SEQ CHAPTER \h \r 1

BURNING BRIGHTLY

Chapter Four

Authors Note: My Australianness is showing through, I know! Sorry, I'll have to fix the gas/petrol tank. I also have to remind myself that Jack would have been driving on the right side of the road, not the left.

Disclaimer: Despite my imaginary sole possession of O'Neill and Daniel, Stargate and Stargate characters aren't mine.

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SAM:

The screech of brakes fills my ears, and the clash of metal on metal. The whole world shakes as the side window shatters, showering granules of glass across my upwards-thrown hands, which hit the dash with a sharp crack. In the rain all I can see is darkness and headlights, both of which are spinning. Then the car tilts alarmingly, skidding over the edge of the road and down the embankment; the cars centre of gravity is compromised by the centrifugal force, sending the heavier end of the car into the air. I know we're rolling even before it starts to happen, pull myself into a defensive ball; it's not enough. Bounced around like a cork in the ocean, my head cracks painfully against the window-frame, and the world fades to darkness.

I open my eyes. Darkness. This is where I woke up the first time.

The car crash.

"...no change..."

So I passed out, and now I'm here. Woke up here. Arrived by accident. And can't leave.

I'm getting nowhere. Where is here? Was I transported somewhere else, another planet? Why would anyone do that?

Unless... I never woke up. This could be happening in my head. I could be hallucinating, caused by the blow to my head. This could all be some weird dream.

I've been here a very long time.

"...being caused by some sort of..."

"Jack?" I call, to no effect. "Jack?"

If I hit my head hard enough, I could have lapsed into some kind of coma. If that's true, then I could quite easily be imagining all this. Dreams bought on by Daniel's incessant chatter about the Frevian afterlife, no doubt.

Or...

"...hoping to find the answer..."

This could be real. I might really be dying. My leg feels broken, but it's usually the pain you can't feel that is the most worrying. What if I've got internal injuries? What if I'm slowly getting weaker, being drawn down the other road the guardians talked about? What if this really is a crossroads between the afterlife and real life?

It might already be too late.

I've never been a religious person. I don't not believe in God, but I don't believe in Him either. I can't work with anything that doesn't have a concrete base; without that, it's simply hypothetical. I can work with hypothetical, but without some sort of result on which to build, it doesn't have purchase and slips away. Where does that leave me? Unable to believe in something that no one else can prove to me exists? Or unable to believe in something I can't take a step of faith and prove to myself exists?

But this, happening inside my head or not, is real to me. Is what I don't believe in coming to haunt me now? Am I going to be sent to heaven or hell?

I've got no idea where these thoughts are coming from, but they rise unbidden to the surface of my mind. I can see the few churches I've visited in my lifetime before me. They were always open and airy, cavernous ceilings in the older buildings, with beautiful carvings and stained glass windows and tiled floors that carry the sound of your footsteps, and votive candles in multi-coloured holders burning before the statues of saints.

Never been to church without a reason to go. Christmas, for example, or funerals. My mothers. Never even thought about the people who kneel there in prayer before or after mass, or sometimes simply sit. The people who pay a coin for a candle to light before the statues.

The guardians think I'm here because I'm incomplete. Is my lack of belief in religion what makes me incomplete? Is faith what I'm missing? What I've been denying?

Somehow I don't think it is. I DO believe in something. It's science, and the laws of physics, and its something that I've very nearly seen torn apart by what I've seen in my time on SG-1, yet is still a constant. Something that I rely on. My faith is made up of the things I have learned and experienced, my trust in Daniel, Jack and Teal'c, Janet, Hammond and in my father, in myself.

JACK:

"Have you been straining or jarring this hand, Colonel?" Janet asks, giving me a suspecting look as she examines my poor injured wrist.

"I hit it in my sleep." I say innocently enough.

She re-bandages it, saying, "Try to be a little more careful. Right, that should do it for now. Get some more rest, and I'd say you'll be good as new in no time."

"Thanks Doc," I quip easily, not liking the look Hammond is giving me over her shoulder. When she leaves the room, he stays behind, arms crossed and glaring. I lay back down on my bed, hoping that he'll take the hint and not pursue whatever's on his mind - I need my rest. Doctors orders.

"Jack," he says patiently. Doesn't the man have an entire high-security secret programme to run? Or at least some laundry that needs doing?

"I know this has been hard on you-"

Don't start. Please don't start.

"And I know you think this is your fault-"

Something inside me snaps, and I sit up, suddenly furious. "There's a woman lying in Intensive Care down there in a coma. I was driving the car that put her there." I say with vehemence. "I was speeding, sir. So yeah, I've got a few issues. Keeping me here isn't going to solve anything. I need to get out there and do something about it."

"I've been talking to Dr Jackson, Colonel. He seems to be of the opinion you should stay behind on this one."

No way. Daniel sold me out? Can't be. "General-"

He holds up a hand. "Wait. I can't overrule the doctors either, Jack, not in medical matters. And frankly, I would advise you to sit it out and get some rest."

"Whatever Daniel said..."

"Daniel also informed me that if you didn't get the go-ahead on this mission, you would probably go AWOL and do it yourself."

What can I say. The kid knows me. "I have to do this, General."

"I understand, and in your position I would feel the same way." he gives a sigh. "I promised Daniel I would see what I can do. Doctor Fraiser is going to be harder to convince than I am."

I nod, and motion towards the door. "Do you mind if I go check on...?"

"Of course." George opens the door for me and my poor wounded hand. We head down the hall to Sam's room. Janet has beaten us to it, and is standing over her patient. Jacob Carter looks haggard and even though I know Selmak is sitting in there keeping him as healthy as he can, this is taking its toll on Carter's dad as well. He gives us a glance as he slumps in the chair, and doesn't spare a glance for the man who set his daughter on that bed.

"There's still no change. Blood pressure is elevated slightly, but nothing to worry about." Janet updates us all. She hates this, I can tell. Not having any information, any explanation for the symptoms, any estimation of the time it may take to recover. "I've had my hands full trying to keep Sam's blood work out of the hands of other hospital staff so that they don't find the abnormalities left by Jolinar, and its not easy. Doctors are surprisingly keen to help keep people alive, even when its none of their business."

I could laugh, but the atmosphere kinda kills the mood.

"The Tok'ra have never encountered the Frevians." Jacob's voice is thin and tired-sounding.

"It's just a theory," I say. Come on, Jacob. At least look at me. "But we're hoping they've got the answer. In fact, Daniel, Teal'c and I are just about to go ask them."

Janet gives me a hard-edged look, which I skilfully avoid. Jacob goes on. "I hope you find the answer, Jack, because I feel like I'm watching history repeat itself here."

Janet's glare softens, and she looks between Jacob and me. I hold her gaze steadily. Come on, Janet, you can see this, can't you? What's happening here? At last she gives a patient grimace and looks away. Looks like I'm going to Frevia Four.

DANIEL:

We gather at the base of the ramp, as usual, armed and cammo'ed. The sirens are active as the gate dials out. O'Neill is looking more than tense. I'm surprised he isn't tapping his foot with impatience.

"What did he mean, history repeating itself?" he asks suddenly, as the fifth chevron locks into place.

"What?" I reply intelligently.

"Jacob said that he is watching history repeat itself."

"Did he?" I look at him in surprise. "You don't know?"

He narrows his eyes and tilts his head, adopting the tone I've heard him use when he's baiting the Goa'uld. "As many people have informed me, my ex-wife included, I'm not so good at picking up on subtext. So please. Enlighten me."

Okay. More than more-than tense. Positively hostile. I let Teal'c field this one.

"There is nothing subtextual about the matter, O'Neill." The last chevron locks into place and the wormhole opens with a snap, crackle and a pop. We climb the ramp, boots clanging on the metal. "Jacob referred to a matter that is registered on MajorCarter's personal record."

We reach the top of the ramp and pause just before the event horizon. "Her mother was killed in a car accident." He plunges through and vanishes.

"I knew that." Jack says as the wormhole snaps off behind us. "I just didn't...get the subtext." he finishes lamely, reaching for his sunglasses but pausing when he realises exactly what has Teal'c's staff weapon raised and my hands held up in a gesture of peace. "Whoa," Jack brings his own gun up to aim.

Six Frevian guards surround us at even intervals. They're wielding short hand weapons that we observed during the negotiations, called dedinls. We had been hoping to trade for some in the future, as they are powerful and don't require recharging or ammunition. The dedinls fit easily over the back of the wrist, coming to a point over the middle finger, extending down underneath to form a trigger. The only problem I can see is that they could easily be discharged by accident. We (that is Sam) was hoping (that is, jumping up and down with excitement at the thought) that we could backwards engineer a few and improve them. We just didn't think they would be aimed right up our noses on our return visit.

"Easy there with those things." Jack says diplomatically. "What's going on?"

"Tau'ri!" One of them steps forwards. "We did not expect you to return."

"Um... what exactly is this?" From the tone that man used, I don't think they're too pleased to see us. For a Frevian, he was... well, rude. I hiss out the side of my mouth. "Jack, Teal'c, you might want to put your weapons down." I lower my own.

Jack doesn't take his eyes off them, but motions for Teal'c to follow his lead as he lowers his gun.

"We returned because we require a favour," I say, bowing in polite Frevian fashion. I recognise the man now. He is leader of the equivalent of the Defence Department here on Frevia Four. What the hell is going on? Having the head of national security holding us at dedinl-point does not bode well for inter-planetary alliances on any world, let alone one as sensitive and touchy as this planet.

The man, whose name is... Reichart, if I remember correctly, is tall, like most of the Frevian men, and has a long, lean face. His eyes are blue, and his hair is silver. He is an imposing man, and regards us disdainfully. "We are surprised that you returned at all. That you come begging a favour is even more unsettling. I was ordered that as soon as we received any notification of your return, we were to intercept you here. We will let you know that the Frevian people will not stand for contumacy with our planets laws, especially after incredible concessions on our part for your benefit in this 'treaty'." he sniffs, but lowers his dedinl. Thankfully.

"We didn't intentionally break any of your laws," I say carefully. "And we were unaware that we did so. We only returned because we need your help."

"I am no diplomat." the man returns. "And I will not field your questions in the stead of the Governor Laius."

"Then can we speak to Governor Laius?" I ask.

The man pauses. "My orders are to bring you to the citadel. You will come with me." He turns and snaps a gesture to the rest of his squad. They turn in unison, forming two lines. An escort. I raise my eyebrows at Jack. This could be interesting.

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