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Acquisition            
by Kikkimax

"Jaffa!" the old woman exclaimed, eyes flashing yellow with excitement as her faithful servant Oba led the stranger into the throne room.

"Mistress," came the deep rumble in reply as the dark man bowed his head briefly after the slightest hesitation. "I am honored."

He swept back one side of the floor length cape to reveal a well-built body shrouded in expensive attire. The firelight danced across the golden emblem on his forehead and Leetha wondered when she had last seen such a stunning sight. She sighed, luxuriating in the sound of her mother tongue for the first time in decades.

"Tell me news of your master," Leetha requested in kind as she leaned forward in anticipation. It had been so very, very long since news of any interest had trickled back to her, exiled as she was on the desolate, backwater planet.

"Apophis is no more," the Jaffa informed her without remorse.

Dull eyes flashed again, this time with anger. "Apophis is a god," she declared fiercely, tapping the gold tipped fingers of her right hand on the arm of the throne.

The Jaffa glanced around casually, taking in the elaborate furnishing and the homely, plainly dressed servants surrounding the perimeter of the large room. He subtly caressed the middle of the staff weapon in his hand, twitching fingers ever so slightly along the firing mechanism. He was supple and strong, no doubt his reflexes and training were superior to any threat Leetha or her servants might pose. And they both knew it. When his eyes once again met hers there was no fear, only a warning; a warning which she heeded by leaning back in her ornate chair and relaxing her hand.

"He was not," the former first prime intoned calmly leveling a malevolent glare at her. "As you most certainly are aware."

"Leave us," the Goa’uld snapped peevishly, dismissing their audience of curious but ignorant slaves, even knowing they couldn’t understand a word that was said between her and the visitor. "What do you want?" she asked warily when the large doors were pulled shut behind Oba, the last reluctant-to-leave servant.

"I am here to serve, Mistress," the Jaffa declared.

"In search of a god?" Leetha asked mockingly. It had been a long time since any Jaffa had been in her service. Too long.

"A false god? No. Never again," the large man growled. "But I have no wish to dissuade those foolish enough to worship you," he assured in a more civil tone. "In fact, I can help you to regain some of your fallen status. It is my understanding that you wish to make an acquisition."

"And how would you know this?" Leetha questioned suspiciously as she rose and made her way down the steps with a grace that belied her age.

"I came upon a band of Tau’ri who spoke of it," he explained, "after proper persuasion of course. They visited your planet some time ago."

"I see," Leetha replied, moving around the Jaffa, trailing a gnarled hand suggestively up over his shoulder and back. Visitors were few and far between, and she well remembered the Tau’ri. "The young male, do you still possess him? I might be willing to work something out for that one."

"Unfortunately, no. Although I was able to extract much information from him, ultimately, he did not survive the interrogation."

"Pity," the old woman sighed as she made her way slowly back around to the steps leading up to the throne dais.

"However, I am in possession of another human male you might find acceptable. He is also young and strong, guaranteed to bring you many years of service."

"Really," the Goa’uld muttered disinterestedly as she climbed the steps back to her seat. She had so wanted a distraction, something pretty. "I have no need of further field slaves. This planet breeds them like rodents, each generation uglier and dumber than the last," Leetha spat out in contempt before brooding for several minutes in silence. "Is he clean?" she asked at last coming back on topic.

"Indeed. He has never toiled in the field."

"Intelligent?" Leetha asked hopefully, not able to completely hide the small spark of interest the Jaffa had kindled.

"This Tau’ri is a learned scholar, literate in many languages. His former master was well pleased with him."

Leetha waved her hand dismissively as she dropped back into her throne, deciding to be difficult. She was certain the man only said what she wanted to hear, and just as certain she would end up disillusioned.

The Jaffa knelt on one knee; in no way subservient but making an effort to appease her. When he spoke his voice was soft, seductive, a knowing smile forming on his lips. "This human is very fair to look upon. His skin is smooth, the color of honey and his cerulean eyes clear and bright. His shoulders are broad and strong, yet his soul gentle, his demeanor sweet. I believe he might be what you are looking for in a… companion."

With a jerk of her head Leetha stared deep into the ebony eyes, but didn’t protest his assessment of her intentions. Taking the risk of being made a fool by the dark stranger, Leetha came to a decision. "Bring him before me," she commanded coolly.

"This one will cost you much," the Jaffa warned, allowing his eyes to linger on the hieroglyphs that decorated the wall behind the throne.

The Goa’uld nodded. "If he is as you say, I will reward you richly," she promised. "But do not disappoint me."

The large man bowed deeply. "I shall return in two days time," he replied as he rose to leave.

"Stay for the evening meal," the lonely old woman requested urgently, desperate to hear anything of interest. Never would she have believed the day would come when she would have a mere Jaffa to dine as an honored guest. In spite of her riches, her power was all but gone, save for what sway she held over the local population. The boredom through the years had eased into a steady, comforting blur of time passing, but now, after a taste of clever conversation and a glance at a face not marred by time or a life of slow drudgery, now she longed for something more.

"Teal’c back yet?" Daniel asked with an edge of anxiety in his voice as he entered the control room.

"Not yet," Jack sighed, rubbing his face with one hand before looking up. He lifted the Styrofoam cup in his other hand to his lips before he realized it was empty. With a grunt he disposed of it by tossing it toward the nearby trashcan, falling short by several inches.

"This was a bad idea," Daniel complained as he bent to retrieve the cup and absently place it in the receptacle. "I should have just gone with him."

"Come on, Daniel," Jack harangued. "We both know Teal’c can hold his own against one creepy old Goa’uld. This place is far enough out that nobody should know him. Besides, SG-5 might have been wrong about what they thought they saw anyway. At least this way Teal’c can check it out and make sure it’s worth the risk before we proceed with this cockamamie plan."

"I don’t think they were wrong. It seems likely that this planet is an abandoned stronghold of Ra. In fact it was probably some sort of technological or armaments warehouse," Daniel settled comfortably into the old argument, wrapping his arms around his chest. "From what they were able to video tape before the ruler tried to buy Grogan, I’d say we may actually find some type of weapon against the Goa’uld."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Jack groused. "But why would this ruler decorate his lair with instructions that explain how to kill him?"

"Her," Daniel corrected offhandedly. "I don’t know, but from SG-5’s description, I’m not even sure this is a Goa’uld."

"Glowing eyes? Resonant voice? Hand device? Hello?" Jack mocked. "Any of this ringing a bell?"

"Jack, they said she was old and ugly. Goa’uld are vain by nature. Or hadn’t you noticed?"

"So?"

"So, have you ever seen an ugly Goa’uld? Or an old one? Well, except for Apophis after Sokar got his hands on him… but they choose their hosts because of their looks, right? And then they keep them young for hundreds of years. Possibly thousands."

"Maybe this one doesn’t have a sarcophagus," Jack pointed out reasonably.

"So why doesn’t she just take a new host?"

"I don’t know, Daniel, but I’ll bet you money we’re looking at another damn snake here."

"Teal’c back yet?" Carter interrupted as she walked into the control room just as the klaxon went off.

"Off world activation," Sergeant Davis announced. "It’s SG-1’s code."

"He’s ringing the bell now," Jack answered Sam merrily as he rose to his feet. "Let him in, Sergeant," he ordered in Hammond’s stead as the general hadn’t made it down the stairs yet.

"Yes, sir. Opening the iris," Davis confirmed as he placed his palm on the iris control. Jack quickly turned and followed Daniel and Sam to the gateroom.

General Hammond joined them at the foot of the ramp just as the blue light rippled and Teal’c stepped through, his long cape cascading regally behind him.

"Were you successful, son?" Hammond asked.

"Indeed. The ruler of PX7-343 wishes to examine the merchandise."

"Did you see the wall?" Daniel asked excitedly, pretending not to notice when Jack flinched at the news.

"Yes," Teal’c said solemnly, "but the dialect is archaic and I was unable to decipher it in the short time I was in the throne room."

"But you were able to get more out of it than SG-5 taped?" Sam interjected hopefully.

Teal’c nodded briefly. "I believe the text tells of an accident while testing a weapon that killed the Jaffa on the planet without harming the native peoples."

"A biological agent," Jack guessed.

"Perhaps. Ra escaped leaving his consort and an army of Jaffa to die."

"You don’t think there’s any danger to Teal’c?" Daniel asked in concern, turning to Sam.

"This event occurred over three hundred years ago, Daniel Jackson," Teal’c assured. "I feel no ill affects."

"Still, I’d like Dr. Fraiser to have a look at you, then we can debrief," General Hammond ordered.

Teal’c nodded his assent.

"The consort must have somehow survived," Sam suggested. "And now she’s ruling the planet."

"So the consort?" Jack asked casting a glance at Daniel. "Snake or no snake?"

"Leetha," Teal’c intoned, "is Goa’uld."

"Ha! Snake," Jack exclaimed smugly. "Wait a minute? Litha? As in… Litha Thimpthon?"

"Jack," the general warned, shaking his head wearily.

"Thorry, thir," Jack mumbled unrepentantly as he ducked his head.

"I’ll see you all in the briefing room in an hour," Hammond replied with a sigh and headed for his office.

"So she wants to see our Danny, huh?" Jack asked with a leer. "How’d you swing that?"

Teal’c exuded an air of self-satisfaction. "I informed her that the goods I possess are both vic ton ecta’l and karel."

Jack turned to watch Daniel quickly puzzle out the words before his face clouded over, a slight flush coming to his cheeks.

"I am not!" Daniel declared indignantly.

"Why? What’s Carl?" Jack asked.

Teal’c all but smiled as he raised an eyebrow at the glare Daniel shot him. "It means… sweet," Daniel mumbled, crossing his arms over his chest and directing his gaze at the floor.

"Sweet? Nope, definitely not," Jack agreed amicably. "And victim whatever?"

Daniel sighed and looked up at Teal’c pleadingly. "How am I supposed to live up to vic ton ecta’l?" he asked.

"I believe you are up to the task, Daniel Jackson."

"Daniel?" Jack prodded, raising an eyebrow in perfect imitation of his larger friend.

Daniel frowned. "Loosely translated it means something like ‘hot babe’ I suppose," he explained unhappily.

Jack and Sam broke into laughter as Teal’c nodded his approval of the translation.

"Et tu, Sam?" Daniel asked dejectedly.

"We have much to discuss," Teal’c declared as he strode out the door to head to the infirmary, his cape trailing in a flutter. "Come, karel."

"Come, Carl," Jack repeated before following, leaving Daniel to glare at his back.

"I think you’re a hot babe, Daniel," Sam confided to him just short of a giggle as she followed the colonel.

48 hours later

"You know," Jack mused as he paced under the control room window, "maybe I should go, too. Teal’c can claim a two for one sale or something. Better yet, he could just take me."

"It wouldn’t work, sir," Sam replied offhandedly, having heard the dispute enough over the last two days to quote either of her teammates verbatim.

"Why not? I can be Carl. Or don’t you think I could pass for a hot babe?"

"It’s not that, Colonel, believe me," Carter appeased quickly, struggling to keep a grin off her face. "But last I heard, you can’t read Goa’uld."

Jack grunted. "I could sneak in a camcorder and film the rest of the wall and Daniel could just translate it when I got back. Besides, Teal’c said it was archaic and I’m betting even Daniel will have to finish it up in his office knee deep in reference books."

Sam studied her CO intently for several seconds noting the uncharacteristic anxiety in his eyes. "Sir?" she asked quietly, packing a lot of meaning into the one word.

"I don’t know," Jack admitted grudgingly. "I just have a bad feeling about this one. You know how Daniel gets around Goa’ulds. He’ll be toast before breakfast."

"Sir," Sam objected, "Daniel has enough sense not to get himself killed over some off-the-cuff insult."

"I know," Jack assured her firmly. "Just tell me why this feels so wrong?"

Sam was spared answering as Teal’c swept through the open blast door.

"Big T, you were born to wear a cape," Jack greeted, trying to shake off the tension he felt mounting. "It must be the shoulders; gives you that Superman look."

"Thank you, O’Neill," Teal’c said with a pleased nod of his head.

"So, you’re sure about the security of this place?" Jack questioned again.

"Indeed. As I have said, I encountered no Jaffa. The only servants in attendance appeared quite docile."

"And the old lady?"

"Although Leetha did possess a ribbon device, she made only a token gesture with it."

"Well, if she had any power in the first place, she never would have offered to buy Grogan if she wanted him," Sam reasoned. "She would have just taken him and killed the rest of his team."

"True. I realize Daniel shouldn’t have any problem getting away on his own," Jack agreed trying to sound casual. "We shouldn’t even have to go in and get him. Unless she puts him in irons or something," he corrected. "What?" he asked noticing Sam’s expression change as he spoke.

"I was just thinking…"

"And?"

"Teal’c? SG-5 said the inhabitants of the planet didn’t appear to be completely human. They reported somewhat elongated foreheads, wide set eyes, and short, nubby fingers."

"I concur."

"Yeah," Jack added. "So?"

"So even if they are humanoid, they obvious have some physiological differences. What if they just aren’t suitable hosts for some reason?"

"And you’re just thinking of this now?"

"Sorry I’m late," Daniel said breathlessly as he charged into the room. "Doctor Fraiser held me up. She wouldn’t let me leave after my pre-mission exam. One of the nurses had a camera…" He struggled to straighten the shirt he had pulled on hurriedly. "What?" he asked when he finally looked up and noticed the open mouthed stares from two of his teammates.

"Whoa!" Sam exclaimed. "Hot babe is right. No wonder they didn’t want you to leave the infirmary."

"You’re not going anywhere looking like that," Jack admonished as he reached over to lace up the front of Daniel’s pale blue linen shirt.

"Too much?" Daniel questioned ingenuously as he looked down at the tight brown trousers tucked into buckskin boots, blinking again to ease the discomfort of the contact lenses. "The tanning bed was Sam’s idea. And the highlights," he indicated his slightly blonder hair with a hand.

Sam shrugged as Jack shot her a dirty look. "Just trying to help, sir," she said with a sheepish grin. "You’ve got to admit it brings out his eyes."

"I am certain Leetha will be most pleased with your appearance, Daniel Jackson," Teal’c intoned solemnly as he reached into the bag he carried and produced a pair of manacles and a section of chain.

"Oh for Pete’s sake," Jack complained, turning his head away as Teal’c fastened the cuffs in place. "Do you have to do that?"

"Is there a problem, Colonel?" General Hammond asked as he joined them in the gateroom.

"I’d just like to go on record, again, as saying ‘this is a bad idea’, sir," Jack stated, looking over his shoulder with a grimace as Teal’c connected the chain to the manacles now tightly encompassing Daniel’s wrists.

"Noted," Hammond acknowledged with a nod. "Doctor Jackson?"

"I’m fine with the plan, sir. I don’t think this is any more dangerous than any other time we go through the gate. I trust Teal’c’s assessment of the situation. Besides, Leetha may not even want to buy me."

"Yeah, right," Sam muttered, refusing to meet the colonel’s glare.

"What if she’s looking for a new host, Daniel?" Jack blurted out. "Say a young, healthy human male?"

A slight frown creased Daniel’s forehead as if he hadn’t thought of that particular scenario. "I suppose that’s possible," he mused quietly. "But if that were the case, why didn’t she take one of SG-5? And this could be a lead to the type of weapon we’ve been searching for. I think it’s worth the risk."

Hammond nodded again. "Very well, Doctor. You have a go." He turned and signaled the control room and almost immediately the inner track of the stargate began to spin.

"Chevron one engaged," Davis announced.

"Just keep your head down," Jack advised turning to Daniel and tightening the laces of his shirt even more. "And mind your manners."

"Yes, mom," Daniel answered with a straight face. "One way or the other I’ll see you in twenty-four hours."

"That’s the plan," Jack agreed thumping Daniel on the back. "And I mean it, no snake baiting."

Sam squeezed past the colonel to get an awkward, chains-in-the-way hug as the chevrons continued to light up one by one. "Be careful," she advised.

"Are you ready, Daniel Jackson?" Teal’c asked as the seventh chevron locked and the rushing wormhole advanced and retreated.

Daniel nodded and accepted the loosely woven bag Teal’c handed him. He waved over his shoulder with his empty hand as Teal’c led him up the ramp.

"Remember, the only safe sex is no sex," Jack called out after him. Daniel shot him a longsuffering glance as he disappeared into the event horizon.

The stargate was a short distance from Leetha’s palace and Daniel kept his head appropriately bowed as they walked, allowing Teal’c to guide him as they passed the servants in the field. He glanced up briefly from time to time to take in the lay of the land and memorize the way out once they entered the expansive gardens inside the unguarded gates of what must have once been a Goa’uld fortress. The plain, not-quite-human inhabitants stopped what they were doing to gape and whisper to each other in awe as they passed.

When at last they reached the outer door of the palace proper, it opened before Teal’c could knock and a good-sized group of the diminutive women gestured them inside excitedly. There was no mistaking the fervent murmurs and sighs of appreciation as the household staff gathered around Daniel and sought to touch his hair, back, and arms, essentially mobbing him.

"Kree!" Teal’c shouted in his most threatening baritone, scattering the small crowd. "Are you injured, Daniel Jackson?" he asked in a much softer voice.

Daniel glanced up and shook his head, but didn’t speak as the women hadn’t gone far. A lone man approached, shooed away the throng of females, and bowed uncertainly before gesturing for them to follow him. They continued along the gilded hallway until they reached a huge set of double doors that opened into an opulent throne room. The man ushered them in and then shut the door, leaving them alone.

Immediately Daniel’s eyes were drawn to the markings just beyond the throne. He quickly scanned the portion he had already translated via the video but at the sound of multiple footsteps on the marble floor he moved to lower himself to his knees.

"Be careful, my friend," Teal’c intoned as a last entreaty just before the entourage entered through a door hidden behind the dais. Daniel nodded in acknowledgement then bowed his head submissively as he knelt on the floor. Despite his passive appearance, his body thrummed with adrenaline as he listened intently to the action around him.

A large group of servants entered the room in two ranks, which split off and moved to line the walls single file all the way around the enormous chamber. Several minutes after everything fell silent an individual set of unhurried footfalls echoed on the stone floor until they stopped directly in front of the throne.

"Jaffa. Welcome."

"Mistress," Teal’c greeted with a grand bow and a sweep of his cape.

"Beautiful. Simply beautiful," the Goa’uld exclaimed, the sound of her voice growing closer.

A pair of tiny, wrinkled feet in bejeweled sandals appeared in Daniel’s line of sight and he was startled by the unexpected and bizarre display. He jerked back reflexively when a hand combed through his hair.

"Easy, young one," the old woman crooned as she lifted his chin. Daniel cautiously kept his eyes averted toward the floor. "Look at me," she ordered.

"Do so," Teal’c instructed with a gentle prod of his staff weapon to Daniel’s shoulder.

Daniel swallowed involuntarily and tried to keep revulsion off his face as he met Leetha’s cold, dead eyes for the first time. She gasped and tightened her grip on his face, the hand device digging almost painfully into his skin.

"Beautiful," she repeated breathlessly, stroking his cheek with her gold-tipped thumb. "I’ve never seen eyes of such color."

"As I informed you," Teal’c declared smugly.

"Yes," Leetha acknowledged, releasing Daniel’s chin to run a hand down his neck and chest before bending slightly to pat his abdomen as if he were a fatted calf. "And well cared for," she added approvingly. "Let me see his back."

Standing behind the kneeling man, Teal’c dropped his end of the chain and propped his staff weapon in the crook of his arm as he ripped the woven shirt from the neck to low back. He then pushed the torn material forward to fall off of Daniel’s shoulders leaving his upper back and chest bare.

Leetha rounded her prize and ran a hand over the smooth skin. "There are no scars. This is either a very obedient slave or he has seen the inside of a sarcophagus," she replied. "Which is it, my pet?" she whispered huskily into Daniel’s ear.

"I’ve been inside a sarcophagus… a few times," Daniel admitted truthfully, speaking perfect Goa’uld and keeping his voice low.

"Honest as well as lovely," Leetha laughed, moving back around to stand in front of the throne. "Rise," she instructed.

Teal’c hooked a hand under Daniel’s elbow and smoothly helped him find his footing. The torn shirt fell further, coming to rest against the manacles on his wrists. Daniel once again dropped his gaze as he felt an unwanted blush rise on his cheeks as Leetha continued her inspection, patting and squeezing various body parts as she made a show of another slower, assessing circuit of him.

"So innocent," Leetha cooed sympathetically, noting Daniel’s discomfort as she continued to appraise him. "Release him," she ordered.

"Only if you desire to make the purchase," Teal’c argued. "You have yet to ask my price."

Leetha snorted inelegantly and flicked a hand in the general direction of her nearest servant who came forward and produced a heavy velvet pouch. "I do not haggle," she informed Teal’c stiffly, stopping to examine Daniel’s hands, huffing to find calluses on his fingers.

Letting the other man continue to hold the purse, Teal’c loosened the drawstrings and fingered the small golden ingots inside. "Most generous, Mistress," he said, managing to keep a steady voice as he tried to estimate the weight, knowing there would now be no reasonable way to refuse the sale if he judged the situation too dangerous. He would never have asked for so much.

"Yes," Leetha allowed proudly, her wealth no longer in question. "Remove the shackles."

"As you wish," Teal’c replied uneasily with a slight incline of his head, reaching into his breast pocket to produce the key. He unlocked the cuffs, dropping them to the ground with a clatter of chains, briefly meeting Daniel’s eyes.

Leetha liberated the woven bag from Daniel’s grip and held it up. "What is this?" she asked.

"Those are his belongings."

"Take them. He has need of nothing," Leetha declared, slipping the bag into Teal’c’s hand.

Teal’c reluctantly accepted the parcel, collected his bounty, and bowed deeply to the aged Goa’uld. "I will take my leave of you," he announced before turning on his heel to go.

"Wait," Leetha called after him. "What do you call him?"

"He is your acquisition," Teal’c advised, stopping, but not turning around. "Call him as you wish."

Daniel lowered his head and rubbed distractedly at his chaffing wrists as he listened to his friend walk away. When he could no longer hear Teal’c’s footfalls, he stilled his hands and licked nervously at his lip, realizing that Leetha was contemplating him silently from a few feet away.

"What are you called?" she asked after a long silence.

"Daniel."

Leetha moved up the steps with an unexpected poise and seated herself on the throne. "Daniel," she repeated. "That will do. I have neither the imagination nor the inclination to rename you."

"Thank you," Daniel replied, not knowing what else to say or do, but dying to examine the glyphs on the wall directly behind his new ‘owner’.

Another long silence stretched out and the old woman seemed content to let it go on and on as Daniel’s unease grew by leaps and bounds. Finally, unable to stand the inactivity, he risked a glance up to find Leetha patiently watching him. He quickly dropped his gaze and considered bowing down on one knee, not knowing yet what the boundaries were and not willing to inadvertently cross any of them.

"You may look around," Leetha granted with amusement as if reading his mind.

A cursory sweep of the room revealed some interesting architecture, sparse but rich Egyptian-style furnishings and sculptures, and the mass of servants still quietly looking on. But Daniel’s gaze was automatically drawn to the story on the wall. Unaware that his lips moved as he tried to sound out the glyphs, he missed the growing frown on Leetha’s face.

"The Jaffa misrepresented you," Leetha said at last, breaking Daniel’s translation mode.

"How so?" he asked respectfully, turning to his new mistress, but not meeting her eyes.

"He told me that you had never toiled in the field. And yet your hands speak of it."

"Ah," Daniel replied, rubbing his hands together and noting the roughness. No one had thought of a manicure. "I’m a… I was an archeologist. I often dug in the soil to find evidence of the past," he explained.

"And you read."

"Yes."

Leetha gave him a doubtful stare and inclined her head toward the wall. "Read it to me."

"Oh… um, alright…" he mumbled as he found his place once again. "… as the Jaffa began to fall, our Lord Ra ascended to the heavens on a beam of light, leaving for dead his love…"

"Stop!" Leetha commanded, her eyes and the hand device both glowing in anger, stunned that the slave had begun at the exact place to provoke her.

Daniel startled at the outburst and found himself staring directly at the Goa’uld. "That was you," he blurted out. "He left you here to die."

Leetha growled and threw herself out of the throne and down the steps toward him. Daniel did drop to his knees this time and bowed his head, bracing for the blow that would probably knock him across the room.

"I’m sorry," he swore when the expected punishment didn’t come right away.

Another several minutes passed as Leetha paced agitatedly in front of him. When she stopped, Daniel tentatively peeked up through his lashes. The anger seemed to dissipate from her wrinkled face as she gazed back down at him. "Get up," she said after a moment, seemingly coming to a decision. "Come." She didn’t look back as she headed for the back door of the room, clearly expecting to be obeyed.

Casting a quick eye over the wall as he moved, Daniel ineffectively pulled his torn shirt over his chest and followed, the servants falling in around him.

As the klaxon sounded, Jack was on his feet and moving toward the gateroom. Teal’c and Daniel hadn’t been gone much more than an hour and Jack sincerely hoped the old snake hadn’t been interested in their linguist’s obvious charms. But somehow he knew in the pit of his stomach as he came to a screeching halt at the base of the ramp, Carter coming in a close second, that only one of his teammates would be returning.

The iris had already been rolled back and the blue curtain shimmered slightly as a large form parted it and continued through without pausing. Teal’c looked distinctly unhappy as he came to a stop in front of them.

"What’s wrong?" Sam asked immediately.

"Daniel Jackson is without weapons or a GDO," he reported, handing over the bag of goodies. "Leetha assured me he would not have need of possessions."

"Why didn’t you call off the deal?" Jack queried anxiously.

"I could not without uncovering our deception," Teal’c explained as he tossed the sack of gold to Jack who caught it with both hands and a grunt.

"Colonel?" Hammond questioned as he arrived slightly out of breath.

"Sweet," Jack replied, opening the bag and spilling several of the golden ingots into his hand. "Who’d a thought a used archeologist would bring such a good price?" he asked rhetorically. "How much do you think this weighs?"

"Three point four kilograms," Teal’c answered with certainty.

"You weighed it?"

"No."

"I’d say that’s about right," Sam agreed, taking the pouch and hefting it thoughtfully.

"How much is that in pounds?" Jack just had to ask.

"Was Doctor Jackson all right when you left?" Hammond interrupted. "Do you think he’s in any danger?"

"I do not believe Leetha intends to harm him," Teal’c assured. "She seemed quite pleased to make the purchase."

"I’ll bet," Sam agreed glumly. "But since she paid so much for him, it is doubtful she would… damage him."

"So, we go with plan B and extricate him in twenty four hours," Jack replied, looking to the general who nodded his approval.

"Twenty-two hours and thirty seven minutes," Teal’c corrected, glancing back as the wormhole collapsed into nothing.

Navigating a series of hallways for an inordinate amount of time, the group finally entered an older, less luxurious area of the bastion where the ceilings appeared lower and the walkways much narrower. After several more twists and turns of the convoluted halls, they mounted a wide, unadorned stone stairway and climbed at least a couple of stories.

Daniel took the opportunity to examine the people around him, not quite certain if any of the women were from the group that had greeted him so enthusiastically at the front door. He had not been in a position to study them earlier, and they did in fact all look alike with dark hair and eyes and olive complexions. If these were the same women, their moods had changed considerably as the somber assemblage moved along with all the joyfulness of a funeral procession.

Realizing he might at some point need an ally since he had not been allowed to keep his simple ‘possessions’, such as the cleverly disguised GDO or zat gun, he tried to make eye contact with the natives closest to him. But all of them carefully avoided his gaze, keeping their heads down as they climbed the chiseled steps. When they reached the top, the stairs opened into a medium sized room with what appeared to be a stone altar in the middle.

A jolt of fear shot through Daniel and he tried to back up, but the door was still filling with bodies as the entourage continued to make its way up the stairs. Leetha moved to the altar before turning to once again study him intently.

"Come," she ordered, sweeping her hand towards a crystal decanter and a single goblet on a table next to her. "Pour the wine."

Trying to appear calm, Daniel moved forward and did as he was told, pouring the thin red liquid and offering it to her.

Leetha smiled and shook her head. "It is for you."

"I… uh…" Daniel hedged as he sat the cup back on the tray. "No thanks."

"Drink it," Leetha instructed with more patience than he’d ever heard from any Goa’uld, especially one he was intent on disobeying.

"Really, I’m not thirsty," Daniel lied, unconsciously flicking out his tongue to moisten his dry lips.

"Nonsense," Leetha challenged, picking up the goblet herself and holding it out to him. "Now drink."

Quickly calculating the surrounding manpower, Daniel decided that although they were small, the male servants outnumbered him twenty to one and there were at least that many females as well. The door was completely blocked and the only window was narrow, at least thirty feet off the ground, and next to an armed Goa’uld.

He nervously appraised the ancient altar, deciding the dark trails running down the sides were indeed very old bloodstains. Bodies began to press closer to him and it became apparent that they were going to force him onto the altar whether he drank the wine or not. When one of the men near him made a move to grab his arm, Daniel instinctively shoved him back and bolted for the window.

A multitude of rough hands grabbed him and forced him ruthlessly to the ground. Leetha called out angrily and to Daniel’s surprise brutally struck the men who held him with a short whip. They quickly released him and fled to the walls to nurse the long, thin welts that rose up on their arms and backs.

Once the human shield around him disappeared, Daniel ducked his head to protect his face and held up a hand to ward off any forthcoming blows. He clenched his jaw in anticipation as he waited.

"Are you alright? Did they hurt you?" Leetha questioned urgently as she dropped the whip and tenderly examined his upraised arm for any sign of damage. When she spotted a tiny scratch along the inside of his elbow she made a move for the whip. "They will pay for this!" she shouted angrily.

"No, please," Daniel begged, grasping her hand. "Don’t hurt them."

Leetha stared dumbly at their entwined hands and Daniel followed her gaze before pulling away and bowing his head. "Please don’t hurt them because of me," he repeated softly.

Snapping her fingers, Leetha impatiently pointed to the poured wine. The nearest girl hastily grabbed it and somehow managed not to spill a drop as she pressed it into her mistress’s hand.

"Drink this," Leetha demanded evenly, clamping a hand to the back of Daniel’s head with a shocking amount of strength. She raised the goblet to his lips and waited. "If you do not drink, I will beat one of them to death right now," she threatened with such lethal calm that Daniel knew she wasn’t lying.

Under duress, Daniel sipped the bitter solution, taking one, two, three small swallows. "Enough," he protested, letting the last ounce of the vile fluid run down his chin.

"All of it," Leetha insisted almost affably, relentlessly pressing the rim of the cup to his lips.

"No," Daniel argued even as he felt the effects of the potion set in. His body slowly turned to lead and he began to drift into a mental fog. Still he managed to turn his head from side to side like a child fighting his medicine.

Leetha followed his movements with the chalice and laughed delightedly at his antics. "So willful," she responded gleefully. "And here I thought I’d purchased a lamb."

"Leave me alone," Daniel slurred, trying to push the cup away, but finding his arms to be useless and weak.

"This will take away the pain…" Leetha’s voice echoed in his ears as he lost the battle to keep his eyes open. He coughed and sputtered as she took the opportunity to tilt back his head and pour the rest of the contents of the goblet down his throat.

In one final act of defiance, Daniel spit the last mouthful onto the floor when Leetha released him. She laughed again from somewhere far away and he barely felt the ghostly hands that somehow elevated him to the altar. But the cold stone against his face and bare chest roused him slightly as the remains of his shirt were ripped away.

"Oh, God," he swore as he was held in place on his stomach, unable to move anything but his eyes. He sought out the nearest face and froze in panic when he realized there were tears streaming down the young native’s face. "Don’t do this," Daniel tried to say as a sharp pain penetrated the back of his neck. He thought that he might have screamed before he passed out.

"Carter?" Jack called as he entered the brightly lit and obviously empty lab. In the middle of the table sat the bag full of gold, unguarded and out in the open. "For cryin’ out loud," he mumbled, meaning to speak to his 2IC about leaving small fortunes lying around, even if they were in the bowels of one of the most secure facilities on Earth.

He tugged open the bag and spilled some of the contents out onto the tabletop. Every piece was identical in size and weight, but had a different number of notches carved out on each side. Curious, he snapped a couple of the ingots together, pleased when they formed a loose connection.

"Huh," he replied to himself, reaching for another piece.

There was an uncomfortable pressure in the back of his neck that bit by bit nagged his brain closer to consciousness. Daniel blinked a couple of times to adjust to the diffuse light around him. No longer on the hard altar, he inhaled the sweet smell of lavender on the silky sheets of the massive bed he found himself in, and sneezed. Rubbing his dry eyes, he was surprised when he dislodged a tiny fleck of plastic from his right eye. Deciding the other contact was also long gone, he blinked and looked around, trying to remember exactly what had happened.

As the memories flooded back, he jerked fully awake and grabbed the back of his neck, ripping away a small bandage from his nape to touch the skin beneath. Dizziness overtook him and instead of jumping out of the bed as his mind demanded, his body remained persistently flat against the overstuffed mattress. With a sense of panic, he realized he couldn’t feel his legs. He glanced around furtively, trying to bring the room into focus and his rapid breathing under control.

"Be still, my pet," Leetha soothed as she rose from a chair next to the bed. "You mustn’t move around so much so soon after your surgery."

Daniel closed his eyes tightly and tried to think. Using his arms, he stubbornly ignored her instructions and tried to force his body into a sitting position. Failing miserably he covered his eyes with a hand. "I’m still me," he rasped out uncertainly.

"Who else would you be?" Leetha asked gently with an amused tone.

The pressure built steadily into pain and Daniel once again grasped his neck, feeling a subtle pop before a swell of hot, sticky wetness began to trickle through his fingers.

"Now look what you’ve done," Leetha admonished gently, prying his hand away to press a folded square of cloth firmly against the wound from beneath.

"What… what did you do to me?" Daniel began, barely able to speak through his parched throat. He squinted down at the crimson staining his hand and tried in vain to wiggle his toes. "I can’t move."

"Shhh…" Leetha hushed, producing another cup with her free hand and offering it to him. "Drink this," the old woman implored as she raised his upper body effortlessly with the hand holding pressure on the back of his neck.

Accepting only a sip at first, Daniel almost immediately gave into his body’s demand for fluids and brought up both hands to tip the container further as he tried to drain it.

"You’ll make yourself sick," Leetha laughed as she pulled the cup away. "Now rest."

The bed was warm and comfortable and Daniel found his eyelids to be heavy as he unwillingly obeyed, wiping his mouth with the back of one hand. "What are you going to do with me?" he asked groggily.

Leetha brushed her free hand lovingly through his hair, but before she could answer, he was asleep.

"He has torn his binding threads and contaminated the incision," Leetha mused to her nearby servant as she fussed over her charge, feeling his pale, clammy face with the unadorned fingers of her left hand. "As I feared, there is damage to his spinal cord and there may soon be infection. Humans are so frail. Come. Turn him."

The man did as he was told, positioning Daniel on his side facing away from them, letting the scarlet stained cloth fall away.

"I’m sure you think me a fool," Leetha smiled sadly. "To pay a king’s ransom for a mere slave and then risk such tricky surgery with shaky old hands." Leetha untied a satchel on her belt as she talked and removed a healing device. Turning it over thoughtfully, she slipped it onto her left hand and placed her right hand behind her back. "I’m not even sure I can still do this," she uttered softly. "But I will not squander my investment so quickly."

Uncertainty reflected on her face as she adjusted the device then raised it over the surgical site. The light wavered momentarily but then steadied and began mending the disrupted flesh and the unseen damage beneath it. Daniel’s lips parted and he released a soft gasp, but otherwise slept on undisturbed as Leetha healed him. Shortly after the skin of his neck was intact, Leetha crumpled to the floor, unhappy to have left a scar, but unable to do anything about it at the moment.

The manservant gathered her small body into his arms and moved towards the door. "No," she ordered harshly. "I will remain here."

After the briefest pause, Oba carried her around the bed and tenderly placed her next to her possession. Daniel groaned in his sleep and rolled away from her and onto his back.

"Oba," Leetha muttered quietly with the last of her strength, "I fear he will try to escape before I can make clear to him his boundaries. Seal every entrance at once."

"Yes, my lady," Oba replied, crossing the room silently and activating the doorway. He spoke in hushed tones to another servant in the hall and the mistress’s instructions were set into motion.

Leetha turned onto her side and managed to position a hand over Daniel’s heart before closing her eyes and giving in to her exhaustion. Oba covered them both before lowering the lights and moving back to his position next to the wall to wait while his master rested.

"Sir?" Sam asked, mindful not to let her exasperation color her tone as she stopped in the doorway.

"Careful," Jack warned as he clicked the next ingot into place. "Don’t rock the boat."

"Sir, it’s late. Why are you in my lab?"

Jack grunted as he reached into the now nearly empty velvet bag and produced the last few pieces of gold. "Aren’t there any more of these?" he asked as he rounded the table to painstakingly place an ingot on the other side of his gilded tower.

"There are a few more, but I’m having them analyzed," Sam explained.

"What? You mean these things aren’t really gold? Damn it, I want our archeologist back then," he deadpanned.

"No sir, they are definitely gold. Very, very pure gold, in fact. They just have some interesting properties."

"Like what?"

"Well, I see you’ve already discovered that the edges are slightly magnetic…"

"Is that what it is?"

"…and they have a hardening agent I’ve never seen before and… and…" Sam paused and tilted her head one way and then the other to get a better view of the tall, narrow structure rising up from her lab table, "…what is that exactly?"

"You can’t tell?" Jack asked, not hiding his disappointment as he stepped back to stare at his monument from Sam’s point of view.

"Uh…" Sam stalled, squinting to make sense of the colonel’s masterpiece. "The Eiffel Tower?" she guessed.

"Yes!" Jack crowed in triumph. "These things are way better than Legos."

"If you say so, sir. Now if you don’t mind…" Sam pleaded as she not-so-subtly ushered her boss toward the door. "You should really try to get some sleep."

Almost in the doorway, Jack planted both feet and turned back around. "Shouldn’t you try to get some sleep, too?"

Sam nodded and managed a drawn smile. "I just have a couple more things to do."

"I’ll make it an order if I have to, Major," Jack stated, a concerned frown on his face. "Are you okay?"

"Yes sir. I’m just a little preoccupied right now. I want our archeologist back, too."

Jack silently nodded his understanding and shuffled off down the hallway, glancing over his shoulder as Carter quietly closed her lab door behind him. He froze momentarily when he heard the crash of the tower as it fell, but bolted down the hall at the Major’s surprised curse and the clatter of the little ingots hitting the floor.

Daniel groaned as he woke for the second time, unable to shake the dream of being caught in the talon of a huge bird. He wasn’t sure where he was as the room was pitch-black, but he felt surprisingly well, if a bit groggy. A strange weight rested on his chest and he frowned distractedly as he fingered the five metal points and followed them until they gave way to leathery skin.

As the fog rapidly cleared, he remembered the mission… and Leetha. Mortified, he plucked the hand away, setting it gently on the mattress so as not to wake its owner before scooting as far away as possible without falling off the bed, surprised but extremely happy that his body agreed to move this time. Taking stock of his situation, he was relieved to find he still had on his pants, although his boots were missing and his shirt was long gone.

"Are you ill?" a soft voice asked from nearby.

"What? Hello?" Daniel called out, searching futilely in the inky darkness for the source of the voice.

"Are you ill?"

"Um… oddly enough, no," Daniel answered thoughtfully as he touched the intact skin at the back of his neck and wiggled his toes experimentally. "Where are you?" he asked, squinting as if it would help him see in the dark. "Who are you?"

"I am Oba, first servant of our mistress."

"Your mistress," Daniel mumbled under his breath. "I don’t suppose we could have a little light in here?" he added only a little louder, hyper aware of the sleeping Goa’uld.

The light came up enough that Daniel could just make out the face of the thin, elderly man next to the bed. "I remember you. You met us at the door when the women… when they… you know, greeted us."

"You must forgive them. They had heard the mistress was making a purchase of high quality. They wanted to see for themselves something of beauty."

"Right," Daniel muttered sardonically as he studied the man carefully. "You, um… you look different. In fact, you look more, pardon my bluntness, but you look more human. Are you not from this planet?"

"I was born unto this world," Oba answered quietly. "But I am of the previous generation. There are not many of us left."

"Previous generation," Daniel echoed, raising both eyebrows in surprise. "You mean that each generation is different from the last? That you are evolving?"

"I do not know your words," Oba replied apologetically.

"I’m sorry, um, what I mean to ask is…" Daniel paused to gather his thoughts. "Your generation was somehow different than the younger generation, is that right?"

"Yes."

"And was the generation before you also different?"

"Yes," Oba agreed quickly. "I remember my father’s hands. They were very much like yours." He reached out and ran his stubby fingers along Daniel’s much longer ones. Daniel caught his hand and took the opportunity to examine it as well.

"So not evolving," Daniel quipped to himself. "At least not in a good way."

Oba tugged his hand away. "You must be hungry," he whispered, changing the subject.

"Actually," Daniel nodded. "I could eat." He started to slide out of the bed and Oba’s large eyes grew wider.

"You cannot leave her," he intoned with a touch of panic, keeping his voice low. "She would be most displeased to wake and find you gone."

"I thought we were gonna get something to eat?"

"I will bring sustenance to you. You mustn’t leave her."

Daniel turned to study to sleeping woman. "She’s out. I don’t think she’ll ever know the difference. Besides, I’ve gotta pee," he pleaded.

"I don’t understand," Oba uttered fretfully.

"Urinate?" Daniel tried again, awkwardly gesturing to his lap. "Make water?"

"Yes, yes!" Oba nodded his understanding and waved a hand toward an alcove in the wall.

Daniel wavered slightly as his feet hit the floor but steadied quickly and made his way to the recess. An inset panel slid aside as he approached to reveal a garish restroom. "I can handle it from here," he told the vigilant servant, holding up a hand to stop Oba in the door.

"As you wish. I shall request nourishment for you."

"Sure," Daniel agreed, sighing when the door closed. He found the ostentatious toilet and relieved himself then washed the dried blood off his hands before having a look around. There was an enormous sunken tub that took up most of the middle of the room, lots of sheer drapes, a skylight high above, gold, gold, and more gold, but not much else. There were no windows and no other doors, which meant he’d have to make his escape back the way he’d come.

Deciding he’d better leave before the old man returned with the food, he eased back into the bedchamber and tiptoed past the sleeping monster. Arriving at the spot where he was certain there had been a door moments before, he let out a grunt of frustration and turned back toward the bed. The room was a larger, gaudier version of the bathroom with marble and gold everywhere, the ornate bed taking the tub’s place of honor in the center of the room.

Leetha slept soundly and Daniel wondered for a second if she was even alive. After watching for several minutes, he convinced himself he could see the slight rise and fall of her ribcage in the dim light. He prowled the walls, methodically looking for an escape route and rounded the room twice before giving up. Stopping back at the bed he once again turned his attention to the Goa’uld, shaking his head over the fact that she even slept with her hand encased in the ribbon device.

A small frown crossed his face as he moved in for another look. Against his better judgment he inched closer, grimacing as he reached out to examine the burnished gold that seemed to melt seamlessly into the wrinkled fingers. Unable to resist, Daniel carefully rolled Leetha’s hand over. Several of the pieces that linked the palm with the fingertips were missing and the stone itself seemed imbedded in the scant flesh of the bony hand. The surrounding skin was badly scarred as if it had been burned long ago.

Daniel startled when he realized the dark, emotionless eyes were fixed on him. "I’m sorry," he muttered as he tried to pull away.

Leetha closed her hand gently around his and smiled. "Inquisitive, aren’t you?" she asked affectionately.

"Sorry," Daniel mumbled again, subtly trying to pull his hand away without her really noticing. "That must have hurt."

"More than you can imagine," Leetha assured gravely, squeezing his fingers tight to thwart his getaway.

"Does it still work?"

The old woman laughed in delight. "I’m afraid you will find out sooner rather than later," she replied.

"You’re probably right," Daniel agreed reluctantly, ceasing his efforts to free his hand. "What happened?"

"Oba," Leetha called impatiently, ignoring the question.

"He, um, went to the kitchen I suppose…" Daniel trailed off as the hidden door became visible as it opened.

"I am here, mistress," Oba replied as he slipped into the room carrying a tray loaded with fruit, cheese, and bread. The door disappeared back into the wall as soon as he cleared it. Daniel used the distraction to liberate his fingers from Leetha’s iron grip.

"Excellent," Leetha praised turning to Daniel. "I am most pleased with your form. I do not wish you to fade. Eat," she ordered.

"I wouldn’t want to get crumbs in your bed," Daniel hedged, wanting nothing more than to get away from the obviously enamored old woman.

"This is your bed," Leetha informed him as she sat up to pluck a grape and feed it to him. "My room is much grander."

"Really?" Daniel choked as he chewed the sour fruit and swallowed it, unable to image a room more gaudy than this one.

Oba placed the tray on a small table near the bed. "Mistress," he began timidly. "You must rest."

"Yes," Leetha agreed, sounding very weary. "Eat, Daniel," she encouraged as she allowed Oba to help her stand. "We will speak at length in the morning."

Daniel broke off a piece of bread and chewed it thoughtfully as he watched Oba open the door. "Sleep well," he called out.

Leetha stopped and stared back at him for a moment before breaking into a beatific smile. "I have made a most wonderful purchase," she told Oba as the door slid shut behind them.

Still chewing, Daniel counted to a hundred, in Goa’uld for luck, before approaching the door. As an afterthought, he grabbed half of the loaf of bread from the tray then held his breath as he copied Oba’s actions. Pressing the second ankh from the right on the gold-embossed hieroglyphs resulted in the silent release of the door. Daniel glanced down the darkened hallway to a distant torch. He stopped to listen, but couldn’t hear even a murmur so he headed towards the light.

Although he had no way to be sure how long he’d been unconscious, by the low lights and lack of activity, he was certain it was still night. He and Teal’c had arrived just before sunset planet time and unless he had slept for over a day, he estimated he still had twelve to sixteen hours left on his twenty-four hour time limit. Since he didn’t have a GDO, it looked like he would have to wait to be rescued, or dial out to a friendly planet and contact Earth from there. Of course, he’d have to get out of the palace first, and he didn’t want to do that until he’d had another good look at the wall.

When he reached the end of the corridor, he flipped a mental coin and went right, still steadily munching on the bread. Since the halls were of the elegant variety and not the unembellished stone, he knew he was still somewhere in the Goa’uld’s living quarters and figured the throne room couldn’t be too far off.

The hallway expanded to showcase a set of double doors unlike the recessed, practically hidden kind he’d been passing so far. He ducked through them, taking a minute to let his eyes adjust to the lower level of light in the room. Popping the last bite of the crusty bread into his mouth he wiped the crumbs on his pants as he puzzled over his find.

"What the hell?" he muttered as he approached the sarcophagus and ran a hand over the dusty top. In the weak light and without his glasses, it looked intact. On closer inspection, with his nose practically touching the opening mechanism, he decided it might have been struck with a staff blast. Vaguely he could make out what appeared to be burn marks scouring the top and sides. Remembering how the sparks had flown when Shyla had destroyed her own sarcophagus, Daniel wondered if perhaps Leetha hadn’t been inside this one when it was struck. A broken sarcophagus went a long way towards explaining the old girl’s… oldness.

Daniel stifled a sneeze as he backed out of the chamber, pulling the doors closed behind him. Now more curious than ever about Leetha’s appearance, he none-the-less continued on his search for the throne room. The fortress remained silent except for his own muffled footfalls and within a few more twists of the meandering hallways, he found himself at the back entry of the large hall.

Taking a torch in hand, Daniel approached the wall of hieroglyphs and began to make sense of its tale, resolutely ignoring the life-sized statue of Hathor looming over his shoulder.

"Rough night?" Jack asked as Carter sat her breakfast tray on the table across from him.

She glared at him through bloodshot eyes for a second before answering. "No, sir. Why do you ask?"

"No reason," Jack backpedaled and focused his attention on his pancakes. "I was just telling Teal’c about my solid gold Legos," he continued innocently. "I can’t wait to show him my tower."

Sam cleared her throat. "Uh, sorry, sir," she ground out, "I spent half an hour picking your golden Legos off of the floor after you left last night."

"It fell? Now that’s a shame."

"More than you know, sir, more than you know," Sam agreed with a sigh, rubbing the back of her head where she had banged it on the underside of the table in her efforts to find all of the lost ingots.

"What is a Lego?" Teal’c inquired thoughtfully.

"Well, um, Legos are little pieces of formed plastic that you snap together to build things," Sam answered helpfully.

"They’re toys, Teal’c. Really cool," Jack enthused. "As soon as Daniel gets back we’ll go pick up a few sets and have a contest or something."

"Do you not believe that if Daniel Jackson were to escape on his own that he would have already returned?" Teal’c asked, trashing Jack’s good mood.

"Do you?" Sam asked, eyes growing wide.

"I believe an escape would have been possible under cover of night. It is now past sunrise on Leetha’s planet."

Jack grimaced as he took a long drink of coffee. "Either way, he’ll be back by tonight," he stated resolutely.

Teal’c nodded once and Sam pushed her oatmeal around with a spoon as the colonel finished his breakfast in silence.

Even without a watch, Daniel knew by the waning torchlight that he had been at it for a while. Satisfied that he’d been successful in his translation, he took another moment to ponder the meaning of the words. Written by one of Ra’s loyal human scribes shortly after the incident, the tale served as a warning to any other Goa’ulds who might stumble on the scene in search of Ra’s vast wealth.

According to the writing on the wall, Ra had indeed found a biological agent that could kill a Goa’uld while sparing the host. Unfortunately, for Ra anyway, the substance had inadvertently been released and had wiped out the Jaffa encamped on the planet, as they were unable to survive long without their symbiotes. Ra had managed to escape in the heat of the moment, but had somehow left his consort Leetha behind to die.

At this point, Daniel knew the telling to be incorrect. Even if Leetha undoubtedly resembled a walking corpse, she was in fact very much alive. He assumed that the scribe had immediately taken brush to wall without checking the facts first. Perhaps a battle had occurred as one of Leetha’s servants placed her in the sarcophagus. Whatever had happened, the writer of the wall had stopped mid-sentence before completing the tale. Given the old girl’s outburst, Daniel judged this to be a sore subject. Why she hadn’t painted over the story sometime in the past three centuries was yet another mystery.

Furthermore, Daniel didn’t put much stock in the claim that the poison was harmless to humans. A feeling of dread settled in his stomach as he surmised that the accident had been the precipitating factor in the local population’s seeming de-evolution. He decided the damage must have been genetic; so gradual nobody noticed at the time. Generations later, the ill-effects were much more apparent.

He wondered if this wasn’t the same stuff the Tok’ra had expected him to assassinate the system lords with. New worries popped up when he realized that he, Sam, and Jack had all been indirectly exposed after Elliot and Lantash had released the agent so that they could get back through the gate. But Teal’c and Jacob’s symbiotes had been exposed at the same level and had suffered no harm. Although that thought eased his mind, he still made a mental note to talk to Janet about his concerns when he got home.

Running a probable timeline in his head, Daniel took a moment to wonder if Hathor had known about Leetha. Glancing up at  the stone image of the face he remembered so well, he suppressed a shudder. Since Hathor had been overjoyed when Daniel informed her of Ra’s demise, he had to think that there was no love lost between the estranged husband and wife. Even so, Hathor had spent a couple thousand years trapped in stasis on Earth and might have been none-the-wiser to Ra’s infidelities.

On a similar note, at one time Leetha must have had some type of alluring attribute to garner Ra’s attentions. Not that Daniel could actually picture Ra with a wife or a consort. As far as Daniel could tell, the pseudo-god had had an ugly penchant for children. Forcing that unpleasant thought aside, Daniel took one last look at the wall before replacing the torch and crossing the room to exit through the double doors.

As an afterthought, he backtracked and began to retrace the route they had taken to Leetha’s lab. If it was even a remote possibility that some of the poison remained, it was too dangerous to leave in the hands of any Goa’uld, even one as seemingly powerless as his master.

As he traversed the still dark hallways, Daniel became aware of distant sounds elsewhere in the fortress. Certain it must be morning by now, the continued dimness around him left him with an uneasy feeling. At last he came to the base of the stone stairway and peered up into the almost complete darkness. Retracing his steps to the last torch along the hall he procured it and started up the steps.

Daniel tried to calm his breathing, taking note of the increase in his pulse with each step closer to the top, pushing back the returning sense of panic he had felt the first time he’d entered the dismal room. Moving to the altar he examined it, certain that the new rust colored stain embedded within the rough stone was his own blood. Or was it? Was he even in the right room?

Momentarily confused he looked to where morning sun should have been streaming through the window to find nothing but a solid wall. Everything else was as he remembered it, but the window was obviously gone. Or covered. On closer inspection Daniel realized there was a seam where the window had been. More clever Goa’uld technology, probably pilfered from yet another unknown race, sealed the opening tightly with material identical to the wall.

Satisfied that he was in the right place Daniel moved to the shelves that lined the back wall. To his relief and delight, the shelves held volumes of hand-written notes. Settling the torch into a nearby bracket on the wall he pulled out the first book. As he began to scan the first page he heard footsteps coming up the stairs.

"Daniel," Leetha called, not sounding particularly upset. "You can’t get out. I’ve had the palace sealed."

Daniel swallowed nervously as he turned, still holding the book in his hand.

"Put that down," Leetha instructed quietly. "I had hoped not to have to do this, but it appears a practical demonstration is in order."

Before Daniel could answer the cryptic threat, Leetha raised the ribbon device and sent a wave of energy in his direction. Instead of knocking him across the room, it seemed to localize in his neck, sending a shaft of white-hot pain searing through him to every nerve ending. It only lasted a second, but sent him crashing into oblivion nevertheless.

"Where’s the rest of it?" Jack asked as he entered the briefing room and found two of the ingots in the center of the table as exhibit A.

Carter looked up from the detailed maps of the compound she had helped Teal’c prepare. "In the safe, sir," she responded reluctantly.

"Good idea," Jack acknowledged, sounding a little disappointed. "We wouldn’t want any of it to end up stolen, would we?"

"Stolen?" Sam asked in confusion as if it had never crossed her mind. "Yes, sir, that’s it exactly," she lied.

His mind was peripherally aware of a distant sensation of floating in a balmy sea and Daniel clung comfortably to that illusion until he felt a hand clamp firmly over his nose and mouth and push him deeper into the warmth, submerging his face. Fighting for air, he dislodged the hand and subsequently took a lungful of soapy water. He pushed away from the restraining arms and finally broke the surface, gasping and choking as he thrashed to the side of the huge marble tub, raining water down all around him in his escape. A trail of tiny bubbles ran into his eyes and when he could breathe again, he wiped it away and splashed his face repeatedly to alleviate the sting.

Still wheezing slightly, he glanced up to see a naked man and two women cowering at the other end of the deep tub. "Sorry," he croaked out between coughs as he turned his back to them and dropped his head onto his folded arms on top of the cool marble. His body seemed determined to rid his airway of every last drop of bathwater.

"Daniel," Leetha admonished gently from a velvet divan just out of reach. "Let them finish. You positively reek."

Angry that he was not only being bathed, but that he also had an audience for the event, Daniel threw Jack’s ‘no snake baiting’ rule out the window. "What the hell did you do to me?" he growled.

"Would you like another demonstration?" Leetha threatened lightly. "If you are insensible at least we can finish your bath."

"No," Daniel backed down grudgingly, and turned to face the very nervous group staring back at him. "But I can do it myself," he insisted obstinately.

"You may leave, Hareet," Leetha allowed. "He was only here to prevent you from drowning. You awoke at a most inopportune moment."

"Ya think?" Daniel muttered, still fighting the urge to cough up a lung. "God, I’m channeling Jack," he added under his breath.

The small native man nodded obediently to his mistress and climbed the steps. He grabbed a tiny towel to rapidly wipe the excess moisture off his skin and then carefully dried the splashed floor before stepping behind a sheer drape to dress. Daniel tried not to stare at the almost asexual appearance of his hairless body.

"Continue," Leetha replied and the women moved cautiously toward Daniel’s end of the tub.

"Leetha," Daniel protested, using her name without thinking. The women stopped and stared in wide-eyed terror as he turned to face their master.

"Daniel," Leetha replied in the same tone. "The sooner you let them finish, the sooner you can dress."

With a resigned sigh Daniel sank down to sit on the ledge that ran the length of the tub bringing the water level to his chest. The soapy film on top of the water didn’t cover much and Daniel dropped his hands to his lap as the women approached. Again, he didn’t want to look, but like Hareet, their bodies appeared underdeveloped and their chests were as flat as ten-year-old boys.

"Hands, first," Leetha instructed. "Then finish his hair."

Each with a stiff brush, the women began to scrub attentively at his hands, for the most part studiously ignoring the body they were attached to.

"What did you do to me?" Daniel asked again, this time in a practiced, civil tone. "It felt like every cell of my body exploded." When he looked up, Leetha had left her lounge and gingerly dropped down to a pillow nearby.

"It does not please me to cause you pain. A test was necessary, however."

"A test of what?"

"I have implanted an obedience device in your spinal column at the base of your skull," Leetha explained.

Daniel extracted a hand to finger the back of his neck. "I don’t feel anything," he said with a slight frown. The closest female quickly pulled his hand back and began scrubbing again with a vengeance.

"There was damage after the implantation," Leetha continued coolly. "I healed you. If I had not, you would be of no use to me."

"The sarcophagus?" Daniel asked with dread.

"No," Leetha snapped peevishly. "And from now on, that room is forbidden to you, as is the throne room and my laboratory. You may go wherever else you wish within the palace walls."

"Um, thanks."

"Listen to me well, young one," Leetha warned seriously, reaching out to tap the nape of Daniel’s neck with a pointed metal finger. "Within this device is an explosive charge. If at anytime you venture beyond the boundaries of the palace, I will not be able to salvage you again."

"But why?" Daniel asked, aghast.

"This is your home, now. You will never, ever leave me," Leetha swore, her eyes flashing. "You belong to me," she reiterated with quiet determination.

Daniel stared back at her for some time before dropping his gaze and numbly letting the women scrub his hands.

"Let me see," Leetha said to one of the women who raised the hand she’d been working on for inspection.

Leetha nodded. "Rinse his hair," she ordered.

Still stunned, Daniel didn’t fight as the woman encouraged him to dunk beneath the surface as they rubbed their hands through his hair to remove any remaining shampoo. After several seconds he raised his head and stood. "Enough," he declared and moved to the steps. He grabbed the nearest towel and tied it around his waist without bothering to dry first.

The two girls quickly followed and fearfully began to pat his skin with larger, softer bath sheets. Daniel reached up again to dazedly finger the back of his neck, but didn’t fight their efforts to dry him.

"Daniel," Leetha purred proprietarily, "bend down or they will never reach your head."

Daniel wordlessly knelt on a cushion but held tightly to the towel around his waist as the still nude women fussed over his head, shoulders, back and chest. "Can’t they put something on to do this?" he asked at last.

Leetha snorted and waved impatiently toward the sheer curtain. The girls bowed to her but looked confused as they went to dress.

"They’re regressing," Daniel said switching the conversation to Goa’uld.

"Yes."

"It’s because of the accident, the biological agent Ra had you make for him," Daniel pressed, still mindful of the obedience device, but angry and defiant at the same time.

Leetha grew solemn and turned away. "Do not test me," she warned sternly.

"I read the wall," Daniel sighed resignedly. "I know what happened. Because there were no immediate effects on the humans, everyone assumed they were unharmed."

"You are too smart for your own good," Leetha allowed languidly.

Now dressed in short tunics the women returned, frightened by the strange dialogue they couldn’t understand. One of them began to comb Daniel’s hair while the other rubbed his back with a sweet smelling oil.

"What will become of them? As a people?"

"They are dying," Leetha confirmed. "With each generation they come closer to extinction."

Daniel nodded uneasily. "They don’t look… functional. I mean for procreation."

"You are very observant, my Daniel. Don’t worry, should you desire mating, I will send to the village for a more developed female."

"What? No! That’s not what I meant!" Daniel sputtered. "I just meant I don’t understand how they can produce offspring given their obvious lack of…" he trailed off and waved a hand vaguely toward Hareet who stood near the door.

Leetha appeared amused at Daniel’s outburst. "There are occasional births in the village, but most are stillborn. Each generation lives a shorter span than the one before. This will be the last, I fear. That is why I need you."

"So you won’t be alone," Daniel surmised unhappily.

"Come," Leetha smiled, pleased with her freshly scrubbed possession. "The tailors are waiting."

Sergeant Davis attentively studied the video relay from the MALP. "No sign of activity near the gate, sir. The sun has already set."

"SG-1, SG-3, you have a go," General Hammond leaned forward to announce into the microphone.

Jack responded from below with a distracted salute, but the rest of his body language radiated tension. "Let’s get this over with," he ordered, grimacing as the marines clattered up the ramp ahead of his own team. He shot the general an annoyed grimace and followed without another word. A few short strides and half a galaxy later he stepped into the darkness of another world.

Daniel wished for the hundredth time that he had a watch, certain a rescue must be underway by now. "Tell me about the weapon," he pressed. His forwardness was born of both his anxiety and the tediousness of spending all day with the tailor, an older man obviously of Oba’s generation.

Leetha resolutely ignored the question as she pawed through the bolts of material littered about Daniel’s room, clearly having a wonderful time. "What do you think of this?" she asked as she held up a thick, heavily patterned maroon fabric.

"It’s hideous."

Putting it aside, Leetha dug a little deeper. "This?" she asked, producing a deep purple satin.

"I’d rather go naked."

"That can be arranged," Leetha replied with a laugh.

"It’s beautiful," Daniel changed his mind instantly. "It would make a nice… robe."

"Harem pants," Leetha informed the tailor as she pointed out the satin. He nodded compulsively and relayed the instructions to his younger helper who busily made notes.

"God," Daniel complained under his breath. "Do I have any say in this or am I just a life-sized Ken doll?" He tightened the grip on his towel as Leetha came closer.

"Fine," Leetha allowed distractedly. "You may have a robe. Your skin is such a lovely color, though. It is a crime to ever cover it," she replied as she stroked Daniel’s abdomen solicitously.

"Well, you can expect it to turn to a nice prison pallor since you’ve got me locked up," Daniel responded, flinching at the touch of the cool metal-tipped fingers.

"You may sun by the pool in the mornings," Leetha allowed as she circled around him. "In fact I insist on it."

"I thought I couldn’t go outside?"

Leetha pinched Daniel’s left buttock mischievously. "Just don’t go over the wall," she warned.

"Right," Daniel growled, swatting her hand away. "Tell me about the weapon…"

"Anything?" Jack asked as Teal’c and one of the marines dropped down beside him in the brush just inside the front garden.

"There’s no activity inside the perimeter, sir."

"It appears the field servants have all returned to the village," Teal’c added. "However something is amiss. There is no light coming from within the palace."

"He’s right, sir. I’m not picking up any light at all," Carter confirmed, searching the pale colored marble through her binoculars. "In fact, there doesn’t appear to be a way in at all."

"That’s impossible," Jack grunted. "Teal’c, where was the door last time you were here?"

"There," Teal’c supplied, pointing to a spot under the main edifice.

"You’re sure?"

"I am."

"Lights out," Jack ordered as he slipped on a pair of night vision goggles and scanned the wall. "It’s sealed tight," he muttered in disappointment. "Not even a trace of light’s getting out of that place."

"We could plant some C-4," Sam offered.

"What and ruin our surprise?" Jack quipped, but paused to consider it anyway. "Not with Daniel inside," he decided reluctantly. "We don’t know what his status is at this point. Fall back, people."

The well-trained group faded into the night without question.

Daniel lay on his bed in his new robe, which had been top priority for the tailor once Leetha had decided to let him have one, and stared at the ceiling. Although the old Goa’uld had a talent for ignoring his questions, he found he could easily get away with saying almost anything to her.

In fact, as with the robe, all he had to do was mention a want or a need and Leetha bent over backward to give it to him, even if she did go through the whole ‘I am the master, you are the slave’ bit every single time. Slowly Daniel began to realize just how much power he had.

Covering his eyes with the crook of his arm, Daniel thought out the safest ways to test his boundaries. He took a deep breath and feigned sleep, well aware of his audience as she sat at his bedside. Before long she began to stroke his hair lightly with golden fingertips. Unable to bear the caress, Daniel rolled away from her hand. After several long moments, Leetha rose and silently left the room.

"Colonel? Something is happening," the young lieutenant on watch reported. He pointed down toward the palace from their hiding place on the hill with a good view of the back of the fortress where half of the group had spent the night.

Jack raised himself up on his elbows and accepted the binoculars. "Holy Toledo," he swore. "Would you look at that. Richards?" he barked into his radio, glancing across the small valley to the next hill over where a couple of his troops where watching the front. "Are you getting this?"

"Yes, sir, we see it."

The palace seemed to unfold itself revealing doors and windows that had not been there only minutes before. Rays of the early morning sun turned the walls into a brilliant, eye-searing white.

"Wow," Carter exclaimed as she took the binoculars and had a look.

"Teal’c, you’re with me. Everybody else stay put," Jack ordered, following as Teal’c picked a trail through the dense underbrush down toward the back side of the palace.

Slowly the fields around them filled with peasants who went about their labors unaware of the two men stealthily making their way along the sheltered ravine. Finally they ran out of cover at the bend of the small creek and silently debated what to do. A lone man worked his way closer to their position as he weeded the last row of what appeared to be some sort of legume.

"Shh," Jack warned as the native spotted them. "We’re not going to hurt you. Just sit here with my friend while I have a little look over that wall."

The man nodded and unquestioningly crawled into the bushes to squat down next to Teal’c.

"Good. Very good," Jack praised and exchanged a glance with Teal’c before crossing the last, exposed hundred feet between him and the palace.

The wall was a good twelve feet high and Jack cursed silently as he paced the length of it looking for a way over the top. The smooth surface gave his feet no purchase and he wished in vain for a grappling hook. There was movement behind him and he raised his weapon rapidly only to lower it just as quickly in relief.

"Don’t do that," he griped, leaning against the wall to slow his racing heart.

"You appeared to be in need of assistance," Teal’c explained reasonably, but with a tiny tease of a Jaffa smirk. The man with him looked around nervously, but made no move to get away.

"Thank you," Jack muttered snidely as Teal’c offered him a leg up. Stepping lightly into Teal’c’s cupped hands Jack felt himself smoothly propelled upward. Scrambling for a handhold, he managed to sling an arm over the top. With a grunt he pulled himself up to sit on the wall with one leg on each side.

Through the branches of a tree on the inside of the garden he could see sun sparkled water. He ducked down as movement caught his eye. A purple robe fell to the stone terrace and Jack watched as long, bare legs waded down steps into the pool.

"I see Daniel," Jack reported down to Teal’c. "Wait here. I’ll grab him and we’ll get the hell out of here."

A knotted nylon line fell across the wall in front of him and trailed down the other side. "Good idea," Jack approved as he swung his leg over and used the rope to climb down.

Keeping low Jack waited until a servant with a large tray of beverages and fruit sat it down next to the pool and went back inside. There were no guards and still Daniel lounged on a large silver float in the water, making no move for the wall where the tree would make an easy escape. Cautiously, Jack held onto his doubts and crept forward. He poured himself a drink, sniffed it suspiciously then took a sip before letting out a wolf-whistle.

"Jack!" Daniel called immediately, turning toward the noise.

"What are you wearing?" Jack asked incredulously, taking in the shiny, gold swimsuit.

"Goa’uld Speedo?" Daniel offered sheepishly. Dropping off the side of the float and into the clear, deep water, he came up halfway to the side where Jack waited. He shook his head once to knock the water from his hair and swam the rest of the way in three effortless strokes.

"Grab your pretty purple robe and let’s get the hell outta Dodge."

"I can’t leave," Daniel stated, looking up at Jack from the edge of the pool.

"No, Daniel, you’re wrong about that," Jack argued, unwilling to listen to whatever reason his stubborn teammate had come up with this time. "You can. This is the only rescue you’re gonna get. Now let’s go."

"No, Jack, I can’t," Daniel insisted, ducking his head as he placed his hands up on the side and levered himself out of the water. "I’ve been implanted… Whoa! Jack!" he exclaimed as he came face to face with the business end of Jack’s P-90.

"Damn it, Daniel," Jack cursed. "I knew this would happen."

"With a device, Jack," Daniel persuaded, holding his hands up in supplication as he straightened up. "I’ve been implanted with an obedience device. If I go over the wall it will explode."

"I saw the scar," Jack denied vehemently.

"Yes, that’s where she put it, in the back of my neck. But she screwed it up and paralyzed me. She had to use a healing device to fix me or I could show you the wound. Jack, I’m still me. I just can’t leave."

"And she told you all this?" Jack questioned, not bothering to hide his doubt.

"Yes! Well, that and one ‘practical demonstration’ I’m not eager to repeat."

"She blew you up?"

"Of course not," Daniel explained impatiently. "The thing is somehow wired directly into my nervous system. She can send a volt of electricity through me with her hand device. Frankly it makes the charge from a zat blast seem like static electricity."

Jack nodded and knelt down by the tray absently poking at the fruit with the tip of his gun. "How do I know you’re telling me the truth?"

"Well I haven’t turned you in yet," Daniel offered.

"True. And how do we know she’s telling you the truth? About the explosive?"

Daniel sighed and plopped down next to Jack, seemingly oblivious to the water dripping off his skin. "We don’t. We either take her at her word or… or we don’t."

Jack eyed the wall before turning back to his friend. "You wanna risk it?"

"Not really. I don’t think she’s lying."

"Maybe we could bring Fraiser back? She could do a little bathroom surgery and dig the thing out."

"Maybe," Daniel agreed dubiously. "At the moment, I’m not really in any danger. Well except to my dignity," he amended with a gesture towards his gaudy swimsuit. "I’d like more time to find the weapon, or at least make sure it’s been destroyed. But if she catches you here, she’ll lock down the palace again and neither one of us will ever get out."

"So there really is a weapon. Could we use it against the Goa’uld?"

"No, Jack, that’s what happened to these people. The affects were long term, not immediate. I need to make sure that no one else ever gets their hands on it. It’s too dangerous."

"Okay," Jack agreed reluctantly as he stood and adjusted his P-90. "I’ll talk to Fraiser and meet you back here tomorrow morning. But be careful."

"Daniel," Leetha called from inside the palace.

With a nod of his head, Daniel glanced nervously toward the door. "You’d better go," he advised, rising to his feet to distract Leetha while Jack made his escape. He picked up his robe but didn’t put it on yet, just to make sure Leetha was looking at him and not in Jack’s direction as he slipped back into the foliage.

"Who were you talking to?" Leetha asked as she exited the building and took in the sight of her favorite new pastime.

Daniel slowly pulled on his beloved robe and cinched it up tight around his waist. "Huh? Oh, yeah… there was a… bird," he offered lamely. "It was whistling and, uh, messing with my breakfast," he added as he picked up the cup of juice Jack had poured and finished it off.

Leetha eyed him skeptically for a minute before shrugging and letting it go. "The tailor has brought some more of your clothes. I want you to try them on when you’re finished sunning."

"Sure," Daniel offered amicably, finally casting a glance toward the wall when she turned to sit in one of the fancy deck chairs.

Jack made it to the top of the wall before turning to get a glimpse of the Goa’uld, relieved to see incontrovertible evidence that Daniel hadn’t been made into a host after all. He pulled the rope up and dropped down to the other side, surprised to find Teal’c surrounded by a large group of the natives.

"Teal’c?" Jack asked nervously, looking around at the unexpected but pleasant crowd.

"They do not appear to be hostile, O’Neill," Teal’c advised, moving away from a pair of inquisitive hands as they tried to touch his staff weapon.

"Hello," Jack greeted uncertainly. "What’s up?"

"You are gods?" one of the villagers asked innocently.

"No," Jack muttered. "Just visiting. Listen, let’s take this little party to the tree line, huh?"

Teal’c moved out and half of the people followed obediently. Jack examined his own personal mob for a second and nodded his acceptance in mild bewilderment. "All righty then," he declared and started off, not in the least surprised that all of the remaining field hands moved with him.

"Carter?" Jack barked into his radio. "Give me a sit rep."

"Everything’s quiet here, sir," Sam replied immediately. "It looks like you guys are having all the fun."

"Oh, yeah," Jack agreed knowing how suspicious the little group must look from afar. "Fall back to the gate. We’ll meet you there."

After a short pause, Sam answered. "Yes sir."

"Goa’uld fashion at its finest," Daniel muttered under his breath as he thumbed through the rack of outlandish to bizarre outfits the tailor proudly displayed.

Leetha looked on with the demeanor of a proud grandmother, making suggestions of which ridiculous blouse to wear with which garish pants, or heaven forbid, skirt. "What do you think, my pet?" she cooed.

"Ah, well," Daniel hedged. "It’s all very… colorful."

"There will be much more," Leetha gushed. "This is only the beginning."

"I think this is quite enough," Daniel sighed unenergetically.

"Nonsense. You will never wear a garment twice." Leetha tugged at the tie of Daniel’s robe, frowning to find it cinched tightly in a double knot. "What will you wear today?"

"I’m not sure. What’s on the agenda?"

"Whatever you please."

Daniel nodded as he fingered a royal blue silk shirt. Ostentatious as it was, it had sleeves and it didn’t have ruffles. "I’d like to read your journals," he requested with a carefully posed air of distraction, pulling out the shirt and continuing to search for a decent pair of pants.

Leetha made a disgusted noise. "Why?" she asked in mild irritation.

"Why not?" Daniel countered serenely.

"I’ll think about it," Leetha replied turning to leave the room. "If you make me happy with your choice of clothing."

Taken aback at the ease of his evident victory, Daniel stared at the clothing rack. "How could I go wrong?" he asked the tailor acerbically.

The old man smiled in delight at the apparent praise and bowed profusely.

"So?" Jack prodded impatiently.

Janet Fraiser stared back at the colonel in horror. "Sir! You’re asking me to perform complicated neuro-surgery, without the proper equipment, in less than ideal conditions, to remove an alien device that I know nothing about," she counted off on her fingers. "A device that could possibly explode on extraction, I might add."

"So you can’t do it?"

"I won’t do it!" Janet exclaimed firmly.

"If we don’t do something, Daniel is stuck there at the mercy of that old snake!" Jack insisted.

"What’s the worst case scenario, Doctor?" Hammond asked quietly.

Janet placed her tightly clinched hands in her lap. "Worst case; Doctor Jackson will die."

"That’s a little fatalistic, isn’t it?"

"Actually, that’s a pretty high probability, sir. The best we could hope for under those conditions is permanent paralysis from the neck down."

"That’s unacceptable," Hammond declared.

"Yes, sir. It is. I could never knowingly do that to Daniel," the doctor admitted. "I’m sorry, Colonel."

Jack reluctantly nodded his acceptance. "We’ll have to think of something else, then. Because I’m not just gonna leave him there."

Wearing the blue shirt, Daniel stopped outside Leetha’s library and smoothed his sweaty palms down the soft, cream colored slacks. They were a bit tight but otherwise fairly normal, every day pants. He fervently hoped Leetha liked them because he planned on wearing them a lot, given his other options.

"Leetha," he said to get her attention, although he knew she was well aware of his presence.

She looked up and made a growling noise deep in her throat as she appraised him. "Give us a spin," she instructed, twirling a finger in the air.

Biting back a sarcastic reply, Daniel held his arms out and slowly turned for her, pausing with his back to her for a moment before continuing. "Well?" he asked when he completed his rotation. "How did I do?"

"Very nice," Leetha approved. "However I suspect you would look every bit as appealing in a field sack."

"So I get to read your journals?" Daniel pushed.

With an exasperated sigh Leetha waved him away. "Bring them down here. It’s terribly dusty in the lab."

"Okay," Daniel agreed, eagerly turning on his heel and heading for the hall before she changed her mind. "I’ll be right back."

"I’ve ruined him already," Leetha bemoaned to Oba, sounding anything but unhappy about the situation.

Oba’s detached gaze followed as Daniel disappeared through the door, giving nothing away of his disquieting thoughts.

Leaving SG-3 home this time, Jack let Teal’c take point and followed on Sam’s six in the predawn darkness as they took a circuitous route to the back side of the palace. As the sun rose they slipped into the rougher terrain of the creek bed and the peasants who began appearing in the fields remained unaware of their return visitors.

When finally SG-1 had no choice but to break cover to reach the garden wall, the laborers spotted them and waved excitedly. They lay down their various crude farming tools and gathered together in small clusters.

"Crap," Jack muttered as the groups of workers began to stream towards them. "So much for keeping a low profile."

"They’re just curious, sir," Sam deduced.

"Yeah, but what happens when the wicked witch sees that all her field hands have disappeared? Get rid of them."

"Yes sir," Sam responded. "How?"

"I don’t know," Jack complained as he placed the toe of his boot in Teal’c’s cupped hand. "Tell ‘em about magnets and subatomic whatnots and stuff. You know, your usual gobbledygook. They’ll get bored and leave." His own grunt covered what he was certain was an insubordinate reply as Teal’c effortlessly hefted him up to the top of the wall.

As Jack took a moment to look around for any sign of their errant teammate, a knotted rope struck him in the face.

"Sorry, sir," came the not so contrite whisper from below.

Jack glared at the innocent, upturned face below him for a moment before swinging his legs over and climbing down. He moved closer to the palace using the ample cover of the garden shrubs before finding a concealed spot with a clear view of the pool area.

One servant moved around the edge of the natural looking stone pool skimming the surface with a net while another placed a tray of food on the table between the deck chairs before leaving. Jack got comfortable and settled in to wait.

Before long Daniel appeared in the arched doorway looking none too happy. He glanced around uneasily as he stepped outside, followed closely by the short, ugly Goa’uld. "Leetha," he snapped. "Is it too much to ask for a few moments alone?"

"I want to watch you sun," the old woman pouted.

"For Pete’s sake," Daniel complained with an aggravated sigh. "You watch me eat, you watch me sleep… hell, you even watch me bathe. It’s demeaning."

"I enjoy your form," Leetha replied, dropping nonchalantly into one of the chairs and picking up a cracker from the tray to munch on while she waited for Daniel to disrobe.

"I need a few moments alone," Daniel insisted petulantly. "Please go. And take the pool boy with you."

Jack’s eyes widened at the exchange, surprised at just how far Daniel could actually push the old bat.

The woman continued to eat, ignoring Daniel’s tirade completely. With his hands on his hips and a frown on his face, Daniel studied her intently. After a few minutes his expression softened as he changed tactics. He cleared his throat as if about to make a deal with the devil.

"Why don’t you go pick out something for me to wear today?" Daniel bargained. "I promise, whatever you decide, I’ll wear it without complaint."

Leetha considered the proposition carefully. "Very well," she huffed, getting to her feet. "I’m sure you’ll regret it."

"I’m sure I will,&quo