"SG-1, you have a go," Hammond says into the microphone from the computer terminal room above the gate. The six-member team of SG-1 nods, and Colonel O'Neill starts up the grated ramp towards the wormhole and the stargate.
"Are you sure it's wise to send Major Carter out in the field?" Janet asks him, worried eyes following the major's progress up the exit ramp.
"What would you have me do, doctor? Keeping her here makes her a liability to the base and the systems functioning on the inside. Anywhere on the planet with electricity will be the same. She's as safe where she's going with the company she's keeping on this mission as we can make her here."
"Sir, I'm just not quite sure what releasing Major Carter into the open with that sort of channeling capacity will-"
"I've heard enough, Doctor. Major Carter is doing what is best for her at the current moment, even you yourself agreed to this mode of treatment."
"Yes, sir, but I didn't agree to sending her into the field in order to-"
"I have confidence that Colonel O'Neill and Daniel Jackson will be enough to take care of her. With the added support of Jonas Quinn and Teal'c, there are no safer hands in the wide universe that I would entrust her to."
"Yes, sir."
Janet turns her head away. She hadn't exactly been happy with Daniel's ultimatum of a cure for Sam, by a long shot. The idea of leaving Sam alone on the planet until it was 'safe' for her to return was something that bothered Janet beyond all belief. Without a trained medical examiner, how would Daniel be sure that it was, indeed, safe for Sam to return to the SGC?
Heading out of the command room, she shakes her head. Neither Daniel nor General Hammond had fel it prudent to inform Colonel O'Neill of the full gravity of the situation, or the treatment being proposed. She can only imagine what his reaction will be.
*
On the other side of the gate the planet we've come to is bare. For as far as the eye can see is a black desert. Daniel appears standing next to us, and I turn to ask him just what the hell is going on when Carter passes out again.
"Carter!" I shout, diving forward to grab her, but find that Jonas beat me to it.
"Major!" he calls out, and I glare at Daniel.
"You'll want to have Lieutenant Commander Samson and Jonas Quinn carry her, Jack, you're in for a long walk," Daniel says, almost offhandedly, and starts forward.
"I want answers, Daniel!" I snap. I can't believe this. Leave it to Daniel and his high and mighty ascension to leave out a bunch of little details that would have been good to know. "You could have at least mentioned this beforehand… we could've brought a stretcher, or something…"
"And you'll get them, as soon as we get to cover. There's a few indigenous life forms that like to feed on things that stay out in the open after dark, and if we don't get moving, you'll all be out here in the dark."
"Perhaps it is best to simply go along with Daniel Jackson's suggestion, O'Neill."
"Perhaps, but that doesn't mean that I have to like it."
*
The sun is setting. Carter's glowing again, but not nearly as brightly as she did on earth. She hasn't woken up yet, either. Daniel Jackson lead us to a temple, and we're standing at the base of the front steps. It appears to be of some combined origin, from what I can make out.
"Well don't just stand there," Daniel says with a frown, "let's get Major Carter inside before you all get eaten by the large reptilian sand creature that inhabits the desert."
Jack's chomping at the bit, has been since we started this little caravan through the black desert. Teal'c appears as unaffected as always. As we reach the top of the staircase we come upon an open aired platform that's sheltered overhead. The view upwards is as dark as the sand, and the night outside the temple, and so it appears just another part of the endless sky around us. The moment that we carry Major Carter through the doorway arch, the entire room seems to reflect the glow coming off of her. Daniel directs us to lay her body on an oblong pedestal in the center of the room and as we do so the lights come up completely.
"Set up a perimeter around the temple," Colonel O'Neill orders, facing off with Daniel Jackson. Wordlessly, I nudge Teal'c, and he, Samson and I head out, leaving the two of them alone.
*
"Now Jack," I begin, but his glare melts away as soon as the other three are out of range, and he ignores me and steps forward to inspect Carter, rearranging her body slightly on the pedestal. "She's asleep, Jack… she can't…"
"I'm only going along with this because she hasn't gotten worse since we got here," he says, not looking at me. His entire focus is on her, and I envy him that luxury. In the back of my mind, I see Sha're's face smiling at me.
"Jack if you care so much about her, why don't you tell her?"
"She knows," he says softly, "and you know I can't." He brushes her hair from her forehead, and oddly, it doesn't appear that he's disturbed by the glowing of her skin. That's probably for the best. "She's one of my subordinates, Daniel."
"She's more than just your subordinate, Jack, and we both know it."
"Ah!" He looks up at me, lifting a hand to point at me. "That's right, we do, and no one else is going to hear a word of it, right?"
"Jack she's going to have to stay in this temple for a while."
"I didn't hear you correctly, Daniel."
"No, actually you did." His hand strays to his weapon, and there's fire in his eyes. "In order to save her, you have to have faith, Jack."
"I had faith, Daniel. I had faith for a long time."
"You have to trust, Jack. After all you've seen can't you just believe for once?"
"No, Daniel do not start this with me! Not this time, and not now!" He paces away from the pedestal, waving a hand in the air. "I want to know what this miracle cure of yours is, and I want to know it all, right now because so far, all I've seen is a big empty planet covered in black sand."
"The electrical properties of which I'm sure Sam will be more than happy to make known to you as soon as she wakes up."
"When will that be?"
I shrug. I wasn't told how long it would take for the planet's nature to balance out the infection's affects on Carter's body. I was told what would happen, and that she would wake up once her system was balanced. In truth the Naquada in her blood is the only thing that saved her from the infection completely breaking down the charge in her body. "Could be ten minutes… could be ten days."
"Daniel." He composes himself, and then throws his hat at me. "While I would be content to stay here and wait for her to wake up for the rest of my life, I somehow don't think that General Hammond will be quite as happy to have the entire team stick around."
"Well that's why we're leaving her here, Jack."
"What?" Jack snaps, and I wince. His temper, again.
"I'll be staying until she wakes up. Hammond and I already discussed it."
"Did you think about discussing it, with her?"
"Discussing what with me?"
I turn, surprised. She's talking, I think, but as the two of us turn to look at her, her body is still laying on the pedestal and her eyes are closed.
"Carter?" Jack calls out, a little disturbed, to say the least.
"Sam?"
"I can hear the two of you just fine… what is it you had to discuss with me?"
"Carter, where are you?"
There's not response for a long moment. "I… don't know, sir."
"Sam… how do you feel?"
"Actually, Daniel, I sort of don't. I guess, if I had to describe it, I'd say that I just feel… cold."
"Are you aware of your body at all?" Jack is glaring daggers at me.
"Only that it's laying flat."
He steps over and takes her hand.
"Sir?" she asks.
*
"Well it's obvious that she's still in possession of the body…" Daniel trails off.
"What the hell do you mean by that?" I snap, feeling Carter's limp hand in my own. It's taking every ounce of restraint I have not to scoop her up and make the trek back to the stargate right now. Damn Daniel's cure to hell.
She's talking without her body. And that doesn't make me think she's going to be waking up and walking back to the SGC any time soon.
"The temple, and the stone on this planet have certain specific properties that will counteract the infection in Sam's body."
"Quartz," her voice echoes from around us.
"Exactly," Daniel says with a faint grin.
It's annoying. Her explanations I can at least pretend to follow, when the two of them start nodding and doing that telepathic nerd thing, I lose all ability to even try comprehending. "Quartz…isn't that what makes watches run?"
"This is an altered form of the same mineral that we have on earth, Jack," Daniel starts to say. Carter cuts him off.
"So instead of just being a good insulator, it channels the electricity out of my body? That would mean that this quartz carries a negative charge, if I'm not mistaken. That would cause the excess charge to be drawn out of my cells and into the temple and the entire planet around us… But Daniel, isn't that dangerous for normal people? I mean, it would indiscriminately draw the charge out of anything that carries a positive charge, so once the charge on me started to diminish it would start to affect the other lower charges in the area…"
"Again, she hits the nail on the head, and that's precisely why you and the rest of SG-1 will be returning through the stargate, Jack."
"I'm not going anywhere without Carter on my six, so put that in your pipe and smoke it, Daniel."
"She won't get well if she doesn't stay, Jack, and if you stay then your body will shut down and you won't be in any condition to do anything."
I narrow my eyes at him, and Daniel gives me an ignorant and innocent expression in response to my quarrying look. "I'd like a moment alone with her."
"Of course."
*
"So what do you think they're talking about up there that they didn't want us to hear?" I ask Teal'c. In response, I get a blank look. "I was just asking a question."
"Things pass between people that it is not always wise to try and comprehend, Jonas Quinn."
"Well that's an enigmatic response."
"There is no other response to that question."
"Or at least none that you're willing to tell me."
The noise of footsteps on the temple steps comes to us, and I see Jack's face. He doesn't look amused. But his temper is held in check by something, and there is a closed look to his rage. I decide, wisely, not to ask, as he starts to hand out orders.
"Make camp. We'll be moving out in the morning."
"And Major Carter?"
"She's going to stay behind with Daniel until she's better."
There's resignation in his voice, and he doesn't say another word before he turns and walks around the corner of the temple, moving out of sight. I glance at Teal'c, and see that his dark eyes are sympathetic. Whatever's going on, he knows what it is. Whether or not he's willing to tell me and whether or not I need to know it is something else entirely.
I look after Jack, and Teal'c speaks again, "I would not disturb him, if I were you, Jonas Quinn. O'Neill is not in the mood to speak."
"Is he ever?"
"If he is, now is not that time. I do not advise following him at this time. Bodily harm my ensue."
"You don't have to tell me twice."
*
"Daniel." Her voice is slightly wavering as she calls out my name in the glow of the temple, and I appear beside her body, glancing up at the carvings on the large stone end posts at the corners of the temples main level.
"How did you know I was back?"
"I don't know," she says, and I can picture her pulling her knees up to her chest as she speaks. Sam's voice has always been very expressive, at least to me. Her emotions are always in her voice, and her eyes. Even if Jack hadn't told me today what was between them, I'd have known.
She's told me a million times in her expression. "But you can sense my presence, even when the others cannot."
"Probably just the temple."
"Probably," I can't help but wonder about that.
"Daniel, it won't last. It can't. You have to understand that the effects this temple is having on me are only temporary, there's nothing to be concerned about."
"Yeah, ok. So Sam, when are you and Jack going to get over the regulations?"
"Daniel!" her voice is shocked, and I can't help but smile.
"What?"
"What kind of question is that, Daniel?"
"An impertinent one," Jack says. I turn to look at him. He'd left down the steps, and I hadn't been listening for him to return so swiftly. "Daniel, remember that little chat that we had?"
"Colonel-" her voice starts to interrupt.
"And you, stop calling me that."
"Get angry all you like, Jack," she says, and I can picture her narrowing her blue eyes at him, "but don't take it out on Daniel."
"What am I supposed to do, Carter?"
"Stop calling me that!" she snaps in response.
Even I have to wince at that tone of voice, but Jack appears unaffected by the barbed tone, and her anger. Thicker skin than I have. "You're not even conscious, Carter, what do you care?"
"I am perfectly conscious Jack."
"Then open your eyes."
There is silence for a long moment, and then there's a groan from the ceiling around us. "I can't," her voice is defeated, and there would be tears in her eyes if she could control her body. I turn to look at it, lying still on the slab, and see that there are tears in her eyes, running down her cheeks.
I decide, tactfully, to withdraw.
*
Turning my back on her body, I tilt my head back. "I'm sorry C-"
"If you're going to keep calling me that, just leave." She sounds utterly miserable.
"Look, Sam, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"
"When we get angry, we both say things that we don't mean. It's happened before," her voice is tired, and I hate to hear that from her. "It doesn't matter."
I turn back to her and take her hand in mine, lifting it from her chest to hold it in my own. "It's hard to do, Sam. I've never asked you to keep this up."
"You wouldn't ask me to, Jack. It's not something you'd ever do. It's not your style to ask me to do much more than my duty."
"And occasionally to be careful."
She laughs a little, but not enough. "Sam…"
"Shh. Just… don't let go."
"How much can you feel?"
"I know what is happening to my body, Jack. I know you have a hold of my hand, I just can't move it back to hold yours."
*
In the morning, I make sure to be the one to disturb them. Teal'c knows a bit about them, Jonas knows nothing, and there's an unspoken agreement that Samson is to be kept in the dark about it. What I see almost makes me regret having to disturb them, but I can't help it.
He's lying on the slab, one arm pillowing his head and the other wrapped around her waist. His face is as calm as I have ever seen it, and content. "Shh," her voice comes, very softly, in my ears. "Let him sleep a little while longer, Daniel. He's earned it."
"He doesn't sleep very well with an all-echoing voice in the room."
"Even half awake, he's still like that," I murmur, and I see Jack open his eyes and look around confused. I cough once and make sure that he can see me. "It's time for you all to move out, Jack."
"Sure… as soon as my arms start moving again."
"Jack?" her voice is concerned, and I take a step forward. "Tell me you're not saying what I think you're saying, Jack."
"Just a little slow on the uptake, Carter. The whatever charge in me isn't dying out, I'm just getting old." He winces at having to use that name, and then says, "Plus, it was worth it." His voice was low at that line, but then he clears his throat and forcibly sits up. "Besides, Hammond's even older than I am and it's best to let him get his full night's rest."
"The three of you need to leave now, Jack, if you don't, I'm not sure you'll make it back through the gate."
"Yeah yeah Danny, hugging an unresponsive woman all night sure makes me want to stick around."
Sam stays silent, and for once I cannot fathom what her facial reaction would be. Jack gets to his feet and stretches, making his way down the exit of the temple, wordlessly. I glance up at the ceiling and then down at Sam's body and she says, "Go make sure he gets there, Daniel."
"He won't like it."
"He doesn't have to know. And he's proud."
"You think?" I murmur, but follow her request.
*
The last of O'Neill's returning team steps through the gate, and as I watch he stares at the disengaging wormhole for a long moment. I hate to break up his reverie, but they all have a briefing, and I need to examine them beforehand.
"Colonel… if you'll step towards the infirmary, I'd like to check you over for the symptoms Daniel said you might have upon your return."
"You knew about all of this, didn't you?" his voice is passive, and that's almost as threatening and scary as if he were shouting at me. He knows how to use his voice well. There's strength in it. And courage. Just like the rest of him.
I can see now why Sam cares so much about him.
"Not all of the particulars, no, but the majority of it was told to me." I bow my head slightly and motion for him to head into the hallway. He'll have to go to the locker room and the armory before he can come to the infirmary. "I had to sign off on the mission, since Major Carter is officially-"
"You all enjoy seeing me get upset, I swear," he mutters, offering me a smile. "And this from someone who's supposed to be trying to lengthen my life, not shorten it."
"Colonel-"
"On my way, doc."
He follows the infirmary technician off towards his destination and I hear Jonas Quinn's voice. "He's going to shove his hand through a wall some day over all of this. I just hope I'm not standing between him and the wall."
I give him a sharp look, but he ignores it and continues on his way.