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Thor calmly spoke into the silence, "I have been monitoring all of their vital signs continuously, and my calculations project that General O'Neill will lose his link with this space-time in approximately 98 of your Earth-based hours, while Colonel Carter will lose her link in approximately 43 Earth-hours."
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Ch 67: STEPPING STONES
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"What can we do?" Lt. Hailey finally broke the heavy silence.
"Can I try and reach them the way that Jack tried to get Sam?" Daniel asked.
"And then what? We have three of you lying there?" Dragon countered quickly.
"The connections between you are strong," Lya nodded affirmatively, "And we shall have to be more careful in our next attempt."
"And what shall that entail?" Teal'c enquired.
The two Nox studied each other silently for a moment and then Anteaus replied, "On our next attempt, we believe that several of you should join with us at the same time."
"To form a sort of… chain… or series of links… from where the General and Colonel are, back to our connection with this space-time realm," Lya extended the explanation.
"How many of us will you require?" Teal'c asked formally.
"As many as you wish to attempt," Anteaus replied and then continued with, "We will require some time to rest and recuperate before we can begin another effort. We will retire to the quarters that Thor has provided for us," and he nodded respectfully at the Asgard, "and we will return in 14 or 15 of your Earth-based hours."
"You may tell us at that time, which of you will be participating in the next attempt to retrieve General O'Neill and Colonel Carter," Lya spoke with her ever-present gentle tones.
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The Nox and the Asgard had retired and the four Tauri stood around the two silent figures in the biopods.
"DanielJackson and I will join the Nox for the next attempt to retrieve GeneralO'Neill and ColonelCarter," Teal'c stated calmly.
But Dragon shook her head negatively, "I don't think that's such a good idea," and she looked up at the Jaffa seriously, "The four of you are too deeply connected. Both the Nox and the Asgard acknowledge and recognize the bonds between you. If the two of you go in, there's a good chance we'll lose you the same way that we lost General O'Neill."
"But we have to go because we have the connection with them," Daniel pointed out. "Neither you or Jennifer would have as high a chance at sensing Jack or Sam."
And both Dragon and Jennifer were nodding their understanding, but then Lt. Hailey explained further, "Yes, but we also need someone to provide the link back to this space-time… someone who isn't as connected to the General and the Colonel."
"The links in the chain," Daniel murmured as he scanned the quiet faces of his two long-time friends and then looked up at the other three. Stepping over to Thor's console, he brought up the diagram which symbolically showed the connections between the original members of SG-1. Sliding the stones around on the control board, he added two icons and then added lines between them. The resulting diagram was now two squares, stacked one on top of the other.
"Let me guess, that's Jennifer and I?" and Dragon pointed at the two new icons.
Daniel nodded with a small answering smile, "Jack and Sam are still the red and yellow icons at the top. Teal'c and I are the still the blue and green ones, but now we're in the middle, and you and Jennifer are the white and pink icons at the bottom".
The sides of the top square were still
…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 of the top square were still
…a brown line between Daniel and Jack
…a green line between Sam and Teal'c.
The sides of the bottom square were
… a blue-green line between Teal'c and Daniel
…a light purple line between Jennifer and Teal'c
…a light green line between Dragon and Daniel
…a light pink line between Jennifer and Dragon
And the diagonals of the bottom square were
…a light brown line between Daniel and Jennifer
…a light blue line between Dragon and Teal'c.
"Links in a chain," Daniel mused.
"Or more like a web," Jennifer remarked and the others nodded as they contemplated the implications.
They discussed the options. Daniel and Dragon could go next, with Daniel searching for Jack and Sam and Dragon providing the link back. But both Teal'c and Jennifer felt that Daniel and Dragon made a combination that was too emotionally charged… and presented a possibility of resulting in four biopods with silent occupants.
Teal'c and Jennifer were another possible combination, and Teal'c suggested that his experience with Kel'nor'reem could provide him with additional methods for retaining the link back to this space-time.
Various combinations of three were discussed and then they examined the possibility of all four of them at once.
They had no idea how many more attempts they would be able to try. Anteaus and Lya needed a 14-15 hour rest period after the last attempt, and Thor's calculations indicated that Sam would completely lose her link to this reality in another 41-42 hours. But how long did they have until the links were too weak for their friends to follow?
They ultimately decided that all four of them gave them the highest chances of success. They could draw on Daniel's passionate, emotional connections with both Jack and Sam…and back to Dragon. They could draw on Teal'c mastery of the realm of the subconscious with Kel'nor'reem… and his connections with Jack, Sam, Daniel, Dragon and Jennifer. An addition, they could also draw on Jennifer's connection with Sam.
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The river rippled by quietly in the late afternoon sun. Jack was propped up against a tree and with his arms around Sam - who was sitting between his legs and leaning back against his chest.
'How long have we been here?' Jack asked idly as they were both getting drowsy.
'I don't know,' she admitted distractedly and then asked, 'How long was I here before you joined me?'
His brow furrowed as he tried to concentrate on absolutes instead of the abstract feelings that they'd been sharing. Memories flashed through his mind and he shared them with her. Their connection with the 'Gate… the arrival of Daniel, Teal'c, Dr. Rider and Lt. Hailey…camp… watching her sleep… the night stars… and then Thor's ship… some discussion… and then his arrival here with her, with the help of the Nox.
'How long did the time before I came feel like, compared to the time after?'
'Forever,' she answered honestly and she couldn't stop the images and feelings of her sluggish struggle with awareness and her repeated bouts of disconnected semi-consciousness. Her pain made his heart ache and she felt his love wash over her with that undercurrent of gentle fizzing that she knew was his essence.
'I was supposed to bring you back,' his words floated softly into her mind.
'Back where?' she returned, not taking her eyes off the flickering reflections on the water.
'Back…,' and his thoughts drifted, '…somewhere… I lost the… connection…when I found you,' and she felt his mental shrug.
'They might be worried,' she stated speculatively but without fervor.
'They might,' he agreed.
'Do you want to go back?' she asked softly.
'No,' came back quickly… and then, 'Do you know how… to get back?'
'No… I don't even understand where we are or what we're doing here,' she confessed.
'Do you want to go back?' he asked tentatively.
'No,' she admitted, 'I like it right here,' and they both saw themselves sitting on that riverbank with his arms around her.
'So do I.'
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"Are you well rested?" Anteaus asked the four SGC members.
"Yes, thank you," Daniel replied courteously and then asked, "Are you and Lya recovered enough for a second attempt to reach Jack and Sam?"
"Yes, and thank you for asking," Lya replied with a gracious smile.
They discussed their plan with the two Nox and the Asgard, none of whom seemed surprised at their decision for all four of them to participate in the second attempt. The three aliens confirmed the humans' suspicions that the attempts would become more and more difficult as time passed… as Sam and Jack's links with this reality waned and faded.
When they were all set and ready, Lya and Anteaus again positioned themselves between Jack and Sam. With their backs to each other, but touching, the two Nox held their arms crossed over at the wrists and over the prone officers' chests. The four SGC members waited and watched.
Just as before, the two aliens began to shimmer and then became translucent. Moments later so did Jack and Sam.
Daniel and Teal'c turned to Thor, who inspected the readings on his console and then nodded silently to the two men. Turning back, the two men stepped over between the two biopods and next to the two Nox. Remembering the directions they'd been given, they stood back to back and lifted their arms and clasped their hands around the smooth, palm-sized stones that the Nox had given them, roughly mimicking the positions of the two Nox. Finally, they stepped sideways a half-step and brought themselves into contact with the translucent, shimmering images of the two Nox.
Dragon and Jennifer watched silently as the smooth stones began to glow softly and then the images of Daniel and Teal'c began to shimmer and then became translucent.
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Daniel felt an enveloping sense of security that he slowly realized was that of the Nox. Next, he identified the rock-solid serenity that had to be Teal'c.
Teal'c also felt the guiding and protecting presences that must be that of the Nox. And next, he quickly identified the passion and enthusiasm that was DanielJackson.
Slowly images appeared for the two men. Images of two endless and infinite planes. Parallel to each other and stretching into the distance. And between the two planes, both men recognized a distant field of stars. The planes did not ripple or wander as Jack had described. The view of the stars stayed static and stable.
Both men knew that the Nox were providing the control and stability that maintained the clarity and stationary aspects of what they were now experiencing.
'Search for your friends,' came gently into the minds of both men.
Teal'c allowed his familiarity with Kel'nor'reem to free his subconscious and search the new realm around him. Daniel drew upon his time with Oma Desala…before his ascension… and also with his time spent learning Kel'nor'reem with Teal'c.
The two men slowly felt the space around them. Recognizing the stable presence of the Nox, and then identifying the uniqueness that was each other.
They turned slowly and in tandem, agreeing to concentrate their efforts. Sweeping through a full 360-degrees, they noted each other and the Nox, but could not identify anything relating to Jack or Sam.
Agreeing that they needed to move further away from their starting point, the Nox provided them with a sense of which side they had come from and the two men faced directly away and scanned the space ahead.
Time passed unknowingly for the two men.
Minutes, hours or days, they could not tell the difference.
'We must stop,' Daniel felt Teal'c's words and the two men stopped their forward motion between the two planes.
'It is time,' and again this came from Teal'c and Daniel understood. Teal'c had been maintaining a watchful eye on the strength of their connection with the two Nox. And now it was time for the next stage of their plan. The Nox understood and agreed.
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Back in the 'normal' space-time, Dragon and Jennifer watched as Daniel and Teal'c joined the two Nox. Moments later the images of the two SGC men began to shimmer and waver as they too became translucent.
Forty-five minutes passed and both women were getting worried when Thor's console beeped and the Asgard signaled that it was time for the women to join the growing group between the biopods.
Following the same steps that Daniel and Teal'c had followed, Dragon and Jennifer placed themselves back to back and beside the two men. Next, they lifted their arms and clasped their hands around their own smooth, palm-sized stones and then slid sideways until they were in contact with the shimmering images of their teammates.
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Jennifer and Dragon both felt the same comforting security from the Nox and then felt Lya's words, 'Relax, and allow the feelings and images to come to you.'
'Easier said than done,' Jennifer thought to herself and then felt an amused curiosity that she knew must be Dragon.
Dragon, on the other hand, felt the sharpness of the young officer… the sharpness of her mind and of her youthful opinions and wit.
Together the two women followed the gentle directions from the Nox and the images of the two planes and distant stars quickly took form.
'They are waiting for you,' floated gently into both women's minds and they again followed the provided guidance to locate the others of their team. Both women felt the presences of the men as the men felt the presences of the women. Together the four created that square web of links that they'd diagrammed on the Asgard screen. Feeling each other and relying on each other.
Slowly the women advanced towards the men.
Stopping when the Nox indicated that they should go no further.
And now Daniel and Teal'c could resume their search.
Staying together, but extending outwards in arcs of ever-increasing radius.
Again, time lost meaning for the humans.
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Teal'c felt something… There.
Daniel stopped and focused on the direction that had captured the Jaffa's attention.
Something was there.
Something… out of place…
Something… that disturbed the otherwise placid regularity of this space.
The two men advanced slowly…
…and then they felt a warm, gentle fizzing… very faint…almost a tickling…
…and as it got stronger, they sensed a familiarity…
…and their confidence grew…
A tear in the glimmering plane.
A rippling surface similar to an event horizon spread from edge to edge.
No gaps to see through… no gaps to see what was on the other side.
But there was no doubt that Jack and Sam were there.
Behind that shimmering curtain."
The two men could feel the presence of their two friends strongly.
'We need to go in,' he sent to Teal'c and felt the Jaffa's agreement.
Consulting back with Dragon and Jennifer and then to the Nox, they decided to bring Dragon up to their current position while Jennifer maintained her location and their link back. Once Dragon joined them, she studied the shimmering surface curiously and shared her observations and impressions with Jennifer.
'Be careful,' Jennifer and Dragon sent and then felt Teal'c's calm stability and Daniel's warm reassurance.
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Passing easily though the shimmering surface, Daniel and Teal'c found themselves standing on the shore of a lake nestled amongst the trees.
In tandem, their eyes fell upon two motionless forms lying on the sandy beach.
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TBC
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