Time and Motion by Eilidh17
Category: Gen, Kidfic
Warnings: Angst, H/c, may be some iffy words from Jack
Notes: This story shifts back and forth in time pockets so I'm hoping I don't lose you all along the way by posting in chapters. Timed out from the LD3 zine.
Time and Motion
The rubble shifted as Sam stepped through the Stargate, pitching her toward the scattered remnants of the MALP among the older scraps of whatever building had once protected the 'gate from the bruising fury of the continent-spanning storm above them.
Staggering to maintain her footing and shielding her eyes from the flying debris, Sam watched as Janet Fraiser emerged from the gate, her face morphing into a look of panic as she was hit with a gust of wind that threatened to send her back into the event horizon.
"Janet!" Sam yelled, knowing that her words wouldn't carry above the deafening howl of the storm, but hoping her frantic waving would be enough to get her friend's attention. "This way," Shrugging her pack higher on her back, Sam stumbled her way towards the remnants of a low wall, hoping it would afford them a modicum of shelter. Moments later both women were huddled together in a corner, jackets pulled over their heads as the vicious storm hurled anything that wasn't secured around them.
Sam dragged the radio on her vest up to her mouth, and pulling the jacket down further to block out the din from the wind, keyed it on. "Colonel?" she yelled, not fully able to gauge the volume of her voice. "Colonel O'Neill, do you read me?" Sam waited and tried to listen for a response but got nothing but static. "Where in Sam Hill are they?"
"How far from the gate did you leave them?"
"About four miles." Sam released her vest and slumped back against the wall. "Daniel was in so much pain the colonel had Teal'c hide him in a cave we found while we led the Lhavanian's away from their position. When we were sure we'd lost them the colonel recommended I go on ahead to get help."
Janet nodded her head, pulling her jacket tighter around her chest. "I don't think we can risk going much further in this weather, Sam."
"We have to." Sam struggled to her knees, chancing a look over the decaying wall at the surrounding ruins. "We can't stay here. I barely made it past the Lhavanian hunting party last time. No telling if they're still here." Doing a quick visual scan of the area, she briefly turned her attention back to Janet, "And, if my theory is correct, then what is happening to Daniel is in direct proportion to the weather we are experiencing. I don't think this storm is going to get any better, in fact-" Sam suddenly fell back to the ground, instinctively covering her head as a branch from a nearby tree sailed overhead at an astonishing speed. Picking herself up and slinking back to the wall, she moaned, "I think it's going to get a whole lot worse!"
~oOo~
"I want my Mommy."
Tired blue eyes, their lashes soaked with freshly shed tears peer out at me from behind softly curled bangs, his small thumb detaching from the strong sucking grip only long enough to whimper out his plea. My heart is breaking. His already has. Nothing I say will soothe his frightened mind and no matter how much I reach out to calm him, he pulls away.
It's been this way for almost a day now. This is an emotional tug-of-war that I know neither of us is likely to win. If we were taking bets though, my money would be on Daniel. My former six foot, strapping archeologist and best friend, never knew what hit him. The object that the outwardly friendly Lhavanian's claimed was a puzzle had looked so innocuous. A tiny metallic orb, perfectly seamless and decorated with an as yet undeciphered language, had Daniel hopping about with excitement.
I remember standing amongst the crowd that had gathered, watching Daniel cradle the small orb in one hand, whilst the fingers of the other danced across the inscribed surface. His face was a mask of concentration, frowning as though the words weren't behaving to his silent request for them to make sense. I knew though, knew it would only be a matter of time till this particular enigma was resigned to the great Daniel Jackson book of 'mysteries solved'.
I can still feel the small smile that tugged at my lips as I watched him taking notes and peering at this curiosity through the old battered magnifying glass he'd retrieved from the depths of his pack. I had a feeling of intense pride and relief that came with knowing my friend, whose absence I had so deeply felt when he ascended, was back in my life, filling the emotional void that our team had been living in for so long, and back doing what he loved most.
My quiet moment of contemplation hadn't lasted long though. I watched as Daniel straightened up, and balancing the small orb in one hand tapped several of the finely etched symbols in what seemed like a random order. Watching the deep frown cross his face raised my alarm bells and had me jogging towards him. I was nowhere near quick enough though. The orb radiated an orange hue and emitted a whistle so high-pitched we grabbed at our ears in pain. I reached out to grab Daniel's wrist but found myself unable to move, caught in the mesmerizing spectacle of this tiny little sphere opening up like petals on a flower to reveal a small gem nestled in its centre.
Too stunned to react, I watched as the gem glowed red-hot, and spat out a beam enveloping Daniel. He cried out, and catching my glance, willed me to help him before he collapsed, dropping the damn thing on the ground.
My retinas felt like they'd been fried and dark shapes moved across my line of vision. I called Daniel's name, but got no response. Getting down on my hands and knees, and shaking my head to clear my still blurred vision, I began to feel my way around the ground. In my mind, Daniel had to be there, I just didn't know where.
A child's whimper had me stumbling towards the small stone dais I knew was Daniel's last location. My hand latched onto a boot and then moved up a leg, but I knew something was terribly wrong. Too small, everything about this body was too small. A child blinked back at me with such fear in his eyes, it made me want to cry. However, even though my mind refused to believe it, in my heart I knew who it was. The wide-eyed innocent was our Daniel.
I could hear Sam and Teal'c as they approached us from behind. Sam's anguished cry mixed with Teal'c's admonishment to stay down as he took stock of the situation.
My energy was gone. Dizzy and still trying to clear my blurred vision, I watched hazily as Teal'c scooped the child into his arms while Sam murmured sombre words of comfort.
That had been two days ago, and a lot can happen in two days. Unfortunately for us, a lot of thing went wrong in those two days.
~oOo~
"No."
"No?"
"This is the first time in our established history that the puzzle has been solved. It is a sign of blessing, of better times ahead." Zahur laced the fingers of his hands together, bowing his head deeply in reverence.
"So you're saying that we can't leave because Daniel solved some kid's puzzle that no one has been able to solve in years?" Jack was more than a little bit annoyed at this point. All attempts to leave the dome had failed, as Zahur, the village elder and head priest, had blocked their path both physically and verbally, insisting that Daniel be left within the dome.
"It is more than a puzzle, Colonel. The Ipotma has been an item of great religious importance amongst our peoples since the time before recorded history. Its true purpose has been lost but the knowledge that it is a token of great esteem and power has not." Zahur moved towards the dais, and scooping the small orb into his hand, he caressed it adoringly, running his fingers over the delicate engravings. "Every year the men of the village attempt to decipher the writings on the Ipotma, to solve the riddle that has eluded us for millennia. None have succeeded till now."
"Daniel thought this was a riddle, some sort of game to be played, and you," Jack stepped forward, invading Zahur's personal space and stabbing a finger to his chest, growled, "You let him believe he was doing nothing more than playing along!"
Zahur looked down at the finger currently resting on his chest and flicked it away with his hand, earning him a scowl from Jack. "My apologies, Colonel, I assumed that Doctor Jackson understood the writing on the Ipotma."
"Daniel understands a lot of things, he's a smart guy."
"Then he surely understood the reward that awaited him."
"Reward?" Jack asked, eyebrows raised in surprise.
"Yes, it has long been known that he who solved the mystery of the Ipotma would be the savior of our people."
"Oy vey," Jack muttered, shaking his head slowly.
~oOo~
"Over here!" Jack croaked, his voice raw and husky from constantly shouting over the din of the violent storm. Waving his left hand over his head, he signalled Teal'c forward towards his position as the rat-tat-tat of Sam's P90 let loose a barrage of suppression fire.
"We have no time to stop, O'Neill," Teal'c stumbled slightly as a strong gust of wind tore its way through the gully, uprooting small trees and other plant life it encountered, "the Lhavanian's are close behind." Teal'c huffed breathlessly, the burden in his arms taxing his already drained adrenaline levels.
"I know, T, just get Daniel into the cave and let me worry about our hosts." Jack ripped the cap off his head before the wind could claim it and thrust it into the pocket of his BDU jacket.
Teal'c, gripping the tiny limp bundle to his chest, turned briefly in the direction of the now distant dome, half-expecting the perusing forces to be right on top of them. Finding the way behind him clear, he made his way towards the cave, urging his weary body forward, the weight of Daniel's slumbering body seeming to multiply with every step.
"Take him as far back as you can." Jack motioned, sweeping aside a tall bush that was partially covering the entrance to the cave, letting Teal'c and his precious cargo past. "Carter and I are going to try and lead the Lhavanian's past your location and then we'll double back. You have to keep him as quiet as possible."
Looking down at the angelic features of his downsized team-mate, Teal'c sighed and muttered, "I don't think keeping DanielJackson quiet will be a particularly challenging task, O'Neill."
"No." Jack took stock of the pale features of his archeologist and frowned, "How long has he been like this, Teal'c?"
"Since we left the protective biosphere of the dome." Making his way to the rear of the cave, Teal'c lay Daniel down, careful to keep him tightly bound in his sleeping bag.
Watching as Jack bent down and brushed away the soft bangs from Daniel's face, Teal'c let a small smile tug at his lips as Daniel immediately reacted by turning his head towards the touch.
"I believe DanielJackson is aware of your presence."
"Yeah," Jack sighed and stood back up. "Hold the fort here T. Carter and I will be back as soon as it's safe."
Teal'c nodded and turned his attention back to Daniel, tucking the sleeping bag tighter around his team-mate's body before settling himself at the entrance of the cave. Grasping his staff weapon tightly in his hands, he wished, not for the first time, that this mission had never been approved, that they had never visited this forsaken world.
To be continued…