CHAPTER 6:
Again?
SG-1 surveyed the dark room that they suddenly appeared in and found it to be a simple room with no doors or windows. Their flashlights crisscrossed the room in an attempt to discover their surroundings. The place was most likely subterranean, as the walls were apparently made out of solid rock, polished smooth to form a solid surface similar to a painted wall back home. Their lights glinted off a circle oriented at the center of the room, made out of a multi-colored inlaid rock. The room had no other distinguishing marks.
Sam took all of this in and reported to Jack. "Sir, I think we are underground." Sam watched all of SG-1 orient themselves to their surroundings and quickly come to the same conclusion she had; there was no exit.
SG-1 made their way around the room, looking for anything that they might have missed on first glance. Daniel noticed a circle centered in the room. He searched, but the circle appeared to have no meaning beyond being decorative.
Time wore on and eventually they all found a place to be comfortable… at least as comfortable as one could be sitting on a stone floor. Their only hope was to pray and wait for rescue.
Jack stood and began to pace. He crossed back and forth through the room, "Dammit, isn't there anything that we can do?" Suddenly, as he crossed through the circle inlaid into the floor, the room lit and Janus appeared to them once again.
"Welcome, defenders." The hologram representing the long dead ancient greeted SG-1. "Where is the fifth?"
SG-1 looked to each other in confusion, "Only four… always four." Jack replied to the long dead alien.
Again, the team felt the presence of another being, as if Janus was there, in the room, interacting with them. The hologram looked directly into Jacks eyes, "No, Jack." Janus replied to Jacks sarcastic comment. "Where is your fifth?" The ancient hologram continued to insist.
"Carter, what the hell is going on here?" Jack looked to Sam for answers.
"I'm not sure, Sir." Sam replied, confusion written across her fair features. "This hologram is very sophisticated… It's as if it is a real, live being." The Major shook her head in awe, "This is amazing, Sir."
"I'm getting that, Major." Jack snapped, "Why does the TV there think we have a fifth member of our team. We have only ever had four."
"It's possible Janus could be referring to Jonas, Sir." Sam knew she was reaching, but she truly had nowhere else to go, logically speaking of course. "Perhaps the device on P3X-673 encountered Jonas in Daniel's memories and drew the conclusion that Jonas was the fifth member of SG-1?" Sam's last statement was more a question than an answer.
Daniel came to the same conclusion and turned to the waiting hologram, "Do you mean Jonas? Jonas Quinn? Daniel shook his head, "He's on Langara. He's no longer with the SGC." Daniel paused again, "He hasn't been for some time."
Janus looked unmoved, "No, the fifth was with you on Athos. Five began, so five must complete the journey to the "Well of Understanding."
"Ahhh, guys, he's got to be referring to Rodney McKay." Daniel pinched his nose slightly exasperated. He had a whole lot of patience, but Rodney put even his vast stores to the test.
"Oh for cryin' out loud!" Jacks shout caused most of SG-1 to jump, even the unflappable Teal'c responded to Jacks loud declaration with a raised eyebrow. "I what do we need that egghead for."
Even the hologram appeared to blink at the Colonels outburst, "Doctor Jackson, you must return and summon the fifth, for your journey will not be complete without him."
Sam's face flushed slightly as she dropped her head into her hands, "Perfect," She moaned, "Just when I thought his ego couldn't get any bigger, the fate of the Universe now rests in him joining our mission… He's going to be even more unbearable after this!" Sam sighed slightly, and wished that there was another way, any other way!
Suddenly, Daniel disappeared, and with him the hologram. The remaining members of SG-1 were once again plunged into darkness, with only the light of their flash lights to illuminate the blackness of the underground room.
"Perfect, just perfect!" Jack muttered to himself, "Couldn't even leave the lights on for us!" Sam's soft sigh and Teal'c's answering "Indeed," were all the assurances the team needed and they settled in to wait for Daniels return.
A
Daniel looked around confused by the sudden change of venue. As the bright light faded, Daniel found himself in the gate room of the SGC… with guns, big guns directed toward him.
"Doctor Jackson? Is that you?" General Hammond's voice came through the loudspeaker, cutting through Daniels disorientation.
"Yes, um… Sir." Daniel responded, "It's me. We need to talk." Daniel absently waved his hand toward the heavily armed soldiers standing in his way.
"Dr. Jackson, where is SG-1?"
"They are safe, sir." Daniel paused thoughtfully, "I think."
"Stand down." General Hammond's order came through loud and clear, and Daniel breathed an audible sigh of relief when the P90's were no longer aimed in his direction. "Daniel, my office, now."
Daniel automatically complied with the Generals order, and made his way through the control room, up the stairs and into Hammond's office.
"Sit down, son. You look a little peaked."
"Thank you, General." Daniel slipped into the chair, thankful for something to solid to hold him up. Daniel jumped immediately into his tale, "We found another Janus hologram. He said that we needed to prove our identities, but before we could proceed, we needed our fifth team member."
"As you well know, SG-1 has never had a fifth member, Doctor Jackson."
"I know that, Sir." Daniel paused, knowing his news would likely be ill received. Before Daniel could continue, the General asked "Did Janus give any indication as to whom he was referring?"
Out with it, Daniel thought. "He was referring directly to Rodney McKay. As you know, Rodney was with us during our first encounter with the hologram." Daniel shook his head slowly, "Jack is not happy about it, but it appears that we have no choice but to take him along."
A small twitch at the corner of the General's mouth, betrayed his amusement at the situation in which Cornel O'Neill had found himself. "Well, that is unfortunate." He paused thoughtfully for a moment, "Has this Janus character given you any indication of why he is insisting on McKay being involved in this mission?"
"None whatsoever, General," Daniel continued, "he only insists that the "five" members of SG-1 be present before we can continue." Daniel's frustration at being stonewalled by a hologram – albeit an intelligent one – leaked into his voice.
The General sighed, "This is going to make an already impossible man, ridiculously impossible." He stopped momentarily, "Well, I supposed it is out of our hands. If we want to discover the purpose behind the message, we must comply."
"Is McKay still on base?" Daniel looked to the general, hoping he could supply the answer.
"As far as I know, he is still here. I'll have Walter page him." As Hammond reached to press the intercom, it suddenly came to life.
"I'll page McKay immediately, sir." Walter's voice came loud and confident through the speaker.
Daniel quirked a smile and the General shook his head, "I have worked with Walter for years, and I still don't know how he does that!" Hammond looked to Daniel, "Doctor Jackson, you have a go. Take McKay and return through the gate to rejoin SG-1."
Daniel nodded and turned to go, but General Hammond spoke once more, "Oh, and Daniel… Tell Jack that I expect Doctor McKay back in one piece."
Daniel matched the General's smile, stuffed his hands in his pockets and said, "I'll tell him."
It took almost two hours before Doctor McKay declared himself ready to depart the SGC through the Stargate. As Daniel expected, McKay's normally insufferable attitude had multiplied as a result of being inescapably necessary to the mission.
A
Of all of Rodney's reasons for being "needed" it seemed that his favorite was that the ancient Janus knew that the mission simply would not succeed without Rodney's presence and the benefit of his vast intelligence. Daniel was pretty sure that the Airman standing near the gate ramp could hear the sarcasm of his unspoken thoughts.
"I just knew this little adventure wasn't over." Rodney exclaimed with a voice of triumph. He gave Daniel a rude, sideways glance, "Even though you thought you could get along without me, the universe knows better."
McKay's smug tone was starting to aggravate Daniel, and that was quite the challenge. Daniel knew that if Rodney didn't alter his behavior, the next days, and possibly weeks would be miserable. Jack would make sure of it. "You know Rodney; there is the possibility that Janus knew one of us may not return." Daniel let the silence hang, "Perhaps you are the one who may not come back."
Rodney's face blanched slightly as he considered all the possibilities. He shook his head a little as if to clear away this preposterous idea and said, "Me, a red-shirt?" He huffed, "Impossible, I'm too intelligent for that."
Daniel just looked at Rodney with his best imitation of a Jack O'Neill stare. Rodney had gone silent, so Daniel took heart in the fact that he had at least accomplished something. Daniel was soon brought out of his thoughts by the roaring of the event horizon, "Well, McKay, are you ready to face the music?"
McKay hesitated only slightly before following Daniel into the open wormhole.