Co-written with Margo.
DISCLAIMER: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, Gekko Productions; all the powers that be, not me; This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money exchanged hands. No copyright infringement intended. The story is the property of the authors and may not be posted without the authors's consent.
AUTHORS' NOTES: This story started out based on an idea Margo had, but then we got stuck. Half a year later we changed perspectives and came up with a whole other ending. Hope you like it! Let us know….

Big thanks to our lovely beta readers.... Sandra G, Sandra W, Ellen and Mary.... you're the best! What would we have done without you....

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The Stargate disengaged as SG-1 walked down the ramp passing their weapons and gear to the armory personnel.

Colonel Jack O'Neill as usual was the last to exit the wormhole and was bringing up the rear behind Teal'c, Dr. Daniel Jackson and Major Samantha Carter. General George Hammond stood in the Control Room listening to the friendly bantering going on between the team. As usual, Colonel O'Neill was baiting Dr. Jackson.

"Daniel, it was a roooooock!" the Colonel announced with a wide smile and a slap on Daniel's shoulder, exaggerating the word for the archaeologist's benefit.

"You know sometimes, Jack you can be a real ass! That artifact has writing on it at least a thousand years old. And you were throwing it around!"

"SG-1, welcome home! Report to the infirmary. Debriefing is in one hour," General Hammond interrupted the discussion.

"Yes, Sir," Colonel O'Neill threw a salute towards the observation window and led his team through the blast doors.

><><><><><

"Okay people, if there is nothing else to report, you are on stand-down for five days." General Hammond was once again amazed how much valuable information SG-1 had brought back. This group of individuals with their distinct differences had melded together to form a perfect team. Colonel O'Neill had the ability to access their individual strengths and build on them. Yeah, all the SG Teams were superior, but this particular one was special and unique. Uniquely formed by the ex-Special Forces, career military man Colonel Jack O'Neill, the whiz-kid Dr. Daniel Jackson being both the linguist and the archaeologist of the team, Dr. Samantha Carter as the astrophysicist, also a Major in the Air Force and the Jaffa Teal'c, an alien who has proven to be invaluable to the program.

"Yes, Sir. Okay, kids. You heard the General. I want you to leave the base and have some fun. Carter, this means no hiding out in your lab. The same goes for you, Daniel. Teal'c, I know you'll have fun." Jack had to smile at the expression on Teal'c's face. "I'll see you guys on Monday." With a wave of his hand, the Colonel headed for the door.

General Hammond walked towards his office overhearing the conversation. He suppressed a smile as he stepped inside his office, closing the door behind him. Who would have thought four years ago that Colonel Jack O'Neill would find a family and a home here at Stargate Command? It was hard to believe that SG-1's leader was the same man as the hard-nosed, detached person he had met so long ago.

Daniel exchanged a look with Sam, and then stepped outside the briefing room, scanning the corridors of the SGC. Jack was already halfway towards the elevators. "Jack, do you want to get together for pizza and beer this weekend?" Daniel yelled after him.

O'Neill didn't slow down and looked briefly over his shoulder. "Yeah, that would be great. Call me and let me know when." With that short comment, he disappeared around the corner.

><><><><><

It was Saturday night. Daniel and Sam had decided to get together in the afternoon to discuss the latest artifact they had brought back. They had invited Teal'c and ordered pizza but hadn't been able to find the Colonel.

"I don't know, Sam. I haven't talked to him all week. Maybe he decided to go camping or fishing?" Daniel wondered out loud.

"Perhaps we should go to his house. O'Neill seems to spend a lot of time on the roof with his telescope..." Teal'c suggested.

Sam thought it over for a brief second. "Okay, guys. Grab the pizza and drinks. Daniel, you think the Colonel will be okay with us showing up and crashing his stargazing party?"

After Daniel's shrug they wrapped up the pizza, stuffed some beer in a cooler and left.

They pulled into O'Neill's drive. The Colonel's truck was parked beside the house but the place seemed deserted. The friends left the car and made their way around to the ladder at the back of the house. Teal'c climbed up to the homemade observatory.

"O'Neill is not here."

"Okay, let's try the door, maybe he's asleep." Sam felt a bit uncomfortable with showing up unannounced.

The team knocked on the door and rang the doorbell several times but received no answer. They turned and walked back towards their car.

"Well, I guess Jack left with someone else." Disappointment was clearly evident in Daniel's voice. The team enjoyed getting together during their downtime and he had been looking forward to it once again.

"Let's go back to my apartment. I'll warm the pizza up again. I'm sure it's cold by now." Carter was trying to hide the disappointment in her voice.

"Perhaps O'Neill has forgotten about us getting together." Teal'c knew his friends were a little upset that their CO was not home.

"Yeah, Teal'c. You're right," Daniel said and Sam nodded her head, starting the car to leave.

><><><><><

It was Monday morning. Daniel and Sam arrived at the SGC, meeting at the parking lot. Walking towards the entrance of the Mountain, they exchanged thoughts.

"Daniel, did you talk to the Colonel yesterday?" Carter asked.

"No. I tried all day, but couldn't reach him. I'm sure he'll show up with some big fish-story to tell."

"Yeah, we'll have to hear how he caught a 29lb. bass. You know he's worse than a kid sometimes." Sam and Daniel both laughed, remembering their friend could be so juvenile at times.

><><><><><

By mid-morning Jackson realized he still hadn't seen his friend. Normally, Jack always showed up in his office before lunch. O'Neill was usually bored with the paperwork by this time and they would go for coffee or Jack would just come down to harass him. Daniel picked up the phone and dialed O'Neill's office.

"Yeah?"

"Jack, is that you?" the archaeologist asked, not immediately recognizing the hoarse voice.

"Now, who else would it be, Daniel?"

"I haven't seen you all day, are you okay?" Jackson started to get worried; Jack didn't sound like himself.

"I'm fine," O'Neill answered briefly.

"Jack, I'm coming down…" Daniel announced, hung up the phone and headed for O'Neill's office. He really needed to see his friend and check on him. He knocked softly on the door and stepped inside.

"Hi, Jack. Did you have a good vacation?" Daniel examined his friend thoroughly, noticing Jack looked rather tired. An unnerving feeling made him shiver. There was something; something just didn't seem right with the man in front of him, but he couldn't describe the feeling.

"Yeah, Daniel… it was good." O'Neill was very distant and short in his answer and hardly looked up from the papers in front of him on the desk.

"Sam, Teal'c and I got together for pizza on Saturday. We were hoping you could join us."

"Oh, well… I… got busy doing other stuff..." The Colonel seemed to stammer with his comment. He stared at the paperwork on his desk.

"Jack, you look tired. Are you sure you're all right?" The archaeologist neither liked the sight of his friend, nor the way he was acting.

This time, O'Neill looked up at the linguist. His face was pale, his eyes sunken and he briefly waved at the stuff on his desk, trying to sound reassuring. "Yes, Daniel. I'm fine… I'm just busy with all this paperwork. All this end of the month stuff... you know this drives me crazy! So if you don't mind, I really need to get back to work."

"Oh, okay. Call me later. Maybe we can get together for coffee..." Reluctantly, SG-1's only civilian walked out and closed the door behind him. Lost in his thoughts, he walked through the corridors. Startled by a voice calling his name, he looked up to see Sam and Teal'c staring at him. "Oh! Hi guys, I didn't see you."

"Daniel Jackson, are you all right?" the big Jaffa asked, raising his brows.

"What, no, no… I was just thinking," the linguist stammered and quickly tried to put a smile on his face. He wasn't sure he needed to tell them he was worried about Jack. After all, it was only a feeling he couldn't explain. Plus, Jack would only get crankier with three people fussing all over him.

"Daniel, have you seen the Colonel? We want to go for lunch," Sam asked. Normally, the team would get together for breakfast or lunch if they were on base. This morning, she'd been busy in the lab. When Teal'c had shown up, they had decided to have a late lunch.

"Yeah, I just talked to him. He's doing paperwork, so he's not in a very good mood. We should probably leave him alone for awhile…"

"Is he all right? I'm still wondering where he was during our downtime, although he's a big boy and I guess he can take care of himself…" She was still very curious as to where her CO and friend had been the last five days.

"A big-boy, Major Carter? Is O'Neill not considered a man in this world?" A puzzled looked appeared on Teal'c's face.

"Yes, Teal'c. It's just an expression... It means he can take care of himself." Carter was grinning, trying hard to keep from laughing. Sometimes the Colonel did act like a very mischievous and energetic boy, but she would never tell him that.

Daniel was also having a hard time holding in the laughter. "Oh, I don't know Sam… a boy pretty much describes Jack sometimes. Or maybe a juvenile delinquent boy!" He was thinking of the practical jokes their friend had inflicted on them.

Jackson reconsidered his decision about his friend. Maybe Jack could use some company. Plus, the man couldn't throw them out if all three of them showed up in his office, could he? "Well. He's got to eat sometime. Let's go rescue him from all that boring paperwork to go for lunch."

><><><><><

"Sir, you look tired… Did the fish keep you up all night?" Sam was trying hard to bait her CO. The Colonel had barely spoken three words since they had convinced him to join them for lunch. He looked exhausted and every now and then he absently rubbed his chest. Daniel had tried to question him about that but he had cautiously changed the subject. He was playing with his food without really eating.

"What? I'm sorry, Carter. I wasn't listening." O'Neill looked up to see three concerned faces staring at him. He really had to get his act together or they would be fussing over him all day. "I was thinking about all that damn paperwork waiting for me. You know how much I hate that crap!" Hopefully, he sounded convincing.

Daniel shrugged, noticing they weren't getting anywhere and tried to change the subject. "So, Jack. What did you do all week?"

"Oh, uh, well, I watched some hockey …fishing, went fishing, yeah. I had a great time." O'Neill had a hard time remembering what he had done. He vaguely recalled going fishing with a buddy, but who was it? Where did they go? Some images about a fight crossed his mind. Had he been in a fight? That would explain why he was so sore and how he got those damn bruises on his chest. He needed to convince his team everything was all right, or they would force him into going to the infirmary. Now, that he could remember, that he didn't want to go there.

"O'Neill, did you catch any fish?" Teal'c did not understand how catching a fish could be considered fun. Catching a fish meant nothing more to him than having a meal when he would get hungry on some faraway planet. But it was not fun.

The Colonel thought about it, but he couldn't remember. Everything was jumbled together. There were some memories but they all seemed wrong. He really must have had a lot of beer on this fishing trip.

Noticing the dazed look on their CO's face, Carter asked, "Sir? Come on; don't tell us you didn't catch anything!" She frowned, thinking he was really acting strange. Something was definitely not right. Usually, the Colonel would share big fish tales with them. Today, he seemed to be at a loss for words, and that was not like him at all.

"You know, I'm really tired. I'm going to finish my work and then try and get some rest." Jack was already on his feet heading for the door, barely missing an airman who promptly saluted, but the Colonel failed to reciprocate.

"Well, that was really weird. Does anybody else think something is going on here?" Daniel's voice cut through the stunned silence following the Colonel's sudden disappearance. This lunch was supposed to alleviate his fears and concerns for his friend. Instead, Daniel was convinced now that Jack was in trouble. He just didn't know if he was sick or if something else was going on.

"Yes, indeed, O'Neill does seem to be troubled," Teal'c as usual stated the obvious fact.

"Okay, so what do we do? He obviously doesn't want to talk about it." Sam kept her voice low since there were too many people around and she didn't want to draw any attention to them.

"Perhaps O'Neill just needs some sleep. He does seem to be tired." The stoic Jaffa was trying to ease his friends' concerns, but he was determined to keep a close eye on their CO.

"Yeah, you're probably right, Teal'c." Daniel knew that Jack was a private man who needed plenty of space. "Maybe he is having nightmares again. They can really keep him awake for some time and he hates to talk about that," he thought out loud.

"Daniel, let's just keep an eye on him. I'm sure he's okay. Look guys, I've got a lot of work to do before the briefing this afternoon." Carter stood, ending the conversation, but not completely relieved.

The linguist wanted to finish a report before the briefing and Teal'c was working with one of the technicians concerning weapons. They all left the commissary, each going separate ways.

><><><><><

O'Neill couldn't concentrate on the dreaded paperwork. The walls were closing in on him, so he decided to go topside to get some fresh air. He reached his favorite spot and stared at the mountains, inhaling the cool air deeply into his lungs. It was a beautiful clear, cool day and he settled down trying to think. Was he okay? He knew he had numerous bruises across his chest and stomach. His ribs were definitely bruised, although not fractured. At least he hoped not. Why couldn't he remember what had happened? Everything seemed so jumbled and there were giant lapses. He knew he'd gone fishing but where and who with?

It felt like he had been drunk ---like a hangover, but it had been years since he'd been drunk like that. What the hell had he gotten into? Why would he have been in a fight? He knew he could have a bad temper, especially when he had been drinking, but he normally wouldn't get involved in a fistfight, would he? Jack rubbed his temples. God, all this thinking was giving him a headache. Maybe he should let Doc take a look at him. Well, he had a pre-mission check up tomorrow morning, so if he wasn't feeling better by then, he would have to tell her. Checking his watch, Jack realized he had a briefing to attend. He got up and headed back towards the elevators.

><><><><><

"Dr. Jackson, what information can you give us concerning these markings on the stairs leading to the Stargate?" The MALP had detected some very unusual writings on P4X217 and General Hammond knew the archaeologist had probably figured it out by now.

"Sir, they are…" Daniel started, but was interrupted by the klaxons, heralding the arrival of a team. The General rose to his feet and left the briefing room, the members of SG-1 following him closely.

They entered the Control Room where General Hammond gave his orders to the airman on duty. Apparently SG-5 was coming home, so the iris opened up and they all stood in front of the observation window to watch the team return. After the familiar welcome, the General decided it was time to continue the briefing.

Suddenly, Jack abruptly turned and walked towards the security guards stationed by the stairs. He appeared to be leaving. The remaining group turned and stared at him, unsure of the situation.

"Colonel O'Neill, we are not finished with the briefing," General Hammond called, as confused as the others.

O'Neill never looked back. He grabbed one of the guards by the arm and knocked the other down the stairs. Before anyone had a chance to react he had a gun in his hand. He tossed the remaining guard aside. Then, he held the weapon at arm's length, ready to fire. At the end of the line of fire stood a stunned General Hammond.

"Jack! God, what are you doing?" Daniel was frantic, thinking about approaching his friend to stop him, but afraid to do so.

"Sir," Sam tried to step closer to him. She took in the confused expression on her CO's face, the distant gaze in his eyes and the slight trembling of his hand. Something was wrong, very, very wrong. The blonde Major realized how dangerous this situation was.

"Fight it, Sir. You can do it," she urged, keeping her voice steady and firm. She needed to distract him long enough for Teal'c to make his way around the Colonel, so he could approach him from behind. From the corner of her eye she spotted several guards having positioned themselves on the stairs; weapons drawn ready to fire.

O'Neill appeared to be struggling, his eyes glancing from one side to the other, but locking back on his target once more.

"Hold your fire!" Hammond told the guards, determined to defuse this situation before his 2IC got injured or killed.

He hooked his eyes on the Colonel, who hadn't spoken a word since this had started. "Colonel, put that gun down. That's an order," Hammond said out loud.

The guards didn't move, keeping their weapons aimed, ready to respond to anything. The Colonel didn't as much as blink an eye. He gave no response.

"Put it down, Jack. You are trained to beat this," the General urged. "Put. It. Down."

Teal'c made slow progress in his attempt to move around O'Neill, planning to jump on him and secure him on the floor as soon as he reached a proper position.

Jack was fighting a battle inside his head. He detected people trying to move closer to him. He somehow knew them; he also knew that voice and wanted to obey the order. On the other hand something was telling him he needed to kill this man, another order he wanted to obey.

"Fight it, Sir," he heard a woman's voice. He knew that voice. It was a familiar voice.

He had to fight it.

He could do that. He was trained to do that.

Fight what?

He had his orders.

Kill this man…

Put the gun down.

He tried to shake the unnerving feeling, to get rid of the fog that seemed to have settled in his brain. He glanced at the big Jaffa who was slowly moving around him. He knew that man. He was a friend, right?

Why was he moving around him then?

He stretched his arm a little further, threatening, and felt the guards on the stairs react similarly. The man who was supposed to be his friend had stopped.

He glared at the man at gunpoint. The man who'd told him to put the gun down.

Kill this man.

No! Obey his orders. He was his Commanding Officer and his friend.

God. What a mess.

"Sir." Was that his own voice? He didn't even recognize it. The voice was so low, lacking every emotion. He forced himself to end this situation. He pivoted, aiming his weapon at the guards on the stairs.

Somebody hollered, "Don't shoot!" One guard couldn't control his nerves and pulled the trigger. Sam dragged the General to one side, out of the line of fire. Teal'c dove forward as the shot rang out.

He was too late.

The Colonel collapsed in a heap, rolling around on the floor. Teal'c fell next to him, not able to stop his dive and crawled closer. Sam called for a medical team. Daniel just stood there, apparently in shock. Hammond picked up the gun O'Neill had dropped from his limp arm, staring at it in surprise. The guards gathered around the scene, still ready to respond to anything.

Hammond stared at his fallen Second, sorrow in his eyes as his fingers fidgeted with the gun in his hand. "Stand down," he ordered softly and the guards stepped backwards.

Teal'c had gently turned his CO around, leaning him comfortably against his chest.

Daniel knelt next to them, locking his eyes on Jack's. "Jack, what happened?"

O'Neill bit back a groan, feeling the blood running down his side and arm. The fog was still present in his head, although he did recognize Daniel. He tried desperately to stay alert, to fight off the blackness that was surrounding him at alarming rate. He tried to say something, but the words didn't come out.

Sam dropped on her knees to take his pulse. She took in the blood that was soaking the Colonel's shirt and gasped. She was about to yell for the medics to hurry as when she heard Doctor Janet Fraiser rushing upstairs to reach them.

The diminutive doctor immediately took control, barking out her orders. She'd only needed one look around the room to notice the shocked and confused faces surrounding the Colonel. Knowing a stretcher was on the way, she took O'Neill's pulse and blood pressure, and then examined the bullet wound while listening to Carter's quick update on what had happened. As far as she could see the bullet had grazed the Colonel's chest, leaving a deep groove. The bullet had also grazed the inside of the O'Neill's arm, but she was convinced the bullet had left his body. All the blood soaking the man's shirt and dripping on the carpet made it look worse than it really was. If the shooter had aimed one inch more to the right, it would have been another story, she thought. One member of her staff handed her some bandages and she expertly covered both bleeding cuts.

"Colonel O'Neill, you're going to be fine. Sir, can you hear me?" Janet didn't like the blank expression, the lack of emotion and that he wasn't responding to her at all. "Colonel, I need you to stay awake for me. Come on, Sir! Look at me," she urged, waving one finger in front of his eyes to catch his attention. When she took in his staring eyes, not responding to the movement of her finger, Janet waved at the approaching medics with the stretcher and ordered them to lift the injured man onto it to take him to the infirmary.

Hammond grabbed her arm before she could follow them. "Doctor. I want you to figure out what is wrong with him and I want it fast."

Fraiser looked up at him, taking in his pleading eyes. She nodded slowly. "Yes, Sir. Now, if you'll excuse me…" As soon as he let go of her arm, she rushed to her infirmary. She had a patient to tend to.

><><><><><

The remaining members of SG-1 gathered in the infirmary, waiting for Janet to come out with news about their friend. The team was still shocked by what had happened and were trying to figure out what might have caused the behavior of Colonel O'Neill.

"Oh, Lord!" Daniel paced up and down the room, arms wrapped around his body, his head bent down. "I should have known, I should have known!!! When I visited him in his office, I sensed something was wrong… I should have told you, maybe we could have prevented this…"

"Daniel Jackson, you are not to blame," Teal'c attempted to reassure the linguist of the team, knowing how hard the man could be on himself.

Sam bit on her lip. "If you're to blame then we all are, Daniel. I mean, we saw how he behaved at lunch. Obviously, something was wrong and we let it go…" She also had a hard time forgiving herself. To be honest, she felt like an utter fool for having considered her lab work more important than the Colonel's well-being that afternoon at lunch.

"Major Carter, I do not think we could have prevented this. We need to concentrate on searching for the cause." Teal'c was practical as usual. He understood the guilt the others were feeling. He felt the same way about not having managed to push O'Neill out of the line of fire. Such regrets, however, were of no use.

"You're right, Teal'c," Sam said, trying to sound convinced. "We better start figuring out what happened when he was off duty. He was obviously under the influence of something, drugs or brainwashing, maybe? Something has happened to him and we have to know what."

Daniel stopped pacing, facing the others. "I think Jack also got in a fight or something. Did you see him rubbing his chest, wincing as he moved?" He slowly pushed his glasses back on his nose and ran one hand through his hair. He turned to Sam. "He can't be court-martialed for having pulled a stunt like that, can he?"

Carter frowned, thinking it over. The Colonel HAD threatened the General, HAD aimed a gun at the guards as well. "Maybe, Daniel, maybe. But I'm sure the General will find a way out."

"A way out of what?" asked the General in question, as he just entered the room to see if there was any news.

"Err, we were wondering if Jack would get court-martialed for this," Daniel hesitantly explained.

"Let's first wait what Doctor Fraiser comes up with, son," Hammond said. "There must be an explanation for the Colonel's behavior. Then we'll deal with the rest."

They all waited for another twenty minutes. Then, Janet entered with a chart in her hand, frowning deeply. She wasn't surprised to find the General with the rest of SG-1, knowing he needed to know the results of her examinations.

"Doctor? What have you got?" Hammond asked, too impatient to wait for her to start by herself.

"First, the bullet just grazed the Colonel's chest, Sir. It dug a groove in the skin on the right, then grazing the inside of his right arm. The injuries are not serious, although they looked rather messy. He has lost a lot of blood, but it's not life threatening." She looked up from her chart, taking in the relief that overwhelmed the team.

"What concerns me is his lack of response to any stimulation. He appears to be in some sort of trance, or shock. His blood pressure is on the low side, but that is to be expected after being shot. He is also running a slight fever and I have no idea what caused that, so I did another more detailed examination. I found bruises on his shoulders and chest. It looks to me like he took some blows a couple of days ago, but I can't be sure. His right arm has some fresh needle marks, also a couple of days old…"

She stopped briefly. Everybody was staring at her, stunned by her discoveries. "So I ran some tests. His blood is clean. Whatever he has injected ---or has been injected with, has vanished from his system. I can't detect what it was. I did some X-rays and an MRI scan… At least he hasn't broken his ribs this time. But I found this…"

Janet grabbed a photo of the Colonel's head. She pointed at a dark spot, located just behind his left ear. "Something has been implanted here. It's also causing the fever, Sir. The stitches are slightly inflamed. I hadn't spotted this earlier, because it is neatly hidden under his hair." She gave the General an apologetic look.

"Something implanted in his head?" the General said, his eyes widening in surprise. "Well? What is it? Did you attempt to remove it?"

"I don't know what it is, Sir. And yes, I did try to remove it, but I can't. It is in pretty deep, somehow there is a connection to his ear and, more importantly, to his brain. He seized heavily and went into cardiac arrest at my attempt to dig it out, Sir. We've got him back, but I don't want to repeat that procedure without more information."

The General's mouth fell wide open.

Carter inhaled sharply.

Daniel just sank down to the floor, with his back against the wall. He drew his knees up and wrapped his arms around them.

"It is some sort of mind control thing, right?" Sam said. "It tries to control him. That's why he aimed at you, Sir."

Hammond looked at the Major. "Are you trying to tell me that somebody wants to kill me and is using one of MY men to do the job?" His voice sounded harsh, the new information shocking him.

Carter nodded. "I think so, Sir. Why else would the Colonel point a gun at you? He DID try to fight it, Sir," she defended her CO, remembering how he'd hesitated, how he'd forced himself to turn and aim somewhere else.

The General sat down, leaning his head in his hands. "He did more than try, Major. The safety was still on his gun…"

"What?" Daniel looked up. "Jack would never forget something like that!"

"O'Neill must have done that on purpose. He was still in control." Teal'c nodded, understanding.

"Way to go, Jack!" Daniel couldn't help but feel proud of his friend.

"We don't know how forceful that device is, how it activates, what it's doing to him…" Janet summarized worriedly.

Hammond nodded. Taking control over the situation, he stood straight. "Doctor, I suggest you restrain the Colonel for his and our safety. Do whatever you can to treat him and keep me informed. Major, I need to know everything about that device and I need it pronto. Doctor Jackson, why don't you and Teal'c start by examining the Colonel's house? I need to know where he was during his time off, who he met and most importantly, what has happened to him. Whoever did this is NOT through with me. I'm going to nail his ass on the highest glyph of the Stargate, is that understood?"

"Yes, Sir," four voices firmly responded.

><><><><><

Daniel Jackson drove the car over to O'Neill's house. They had stopped by their friend to check on him before leaving, only to find him sleeping. The younger man had a hard time erasing that image from his mind: Jack, aiming the gun at General Hammond.

The linguist pulled into the driveway. "I can't believe this is happening," he said to Teal'c. "He tried so hard to fight this damn thing and they just shot him…" Although he hadn't pulled the trigger, Daniel felt incredibly guilty for not having been able to prevent this.

"O'Neill did what he had to do. So did we. We should be pleased he is not dead, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c tried to reason.

"Yeah, I know." Jackson sighed and stepped out of the car. "Come on, let's see what we can find out here." He searched his pockets and came up with the key to Jack's house.

"I suggest we take precautions, Daniel Jackson," the Jaffa warned, as Daniel wanted to unlock the door.

Daniel staggered back. "You're right. What do we do?"

Teal'c examined the door carefully, looking for signs of break-in. He also checked the windows, searched for footprints around the house and peered inside, trying to detect any possible danger. When he was satisfied, he nodded at Daniel Jackson. "I think it is safe to enter the house now."

Daniel unlocked the door, stepped back and kicked it wide open with one foot.

Nothing happened.

Teal'c stepped inside first, covering his companion with his huge body.

The house was empty. The living room was clear. There were no signs of anything in the kitchen. The bedroom however was a mess. The sheets were all messed up, laying half on the bed and half on the floor. One pillow and a small lamp, which belonged on the table next to the bed, lay on the carpet and a chair was upside down as well.

"Well," Daniel said, taking in the room, "I guess whoever got him surprised him in his sleep."

Teal'c agreed. "I think so, too. The question remains how have they gotten inside?"

Daniel checked the window. It was locked securely. "Do you think they could have had a duplicate key?" he wondered. Something else was bothering him. "How would they have surprised him in his sleep like that anyway? You know how alert he is…"

Teal'c entered the bathroom, searching the place without touching anything, while Daniel used his cell phone to call the General's office. He knew the General would arrange for some experts to search the place for evidence, fingerprints, whatever they could find.

"Daniel Jackson," Teal'c called out for him and he headed to the bathroom as well. There was a glass on the sink, with a bottle of aspirins lying half-open next to it.

Daniel stared at Teal'c, thinking out loud. "You mean somebody tampered with that? We'd better have Sam take a look at that, then…" Taking his handkerchief out of his pocket, he carefully picked the bottle up, without leaving any marks. He wrapped it in his kerchief and stashed it deep into his pocket. "Let's get back to the SGC. We're done here, I think."

><><><><><

Janet Fraiser was tired. She'd been working for a long time, before allowing herself a brief rest. She decided to take a seat next to the Colonel's bed, hoping he would wake up soon.

His condition was stable after his ordeal with the seizure. His arms and legs were cuffed to the bed, a mild sedative dripping through an IV-line into his veins. Janet had treated the inflamed incision with antibiotic ointment. The wounds where the bullet had grazed him were clean and she didn't expect any complications.

O'Neill hadn't moved an inch since his arrest. He was breathing in a slow, shallow rhythm, his pulse regular. She was convinced he would be fine, however, if it weren't for that damn thing implanted in his head.

Before she sat down, Fraiser wiped his face, checking his temperature. It was still a little too high, but she expected the fever to come down soon.

Janet was reading in a magazine when the Colonel started shifting. She dropped the paper and stepped closer to place a comforting hand on his shoulder.

O'Neill opened his eyes, blinking a couple of times, and then some kind of recognition flooded over his face. He smiled wearily at the female doctor.

"Hi, Colonel," she greeted him, "how do you feel?"

The Colonel arched his brows, assessing his condition. He winced as he tried to move his right arm; the fresh bullet wounds sending stabs of pain through his body. "That hurts… what happened?" he croaked.

Janet looked into his confused eyes and wondered how much he remembered. "You were shot, Colonel. No major damage done, you were lucky. But you do need to try to hold still, however. Do you remember what happened?"

"Shot?" O'Neill looked stunned. "Nope… don't remember a thing." He became aware of the restraints, and yanked at them with his left hand, unable to pull them loose. "What's that for?" he demanded, glaring at Janet.

She sighed. "Well, that's a long story, Sir." She checked his pulse, knowing he was getting agitated.

"I'm not going anywhere," he opted, signaling at the restraints.

She smiled. "That's true. Let me get you something to drink first." She gathered a glass of water, added a straw and held it in front of him so he could sip. "Someone implanted some sort of mind-control device in your head, Sir. Apparently designed for you to shoot General Hammond," she started her explanation.

He almost choked in his water and started coughing while raising his upper body up from the bed as far as the restraints allowed him. "WHAT?"

"Easy, Sir. You were able to keep in control somehow. You didn't actually shoot the General…" she soothed, not wanting him to disturb himself.

"Did I hurt anybody else?" he snapped, needing to know.

She shook her head. "No, Sir. You left the safety on the gun. One of the guards shot you, he didn't know that."

Jack sighed in relief and leaned back into the pillows. The guard was not to blame. He hadn't hurt anybody. Yet. "So that thing, it's still in there?" He wiggled his head, trying to detect it.

"Yes, Sir."

"Why didn't you take it out?"

"I tried, Colonel. You seized and arrested, I almost lost you…" She gave him an apologetic look.

He made a face. "Shit…" He looked at the door. "Is there a guard at the door?" He watched her shake her head. "Arrange for one, just in case. Let him shoot me again, if necessary."

Janet winced at the idea, not liking it a bit.

"Go on, do it," he ordered, his eyes determined.

She nodded slowly, turning to head to a phone. Looking back over her shoulder, she noticed how tired he looked. "Okay. You just rest, Sir."

><><><><><

"Okay people, I need answers. What did you find at Colonel O'Neill's house?" General Hammond knew he was pushing his men hard but they had to find some clues in order to help his Second. The investigation team had spent several hours at the house and he hoped they had come up with some useable evidence.

Major Connors, head of the investigation team the General had ordered to the Colonel's house, fumbled with the papers in front of him on the table. He didn't like what he had to tell the General, which was basically nothing. "Sir. Everything was clean. These people covered their tracks. The bedroom was messed up. It looks like they surprised Colonel O'Neill in his sleep, but he apparently put up a fight. We think the Colonel had taken some aspirin; Teal'c and Dr. Jackson found the bottle in the bathroom. Major Carter has examined it in the lab and found out that the tablets were laced with a sedative." Connors looked briefly at Major Carter, who nodded affirmatively.

"So at some point there was an intruder in his house but we found no evidence of burglary," Daniel filled in. "The aspirins with the sedative explain at least how they were able to get close to Jack. Normally nobody would have been able to take him by surprise like that."

"Maybe that's why he was in a fight. It was all a set up, leading to his kidnapping. They obviously knew the Colonel very well, that he wouldn't go to the infirmary for treatment, but would try to shake off the effects of the fight with just an aspirin," Major Carter's face lit up, suddenly understanding a piece of the puzzle. She was still very disturbed by the turn of events. She needed a clue about what had happened, but until now they had only been able to guess and the rest was a dead end.

"General Hammond, who would benefit from your death?" As always, Teal'c asked the question that was on everyone's mind.

The General seemed to be surprised by the question, even though he had also been racking his brain for the answer. "Teal'c, it could be a number of individuals. We need more information to know who they are. Maybe we should concentrate on the Colonel. Dr. Fraiser, has Colonel O'Neill been able to remember anything about what happened?"

"No, Sir. The Colonel woke up but didn't have a clue about what had happened. He was very shocked and ordered me to post a guard outside his room, to shoot him if he tries to escape. General, I've been thinking. Something must have triggered this. I mean, I assume he has been here in the Mountain for a while. Has anyone noticed him acting unusual at all? Daniel, did you guys see the Colonel during your downtime?" Janet knew how close this team had become and would be surprised if they hadn't met during their time off.

"No Janet, we didn't see him at all. We tried to find him on Saturday, we stopped by his house but he wasn't home. His truck was there, but we thought he had probably left with someone." Daniel sighed, guilt evident in his voice, "I guess he did, not by choice though."

Sam ignored the conversation; she was deep in thought. She couldn't believe she had failed to recognize what Janet had pointed out. "She's right, Sir. Something had to set him off. He had been on the base all day. We saw him earlier this morning and he did seem distracted, but he wasn't violent."Carter stopped talking, her face deep in concentration. "The Stargate," she blurted out, "the Stargate activated; that's the trigger! That has to be it." Sam was certain she was right.

"Major, how do we determine if your assessment is correct?" General Hammond knew he wouldn't like the answer to this question but they had to figure out what had happened.

"Sir," she stammered. "We need to activate the Stargate with the Colonel in the Gate room and see what his reactions are. We can take every precaution, Sir."

"What? You saw how hard it was for Jack to fight this. He was willing to sacrifice himself! We don't know what being subjected to this again will do to him." Daniel couldn't believe they would put his friend in this situation again. "There has got to be an alternative, the risk is just too high."

"Daniel Jackson, it will be a controlled situation, I will not allow O'Neill to harm the General. Or himself." With confidence in his voice, Teal'c was trying to alleviate the obvious concerns and fears of the team. He knew their CO would not be able to forgive himself if he harmed the General or anyone else.

"Dr. Fraiser, what do you think about all this?" General Hammond knew what he had to do but he wanted the Doctor's opinion on this before he decided.

"I don't know if Colonel O'Neill will agree to this, Sir. Even if he does consent to this test, I have no way of knowing how this device is affecting him, there is no way to know if it will harm him." Janet was not comfortable with this whole scenario. It was like beating your head against a wall to make a headache go away. She knew the General had already made up his mind and was just following the proper procedure by asking her advice. "Besides, does he need to be close to the Stargate? Or will he hear or sense an activation even in the infirmary?"

"I don't think so," Sam objected. "SG-6 returned home a few hours ago, and I don't think the Colonel has reacted to that, has he?"

Fraiser shook her head, knowing her friend was right.

Hammond had listened to all arguments and made up his mind. "Well, people. I don't think we have a lot of options here. We need to know what activates the device. Dr. Fraiser, make sure Colonel O'Neill gets a good night's rest and prepare all necessary equipment to monitor his condition during this test. We will proceed at 0900 in the morning. I will be in the infirmary later on to talk with him, if we are right about the trigger that shouldn't be a problem. Dismissed." General Hammond stood to leave the briefing room and to walk to his office.

"Janet, would it be okay if we visit Jack?" Daniel desperately wanted to make sure his friend was all right. Jack had been asleep the last time Daniel had visited the infirmary.

"Yes, Daniel, I think the Colonel would like that. Just don't stay too long, he still needs to rest." Janet had no intention of leaving the Colonel; she wanted to be there when the General showed up. She was concerned how her patient would respond to this latest development.

><><><><><

"Uh, hi, Jack how you feeling?" Stupid, real stupid, Daniel thought. Couldn't he come up with something better to say?

"Oh, just peachy, Daniel. Especially for someone who tried to kill his CO. How the hell do you think I am doing?" O'Neill was barely able to contain his anger. He knew his team was trying to support him, but lying strapped to this bed and not able to help with this situation was wearing him down. "I assume my house was checked for evidence. Did they find anything?"

"We found an opened container of aspirin that was laced with a sedative. Do you remember taking any of it?" Carter was trying to piece together what might have transpired. "I'm sorry, Sir, but no other evidence was found to help us determine who is responsible for this…"

The Colonel was deep in thought trying to remember the events of the last week. All he had were jumbled memories. It felt like he was dreaming or sleepwalking. He was unable to grasp onto anything tangible. "Yeah, I seem to remember taking something for a headache. But I don't know …. I can't remember… what day that was." God, why couldn't he remember? What had happened during that time? He was trained to resist mind control, wasn't he?

Daniel was watching his friend closely. He saw the tight closed look that flashed across Jack's face. He knew the man would be blaming himself, even though in his drugged state, Jack was not responsible for his actions. "Jack, you beat it, you fought it and won! Janet will figure out a way to remove that thing and you will be back to being your sarcastic self."

O'Neill gave him a doubtful look and then faced the only female on SG-1. "Carter, have you figured out what triggered this?"

Sam wasn't sure whether to answer this question. Obviously the Colonel had not been resting but had been thinking about the whole situation instead. She knew he was not one to lay back and let someone else take care of a problem. "Sir, I…"

"Yes, Colonel, we think we have……" General Hammond walked into the room and saved Carter from her stammering.

All eyes turned to General Hammond and Doctor Fraiser, who followed close behind him. As he approached the bed they all waited for the reaction from their friend.

"Well, Sir. Since I don't have the urge to shoot you, I guess the Stargate is to blame. Am I right? I remember the Stargate activating and that's when my brain shut down. Although I know it does that a lot." O'Neill was trying to instill a little humor into the grim faces of his friends, but he knew his suspicions were correct.

"Yes, Sir. The Stargate appears to have been the trigger to activate the device in your head," Carter stated with no emotion. She was keeping the turmoil hidden for the moment. Her CO depended on her to come up with a solution to this crisis.

Hammond knew how difficult this would be on O'Neill. His Second hated situations he could not control and this definitely fell into that category. "Colonel, we need to know for a fact that the Stargate was the triggering mechanism. We are planning on placing you near the Gate in order to determine for sure. All precautions will be taken. It will be a controlled situation. Only essential personnel will be present."

O'Neill thought it over for a second. "I'll do it under one condition. If I become a threat to anyone, I don't want you to hesitate to give the order to shoot, Sir. Teal'c, I want you there to make sure I don't harm anybody. There's no need for Daniel or Carter to be in close proximity to me." Jack's brown-eyed stare was leveled towards his CO demanding his full attention. He had to make sure the General understood his wishes. "General?"

"Colonel, you have my word," Hammond pledged. "Teal'c can use his zat if the need arises. We will proceed with this at 0900 tomorrow."

Teal'c stood straight and bowed his head. "I will make sure you cannot harm anyone, O'Neill."

"Doctor Fraiser, will the Colonel be well enough to proceed with this tomorrow?" the General asked.

"Well, his wounds are superficial, but he will be quite sore and stiff, Sir. I can't condone this action, however." Janet looked at the Colonel. She knew how determined he would be to stop this before someone else was injured or possibly killed.

Daniel couldn't believe he was being excluded from this. "Jack, I don't agree, I think Sam and I need to be there. If it doesn't go as planned we might be able to help." The linguist didn't like to stand by and watch his friend from a distance.

"No way, Daniel. I don't want to be responsible for harming either one of you…….." Jack was determined to keep Carter and Daniel as far away from this little experiment as possible. The former Black Ops Officer knew he didn't need a weapon to inflict serious damage or even kill another human being.

"I have to agree with Colonel O'Neill here. Only Teal'c will be present in the Gate room besides the security guards and myself," Hammond decided. "Colonel, get some rest," with these words he ended the conversation and rose, preparing to leave the room.

"Yes, Sir. See you bright and early. Don't forget the party favors," Jack as usual was falling back on humor to lighten the mood.

"Jack, let us help…" Daniel pleaded again.

"Daniel, hold it! This is my decision and it's final! Understood?" God, Jack thought, frustrated by the whole situation. The stubborn man just wouldn't let it go. Why couldn't he see how much danger was involved in this? Seeing the disappointment clearly in the linguist's face he went for another approach. "Look, I really don't need to be concerned about you and Carter. I'm going to have to devote my full attention and energy to fighting this thing. Besides, I know you will be close by to help if necessary."

That seemed to satisfy his friend, Daniel relaxed his stance and his arms fell to his sides. "Of course you're right, Jack. I just don't like this standing around and not being able to help."

"Did you hear that? Daniel admitted that I was right for once! Somebody write this day down!" Jack was grinning despite the serious mess he was in.

Daniel had to smirk. "Well Jack, Janet told us not to upset you. I thought I better agree with you this time even though as usual you are wrong." He made sure to emphasize that last word with a slight snicker.

Teal'c cocked his head and looked at both men. He was enjoying this bantering going on between his two friends. The next morning would be a very different mood for all of them.

"Okay, kids. Let's all try and get some sleep. See you guys in the morning." Jack knew that he was once again the cause of worry and concern for his team. Damn, he was the team leader. His job was to alleviate stress, not to cause it.

O'Neill gave them a nod and a slight grin and tried to relax his muscles. After his friends had exited the room, he exhaled a long breath. How had he managed to get into this mess? He only hoped that Teal'c and the security guards could prevent him from harming Hammond or anyone else. He also knew that even if tomorrow turned out all right he still would have that damn device in his head. Sighing heavily, he tried to find a comfortable position to get some sleep.

><><><><><

At 0900 the next morning, General Hammond had cleared the Gate room of all personnel except for himself, Teal'c and the four security guards he had picked. The SF's were armed with their side-arms, Teal'c being the only one with a zat. The General didn't want to take the risk that his 21C would accidentally be shot twice with a zat. Daniel and Major Carter were in the Control Room to activate the Stargate. The video camera was running to record Colonel O'Neill's reactions. It was Doctor Fraiser's idea; she thought the information could be valuable for further examination of the device. Janet was also present in the Control Room with her special equipment to read O'Neill's vital signs from a distance.

"Major Carter, ask Colonel O'Neill to join us." The General had decided to have the Colonel come in first and then activate the Stargate. Carter had suggested the idea, to determine any reaction to seeing the dormant structure first. They all looked anxiously towards the blast doors as O'Neill entered the room, one hand stuffed deep in his pocket, the other resting in a sling.

"Aaah, the gang's all here. I guess it's time to get this show on the road, huh?" Jack smiled at his CO but General Hammond could see the turmoil in those expressive brown eyes. Since the Colonel didn't seem to react to seeing the Stargate, nor to seeing Hammond, the General decided to continue with the second part of the test.

"Colonel, whenever you are ready. Major Carter is standing by." Hammond wanted his Second to have the choice to start this unpleasant event. That would at least give the man some control over the situation.

"Okay, people, is everybody ready?" Jack looked at the faces surrounding him and received affirmative nods. His gaze settled on Teal'c, demandingly, pleadingly and the big Jaffa nodded his understanding. "Carter, dial it up!"

As the chevrons locked into place O'Neill heard the sounds of a zat gun activating, aimed in his direction. The Stargate turned and turned, then the wormhole established. Jack immediately could hear the voices in his head. He spun around and locked his gaze on the General; his breathing increasing. He tried hard to maintain his control and didn't notice the sweat that was appearing all over his face.

Come on, Jack. Focus. You can do this. Fight this.

Break his neck with your bare hands!

No! You can't!

Kill that man.

Stop it!

O'Neill struggled to free his right arm out of the sling and pressed both hands firmly against his temples. He closed his eyes and shook his head wildly, in an attempt to shake off the battle that was going on inside his head.

Fight this. You must fight this.

Don't hurt anyone…

Kill him, you can do this.

Please, no.

No.

No… no… no.

Everyone present could see the battle going on in the Colonel's mind. He was waging a fight with his own subconscious, trying desperately to overcome the device's effects.

Janet was watching her patient closely. She was concerned how this incident would affect him physically and mentally. They had no idea what damage the foreign object was doing to his body but the monitors showed her a rapidly increasing heartbeat and elevating blood pressure.

Jack was swaying unsteadily on his feet and then he collapsed onto his knees holding his head in his hands. Teal'c immediately rushed to his CO and eased him into a prone position. O'Neill moaned softly and didn't let go of his head, his face and neck covered in sweat, his whole body shuddering.

Fraiser's alarmed voice echoed through the Gate room. "Abort! Now!"

"O'Neill…" Teal'c frowned, deeply worried by the sight of O'Neill. It was apparent that his CO was in excruciating pain. When he got no response, he looked up to the General. "General Hammond, I believe we need Doctor Fraiser's assistance."

The General made his decision quickly. "Shut down the Stargate!" he ordered. He hoped the disengaging wormhole would release the pressure on the Colonel's head. He left the Security Guards on full alert, just in case. He was about to order Doctor Fraiser to come down when the blast doors opened and the small doctor ran through.

Janet rushed forward and knelt beside O'Neill. "Colonel? Can you hear me?" She was already checking his pulse, her touch confirming what the equipment had already told her. His pulse was racing and he was breathing in short, shallow gasps. Next she checked his pupils making sure to keep contact with him at all times. She was worried about his lack of response. He closed his eyes and his face was screwed up from the pain.

She gently touched his head, trying to move the cramped hands that were still cradling it. This time, he did respond, groaning out loud, withdrawing from her touch.

"Damn, damn, damn. It hurts …" Jack was gasping for breath, pain evident in his voice. He moved, turning to crouch on his hands and knees, leaning his head forward on the floor. When it didn't release him from the pain, he hit the floor with one clenched fist before rolling over on his side; his knees bent and he grabbed his head again, moaning deeply.

Two medics dropped by O'Neill's side, a gurney ready. Fraiser nodded at them and they lifted the Colonel onto it. She addressed the General. "Sir, I need to get the Colonel to the infirmary."

Hammond had silently watched the scene in front of him, a worried expression on his face. He was having a hard time fighting off the feeling of guilt, he'd been the one ordering his Second to go through this. He had never expected anything like this; he had thought shutting down the Stargate would have resolved all problems. Quite apparently it had not. Biting his lip he just nodded at his CMO and watched the group heading to the infirmary.

><><><><><

Back in the infirmary, Doctor Fraiser rapidly issued orders to her team. She needed an MRI scan, blood tests. She needed answers, but she knew it would be hard to get them.

Shit, shit, shit.

The Colonel was rolling from one side to the other on the bed, with his knees bent, still holding his head between both hands. Janet firmly grabbed one arm, apologizing for the discomfort and expertly put in an IV-line with a strong pain medication.

"Try to hold still, Colonel, the meds will kick in soon," she softly informed him without releasing his arm and watched how he slowly started to relax as the medication did its job.

He rolled on his back, covering his eyes with his other arm and sighed out loud. "Oh, God…"

"Better now, Sir?"

"Oh, yeah. What was that?"

"I don't know yet, Colonel. I don't know. But we'll figure this out, I promise," she said, patting his arm. "We're going to run some tests, then I need to look at those bullet wounds, they're bleeding again. Afterwards, I want you to rest, okay?"

"Rest… sounds good," he said, his voice soft. He had no energy left to give her as much as a weak smile, then his eyes closed as he drifted away.

><><><><><

Hammond sat behind his desk, absently stirring his already cold coffee. He'd been searching his memory to come up with possible enemies. Who had the reason, the nerve, the knowledge and the opportunity to initiate an action like this?

He couldn't stop the feeling that the device was at least not an Earth technology, so that narrowed the suspects down to the few hundreds of people who in one way or the other had access to the Stargate program.

Although he hoped he was wrong, he just couldn't stop thinking in the direction of the NID. They not only had access to alien technology, they also had connections that went higher than he could even imagine. The second Gate was dismantled as far as he knew, but…

Could he be sure?

He had pissed some people off by shutting down the rogue group that was stealing alien technologies. Colonel O'Neill had had a major role in that as well.

It was the only logical conclusion he could come up with. It was a great opportunity to get even with two people at once by having Jack eliminate him and O'Neill in turn either shot, imprisoned or locked up in the loony bin.

But how? Where had they gotten the device? Who was able to implant a thing like that? How was this going to help him, and O'Neill?

He still had one contact at the NID he trusted completely. He'd saved the man's life twice back in the sixties. Decision made, Hammond grabbed the phone and dialed.

><><><><><

He made sure no one noticed him when he entered Colonel O'Neill's office. He carefully closed the door behind him and sat down behind the Colonel's desk. Grabbing a tissue, he folded it over the telephone before picking it up and dialed a number.

"Yeah," a low, rough voice answered shortly.

"It's me, Sir. It didn't work. He managed to fight it twice."

"Mmm," the voice mumbled, apparently impressed. "He won't the third time, though, or it will kill him."

"They've also discovered that the Stargate sets it off, Sir."

"Yeah, yeah, I counted on that. There's another trigger, however and I doubt that Major Carter has discovered that yet. She's smart, but not that smart…" the voice responded. "Stay low, and see what happens. Don't call me again. We'll talk to each other on our next meeting." With that last remark the voice ended the conversation and broke off the connection.

He slowly put the receiver back on the phone. Other trigger? He didn't know about the second trigger. They had failed to fill him in on that. Not that it mattered. He was on his post and knew what he had to do.

He rose to his feet and swiftly left the Colonel's office.

><><><><><

Later that afternoon, Carter stepped into the Colonel's room, to find Fraiser sitting next to the bed. The doctor looked up from her chart and greeted her friend with a soft voice.

Sam approached the bed, examined the sleeping figure with a frown. "How is he, Janet?"

"All things considered… not too bad. I've got him on some pretty heavy pain medication and a mild sedative to relieve the pain in his head and help him sleep. He was exhausted from the ordeal; it has worn him out completely."

"Have you tried cutting back on the medication? I mean; is the device still causing him pain?" Sam wondered.

Janet shook her head. "I'll find that out later. First, I want him to sleep for a couple of hours. I think he needs it." She showed Carter the latest scans and photos. "The device is still there. But take a look at that…" she pointed on a little piece that appeared to be sticking out of the device.

Sam took a closer look, a stunned expression on her face. "What's that? That wasn't there on the last photo, was it?"

The doctor fidgeted in her stuff and gathered the older photo. "No. It wasn't there. You tell me what that is, I haven't got a clue."

"I wonder if it's supposed to do this… Do you think this is what's causing the pain in his head?"

"That's a possibility," Fraiser agreed, "I don't want to find out what happens to the damn thing if it comes near the Stargate again."

"Oh, no. It might send an even longer spike through his head. Has that thing harmed him physically?" Carter was suddenly afraid this device could do a lot more damage to her CO than initially thought. She'd been more worried about the actions the device could trigger her CO to undertake than about the possibility of brain damage She stared at the doctor, fear in her eyes.

"I can't tell, Sam," Janet shrugged her shoulders helplessly. "We just have to wait and see. But we need to figure this out, and soon, or this could kill him."

><><><><><

"People I need answers. What happened to Colonel O'Neill?" It had been six hours since the incident in the Gate room, they were getting nowhere and General Hammond was getting desperate.

"Sir, it appears there may be some sort of change on the device itself," Major Carter started. "The Colonel was able to fight off the effects of the mind control. It appears the implant is able to inflict severe pain if the order is not carried out. It somehow has sent a small spike through his brain. I don't know however why this didn't happen the first time when it was triggered or what it might do next." Sam had been up all night trying to figure out what had happened. She thought this device might be similar to the Zatarc programming that the Goa'uld had developed, although with the Zatarc incident the victims had killed themselves.

Despite the long hours in her lab, she still had nothing to offer but guesses. "Perhaps the first time, the Colonel was in pain from the gunshot wound, and failed to mention the headache," she wondered.

Daniel interrupted her. "No, Sam… You saw him the last time. It's not possible that he just failed to notice something like this the first time!"

She nodded, assuming Daniel was right. "There was also no spike sticking out of the device after the first incident. Maybe it reacts to each failure to complete the orders. It could be added incentive to get the victim to carry out his orders."

"Oh, God. We've got to do something. I can't believe we can't figure this out." Out of frustration, Daniel hit the table hard with his fist.

"Sir, perhaps the Tok'ra have heard of this technology," Major Carter was as disturbed and just as desperate to bring this whole nightmare to an end.

"Teal'c, do the Goa'uld have a device like this?" General Hammond knew the longer this situation went on, the more danger Colonel O'Neill was in. They had to find out who was responsible for this.

"General Hammond, the Goa'uld have many of mind controlling devices. However, I have never seen one that is implanted into one's head, as this one is," Teal'c stated. "I do not believe this device is of Goa'uld origin."

"Major Carter, you have my permission to contact the Tok'ra. Maybe Sel'mac knows what this thing is." Hammond decided to call for all the help he could get. "Dr. Jackson, could you please contact the Tollan, hopefully they have some ideas, too."

He turned to Dr. Fraiser. "Doctor, how is Colonel O'Neill holding on?"

"He has been sleeping for six hours, Sir, aided by pain medication and a mild sedative. I've tried to cut down on the pain medication, but he became restless immediately. It's my guess that he'll be in a considerable amount of pain without them. I believe that the small spike sticking out of the device is causing that."

General Hammond sighed. "How are those bullet wounds healing?"

"They're healing just fine, Sir. And so are the bruises from the fight he's been in."

"Is the Colonel still restrained? Does he need to be, down in the infirmary?" Hammond wondered out loud.

Fraiser shook her head. "We've been discussing that, Sir." She motioned at Sam. "We think it's safe, as long as he doesn't come close to the Stargate. It is rather uncomfortable for him, to be strapped down. There's still a guard posted at the door, Sir."

Hammond, apparently deep in thought, nodded slightly, agreeing with what they'd come up with. "Teal'c, I want you to stay close to Colonel O'Neill. Make sure he doesn't do anything he'll regret later."

"I will leave immediately, General Hammond," Teal'c rose to his feet, bowed at the people present in the room and headed towards the door.

With that, Hammond closed the briefing, satisfied that at least every possible action to solve the problem had been taken. He left and headed to his office.

><><><><><

Sam Carter ran down the stairs, through the blast doors into the Gate room. The Stargate was turning, the chevrons locking in place. Somebody was trying to reach Earth and she was waiting for him.

Her father.

Receiving the correct signal to confirm the identity of the incoming traveler, the airman on duty opened the iris and the blue liquid enlightened the Gate room.

General Jacob Carter, alias Sel'mac, stepped through and smiled at the sight of his daughter awaiting him. "Hi, kiddo," he greeted her.

"Hi, Dad. Glad you could come. Are you all right?"

"Yes, I'm great. How about you? What's going on?" General Carter was always worried when he was invited to the SGC. Seeing his daughter alive and well had relieved him only a bit. He immediately sensed the tension in her voice and the concern in her features.

"It's Colonel O'Neill," she said, motioning for him to follow her. "Let's go to the infirmary. I'll tell you all about it there."

Wondering what could possibly be wrong with the Colonel that they needed his assistance, he followed her to the infirmary. She took him to O'Neill's room and showed him the sleeping figure on the bed.

General Carter silently greeted the Jaffa, who had taken his position at the foot end of the bed and threw another close look at O'Neill. Although the man on the bed looked rather pale and Carter did detect some bandages around the man's chest, it still gave him no clue about the source of the problem. He was sure the Colonel had had worse than this, so he figured something else had to be going on; something the eye couldn't see.

When he sat down in Dr. Fraiser's office, his suspicions were confirmed. Dr. Fraiser showed him the scans of O'Neill's head and he bent forward to examine the device that was embedded behind the Colonel's ear. "What the heck is that?" He'd never seen anything like it.

"We were kinda hoping you could tell us," Sam said, disappointment evident in her voice. "As far as we know, it's a mind controlling device and it is currently programmed to force the Colonel to eliminate General Hammond."

General Carter inhaled sharply. "Wow! That's NOT good at all…" he frowned, thinking it over. "Then why is Colonel O'Neill not restrained?"

"We've determined that the device needs to be triggered before it can affect the victim's behavior. It only activates coming in close contact to the Stargate in motion. Even so, Colonel O'Neill has been able to fight it off until now," Sam explained.

"As you can see on this photo," Fraiser pointed at the scan. "The device has sent a small spike into the Colonel's head, causing excruciating pain. He is on strong pain medication, but we can't keep him on that dose forever. We have reason to think the device will respond different each time it's triggered. We can't risk another activation, Sir. We have no idea what damage would be done to the Colonel's brain." Janet closed her chart after giving her report to the Tok'ra.

General Carter nodded, his face in stunned surprise and he faced Sam. "I've never seen anything like this, Sammie. Neither has Sel'mac. I'll have to contact others to see what they come up with. How much time does he have?"

Janet gave him the answer. "Hard to tell, Sir. We also don't know what the device will do with the passage of time."

"Then I'd better get going. Can I take one of those with me?" Carter pointed at one of the photos.

Janet took one, shoved it in an envelope and handed it to him. "Good luck, Sir. For Colonel O'Neill's sake."

><><><><><

The three remaining members of SG-1 along with Dr. Fraiser were seated as General Hammond paced in front of the window overlooking the Stargate.

"Dr. Jackson, did the Tollan have any information concerning this technology?" The General slid into his seat looking at the archaeologist hoping for answers.

Daniel had been dreading this moment, "Yes, Sir. They actually know of the existence of this device but they have no knowledge of the technology. Among the Tollan," the archaeologist was visibly nervous, "there had been a scientist who requested permission to experiment with similar devices that had been confiscated from highly sophisticated alien races. A brainwashing device like the one in Jack's head has never been in their possession according to High Chancellor Travelle. The scientist in question was so upset with the lack of support and cooperation from his government that he left Tollana about six months ago. Rumor has it that he has been selling his skills to anyone who would let him continue his experiments."

"Oh my God!" Dr. Fraiser was stunned by this information. "You think this man is working with someone in our government?"

"Let's not jump to any conclusion here people." General Hammond knew the implications of what this could mean. "There is no way this man could be here on Earth." The man was clearly thinking out loud. "Unless there is someone else working with him and the information is being covertly passed to the person or persons responsible for this."

"But Sir, this is an extremely complicated piece of technology. It would take a highly skilled medical doctor to implant this into the Colonel's brain," Major Carter interjected.

"Janet, do you think if a Doctor had access to schematics of this device he could perform the procedure?"

"Well, I suppose so, though the human brain is extremely complicated. It would be a very dangerous procedure." Dr. Fraiser was horrified by the implications of this conversation. "Most of our training is hands-on with an experienced physician watching over our shoulders talking us through the procedures. Even videos are training tools."

"Dr. Jackson, what is your opinion of this assumption?"

"High Chancellor Travelle didn't say this individual was responsible for this, but she definitely made me think it could be a possibility. She also said they would investigate the matter themselves." Daniel had been listening intently. "If this scientist is responsible for trading information with someone on Earth then we have another mole in the SGC." He couldn't believe there could still be a traitor in the SGC after Makepeace and the rogue team's operation had been shut down. Could this man be working with the same group? This had to be retaliation against Jack and General Hammond. Makepeace had said orders came from high up. The archaeologist absently pushed his glasses back on his nose and stared over the table to General Hammond.

"Daniel Jackson, I believe this is the way to help O'Neill." Teal'c had been silent trying to absorb the information in order to find a way to help his CO, but now voiced his opinion.

"Okay, people. I think we need to review the personnel files. Let's flag anyone who has been here less than six months and has access to the Stargate. Also, pay close attention to where the transfer originated." General Hammond didn't even want to think about the possibility of a traitor in the SGC. He was torn between not wanting this information to be correct, but if it was true this would be the opportunity to help his Second. He also had his own contact he hoped would have some useful information.

"Let's get to it, people. Give me something positive." With that last remark, the General ended the meeting.

><><><><><

General Hammond walked through the park. It was a sunny day and the place was crowded at this hour. Lots of children were playing ballgames, riding their bikes and rolling on their skateboards. Mothers with infants and toddlers in strollers were walking on the paths, others feeding the ducks in the pond in the center of the park.

Hammond was dressed in casual clothes, hoping he wouldn't draw any attention. He carried a small briefcase with a newspaper, looking like some sort of businessman taking an afternoon break from his office.

He approached a bench near the pond and sat down with a soft sigh, placed the briefcase next to his right leg, setting the newspaper on his lap. There was another man seated on the bench, deeply concentrating on his magazine, with a black hat and dark sunglasses covering his eyes. The man didn't pay any attention to Hammond at all; didn't look up as the General took his seat.

Opening his newspaper, Hammond softly greeted his contact, without looking at him. "Hi, John. What have you got?"

The other man kept reading in his magazine and turned the page. "George. You've pissed some people off real good by messing up their little program," the man whispered.

Hammond knew that already, but now his suspicions were at least confirmed. "What are they on to?" he asked, crossing his legs comfortably, leaning backwards as if reading his paper.

"They've come up with some plan to get rid of you. They kidnapped O'Neill and sort of programmed him to do the dirty job for them."

"How?"

"I don't know the details. They've got their hands on a new toy. Captain Potter is their technician. That's all I can tell you." The man closed his magazine, indicating he was ready to leave the scene.

"Thanks," Hammond hissed.

"Watch your back," the man responded, rose to his feet and left without looking over his shoulder.

Hammond forced himself to calmly read his newspaper before leaving the park to go back to the SGC. He cursed inwardly. He knew a little bit more now, but still had no clue how to solve the mess they were in.

><><><><><

After spending several hours going over personnel files with Sam and Teal'c and coming up empty handed, the archaeologist needed to see his friend. Entering the infirmary, Daniel approached Jack's bed and sat down beside it. Gently laying his hand on the Colonel's arm, he couldn't believe how quiet and still the man looked. It didn't suit the picture of the Jack O'Neill he knew so well.

Dr. Fraiser came in and adjusted the IV with the Colonel's medication. "I'm cutting down the sedative and lowering the pain medication," she explained. "It's time for him to wake up now." She gently lifted O'Neill's hand and felt his pulse.

Daniel frowned, absorbing the information. "Janet, do you think that is a good idea after the last episode?"

"Daniel, keeping the Colonel heavily sedated could be dangerous as well. We have no way of knowing if there are any side effects from the device. I need the Colonel awake so he can tell me."

"You…. don't think he is in pain?" Daniel noticed that his friend became restless.

"Daniel," Janet gently laid her hand on the linguist's shoulder, glancing at the equipment which displayed O'Neill's vital signs. "The monitors show his heart rate and pulse are increasing. His blood pressure is also slightly elevated already. This could indicate that he is in fact experiencing discomfort. What I need now is information and I need him to give it to me."

"So, it's a wait and see game…." Daniel wanted his friend awake but he was very concerned what would happen when Jack woke up. Would he be able to fight off the effects of the device? How much pain would he be in? What permanent damage would the device have done to his friend already?

"Yes, it is, Daniel. I know you are upset and worried about the Colonel. We all are." Dr. Fraiser tried to keep her voice calm and reassuring. "Colonel O'Neill should wake up in the next few hours."

Daniel sighed out loud. "Is it okay if I stay and wait for him to wake up?" He didn't want to leave just yet.

"Did you find any leads in the personnel files?" Janet wanted to know.

"Nothing yet." Daniel desperately threw his hands in the air. "The computer did flag several possibilities from the profile we entered. Sam and Teal'c are checking them out now. I really should help them but I want to be here when Jack wakes up." Daniel was torn between staying with his friend and helping to find the man possibly responsible for this.

The doctor smiled at the archaeologist. "I'm sure Sam and Teal'c can handle it alone. Stay here with the Colonel and I will check back in a little while. Have the nurses page me when he wakes up." Janet touched her patient's shoulder and walked through the door passing the guards on the way out.

><><><><><

"Teal'c, look at this. Captain Leon Williams was transferred from the Pentagon six weeks ago. Colonel Kennedy signed his papers. He could be the mole, Teal'c!" Major Carter was trying to remain neutral, but it was getting difficult. "This guy has been assigned to SG-9 and this team has been off world on a weekly basis for several weeks. I think he could have had ample opportunity to make contact with this Tollan scientist."

"Daniel Jackson did say that High Chancellor Travelle would be investigating this matter. Perhaps they have been able to locate the scientist. It is possible that SG-9 has visited this location recently. This could prove that Williams is the man we are looking for." If this man was the traitor, Teal'c wanted to take part in the interrogation.

Carter gave a satisfied nod. "I'll make a list of the planets SG-9 has visited during the last six weeks, check his background, see where this guy comes from, where he was stationed prior to his assignment to the SGC and what he has done until today. Then I suggest we report back to the General and ask permission to contact High Chancellor Travelle. Hopefully this is our break."

Glad she had something concrete to work on, Sam's fingers ran over the keyboard, retrieving the addresses of the planets where SG-9 had been. While the printer did its job, she used another computer to access a background profile of Captain Williams.

Teal'c took the list of planets SG-9 had visited and studied them carefully. "I recognize one of the planets, Major Carter. The one your computer calls PX4583 is known as Hollumia. It is a world the Tollan have lived on for many decades."

Sam looked up from her work, nodded absently. "We'll have to ask High Chancellor Travelle about that, then. Look at this: Captain Williams was stationed at some department called FIOD before he was transferred to the Pentagon. He was still a Lieutenant then."

She didn't look up from the paper in front of her, frowning deeply as she continued. "Now that is strange... I can't come up with any information regarding the FIOD. Whatever it is, it's not listed..."

Staring at her screen in surprise, Carter continued. "At the Pentagon, Williams got his own research team and got promoted to Captain. His team was responsible for doing research on foreign biological weapons. He was stationed in the Middle East for four months where he worked close together with the UN. They were not done with their research when Colonel Kennedy called him back and transferred him here to the SGC."

"What happened to the officer that left SG-9 before Captain Williams joined the SGC?" Teal'c asked.

"Good question, Teal'c." Sam jumped up, bowed over another keyboard and printed another list. Grabbing it, she read what was on there. "Captain Miller is the one who was on SG-9 before Captain Williams was assigned to the team. Captain Miller resigned, about nine weeks ago. Now let's see if I can find anything else..." Carter once more issued some commands, then her face lit up. "Well.... that's something. Captain Potter also has worked for this FIOD..."

"Captain Potter?" Teal'c questioned.

She looked up, smiling triumphantly. "Captain Potter is one of the higher technicians of the NID... I recognized his name!"

"I think we know enough to report to General Hammond now, Major Carter," Teal'c concluded with a slight bow of his head.

She nodded. "Yes. This is all too convenient to be a coincidence. Let's go." She gathered the printed information and closed all screens on the computers she had used, not wanting to leave any traces of her research.

><><><><><

Daniel Jackson had been reading in a magazine the last half hour, constantly keeping an eye on his friend, who had started twisting and turning after Janet Fraiser had cut back the medication.

Jack stirred and groaned.

Daniel closed the magazine, threw it on the table and stepped closer to the bed to grab O'Neill's hand. "Hi, Jack," he greeted the older man.

O'Neill slowly opened his eyes and closed them quickly. "Oww… Can somebody turn the lights off?" he muttered as the bright light coming from the ceiling hurt his head.

Jackson hurried to the wall and shut off the lights. He rushed back to the bed. "They're off, Jack. You can open your eyes now," he tried not to show his concern at the Colonel's reaction to the light.

O'Neill opened his eyes again, blinking a couple of times. "Yeah, that's better," he said.

"That bad?" Daniel asked.

"Hmmm," the Colonel responded, pressing his palms against his temples. "It feels as if someone has run a spike through my head…"

"Well," Daniel hesitated, not knowing if he should tell his friend the truth already or not. "Actually, Jack… there *is *."

Jack removed his hands and stared at his friend. "What the hell?"

Daniel helplessly shrugged his shoulders. "Do you remember what happened at all?" Taking in the puzzled expression on Jack's face he reached for the alarm bell. "I'm calling Janet, okay? I think she is the most qualified person to fill you in."

It had taken Dr. Fraiser only a couple of minutes to respond as she stepped into the room. "Good evening, Colonel. How are you feeling?" If she was at least surprised by the dimmed light, she managed to hide it perfectly. She approached the bed, took in the numbers on the monitors and placed her fingers onto the Colonel's wrist to take his pulse.

"Kind of dizzy," O'Neill responded, frowning as he tried to assess his condition. Each movement sent waves of pain through his skull, so he kept his head as still as possible. "Mother of all headaches," he added.

Fraiser gave him an encouraging smile while offering him some water to sip. "That doesn't surprise me. Do you remember anything?"

"It's coming back in bits and pieces. There's something inside my head, right? Something that wants me to kill the General…" Jack moved his hands in front of his face. "I'm not restrained anymore? What happened in the Gate room?"

"You fought it, Colonel. Successfully, too. Unfortunately, the device has sent a small growth deeper into your brain, probably too small to see with the bare eye but large enough to give you that headache…" Janet explained.

"We're pretty sure that it's the Stargate that activates the device, Jack. So you and the General are safe here," Daniel added. "There are two guards at the door for extra precaution, however." With that last remark, Daniel looked rather apologetic.

"Good," Jack reassured his friend. "Don't want any surprises. I have no idea how long I can fight this thing. Is Carter onto it?" He shot an hopeful look at the petit Doctor.

"I'm afraid we haven't found anything concrete yet, Sir. The Tok'ra are unfamiliar with this device, but the Tollan might have some knowledge of it. We're looking into that right now. We haven't come up with anything to remove the damn thing," Janet was surprised by her own harsh words.

"A damn thing it is, Doc," O'Neill agreed softly. He was getting tired; his eyes were becoming too heavy to keep them open.

Dr. Fraiser rushed forward when she noticed the weariness in the Colonel's voice. "Colonel?" she urged.

"Just tired, Doc," he mumbled.

She took his pulse again. "Okay, Sir. Rest for a while."

They watched how his eyes closed, his head rolling to one side and he was fast asleep.

"Well," Daniel said after a while. "That wasn't too bad, was it?"

Janet didn't look that optimistic. "Not too bad, but his head is hurting a lot, Daniel. More than he wants to show us. I can tell by the readings on the monitors. Adding the fact that he could only stay awake for," she checked her watch, "what was it? About ten minutes? That worries me, Daniel."

Daniel stared from the still form on the bed to the female Doctor and back. "We have to figure this thing out, Janet. And we'll have to be quick about it."

"I know. Go and see what Sam and Teal'c have come up with, okay?" Janet suggested. "I'll stay with him for a while."

"Okay. I'll be back shortly to fill you in," Daniel answered, throwing one last look at his friend on the bed and then left the infirmary.

><><><><><

Damn.

Were they onto him?

Everywhere he went, he either ran into that stupid blond Major or that huge alien of a Jaffa.

Or was he getting paranoid?

They couldn't be on to him, could they? His tracks were covered pretty well. Nobody would suspect him, would they?

He forced himself to relax and decided to go to the commissary. His teammates would be there around this time, and he wouldn't attract any attention by joining them.

That sounded like a plan.

Just sit there, have some fun with his teammates. He must be imagining things. They couldn't have figured him out.

Without paying any attention to the Jaffa that passed him in the corridor he headed to the commissary.

><><><><><

Sam knocked twice on the General's door. At the sound of Hammond's voice telling her to come in she opened the door and stepped inside. "Sir," she started, looking around the office to see if they were alone.

"Major, come in. Have you found anything?" Hammond asked.

"Yes, Sir. I think we have," she started, placing the printed documents on the desk in front of the General. "We think Captain Leon Williams is our man. He transferred to the SGC only three weeks after Captain Miller's retirement, Sir. He was stationed at the Pentagon, doing research on biological weapons in the Middle East. Colonel Kennedy took him off this assignment and signed for his transfer to the SGC."

Hammond looked at the information in front of him, silently nodding in agreement.

"What's really interesting is that he was stationed at FIOD before the Pentagon assignment, Sir. He was still a Lieutenant then. Now I have no idea what that department really is, I couldn't find any information on that, but what's really interesting is that Captain Potter has worked there as well."

"Captain Potter?" the General asked sharply.

"Yes, Sir," the Major answered, not noticing the tension in Hammond's voice. "Captain Potter is one of the best technicians the NID has. He's responsible for lots of research on alien technology we bring back from our missions, Sir."

"I think you just found our mole, Major. FIOD is a cover up, fake department. The Air Force registers employees there when they don't want to register their real assignment. Good work. Have you made a list of the planets SG-9 has visited the last six weeks? Found anything?"

"Yes, Sir. The list is right there," she pointed at the papers she'd placed on the General's desk. "Teal'c identified one of the planets as a former Tollan colony, Sir. I think we have something to discuss with High Chancellor Travelle."

"Who else knows about this?"

"Only Teal'c and me, Sir. Teal'c is keeping an eye on Captain Williams right now."

"Mmm. Normally I would put somebody onto him, to watch his every move and see if he could lead us to his superiors. In this case, I think we just have to snatch him and interrogate him. I don't think Colonel O'Neill has lots of time to waste."

"I agree, Sir. Do you want me to bring him in for questioning?"

"You do that, Major. Take Major Ferretti with you for back-up, in addition to Teal'c. SG-2 has returned from their mission this morning, so the Major will still be on base and I'm sure he'd be willing to help. We don't want our mole to escape."

"No, Sir. I'll get right onto it."

"Oh, Major…" the General called her back when she was almost at the door. "Push him really hard. Put the fear of God in him. I want answers and I want them pronto. And let Dr. Jackson contact the Tollan again."

"Yes, Sir."

><><><><><

After having searched the base for Major Ferretti, Sam found him in the infirmary at last.

Louis Ferretti had returned from an eight-day mission off world and had heard the news on Colonel