Chapter 4

A Puzzle

"Sir, can you remember anything from before you woke up in the infirmary?" Carter was hunched over her work counter, wires spread across the top, and the item of attention sitting innocuously in the midst of the chaos.

Jack O'Neill, meanwhile, was sitting nonchalantly on the same stool he had chosen previously, "Yes Carter...I remember eating froot loops."

Teal'c shifted ever so slightly, raising an eyebrow and casting that disapproving look.

Jack sighed, "All right...let me think." He mouthed events, tracing his movements then speaking out loud, "I went to Daniel's office...to look at that thing. I think I might have picked it up."

"Might have?" Daniel asked.

"Okay, I did. I picked it up and I...don't know." Jack ran a hand through his graying hair, frustrated, "I can't remember."

Carter was looking at Jack with sympathy, "I'm sorry Sir...that's better than before. Maybe your memory is coming back?"

"Do you really think it's behind our power problems?" He asked, looking at the ball, feeling that urge to hold it.

Sam started to shake her head no then stopped, "I don't have any better ideas."

As if the machines were following their conversation, power dropped across the base, draping Sam's lab in complete and utter darkness.

"This is nice." Daniel tried to find the door and instead found Teal'c, "Sorry about that." He decided it would probably be safer if he stayed in one place.

"Perhaps you should not try to move." Teal'c seconded Daniel's thought.

The lights powered up and revealed a scene that Carter couldn't have imagined if she had tried. Colonel O'Neill was flat on his back, lying on the floor beside the stool he had been sitting on, clutching the ball in his hand.

"Sir!"

Daniel punched the emergency button, a klaxon sounding. "Don't touch him!" He shouted, when Sam bent down to remove the ball.

Carter hesitated, "Teal'c, give me that rubber rod...across the table."

Teal'c found the rod and handed it over. Carter took it and gingerly pushed at the ball in O'Neill's hand. It rolled out easily; she figured that whatever had happened was no longer active. An active current would have caused his muscles to contract and clench the ball, making it difficult to dislodge from his grip. That was the good news. The bad news was Jack remained unconscious.
Jack hurt. No, scratch that. He didn't just hurt; his whole being was defined by pain. He felt like he had run a five-day marathon and then ran another five days. What the hell had happened now?

He was in bed, the infirmary judging from his discomfort. That meant one of his team was near, probably Daniel. He opened his eyes, blinking back the overwhelming brightness, and found a very blurry dark blob hovering somewhere to his right.

"Daniel?" His voice cracked. Water. He needed water.

"Here Jack."

He felt a supporting hand slide under his back, easing his body up into position where he could drink without wearing it. He leaned forward and sipped the cold liquid, relief immediately hitting him. That felt so good.

"Thanks." He said, surprised at how weak his voice still sounded.

Daniel was watching him with that look again, like he was going to break any second and all the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put Jack O'Neill back together again.

"I'm fine."

Daniel grimaced, "If that were true you wouldn't be lying there."

"Okay, I'll be fine." Jack closed his eyes. "It's the ball, isn't it?"

"Looks like it."

"Bet Carter is beside herself."

"Something like that." Daniel set the water glass back down, and settled back into the chair where he had been sitting vigil beside his friend. He wouldn't admit how worried he had been. He didn't have to.

"Bet Fraiser wasn't happy."

Daniel smiled, "Something like that."

Jack opened his eyes again. The ceiling tile stared down at him, white...dingy white...off white, "So what's going on?"

"The power has gone out three times since your...episode. Sam's got that ball in an isolation room but nothing is working. She thinks it's reacting to you because of your run in with the Ancient's."

"Have you figured out what it says?"

Daniel shook his head, "Not really." He didn't need to say part of the reason was all the time in the infirmary sitting watch.

"I think I'm going to sleep some more."

Daniel watched as Jack closed his eyes again and fell into a restive sleep. He leaned back, trying to ease the growing ache at the base of his spine. He heard the soft sound of Janet's feet behind him.

"He woke up. I don't think he felt so good."

Janet came to a stop, standing next to Daniel, crossing her arms and considering the still forms, both on the bed and in the chair, "He'll be okay. A little sleep and he'll be driving us crazy again."

"How many times can he do this?" Daniel wondered why he let the words slip out. It was morbid and a topic generally best left unsaid.

Janet didn't reply but she laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. Before he had time to react, say thank you, or blink, the lights went out. Fraiser muttered a decidedly unprofessional word.
"General, it's definitely the object we brought from PX7-388. The bad news is that Colonel O'Neill is somehow the catalyst, the good news is that this latest event was recorded. There was a period right as the power came up and the ball was still active." Carter was handing out papers to those grouped around the briefing table. "The papers I'm giving you indicate the frequency and wavelength of the electromagnetic pulses."

"You said it wasn't emitting any energy Major?" Hammond glanced at the paper but knew he wouldn't understand three-fourths of what it said.

Carter nodded, "Yes I did. Whatever it is, it's extremely well shielded. It wasn't until Colonel O'Neill caused the device to activate that I was able to get a reading. Fortunately the electrodes were attached when he did...whatever it was he did."

Hammond frowned, he wasn't happy that his second in command was sleeping off another round of being shocked by the device, "And you have no idea how he caused it to activate?"

"No Sir." That was another source of frustration for her. She had held the ball, turned and twisted and touched, and came up with nothing. Not even a bump in the night.

"Is it safe to take back to PX7-388?" He wondered if that would end the power problems plaguing the base.

"I don't know. I think so, but right now, with this...thing with Colonel O'Neill...I'm not sure that's a good idea."

"Major, I'm not sure it's a good idea keeping it here with all that's going on with Colonel O'Neill." Hammond wasn't sure how many more times he could handle being effectively electrocuted.

Carter agreed, "I understand Sir, but there's some link between the Colonel and this ball. I really believe we need to try and figure out what."

"Doctor?" Hammond looked over at Doctor Frasier, needing more input before making a final decision.

Fraiser looked at the papers Sam had given her. She could get the vital information she needed from it. "These levels aren't life-threatening Sir. Unpleasant, and potentially dangerous without medical treatment, but assuming every surge is at the level recorded at the last activation...it won't kill him."

Daniel sat up straighter in his chair, "You can't be serious? Whatever this is, it's landed him in the infirmary twice. I don't think we should risk more." Normally Daniel would be arguing for every opportunity, but once his teammates were in danger, he was as up for tossing it out the window as anyone else, and right now he was thinking they should make the Stargate that very big window, and get that device as far from Jack as possible.

"Daniel, we don't know what this is! It might be a map to an Ancient city...or a database for technology. We can't throw this away without trying to figure it out first." Carter argued, her blue eyes flashing.

Hammond frowned deeper; he didn't like it when there wasn't a general consensus, "Teal'c?"

Teal'c had been considering the events as they unfolded, concerned for O'Neill's safety, but curious as to the device and it's purpose. If it held the potential for a weapon against the Goa'uld, it wasn't something that should be discarded easily. "I believe we should study it further, but with much care, General Hammond."

"This is unbelievable! Sam, Teal'c...this device is harming Jack. What are you going to do if it kills him next time?"

"Dr. Jackson!" Hammond warned, "Everyone in this room cares about Colonel O'Neill as much as you do."

Daniel released air he had been holding; realizing antagonizing everyone wasn't going to help. Sometimes he couldn't hold back from voicing his disagreement, and he always had a hard time knowing when to stop.

"I want it known that I think this is a bad idea." He finally said, staring hard at each one in turn.

"So noted, Dr. Jackson." Hammond stood, "Get to work people." And the power dropped again, hitting home the annoying situation the SGC found itself in.

"This is getting ridiculous." Janet snapped, waiting for the lights to come back up before trying to leave the briefing room.

"Indeed."