Sam made sure she had the front seat as they drew close to their destination by dint of stealing the chair whilst Colonel O'Neill was in the bathroom. She felt a little guilty about it. The Colonel's passion for the lunatic fringe of popular astronomy had led them here. He didn't seem to mind though, coming to stand behind her as the ship dropped out of hyperspace. As strange as it might sound, they didn't get much opportunity to view the worlds they visited from orbit. From that perspective, the Stargate was a disappointing method of travel. It was a bit like a package holiday where you didn't get to see more than the beach and the hotel.
There it was, a red star floating in front of them, closer to Earth than it had any right to be. And that wasn't all. As Teal'c guided the Tel'tak closer, Sam's attention was fixed on the scanners. There was something else here, something big.
"Wow," Sam breathed.
"What?" the Colonel asked.
"It's a binary, sir, but not with a normal star."
"Brown dwarf?" he guessed.
"Yeah… I mean I think so… no one's ever seen one up close. It's got a planet. I'm reading ten times the mass of Earth… but it's rocky."
"How about the main star?" O'Neill asked.
"Three planets, two in the temperate zone but no signs of life."
"You sure about that?"
"Sir?"
"It's just… nah… forget it."
She turned around to look at him, but his expression was neutral, controlled. Sam had no idea what he was thinking or feeling. She was suddenly aware that she'd questioned his judgement yet again. This time it was more than a gut feeling. The facts were right in front of her eyes. The planets circling the red star were rocky, barren. They could support life, barely.
The planet orbiting the brown dwarf was another matter. Atmospheric composition was consistent with a fairly advanced civilisation.
"Let's take a closer look," the Colonel ordered.
It took them almost as long to reach the planet, as it had to make the trip from Earth. Deliberately slowing their transit, they made a thorough record of the system as they passed through. Sam knew she'd find the information fascinating at some other time, but right now, she was frustrated by the delay.
As they drew closer to the planet, she found herself marvelling that anyone or anything could live there. The gravity alone would be enough to crush a human. There was an oxygen/nitrogen atmosphere and evidence of water. However, what was more exciting were the domed structures that appeared to cover the surface. Sam suspected that Daniel was a little disappointed. It looked as if he'd carted half his library along for nothing.
"I'm picking up lifesigns," Sam announced.
It was the first time anyone had spoken in what felt like hours. The Colonel didn't reply and Sam found herself holding her breath, wondering what his next order would be. Surely, they hadn't come this far just to turn around and go home again.
"Take us down, Teal'c," O'Neill ordered, "a couple of klicks outside the nearest dome."
Sam grinned at him, but the smile didn't stay on her face for very long as it quickly became clear that Teal'c was having problems. They were heading for the closest structure, even though he was trying to turn the ship away.
"What?" the Colonel demanded.
"I am unable to change course," Teal'c replied.
The Colonel tapped Sam on the shoulder and she swapped places with him.
"Systems check?" he barked.
"All systems are functioning within normal parameters," Teal'c said.
"Gravity?"
"It's high but the Tel'tak should be able to compensate," Sam answered.
"I hate to go all sci-fi, but you think we're caught in some kind of tractor beam?" Daniel suggested.
"If we were on a microscopic level…"
She let her voice fade away. However impossible it might have sounded, there didn't appear to be another explanation. An opening was appearing in the surface of the dome and the Tel'tak was heading straight for it.
&&&
Jack would have liked to have been able to face this on his own terms and not forced into a decision that put his people in danger. The ship was inexorably heading towards what he could only assume was enemy territory.
"Let's gear up," he ordered.
No one argued with him. Jack figured they had five minutes before entering the building and SG-1 were ready to go in three and a half. Then all they had to do was wait for the inevitable. As the ship descended, Jack caught a glimpse of bare, rocky terrain and scrubby vegetation. There were no trees, he noticed. He wondered if it was because the gravity was too high. Thirty seconds later, all he could see was the vanishing sky.
Even with the illumination from the cabin, Jack couldn't see anything outside.
"Cut the lights," he ordered. There was no point in giving the enemy any more of an advantage.
"That's odd?" Carter muttered.
"What?"
"I don't feel any heavier."
"Been cutting down on the cake?"
"No sir, I mean this doesn't feel like a high gravity world."
She had a point, but it wasn't something Jack needed to worry about right now.
"Any chance we can take off again?" he asked.
"I do not believe so," Teal'c replied.
"Right."
Jack took point as they headed through the hatch, SG-1 fanning out to stand beside him as they got outside. Even in the darkness, he knew there were people out there. It didn't feel like an empty room. He still didn't know if they were in the presence of enemies or friends. Despite a reputation to the contrary, Jack wasn't the kind of guy to shoot first and ask questions later.
"Hello?" he called out.
There was no response. Taking his cue from Jack, Daniel spoke up,
"We're explorers," he began, "we mean you no harm."
Jack had to admit that SG-1 didn't appear particularly benign, assuming that whoever was out there could see in the dark. On the other hand, he wasn't about to order that they put their weapons down.
"If you could just turn on some lights, then maybe we could take a look at each other?" Daniel suggested.
There was a low hum from somewhere, but Jack couldn't divulge the source. The darkness did not diminish and it certainly didn't seem as if they were acceding to Daniel's request. He was about to suggest they retreated when something struck him in the chest and Jack found himself flying through the air, eventually hitting the interior wall of the Tel'tak. He'd been sent back through the hatch, but the others hadn't been lucky. Judging by the noise, the rest of the team had been hit by the same device, but had been thrown against the outer bulkhead.
Trying to catch his breath, Jack pulled himself to his feet. Outside, he could hear the rattle of Carter's MP5 and the shriek of Teal'c's staff weapon. It wasn't long before Daniel's 9mm joined the fray, but they didn't have much chance of defending themselves against an enemy they couldn't see. They needed something else…
Jack found himself looking around the Tel'tak in desperation. Damn it but why the hell didn't these things have weapons? Everything else the Goa'uld built was loaded for bear. It didn't make sense. Unless…
The self-destruct!
Aris Boch had threatened to blow one of these things up and there was no reason why Jack couldn't do the same. Never let it be said he didn't learn from his enemies tactics. The self-destruct was the one system he'd learned how to operate. When the five lights were flashing, he removed one of the three crystals, making sure than no one could come and deactivate it.
Outside, only Teal'c still seemed to be capable of defending himself. The fire from his staff weapon was enough to provide some illumination, but it left Jack none the wiser. He caught a glimpse of shadowy figures but nothing more.
"Hey!" he yelled from the dubious safety of the hatchway. Jack didn't expect an answer so he proceeded regardless.
"Cut it out or I'll blow a hole in the roof so large it'll…"
Suddenly he found himself pulled to the ground, unable to move a muscle. He couldn't even talk, even though he tried. Carter had been right about one thing, the gravity on this planet was screwy.
&&&
"Where's Jack?" was the first thing Daniel said as he came round.
He remembered being hit by something very large and very heavy, but after that he drew a blank. The room they were in was nothing more than a box. It was small, cramped and devoid of anything resembling furniture. There was a bench with a hole in it but that was all. Sam and Teal'c were both at Daniel's side, but there was nowhere Jack could possibly be hiding.
Sam sat back on her heels and shook her head.
"We haven't seen him," she confirmed.
"Both of us woke minutes before you did," Teal'c said.
Daniel felt a moment of hope. It was possible that Jack was still out there somewhere. If he was, he was probably already planning their release. In fact, he could be waiting outside the door right now.
Right… now!
Nothing happened.
Assuming there was a door to this place. The walls appeared to be of seamless construction and Daniel was suddenly worried that they'd sealed in here. But if that was the case then why give them the rudimentary bathroom facilities?
"So you have no idea how long we've been here?" Daniel said.
"None at all," Sam replied.
"I recall O'Neill shouting that he would 'blow a hole in the roof'," Teal'c added.
"Did we have anything capable of doing that?" Daniel asked.
Sam shook her head. So Jack was probably bluffing. A pity. Daniel would have welcomed a good explosion right about now. The walls remained stubbornly intact.
"Daniel, he might be dead," Sam said, quietly.
He closed his eyes, biting back his protest. There was a good chance she was right. As well as their equipment, Daniel's watch had been taken so he had no idea how long they sat there. The only way to measure time seemed to be by his growing need to go to the bathroom, which he was loathed to do while Sam was there. Luckily, he was saved from potential embarrassment when the wall he had been busy staring at faded from view revealing a much larger room.
Daniel scrambled to his feet, ready to face their captors, but there was only one person in the room. The woman smiled at them, and, in the manner of an air hostess said,
"Welcome to Arkkadia. You have successfully passed through quarantine and may now enter the habitation zone."
Warily, the three of them stepped forward. It was certainly a pleasant room; soft furnishings, large windows… a bathroom. There was even a meal laid out on the table.
"Uh… we had a friend," he began.
"Welcome to Arkkadia. You have successfully passed through quarantine and may now enter the habitation zone," the woman repeated.
"Hologram," Daniel said.
"Yes," Teal'c replied.
"Annoying."
"Indeed."
"I hope we can switch her off?" Sam grumbled.
Leaving Sam to figure it out, Daniel made a beeline for the bathroom. He was just settling down, wishing he had one of his books with him, when he heard Sam's slightly panicked voice from the main room.
"The self destruct!"
"What?" he asked as he hurried back, still doing up his pants.
"That's what the Colonel must have been doing, setting the self destruct. Teal'c, what's the countdown?"
"It would depend on what time span O'Neill decided to enter."
"Since our hosts are being generally nice to us at the moment, I would think it hasn't gone off yet," Daniel suggested. "Do you think we should warn them?"
None of them was about to forget they were one man short, but wherever Jack was his situation was hardly going to be helped by a huge explosion… especially if lives were lost.
"They have to be watching us," Sam said.
"Hello!" Daniel called out.
"Welcome to Arkkadia…"
There was a muffled crash. Teal'c had found the hologram projector.
"You need to let us back to the ship we came in!"
"Or at least clear the area of personnel!" Sam added her shouts.
No one answered and, eventually they subsided into silence.
&&&
Jack couldn't move, at least not at first. There was a weight on his chest and for a moment, he thought that Teal'c had accidentally sat on him. Even opening his eyes seemed to be an effort, but he did it anyway. Looking down at his body, Jack couldn't see any signs of restraints.
"He's awake," a cold, dispassionate voice said.
Trying to move his head to check out whoever was talking turned out to be an exercise in futility. Jack tried to speak, but his words were nothing more than strangled grunts. He started to panic. What the hell was wrong with him? Why couldn't he move? With a vast effort, he managed to lift his arm about an inch, before it was dragged back down again. It was only then he remembered Carter muttering something about this being a high gravity world.
"It's better if you don't try to move," A second, more feminine speaker added.
Never one to follow orders at the best of times, Jack managed to turn his head the distance required to see his captors. He could just about make out a woman and a man, their hair so pale it was almost white. In contrast, they both had dark eyes and square features. If Jack hadn't heard them speak, he would have been hard pressed to know which was male and which was female. The similarity in their faces was enough to tell him that they had to be related in some way. Twins perhaps? There did not appear to be much difference in their ages.
Seeing Jack's head turn, the woman walked over to him, staring down with a strange warmth in her eyes.
"Let me demonstrate," she smiled, "co-operate and…"
She clicked her fingers and the weight was gone, leaving Jack feeling light headed. Before he could take advantage of the situation, the pressure returned, worse than before. Increasing every second until he swore he heard his ribs crack.
"It's very simple," she said and Jack found himself able to breathe again.
"My name is Jack O'Neill, serial no…"
His words were choked off as the gravity increased again. He tried to breathe his way through it, counting the seconds until he was released.
"We're not interested in who you are, " the man said.
"We haven't seen your kind for a thousand years," the woman continued.
"We thought you'd all died out."
"Which leaves us with the question…"
"Where did you come from?"
Jack had no idea what they meant. Were they talking about Earth or someplace else? And why him? He was as human as they appeared to be. Without speaking, he shook his head and prepared himself for what he knew was coming next.
"You see, they're not so advanced after all," the man said.
"What happened to the rest of my team?" Jack demanded.
"Safe and well. They're not like you. They're not different."
This explanation only served to confuse Jack even further. If Teal'c didn't classify as different then these people needed their heads examined. Then there was Carter with all that wacky Naquadah in her blood…
"Where did you come from?"
"How many of you are there?"
"How did you survive?"
"Why didn't you die?"
"What do you want?"
"Who are you?"
Jack gave up trying to answer. They couldn't or wouldn't understand the fact that he didn't understand the questions. Eventually the stress on his body became too much and he passed out. At least that was what he assumed happened because he woke up and most of the pressure was gone, as were his questioners.
"Hello?" he said to the tall red-haired woman who had taken their place. She was attractive in a hard sort of way, but seemed to be immune to the O'Neill charm. In fact, she didn't even acknowledge that he had spoken until he sat up and swung his body around to face her. His limbs still felt heavy.
"Where are my friends?" he demanded.
"Safe, for the moment."
"They'll find me. They won't give up."
"You believe that?"
"Yeah. They're not dumb. Daniel's a doctor, so is Carter. She's an astrophysicist…"
"Your friends believe you are dead," she said, interrupting his rant.
Jack was glad. He'd given away more information that he'd meant.
"But I'm not," he replied.
Since Jack had no evidence as to what had happened to his team, he wasn't about to let this woman intimidate him.
"It is of no matter," she went on, "your fate has already been decided. I just wanted to see for myself."
"See what?"
"If you were really what they say you are. I must admit, I did not expect you to look so much like us."
"I'm in disguise."
She stared at him.
"It's a joke," he explained.
"I see."
If she was going to kill him, Jack wished she'd just get on with it. He couldn't keep up the witty repartee indefinitely.
"Whatever you are, it's clear you must be removed."
"Are we going for a public execution, or something a little more subtle?"
"You will be taken from this place to Ikkala, there to remain until your mortal body rots."
"Just like that? Haven't you ever heard of a thing called a trial? Innocent until proven guilty?"
"I am judge and jury."
"But not executioner?"
"All life is sacred, Jack O'Neill. We are our own executioners."
He was still wondering what her statement meant when the blonde duo returned to take him away.
&&&
Teal'c was meditating when he suddenly became aware of someone else in the room. He opened his eyes to see a woman standing in front of him. How she had managed to enter without him hearing her, he couldn't imagine. She was almost his height, her long limbs encased in flowing white. In striking contrast, her red hair was cropped close to her head.
Standing, Teal'c inclined his head in greeting.
"Please wake your companions," she said.
Even though her tone was one of command, her voice was warm and pleasing to the ear. Teal'c moved to carry out her order. Once they were all assembled in the main room, she spoke again.
"Firstly let me express my thanks," she said. "If you had not thought to give us a warning the destruction of your craft would have caused great loss of life."
"It's gone?" Major Carter asked.
"We were unable to halt the countdown."
"There was a fourth member of our team," Daniel Jackson told her.
She shook her head.
"He was gravely injured during your apprehension. Our medics are doing all they can for him. Please accept my apologies."
"Can we see him?" Major Carter demanded.
"I will arrange it. Now please, tell me your names."
She had given them another order, a fact that did not go unnoticed, and Major Carter answered for all of them,
"Major Samantha Carter, Daniel Jackson and Teal'c. How about you?"
"I am Commissioner Verlan," she replied.
"Commissioner of what?"
"Law enforcement. If you are rested, I will take you to see your friend. Then I would be honoured if you would break you fast with me."
Teal'c had the feeling they were still in a prison, albeit an attractive one. And why would the Commissioner of Law Enforcement be interested in them? Shouldn't she have sent a subordinate? He shook himself. There was no reason why the system here should be similar to that of the Tau'ri or the Goa'uld. Teal'c had the feeling that, as visitors from another world, they were a curiosity. Clean clothes had been provided and after completing their ablutions, SG-1 joined Verlan. As had been the case in the quarantine area, one wall of the room faded from view, allowing them to exit.
Major Carter and Daniel Jackson were particularly eager to see this new world… or perhaps it was their concern for O'Neill. Teal'c confessed to sharing their urgency.
Once outside, Teal'c found it difficult to believe that they were actually standing under an artificial sky. The building they had been in was one of many set in a pleasant stretch of parkland. If anything, it was a little too natural, even down to the cooling breeze that blew into their faces.
Verlan didn't appear to be in any hurry as she strolled down the nearest path. They met several people along the route. The natives were dressed in the same utilitarian clothing that had been supplied to SG-1. Despite the bright colours, the garments were uninspiring in design. Verlan was the only person they saw wearing white and Teal'c wondered if it was a sign of status. The natives certainly deferred to her passing so she obviously commanded a certain degree of respect, but Teal'c could sense something else. These people were also afraid of her. He'd seen the same expression in the eyes of those who bowed to Apophis. Verlan was certainly a formidable presence.
&&&
'What would Colonel O'Neill do?' was the question uppermost in Samantha Carter's mind as she followed Verlan into the medical centre. She didn't have any serious misgivings, not yet, but she wondered if she should have. Surely not every alien race they met had a deep, dark secret? The truth was, she was more worried about Colonel O'Neill than she was about conspiracy theories.
The room Verlan led them to was in darkness. There was just enough illumination to make out the pale, still figure, attached to the monitors. Sam felt a lump form in her throat. He looked so small, almost withered amongst the nest of tubes and wires that were keeping him alive. He just didn't seem like Jack.
"What's the prognosis?" Sam asked, struggling to keep her voice even.
"Our physician's believe he will be able to breathe again in three cycles," Verlan replied.
"How long's that?" Daniel demanded.
He was making no effort to disguise his emotions and sometimes Sam envied him that freedom.
"A cycle is the length of time Arkkadia takes to circle Nibiru… our star," Verlan explained. "It is equal to 36 rotations of the planet."
Sam noticed Daniel start at the mention of the name. Were these descendents of the people who came to Earth so long ago?
"Can we talk to him?" Sam asked, drawing attention back to the Colonel.
"Not yet," Verlan said.
"I mean, can he hear us?"
"We do not believe so."
"Uh… I disagree," Daniel objected.
"Excuse me?"
"Our medical science may not as advanced as yours but we have some evidence that people in comas respond to external stimulation at some level."
Verlan's only response was an amused smile.
"Come, there is a meal waiting for us."
From the expression on Daniel's face, Sam knew that he wanted to stay and she couldn't honestly blame him. She didn't trust these people quite enough to put the Colonel's life in their hands.
"Daniel, why don't you stay here," she suggested. "We'll go eat, and then one of use will relieve you."
"There is really no need," Verlan objected.
"Please… it is our way," Daniel said.
It was cunning of him. Many idiosyncrasies could be explained by protesting custom. As long as someone was keeping an eye on the Colonel, Sam didn't really care if her hosts were offended.
"We'll see you later," Sam said as she and Teal'c followed Verlan out of the room.
Once they were back outside, the Commissioner turned to Sam,
"Your ways are very strange," she said.
"Daniel and the Colonel are very close," Sam explained.
"I see."
How close they were, Sam had never been certain. Daniel certainly knew things that Colonel O'Neill never discussed with anyone else. She had always been slightly disappointed that she'd had to find out about O'Neill's wife and son from someone else. Sometimes it was difficult to accept that some parts of the Colonel's life were off limits. Although, now Sam thought about it, there were things she wasn't happy bringing up in everyday conversation. Her mother, for example … or her relationship with Jonas Hanson. They all had far too many secrets, she realised.
The meal they were served was adequate, if rather tasteless. Verlan explained that they had been unable to cultivate the surface of this world and most of their food was force farmed. And a lot of it was genetically modified.
"How about the gravity?" Sam asked the question that had been bugging her since they'd landed.
"It is artificial," Verlan replied. "We maintain gravity equal to that of our homeworld. As you may have guessed, we did not evolve here."
Sam nodded. These people were essentially human and not adapted for a high gravity world.
"Where did you come from?" she asked.
"A planet around the red star, but it became contaminated."
"Why?"
"A war, we were forced to leave and this is the only other world that was habitable. We do not have the technology to travel as you do, amongst the stars."
Which wasn't strictly true, but Sam didn't see any harm in letting Verlan believe that the human race were more advanced than they actually were. She was actually surprised when the woman continued talking. It didn't seem in character for her to volunteer information.
"Out history extends further back," Verlan explained. "In legend we inhabited another system, with a yellow star. Our planet was fertile and the oceans were deep and plentiful."
Verlan sounded as if she were speaking from memory.
"Why did your people leave?" Teal'c asked.
"Our masters offered us the chance to explore a new world."
"Your masters?" Sam questioned.
"They left, shortly after we arrived. We have been alone ever since."
"I'm sorry."
There didn't seem to be anything else to say. When Verlan spoke again, there was steel in her tone,
"They left us to face our doom."
"What do you mean?" Teal'c asked.
But Sam knew.
"This planet is orbiting a brown dwarf," she said. "It's not massive enough to maintain fusion and it's cooling down."
"You are correct, Major Carter," Verlan confirmed, "eventually we will not be able to live here either."
&&&
Daniel didn't know what he was doing here. After the others left, he found himself sitting there, not knowing what to say. He'd never really done this before. His stomach growled and he started to regret not going to eat with the others. Could Jack really hear him?
"Jack?"
The question sounded unusually loud in the confined space. Would he even know that someone was there? Despite knowing that Jack might be able to hear him, Daniel found himself at a loss for words. He wanted to find something inspiring to say, something that would give Jack a reason to fight. Daniel couldn't even start to imagine what the extent of Jack's injuries might be. From what he could see, the man's body appeared to be unmarked but there could have been internal damage, he supposed. Going over his own memories of the attack, Daniel could remember being trapped under an enormous weight, as if the gravity of this massive earth had been concentrated onto his ribcage. The odd thing was, there hadn't really been any noticeable after effects. How and why had Jack been injured? Daniel made up his mind to ask the next person who came in the room. A great plan. However, as the minutes ticked by he started to wonder if anyone was actually taking care of Jack. If he was as ill as Verlan had claimed then why weren't there more medical personnel around. Even if everything was automated, surely someone had to come and check the machines were working properly?
Daniel found himself wanting to reach out and touch Jack, just to prove to himself that the man was still alive. From this distance, it was impossible to tell. Certainly, the machines were bleeping at regular intervals, but Daniel couldn't read the displays. He tried to follow the fall and rise of Jack's chest but any movement was almost imperceptible. Seeing his friend so still was an unnerving experience. It was almost like watching a corpse. Nothing of Jack's spirit seemed to be present. Even if transport was readily available, Daniel realised that they couldn't leave until Jack was well enough to move. The loss of their spaceship was somewhat academic.
The longer he sat there the more awkward he felt. Rising from his seat, Daniel moved closer to Jack. Staring down into the pale face, he was again struck by the lack of visible injury… any injury, old or new. Wary that he might dislodge something vital, Daniel gently pushed the wires away from Jack's face. It took him a few seconds to realise what was wrong.
The scar across Jack's left eyebrow was missing.
It wasn't Jack.
He didn't know how or why, but this was a mere facsimile, an empty shell. As much as he wanted to storm out and demand an explanation, Daniel knew that the action would probably be counterproductive. He had to find out where the 'real' Jack O'Neill had gone. Or if he was still alive? Daniel had to force himself to sit tight until Sam and Teal'c returned.
Being in the room with the body was twice as unnerving now he knew it wasn't Jack. By the time the others returned, he was ready to run out screaming. If its eyes had been open, he probably would have done. He was very relieve when the others came back.
"I hope you've assured yourself that we are giving him the best possible treatment?" Verlan smiled.
"Yes," Daniel replied, unable to trust himself to say anymore.
"We have brought you sustenance," Teal'c said.
Daniel took the bag Teal'c offered but he didn't touch the food inside. He really wasn't hungry anymore.
"If you are ready then perhaps I can show you more of our facilities?" Verlan offered.
"That would be… educational," Daniel replied.
"Should one of us stay with O'Neill?" Teal'c asked.
"He'll be okay."
He couldn't bring himself to refer to this thing as Jack.
Once outside, Daniel took several deep breaths as he attempted to calm himself, but he found the artificial atmosphere did little to help. He needed to speak to Sam and Teal'c privately, but realised there would be little chance until they returned to their assigned quarters. He wondered if it would be a good time to feign illness, but quickly decided that was a bad idea. The last place he wanted to end up was back in the medical centre. Daniel found himself glancing back at the building, fighting down a wave of nausea. Great, now he really was going to be sick. Maybe he should have eaten something, because he was certain the building shouldn't be shaking. Barely a second later, a siren started to wail. Daniel turned towards Verlan for an explanation, but she was already running.
"The gravity shield is failing!" she called back.
Judging by the panicked expression on Sam's face, this wasn't the time to be asking questions. People were appearing from all directions, forcing SG-1 to follow Verlan along the path.
"What about the Colonel?" Sam yelled.
"There's no time!" Daniel shouted back, but he was pulled away from her before he could explain the reasons why. The pressure of the crowd was such that Sam couldn't fight against it.
The edge of the dome was in sight and Daniel could see several doors opened wide to deal with the outflow of people. From a distance he thought they were too small to cope but soon realised the crowd were moving through them in a more or less orderly fashion. He was directed through a centre door and found himself in a long broad corridor that was connected to another dome. The ceiling was transparent and he could see both geodesic structures. Standing to one side, Daniel waited for Sam and Teal'c to join him.
"You bastard," Sam hissed.
"Sam wait…," Daniel started to protest, but his voice was drowned out by the terrible sound of the doors slamming shut. As they watched, the dome they had just left crumpled in on itself.
"Was anyone left inside?" Daniel asked Verlan.
"Yes," she replied. "You are not the only ones who have lost a friend today."
Sam remained silent out of deference to their hosts. Daniel knew that she wasn't planning to spare him in any way. The sooner he could explain the better, preferably before she punched him. Her tears were not the only ones, he noticed, but the reaction of the general populace seemed to be one of acceptance. He guessed this happened, if not often, with enough regularity to diminish the impact. It was probably one of the hazards of living on this planet.
"How often does this happen?" he asked.
"More so than we would like," Verlan confirmed. "The resources of this world are finite and there is a limit to how often we can rebuild. If you will excuse me, there are some things I need to attend to."
She indicated the heavyset man standing beside her,
"Vis will show you to the temporary accommodation," she continued.
Vis turned out to be one of those delightful individuals who did little more than grunt in respond to questioning. He reminded Daniel of his high school caretaker. The man only broke his silence once they reached their destination.
"In here," he told them before walking away.
It was a typical dormitory building. The three of them were assigned to one room and the bathroom facilities were shared with those inhabiting the same corridor. There were beds in the room but that was about it.
"It wasn't Jack," Daniel said as soon as the door was shut.
"What?" Sam demanded.
"The scar on his eyebrow was missing. I don't know how or why, but that wasn't him."
Sam took a deep breath and a step backwards.
"Then where is he?"
&&&