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Runaway To Hell

Chapter Eighteen

Keelah literally felt a shiver run through her at the identical expressions that crossed the Nox faces; both of the aliens gripping their forearms from the image the Great One projected to their minds. "What is it?"

"The daemon has injured Annika." Lya slid off the gurney that she had been sitting on and headed for the infirmary exit; she was already drawing on the healing energy of Life through her fingers to assist.

Though Rosettym's first instinct was also to help, she laid a restraining hand on her impetuous younger cousin. "Lya, we cannot. The daemon can't know of our presence due to our connection to the Great One." The Nox matriarch cast a worried glance at the former slave. "Any assistance must come from what methods the Tau'ri have until the daemon is removed from Annika's mind."

Keelah nodded in understanding, as did Jenkins, who reached for a med kit. This time it was Keelah who halted the rush to help. "If the daemon is making Annika hurt herself, then anything in that bag is a weapon."

The doctor frowned at the dilemma. "We have to do something."

Keelah couldn't say if it was the seventh level being who made one of the scars on her back itch at that precise moment, or if it was coincidence. However, she didn't question it because it gave her an idea. In two quick strides she was across the room to the small cabinet by the wall and yanked open the third drawer down. Without hesitation she snatched up the single item inside and bolted to the corridor. Running to the isolation room she saw Teal'c just disappear inside and she heard the raised voices of Daniel and Annika, both of them desperate in their pleas. Skidding to a stop at the door, she saw Sam was also inside, trying to examine a deep gash to the psychic's forearm. "Sam!" She beckoned to the colonel, holding up the device.

A A A

Sam and Teal'c practically leapt down the stairs from the observation deck to get into the room. In a glance they took in the large pool of blood staining the sheets and dripping through Daniel's fingers.

Annika barely noticed the new arrivals, focused on her struggle against Daniel. "No! It's the only way! You took away all my other options! This is the only one left. Why couldn't you just let me go, forget about me?

"How can I forget about you when your face is imprinted on my heart?" Daniel demanded, fear making his voice harsh. He spared a look at his teammates, absently wondering if the color had drained from his face as it had theirs. He lip read Sam's order to try to keep Annika distracted. He returned his full attention to his wife, speaking from his shattering heart, picking up where he'd left off but a second ago. "When your smile makes the blood flow through my veins? When your voice is the only thing my ears are demanding to hear?"

"It's the only way I can stop SG-1...stop you, from being destroyed." Annika tried to jerk her bleeding hand back, but Teal'c's hands closed over her fingers and elbow so that Sam could examine the wound. "Don't you see that?"

"Don't you see, you are already destroying us!" Daniel retaliated. "Destroying me! If you die it will rip my heart out. You'll be destroying me!"

"I'm so tired of running…of fighting the compulsion to stay with you," Annika cried, despair closing over her. "I don't have the strength to stay away anymore, but if I stay my vision will come true and I can't watch you die."

"It's deep," Sam said softly, her tone etched with worry. "Hit a vein." She twisted her head around at Keelah calling her name. The look of relief that crossed her sapphire eyes was tangible and she spoke over her shoulder to Daniel as she ran to Keelah, knowing the device wouldn't work within the shielded room. "Daniel, get Annika over to the doorway!"

The archaeologist, still trying in vain to plead with his wife, twisted so that Annika's back was against his chest and began half pushing, half carrying her, fighting against Annika, who had locked her legs in order to stop the movement. "So your solution is to make me watch you die?" His throwing her 'logic' back at her stunned Annika for a second and he implored, "Please, let us help you."

"Please," she sobbed, "just let me die."

"No! I can't...I won't do that!" With Teal'c's help, Daniel managed to thrust Annika's hand out of the shielded area where Sam was waiting with the Goa'uld healing device already glowing in activation.

A A A

"What was that about?" Young Jack asked. Wasn't sure that he really wanted to know, but anything was better than having to discuss what his counterpart had just told him. Clone? No freaking way.

"Annika has been...possessed...by a daemon," Daniel said. "A daemon who escaped from our reality. We can't come back until it's resolved, one way or another."

"You gonna use your cool blue fireballs on it?"

"Actually, I don't think that will be necessary."

Before the archaeologist could explain about his counterpart in this reality, Casey interrupted. She'd been staring at the doorway for the few seconds since Jack had bolted through it, trying to figure out the reason for the annoying poking in the back of her mind. "Daniel, I don't know why, but we have to be with them." She pointed to the floors above.

Daniel saw the worry reflected in her green eyes, and reached for her hand. He glanced through the mirror at his teammates, who were still reeling from the revelation that Jack was a clone. Hated to leave them right now, but he didn't have a choice. They had to see the battle of the daemon through to the end. "We'll be back." He dashed through the door, tugging Casey after him. "Any more details?"

Casey was about to reply in the negative when they both heard Oakey's voice reverberate in their minds.

"Guide sapling, you are needed." She had been puzzling over the incident in the alternate reality that she had taken from their minds. Just as the daemon had attacked her sapling, she had realized what the anomaly had been. "The daemon is connected to you as well."

"What?" A shiver ran through the blonde at the mere idea.

"I can only assume it was an inadvertent mistake from your previous experience with him. In his haste to escape he left a...hook...in your mind. It must be removed before I can smite him."

"How do we get rid of it?" Daniel asked, hitting the elevator button for the second time in the vain attempt to get it to arrive quicker.

"I can do that without harm to your mate, Chosen sapling," Oakey assured. "But not until after Mibi's influence has been removed from my sapling."

"Okay," Casey said slowly, heaving a sigh of relief when the lift doors finally opened. Practically leapt into the car with Daniel a hair's breadth behind. "I take it that I need to be near the daemon to remove this hook?"

"Yes. I need you as close as possible to ensure every trace of the daemon's essence is removed. However you must time your entry precisely. If the daemon sees you too soon, I fear it will react badly."

"Just let us know when to go in," Daniel replied.

"We?" Casey balked at the suggestion of Daniel putting himself at risk needlessly. "Daniel, you don't have to be there...right, Oakey?"

Daniel cut in, not giving the seventh level being a chance to answer. "You think I'd let you go into a room with a daemon…alone?"

Despite the urgency of the situation, Oakey couldn't help but smile at the protective flare-up of emotions from the couple. "Your strength will be of assistance, Chosen sapling."

Before he could question the use of the word 'strength', the lift doors were opening on level twenty-two, and the sound of raised, desperate voices echoed down the hall. Giving Casey's hand a squeeze, they silently crept up to the isolation room.

A A A

The elevator doors had barely begun to open when Jack was squeezing through them. Oakey had flashed images into his mind, the most efficient sit rep he'd ever received, so that he knew precisely what was happening. The Great Being had also given a warning. Barreling down the corridor, a tiny bit of tension eased to see that Sam was successfully using the snake gizmo on Casper's arm. "We gotta tell her about the unwanted houseguest."

"But she is too weak for such a battle." Teal'c could feel how little strength the psychic had through his hold on Annika's arm, despite the 'show' of physical resistance she was still putting on.

"Woody authority says we have no choice."

Grimly the team nodded, accepting the word of Oakey.

The healing process complete, Sam let the device flicker off and Daniel backed Annika completely into the shielding once more. Jack, Sam and Keelah quickly followed, preparing themselves for god knew what.

Jack jumped right in. "Casper, you've got a daemon messing with your head."

The declaration threw Annika for a moment, then she shook her head in denial. "No, I don't. It's a lie."

"What possible motive would we have to lie to you?" Sam shot back. "The daemon came from an alternate reality…Casey and Daniel's reality. That's why they're here."

Annika vehemently shook her head. "No! I would have sensed it."

"It used the scar left behind by Anubis as a way into your mind," Daniel spoke softly but firmly into her ear. "It started off very subtle, three months ago, manipulating your dreams."

"I don't believe you."

"The death dreams are not visions," Teal'c added. "They are nothing more than the manipulations of the daemon."

At the Jaffa's words, those facing Annika saw the barest hint of self-doubt cross her eyes and they pressed on, determined to wear down her denial.

"The auras you're seeing in the nightmares," Sam said. "They're not yours and ours. It's the daemon's."

"How do you know about-" Annika cut off, her tone becoming accusing. "You read my journal? How dare you! Those were my private thoughts."

"That's just it, they weren't your thoughts," Daniel tightened his arms around her. "You can clearly see the handwriting change from yours to his. Mibi manipulated you."

"No!" Annika felt a burst of fear and shock streak through her at the name. Why would a name cause me such surprise? her mind whispered, before the question was shoved aside by frantic denial. "I distinctly remember everything. I remember having those thoughts."

"He made you think that." Keelah twisted her hands together in anxiety. "Guiding you to think the worst possible lies about yourself and your gifts."

Again Annika shook her head, though it was a tad slower than any of her previous denials. "It...it's not possible."

"We deal with the so called 'impossible' all the time at the SGC," Sam added. "Why should today be any different?"

"Annika Jackson, you have always preached the value of keeping an open mind," Teal'c pressed. He wasn't the only one to notice that the psychic's struggles had diminished with every plea that he and his teammates had given. "Apply your philosophy to yourself."

"My Angel, if you're so convinced that we're wrong," Daniel said quietly. "The least you can do is take a look around your own mind yourself."

"Yeah, Casper," Jack gently grasped her face between his hands. ""Prove to us that we're wrong."

Annika's mind was screaming 'No' so loudly it caused a thumping in her head. But then a whisper somehow penetrated, that nagging doubt from earlier urging her to look. It was that voice, as much as the heartfelt 'arguments' of her team that made her ponder the possibility they could be correct. It was the strangest feeling, because while she was pretty damned positive that she had been guided by that inner voice for nearly all her life, she bizarrely had the fleeting notion that she hadn't listened to it for a long time. Which didn't make sense...for it had been so insistent and persuasive these last few months...hadn't it?

She twisted her head to look into the eyes of the man whom she trusted more than anyone she had ever known, who made her heart sing with joy and love...whose blue depths were now pleading with her.

"Please."

Daniel's voice was barely a whisper, yet that single word was filled with such emotion that despite the repeating denial in her head, she couldn't say no. She gave a single nod. The moment she did, the 'yelling' in her mind abruptly cut off. The sudden silence was ominous and it sent a shiver rippling though her. For a moment her mind went blank with fear...fear of what she could find...fear of the consequences if she found nothing. Then she felt Daniel's arms tighten fractionally around her and for the first time in what seemed like forever she felt safe. It gave her the courage to draw in the first calming breath of meditation.

Annika focused on a random spot on the wall, long past the beginner's need to have a specific object to concentrate on to assist in the process. Each steady breath in and out drew her deeper into the meditative state. She frowned when a black shadow skirted the edge of her vision, distracting her. Putting it down to someone in the room simply moving, she tried again. The second time it happened, she was unaware of turning her head to follow the 'movement' to see who in the room was inadvertently breaking her concentration. Blinked when she found herself staring at the side of the room where no one was physically standing. Slowly turning her head back she saw that her team hadn't moved a muscle.

"What is it?" Daniel asked softly. "What do you see?"

"I don't know," she murmured. "A shadow." Once again she led herself through the meditation. The shadow appeared for a third time. She didn't try to look at it directly. Instead she waited to see what it would do, if anything. For a long moment it remained like a mist, then it began to splinter off into tiny threads. When it flitted across her line of sight, Annika realized that the shadow wasn't spreading over the wall, rather it was spreading across her eye itself. The shadow was coming from within herself. With a distinct tremble she lifted her now healed wrist.

Daniel moved his hand up with hers so as not to break his wife's concentration. Could tell that she had forgotten that they were cuffed together.

The sight of her blood still wet on her skin wasn't what made her gasp. The smudge that lined her forearm where she had sliced her vein open did. She jerked her other hand up, studying her fingers that had held the pyramid ring. The shadow was darker there. "Oh gods." She automatically tried to wipe it away even as her mind told her that there were no physical smudges, that they were spiritual residue left behind.

The logic behind Mibi's attempt to kill Annika was that if she were dead, he would no longer be bound to her. With that attempt a failure, and with the psychic beginning to see with her third eye his influence, he made a desperate attempt to break free.

There was a sudden roaring in her ears. Annika's head was yanked back, as though someone had pulled at her hair, colliding with Daniel's shoulder so hard that she saw stars behind her eyes.

The concerned faces of everyone in the room distinctly saw Annika's feet lift off the ground a couple of inches.

Daniel felt her body rise, pulled by the unseen force. He suspected that the only reason Annika didn't go flying was because of his firm embrace already in place around her.

It took a moment for SG-1's minds to comprehend that the 'jumping' act was Mibi trying to get away. Which was followed by confusion as to why and how the daemon had failed. As far as the team was aware, the manipulation within Annika's mind was all controlled by Mibi.

Then the teary words of Sachee reverberated in Daniel's mind. "My Angel, you need to let the daemon go. Release him."

A sense of horror was descending over Annika. Oh my god, what have I done? Daniel's voice barely penetrated her hearing. "Let go? Of what? You think I'd willing hold onto this thing?" Bile rose in her throat as for the first time she actually felt something squirming in her mind.

"You were protecting us, Casper. You took the daemon away from us," Jack spoke calmly. "To stop it from escaping to mess with someone else you've latched onto it."

None of the team reacted to that new snippet their team leader spouted off without a trace of doubt. Concluded that Oakey must have passed that along with Her warning that they could no longer wait.

Damn near beyond panicking when the subconscious mental chain binding him to Annika remained intact, Mibi nearly froze in terror when he saw a shadow outside in the corridor. The One, it could only be The One, waiting for him to break free of the psychic so that he could kill him. Mibi did the only he could. Escape was no longer an option, not in his natural form. So he'd imbed himself so deeply in Annika's mind that he couldn't be extracted without killing her. The love the team had for her would stop them from harming her, and The One wouldn't raise a hand against an innocent. Mibi barely hesitated. He dove into the abyss of Annika's mind, searching for a safe place to burrow deep.

"But how..." Annika cut off. What felt like a sudden gust of wind hit the crown of her head and there was a sudden pressure building inside her skull. "Oh gods, get it out!"

Annika's head flopped forward and when she dazedly lifted her chin from her chest, violet eyes glowed red for a second.

"Fight him." Daniel tried to keep the fear from his voice. "You can do this."

Annika broke out in a cold sweat, in a mad effort to insert protective blocks around her mind, herding the daemon's presence and taint to one section of her mind. Gritted her teeth as Mibi bounced against the 'incarceration', trying to find a weak spot.

Mibi sensed a slight 'sag' in the barrier and he concentrated his efforts on that one spot, convinced that he'd be able to break through.

Annika cried out; the sharp pounding was like a broken bone being repeatedly hit.

Daniel could physically feel her strength ebbing. "Take what you need from me."

Annika fought both against Mibi and Daniel's offer. This was 'her' problem...if she hadn't been so stupid and lax to have allowed the daemon to manipulate her she wouldn't be in this mess. She had dealt with her mental battles on her own before the blessed few months of having SG-1's support, and again just these last few weeks. It was her battle!

Daniel waited for the distinct 'pull' through their bond but it never came. There was just the ever weakening pulse beneath his solar plexus. "Please, Annika." Was Mibi going to win after all? Because of Annika's stubborn pride, would she drain herself to the point of death? "Don't let your stubborn independent streak let Mibi win," he hissed, contemplating forcing his energy through their bond. Then her fingers linked with his and steadily he felt her drawing on his strength.

Annika cocooned her mind with Daniel’s love, and Mibi’s pounding lessened to a tiny degree. It allowed her to wonder what was causing that ‘dent’ Mibi was so intent on hammering. Was it the scar left behind by Anubis? Carefully she probed the area. At first she couldn’t sense anything in her mind’s eye, however the more she concentrated on it, the clearer it became. She could feel the veil which she hadn’t even had an inkling of before now, begin to lift. The ‘dent’ took a form that she could recognize. Unfortunately, because Mibi was in her head, he also saw the ‘transformation’.

Mibi’s efforts, that had begun to weaken, were renewed with ferocious vigor. He had to break that chain! His survival depended on it!

Annika gasped at the onslaught and her sight was bombarded by images of death and destruction with her nightmare ‘visions’. The images didn’t quite have the affect the daemon was hoping for. He was hoping to distract her, to incite the fear and panic that he’d so easily implanted for the last three months. However, now knowing the nightmares were false, and having them repeat over and over again fueled anger inside her. Anger at having been used...at having her psychic ability and her trust in that ability abused in such a way...anger at the being that had caused so much heartache and pain. She used that rage, directing it towards the daemon to try to shove him out of her head. However, even with Daniel’s help, she could sense that it wouldn’t be enough. She was too tired both physically and mentally to even budge the daemon let alone banish him from her. It was all she could do stop him from breaking through her hastily erected mental barrier.

Eyes wide with fear and desperation she focused beyond the images haunting her sight to her team waiting anxiously for the invisible fight to be over, one way or the other. Her hand stretched out, trembling with the effort to move. "I...I need you."

"Casper, all you ever needed was to ask." Jack’s fingers closed around hers.

Barely a second later Sam grasped Annika’s other hand. Teal’c and Keelah reached out to her wrists.

The sudden rush of strength and support that flooded into Annika made her legs tremble, but she ignored it, focusing all her will against the daemon.

Mibi gave a howl of desperation when he felt a jolt as the combined strength of SG-1 shoved him to the outskirts of Annika’s mind. He scrambled to grab a mental purchase to stop his ‘eviction’ but the barrier encasing him was so smooth and without flaw, that there was nowhere for him to grab onto. Then there was a final surge of energy; he could literally feel the strength of the team pulling together for one last 'shove'. It filled him with such dread that he knew he had but seconds to live...

The daemon saw a tiny flicker, like a hair reflecting in the light that was leading away from Annika. Was that a possible escape? It was also attached to him... Desperation making him erratic, he didn’t stop to wonder who this mysterious second connection was with. He let Annika push him out into the open using the last of her and her team’s strength. Mibi’s sole focus was on that hair-thin thread. He flew down it. It barely registered that he was flying directly towards The Guide before he felt the jerk of the chain from Annika’s mind and a triumphant rumble.

"And now, you are mine." Oakey closed her essence around the daemon. Gently the Great Being removed the hook within the Guide Sapling's mind, freeing the blonde from the daemon's malevolent influence, then returned her attention to Annika. "It is safe to let go, my sapling. The daemon will not escape my branches."

Annika couldn’t help but flinch at the gentle caress of the Great Tree in her mind. The memory of Her attack on the Nox planet and Mibi’s fear of Her was still too fresh in Annika’s mind. Nevertheless, she still trusted Oakey. With the pressure and pain of Mibi's defense gone, she was able to focus on the chain her mind had created without her conscious knowledge. She shoved aside the mixed feelings she had over that concept. Bad enough that she had been used as a pawn by a daemon, but to have her own subconscious 'step in' and still not have an inkling of it happening...that scared her as much as the daemon. Did she have no control over her own mind? Had she ever? Cautiously she examined the chain her mind had created and found the metaphorical lock. She willed it to unlock. As the latch burst open and the chain floated free, Annika felt like a ton weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Her head spun and she wobbled on her feet.

"We've got you, My Angel," Daniel whispered, placing a soft kiss to her cheek.

The psychic gave a tentative smile, but for the moment she was unable to meet anyone's eyes. Guilt and loathing, shame of what she'd done, was quickly overcoming the shock of being possessed. Not ready to deal with that just yet, she searched for anything else to focus on. Only then did it occur to her how odd it was that the Tree from the Nox planet was involved in this situation at all. "Oakey?"

"All shall be explained, my precious sapling. But first, wrongs must be put right. I must return this parasite to the higher planes of its own reality." Oakey paused. "Would you like to bear witness to the daemon's demise? I can project my actions to you."

"Damned straight we would," Jack's reply was immediate. Absently he saw Casey and the other Daniel hesitantly step into the room looking a tad shaken. As yet Jack hadn't moved since grasping Casper's hand. He hadn't wanted to distract her while she was doing her hocus pocus. But now with the danger over, he wasn't entirely sure that he had the energy to take a step anyway. Could possibly manage a controlled fall if the need arose. Though it had taken only a few seconds, the energy needed to remove Mibi had been draining on all of them. He glanced at his teammates, making sure they were all okay. Aside from looking exhausted, they seemed fine. All the same, Jack hoped that no one decided to shift just yet. The way they were arranged right now, they were all leaning into each other...supporting... and that, Jack thought, is how it's supposed to be.

The rest of the team's acceptance of Her offer was just as quick as Jack's but Oakey was waiting for just one reply. The seventh level being's soul ached for the trauma Annika had been through. The sense of violation and shock was pouring from the psychic in waves and she knew just how fragile Annika's state of mind was in this moment. While seeing the daemon's death would give closure to her ordeal, Oakey wouldn't risk traumatizing her sapling further by not receiving permission first.

Annika fought down a rush of fear at the mere idea of another mental link. Apparently, fear had been controlling her actions for months, even if that fear had been implanted by the daemon. She couldn't let it control her anymore. "Yes."

Daniel could feel how petrified his wife was. Ever so gently he sent his love and support through their bond, not entirely sure how it would be received. Given the manipulation of Mibi, of all the 'false' emotions that technically weren't her own no matter how real they had felt, that had tormented her, he wouldn't be surprised if she rejected his emotions. Tears pricked his eyes when he felt their bond flinch at his caress. Damn, if I could kill that daemon myself, I would...slowly and excruciatingly.

After three weeks of blocking, it was reflex for Annika to shy away from Daniel's emotions. Then with trepidation she identified the feelings, scared that Mibi had succeeded in his plan to drive a wedge between Daniel and her. In those few moments she had been aware of the daemon in her head, she had gleaned his 'ultimate' intent...to destroy Daniel Jackson, whatever reality he may be in. Mibi's hatred of the archaeologist was like nothing she'd ever sensed before, and hoped that she never would again. Words couldn't express the relief that flooded her to find only his love and concern for her and a heightened sense of protectiveness. Almost desperately she latched onto his emotions.

A tear did escape from Daniel's eye when he felt a tidal wave of Annika's emotions hit him beneath his heart.

Oh gods, how I've missed feeling him! It had been so hard to maintain the block for all these weeks. Whatever 'repercussions' her actions had caused, as long as she had Daniel, she would get through it. Jack's hand gave a gentle squeeze and it drew her attention to the rest of her team. As long as she had them, she'd be okay. This time her smile was stronger. She glanced up to see with her third eye the shadow struggling within Oakey's grasp. "Let's get it done." Gritting her teeth, she was determined not to flinch at Oakey's soft touch to her mind.

The seventh level being's caress felt like a gentle breeze on their faces making them blink. When their eyes opened the world they were standing in began to fade into a mist.

"I am on the threshold of reality," Oakey softly informed them.

Despite the roller coaster ride of the day, Annika's curiosity was tweaked. Didn't need her psychic abilities to know that her team was also curious. She felt her throat close up. How had she ever thought that it was a good idea to abandon them?

The rustle of leaves was the only warning they had that Oakey was about to make her move. In a blink they sensed more than saw, the being shed the semblance of the kind, benevolent Matriarch she had contentedly existed as for eons. When she crossed over the threshold, she entered as the seventh level being, Protector of the balance of Life, that she was.

Her entrance, which was the equivalent of a sonic boom on the higher planes of existence, caused quite a flurry of activity. Much to the amusement of the all the SG-1 observers, three Ascended beings appeared before the 'rumble' through the universe had tapered off.

"Why are you here?" the oldest of the 'greeters' asked coldly.

The other two tried not to stare at the 'visitor'.

Without the constraints of a mortal body, a higher being's size in its natural form tended to be based on the amount of power it could wield. The more power it had the larger it was. Normally, unconcerned with 'boasting' appearances, most of the beings, regardless of their level of existence, used an unpretentious form such as a human body. Oakey, however, had no intention of maintaining that 'courtesy'. She towered over the Ascended beings, and while she had restrained her size to a certain degree, the pearly white glow that exuded from her 'body' told them just how powerful she was. Accustomed to the form of a tree, she had adopted the bark she was most comfortable in, though her trunk had blossomed into a female head and torso and splintered into arms and legs. Her hair was a mass of vines that trailed down her back and rippled with a life of their own, each strand capable of independent movement should she need it. On her left side there was a bundle of vines covered in thorns and briars holding the daemon. On her right, a bundle of eight vines with a blossom on the end of each, which they guessed correctly were the 'portals' Oakey had created for them to look through. One of the eight blossoms was a pale shade of blue that represented The One.

"I am here to correct the heinous errors that your Protectors have made," Oakey replied with a snort of disdainful disbelief. It didn't even take a glance for Her to know that these weeds were nothing more than lackeys despite having positions on the Ascended Committee of this realm. The very air around her vibrated with her rage. A being with unlimited power arrives out of nowhere, and they merely send three Ascended, who could do nothing but cause an itch in her bark? She flicked a vine at them. "Scurry off and fetch Those who are responsible for this menace to roam free, or I will leave no star or nova unturned until I find them myself."

The three, who had the appearance of elderly women, exchanged frightened glances, then they vanished.

Oakey tapped her foot impatiently. Irked at the initial attitude of the trio. Weeds thinking that they're oaks, she grumped.

"This is gonna be a good show," Jack quipped, resisting the urge to rub his hands together in glee; he still wasn't confident that he wouldn't drop like a stone if he moved. It was nice for a change to not be the ones doing the ass-whipping. "We should have popcorn."

Casey couldn't help but giggle at both Oakey's and Jack's comments. "Our Jack's going to be so bummed that he missed this."

The remark drew Oakey's attention. "Apologies that I did not think of that." She paused. "I have no connection to your teammates...a verbal link must be made before I can safely project images to their minds. Would they be offended if they received only an aural projection?"

"I don't think they would be," Daniel replied, stifling a chuckle. They'd probably think they were going nuts, but he doubted they'd find it offensive. It then occurred to him that Oakey hadn't made a 'verbal link' before she had 'updated' him on events when he'd first stepped through the mirror.

Almost immediately Oakey replied to the thought. "You are different, Chosen sapling. We are linked on an entirely different level." She paused. When she had created the flower viewing portals she had intentionally made them only one way, so that her saplings could see without those in the alternate reality being aware of their voyeurism. Primarily she did this to give, particularly Annika, a sense of 'normalcy', for the experience would be similar to modified Goa'uld device she used for her visions. The only difference would be that there would be no emotional transference that so often accompanied her visions, something she knew Annika would be grateful for right now. However, since Oakey was basically 'invading' The One's garden, she thought it was only right that he be allowed to play a more active role should he desire. "Chosen sapling, should you object to my methods, please do not hesitate to speak up..." She gave a sheepish sigh. "Today I fear my emotions may get the better of me."

"They'll be able to hear me?" Daniel asked surprised.

Oakey chuckled. "Not even I would dare to silence a fellow Protector, especially in his own garden. It may be disconcerting, but you and your Guide will be connected to both my and your gardens."

"Okay," Daniel agreed.

It took barely a moment for Oakey to locate the remaining members of SG-1 who belonged to this reality. Three extra vines with only partially opened blossoms joined the eight portal flowers. Yet there was no time to introduce herself for four glowing beings appeared. Oakey supposed a little snippily, that the weeds were too frightened to return. Probably for good reason she conceded. She recognized the fifth level beings from the memory she'd 'borrowed' from The Chosen and Guide. She rounded on the beings. "You have allowed one of your own to cause untold harm and grief…" she shook the thorny cage at them, "to wreak havoc in not only your reality but in mine."

One of the beings shrugged. "And yet the balance of the universe is restored with your actions to return him."

Oakey’s eyes narrowed. "No, not quite." Quicker than the eye could see, Oakey tossed the daemon at the four beings.

Mibi felt a millisecond of hope that he was simply being transferred to their custody before Oakey exerted her power.

A flash of burning light consumed him then he exploded in a rain of fiery ash. The fifth level beings spluttered in outrage at the indignity of Oakey’s act. They weren’t given the chance to wipe the filth of the daemon’s taint from themselves, for a new group of beings appeared, these ones as powerful as the seventh level being.

"So you’ve finally bothered to investigate your garden," Oakey drawled. "Nice to know you've a seed of moral fiber."

The leader of the group drifted forward, not acknowledging the sarcasm of his counterpart. "Have you come to merely..." he glanced at the fifth level beings trying madly to wipe the residue of the daemon from themselves, "tease our lower level beings?"

"They got off lightly for their error," Oakey retorted. "But it is not the fault of the flower if the stem is of no support."

"By ‘stem’ you mean us?" A faint air of amusement rose from the four beings.

Oakey bristled at the placating tone. "You should have been struck down for your failure to protect the Innocent! You have much to account for."

"What actions have we to defend?" He seemed genuinely curious.

"Why have you given the task of The One to a mere mortal?" Oakey demanded to know.

"He was chosen according to our...prophecies," was the haughty reply.

"Such a role shouldn't be given to a being who can ultimately 'die'. The burden of responsibility is too much for a 'mere mortal'. How can one being be expected to protect every inch of the universe and every level in between when he lacks the 'fluidity' to 'hear' everything going on?"

"But that is why he was given the power he possesses, and why only one who had a Guide could be considered for the position. Both were given immortality, as were his Protectors. The One needs only to protect...there is no need for him to be omnipotent." The being who was speaking seemed to study Oakey for several long moments. "Your role of 'Protector' is one you have acquired, it was not your original purpose. Do you deny that it was mere boredom and curiosity that sent you to the level of the mortal beings? Not the grandiose purpose of protecting the Innocent."

"No, we don't deny it. Because we did our tasks! We rid our garden of the malevolent beings who would threaten it. We lived for scores of millennia in complete peace."

"At what cost? How many of your own kind did you destroy in your quest to be rid of all those with whom you disagreed? Where is the free will among those of your kind?"

"We were chosen by those on the ninth level as the Protectors because of our ability to remain impartial. We did not let petty squabbles or personal feelings mar our judgment. Free will exists in our reality because of us."

The being remained silent. For all that they might have wished to deny the charges, they realized that this Protector spoke the truth. The rules of the nine levels had been put into place to prevent chaos. They had not, however, allowed enough latitude with which to prevent their own kind, and those of the lower levels, to shirk their duty as the Protectors of the Innocent.

"Even free will must exist within the governing rules of the Universe," Oakey continued, pressing on with her diatribe.

"Your words echo loudly with truth."

"No shit, Sherlock," Jack muttered.

"Um...Jack...don't get snarky with God," Casey forgot that it wasn't her Jack that she was hearing.

"However, The One will continue to be a Protector in this reality. Who better to protect the Innocent than one who walks among them? He will not do so alone."

"And you expect me to believe that promise? When all evidence up to this point shows that you will shirk your duty at the first opportunity?"

"If I may..." The One spoke, just a bit timidly, "I think they have learned their lesson. Being threatened with nothing less than total annihilation is a pretty good incentive."

Oakey saw three new beings appear by her bundle of blossoms, hovering protectively around the pale blue flower. So the seventh level beings of this reality weren't totally inept. They had assigned guardians to observe. She studied the souls of the Triad. Loyal to a fault to The One, and had bent the rules on occasion to help him. She returned her attention to The One's suggestion. Gave a sniff of disagreement, but conceded to him, this was after all, his reality to protect. "Your Chosen Protector is more forgiving than I. Chosen sapling, should your 'higher beings' not heed my warning, you need only contact me or my kin and we shall be more than happy to follow through with our threat."

"Um...thanks," Daniel said, a bit amused, and a lot overwhelmed. He had just been offered the equivalent of his own 'backup' against beings he couldn't even comprehend. Unaware of his protection, and oblivious to the fact that his 'private' thoughts, his very emotions were laid open to these higher beings, Daniel continued to struggle with his guilt. Had he just done what had been expected of him, none of this would have happened. In a fit of self-righteous indignation, he'd allowed one of the most dangerous daemons to escape, and the result had been heart wrenching.

Casey took note of what Oakey said, and tucked the promise away in her heart. If she ever needed the help, she wouldn't hesitate to call on her newfound friend. Daniel was a forgiving man by his very nature. As the Guide to The One, she didn't have that luxury. Whatever it took to protect him, she would do; even if that meant calling on the Protective Trees of another reality.

"We will not tolerate any further interference from you," the seventh level being warned.

Oakey gave a snort of disdain, highly doubting that they would object to someone else doing their job for them, not with their passed history. However, she acknowledged the warning. "Though it has been eons since the Protectors of my garden have gone into battle, we have more experience than you since you have never used your abilities in such a manner. I hope we never have the cause to put those skills to further test here."

She turned her attention to The One, more than a little concerned about the emotions that were rolling from him in waves. "Protector, you have the burden of a conscience so pure that it can tear you apart when things do not go as planned. You are one being, and as your Beings have pointed out, you are not omnipotent. You could not foresee the mischief Mibi would cause." Oakey gently caressed Casey's mind. "And neither could you, Guide sapling."

Casey started. Her own guilt made her stagger mentally. "But I'm his Guide! I should have seen this! What good is a gift that doesn't help protect Him...or my friends?" Annika's face, twisted in anger as she hurled those hurtful, hateful words filled her memory. "It's my fault that Annika suffered so!"

"No, Angel," Daniel murmured softly. "It's my fault for letting the bastard get away."

"I and my kin, we are a spiritual forest, tasked with the job of Protectors. Your forest is of the mortal realm, your team and the people who surround you. Neither of you are at fault. The protection of my garden rests solely on my kin and I. We became complacent. We had been so long without threat that we missed the warning sound of Mibi's arrival."

"Had I done what was expected of me, that threat never would have reached you," Daniel insisted.

"Had the higher beings of your reality not shirked their duty then Mibi and the other rogue elements would not have been given the chance to escape," Oakey replied gently.

Daniel couldn't help but smile. "That's true."

Casey nodded. "Yeah, it is true."

"We can continue to play the blame game for many eons to come. None of us can change what has happened. Guilt serves no purpose except to cause doubt that will affect your future actions. Doubt that neither of us can afford to have. Learn from it, but do not let it consume you."

Daniel let the words fill his mind...echo in his heart. He grabbed at the comfort they offered. "Let it go, Angel," he whispered, hoping that Casey would take the comfort as well. After all, Oakey was stating the simple facts of the matter.

Some lessons were horribly painful. This, Casey decided, was one of the worst. She felt the soft caress against her mind. "Right. We move forward, and do our best in the future," she said softly.

"Your best is all that anyone can ask. Mistakes happen on all the levels of existence. Just listen to your soul to guide you and it will not fault you." Oakey gently caressed the mind of her counterpart, scooping up the guilt that had been hounding him. The One didn’t need the burden; his responsibility was big enough as it was. For that matter the Guide didn’t need it either...

Daniel closed his eyes at her whisper soft caress. "Thanks," he said gratefully.

Casey felt the gentle withdraw of Oakey's 'touch'. With it went the guilt that had plagued her for months.

Oakey was surprised by how much guilt the couple had created. Juggling the guilt in her vines, she wondered what to do with it. She couldn’t just release it for it to fall on some poor unsuspecting soul...it would cripple anyone less than The One and His Guide. Movement from the sidelines drew her attention to the fifth level beings that had monumentally screwed up their task. Perfect. With a flick of her vine she sent the bundle of guilt and doubt at them. Couldn’t help but chuckle as three of the beings staggered to their knees under the weight, causing a resounding clap of thunder as they hit the 'ground' of the higher plane.

Casey 'watched' for a moment. "Sucks to be you, I guess," she said, understanding that for the first time in eons, the fifth level beings were dealing with the consequences of their actions.

The seventh level beings watched silently as the members writhed beneath the weight of the guilt, what had been harbored by two mere mortals. Their silent communion with one another led to a nodding of heads. They had chosen well. Daniel Jackson was indeed The One. His Guide was every bit as strong as her husband. With a flick of invisible fingers, the fifth level beings disappeared, returned to their level of existence to deal with the consequences of their actions - or lack thereof - for eternity.

Oakey had taken the guilt from Daniel and Casey as one Protector assisting another, knowing that to allow the guilt to continue to fill their hearts and minds would only hinder them in the positions they held in their reality. And by doing so in the presence of the higher beings of their reality no one could fault them for what she had done.

She then turned to the team of her reality, intending to relieve the burden from them as well, though her reasoning for this was more of motherly concern. She wanted to spare her saplings any more heartache, especially since it was because of a lapse in her duty that it had ever come to pass.

Annika felt a gentle caress on her mind, and from the slight 'shifting' of her team around her she guessed that they were feeling it too. The guilt that been eating away at her since she 'woke up' in the isolation room started to siphon off. But damn, that wasn't right. She had screamed such awful things to the people who were closest to her heart…she hadn't trusted them enough to tell them what she'd been feeling...

Oakey frowned. "Saplings, you are not at fault either."

At the Tree's words, Annika realized that she wasn't the only one resisting the 'help' being offered. When she felt the Great Being persist, she jerked away. "No. They're my emotions..." She could feel herself becoming overwhelmed. With the 'threat' gone, all she wanted, needed, was to be alone in her own head. Though it took monumental effort to leave the soft 'embrace' of the Matriarch, she broke free and suddenly found herself staring at the familiar grey walls of the SGC.

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