Chapter 2: A Freak Accident

Jonas was standing in the restaurant he had mentioned, waiting for the food he had ordered to be prepared for them. He was thinking how nice it was to be with old friends and he was glad to have been able to help them solve the scroll that they had. Just then the restaurant cashier speaking to him brought him out of his thoughts.

"Here's your order, sir. Be careful driving in this weather." The young cashier smiled, holding to bags out to Jonas.

"Thanks a lot. Have a good night." Jonas smiled as he took the food and headed out of the restaurant to the car that Teal'c let him borrow. He became a little nervous as he noticed that the rain had picked up.

As Jonas carefully navigated the winding roads that led back to Cheyenne Mountain, it seemed like the weather just continued getting worse. Jonas glanced through the driving rain and noticed a familiar landmark and realized that he was nearing his destination. Just then a car came around the corner in the opposite lane going entirely too fast to make the curve safely. It was in that moment that disaster struck. The other vehicle lost control and skidded into the SUV that Jonas was driving before he even had a chance to begin to react. He tried to regain control but the car continued to skid. The last conscious thought that Jonas had was hoping that someone would be able to summon help to get everyone involved out of this as the car careened into the rock wall at the right edge of the road, hurling him into blackness.

At that same moment, a military issue vehicle came up on the accident from the direction that Jonas had come from. The airman climbed from his car and assessed the accident. A young man who had been driving the first vehicle was in a state of shock about what had just occurred and had a few scrapes and bruises but was otherwise unharmed. When he approached the other vehicle however, adrenaline kicked in double time. The driver of this vehicle was unconscious and obviously in very rough shape. From the position of the vehicle, it had spun 90 and struck the rock wall on the driver's side. It was in this moment that he recognized Jonas and his heart leapt into his throat. He reached into the breast pocket of his uniform for his cell phone and dialed a number quickly.

"Hello, Cheyenne. I need someone to send a medical team out immediately. I'm on the scene of a MVA about 15 minutes out from the complex. I'd also recommend having Dr. Lam at the ready. The one driver is okay, just bruised and shaken up, but the other is in need of some serious medical attention. If things couldn't get any worse, the injured driver is Jonas Quinn. Used to be with SG-1 a few years back during Dr. Jackson's absence. Thanks. Let General Landry know that I'll brief him on what I know when I get there."

At the same time, Daniel and Teal'c were beginning to wonder what was taking Jonas so long to get back. He should have been back a while ago and the two were beginning to get concerned.

"I wonder what in the world is going on. Jonas should have been back by now." Daniel wondered aloud, more to himself than Teal'c.

"Perhaps Jonas Quinn is delayed by the inclement weather outside. It was said that it is raining rather hard."

"Yeah, maybe. I just can't help but get the feeling that something isn't right here."

It took a little over 15 minutes for the SGC medical team to arrive on the scene of the accident. When they arrived the ambulance was met by the young airman who had called for them. The head of the medical team headed over to the airman as the other medics began tending to the victims.

"What can you tell me about what happened here?"

"I don't exactly know how this happened because both vehicles were in the current positions when I came up on the accident. I was on my way in for my shift and I came around he bend back there to find this. I immediately assessed the drivers before I reported in to request a medical team."

"Thanks. We'll do whatever we can here and then move back to the mountain. Dr. Lam is waiting in the infirmary for us. When you called in you said that the injured driver used to be one of our own?"

"Yeah. Used to be with SG-1 about two years ago. Replaced Dr. Jackson when he was gone for that year."

"Jonas Quinn. I remember him. What in the world is he doing on Earth though. I thought he went back to his planet after his last visit here."

"I'm not really sure. Can you help him?"

"I certainly hope so. After we get him out of that car, we'll get him back to the infirmary so Dr. Lam can get a better idea of how badly he's injured." The lead medic said as another medic approached him. "What have we got?"

"Sir, the first driver who caused the accident is unharmed. Concerned and shaken up with a few bruises but otherwise okay. We've called for a cab to take him home and told him someone would be in touch with him if we needed any further information. The second man appears critical. There's a great deal of blood coming from his head which concerns me that he may have some head trauma. From the way the car is sitting and the angle that it appears to have hit, there's no way of telling what other injuries he may have until we get him to the infirmary."

"This could be bad. Okay. Be very careful when you pull him out and try not to move his head at all in case there are any neck injuries. I'll radio ahead and let Cheyenne Mountain know that we're ETA of about 10 minutes. Time is of the utmost importance here so they're going to have to be ready for us."

General Landry had received word of the accident and now had the difficult task of informing Daniel and Teal'c of what had happened. He had already called Sam and left a message on her voice mail for her to report in as soon as she arrived back in Colorado. Now he was standing in the hallway outside Daniel's office. Taking a moment to gather his thoughts, he set his shoulders and walked inside.

"What can we do for you, sir?" Daniel asked as he looked up and saw Landry standing in front of them. Teal'c rose and nodded his head at the General.

"I need to talk to both of you. I'm afraid something has happened."

"Please elaborate, General Landry." Teal'c stated, exchanging a look with Daniel as he spoke.

"About 20 minutes ago, we got an urgent call from one of our airmen on the way in for his shift. He had come across an accident on his way up the mountain. There were two vehicles involved and there were serious injuries. A medical team in on the scene and just radioed in and gave their ETA as about 10 minutes."

"Wait a minute. If the airman came on an accident why didn't he call the academy hospital, why'd he call here?" Daniel asked, beginning to become very afraid of where this conversation was going.

"He called us because the driver that was injured came from this facility."

"What is it that you are attempting to tell us?"

"I really hate to have to tell you both this, but the driver who was injured in the accident is Jonas Quinn. Our medical team is on their way back to the complex as we speak. At this point, I really don't know how badly he's injured." Landry said solemnly.

Upon receiving this information, Daniel felt his head spinning and his legs threatened to give out under him. He stumbled backward a few steps and collapsed into a chair, putting his head in his hands in shock. Teal'c crossed his right arm over his chest and stood rigid, his dark eyes wide with shock.

"Does anyone else know?" Daniel managed to ask as soon as he was able to find his voice.

"I called Colonel Carter and left a message on her voice mail letting her know that she needs to report in immediately as soon as she returns to Colorado. I'm going to go and place a call to Colonel Mitchell right now. I'll get the infirmary to send someone to inform you when the ambulance gets back here." Landry informed them, turning to go back to his office, leaving Daniel and Teal'c with their own haunting thoughts.