Chapter 22 – Prophesy Fulfilled
Jack and Sam looked across the room at the three red crystals embedded within the wall, then looked at each other. Jack raised his eyebrows questioningly at her, Sam shrugged in response.
Daniel, impatient at their silent communication, cleared his throat. "Well? Are you going to continue looking at each other, or are you going to save these people?"
"Always so impatient. You really need to switch to decaf, Danny," Jack sighed, before passing JJ to Sam and then heaving himself out of the chair. "So," he resumed once he was on his feet, "We need to take the crystals out of the wall and then place them in the ground, right?"
"All three of us have to touch each crystal first, remember?" Sam reminded him.
"Yeah, that did sound like it was kind of an important part. Do you think these Ancients have any idea how hard it is to pry something out of JJ's hands once he has it?" Jack asked with a grimace, recalling several tug-of-war incidents with his young son.
Sam smiled. "We probably only have to let JJ touch the crystals, not hold them indefinitely."
Jack walked over to the wall, Sam close behind him. Daniel, Teal'c and Jacob followed as well. "So, how do we want to do this?" Jack asked as all seriousness returned to his voice. He eyed the fist sized crystals before him, frowning in concentration. There was no way he could easily take all three out at the same time, pass them to Sam, then have JJ touch them.
"I have a suggestion," Jacob spoke from behind Jack. "Jack, you take the crystals out - one at a time. I'll hold JJ while you take his hands and place them on a crystal, then you pass it to Sam. She can put it in the chamber at the base of the chair. I don't think anyone else in here should touch them except for the three of you. We don't want to deactivate them somehow."
Jack cocked his head in thought. "Are you sure these things won't hurt JJ? They're not going to be hot or shock him, are they?"
"No Jack. Most crystals that are used by the Tok'ra, Gou'ald, and Ancients contain no properties that would deem them harmful just by handling them."
Jack nodded his head. "Ok. Well, let's do this then. You ready Sam?"
"All set." She passed JJ over to her father and took the few steps required to stand over the small chamber that had opened on the floor when the crystals had materialized.
Jack looked at Sam, then Jacob to make sure they were in place before taking the first crystal carefully from its resting place. Cradling it in his hands, he walked over to Jacob, who stood with JJ. The little boy was being held with his back resting against his grandfather's chest, small legs kicking back and forth just for the sake of movement. When his eyes caught sight of the bright glowing object his father held, he gave a gurgle of delight and reached forward, wanting to play with it as well.
"Uh, uh, little man. You get to touch, it, but not hold it," Jack told his son. Shifting the crystal to one hand, Jack gently took JJ's hand in the other and placed it on the crystal's smooth surface. JJ tried to latch onto the object with one hand but it was too big, so he put his other hand out as well. Jack deftly blocked the small hand, pulled the crystal back, and passed it to Sam, who placed it gently in the chamber.
JJ let out an indignant cry at having this colorful toy taken away before he could fully explore it. "This was so not a good idea," Jack muttered under his breath, as he watched JJ's face screw up in anger. Sighing heavily, he went to retrieve the second crystal. The procedure went much the same as the first, but this time, when the crystal was taken away, JJ's howls of protest were even louder and his legs began to kick in earnest. Jacob had to hold him a bit away from his body, just so that the little boy didn't kick anything vital.
"You want to hurry it up, Jack?" he asked, his face a mask of wariness as he held onto JJ.
"Hey, this wasn't my idea, remember? Why the hell all of you aliens have to use crystals for everything is beyond me. You guys ever heard of an on/off switch?" Jack shot back, all the while carefully and quickly removing the last crystal.
Jacob just ignored the comment as he focused all of his efforts on retaining a firm grip on his less than happy grandson.
When JJ had touched the final crystal, Jack passed it to Sam, who placed it next to the other two in the chamber. JJ, furious now at this final injustice, let out a loud screech of anger, flung his arms wide, catching Jacob smack in the nose, and arched his back. Jack quickly grabbed him from Jacob's arms, and put him to his shoulder, trying to quiet him down.
"I have never seen him so mad before," Jacob stated, a bit of awe in his voice as he rubbed at his throbbing nose. "Must get that from you, Jack."
"Very funny," Jack replied, bouncing his angry son lightly in the hopes of calming him down. Sam came to stand beside him, rubbing her hand gently over JJ's back and biting back a grin at her father's dry comment.
Jack turned to look at Daniel. "Well, now what? Shouldn't something else be happening – aside from JJ screaming bloody murder, that is?"
Before Daniel could answer, all of the lights in the chamber went out save for three, each located at different points around the circular room. The glow from the lights narrowed, until each was emitting a thin beam of light at one of the others to form a triangle of light above the heads of everyone in the room. Standing directly in the middle of the triangle were Jack, Sam and JJ. Finding this new distraction fascinating, JJ abruptly quieted and reached for one of the beams, not quite able to touch it.
"Whoa," Jack exclaimed as he took in the sight. The three of them were located dead in the center of the triangle of light. When he looked up, an opening appeared in the ceiling of the domed room. "Uh, Daniel, Jacob? Any idea what's going on?"
Again, before either man could formulate a response, the screen in front of the console flickered to life. "You have almost completed the task which has been prophesied to take place for generations. Soon, the evil ones will be thwarted and peace will reign for the people of Moval."
All eyes turned once again to the image of the woman on the screen. "All who remain on the outside of the triangle of light must now leave this chamber, for the final step can only occur in the presence of the chosen ones," she instructed. "If you choose not to follow this directive, the children of Moval will cease to know peace in their lifetimes."
There was a pregnant pause as everyone contemplated this last directive. While no one wanted to leave Jack, Sam and JJ alone, neither did they want to be responsible for the possible outcome of not leaving. Jack looked down at Sam, the worry clear in his eyes. If something went wrong, he wanted to have his friends present to help get his family out of the chamber. That couldn't happen now, though; their safety would have to rest with him.
Sam smiled up at him in reassurance. "Jack, they wouldn't bring us all this way, then allow one of us to get hurt, least of all JJ. I'm sure we'll be fine." She reached up and gently touched his cheek.
Jack closed his eyes briefly, took a deep breath, then looked around the room. "Well, you heard the lady – or should I say ladies?" He glanced over at the image which appeared to be waiting patiently. "I want all of you to head out of here now. Wait outside, clear of the temple, until we join you."
Daniel frowned, "But Jack, she said we just have to leave the chamber, not the entire temple," he reminded his friend.
"I know that Daniel, but just to be certain, I want all of you clear. I can't be worrying about all of you if something goes wrong in here." He gave Daniel a meaningful look, imparting to him that Jack's first responsibility was to Sam and JJ and he couldn't' have anything or anyone interfere with that.
Daniel nodded his understanding, flashed Sam an encouraging smile, said a quick, "Good luck," and then herded Malem and the two guards out the door.
Jacob stayed a moment longer, wanting desperately to take his daughter's place but knowing that it was impossible. He also couldn't cross the beam of light to enfold her in a hug as he didn't want to risk breaking the connection. He gave Sam a small smile. "See you outside kiddo," he stated quietly. As he passed Jack, he whispered, "Take care of them, son." Jack smiled at the moniker and nodded; then Jacob left the room to join Daniel and the others outside.
Teal'c remained stoically by the chair, his hands clasped behind his back, eyes on the wall behind Jack and Sam. "I do not believe it is wise to leave you here alone, O'Neill."
Jack sighed; sometimes he wished Teal'c weren't so damned loyal. "T, I appreciate the gesture, but this won't work if you remain in the chamber. You heard the instructions," he reminded his friend.
"Indeed," Teal'c bowed his head. Then he let his gaze lock with Jack's. "I will leave this chamber, but I will not leave the temple." His voice was resolute as he continued. "As godfather, I have pledged to protect Jonathon Jacob. I did not carry out my duties previously on this planet and thus put my godson in grave danger. I will not allow it to happen again." His tone implied that his decision was final and there was no way that either of them would be able to change his mind.
"Oh, for crying out loud, T!" Jack huffed.
Sam interrupted him with a squeeze on his arm. "Teal'c we already told you we didn't hold you accountable for the kidnapping." When Teal'c opened his mouth to protest, she held up her hand. "Nevertheless, I understand your desire to stay close by." Sam smiled at him before she said quietly, "I would greatly appreciate it if you waited for us outside the chamber doors, Teal'c."
Teal'c gave a small, relieved smile in return. While he did not want to go against O'Neill's wishes, he would have, just to remain close in case his assistance was needed. He had promised O'Neill to stick close to Sam and JJ; he would not renege on his promise to do just that. He felt much relief at Samantha's request that he remain within the temple, knowing that she did so more for his own sake than hers or JJ's. Bowing to each of them in turn, he quietly left the chamber and stood just on the other side of its entrance.
"Why did you do that?" Jack asked with a touch of disbelief. "If this temple comes crashing down, I don't want to have to worry about Teal'c as well as the both of you."
Sam shook her head slightly. "You know as well as I do that he never would have left, Jack. This way, at least he won't feel guilty about it. Plus he'll be nearby should we need him."
Jack looked thoughtfully at her before he smiled. "You always were the smart one, weren't you?"
"You'd better believe it!" she smiled back.
Their light banter was interrupted by the image of the Ancient. "The chamber has been emptied of all but the child of three and those who brought him forth. That which has been put in place to save the people of Moval can now commence." With a rumbling deep within the temple, the walls shook and the opening in the ceiling widened. Jack clutched Sam close to his body; she put one arm around him and one around JJ, enclosing the child within the tight protective circle of his parent's arms.
As one they looked up and watched in awe as the triangular beam of light above them solidified into a large, red triangle of light which slowly began to rise. Suddenly, the long, continuous beam of light shot upward and out of the temple.
Those on the outside of the temple raised their eyes in astonishment at the light that poured forth from the top of the temple and spread out in the sky, covering the village and beyond like a shield. Jacob was reminded of the '68 red convertible he owned long ago – its cover slowly moving up and over his head to keep out the rain.
From her place in the medical facility, Janet ran to the window and looked out, gasping in amazement at the light that was passing overhead and moving slowly beyond her sight. The excited and frightened murmurs of the people around her caused her to turn and offer her reassurances that everything would be fine. She hoped in her heart it was true.
It took all of Teal'c's inner reserves of strength not to rush back into the chamber once the rumbling had started. Instead, he held onto the wall next to him and gritted his teeth in impatience, waiting for the moment when he could once more enter the secret chamber and see to his friends.
Daniel too, had to dig deeply and force himself not to go running back into the temple. While he was concerned for his friends safety as well, he was also more than a little curious about what was occurring within the secret chamber.
The rumbling continued for a full five minutes before it slowly quieted; the light dying soon afterwards. Throughout the entire process, Jack had held fast to Sam and JJ, praying that the temple wouldn't collapse around them. JJ had stared in fascination at the lights, not in the least disturbed by the trembling going on around him. Sam, even as she held tightly to JJ, had been extrapolating in her mind the energy required to put forth the light; and wondering what the shield, for that what it obviously was, was designed to do.
When everything quieted once again, Jack heaved a huge sigh of relief. "You OK Sam?" he asked, looking down into her upturned face.
"I'm fine. Holy Hannah, that was something, wasn't it?" she replied in excitement. Jack just chuckled at the entranced look on her face; one that JJ had shared just moments ago.
The image of the Ancient woman appeared for one final instruction. "It has been completed as foretold by the Ancients who came before. The shield will cover one quarter of the planet, obstructing from view those who wish to harm the people of Moval. Those who approach the planet from above will see only barren wasteland; their sensors will record no life. Only the Asgard, fellow protectors of the Makesh, will have the ability to see through the shield to the truth that lies below. The power sources of the Ancients must remain in place to ensure the shield will protect the Makesh for generations to come."
"Aw, crap! I was hoping we'd get to take back at least one souvenir from this little trip." Jack stated. Sam shushed him as the image continued.
"You have done well, chosen ones. You're names will be revered for many generations among the people of Moval. May the offspring you bring forth possess and embrace the knowledge which has been handed down to them." With that final remark, her image faded and the room was dimly lit once more by the scones on the walls.
"O'Neill!" Teal'c called from the door, his insistent tone rousing Jack.
"It's OK, you can come in, T," Jack replied.
Teal'c entered the quiet room, the wariness evident in his gaze as he looked around quickly, then fastened his eyes on JJ. "Is all well? Does anyone require medical assistance?"
"No Teal'c, we're fine," Sam assured him, walking over to him and giving him a light squeeze on his arm.
"What has transpired?" he asked with a quirk of one eyebrow.
"Well," Jack replied thoughtfully. "Aside from the Ancients going to all this trouble to place a protective shield over the village, we can't take the ZPMs with us. All this work and we get no rewards," he grumbled good-naturedly. Jack grinned as he came up to Sam and put his arm around her. "On a happier note, the Ancients seem to be in cahoots with Thor." When both Teal'c and Sam raised the eyebrows in question, he continued. "Neither one of them seems to like the idea of JJ being an only child!"
Sam rolled her eyes as she smacked him lightly on the arm. Then she took JJ from him, and moved toward the door. "Come on, let's go see what the shield looks like from outside and make sure everyone knows we're all right. We can discuss siblings for JJ another time," she replied a bit haughtily.
Jack and Teal'c shared a look of amusement before following her out the door.
A/N: Well, I think there's only one more chapter left to this little adventure...final observations and the like. I also have a rather fluffy epilogue in mind. Stay tuned!