Part 7
Disclaimers can be found in Part 0
***
Carter's curiosity soon overcame her caution and she slowly advanced towards the light. After ten yards the tunnel opened up into a large cavern lit with a soft, golden light from several crystals hanging from the roof of the cavern. Staring in awe at the immensity of the cavern and what filled it, she moved inside. Directly in front of her was a maze of waist high walls. There was one opening but before heading towards it, she looked around taking in as much information as she could.
She counted ten of the illuminating crystals, each was approximately five feet in diameter and they were hung equally spaced around the inside of the cavern. Along the walls of the cavern were murals and she could see Daniel dancing from one mural to another in excitement. In what appeared to be the exact center of the cavern and the center of the maze of walls was a large rectangular obelisk reminding her of the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Foregoing traversing around the walls and looking at the murals, the scientist in her took her into the entry to the maze. It seemed to her that it should be an easy matter to make it to the center and the obelisk since the walls were so short - you could tell quite easily the path to take. However as she got closer and closer to the center she began to register a feeling of unease and as it grew in intensity, she noticed her vision blurring once again. Trying to fight the feeling, she advanced.
***
Jack was the first to see Carter's eyes fly open. He grabbed Daniel's shoulder and the two of them helped her into a sitting position. At first it appeared to Jack that she was in shock she was looking wildly around her, but slowly the panicked look in her eyes dimmed and she shook her head.
"Sir, the most incredible thing just happened," she said.
"Yeah," said Jack. "You passed out along with all the other women here."
Carter turned to look at where they had all been dancing. "All of them, sir?"
"Yes Carter. All of them."
"No men?"
"Nope, no men," he answered.
"Must be a girl-thing," she quipped smiling at her commanding officer.
Jack matched her smile and rolled his eyes. "Yes, Captain. It must be a girl-thing."
Carter made to get to her feet and both Jack and Daniel helped her up.
"That was the weirdest thing. I think I just had an out of body experience," she tried to explain.
"You had a vision," stated Daniel.
Carter scratched the top of her head and then ruffled her hair. "Yeah, I guess you could say that that's what happened. I was in the cave, behind where the ceiling has fallen in."
Daniel's eyes opened wide. "Really? What's in there? Anything to help us help these people? Did you recognize anything? Was there ..."
"Daniel," interrupted Jack. "I'm sure Captain Carter will tell us all about it. But first," he said pointing towards Tatapesaah, " let's go help them. It looks as if all the women are starting to wake up now."
Several hours later SG-1 was seated around a much smaller fire than the one they had been dancing around earlier. Once they were sure that Carter was alright, they went and helped the natives to get their women to their tipis. Then they had had to talk to Tatapesaah. He had been disappointed that nothing had happened except that all the women had seemed to have entered into a trance. What he was expecting, Jack and the team never understood. Jack was convinced that Tatapesaah didn't know what he was expecting either. They had finally convinced him that maybe what happened was what was supposed to happen at this juncture and that they should all wait to hear from the women what they had seen. He left to go tend to his daughter leaving SG-1 to head back to their small encampment and Carter's debriefing of what she had seen.
"Sir, it was amazing. I've never felt anything like that before," she was saying.
"Hallucination?"
"No sir, I don't think so," answered Carter. "I don't know what it was exactly, but like I said earlier it was similar to the out of body experiences people talk about."
"So you floated through the air and through a mountain of rock and into a cavern?"
"Well you floated off of your couch and hit your fireplace," she reminded him.
"Carter, that was a dream," said Jack rubbing his back where it had hit the mantle of his fireplace not that long ago.
"If you say so, Sir," she said letting a smile escape.
"Sam. Forget Jack. What did you see?" order Daniel.
"Forget Jack?" said Jack.
Daniel threw him a very disgusted look which Jack shrugged off by playfully punching the young man. Both men then looked at Carter waiting for her report. She feigned confusion and pointed to her chest. "Me? I take it you two are finished then?" she teased.
"Yes Captain. Daniel and I are finished," answered Jack.
"Okay. There's a large cavern behind the cave-in about a hundred yards in. It's illuminated with these five foot crystals that are hanging in intervals around the room. When I first entered the tunnel, there was a loud humming but it stopped as soon as I got close the cavern. I thought it was the humming of some machinery at first. I still don't know.
"Anyway inside the cavern, along the walls are these very ornate murals. I didn't get a good look at them because I decided to go for the center of the room. There's a maze with walls about waist-high and in the center of it, which also looks to be the center of the cavern is this large, black obelisk - you know like the one in that movie - 2001?"
"Hey," interrupted Daniel, "that obelisk hummed - remember how they all go to the moon and as they get closer to it, it starts humming louder and louder and then they all cover their ears because it's so loud?"
"Uh, huh. Can't be the same one," said Jack.
"Why not?" asked Daniel.
"Because Daniel, that was a movie," said Jack. "And besides, there's no one here named Dave."
"Jack," said an exasperated Daniel.
"Well, you brought it up."
"I didn't mean that the obelisk in the movie and Sam's obelisk are the same thing."
"Then why did you say 'Why not?'"
"Because."
"Because?"
"Yeah, just because."
"O'Neill."
"Yes, Teal'c"
"It seems to me that we are not accomplishing anything with this conversation," said Teal'c.
Jack nodded at his friend. "You're right Teal'c. I think that that Ghost Dance thing has made us all a little loopy." Seeing that Teal'c was about to ask what loopy was he amended, "silly."
"I see." Teal'c's tone indicated that he didn't see at all, but was going to go along with it just to stop the loopiness.
Turning back to Carter he said, "So Carter. What happened next?"
"Well Sir, I entered the maze but as I got closer to the obelisk I started getting this really odd feeling and the next thing I knew I was lying on the ground with you guys there."
"That's all?"
Carter shrugged, "That's all, Sir."
"Well it's obvious to me that we need to clear that slide and get into that cavern," said Daniel.
"I think we already came to that conclusion, Daniel. In the morning with the help of some of TaterTots people - remember?"
"Oh yeah."
"So I would suggest that we all get some sleep. I'll take first watch and wake Teal'c in a couple of hours. Okay?"
"Very well, O'Neill."
***
Tatapesaah was true to his word and ten of his most able-bodied warriors waited for O'Neill and his team to lead them to the cave to begin the excavation. Tatapesaah, himself, and his daughter, Witashaun, were there also.
"I would like to see this cave," he requested.
"Sure, I don't see why not," said O'Neill.
"Tatapesaah, about last night," began Daniel.
"The women all saw the same vision, Daniel Jackson. A cave behind a wall of rock. We are most confused. This has never happened before," said Tatapesaah. All could see the nervousness and no small amount of fear on his face and hear it in his voice.
"You've had other Ghost Dances?" asked Carter.
"No. This is the first. We have never had a need to do one before this. Many of our warriors have had visions in the past, but all have been different. The women never have. This is what confuses us and concerns us. All the women of the tribe had a vision and all the women of the tribe had the same one. Before that, there were the dreams, some of my people say they are visions also. All the men having the same dream of a horrible evil overtaking and destroying the tribe." Tatapesaah looked at his daughter and then glanced over at the ten warriors he had brought with him.
Jack followed his gaze and noticed that the men looked just as nervous and scared as their tribal leader.
"My people look to me for leadership and guidance in this. I am looking to you. Tell me. Can you help?"
Eyes bounced back forth between the four members of SG-1 until they all finally settled on Daniel. Jack titled his head slightly in Daniel's direction. Daniel was the team's voice and Jack trusted him to say the right thing. Daniel, whom Jack found at times a little dense when it came to subtle hints, seemed to see this one for he took a step forward putting him a little closer to the Lakota leader.
"Tatapesaah," he began. "The men who attacked your village yesterday. We've run into them before. We've fought them before and we've won. We," said Daniel sweeping an arm to indicate his team mates, "believe that a long time ago you're people were slaves to others just like them. For some reason, though, they stopped visiting you. We think that the cave holds the answer to why and that it will protect you from them this time if we can figure out how it works. We believe that the dreams your men have been having are a premonition - a warning that these evil men are coming back and that you are to ready yourselves."
Daniel paused and looked at Jack. Reading from Daniel's eyes that he was asking permission to tell Tatapesaah something. Jack felt he knew what Daniel wanted to say, so he nodded. Getting his answer Daniel nodded back.
"Tatapesaah, we ... Jack, Teal'c and myself, have shared that nightmare vision as well. I'd like to think that it's why we're here ... to help you."
"You had the dream as well?" he asked eyes opening wide in surprise.
"Yes, we did. And the only difference between your dreams and ours were that we were in it," answered Daniel.
"But you ... you are from a world far away. How can this be?"
Daniel shrugged. "I don't know. We don't know. But we did and we're here."
"Right," interrupted Jack. "So why don't we get going to that cave and dig it out. Let's see if what we find on the other side of the slide is what the girls saw."
***
Continued in Part 8
Disclaimers can be found in Part 0
***
Carter's curiosity soon overcame her caution and she slowly advanced towards the light. After ten yards the tunnel opened up into a large cavern lit with a soft, golden light from several crystals hanging from the roof of the cavern. Staring in awe at the immensity of the cavern and what filled it, she moved inside. Directly in front of her was a maze of waist high walls. There was one opening but before heading towards it, she looked around taking in as much information as she could.
She counted ten of the illuminating crystals, each was approximately five feet in diameter and they were hung equally spaced around the inside of the cavern. Along the walls of the cavern were murals and she could see Daniel dancing from one mural to another in excitement. In what appeared to be the exact center of the cavern and the center of the maze of walls was a large rectangular obelisk reminding her of the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Foregoing traversing around the walls and looking at the murals, the scientist in her took her into the entry to the maze. It seemed to her that it should be an easy matter to make it to the center and the obelisk since the walls were so short - you could tell quite easily the path to take. However as she got closer and closer to the center she began to register a feeling of unease and as it grew in intensity, she noticed her vision blurring once again. Trying to fight the feeling, she advanced.
***
Jack was the first to see Carter's eyes fly open. He grabbed Daniel's shoulder and the two of them helped her into a sitting position. At first it appeared to Jack that she was in shock she was looking wildly around her, but slowly the panicked look in her eyes dimmed and she shook her head.
"Sir, the most incredible thing just happened," she said.
"Yeah," said Jack. "You passed out along with all the other women here."
Carter turned to look at where they had all been dancing. "All of them, sir?"
"Yes Carter. All of them."
"No men?"
"Nope, no men," he answered.
"Must be a girl-thing," she quipped smiling at her commanding officer.
Jack matched her smile and rolled his eyes. "Yes, Captain. It must be a girl-thing."
Carter made to get to her feet and both Jack and Daniel helped her up.
"That was the weirdest thing. I think I just had an out of body experience," she tried to explain.
"You had a vision," stated Daniel.
Carter scratched the top of her head and then ruffled her hair. "Yeah, I guess you could say that that's what happened. I was in the cave, behind where the ceiling has fallen in."
Daniel's eyes opened wide. "Really? What's in there? Anything to help us help these people? Did you recognize anything? Was there ..."
"Daniel," interrupted Jack. "I'm sure Captain Carter will tell us all about it. But first," he said pointing towards Tatapesaah, " let's go help them. It looks as if all the women are starting to wake up now."
Several hours later SG-1 was seated around a much smaller fire than the one they had been dancing around earlier. Once they were sure that Carter was alright, they went and helped the natives to get their women to their tipis. Then they had had to talk to Tatapesaah. He had been disappointed that nothing had happened except that all the women had seemed to have entered into a trance. What he was expecting, Jack and the team never understood. Jack was convinced that Tatapesaah didn't know what he was expecting either. They had finally convinced him that maybe what happened was what was supposed to happen at this juncture and that they should all wait to hear from the women what they had seen. He left to go tend to his daughter leaving SG-1 to head back to their small encampment and Carter's debriefing of what she had seen.
"Sir, it was amazing. I've never felt anything like that before," she was saying.
"Hallucination?"
"No sir, I don't think so," answered Carter. "I don't know what it was exactly, but like I said earlier it was similar to the out of body experiences people talk about."
"So you floated through the air and through a mountain of rock and into a cavern?"
"Well you floated off of your couch and hit your fireplace," she reminded him.
"Carter, that was a dream," said Jack rubbing his back where it had hit the mantle of his fireplace not that long ago.
"If you say so, Sir," she said letting a smile escape.
"Sam. Forget Jack. What did you see?" order Daniel.
"Forget Jack?" said Jack.
Daniel threw him a very disgusted look which Jack shrugged off by playfully punching the young man. Both men then looked at Carter waiting for her report. She feigned confusion and pointed to her chest. "Me? I take it you two are finished then?" she teased.
"Yes Captain. Daniel and I are finished," answered Jack.
"Okay. There's a large cavern behind the cave-in about a hundred yards in. It's illuminated with these five foot crystals that are hanging in intervals around the room. When I first entered the tunnel, there was a loud humming but it stopped as soon as I got close the cavern. I thought it was the humming of some machinery at first. I still don't know.
"Anyway inside the cavern, along the walls are these very ornate murals. I didn't get a good look at them because I decided to go for the center of the room. There's a maze with walls about waist-high and in the center of it, which also looks to be the center of the cavern is this large, black obelisk - you know like the one in that movie - 2001?"
"Hey," interrupted Daniel, "that obelisk hummed - remember how they all go to the moon and as they get closer to it, it starts humming louder and louder and then they all cover their ears because it's so loud?"
"Uh, huh. Can't be the same one," said Jack.
"Why not?" asked Daniel.
"Because Daniel, that was a movie," said Jack. "And besides, there's no one here named Dave."
"Jack," said an exasperated Daniel.
"Well, you brought it up."
"I didn't mean that the obelisk in the movie and Sam's obelisk are the same thing."
"Then why did you say 'Why not?'"
"Because."
"Because?"
"Yeah, just because."
"O'Neill."
"Yes, Teal'c"
"It seems to me that we are not accomplishing anything with this conversation," said Teal'c.
Jack nodded at his friend. "You're right Teal'c. I think that that Ghost Dance thing has made us all a little loopy." Seeing that Teal'c was about to ask what loopy was he amended, "silly."
"I see." Teal'c's tone indicated that he didn't see at all, but was going to go along with it just to stop the loopiness.
Turning back to Carter he said, "So Carter. What happened next?"
"Well Sir, I entered the maze but as I got closer to the obelisk I started getting this really odd feeling and the next thing I knew I was lying on the ground with you guys there."
"That's all?"
Carter shrugged, "That's all, Sir."
"Well it's obvious to me that we need to clear that slide and get into that cavern," said Daniel.
"I think we already came to that conclusion, Daniel. In the morning with the help of some of TaterTots people - remember?"
"Oh yeah."
"So I would suggest that we all get some sleep. I'll take first watch and wake Teal'c in a couple of hours. Okay?"
"Very well, O'Neill."
***
Tatapesaah was true to his word and ten of his most able-bodied warriors waited for O'Neill and his team to lead them to the cave to begin the excavation. Tatapesaah, himself, and his daughter, Witashaun, were there also.
"I would like to see this cave," he requested.
"Sure, I don't see why not," said O'Neill.
"Tatapesaah, about last night," began Daniel.
"The women all saw the same vision, Daniel Jackson. A cave behind a wall of rock. We are most confused. This has never happened before," said Tatapesaah. All could see the nervousness and no small amount of fear on his face and hear it in his voice.
"You've had other Ghost Dances?" asked Carter.
"No. This is the first. We have never had a need to do one before this. Many of our warriors have had visions in the past, but all have been different. The women never have. This is what confuses us and concerns us. All the women of the tribe had a vision and all the women of the tribe had the same one. Before that, there were the dreams, some of my people say they are visions also. All the men having the same dream of a horrible evil overtaking and destroying the tribe." Tatapesaah looked at his daughter and then glanced over at the ten warriors he had brought with him.
Jack followed his gaze and noticed that the men looked just as nervous and scared as their tribal leader.
"My people look to me for leadership and guidance in this. I am looking to you. Tell me. Can you help?"
Eyes bounced back forth between the four members of SG-1 until they all finally settled on Daniel. Jack titled his head slightly in Daniel's direction. Daniel was the team's voice and Jack trusted him to say the right thing. Daniel, whom Jack found at times a little dense when it came to subtle hints, seemed to see this one for he took a step forward putting him a little closer to the Lakota leader.
"Tatapesaah," he began. "The men who attacked your village yesterday. We've run into them before. We've fought them before and we've won. We," said Daniel sweeping an arm to indicate his team mates, "believe that a long time ago you're people were slaves to others just like them. For some reason, though, they stopped visiting you. We think that the cave holds the answer to why and that it will protect you from them this time if we can figure out how it works. We believe that the dreams your men have been having are a premonition - a warning that these evil men are coming back and that you are to ready yourselves."
Daniel paused and looked at Jack. Reading from Daniel's eyes that he was asking permission to tell Tatapesaah something. Jack felt he knew what Daniel wanted to say, so he nodded. Getting his answer Daniel nodded back.
"Tatapesaah, we ... Jack, Teal'c and myself, have shared that nightmare vision as well. I'd like to think that it's why we're here ... to help you."
"You had the dream as well?" he asked eyes opening wide in surprise.
"Yes, we did. And the only difference between your dreams and ours were that we were in it," answered Daniel.
"But you ... you are from a world far away. How can this be?"
Daniel shrugged. "I don't know. We don't know. But we did and we're here."
"Right," interrupted Jack. "So why don't we get going to that cave and dig it out. Let's see if what we find on the other side of the slide is what the girls saw."
***
Continued in Part 8