Chapter 2: Planet Fall, Part 2

Jack and Daniel walked along the narrow gorge in silence for several minutes. While Jack stayed alert for potential threats, Daniel studied the rock walls surrounding them. There were faint indications of carvings at uneven intervals. It wasn't writings, more like sculptures, but so faded and smooth an untrained eye would pass right over them. Jack kept up a brisk pace, and while Daniel would have liked to slow down and examine them more closely he was anxious to see what awaited them in the valley below.

When the trail made a sharp turn and narrowed considerably Jack suddenly slowed and his hands moved toward his weapon. They were now closed off in this ravine. It was the perfect place for an ambush. Daniel quickly pushed that thought aside. There had been no signs of any hostile natives. They still weren't even sure if there were any natives on this planet at all. The stargate address had come from the ancient database and the Goa'uld knew nothing of this place.

Daniel wondered when he had started viewing every situation in military terms even as he began scanning the canyon walls for potential cover and avenues of retreat. He could sense Jack's increasing tension as the SG1 leader reached for the radio at his shoulder.

"Carter, come in." Jack paused and waited for a response. Silence.

He tipped his head and again fingered the radio. "Teal'c."

Again no reply.

Turning his eyes away from the surrounding cliffs, Daniel tried to reassure Jack. He really didn't want to turn back until they had at least had a look at the valley. "Sam said the radios might not work."

"Yeah." Jack blew out a slow breath. "How much further ya think?" His tone was casual, but Daniel had known Jack O'Neill long enough not to be fooled by his seemingly easy manner. Jack was not pleased with the situation. He was trying to decide whether they had travelled far enough that they were committed to continuing forward. Jack's hard brown eyes bored into him. Fortunately, Daniel felt he could give Jack an honest assessment that was also in line with his own desires.

"We should be close. Another one or two kilometers." Daniel tried to sound certain. Jack gave a slight nod and Daniel focused on the path ahead as the two men quickened their pace.

They walked along in silence for several more minutes. Daniel tried not to be distracted by the signs of civilization he could see carved into the rock walls that were becoming more intricate and easier to distinguish as they moved closer to their destination. He still hadn't seen anything that looked like Ancient writing or that could he could connect with what he knew about Ancient architecture; although he was reminded of the Ancients penchant for disguising their technology within rock.

He noticed Jack looking upwards over Daniel's head to their right. Daniel followed his gaze. He had already observed several dark openings that could indicate caves. The rock appeared to be something akin to a soft limestone that would certainly be amenable to forming a network of natural caves and tunnels that could be expanded and shaped for use by a human population. Daniel had seen as much in his travels throughout the Middle East back on earth. But he hadn't seen any way to access them, located as they were high up on the sheer walls of the ravine.

What had obviously caught Jack's attention was a narrow ledge that seemed to jut out from the cliff face. It was located at least twenty feet above the canyon floor and seemed to extend all the way along the gorge, perhaps even into the valley. From this vantage it appeared to be a natural formation. It was possible, he supposed, that the ledge could begin to take an angle of descent somewhere up ahead, but short of sloping nearly to the ground at some point, Daniel could see no way anyone could get up there. Still, from the moment Jack spotted that ledge Daniel couldn't shake the uncomfortable feeling they were being watched.

Jack half raised his weapon and kept sweeping his gaze back and forth across the ravine poised to react at anything that might threaten them, like a coiled serpent ready to strike at the least provocation. They continued at a steady pace. Daniel strained his ears but could hear nothing but the crunch of their boots on the rocky soil. There was no sound of wind rushing through the gorge. The air was perfectly still. It was warm and he could taste the salty sweat beaded upon his upper lip. He could almost believe that he heard scraping and the tumbling of rocks from above them as tension knotted his insides. He hoped they reached the valley soon. Daniel feared Jack would start shooting up there any minute, just to see if anything screamed.

They came around another slight jog in the path and a slash of sunlight cut across their faces as they got a first glimpse of their destination. Daniel hadn't realized just how shadowed the corridor they were travelling in had been until they spilled out so abruptly onto the open plain. He squinted his eyes through the sudden change of light, but there was no mistaking what was before them.

To his right Jack halted and despite the blazing sun pulled the goggle-like sunglasses from his eyes as if he wanted to get the full, unadulterated view. Daniel's eyes quickly adjusted to the light and he stared dumbfounded. The two men stood together in a silent trance. Then Jack drawled out slowly, "Oh, my."

o-O-o

Teal'c carefully scanned the landscape before him as he began a more extensive survey of the plateau overlooking the massive barren crater before the stargate. When the team first arrived on the planet he and O'Neill had done a brief search of the perimeter to ensure there was no immediate danger. Now Teal'c endeavored to do a more thorough investigation, especially as Major Carter had stated that she may need to explore beyond the gate in order to complete her scientific investigations.

Teal'c respected Major Carter's abilities as a warrior and he knew she was very capable of taking care of herself; however he had been left behind by their leader in order ensure her safety and to leave her free to focus on her other duties. He did not begrudge the assignment. He was pleased to act as her protector.

He was moving away from the stargate in the opposite direction taken by his teammates. The nearly empty plateau began to fill with rock spires and outcroppings. As Teal'c picked his way around the thickening maze, making note of landmarks to guide him back, he considered all his female teammate had endured recently at the hands of Adrian Conrad and his associates. He was amazed by her strength and resilience and so pleased to see her clearly enjoying this new mission, but he had also noted some wavering in her confidence. It was not surprise given the humiliations and sufferings she had experienced.

Their other teammates had been inclined to hover over her with great concern since her return, and she accepted it as the sign of affection that it was. They had all been badly shaken by her captivity. None more so than O'Neill who had worked tirelessly to find her and bring her home safely, only to be injured himself during the rescue.

Teal'c scowled fiercely. O'Neill believed that it was Colonel Maybourne who had shot him as he tried to apprehend the Goa'uld who had taken Adrian Conrad as a host. Teal'c had never cared for the former NID operative, but Teal'c had an especially personal vendetta, yet to be repayed, from the time Maybourne had attempted to have him turn into several giant bugs. Still, Maybourne had assisted O'Neill in locating Major Carter and returning her to them safely. So his revenge could wait. He firmly believed that one day he or O'Neill, preferably both together, would have the opportunity to shoot the disgraced officer.

Teal'c passed under a large stone arch and turned to circle behind the area of the stargate was located. Major Carter had told him that their radios should work at close range while on the mesa, but he did not want to make too wide a perimeter. If she needed to go out further to take additional readings Teal'c would expand his exploration then.

His thoughts returned to his military teammates. O'Neill had been almost as enthusiastic about this mission to P3A-219 as Major Carter and Daniel Jackson. Teal'c had no doubt it was not because of the intriguing scientific and sociological possibilities presented by this world. He had also observed the reluctance with which O'Neill had led Daniel Jackson down the ravine and out of view. He knew it was not because O'Neill did not trust him to watch over Major Carter. It was simply that he preferred to be near her, and he was certain the Major felt the same; although neither would ever admit to it.

Teal'c concluded that it was nearing the time he should check in with the Major. When O'Neill and Daniel Jackson had walked out of sight Teal'c began to help Major Carter arrange her equipment. Once she was well set up and engrossed in her work he stated his intention to make a further inspection of the area. She was surprised at first. Likely she did not believe he would leave her side while they waited for their teammates to return. Perhaps the others would not have done so. But he wanted her to regain some of her lost confidence and he felt the best way to do that was not to smother her. The location was secure and visibility on the broad mesa was sufficient to give her adequate warning of any approaching threat. With their radios they did not need to stay directly in sight of one another and she had no present need for his assistance. She smiled at him knowing he was likely bored keeping guard over her. They both knew he could endure it patiently if necessary, a feat that would most certainly have alluded their team leader and would have led to the Major holding back her frustration as she tried to amuse O'Neill and still complete her work.

Teal'c reached for his radio to contact Major Carter and report his observations, which were unremarkable to that point. Before he could activate the receiver his attention was drawn toward a large rocky slope just ahead. There appeared to be a sort of alcove there, but it was not the rock's appearance that drew his attention. It was a sound. A study humming that played just on the edge of his hearing.

He approached the opening and noted a pair of large rock formations on either side that put Teal'c in mind of columns flanking an entrance to one of Apophosis's palaces on Chulak through which he had passed many times as First Prime. But these were rough and uneven carved by wind and rain rather than a craftsman's skilled hands. The sound increased as he passed through the doorway.

It was not an unpleasant sound. The pitch was steady and clear. Teal'c had heard a similar tone when O'Neill, ever fidgeting, had once dipped his finger in water and ran it along the rim of a crystal glass at a restaurant where the team was sharing a meal. The place he found himself in was opened to the blazing sky but closed in on two sides forming a long, wide corridor. Teal'c could believe that the noise he was hearing could be made by wind travelling through the channel, but the air at that moment was perfectly still. He could see no crystal or any other substance before him that might create such a sound.

In fact, where the area behind him was littered with boulders, spires, and all variety of outcroppings, this passageway was almost completely barren. In the very center stood a single rock arch. Teal'c cautiously approached. It was irregular in shape and was no more polished or carved than any other stones he had seen on this planet. Yet there was something very unnatural about its placement and appearance. He carefully placed his hand on the weathered surface, but felt no unusual vibrations. He strode all around it but could discern nothing from his inspection. Nevertheless, he was convinced that this structure was the source of the humming.

Teal'c decided it was time to contact Major Carter and inform her of his discovery.

"Major Carter." Teal'c paused and waited for a response.

"Carter," came the crisp, efficient reply.

"I have found something I think you should see."

"Where are you?"

Teal'c gave direction to his location.

"I was just coming that way." She paused and Teal'c could picture his teammate examining her instruments. "According to my calculations, the atmospheric bubble is centered somewhere near your current location."

Teal'c looked up at the archway before him. "I believe I may have located the source of your anomaly."

o-O-o

When Jack and Daniel had emerged from the ravine, the landscape opened out into wide flat valley with cliffs on all sides. Before them stood an ornate building carved directly out of the rock. In fact, there were numerous buildings carved into the cliffs around them, but not a single free standing structure. The place had all the trappings of a living city, including smoke wafting up from the tops of several buildings, but there were no people in site. Still, Jack could feel eyes upon and almost hear their whispers to one another upon the wind. He quickly decided the whole thing was very creepy.

Jack again focused his attention on the largest and most intricately carved structure before them, the one they had seen immediately as they had entered the valley. "This looks familiar."

At Jack's statement Daniel immediately went into boring professor mode. "It's similar to Petra. A city of a wealthy and powerful pre-Islamic Arab tribe called Nabataens."

"I was thinking Indiana Jones."

Jack knew Daniel hated those movies. He argued that Jones was more like a treasure hunter and a thief than an archeologist. "Besides, what kind of an archeologist carries a whip?" Daniel would complain.

Daniel gave Jack a searing stare and continued the lecture. "The Nabataens controlled the silk route through the area that is now Jordan in the sixth century B.C. That was the height of their influence; although the city was probably founded as early as the 18th Egyptian Dynasty."

"Egyptian." Jack repeated. That didn't bode well in Jack's estimation. All along they were expecting to encounter some sort of civilization left by the Ancients and instead they find a city that could have some connection the System Lords.

Daniel was undeterred by Jack's obvious misgivings. "Petra was a combination of Greek and Egyptian cultures, but there's nothing indicating that the Goa'uld ever visited there."

Jack, having now had enough of the history lesson decided it was time to cut to the chase. "Well then Daniel, does any of this look Ancienty to you?"

"Ah, the Roman influence in Petra occurred at a much later period in their history when the city's power and influence was waning."

"Daniel!" Jack cut him off in frustration. He was getting very annoyed with Daniel feeding him useless information. And while Daniel may have been feeling more comfortable now that he had an interesting archeological puzzle before him Jack was still concerned they might be facing an imminent threat. Daniel must have taken note of Jack's stormy mood because he finally came to the point.

"There's no obvious connection to the Ancients here, but they are known for concealing their technology and making it appear less advanced than it actually is. Without Sam here I can't say whether there's some kind of hidden technology, unless of course the inhabitants are willing to talk about it."

"The locals don't appear to be very anxious to great visitors." Jack looked around to see if anyone had decided to come out from concealment. He wasn't surprised to see that the valley remained empty of life except for the two members of SG1.

Jack licked his dry lips as he considered their next move. So far there had been no indication of hostility. Still, Jack couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. But he couldn't say what it might be without more intel.

Suddenly there was a soft thud behind them. Jack swung his weapon up and turned to meet the noise. A dark, slender boy of about eight crouched beneath a barely visible opening in the cliff face about three feet off the ground near the entrance to the ravine. Jack cursed himself for being so caught up in the sight of the stone city that he had not examined the rock walls for possible hidden dangers. He was grateful it was only an unarmed boy who had leapt from the rift.

The boy wore a simple tunic, belted at the waist, covered in dust, probably from crawling in tunnels and along the ledge they had seen above the gorge. Thick black hair fell into his dark intelligent eyes. He paused for just a moment examining Jack with an intensity that almost made him uncomfortable. Then the boy rose up and, taking a wide arc around Jack and Daniel, ran full speed away from them down the broad avenue, dirt and gravel crunching under his sandaled feet. Jack tracked the boy's progress with the muzzle of his gun; although he had no intention of shooting him. A few moments later he veered from the road and entered one of the stone houses lining the street.

That's when Daniel spoke up. "Do you think we should follow him?"

Jack really didn't like this place and he got the feeling they weren't going to be very welcome. He was ready to make a wash of the whole thing and return to the stargate, but he knew Daniel would never go for it until he had a chance to talk with someone. He could make it an order of course, but then Daniel would be all petulant and cranky and Jack hated it when Daniel pouted. It was really annoying.

"Fine," Jack replied, half lowering his weapon.

The two men began walking toward the building the boy had entered just moments before. Half way to their destination, a man walked out and stood in the street. He was tall and slender, dressed in robes similar to those worn on Abydos. Straight black hair framed his tawny face and brushed against his shoulders. He stood straight and confident, without fear of the two armed men approaching him. He had dark eyes with bushy black eyebrows. His nose was long and hawk-like. He wore a pleasant expression with a ghost of a smile from his thin mouth.

Jack and Daniel continued their cautious approach. When they stood a few feet away from the man he lifted his hands in a gesture that both demonstrated that he was unarmed and that he intended them no harm. His deep, rich voice echoed in the stone valley,

"Welcome strangers."

o-O-o

"Wow." Sam exclaimed quietly as she stood at the entrance to the rocky corridor Teal'c had discovered.

"Indeed," was the Jaffa's equally succinct response.

Sam approached the arch cautiously. The humming noise was not unpleasant, but in her experience humming often gave way to ticking or ka-boom. Teal'c remained a few steps behind. She raised one of her instruments and began circling the stone structure.

"I think you were right about this being the source of the magnetosphere. It's giving off an enormous amount of energy. I don't see anything that looks technological though."

"Could it be a natural phenomenon?" Teal'c asked.

"Not any that I'm familiar with." Sam glanced up from her instruments and shrugged her shoulders. "Then again, we are standing on an alien planet with a discreet bubble of livable atmosphere that shouldn't be here." Sam smiled, "I'm open to the idea that there might be things I haven't seen yet."

"What of the sound we are hearing?" Teal'c enquired.

"Well, electromagnetic waves can't be directly perceived by the human ear." Teal'c raised an eyebrow in Sam's direction.

"Or Jaffa ears either, I think." Sam bit her lip and wondered if there was any significant difference between the auditory range of Jaffa as opposed to humans. She filed that away in the back of her mind as something to consider later.

"Sound waves are the result of the oscillating compression of molecules in the air. To be heard EM radiation would have to be converted to air pressure waves. The harmonic resonance we're hearing could be a byproduct of whatever is generating the magnetic field protecting the atmosphere on the planet interacting with unusual topography in this area, or it could be completely unrelated. I really don't know."

Sam had completed her initial inspection in and around the stone arch and had determined they were in no danger. She returned to stand in front of Teal'c. "I'll know more once we move my equipment over here and I can get some samples of the material in and around the arch and take more accurate readings of the electromagnetic and harmonic frequencies."

Teal'c made an almost imperceptible bow in her direction acknowledging her unspoken request for assistance in moving equipment from the gate to their present location.

Several minutes later Sam was crouched at the base of the arch surrounded by various electronic devices and an open sample case. She was getting scrapings from the rock and soil samples from the surrounding area. Teal'c stood near the entrance to the alcove where she was working keeping a steady watch. Sam appreciated his quiet, steady presence. He always had a calming influence that helped to ground her. She did not want to say that she had been feeling jumpy since the kidnapping, but it had been a difficult experience. She very much wanted to put it all behind her, but that was always easier said than done.

She worked steadily, happy to be engrossed in the fascinating scientific puzzle before her. She knew that she was going need more equipment from the SGC if she was going to complete a full analysis, but she wanted to gather as much information as possible before Daniel and the Colonel returned from their explorations.

Sam's thoughts, as if by their own accord, wandered to the Colonel. While she was immensely grateful to him for coming to her rescue just as Adrian Conrad's ghoulish doctors were about to give her a lethal injection, she was also immensely embarrassed that she needed rescuing in the first place. Of course the situation with Adrian Conrad had not been her fault, but she had made plenty of missteps lately, like almost destroying a planet's sun and leaving an ambassador to the mercy of a hostile alien race, that had left her feeling like she needed to prove her value and her competency to the Colonel all over again.

But it wasn't just their professional relationship that had suffered in past few months. She had been deeply hurt when the Colonel had not believed her reports of being visited by an alien entity in her home and had even told her that everyone thought she was nuts. It was partly in reaction to his unkind response that she had decided to allow Orlin to continue living with her in secret, even though it meant withholding information that ultimately put SG-16 in deadly peril. When the whole thing came out the Colonel had backed her up in a confrontation with Colonel Simmons, but Sam new the trust between them had been badly shaken.

Sam pushed aside her confused and angry feelings and tried to concentrate on understanding the data in front of her.

"Whoa!" Sam's eyes flew over the screen of her laptop trying to take it all in.

"Is there a problem Major Carter?" Teal'c approached quickly, concern evident in his voice.

Sam looked up in confusion. "No, everything's fine." She returned her attention to the computer and began tapping on keys to access additional data. "It's these readings. I just picked up a massive energy spike."

"Are we in any danger?" Teal'c looked prepared to either raise his staff and destroy the rock formation in front of them or grab Sam up in his arms and run for the gate, whichever action proved necessary.

"The energy levels seemed to have dropped to almost nothing. I'm not detecting any adverse effects from the change in output." Sam reassured him.

Sam looked at her watch. The rest of their team would be returning soon and they need to be there to meet them.

"Just let me check a few more things and then we can head back to the gate." Sam didn't really have any answers for the Colonel about this planet, he wouldn't be interested in the details anyway, but she did want to have a plan of action because his first question after she told him she would need more time to study the phenomenon would certainly be, "How long?"

Sam finished up quickly and Teal'c helped her to pack up. By the time they were on their way Sam was feeling unusually fatigued. Her limbs were heavy and the same pack she usually carried with ease was like a lead weight upon her back. She thought perhaps her exhaustion could be the result of hunger. Her last meal had been some hours ago and since her nauseating first trip through the stargate she always ate light before a mission. However, she often went for long stretches with little or no food or sleep without it having this pronounced an effect. Moreover, the thought of any kind of food at that moment was causing her stomach to turn.

She trudged along beside Teal'c trying to ignore the roiling in her belly and the aching of her back. Just as they were about to pass through the stone sentries at the opening and leave the arch behind Sam turned back and listened to the humming one more time.

"Teal'c?" Sam sought his attention. He too had stopped to listen. "Does that note sound different to you?"

Sam had never been particularly musical, but she was certain the pitch had become distinctly lower.