Don't own Stargate SG-1, The Lucille Ball Show, and any other TV reference that I might make. Blah, Blah, Blah…
Spoilers for: Children of the Gods
AN: My muse was really mad at me for leaving Teal'c out of the story for so long and wouldn't let me sleep until I wrote this….BTW thanks to all who have reviewed. My muse loves it!!
***The three of them stood still, shocked into silence, until Jack broke the silence. "Lucy, I'm home!"***
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Just then, Jack's radio crackled to life, causing them all to jump.
"Colonel O'Neill, this is General Hammond. Do you copy?"
"Yes, sir, General," Jack replied. "What's up?"
"Colonel, we have just received some additional information that might be of some use to you. I am sending Teal'c through the gate with it and some extra supplies. The new intel will require further exploration of the area, so I am authorizing 48 additional hours for your mission. What is your current location?"
"We're about two clicks due west from the gate and were just about to make base camp and check out a nifty little castle that we found in the valley. Tell Teal'c to follow the creek and he'll find us. Oh, and General? Let him know that the ride through the gate can be a little rough."
"Affirmative, Colonel. He will join you within the hour. Hammond out."
Teal'c's Little WalkHaving been First Prime to Apophis for many years, Teal'c was used to gate travel, but this was extreme. After being thrown through the event horizon, he quickly somersaulted to prevent crashing into FRED, which had rolled off to one side of the platform. Rising, he dusted himself off and looked around. As the gate shut down, he savored the peaceful silence that descended upon the clearing. He noticed the creek that Colonel O'Neill had mentioned following and, manipulating the remote control for FRED, walked down the steps of the gate platform towards it.
Walking alongside FRED, Teal'c followed the creek, while reflecting on the mission that he had just returned from with SG-9. The planet they were exploring, P3S-442, was a desert planet reminiscent of Abydos. The ruins they were investigating, however, were so destroyed by wind and sand that no sense could be made from them. After 48 hours of exploration, this, coupled with no signs of life and the lack of fresh water, caused SG-9's leader to make the decision to return home early. Upon his return to the SGC, General Hammond had requested that he join SG-1 on their mission. Teal'c agreed and after a quick shower and change of clothes, he was re-packed and ready to go. He enjoyed spending time with the members of SG-1; they were like a family. He would never forget the day he first met Colonel O'Neill and the instinctive trust that he inspired. Although it was a difficult decision, Teal'c had given up his family and friends to follow someone whom he believe would one day help him to save his people from being enslaved by the Goa'uld. Great strides had already been taken in securing this future with the demise of several System Lords. Rebel Jaffa camps had been set up on several planets with their numbers growing slowly. "It is just a matter of time," Teal'c thought, "until all Jaffa can live free." As he neared the clearing that would lead into the valley, he envisioned living in peace with his son Ry'ac. Perhaps he could renew his past relationship with Ishta, the former temple high priestess of Moloc. Teal'c paused for a moment to tighten one of his bootlaces. He laid the remote control down on top of the rover, while continuing with his thoughts. Bra'tac, his mentor and friend, had told him that someday, when peace was established on Chulak, he would like to …Suddenly the ground beneath his feet gave way and he fell down through a hole for several meters.
Landing on top of a large pile of dirt in a small cavern, Teal'c waited for the dust to settle before taking stock of any injuries. Amazingly, he only sustained a few superficial scratches from roots and whatnot on the way down, as his pack, getting snagged on those same roots, had slowed his descent somewhat. Teal'c reached for his radio, but found that the fall had crushed it beyond repair. He stood and looked up through the hole that he had fallen through. He reached up and grabbed one strong looking root to pull himself up, but it could not sustain his weight and broke off, showering him with more earth. He coughed, as dust motes floated through air, reflected by shafts of sunlight that filtered down through the hole. Realizing he couldn't get out that way, Teal'c removed his pack and found his flashlight. He carefully scanned the sides of the cavern walls and noticed a person sized opening off to one side. He carefully stepped into the opening and could hear a rushing sound and guessed that the creek that flowed overhead had a twin that ran underground. Following the sound, Teal'c came to the end of the passage. The noise was much louder and seemed to come from all around him. There was a much smaller opening on one side of the passage, just big enough for him to crawl through, but without his pack. The rushing sound was even louder through there.
Removing the pack, he tied a length of rope to one of the arm straps and the other to his belt loop. Pushing the flashlight ahead, Teal'c crawled into the hole and forged onwards towards the noise. After several minutes of crawling, the ground growing damper by the minute, Teal'c could see a soft, glowing light coming from the end of the tunnel. It ended with a gaping hole onto a narrow ledge just above a large pool of water. The space beyond was a much larger cavern than that which he had fallen into. The source of the glow seemed to be the water as the cavern was illuminated by it. Nearby, a waterfall cascaded downwards into the shimmering water. Teal'c crawled out of the hole onto the narrow ledge, pulling his pack behind him. His breath puffed out visibly in little clouds. He estimated that the temperature in the cavern was close to freezing. Perched several feet above the surface of the water, he rested for a moment, and contemplated his next move. Looking around with the aid of his flashlight, Teal'c spied what could be steps hewn into the solid stone on the other side of the cavern. The narrow ledge he was sitting on did not extend more than a few feet on either side. "The only way out," he thought, "is through the water." He removed his boots and clothing, pausing only to stuff them into his pack. He pulled out a plastic tarp, normally used for ground covering, and wrapped it around the pack, securing it with the rope. This might help his things stay as dry as possible. Dressed only in a pair of boxers, he eased himself over the lip of the ledge and hung suspended for a second before dropping into the water below.
TBC – Sorry for the cliffhanger, part 2 is almost finished…as usual reviews are humbly requested…ok, I'm begging….