TITLE: 99 Red Balloons
AUTHOR: Cyn(di)
EMAIL: custardpringle@yahoo.com
RATING: PG-13 for language, brief gore, major emotional pain
CATEGORY: drama, angst
SUMMARY: Goofing off leads to disaster. Character death. (Based on the
song.)
SPOILERS: none
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The entire fic won't be this syrupy. For those who came
looking for pain and suffering on the parts of their beloved characters,
have no fear; it will come. For those who aren't as fond of pain and
suffering, this chapter can stand alone as a happy pointless sort of thing.
I don't own these people. Wish I did, but I don't.
--------------------------------------------------
Daniel suspected his birthday had been forgotten again. He himself had only just remembered it, and not a single person had wished him "happy birthday" this morning. Unless, of course, he counted the pointless mission his team was about to go on as a birthday present, and that idea was tenuous at best.
General Hammond had received a message yesterday from the Tok'ra indicating that the Goa'ould might suspect the location of the alpha site. This meant that a new site would have to be found, and SG-1 was being sent to scout a likely planet, P5X 942. The MALP had indicated that the Goa'ould had abandoned it centuries ago and that there were no natives, at least not near the gate.
Right now, as he stood in the gate room witing for Davis to finish dialling, he was wondering why on earth they were going at all. It was just a routine scouting mission-any team could have handled it. Daniel had asked this in yesterday's briefing, but it had been Jack of all people who had quieted him. "Let it go," O'Neill had said. "It'll do us good to have a boring mission for once." Nobody else seemed to have a problem with it, which was surprising.
Jack looked over and saw his friend's frown. "What's up, Daniel? Not enough coffee this morning?"
"No, I had plenty of coffee, don't worry. However," Jackson asked again, "why precisely are we going and not, say, SG-14?"
Jack's reply was drowned out by the roar of the Stargate as it activated. "SG-1," General Hammond announced over the speaker, "you are go. Good luck."
"With what?" Daniel muttered, but nobody bothered to answer this time. Heaving a sigh of resignation, he stepped through the gate and onto the planet P5X-942, also known as Mikairna.
The first thing he noticed was that the sun here was damn bright compared to the lighting in the gateroom. He didn't have much time to notice this, though, because Jack instantly yelled, "Close your eyes, Daniel!" and he instinctively obeyed.
"What's going on?" There was no reply. Daniel heard an assortment of unusual noises, which he suspected he could have recognized were he not rapidly approaching panic. "Hello? Guys? Anyone?" After nearly a minute, curiosity finally got the best of his fear. He cracked open an eye and saw-
his teammates standing facing him with broad grins on their faces, including Teal'c's. And Sam, who was in the middle, was holding-of all things-a birthday cake. A massive chocolate cake with mocha icing, candles and all. "Happy birthday," smiled Jack.
Daniel let a grin of his own spread across his face as he realized he had been tricked. Then he grabbed the nearest loose object-in this case, a pair of binoculars-and threw it at Jack, who dodged neatly. "And here I thought everyone had forgotten my birthday and that you three had been hit with a stun grenade or something. Thanks, people."
"And here I thought," O'Neill retorted, "that you'd be grateful that we'd remembered. Instead you try to knock me out. Such gratitude. Just blow out the damn candles, will ya?"
Daniel was only too glad to do so.
-----
About half an hour later, the majority of the cake had disappeared into four very satisfied people. "Let me get this straight," Daniel was saying. "You faked intelligence from the Tok'ra, just to get this boring mission, just to have a surprise birthday party for me."
Sam nodded.
"In fact, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c suddenly remembered, "we have brought balloons as well."
Jack sat up straighter and exlaimed around a mouthful of mocha icing, "Damn. I forgot them. Think Hammond would send them through if we radioed back to him?"
"I don't mind," Jackson said, causing everyone else to look at him in surprise. "I mean . . ." He blushed suddenly. "If we're going to have Hammond send balloons, could they be red ones?"
"Why red?" asked Carter curiously.
"Well, do you guys know the song "99 Red Balloons?"
Sam and Teal'c didn't. Jack cocked his head in thought. "Isn't that that German hippie song?"
"Yeah," Daniel confirmed. "I've always wanted to release a big bunch of red balloons, like in that song, just to see what would happen."
Sam shrugged. "Sure, why not?" She got up reluctantly, walked over to the parked MALP, and switched on the microphone. "General, we seen to have forgotten the balloons."
"Understood, Major. We'll send some through."
"And, sir, we specifically need red helium balloons. 99 of them to be precise."
"Very well," the radio crackled in surprise. "I'll see to it."
In a few minutes, the gate came to life. An enormous bunch of red balloons came through, anchored by a metal weight, and it flickered out again. Jack ran over and picked them up, the other three trailing behind him.
Daniel took the balloons from O'Neill and carefully untied the strings so that the 99 red balloons drifted away, one by one.
The four of them watched the balloons go.
"Probably nothing at all will happen," said Jackson as they drifted away over the trees. "But it's nice just to have done that."
--------------------------------------------------
Daniel suspected his birthday had been forgotten again. He himself had only just remembered it, and not a single person had wished him "happy birthday" this morning. Unless, of course, he counted the pointless mission his team was about to go on as a birthday present, and that idea was tenuous at best.
General Hammond had received a message yesterday from the Tok'ra indicating that the Goa'ould might suspect the location of the alpha site. This meant that a new site would have to be found, and SG-1 was being sent to scout a likely planet, P5X 942. The MALP had indicated that the Goa'ould had abandoned it centuries ago and that there were no natives, at least not near the gate.
Right now, as he stood in the gate room witing for Davis to finish dialling, he was wondering why on earth they were going at all. It was just a routine scouting mission-any team could have handled it. Daniel had asked this in yesterday's briefing, but it had been Jack of all people who had quieted him. "Let it go," O'Neill had said. "It'll do us good to have a boring mission for once." Nobody else seemed to have a problem with it, which was surprising.
Jack looked over and saw his friend's frown. "What's up, Daniel? Not enough coffee this morning?"
"No, I had plenty of coffee, don't worry. However," Jackson asked again, "why precisely are we going and not, say, SG-14?"
Jack's reply was drowned out by the roar of the Stargate as it activated. "SG-1," General Hammond announced over the speaker, "you are go. Good luck."
"With what?" Daniel muttered, but nobody bothered to answer this time. Heaving a sigh of resignation, he stepped through the gate and onto the planet P5X-942, also known as Mikairna.
The first thing he noticed was that the sun here was damn bright compared to the lighting in the gateroom. He didn't have much time to notice this, though, because Jack instantly yelled, "Close your eyes, Daniel!" and he instinctively obeyed.
"What's going on?" There was no reply. Daniel heard an assortment of unusual noises, which he suspected he could have recognized were he not rapidly approaching panic. "Hello? Guys? Anyone?" After nearly a minute, curiosity finally got the best of his fear. He cracked open an eye and saw-
his teammates standing facing him with broad grins on their faces, including Teal'c's. And Sam, who was in the middle, was holding-of all things-a birthday cake. A massive chocolate cake with mocha icing, candles and all. "Happy birthday," smiled Jack.
Daniel let a grin of his own spread across his face as he realized he had been tricked. Then he grabbed the nearest loose object-in this case, a pair of binoculars-and threw it at Jack, who dodged neatly. "And here I thought everyone had forgotten my birthday and that you three had been hit with a stun grenade or something. Thanks, people."
"And here I thought," O'Neill retorted, "that you'd be grateful that we'd remembered. Instead you try to knock me out. Such gratitude. Just blow out the damn candles, will ya?"
Daniel was only too glad to do so.
-----
About half an hour later, the majority of the cake had disappeared into four very satisfied people. "Let me get this straight," Daniel was saying. "You faked intelligence from the Tok'ra, just to get this boring mission, just to have a surprise birthday party for me."
Sam nodded.
"In fact, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c suddenly remembered, "we have brought balloons as well."
Jack sat up straighter and exlaimed around a mouthful of mocha icing, "Damn. I forgot them. Think Hammond would send them through if we radioed back to him?"
"I don't mind," Jackson said, causing everyone else to look at him in surprise. "I mean . . ." He blushed suddenly. "If we're going to have Hammond send balloons, could they be red ones?"
"Why red?" asked Carter curiously.
"Well, do you guys know the song "99 Red Balloons?"
Sam and Teal'c didn't. Jack cocked his head in thought. "Isn't that that German hippie song?"
"Yeah," Daniel confirmed. "I've always wanted to release a big bunch of red balloons, like in that song, just to see what would happen."
Sam shrugged. "Sure, why not?" She got up reluctantly, walked over to the parked MALP, and switched on the microphone. "General, we seen to have forgotten the balloons."
"Understood, Major. We'll send some through."
"And, sir, we specifically need red helium balloons. 99 of them to be precise."
"Very well," the radio crackled in surprise. "I'll see to it."
In a few minutes, the gate came to life. An enormous bunch of red balloons came through, anchored by a metal weight, and it flickered out again. Jack ran over and picked them up, the other three trailing behind him.
Daniel took the balloons from O'Neill and carefully untied the strings so that the 99 red balloons drifted away, one by one.
The four of them watched the balloons go.
"Probably nothing at all will happen," said Jackson as they drifted away over the trees. "But it's nice just to have done that."