Chapter Ten
Present Day
The machine gave a dull continuous tone that had Daniel closing his eyes in panic at the flat line. He snapped them back open and clutched the phone he was holding as Carolyn yelled for the paddles and drugs to save Jack's life.
'It hasn't worked! Jack's in trouble.' Daniel said loudly into the receiver. 'Turn the device back on! Turn it back on!'
'We're turning it back on now.' Bill's voice shook with nerves.
It felt like an eternity passed in the single instant it took the scientist to reactivate the box. Daniel could hear the pounding of his heart over the medical noise of the paddles discharging, the yells and shouts behind him.
'It's on!' Bill confirmed with evident relief.
A reassuring beep had Daniel's head jerking back to the infirmary bed and medical paraphernalia.
Carolyn listened intently to Jack's heart; his breathing and let out a slow breath herself as she straightened and placed the stethoscope around her neck. She shoved her hands into the deep pockets of the white medical coat. 'He's back.'
'Is he going to be OK?' Hank Landry asked from the doorway as Daniel hung up the phone and the medical team got Jack resituated.
Carolyn pursed her lips at her father. 'I wouldn't recommend turning the device off again.'
Landry nodded sharply. 'I want everyone in the briefing room in twenty minutes for a progress report.' He turned and left before anyone could argue.
'Is he really going to be OK?' Daniel walked over to stand next to Jack, his eyes scanning over the older man's pale features with worry.
'He's stable. His vital signs show he's resumed the coma.' Carolyn sighed. 'I need to review the data before the progress meeting.' She gave a sympathetic grimace as Daniel was joined by his team-mates. 'I'll see you up there.' She left swiftly leaving SG1 alone with its former team leader.
'It is unfortunate the plan did not work.' Teal'c commented beside Daniel.
Vala nodded enthusiastically on the other side the Jaffa. 'I think we should recall Sam.'
Daniel shot her a look. Vala had hated Sam being assigned to Atlantis. In some ways he understood. Vala had been alone for so long that she didn't trust the bonds between them all; didn't trust that time and distance wouldn't change those bonds fundamentally. He figured that Vala was scared that Sam being in Atlantis would mean Sam would stop being her friend even if Vala didn't want to admit to it.
'I'm not so sure.' Mitchell spoke up. He was standing on the other side of the bed, hands resting lightly on his hips and staring down at Jack. 'We should probably exhaust every option before we recall her.'
Vala blew out a sharp breath. 'Cameron, her husband is unconscious; Sam will be annoyed that we haven't called her and personally I don't want her to be mad at me.'
Mitchell held up his hands and directed his gaze at Daniel. 'Jackson?'
'I don't think we're going to be the ones to make the decision.' Daniel sighed. General Landry would ultimately determine when to recall Sam.
'But…' Vala began.
Daniel could see the arguments forming in her dark gaze and he held up a hand. 'I want Sam here too.' He declared bluntly. 'I think we all want Sam here but bringing her back here right now would be more about making us feel better than about what's best for her…or Jack.' Or Atlantis, Daniel added silently. The city didn't need its new commander being removed barely a week after her arrival nor for her to be distracted by personal news of Jack's coma when they could still find a solution.
'Daniel Jackson is correct.' Teal'c said firmly, cutting off Vala's counter-argument before she could make it. 'We must focus on helping O'Neill.'
Daniel took his glasses off and scrubbed at his eyes.
Mitchell cleared his throat. 'Why don't Vala and I head up and inform Doctor Lee of the progress meeting? We'll meet you there.' He was already walking out of the infirmary room, his hand catching on the loose fabric of Vala's blue BDU shirt as he dragged her out protesting.
'I know what I said but I really wish Sam was here.' Daniel confessed to his Jaffa team-mate as he slumped into a chair beside Jack.
'As do I.' Teal'c admitted as he adjusted his stance, clasping his hands behind his back. 'However, I believe you spoke truly. While Colonel Carter will undoubtedly be perturbed at not being recalled immediately, I believe to do so now would only undermine her new position and make her question her decision to leave. For that reason I believe O'Neill would also prefer us to try every possible solution before we requested her presence.'
Daniel nodded. 'Me too.' He frowned as he folded his arms over his chest. 'There's something we're missing, Teal'c.'
The Jaffa looked at him questioningly.
I don't know what.' Daniel's lips lifted in a hint of a smile. 'Otherwise we wouldn't be missing it.' But they were definitely missing something, Daniel bit his lip - and it wasn't just the presence of Sam.
Teal'c inclined his head.
'We should get to the progress meeting.' Daniel murmured.
'I will remain here.' Teal'c's chin lifted as though he was prepared to fight Daniel to do so.
Daniel simply nodded. He wished he could stay with Jack too. He got to his feet tiredly. It had been a long day since Jack had collapsed in his office. The walk to the briefing room seemed exhausting and he helped himself to a large mug of coffee from the ever present pot when he entered. He slumped into the nearest chair and ignored the sympathetic look Mitchell shot him. Vala hadn't looked at him since he'd entered, and he surmised she was annoyed at his refusal to agree with her about Sam. Carolyn nodded an acknowledgement at him as did Bill who looked very despondent.
'Report,' ordered Landry briskly as he barrelled into the room and took his seat, impatiently waving Mitchell back into his.
'Turning the device off didn't work.' Bill began.
'That much is obvious, Doctor.' Landry pointed out. 'Why didn't it work?'
There was silence around the table and more than a few disheartened expressions.
Carolyn swung her chair around slightly to her father. 'I've been going over the medical data collected since General O'Neill collapsed. There is some evidence that there may be a neural connection between him and the box. A scan of his brain showed unusual activity in the areas most associated with memory and dreaming. When the box was switched off, his brain reacted to the absence of the connection which caused an adverse physical reaction.'
'He died.' Daniel said testily, placing his mug on the table with an audible thump.
'Can't get much more adverse than that.' Mitchell agreed calmly.
Landry sighed. He gestured at the assembled group. 'Do we know how the box works yet?'
'We haven't been able to figure much more out from the box itself.' Bill spoke up. 'All we know for certain is that it is emitting an energy signature. Given Doctor Lam's findings it must be establishing a neural link somehow through subspace but…' he shrugged, 'how and why we can't be certain.'
'So what we're really saying is we don't know how the box works or what might be happening to General O'Neill.' Landry stated. His gaze travelled around the table.
'The box teaches.' Daniel said suddenly, turning over the information they did know in his head. 'We know that much.'
'Which helps us how, Doctor Jackson?' Landry pressed.
'Hey, maybe it transports someone's consciousness to the past.' Mitchell proposed.
'I don't think so, Colonel.' Bill said firmly. 'There are no usual signs of temporal dislocation. If anything the energy signature is similar to the Tok'ra memory device and the za'tarc machine.'
'Similar but not the same.' Carolyn added. She pursed her lips, a thoughtful expression softening her professional demeanour. 'Doctor Jackson mentioned that an Ascended being gave him a dream which resulted in a coma. I've reviewed the medical data and it is a close match to the General's. If the box is a mechanical way for someone to experience the same learning technique, I would say that's not a bad assumption.'
'As fascinating as this is, I don't see how it helps.' Vala said. 'Surely if the box worked along the same lines, switching it off shouldn't have had such an extreme reaction?'
'Lady, has a point.' Mitchell commented dryly.
Daniel shrugged. 'Perhaps if this is the same it's a way of ensuring that the dream isn't interrupted before it completes.'
There was silence.
Daniel shifted position abruptly, leaning forward over the polished briefing room table. 'Look, if we're right and Jack is experiencing a dream to learn something, I don't know, by examining something in his past, then maybe we should just allow the box to complete its function.'
'You mean wait until General O'Neill learns whatever he was meant to learn?' Mitchell checked sceptically.
'That might work.' Carolyn said in agreement. 'We know you didn't wake from your coma until you had learned what Shifu intended to teach you.'
'So are you all telling me that the best option is for us to do nothing?' Landry checked.
'No. What if General O'Neill doesn't learn whatever it is he's supposed to?' Bill protested worriedly. 'I'm sorry.' He said as the others stared at him in irritation. 'I don't mean to be the party pooper here but it is a possibility.'
'You mean he would be stuck in this dream?' Landry leaned back in his chair and folded his hands over his stomach.
Daniel sighed. Bill did have a point. Jack was stubborn at the best of times, and if the lesson had anything to do with the personal issue Jack had been wrestling with at the time as Daniel suspected, it was even more likely that Jack would try to avoid dealing with it which meant that there was every possibility that Jack could get stuck in his dream.
'So what do you suggest, Doctor Lee?' Landry asked bluntly.
Bill hesitated as he gathered his thoughts. He cleared his throat. 'We know that there's some kind of neural link between the box and General O'Neill, now maybe if we can isolate it and tap into it somehow we can find a way to communicate with him.'
Mitchell pointed at him. 'Like you did when Teal'c was stuck in the virtual environment and Jackson here went into assist him.'
'Exactly.' Bill nodded excitedly.
Daniel raised his hand slightly. 'I'd like to volunteer to assist Jack if we find a way.'
They all looked at Landry sitting at the head of the table.
'Well, it's a plan.' Landry declared as he stood up. 'Get working on it, Doctor.' He gestured at Bill. 'Use anyone you need. I need to update the President.' He left before anyone could say anything more.
Bill exited almost immediately with Carolyn. Daniel rose to his feet slowly. He was torn between following after them or getting back to Jack.
'You think this is going to work?' Mitchell asked as they fell into step as they walked out.
Daniel rubbed his head tiredly. 'I hope so.' Otherwise they were out of options.
'I still think we should call Sam.' Vala argued. 'This probably wouldn't have happened if she had been here.' She stabbed the elevator call button as though to underscore her point.
She was probably right about that, Daniel thought, because he had a feeling the lesson Jack had to learn was all about Sam being in Atlantis.
