Chapter 24: It's All About Timing
Beyond Doctor Fraser, Jonas saw General Hammond standing motionless in the doorway. The General's face was pale and his eyes were clouded with confusion as well as hints of fear, he looked as though he wanted to say something, but his mouth uttered no sound.
Upon catching a glimpse of Hammond, Jonas immediately removed the glare intended for Doctor Fraser from his face, and replaced it with an expression of anxiety. Had General Hammond just heard all of what Jonas had told Fraser? From what Jonas could gather from the older man's expression, it was a very strong possibility that he'd heard everything.
Seeing Jonas's sudden change in facial expression, Janet turned to the door and saw the Commander of the SGC casting worried glances from her to Jonas. Fraser straightened herself up and stood at attention. Hammond dismissed her actions with a wave of his hand.
"General Hammond, did you hear the entire conversation?" Jonas asked anxiously, hoping that the question would speak for itself. Hammond nodded, but said nothing.
Jonas closed his eyes, he'd suspected as much, and from the looks of it, General Hammond didn't find this news entirely convincing, or very comfortable to take in.
"How did you come across this information, Jonas?" Hammond asked quietly.
"I had a dream." Jonas replied shyly.
"A dream? From my knowledge, dreams are nothing, but dreams." The General replied.
"General, it's the same as last time. I can't explain it, it just happens, I have no way of controlling it."
"What do you suggest we do?" Hammond seemed to slowly become convinced. He turned to Doctor Fraser with an expectant look in his eyes.
"I suggest we send another team through to check on SG-1, Sir. Is SG-2 back yet? We could be dealing with a potentially hostile situation. The only thing I have to go on is Jonas's accounts of what has or will happen, and until I can find out more, I suggest we follow his instincts. He was right last time." Fraser replied, her voice sounding strong, despite the way she was feeling.
"SG-2 isn't due back for another few hours." Hammond replied.
"It'll be too late by then!" Jonas exclaimed suddenly.
Hammond and Fraser turned to him in surprise.
"Let me go, General. I may be the only person who can go without being put in direct danger." Jonas said quickly.
"No, Jonas. I told you before, you're not fit to go anywhere, let alone off world!" Janet replied, her voice raising in warning.
"You may not have a choice." Jonas replied darkly.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Fraser questioned suddenly.
Jonas closed his eyes and sighed. "Nothing. Please, just let me go, send another team with me if you wish, but let me go and see what I can do." Jonas replied, he turned pleading eyes on General Hammond, but the General didn't seem as though he were willing to allow Jonas to go.
"You heard what doctor Fraser said, Jonas. I have come to respect her opinion, I'm sorry. If she doesn't see you fit to go, I'm afraid I can't authorize it." General Hammond said.
"General, I know how this creature thinks, I've been inside its mind. I could be of help in finding SG-1." Hammond looked as though he were about to interrupt, but Jonas wouldn't let him.
"Yes, I know what doctor Fraser said, but without intending any disrespect toward either of you, doctor Fraser doesn't even know what's going on with me. All she knows is that there's a telepathic connection between the creature and myself, and I have some unidentified toxin running rampant through my bloodstream. The fact is, I feel fine, and if you want SG-1 back alive and in one piece, I suggest you let me go. I may be the only chance they have." Jonas replied, his voice quivering with frustration.
"Jonas, you're not fine. Look at yourself. You're an emotional train wreck. If you went into this mission, even with another team, your emotions would probably get the best of you, and we may very well lose all of you. I'm not willing to authorize that type of risk. You can't go. That's my final decision." Fraser said with positive hints of her own frustration.
"I'm sorry, Jonas. You're going to have to remain behind." Hammond said.
Jonas balled his hands into tight fists, his knuckles turning white with the action, a light flush had crept into his cheeks, and he was visibly holding back anger. Hammond watched the young man with a sort of cautious interest, Jonas seemed to be acting very out of character.
"General . . . " Jonas started, harshly, but Hammond held up a hand to silence him.
"I'm sorry, but the answer is no. I'll get SG-3 to go through and look for SG-1. Where would they be able to find them?" Hammond asked.
Jonas looked as though he were about to object, but thought better of it and sighed again.
"Through the forest outside the village. They should come to a clearing with a cavern. Make sure they keep going in a straight line from the gate, into the forest. If they get even slightly off the course, Colonel O'Neill and the others will be killed, if they haven't been already." Jonas replied.
Hammond nodded quickly and left to call SG-3 to a quick briefing. Jonas only hoped that what he'd seen in his dream was to happen in the future, for if it had been taking place while he saw it, SG-1 would surely be dead by now.
Fraser cast him a stern, yet worried glance and nodded.
"They'll be fine, Jonas." She replied, although she didn't sound entirely convinced herself.
"Yeah, right." Jonas replied anxiously.
The team of SG-3 had hardly had the chance to get in the door, let alone sit after being called to an urgent briefing. Almost as soon as they'd gotten there, Hammond launched into a short, hurried spiel about SG-1 and danger. SG-3 wasn't even sure any of them had understood everything correctly.
"It's all about timing. Get in, complete your mission as quickly as you can, and get yourselves out. There's no time for sight seeing." Were the words that Hammond had left them with before ordering the technician to start dialing.
The briefing had lasted less than five minutes when the gate was activated, and the team sent through, grabbing their equipment from the airmen that stood waiting at the base of the ramp upon their departure.
It had all passed so quickly that it all felt like it was a dream, until the team stepped through the other side and the reality of it all struck them fully in the face. Without words, Major Greer led the other three members of his team to the forest, making sure to keep in a straight line from the gate, just as he had been told.
Sure enough, the clearing and cavern were nestled in the heart of the forest, but there didn't appear to be anyone around. Still, they silently moved into position.
Colonel O'Neill had found the cavern without trouble. Looking back to the other two people of his team, he nodded, told them to stay and walked slowly to the cave entrance. From within the cave, he heard steady, even breathing floating to his ears.
There was definitely someone home. He crept into the entrance and saw a large mound of darkness hidden in the shadows of the cave. He stayed in place to be sure that the thing was still asleep, saw no flicker of red eyes and was convinced that it was safe to approach. He pulled the syringe from his pocket without a word, and walked slowly to where the mound lay. Not bothering picking an appropriate place for the needle, he eased the point into the skin and drew what looked like muddy swamp water into the vile.
The creature didn't move. Satisfied, Jack stood, capped the vile and stowed it into his pocket. He turned quietly away and began toward the entrance. Distinct movement sounded from behind him, and had just barely turned, when he was struck down by a blow to the left side of his head, near his temple. He felt something slice into his skin and yelled out as he fell to the ground. He grabbed his gun from his belt, dazed from the recent shock and trained it on the creature that had pinned him down.
A massive, three clawed hand was raised above O'Neill's chest and the Colonel tried desperately to struggle away. The hand began the decent toward him, got no more than three inches from its target, and the huge creature growled and reared away from O'Neill. The dark creature rushed into one of the several passageways at the back of the cavern, leaving Jack on the ground, dazed and bleeding.
"Sir!" Yelled Sam, and he saw her drop next to him.
"Guess he doesn't like needles." Jack mused quietly. A small smirk crossed Carter's lips, but upon seeing the bloodstained cheek of her CO, she turned his head roughly to her.
"Ouch, hey! Carter, what are you doing?" Jack asked, mildly surprised at her reaction.
By now, Teal'c had dropped next to Carter and was also casting worried eyes upon O'Neill. The blood from the cut above Jack's temple had spread to his cheek, and was now beginning to drip onto his uniform jacket. Seeing the crimson stain his coat, the Colonel brought a hand up to where his skin felt like it was on fire. His fingertips came away stained.
"Oh, Fraser's gonna have a great time with this." Jack said without a hint of amusement.
Carter's eyes shook with concern, and Teal'c looked as though he'd just tasted something rotten. The Jaffa's eyes were wide in shock, and his forehead was creased from where he was frowning.
"It's just a scratch. Don't worry about it." Jack said, catching the looks on his friends' faces.
"Sir, that's not just a scratch. There are three distinct marks. Here, here, and here." Sam touched each mark gingerly. Her last touch just above his hairline, while the other two were shortly below, on his forehead.
"Aw, crap." Jack said, his voice darkly hollow, as he ran his fingers over the three cuts.
"I believe you have been marked, O'Neill." Teal'c said, his voice thick with what seemed to be concern.
"Which means, I'm not gonna last much longer, right?" O'Neill replied, his voice even darker.
Sam's eyes still shone with worry, her mouth was set in a grim line, and her face was stony and anxious. She shrugged. "I don't know, Sir." She admitted.
Jack was quiet for what seemed like hours and when he spoke again, his voice had an edge of wry humor to it.
"So Carter, do you want my DVD player?" O'Neill asked, his mouth quivering with a slight smile.