Jack has seen seizures before, but not any like that. Never like that. The shock of it actually makes him dizzy, remembering that it's Daniel in that room. He can only imagine what he's going through. Whatever that is.
He does not go into the infirmary; can't bring himself to. Instead, he leans against the wall, trying to be numb to his thoughts. His head is back, eyes staring at a spot near the red light on the wall. Minutes go by, doesn't matter how many, and then he feels a hand at his shoulder. His eyes focus back in and he looks over at Carter. Her face is distraught, clearly, and she looks like she's been crying. He hates to see her cry, and it did not happen often, yet ironically, sometimes it was when her face was most beautiful.
"Come on," she says quietly, crossing the space in front of him. He follows her wordlessly as they make their way down the halls. He tries desperately to think of nothing, but his mind races against his will. Jack is no stranger to loss, having lost his son and many of his friends. There are, also, the many good soldiers he'd trained who's bitter ends were all found in bullets.
But this time it is different. At first, Jack couldn't stand the man! Sometimes he still has a hard time breathing the same air as Dr. Jackson. He's always spending hours upon months, days and years of his life devoted to the past and things that no longer matter anymore. Daniel's absurdly geeky fascination drives Jack biserk more often than not and he is certain that Daniel was one of those kids he used to beat up in high school. But try as he might, Daniel has become more than a good friend to Jack, almost like a little brother, as they constantly risk their and everyone else's necks side by side. Teal'c is like an older brother, Daniel the younger, and Sam . . .well, Sam . . . It's different because, this time, the prospect of more loss scares Jack more than he thought it would. To lose Daniel for good would be like losing Charlie all over again...and that almost didn't go so well last time.
They take a right and a quick left and ascend the stairs to the control room. The sound of clacking keys and beeping sensors fills their ears and they approach General Hammond, standing straight, hands clasped behind him.
"Colonel."
"General."
"Glad to have you back," Hammond says gloomily, "I just wish it could be under better circumstances."
"I agree," Jack replies. "What are we doing about the situation, General?"
"We sent SG-6 back to the moon on PJX-962, to speak with the locals..."
"There were locals, sir?" Jack asks.
"Yes, they...look similar to Native Americans here on earth. Rather friendly people. We just received a radio transmission from Major Grace," The General continues. He sighs deeply. "The only explanation they were able to get is that the orb is 'magic', given to them by their deity. They did a sweep of the site and the surrounding area and found no evidence of any technology; alien, advanced or otherwise."
"Dammit!" Sam exclaims quietly.
Both men turn to her, with raised eyebrows.
"Sorry," she says quickly, shaking her flustered brain. "It's just...I ran tests on it before I left to get the Colonel and I didn't find anything either. It's giving off absolutely no...energy or anything at all, which doesn't make any relevent sense. I'd hoped they would have found...something..."
"Where is this device, Major?" Jack asked.
"Upstairs..."
Sam leads him up the metal stairs to the briefing room. Jack walks past her at the top step and enters quickly. There is no one around. The black swivel chairs closest to him are still unoccupied, pushed in under the table, as they should be. The other chairs, however, are all knocked over, laying on their sides, spread out across the space. Hundreds of notes and various papers are strewn across the floor, covering its surface. On the table are many disheveled piles of paper as well, and on the other end of the glossy mahogany, suspended in mid air, is a tiny glass orb, no bigger than Jack's fist. Its milky colors swirl around in a sea of blue and green, illuminating up the furniture around it in a murky light. Jack begins to approach it.
"Uh, sir..." Sam's voice wavers from behind him, hesitantly. He stops and turns around. "I fainted shortly after performing those tests, I...we decided that no one should go near it anymore."
Jack pauses between the table and the door, eyes drawn to the apple-sized ball of energy. It is a wonder to him how something so small could be so dangerous. He pulls his eyes from it. "Did you see Janet yet?"
"No, not yet sir, I left right away to get you."
"Well...go see her...make sure you're alright. That's an order, Major," Jack says quietly, eyes drawn to the floor.
"Yes, sir."
They stand still in silence, absorbing the last few moments.
"Sir..." Sam says. Jack pulls his eyes from the floor and looks Carter in the face. "I think we need to contact the Accasre," she admits, reluctantly. "Norestes."
The sound of that name on Sam's lips brings Jack to a vivid memory, easily pluck-able from the files of his mind. He remembers a world of green and blue, with alien flora, home to millions of gnarled vines and countless trees as tall as the greatest of pyramids. Giggling voices like trickling rivers float through his inner eye, recalling the bonfires and the dances of strange people with great drums beating in the hollow deep. It was almost like magic; they'd welcomed his team with open arms and no questions at all. A pair of great green eyes penetrates the fabric of the scene in his brain, pulling tight the whispering strands of broken thought. A sigh in his ears brings Jack back to the present, and he is aware of a chill that runs quickly down his spine. This day just seems to keep getting better. "Why?"
"Well, it's just a hunch, sir...but Norestes told me something the last time we were on her planet... something I'm not really allowed to tell and... frankly wouldn't have anyway; the idea is almost unfathomable...but I think she might be able to help us...I think. It's worth a try."
Jack closes his eyes and rubs his temples. He sighs and remembers the last look the dark-haired Accasre gave him, the one she always gave him, like her bright emerald eyes saw right through him and saw too much, almost everything. He knows this is a stupid notion, but he still feels it every time, shivers running up and down his back. Her face never shows any emotion besides complete calm and, as beautiful as she may be, it damn near creeps the hell out of him. It is that part of her and more that constantly reminds him that she isn't anywhere near a human being, regardless of how much she resembles one. Jack is NOT looking forward to seeing this woman, but he knows she could really help them out. Not only that, if Daniel ever wakes from his torture, her presence would really do him good. Daniel has an obvious thing for her. Well, obvious from Jack's point of view, anyway. Ever since that Soul-Melding thing she made him try, it was like they both knew a big, honkin' secret that they weren't planning on telling anyone about. Plenty of times Jack had been tempted to tell them go get a room. But, on that and many other rare occasions, he decided to hold his tongue. "Go tell Hammond," he says to Carter, not recognizing his own voice.
"Yes, sir."
"And then see Janet!"
"OK, sir."
Sam turns and heads back down the stairs. Jack can already feel a sense of unease raise the hairs on the back of his neck.
Norestes.
Great.