Title: Between The Darkness and The Light

Author: magicsunbeam

Email: magicsunbeam@ntlworld.com

Category: Angst

Season: Two. Missing scene from 5th Race.

Pairing: none

Rating: G

Warnings: none

Spoliers: 5th Race

Summary: Missing scene between the machine letting Jack go, and Janet giving him the all clear.

Authors Note:   For Hoodat

Between The Darkness and The Light

by Magicsunbeam

Looking back it later, he tried to remember if he had ever been so un-nerved before. The answer was, no. Oh, he had known fear and wasn't afraid to admit that, so long as it was too himself. But standing there, his head locked in a vice like grip, unable to get away from the device, no matter HOW hard he fought against it, Jack O'Neill couldn't ever remember being so freaked.

As the lights danced before his eyes, it felt to him as if the machine was trying to suck him in. The harder he pulled to get away, the harder it seemed that the claws gripped. Then a noise he couldn't quite decipher, started up in Jack's head. It grew until it felt like his brains would explode. Finally, and with an agonised cry from O'Neill, the thing realised him.

He wasn't aware of his body hitting the floor. He wasn't aware of the base of his skull meeting the hard tiles. All he was aware of were coloured lights, and the noise. The sound of a billion voices all shouting things at him at the same time. Somewhere amongst those voices, he somehow managed to pick out Carter. Her voice was so thin and distant, that she may as well have been shouting across the Atlantic.

"Colonel? Colonel, you hang on, okay? Daniel's dialing us out. Can you hear me, sir? Just hold  on."
 
Slowly, the other voices locked Carter out as each sought to be heard. Then inch by inch, Jack's awareness slipped away, until finally the darkness swarmed in and swallowed him whole.

#####

George Hammond strode into the control room. He was aware that SG's 1, 5, 6 and 12 were all off world, but try as he might, he couldn't think of why any one of them would be making the trip home.

"Sergeant?" he asked.

"I don't know yet, sir." Davis replied without taking his eyes off the console. "Receiving  a signal now."

There was a seconds delay as the information flew through the hard drive and then flashed up on the screen.

"It's SG 1." Davies looked up at the General. "Sir, they haven't been gone more than 20 minutes."

"Open the iris." Hammond ordered as he headed for the stairs. "And get a medical team down  here, stat."

#####

Hammond walked into the room just as Sam Carter came through the gate. Seeing her CO, the first thing she asked for was a medical team.

"Already on it's way, Major." Hammond replied, looking back to the gate.

Daniel Jackson hurried through the gate, followed almost immedietly by Teal'c, who was carrying Jack over his shoulder. The Jaffa had no sooner reached the end of the ramp, when Janet Fraiser and her medical team appeared.

As Teal'c lowered the Colonel's prone form onto the gurney, Fraiser was on him.

"Somebody tell me what happened," she demanded, as she quickly checked for a pulse.

"A machine grabbed him." Sam replied.

Both Fraiser and Hammond looked puzzled.

"What?"

"It was kind of like a porthole," she carried on. "Colonel O'Neill went to take a look inside, and it grabbed his head. He tried to get away, but it wouldn't let him go."

"Something inside the portal got hold of him?" Fraiser asked.

"No. It was the porthole itself. The Colonel stepped up to look inside, and it sort of came to life. Somehow it reached out and grabbed him."

"Then what?"

"The device held onto Jack's head for a short time." Daniel took up the story. "He then cried out, and it let him go. He's been catatonic since."

"Okay," the doctor nodded. "Let's get him to the infirmary. I'll know more after we run some tests."

Lost in thought, Hammond watched as his 2IC was whipped away. After a moment he became aware of  the agitated bodies standing next to him. He turned to find the remainder of SG1 awaiting permission to follow their CO.

"Go," he stated simply. "We'll debrief at a later time."

Not needing a second order, Sam, Daniel and Teal'c hurried out of the room, leaving behind one very concerned General.

#####

"Any change, Doctor?"

General Hammond didn't think for one second that there *would* be a change in Jack's condition, but didn't think it would hurt to look optimistic. A single glance at Janet's face confirmed his suspiscions.

"I'm afraid not, Sir. However, I'm still waiting for a few test results, but so far everything has come back negative."

"That's good, right?" Daniel asked.

"I'd like to think so." Janet nodded. "It means there is no physical reason why the Colonel won't just as easily become aware of his surroundings again."

"Like waking up?"

"Yes, Daniel, like waking up. Or coming out of a day dream. Basically, Sir, there's nothing I can do. We just have to be patient, and wait for Colonel O'Neill to come back from where ever his mind is."

"Very well, Doctor." Hammond sighed. "Keep me informed. As for the rest of SG1, I'd like to see you all in the briefing room in one hour. There are some things I'd like made a little more clear."

#####

The voices were back, only this time they had brought friends. Lots of friends. Uncountable words were flying through his mind. Shouting, vying for and demanding attention.

He tried to ignore them, but the sheer volume made it impossible. The voices grew closer, crowding him.

Crushing.

Squeezing.

Painful.

He had to *do* something. Make them stop.

#####

It was Daniel who was with Jack when the first movement came. It was just the slightest twitch of a pinky finger, but Daniel saw it. Getting to his feet, he positioned himself in Jack's line of vision.

"Jack?"

Nothing.

"Jack, come on. Try. I know you're there."

With precision timing, Sam walked into the room. Seeing Daniel stance, she stopped in her tracks.

"What's going on?" She asked.

"Sam, would you get Janet?" He asked, without looking up.

As Sam hurried away, Daniel tried again.

"Jack?" He said softly. "Jack, can you hear me?"

Without warning, an arm shot out and grabbed Daniel by the throat.

"J'aaack!" Daniel gasped. "J'ck, i's me!"

Suddenly, Teal'c was there. After a moments struggle, the Jaffa managed to break Jack's lock on  Daniel. A second later Janet and Sam arrived to find Daniel gasping for breath, and Teal'c pinning the Colonel to the bed,

"What's going on?" the doctor demanded.

"O'Neill is 'becoming aware'." Teal'c simply replied.

As if to confirm the statement, Jack suddenly began struggling to sit up. At the same time, like a drowning man, he heaved a huge intake of air. His eyes scanned the room. At first they were wild and confused. Then as he seemed to recognise his surroundings, he relaxed back against the pillows and let out the breath he had been holding on to.

"Colonel?" Janet approached the bed with caution, still not convinced that Jack totally knew where he was. "Sir, are you with us now?"

Taking in a new, shakey breath, Jack nodded carefully and let his eyes close.

"Sir, do you know where you are?"

Hesitating for a couple of heart beats, Jack asked hopefully.

"Kansas?"

Janet smiled. "Close enough, sir."

"Happened?"

"You were caught in an alien device of some kind. Do you remember?"

Jack thought about it for sometime, long enough to make Janet wonder if he had drifted off to sleep.

"No," came the eventual answer.

"It's okay, sir. Maybe later."

"Team?"

"We're here, Jack." Daniel answered. "Everyone's okay, just worried about you."

Jack winced and pulled his head away as Janet produced the dreaded penlight and shone the demon device in his eyes.

"Ngahh, crap! Doc!"

"Sorry, sir," she apologised, pocketing the light. "How do you feel?"

"Fine."

"No pain anywhere?" Fraiser seemd surprised.

"No."

Janet sighed. She knew she couldn't really count on the colonel to be telling her the whole truth.

"Okay. Since we can't be sure what happened out there, I'm going to have to play things by ear, and keep you here for a little while."

Jack groaned, but said nothing.

That in itself was enough to convince her that the caution was justified.

"Okay," she turned to the assembled group of well-wishers. "Everybody out. We still have a few tests to do."

After some moaning, groaning and pleading, the room was finally emptied. Janet busied herself with more checks, while keeping a discreet eye on Jack. She couldn't help but notice that he seemed a little distracted. Distant almost.

Putting her clip board down, she quietly approached the bed.

"Is everything ok, Colonel?" She asked.

Her heart missed a beat when, for a moment Jack didn't acknowledge her presence. Then blinking, he met her concerned gaze.

"What? Sorry, Doc. Guess I kinda - "

"Zoned out on me?" She grinned.

Jack smiled. "Yeah."

"I asked if everything was okay?"

Janet didn't miss the ever so soft sigh. "Sure. Everything's fine. I'm just a little tired."

"I'm not surprised, you gave us all quite a scare," she admitted. "The rest of the results shouldn't be too long. In the meantime, why don't you try and get a little rest? I'll wake you as soon as they are in, I promise."

Jack gave her a weary look. "You promise?"

"Cross my heart." Janet grinned and turned to walk away.

Jack sank further down on the bed. He knew Doc didn't make promises lightly, so if she said she'd wake him, then that was good enough for him.

Feeling the seductive pull of sleep, he turned onto his side and closed his eyes. As the real world fell away and Jack tumbled toward the dark, somewhere in the back of his mind he thought he heard the babbling of voices...........