Chapter 19: Messages and Understanding

Major Carter looked at Daniel, he was all but joking in this matter, and it made her slightly uneasy to consider what he had just said.

The wind picked up and she still stood, making no move to warm herself.

Daniel and Teal'c looked on as she digested the information and then, just like that Sam regained control and moved over to the DHD.

"Sam, what're you doing?" Daniel asked.

"Sending a message through to General Hammond to report our situation and tell him to not send any backup." Sam replied simply and began pushing in the address buttons.

Each chevron encoded and to everyone's surprise the seventh locked and the gate exploded in a wave of blue and settled in.

She sent through her code, although she had no intentions of going through. She was going after her missing team-mates.

OOO

General Hammond waited for the code before opening the iris.

"We've got a signal sir, it's SG-1." Replied the techie.

"They must've gotten through again. Open the iris."

The iris was opened, and Major Carter's voice floated through.

"General, we have a situation here." Sam replied getting right to the point.

"Major Carter, what's your situation." Hammond greeted, his breath catching as he heard the word situation.

"Sir, Colonel O'Neill and Jonas have been captured, sort of." Sam stated.

"I thought you said there was nothing but...ghosts there, Major." Hammond stated, slightly uncomfortable.
"Yes Sir, there are ghosts. We met one, a child, her name was Coris. She took us to what seemed like back through time to when the planet was as it appeared on our first investigation with the MALP."

"Back in time? Are you certain the sun just didn't come up? Are you sure this Coris is a ghost?"

"Positive Sir. And yes, I believe the child is a ghost. She took us to the edge of a forest and the Colonel and Jonas went in further then we did, and something went wrong. Colonel O'Neill told Teal'c and me to get as far away from the forest as possible."

"And you went, just like that?"

"No. Sir, we weren't intending to, but we were transported back to the gate before we could take action."

"So now, Colonel O'Neill and Jonas are in the forest?" Hammond asked, clearly confused.

"I don't know General. Don't send backup, we're going after them." Sam stated quickly.

"Are you sure you don't want backup? Your situation seems serious." Hammond asked.

"Positive." Sam answered quickly.

"Very well Major, bring them back, and good luck." Hammond replied, he wasn't even going to attempt and argue at that, it'd be no use anyway, the way they were going it wouldn't have done much good to send another team.

"I'll try to check back later, if I get the chance. Carter out." Sam replied and the link was cut.

General Hammond stood at the window, shaking his head in disbelief and turned back.

"I'm not even going to try and understand what was just said. Let's just hope everything goes all right." The General stated.

"Yes Sir." The tech replied, turning back to the computer screen.

OOO

"Well, that was easier then I thought it would be." Sam replied.

Daniel had the ghost of a smile on his face, amused at the conversation that he had just overheard.
"What?" Sam asked.

"Nothing, nothing at all. Listen, I have to go. Good luck." Daniel replied.

"Hey, before you leave do me a favor. If you get the chance, check up on the Colonel and Jonas, let us know where they are?" Sam suggested.

"I'll do my best." Jackson replied and with that he vanished.

"Let's go, Teal'c." Sam stated.

"Very well, Major Carter." Was the answer she received, and they walked off in search of the two missing people.

OOO

Jack watched Jonas closely. He had slipped back into oblivion. The two men were still there and Jack reached out to grab the attention of one.

He brought his hand slowly down on the man's shoulder and felt like he was touching ice. The man turned towards him and stared coldly at him.

"Hey, mind telling me what's going on?" Jack asked, ignoring the gaze he was receiving, despite the alert it hit in him.

"He is experiencing what we once did." Replied the blue-eyed man. His voice was gravelly, and rough, sounding like bike tires on dirt, and Jack breathed deeply to force down fright.

"So that means what? You're gonna have to tell me, I can't get inside his head and find out for myself." O'Neill stated simply, watching his unconscious team-member.

"I cannot."

"All right, can ya let me in on what's with that kid chasing after us?" Jack asked.

"I can." And then there was silence.

"Well?"

"Coris was a pleasant child, until she changed."

"Changed?"

"Yes, she developed abilities, got into dark power, and it consumed her, but not before she destroyed us all."

"Destroyed? She said she needed help to cause something and she's using Jonas and I to power her weapon of mass destruction thingy."

"She is. She's using your heat."

"And in doing so, it throws everything else outta whack. Got that, experienced it to be precise, not fun."

"Then you know the story."

"Mostly, yeah." Jack replied casually.

"Then why must I explain it?"

"What exactly are we helping to cause?"

"Coris caused a green light with what power she had left before we executed her, and it sent fire from the sky and great waves of water to overtake us. Everyone was killed."

"Oh." O'Neill stated.

"You have to try to overcome the curse she has drug you and your friend into, or it will destroy you as well." The blue-eyed man replied in his gravelly voice.

Jack's gaze drifted to where Jonas lay, twisting and turning as though he were trapped in a nightmare. For all Jack knew, he very well could've been...