“Ok. Just what are we dealing with here, people?” Hammond looked around the briefing room. The remaining members of SG-1 along with Dr. Fraser sat around the table in front of him.

Janet shook her head, “Medically, Sir, whatever the being inside him is, I can’t detect it. It doesn’t show up on any of the scans we ran.”

“It also didn’t show up on most of the tests I ran, Sir.” Sam flipped open the folder on the desk in front of her and began to spread out several brightly colored images. “These are the results of the electro-analysis tests and the radiation scans.”

Jack pulled one of the images towards him for a closer look. He looked at the blue squiggles that peaked in purple, “Are you trying to say that It’s radioactive?”

“No, Sir. There is some radiation being emitted but it seems to coincide with the time periods when the being is most active.”

Hammond leaned forward, “Is there any danger to our people?”

“No, Sir.” Sam laid the results of her latest scan in front of the General. “These are the results of the radiation being emitted from the being inside Daniel…” Reaching back into the pile she laid out two more images, “This top one is a scan from a known source of radiation. See how the spikes peak in the red…Now, this one is a scan I took of myself to show the difference between a normal scan and Daniel’s scan. The radiation being emitted is not enough to effect anything in the immediate environment.”

“And all this means…what?” Jack was having hard time keeping his anger in check. He didn’t want to hear about this, he wanted to hear how they could help Daniel.

Sam glanced at the Colonel. “Honestly, I’m not sure, Sir.”

“Can it be removed?”

Sam frowned, “Forcefully? I wouldn’t know where to begin to do that.” Turning back to the General she continued, “Willingly? I don’t know, maybe. It doesn’t seem to be hostile. In fact it mostly seems curious.”

This made Janet lean forward as well, “I got that too. It was more than willing to let me to examine it as long as I explained what I was doing and what everything was. It was like…like…” her hands moved trying to find the right words…

“Like a child.” Sam and Janet stared at each other.

“That’s exactly what it’s like!” Janet knew that’s what it was, something had struck her as odd about the being and that was it.

General Hammond shifted his gaze between the doctor and the scientist, “We still have a dilemma here folks. Right now we need to know if and how to remove this ‘entity’ from one of our people.”

Sam shook her head, uncertain, “Well, um…I’m not sure we should ‘remove’ it.”

“What?!”

Holding up a hand to calm the Colonel, “What are saying, Captain? Why shouldn’t we remove the entity?”

Sam’s shifted in her seat, she knew what she had to say would not be well received, “Sir, we don’t know what we’re dealing with here but it’s obviously sentient. I’m not sure we have the right to remove it. We might kill it.”

“Daniel Jackson would not wish to let this entity to reside within him.”

Everyone turned to Teal’c. It was the first thing he had said. They also knew that he was right.

Hammond nodded, “I agree with Teal’c. Leaving this entity within Dr. Jackson is not an option.”

“But, Sir,” Sam really hated playing Devil’s advocate, “we don’t even know if Daniel’s still…Daniel…in there.”

Jack gave her a cold stare, “It said that Daniel was still in there.”

Sam returned the stare, “It also said that ‘it’ was Daniel, Sir.”

Seeing that this was getting them nowhere, Hammond held up his hand again, “Doctor, did your tests show anything that could confirm whether or not Dr. Jackson is still alive within the entity?”

All eyes turned to Janet. She shifted uncomfortable in her seat before quietly answering, “No, Sir.” Seeing the dismay on the faces around her she hesitantly continued, “And the tests showed that the damage from the hemorrhage was still present as well.”

Jack’s ran his fingers through his hair as he rested his elbows on the table, “So, you’re saying…Daniel…You’re saying Daniel’s already dead…”

Janet let out a deep breath, “I’m saying I don’t know.” She watched as he lifted his head up and looked at her with glassy eyes before he turned away to stare at the feedback monitor for the camera mounted in ‘Daniel’s’ holding cell.

Teal’c tilted his head, he did not want to lose his your friend, however, “Daniel Jackson would also not wish for us to take another life in order to save his own.”

“This is diffent…” Jack knew Teal’c was right, but this ‘was’ different. Daniel didn’t get a choice…it wasn’t like jumping in from of a bullet to save someone, this thing had ‘stolen’ Daniel’s body! It was a parasite, just like the Goa’uld.

It was easy to see the downfall that the briefing was taking. He knew he had to decide what their course of action would be. Glancing at the feedback monitor, Hammond was not yet ready to condemn the spirited young man he thought of almost like a son to an unknown fate. “Captain Carter, I want you to find out if Doctor Jackson is still in there somewhere. Use whatever resources you need to accomplish that. Doctor, I want you to work with her and see f you can come up with a way t remove the entity from Dr. Jackson. Preferably unharmed, but remember that until we know 100% that Dr. Jackson is not present, he is our top priority.” Taking a good look around him, he could see the stress and worry evident on all of them. Even Teal’c seemed thoroughly shaken by the situation. Standing he closed the briefing, “All right people, we know the consequences if we fail. Let’s find a way to fix this.” He heard a chorus of ‘Yes, Sirs’ as they stood. “Colonel, a moment.”

Waiting for room to clear out, Hammond watched as Jack O’Neil made his way to the window that overlooked the Stargate. Standing, he silently walked across the room to stand beside the younger man. “How are you holding up, Jack?”

Sarcasm dripped off his voice as he answered, “Just peachy, Sir.”

“Look, Jack, I know this is hard…”

“Do you, Sir? Do you really?” Jack turned to face the man beside him, his eyes glassy and black with anger, “Do you know what it’s like to watch your best friend die and know it was your fault? To hold his hand and give the ok to turn off the machines keeping him alive? And then as if that’s not enough, some alien creature steals his body and is now walking around wearing your best friend’s face! You know what that’s like?”

Hammond was unfazed by the anger in the man before him. He hadn’t been in a situation like this before, but he knew what it was like to lose friends, good friends…So he didn’t yell and he didn’t reprimand, he just placed his hand on the man’s shoulder and tried to offer some comfort.

Jack’s expression dropped, “Sorry, Sir. I’m just a little thrown here…”

“We all are, son.”

He sat in a corner of the small cell, watching as Sam tried to communicate with the entity. It wasn’t going well. It had been three days since they’d discovered the entity and they hadn’t been able to get any information out of it. They didn’t even know if Daniel was still alive or not.

He winced at the thought of Daniel being trapped in his own body, unable to let them know, and then winced again as he thought of the alternative, Daniel dead. At least if Daniel was still in there they had a chance to save him. Right? Glancing over Jack watched as the entity unfurled itself from the floor and looked at him with curious eyes.

Sam followed as the entity made it’s way toward him. As it approached he could feel his back stiffen and his hands clenched in anger. He knew that they had to play nice with the alien if they even hoped to get Daniel back but that didn’t mean he had to like it. The entity stopped about two feet away from him and reached for his hand.

Holding it up, he unclenched it and saw the bloody marks that were left from where his nails had bitten into the soft flesh of his palms. The entity seemed upset by this and gently held it’s hand over his palm. A slight crackle and flash later and Jack pulled his freshly healed hand away.

“Why?”

Jack ran his fingers over the new skin before holding it up for Sam to see. “Why what?”

“Why do you think of this one?”

“What?”

The entity pointed to it’s chest, Daniel’s chest, “This one.” It’s head slightly tilted it continued in a child-like voice, “You wish it harm, but you do not.”

Jack glared at the alien, “He’s my friend. I miss him.” It wouldn’t do to piss off the alien. He had already been told that they would answer the entity with full cooperation when at all possible. That was their only hope for finding a way to save Daniel. They cooperate and hopefully the entity would shed some light on what it wanted here.

“Friend.” It turned to Sam, “Are you ‘friend’ also to this one.”

Nodding, Sam stepped closer, “Yes, I am.”

It stared at Sam for a moment before stepping back and blinking rapidly, “You say you are friend, yet you also wish harm to this one.”

“Harm?” Sam shook her head, “We would never do anything to hurt Daniel.”

“I also would not.”

Jack and Sam looked at each other. Thoughts, ideas, explanations suddenly flitting through her mind, Sam turned back to the entity. Three days and they hadn’t been able to understand why the entity was here, why it had chosen Daniel…”Is that why you’re inside Daniel? Are you trying to help him somehow?”

The entity stepped back, anguish in it’s eyes, Daniel’s eyes, “He was in pain. They were hurting him.”

“They…” Sam shifted her gaze from the entity to the Colonel and back, “The doctors? In the infirmary?”

Nodding, the entity touched it’s chest and then it’s head, “There was pain.”

Sam knew she was on the right track. Turning to the Colonel she quickly explained, “Sir, I don’t think it meant any harm. I think it was trying to keep US from hurting Daniel. It thought we were the reason Daniel was in pain.”

“Yes.” The entity stepped closer and held out its hand to Sam, “This one was in pain. We like this one. We are friend.”

“You liked Daniel and you wanted to stop us from hurting him?”

“Yes.”

“But now you know that we wouldn’t ever hurt Daniel, right?”

“Sam and Jack are friend. They would not hurt this one.”

Sam nodded, “That’s right. And now that we’re friends, will you answer our questions?”

The entity seemed to think for a moment. Sam let out a deep breath as it nodded slightly.

Taking the initiative, Jack got up from his stool, “Is Daniel still alive?” He couldn’t keep his voice from cracking. Holding his breath he waited for the entity to answer.

“Yes.”

Jack slumped back on his stool as he let out a shuttering breath and closed his eyes. Rubbing his hand over his face and through his hair he looked at Sam. Reaching out he put a steadying hand on her shoulder as she swayed slightly, her eyes watering. She had been asking that question for three days. Jack could see now that she had lost hope of hearing the answer they had just been given. Squeezing her shoulder he continued, “Is he…aware? Does he know what’s happening?”

“He is here.”

Relieved at the sudden cooperation of the entity, Sam couldn’t help the tears that were forming. “Can we talk to him?”

The entity seemed confused by her request as it answered, “He is unable.”

Sam wiped her eyes with her fingers, “Why?”

“He does not understand now.” The entity shifted it’s attention back to Jack, “He wanted to go but you would not let him. As he began to go I did not wish it. We became one but he did not understand.”

Shocked at the implications, Sam didn’t know if she understood what the entity was trying to say and she hoped that she was wrong. “Are you saying…Oh, my God…Are you saying that he thinks he died?”

Sam couldn’t stop the tears from falling as the entity nodded.

“He is here, but he is not.”

Jack turned his back on the scene unfolding before him. He needed a moment to catch his breath, get his anger under control. It took all of his will power not to put his fist through the wall, better yet through the entity. Rubbing his face, he took a deep breath and ran his hands through his hair and down to his stiff neck. “Can you talk to him?”

The entity was curious. There was moisture leaking from the Sam. Reaching out it gently touched her cheek.

Standing perfectly still, Sam tried not to flinch as the entity touched her face. It took a moment for her to realize that it was curious about the tears. As it withdrew it’s hand she wiped them away with the back of her hand, gently smiling at the alien.

“Friend Sam, why moisture?”

Sam wiped her eyes again before answering, “They’re called tears.”

“Why tears?”

“Um…well, sometimes when we’re upset or sad, we cry…make tears.”

“What is sad?”

Trying to think of something to say, Sam decided on giving the entity a childlike response. Keeping it simple. “It’s an emotion. Humans feel different emotions all the time. Sadness is when you miss something or someone…”

The entity seemed to think about what it had been told. “Sam is sad?”

“Yes.”

Turning, the entity focused on Jack, frowning, “Jack is also sad. Sam and Jack are sad for this one.”

Watching as the alien pointed to it’s chest, Jack nodded as Sam answered, “Yes, we are.”

“Why?”

“What?” Sam shook her head, “Why are we sad about Daniel?” As the entity nodded, Sam looked at the Colonel.

“Yes. There are others like this one. Like Sam. Like Jack.”

Jack nodded to Sam. Subtly ordering her to continue. So far, this was the most they had been able to get out of the entity. He wanted to keep it talking. The more it talked the bigger chance they had of getting Daniel back. It had already said that Daniel was alive. It was a relief to know that it didn’t mean to hurt Daniel. That is had been trying to help. To Jack that meant it would probably be more willing to help them get him back. Putting aside his thoughts, he focused on what Sam was saying now.

“No. Daniel is unique. Everyone is unique.”

“What is unique?”

Biting her lip, Sam pointed at Jack, “Like the Colonel. He is unique. There is no one else like him.”

“Thank you Captain.”

Sam glared at her CO for his sarcasm. “The Colonel and I are different. Daniel is different.”

“Different.”

“Yes,” Sam racked her brains, she had to make the entity understand. Shaking her hand she tried to explain, “Everyone, every human, is unique…one of a kind…priceless.”

“What is priceless?”

“Priceless is irreplaceable.”

The entity tilted it’s head, “This one, Daniel, is priceless?”

“Yes!”

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