Chapter 16 – Within Reach
Her time had run out; JJ was done nursing and Sam had no more ideas that could help her stall the inevitable. Both Beroni and the High Chancellor now stood on either side of her, ushering her toward the alcove once again. They stopped in front of the crystals on the right side of the archway, focusing their attention on the one that glowed the brightest.
"All we need to do, is place JJ's hand into the depression," the High Chancellor reminded her. "If he is the one we seek,a door should open and reveal the secret chamber within." His voice rose slightly in excitement at the realization that what he had been seeking was almost within his grasp.
"And if it doesn't open, and JJ's not the one you're looking for, you'll let us go, right?" Sam asked as she stared at him with narrowed eyes.
"Of course, of course," he brushed aside her concern. But Sam could tell he really wasn't listening to her. She was just about to reiterate the promise he had made to her earlier, when, from the far end of the room, the sound of small rocks tumbling could clearly be heard.
All four people in the alcove, including JJ, turned their heads toward the sound. Sam's heart lifted at the next sound she heard. "Damn it, Daniel, I told you to be careful," Jack hissed, his whisper clearly echoing in the cavernous room.
"Sorry," came the faint reply from further up the stairs.
Beroni and the High Chancellor looked at each other in alarm, eyes widened in panic. "How have the humans found their way to the lower level of the temple so quickly?" the High Chancellor whispered, though not really expecting an answer.
Beroni, afraid that the diligent work he had put into this mission over the last cycle would all be for naught, took matters into his own hands. "We must act now!" he hissed and grabbed Sam roughly by the upper arm, pushing her toward the crystal.
Time seemed to both speed up and slow down over the next several minutes, as numerous things happened at once. Sam, knowing Jack was close by and reacting to being roughly grabbed, called out, "Jack!", alerting him to her presence within the room. The High Chancellor grabbed Sam's other arm with his left hand, took hold of JJ's arm with his right, and pulled both of them within inches of the crystal. Sam struggled in vain, trying to stop the two men from placing her son's hand on the crystal. But she was surprised by the strength exhibited by both men, and could not pull away while at the same time trying to keep her grip on JJ.
Responding to his mother's struggles and the pull on his arm by the stranger, JJ let out a loud wail, which, along with Sam's cry, carried clearly to the six people making their way down the steps. Jack's heartbeat quickened in panic as he heard the urgency latent in Sam's call and the cries of his son. He began to take the steps two at a time, desperate to reach them in time.
The High Chancellor and Beroni both pulled Sam and JJ those last few inches toward the red crystal. Holding the little arm in a tight grip, the High Chancellor placed JJ's hand in the slight depression found in the middle of the crystal. JJ's wails intensified at the tight grip on his arm and Sam's yells of anger reverberated off of the stones walls. She had managed to wrench her arm free from Beroni's grasp and give him a hard kick to the shins when there was a rumbling throughout the room and a panel slid open at the back of the alcove.
Jack and Teal'c had just cleared the bottom step when the panel within the alcove slid open. The action caused trembling within the small room, and stones of various sizes fell from the ceiling and walls. The men's progress was impeded as they had to dodge the rocks and swaying pillars. Seeing his wife and son held roughly by the High Chancellor fueled Jack's already tightly controlled anger. Although his weapon was raised, Jack didn't dare fire – he wouldn't take the chance of hurting either of them. "Sam!" he shouted, trying both to respond to her earlier call and warn her to be ready for anything.
Sam was given mere seconds to look back at Jack, her face conveying the same panic and fear that Jack himself was feeling. They were so close, yet somehow, Sam knew they wouldn't get to her in time.
Not stopping to access the safety of his actions, the High Chancellor pulled both Sam and JJ into the room revealed by the opened panel. Beroni managed to hobble through, his face a grimace of pain. Sam was roughly pushed against a wall, carefully cradling JJ close in order to protect him . Her back slammed into the wall and she struggled to catch her breath as the wind had been knocked out of her; but still, she did not relinquish her hold on her son.
The High Chancellor spared a glance at the room he had just left, taking in the rising dust and the figures of people rushing toward him. His eyes widened in astonishment as he recognized the slim figure of Malem. Brushing aside the question of how his assistant happened to be with the humans, he held his breath and pushed a round, slightly raised stone that rested next to the opening. With another rumble, the panel slid closed, engulfing them in darkness. The noises from the other side were muffled, but Jack's voice could clearly be heard through the stone door. "You will regret ever meeting me, Chancellor! That's a promise!"
When Jack had witnessed Sam being shoved away from the door, he felt a rage so blinding that he almost couldn't see straight. If he'd had a clear shot through the dust flowing about the room, he would have taken out the High Chancellor where he stood. As it was, all Jack could do was watch helplessly as the panel slid closed, the cries of his baby boy slowly being muffled until finally, they were but a distant sound and hardly recognizable. It was then that Jack let go his yell, and his promise, that the High Chancellor would rue the day he met Jack O'Neill and messed with his family.
Jacob, Malem, Janet and Daniel came to a stop next to Jack and Teal'c, all of them breathing hard at their rush down the stairs. Daniel especially was having a hard time, the dust billowing in the room exacerbating his breathing difficulties and his allergies.
"Where have they gone?" Malem's voice conveyed his awe at all that had occurred in the last hours. Never in his life had he imagined he would be involved in something such as this…and with people and wonders from other worlds!
"They have entered a hidden room behind this panel," Teal'c offered as he continued his perusal of the alcove, looking desperately for a way in.
"Did you see how it opened, Jack?" Jacob asked, coming up to stand quietly next to his son-in-law. He thought about putting his hand on Jack's shoulder in offer of quiet support, but thought better of it when he glanced at Jack's face. His face was a grim mask of both rage and determination, his eyes black and almost evil looking. If he didn't know the man, Jacob would be feeling very afraid right now.
"He was holding JJ's hand on one of these crystals, when the door moved. I'm guessing that's how it opened," Jack stated in a flat voice. He stepped forward to put his own hand on the crystal, hoping that the Ancient gene was the key to the hidden room.
As he lifted his hand, Daniel interrupted, "Ah, Jack, do you thing that's wise? With all of the rocks falling and everything, I just…"
Jack turned to glare at Daniel. "You just what? Think we should sit on our asses while you study the walls? Meanwhile, my wife and son are in there, having God knows what done to them? I think not Daniel. I'm trying this…if you have a problem with it, I suggest you head back to the gate and take it up with Landry."
Daniel flinched at the harsh tone, but didn't waver or back down. "Sometimes, Jack, displaying a little caution ends up working out better than running in with guns drawn and firing." He held up his hands to stave off the diatribe that was surely forthcoming. "But hey, do what you think is best."
Jack glared once more before turning back to the crystal. Taking a deep breath, he placed his hand in the depression and waited. The crystal dulled in color, then brightened again, before quietly returning to its original hue. Nothing moved; not the panel, not the rocks, nothing. From behind the stone door, Jack could occasionally hear the distant cries of his son. He leaned his head against the wall and cursed, slamming his open hand in anger against the wall next to the crystals.
"Why didn't it work?" he asked no one in particular.
Softly, Daniel walked up to Jack and placed his hand on his shoulder, not quiet as hesitant in approaching his friend. "The inscriptions," he began, not wanting to raise Jack's ire. When Jack turned his head to look at him, Daniel went on. "They said only the one who contains the knowledge of three will have access to the secret chamber. You have the knowledge of two Jack, not three," he explained gently.
Jack stood up, and walked away, kicking idly through the rocks at his feet. Turning back, he looked at the people gathered. "One way or another, I'm getting in there." He turned to Teal'c. "T, do we have any C-4?"
Daniel's eyes bugged out. "Excuse me? You aren't really thinking of blowing the panel out are you?"
Exasperated once again, Jack turned on Daniel. "What else have we got, Daniel? Have you got a spare key hidden in your underwear? You know of any other person who has this knowledge of three that apparently is the key to opening that damned door?" He raised his hand and pointed to the closed panel. "I am not leaving them in there, Daniel."
"I'm not suggesting you do, Jack. But trying to blow up the door will most likely bring this whole place crashing down, on them and us!" Daniel insisted, his own agitation beginning to grow the longer they were kept on the outside of the chamber. "And where would that leave Sam and JJ?"
Jacob, who had been having an internal conversation with Selmac throughout the argument between Jack and Daniel, held up a hand. "Hold on, guys. There might be another way." When all eyes turned to him, he gave a self-conscious smile. "Selmac and I have an idea."
Please don't kill me! I'll have the next chapter up as soon asI can! I'm still trying to decide how far to let Jack go! Airam4u - what did you mean by not letting this become a red herring? I've never heard that expression before...