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Runaway to Hell

Chapter Thirteen

Ferretti exited the lift with a bounce in his step. He'd just received a private all clear of his med check from Janet and was on his way to give the news to the rest of his team. Not that he'd deliver the outcome in the same manner the CMO had done to him. A sweet long kiss in the seclusion of her office had become Janet's reporting method since they had hooked up. No kiss meant something was wrong, but this time her kiss had held promises of what was to come once their shifts were over. Today was a good day! They finally had a solid lead on Cupid's whereabouts and his team had been the one to find it! It wouldn't be long and Cupid would be back with them and things could get back to normal.

His first stop would be to Nyan, whom he was pretty sure was in one of the Rock rooms and then he'd make his way up to the mess where Dodger and Brooklyn were undoubtedly chewing the fat.

He was partway down the corridor when he saw a shattered mug on the floor. Instantly he was on alert. He cautiously looked into the main office. "Rock Doc? Nyan?"

The room was empty.

The major nearly jumped out of his skin when a high-pitched alarm filtered down the hall. He recognized it instantly. He grabbed the closest thing to a weapon he could find, which turned out to be some sort of gold rod, then skulked to the storeroom where the quantum mirror was being held. He didn't know what to expect when he peeked into the room, but it sure as hell wasn't what he saw.

Rock Doc was out like a light on the floor and a tiny blonde was leaning over him, dressed in BDUs and brightly colored stripy socks. Are we being invaded by fuckin' military pixies now? Glanced at the mirror to make sure that there were no more midget terrorists skipping through and gripped the gold rod like a baseball bat. "Hey, Pixie Chick, step the fuck away from him."

At his growled order the pixie's head shot up and Ferretti was looking into the greenest, widest eyes he'd ever seen, and she put her hands up in surrender. He could already hear the sound of running boots approaching, the Marines on their way in response to the tripped alarm.

Ferretti moved in closer brandishing the rod, forcing the blonde to move deeper into the room and away from the mirror. She didn't look like she had any kind of weapon or device that could knock a man out. And now that she was standing upright, he absently thought she wasn't quite pixie-sized at what he guessed was five foot seven, but he wasn't about to waste a perfectly good nickname over a few inches.

The skinny blonde spoke with a touch of panic in her voice. "Please, I need to talk to General Hammond right away-"

"The only thing I want to hear from your mouth, Pixie Chick, is what the fuck you did to Rock Doc." Now blocking any escape attempt she might try to get to the mirror, he crouched down feeling for a pulse on Daniel's neck. Felt a surge of relief when there was a steady beat beneath his fingers.

Two Marines charged into the room, taking in the situation at a glance. The first grabbed at the blonde, twisting her arms behind her back and snapped a pair of handcuffs on her.

"Take Pixie Chick to the brig." Ferretti ran his hands over Daniel's body, ensuring there were no broken bones. "And someone turn that racket off." The high-pitched wail was grating on his nerves like chalk down a blackboard. If he didn't already have his hands full, he would have done it himself.

The Marine closest to the trip alarms kept his gun trained on the intruder with one hand. The other reached for the switch that would turn off the 'deterrent' noise though not the alarm itself, which would remain on silent mode until it was reset in the control room.

"Please! This is really important!" The woman hastily lowered her voice in the abrupt silence of the room. "I need to talk to General Hammond!"

The soldiers ignored the woman's plea.

Ferretti gestured to the second Marine. "We'll take Rock Doc to the infirmary."

"What about the mirror?" A third Marine edged in, keeping his gun trained on the device. A fourth was by his side.

"Leave it on. If we have to toss her back through it'll be a pain in the ass to find the right reality again. Don't let anyone who comes looking for her through." He gave a nod at the Marine who was going to help carry the downed archaeologist and they carefully hoisted him up. "And inform Hammond that we have a guest."

The two guards nodded, stepping aside to let Ferretti and the Marine through with their precious cargo, and took up defensive positions behind the worktable.

A A A

In the control room, Walter blinked in disbelief as a third crisis hit in as many minutes. People were inexplicably collapsing, then the quantum mirror alarm and now the iris alarm had triggered, indicating some sort of tampering. Before he could even comprehend that the system was being overridden by an external source, the chevrons on the Stargate lit up and the iris spiraled open to reveal an already active incoming wormhole; a wormhole they had had no warning of.

A split second later, two people staggered through the event horizon. The two women grasped at each other to stop themselves from falling.

Walter recognized them instantly and heaved a sigh of relief.

Lya looked apologetically at the Marines pointing their weapons at herself and Rosettym. "Apologies for our unannounced arrival but we were given little choice..."

The two Nox skidded further down the ramp as though pushed by an unseen force.

Rosettym held a palm to her forehead. "Great One, please lower your tone...the Tau'ri have protocols..."

The women again were 'shoved' down the ramp.

Rosettym gave a resigned sigh, her gaze going up to the control room. "We need to speak to SG-1 and General Hammond immediately."

Walter was already dialing the infirmary when the two Nox blinked out of sight.

A A A

Janet's eyes went wide when she saw the procession enter with two more unconscious people. "General, what's going on?"

"I was hoping you could tell me, Doctor," he replied, stepping away from the bed to give the nurses some room. He quickly explained what he had witnessed.

Jack and Sam had been in the process of leaving his office when they had clutched at their ears, hearing something unbearably loud if their grimaces were anything to go by; a sound that no one else had heard, before they dropped like stones. He'd barely crouched beside the colonel, who had been the closest to him, checking for a pulse when the alarms had sounded, screeching unauthorized use of the quantum mirror. Knowing that Marines would already be on their way to investigate he'd pulled two SFs from the 'gate room and his assistant to help carry the downed people to the infirmary, informing Walter over his shoulder that any sit reps should be diverted up there. Entering through the swinging doors, the general was forced to reassess his earlier thought about the mystery sound being secluded to Jack and Sam, for Doctor Fraiser was already examining Teal'c's body on one of the beds. With three of the primary team rendered unconscious, he'd ordered the Marine helping him to lay Jack on the next bed, to check on Doctor Jackson.

Janet gave a bewildered shake of her head, the CO's account being the same as Keelah's, who had been with Teal'c when he'd collapsed and was now hovering anxiously at the side of her lover's bed. She reported what her immediate examination had determined. "Heart rate and blood pressure are normal. Pupils are reacting normally. There are no obvious reasons for why they all collapsed at what seems to be the same time." She was already reaching for a syringe to take a blood sample to run tests. Intent on her current crisis, she barely reacted to the sudden screeching of the klaxons that erupted from the speakers. The doctor just raised her voice to be heard over the din, ordering the nurses to take samples from Jack and Sam.

"What now?" Hammond muttered under his breath, reaching for the phone and dialing the control room's extension. A curse wasn't far behind when he received the busy signal. Tried again with the same results. Realizing that Walter must be trying to call the infirmary, while he was trying to call the control room, he impatiently replaced the receiver in the cradle though he kept a hold of it. Less than a second later the soft tinkle of the phone ringing was barely perceptible over the klaxons but Hammond picked it up before the first chime had finished. "Hammond."

"Sir, two of the Nox arrived quite anxious to see you but they suddenly just disappeared."

Hammond didn't have a chance to respond nor to worry over the fact that the Nox, who were eternally calm in any situation, were being described as 'anxious', as he heard a familiar lilting voice outside the infirmary.

"Great One, stop it!" Lya sounded as close to exasperated as he'd ever heard her.

A moment later the doors swung open by no hand that he could see, and Lya and Rosettym literally skidded into the room.

Rosettym raised her eyes heavenward. "Great One, calm yourself. We are here now and we shall fix what has been wronged."

The two Nox visibly calmed what could only be described as frazzled expressions and the Matriarch gave a weak smile at the base commander.

"Apologies, General Hammond for our abrupt arrival." Rosettym's gaze took in the scene they had been propelled into. "But we can explain the current state of SG-1."

Suddenly the infirmary doors burst open again.

"Out of the way, downed man coming through," Ferretti warned over his shoulder as he backed into the room carrying Daniel. The first person he saw was Hammond by the doors with the phone still clutched in his hand. "Sir, we found him by the quantum mirror with some woman from an AU crouching over him. Don't know what the frig she did to him but he's completely out of it. She's being taken to the brig. No sign of anyone else coming through, but I've got Marines watching it just in case." Busy giving his report, he didn't notice that Janet was guiding him by the first three beds to the final bed in the corner.

He raised an eyebrow at the unexpected sight of the Nox women and gave them an absent nod in greeting. Only after he laid Daniel on the bed did he see that Jack, Sam and Teal'c were in the same condition as the archaeologist. "Huh. I'm guessing the pixie chick had nuthin' to do with what's happened to Rock Doc."

"It's doubtful," Janet said, checking Daniel's vitals to confirm that his condition matched the others.

Lya and Rosettym turned to the doors, expecting the fifth member of the team to be carried in behind the archaeologist. When it became apparent that no one else was coming through Lya cast worried eyes to the General. "Is Annika not on base today?"

"Annika has not been on base for nearly three weeks," Hammond said grimly. "We have no idea where she is."

The two Nox winced. "Great One, please lower your tone. We will find her."

Everyone noticed that when the Nox had winced the bodies of SG-1 had visibly twitched.

With a frown at the apparent connection to her patients and the alien arrivals Janet turned her full attention to the Nox. "What has happened to them?"

"What we have to share requires discretion." Rosettym pointedly looked to the nurses. "I can assure you that SG-1 have not been injured."

Janet immediately cleared the room of the medical personnel.

Hammond in the mean time, finished the call with Walter, who had pretty much surmised the situation through the open line of the phone, then ordered the Marines to report to the quantum mirror. Before they left the general had one of them hand over his radio to him so that they had a form of immediate contact. "Major, I'd like you to find out who the woman from the AU is and why she's here."

"I'll keep you updated, sir." Ferretti gave a nod striding out, his hand going to his radio to have the blonde taken to the room they used for interrogations.

After Ferretti left, Rosettym hesitantly began. "To explain what has happened, we must first reveal a history. A history that we have just learned of a few minutes ago."

Hammond and Janet gave a nod. Both had no doubt that their perception of the universe was about to change with whatever the Nox were about to reveal.

A A A

The Being the Nox knew as their Matriarch, and the Tau'ri had nicknamed Oakey, was feeling something she had never experienced in all her eternity of years of living. Panic. Panic not for herself, but for the young sapling she had accepted into her family, Annika. She couldn't find her no matter how far she sent the tendril of her mind into the expanse of the universe. She had hoped her young sapling had returned to the garden of the SGC, yet as soon as she had searched the planet, she knew the psychic was not there. The essence of the daemon was stale.

Relaying the words of her older saplings to her unconscious younger ones took barely any effort. Soothingly she caressed their groggy minds as they began to stir into wakefulness, feeling contrite for having caused their collapse and a little anxious as to how they would react to her gift. Waiting somewhat impatiently for her clan to finish the explanation, she sensed a different presence. Splitting her consciousness she cautiously sent a tendril of her mind to the new being who was somewhere in the complex. It was met with shy curiosity. Whoever it was, it was no daemon... She paused. There was a familiarity to the essence... Her anger rose when she realized it bore the same hum of the daemon who had deceived her and her brethren. This being was from the same reality as the one who held her sapling captive! Barely reined in her wrath when she sensed no malevolence. In fact it was the total opposite. A kind, compassionate, shy soul...a tortured soul in many ways. Tortured by need to help whatever the cost. Torture, that went deeper than the 'inconvenience' of her current predicament of being confined in the Tau'ri room stopping her quest, to the point where she doubted her own worth. Could it be that this being had been sent to deal with the daemon? She would have to tread carefully with this person. Of course if this person turned out to be involved with the daemon who was ensnaring her sapling and had deceived the Protectors then she would have no hesitation in smiting her right now.

Oakey was surprised that the woman had sensed her presence, although she shouldn't have been. It had been many eons since she had attempted to communicate in her enlightened state rather then through her chosen mortal form of the tree. What would have been barely a whisper of a breeze caused by her leaves was a gale-force wind without the confines of her branches. It was all she could do to pull in her emotions and tone so that she did not deafen those on the mortal realm. She studied the woman, who had a halo of sunshine for the roots the humans called hair, lying on the bed. Considering how to open a dialogue, the woman took the matter out of her branches by speaking somewhat testily, though her emotions were exuding nervousness with a hint of fear.

"Okay, either zap me dead, scramble my brain, or talk to me...just don't keep hovering nearby and scaring the bejeezus out of me!"

Absently Oakey smiled. She did love the forthrightness and openness of those on the mortal realm. Cautiously she spoke, trying to keep her tone soft and gentle so as not to scare and overwhelm the woman’s mind. "Young one, why are you in a forest...universe not your own?"

"I have to see Annika. There's something wrong, something horribly wrong," the blonde whispered in reply. "I need to warn her...except, I screwed up again. I think I'm too late."

"You know my sapling?" Oakey felt guilt blanket the woman at her supposed error. While she was trying to puzzle out who this woman was, that rush of emotion confirmed to Oakey that she was not involved with the daemon. Daemons and their underlings did not possess the compassion and concern that she was unconsciously projecting. However that begged the question of why she would risk the dangers of traversing to an alternate universe to give a warning. And why was there an odd sense of kinship?

"Huh? Sapling?...as in...a tree? Oh great!" she grumped. "I've lost my friggin' mind! I'm talking to a tree!"

"Your mind appears to be sound to me." The essence of the woman was pure, and there was a power glowing around her, a guiding power.

"Thanks...I think. I just...who are you?"

Oakey felt a brush against her mind; it was so brief that it was doubtful the woman was even aware of doing it. Yet that tiny push made her realize why there was that sense of 'family'. A rush of delight rippled through her. This being was related to her counterpart in her reality. In the back of her mind she assumed the being had taken human form to interact in the mortal realm. Gave a joyous caress of welcome to her. "I am one of the Protectors of this universe ... just as you are in yours."

A small frown of confusion marred her features and then her essence blossomed with realization. "The One! You're The One, in this reality that is!"

"I am one of many Protectors." This time it was Oakey who was baffled. "Are you not one of the seventh level beings of your universe?"

"Uh...no? I mean, I know about that level and all, and I know that Miss Eloise, she's my spirit guide, is Ascended, and The Others are on the level above that...but..." her voice faded when she realized she was babbling. "What would make you think I'm a being from the seventh level?"

"You have the...spiritual fortitude imparted to the seventh level...at least in part. You have the guiding light of premonition. And I sense you are immortal." She spoke slowly, trying to work out the obvious differences between their realities. Whereas Oakey and her kind were bestowed with all the powers of the seventh level, it seemed that those powers were individually delegated in the other reality. "I assume you impart that knowledge to 'The One'?"

"I do my best. I'm a seer, yes. Not a very good one, though." She mumbled the latter to herself, unaware that the being could 'hear' her every thought.

Oakey felt that she was still missing something. A delegate of the Protectors should not have such self-doubt. Every mothering instinct in her welled to the surface to reassure the young sapling. "There is no need to downplay your accomplishments, Guide sapling. Your gifts are well cultivated."

"I don't know about 'downplaying' my accomplishments. I just have to face what I can and can't do." If this Being knew the truth, she'd probably render me senseless, the blonde thought.

"'The One' in your reality is a committee of Protectors?" Oakey asked, masking the uneasiness that was beginning to grow with each of the woman's words and thoughts.

"The only committee I know about is the Ascended Committee. Daniel...my husband, the counterpart to the Daniel Jackson in this reality...he's 'The One'."

"You share the humorous disposition of sapling Jack. 'The One' being just a single entity of the mortal realm." Oakey kept her tone light, hoping the woman really did speak in jest.

The woman's burst of laughter echoed in the room. "Sorry, cupcake, like it or not," and I don't, she thought peevishly, "Daniel is it. 'The One'."

For the second time in a matter of minutes, Oakey felt shock, though thankfully she was able to control her emotions before she again rendered her mortal kin unconscious. How could it be that the role of the Protectors was delegated to a single being? How could a single being, and one of the mortal realm at that, be expected to protect all that was on every level of existence? The burden was too much for one to bear. The blonde spoke, distracting her from her silent tirade, which Oakey suspected was her intent.

"What do you mean 'Guide sapling'?"

Oakey gave a start. After so many eons existing as a tree her mental processes thought in terms of flora. She hadn't considered that the Guide of her counterpart would find the reference detrimental. "I do not mean offense. In terms of your immortality you are but a sapling."

"It's okay...I hadn't thought of it that way...wow...you must be really old!" As soon as her voice echoed around the room her cheeks flushed in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, that was so very rude!"

"My age is not something that causes shame," Oakey chuckled. The Guide sapling was endearing in her frankness of speaking whatever popped into her head. The trait reminded her of Annika. Her amusement withered, the comparison reminding her why this conversation was taking place. "My shame is for becoming so complacent in my duties that I and my brethren allowed Ourselves to be deceived."

Compassion swelled in the woman. "I have a friend who says that nothing is so bad that it can't be fixed. I believe him. Whatever it is, it can be fixed."

Oakey was touched that the young sapling would try to comfort her. The Guide was truly a generous soul. She was about to tell her as much but a tiny tingle at the edge of her consciousness distracted her. "Guide sapling, are you with child?"

There was a flash of panic followed by a yearning so brief Oakey doubted the woman would admit to it. "Not that I know of. Why?"

"There is a seedling listening," Oakey replied absently. "One moment..." Ever so gently she scanned the entire length of the seer's body. "...It is not coming from you..." The seventh level being switched her search to the edges of the mental link. On the very outskirts there was a whisper of a third presence. It was scared yet curious. She could sense an untamed wildness in the presence's mental power, like a creeping vine that had been left to grow unattended...at least that was the case until recently. Someone had started to nurture this wild rose. Oakey tried to remain calm at the sudden thought that crossed her mind. For this seedling to have connected to her, there had to be some sort of relationship, a joining root. The Guide sapling's joining root had been her relationship to her counterpart, 'The One'. This seedling was not one of the Nox; that much she knew from the alien nature of its essence, and besides which, it was making contact from the sector of the universe opposite to Nox soil. There was only one of her saplings that she could not precisely locate. Somehow this seedling was rooted to Annika. And it had to be a physical connection for one did not 'accidentally connect' to a being such as herself. She extended the mental link so that the Guide would also sense it. "Seedling, who are you?"

There was a mental jerk as the new presence was startled at being addressed directly. The fear increased, and both Oakey and the seer felt the seedling start to draw away.

Oakey gave a slight nudge to the Guide, encouraging her to speak for both of them, for she didn't want to scare the seedling off by inadvertently 'yelling'. The nudge, however, was unnecessary, the Guide instinctively jumping in to try to reassure the skittish presence.

"It's okay...don't be afraid. My name is Casey," she said, concentrating on mentally projecting her thoughts to the distant ‘visitor’. "My...friend...is, um...er...I don't know your name."

"My Tau'ri saplings call me Oakey," she replied softly, sending out as much of the kindness and maternal instincts as she could towards the presence. At the same time it hit her that she hadn't formally introduced herself and despite the circumstances her natural mischievousness seeped out. "It is an honor to meet you, Guide sapling Casey."

"Um...yeah...pleasure to make your acquaintance," Casey replied almost absently, her focus still on the child. "This is Oakey. What's your name?"

Both Oakey and Casey waited anxiously for a reply.

There was a long pause then a small voice clearly that of a child, whispered back. "Sachee."

"And where are you, Sachee?"

"At home."

The Marines had been trying for a good couple of minutes to catch the prisoner's attention. Because there was now some doubt as to whether she was friend or foe, thanks to Ferretti's update that the rest of SG-1 were also unconscious, they wanted to give her the courtesy of informing her where they'd been ordered to take her. Yet, the blonde had been having an intense conversation with the dust mites since she had entered the cell. Unable to delay carrying out their orders any longer, the Marine with the seniority raised his voice. "Hey, lady!"

Oakey gave a sniff of annoyance at the distraction of a loud voice coming from the physical realm. Surveyed the room where the Guide was, to see two Tau'ri soldiers had entered to escort her to the interrogation room. Considered translocating the pair out so that the Guide could concentrate fully on the conversation with the seedling. However Casey hardly reacted, simply allowing them to lead her. Oakey once again divided her consciousness, ensuring a tendril stood guard over the woman being escorted. If those men let the Guide so much as stub the rainbow-striped bark of her feet they would find themselves on the far side of the galaxy.

"Do you know what you did to make you...um...visit...with us?" Casey asked, unaware that she spoke the question aloud as well as mentally, causing her escorts to exchange bewildered glances.

"No." Sachee's voice trembled. "I was walking with Myst and then she suddenly cried out like she was hurting really bad and then she grabbed her ears...and...and she fell and hit her head and now she won't wake up."

"It's okay, honey. Is Myst breathing?"

"Yes."

The connection wavered.

"Sachee, please don't go."

On the other side of the galaxy, Sachee quickly returned her hand to where it had been. When her friend had fallen it had taken all of her might to roll her onto her back. She'd crouched over her and brushed her hair from her face, hoping to see Myst's eyes open. Swallowing the lump of fear in her throat when her hope wasn't answered, she had noticed a strange purple glow on Myst's forehead in the shape of a star. Tentatively she had touched it and suddenly she had heard the strange voices in her head. Too stunned to move she had remained in her awkward position, but now having a sense of comfort from the people she was talking to, had relaxed back to sit down and her hand had slipped slightly from the glowing mark. "Sorry...I let go for a second."

Oakey worried that the seedling would sever the connection before they could confirm that she was indeed with her missing sapling, very gently planted the direction for the conversation to take in the Guide's mind.

"Sachee, who is Myst?"

"My friend." Sachee replied with a touch of pride. "She's teaching me how to use my gift."

"Does she have red hair?"

"Nuh uh, black." The young psychic recalled her first meeting with Myst. Instinct made her mention it. "But that's not her real color."

Oakey was about to prompt a direct question about Annika's identity when images began to flash. She nearly gave a howl of grief as she recognized the woman in the vision hazily being projected from the seedling. Her sapling, her face tear-stained, violet eyes full of such heartache. Guilt threatened to swamp Oakey as the image changed, and Annika's pain increased to a rawness of utter devastation as she ran through a forest; a forest that Oakey was intimately familiar with, for the soil Annika staggered over was where she had planted her roots for eons.

Having seen the visions as well, Casey wracked her mind for a feature that Annika couldn't disguise, to determine once and for all if this 'Myst' was indeed Annika. "Does she have violet eyes?"

"Yep. They're very pretty."

"Oakey, can you sense Annika?"

"No. She's being shielded. I do not know how we are even able to sense the seedling." Oakey wouldn't try to delve into the specific mechanics of Sachee's connection, not now anyway.

"Backdoor bypass, I guess." Casey shrugged, not knowing where that 'explanation' had come from.

"You're the tree that made Myst cry," Sachee accused, having just realized why she had a sense of familiarity of the being who had remained mostly silent during this bizarre chat. The vision she'd had of Myst running had prompted the memory of her vision from a week ago. "Cry a lot."

"I was be-spelled, Little Seedling," Oakey said softly, unable to hide the guilt and the horror of what she had unknowingly done and the pain she had inflicted on Annika.

"We'd like to apologize to Myst," Casey interjected. "Can you tell us where your home is?"

"It's the Empyrean Loft. A ship."

"Don't suppose you know the coordinates?"

"No." Sachee paused in thought. "But do you know the man with the blue eyes Myst loves so much?"

"Yes."

"We'll be docking real soon where he saw her save my daddy."

"Thank you, Sachee."

They felt the connection waver again.

Sachee looked up at the sound of approaching footfalls that turned to running as soon as the person rounded the corner and saw her sitting by Myst's body. She heaved a sigh of relief. "My daddy's coming..."

"Wait, don't let go of Myst!"

But the presence of the young psychic disappeared.

Throughout the conversation Oakey had been trying to use the connection to trace where in the universe the seedling and her missing sapling were, however though she was able to narrow it down to one small sector, the exact positioning still eluded her. Stifling her frustration, she consoled herself with the knowledge that thanks to the seedling they knew where her sapling would soon be. It was with some amusement that she heard the guide sapling give a somewhat exasperated sigh at the Marines charged with relocating her, who had not the ability to listen in on their conversation.

"What, you've never talked to a tree and a little girl in your head before?"

A A A

Lya caught the concerned look the doctor gave to the unconscious team members. "They will wake shortly. The Great One will relay what Rosettym will say to their minds until they rouse."

"Great One?"

"The being from whence our immediate bloodline originated," the younger Nox clarified.

"You know there are different levels of existence." Rosettym started slowly, still reeling from the knowledge herself. "The mortal plane where we exist as flesh and blood and the level of Ascension are the lowest of the nine levels. The beings we know as our Matriarchs, the Great Trees, are members of the third highest level. They existed scores of millennia before the Nox as a species were conceived. They were known back then as the Protectors. They were chosen because they were benevolent by nature, above the often petty squabbles of the other levels, and because they have an incorruptible love of life, non-judgmental of any being regardless of the level of existence."

"An ideology you also have," Hammond commented.

Lya smiled. "We were fortunate to have inherited much of the Great Ones' attributes."

"Their duty was to protect all the levels from malicious interference that could disrupt the balance of the universe...peacekeepers with unlimited power to ensure harmony. They have the authority to even...chastise...those in the levels above them."

Lya gave the two humans a hesitant smile, seeing that they were trying to wrap their heads around the concept. "It is like your position, Doctor Fraiser, as Chief Medical Officer. You are of lower rank to General Hammond, but in medical emergencies you can override the General."

Rosettym continued on. "The Protectors carried out their duty with honor and determination, expunging any sort of threat from the realm until none remained. Eons passed with the peace not being disturbed. To...er...occupy themselves, and to remind themselves of who and what they were protecting, they settled on the mortal plane, taking the form of the Great Trees we know them as today, but they remained and always will be, the Protectors of our universe. They became...complacent, for none had dared to interfere for such a long time. That is until today, when they learned they had been deceived. The emotions they felt were so intense that they rippled throughout the galaxy. Because the Nox are genetically linked to the Trees, all of the Nox were rendered unconscious for a brief time."

"I don't understand," Hammond frowned. "Then why were my people also affected?"

Rosettym took a deep breath. "The Great One you know as Oakey wished to know her youngest saplings, but the human life span is less than a blink for such an old being. She imparted some of her sap to SG-1 so that she may experience time with them."

"Sap?" the general raised an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry," the Nox grimaced. "She has been a Tree for so long she thinks like one. Sap is her life force."

Janet gave her head a shake. "There's been no change in their DNA."

"There won't be. The changes go beyond what you call DNA."

"Oy." Jack, coming around, groggily sat up. Now that was just freaky. He was pretty damned sure that he'd been out for the count and yet there was voice in his head that had steadily been relaying every word in the room. Even more bizarre that the voice was apparently Oakey, who, if he was understanding things correctly, had just become his Mother. "If I start sprouting twigs for hair I won't be a happy camper."

"I'm sure the twigs will be a nice ash grey to match your current style," Daniel quipped, giving his head a shake to clear the fogginess of his mind. Talk about information overload. His wife was missing, being controlled by a being who had the deviousness and subtlety to hoodwink a seventh level being, who by coincidence happened to be the gentle Matriarch who'd welcomed SG-1 into her branches, and had literally blown her tree when she had found out, rendering them unconscious... His thoughts ground to a halt. That Oakey had tweaked their life span was of so little consequence right now. And damn if he wasn't sure that there was something else that he should be remembering... He bolted into a sitting position. "My wife! Casey!"

All heads turned in astonishment to the archaeologist.

"Ah, Danny," Jack said slowly, concerned that his friend had got his brains knocked about when he fell. "Your wife, Annika."

"No." Daniel batted away the penlight that Janet had immediately flashed into his eye testing for a concussion. "Casey Jackson made contact through the quantum mirror just before I collapsed. She wanted to see Annika."

"Which Casey?" Still a little disorientated, Sam cautiously sat up swinging her legs over the side of the bed.

The archaeologist blinked. "You know, I have no idea."

"Why don't we find out?" Hammond's tone was dry, immediately putting two and two together of who the blonde prisoner currently on the way to interrogation was. He lifted the radio to his mouth. "Major Ferretti, please escort Mrs Jackson to the infirmary ASAP."

Ferretti, who was just exiting the elevator, stopped in mid-stride to the interrogation room. Absently noted that the Marines had just beaten him to the room with Pixie Chick, though for whatever reason they had halted in the corridor. He stared at the radio as though Hammond had spoken double Dutch. He'd love to escort Cupid to the infirmary…the trouble was Cupid wasn't in their galaxy at the moment, let alone on base. Had the General flipped the lid? "Excuse me, sir, can you repeat those orders?"

In the background he heard the blonde say a bit defensively, "What, you've never talked to a tree and little girl in your head before?" And he so didn't want to know what the fuck that was about. He had a possibly crazy CO on his hands. A tad anxiously he waited for the general to reply.

"Can you please escort Mrs Ja-" Hammond cut off as it registered that the Major had not been privy to the conversation in the infirmary. "Please escort..." he paused, it wasn't right to refer to the alternate Mrs Jackson as a prisoner. "...Pixie Chick...to the infirmary as our guest."

"Yes, sir." The Major breathed a little easier as it clicked in his head the identity of Pixie Chick. With the sanity of his boss intact, he replaced the radio at his hip and crooked his finger at the blonde. "Change of plan, Pixie Chick. Hammond wants to see you."

Shoving his hands in his pockets, a gesture that should have made the Marines relax, since it obviously meant the woman was no longer considered a threat, he frowned a little at the relief on the Marines faces. Watching the blonde hurry towards him, he couldn't help but give the AU Rock Doc a silent thumbs up. It seemed that the archaeologist managed to snag a beauty whatever reality he existed in. It got him wondering about his own counterpart in her world.

The blonde's mouth opened to speak, but before she could ask a question Ferretti probably wouldn't have the answer to, his curiosity interceded. "So am I hooked up with Doc Fraiser in your world?"

Green eyes went wide. "Um...no."

He was a little crushed by her open shock at the suggestion. Stepping into the lift and hitting the button for level twenty-one, he figured there was no reason he couldn't give 'himself' a heads up. "Well, let your Ferretti know that he doesn't know what he's missing."

If anything her eyes went wider, then Ferretti's mimicked the action as she suddenly vanished from the car. "What the fuck?" He waved his hand around the spot where she had been. What kind of crazy day was this turning into? With a sigh he once again reached for his radio. "General Hammond, a slight snag, Pixie Chick just disappeared before my eyes."

A A A

Teal'c, also now fully conscious, gave Keelah's hand curled around his, a comforting squeeze, assuring her that he was alright. He accepted the knowledge that he and his teammates had been genetically altered without batting an eye. The reason for the visit from the wife of Daniel Jackson’s counterpart would be known soon enough. He moved on to the important details. "What manner of creature could deceive a seventh level being?"

Before anyone could answer, Hammond's radio crackled to life again. "Sir, it's Rogers in the mirror room. We have an alternate Doctor Jackson seeking permission to come through. Apparently the woman we have in holding is his wife."

Hammond glanced at his Daniel Jackson, silently running through what he knew of entropic cascade failure caused by having two of the same person in the same reality. It should be safe for at least two days, providing a third Daniel Jackson didn't arrive. Gave his mind a mental shake at how bizarre it was that he had that knowledge at his fingertips. "Let him through and escort him to the infirmary."

"Yes, sir."

Hammond had barely lowered the radio when Ferretti's voice echoed through.

"General Hammond, a slight snag, Pixie Chick just disappeared before my eyes."

The major hadn't even finished speaking when the air shimmered and the woman in question was standing in the middle of the infirmary with a wide-eyed look of surprise on her face.

"Um...sorry, sir." Casey wobbled a bit at the sudden relocation. "But it seems Oakey is..."

"Impatient."

Hammond, Janet and Keelah blinked as the word tumbled from the mouths of everyone else in the room except theirs.

"Mrs Jackson," Hammond refrained from holding out his hand in a traditional greeting, a habit he had learned from Annika as far as 'psychic etiquette' went. He gave a simple nod. "I apologize for your treatment upon arrival in our reality."

Casey gave a tentative smile. "That's alright, sir. That would be pretty much SOP in my world too." Her gaze swept over SG-1 sitting on the beds. Guessed that Daniel hadn't been the only one rendered unconscious. The smile she gave Daniel was wider. "It's good to see everyone's okay."

Daniel's returning smile was weak at best.

With her back to the infirmary doors, Casey didn't see them swing open as another person entered the now crowded room.

The AU archaeologist's face was a mask of concern as he took in at a glance all of SG-1, not just his counterpart, being the obvious patients. The concern deepened at the gauntness of his double's features. Blue eyes widened slightly at the two Nox also present. "What the-?" he muttered more to himself than anyone. His frown turned to relief to see his wife standing in the middle of the room.

Casey whirled around at the sound of her husband's voice and launched herself into his arms. His arms closed around her tightly.

Daniel felt a stab of longing and heartache at the reunion. How long would it be before he was able to hold Annika like that?

The other Daniel caught the look on his face and reluctantly relaxed his embrace. He held up the pair of boots he'd collected from the mirror room. "I believe these are yours, Cinderella."

Casey smiled. "I always knew you were my Prince Charming."

He offered the boots to her again.

She flopped onto the only empty bed in the room, held one brightly socked foot towards him. "Aren't you going to do the Prince Charming thing?"

His smile was playful. "Hadn't planned on it."

She huffed a sigh, started to reach for the boots.

"Didn't say I wouldn't do it," he grinned lazily. He was completely oblivious to their audience as he held the first boot while she pushed her foot into it. He rested the sole against his thigh, began to lace it. "What's going on?" he asked quietly, as he held the other boot for her, began lacing it as well.

Everyone except Hammond, Janet and Keelah heard Oakey give a rumble of impatience. Not wanting to waste time by having the mortals verbally explain to the identical sapling of Daniel, she took matters into her own vines. "It is an honor to meet thee, Protector Sapling. Apologies for the mental intrusion but time is fleeting." Gently she caressed the man's mind, relaying the events that had caused his wife to travel to this reality, including the 'simplistic' version the Nox had given, in a series of images.

The other members of SG-1, still a little disorientated from being knocked out and somewhat reeling over Oakey's gift, had dazedly been watching the reunion of the alternate universe couple while their minds comprehended everything. When the archaeologist's hands paused in tying up Casey's laces, his eyes going wide in shock, they surmised that Oakey was giving him the crib notes version of today.

"Daniel?" Casey asked softly, worried about how her husband would cope with the barrage.

"Got it, Angel," he said, tapping his temple with his index finger. "I think I know how you feel when you get one of your downloads."

His slightly bemused comment brought the others back to the matter at hand. Oakey's gift wasn't important right now; they'd process that later, after they made their team whole again.

"Sweet!" Jack clapped his hands together, drawing everyone's attention to him. "Now that we're all caught up with the local gossip, can we get back to what thing could mess with Oakey?"

"A daemon," Rosettym replied aloud for the benefit of the trio who were not connected to her Matriarch. "One of its abilities is the power of illusion."

"What was the illusion?" Sam asked.

"It masked Annika's essence from the Great Trees when she went to them for guidance. And disrupted Their sense of time passing. They did not remember your visit when you went in search of her. They believed that only a day has passed, not half a moon cycle."

"A daemon," Jack repeated the word. "Don't you mean demon?"

Lya shook her head. "They are different entities."

"What's the difference besides the spelling?"

Both Daniel's automatically launched into lecture mode.

"A demon is a..."

"A daemon is a..."

"Nuh uh!" Jack held up his hand cutting the archaeologists off. "Just one of you."

The two Daniel's exchanged wry grins. Daniel gestured for their guest to do the honors.

"A demon is an evil spirit. A daemon is a subordinate deity from classical mythology."

"If Oakey is a seventh level being, does that mean She can destroy the daemon that is manipulating Annika?" Keelah asked.

"She can," Rosettym confirmed slowly.

Identifying the entity did nothing to ease the anxiety and fear that had been clawing at Daniel for his wife. If anything it made it worse. "So why hasn't She?"

"This being is not of this universe. It came from an alternate reality." The clan leader nodded towards the two visitors. "Yours. Each reality has its own essence. To destroy one from a different reality is complicated. If the being were mortal, then it would not matter, however, this being is not mortal. Destroying it here, could also affect its original reality and any other realities where the being's essence has been left. It can be done, just not simply."

"There's another reason." Sam wasn't the only one to pick up on the hesitancy of Rosettym's words.

Both Nox nodded but it was Lya who responded, the worry in her tone clear. "This being is using Annika as a vessel. If the Great One tries to destroy it now, She will also destroy Annika. It needs to be separated from Annika beforehand."

"We've dealt with daemons before." The alternate Daniel's hand of its own accord reached for his wife's, a gesture of comfort at the memory of past experiences.

"Maybe that's why I was compelled to contact Annika," Casey proposed. "Well, that and the fact that the daemon came from our reality in the first place."

Infuriatingly the radio still clasped in Hammond's hand once again crackled to life.

"Uh, sir, it's Rogers again. We have Colonel O'Neill, Major Carter and Teal'c at the mirror now. They're offering to help."

Jack was the first to voice his opinion. "Things are complicated enough without adding more doubles."

Hammond couldn't argue with that. "Sergeant, we're still trying to get the whole story. We'll update them when we can."

"Yes, sir."

The general looked at Casey and her husband. "You were saying?"

"There was a group of renegade daemons," the alternate Daniel picked up where he'd left off. "Had delusions of ridding the universe of the Ascended, and setting themselves up as gods to be worshipped by mortals."

"That has a familiar ring to it," Jack snorted.

The archaeologist nodded. "Yeah, but these snakes have more power than the Goa'uld."

"Apparently they weren't too concerned about the reactions of those on the higher levels," Casey added. "Since none of them deigned to stop what was happening in the first place."

Oakey gave an irritated rustle of her leaves which made Casey giggle, but left the members of SG-1 exchanging looks of puzzlement over why. It had been their experience that anyone on and beyond the Ascended plane were just as apathetic here, present company excluded.

"I...it was up to me..." the alternate Daniel shook his head. "Casey is my Guide. She'd warned me that I was going to have to face the daemons-"

"Why you?" Daniel asked, a frown deepening the worried creases on his face.

"Because I'm The One in my universe," his counterpart replied, his cheeks turning ruddy at the admission.

Rosettym and Lya gasped out loud. Once again Janet, Keelah and the general were oblivious to the mutters of outrage that the others heard.

"The One?" Janet asked.

"Um...a Protector," Casey 'translated' what she had learned from her conversation with Oakey. "From what I understand, Oakey is one of many in this universe who have that role...In ours there's just the one. Daniel."

"We knew at least one of them escaped," the other Daniel continued. "But we didn't know where to. I assumed it was to one of the higher planes in our reality."

"How did you vanquish the daemons in your reality?" Teal'c asked.

He lowered his head. Took a deep breath. Looked up at the Jaffa. "I didn't. I..."

Casey squeezed his fingers. "Daniel refused to be used like a tool...a robot sent to do the job of the Ascended Committee. Higher level beings...I'm not sure what level...destroyed the daemons. Or so we thought."

"Can Oakey track this daemon?" Daniel looked to the Nox, who technically were now his blood kin. "If its essence is different from our reality..." he let the sentence hang.

Lya looked troubled. "The Great One has tried. The daemon has been traversing all around our universe. It has left residue wherever it has been. She can't distinguish its current location amongst the...smell...of the residue."

"So we're back to where we started," the archaeologist sighed. "We still don't know where my wife is."

Casey raised her hand. "I know where she will be." The blonde quickly relayed the conversation she’d had with Oakey and the 'seedling' Sachee while she was being dragged to the brig.

"Damn," Daniel muttered a curse, the blonde’s explanation triggering a realization. "That's what Annika's original vision of that planet was about...why it showed us on the wrong side of the square to where she actually was. It wasn't showing the 'first' time we went there, it was showing us going back."

"You think Casper knows that vision was about now?" Jack waved his hand around the room indicating the present time.

Teal'c was the first to shake his head. "She would have deleted it from the memory device, or rather the daemon would have made her delete it."

"It's possible Annika's subconscious planted that vision, slipping it in where the daemon wouldn't find it." Sam was thinking about the 'clues' Annika had been giving them, including her reports to Hammond. "That vision was tagged on to an unrelated vision. Remember, we wondered why it seemed to runoff the first vision as though they were connected, when clearly they weren't. That anomaly was what sent us to that planet in the first place."

"She was trying to warn us." Daniel's voice was filled with guilt. "We just didn't interpret it correctly."

His counterpart's expression became thoughtful. "Actually, you did. If you hadn't interpreted it the way you did, you wouldn't have gone to the planet the first time. You wouldn't be able to understand the...um...'seedling's' description of where the ship will dock. Events played out this way for a reason..."

"What reason?" Daniel butted in harshly. "I've...we've...been through three weeks of hell! I can only imagine what Annika's going through being possessed by this thing. What possible reason is there for that?"

The members of SG-1 from both realities felt a gentle caress on their minds and heard Oakey's slightly chastising whisper.

"We are but one tree in the forest."

It took a few moments for them to interpret the comment.

"Go figure," Jack gave a huff. "The universe doesn't revolve around us." It just felt like everyone and everything was out to get them, he silently groused.

"The seedling...Sachee," Casey said quietly. "If you had brought Annika home the first time, she would never have met Sachee. And Sachee needed to meet Annika. The psychic power of that little girl is strong, it has to be for her to have connected to our conversation. From what I understood, Annika is helping her harness her gift."

"There had to have been an easier way to get Annika and her to meet," Daniel grumped.

There was another caress from Oakey. "Interconnecting roots took advantage of the situation."

"So not the reason, but a reason." Sam glanced at Daniel, taking in the creases of bone weariness marring his face that had become more pronounced with each passing day. The fact was 'a' reason was little comfort to any of them.

"I'm not defending the 'Fate' that kept Annika from you," Casey started softly, "But I can understand it. Having a 'gift' emerge is a hell of an ordeal for a child who doesn't have a clue to what's happening. I was all of eleven years old, and terrified of what I was seeing...and hearing...and sensing. Things that no one else could see, or hear, or sense. If it hadn't been for my Grandma Rose, and Miss Eloise, I'm not sure I'd have survived with my sanity intact, and my gift wasn't nearly as strong as this little girl's seems to be. This 'Sachee' is a child, I sensed she's not even ten yet...I can only imagine how frightened she must be, how desperate she is…was…to have someone understand, someone to help her. Imagine her relief when Annika...well, Sachee called her 'Myst'...showed up."

Daniel recalled what he knew of Annika's childhood surrounding her gift and couldn't argue with the blonde. Something else clicked in his head. His gaze landed on the Nox, felt the presence of Oakey at the edges of his mind. He stared blindly at the wall thinking of the adapted isolation room beyond the infirmary. A glance at his teammates, and he saw they were rapidly drawing the same conclusion and that they didn't like it any more than he. "And we weren't prepared to bring Annika home any time sooner."

"But we're ready now." Jack's eyes glinted with determination. Determination that was reflected in every one of his team's faces. "Okay, campers, let’s get busy on a game plan."

Within a few minutes the primary team, accustomed to making quick risk assessments and decisions, had hashed out a plan with contingencies. All of it adaptable to whatever curve balls the mission could throw at them.

For the most part Casey and her husband kept quiet, letting the team figure out the details of the rescue, but as they were wrapping things up, the archaeologist quietly interrupted.

"I'd like to help. This daemon came from our reality. I'm responsible."

Jack frowned. It had been his experience that the bad guys did whatever the hell they wanted and the only one responsible for the daemon being here was the daemon itself.

"We'd like to help," Casey quickly jumped in, with a slight glare at her husband for the protective gesture of leaving her out of the offer.

The team leader glanced at Hammond, who gave a barely perceptible shrug, leaving the decision to him, since Jack would be in charge of the mission. He weighed the pros and cons. He didn't miss the immediate concern in the archaeologist's eyes and the flash of defiance between husband and wife, born of the need to keep their partner safe. He had also noticed that from the moment the word 'daemon' had been mentioned, the archaeologist had shifted into protective mode. He pointed to his best friend's double. "You, we can use." He took a breath before focusing on the blonde. "You will stay here."

Casey opened her mouth in the inevitable protest, but Jack cut her off.

"This daemon has a thing for psychics. There's no point in taking along a spare for it to latch onto. I know my Daniel, and if your Daniel is anything like my Daniel then I can't have him being distracted by wanting to protect you when you do your hocus pocus thing." Jack had another thought and he raised his eyes to the air around them. "Oakey, if we felt your sonic temper tantrum then 'it' did too. You plant your roots right here."

There was a ripple through the air that even Hammond, Janet and Keelah felt.

"Rustle your leaves, all you want." Jack stood his ground. "You're not coming with us."

"Sir," Sam hesitantly spoke. "You're giving orders to a seventh level being."

"I don't care," Jack retorted. "I've had it up to here," his hand made a cutting motion above his head, "with beings messing with my team, no matter how good or bad their intentions. I will not endanger Casper any more than she is now. If you don't like it then everyone can toddle back to their respective universes and soil."

For a moment there was only silence, Jack as surprised at his outburst as everyone else. It had started as a way to take the brunt of Casey's 'annoyance' at being left behind, for he needed the AU Daniel focused only on the mission at hand, not feeling guilty for leaving his wife behind. However it had morphed into a true reflection of Jack's pent up emotions and frustration of the last three weeks, and particularly this day. Emotions that he really didn't have the time to deal with right now, time being so crucial.

The alternate Daniel turned to his wife, his eyes slightly pleading for her to understand. "I have to go with them, Angel."

"I know," she gave a sigh. "Doesn't mean I have to like it."

"Oakey?" Jack waited for the entity to respond to his ultimatum. There was another rumble but then Jack felt a gentle pat on his head. Though he could sense that She wasn't happy about the demand, there was a motherly pride in her sapling for simply having the gall to make it in the first place. "Right, let's gear up. We bug out in ten minutes."

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