Chapter 15: The Calm After the Storm?

SG-1 made their way into the village with Colonel O'Neill in the lead and moving quite quickly. The remainder of the team had to walk extremely fast just to stay three feet behind him. It made it that much worse for the child who was running as fast as she could to keep Jonas in sight as he was bringing up the rear.

Jack stopped suddenly, almost causing Carter to bump into him as she was trying to keep up with him. She halted herself just in time, however to avoid a collision.

The child ran up from behind the group, came to a stop next to the Colonel, and regarded him with her blue eyes as he scanned the village.

"What're you doing Jack?" She asked.

"Looking for a sign of anything that may help us solve this thing."

"You're not going to find anything here. I know for a fact that I didn't do anything here."

"You said you didn't remember."

"I don't, but I do remember certain things and I know that you aren't going to find anything to help you, here."

"Then where?"

"I don't know."

The wind picked up and blew around them, carrying the scent of the sweet smelling Cora plant with it. Jonas shuddered at the thought of the experience in the field of the colorful flower and knew that he didn't want to go there again anytime soon...

He watched as Colonel O'Neill sauntered though the village checking each house for dangers or clues and then, he returned to the group.

"All right, I'm convinced that there really is nothing here that would cause what you say."

"I told you that." The child responded.

At that moment, Jonas felt a drop of rain hit him and turned his face skyward. There appeared to be a storm moving in and that was confirmed when the sound of rumbling thunder echoed through the purple sky and the rain came down harder.

"Great a storm!" Jack exclaimed.
"C'mon, let's get inside, when a storm hits here, it hits hard and you don't want to be outside." The girl replied.

She led them into a nearby house that Jonas recognized as the same one she had brought him in the first time and it was still empty.

"Hey, where is everyone..." Jonas asked realizing the child still had no name.

"What's your name anyway?" Jack brought up, voicing Jonas's unvoiced question.

"Coris, it's a variation of the flowers you saw earlier. I'm sorry I didn't tell you before, it just never came up."

"Well at least now we have something to call you other than kid."

Coris giggled at that comment and shut the door behind her after everyone was in.

The rain hit the roof hard and made it sound as though at any given moment the roof would begin to leak, luckily it never did and the team remained dry as they waited out the storm. Wind roared outside and blew right through the home, causing everyone to shiver slightly at the drop in temperature.

It must've continued on like that for at least two hours, two hours that the team spent in silence.

At long last, the storm subsided and Coris led them out of hiding and into the village's centre, where it looked like a royal disaster had hit. Large branches were strewn through the area, as well as crates and Cora plants.

"Looks like those houses are stronger than they look." Mused Colonel O'Neill, scanning the village mess with his dark brown eyes.

At that moment the child craned her neck as if to better hear something.

"Listen." She whispered.

SG-1 did so, but couldn't hear what she apparently was able to.

"To what?" Sam asked silently.

"I don't know what it is but, I'm going to find out." Coris took off to her right, and out of the village, followed closely by a curious SG-1.

She led them to the edge of another field of Cora plants and stopped, craning her neck again.

"It's coming from over there." She pointed to a dark forest on the far side of the field.
"Oh no, we aren't going in there. Not again." Jack spoke up suddenly.

"Then wait here, I'll go and see what it is." Coris took off across the field and stopped at the edge of the forest, the team watching her movements closely.

Jonas heard the noise as well, the noise that seemed oblivious to the others and he listened to it, unmoving. It was there, a far off noise that he could just barely make out. It was a low clicking noise and it was coming from the forest.

"Jonas, what is it?" Sam asked.

"A noise, you can't hear it?"

"No."

The clicking sound grew louder and Jonas no longer had to strain to hear it, it echoed in his ears and he wanted to know what was making it.

"I'm going to check it out." He stated looking towards Coris, who hadn't gone any further than the forest edge.

"Jonas, don't tell me you're going in there after what happened the first time." Jack replied.

Jonas didn't answer, he was already making his way across the field towards the forest.

"Guess so." Jack sighed.