Carter stepped down from the plinth the 'gate on P3Z-609 was mounted on, scanning the surrounding area with a practised eye. The ground stretched away to the horizon, pancake flat in every conceivable direction. There were animals grazing in the distance, quadrupedal and horned. The grass was waist height and she could feel the razor edges of the individual blades slicing against her trousers. As she moved through the grass occasionally the point of a blade would stab her, drawing blood.
"Nice place," Daniel remarked dryly.
She nodded. "MALP readings indicate naquada deposits a two klicks away."
Daniel winced. "So... what happened after we left last night?"
"Nothing," she replied evenly.
Chancing a glance sideways she saw he was looking at her skeptically. "Nothing?"
"Nothing," she repeated, starting to laugh.
"Oh," he said, sounding vaguely disappointed.
"You're worse than Cassie," she informed him.
"Probably."
They had sat on a low wall outside the bar while she waited for her cab. "So, have you had good night?"
"Not bad."
Daniel saw her smile take on a slightly misty edge and formed his own (quite incorrect) conclusions about what had happened after he had dragged Teal'c away.
"Not bad..." The words had seemed to hang in the air. She had shivered. "You cold?"
"A bit."
He had hesitated, won some inner battle and, uncharacteristically timid, put an arm around her bare shoulders. For a moment, the breath had caught in her throat. Then the memory of another arm, another man, surfaced and she felt the twinge of guilt again.
She blinked bringing herself back to the present. They were wandering too far east and she took a bearing and altered their course. The grass was shorter now, no longer ripping at her fingers, only sporadically stabbing her knees.
Her cab, with timing she should be used to by now, had pulled up. She had stood, ending her moment of guilty pleasure, and he had grinned at her; waiting for her to say... something.
"I guess I'll see you tomorrow."
"As we work together," he had replied quickly, his normal self once more, "I'd say that's pretty likely. You have a briefing at oh-seven-hundred."
Somehow the mention of work, of the SGC and the military way he had reminded her of the time made her feel sad. "Yeah I know."
The cab-driver had sighed impatiently.
"See you then," he had said, standing himself.
"Good night si-Jack."
"Goodnight Carter," he had said, half-laughing.
Their was an infinitesimally long moment and then she turned away to get into the waiting car and at the same moment he grabbed her arm. He planted a kiss on her cheek softly, his hold on her arm betraying his nervousness, at odds with the gentleness of his kiss.
"Goodnight, Sam."
Realising her smile was growing out of control she once again forced her errant mind to focus on the job in hand.
It took twenty minutes to locate where the deposit ran close enough to the surface for SG-1 to be able to dig out samples from the topsoil. As they unpacked their tools the dark clouds began racing across what had been an azure blue sky. Carter surveyed them worriedly. The air was growing clammy with a wet heat.
"Let's get this done quickly, guys," she said, "I don't like the look of those clouds."
"We're not bothered by a little rain, Sam," Daniel smiled.
"I know," she returned, smiling back despite her anxiety. The tiny hairs all over her body were standing on end. The air began to taste like hot tin.
After ten minutes she estimated they had enough ore for the present. Hastily cramming it into their packs, the first ominous growls of thunder could be heard. She swore under her breath.
"Back to the 'gate," she ordered. The two men needed no urging as rain began to splatter their faces, cold and fat droplets of water.
The clammy heat was fast dissipating, driven away by roaring winds that waved the saw-grass, causing it to whip their legs and bare hands viciously. All of them were bleeding when the first visible bolt of lightning rent the sky; a vivid fork of yellow fire that burned itself into the back of the eyeball and flashed in their field of vision for several moments after it faded. The sky was the colour of brass.
"Run!" Carter yelled as the first wave of heavy rain beat down on them. The water was driven by the rushing wind into their faces so hard it stung. The 'gate still seemed impossibly far away as another crack tore the sky. It started to hail.
Pellets of ice ricocheted off their bodies, faces and packs, drawing blood and bruising. The thunder was an ever present assault on the eardrum as lightning stabbed again and again. With a thrill of horror Carter realised the storm was drawing closer. The lightning would seek out the three of them, being the tallest object (bar the 'gate) for literally miles around, laced with metal.
"EVERYBODY DOWN!" she screamed. Teal'c heard and obeyed. Daniel hesitated for a moment, loathe to further tear his skin in the grass. Then realisation struck him and he fell onto his stomach as if he had already been struck by a bolt.
Carter crawled on her elbows to the men, the grass opening a slash across her cheeks and forehead. Her hands were running with blood.
"We'll have to crawl to the 'gate!" she shouted above the din of the weather.
It was torturous progress, the grass doing untold damage to their hands, knees and faces; the assault by the thundering heavens almost too brutal to bear.
After what seemed like a hellish eternity, they reached the DHD. Carter reached up gingerly, confident now the Stargate would be a more likely target for the lightening rather than themselves and began dialing home.
The noise of the 'gate was lost in the storm but a familiar whoosh signaled that the wormhole had engaged as normal. Teal'c was already up and running, jumping onto the plinth and sending the GDO signal. The others followed him, Carter making sure that Teal'c and Daniel were already on route before she herself leapt into the shimmering event horizon, as a good commander should.
As she jumped she was aware of the ground rumbling, a tremendous sensation of pressure.
As she disappeared through the event horizon the bolt of lightning struck the 'gate, great caterpillars of crackling blue energy leaping from chevron to chevron.
Daniel was expecting to land on the ramp in the 'gate room. Instead, he found himself flying out of the 'gate. Time seemed to slow as he fell ungracefully to the concrete floor; he had more than enough time to take in the horrified expressions of the people operating the dialing computers before he smacked into the ground.
As his scream of pain rent the air Teal'c came through the 'gate. Being heavier than Daniel his flight path was shorter: he hit the ramp hard and rolled to the base of the metal grate, lying utterly still.
As he rolled, Carter burst from the event horizon, flying as Daniel had and landing on the concrete as the medical team burst through the doors with their stretchers. She stood up shakily. "I'm okay," she murmured as a medic began fussing over her.
She caught sight of O'Neill who had run from his office to the 'gate room.
"I'm okay," she repeated.
He simply stared blankly at her as she wiped the water off her forehead, before it dripped in her eyes. She gaped in shock at her hand which came away berry red with blood.