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PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE?
By LetitiaRichards
Previously:
"Coming Jack!" he grated out. Just for once he would like to finish what to him was a necessary explanation without Jack cutting him off mid-stream.
Chapter 2 – "JACK!"
They finally reached the ruins after a four hour walk. A dry but cool wind had picked up a little as they'd hit the open, scrubby desert-like country, sending the sandy soil spinning off into little dust devils around them.
Daniel dropped his pack and rummaged through it looking for his video camera, notebook and pencil. He was about to rush into the temple when a firm hand grasped the collar at the back of his jacket.
"Daann...iel!" Jack sing-songed, with a note of censure.
Jack's note of warning stopped him in his tracks as much as the restraining hand on him.
"Jack," he began to protest, trying to worm out of Jack's firm grasp.
Jack's rigid forefinger was shoved determinedly in front of Daniel's face.
"Uh uh! No you don't Danny-boy. You will just sit and wait until I've checked it out first. Okay?" He released his friend and smoothed down the rumpled jacket. "You just never know what's waiting for you inside Daniel. That's my job."
"Your job, Jack?" Daniel could be sarcastic too. "I thought that was to grumble about me taking too much time over any little thing?"
Jack graced him with a withering look until Daniel had to look away. In the background Sam winced, waiting for the expected explosion.
It never came.
"Patience grasshopper," Jack responded with his customary grin, patting his friend on the cheek while quoting a line from one show out of his numerous television favourites. When Daniel looked as though he could deck him, Jack sighed, losing the tenuous hold on his notoriously short temper. "Oh for cryin' out loud Daniel, just wait up will ya!"
Daniel sighed too, feeling the familiar frustration well up inside him again. He clenched his fists and flapped his arms against his thighs with another deep sigh.
"Fine. I'll sit right here and wait. Happy now?"
Daniel slumped to sit cross legged on the ground, his arms crossed looking like a four year old and with a pout to match any thwarted kid around the world.
Totally unmoved by Daniel's little display of annoyance, Jack calmly turned to the two other members of his team.
"Right. Carter, you and Teal'c scout around to see what you can find. Keep an eye out for any hostiles. I'm not totally convinced this place is as deserted as it looks."
"Sir, the readings from the UAV indicated that this planet was deserted," Sam reasoned.
Jack grimaced with exaggerated patience. He pulled the ever present cap from his head, combed a hand through his short military style, sweat dampened hair before pulling the hat back on again and adjusting the bill to look fixedly at the only female member of the team, genius or not.
"Carter, how big is this planet?"
She threw him a stunned look before she did a rough calculation in her mind, then translated it into simplified terms knowing how her CO hated her quoting overly fussy detailed facts and figures at him.
"Um...It's roughly about the same size as Earth sir, maybe a little bit smaller but…"
"Carter!" he yelled, waving his hands through the air to make her get to the point. "Yes, exactly. And?"
"Sorry sir," she replied with a puzzled frown, wondering what she'd said wrong. It was then she caught the smug look on his face. Understanding finally dawned, and duly chastised she continued. "And the UAV only covers a twenty mile radius which isn't really a lot when compared..."
"Ack!" Jack wagged a finger at her for rambling.
"I...em, I get your point sir. We'll keep a look out."
"Thank you Major," he sighed, satisfied that she had finally managed to see his point of view. There was no way to discern if the planet was deserted or not, despite the information transmitted back to the SGC from the UAV sweep or the M.A.L.P.
"Indeed O'Neill. We will remain alert."
"I know you will big guy!" Jack acknowledged, giving him a friendly pat on the Jaffa's muscular bicep. "Call in every hour kids."
"Yes sir."
He smiled benignly as he watched the two of them leave. Sucking in a huge resigned breath he turned back to his sulking archaeologist.
"Ready Daniel?" he called; his long legs striding quickly past the young man towards the entrance to the temple.
Daniel leapt to his feet, hurrying after his team leader, hoping to catch him up before he got too far ahead.
Jack stopped at the entrance, and put a hand behind him to keep Daniel out of the line of sight should anyone be in there waiting for them with a nasty surprise. He took his flashlight and played the bright beam around the dark interior. Satisfied for now, he entered slowly, indicating with a hand signal for Daniel to wait until he gave the all-clear.
In the centre of the room, there was a stone altar covered in what Jack often referred to as 'chicken scratches' and inwardly groaned knowing Daniel would want to take hours just to study them. There was nothing else in the room that he could see would pose a threat to their health, so he called out to his friend.
"Okay Daniel, it's all yours. Have fun."
Daniel all but charged into the room, his torch alighting first on Jack who had to blink like crazy in the sudden brightness and complained bitterly about it too. Daniel quickly moved the light away as soon as Jack cursed about being blinded for life. The beam then flickered over the dark walls until it settled on the altar and Daniel gave a loud cry of satisfaction.
Jack could almost hear him shout 'Eureka!' but shook his head and took up a position by the open doorway instead, half in the sunshine and half in the shade.
"Need I remind you Daniel, not to touch anything?" Jack called over his shoulder almost certain that the man hadn't given that rule much of a thought.
"Jack..." Daniel started to protest, but Jack cut him off again.
"Just don't, okay! I refuse to carry you back to the gate when something happens to you because you can't keep your fingers from reaching out and pressing something you shouldn't."
Daniel either ignored him or didn't hear him because he was already wrapped up in the strange writing on the stone in front of him now illuminated by his flashlight.
"Oiy!" Jack sighed resignedly, wondering if he should count the minutes until something went wrong as it invariably did. It was just too quiet around here, something was bound to happen and he knew from experience that Daniel would be right there in the middle of it.
Long hours passed by in a haze of boredom for Jack O'Neill. Every time he had asked how much more time Daniel needed he was waved away with an impatient hand and a curt, 'I don't know.' Jack leaned against the doorway again, slipping down into a sitting position to wait it out. He keyed the button on his radio once more.
"Carter, come in!"
"Colonel."
Jack smiled at the sound of her voice. So help him he just couldn't help it. She was a beautiful woman, she was smart and last year she'd confessed to feeling something more than she should for him. He could still recall vividly their time as Therra and Jonah. What he'd felt back then was just a little indication of how good they'd actually be together; whenever that would be. It had haunted him since then; that last day when they recalled just who and what they were.
As always they'd managed to bury it in that room along with the dreaded Za'tarc confession. They both had a job to do and this way, at least, he got to work alongside her everyday, where he could be there for her. Neither of them had wanted to quit the team; they were the best the SGC had to offer, and that's how it should stay for the time being. At least until one of them was no longer able to carry on or they defeated the Goa'uld, whichever came first. Then, if they still felt the same... well, there would be no stopping him.
"Report Carter."
"Nothing new so far sir. I've found slight traces of Naquadah in the soil but nothing that could be considered significant."
"Any sign of hostiles?"
"None sir. I think the UAV was right this time."
"Okay. Well, keep digging Carter, you may find something yet."
"Yes sir. How's Daniel doing?"
"Oh, you know Daniel. We could be here until this time tomorrow and he'd still be..."
"Jack!"
Daniel's cry cut into him like a knife.
"Call you back Carter. I think Daniel's found something at last. O'Neill out."
Jack scrambled to his feet and hurried over to his friend, already thinking the worst.
"What ya got Daniel?" he asked with relief on seeing that Daniel seemed to be okay at first glance.
"Ah...well. This symbol is for long life and this one signifies a well or a spring, I'm not quite sure and these speak of something that I think means a gift or at least something like that - I think - or it might mean a shift..."
"You think? In other words you don't really know?"
"Well it's only a rough translation but I believe this has something to do with...a...a fountain or well of youth!" Daniel's eyes were aglow with discovery and his hands were animated by excitement, but Jack was wary at best.
"Look around this place. I don't exactly see a fountain or a well around here Daniel. Maybe it dried up?" Jack responded with a half amused questioning look. "Are you sure it says a well?"
"Jack!" Daniel grumbled in frustration. Sometimes it felt as if he was hitting his head against a brick wall. Well, Janet always said Jack had a hard head. "Not exactly. It could be a fountain or just a stream or...or something. This symbol means..." Daniel pointed his index finger at the strange writing and accidentally pushed it. A grating sound from across the room startled them both into action. They spun round immediately, Jack bringing his weapon up to bear.
"Damnit Daniel! You touched it didn't you!" Jack accused, his trigger finger at the ready. He moved to stand in front of his friend, affording him at least some protection from whatever might happen.
"I'm sorry Jack. I...I didn't... But, now that could be..."
"Daniel! Just..." Jack shoved a finger against his lips in the universal language that signified 'shut up!' though he was loathe to actually say it to his friend, especially not after that disastrous mission to Euronda. Never again would he actually say those words to him. It had taken a while for them to regain their friendship after that fiasco.
After a few moments when absolutely nothing happened, Jack silently approached the now gaping hole in the wall that had miraculously appeared out of thin air after Daniel's faux pas.
Jack gestured for Daniel to stay where he was and to wait until he had checked out what lay on the other side of the mysterious doorway.
Jack carefully poked his head in through the opening, surprised to find it light up as he'd moved closer. He turned to give a wry frown back at his friend.
"Maybe that's where the well is Jack?" Daniel whispered from behind him.
"I don't see anything Daniel. As far as I can see this place is completely empty."
Daniel moved to brush past him, but Jack stuck out his arm in time to prevent him entering the room.
"Daniel! Wait!"
"But Jack. If the room i..."
"Daniel!" Jack barked, making the younger man stop with a frustrated sigh and then finally nod in acquiescence of Jack's leadership.
Jack took a step further into the brightness, then another, and another. Nothing happened. He turned 180 degrees, looking closely for anything that might prove even remotely dangerous and then relaxed his body with a sigh.
"Okay Danny-boy, it's all your..." Jack began but stopped when a low hum began to reach his ears. He held out his hand to forestall Daniel's entry. Something was not right, and they were so out of there.
He made a dash for the doorway only to be thrown backwards with a sudden jolt, landing heavily on his back a few yards away.
"JACK!" Daniel screamed as he watched helplessly.
A force field had somehow been erected across the doorway effectively locking Jack into the room and Daniel outside of it.
Jack groaned in pain as he lifted his head to look dazedly at the doorway.
"What the hell was that?" he asked, stiffly pushing himself upright again.
"I think it's a force field Jack. I can't penetrate it." Daniel gasped out, giving an apologetic shrug.
Jack walked over to the entrance once more and gingerly poked his finger at what looked like empty space to him. It sent a tingle of electricity and numbness through his finger and up his arm, and created a spidery web of bright shimmers coursing through the invisible shield.
"Ow!" he complained, shaking his arm to get the feeling back again.
"It looks like it might have been triggered as soon as you entered the room Jack."
"Well don't just stand there Daniel. Go figure out how to get it down again." he griped.
Daniel disappeared from view and Jack decided to look for something on his side, just in case the key to opening it was on the inside.
Walking round feeling every inch of wall in the room had been futile and more than a little pointless because he knew that whatever had caused the field to open up behind him was more than likely hidden among the strange chicken scratches on the altar.
He was on the far side of the room, sitting on the floor with his back against the cold stone wall resting his arms loosely over his bended knees when Daniel reappeared. Jack stood with difficulty, his back and shoulders still sore from his close encounter with the rock hard floor earlier. He stretched his aching back gingerly and sauntered across to hear what Daniel had discovered.
As he stepped into the centre of the room a bright light surrounded him. It was a little like the beam from an Asgard transporter and Jack looked up at the ceiling in surprise, expecting to end up on Thor's ship.
"JACK?" Daniel's yell of panic barely reached Jack's ears, blocked out by a loud buzzing and sudden pain throughout his body.
Jack's head hurt and he brought his hands up to his ears to try and block the piercing noise out. The agony escalated, forcing him to fall to his knees and curl over.
"JACK!" Daniel screamed again.
He felt so utterly helpless as he watched Jack's slow collapse. He stood there transfixed by the sight of his best friend now writhing in agony on the floor. He felt a bit like one of those morbid onlookers that couldn't tear their eyes away from the scene of a road accident. But, this was Jack in there going through god only knew how much pain and he couldn't lift a finger to help him.
He ran outside into the sunshine and grasped his radio, still able to watch the whole terrifying tableau, while his friend suffered.
"Sam, Teal'c!"
"Daniel?" Sam's voice came back breathless with worry. "What's wrong?"
Daniel was fighting to control the rising panic.
"It's Jack. Sam, he's...he's... Oh God! Sam come quickly, he's..." Daniel couldn't bring himself to say it. Say that Jack was in so much pain and he didn't know how to help.
"We're on our way Daniel!" Sam's answer sent a shudder of relief through him and he hurried back inside to see if anything else had changed.
He stood just inches away from the force field and bit his bottom lip to stop it from trembling in fear. Fear for his friend that was climbing with each agonised breath that Jack had screamed out from pain. He watched until he couldn't bear to look any longer. He tried closing his eyes but the image stayed with him until he was forced to open his eyes when Jack's weak voice called to him only seconds later.
"Dan...yl."
Daniel's eyes popped open and he looked on in horror and disbelief as Jack lifted his head and fixed his dark pain-filled eyes on him, then those expressive deep set eyes rolled back into his head and he fell limp just as the light display shut off. Shortly afterwards, the force field disappeared just as suddenly as it had arrived.
"JACK!"
Daniel raced into the room disregarding any possible hazards and dropped onto his knees beside the still figure of his best friend. Tears filled his eyes and ran unheeded down his cheeks as he gathered the unresponsive body into his arms. Jack was still alive for which he could only thank God, but the man would never be the same again, could he? He cradled him in his arms waiting for Jack to wake up or perhaps for Teal'c and Sam to arrive should they make it here before that.
Daniel divested the Colonel of his weapons and utility vest and just held him in his arms, gently brushing the damp hair away from his forehead. It was the least he could offer him in recompense for failing to stop, whatever had been done to him, from happening.
"God, Jack. I am so, so sorry!" Daniel whispered, knowing full well his friend was unlikely to hear him.
TBC