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"What are the odds that we're going to be able to connect with a 'Gate on a world where there are SGC personnel around who will recognize our type of transmission?" he ventured.
She shrugged and then sighed, "Very small," she admitted, "But I don't see any other options."
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Ch 54: CONTROL
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Jack again insisted on three days off from experiments with the 'Gate. After collapsing on the ground exhausted at the end of their last session, Sam did not even try to argue with him.
Sam spent the first day off working on her notes and extrapolating possible scientific theories to explain and describe what they were experiencing. Jack busied himself with camp chores and the plans for their more permanent shelter. As usual, he insisted that she put the laptop away for the afternoon... and then she fell asleep in the sun for a few hours.
He found himself watching her sleep.
As he'd done for so many of their hours on this planet.
He considered where they might be in a month or two. They might have figured out how to work the 'Gate... and they might be back at the SGC. Or... they might not figure out how to control the 'Gate connection... and they might still be here.
If they were still here, then they needed to make progress on their long-term shelter - the cabin that they were planning and beginning to assemble the materials for.
If they managed to get back to Earth... then the cabin would not be necessary.
If they managed to get back to Earth... he would lose his opportunities to watch her sleep like this. Unguarded. And with no one else around for him to worry about. No one reminding them of the regs.
If they managed to get back to Earth... then what?
Would they revert to a relationship of just coworkers?
And he felt something bubble disagreeably in his chest at that idea.
Would they be coworkers and friends?
Retaining the friendship that they had worked so hard to engender here?
His eyes traveled over her face as she slept. His mind drifted back to the 'Gate sessions, and he remembered that feeling of warmth that was uniquely her.
He loved to make her smile.
He loved to see her happy, or excited, or curious, or thoughtful.
She was special in a way he couldn't define. She warmed his heart.
They were connected... in a way that he couldn't define, but could only feel.
He wasn't sure of her feelings however.
And therein lay one of the problems.
Military regulations being, of course, another.
The regs could be dealt with. There were options.
Her feelings, however, he could not dictate.
He could only discover.
He knew that she felt deeply for him, but did she love him?
True, romantic love?
And, then of course, there was 'The Other Issue'.
The one that he hadn't told her about.
Yet.
And he was going to have to.
Before they figured out how to get back.
He watched her sleep. And for now, he put off the major life-changing turmoils... and just allowed himself to enjoy watching her sleep.
...and I watched an angel as she was sleeping
...and I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter
...Like tomorrow was a gift and you got eternity to think about
...what'd you do with it? what did you do with it?
...and I watched an alien rabbit waddle-hopping
...and I watched an angel as she was sleeping
...and I watched an angel as she was sleeping
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On the second day off, the weather was slightly warmer than it had been for weeks and they decided to declare an extensive laundry day, complete with the airing and/or washing of all bedding materials. Once the bedding was out, they went a bit further and removed everything that had accumulated in the tent. Next, they disassembled the tent poles and stakes and turned the tent inside out and hung it from a clothesline so that it could air out with everything else.
Sam was careful to make sure that she ate, slept and rested. Ensuring that Jack would not be able to postpone the next set of 'Gate experiments. Jack watched her knowingly but, as before, could not complain.
They spent the third day fishing and hunting, as well as foraging for fresh fruits and vegetables.
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They each checked and double-checked their preparations. The camera was set and ready. The laptop was broadcasting their repeating, encrypted signal through one of their hand-held radios. They had laid out one of the sleeping bags and then piled on some clothing and other soft materials to soften their landing if they fell to the ground again as they had the previous time.
As they finished their preparations, Sam ran down the dates and numbers in her head.
Day 32; 74th DOP (86.3ED); WK 13
- This was their thirteenth week on the planet.
- This was their 74th day on the planet... and that was in local days.
...back on Earth 86 days would have passed.
- This was the 32nd day since she'd first touched the hourglass etching on this alien Stargate.
It wasn't scientific, but she felt that they were getting close to figuring out how to work this 'Gate connection. At the very least, she had a feeling that they were going to make more discoveries today. She was a little excited... ok, a lot excited... and couldn't keep a continuous small smile off of her face. Jack had also been smiling most of the morning, but she was pretty sure that he wasn't as excited about the possible discoveries to be made as much as he was smiling at her excitement.
"OK, let's light this doohickey up," he broke into her reverie affectionately.
"Multi-story, interdimensional doohickey," she revised with a grin.
"I stand corrected," and he gave a small mock bow, "Let's light up the Big-Honkin' Doohickey," with a smirk.
She rolled her eyes and got into position.
He looked up from setting his watch, "I'll wash all of the dishes and do all of the laundry for a week if you can bring in the latest Simpsons episode," he offered with a grin.
She rolled her eyes, but then retorted, "It's not all me in there you know. If you see a Simpsons episode flying around in there...feel free...," she invited with a matching grin.
He tilted his head in acknowledgement and then turned the camera on. Stepping back, he intoned, "Three, two, one, mark," and he started his watch as she laid her hand on the etching and closed her eyes.
- - -
The image of the wormhole and the two planes coalesced quickly. When he joined her, they were able to slow and dampen the movement of the two rippling planes. The white ribbon representing the wormhole seemed to be waiting patiently and wasn't as energetic or randomly mobile as it had been during previous sessions.
With control over the rippling planes came control over the window of stars in the distance. The view no longer spun and slid out of control. Now they were able to slow the movement down and pan across the configuration of stars.
Both of them concentrated on recognizing any configurations or arrangements of the stars. Sam's focus lasted longer than Jack's however, and he found himself distracted by the warm feeling of her presence in his mind.
She was slowly rotating the view to see this patch of stars from all angles. She took comfort in that constant low-grade fizzing that she knew was his presence.
And then the view slid over a stream of light blue and she focused on it.
She pulled their view out and out and out, until they could see one of the ends.
Next, she started zooming in on that location.
Magnifying their effective view as they zeroed in on the blue wormhole's end.
'Ready?' he felt her question and he sent her an affirmative.
Just as before, she was curious and intent while he was more cautious and wary.
The light blue ribbon winked out and they directed their glowing white ribbon directly at their newly found destination. The white thread arched downward determinedly and then latched onto the alien Stargate that they could not see.
They both relaxed as their glowing white ribbon vaulted gracefully between the two smoothly arching planes. And as they watched, the bright white shifted to a more pale orange cast.
Unable to accurately measure or experience time while connected to the 'Gate, they counted to twenty and then concentrated on disconnecting the wormhole.
And it did so obediently. Disconnecting and then beginning to wander aimlessly as it reverted to the brilliant white that they were used to.
The two planes also began to ripple gently and the view of stars began to slide and slip.
He could feel her fatigue.
She felt his concern.
He felt her try and reassure him that she was ok.
He asked if she could try ending this session with the 'Gate.
She reluctantly agreed.
They both concentrated... and the images of the ribbon and planes faded and then disappeared.
- - -
She crumpled into his arms as they fell to the ground. He rapidly regained his 'normal' senses and quickly looked around. The 'Gate and everything around them looked just as it had before their session had begun. Quickly but gently laying her beside him, he brought his gun around and carefully surveyed the area around the 'Gate. Looking for anything... or anyone... who might have come through the 'Gate.
Sam had stated that it was unlikely that anything would be able to come to their planet through their wormhole, as it should be an outgoing wormhole... from their planet to whatever destination they found.
Jack however, wasn't willing to take any chances. His years in Special Ops had taught him that a little caution rarely caused problems... and usually prevented them.
Seeing nothing moving, and nothing out of the ordinary, he turned his attention back to Sam. Just like the last time, she was laying on her side, slightly curled up and with her eyes closed. Placing his hand on her upper arm, "Are you with me?" he asked and watched her carefully.
"Oh yeah," she sent back softly but without opening her eyes.
Realizing that she wasn't going to add to that comment in the very near future, he prompted, "How do you feel?"
"Just a good case of vertigo and fatigue," she replied steadily as she concentrated on slow and even breathing.
"How does it compare to last time?" he asked.
"About the same...," and then she paused while she opened her eyes just a little and squinted up at him, "Maybe a little better," she added and gave him a small reassuring smile.
He nodded and continued watching her closely.
"Why don't you go and take a look around...," she suggested. "I'll be right here when you get back," and she gave him a tired smile.
He stared at her for another few moments and then reluctantly agreed, "I'll be back in 10 or 15 minutes," and he placed a radio by her hand. "If I find anything, I'll call."
"Got it," she replied and then relaxed and closed her eyes again as he moved off.
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Fifteen minutes later, Jack returned to find that Sam was sitting up and leaning against the 'Gate again. "How're you doing?" he asked.
"Better," she answered honestly and then admitted, "And I'm chomping at the bit to see if the digital photos recorded anything new."
And few things could have proven to him that she was feeling better... but that was one of them. He gave her a knowing grin, "One camera and one laptop, at your command, M'Lady," and he stepped off with a grandiose bow which earned him one of those precious smiles and some low giggles.
Quickly retrieving the equipment, he brought them back and set them by her side. While she began prepping the camera for the download, he unpacked the medkit.
"What's that for?" she asked, wondering if he was hurt and she hadn't noticed.
"Just want to get a little data," he replied as he slipped the thermometer in her mouth.
"Jacghh-," her protest lost a bit of its intended indignation as she spoke inelegantly around the thermometer.
"Hey," he countered, "You are the scientist – you can't argue with the collection of data. This might be useful," he justified as he proceeded to take her pulse while they waited for the thermometer to beep.
Sighing, she relented. He was right. Although they should be taking his pulse and temperature as well, and from the look in her eyes, he knew what would be happening as soon as he was done with her. Giving her a semi-apologetic smile and shrug, he wrote down her pulse and then waited for the thermometer to signal that it was done.
When it did, however, she beat him to it and he had to wait as she inspected the results. When she was done she silently handed it to him and he took a look. 98.9 degrees. Well within the normal range.
As he turned to jot the number down, she reclaimed the small instrument and quickly sterilized it. Silently she held the thermometer out for him and he obediently slipped it into his mouth while she took his pulse. His pulse, like hers, was in the low 70s and his temperature was 98.7 degrees. He dutifully recorded all of the numbers and then glanced back up to find her watching him.
"I just thought we should... we don't know how any of this works... or the effects on ...us...," and he shrugged defiantly.
"It was a good idea," she sent back quietly, gave him a warm smile and then turned her attention back to the laptop and camera.
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The digital photos showed the same sequence of events that they had seen the time before. The orange-white event horizon rippled and then flushed outwards and then settled down to a more normal-looking event horizon, albeit with a pale orange color. A soft green glow leaked out around the edges of Sam's palm where it was in contact with the stone etching.
Nothing disturbed or came through their wormhole.
One new piece of data that they got was how long the pale orange event horizon lasted. Thirty-two seconds. They had counted to twenty and the actual time was half again as much in seconds. Not surprising when each session felt shorter than the actual seven and a half minutes.
So they had held the wormhole open for a little over thirty seconds. Long enough for their message to repeat 2 and half times. If anyone was listening on the other end.
"I think we should count to forty next time... keep the wormhole open for a full minute," Sam suggested.
He considered the pros and cons. The biggest plus was that their message would cycle through five iterations, and would therefore almost certainly be received if there were any SGC personnel within the vicinity of the 'Gate. The downside was that it would probably take more out of Sam.
He studied her carefully, "Allright, I'll agree to that, if you'll agree that we shut it down before that if I feel it's necessary," he proposed.
"Feel it's necessary?" the scientist in her couldn't help asking for clarification.
"I could feel your fatigue after we disconnected the other end of the wormhole," he returned.
She grudgingly nodded her agreement and then stated, "Overall, I'd say that was a pretty good session. We controlled the viewing area between the two planes, we connected to another Stargate and we controlled the end of the session," and she gave him a small triumphant grin.
"We're getting closer to figuring it out," he agreed with a small answering smile.
"Or at least controlling it," she modified the wording and then she sighed, "I have a feeling we won't figure out how it all works for several lifetimes."
- - - -
She convinced him that they should make another attempt with the 'Gate that afternoon. She'd actually used the normal pulse and temperature readings that he'd taken to bolster her case. He groaned in defeat, but made her agree to a hearty lunch followed by a two hour resting period before they started the next session. Therein ensued some negotiations as to what activities could and could not be done during said resting period. They finally compromised on playing cards.
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1330
Everything was reset and ready for their next attempt.
Jack gave her a final visual once over. She stood silently, albeit a little impatiently, as she bounced lightly on her toes. And that was the little reassurance that he needed. She didn't appear sluggish or lethargic. No... her small smile of anticipation had returned as she couldn't wait to find out what they would discover next.
Smiling with bemusement, he stepped over and started the camera and then stepped back and counted off the familiar, "Three, two, one, mark," and set his watch and then watched her lay her hand on the 'Gate and close her eyes.
The 'Gate lit up as usual, the inner ring began slowly spinning... and he noticed that it was not as sluggish as it had been the first few times. The glowing orange-white event horizon snapped into place.
He watched her as she stood there silently, her mind in a realm not of this world.
His eyes scanned the area around the 'Gate one last, thorough time.
He checked his watch... coming up on one minute... and he placed his hand on her arm.
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The familiar electric-fizzing swiftly passed and the images of the white ribbon and two planes sharpened quickly. He immediately noticed that the two planes were already placid and that the glowing white thread was hanging sedately.
He felt the familiar warmth of her presence – and he felt her satisfaction at having tamed the planes and wormhole on her own.
'Nice', he sent sincerely and felt her shy acceptance of his praise.
They turned their attention to the stars in the area between the two planes and proceeded to slowly rotate and scan the view while looking for recognizable star configurations.
And then they scanned across another light blue ribbon. Sam quickly panned outwards, far outwards... and then they could see both ends of the new wormhole.
'Which side?' she asked him and he knew that they couldn't determine which end would yield better results for them. He mentally flipped a coin and she felt his choice.
Without further discussion, she began quickly zooming in on that end of the light blue ribbon. And then they waited. And waited. Whoever was using the wormhole was holding it open for awhile. Sam scanned the immediate area of stars, trying to recognize any of the patterns or constellations.
Unable to measure time with any accuracy, they waited.
And then finally, the light blue ribbon faded and disappeared.
Quickly they pulled the end of their wormhole over and connected to the Stargate that they knew was there even though they couldn't see it.
They both immediately began counting and at 40, they focused on the disconnection. Obediently, their pale orange ribbon disconnected and then brightened back to its more familiar glowing white.
Jack then focused on Sam. Again, he could feel her fatigue, but he also felt her resistance to ending the session. She wanted to continue. He cautiously agreed.
They began scanning the field of stars again and almost immediately another light blue ribbon slid into view. Quickly Sam zoomed their field of view out until they could see the ends, she let Jack pick one and then quickly zoomed in on his choice.
Within what seemed like only seconds, this second light blue ribbon blinked out and they confidently connected their white glowing wormhole to the unseen 'Gate. The brilliant white settled down to a sedate pale orange as they again counted to 40.
Once done, they again disconnected and Jack once more turned his attention to her. She couldn't hide her weariness, but it was bolstered by their success with two different wormholes and their ability to control this environment.
She agreed that they could end the session now and the images quickly faded to be replaced by that disorientation of returning their senses to the physical world on the planet.
Lying on the ground beside her, he wrapped an arm around her as his eyes focused on the familiar objects in and around the 'Gate. "You ok?" he asked.
She gave him a low groan that he was fairly sure that she meant to be reassuring. He pushed himself up and scanned their surroundings more carefully. Everything looked exactly as it had before they started their session. He pulled himself up onto his knees and looked around again. Nothing moved. Nothing looked out of the ordinary.
He reached down and felt for her pulse. Counting, he quickly calculated her pulse as in the low 80s. Just a little high. And she was again concentrating on maintaining slow and even breaths. Giving her another quick glance, he scooted the radio over near her hand, "You stay here. I'm going to make a quick sweep. Be back in 10 or 15."
"Right. Staying here," she agreed without opening her eyes and with the edges of her mouth turning up just a smidge.
He gave her arm one final squeeze and then moved off to check the area.
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TBC
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Author's Notes: Thanks so much to all who have submitted reviews!
And as in Chapter 43 (Mortality), the lyrics quoted earlier are after the song 'Live Like You Were Dying', by Craig Wiseman and Tim Nichols. If you'd like to hear the song sung by Tim McGraw, go to wwwdotsmashitsusadotcom/index.cfm?PageAudio&SubPagealbumdetails&AlbumID634 (and replace the dots with periods)
And, I'd like to thank Karen Swiatek for her review where she suggested that Sam and Jack should begin constructing a more permanent shelter of some sort. :)
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