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. (Based on the
song.)
SPOILERS: "Prisoners"
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Watch out. This is an incredibly miserable chapter involving
some rather, ah, unpleasant imagery, severe angst, maiming, and slow
painful deaths, including that of a major character. People who cry or
throw up easily should skip this part.
--------------------------------------------------
As the bombs began to hit, a process that lasted for several minutes, Daniel instinctively threw himself to the ground. When the cacophony finally ceased, he got up slowly, staring back through the trees to where the village was.
At least, where it had been.
He bent down and retrieved his radio. "Sam? You still there?"
"I hear you, Daniel. What happened?"
"This village just got bombed. Probably retaliation from the one you visited."
"They did indeed just fire their weapons. Are you all right, Daniel Jackson?" asked Teal'c.
"Yeah, I'm okay. I got out, but Jack-" Daniel took a deep breath. "Jack was still in there. I'm going back in to look for him."
"Be careful," Sam said anxiously. "We'll get there as soon as we can."
"Hurry." He switched the radio off and walked back to the village.
-----
What he found there was unbelievable. Compared to this, that prison camp they had been in a few years ago was an absolute paradise.
Within the space of a few minutes, the active, bustling community had come to look more like a living hell, even down to the fires burning everywhere because there was no one to extinguish them. It looked like every inhabitant of the village had been seriously injured. The lucky ones had died instantly. The rest were screaming, crying, pleasing for aid from the inexplicably unharmed stranger moving in their midst. The shrieks tore at Daniel's heart, but he only shuddered and walked faster, knowing he could do nothing but hope, for their sakes, that they died soon. He could only trust that, by some miracle, Jack would somehow be all right.
He hurried towards the Assembly, where he had last seen his friend. One of the bombs had hit an end of the massive building, and Daniel's heart sank as he saw the extent of the damage; half the structure had been demolished. Nevertheless, he walked inside and called, "Jack?"
Something stirred in response at the other end of the hall. He tried again. "Jack? Are you in here?"
This time, he was rewarded with a groan and a faint, hoarse "Daniel?" from a figure crumpled at the far end of the hall.
"I'm coming." Daniel picked his way as quickly as he could through the maze of wreckage, bodies-some still not quite dead and moaning piteously-and small conflagrations to where O'Neill lay. From the looks of it, the force of the explosion had hurled him against the far wall, and neither party had come off well. A portion of the wall had splintered, and a few feet underneath it Jack was huddled in a fetal position. It was painfully obvious that he had broken both legs, at least one arm, and most of his ribs, and there was a large, heavily bleeding gash on his temple. His breathing was slow and irregular, with the loud rasp to it that almost always indicated internal bleeding.
Daniel sank to his knees in horror next to his friend's broken body. "Oh, my God."
"Daniel?" Jack whispered again, uncurling slightly to reach out and weakly grasp the other man's hand in his own.
Jackson gripped it firmly. "I'm right here, Jack. Sam and Teal'c'll arrive soon. They'll get help."
Jack shook his head slightly. The movement caused him to vomit suddenly, retching up an unbelievable amount of blood along with a mixture of other substances that Daniel didn't even want to be able to identify. "Danny," he wheezed, "can't feel m'legs . . . "
"It'll be OK," Daniel insisted, as much for his own sake as for Jack's. If his spine was damaged as well, that wasn't going to help matters. "You'll make it."
O'Neill's fingers tightened slightly around his. "Don't think so." Daniel had to strain to hear his voice. "Not this time."
"Hang on, Jack," Jackson urged desperately. "Just a few more minutes. Don't give up on me."
Jack smiled a little, incongruously. "Thanks, Spacemonkey," he whispered, and then his hand went limp in Daniel's.
"Dammit, Jack . . . Please don't die. Please." Daniel gingerly checked for a pulse with his free hand.
There was none.
"No," he said. "No." But there was no denying the truth.
Daniel Jackson bowed his head and wept.
-----
Ten minutes later, when Sam and Teal'c finally got there, they found Daniel still kneeling there, utterly motionless, holding Jack's hand.
"Daniel," said Sam quietly, "what happened?" There was no response.
"Daniel Jackson," Teal'c repeated more loudly. Jackson still didn't stir.
Finally, Sam walked up cautiously and touched him on the shoulder. "Daniel? Are you all right?"
Slowly, Daniel finally looked up. His face was covered with ash from the fires burning in the building, and the ash was streaked with tears. "Of course I'm all right," he spat bitterly. "My best friend just died a violent, painful death. And because of a bunch of balloons, of all things. Why the hell shouldn't I be all right?"
Teal'c had knelt beside Jack's body. "He is indeed dead," he confirmed.
"Oh . . ." Sam's voice trailed off as the horrific sight in front of her finally, inescapably, sank in. She sat down with the rest of her team, removing her cap as she did so.
The three friends remained silent for a while, silently honoring their fallen comrade.
--------------------------------------------------
As the bombs began to hit, a process that lasted for several minutes, Daniel instinctively threw himself to the ground. When the cacophony finally ceased, he got up slowly, staring back through the trees to where the village was.
At least, where it had been.
He bent down and retrieved his radio. "Sam? You still there?"
"I hear you, Daniel. What happened?"
"This village just got bombed. Probably retaliation from the one you visited."
"They did indeed just fire their weapons. Are you all right, Daniel Jackson?" asked Teal'c.
"Yeah, I'm okay. I got out, but Jack-" Daniel took a deep breath. "Jack was still in there. I'm going back in to look for him."
"Be careful," Sam said anxiously. "We'll get there as soon as we can."
"Hurry." He switched the radio off and walked back to the village.
-----
What he found there was unbelievable. Compared to this, that prison camp they had been in a few years ago was an absolute paradise.
Within the space of a few minutes, the active, bustling community had come to look more like a living hell, even down to the fires burning everywhere because there was no one to extinguish them. It looked like every inhabitant of the village had been seriously injured. The lucky ones had died instantly. The rest were screaming, crying, pleasing for aid from the inexplicably unharmed stranger moving in their midst. The shrieks tore at Daniel's heart, but he only shuddered and walked faster, knowing he could do nothing but hope, for their sakes, that they died soon. He could only trust that, by some miracle, Jack would somehow be all right.
He hurried towards the Assembly, where he had last seen his friend. One of the bombs had hit an end of the massive building, and Daniel's heart sank as he saw the extent of the damage; half the structure had been demolished. Nevertheless, he walked inside and called, "Jack?"
Something stirred in response at the other end of the hall. He tried again. "Jack? Are you in here?"
This time, he was rewarded with a groan and a faint, hoarse "Daniel?" from a figure crumpled at the far end of the hall.
"I'm coming." Daniel picked his way as quickly as he could through the maze of wreckage, bodies-some still not quite dead and moaning piteously-and small conflagrations to where O'Neill lay. From the looks of it, the force of the explosion had hurled him against the far wall, and neither party had come off well. A portion of the wall had splintered, and a few feet underneath it Jack was huddled in a fetal position. It was painfully obvious that he had broken both legs, at least one arm, and most of his ribs, and there was a large, heavily bleeding gash on his temple. His breathing was slow and irregular, with the loud rasp to it that almost always indicated internal bleeding.
Daniel sank to his knees in horror next to his friend's broken body. "Oh, my God."
"Daniel?" Jack whispered again, uncurling slightly to reach out and weakly grasp the other man's hand in his own.
Jackson gripped it firmly. "I'm right here, Jack. Sam and Teal'c'll arrive soon. They'll get help."
Jack shook his head slightly. The movement caused him to vomit suddenly, retching up an unbelievable amount of blood along with a mixture of other substances that Daniel didn't even want to be able to identify. "Danny," he wheezed, "can't feel m'legs . . . "
"It'll be OK," Daniel insisted, as much for his own sake as for Jack's. If his spine was damaged as well, that wasn't going to help matters. "You'll make it."
O'Neill's fingers tightened slightly around his. "Don't think so." Daniel had to strain to hear his voice. "Not this time."
"Hang on, Jack," Jackson urged desperately. "Just a few more minutes. Don't give up on me."
Jack smiled a little, incongruously. "Thanks, Spacemonkey," he whispered, and then his hand went limp in Daniel's.
"Dammit, Jack . . . Please don't die. Please." Daniel gingerly checked for a pulse with his free hand.
There was none.
"No," he said. "No." But there was no denying the truth.
Daniel Jackson bowed his head and wept.
-----
Ten minutes later, when Sam and Teal'c finally got there, they found Daniel still kneeling there, utterly motionless, holding Jack's hand.
"Daniel," said Sam quietly, "what happened?" There was no response.
"Daniel Jackson," Teal'c repeated more loudly. Jackson still didn't stir.
Finally, Sam walked up cautiously and touched him on the shoulder. "Daniel? Are you all right?"
Slowly, Daniel finally looked up. His face was covered with ash from the fires burning in the building, and the ash was streaked with tears. "Of course I'm all right," he spat bitterly. "My best friend just died a violent, painful death. And because of a bunch of balloons, of all things. Why the hell shouldn't I be all right?"
Teal'c had knelt beside Jack's body. "He is indeed dead," he confirmed.
"Oh . . ." Sam's voice trailed off as the horrific sight in front of her finally, inescapably, sank in. She sat down with the rest of her team, removing her cap as she did so.
The three friends remained silent for a while, silently honoring their fallen comrade.