The Thing
The Thing
by LAW
Summary: Daniel is missing but that's only the beginning.
Category: Action/Adventure
Season: Season 4
Pairing: Team
Rating: GEN
Warnings: none
Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. I have written this story for entertainment purposes only and no money whatsoever has exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author(s).
Archived on: 2005-01-13
Title: The Thing
Author: LAW
Email: kdlh2o@gil.com.au
Rating: GEN13
Pairing: none
Category: adventure
Spoilers: For season four
Season/Episode: Takes place end season four. Assume all episodes up to then.
Summary: Their linguist is lost.
Author notes: I'm an Aussie and proud of it therefore spelling/terminology is a mixture of Australian/American and no apologies made. My thanks to Laryssa for the beta. Feedback happily hugged, stored and taken out to be reread in times of darkest despair!!! Hint, hint!!
NB This is the gen version. When I originally wrote this it contained more Sam/Jack UST. If anyone would prefer to read that version instead of this one please email me and I'll sent it your way.
THE THING
"Daniel, come in." Jack looked at his two companions and rolled his eyes when there was no reply. "Daniel, time to go. Where ARE you?" he finished sing-song fashion. There was still no reply so he focused on Sam. "Carter, where did you see him last?" he asked in exasperation.
"He wanted to take another look at some stone monument-type thing we'd seen earlier, while I was collecting the mineral samples," Sam replied. "He wasn't there when I'd finished so I figured he'd headed back on his own."
"Well, apparently he didn't," Jack replied with sarcasm. "So where do you think he might have gone?"
"I don't know, sir. I didn't see anything else that might have attracted his attention."
Jack sighed. *One of these days, Daniel...* "Well I guess we'd better go try to find him." He pressed the speak button on his radio again. "Daniel, wherever you are, just stay there. We're on our way." He gestured towards Sam. "Lead the way, Carter."
"Yes, sir," Sam acknowledged before striking out at a ninety degree angle left of the gate. The others followed over the grassy terrain; across the plain, along a ridge, over a hill and down through a ravine. Finally, they came to a flat area where the grass grew sparsely, in the middle of which stood a stone monument-type thing about eight feet tall, pentagonal in shape and about six feet across at its widest point. There were brief inscriptions on each of the five faces, none of which any of them could decipher.
"This is where he was the last time I saw him," Sam said.
Jack pressed his radio. "Daniel, come in." He waited for a moment but there was no answer. "Daniel, if you can hear me, I'd really appreciate a reply." But his request was met only with more silence. He looked at his two companions. "I'm starting to get a bad feeling about this."
"Do you think he is injured?" Teal'c inquired.
"It's possible. But he certainly didn't head back towards the gate or else we would have seen him."
Sam looked at him with concern. "We have to find him, sir."
"Perhaps we should separate and conduct a search," Teal'c suggested.
Jack shook his head. "Negative. I don't want anyone else getting lost. We'll fan out in this direction." He pointed further ahead of them. "But we stay in sight of each other at all times. Is that clear?" The others nodded. "Carter, you take the middle, Teal'c and I will cover either side." Again the others nodded. "Let's go."
They fanned out and began to move forward in a standard search pattern, calling as they went, but not a sight nor sound of their archeologist/linguist could be found. As the sun began to sink below the horizon, Jack called a halt and gathered his team together. "It'll be dark soon. I suggest we make camp and continue at first light."
"But what if he's hurt!" Sam protested.
"I'm as concerned as you are, Major," Jack stated firmly, "but we have no idea what we might be stumbling into. What good would we be to Daniel if we allow the same thing to happen to us?"
Sam stared at her CO mutinously for a few moments but then nodded slowly. She knew it was the correct course of action but it did not sit well with her, even though she knew the Colonel didn't like the idea any more than she did. "Yes, sir," she acknowledged quietly.
"Someone should return to the gate and alert General Hammond," Teal'c stated matter-of-factly. "I volunteer for this undertaking."
"Thank you, Teal'c. I was hoping you'd say that," Jack admitted. "Then you can camp near the gate in case Daniel returns there and be able to lead the search team in the morning if he doesn't." Teal'c inclined his head. "Tell the General to send as many people as he can spare."
Again Teal'c inclined his head. "I will, O'Neill." He then turned and headed quickly back in the direction of the Stargate.
They watched his retreating figure for several moments and then Jack looked towards Sam. "So, what do YOU think happened to him?"
Sam shook her head. "I don't know, sir, but I'd really like to take another look at that monument thing."
Jack nodded. "Okay, we'll head back there and make camp." They turned and headed back in the direction they had come. Jack sporadically called into his radio but Daniel never replied. Darkness had well and truly fallen by the time they reached their destination. Sam immediately took out a flashlight and prepared to study the structure.
"Just don't TOUCH anything," Jack warned before he began to gather kindling in order to start a fire.
"No, sir," Sam said with a slight smile and began to peruse the writings. By the time Jack announced that 'soup was on', she was pretty sure of one thing. "Well, I know what's it's not," she said as she ate her meal. "It's not Goa'uld. It's not Egyptian. It's not of the Tollan, Asgard or Ancients. And I don't think it belongs to the Furlings either. It seems to be another language entirely but other than that I haven't got a clue."
"Daniel must have been fascinated," Jack said dryly.
She looked towards him. "Sir, I've been thinking about where he might have gone and I don't believe he would have gone wherever he is willingly."
"We both know what he's like." Jack spoke dryly again. "When he sees something that grabs his interest he just doesn't think!"
"You know, sir, sometimes I forget it too, but Daniel isn't military. He's not used to following procedures."
"But after four years, Major? Surely something should have sunk in."
Sam nodded. "I'm sure it has and that's why I don't think he would have just wandered off out of radio contact on his own. He knows how dangerous that can be, even on a supposedly deserted planet. What I meant was, he's not used to dealing with dangerous situations. He hasn't been trained to react in the ways you or I might. He's an easy target."
"Well, don't let HIM hear you say that!" Jack said with the hint of a smile.
"But you agree?"
Jack nodded, his expression deeply serious again. "Yeah. And I agree with what you're not saying. There's something not quite right here."
"I think the monument is the key," Sam stated.
Jack nodded. "If it's not then there has to be other...beings around somewhere and we've seen no signs of life."
"But that doesn't mean a lot. Remember the Nox!"
*Do I what!* Jack thought. One did not easily forget a race that successfully brought one back from the dead! But he shook his head. '"I don't think that's the case here. I'd be willing to bet this place is uninhabited, so we're left with the monument. Do you think it's some kind of teleportation devise? Like Thor's hammer?"
Sam shrugged. "Could be. But it doesn't appear to be Asgard in design and the writing definitely isn't." They both turned to look at the structure again. It had a kind of eerie, evil look to it in the firelight and Sam felt an involuntary shiver run down her spine.
"Cold?" Jack asked in concern, a little surprised since it was such a warm night.
Sam shook her head. "No. It's just that...thing. It gives me the creeps for some reason."
He was even more surprised. That was so unlike Carter. "Really? It just looks like a honkin' great rock to me." He studied her face for an instant. She did look kind of creeped out. "How about you try to get some sleep? I'll take first watch."
Sam nodded. She helped Jack to tidy up the remnants of their meal and then prepared her bed beside the fire, not bothering with a tent since it was such a warm night. She made herself as comfortable as possible and after wishing her CO a good night, closed her eyes and tried to sleep. However, she did not feel at all sleepy and her concern for Daniel did not help matters. Finally, after a restless hour or so she sat up and looked towards her commanding officer.
"Can't sleep?" Jack asked quietly.
She shook her head. "I keep thinking about Daniel and trying to figure out where he might be."
Jack nodded. "Me too. But one of us should get some sleep at least."
"Why don't you try?" she suggested.
Jack studied her face for a moment and then gave a nod. "I guess I could," he replied. He rose and collected his bedroll and made himself comfortable on the opposite side of the fire to Sam. The night was still warm so he lay on top of it rather than inside it, just as Sam had done earlier. "Wake me if there's even the slightest hint of danger," he said in a commanding tone.
"Yes, sir," she said with a nod.
He observed her surreptitiously for a few more moments as she settled herself more comfortably for the watch and then he closed his eyes. It was kind of nice being alone with Sam. Protocol dictated that they keep their distance from each other but he was still man enough to appreciate the fact that she was a beautiful woman, and a few idle fantasies never hurt anyone. A small, very tiny part of him was almost grateful to Daniel for getting lost...almost. The rest of him was extremely worried. As Carter had said, he did often forget that Daniel was not military...that the man had not had the same training that the two of them had been through. Daniel was also an easy target in that he was so trusting. The man had a heart of gold but his sense of self-preservation was exceedingly poor at times. It was one of the things about Daniel that annoyed him the most. It wasn't easy to describe the type of relationship he shared with Daniel. The man awed and infuriated him in equal measure. He trusted Daniel's judgment implicitly in some instances but in others, especially when it came Daniel's own safety, he trusted the younger man about as much as he trusted the Tok'ra on a good day and that was not at all! The two of them had next to nothing in common besides their place of work. They held differing opinions on almost everything except for their joint hatred of the Goa'uld and yet he'd got kind of used to having the man around. Daniel was far more to him than just a valuable member of his team, which, it went without saying, nobody messed with. The man was just...well, the man was just 'Daniel', and he would do whatever it took to get his friend back safe and sound, just as he knew that Daniel would do nothing less for him, or indeed any of them. There was always a certain sense of camaraderie between members of teams...good teams anyway and especially those that had been together awhile, but in SG1 it went way deeper than that. He had been blessed with one of the very best teams he could ever imagine. Yes, they might annoy each other from time to time and they sure as hell weren't perfect, but they were all good at what they did and they were family, and they would ALL fight with everything in them to protect their own against...any THING!
He sighed inwardly. *Where the hell are you, Daniel?*
He changed positions and tried to clear his mind. He needed to sleep so that he would be fresh in the morning. *Don't think about Daniel, think about something pleasant. Carter! That's it, think about Sam. Now that's a pleasant thought.* He smiled and allowed his mind to wander.
Sam watched her CO for a while knowing that the colonel was as equally worried about Daniel as she was. Sure, they all knew Daniel's faults and his tendency to forget about time and self-preservation...especially when the planet seemed so innocuous, but she was really worried that something very BAD had happened this time. Thoughts kept going round and round inside her head making her wish that she could do SOMETHING! ANYTHING!
Eventually Jack fell asleep. She could tell by the little snuffly sounds he made as he exhaled. It constantly amazed her that he had the capacity to switch his mind off like that in order to get some much-needed rest in any type of situation and yet still be mentally alert at a moment's notice. It was something to which she could only aspire. Presumably his black ops training had a lot to do with it but in many ways the man was still an enigma to her. She smiled fondly as she studied him in repose. He looked so much younger without the weight of command on his shoulders. Sometimes she really hated that they worked together, which made any other form of relationship between them prohibited but she was lucky in that she got to spend a heck of a lot more time with him than most couples got to spend together. If she wasn't so worried about Daniel she could have really enjoyed this little camping trip. "Daniel, where ARE you?" she whispered into the night.
She turned and looked towards the stone monument. It still managed to give her the creeps although for the life of her she couldn't say why. She was not the type of person who was easily spooked so it was certainly puzzling. She was certain it held the secret to Daniel's disappearance though. Reaching down she picked up the flashlight and rose to her feet. Perhaps it had some kind of hidden door and Daniel was trapped inside. That seemed like a genuine possibility. So if she could just find it... She glanced back at the Colonel making certain that he was still asleep and not about to witness her being in violation of his orders, and then slowly approached the monument. Her feelings of fear and dread increased as she drew closer. It seemed as if it was watching her somehow...calling to her in a way that made her want to do the exact opposite and get as far away from it as possible. But she did not allow that to deter her. Daniel's safety was worth so much more than being temporarily scared out of her wits.
She reached the monument and began to move her fingers along all the curves and bumps on the side facing her, searching for hidden crevices or buttons. She found nothing so she moved on to the next side...and then the next...
***
The early signs of dawn were showing in the sky when Jack roused himself from sleep. He yawned and stretched feeling quite refreshed although amazed that he had slept for so long...surprised that Carter had LET him sleep for so long. He smiled as he remembered his last dream. He had been on this beautiful desert island with... He looked around, suddenly registering the lack of another presence. Where the hell was...?
"Carter?" he called as he got hurriedly to his feet, eyes swiveling in all directions. "Carter, where are you?" She was nowhere in sight. He reached for the radio. "Carter, come in," he said urgently. But there was no reply. "Carter, answer me." Again there was no answer. "Teal'c, are you there?"
"I am here, O'Neill. Has something happened to Major Carter?"
"I was hoping you might have seen her?"
"I have not."
"Damn! Then it appears we have two missing persons. What time is the rescue party arriving?"
"They should be here momentarily."
"Good. Call the General and let him know what's happened. Then get the team here as fast as you can."
"I will, O'Neill. Teal'c out."
Jack moved out into the grassy area away from the fire and looked upwards holding out his arms. "Okay...here I am!" he yelled skywards. "I'm unarmed...an easy target. Three for the price of two. It's a bargain." He waited but nothing happened. "Okay, so maybe I'm not as smart as the other two but I'm not without skills of my own. And I'm a quick study!" He waited hopefully but still nothing happened, so he reluctantly lowered his arms and took another look around him. Where the hell could they have gone? He focused back on the structure. They'd seen no signs of life anywhere at all on the planet to date, not even a bug. And since the planet they were on was not on the Abydos cartouche, it was pretty much a certainty that there was no Gou'ald involvement. So the stone...'thing' HAD to be the key, but in what way?
He moved towards it and began to study the markings. They looked like chicken scratches and meant absolutely nothing to him but after he had walked around it several times, he decided that maybe it contained some kind of trapdoor. Perhaps Carter had somehow activated it during the night in spite of his orders. If that was the case he'd be sure to take her seriously to task when he found her. It was bad enough having Daniel ignoring his orders on occasions without Carter joining the ranks. He began to run his fingers over the writings, searching for hidden springs or hollows. He found nothing on the first side and so he moved to the next...and then the next...and then the next...
When Teal'c arrived with the search party Jack had been all over and around the monument as high as he could reach, which was higher than either Daniel or Carter could manage, five times but had not found anything that gave him the slightest clue as to the whereabouts of Carter or Daniel. SGs 7 & 8 were with Teal'c along with Doctor Fraiser who had insisted on joining the rescue team when it was revealed that both Daniel AND Sam were missing. He gave them a quick rundown and then organized a larger search pattern in which he would take part himself. He deliberated on whether or not to post a team to guard the structure but then decided that the more personnel assigned to the search the better. He compromised by assigning Janet to study the monument with Teal'c who had already begun circling and scrutinizing it in great detail, but she protested that she would better serve the cause as a search personnel. He considered her words silently and then decided that since nothing had happened to him whilst he had been alone with the...THING there was a good chance that there was no correlation between it and the disappearances after all, so he reassigned her to his team and Teal'c to another, not wanting to leave anyone alone with it just in case. He then sent the teams off in different directions, ordering them to maintain an open radio frequency and report in every half-hour.
The teams made good ground but at the first check in time all the teams reported in without any news except for Teal'c's team. The team reported in okay but Teal'c did not. It seemed that he had headed back to the monument alone on a hunch and all attempts to raise him failed.
Jack immediately ordered all teams to hightail it back towards the monument where, just like Sam and Daniel, Teal'c appeared to have vanished without a trace. His staff weapon was on the ground beside the monument but that was all.
Jack took off his hat and threw it to the ground in frustration. Obviously the monument WAS the key but why hadn't anything happened to him while HE'D been there alone? What the hell was going on? And why the hell had Teal'c taken it upon himself to head back there without telling him? He picked up Teal'c's staff weapon and played with it idly as he pondered the next course of action. He looked down at the weapon, feeling its weight in his hands and then up at the 'thing' and back again. Well, when all else failed, it was time to do a little blasting. He ordered everyone to stand out of the way and took aim, but just as he was about to fire Janet put a detaining hand on his arm.
"What if they're inside it?" she said with concern.
Jack looked down into her worried eyes. "Good point." He lowered the weapon but then raised it again. "I'll aim for the top."
Before Janet could react, Jack had fired the weapon at the top of the monument. The beam hit the structure but was immediately deflected back towards him. Acting out of pure instinct and with lightning reflexes, he managed to grab Janet and propel the pair of them out of the firing line as the beam hit the ground mere inches from their position.
"Well that's just peachy!" he stated sarcastically after the few moments needed to get his breath back. He glanced down at Janet who was pinned beneath him, eyes wide with shock and quickly rolled away. "Are you okay?" he asked.
She nodded. "I think so. Thanks to you."
"Or not!" He rose to his feet, assisting Janet to hers at the same time. "Well, I guess we can surmise from that that it's not made out of stone," he said dryly. He moved towards it, Janet by his side and ran his hand along one edge. "Sure feels like stone though."
Janet ran her hand along it too. "Yes, it does," she agreed. "So do you really think they could be inside it?"
Jack shrugged. "I have no idea but it's a possibility, however remote. And it's the only thing we have to go on at the moment." He turned towards the rescue team. "Did we bring a blow torch?"
"No, Colonel," a sergeant replied, "But it won't take long to get one."
Jack gestured for them to do so. "See to it," he said and then he stood back with Janet to observe the structure again.
"You know, Colonel," Janet ventured, "if we can't get into it that way then maybe we can get under it."
"Good idea," Jack agreed. "I was just wondering if it's an entrance to an underground structure of some kind. Either way..."
Soon a team was busily engaged in digging around the base of the monument, while a torch team began to try to burn a way through. Whatever the material of which the monument was constructed, it seemed to be impervious to the torch. It appeared to be even harder than the material the orb had sent through Jack's chest that time. They couldn't even put a scratch in the rocklike surface. Nor did it appear to heat up in the slightest which was very odd indeed.
Suddenly one of the diggers gave a cry. "Colonel, take a look at this."
'This' turned out to be more of the same material jutting out from the base of the monument. There did appear to be a larger structure beneath it. Further digging confirmed that the structure radiated out from all sides with the monument being firmly attached to the top.
Jack put in a call to General Hammond and it wasn't long before more personnel arrived. He sent several teams off to continue searching but the rest he assigned to digging detail, hoping that there would be a way into the structure from the top, like some kind of trapdoor or vent.
After many hours of digging, it was discovered that under the monument was a huge pentagonal shaped room, which extended for about one hundred meters in all directions from the center. Then there were five arms leading off from that, one on each side of the structure. These arms were about twenty-five meters wide and seemed to keep going on forever. Jack recalled all search teams and relocated personnel so that teams was assigned to keep unearthing each arm in the hope of finding some way in, since it appeared almost certain that the missing members of his team were inside it somewhere.
Day turned into night but the digging did not stop. Shifts were changed and the spelled workers took the opportunity for a few hours rest. But Jack did not sleep and neither did Janet; Jack because he simply couldn't and Janet because she was worried about Jack. He kept moving from one group of diggers to the next, keeping an eagle eye on proceedings as if he was afraid they'd miss something important. But finally, not long before the planet's dawn she persuaded him to take a break to eat and she sat with him in front of the fire to make sure that he complied. At first he simply stared at the food she put in front of him.
"Colonel, you have to eat," she insisted. "You won't be of any use to them if you don't look after yourself."
Jack nodded. "I know." But he made no attempt to start. "I just can't help thinking about them. They must all be in there somewhere and they're trusting me to get them out. But I can't! There's no way in. How the hell did they get in there in the first place?" He stared at Janet but all she could do was shake her head.
"I don't know, Colonel. Some kind of beam maybe. But you're right...they are trusting us to get them out. And if you're going to do that, you have to eat."
He favored her with a dry look. "Persistent, aren't you!"
Janet tilted her head slightly and gave him a lopsided smile. "When I know I'm right!"
Jack looked at the food and then back up at her. "What if they're already dead?"
She shook her head. "I don't believe that and neither do you. Now eat or I'll call a couple of hefty privates and get them to force-feed you!"
He looked at her in contemplation. "You know, you sounded a lot like Carter then, when she's trying to force Daniel into eating...although she only needs to mention Teal'c's name..." He pulled a face as he realized he'd just mentioned all three of his missing team-mates in the one sentence. It seemed liked they were all that really mattered in his life these days and they came as a package deal. He gave himself a mental shake and forced himself to continue with his original thought. "Must be the military in you both."
"Well, since I have a great deal of respect for Sam, I'll take that as a compliment," Janet said with the hint of a smile. "Now quit stalling or I'll..."
"Okay, okay." He forked a measure of food into his mouth and began to chew. "Happy now?" he asked with his mouth deliberately full.
Janet just watched with a small smile of triumph and Jack was rather surprised to discover that he was actually quite hungry and had no trouble finishing the serving. He handed the empty plate to her when he was done and was rewarded with a mug of steaming coffee. She had one for herself as well and they sipped in companionable silence, listening to the sounds of digging going on around them.
Finally Jack broke the silence. "So how's Cassie doing?"
Janet smiled. "Growing up fast."
He studied her face for a moment. "Must be hard...raising her on your own."
She shook her head. "Not really. She's a good kid."
Again Jack studied her face. "But don't you sometimes wish...?"
She nodded having immediately picked up on his train of thought. "I guess it's the price we pay for the life we choose to live. I'm not sorry I joined the Stargate program. Without it there would have been no Cassie. But yeah, it is a lonely life."
Jack stared into the fire. "I had a good thing going once," he admitted, although at the same time wondering why he was being so suddenly and unusually talkative. "I sometimes wonder if it would have survived all this. But then again if Charlie hadn't... Well, I probably wouldn't have taken the initial assignment in the first place, since it was basically a suicide mission...it probably wouldn't even have been offered to me." He looked across at Janet who was also staring into the fire. "Did you know that Daniel saved my life back on that first mission?" Janet shook her head. "He stood in front of me and took the staff weapon blast that was meant for me. He barely knew me and yet... If Ra hadn't had that sarcophagus... I sometimes wonder why Ra did that...brought Daniel back to life I mean."
Janet looked at him with a grim expression. "He was a Goa'uld, Colonel. No doubt he had some nefarious purpose in mind."
He gave a slight nod. "Yeah, well Daniel was supposed to kill us but still..." He paused thoughtfully and then with obvious relish said, "Well, it certainly backfired on him, because together we took him down!" His triumphant expression faded after a few moments and then he said quietly, "I thought he was a geek. Well, let's face it, he WAS a geek...still is...and lucky for us!" A faint, fond smile momentarily graced his countenance before vanishing. "But he saved more than my life on that trip. I left him there and didn't think I'd ever see him again, but I came back able to face the world again. I owe him big time for that." He took a sip of his coffee. "Big time," he echoed softly. He was quiet for another few moments and Janet remained silent also, sensing his need for contemplation.
"Then there's Teal'c," Jack continued after a few moments. "He saved all of our butts on that first mission to Abydos, to say nothing of countless times since then." He paused again. "It must have taken guts to leave his family and whole way of life like he did. He's a good man." He paused again. "And as for Carter... What she doesn't know about...stuff just isn't worth knowing." He looked directly at Janet. "They're the best of the best, Doc. We have to find them."
Janet nodded, knowing he was describing them personally as well as professionally. "We're doing our best, Colonel That's all we can do for now."
Jack nodded and studied her face, suddenly noticing the fatigue lines around her eyes. "Why don't you try to get some sleep, Major? You've done your babysitting duty. I've eaten now and I should be fine for, oh another day at least." He gave a slightly cheeky half-grin. "Besides, your skills may be needed when we finally do get them out and I'd like to think you were at your best."
Janet nodded. "I think I will. Unlike some people, I know my limits!" She gave him a pointed look but he simply raised his eyes in a 'who me?' type of fashion and she gave a faint smile. "See you in a few hours, Colonel."
****
The sun was high in the sky when Janet woke. She immediately went in search of coffee in the makeshift kitchen tent that had been set up and then looked for Jack. Not seeing him anywhere close, she possessed herself of an extra cup of coffee with a lid and headed out to the most distant team.
Sure enough, Jack was there and he accepted the coffee with a slightly guilty smile and his thanks. "How are you feeling?"
"Less tired. Can I convince you...?" Jack immediately shook his head and she knew better than to push it. Later perhaps. "So...what's the latest?"
"Nothing yet. These arms just seem to go on for ever and team three decided to dig down to try to get under the arm. It seems to be at least five storeys down with no discernable breaks in the structure."
Suddenly a runner came heading towards them shouting out the Colonel's name. "Over here," Jack yelled back, holding up his arm.
The runner arrived slightly out of breath. "Sir, come. We've found a way in."
Immediately everyone downed tools and headed off after the runner towards arm five. There they found the team working around a huge tree.
"What have we got, Sergeant?" Jack asked without preamble.
"Sir, I don't know how it's possible given the strength and durability of this material but somehow this tree has managed to insert one of its roots into the top of the structure. Now if we can remove the tree and cut through the root, hopefully the hole will be large enough for some of us to slip through." He eyed Janet meaningfully. "Certainly, the doctor."
"Then let's get to it," Jack commanded.
"Yes, sir." Immediately the area was a hive of activity once more.
Janet looked at Jack. "I'd better go get my bag."
"I'll come with you," Jack said. " I want to round up as many thin-framed folk as I can."
****
An hour later they were ready to enter. Jack lay on his front and peered downwards. It was about a five meter drop. The air was breathable and the area appeared to be dimly lit by some kind of artificial lighting. The room seemed to contain a whole pile of large, clear cylinders but there were no signs of life...that could be seen at least. He got back to his feet and looked at Janet. "It looks clear but..." He pulled a face as he broke off meaningfully. "You sure you want to go first?"
Janet nodded. "I'm the only one we're sure will fit. At least one of us has to get in there."
Jack nodded. "Okay, but stay alert. We'll lower you down as easy as we can."
Janet moved into position and sat on the edge of the hole with her legs dangling through. She then raised her arms straight above her head and took hold of the rope that was being suspended above her head, held firmly by two burly sergeants. She straightened her body and allowed herself to drop down whilst holding tightly to the rope. They had chosen this manner of entry rather than tying the rope around her since the rope would add extra width to what was already a tight squeeze. However Janet slid through the gap relatively easily, which gave her hope that others could follow. She was lowered to the ground and as soon as her feet touched the floor she released the rope and looked upwards to field the weapon that was immediately thrown down to her. Catching it deftly, she held it at the ready and began to scan the area.
"Everything okay?" Jack asked as he peered down at her from above.
She nodded. "It's all clear," she said and then she bent down and scraped away some of the fallen dirt and cut roots from her feet. "The floor seems to be made of the same material as the outside," she added before rising again. She slung the P90 over her shoulder and continued to look round as the rope was withdrawn. "There's no sign of our people, just cylinders and..." She broke off as she realized the cylinders were not empty as she had at first thought. "Ah, Colonel..." She looked up and saw that Jack was no longer peering down and then she felt a slight breeze against her face and a sudden shiver ran through her. She looked around hurriedly for the source of the breeze but couldn't see anything and then Jack was speaking again causing her to refocus on him.
"Here's your bag." She moved beneath him and he dropped it down. She fielded it deftly once again and then he said, "Stand back, I'm coming down."
She moved to the side and watched as Jack was lowered down in an identical manner to herself. He'd removed his jacket so that he was just wearing his black T-shirt and pants but it still looked as if he wasn't going to be able to fit. However, Jack was determined. He twisted and turned himself, accompanied by lots of grunts until he managed to scrape through and then he was picking himself up off the floor beside Janet, having let go of the rope a little prematurely. "Knew I shouldn't have eaten that stuff you gave me last night," he threw in her direction. His skin felt raw in places beneath his shirt but he ignored the discomfort, having more important matters that needed his attention.
When Janet didn't comment he looked at her again noting the rather alarmed expression on her face. About to ask her what was wrong, his eyes were drawn to the cylinders strategically placed in pairs throughout the area, making the question redundant. He walked towards one group, Janet at his side and studied several for a few moments. Then, without turning his head, "Are they alive?" he asked in awe, his tone hushed.
Janet, who was also studying them, indicated the dials that were located near the base of each cylinder. "I think so," she replied, her voice at its normal volume. The cylinders contained various kinds of small animals, two of each variety side by side. "Male and female, take ye both," she murmured.
"What?"
"I think it's an ark, Sir." Jack looked at her as if she'd suddenly grown two heads. "Male and female of every species." She gestured around her. "Whoever built this has somehow managed to preserve a pair of every species."
"From where?"
"I'm not sure...maybe just from this planet. Have you noticed any animal life at all since you've been here because I haven't seen any?"
Jack shook his head. "Not so much as a bug."
"So maybe something catastrophic was about to happen to this planet so they built this...ark to preserve each species of life that had existed. Just like the Gadmere did on their ship."
Jack nodded. "That would make sense...kind of. So where are our people?"
Janet looked round at the maze of cylinders that surrounded them. "My guess is that they're here somewhere, each in one of these cylinders."
"Alive?" Jack asked hurriedly.
Janet nodded. "At least they should be. A male and female pair of humans and a male Jaffa."
"That would explain why I wasn't taken," Jack said with a nod. He looked towards the rest of the team who had successfully descended and were staring at the cylinders in grim fascination. He accepted a weapon and radio from one of the men and after securing both he then addressed the small group of six. "Okay, kids, listen up. Fan out in pairs and look for our people but stay alert. We don't know who or what else is down here with us and I don't want to lose anyone else in the event that the Doc's theory's wrong. Maintain radio contact and check in every five, that's five minutes."
After a chorus of, "Yes, sirs," the teams moved off and Jack turned towards Janet again. "Supposing we find them, which I am," he added hurriedly as she gave him a worried glance, "do you think you'll be able to revive them?"
Janet shrugged. "This is alien technology, Colonel. Of course I'll do my best but I can't guarantee anything."
"Get on it."
Janet nodded. "Yes, sir." Jack made to turn away but he was stopped as she said, "Colonel?"
"Yeah, Doc?"
"I suggest we try to find a way to remove the cylinders. If I have no luck reviving them here, we MIGHT be able to transport them back to the SGC where the facilities are better...assuming the cylinders are self contained, which considering the set up, they probably aren't." She frowned
"That doesn't sound promising, Doctor," Jack said with a frown.
"Better to be prepared, Colonel," she replied, trying to keep the concern from her voice but obviously failing miserably as she noted the look on Jack's face. But then he surprised her by leaning forward and putting a hand on her shoulder.
"I have every confidence in you, Janet," he said softly.
*I wish I did!* Janet met his eyes, seeing immediately that he spoke the truth. "I'll try not to let you down, sir," she said and then she took a deep breath and turned to face a cylinder and its controls.
Jack studied her back for a moment. If determination counted for anything there would be no problems and he would not allow his mind to dwell on 'what ifs'. He called up to the surface to get a blowtorch team down and then turned towards the cylinder adjacent to Janet's and began studying it closely. Though it was made entirely from a translucent material, it appeared to have a base, about six inches thick, which was not as transparent as the rest of the cylinder. Hopefully it would prove to be less durable than the material the monument was made out of although he wasn't holding his breath. He then studied the cylinder itself. There did not appear to be any way into it that he could discern, so unless they could cut through the glass or whatever it was, there was no way to get the specimen out of the container, awake or otherwise. He turned towards Janet who turned towards him at the same time.
"Colonel, these don't appear to be controls. They seem to be indicators only...that the specimens are alive. So the controls must be somewhere else."
"And here's another little problem, Doctor. There's no way in...or out."
Janet nodded. "I noticed that too. Perhaps the control area, wherever it is, has those kinds of controls as well."
"And if it doesn't?"
Janet pulled a face. "I'd be extremely reluctant to try to cut into the cylinder itself for a number of reasons, but as a last resort..."
Jack nodded then looked at his watch. "Okay, report," he called into his transmitter.
"Sergeant Curtis here, sir. Nothing to report. But, sir, this thing is massive. There are corridors leading down all over the place and at least five different levels."
"We already figured that," Jack replied. "Have..."
Another voice suddenly cut in. "Lieutenant Robbins here, sir. We've found Teal'c."
"Where?" Jack immediately demanded. He listened to the directions and began to walk, Janet at his side. They were moving further away from the monument. "Any sign of Carter or Jackson?"
"No, sir," came the immediate reply. "I don't think they're in this area. We appear to have come to the end of the ah...specimens. The rest of the cylinders from here on are empty."
"Stay with Teal'c. We'll be there shortly. The rest of you, keep searching." He exchanged a concerned glance with Janet and then began to peruse the cylinders they passed. To say they were filled with strange creatures was certainly an understatement and as Curtis had said, the structure appeared to be massive. "Do you really think all of these specimens lived on this world?" he asked Janet. "And at the same time?"
She shook her head. "I couldn't say, Colonel. But if we tried to do something similar on Earth, I think the structure would be pretty big, don't you? And that's not even allowing for all the species of animals that are already extinct."
He nodded. "I guess." He began to hurry forward then as he caught sight of the team ahead of him. There, sure enough, directly in front of the two-man team was Teal'c, encapsulated in a translucent cylinder, exactly like all the rest of the specimens. Teal'c's eyes were closed and he was upright, hands by his sides and feet about thirty centimeters apart.
Jack rushed straight up to the cylinder and tapped on it. "Teal'c," he called. "Teal'c, buddy, can you hear me?"
There was no reply. "I doubt that he can hear you, Colonel," Janet said softly. "He looks to be perfectly preserved, just like the rest of the specimens, but we won't know for sure until we can find the controls."
Jack moved to the next cylinder. It was empty, as were the cylinders further along. "Why didn't...it, whatever, put them all together?"
Janet shook her head. "If I was guessing, I'd say that the control center is directly under the monument, and that the specimens collected are placed in some kind of sequence in each of the five arms. So in all likelihood, Sam and Daniel are together on the end of one of the other arms, probably one on either side of this arm."
Jack nodded. "That makes sense. So we need to find our way to the center and then out to another of the arms." Janet nodded. "Okay then." Jack ordered the lieutenant and his partner to stay and keep watch over Teal'c and then he and Janet headed back the way in which they'd come. They made their way to the top floor again and then headed for the central room.
Suddenly the transceiver broke the silence. "Colonel O'Neill?"
"Go ahead."
"Curtis here again, Colonel. We've reached the central room. This thing is amazing, sir."
"How so?"
"It's got work stations right through it, sir and the technology is like nothing any of us has ever seen before."
"We're on your six and shouldn't be long. Anyone else with you?"
"One other team, sir."
"Good. Take an arm either side of the one we're in and head for the bottom floor. We think Carter and Jackson must be in either of those."
"Aye, sir."
Jack turned to Janet. "Seems you were right about the control center."
"Now if only we can figure it all out," Janet said worriedly. "And we will," she added hurriedly as she caught Jack's deeply concerned expression.
They walked for a few moments in silence and then Jack said, "Have you noticed that the air down here doesn't appear to be at all stale?"
Janet nodded. "As a matter of fact I was just wondering about that. There must be some sort of air filtration devise in place but if all of the specimens are in the cylinders why is it necessary?"
"Exactly what I was thinking." He pressed his radio. "All teams check in."
"Robbins here, Sir. All clear."
"Curtis here, sir. We're making our way down arm four. Nothing to report yet."
Jack waited for his other team to check in but there was nothing. "Curtis, who's in the other team?"
"Browne and Orlando, sir. They took arm one."
"Browne, come in." He waited. "Orlando do you read?"
There was another few moments of silence in which Jack became seriously concerned and then, "Browne here, sir. Sorry, the button was jammed for a moment. No sign of Carter or Jackson yet."
Jack breathed a half sigh of relief. "Okay, people, listen up. We're pretty sure we're not alone down here so keep your eyes open. Check in again in five." He glanced at Janet. "So far so good."
"Maybe there's a sort of caretaker here," Janet offered. "That'd make sense."
Jack nodded. "Like the Gamekeeper. The trouble with him though was that he didn't want to let his charges wake up again. He tried to draw us into his games to provide entertainment for his..." he searched for the right word, "sleepers."
"I don't think that would happen here, sir. Like I said before, this seems to be an ark and it already has its two humans."
"However we are intruders and are therefore likely to be seen as a threat," Jack added. He stopped as they reached what was obviously the control room at the center of the structure. It certainly was incredible just as Curtis had described. It was a massive single room and there were terminals lining every wall as well as rows of stations in a pentagonal shape right throughout the room. Each terminal was rectangular in shape, about three and a half feet tall, five feet wide and two feet deep and each was separated from its neighbors by about a ten-foot margin on all sides.
Jack and Janet just gazed all around them for several moments in silence before Janet moved to a terminal and began to study it. Instantly Jack was at her side. "Can you understand any of this?"
She shook her head. "I think it's a type of monitoring device but I have no idea what it's monitoring and I don't want to press anything in case I inadvertently harm one of the specimens." She looked at Jack. "We need to get some technical experts down here. Some linguists might help as well."
Jack gave her a wry look. "So in other words we need Carter and Daniel." She shrugged helplessly. He nodded and moved away to put in a call to the surface. Meanwhile, Janet began to move through the maze of terminals. They all appeared to have some of the same symbols on them and on most of the terminals the symbols were lit up, but there were also different ones on each as well...different to any of the others. On a hunch she moved back into the arm from which they had entered and studied the markings on the first two cylinders she came to. These contained small frog-like creatures. The same symbols appeared on the cylinders as were common to the terminals with one exception. She walked down the line of cylinders and discovered a different symbol on each one. That had to be what identified which terminal monitored which cylinder. She studied the first two cylinders again and then withdrew a notepad and pencil from her pocket and copied them down. She then headed back to the control room to search for them.
Jack finished speaking to the surface and moved to join her. "What have you got?"
She ripped off the page and handed it to him, repocketing the book. "I'm looking for these."
He didn't waste words, but simply took the paper from her and moved to another part of the room to inspect the terminals there. All was quiet as they searched.
Suddenly the transmitter spoke. "Browne here, sir. We've found them."
"Fraiser!" Jack called. "Are they all right?" he asked into the transmitter.
"They look the same as the others, sir."
Janet was suddenly by his side. "Have they found them?" Jack nodded. "Can I talk to them?" Jack unclipped the radio from the front of his T-shirt and held it out to her. She took it and immediately began to speak into it. "Who am I speaking to?"
"Sergeant Browne, ma'am."
"Well, Sergeant, I need you to do something for me. Do you have pencil and paper?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Good. I'd like you to look at both of the cylinders. Do you see some symbols that are the same on both?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"And do you see a single one that is different on both?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Good. I'd like you to draw the ones that are common and then I'd like you to draw the different ones and write who belongs to each beside them. Can you do that for me?"
"Yes, ma'am. Orlando's doing it right now."
Janet looked at Jack. "Can we send someone to get it?"
Jack nodded and took the receiver back from her. "Browne, hold position there. I'll send Curtis to collect the drawings. Curtis did you copy that?"
"Yes, sir. We're on our way back."
Jack looked at Janet again. "You want Teal'c's too?" Janet nodded. "Robbins, did you copy all of that?"
"Aye, sir. Drawing's done and awaiting collection." Jack smiled. "Well done, Lieutenant. Someone'll be there soon." His eyes met Janet's and this time he did ask. "So I take it you have an idea?"
She nodded. "If we can find the terminal that monitors those first two cylinders then I can try to revive them and see what happens."
Jack nodded. "Let's keep looking." They separated and continued to search.
Janet was in the center of the room when she called Jack over. "This one must be directly under the monument." The terminal was different from the others in that it displayed five images of the outside, one taken from each side of the pentagon. "Either the cameras are imbedded in the walls so well that we couldn't detect them or else they can penetrate that rock-material," Janet said in amazement.
"My guess is that they're scanning right through it," Jack volunteered. "I went completely over that thing and there was nothing hidden or imbedded in it, believe me."
"I'm inclined to agree with you," she said with a nod. They watched the activity going on topside for a few moments and then Janet had an idea. She stood in front of the terminal and then looked towards the arm in which the cylinders they were trying to find the symbols for were located. She moved to the closest terminal in that direction and there sure enough were the ones she sought. "Bingo," she said.
Jack moved to stand beside her. "Now what?"
She grimaced. "I'm not sure." She pressed the symbol of the first cylinder and immediately the panel began to display some kind of figures beside the lit symbols that were common to all. "I'd say that these are the readings for this lifeform." She pointed to the top symbol. "I'd say this is probably heartbeat," she moved her hand down, "this one respiration," she moved her hand to the last one, "and this one is brain activity." She pointed to a button with a sliding panel. "And I think this is what raises and lowers body temperature, which controls all the rest. I have no idea what all the others are for though."
"So can you revive them?" Jack asked hopefully.
She shrugged. "Colonel, you have to remember this is..."
"...alien technology. Yeah, I know and I know you'll do your best. It's just so damned frustrating to be so close and yet..." He broke off as he noticed Curtis and his partner enter the room. "Go for it," he said. "Curtis, hold up," he said into his transceiver and began to head in the direction of the two men in order to speak with them before they headed out again into a different arm.
Janet continued to study the terminal, trying to figure out the functions of all the buttons and dials.
When Jack returned he didn't look any happier. "Curtis is headed for the drawings and I've just spoken with the surface. They haven't had any luck cutting through the cylinders. They seem to be made of the same material as the building just in a translucent form. They've sent for more computer and linguistic personnel but the trouble is no-one can fit down here. So at the moment you're it, Doc!"
"No pressure," Janet said grimly.
"Curtis should be back with the drawings in about twenty minutes."
Janet nodded. "Well, Colonel, the only course of action I can see here is a little trial and error. I'll try to work the controls while you monitor the subject and hope that we don't inadvertently kill it." Jack nodded. "We'll need another..." She broke off as Jack reached into his trouser pocket and pulled out a transmitter for her.
"I got Curtis's partner's. I figured you'd want to try something like this."
Janet took the transmitter with a smile and Jack headed off towards the cylinder.
"I'm ready," Jack called through the transmitter when he was in position.
"Okay, well I'm going to try to start raising the body temperature. Let me know if there's any change at all, even the slightest thing."
"Roger that."
"Here goes." She pressed a button and slid her fingers up the panel watching as the figures beside the symbols began to change. "Can you notice anything?"
"Not yet."
#You're killing it.#
"Sir, did you say something?"
"No."
#You're killing it. Stop now.#
Janet felt a sudden shiver run through her, just like earlier. "Colonel!"
"What is it, Doc?"
#Stop now!#
"I think you'd better get back here. NOW!" She slid her fingers down the panel and then moved away from the terminal looking around her apprehensively.
Jack was by her side a few moments later, gun at the ready as his eyes swept the room for intruders. Seeing none, he turned his attention to the Doctor. "Doc, what's the matter? You look like you've seen a ghost."
Janet shook her head. "More like heard one." She explained what had happened. "There's something here, Colonel. I heard it and I felt it just like I did when I first entered."
"Felt it, how? We haven't seen anything to indicate an alien presence."
Janet looked affronted. "Are you saying you don't believe me?"
Jack shook his head. "No, I'm not saying that at all. I'm saying we haven't SEEN anything."
"Reetu?"
"I doubt it but if one species is like that there's every reason to believe that another could be like that as well. What did it feel like?"
"Like a cold breeze. It made me shiver."
About to ask her if she was sure she wasn't letting her imagination get the better of her, he suddenly remembered back to Carter's unusual reaction to the 'thing'... monument...whatever. Carter was not prone to the fanciful so maybe there really was a different sort of alien/aliens in residence. He nodded thoughtfully.
"So what do we do now?" Janet asked
He looked at her for a moment. "You said it said you were killing it. Perhaps it's the caretaker. In which case we need to find a way to communicate with it so we can get our people back."
"Well, we could try the obvious." She looked around her. "Hello, are you there? We don't want to harm the creatures. We just want to talk to you." She continued to look around her but there was nothing. "We just want to rescue our friends. Can you understand?"
Jack gave her a dry look. "Well, that doesn't exactly seem to be working. Got any other brilliant ideas?"
Janet glared at him. "I'm telling you, Colonel there is something here."
"Relax, Doc, I believe you, but what can we do?"
She walked back to the terminal. "Okay, it said I was killing it. So I must have been doing something wrong. I'll try something else." She studied all the dials again and then shook her head. "That has to be the right one. Maybe I was just doing it too fast. I'll try again...more slowly."
Jack looked at her. "You want me to...?"
She shook her head. "No, can you stay here? Maybe you'll hear it too this time." Jack nodded. "Okay, I'm pressing the button and pushing up the dial just a little." Immediately the figures beside the symbols began to change again. She waited.
"I don't hear anything," Jack said.
"Neither do I. Maybe I'm doing it right this time."
"Want me to go...?"
#You're killing it.#
"Did you hear that?"
"Hear what?"
#Stop now.#
"Why am I killing it?"
"Doc?"
#Too fast.#
"How do I slow it down?"
#Can't. Stop now.#
"Janet!"
"Why can't I slow it down?"
#Broken.#
"Who broke it? Did I?"
#No. Me. So sorry. Stop now.#
"Can it be fixed? My friends are in there."
#It's dying. Stop now. So sorry.#
Janet slid her hand back down and took her hand off the button. "I've stopped now. Please stay and talk." She waited but there was no reply. She looked at Jack who was simply staring at her. "You didn't hear any of that?"
"Only what you said. So I gather it's broken?"
"Must be a telepathic link of some kind," Janet said with a frown. "Perhaps it can only..."
"Hello!"
Janet gave her head a little shake to clear it. "Sorry. What was the question?"
"I said..."
She suddenly nodded. "Yeah, it's broken. Whatever it is said that it broke it and that it's sorry. I'm wondering if it IS the caretaker or something else that somehow broke in here, perhaps where the tree was growing and inadvertently damaged the systems."
"So where does that leave us?"
Janet shook her head. "It stopped talking to me when I reset the controls. I wonder..." She put her hand back on the control button but didn't push it. "Can you hear me?"
#Yes.#
Janet took her hand away. "Um Colonel, perhaps you'd like to try."
"It's here?" She nodded. Jack moved forward and she showed him where to place his hand. "Um...hello, can you hear me?"
#Yes.#
"I'm Colonel Jack O'Neill from Earth. Who are you?"
#Kanai.#
He looked at Janet. "Kanai, three of our people are caught in this...place. We only want to get them out and leave peacefully. Can you tell us how to do that?"
#Cannot. Broken.#
"Are you the caretaker?"
#No.#
"Is there a caretaker?"
#No-one here but me.#
"How did you get in here?"
#I am energy. Can pass through walls.#
"Do you know another way in?"
#No.#
"Do you know how we can we fix the system?"
#No.#
"How did you break it?"
#My energy overloaded systems. Stayed to keep it running.#
"So you're saying that the only thing keeping this ENTIRE place running is you?"
#I leave, all die. So sorry.#
Jack pulled his hand away. "Oh for crying out loud, this is ridiculous!"
"Sir?" Janet asked in surprise.
"It says its name's Kanai and it just wandered on in through the wall and broke the system with its energy or something or other and it claims it's the only thing keeping everything alive."
"You don't believe it?"
"One being running this entire system? Sounds more than a bit sus to me. It's more likely Doctor Mengala here just doesn't want to give up any of his test subjects."
"Test subjects? The specimens look like they're perfectly preserved. I see no signs that they've been experimented on in any way."
"They're ALIEN. How do you know how they're SUPPOSED to look? For all we know they could all be grossly deformed."
"But, sir what if he's telling the truth? If I continue I could be responsible for the deaths..."
"I'm not buying it, Doc, sorry. I want you to do whatever it was you were doing before and we'll just see what happens."
"Colonel, I object. As chief medical officer..."
"Noted! Now get on with it." Janet didn't move. "That's an order, MAJOR!"
Janet threw him a mutinous look but then, "Yes, SIR," she snapped and moved to comply.
Just then Curtis arrived with the drawings from Sam and Daniel's cylinders. He handed them to Jack who handed them to Janet who immediately stopped what she was doing and began to study them. "Stay here," Jack ordered Curtis. He turned to Curtis's partner, looking at his jacket. "Stiles, is it?"
"Yes, sir."
"You're with me." He addressed Janet again. "I'll let you know when we're in position." He walked away and Janet turned towards Curtis, handing him back the piece of paper.
"I want you to look on those terminals towards that wall," she pointed in the desired direction, "and see if you can find these two symbols. That will be the terminal that controls their cylinders."
Curtis nodded. "Do you think we can get them out, Doc? It's kind of eerie seeing them standing there staring blankly like that."
Janet looked at him in surprise. "Their eyes are open?"
Curtis nodded, "And it's like they're staring at each other."
"They're facing each other?"
Curtis nodded again.
Janet was starting to get a bad feeling. "Sergeant, this is important. In all of your travels did you see any other specimens facing each other or with their eyes open?"
Curtis looked thoughtful for a moment and then shook his head. "No, ma'am I can't say that I did. Do you think it means something?"
"I'm not sure," she said slowly but a horrific thought was beginning to coalesce in her mind.
Just then Jack called through the transmitter, "Ready when you are, Major."
Janet nodded to Curtis. "Start looking." He nodded and headed off. She took a deep breath and spoke into her transmitter. "Colonel, I think we should hold off for the moment."
"Negative, Major..."
"Sir, I have some new information..."
"Are you going to do this or do I have to come and do it myself?" Jack demanded angrily.
Janet bit the inside of her lip. "I'm afraid you'll have to do that, Colonel." She stood back from the controls waiting with no small trepidation for Jack to appear. She admired the man tremendously and defying him was not a step she took lightly. Still, he was usually willing to listen to the opinions of others...usually. In this case however, she knew his emotions were deeply involved so she wasn't quite so sure.
It wasn't long before she saw him striding angrily towards her. She waited until he was almost upon her and then took her courage in her hands and stepped directly into his path halting his progress.
"Fraiser, what the hell are you doing? Get out of the way!"
She moved closer until she could speak near to his ear. "Don't touch that dial, Colonel. It lied."
"What? What are you talking about?" Jack demanded, although thankfully quietly.
"I think you were right. It's not protecting this place, it's using it for its own evil purpose."
Jack stared at her. "And you suddenly know this how?"
"I felt its presence as soon as I arrived here. It was like someone walked over my grave but I pushed it aside thinking I was just imagining things. Then I felt it again when I first touched the terminal."
"You've already said that but you must have more to go on than that. You weren't convinced before."
She nodded. "Sam and Daniel have their eyes open. None of the other specimens do. Why would that be unless someone wanted them to be aware of what was happening to them?"
"And what is?"
"I don't know...exactly. But I'd bet it isn't pleasant."
Jack stared at her for a moment. "So what do you suggest?"
"I don't know that either. But I don't believe there's anything wrong with these controls at all. I think I was doing the right thing and if I was allowed to continue the specimen would be revived in perfect health."
"Then shouldn't we test that theory?"
She shook her head. "No, sir, I don't think we should. The creature...being, whatever, communicated through the terminal. Therefore it must be able to manipulate them, probably in all sorts of ways. I have this really bad feeling that if I touch that panel again either I'll get zapped or else something really bad will happen to Sam, Daniel or Teal'c, maybe all three."
Suddenly Curtis radioed from the edge of the room. "Doctor, I've found it."
Jack raised an eyebrow but it was only half a question, his mind still cogitating on what she'd already said.
"The terminal that controls Sam and Daniel's cylinders," Janet stated quickly. They both made their way over to it and studied the display. More lights seemed to be lit up on it than on any of the other terminals.
Jack turned to Curtis. "Meet up with Stiles and get Teal'c's particulars. Quick as you can." Curtis nodded and departed leaving Jack and Janet studying the terminal.
Suddenly a light began flashing on the left-hand side...Sam's side. "What does that mean?" Jack asked.
Before Janet had a chance to answer, the transmitter crackled to life. "Colonel O'Neill, Major Carter just started screaming." They could hear the proof of his words in the background. Obviously the cylinders weren't soundproof.
Jack looked desperately at Janet. "Can you turn it off?"
Janet looked helplessly at the terminal. "I don't even know what it's doing to her."
Jack suddenly pushed her aside and put his finger on the same button as he had earlier on the other terminal. "Turn it off," he yelled into the air.
#For now.# The light stopped flashing.
"Browne?" he called urgently.
"She's stopped, sir."
Jack almost sagged in relief, removing his hand. "Keep us apprised of anything else that happens."
"Aye, sir."
Jack looked at Janet. "Looks like you were right, Doc."
Janet gave a helpless look. Being right did not help matters.
Jack put his hand back on the button. "What do you want from us?"
#Nothing. Leave.#
"Not without my people."
#Mine now.#
"They are not anyone's property!"
#Mine now. Leave.#
"We can't do that."
#Leave.#
A light on the right hand side of the terminal began to flash brightly and there was an immediate response from the transmitter. "Sir, it's Doctor Jackson this time." Again they could hear the proof in the background.
"Stop it!" Jack demanded angrily.
#You will leave.#
"All right, we'll leave. Just stop hurting them."
#It is done.# The light went out.
"Browne?"
"He's stopped, sir."
#Leave now.#
"Look, maybe we can negotiate some sort of trade...something that you want in return for our people."
#You have nothing of value.#
"How do you know?"
#I observed you.#
"Yes, but our planet has much to offer that we have not brought with us."
#Such as?#
"I don't know, pick something. What is it that you want most of all?"
#A mate.#
"A mate?" Jack looked at Janet. "Um...I'm sorry but we seem to be fresh out of those. Anything else?"
#You have nothing I want.#
Curtis and Stiles suddenly burst onto the scene waving a piece of paper. Janet directed them to the correct area and they immediately began to search.
"Don't be in such a hurry to count us out," Jack continued. "Besides a mate, what else do you fancy?"
#Entertainment.#
"Well, that's easy. We have lots of entertainment on our world. Sports, music, television...did I mention sports?"
#Your friends are entertaining. I have seen many things through them.#
"You see into their minds?" He looked at Janet in bewilderment.
#I am linked to them.#
"How?"
#Through the terminals.#
"So you're linked to them through the terminals," he repeated for Janet's benefit.
"That would make sense," Janet said softly.
#I interact with them. I know what they know.#
"So you know everything they know." He looked at Janet. "What do you know about me?"
#You are their friend Jack. They love you.#
*Oh, I'm SO not touching that, no matter how it's intended!* "Yes, I'm their friend, Jack. I'm also their commanding officer. It's my job to keep them safe."
#You are not good at your job.#
"Apparently not," Jack acknowledged dryly with a self-deprecating grimace.
"I've found it, sir," Curtis suddenly cried triumphantly through the transmitter indicating that he'd found the terminal with Teal'c's symbol. Jack motioned for Janet to go and check it out.
#You won't free him either.#
"He's our friend, too."
#Why are there no others like him?#
"He is not from our world."
#He has a being of great evil within him.#
*You can talk!* "It's a Goa'uld. Don't you know about them?"
#I do not. Tell me.#
"Will you free my people if I do?"
#No. But I will hurt them if you do not.#
"Okay! It was worth a shot. What do you want to know?"
#Everything.#
Janet could still hear Jack's voice despite the distance although not his actual words as she studied the terminal for Teal'c's cylinder. For some reason it looked different to the others and then she realized that it was because his was the only cylinder linked to it. That meant that everything on the terminal pertained only to him. She studied the symbols carefully and was almost certain she knew exactly what to do. Recovery would be almost instantaneous and freedom assured. But dare she try it?
She looked towards where the Colonel still seemed to have the being engaged in conversation and decided to give it a try. Without allowing herself time to change her mind she quickly activated the sequence and was immediately hit by an energy discharge and thrown across the space into the next terminal where she slumped in an unconscious state to the floor.
Jack looked across the room in confusion at the sound.
#You tried to trick me. Your friends will pay.#
Jack watched in horror as buttons on both sides of the panel began to flash.
Immediately the transmitter crackled to life. "Sir, Major Carter and Doctor Jackson are both screaming."
It crackled again. "Sir, Teal'c is free. He's unconscious though."
"Get him out of here," Jack ordered into the transmitter. "Leave them alone!" he yelled into the air. "If you need to hurt someone, hurt me!" There was no immediate reply. "Did you hear me?" he yelled desperately. "I said..."
#You would take their place?#
"YES! Just stop hurting them."
#Which one would you save?#
Jack considered for a micro-second, in agony of decision. Carter was the soldier, trained for torture but probably their best chance for figuring a way out for all of them. Daniel was physically stronger, but he could also pull a rabbit out of a hat when needed and could probably read the language... It was a tough choice but he was trained to make the hard calls and do it quickly. "Carter...Sam," he said decisively. *Sorry, Daniel, just hang in there. Hopefully this is for the best. Don't let me down Carter!* "Let her go and I'll gladly take her place. Browne?" he called urgently into his transmitter. The lights were still flashing.
"They're still screaming, sir."
"Please, let her go!"
#You love her?#
This time Jack didn't hesitate. "YES! All of them! Now let her go."
#I have no-one to love.#
Jack shook his head in frustration. "I'm sorry about that but I CAN'T help you. Please STOP!"
#It is done.# The terminal went suddenly dark and then it returned to normal with only the usual buttons lit up again.
Jack pressed his transmitter again quickly. "Browne?"
"They've stopped, sir."
"Thank you." Jack looked towards where Curtis and Stiles were attending to Doctor Fraiser. "How is she?" he inquired through the transmitter.
"She's unconscious, sir," Stiles replied.
"What did you do to her?" he demanded of Kanai.
#She will be fine. The charge was mild. The next one will be lethal.#
"Get her out of here," he directed through the transmitter, "and under no circumstances touch any of the consoles."
"Yes, sir," Curtis answered. He picked the diminutive form up in his arms and they headed for the opening.
Jack watched them until they were out of sight and then he swung back to the terminal. "Will you release Carter?"
#Go there. I will decide.#
Jack turned immediately and ran down the arm that led to his friends. When he got there it was to find Daniel in a crumpled heap at the bottom of his cylinder looking up at him and Sam standing almost at attention, eyes open, fixed on Daniel's cylinder.
He rushed to his fallen friend. "Daniel, are you okay?" He got a slight nod of acknowledgement and then he turned and looked up at his 2IC. "Carter?"
"She can't...answer you, Jack," Daniel managed in barely more than a whisper.
"Why not," Jack demanded. He rose and moved towards the other cylinder. "Carter?" He waved his hand in front of her eyes but there was no response; not so much as a blink. He swung back towards Daniel as a terrible suspicion began to fill his mind. "What's going on, Daniel?"
"Tell the others to leave," Daniel managed in a slightly stronger voice. The pain in his head was still excruciating and every word cost him dearly.
"Why?" Jack demanded.
"Just do it, Jack." Daniel pushed himself shakily to his feet, leaning against the edge of the cylinder for support.
Jack watched his struggle with ambivalent feelings and then turned to face Browne and Orlando who had been watching the exchange in silent concern. "Head topside," he ordered.
"Sir, are you sure?" Browne queried, voicing the unease both men felt at such a request.
Jack nodded. "Get everyone out and make sure they stay there."
"Yes, sir," Browne acknowledged albeit reluctantly.
Jack watched them leave and then turned back towards Daniel. "He's not going to let her go is he?"
Daniel shook his head, fighting to stay upright. "Afraid not. It's you for me."
"That wasn't the deal," Jack yelled angrily into the air. He faced Daniel again. "Look, Daniel, it's not that I don't..."
"You think I have a choice?" Daniel cut him off, his voice a little stronger. He took a few deep breaths and then spoke again. "Look, I don't like it any better than...than you do, Jack, but if you don't agree he's going to hurt her again. Don't let him do that."
Jack looked at Daniel suspiciously for a moment. "How do I know this is really you talking?"
Daniel sported an expression of exasperation although it was probably a fair question a part of his mind realized. He kept his voice calm; it took less effort and it hurt less. "Whether it is or it isn't doesn't change things. Either you agree to the exchange or he's going to hurt her again."
Jack searched his friend's face. "You know he's going to do it anyway," he said quietly. He read the certain knowledge of that in his friend's eyes as Daniel gave a slight nod.
"What else can we do?" Daniel whispered helplessly.
Suddenly they heard a slight sound behind them. As one they turned towards Sam and saw her face begin to twist in pain.
"All right, I'll do it!" Jack yelled into the air again. "Just...leave her alone," he finished on a slightly softer note as he looked in anguish at Sam's painfilled features, feeling more helpless than he'd felt for a long time. Hearing it had been bad enough but actually seeing it...
Immediately the cylinder around Daniel fell away, disappearing downward, causing Daniel to stumble sideways since he'd been leaning against it. His cry at the unexpectedness of it alerted Jack to his plight and the older man swung around in time to grab his friend by the shoulders and help steady him. "You okay?" Jack asked quietly.
Daniel nodded and Jack released his hold. "I'm sorry, Jack."
Jack shook his head slightly, knowing the apology covered a multitude of things. "Not your fault." Their eyes locked and Jack raised an eyebrow. "Bad?"
Daniel inclined his head with a grim look. "Oh, yeah. You know the ribbon device?" Jack nodded. "Picnic."
Jack nodded slightly again in acknowledgement but before he could comment Daniel cried out an alert.
"Jack!"
He swung round again in time to see Sam's face begin to contort again. "Okay, okay, I'm moving!" he snapped into the air and stepped immediately into the position that Daniel had recently vacated. "There, satisfied? Didn't your parents teach you the concept of..." The cylinder moved with lightning speed upwards into position again, trapping him inside. "...patience!" He looked around him. "Well, it's a touch claustrophobic but on the whole quite roomy." His eyes flew towards Daniel's again. "Go, get out of here."
Daniel held out his hands helplessly. "Which way?"
Jack pointed. "Top floor, into the middle then the arm to the left. There's a hole in the ceiling." Daniel nodded. "Oh and Daniel, under no circumstances touch the terminals. Fraiser was lucky!"
Daniel looked concerned for a moment wondering what had happened to Janet but before he could ask anything more he realized that Jack was no longer able to answer him. He was standing at attention with his eyes staring blankly at Sam.
For a few seconds an incredible guilt swept over him. He did not want to leave either of them like that, and knowing he had obtained his freedom at the expense of Jack's was just the antithesis of all he held dear. But he knew there was nothing he could do about it, not here. Maybe elsewhere though... He moved towards Sam, placed his hand on the front of her cylinder and looked into her eyes. There was no recognition there but he knew she could hear him. "Hang on, Sam," he whispered, "both of you," he threw over his shoulder at Jack. "I'll think of something, I swear," and then he headed off on shaky legs towards the exit.
Sam watched as Daniel left. She was glad that he was free although not happy that the Colonel had taken his place. She was extremely touched that the Colonel had tried to trade places with her even though it had not worked out. But it was better that Daniel was free. During the time they had been there Kanai had delighted in hurting him much more than her. His screams had echoed in her ears almost constantly until Browne and Orlando had arrived. She guessed that it was because Daniel had so much pain in his mind already. Kanai seemed to grasp at the images from her mind and twist them in such a way as to make them into an unbearable physical pain. On her he'd used the deaths of her mother and Martouf. On Daniel he must have had just so many to choose from...the deaths of his parents, the loss of his wife, her subsequent rape by Apophis and birth of the harsesis child, Sha're's ultimate death, the gou'alding of his former girlfriend, the meeting of then loss of Shifu... It was a smorgasbord of opportunities for Kanai to snack on and no wonder Daniel had screamed almost constantly. She strongly suspected also that Daniel had deliberately put himself in the firing line in an effort to protect her as much as possible, probably by offering up fresh memories every so often since Kanai never had stayed in her head for very long before going gleefully back to Daniel.
But now Jack had taken his place and Jack had his own share of demons. She wondered how long before the screaming would start. She did not have to wonder for long.
***
Daniel made his way gingerly to the control room, moving more surely as the strength returned to his limbs. When he got there he stared around in awe. It was like nothing he had ever seen before and he wandered round for quite some time, observing everything. The technology was not something he had ever come across and the symbols were completely foreign just as the writings on the outside of the monument had been. He stood in front of the central terminal and observed the images from outside. The cameras appeared to be inside the monument he'd observed, but how they were managing to penetrate the material of which the monument was constructed was beyond him. It was not translucent like the cylinders. And suddenly it occurred to him. The monument must indeed be translucent as well, but some type of elaborate hologram camouflaged it somehow, and it had to be able to be retracted just like the cylinders in order to provide a way out of the structure.
He studied the buttons and dials carefully. He knew that Kanai was able to detect any tampering with any of the terminals but if he was quick he might be able to achieve what he needed to before Kanai realized his intentions. The alien would almost certainly be busy with Jack at the moment. He grimaced as he imagined what Jack would be going through...reliving the death of Charlie over and over as a physical pain, just as he'd already done with Sha're. The pain was beyond endurance with no hope of lapsing into unconsciousness. Even now his head continued to pound relentlessly with residual pain but he'd chosen to endure it rather than allow Kanai to torture Sam, offering fresh, painful memories every so often as bait to protect her as much as he could. It hadn't been all the time though and the memory of her screams still echoed in his ears along with the images of her pain-twisted features. He was certain he'd have nightmares for months, if they ever survived this. And for once it wasn't even his fault. He'd simply been studying the monument exactly as he's told Sam he was going to and had been whisked unceremoniously away and encapsulated in glass where he could do nothing but stand there and be constantly aware.
Suddenly he heard a sound behind him and swung around to see Teal'c approaching him. The Jaffa did not look well. "Daniel Jackson, you are unharmed," he said breathlessly.
Not exactly true, but still Daniel nodded. "What about you? Weren't you trapped too?"
"I was. I felt a compelling need to return to the monument while we were searching for you and Major Carter. The next thing I knew I was here."
"That must be how it works," Daniel said thoughtfully. "It selects its victims and then sends out some kind of hypnotic signal to draw them close. I remember walking away from the monument to rejoin Sam and then feeling a sudden compulsion to take another look at it." He studied his friend's face. "Um, you don't look so good."
"Kanai tortured my symbiote. It is in great pain still but I could not fit through the hole in the roof after Doctor Fraiser freed me. I am seeking another exit." He glanced around the room. "Is Major Carter with you?"
Daniel shook his head suddenly comprehending what must have happened to Janet and quickly explained what had happened with he and Jack.
"Then we must attempt to rescue them," Teal'c stated immediately.
Daniel nodded. "But first we need to find the exit. I'm pretty sure the monument must open up somehow like the cylinders and that the controls are on this terminal along with the teleportation device it must use. I think it's one of these three buttons but the trouble is I'm only going to get one shot at this before Kanai realizes what I'm up to and retaliates."
Teal'c nodded. "Then I will assist you and we will press them all simultaneously."
"The thing then is keeping it open. We need a zat gun. Then once the door is open we could fire on the terminal and destroy it, then Kanai would no longer be able to use it."
"You should return to the surface and collect one, Daniel Jackson."
"I'm not sure if we have the luxury of that much time, Teal'c."
As if on cue Daniel's transmitter crackled and a weak voice spoke. "Daniel?"
Daniel grimaced in silent sympathy. "I'm here, Jack. You okay?"
"Peachy." The word was obviously forced. "Why haven't you left yet?"
"I've met up with Teal'c. He can't fit through the hole in the roof."
There was silence for a moment and then Jack spoke again. "You leave and then I'll give Teal'c instructions on how he can leave. If anyone else enters, Carter's gonna suffer."
Daniel looked at Teal'c. Not that he liked the idea of Sam suffering any more than she needed to but this could be their chance. Suddenly the sound of Sam screaming could be heard in the background and Jack's voice came through more forcefully. "For God's sake, Daniel just go!"
Daniel didn't need any further urging. "I'm going," he yelled into the air. "Stop hurting her!" and then he began to hurry towards the opening as fast as he was able.
****
Jack watched as Sam's facial features relaxed again. She had stopped screaming several seconds earlier but the pain still filled her face. It was eerie watching her simply standing there staring. He knew she had to be aware of what was going on just as he was. But they were not able to move unless Kanai directed them to nor could they communicate with each other. He could feel Kanai in his mind digging around for the painful images. Of course he'd hit on Charlie's death almost immediately and had already used it several times. That Kanai could take that image and turn it into such excruciating mental and physical pain was just incredible. And all he could do was simply endure. There was no egress of escape at all, not even the hope of oblivion.
As he watched, Sam began to scream again and he wished with every fiber of his being that he could end her pain. And then suddenly the sight of her screaming was being twisted into that pain inside his own head. Her pain became his and before he had a chance to think, he was screaming in agony as well. The pain went on and on and on...
***
"Teal'c?" Jack's voice came weakly through the transceiver.
"I am here, O'Neill."
Jack continued to speak, the process obviously requiring great effort on his part. "I'm going to tell you...how to open the door. But you have to...promise not to try anything. Kanai will...will kill Sam if you do."
"I understand, O'Neill."
Jack's voice grew momentarily stronger. "I hope you do, Teal'c. He isn't bluffing."
"How do I open the door, O'Neill?"
"Press the...the red button on the left of the...central panel, then slide the dial all the way up."
"I will. Are you all right, O'Neill?" Teal'c asked solicitously.
"I've been better. Tell Daniel..." The transmission suddenly ended.
"O'Neill, say again," Teal'c demanded, but there was only silence. Teal'c pulled his transceiver out of its holder and shook it. "O'Neill?" When there was still no reply he replaced the transceiver, thinking quickly. Whatever Daniel Jackson was planning to do as he emerged it would not be enough to save Major Carter if Kanai was determined to kill her, and he did not doubt for a second that the being would. It would also be unwise for him to remain within the structure any longer since Kanai would know of his presence and begin to torture Major Carter and Colonel O'Neill again. The fact that he would still continue to do so anyway was not lost on him but the reality was there was nothing to be gained by him remaining since he had no insight on how to free his friends.
Suddenly the pain in his abdomen from which he'd been suffering since Kanai had begun torturing his symbiote began to intensify, causing him to double over. The symbiote was thrashing around inside him as if in the throes of some kind of seizure and he was barely able to breathe.
Suddenly his transceiver activated and he heard screaming, obviously emanating from Major Carter and Colonel O'Neill's sharp words hit him, "Teal'c, go! That's an order."
Teal'c was unable to reply but he moved himself as best he could into position in front of the console. He had to leave the structure immediately but he also had to stop Daniel Jackson from whatever the archeologist was planning to do. He sent a silent plea to whoever was casting the dice and then pressed the button. There was a slight whirring sound and then he slid the dial all the way up. As soon as he'd completed the task he doubled over in pain again and as the console in front of him began to roll backwards he fell forwards onto his knees. Then the floor beneath him seemed to move and he felt himself being propelled upwards.
~~~~
Daniel sat how he hoped looked nonchalantly beside the monument with Janet, Curtis and Stiles sipping coffee. Each concealed a zat gun beneath their shirts and surreptitiously observed the monument for any detectable change. He had chosen his team from the people with first hand knowledge of the corridor system believing timing to be important to the overall success of his plan.
"Do you really think this will work, Daniel?" Janet asked. She'd only received a mild shock from the console and had regained consciousness before they'd reached the hole in the ceiling. Although still feeling a little shaky, she was mentally alert and determined to lend a hand.
"I have no idea," Daniel replied. "But we have to try something. Trust me, Sam and Jack are in hell down there."
"How's the headache?"
"I've had worse." *I can't remember when though.*
"What if he just kills them, Doctor Jackson?" Curtis asked.
"Then at least their suffering will be at an end," Daniel said grimly "It's definitely not 'living'. There were countless moments when I begged him to just let me die."
"What did he say?" Janet asked.
"He just laughed." He paused. "I tried to talk to him. I get the impression he's very young...a teenager sort of, flexing his muscles."
"Wonder where the parents are?" Stiles ventured looking around uneasily.
"Well, if the child's any indication, let's hope we never find out!" Curtis threw in with emphasis.
Janet and Stiles nodded but Daniel looked thoughtful. "What's he doing here?" Janet asked.
"From what I gathered," Daniel began to explain, "he was just passing through the area when he noticed the structure and decided to investigate. It was tended by a pair of beings whom he somehow managed to turn into specimens after some kind of confrontation. I'm wondering if that's when the roof got damaged." He paused.
"Colonel O'Neill said Kanai claimed to have just come in through the wall," Janet said.
Daniel nodded. "He probably did since he's an energy being of some kind and is able to move through the actual controls of the devices. But the aliens might have fired some kind of weapon at him that caused the damage. Perhaps they could detect him somehow. I don't really know, I'm only theorizing, here."
"Sounds feasible though," Janet agreed.
"It'd be helpful if we could find that weapon," Curtis added. "Allow us to put a great big hole in this...'thing'." He looked meaningfully down at the ceiling of the structure they were currently perched on.
Daniel nodded and then continued the narrative. "Anyway, there hadn't been any new arrivals for centuries so he was very excited when I arrived and then Sam and Teal'c. I think he's probably tortured every creature in there at some stage."
"Doctor Jackson Sir, something's happening," Stiles said quietly.
There was a slight sound and then as rapidly as Daniel's cylinder had earlier, the monument seemed to fold down upon itself and disappear. A gaping hole was left in its wake and as they all sprang to their feet and pulled out their zats, they saw a bent over Teal'c struggling to keep balanced being propelled upwards on a platform. The platform covered the entire area which left no ability to shoot downwards into the structure.
*So much for plan A,* Daniel thought.
"Teal'c!" Janet cried, rushing to his side as soon as the platform halted level with the ground.
*On to plan B* "Curtis, Stiles, on the platform," Daniel ordered moving onto it beside Teal'c as Janet tried to assist the big man off.
Suddenly Teal'c mustered his strength. "NO!" he shouted and pushed Daniel and Janet forcefully off the platform straight into Curtis and Stiles who were moving to comply with Daniel's order. They all landed in a heap on the ground and then Teal'c collapsed forward onto the ground in front of them. Before they could untangle themselves and move back onto the platform, they witnessed, to their dismay, the monument sliding upwards back into place as quickly as it had fallen, effectively terminating their little insurrection.
****
"How is he, Doctor?"
Janet looked up from her patient and met the deeply concerned eyes of General Hammond who had moved quietly up to the edge of the bed beside her. "He'll be fine, General. We got to him in time."
"What happened?"
"I'm not exactly sure, sir, but whatever method of torture Kanai was using created a chemical imbalance in the symbiote and caused it to suffer severe convulsions, which in turn caused severe trauma and bruising to Teal'c's internal organs. I've rectified the situation and now they're both resting comfortably."
"Do you think that's what caused Teal'c to act the way he did?"
"Well, sir, I..."
"I don't, General." They both turned towards the new arrival who took up position on the opposite side of the bed.
"Doctor Jackson, how's the headache?" Hammond inquired solicitously.
"Getting better. But as I was saying, I think Teal'c did what he did because he knew the plan wouldn't work. Something must have happened after I left."
General Hammond nodded. "You could be right. How did you get on?"
Daniel grimaced. "Not good. No-one seems to have any ideas on how to help us...or they won't. But General, I have an idea. It's a long shot but..." He paused.
"Go on."
"Well, I was thinking. I know we don't have any way of contacting them ourselves but the..." He broke off as a hand grabbed him firmly by the forearm claiming his attention and he looked down. "Teal'c?"
Teal'c's eyes were still closed but he spoke coherently albeit softly. "You must not attempt a rescue."
"Why not, son?" General Hammond asked gently.
Teal'c released Daniel's arm and opened his eyes, looking up at the general. "Kanai stated that he would kill Major Carter in such an event. Colonel O'Neill believes that he speaks the truth and so do I."
General Hammond looked across at Daniel for confirmation.
"Oh, he'll do it," Daniel immediately confirmed. "He'll definitely do it. Probably kill both of them." He looked thoughtful for a moment and then addressed his friend again. "Teal'c, did you actually speak to Jack?"
Teal'c inclined his head slightly. "I did. He wished me to relay a message to you but before he could send it we were cut off."
"Damn!" Daniel turned slightly away. "I bet it was something important too."
"So...we can't attempt to free them or they'll be killed and even if we did manage to get someone inside, those people would be killed in any attempt to operate the terminals," Hammond summed up. "And there's no other way into the cylinders. Have I got this all correct?"
"I believe so, General," Janet confirmed. "Kanai could have killed me but since he still had two captives he chose instead to simply give a warning. I have no doubts that he's capable of sending a stronger charge that would prove fatal."
"What about insulation of some kind?" Hammond asked.
Janet shook her head. "There's nothing that could protect against that type of charge, sir."
"So what options are open to us?"
All was quiet for a few moments as everyone racked their brains and then Daniel swung round and faced the General. "General, request permission to visit the Tollan homeworld immediately."
Hammond looked puzzled. "But you just said they couldn't help us."
"They can't, or at least they said they can't. BUT they do know how to contact someone who might."
"You mean the Nox," Hammond supplied. Daniel nodded. "But they've made it quite clear they want nothing else to do with us."
"Us, yes, but it wouldn't be just us they'd be helping. There's a whole host of species in trouble here. The Nox pride themselves on their peaceful ways. Surely they wouldn't just stand by and let this go on if there was a way to stop it."
"I thought they didn't like to get involved with other cultures," Janet put in.
"Not entirely true," Daniel answered. "They helped the Tollan. And remember Lya agreed to be arkon in Skaara's triad and then she helped Teal'c by hiding the ion canon when he asked her to. They just believe in finding peaceful solutions."
"Yes, but they're friends with the Tollan," Hammond pointed out. "They have similar levels of technology."
"I'm sure Lya would help if I could just talk to her," Daniel maintained.
Hammond stared at him for several moments. "Okay, assuming they agreed, how could they help? Do you have some kind of plan in mind?"
Daniel grimaced. "Not really, but..."
"They have cloaking ability, General Hammond," Teal'c cut in quietly. "They may be able to enter and disable the consoles undetected."
"Exactly!" Daniel said with emphasis. He fixed his eyes on the General expectantly.
Hammond looked down at Teal'c for a few moments and then back up at Daniel. "Well, since there doesn't appear to be any other option open to us at the moment, I'll authorize a go."
"Thank you," Daniel said clasping his hands together in anticipation.
"You can leave as soon as you're ready."
"And just where do you think you're going?" Janet intoned dryly as Teal'c made to sit up.
"I will accompany Daniel Jackson," Teal'c stated matter-of-factly.
"No, you won't!" An idea suddenly formed in her head. "At least, not without me you won't." She looked challengingly at General Hammond.
Hammond gave a faint chuckle. "I believe you SHOULD both go, Doctor, that is if you think Teal'c is up to it. If the Nox do agree to help us, you two have the most first hand knowledge of the place."
"Thank you, sir," Janet said, her relief at not having to remain behind almost palpable.
Teal'c inclined his head and moved off the bed to a standing position.
"Good luck," Hammond said, including them all in his glance and then he turned and led the way from the infirmary.
****
"Lya!" Daniel stepped towards the Tollan gate to greet his visitor.
Lya clasped her hands in front of her as was her custom. "Hello, Daniel. It is good to see you again, friends." She included Teal'c in her glance and smiled an introduction to Janet.
Daniel held a hand out towards Janet. "This is our friend, Janet. She's our...a doctor."
Lya inclined her head towards Janet with another smile and then turned to face Daniel again. "Why did you wish to see me?"
*Direct!* "Um, if you'll come this way, we'll explain everything."
Lya inclined her head and Daniel led the way to a small conference room the Tollan had generously provided. On the way, they encountered Narim who bowed politely to them. "I have just become aware of your presence here and the reason for it. May I be permitted to sit in on this conference?"
Daniel, who was well aware of Narim's feelings for Sam readily agreed and the five of them were soon firmly ensconced in the conference room.
Daniel explained the situation to Lya as fully as he could with some additional input from both Janet and Teal'c. Lya and Narim both listened silently and when they had finished Lya focused on Daniel.
"It is a sad story, Daniel. But what is it you want from me?"
Daniel gave her a pleading look. "I thought that maybe you could...you know, help us out a little."
"You know it is not our custom to involve ourselves in the affairs of other worlds. It is not our way."
"Well, that's not exactly true," Daniel contradicted gently. "You were willing to help the Tollan when they asked."
"That was the decision of the elders."
"And you helped out Skaara in the triad that time."
"I was there at the request of the Tollan, to be an impartial arkon."
"But you helped us hide the ion canon," Teal'c added.
Lya inclined her head. "I did, but I did not involve myself in the battle that followed."
"We're not asking you to fight anyone," Daniel argued reasonably. "We just thought that maybe you could slip in and disable a few consoles for us to enable us to free our friends."
"You do not wish to kill the entity that holds your people hostage?"
"Yes," Teal'c stated in a voice that brooked no argument.
Daniel glared at him. "What he means is, only if absolutely necessary...as a last resort. And...and you have to remember it's not just our people that it's hurting. There are a lot of other creatures in there as well."
"I do not condone what it is doing, Daniel but neither could I condone any course of action that leads to the taking of another's life," Lya stated simply.
"So you would sit idly by and allow innocent creatures to be tortured and killed?" Janet put in disgustedly.
Lya turned to face her but before she could speak Daniel cut in again. "What if I could guarantee that the creature would not be harmed? All we want to do is get in, rescue our people without them or us being hurt and get out again. Then we'll leave and never go back there again."
"Could you really guarantee such a thing?"
Daniel struggled with his conscience. He wanted to say yes, he really did, but before he could force the lie out Lya spoke again.
"I am not without pity for your friends and the other creatures, but even with such a guarantee, to interfere in other cultures is not the Nox way. I am sorry but I cannot help you."
Daniel shook his head and turned to Narim. "What about you? You know, one of those armbands could really prove useful to us."
Narim shook his head. "I am sorry also but you know the Tollan do not share technology."
"It wouldn't be sharing if you came with us and operated it yourself," Janet suggested hopefully.
Again Narim shook his head. "If the ruling council has declined to help then I cannot go against their wishes."
"For goodness sake, Narim," Daniel said desperately, "you DO know who we're talking about don't you? Jack and SAM. The same Sam that you..." He broke off as he registered the pain in Narim's eyes and turned away in frustration.
"If it were in my power to help Samantha I would," Narim said quietly, "but my hands are tied. I WILL petition the council again on your behalf but there is little hope that they will change their minds. Other than that...I am sorry."
Daniel turned back to face him. "So am I," he said quietly. He met Narim's eyes. He did not understand the Tollan code of honor but he recognized anguish when he saw it and Narim's eyes were full of it. "We'll just have to think of something else."
"Please, keep me apprised," Narim said quietly, sadly.
Daniel nodded and turned back to Lya. "Thank you for coming."
Lya inclined her head. "I AM sorry, Daniel. I hope you find another solution."
Daniel nodded again. "So do I." He glanced at Teal'c and Janet. "Let's go," he said dejectedly and proceeded to lead them from the room.
Narim watched them leave and then turned towards Lya. "Is there nothing you can do?"
Lya looked at him. "We are both forbidden from interfering." Her eyes took on a compassionate look. "You love her."
Narim nodded sadly. "Since the moment I first saw her."
Lya nodded. "I understand." She paused thoughtfully. "Did you recognize the species of which they spoke?" Narim shook his head. "I did." She said nothing more but observing her expression Narim felt a tiny glimmer of hope.
***
"I take it you had no luck," General Hammond said as three dejected figures walked down the ramp.
Daniel shook his head. "I was so sure Lya would help us, but..." He broke off gesturing hopelessly with his hands. "Some negotiator I am!"
"I'm sure you did your best, son," Hammond said quietly, certain that the deck had been pretty much stacked against Daniel from the start.
"Yeah well, my best wasn't good enough!" Daniel stuffed his hands in his pockets and was preparing to make a frustrated exit when Teal'c spoke quietly at his side, halting his progress.
"Has there been any word from the planet, General Hammond?"
Hammond shook his head. "Nothing's changed. There are two teams remaining there on guard duty, one at the monument sight and the other at the entrance to the structure. But I've recalled all the others because..."
"Damn it, General we can't just give up!" Daniel cried emotively.
"And what would you have me do, Doctor Jackson?" Hammond countered heatedly. "I'm open to suggestions but there don't appear to be any at this point."
Daniel shook his head. "We can't just leave them down there. What they're going through is..." He broke off and the anger suddenly dissipated, leaving him with a gnawing sense of finality. "They'd be better off dead."
Janet looked shocked but Hammond appeared to understand and locked eyes with the younger man. "You're suggesting...?"
"It's what I'd want if it was me...if there was no hope."
"Daniel, what are you saying?" Janet demanded.
Hammond regarded the younger man intently, knowing that he was deadly serious. "I suggest we all take a break...try to get some rest. We'll reconvene in the conference room in six hours at which time we'll consider our options. Dismissed."
Daniel stared after the retreating figure. "You're not serious," Janet said, beside him, drawing his eyes to her face. "Are you?"
"I've never been more serious in my life," Daniel said with feeling, and then he turned and headed out after the general.
****
"It's the only solution I can come up with...their only way out," Daniel said sadly but with conviction.
"How can you say that?" Janet demanded. "As long as they're alive there's hope."
"That's where you're WRONG!" Daniel refuted passionately. "There's NO hope. There's only pain without end. I was THERE. I KNOW exactly what they're going through. Death is preferable, trust me."
"General, sir," Janet argued, " with all due respect, you can't possibly be even considering..."
"Stand down, Major," Hammond said without taking his eyes off Daniel's.
"But, sir..."
"I said, stand down!"
Janet held her tongue but her expression was mutinous.
Hammond turned towards Teal'c whom had thus far refrained from speaking. "Teal'c, what do you think?"
"I too believe that death would be preferable, General Hammond," he said somberly. "It is torture beyond even that of which the Goa'uld are capable."
"Let me do it, General," Daniel urged. "I got them into this so it's up to me to...put a stop to it."
Hammond continued to regard Daniel seriously. "Are you sure about this, son? I could send someone else..."
Daniel shook his head. "I owe it to them and I know it's what they'd want. I couldn't let some stranger do it. I know 'I' wouldn't want it that way."
Hammond nodded and all was quiet for a few moments as he pondered. It was not an easy decision to make. SG1 was his flagship team and very dear to him. Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter were without doubt his two best people. But the thought of them suffering interminable agony without end was unconscionable. And with no other viable options open to him...
Finally he spoke. "Doctor Jackson, I ask you again. Do you truly believe this to be in the best interests of Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter?"
Daniel nodded slowly. "I do, General. I wish I didn't, but I see no other alternative...not without risking the lives of others and I KNOW neither Jack nor Sam would want that."
Hammond nodded. "And you, Teal'c?"
Teal'c inclined his head. "I concur," he answered simply.
Hammond let out a breath. "Then Doctor Jackson, I hereby authorize you to take whatever steps you believe are necessary to end..."
"No!" Janet yelled in disbelief.
"... the suffering of Colonel Jack O'Neill and Major Samantha Carter."
Daniel nodded slowly.
"General, with all due respect, don't you need to consult the president or something first?" Janet demanded, knowing her tone was bordering on insubordination but for the moment not really caring.
Hammond took in her hostile expression, choosing to ignore the tone because he knew she was hurting. "I WILL inform the president, yes," he said quietly, "but ultimately the decision is mine." Janet opened her mouth to retort but he cut her off. "I assure you, Doctor, I have not made this decision lightly. I had already been considering it before Doctor Jackson brought it up and the president has been informed that it could be a possibility." He addressed Daniel again. "You can leave as soon as you're ready."
Again Daniel nodded.
"I will accompany you, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c said in his usual manner.
Anyone not knowing him would have thought the Jaffa to be without feeling on the matter, but Daniel could read the pain in the dark eyes. "Thank you, Teal'c," he replied quietly. "We'll leave in half an hour."
"I will be in my quarters until then," Teal'c stated and then with a slight bow of his head in Hammond's direction, he rose and departed.
Daniel watched him go and then turned towards Janet, but she forestalled what he'd been about to say.
"Don't look at ME," she said incredulously. "I want no part of this." She glanced at Hammond. "Unless it's an order, sir?"
Hammond shook his head. "It's your choice, Doctor."
"Then I choose to stay here," she said firmly, looking defiantly at Daniel.
"Janet, please," Daniel pleaded. "I'd really like your support and I need someone who..."
"You're talking about my FRIENDS!" she cried in anguish, cutting him off.
"They're mine too," Daniel maintained evenly.
"Then how can you DO this?" she almost yelled at him. She felt the tears forming in her eyes and fought against them. Air Force majors did not cry whilst on duty!
"Janet," he said gently, "they're in agony. That's not living. Trust me, I've been there."
"I don't care what you say," Janet shouted, "I'll never condone this, NEVER!" and then the tears against which she was valiantly fighting erupted forth and she pushed away from the table and ran from the room feeling heartsick and desperately ashamed.
"Janet!" Daniel called and would have headed after her, but Hammond put a detaining hand on his arm.
"Let her go, son. She'll come round in time."
Daniel sighed. "I know this is hard on her. She and Sam are very close. But I was counting on her to point me in the direction of the correct console." He paused. "Are Stiles and Curtis still on the planet?" Hammond nodded. "Then I guess one of them could direct me."
"I'll have them meet you." He gave Daniel a probing look. "Are you sure you're up to this, Doctor Jackson?"
"No," Daniel answered truthfully. "But I know they're counting on me and I'm not about to let them down."
"I could still send someone else."
Daniel shook his head. "No. It has to be me."
Hammond nodded in perfect understanding. "Is there anything I can do?"
"Pray for a miracle," Daniel answered soberly and then he rose and headed off to prepare for the hardest mission of his life.
****
"Chevron seven locked."
The stargate whooshed into action and Daniel and Teal'c were preparing to walk up the ramp when suddenly the door to the gate room began to grind open.
"Janet!" Daniel said with a smile as he turned to see who had entered. Her eyes were still slightly red but she held her head high and walked to the foot of the ramp to join them.
"I still don't agree with what you're doing," she said quietly, "but I can't let you do this alone." She swung her eyes up to the control room and raised her voice. "With your permission, General?"
"Granted, Doctor. And Doctor Jackson." Daniel looked up. "I'm still praying."
Daniel nodded and then the three-man team walked slowly up the ramp together.
***
Daniel let go of the rope and dropped the last few feet, thankful yet again for his wiry frame. He then moved to the side as the rope was withdrawn and looked up to watch Janet being lowered through the hole. She too, chose to drop the last few feet but landed awkwardly, almost losing her balance. Daniel rushed forward and put his hands on her upper arms to help steady her. He held her just a little bit longer than necessary causing her to look up into his eyes. "Thank you for coming with me," he said quietly. "I'm not sure I could have done this on my own."
Janet nodded. "I understand why you're doing it, I just can't..." She broke off and looked away, freeing herself from his grasp as tears filled her eyes again.
"Janet," Daniel said compassionately but she blinked back her tears and cut him off.
"So what now?"
Daniel sighed inwardly but answered the question. "Well, if Kanai is true to his word, the minute he senses we're here, he'll kill them. But I doubt he'll do it immediately. He doesn't really want to lose his source of entertainment so he'll try to persuade us to leave first."
Right on cue there was a call from Teal'c. "Daniel Jackson." Daniel looked up. The Jaffa was peering over the edge of the hole holding a transceiver. Daniel raised his hands and deftly caught it. It crackled immediately to life and a barely audible whispered voice called his name. He looked at Janet and then pressed the send button. "Jack, is that you?" Silence. "Jack?" They waited for what seemed like hours before the whispered voice came again.
"Dan-iel...leave, or he'll..."
"Jack, listen to me. I'm here to end it...one way or the other, do you understand?" There was no reply. "Jack? Do you understand?"
"Thank...you," came the barely audible reply followed by a hoarse scream.
Daniel's eyes met Janet's, both full of tears. "Let's end this," Janet said firmly.
Daniel nodded. "Teal'c!" he called, looking upwards. Immediately Teal'c's head reappeared above the opening. "They're still alive. We're going in."
"I understand," Teal'c replied. He then threw down a couple of zats that they caught and tucked into their clothing. "Be vigilant," he added.
Daniel nodded and then the two of them headed at top speed for the central room. Every so often the transceiver would crackle and they'd hear hoarse screaming from both Jack and Sam. They tried to ignore it but it was impossible so eventually Daniel simply shut the transmitter off.
After what seemed like an eternity but was only in fact ten minutes they reached the central chamber and Janet led them immediately over to the console that controlled Jack and Sam's cylinders. Many lights were lit up on it. Some were bright and some were flashing intermittently.
"If we touch it we die, right?" Daniel said.
Janet nodded. "That's the theory."
"And if we zat it?"
"The console should short out and malfunction."
"But it won't free them."
Janet shook her head. "A specific action needs to be performed in order to free them and with the console inactive..." She shook her head sadly. "Their life support will fail and they'll die."
"You're sure?"
"As I can be."
"Will it take long?"
Janet pulled a slight face. "It won't be instantaneous," Daniel winced, "but compared to what they're suffering now..."
He nodded. "What if we disintegrate it?"
"Same thing...maybe a little quicker."
Daniel nodded, instantly deciding it was the better way to go. "What about Kanai? Can he interfere do you think?"
Janet shrugged. "Presumably he knows what we're doing so if there was any way to stop us he would have already done so. However, this is all just guesswork." She suddenly put a hand on his arm, an expression of alarm, shaping her features. "What if he decides to take a couple of new subjects to replace the others?"
Daniel shook his head. "I've been thinking about that and I don't think he can. The system was designed to take only two of each species, a male and female. That's why he let ME go instead of Sam." He gave a slight shrug and pulled a face. "Or maybe he was just being contrary, which is what I thought at the time. But..." He pulled another face. "I really think that the system would have rejected a second male human. And once it has its quota, it can't take any more. And since the system was designed to provide for their every need... I doubt there would have been provision for the death of a...specimen." He winced at the word. "Kanai can use the system, twist it to his own purpose but he can't change its basic function or I'm certain he would have had many more of us in here already."
Janet nodded. "That's a good point. I remember thinking that earlier. I hope you're right about the other bit though."
Daniel gave her a speculative look. "If you want to leave..."
She immediately shook her head. "If you're willing to risk it, then so am I. I didn't come this far to back out now."
Daniel nodded and gave a slight smile of gratitude. He then withdrew the zat from under his shirt. He pushed the button to prime it. "Here we go." He aimed it at the terminal. "I'm so sorry, guys," he whispered. "I hope this brings you peace." He felt Janet slip her hand into his in a gesture of support and he clasped it firmly looking down at her. There were tears in her eyes as she tried to meet his bravely and he fought to keep his own at bay. But still his vision blurred and faded until all he could see was a mental picture of his two best friends in the entire universe. They were smiling at him and his hand began to shake. Suddenly he pulled his hand from Janet's and turned away from her, ripping his glasses off and holding his hands over his eyes in an endeavor to stem the flow of tears that refused to stay dammed.
He felt Janet's hand on his back in silent comfort. "I can't do it," he said brokenly.
Janet moved so that she was in front of him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Yes, you can," she whispered. "You have to."
Daniel shook his head. "No. There has to be another way...something we're missing." He looked up at her and her heart constricted at the anguish in his eyes. And to think that earlier she'd considered him unfeeling!
She tightened her grip on his shoulder in an effort to give comfort. "There isn't," she said gently. "We've tried everything we can think of. Besides, you promised the Colonel."
"You don't understand," he cried desperately shrugging off her hand. "They're all I have left. I can't let them go, I just can't!" He threw the zat on the floor and turned away from her again.
And suddenly she was crying in earnest right along with him. She moved around to the front of him again and put her arms around his middle. He resisted her efforts at first but she persisted and eventually he gave in and she was able to hug him close. "I'll still be here," she whispered through her tears. She felt him grow momentarily tense. "And so will Teal'c," she added. "You won't be alone." Then suddenly his body relaxed again and he wrapped his arms around her hugging her tightly to him as they both gave in fully to their pain and grief, seeking silent solace in one another.
Many long moments later Daniel released her and stepped away, wiping at his eyes. "I'm sorry," he whispered.
Janet swiped desperately at her own eyes as the tears still threatened to fall. "Don't be," she whispered back, fighting a sob that threatened to choke her.
Daniel stared at her silently for a moment, then he pocketed his glasses and walked over to retrieve the zat. He held it in his hands for several seconds just staring at it and then walked back to the console where Janet immediately joined him.
"You want me to do it?" she asked softly, finally managing to get herself under some semblance of control.
Daniel shook his head. "No. This is my responsibility." He reached for her hand again and she grasped his tightly. Then without looking at her, he raised the zat and took aim. "Goodbye, my friends," he whispered and made to squeeze the trigger. But before he could do it, a great gush of wind seemed to suddenly rush through the room flowing between and around them both and causing Daniel to drop the zat. He bent immediately to retrieve it and then frowned at Janet. "So what was that?"
Janet shook her head. "I don't know."
"Could it have been Kanai?"
Again Janet shook her head. "I don't think so. I've felt his presence before and it was nothing like that." They stared at each other for several seconds. "So what now?" she asked.
Daniel looked thoughtful for a moment and then switched on the transceiver. It was silent. He pressed the button and spoke into it. "Jack, can you hear me?" He waited but there was no reply. "Jack? Answer me if you can."
"Daniel, look." Janet indicated the console where all the flashing lights had suddenly stopped and many of the others had gone out. "It looks just like the other terminals now," she said in surprise.
"And that means...?" he queried.
She shrugged. "I don't know. It could be a trick to try to lure us into touching it."
Daniel shook his head. "Somehow I don't think so, but we'll need more proof." He pressed the send button again. "Teal'c, are you there?"
"I am here, Daniel Jackson," came the immediate reply.
"Send Curtis and Stiles down. Have them meet us in the central chamber."
"Is everything all right?"
"I'm hoping so."
"Daniel?" Janet queried.
"I'm not sure, but I think maybe Mom or Dad, maybe both, just arrived to take Junior to task."
"You THINK?" Janet challenged. "That's a pretty big assumption and how can we tell?"
Daniel shrugged. "I guess the only way is to try to revive Jack and Sam and see what happens. And no, I'm not asking you to do it," he added at her highly alarmed expression. "I want you to show ME so that I can do it and I want you to go with Curtis and Styles to monitor Jack and Sam while I do."
"I don't like this, Daniel. For all we know Jack and Sam are already dead and this is all just a ruse to get revenge on you as well."
"These lights indicate that they're still alive, don't they?" he asked.
She studied the terminal again momentarily and then nodded. "But like I said, this could still be a ruse."
Daniel nodded. "I agree and we won't know for sure until you get there to see for yourself. In the meantime, show me what to do."
Janet hesitated but then seeing that he was determined to go through with it, she walked him through the process several times. She was confident that he had it down pat as Curtis and Stiles arrived.
Daniel ordered them to escort Janet to Jack and Sam's location and Janet looked unhappily at Daniel, wondering if she'd ever see him alive again.
"Daniel..." she said quietly.
"I know," he returned. "But I HAVE to try this, Janet, don't you see. Besides, I know they'd do it for me."
Janet nodded, absolutely certain of THAT fact at least. She smiled slightly and held up her hands with all fingers crossed, then she turned and headed out with her two wiry escorts.
As soon as they had departed Daniel called Teal'c on the surface and outlined his theory. He then ordered medical teams to be sent for to be on stand-by near the monument since if it all panned out they should all be able to exit through the main door. Then with everything set in motion he sat down beside the console to await news from Janet hoping like hell that his assumptions would be proved correct.
****
Twenty minutes later, the transmitter crackled to life. "Daniel, we're here."
Daniel rose to his feet. "Janet, how do they look?"
"They're just standing there with their eyes closed."
"Their eyes are closed?"
"Yes."
He began to feel hopeful. "That's a good sign, isn't it?"
"It could still be a trap."
"I know. But we have to risk it. Curtis, Stiles, take up positions beside the cylinders. When they've been deactivated you'll have to catch them."
"Understood, sir," Curtis replied for them both.
"Good luck, Daniel," Janet said.
"I won't need it," he called back confidently. He took up position in front of the console and inhaled deeply. "Please," he whispered and then he placed his hands in position above the panel.
The three officers watched the cylinders with baited breath as Daniel's voice came through the transmitter. "Activating...now!"
There was a slight hesitation and then suddenly the two cylinders disappeared rapidly downwards. Immediately the limp bodies of Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter slumped forwards where they were competently caught by Stiles and Curtis who then lowered them carefully to the floor.
Janet felt a moment of triumph as she rushed forward to check their vitals. They both had a pulse although Sam's was exceedingly weak, and feeling an incredible sense of relief she activated her transmitter. "They're okay, Daniel, both of them," she said jubilantly. There was no reply and her relief was instantly replaced with fear and dread. "Daniel? Daniel, answer me!"
She looked up at Stiles and Curtis her fear etched deeply into her features and after instructing them to carry Jack and Sam to the control room, set off immediately at a run, praying that she would not find what she feared. Had Daniel traded his life for those of his friends? She knew without a doubt that it was a choice he would have quite happily made...one life for two or even just one, it wouldn't have mattered. But she had hoped for the fairytale ending...everyone emerging unscathed, not this.
Her lungs were burning from the unusual physical exertion but she did not slacken her pace. It made no difference that, in all probability she'd be unable to do anything when she arrived. She still had to try. The unfairness of it all was like a crushing weight upon her chest, causing an almost physical pain and an ache deep within her heart. And when she finally arrived in the control room and saw his body slumped lifelessly on the floor, her tears started to flow and she cried his name brokenly as she made her way rapidly to his side.
***
Jack fought his way up from the blackness that engulfed him and opened his eyes only to close them again rapidly as the light caused the searing pain in his head to intensify. He had no idea where he was but was immediately aware of a movement at his side.
"O'Neill?"
It hurt like hell to form a conscious thought and his mouth and throat felt like sandpaper but he forced out the whispered word. "Teal'c?"
"It is I, O'Neill. You are in the infirmary. I will advise Doctor Fraiser that you are awake."
Jack did not have the strength to even think about arguing and a few moments later he felt a light touch on his forehead.
"Colonel O'Neill, welcome back to the land of the living. Can you hear me?" Jack made what could only be described as a soft grunting sound and then Janet was speaking again. "I'm sorry to have to do this, sir," and then she was lifting each eyelid and shining her little torch directly into his eyes like she was so fond of doing.
He tried to scrunch his eyes up against the light that caused the excruciating pain in his head to intensify yet again, but mercifully she was finished very quickly. He heard her saying something about 'good response' but he couldn't concentrate on her words and then the blackness swallowed him up again.
****
The next time Jack opened his eyes, he blinked several times and managed to keep them open. Again Teal'c was immediately by his side. But before Teal'c could speak he forced out another word. "Carter?"
Teal'c indicated the next bed with his head and Jack turned his eyes towards it. Sam was lying unmoving upon it with several lines attached to various parts of her body. While Jack was observing her, Teal'c took the opportunity to signal Janet over.
"She'll be fine, Colonel," Janet said in answer to his unvoiced question as she took up position beside his bed, being careful not to block his view. "All she needs is rest. You both do. Your body, mainly the brain has been severely traumatized but sleep will undo most of the damage, at least the physical aspects. Do you remember what happened?"
Did he remember? Oh yeah! Pain that severe was not something that was easily forgotten. He gave a slight nod.
"How's the headache?"
Jack tried to speak but his throat was too dry and he motioned to Teal'c to give him some water. Teal'c held the straw to his lips and he took a few sips, which caused him to cough slightly. Then he tried again. "Bearable...just."
"I can up the pain meds if you like."
Jack shook his head slightly and then wished that he hadn't as the pain temporarily increased. He winced but then it settled back down into the constant drumming rhythm again and he gave a half smile. "Remind me not to do that again," he whispered to Teal'c. Then he focused back on Janet. "You sure...?" He indicated the next bed.
Janet nodded. "Positive, Colonel. She'll be just fine. It just might take a little longer before she decides to wake up though, since her body was under duress longer than yours was."
Jack studied her face. He was sure she was telling him the truth about Sam, but she didn't look very happy. There was something not quite right here. He thought back over what had happened. He and Sam had been trapped by that Kanai creature. Well, first it had been Sam and Daniel, but he and Daniel had traded places at Kanai's insistence and then... He suddenly stopped and scanned the room as it hit him what was wrong. "Where's Daniel?"
****
Janet drew back the curtain entering the dimly lit area and quietly approached the bed. She was not at all surprised to see Sam sitting beside it holding one of Daniel's hands. "Any change?" she asked her friend.
Sam shook her head and Janet performed her observations in silence. Then she turned to Sam. "You know you really should be in bed yourself," she admonished. "Your body suffered severe trauma and you need as much rest as you can get at the moment."
Sam looked up at her doctor and friend. "I'm fine, Janet, really. When I'm tired I'll sleep, I promise. But right now..." She shook her head. "Why won't he wake up?"
"I wish I knew, Sam. There doesn't appear to be anything physically wrong with him, and yet..." She held out her hands helplessly.
"What do you think caused it?"
Janet just shook her head. "Initially I though it was an electrical shock of some kind, similar to what happened to me but more severe and then I thought it was similar to what you and Colonel O'Neill had experienced but if either of those scenarios were correct he should have come out of it by now. This is something different, entirely. He's getting steadily worse and yet I have no idea why."
"And the Tok'ra healing device did nothing?"
"Your dad tried, but he said Daniel was beyond his reach whatever that means." She looked to her friend for an explanation.
Sam wrinkled her nose as she sought to explain. "Um, it's like... When you're using the healing device, it's, I don't know, it's hard to explain, but you can sort of feel that the person is healing. When it's not helping the person, there's nothing to feel."
Janet nodded. "But he is in there somewhere, we know that. His brain is still active, it's just not..." She broke off and turned away as sudden tears threatened.
"Janet?" Sam said softly.
Janet looked back at her friend. "We're losing him, Sam," she whispered, the tears filling her eyes, "and there's not a damn thing I can do about it!"
Sam rose from her chair and put a hand on her friend's shoulder in silent sympathy but to her surprise Janet pulled away wiping quickly at her eyes.
"Um, I have to go. I have other rounds to make."
"Janet," Sam said again softly.
Janet ignored her, the professional mask in place once again. "You can stay here if you like, but don't forget your promise...sleep when you're tired. I'll be back in half an hour." And with that she walked out closing the curtains behind her.
Sam stared after the retreating figure for a few moments wondering if there was perhaps more going on with Janet than she had realized. She looked back at Daniel who was lying so silent and still and felt tears fill her own eyes. Of course Janet would be upset. They all cared very much for their erstwhile archaeologist and it was hard for anyone who knew him to see him lying like this when he normally flittered around the base like quicksilver...when he wasn't completely absorbed in his work! She suddenly got a mental picture of Daniel studying some inscriptions on a planet they'd recently been to. Jack had called him three times very loudly to come to dinner and had finally thrown a spoon in his direction that had hit him on the head. He'd looked up in all confusion then, rubbing his head slightly to find the three of them staring at him and after a moment or two had said, "What? Did you say something?" The Colonel had groaned loudly in frustration, but she had smiled fondly and held out his dinner towards him. "Oh, sorry," he'd said looking sheepish and then he had wiped his hands on his jacket and moved to join them. The memory made her smile but the smile vanished as she focused back on Daniel again and moved slowly back to her chair. She took his hand in hers again and held it tightly, continuing to sit in silence as she willed him to wake up.
It wasn't long after that that the curtain opened again and Jack slipped in. "Thought I'd find you here," he said quietly. He got a chair and positioned himself on the opposite side of the bed facing her.
"I thought you were asleep," she replied when he'd settled himself.
"I was for awhile, but I think I'm all slept out. I'm hoping to be paroled tomorrow. Napoleon did say it was a possibility if I 'behaved'." He used his fingers as parentheses as he said the last word.
Sam smiled slightly. "Lucky you. I've got at least another twenty-four hours in here she told me this afternoon. Although it's not so bad. At least between naps she lets me..." She broke off not wanting to state the obvious.
Jack observed her expression. "No change, huh?"
"No." She paused and then met his eyes. "Janet says we're losing him."
Jack shook his head. "Not him. He's a fighter. Look how many times he's defied the odds already."
"I hope you're right, sir, because I don't think I could keep doing this if he..." Tears suddenly filled her eyes and she looked away in embarrassment, blinking them back.
Jack didn't know what to say. He knew exactly how she felt but there were no words. So he remained silent waiting for her to compose herself, which she did after a few moments.
"You know, I haven't had the chance to thank you yet," she said quietly.
"For what?" he asked in surprise at her change of subject.
"For trying to trade places with me."
He suddenly felt uncomfortable and avoided her eyes. "Oh, well, it seemed like the right thing to do...you know, commanding officer and all that."
"Yes, I do know," she said quietly. "Must have been a tough choice."
He nodded. "Yeah, it was." His eyes were suddenly drawn to hers almost against his will and he was relieved at the understanding he found there. "I've never felt so conflicted in my life," he found himself admitting softly. She nodded, "Nor so helpless," he added with a grimace, remembering her pain.
"I know," she replied. "Nor have I." Their eyes held momentarily and then she added, "But I'm glad Daniel got out. He'd been in there longer and he'd tried to..." She broke off, shaking her head, her eyes falling to the man on the bed again. "How anyone could ever consider him a liability because he's not military..." She broke off in disgust, remembering the words of a certain Major General. "He's the strongest person I know...and one of the bravest."
"You won't get any arguments from me," Jack replied softly, sincerely.
Blue eyes met brown again momentarily and then Sam carefully put Daniel's hand back on the bed. She knew that as well as being extremely worried about Daniel, Jack also carried a great deal of guilt for what had happened to their friend as a result of procuring their freedom, a feeling she shared. And as much as she was loath to leave Daniel's side she figured that Jack would probably prefer to be alone with Daniel and his thoughts for a time. She looked back across at him. "I should probably try and get some sleep now," she said with a slight smile and rose from the chair.
Jack nodded but instead of the words he'd meant to say a single word came forth. "Stay."
Sam looked at him in surprise and noticed that he seemed to be as surprised as she was.
"I mean, don't go on my account," Jack hurriedly added. He couldn't really put into words his need to be with BOTH of his kids right then.
Sam however, understood his need perfectly. Families needed each other in times of crisis and SG1 was family. So she smiled and nodded, retaking her seat and Daniel's hand in hers, and as if on cue Teal'c chose that moment to enter also. He gave a tiny bow.
"I have completed my kel'no'reem as Doctor Fraiser ordered," he said quietly and then without further explanation, the Jaffa collected another chair and placed it beside Sam's and together the three of them watched in silence over their friend, hoping for yet another miracle.
****
"You want to what?" Hammond asked in surprise.
"She wants to contact Lya, General Hammond," Teal'c reiterated.
"He knows what she said, Teal'c," Jack said dryly. "What he means is why?" They were sitting around the conference table and he swiveled so that he faced Janet again. "She wouldn't help you last time, what makes you think she will now?"
"She probably won't," Janet said flatly, "but I've tried everything else and it's the only other thing I can think of."
"Maybe if we took Daniel to her," Sam suggested. "We know she's fond of him."
"We do?" Jack queried.
"There's something about the way she looks at him," Sam explained, "especially when she came to rescue the Tollan. You mean you didn't notice?"
"Must be a girl thing," Jack said dryly.
Sam shot him a slight glare and then returned her eyes to the General's. "I agree with Janet, sir. It can't hurt to try."
Hammond eyed Janet. "Are you sure Doctor Jackson can be safely moved?"
"To be perfectly honest, sir, at this point I can't guarantee anything. He could die the minute we try to move him. Or he could have an adverse reaction to gate travel. I have no idea what will happen. But anything has to be better than allowing him to go on like this. This isn't living by any definition 'I' know of and he will eventually die, there's no doubt about that."
"But who are you to make that call, Doctor?" Jack challenged.
"Someone who saw him prepared to make that call for others." Janet met his eyes squarely. "He was prepared to do whatever it took to release you and Sam from Kanai's clutches."
"But this is a little different," Sam cut in. "He's not under constant torture like we were."
"How do you know? For all we know he could be trapped inside his own mind, screaming out for help." She broke off, regrouped and continued in a calmer voice. "Look, all I'm saying is that as his doctor and friend, I think he would want us to do this...to take this chance no matter what the outcome."
Sam looked at her friend curiously, wondering just what had gone on between Janet and Daniel before he'd been struck down and then she turned towards Hammond. "Sounds about right to me, sir. I say we do it."
"As do I, General Hammond," Teal'c agreed.
Hammond looked at Jack who in turn looked at Janet. "You know, Doc, it might have slipped your notice but Daniel made ME his next of kin and therefore I think it's only right that 'I' have final say as to what happens to him."
"Of course, Colonel," Janet conceded. "I am aware of the arrangement. I was merely putting forward a suggestion."
Hammond continued to look at Jack. "Well, Colonel?"
Jack sighed. He hated seeing his friend the way he was because, as Janet had said, it was not really living. But still he was reluctant to do anything that might cause Daniel to actually die. To his medically challenged mind, still breathing meant there was at least hope. But that was all about what HE wanted. What would Daniel want? He sighed again because he already knew the answer to that. He looked up at the General. "Let's do it."
****
"Why are they sending for you again?" the elder asked Lya.
"I do not know," Lya replied demurely.
"I fear you are not being truthful."
"I assure you, I am," Lya replied.
"Have you already given aid to the Tau'ri?"
"I have not."
"Then why would they send for you again?"
"As I have already said, I do not know."
"A signal was directed at a planet on the western side of the galaxy several days ago. Did you send it?"
Lya inclined her head. "I did."
"To what purpose?"
"I was merely attempting to reunite a mother with her child."
"The Nox do not concern themselves with other cultures. We have no need of them and do not wish to draw attention to ourselves."
"The signal could not be traced," Lya said calmly, "and I was a facilitator only. I simply sent a location. It is no different than being an impartial arkon for the Tollan."
"Did your actions benefit the Tau'ri in any way?"
"I do not know. Perhaps indirectly. Maybe that is why they have sent for me again. Am I being forbidden to go?"
The elder sighed. "No. But take care, Lya. There are many dangers in the universe of which you know nothing."
"I assure you, I would never do anything that would in anyway be detrimental to our society."
The elder sighed. "I want to believe that, child." He sighed again reaching a decision. "Go then, but report immediately to me on your return."
"Thank you." Lya clasped her hands in front of her, bowed her head and then departed for the Stargate.
The elder watched her retreating form, shaking his head slowly. "The very young do not always do as they are told."
A second man walked up beside him, "But that is not always a bad thing, hmm?"
"She is head strong that one, led by her heart. I worry about her and it seems she is quite taken with these Tau'ri."
"She must find her own way. But I suspect she will make the right choices. She is, after all, your Granddaughter."
The elder sighed again. "I hope you are right. Because one false step on her part..."
****
"What do you mean, take him back there?" Jack demanded incredulously. "What good will that do?"
"It is the only advice I can offer you," Lya explained patiently.
"Can't you heal him...you know, use that voodoo stuff of yours on him?"
Lya shook her head. "I regret that it is not possible. It takes more than one of us to heal, especially in such a case as this."
"You couldn't have brought a friend?" Jack asked sarcastically.
"Sir," said Sam, touching his arm lightly.
Lya took no offence. "You were lucky I was permitted to come at all. The elders do not approve of any association with you Tau'ri."
"What did you mean, 'especially in such a case as this'?" Janet asked curiously.
Lya looked at her. "You are a doctor and yet you know very little about healing."
"Now wait just a minute..." Janet began.
Lya put up her hand for silence. "My words were not intended as an insult, I was merely pointing out a fact. To truly be able to heal one must first understand the nature of the affliction. You have admitted yourselves that you do not know what happened to Daniel, therefore it would seem a logical course of action for you to return to the planet and find out. Only when you understand the nature of the problem will you truly be able to heal him." She put her hands over Daniel and closed her eyes for a few moments, then she reopened them. "You must hurry, he is very weak."
"Well, thank you so much for nothing," Jack said sarcastically. He threw Janet an 'I told you so' look, motioned to Teal'c and moved forward to grab one end of the stretcher on which Daniel lay. "Let's get the hell out of here!"
However, much to his surprise, Teal'c did not move. "Should we not at least consider Lya's words, O'Neill?"
Jack looked at him in exasperation. "Teal'c!"
"Sir..."
"Carter!" Jack swung around and pointed a finger in Janet's direction. "Uh!" he said before she could even open her mouth.
"With all due respect, sir," Sam continued undeterred, causing Jack to inwardly sigh, "what have we got to lose?"
Jack swung back towards Carter. "You of all people are asking me that! How about Daniel's life and our freedom just for starters."
"The entity appears to be gone now, O'Neill," Teal'c stated calmly.
"'Appears' being the operative word here!"
"Daniel believed its parents came to collect it," Janet added.
Narim, who had asked to join in the conference again and had so far remained silent shot a quick glance in Lya's direction and she gave him an almost imperceptible nod.
"Then if it's gone, how the hell are we going to find out what happened? Answer me that?" Jack demanded.
"Perhaps it wasn't the entity that hurt Daniel," cut in Sam who had observed the silent exchange between Narim and Lya.
"What are you suggesting, Sam?" asked Janet.
"I don't know exactly," she replied, "but I just have the strongest feeling that Lya is right...the answer is back there, inside that structure." She faced her CO. "Colonel, after all Daniel did for us, we owe it to him to at least try this."
Jack looked from Lya to Sam with slight suspicion. "You two got some kind of ESP thing happening here I should know about?"
Lya looked at him blankly but Sam gave a slight smile. The others looked at him expectantly.
"What if the gate travel proves too much for him?" Jack asked Janet.
Janet shrugged. "Whichever we choose, he still has a trip through the gate to take."
Jack took a deep breath and then shrugged. "Torture central here we come. Teal'c?" He indicated again for Teal'c to take the other end of the stretcher and this time the big man complied. "Carter, say our goodbyes will ya?" he threw over his shoulder, sending a saccharine smile in the direction of Lya and Narim and then they carried Daniel out of the room with Janet by his side.
Sam turned to Lya. "Thank you, Lya."
Lya clasped her hands in front of her. "I have done nothing but steer you in the right direction. I hope you find the cure."
Sam nodded and then turned to Narim. She held out her hand and Narim took it, carrying it to his lips. "I am pleased that Daniel was able to rescue you and Colonel O'Neill, Samantha. I regret that I was unable to lend any assistance."
Sam smiled noting the sadness and regret that filled his eyes. "It's okay, Narim. I understand. I heard you petitioned the council to get them to reconsider their position. Thank you for that."
"I wish I could have done more. You are very dear to me, Samantha."
"I know," she whispered.
"Perhaps, when you have some free time, you will come for a visit. There is much to see on our new homeworld and I would like to show it to you. We even have animals."
Sam smiled again. "I'd like that," she said softly.
Narim lifted his free hand and brushed it caressingly across the side of Sam's cheek. "Goodbye, Samantha. Until next time." Then he released her hand.
"Goodbye," Sam whispered and with a slightly embarrassed smile in Lya's direction, she took her leave.
"I fear she is fated for another," Lya said softly when Sam was out of sight, remembering a certain gesture she had observed during the conference.
"I know," said Narim remembering that same gesture, "but I can't help the way I feel."
Lya nodded in silent sympathy and then she said matter-of-factly, "I need to send a message. Will you help me?"
Narim turned to face her. "We are forbidden from making contact with them."
Lya looked slightly surprised. "You know who they are?"
"I was informed by the council when I endeavored to petition them. They are very powerful. The council does not wish to bring us to their attention."
Lya nodded. "They are powerful, yes, but fair I think." She paused. "Daniel means a lot to her."
Narim studied her face. "And to you I believe."
Lya inclined her head. "I am fond of him, yes."
Narim was silent for a moment. "What would this message say?"
Lya smiled. "Nothing."
Narim looked puzzled. "Nothing? Then why send it?"
"It will appear to originate from the planet in question."
"And you think that will be enough?"
"Yes, I do," she replied simply.
Narim gave her a serious look. "I hope you are correct."
****
"Okay, so let's go through this again," Jack said patiently. "You left Daniel standing here in front of this console and twenty minutes later he activated it."
Janet nodded. "That's right. But before that, there was like this huge wind that swept through the room and knocked the zat gun out of his hand. That's when Daniel got the idea that the parents had come to collect their offspring."
"Yeah, and about that...just how did Daniel figure that anyway...that it was a kid we were dealing with?"
Janet shrugged. "He said he got that impression from talking to him."
Jack looked incredulous. "He spoke to Kanai? While he was in the cylinder?"
Janet nodded. "Apparently."
Jack just shook his head in amazement. Only Daniel could manage to elicit information from someone hell-bent on torturing him! "It didn't tell me squat." He looked at Carter. "You?"
Sam shook her head. "No, sir, nothing." Jack continued to shake his head in wonder and Sam turned to Janet. "Could that have had some kind of delayed affect on him?" she asked. "The wind, whatever?"
Janet shook her head. "I don't think so otherwise I should have been affected too. And it was after that that the lights on the terminal all returned to the normal settings...which kind of verified Daniel's idea in a way." Sam nodded.
"Carter?" Jack looked to her for an explanation.
"Well, sir, if the terminal had returned to normal it could have been an indication that Kanai had left the system and it had reset."
"Right," said Janet, "and that's when we decided to try to revive you."
"So," Jack continued, "you went off with Curtis and Stiles and Daniel was left in here for twenty minutes on his own. Could he have touched something then? I mean, you know what he's like."
Again Janet shook her head. "I seriously doubt it, Colonel. We were too afraid of being seriously zapped if we touched anything. I mean the first time was bad enough!"
"So," Jack prompted, "the three of you got to our cylinders, then what?"
"We told Daniel we'd arrived and that the two of you had your eyes closed, which we figured was another good sign and then he told us he was beginning the sequence."
"And he did."
Janet nodded. "And it worked. The cylinders retracted, the two of you collapsed, I checked your vitals then I radioed Daniel with the good news, but he didn't answer. So then I got Stiles and Curtis to carry the two of you and then raced on ahead to the control room. When I got here, I found Daniel collapsed on the floor right about where Sam is now."
"Is this the exact position?" Sam asked.
Janet frowned. "More or less. Why?"
Sam looked around her. "Then it seems more than likely that whatever happened to him happened while he was operating the terminal."
"That's what I figured," Janet agreed. "But I didn't know if it was because Kanai was still here or because he had somehow booby-trapped the console before he left." She paused. "Anyway, he still had a pulse but he was breathing shallowly and I knew we had to stabilize him as quickly as we could. So I radioed Teal'c to find out how to operate the monument door, he gave me instructions and I just took a chance."
"You took a chance?" Sam said incredulously. "You know, I'd never given any thought as to how we all got out before. Janet, you could have been killed!"
Janet shrugged. "I believed time to be of the essence and there was little hope of getting you all up through that tree root opening. Luckily for me, either Kanai was already gone or else he no longer cared. I got the door open and worked out how to keep it open and then we were able to evacuate everyone through the opening. Thank goodness Daniel had had the foresight to have the medical teams on the way."
"And the rest as they say..." Jack raised his eyebrows. "Well, this little re-enactment is all very nice but what has it accomplished?"
Janet shrugged and walked over to check on Daniel who was lying on his stretcher in a console-free spot about fifteen meters away. "How is he?" Sam asked.
Janet grimaced. "His pulse is getting weaker."
"Right, that's it," Jack stated firmly. "We've achieved nothing here. Let's get him back home."
"I think we should wait, sir," Sam said.
"For what, Carter? Daniel to take his last breath? There are much better places for him to do that."
"Sir, I think that Lya is trying to help us in some way even though her hands are tied. She sent us back here for a reason, I'm sure of it."
"And that reason would be?"
"I'm not sure."
"Great! Well, when you decide you can find us topside. Teal'c!" Jack moved towards the Jaffa who had been standing quietly on guard beside Daniel Jackson's stretcher throughout.
Suddenly a gust of wind swept through the room causing Jack to stop in his tracks and look around.
"That's exactly what happened before," Janet stated uneasily, "although I'm sure it was a lot stronger last time."
"So what does it mean?" Jack asked. "Mom's back?"
"Maybe it does, sir," Sam replied.
"Why?" Jack asked. "If they've already collected Junior, why return?"
"Maybe because Lya asked her to," Sam theorized. Jack gave her a probing look.
"Um, Colonel?" Janet said uneasily.
"What?"
Janet pointed to the console where a light had suddenly begun to flash.
Jack looked at Sam. "Carter?"
"Well, sir, since nobody's in that cylinder any longer, maybe it's trying to communicate with us."
"You want me to touch it?" he asked incredulously.
"I'll do it, sir," Sam volunteered, stepping forward..
"No, you won't!" Jack stated firmly, putting a hand out to halt her progress. "I'm the CO. That's my job. Besides, we all know what happened the last time you tried to communicate with a consoley thing." He looked towards the two women as a sudden thought occurred to him. "Hey, do you think it's the same race?"
They looked at each other and shrugged. "Could be, sir. There's no way of knowing," Sam replied.
"If it is, they DID give Sam back in the end," Janet stated with a touch of hope.
"There's that," Jack said as he stepped up to the terminal. "You really think it's safe?" he asked, looking from Carter to Fraiser and back again. Both women shrugged again. "Well, here goes nothing!" He focused back on the console and put his hand tentatively on the button. When nothing happened he pressed it with a sense of de ja vu. "Um, hello?"
#Hello.#
Jack's eyes opened wide. "Kanai?" he asked in alarm.
#No. The being by that name is no longer here.#
"Thank god. He was an evil little so and so." He looked at Carter who frowned at him slightly. "Um, sorry if you're related."
#He will be punished accordingly.#
"So...why are YOU here?"
#Did you not send for me?#
Jack shot Carter a 'touch' kind of look. "No, WE didn't send for you but now that you're here... Our friend Daniel is dying from something we believe Kanai did to him."
#Yes. My son has admitted to rigging the terminal to send a series of pulses into the brain of your friend when he activated it. It is causing the brain to be shut down by degrees. He will not survive.#
"What!" The others all stared at Jack in concern. "What do you mean he won't survive? There must be something you can do."
#I am afraid not. We prevented him from killing the two of you but my son manipulated the alien technology without our knowledge in a way beyond our understanding. He has had eons to study it but it is unfamiliar to me. However, if you revive the caretakers of this facility, they may be able to help you.#
"We don't even know where they are or if we'll be able to communicate with them."
#I believe they are on the end of one of the arms. Other than that there is nothing I can tell you.#
Jack turned to the others. "We need to find the caretakers. They should be on the end of one of the arms. We know the two they're not in, so split up and take an arm each. I'll stay here with Daniel and keep an eye on Mom."
Immediately the room cleared and Jack was left alone with his friend and the entity. "Um, are you planning on staying around for a while?"
#I will. I am sorry for the actions of my son. I hope you can save your friend.#
"So do I." Jack removed his hand from the console and walked over to that friend, sitting himself down beside the comatose man. He lifted one of Daniel's hands feeling for a pulse. It was still there but significantly weaker than it should have been. He contemplated the hand for a few moments and then grasped it in his, and put his other hand on Daniel's shoulder. "Just hang in there, Daniel. We're gonna get you better, but you have to hang on, okay?"
Suddenly his transceiver spoke. "Colonel?"
He removed the hand from Daniel's shoulder to activate his transceiver. "Go ahead, Carter."
"Sir, there are so many paths going down, any tips on which way to go?"
"Just keep going down, Carter. They'll be on the bottom level for sure, like we were." He mentally kicked himself for forgetting that Carter had no knowledge of the structure. He should have taken an arm himself and left Carter here with Daniel. He looked down at his friend again and as if waiting for him to do just that, Daniel's body suddenly began to spasm. Jack let go of the hand and moved back in shock reaching for his transmitter again. "Janet, come in," he said urgently.
"Yes, Colonel," came the immediate reply.
"Something's up with Daniel. He's having some kind of seizure. What should I do?"
"Don't try to restrain him, just make sure he doesn't hurt himself. I'm on my way back."
"Sir," Carter cut in, "you want us to come back?"
"Negative, Carter, keep searching. Teal'c, you roger that?"
"I did, O'Neill."
Jack moved a little further away from Daniel and watched helplessly as the younger man's body continued to spasm. He grimaced as Daniel's arms came into constant forceful contact with the poles of the stretcher but there was no way for him to prevent that from happening other than to restrain him.
Just when he thought the seizure was going to go on forever, it stopped and at the same time Janet came running towards him. He relinquished his position at Daniel's side gratefully and watched as Janet performed a series of observations on her patient. Finally she sat back and regarded the Colonel seriously. "If that happens again we'll lose him."
"How can we stop it?"
Janet shook her head. "We can't." He read the fear in her eyes and nodded.
"You stay here with him. I'll take the other arm. Which one?" She pointed and he set off immediately. "Carter, Teal'c anything?" he called into his transceiver before he broke into a run.
"Nothing yet, sir," Carter replied.
"I have not found them either, O'Neill."
"Keep searching. Daniel doesn't have much time."
Meanwhile Janet sat beside Daniel holding his hand and stroking his brow, talking soothingly to him even though she knew he couldn't hear her.
Suddenly a wind swept through the room again and Janet got to her feet. A few moments later, the button on the console was flashing again and she moved towards it hesitantly. But before she could reach it she heard a sound behind her and swung round to see Daniel's body beginning to spasm again. "Colonel!" she screamed desperately into the transceiver and then she rushed forward and put her hand on the console. "He's dying!" she yelled into it. "You have to do something!"
#Bring him to the terminal.#
"Janet, what's happening?" Jack's voice, breathless from exertion came through the transmitter but she ignored it as she raced to Daniel's side. Ignoring all knowledge to the contrary, she grabbed Daniel's spasming legs and began to drag him off the stretcher towards the terminal.
"Janet, come in! What's happening?"
The legs kept spasming out of her grasp and she kept dropping them and having to frantically regrasp them.
"Carter, Teal'c, head back to the control room," she heard Jack say.
Janet was breathing heavily and close to tears by the time she'd managed to drag Daniel close to the console and she quickly put her hand back on the button. "What now?"
#You must place his hands on the terminal in the exact positions they would have been when he activated it.#
*Oh God, how am I supposed to do that?* "Colonel!" she screamed into the transceiver again. "I need you!"
She reached down and tried to grasp Daniel around the middle to hoist him up but she was unable to get a grip. His spasming body kept sliding away from her and she was sobbing in frustration when Jack finally burst on the scene on fleet feet.
"We've got to get him up," she said frantically between sobs and immediately Jack moved to one side and got under one shoulder while she tried to do the same on the other side. But she wasn't strong enough to keep the man stable and he kept slipping out of her grasp.
Then suddenly, wonderfully, Teal'c was there taking the burden from her shoulders and the two men managed to hold Daniel in place while she lent over from the opposite side of the terminal and arranged Daniel's shaking hands in position, holding her hands on top of his. Then, not being able to communicate with the entity because Daniel's hand was on the button she did the only thing she could think of...she forced Daniel's hands to operate the terminal exactly as he would have done the last time.
For a few seconds nothing happened and then Daniel went suddenly limp. Janet removed her hands from Daniel's and indicated for the others to lie him back on the floor where she knelt immediately beside him and began to check his vitals. After a few very tense moments she looked up with a slight smile. "He's still with us."
Jack nodded. "Want to explain what that was all about?"
Janet rose to her feet wiping her eyes and indicated the terminal. A light was flashing again. At that point Sam came rushing in and Janet quickly explained to them all what had happened.
Jack looked at the flashing light for a moment and then moved to put his hand on the button again.
#My son has made restitution. Your friend should now recover.#
"Kanai is here now?" Jack looked at the others uneasily.
#Yes, his father brought him. But you need have no fear. We will see that he behaves and before we leave we shall ensure that he fixes things in here as well. You should take your friend and leave.#
"So Daniel will recover?"
#It is my son's belief that he will.#
"What exactly did he do to him?" Jack asked, knowing Janet would want to know.
#He sent a series of pulses to negate the effects of the ones previously sent. I do not understand exactly but you should take him home now. He will need to rest.#
"So we should take him home to rest now," he said for the benefit of the others.
#Yes. With my son's help we will wake the caretakers and begin the repopulation of this planet that should have taken place centuries ago.#
"Thanks for your help, and I suggest you keep a better eye on your offspring in future."
#We will. And perhaps you have learnt something from this experience also.#
"And that would be?" There was no answer. He waited for a few moments and then with a slight shrug he removed his hand and turned to face the others. "Mom says she and Dad will make Junior behave in future and they're going to begin the repopulation of this planet that should have happened years ago." He gave a lopsided smile. "I believe our work here is done."
"What about Daniel?" Sam and Janet asked in unison.
"According to Mom, Junior had a change of heart, presumably because of pressure brought to bear on him by Dad and zapped Daniel in reverse. Says he should make a full recovery." He beamed at Sam and then at the others. "Time to head on back to Kansas!"
***
A week later Daniel sat up in his hospital bed surrounded by his friends...Jack, Sam, Teal'c, Janet, even Cassie and General Hammond were there. It was the first time he'd officially been allowed visitors and everyone had taken the opportunity of being there. Even Stiles and Curtis had stopped in for a few minutes. He was the center of attention and for once he was reveling in it. There was lots of teasing and laughter and it just felt good to be alive...and with the 'still very much alive' people he cared about most!
Eventually though, they began to drift away, Stiles and Curtis to their duties, Hammond to his office, Janet to take Cassie home and then SG1 was left on their own.
Daniel looked at them with gratitude. "Thanks for not giving up on me, guys."
Jack shrugged. "Couldn't. You still owe me twenty bucks on that last hockey game."
Sam laughed, shooting her CO a teasing look. "I thought you were unusually focused!" Her attention returned to Daniel. "You should have seen him trying to browbeat poor Lya."
It was Daniel's turn to laugh. "I imagine Lya put him in his place." Jack gave a saccharine smile.
"She sure did. And then she told Janet she was a pretty hopeless healer."
"I bet THAT went over well."
"Like a lead balloon!" Jack stated.
"How can a balloon be made of lead, O'Neill?" Teal'c asked in a puzzled tone.
"It can't, Teal'c, that's the point," Jack explained patiently.
"I see," said Teal'c. He still looked puzzled but Daniel noticed the slight twinkle in the Jaffa's eyes and started to laugh again.
"I think you've been had, Jack."
"What?" Jack looked at Teal'c, noticing the slight smile playing around the big man's mouth. "Hmm, I can see I'm going to have to watch YOU more closely."
"It was good of Lya to help us," Sam said, redirecting the conversation.
"Yes, it was," Jack agreed, serious for once.
"Do you think she got into trouble?" Daniel asked.
Jack shrugged.
"I hope not," Sam said.
Daniel looked at her apologetically. "I'm sorry I had to leave you in there, Sam."
"God, Daniel, don't apologize for that. You got us out! Besides I know what you were trying to do while we were in there together but you didn't have to you know."
Daniel looked at her blankly, but she knew he knew what she meant, and he knew she knew he knew.
"And thank you for trying to, well you know, put us out of our misery," she added with a quick glance in Jack's direction. The two of them had discussed it at great length and had unanimously decided that Daniel had made the right decision in trying to terminate them.
Daniel looked slightly guilty. "I didn't know what else to do," he said. He looked to Teal'c for support but there was no need.
"It was the right call, Daniel," Jack said quietly, "AND...all's well that ends well."
"Indeed," said Teal'c.
Sam saw a nurse hovering nearby and glanced at her watch. "Oops, time to let you get some rest," she said.
Daniel looked in the direction of the nurse and rolled his eyes. Then he nodded. "Janet said she'd let me out of here tomorrow if I get lots of rest today...although she's not here at the moment." He looked hopefully at the others, not really wanting them to leave just yet.
But to his surprise Jack shook his head. "Best do as she says, if you want to be paroled. All the nurses round here are TATTLE TALES," he said deliberately, aiming the last word in the direction of the nurse. He pulled a face at her but she simply maintained her distance and smiled serenely back at him.
Sam smiled also, remembering a certain incident a couple of weeks earlier.
Daniel noted the smile and looked at her inquiringly.
"Later," she mouthed and then in her normal voice she said, "I'll drop by again later, okay?"
"With some of those cookies?" Daniel asked hopefully.
"Only if you promise to share," she said with a smile.
"With the rest of us," Jack added. Sam shot him a dirty look. "All right, all right, I'll pitch in!" he said suitably chastened. "Geez!"
Daniel smiled in happy anticipation and then a sudden thought struck him. "Um, Jack, before you go... What were you trying to tell me?"
Jack looked blank.
"When you were in the cylinder. Teal'c said you started to give him a message for me. What was it?"
Jack looked slightly uncomfortable. "Um, I don't remember."
Daniel however, did not appear to notice his discomfiture. "I figured it must have been something important you'd discovered about Kanai or something."
"Or something," Jack said with a shrug. "Sorry, Daniel, I really don't remember."
Daniel's brows knitted for a moment but then he shrugged philosophically. "Oh well, it doesn't matter. See you later guys."
Sam smiled her goodbye with a light touch to his upper arm and after Jack had said his they walked away together.
"I too, will visit again later, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c said, then he bowed slightly to Daniel with a little smile before following in the wake of the others.
Out in the corridor Sam turned to Jack. "What were you going to say to Daniel?"
Jack shook his head. "I told you I don't remember."
"I think you do," she badgered, putting a hand on his arm to halt him.
"I concur, O'Neill," said Teal'c, who had caught up with them from behind.
Jack looked from one to the other in exasperation and then he said, "Well, if you MUST know I was going to suggest that he get a new brand of aftershave. I've never noticed it before but that cylinder he was in really reeked of it! And it was BAD!"
Sam laughed.
"I would not have relayed such a message, O'Neill," Teal'c said seriously.
Jack turned to look at him. "Ya think!"
Sam laughed again and Jack looked back at her. "Now if it had've been YOUR cylinder..." and the three of them continued on their way down the corridor chatting animatedly about aftershaves, perfumes and personal hygiene.
***
Lya sat on a rock staring out across the lush green valley. It was one of the most beautiful spots on her world and she loved to sit here in moments of quiet contemplation and soak up the tranquility of her surroundings.
Suddenly, she became aware that she was no longer alone and turned to see her grandfather approaching her. She rose as a mark of respect and clasped her hands in front of her, waiting for him to greet her.
"I have a message for you, Lya," he said, getting straight to the point. "It is from the Tollan, Narim."
"What does it say?" she asked quietly, looking past him into the distance.
He eyed her curiously. "It says, 'all is well'."
Immediately Lya smiled and met her Grandfather's eyes. "Thank you," she replied.
He searched her face while she looked back at him guilelessly. "What does it mean, Lya? What have you done?"
Lya smiled serenely. "It means, all is well," she said simply and with that she turned so that she was looking out over the valley again.
Her grandfather knew there would be no further information forthcoming, yet still he waited, staring at her profile in silent frustration for several moments. Then finally with a sigh and a slight shake of his head he turned and walked away, while Lya remained looking out across the valley, continuing to smile.
The end
1
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