Fourteen
/ EARTH /
They were all getting desperate. Soon, General Hammond would be forced to call off the attempt to retrieve Colonel O'Neill, and he would be listed Missing In Action. And they were all feeling the pressure.
Sam and Walter, and even Siler, had gone over every possible answer, tried every conceivable solution, and a few that Sam considered 'way out there.' Even Teal'C had given a few ideas, but nothing had worked. The Gate refused to lock onto that seventh chevron no matter what they did.
Desperation hung heavy in the air. The rest were trained Military; they held up better under stress. Daniel; however, was a civilian, a scientist, and most importantly – to him anyway – Jack's friend. The desperate energy weighed on him and drove him to the Control Room for one last-ditch effort. He was going to try the Gate one more time just out of that desperation. What choice did he have? He couldn't simply do nothing!
As he entered the room, Walter looked up from the Dialing Computer. He did not say anything though. What could he say? He knew how they all felt about this. He turned back to the terminal and stared at the screen morosely.
"Walter, I want to make one last try." Daniel said softly. He did not have the energy for any more than that now. Too much stress and not enough sleep were catching up with him and taking their toll. "And please don't argue. I don't have the energy to fight you on this."
Normally, Walter would have reminded him that they needed authorization from the General for any dialing, but Hammond had said to do whatever was necessary until he told them otherwise, until he had to pull the plug. So he merely nodded and began the dialing sequence for P3X-796.
"Chevron One encoded." He droned, each chevron following the next. Both held their breath as the Dialing Computer tried to lock that seventh chevron. The Gate spun, the seventh symbol stopping under the locking mechanism. The locking mechanism lowered then raised. "Chevron Seven locked!" Walter blinked. "It . . . locked this time."
Daniel released a breath he had not realized he'd been holding. A grin spread slowly over his features as he reached for the Comm key. "Sam, Teal'C, get up to Control. We have a wormhole!" He enthused, cutting the comms then. They would understand what he meant, he was sure. "Shut it down, wait five minutes, then try again just to make sure." He told Walter.
Walter nodded and closed the Gate. Daniel stood back, joining the other two as the entered, a grin on his face. Five minutes later, the Gate came to life again. And again, it locked. Whatever had happened, it seemed, had been fixed.
They could go find Jack!
Hammond had come in behind Sam and Teal'C. Relief was evident in the General's voice as he looked at the three members of SG-1. "Suit up. You leave as soon as you're suited." The three grinned and left the Control Room, each sending his or her own thoughts out to their lost companion.