Disclaimer - The characters and events portrayed in Stargate SG1 aren't mine but I borrow them to tell a story.

-Sacrifice-

He hadn't been paying attention at all which was usual, but he'd heard the word device and something shiny was now on the desk in front of him so Jack O'Neill started paying attention.

Or at least, he picked up the shiny object and started enthusiastically pushing buttons.

"Jack!" Daniel snapped, standing at the front of the briefing room. Daniel sighed, obviously realizing the last thing he should have done was put the device he had been talking about down in front of the Colonel. "I just got through saying that we didn't know what this did and that we shouldn't try to activate it."

"Yep, riveting stuff!" Jack said, bringing the device closer to his face and then rubbing it with his sleeve. "I wonder if I get three wishes." He mused. Daniel sighed and Teal'c moved his chair a little away from Jack when he started pounding the device on the table.

"Jack that could be very delicate equipment and-"

"I wish Daniel would stop talking." Jack grinned at the younger man who had stuttered to a halt. "Wow, it works."

"No... sir... the device. It's glowing." Sam said, worry in her tone.

"Wha-?"

xxxxx

They must have been running for a while because he had a painful stitch threatening to double him over. His breathing was ragged and he could hear the tired breathing of others, especially Teal'c. He looked across and the Jaffa was running along side him, keeping pace even though he had Sam in a fireman's carry over his shoulder. He dropped back his pace just enough that he could see Sam's face and it was deathly pale. There was a patina of blood across one cheek.

He felt a touch on his shoulder and looked to his left. Daniel was pointing towards something in the distance. Now, over the thrumming in his ears he could hear the sound of many booted feet echoing behind them. He followed Daniel's direction and saw that there was a chasm coming up. They seemed to be in a huge underground cavern and the chasm ran the length of the floor, right to left, to each wall, cutting off their escape.

They all slowed to a halt. Daniel had doubled over, his hands on his knees and was dry retching. Jack knew that it took a long time for that kind of exhaustion to make someone physically ill and considering Daniel was now a lot fitter when they had first met, he wondered just how long they had had to keep running for their lives.

He walked over to the lip of the split in the floor. It was about 5 feet across and although he thought he might be able to make the jump, he couldn't immediately see how they could get an unconscious Carter across.

Teal'c looked towards the Colonel grimly then strode forward, shifting Carter's weight so she was cradled in his arms. He walked to the very edge of the chasm and then took a few steps backwards. "Teal'c, what are you-?" Jack had time to exclaim when the Jaffa jogged a few steps forward and launched Sam across the gap. Jack stared in horror as she sailed over the empty space like a rag doll and landed with a sickening thud on the other side. She skidded to a halt and was still. Teal'c glanced at Jack. He then took a few long strides backwards and ran at the gap in the stone floor, running full tilt.

Teal'c sailed across also and landed on his feet on the other side, a little more than half a foot to spare. Jack was reassured. He looked at Daniel who sighed. "I guess there's no other possible way huh?" Daniel gave him a good-natured smile although he was drawn and pale and obviously wrecked. Jack clapped him on the shoulder, copied Teal'c in taking a few strides backwards and then ran at the gap himself.

He felt a glassy, sharp pain in his knee just as he hit the edge, which caused him to stumble. It was too late to stop and he jumped across, but the jump was awkward and off-balance. He saw the ledge coming up fast and wasn't entirely sure he was going to make it. Jack hit the other side but just barely, landing only with his toes on the other side. He started over-balancing backward and his heart lurched as he saw Teal'c run toward him, almost in slow motion.

Jack felt a great weight slam into his back and he pitched forward. A great pain lanced through his face as he hit solid ground, his cheek hitting the stone with an audible crack. He dimly saw Teal'c diving the other way from him with a cry unlike anything he had ever heard from the large man before. He sat up, feeling fragments of his cheek grind against each other and saw Teal'c, flat on his stomach, his arms over the gap in the floor. Teal'c stood slowly, what looked like a piece of cloth clutched in one hand. Teal'c let it drop to the ground and Jack could see it was a sleeve with ragged torn edges where it would join a shirt.

"Teal'c... where's..."

xxxxx

"... Daniel?"

"Yes Jack?" Jack looked up into Daniel's eyes. There was exasperation written plainly there.

"Jesus!" Jack exclaimed and jumped up, dragging Daniel into a giant bear hug. Daniel let out a little cry of surprise as Jack actually lifted him off his feet. Jack let the younger man go and realized he was still holding the device in his hand. He dropped it to the table with a little grunt of disgust. "That thing makes you hallucinate that your friends have died! Yeagh!" Jack said, dropping back into his seat and wiping his hands down his shirtfront as if he could wipe away the vision he had just had. He picked up a pencil and used it to push the device further away from himself.

"Wait... what? I died?" Daniel spluttered, still reeling a little from being picked up and manhandled. "You mean this thing made you relive the past?"

"No. I mean you died in a whole new and exciting way. Carter was all shot to hell. Teal'c was fine."

"Sir, what are you talking about? The device only glowed for a second and you didn't go anywhere."

"It must have been a really super-real hallucination then. I felt pain and everything." Jack shuddered, reaching forward and tugging Daniel's disheveled jacket, almost as if he was reassuring himself that the younger man was actually there with a touch.

"Why do I always die?" Daniel grumbled, dropping into the swivel chair at the end of the table. He picked up the device and looked at it curiously, fascinated. Jack sucked in a breath. "Daniel, I don't think you should touch - "

xxxxx

His face was pressed against the cold ground. There was pain absolutely everywhere. His hands were tied behind his back and he was dimly aware that he was having trouble breathing. There was a horrible whistling sound when he sucked in air and although Daniel wasn't that kind of Doctor, he knew that it was a bad sign.

He heard the sound of a door opening behind him but trying to turn his head to see whom it was seemed like an action that would cause more pain, so he resisted it. He closed his eyes, not really wanting to know what was going to happen next. He started when he felt a gentle hand brush the hair from his forehead. "Daniel?" A familiar voice. He opened his eyes and Jack was hovering over him. "Can you stand big guy?"

Daniel felt the bonds cut from his wrists and strong hands grasped him and pulled him to his feet. He stumbled backwards and met with something solid and unyielding. Teal'c. Daniel blinked in the gloom and could see Sam standing by as well. She looked as if she had been crying and had scrubbed her face to try and remove evidence of it. Her cheeks still glowed pink and her eyes were red rimmed. Daniel could dimly make out other figures in the doorway of the cell he was in but not who they were. "Rescuing me again huh?" Daniel croaked. "You must be sick of that by now."

"Nah, you get used to almost anything after a while." Jack said with a chuckle.

Daniel felt a wave of dizziness and started tipping forward but was stopped by Teal'c's strong arms that came up under his own and clasped together under his breastplate, securing him. Daniel smiled and raised a hand weakly to pat the arm that was stopping him falling flat on his face. "Hey Teal'c." He sighed.

"So how'd you manage to spring me?" Daniel asked as the dizziness faded a little. He saw Sam glance at Jack quickly, her eyes growing round and glassy. She turned away quickly with a choked off whimper. "Offered a trade they couldn't refuse." Jack said, his tone flippant but his eyes flat. Daniel's brow furrowed. "Jack, what-?" but his mind grasped the answer to his question before he could finish the sentence.

"No!" He exclaimed. "No, dammit, Jack, no!" He felt Teal'c's arms tighten around him as he struggled to free himself.

"It's a done deal Daniel. We renege and they'll kill us all anyway. Now go while you can." Jack said and stepped away, putting distance between him and the three of them. Sam had a hand clamped over her mouth while backing out of the room, her eyes not leaving Jack. "Jack, you can't do this! I won't let you do this!" Daniel screamed, upping the urgency of his struggling but he might as well have been trying to free himself from steel, Teal'c's grip was so strong. Teal'c lifted Daniel off his feet and bodily hauled him through the doorway. "Be good kids!" Jack yelled to them.

"Teal'c! Put me down. YOU CAN'T LET HIM - "

xxxxx

"DO THIS!"

"Woah, do what?" Jack was rising from his chair, hands out to steady Daniel as he swayed on his feet. Daniel blinked away hot tears.

"Oh god, I see what you mean." He said, his voice roughened. Sam stood and rounded the table also.

"Maybe we should put this down." She said, reaching for the device clutched in Daniel's white-knuckled fist.

"Uh - "

xxxxxx

There was the unmistakable click-clack of guns being cocked from behind them. Sam, Daniel and Jack turned around slowly. Sam heard the shots and saw in almost slow motion both Jack and Daniel move in front of her, shielding her with their bodies.

xxxxx

"Holy crap!" Sam yelped and dropped the device. It thumped onto the floor. She, Daniel and Jack all backed away from it.

xxxxxx

"So we finally figured out what it was." Daniel had the device in his hands that were covered in thick gloves. He wasn't taking any chances. He placed the device down on the table and Jack physically leant away from it. "Originally it was intended to give glimpses of possible futures... of course, by seeing the future you were changing it and therefore it wasn't really... effective. The Goul'd got their hands on it and modified it. They used it as a kind of ... loyalty test."

"Why were all the futures so horrible?" Jack asked, his brow furrowed. He kept having flashes of the empty sleeve dropping to the ground, the same sleeve that was attached to the jacket Daniel was currently wearing. He shuddered.

"Teal'c?" Daniel prompted.

Teal'c looked taken aback at being called upon for a moment, but then his face cleared. "The best way to verify loyalty would be to see if one's subjects would lay down their lives for you DanielJackson." Teal'c nodded in understanding.

"Exactly. The System Lord would have the subject he wished tested touch the device, then the System Lord would hold it and have a ... vision." Daniel explained. "That's why you had a vision of me when you grabbed it Jack. I was the person to touch the device just before you."

"Aaaah." Jack nodded. "Yikes."

"A bit like a really nasty lie detector." Sam agreed.

Teal'c stood, a serious look on his face. He picked the device up off the table. "You have all witnessed the sacrifices you have made for each other and I can sense a stronger bond between you. I wish you to confirm that I would do the same." He said, passing the device from palm to palm.

"Oh you really don't have to do that." Jack said, holding his hands out, palms up. He knew the vision he had had would haunt him for a long time. He didn't want another one.

Teal'c smiled. "Catch." He said, tossing the device. Out of instinct, Daniel, Jack and Sam all made a grab for it. They all managed to catch it at the same time.

"Oh for cryin' out - "