Outlet
By Biltong
*What's the worst that can happen when a faulty electricity outlet malfunctions in the SGC canteen??
Captain Peter MacKay was not a happy camper.
Okay, he had a justifiable reason, like the car wouldn’t start, meaning he had been late for work, but still, Colonel O’Neill had no real right to chew him out from such a dizzy height.
Okay so maybe he did, him being a Colonel and all, but still, just because Petey-boy was ten minutes late in opening the canteen wasn’t a national disaster.
Not in his book anyhow.
On the other hand, a stuffed coffee urn was.
" Anything?"
Technical Sergeant first class Sarah Wallace shook her head sadly and peered dubiously at the mass of sticky wires protruding from behind the urn.
" Sorry sir, nothing yet." She sat back on her haunches, her face uncertain. " I think I can fix it, but it’s gonna take at least an hour or so."
She was amused to see the rotund MacKay walk in a small agitated circle.
" But what if the Colonel returns and wants coffee? What do I do then?"
She sighed deeply, tugging gently at mysterious wires, wondering just what they were connected to.
" I suggest you make him instant, sir."
==========================================================================
" I really don’t like this," grumbled Colonel Jack O’Neill, adjusting his dress collar for the umpteenth time. " I mean, it’s not that I don’t like the Connorians, I do, especially Chief Shamus, but why do they have to insist that SG1 finalize the treaty, huh? We have SG Diplomatic for things like that, you know."
" Because you managed to drink him under the table the last time you met," Daniel said patiently, combing his still damp hair in the locker room mirror. " They consider that quite an honor as you very well recall."
" No I don’t," Jack said petulantly. " The only thing I recall is the weekend I spent in the infirmary afterwards, trying to recover."
That is the reason why Janet has pumped you full of those alcohol inhibiting drugs," Carter said, adjusting her short navy skirt with a grimace.
" They make me nauseous," Jack moaned, shakily making his way towards the door. " I never thought I’d be saying this, but I really could do with one of those beers about now, just to help me stay on my feet."
" O’Neill, are you in need of assistance?" asked the deep voice of Teal’c. He reached out a leather-clad arm and grasped his friend under the arm.
" Ah, no thanks Teal’c," Jack said carefully extracting himself from Teal’c’s firm grip and made his way into the corridor under his own steam. " You stick to your job, which is staying by Major Carter’s side at all times. Let us men handle ourselves, okay?"
The large Jaffa bowed slightly in agreement, prompting an unladylike snort from Carter.
" I can handle myself you know, sir."
Jack nodded, looking green. " I’m sure you can, but breaking a Connorians arm whilst on a diplomatic mission doesn’t sit well with me, if you know what I mean. On the other hand, if the arm just happens to be broken by a Jaffa in full get-up, well, that’s nothing to do with Earth and therefore okay."
Sam sighed, acknowledging the wisdom of his words. " Yes sir," she said quietly as he led them towards the elevator.
" Do we have time for some coffee before we leave?" Daniel asked plaintively. " Surely we have enough time?"
Jack sighed as the elevator pinged. " I’m sure we do Danny, It’s just that I draw the line at sitting in rickety plastic chairs in a full canteen dressed in Air Force blues."
He smiled at his crestfallen companion, well aware of his addiction. " However," he said, " I have ordered some to be ready and waiting for us in the briefing room." He shrugged nonchalantly at Daniel’s smile. " I need to go over the treaty one last time anyway."
==========================================================================
General George Hammond was in the control room when he heard the clatter of his premier team making themselves comfortable in the room upstairs.
Feeling like a parent, he stealthily made his way up the iron stairs, just to check everything was in order.
Peering over the top stair he espied SG1 gathered around the large table and nodded, happy. They were as he expected them to be.
A neat Daniel had his nose buried in a cup of coffee, Teal’c was staring down patiently at the inert stargate, and Major Carter was curled up in one of the large chairs, watching her C.O. closely.
The C.O. in question was oblivious to her scrutiny. Jack was totally immersed in the treaty, his face expressionless.
That too was expected.
Despite his grumbling and occasional insubordination, Colonel Jack O’Neill was a very good second for a General to have, making George Hammond feel assured that the treaty would be signed with minimal fuss. The problem was afterwards, when the Connorians expected him to join in the celebrations. He still quite vividly remembered the first time when SG1 visited FG9 XL9. When the planet’s inhabitants had discovered that Jack was from the ‘old planet’, with a surname of O’Neill to boot, they had insisted he stay and have a drink with them, as a courtesy. Of course, Jack had accepted with pleasure. What he hadn’t realized was that protocol demanded that every person in the family buy him a beer, and Chief Shamus had a very large extended family.
Eventually, after over what she insisted was six hours of solid drinking, Major Carter had taken it upon herself to remove the rest of SG1 and herself back through the Stargate and declare a medical emergency.
Colonel O’Neill was paralytically drunk and was in need of urgent medical help.
General Hammond smiled to himself as he climbed the last couple of steps into the briefing room. The Jack O’Neill standing before him today was a far cry from the abusive, drunken man that SG3 had extracted from Connor’s Planet that day.
It had taken over 48 hours for Dr Janet Fraiser even allowed anybody to visit him, so critically ill had he become. And now they were asking him to go again.
" Ready to go Colonel?" he asked lightly.
Jack shook his head, his face serious. " No sir, but as you insist...." He suddenly cracked a smile.
" Just don’t ever tell anyone that I wanted to turn down a free drink."
General Hammond smiled in return; glad to see some of the old Jack O’Neill humor back. " And you with an Irish surname as well? Shame on you for not appreciating good booze," he said, ushering SG1 down to the gateroom floor.
" The booze I appreciate," Jack replied. " It’s just that I usually draw the line at beer number six."
Hammond laughed and slapped him on the shoulder. " Never mind, Teal’c and Daniel have strict instructions to scrape you up and bring you back after four hours, so get the treaty signed as soon as possible, okay?"
He was pleased to see a look of relief on his seconds face. It was always nice when he could do something for the man.
" Yessir. Thankyou sir. You’re all…"
Just then the lights flickered slightly, making them frown.
" What in tarnation?" General Hammond glared up at the control booth.
" Simmons?"
They all saw a plainly baffled Sergeant Simmons shake his head. " It wasn’t us sir," his tinny voice said. " Everything here seems to be okay." He hesitated, " Would you like us to check things out more thoroughly sir?"
" That will delay the treaty signing," Jack O’Neill murmured quietly, locking eyes with his superior. " They might just take our lateness to be an insult. Can we afford that?"
He raised an enquiring eyebrow, patiently waiting for a command decision.
========================================================================
Sergeant Wallace sat back on her haunches and wiped the sweat out of her eyes.
" Sorry about that sir," she said quietly.
A pasty faced Captain MacKay was back to walking in small circles, but now he was sweating profusely.
" Christ girl, you almost had the entire base in darkness." He glared at her. " For a moment there I thought I could kiss my career goodbye."
She shook her head, sending her ponytail flying. " Nah sir, but I am beginning to think that the problem may not be the urn at all, but the electricity outlet."
MacKay nodded weakly, not understanding a word and also not caring.
" So deal with it. I want my urn fixed by lunch time, okay?"
Wallace shot him a dubious look. " I’ll try the urn one more time sir, but if it is indeed the outlet, then I’ll have to call in Sergeant Siler because something like that is way beyond my qualifications."
MacKay was beginning to get his equilibrium back, and with it his mean streak.
" Fix it now Wallace, and that’s an order."
==========================================================================
A couple of floors below them, the SGC’s two most senior officers were staring at each other.
" We go."
Jack nodded gravely to General Hammond. " Yes sir."
Hammond looked up at the distant figures in the control room. " Sergeant Simmons, dial in FG9 XL9 please."
The small figure nodded. " Yessir," it replied.
The massive gate immediately began to spin.
They all watched the Stargate as it spun, marveling anew at the ancient technology that went into making such a strange and dangerous wonder, then General Hammond patted Jack on the shoulder and made his way back towards the assembled Special Forces guards.
" Bring me back a beer Colonel," he joked.
" If I’m sober you’ll get a six-pack," O’Neill replied with a smile.
" Chevron six encoded…"
Suddenly there was another dip in power, and a low frequency buzzing could be heard.
" Simmons," Hammond snapped, glaring up at the hapless man.
He shook his head helplessly. " Dunno sir. Everything still checks out okay…chevron seven locked and ready."
Three things happened simultaneously. The stargate locked, the wormhole established and the base came back on full power.
" Well", Jack O’Neill turned to General Hammond. " Hopefully you find the power culprit, but in the meantime I have a dose of liver poisoning to attend to, so if you will excuse me and my team?"
" Go ahead," Hammond said with a grin, ushering them towards the blue event horizon.
=========================================================================
Way afterwards, when Colonel Jack O’Neill could rationally reflect on what happened next, he equated the experience like being hit by a car.
" Dannyyy…"
Jack had no idea what was happening. All he knew was that he was literally being tossed head over heels along what seemed like a beach by a furious wind and rain. Desperately he tried to halt his progress, his fingers futilely clawing into the muddy ground, his eyes tight shut against the pain of what seemed like a million pieces of sand and other objects all assaulting his body at once
Again he tried to contact his team, trying desperately to peer through the purple darkness.
" Carter." For a moment he thought he heard her scream his name, but it was probably the banshee-like wind that seemed to accompany him on his painful bruising journey.
Desperately he tried to position his body, long ago memories of what to do when jumps went wrong immediately springing to mind, but it was no good. The wind was too furious, too strong, rolling him helplessly along towards God knows where.
" This is not happening," he screamed.
But of course it was. Desperately he twisted his body, trying to see what lay ahead, already planning and discarding options. He was still planning what to do when his unsuspecting body was slammed face first against something solid.
=========================================================================
" Oh man." His voice was blubbery, immediately telling Jack that something was wrong, despite the absence of pain. Slowly he cracked open an eye, to stare at a brilliant sky with fine tendrils of white fluffy cloud high in the atmosphere. For some reason the other eye wouldn’t open, making him probe at it vaguely with a trembling hand, wiping at the sticky blood that gummed it shut. He was lying at the base what looked like a huge rock of some sort, which was thankfully sheltering him from the blinding sunshine.
Carefully he reached into his vest pocket, reaching for his radio, not even sure why he was doing so, just that it was very important to call…someone.
He stared dumbly at the smashed components that lay in his hand for some time before his sluggish brain finally put two and two together and got a shaky four.
" Daaaannnnnyyy."
He had intended for his voice to be deep and powerful, but all that came out was a breathless squeak that was muffled by the towering rock.
Okay. That meant he had to get to his feet and go and find them. Piece of cake.
==========================================================================
" Colonel?" He felt something wet being wiped over his face, soothing the deep ache.
" Sir, can you hear me?"
" Carter?" His voice sounded groggy, but it did the job.
" Sir, can you open your eyes for me?"
That was a hard thing to ask of him, but he tried valiantly, eventually seeing a blurred face that just had to be Sam Carter.
" I think I have concussion," he said carefully, trying to reach forwards and touch her and failing miserably.
" I’m not surprised. You should see your face," a voice said from somewhere else, making him breathe a sigh of relief.
" Daniel. Is Teal’c here as well? Is he okay?"
Strong arms lifted him up and propped him back against something, answering his question way before his voice did.
" We are all well O’Neill, although perplexed as to our final destination."
" So am I Teal’c, so am I," he whispered.
Samantha Carter carefully sponged away some more blood from Colonel O’Neill’s battered face, noticing that he had closed his eyes again. That was not a good sign.
" Hey. Colonel, stay with me." When he slowly opened his eyes she gently tucked her jacket around him.
" Well, wherever this is, it’s certainly not Conner’s planet, not unless they removed all the trees and gave us a severe storm, right sir?" she said lightly, deliberately including him into the conversation. She traded worried glances with Daniel and Teal’c when he failed to answer.
Compared to the Colonel they had been lucky. The storm had been intense, sending them all tumbling along the beach like skittles, until they had been blown into what seemed to be a natural depression in the bedrock. There they had lain for hours, sheltering from the wind and worried sick about O’Neill. When the wind finally died down their worst fears were realized. He had been blown straight into a massive outcropping of what looked like sandstone and now lay in a crumpled heap at its base.
" Sir?" She gently nudged him awake. " Come sir, we need to get you home."
For a moment he didn’t answer, staring vaguely up at the brilliant blur sky, and then said one word.
" Hurricane."
" Sir?"
" Hurricane." His voice had a dreamy sing-sing voice that set her teeth on edge.
" Hurricane. I’ve seen this before. Been through this before. Andrew in Florida. Was on holiday in Miami. Tried to help. Stupid. Luckily I was Air Force. They flew me to Virginia, set the bones there."
" Ouch" , Daniel said sympathetically, looking up at the sky with an apprehensive expression.
For a moment O’Neill’s eyes seemed to sharpen. " Yes. Ouch. I estimate half an hour, maybe less, then it hits from the other side. It really depends how big it is." He looked at Daniel. " Danny, get us home. The Connorians are gonna be pissed if we don’t show up."
Daniel looked down at his friend in exasperation.
" Jack, the Connorians are gonna have to do without you, believe me."
There he lay, his face looking like raw hamburger meat, nose broken, face smashed in, and he was still worrying about the treaty? Daniel stripped off his own suede jacket when he saw Jack shiver, and added it to Sam’s contribution, hoping that it would keep his injured friend warm.
" Jack, I’m going to go and find the Gate now. You just rest, okay?"
He was disturbed when Jack didn’t answer.
" Sam?"
She shook her head. " I’ll try and wake him, but I think he’s unconscious. She looked up at Daniel helplessly. "I think he might have a fractured skull."
" Oh wonderful," Daniel said, sarcastically. " Just what he ordered…not."
He sighed deeply and rose to his feet. " Okay, Teal’c and I will go and find the gate like he ordered." He hesitated. " Are…will you be okay?"
Sam smiled grimly, staring down at the Colonel. Bless him for worrying.
" Daniel, I’ll be fine with him. Just get us home, just in case the Colonel’s right about the weather." They all stared put towards the horizon where a solid layer of cloud had gathered.
" I believe that O’Neill is correct in his observation," Teal’c said slowly. " I have witnessed such winds before." He hesitated, " Even the Gou’ald run from such furies."
He rose to his feet. " Come Daniel Jackson, we must summon help immediately."
==========================================================================
General Hammond was getting worried. The four-hour curfew had come and gone two hours ago, and still there was no sign of SG1. Knowing that Teal’c would obey his orders even if he had to physically drag the Colonel home made things even more worrying, and called for drastic action.
He turned to Lieutenant Davis. " Davis, get SG2 here immediately."
==========================================================================
SG2 under Major Louis Ferretti were ready to go ten minutes later, receiving their last minute instructions from General Hammond.
" Diplomacy Major, that’s what I ask for. Tell Chief Shamus that unfortunately Colonel O’Neill is urgently needed our side, and get their sorry carcasses back here as soon as feasible, okay?"
The short Major nodded, his face serious as the wormhole to Connor’s planet snapped open. " Yessir, you can count on us."
Hammond nodded, satisfied, then a thought occurred. " And no drinking, Y’hear?"
The men of SG2 nodded, chagrin on their faces.
==========================================================================
Ten minutes later SG2’s ID was received, making General Hammond smile.
When a worried looking SG2 returned, alone, his smile faded.
==========================================================================
" Teal’c, what do we do now," Daniel asked furiously. " Dear God, can’t we ever get a break?"
He sat bonelessly on the sand staring at the distant waves, and in particular the top part of the stargate that the waves were smashing against. After a moment’s contemplation, the tall Jaffa sat next to his despondent friend.
" The waves are high due to the Son’thara, DoctorJackson."
Daniel nodded in agreement. " The fury, yes, a good name for this." He stared at Teal’c hopelessly. " And even if we could somehow dial home, the sheer volume of water returning with us would instantly crush whoever was waiting for us in the gateroom."
" Indeed," Teal’c answered. " We have no choice but to survive the other side of the Son’thara and hope that the water levels recede thereafter, thus allowing us to return."
Daniel nodded, getting to his feet and brushing himself off.
" Sam is gonna be really upset."
" Indeed."
=========================================================================
" Colonel?"
Jack could hear the anxiety in her voice as she spoke to him and wondered why. Surely if he was warm and comfortable so were his team? He sighed slightly as something cool was dabbed onto his face, allowing his mind to drift.
" Sam?"
Carter jerked her head up as Daniel and Teal’c arrived in a shower of sand. She was sitting against the side of the rock, dressed in nothing but her blouse and sensible military issue panties, with Colonel O’Neill lying between her legs, his head leaning back against her breasts. It would have been an extremely erotic situation of it wasn’t for the hideous injuries on O’Neill’s face, and the slackness of his body.
" How is he?" Daniel asked.
Sam gently dabbed at Jacks face again with what remained of her navy skirt.
" Still the same," she said softly. " I’m trying to reduce the swelling around his eyes. I’m just thankful that this pool of water next to us hasn’t completely evaporated." After a moments hesitation she asked the question she had been dreading.
" Why are you still here?"
" The gate is under water," Daniel sighed, sinking down next to her. " Teal’c thinks that it is situated on an island that the high tide has flooded." He shook his head sorrowfully. " Even if we could dive down and activate the DHD, there is no way…"
"No," she interrupted. " We’re going to have to stay here until the storm has passed and the water recedes."
" Too dangerous." The voice was weak and groggy, but definitely Colonel O’Neill’s.
" Jack. Hey, how are you feeling?"
Jack stared up at the people surrounding him, vaguely wondering which was which.
" Danny?"
A warm hand took his. " Jack." The question was repeated. "How are you feeling?"
" Like crap." He tried to smile and hissed in pain. A cool cloth was instantly applied to his face.
" Don’t try to smile sir, please. You smashed into rather large rock, doing a lot of damage."
Slowly Jack felt his face, feeling the distinct give of a broken nose. Strangely the rest of his flesh felt numb, probably due to the icy water that Carter was constantly dribbling onto his face. Water. Shit, the hurricane.
"Guys, who’s coming to help?"
Their momentary hesitation made his heart sink.
" Guys?"
It was Teal’c who answered. " O’Neill, the gate is underwater. The Son’thara, the hurricane has made the waters rise. Do you wish for me to venture inland and seek help?"
For some strange reason Jack’s vision was nowhere as sharp as it had been the first time he awoke, which should have worried him if he didn’t have far more pressing things on his mind, like how to survive. He didn’t need sharp vision to confirm what he had already seen, the same light tendrils of cirrus cloud he had seen once before in his career, as a Major based in Miami. That time the signs had been the pre-curser to Hurricane Andrew, one of the most destructive storms he had ever seen in his life.
He had vowed never to go through such terror again, yet here he was. Hopefully it wouldn’t be so bad this time, seeing as they had hit the tail end of part one.
" Teal’c. There is no time," he said quietly. "The hurricane is returning. Can you feel it?"
They could. The air pressure had dropped; making their ears hurt, the sky had suddenly darkened, and a soft warm wind was beginning to blow. It was also beginning to spit with rain.
" What do we do?" the hidden Carter asked.
" We dig in, and pray." He took a deep breath, trying to remember the sequence of those terrible events from long ago.
" The rain will come first, like it is doing now. It’s soft at first, but it gets harder as the wind starts to blow. After a while the rain is joined by ice, making it almost impossible to breathe. Indeed, the water kills more people than the actual hurricane itself. After a while the wind reaches maximum intensity, tearing loose anything and everything in its path. Eventually the world becomes a dark wet hell that can even tear up roadways and demolish bridges. From then on it gets better, but for a lot of people it’s way too late."
He sank back with a gasp, waiting for their comments.
" O’Neill, we survived the fury in a opening in the ground, a hole capable of sheltering us all. We must proceed there again."
Jack blinked. " Okay, let’s go."
He felt himself being lifted up like he was a child; someone supporting his head, and then was carried smoothly towards somewhere else. The rain had started in earnest now, a solid shower that seemed cool on his body, and moistened his parched lips. After a while Teal’c smooth rocking motion sent him to sleep.
Five minutes later Teal’c gently lay his charge down in their new shelter, paying careful attention to his head as Major Carter had done when he had first picked him up, aware that O’Neill had no symbiont to heal him. A moment later Major Carter and Doctor Jackson joined him.
He turned to the blonde woman, struggling to hide his anxiety.
" He sleeps again."
She was immediately at O’Neill’s side, lifting up his eyelids and staring into his eyes.
" We need to get him home as quickly as we can," she said, her voice tight.
Daniel was immediately by her side. " Sam, what’s wrong?"
She shook her head slowly. " I’m not too sure, but I notice that the Colonel’s one pupil is wider than the other." She shrugged helplessly, grateful when Daniel put his arm round her. " It’s almost as if he is focusing on two different objects, one close at hand, and the other far in the distance."
Daniel hugged her, feeling her shiver in the cool rain. " Any ideas?"
She smiled ruefully, looking magnificent in her almost transparent nakedness. The rain had turned her white military issue blouse transparent, her bra clearly visible, and that, along with the brief military issue panties was rapidly turning her into a military issue pinup. Daniel shook his head, castigating himself for thinking of his close friend in that way. It wasn’t as if they could do anything about it either. Both their Jackets were covering Jack, who was still shuddering in the cold despite them.
He was aware that she hadn’t answered, her face soft in the rain as she looked down at Jack." Sam?"
" No ideas besides getting him back to Janet as soon as possible."
" Then that’s what we’ll do," He said determinedly.
=========================================================================
The control room above the gate room was a hive of activity, all being overseen by one furious General. So far he already had two people in lock up, and everyone knew that if one of them screwed up now, even slightly, General Hammond was liable to have the MP’s take them away as well.
Something had happened to the SGC’s premier team, sending them God knows where, that’s even if they were sent anywhere at all. Maybe it was a random address, with no stargate at the other side to rematerialize their atoms, or maybe the planet didn’t have a breathable atmosphere. There had to be some reason why SG1 hadn’t returned home as yet.
" Simmons, anything yet?"
Sergeant Simmons shook his head miserably. He was taking what had happened personally, and consequently was working furiously at the keyboard, despite the fact that his shift had ended hours ago. He traded a look with Lieutenant Davies who also shook his head slowly.
" Sorry sir. The computer states categorically that we sent them to FG9 XL9." He hesitated. " Is there perhaps a chance they did actually did go there and the Connorian’s are maybe lying to us sir?"
General Hammond glared both his technicians for a moment before cooling down enough to answer. It was after all, an intelligent question.
" No. It is a pretty small planet, with very few places to hide. Besides that, the Connorian’s have no reason to lie to us." He sighed, a deep sound of hopelessness. " No gentlemen, whatever happened to SG1 was the fault of one Captain MacKay, and by default, ours." He patted Simmons on a shoulder; well aware of the stress he was under.
" Let’s just make sure we get them back in one piece, okay?"
==========================================================================
If the people of SG1 were able to watch what was happening to their beach with impunity, they would have been fascinated by the sheer magnificence that was nature at her most furious.
Slowly, by degrees, the wind and rain started to strengthen. It took just ten minutes to turn what had been a gentle wind-borne drizzle onto a shrieking maelstrom of debris consisting of anything Mother Nature could feed it. Leaves, sand, and other unidentifiable objects were soon joined by larger objects as the wind steadily strengthened. Trees, their bark long stripped away, flew past their shelter, along with large stones torn from the earth, and even hapless animals that happened to be caught out in the open. They all were flung towards infinity by a ferocious storm that seemed to come from hell itself. Just as it looked as if things couldn’t get any worse, the air was suddenly full of hailstones the size of golf balls that immediately stripped away any stubborn vegetation that still held on, adding their contribution to the tempest.
Yet still the wind gained in strength, until the very air moaned, the ice suddenly giving way to more rain, not the benign rain usually found most places in the universe, but a furious, spiteful, horizontal deluge that immediately flooded the ground, turning everything into a teeming cesspool of torn and dead things that the wind had somehow not yet managed to claim.
If the people of SG1 were in any way able to watch what was happening to their beach with impunity, they would have been horrified to feel the very air thrum with a power beyond anything ever experienced by mortal man, the combination of insane wind and rain churning the sky, turning the world pitch black, despite it being the middle of the day.
Unfortunately for the people of SG1, they couldn’t watch with impunity. To do so would have meant instant death. All they could do was cower in their hole and pray that the amount of water rushing in wouldn’t drown them.
=========================================================================
Daniel had never ever in his life been so scared. Sure, he had been caught in sand storms before, in Egypt and especially in Abydos, but they were nothing compared to this. This was nature at her most raw, a screaming bedlam of noise and wind that howled above their heads and tried to literally suck them out of their natural shelter.
He huddled desperately against one wall, aware that he had Sam’s hand in a death grip, at loath to let her go. As long as he could feel her he knew she was safe. He turned his head, neck aching at the tremendous amount of energy needed to do something as simple as that, and dimly saw Teal’c lying on Jack, preventing his limp body from being snatched away.
He winced as what seemed like an entire tree thudded down besides them before again being snatched out of sight. If that had been seven inches to the right…
Carefully he wormed his way towards Sam, in turn pulling her towards him until they were cuddled together, two orphans waiting for the storm to finally abate.
Over four hours later according to the fancy waterproof military issue watch that Jack insisted he have, the wind slowly began to die down as it had done once before on this accursed planet. Unfortunately, the rain didn’t abate. With an absence of wind it just became a torrential downpour, chilling them to the bone and doing something that luckily the hurricane hadn’t done, flood their shelter.
They had been dressed for a diplomatic mission, and consequently had nothing with them to protect them from the elements. They had no food, no clean water, no rain gear, and most importantly, no first aid box, something Sam dearly wished she had.
Not that she could have done much for the Colonel even if she had one, Janet having long ago drummed into her head the importance of never giving anything to a patient with a head wound, but for the rest of them, a little Tylenol would do wonders for the spiking headaches she was sure they all had.
" Damn, I never ever want to go through something like that again." Daniel’s voice could clearly be heard, despite the drumming rain, making her smile.
" I agree," she yelled to him, " but we survived, which is the main thing."
He gave her a relieved grin. " So you say," he chided cheerfully. " But did my hair? I bet you it’s gone gray."
She shorted and gave his rear a shove, helping him out of their muddy hole. " Don’t worry Daniel, the brown dye is holding up nicely," she joked.
He extended a hand to her, contriving to look offended. " Hey, you should talk. You … Jesus H Christ."
His powerful arm soon had Sam looking at what had already stunned Daniel.
Destruction.
The beach they knew was gone, as if it had never existed. In its place someone had put down a rocky outlet of naked brown stone with an occasional sandy pool. Mixed with the rain that still hissed down were unidentifiable chopped up bits of greenery that defied closer examination.
It was a place of absolute desolation, a sight never imagined in ones worst nightmare.
To cap the absolute destruction, an angry green sea boomed and hissed against the stone as if getting a head start on the millennia needed to replace all that sand.
" Where did everything go?" Daniel asked in a whisper.
" Thataway," she answered, jerking her thumb over her shoulder, feeling proud of her O’Neill answer for two seconds before remembering why he couldn’t answer himself.
" Major Carter." She jumped when Teal’c called her name and spun around guiltily.
" Sorry Teal’c," she said, helping him carefully pull Colonel O’Neill’s inert form from their muddy home.
" It’s just…" She gestured mutely to all the destruction around them, making him nod.
" I understand," he said, laying the Colonel down on a flat patch of ground and standing over him protectively. Somehow he still managed to look dignified in his Jaffa uniform despite his liberal coating of mud. " The destruction seems total, nevertheless, we must urgently seek out shelter for O’Neill as a matter of course." He gave her a dark look. " I would like to reconnoiter our surrounding area and look for such shelter."
Sam nodded.
" Be careful Teal’c." Despite being a formidable soldier, he didn’t have his staff weapon, Colonel O’Neill having insisted that he leave it behind on their mission to Conner’s planet.
The tall man simply nodded and melted into the rain.
" Daniel?"
He was at her side immediately.
" Help me move the Colonel towards the rocks again. If we’re lucky we can find some shelter from the rain there."
They spent a miserable three hours waiting for Teal’c to return. Luckily Jack’s rock, as they had come to know it, was set at an angle, allowing them and their charge to find shelter from the rain. Unfortunately they could do nothing about the mud, which clung to them like sticky glue. Nor could they do anything about Colonel O’Neill’s tremors that became more and more pronounced as the day wore on.
They were all soaked to the bone, miserable and tired, and as long as the sea continued to be so rough, they were unable to go home.
Or were they?
" Daniel," Sam said slowly. " You say the gate has two thirds of it under the waves. Right?"
He looked at her cautiously. " The last time I looked yes, and the sea is still way too rough for us to dial home."
" Yes." She was quiet for a moment, prompting Daniel to look at her curiously.
" Sam?"
" I’m just thinking Daniel," she said slowly. " I’m wondering what would happen if we opened the gate briefly, say for five seconds, and then shut it again."
" The gateroom would be flooded," he said seriously.
Her eyes were clear blue, her face serene. " No it wouldn’t." She tapped him gently on the shoulder.
" Think for a moment Daniel. Think about the procedure followed for an unknown incoming wormhole."
Daniel was silent for a moment, his brain whirring.
" The computer states that there is an incoming wormhole. When no ID is received, General Hammond shuts the iris."
" Damn," he said, staring at her. " He closes the iris."
She nodded animatedly. " Now, I’m not stating this categorically, but with a little luck General Hammond will figure that it’s us and send a MALP through."
They were still staring at each other with large grins on their faces when Teal’c returned, looking somber with no good news.
" There is no sign of life within at least a days march of here." He looked down at the comatose O’Neill.
" He has not awoken?"
Sam shook her head, adjusting the jackets covering his form. " No, and I have a feeling he never will again, not unless we can get him back to Janet as quickly as possible."
Rapidly she outlined her plan to the Jaffa, who listened patiently.
" Could we not send SG1’s signal through, thus allowing General Hammond to know for certain it is us trapped here?" he asked when she was finished.
She shook her head. " No. He wouldn’t close the iris, and although the stargate isn’t completely submerged our side, enough water would cascade through to the SGC to do considerable damage." She sighed, lightly brushing the matted hair away from Colonel O’Neill’s face. " I know that it is a considerable risk, hoping that General Hammond realizes that the unknown wormhole is us, but I see no real alternative."
Teal’c nodded gravely. " Nor I." He straightened, catching Daniel Jackson’s eye. " We will proceed to the stargate at once."
They immediately trotted off, leaving her alone once more with their injured commander.
" Oh Jack, why do all the bad things always have to happen to you?" she murmured quietly, lightly sponging his face again. The hours without treatment had not been kind to him. His face was a mass of bruising in which his eyes had completely disappeared in puffy folds of skin, despite her repeated ministrations of icy water. Despite his appearance, she knew that the wounds on his face were superficial and would heal quickly. She was more worried about an area just above his right ear. The area felt soft to the touch and had bled considerably. That, she felt, was the danger area, not his face. She didn’t know all that much about medicine, not like Janet did, but she was pretty certain that there was bleeding on the brain, which would probably result in his…dilated pupils.
He was also beginning to run a fever, which was to be expected.
" Hang in there Jack, okay?"
She took one of his slack hands in hers, lightly rubbing it, as if trying to waken him, and shut her eyes.
========================================================================
Teal’c and Daniel were back at the stargate. The water hadn’t changed in depth, despite it being quite a few hours later than when they had first seen it. If anything, it looked deeper, the wave rougher than before, and somewhere deep below in the churning water was the DHD.
Teal’c’s voice was steady. " I will go, Daniel Jackson. I have more of a chance of surviving than you do."
Daniel was already shaking his head. " Do you know how to deactivate a wormhole after only five seconds?" When Teal’c was silent he smiled grimly. " Well I do, thanks to Sam."
He stared at the cauldron of water rushing back and forwards through the ring with a thoughtful expression on his face. " Five seconds. A hell of a lot of water will be sucked through in five seconds, and me with it if I don’t watch out." He turned to Teal’c. " I suggest we both dive down to the DHD, me to activate the gate and you to anchor me down."
The large man nodded gravely in agreement and started removing his leather outer garments.
========================================================================
" Nothing?"
Lieutenant Davies shook his head silently at the despondent General. " Sorry sir," he said, " but as far as I can tell SG1 were sent to FG9 XL9, Connor’s Planet." He shrugged helplessly at the computer. " Obviously they weren’t, the power outrage did something and sent them somewhere else, but the computer doesn’t know it." His voice was soft. " And without an accurate address, I can’t retrieve them."
General Hammond groaned and walked around in a small circle. " Until we know for certain what happened we dare not send anybody offworld, which is driving the joint chiefs mad."
He rapped on a monitor, trying not to let his exhaustion show. " Okay, keep trying, use your best computer people and find the problem."
Davies nodded, trading another look with the exhausted Sergeant Simmons. " We will do sir, he said softly, it’s just that our best computer person is Major Carter sir."
General Hammond nodded in understanding and made to speak.
He was drowned out by the strident gateroom klaxons. " Off world activation, incoming wormhole."
Davies was all business. " Off world activation sir, no ID."
General Hammond straightened. " Close the iris", he yelled. Immediately the solid titanium petals of the iris slid into place, effectively sealing the Tau’ri base off from the rest of the world.
For a moment there was silence, then an almighty crash was felt, then silence once more reigned supreme.
Hammond frowned. Gould activity? Surely not, they all knew that the earth stargate was protected. No, it had to be something else, like…
" Lieutenant, where did that wormhole originate from?" he asked quietly.
Davies frowned at his screen. " It has no designation yet sir, but I have the address."
Hammond smiled. " Good. Dial it up and send through a MALP."
========================================================================
" Oh boy that was close."
Daniel lay on his back in the sand, staring up at the slate gray sky, panting hard. " Thanks Teal’c."
An equally as exhausted Teal’c was collapsed next to him, his breathing already under control thanks to his symbiont. " It was my pleasure Daniel Jackson. Had I lost you, Colonel O’Neill would have been annoyed."
Daniel just nodded.
It had been a near thing. The DHD had been easy to spot, despite the murky water, the glyphs standing out eerily in the seawater. It had then taken two trips to the surface for more lungfuls of air before Daniel was happy that he had the designation for planet they were on. Then it was easy. Dial home, allow wormhole to form, reach to base of DHD, remove crystal and deactivate wormhole.
In theory.
The reality was a different matter. The minute he had dialed in the last glyph for earth, three tons of seawater immediately started to be sucked through the hole, along with a hapless Daniel Jackson. Thank God for Teal’c. He had immediately realized what was happening and had held onto his legs, allowing him to remove the crystal and shut the wormhole with a snap. He had then dragged his near drowned friend to shore.
" Now we wait, Daniel Jackson." Teal’c asked.
Daniel nodded, struggling into a sitting position. " Now we wait."
They were still sat silently together on the beach ten minutes later when the MALP popped into view.
==========================================================================
" Headache."
Nobody seemed to be listening to him, so Jack cleared his throat and tried again.
" Head ache." He was rewarded with the clack-clack sound of a very distinctive pair of heels.
" Colonel," Dr Janet Fraiser said, " welcome back." He felt a straw being pushed between his lips and drank greedily.
" I am never going to drink again," he said forcefully, trying to see her through a strangely numb face.
She laughed softly and brushed his hair back from his forehead, freeing some strands caught under the white bandages he obviously had no idea he was sporting.
" You weren’t on Connor’s planet," she said, looking up as the rest of SG1 trouped in. " Do you remember the hurricane?"
He attempted to frown, his eyes dark in his swollen face. " Vaguely." His eyes shifted to Sam Carter. " I remember wind. You holding me, telling me to hang on."
Sam smiled at him, keeping his eyes off of Janet as she injected something into his IV. " And there I thought you were unconscious," she said, " which just goes to show…"
" That coma patients do hear you," Janet finished for her, smiling down at her newest patient. " Mark my words, you were in a deep coma." She looked down seriously at him. " You can thank your lucky stars that you have such an intelligent team. If it hadn’t been for their quick thinking and decisive action you would have died on that planet."
Jack smiled slightly, a slight movement of his lips that nevertheless spoke volumes. " They’ve been saving my life since Abydos, all those years ago. I guess it’s become habit forming."
He stared up at his team for a moment, allowing them to see how serious he had become. " Thanks guys, once again." Again he smiled when they all shifted uncomfortably.
Then his eyes fluttered shut as the drugs took hold.
*Einde*
Beta tested by CiGiK