(Updated 23/08/2017)
Copyright: existing characters belong to MGM and the creators of the Stargate Franchise. Story written for fan fiction.
Author: lezaanv
Summarya routine mission comes apart when a mysterious device transports Jack away to a place filled with confusion and deception. Everything is the wrong way around and his nightmares threaten to consume him. Will Jack persevere, whilst his team pursues an unknown enemy? Or will he surrender?
Characters: Colonel Jack O'Neill, Major Samantha Carter, Daniel Jackson and Teal'c
Story takes place in season 7 after Heroes Part 2 and before The Lost City Part One
Episode Tags from season 01 through to season 07: Emancipation, Message in a Bottle, Into the Fire, The Other Side, Desperate Measures, Unnatural Selection, Death Knell and Heroes Part 2.
(Thoughts and interpretation of abovementioned episodes, belong to the author. The settings and everything pertaining to Stargate SG1 belong to MGM.)
Warning: for sensitive readers, suicide will be touched upon in Chapter 2.
Please be advised: story has not been beta'd. I apologize in advance for any mistakes. They are unfortunately mine.
Let's begin, shall we?
Prelude: Deserted Planet
As Colonel O'Neill combed the landscape through tinted specs, the scene gradually opened to that of a wasteland rippling over the expanse of the horizon. Sun baked rocks show cased years of wear and tear, while heat waves rose in accordance.
A hot breeze drove scattered alien tumbleweeds through jagged formations. Whilst half-dead shrubberies coated the rugged terrain in splotches here and there. It was the only colour to speak of within the vast desert canvas.
The Gate, in addition to his team SG1, stood on a plateau that stretched from the east through north and ended to the west. Thirty meters to the south, a crude path moved in between a cluster of smooth boulders, and then disappeared into a hundred meter width ravine.
With luck, its walls would provide the necessary shade from the scorching sun.
"How long are we to spend on this hotplate?" Jack O'Neill asked irritated.
His eyes connected with those of Major Samantha Carter, the team's second-in-command.
"Approximately, two to three hours. Depends on what we find, Sir."
She spoke softly, her blues eyes transfixed on the device in her left hand.
"Yeah, if the heat doesn't melt us first." O'Neill scoffed. "Alright, you know what to do. Let's move out." He commanded as he pointed in the direction of the ravine.
"Jack . . ." The archaeologist called, peering at his friend through circular spectacles, ". . . I think the Stargate releases some sort of . . . . complaint spell. If it isn't the abundance of trees, it's the temperature. And if that isn't enough, you bicker about advancing Jaffa or the lack of alien presence."
The Colonel halted in stride, and scowled at Dr Jackson.
Major Carter shook her head in response, joined the fourth member of the group, Teal'c, and headed for the path O'Neill had observed earlier.
"I do not." Jack replied, scrutinizing the innocent looking archaeologist.
"You do too." Daniel chided playfully.
"Do not."
"Do too." Ignoring his whining retort, Dr Jackson followed behind Teal'c.
"Daniel." The Colonel exclaimed annoyed, pointing after him. "So help me, if you start a bicker at a time like this, I swear I'll shoot ya."
"What will you tell General Hammond?"
Jackson's baby blues sparkled with humour as he asked over his shoulder.
The Colonel's lips quirked into a wicked smile, Daniel halting mid-stride.
"Oh, you wouldn't." He declared appalled.
Slowly but surely Jack's smug smile grew, until the Jaffa called out.
"Daniel Jackson . . ."
O'Neill moved around him, and then headed in Teal'c's direction, smiling deviously as he did so. Behind him, Daniel turned on his heels, and clearly dissatisfied, moved at a slow pace, hands in his pockets as he scanned the surroundings.
A few meters to their left, Sam peered over a nearby boulder, smiling as if she had discovered the perfect toy. With only her blue eyes and short blonde hair sticking out, she conveyed what she had found.
"We have some translations over here."
At the mention, sheer wonder lined Daniel's facial features, who practically jaunted from his position towards them. The Colonel rolled his eyes in response, casually strolling after his sprinting friend, and upon arrival, the team formed a semi-circle. The two Doctors completely enthralled with the discovery. It did not take long for Jack's favourite geeks to get lost in a finding, thus he ignored their scientific discussions, and turned towards the ravine's entrance. Searing to memory the terrain for later strategy if need be.
For a desert planet, this area sure seemed lavish in comparison.
Chapter One: Discovery
Samantha's perspective:
With scanner in hand, Major Carter studied a peculiar shaped rock pedestal, about ten meters away from Dr Jackson's current location. She had surmised it to be a power source, due to its shape and appearance that clearly differentiated it from the other formations. However, she could not seem to find a way into the pedestal itself.
"Danny." Major Carter called out, trying to draw her friend's attention over to her discovery.
"Mmm . . ." Daniel softly hummed, oblivious to the distance between them.
"I'm detecting a faint signature over here. Is there anything in the translations that might help me with my analyses?"
As no response came, Sam took a few steps back and thoughtfully gazed at the unusual dais. It had a one and half metre flat surface, and underneath it, stood a three-meter rectangular pillar, reminding her of a peg drilled into the dirt. It was perfect in its appearance regardless of the beating sun. Nothing indicated that it possessed a console or any other mode of access. Which left her with the only other conclusion: to search for a concealed panel.
She walked forward, and searched meticulously for any variance in the pedestal's surface, until she discovered what she was looking for. Underneath, where the flat surface connected with the pillar, in its centre, was a fracture that formed a perfect square. Something that was too distinct to be termed as natural.
The finding elicited a curious attraction, and before she discerned it, her slender fingers had pressed down on the square.
A humming sound resonated around her, followed shortly by the baritone exclamation of her friend. The Major raised her P-90 in defence, while her eyes dutifully scanned the immediate area, until she found Teal'c with Zat gun directed towards the mouth of the canyon.
Dr Jackson's perspective:
Upon first notice, the inscriptions appeared as if someone had handled it like an ancient stone tablet. The words moved from left to right covering a one-metre space in width and height, and regardless of the thousands of years that had gone by, they remained remarkably intact and visible to the naked eye.
A fascinating piece of artistry, I must say. Delicate, simplistic, yet beautifully elegant, this person knew his craft.
"It's a derivative of Latin." Daniel announced without lifting his gaze.
"Ancient?" Carter asked, the only one nearby.
He adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose, before replying. "Ah, yes, I believe so."
Sam Carter's retreating boots, and the world around him faded away, while his eyes darted from left to right, mind translating the Ancient writings in swift progression. The first set had detailed information about the people who once had lived here and how they had coped with its fearsome weather.
The next set spoke of a virtualis mundi created to escape the weather. Eventually, after a few hundred years, the race decided to leave it behind in order to search for a better world.
After examining the second section a few times, their reason for the evacuation still bothered the Doctor – they were in dire need of change. A dilemma he understood, since a virtual world could go so far.
Drifting back to reality, the archaeologist lifted his head and sought out the rest of his team. He caught sight of Sam, who was busy examining a dais mentioned in the second part of the Ancient writings. Then, his gaze moved from the Major's position over to the canyon's entrance where Jack and Teal'c presided.
Daniel thought about calling out to them, when a transparent cloak suddenly enveloped the Colonel, whisking him away.
Teal'c and Jack's perspective:
Teal'c stepped away from the chatting scientists and headed for the place where the path had begun to descend into the valley. Passing O'Neil, he noticed the soldier's scrutinizing features and observed how he scaled a boulder to get a bird's eye view of the terrain.
O'Neill's tactical mind was filtering through different strategies. Selecting the best offensive and defensive manoeuvres, the team could apply when a threat presented itself.
Teal'c too, felt a similar unease, and by experience, he knew that even a peaceful planet as this one had its hidden dangers.
The Jaffa discontinued in stride, whist he scanned the canyon's features. In the background, the sound of Jack's boots colliding with the soil, echoed tediously, he then went on to examine the area surrounding the path, which smoothed out, before adjusting to the incline of the rugged walls as if either nature or human had moulded it.
"Yeah, I saw it too."
"To what are you implying, O'Neill?" His baritone voice reverberated in a gentle manner.
The Colonel took position next to him, and thumbed over his shoulder.
"Back at the Gate, the area revealed a desert terrain. But here it's too green, like something's deliberately blocking the sun from scorching it to death."
"Indeed." Teal'c gazed before him with a neutral expression, "Yet, the MALP indicated no life."
"Uh-huh. Well, we will know soon enough. Just . . . keep your eyes open. Something doesn't sit well."
"As you wish."
The Jaffa bowed his head, watching how the Colonel's gaze panned the horizon, observed how his posture changed from watchful to fascination, and this triggered the previous unease to return.
I have never observed this sudden change in behaviour, O'Neill seems induced by some sort of daze.
Teal'c's eyes followed the direction of the Colonel's gaze, eyelids narrowing with the action. A mesmerizing glimmer had caught O'Neill's attention, distracting him from their conversation.
Drawn by a captivating pull, the Colonel allowed his feet to stroll forward, completely enthralled in the moment. A red alert sounded off, whilst his emotions portrayed the danger it posed. Nevertheless, his curious mind desperately sought to uncover the mystery, and before he could withdraw, an electronic vibration enveloped him, and displaced him in a dark and empty space.