Strident tones accompanied by blinking lights caused a sudden burst of activity. Thor focused on his readouts and controls while the two Nox stepped back over to the side of Sam's biopod. The five humans watched with mounting concern.

Sam's body jerked and convulsed.

Jack reflexively tried to move forward again, but both Daniel and Teal'c held onto him.

- - -

- - -

Ch 62: CONNECTIONS

- - -

Sam's body jerked and convulsed again.

Lya was watching Sam closely while Anteaus was watching Thor. The Asgard was working the controls of his instrument panel and seemingly oblivious to the onlookers.

A few minutes later, Thor looked at Anteaus and nodded silently. The Nox returned the small nod and turned back to face Sam at Lya's side. As before, the Nox raised their arms and then crossed them at the wrists.

Within moments the images of Sam and the two Nox became a shimmering translucence.

The silent minutes passed agonizingly slow for the five human observers.

And then the three images became solid again. The two Nox studied Sam for a moment and then Anteaus stepped over towards Thor while Lya placed a gentle hand on Sam's shoulder while continuing to watch her.

Jack moved forward, and this time Teal'c and Daniel let him go. He moved to stand on the other side of the biopod from Lya.

"Is she-?" Jack asked incompletely.

Lya looked up at the Tauri across from her and sent him a compassionate look, "Her mind is… disconnected… from this reality."

"Disconnected?" Jack echoed as his eyes scrutinized Sam's face for any hopeful signs. Absently, he brushed his fingers across her forehead, gently sweeping her hair out of her face.

"That portion that you would call the mind and soul remains in the interdimensional realm traversed by the wormholes," Anteaus explained incompletely as he returned to Lya's side.

"In our earlier session, we were able to repair the basic physical injuries and we could distantly sense her consciousness," Lya picked up the thread. "But we were unable to make contact."

Before the humans could ask another question, Thor offered, "A few minutes ago, Samantha Carter's heart began to fail. I believe that humans call it ventricular fibrillation," the Asgard clarified and then added, "Through the biopod, I administered basic resuscitation."

Dragon muttered, "Asgard CPR…," to which the small grey alien nodded slightly.

"And now?" Jack asked with foreboding.

"And now her basic autonomic functions are restored," Thor replied and then added, "However, her biosigns are not strong and will undoubtedly deteriorate again."

"I thought you said that her physical injuries were repaired from that… see-through-ghosty… session?" Jack addressed the two silent Nox.

"Our healing techniques are holistic and require the integration of the mind and body for complete and proper healing," Anteaus replied calmly.

"Unfortunately, without Samantha's mind participating in the healing session, we are unable to completely restore her to health," Lya continued the explanation.

"I don't remember my mind participating in any 'healing session' when you brought us back after Apophis and his Jaffa killed us a few years ago," Jack pointed out.

"You would not remember," Lya responded and then clarified, "We work primarily with the subconscious."

"As long as her mind is detached from her body, we are unable to completely heal her," Anteaus reiterated. "We can heal some physical injuries, as we did earlier, but we can not prevent new problems from occurring. As her mind interacts with the interdimensional realm, there may be… repercussions… experienced by her physical body… such as occurred a few moments ago. Although her mind is effectively consciously disconnected from this space-time, there still exists a weak physical link with her body. It is fragile and unstable, however, and she does not know what she must do to return. She is undoubtedly not even aware of where she actually is."

"We will work with Thor and attempt to combine Asgard medical knowledge with the techniques of the Nox," Lya added gently.

"Like you did when Thor got her heart going properly again and then you helped her from there?" Dragon asked.

"Yes," Lya replied with a small smile.

A few moments of silence passed as the five humans digested the new information.

"Will you place ColonelCarter in stasis?" Teal'c reminded them of an option that Thor had mentioned before they had arrived at the Nox planet.

Anteaus replied, "Unfortunately, stasis would effectively remove her body from this space-time and her mind would not have anything to recognize when she searches to return."

"So how do we get her back?" Jack's worry and concern lending itself to irritation and a lack of patience. The others gave him understanding looks.

"General O'Neill, in order for us to fully understand Colonel Carter's current condition, we would greatly appreciate it if you could relate the details leading up to her injury," Anteaus requested politely.

"Where do you want me to start?" Jack asked wearily.

"We need as much detail as possible," Lya replied.

And with that Jack finally launched into a synopsis of the events over the past four and a half months. When he got to Sam's accounts of the green glow between her palm and his chest when he had the fever, the Nox asked specific questions… most of which he couldn't answer as he hadn't been awake. And again, when he recounted how Sam had healed his injuries from his ill-fated trip in the river, the Nox asked specific questions. This time he could answer a few more, as he'd been awake at the beginning of the healing process. He could tell them about the green glow, and the warm feeling in his chest. And he described Sam's gradual recovery over the next week to ten days.

When it came to their experiments with the Stargate, he booted up the laptop and showed them Sam's summary log, the data files and photo sequences. He let them read Sam's more detailed accounts of her experiences and increasing control over the images and objects when connected to the 'Gate. He interspersed his own observations and experiences. The two Nox and one Asgard asked the occasional question, but mostly absorbed the information quietly.

- - - -

After Jack was finished recounting the salient points that he could remember, Thor beamed another biopod into the room and proceeded to run scans on each of the five humans in succession. When pressed, the Asgard stated that Jack's medical information would be compared with Sam's and then both Sam and Jack's would be compared to that of the other four as well as known Tauri and Jaffa norms.

The Asgard and the Nox also questioned Daniel, Teal'c, Dr. Rider and Lt. Hailey regarding their experiences over the past four and a half months. When all of the data was collected, the Asgard and the two Nox perused the mass of information while the humans picked at a meal of cold rations.

Finally, the three aliens rejoined the SGC personnel. "General O'Neill," Anteaus addressed Jack.

"Can you heal her?" Jack asked directly.

"We can, perhaps, help," the Nox replied obliquely, and then clarified slightly with, "However, it is most likely that only the members of SG-1 or Colonel Carter's close family members will have the most success assisting with her recovery."

"Uh… what does that mean?" Daniel asked carefully.

And here Anteaus deferred to Thor and the Asgard replied, "General O'Neill and Colonel Carter accessed a portion of the Stargate system not previously accessed by humans such as the Tauri. In fact, few Asgard have ever been able to access the individual interface controls."

"Yeah, we sorta keep doing that type of thing… going where you folks all think we can't," Jack replied sarcastically. He was oh-so-tired of the so-called 'older and more advance races' telling the people of Earth how primitive they were. Usually the Asgard were more reserved and diplomatic about those types of comments. Or, at least Thor usually was.

"I did not mean to imply an insult, O'Neill," Thor replied calmly.

"Yeah, well…," Jack sent back dismissively.

The small grey alien returned to his explanation, "The Stargate's individual interface controls are controlled by the user's mind. Those who are usually able to access the interface tend to be the individuals who are gifted with an innate understanding of the natural forces and fabric of the universe and its phenomena."

"Well, three guesses as to who you just described," Jack returned.

"Colonel Carter is definitely one of the most gifted of the Tauri in her understanding and comprehension of the physical sciences. However, that in and of itself was not enough," Thor continued. "The naquadah in her blood helped amplify and channel her control and the native diet on the planet supplied several key elements and organic molecules in higher levels than the normal Tauri diet."

"The planet's location in space is also important," Anteaus added. "Access is easier where the two realms are closer and/or the dimensional-fabric between them is weaker."

"What?" Jennifer asked with both eyebrows raised.

"It is difficult to explain interdimensional physics in the current language of the Tauri," Thor apologized.

"Our homeworld is in such a favorable spatial location," Anteaus continued. "We believe it is one of the reasons that we can access the dimensions that we do so easily."

"Aside from these physical factors, each member of SG-1 also provided something that combined together to yield the final results," Lya supplied.

At their quizzical looks, Anteaus picked up the explanation, "Each of you is connected to the other. We are all connected to those close to us. These connections vary in strength, intensity and potential."

"How very… Buddha..ish…," Jack returned slowly and skeptically.

Lya smiled, "Thor has prepared an illustration," and she turned to the Asgard and nodded.

A viewscreen in the opposite wall lit up to show four lighted icons at the corners of a square. Thor explained, "Going clockwise, the red oval represents O'Neill, the yellow one represents Colonel Carter, the green one is Doctor Jackson and the blue one is Teal'c.

Next, six colored lines appeared between the four symbols, forming the sides of a square with anX through the middle.

The sides of the square were
…an orange line between Jack and Sam.
…a purple line between Jack and Teal'c,
…a blue-green line between Teal'c and Daniel
…a yellow-green line between Sam and Daniel
And the diagonals were
…a brown line between Daniel and Jack
…a green line between Sam and Teal'c.

"We are all connected to those around us," Anteaus repeated his earlier statement and then added, "However, the bonds between the members of SG-1 are particularly strong and unique. Each of you has attributes and events in your lives that have added to your distinctive abilities."

"Doctor Jackson has Ascended…and descended…, he exchanged consciousnesses with the alien Ma'chello, and he has shared his mind with a dozen trapped Ardenan souls," Lya commented and Daniel's cheeks flushed lightly.

"Teal'c has achieved a very high level of Kel'nor'reem, and is one of very, very few Jaffa to ever survive the Rite of Mal Sharran," Anteaus added.

"O'Neill has possessed the knowledge of the Ancients on two different occasions, and has had symbiotes on at least two other occasions," Lya supplied.

"Colonel Carter had the symbiote Jolinar die while inside of her, she was possessed by the organism that you refer to as The Entity, and she shared consciousnesses with the Ascended Orlin," Anteaus listed.

"We do realize that these are just some of the highlights of what the members of SG-1 have experienced over the past many years," Lya serenely added.

"The ultimate result, however, is that each of you is individually unique and in the possession of special talents and abilities," Anteaus summarized.

"General O'Neill has operated the technology of the Ancients, as against the Replicators," Lya provided an example.

"Colonel Carter has operated Goa'uld technology such as the healing and hand devices," Anteaus took his turn.

"Doctor Jackson has accessed some of his memories from his time as one of the Ascended," Lya spoke calmly.

"And Teal'c has recently achieved the highest level of Kel'nor'reem before one begins the process of Ascending," Anteaus proclaimed the first thing that neither Jack nor Daniel was aware of. The two men of SG-1 turned and studied the Jaffa questioningly.

"Were you thinking of telling us before you went all glowy?" Jack asked with raised eyebrows.

"I am many years from such a goal, O'Neill," Teal'c returned solemnly.

"Ah. Well, … I guess it's ok then…," Jack returned but then couldn't help adding, "But you'd better at least let us give you a going away party or something."

The Jaffa simply quirked an eyebrow at him and did not reply.

Turning back to the Asgard and the Nox, Jack commented, "OK, that's a real colorful diagram up there, and I think we all get the point that the past several years have had some pretty unusual effects on us all – but what does it have to do with helping Sam?"

"Colonel Carter was learning to control the interface through repeated experimentation. While this is scientific, it is also highly dangerous. Historically, the first explorers into new realms die because the true dangers can not yet be fathomed," and here Daniel, Doctor Rider and Lt. Hailey were all nodding their understanding.

"Samantha's natural talents and abilities allowed her to progress much further than most could ever hope to achieve without proper instructions or guidance; however, the interdimensional energies captured and controlled by the Stargate are immense and it is most likely that she would have eventually suffered brain damage or simply lost her ability to relate with the physical world," Lya explained.

"You mean she would have gone insane?" Doctor Rider asked with a grimace.

"In your vocabulary, yes, she could have gone insane," Thor answered solemnly. Several of the SGC personnel winced and Jack looked over at the silent figure in the biopod.

"O'Neill's experience with the technology of the Ancients provided Samantha with a stabilizing factor which allowed her to achieve a higher degree of control much sooner than she would have otherwise attained through simple repeated attempts," Lya continued the explanation.

"I didn't have a clue what I was doing, but Sam seemed to pick up on the controls," Jack commented while not taking his eyes off of her.

"Yes, from your descriptions and her journal entries, the two of you achieved an amazing degree of control in a very short time," Anteaus remarked and Jack just shrugged but didn't say anything.

"What you didn't have, however, was a reference point," Thor accurately identified their main problem. "You did not have a starting point or a map to guide your explorations."

Jack simply nodded silently, unable to disagree.

"Doctor Jackson and Teal'c supplied the direction that you needed," Lya smiled at the two men, who looked at each other questioningly.

"I don't…," Daniel started to comment while thinking back over the past several months.

"It was nothing that you did consciously, Doctor Jackson," Lya assured the archeologist.

"Ah," was all that Daniel could manage.

"When you transited a wormhole at the same time that Jack and Samantha were operating the Stargate interface, the connection between the four of you gave them direction. You would have felt the effects as disorientation, while they felt the effects as an apparent loss of control over the direction of their exploring wormhole," Lya expanded the explanation.

"And the last time, we actually connected," Jack stated as the images of that last 'Gate session ran through his mind.

"Actually, you commandeered the outgoing wormhole from the Earth's SGC," Thor corrected and several Tauri eyebrows went up.

"Commandeered?" Jennifer Hailey questioned as she attempted to understand the physics involved.

"Yes, the SGC had established a wormhole to another planet," Thor began and Lt. Hailey supplied, "P0X-628," and then Thor continued, "and General O'Neill and Colonel Carter diverted you while in transit."

"Diverted?" Hailey echoed as she ran through the possibilities and ramifications.

"It was one heck of a ride," Dragon remarked dryly.

"Only your unique histories and experiences coupled with the connections between the four of you allowed you to find each other within the realm that the wormholes must travel. It is highly unlikely that any other group of individuals would be able to repeat your experience," Anteaus continued.

"OK, not to sound ungrateful for all of your time and…explanation, but how is all of this going to help Sam?" Jack tried once more to get back on topic.

"Her mind is lost in the interdimensional realm traversed by the wormholes. We could not reach her, but you may be able to," Lya returned empathetically.

"Because of our… connections with her?" Daniel asked and the Nox nodded quietly.

"So what do we do?" Jack asked again and the two Nox smiled gently at him.

- - -

TBC

- - -

- - -

Author's Notes:
As always, a Special Thanks to SG-1 Yahoo Transcripts
wwwdotmoon-catchindotnet/transcripts.htm (just replace the dots with periods)
Episode 107, 'The Nox', transcript by Lauren Freeman
Episode 217, 'Holiday', transcript by AQ
Episode 502, 'Threshold', transcript by AQ

And, credit also goes to the Episode Guide & Synopses at the SciFi Channel's Stargate SG-1 website
Episode 207: Message In A Bottle
Episode 217: Holiday
Episode 706: Lifeboat
Episode 744: Orpheus

- - -