The sun was up when Shawn woke again. The rain had stopped, and light was
entering the ruins through a hundred small – and large – openings, giving
him plenty of light to see by. His head ached abominably, but he was so
glad to see light that he was able to ignore the hurt and look around him,
trying to figure out his surroundings.
He was in a large room. Huge, actually. Like a church. The ceiling was high and it was completely empty. There was writing of some form etched into the very wall he was crouched against, and Shawn looked at it, trying to figure out what it said. It was nothing he recognized. Of course, all that meant was that it wasn't Goa'uld, Asgard, or English. He could have expected that. The boy ran his finger along it, feeling the jagged edge of the chisel that had originally carved the symbols into the wall. It looked incredibly old. And the building looked long abandoned.
There was another opening besides the one that Shawn had come through. The boy could see it on the far end of the room, although it didn't appear to go back outside. Another room, perhaps, he decided. Probably filled with yet more writing, but nothing else. Shawn wondered if it was even worth the effort to get up and go look. His whole leg felt numb with pain, and his head was throbbing in the same rhythm his heart was beating. Getting up would only make him hurt that much more.
"What do I do, Jack?" Shawn asked aloud. He wasn't crazy. He knew Jack wasn't there. He didn't like the silence of the ruins, though, and the sound of his voice was almost reassuring. The thought of Jack was even more so. Shawn knew if Jack was there what he would have told him to do. And he sighed and struggled to his feet, leaning heavily against the wall to make up for his hurt ankle.
He didn't walk straight across the room. He couldn't put enough weight on his foot to walk across the room. He slid along the wall, like he had the night before in the dark. His tennis shoes didn't make any noise on the dusty floor as he made his way to the other opening, although his breath was a bit ragged, since his mouth and throat were parched. As he edged up to the far entrance, though, and peeked into the room, he gave a startled, glad cry that echoed through the room. Both of them. There, standing in the middle of what was obviously a temple of some sort, complete with an alter, was a Stargate.
Forgetting himself, Shawn stepped forward, intent on getting to the dialing device. A flash of pain reminded him that his ankle wasn't supporting his weight, and he fell hard. Lying there, Shawn looked at the dialing device, and sorted through the memories he had of it. It was what he used to dial the address of the other Stargates. He knew that, because he knew what a dialing device was. He also knew the six symbols of the Earth Stargate, because he'd asked Thor about it once, and the alien had told him. The Asgard hadn't told him any other addresses, because he didn't think Shawn needed to know any other ones – he hadn't thought Shawn had needed the Earth one, either, but Shawn had been fairly insistent.
Six symbols. That didn't sound right. Shawn didn't care, though. He forced himself back to his feet, and made his way carefully over to the dialing device, and looked at it. It was about the same level that he was, but he could see the symbols clearly. He knew all the symbols, because even though they were in the language of the Ancients, they were also in the language of the Asgard. Adapted millennium ago for the same purpose as the Ancients. Gate symbols. Shawn reached out a hand and pressed down on the first symbol. The first Tau'ri symbol. It lit up, and he felt a rush of excitement. He quickly dialed the other five symbols, being careful to dial them in the right order, knowing that if he didn't, he wasn't going to end up where he wanted to go. Then he pushed the large red center button, and watched excitedly.
Nothing happened.
Shawn pushed it again, a little harder, thinking that maybe something was stuck. Still nothing. It wasn't going to work. He gave it another push, just because he was too stubborn to believe it the first time, and slapped his hand on the dialing device in frustration. What was wrong!
~*~
"You need to get some rest, Colonel."
Jack looked at Hammond, thinking that he wasn't the only one. Hammond looked as tired as O'Neill felt, and that was pretty tired.
"I'm fine, Sir," Jack lied.
"I'll have Fraiser sedate you if I have to."
"You wouldn't."
"You know me better than that. I would."
"I don't want to-"
"Jack. Get some sleep. There's a sofa in your office for a reason."
"Daniel and Sam are sacked out on it."
"Then use the one in my office."
"I have homework to do."
"Teal'c can do it." Teal'c, of course, looked rested and refreshed, even though he hadn't had any more sleep than the others. The big Jaffa raised an eyebrow at the General, though. He knew nothing about schoolwork. Certainly nothing about the 5th grade. He was certain that Daniel Jackson would do it, when he woke up, so he said nothing.
"Jack. Go to my office and take a nap on my sofa. That's an order, Colonel."
O'Neill started to say something, but Hammond held up his hand to stop him. He didn't say anything else, and Jack sighed, but turned and did as he was told, although it was obvious he wasn't happy about it.
Hammond shook his head, and walked back to the Command center, hoping there'd be some good news waiting for him, but steadily losing hope. The boy had to be getting further and further away from them as the time passed.
He was in a large room. Huge, actually. Like a church. The ceiling was high and it was completely empty. There was writing of some form etched into the very wall he was crouched against, and Shawn looked at it, trying to figure out what it said. It was nothing he recognized. Of course, all that meant was that it wasn't Goa'uld, Asgard, or English. He could have expected that. The boy ran his finger along it, feeling the jagged edge of the chisel that had originally carved the symbols into the wall. It looked incredibly old. And the building looked long abandoned.
There was another opening besides the one that Shawn had come through. The boy could see it on the far end of the room, although it didn't appear to go back outside. Another room, perhaps, he decided. Probably filled with yet more writing, but nothing else. Shawn wondered if it was even worth the effort to get up and go look. His whole leg felt numb with pain, and his head was throbbing in the same rhythm his heart was beating. Getting up would only make him hurt that much more.
"What do I do, Jack?" Shawn asked aloud. He wasn't crazy. He knew Jack wasn't there. He didn't like the silence of the ruins, though, and the sound of his voice was almost reassuring. The thought of Jack was even more so. Shawn knew if Jack was there what he would have told him to do. And he sighed and struggled to his feet, leaning heavily against the wall to make up for his hurt ankle.
He didn't walk straight across the room. He couldn't put enough weight on his foot to walk across the room. He slid along the wall, like he had the night before in the dark. His tennis shoes didn't make any noise on the dusty floor as he made his way to the other opening, although his breath was a bit ragged, since his mouth and throat were parched. As he edged up to the far entrance, though, and peeked into the room, he gave a startled, glad cry that echoed through the room. Both of them. There, standing in the middle of what was obviously a temple of some sort, complete with an alter, was a Stargate.
Forgetting himself, Shawn stepped forward, intent on getting to the dialing device. A flash of pain reminded him that his ankle wasn't supporting his weight, and he fell hard. Lying there, Shawn looked at the dialing device, and sorted through the memories he had of it. It was what he used to dial the address of the other Stargates. He knew that, because he knew what a dialing device was. He also knew the six symbols of the Earth Stargate, because he'd asked Thor about it once, and the alien had told him. The Asgard hadn't told him any other addresses, because he didn't think Shawn needed to know any other ones – he hadn't thought Shawn had needed the Earth one, either, but Shawn had been fairly insistent.
Six symbols. That didn't sound right. Shawn didn't care, though. He forced himself back to his feet, and made his way carefully over to the dialing device, and looked at it. It was about the same level that he was, but he could see the symbols clearly. He knew all the symbols, because even though they were in the language of the Ancients, they were also in the language of the Asgard. Adapted millennium ago for the same purpose as the Ancients. Gate symbols. Shawn reached out a hand and pressed down on the first symbol. The first Tau'ri symbol. It lit up, and he felt a rush of excitement. He quickly dialed the other five symbols, being careful to dial them in the right order, knowing that if he didn't, he wasn't going to end up where he wanted to go. Then he pushed the large red center button, and watched excitedly.
Nothing happened.
Shawn pushed it again, a little harder, thinking that maybe something was stuck. Still nothing. It wasn't going to work. He gave it another push, just because he was too stubborn to believe it the first time, and slapped his hand on the dialing device in frustration. What was wrong!
~*~
"You need to get some rest, Colonel."
Jack looked at Hammond, thinking that he wasn't the only one. Hammond looked as tired as O'Neill felt, and that was pretty tired.
"I'm fine, Sir," Jack lied.
"I'll have Fraiser sedate you if I have to."
"You wouldn't."
"You know me better than that. I would."
"I don't want to-"
"Jack. Get some sleep. There's a sofa in your office for a reason."
"Daniel and Sam are sacked out on it."
"Then use the one in my office."
"I have homework to do."
"Teal'c can do it." Teal'c, of course, looked rested and refreshed, even though he hadn't had any more sleep than the others. The big Jaffa raised an eyebrow at the General, though. He knew nothing about schoolwork. Certainly nothing about the 5th grade. He was certain that Daniel Jackson would do it, when he woke up, so he said nothing.
"Jack. Go to my office and take a nap on my sofa. That's an order, Colonel."
O'Neill started to say something, but Hammond held up his hand to stop him. He didn't say anything else, and Jack sighed, but turned and did as he was told, although it was obvious he wasn't happy about it.
Hammond shook his head, and walked back to the Command center, hoping there'd be some good news waiting for him, but steadily losing hope. The boy had to be getting further and further away from them as the time passed.
