."

"Are you injured?"

"No, not really," Carter answered. "We had some reaction to the energy that knocked us out. Headache and nausea, but that passed relatively quickly."

"Daniel?"

"I'm okay, Jack."

"You sure? No weird effects from that crystal?"

"None."

Jack paused, not entirely believing the archeologist. Daniel could be missing a limb and he'd say he was okay. "Carter, that true?"

"As far I can see, Sir, Daniel's fine. A little bruised and banged up, but I think you managed to cushion most of his impact."

Jack rolled his eyes, wishing the band would take an intermission. The noise in his head only seemed to have gotten louder. He raised his hand and closed his eyes, squeezing the bridge of his nose between his thumb and index finger. "Remind me not to try and save Daniel's ass again. I nearly always end up with the short straw."

There was one other thing, apart from the rock band, that needed to be addressed—and this was something he could fix. And this time he wasn't taking no for an answer. Jack pulled his hand away from his head and opened his eyes. "I need to get up."

"Sir—"

"But Jack—"

"Ack! Don't make me repeat myself. My butt is numb and I need to get up and move. You can either help me or watch me fall on my face. Your choice."

"Sir, I don't think it's a good idea," Carter protested.

"Carter—" Jack began, his tone his only warning. He wasn't in the mood for their mothering.

"We'll take it slow," Daniel said, his tone patronizing, but Jack didn't care. He was getting results. "How about we move him to the platform, Sam? It looks a little bit more comfortable than the floor."

"Sure," she finally agreed, her voice resigned.

"Okay, Jack," Daniel said, grasping his hand while his other hand slid behind Jack's shoulder. Cater was mirroring Daniel's motions on his other side. "We're going to take it slow. Tell us if we hurt you."

"Let's just get moving already," Jack groused, his stomach muscles tensing as he prepared himself.

A flare of pain across his mid-section seconds later, his back barely inches off the ground, sent a muttered curse into the atmosphere. Make that badly bruised ribs.

"Sir?"

"Just keep going," Jack said, pushing the words past his clenched teeth.

"This might not be a good idea, Jack."

"Daniel," he half-bellowed, the word louder than he wanted as a particularly sharp pain flashed up. The rock band was starting to reach its crescendo and his stomach was starting to rebel.

"Fine," the archeologist mumbled and Jack's view of the world widened as he finally sat upright, beads of sweat marring his forehead.

There was a whole lot of nothing here.

Damn. Where were they?

His roving eyes spotted the platform Daniel had mentioned a few minutes earlier, the surface covered in something that resembled carpet. It had to be better than the floor. Anything was better than the floor.

Daniel's face hovered in front of him a few seconds later, his blue eyes wide. "Jack? You still with us?"

He nodded once, his voice unavailable for the moment.

Vaguely, while he tried to hold onto whatever was left of his breakfast, Jack realized that had Daniel glanced away from him and toward Carter, sharing a long look with the Captain. Jack knew what Daniel was thinking and Jack had to admit that he might be right. It might not have been the brightest of ideas to move.

Pushing back the bile, Jack tried to swallow, to clear his throat. He closed his eyes, steadying himself, and took a deep breath. Letting it out slowly, his eyes drifted open.

"Okay, once more, with feeling. And this time we'll go all the way."

"Are you sure, Jack?"

He nodded once, the movement curt. "Positive."

Another glance passed between the two hovering on either side of him before they tugged him upward, his legs a little less supportive than he thought they'd be.

A wall of pain crashed down—a combination of the band's climax, his bruised and battered body, and his tortured stomach—and he felt himself going, the darkness around him graying out at the edges more and more.

Damn.

Was someone turning off the lights?

Daniel's and Carter's frantic calls followed him down into the dark pool below.

Daniel sighed, dropping down next to Sam after finally levering the dead weight of one unconscious Colonel onto the raised platform in the center of the room.
Jack needed to lose a few pounds.

"Sam, there has to be a way out of here."

"Well, I haven't found one yet," she said, shoving an errant strand of blonde behind her ear, her booted feet planted solidly on the floor, her arms resting on top of her knees. Her frustration was clearly evident in the tone of her voice. "I only had the chance to search part of the room, but the substantial lack of light doesn't exactly help my progress."

"I know, I know," he said, leaning back on his elbows, letting the silence of the room spill over him. It was unnaturally quiet here, wherever here was. No audible hum of a power supply or air vents was evident, but both were obviously in good working order. As Sam indicated, the light, or more specifically the distinct lack thereof, wasn't making an easy job of their initial investigation of the area.

Sighing, his eyes drifted toward Jack. With him unconscious, Daniel knew that Sam felt responsible for his wellbeing, but Daniel's own guilt weighed heavily. If he hadn't gone into that room. If he hadn't touched the crystal. He sighed deeply.

Why was hindsight always 20/20?

Snaking a finger under his glasses, Daniel rubbed his eyes, the headache substantially improved but not entirely gone. Aspirin would be nice right about now.

Or coffee. The caffeine would definitely help.

Absently, Daniel realized that the older man's eyes were twitching beneath their lids, the furrow in his forehead deep. Tilting his head and narrowing his eyes, Daniel watched as a muscle twitched along Jack's jaw. "Sam," he said, drawing her attention, "is he coming around?"

Her gaze, focused outward toward the darkness, turned to the figure in question, her body shifting to accommodate the view. She watched Jack for several seconds, taking in the waxen complexion, the slight movement in his limbs, his deepening frown. "I think you might be right." She moved closer, leaning forward, her hand lightly touching his upper arm. "Sir?"

She paused, waiting for a reaction before trying again. "Sir? Can you hear me?"

"Oy."

It was breathy and decidedly weak, but it was Jack. The older man's shaking hands slowly traveled upward until they finally rested on his head, cradling it gently.

Daniel scooted closer. "Jack?"

A deep sigh and a groan were his only answers.

Sam met his gaze across O'Neill's supine figure, taking in Daniel's downcast expression and obviously weighing their situation. In that one moment, Daniel's guilt was on his sleeve. Sometimes it was as if she could see right through him. Kind of eerie actually.

"Give him a few minutes, Daniel."

He sighed and nodded, focusing instead on the darkness beyond the circle of light surrounding them. "Where do you think we are?"

Sam took a deep breath before she answered, running a hand through her hair, letting the strands settle back down, some sticking up slightly. "I'm not sure. The temperature's regulated and there's light, so I don't think we're within the city. There wasn't anything that remotely resembled this on the planet's surface."

"No, nothing," Daniel agreed, thinking back to the ruins they'd been investigating before they'd ended up here.

"The only energy reading seemed to be coming from that crystal. It could have been a transport device of some kind, but I don't know what the purpose of the energy build-up and that energy wave could be." She shrugged, her mind still spinning possible theories and speculations. "For all we know we could be on the other side of the universe."

"But, think about it, Sam. We had to have had contact with someone. I know we've discovered alien races that can disable and remove our weapons and whatever technological items we have. This time it's different. They took everything except our clothes, our shoes, and our watches. Someone had to physically do that, piece by piece. Right?" Daniel chuckled humorlessly. "And, I even got to keep my glasses this time."

Sam smiled, sharing the moment of levity. "Who knows, Daniel. We've seen some strange things out here. Anything is possible. Personally, I'm glad they left us our underwear and we didn't end up in some strange version of an alien toga."

"Me too."

Daniel's eyes immediately turned to Jack who'd lobbed the comment, a half-smile shining on his lips. "Welcome back, Jack."

A dark brown eye peered out from under fingers. "So the whole movement thing—"

Daniel nodded. "Yeah, wasn't the best idea you've had."

"It was an idea."

"True," Daniel conceded, shooting Sam a brief smile before Jack's weak, but all-business tone, brought them back to the conversation at hand.

"Status?"

"We're fine, Sir," Sam answered, folding her legs so she was sitting Indian-style, her elbows resting on her knees. Under the harsh light, she looked pale—not as faded as Jack by any means, but not up to her usual par. Daniel figured he was somewhere in that boat as well. His head wasn't as bad as it was earlier, but it still wasn't a picnic.

"You were only out a few minutes this time. In the meantime, Daniel and I have been trying to figure out where we might be."

"On the same planet?"

Sam hesitated before answering. "It's likely that we are, but Daniel and I were both unconscious for nearly two hours. We could have been transported anywhere, Sir."

Jack had pulled his hands away from his face as Sam spoke, his forehead creased in concentration, his jaw tight, his eyes shifting between the two of them. "But, it would have had to be by ship and there's only so far it could have gone in that time, right?"

"They could have taken us through the gate, Jack."

The older man turned his head, pinning Daniel with a single glance. "No. It would have taken too long. We were several clicks from the gate and besides, Teal'c would be here with us. He was coming in from the gate-side. We, or whoever kidnapped us, would have come face-to-face with him as they tried to sneak us out. And we all know how Teal'c can be. No, we're still on that planet."

How he could make those leaps, Daniel never knew, but when Jack jumped more often than not, he was right.

"Sir, there's no evidence to indicate—"

"Carter, just humor me."

Daniel crossed his arms over his chest. "So, if we go by your…thought, we're somewhere on the planet. Any ideas where or who might have wanted us dropping in for dinner?"

"You're the scientists. Figure it out," Jack grunted, rolling onto his side in an attempt to shift his weight and push himself into a sitting position.

"Jack—" Daniel protested followed, leaning forward, his hands outstretched just in case the older man actually made it.

Sam was hovering in a similar manner on the other side. "Sir, I think you should lie down."

"Why?" he grunted, his arms shaking as he raised himself up, and much to Daniel's surprise, remained upright. "Think I might pass out again?"

"The thought crossed my mind," Daniel answered as he narrowed his eyes, watching as Jack wrapped an arm around his middle, supporting his obviously injured ribs. "You going to be okay?"

"Nothing a little Aspirin wouldn't fix."

"Well, Jack, it seems we're all plumb out." Daniel raised an eyebrow toward Jack's midsection. "What's wrong with your ribs?"

Jack glanced over, his brown eyes glassy. "Nothing. Why do you ask?"

Daniel exchanged a look with Sam before answering. "Well, you're holding onto them as if they might pop out of your body and you've been cringing. Kind of a dead giveaway. Broken?"

Jack shook his head, his eyes focused elsewhere. "No. Bruised most likely. Broken hurts more." He paused for a moment, the muscles in his back tightening, his eyes narrowing.

"Jack?"

A gesture with his chin accompanied Jack's words. "We have company."

Following the older man's gaze, Daniel found himself staring at a young woman, dressed entirely in white, standing at the edge of the light, her hands clasped together before her.

"Hello," Daniel said, flashing a smile while his thoughts spun, a million questions flashing though his mind. Where did she come from? How long had she been there? Who was she? What did she want? And why did she show up now?

The woman didn't answer, merely tilting her head, the light shining off her short light-brown hair, her eyes locked with Jack's.

Daniel tried again. "We're not going to hurt you. Is this your home? How did you get here?" When she didn't respond, Daniel shot a quick glance toward Sam, whose expression he knew, matched his own.

"Carter, Daniel, any ideas?"

"None, Sir," Sam said, her blue eyes searching the figure before them.

"She looks human."

"Good observation there, Danny-boy."

Daniel shot Jack an annoyed glance. "It does narrow it down somewhat."

"But does it talk? That's the real question."

"Actually, Jack, a better question is: does she understand us?"

"That's in your job description, Daniel," Jack said, gesturing toward the woman with his free hand. "Have at it."

"She could speak any language."

"Well, you speak, what, twenty-three? Pick one and start from there."

"It's not that simple."

"Yes, it is."

"No, it's not"

"It is, and as thrilling as this repartee can normally be, it also doesn't serve us much good, now does it?"

Daniel shook his head, conceding Jack his point.

The older man fixed him with a long look before continuing. "Now then, where were we?"

"I believe you were arguing amongst yourselves," floated the reply, snapping Daniel's head around, the rest of his body following. Seconds later, he found himself on his feet staring at two tall, ghost-white aliens clad in flowing white robes. Sam had mirrored Daniel's movement, standing beside him, her back straight, her entire body poised for action.

Instead of jumping to his feet, Jack had shifted slightly in an obvious effort to keep both the girl and the new arrivals in view. He, of course, narrowed his eyes and commented in true Jack O'Neill form. "And we were. Thanks for noticing. Who are you?"

"That really does not concern you, Colonel Jonathan O'Neill, commander of Stargate Command's flagship team, SG-1," replied the taller of the two, the obvious spokesman.

"Well, I'm a curious kind of a guy," Jack said, tilting his head, his arms crossed over his chest. Daniel shot a quick glance toward his friend, taking in his stance and the tightness in his jaw. While trying to keep his tone light, Daniel knew that Jack was ready to move—even injured as he was—at a moment's notice—not that he could actually go far. "Humor me."

Instead of answering, the figure continued, looking at both Daniel and Sam in turn. "Welcome, Daniel Jackson and Captain Samantha Carter. We are looking forward to your stay with us."

Jack's snort traveled well throughout the cavernous room. "Well, we actually had previous arrangements, so if you'd be so kind and just beam us back to wherever you found us, we'd be mighty grateful."

"Unfortunately Colonel, that is not possible."

"Not possible?" Jack repeated, his eyes narrowing further. "Many things are possible. Might it be more accurate to say that you don't want to let us leave?"
The alien inclined his head slightly, his entire body leaning into the gesture. "That might be more accurate."

"Since you obviously know who we are, you have us at a disadvantage," Daniel said, attempting for a more diplomatic approach to the situation. "Would it truly go against your purposes if we were to know your names or the name of your race of beings?"

The two figures glanced at each other and Daniel could nearly feel the unuttered communication flowing between them. They were telepathic to a certain degree at least, of this Daniel was nearly certain. Maybe that was how these aliens knew who they were. That could be the explanation. They turned back to him seconds later, causing Daniel to push his wandering thoughts away. "We are known as the Yalamanchi. I am Kyran. This is Nouri."

"Ring any bells?" Jack asked, his tone slightly vague.

Daniel shook his head, sending a brief glance toward his companions. "Can't say it does."

"That is one reason we did not find it necessary to provide that information initially," said Kyran, as Nouri, the shorter of the two, stepped forward, stopping after a single footstep.

"It would be wise for you not to interfere," Nouri said, his voice deep where his companions was high and thin, his gaze focused somewhere past Daniel's right shoulder.

"What?" Sam said, her frustrations laced into the single word. Apparently he wasn't the only one not following what was going on, he thought to himself, but was cut off mid-stream.

"Uh, guys…"

The tone of Jack's voice turned Daniel and Sam around immediately. Apparently, during their conversation the woman they'd spotted earlier had approached Jack, steadily and quietly, until she stood only a foot or two away, staring down at him, her attention focused completely on him.

Daniel immediately spun back to the two aliens. "What's going on?"

"Do not interfere," Nouri repeated, a small smile gracing his wire-thin blue-hued lips.

Out of the corner of his eye, Daniel watched as Sam turned to them as well, her hands on her hips. He knew the kind of dagger-filled gaze she could throw when she was angry and someone wasn't cooperative. He'd, unfortunately, been at the receiving end of that one particular expression once too often and he had no intention of ever reliving that particular moment in time.

Without batting an eyelash, Sam stared them down. "What do you mean? What's happening? What is she going to do?"

A stifled scream sent chills down Daniel's back. It was a sound he never thought he'd ever hear. Daniel whipped around toward his friend and discovered the woman had latched herself onto Jack, her hands firm on the sides of his head, his body as stiff as a board, his hands stopped mid-flight, as if he were reaching for her but something hadn't allowed him to complete the movement.

Pain was etched into her own features, a beading of sweat growing on her temple, dampening her hair. Her eyes were clenched shut, but she held her ground, her hands firmly in place.

Daniel acted immediately, taking a step to physically remove her from Jack. He was already injured. He didn't need anything else to go wrong.

Unfortunately, Daniel's foot didn't want to leave the ground and his mind and body connection was apparently malfunctioning.

Daniel couldn't move.

"Sam!" Daniel yelled, the words forced out through clenched teeth, through a jaw that didn't want to cooperate.

"Can't…move," came her own stilted reply.

Forcing his body to respond, Daniel tried to turn, willing his body to move even if it was just a millimeter. His helplessness flowed through him like a tidal surge. His entire body felt as if he'd gained hundreds of pounds and with each passing second, the sensation only seemed to increase a hundred-fold.

"I would suggest that you do not fight the force field," said Kyran, as he glided around trailed by his companion, to stand within an arm's reach of the woman and Jack. "It draws its energy directly from your bodies. The more you resist, the stronger the field becomes."

Even as Daniel tried to remain calm, tried to reel in his free-wheeling emotions, Jack stiffened one last time before the woman released her hold, allowing his body to collapse in a heap.

She immediately dropped to her knees, clutching her mid-section, much like Jack had before, and Daniel could swear he saw the hint of blood on the collar of her gown. But in a flash of light, the aliens and the woman were gone.

Daniel stumbled wildly as the support of the force field vanished and he scrambled immediately to Jack's side.

"Jack?"

The paleness of his face and the sheen of sweat across his brow only heightened Daniel's concern. A muffled ouch signaled Sam's inelegant arrival, and Daniel raised his eyes, catching her gaze. "What happened? What did she do to him?"

"I don't know," Sam said, shaking her head as her hands moved—one checking Jack's pulse, the other resting gently against his forehead, pushing away one of the errant strands of his hair.

Jack's eyes opened under her touch, their brown color noticeably dark against his skin. They were glassy and unfocused, staring upward into the light.

"Jack?"

A single blink was the initial reaction Daniel received before Jack turned his head, his eyes slowly converging on Daniel's face hovering above. Recognition came a few moments later. "Daniel?"

"Yes, Jack. How are you?"

"Carter?" he asked instead of answering, his head turning to the other side, his eyes finding the scientist.

"Here, Sir," she replied, a half-smile on her lips. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," Jack answered, groaning a little as he made an attempt to sit up. Daniel laid a hand on his shoulder, stopping his movement, but Jack brushed it aside. "Daniel, I'm fine, now get out of the way."

"I don't think so, Sir," Sam said, refusing to budge.

"Oh, for crying out loud," Jack said, glancing between the two of them, his voice much stronger than before. "If you'd stop mothering me I'd be a lot better."

Daniel backed off, allowing Jack room to move, surprised at the older man's insistence and the normality of his voice and tone. A few seconds later, Jack was upright, his eyes clear and seemingly pain-free.

What had she done?

Apparently, Sam had the same thought. "Sir," she began tentatively, "are you sure this is a good idea?"

"I feel fine, Carter," Jack replied, his eyes scanning their surroundings, narrowing as his gaze encountered the darkness of the room and nothing more.

"But Jack," Daniel said, trying to make sense of what had just happened. "You have a concussion and you injured your ribs. Shouldn't you be taking it easy?"

The older man's eyes darkened as they met Daniel's gaze, but Daniel could see the concern in their depths. "All I know is that the pain is gone. Head feels fine and so do the ribs."

"But—" Sam began, only to be cut off by Jack,

"I don't know, Carter," he groused as he got his feet under him, easing the kinks out of his six-foot plus frame. He shrugged lightly. "It was that girl. She touched me and everything changed."

"The aliens that were here were telepathic," Daniel said, rising to his feet as well, trying to keep pace with Jack as he began a systematic search of the room, circling the platform slowly.

"Could she have been telepathic too?" Sam asked as she watched them walk around the room from her position on the platform.

"Probably, but there was something more, maybe even something else entirely," Daniel said, the possibilities spinning around in his head. "Jack, can I see your head?"

"What?" he asked, spinning on his heel, confusion flashing across his face. "What for?"

"I have a hunch," he said, stopping in front of his friend.

Jack looked at him strangely, as if another appendage had attached itself to Daniel's shoulder, but nodded his head. "Fine."

Daniel moved a half-step and tilted Jack's head so he could see. A quick rub of his fingers and dried blood flaked off onto Jack's collar, a tight smile finding a way to Daniel's face. "Just what I thought," he said, letting go and stepping back.

"What?" Jack grimaced, brushing the flakes of blood to the floor.

"The wound is completely healed. Somehow she has the ability to heal just with her touch."

"What?"

It was Sam who answered as she moved closer, her gaze focused on the site where the ugly gash had been. "It's like her nervous system is so sensitive, so highly responsive that she can actually feel our emotional and physical reactions. In a way, they become part of her and then she has the ability to simply get rid of them."

"So, what? She just touched me and she can just take away my concussion and my injuries?"

Sam nodded. "More or less, at least that's the thought."

Jack glanced between the two of them, and Daniel could see the thoughts spinning in Jack's mind. Standard procedure, though, quickly took over. "Well, before we get another delightful visit from the dynamic duo, how about we take a look around, see if we can find anything in his joint."

Sam nodded. "I haven't had the opportunity to do a thorough search yet, Sir, but so far there hasn't been much to see."

"Well," Jack said, his hand absently rubbing the top of his head causing his hair to stick out a little more than normal. "They had to go somewhere. Let's see what we can find."