Author's Note: Aside from the usual, this story takes place in season four'ish. Spoilers for basically The Fifth Race. This is not an AU, although it does deal with the Ancients, it is going to be a stand-alone and not have any impact on the developments in season seven and eight.

Electric Potential

Chapter one

PX7-388

"...and that's why I think it would be worth a visit." Daniel Jackson stared earnestly at General Hammond, a pen touching the screen, waiting for an answer.

"Daniel, it's a pole." Jack replied evenly. He was sitting slouched in the oversized black chair, long legs stretched, and fingers tapping against the file lying in front of him on the mahogany table.

"It's a pole with Ancient on it Jack." Daniel replied back, just as evenly.

"Well, there's that..." Jack tapped his pen on the folder, "What good has any planet with Ancient culture done for us yet? We still don't have that magic weapon that is going to keep the bad guys away."

"Are you saying you think this is a waste of time Colonel?" General Hammond asked from his position at the head of the table.

Jack paused, watching Daniel. He sighed, "No General." No more than any other time.

"We may find minerals we can use." Major Sam Carter added, from her position next to Daniel.

Jack grimaced. "Yeah...yeah. Bring plenty of those little sample baggies of yours."

Carter smiled, "Sample containers." She corrected, knowing full well he knew the technical term.

General Hammond's face twitched in a half-smile, "Teal'c, do you recall this planet from your time with Apophis?"

The large man sitting to O'Neill's right acknowledged the question with an almost imperceptible tilt of his head, "I do not General Hammond."

Hammond rolled his chair back and stood, "Then you have a go SG-1."

"Yes General." Jack dropped his pen, and rolled his own chair backwards, "Thank you General." Hammond headed to his office leaving the four teammates now all standing.

"It's worth it Jack." Daniel tried to bundle his files into a neat stack.

"That remains to be seen." Jack reached over and took the folders from Daniel and quickly shepherded the papers into military order then handed them over to his bemused friend, "We'll leave in an hour, don't be late." He ambled from the briefing room, followed by Teal'c.

Daniel looked at Carter, "That went better than I thought it would."

Sam agreed, "He must have been in a good mood. Let's go get geared up, you don't want to push it by being late."

"Tell me about it."
"Welcome to PX7-388, please return your seats and trays to the upright position and prepare for...boredom." Jack readjusted his P-90. His team stood behind him, everyone adjusting weapons and clothes after the wormhole ride to their new location.

"It looks uninhabited." Carter observed, sweeping her eyes across the landscape.

O'Neill agreed. The Stargate was situated at the base of a rolling hill. Long stalks of grass-like vegetation covered the ground. A slight breeze blew, causing the plants to bend and sway in a manner that reminded him of that Little House on the Prairie show. It wouldn't have surprised him to see a little girl in pigtails come running across the meadow. "Looks like Nebraska."

"It does." Daniel said, stepping even with Jack. "Kind of spooky actually."

"Spooky?" Teal'c's eyebrow arched at Daniel Jackson.

"It looks like we gated to another state instead of another planet Teal'c. It's weird...spooky." Daniel explained.

"I don't know, I kind of like it." Carter was pulling at a stalk of the grass, "It's pretty."

"If you go for that overgrown weed look." Jack twisted to look back towards the Gate, "Where's your pole Daniel?"

Daniel stepped a few feet ahead and cupped his hand over his eyes, shielding them from the glare of the sunlight, "The UAV has it at two miles that way." He pointed straight ahead.

"Carter, get your...sample containers." Jack resisted the urge to call them baggies again, "Teal'c, you take point, I'll take our six."

The team spread out, Teal'c in the lead, Carter then Daniel followed by O'Neill. They walked in quiet for the first mile.

"Do you think the Ancients had an outpost here?" Carter asked, breaking the silence.

"Doesn't seem to be their typical location." Daniel said.

"Not even close." O'Neill reached down to pull at a stalk that had wedged it's way into his pant leg, a barbed section scratching against him. "They usually go for that advanced technical look."

Carter looked back, "Sir?"

"It's nothing. The grass appears to have teeth."

Teal'c had paused, waiting for the others. "Grass does not have teeth O'Neill."

"Look for yourself." Jack held up one of the errant stalks.

Carter leaned forward, studying the thin barbs. "It's got teeth."

"Leave it to Jack to find a man-eating grass." Daniel joked.

Jack rolled his eyes, "This coming from someone who could find trouble in an empty room."

"Was it not you, O'Neill, who managed to find trouble in an empty room?" Teal'c asked, his face unreadable. "When you had the knowledge of the Ancient's downloaded into your mind?"

"Cute Teal'c." Jack gave a painful half-smile, "Just...walk." He gestured for them to get back on the move.
"I think I see it ahead." Daniel pointed to a tall gun-metal gray object rising above the horizon.

They stopped again. Jack guessed it was another ten minutes walk. "Carter, this is as good a place as any. Get your samples, Daniel and I will go check out this pole thing. Teal'c, give Carter a hand." He ordered. He didn't wait for a response, but began moving towards the object.

"Don't stick your head near it." Daniel took extra long strides to get caught up with Jack.

"Very funny."

"I thought so."

"You think you can read it?" Jack looked at his friend; "I don't think we can take it home with us." The object was huge. As they approached the base of the pole they realized it was twice as tall as the UAV had led them to believe.

"No...I don't think we can." Daniel set his pack down and approached the pole.

"Don't touch anything." Jack dropped his own pack, but kept his P-90 ready.

"I won't." He replied absently, staring at the inscriptions etched into the dull surface, "It's definitely Ancient."

"What does it say?"

"I don't know." Daniel walked around the pole, which couldn't have been more than two feet in diameter, "I recognize some of these from the time you spoke the language."

Jack stepped forward, despite himself; curious to get a look at the language he had spoken. It looked like all the other languages they came across to him, gibberish. "Don't recognize a thing."

Daniel looked disappointed, "You did say the Asgard took it all back."

"And apparently they did a good job. I'll have to tell Thor thank you." Jack decided there wasn't any imminent danger, and slung his P-90 down beside his pack, dropping himself beside it.

"Get your...pictures...scratchings...whatever it is you do." He said, leaning into his pack and stretching his frame as far as he could, relishing the feeling.

"And you do whatever it is you do." Daniel muttered, reaching for his camera and pencil.

"I heard that."
"Sir, we're ready to go." Carter's voice floated above him.

He opened his eyes, and pushed his cap back off his face, "Daniel?"

"He's finishing up now."

Jack pushed himself back up, and looked at his watch. Two hours. Not bad.

"Find anything promising?"

Carter shook her heard, "No Sir."

Damn. It was going to be another galactic waste of time. He walked towards the pole but found himself flat on his back, staring at the very dark blue sky.

"What just happened?" He asked, lying still, making sure all his parts still worked.

Daniel's face peered over him, "You fell."

"Daniel..." Jack warned.

A hand offered help up. He reached up and grasped Daniel's wrists, pulling himself back to his feet, "What did I trip on?"

"O'Neill, I believe this is the source of your fall." Teal'c held a small black ball in his hand.

They crowded around, staring at the small object. It was no bigger than a tennis ball, and had similar etchings as the pole. "It appears to be Ancient as well." Teal'c announced.

"That we can take home." O'Neill reached for the ball, tossing it gingerly in his hands, "It's light."

"Uh...Jack?"

"Daniel?"

"Maybe you shouldn't...toss that."

"What could possibly happen? It's a tennis ball Daniel. Probably little Ancient guys ran around here hitting this ball back and forth thousands of years ago." Jack gave it one more throw then tossed it to Daniel.

Daniel caught it smoothly, "You don't know that."

"Sir, Daniel's right, we probably should be careful. We don't know what it does." Carter took the ball from Daniel, taking a turn examining the object.

"All right kids, let's take our toy and get home. I'm sure the General will be thrilled that we actually found something." Jack grabbed his pack, and waited for the others to get situated. "Who knows, maybe it's a communications...thing."

"Just don't put it too close to your head..."

"Daniel!"