Chapter Eight

Tilly

I was feeling terrible but not so bad now. I felt wet and sore all over. There was a gentle breeze tussling my hair as I came to. I felt a hand on my chest and one by my face. There was no movement from either. "Daddy?" I whispered from a very dry throat. It sounded so gravelly, that I wondered if it was truly my voice. I took a swallow to try to moisten my throat and tried again. "Daddy?" By this time I was able to get an eye open and saw his head lying on the side of the bed. I reached out to shake his shoulder. "Daddy, please wake-up?"

The room was gone. Just the bed, the chair and the cabinet next to the bed were there. Everything else was gone. It was white out. But where was the breeze coming from?

And it was increasing.

"Daddy?" I was getting scared, now.

Finally a moan emitted from Daddy. He started to sit up but groaned even loader. "Tilly?" he called with barely a whisper.

"I'm here Daddy," I said while rubbing his shoulder for reassurance.

"What happened?" he asked groggily while attempting to sit up.

"I don't know. I was sick. Now I'm feeling better."

"Aaaghh!" exclaimed Dad while grabbing for his head as if in pain with his eyes closed tightly.

"Daddy, what is wrong?" I asked while I reached for his head. "You're scaring me! Daddy?"

He slowly relaxed a little and looked over at me with glazed eyes. They were not focused on me.

"Daddy?" I asked softly. I did not know why I spoke quietly as I did, but he looked like he was in a trance. I reached out with my mind to see if I could get his attention that away.

"OW!" That hurt. It had felt like I just touched flames in the fire pit. As I looked at his face I noticed his eyes started to blink, slowly at first. Then more rapidly, He began to focus on my face finally. "Daddy?"

"Tilly?" he croaked.

"Yes."

"Oh Tilly!" he said as he reached for me. "You alright?" He put a hand on my cheek to lift my face to his and kissed my forehead.

"Yes, I am now. But what about you?" I just could not believe he is asking me how I am, when he is the one that looks terrible.

"Daddy, please tell me what is going on." The breeze is now increasing to a full-blown wind and the once white of our space is getting darker. Like a storm was brewing.

"Tilly, I need to get you back. It will not be safe here for you any more," he said as he was panting as if he had been running for a long time.

"But...I want to stay with you," I pleaded.

"No!" he said as his panting became harsher. "I need to know your safe."

"How am I supposed to get back?" I was hoping that would be a problem so I could stay.

Daddy took my hands and held them in front of us. His thumbs were rubbing across the backs of them. "Do you remember the top jewel on the box?" he asked.

"Do I remember? Dah!" What a silly question that was. He knows I have a photographic memory just like his.

"Right. Well concentrate on it. Close your eyes and picture it. Try and focus only on it nothing else. O.K.?"

"How is that going to help me get back?" I asked indignantly.

"Just do it," he quipped trying not to laugh. He did not release my hands, gave them an encouraging squeeze. I closed my eyes and tried to focus on the jewel. The noise from the howling wind started to subside. I open my eyes to see daddy fading. "No! Daddy I'm scared."

"It's alright. Sam will take care of you and get you back to your mother." I noticed his hair was still whipping around as if the winds were still blowing, but I could not feel a thing. Then I saw images starting to appear. Faint at first, getting stronger as I watched. I no longer can feel my daddy's hands. I looked up to see he was fading out. "Daddy!"

"Sssshh! I'll see you soon," he said and smiled that bright smile of his that had my mother's heart melting every time she saw it.

I hoped so. I could not hold back the tears any more as he disappeared and was replaced by the woman called Sam.

Sam

I was just getting over a very strong shock wave that seemed to emit from the box about a few seconds ago when before me stood Tilly. She was standing there crying as if her heart was broken. I knelt down to take her into my arms to try to comfort her. She excepted my support and fell into my arms sobbing even harder with one word coming from her trembling lips," Daddy!"

I was holding and rocking her to calm her down. I wondered what was happening? Where was Jack? Why is Tilly here and not him? Why was the box starting to glow again? And it was. I was looking right at it and it was. Then another powerful wave came out also.

"Thor, Lya, what is going on?"

Both had looked at each other. Thor's big ebony eyes blinking at Lya and Lya looked quizzically back at Thor. They both turned to me and said in unison, "We do not know."

"What?" You don't know? What do you mean you don't know?" asked Jacob as he came closer to Tilly and me. "You created the Claviger."

Lya spoke first, "This is not what it is suppose to do. From history of the previous device, we know that it never did this and according to the scientist that built it, it is not dissimilar to the other.

"Does that mean O'Neill is in danger?" asked Teal'c.

"We are unsure at this time," stated Thor.

"I will go and consult with our counsel of elders. I will return," Lya said before she vanished with a nod of her head.

Tilly was starting to calm down, so I figured I could ask some of the questions I had running around in my head. But before I could ask she started answering them for me.

"I do not know what was happening with daddy. He had just helped me get well again. I was so sick that I thought I was a goner. I am not sure how but he cured me. I remember Kanan saying something about when daddy was sick with the same thing during their first blending. When I became aware again, I noticed the wind and daddy's pain had increased at the same time. The more pain he felt the more the wind blew and it also start to get gray like a storm was brewing. A really big storm."

Everyone was listening to Tilly's story with complete attention, even Thor, when another of those waves shot out from the box. But this time it was not just a short burst. It was very long and intense.

Jacob

After the wave passed. I felt very depressed or sad, as if the waves were an emotional storm washing over us. It was so intense a sensation, that I was worried for Tilly. I figured every one else could handle it. As I looked at her she appeared fine until I realized that she displayed no movement. Her eyes appeared to be glazed over. I looked to Sam to see if she had noticed as well, but she appeared to be experiencing the same affect. They both were frozen as they were before the wave. I reached out to get Sam's attention. "Sammy?" No response. I shook her shoulder that I had my hand on. "Sam?" still, no response.

"Thor what is happening with them?" I asked out of desperation.

"Colonel Carter?" Teal'c stated in his very impressive baritone voice in hopes to bringing her out of her trance.

Just then another more intense and lengthened wave emitted from the Claviger. This one seems to leave a stronger emotion in its wake. Love?

Daniel

Baal. What can I say? He is and always will be a Goa'uld. So high and mighty with the 'I am your God', attitude. He is such an ass. He did not take long to summon me to his "presence."

Of course I gained a split lip and some bruised ribs along the way. So, here I am kneeling in front of his high and mighty in his "throne room."

"Daniel Jackson, you know, I believe O'Neill called out your name when he and I were enjoying ourselves the last time he was in my presence," he spoke with that leer and glint in his eyes. Like he was going to enjoy this immensely at my expense.

I just remained closed lipped to the comment. There was no need to provoke him. Well, he really does not need any, but he is not getting help from me, needless to say.

"I believe you were ascended at that time," he quarried.

"What has that got to do with anything?" I shot back.

Baal took his time before answering that little out burst. He got up and walked closer and looked unwavering at me and gave a little twitch at one corner of his mouth. He began to bring up his left hand and I could see a hand device on it. But before he could activate it we all felt a wave of discomfort. It had startled Baal greatly. He started barking out orders and returned to his "throne." As he settled he looked at me once again. "Where is O'Neill?" he yelled.

"Now, see I could have figured that out if I had a chance to decipher that artifact," I replied. " But since neither of us happened to have it, that would be hard to do.

Another wave more intense than the last washed over us with emotions of all kinds swirling in its wake. I looked up at Baal to see his face to gage his reaction with the intense emotional backwash. It kind of left me nauseous, but Baal looked worse. He was almost doubled over from that last wave. Then another even stronger and more powerful wave of emotion hit.

Baal passed out completely and so did half of the Jaffas.

Hammond

Well, here I am again, sitting behind this desk waiting for information. I have people at the Alfa site bugging me for information and the MALP is not picking up anything from Edora. It has been 12 hours since we have heard from anyone there.

The phone rang, "Hammond."

"I'm sorry. I was trying to reach General O'Neill," said a female voice on the other end of the line.

"General O'Neill is currently out of the country. This is General Hammond. How may I help you?"

"I'm the Principle at the Colorado Springs High School. We are trying to reach General O'Neill because his son is ill and has collapsed here at school. We have called for an ambulance."

"What? I know Jon. Please have the ambulance take him to the Academy Hospital and I will try and contact General O'Neill and Jon's doctor. I will meet them at the hospital." Dam! This is not good. Where are you Jack?

"Thank you, sir. I really appreciate that greatly," said Principle Sanchez.