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 My Friend, Danny

The Daedalus had searched for three hours. They had only been able to locate two other very small continents, and both were on the other side of the planet. There had been no sign of anything that could have been remnants of civilization. Absolutely nothing.

Disappointed, the archaeologists – with help from Casey, Teal’c, and Sam – had photographed and filmed very inch of the pyramid, inside and out. They could, Jack had declared, build an identical copy with all of the footage the group had gathered.

While the same story was told in every language recognized, it was merely a tantalizing hint at what had happened.

Daniel continued to squint at the bright, white walls of the pyramid as the rest of the team, including Doctors Meyers-Hammond and Warnke, packed all of the equipment, and the plaster that had so carefully been removed. He had no doubt that they would learn nothing new from those pieces.

Casey watched her husband for a moment, then with a smile for Mike and Bernie, as they packed up their gear, hurried to stand beside him. "Daniel?"

"It just doesn’t make sense," Daniel said softly.

"Someone wanted these people remembered," Casey replied, just as softly.

"So it would seem. Whoever it was, had to have known the people represented here very well."

"Maybe, whoever built this, was merely ‘writing down’ what they’d been told," Casey suggested. "Maybe someone collected the stories, written in the various languages."

"Possible. But why? Why here? There’s nothing on this planet," Daniel sighed.

"Not now. We don’t know what the planet might have looked like at the time this pyramid was built."

"True. Although-" Daniel broke off. The Daedalus had reported that brief scans of the other two small continents had offered no signs of habitation, not even a hint of ancient roads or walls. But the ocean…according to Colonel Mitchell, it seemed to be one giant, planet-sized ocean…hadn’t been scanned.

"It would have taken too long to try to scan every inch of the planet," Casey said.

"I know."

"We know that people from Central and South America and what’s now the Western United States were gathered up, probably over a few thousand years. Beth thinks it’s possible that there were Celtic explorers who wound up somewhere in the New World, and managed to get themselves harvested as slaves along with the indigenous people. It’s the only thing that makes sense."

"We know that the Celts and the Vikings had discovered the New World long before any of the other Europeans had," Daniel agreed.

"Goa’uld sent in slave traders to gather slaves. That’s the what. It happened after Ra had been given the ol’ heave ho. Sam, Beth, and Bernie think that it stopped when the people were getting too interested in watching the night skies. There’s even the chance that those who were left behind were starting to fight back," Casey said. "Daniel…didn’t you once tell me that most of what the Native Americans knew, their stories and their languages and their songs…were all nearly lost because of the Christian determination to convert the Natives?"

"Through ‘special’ schools. The children were taken away…some of the tribes were left with no children at all in their homes for years. Any children born were grabbed as soon as they were old enough for school," Daniel replied.

"The stories about this…about the people being taken…were lost. Somehow, the same thing must have happened in South America," Casey mused.

"Most of the major tribes from Central and South America seem to have just…vanished. Or, more aptly, the people moved out of the cities as the civilizations began to crumble."

"Old stories are lost when those who know them die off before they have a chance to teach the young." Casey shook her head. "So much has been lost. Even more was destroyed. The arrogance of those who believed they were empowered by their ‘god’ to destroy everyone and everything around them…makes me so pissy to just think about it!"

Daniel smiled. "Me, too, Angel." He glanced over his shoulder. Jack was leaning against one of the larger trees near the campsite. The tents were all down and rolled and attached to packs. "Let’s go home."

"We have everything recorded. We’ll keep looking. If there’s an answer somewhere among these glyphs, we’ll find it," Casey said encouragingly.

"That’s true." He looked around. "Maybe this planet was chosen at random, possibly because there were no Goa’uld."

"Maybe. Let’s go home." Casey said, wrapping her arm around his waist.

Dropping his arm around her shoulders, Daniel kissed the side of her head. "At least we got to see this while it’s still in such good shape."

"Then it’s a good thing we found it. We’ll remember those people, all of them. That’s the whole point, right?"

"I’m pretty sure it is…was," Daniel said.

Jack stood straight when the couple approached. He knew how disappointed his rock reader was at the lack of evidence of any civilization on the planet. He even admitted that it would have been pretty cool to have found those who were represented in all of those squiggles and marks…after all, those people might have had some great stories about kicking snake butt, and an idea how they could do the same. "Ready to go home, Space Monkey?" he asked gently.

"Yeah. It will probably take a few days to go through everything we have," Daniel said.

"Well, if you find anything that warrants a return, we’ll see about having the Daedalus or the Prometheus come and do more scans. Lots of ocean that could be looked at."

Daniel and Case exchanged amused glances. Either Jack had overheard their conversation, which was quite likely…or Jack O’Neill wasn’t nearly as dumb as he pretended to be. Or, Daniel thought, it was a bit of both.

General Hammond was waiting at the bottom of the ramp as the group walked through the ‘gate. "General," he said, by way of a greeting.

"Sir," Jack responded.

"Beth tells me that the pyramid you found has left you with quite the mystery," Hammond said, addressing Daniel as the archaeologist moved to stand beside Jack.

"Yes, sir. It did. We didn’t translate everything on the walls, so there’s still the chance we might learn something," Daniel replied.

"Well, if you discover anything significant, we can decide whether a return trip to the planet is warranted," the general said, unknowingly echoing his second-in-command.

"Yes, sir."

Hammond’s attention shifted back to Jack. "Doctor Izett says that SG-1 pulled off a ‘miracle’, in her words," the general smiled, "to rescue her and the others."

"Not much of a miracle, sir," Jack replied. "We were dealing with idiots."

"Morons," Casey said softly, a smile tugging at her lips.

Jack grinned and pointed at the seer. "What she said."

"Well, you can tell me all about in the briefing. One hour," Hammond said, a smile tugging at his own lips.

"Yes, sir." Jack looked at his team. "Okay campers, let’s go prove to Napoleon that we’re healthy and snake free."

SG-1 headed for the doorway, Mike and Bernie close behind. Packs and weapons were handed over to the sergeants who were in charge of all equipment returned after missions.

"Lots of video," Daniel said, handing his pack to the supply sergeant.

"Yes, sir. I’ll get it to the lab asap," the sergeant replied.

Daniel smiled. "Thanks."

Leanna Izett was coming down the corridor toward them as the team was headed toward the elevator.

"Lee?" Casey asked softly, reaching for the young archaeologist’s hand as soon as she was close enough.

Offering a wide smile, Leanna squeezed Casey’s hand. "Welcome home!"

"You’re looking better," Daniel said, offering a smile.

The young woman’s cheeks flushed pink. "I so owe you an apology!"

Blue eyes went wide. "Whatever for?"

"I totally flaked out on you," Leanna explained softly.

"Lee, that’s not true," Daniel argued.

"Yes, it is. I realized that as soon as my boots hit the ramp." Leanna looked from Daniel to Casey to Sam to Teal’c, then focused on Jack. "I don’t believe I said thank you for rescuing me…us."

Jack gave his customary crooked smile. "No thanks necessary, Doctor Izett. It’s what we do."

Daniel glanced at his best friend in surprise. Names were usually the last thing Jack could remember. He sighed silently. Just more proof that damned grunt paid far more attention, and cared more about the people in the SGC, than he’d ever admit. Daniel didn’t believe torture would induce Jack to admit what everyone around him knew…that he was the most stalwart man any of them had ever met.

Leanna’s smile widened. "So I’ve heard." She turned back to Daniel. "As soon as I was back here, all safe and sound…" She paused. "I don’t think I’ve ever been so afraid in my life."

"What you went through was most certainly terror inducing," Daniel said gently.

The young woman studied him for a moment. "No more than what you, or any of the members of the SG teams have gone through. I was here when Kali attacked, and I wasn’t that afraid."

"Being on ‘home turf’ makes things seem less dangerous," Jack offered.

"I’ll agree with that," Leanna replied. "After I calmed down, and thought about it, well, I have to admit I’m a bit embarrassed."

"There is not one thing for you to be embarrassed about!" Casey exclaimed.

"I freaked out," Leanna repeated.

"I’ve freaked out a few times, myself," Casey argued. "Right after I got here, I was freaking out on a regular basis."

"Or flaking out," Jack teased. He rubbed his shoulder when Casey smacked him. "Ow."

"Oh, you’re fine. I didn’t even hit you hard," Casey retorted. She returned her attention to Leanna. "You did just fine, considering it’s the first time you’ve been kidnapped."

"Does it get easier?" Leanna asked, her eyes twinkling.

"Easier…I dunno. More annoying, certainly. When it comes to Ba’al, it just pisses me off," Casey said. The snickers of her teammates filled the air around her. "Lee, you stayed on your feet, you were able to keep an eye out for Sanders…you did just fine."

"I agree," Daniel said emphatically.

"Me, too," Bernie said, reaching out and patting the younger woman on the shoulder.

"I was so relieved to get back here…the minute I was in the ‘gate room, I was fine," Leanna said. "That’s something I’m going to remember. No matter what happens, I’ll be able to get home. And once I’m home, everything is fine."

Jack and Daniel exchanged a glance. "You keep that in your heart," Jack said quietly, "and you’ll be able to get through anything."

Leanna nodded. Her eyes reflected that she understood the message. "I will."

Jack looked around. "Okay…wanna bet Napoleon is waiting for us."

"No bets. I know she is," Casey quipped.

"You’re making Doctor Fraiser seem like some sort of tyrant," Mike teased.

"You don’t know the half of it," Jack said, forcing a shudder. "She uses big honkin’ needles, and she invents injections just so she can use them."

Bernie burst into laughter. "I’ve met Doctor Fraiser, and I don’t believe that for a minute!"

"Just you wait and see," Jack said, his warning more humorous than serious.

"C’mon, Jack," Casey said, tugging at the older man’s arm. "I want to get cleared, get through the briefing, and then go home."

Daniel dropped his arm around his wife’s shoulders. "Hear, hear."

"I agree," Sam said.

The group continued to banter on their way to the elevator, ‘complaining’ about their upcoming post-mission exam, exaggerating the process in an attempt to worry the ‘newbies’. Neither of whom were convinced of the ‘horror stories’ they were hearing.

Janet was indeed waiting for the team. She quickly assessed each one with an experienced glance. "You all look healthy."

"Yep, that’s us…healthy as horses," Jack quipped. "So, if that’s all-"

"Sit your butt down on that bed, General," Janet ordered. Although everyone could see the glint of humor in her eyes.

Jack heaved a dramatic sigh, and sat down on the edge of the bed farthest from the petite doctor.

With a chuckle, Sam sat down beside him. Daniel and Casey dropped onto the bed across from them, Teal’c sitting down beside Casey. Mike and Bernie looked around, not quite sure what to do.

"Pull up a bed and take a load off," Jack said jovially. "Napoleon has plenty of minions to help her."

"General," Janet said, a warning tone in her voice. The twinkle in her eyes belied the sternness of her voice.

The two newest members of the SGC settled beside each other on the bed closest to Janet.

With a smirk, Janet approached them first. "So, how was your first trip off-world?"

Exchanging glances, both archaeologists smiled. "There were parts I could have lived without," Bernie said honestly. "But for the most part…wow!"

Janet chuckled. "I hear that a lot." She was gently running her hands over Bernie’s throat and jaws. "Anything I should know about?"

"I don’t think so," Bernie replied.

"You have two small contusions here," Janet said, gently probing one of the bruises on Bernie’s face.

"Run in with some idiot slave traders," the archaeologist grumped.

"Morons!" Casey said loudly in a sing-song voice.

"Yes, I heard about that," Janet smiled. "Any other wounds I should know about?"

"Only to my pride," Bernie grumped. "I have a blue belt in karate! Should have been able to wipe the floor with those assholes!"

Daniel cleared his throat. "I do believe they were heavily armed, weren’t they?"

"Well, yes," Bernie admitted…rather unwillingly.

"And Major Wheaton told us to stand down," Mike said quietly. "They’d already knocked out Sanders and Andrews, they’d slapped Lee…chances were they would have become more violent if we’d kept fighting."

Bernie sighed. "I wanted to protect Lee…I didn’t want them touching me…" Her voice trailed off, and she shuddered slightly. Her gaze focused on Daniel. "From now on I’m packing a pistol and a P90. I’ll shoot first and then let Quetzalcoatl sort ‘em all out."

Jack coughed, then grinned. "I think I just might list you with the Marines. They might need your back-up at some point in time," he declared.

"Bernie, you’ve earned your certificates. As a civilian you’re not required to carry a weapon. I don’t think anyone has a problem with you wanting to carry one," Daniel said.

"Good!"

"So, Bernie, would you like to go hunting Ba’al with me?" Casey asked. She gave Daniel an innocent look when he stared at her.

Bernie had read enough mission files to know who Ba’al was, and the reason for the deep hatred that everyone at the SGC held for the Goa’uld. "Sure!"

"The only thing I ask is that you let me slice his ass into calamari rings," Casey continued.

Jack snickered. Daniel snorted. Sam laughed out loud. Even Teal’c chuckled loudly.

"Not a problem," Bernie promised, raising her right hand. "Do you have a good batter recipe?"

Casey blinked twice. Then grinned. "I have one, I don’t know how good it is."

"I have a recipe for calamari rings that is to die for," Bernie grinned.

"Great! I’ll slice him up, you get the batter made, and we’ll fry his ass!"

Jack began to howl with laughter. "I almost feel like I should warn ol’ Balls," he gasped.

Sam was looking from Casey to Bernie and back again. "You aren’t seriously going to eat him?"

Casey’s eyes went wide. "Hell, no! But I have no problem feeding him to the lions in the zoo. You don’t think the batter and deep frying would hurt them, would it?" she asked, addressing her question to Bernie.

"I wouldn’t think so," Bernie replied.

Giving a nod of satisfaction, Casey smiled. "Okay, that’s the plan. Sam knows the secrets to getting us onto the ship before the alarms go off. We just have to wait for him to show up, take his ass out-"

"Mind if I object," Daniel asked, a smile tugging at his lips.

"Not at all," Casey replied flippantly. "You’ll be going along to. You and Rocco will watch our backs."

"What about me?" Jack asked.

"Couldn’t do it without ya, boss," Casey grinned.

Mike shook his head. "So when is this very interesting mission going to happen?"

"As soon as we can find his slimy ass," Casey replied. She heaved a sigh. "The bastard isn’t making it easy. He hides well, like the snaky coward he is."

Janet and the two nurses and three medics had finished their exams. "Well, you’re all medically cleared to go on that interesting mission."

"Let’s grab some lunch, campers," Jack said, his boots hitting the floor. "Then we can tell General Hammond all the great news we’ve learned."

Frowning slightly, Janet glanced at Teal’c. "Great news?"

"Indeed," Teal’c replied. "It would seem that Ba’al created a clone of himself, and neither he nor the clone are aware that the other lives."

Janet’s mouth went into an ‘oh’ of surprise. "You’re kidding?"

"Nope," Jack replied. "And Radar came up with a great idea. We’re gonna let the clone know about Balls, and Balls know about the clone. They’ll fight each other, which will be a nice big red alert to the other snakes-"

"Who will decide that two Ba’als is two too many," Casey jumped in, "and also believe that his holdings are mostly divided in half, which they probably are, and so they’ll jump in thinking they can wipe them both out."

"Which should result in a few other snakes being eliminated," Sam added.

"And we’ll just come in behind and clean up the mess," Daniel finished.

Janet chuckled. "Well, be certain to take lots of video. It should be entertaining!"

"At the very least," Casey grinned.

"Okay, food," Jack said, leading the way toward the door.

Fed and fortified with coffee, the team trooped into the briefing room. Folders were waiting on the conference table, photos from their mission already waiting for them. General Hammond waved at them from his office, where he held the red phone to his ear. Just a few moments later he joined SG-1.

"The President is most anxious to know just what a Tok’ra agent had to relay that required one of our teams and several of our civilians to be kidnapped," the general said, as soon as he was seated.

The team exchanged glances. "They had a legitimate reason, Sir," Jack replied. "The kidnapping was the quickest way to get the word to us without alerting anyone who is watching the Tok’ra…and us."

"I see."

"It seems Ba’al didn’t just create a clone of Radar," Jack continued. "He made one of himself, as well."

"He doesn’t know the clone survived the attack on his ship," Sam added.

"And apparently the clone doesn’t know that Balls is alive," Jack finished.

General Hammond’s eyes were as wide. "The Tok’ra are sure about this?"

Jack nodded. "The agent who told us met both of them. Apparently he’s trying to find out from Amersuesue-"

"Amaterasu," Daniel corrected. "She was the Goa’uld who was helping hide Anubis when he was building that huge ship and creating Kull Warriors."

"So Ba’al wants to know what she knows about that?" Hammond surmised.

"So it would seem," Jack replied.

"Did this Tok’ra agent-"

"Taseem," Casey said quietly. "He’s a very sweet, both he and his host."

Hammond smiled. "So did Taseem know what the Tok’ra Council intends to do about the situation?"

"Actually, Radar came up with a pretty good idea," Jack said.

Daniel nodded. "Taseem seems to believe that the Council will find the idea most suitable."

"And that idea is?" Hammond looked at Casey.

"I just said we should tell the clone that Ba’al is alive, and then tell Ba’al that his clone is alive and trying to take over."

"That would result in Ba’al confronting his clone, and that confrontation is going to alert the rest of the snakes to the fact that there are two Balls’ out there," Jack said.

"Why would Ba’al create a clone of himself?" the general asked.

"So that he could send the clone out to attack other Goa’uld," Daniel replied. "When those Goa’uld strike back, and destroy the clone, which would happen if they all went after him together, they’d believe themselves rid of him. Then, hopefully there will be fighting among those Goa’uld in a bid to become the most powerful. Ba’al waits until they’re knocking each other down and out, comes in behind them and cleans up. Those who survive will be subservient to him."

"Which would focus Ba’al, and all remaining Goa’uld, on us," Hammond sighed.

"Indeed," Teal’c said. "It would be best if this information is relayed as quickly as possible."

General Hammond frowned. "Suggestions on how accomplish this?"

Frowns knitted brows as the team considered the problem.

"We could try to find out where Ba’al is…either one of them," Casey said, watching the faces around her. "Take one our ships and make a little visit. Just pop over to his ship long enough to give him the message, and right back out."

Three pairs of eyes went wide. Daniel stared at his wife.

"Say what?" Daniel asked.

"How hard would it be to just pop over there, give Ba’al the message, and then just take the rings back to whichever ship we take? We could even use the Asgard beaming devices. That could be fun!"

Mike and Bernie exchanged a glance, then watched as the premier team continued to stare at the seer.

"It could work, sirs," Sam said slowly.

"Indeed. Scans could be used locate the Goa’uld," Teal’c added. "It would be possible to beam directly to his position."

"Uh…what about shields?" Jack asked.

Teal’c shook his head. "If Ba’al is far enough from other Goa’uld, he would not leave his shields in place. He would not raise them unless another System Lord approached in a threatening manner."

Bernie frowned. "Why wouldn’t he keep his shields up? An enemy could appear at any time."

"Power consumption," Sam replied. "Shields require a lot of energy. If Ba’al kept the shields up, the drain on his engines would be significant. Then if an enemy did show up, he wouldn’t have power to keep the shields under attack, and might even be unable to move away, and definitely wouldn’t be able to engage his hyper-drive engines."

"Ah, makes sense then," Bernie nodded.

"If we go in cloaked, he’ll never know we’re there," Sam added. "We can program the beaming devices to penetrate our shields, so we don’t have to lower them and expose ourselves."

Jack grinned. "You know this will just totally piss him off."

Casey grinned as well. "Which is why it’s such a great idea."

Hammond’s lips twitched. "Show me a plan for this, and if it’s feasible, I’ll grant permission for SG-1 to carry it out."

"Yes, sir," Jack said.

"There’s always the chance that one will find out about the other before we can do this," Daniel pointed out.

"Don’t rain on my parade," Casey huffed.

"But it’s possible."

"But we won’t know that he…whichever he…knows unless we go out there to tell him. Them." Casey argued.

"Sure we will. We’ll get word from our spies. If one Ba’al finds out about the other, it will make the Goa’uld Times front page," Daniel said.

"I repeat, stop raining on my parade."

General Hammond cleared his throat in an attempt to cover the chuckle that escaped. "I believe it would be a good idea to make certain the clone and Ba’al know about one another." He paused, then looked at Teal’c. "How possible would it be that the clone and the real Ba’al would battle one another?"

"The clone will unquestionably believe himself to be the ‘real’ Ba’al. Just as Young Jack believed himself to be the real O’Neill when he was cloned," Teal’c replied. "Of course the real Ba’al will know that he is facing his clone."

Mike frowned. He’d read the mission reports that dealt with the discovery of the cloning processes the Goa’uld were attempting to perfect. He wasn’t an expert in biology, but still…"But wouldn’t the clone be likely to submit to the real Ba’al?"

"Not necessarily," Daniel said. "Believing himself to be the ‘real’ Ba’al, he would believe the other to be a ‘fake’."

"The chances are great that the clone would believe the Ba’al he is facing is a clever trick being perpetrated by another System Lord," Teal’c added.

Hammond jotted a few notes, nodding his head as he listened. When he looked up, the team was watching him expectantly. "I want a mission plan on this as soon as possible," he said to Jack.

"Yes, sir."

"Now, what about those slave traders?"

"Morons," Casey said under breath.

Jack sighed. "Radar is right, sir. Those guys weren’t the sharpest tools in the shed."

"From the looks of their ship, and them, they aren’t very good at what they do," Sam said. "That ship is barely flying, and those traders aren’t in much better shape."

"So I take it that you don’t believe them to be a threat?" Hammond asked.

"Only to each other," Jack replied. "Taseem said that the so-called leader was pissing off the rest of the crew on a regular basis. Chances are this little ‘fiasco’ of a situation might see him relieved of his ‘leadership’ position."

"At the very least," Sam added. "The others might be angry enough to kill him."

"I see. Do you know their names?"

"I caught a couple of names," Jack said.

"As did I," Teal’c said.

Sam nodded. "I think we all heard at least a couple of the names."

"Put them in your reports. I’ll send those names to our spies and allies. We’ll know if they’re going to try to cause trouble for us."

Casey snorted loudly. Gave an apologetic glance at the base CO. "Sorry, sir. It’s just that those morons are more apt to blow themselves up or strand themselves somewhere in that sorry rust bucket."

Daniel ducked his head, biting his lip to keep from laughing out loud. Jack didn’t bother.

"She’s right, sir," Jack chuckled. "Biggest losers I’ve ever met."

"Like I said…morons," Casey retorted.

General Hammond gave in and began to laugh as well. "I’ll make certain to add that information to the report. Now…I believe the original reason for this mission was the study of a pyramid?"

"Step-pyramid," Daniel said automatically. "I’m afraid the only thing we’ve discovered is a huge mystery."

"So Beth…er…Doctor Meyers told me," Hammond nodded.

"We identified at least twenty different civilizations," Daniel explained. "Native American tribes from the western United States, a half a dozen Central and South American civilization. And Celtic runes as well."

"Celtic runes?"

"Yes, sir. Beth thinks that Celtic explorers or settlers made it into the western part of the country, or into central or south America. And were simply caught with the nearby natives," Daniel explained.

"The message…or story…in each language was the same," Mike offered.

Daniel nodded. "The story told was that the people were taken from their homes, put into a ‘dark cave’, and when the ‘cave’ was opened, they were in a place where there were many people, and most of them had slave tattoos."

"Not all Goa’uld used tattoos, is that correct?" Hammond asked.

"Yes, sir, that’s correct," Daniel confirmed. "Inside the pyramid we found stories of a ‘great battle’, apparently some sort of aerial combat. Then a ‘great white cloud’ filled the valley. When the people woke up they were in a green and lush land."

Hammond was frowning. "Could this have been the Asgard?"

Daniel shrugged. "It’s possible. Although it would be the first time they were so…covert…in their actions."

"I’m not sure that’s correct," Sam said. "Gairwyn and her people knew about the Asgard and Thor only from their myths, and the ‘Hammer’ that had been left to protect them. Until we screwed things up for them, I don’t think they realized that Thor was an actual being. I think the only reason that the Vikings we visited, where Casey was…the leader was…um…"

"Gandalf," Daniel said quietly. That was one mission that he tried not to think about. It had led to the longest, loneliest, most terrifying three months of his life.

Sam nodded. "That’s him. I think the reason he and his people knew about the Asgard was because Thor had battled Yu in their ‘near history’. There were those who witnessed Thor’s Hammer being destroyed, and then the battle between Yu and Thor. And in that battle Thor’s ‘chariot’ most certainly would have been involved."

"I agree," Daniel nodded. "If the Asgard were willing to save the Vikings – and two separate groups from what we know – who were actually quite recent in our history, there’s no reason to believe that they wouldn’t have tried to protect other civilizations farther back in our past that they deemed were in danger from the Goa’uld."

"So you believe it’s possible that there are others that the Asgard have saved or relocated?" Hammond inquired.

"Very possible, Sir. I’d even say it’s likely," Sam nodded. She looked at her teammates. "About those ‘white clouds…Remember when Thor showed when Heru'ur attacked the Cimmerians? We – Daniel, Gairwyn, and myself – were able to contact Thor for help. And he showed up-"

"In his ‘chariot’," Daniel smiled.

Jack frowned. "I don’t remember any ‘white clouds’, but the atmospheric clouds were certainly stirred up when he arrived."

Teal’c nodded. "Indeed. It was quite impressive."

"Could that be what our mystery people saw?" Mike asked.

"It’s possible," Daniel allowed. "But the fact that they saw the ‘white cloud’ and then ‘woke up in a lush and green place’…"

"What about that mist stuff Loki used when he was abducting people?" Jack asked. "It looked kinda cloud like. Could they have used something like that to sedate those people?"

Daniel’s eyes went wide. "Jack, that’s brilliant!"

"It is?" Jack asked incredulously.

"It’s the only explanation!" Daniel exclaimed.

"Except for the fact that we can’t find a single piece of evidence that anyone, let alone a group of people as large as this group had to be, anywhere on the planet," Sam argued.

"Well, not on any of the land," Daniel pointed out. He turned toward General Hammond. "It’s possible that some extreme climate change event occurred, and oceans overtook what land masses were there."

"Do you believe that not knowing what happened to these people could be a threat?" General Hammond asked.

Daniel sighed, then shrugged. "I don’t know," he replied honestly. "If it was the Asgard who moved them to that planet, it’s also possible that they monitored those people. If they suspected that there was danger, it wouldn’t have been impossible to move them again."

"They might not have been able to keep their presence a secret," Sam said. "But I can’t believe the Asgard would move a group of people to a planet in order to save them, and then just abandon them."

Hammond nodded. "Unless your research reveals any threats, I believe we’ll just move this planet to the ‘visited’ list, and leave it as is."

"Yes, sir," Daniel nodded. There was a fair amount of disappointment; the mystery before him was so intriguing…so fascinating. Mysteries had always filled him with the desire…the need…to find the answers and solve the riddles. But there were also times when solving a mystery just wasn’t possible. Or at least…wasn’t possible in the immediate future. For all he knew, another mission to another planet could lead to clues that would help him solve this particular puzzle.

"I’ll expect full reports from all of you. Doctor Loughlin and Doctor Watson, I would like a report from each of you as well. Document what you located on the planet, as well as all of the details of your capture. Anything you can remember, any details about the men involved will be particularly of interest," Hammond said.

"Yes, sir," Mike said, nodding in understanding.

"Yes, sir," Bernie said.

"If that’s all…" Hammond looked at each face, saw nothing that warranted further discussion. "Very well. Dismissed."

SG-1 rose quickly when the general stood to his feet. The new archaeologists were only a few seconds slower.

Nothing was said until General Hammond closed the door between the conference room and his office.

Jack perched on the edge of the table. "So, we’re going to assume the Asgard were behind this?" 

"Well, not the actual abductions," Daniel replied. "But, it does make sense. Fits what evidence we have."

"Do you think it’s possible those people are out there somewhere else?" Casey asked.

"Highly probable."

"If we get a chance, we can have the Prometheus or Daedalus go back and do a few scans in the ocean near that island," Sam said. "They might be able to find traces of roads or even collapsed buildings."

"Well, that’s a problem for later. Let’s get our reports written up," Jack said. He led his team to the elevator.

"I get my report written, and I’m going home," Casey announced.

"Not gonna argue, Radar," Jack said.

"You’re going home, too?"

"Must be a hockey game on," Daniel teased.

"Simpson’s," Jack replied.

Sam smiled. "I’ll stay here and work on-"

"Nope," Jack said immediately. "You can tinker in the basement to your heart’s content. But you’re going home."

Sam’s smile became a grin. "Yes, sir."

Jack grinned in return. And no one missed the wink he gave his wife.

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