The Price of Knowledge

 

Chapter 1, continued

 

             For a moment, Shifu wished for a physical body that could express the sorrow that welled up within him.  Daniel had been among them for only a year, such a brief moment compared to the vastness an ascended being could live, but in that time, he had blazed like a shooting star.  He was as exuberant as a child in a toy store, wanting to see and experience everything as quickly as possible.  Daniel’s curiosity reawakened Shifu to the possibilities of the infinite.  Together, he and Daniel had explored the universe, shared confidences, and learned the rhythm of life.  But for Shifu, the greatest gift was the opportunity to know the man who had fathered him in every sense but the biological.  To lose Daniel now was a price he was unwilling to pay.  He had to set sorrow aside and do what he had come to do.

             “We used Oma’s battle with Anubis as a distraction so the Others would not notice we had taken Daniel.  He wanted to come home—to you.  If you want him.”

             “If I—of course I want him!”

             The fervor of O’Neill’s response was encouraging.  Kasuf and Skaara were certain that leaving Daniel with O’Neill was the best decision, but Shifu did not know the man as they did.  He could not trust Daniel to a hastily-spoken reply without testing O’Neill’s sincerity.

             “His mind is damaged.  I do not know what remains.  He will not be the man you knew.”

             O’Neill leaned forward, and his gaze was steady on Shifu.  “It doesn’t matter.  I want him.  This is his home.  He belongs here with us.”

             “Even if he is changed?”

             “It.  Doesn’t.  Matter.”

             Shifu inclined his head, acquiescing to O’Neill’s resolution, and sent a silent call to the ethereal where Daniel waited.  He felt the shifting of energy as Skaara opened the threshold and the physical realm adjusted to Daniel’s entrance.  A moment later, he heard the patter of Daniel’s sandaled feet on the kitchen floor.

             “Jack?” Daniel’s piping voice called.

             O’Neill had half-risen from his chair when Daniel burst into the living room.  With another cry of “Jack!” the six year old launched himself at O’Neill, who fell back in his chair as he caught the tangle of child and orange robes.  Shifu watched as O’Neill settled the wriggling weight in his lap with the practiced ease of one comfortable and familiar with children, and some of Shifu’s nervousness about O’Neill’s suitability dissipated.

             “Hi, Jack,” Daniel whispered.  Wrapping his tiny arms around O’Neill’s neck, Daniel pressed his face against O’Neill’s shoulder.

             O’Neill cupped the back of Daniel’s neck and carded his fingers through Daniel’s baby-fine, blonde hair.  He looked up at Shifu, his eyes reflecting both the awe and confusion that struggled for supremacy.

             “This is…Daniel?”

             Shifu nodded.

             “He’s—he’s a kid.”

             “I’m six,” Daniel said, his indignation muffled in O’Neill’s shirt.

             “Children do not confine their energy.  Since they are sensitive to the energy around them, they find others whose energy is compatible and share their own.  They see no limits.  Adults, however, cling to their energy.  They believe they will lose what they give away.  Such a concentration of energy is easier to locate.  We gave Daniel this form to protect him from the Others.”

             The arm O’Neill had placed around Daniel’s waist tightened involuntarily.  Daniel protested and squirmed until O’Neill loosened his hold.

             “For how long?”

             Shifu closed his eyes briefly.  “I cannot say.  The Others rarely forget a transgression.”

             Daniel lifted his head to whisper toward O’Neill’s ear, “They hurted me.”

             O’Neill’s eyes snapped fire, but his hand rubbed slow, steady circles on Daniel’s back.  Daniel relaxed into the comfort, sinking back to his former position with a contented sigh.  O’Neill breathed deeply to release his tension and turned his focus back to Shifu.

             “If they’re looking for him, won’t they look here first?”

             “Descension is an abhorrent idea to many of the Others.  We are hoping they will not consider it as an option.  Also, because Daniel feels a connection to you and your team, his energy will bond more easily to your own.  Since the Others can only pinpoint Daniel through his energy, this bonding will make it difficult for them to locate him.  That is why we believed he would be safest here.”

             “He’s human, isn’t he?  I mean, he feels solid enough.  Can he pop in and out on me?  Fly?  Turn into a ball of light?  Anything like that?”

             “This is his physical reality.”  Shifu paused, remembering one of Oma’s concerns.  “However, no one is certain what Daniel himself managed to preserve.  It is possible he has retained some knowledge from his ascension.”

             “And that’s going to be a problem?”

             Shifu nodded reluctantly.  “Daniel learned very quickly despite his short time with us.  He knows—knew much.  Any exercise of that knowledge will draw the Others to his energy.  Unfortunately, in this form, he’ll have little conscious control over it.  Be assured, Colonel O’Neill, the Abydonians and I will do our best to safeguard Daniel.”

             “Even if it means crossing the line with the Others?”

             Shifu smiled.  “We have already broken several rules today.”

             O’Neill grinned in return.  “Well, we’ve broken a few rules ourselves, haven’t we, Danny?”

             Daniel pulled back and peered up at O’Neill.  Tiny creases distorted his brow.  “We have?  I don’t ’member.”

             A bleak look flickered over O’Neill’s face as Daniel’s innocent comment proved that the change in Daniel was more than physical.  Perhaps O’Neill hadn’t truly believed it until that moment.

             “If we ask too much of you,” Shifu said softly, “there are others willing to care for Daniel.  The Nox, for example, have volunteered.”

             “No,” O’Neill said quickly.  His arm hugged Daniel closer.  “He stays with us.”

             Daniel twisted in O’Neill’s arms.  Keeping one check tucked against O’Neill’s chest, he turned his solemn gaze toward Shifu.

             “I’ll be fine,” he said in an oddly mature tone, evidence that parts of the man still existed within the child.  “Thank you.”

             Shifu reached out and touched Daniel’s cheek.  “Be safe,” he whispered and added in his heart, “father.”

             O’Neill said nothing, but when he met Shifu’s gaze, the promise to care for Daniel was in his eyes.  Satisfied, Shifu nodded in receipt of that promise.  He allowed his energy to lose its form and faded from O’Neill and Daniel’s sight.  Then he restored time and space, erasing the signs of his manipulation.  Before he departed the physical realm completely, he watched for a moment longer.

             “We better call Hammond and let him know we’ve got a surprise visitor for him.”  O’Neill stood, sliding Daniel to his hip.  “This is a fine mess you’ve gotten yourself into.”

             O’Neill accompanied the mock-complaint with a tickle that left Daniel giggling helplessly.  Shifu smiled and returned to the ethereal plane to guard Daniel’s future.  ¤

 

 

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Disclaimer:  The Stargate characters all belong to Gekko Film Company, Glassner/Wright Double Secret Productions, MGM-UA Worldwide Television, Showtime, Sci Fi Channel, and Stargate SG-1 Prod. Ltd. Partnership.  This fanfic is not intended to infringe on any of those rights and is meant solely for the purpose of entertainment.  All other characters, the story idea, and the story itself are the sole property of the author.