Chapter Twenty-six

Daniel was asleep in the cabin, resting comfortably, so Vala went out on the deck and found a place to sit in the sun where she wouldn't be in the way. She sat back and closed her eyes, grateful that she and Daniel had been rescued and were on their way home at last. Getting back to 'normal,' or what passed for 'normal,' for them would be a welcome relief. She knew Daniel was upset and was wondering where his place was on the team and she hoped that nothing would change.

A little while later, she sensed someone near and opened her eyes to see that Jack had made a spot next to her. She wondered what he wanted. Jack wouldn't just come and sit next to her unless he had a motive. The man was always thinking, always planning his next move, like a well played game of chess.

"Vala, we need to talk." Jack felt bad about taking a hard stand with Daniel. That conversation should have been done in private and he'd lost his temper.

"What about?"

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gone off on Daniel like that?"

She sat quiet for a moment and then said, "It seems to me that you're apologizing to the wrong person. You should be having this conversation with Daniel, not me."

"And, I will. Sam just checked on Daniel and said he was sleeping so I thought I would wait. But, when I saw you sitting here, I felt that I should apologize to you, too."

She turned towards him and said, "What do you want? Absolution? Vindication? Why? You're in charge of this three ring circus, aren't you? Believe it or not, Daniel understands where you're coming from? This isn't the first time you've butted heads, right?"

"You're right. It's been a problem since the Stargate Program started."

"In other words, you and Daniel have had a philosophical difference of opinion more than once. He's not a soldier, Jack. I know he acts like one and he shoots like one and he's in great physical shape - well, he was - but deep down, he's still the Anthropologist. Still the language expert. And, still an archaeologist. He can fight with the best and he's a great warrior when circumstances call for it, but it wasn't what he thought he would be doing with the rest of his life when he went to university and studied to be who he is. We've talked, Jack. Believe me, he doesn't want to let you down. Especially you. You're the family he never had. You and Sam and Teal'c and even Cam, though he's a bit new to the scene. It was harder for he and I but we finally got it figured out and we're okay now. The point is, you expect him to think like you. To act like you. To be what you've molded him into. And, he's tried to do that. But, deep down, he's still Daniel. That's all he can be."

"I think you're wrong about that, Vala. I never wanted to change him. This crazy job we have changed all of us. I wish he was still the innocent, the guy who first came here. Oh yeah, I worried all the time about protecting him but he still had so much enthusiasm. Somewhere along the way, we all became jaded. It's gotten harder and harder for us to like what we do. That's why I was so glad when I heard you two were getting married. He needed you long before he met you."

"You were pretty hard on him this morning."

"I know. Vala, he scared me. I don't like admitting this but when I found out that you two had vanished, I really thought, 'This time he won't come back.' I really was afraid."

"So, now what?"

"I don't know. We have to get this mess cleared up and then we'll talk."

"What do you mean, 'get this mess cleared up'? I thought we were going home. What aren't you telling me?"

Jack looked into her eyes and then got up and walked away.

Vala yelled, "Wait! You can't just leave it like that! I need an explanation!"

Jack turned back towards her and said, "I will explain, don't worry. I need to talk to Daniel first."

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By late afternoon, the water was a bit rough and the winds were blowing at about 30 knots. Jack figured that if this kept up, they would get to the beach where the cave housing the stargate was in a couple of days. The salt spray coming off the white caps stung the eyes so most of the SGC teams tried to find places out of the wind to sit. Henderson's crew seemed to know exactly what to do so Jack wasn't worried.

He went to the cabin and found Daniel was awake. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I am. Jack, I think a storm is brewing. The air feels bad."

"Since when did you become a meteorologist?"

"I worked on a dig in Central America for two years and I learned to watch the weather. This really doesn't look good, Jack. We might need to find a harbor to wait out the storm!"

"He's right, Sir," Griff said and he entered the room. "I grew up on Chesapeake Bay and this looks all too familiar. I'd say within a few hours, we're going to be stuck in one hell of a storm. We need to find safe harbor."

"What do you suggest?" Jack was concerned that they all stay safe.

"Well, we're going to need the whole crew up here to pilot this ship, for one. I wouldn't worry about them getting into mischief. They're all going to be too busy. And we have weapons so they wouldn't dare."

"Okay, see to it. Get Henderson up here and get him to work."

Before long, the crew were making their way above decks, taking their positions to man the ship. Jack questioned Henderson about a safe harbor to wait the storm out.

"Well, the problem is, there isn't a safe harbor near here. It's all shoals up the coast until you get to New Bedford and Owensville is beyond that. It's normally a three day trip but with these winds, we could make it by late in the day tomorrow, if we don't sink."

"See to it that that doesn't happen." Jack glared at Henderson and the man turned away to yell orders to his men. Soon, the crew was hopping about doing their jobs and doing them well. The ship flew along at a fast pace and though it was still sunny, they could almost feel the barometer dropping. Jack looked behind them to the horizon and saw the first of the storm clouds gathering. It would be a while before the storm was upon them so Henderson ordered all hands to secure the cargo and anything else that would move.

Barrels of oil and wine were anchored along the wall of the cargo hold so that they wouldn't roll. All breakable goods were packed in cloth and stored away and anything else that could move was tied down. Now, it was just a matter of waiting until the surge hit and riding it out.

Jack took Daniel aside and said, "We need to talk but it's going to have to wait until we're out of this mess. As soon as we get back, okay?"

Daniel agreed, although he was pretty sure he knew what Jack was going to say. He felt sure that he was going to ask for Daniel's resignation. He knew he wouldn't be trusted any longer by any of the SG teams and that also included his own. 'I guess I could stay earth side and work on translations. It wouldn't be the same but it would lessen the chance of my getting anyone else hurt because of my loyalty to Vala.'

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By early evening, the sun was hidden by dark storm clouds and three quarters of the SG teams were sea sick and puking their guts out below decks. Henderson's crew was managing things well enough and Jack didn't think he needed to meddle. They knew what they were doing so he left them alone.

The waves were pitching the ship about like a cork and the deck was wet with sea spray. Sam came out of the cabin to report the latest conditions of the SG team members.

"Sir, most of the SG teams are very sick. Vala can't keep any water down and I'm afraid that if this keeps up, she's going to be seriously ill."

"I don't know what to tell ya, Sam. Keep trying to get her to drink. I remember when Charlie was a baby and he had the flu. His pediatrician said to keep trying to get him to drink. Even if he threw it up, he would still absorb some."

"Why didn't they put him in the hospital?"

"Because the pediatric ward was full of kids with the same flu bug. The nurses were all over worked and the doctor said that Charlie didn't improve, he would come over and hook up an IV, which is exactly what he had to do. Sara had been a nurse for a few years by then so she knew how to take care of him. Charlie got better within a few days and the crisis passed. Just keep giving her water."

Sam went back to the cabin and found Daniel sitting next to Vala on the bunk, trying to keep her from falling out when the boat shook from the wave impacts. She told him to keep getting Vala to drink small sips. "I'm sorry, Daniel. It's the best we can do at the moment."

Daniel yelled back above the noise of the wind, "It's okay, Sam. Don't worry, I'll take care of her."

Sam turned to help with the others and Daniel watched as Vala seemed to sleep. He knew she wasn't getting any rest, though. 'The storm must be terrifying her,' he thought. He could see she jumped whenever thunder boomed outside.

Teal'c was guarding the cabin door and watching the waves as they built to amazing heights and then crash down on the ship. He'd never seen anything like it and it was a wondrous sight.

Sam had gone below decks to keep an eye on the SG teams. A particularly hard jolt made her lose her footing and she fell against a support beam. When she looked down, she noticed that the boat was taking on water. She decided to tell Jack and made her way to the ladder to see Jack was just coming down himself.

"Jack! The floor is wet down here. Are we sinking?"

"No, I don't think so! It's probably just from the waves that are hitting the boat. Henderson said he thinks the storm is getting worse! We should expect the waves to start breaking over the railings, soon. When that happens, there's going to be a lot more water down here. He said we need to get some men together to start bailing. Some of his crew will help but if it gets pretty bad, we'll have to pitch in.

Cam overheard the shouted conversation and said, "How bad is it, Jack?"

"Well, let's put it this way. If you come up on deck, be prepared to use a rope to tie yourself onto something so you don't get knocked overboard!"

"That bad?"

"Yeah, and it's only getting worse. You should see the waves out there! It's pretty scary!"

An hour later, some of the healthier SGC members started bailing out the ship but the water coming through the hatch was making things difficult. Henderson was worried and having a hard time keeping the ship from getting swamped by the larger waves. They seemed to be coming from every direction and he was concerned that they were going to break up on the rocks along the coastline.

Captain Arquette, a member of SG-3, approached Henderson and O'Neill and said to Jack, "Sir, this reminds me of Lake Erie. It's a very shallow lake, Sir. About 25 feet deep in most places, except for the shipping channels. There are places where it's deeper but not around the south coast. I grew up in Toledo and we lived right on the lake. We got caught out on the lake during a bad storm one time and it was like being in a big pot of boiling water. We tried to find the leeward side of West Sister Island but we found there wasn't one. No matter which way we turned, the waves came at us!"

"What did you do?"

"We rode it out. My dad kept trying to move west along the coast towards Toledo. It lasted about four hours and by the time we made it back to the marina, we were all bruised and beat up. Every one of us got sick!"

They hung on as another large wave came crashing over the railing. A lot of the water went through the hatch and then as the ship righted itself and rolled the other way, the water on the deck rolled back the way it came and over the side.

As the ship righted itself again, Jack yelled to Arquette, "I didn't realize Lake Erie was so shallow!" He was surprised. He knew the Great Lake was big but he thought it was deep, too."

"Yes, Sir. The last few years, it's been even shallower. The water levels have dropped so you have to go out quite a ways to even fish. Most of the marinas around the south west coast have their boats in dry dock. There's no water to launch the boats."

"You're joking!"

"No, Sir! I'm very serious. I don't know how deep this water here is, but I would guess not very deep."

"Henderson, is he right?"

The all waited and hung on as another wave came over the ship. "He's got it right," he said. "Around this part of the coast, the depth isn't more than about 30 feet."

"So, what should we expect."

"It's just like your officer described. We need to find a port, fast!"

"How far are we away from one?"

"It's hard to see the coastline but the last lighthouse we passed by was an hour ago and that indicates that we won't find anything suitable until morning!"

Jack asked, "Will the ship hold together that long?"

Henderson looked worried as he looked over his shoulder and yelled, 'Hang on!" A particularly large wave was building behind the ship and as they looked back, it started to crest and then drop on top of them. The boat dropped down from the impact and then popped up as they wave receded. This left them on top of a swell that send them plunging down into a trough, only to find themselves in front of another wave that was rapidly starting to build!

"To be honest, I doubt it! We're can't bail it out fast enough! If it doesn't get any worse, we'd still be in trouble. But, by the looks of these waves, we're in for it!"

"What do you suggest we do?"

Henderson thought a moment and then shouted, "I hate to say this but it would be better to abandon ship! We can launch the boats and head for the beaches. It'll be rough but I think it's the safest choice!"

"You really think it's that bad?"

The wave started dropping and totally swamped everyone on the deck. Jack turned his back to it, closed his eyes and waited. The salt water stung his eyes and he'd swallowed so much of it that it was turning his stomach!

Henderson yelled, "Does that answer your question?" He turned to his First Mate and said, "Give the order to abandon ship." Seconds later, everyone was brought up on deck, including Milford. The crew headed for the boats and as the people below deck came up through the hatch, they were led to a boat and loaded on.

Jack turned and headed for the steps leading up to the cabin and shouted, "Teal'c! Get Daniel and Vala!" He saw the three of them exit the cabin and head towards a boat but then Daniel looked up behind Jack, the horror on his face said it all. Jack turned quickly as a massive wave was poised above the far side of the ship and just starting to crest. It looked like it was forty feet tall and moving like a freight train! Daniel tried to shield Vala from the onslaught but she was swept from his arms and chaos reigned as he found himself being swept over the side of the ship. Water spraying off the waves stung his eyes and he went under. He came back up and got hit by another wave that pushed him down under the surface again. He popped back up and saw that the ship was gone and debris was scattered all over the surface of the water. He narrowly avoided being hit by a piece of planking and knew everyone with him was gone. He despaired at the thought of losing Vala and everyone else to the sea but didn't have time to dwell on it when the next wave slammed into him, pushing him below the surface.

Everything around Daniel was liquid black and moving at a frightening speed. The fury of the storm above thrashed him about like laundry in a heavy duty washing machine on spin cycle! He swallowed sea water and realized he was drowning and panicked but still had the presence of mind to swim for the surface.

Vala! Where was she? He looked around and only saw bits and pieces of lumber and other wreckage from the ship. The hurricane force wind was howling which caused spray from the water and the towering waves all around him to block his view of everything in the immediate area. Mix that with his myopia and he was virtually blind. Lightning flashed which cause momentary white outs in his vision. "Vala!" he cried out. "Jack!" Sea water filled his mouth as he was caught in a swell and then hit by another enormous wave, which plunged him far below the surface. As he fought to make his way to the surface, he got his foot tangled in some rigging and realized he was stuck. He was going to die on this godforsaken planet and never see Vala again! He pulled with all his might but the lines were now twisted around his legs and he couldn't get free. His last thoughts centered around his beautiful wife as he slowly started to descend into the murky, black depths while the air in his lungs was forced out and he gave up fighting.