Chapter 5

Right, thought Jack, now is not the time to panic. He was only dangling several stories above the ground, held up by a railing that threatened to fall at any moment. All he had to do was a bit of gymnastics and climb back up. He started to swing his legs, meaning to try and get them up onto the railing, but that slight motion caused the entire railing to lurch.

"Right," he said out loud, "Movement bad. Ok, I can do the waiting thing." The sky was lighting up and soon the road beneath him would be filled with traffic. Someone was bound to see him hanging there and call for help. Maybe someone would even miss him at the hospital when he didn't return at the crack of dawn like he said he would. If no one else, Teal'c was there, and he would notice Jack's absence. Of course, he might also just put it down to Jack succumbing at last to his exhaustion and getting some well needed rest. Besides, Jack had left Teal'c to watch over Daniel in his absence, and he didn't want him leaving Daniel alone to search for him.

Thinking of Daniel's accident, Jack couldn't help but cry out, "Is everything in this place falling apart! First the ladder, now the railing…" The thought sent a cold frisson of fear down his spine. One ladder could be called an accident, but the railing as well? Jack had leaned on it loads of times and it had never given any indication that it wasn't a solid barrier.

Then Jack shifted his weight and felt the railing shuddering, bringing his thoughts abruptly back to his own predicament. All right, he thought, maybe time for plan B. The first plan being to wait until being rescued didn't seem to be the safest bet. But he also didn't think the railing could stand for him to climb up it. Against his better judgment, he looked downwards. Trying not to focus on the drop, he searched for something he could aim for to stop his fall. There was, in fact, another balcony almost directly beneath him one floor down.

"Ok, I can do this," he said, "Its not far. I just swing a bit, let go, and drop right in." Despite his words, he made no move towards loosening his grip. Suddenly, with a terrifying lurch and the agonizing sound of tortured metal, the railing gave further, swinging partly away from the wall by the few remaining bits of metal still attached to the balcony.

"Well, that makes this harder," Jack said, watching the balcony below. Before, all he had to do practically was drop. Now, if he was going to make it, he needed an angled swing. Not only that, but the tortured metal sounds continued. The railing was about to give out completely. Having no time think over his plan, Jack began to swing, trying to pick up enough momentum. Just as he was readying his leap, there was a finaly tremor in the railing and then he was falling.

He felt a momentary weightlessness, had barely enough time to realize he was in trouble, when something very strong and solid grasped his arm jerking his fall to a halt. The railing continued to fall, missing the other balconies by several feet and finally clattering to the pavement far below, close to the remains of the shattered mug. When Jack finally took his eyes off the mess of metal beneath him, he looked up to see what had saved him, into the solid presence of Teal'c. He was hanging practically out of the balcony, his legs wrapped firmly around the remaining side railings, which luckily gave no indication that they were about to fall.

"Hey Teal'c," Jack said, allowing himself a grin now that the crisis had been averted.

"Colonel O'Neill," Teal'c answered, nodding his head as though in greeting. Jack glanced back down towards the balcony he had been aiming for.

"I would have made it," he proclaimed assuredly.

"Indeed," Teal'c answered, raising an eyebrow, "Then should I leave you to your gymnastics?"

"No, no, well, as long as you came to all this trouble," Jack answered, "Why don't you pull us up?" Teal'c nodded his understanding and, straining his muscles, he managed to get them both back up onto the balcony. They both took a moment just to breathe, then Jack decided he had had enough of balconies and crawled back inside. After a moment Teal'c followed and they both sat on the couch.

"I have to tell you, T," Jack said, once he had his breath back and his heart had settled back into a more or less calmer rhythm, "I was glad to see you. Though I could have made it."

"I am sure," Teal'c answered, and Jack stared at him hard, trying to decide if Teal'c was serious. He decided it didn't really matter.

"Though…why were you here?" Jack asked, "I thought I left you with Daniel. Not that I'm complaining, but…you didn't leave Daniel alone did you?" Now that he was safe, his fear returned that the incident with the ladder wasn't the accident it appeared, and if someone had attempted to hurt him once they might try it again.

"Indeed, O'Neill," Teal'c answered, "I was watching Daniel Jackson. It is he who sent me here." Jack blinked.

"Sent you here? Teal'c? Are you sure you aren't…confused?"

"I am. Only half an hour ago he awoke suddenly, most disturbed. He insisted that I must depart at once, for you were in peril. The doctors were required to sedate him."

Jack stared at Teal'c, opening his mouth and then closing it. Finally he settled upon the one part of that story that he understood.

"Daniel woke up?" he asked.

"Indeed," Teal'c answered, nodding his head. Jack's elation at that news was mixed with confusion around its circumstances, and intertwined with the now ever present fear that Daniel was in danger.

"Teal'c, did you leave anyone to guard Danny while you were…rescuing me?" Jack demanded.

"Samantha Carter," he answered, nodding in affirmative, and Jack sighed in relief. Though not as intimidating as Teal'c, he knew that she was a formidable opponent and she would not let anything harm Daniel. Still, the sense of imminent danger would not leave.

"Do you believe there to be a threat against Daniel Jackson, O'Neill?" Teal'c asked. Jack stood, frowning with concern, and deciding it was high time they returned to the impossible. Turning back to face Teal'c, he answered, "Indeed."