Falling in love with my best friend
Sam is briefing the rest of us and Hammond, she is standing in front of a large view screen with an image of an asteroid.
"This image was generated based on satellite observations made over the last few hours. The asteroid has an irregular shape, but we've calculated its length from end-to-end to be approximately 137 kilometers." She said
"I've seen this movie. It hits Paris." Jack said to Daniel who is next to me.
"Actually sir, it will strike somewhere in the Artic Circle. Probably Greenland or the Barents Sea." She said
"And nobody knows this but us? How is that possible?" Daniel asked, since I broke up with Paul I have been trying to, well be more flirty towards Daniel.
The screen changes to show a view of the solar system, "Well the asteroid was actually discovered by a civilian who has since been 'persuaded' to keep it quiet. The reason no one else has detected it is that the object's path is highly atypical. It's a rogue well outside the plane of the solar system occupied by the planets and the asteroid belt. In fact, it's a fluke that anyone saw it at all. We got lucky."
"I don't see how in any conceivable way this is lucky." I said
"Well, if this had happened seven or eight years ago, there'd be nothing we could do about it. The Stargate opens other options for us." Sam said
"A little help from our friends?" Jack asked.
"Yes, sir."
"Perhaps the Tok'ra could be of assistance." Teal'c said
"Unfortunately, they've been on the run since the Goa'uld attacked their base at Ravanna. We've already sent a message asking for their help, but so far there hasn't been any reply." Hammond told him
"The Asgard owe us a favor." Jack said
"We could contact them through the K'tau, through their Hall of Wisdom." Daniel said
"According to the treaty with the Goa'uld, the Asgard cannot prevent natural disasters from occurring on protected planets." Teal'c said
"Hey, the Goa'uld tried to make the Tollan send a bomb through the iris. Screw the treaty." Jack said
"Well, one of our allies will help." Daniel said
"I hope you're right. Otherwise, in eleven days and sixteen hours all life on Earth will be wiped out." Sam said.
After Jack and Daniel got back from contacting th Asgard us and Hammond are seated at the table.
"…and after that I kind of lost my temper." Jack said
"What exactly does that mean?" Hammond asked
"Let's just say Jack made a reference to Freyr's mother." Daniel said and I hid back a smile
"We'll discuss Colonel O'Neill's diplomatic shortcomings later. Right now, I'd like to know what options remain." Hammond said
"I say we nuke it ourselves." Jack said
"We have sufficiently large-yield warheads to deflect it. But we don't have a multi-stage delivery system capable of reaching the asteroid in time." Sam confirmed
"Wait a minute; what about the cargo ship that Jacob and I crashed on Ravanna during the Goa'uld attack? That must still be there."
"In how many pieces?" Jack asked
"Well, our understanding of Goa'uld technology has improved quite a bit. We might be able to fix it." Sam said
"How much time?"
"Given the right team, maybe a couple of days?" Sam said
"I'll assign anyone you need Major." Hammond told her and she nodded
"Assuming we can fix it, how long would it take to fly back to Earth?" I asked
"Ravanna's not exactly next door. Even pushing the engines past a hundred percent, it would take eight, nine days."
"Leaving little margin for error." Teal'c said
"Then let's get started. Dismissed." Hammond said and we all get up and leave.
The gate opens and various personnel are busily preparing equipment including a MALP, which has a large bomb attached to it. We enters, armed and dressed for the mission.
"We're good to go sir." Sam said
"Teal'c, show 'em the way." Jack said
"This way" Teal'c said smiling and walking up the ramp, gesturing to the others.
"This, uh, big enough?" Daniel asked Sam looking at the bomb on the MALP
"Packs twelve hundred Naquadah-enhanced megatons." Sam said
"And that's a lot?" I asked standing next to Daniel
"This is the most powerful warhead ever created, Kate. It's the equivalent of one billion tons of TNT."
"That's a lot." Jack said to me and I nod.
Jack reaches out to Spellman, who is backing down the ramp with a metal case in each hand, "Hey! What are you doing?"
"Sorry, I can't do this. I can give you a list of some very good engineers." Spellman said
Sam and Jack walk him back up the ramp, with me and Daniel following.
"Come on, Spellman. I do this every day." Jack told him
"That's probably because you don't actually understand what happens to your body when you go through this thing. I do."
"We need you for this mission." Sam said tugging on his arm to get him to go through with her.
"It defies the laws of physics and you know it!"
"Spellman, you're going." Jack tells him and Spellman gives a little yell as they both grab him by the arms and push him through then made their way through.
"Well I'm sure glad you guys didn't do that to me." I told Daniel as we made our way up.
"Well Jack thought about it but I talked him out of it."
"My hero." I said smiling at him and made my way through the gate.
The outer doors to the cargo ship open and Jack, Daniel, Sam, Me, Teal'c and the engineers enter, we secure the area with our P-90's at the ready. Teal'c guards the entrance.
"It doesn't look so bad." Jack said
"Okay, our first priority is auxiliary power. Then it's hyper drive and life support." Sam tells the engineers
"Right." Webber says
"Is there a restroom? My first priority." Spellman said, Sam and the engineers leave.
"Ah, they'll fix it up." Jack said
"I'm confident." Daniel said
"Me too." Jack said
"As am I."
"Same here." I said.
Sam and the engineers going about the repairs while Daniel reads from a notebook, I walk over to him and hand him some water then sit down next to him in the front of the MALP and open one of the books he borrowed me, Jack gazes at a glowing ball. At one point I notice Daniel is asleep against the side of the MALP I walk over and take my pencil that I use to write down notes from Daniel's book and lightly rub the eraser against his ear and he jerks awake and looks at me, I just smile putting my hand that's holding the pencil under my chin and he jokingly glares at me. Spellman is working at a laptop on the MALP when Webber enters.
Later on Webber and Spellman are talking to each other.
"I looked again. I still can't find it." Webber says to Spellman
"Did you check the guidance system?"
"Twice." Webber said
"Okay, I guess we'll have to assume that there isn't one on board." Sam said, me and Daniel walk over to them.
"One what?" Jack asked her
"We're about ready to attempt and engine start, sir." Sam said
"Yeah, fine. Assume there isn't one, what?" He asked again
"Recall device." Sam said and I looked at Daniel and mouthed 'uh oh'
"The X-301? That was you guys?" He asked Spellman and Webber
"You have to admit it performed beautifully right up to the point where you and Teal'c were sent into deep space." Webber said
Jack laughs sarcastically, "Yeah."
"Nice work." Daniel said and I smiled shaking my head.
"Carter." Jack said
"Attempting engine start." She pushes a series of buttons around a console on the bridge. The ship starts to come alive then everything dies.
"Carter?"
She tries again, and this time the power stays on,"That's got it sir. We're good to go. I'll repair the remaining systems on the way." She looks at the egineers, "Once you get to the Ravanna Gate, dial the Alpha Site. They'll be expecting you."
"I think I speak for about six billion people when I say…good luck." Spellman said
"You, too." Sam said nodding and the engineers leave the ship.
"I'm gonna want to talk to you guys." Jack said to them as they leave
"Teal'c, try to take it easy on the engines when we take off." Sam said
"Why?" Daniel asked
"Well I'm just slightly concerned that if we push them too hard, and they burn out before we reach escape velocity that…" She looks at Jack, "…we'll come crashing back to the planet."
"Oh that's comforting." I told her
"I'm confident." Daniel said
"Me, too." Jack said
"As am I."
As we make our way back to earth, slowly, Sam is trying to get a response from the SGC. Sam is in one of the pilot chairs, Teal'c is seated in the other chair, piloting the ship., while Jack, Daniel and I wait in the background.
"…please respond."
"SG-1, this is General Hammond, please respond."
'Sir, this is Carter. We've just dropped out of hyperspace, and we should reach the asteroid in a few minutes." She said
"We're relieved to hear that Major. You sent those engineers to the Alpha Site ten days ago." I did say slowly.
"The ship's barely flying as it is, sir. We're lucky we made it this far." She tells him
"Understood.Proceed with your mission."
"Yes, sir." She says, "All right. Thirty-nine minutes before impact, the asteroid will reach the fail safe position. Once it's past that point, it'll be too close to Earth for the explosion to deflect it." She tells us and looks at her watch, "That leaves us three and a half hours."
"So, we just drop off the bomb and, what?" I asked
Sam turns on a holographic screen that shows a rotating graphic of the asteroid, "Our scan shows that the asteroid is pot-marked with impact craters and fissures. We fly the ship into the deepest crater we can find at a right angle to its current trajectory. The crater itself should help direct the explosive force of the bomb like a rocket nozzle." As she speaks, the graphic illustrates the blast direction and its deflecting power. I look at Daniel a little worried. "When we're a few meters above the surface, we ring down the MALP with the bomb. Then we land and two of us go EVA." She turns off the screen.
"That would be you and me." Jack says to her
"We walk the MALP down into one of the fissures of the bottom of the crater to focus as much of the blast as possible. We set the timer, and then we get out of there."
"Piece of cake." Jack said
"There is one other thing. We're about to pass through the Leonids. It's a cometary trial that Earth passes through periodically. The shields should help protect the ship, but anyone caught outside is going to have to find cover—fast." She says then the ship groans loudly and shakes.
"What was that?" Jack asked
"I'm having difficulty with the sub-light engines." Teal'c said and the ship shakes further and there is loud rumbling, I feel Daniel lightly put his hand on my back., he was not making this easy.
"Yes, you are." Daniel said taking his hand off my back.
"Sir?" Sam says and leaves the bridge, Jack slaps the panel next to Daniel and follows.
Just a few moments late I hear Jack yell for me and I rush into the engine and see Sam on the ground with Jack by her side helping her up.
"What happened?" I asked getting on the other side of her.
"There was and electrical discharge from the crystals." He said and looked at Sam, "How's the head?" He asked her and Teal'c entered the room.
"The sub-light engines have shut down." He said and I use my pen light that's in my pocket and check Sam's pupils, they look fine but she seems disoriented.
"Big asteroid problem here." I hear Daniel say from the front.
I help Sam get up and we all make our way into the bridge, "Try using maneuvering thrusters to slow us down." She says to Daniel
"I am. It's not working." He says and gets out of the pilot seat so Teal'c can sit in it. He moves to the co-pilot seat and I moved to stand behind him.
"Daniel Jackson is correct. Manuevering thrusters appear to be insufficient." Teal'c said
"They're all we've got." Sam said and the ship is still dropping quickly to the rotating asteroid.
"Any time now." Jack said
"Thrusters are in full reverse, O'Neill." Teal'c tells him.
"We're coming in a lot faster than we should be." Sam said
"Yes, we are." I said
"Faster than we should with thrusters that at maximum. Ninety meters per second. Eighty. This rate of deceleration isn't gonna cut it. We're gonna hit." Sam said and I placed my hand on Daniel's chair.
The cargo ship moves nose down into a deep crater, rather than hitting the highest surface.
"What happened?" Jack asked
"We're inside a deep crater. Fifty meters per second. Forty. Thirty." Sam said
The ship decelerates rapidly, rotates, and comes to rest hovering just above the surface at the bottom of the crater.
"We stopped descending." Sam said.
Sam comes back from checking the engine, "The sub-light drive is down." She said
"As are shields and communication." Teal'c said
"It might be easier to list what is working." Daniel said
"The bomb?" Jack asked
"Is good to go, sir. If it comes right down to it, we can detonate it right here. What's our position?" Sam said
"Well, personally I'm against it." Daniel said and I nodded in agreement, "If you want to know where the ship is, we're about five meters above the surface at the bottom of the crater."
"The rings will be functional at that distance." Teal'c said
"Alright. Here goes." Sam said and she opens a control panel, activates the rings and sends the bomb, on its platform, to the surface.
"Let's suit up." Jack said to Same and they headed to the cargo hold of the ship.
Jack and Teal'c are in pressure suits and enter the airlock from the ship, "Depressurizing air lock." We hear Teal'c say
"Sir, once you're off the ship you'll experience very little gravity, but the asteroid's surface is mostly iron and your boots are magnetized, so you shouldn't go spinning off into space." Sam tells him
"Oh, that's very reassuring there, Carter. Thank you very much."
"Depressurization complete. Opening outer door." Teal'c says.
Sam is working out something on her laptop as Daniel sits in one of the command chairs with me standing in between them.
"What is it?" Daniel asked her
"Well, our approach to the asteroid was a lot faster then it should have been, even on thrusters only. I'm going to check something." She said, "Something's not right. The asteroid's gravitational field is way stronger than we thought."
"So?" I asked
"Well, gravity is determined by mass, and mass is determined by size and composition." She said
"So?" Daniel asked
"So the core of the asteroid must be made up of something a lot heavier than nickel and iron."
There is a loud thud outside the ship, "So, what was that?" I asked
'We're passing through the Leonid's way sooner than I expected." she said and grabbed her radio, "Colonel O'Neill what's your position?"
"We're almost out of the cave."
"Better stay where you are, sir. We're taking meteor hits." She pulls open a crystal drawer
"Hey Carter, any chance of getting those shields in play here?"
There are numerous more impacts hitting the ship, "We're working on it, sir—stand by." she looks at Daniel, "Daniel, try to re-route power from the hyper-drive. Bypass systems are all blown."
Daniel moves to the center console. There is a loud impact and the sound of venting atmosphere.
"Hull breech! We're venting atmosphere!"
"Carter… any progress on those shields?"
"Stand by, sir." She said and Daniel is soldering a piece of wire in order to create smoke. The smoke trails upward, showing the location of the hull breach.
"That's it." Sam said then there are more thumps and more hissing.
"And now there's two more." Daniel said as the smoke splits off, "Now what?" he asked and I looked at the escape pods.
"The escape pods, they have their own vent system. We could go in those to prevent ourselves from breathing in the atmosphere." I said and Sam nods then we head over to the pods getting inside them.
After a few moments my escape pod opens, I take a deep breath and I see Jack standing there, "Hey kids how you feeling?" Jack asked and we got out of the escape pods, Sam goes straight to the consule to her laptop, I walk over to Jack, daniel and Teal'c.
"Oh, not bad considering the circumstances." Daniel said
"That's great. Let's go." Jack said to us
"Sir, I don't think we should leave just yet." Sam said
Jack looks at Daniel in question, "Don't look at me. Something to do with gravity or …something." Daniel says
"It's too high, sir. Or at least it's higher than it should be. I need to reconfigure the ships sensors to determine what the core is made of."
"Oh, here we go." Jack said sighing loudly
"I'm sorry, sir."
"Aww, come on! We came, we saw, we planted the bomb. We had a little fun with a meteor shower. We went home. It's a great story!" he looks from Daniel to Teal'c to me, "Isn't it?" Teal'c looks away, and Daniel tries not to look at him directly, and I look at the ground.
Sam brings up a schematic image of the asteroid, "I was right."
"This could be a problem." Daniel said
"Indeed."
"I don't wanna hear it!" Jack said
"Sir, the asteroid's core is composed almost entirely of Naquadah." Sam told him
"Of course it is."
"It makes up about forty-five percent of the total mass." Sam said
"Of course it does." I said standing next to Daniel
"Naquadah does not occur naturally in this solar system." Teal'c said
"Which is why I never even thought to look for it. Sir, this whole thing must have been a Goa'uld setup."
"…to circumvent the Protected Planets Treaty with the Asgard. It's almost unthinkable." Daniel said
"What?" Jack asked
"The Goa'uld brought the asteroid here and set it on a collision course to make it look like a natural disaster." I said
"And they knew the only way we could stop it would be with a nuke." Daniel said and Sam nods.
"So, what happens when that bomb goes off?" Jack asked
"Well, the explosion will be enhanced by the Naquadah probably to the force of a small nova. This close to the Earth, it would be enough to set the atmosphere on fire and boil the oceans." She said
"Okay, this was not in the movie!" Jack said
"And if we deactivate the bomb and the asteroid goes past the fail safe point, there's no turning back. Are you absolutely sure about this?" Daniel asked her
"Well, I can't be a hundred percent."
"We don't have a lot of choices here." Jack said
"That's what I'm saying, we're damned if we do and we're damned if we don't. We need another option." Daniel told him
"The presence of the asteroid itself may be sufficient evidence of a treaty violation." Jack said
"Right. The Asgard can intervene."
"We have no way to tell them." I said
"We do if you get that radio back on line. Teal'c, suit up." He said and they head to get their suits on again.
"Okay, try it now." Sam said coming back to the bridge
"Stargate Command, this is SG-1. Do you read? Over." Daniel said and paused, "Nothing."
"I don't know what else to do. The radio is working short range, but there's no way the signal can penetrate this much solid Naquadah."
"Carter, come in."
"Go ahead."
"Confirm the deactivation code for me, will ya?"
"Zero three three one zero three one zero."
"Yeah, that's it. Nuthin'." Jack said.
"Is there a problem, sir?"
"Well, there was a cave in. It seems to have damaged the keypad. It's not accepting the code. Other than that, everything's fine."
"How much time is left exactly?"
"Under three minutes."
"Sir, you're going to have to open up the bomb and deactivate it manually. The first thing you need to do is remove the casing around the timer. There should be two screws."
"Yeah, I got 'em." There's a pause, "Got it"
"Now find the wires leading from the timer to the detonator and cut the red one."
"Carter… They're all yellow."
"Say again?" Sam asked and I looked at Daniel then at her.
"There are five wires, and they're all yellow. Maybe I should cut them all?"
"Uh, the thing is sir, if you interrupt the wrong circuit, it's basically the same as telling the bomb that the timer has reached zero."
"Yeah, I knew that."
"I'm sorry sir, but you're just gonna have to cut them randomly."
"Yeah, I knew that, too."
"How's it coming, sir?"
"I've cut three. I've got two to go." There was another pause, "You know, I'd like to take this opportunity to say that this is a very poorly designed bomb, and I think we should say something to somebody when we get back."
"I agree, sir." Sam said and I placed my hand on Daniel's shoulder, unintentionally. "Sir?"
"We're still here." He says and we sigh in relief and I take my hand off of Daniel's shoulder.
Later we are gathered around the center console, "We get communications back yet?" Jack asked.
"Sorry, sir. We tried. The only way would be to pull the components we used to fix the hyper-drive. It would take hours."
"What, then?"
"Well we have a couple of options. Number one, we give up. We use what is left of power and life support to make it to the nearest unoccupied gate world. There's a small chance we'd make it. From there and we head to the Alpha Site." Daniel said
"Number two?"
"We take off and hope that our radio signal can be picked up by the Asgard in time to inform then that this was a Goa'uld attack disguised as a natural disaster." Daniel said
"There isn't enough time for that." Jack said
"I know."
"Is there a number three?" Jack asked Sam
"There's no three." Sam told him
"Well, maybe there is. Teal'c, you said Naquadah wasn't native to our solar system." I said and Teal'c nods, "Now, which means that the Goa'uld must have towed it through hyperspace by ship."
"A mothership."
"Kate, that's it!" Sam said
"What's it?" Jack asked
"We don't have a mothership." Daniel said
"The effect only has to last a few seconds." Sam said
"What only has to last a few seconds? What?" Jack asked
"Choice three, sir. We expand the ship's hyperspace field to encompass the entire asteroid. We take it out of normal space long enough to avoid the collision with Earth."
"Is there a four?" Jack asked
"I know it sounds farfetched, sir. And, well it is."
"You want to ride an asteroid through Earth?"
"Yes." Daniel said
"To the outside observer, it would disappear on one side and reappear on the other. The problem is it would take every ounce of power we've got. The field would have to be expanded far beyond its usual envelope. It could cause the engines to explode." Sam said.
"Explode?" Jack asked
"Even if we survive the engine overload sir, we wouldn't be able to take off again. We'd have a couple of hours of life support and that's it." She said
"But you think this is the best shot we have at stopping this rock?"
"Yes, sir. I think so." She answered
"Well, that's the plan, then."
Sam is typing rapidly onto her keyboard, "I really need more time to make the calculations."
"Well, Carter, now might be a good time." Jack said
"Almost."
"Now?" Daniel asked, I was standing next to him at the consule
"If I engage too soon, we'll reappear right inside the Earth."
"Carter… I can see my house!" Jack said
"Engaging hyper drive…now!" Sam says and activates the hyper-drive, "We're there." She said and I didnt see earth anymore.
"The navigational computer confirms we have emerged from hyperspace on the other side of the planet." Teal'c said
"Yep, plan three… works every time." Jack said and I smiled at Daniel.
Daniel and Teal'c are resting in the command chairs, I'm sitting on the floor in front of Daniel facing him, while Sam and Jack rest on the ground near us, Jack is lying on his back.
"So, two hours of life support, then what?" Daniel asked
"Hammond will find us." Jack said
"I'm confident." Daniel said and I saw him look at me.
"Me, too." Sam said
"Me three." I said and gave Daniel a small smile.
"As am I." Teal'c said and then there is a strange electronic noise. Jack and Sam get up as a video screen pops up.
"Sensors are picking up a vessel approaching. It appears to be another cargo ship." Teal'c said and I stood up
"Goa'uld?" I asked
"I do not know. The ship is taking up position directly above us." Teal'c answered and a Tok'ra appears on the electronic viewscreen.
"I am Jalen of the To'kra. We received your distress call and came as fast as we could. Can we render assistance?"
"Well, you know, it's not like we don't have everything totally under control here, but… sure render away." Jack said and we all looked at him, then I looked at Daniel and smiled.