Title: Mis-Adventures of Jack and Sam (Seven Days)
Author: dcChic
Email: dietcokechic@hotmail.com
Notes: Sorry it took so long, but I think you'll like it.
Actually, I think you'll want to take out a contract on me for not writing more. All I can say is I was in danger of spontaneously combusting if I continued any more without a break. You'll see why in just a few. Enjoy!
Oh! And I actually do climb rocks for fun, so here's a quick little lingo lesson-
Feature: thin protrusion of rock, usually just enough to put the very edge of your foot, or the tips of your fingers.
Face: main flat body of the wall.
Pocket: Small hole in the wall for either your hand, foot or tent pole.
Smear: as in "to smear" to rub the side of your foot against the rock.
Chapter 9 - The Rest
Day 4, Earth
1200 hours
Daniel had scarcely cleared the Stargate before he was asking to speak with General Hammond.
"Dr. Jackson, is there a problem?" General Hammond asked coming down from his office. He sometimes wondered why he didn't just habitually do this when SG-1 came through the 'gate. 9 times out of 10 they needed to see him, or were injured. And then he wanted to see them.
"No! No problem General. A solution. Well, not a solution per say, but now we know what the problem is." He paused to let his mind catch up to his mouth. "So I guess you can say there IS a problem."
The General looked at Teal'c for further explanation. Scientists!
"General Hammond, we now know why we have been unable to make contact with Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter."
"I was getting to that." Daniel mumbled.
"Explain." The General ordered looking back at Daniel. *In complete sentences this time! *
"We couldn't get hold of Jack and Sam because of the interference caused by the geology of the planet. I believe it's very similar to P3x-277. I brought back a sample for analysis but I believe we should be able to neutralize the dispersal field and 'clear the way' so to speak for our radio signals to reach them."
* I just wish Sam were here to figure the whole thing out. *
"You have a go Dr. Jackson." The general said nodding his approval. He just hoped Jack and the Major could hang on just a little bit longer.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Day 4, P3X-677
1400 hours
The plan was simple; it was the execution he was worried about. The idea was for Jack to scale 20 feet of slippery rock walls, attach a metal tent pole in two different places and then climb back down. Piece of cake. Besides navigating the slick rocks, Jack needed to cross a narrow ledge that didn't look wide at all and THEN tackle a wicked looking rock overhang. One he would have to climb over to attach a pole. He looked up at the daunting wall and tapped his shirt pocket; 1/4 of the chocolate bar remained. That should help when times got tough. If he could find a free hand to eat it with that is.
Sam really wanted to accompany the Colonel to his start location, but she knew this was impossible. It only took one feeble attempt at sitting up to convince her that she was most definitely sitting this one out. Now that the antibiotics were gone, she could feel her fever coming back and was dismayed to discover that she was actually too hot under all the blankets. The pain in her side was constant and if she didn't move it was bearable- just.
"Sam, are you ok?" O'Neill asked for the second time since emptying his backpack of non-essentials. He would be carrying very little on his trip up the rock face. He needed only the poles. Plus he knew he would need his hands at all times, so he rigged up a harness for his radio using a piece of cloth from their ruined clothes and the duct tape. *Maybe I am starting to channel MacGuyver.* Jack thought to himself.
"I'll be fine Sir." Sam said with a little too much force. She didn't need the Colonel to be worrying about her. True, she had felt better, but at least with the fever, she wasn't in danger of freezing to death. *Can you become hypothermic with a fever? * Carter had no idea. She DID know that dehydration was quickly becoming a real concern. It didn't matter that she had been drinking water; it just wasn't enough. They had been down here over 72 hours and after her ill-fated trip to the bathroom, Sam hadn't needed to go again. Not a good sign.
Jack crouched down next to her and gently pushed her damp hair away from her eyes. "You will be soon Sam. I promise." They locked eyes and both drew strength from the other. This would work.
"Your radio near by?" O'Neill asked. Once he got the poles in place, he was hoping Sam could do all the contact work so he could concentrate on just climbing down.
Sam patted her left side. It was bundled with her under the blankets. They both knew that batteries tended to die much quicker in the cold and so they tried to keep their radios attached to their bodies at all times.
"Take the water Sir." Sam pleaded.
"Carter, I won't have the ability to drink once I get started." Jack said straightening up. "Besides, I drank more than I probably should have when I ate your chocolate. I'll be floating up there on the rocks!" He still felt guilty about eating all of Sam's chocolate. Jack knew that he would need the energy more than Carter, but she hadn't eaten in days! Sam assured him that it was unlikely she could keep it down anyhow. *As if THAT makes me feel better Carter! *
"Good luck Sir." Sam said as the Colonel adjusted his backpack.
"See you soon Carter." With a final look at Sam, Jack began to walk towards the far wall that would be the start of his latest adventure.
"Jack?"
He turned back around surprised to hear her calling him by his first name.
"Be safe."
"I promise Sam." Jack said with total sincerity. "Besides, we still have some unfinished business to deal with one day, remember?"
"I remember Sir." Sam said with a ghost of a smile.
Shaking his head, Jack O'Neill held back his own smile as he turned and took a step away from their camp. Right before he disappeared into the cave's inky darkness, Sam could hear him say quite clearly, "Carter, we really gotta work on this 'Sir' thing.."
Day 4, Earth
1430 hours
"Of course!" Daniel shouted slapping himself on the forehead and running out of the room.
He had been conversing with the SGC scientists for over 2 hours now in hopes of finding a quick answer to their problem. No one seemed to know how the dispersal field could be blocked. Until Daniel suddenly realized they didn't have too. They didn't so much need to find a way to block the dispersion field created by the rocks, just a way around it. And THIS Daniel thought picking up the artifact on his desk, was going to be just the thing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Day 4, P3X-277
1430 hours
Finding a good spot to climb had actually proven to be a bit of a challenge. Most of the walls were saturated with snow melt-off and it would be suicide to attempt a climb on those. And yet the driest location was the area furthest from the hole. Considering that they needed to position the tent poles in such a way as to allow radio waves to pass through the opening-the dry way wouldn't work.
Which left the wall nearest the lake. It was moist, but not drenched like the wall on the far side. Jack would have to climb a little further, but with a whole lotta luck, he'd pull this off. He stared up silently at the rock face in front of him. He gave himself 1:5 odds that this would work. Maybe 1:4, after all he DID have chocolate.
Using his knife, Jack cut off thin strips of duct tape and wrapped both his index and middle fingers. It wasn't much, but the tape would help when the rock features became thin and hard to grip. He absently wondered if he'd climb better without his shoes. His toes were already pretty frozen, he couldn't imagine the boots would protect him that much. But then again, he might lose all foot sensation without the boots, and then what would he do?
He decided to keep them on. Most likely he didn't want to see what his feet looked like anyhow.
Jack took a deep breath and decided he was ready. *Time to get this show on the road. *
His first move up the rock ended with him flat on his ass. The feature his foot had been on hadn't been solid enough and once that foot slipped, the rest of Jack followed. *You can only do that ONCE O'Neill * Jack said shaking his head. He needed to make sure at least three contact points were stable at all times. That way if a foot or hand slipped he wouldn't fall. 'Cause the next fall would be a hell of a lot further than 3 feet.' He tightened the straps on his pack for the third time and carefully started again.
Jack let his mind go blank as he climbed. He wasn't much for that "Be one with the wall" crap, but at this moment, concentrating on the texture of the wall, the way his feet felt beneath him and the sureness of his hand holds all made perfect sense.
He had been climbing for over 20 minutes when he first heard Sam's voice. Bless her heart! She was trying to keep him company. Jack smiled as he climbed higher and higher. Normally a 20 foot climb wouldn't take this long, but Jack had to constantly zig-zag back and forth in search of the elusive feature or hand-hold.
After 30 minutes he came across the ledge, and it was a good thing as well. His limbs were shaking from fatigue and the energy he had found in the chocolate bar had long since vanished. He was having problems gripping the rock between his frozen fingers and several times had caused small rock showers through carelessness. He looked down at his fingers and was surprised to find them bloody as well as numb. No wonder he had slipped on that last hold! Cursing he reached into the backpack and pulled back out the duct tape. It wasn't a bandage, but it should help hold him together until he got back on the ground. At least with his fingers all numb, Jack didn't feel much in the way of pain. He took out the remaining chocolate and ravenously took a bite. He wished for the not the first time that he had allowed Carter to force the canteen on him. He was really, really thirsty. He had forgotten how much a person could sweat climbing a pile of rocks. Jack took another bite and keyed on his radio.
"Hey Carter."
"Sir!" Sam was quite relieved to hear his voice.
"Not there yet Sam, but I'm getting close. Going to place one of the poles in a 'pocket on this level and then climb on top of the overhang for the second one."
"Sounds good Sir. How are you doing?"
"Currently I'm eating the last of your chocolate Carter, and I gotta tell you, it most definitely hits the spot." He didn't tell her that he could use a gallon of milk with it, but the sentiment was real.
"I'm maybe 10-15 minutes from the top so if you don't hear from me on the radio, listen for my voice ok?" Both understood that his hands might otherwise be occupied.
"Good luck Sir." Sam said trying to sound up beat.
"See you in a few Carter."
Jack put his radio back in its harness and looked up at the overhang above him. This wasn't going to be easy. He studied it for several long minutes before making a decision; the shoes were coming off. There was no way he could do it in hiking boots. None. So what if his feet got messed up a little? He needed to be able to feel the rock. Or at least have some idea of when he happened across a feature that would actually work. It was impossible to smear with boots on, and Jack would need that ability to really position his feet tightly against the wall to pull this off. Decision made.
He was right of course; his feet WERE a mess. Jack grimaced at the color of his toes and tried not to think about the smell. Couldn't be worse than the rest of him though. Standing up was a bit of a shock on bare feet, but he quickly became accustomed to it and decided it was now or never.
Day 4
1500 hours
The Colonel had been gone for nearly an hour. Every now and then Sam would ramble into the radio. She knew Jack couldn't answer her, but hoped he might find some strength from the sound of her voice. *Geez Carter! Since when do you sound like a Hallmark card? * Sam released a loud sigh and then grimaced as the act sent jabs of pain through her side. This was getting so old. Just how much longer was she expected to be strong? Sam wanted nothing more than to curl back into a tight ball and cry her self back into a state of unconsciousness. But she was a Major in the US Airforce and she would NOT allow herself to fall apart.
Jack successfully completed two complex moves and was very thankful he had left his shoes down on the ledge. Sweat had soaked his shirt and pants and Jack cursed himself for not tying one of Daniel's bandanas around his forehead. His feet had indeed lost all sensitivity and his fingers weren't far behind them. That wasn't what worried him most though. Jack's strength was failing. He didn't know if he had what was necessary to complete the final move. Jack locked his right arm and shook his left against his side in an effort to get the blood flowing again. Once he could feel his fingers, he moved the arm back up to the thin feature that was going to get him through this. It was now or never. Using an intricate heel hook Jack leaned all his weight to his right and with a loud cry flung himself atop the rock.
He placed the final pole into position and breathing heavily yelled down at Sam to try the radio.
Sam pressed the radio's receiving button and instead of hearing static, heard the unmistakable voice of Dr. Daniel Jackson informing one Major Henderson that he had just turned the device on and they should know if a few seconds if it had worked.
"Daniel!" Sam shouted happily into the radio. It was Daniel! He was out there. They were really going to get out of this!
"Sam?" Daniel said stopping in his tracks. She was answering them; that was Sam's voice! They were alive! "Sam, are you and Jack ok?! Can you hear me?"
"I hear you Daniel, and have NEVER heard a nicer sounding voice." Sam said grinning ear to ear. "We've been having Antarctic flashbacks down here, but we're doing all right." Sam said immensely relieved that the SGC hadn't declared them MIA.
Daniel was about to speak again with a different voice cut him off.
"Danny, Sam's injured, you guys need to hurry." Jack interrupted in a tight voice.
He was hanging by one hand off the top of the overhang, and was awkwardly holding the radio in the other. His left foot was perched on a thin sliver of a feature and his right foot dangled in empty space. He needed to MOVE. He could feel himself weakening, his energy waning, and most importantly, his fingers slipping. His participation in the conversation was going to be very, very brief.
"I'll be fine Daniel." Sam said angry with the Colonel for blurting out her condition. Logically, she knew the SGC needed to be aware of it, but she also knew Daniel. She knew he'd be worried sick about her, and probably hadn't slept or eaten much since they had disappeared- which meant he needed to be concerned with himself. "I got scratched by a root falling down a hole."
"She was skewered." The Colonel growled. "It's infected. Make sure the Doc comes with you, ok Daniel?"
"I will." Daniel paused. Skewered definitely didn't sound good, but Jack didn't sound good either. In fact Jack sounded like he was in pain and distress.
"Jack, are you ok?"
"Peachy. Talk with Carter, I gotta go." With that he dropped the radio. There was no way he could maneuver it back into its harness. It fell silently for several moments before hitting the ground with a loud crash.
"Colonel!" Sam yelled still holding the radio.
"Sam?!" Daniel shouted back at her. "What's happening?"
"Colonel?!" She shouted again into the darkness. Shit! What she wouldn't give for a flashlight.
Faintly, far above her head Sam heard a low voice.
"Sorry Sam." Came the Colonel's strained reply. "Dropped the radio."
"Don't do that to me Sir!" Sam shouted upwards angry and overwrought with emotion.
"You coming down now?" Sam had all but forgotten Daniel on the other end of the radio.
"On my way." Came the faint reply. Sam did NOT like how the Colonel sounded. She hoped to god he made it down in one piece.
Daniel tried again. "Sam?"
"Sorry Daniel. We had to rig an antenna to reach you. The Colonel's currently 20 feet above my head. Dropped his radio."
"Whoa."
"Yeah." Sam agreed.
"You guys know where we are?"
"Roughly. Can you give us anything more specific to work with?"
Sam wished for not the first time that her backpack had made it down with her. Not only would they have had additional food and medicine, but she had equipment in there that would have told her EXACTLY where they were.
"We walked approximately 18 miles due South from the 'gate. That's all I can tell you Daniel. That and watch your step, the ground isn't as firm as it might appear."
Sam could hear excited voices coming across Daniel's radio. Decisions were being made.
"Sam, we're about 6 miles away from the 'gate in the opposite direction. It's after 3 and the Major here believes we should head back to base, get supplies and come and get you first thing in the morning. Can you guys hang on that long?" Daniel hated this. He hated asking Sam and Jack to wait another night. But the sun would indeed be setting in three hours. There was no way they could get to them before that. And if the ground was really as precarious as Sam made it sound, they would have a better chance at rescue in the morning. Damn! This totally sucked.
Sam wanted to cry. Another night! She didn't want to wait another night. She wanted a hot shower and clean sheets and some god-damn pain killers! Sam took a shaky breath. The rational part of her mind knew that Daniel was right; they'd be more successful in daylight.
"We'll see you in the morning then." Sam managed to say without broadcasting the hitch that had become stuck in her throat.
"I'm sorry we can't get there sooner Sam." Daniel sounded like a boy who had just been told they needed to put his dog to sleep.
Before Sam could assure them they would be all right, she heard another noise from above.
Colonel Jack O'Neill was not doing well at all. His bloodied fingers weren't able to grip the rock as well as they should and he just didn't have the strength to haul his ass back over the overhang for a rest. He wasn't going to make it down. At least not by climbing. He tried for the second time to get his right leg anchored to something solid. He kicked out blindly and caused several rocks to fall to the ground.
"Sir?!" He heard Sam yell.
Shit. Sam. He so didn't want her to see this. He definitely didn't want to die, but if he had to, it should be aboard a Goa'uld ship or fighting some bad-ass snake. Not splatting against the floor of a cave on some stupid planet. And not in front of Sam.
"Answer me Sir!" Sam shouted even louder. The effort hurt her side, but it was nothing compared to the tightening feeling around her heart. Something was very wrong.
"Carter." Jack said in a strained voice. He wet his chapped lips and the image of Sam putting on her chapstick scorched through his brain. "Carter, I'm slipping." Jack refused to look down. Refused to see the fear and dismay etched on Sam's face.
"Hang ON Sir!" Sam shouted frantically back at him.
"Can't Sam." Jack said as he watched in morbid fascination as his left fingers began to lose their grip on the rock's surface.
"You can Sir." Sam said standing up. Terror was giving her all the strength she needed and pushing the pain far, far away. "You can! Just take it one step at a time."
"Problem." Jack panted back down at her. "No steps."
"Jack, you will hang on!" Sam ordered as tears began to stream down her face. He was not going to die.
"Can't." He whispered.
"Hang ON!" Sam shouted again as she staggered over towards the wall he had climbed.
"Please hang on." She couldn't see him, but she could here his labored breathing and hear his tired voice.
"Sorry Sam." Came the very strained reply.
"Not your fault Carter. Remember. Not your fault."
And with that Jack O'Neill fell from the sky.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I know. I have now doomed myself to one of the levels in Dante's Hell. I'm a cruel, cruel woman. So don't forget to write and tell me, ok?
Author: dcChic
Email: dietcokechic@hotmail.com
Notes: Sorry it took so long, but I think you'll like it.
Actually, I think you'll want to take out a contract on me for not writing more. All I can say is I was in danger of spontaneously combusting if I continued any more without a break. You'll see why in just a few. Enjoy!
Oh! And I actually do climb rocks for fun, so here's a quick little lingo lesson-
Feature: thin protrusion of rock, usually just enough to put the very edge of your foot, or the tips of your fingers.
Face: main flat body of the wall.
Pocket: Small hole in the wall for either your hand, foot or tent pole.
Smear: as in "to smear" to rub the side of your foot against the rock.
Chapter 9 - The Rest
Day 4, Earth
1200 hours
Daniel had scarcely cleared the Stargate before he was asking to speak with General Hammond.
"Dr. Jackson, is there a problem?" General Hammond asked coming down from his office. He sometimes wondered why he didn't just habitually do this when SG-1 came through the 'gate. 9 times out of 10 they needed to see him, or were injured. And then he wanted to see them.
"No! No problem General. A solution. Well, not a solution per say, but now we know what the problem is." He paused to let his mind catch up to his mouth. "So I guess you can say there IS a problem."
The General looked at Teal'c for further explanation. Scientists!
"General Hammond, we now know why we have been unable to make contact with Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter."
"I was getting to that." Daniel mumbled.
"Explain." The General ordered looking back at Daniel. *In complete sentences this time! *
"We couldn't get hold of Jack and Sam because of the interference caused by the geology of the planet. I believe it's very similar to P3x-277. I brought back a sample for analysis but I believe we should be able to neutralize the dispersal field and 'clear the way' so to speak for our radio signals to reach them."
* I just wish Sam were here to figure the whole thing out. *
"You have a go Dr. Jackson." The general said nodding his approval. He just hoped Jack and the Major could hang on just a little bit longer.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Day 4, P3X-677
1400 hours
The plan was simple; it was the execution he was worried about. The idea was for Jack to scale 20 feet of slippery rock walls, attach a metal tent pole in two different places and then climb back down. Piece of cake. Besides navigating the slick rocks, Jack needed to cross a narrow ledge that didn't look wide at all and THEN tackle a wicked looking rock overhang. One he would have to climb over to attach a pole. He looked up at the daunting wall and tapped his shirt pocket; 1/4 of the chocolate bar remained. That should help when times got tough. If he could find a free hand to eat it with that is.
Sam really wanted to accompany the Colonel to his start location, but she knew this was impossible. It only took one feeble attempt at sitting up to convince her that she was most definitely sitting this one out. Now that the antibiotics were gone, she could feel her fever coming back and was dismayed to discover that she was actually too hot under all the blankets. The pain in her side was constant and if she didn't move it was bearable- just.
"Sam, are you ok?" O'Neill asked for the second time since emptying his backpack of non-essentials. He would be carrying very little on his trip up the rock face. He needed only the poles. Plus he knew he would need his hands at all times, so he rigged up a harness for his radio using a piece of cloth from their ruined clothes and the duct tape. *Maybe I am starting to channel MacGuyver.* Jack thought to himself.
"I'll be fine Sir." Sam said with a little too much force. She didn't need the Colonel to be worrying about her. True, she had felt better, but at least with the fever, she wasn't in danger of freezing to death. *Can you become hypothermic with a fever? * Carter had no idea. She DID know that dehydration was quickly becoming a real concern. It didn't matter that she had been drinking water; it just wasn't enough. They had been down here over 72 hours and after her ill-fated trip to the bathroom, Sam hadn't needed to go again. Not a good sign.
Jack crouched down next to her and gently pushed her damp hair away from her eyes. "You will be soon Sam. I promise." They locked eyes and both drew strength from the other. This would work.
"Your radio near by?" O'Neill asked. Once he got the poles in place, he was hoping Sam could do all the contact work so he could concentrate on just climbing down.
Sam patted her left side. It was bundled with her under the blankets. They both knew that batteries tended to die much quicker in the cold and so they tried to keep their radios attached to their bodies at all times.
"Take the water Sir." Sam pleaded.
"Carter, I won't have the ability to drink once I get started." Jack said straightening up. "Besides, I drank more than I probably should have when I ate your chocolate. I'll be floating up there on the rocks!" He still felt guilty about eating all of Sam's chocolate. Jack knew that he would need the energy more than Carter, but she hadn't eaten in days! Sam assured him that it was unlikely she could keep it down anyhow. *As if THAT makes me feel better Carter! *
"Good luck Sir." Sam said as the Colonel adjusted his backpack.
"See you soon Carter." With a final look at Sam, Jack began to walk towards the far wall that would be the start of his latest adventure.
"Jack?"
He turned back around surprised to hear her calling him by his first name.
"Be safe."
"I promise Sam." Jack said with total sincerity. "Besides, we still have some unfinished business to deal with one day, remember?"
"I remember Sir." Sam said with a ghost of a smile.
Shaking his head, Jack O'Neill held back his own smile as he turned and took a step away from their camp. Right before he disappeared into the cave's inky darkness, Sam could hear him say quite clearly, "Carter, we really gotta work on this 'Sir' thing.."
Day 4, Earth
1430 hours
"Of course!" Daniel shouted slapping himself on the forehead and running out of the room.
He had been conversing with the SGC scientists for over 2 hours now in hopes of finding a quick answer to their problem. No one seemed to know how the dispersal field could be blocked. Until Daniel suddenly realized they didn't have too. They didn't so much need to find a way to block the dispersion field created by the rocks, just a way around it. And THIS Daniel thought picking up the artifact on his desk, was going to be just the thing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Day 4, P3X-277
1430 hours
Finding a good spot to climb had actually proven to be a bit of a challenge. Most of the walls were saturated with snow melt-off and it would be suicide to attempt a climb on those. And yet the driest location was the area furthest from the hole. Considering that they needed to position the tent poles in such a way as to allow radio waves to pass through the opening-the dry way wouldn't work.
Which left the wall nearest the lake. It was moist, but not drenched like the wall on the far side. Jack would have to climb a little further, but with a whole lotta luck, he'd pull this off. He stared up silently at the rock face in front of him. He gave himself 1:5 odds that this would work. Maybe 1:4, after all he DID have chocolate.
Using his knife, Jack cut off thin strips of duct tape and wrapped both his index and middle fingers. It wasn't much, but the tape would help when the rock features became thin and hard to grip. He absently wondered if he'd climb better without his shoes. His toes were already pretty frozen, he couldn't imagine the boots would protect him that much. But then again, he might lose all foot sensation without the boots, and then what would he do?
He decided to keep them on. Most likely he didn't want to see what his feet looked like anyhow.
Jack took a deep breath and decided he was ready. *Time to get this show on the road. *
His first move up the rock ended with him flat on his ass. The feature his foot had been on hadn't been solid enough and once that foot slipped, the rest of Jack followed. *You can only do that ONCE O'Neill * Jack said shaking his head. He needed to make sure at least three contact points were stable at all times. That way if a foot or hand slipped he wouldn't fall. 'Cause the next fall would be a hell of a lot further than 3 feet.' He tightened the straps on his pack for the third time and carefully started again.
Jack let his mind go blank as he climbed. He wasn't much for that "Be one with the wall" crap, but at this moment, concentrating on the texture of the wall, the way his feet felt beneath him and the sureness of his hand holds all made perfect sense.
He had been climbing for over 20 minutes when he first heard Sam's voice. Bless her heart! She was trying to keep him company. Jack smiled as he climbed higher and higher. Normally a 20 foot climb wouldn't take this long, but Jack had to constantly zig-zag back and forth in search of the elusive feature or hand-hold.
After 30 minutes he came across the ledge, and it was a good thing as well. His limbs were shaking from fatigue and the energy he had found in the chocolate bar had long since vanished. He was having problems gripping the rock between his frozen fingers and several times had caused small rock showers through carelessness. He looked down at his fingers and was surprised to find them bloody as well as numb. No wonder he had slipped on that last hold! Cursing he reached into the backpack and pulled back out the duct tape. It wasn't a bandage, but it should help hold him together until he got back on the ground. At least with his fingers all numb, Jack didn't feel much in the way of pain. He took out the remaining chocolate and ravenously took a bite. He wished for the not the first time that he had allowed Carter to force the canteen on him. He was really, really thirsty. He had forgotten how much a person could sweat climbing a pile of rocks. Jack took another bite and keyed on his radio.
"Hey Carter."
"Sir!" Sam was quite relieved to hear his voice.
"Not there yet Sam, but I'm getting close. Going to place one of the poles in a 'pocket on this level and then climb on top of the overhang for the second one."
"Sounds good Sir. How are you doing?"
"Currently I'm eating the last of your chocolate Carter, and I gotta tell you, it most definitely hits the spot." He didn't tell her that he could use a gallon of milk with it, but the sentiment was real.
"I'm maybe 10-15 minutes from the top so if you don't hear from me on the radio, listen for my voice ok?" Both understood that his hands might otherwise be occupied.
"Good luck Sir." Sam said trying to sound up beat.
"See you in a few Carter."
Jack put his radio back in its harness and looked up at the overhang above him. This wasn't going to be easy. He studied it for several long minutes before making a decision; the shoes were coming off. There was no way he could do it in hiking boots. None. So what if his feet got messed up a little? He needed to be able to feel the rock. Or at least have some idea of when he happened across a feature that would actually work. It was impossible to smear with boots on, and Jack would need that ability to really position his feet tightly against the wall to pull this off. Decision made.
He was right of course; his feet WERE a mess. Jack grimaced at the color of his toes and tried not to think about the smell. Couldn't be worse than the rest of him though. Standing up was a bit of a shock on bare feet, but he quickly became accustomed to it and decided it was now or never.
Day 4
1500 hours
The Colonel had been gone for nearly an hour. Every now and then Sam would ramble into the radio. She knew Jack couldn't answer her, but hoped he might find some strength from the sound of her voice. *Geez Carter! Since when do you sound like a Hallmark card? * Sam released a loud sigh and then grimaced as the act sent jabs of pain through her side. This was getting so old. Just how much longer was she expected to be strong? Sam wanted nothing more than to curl back into a tight ball and cry her self back into a state of unconsciousness. But she was a Major in the US Airforce and she would NOT allow herself to fall apart.
Jack successfully completed two complex moves and was very thankful he had left his shoes down on the ledge. Sweat had soaked his shirt and pants and Jack cursed himself for not tying one of Daniel's bandanas around his forehead. His feet had indeed lost all sensitivity and his fingers weren't far behind them. That wasn't what worried him most though. Jack's strength was failing. He didn't know if he had what was necessary to complete the final move. Jack locked his right arm and shook his left against his side in an effort to get the blood flowing again. Once he could feel his fingers, he moved the arm back up to the thin feature that was going to get him through this. It was now or never. Using an intricate heel hook Jack leaned all his weight to his right and with a loud cry flung himself atop the rock.
He placed the final pole into position and breathing heavily yelled down at Sam to try the radio.
Sam pressed the radio's receiving button and instead of hearing static, heard the unmistakable voice of Dr. Daniel Jackson informing one Major Henderson that he had just turned the device on and they should know if a few seconds if it had worked.
"Daniel!" Sam shouted happily into the radio. It was Daniel! He was out there. They were really going to get out of this!
"Sam?" Daniel said stopping in his tracks. She was answering them; that was Sam's voice! They were alive! "Sam, are you and Jack ok?! Can you hear me?"
"I hear you Daniel, and have NEVER heard a nicer sounding voice." Sam said grinning ear to ear. "We've been having Antarctic flashbacks down here, but we're doing all right." Sam said immensely relieved that the SGC hadn't declared them MIA.
Daniel was about to speak again with a different voice cut him off.
"Danny, Sam's injured, you guys need to hurry." Jack interrupted in a tight voice.
He was hanging by one hand off the top of the overhang, and was awkwardly holding the radio in the other. His left foot was perched on a thin sliver of a feature and his right foot dangled in empty space. He needed to MOVE. He could feel himself weakening, his energy waning, and most importantly, his fingers slipping. His participation in the conversation was going to be very, very brief.
"I'll be fine Daniel." Sam said angry with the Colonel for blurting out her condition. Logically, she knew the SGC needed to be aware of it, but she also knew Daniel. She knew he'd be worried sick about her, and probably hadn't slept or eaten much since they had disappeared- which meant he needed to be concerned with himself. "I got scratched by a root falling down a hole."
"She was skewered." The Colonel growled. "It's infected. Make sure the Doc comes with you, ok Daniel?"
"I will." Daniel paused. Skewered definitely didn't sound good, but Jack didn't sound good either. In fact Jack sounded like he was in pain and distress.
"Jack, are you ok?"
"Peachy. Talk with Carter, I gotta go." With that he dropped the radio. There was no way he could maneuver it back into its harness. It fell silently for several moments before hitting the ground with a loud crash.
"Colonel!" Sam yelled still holding the radio.
"Sam?!" Daniel shouted back at her. "What's happening?"
"Colonel?!" She shouted again into the darkness. Shit! What she wouldn't give for a flashlight.
Faintly, far above her head Sam heard a low voice.
"Sorry Sam." Came the Colonel's strained reply. "Dropped the radio."
"Don't do that to me Sir!" Sam shouted upwards angry and overwrought with emotion.
"You coming down now?" Sam had all but forgotten Daniel on the other end of the radio.
"On my way." Came the faint reply. Sam did NOT like how the Colonel sounded. She hoped to god he made it down in one piece.
Daniel tried again. "Sam?"
"Sorry Daniel. We had to rig an antenna to reach you. The Colonel's currently 20 feet above my head. Dropped his radio."
"Whoa."
"Yeah." Sam agreed.
"You guys know where we are?"
"Roughly. Can you give us anything more specific to work with?"
Sam wished for not the first time that her backpack had made it down with her. Not only would they have had additional food and medicine, but she had equipment in there that would have told her EXACTLY where they were.
"We walked approximately 18 miles due South from the 'gate. That's all I can tell you Daniel. That and watch your step, the ground isn't as firm as it might appear."
Sam could hear excited voices coming across Daniel's radio. Decisions were being made.
"Sam, we're about 6 miles away from the 'gate in the opposite direction. It's after 3 and the Major here believes we should head back to base, get supplies and come and get you first thing in the morning. Can you guys hang on that long?" Daniel hated this. He hated asking Sam and Jack to wait another night. But the sun would indeed be setting in three hours. There was no way they could get to them before that. And if the ground was really as precarious as Sam made it sound, they would have a better chance at rescue in the morning. Damn! This totally sucked.
Sam wanted to cry. Another night! She didn't want to wait another night. She wanted a hot shower and clean sheets and some god-damn pain killers! Sam took a shaky breath. The rational part of her mind knew that Daniel was right; they'd be more successful in daylight.
"We'll see you in the morning then." Sam managed to say without broadcasting the hitch that had become stuck in her throat.
"I'm sorry we can't get there sooner Sam." Daniel sounded like a boy who had just been told they needed to put his dog to sleep.
Before Sam could assure them they would be all right, she heard another noise from above.
Colonel Jack O'Neill was not doing well at all. His bloodied fingers weren't able to grip the rock as well as they should and he just didn't have the strength to haul his ass back over the overhang for a rest. He wasn't going to make it down. At least not by climbing. He tried for the second time to get his right leg anchored to something solid. He kicked out blindly and caused several rocks to fall to the ground.
"Sir?!" He heard Sam yell.
Shit. Sam. He so didn't want her to see this. He definitely didn't want to die, but if he had to, it should be aboard a Goa'uld ship or fighting some bad-ass snake. Not splatting against the floor of a cave on some stupid planet. And not in front of Sam.
"Answer me Sir!" Sam shouted even louder. The effort hurt her side, but it was nothing compared to the tightening feeling around her heart. Something was very wrong.
"Carter." Jack said in a strained voice. He wet his chapped lips and the image of Sam putting on her chapstick scorched through his brain. "Carter, I'm slipping." Jack refused to look down. Refused to see the fear and dismay etched on Sam's face.
"Hang ON Sir!" Sam shouted frantically back at him.
"Can't Sam." Jack said as he watched in morbid fascination as his left fingers began to lose their grip on the rock's surface.
"You can Sir." Sam said standing up. Terror was giving her all the strength she needed and pushing the pain far, far away. "You can! Just take it one step at a time."
"Problem." Jack panted back down at her. "No steps."
"Jack, you will hang on!" Sam ordered as tears began to stream down her face. He was not going to die.
"Can't." He whispered.
"Hang ON!" Sam shouted again as she staggered over towards the wall he had climbed.
"Please hang on." She couldn't see him, but she could here his labored breathing and hear his tired voice.
"Sorry Sam." Came the very strained reply.
"Not your fault Carter. Remember. Not your fault."
And with that Jack O'Neill fell from the sky.
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I know. I have now doomed myself to one of the levels in Dante's Hell. I'm a cruel, cruel woman. So don't forget to write and tell me, ok?