The remaining trio of SG-1 stepped through the Stargate and were spit out onto P4X-347 into a opulent room. It was clearly Goa'uld in decor, lavishly overdone to the point of being tacky. The snakes never did do anything halfway, after all.
Awkwardly because of the bulk of the environmental suit and mask that they all wore, Carter lowered her P-90 and pulled out a scanner, checking the readings that scrolled into place.
Pillars lined the room, inscribed with some sort of script that looked a step away from being familiar. Jack couldn't help but wonder if it was like the Goa'uld difference between printing and cursive. Close, but not quite the same. It was likely infuriating to Daniel that it was so similar yet so different. Then again, to Jack's untrained eye it could be an entirely different language that Daniel could spend hours lecturing him on. "Well. I can see why Daniel was so hot on this place," Jack pointed out as he looked around and studied the layers of ridiculous pompous decoration.
Teal'c, uncomfortable behind the environmental mask, made a sound of agreement.
Jack turned, forcing his shoulders to do the bulk of the moving since a simple turn of his head wouldn't bring Carter into proper focus thanks to the confines of the suit. "Whatcha got?"
"The air's fine, just like the MALP indicated." Carter studied the readout on the scanner. "Whatever affected Daniel and SG-5, they didn't breathe it in." She sounded almost disappointed by it. It was never quite that easy when it came to the Stargate program, let alone Daniel.
That was the information Jack had been waiting for and he quickly tore his mask off, finally breathing easily once the seal was broken and he could breathe the alien atmosphere instead of the filtered air that dried out his lungs.
He was surprised. The air seemed a bit heavier than the thin Colorado air he had left, but it was still within parameters that allowed them to breathe easily. It was always a crapshoot what the air would be like on these planets. None ever came close enough to really pass for Earth even though some made an attempt at it. The mix of chemicals and smells and textures always seemed to be just slightly off.
"Okay," Jack said as he took in another deep breath and acclimated his lungs to the air. "Watch your step." As he dropped his mask to the side, Carter had already removed hers and Teal'c was in the process of taking his off as well. They stepped off the platform, eyes peeled for whatever or whomever caused the shadow on the video.
They spread out without discussion. It was second nature by now. Each chose one of the nearby pillars that were covered with the straight lines of the Goa'uld-like language and checked behind it. Jack cleared the first and went to move to the second when he spotted the shadow move behind a screen.
Jack signaled to Carter who had spotted it as well, having followed the line of his gaze. With a nod of understanding, she slid out from behind her pillar and into the room, taking point as they moved through cautiously. Teal'c kept his energy staff at the ready as he followed, majority of his attention on the forward area though he still remained alert to their rear.
The small slim figure realized he had been made and took off in a burst of speed through a doorway from which a purple-blue light spilled. Jack wasn't quite sure what he saw so he looked over at Carter who had a better vantage point.
"It's just a kid. Obviously scared of us."
She glanced back over toward Jack. He was already staring at what she could only assume was the source of the light, cut off from her vision by her location. When he didn't seem to protest, she moved to follow the kid toward the room with the light.
And what a light.
Her eyes focused on the way the device rose from the floor, spilling a beam of white upward to the ceiling where it draped across the room in a dance of shifting colors. She'd never seen anything so beautiful, so entrancing in her life. She was reminded of the time she had gone to see an orchestra play. The notes the instruments put out were so intertwined and so distinct at the same time and for a moment she had been transported into what she could only describe as being almost a different state of consciousness. The light brought back that feeling tenfold. In wrapped around her and engulfed her.
Jack and Teal'c took up spots around the device as well, they all stared at the purple pattern that moved so delicately across the space in a hypnotic swirl, each lost in a different thought of what it reminded them of.
Teal'c broke their silence after a moment. "I believe this is the room of light of which Daniel Jackson has spoken," he said reverently.
"Really?" Jack asked, his usual level of sarcasm tempered by a wistful undertone. "Carter? What are we looking at here?"
She pulled herself away from the object and blinked back to focus on the here and now. "Uh," she started, pulling up the scanner again. "It doesn't seem to be giving off any detectable radiation other than visible light. I think it's just decorative."
"Safe?" he asked.
Teal'c kept staring at the light. A smile touched his lips. "It is most difficult to believe that something so beautiful could be dangerous, O'Neill."
"No," Jack breathed out as he watched the play of lights with an open mouth gape. It was the dryness of his open mouth that brought him back to reality a few seconds later and he shook off the distraction. "Phew," he whistled out. "We'll come back to look at it. Let's go."
He crossed the room, fighting the temptation to look back over his shoulder to the light, instead looking back at his team when he realized the pair wasn't following along. "Hey!" he called out. "Let's go!"
Carter jerked back at the sound of his voice. "Right. Sorry, sir."
Even as they walked along the corridor of what could only be described as a palace, Sam's thoughts kept drifting back to the light device. "Sir, I'd like to perform a full spectrum analysis on the light."
"Later," he said as they kept their P-90s at the ready. Behind them Teal'c followed along, as stoic and quiet as ever.
"I think there might be a relationship between the light and what's happening to Daniel." Her voice went softer as they came to a corner and she and Jack raised their weapons to clear the corner before heading down that section of corridor.
Jack felt uneasy, the feeling building more the further away they came from the room with the light, as if that room signaled some sort of safety point. "Thought you said it wasn't dangerous," he pointed out to her.
"I'm sure it isn't, sir. It's just-" Her words trailed off as they came to a double doorway that had one door slightly open.
Sam slid up to one side and Jack flanked the other as Teal'c took up position just outside, his staff raised at the ready. Jack pushed the door the rest of the way open and slipped inside with Carter and Teal'c just behind him. They quickly started to clear the room before heading down hallways that branched out. Jack rounded a pillar to find the boy hiding in the corner, half hidden by a pillar.
A glance over his shoulder showed that the other two members of his team were not in the immediate vicinity. However, the boy looked to be unarmed and Jack couldn't find anything readily accessible as a weapon, so he didn't call for backup. It was just a kid, after all.
"Hi. I'm Jack. And you are…?" Jack paused, but the boy remained still, not offering a reply. He looked around at the obvious signs that this is where the boy was squatting. Up close, it was easier to see that he wasn't quite as young as he looked, though he still seemed slight and small and very young. Jack would have guessed for him to be around the size of a kid barely old enough for high school but his eyes screamed sad college kid. They were crystal blue eyes and he had a mop of sandy light brown hair that looked to have been hastily cut with a dull knife. Along with the look of curiosity and eagerness, it almost reminded Jack of Daniel when they first met. His clothes were patched together hastily and a bit large on him, like he was playing dress up in something a full sized adult would wear. "Nice digs. Kinda reminds me of my first apartment. How are the people upstairs?"
The kid blurted out, "Loran." Jack just shook his head a bit at the word, not understanding what it meant.
"I'm sorry, I don't know what Loran means." He wished suddenly for Daniel's presence. But Daniel was back on Earth in a comatose state.
"It's me," the boy- Loran, said as he motioned to himself. His voice was unsteady like he wasn't entirely used to using it.
Well, maybe this linguist diplomat first contact stuff isn't so hard after all, Jack found himself thinking. "Hi, Loran."
"Jack." The word sounded slightly askew in Loran's mouth, as if he wasn't used to putting those sounds together on a regular basis.
Jack nodded, trying to remain still otherwise so he didn't spook the skittish kid. In return, Loran beamed a smile at him. The expression reminded Jack of a puppy after you would pat him on the head, tell him he did good and gave him a treat. "Yeah." Sam and Teal'c were out of range of hearing his conversation, but he kept his voice low anyway. "Anyone else live here with you?"
For a moment Loran paused like he was considering his response. "Mother and father," he finally said.
"Can you take me to them?" Jack asked. "I'd like to talk to them."
Loran's expression seemed crestfallen, a drastic shift from the smile he'd had before. He shook his head. "No." Then suddenly the smile was back in place as if it had never faltered. "They're not here."
Jack asked, "Not in this place?" Loran shook his head. "So you're here alone?" With a whisper and a nod his only response, Jack shifted his weight and let his weapon slide to his side. "Well Loran, some of my people came here a few days ago."
"I was hiding," the boy said proudly.
"Yeah, well you hide very well because they didn't even know you were here." Once again the boy brightened at the slight praise. "The thing is, when they came home they all got very sick. We'd like to figure out why. Do you know?"
Loran shook his head, his expression troubled for a moment. "Okay," Jack said softly. "Well we're going to have a look around a little more. Maybe you should come along?" The eager puppy expression was back again. The kid was strange. Jack almost wondered if he was starved for attention and companionship despite his parents being on the planet.
The kid pulled back a little, startled as Jack's radio crackled to life.
"Colonel, General Hammond has activated the Gate and is on the radio," came Carter's voice.
Jack moved slowly as he reached up to touch his own radio and signal back. "All right. Go ahead. I'll be there." He motioned to the kid. "Come on."
The MALP camera was moving to scan the area as the team emerged into the room of the palace that held the Stargate. It turned, focusing on Jack and the boy.
"This is Hammond. Come in, Colonel." Loran peered around the room for the source of the disembodied voice and staggered back a step. "Where is he?" the kid hissed in shock.
Jack touched the radio strapped to his chest. "He's just sending his voice over the radio. This thing here." He turned back to the MALP camera. "We read you, General."
Over at Stargate Command, Hammond studied the boy on the screen "I see you've made a friend, Colonel."
"Yes, sir," Jack responded, motioning to Loran and then the MALP. "Loran, General Hammond."
Loran still looked wary. Excited, but wary. "He can see me?"
Despite himself, Hammond cracked a smile at the boy's enthusiasm. It wasn't entirely unheard of for alien races to be in awe of Earth technology, especially those that were not as advanced. "Yes I can, son."
Loran gave a wave to the camera. "Hi!"
Jack tilted his head in a bit, but didn't move closer. Loran moved back awkwardly as if he suddenly wasn't sure where to stand. "We haven't found anything yet, sir, but we've only been at it a few minutes."
Hammond gave a little frown. "It's been well over an hour, Colonel." Of all of SG-1, he wouldn't have been surprised for Dr. Jackson to lose track of time. Even Major Carter he could understand with her single-minded focus while studying a new device. He would never have expected it of Colonel O'Neill or even Teal'c, though.
Jack slid his sleeve up and looked at his watch, frowning as it matched the General's description. Had they passed through some sort of time dilation field within the place? He'd let Carter worry about it. He had other things to worry about. Especially when Hammond continued. "Jack, I have some bad news. All of SG-5 are dead."
A heavy lead brick fell into Jack's stomach at the announcement. SG-5 may not have been his team exactly but as second in command of the SGC, they were part of his command. It was never easy losing someone under your command, especially when you've been helpless to keep it from happening.
He heard Carter behind him let out a quiet sound. "What of the condition of Daniel Jackson?" Teal'c asked, forming the question that Jack was loathe to ask. If SG-5 was gone, he couldn't be that far behind. They'd only been on the planet a short time longer than he was.
"Dr. Frasier is doing everything she can but I'm afraid he's fallen into a deep coma." Hammond watched the momentary flash of grief across Jack's face. "We don't know how much time he has left."
Jack nodded a response. At his side, Loran glanced toward him and then away, as if he wanted to say something but didn't know exactly what. It was clear that this Daniel Jackson person was important to them.
"Understood, sir. We'll finish gathering our samples and be back shortly. O'Neill out." Jack stepped forward and cut off the feed for the MALP. Moments later the wormhole disengaged.