Notes and disclaimers in Chapter 1...
~&O&~
The team hit the ramp, arriving at the bottom just as the medics arrived with the gurney for Sam.
"What happened?" Jack asked. He'd rushed into the gateroom as soon as the emergency call had come through the gate only to find the CO of his top team unconscious and the rest of the team unhurt but a bit confused.
"We were just getting set up," Bill said, beginning the explanation, sounding as confused as he looked, "when the energy readings started to spike. The next thing we knew, Colonel Carter was hit with some sort of energy beam and fell unconscious."
"Energy beam?" Jack asked sharply as he watched Sam being taken from the gateroom.
"It all happened so fast, none of us saw where it came from," Daniel said.
"Was it some sort of weapon? Maybe a booby trap?" Jack asked next.
"I do not believe it was a trap, booby or otherwise," Teal'c said, earning a smirk from Jack. "We were in the temple structure for some time before the incident, and we did not notice anything amiss."
Jack sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "Okay, get your post-mission checks. We'll debrief in an hour."
Nods and murmurs of assent followed Jack as he turned and headed back for his office. The others turned over what equipment they still had and made their way out of the gateroom and towards the infirmary, each one replaying the events of the last several hours, trying to determine if things could have been done differently.
~&O&~
The debriefing had been short and less than informative. They had each recounted what they remembered, which hadn't been much. Hopeful that they could learn more by studying what they had brought back, they agreed to reconvene in the briefing room to go over their findings.
That had been three hours ago, and they were all back, hopeful that one of them had the key to solving the mystery. There was one notable addition to their group: Doctor Brightman had joined them to give the General an update on Sam's condition and weigh in on the likely causes.
"Okay, first things first," Jack said, kicking off the briefing. "How's Carter?"
Dr Brightman took a deep breath. "Well, physically, she's fine. I've found no adverse effects due to contact with the alien energy source."
"But she's still unconscious?" Jack asked.
Brightman nodded. "And there's no reason that I can find. Her EEG is showing Delta wave brain activity, similar to what you'd expect in someone who's deeply asleep. We've tried direct stimulus as well as administering a drug stimulant, but neither of them had any effect. I'm reluctant to try anything more drastic until we understand her condition a little better."
"Bill?" Jack asked, turning to the next item on the agenda.
"Well, I've analyzed the readings we took before the thing … went off," he said. "It appears to have been building a charge. Once it reached maximum saturation, it … went off."
"Any idea what triggered it?"
Bill shook his head. "No, no idea. I don't think it was a booby trap," he said, anticipating the General's next question. "If it was, it would already have been primed, and should have gone off when we arrived."
"Indeed," Teal'c said, speaking for the first time. "The energy readings we detected were steady until the moment the device activated. That would not suggest a Goa'uld trap of any kind."
"So, then, what is it?" Jack asked.
Bill glanced around at Daniel and Teal'c. Each looked back at him with the same blank gaze. Turning back to Jack, he answered the only way he could. "We don't know, exactly," he said, shoulders slumping slightly.
"Daniel?" Jack asked. "Do you have something to add?"
"Teal'c and I have been working on a translation, but it's been slow going due to the obscure dialect," Daniel said, weighing his words carefully. "But from what we can determine, the temple was intended for some sort of ritual."
"Ritual?" Jack asked, clearly skeptical.
"The inscriptions say something about choosing, and that the seeker will have his or her questions answered," he said, continuing the explanation.
"Could you possibly be more vague, Daniel?" Jack asked, going from skeptical to annoyed at light speed.
Daniel dropped his chin and squeezed his eyes shut, then looked over at Teal'c, who merely inclined his head in a gesture of acquiescence.
"Basically, it says that the seeker will be put to sleep, and that only the kiss of the seeker's one true love will wake him or her," he said, rushing to get it all out before he died of embarrassment.
"You're kidding, right?"
"I wish I were," Daniel muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose under his glasses. "Look, we know from past experience that the Goa'uld tend to solve their problems with technology. This appears to be their attempt at solving relationship issues."
"So, basically what you're saying is that we need Carter's Prince Charming to come kiss her and wake her up," Jack summed up the briefing.
"Prince Charming?" Daniel asked, slightly confused.
"You said she's in a deep sleep, right?" Jack asked, turning to Dr Brightman. At her nod, he turned back to Daniel. "And only the kiss of her one true love will wake her?" At Daniel's nod, he spread his hands wide on the table. "Sleeping Beauty Syndrome. And the only way to wake her is to get her Prince Charming to come kiss her."
"Sleeping Beauty Syndrome," Daniel repeated, astonished. "Look, Jack, it's not that easy. The original legend of the Sleeping Beauty had her asleep for a hundred years, at the end of which she just woke up."
"That's not how I remember Disney doing it," Jack said indignantly.
"Sleeping Beauty was a Grimm Brothers' fairy tale long before Walt Disney decided to make it into a movie."
"Still," Jack said, "it's worth a try. I doubt the Goa'uld ever heard of the Grimm Brothers or Walt Disney. Besides, I prefer the Disney version anyway."
"O'Neill may be correct," Teal'c said, earning four astonished looks. "It would seem logical that the Goa'uld would make the solution easy to find and implement."
"That would be a first," Jack muttered. "Doc, you got any objection to a little unconventional therapy?"
"At this point, I'm afraid that may be our best hope," Brightman said. "I can try administering a stimulant again, but I doubt I'll have any better luck this time. There's no physical reason for her to still be unconscious. If what Dr Jackson and Teal'c are saying is true, her mind may just be waiting for the proper trigger."
Jack nodded, wincing slightly. "Okay, Doc. Do what you can. In the meantime, somebody better call Pete."
Daniel and Teal'c once again looked at each other, then looked at Jack, who merely looked back at them, blinking, waiting for a volunteer. "I guess I'd better go call Pete," Daniel finally said.
"Keep me posted," Jack said to the table at large. Rising, he headed off to his office.
"He's never gonna believe this," Daniel said.
"Perhaps you should refrain from explaining the situation until he arrives, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c suggested.
"You're probably right," Daniel said. "The less I tell him, the less likely he'll be to freak out."
"Indeed," Teal'c agreed.
"In the meantime, I'm going to see what else I can get from the readings we took," Bill said. "I may be able to figure out how the energy discharge triggered Colonel Carter's coma." Bill winced at the withering looks he got from both men in the room. "I'm just gonna … go back to my office now," he said, pointing at the exit even as he stumbled in that direction.
When he was gone, the two men turned back to Doctor Brightman. "I'll keep you informed on her condition, but I agree with Teal'c: the less you tell Pete the better. At least until he gets here and you can explain things fully."
Finally, the teammates were alone in the briefing room. "I guess I'll go call Pete," Daniel said, gathering his notes. He turned and made for the door, leaving Teal'c the lone remaining occupant.
Teal'c rose and moved to look down on the gateroom two floors below. His time among the Taur'i had shown him many things, but this was by far the strangest. Sighing imperceptibly, he retreated from the room.
~&O&~
Jack paced back and forth in front of the elevator, waiting for the doors to open. He wished he had his yoyo with him, but he suspected that his aide, Walter Harriman, had hidden it again, to prevent him from playing with it during phone meetings. The elevator chimed, and the doors opened, revealing Pete Shanahan.
"Colonel!" Pete exclaimed. "I'm surprised it's you meeting me. Where's Sam?"
Jack winced. "Actually, it's General now," he said, pointing to the stars on his uniform.
"Oh, right," Pete said, nodding his head. "Sam mentioned something about that. Who's idea was that?"
Now Jack was frowning. What did Sam see in this doofus? "Actually, it was the President's idea," he said, throwing around a little weight and wondering again why he'd volunteered to be the one to meet him. Oh yeah, that's right: the rest of them had begged off, leaving him the only alternative. Clearing his throat, he hitched his thumb at the hallway. "I'll take you to Carter."
Jack nodded at the SF standing behind Pete. He turned and headed down the corridor, Pete falling in beside him and the SF bringing up the rear.
"Yeah, what's up with her?" Pete asked, bouncing along beside Jack as they made their way down the hallway. "Daniel was kinda vague."
"Yes, Daniel does vague very well," Jack said.
"There's nothing wrong, is there?" Pete asked. His initial reaction had been excitement at the notion of getting to go back to the SGC, but that excitement had faded some, and now worry was creeping in.
"No, no, nothing's wrong," Jack said, then winced. He hated lying to the guy, especially when it was his girlfriend, which only caused him to wince more. He was going to have to stop doing that if he wanted to keep him in the dark until they got to Carter's room.
"So, where we headed?" Pete asked, enthusiasm firmly back in place. "The Stargate? 'Cuz I've never seen the—"
"We're not headed for the Stargate," Jack said. He was glad they were almost to the infirmary. He was getting tired of Pete already.
Pete looked around, his curiosity in full bloom. "Wait, this looks familiar," he said. He couldn't be sure, but it looked an awful lot like the infirmary. And he should know. He'd spent some time in the infirmary a while back. Not something he'd like to repeat.
"It's just up ahead," Jack said. He was hoping he could get him into Sam's room before he realized he was being lied to.
Pete slowed down as he recognized exactly where he was. Jack, realizing he was walking alone, turned and backtracked a few paces, stopping in front of the cop, hands in his pockets, looking everywhere but right at him.
"We're on the infirmary level," Pete said. "You said nothing was wrong!"
"Nothing is wrong," Jack said, wincing again and looking away. "Carter just ... won't wake up."
"What?" Pete nearly shrieked, causing nearly everyone in Sam's room to spill out into the corridor.
"Jack?" Daniel asked as he walked carefully over to the two men.
"Daniel," Jack said, glancing at his friend but failing to meet his eyes.
"What's going on?" Pete asked, this time directing his question at Daniel.
It was Daniel's turn to wince. Turning to face the other man, he put on his most pleasant smile. "There's a little problem," he said, only to be cut off by Jack's snort.
"Little, Daniel?" Jack asked. "She won't wake up. I don't think that's little."
"So, there is something wrong!" Pete said. "You told me—"
"Yes, yes, I told you," Jack said impatiently, waving the other man off. "It would seem I lied. Sue me."
"Perhaps we could take this someplace else," Dr. Brightman said from behind them, indicating the observation room just beyond where they'd stopped. She cut through the group and led the way up the short staircase, Pete, Jack, Daniel and Teal'c following behind.
Once inside, Pete took a moment to look through the glass at the room below. Sam lay on the bed, wires connecting her to heart and brain function monitors, but otherwise she did simply look like she was sleeping. The machines were beating out a familiar tune, indicating that all was normal, relatively speaking, except for the fact that she was unconscious.
Turning back to the men in the room, he saw three worried men looking back at him. Actually, he saw two worried men looking back at him. He only assumed that Teal'c was worried because his face was as stony as ever. The only telltale clue was the flexing of his jaw, which only seemed to show up when he was agitated. Of course, he'd only ever seen Teal'c agitated, so he didn't really know if the man possessed any other looks.
"Mr. Shanahan," Dr. Brightman said, dragging his attention back to the matter at hand. "Colonel Carter was exposed to some sort of energy burst that induced a coma-like state that we can't seem to break her out of. We've tried a variety of different treatments with no success. Dr. Jackson would like to try something a bit more ... unconventional ... but he needs your help."
"My help?" Pete asked. "Sam and I haven't been dating all that long. I don't have medical power of attorney, so I can't give you permission." He turned to Jack. "You're the General. Order them to do it."
Jack winced again. "It's not that simple."
"We don't need you to sign anything," Daniel said, glancing at Jack. "We actually need you to go out on a limb with us."
"What are you talking about?" Pete asked, frustration now leaking into his tone. Turning suspicious eyes to Daniel, he asked, "Does this have something to do with the Stargate?"
"Sam was exposed to this energy burst on a mission, yes," Daniel said. "From what we know about the planet, the temple we were exploring was meant to settle ... relationship issues."
"And what, exactly, does that have to do with Sam being in a coma?"
"Oh for cryin' out loud, Daniel," Jack exclaimed. Turning to Pete, he said, "It turned her into Sleeping Beauty, and now we need her Prince Charming to kiss her so she'll wake up."
"I think I need to sit down," Pete muttered, falling into a chair. He sat with his head in his hands for a long moment, digesting the news. As ridiculous as it might have once seemed, he knew these people did ridiculous for a living. "So, let me get this straight," he said, looking up once he'd recovered his wits. "Sam was on a mission when she got zapped by some ... energy ... thing ... that put her to sleep, and now you think that if I kiss her, she'll wake up."
"Exactly!" Jack said, looking at Daniel as he waved his hands at Pete as if he'd just given them the answer to the meaning of life.
"What gave you the idea?"
"Huh?" Jack asked, turning back to Pete.
"The idea that a kiss would wake her up," Pete said. "What gave you the idea?"
"Ah, that," Jack said. He swept his hand out. "Daniel?"
Daniel took a deep breath, worrying the back of his neck with his hand. "The writings on the temple wall are a sort of instruction manual on how the whole thing works. Teal'c and I translated it, and that's what it says to do."
"And why, exactly, would someone build something this wacky and, dare I say, completely pointless?"
"I've been askin' myself the same question for years," Jack muttered under his breath, earning a glare from Daniel.
"The Goa'uld do not usually build such devices, preferring to control their slaves by the use of fear and intimidation," Teal'c said. "However, the Goa'uld who built this temple believed that the most expedient way to settle issues of marital claim was to utilize this energy beam to help the subconscious minds of the persons involved to make a choice, thereby freeing her for more … important work. She was known to be among the more benevolent of the System Lords."
"She?" Pete aksed, his head popping up to meet Teal'c's eyes. "Not that wacked out chick from last year?"
"This is a different Goa'uld," Teal'c said.
"And you're sure this'll work?" Pete asked.
"Reasonably sure," Daniel said.
"But not totally sure," Pete said. "Doc?"
Dr. Brightman sighed. "Medically speaking, I've exhausted all my options. I'm willing to let them try this because there isn't anything else I can do."
Pete thought that over. What else could he do? Sam trusted these people. "Okay," he said. "Let's try it, then."
He was dubious, to say the least, but they had more experience dealing with this than he did. Way more experience. In fact, he'd thought that his first time encountering something alien would be his last time encountering something alien. They did a good job, as far as he knew, keeping the weird alien stuff from getting out of the mountain. It didn't scare him, but he figured the less he actually knew about what they did, the better.
Standing, he followed the doctor out of the observation lounge and into the Twilight Zone.
To be continued...