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"You have your beacon turned on?"
Jack asked as Daniel finished pulling on his gloves.
"Yes Mom," Daniel rolled his
eyes. "I have it turned on. Now am I allowed to go out and
play in the snow?"
Jack took a few steps towards his partner
placing his hands on Daniel's shoulders. "Be careful. Desta
said this is the prime time of year for avalanches." Jack
jerked his thumb in the direction of the older man sitting in
the center of the village hall.
"I have good guides, Jack,"
Daniel reassured him. "Pyitra and Ged said we'll turn back
if things don't look safe." He smiled at Jack. "This
is the chance of a lifetime, Jack. The Sibthala have never
allowed a foreigner up in the caves. If my hypothesis is correct
that the Goa'uld found this world too inhospitable, I should be
able to find proof in the writings on the cavern walls. Of
course the samples and readings Sam's taking home will help too.
She said it appears the planet is now in a warming trend from
the ice age."
"So in other words, what? The Goa'uld
tried living here a few thousand years too soon?" Jack
asked.
"Yeah," Daniel answered.
The sound of bells as Daniel's guides to
the mountain caves entered the hall got everyone's attention.
The Sibthala were dressed for the cold in fur jackets and boots.
Jack caught Carter looking at the guides and grinned at her
rubbing her arms as though she was cold. He wished he was going
along on the trip, not because he had any interest in seeing the
caves himself but he didn't like the idea of Daniel gallivanting
in the mountains where the Sibthala reported avalanches. Jack
shook his head. Daniel was a grown man and, as he said, was
about to have the experience of a lifetime and the trip would
have Daniel and his guides back to the village before dark.
Carter and Teal'c were going to spend some more time learning
about the geothermal features the Sibthala used to power their
villages. Jack stepped back as the doors opened and cold air
swirled into the hall.
"Come, O'Neill." Desta held up a
mug. "We old soldiers will trade tales while the young ones
venture into the cold."
He grinned and went over to the old man,
pulling out one of the wooden chairs. A curious dog came over
and sniffed at Jack's leg, finally lying down with her head
resting on his foot. Jack took the offered mug and settled back
to listen to one of Desta's tales of how the Sibthala defeated
the Goa'uld centuries ago.
Jack was enjoying yet another of Desta's
tales of his childhood, the past two hours flying by, when
thunder shook the hall while the sound of the gong at the
village gate reverberated through Jack's bones.
"What is going on?" he asked
Desta as the old man, looking suddenly very spry, jumped to his
feet and pulled one of the jackets off the pegs on the wall.
"Alarm. It is our signal for
alarm," Desta said, motioning for Jack to follow. The
canine ran ahead of them and Jack saw Teal'c and Carter were
already gathered with the rest of the villagers.
"Snow fall," one of the villagers
explained, pointing towards the area where Daniel reported the
caves were. "Pyitra, Ged, and the foreigner were on the
trail. I could see them. Now I cannot."
Desta began giving orders and within
minutes what must be a rescue team had assembled, along with
more of the canines. The team wore what appeared to be modified
skis and harnessed themselves to sleds.
"We need to go with them," Jack
told Desta. "Daniel is wearing a beacon. We'll be able to
find him." He tried to focus on a vision of Daniel alive
and safe.
"Go. They can carry you. It will be
faster." Desta indicated that SG1 should sit on the sleds.
He said a few words to the rescue team in his native language
and then they were off. The wind bit at Jack's face at the rapid
speed they traveled. He gripped the railings on the edge tighter
wondering if there was some sort of power source contained in
the sleds. The Sibthala skied alongside the sleds, apparently
not tiring from the fast pace. Maybe the skis were powered too.
He'd ask Carter about it. Jack cut the train of thought, angry
at himself for losing sight of just why they were in these sleds
in the first place.
One of the dogs began yapping excitedly and
the team stopped. Jack got off of his sled watching Carter. She
studied her equipment intently and then pointed.
"He's over there," Jack explained
to the other men. He started heading in Daniel's direction.
"No. You must stay here. We know the
snow," the oldest of the team stated. He placed his hand on
Jack's chest. "You must allow us to do this work."
"Sir, he's right. We need to let them
do their jobs," Carter said.
Jack nodded and the man motioned for Jack,
Carter, and Teal'c to stay back as he and one of his companions
began to dig a short distance away while the others followed the
dogs further up the slope.
Curling his hands into fists, Jack forced
himself to remain still.
"It didn't take us long to get here,
sir," Carter said. "If he survived the..." A
cutting glance from her CO stopped her in mid comment.
"Thank you for that nice report of
doom and gloom, Carter."
"I'm sorry, sir. I..." She turned
away from him. He knew Carter's way of dealing with the rough
stuff was to turn analytical, to lose herself in facts and
figures and put her trust in scientific stuff. But he so did not
want to think of facts and figures while Daniel was buried
beneath the snow. He knew them all anyway--that was why he was
standing here with the shit scared out of him.
One of the dogs came bounding back down the
slope, tail wagging as the two men digging at Daniel's location
stepped away. At their waving arms, Jack hurried to their side,
conscious of Teal'c and Carter following. One of the men went to
the sleds, pulling equipment from it and running back to kneel
by Daniel. He held up a vial of liquid, preparing to tip it in
Daniel's mouth.
Jack knelt in the snow where it had been
cleared away from Daniel's body beside the Sibthala rescue team.
"No, please. We have our own medicines. I think the others need your help."
He smiled at the man. "We can take care of him." The
other man nodded in understanding and said something to the dog lying stretched out beside Daniel. At the
words the dog placed its head across Daniel's neck. His partner's eyes were closed and a scrape speckled with
blood was on his left cheek. "Daniel, buddy, you with
us?"
A rough groan escaped Daniel's lips as Jack
tapped his right cheek.
"Come on, that's it," Jack urged
looking across to Carter who was running her hands across
Daniel's chest.
Daniel's eyelids fluttered, his breathing picked up and he moved an arm,
nearly hitting Teal'c.
"Daniel!" Jack didn't know if
Daniel was semi-conscious, concussed, or confused, thinking that
he was still buried in the snow. He looked away for a second
watching the Sibthala continuing to excavate him from the snow
still covering his legs.
"Hey." Jack smiled at him in
reassurance. "We're gonna' get you packed up and head back
home."
"Daniel, can you tell me where it
hurts?" Carter asked as she moved back towards his head.
The dog moved away as she reached across Daniel's shoulders, as
if it understood she was trying to help this person given to
its' care.
"Hurts?" Daniel repeated,
grimacing as he did so. "Jack? Where?"
"You got caught in an avalanche,"
Jack told him. "You're gonna' be fine. Just need to get you
back to the Gate."
"We're going to put you on a
backboard, Daniel. I don't want you to move. We'll do all the
work."
Sam reached out to touch Daniel's shoulder
and Daniel pushed at her arm, striking her in the chest.
"Don't touch me, bitch."
"Daniel?" Jack shook his head at
Carter who was looking at SG1's linguist in shock, reaching out
his own hands to hold Daniel still.
"Don't! Not going with you. No
Goa'uld," Daniel continued. He struck out at both of them.
"Hathor," Sam muttered as she
avoided Daniel's flailing arm.
The Sibthala and Teal'c slid the backboard
under Daniel, ignoring his mutterings mostly in languages Jack
didn't even know.
"We're going to need to restrain
him," Jack said as Daniel continued to strike out at those
around him. He motioned for Teal'c to hold Daniel's arms down
while he used some of the rope the Sibthala provided to tie his
partner to the board.
"Stop it, Daniel," he ordered.
"You're okay. We're going home. She's not here." He
suppressed his own shudders at the memory of Hathor's plan. He'd
thought those nightmares were long gone but evidently they were
still in both his and Daniel's psyches just waiting to ambush
them even five years later.
He looked at Carter when he realized they
needed to stabilize Daniel's head.
She pulled some adhesive tape from her
vest. "We can use this, sir."
Jack nodded and held Daniel's head steady
while Teal'c wound it around him. Daniel continued to swear at
them, words Jack had never heard coming from Daniel's mouth even
in the most stressful situations.
"Jack?" Daniel went still.
"Jack, you here?"
"You were in an accident, Daniel.
We're taking you home," Jack repeated. He saw Daniel's
chest heave. "Let's get him turned to his side," he
ordered when he realized Daniel was going to vomit.
They held the backboard sideways, allowing
the vomit to drain from Daniel's mouth. Jack stooped down, using
his fingers to check Daniel's slack mouth. He made a face as he
cleaned the remaining vomit away, half-afraid Daniel would bite
down on his hand. When they turned him back over to transport
him, Jack felt his heart sink. Daniel's skin was pale and he appeared to be unconscious.
All they could do was get Daniel back to the SGC as quickly as
possible and pray that Janet and her team would be able to deal
with whatever injuries their teammate had suffered.
"We need to get him to the Stargate,
the Portal, as soon as possible," Jack said to Daniel's
rescuers. He glanced up the slope and saw the other Sibthala had
succeeded in pulling out Pyitra and Ged. He saw one of the men
shaking his head at the others. One of the dogs began to howl,
an eerie sound that sent chills down Jack's spine. Needing to
reassure himself, Jack touched Daniel's cool cheek.
Daniel regained consciousness only once on
the trip to the Gate, opening his eyes and asking in a slurred
voice what had happened. He didn't appear to recognize any of
them and Jack placed his hand on Daniel's chest, trying to
ground him, to let the confused man know someone cared.
"O'Neill." Teal'c blocked Jack's
body as he tried to pace in the hallway. "You will cease
this activity immediately."
"Let me pass." Jack gritted his
teeth, turning back when Teal'c refused to move. He looked at
his watch, shaking his arm when the numbers blurred before his
eyes. "Carter, what time is it?"
"Twenty one oh five, sir," she
said, her voice flat. "Colonel, please. Sit down."
He flopped down in the chair beside her, not caring
that she winced at the violence of his action. "It's been
too long," Jack muttered, looking at the infirmary doors.
"Would this not be a good sign, O'Neill?"
Teal'c asked. "DoctorFraiser can not come to us because she is treating
DanielJackson?"
Jack ran a hand through his hair, his impatience
with waiting coming out in little gestures. He stood up again, sharp
looks from Carter and Teal'c keeping him from pacing. But the need to
move, to do something, was overpowering.
"I'm gonna' go get us some coffee," he
announced and then turned back as he heard the doors open behind
him. "Doc?"
Fraiser nodded at them. "Daniel's condition is
stable for now."
"And that means?" Jack prodded.
"His vital signs are good. He has two cracked
ribs, a sprained wrist, lots of bruises, and a case of mild
hypothermia."
"Doc, Daniel wasn't exactly too with us when
he was pulled out of the avalanche." Jack didn't want to say the words
brain damage, as if vocalizing it would make it come true.
"Yes. Combative, confused, agitated." Fraiser met Jack's eyes. "It's not an uncommon
reaction considering the circumstances and the hypothermia. We
will be keeping a close eye on his condition."
"So it's," Jack pointed to his head,
"temporary?"
"I'm not going to make any promises, Colonel.
But most likely yes, it is temporary." She raised her hand before Jack
could speak again. "But as I said, we will be monitoring his neurological
status."
"Neurological status?" Carter asked.
"We don't know if Daniel went without oxygen
for any length of time. I don't believe he did, but I want to
monitor things to be on the safe side. Right now, our most
important treatment is to get Daniel's core body temperature
into the normal range." Fraiser smiled at them. She held up
her hand before Jack could speak. "No, sir. At this point,
I want to keep Daniel calm and give him a chance to rest. My
advice is that all of you go home and get a good night's sleep.
I'll allow you to visit him tomorrow."
Fraiser hadn't relented in her decsion, even after
Jack had spent another hour and a half writing his mission
report, went to the commissary for a sandwich and coffee, and
hung around in the hall hoping she'd take pity on him and let
him see Daniel.
"Go home," she'd told him kindly and
Jack, in the face of the only person possibly more stubborn than
Daniel Jackson, backed down. He knew when he was fighting a
losing battle. Speaking of which, he looked down into his now
empty for the fourth time coffee mug while sitting at the
briefing room table. His half-hearted compromise to rest in his
quarters on base had been a waste of time. Unable to sleep
without images of Hathor with a newly shorn Daniel by her side
and a snake in her hand, or then the ever popular image of
Daniel being dug out of the snow, his blue eyes staring
sightlessly from his marble white face, Jack had spent what
remained of the night in front of the TV in the rec room
watching infomercials for things he didn't need and
televangelists promising wealth if he sent a donation of a few
hundred bucks to them. He was less than impressed.
And now he found himself in a debriefing that by
all accounts was lasting way longer than it should. How long
could Carter talk about the mission anyway? Even Teal'c had
added his two cents which Jack figured had added another ten
minutes to the time.
"Colonel O'Neill?"
Jack jerked as Hammond said his name and tried to
gather his scattered thoughts to give a coherent answer.
"Sir?"
"Do you have anything to add to Major Carter's
report?" Hammond placed the folders they'd handed him
earlier in a neat pile and waited.
"No. Meet and greet, Daniel caught in an
avalanche. That about sums it up."
Hammond nodded to all of them. "Dismissed
SG-1." Jack stood along with Carter and Teal'c. Carter was
looking at him and raised her eyebrows in question. He tilted
his head.
"Oh and SG-1? Tell Doctor Jackson I said hi
and hope he recovers quickly."
Jack swore he saw a hastily hidden grin before he
and the others booked it out of the briefing room.
"Good morning, Colonel. Major Carter,
Teal'c." Doctor Warner didn't seem at all surprised to see
them.
"Where's Doctor Fraiser?" Jack asked,
peering further into the infirmary, searching for Daniel's bed.
"Contrary to popular belief, Colonel O'Neill,
Jan...Doctor Fraiser isn't on duty twenty four hours a
day," Warner pointed out, a little peevishly Jack thought.
"She went off duty three hours ago. She did admit she was
surprised you hadn't tried to show up earlier. And Doctor
Jackson is doing as well as can be expected. He's still quite
sleepy from the meds we have him on but most likely he'll be
released in twenty four hours." Warner checked the chart he
was holding. "You're welcome to see him now, although he
might be sleeping again. Don't wake him."
Jack was aware of all eyes being focused on him .
"What?"
"Nothing, O'Neill," Teal'c spoke for all
of them.
Warner pointed to a bed towards the back wall and
Jack made a beeline for it, only peripherally aware of Teal'c
and Carter on his heels. He held out a hand to stop the others
as they came closer. Daniel was indeed asleep again. Bruises
speckled his face and Jack heard Carter's whispered, 'ouch,' at
the sight of their teammate. His right arm was wrapped in an
elastic bandage and his fingers where they peeked out were
swollen. His other arm was bruised, one particularly nasty one
darkening his whole upper arm. Jack could see painkillers being
a part of Daniel's daily routine for a week or so. The scrape on
his left cheek had been bandaged and Jack figured even the
weight of Daniel's glasses on his cheekbone would be an
irritation.
"Daniel?" Jack whispered as he stepped
closer to the bed and rested his hands on the railing. He could
see Daniel's breathing quickening, sure sign Daniel was either
waking or beginning a nightmare. He feared it was going to be
the latter.
"Sir," Carter hissed at him. "Doctor
Warner..." She stopped when a low moan escaped Daniel's
lips.
"Hey Daniel. It's okay. You're back at the
SGC." Jack placed his hand on the crown of Daniel's head.
"Go back to sleep."
Carter let out a little gasp as Daniel's eyes
popped open and then immediately closed again at the light.
"Get it off," Daniel mumbled, moving his
legs a little. "Get it off!" His voice rose with his
agitation. "Can't breathe."
"Get the doc," Jack looked across the bed
to Carter and Teal'c before turning his attention back to
Daniel. "Hey." He placed a hand on Daniel's shoulder.
"Daniel, wake up. You're dreaming."
"Off!" Daniel yelled, his voice
surprisingly strong. He tried to pull at his blankets with his
sprained wrist, letting out a yelp when he jarred it.
The light dawning, Jack pulled the blankets away
from Daniel's body. The man had been trapped, no, buried under
snow. Feeling the weight of anything on his body right now was
probably going to bring back memories better forgotten.
Daniel's struggles stopped as Jack piled the
blankets at the bottom of the bed. "Better?"
Daniel opened his eyes again, looking around and
squinting. "Jack?" He sounded a little breathless as
if he'd just been running.
"I'm here," Jack said. "You're back
home."
"Uh, yeah." Daniel grimaced as he moved
his right arm and then lifted his left arm instead. He rested it
over his eyes. "Snow. Lots of snow."
"Hey Doc," Jack said as Warner
approached, giving Daniel warning.
Daniel lowered his arm and looked at the doctor,
Carter, and Teal'c. "Sorry," he said in a hoarse
voice.
"How are you feeling, Daniel?" Doctor
Warner asked, taking Daniel's wrist to feel his pulse.
"I'm fine," Daniel said. Jack saw the
doctor's lips quirk in a small smile that Daniel didn't notice.
He made a shooing motion with his hand when Daniel turned his
head to watch Doctor Warner checking his IV. Teal'c placed a
hand on Carter's shoulder and they stepped away. Daniel might
tolerate Jack's being there for a bit but Carter and Teal'c
would be pushing it.
Doctor Warner probed at Daniel's ribs. "You
are one very lucky man, Doctor Jackson," Warner said,
keeping his voice as gentle as his hands. "Can you tell me
where you are?"
"Infirmary." Daniel couldn't stop a gasp
as Warner touched one of the bruises. Jack winced along in
sympathy. "I really wish you wouldn't do that."
"I'm done now," Doctor Warner said,
patting Daniel's shoulder. "Doctor Fraiser informed me
she'll most likely release you tonight or tomorrow morning. I'd
like to get you out of bed in a little bit, but first we'll see
about getting you some breakfast." The professional manner
was calming Daniel down, Jack noticed although at the mention of
food Daniel's face turned pale. "Very lucky," Warner
reiterated before checking the monitors one last time.
Daniel shivered as the doctor walked away. Jack
lowered the bed rail and sat on the edge of the bed.
"Want the blankets again?"
Daniel shook his head. "Just the sheet."
He clutched it with one hand when Jack pulled it up and closed
his eyes. "Lucky," Daniel repeated, opening his eyes a
little and then closing them once more.
Jack rubbed his thumb across Daniel's forearm.
"I'll stay here, Daniel. Go back to sleep." He was
silent, watching as Daniel fell back into a light doze. He had a
gut feeling Daniel didn't view his little off-world adventure as
lucky at all.
Continue on to Part Two
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