Chapter 7 – A Light at the End of the Tunnel

Jack kept a tight grip on the little girl's hand, even though she didn't seem to be the least bit afraid. He had passed her the flashlight as they walked along the dark passageway underneath the temple and kept his Zat held loosely by his side. As they walked slowly down the passageway, Grace held the flashlight for both of them and giggled as she made its light bounce off of the walls in front of them.

"Ya know, it would be much easier to see where we're going if you tried to keep the light more steady," Jack quipped.

The little girl looked up at him and smiled. "But this is much funner!"

Jack chuckled and shook his head; he was really beginning to enjoy this child, especially now that she wasn't talking in riddles any longer. Once he found Carter, and he was feeling more confident about that by the minute, he hoped to have a chance to sit down and find out more about this remarkable child…especially where she came from!

Grace interrupted his thoughts with a question that threw him off balance for a moment. "You like her a lot, don't you?"

Startled, Jack looked down at her before returning his gaze straight ahead. "Who?" he asked, deciding to play dumb.

It didn't fool Grace one bit. "You know who. My mother, silly."

Jack cleared his throat, trying to think of an appropriate response to give to this child. He still wasn't completely sure about this Carter as someone's mom idea. He needed more time to get his brain around what was going on. For now, he decided to give her a general reply. "Uh, yeah, of course I like Carter. I like everyone on my team; if I didn't, we'd not have much of a team now, would we?"

Grace sighed as if talking to someone much younger than herself who just didn't get it. "Not like that." She looked at him sideways before continuing, "I think, you really care about her, but are afraid."

Jack frowned. "Of course I care about Carter, like I said; she's part of my team. An important part of my team." He used the same sentence he had uttered when talking to General Hammond three years ago, knowing in his heart that it meant something quite different to him than it did to the General. Jack really did not want to get into this kind of discussion with a child, so was vastly relieved when she said no more. Grace just sighed softly and continued on with him, but her hand no longer grasped his quite as tightly as before.

After another ten minutes of slowly making their way through the dark corridor in relative silence, they turned a corner that opened up into a small, circular room – almost like a waiting room of some sort. At the end of this room, stood a heavy door bearing many dents and rusty marks, as if someone had tried to force their way past the door some time ago. Above the door, a large diamond shaped crystal illuminated the space, shining with a yellow glow in the small enclosed area.

Jack released Grace's hand and gripped his Zat firmly in his right hand. Turning to her he said, "Give me the flashlight, Grace. I want you to stand back against the wall. I'm going to check out that door."

"There is nothing to fear here, Sir," Grace replied quietly.

"Yeah, well, you let me the judge of that, OK?"

"But…"

"Look, kiddo. This is my job, so let me do it, OK? Now stand back and keep quiet, all right?"

Grace cocked her head to the side and gave him a slight frown before nodding her head in agreement, her curls bouncing on her shoulders as she did so. She stepped back against the far wall and leaned back, tucking her hands behind her back as if settling in for a long wait. Jack kept a sharp eye on her until she blended into the shadows before strapping the flashlight back into place on his vest and stepping forward to more closely examine the door; the crystal above providing enough light for him to see by.

He saw that the door was made of a heavy metal of some sort and along the side of the door was a column of symbols that looked vaguely familiar to him. Where there once was something to grasp in order to open the door, there was now a hole approximately 2 inches in diameter. Jack bent forward and peered into the hole, trying to discern what was on the other side. It was too dark to see anything, so he unhooked his flashlight once more and shined in into the opening. All he could see from this vantage point was a stone wall across a wide dark space.

As Jack straightened, he felt a breeze ripple past him and a soft voice whisper, "She is in there, waiting for you." He spun around, expecting to find Grace standing next to him and ready to admonish her for moving, but he saw nothing. Quickly shining his flashlight to the wall where he had left her, he was momentarily stunned to find the space empty. Where had she gone?

"Grace? Grace! Where the hell are you?" Jack shouted as he walked back to where the corridor led away from the small room. He shined his light down the corridor but saw no sign of the little girl. She couldn't have gotten away that quickly, he thought in irritation, mixed with a little fear.

Jack turned back to the door, torn by momentary indecision. Should he go and look for Grace, or should he check and see if Carter was on the other side of this door?

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Sam woke slowly, thinking that the voice she heard was in her dreams. Why the Colonel was calling for Grace, she couldn't fathom, but tried not to waste time analyzing her dreams at this point in time. When she heard the unmistakable voice calling out loudly, "Where the hell are you?" from the vicinity of the door, Sam was quite certain she was not dreaming.

"Colonel?" she croaked out past her dry throat. Clearing her throat loudly, Sam tried again. "Colonel, is that you?"

Jack spun back towards the door when he heard her voice. "Carter?" he called loudly as he crouched down and peered through the hole in the door. "You in there?"

"Yes, sir," she called weakly, her head swimming dizzily as she pushed herself into a sitting position.

Closing his eyes, he let the feeling of relief wash over him before he asked. "You all right?" knowing damned well she wasn't by how weak her voice sounded.

"I've been better, sir," came the hesitant response. Knowing she must be in bad shape if she admitted that much, he looked around frantically for a way in, all the while keeping one eye out for the re-appearance of a certain little girl.

Trying for lightness in the tense situation, Jack said, "Looks like you've gotten yourself into an interesting predicament here, Carter. This is usually Daniel's department, isn't it?"

He felt another wave of relief flood his body as he heard the smile in her voice as she replied, "Usually, sir." That she could banter with him, however little it might be, helped put his mind at ease for the time being.

Needing to access her injuries, even though he couldn't do anything about them at the moment, Jack asked with gentle concern, "How bad are you hurt, Carter?"

Sam had gotten herself into an upright position by this point and was making her way slowly over to the door. Jack heard her as she leaned heavily against it, trying to keep herself supported. "Oh, you know, Sir. It only hurts when I breathe," she tried lightly.

Jack didn't bite this time at the teasing tone she took. "Sam," he admonished lightly, the tone he took at her name conveying the underlying order.

He heard her sigh, then a sharp intake of breath as if in pain. He knew then that she hadn't really been teasing all that much about it hurting when she breathed. "Fractured rib, slight concussion, bumps and bruises. You know, the usual," came the soft reply.

Damn it, Jack mumbled under his breath. If she had a broken rib, there was the danger of her having a punctured lung as well. And a concussion – she had had more of those in the last few months than most NFL linebacker's got in a life time! "Just hang on a bit longer, Carter. I've got to figure out a way to get this door opened, then we'll have you out of there, OK?"

"Ok," she replied. "What about Daniel and Teal'c – are they with you?"

"Uh no, I kind of got down here on my own. Listen," he changed the subject, "There is no handy doorknob or lock to open this thing. Can you get it from your side?"

"No, Sir. I already tried. There's nothing on my end but a small hole," Sam replied. "What about out there?"

"Same thing, but there is a column of symbols running down the outside. I'm assuming it the Ancient equivalent of a combination lock" he stated with resignation.

"Must be. If you could describe them, may I could…," Sam gasped as another wave of pain ran through her, followed by a strong feeling of nausea.

"Carter?" Jack in concern; he hadn't missed the gasp or the cessation of her talking.

"I'm… OK," she replied, trying to strengthen her voice.

"Sit down, all right? I don't want you passing out," Jack ordered. He gave her a minute, then called out, "Are you sitting now?"

"Yes, Sir," Sam called back, trying to steady her breathing.

"Look Carter, I'm going to get Danny and Teal'c down here. Hopefully, between the three of us, we can figure out this panel and can get the door open. I don't want to blow it with C-4; it might take the whole place down." When he didn't get a response, he shouted louder, "Carter?"

Sam jerked up; she had leaned back to rest after the recent movement and had momentarily zoned out. "Sorry, Sir. I'm still here."

"God, don't do that to me!" he admonished her. "Did you hear me? I'm going to get Danny and T down here. Just…sit tight, OK?"

"Yes, sir." Sam agreed quietly, wondering briefly where he thought she'd possibly go. She heard him get on his radio and tell Daniel and Teal'c where he was and how to find him. She was puzzled why the Colonel had ventured down on his own and how he had come to find her, but the thought was quickly over-ridden by her relief that he was here at all. At this point, all she really wanted was to get out of the dank room; the musty dampness was causing the feeling of nauseousness to grow stronger and the pain in her side seemed to be intensifying. The skeleton in the corner wasn't making her feel all that relaxed either. Sam reached for her canteen and took a swallow of water, keeping her eyes averted from the corner, and hoped that the taste of bile rising in her throat would go away.

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"Danny, Teal'c, come in," Jack's voice came over the radio. Teal'c sprang up instantly and reached for his radio; Daniel following his actions, albeit much slower.

"O'Neill, where are you?" Teal'c came directly to the point.

"Uh, I discovered a way to the lower level and found where Carter's been hanging out. She's stuck on the other side of a heavy door that doesn't seem to have an easy way in. I need you guys to get down here right away."

"How?" Daniel piped in from his own radio, his mind still fuzzy with sleep. They both listened carefully as Jack gave them clear, concise directions on how to reach the opening where they would find the stairs leading below the temple. They looked at each other questioningly; wondering how and when Jack had figured all this out and why he hadn't informed them in the first place.

Knowing there would be time for questions later, Teal'c replied, "We will be with you momentarily, O'Neill." He then stood quickly and gathered what supplies they would need, trusting Daniel to do the same and follow him to the right corridor. When they found the opening in the wall, they made their way carefully down the winding, stone steps and eventually to the small room where Jack was waiting.

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Grace stood silently, engulfed by a large space filled with whiteness. She waited for the figure in front of her to speak, nervously twining a strand of hair around her small finger.

"You have done well, child," the gentle voice of a woman floated down to her. "You have provided assistance to you mother and ensured that she will be found. You have also led these members of the Tau'ri to that which they will need in future explorations." There was a pause before the voice continued on. "Although you have gone against my dictate and informed O'Neill that Samantha Carter is your mother, I do not believe this will be harmful."

Grace hung her head and said quietly, "He asked who my mother was…I thought it was the only way to get him to come with me," she admitted. "I didn't tell him about my father, though," she stated, hoping to be exonerated for her one mistake.

"That is as it should be. We must allow these humans to make their choices in their own time. The council was against this entire plan; the ability to produce a manifestation of a being who is not yet born is one not to be taken lightly. I should not have interfered as much I did in allowing you to appear before both Samantha Carter and Jack O'Neill, but I felt it imperative to their futures…and yours."

"Will I be able to go back and help them find what is hidden behind the inner panel?" the child asked eagerly.

"No, my child. We must let them discover the remaining secrets on their own. You will be able to provide clues to open the outer door, if necessary, and to offer any comfort to your mother before she is rescued, but that is all. You must not appear before Daniel Jackson under any circumstance. It may trigger memories of his time as an Ascended being, which is to be avoided at all costs."

Grace looked unhappily to the being before her; she had wanted to spend more time with the two adults in the temple that she was allowed to converse with. The Ancient being, though staid in following the majority of the rules set before her, was not immune to the look of desolation on the child's face, and so offered, "Perhaps you will be allowed to say farewell when SG-1 takes their leave. I shall think on this matter. In the meantime, prepare yourself to journey back to the temple; your mother will need you once again."

And so the plot thickens! I have lots of company coming this weekend so won't get to update until Monday. Thanks for the reviews...it's so great to hear from new readers and old alike...not that any of you are old...well, you know what I mean:)