You can't save them all - can you? pt 12
You can't save them all - can you? pt 12
by Whisper99
Summary: A slow day at the SGC has brought the team a mystery. Chapter: Maybe you Can
Category: Mystery
Episode Related: 704 Orpheus
Season: any Season
Pairing: none
Rating: MA
Warnings: none
Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. This story was created for entertainment purposes only. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author(s).
Archived on: 08/20/05
Stargate & SG-1 belong to lots of other people and entities. Jess was my idea. Thank goodness for late night visits from the Muse.
***At the SGC***
Dr. Mackenzie says assuredly, "See Major Carter? That wasn't so bad, was it?" He gestures for the airmen to help Jess back into her bed. "She'll be feeling the effects very soon. Thank you, gentlemen. Please wait outside."
"Jess?" he asks gently, patting her on the shoulder. "You're going to be just fine." Pulling up a chair, he sits next to her bed, setting the tape recorder on his lap and turning it on. He then gets his notepad ready, and asks gently, "I want you to think back on that time when you were a little girl. Can you tell me what happened to you?"
Jess looks around, appearing disoriented. She sits up in the bed, scratching at the back of her head as she looks around. She timidly calls out, "Uncle Daniel?" and looks around. She does not appear to hear the doctor.
Sam continues to sit in the observation deck, one hand on the telephone as she scowls, watching Dr. Mackenzie work. She debates weather she should call the Colonel or Hammond or somebody, a feeling of outrage building up inside her. She wants to do something, but seeing as how Jess seems to be responding, Sam is reconsidering.
Jess suddenly clutches at her chest, falling to the floor and screams as if in pain.
Dr. Mackenzie almost jumps out of his chair, hearing her shriek. He looks unsure as to what is happening, wondering if she's having a psychotic episode. Eyes wide, he exclaims, "Jess! You need to calm down." As he kneels next to her, trying to see what is wrong.
Jess gasps, crying out "Daniel!!!"
Cursing, Sam reaches for the phone, quickly punching in an extension, muttering, "Damn quack!"
***Back at the Warehouse****
Watching Dr. Jackson regain control of his body, Bad breath guy asks again, "Where is she being kept?"
Disoriented, Daniel thinks he hears his name being called. Confused, he tries to suck in deep breaths to counteract the pain he just experienced and to balance out the pain in his gut that is starting to spread like fire.
They touch the taser to his chest one more time and Daniel loses all sense of everything, unable to focus on anything except for the pain in his body threatening to knock him unconscious.
The men watch as Dr. Jackson's body seizes and he screams in pain. "I think that's enough to get his attention."
A few moments pass as he sits back in the chair, head leaning to one side, panting, moaning the word, "Jess...?"
Bad breath guy gives Cro-Magnon man a knowing look as he says, "Yes, that's the girl. That's her. Where is she being held?"
Daniel shakes his head, groggily saying, "No."
***SGC***
Dr. Fraiser rushes into the ISO room, startled as she takes in the scene before her. Jess lies on the floor, clutching her chest with both arms, screaming, "Tell them! Tell them!!" while Dr. Mackenzie attempts to calm her.
Sam runs into the room behind Fraiser, glaring at Dr. Mackenzie and tells Janet, "I don't know what happened, Dr. Fraiser. He gave her an injection and next thing I know, she's like this." And she gestures helplessly with her hands.
Ignoring Dr. Mackenzie, Janet kneels by Jess, taking her pulse, "What did you give her?" she asks in a no-nonsense and not too pleased tone.
He answers, a bit unsure of himself now, "I gave her a dose of Diazepam. But I don't understand, there was no indication that this should have resulted in a psychotic episode."
"Well, obviously that was a bad call." She gives Mackenzie a disapproving stare and says, "Don't just sit there, help me. I need her to lie on her back." Between the two of them, they manage to get Jess to roll over on her side. Dr. Fraiser checks out Jess' eyes with her pen light, "Jess? Can you hear me?"
"Oh god!" she sobs, holding her stomach tightly. "They're hurting him!"
Dr. Mackenzie asks, "They hurt your uncle Daniel?"
Groaning, she tries to catch her breath, gasping instead, "They're hurting him."
Dr. Mackenzie says, "No Jess. They can't hurt him anymore and they can't hurt you. You're safe now."
Dr. Fraiser continues to check Jess' vitals. Saying, "Sam, please have a med team come up here, stat."
Sam nods, eyes wide as she runs out, giving the orders to the airmen that wait outside.
Curling her body into a ball, Jess shakes her head, sobbing, "Tell them...tell them everything. It doesn't matter." Her voice desperate, she begs, "Daniel, please! Don't let them hurt you!"
***Warehouse***
Bad breath guy touches the taser for a brief instant to Daniel's inner thigh, just as he says, "C'mon doc. You were doing great there just now. Is she still at the SGC?"
Sobbing, as if the words were dragged out of him, "Yes! Yes..."
Bad breath guy asks, "Do they have any plans to move her?"
Daniel nods, breathing heavily, "Yes..."
***SGC***
As the med team arrives, Carter and Janet exchange glances, listening to the one sided conversation Jess seems to be having with Daniel.
To the medics, Fraiser says, "Let's try 3cc's of alpidem." One of the medics nods, starting to prepare it. Dr. Mackenzie helps hold one of Jess's arms as they inject her with the sedative. It acts quickly as her head lolls to one side and she stops struggling, murmuring, "Please Daniel...tell them..." she sobs, "yes...off the base...tell them..." and her voice drifts off as she loses consciousness.
Too late, Carter's eyes open wide, incredulous as a thought occurs. "Oh my God...Janet...I don't think she's been reliving a memory..."
***Warehouse***
This time it's Cro-Magnon man's turn to ask, "Where are they going to move her?"
"Off...off the base." Daniel says through a haze of pain and confusion.
"Off the base to where?" and Daniel's body seizes once again as Cro-Magnon man loses patience and applies the taser. His head falls forward and he loses consciousness.
"Dammit! He's passed out. I told you not to shock him again."
Daniel drifts off, away from the pain but he can't seem to escape the voice inside his head.
***Someplace else***
Daniel looks around, confused and unsure of where he is. The place appears to be a corridor that seems to go on forever. Feeling dizzy, he abruptly sits down, holding his head in his hands as his body starts to shake uncontrollably. Then just as suddenly, he feels warmth surround him and the sensation of having someone lean in close, arms wrapped about him in a hug. Without thinking, he takes in the comfort offered, leaning into the embrace, but only for a moment, before he struggles to stand once again, murmuring to himself, "This isn't real."
He feels a small hand touch his cheek in a familiar gesture as another hand holds his shoulder, keeping him from standing. A soft voice calls out, "No...don't. Don't go back there. It's not safe. Stay here with me."
Groggily, he says, shaking his head, "No..no..can't. Need to go back."
"Don't leave me!" comes the voice, frightened and insistent.
He hesitates, feeling that something is very wrong. He reaches up to touch the hand resting on his shoulder and finds it strangely solid beneath his touch. He looks over to his side and finds himself staring into a too-familiar set of brown eyes. "Jess?" he asks, confused as he reaches out his other hand, touching her face lightly.
She offers him a sad smile, saying, her voice is slightly muffled, "I'm not mad at you anymore."
He can't help a shaky smile in return, as he says, "I'm glad." And they take comfort in each other's presence for a while. Finally breaking the silence, Daniel asks, "Jess...where are we?"
She reaches up a hand and touches his temple, saying, "In here, I think."
"How is that possible?" he asks curiously as he reaches his hand to lightly catch hers in his grasp.
She answers, "I don't know. But it's better here than where you were before, isn't it?" She settles herself next to him, not letting go of his hand as she leans her head against him and he drapes an arm over her shoulder, drawing her close.
He nods, taking a breath, "But how do we get back?"
She shrugs her shoulders a bit and asks, "You want to go back?"
He shudders, closing his eyes as he remembers the warehouse, then feels himself drift away, starting to wake. A whispered, "Don't...." and he snaps his eyes open, looking down at Jess and feels himself grounded now to this place. The pain and fear that for a moment threatened to bring him back to reality recede into the background as Jess says softly, "The walls keep us safe." And Daniel begins to feel just that. He struggles with the feeling, a part of him knowing this isn't right, but another side knowing her words ring true...there's no pain here.
Closing his eyes again, feeling the warmth surrounding him, he thinks to himself, `This feels too much like giving up.'
Jess says, "You aren't giving up."
"Are you supposed to help me?" He asks quietly.
She answers simply, "I am."
He shakes his head, trying to think, finding himself remembering what's happened...happening to him in that warehouse. Pulling his thoughts away from that, he tries to remember farther back as something nags at his mind...helping...he's supposed to help someone...and a memory is sparked as he turns bright blue eyes towards Jess, remembering now, another conversation in a dream, "You're supposed to help me help some other people."
She nods slowly, lowering her gaze as she says, "Yes. I remember you told me, right before I got mad at you."
"What are we supposed to do?" he asks confused.
"I don't know." She says.
"We need to think." He insists.
"I've been..." she hesitates a moment before saying, "I noticed something today. You don't have a memorial."
"What memorial?" he asks, leaning into her as his body shudders again.
"On level 19, for those that died in the cleansing."
Taking a deep breath, it takes him a moment before he can ask, "What's that?"
"It's why my dad became General. He came back because so few were left after the accident."
"What happened?" he asks.
"An alien device was turned on when it shouldn't've been. I was very little when it happened, but from what my dad told me, it was awful. It killed a lot of people."
"What does the device look like?" he asks.
"I saw pictures of it once. It was a clear cube with some writing on the outside of it. My dad called it a Pandora's box."
"And you were little when it happened?" She nods and he asks, "Maybe about 2 or 3 years old?" She nods again as Daniel does some quick math, "If you had been born here, you'd be about that age now. That's got to be it!" Shifting to face her, he says quickly, "Jess, you need to find Sam and tell her about this."
"No...I don't want to go back." She holds onto his arm tightly, shaking her head.
"Jess, you need to find out if that device is on the base." Feelings of helplessness start to rise up in his thoughts, reminding him of times in the past where he hasn't been able to help, where he couldn't make things right himself. He tells her with urgency in his voice, "People are going to die if you don't."
"No..." she shakes her head again, avoiding his eyes.
Looking at her, he reaches out and cups her face with his hands, lifting until her gaze meets his. He asks gently, pleading, "Please Jess...why did you come to this reality?"
"To find you." She answers, eyes wide and staring into his.
"Through time Jess...why?" he prompts.
She hesitates a moment before answering, "Because I couldn't find you anywhere else but here."
Gently, he asks, "Why do you think that is?"
"Because you weren't there." Her lower lip trembles slightly as she answers. She looks up at him, her heart in her eyes as she says, "Because you were dead."
"You need to go now Jess. It's important." He offers her a small smile as he wipes the tears from her eyes.
"I don't want to leave you." She begs.
Locking gazes with her, he says softly, his voice fading as memories of past failures threaten to overwhelm him. One last time, he asks, "Promise me you'll go back and help them, Jess. For me, because I can't."
She searches his face for a long moment and he can see the fear in her eyes as she considers his words. Voice trembling, she whispers, "I...I promise." She throws her arms around his shoulders, burying her head in his neck as she holds him tightly. He holds her close before telling her, "Go..."
***SGC***
Lying in the infirmary, Jess stirs, opening her eyes and blinking away the dryness. She looks around blearily, asking, "Sam? Are you here?"
Doctor Fraiser approaches her bedside, her face filled with concern, "You gave us all a scare, young lady."
Looking up at Dr. Fraiser, Jess asks once more, "Where's Sam? Daniel says I need to talk to her."
Looking across the bed for a moment, Fraiser says gently, "I'm sorry Jess, but Daniel isn't here."
Another voice at her side says gently, "It's ok, Jess. I'm here. What does Daniel want me to know?"
Jess tries to sit up, "He...we think the Pandora 's Box is here."
Sam blinks, appearing unsure as she looks over to Dr. Fraiser, "What do you mean?"
Jess tries to sit up, managing only to prop herself up on one arm as she looks at Sam, "It's an alien device...looks like a clear plastic cube..."
Sam prompts gently, "Jess...can you talk to Daniel now?"
Jess shakes her head, her voice sounding more sure as she speaks, "I...he made me promise to help...we need to hurry. Is it here?"
General Hammond's voice can be heard, "Major Carter. We do have something matching that description that arrived from off world the day before yesterday. Dr. Lee is working on figuring out what it is."
Jess's eyes go wide as she turns to General Hammond, "We have to get rid of it."
Hammond looks between Sam and the girl, saying, "Well, we can take precautions against it. I'll order it to be placed in a secure area." And he turns to the phone.
Jess tries again to sit up, this time more successfully, "You don't understand...it's going to kill everybody. It happened in my reality. I think it happened here...Daniel was dead...see? That's why I came here, to this time. I couldn't find him!" she shakes her head as if trying to clear it, insisting again, "It's going to happen here."
Jess tries to pull herself out of the bed, finding Dr. Fraiser putting a restraining hand on her arm. She turns a steady gaze to Fraiser, saying softly, "Please...I promised Daniel." Fraiser finds herself startled at the look on Jess' face, having seen the same steady gaze from Colonel O'Neill when he's had occasion to feel strongly about something. Jess asks, voiced with a hint of desperation, "Show me where it is. I'll need to see it, to be sure."
Sam shoots Hammond a query, and he nods, "Assuming it's all right with the doctor, you can go."
Fraiser hesitates a moment before saying, "She's good to go, Sir."
Between the two of them, they help Jess get out of bed and Sam walks with her to the base's labs, somewhat surprised that Jess seems to know the way already.
As they walk, Sam asks gently, "Jess...what about Daniel? Is he ok? Do you know where he is?"
Jess lets out a small whimper, saying softly, "I can't...I can't be with him and here at the same time. I can't...he says I need to do this for him."
Giving her arm a light squeeze, Sam says, "It's ok...". As they approach the lab area they find Doctor Lee sitting hunched over a work table wearing goggles. He has some electronic devices in his hands, as he works on something. He looks up as they enter the room.
Gently Sam asks, "Is that it?"
Somewhat glassy eyed, Jess looks at the stuff on the table. It takes her a moment to bring the item into focus before she nods several times, "Yes, that's it...but...it's not supposed to have any color to it."
Straightening, Lee says, "Well, I think I might have turned it on. It's pretty interesting actually. I touched it with some electric impulses, and it went from clear to white. Right now I'm trying to figure out how to get it to go back to clear."
Taking a step back as if loosing her balance, Jess says, "Sam...it's going to kill everybody."
Carter approaches the cube, checking out sensor readings coming from it, "Doctor Lee, can you turn it off?"
He shakes his head, "I'm not sure how to, Major Carter."
Reaching a hand for it, Jess says, "There's no time."
Sam moves to block her, but is too late, "Jess! Don't touch that."
Looking up at Sam as she holds the cube in her hands, "It's ok Sam, I got it. Can we send it through the Stargate?"
Eyes wide, Sam nods. She supports Jess, making their way to the Gateroom as quickly as they can. "We'll dial PX-342 and send the box there. It's a dead planet so it shouldn't hurt anyone. How long do you think we have?"
Jess clutches her stomach, groaning, "I don't know..."
Concerned, Sam asks, "Jess, are you all right?"
She nods, panting slightly as she holds the cube tightly in her arms, using the cast on her wrist to balance the bottom of the cube. "Hurry."
As they near the gateroom, General Hammond stands waiting for them, "Major, is that the device?"
Pausing at the door, she says, "Dr. Lee activated it, Sir. We don't know how much time we have, but I think it'll be safest if we send it to PX-342 and figure out the details later."
Hammond nods as he moves to assist Sam when Jess starts to sway. He reaches for the box, but Jess refuses, "No...don't touch it. I don't think that's a good idea."
"I got her Major. Get to dialing." He orders Carter.
Several airmen wearing hazmat suits arrive just behind them, as Hammond helps Jess into the gate room.
She pauses, looking down at the box in her arms, gasping for breath, "It burns!"
Hammond says urgently, "Young lady...these men are wearing special suits that should protect them from whatever is being emitted from that device. It's ok to let them take it now."
She shakes her head, staring up at the gate, watching the dialing sequence progress. Too slow...it's too slow and the box in her arms is burning..."No time."
Gesturing for the airmen to approach, Hammond asks, "What?"
Jess stands, focused on the gate, saying softly, "LDB Imports..." and she breaks from Hammonds grasp to run up to the gate. The event horizon forms before the dialing sequence completes and as she tosses the cube through and there is a sudden power surge. She throws her arms up, as if protecting her face and just as suddenly, the gate shuts down. She takes a few steps back, lowering her arms to her sides. She turns around to see Hammond and the airmen right behind her. She looks up at Hammond, offers him a smile and collapses.
*To be continued - Feedback will be appreciated!!*
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