Chapter 1: - Double or nothing
GATE ROOM, 08:00
There was a distinct frosty atmosphere in the grey gate room; the heaters in the base were fully on, blasting away the underground chill but the cold tension between O'Neill and the Colonel could have turned hell to a ski resort. Lightening sparks seemed to fly between their eyes whenever they caught each other's glance.
Daniel, the more openly perceptive of the SG1 members grabbed Carters attention slyly by leaning to her in an act that was supposed to be him checking his "utility belt" as Jack double-checked the preliminary analysis of their next destination. "Sam" he muttered, trying not to draw attention to them, but unfortunately the doctor has never really done unobvious.
"What has Jack done this time?" Carters ignored the question, she holstered he side arm in a roughly as though she'd never heard him. The archaeologist straightened up, the general surveyed him. "Don't eat anything foreign, Daniel, enjoy"
What was wrong with good luck, have fun, watch your back. . .
Teal'c laughed, that menacing Jaffa laugh; Jack gave him a thoughtful stare- what ever did go on in Teal'c's brain? - A study for area 51 maybe. With that normal proceedings pursued, SG1 walked through the gate, Jack sauntered back to his office and the gate swooshed shut.
PX3- 901Expertly waving a Sam-patented piece of equipment; Carter plotted their trajectory to the temple, the only indication that this wasn't a giant icicle.
GATE ROOM
Normality had ebbed away from the situation and slamming his hands brutishly on the desk, making the screen with Carters head on it shudder, General O'Neil repeated, being forcibly calm, "Stuck?" He raised an angry eyebrow- a move he'd been taught by Teal'c.
Carter blinked and repeated, "Sir, there's not much we can do". She could see Jack run his fingers through his hair and the pained look on his face, why did that man have such a quick temper anyway- It was not as though she'd planned the DHD to disappear on a sheet of ice- Oh yeah, way t'go Sam- on the bright side the gate was there, stuck on a chevron for some reason, but present none the less.
Jack sighed heavily. It wasn't her fault, however she was probably thrilled about turning around to see the intergalactic remote had left the iceberg- heck she might have moved it herself, knocked Daniel out, distracted Teal'c with something shiny . . . no, paranoia so not the way to go on this one.
"Any sign of planetary life?"
Other than your stubborn ass, doctor does-little and Teal'c, Jack mused sarcastically- therapists had been telling him for years that it was a defence mechanism.
"Nothing different from what came back from what we saw this morning thanks to our MALP"
Honestly- I can't even operate a MALP now, huh?
"AHH!"
Anguish cry somewhere off screen, finally something satisfying , Jack grinned for a moment but then suppressed it and tried to be serious- Who bright idea was it that he'd run this place anyway!
"Carter?"
"Wasn't me, Sir, it was Daniel"
"I know. What's he done?"Jack asked impatiently
With no warning whatsoever the link broke,the generalsmashed something, spilt coffee everywhere and marched angrily back to his office and the comfort of his tanned leather chair.
General Jacks Office
Jack was flicking through notes; he stared at the words but their gathered meaning didn't penetrate his brain.
What had she meant? How the hell was Jack cold? Women worshiped him!Said a voice in Jack's head.
She wants me"Apparently as much as she wanted a hole in the head", he snapped at himself outloud. He andCarter had had a rather awkward conversation this morning that began with, "Pete, eh?" and ended with, "NOT IF YOU WERE DIEING AND IT WERE YOUR LAST REQUEST" Not exactly the, "What was I thinking? Pete! I only have eyes for you!" response that had turned up in his mind many a time.
PX3- 901, now affectionately known as " God Forsaken Middle of Nowhere""Sir? Sir? SIR? Sir, do you read me?"
No he didn't.
Carter turned on her heel to face Daniel who was lying on the crunchy ground shivering, she retained the thought "Get up and you won't shake for crying out loud" and took the mans hands. "What happened?"
Daniel shook off some snow that had fallen around his collar, "Oh I just fell, slight concussion nothing serious, well not as serious as the case of hypothermia that I will die of if we don't find the phone home device", he stuttered- sounding a little crazy doing so
Great straight passed denial and hurtled into panic, Sam grimaced
The planet they were stranded on had four suns and was pristine white- with snow. The thing was an iceberg with one point of intrigue- some sort of temple. They hadn't got to the temple though when Teal'c pointed out that the DHD was missing. Fantastic.
"More water?" SG1 were settled in the temple and Colonel Carter had begun patching the doctor up, his head was bleeding and his nose was pink- Daniel could help but wonder if the question was an attempt at irony. The doctor refused the offer anyway- he had something to ask his team leader that couldn't wait. But it was going to have to, Sam shuffled off, she probably saw the quizzical look in the doctor's eyes.
Sam stared out, there was a see of frozen white surrounding her, no a blot of colour anywhere, but the something fazed into her view and it was not was she expected- it was a mustang GT! A pink one!
PX3-901, Temple of "gloom""Sam- you're back- WHAT IN GOD'S NAME ARE YOU . . ." Daniel didn't finish his sentence because Samantha Carter grabbed his face and gave him the kiss of life. Daniel gasped for air as she pulled him under again.
"Honey I thought I'd lost you!" the colonel had a Texan accent- however it wasn't the accent or even the kiss that was making Daniel blush- the woman was half naked- she was wearing nothing but a green short dress that didn't exactly leave much to the imagination. Her long, nearly waist length hair was partially braided and her lips were parting again when Daniel held her back. Damn she was strong.
"Daniel! Anyone would think you didn't recognise your own wife!"
Daniel passed out
General Jack's Office
"Jack!"
Finally away to procrastinate on paper work
"Siler!"
The sergeant really despised Jack imitating! Nevertheless he handed the general a piece of paper with a picture on it and was inwardly hoping his anger had drained a little.
It was a picture taken on the planet SG1 were stranded on- it was Teal'c.
"It was captured before SG1 left"
Jack scrunched up his face, ran his fingers through his hair and sighed, "This isn't Teal'c"
This is NOT my day!"At least not our Teal'c", Jack finished and pushed the picture back across his desk and tapped it, "Teal'c doesn't have a scar on his chin like that"
The other officer seemed dumbstruck and began spouting out "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry"
The general held his hands up; sergeant Siler ceased whining immediately- How Jack loved his authority!
"Why, Oh why, am I seeing this now?"
Siler's eyes sank to the cold floor, "It just appeared this instant"
"How is that . . ."
"We don't know, I need Carter for something this . . . obscure. Bottom line sir, we've got nothing here about who that is"
Jack smiled warmly and dismissed his fellow officer thinking "Don't we all need Carter"
PX3- 901, somewhere near a mustang GT"Ahhhhhhhh!"
"Sorry honey did I grab you to hard?"
"Daniel get off me!"
"Baby, I don't see you for four long, bitter days on this ice pick and you treat me this way! I missed you! "
Carter kneed him in the chest powerfully after slapping him in the face. Daniel had jumped on her, attempted to grope her and called her "Honey", "Baby", "Aphrodite" and "My little fiery sugar ball of love and lust"- he hit his head harder than she thought- clearly delusional!
However far he may have pushed his luck, Sam pulled him over her shoulder and headed back for the temple- if he were military he would so be having a court martial. Suddenly in mid pace, Carter stopped, turned around, and watched as the light from the four suns shone down to one place- finally something was going right!
