CHAPTER TEN - Jonas's Bad Day
Is it thy will, thy image should keep open
My heavy eyelids to the weary night?
Dost thou desire my slumbers should be broken,
While shadows like to thee do mock my sight?
Is it thy spirit that thou send'st from thee
So far from home into my deeds to pry,
To find out shames and idle hours in me,
The scope and tenor of thy jealousy?
O, no! thy love, though much, is not so great:
It is my love that keeps mine eye awake:
Mine own true love that doth my rest defeat,
To play the watchman ever for thy sake:
For thee watch I, whilst thou dost wake elsewhere,
From me far off, with others all too near.
Sonnet 61 by William Shakespeare
The scene reminded Jonas too eerily of the moment Aiyana had died. Within moments upon reaching the infirmary, Amelia was lost behind a barrier of monitors, wires, and people. Doctor Fraiser took command, barking orders and scurrying about in a frenzy, shunting Jonas aside after asking him a few very quick questions. Jonas was only able to watch, helpless and desperately worried.
Now the room was quiet once more, except for the soft beeping of Amelia's heart monitor and the whirring of the other machinery. He stood alone by her bed, watching the rise and fall of her labored breathing, aware that he was due in the briefing room in five minutes and wondering how he would be able to concentrate on anything today.
"Jonas?"
He turned and gave Doctor Fraiser a weak smile as she stepped up behind him, but the smile did not reach his eyes. "How is she?"
"Stable enough for the moment, but very weak. Do you want to tell me what happened?"
"We were playing a game in the rec room. She just...collapsed."
"What were you playing?"
"Table tennis."
Jonas did not need an interpreter to tell him that the heavy silence following these words was not approving. "What was she thinking?" Janet finally murmured. "What were you thinking? Jonas, you know how advanced her condition is. Her body needs all the strength it can manage right now if she's to have any chance of pulling through this. She shouldn't have been exerting herself."
Jonas was only able to nod, mortified.
"And in the future, medical emergencies are to be called in over the proper channels. You might have risked a lot, carrying her here like you did."
"Yes, Doctor. I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. I was just-really scared."
Janet reached up and put a hesitant hand on his shoulder. "You care about her very much, don't you?"
Jonas did not immediately reply, but bent down and picked up Amelia's left hand in his own. "Have you ever heard her play, Doctor?" he asked.
"No, I haven't."
"She likes the composers that laugh," he said softly. "Mozart, Mendelssohn. Vivaldi." He studied her fingers— nails clipped short, thick calluses on the tips. Yes, he cared about her very much. He did not want to lose her like he had lost Aiyana. "When do you think she'll wake up?"
"I don't know, Jonas. She's in a coma. It's hard to say."
"Have you administered the Tretonin?"
"No, not yet, but I will. I only hope I haven't waited too long." Janet's voice bore the weight of her own burden.
"I have to go," he said quietly.
"I know," she replied. "I'll keep you informed."
"Thanks."
For whatever reason, Jonas did not tell his teammates about Amelia's condition when he finally showed up for the briefing, avoiding Colonel O'Neill's disapproving expression for arriving ten minutes late. He was trying to take his cue from Doctor Fraiser and keep calm, and he had the feeling that vocalizing his concern would somehow make it more distracting. Janet had said Amelia was stable, at least. For now, it was going to have to be enough.
As for the briefing itself, the story that Colonel O'Neill relayed was certainly interesting enough to hold part of his attention. Jonas had never met the infamous Colonel Maybourne, but the man's history with the SGC was long and notorious. Maybourne purported to have information about a large cache of weapons and technology hidden offworld, and a key to open it, which he would hand over in exchange for a presidential pardon. Sam, Teal'c, and General Hammond seemed less than convinced, and even Colonel O'Neill looked as though just relaying the request was embarrassing.
Jonas had no trouble partaking in his teammates' caution and skepticism. "Did he say how he came across this key?" he asked, wondering just how many other secrets the NID was keeping or had kept from the SGC over the years.
"Nope," replied the Colonel.
"You were correct when you said it's doubtful the Pentagon would authorize Colonel Maybourne's presence on an off-world mission," General Hammond said.
"Should we not at least explore the planet to which he has provided the address?" Teal'c pointed out. It was a question Jonas was sure had been on everyone's mind.
"He did risk his butt just to make the proposition," said Colonel O'Neill reluctantly.
"Maybe we can get through the door without him," Sam pointed out. "If Maybourne thinks it's worth a pardon, what's on the other side must be good." She seemed most eager. Her eyes were alight with the possibility of challenge.
General Hammond looked at her confidently. "Do it," he said, nodding.
They set themselves to depart in an hour. Jonas geared up methodically, his mind full of questions and concerns. If any of his teammates noticed his uncharacteristic pensiveness, they gave no sign. After a trip to his lab to collect his camera and notebook, Jonas dropped by the infirmary once more, where he found Amelia much the same as she'd been an hour before.
"I administrated the Tretonin," Doctor Fraiser told him when she had a moment away from another patient. "The good news is that her body does not seem to be rejecting it. Other than that, I'm afraid it's still too soon to know how it will work."
"Still no word from the Tok'ra?" Jonas asked.
"No."
He nodded regretfully. It wasn't uncommon for the Tok'ra to be out of touch, but the timing of this particular absence was more than inopportune. "Perhaps we should attempt to contact them ourselves," he suggested.
"I'm not sure we can, but I'll advise General Hammond," Doctor Fraiser assured him.
Jonas was slightly late again when he reached the gate room. "Forget to eat your Wheaties this morning?" Colonel O'Neill commented as he hurried to join the rest of the team at the bottom of the ramp.
"Huh?" Jonas asked as he stowed his camera into his bag. Behind them, the vortex sprang to life with its usual vibrancy and the sounds of the gate being dialed were replaced by the gentle lapping of the event horizon.
"It's a breakfast cereal marketed to athletes," said Sam, readjusting her grip on her P-90. "Supposed to help give you a nutritional jumpstart to your day."
"Really?" Jonas asked, mildly interested.
"Don't listen to her," Colonel O'Neill injected. "They're boring, boring wheat flakes. Very boring." He clapped Jonas on the shoulder. "Besides, I think a jumpstart is the last thing you need, Sparky. Did I mention they're boring?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good. Let's get a move out, shall we?" He headed up the ramp, leaving Jonas to wonder something: if the Colonel found Wheaties so distasteful, why had he mentioned them in the first place?
The view from the Stargate when they stepped through was impressive. A stone temple stood perched on a ledge some distance across from them, which took a considerable amount of walking and climbing to reach, but the view was good. They were not long within the ruins when they found the device Colonel Maybourne had described. It appeared to be completely abandoned.
"Nobody home," Jonas commented, camera in hand. He was immediately intrigued by the exotic contours and angles of the alien script prominent on the shaded walls, and set to work on them with his camera.
"Are you able to translate any of this, Jonas Quinn?" Teal'c asked curiously, noting Jonas's actions.
"It's not Ancient, but it's definitely a language belonging to one of the races of the ancient alliance," Jonas replied.
"Nox? Asgard?" supplied Colonel O'Neill helpfully.
Jonas glanced at him. "Furlings."
"Oh!" said the Colonel, snapping disappointedly, scowling. "No, not those guys."
"What?" Jonas asked curiously.
"Oh, I don't know, I just can't imagine cute little furry things making big powerful weapons, that's all."
Jonas was surprised. "I don't even know what they look like," he said, stepping back past where Major Carter was examining a piece of alien technology on a pillar. Noting more script on the front of it—blockier than that on the walls— he began studying it with interest.
"Furling," recited the Colonel obviously. "Sounds cute and fuzzy to me."
Jonas was more captivated by the text. "This section says something like 'only the righteous may pass'," he said, pointing out a portion of the inscription that jumped out at him. There wasn't much source material available on the language of the Furlings, but by comparing the texts of the four races found on Ernest Littlefield's planet and further information provided by the Asgard, Doctor Jackson had been able to make a little headway into it.
Sam tapped her fingers on two notches in the center of the device, which looked very much like a giant electrical outlet. "This looks like where Maybourne's key would go."
Her scanner began beeping, and she glanced at it. "I'm getting energy readings," she continued. "There's a power source in this arch." The three men watched her intently as she stepped along the archway. A few feet away, she stopped and pointed to one portion of it. "Here," she said.
A moment later, Sam found a catch on a panel and pulled away part of the pillar. "Sir?" she said amazedly, "This is definitely something."
"What?" asked Colonel O'Neill.
"I don't know," she replied. "I don't recognize the technology."
"But can you make it work?"
Sam was quiet for a moment. "I don't know, sir," she said again. "It might take a long time to analyze this technology, and even if I could figure it out, there's no guarantee I could enable the device without the key."
"Do you know what it does?"
Sam glanced at Jonas. "My guess is it's a transporter of some kind," she said, and Jonas nodded in agreement.
Colonel O'Neill gave a very long, frustrated sigh. "Fine," he said. "I'm going back to Earth— see if I can't weasel it out of Maybourne. He should have arrived at the SGC by now. You kids be good while I'm gone, okay?"
Jonas was almost tempted to ask the Colonel if he could accompany him back, but once again something restrained him. There was still a lot of work for him to get done here, and without explaining the real reason he wanted to leave, he had no viable excuse. Besides, he thought reluctantly, he would probably just be getting in Dr. Fraiser's way.
Jonas, Sam, and Teal'c worked in relative silence after the Colonel had gone. With Teal'c's help, Jonas was able to find every scratch of alien text in the immediate area, while Sam set up her computer and continued investigating the device.
"Sam?" he asked her quietly, when he finally finished.
She looked up. "What is it?"
"I'm done here, for now. If you don't mind, Teal'c and I would like to explore a little further. Maybe we'll find something else helpful."
She nodded. "Sounds good. Stay in radio contact."
"Yes, Major."
Together he and Teal'c began wandering the remainder of the temple, which was simple in design but vaster than he'd originally surmised. He found the walking did him good, though he stopped every once in a while to catalogue additional writing.
"Is everything all right, Jonas Quinn?"
Jonas had been in such deep thought as they walked that when Teal'c finally voiced the question, he was caught by surprise. "Sorry?" he asked, turning to look at the Jaffa.
"You are uncharacteristically quiet today."
"Oh," Jonas replied. He hesitated. Suddenly his friend's concern seemed to shatter his stoic resolve to be utterly silent into a thousand small bits. "I'm just worried," he said quietly.
"Concerning what?"
Jonas shook his head. "Concerning whom," he said. Then he sighed. "Amelia's not doing very well."
"Ah." Teal'c seemed thoughtful. "Your friendship with Amelia Kinsey is strong," he stated.
Jonas nodded, and brushed his fingers over an etching on a wall they were passing, trying to avoid the Jaffa's scrutiny. It was very like Doctor Fraiser's inquisitiveness in the infirmary that morning, and he did not miss the implication in either instance. "Yeah," he finally said. "It's made me a bit distracted, that's all. Hey, don't tell Sam and Colonel O'Neill, okay?"
"Do you not think they would be concerned, Jonas Quinn?"
"It's not that, it's just...there's nothing they can do for her, and they've got plenty to think about right now, you know?"
Teal'c did not look as though he agreed, but he gave an acquiescent nod. "Very well," he said.
They walked a while longer, and Teal'c made no further effort of intruding upon Jonas's solitude. When they finally returned to the place where they'd started, however, they found a most jarring sight.
"Major Carter!" Jonas cried, rushing forward. Sam was sprawled on the ground, and he worriedly knelt beside her, helping her to achieve a sitting position. "What happened?" he asked, looking around. He could see no sign of anything amiss.
It took her a moment to regain her bearings. She seemed to be recovering from something. "Maybourne zatted me," she finally managed, her voice a stunned-sounding croak.
Teal'c rose to his feet and immediately began looking around suspiciously.
"Maybourne?" Jonas repeated. "Where's Colonel O'Neill?"
Sam blinked a few times and made to go to her feet. Jonas assisted her, and when she was all the way up, she shook her head slightly. It was still another moment before she spoke. "Colonel O'Neill came back with Maybourne and the key," she said slowly, her brow creased. She looked over at the alien device, remembering. "Maybourne put in the key, and then he took my zat and fired on me. He and Colonel O'Neill disappeared through here..." she muttered. Now she was staring avidly at the space beneath the archway.
"Do you know where they went?" Jonas asked.
Teal'c was still looking around as if expecting Maybourne and the Colonel to reappear at any moment. "O'Neill, this is Teal'c. Do you read?" he asked into his radio. He waited a moment but there was no reply. "Repeat- O'Neill, do you read?" Another pause. "It would not appear that Colonel O'Neill is within radio contact," Teal'c observed.
"The doorway was a force field of some kind. I've never seen anything like it. It disappeared after they'd gone through."
"Like a wormhole?" Jonas asked.
She shook her head. "No, I don't think this had anything to do with Stargate technology." She finally seemed to be completely recovered. "I'm going to run a few tests. Maybe I can somehow triangulate their position," she said, heading over to her laptop, which she'd set up while they'd been gone.
Teal'c paced slowly and Jonas tried watching Sam work, but she did not explain what she was doing, so he was at something of a loss to follow. After about twenty minutes she finally sighed in frustration. "I'm getting nowhere here," she said. "Jonas, head back to the SGC. Ask General Hammond to send up a UAV. If Colonel O'Neill has activated his tracking device, we should be able to pinpoint his location."
Jonas nodded and headed back to the Stargate with all possible speed. This day was going from bad to worse.
Three days later, Amelia's condition remained constant and Colonel O'Neill had not been found. Jonas's nights were nearly sleepless with worry and distraction. He took Amelia's violin— which she'd left in his lab— into his quarters and spent long hours pacing and staring at the closed case, missing its sound and trying to think if anything he could do that he hadn't done already to help his two friends- each of them lost in such different ways.
"General Hammond?" Jonas asked, knocking softly on the wall outside the General's office.
"Jonas, come in. What can I do for you?"
"I called Agent Barrett, sir, to request any information he could track down regarding that artifact Maybourne used to get through the doorway. Hopefully we can get copies of whatever he used to figure it out."
"That's good news."
"I hope so, sir. He said it would probably take a while- assuming they're able to find anything at all."
"Well, keep reminding him. I don't want the NID to conveniently forget and let the matter slide."
"Yes, sir. Still no word from the Tok'ra?"
"No," the General sighed. "We've tried all the means we've had in the past of contacting them. It's looking more and more like we might just have to wait it out. How is Miss Kinsey doing?"
"Doctor Fraiser administered the last of the Tretonin this morning," Jonas said quietly. "It seems to be keeping her stable, but the Doctor thinks she needs a more potent dose to be able to fight the disease at this advanced stage." He shook his head in frustration. "Sir, the Tok'ra operate out of more than one base. Can't we go to one of those? Surely there must be some way we can reach them. Even if we can't find Commander Malek to help Amelia we could at least get them to help us find Colonel O'Neill."
"Unfortunately, for security reasons the Tok'ra have only ever divulged to us the location of one of their bases at a time," replied the General, shaking his head. "We have no way-"
Abruptly the sounds of alert went off and the lights started flashing around the base, indicating gate activity. Jonas looked at his watch. "Major Carter is due to report in soon," he said. "Maybe she's found something."
Together the two men headed down the stairs to the control room, where Lieutenant Graham was manning the boards. "Receiving transmission sir," he said as they stepped up behind him. "Audio only."
"Put it on speaker," instructed General Hammond.
Graham nodded, even as his hands were already manipulating the controls. A moment later, the transmission came through, clear and distinct. "This is Akhmet of the Tok'ra. I am calling to reestablish contact with the Tau'ri."
Jonas felt a swell of hope inside his chest.
Talk about your timing.
"It's good to hear from you, Akhmet," said General Hammond, sending a knowing look of satisfaction Jonas's way. "We were beginning to get concerned."
"I apologize for the delay, General. There were many complications with this relocation, for reasons that are best not discussed over an open channel."
"Perhaps you'd like to discuss them in private," the General suggested. "We have some urgent business with the Tok'ra. Would it be possible to arrange an immediate meeting?"
There was a pause. "Certainly, General," Akhmet replied.
"With your permission, I'd like to send a team to your new base within the hour."
"We will expect your arrival. I am transmitting the coordinates now."
When the transmission ended, Jonas turned to General Hammond. "Sir, with your permission, I'd like to be included on the team."
Hammond nodded. "I thought you might. I'll send you along with SG-13. Be prepared to leave in one hour."
A/N: Um… I don't own Wheaties. LOL
Mozart, Mendelssohn, and Vivaldi are my favorite composers.
Feedback always loved!
Saché
