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. (Based on the song.)
SPOILERS: none
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I have absolutely nothing whatsoever to say about this
chapter.
--------------------------------------------------
No sooner had Daniel left than another man came in and was instantly recognized by Lim. "Hello, Weapons-master. I hope you bring good news."
"I do," Slarin told her excitedly. "Pakla and I have fully prepared the machines. We are prepared to launch them at your command."
"Excellent work, Slarin," she approved, pausing only an instant to glance at Jack before continuing, "You may proceed."
"Very well." He left as hastily as he had come, looking distinctly cheerful for someone who was about to destroy a large number of people.
"Crap." Jack grabbed for his radio, not even bothering to look for Lim's permission. "Carter, get out of there. Now."
"Yes, sir. May I ask why?"
He paused as the building trembled from a series of loud bangs-the missiles launching. "Your position has just been fired on, Major. I estimate you have less than a minute to get as far away as possible."
-----
Daniel also heard the weapons being launched just as he reached the edge of the village. He stared up as perhaps a dozen of the machines whizzed high over his head, knowing that, whatever came of this, it couldn't be good. He too switched on his radio, caught the tail end of the conversation, and then asked, "What should I do?"
Jack thought for a second. "Keep heading the way you're going and meet up with Carter and Teal'c, who should be coming this way. I want the three of you to get back to the gate and wait for me there."
"Look, Jack, what exactly are you hoping to accomplish? They've already launched. There's nothing we can do."
"Yeah, but I can still knock some sense into them. It won't save the other village, but if these people realize what they've really done then maybe they won't be so damn trigger happy from now on."
-----
Sam and Teal'c got lucky; they hadn't ventured very far into the village, and were able to get a few hundred meters into the woods before the weapons arrived. Sam looked away so as not to see the destruction, but the Jaffa turned her back and pointed upward. "Major Carter, I do not believe these people will be killed after all."
The village had launched its own, smaller set of missiles, which sought out the attackers and detonated each bomb safely in midair. Carter smiled in delight. "This village must be more technologically advanced than the other. It's strange; there's no sign of advanced technology anywhere in sight, and yet they have an extremely sophisticated defense system."
"It may be that they are only sophisticated in weaponry," Teal'c pointed out. "I suspect that there has been tension between these two villages for quite some time."
Sam opened her mouth to reply, but was quickly distracted by the sound of more missiles being launched. And from the size of them, they weren't just defensive, either.
Déjà vu all over again, she thought sourly, and flipped the switch. "Sir, this village just fired on yours. You may want to leave now."
"Gotcha, Carter," the colonel answered. "Thanks."
-----
Lim, who had heard the entire exchange, smiled. "Another deception, of course," she asserted confidently. "There is no way the Others could have escaped our weapons. They have been destroyed. You cannot fool me."
Jack ran for the door, calling over his shoulder, "It's true. You tried to get them back for something they didn't do in the first place, and now it's come back to bite you in the ass."
She blinked at the unfamiliar expression, but got the gist well enough. "Your people are dead, spy. You have nowhere else to go. Guards-"
Two menacing-looking men stepped forward to block the exit, aiming some sort of unfamiliar weapon directly at O'Neill. He too swiftly drew his weapon. "For crying out loud, what are you people thinking? We're all going to die within about thirty seconds unless we get outa here. Fast."
Lim shook her head obstinately. "The Others are dead. We have destroyed them."
"No, you haven't," Jack said desperately. "They dodged your attack somehow. And they're really pissed now. So unless you've got something I don't know about, we're all about to be wiped out."
She shook her head sadly. "You have already failed in your object, and yet you keep trying. Were you not my enemy, I might be impressed."
-----
Not to far outside the village, Daniel saw more missiles coming over his head-but this time much lower, and going in the opposite direction. "Jack," he yelled into the radio, "now would be an excellent time to leave."
-----
Jack heard.
But it was too late to do anything about it.
He had just enough time to gloat that Lim finally, for once, didn't look so sure of herself any more.
Then the world exploded around him.
--------------------------------------------------
No sooner had Daniel left than another man came in and was instantly recognized by Lim. "Hello, Weapons-master. I hope you bring good news."
"I do," Slarin told her excitedly. "Pakla and I have fully prepared the machines. We are prepared to launch them at your command."
"Excellent work, Slarin," she approved, pausing only an instant to glance at Jack before continuing, "You may proceed."
"Very well." He left as hastily as he had come, looking distinctly cheerful for someone who was about to destroy a large number of people.
"Crap." Jack grabbed for his radio, not even bothering to look for Lim's permission. "Carter, get out of there. Now."
"Yes, sir. May I ask why?"
He paused as the building trembled from a series of loud bangs-the missiles launching. "Your position has just been fired on, Major. I estimate you have less than a minute to get as far away as possible."
-----
Daniel also heard the weapons being launched just as he reached the edge of the village. He stared up as perhaps a dozen of the machines whizzed high over his head, knowing that, whatever came of this, it couldn't be good. He too switched on his radio, caught the tail end of the conversation, and then asked, "What should I do?"
Jack thought for a second. "Keep heading the way you're going and meet up with Carter and Teal'c, who should be coming this way. I want the three of you to get back to the gate and wait for me there."
"Look, Jack, what exactly are you hoping to accomplish? They've already launched. There's nothing we can do."
"Yeah, but I can still knock some sense into them. It won't save the other village, but if these people realize what they've really done then maybe they won't be so damn trigger happy from now on."
-----
Sam and Teal'c got lucky; they hadn't ventured very far into the village, and were able to get a few hundred meters into the woods before the weapons arrived. Sam looked away so as not to see the destruction, but the Jaffa turned her back and pointed upward. "Major Carter, I do not believe these people will be killed after all."
The village had launched its own, smaller set of missiles, which sought out the attackers and detonated each bomb safely in midair. Carter smiled in delight. "This village must be more technologically advanced than the other. It's strange; there's no sign of advanced technology anywhere in sight, and yet they have an extremely sophisticated defense system."
"It may be that they are only sophisticated in weaponry," Teal'c pointed out. "I suspect that there has been tension between these two villages for quite some time."
Sam opened her mouth to reply, but was quickly distracted by the sound of more missiles being launched. And from the size of them, they weren't just defensive, either.
Déjà vu all over again, she thought sourly, and flipped the switch. "Sir, this village just fired on yours. You may want to leave now."
"Gotcha, Carter," the colonel answered. "Thanks."
-----
Lim, who had heard the entire exchange, smiled. "Another deception, of course," she asserted confidently. "There is no way the Others could have escaped our weapons. They have been destroyed. You cannot fool me."
Jack ran for the door, calling over his shoulder, "It's true. You tried to get them back for something they didn't do in the first place, and now it's come back to bite you in the ass."
She blinked at the unfamiliar expression, but got the gist well enough. "Your people are dead, spy. You have nowhere else to go. Guards-"
Two menacing-looking men stepped forward to block the exit, aiming some sort of unfamiliar weapon directly at O'Neill. He too swiftly drew his weapon. "For crying out loud, what are you people thinking? We're all going to die within about thirty seconds unless we get outa here. Fast."
Lim shook her head obstinately. "The Others are dead. We have destroyed them."
"No, you haven't," Jack said desperately. "They dodged your attack somehow. And they're really pissed now. So unless you've got something I don't know about, we're all about to be wiped out."
She shook her head sadly. "You have already failed in your object, and yet you keep trying. Were you not my enemy, I might be impressed."
-----
Not to far outside the village, Daniel saw more missiles coming over his head-but this time much lower, and going in the opposite direction. "Jack," he yelled into the radio, "now would be an excellent time to leave."
-----
Jack heard.
But it was too late to do anything about it.
He had just enough time to gloat that Lim finally, for once, didn't look so sure of herself any more.
Then the world exploded around him.