"I guess in the grand scheme of things, we're even," Katherine said, her tone oddly puzzled as she must have wondered again how this young stranger knew of her Ernest.

Daniel's small expression echoed sadness that this Katherine would never see her Ernest again. And in the grand scheme of things, he knew he could never be 'even' with this woman. Not with his Katherine who had given him a new lease on life, or this Katherine he had just met. In his world she had saved his life by offering him the Stargate project and now, here, she was saving his life by giving up her own. And he knew now that was inevitable.

He wanted to say so much more, to tell her what his Katherine meant to him, how she had changed his life, but there was no time. No time to offer hope, something,anything... but there were no words beyond those he had said to her earlier about sending back help. Knowing that, he turned and left the room without looking back, not knowing she looked after him with a sad look of hopelessness.

He ran down the steps and burst into the embarkation room. He could hear the nearing sounds of gunfire and staff weapon discharges. And it hit him. Jack had failed. And if Jack had failed, it meant Jack was dead. A cold shudder ripped through him at the thought he had sent his friend to his death with that idea of swaying this world's Teal'C.

"Two minutes!" Katherine's voice called out, echoing against the gate, pulling him from his grief as she gave him the countdown. He looked up at her sitting in the control room and struggled within himself, part of him wanting to be up there, helping her, the other part frantically wanting to go home.

"Time's up!" Katherine yelled as the back wall and ceiling exploded around her.

Daniel looked up, and saw the briefing room was a blaze with flames.

"Samantha!" his mind screamed in horror. She had gone there to get the alien device for him. If only she had come to the gate room with him....but it was too late for her, just as it had been for her Jack. Perhaps, a small corner of his mind consoled, they could be together, now, for all eternity.

The gate began to spin behind him and started to cycle the chevrons. Slowly...too slowly. It seemed to take forever. "C'mon!" he prayed aloud.

He spun around, his eyes frantically going to the lone grey haired woman in the control room. She was surrounded now by jaffas with staff weapons. She was beyond his reach and he could only stare helplessly at her. Would he have to watch her die? His mind screamed in agony at the very thought he would have to see this gentle motherly woman's last moments. Then, mercifully, as if she had somehow known, she hit the switch and the blast window slowly lowered its shield blocking the sight from his eyes, but not from his mind.

The chevrons spun, slowly locking into place. The seconds were like eons to him as staff weapons burned holes in the gateroom door.

"Auto destruct in 60 seconds," a computer's impersonal electronic voice informed.

And Daniel knew, that for that last 60 seconds, he was the last, the only human alive on this base. They were all dead....Hammond, Jack, Samantha, Katherine.... They had died, sacrificed themselves to give him the one and only chance he had to return to his world, to try and save his planet. And his heart cried out in agony at the loss of these people, these strangers he knew so well.

But the time was counting down and a lone Jaffa entered the room, staff weapon held ready. Teal'C. But not Teal'C.

The face was the same, but this Teal'C was colder, harder. There was no glint of recognization, no hint of friendship in the dark depths of this Teal'C's eyes. Only hatred shown in their depths, hatred for all things human. For the long seconds the computer counted down destruction, they stared at each other.

Teal'C blinked as he must have realized this was the off worlder who had the strange video of him with the human soldier he had killed earlier.

Daniel shot a look over his shoulder as the stargate kawooshed into place and the wormhole stablized. With a burst of energy, adrenaline pumping and a prayer for the lives of those who had died to give him this opportunity, he dashed up the inclined ramp. He heard the staff weapon cycle its charge. He was mere inches from the watery safety of the gate when he felt the burning pain hit him.....and he fell into the safe haven of the gate.

Behind him, the countdown continued, and ended, destroying all that remained of a world the humans had lost.

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