Jack awoke the next morning to find Daniel by the coffee pot instead of Sam. "Daniel, how was the show?"
"Not good really." Daniel replied as Jack got himself a cup of coffee and sat down.
"Not good as in it doesn't compare with 4th of July fireworks?"
"Not good as in Sam thinks we should evacuate everyone to the SGC to avoid annihilation."
"Goa'uld ships?"
He shook his head. "I wish it were that easy."
Jack just raised an eyebrow.
"Sam thinks the meteor shower is going to leave a few souvenirs behind."
"Crap!"
"I know. Laira's going to try to convince her people to prepare to leave, just in case. I'm going to take a look at the geological survey and see what I can't dig up."
"Where's Carter?"
"She's off doing some calculations on her computer. Apparently, she saw five or six near-misses. It shook her up to say the least."
Jack grimaced. "Did she at least sleep at all last night?"
Daniel shook his head. "You know Sam…she swears she will when we get back to Earth, but…"
Jack waved off the rest of the archaeologist's sentence. "I got the picture." Then, he studied his friend. "How 'bout you?"
"I got a few hours of shut-eye last night."
Jack stood up. "Well, I'm off to order Carter to get some sleep. Then, I'm going to radio in and alert General Hammond to the situation. I want you to take Teal'c to do this…digging."
"Okay."
Jack approached the solitary figure of his second-in-command, hunched over a laptop at one of the tables in the square. She was muttering things to herself, typing furiously. "Carter."
She didn't even register that he had said anything, steadfastly dedicated to her work.
This time, he touched her shoulder. "Carter!"
Instantly she stopped and turned. "Oh, sir."
"What've we got?"
She returned her focus to her laptop. "As far as I can tell, a number of meteors will hit Edora over the course of the shower. I can't predict exactly when they'll hit, but I'm fairly certain that they'll hit between tonight and tomorrow night."
Jack nodded. "Okay, I want you to rest while I talk to General Hammond and Laira. We should be able to get everything taken care of by tonight."
"Sir, I'm fine."
"Carter, Daniel told me that you haven't slept. Now, you can obey my order and take a nap, or I can lace your coffee with sleeping pills. Your choice."
"Some choice." She said as she closed the laptop reluctantly and headed toward her tent. Before going inside, she glanced back at him.
"Don't make me come and make sure you're asleep." He warned.
She gave him a half-hearted chuckle and went into the tent as he walked toward the Stargate.
Laira approached Jack as he finished pleading the Edorans case as refugees. "General, Carter thinks that a couple of these meteors are gonna hit the planet by tomorrow night; Daniel's doing a geological survey to see if this has happened before. But they're both recommending an almost immediate evacuation of the natives, sir, and I have to agree with them."
"Very well, Colonel. Keep me posted, but until then, we'll get the infirmary and multi-purpose room ready for our guests. Hammond out."
As the wormhole disengaged, Jack turned to find Laira standing behind him. "Hi!"
"Fair day."
"Whatcha need?"
"I wish for you to join me as I warn my people of the danger."
"You know, I'm not so sure that'll work. There are a few of your people who are a little suspicious of us. Me particularly. I think it would be best if you delivered this news yourself."
She considered this for a moment. "Do you find me unattractive, Jack?"
Her question caught him by surprise. "What? No…you're beautiful…it's just…"
"You love her." She answered wisely.
He was silent with shock. "Who?" He asked when he finally got his voice back.
"Samantha Carter." She said with a sad smile. "It is in your eyes when you look at her. I am sorry for any challenges I have placed in your relationship."
Jack just watched her leave to warn her people. However, he was rooted to his spot. Was he really that transparent?
This thought didn't leave him even after her found the strength to continue on toward the cavern that Teal'c and Daniel had gone to explore. Inside, he found Daniel muttering to himself, much like Carter had been doing. "There's a pattern, so it's not just a random occurrence."
"How's it going, Daniel?"
"Well, pretty well…these lines happen every so often and it represents about one hundred and fifty years. Now, if you take a look up here, you'll see it kind of stops."
Jack looked at Daniel. "And?"
"Jack, it's time for the next line."
Jack still looked confused.
"Each line represents a forceful compression brought on by something like an earthquake…or a meteor."
"This must be where the ancestors stayed in the midst of the fire-rain." Sean, Laira's teenaged son said in awe.
"Well, that's cool, but now I have all the proof that I need. Come on, we're evacuating now."
They hiked back to the town square where Laira met them. "You were right. There are some who do not agree with your suggestion to evacuate."
"But?" The Colonel prompted.
"I have managed to convince them that perhaps the stories of our ancestors were not simply stories, but words of warning. We shall be ready to depart within the hour."
"Good." Jack said, clapping one hand on Laira's shoulder. "Go get ready. We'll take it from here."
Just then, a meteor shot past them, obviously surface-bound.
"All right, Daniel- evacuation just lost an hour. Take Laira and go to the Gate. Carter, Teal'c and I will send everyone your way."
A mass of people ran toward the Stargate in panic. "Okay, change of plans. Daniel, take Teal'c and Laira. Carter and I'll catch up."
Daniel and Teal'c nodded, hurrying to the Stargate.
"Thank you for your concern." Laira said before running off after them.
Jack raced off to Sam's tent instead. "Carter! Wake up!"
She popped her head out of the tent. "What? Morning already?"
"More like moving day. Those meteors started coming about ten minutes ago. I've seen two or three already."
She jumped out of the tent, grabbing her laptop and gear. "Let's go, sir."
They arrived at the Stargate in time to see the last Edoran family go through the Gate. Daniel, Teal'c and Laira were still there, thought Laira was distressed. "Have you seen Sean?"
All four members of SG-1 shook their heads.
"He's probably in the cavern. You know, he was so excited that he'd found the place where the ancestors had hidden during the fire-rain." Daniel said, quickly.
"I'll go get him." Jack said. "Carter, you're with me. I might need a hand with him if he needs medical attention. Daniel, Teal'c…take Laira through. We'll dial out when the shower passes."
They all nodded, though Laira began to protest. "I need to…"
Daniel and Teal'c firmly gripped her arms and led her through the Stargate. The wormhole shut down almost immediately after they stepped through.
After a half an hour on the other side of the Gate, Laira's teenaged son greeted her. "Mother!"
As they embraced, she turned a worried gaze toward Daniel, who looked at the control room. "Dial Edora!" He yelled.
"Dr. Jackson, what's going on?" General Hammond asked.
"Sam and Jack are still there, looking for a teenaged boy. They don't know that he's here!"
"Do it." Hammond ordered the technician.
He typed in the coordinates quickly and the Stargate began to spin. "Chevron 1 encoded. Chevron 2 encoded. Chevron 3 encoded…"
As each symbol engaged, Daniel suddenly had the terrible thought race through his mind- seemingly on loop: what if a meteor had hit the Stargate?
Suddenly, the voice of the technician changed to include a note of panic. "Chevron 7 won't engage."