"Colonel!" Carter shouted. She saw the top of the Stargate dip away from her view and then a loud boom that reminded her of the explosion from before. The sound reverberated throughout the temple. Carter could feel its vibrations along her spine and her legs. A cloud of dust rose up and floated above the rubble piles into her view.
And then, it was silent.
"Colonel!" Carter shouted again. She grabbed on to the edge of the stone slab in front of her and tried once more to pull herself out. Carter gasped at the pain and her hands jerked free from its grip on the edge. Her head dropped back on the cold floor and she lay there panting as she struggled to not pass out.
The Stargate's fall had resounded all throughout the temple and Carter could hear the temple shake once more in response. It sounded so painfully loud, so heavy and so final.
"Colonel!"
The man Nasuz had dispatched returned with an object wrapped tightly in cloths. He gave it to Nasuz while looking at Teal'c as if surprised that the Jaafa was still here. Then he slipped back into the crowd as another faceless bystander.
"Jaafa." Nasuz called to Teal'c. "You said you wish for our aid, the former slaves of your masters. We want proof of your changed allegiances."
"Whatever it is you wish for me to do, if it is within my power, I will do it." Teal'c responded immediately.
Nasuz looked at Teal'c steadily. Then, with a deliberate hand, Nasuz removed the cloths that were wrapped around the brought object. Silver webbing, shaped of a glove with a yellow gem nestled in its palm was revealed. Teal'c stared at it without any emotion. He remembered seeing something similar before, but he couldn't remember where.
"It is within your power, Jaafa." Nasuz said slowly as he wiped the gem with the covering cloths, "It is a question on whether or not it is within your desire."
When the boom rang loud, announcing the Stargate's crash to the ground, Jack had thought he was dead. The colonel's back tensed as it waited for the hard stone to snap his back and possibly crushing him. His hands were ready to push Daniel away if Jack could not bear the weight to protect him. But the boom came and not the pain that should have followed.
Jack looked up and stared at the Stargate that was now flat on the ground.
The Stargate...missed him.
The Stargate missed him by only mere inches. Jack was staring at its thin stone edge just a few inches away from him and Daniel's head.
The Stargate missed him.
Jack wanted to laugh all of the sudden. It was like one of those damn movies where the barn wall falls and the hapless intended victim escapes by standing where the window would be when the wall fell.
Scratch that. Jack didn't want to laugh anymore. He felt like he was going to throw up.
"I'm so damn lucky." Jack muttered angrily to himself as he checked Daniel's pulse again. "While everyone else around me suffers."
"Colonel!" Carter screamed out once more.
"Ca-" Jack swallowed. His throat was so dry from the dust that had flew up after the Stargate fell. He hadn't heard her the first time and he barely heard her now. His ears were still ringing.
"Oh god-" Carter's voice broke as she thought the worst. Jack thought he heard quiet sobbing.
Jack grabbed a stone and threw it across until it landed near her.
The stone bounced lightly and the sobbing seemed to have stopped.
"S-sir?" Carter sniffed. Her voice became clearer. "Sir? Is that you?"
"Y-yeah." Jack rasped. Carter didn't hear him. He coughed as the dust choked him.
"Are you okay?" Carter called out, hearing the cough.
"Yeah." Jack said a little louder. "Throat...throat a little sore from the dust. Couldn't answer the first time." Jack paused and then added, "Sorry, Carter."
"Glad you're okay, sir." Carter just said in a relieved voice, ignoring his apology. "Were you near the Stargate when it fell?"
Jack stared at the Stargate edge in front of him and swallowed. "Yeah...yeah, I was...near."
Carter was silent as she read in between the lines of what Jack said. "How's the Stargate, sir?"
"Big." Jack answered dryly.
Choked laughter as Carter corrected herself. "No, I mean, is the Stargate okay? Is it intact?"
"Pretty much. I can see the cracks. They're not deep, not all the way through." Jack sighed. What did he know of the Stargate anyway?
"Then it may still work." Carter said hopefully.
"Maybe." Jack got up, staggering a little as he steadied himself. "Hang on. We're going to try and get on over there again. No more Stargates from the sky to worry about."
Carter just laughed softly. Suddenly she felt like everything was going to be okay. "Nothing to worry about, sir."
Nasuz fingered the glove and looked at Teal'c, who suddenly realized what the object was. Teal'c stiffened as the elder approached.
"See? He is lying? He fears it. He will not agree." one of them cried out when they saw Teal'c's reaction.
"The Jaafa is a liar. He is no friend to them. The golden haired one was forced to lie. They were his slaves!"
"Silence!" Nasuz demanded. The crowds stilled and waited for their elder to speak. "Jaafa, do you know what this is?"
"Yes."
"If I ask you to," Nasuz said softly. "would you agree?"
"Would you help my friends then?" Teal'c asked quietly.
"You have my word as their elder." Nasuz put on the glove. The gem glowed slightly with the contact of a living being. "So you are in agreement?"
Teal'c looked at Nasuz, not saying a word. The crowds are stunned that Teal'c would so readily agree.
"To prove your changed allegiances, you would allow me to remove your god's gift that gives you your life?" Nasuz pointed to Teal'c's stomach where the Go'uald parasite lay within a fold inside him.
Teal'c stood there, looking at the gloved hand. Slowly, he released his grip on his staff weapon. The crowd flinched as the staff dropped to the ground with a loud clang.
"I am in agreement." Teal'c said softly as he kneeled down before Nasuz so that the elder may begin.
"Took you long enough." Carter greeted the colonel in a weary voice as she saw the shadow of the colonel looming over her finally. She turned her head and gasped as she got her first good look at the colonel.
"Sorry," Jack panted as he slowly pulled the stretcher besides him, a few feet away from Carter. He plopped down and lay one hand on Daniel's chest. "But the traffic really sucked." Jack saw Carter's pale face frowning at him. "What?"
"You look like shit, sir." Carter murmured, taking in the bloody uniform, the torn pants that revealed the cuts on his leg and the bruise on his forehead.
"Flattery will get you nowhere, Carter." Jack retorted as he studied Carter. "You look like hell, yourself."
"Always the charmer, sir." Carter replied back. "How's Daniel?"
"Still out." Jack said shortly, his hand still on Daniel's chest.
"Probably for the best, sir." Carter whispered as she turned her head slightly so she could see a little better.
"Probably." Jack glanced down at Daniel, his hand remaining on Daniel's chest for some reason. Carter could see the worry behind the colonel's eyes. "Got any ideas about the Stargate, Carter?"
"We could still activate it with it lying down." Carter whispered; her eyes glued to Jack. "We just need a power-"
"Power source, I know." Jack interrupted. "Benjamin Franklin thing again?" Jack pointed to the sky with his free hand.
"Yeah, sir." Carter chuckled. "Benjamin Franklin thing again." She eyed the light flashing on the walls. "We would need a conductor of some sort to make a link from a rod to the Stargate."
"We could use the pieces of the probe." Jack murmured. Carter nodded her agreement. "But it may not reach high enough for the lightning."
"I'm sure we can find stuff for that, sir." Carter said as her eyes drifted to Daniel. The unspoken question was, whether or not they could find everything they need in time.
"He's going to make it." Jack suddenly said. "He's made it so far."
Suddenly, Daniel moaned. Jack looked at the younger man worriedly. He took in a sharp breath when he began to realize that Daniel was trying to wake up.
The gem glowed yellow, then into gold. Nasuz closed his eyes, trying to remember what he had seen from the Jaafas before they had left this planet. The gem pulsated, then steadied into a beam of golden fire.
Teal'c kneeled before him unflinching as the gem drew closer to him. As the first finger of light came near his abdomen, Teal'c sucked in his breath in a sharp hiss. The beam was stirring up the Go'uald larvae inside him. It never spoke to him vocally or mentally. It was too young for that. But now, Teal'c could feel it's pain as it writhe within him, causing his stomach muscles to clench, his back to curve until he drew into a hunched position.
The crowds hissed as they accused him of breaking his agreement and Teal'c realized that the beam now played over his back. The pain was gone.
"Do you wish me to continue, Jaafa?" Nasuz asked quietly, waiting for Teal'c to respond. He did not motion anyone to straighten him out. The elder waited for Teal'c to make that decision. "I may cease if that is your wish."
"Will you help my friends then?"
"No. We may not."
"Then continue if that must be the way." Teal'c straightened up slowly, willing his back to stiffen, his shoulders back and his eyes staring right at the elder. It was this way Teal'c watched the gem approach once more and the explosion of pain began.
"Daniel." Jack tried to still Daniel as he slowly regained consciousness. "Daniel, just lie back, okay? Don't- just rest, don't try to open-" Jack's voice trailed off as he saw Daniel's face tightened with pain as he slowly returned to awareness. The colonel wished Daniel had remained under. He knew the pain would be hard to bear. It would have been easier if-
Daniel moaned as the first shock of pain alerted to him of his injuries. Jack cursed, gingerly placing his hands on Daniel's shoulders to keep him down as the younger man writhe in pain.
"Daniel." Carter whispered; turning her eyes away as it became unbearable for her to watch. However, Carter could still hear the moans from Daniel, the hushed reassurances from Jack, and the damned wind that kept insisting on blowing against the unstable temple.
"Easy, Danny. Carter and I are right here." Carter could hear Jack murmuring to Daniel. She couldn't bring herself to turn around again to look. She relied on her hearing once more to tell her what was going on.
The soft moans of pain gradually eased to raspy breathing as Jack continued to talk to Daniel. Carter could imagine the colonel stroking Daniel's hair while telling the younger man that everything would be all right. She closed her eyes and just listened to those soothing words, pretending that Jack was telling that to her.
She needed him to tell her everything was going to be all right.
"Carter?" Jack asked her. A soft shuffle told Carter that Jack must have placed Daniel down again. The younger man was quiet now.
"Is he okay, sir?"
"He's sleeping again." Jack said and then became quiet. "Damn."
"Not good." Carter stated, not really asking.
"Should have checked to make sure the Stargate was stable." Jack cursed again. Daniel responded with a moan as if sensing his friend was upset.
Carter's eyes flew open in surprise. "How would you have known, sir?" Carter turned her head slightly to look at Jack. The colonel was slouched over besides Daniel, one hand over the man's chest again. The other arm was propped up on top of his knee and the hand covering Jack's eyes, hiding them from Carter's view.
"Daniel said that two of the symbols-"
"I didn't even realize something was wrong and I spent the last two years before SG-1 on the Stargate." Carter told Jack. "Of all people, I should have realized something was wrong." Carter turned away and looked at the ceiling. "If there was to be any blame, you could put it on me, instead, sir."
"I don't blame you, Carter." Jack said tiredly.
"And I know Daniel doesn't blame you." Carter added softly.
Jack was silent as he lowered his hand from his eyes. Carter tried not to flinch at the sight of his bleak eyes.
"Ja'k?"
Carter nearly yelped as she heard a pained whisper coming out of Daniel. She could see the colonel staring at Daniel in shock.
"Daniel. Danny." Jack leaned closer to hear him better. "Just go back to sleep."
"Hu...hurts."
"I know." Jack's eyes darkened with guilt. "I know. I'm sorry. Christ, Danny, I really am sorry. Just lie still and rest, okay?"
"S-sam?"
"Over here, Daniel." Carter spoke up, trying to keep her voice cheerful and free of pain. Jack threw her a grateful look.
"'k?"
"She's okay, Danny." Jack raised an eyebrow at her. Carter nodded and gave thumbs up. Jack nodded, his eyes looking at her with concern, as he continued. "We're just sitting here waiting for Teal'c to dial us home."
"'K, Ja'k?"
"Just swell, Danny. Just swell." Jack said stiffly.
"The..." Daniel's eyes were shut tightly as the pain returned with his awareness. "The...Stargate, Ja'k."
"It's okay. We're just getting ready to leave. Just go to sleep." Jack shrugged off his jacket, wincing at what the movement had cost him and draped it over Daniel. The younger man muttered something, but Jack couldn't hear him. Jack leaned closer to hear.
"L-liar." Daniel whispered. He winced and began to open his eyes.
"Keep them closed, Danny." Jack placed a hand gingerly over the eyes. They were beginning to swell. They were puffy red against Daniel's pale skin.
"Stargate...an...ex...explosion." Daniel whispered. He tried to move a hand to get Jack's hand out of the way. Daniel gasped as his shoulder screamed in protest.
"Had to bind it up. Don't move. Just keep your eyes closed and lie still." Jack sighed in exasperation when Daniel tried to shift his head from Jack's hand so he could open his eyes.
"Wha' wrong wi' eyes, Ja'k?" Daniel whispered as he realized that Jack was determined not to let him open them.
"Nothing, Daniel." Carter said quickly, wincing as her legs reminded her again of her situation. "The colonel just-"
"They look pretty bad, Daniel." Jack interrupted quietly, ignoring Carter's warning look. "Some scratches and bruising."
Daniel swallowed, licking his lips nervously as he thought of what Jack said. "...Blind?"
"I don't know, Danny." Jack admitted quietly.
"Might...s...'ell...find out...now." Daniel whispered, trying once more to move away from Jack's hand. "'et me open...Ja'k."
Jack looked at Carter, who nodded her head. He reluctantly pulled his hand away.
"Okay, Danny. First sight of pain and you close them again, you hear?"
"'K." Daniel winced as he made his first attempt. Jack had washed some of the cuts surrounding his eyes but blood had still clotted around them. Jack was almost tempted to change his mind and tell Daniel to keep them closed.
The younger scientist scrunched his eyes for a moment and then slowly opened them.
Teal'c remembered when he gave up his Go'uald larvae to his son, so that his son may live. The sensation of utter pain as the larvae left him was endurable. But the emptiness that followed after its departure had left him feeling very vulnerable and very strange. It was like nothing he had ever felt before. In the many years he was Jaafa, Teal'c had always felt in control, in balance, and secure. Despite how he had hated the larvae that was placed within him when he was a child; which labeled him as Jaafa and slave to Apophis as much as the golden tattoo on his forehead did, Teal'c had accepted the larvae as his necessity to live.
Teal'c had accepted the larvae as part of himself.
And now, the same strange feeling had returned.
Teal'c had not been afraid when they had confronted his former lord Apophis on the NOX planet. He had not been afraid when the DHD on the Tantalus planet had fell to the ocean below, rendering their only way to dial home impossible. Teal'c had not been afraid when he was put on trial at Cor-ai and was threatened to be put to death.
But this....
As Teal'c felt the larvae writhe once again, he remembered that feeling of emptiness and knew that soon he would die. He would never see his wife and son again. Mentally, Teal'c wished he could see his son once last time, to explain the choice he was making right now, but then he remembered that his old master Bra'tak would be watching over his son.
He would understand. There was no need for explanations.
The emptiness was coming again. Teal'c could felt the larvae departing his pouch, being pulled forcefully by the beam of the yellow gem nestled within Nasuz's palm. As the last of the tendrils that held the larvae in place tear, Teal'c felt the last of his strength ebb away with it.
The larvae was out and Teal'c was freed from his burden.
But now Teal'c was dying.
"Daniel?" Jack asked quietly as the younger man opened his eyes fully.
Daniel blinked, biting back a moan at the pain it elicited. He took a deep breath. Then he did moan as the sharp pain in his chest doubled.
"Daniel?" Carter called out worriedly.
When the man didn't immediately answer, Jack leaned forward to Daniel. The younger man lay there with his eyes opened pupils unmoving. Jack felt a chill as the thought of the worst came to him. "Daniel." Jack touched Daniel's good shoulder lightly, ready with his lines of assurances again.
Daniel turned his head slightly towards Jack and smiled weakly. He blinked slowly and then nodded.
"You...look like hell, Ja'k."
"Well, shit!" Jack grinned as he realized Daniel was looking at him with clarity. Daniel smiled wider now as he saw Jack's shadowed eyes visibly lighten. Then he turned to where he had heard Carter and his smile faded.
"Sam!" Daniel cried out as he saw the stone slab on top of her. "Are you 'k?"
"Just fine, Daniel." Carter grinned tiredly as she gave him a weak wave. "Just lying around and letting the colonel do all the work."
"Where's..." Daniel coughed. "Where's Teal'c?" Daniel repeated. He groaned and tried to shift around more comfortably. Jack placed his hand on Daniel's shoulder again to stop him.
"Lie still." Jack frowned as Daniel didn't argue and just nodded. "Teal'c went to get help for Carter."
"Why..." Daniel paused a moment. He looked at Jack's face and realized that the worry that lined the colonel's face was not just for him and Carter. He turned his head slightly and realized that he didn't see the top of the Stargate, as he should have. "Oh."
"It's intact, Daniel." Carter reassured him, "We just need to power it up since the explosion-"
"DHD doesn't work anymore, Daniel." Jack spoke up abruptly.
"I see." Daniel just said. He felt so tired, everything hurt and his mind was fuzzy on what the two were saying to him. "Bad?"
"Just having a bad day, Danny." Jack's hand rested on top of Daniel's hair. "Don't worry about it, Daniel."
"What..." Daniel struggled to stay awake. "What happened...ex'ctly, Ja'k?"
The two soldiers exchanged worried looks above Daniel's head.
"You don't remember?" Carter asked cautiously.
"Just...Ja'k asking me to...redial." Daniel murmured, not seeing Jack's eyes darken with the memory. Suddenly Daniel cried out as pain racked his body. Jack tried to keep Daniel down but the younger man convulsed in pain. Carter called out Daniel's name helplessly. What seemed like a long time, but couldn't have been more than a few seconds, Daniel shuddered and grew still.
"Daniel?" Jack whispered, reaching out a hand to check Daniel's pulse.
The lightning flashed, revealing the pale almost peaceful like face of the scientist. But before Jack could check, the temple rumbled louder than before.
"Colonel!" Carter cried out as the ceiling above and around them began to bend inwards.
Jack could have sworn things were already bad enough, but apparently some higher power didn't agree.
As the ceiling cracked into spidery lines all around them, the rumbling that had been occurring before now escalated to a roar that drowned out Jack's angry shouts. As the colonel tried to drag Daniel closer to Carter and cover them both, the temple shook. Jack could see Carter shouting, but he couldn't hear what she was saying. He spared a concerned glance down to Daniel, but had no chance to check his vitals when the ground suddenly...vanished.
At least, that was what that felt like to Jack as he felt the ground drop from under his feet.
Jack didn't have time to shout as he fell into darkness. He felt his fingers, in his shock, loosen his grip on Daniel. It was probably for the best because Jack might have dragged Daniel down into what seemed like an endless drop. Jack tried to grab on to something, but his fingers just scraped harshly on rough rock as he fell. Before his head made contact with the ground, he could have sworn he heard Carter shouting but when the pain came, it no longer mattered.
The pain that took over Teal'c's senses faded just a bit, enough for the Jaafa to be aware of shouting. Vaguely, he wondered if the villagers had decided to take advantage of his weakness and kill him here right now. But then the gem was pulled back and Teal'c, to his surprise, felt strong hands supporting his back as they lowered him to the ground.
Someone was saying something, but for the moment, Teal'c couldn't hear anything except for the blood rushing up to his ears. Then he felt a hand on his abdomen and he tensed. A moment passed and suddenly he felt the Go'uald larvae slipping back inside him!
As the familiar feeling of occupation returned, Teal'c felt his strength increasing slowly. He opened his eyes and found himself surrounded by Nasuz and a few of his men.
"I-" Teal'c managed to say. "I do not understand."
"We are convinced, Jaafa." Nasuz said as one of the men helped Teal'c up, "Of your allegiances now. You were willing to release your gift from your god, in order to save those your gods once enslaved."
"They are my friends." Teal'c said slowly as he tried to stand. To his dismay, his knees wobbled as they sought stability.
Nasuz saw this and bowed his head slightly in regret. "I am sorry for that pain. We had to be sure. We had tasted freedom only a generation ago. We do not wish to be tricked into returning to slavery again."
"What had happened to your people before?"
"The screaming of light was too strong. Constantly it struck the gods' doorway, killing many of their kind and mine. We fought during one of those strikes and they decided we were not worth the trouble and...left." Nasuz tilted his head towards the sky thoughtfully. "I had often wondered if they would return or if the screams of light would be enough to keep them away."
Teal'c nodded. He suddenly remembered the bright light that flashed before the loud explosion. "I believe this is what has happened when we tried to depart from here. I saw a great light before the Stargate room exploded. I do not know if it will work any longer." Teal'c turned to face the direction where the temple lay ahead. "My friends are injured. They are in great need of assistance."
"The doorway may still work." Nasuz said. He pulled the glove off his hand and handed it over to Teal'c. "I had seen the gods use this to repair the doorway. It can take energy and give out energy. I had seen the gods use it to heal crystal."
Teal'c nodded, remembering the ruined crystal conduits. "This may help us return home then."
"We will come with you, Jaafa." Nasuz told him solemnly. "We know now of one Jaafa who does not enslave. It is a sign that we must help."
"My thanks to you." Teal'c said. He cocked his eyebrow at the elder, who did the same in return. "Then this was a ...test?"
"No, had you reacted differently or denied us in taking your gift, we would have attacked and take it from you anyway to prevent your report to your gods." Nasuz motioned to some of the villagers to come with him to the temple.
"Ah!" Teal'c nodded, remembering what Jack had called it. "Then it was a ...bluff."
"Bluff?" Nasuz echoed as an eyebrow went up again at the unfamiliar term.
"An Earth saying to my understanding." Teal'c tried to explain, even though he didn't really understand it himself.
The elder nodded wisely. "You have learned much from these humans?"
"I had been told I was making...progress. Yes, I believe I had learned much." Teal'c retrieved his staff weapon from one of the men and started to leave with some of the men following. "I would like the opportunity to learn more."
When the temple began to rain debris around her, Carter thought at first all was lost. She saw Jack pulling Daniel closer to her with the intentions of covering them both. But then he abruptly dropped out of her sight. Shocked, it took Carter a moment to realize that the ground gave way under Jack.
"Colonel!" Carter screamed as she reached out her hands helplessly in some desperate hope that she would be able to reach out and catch him before he fell. It was, of course, no good since she was pinned, but that reason now didn't seem good enough to explain her failure to save him.
Carter wanted to curse the temple, curse the lightning, anything at this point. She pulled once more in hopes of getting free but all it brought her was screams from the back of her throat as the pain erupted again.
Then, the slab that was imprisoning her cracked.
Carter stared in disbelief as she felt the stone shifted painfully on top of her legs. With a bit of hope returning, she pulled and felt herself moved a bit.
"Come on, come on, Sam." Carter muttered to herself as she tried once more. She pulled once more and her legs were freed a few more inches. Carter turned around frantically, looking for something to lift the slab a bit for more room. She spied Daniel lying a few feet away from her. The younger man moaned, a sound Carter never thought she would be glad to hear, and then he opened his eyes blearily.
"Daniel!" Carter shouted, stretching out her hand but unable to reach him.
"S-sam?"
"Daniel, I need your help." Carter said anxiously as she cast a worried look around the temple and the gaping holes that it now had from the shaking.
"H-help?" Daniel's eyes widened a bit more at the word.
"I need something to get me free from here." Carter didn't see how, but she needed just a bit more leverage to get free. Carter couldn't just lay here any longer while the colonel- "I need to get free and help the colonel."
"Ja'k?" Daniel struggled to sit up, but only to plop back down with a gasp. "Ja'k? Wha' happened?"
"He fell." Carter swallowed, trying not to remember the awful feeling she felt as she saw the colonel disappear from her sight. "Daniel-"
"My...splint." Daniel's voice slurred. "Ja'k used a metal rod to tie it up. It...it might be strong enough, S-sam."
"Can you pull it out of your bindings?" Carter hated to ask him, but the longer the wait for help, the shorter Carter feared were Jack's chances.
"'K." Daniel gasped as he tried to sit up once more. Finally he succeeded but it drained what strength he had left. Daniel leaned against some rubble, panting from the effort. Everything hurt.
"I'm sorry, Daniel." Carter murmured. It broke her heart to see him suffering like this while all she could do was watch.
Daniel just shook his head and fought the urge to scream as he yanked his bindings loose. The rod, freed, rolled away from his leg. Daniel wasn't able to suppress the groan as he tried to reach for the rod.
"Daniel?" Carter asked anxiously as she watched Daniel slump against the rubble suddenly.
"G...got it." Daniel said breathlessly as she breathed a sigh of relief. Carter reached out for the rod Daniel stretched out towards her, hoping that it would be enough.
The headache that pounded in Jack's head, told the colonel that he was still alive.
"So damn lucky." Jack groaned as he tried to sit up and regain his bearings. He cradled the back of his head and winced at the lump he found there. "I got a hard head." Jack muttered. "Can't get rid of me that easily."
Jack looked up at the hole that had opened up and cursed as he saw the impossible height. This had to be one of the caves Carter was mentioning before.
"Great. Just great." Jack muttered. His eyes darkened as he remembered that Daniel was next to him when he fell. Jack couldn't see around him in the murky darkness so he felt around the ground with his hands. He breathed a sigh of relief as he realized there was no broken body besides him. That meant Daniel didn't fall with him. Daniel was still up there. Jack looked up at the hole once more. He never had a chance to check if Daniel was still-
"He's alive, O'Neill." Jack muttered. "And so is Carter." Jack added to himself as he remembered Carter screaming. Jack painfully got up on his feet and tried to gauge the height. No good. It was too high. Jack stepped back and wondered about his chances of being able to make the climb. The sounds of Carter screaming and the image of Daniel somewhere up there, reminded the colonel that even the smallest chance had to be taken.
"Going up, O'Neill." Jack muttered. He began what he knew would be an aching climb back up. He flexed his fingers, surprised to feel them at all. "At least something works still." Jack muttered as he began his climb, grabbing for any crack on the surface for a hold. He was almost there when Jack felt the place shaking again. Jack gritted his teeth as he tried to ride the vibrations out, but to his horror, Jack felt his fingers slip.
There were many words Jack wanted to say right now, but for some reason he couldn't find the air to say them as his fingers lost its hold on one particular crack. He braced for the painful inevitable when he felt a slender hand grab his right wrist. He yelped; startled as the hand squeezed tightly around his wrist when his fingers lost its grip on the crack. Now he just hung there, suspended by the grasp of that one hand.
"Colonel?" Carter's face loomed over the opening, white-faced. "Are you alright?"
"What..." Jack gritted out, "do...you...think?" He tried once more to find some hold on the wall. His boots were too big and awkward to stand firm on anything.
"I think..." Carter panted at the exertion. "That you need a hand...sir."
"Maybe...two." Jack managed.
"May...maybe." Carter gasped as she reached out her other hand.
Jack grimaced as he reached out his left hand. The twinge on his arm told him of another injury he hadn't realized yet. He grunted as he felt Carter pulled him up so slowly. Jack knew his weight must have been pulling her down.
Lightning flashed behind Carter and the captain yelped. She could feel the heat on that one.
"Carter?"
"Sorry, sir." Carter grinds out as she told her arms to not give up yet. "Lightning. Struck...right behind...me."
Jack grunted, wincing as he heard another clash of light. That sounded pretty close, too.
Carter pulled harder and got Jack closer to the surface when she felt his wrist slipping from her grasp. Both hands were sweating from the effort. Jack tried to tighten grasp but felt his fingers loosen.
"Shi-" Jack started to say as his fingers slip through Carter's grip. Here we go again, Jack thought to himself as his last finger slipped through.
"No!" Carter shouted as she lunged forward to grab him once more.
Suddenly a hand from behind her surged forward and grabbed Jack by the back of his shirt. She looked up and grinned when she saw who it was.
"Teal'c!" Carter greeted as she sighed in relief.
"Captain Carter, it is good to see you are freed from the rubble." Teal'c greeted in return as he stood up, pulling Jack out safely with one hand. "O'Neill." Teal'c greeted the colonel dangling from his hand.
"Nice catch." Jack gasped as Teal'c set him down gently on the ground.
"Indeed." Teal'c motioned to a small group of villagers behind him. "They had come to assist us with the Stargate."
Jack nodded numbly as he frantically looked around. "Daniel-"
"Here, Ja'k." Daniel was sitting up across from Jack, weakly waving.
A surge of relief swept over Jack when he saw Daniel's eyes were opened and looking right at them. Then Jack noticed that the splint was gone. "Daniel-"
"Had to use it, sir." Carter pointed to the rod next to her, "To free myself. That last tremor loosened the stones and made it light enough for me to pull out. Just needed a little boost."
"I see." That was all Jack could think of as he eyed the two with a concerned eye. Teal'c was talking with the villagers now, their attention back to the Stargate now. But occasionally, Nasuz caught the Jaafa stealing a concerned glance back at the rest of the team. The elder smiled to himself.
"We look like how you do, sir." Carter quipped as Jack struggled to his feet and made his way over to Daniel. She watched, amused as the colonel checked Daniel's wrist for a pulse. Carter wondered if Jack was even aware of how mother hen he looked.
"Well, I bet you two feel worst." Jack retorted, relaxing as he found a good steady beat. Daniel pulled his wrist away from Jack and sighed. "Just rest, Daniel."
"Bed's...kind of...h'rd, Ja'k." Daniel murmured. Seeing that Jack was okay, Daniel felt the anxiety that was feeding his strength slowing draining. Everything was starting to look fuzzy again. Daniel wearily closed his eyes, wondering to himself once more why Jack looked so...worried.
"O'Neill." Teal'c came back to Jack. "We can return to the Stargate with this device. Nasuz," the elder bowed his head slightly at the mention of his name. "He has shown me a way to repair the crystals before the lightning strikes again."
"Great, finally some good news-" Jack started. "What do you mean lightning?"
"Lightning has struck the gods' doorway before, Jack O'Neill." Nasuz spoke up, his hand sweeping across the broken ceiling of the temple. "It was what driven the gods away before."
"That's why the explosion!" Carter leaned forward, but stopped when her legs protested. "The lightning must have struck when Daniel punched in the symbols for home."
"L-lucky...me." Daniel spoke up in a slurred voice.
"Lightning..." Jack repeated slowly. "Not some malfunction?"
"Mal...function?" Daniel repeated; he opened his eyes again to look at Jack. "That's...that's...what you thought...had...h'ppened, Ja'k?"
"Teal'c, you can get the Stargate to work?" Jack said, ignoring Daniel's question.
"Ja'k..."
"I believe so." Teal'c handed the gloved device. Jack looked at the yellow gem and grimaced.
"Looks like one of those ribbon things." Jack made a face and handed it back to Teal'c.
"Similar." Teal'c agreed as he returned the device to the elder. "We will try to repair the Stargate." The Jaafa looked at Carter then at Daniel. Teal'c corrected himself. "We will get the Stargate working soon."
Carter was intrigued with the idea of repair crystals. "I would love to see that, Teal'c. Wish I could go over there."
Nasuz smiled, motioning two of his people over. "If you would allow me, friend of Teal'c, we would be most happy to assist you over."
"Have fun." Jack said as he wearily sat down besides Daniel in a huff. "We'll be right here." The colonel watched Carter being assisted over to the Stargate. Already, he could hear Carter exclaiming over the crystal conduits exposed from the explosion. The explosion. Jack winced as he remembered that huge flash. It wasn't something he would like to experience again.
"Ja'k?" Daniel asked sleepily. He was watching Jack's relieved grin at the good news faded into the same frown Jack was carrying before. "Ja'k? What's...wrong?"
"Go to sleep, Danny." Jack said absently, his mind still mulling over the day's events.
"Ja'k." Daniel insisted, trying to shuffle over closer to the colonel.
Jack caught the movement out of the corner of his eye and cursed as he caught Daniel before he slid sideways into him. "Damn it, Daniel! Stay put, okay?"
"S'rry." Daniel mumbled as he shifted away again.
"Don't go scaring the shit out of me again." Jack muttered as he went back to checking Daniel's pulse. He then realized that Daniel was looking at him curiously.
"Died?" Daniel asked. Jack looked away for a moment. After a short pause, Jack reluctantly nodded.
"Twice." Jack said quietly. "Scared the hell out of all of us, Danny."
"S'rry." Daniel mumbled again.
"Not your fault." Jack sighed very low, but Daniel caught it. The younger man soon understood.
"Not...yours...e'ther." Daniel whispered, reaching over his good hand to tug at Jack's sleeve. "That's...that's wh't bothering...you."
Jack looked at Daniel sharply, a word of wit ready on his lips, but he didn't say it when he saw Daniel's earnest face. The man looked genuinely worried. Jack shook his head, remembering what the village elder said.
"Thought it was." Jack admitted finally. "Should have waited to check on the Stargate before having you dial home."
"Didn't...think...it...exploded, Ja'k."
"No." Jack realized as he watched the villagers right the Stargate up once more. He winced, remembering how it loomed over him just minutes before. "No, I didn't."
"So...not...f'ult, Ja'k."
"Not my fault." Jack agreed. He turned to Daniel, grinning crookedly. "No guilt trip here, Danny."
Daniel studied Jack's face for a moment then nodded, relaxing as he saw the darkness gone from Jack's eyes. The colonel, sensing his weariness, whispered to Daniel to go to sleep and draped his jacket over the man as his eyes closed. The face lax into sleep almost immediately.
"Sir?" Carter was hobbling back with the help of one of the villagers. "We think we got the Stargate ready."
"Dial us home then, Captain." Jack said, his eyes glued to Daniel. Out of habit, he checked Daniel's pulse again.
"Are you alright, sir?"
Jack looked at Carter. He slowly nodded, his mouth forming a grin again that stayed. "Yeah, I'm okay, Carter. We're all okay."
Just then, the Stargate light up against the flashes of lightning as Teal'c shouted across the temple to tell them they were going home.
"So tell me Teal'c." Jack said casually as the team said their good-byes to the villagers. Teal'c was carrying a sleeping Daniel, while Jack was helping Carter to the activated Stargate. "How did you get them to help us? They weren't exactly thrilled when we first arrived here."
Teal'c paused in front of the glistening pool of light. He cocked his head towards Jack and replied, "I...asked."
"You...asked?" Jack repeated dubiously. "Just like that?"
Teal'c nodded, readjusted his hold on Daniel as he added, "I called their...bluff."
Before Jack could even ask, the team reached the wormhole. The Stargate swallowed up anything he was going to say as they stepped completely through. After a few moments, the Stargate flashed and shutdown, sending the team back home.
© 1998 The characters mentioned in this story are the property of Showtime and Gekko Film Corp. The Stargate, SG-I, the Goa’uld and all other characters who have appeared in the series STARGATE SG-1 together with the names, titles and backstory are the sole copyright property of MGM-UA Worldwide Television, Gekko Film Corp, Glassner/Wright Double Secret Productions and Stargate SG-I Prod. Ltd. Partnership. This fanfic is not intended as an infringement upon those rights and solely meant for entertainment. All other characters, the story idea and the story itself are the sole property of the author.