Daniel woke up, he had fallen asleep at work again. He looked about confused for a minute and then looked at the book he had been reading. The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers. "What the hell?" he thought, "What am I doing reading this fiction! I should be researching the lost city! Although…it is an excellent story." Daniel then looked at his watch and got up quickly, he forgotten there was a briefing scheduled with the rest of SG-1 with General Hammond this morning! He rushed over quickly to the cafeteria and grabbed a coffee before heading to the briefing room. He pushed the elevator button.
"Oh hey Daniel!" Sam said when the elevator doors open.
"Hey Sam," Daniel said with a yawn.
"Whoa, whats up with you? Did you get any sleep last night?"
"Well I did but not much, ya know working." Daniel said while bobbing his head around.
"Oh yeah, found the lost city yet?" Sam asked in a joking matter, Daniel just yawned.
"What's this briefing about again?" Daniel asked.
"Oh, Planet P4X-159. SG-3 had found a cave with inscriptions that gave a stargate address to that planet. It seemed to indicate that there was some type of experiment or technology hidden from the Goa'uld. Anubis, as you know, has been on the hunt for ancient technology, so I think Hammond is going to send us there to check it out."
The elevator then opened and they headed up to the briefing room. Coronal O'Neill and Teal'c were already sitting down.
"Well well well, Good Morning campers!" Jack called out as he was spinning in his chair, "Find anything fun last night?"
"Actually, sir, I went home for a change." Sam said.
"What? You are talking crazy Carter!" Jack said, while pointing at her. Sam smiled in response. "What about you Daniel? What did you do last night?"
"Did a little reading." Daniel said, taking another sip of coffee.
"Ah, that thing, which you do so well!" Jack said, and Teal'c raised an eyebrow at O'Neill.
"Good Morning Everyone." General Hammond said as he came from his office and took his seat at the head of the table. He then put the briefing packets on the table, and all the members of SG-1 reach out to grab one. "Planet SR-17, SG-3 recently did a surveillance mission there, when they discovered this cave. The cave was covered in ancient writing, we've had someone translate most of it, but from what we can tell it speaks of a planet with advanced technology. We are not sure what type of technology it has, but it has an address that we found Coronal O'Neill had put in the data base after his experience with an ancient database."
"Those ancient machines are so hospitable, sir." Jack said with a sarcastic tone.
"Has Anubis heard of this planet General Hammond?" Teal'c asked.
"I do not believe so, there is no indication that he has taken any interest in it, I think you'll be clear from Goa'uld attacks, but we are still going to send a MALP in first. Gear up, you leave at 0800 hours." The team then got up and headed toward their locker rooms to go put on their black uniform. It's still unknown how they always know what color to wear.
The team entered the gate room, all with their usual P90s attached to their vests, a small gun strapped to one leg and a zat gun on the other. A knife was placed on their belts, just in case it came down to hand to hand combat. Teal'c held his staff weapon like he always does.
Up in the control room, General Hammond gave Walter a nod, and he clicked the address on the computer. The gate started spinning.
"Chevron 1 encoded" Walter began, saying as each chevron found its mark as it dialed P4X-159.
"Why does he say that?" Jack asked, as SG-1 was waiting for the stargate to open. "I mean we can see the chevron light up from here."
"Don't ask me sir." Sam said.
"Chevron 7 locked." The stargate whirled blue, and surged forward before pulling back. It looked like a puddle of shining water, beautifully sending light out from it. "Sending in the MALP." Walter said on the PA.
The MALP slowly entered the stargate, General Hammond looked intently at the screen, that showed what the MALP's camera was picking up. All he could see was blackness. The MALP moved a little further and Hammond then saw some sort of device that had lights attached to it here and there. It looks like SG-3 was right.
"SG-1 you have a go." Hammond said on the PA.
The team walked up the walkway, yet for some reason Jack, Teal'c, and Sam hesitated a moment before entering. Daniel entered first, and saw the MALP and a cave. He then saw a light being emitted from an object, and the light was directed right a his head. Daniel held his hand up, but as soon as the light hit him, it vanished. The rest of the team came through then, just in time to see the most peculiar thing happen. The cave began to move as if the rocks had suddenly become liquid and was rippling around.
"Whoa." Jack said, holding up his gun with the flashlight on it. It stopped after a few seconds, and Jack said, "Right…ancients." The team then moved out through the cave, and heard the sound of dripping water. When they came out they found many people, dressed in rags around a drain that created a lake. It was all women, children, and elderly, and the team looked around, hoping that they hadn't just stepped into a Goa'uld prison.
"Exuse me ma'am." Jack called out to one of the women close by, "what are you all doing here?"
"It was necessary to move us into the caves. Saruman is about to attack. The men are upstairs with our king preparing for battle, you should be up there!" She said and then hurried off to see to her son who had begun to cry.
"Wait…what did you just say?" Daniel asked, thinking he had just imagined that.
"It appears that Saruman is attacking this place." Teal'c said with absolutely no change in emotion, but a face ready for battle.
"Saruman…why does that name sound familiar?" Jack said trying to remember where he had heard that name before.
"He's a character in The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien." Daniel said looking about the cave they had entered. It looked exactly like the one described in The Two Towers. Could it be possible?
"Oh yeah those books, with the elves and dwarves and that evil eye thing and what not." Jack said, "Wasn't there a movie?"
"Yes sir, there was, but how could these people know of it?" Sam asked looking around.
"Well, lets go upstairs and find this king." Jack said. They began to move through the caves and up the stairs. Daniel stared at a woman with long blond hair that was wavey, she was helping an older woman. It seemed as if she also had stepped out of the pages of The Two Towers. She looked just like Eowyn. Once they came out of the caves, they found themselves on top of a stone fortress that seemed carved out of the side of the mountain.
"Could it be possible?" Daniel asked to himself.
"What?" Sam asked looking at him.
"Never mind, let's go this way." Daniel said, "I think I might know exactly where the king might be."
"How could you know this Daniel Jackson?" Teal'c said looking at him. Ever since Daniel had saved his son and Bra'tak with knowledge from his time as an ascended being, he had always trusted Daniel on his instincts when it came to his knowledge of an unknown planet.
Daniel walked along the battlement and climbed up a ladder. He strode toward the center door, which was huge, and swung it open. He found to his utter shock and disbelief that sitting in a chair in the middle was King Theoden.
"uh-oh" Daniel said, walking forward.
"uh-oh?" Jack said following Daniel.
"Excuse me. Are you King Theoden Lord of the Mark?"
"Yes, and who might you be stranger? You carry strange weapons."
"Uh yes, well we are – uh – four kindred from – uh – Gondor, and we have been traveling for many long years, and we heard you may need some help with this battle from your nephew Eomer."
"Well, we can use all the swords we can get. But how came you into helms deep? With no horse, and you entered not from the gate." Theoden asked.
"Well, you see, we came from the caves below." Daniel replied.
"Hold it!" Jack said, and Daniel gave him a look that said "Jack let me handle this." But Jack went ahead and kept speaking, "Are you saying you are King Theoden, about to go to war with Saruman? And this is Helms Deep?" Jack began to laugh, "Oh, I wish I had paid more attention when I was watching that movie."
"Movie?" Theoden said, looking confused.
"Give us a minute." Daniel said, and they walked out of the great hall and to the battlements.
"How the hell is this happening?" Sam asked looking around.
"Here's what I think is going on," Daniel began, "You see last night I wasn't doing research but I was reading The Two Towers. And I was in the middle of the battle at Helms Deep when I fell asleep."
"Wait whoa!" Jack said, "What is this nonsense! First Carter went home for a night, and now you read fiction! This day has just gotten a little crazier!"
"Anyhow, when I came through the Stargate, some device seemed to scan my brain. It seems to have taken what I recently read and recreated it somehow."
"So this must have been ancient technology." Sam said, "but what were the ancients doing trying to create fictional worlds? How is that helpful at all?"
"Fictional? What is this movie The Two Towers?" Teal'c said looking at them.
"It's a long story Teal'c" Jack said, "But sadly Daniel came in first, if you had been ahead of him we might have stepped into star wars." Teal'c looked down, a little disappointed.
"Shall we try to return then? It seems this place is of no use to us, and there is about to be a battle." Teal'c asked.
"Well, we should try to find the power source that is generating this." Sam said. "Sir, something this elaborate could only be powered by something with a huge amount energy. That may come in handy."
"Alright, here's how its gonna be. I am Aragorn, Daniel is Legolas, Carter is Eowyn, and Teal'c is Gimli." Teal'c raised an eyebrow in question, "We're gonna head back to the Stargate and see if we can find anything down there."
"Actually, Jack, I think all the characters are already here, we're just invading the story," Daniel said as he saw Aragorn followed by Gimli and Leoglas walk toward them.
"Oh yeah, look at that." Jack said.
"Travelers" Aragorn said, looking at their strange gear, "We have heard of your arrival from the King. I am Aragorn son of Arathorn, this is Gimli son of Gloin, and Legolas of the woodland realm. From where have you come?"
"From the caves down below." Jack said, looking at Aragorn's sword, "hey where can I get one of those?" Aragorn looked puzzled.
"Hello," Daniel interjected, "I am Daniel son of Melburn, this is Samantha daughter of Jacob of the Tok'ra, and Teal'c of the Jaffa.
"Strange names." Aragorn said, and he looked at Jack, "What is your name?"
"Coronel Jack O'Neill." Jack said with a little salute.
"Jaffa?" Legolas said looking at Teal'c, "Where do the Jaffa dwell on Middle Earth?"
"The Jaffa do not dwell on Middle Earth. My home planet is far away."
"Home planet?" Legolas asked, "Did you come from the heavens? Have you come from the valar?"
"No, Teal'c speaks of the early creation of the Jaffa. They were made on a faraway planet but sent here by the valar, and they live near the gray havens. They do not normally travel out among middle earth though." Daniel said, trying to handle this situation with as much tact as possible. Legolas seemed satisfied with the answer, but the three companions still looked confused at their gear, and Aragorn looked at Sam with great confusion.
"How is it that you let a woman into battle?" Aragon asked.
"Excuse me? Please don't criticize me based on the fact that I'm a woman, if you want proof as to my abilities, fight me yourself!" Sam said, about to pull out her knife.
"Excuse me my lady," Aragorn said in a gentler tone, "It is just that I did not permit the Lady Eowyn to fight this battle, and I fear for her safety if she should find that you are fighting, Samantha daughter of Jacob."
"Oh whats with all this talk! We have a battle to prepare for! Friends, let us go down stiars and get ready." Jack said and he led them past the three companions and back toward the Stargate. He paused at the end of the stairs, looked up at his team and said, "That went well." The team came back to the cave where they had entered from to the surprise that the Stargate was gone, along with the MALP. It was now just an empty cave that continued up into the mountains.
"What the-?" Jack said looking around.
"How is this possible?" Sam asked. "I mean it was just here 15 minutes ago!"
"Perhaps in order to complete the illusion, the ancient technology that scanned Daniel Jackson has hidden the Stargate from our view." Teal'c suggested.
"Well this is a dandy situation we're in!" Jack said.
"Perhaps we should find the source of this creation." Teal'c said.
"Alright, lets search the cave." Jack said.
The team began to spread out, looking in every dirction of the cave. Jack started mumbling to himself, something like "why couldn't we be in star wars?" Sam saw something glowing from behind a rock, and headed toward it. She looked down, and moved a rock from the side of the cave and found a power strip.
"Sir!" She yelled, and the team came to her position. "It looks like this is a control panel or something."
"See what it does." Jack said. Sam pushed a button in the center of the panel. They then heard a static noise, and they turned around to find a hologram of an ancient. "Whoa," Jack said looking at the woman.
"Travelers." The voice said, "I am Nira, I have created a device that allows any environment or being to be created with holographic technology. This place took a memory from your mind and recreated it. You may live comfortably in this world safe from any enemy you may face."
"Yeah that's nice lady, but this isn't really how I planned on living the rest of my days thank you very much!" Jack said, but the hologram said nothing.
"I think it's a recording sir." Sam said.
"Hold on Sam," Daniel said, looking at the panel. He was tracing his fingers over the ancient letterings. He then pushed a button and said, "This world is not our home, we wish to return through the Stargate."
"The Stargate has been hidden from sight. It has been registered not to return until the simulation has nothing more to build off of."
"What does that mean?" Daniel said.
"Once the memory has been used, the Stargate will be visible for a few minutes, if you wish to return then you can, but if not you may stay and allow the device to scan your memory again." The hologram said.
"Oh come on!" Jack said looking from the hologram to Daniel.
"Well, at least we'll get a window to escape." Sam said. "Daniel, at what precise moment did you stop reading The Two Towers?"
"Let me think," Daniel said trying to recall, "I think it was at the part where Gandalf had just arrived and he was at the top of the hill ready to attack the army or orks."
"Orks?" Teal'c asked.
"Gross bad guys with a bad temper" Jack said.
"So we just have to survive to the end of the battle." Sam said.
"That may be difficult. The battle lasted 5 days, and at the end of the last day the orks had trapped the main characters in the great hall, and they rode out on horses. Many people died. If we are going to get through this alive, we are going to need to fight this battle."
"Ugh, when are these ancient technology things ever NOT going to lead to a battle?" Jack asked. "Alright, lets go back up, find this Aragorn guy and try to get a hand on some swords. If I remember correctly there were a lot of orks and we might not have enough ammunition for all of them."
