He felt the cold, damp stone against his bare flesh almost as a comforting touch. In this utter darkness, it was the only thing that was real. The cold, the deep, numbing cold of the grave seeped into his body from the rock. He reached for his weapon and when his fingers encountered only his belt he remembered he had lost it. The sound of his rapid breathing was too loud. He could hear his own heartbeat as well, and feel it: his heart beating against his ribs like a caged bird trying to escape.
He took a deep breath and tried to hold it. Tried desperately to control his fear and growing panic. To slow his breathing so he could listen.
He heard the echo of a shout, reverberating through the place where he hid, amplified by the vast cavern. They were getting closer. He knew he must have left a trail behind him. He had no choice but to keep moving. With one hand on the stone wall, he headed further into the tunnel. He kept stumbling over rocks he couldn't see in the dark, swallowing the cries that wanted to force their way out of his throat. The wall was his only guide.
He didn't want to die like this ...
***
Daniel Jackson threaded his way down through the maze of corridors from his lab to the Gate Room. Looking around he spotted his quarry diligently staring at the computer screen in front of her. Walking up behind her, he glanced at the screen knowing that he probably wouldn't understand what was being shown, but thankful that Samantha Carter, Major USAF, did.
"Sam."
Carter watched the alpha-numeric characters flow down the screen until it came to the end of the data and the curser blinked brightly in one spot ... waiting for a command. "Just a moment, Daniel," said Carter as she verified the number string she was about to enter into the computer with what she had written on the piece of paper lying on the workstation to her left. Satisfied that she had entered the numbers correctly, she hit the enter key and waited. Another array of alpha-numeric characters began to flow down the screen. Carter watched until the flow stopped then exited the program. She turned her chair to face Daniel.
"Hi," she said then glanced at her watch. "Aren't you supposed to be at the Physical Assessment meeting with the Colonel and Teal'c?"
"Uh yeah, but I just got this on my email and I was kind of wondering what you thought of it," he answered as he handed her a piece of paper.
Carter read it and then handed it back to him. "Not to worry Daniel. We're way ahead of this." She stood and smiling at him, she patted him on the arm as she walked by. "I've got to go meet Janet in the infirmary. She and I are headed out to the Academy. We're taking Cassie to a Girl Scout Jamboree."
"Oh, well have fun," said Daniel as he looked at the paper clutched in his hand.
***
"Daniel, you're late," remarked Jack when Daniel walked into the room that had been set aside for the Physical Assessment Meeting.
"Sorry Jack, I got hung up ..." Daniel left the sentence hanging when he saw the look on Jack's face. It was the same look Jack always got on his face whenever he felt Daniel was about to launch into a long, drawn out explanation of something. Daniel was almost at the point where he would cringe whenever he saw it.
"Gentlemen, can we get on with the meeting," asked General Hammond. "Dr. Jackson, please take a seat. Dr. Lewis was just outlining his new procedures for qualifying an SG team fit for gate travel. Dr. Lewis ..."
Daniel took a seat next to Teal'c and pulled a pen from his pocket preparing to take notes. But his mind was on other matters and by the time General Hammond had called an end to the meeting, Daniel hadn't written anything down nor could he remember anything that had been said.
"Daniel, what's up? You don't seem to be here with us today," commented Jack as they walked out of the meeting room.
"Huh?"
"Daniel. Earth to Daniel."
"Oh, sorry Jack. I'm just thinking ..."
"Daniel," Jack interrupted, "you're always thinking. What is it this time? Mythology, religion, whether or not you should leave the potato skin on or peel them? What?"
"Jack," protested Daniel.
"Daniel?"
"Here," he said and handed the paper that he had shown Sam to Jack. "This. I've asked Sam about it and she doesn't seem worried, but I don't know. It seems that all sorts of things could go wrong if we're not prepared."
Jack read the email Daniel had given him, his eyebrows rising higher up to his hair line the nearer he got to the end of the message.
"Daniel, I wouldn't worry about it. If Carter says there isn't anything to worry about, don't. She's the expert."
"I know Jack, it's just that ..."
"Daniel, drop it. I'm sure you've got a lot of other things you could be worrying about instead of this, for example," he said as he raised his index finger into the air, "tonight's game between the Sonics and the RedWings and the bet you laid down."
"What?" Daniel asked looking confused. "I didn't bet on anything."
"Sure you did. Yesterday," Jack explained. "You and Teal'c were talking about games that Teal'c played as a kid. I came in and offered you 3 to 1 odds that the Sonics would beat the RedWings. You said 'sure'."
"Jack, I don't watch Hockey. I don't know anything about Hockey. Why would I make a bet on something I don't even know?"
"Well don't ask me. Seems to me that's something you have to figure out for yourself. You're the one that did it."
Daniel watched Jack as he walked off down the hallway. Jack was chuckling and rubbing his hands together. "Easiest ten bucks I've ever made," Daniel heard Jack say as he turned a corner.
Daniel's mind recycled his conversation with Teal'c the day before, but no where in his recollections could he remember making a bet with Jack about a hockey game. Satisfied that he was right and Jack was wrong, his mind once again returned to the email that he had received from Catherine. Her concerns seemed valid to him and even though Sam had told him that there wasn't anything to worry about, he continued running through what might happen at midnight on December 31st.
Walking back to his lab, he sat down in front of his computer and pulled up his email program. Finding Catherine's email, he hit 'Reply' and began typing.
***
"Good morning, campers," chimed Jack O'Neill as he entered the embarkation room. "Are we all ready to go and bring back the errant Colonel Makepeace?"
The three people who had arrived earlier looked up at his arrival. Major Samantha Carter smiled and Teal'c nodded. Daniel's fingers were fumbling with his glasses which he was trying to clean with a handkerchief. Holding them up to the light he peered through them and seemed satisfied. Just as he was putting them onto his face, they slipped from his fingers and fell to the floor. As he bent down to retrieve them, he seemed to lose his balance for a second. Taking a step to steady himself, everyone in the room heard the crack of glass breaking.
"Ah oh," said Carter.
Daniel again bent down and when he stood back up he had a misshapen pair of glasses in his hand with one lens completely shattered and the other cracked. "Damn. That's the second pair in two weeks."
Jack looked at the glasses in Daniel's hand and then up into the young man's face. "I'm sorry Daniel. Have you got a spare pair?"
Daniel started digging in his back pack. "Yeah, but it means that I won't have a spare for the mission." Finding a glass case, he took out another pair of glasses, blew on them to remove some dust, and slipped them on. He put the broken pair in the glass case and returned it to his back pack.
"Does Dr. Frazier have your prescription? Maybe she can order you a couple of spares while we're away," suggested Carter trying to be helpful.
Daniel turned to her and said, "Yeah. That would be a good idea."
"I'll ask Dr. Frazier to order them for you Dr. Jackson," the voice of Lt. Graham Simmons resounded over the loudspeaker in the room.
Daniel looked up towards the observation window and threw a thumbs up sign to Simmons and smiled, "Thanks Lieutenant. I appreciate it."
Clapping his hands together, O'Neill smiled at his team mates. "Well, now that that's settled, shall we follow the yellow brick road?"
"O'Neill," said Teal'c, "there was no indication of a yellow brick road from the views returned by Dr. Carter's UAV."
"Teal'c, that's a ... oh to hell with it." O'Neill looked up at Simmons in the Control Room. "Simmons," he shouted, "go out and buy a copy of The Wizard of Oz ... on DVD if you can find it."
Lt. Simmons glanced up at General George S. Hammond who was standing behind him and to his left. Hammond smiled at the young lieutenant. "It's alright, son. The Colonel will reimburse you for it along with your expenses in trying to hunt down a copy for him. Won't you Colonel?"
"Of course I will," answered O'Neill. "Well, within a reasonable limit. If he has to go to Kalamazoo to get it a phone call to order it would be just as good."
"SG-1 we'll expect to hear back from you in six hours with a progress report," said Hammond.
"And I'll expect an update on The Wizard of Oz search at the same time Simmons," said O'Neill.
"Yes, sir," responded Simmons.
"Okay folks, let's go get Makepeace and his team."
***
O'Neill and Daniel exited the Gate at the same time. O'Neill, ever ready for unexpected company upon their arrival walked to where Carter and Teal'c were waiting. Teal'c was already examining the ground to see if the could spot the direction Makepeace had gone.
As Daniel was walking down the steps, he stopped and bent over almost double issuing a burst of several, violent sneezes. He quickly pulled a handkerchief from one of his many pockets.
"Bless," said O'Neill.
"Thank you," responded Daniel as he moved his glasses up to his forehead so that he could wipe his watering eyes.
"Dr. Frazier changed my allergy meds. This new one doesn't seem to be working as well as the other one."
O'Neill fiddled with his sun glasses before slipping them on his face. He tilted his head back to look at Daniel. "Naw, ya think?"
"Well to be perfectly honest, I'd have to ..." Daniel sneezed again, cutting himself off in midsentence.
"Bless."
Daniel wiped his nose and his eyes. "I rest my case," he said when he was done.
"Daniel, maybe you should take another one if it's bothering you this badly," suggested Carter.
Daniel began hunting in the pockets of his vest. Finding the small bottle he was looking for, he read the instructions printed on it. Satisfied, he popped the lid and shook out a two small, blister packed pills. Pushing them through the foil backing, he put the pills in his mouth and dry swallowed.
"Okay gang, are we ready to go? I don't know about the rest of you, but I have plans for tonight. After all, it is the millennium."
"Sure thing Colonel. The UAV didn't spot any signs of civilization within a 20 kilometer range of the gate, but there are some caves in the hills behind us."
"O'Neill," said Teal'c.
"Yes Teal'c."
"I believe Major Carter's idea of the caves is correct. There are tracks leading in that direction."
"All right then. Let's go."
***
An hour later they were standing in front of the first cave. Jack shone his light inside. It showed a large cavern with an exit out the back that seemed to go deeper into the hillside. Jack examined the ground in front for any signs that Makepeace had entered this cave. His examination didn't help any since the ground had turned to rock two hundred yards from the hills. There wasn't any dirt to speak of. Nothing to indicate that anyone had been along this way within the last day or year.
"Well, I guess we'll just have to go in and find out. Everyone keep a look out."
Jack led the way into the cave followed by his team. Rifles at the ready, flashlights on they advanced cautiously through the big cavern towards the tunnel that exited out the back.
"Jack, why was Colonel Makepeace sent here? Were there any signs of trouble from the initial probe of the planet?" asked Daniel.
"No. He's training a new team," Jack explained. "He wanted a deserted world for them to travel to on their first jaunt through the gate. This one came back as being uninhabited. They were only supposed to be here for two days. All their reports back indicated no trouble whatsoever."
"How long have they been out of contact?"
"Four hours. They were supposed to be back last night so that Hammond could put us all on stand down for New Year's. They're the only team off world right now ... well except for us now."
"Something must really be wrong for Makepeace not to have made contact. Besides you, he's probably the most capable of surviving anything we run into out here," said Daniel.
"Why Daniel. Is that a compliment?" asked Jack.
Daniel's answer was another round of violent sneezes that left him gasping for breath.
"Daniel?"
"I'm alright, Sam. There must really be something floating around here that I'm allergic to. Wish these pills would kick in," said Daniel.
"Well let's hurry up and find Makepeace so that we can get you back home," suggested Jack as he picked up his pace through the tunnel.
***
"Jack, these caves seem to go on forever," commented Daniel. "If Makepeace is in here, he could be anywhere. We could even just be following him around and we'll never run into each other."
Jack stopped his forward motion and knelt down. He looked at the floor of the tunnel they were following once more to see if he could spot any tracks. Again he was disappointed. It was solid stone under their feet and not a hint of dust or dirt. Rocking back on his heels, he looked at his watch.
"It's been almost three hours. Teal'c, you head back to the Gate and let General Hammond know what's going on. We'll meet back at the second large cavern we came to, the one with all the offshoots, in six hours. Hopefully we'll have found Makepeace by the time you get back."
"As you wish, O'Neill."
Teal'c started off back the way they had come. Jack snapped his fingers ... remembering something. "Teal'c," he yelled after the Jaffa, "don't forget to ask Simmons about The Wizard of Oz."
Teal'c's voice came back at them, muted by the tunnel, "I will ask, O'Neill."
"He's not going to get lost, is he?" asked Daniel who was peering down the tunnel.
Jack stood. "Naw, he has a great direction sense. That and the fact that I've been marking the tunnel as we go along and we've only traveled in a straight line from the beginning." He slapped Daniel on the back. "He'll be fine and so will we."
"If you say so, Jack."
"I say so."
***
Teal'c stood waiting in the cavern for SG1 to meet him. He was an hour early. While he was waiting, he had walked a couple of hundred yards down each of the tunnels that branched off from here, hoping to find any signs that Makepeace and his team had come through. He found only solid stone underfoot.
"Teal'c!"
"O'Neill," Teal'c nodded.
Jack, Daniel, and Carter emerged from the tunnel they had originally gone down. Daniel leaned up against the wall of the cavern and slid to the floor. Jack and Carter walked to where Teal'c stood waiting.
"You have found no sign of Colonel Makepeace?" asked Teal'c
"No. Nothing. Nada," said Jack as he shook his head. "Did you tell Hammond what we're doing?"
"I did."
"And?"
Teal'c raised an eyebrow in Jack's direction.
"Did he have anything to say?"
"No, he did not. However, Lt. Simmons informed me that he has found you a copy of The Wizard of Oz. It will be at the SGC upon our return."
"Thank you, Teal'c," said Jack smiling.
"Sir, I'm a little confused about something," admitted Carter.
"Go on."
"Well sir. You and Colonel Makepeace are pretty much on par with your training aren't you sir?"
"Yeah."
"You've been marking our trail with marks on the tunnel walls and the entrances and exits to the tunnels we've gone down."
"Like Hansel and Grettle," said Daniel from his seated position.
"Uh huh," agreed Jack.
"If Colonel Makepeace and his team came into these tunnels, don't you think he would have done the same?"
"What are you suggesting, Major? That someone came along and erased Makepeace's marks?"
"No sir. Just that maybe Makepeace didn't come in here."
"His tracks, Major, remember? We followed them up here ... well until the ground turned to hard to leave tracks in."
"But sir ..."
Jack waved her off as he put a finger against his earpiece. "Shhhh." Concentrating he listened, but the sound he was listening to was coming in extremely faint and garbled.
"Sir?"
Jack waved at her again. "Something ... listen."
All four could now hear the noise that Jack had first noticed. Straining to hear, they all stood silently hoping the transmission would clear up.
" ... Fields do you ... no Cameron not that ... Sir, it's got to ... left hand tunnel ..."
Jack keyed his mike open, "Makepeace. Do you hear me? Give us a location. Makepeace."
" ... Colonel O'Neill we're ... Cameron is trying ... but the ... batteries low ... north by north ..."
"Jack, that's not Makepeace."
"I know, Daniel." Keying his mike again he said, "Your signal is breaking up. Repeat. What is your location?"
" ... tunnels. Colonel Makepeace ... broken ... tried to grab ... shaft ... Fernandez also ... Cameron is trying to get ... infection and fever ... "
"Jack, they're in trouble."
"Ya' think?"
"Repeat. Your signal is breaking up. Give us a location so we can get to you. We are in the second large cavern on the main tunnel in. There are six exits not counting the one in. Which one are you in?"
"Colonel ... on the left ... north by northwest ... imately 290 degrees ... three, maybe four ... in ... peace unconscious ... "
"All right. Stay where you are. We're coming to get you."
Daniel had stood and joined Jack, Carter, and Teal'c in the center of the cavern when it became clear that the transmission was coming from SG-3. As Jack made ready to lead his team down the tunnel that he hoped was the one SG-3 had gone down, Daniel was shook by another round of sneezes.
Carter put her hand on Daniel's arm, concern written on her face ... not just for SG-3, but for Daniel. "Daniel, you don't look very well. Are you all right?", she asked.
Daniel had groped in his pockets for another handkerchief and blew his nose. Nodding, he said, "Yeah, I'm fine. Let's go get Makepeace."
Jack led the way with Daniel bringing up the rear. He played his flashlight around the tunnel hoping to get a clue that this was the correct one, but nothing jumped out at him. This tunnel was just as barren as the one they had traveled down earlier.
"I'm going to make an assumption here based on what we could get of SG-3's radio transmission. If we're in the right tunnel, and I sincerely hope we are, then they traveled 3 or 4 hours in before they ran into trouble. If Sgt. Cameron is making his way back here to get to the Gate, then we should probably run into him before too long." Jack glanced back over his shoulder at his team to see if they were with him on this. The first thing he noticed was that Daniel seemed to be lagging behind.
"Daniel, keep up. We don't want to lose you," he said as he faced forward again.
"I'm right behind you Jack. Don't worry about me."
Carter moved up to Jack's side after glancing back at Daniel. "Colonel."
"Yes Major."
"I'm worried about Daniel. I don't think he's doing very well. He's breathing heavily, sweaty, and pale. Maybe we should send him back to the Gate with Teal'c."
Jack sighed heavily. The same concern had been making the rounds in his head as well, but if those broken messages were any indication of how much trouble SG-3 was in, they would need Teal'c to help get everyone back. He mentioned this to Carter then suggested another solution. Stopping, he turned back towards Teal'c and Daniel.
"Daniel, I want you and Carter to go back to the Gate and get us some reinforcements. It sounds like Makepeace and maybe another are injured. Depending on their injuries, we might need some more bodies to get them out of here."
He looked directly at Daniel to see how he was reacting to his suggestion. When it was relief that he saw, he knew he'd made the right decision.
"Teal'c and I will keep going. Once we find them, we'll assess the situation. If we can start back with them ourselves, we'll meet you when you return. If not, I'll stay there and send Teal'c back to lead you to us."
"We'll be back as soon as we can Jack," responded Daniel. "Maybe you can make it in time to bring in the millennium back at the SGC."
"Yeah, that would be nice," answered Jack.
As Jack watched Daniel and Carter walk back the way they had come, he silently chastised himself for not sending Daniel back sooner. The boy did look sick.
"It is not your fault, O'Neill."
Jack turned to Teal'c. "What?"
"Daniel Jackson's condition is not your fault. He will be fine with Major Carter."
"Teal'c," asked Jack, "when did you start reading minds?"
"I did not read your mind, O'Neill. It is your face I am reading."
Jack shook his head. Teal'c was probably the only person he knew who could successfully sense what he was thinking.
"It must be a warrior thing," Jack muttered under his breath.
"A warrior thing?" asked Teal'c.
"Not now Teal'c. Let's go find Makepeace."
***
It took Carter and Daniel two hours to make it back to the big cavern where they had first heard the radio transmissions from SG-3. By Carter's reckoning it was going to take them at least two hours to make it back to the Gate. Daniel's symptoms had gotten progressively worse forcing them to slow their pace so that Carter could check on Daniel. What she was finding was just making her anxiety level telescope.
Daniel's respirations were fast and heavy, his heart was racing, he was sweating profusely, and he was extremely pale. For the past 15 minutes, he had started mumbling. Carter couldn't make out the words, but she knew that he wasn't talking to her. He was talking to himself.
"Daniel, a couple more hours and we'll have you home. Can you hold on that long?" she asked.
Daniel looked up at her, his eyes glazed. Suddenly his face radiated fear and he screamed. Carter reached for him and he flailed his arms, knocking her down. Then he took off running down another tunnel.
"DANIEL!"
She jumped to her feet starting to run after him. She threw down a small note pad she pulled from one of her vest pockets at the tunnel entrance before plunging in after him.
"Daniel! Come back."
***
After another hour of fast paced walking, Jack and Teal'c ran into Sgt. Cameron. He was a mess. His uniform was torn in several places, cuts and scrapes covered his face, and his left arm was in a sling. He was also limping.
As soon as he had spotted Jack and Teal'c, he sank to the ground -- exhausted.
Jack ran up and knelt down next to him and began examining his injuries. Teal'c pulled out a canteen of water and held it to Cameron's mouth. He drank noisily for several seconds and then waved the canteen away. Jack leaned back on his heels.
"Sergeant, breathe easily," he cautioned. "When you're ready, tell me what happened."
Cameron, the relief at finding someone evident on his face, took a deep breathe. Some of the tension in his body released as he breathed.
"Sir, we were exploring this tunnel before heading back to the Gate to go home. Fields was in the lead, then the Colonel, then Fernandez. I was bringing up the rear. I had just turned to look behind me when I heard Fields yell. When I turned back around I saw the Fernandez lunge forward. He had grabbed the Colonel and caught his boots. That's all I could see of the Colonel and I couldn't see Fields anywhere."
Cameron stopped in his narrative to catch his breath and another drink of water from Teal'c. Once that was done, he continued.
"I started to move forward when the ground under us just seemed to drop and we all fell. We must have fallen for 40 feet before we hit bottom. When I came to, Fernandez was trying to get to the Colonel and Fields. He was having a hard time of it, sir. Both his legs are broken.
"Fields and the Colonel were both unconscious. I told Fernandez to lie still and I went over and checked on them. Fields came to while I was checking on him, but ... I don't know sir ... I think his back's broken. The Colonel has a broken leg and probably a dislocated shoulder. He's got a pretty good size bump on his head too. He was still unconscious when I left.
Jack expression turned grimmer with each word from Sgt. Cameron. He looked up at Teal'c and then back to Cameron.
"Okay Sergeant. How's your leg?"
"I think it's just a sprain, sir. My arm is broken, but other than that I made out the best. I did what I could for them. Fields keeps drifting in and out of consciousness. I immobilized his neck and managed to pile some rocks around him and the Colonel. I was hoping that would keep them from moving around until I could get back with help. I didn't have much in the way of splint material for Fernandez' legs.
"How far back are they?"
"Oh geez, I'm not sure. I feel like I've been following this tunnel for hours. My watch broke in the fall.
Jack unhooked one of the canteens from his belt. "We've got help coming, but it's not going to be here for a couple of hours or so. How do you feel about staying here by yourself while Teal'c and I go on?"
"Fine sir."
"All right then. Here." Jack handed the canteen to Cameron. "You wait here. You'll probably see the cavalry come in before we do. Just send them on down our way."
"Yes, sir."
***
Carter was out of breath by the time she made it back to the main cavern.
She had chased after Daniel for 45 minutes but was unable to catch up to him. For the first 30 minutes of the chase she had been able to hear him as he ran down the tunnel, but it had suddenly gotten quiet. She had hoped that it had meant that Daniel had stopped running and was waiting for her, but that hadn't been the case. The only thing she found was the bottle that held Daniel's allergy medicine. Finally deciding that she had better inform O'Neill of the situation, she had turned around and headed back to the cavern.
"Colonel," she said keying her mike open.
"Carter? You can't be back already."
"No Colonel. I haven't even made it out of the cave yet. Sir, Daniel's run off."
"WHAT?"
Carter took a deep breathe before continuing. "Sir ... Daniel was getting worse and when we reached the cavern with all the branchings, he got this panicked look on his face and he ran off down one of the tunnels. I chased him for awhile, but I couldn't catch up. I've marked the tunnel he went down, sir."
"Damn. All right Carter, Teal'c and I've run into Cameron. We left him in the tunnel while we go after Makepeace. They're in pretty bad shape. I want you to hightail it to the Gate and send for some extra troops. We're going to need a med team with four stretchers. Mark the tunnel that Daniel went down and when we finish getting Makepeace and his guys out of here, we'll go look for him. Got that?"
"Yes sir. I'm sorry Jack. I shouldn't have let him get away from me."
Jack heard the consternation in Carter's voice and softened his reply to her.
"There was probably nothing you could have done about it. Just hurry, okay?"
"Yes, sir."
Jack and Teal'c exchanged glances and then continued hurrying towards the spot where Cameron had told them Makepeace and the rest of SG-3 were. When they at last had reached the spot, they continued forward cautiously. Each concerned that they would trigger more of the tunnel flooring to collapse. Finally making it to the edge, Jack peered over. He played his flashlight across the bottom of the pit until he found Fernandez. Fernandez shielded his eyes from the bright light from Jack's flashlight.
"Sorry Fernandez," he said as he moved the light out Fernandez' face.
"Colonel O'Neill?"
"Yeah. It's me. We'll be down in a minute. Hang on," replied Jack.
"I'm not going anywhere, sir," Fernandez remarked back.
Jack couldn't help but smile inwardly. At least he still had a sense of humor. A good sign.
Slowly Jack and Teal'c made their way to the bottom of the pit. They had to stop every few minutes because they were in danger of causing more of the sides to cave in. Jack wondered how Cameron in his condition had managed to climb out. "That young boy deserves a lot of credit," he said to Teal'c.
As if reading Jack's mind, Teal'c agreed.
Jack was first to hit the bottom and he went to Makepeace and Fields, leaving Fernandez to Teal'c. Jack was horrified by what he saw. The left side of Makepeace's face was horribly swollen. He tried to keep himself from reacting for Fields' sake since he was conscious and looking at Jack as he bent over Makepeace. Jack used his flashlight the same way Doc Frazier used her little pen light, he checked Makepeace's eyes. He noted that both pupils were the same size and that they did react to the light ... maybe a little slow, but they did react. He figured this was pretty good considering what Makepeace's face and head looked like.
"Sir ..." began Fields.
Jack moved around so that he was next to Fields. "It's okay Fields. I'm sure he's going to be fine and we're going to have all of you out of here just as soon as possible. Reinforcements are on the way."
"Yes, sir."
"Not exactly what you guys had planned, is it?" asked Jack trying to keep his voice light.
"No, sir."
Jack made a point of looking at his watch so that Fields could see. "Damn, I'm going to miss the millennium party at Snookers. You ever been to Snookers?"
"No, sir. Is that a bar?"
Jack feigned a shocked look. "A bar? There is no way you could say that Snookers is just a bar." Jack rocked back on his heels into a more casual and relaxed position. "It's a pub. An authentic Irish pub. It's owned by a guy named O'Flannery. He had the place built to his specifications. As soon as you walk in, you know you're not in Colorado anymore. You're in the land of the wee folk." Jack had broken into a pretty good imitation of an Irish brogue and Fields smiled.
"Sounds like a good place, sir."
"Aye, that it is. And if you're a good boy, I'll even take you there when we get back. How's that?"
"Yes, sir. I'd like that sir."
"O'Neill."
Jack patted Fields on the shoulder and stood. He walked over to where Teal'c was kneeling beside Fernandez.
"Sgt. Cameron was correct. Both of Lt. Fernandez legs are broken."
Jack knelt down and looked. Thanking whatever gods that were listening that they weren't compound fractures, he looked at Fernandez and smiled, "Well Fernandez. I guess we won't be seeing you at street hockey for awhile."
"No, sir. I guess not," answered Fernandez. He tried to smile back at Jack, but failed miserable.
"Not to worry, Lieutenant. Help's on the way. We'll have all of you out of here in now time," reassured Jack.
"How's the Colonel, sir?" asked Fernandez.
Jack sighed. "Well, he's unconscious. It does look like Sgt. Cameron's assessment of his injuries was pretty good ... dislocated shoulder and a broken leg. He hit his head a pretty good one. I'm not a doctor, but he's breathing good and he's got a good strong pulse. I think he's going to be fine."
"I hope so sir."
Jack stood motioning for Teal'c to join him. They walked slightly away from the downed SG-3 members. "This is not the way I wanted to spend the new year. First SG-3 gets mangled up and now Daniel has run off screaming into the night for God knows what reason."
"Major Carter did not say that Daniel Jackson had run off screaming into the night, O'Neill. Just that he had run off." remarked Teal'c in his usual dead pan.
"It's a saying Teal'c." Jack turned and looked back at the three men lying on the ground. "Look Teal'c. Why don't I stay here with these guys. There isn't anything we can do for them until Carter gets back with help. You go and try to find Daniel."
"Very well, O'Neill. I will not return without him."
"I know Teal'c. Keep me posted as to your progress."
***
Carter castigated herself as she made it back to the Gate. She figured that it was her fault. Her responsibility to get Daniel back to the SGC and she had let him run off without her. If anything happened to Daniel ... if whatever he has turns fatal then ... She stopped herself from thinking about it. She didn't want to face the consequences of her actions right now. Later, after they'd found Daniel. There would be enough time later. Now all she had to do was get to the Gate and get some help.
Carter picked up her pace. The sooner she got to the Gate, the sooner she could get a rescue team in here and the sooner they could look for Daniel. She was trying desperately not to think of what he must be going through, lost and alone in that tunnel as sick as he was. Her mind wondered what could have made him go off like that. It wasn't like him. He was sick, but sick from what? He hadn't seemed to be ill in the Gate Room or when they first got to this planet. It had to be something he'd contracted here, but why weren't the rest of them affected?
Her mind kept going around in circles, trying to logically work out the problem while she made continual progress towards the Gate. She was almost there. By her reckoning it had been about a little over an hour since she had informed O'Neill about Daniel. An idea formed in her head and she latched onto it. Daniel's allergies. He was the only one on their team who hadn't been turned into a raving lunatic when they had visited the Land of Light. It was all because of his having to take antihistamines for his allergies. She remembered that Daniel had said that Janet had changed his meds. Maybe it has something to do with his new prescription. An allergic reaction. She then remembered that she had Daniel's pill bottle. She patted her vest pocket to make sure it was still there. Feeling the familiar shape in her pocket, she hurried on.
***
Teal'c jogged all the way to the cavern where the tunnel was that Daniel had disappeared into. As soon as he reached it, he spotted the notebook that Major Carter had dropped in the entrance. Leaving the notebook where it was, he turned into the tunnel and continued his pace.
As he ran, his senses were on full alert to any sign, sound or visual, that he was on the trail of Daniel Jackson. He was prepared to explore every tunnel in this place, several times over, to find him. He had promised O'Neill. More than that, he had made a silent promise to Daniel that he would. Teal'c kept his promises. They were his word as a warrior and as a friend.
***
Jack walked over to Makepeace's still form. Kneeling down beside him, he checked his respirations and pulse once more. Rocking back on his heels, he glanced over at Fields who was watching him. He nodded, then looked behind him to where Fernandez was.
"Hang in there boys. We'll have you out of here in no time," he said with as much reassurance in his voice as he could muster. Fernandez and Fields both smiled.
Jack knew that Carter was going as fast as she could to get help, but part of him wondered what was taking so long. Standing here, trying to keep the two who were conscious from thinking too hard about what had happened to them and Makepeace's unconscious state was wearing him down. The fact that he wanted to be out there hunting for Daniel was not making matters any better for him.
His team now split up. Each with their own agenda ... except Daniel who was lost and alone somewhere in these damned tunnels. He couldn't imagine what it was that had caused Daniel to run from Carter the way he did. Sick as he appeared to be, he should have felt safe with her -- knowing that she would take care of him, get him to safety. It was the way they all felt. As long as they were together, each would watch the others back. They were safe as long as they stayed together.
He looked at SG-3 and when they had their eyes off of him, he glanced at his watch. Two and a half hours had passed. Carter should have reached the Gate by now and be on her way back. Soon. She would be here soon.
***
Carter ran to the DHD and dialed home. As soon as the worm hole was engaged, she punched in her iris code and ran through. Managing to stay on her feet once she reached the other side, she ran down to the bottom. Looking up into the Control Room, she yelled over the sound of the worm hole closing down, "I need at least an eight man med team on the double. Everyone of SG-3 is injured and can't travel on their own."
She left the Gate Room, still on the run, and took the stairs to the Control Room two and three at a time. "Colonel O'Neill and Teal'c are with them," she said to a shocked looking General Hammond.
Hammond spun around, but Simmons was ahead of him. "Dr. Frazier to the Gate Room. An eight man medical team is needed at the Gate Room for immediate travel."
Hammond turned back to Carter. "Explain, Major."
Carter caught her breath. "Sir, we established contact with SG-3 in a series of tunnels. Communication from SG-3 was broken up and sporadic. We did manage to get an approximation of where they were and we met Sgt. Cameron on the way. He has a broken arm and either a broken or sprained ankle. While they were exploring the tunnels, the floor of one gave way and they all fell through. Roughly 40 feet. Colonel Makepeace is unconscious, sir. Both of Lt. Fernandez' legs are broken and there is a possibility that Airman Fields' back is broken."
"My God," whispered Hammond.
Carter turned when she heard footsteps heralding the arrival of Dr. Janet Frazier. "Sir?"
"Are your people here, Doctor?" asked Hammond.
"They will be momentarily, sir. What kind of emergency?"
"All of SG-3 down and injured. Various broken bones. Colonel Makepeace is unconscious. None of them can move on their own."
"And Daniel's sick," added Carter.
"Daniel's sick?" Hammond and Frazier said in unison.
"Yeah. Shortness of breath, sweaty, rapid pulse, extremely pale. Sir, I was bringing him back with me, but suddenly he screamed and ran off. Colonel O'Neill told me to continue on here to get help," she explained. She brought the vial of pills that Daniel had dropped out of her pocket and handed them to Frazier. "His allergies were really working over time. I think his condition has something to do with these."
Frazier took the bottle and dumped one the pre-packaged pills into her hand. "My God. These aren't fexofenadine. These are dextroamphetamine sulfate."
"Speed?" asked Carter.
"Yes, how many of these did he take?"
"I don't know for sure -- four maybe six."
Frazier looked hard at Carter. "Could it have been more? These are only 15 mg. each. His prescription calls for 60 mg. of fexofenadine."
"I'm sorry Janet. I don't know for sure. I know that he took some before we left and at least one other dose after we got there. I found the bottle after he ran off. He may have taken more."
"These would explain his condition and the reason he ran off. An over dose of these would cause all of the things you've mentioned, plus paranoia."
"Dr. Frazier. Your medical team is in the Gate Room. When you get back, with SG-3 and Dr. Jackson, you can explain to me how something like this could have happened," said Hammond.
"Yes, sir."
"Simmons, open the Gate. Let's get these people on their way."
"Yes, sir," answered Simmons.
Simmons keyed in the coordinates and the wheel began to turn on the Stargate. All the symbols engaged except the seventh symbol. He tried again with the same result.
"Uh, sir ..."
Carter moved to an empty terminal and began punching in numbers. The look on her face registering the confusion and some small amount of irritation and fear that was running through her mind.
"Major?"
"Sir, I don't know what is happening. It's acting like it does when there isn't a Stargate to connect to, but that's impossible. We know it's there." She turned in her seat to look at Hammond.
"Well Major, I suggest you find out what is wrong. We've got some people out there to bring home."
"Yes, sir." Carter turned back to the keyboard.
***
Daniel Jackson had never felt so alone or frightened in his life. He didn't know what was happening to him. All he knew was that he had to find the rest of his team and warn them that the Goa'uld were here. He hadn't seen any, but he felt their presence like a bad smell.
He heard a noise behind him and spun around. He found that he had his pistol in his hand and he giggled. He must be learning something from Jack if this had become an automatic response to danger. He'd have to remember to tell Jack about it once they were all safe again.
He couldn't see anything in the dark. He'd dropped his flashlight somewhere. So he waited, but the noise didn't repeat so he started out again. He had to find Jack. He kept the pistol in his hand, a shell in the chamber just like Jack had shown him.
***
Jack snuck another look at his watch. Four hours had passed since Carter had radioed that Daniel had run off and Teal'c had gone in search of him. He hadn't heard back from either one. He calculated in his head. Carter should have reached the Gate around midnight. A few minutes to explain and get a medical team together and they should be on their way here. It's now 0230. She and the team should be here soon. Why hadn't she radioed that they were on their way? He looked over at SG-3. Fernandez and Fields had both drifted into a fitful sleep. There was no change with Makepeace.
Jack keyed his mic. "Carter, can you hear me?" He kept his voice low so he wouldn't wake Fernandez and Fields. "Carter? Come in." He waited. "Teal'c?"
No answer from either one. The tunnels must be playing havoc with their comm units. Where the hell was everyone? Cameron didn't even answer and he was in a direct line from Jack down the tunnel.
His flashlight began to blink. Batteries must be wearing down. He bent over Makepeace and took his and clicked it on. He turned his off and returned it to his belt. Feeling strands of worry beginning to infiltrate his mind, he immediately shut them out. He knew that Carter wouldn't let them down. He also knew that Teal'c would find Daniel. It was only a matter of waiting. He knew he seemed impatient at times to his team mates, but he had learned a long time ago how to wait. He'd give Carter another hour and then he'd have to go himself -- just in case.
***
Carter looked at the clock. An hour had passed since they had discovered that the Gate wouldn't dial out to P4A289. Frustration was beginning to set. Frustration and fear that she wouldn't be able to find the problem and fix it in time for Daniel or SG-3. What the hell could be the problem? The Gate was working fine until she came back and then it seemed to have stopped functioning altogether.
"Major." When Carter didn't respond, Hammond tried again, "Major Carter!"
Carter blinked. "Yes sir?"
"It's been an hour Major," he said.
"I know that sir, but I ..." Carter let her sentence trail off as an idea started to take shape in her head. She entered a few commands into the computer and watched the data scroll down her screen. "Damn."
"Major?"
"Sir, remember when Colonel O'Neill had all that stuff from the Ancients downloaded into his head?" she asked.
"Of course."
"Well he wrote out a program that ran a lot faster than ours in calculating the planetary shift so that the Gate coordinates would work."
"Yes. So?"
"Well sir, it works so well and so fast that we integrated it into the dialing program. The program automatically makes corrections for planetary shift each time it dials out," she explained.
"All right, but what has that got to do with this problem?"
"Sir, we've been hit with the Y2K bug. We thought we'd fixed everything, but we must have missed something. The computer thinks it's 1900. When it is dialing out to P4A289, it's shifted just enough so that the coordinates are off. It's just like when we were first trying to dial in coordinates without compensating."
"Can you fix it?" asked Hammond.
"Yes, sir," she smiled. "But right now just so that we can get to P4A289. We'll have to go back through all the programming later to find the glitch."
"Well go to it, Major." Relief sounded in his voice.
"Yes, sir."
***
"I'm sorry it took us so long to get here Colonel. We had a problem with the Gate," apologized Carter.
Jack looked around at Dr. Frazier and the six medics she had brought with her as they examined SG-3. "Explanations can wait, Major. At least you got here." He was hovering anxiously over Dr. Frazier as she looked at Makepeace.
"I can't tell for sure Colonel until I get him back to the SGC, but he doesn't have a depression and I can feel no signs of fracture. His pulse is strong, breathing's normal, and his blood pressure is where it should be. Pupils are equal and reactive. I'm optimistic."
Jack breathed a sigh of relief. "How about the rest?"
Dr. Frazier stood and motioned for two of the medics to put Makepeace in a litter. "Well, Cameron is on his way back to the Gate. His ankle is just sprained, but you were right about his arm. Seems to be a simple fracture. It'll heal in no time." She pointed to Fernandez. "Both his legs are broken and his pelvis might be involved. I won't know until we can get some X-rays done for sure. You managed to reduce the fractures enough so that there won't be any nerve damage. He's moving his toes and his feet are warm so that there apparently isn't any artery damage. If there is, it's minimal. He should be fine once we get him back and get everything set. He'll be out of service for some time though." She turned to Fields. "I'm more worried about him. We're going to go real slow in getting him out of here and back to the SGC. Again, I won't know for sure until he's there and we can get some test done." She looked O'Neill in the eyes. "Now, about Daniel."
"Teal'c went out looking for him as soon as Carter radioed us that he had run from her. I haven't heard back from him. If you all can manage here without Carter and me, we're going after them," he said.
"Go. Carter has something for him that will help bring him down if he hasn't begun already. I don't know how much he's taken, but I think I can safely say that he hasn't taken enough to kill him or he would have died before he ran from her. But saying that, it's going to be determined by how fast his body metabolizes the stuff."
***
Teal'c was down. He was tying the dressing around his leg when he saw lights approaching from behind him. Soon he could see O'Neill and Carter running towards him.
"Teal'c!"
"I am fine, O'Neill."
"What happened," asked Jack as his eyes took in the wound in the Jaffa's leg.
"Daniel Jackson shot me. You have trained him well, O'Neill," said Teal'c.
"It's a good thing he hadn't trained him better, or he might have got you someplace other than the leg," commented Carter.
Jack glared at Carter.
"Sorry, sir. It's just that it's been ..."
"Carter, not now." Turning to Teal'c. "We didn't hear the shot. How long ago did this happen?"
"I did not hear it either. Several minutes have passed."
"Silencer?" asked Carter.
"Ya' think?" said Jack trying not to let the irritation he was feeling creep into his voice. When Carter smiled, he realized that he had been more or less successful. They were all on edge and didn't need to be sniping at each other.
"Can you walk?"
"I can."
"All right then. Let's go get Daniel."
Jack took the lead, keeping his flashlight away from his body in case Daniel decided to try any more target shooting. A hundred feet away, though, and they all realized that they wouldn't have to worry about that. Jack found Daniel's pistol. A silencer had been screwed onto the barrel. He handed it to Carter.
"Okay, that just leaves a knife and I know he's no good at throwing that," said Jack.
"I have Daniel Jackson's knife, O'Neill. He dropped it an hour ago," said Teal'c.
"Well then, we're safe as long as he doesn't find any rocks to throw at us," said Carter.
"Peachy."
***
Daniel tried to remember how he had gotten into this mess. His mind was flooded with images of the SGC and his friends. Carter sitting at a computer terminal in the Control Room. He smiled when he remembered how she had told him that they were Y2K ready. He had written Catherine telling her that there wasn't anything to worry about. Carter had it under control although in the back of his mind, he still wondered. He tried to remember the Physical Assessment meeting he had gone to with Jack and Teal'c, but couldn't. All he could remember was that he had been there but his mind had been on Catherine's email and her concerns for the Gate project. As he remembered Jack, Teal'c, General Hammond, and Dr. Lewis seated around the table, the image wavered and he saw 4 Jaffa warriors standing there all armed with Zat guns that were pointed directly at him. He yelled a warning, and turned and ran from the room.
The yell reverberated down the tunnel and stopped SG-1 in their tracks. "Serpent Guards? Here?" asked Jack.
"It's the drug, Colonel. His paranoia is feeding on itself. He must think he sees Goa'uld. That's why he ran from me," explained Carter. "At least we know he's still alive."
"We can't be too far behind him," said Jack. "But he's probably running now so we'd better step up the pace."
Daniel was only a couple of hundred yards in front of his team mates. He was running headlong down the tunnel. His mind awash with images of them being killed by the Serpent Guards he was sure were chasing him. He had to warn them. If only he could find them.
He saw an opening in the side of the tunnel. When he reached it he looked inside. It was a small cavern. Stalagmites and stalactites covered the ceiling and the floor. Maybe he could hide in here until the Serpent Guards passed him by.
Jack was the first to hear Daniel's labored breathing. He slowed and raised a hand to warn Carter and Teal'c. As he walked forward, he strained to hear. The breathing was coming from directly in front of them and it couldn't be too far off -- maybe only a couple of yards now. Jack spotted the hole in the tunnel wall and made his way cautiously forward. When he reached it, he could hear Daniel's breathing coming from inside. Then he heard a muffled sneeze and he knew they had found him.
"Carter, you got that syringe ready?" asked Jack.
"Yes, sir."
"Okay, you stay back. Teal'c and I'll go in and tackle the boy. When we do you scoot in here and give him the stuff."
"Yes, sir."
"And Carter," added Jack, "that stuff had better work. I'd feel like a heel if I had to cold conk him."
Carter smiled, "Yes, sir."
Jack motioned for Teal'c to follow and they both entered the room. Jack's flashlight playing back and forth throwing shadows around the cavern as it moved across the stalagmites on the ground. Both men were listening intently trying to locate Daniel by his ragged breathing. As Jack moved forward, Teal'c on his left he zeroed in on the sound. Motioning to Teal'c which of the stalagmites that Daniel was hidden behind, they each approached it from different sides.
A flurry of movement. Daniel erupted from his hiding place and yelled, "NO! I'm not going to die like this!." He aimed a blow for Jack's head with the large rock he held in both hands.
***
Daniel's eyes popped open and he started to sit up until his head started spinning and he felt like he was going to throw up. He closed his eyes and felt a hand on his shoulder, pushing him back down on the bed.
"Easy there big fella," said a voice. "Stay down."
Once his head was back on the pillow, he slowly opened his eyes again. The room swum into focus and he saw Jack, Sam, Teal'c, General Hammond, and Dr. Frazier all crowded around him. Dr. Frazier put a hand under his chin.
"Look this way Dr. Jackson," she said. Shining her ever present pen light into his eyes, she smiled.
"Well, I think I can honestly say that you're going to be just fine. Another couple of hours and the nausea will pass as well as your shakiness."
"What happened?" he asked.
"How much do you remember, Daniel?" asked Carter.
Daniel concentrated. "Ummm. The last thing I remember is hearing SG-3 ... How are they? Are they okay?"
"Yes, Dr. Jackson. They're all here except for Fields. He was transferred over to the Academy hospital as soon as we got them back here," answered Hammond.
"But how are they?"
"Well, O'Neill and I have compared bumps to the head and decided that his was worse -- if only because you gave it to him," said Makepeace as he joined everyone at Daniel's bedside.
"Bumps? I gave Jack a bump on the head?"
Jack rubbed the side of his head and flinched. "Yeah, and it's still a bit sore. You really can swing a rock, Danny boy."
"Jack, I'm sorry. I don't remember ..."
"Don't worry about it Dr. Jackson. I'm sure they'll tell you all about it later -- complete with all the embellishments that Colonel is so good at," said Dr. Frazier. "You need to rest. So everybody out," she ordered.
"But wait, how is the rest of SG-3," asked Daniel.
"They're going to be fine, Dr. Jackson. You can visit as soon as Dr. Frazier says you can get up," said Hammond.
"Even Fields?"
"Time will tell, Dr. Jackson, but it looks promising," said Frazier. "Now ..."
"Right, everyone out," said Jack. "C'mon Makepeace. We've got a gin game to finish."
"You're going to lose, you know," said Makepeace as he turned from Daniel's bed.
"Oh yeah, you just wait until ..." Jack's voice faded into the distance as everyone left him to himself.
He lay on his bed trying to remember. It dawned on him that he didn't even know what day it was.
Carter stuck her head back in the door. "Oh by the way Daniel, Happy New Year."
"What day?" he asked.
Carter walked back to Daniel's bedside. "It's the second of January, 2000. Oh and Daniel, you were right to worry. There was a glitch in the programming. We're working to fix it now. It shouldn't be too long before we're back in business."
Carter put a hand on Daniel's shoulder. "Daniel, the next time you bring something to me and I ignore it, remind me of this once we've told you everything? Okay?"
"Uh, sure."
"Okay, sleep Daniel."
"Yeah, sleep. Thanks Sam."
Carter turned and started out the door, but Daniel's voice reached her before she could exit. "Happy New Year to you to, Sam."
***
fini
© January 24, 2000 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.