CHAPTER THREE
As Sam filled bags with food in preparation for what might be a very long wait for rescue, she wondered if her concussion was causing hallucinations or if she was simply going insane. First, she could have sworn that she saw a little girl. Then came a full-blown hallucination of Teal'c, who she not only saw but also felt and heard. Most recently, she'd heard a child's voice singing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star." She had followed the sound but found no one. What would a child be doing on the Prometheus anyway? She couldn't really be there, which meant that the voice was yet another hallucination. What would come next?
There was something else as well. A while ago, Sam had gotten this feeling that someone was reaching out to her, searching for her. Something about it had seemed familiar in an almost comforting way. Sam didn't understand the sensation or why she felt it. But, for some strange reason, it had given her a feeling of being not so alone, as if someone who cared a great deal was out there looking for her.
"You're going nuts, Sam," she muttered to herself and resumed packaging food.
The images from the MALP could not prepare everyone for what they experienced as they exited the Stargate. Falling like hail, the pumice pelted them continually. Even through their protective gear, it was uncomfortable. And then there was the ash. Still warm from the raging depths that had given birth to it, it drifted down in a steady grey curtain. And looming above them was the terrifying bulk of the volcano, a roiling column of ash rising at least twenty miles into the air from its mouth. Tongues of fire leapt from the crater, casting a red glow over the cloud.
Just before them was a village of stone and brick buildings. Several people looked timidly out of the structures. As soon as they saw the group from the SGC, they ran forward, just as they had when the MALP came through. Desperate hands began clutching at the clothing of the rescuers, threatening to pull the people off their feet.
"Stop! Stop!" Daniel called out, trying to calm them. "We're here to help. Just stay calm. We'll get you all out of here."
Daniel's words must have filtered through the people's panic. They backed away a little. Two Tok'ra wended their way through the crowd.
"We were told that help would be requested from Earth," said one of them, his voice possessing the deep echo of a symbiote. "Did you bring an alternate power source for the Stargate?"
Jacob looked at Daniel with a little smile. "You could say that."
"Okay, we need to hurry up and get these people together and through the gate," Jack stated, all business. "Are there any injured?"
"Yes," replied other Tok'ra. "They are in that building over there." He pointed to a low stone structure. The medics hurried off to do their job.
"All right, everyone!" Jack called out loudly to the people who were gathered there. "We are going to get all of you through the Stargate and to safety, but we have to do it fast. Get your families and everyone else together. We'll start sending people through as soon as we get the Stargate open."
Jack ordered SG-6 to help gather the people and sent Teal'c to the building holding the wounded to see if help would be needed with them. He then turned to Daniel.
"We're only going to have thirty-eight minutes once that gate opens, so I hope this goes smoothly. If they panic, we'll have a mess on our hands."
"I know, and, judging by the look of that volcano, we are really running out of time."
"Yeah, I noticed. Okay, you and Siler get to work—"
Jack never got a chance to finish his sentence, for, at that moment, the ground beneath their feet started shaking violently. Terrified screams rose above the loud rumbling as everyone fought to stay on their feet, many failing. The rescuers watched as several buildings in the village began to crumble, more screams coming from within.
And then a new sound captured their attention. They turned to the Stargate and watched, horrified, as the base it was mounted on cracked open. Knowing what was going to happen but powerless to stop it, those near the gate tried to flee, only to be blocked by the sudden crush of bodies. With a final loud grating sound, the gate toppled forward, straight toward the dozens still standing before it.
With a yell, Jack threw himself forward, knowing that he wasn't going to get clear. His arms covered his head in a fruitless gesture, and his whole body tensed, waiting for the crushing weight to hit him. When a few seconds passed and nothing happened, he uncovered his head and looked up.
The Stargate stood poised over him and the others, slanted at an angle of over forty-five degrees, defying all the laws of gravity with its motionlessness. His mouth dropping open, Jack turned to Daniel. The archeologist stood a few feet away, his eyes closed, face tight with concentration, a hand stretched out toward the gate.
The earthquake had stopped, but no one even noticed as they stood witness to something that should have been impossible.
"Unbelievable," Jacob said in a hushed voice, stunned amazement written all over his face. That expression was mirrored by the two other Tok'ra. As for everyone else, their expressions were ones of shock and awe.
Jack got to his feet and moved out from underneath the Stargate, as did the others. Only Daniel remained unmoving, seemingly oblivious to everything around him except the massive object that the power of his mind alone was holding in place.
"Jack, do you have any idea how much a Stargate weighs?" Jacob asked.
"Yeah, I do," he replied. Thirty-two tons. That was thirty-two tons Daniel was holding up.
His thoughts were interrupted by a strained voice.
"Jack, I can't hold it for much longer," Daniel said.
Concern instantly flared within Jack, and he hurried over to his friend. Daniel's face was etched with pain.
"Back up a few feet and let it down, Daniel," Jack told him. "Everyone else is clear."
Daniel's eyes opened, squinting with pain. "I can't. We won't be able to dial the gate if it's lying on its front, and I don't think I'll have the strength to lift it back up."
Even as he spoke, his face paled, and he started to tremble. "We need to lay it on its back," he grated out. "I can't . . . not alone."
Realizing that Daniel desperately needed help, Jack called out, "Grab the Stargate! We need to push it over on its back!"
Jack, Jacob, the two Tok'ra and several other men hurried forward and took hold of the gate. Pushing with all their strength, they helped Daniel lift the gate upright. Then they aided him as he slowly lowered it to the ground on its back.
As the Stargate came to rest on the earth, Jack looked at Daniel. All of the color had leached out of the archeologist's face. He swayed on his feet, and Jack just barely made it to his side before his legs gave out. Jack eased him to the ground, grasping his shoulders tightly. Daniel's head dipped forward, and Jack thought he was going to pass out.
"Daniel? Come on, buddy. Stay with me," the colonel said, the slightest edge of fear in his voice.
"God, it hurts," Daniel whispered raggedly.
"I know, Daniel," Jack murmured.
"Is he all right, Jack?" Jacob asked, kneeling beside them, deep concern on his face.
A spark of anger lit within the colonel. "Does he look all right to you?" he snapped. "He just lifted sixty-four thousand pounds, Jacob. How the hell do you think he feels?"
"N-no. I'm . . . I'm all right. I'll be okay," Daniel insisted rather weakly.
"Sure you will, Daniel. But, for right now, you're going to stay right here and rest." Jack sought out Siler's face. "Siler!" he yelled as soon as he spied the man. "Get that Naquadah generator hooked up to the gate, and somebody get Teal'c. We're going to need his muscle to turn that ring."
"Yes, sir!" The sergeant rushed to comply.
"Jack," Daniel began in protest.
"No, Daniel. You're in no condition to do it. If I even thought about letting you try, the doc would skin me alive with one of her scalpels, and what was left of me Carter would chop into little pieces once she got back."
At that moment, Teal'c and one of the medics finally made it through the growing crowd. Jack quickly explained what happened. The medic's look of surprise quickly changed to professional concern.
Daniel was laid on the ground, and the medic began taking his vitals as he asked the archeologist to describe how he was feeling. Jack wanted to stay there with his friend, but there was too much work to be done. They had to get these people organized and through the gate.
"Will Daniel Jackson be well?" Teal'c asked Jack.
"Yeah, I think so. I hope so. Damn, Teal'c. You should have seen it. He was actually holding the gate up. I can't believe he could lift that much weight."
Knowing that now was not the time for chitchat, the two men got busy helping with the natives. Many had been injured by collapsing buildings, and several were trapped in the rubble. Unfortunately, some were beyond help. Though everyone hated the thought of leaving the bodies behind, there wasn't enough time to worry about the dead.
Daniel looked around at all the activity. He was sitting upright now, his back against the Stargate pedestal. He was feeling a bit better, but the medic had insisted that he sit there and rest. The archeologist was feeling pretty useless now. He'd come here to open the gate and help rescue these people and, instead, was just sitting here, helping no one.
Daniel felt something tug at his sleeve. He turned to see a little girl of about five years old. Her thick black hair and dark eyes reminded him of Sha're.
"Did you make the Chaapa'ai not fall?" she asked. "Mama said you did."
"Um, yes, I did."
"Was it magic? The gods use magic to hurt people."
"No, it wasn't magic, and neither is what the bad people who said they were gods used. Those people use machines, things they made, to do the things that seemed like magic."
"Did you use a machine?"
Daniel considered lying to make things easier, but how could you look into the face of such innocence and lie?
"No, I used this." He tapped on the side of his head. "Something in my mind makes it possible for me to do things like that."
"Mama said that my papa and brother would have died if you hadn't made the Chaapa'ai not fall."
Daniel didn't know what to say to that. As it turned out, he didn't have to say a thing. The little girl abruptly gave him a quick hug, then scampered away.
Feeling a little bit better, Daniel turned his gaze to the volcano. What he saw brought him to his feet.
"Jack!" he yelled. "We're out of time!"
Jack spun around and watched in horrified fascination as the column rising from the volcano began to collapse. It rushed down the side of the volcano toward the village, a searing avalanche of volcanic material destroying everything in its way. Screaming in panic, the villagers ran, but there could be no escape from such a force of destruction.
But then, by some miracle, the pyroclastic flow came to a halt before reaching the village. Shaken by the near-miss, everyone just stared at it for a long moment.
"It's just like Pompeii," Daniel murmured, knowing that the first pyroclastic flow that had headed for the city stopped short of it. It was the second one that wiped out everything.
Knowing that another flow could happen at any minute, Daniel walked up to the Stargate, which was now hooked up to the Naquadah generator. Though the generator would provide power to the gate, it would not turn the ring. That would have to be done by hand, something for which they no longer had the time.
"Get back, Siler," he said.
The sergeant looked at him. "What?"
Ignoring the headache that he still had, Daniel began to turn the inner ring with his mind. Realizing what he was doing, Siler quickly backed up.
Upon hearing the Stargate, Jack turned to it. What he saw sent equal parts anger and worry sweeping through him.
"Dammit, Daniel," he cursed, stepping forward to stop his friend before he injured himself.
"Jack, don't," Jacob said. "He's doing what he has to. He knows that we could run out of time and luck at any second."
Knowing that Jacob was right but still wishing that he could stop Daniel from doing something that could harm him further, Jack watched tensely as the ring continued to turn.
Thanks to the practice he'd received on the Earth Stargate, Daniel was able to spin the ring quickly, though the worsening headache was making it progressively harder to concentrate. It seemed to him like an eternity before the final chevron locked into place, and the gate activated. A wave of dizziness washed over him, and he would have fallen if not for the strong arms that were suddenly holding him. He looked up into Jack's face.
"Daniel, you are one stubborn fool."
"Hey, it takes one to know one," Daniel shot back weakly.
"You got that right," Jack agreed. "Come on. Let's get you through the gate."
Daniel shook his head. "Not until everyone else is through. You might still need me."
"Daniel," Jack growled, seriously considering bodily throwing the archeologist through the gate.
As if sensing what the colonel was thinking, Daniel said, "Don't, Jack. You know I'm right."
Jack gave a mental sigh Yes, he did know that Daniel was right. Daniel was always right, or at least almost always.
Knowing that he'd lost the argument, Jack helped Daniel sit on the ground far enough away from the Stargate that he wouldn't get trampled. He then took charge of getting the villagers through. Because the gate was now in a horizontal position, they couldn't hurry the people through in large numbers, but the fact that the gate would only remain open for thirty-eight minutes made it vital to get everyone through as fast as possible. Therefore, Jack sent Siler through first with special instructions for those at the Alpha Site. He gave them a few minutes to make the preparations, then he called to the villagers, telling them to dive into the gate three at a time, spacing the trips five seconds apart.
And so the minutes passed as the natives of the planet gradually went through. Those who were too old or disabled to jump through the gate themselves were lowered through by others. The people who had been seriously injured would be the last to go.
While all this was going on, rescuers and volunteers among the natives were frantically freeing those still trapped within damaged buildings. There was no time to worry about broken bones and other injuries as they dug out people buried under rubble.
There were only five minutes left before the gate would shut down when the last of the villagers who could walk under their own power went through. The quickly dwindling time forced the medics into to hurrying the injured through.
Daniel got to his feet with Jack's help and came over to the gate. Though he was feeling a little better, he was far from being all right.
"You're going next, Daniel, as soon as all the injured are through," Jack stated, his tone brooking no argument.
Daniel nodded, too tired to argue. Once the injured were through the only people left would be SG-1, SG-6, the Tok'ra and the remaining medics. It would only take them a few seconds to evacuate. It looked like they were all going to make it.
Two seconds after that thought passed through Daniel's mind, a horrendous roar made everyone spin around to look at the volcano. Their eyes widened as they saw another pyroclastic flow speed down the flanks of the volcano, heading straight toward them.
"Go, go, go!" Jack yelled. The three medics and the members of SG-6 each took hold of an injured native and, holding them in their arms to shelter them as much as possible, jumped two pairs at a time through the gate. Jacob and the other Tok'ra quickly followed them through.
Daniel, Jack and Teal'c looked over their shoulders and saw the volcanic avalanche bearing down on them with frightening speed.
"Oh, crap!" Jack yelled. He grabbed Daniel's arm and hurled the two of them into the wormhole, Teal'c right beside them. They flew out the other side into the waiting arms of the Alpha Site personnel, who caught them before they could hit the ground.
"Incoming!" Jack screamed.
Trained to react instantly at the sound of that word, everyone dove away from the gate and hit the dirt. Seconds later, ash, pumice and rocks spewed from the mouth of the Stargate. The flow cut off almost instantly as the wormhole collapsed.
Daniel, Jack and Teal'c rolled over and took a look at what had come through the gate with them. The entire area from the Stargate to a few feet beyond the DHD was covered by a several-inch-thick layer of superheated volcanic material. The tremendous heat drove everyone away from it.
Several people had received burns from the hot ash, but none appeared to be extremely serious. Those who were able to do so picked themselves up off the ground. Daniel tried, but didn't get very far.
"Daniel? How are you doing?" Jack asked, studying him in concern. "And don't tell me you're fine."
The archeologist smiled faintly. "Actually, I was going to say that I feel awful, but it'll pass."
"Uh huh. Well, the doc might have a thing or two to say about that."
"Jack, can't we just not tell her what happened? She'll put me back in the infirmary."
"Which may be where you belong. You probably did some more damage inside that stubborn head of yours. Now we're not going to be able to go home until that ash and stuff cools and is cleared away, so, in the meantime, you're going to find a bed and rest. I'd tell you to consider that an order, but it wouldn't make a difference with you."
"Okay," Daniel responded meekly.
Jack blinked in surprise and stared at him. "Okay?"
"Okay."
"You're not going to argue or anything?"
"Nope."
"All right, that has me really worried since I don't think that the reason you're not arguing is that you've suddenly developed some common sense in regards to yourself. Therefore, the reason has to be that you feel like you're dying and want to go off somewhere to be alone when it happens."
"I'm not dying, Jack. I'm just tired and not feeling well."
"You're sure."
"Positive."
"I'm taking your word on that, Daniel. So, if you die, I will be seriously pissed." He turned to their other teammate. "Teal'c, give Daniel some help over to the sleeping quarters and have a medic take a look at him again."
The Jaffa did as he was told, helping Daniel to his feet and offering a supporting arm to him in case he needed it. Daniel was able to walk the distance without aid, though his legs felt more than a bit rubbery.
"O'Neill is greatly concerned about you, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c said once they'd reached the quarters where Daniel would be sleeping. "I, too, am concerned for your health."
Daniel looked up at him from his seat on the bed. "Thanks, Teal'c. I'll be fine. I just need to get some sleep."
Teal'c paused a moment, considering his words carefully. "Though I deeply admire and respect your willingness to risk your health and your life for the sake of others, I must tell you that your death would be a great loss, one which could not be replaced by another, neither in the fight against the Goa'uld nor in the lives of myself, O'Neill, Major Carter, and the others who care for you. For this reason, I must ask that you put greater value upon your own life, for it is a life that we value greatly."
Deeply touched by the Jaffa's sincere, softly spoken plea, Daniel said, "Teal'c, I've promised both Sam and Jack that I'll take more care, that I won't go rushing into situations that could get me killed without thinking about it first. I have every intention of dying of old age . . . though I kind of hope that the Cassandra we met in the future was joking about my hair."
A soft smile graced Teal'c's face. "I will go in search of a medic to attend to you."
"There's no need for that, Teal'c. I'll be fine after I get some sleep. Besides, Janet will be getting her hands on me soon enough."
Teal'c inclined his head and left the room. Daniel took off his shoes and laid down on the bed. It took only a couple of minutes for his exhaustion to pull him down into sleep.
Things were not looking good. All of Sam's attempts to start the hyperdrive had failed, the hyperspace window seemingly unable to stabilize enough for the ship to enter it. The ship's sensors had been unable to identify the contents of the cloud the ship was now inside, so she could only guess that the gasses within the cloud were preventing the hyperdrive emitters from transferring power at an even rate. Until that changed, the Prometheus was trapped, which meant that, unless the SGC or an ally found her, there was a very good chance that she'd die here.
Sam has spent the last few minutes talking with a hallucination of Daniel, who had told her that he was actually a part of her own subconscious mind speaking to her. Figuring that maybe her subconscious had something important to impart to her, she had decided to listen. Unfortunately, Daniel wasn't being of that much help. He was trying to convince her that she should be checking out the gas cloud that the Prometheus was trapped inside, which Sam thought was a ridiculous waste of time when she was in the middle of a crisis.
"Come on. It's-it's a chance to see something rare and exciting up close! Seize the moment!" Daniel told her animatedly.
"Seize the moment?"
"I'm just saying it's-it's-it's new, something we've never encountered before," his toned softened, "and you're ignoring it. Does that sound like you?"
Sam didn't know what to say. Daniel was right about that. Normally, she would be trying to find out more about the cloud.
Sam's pain and exhaustion reasserted themselves at that moment.
"Daniel, I can't even think straight, let alone stay awake," she told him.
Daniel knelt at her feet, a gentle hand resting on her arm. Sam looked down into his eyes and saw the man she knew so well, the loving, caring friend who would do anything for her.
"Sam, you have to check this out," he insisted. "Trust me, it's important."
"Daniel. . . ."
"Sam, you're not alone. There may be no one else on this ship with you, but you're not alone."
Sam searched his eyes, then smiled, knowing what he was saying and remembering how she felt earlier. "I know, Daniel."
Daniel got up and walked away. When Sam turned around, he was gone. Pondering his words, she got back to work.
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