Chapter 14: The Cora Plant

The child stood there, staring through deep blue eyes, and she looked scared.

"Please, I need your help." She begged.

"I'll tell ya what, we'll see what we can do, as long as we're all in one piece when this is all over." Jack stated simply, exchanging glances with each member of his team.

"All right." The girl told him and turning on her heel, she walked off and SG-1 had no choice but, to follow.

They followed her through the dark forest, but strangely had no difficulty in doing so. It was almost as though there was a light guiding them, only there wasn't.

"How much further is this village thing?" Jack questioned.

"Not far now, we're almost there." The child said, turning back to them.

Jack sighed and continued to follow the brunette child through the forest until she pushed through a barricade of branches and into a large clearing. An odd feeling washed over each of them, causing their skin to tingle.

Jonas closed his eyes and breathed deeply, this hadn't happened the first time and he was wondering why it was happening now.

When they opened their eyes once again, they were standing in the broad daylight, in front of what appeared to be a village of sorts, presumably the one that the girl had been so eager to protect.

Jack looked up, sure enough, the sky was indeed purple and there was a smell in the air that he thought at first was lilac, but upon closer sniffing, he realized it wasn't. Instead, it was something sweeter, perhaps lilac and vanilla? He didn't know what to call it, all he knew was that it was getting into every pore of his skin and giving him instant energy.

"I told you that it wasn't far." The girl replied.

"Guess you were right." Jack stated, in an almost idle response. That smell was definitely enjoyable.

"So, you need our help. With what? Everything seems to be in perfect order around here, no huge explosions or raging fires." Jack said, all business now.

"It hasn't happened yet, but it will. Soon and I want to stop it." The girl said.

"Okay, but first, we need to know what is going to happen."
"I don't know how to say it, it's complicated."

"How did you tell Jonas?" Sam asked quietly.

"With a viewing stone. Mommy only has one though, and I'm not sure where she put it after I returned it to her."

"How about you explain to us what you saw, Jonas?" Sam asked, turning to the newest member of SG-1.

"I can try. It was dark, and there was fire all around this area, as well as what looked like a flood?" Jonas tried.

"Oookay, dark, fire, flood. Got it but, how is it caused?" Jack wondered.

"I told you, I did it!" The child shouted.

"How?"

"I don't remember, but I need you to help me to remember so that it doesn't happen again."

"We'll do our best kid." Jack told her and looked around the village.

The girl began to walk off towards the rock cliff she had led Jonas up the first time and looked back for SG-1 to follow.

"C'mon." She replied.

Jonas was the first to follow, and despite his objections, Jack ordered Teal'c and Sam to follow as well.

OOO

At the top of the rock, next to the stream, SG-1 looked out onto the planet and down to the village. A soft wind danced around them and the smell was carried with it.

"What is that smell?" Jack asked, inhaling deeply.

"It is the smell of the Cora plant. The fields around us are filled with them. Would you like me to take you there?" The child asked.

"Lead the way." Jack told her, and the child climbed back down the rock to the ground and waited for the others.

She took off at a run toward the left of where she had landed and the Stargate team followed her at the same pace, so as not to loose sight of her.
They were led into a field of brilliant oranges and pinks and the sweet smell coated them. At the far end of the field, a green forest stood and there was a strange feeling as SG-1 neared it.

Jonas stopped as he began to feel weak and wobbly, looking around, he saw that both Jack and Sam were doing the same and Teal'c looked around questioningly as the same feeling swept over him.

The only one unaffected was the young girl and she cast her blue eyes over the team in alarm at their actions.

"What? What's wrong?" She asked in slight panic and alarm.

"I don't know, it's odd." Sam told her. The child rushed to Jonas's side.

"Jonas, what's wrong with you?" She cried, panic becoming more pronounced.

Jonas could do nothing, but shake his head in the fashion of unknowing. He hit the ground on his knees as he began to feel sick.

"All I know is that we've got to get out of here." Jack forced out through clenched teeth.

"Okay, C'mon, hurry!" The girl shouted, tugging on Jonas to get him to his feet. However, she wasn't nearly strong enough to lift the man and she began to cry helplessly and in frustration.

SG-1 forced themselves to their feet, weakly, amidst the child's crying and began moving away from the field of Cora plants. The child ran along behind them to be sure they got out and at the edge of the field she watched in alarm as once again each team-member hit the ground, unable to go any further.

Within seconds, the sickly feeling passed them and they regained their strength and looked at each other in confusion over what had just happened.

"What the hell is in that field?" Jack exclaimed as he got his strength back.

"There's nothing in that field Colonel." The child whimpered at Jack's tone.

"There's gotta be something in there to have that kinda effect on us!" Jack replied.

"Something, but what?" Sam questioned, getting to her feet once again.

"There is indeed something in there, O'Neill. However, I do not know what." Teal'c stated.

"Who cares, as long as we don't go in there we're fine. Now, let's figure out how to help her and get out of here." O'Neill replied, and with one final look back to the orange and pink field, he led them away from the area and back towards the village.