Please respect that this work is propert of the author.
This page is dedicated to fan fics written by Corine. If you'd like your own page on this site, drop the lovely Beki Morgan a line at beki_morgan@hotmail.com, cheers! Enjoy.
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The First Files...
TITLE: Retribution
AUTHOR: Corine
EMAIL: Corine57@HOTMAIL.COM
STATUS: Complete
CATEGORY: Humor.
SPOILERS: Prodigy.
SEASON / SEQUEL: four
RATING: PG
CONTENT WARNINGS: Spoilers for Prodigy. It probably won't make any sense if you haven't seen this episode.
SUMMARY: The Tinkers' retribution for catching them.
ARCHIVE: CHRISBOD’s and Tanya's WAM-site, Heliopolis, The place of our legacy, Jack's place. The Sandbox. Stargatefan. All others please ask.
DISCLAIMER: This story is written entirely for entertainment and is not intended as an infringement against the copy written material that belongs solely to Showtime, MGM/UA, Gekko Films, et al. I'm only playing with their characters and will return them as soon as the story is finished. The following story is the property of the author and is not to be copied, or published without the express, written consent of the author.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Many, many thanks to Sandra, for offering the idea, the episode synopsis and encouragement. BTW. This is short. Very, very short.
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We are the Tinkers.
We OWN this planet. By the way, we consider this a planet, not a moon. No matter what that human thinks.
We do not like the humans who are taking possession of our planet. We keep our distance and watch them. What do they want?
We are getting impatient. We decide to check the humans out. We will not show ourselves completely yet. One part of us is flying around the one who does not resemble the others. He is quite dark. Big too and he has a large mouth. On his head is a painting. It resembles a smashed one of us. We hope that is not the case. We decide we do not fear him. We have amazed this creature. He has amazed us as well.
We decide to investigate the camp. We enter the building. The humans record us, or so they think. They will be surprised; we do not show on tape.
The fool who thinks he is on a moon is excited. We do not like him at all. We dance around him. He needs to clean the white things in his mouth. It smells bad.
He thinks we mean no harm. The bossy one is more cautious. He is of course smarter than the fool. We think they will not harm us. They better not. Then the fool does. He catches part of us and locks us in a cylinder. We are very upset.
We had not expected this. The humans know how to harm us. They know how to lock us up. They are dangerous.
They let the part of us go. They will not get away with this.
We surround one of the humans. We attack. He dies. That is what happens if you harm us.
Now we will attack the others. We attack the camp. We manage to hit the fool. Way to go, we.
They know how to keep us at distance. First, we were upset. Now we are mad. We have to leave the building.
We do not give up. We try again. The building is blocked. We wait. We are patient. They are not. They will come out.
They want to know why we attack.
The younger one with the attitude has a theory. She mentions something about an increased magnetic field. About this moon passing some orbit thing. She thinks too much.
It is not that complicated.
The older one with the brains thinks we are mad because of the capture of one of us.
She is right.
This is our retribution. Find yourselves a real moon to explore. Do not capture us. We Tinkers do not like that. We will seek revenge.
It is as simple as that.
<<< THE END >>>
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Like that? Read on for more works of gate, by Corine.
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Broken
by
Corine
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TITLE: Broken
AUTHOR: Corine
EMAIL: Corine57@HOTMAIL.COM
STATUS: Complete
CATEGORY: Drama, Humor, WAM (Word a Month Challenge) - the word is Broken.
SPOILERS: Foothold
SEASON / SEQUEL: 3, sequel to Foothold
RATING: PG
CONTENT WARNINGS: Ah, just some swearing and cursing. Nothing much.
SUMMARY: Jack has a small problem but is too stubborn to seek help.
ARCHIVE: Heliopolis, Stargatefan. FrondFic. All others please ask.
DISCLAIMER: This story is written entirely for entertainment and is not intended as an infringement against the copy written material that belongs solely to Showtime, MGM/UA, Gekko Films, et al. I'm only playing with their characters and will return them as soon as the story is finished. The following story is the property of the author and is not to be copied, or published without the express, written consent of the author.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: This one is dedicated to Mary, my friend, with whom I've watched Foothold (or certain parts of it, ) at least a dozen times.
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Ouch!
Colonel Jack O'Neill, the leader of the famous SG-1, almost jumped back up after trying to sit down behind his desk, in his office deep in the bowels of Cheyenne Mountain. He tried again, slowly lowering himself onto the chair, leaning unwittingly more to his left side. His face grimaced, although if anybody had been watching, that person wouldn't have been able to tell whether the look on the Colonel's face was from pain, or annoyance. Probably it was a bit of both.
He had some reports to finish, decisions to make, SGC personnel to visit after the infiltration of the base by an alien race. General Hammond had left him in charge of the cleaning operation and had left the Mountain to visit his family.
Jack tried to summarize all the actions that had been initialised since the alien leader had activated the self-destruction device. A shiver ran over the Colonel's back, remembering the phrases and sounds the alien leader had made, directed to the humans present in the Control Room. It had all sounded very scary, but he also couldn't erase the image from his memory of the alien leader, resembling the incredible hulk, a television show he'd watched when he was a teenager.
Carter and Daniel were in the lab studying one of the four cloaking devices that had been taken from his alien twin, as well as the twin sister of Janet Fraiser he'd knocked down, and of alien Daniel and alien Major Davis.
He'd put Teal'c in charge of cleaning up the remnants of the aliens that died during the battle. Colonel Maybourne had authorization to transport one of the dead bodies to Area 51 for further examination, while one of the bodies would be subjected to some tests within the SGC as well.
Sergeant Siler had been ordered to change all access codes to the Mountain, both from outside as from off-world, plus all security checks within the base such as computer access codes and locks to storage and weapon rooms in order to make sure the aliens that had escaped would have no use of the information they'd gathered.
Dr. Fraiser was busy treating the injured; SGC-personnel that were zatted, knocked down or shot by either Teal'c during his escape or the Forces invading the base.
That left him two actions to consider. He'd talked it over with the General already, so he knew what to do. There was still a missing team out there, SG-6, and he needed to send a team to determine what was left of them. The Marines were already alerted and he expected them back from their downtime within four hours. He was supposed to wait for them, debrief them, then see SG-3 off on the rescue mission.
Last, but not least, they had the coordinates of the world the aliens gated to. It was not a comforting thought that there might be aliens out there, knowing too much about Earth, the SGC and the people they'd invaded. He was glad that Carter had actually shot the alien bastard that had stolen his identity; assuring him his private thoughts would stay private. Hammond had decided not to pursue the creatures until the base was cleaned up again. Plus, he wanted to wait until they had contacted their allies in order to gain more information on this new species.
Shifting slightly in his chair something stung him again. "Ow... for crying out loud," he muttered, quickly changing position. He tried to determine the source of the pain, wondering briefly if he'd fallen on something sharp when he'd opened up the alien suit that had him trapped high up in the air. He couldn't remember, however, and pushed the thoughts away. He had more important things to do right now.
The aliens. He needed to concentrate on the aliens. They needed to collect every bit of information they had and go through it, before they would contact the Tok'ra, the Asgard and the Tollan. Wincing once more at the stabbing pain that assaulted him every time he moved, he dragged his keyboard closer and started typing his report.
***************
Colonel O'Neill wearily entered his house late that evening. He was feeling exhausted after having spent more than 48 hours hanging in that stupid alien outfit tied to the ceiling and another 24 hours of fighting the aliens off and cleaning up afterwards. The ride home hadn't improved his temper.
He'd been walking and standing the whole afternoon. After finishing his report, the sharp stabs of pain running through his body didn't allow him to sit anymore. He'd been too occupied with his job to really be bothered by it, but getting into his car, driving to his house and getting out had proved to be a rather painful experience.
Still cursing out loud, he climbed the stairs and headed straight to the bathroom. He needed a long hot shower to flush the smell of aliens from his body, but what he really wanted was looking in a mirror, so he could see what on Earth was wrong with his butt.
Heavily frustrated as he was by now, he dropped his clothes on the cold floor, stripped down to his briefs and headed to his bedroom. A man-high mirror covered one of his closet doors and Jack stepped in front of it, turning around with his back towards the mirror. He slid his briefs down, bending forward a little and peeked back in the mirror. He twisted and turned to get a better look, but he saw absolutely nothing out of order. No red spots, no swelling indicating insect bites, nothing at all that could explain the painful stings that hit him when he moved in certain directions.
Darn. He was an Air Force Colonel, dammit, and here he was, whining over an aching spot on his butt. He'd been shot, stabbed and tortured; he'd broken every bone he could possibly imagine and now he was getting grumpy over a little throbbing area on his bottom.
Jack slowly placed one hand on the tender area, probing with his fingers, his eyes locked on the mirror.
"Ouch!"
He jumped up when his fingers hit home and bit on his lip. He had no idea what possibly could cause it and after throwing one last look in the mirror, he dropped his briefs and irritably stamped towards the shower.
********************
"Aaarrrrgghhh!"
Colonel O'Neill awoke for the umpteenth time that night, startled once again by a sharp pain. It resembled that of something piercing his skin whenever he tried to turn in his sleep.
He sat up, groaning, only to find that it didn't seem to be a good idea either, then got to his feet and stumbled downstairs. He was way beyond annoyance now; he was utterly pissed.
Tired as he was, Jack realized that sleep wasn't an option, however. He swung the fridge open, grabbed a beer and hastily removed the cap. Kicking the door of the fridge closed with his foot, he placed the bottle at his lips and sipped, the cool liquid sliding down his throat. He sighed heavily and, without thinking, he sat down on a chair near the kitchen table.
"Shit!" Another sting got him by surprise and he quickly got back to his feet. Wiping his forehead, he thought of calling Janet for a second, then shook his head. Now how would that look, huh, Jack, he thought. Phoning Janet in the middle of the night for a little stabbing in your butt... Get a grip. There's nothing wrong with your butt, a nasty insect or something has probably just stung you. Nothing to worry about, it will pass.
Right.
He emptied the bottle of beer and angrily threw it against the wall.
*******************
General Hammond sat at the head of the table in the briefing room, waiting for SG-1 to come in. Three members of the team in question came in and sat down on their regular spot, the fourth member leaning nonchalantly against the wall.
Hammond looked up, nodded his greetings to all of them, then threw a concerned look at his Second. Dark shades around the eyes, lips tightened grimly; O'Neill looked far from healthy and well rested.
"Colonel, are you all right?" he asked.
O'Neill shoved one hand in his pocket, attempted to appear as normal as could be, frowning deeply. "Me?" he asked. "Fine, Sir. Just a little tired."
Hammond pointed at the empty chair next to Dr. Daniel Jackson. "The why don't you sit down, Colonel. We'll try to make this as short as possible."
Jack shrugged his shoulders. "I'd rather stand, Sir. My legs need some stretching after hanging like a spider in a web for over 48 hours."
Hammond frowned briefly, then continued with the briefing. "Okay, then. Your report, Colonel."
"Ah, yes, Sir," O'Neill started. "I'll start with the most important news. SG-3 has been able to locate SG-6. They reported back two hours ago. SG-6 appears to be perfectly healthy, though confused about what has happened to them. SG-3 has requested another 6 hours of exploration of the planet, to determine if anything is out of the ordinary. They should all be coming home this afternoon."
All people present in the room sighed out in relief. They'd all been worried about the missing team and were glad that they'd been found safe and sound.
"The alien bodies have been cleaned up. One has been transported by NID, another one is being kept in the freezer for further examination. St. Siler has successfully changed all codes and has provided everyone with the proper information. There's a sealed envelope with your set of new security codes on your desk, Sir," the Colonel continued. While talking he'd started pacing the room, not knowing what else to do.
Unaware of the stares he was receiving for walking around like that during a briefing, Jack picked up the file he'd brought with him from the table and handed it over to the General. "These are all the reports made up till now. I think Daniel or Carter can fill us in on their progress regarding the cloaking device," with that, the Colonel ended his report and took his position leaning against the wall again.
Hammond eyed him thoroughly. "Thank you, Colonel," he said, then addressed Major Carter. "Major, what have you found out?"
Carter sat up straight. "Well, Sir, basically, we came up empty handed. We do know how to operate the device, we do also know that it creates an image of the body that is hooked up in the alien chamber, that the head device is responsible for transforming the thoughts with the image, but *how *? I've come up empty handed, Sir," Sam looked apologetically at the General. "I need more time and someone with more experience in that field."
Hammond frowned, wondering about the next step. Deciding quickly, he gathered his files. "Dr. Jackson, please contact the Tok'ra and Tollan about this. Maybe they can be of assistance. Continue your study, Major. Good work, people."
With that, he stood, looking briefly over his shoulder. "Colonel... my office, please."
********************
Hammond sat down behind his desk, while O'Neill closed the door behind him.
"Sit down, Colonel," he ordered. Whatever was bothering his Second, it was going to be solved.
He watched as the Colonel slowly sank into the chair opposite to his desk and his eyes didn't miss the grimace that appeared briefly on O'Neill's face before the man had control over himself again.
"Are you certain that you're all right?" he asked, concern evident in his voice.
O'Neill shrugged him off, slightly annoyed. "Yes, I'm fine."
The General didn't buy it. "You don't look fine, Jack. Are you having trouble sleeping? You look like a ghost."
Jack did his best to hide that he was sitting mostly on his left butt cheek and fought hard to keep a straight face as something stung again. "Err, I didn't sleep well last night," he admitted.
Hammond nodded at the confession, although he had already guessed that. He knew from experience, however, that it would be hard to figure out why the Colonel had had trouble sleeping. It could basically be anything, nightmares about bad things that had happened to the man in the past, memories that were haunting him, pain he wouldn't admit having or nothing specific at all.
"Any specific reason?" he tried.
"Nope." As expected, the answer told him nothing.
"Do I need to order you to the infirmary?" Hammond demanded.
"Nope, I'm fine, Sir. Honest."
Hammond studied the man in front of him, knowing this wasn't going to get him anywhere. He sighed. "All right, then. I want you out of here by five. Make sure you get plenty of rest tonight."
"Yes, Sir." The Colonel managed to rise from his chair without gasping out loud, kept his face in order and turned to head to the door.
Hammond shook his head and watched him leave the office, determined to keep a close eye on his Second.
******************
"Shit!" Cursing loudly, Colonel O'Neill got up early in the morning, after the third restless night.
Every time he tried to turn around in his bed, something sharp appeared to be digging deeper and deeper into his flesh. Whatever it was that had bitten him, it wasn't getting better at all.
He got up, angrily throwing the blankets away. He knew his mood was getting worse every minute this lasted and he couldn't stand it any longer. He positioned himself in front of the mirror once more, this time with a hand held mirror to better catch his reflection. Twisting and turning, he tried to get a good view but there was still no sign on his skin indicating anything amiss. Still he almost cried out when he pushed slightly with his fingertips on the troubled spot.
Damn.
O'Neill knew it was getting almost impossible to hide his discomfort from his friends. He also knew he had an upcoming mission in two days and he realized that he really had no other choice than to see Janet.
Oh, God, he was so embarrassed. He could picture himself sprawled over the bed, with Janet giggling...
Nah.
Janet would never giggle over him. Besides, she'd seen his butt on more than one occasion and had never said a word about it, so why was he so reluctant to go?
It was because he was uncomfortable with the whole situation. Bullet holes, staff weapon burns, radiation diseases; he could handle all of that shit. It was no fun, but there was a source of the problem, something causing the injury or sickness, something that could be pointed out, or blamed.
Now, he had nothing. He had no idea of what was going on and it could turn out to be nothing at all. Although he would think *nothing * wouldn't hurt that much. He felt terribly out of control, embarrassed that it was his butt that was hurting instead of some other, less humiliating part of his body and uncomfortable that he really, really needed to ask for help.
Did he really?
Shit. Yes, he did.
He remembered that he hardly had any excuses left to remain standing in every room. Carter was giving him these looks as if she could see straight through him. Daniel was keeping an eye on him despite the fact that he'd really said something not so nice to the linguist. He was sorry for that, but hey, he hadn't had a good night's sleep for ages and it *did * make him grumpy. Teal'c had remained silent, but he hadn't failed to notice that even the Jaffa was throwing some worried glances into his direction. Not to mention the effort it had cost him to stay out of General Hammond's sight. He'd spent all of this last afternoon expecting to be ordered to the General's office over the intercom, but luckily that hadn't happened.
Shit, shit, shit. Come on, O'Neill, he told himself. You've been through much worse than this, so don't be such a baby.
He was an Air Force Colonel, ex Special Forces and it would ruin his tough man's image. He would look stupid, feel stupid, feel embarrassed... oh, shit. Suck it up, Jack and get it over with.
All dressed up he ate his breakfast while standing in the kitchen, deciding to have a beer instead of coffee to go with it. It was a bit early for a beer plus it was really against regulations, but knowing what he had to do, he figured he needed one.
**********************
He arrived on the base, wanting to go directly to the infirmary, but diverted as Carter caught him and asked him to stop by the lab. Sighing, he thought another half an hour couldn't make it any worse, so he followed her, grabbing a coffee from the machine in the hallway to take along.
Daniel was seated behind the table, the cloaking device in front of him, the young archaeologist staring at it as if he'd just seen a world wonder.
Sam sat down next to Daniel and studied her CO thoroughly. She couldn't lay her finger on it, but something was wrong. The Colonel looked as if he had missed out on a lot of sleep for a starter, but also as if something was bugging him. She pointed at the only remaining chair in the lab.
"You look tired, Sir. Why don't you sit down?"
Daniel, alarmed by the concern in Sam's voice, looked up as well. "Yeah, Jack. What's wrong?"
Jack cursed inwardly. How long was he able to keep up with the act? "I'm fine," he mumbled. "Just tired..." With his coffee in his hand, he moved over to the chair, then got an idea.
He stumbled.
Apparently losing his balance, the Colonel staggered, attempting to stay upright and spilled all of his coffee over the one and only empty chair he just didn't want to sit on today.
Carter jumped up and rushed forward. She grabbed him by the arm to steady him. "Sir! Are you sure you're all right?"
He waved her off, feigning embarrassment. "Yeah... I'm fine, Carter. Sorry..." He sought support by leaning with his left hip against the table and ran a tired hand through his hair.
Daniel frowned. "I think you should go and see Janet, Jack," he opted.
Sam, in the meantime, had gathered some tissues and started wiping off the chair, although the material was soaked through. "Mmm, I need some water to clean this. Daniel is right, Sir. Maybe you should have Janet check you out."
Jack hesitated.
"Jack," Daniel urged, convinced that there was something wrong. "Come on, I'll take you."
Jack sighed. "All right, then. I was actually planning on going to see her. But you can stay here, Daniel. Knock yourself out over that thing. I'll be okay."
Daniel and Sam exchanged some looks. The Colonel was willingly going to pay Janet a visit? Sam turned to her CO. "Are you sure? We can take you there, Sir."
"Nah... thanks," the Colonel headed to the door to escape. "You kids just have fun."
*******************
Dr. Janet Fraiser looked up from her reports as Colonel O'Neill arrived in her office.
"Oh, hi, Colonel."
He gave her a faint smile and closed the door. She frowned. "Is there anything I can do for you, Sir?"
He nodded. "I need you to..." he hesitated and vaguely pointed somewhere low behind his back. "Something is..." he continued, not knowing how to say it out loud.
"What's wrong, Sir?" she asked, taking in his hesitation.
"There's something hurting me," he admitted, giving her one of his helpless faces, without telling her more.
Fraiser lifted her brows, alarmed by his behavior. Having him in here and admitting he was hurt was something unusual in the first place. "Can you be more specific, Sir?"
He pointed directly to the troubled area now, turning slightly so she could see. "Something is stinging me, here. Every time I move..." he explained, then threw his hands frustratingly in the air. "I can't see anything wrong, but it's there..."
Janet smiled, understanding his wavering now. She rose to her feet. "All right. Follow me, Sir. I'll have a look."
She took him to one of the examination rooms and closed the door. "Just lower your pants a bit and lean forward, Sir. I should be able to get a good look then." She wanted to make things as easy for him as she could; she could imagine how he felt right now.
Bending forward, she inspected the exposed skin. There was nothing wrong there, nothing one could see with bare eyes. Knowing the Colonel, however, she knew better. Her fingers ran gently over the soft skin, prodding slightly.
"Sorry," she mumbled, as he suddenly tensed, straightening his back in an attempt to pull away from her touch. "I can't see anything, Sir. I'll have to do an X-ray."
He looked over his shoulder, annoyed of the situation. "Do you really? It's probably nothing..." he complained, not wanting to go to the X-ray machine, with a nursing staff ready to giggle over him.
Janet thought for a while, then decided quickly. "I'll just get a portable one, Sir." She patted on the examination table. "Why don't you hop on here? I'll be back in a minute."
When she got back, the Colonel was lying on his stomach, his head buried in his arms. He'd even managed to pull a blanket over himself. She took the blanket away, positioned the machine and turned it on. "Let's get this over with, Sir."
Examining the X-ray, her face turned grim. She put the machine aside and moved over to show him the photo. "There's something in there, Sir. See? It's very small and it might have moved around, damaging some tissue. What the hell is that?"
"You tell me," the Colonel muttered.
Fraiser frowned. "Well, let's get it out. I'll give you a local anesthetic, so you won't feel anything, Sir." She gathered a syringe and expertly injected the fluid into his skin.
Sitting on a stool on wheels, using her scalpel, Janet started opening up the soft skin, moving deeper into the direction of the unknown object. It took her a while, as she didn't want to damage too much but finally she used a fine pair of tweezers to remove the object, dropping it on a plate. "Got it," she explained.
She finished her handiwork by cleaning the area, pouring some betadine over it and placed a butterfly strip on the small entry wound to close it up. Unconsciously, she wanted to pat the Colonel to let him know she was done, but, her hand hanging still just above his butt, she thought the better of it. "All set, Sir. You can get dressed now."
He did, while she cleaned up the mess before turning her attention to the tiny object on the plate. Lifting it up with the pair of tweezers, she studied it closely.
"Colonel," she asked, without looking up. "Who did your post-check up when you returned from your last mission?"
He turned around, pushing his shirt in his pants with one hand, frowning. "I don't know..." he started, thinking back at how they'd come back all wet. "That must have been nurse Mae's evil alien twin."
Fraiser nodded, remembering that it must have been one of the aliens.
"Why?" O'Neill wanted to know.
"Well," Fraiser started, still holding the pair of tweezers in her hand. "If I'm not mistaken, and I'm pretty sure that I'm not, this is a part of an injection needle. It must have broken off..."
"Oi..." the Colonel commented shortly.
"Mmm. At least it's out now, Sir. It will heal in a couple of days. You might experience some difficulty with sitting, though."
"Might???" O'Neill sneered. "Do you have any idea what excuses I have come up with over the last couple of days to stay standing in rooms filled with seated people??? I pretty much ran out of ideas, you know."
Janet looked up at the Colonel, realizing that he had indeed walked around with the needle stuck in his butt for some days now, and knowing the man pretty well, she was sure he'd used every bit of imagination to hide his discomfort. She suppressed a smile when she tried to think of the Colonel making all kinds of excuses to keep from sitting down, unwilling to let others in on his problem. Deciding to help him out a little, she grabbed the phone, dialed an internal number and motioned for O'Neill to remain quiet.
"General, this is Doctor Fraiser, Sir. I just wanted to inform you that I've sent Colonel O'Neill home, Sir. He seems to be coming down with a bit of the flu.... Yes, Sir, I told him that... Yes, I'll see to it. Bye, Sir."
She turned back to O'Neill. "I just bought you a couple of days off, Sir. Go home and get some rest. It looks to me that you need it."
Through his exhaustion she saw his eyes twinkle. "Thanks, Janet,"
"You're welcome, Sir." She watched him heading towards the door to leave. "A broken needle... Stupid nurse, what did she do, jam it in or something?" Janet mumbled, angry over the situation. She didn't look up, so she missed the slight blush that colored the Colonel's cheeks. She was too late to look at him as he stepped outside, his answer startling her, as she wondered what he meant.
"Yeah, and you know what really sucked? It still didn't get the water out of my ears..."
****** THE END ******
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The Feel Good Factor
by
Corine
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TITLE: The feel-good Factor
AUTHOR: Corine
EMAIL: Corine57@HOTMAIL.COM
STATUS: Complete
CATEGORY: Drama. Missing scene to Scorched Earth. WAM: Impact
SPOILERS: Scorched Earth.
SEASON / SEQUEL: 4
RATING: G
CONTENT WARNINGS: just some moral issues.
SUMMARY: Hammond has to help SG-1 dealing with the events on P5S-381.
ARCHIVE: Heliopolis, Stargatefan. Frondfic. All others please ask.
DISCLAIMER: This story is written entirely for entertainment and is not intended as an infringement against the copy written material that belongs solely to Showtime, MGM/UA, Gekko Films, et al. I'm only playing with their characters and will return them as soon as the story is finished. The following story is the property of the author and is not to be copied, or published without the express, written consent of the author.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: I just needed to write this. Hope you don't mind, . There had to be so much more after this episode. This is what I think happened. Feedback always appreciated.
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General Hammond stood in the Gateroom, waiting for his team to come home from P5S-381, the world they'd chosen for the Enkarans to live on. He knew he had sent them off with an impossible task, playing the devil's advocate by telling them that they would have to find themselves another way to get out of this one than by engaging weapons or troops.
He thought back to the weeks, no, months of searching. Major Carter had used every trick she knew to finally come up with one: a planet with conditions fitting the narrow environmental parameters for the Enkarans to survive. Two weeks were all that was needed to settle them there, helping them to start building a new life. Two weeks, in which the Enkarans had proved to be hard workers, managing to build whole towns for themselves to live.
The Enkarans were incredibly happy and thankful and it made everybody from the SGC who had been a part in this mission proud; by lending a hand they saved a whole civilization.
What was that called? The Janus Factor?
Hammond smiled, although the joy never reached his eyes. Oh, yeah, he admitted it. It had felt damn good. It was something he stood for, by commanding this base, this facility. To stay human, to never forget who they were, to not be blinded by their missions and hunt for technologies and weapons to fight the Goa'uld. What gave you the right to fight the bad guys if you'd become one of them?
He'd managed to keep a clean conscience, to stick to his principles in the past years. This latest action was just another proof of what the SGC stood for, and he was damn proud of that.
Only now, their luck was running out.
Another race, the Gadmeer, had chosen the same planet to build a new life on, and was now quickly burning down the planet, to create their own specific conditions.
That had left the humans in an impossible situation. The alien ship was proceeding with such speed, that there was not enough time to find another suitable planet for the Enkarans; it didn't even leave enough time to evacuate them all back to Earth.
It was also impossible for the Gadmeer to select another planet, as their ship was only capable of transforming one planet, and this was the only suitable planet for them as well.
Stalemate.
It sucked that neither of the parties were hostile. In that case, he could have wiped out the hostiles. How could he decide which of the peaceful civilizations had more rights to live on this planet? He was the CO of the SGC, not God.
He was hoping SG-1 would manage the impossible once more, achieving what everybody wanted, but couldn't hope for: to find a way suitable for both civilizations. He was certain that his people could find that other solution, if they had more time at hand.
There was no time.
Not this time.
Oh, God. He'd left them in a no-win, no-win situation without giving them support, and although this was probably going to affect everybody who'd worked with the Enkarans, it was going to affect his prime exploration team the most. They were the ones in closest contact with the Enkarans, and he'd sent them off to watch them die, to be wiped away, unable to do anything about it.
Easy for him, to stay on Earth, to turn his head and go on with his life. He hadn't been there. They had.
Although he had no means of knowing the outcome of the conflict, he was certain of a couple of things. Dr. Jackson would never stop looking for a solution that would help both civilizations to survive; and would probably die while trying. Major Carter would have a hard time in accepting the fact that her intelligence wasn't able to solve this, and Colonel O'Neill...
Damn.
He knew his Second well. In fact, he fully believed he knew him even better than the man knew himself. If, and it was a big if, IF the Colonel returned home, the chances were high that he was going to retire. Again. Hammond wasn't sure if he could stop him this time, as he would fully understand that decision.
Unless...
Wishful thinking. It was all he could do, and it was all he had done the last couple of hours. Hanging on to a hope so tiny, so fragile, yet he knew that without hope, all would be lost anyway.
The Stargate burst to life and the wormhole engaged; bathing the gateroom into the dim blue light they'd all got used to.
Without realizing it Hammond stood, holding his breath, while Dr. Jackson emerged, smiling widely. He was followed by Major Carter, with an equal smile lightening up her face, making her look like a schoolgirl who had just heard she passed her exams. Teal'c stepped through looking much like... Teal'c, actually, and Colonel O'Neill was closing the line, walking down the ramp, slowly and steadily, one hand shoved deep in his pocket.
"Relax, General. Daniel here did his magic and they all lived happily ever after..."
Sighing in relief, General Hammond nodded at his first contact team. "Well done, SG-1. Dismissed to clean up. Debriefing is in thirty minutes."
He watched them go, an uncomfortable feeling creeping over his back. He'd suddenly sensed a tension between the small group, and he didn't fail to notice the way they glared at each other while heading to the blast doors. The most disturbing was, however, that they were quiet. There was no body contact between any of them, and O'Neill didn't even crack a bad joke. It was all pretty unnerving, and this time he sighed again, deeply. Debriefing was waiting.
><><><><><><><><
Entering the briefing room only confirmed his suspicions. Although the team had once again managed to save two civilizations today, they weren't exactly overflowing with joy. Something had happened back on P5S-381 and he was intending to find out what. No way Hammond was going to release his team like this, not before he'd gotten to the bottom of this and, hopefully had been able to do some gluing of the shattered pieces.
Major Carter sat opposite of the Colonel, staring at the table and her fingernails in front of her. It was the first time in four years that the General had actually seen her show any interest in her body parts like that; it was just not like her. Dr. Jackson was sitting next to her, studying the construction of the ceiling as if it had been renewed, although it was still the same boring ceiling it always had been. Teal'c sat up straight, apparently not affected by anything. Last, but not least, O'Neill hardly looked up, looking annoyed, bored and... Hammond couldn't quite put his finger on it. The man's face was far from relaxed.
"At ease, people," he said, although neither one of them was responding appropriately to his arrival. He decided to let them off the hook for now. "First of all, I like to congratulate you all with your achievement. I'm extremely satisfied with the outcome of this mission, as it is far more from what we believed possible."
Daniel Jackson's face lit up, as a brief smile floated his face. Major Carter murmured her usual "Thanks, Sir," and Teal'c just bowed his head.
O'Neill straightened. "Your congratulations should all go to Daniel, Sir. It was his interference that got us out of this one." The shot he threw into the linguist's direction was one of pride and gratitude.
'Good,' thought Hammond. At least that was NOT the problem. "Your report, Colonel?"
He merely listened as the situation was revealed to him; how O'Neill had decided to blow up the alien ship; how Carter had objected to his plan by handing him the remote control; how Daniel Jackson had managed to get himself transported to the ship in an effort to talk the alien life form, Lotan, out of his plan. It didn't take much of his imagination to understand the struggle they all had gone through, with morals and decisions, forcing them to choose between one civilization and the other. Adding to that the sudden presence of a team-member on that very ship, the one that was about to be blown, Hammond couldn't help but groan inwardly.
The impact of this mission was far worse than he'd even suspected, making him wonder how he could fix it. SG-1, famous for their close calls, had yet again added one to their list and the General was absolutely sure this was the closest one of all. This one almost ripped them apart in a blow that fell so fast that they wouldn't have known what had hit them.
Hammond had seen how the Major almost crumpled on her chair, as O'Neill calmly informed the General that he'd ordered her to make that naquada bomb and how she'd handed him the detonator.
He also hadn't failed to notice Dr. Jackson's nervous shifting during the part where O'Neill explained he'd detonated that bomb, fully aware of the fact that the archaeologist was still aboard of that ship.
O'Neill had given his report in a mechanical way, stating the facts without revealing a hint of emotion. He didn't look at his team-members any more than necessary and they avoided looking back at him as well.
Oh, boy. This was going to be tough.
Hammond looked at his Second, who was absently rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"Thanks for the report, Colonel. Why don't you get down to the infirmary? It's obvious you have a mother of a headache."
Frowning, the Colonel objected. "It's okay, Sir, really..."
"That wasn't a suggestion, Colonel. That was an order. You're dismissed."
Reluctantly, O'Neill got up, shrugged his shoulders and left.
Hammond turned his attention to the three remaining team-members, who were now throwing stunned frowns towards the door the Colonel had just left through.
"I didn't realize he wasn't feeling well. I thought he wasn't pleased..." started Daniel.
"Pleased with what, Dr. Jackson?" the General wondered.
"Well... we didn't actually... did what we were supposed to do, I think..." the linguist hesitated. "I went up the ship to talk to Lotan, and Sam sort of refused to detonate that bomb."
"Did Colonel O'Neill order you not to talk to Lotan?"
"Errr, no. Not really..."
"Do you think Colonel O'Neill is not happy with the results?" Hammond asked in surprise.
"He certainly has a funny way of showing it," Daniel pointed out.
"Well, considering what happened..." the General looked Daniel straight in the eyes. "You see, Dr. Jackson, with a positive result, a good team leader gives all credits to his team. In all other cases, he carries the burden alone. I think the Colonel hasn't had time yet to release that burden." Hammond now turned to Carter. "So, Major. The Colonel ordered you to make that naquada bomb, is that correct?"
She nodded. "Yes, Sir."
"Why do you think he did that, Major?"
She shrugged, her eyes wide as she tried to think back at that specific moment. "I guess he felt I wouldn't agree with his decision, Sir."
"And did you, Major?"
Carter hesitated, shifting uncomfortably on her chair. "Not really, Sir," she admitted.
"Can you explain to me why you didn't agree?" Hammond asked.
"Well, Sir..." she thought it over for a second. "I didn't feel that we were the ones to decide which civilization was to survive, Sir."
"I see. How about you, Dr. Jackson?" Hammond addressed the linguist.
Daniel looked up, arching his brows. "I think I haven't really considered that. I guess I was too focused on finding another solution."
Hammond nodded, thinking on how to continue. "If the Stargate had been between the village and the alien ship, and you didn't have time to return back to Earth before the ship destroyed the 'gate, would you have detonated that bomb then, Major?"
Carter's eyes widened, then she looked down. "I think so, Sir."
"Ah," responded Hammond. "And why is it that we can't play God if it involves other people, and yet we can when our own lives are at stake?" He had her there, and he knew it.
Sam didn't answer, but kept staring at her fingernails instead.
"Did you realize what would have happened if you hadn't succeeded in persuading Lotan, Dr. Jackson?" the General continued.
"Yeah," Daniel nodded. "Jack would have blown up the ship. He DID activate the bomb."
"And you would be?"
"Well," the archaeologist shrugged, "I planned on leaving before that moment. But I would be... dead, I think."
"Have either of you considered what to do if blowing up the alien ship wouldn't have worked and you wouldn't have been able to convince Lotan to change plans?"
"No, Sir," said Carter.
"Coming home?" opted Daniel.
"What do you think Colonel O'Neill would have done?" Hammond asked.
They all fell silent.
"What I'm trying to say here is that sometimes we are forced into a situation with no easy way out. Now you are in the lucky position that you don't have to make the decision between bad and worse, but Colonel O'Neill is not," Hammond explained. "He's got to decide what to do, what the back-up plan is, and how to respond to a worst case scenario, carrying the responsibility for the decision and the outcome. In this case, we were forced to play for God, whether we wanted to or not."
Carter frowned.
"Yes, Major," the older man continued. "Blowing up the ship condemned the Gadmeer to death, but doing nothing was the death penalty for the Enkarans. Remember that not deciding is also making a decision. And I've learned that making a decision is always better than avoiding to make one. Even if it turns out to be a bad choice. Colonel O'Neill did what he had to do and as far as I can tell he, by giving you a direct order, enabled you to keep a clean conscience."
Carter slowly nodded, understanding what the General tried to tell her. "Yes, Sir."
"He could have tried to find another solution..." Daniel argued.
"Could he?" asked Hammond. "How much time was left after finishing that bomb?"
"About fifteen minutes max, Sir," Sam answered.
The General raised his hands. "That's pretty close in my books."
"He would have retired again..." Daniel thought out loud, suddenly thinking back at an earlier asked question.
"If he really had blown up that ship, yes," General Hammond agreed.
"And if the Enkarans had been wiped out?" Daniel continued, looking at his friends, a sudden fear shining through his eyes.
"I do not believe O'Neill would have left them, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c said simply.
After Teal'c's words had sunken in, the General ended the briefing. "Let's not forget that didn't happen, people. I just want to remind you that you, as a first contact team, will most likely face similar moral questions in the future. I hope that you've learned from this one so that you all are better prepared. We were damn lucky now, but we don't know if we're that fortunate the next time."
He watched them go, thinking 'three down, one to go,' and left.
><><><><><><><><><
Jack O'Neill left the base after swallowing some pills in the infirmary for his ever-growing headache. He'd neither questioned how the General knew he had one, nor had he tried to deny it. He simply didn't have the energy.
Driving home, he tried to sort out his feelings. He was of course glad that both civilizations had survived, thanks to Daniel. Although it had frightened him that the linguist had decided to go and talk to Lotan once more, he'd also felt proud of the man's determination. If there were one man capable of persuading even a machine, it was Daniel. On the other hand, if Daniel hadn't managed, it had cost the linguist his life and Jack would have been responsible.
He had detonated that bomb. He didn't think he'd made a decision tougher than this one. He had detonated that bomb, fully aware of the fact that it would not only kill the Gadmeer, but his friend as well.
Jack hit the steering wheel with his clenched fist out of frustration at the memory of that very moment.
For him, there was no way he could allow an alien race, no matter how peaceful, to wipe out another innocent civilization. Since he was also running out of time, forcing him to decide quickly, he hadn't hesitated to have Carter prepare that naquada bomb.
Knowing he would still have a hard time coping with the Gadmeer's deaths, he figured he'd manage to live with it, like he always had in the past with the other unpleasant decisions he'd made.
Realizing Daniel was on that ship had made it a little different, though. He could still hear Carter telling him if he wanted to stop the Gadmeer he had to do it, now. But damn it, Daniel was on that ship...
It was Teal'c who reminded him that it was Daniel's choice to be there, and that he had to make his own decision. He had, by pressing that button, but the impact it had on him was immense. He'd just sentenced his best friend to death and although he thought he could eventually live with stopping the Gadmeer, he doubted he would ever get over being responsible for Daniel's death.
Sure, Daniel was prepared to die while trying to come up with a better plan. Daniel would probably have expected for Jack to continue with his part of the plan, too. That was just so Daniel.
One military man and a civilian.
Jack smiled wearily as his headache eased to a more bearable level. He parked his car, went inside his house to fetch a beer and went up straight to his roof. He liked sitting up there, watching the stars, the moon... the galaxy.
One military man and a civilian. So different and yet so much alike. Come to think of it, he realized that Daniel, like him, was prepared to die for his principles, for his ideals. He had to admire the guts the younger man possessed. He wondered if the archaeologist would see the similarities between them. Jack himself had inwardly vowed to stand beside the Enkarans if he wasn't able to stop the Gadmeer. No way he would have returned home, knowing what had become of those kind, helpless people. He couldn't fail them. He'd failed enough in his life, causing too many deaths.
He wasn't really sure if the others had agreed with his decisions. He was pretty sure, in fact, that Carter hadn't; she'd been clear on that. Not that he blamed her for speaking up. Jack was glad she'd done that; he didn't want her to walk around with that burden on her shoulders.
His major worry was how this whole mess had affected his team. Whether they'd agreed or not; but would they understand? Or would they blame him? Would they ever be able to forgive him, and trust him as their leader?
He seriously wondered whether his younger friend would ever forgive him for detonating that bomb, let alone Carter. They were still so young, so... vulnerable and naive. How many times had they faced anything disastrous like this, where each decision sucked and would cost innocent people's lives? They were so convinced that there was always another way, something smart for Carter to come up with, or something diplomatic for Daniel to negotiate. The world just wasn't like that, not all the time, and it nearly wasn't this time.
It was quite a dilemma. On the one hand, he needed them to realize this, understand it, so they'd be prepared... On the other hand, he didn't want them to change; he needed them, believing and trusting there was another solution, desperate to find it.
Sipping his beer, Jack stared at the stars. He figured that right now it was best to stay away from them for a bit. Let them cool off, giving them time to think. They probably didn't want to see him anyway, at least not yet.
><><><><><><><><><><><><
Hammond parked his car, noticing the lights were still off in the house. O'Neill's car was parked here, too, so the General knew the man was home and he had a pretty fair idea of where to find him. He walked over to the back of the house. "Jack? You're there?"
"Yes, Sir. Come on up," the Colonel said, as he appeared near the steps ready to give the General a helping hand.
Hammond grabbed the offered hand, climbed up and lowered himself in the offered chair. He studied his XO, attempting to see right through him although that had never been easy with O'Neill. "How are you doing, son?"
Jack shrugged his shoulders but failed to look at his CO. "Fine, Sir."
"You sure?" Hammond demanded, not convinced.
"How is my team?" O'Neill sank down, knees drawn, comfortably leaning with his back against the wall.
That was the Colonel Hammond knew so well, avoiding questions regarding his own state of mind but always concerned about his team. He smiled. "They're having a hard time with this particular mission, but I think they'll be all right."
"I hope so," was the soft reply.
"They will be, Jack. It was a rough day for all of you and it was a real close call."
"Don't I know it..." the man sighed.
"You did a good job out there, Colonel. You all did," Hammond tried. "I regret that I had to send you out there like this."
"Not your fault," came the short answer.
"Not yours either," Hammond added to that. "You were forced to choose between two civilizations, both peaceful and vulnerable; nobody should be put into that position in the first place."
"I could have stepped back and wait for the inevitable..." O'Neill prompted.
"No, you couldn't. That's not who you are and what you do."
"It was all clear to me, doing a very bad thing to prevent something even more horrible. I think I could eventually live with that. But then, when I found out Daniel was on that ship..." Jack stopped, his voice fading.
"You did what you had to do, Jack. So did Daniel. That's what makes you such a good team," the General pointed out.
"It's gonna get us killed some day..." objected the Colonel.
"Maybe," Hammond agreed. "But remember that whenever, if ever that happens, you both have done all you could, and all you expected the other to do. Why die avoiding making a difference when you can die trying? I think Dr. Jackson was very aware of his actions, but he needed to try anyway. And I doubt he wanted you to stop from doing what you intended to do."
"I don't know..."
"They are just not ready to face impossible decisions like this, Jack. They rather concentrate on trying to find another way, without facing the possibility that they might not succeed. It's the easier way out. It's only natural for them to act like that," Hammond explained.
"I know," Jack agreed, "it's just... will they know that I can't...?"
"They know. I've explained that to them... and while I doubt they want to be in your shoes, I'm positive they still want to follow your footsteps." Hammond rose and stretched his muscles. "I've got a granddaughter waiting for me, so I should be going. You gonna be okay?"
Noise from below startled both men, as more people entered the backyard. "Jack! We know you're up there! Come on down, we've brought some pizza and your favorite brand of beer!" Daniel's voice reached them, and the General witnessed the impact it had on O'Neill, as a wide smile appeared on the man's face. "Oh, I'm gonna be just fine, Sir," the Colonel murmured.
Hammond nodded and both men climbed down, surprising the three other members of SG-1.
"Sir! We didn't know..." Carter started to apologize at the sight of the SGC's CO.
"General Hammond. We were unaware of your presence," Teal'c joined in.
Hammond briefly waved his hands. "I was on my way out, anyway. You have a good time..." He hurried away, overhearing Daniel's words.
"Hi, Jack. We figured you needed some company..."
Opening the door of his car, Hammond got in, smiling.
It was back. He was feeling good again.
*** THE END ***
Basics of Humanity
by
Corine
TITLE: Basics of Humanity
AUTHOR: Corine
EMAIL: Corine57@HOTMAIL.COM
STATUS: Complete
CATEGORY: Sequel to The Learning Curve.
SPOILERS: The Learning Curve.
SEASON / SEQUEL: three
RATING: G
CONTENT WARNINGS: none.
SUMMARY: Who's teaching whom?
ARCHIVE: Heliopolis, The place of our legacy, Jack's place. The Sandbox. Stargatefan. All others please ask.
DISCLAIMER: This story is written entirely for entertainment and is not intended as an infringement against the copy written material that belongs solely to Showtime, MGM/UA, Gekko Films, et al. I'm only playing with their characters and will return them as soon as the story is finished. The following story is the property of the author and is not to be copied, or published without the express, written consent of the author.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Thanks to Sandra for providing me the tapes with the third season. These are just some thoughts that came to mind after seeing The Learning Curve. From Sam's POV. Let me know what you think.
I was working in the lab, studying the fifteen sheets of paper; the cross sections of the naquada reactor Merrin had drawn. Studying my own prototype of the reactor, the one I've managed to build based on her explanations and the drawings.
Stunning.
I can't believe an eleven-year-old girl who had never drawn anything in her life could come up with this.
Amazing.
I must admit I was a little jealous at Merrin at first. I mean; I know there are a lot of people who think I'm way too smart, knowing too much about things they won't ever understand. I have studied hard for it, though. Left out a lot of 'fun', as the Colonel pointed out, or I wouldn't be what I am today.
Merrin, on the other hand, was only eleven and way smarter than I'll ever be. It seems that it didn't cause her much trouble to gain all that knowledge, either.
It most certainly gave me a whole new take on the nanocytes we'd encountered on Argos. There we'd seen the nanocytes being used on a whole civilization, in order to study them. The Orban way of using them to learn was incredibly smart, fascinating and effective.
That is, if you didn't take into account the side effects it had on the Uroan, the chosen children, because they had no life left after the ceremony of the Averium; none to speak of that is.
You see, during the Averium, the Uroan have, as the Colonel described it, their brains sucked out.
Merrin assured me that it was an honor to be chosen as an Uroan. It was her obligation to help her people gather the knowledge she could provide them with. She never doubted her duty.
I wasn't sure I was still jealous at her, knowing all that.
I wanted her to stay on Earth. Was it a selfish wish? Wanting to keep her close to me, to learn from her? Or was it for her, to prevent her to become a child with the mind of an infant?
I don't know.
I guess I couldn't really decide between being selfish and protecting her. It was much easier to accept that there was no way we could keep her on Earth. We had no right, had we? We had no right to steal eleven years of gathered knowledge from the Orbanians. It would cost them another twelve years to replace what we would take from them.
Besides, Merrin didn't want to stay, right?
So Merrin went back.
I should have been thrilled, with the naquada reactor she'd shown me, for the knowledge she'd provided me with. I should have been busy with it, working on it...
I kept staring at it instead.
The excitement I'd felt when all that technology was presented to me was replaced by a lack of interest. I'd been working on it for hours with Merrin's help and had managed to build a working prototype.
I should be proud, but I wasn't.
This morning I'd seen what was happening back on Orbania. Those children, the way they were acting... playing... learning. It was something I hadn't imagined possible. Although I knew the Colonel had taken Merrin away from the base, I have a pretty fair idea where he'd taken her now. Merrin didn't recognize him anymore. The Colonel sat down with her, talking to her and drawing with her on that wall...
It suddenly hit me.
I slowly slid down to the floor, cradling my head in my hands, elbows leaning on bent knees and cried. Tears were dripping from my cheeks onto my pants and I just let them go. Mixed emotions, that's what it was. I was happy and sad, shocked and relieved. I couldn't really tell.
The man who thinks he's not nearly as smart as us scientists turned out to be the master of teachers. And Holy Hannah did he teach us a great lesson today.
The very basics of humanity.
Isn't it ironic? Every time I'm teaching others, sharing my knowledge, I get rewarded. He taught us something so incredibly important only to get punished for it. Better yet, he knew it and it still didn't stop him from doing what he needed to do.
I sat there for a long time, allowing the tears to flow, sobbing like a child. Finally wiping my eyes clear, I realized somebody had stepped into the lab.
It was him.
"Are you all right?" he asked, eyeing me with concern.
I smiled, quickly rising to my feet. "Yes, Sir." I hoped that sounded convincing.
"You sure?"
He stood there, leaning nonchalantly with one shoulder against the wall, a hand shoved deep into his pocket.
"Absolutely, Sir," I nodded, brushing my hair back with one hand.
I looked at him questioningly. He stood there, not moving, a little lost it seemed.
"Sir?" I asked. "Was there something you needed me for?"
He shook his head. "Uh... No."
Then he looked over his shoulder, across the hallway, before his eyes found mine again, a little embarrassed now. Pulling one of his famous helpless faces.
"I... " He hesitated. "I... need to ..."
I waited patiently, raising my brows as I wondered what it was.
"I need to check this room..." he said, staring at the wall, "...amongst others. You know, fill in some reports..."
That's when I noticed the huge pile of paperwork he was carrying under his other arm.
Ah. Hammond's reprimand. At least it wasn't a court martial then. I smiled, relieved.
"Okay... Let me help you with that," I offered.
"No, you don't have to," he objected.
I straightened my back. "I know. But it'll be faster when we do this together. I check, you fill it in," I replied. I hesitated and then continued firmly. "Besides, I *want * to do this."
His eyes met mine for a brief moment.
"It will be an honor, Sir."
*** THE END ***
Big Mouth Billy Bass
by
Corine
TITLE: Big mouth Billy bass
AUTHOR: Corine
EMAIL: Corine57@HOTMAIL.COM
STATUS: Complete
CATEGORY: Humor.
SPOILERS: none.
SEASON / SEQUEL: when-ever
RATING: G.
CONTENT WARNINGS: None.
SUMMARY: Word A Month Challenge, November 2000, the word is HIDE. A familiar Colonel is playing around with somebody...
ARCHIVE: CHRISBOD's WAM-site. Heliopolis, The place of our legacy, Jack's place. The Sandbox. Stargatefan. All others please ask.
DISCLAIMER: This story is written entirely for entertainment and is not intended as an infringement against the copy written material that belongs solely to Showtime, MGM/UA, Gekko Films, et al. I'm only playing with their characters and will return them as soon as the story is finished. The following story is the property of the author and is not to be copied, or published without the express, written consent of the author.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: If you don't know who, or rather what Big Mouth Billy Bass is, you might first want to check out the following website:
http://singingbass.homepage.com/page1.html
Thanks to Tanya, Badgergater and Margo for helping and encouraging me.
The Jaffa Teal'c walked through the corridors of the SGC heading for his quarters after a rough mission and an even tougher debriefing. His teammates apparently had something else to do, so he was on his own for the rest of the day. That was fine with him. He was tired and needed to partake in Kelno'reem to regain some of his strength.
It was quiet in this part of the SGC. He could not detect anybody in the corridors and nothing disturbed the peaceful silence.
"I wanna know... if you're happy..."
"Take me to the ri---ver..."
Surprised by the sudden sound of somebody singing, Teal'c stopped, a deep frown appearing on his face. There was no one in front of him. He looked briefly over his shoulder; already knowing there was nobody behind him either. Whatever he'd heard, it had stopped. Shrugging his shoulders, he started walking again.
"Put me in the wa---ter..."
Again, Teal'c stopped abruptly, his frown deeper than before. Somebody was singing. There were no doors here. Nobody could be hiding behind closed doors, singing. Yet, he was sure he had heard something. He wished he had his staff weapon with him. What could have caused a sound like that? Why did it stop? Where did it come from?
Teal'c had no idea. Figuring it was of no importance, he decided to finish the trek to his quarters. So he moved, surprised by another sound. It was a nice melody, followed by a deep voice:
"Here's a little song I wrote..."
Finally detecting where the sound had come from, Teal'c looked at the wall on his left. Somebody had placed a wooden frame on the wall, with a creature on it the humans called a 'fish'.
"Might want to sing it note by note..."
He knew the humans found great joy in this endeavor they called 'fishing'. O'Neill had taken great effort in teaching him this game, but he had not found it of any interest at all. He could not understand this kind of behavior. Why sit there for hours, watching the thing they called a 'float' when he could just 'zat' the creatures in the water in two seconds?
Despite knowing O'Neill loved fishing; he did not appear to be the kind of man to display his catch on the wall. Teal'c figured General Hammond might also be a man to enjoy a game like this. Could he have positioned this creature on the wall? Teal'c staggered backwards as the creature suddenly turned its head towards him.
"Don't worry..."
Teal'c raised his brows. Was the creature still alive? The humans would not do such a cruel thing, would they? How could this be possible? It turned its head again!
"...be happy."
It not only moved its head, but now it was swinging its tail as well! The creature appeared to be humming a familiar melody, moving its head again, tapping to the beat.
"Don't worry, be happy now"
These humans never cease to amaze him. Shaking his head in disbelief, Teal'c threw a last glance at the singing creature before leaving. He did not look back over his shoulder, but he could have sworn he heard the creature laugh as well. Somehow, the humans even managed to make its laugh sound a lot like O'Neill...
*****
Hidden safely in the Control room, behind a video screen of one of the security cameras a certain gray-haired Colonel with deep brown eyes almost fell to the floor laughing...
THE END.
Choices
by
Corine
TITLE: Choices
AUTHOR: Corine
EMAIL: corine57@hotmail.com
CATEGORY: Drama.
SPOILERS: COTG, Emancipation, Thor's Hammer, Bloodlines, Cor-Ai, Message in a bottle, A Matter of Time.
SEASON / SEQUEL: 2d season, after Message in a bottle.
RATING: PG.
CONTENT WARNINGS: None.
SUMMARY: Word A Month Challenge, March 2001, the word is CHOICE. Teal'c is pondering about the choices he has made.
STATUS: Complete
ARCHIVE: CHRISBOD's and Tanya's WAM-site. Heliopolis, The place of our legacy, Jack's place. The Sandbox. Stargatefan. All others please ask.
DISCLAIMER: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. We 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 authors. Not to be archived without permission of the authors.
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
Teal'c closed his eyes and leaned tiredly leaned against the trunk of a large tree. He had his breathing under control now and he felt only peace. The pain was not a vivid present sensation anymore. For a few moments he could believe that he might survive, but he knew better. His injuries were too severe and his symbiote could not prevent his death. He had already accepted that he would die today. It was a small price to pay for the lives of O'Neill, Major Carter and Daniel Jackson; the other members of SG-1, the ones he was proud to call his friends.
He was pleased that he could save them this time. He had willingly chosen to do so. A faint smile appeared on his face, taking away the deep lines of pain. Choices...
He wiped his face with his blood-soaked sleeve, leaving a dark red stripe on his swollen cheek. Pressing his other hand on the gaping hole in his side, he recalled his first meeting with his friends.
Who are these humans? They appear to be strong, showing no fear of the false God or we, Jaffa. I have seen many before these, but none were like these. What now? The youngest one offers himself as a substitute for the woman and doesn't even hesitate. The eldest, who seems to be the leader, asks not that I save him, but that I save these people, who are not his and whom he does not know. Why does he asks my assistance? What has this stranger seen in my face? Does he recognize my hesitation to obey my Lord's command? I have no choice; to disobey is to die. I look at the human in front of me and I choose to die.
He had survived. He hadn't known what to do with that unexpected life as the leader of the Tau'ri chose to not let him die and called him. "Come on, what are you waiting for?" He remembered stating he had nowhere to go. "For this, you can even stay at my place..." the words echoed through his mind. O'Neill. He had trusted him, had faith in him, from the first moment he had met him. He had not been disappointed in this man. Not then, and not ever since.
Teal'c gasped for air through his clenched teeth. A slight tickle in his throat threatened to turn into a cough, but he knew that would be a bad idea. If only he had some water. He shifted, trying to find a more comfortable position. A shudder of pain racked his body, tearing a deep groan from his lips.
The image of Daniel Jackson flooded his mind. He respected Daniel Jackson deeply. No human had a more personal reason to hate him than Daniel Jackson. Teal'c had chosen Daniel's wife Sha're as a host for Apophis' mate Ammounet. Teal'c had been the one responsible for making Daniel's brother-in-law, Skaa'ra, a host as well. Yet, the young man had still become his friend.
There is no way out of this hell. O'Neill stays by my side, but eventually, I will have to persuade him to leave. It will not do the universe good if O'Neill stays with me. O'Neill can pass through the hammer; I cannot. I will die here, in these caves, but at least my friends will be free. Wait, Major Carter and Daniel Jackson have found the entrance; or is it the exit of the caves? O'Neill orders them to destroy the hammer. Daniel Jackson is reluctant to do so. It is his only possibility of ever saving the life of his wife. To destroy the hammer will destroy his hope. I cannot ask him to do this. I choose to stay in the caves and die here.
He had survived. Daniel Jackson had chosen to give up the hope to save Sha're in order to save Teal'c's life and destroyed the hammer. He was free. His gratitude was immense; he only hoped he could pay off his debt one day...
A weak smile appeared on his face. He knew he had never met another human being as kind, forgiving and loyal as Daniel Jackson. He was proud to call this man his friend.
He looked down at his hand. The gap in his side was not bleeding as much anymore. It would not make any difference, however. He felt his strength declining and he was shivering from blood loss and shock.
He was sad he had to leave his wife and son. He had failed them miserably. He had left them on Chulak, when he chose to desert Apophis and they had paid the price. If only he could talk to them once more, to explain to them all what he stood for and all that what he had been fighting for: freedom for his people; freedom from the false Gods. His people deserved better than being enslaved to the Goa'uld.
Rya'c will become a Jaffa today. The ceremony of the Prim'ta will be performed, but I will not allow that to happen. My son will never, ever become a slave. That is what I'm fighting for all along. I hear O'Neill say something about a Scarlet Fever and realize now that Rya'c is dying. I will have to choose between freedom and enslavement with the life of my son at stake. What will Rya'c gain by staying free if it costs his life? I choose for enslavement and am giving my son my own infant Goa'uld. I also choose to die, as I cannot live without a Goa'uld. It is an easy decision.
He had survived. Major Carter and Daniel Jackson had brought another infant Goa'uld, which had saved his life as well.
Today, his friends could rely on him to keep them safe. He had made sure his diversion gave them enough time to get to safety. They had so much to live for. They were still young.
Captain Carter's face popped up in his memory. A woman and a warrior. A woman possessing great knowledge and with excellent fighting skills. They did not have women like that on Chulak. After seeing Captain Carter act in the field, he understood why humans allowed women to be a warrior. He remembered her fighting with Turghan, the leader of the people of the Steppe on Simarka. She had not hesitated for a moment and had won easily. It had been the first time he'd actually seen her in battle. That day, she'd proven to him that she was a warrior indeed. That day, he had been impressed, and it had been the start of his growing respect for her.
How many times had her knowledge saved their lives? How many times had she proved to be smarter than others? Powering the Stargate, repairing the DHD, relocating wormholes, it was all her knowledge that had helped them out on several occasions.
The black hole is slowly engulfing the SGC. It will kill everybody. Captain Carter predicts the whole mountain will disappear in it. She tried to explain how the gravity of the black hole caused the time dilation but I do not believe they really understood. She works so hard to find a solution. I approach her in the command post above the mountain and offer her my help.
"Hey, Teal'c. Do you know anything about quantum gravity?" she asks. I smile and tell her I do not but I think she already knows that. She only needs somebody to listen. "Apparently, neither do I," she claims. I do not believe that. If anyone knows anything about this, it is her. She explains that what happens in the Gateroom is completely different from what they had ever studied about gravity fields. "You know," she says, "they're proceeding with a plan that makes assumptions about gravity and space-time with absolutely no regard for the fact that it completely contradicts our observations." I do not understand and lift my brow. She explains that they have decided to blow up the place because they haven no idea what is going on.
They had survived. Captain Carter had proved to be smarter than the humans who had ordered to blow up the mountain. She had come up with a plan that relocated the wormhole from earth to another planet and he had been able to assist by pulling O'Neill to safety.
He trembled; he was getting cold and his body felt numb all over. He knew his body was shutting down. He would die today.
I have been to this planet before. I have visited Cartago many times with Apophis. Apophis ordered me to kill those people. Back then, I chose to kill a crippled, disabled man, only to ensure the others a higher chance of escaping the next time we would visit this planet. It was the better of two choices, either I killed that man, or Apophis would kill them all. I have done too many horrible things while serving Apophis and I do regret every one of them. Today I can face responsibilities for at least one of my victims. I will not run. This man deserves vengeance for the death of his father. I choose to stay and die.
He had survived. His friends chose to not let him die that easily. O'Neill showed as a warrior and leader what he would do in order to save him, regardless of the fact that Teal'c did not want to be saved. Daniel Jackson fought the battle in his own way: with words. He reasoned, talked, and explained, everything in order to make the people of Cartago see why they shouldn't punish Teal'c by taking his life. His friends did whatever it took to get him to gain his freedom.
Then, the Jaffa visited the planet again and SG-1 was able to help the people to fight them. He had even killed Shak'l, Apophis' new first Prime. Hanno set him free, explaining he believed the Jaffa who had killed his father was dead. Teal'c was another man now---one who did not deserve to die. Only then did he accept the fact that he would remain alive. Again.
Today, he would die. There was no escape this time. Although he would not be able to continue the fight for his people, he knew that his friends would; O'Neill would never stop fighting until somebody stopped him first. No matter how sad he was to leave his family behind, he was confident that O'Neill would look after them, that he would keep them safe. He had no regrets. He had finally paid his debts to his friends.
How many times had they almost died while he remained helpless, not able to assist them in any way? He remembered O'Neill being pinned to the wall by that alien orb. He had not been able to free his friend. He was not capable of assisting Major Carter and Daniel Jackson when they worked so hard to come up with a solution. He could only sit there, keeping his friend company, offering comfort and assurance. That is what he had done.
"Teal'c. You don't have to stick around..." I feel so useless and helpless. O'Neill is in great pain and I cannot do anything to help. I choose to remain with my friend for every single hour this will last. I try to make a joke. "Undomesticated equines could not remove me..." It takes a couple of seconds before O'Neill realizes what I tried to do. I am pleased that my efforts cheer him up for a short period. As another wave of pain racks his body, I know staying by his side is the only thing I can do.
He coughed. He couldn't hold it back any longer. As he cradled his side with one arm, he pressed the other against his mouth. The pain was immense, but he could not stop the coughing. When the fit finally subsided, he spit out blood.
Knowing this was the end Teal'c closed his eyes. He was exhausted, but no longer felt any pain. He was ready. He had completely accepted his death. This had been his choice and he was proud of it. His friends were safe.
He heard the Horus guards marching and hoped to be dead before they found him. Not that it mattered any more...
"Teal'c! Come on, buddy! Let's get the hell out of here!"
He raised his head, slowly opening his eyes. O'Neill knelt by his side. He should have known O'Neill would come back for him. Strong arms were pulling him to his feet.
"Don't you die on me now, Teal'c. I haven't even shown you a quarter of our planet yet..." O'Neill hissed, staggering under the weight of the heavy Jaffa. Noticing it was almost impossible for his friend to stay on his feet, let alone walk, he lifted Teal'c's arm over his shoulder, his own arm around the Jaffa's waist, barely able to even half carrying his heavy friend.
"I'm signing you up for the WW-club, I swear..." O'Neill muttered, breathing heavily, stumbling and swaying dangerously, making his way through the brushes to the Stargate. Carter and Daniel were waiting for him there, the wormhole open, laying cover fire so he could reach them.
Too weak to be of any assistance, Teal'c realized he would survive once more. His friends chose to not let him die again. He would have to ask about this WW-club later. For now, everything just went black...
THE END
False Legends
by
Corine
TITLE: False Legends
AUTHOR: Corine
EMAIL: Corine57@HOTMAIL.COM
CATEGORY: Drama, Adventure
SPOILERS: None
SEASON / SEQUEL: Season three/four
RATING: PG
CONTENT WARNINGS: None
SUMMARY: SG-1 run into a native tribe, which sacrifices women to the Thunder-being and select Major Carter for the next ritual.
STATUS: Complete
ARCHIVE: Heliopolis.The place of our legacy, Jack's place. The Sandbox. Stargatefan. All others please ask.
DISCLAIMER: This story is written entirely for entertainment and is not intended as an infringement against the copy written material that belongs solely to Showtime, MGM/UA, Gekko Films, et al. I'm only playing with their characters and will return them as soon as the story is finished. The following story is the property of the author and is not to be copied, or published without the express, written consent of the author. Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. This story was written 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 authors. Not to be archived without permission of the authors.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: This story is based on two versions of the legend of The Maid of the Mist. I gave my opinion on which legend I consider to be right and which I consider to be wrong plus added a little Stargate-fiction to the right one, otherwise I had no story to tell. It has no intention to insult anybody, to betray one's culture or what-so-ever. Any mistakes concerning the true legend are mine and not made on purpose. This story is meant for fun only. Please let me know what you think.
Colonel Jack O'Neill motioned his team to take cover, holding up one finger in front of his lips to keep them quiet.
They all knelt, keeping their heads down.
O'Neill crawled forward up the hill and peered over the top. From that position he had a perfect view over the valley that lay spread out beyond the hill. His instincts had been right on track; he'd sensed the presence of people before the team had reached the top.
The valley was green, with some huge trees scattered throughout providing shade from the sun. A river crossed the valley, the banks sandy and dry. On the other side of the river were plenty of bushes, while this side contained a group of smaller trees. O'Neill could spot orange and yellow fruit hanging amongst them.
There was also a camp on this side of the river. A tribe of natives inhabited it. Their homes resembled Native American teepees. They were each made of a circle of large poles, bound together high above the ground. The teepee coverings were made of layers of animal hides. A group of women was settled around the campfire, they seemed to be cooking. Children were playing in the sand near the river. A small gathering of men was occupied with the horses, a couple were fishing in the river and some were sitting in the sun, sharpening tools or weapons, the Colonel couldn't really tell.
Major Carter, Teal'c and Daniel Jackson silently joined him and studied the scene in front of them.
"Well, they look familiar," whispered Daniel. "They could be descendants of any Native American tribe. I'll have to do a closer examination to determine which they resemble most."
"This is interesting," Carter added softly. "How did they get here?"
"I would like to know if they're hostile first. What do you think, Teal'c?" Jack looked at the Jaffa.
Teal'c raised his shoulders. "I have never met people like these, O'Neill."
"Daniel?"
"There's only one way to find out, Jack," Daniel answered. "Most Indian people are very friendly, unlike the way they're pictured in some juvenile books."
Jack tapped on his cap. "So I'm not going to lose the few hairs I have left up here?"
Daniel shook his head. "I don't see scalps anywhere. Tribes who were known to do that usually exhibited them outside their tent, as a visual prove of their qualities and achievements."
Jack shivered. Although he'd never come across activities similar to that, the stories about those rituals were scary, horrible and disgusting. As a kid, he'd had plenty of nightmares about scalping as a result of reading those particular stories plus watching the old-fashioned western movies.
Suddenly, a sound from behind them startled him. O'Neill turned and aimed his gun. Carter and Teal'c reacted similarly. It took Daniel a little longer to respond.
"Shit! Where did they come from?" hissed O'Neill, unpleasantly surprised to find he and his team were surrounded by a group of the Native warriors.
"I did not hear them approach either, O'Neill," Teal'c stated, a worried frown over his face.
The Natives were aiming their spears at the team. Jack's mind raced, assessing their situation and looking for a way out. He had not lowered his gun and neither had Teal'c or Carter.
"Uh, hi," Daniel broke the silence. He raised his hands slowly in the air. "We mean you no harm."
The group of Natives stood motionless, still aiming their spears at SG-1.
Daniel lowered one hand to point at his chest.
One of the Natives immediately reacted by making a low sound, his spear moving closer to the archaeologist's chest.
"Now, hold it!" O'Neill barked, aiming his gun at the man.
Daniel forced a smile on his face. "It's all right. I wasn't going to hurt you. I'm Daniel Jackson. These are my friends..." This time, he kept his hands where they were and just nodded with his head in the direction of Teal'c. "That's Teal'c, this is Sam and that's Jack. Who are you?"
"We are the tribe of the Ongiaras," one of the warriors said.
Daniel very slowly lowered his hands again. "Okay. It is nice to meet you. Think we can put our weapons down now?"
The man stared at him unresponsively.
"Jack?" Daniel's voice urged the Colonel to lower his weapon first.
The Colonel hesitated briefly, and then shrugged. "Well... yeah, okay. Just keep your eyes open." With that, he lowered his gun. Sam and Teal'c followed his example.
The Natives responded by lowering their spears. Daniel stepped forward and offered his hand to the one who had aimed the spear at him. The man accepted the gesture by raising his own hand flat next to his ear. Daniel quickly repeated the procedure.
"I am Chief Eagle Eye. Where did you come from?"
"We came through the Stargate," Daniel answered; visually relieved the tension was gone. Taking in the man's frowning, he made a circle with his hands. "The Chaapa'ai... the big circle."
The man nodded, apparently understanding it now. He pointed at the valley. "Please, join us at our camp." With that, he started walking them downhill into the valley.
><><><><><><><><><
They'd spent the evening around the campfire. The Chief had told them about his people, their habits and their way of life.
Daniel had tried to explain where they came from, telling the Natives about the people on Earth and their habits. Major Carter had told the tribe about the Stargate, and they'd soon found out the tribe had never traveled through it, nor had they seen anybody coming through.
They'd received their own teepee to spend the night in and despite the fact that the Ongiaras turned out to be very friendly O'Neill scheduled the night watches.
The sun rose early, just after five. The Ongiaras got up to start their day; the women re-lit the campfire to make breakfast while some men fanned out through the valley to collect fresh fruit.
Daniel had the last watch and walked silently through the camp, softly talking to some of the men, gathering more information about the culture. When it was nearly time for breakfast, he woke the others. Soon they were all enjoying the morning meal; some sort of soft tortillas and lots of fresh fruit.
Later that morning the team watched as the Ongiaras stuffed a large canoe full of fresh fruit. One of the women walked up to the riverbank, her arms full of flowers and she spread them around and over the fruit in the canoe.
All the Ongiaras gathered on the riverbank. They took position around the canoe, forming the shape of a horseshoe and started singing.
The team silently approached the group, exchanging glances. Jack asked Daniel if he had any idea of what was going on, but the linguist shrugged his shoulders.
"Seems like some kind of sacrifice, maybe to appease their Gods," he whispered.
Out of respect they didn't step any closer to the singing group but watched them quietly. The singing faded and Chief Eagle Eye snapped his fingers. Two other men stepped forward and pushed the heavily laden canoe slowly into the river.
All of the Ongiaras knelt, bowing their heads to the ground as the current caught the canoe, dragging it away until it was out of sight. Everybody rose, turned and headed back to the camp, leaving the team to follow.
Later that day, Daniel stepped closer to Chief Eagle Eye.
"Excuse me, Chief Eagle Eye," he started. "What was that all about, with the canoe?"
"We offer this to Hinum, to please him," the Chief explained.
"Hinum?"
"The God of Thunder. He lives in the caves."
Daniel frowned. "The caves? Which caves?"
"There is a great fall a couple of miles downstream. Hinum lives in the caves behind the falls."
"Hmm. What happens when you don't send him the offering?"
The Chief looked shocked. "We must! Hinum will be very upset if we don't! And when Hinum is not satisfied, my people will die!" With that, the Chief turned and left, leaving Daniel thinking the ritual over.
><><><><><><><><
The next morning, they were all startled awake by some loud weeping. The Ongiaras rushed towards the woman who had been crying out loud and the team followed to find out what was going on.
"My husband! He's dead..." The woman sank to the ground, hands pressed over her face to cover her tears.
Chief Eagle Eye stepped inside her tent to check on the man. When he came out, his face was pale and grim, wondering why the Thunder God was still upset with them.
"Hinum was not pleased," he said and quickly came to a conclusion. He pointed at SG-1. "It's all your fault! Tie them up!"
O'Neill responded incredibly fast and drew his gun. One of the men immediately jabbed him with his spear, while three others pressed spears against the chests of Sam, Daniel and Teal'c to keep them from moving.
Jack gasped. He felt the spear entering his right side, tearing his skin, muscles and tissue away. The tip of the spear tore up the skin on his back as it came through completely. The shock spread through his body, his right arm went numb and the gun fell to the ground. The wounds were bleeding at alarming rate and the blood was quickly soaking the Colonel's pants. O'Neill's face lost all color as he sagged to the ground, drawing his left arm protectively around his waist. "Oh, God," he groaned.
Daniel struggled to approach him, but was held back by the spears.
Sam turned her head towards the Chief. "He's bleeding to death! Please, let me bind that wound!"
The Chief gave a short order to one of the women and she ran off to one of the tents. She returned with a bag and knelt beside the wounded man. Carter pleaded again, "please?" The Chief nodded and Sam rushed forward, kneeling beside her CO, taking his pulse.
Jack was breathing rapidly and sweat ran down his pale face. He wanted to lie down, but with the spear coming out on his back, he was afraid it would damage him even more. So he stayed seated, steadying himself with his left arm. He flinched, moaned, and clenched his fists as the woman shifted him so she could reach the wounds.
"Hold him," the woman told Sam and Carter took position behind her CO, leaning him sideways against her chest so he wouldn't fall over and gently stroked his hair.
The woman took a knife and cut off the long shaft of the spear. She took some bandages out of her pack along with a small bottle. She drenched the bandages with the dark thick fluid and quickly pressed them on the exit wound on his back. Even though she carefully avoided putting pressure on the top of the spear, the Colonel groaned and tried to withdraw, to move away, but Sam managed to hold him down.
"Here, hold this. It will stop the bleeding," the woman said, and guided Sam's hand over the bandage until she'd positioned it how she wanted it.
Sam worriedly looked at her CO. His eyes were closed, his lips tightened, he was breathing through gritted teeth and he moaned softly. Needing one arm to steady him and the other to keep the bandage in place, she couldn't do more than whisper soothingly in his ear as the woman prepared another bandage, draped it around the shaft of the spear and pressed it on the entry wound.
The Colonel's body jerked but the woman pressed him back down and Sam felt him going limp in her arms as he finally passed out.
When the wounds weren't bleeding anymore, the woman took the knife again to cut his clothes away before applying a clean bandage around his waist, leaving the remaining part of the spear where it was, wrapping the bandage carefully around it.
Chief Eagle Eye nodded approvingly at the woman then addressed his men. "Tie them up and prepare the woman."
Two men dragged Daniel towards a tree, pushed him until his back was pressed against the trunk and jerked his hands backwards, around the girth of the tree. His hands were bound there and one of the men used the remaining rope to tie his chest securely against the trunk. This left Daniel standing, unable to move any part of his upper body and he was forced to watch how it took four men to repeat the procedure with Teal'c.
Carter stayed seated, supporting her CO as she held on to him, checking his pulse and listened to how his breathing eased now that he was unconscious. She wiped his face and looked at the woman, who was gathering her things.
"What kind of stuff is that?" she asked, pointing at the bottle the woman had used on the dressing.
She didn't look up from her work. "It is a mixture of healing herbs. It has the ability to congeal blood; that is why it stops bleeding from wounds like that. It also has a disinfecting quality. I am sorry, but that is all I can do for him. I am not qualified to remove the spear."
"We just need to take him home," Sam answered worriedly.
A small group of women approached and motioned for Sam to come. She was unwilling to leave the Colonel, but when one of the men stepped closer with his spear aimed at O'Neill's chest, she quickly held up her hand. "Okay, okay. Hold it, I'm coming!"
Carter shifted carefully and lowered the Colonel to the ground, positioning him on his left side, his knees bent so he wouldn't roll further. She touched his cheek briefly. "Hold on, Sir." She could only hope he could hear her. Then she exchanged worried looks with Teal'c and Daniel, only now noticing the position they were in. Sighing heavily, she rose to her feet and followed the women.
Another canoe was dragged onto the riverbank. Some men carried loads of fruit and positioned them in the canoe. A couple of women approached with arms full of flowers and draped them over the fruit.
"What do you think they meant by 'prepare the woman', Teal'c?" Daniel whispered worriedly.
"I believe they are sacrificing a woman to the Thunder God, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c stated, hoping that woman wouldn't be Major Carter.
"Yeah, I think so, too. And I think I also know who that woman is... Oh, Lord, what are we going to do?" Daniel started pulling on the ropes but it was useless. The bindings didn't give an inch.
"Unfortunately, we cannot do anything," Teal'c hissed, frustration evident in his voice. Like Daniel, he had been trying to break the ropes but found it of no use. The ropes were secure, strong and unbreakable.
Major Carter was led forward. She was now wearing a white doeskin robe over her uniform and she had a wreath of flowers in her hair. She stared at Daniel and Teal'c, giving them a weak smile. Carter looked at the unconscious form of her CO one last time before the men took her by her arms and walked her to the canoe.
The Chief had spoken to her before and told her what a great honor it was to be sacrificed to save others. She should be proud, he'd said. He'd also told her in no uncertain terms that he would order his men to kill her leader, if she didn't do as asked.
Daniel and Teal'c didn't know what the Chief had said to Carter. Teal'c was fighting against his restraints and Daniel yelled, "Run, Sam! Run!"
Carter didn't run, though. She was actually planning her escape. The Ongiaras didn't restrain her when they seated her between the offerings in the canoe and she planned to jump out of the little vessel as soon as she was out of sight. Hopefully she could reach shore before the current dragged her over the falls. Then she could decide whether to 'gate home to get some reinforcements or attempt to free her team-mates herself. She just prayed the Colonel had that long.
The ritual repeated as the Ongiaras formed a horseshoe shape around the canoe and started singing.
Nobody seemed to notice that O'Neill started stirring. Moaning softly, he tried to assess his condition and his surroundings. His memory fell back in place and he quickly opened his eyes. He took in the bandage around his side and wondered what it was that woman had applied on it. It still hurt, but not as badly as before. He lifted his head and soon his eyes found Daniel and Teal'c, before moving to watch the singing group.
Carter!
Damn!
He stared at Daniel, who mouthed, "they're sacrificing Sam to Hinum."
Jack struggled to get up. "The hell they are..." he protested, swaying unsteadily as the world started spinning dangerously fast.
The singing faded, the Chief snapped his fingers and two men pushed the canoe forward into the river, while the others knelt, bending forward. Jack stumbled in the direction of the Ongiaras but reached the group too late. The canoe entered the water and the current took it away.
><><><><><><><><
Sam waited only a couple of minutes. She hoped the Natives wouldn't detect her as she left the canoe, gliding over the edge on her stomach. The force of the current shocked her as it dragged her almost alongside the canoe and she desperately started swimming towards the river's edge. Hopefully she would reach shore, before she would come to the falls.
She wasn't making much progress. The water was cold, very cold and her muscles started protesting the movement. Shore was still too far away as she heard the thunder of falling water. With some final frantic strokes, she struggled to reach safer grounds but it was useless. Cursing inwardly, she closed her eyes, knowing nothing could save her now. Hopefully the rest of the team would find a way to make it. 'Sorry, guys... I've failed..." she thought and tumbled down the huge fall.
><><><><><><><><
Jack O'Neill was furious. He saw the canoe drift away with his Second in it and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Although barely able to stand up straight, he moved, approaching the silent group. They all rose from their kneeling position.
"What the hell did you do!" O'Neill barked at Chief Eagle Eye.
The Chief stepped forward, a peaceful expression on his face.
"This has pleased the God of Thunder. Hinum won't punish us anymore."
"Oh, come on! There's no such thing as Gods punishing people this way. That is ridiculous." Jack could barely hold his anger. "You can't kill other human beings by pretending you're sacrificing them to appease a God."
"It is a great honor to be chosen," the Chief protested. "It is all for the best, you will see. No more harm will be done. I will release your friends and you are free to go." Without saying more, the Chief followed his people back to the camp.
Two of his men cut the ropes and Daniel rushed forward, planning to support his injured friend. Jack shrugged him off; angry that he had been unable to stop this from happening and that Carter had paid the price. "I'm fine," he snapped.
Daniel worriedly examined the Colonel's exhausted features and knew he wasn't fine. He could see all the guilt in Jack's face and understood what was running through the other man's head.
"No, you're not fine, Jack. There's still a spear sticking in your side. Easy, let me help you," he kept his voice soft and steady, although he felt rather shaken up himself. Sam was probably dead by now and that was SO hard to believe. Daniel pushed his emotions away, telling himself there was no time for that now. He drew Jack's left arm over his shoulder.
"You are not to blame, O'Neill. There is nothing you could have done to prevent this," Teal'c spoke softly.
"Yeah? Tell that to her father..." Jack protested. He repeatedly clenched and unclenched the fist of his left arm and stared at the river.
Damnit.
He'd lost Carter. He'd failed.
He looked at Daniel and Teal'c, determined to at least bring her body back to Earth. "Let's go get her and take her home."
"I do not think that is wise, O'Neill. You are in need of medical assistance. Let Daniel Jackson escort you through the Stargate. I will remain to retrieve Major Carter."
O'Neill shook his head. "No. I'm not leaving without her, Teal'c. Lead the way."
><><><><><><><><
Carter was vaguely aware of the thunder of falling water. There was water in her ears and she was shivering from the cold. Come to think of it, her clothes were soaked, her hair...
Abruptly, she sat up and cracked her eyes wide open.
She had tumbled down the falls!
Remembering now, she looked around, stunned to be alive and well. Well, soaking, shivering... but all right.
She was lying on the cold, wet floor of a cave. There were walls around her, except in front of her, where gallons and gallons of water tumbled down. She could see the sky through the falling water and realized she was in a cave, located behind the falls.
Carter was amazed. What happened? She couldn't remember anything after plunging over the falls. She got up to step closer to the water as a beautiful young woman stepped through the water into the cave.
The woman smiled encouragingly at the stunned Major. "I am glad you are all right," she spoke with a soft soothing voice.
"Did you save me?" Carter wanted to know. The woman nodded at her. "How?"
"I caught you. The Thunder beings helped me..."
Carter lifted her brows in surprise. "The Thunder beings?"
"Yes," the woman stated without explaining. "Did the people sacrifice you?"
Now it was Carter's turn to nod. "Apparently to appease the God Hinum."
The beautiful woman's face darkened. "Foolish people... They will never learn..."
"Learn what?"
"That they are living by a false legend. They believe they have to sacrifice a young maiden to please the God of Thunder called Hinum. They are wrong..." The young woman stared at the wall, her face blank, with a single tear running over her cheekbone.
"I am the one who was the first to plunge down the falls. But it was no sacrifice..." She turned to face Carter. "...I was desperate. I married three times and all my husbands died shortly after the marriage. I figured there was something wrong with me... that I caused their deaths."
"So you tried to kill yourself?" Sam studied the woman in front of her.
The young woman nodded slightly, brushing her tears away. "Yes. I decided to ride the canoe over the falls. I was saved... by the Thunder beings. They healed me, here, in these caves..." Her voice was barely audible.
"Healed you?"
"Some kind of snake had inhabited my body. The Thunder beings freed me and sent me back to my people... I married again and my spouse didn't die. We had a happy life."
"What kind of snake?" Carter suddenly got the idea and couldn't wait to meet the Thunder beings, wondering how they had been able to remove a Goa'uld from the woman's body.
The woman made a dirty face as a shiver ran over her body. "Oh. Just... an ugly, very ugly snake... It is gone now."
"But why are you here?" Sam asked, not understanding the whole story yet.
"I found out that the people have misinterpreted what happened to me. That they are now deliberately sending women in a canoe over the falls... There is no such a thing as sacrificing people to appease Gods. It is wrong! My people, the Six Nations, have never, ever sacrificed a maiden... So I decided to come here after my death, to save all women they sacrifice. It is all I can do..."
Sam looked at her in surprise. "Wow. That's very noble of you..."
The woman just shrugged.
><><><><><><><><
The silent group made its way to the falls. O'Neill was leaning heavily on Daniel and he was breathing in short gasps. Sweat was running down his pale cheeks and his right arm was cradled protectively around his side.
Daniel had attempted to get his friend to rest twice, but the stubborn Colonel had refused and kept going.
They reached the falls. Looking down, O'Neill estimated it to be a drop of at least fifty yards. He cursed out loud this time. There was just no way Carter could have survived a drop like that.
Teal'c took out his binoculars and scanned the river down below, hoping to spot Major Carter's body. He searched the riverbanks on both sides, as far as he could. He could not find her. "I do not see Major Carter, O'Neill."
"We'll have to climb down," Jack said as his trained eyes had already discovered a trail that went down to meet the river below.
Daniel turned to him, protesting loudly. "You are NOT climbing down, Jack. You'll never be able to get back up again!"
Teal'c approved. "I will go down, O'Neill."
Jack was about to protest when a beautiful young woman appeared on the trail, only about half way down. She smiled mysteriously and waved at them, motioning them to follow her.
"Daniel?" O'Neill hissed, surprised by the woman's appearance.
Daniel studied the woman and shook his head, blinked a couple of times as if he expected her to be gone. She was still there, signaling them to go with her.
"Err.. I think she wants us to follow her, Jack," he said.
"What the ..." Jack muttered under his breath.
Teal'c supported O'Neill down the trail as they followed the woman. The trail led them closer to the falls and then it disappeared behind the tumbling water. The woman's finger dragged them further and the three stunned members of SG-1 entered the cave.
"Sam!" Daniel cried out, spotting the Major in the cave.
Teal'c just smiled widely.
O'Neill sighed heavily, staring from the mystery woman to his Second-in-one-piece and back.
"Glad that YOU'RE okay," he said, indirectly telling he wasn't. Exhaustion took its toll as his knees buckled underneath him. Teal'c rushed forward and lowered him to the ground while Carter knelt next to him, checking his pulse. Her eyes caught the soaking bandages and she realized the wounds had started bleeding again.
The young woman stepped closer, knelt on the other side of O'Neill. She moved her hands over his injured side without touching it and closed her eyes.
"Step back please," she whispered and her long fingers gently removed the bandage from the Colonel's side. She started humming softly.
O'Neill stared at the woman, his mind racing. He nodded at Carter and she reluctantly stepped back from the scene.
The woman's hands touched the spear, then she took it in one hand, covered it with the other. Slowly, she pulled the spear out and dropped it to the ground. Her hands ran over the wounds again, while she finished humming her song with her eyes closed. Then she turned to Carter. "You can apply a new bandage now."
O'Neill raised himself from the floor leaning on his left elbow and stared at his side. The bleeding had stopped. "How did you do that?" he asked. "I don't feel a thing!"
The woman just smiled. "Oh, but you will, later on."
Sam examined her CO. The spear was out, the wounds had been bleeding but somehow the woman had managed to stop that, closing the wounds. Teal'c handed her the med kit and she dressed the wounds carefully, although the Colonel didn't flinch under her touch.
"There. All set, Sir. How do you feel?"
"Fine. For now." He wasn't sure what the woman had done to him. The exhaustion was gone, he didn't feel any pain at that moment but she'd also told him it was temporarily. He motioned Teal'c to help him up.
The woman stepped closer to the tumbling water, where the entrance was. "Come," she said. "You must go now. Return to your world and please, do not come back."
Daniel was about to protest, but she silenced him easily. She looked at Carter one last time. "Remember... do not believe in false legends..." With that remark, she disappeared through the falls, vanishing in the mist of the tumbling water. Stunned, the team stepped out of the cave, searching up and down the trail but couldn't find her anymore.
She was all gone.
The End
And what and end it was! (Soz- Beki)
Jack's loop off
by
Corine
TITLE: Jack's loop off
AUTHOR: Corine
EMAIL: Corine57@HOTMAIL.COM
CATEGORY: Missing scene for Window of Opportunity. Humor.
PAIRING: none
SPOILERS: Window of Opportunity, minor one for The Learning Curve
SEASON / SEQUEL: 4
RATING: G
CONTENT WARNINGS: none
SUMMARY: Jack takes a loop off.
STATUS: Complete
ARCHIVE: Heliopolis, Stargatefan. All others please ask.
DISCLAIMER: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. We 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 authors. Not to be archived without permission of the authors.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: This is the second in a series of three. The first is: Teal'c's loop off, and the third will be: The next day. Hope you like them all. Let me know!!!
"You could do anything for as long as you want, without having to worry about the consequences."
Jack could still hear Daniel's words, and knew it was an opportunity he had to take. He was bored to death with the translating job, not to mention the frustration he felt about the fact that they weren't making much progress. Jack allowed himself another loop off, deciding it was time for some fun.
>>>>>
>>>>< He stared at his bowl of Fruit Loops ><<<<
"Anyway, that's just the way I feel about it. What do *you * think?" Daniel looked at him, questioningly.
"I think I'm going to be sick," Jack complained, shoving the bowl of Fruit Loops aside.
Major Carter immediately looked up, worry etched on her face. "Sir? Are you all right?"
"No. I'm not all right. But I will be, after I've taken care of some things." Without giving his team members any more of an explanation, Jack rose to his feet and left.
His first destination was his office. He grabbed the phone and dialed.
"Sgt. Siler speaking," came the reply.
"Yo, Siler, this is Colonel O'Neill. I want you to have some jars of paint delivered to the Gateroom. Red, yellow, blue, green and orange. Oh, and don't forget purple. Gather every available man and meet me there in... one hour."
"Sir?"
"Move, Sergeant. I don't have all day." O'Neill chuckled after putting down the receiver.
He dialed another number and waited for an answer.
"Senator Kinsey's office," a woman answered.
"Hi, ma'am. This is Colonel O'Neill from the SGC. Could you please patch me through to Senator Kinsey? It's urgent."
The woman on the other end of the line asked him to wait, then placed him on hold. Within a minute, the Senator picked it up. "Kinsey."
"Yo, Senator! This is Colonel O'Neill, I'm sure you remember me," Jack started.
"I do. How can I help you?" The voice from the other end of the line sounded bored.
"Well, I just called to check up on you, sir. How are you doing?" O'Neill continued.
"Is this some sort of joke?" the senator asked sharply.
"No, no, no. I just wanted to tell you that you are a big piece of shit, sir. An annoying, selfish son-of-a-bitch and the biggest idiot on Earth. That's all, sir," O'Neill happily announced.
"Colonel O'Neill!" the Senator snapped angrily. "I don't know what's wrong with you, but this will not be tolerated. You'll hear more from me..." with that, the Senator broke off the connection.
"Oh, no. I don't think so, you moron. Not now, not ever..." Jack smiled, and then dropped the receiver. He left the office, still grinning, heading towards the General's office. On his way, he changed his mind and stopped by the infirmary.
Dr. Janet Fraiser was writing some reports behind her desk as he stepped into her office.
"Hi, Colonel... what can I do for you?" she asked, looking up from her papers.
"Where is your penlight?" he asked, impatiently motioning her to give it to him with his right hand.
She frowned, and then took the little light out of her pocket. O'Neill jumped forward and snatched it from her fingers. He quickly opened it, removing the batteries, sliding them into the left pocket of his pants. He closed it again and tossed it back at the stunned doctor, turned and then left.
His next direction was General Hammond's office. Without knocking, he kicked the door open and walked in.
"Colonel..." Hammond started, slightly irritated by the interruption.
"Sorry, General. I need to borrow your phone. It's an emergency." Without saying more, Jack walked over to the General's desk, drew the red phone closer and lifted the receiver.
"Colonel!" hissed Hammond now.
O'Neill put one finger in front of his mouth, hissing, "Sssh."
A low, dark voice answered.
"Yo, Mr. President! ..." He was unaware of the shocked expression on Hammond's face. "No, Sir. This is Colonel O'Neill... Yes, Sir, the General is right here. But I called you, Sir. It's urgent. You see, the Colorado Avalanche are playing the Montreal Canadians next Saturday. I have two tickets, Sir. Do you wanna join me?"
General Hammond rolled his eyes, all color drained from his face.
"Yes, Sir. That would be great, Sir. Yes. I knew you loved hockey. Yes, Sir. See you there, then. Thank you, Sir." The smile on Jack's face stood in sharp contrast to the disbelief etched on Hammond's face.
"You... did you just... Colonel O'Neill," Hammond stammered. "What the hell did you think you were doing?"
"Relax, George..." Jack reassured. "I invited the man to a good game of hockey and he accepted. What's the big deal?" Without giving the General time to say more, he left.
This time he headed straight towards the Gateroom. He was pleased to find Sgt. Siler waiting for him, along with five other airmen, not to mention all the cans of colorful paint. The group of waiting men saluted crisply upon his arrival.
"At ease," Jack started. "Thank you for coming. I'm going to need your help. We're going to paint this whole Gateroom. It's way too boring right now, and hardly interesting for our arriving guests."
"Sir?" Siler asked, his eyebrows lifted high in surprise. "You want us to paint the walls?"
"Yes, Sergeant. Let's lighten this place up a bit, shall we? I mean, everywhere we 'gate out to, there's drawings and symbols, grabbing our attention. And what have we got to offer? Look at this place. Gray, everywhere. Not much of a welcome, huh?" O'Neill tried to determine if they were convinced, then realized he didn't care. He opened up the jar of bright yellow paint, dipped the brush in the thick liquid and drew a sun on the wall.
"Get to it, airmen. Use your imagination. Paint!" he ordered.
After some hesitation, still unable to believe what they were supposed to do, the men slowly loosened up, daubing, the walls in all available colors. They painted cars, trees, flowers, airplanes and rockets, chuckling over their work.
They were all so caught up in their work that they failed to notice the General's arrival.
"Colonel O'Neill!" Hammond burst out. "What the *hell * is going on?"
The airmen hurriedly put their brushes away, snapping to attention, their eyes wide in shock. O'Neill turned around to look at his commanding officer with a wide smile on his face.
"Oh, we're just making this place a little bit more colorful, Sir. Don't you agree this looks much better than that boring gray stuff?" O'Neill waved at the colorful drawings on the wall behind him.
General Hammond's mouth fell open, unable to respond to what was happening in front of him. He was simply too stunned.
Jack walked over to a can of deep purple, dipped his brush and painted a big dog on an empty spot on the wall. "There," he said, stepping back to look at his drawing. "This one is for Merrin. She'll love it," he then dropped the brush and rushed off, before the General could voice his objections.
Without hesitating O'Neill grabbed his stuff and hurried to leave the base. He had a couple of things left to do. First, he drove straight to a MacDonald's, bought a McBreakfast and drove to a scenic spot close by, up on the hillside, in the middle of nowhere. He got out, found a nice spot to sit and, enjoying the view, he took some time for his first real breakfast in ages. No-one to banter him with questions, no difficult Ancient or Latin translation issues, no scientific rambling about subspace fields and bubbles, nothing that needed to be done; Jack just sat back and relaxed.
When he had enjoyed both his breakfast and the scenery, Jack drove his truck to the nearest supermarket. He took a shopping cart and walked through the store, soon finding what he was looking for. The breakfast products.
There.
He took a box of Fruit Loops, looked at it, and then threw it in his cart. He snatched another, tossing it on the first. There were still many boxes of Fruit Loops on the shelf, so O'Neill pushed the cart right under the shelf and, using both hands, he dragged every box over the edge, letting it fall in the cart. It took him a while, and even the tall Colonel had to stand on his tiptoes to reach the last boxes, but finally he had them all, his shopping cart overflowing.
Determinedly, he stamped through the check out lanes, heading towards the exit. He pushed the cart past the stunned cashier.
"Hey, Mister!!! You can't do that!!! Someone stop that man!" the lady behind the counter called out.
Completely ignoring her, Jack pushed the cart outside, meanwhile pushing one of the security officers aside. He glared around, searching the best spot, then moved to the middle of the road.
"Watch out!"
Cars were stopping, their drivers hitting the brakes. Some of them crashed against each other, and the sound of windows breaking and metal crushing deafened the area.
One of the security guards stopped running after the man he was chasing, and used his walky-talky to contact his back-up.
O'Neill never looked up. He stopped on the middle of the road and kicked the shopping cart hard enough to flip it upside down. He pushed the cart away and used his feet to shove all the boxes of Fruit Loops into a pile.
Once he was satisfied, he took out a box of matches, struck one and set the first box on fire. He lit match after match, the fire catching on a variety of different spots, until the flames got a firm grip on the material, setting the whole pile on fire.
O'Neill was unaware of the sirens and lights of the police coming his way. He just stepped back, smiling widely, pleasantly, looking at the burning pile of Fruit Loops. He was SO never going to eat those damn things again...
>>>>>
>>>>< He stared at his bowl of Fruit Loops ><<<<
"Anyway, that's just the way I feel about it. What do *you * think?" Daniel looked at him, questioningly.
***THE END***
Teal'c's loop off
by
Corine
TITLE: Teal'c's loop off
AUTHOR: Corine
EMAIL: Corine57@HOTMAIL.COM
STATUS: Complete
CATEGORY: Missing scene for Window of Opportunity. Humor.
SPOILERS: Window of Opportunity
SEASON / SEQUEL: 4
RATING: G
CONTENT WARNINGS: none
SUMMARY: Teal'c takes a loop off.
ARCHIVE: Heliopolis, Stargatefan. All others please ask.
DISCLAIMER: This story is written entirely for entertainment and is not intended as an infringement against the copy written material that belongs solely to Showtime, MGM/UA, Gekko Films, et al. I'm only playing with their characters and will return them as soon as the story is finished. The following story is the property of the author and is not to be copied, or published without the express, written consent of the author.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: This is the first in a series of three. The next is: Jack's loop off, and the third will be: The next day. Hope you like them all. Let me know!!!
"You could do anything for as long as you want, without having to worry about the consequences."
The words spoken by Daniel Jackson remained fresh in Teal'c's mind. The translating job had been boring and the slow progress was frustrating. Teal'c decided to take a loop off. It had not taken him long to decide what to do.
>>>>>
>>>>< BANG ><<<<
"Sorry, Sir. I didn't realize you were there..."
Teal'c grabbed the airman before the man could finish his sentence. Without hesitating, Teal'c lifted the man high up in the air and with one move, he threw him into a closet close by. He closed the door and locked it securely.
That taken care of, he headed straight for the infirmary. He searched for Dr. Fraiser, and soon found her in one of the exam rooms. She appeared to be searching for something in one of the closets.
Fraiser looked up, surprised to see him. "Hi, Teal'c. What can I do for you?"
The Jaffa said nothing, but picked the small female doctor up and placed her solidly on an examination table. He opened one of the drawers, drew out a digital thermometer and resolutely stuck it in the stunned doctor's mouth.
Without listening to her protest, Teal'c stamped through the corridors of the SGC. His next destination was the locker room. He stepped in front of O'Neill's locker and swung his arm backwards, then slammed his fist hard against the lock. It gave away instantly under the brute force and Teal'c wrung the door open with both hands. He was unaware of Sgt. Siler, who approached him, frowning at the Jaffa's strange behavior.
"Uh, Mr. Teal'c, what are you doing?"
Teal'c, disrupted from his actions, glared at the man. "This does not concern you, Sgt. Siler. Please step out of my way." He had found O'Neill's car keys and shoved the stunned man aside.
He had some things to do. Something he had wanted for so long, but had been unable to. He left the mountain without covering his head. Today, he was going to see the Tau'ri's world, without going in disguise. Today, he was going to tell the Tau'ri who he really was, and nobody was going to stop him.
He easily found O'Neill's black pick-up truck. He had seen him drive it many times, so he was certain he could also maneuver the vehicle. He could fly death gliders; tel'nac's and he knew how to control a Goa'uld mother ship. How hard could driving a truck be? It should be easy for a Jaffa.
He got in and started the vehicle. He threw it in reverse and the truck moved, too fast, smashing against another car that was parked behind it. Kree. After hitting the breaks, Teal'c looked over his shoulder to the car he had run into. He frowned. It appeared to be General Hammond's limousine.
Shrugging his shoulders, the Jaffa drove off. It did not matter.
He first drove to O'Neill's house. He failed to open the garage door, but drove straight through it instead. Not paying any attention to the mess he had made, the big man stepped out of the vehicle and soon found what he was looking for. In one corner, neatly organized, stood O'Neill's fishing gear. The fishing rods were all positioned against the wall, all lined up.
Teal'c smiled evilly. How the Tau'ri elicited great pleasure with this way of wasting time was beyond his belief. He did not like it at all. He slowly took one of the rods, turning it around in his hands, as if looking at it for a last time. He bent his knee and then broke the rod on it. Teal'c looked with satisfaction at the two parts before throwing them on the ground. He picked up the second rod and destroyed it as well. The third quickly followed, and the fourth. Ten minutes later, the satisfied Jaffa was finished, a pile of broken fishing rods at his feet. He now took O'Neill's boxes of equipment and turned them upside down, tossing the whole inventory over the floor.
There.
That definitely felt good. Nodding at his handiwork, Teal'c got back in the truck and drove off.
His next target was the park. It was a nice, small park, just outside of town. There were always people around, wandering or feeding the ducks in the small pond. There were kids riding those strange wooden boards on wheels, or running around with huge balls, attempting to throw them into a net. After parking the truck, Teal'c put on a long dark coat and started his trek through the park, smiling brightly at people who couldn't keep their eyes off the tattoo on his forehead.
One kid approached him, fast, he appeared to have wheels under his shoes. Teal'c frowned. He had never seen anything like this. The boy stopped in front of him, pointing at his head.
"Wow," he said. "What is that sign?"
"It is the mark of my former God, Apophis. I am a Jaffa, and I used to be his First Prime."
The kid raised his brows, not understanding a bit of what just had been said. "Very nice," he stammered, and left.
Teal'c was disappointed. He had hoped for a much longer conversation. He had wanted to explain a lot more, but apparently the human was not interested. He decided to take a different approach. He had read something about some sort of behavior somewhere, and although he did not understand the meaning of it, he figured it was worth a try.
He positioned himself behind some bush and waited.
Soon, two young female Tau'ri came heading his way, talking to each other, both carrying bags stuffed with groceries in their hands.
When they were close enough, Teal'c suddenly made his appearance and opened his raincoat. 'Junior' lunged forward, hissing loudly.
The women screamed, both dropping their bags and running off.
Frowning in surprise, Teal'c stared after them. He did not understand their behavior. According to the articles, some humans found great joy in this little game, but it had not proven to be entertaining at all. Maybe he should try again. He hid himself behind the bushes again and waited for the next person to arrive.
The next human approaching was a man, probably in his twenties. He wore a set of dark blue jeans, along with a dark stained sweater.
Teal'c stepped forward, repeating the process by opening his raincoat, showing his symbiote.
The young man looked stunned at first, and then burst out laughing. "Wow!!! That's really cool, man! Where did you buy that?" He was still laughing while he walked away, leaving Teal'c wondering why the man thought that his symbiote was cool. As a matter of fact, it was very warm.
Had he already suspected the humans to be a strange race, now his suspicions were confirmed. He did not understand them one bit.
It was time for his next mission. He found the truck and drove it through town, looking for a store that carried what he needed. It took him a while, and somehow the cars behind him had managed to crash at the last intersection he passed. Finally, he found a large store, selling all kinds of equipment for home building, carpenters and construction.
He parked the truck and walked inside.
A young man stepped forward." How are you today?" the man asked politely.
"The same as I was yesterday," Teal'c answered shortly.
"Uhm... can I help you?" the man dared to ask.
"Indeed, you can," nodded the Jaffa. "I am looking for a saw."
"What kind of saw, Sir? A handheld saw, an electrical saw, a circular saw?"
Teal'c arched his brows. He did not know what kind of saw he actually needed.
"What kind of material is it meant for?" the man asked, seeing his hesitation.
"Metal. Very thick and heavy metal."
"Okay. I think I can show you something. Follow me, Sir." The man walked ahead, looking over his shoulder to see if his client was coming.
Teal'c followed and soon, the man was showing him the different kinds of saws he had to offer. Teal'c held a huge one in his hand, an electrical circular saw, testing it.
"I think this one is sufficient. I will take this one."
"Okay. Let me wrap it up for you," offered the man.
"That will not be necessary," Teal'c said shortly and marched away with the saw in his hands, without paying attention to the protesting man that was running behind him.
"Sir! You can't just walk out of here!" the man called.
Teal'c turned around, pushing the saw forward. "I will take this. It shall be returned to you shortly. Do not attempt to stop me."
The man jumped backwards, scared off. Teal'c left the store and drove back to the Mountain. With the saw still in his arms, he entered the elevator and pushed the button for the correct level. When the elevator stopped, he stepped out.
O'Neill came walking around the corner. "Yo! Teal'c! Where have you been? What have you done?"
Teal'c did not answer and passed O'Neill, walking straight towards a certain door. He plugged the saw in. He was unaware of the personnel who were jumping backwards in surprise as the giant saw started rotating.
Without hesitating, the Jaffa patiently started sawing through the door. He was not bothered by the pieces of debris that were flying around and unperturbedly continued until the whole door fell out of its frame. He smiled, satisfied at his achievement, and turned to unplug the saw...
>>>>>
>>>>< BANG ><<<<
"Sorry, Sir. I didn't realize you were there..."
*** THE END ***
Take a Run and Jump
by
Corine
TITLE: Take a run and jump
AUTHOR: Corine
EMAIL: Corine57@HOTMAIL.COM
STATUS: Complete
CATEGORY: Word-a-Month challenge, October 2000.
SPOILERS: none.
SEASON / SEQUEL: doesn't matter
RATING: PG.
CONTENT WARNINGS: None.
SUMMARY: Challenge response, Word-a-Month challenge.
ARCHIVE: Chrisbod's WaM-site, Heliopolis, The place of our legacy, Jack's place. The Sandbox. Stargatefan. All others please ask.
DISCLAIMER: This story is written entirely for entertainment and is not intended as an infringement against the copy written material that belongs solely to Showtime, MGM/UA, Gekko Films, et al. I'm only playing with their characters and will return them as soon as the story is finished. The following story is the property of the author and is not to be copied, or published without the express, written consent of the author.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: No references and no one gets hurt this time. Thanks to the beta-readers, as usual...
(On PX-whatever)
"Oh, come on, Daniel! That's not true!" Colonel Jack O'Neill, Commanding Officer of SG-1, walked behind the linguist and archaeologist of the team, sounding a little irritated.
"It is..." Daniel Jackson nodded stubbornly.
"No, it's not."
"It is."
"Not"
"Is."
"Not."
"Is."
"For crying out loud! Would you stop that?" Jack stopped abruptly, causing Major Samantha Carter to almost walk into him. Behind her, the Jaffa Teal'c frowned, wondering what the latest argument between his CO and Daniel Jackson was all about. Sometimes these humans were so confusing!
"Jack, you said yourself I couldn't go ..." Daniel started, not even glancing back over his shoulder.
"I DID NOT SAY THAT! Damn-it, Daniel!" Interrupting him, Jack was getting aggravated and threw his hands in the air, not knowing how to turn the events back into a positive discussion.
"O'Neill..." Teal'c's voice broke through their little discussion, trying to catch the attention of his CO. Examining his surroundings, Teal'c felt something was wrong on this planet, although he could not detect any immediate danger.
Apparently, Major Carter felt it too. She looked over her shoulder at him, with an alarmed expression on her face. Looking back at Daniel, who was still walking in front of them, she felt the slight trembling of the ground. 'Holy Hannah, an earthquake!' She cried out a warning. "Daniel! Get back here!"
The linguist stopped, absent-mindedly looking over his shoulder. "Why? What's wrong?"
The Colonel, also feeling the tremor, made an attempt to reach Daniel and grab him, only to be abruptly stopped by Teal'c. The ground shook, rumbling harder and harder. The ground split open in front of the Colonel's feet and he would have fallen in the ravine if Teal'c hadn't pulled him back. Staggering backwards, the three team-members of SG-1 watched helplessly as they were separated from their fourth member.
Daniel instinctively moved the other way, trying to bring himself to safety, while the rocks rolled down into the growing crevasse under his feet. Grabbing every branch he could reach for support, Daniel jumped backwards, desperately trying to avoid sliding down with the falling rocks and loosened trees. He was vaguely aware of the screams of his colleagues as they attempted to direct him to safety.
Just when he thought he was safe, a last increasing tremor broke off the ground under his feet. Throwing himself into the direction of a tree behind him, he reached out and clasped his arms around it. With no solid ground under him, he just hung there, afraid that any movement would cause the tree to break and fall down with him.
Then there was silence. Assessing the situation, Colonel O'Neill got to his feet and locked his determined eyes on the archaeologist's face.
"Daniel?" He fought to keep his voice steady and calm. "Daniel? You need to climb up that tree, Daniel."
With his arms clenched around the tree, the left side of his face and the upper part of his body pressed against the trunk, Daniel was too shocked to respond. 'I know that, Jack!' He was fully aware of the deep cleft beneath him. 'Just trying to muster up courage here...' Slowly, he moved his legs, trying to find support against the face of the crevasse.
"Don't look down!" Jack's voice was firm now. "Come on, Danny. There is a protruding limb on your right, pull your leg up. You can put your foot up there. That's it, slowly. You can do this." Holding his breath, the Colonel watched as Daniel struggled to climb up to a safer position.
"You are succeeding, Daniel Jackson." Teal'c added, noticing how Daniel managed to climb up the tree.
Jack let go of the breath he was holding and sighed in relief. "Good job, Daniel. Now keep climbing up, 'till you're on solid ground." He turned to face his Second. "Major, why don't you check up north for a spot we can bring Daniel across. We need to get him back to our side of the ravine."
"Yes, Sir." Sam threw a last look at Daniel to make sure he was safe then headed off.
"I will seek for a crossing on this side." Teal'c stated and turned around, walking into the opposite direction.
"Daniel?" the Colonel called again when he saw that the civilian of his team wasn't moving.
Trying to regain some control over his nervous system, Daniel shifted into a more comfortable position on the tree. 'I made it. I did it.' Although he still held on to the trunk, he tried to relax the strained muscles in his arms. Shivering all over, he concentrated on his breathing. 'Jeez, that was way too close! Why do these things always happen to me?' Distracted from his thoughts, he heard Jack calling him, worry evident in his voice. For the first time since the earthquake, he looked up, meeting his friend's concerned gaze.
"I'm fine, Jack. Just catching my breath, that's all." He hoped that it sounded more reassuring than he actually felt. 'How am I going to get back to the other side?' Trying not to look down into the depth in front of him, he realized he'd ended up on the wrong side of the crevasse.
Jack seemed to have read his mind. "It's okay, Daniel. We'll find a way to get you back to this side. Trust me."
Daniel nodded. 'Sure, Jack would find a way. He would never leave me on this side of the planet.' They would find a way, but first things first. He wasn't completely safe yet; he still needed to climb up to solid ground. Moving carefully, he left his position on the tree and climbed up the last part. There, he did it. Dusting his clothes, he sighed heavily and sat down.
"You okay?"
He looked back at his friend. "Yeah, I'm fine, Jack. I'm fine."
"Good. You did great. Now let's wait for Sam or Teal'c to find a spot to get you back to this side, okay? Relax."
Following the Colonel's advice, Daniel tried to settle down and regain some control over his still ragged breathing. When his efforts finally succeeded, he suddenly remembered their earlier discussion. Daniel was invited by the Commanding Officer of SG-5, Colonel Davies, to join him and his team on an archaeological mission to a planet called Kan'tra. SG-5 had discovered some ruins on this particular planet and they were scheduled to return to Kan'tra for an extended research mission next week.
Overhearing a conversation between Colonel Davies and Jack, Daniel had found out that Jack was not eager to let him participate on this mission.
"I really would love to go with SG-5 to Kan'tra, Jack." Daniel tried to open their earlier discussion.
"I know." Jack responded shortly.
"You do?" Daniel looked up, surprise evident in his voice.
"Of course I do. Why in heaven's name does that surprise you?" Jack couldn't believe Daniel's reaction.
"Well...." Daniel hesitated for a brief moment. "... 'cause you're not allowing me to go..."
"WHAT?" Jack looked stunned. 'Where the hell did Daniel get that idea?'
"You don't want me to go..." Daniel repeated softly, without facing his friend.
"What makes you think I'm not going to let you join this mission?"
"Because you said so yourself." This time, Daniel locked his blue eyes on O'Neill's brown ones.
"I SAID WHAT???"
"I overheard a conversation between you and Colonel Davies. Literally, you told him: 'he has nothing to contribute to this mission, so I wouldn't bother inviting him. Besides, I've got other plans for him next week'. That's pretty clear, Jack."
"For crying out loud, Daniel! I was talking about Lt. Harris. Davies thought of taking him along as well and I told him that wasn't necessary. What the hell would he need Lt. Harris for if he's already got you?"
Embarrassment flooded Daniel's mind. "Oh..." he muttered.
Jack looked at him. "I suggested that Colonel Davies invite you in the first place, Daniel. I knew you would love it and he definitely needed your expertise. Now, there's Carter. Let's see if we can get you the hell out of there."
He looked over at his Second. "Found anything, Carter?"
Sam shrugged her shoulders. "The ravine doesn't seem to end, Sir. I only found one spot where the opening is narrower. I think Daniel might be able to jump it."
Daniel shook his head. "Might be able to jump it... That doesn't sound reassuring to me, Sam..."
"Well..." she started uncertainly, wishing she'd found something better, "... it will be quite a jump. It's not THAT small. But I think it can be done."
Jack exchanged looks with his Major and looked back at Daniel. "Maybe Teal'c found something better. Don't worry."
They snapped to attention when the ground trembled slightly again. Noticing how some more rocks and trees disappeared in the fissure, Jack mumbled, "we don't have much time left."
Teal'c appeared out of nowhere, right after the trembling subsided. "I have not found a place to cross the gap, O'Neill." Teal'c turned to Daniel. "I am sorry, Daniel Jackson."
Wasting no more time, the Colonel made his decision. "Okay, kids, let's get moving. Major, lead the way. Daniel, follow us on that side of the rim please? I'm ready to blow this pop stand."
Soon, they reached the spot Sam had found. Scanning the area with his binoculars and trusting his colleagues' judgement, Jack realized this was in fact their best shot. He estimated the distance Daniel had to jump; it was approximately 4 yards. It wouldn't be easy, but could be done. It HAD to be done!
"Okay, Daniel. Just take a run and jump. I'll grab you, I promise." He examined the edges, stomping on them with his foot. "Solid enough," he stated and looked up at the archaeologist.
Daniel looked from him to the distance he had to cross and back. 'No way, I can't do that!' Fearfully, he looked over his shoulder, to determine the distance of his run. 'Can I?'
"I don't know, Jack..." Daniel stumbled.
"Yes, Daniel. You can do it. It's the only way. The earthquake has left this place very unstable and I don't know what will happen when another one strikes. Just concentrate. Run, then jump."
'He's right. What if another earthquake makes the ravine wider? This is my only chance... But I don't want to jump!' Daniel shook his head out of frustration.
"Just go, Jack. Go back to the Stargate. I'm not going to jump..."
"I'm not leaving, Daniel...."
'No, of course he's not leaving... Damn-it, Jack! Why don't you just go and leave me here...'
"Daniel, I know it's scary, but you can do it!" Sam tried to persuade him.
"I have faith in you, Daniel Jackson." Teal'c added. "You will succeed."
'Sure, Teal'c. No problem. Just take a run and jump. You guys make it sound SO easy...'
Daniel turned around and walked a couple of paces away from the rim. Looking over his shoulder for a final approval, he saw Jack take position near the edge. 'Jack won't let me fall.'
Jack nodded encouraging at him. "Jump, Daniel."
Hesitating no more, Daniel ran towards the crevasse. Placing his right foot as close to the edge as possible, he jumped, throwing all his weight towards the other side. His legs were still running in the air, as if it would take him further. Coming down, he looked for solid ground. 'I'm not going to make it!' Eyes wide with fear and shock, he reached out in a last attempt to get himself to safety. Just as he thought he would fall, a steady hand grabbed him by the wrist.
"I've got ya!" Jack hollered, falling flat on his stomach, one hand solidly around Daniel's, desperately trying to reach Daniel's other arm. Teal'c hurried forward, grabbing the Colonel's legs to prevent him from being dragged down by Daniel's weight.
"Give me your other hand!" Jack yelled, slicing forwards.
Daniel struggled to reach up, while desperately trying to get a grip with his feet. 'Just another inch...' Relief overwhelmed him when he felt Jack's firm and secure grip around his other wrist. 'Jack's got me...'
Jack pulled and Daniel tried to co-operate by climbing up using his feet. When he was almost there, Sam grabbed his upper arm, supporting him as he climbed out of the cleft and into safety.
"Thanks, guys..." was all he could say at the moment.
Jack smiled. "You're welcome, Daniel. Now let's get the hell out of Dodge..."
Hiking back to the Stargate didn't take them long. Sam dialed home and Daniel stood next to his friend, waiting for the wormhole to establish.
"I'm never going to jump again, Jack," he sighed.
"Good." The Colonel nodded, patting his shoulder briefly. "We're never gonna have an argument like we had earlier today then."
Daniel looked puzzled. "Err, we're not?"
Jack smiled widely. "Well, if you'll never jump again... That means you also can't jump to conclusions anymore. So next time when you're eaves dropping, make sure you've got the story straight!"
With that comment, he stepped through the wormhole.
THE END.
Planet-quake
by
Corine
TITLE: Planet-quake
AUTHOR: Corine
EMAIL: Corine57@HOTMAIL.COM
STATUS: complete
CATEGORY: adventure
SPOILERS: not really. Some references to Toystory.
SEASON / SEQUEL: third. At least after Into the fire.
RATING: PG. (I think)
CONTENT WARNINGS: None. Maybe language.
SUMMARY: Trouble. What else. Wanna 'see' Teal'c fly a jet pack? Read this...
ARCHIVE: Heliopolis, all others please ask.
DISCLAIMER: This story is written entirely for entertainment and is not intended as an infringement against the copy written material that belongs solely to Showtime, MGM/UA, Gekko Films, et al. I'm only playing with their characters and will return them as soon as the story is finished. The following story is the property of the author and is not to be copied, or published without the express, written consent of the author.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Many thanks to Tanya. She made this better. This is my first. Hope you like it. Let me know....
General Hammond rushed to the Gateroom. The sign of incoming travellers had gone off; and he really hoped it would be SG1. They were overdue. As usual.
Only 6 hours, but he was worried. Again. Like always, when they didn't return in time. He had not ordered a second team out after them yet, though. The planet SG1 was on, was inhabited, according to the MALP. They wanted to disturb the indigenous population as little as possible.
He almost ran into a petite doctor, with exactly the same worried expression on her face. Janet Fraiser hated this waiting. She just knew there was something wrong. Again. As usual. "Please, let it be them. Let them be in one piece for a change," she thought, as she ran with the General towards the gateroom.
When they entered the Gateroom, they heard "It is SG1's code, Sir. But we detect only two people," from the control room. "Open the iris!" the General ordered. "Yes, Sir!" Lieutenant Graham Simmons responded.
Everybody stared at the establishing wormhole. Suddenly, two people stepped through. Janet sighed in relief. At least they appeared to be in one piece. Major Carter's hair was all dust and sand, as was her uniform. Teal'c was soaking wet and his clothes were torn in several places. He was shivering heavily, obviously from the cold. There were some bloodspots, but nothing looked too serious.
The General approached the ramp and asked the obvious question. "Major, what happened? Where are Colonel O'Neill and Doctor Jackson?"
Major Carter quickly saluted. "Sir! We were surprised by some kind of earthquake. The Colonel and Doctor Jackson are trapped. They can not reach the Stargate without help."
"Alright. Doctor Fraiser, run a check on them then join me in the briefing in 20 minutes," the General instructed.
"Yes, Sir! Okay, follow me," Janet said to Sam and Teal'c. Behind them, the wormhole disappeared.
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Exactly 20 minutes later, Sam and Teal'c arrived at the debriefing room all dry and cleaned up. The General and Doctor Fraiser were already present. "Okay people, glad you both are unharmed. Now, give me a detailed report. Major?"
"Yes, Sir. We arrived on PX4211 and found ourselves on a beach. Behind the Stargate lays an ocean, water as far as the eye can see. In front, woods. We took off north, like planned, to scan the planet. There was really nothing. Woods. Trees. Lots of trees, as the Colonel would say." Sam started. Janet smiled inwardly at the reference to Jack's way of putting things into perspective.
"No signs of intelligent life. There were signs of animals. We spotted birds, butterflies and tracks of what could have been wolves. Nothing different to the east and south. We headed back to the Stargate. Teal'c and I arrived on the beach first as we were walking a little bit faster. Daniel fell over something in the woods and the Colonel was just helping him up, when the ground started to shake. We hardly had time to find cover, when the earthquake hit with such force that the ground just split open between us and the Colonel and Daniel." Sam shivered, the memory of the earthquake still fresh in her mind. The General waited patiently for her to continue.
"The result of the earthquake was a huge canyon. Then somehow the ocean broke its way into the canyon, and filled it up with water. The result was that a part of the land is now divided from the rest. The Stargate, the DHD and us," she gestured at Teal'c, "were located on this part. The Colonel and Daniel are still on the other side..."
"You mean the Stargate is now located on some kind of island?" the General asked in disbelief.
"Yes, Sir. It is still drifting away from shore by the force of the earthquake and the force of the water. There was at least a distance of 300 yards when we left." Sam shook her head. She still couldn't believe what had happened herself. She remembered how lucky they had been that the Stargate didn't fall down on them.
"What about Colonel O'Neill and Doctor Jackson? Did they survive the earthquake?" Janet asked.
"Yes. Teal'c managed to get radio-contact for a while. Daniel was alright, but the Colonel was trapped under some trees. According to Daniel, the Colonel was out cold. Then we lost contact. Teal'c dove into the water in an attempt to reach the Colonel and Daniel, but the water was freezing cold and he barely made it back. Since there was no way we could reach them, we gated home to get help."
The General didn't waste any more time. He grabbed the phone and dialled. "Lieutenant, this is General Hammond. Find Major Ferreti and send him to the briefing room A.S.A.P.!" He laid down the phone and murmured to himself, "an island... just our luck..."
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Daniel was glad that Sam and Teal'c were walking faster than they were. He was talking with Jack about Sha're, and while he had no secrets about that in front of his other friends, he just liked sharing his thoughts with Jack alone. Somehow he felt that Jack understood him when he was feeling down and his friend always managed to cheer him up with one of his stupid remarks. He was so distracted by his thoughts, that he didn't notice the roots of some trees sticking out of the ground. His right foot slid under them and he tripped. Jack was able to catch him a little and saved him an undignified fall to the ground. 'Stupid, Daniel, real stupid', Daniel thought. "Thanks, Jack," he said, accepting a helping hand to get up. He was trembling all over, thinking it was a reaction until he realised that the world around him was also moving. Daniel suddenly knew that something was wrong, very wrong. "Eh, Jack, do you feel that?"
Jack's instinct already warned him. He felt the trembling of the ground. He immediately scanned the area for a safer place, but found nothing. The shaking increased and the trees around them started to break like toothpicks. "Daniel! Look out! Move!" Jack screamed as some trees fell in Daniel's direction. Jack dove towards him and pushed Daniel away....
Daniel was knocked down hard. His head came in contact with a piece of wood. "Oh my God, Jack!" he thought and then it all went black.
Both men were unaware of the rest of the earthquake. They didn't witness the way the ground split open, creating a huge crevasse along the way, nor the rush of water afterwards, which filled it up. About 10 minutes later, it was all over.
"O'Neill, come in. Daniel Jackson, come in, please," the radio came to life. Daniel woke up with a groan. Men, did his head hurt! He could already feel the bump on his temple. What had hit him? "O'Neill, come in, Daniel Jackson, are you alright?"
Daniel suddenly recognised Teal'c's voice. With that, his memory came back at once and he jumped up. "Jack!" he called out to his friend and immediately dropped on his knees beside him. "Jack, oh my God, Jack, wake up, please." His friend lay on his stomach, covered by two trees. He was breathing, but not responding. Daniel grabbed the radio and frantically felt for a pulse at the same time. He found one. Weak, but steady.
"Teal'c, this is Daniel. I'm OK, but Jack was knocked down by some trees. He is out cold. How are you guys?" he responded to the message. The radio made some funny noises and then went dead. Great. Just great. Now he had no idea if Teal'c had received his answer. He was also worried about Sam Was she alright? 'Please, let them be alright', he thought. Daniel first removed Jack's backpack. The strap was broken and the pack was positioned on Jack's right side. Then he started to lift the first tree off of Jack's legs. It was heavy. 'Come on, Daniel, pull, pull,' he encouraged himself. It cost him a lot of strength, but he managed to remove the first tree from his friend. The second was not as easy though. It wouldn't move an inch, no matter how hard he pulled. Sweat bedded on his forehead and Daniel swept it away with his sleeve. Now what? Think Daniel, think. Lift it, that's it, lift it. Find something to lift it with. Daniel quickly scanned the area. With all this wood around them he should be able to find a piece he could use...
Daniel searched the area and soon found a very solid, thick branch which he could use. He returned to his friend and closely studied the way the tree was covering him. The tree had fallen on Jack, crossing his back from his right side to his left arm. If he would be able to lift it on the left side, which would be the less heavy side, he would have to move the tree over Jack's head, which would be tricky. He studied the roots of the tree. They were not complete loose, so lifting it all the way down Jack's legs was not an option, he figured. Neither was lifting it on the right side. Think, Daniel.... Okay, lift it and put something underneath, then pull Jack away. That has to be it. What do I put underneath? Look around, Daniel... No wait, he dropped by his friend's site and checked his vitals again. Jack was still out cold. Daniel was starting to get real worried. He had no idea of how injured his friend was. He just had to get the damn tree of him, so he could check. He searched for stuff he could use and soon found some huge artifacts, no, wait, just rocks. He carried them over to the tree and positioned everything. Ready? Sure? Don't wanna drop the tree back on Jack, because he forgot something. No, this should do it. He placed the branch on one rock and pushed one end under the tree. 'Please, don't roll away,' he thought, when he started pushing on the other side. Easy, Daniel, easy does it. He didn't notice the sweat that was dripping of his forehead, he just concentrated on his job. There. He was able to lift it just enough to slide a piece of rock under it. Solid. Good. Now reposition the branch. A couple of minutes later he had the tree up as high as he dared to. This should be enough. Jack's shoulder was free, his side not quite yet. He gently tried to push his friend to the left first. He heard a crack and it worked. That's when he saw the blood. No! How come he had not noticed this before? No time to lose. The tree was about to roll of. He grabbed Jack by his shoulders and pulled him forward. Fast. There was no time to be gentle anymore. He managed to pull Jack away just before the tree collapsed back to the ground. That was way too close....
Daniel let go the breath he did not know he was holding. He once again swept his forehead with his sleeve and turned his attention to his friend. He found the source of the blood easily, it was coming from Jack's side. A small branch of the tree must have scratched him. He also noticed the strange form of Jack's left shoulder. His training kicked in. Move the victim in the stable side position. Right. Which side? He could not turn his friend to his left side, because of the visible shoulder-injury. But not to his right side either, or he would not be able to treat the side-wound. Well, he would treat that first. Daniel opened his backpack and grabbed the first aid kit. He quickly rinsed his hands with antiseptic. He shoved Jack's clothes away and flinched at the sight of the wound It was a nasty, huge scratch. He carefully removed all the pieces of wood left in Jack's skin and cleaned it with the antiseptic. After that, he bandaged it the best he could. Then he carefully positioned Jack on his right side. This time, he was rewarded by a deep groan. Jack began to stir. "Easy, Jack. Don't move."
Jack slowly regained consciousness and immediately felt the sharp pain in his left shoulder. He just heard Daniel's voice as he tried to sit up. That was definitely a bad idea. His head started pounding and the pain in his shoulder increased. He quickly lay down again and covered his eyes with his uninjured arm.
"Okay, that hurts. Daniel? What happened?"
"An earthquake, Jack" Daniel responded, while checking his friend for head-injuries. He found a bump on the forehead, but that was about it, thank God.
"Oh, for crying out loud! We are not even on Earth, if my memory is correct. So how could there possibly be an earthquake?"
Daniel looked stunned. "Well, yes, technically you are right, I have never thought of that. So as a matter of speaking, we were caught in a planetquake..."
Now it was Jack's turn to look surprised. But then he smiled. "A planetquake! Great, Danny, only you could come up with that!" He moaned softly while rolling onto his back.
"The trees were falling all over the place and you pushed me away, remember? That's when you were caught under them yourself..." Daniel couldn't help but feeling very, very guilty about that. He should have been the one crushed under those trees, not Jack.
Jack noticed the look in those blue eyes. "Hey, it is not your fault. I'm glad I was able to shove you off. How are you doing?" He had noticed the bump on Daniel's temple.
Daniel touched his temple slightly. "I'm fine, really. Just a minor headache. I think your shoulder is dislocated, though," he added, while checking the misshapen form of Jack's left shoulder.
"Yep. Pretty sure about that. Jeez, Daniel!" Jack flinched when Daniel touched his shoulder.
"Sorry! I just want to make sure nothing is broken. You do have a nice cut on your right side, too, I already bandaged it." Daniel informed his friend, while checking out Jack's ribcage, without touching his right side. "Nothing hurts over here?"
"Nope. Ribs are fine. This has to be my lucky day." Jack quipped.
Daniel finally checked out Jack's legs and was happy to find only some bruising on the calves, where the first tree was positioned. "Well, I better immobilise that shoulder."
"Now wait a minute. Where are Sam and Teal'c?" Jack suddenly got really worried. He mentally kicked himself for not thinking about them earlier.
"They were ahead of us, remember? Teal'c was trying to contact us after the earth... planetquake, but the radio broke down as soon as I answered. Come to think of it, why didn't they come to us?" Daniel panicked. Why hadn't he thought about that before? He should have noticed!
"Something is wrong. Daniel, help me up." Jack already struggled to get up. He could not hide a hiss of pain as he moved his left arm a little. With Daniel's support he got on his feet. He waited for the world to stop spinning and then they started walking over to the Stargate. "What the hell? We were not THAT close to the ocean. Were we?" Jack spotted the water first.
Daniel looked up and his mouth fell open. He scanned the area and soon found the Stargate to the left. "Look at that! The beach is totally gone. So is the Stargate. Incredible!" Daniel stepped into the water to probe possibilities for swimming over to the Stargate, for a minute not thinking about Jack's injured shoulder. He pulled back his leg like he was stung by a bee. "Gee, that almost turned me into an ice cube". Reality struck him. How were they going to reach the Stargate? "We are in trouble" he sighed.
"Ya think?"
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Only 5 minutes after the General had made the phone-call, Major Louis Ferreti entered the briefing room. He did not get the chance to say something.
"At ease, Major. Sit down. We have a situation." The General quickly pointed at the seat on the left side of the table. He waited until the Major had taken his seat and continued: "SG1 was surprised by an earthquake on PX4211. The Stargate was located on a beach and that piece of land is now separated from the rest of the team by a rift. Major Carter and Teal'c were close to the Stargate, so they were able to gate home. Colonel O'Neill and Dr. Jackson are still on the planet. Dr. Jackson seems to be alright, but the Colonel is trapped under trees and may be injured. We have to find a way to get them home".
A stunned Major Ferreti looked over at Major Carter, who nodded at the explanation. She got up and moved over to the whiteboard. She took a pencil and started to draw the situation.
"This is the shore on PX4211, or rather, was the shore. The ocean is over here" she pointed at the left of her drawing. "The Stargate was positioned here," she placed an X on the map. "We first headed north, where we found nothing but trees, then we moved south-east to scan the area. Next we went south-west, like this," she was drawing the route on the map while she spoke,"and headed back north, back to the Stargate." She paused for a moment.
Major Ferreti took this moment to ask the obvious question: "if there was nothing on this planet, how come you were 6 hours overdue?"
The General nodded. That was exactly what he was thinking.
Teal'c explained. "The south was extremely difficult to explore. Many canyons to cross. That is why we were delayed." He bowed his head slightly to the General.
"Thank you, Teal'c." the General responded.
Sam continued: "Right. The last canyon was between us and the Stargate and we had to head back east a little to cross it, so this is where we came from. Teal'c and I were walking maybe ten yards ahead of the Colonel and Daniel. We reached the beach. Then the earthquake started." She marked their position and placed another mark a little more to the south-east. "This was the position of the Colonel and Daniel at that time. There was not much cover for us on the beach. Except for the Stargate, there was nothing threatening to fall on us. When we got up after the shocks we saw the result of the earthquake. The ground had split open, like a huge canyon somewhat like this" she drew an almost vertical line to the right of the stargate. "That's when the rush of water followed. Probably broke into the canyon on the south, here, and filled it up. The force of the water managed to break it's way to the ocean up north, here," Sam pointed on the map. "And that's when we found ourselves drifting off shore...."
The others looked stunned at her drawing. "Wow!" was all Major Ferreti could respond. He scratched the back of his head.
"It was indeed most terrifying." Teal'c stated.
"How big is this newly formed island anyway?" the General asked.
"Approximately 900 square ft, I think. The ground is not very stable, and neither is the Stargate. The waves were already taking small parts off when we left. According to some calculations I made, the island will be washed away by the end of tomorrow. I also don't think the Stargate will be functional until that time. It was very unstable. I think it will fall over."
Everybody realised the implication of the situation. They had to act real fast.
"How about the Colonel and Dr. Jackson?" Major Ferreti asked.
"We had brief radio contact. Daniel Jackson stated he was alright. Some trees crushed Colonel O'Neill. Unfortunately, the radio broke down. We do not know more." Teal'c answered.
"So, what do we need, a raft? A hover?" Major Ferreti changed the conversation to the solution of the problem at hand.
"Is the ground stable enough for something as big as a boat coming through the wormhole?" the General asked.
Sam shrugged her shoulders. "It is a risk, Sir. The DHD is positioned very close to the Stargate and we don't want to knock that down. It will be difficult to get it there, without it being thrown in the water under our noses by the force of the wormhole."
"So we'll hook it to a steel cable." Major Ferreti offered.
"Well, with the position of PX4211 according to Earth, the length of that cable will have to be approximately..." Sam was already calculating.
"Major Carter! I don't think Major Ferreti was serious!" the General interrupted her.
"No Sir, of course not. Sorry, Sir."
"What about a simple inflatable boat?" Teal'c wondered pragmatically.
"Yeah, sure, and what do we do when Murphy strikes and we sink into that fluid freezer?" Sam wanted to know.
Teal'c frowned: "Where would that guy Murphy come from?"
"Can't we use those flying-belt-things?" Major Ferreti suddenly remembered pictures of one person flying with something on his back.
"Yes. You mean a rocket-belt? That could work!" Sam's face lightened up.
"A rocket-bell? I am not familiar with that kind of technology." Teal'c frowned.
Janet and even the General were looking questionably at Sam.
"A rocket-belt, Teal'c. As in belt. You tie it around your waste. It is a kind of small aircraft, which you carry on your back. They are also referred to as jetpacks." Sam explained.
Teal'c lifted another brow. These humans were indeed amazing.
"There are different kinds of jetpacks. The first aircraft was developed at Bell Aerosystems, I believe. It uses a hydrogen perioxide reaction rocket engine, which sends high-pressure steam to the flight nozzles. That's how it can lift a person up. I think it only runs for about 30 seconds. I don't know if that is enough to reach shore. I also remember that different jetpacks have been developed, using jet turbine engines. They should be able to fly for at least ten minutes, 80 miles per hour. That should be enough. The army did some experiments with them. If it is possible to also carry one spare aircraft, two people should be able to fly over and four people can come home." Sam was getting excited.
"Remember, we don't know if the Colonel is injured. He might not be able to fly such a thing." Janet tempered her.
"Teal'c, do you think you can fly this jetpack thing?" the General asked.
Teal'c nodded. "I shall learn fast."
"Okay people, this is the plan. Teal'c and Major Feretti, get yourself a suitable jetpack and learn how to use it A.S.A.P. Major Carter, assist them. If this is possible, I want Teal'c to fly over first and find out if the others can fly the damn thing back. Major Ferreti, you will be standing by, keeping in radio-contact with Teal'c. Major Carter, in the mean time, I need you to figure out which kind of raft is in our back-up plan and prepare it to gate out if necessary. You will also coordinate the whole rescue operation. Any questions?"
"No Sir" the three answered.
"Let's get our men home then. Good luck, people." with that, the General dismissed them.
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Jack and Daniel were silent for a while. Each of them stared at the Stargate, drifted off shore, about 350 yards away, they estimated.
Jack supported his left arm with his right hand. He scanned their surroundings. "Well, this sucks." He muttered. "I don't see Teal'c and Carter anywhere. Do you? Use your binoculars." he ordered Daniel.
Daniel grabbed his binoculars and found the Stargate through them. "The Stargate looks to be intact and the DHD is also there. No sign of Sam and Teal'c though." He looked down shore to the south and than north. "Nope. Can't find them."
Jack sighed. "Okay. We know Teal'c is alright, because he talked to you on the radio. We don't know for sure about Carter. There are a few possibilities. One, they were near the Stargate and they have gated home to get help. Two, they are somewhere up north or south, in who knows what condition, and were not able to reach us yet...."
Daniel nodded. 'God, let them be alright', he thought.
Jack continued: "if they gated home, it would take them about an hour to brief everybody and come up with a plan, another two or three hours at least to gather the right equipment. A boat would be nice, so..." he checked his watch. "How long was I out anyway?" he asked.
Daniel thought for a moment. After the radio went dead, he had been busy moving those stupid trees, how long would that have taken him? "I think about half an hour," he said.
"So it will take at least two hours before we will know whether they have made it or not." Jack calculated. He made his decision easily. "I need you to relocate that shoulder, Daniel".
"Now wait a minute, Jack. Do you think that is wise? Doctor Fraiser is much better in this, you know, so why don't I just...... immobilize it," Daniel argued, not wanting to think about the job Jack wanted him to do. Hell, he had set a couple of broken bones in his lifetime, some memories he did not cherish, but he had no experience with dislocated shoulders and he wasn't about to start building it just now.
"Daniel! Come on. We don't even know for sure if Carter and Teal'c made it home. So if they're not, we have to think of a way getting over there" Jack pointed at the direction of the Stargate with his right arm. "That means we will have to build a raft and I'm gonna need both arms to do that. So let's get this over with. You can do it. Just tug the arm real hard and fast and it will slip back into the socket, okay?" Jack tried to make it sound nice and easy. He knew it was not that simple, but it had to be done, and discouraging Daniel would not help.
Daniel still looked doubtful. He knew Jack was right. If no help was on the way, they would have to find a way out of here on their own. But the idea of tugging that arm just made his stomach turn. 'Okay. Just do it, Daniel. You can do it. Jack needs you to do it. But not without a painkiller,' he thought.
He nodded. "Okay. But first I am going to give you a shot of morphine. And don't argue," he said when he saw Jack was about to protest. "Or I am not gonna do it." He crossed his arms in front of his chest, looking determin at the stubborn Colonel.
Jack shrugged. "Let's go back to our pack's then." He turned around and headed back, with Daniel on his heels.
A couple of minutes later, Jack sat down on the ground against a tree and Daniel approached him with the syringe. This was something he was experienced in, thank God. He gently rubbed the skin of Jack's right arm and inserted the needle. "There. Now we wait a little while," he said, gathering his strength for the next part. 'Leave the sweating to the patient, Daniel, and just get the job done,' he encouraged himself.
Daniel got up. Jack hooked his good arm around the tree. Daniel took Jack's injured arm. He carefully lifted it and flinched in sympathy, as he saw Jack brace himself. "Okay, do I tug this way?"
Jack nodded, his teeth clenched.
Daniel tugged the arm as fast and as hard as he dared. It did not feel good. He didn't even know how it was supposed to feel, but somehow he knew it didn't work. He had failed, damn! Looking at his friend didn't make him feel any better. Jack's eyes were closed and the entire colour seemed to have vanished from his face. He was breathing in short puffs, trying to control the pain.
"I messed up, oh, God, Jack, I 'm sorry..." Daniel stumbled.
"s-okay, just pull a little harder, you can do it," Jack managed to say through clenched teeth. "Again..."
Daniel felt nauseous; did Jack actually want him to try again? Of course he did... The man nodded at him for encouragement. Daniel positioned himself again. This time, he knew better how to tug. He did it again, a little harder and faster than before. Although it had felt better, he knew it wasn't enough. Again no luck. Stupid Daniel, can't you do anything right? He felt sick to his stomach, and feelings of guilt were overwhelming.
Jack looked shockingly pale now and did not respond for a while. Then he opened his eyes and looked at Daniel. "Damnit Danny, come on! You'll have to tug it harder! Can't you just think it is Doc MacKenzie, you're hitting or something?"
This time, Daniel didn't give it a second thought. He was determined to do it right. And fast. For Jack's sake. Resolute, he grabbed the arm again and tugged it in the right direction. He felt it slip back in place, or at least, that's what he thought. Yes! He was just in time to catch Jack, who passed out with a groan and eased him to the ground. Then he hurried away and retched violently behind a tree.
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Sam had managed to reach two companies with jetpacks. A military helicopter was on it's way to pick four of each up, along with somebody to instruct Teal'c and Major Ferreti. Soon they would be on their way back to Cheyenne Mountain. Teal'c and the Major had already packed their equipment and were ready for their practise.
She had also figured out that a rescue-hover was the best alternative she could think of as a back-up plan. The hover she had picked was not too heavy, would fit through the gate and should be able to cross that ocean in no time. They would need to get lucky for the raft to pass the DHD without destroying it though. She was now making the necessary phone-calls to arrange one being transported to the mountain as well. After that was done, she would get the MALP ready to gate to PX4211 first, to scan the area, just to be sure.
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Daniel was finally done retching. Now THAT was something he wished he would never ever have to do again. He grabbed a piece of cloth, moved over to the shore, and washed his face. Did that cold water ever feel good. He sighed heavily.
He went back and kneeled beside his friend. Jack was still unconscious and Daniel did not like the paleness of his face. He checked for a pulse. A little fast, but that was to be expected. Daniel inspected the shoulder. It looked better, the misshape was gone. Nice job. Too bad it took him so long to get it done. Jack must really hate him by now. Now what? Ice. He needed to put ice on it. Well, Daniel, get a grip, there is no ice around here. Okay. He grabbed another piece of cloth and wedded it in the cold water. There. That's all he could do. He wrapped it as best as he could around the damaged shoulder. Now he needed a sling. He found something in his backpack he could use. He folded it in a triangle and carefully placed it on Jack's left arm. He tied it around his neck, with the knot on the right shoulder. Nice and steady. That should do it.
When he placed his hand on Jack's forehead, he cursed. A fever. Damn! How was that possible? Wait a minute, the scratch on his side, it was probably getting infected. Just what they needed. He checked the bandage. The bleeding had stopped, but he could see the angry red signs of infection. There was nothing more he could do, however. He poured some more antiseptics on the wound and rebound it.
What next? Jack had said something about building a raft. Yes, that's it. They would need a raft to get back to the Stargate. So don't disappoint him, Daniel, get to work. He could start by gathering the right wood, that's a good idea. After carefully positioning Jack on his right side again, Daniel started to collect wood he thought they could use.
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The first helicopter arrived at Cheyenne Mountain with 4 rocket belts of the type RB2000. The instructor who came along, immediately began to teach Major Ferreti and Teal'c how to use it. This particular aircraft was indeed powered by a hydrogen perioxide rocket engine.The hydrogen perioxide reacts to samarium nitrate, which creates an extremely high and hot pressure steam to the flight nozzles. The instructor told them the aircraft could fly for 30 seconds at a speed of 60 miles per hour. It is controlled by two hand controls, and both men had no real problem using them. They were impressed by the very loud sound of it, though, and Teal'c was worried about the side effects to the Stargate's stability. He would have to discuss that with Major Carter.
The next helicopter arrived only 20 minutes later. With it an instructor and 4 flying jetpacks, powered by a 2-cylinder engine. This aircraft didn't use steam, it used premium unleaded gasoline instead. It had a maximum speed of 50 miles per hour and could carry 3 gallons of fuel. It was controlled by shifting body weight. It was not difficult to control, but it was heavy to carry, even for someone as strong as Teal'c.
After practising both types of aircrafts, they discussed their experiences with Major Carter. Given the situation on PX4211, they decided it was best to use the flying jetpack with the engine.
Another 20 minutes later, Major Ferreti and Teal'c were ready. The MALP had already been sent through the Stargate and had reported no changes in the situation. After all chevrons were locked, the wormhole established and Major Ferreti, Teal'c and 4 flying jetpacks disappeared.
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Jack woke up with a groan. His shoulder ached unmercifully. What had hit him? Oh, right. Trees. Falling trees. Falling on him. Daniel. Relocating his shoulder. A couple of times. Geez... Did it work? Jack rolled on his back and briefly touched his shoulder with his right hand. Felt alright, so the kid did it! Good job, Danny-boy...
Now he should be able to use his arm within about.... 24 hours. Right. He did not have that long. He sighed heavily. Was he getting too old for this?
Jack sat up and was immediately greeted by a worried Daniel.
"Hey, Jack, how are you feeling?"
"Peachy, Daniel, just peachy." Jack gave him this I-feel-like-shit-but-I'm-not-telling-you look. "You did it, nice job!" he stated, his right hand still on his left shoulder.
"Guess so... " Daniel looked down, ashamed. "Sorry..."
"What for?" Jack looked up, surprised.
"I should have been able to do that at once. It must have hurt, I'm sorry, Jack" Daniel still didn't look up.
"For crying out loud, Danny, look at me! You don't have to be sorry for anything! I'm glad that you did it, I know you are no medic. Besides, the last time a medic relocated my shoulder, it took him four times...."
This time, Daniel looked up, shocked. "You mean this has happened to you before? Oh, my...." He couldn't believe that Jack actually had experienced this before.
"Forget about it, Daniel. Let's worry about other things." Jack got up and looked at the wood Daniel had been collecting. "This is good. We will need a lot of those trees, this size is perfect." Jack put his foot on one of them. "Let's find some more, okay?"
With his right hand, he placed his cap backwards on his head and motioned Daniel to follow him.
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Major Ferreti and Teal'c stepped out of the wormhole. They were barely able to stop the jetpacks from falling into the ocean. They immediately scanned the area around the stargate.
"The ground is still remaining." Teal'c stated. He figured only small parts of land were lost the last couple of hours. Teal'c grabbed his radio and tried to make contact with Colonel O'Neill and Daniel Jackson. It didn't work. "Their radio does not function. I will use this machine to reach the other side." With that remark he started to get ready. He was able to lift the heavy aircraft on his back by himself and wrapped the jetpack around his waist and secured it.
Major Louis Ferreti took the time to send a message through the wormhole. "No radio contact established. Teal'c will fly over within five minutes. Major Ferreti, out."
Teal'c lifted the second aircraft on the Major's back. The Major carefully wrapped his own jetpack around his waist. After that, he assisted Teal'c in connecting the spare jetpack. Teal'c did the same with him.
"Jetpack correctly secured to the body, check. Fuel handle open, check. The second pack wrapped safely, check. Radio works, check. I think you are all set, Teal'c. Ready to rock'n-roll?"
Teal'c looked at him in surprise, but before he could say anything, the Major added: "fly Teal'c, I meant fly. It was just a matter of speaking".
Teal'c nodded. Of course it was. Those humans were all the same. "I am ready. I suggest you step aside."
"Yes, Teal'c, I will. Good luck!" Major Ferreti put his thumb up in the air and backed away.
Teal'c started the engine. It made a lot of noise and Major Ferreti looked scared at the ground. It was shaking, but everything miraculously stayed in place. He was definitely glad, they decided to use this jetpack. The other one made much more noise and would have been dangerous to use in this situation. The flight nozzles slowly started to turn and were speeding soon. With an enormous sound and a lot off dust under it, Teal'c was lifted straight up. The Major sighed heavily when Teal'c was safely airborne. Now he just had to wait for a radio message from Teal'c. The Major was ready to fly over too. He followed Teal'c with his eyes and watched him approach the other side.
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Daniel and Jack had been able to collect enough trees to make a raft. Although Daniel had tried to do the heaviest work, Jack had been using his left arm more than he should. His face was beaded with sweat and he was breathing heavily. Daniel had more than once tried to convince Jack to rest, but the stubborn Colonel had not given in.
Daniel gathered all the rope they had with them. Now came the difficult job of tying the trees together. He didn't exactly know how to do that and it would be almost impossible for Jack to do. He looked worriedly at Jack. The man was in obvious pain, but wasn't about to give up. He couldn't hide a hiss of pain though, as he tried to show Daniel how to make the knots.
"Easy, Jack, rest for a minute." Daniel tried again and offered his friend a canteen of water.
Jack wiped his face with his right sleeve and gratefully accepted the canteen of water. He took some of it and handed it back to Daniel.
"If Sam and Teal'c made it, they should be here any time now." Jack said after a glance at his watch. He was worried. What if they had not made it? Where were they? If Sam and Teal'c were not able to reach them, how was he supposed to find them? Hell, he couldn't even fix the raft with one arm, so how was he supposed to row? His side was hindering his movements too, although he was not about to admit that.
Daniel sipped some water. He noticed the worried look on his friend's face. Well, he was worried too. He sighed. Then suddenly he heard the noise of what could be an engine. He looked over his shoulder, but didn't see anything yet. He got to his feet and reached over to give Jack a hand. Together, they moved towards the ocean.
Daniel had his binoculars out in no time. He found his target and soon he recognised Teal'c. His mouth fell wide open. Cool!
Jack didn't have binoculars, but it didn't took him long to see what, or rather who was up there in the sky.
"Look Buzz, an alien!" he quipped.
Daniel gave him a filthy look.
"What the heck is that?" Daniel almost couldn't believe his eyes, as they watched Teal'c fly closer and closer.
"I don't care." Jack said. "As long as it gives us a ride home." He turned around and started to walk in the direction where Teal'c was heading.
By this time, Teal'c had spotted them and found a safe place to land. He did so, like a professional and turned the engine off. It took a little while for the nozzles to slow down and Teal'c waited patiently. He was removing the jetpack from his back when Jack and Daniel reached him.
"O'Neill, Daniel Jackson. I am pleased to have found you." Teal'c slightly bowed his head.
"Teal'c! Glad you made it! Is Carter alright?" Jack looked at him.
Teal'c nodded. "She is. We gated home to get help. Major Ferreti is assisting us."
Teal'c took stock of the situation. He had already noticed the sling around the Colonel's neck, and the stiffness in his movements. Teal'c also noticed the paleness of his face and the feverish patches of colour that burned over his cheekbones.
"I see you are injured, O'Neill. How do you feel?" he inquired.
Jack waved him off. "Fine. Dislocated shoulder. Daniel relocated it. Nothing to worry about. Let's get home..."
Daniel moved to get a better look at the aircraft. "Wow! What is that?"
"This is called a rocket belt. We were supposed to use them to get back to the Stargate." Teal'c started.
"A rocket belt! I know the army experienced with them, but I have never seen one for real!" Jack was starting to get excited.
"It is also very heavy to carry. You will not be able to fly this thing, O'Neill. I believe we will have to go for plan B" Teal'c pointed at the Colonel's shoulder.
"I can do that..."
Teal'c shook his head resolutely. "No. Not with a dislocated shoulder. Not even you. Believe me." Teal'c reached for his things to fetch the radio, when suddenly the ground started shaking again.
"Aftershock!" Daniel yelled as he frantically scanned the area for trees, which were about to fall. There was NO way he would let another tree hit Jack. No way.
This time, they were lucky, though. No trees collapsed around them. The shaking lasted for about two minutes, then it was all over. They all were silent for a moment.
The radio broke that silence. Major Ferreti's voice came through, and it was obvious, that he was controlling his voice. "Teal'c, come in! Did you feel that? Come in, please. The ground is getting very unstable here!"
Teal'c answered quickly. "We are unharmed, Major Ferreti. Unfortunately the Colonel can not fly the aircraft. He is suffering from a dislocated shoulder. "
"Copy that, Teal'c. I will notify Major Carter. You guys be patient. We will get you another ride. We will have to hurry. I don't think this little Bounty island will last very long! Ferreti out!"
Jack had heard the surpressed panic in the Major's voice. "How big is that little piece of land the Stargate is on, anyway?" he asked Teal'c.
"It was about 900 square ft. But the waves are taking parts. Major Carter believes it will vanish within 20 hours. Aftershocks might speed that up."
"Oh, well, that is so reassuring." Daniel sighed. He looked over his shoulder to the Stargate, as if he was afraid it would vanish in front of his eyes.
Jack made his decision easily. "You have a second rocket belt, right?" When Teal'c nodded, he continued. "Then I want you to teach Daniel how to fly A.S.A.P. and get out of here." He was not about to risk the lives of his team on this unstable planet any longer than necessary.
Daniel stood straight. Determination was shown on his face and he crossed his arms in front of his chest. "NO WAY, Jack. Forget it. I am not leaving you behind. No, no, NO! We will find another way. Let's finish that raft."
Teal'c frowned. "I understand that you also gambled for two horses. A wise precaution."
Jack didn't even correct the expression. He was frustrated he could not fly home. Now his team was risking their lives because of him. He clutched at his shoulder and groaned.
"Put your arm back in that sling. Jack, you should not use it yet!" Daniel approached him to help, but Jack would not let him.
"Dammit Daniel! I rather get home with a messed up shoulder than stay here!" Jack couldn't hide his anger. But when he saw the worried look on Daniel's face, he already regretted his outburst. "Oh, for crying out loud, Danny. I'm sorry. I just don't want you guys to have to spent the rest of your lives on this stupid planet because of me."
Blue eyes met brown for a moment. "It is NOT your fault. We will get out of here. Sam will think of something. In the meantime, let's finish that raft, just to be sure, okay?" Daniel spoke softly. He gently took Jack by his good arm and guided him back to where they were building the raft. Teal'c remained silent and followed them.
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Major Ferreti was not happy. He took the jetpack off, because it was hindering his movements. He knew Teal'c was right, no one could fly this thing with a dislocated shoulder. He could imagine the frustration of the Colonel all too well. Hell, he was frustrated too! The aftershock had scared him more then he was about to admit. Several pieces of land were lost during that event and the Stargate had been trembling dangerously. He was afraid the huge ring would tip over. They had to get out of here, and fast.
The Major approached the DHD and dialled home. He caught his breath as the wormhole appeared, but luckily the Stargate stayed in place. He soon send his message through.
"This is Major Ferreti. Teal'c has located Colonel O'Neill and Doctor Jackson. The Colonel has a dislocated shoulder and can't fly the jetpack. We need the hover and we need it fast. There has been an aftershock and the ground underneath me is very unstable. I repeat: very unstable. Please, hurry. Major Ferreti out."
Now he just had to wait. He started to imagine how the hover would come through the stargate. He figured the remaining land, about 20 square feet, was still big enough for them to catch it. The DHD was safe, yet. It should work. It would work. It just had to.
The End
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