Except the Soul
Phase One: Ten Minutes Till Apocalypse
Disclaimer: I'm working on the money to buy the copyright to these guys...with my current allowance I'll have them...um...when's next to never?
Summary: SG-4 recovers the Holy Grail on PSX-221. Where a sip gives you eternal youth, or does it? Daniel experiences the many travels of the soul...aka the nine deaths of Mr. Jackson told in nine phases.
Phase One: Daniel isn't notified of Stargate's existence until it's too late. The Gou'ald are on they're way. Daniel joins in on a desperate mission to save mankind with Carter and O'Neill by finding a weapon the Ancients created. But will this save them or bring them even closer to destruction? (dun dun dun!)
Warnings/Spoilers: Um...none? Dunno, if I ruined something for you, I apologize profusely. Some cheese, don't read if you're lactose intolerant. Hit "back" if you're a Christian fundamentalist, find discomfort in male/male implications, and get headaches with pseudo-philosophical musings.
Author's Notes: First attempt at a fic. Tell me how I do, huh? :wink: Suggestions for phases gladly accepted. E-mail: ldysatyr@white-star.com
0600 Hours
Personnel Log
Login: Jackson, D.
Password: ******
SG-4 uncovered something very interesting in PSX-221 yesterday at approximately 0900 hours. A chalice, embossed in platinum and gold, with Armenian writing on it. Carbon dating has it at over 2000 years old. You thinking what I'm thinking? I think we've just found the Holy Grail.
Daniel relished in the gentle clicking sound of his laptop as it collapsed. Too many questions without answers Daniel thought sadly. Letting his gaze slip again at the small chalice that stood on his desk wrapped in a sheet. It was such a small thing really. No more than maybe 2 and half inches in diameter, five inches in length. Yet who knows what powers in may hold? Daniel sighed and let the subject drop. No amount of research would give him the answers he wanted. Unless... No. Daniel took off his glasses and blew on them, then wiped the lens. Out of the question. Unheard of... Besides, Jack would kill him. Oh yeah. Yet... His gaze went back onto the small cup, glinting in the fluorescent lights. How many wars were fought over this thing, Daniel thought. And how many more will have to be fought once the NID or the Russians or the Christians found out? Daniel picked up the object almost in anger...as if the inanimate object could feel the pain it would give to the thousands...maybe millions of unnamed people that may have to die for it. Daniel shook his head. A sip...that's all. Maybe it's all just a legend he thought somewhat bitterly. He reminisced briefly on the words he translated from the cup... "Nothing truly flies or dies...except the soul...except the soul...except the soul." What did it mean, Daniel demanded to the thing that stood still and voiceless.
Forget it, Jack will have to forgive me. He filled the chalice with maybe three gulps of water, tops and swallowed it before he gave it another thought. Usually when you fall unconscious the world erupts in blackness. Not this time, the light was blinding as it hit him.
***
Phase One: Ten Minutes Till Apocalypse
February 1996
Daniel got off the cab at the curb of his apartment in Chicago. He was just at a workshop with half a dozen of other anthropologists who were debating the roots of the Great Pyramids in Egypt. He had jokingly stated maybe aliens put them there. He got a good laugh out of his coworkers and then they were all business again.
He was searching for the keys to his apartment in his bag when a man came from behind him.
"Dr. Jackson?"
Daniel turned. "Yes?"
"U.S. Air Force. Please come with me."
Before he could respond, he was jerked forward and forced into a car.
The car was some fancy European thing. Leather upholstery, CD player, the works. Daniel wasn't impressed.
"Why am I here?"
"You'll see Dr. Jackson. Please sit still."
Cheyenne Mt. Base, Colorado: 1800 hours.
Daniel stared, awe struck by the stainless steel reinforced base found in the middle of nowhere Colorado. It was three hours since his flight and his head was still ringing. Too much to take in, he thought. Staring back at the endlessly blank faces that greeted him. Was he supposed to get used to this?
"Dr. Jackson!" A low, fatherly voice greeted him.
Daniel took the hand offered to him.
"General Hammond, U.S. Air Force."
Daniel nodded. "I see. All this," he made a gesture to include the base, "is run by you?"
Hammond smiled. "You could say that."
"Why am I here?"
Hammond's smile disappeared. "You're an Egyptologist. From what we hear, the best in the world."
Daniel blushed. "Well..."
"No need to be modest here Dr. Jackson. Everyone here is the best at what they do. Would you come with me please?"
The corridor took forever to go down, like one of those spiral slides Daniel went on when he was very young. However, he found that when he reached the end, it was worth it.
"Take a look doctor. It's the Stargate."
A large circular shaped object was placed at the end of the corridor. Symbols in what Daniel which recognized as hieroglyphics were etched in the stone.
"What...What is it?"
Hammond smiled smugly. "A Stargate. An ancient device used to allow travel through an immense expanse of space in a very short amount of time."
"Incredible," Jackson replied, stepping closer and closer to the gate. Hammond stopped him before he reached the ramp.
"There are some drawbacks however."
Daniel turned to face Hammond, realization dawning on him. "Drawbacks?"
Lieutenant Samantha Carter's Office:
"Lieutenant?" Hammond asks, searching for the room quickly before letting his eyes settle on the petite blonde just a few paces from the window.
"Sir?" The woman replied, turning.
"Dr. Daniel Jackson, Lieutenant Samantha Carter."
Daniel took her hand. It was chilly.
"Nice to meet you Dr. Jackson."
Jackson had the weirdest feeling...not quite unlike déjà vu...he knew he had done this before.
"Nice to meet you too Lt."
He seemed reluctant to let go of her hand.
"I've been told you've been briefed on our situation?" Carter asked, pulling her hand away.
Daniel nodded. "It's a lot to take in...I mean...the Gou'ald? What do they want?"
"They travel throughout worlds, conquering them, enslaving the people... getting hosts... They...they'll destroy us Dr. Jackson."
"But...what can I do?" Daniel whispered.
"A lot."
Daniel spun around.
"Colonel O'Neill." Hammond stated plainly.
Daniel did a double take...have I, he mused.
He nodded recognition to Carter and Hammond. Daniel he ignored.
"Show him Carter."
Carter went to her desk and pulled out a tablet.
"What is it?" Daniel asked, taking the object from the Lt.
"We don't know. We found it in one of the worlds. None of our other linguists have been able to decipher it. We were hoping you could...it may help us in our fight against the Gou'ald."
Daniel scanned the words quickly, breaking them down to their root words, flipping through all the languages he knew. His mind was like a dictionary once he recognized the language. A derivation of Gaelic... a little Latin and Greek too... strange.
"It speaks about..." Daniel's lips continued to move even though he said nothing. "A weapon of mass destruction...it fires like...a symphony of light."
Hammond nodded. "We need to go back to that planet and find this weapon Dr. Jackson."
Daniel was startled. "Why? This thing...whatever it is...could be more destructive than the A-bomb."
O'Neill smiled. "You hit the nail on the head Dannyboy...that's exactly what we were looking for."
Stargate Terminal:
Daniel was suited in military attire. He felt awkward, like he shouldn't trust these people, yet in an odd way, he did. He trusted them with everything...even his own life.
"You're cleared for duty SG-1. Bring back this weapon the Ancients created...for the sake of mankind. Good luck team."
The Stargate flashed blue, like water rushing to meet the tide. It was beautiful.
"The Ancients?" Daniel mused.
Carter nodded. "Yes. It is what this civilization called themselves."
Daniel nodded slowly.
"Enough kids. Let's go." O'Neill gestured for the two to follow him into the shimmering blue mass.
Daniel took a deep breath and stepped into the Stargate.
The Ancient home world, Coordinates Classified Information
It was beautiful...like...like the Garden of Eden.
"It's nice huh?" O'Neill commented to no one in particular.
Daniel turned and faced him, a ghost of a smile on his face. O'Neill gave him the softest look Daniel had seen since his appearance in Carter's office.
"Sir?" Carter asked, and just like that, the look vanished.
"Carter?"
"Sir, I think we should head to the temple...the weapon has got to be there somewhere."
O'Neill nodded, telling Daniel with no words at all, to follow quickly and not to be a bother.
Daniel nodded, if only to himself and followed the two soldiers.
"So how many times have you guys been here?" Daniel asked Carter and O'Neill.
"Only one other time. We sent a probe in at first to check the place out before we came." O'Neill stated evenly. "There's the temple," he pointed out in the distance.
Daniel squinted his eyes against the light. The sight of the temple took his breath away. It was perched on a hill, much like the Parthenon, except it was shaped like a pyramid.
"Come on. Pick up the pace. We need to find this thing." O'Neill stated, marching steadily faster towards the hill and the temple.
The Temple of the Ancients:
"It's even more incredible on the inside," Daniel gasped.
O'Neill rolled his eyes. "Yeesh, you're like some kid at a candy store. Cool it geek. We need find that Ancient light thingie."
Carter smiled. Light thingie.
"Take a look around. We'll be right behind you."
Daniel turned to face O'Neill. "You've been inside here already?"
Carter nodded. "This is where we found the tablet you translated earlier."
Daniel nodded. That made sense. He traced his hands over the writings on the walls. "This here...tells a story about an ancient galactic war...woah..." Daniel took a step back.
"What?" O'Neill asked, worried.
"It was a nasty war. Doesn't look like a lot of people survived it...they built a weapon in case the enemy ever returned."
"The light weapon?" Carter mused.
Daniel shrugged uncertainly. "I think so."
"Well where is it?" O'Neill asked.
Daniel faced him, eyes blazing. "Look you guys...say I find this weapon...I mean...it'll...it'll kill...a lot of people."
O'Neill's eyebrows shot up. "They aren't people Daniel. They're the Gou'ald. They're parasites. They infest people, enslave and kill. These people don't deserve compassion Jackson. Snap out of it."
Daniel pouted; it hurt to look at the old colonel now. "They're still lives."
Carter put her hand sympathetically on Daniel's shoulder.
"It's us or them Daniel. And it can't be us."
Daniel nodded, pretending like he understood.
"It says..." He pointed at another section of the writing. "They placed in the place only the wise would be able to see."
O'Neill quirked. "Great! And where's that's supposed to be."
Daniel pondered this briefly. "In Ancient Egyptian culture the eye of wisdom is depicted on the point of the pyramid."
"Meaning?" O'Neill asked intensely.
"It means...your weapon is on the roof."
Cheyenne Mountain Base: Briefing room
"Dr. Jackson...congratulations. I think you've just saved the world." Hammond told the young archeologist with the smallest smile.
Daniel didn't feel like a hero. He felt like he just gave a kid a gun and expected him not to shoot himself... Daniel was struck with an odd...memory? He shook his head...bad analogy...bad. But why?
"Dr. Jackson?"
Carter.
"Yes Lt.?"
She smiled. "Carter is fine Dr. Jackson. Or Sam."
"Then I insist you call me Daniel."
She nodded. "We're going to give the weapon a test shot. Will you like to watch?"
Daniel nodded. Numb all over.
"Ready Lt.?" A nameless sergeant asked Sam Carter.
She nodded and spoke to a voice on her intercom.
"Preparing for initial test run."
Sirens blared. Daniel heard...felt none of it. Except a slight chill down his spine.
The weapon fired...mass destruction...and it was turned down as low as Carter could engineer it. Men cheered...women hugged the person next to them. Daniel stood there. Breathless. Bang.
Stargate Terminal:
"We're going to try to shoot down a Gou'ald spaceship heading our way in approximately two hours." Hammond stated sharply.
Carter nodded. "Yes sir. I'll prepare the weapon."
Weapon. The world itself made Jackson uneasy. He had a bad feeling about all of this.
"Dr. Jackson is there something the matter?" Hammond asked, compassion in his voice. Daniel stared at the older man silently.
"I..."
"Colonel O'Neill stated to me that you had a somewhat...moral objection to all this?"
Numb. Numb all over.
"Yes sir."
"Why?"
Because we're killing people...beings we don't understand...ending life.
"I feel like a murderer."
Shock on the general's face.
"Why?"
If you give a child a gun...and he fires...do you blame the child?
What could he say? The answer was so simple.
"I don't want to be the cause of any loss of life...sir."
"Dr. Jackson." More sympathy in his tone...but it was harder now. Determined. Daniel closed his eyes. It's so hard to feel.
"General?"
O'Neill.
"Yes Colonel?"
"Carter is ready when you are."
Hammond nodded. "Excuse me Dr. Jackson."
The two soldiers left. The oxygen left the room. Daniel gasped for air.
***
"Carter?"
O'Neill stood beside the woman, looking over her shoulder even though he didn't understand anything the screen of her computer said.
"Ready sir." Carter turned her blue eyes onto O'Neill. "How's Daniel?"
"Still conscientiously objecting." O'Neill stated flatly.
Carter felt sorry for the young man. He didn't want to be pulled into this mess. He wasn't military. He couldn't believe good can come with the deliberate taking of life.
"Lt.?"
The technical sergeant tapped Carter out of her reverie.
"The ship has entered our atmosphere."
"How long till it's in range?" Carter asked.
"A few seconds."
Carter turned to O'Neill.
"Prepare to fire." O'Neill told her starkly.
Carter nodded. "Initiating sequence."
Carter's Office:
"Daniel?" Large, strong hands on his shoulder. O'Neill.
"Colonel." Lips were dry...cracked probably.
"Are you all right?"
"Not really."
Silence.
"The ship has entered our atmosphere."
Snicker. Was that really me, Daniel thought.
"It didn't work."
Daniel snapped his head up.
"What?"
O'Neill picked up Carter's paperweight and played with it in his hands.
"It didn't work. They had shields...bounced right off of it. The ship...it's preparing to attack the base."
Daniel stood up. "Where will we go?"
O'Neill smiled a fake smile. "Nowhere. Where can we go? SGC is probably the strongest base in the world. It would be the safest place to be. We're doomed."
"No. You can't say that. We should evacuate...do something..."
"Don't waste your breath Jackson. The next few minutes...they're...they'll be your last."
No air...no air...no air. He was suffocating...He was allergic to death.
"Jack."
Cobalt blue eyes shot up in surprise.
"What?"
"My name. It's Jack. I don't know why but...I had a funny feeling I needed to tell you that before I died."
Déjà vu...big time. But why?
"How long till..."
Jack snorted. "Apocalypse."
"Ten minutes...probably less. Definitely no more."
Daniel gestured for him to sit.
"Why? What's the point?"
"Sit." Daniel insisted. "Talk to me."
Jack laughed half-heartedly. "Yeah. Let's die together."
Daniel smiled faintly. "Let's."
TBC in Phase Two: A Thousand Points of Light
Phase One: Ten Minutes Till Apocalypse
Disclaimer: I'm working on the money to buy the copyright to these guys...with my current allowance I'll have them...um...when's next to never?
Summary: SG-4 recovers the Holy Grail on PSX-221. Where a sip gives you eternal youth, or does it? Daniel experiences the many travels of the soul...aka the nine deaths of Mr. Jackson told in nine phases.
Phase One: Daniel isn't notified of Stargate's existence until it's too late. The Gou'ald are on they're way. Daniel joins in on a desperate mission to save mankind with Carter and O'Neill by finding a weapon the Ancients created. But will this save them or bring them even closer to destruction? (dun dun dun!)
Warnings/Spoilers: Um...none? Dunno, if I ruined something for you, I apologize profusely. Some cheese, don't read if you're lactose intolerant. Hit "back" if you're a Christian fundamentalist, find discomfort in male/male implications, and get headaches with pseudo-philosophical musings.
Author's Notes: First attempt at a fic. Tell me how I do, huh? :wink: Suggestions for phases gladly accepted. E-mail: ldysatyr@white-star.com
0600 Hours
Personnel Log
Login: Jackson, D.
Password: ******
SG-4 uncovered something very interesting in PSX-221 yesterday at approximately 0900 hours. A chalice, embossed in platinum and gold, with Armenian writing on it. Carbon dating has it at over 2000 years old. You thinking what I'm thinking? I think we've just found the Holy Grail.
Daniel relished in the gentle clicking sound of his laptop as it collapsed. Too many questions without answers Daniel thought sadly. Letting his gaze slip again at the small chalice that stood on his desk wrapped in a sheet. It was such a small thing really. No more than maybe 2 and half inches in diameter, five inches in length. Yet who knows what powers in may hold? Daniel sighed and let the subject drop. No amount of research would give him the answers he wanted. Unless... No. Daniel took off his glasses and blew on them, then wiped the lens. Out of the question. Unheard of... Besides, Jack would kill him. Oh yeah. Yet... His gaze went back onto the small cup, glinting in the fluorescent lights. How many wars were fought over this thing, Daniel thought. And how many more will have to be fought once the NID or the Russians or the Christians found out? Daniel picked up the object almost in anger...as if the inanimate object could feel the pain it would give to the thousands...maybe millions of unnamed people that may have to die for it. Daniel shook his head. A sip...that's all. Maybe it's all just a legend he thought somewhat bitterly. He reminisced briefly on the words he translated from the cup... "Nothing truly flies or dies...except the soul...except the soul...except the soul." What did it mean, Daniel demanded to the thing that stood still and voiceless.
Forget it, Jack will have to forgive me. He filled the chalice with maybe three gulps of water, tops and swallowed it before he gave it another thought. Usually when you fall unconscious the world erupts in blackness. Not this time, the light was blinding as it hit him.
***
Phase One: Ten Minutes Till Apocalypse
February 1996
Daniel got off the cab at the curb of his apartment in Chicago. He was just at a workshop with half a dozen of other anthropologists who were debating the roots of the Great Pyramids in Egypt. He had jokingly stated maybe aliens put them there. He got a good laugh out of his coworkers and then they were all business again.
He was searching for the keys to his apartment in his bag when a man came from behind him.
"Dr. Jackson?"
Daniel turned. "Yes?"
"U.S. Air Force. Please come with me."
Before he could respond, he was jerked forward and forced into a car.
The car was some fancy European thing. Leather upholstery, CD player, the works. Daniel wasn't impressed.
"Why am I here?"
"You'll see Dr. Jackson. Please sit still."
Cheyenne Mt. Base, Colorado: 1800 hours.
Daniel stared, awe struck by the stainless steel reinforced base found in the middle of nowhere Colorado. It was three hours since his flight and his head was still ringing. Too much to take in, he thought. Staring back at the endlessly blank faces that greeted him. Was he supposed to get used to this?
"Dr. Jackson!" A low, fatherly voice greeted him.
Daniel took the hand offered to him.
"General Hammond, U.S. Air Force."
Daniel nodded. "I see. All this," he made a gesture to include the base, "is run by you?"
Hammond smiled. "You could say that."
"Why am I here?"
Hammond's smile disappeared. "You're an Egyptologist. From what we hear, the best in the world."
Daniel blushed. "Well..."
"No need to be modest here Dr. Jackson. Everyone here is the best at what they do. Would you come with me please?"
The corridor took forever to go down, like one of those spiral slides Daniel went on when he was very young. However, he found that when he reached the end, it was worth it.
"Take a look doctor. It's the Stargate."
A large circular shaped object was placed at the end of the corridor. Symbols in what Daniel which recognized as hieroglyphics were etched in the stone.
"What...What is it?"
Hammond smiled smugly. "A Stargate. An ancient device used to allow travel through an immense expanse of space in a very short amount of time."
"Incredible," Jackson replied, stepping closer and closer to the gate. Hammond stopped him before he reached the ramp.
"There are some drawbacks however."
Daniel turned to face Hammond, realization dawning on him. "Drawbacks?"
Lieutenant Samantha Carter's Office:
"Lieutenant?" Hammond asks, searching for the room quickly before letting his eyes settle on the petite blonde just a few paces from the window.
"Sir?" The woman replied, turning.
"Dr. Daniel Jackson, Lieutenant Samantha Carter."
Daniel took her hand. It was chilly.
"Nice to meet you Dr. Jackson."
Jackson had the weirdest feeling...not quite unlike déjà vu...he knew he had done this before.
"Nice to meet you too Lt."
He seemed reluctant to let go of her hand.
"I've been told you've been briefed on our situation?" Carter asked, pulling her hand away.
Daniel nodded. "It's a lot to take in...I mean...the Gou'ald? What do they want?"
"They travel throughout worlds, conquering them, enslaving the people... getting hosts... They...they'll destroy us Dr. Jackson."
"But...what can I do?" Daniel whispered.
"A lot."
Daniel spun around.
"Colonel O'Neill." Hammond stated plainly.
Daniel did a double take...have I, he mused.
He nodded recognition to Carter and Hammond. Daniel he ignored.
"Show him Carter."
Carter went to her desk and pulled out a tablet.
"What is it?" Daniel asked, taking the object from the Lt.
"We don't know. We found it in one of the worlds. None of our other linguists have been able to decipher it. We were hoping you could...it may help us in our fight against the Gou'ald."
Daniel scanned the words quickly, breaking them down to their root words, flipping through all the languages he knew. His mind was like a dictionary once he recognized the language. A derivation of Gaelic... a little Latin and Greek too... strange.
"It speaks about..." Daniel's lips continued to move even though he said nothing. "A weapon of mass destruction...it fires like...a symphony of light."
Hammond nodded. "We need to go back to that planet and find this weapon Dr. Jackson."
Daniel was startled. "Why? This thing...whatever it is...could be more destructive than the A-bomb."
O'Neill smiled. "You hit the nail on the head Dannyboy...that's exactly what we were looking for."
Stargate Terminal:
Daniel was suited in military attire. He felt awkward, like he shouldn't trust these people, yet in an odd way, he did. He trusted them with everything...even his own life.
"You're cleared for duty SG-1. Bring back this weapon the Ancients created...for the sake of mankind. Good luck team."
The Stargate flashed blue, like water rushing to meet the tide. It was beautiful.
"The Ancients?" Daniel mused.
Carter nodded. "Yes. It is what this civilization called themselves."
Daniel nodded slowly.
"Enough kids. Let's go." O'Neill gestured for the two to follow him into the shimmering blue mass.
Daniel took a deep breath and stepped into the Stargate.
The Ancient home world, Coordinates Classified Information
It was beautiful...like...like the Garden of Eden.
"It's nice huh?" O'Neill commented to no one in particular.
Daniel turned and faced him, a ghost of a smile on his face. O'Neill gave him the softest look Daniel had seen since his appearance in Carter's office.
"Sir?" Carter asked, and just like that, the look vanished.
"Carter?"
"Sir, I think we should head to the temple...the weapon has got to be there somewhere."
O'Neill nodded, telling Daniel with no words at all, to follow quickly and not to be a bother.
Daniel nodded, if only to himself and followed the two soldiers.
"So how many times have you guys been here?" Daniel asked Carter and O'Neill.
"Only one other time. We sent a probe in at first to check the place out before we came." O'Neill stated evenly. "There's the temple," he pointed out in the distance.
Daniel squinted his eyes against the light. The sight of the temple took his breath away. It was perched on a hill, much like the Parthenon, except it was shaped like a pyramid.
"Come on. Pick up the pace. We need to find this thing." O'Neill stated, marching steadily faster towards the hill and the temple.
The Temple of the Ancients:
"It's even more incredible on the inside," Daniel gasped.
O'Neill rolled his eyes. "Yeesh, you're like some kid at a candy store. Cool it geek. We need find that Ancient light thingie."
Carter smiled. Light thingie.
"Take a look around. We'll be right behind you."
Daniel turned to face O'Neill. "You've been inside here already?"
Carter nodded. "This is where we found the tablet you translated earlier."
Daniel nodded. That made sense. He traced his hands over the writings on the walls. "This here...tells a story about an ancient galactic war...woah..." Daniel took a step back.
"What?" O'Neill asked, worried.
"It was a nasty war. Doesn't look like a lot of people survived it...they built a weapon in case the enemy ever returned."
"The light weapon?" Carter mused.
Daniel shrugged uncertainly. "I think so."
"Well where is it?" O'Neill asked.
Daniel faced him, eyes blazing. "Look you guys...say I find this weapon...I mean...it'll...it'll kill...a lot of people."
O'Neill's eyebrows shot up. "They aren't people Daniel. They're the Gou'ald. They're parasites. They infest people, enslave and kill. These people don't deserve compassion Jackson. Snap out of it."
Daniel pouted; it hurt to look at the old colonel now. "They're still lives."
Carter put her hand sympathetically on Daniel's shoulder.
"It's us or them Daniel. And it can't be us."
Daniel nodded, pretending like he understood.
"It says..." He pointed at another section of the writing. "They placed in the place only the wise would be able to see."
O'Neill quirked. "Great! And where's that's supposed to be."
Daniel pondered this briefly. "In Ancient Egyptian culture the eye of wisdom is depicted on the point of the pyramid."
"Meaning?" O'Neill asked intensely.
"It means...your weapon is on the roof."
Cheyenne Mountain Base: Briefing room
"Dr. Jackson...congratulations. I think you've just saved the world." Hammond told the young archeologist with the smallest smile.
Daniel didn't feel like a hero. He felt like he just gave a kid a gun and expected him not to shoot himself... Daniel was struck with an odd...memory? He shook his head...bad analogy...bad. But why?
"Dr. Jackson?"
Carter.
"Yes Lt.?"
She smiled. "Carter is fine Dr. Jackson. Or Sam."
"Then I insist you call me Daniel."
She nodded. "We're going to give the weapon a test shot. Will you like to watch?"
Daniel nodded. Numb all over.
"Ready Lt.?" A nameless sergeant asked Sam Carter.
She nodded and spoke to a voice on her intercom.
"Preparing for initial test run."
Sirens blared. Daniel heard...felt none of it. Except a slight chill down his spine.
The weapon fired...mass destruction...and it was turned down as low as Carter could engineer it. Men cheered...women hugged the person next to them. Daniel stood there. Breathless. Bang.
Stargate Terminal:
"We're going to try to shoot down a Gou'ald spaceship heading our way in approximately two hours." Hammond stated sharply.
Carter nodded. "Yes sir. I'll prepare the weapon."
Weapon. The world itself made Jackson uneasy. He had a bad feeling about all of this.
"Dr. Jackson is there something the matter?" Hammond asked, compassion in his voice. Daniel stared at the older man silently.
"I..."
"Colonel O'Neill stated to me that you had a somewhat...moral objection to all this?"
Numb. Numb all over.
"Yes sir."
"Why?"
Because we're killing people...beings we don't understand...ending life.
"I feel like a murderer."
Shock on the general's face.
"Why?"
If you give a child a gun...and he fires...do you blame the child?
What could he say? The answer was so simple.
"I don't want to be the cause of any loss of life...sir."
"Dr. Jackson." More sympathy in his tone...but it was harder now. Determined. Daniel closed his eyes. It's so hard to feel.
"General?"
O'Neill.
"Yes Colonel?"
"Carter is ready when you are."
Hammond nodded. "Excuse me Dr. Jackson."
The two soldiers left. The oxygen left the room. Daniel gasped for air.
***
"Carter?"
O'Neill stood beside the woman, looking over her shoulder even though he didn't understand anything the screen of her computer said.
"Ready sir." Carter turned her blue eyes onto O'Neill. "How's Daniel?"
"Still conscientiously objecting." O'Neill stated flatly.
Carter felt sorry for the young man. He didn't want to be pulled into this mess. He wasn't military. He couldn't believe good can come with the deliberate taking of life.
"Lt.?"
The technical sergeant tapped Carter out of her reverie.
"The ship has entered our atmosphere."
"How long till it's in range?" Carter asked.
"A few seconds."
Carter turned to O'Neill.
"Prepare to fire." O'Neill told her starkly.
Carter nodded. "Initiating sequence."
Carter's Office:
"Daniel?" Large, strong hands on his shoulder. O'Neill.
"Colonel." Lips were dry...cracked probably.
"Are you all right?"
"Not really."
Silence.
"The ship has entered our atmosphere."
Snicker. Was that really me, Daniel thought.
"It didn't work."
Daniel snapped his head up.
"What?"
O'Neill picked up Carter's paperweight and played with it in his hands.
"It didn't work. They had shields...bounced right off of it. The ship...it's preparing to attack the base."
Daniel stood up. "Where will we go?"
O'Neill smiled a fake smile. "Nowhere. Where can we go? SGC is probably the strongest base in the world. It would be the safest place to be. We're doomed."
"No. You can't say that. We should evacuate...do something..."
"Don't waste your breath Jackson. The next few minutes...they're...they'll be your last."
No air...no air...no air. He was suffocating...He was allergic to death.
"Jack."
Cobalt blue eyes shot up in surprise.
"What?"
"My name. It's Jack. I don't know why but...I had a funny feeling I needed to tell you that before I died."
Déjà vu...big time. But why?
"How long till..."
Jack snorted. "Apocalypse."
"Ten minutes...probably less. Definitely no more."
Daniel gestured for him to sit.
"Why? What's the point?"
"Sit." Daniel insisted. "Talk to me."
Jack laughed half-heartedly. "Yeah. Let's die together."
Daniel smiled faintly. "Let's."
TBC in Phase Two: A Thousand Points of Light