Sam had awoken as the thunderous collapse began. She saw Daniel getting to his feet as Teal'c turned towards them. They both saw the look on his face as he said, "We must leave, now!"
But it was too late and, Teal'c only just managing to leap out of its path, the water came cascading in. It was all her friend could do to drag her up from the ground before it crashed into them. Both of them caught in the thundering torrent, they were dragged further into the cave. Teal'c's cry for them was only just discernable above the roaring water. Desperately trying to right herself, she failed and toppled into the water. Submerged beneath it, she fought to reach the surface when a strong hand gripped her by the shoulder and heaved. As she emerged from the torrent, she saw Daniel had attached himself to a shelf of rock. Gripping tightly, he yanked her towards him and, climbing onto the outcrop, the two of them huddled away from the crashing water.
Her brief submersion obviously preying on his mind, Daniel brushed her soaking bangs out of her eyes.
"You okay?"
Nodding slowly, Sam pulled herself further onto the ledge. They'd just lost all their equipment, their weapons were most likely waterlogged and their clothes were soaked through. The only thing that was left were the GDOs still strapped to their forearms. Sodden, she shifted closer to Daniel. When was this torrent going to end? Where the hell had it come from in the first place?
Then they heard their friend's voice.
"Major Carter! Daniel Jackson!"
Turning, Daniel bellowed, "Teal'c! Stay out there! We're safe for now!"
Their Jaffa friend didn't sound all that relieved.
"Can you reach the entrance, Daniel Jackson?!"
Looking at the water, cascading down into the tunnel sprouting from the cave, her drenched friend replied, "No, we're going to have to stay put until the water's gone."
"Then we may have a problem."
"Teal'c, what is it?!"
"The river itself has been diverted, Daniel Jackson. This water will not soon subside."
She and Daniel looked at each other in alarm. Even with the tunnel sprouting backwards, this place was going to fill up with water. It'd be like turning both faucets on full blast in the bath. There was more water flowing in than draining out. Even if you left the drain open, it was only a matter of time until the bath would overflow. And when the water reached their ledge, the two of them were going to get caught up in the turbulence and go right on down the drain. And it wasn't going to take long for that to happen; the water was already rising steadily.
Daniel replied quietly, "Yeah, okay, that could be a problem..."
The rushing water now filled half of the cave-mouth. A flashlight beam cut through the darkness from the remaining gap.
Sam had been thinking.
"Teal'c, find a vine! You can use it as a rope!"
"They are too thin. They will not be strong enough!"
"Yes, they will! Trust me, Teal'c!"
After a brief waver of the flashlight, Teal'c replied, "I will return soon!"
As they nervously waited, she saw the water rising still further. They didn't have much time left.
"Do you really think they'll be strong enough? I mean, I read the report but..."
"I know I was only hypothesising... but we don't exactly have many options right now, do we?"
As the water rose still further, Daniel pulled her closer to him in an attempt to keep them nearer to the wall. The water began to lap at the edges of their ledge. Climbing carefully to their feet, both having to stoop due to the cave's curvature, they waited for that flashlight to reappear. The curving alcove would offer a little protection against the current... but not for very long. The water at their feet was cold and murky. It was filled with mud and debris. Oh, where was Teal'c?
As if called by her silent question, the flashlight appeared again.
"Daniel Jackson?!"
"We're still here, Teal'c! Hurry!"
"Be ready!"
Shifting so that she had the space closer to the wall, Daniel shouted, "Okay!"
The vine flew through the air. Daniel missed the first throw. And the second. On the third throw, his outflung arm caught the vine but he almost lost his footing. Desperately grabbing him by the T-shirt, Sam risked unbalancing herself but managed to claw enough grip out of the wall to regain her balance and save him plummeting into the water.
Pausing for a moment, he tested the strength of the vine. It split almost immediately. Alarm in his eyes, he turned to her.
Eyes wide at the sight of the broken vine in his hand, she helplessly breathed, "I don't understand... that shouldn't happen..."
But it was too late. The water had reached them. Her friend gave her a despairing look as he shouted out to Teal'c, "It broke!"
Then the water caused her to lose her balance and both she and Daniel plummeted down. Fighting the automatic impulse to gasp as she hit the icy water, her head plunged deep below the surface. Trying to kick her way back up, she found her outstretched hand press against rock. Oh god, she was in the flooded tunnel with no surface to reach. Her only conscious thought beyond her own fight for survival was the hope that Daniel'd surfaced in time to still have a chance. Without a hope of reaching the cave against the current, all she could do was cease fighting and pray that the tunnel opened onto something larger.
Feeling herself begin to grow woozy as her lungs protested at the lack of oxygen, she was buffeted roughly against the tunnel's walls. One particularly harsh collision against her side caused her to inhale sharply and fill her lungs with the dark water. Now flailing, she felt something catch her by the legs. For one instant she hoped it was one of her friends but then she realised it felt more like a tentacle. Hopeless, she felt her limbs grow limp as she was dragged downwards into the cold, never-ending blackness...
Jack wasn't quite sure how he'd managed to convince Doctor Fraiser that a half-paralysed and entirely crazy man should be allowed out of the infirmary but now he was clawing his way along the corridor on the way to Hammond's office. The walls seemed to shrink and contract... or maybe that was just because his limbs felt like they were constantly changing size. Maybe it wasn't getting worse exactly but it was getting more constant.
As he neared Hammond's office, the General saw him coming through the window and, leaping to his feet, hurried out and helped him into the office.
"Jack, what in hell's name are you doing out of the infirmary?"
"I... needed to speak to you..."
"I would've come up to see you."
Shrugging, Jack replied flippantly, "Ah, needed the exercise."
"So what did you want to speak to me about?"
"Did... uh... the team that went back to the planet find anything?"
"Actually, Jack, I'm afraid the weather deteriorated to the point the Major Castleman determined it was unsafe to remain there before they were able to reach the building again."
"Why wasn't I told, sir?"
"You were unconscious when they returned, Jack... and, frankly, I was waiting to be able to tell you something a little more positive. How are you feeling?"
"My body and I haven't quite settled our disagreement yet."
"Doctor Fraiser told me she had seen indications that this... disagreement was spreading. She also mentioned that she thought it was causing you to become slightly irrational."
"Oh, I got past irrational a long time ago. Now I'm completely delusional... although, to be honest, I haven't quite decided which bits are the delusional ones."
"What do you mean, Jack?"
He was way past caring if he looked crazy.
"Well, I'm not sure if you're real but I'm sure that the vanishing guy is sort of real and that makes it a hell of a lot less likely that this is. And then there's the other place where I'm in the infirmary and the others are all okay but I tend to think that one's a little too good to be true. But I know it all can't be real... in fact, maybe none of it is. Including you... which, with all due respect, would make this conversation a little pointless, sir."
Maybe-Hammond looked a little taken aback at the rambling statement and, reaching for the phone, asked, "Are you sure you should be out of the Infirmary, Jack?"
"Hey, for all I know, I'm still there. Or maybe still on the planet. Or maybe I was never there in the first place either. God, this stuff gets confusing!"
Lifting the receiver from its cradle, his CO asked, "Does Doctor Fraiser know you're here, Jack?"
"Yeah, course she..."
But, trailing off, Jack realised that he couldn't actually remember having a conversation of any sort with Janet about getting out of the infirmary. In fact, hadn't he been supposed to be under close observation or something?
Correcting himself uncertainly, he said, "At least, I think I..."
But the General had already linked up with the infirmary.
"Doctor... yes, he's here... no, just a little confused, I think. Okay, we'll be waiting."
Placing down the phone, he said, "That was Doctor Fraiser who was apparently just about to call me to find out if I had any idea of your whereabouts."
Eyes on the phone, he replied, "Sir, I don't... I mean, I wouldn't..."
"It's okay, Jack, but, as of now, you're restricted to the infirmary."
Still looking at the phone, he began, "Think I already was..." Turning back, he continued, "...but you mean with guards posted at the door, don't you?"
"For your own good, as much as anyone else's, Jack. I think you'll agree that you're not exactly safe to let wander around just now."
"You think I'm dangerous, sir?"
"You just admitted you're suffering from delusions... and you wandered out of the infirmary without any awareness of doing so... Your condition is obviously having an impact on your mind."
"Yes, sir..."
A couple of medical orderlies appeared in view of the office window. Signalling them in, the General said, "As soon as the storm blows over, Castleman and his team will head back to study the pedestal device and determine what it did. We will find out what it did to you and we will fix it. It's just going to take some time, Jack. I'm sorry."
Even if he'd been sure that he was really here speaking to Hammond, the pledge to find a cure for his condition wouldn't have been particularly reassuring. He'd seen Fraiser speaking on the phone with enough experts to know that no-one even had a clue where to start... and, much as he knew he was more than a little biased on the topic, the two people he viewed as most likely to be able to understand that pedestal were both lying in the infirmary because of it. He thought of that other place... the place where Daniel and the others were still okay... If he could only believe that that place was the real one...
"I'll keep you up-to-date, Jack. If anything's been discovered, you'll be the first to know. Just try and get some..."
Suddenly, he felt like someone had switched the language setting on the world. As Hammond continued, he found that he could hear him speaking but didn't understand the words.
As he was led from the room, the orderlies' deep voices spoke but there were no words. Opening his mouth to speak, he heard his own voice was making as little sense as the others. Strangely, none of this concerned him particularly much.
His head beginning to droop, he let his feet be guided by the hands upon his arms. As he looked up again, he saw a man standing in front of him. No, not just a man; the same man that seemed determined to constantly plague him with cryptic messages. Well his messages were definitely cryptic now because he was making as little sense as everyone else.
Almost glad about his new condition, he happily watched as the man spoke at him in that same garbled language that even the very thoughts in his head were currently spoken in. He couldn't even feel worried about the others anymore. Worries required words.
The man wandered off again and the orderlies continued their trek towards the infirmary. Leading him in, they allowed him to make his own way across to the bed. Feeling very tired all of a sudden, Jack tried to understand what Doctor Fraiser was saying to him but he couldn't understand and, when he tried to reply to her, his own words made no sense to him and, judging by her expression, no sense to her either. It was all too much effort. He just wanted to sleep. Needed to sleep. Passively allowing some checks to be performed, he waited for them to leave. He just wanted to close his eyes and sleep.
Finally, they all went away again. Laying his head down on the pillow, Jack closed his eyes.
Opening them again, he looked over to see Daniel was sitting at his bedside again. Feeling oddly awake all of a sudden, he said, "Daniel?"
His friend looked up at him and smiled warmly.
"Hey, Jack... you were getting me worried again there."
Surprised at the fact he'd understood that, he said, "I'm here again, then?"
Forehead creasing, his friend set down the book in his hand.
"Still don't think this is real, huh?"
"Let's just say I'm having problems believing it."
"So, just out of interest, where do you think you are, really?"
"Hell, I'm so confused, I'm not even sure anymore."
The concern evident in Daniel's tone, he replied, "I think the energy did something to you. Something that hasn't shown up in your tests."
"That made me crazy? No argument there."
"You've been drifting in and out of consciousness for almost a day, Jack."
Daniel's eyes darted away but he caught the look of worry he was trying to conceal.
Carefully continuing, his friend said, "We don't know what it is the energy's done to you. We called Sam and the others but they've made no progress. They still don't know what the pedestal is or what it was designed to do..."
Something in Daniel's gaze as he locked eyes with him struck him as so genuine that, for the first time, he really seriously considered that this might be reality. After all, here everything was less hazy and he could still understand his native language. And Daniel's explanation about what had happened did make sense. The rest of it... it could just be the effects of the energy.
Obviously seeing the realisation in his eyes, his friend smiled.
"You're looking a little less like you're talking to a dream now."
"Still not a 100% convinced I'm not."
"I'll settle for 50 for now."
Jack nodded amenably, "Fair enough..."
"Okay, so you wanna tell me what's going on in your head?"
Sitting up, he said, "I don't even know anymore... I... in the other place... you're all... the energy killed you all... well, as good as..."
He was aware he was rambling slightly but the civilian's expression remained unchanged. If this situation was reversed, he would definitely be looking oddly at him by now. Jack vowed that, if this was reality, he was going to make more allowances for Daniel's eccentricities in the future.
After a pause, he added, "And I think I'm dying..."
Daniel's expression finally changed. Brow furrowing in concern, he said, "Dying?"
"Yeah, I think so. And then there's this man. I don't know who he is... he keeps telling me to be ready... but no-one else can see him. Crazy, I know."
Considering something, Daniel said, "Maybe not so crazy... maybe it's more than just a dream. Could be your subconscious is trying to tell you something."
"Something like what?"
"I don't know. It's your subconscious; what d'you think it means?"
Jack paused and thought about it. If it really was something that his subconscious was telling him then he was damned if he knew what.
Daniel, who'd pulled his glasses off and was currently cleaning the lenses, didn't seem like he was going to fill the silence his non-response had created. Turning, Jack noticed that it was the same book lying on the table beside him as had been there last time.
Restarting the conversation, Jack said, "You seem to like this one."
Pushing his glasses back onto his face, Daniel blinked owlishly before focusing on the book.
"Oh, yeah... well, it's something I came across when I was researching the pedestal..."
Indicating the book, he asked, "You think the answers are in there?"
Daniel shook his head gently.
"I think the answers are back on the planet... but maybe this will help us figure out what the questions should be."
As Jack looked back down at the book again, he felt an odd sensation. A bright light in his eyes. Scrunching his eyes up in protest, he said, "Daniel?"
His friend didn't reply but the light went away again and Janet's voice appeared, "Colonel? Colonel, can you hear me?"
As Janet shifted the penlight out of his line of sight, he realised he was back in what he'd been assuming was reality. But now... well, at least he seemed to be able to understand what people were saying again, anyway.
He replied, "Yeah..." Sighing, he pushed himself up and continued, "How long have I been out this time?"
"Just a few minutes, sir... Do you know what happened? You weren't making any sense when they brought you back down here."
"I... couldn't understand what anyone was saying...not even me."
"It must be affecting your language centres now."
Jack sighed heavily. He was so tired. It didn't seem to matter where he was... he was always awake. How could he possibly get his head straight when he was completely exhausted? He felt like he'd been stretched so thin that he was beginning to tear apart.
Grabbing Janet by the arm, he locked eyes with her.
"Doc, I'm sorry... it's too much... Make it stop. Please."
Slowly nodding, she disappeared for a moment. When she returned, she was carrying a syringe. Over her shoulder, he saw Doctor Orderly-Technician.
"This is a strong sedative, sir. But I feel I should warn you that, given what happened last time you passed out, there's a very good possibility this will increase the rate of spread. Are you sure...?"
The mysterious disappearing man said, "This is foolishness. Do not."
Defiantly, he replied, "I'm sure, Doc. Do it."
As Janet pressed the needle into his arm, she said, "Just lay back, sir... it'll take effect pretty quickly."
Nodding, he lay back. He wondered idly if this really was his subconscious and what getting sedated in his subconscious meant in reality. Maybe giving up? But he didn't care. He just wanted it all to stop. He didn't want to have to think. He wanted to sleep.
The enigmatic man looked down at him.
"You are a fool. I am glad they will destroy you."
Ignoring him, he locked sleepy eyes with Janet who pressed gently down on his arm.
"Just rest, sir. Just close your eyes."
Unheeding of the storm, a desperate Teal'c strode out into the open and raced over to the point where the river had been blocked from its intended route. Levelling his staff at the blockage, he sent blast after blast into the natural dam of debris. To begin with, he barely made an impact but, as the dent increased, the river began to creep back onto its original course and the rushing water aided him in his task. A few minutes later, the river was roaring down its intended path again.
The lightning forking around him, Teal'c sprinted back towards the cave. The rush of water was slowing and the water level was dropping. It was now low enough for him to safely wade through it. Using his staff to anchor himself, he rushed into the cavern. His friends were nowhere to be seen.
Desperately, he yelled, "Major Carter! Daniel Jackson!"
There was still no reply. Fearful, he followed the stream of water down the tunnel behind it. He hoped that he would find his friends safe at the end but their continued silence did not bode well.
"Daniel Jackson! Major Carter!"
Reaching the end of the narrow tunnel, he found himself in a larger cavern which was almost completely drained of water through holes in the ground and small tunnels sprouting from the walls. Swinging his flashlight around, he breathed sharply inwards. Mud was thick on the ground in the areas where the water had drained away and in it laid the immobile forms of his friends. Grabbing onto Major Carter's arm, he went to pull her from the mud but found, oddly, he could not.
Kneeling in the mud, he reached down into the thick brown sludge and pulled out... it seemed to be organic in nature but he had little time to wonder about it at this point. For now, it sufficed to know that several loops of it appeared to encircle his friend. With his knife, he reached down and severed the first one. He tried not to think about the fact he had not seen her chest rise and fall since he had first found her... for now, his task was simply to free her. Cutting as quickly as he could, he found the strange material broke apart easily enough. Heaving, he pulled her out onto the only half-solid ground currently accessible. For a moment, he thought he was going to have to begin CPR but then she began to cough up water.
"Major Carter?"
As soon as her eyes opened and linked with his, he had to abandon her and plough back into the mud to reach Daniel Jackson. He was half-slumped against the wall but, as Teal'c shone the flashlight on him, he realised he was being held up by more of those odd organic loops. Checking for a pulse, he found a weak but steady one. Reaching down to cut through the ‘vines', he felt a sudden shock and pulled his hand back as if he'd just been stung. Examining the ‘vines' more closely, Teal'c saw that they were whitish but there was a faint blue glow emanating from them. It might just be the flashlight beam, but Daniel Jackson looked several degrees paler than he had when he'd first found them.
A weak voice from behind him.
"Teal'c, what's going on?"
Turning, he saw Major Carter had awakened fully. She was almost unrecognisable under the thick layer of mud which now coated every inch of her and had flattened her hair down against her head. Pushing herself up, she tried to see what was going on.
Turning back to Daniel Jackson, he replied, "I do not know, Major Carter."
As she carefully dragged herself to her feet, she clumsily made her way over to where Teal'c knelt and Daniel sat, slumped. She gasped as she saw the vines.
As she went to touch them, however, he warned, "Do not."
Still, Teal'c knew he had to find some way to free his friend from his organic prison. Pulling off his jacket, he wrapped it around his hand and tried to touch the vine again. It still stung at him. His mud-covered companion came forward and examined the vine more closely.
"When I found you, you were similarly bound, Major Carter. But your bindings did not possess this power to them."
Checking round, she said, "They seem to be coming out of the walls... like some sort of organic cable."
"How are we to free Daniel Jackson?"
Looking around, she picked up a handful of mud and pressed it onto the vine. Reaching down, she did the same again. Then, taking the knife from him, she held it by the blade and dipped the handle into the thick mud.
Teal'c understood, "You believe the insulating properties of the soil on this world will allow you to safely sever the cable."
"Hope this works. My other theory didn't work out so good."
Carefully reaching forward, she pressed her hand against the mud-covered vine. It didn't shock her. Then, cautiously, reaching forward with the knife, she held the vine with one hand and pierced through it. As it split open, a pulse of blue flashed across Daniel Jackson before the glow died all together. Their friend gasped in pain before his eyes flickered open and he said weakly, "Teal'c..."
The vines pulled away easily now that the power had gone from them. Teal'c shouldered the weight as Daniel Jackson fell forward. Carter cut a chunk of the ‘cable' off and then watched, fascinated as the rest of it receded into the wall.
By the time she reached her friends, Teal'c had set Daniel up against the wall and was checking him over. She knew she and her friend were both suffering the after-effects of a near drowning but it didn't look like that was all that was wrong with him. His eyes looked unfocused and, under the mud, he was so pale as to be nearly translucent.
Coughing, she said, "Is he okay?"
"He does not appear able to focus upon me... Daniel Jackson?"
Slowly, their friend blinked. Finally, recognition entered his gaze and his eyes focused upon them. Weakly, he said, "Hey guys... uh, what just happened?"
Teal'c shouldering Daniel's weight, the three team-mates headed back up out of the cavern before the river got ideas and diverted itself again. As they walked, Sam was examining the vine. When Daniel had caught up with events, he'd described a feeling like being torn in several directions at once. She still had no idea what this was or how either of them had survived their submersion in the water. By Teal'c's reckoning, it had been more than five minutes before he had even managed to slow the flow of water. Perhaps these... plants had helped keep them alive. With the minerals in the soil ... well, anything was possible. It'd definitely be something to look at once they'd got this terrible mess sorted out.
Vocalising as she continued, she said, "I still don't understand why the vine broke."
"There were few available, Major Carter. And none of any great thickness."
"Yeah, but that shouldn't have mattered here."
"For what reason?"
"Some of the research I was doing on the samples SG-3 brought back indicated that the minerals in the soil have significant strengthening properties on the plant-life. Vines with the sort of tensile strengths we only find in things like steel."
"Then perhaps I selected an especially poor specimen, Major Carter?"
"Maybe... or maybe our indications were wrong, after all. But these... cables might turn out to be an even more valuable discovery. Just wish we didn't have to almost die to find them."
"Though I am most thankful for it, I still do not comprehend how it is that either of you was able to survive."
"Me neither, Teal'c..."
Lifting the chunk of ‘cable' up, she said, "...but maybe this had..."
Then she trailed off as she realised something.
"Hey, listen."
Listening, he said, "I do not hear..."
Then, catching on to her meaning, he locked eyes with her and both of them raced towards the entrance. Still not quite with them, Daniel allowed Teal'c to guide his feet onwards. As they neared the entrance, she and Teal'c were both struck by the brightness flooding through the door. Wading through the puddles, they reached the entrance.
She felt herself gasp.
"Wow..."
This was no false calm, this time. The sky was a brilliant blue and the sun was beating down upon the verdant jungle of vegetation. There was still damage from the storm but, otherwise, no evidence of the fact that, only minutes earlier, there had been a raging tempest out there.
She went to say something when, suddenly, Daniel sneezed so hard that he stumbled away from Teal'c and collapsed to the ground. Forgetting the weather, she rushed to his aid.
Sprawling, he clawed at his chest and doubled up sneezing again. For a moment, she didn't understand what he was doing but then she realised. Scraping past the mud to get at Daniel's equipment vest, she opened the appropriate compartment and pulled out the strip of tablets.
Pressing one out, she said, "Here. You'll have to swallow it dry."
Sneezing again, he nodded so she handed the pill to him. Swallowing it, he allowed Teal'c to shift him back into the cave slightly.
Kneeling down in front of him, she asked, "Hey, are you okay?"
Blinking, he managed to bring his gaze round to focus upon her.
"Allergies... I guess."
"You sound confused."
Rubbing his eyes, he replied, "I am... I know the pollen count's really high here but it shouldn't have had time to build back up again after the storm... not this quickly."
Sharing a puzzled look with him, she said, "You going to be able to move?"
"Yeah, just give me a minute..."
She knew she should give him some time to rest... well, both of them, really. She was still recovering herself, truth to tell. This planet, however, was seriously beginning to freak her out. There was something slightly off about everything here. Almost as if some malevolent force was all around them; something invisible that you could only sense by the ripples it caused. They needed to get away from here. It almost wasn't about the Colonel anymore... it was just a fervent desire to put as many billion miles as possible between her and this planet as soon as possible. Looking at her friend, she wondered if his persistent pleas to be allowed to return to study the pedestal meant that he didn't share her sense of boding about this planet. Or maybe it was just that his desperation to find answers about what had happened to the Colonel overrode the trepidation.
Getting to her feet, she walked over to where Teal'c was standing. He was looking oddly out of the entrance. She'd seen the same look on his face during the storm... as if he was looking at something outside of conventional space and time.
As she had last time, she said, "Teal'c, what is it?"
Shaking himself awake, he replied, "There is something about this place which unsettles me, Major Carter. It is wrong, in some way."
Assuming he was experiencing a feeling similar to her own she nodded. Hugging herself as a chill ran through her, she said, "I know what you mean..."
Turning to her, he asked, "Are you well, Major Carter?"
"Feel better when I get into some dry clothes."
"Then we should proceed to the gate. I will assist Daniel Jackson."
Hurrying through the mud, Sam found herself being dragged down into it. She knew they weren't too far from the gate. Teal'c had offered that she could race on ahead and he would remain behind with Daniel who was still extremely weak and was slowed further by the occasional sneezing fit. However, she couldn't bring herself to leave them behind. This planet worried her and she couldn't help thinking that if she made it through the gate without them they would disappear just like the Colonel had. In the end, she'd decided keeping them all together was more important.
As the gate came into sight up ahead, her spirit soared. She needed away from this planet... she couldn't think straight here. When they got back and found out whether the Colonel had made it back or not... then she'd figure out what to do.
Heading forward quickly, she reached the DHD before the others. Checking it over carefully, she couldn't see any evidence of storm damage. Hope rising, she began pressing chevrons down. Sure enough, the gate began to spin. The others reached the foot of the gate as she pressed down the sixth symbol.
She caught Daniel looking back in the vague direction of the building that housed the pedestal. There was no question of him heading back right now, of course, but she could see the desire to return there in his eyes.
With as reassuring a tone as she could muster right now, she said, "We'll be back, Daniel. We'll find him."
As the final chevron locked, the event horizon exploded into existence. Teal'c did the honours with the GDO as both hers and Daniel's were rather mud-coated right now.
Sam took one look back at the planet behind her before stepping into the rippling blue curtain.
When he'd awoken, Jack had felt oddly at peace. To start with, he'd thought it was just from the fact that the sedatives hadn't fully worn off yet but even when the fuzzy haze had gone, the pragmatic calm had remained.
Funny, really, seeing as since he'd woken up, he'd not even been able to walk, could hardly talk and understanding people was a hit or a miss type thing. When he thought about it, he decided it was because he just couldn't care less anymore.
Fraiser was feeling guilty as hell about the sedative. She said it had caused his condition to progress even more severely than it had when he'd passed out before. There were still areas of his brain untouched but most of it had gone completely nuts. In one of his moments where he could both speak and understand what he was saying, he'd told her it had been his call. She'd played the old ‘I outrank you on medical turf' card but he'd just locked eyes with her and said, "You did what I asked you to do, Janet. Thank-you." He hoped his eyes had managed to convey just how grateful he'd been for that blissful unawareness, even for a short time.
Now, sitting in his wheelchair, Jack squinted unfocusedly around him. It must be beginning to affect his eyes now. Soon, it'd all be over and he'd be as blissfully unaware as his friends. That had been Fraiser's most recent idea. She'd said something about the areas that were totally unaffected being almost identical to those parts still active in his friends' brains and that his condition might be the same that had affected them only slowed down in his case. It was strangely reassuring. If they found a way to save the others then it would save them all. And, if not... well, he wouldn't be left behind.
He could hear Hammond and Fraiser talking about him but couldn't take part in the conversation. Obviously, it'd taken out his speech centre again. Maybe, this time, for good. Probably wouldn't be too long until it took out comprehension and then he wouldn't even know what was going on. For now, though, he could listen.
"I have never seen anything like this before, sir. Nobody has. I mean, there are degenerative conditions which cause gradual shutdown but even the fastest ones are nothing like this. And I can't find any neurological reason for the total degeneration. Everything appears intact on the MRI, sir."
"Do you believe he'll end up like the others?"
"I guess so, sir. He was exposed to the same energy they were. Its effects must have been delayed in him for some reason."
"Isn't there anything we can do?"
"I don't even know where to start, sir..."
And, just like that, the language setting switched again. He knew they were still talking but he didn't know what they were saying. After a while, Janet came across and checked him over. His heart broke at the look in her eyes when she realised he was one step from joining his team-mates. There were no words to say it wasn't her fault anymore. But his eyes gave their best attempt at conveying that.
As she turned away, she breathed unsteadily before pulling herself together and continuing with her explanation to the General. As she did, Jack became aware of an odd sound in his head - almost like the echoes of the gate's chevrons locking and the whoosh of the event horizon.
"...I'll keep you posted, sir..."
As Janet's voice morphed back into something understandable, Jack blinked and, suddenly, realised that he felt normal; totally, absolutely, 100% normal. As the General walked out, he gingerly reached for the arms of his wheelchair and found he was able to easily raise himself to his feet. The Doc, who'd watched the General leave, hadn't even looked around yet.
"Uh... Doc?"
At the sound of his voice, Fraiser spun around to see him standing up.
She gasped.
"Colonel?"
"Yeah..."
"Are you... okay, sir?"
Extremely confused, Jack replied, "Um... apparently..."
Then, suddenly, a thought occurred to him.
"Hey, if I'm okay... what about the others?"
She followed his reasoning but wasn't quick enough to catch him before he was out of the room and off down the corridor. Savouring his newly-working limbs, he raced towards the room where his friends lay. He knew that if he walked into that room and they were still the same, it would destroy him but, right now, he just felt like they'd all be sitting up as he walked in.
Barking loudly at the SF to get out of the way, he opened the door...
Janet had lost the Colonel almost immediately after he'd headed out the door. The guards had been dispensed with when it had become apparent that the Colonel was no longer going to be able to wander off even if he was so inclined. Still, it was of little concern. She knew where to find him.
Reaching the room, she saw the SF was standing outside the door with a blank but dutiful expression which screamed to Janet of a man who'd just been yelled at by a vastly superior officer. No prizes for guessing the officer involved.
Moving past him, she carefully opened the door. In the beds, Sam, Daniel and Teal'c still lay. The Colonel stood, frozen, before them.
Carefully reaching out, she said, "Sir..."
He just ignored her altogether. Walking around him, she caught the look in his eyes.
"Sir..."
"I just thought... I was so sure..."
After a pause, he turned to her.
"I'm sorry... shouldn't have run off like that."
"I wish I could promise you they were going to be all right, sir, but we both know I can't do that. The best thing we can do for them right now is to try and understand what's happened to you."
Nodding slowly, he replied, "Yeah."
But, as she turned, he froze again. This time he gasped. Spinning round again, she saw a disorientated O'Neill looking wildly around the room.
"Colonel?"
The eyes didn't lock with hers so she rushed back over to him and grabbed him by the arms.
"Colonel, can you hear me?"
This time, the eyes did lock but looking past her, he collapsed heavily to his knees and looked down at his hands.
"Oh god..."
"Colonel? Sir, what is it?"
Looking up, he said oddly, "No, Janet... Janet... it's me... it's Sam."