Chapter II
By Shell Lee
It was a grueling question and answer session, first by Dr Lee and then by Dr Carmichael. Then it was off to the infirmary for testing to make sure that there were no side effects from the chairs.
Soon, but not soon enough for the two, they would be given beds for the night and start afresh in the game tomorrow.
The scientists had progressed from when Teal'c had his turn in the chair. The emergency escapes were mandatory to use at certain points in the game.
They had figured out the problem with the game that had lead to Teal'c being trapped in the game. The chairs picked up on surface thoughts, nothing real deep. Protecting privacy and getting the best bang for the buck, so to speak.
The first time SG-1 had encountered the chairs was around the anniversary of Daniel's parent's death and before the mission, Jack had been talking to Daniel about it, bringing up memories of his own losses, in particular that fateful mission a long time ago. That was why Sam and Teal'c didn't go into their own worlds to change the past. They didn't have the fresh memories of loss, and not being able to do anything.
It was replicated in Teal'c's case. The chairs picked up on the thoughts of never giving up.
Once they had figured that out, the rest was easy. For some reason (chough playing it while on base chough), one of the scientists had a copy of Diablo II. Upload it into the chairs and bingo. Problem solved by being just that side of realistic. The players would never take it seriously enough to come up with something like never giving up.
How exactly the chairs learned this information was a mystery still, not even those who designed them originally could help. Being based on an alien technology in the first place, it was never necessary to learn all about the chairs. Working with the original scientists from the planet allowed them to slow down the process of learning, at least. That was where Sam and Daniel came in. The two of them would go in and collect data on how the chairs learned.
After Dr Carmichael had taken another blood sample, Daniel was drained. There couldn't any blood left in his body. He could see that Sam in the next bed was feeling the same way. They were able to share one small smile, partners in misery, before Jack swept in to see how his 'kids' were doing, a bemused Teal'c following in his wake.
"So how was it? I hear the weather's lovely this time of year in middle earth," Jack said.
"Right now it's rainy and wet in Sanctuary. How has it been here?" Daniel asked.
"Oh, the usual, a clear view of the lovely florescent lights, contrasting nicely with the overcast walls." Jack looked all but pleased over the "good" weather. "You know we should bring in some nice fuchsia colors, maybe some curtains too."
"You have got to stop watching 'Trading Spaces.'" Sam shook her head at the General's antics.
"It's the off season. No hockey games. What else am I going to watch?"
"You could always try that little thing you're always telling me to do. Get a life," Daniel said.
"Yeah, but you're so much younger than me." Jack paused. "So how do you like those characters I picked out for you?" Jack knew when he was out numbered, hence the not-so-subtle change in conversation.
Daniel just rolled his eyes and went along with it. "It's strange looking down and seeing something else where your body should be. But I'm having trouble coming up with names for my spirit wolves."
"How many are there?" Jack new perfectly well how many, but he wasn't about to tell them that.
"Three and no I'm not naming them Larry, Curly and Moe."
The four of them bickered on into the night. It felt just like old times.
Sam walked around the white tree. It was alive somehow, but it had no leaves. The white color bark was totally smooth, soft to the touch. There weren't any of the upper level demons guarding it. So Andariel must not know its importance. Because this tree just screamed TREE OF INIFUSS.
"Daniel?" Sam asked. She watched in fascination as he transformed. Somehow no matter how many times she saw it, it still managed to amaze her. These chairs were getting close to being done learning all they could.
Daniel, now human, walked around the tree, pausing every few moments to poke at a promising spot. "I'm working on it."
"What is it that you do?" asked Alcinoe.
Sam jumped. She had forgotten about their newest companion. Alcinoe was damned quiet when she wanted to be. "Daniel is looking for a way to get this bark off. I'm going around to see if it fell off."
"So this is the Tree of Inifuss. Somehow it's less impressive than I thought." A sound cut through their conversation. It sounded like some demon attacking a hapless animal. "Alcinoe…" Sam trailed off. Once again she was too slow. Alcinoe was already gone.
"So, are you doing something with Pete after this?" Daniel asked.
"Not really. When we talked last he had a case that was taking up all his time back home. He didn't know when he would be done." Sam somehow sounded lass than enthused. Daniel could understand.
"Would you like to do something? Lunch?" Daniel offered the only comfort he could.
"Maybe." Sam sighed.
Daniel was enjoying this chance to talk to Sam, so with great regret he said, "I found it." Daniel looked around. "Now what?"
"Take it into Akara, I guess. If you can't read it?" Sam asked the last bit as a question.
"I can't. I recognize the lettering as runic in nature, but it doesn't make a whole lot of sense. I can only guess it's in code. It wouldn't be a secret if everyone could read it."
Teal'c sat in the ambiance created by his lighted candles. They weren't necessary, not for a long time. Kel'nor'reem wasn't necessary anymore. The candles still meant something to him though. He had picked out each one at a small store that had all natural products. This store sold candles that most matched the ones the Jaffa made for this purpose.
All were bought there except for the few that he placed in front of himself. Those ones were made by Jaffa. Three were from Chulak. No matter how well made the candles he found on Earth never had the same smell, the same quality of light, or the same ambience.
Teal'c wanted to be reminded of those times. As he sat with his father and learned how to Kel'nor'reem. With Bra'tac as he learned from the master all that it meant to be Jaffa.
He could remember his wife. Although it was a marriage of convince, Teal'c wasn't one to do something with only half his heart. He did love her.
And then the memories came back to his friends. SG-1. Sam had sat with him a few times, with him hooked up to machines, trying to figure out just what he did while in Kel'nor'reem. He remembered Machello's machine. When it had switched him and Jack. Jack was not easy to teach.
Finally it brought him to Daniel. Daniel who had given him back this connection to his past, his people, and his world, when he thought he had left it all behind.
It went beyond the candles, beyond the connection to his prim'ta, and went right down into him and what it meant to be Teal'c. Far from home he was forced to make a life, because he made a choice. It never meant he had to leave everything behind.
His friends were now inside a game. It was the same one that had taken him just a few weeks prior. They both seemed to be doing just fine. Jack had told him enough that they were just fine.
Countless missions and plain gut instinct told him otherwise though.
Daniel grabbed one of the Fallen Ones, nasty little creatures that they were. He was getting used to looking down and seeing an animal's body there. It was becoming more and more his own. Too bad he'd have to give it up soon. He could sense Sam behind him, probably whacking away with that large spear of hers. It was nice to know she was there.
He backhanded one of the annoying creatures. With a little luck it would stay down, without one of those damn resurrection things around.
Daniel roared. The creatures fled from him. There were many bodies scattered around, blood flowing from wounds that took lives. Some coins and weapons scattered around completed the image of utter carnage.
Something hit his back. Daniel turned around and saw Sam battling a blue version of the creatures. Every time she hit it, lightning bolts came out of it. One of the lightning bolts had hit him.
It seemed to be for the moment that the rest of the creatures had fled for the moment. Sam caught his eyes. It was one of those moments where no words passed between them but they knew what the other was thinking. It made him happy to know they had something back of their friendship.
Sam speared it in the shoulder closest to her, making it turn towards her. Daniel jumped on this opportunity, literally. The creature was distracted just long enough that Daniel was able to get on top of it and push it down to the ground. Sam then came in and finished it off.
A few more lightning balls came out of it making his skin tingle, but the creature was dead.
"So, how do we do this?"
Daniel had to change back to human so he could manipulate items. It was hard to do with large paws, which only had short fingers with long claws on the ends. He took the bark scroll out of his pack.
"This one." Once Daniel touched the stone, the glyph on it light up. "This one." Another stone's glyph lit up. "You know Jack wouldn't like it if I did this on a mission." He touched another stone.
"Jack isn't here." Sam watched as Daniel touched yet another stone.
"Is this Jack dead?" Alcinoe asked innocently. Sam was saved from answering that question though because Daniel touched the last stone.
The light of day turned dark and menacing. Lightning came down from the sky hitting the stones and arcing between them, just above their heads. The lightning came down faster and faster. Everyone was on edge not knowing what to do. The symbols on the stones glowed an eerie red.
A red doorway appeared in the middle of the circle of stones. Then, as suddenly as the storm began, it ended, leaving the red swirling portal.
"Wow."
"Wow is right. Are we ready to go rescue Cain?"
"Let's go."
Colonel Dawson didn't risk looking behind himself. He could see his team members well enough right out there in front of him. At least his remaining team members were. Levison was dead, and the… thing? event?… whatever it was that was chasing them. It glowed, and burned everything in its path. Like a black maw swooping down to eat them next. It already had killed Levison.
"Dial! Dial!" he shouted over the howl that thing created. Now that there was nothing to do until the Gate engaged, he turned around. The site before him would give him nightmares for the rest of his life… if he survived. The planet that had been so lush and green not ten hours before when they came through, now was being torn up as it progressed. Trees were dissected, bisected, and branches torn off. Animals lay strewn about, each and everyone torn limb from limb. The village, thankfully had been abandoned, but not before some had died.
There was a child, running along. She must've been playing by the river when the village was abandoned. It all had happened so fast. She was running but Dawson knew she wouldn't make it. He watched on in fascinated horror as it bore down on the little girl. He saw it when she was caught up in it and torn limb from limb, screaming the whole time.
"Colonel! We need to go now!"
His head jerked around. All the others had made it through, and it was almost upon them. Dawson turned and left that desolate planet.
As soon as his feet hit the metal Dawson called out, "Close the iris! Close the iris!"
The iris closed, but that didn't stop it completely. A power surge swept through the entire mountain, knocking out all power systems. It burned through cables and along power lines not meant to hold that kind of electricity.
One system wasn't knocked off line.
That was the chairs that held Colonel Samantha Carter, and Doctor Daniel Jackson.
The chairs absorbed the power.
The three Brothers were born. The Three Prime Evils unleashed upon an unsuspecting Sanctuary.