Chapter 4: - Rum and Reason

PX3-901, Pink Mustang

Carter (who was in love with Jack and certainly not Daniel) had figured out, with the alternate floppy haired archaeologists help, the ice storm was about to strike. The first signs of warning were the pink and green colours in the air- an indication of the shift in the atmosphere. As the winds swept in, an avalanche was caused- but these were of little consequence compared to the freezing and stabbing ice winds that were capable of ripping through a human with the small frozen crystals as ammunition.

After the avalanche stillness was across the pale land, it was once again white and tranquil- not that the Carters, Daniels, Teal'cs or Jack knew this, they were trapped under a good 19ft of ice which had somehow not managed to infiltrate the mustang.

Jack O'Neill,wedged between the Teal'cs in the mustang,began to moan painfully as his mind became fazed conscious. "Carter" he muttered, his laboured breathing not allowing for much else. "Carter!" he said slightly louder. Neither Carter responded. His eyes managed to open and he focused them desperately on the surrounding devastation. Though his vision was confused he knew exactly what was before him.

Jack stretched himself out; he felt shots of pain running up and down his body, strangling and restricting him. Teal'c two opened his eyes near him, his face stained in blood- but not his blood. The blood was from the two Daniels; one had been thrown to the dashboard, his body heaped and awkwardly angled, and the other towards the back seats, it was immediately evident that this body had taken the brunt of the crash.

Teal'c two was clutching his belt; the shock that had rushed through his body was still gripping him deep inside,O'Neill could see it in his eyes. He wasn't sure he'd ever seen Teal'c act this way; the jaffa next to him was bloodstained, broken and breathing hard.

"Jack?" he said, stinging tears forming in his eyes from a mixture of his own pain and the sight of blood staining the interior. "Jack can you hear me?"

Jack's own voice was forcibly calm but rasped, "Yeah" he swallowed difficultly it was blindingly obvious to the Child of Light that his chest had taken a bashing- he could remember that the impact had thrown his own Daniel backwards, the mans body flying intoJacks chest. "We need to get out of here before the storm hits"

TheChild of Lightcleared his throat and counted in his head. . .

6, at least 6

His ribs had been broken that many times that the robe-wearing pacifist would have been insulted if certain ones didn't snap.

"How?" Teal'cs eyes were running now and he loosened his grip on his belt and grabbed Jack's hand, clutching it tightly- Jack thanked the lord the hand wasn't broken.

"I don't know- but we're going to ok" He wrenched the jaffa's hand off his own.

Staring at the devastation, Teal'c whispered, "This is bad, Jack"

"We've had bad before" Jack assured him, his wry smile creeping over his face.

"This is worse"

"I know" winced Jack; another strike of pain ran all over his body. O'Neill gritted his teeth; he felt as though his skull was going to shatter.

Jack looked at both Daniels; the one familiar to him was in the worst situation, his limbs angled in odd directions, blood running from his leg and side. The child of Light knew he was going to get them out, he wasn't about to let Daniel, Teal'c and of course Carter die under the snow.

Gate Room

"General O'Neill I will not allow this!" Hammond yelled at Jack O'Neill.

Jack was fixing his side arm and preparing to go to PX3-901. After they originally tried the gate, they tried again and something hit the iris with some much force it dented thethe metal sheathseverely, at that moment General O'Neill chose to conduct the suicide mission of the weekweek. . . or atleast the day. . insteadof sitting in his lavish office and waiting for SG1 to save themselves.

The look in General O'Neill's eyes was enough to tell Hammond he wasn't going to be budged on this one. The deep-south man also knew Carter was in danger- any pleading with him was in vain.

"George, I'm sorry but I'm not accustomed to letting my team die!"

Hammond grabbed his arm, "Jack it's not safe! I'm just as worried. . ."

"WORRIED! Worried about your own ass! I'm not letting them freeze or bleed or starve to death"

Jack's eyes were burning, marching towards the gate he could hear Hammond shout to him, but it was no use.

SG2, SG3 and SG4 were lined up to attention and awaiting orders. Jack strided back over to Hammond and rested his hand of the shoulder of the large man, whose face was bewildered and smiled, "George you can run this place with your hands behind you back" the Chicago man lowered his voice, "I'm going"

"I know"

Hammond admitted defeat and watched as Jack led the rescue crew through the gate.

Why is that man so stubborn? The southern General thought as he watched the embarkation. Once the last man entered the gate, the wormhole disconnected and the blue light retreated from the sombre gate room.

Hammond sighed- why was Jack so headstrong and self-assured? That question would probably exhaust the best psychologists on the base.

PX3-901, Pink Mustang

The non-under wear wearing Child of Light had managed to undo his belt; both of the Teal'cs were now conscious- occasionally grunting in pain- but conscious.

Jack was gently pushing his right leg- broken. Feeling across his chest he discovered several more broken ribs, mostly ones that had been weakened from previous breaks in combat.

"Child of Light, it does appear that we are trapped" Teal'c one stated sounding worse for wear; his face had been clawed and damaged, his leg had something stickingout ofit but lucky for Jack this jaffa could take pain. The majority of the impact of the ice wave had been directed towards Carter (not Carter-Jackson) and Teal'c (the one without an attitude and a miracle vehicle), parts of the mustang were dented. dark andpatterned with blood.

Why thank you Teal'c, if you hadn't said that I'm not sure I would have noticed!

The other Teal'c however clearly couldn't grin in the face of strangling pain;he was whimpering as he pulled his belt out of his lower abdomen- the impact had caused the faulty "safety" measurement to bore into him slightly. He was delicately removing it, clenching his jaw as he did so.

"Call yourself a former Jaffa!" It was looking like Jack was reverting back to his sarcastic and cranky self- what a relief! A peace-loving gentle Jack wouldn't be able to get them out from beneath almost 20 feet of almost solid ice.

O'Neill was pushing himself with every last drop of strength to reach his Daniel, who had been catapulted behind him and towards the rear of the car. The child of light edged forward; every slight movement caused him more anguish than he imagined could be possible, but he continued to do so, his hand finally landing on his Daniel. He felt for a pulse, "Come on, Daniel. Come on!" Jack muttered, adjusting his finger, Daniel was bleeding so badly and in so many places O'Neill needed reassurance.

He felt something, but the something was so faint it would have been easy for someone who wasn't trained in survival like Jack to miss it- Daniel's pulse told Jack one thing- Daniel was weakening.

Snapping his hand away from Daniel's bloodied neck (causing his shoulder to make a threatening breaking sound) he said coldly, "We have to get out of here"

PX3-901, At the Stargate

Whooshing shut behind them, the recon SG teams and their base commander looked out- the landscape had changed dramatically- they were in a cavern.

The mini crater had obvious been created by the established wormhole beating through the onslaught of frozen water which had washed over the landscape.

That would explain what hit the iris

Jack froze like the planet around him, where could SG1 possibly be to ensure they survived this!

Jack was in a state of shock, his brain couldn't register what he was seeing- everything was engulfed, the entire place was an ice cap and they were in a deep snow tunnel, which lead to a steep face of ice and then, if all was well, the surface.

Each member of the reconnaissance team were formulating plans in their heads, one specific thought was running in Jack's head- Are they even alive?

Lieutenant Locke was surveying the surroundings her lips pursed as she began judging the height of the wall of ice, "General O'Neill?" she asked politely, "I think we better start climbing- I'm picking up some serious pressure and temperatures changes and the suns look as though they could set- if that happens we . . ." She handed the leader a handheld computer that practically spelt out what was happening- it's getting seriously below zero and drastic increases in pressure were surrounding them.

". . .Will turn into ice?" Jack ended her sentence grimly.

In a very Sam-like way she replied, "Yes, sir"

"Start moving" Jack nodded his head towards they sheer ice front between them and whatever they rest of the land looked like- mostly probably a pearly shade of "heaven" like the snow blowing gently in the air around them. Had his Carter been there she would have been able to warn him about what this symbolised and that he had a death wish being here.

PX3-901, Pink Mustang

"Oh yeah, it's broken"

"That is somewhat obvious, Jack! Thank you!" Teal'c two growled as O'Neill hit and probed his arm.

Child of Light was no longer in a serene place with waterfalls and a blissful breeze and the occasional harp.

"Child of Light, we have to do something!" the Carter with the green dress had recently stirred from slumber (unpon regaining consciousness she screamed loudly at the sight of the crumpled body the Daniel who wasn't her devoted lover) partly sprawled over her knees), she was rough and crimson coloured, but if she was in mind bending pain she was shielding it from the crew.

"We have . . ."

Days! Jack prayed

"Hours" Carter spat, she began violently shaking, her body rattled and pain wracked her. She managed to control the involuntary movements but the effects of them continued to grip her.

Crud! Any hope O'Neill had ebbed fast.

Carter-Jackson looked judgingly at Jack, she noticed his breathing was getting worse, Teal'c twos side was bleeding intensely from the belt wound and his arm was a dangerous mixture of purple, blue and green and angled about 90 degrees in a direction it shouldn't be allowed to go in. The Carters looked worse for wear, gashes on their foreheads, ribs bruised- but then again who didn't have bruised ribs from the abrupt stop-and-tumble dive the car did.

The second Sam groaned as she regained consciousness uneasily.

"Ahhhh. . ." she hissed, sucking in air in short and shallow breaths.

"How is this possible?" Carter groggily murmured lookingastounded by the fact it didn't bow and crush them. She addressed the Teal'c who was crying in agony. "How is this . . . it's incredible . . . I've never seen anything . . ." Carter trailed off, her hazy voice not able to continue, the unconscious Daniel who was sprawled across the dash was saying something.

"Oh my!" Both Carters looked confused, the long blond haired Carter was laughing, it was practically killing her to do so.

The archaeologist did it again; he was saying something.

"Sam!" the words in Daniel's babbling were clear this time. The group looked at each other. Teal'c two glared at the Texan Sam, "Is that normal?"

"Daniel- Can you hear me?" asked the non-married Carter as she freed herself from her belt and swept some blood off the mans face. The woman next to her shifted nervously.

Think that's bad? You should watch feel what it's like to watch "yourself" kiss him!

Daniel was shaking, speaking jumbled words- some even in goa'uld andthe language of the ancients. He snapped his eyes open and cried, "JACK! Jack. . .I love you!" Laughter rang in the car. Jack turned green then pink.

"Looks like that hit got his noggin a floggin" Teal'c two weezed merrily, finally ingoring the pain form his side.

Carter-Jackson desisted her giggling abruptly, "Perhaps some things don't change, oh enlightened one!" She turned on Jack,rage splashed over her face.

The atmosphere suddenly became tense, some were suppressing smiles and smirks, Sam Carter had flushed pink in embarrassment, Sam Carter Jackson in anger- Jack looked as though he'd been stung by a scorpion.

He raised his hands, gesturing peace; somehow he felt it was a little too late.

"Carter don't look at me like . . . I told you- WE FELL ASLEEP TOGETHER DRUNK!" he stammered, his breathing rapid and uneven.

"Ooooh really!" the fiery Texan was not convinced, her face adamant and bloodied.The other Sam Carter began hoping the pressure would consume the car- or at least engulf the back of it.

"We were in Vegas- everybody gets drunk in Vegas for crying out loud!" Jack swooned slightly, precovering quickly.

"Does every body wake up naked next to their team members naked in Vegas, JACK?" Carter watched as her alternate self began to weaken.

Jack hesitated, "Well when me and SG6…"

"JACK!" she yelled so powerfully thatTeal'c twoactually thought the mustang trembled with the energy from her voice.

"SAM?" he echoed. "LIKE I'M DESPERATE ENOUGH TO SLEEP WITH HIM LIKE YOU WERE . . . ARE . . . WHY CAN'T I STOP TALKING TO MY . . . FOR GODS SAKE!"

It took his sereneness a few seconds to understand and comprehend the implications of what he'd just screamed to the critically wounded officer but as soon as the realisation whacked him in the face, he jumped to defence, "Carter . . . I . . ."

"You what, Jack? You're sorry? You didn't mean it? Well that's a god damn lie if ever one was whispered into my ear!" she lowered her voice, still facing the front of the car, "Let's just get out of here, child of light, before I have to resort to using your head to break the doors down and make a tunnel"

Teal'c one looked at his counter part who shook his head in an it's-better-if-you-don't-ask way. Teal'c one watched the sparks fly between them. . . or was it lightning bolts.

The car was silent once more.

PX3-901, One mile from the stargate

It was getting darker, colder and the situation more desperate as each second flickered past, general O'Neill was now certain he was leading a suicide mission as opposed to potential suicide mission, but what choice did he really have?

He ran his hands over the observation monitor, the temperature was low enough to freeze anything it came in contact with however this wasn't what was troubling the Chicago man, it was the wind speed and he ice-crystal content of the wind.

"Sir?"

O'Neill sprang out of deep thought, the beautiful (even when covered in 16 layers of clothing) Lt Locke was before him, he felt a chill run down his body- she only came speak with him if things had gone from bad to cataclysmic. Amusingly she always said, "Sir . . . it's important" what she was on the verge further spoiling and otherwise brutally bad day.

Jack began to calculate the probability of her saying the phrase that speltdisaster but before he could. . .

"Sir. . . It's important"

Oh why don't you just go and freeze!

The general clenched his jaw and commanded himself to look pleased to see her

"Hello" he replied obnoxiously. She thrust something into his hand and pointed his head eastwards towards something peaking out of the glacier like landscape.

No!

PX3-901, Pink Mustang

"Carter"

"Yes?"

Both Carters had answered. Jack shook his head, "Jackson Carter"

"Carter Jackson" the blond in question corrected. O'Neill laughed, "I'm sorry, Carter-Jackson"

"Well I suppose you wouldn't know!" she barked, the ice from outside was clearly consuming her heart.

"Hey I went to your wedding!" objected O'Neill, his mouth flapped open to continue but he instead he took a sharp breath. He continued, his breathing ripped and shredded, voice rasped and struggling, "Carter?" Both women whipped about to see him, Colonel Carter of the SGC cracking her arm doing so.

Horrified they saw Jack spit out blood- a lot of blood. The burgundy liquid spilled from his mouth, the enlightened spirit tried to stop it but it seemed whatever it was that was grasping him was not willing to let him be.

Jack body vaulted forward slightly, crashing backwards and falling to rest in his seat he began to moan in pain once again.

A light suddenly fell on the party from a light ignited in Teal'c two's brain.

"Carters!"

They gave him a sour look.

"Can either one of you reach the compartment under the dash-board?" he seemed to be filled with a new hope- one so powerful he had stopped complaining in excitement. Carter Jackson felt for a panel, after fumbling about for the lock, she opened it and pulled out a bottle, three other bottles, which looked similar, dropped on to the floor and . . .

"Oooooooowwwww"

. . .On to one of the Daniels.

Doctor Daniel Jackson adjusted his broken glasses, immediately noticing the amount of broken ribs he had gained as he did so. As much opposed to them and their concept as he was he would have liked there to have been a sarcophagus hidden somewhere under the car seat.

Both Carters looked down at the archaeologist and then at the bottles. Levering it over Daniel's crumpled body, with some stabs of pain, Carter Jackson gaped astounded at what she was holding.

"Well Carter, can I have it or not?" Teal'c twocharmed, extending his hands as far as his shoulder would accommodate.

"Teal'c!"

"Carter I'm covered in blood and you're holding the anaesthesia!"

"No I'm holding a bottle of rum!"

Teal'c two lunged forward dramatically, grabbed the bottle, opened it and gulped greedily from it.

PX3-901, Above the "Temple of Gloom"

Jack touched the black, inscribed piece of rock carefully, caressing every indented letter. The entire temple- all of it swept under the apparent avalanche or snow storm- Heck who cared what it was it was consumed!

Standing up he ordered the flocking SG teams away from him with the exception of Locke.

Locke had handed him a piece pink metal.

"Lieutenant, where did you find this?" he sighed, heavily, he felt as though he had been crushed by the ice not the temple.

"It was about . . ."

"WHERE EXACTLY DAMMIT!" he was past the point of civilised conversation. Examining it he heard her reply, with a reluctant voice, "At the rim of the ice gate" Or rather the solid formation of snow that greeted them upon arrival- one of SG2 decided to call it something cause saying the big face of ice on this planet really did not narrow it down!

Jack pocketed fragment and allowed the almost frozen female officer to continue, "We're trying to get a lock on Colonel Carter's, Teal'c's and Doctor Jackson's communication devices"

O'Neill grimaced, trying was not nearly satisfactory at this moment in time, but he could see the sorrow in her dark eyes so he restrained himself, "That's good to hear" he lied.

General Jack's Office

Hammond sat, turning his old chair from side to side. A fire was still glowing in his eyes; the one Jack had created as he decided to go to PX3-901 to SG1's aid. The old southern man chuckled to himself, who was he kidding? Jack was going to Carters aid! The General knew exactly what was going on between Jack and Sam; he'd always allowed it to continue though. He knew full well that Jack would be happy to cross that ice-sculpture of a planet to save her and wouldn't have rested until he'd have been allowed to leave to get her.

The general privately bet himself that O'Neill hadn't been able to sleep or rest since he discovered Sam might not be returning as calculated.

Siler interrupted his fond though track, "Sir, there's a phone call for you"

Hammond raised an eyebrow; only a small number of people (who were not present in the base) knew he was here, or knew where here was.

"Hello, General Hammond?" he answered courteously, the voice at the other end made whole body burn.

"Oh . . . Hello Pete"

PX3-901, Pink Mustang

Daniel Jackson was beginning to feel slightly more comfortable, his intense pain had slightly drifted and the conversation in the mustang was certainly occupying his mind.

Jack raised his hand, "Carter!"

"SIR!"

"Carter- Jackson"

"Ah"

This had been happening a lot, although nobody had heard Jack complain about the fact he had two blond female officers in the pink mustang.

"What are the odds that we get rescued?"

Carter Jackson gritted her teeth, waves of pain crashed against her body, "I don't think you want me to answer that"

As the passengers slipped into another uneasy silence, Daniel Jackson began to stir, he first words made he blood stained other-half bite down on her lip, "Sha're"

Jack nudged his comrade, ignoring the murmuring coming from him, "It is I, Child of Light, can you hear me?" Jack asked mystically.

"Shut up, Jack"

Carter-Jackson giggled, "He sure can!"

Trying to move, Jack used his hand to restrain the archaeologists movements, "Daniel, you're in a bad way"

"Really?" he choked sarcastically, attempting again to sit up on the back seats, a sharp pain across his chest forced him down.

AAh. . . Broken

Jack began looking around the mustang, praying to see something marked "PULL INCASE OF SUBMERSION"

Tragically, nothing did.

PX3-901, Above the Mustang

"Sir. . . It's im"

"Locke?" genereal O'Neill snapped.

"We managed to get a lock on something"

Jack gave her a look that said "I'm listening"

"If I'm right it's. . . A Mustang GT"

Jack stared at her

"You have my full attention"