Murphy's Physics

Murphy's Fourth Law: "Left to themselves, things tend to go from bad to worse."

The quake struck just after Jack reached the ground. He went down in a tangle of gear and rope, covering his head as buckets of fist-or-bigger-sized rocks came sliding down the hill. The ground grated its teeth for nearly forty long seconds, leaving Jack bruised and breathless and feeling lucky that he had not been climbing when the quake began.

The radio was dead when he tried to reach Teal'c and Carter. Cursing, Jack gathered his scattered gear and hurried back to the ship. 'Worrying about it wouldn't make Teal'c or Sam any safer,' he told himself firmly. He could only hope that they had survived the quake just as he had. But the lengthy walk back to the ship provided him with ample time to consider survival needs and measure objectives, and still contemplate all the things that could have gone wrong for Carter and Teal'c. Frustration gnawed at him like hunger.

Jack was worried about Daniel, too. He would have given a lot if he could know that the little space-monkey was with the rest of his team. He knew that the man could take care of himself, but he could also get himself into a lot of trouble almost effortlessly. Especially if he found someone to talk to. Talk with. Someone with which to talk. 'Never end a sentence with a preposition, even when talking to your self, Jack,' he thought whimsically.

Whimsy evaporated as he returned to the site of the ship. Lying on the ground just outside of the vessel was Daniel. His head was wrapped in a bandage, apparently torn from his own jacket. He wasn't moving.

Jack suppressed the urge to run toward him, ignoring the painful throb in his chest at the sight of the rusty stains on Daniel's bandages. He lifted his binoculars to his eyes and scanned the entire area. He saw nothing. He stashed his climbing gear and circled the area until he came to the opposite side from which he had returned. Dropping to his belly, he crawled through the crushed trees until he reached the ship, then crouch-walked around to where Daniel lay.

He was breathing and his pulse was steady at his throat. Jack laid a gently hand on his shoulder. "Daniel?"

Eyelids flickered but stayed closed. The young archaeologist's brow furrowed. "Jack?"

"Yeah. How'd you get here?" Jack kept his hand on Daniel's shoulder, but he raised his head and scanned the area, his P90 tracking along.

"Where's here?" Daniel lifted his head a little, then let it drop again. "Ow."

"Don't move."

"Right." Daniel opened his eyes, then squeezed them shut. "Urgh."

Jack crept to the portal of the ship, leaning back into the curve of the hull as he triggered the opening mechanism. The doors slid open, but he remained motionless, waiting.

So'len's voice came drifted out, "Identify yourself."

"O'Neill. You all right in there?" So'len poked his head out of the doorway, his zat'nik'tel disarming with a click. Jack's P90 never wavered. "What happened?"

So'len tried to ignore the weapon. He had been grown somewhat used to the Colonel's distrust during their long voyage. Selmak had attempted to explain Jack before the Tok'ra had approached the Tau'ri with this mission. 'Colonel O'Neill may be suspicious of everyone and everything, but his survival rate is very good, and you are going to need that edge. Trust Jack, even if he doesn't trust you.' Selmak's word was enough for So'len; but still, that little black eye on the P90 looked very large and dangerous, and it seemed to be trained on his heart.

So'len cleared his throat and said, "There was a tremor, perhaps a seismic disturbance. I believe it generated an energy field that disrupted the working of the ship's systems. I was outside the ship when it struck, and sought shelter within. I have tried to reach you on your communicator, but it has ceased to function. Nor would the doors operate when I tried to exit the ship after the tremor."

Jack turned and scanned the area again, eyes restless. "What about Daniel? Did you see how he got here?"

"Doctor Jackson is here?" So'len spotted him then, lying behind O'Neill. Jack did not doubt the surprise on his face. The Tok'ra dropped to a knee next to Daniel, reaching out a disbelieving hand to touch his arm gently. "Colonel, he was not here before the tremor. I would have seen him."

"I'd like to know how he got here, then. *Poof!* just isn't a good enough explanation."

"We should take him inside. I have a healing device that might help him."

"There's a stretcher in the ring-transport room. Get it." Jack let his P90 hang on its clip, taking Daniel under the shoulders, supporting his head. So'len hurried back with the body-board, and took Daniel's feet. Together, they lifted him smoothly onto it. Daniel's grimace of pain faded as he slipped into unconsciousness.

Jack noticed something lying on the ground where he had lain: Daniel's radio. He stepped carefully around the area, vowing silently to come back and investigate more fully. After they saw to Daniel.

"His head wounds are serious," So'len dug through his belt-pouch, coming out with a strange round device that Jack had seen before. He slipped the thing over his left hand, then braced it with the other. "I am not the most skillful at the use of this device, but I think I can help him. Please be ready to restrain him should he wake."

Jack set his hands on each of Daniel's shoulders, watching So'len's face as he concentrated. The device glowed in his hand, and Jack suppressed a shudder as he recalled being on the receiving end of a Goa'uld hand device. He blinked, shaking his head a little. This was different. This device did not kill or cause pain. He hoped.

A pinkish-golden glow lit Daniel's body, and he sighed deeply. So'len's eyes were closed as he concentrated, his entire body tense.

Finally, Daniel opened his eyes. "Whoa."

The light within the device faded, and So'len opened his eyes and offered Daniel a smile. "Doctor Jackson. Are you well?"

"I'm better." Daniel coughed and sat up, cautiously. "Much better, in fact. Thank you." He looked up at Jack, who nodded at him casually. Jack couldn't hide the sparkle in his eyes at seeing his friend whole, and Daniel knew Jack well enough to not mention it. He merely returned the nod, then proceeded to feel around his jacket pockets. "Have you seen my glasses?"

"I'll look outside. Stay put." Jack peered out of the door, then walked to the place where Daniel had lain. The radio was still there.

Laying right on top of the radio, where they could not have avoided being crushed, were Daniel's spectacles. They gleamed in the odd sunlight as if delivering a taunting wink at the puzzled Colonel.