TITLE: 99 Red Balloons
AUTHOR: Cyn(di)
EMAIL: custardpringle@yahoo.com
RATING: PG-13 for language, brief gore, severe emotional suffering
CATEGORY: drama, angst
SUMMARY: Goofing off leads to disaster. Character death warning. (Based on
the song.)
SPOILERS: none
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry. I had this chapter written almost a week ago but then
my Internet managed to crash. Damn Win95. And, BTW, I do know the
translation of the fourth verse, but I still chose not to use it because it
didn't really fit with my story. I have nothing whatsoever against German,
or people who speak it, I just didn't want to use that part.
--------------------------------------------------
The remainder of the cake had long disappeared. Jack turned to look at Daniel. "Ya know, Danny, unlike you, I don't know German. Why don't you tell us what exactly happened in that song?"
"Yeah," said Sam. "I've been wondering that myself."
Daniel paused a second to remember. "Well, actually, the balloons show up as a radar blip at a nearby military base and are mistaken for enemy missiles, or maybe alien spaceships. A national crisis ensues, and, uh, this leads rather quickly to WWIII and the implied end of civilization as we know it."
"Always did love a happy ending," commented O'Neill dryly.
Teal'c frowned. "Such objects bear no resemblance to either alien spaceships or to weapons, Daniel Jackson."
"Yeah, well, it was a pretty popular song, even though most people didn't even know what it was about."
Seeing the Jaffa's look of confusion only deepen, Sam told him, "Don't worry about it, Teal'c. Just add it to the list of senseless things we humans do." She turned and looked at her commanding officer, who had stood up and was scanning the forest in the direction the balloons had gone. "Something wrong, sir?"
"Carter," he responded, retrieving the binoculars Daniel had thrown at his head, "are you certain there's nobody living near here?"
"Pretty much, sir. If there is anyone, they're well inside the woods where the MALP couldn't have found them."
Jackson laughed. "Jack, do you seriously think . . . "
"Yes, Daniel. I do." Jack peered through the binoculars as he spoke. "We don't want to make any problems here."
"It's a song, for crying out loud."
"And you expect me to take you seriously when you're using my pet expressions? Hell, I don't even take myself seriously half the time."
"That's neither here nor there," Daniel said tiredly. "I don't think it's terribly likely that anything remotely like the events in that German hippie song, as you so eloquently called it, would ever happen in reality."
"Look, Daniel, I agree with you, alright? I'm just not taking any chances with-" Jack broke off and swore softly. "Here, T. What do you think of this?"
Teal'c took the glasses and looked in the indicated direction. "I am not sure. However, I do see a large clearing that may well be inhabited."
O'Neill smiled smugly. "Told ya so."
Carter took the binoculars. "In fact, sir, I think I see another clearing out there, some distance from the first."
"Okay, kids," Jack decided. "Let's check this out.Daniel, you come with me to one of these places. Carter and Teal'c, go to the other. If there are people living here after all, we'd better talk to them."
Looking forward to meeting some new people, the team geared up and left.
-----
Upon nearing the first of the two clearings, Sam and Teal'c discovered to their astonishment that it contained a thriving, seemingly independent village, and they promptly contacted the other two. "There are people living here after all," Carter reported.
"What kind of people?" Daniel asked over the radio.
"We don't know yet; we haven't had a chance to speak to any of them yet. But they don't look panicked or anything."
"It is not likely that they have observed the balloons," Teal'c elaborated. "There appears to be no problem."
"Talk to those people anyway," Jack told them. "Depending how long the Goa'ould have been gone, we might be able to learn something."
"Yes, sir," Sam agreed.
"We haven't gotten where we're going yet. We'll tell you when we do."
"Sounds good, sir." She signed off.
Teal'c had been examining the buildings in the village. "It appears that the Goa'ould have been absent for some time, most likely for several centuries. I do not know why."
Carter nodded. "That's good for us, then. Let's meet these people and see what we can find out."
----
Jack and Daniel had to search for another fifteen minutes or so before they found the second clearing, which also contained a large, prosperous village. The people here, though, were anything but calm. The streets were filled with villagers running from house to house, shouting to those inside, who quickly emerged. Jack estimated that the entire population was probably in a panic by now. "Daniel-"
"Jack, we don't know that this has anything to do with our balloons. Just give me a second, will ya?" Daniel stepped forward and touched a woman on the shoulder.
She turned to look at him, shrieked, and continued running.
Another attempt, with a young boy, was more successful; he and Daniel conversed for a few minutes.
Finally, Jackson came back. "Damn."
"What'd he tell you?" O'Neill asked.
"Well, he says some people called the Others-probably the village where Sam and Teal'c are-are about to attack."
"And he knows this . . . how?"
"He claims," Daniel said heavily, "that the Others have sent them giant drops of blood, floating in the air."
--------------------------------------------------
The remainder of the cake had long disappeared. Jack turned to look at Daniel. "Ya know, Danny, unlike you, I don't know German. Why don't you tell us what exactly happened in that song?"
"Yeah," said Sam. "I've been wondering that myself."
Daniel paused a second to remember. "Well, actually, the balloons show up as a radar blip at a nearby military base and are mistaken for enemy missiles, or maybe alien spaceships. A national crisis ensues, and, uh, this leads rather quickly to WWIII and the implied end of civilization as we know it."
"Always did love a happy ending," commented O'Neill dryly.
Teal'c frowned. "Such objects bear no resemblance to either alien spaceships or to weapons, Daniel Jackson."
"Yeah, well, it was a pretty popular song, even though most people didn't even know what it was about."
Seeing the Jaffa's look of confusion only deepen, Sam told him, "Don't worry about it, Teal'c. Just add it to the list of senseless things we humans do." She turned and looked at her commanding officer, who had stood up and was scanning the forest in the direction the balloons had gone. "Something wrong, sir?"
"Carter," he responded, retrieving the binoculars Daniel had thrown at his head, "are you certain there's nobody living near here?"
"Pretty much, sir. If there is anyone, they're well inside the woods where the MALP couldn't have found them."
Jackson laughed. "Jack, do you seriously think . . . "
"Yes, Daniel. I do." Jack peered through the binoculars as he spoke. "We don't want to make any problems here."
"It's a song, for crying out loud."
"And you expect me to take you seriously when you're using my pet expressions? Hell, I don't even take myself seriously half the time."
"That's neither here nor there," Daniel said tiredly. "I don't think it's terribly likely that anything remotely like the events in that German hippie song, as you so eloquently called it, would ever happen in reality."
"Look, Daniel, I agree with you, alright? I'm just not taking any chances with-" Jack broke off and swore softly. "Here, T. What do you think of this?"
Teal'c took the glasses and looked in the indicated direction. "I am not sure. However, I do see a large clearing that may well be inhabited."
O'Neill smiled smugly. "Told ya so."
Carter took the binoculars. "In fact, sir, I think I see another clearing out there, some distance from the first."
"Okay, kids," Jack decided. "Let's check this out.Daniel, you come with me to one of these places. Carter and Teal'c, go to the other. If there are people living here after all, we'd better talk to them."
Looking forward to meeting some new people, the team geared up and left.
-----
Upon nearing the first of the two clearings, Sam and Teal'c discovered to their astonishment that it contained a thriving, seemingly independent village, and they promptly contacted the other two. "There are people living here after all," Carter reported.
"What kind of people?" Daniel asked over the radio.
"We don't know yet; we haven't had a chance to speak to any of them yet. But they don't look panicked or anything."
"It is not likely that they have observed the balloons," Teal'c elaborated. "There appears to be no problem."
"Talk to those people anyway," Jack told them. "Depending how long the Goa'ould have been gone, we might be able to learn something."
"Yes, sir," Sam agreed.
"We haven't gotten where we're going yet. We'll tell you when we do."
"Sounds good, sir." She signed off.
Teal'c had been examining the buildings in the village. "It appears that the Goa'ould have been absent for some time, most likely for several centuries. I do not know why."
Carter nodded. "That's good for us, then. Let's meet these people and see what we can find out."
----
Jack and Daniel had to search for another fifteen minutes or so before they found the second clearing, which also contained a large, prosperous village. The people here, though, were anything but calm. The streets were filled with villagers running from house to house, shouting to those inside, who quickly emerged. Jack estimated that the entire population was probably in a panic by now. "Daniel-"
"Jack, we don't know that this has anything to do with our balloons. Just give me a second, will ya?" Daniel stepped forward and touched a woman on the shoulder.
She turned to look at him, shrieked, and continued running.
Another attempt, with a young boy, was more successful; he and Daniel conversed for a few minutes.
Finally, Jackson came back. "Damn."
"What'd he tell you?" O'Neill asked.
"Well, he says some people called the Others-probably the village where Sam and Teal'c are-are about to attack."
"And he knows this . . . how?"
"He claims," Daniel said heavily, "that the Others have sent them giant drops of blood, floating in the air."