Solitudes: AU
Summary: Instead of Sam and Jack in Antarctica, it's Daniel and Teal'c.
Rating: T, for injuries.
Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate: SG-1 in any capacity.
Note: I've tried to follow the original as closely as possible, setting, dialog, and scene cut-wise, but I have opted to take several liberties, such as Daniel's injuries.
"Incoming traveler, incoming traveler!" Walter declared. "Off-world activation—closing the iris!"
As the airmen in the 'gate room scrambled into position, Gen George Hammond barreled into the control room, watching the Stargate complete its revolutions. "There's no-one scheduled to come back for twenty-four hours," he remarked. "Who is it?"
"It's SG-1's remote access code, Sir."
"What? They just went through!"
"Opening the iris, stand by." Walter pressed the controls to work the mechanism just as the Stargate began to exhibit strange symptoms. They could only watch as it sparked, shuddered, and generally revolted against its function. "Sir, the 'gate is showing twice the power as normal, and it's increasing!"
As the Stargate continued to overload, Hammond raced down the stairs and into the 'gate room. With alarming force, two figures were ejected from the event horizon one after the other, each slamming forcefully against the metal ramp.
Behind them, Walter cried: "System overload! The wormhole is disengaged!"
Horrified, Hammond knelt at Col Jack O'Neill's side to check on him. He was unconscious, but the other was moving feebly.
"Capt Carter," he exclaimed, leaving O'Neill to help her. "Get a medical team in here now! Capt, are you alright?"
"I," she panted, pushing herself up with his assistance, "I think so…"
"Where are Dr Jackson and Teal'c?"
She looked around the room, brow pinched in pain and confusion. "They came in before us. You didn't see them?"
A Stargate, glistening with freezing water droplets, stood slanted in a dark, icy cavern. Nearby, two figures were sprawled in the blanket of snow. Teal'c lay unmoving, his staff weapon still loosely clenched in his broad hand. Daniel grunted, lifting his head. Although his glasses had been lost, he knew immediately that they were not back at the SGC.
But then…where were they?
"Aargh! Oh, God…Ah."
Hammond entered the infirmary in time to see that Jack's leg, which apparently had broken from impact, was being set. He raised an eyebrow. "Don't you usually sedate people for this?" he asked.
Before a nurse could answer, Jack spoke up: "Don't need it!" He managed to leverage himself up on his elbows and raise his head to meet the general's eyes. His face was covered with a thin sheen of sweat. "What I do need to know," he said, "is where the hell the rest of my team is, Sir."
From the next bed, Sam shook her head. "I just don't understand it, Sir. Daniel and Teal'c entered the Stargate before Col O'Neill and me. Since we're here, they should be, too."
"Well, they're not," Hammond negated. "Col, Capt, I need to know what went on back there."
"We were under fire," Jack said, evil-eyeing an approaching nurse.
"We think it was Goa'uld technology," Sam elaborated. "We didn't see anyone right out of the 'gate, so distance weapons of some kind, Sir."
"So it's possible Dr Jackson and Teal'c were struck by enemy fire?"
"No," Jack very nearly growled. "Gen, we saw them jump through the damned portal, Sir. They were no more than six feet in front of us!"
His answer served to make Hammond more concerned. "How many hostiles were there?" he asked, frowning.
"Couldn't tell, Sir. We were surrounded as soon as we stepped out of the 'gate." Jack sighed. He groaned as he let his upper body lie flat on the cot, then swiped a hand down his face. He pushed his fingertips into the corners of his eyes.
"Col O'Neill ordered us to lay down cover fire while Daniel dialed home. Gen Hammond, they should have made it through the 'gate. I just don't understand why they didn't."
Hammond shook his head in wonderment.
Rapid footsteps alerted them to an airman's approach, and Hammond turned to meet him. "Preliminary report on the Stargate repairs, Sir," Walter said, extending a folder. Hammond accepted the document and dismissed him.
"Repairs?" Jack repeated, lifting his head to squint at the CO.
"There was some kind of overload during transit, we don't know why."
Jack blinked at him, then forced himself upright with a groan. "We're going back."
Hammond stepped forward and placed a hand on Jack's chest, preventing him from rising into a sitting position. Jack was forced to lie back down to avoid prolonging the excruciating pain, but it didn't stop his glaring at his superior.
"Not with an army waiting on the other side, sorry."
"Then send another probe," he ground out.
"As soon as the Stargate's working again we'll do just that," Hammond nodded. Then he turned and gestured one of the nurses. "Somebody'd better bind his ribs before he punctures a damn lung."
Daniel had the terrible feeling that he had done something wrong. When he had finally managed to get himself upright, he found that only he and Teal'c had come through to—wherever they were. Jack and Sam were nowhere to be seen.
With a sinking feeling, Daniel realized that he must have dialed the wrong world. And Jack and Sam were either still trapped on the world they'd tried to escape, or they had managed to dial Earth correctly and wound up home. Leaving Daniel and Teal'c…to find their own way.
Pushing aside his guilty conscience for the moment, Daniel struggled over to his team member's side. The Jaffa was unmoving, but breathing. A quick check didn't reveal any significant injuries that Daniel could detect, but admittedly he was lightheaded and having trouble focusing. His fingertips came away red when he touched the painful spot on his forehead, and he knew he was still actively bleeding. Looking back the way he came, he saw a trail of red in the snow.
If he were going to help Teal'c he needed to help himself first.
So Daniel removed his pack and dug through it for the first aid kit. He clumsily wrapped some gauze around his temples and secured it with the included pin. It felt too loose, but it would have to do until Teal'c came around. Then he gave himself a full-body check for any other injuries.
His ribs were sore, but he didn't think they were broken. His abdomen felt tight and hot, but he attributed that to a concussion, given how nauseated he felt.
Suddenly Daniel realized that it was cold. Jolting as though waking from a daydream, he looked about himself and saw, as though for the first time, that it was an ice cave. The temperature was far below freezing, and they were only wearing their BDUs. And Teal'c was unconscious.
As though his body were waiting for his mind to catch up, Daniel began to shiver—violently. His teeth chattered in his head, ears and nose stinging, fingernails turning blue, and limb muscles painfully constricting to drive warm blood back into his torso.
He dug through his vest for the thermal blankets they packed for every mission. Scooting closer to Teal'c, he rummaged through his pockets for the other blanket, hoping to layer it to retain better warmth. Why wasn't Teal'c shivering?
When he found it he shook both of the blankets out, then laid one atop of the other, and flung it over Teal'c's girth. Daniel took a moment to shovel some snow away from Teal'c's side. He laid next to the Jaffa, cold hands reaching under the covers and seeking limb-saving heat.
Radio, he thought suddenly.
His face twisted in anguish as he cursed his own stupidity. Daniel was forgetting every single SOP. How much time had he wasted already? Jack would strangle him. He thumbed the radio velcroed to his shoulder and called into it. "Jack? Sam? D—do you read me?"
He released it and snuggled closer to Teal'c, praying for the painful tremors to cease. His lower stomach was cramping badly. The radio was silent.
Daniel knew that he was the only one who wasn't out of commission at this point. It was up to him to figure something out. In any case, he needed to get up and find the DHD to dial himself and Teal'c out of there, at least. He had to get back to earth and inform Gen Hammond what had transpired: the attack, the misdial, and Jack and Sam's status. God, he hoped they'd managed to get home.
Regretfully, Daniel left the heat, tucking the corners of the blanket down around his friend as quickly as he could.
The DHD had to be somewhere nearby. Maybe under a mound of snow…
Daniel slowly figured out how to maneuver his feet under himself, looking around the desolate chamber. He had never been cut out for the cold.
He released a slow breath, arms wrapped around his middle. It was really starting to hurt. Almost like…
And Daniel had mere seconds to stumble towards the opposite wall and drop his pants. He really hoped Teal'c didn't choose that moment to wake up. He grunted and gasped, legs trembling. He feared he would collapse into the pile of his own—blood.
Daniel gaped at the snow between his boots. It was turning red.
"Oh no," he whispered, feeling drained. "We're in trouble."
Internal bleeding was never a good thing.
Meanwhile, in the 'gate room, Sgt Siler was at work with the welding torch. Sam, Gen Hammond, and Walter stepped inside to oversee the progress on the repairs. Siler moved back from the job, raising his mask and holding the torch's blaze away from the group.
Walter explained: "We've almost replaced all the super conductive interface elements, Sir. The old ones all melted. It's going to take some time to load test them though."
Hammond did not look impressed. "Just tell me the minute we can send a probe through."
He turned to leave, but Siler interrupted. "That'll be twenty-four hours, Gen, minimum."
Sam scoffed. "Daniel and Teal'c don't have that long," she said, folding her arms. "Especially not if they're still on that world."
The Gen looked at Siler. "I'll give you half that."
Siler shook his head. "No Sir, it doesn't work that way. Twenty-four hours is the best I can do."
Sam and Hammond looked unhappy, but did not argue it further. "Then you'd better get back to it."
"Yes Sir! Come on, let's go."
When Teal'c awoke, he found it to be very cold. The pain in his shoulder and the throbbing in his head indicated to him that his symbiote had not been capable of healing him. He peeled his eyes open and looked around.
An ice cavern, it appeared to be. And someone—likely his team—had wrapped him in their thermal blankets provided by the SGC. Nearby noises, the stimulus which had induced him to wakefulness, attracted his attention.
Teal'c moved cautiously, casting his gaze about for his staff weapon. It was lying abandoned in the snow not far from him. He planned to grab for it, but then he recognized the sounds: it was Daniel Jackson's voice, harsh and echoing in the icy chamber, along with the sound of something hacking against the ice.
"C'mon," Daniel gasped. "Ugh, Jesus." The hacking ceased momentarily as Daniel caught his breath.
Teal'c maneuvered himself into a sitting position, limbs beginning to shiver with the cold against his back. But shivering was good.
His solemn eyes spotted the trail of blood. At the other wall of the cavern, a much larger, darker stain accosted his sight. A vest lay in the snow, most of its contents scattered. Daniel Jackson—or another member of SG-1—was injured. He stood, barely registering the painful strain of a dislocated shoulder and looked up.
On a ridge just above him, Daniel was half leaning against a block of ice, his knife in hand. Blood-stained bandages were wrapped around his head, but what little Teal'c saw in the dim flashlight indicated that they were poorly done, and did little to stem the flow dripping into Daniel's eye. He swiped at it with a glove, then raised the knife to continue his work.
"Daniel Jackson," Teal'c interrupted. A cursory glance around revealed that the two of them were alone, wherever they were.
The archaeologist startled, head whipping around to reveal his wan face, all the more contrasted by bright red smears. "Teal'c," he exclaimed, pushing himself up and lowering the weapon. "Hey, are you okay? Are you hurt? I couldn't uh, I couldn't…"
"I believe my shoulder is dislocated," he answered. "But my symbiote will be able to heal me completely when I warm myself. You are injured."
"Um," he said, sounding dazed. Then he looked down. "I found the DHD. And a serpent guard. He didn't make it."
"Daniel Jackson," Teal'c said, eyebrow raised. "If you would descend I would like to offer my assistance in treating your wounds. The bandaging around your head appears to be too loose to stem the blood flow."
"Uh, yeah, yeah." Daniel set down his knife and moved slowly, favoring his trembling legs. Teal'c reached up to assist him when he faltered, gauging the distance from his perch to the packed snow below.
Daniel sank to the ground as soon as his feet touched it, wrapping his arms around himself. Teal'c said nothing of it, merely moved to collect the thermal blankets and medical supplies.
He covered Daniel with the blankets, then set about unwrapping the poorly-done bandages.
"S—sorry, Teal'c," Daniel breathed.
Teal'c considered the apology for a moment. "Why do you apologize, Daniel Jackson?" He tore open a sanitary wipe.
"I think…I think I dialed wrong…And now we're—ouch—we're stuck here in…"
"You dialed correctly," Teal'c assured him. "I saw it as we entered the Stargate."
Daniel's brow creased. Teal'c pressed a clean pad of gauze against the wound which split his team member's head. He rummaged one-handedly through the first aid kit in search of the implement called "butterfly stitch". He found it quickly, ripped it open, and pasted it against Daniel's head. Then he realized that he needed another.
"I don't understand," Daniel said. "If…If I dialed right, then…where are we? And wh—wh—where are Jack and S—Sam?"
"I do not know, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c answered, continuing his ministrations. Once he attached the second butterfly stitch, he unrolled a length of gauze to use as a wrap. "Perhaps the Stargate malfunctioned during transit."
"Mal…functioned?" he repeated. "What kind of…malfunction would…?" Daniel groaned and curled into himself, clenching the material of the blankets in his fist.
Teal'c froze, alarmed. "Daniel Jackson, have I caused you harm?"
"Ugh, no," he gasped. "No, it wasn't—you, Teal'c…Uh, I need to—need to lie down, I think…"
Teal'c obliged him, scooting back on his knees and adjusting the blankets so that they continued to conserve warmth. "What pains you, Daniel Jackson?"
"Just—a cramp…"
The Jaffa hesitated, then leaned forward and finished dressing the head wound. Daniel's face was twisted in anguish, breaths coming hard and fast. The cramp lasted for a few moments before Daniel could compose himself. He was left trembling and faint under Teal'c's gaze.
"Daniel Jackson," Teal'c began, tone tinged with what Daniel would label concern.
"It's…" He licked his chapped lips. "I'm bleeding," he whispered, "on the, uh, inside…I think…"
"Then we must return quickly and place you in the care of Dr Fraiser," Teal'c nodded. "I will unbury the DHD as you rest, Daniel Jackson."
Daniel winced. "Th—thanks…"
"Charging circuit MX43 at 20%," Siler announced. "100. Circuit is holding, reset and standby. She's all yours, Gen."
From the control room, Hammond nodded. "Well done, Sgt." Then, to the man sitting at the controls, Walter: "You heard the man."
"Yes, Sir. Chevron one encoded."
Sam stepped up to Hammond with a salute and received his attention. "SG-3 and I are ready and awaiting your orders, Sir."
"I won't authorize this rescue mission unless the probe sends back the right pictures, Capt Carter."
Sam nodded, though couldn't completely hide her disappointment and anxiety.
"Chevron two encoded."
"All defense teams stay alert," Hammond ordered. "These hostiles might have both our addresses and our transmitter code."
"Chevron three encoded."
Jack, wielding crutches, limped menacingly into the control room to oversee the executive action. "Oh, come on, Sir," he said. "You don't actually think they'd give up the transmitter codes to the enemy, do you?"
Hammond fixated a look on the colonel. "Not willingly, no."
"Chevron four encoded."
"I don't think they would, Sir," Sam said evenly.
"Chevron five encoded."
"Capt Carter, in the event we find no enemy activity on the other side, you will coordinate with Major Castleman on the rescue mission."
"Chevron six encoded."
"Yes, Sir."
"Chevron seven is locked," announced Walter.
As ordered, the MALP was sent forth through the event horizon, SG-3 standing at the ready in the 'gate room.
"The probe should reach the Stargate at P4A-771 in five seconds. Four, three, two, now."
On the viewer, an image flickered to life. The reddish ground sprouted pitch black towers at intervals, but nothing else was present.
Sam studied the screen. "No sign of Daniel and Teal'c, but no evidence of a firefight either."
Suddenly, bursts of energy hurtled towards the probe and took it out, leaving the viewing screen blank.
Hammond leapt into action. "They were waiting for us! Close the iris! Disengage the Stargate. SG-3 stand down. The rescue mission is scrubbed."
"Gen!" Sam cried.
"No, Sir," Jack negated. "Daniel and Teal'c are—"
Hammond shook his head and pushed past his officers to the stairs that led up to his office. They stared after him, then looked back at the empty Stargate.
"Daniel Jackson," Teal'c said, tipping the tin with the heated MRE into another container to divide the meal between them. "You must eat."
Daniel, despite his haggard appearance, made a distasteful face. "I'd really rather not…"
"You must keep up your strength," Teal'c said wisely, holding out the cup. "As must I."
"You need it more than me," Daniel huffed softly. He took the tin if only to warm up his fingers. "You're the one doing all the work."
"I am not incapacitated."
"Maybe if…you blasted the ice with your staff weapon?" Daniel tentatively suggested.
Teal'c nodded thoughtfully. "I had considered such an action; however, if I were to cause damage to the dialing device then we would certainly be stranded. I shall continue to chip away at the ice with the knife. I believe that it will not take long."
The archaeologist nodded, deferring to his wisdom, and took a tiny sip of his MRE. His innards rolled in protest. He set the cup down. "So," he said conversationally. "I've been thinking about how the Stargate might have malfunctioned."
Teal'c merely raised an eyebrow to show his interest.
"Sam would probably know," Daniel said, "but my guess is that the wormhole—well, it's basically just a matter transporter that bounces through the universe, right? Maybe when the 'gate malfunctioned, it somehow got redirected, or some kind of wires got crossed, or…"
"It seems likely that such a redirection would result in our being sent to a Stargate relatively close to one on Earth," Teal'c mused. "As a lightning bolt will strike the tallest tree, unless there is a metallic structure which would attract it."
Daniel perked up slightly. "Yes, exactly! So that means we're somewhere between P4A-771 and Earth. Sam will definitely find us. She's way smarter than us." He sagged in the thermal blankets, grimacing.
"Indeed." Teal'c nodded with an indulgent smile. "Daniel Jackson, you must eat."
Capt Carter stared intently at the glass map showing the positions of the planets in their galaxy. Col O'Neill sat in one of the chairs behind her, leg propped up in another. He watched his 2IC.
"So," he drawled. "If they're not there, and they're not here…"
She frowned. "I mean, Walter said the 'gate had been flickering and disengaging. They could have been lost when the wormhole malfunctioned…"
"Aht!" Jack waved a dismissive hand. "Carter, just earlier you were saying that it's possible they were sent through a different 'gate. And if there's the least remote possibility that that happened…"
"Sir," Sam interrupted. "There are millions of possible Stargate symbol combinations. If they are out there, they could be anywhere."
"Well, we have to narrow it down."
Hammond made an entrance. "Any progress?"
"Sir," Sam greeted. She pointed at the map. "Okay, this is P4A-771, this is Earth. Now, the Stargate shut itself down just after Col O'Neill and I came through. But before that, the wormhole was disrupted, apparently preventing it from allowing Teal'c and Daniel safe passage."
"There was an energy surge," the general said.
"Right. But what would that have done to the wormhole itself?" she pressed.
"You're the expert on the matter," he shrugged.
She smiled tightly.
Jack spoke up. "Could it just disappear?"
"No, I don't think so Sir. It would have to discharge somewhere."
"Like, another Stargate?" The question was posed almost sarcastically. He raised his eyebrows suggestively.
Sam turned to Gen Hammond. "Sir, it's all theoretical, but we think that Stargates are basically giant superconductors. Charged matter streams along lines of force between them. Positive to negative, like electricity, except for the fact the whole trip happens outside our dimension."
When neither of her superiors seemed lost, and neither offered to take up her theory, Sam continued: "Okay, what if the wormhole jumped. Redirected itself here—" She pointed at the map—"or here, or anywhere along...here." Her finger traced along an entire swathe of the galaxy.
Hammond seemed dubious. "You're suggesting we search all these worlds?"
Jack jumped to her support. "Well," he said mildly, "at least we've narrowed an entire galaxy of Stargates down to a handful of possibilities."
"Assuming you're right, why haven't they used that Stargate to come back on their own?"
"Carter and I were flung out of the 'gate at this end so fast I don't even remember hitting the ramp. Now, they could be badly injured, in which case we won't have to search far. No man left behind. Sir."
Daniel woke sluggishly, unsure of why he was coming to. Teal'c had insisted he try to sleep while the Jaffa returned to his task of uncovering the DHD. It seemed Jackson had managed to drift off at some point, the steady, rhythmic hacking at the ice lulling him.
But now something bothered him, pushing to the forefront of his mind, though he couldn't quite figure it out.
And then his abdomen twisted, muscles tightening as though turning to stone. Daniel flung the blankets off of himself, desperate to get up and lower his pants. As much as he needed to release the pressure, he knew it would be worse still—and far more humiliating—if he soiled himself. Suddenly Teal'c was at his side, bodily lifting him and dragging him a short distance to lean him against the icy wall.
Daniel gasped harshly, trembling from head to toe, frozen fingers fumbling with the fly of his pants until at last Teal'c stepped in to offer his assistance in that area as well. The Jaffa stayed at his teammate's side, supporting his weight as he loosed his bowels into the snow. Hot blood steamed on impact and instantly froze.
Teal'c kept his gaze averted to preserve Daniel's modesty, but the man collapsed, and he was obliged to take him back quickly. As he redressed Daniel as quickly as he could, the archaeologist's eyelashes fluttered, and he returned slowly to consciousness with a soft moan. His awareness was relatively minute as Teal'c wrapped him in the blankets, laying their tactical vests over him as well, for all the good they would do. Perhaps the weight of them would be comforting.
The Jaffa glanced back, and saw that the blood Jackson had evacuated was an alarming amount. It was no wonder Jackson was so very ill.
Once he was sure that Daniel was as comfortable as possible under the circumstances, Teal'c leapt back onto the icy platform and hacked feverishly at the ice. He was forced to slow his progress and take a more cautionary approach as the tip of the now blunted knife began to free the symbols. He dug ice out of the crevices between each key, only chipping away as was necessary to find the appropriate symbols for Earth. Once he spotted that which must be the point of origin, he stopped chipping.
Teal'c dialed earth.
Each chevron lit up, the Stargate clunking loudly and reverberantly in the cavern. The center globe glowed, and Teal'c pushed it.
The Stargate failed to engage.
The Jaffa frowned in dismay. He had dialed the first six chevrons correctly, so it must be the seventh, the point of origin, which he had mistaken. Teal'c raised the knife and kept digging the symbols free.
As Gen Hammond strode into the conference room not for the first time that day, Carter stuck a post-it note on the glass map.
"Capt Carter?" he prompted.
She turned. "We just received probe telemetry from P5C-11 and 12, neither of them have a breathable atmosphere any more. If they ever did."
Hammond nodded shortly, then barreled on: "I have formally reported Dr Jackson and Teal'c as MIA."
Sam boggled. "Why? Sir."
"MIA doesn't mean we stop looking, Capt."
With that, Hammond left her to her work, and Sam returned her deflated gaze to the board. "I'm missing something," she murmured to herself.
Daniel shuddered miserably, arms wrapped tightly around his aching ribs, neck bent at an awkward angle so at least one side of his face could sop up the warmth from his friend's body. Teal'c had entered kel'no'reem, replenishing and conserving the strength he had lost from the cold, his still-healing injuries, and from freeing the DHD.
He had attempted twice more after the first failed attempt to engage the wormhole to Earth, but it seemed to be no use. After a moment of glaring glumly at the offending device, Daniel's muffled moans of pain had drawn his attention and presence. But there had been nothing he could do for his team member, except to use one of the preloaded morphine injections, which the both of them had been loath to use.
But eventually Daniel acceded to the treatment, and Teal'c snuggled close to him in a bid to share life- and limb-saving body heat.
Now the archaeologist was unresponsive, though still shivering, which the Jaffa understood to be a positive sign given the circumstances. So Teal'c left Daniel to rest as well as he may, and meditated over their options.
At the SGC, Carter sipped at her coffee, staring intently at the engaged event horizon of the Stargate. Upstairs, Hammond was equally pensive. They watched as another SG team returned home.
Not Daniel and Teal'c.
Once he had finished kel'no'reem, Teal'c busied himself with setting up the sterno and melting discarded ice chips. He gently urged Daniel to wakefulness, and the archaeologist came to, body reluctant and stiff.
"Daniel Jackson," he said, "you must drink as much of this water as you are able. The sterno can will soon run empty, and there will be no more chance to thaw the ice to hydrate ourselves."
Daniel did not look as though he understood everything Teal'c said, but obeyed as the rim of the tin was pushed between his chapped lips. He turned his head slightly to indicate he was finished.
Teal'c hesitated somberly, then swallowed the rest himself.
"D…DHD?" Daniel whispered, voice barely audible in the frozen air.
"I am sorry, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c said. "I believe that it is faulty, for the wormhole will not engage. We must appeal to a secondary strategy."
"Pl…plan B?"
"Indeed." Teal'c inclined his head, brow creased. "Daniel Jackson, I believe the best course of action would be to search for a means out of this cavern. There may be civilization above."
Daniel's forehead furrowed as he struggled to make sense of his friend's speech. "Wh—what about…DHD?"
The Jaffa frowned in dismay. "It does not work, Daniel Jackson," he repeated, more slowly.
"…Radio?"
For simplicity's sake, Teal'c responded that the radios did not work, either. Daniel huffed a soft sigh, and his slivered eyes slipped shut.
His alarm at the deteriorating condition of his friend strengthened Teal'c's resolve to search for an escape.
Carter grimaced as Maj Castleman was fireman-carried through the event horizon.
Walter was quick on the uptake: "Medical team to the embarkation room! Put the iris on safe..."
Gen Hammond strolled into the 'gate room, alarmed at the turn of events. "What happened?" he asked.
One of the lieutenants responded. "Sir. We were exploring a cave not far from the Stargate. Maj Castleman fell several meters from a rock ledge. Sir, there was no sign of Teal'c or Dr Jackson."
Hammond nodded curtly. "Dismissed." Then he turned and made his way up the stairs into the conference room, where Carter and O'Neill were watching the abating flurry of movement below. Before either of them could speak, he did: "I'm calling the search off."
"What?" they uttered in unison.
"This was the last of the planets to fit your theory, Capt."
Sam stammered. "Uh, but, with all due respect, Sir…"
"For cryin' out loud, it's only been a few days!" Jack said. "Sir," he added belatedly. "We should at least—"
"I'm sorry," Hammond shook his head. He left them to digest his abrupt order.
Teal'c was loath to leave Daniel Jackson on his own, even for the short time he was sure it would take for him to find his way out of the cavern to scout the lay of the land. Despite all his attempts, the man was slipping away into hypothermia, lips blue. The Jaffa angrily stalked up to the DHD, partially unburied, and tried once more to dial home. Chevrons glowed mockingly orange, inviting him to press the central activator. Frowning severely, he did so.
Sam drew despondent lines on the glass map, exhaustion dragging her shoulders downwards. There had to be something she was missing…
She turned to pick up her cooling mug of coffee, only to stop short of grabbing it. The glass of water on the other side of it was also rattling on the table. Eyebrows raised then lowered, and she moved her gaze through the window to overlook the Stargate.
Teal'c stared in dismay as the 'gate died once more, wormhole never engaging. Finally, he was left with no other choice. He had avoided it for far too long already, and Dr Jackson may be the one to suffer for his lack of leadership skill.
He dismounted the block of ice and prepared to go.
"Carter," Jack said behind her, wrestling his crutches through the doorway.
"Sir," she turned. "Did you see that?"
He gave her an odd look. "I see that you're still here. Why?"
She shook her head. "I couldn't sleep. I was thinking that I must be missing something, and now I just realized we ruled out a world we shouldn't have."
As Teal'c double-checked his laces, he felt the exhausted gaze of Daniel Jackson. Steeling himself, he turned. "Daniel Jackson."
"…I guess it didn't…work…"
"It did not," Teal'c said. "I am sorry."
"Not your fault…" His eyes nearly slipped shut before he fought the beck of sleep. "Teal'c…"
The Jaffa leaned forward in inquiry.
"Plan B…go…"
Teal'c nodded. "I will return for you, Daniel Jackson."
"Take…the MREs…and the sterno…"
"I will not leave you with nothing."
"You…don't know…how far civ…civiliza…"
"My symbiote will sustain me," Teal'c said briskly.
Daniel chuffed a humorless laugh. "I'm dying, Teal'c…Take the stuff…and save…yourself…please…"
"Very well," Teal'c said. He turned and rifled through some of their supplies, and took two energy bars. The rest he left behind, sparing a glance over his shoulder to ascertain that Daniel Jackson did not notice the deception. The archaeologist would need sustenance for himself.
"I know this is more Daniel's area, Sir," Sam said apologetically as she led Hammond and O'Neill into the conference room. "But I'm sure I remember him talking about how several of the civilizations we've run into on other planets come from Earth-based cultures during time periods both before and after we think the 'gate was buried in Egypt."
Jack frowned. "You actually listen to him?"
Both Carter and Hammond shot him a look, and Jack quickly made himself busy with getting himself seated and leg propped up.
"Daniel says that so far we've tried to account for these discrepancies with various theories of parallel or accelerated..."
"What's your point, Capt?" Hammond interrupted.
"Sir," Carter said, moving to the map. "What if there's a second Stargate"— she pointed to middle of map, indicating Earth—"here. What if this energy surge caused the wormhole to jump from one Stargate to another, here."
The general and colonel looked at her incredulously. "On Earth?" Hammond said.
"Yes."
He frowned thoughtfully. "Would the Goa'uld have put more than one Stargate on a planet?"
"Maybe, Sir," Sam said. "If the first Stargate was lost. Or buried."
"Remember," Jack said, "the one that Ra put here might not have been the first. The Goa'uld didn't build the Stargate system."
His CO and 2IC turned and stared at him in surprise.
"What?" he shrugged. "Sometimes things Daniel says permeates the ol'…" He gestured towards his cranium.
Hammond sighed. "Let's assume that you're right, Capt Carter, and that there is a second Stargate here on Earth. Then where is it?"
Teal'c had opted to climb the nearest tunnel he found, noticing that a bluish light had filtered down the shaft. His wide, muscled girth was nearly too large, but he managed to continue upwards, sometimes forwards as the sheer slant subsided. He checked his SGC-issue watch and saw that he had already been climbing for thirty minutes.
He settled himself against the chill ice to rest his quivering limbs and depressed his radio. "Daniel Jackson."
He waited for a moment, hoping for a response, but not even a click.
"Daniel Jackson, I cannot yet see the surface. It appears to continue upward for some distance."
Deciding he had rested long enough, he made to continue his ascent. The burst of static stopped him short, and he cocked his head toward his radio to catch the feeble whisper. "Teal'c."
The Jaffa thumbed his device again. "Daniel Jackson, I am here."
"Please…save Sha're…"
He waited for a moment, but his friend had fallen silent. Heart leaping in his throat, Teal'c pressed the talk button. "Daniel Jackson." And again. "Daniel Jackson, do you read me?" And once more: "Daniel Jackson, if ever we are to succeed in saving your wife from the Goa'uld, you must survive this. Otherwise, she is lost."
With that, Teal'c redoubled his efforts to reach the surface.
Back at the SGC, Carter, O'Neill, and Hammond were huddled around the seated Walter, who was clacking away at a keyboard.
Sam was saying, "It would have to be in a remote location otherwise it would have been discovered by now. It could have even been buried until recently otherwise the Goa'uld would have continued to use it."
"Well," Jack drawled, "we'd better hope it's not buried now."
Hammond ignored his officers and addressed Walter. "We're looking for radio transmissions on SG-1's emergency frequency. Co-ordinate with air military listening posts around the entire globe."
An afterthought occurred to Jack. "Gen, when we first opened our Stargate, it used to shake ... A LOT. I mean, the ground, the whole facility, everything."
"Right, Sir," Sam interjected. "We've installed frequency dampers that limit that to only a slight vibration. In fact, that's what gave me the idea in the first place. The other Stargate probably doesn't have dampers, which might mean that the vibration of the Stargate encoding its chevrons is strong enough to register on a seismometer."
Presented with this new information, a sudden fire lit up the general's eyes. "Run a search for all recent seismic activity worldwide. See if any coincide with the time of our Stargate malfunction."
"And," Sam told Walter, "check about four am local time. When I was here, I thought someone was trying an off-world activation, but nothing happened. Except the chevrons glowed and there was a slight vibration."
Jack cracked a smile. "That'd be Danny and Teal'c."
Sam grinned, excitement pushing aside exhaustion. "What happens when you dial your own phone number?"
"You get a busy signal," Hammond answered, smile touching the corners of his lips as well.
"Exactly. What else could cause a vibration like that except if they were trying to dial home? They couldn't get home. I mean, even if the seventh symbol looked different, the co-ordinates of the two gates would still be exactly the same."
Meanwhile, Teal'c was still climbing, and climbing, and climbing, until finally he saw the opening leading to a white, white sky.
He touched the radio. "Daniel Jackson, I believe I have reached the surface. I will attempt to locate and bring back assistance."
There was no response, though it did not preclude Daniel's having heard and understood. He may merely have been too weak to lift his hand to the radio again.
Teal'c soldiered on, reaching up and pulling himself through the split in the ice. He shuffled forward on his elbows until his legs were clear, then pushed himself to his feet. His jaw dropped at the sight before him.
There was nothing but icescape.
"We got it!" Walter exclaimed, half in disbelief. "The timing of the event is to the second, including the event that Capt Carter experienced a few hours ago!"
Hammond was there immediately, looking over his shoulders. "Latitude and longitude?"
"Yes, Sir. It's only about fifty miles out of McMurdo!"
Jack struggled to attention. "Gen, permission to…"
"Granted!" Hammond declared, seeming to forget about Jack's condition, or perhaps willfully overlooking it. "Order McMurdo station to begin a search of those co-ordinates now."
Teal'c swallowed his dread and knelt to begin the descent back to Daniel. There was nothing he could do on the surface, nowhere to go, no one to ask for help.
Once inside, and his eyes shielded from the painful light of the desolation above, Teal'c thumbed his radio. "Daniel Jackson, I am returning now."
He felt his foothold break beneath his weight, and before he could so much as throw his weight forward he found himself slipping down, sliding fast and crashing hard against the walls of the ice, until he was at last deposited in the ice cavern where the Stargate was. What had taken him nearly half an hour to climb had only taken a few seconds to fall.
A few meters away, Daniel shifted restlessly in his blankets. "Sh—Sha're…"
Teal'c, finding himself still too disoriented from the tumble, managed to crawl to his side. "Daniel Jackson," he whispered, "I am here."
"Cold," Daniel breathed. "So, so cold…"
"I am aware, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c said wearily. Although he had promised his symbiote would sustain him, the cold was affecting both it and him adversely. He maneuvered himself so that he was once again cuddling the smaller man, giving rather than sharing body warmth. "You may sleep now, Daniel Jackson," he said. "It was an honor fighting at your side in battle. We die well, my friend."
Helicopters and rescue teams converged over the pair's position. Men were lowered down into the cavern. Radio chatter echoed across the walls, but did not disturb either man.
Until something struck Teal'c across the face, and his dark eyes snapped open to stare Jack in the face. "Teal'c!" he yelled over the sound of the choppers. "It's about damn time!"
"O'Neill," he muttered, relaxing back. Then he was tense again, mouth opening to relay to him about Daniel's injuries.
Before he could, Sam was leaning over to greet him. "It's gonna be okay, Teal'c, you're gonna be fine."
"So's Daniel," Jack asserted.
Nearby, Hammond coordinated the rescue team. "Let's get them in the chopper."
With a great effort, Teal'c lifted his head and saw a pair of medics begin winching a backboard holding Daniel upwards. "Daniel Jacks…" His voice cut out, but he struggled to finish: "He bleeds internally."
Hammond stepped up. "We know, Teal'c. Don't worry, he's going to be all right."
A small smile turned up the corners of Teal'c mouth as he appraised the CO of the base. "Gen Hammond," he said pleasantly, "you traveled through the Stargate to retrieve us…"
The generally smiled enigmatically. "Not exactly, Teal'c." Then he turned to the rescue team. "A team from the SGC will be coming within the hour to secure this area. In the meantime let's get these people home."
As people scurried to obey, and Carter helped a limping O'Neill (whose crutches were useless on the slippery ice) to follow after their teammates, Hammond turned his blue eyes on the glistening Stargate.
End.
A/N: You know, when I first watched Solitudes, I wondered why Sam and Jack didn't try dialing out to a world other than Earth. It's a plot hole, but I understand why it's there: If they had dialed out to another world and returned to Earth via that Stargate, then the second Stargate would not have been discovered. Just sort of annoys me, though. The characters are capable of figuring out problems far worse with injuries and risks more difficult to navigate. But it is what it is. Tunnel-vision and whatnot.
A/N 2.0: So I'm a graduate student now. I do believe that my time for writing will plummet severely, but we shall see how much I'm willing to procrastinate on homework and assigned readings to plot things out and write them. As it is, this is the first story I've had time to work on in months.