Jack settled the phone back in its cradle and quickly moved to Daniel's side. The younger man was curled on the floor, his eyes tightly closed. A low almost inaudible keening sounded from the scientist's throat. O'Neill fearfully lay a hand on the archaeologist's shoulder.
"Daniel?" He whispered hoarsely, "Danny?"
The blue eyes didn't open but he saw the slight shifting of the man's head against the floor.
"Doc Frasier is on the way, Danny. It'll be okay....You hear me?....It's gonna be okay." Jack knew he was trying to reassure himself as much as his friend. He lightly stroked the short hair, abstractedly missing the longer strands which had always seemed to fall across the scientist's face in the days before Hathor's latest escapade.
He continued to murmur soothingly as his thoughts skipped back...the events of that kidnapping filling his mind. Jack wasn't sure exactly all Daniel had encountered at the hands of that Goa'uld bitch but he knew from experience he couldn't have been pleasant. Whatever had happened had surely brought back stronger remembrances of her previous attack on the base. Could all those things have come into play causing Daniel's present situation? Was this simply overwhelming stress affecting his friend?
"Please," he prayed, "let it be something that simple."
"J...ack?" As the whispered word escaped Daniel's clenched lips, the soldier gathered his friend in his arms cradling him gently.
"Yeah, Danny, I'm here," he soothed.
Sudden horror filling his face, the younger man twisted away from his grasp."No! No!...You're a Goa'uld...I saw it! I saw it go in you!" Daniel scrambled across the floor, coming up hard against the opposite wall of the quarters. His wide blue eyes terror stricken, he attempted to make himself as small as possible. "You're not my friend!.....You're a Goa'uld.....You're a Goa'uld just...just like her!"
"Daniel...Danny..." Jack slowly stretched out a hand, feeling as if a knife were twisting in his heart as the scientist only cringed, scooting further away.
O'Neill knew a Daniel in his right mind would never hurt him, but this Daniel...He slowly eased closer to the cowering man only to watch Daniel press more forcefully against the wall at his back, an agitated sound escaping.
"What?....What is it Danny?" Jack murmured softly, moving as close as he dared. "Danny what's wrong?...Please tell me."
"They're here..." Daniel whispered, pointing a trembling finger at something only he could see. "Don't..." he pleaded frantically, shaking his head from side to side as tears rolled down his ashen cheeks.
"Don't what?" Jack pressed gently, trying to draw his friends attention from whatever it was he found so terrifying.
"Don't let them ta-take me..." the scientist sobbed. "Ja-ack, please don't let..."
Jack's dark eyes welled. Where the hell was Janet? He wasn't trained to handle anything like this. One mistake and he could pyschologically damage the kid for good. He spread his hands helplessly.
"I don't know what to do Danny," he acknowledged, guilt washing over him in waves. "But I promise....I promise Danny....I won't let anybody hurt you!"
"Just make them go away..." the scientist pleaded, burying his face in his hands.
Ghosts? Memories? Doctors? Security? Who the hell was he talking about? "Danny, stay with me here....Who?...Make who go away?"
Lost in himself, the anthropologist let out a strangled scream of terror. Clambering to his feet, he slammed into the already off balanced soldier knocking him backwards. With a fiercely uttered oath, Jack scrambled to his feet as Daniel bolted from the room.
Running recklessly through the corridors, blindly crashing into walls and doors Daniel, screaming in terror, managed to evade the base personnel who had the presence of mind to make a grab for him. Someone had hit a security alarm, the loud warning and red flashing lights doing little to help the situation.
Slamming into a locked door, gasping for air, a wild eyed expression of fear and agitation on his handsome young face, the scientist spun to face Jack. Daniel stood, legs apart, chest heaving, readying to run at the slightest hint of danger, real or imagined.
Jack motioned the other people away. Holding his hands out, palms up the way Daniel always did when greeting natives offworld, he cautiously approached his friend, moving as slowly as possible "Daniel....It's me....It's Jack., buddy."
The frenzied gaze which roamed the corridor settled on O'Neill and the scientist released a deep sigh. "Jack?" Uncertainly filled the whispered word.
"Yeah Danny, it's me." Seeing Carter and Teal'c approaching from a side corridor, he barely shook his head, motioning them back. They hesitated before backing away, willing to let him do whatever necessary to reach their teammate.
Daniel reminded Jack of a over grown five year old as sniffling and rubbing his eyes, the younger man focused on him, voice low, trying desperately to explain. "I'm not...crazy...." He suddenly giggled, the word trailing off into a sob. "I-I...I'm not...." His breath hitched in his throat as his eyes welled with tears. "Jack...help.....me..."
"I will, Danny. I will...I promise! Just calm down and we'll go see d-Janet." Jack hoped Daniel would respond better to his use of the medical officer's first name than calling her Dr. Frasier. Afraid the linguist was collapsing, Jack grabbed for him as his friend sagged against the wall. It was definately the wrong thing to do.
With a horrified scream, Daniel hurled himself at Jack, pushing the colonel into the wall as he frantically scrambled to escape, only to slam into Sergeant Siler. The man automatically grabbed the younger man's arms in an effort to keep them both on their feet. A wail of pure panic filled the air, as the scientist's eyes rolled back in his head and his knees buckled.
Shaking his head to clear his vision, Jack whirled at Daniel's terrified howl to see the sergeant gently easing the unconscious scientist to the floor.
"I've got him." Tenderly lifting his friend, Daniel's head resting against his shoulder, Jack ignored the curious glances, hurrying toward the infirmary.
