In the Gateroom:
There was flash and a burst of sparks and Dr Zalenka straightened up, shaking his hand and muttering rude words in Czech.
"What the hell are you doing?" Dr McKay shouted, rushing over and tripping over one of the many trailing cables that connected each of the gate's chevrons to a different computer.
"Yes I am fine thank you" Zalenka replied sarcastically, rubbing his palm while glaring at McKay. "Why didn't tell me that power was still switched on."
"Well I didn't think that you were stupid enough to touch live wires." McKay shot back, crouching down and anxiously checking that none of the technology had been damaged. To his relief, bar some minor scorch marks, everything seemed ok.
"Always you assume that it is my fault" said Zalenka with a wild shrug, anger making his accent more marked, "why can you not accept that sometimes you are to blame!" He glared at his fellow scientist.
McKay glanced up at him "Seriously? You think this is my fault?"
Zalenka fired off a few choice Czech insults and stormed angrily out of the Gateroom without a backward glance.
McKay watched him in frustration, suppressing a pang of guilt and briefly wishing that he wasn't so good at antagonising people. They seemed to have spent the last few hours going backwards rather than forwards in terms of progress. A couple of days ago they had been worried about possible anomalous readings in the feedback. Today, they couldn't even maintain a dialing sequence and he had no clue about what the hell had gone wrong. 'It hates me.' he thought irrationally. Usually he only had trouble getting along with people while technology was quite happy to reveal its inner-most secrets to him. But now, even the technology was sulking. He heaved a heavy sigh and turned back to the gate with an air of resignation.
In General Hammond's Office:
"Still no news?" General Hammond asked Major Davis.
The Major shook his head "No, nothing from the navy, no chatter on the radios. Nothing out of the ordinary."
"Could we have been mistaken?" Hammond said with a bemused look on his face.
Davis shook his head, "More likely it is just biding its time" he replied seriously.
There was a pause while they both contemplated what this meant. Silence is golden, except for when you are waiting for an alien invasion. In those circumstances, silence is very, very suspicious.
"Well, when they do make their move, we will be ready." Hammond said firmly, hoping that it was true.
In the Infirmary:
Janet looked up from her work as Daniel shifted uncomfortably in his sleep; she wondered whether the furrowed lines on his forehead were caused by dreams or by pain. He flinched again and the lines got a fraction deeper. Janet half-wished she had given him stronger drugs but she was keen to keep him off the morphine if possible. She watched his eyes flickering rapidly beneath his eyelids as they tracked invisible scenes and wondered what was going on in his head. Physically he was healing well, but mentally... well, she wasn't so sure.
"Jack" Daniel called out "Sam? Teal'c?" Painfully he struggled up and looked around him. He was alone. The corridors of the SGC glowed eerily and the emergency lighting cast sinister shadows on the walls. Disorientated he tried to remember what had happened but all he could recall was a vague sense of foreboding.
One thought burned in his mind; He had to get to the Gateroom. Stumbling he fumbled his way along the corridor, the pain in his stomach making it hard to move fast. He got to the elevator at last and fumbled for the button for level 28, breathing heavily. The elevator shot down the shaft and stopped with a bump. The doors stuttered open and Daniel looked out in confusion at the scene of carnage before him.
In the Gateroom:
"Ok" McKay shouted up to the control room "Dial her up."
"Right" Sargent Harriman called back "Dialling sequence commenced."
With a satisfying clunk, the first chevron locked into place.
"Chevron one encoded"
The second chevron locked into place.
"Chevron two encoded."
McKay held his breath – maybe this time it would work; he desperately wanted it to. Apart from anything else it would prove that he hadn't needed Zalenka's help anyway. McKay rubbed his head wearily; he was dog tired after working into the early hours three nights straight. He thought affectionately of his nice quiet lab in area 51 and longed for a set of theoretical math problems. No, scrap that... he didn't want area 51 either... he should have taken a peaceful university job someplace. Settled down, followed Jeanie's example; got married, have...have - no, he wouldn't go that far, no children. In any case, he absolutely should not be the one person responsible for rescuing the heroes who had just saved the earth from alien attack. It wasn't fair.
"Chevron six encoded."
Perhaps this time…
In the Infirmary:
Daniel woke up with a jolt and struggled into a sitting position gasping raggedly for breath, his heart thumping painfully. As he realised where he was the tingle of spent adrenaline washed over him in a shaky wave. He wrapped his arms around his raised knees and flopped over, head resting on his arms.
Janet came in and her step quickened as she took in the exaggerated breathes and the buried face. Wordlessly she went to his side and put her arm protectively around his shoulders, pulling him close. Daniel, submitting for once, leaned his weight towards her, still breathing heavily.
"Ok?" Janet whispered after a minute.
Slowly letting out his breath in a muffled hiss Daniel replied "Nearly… I will be."
Janet tightened her grip on his shoulder. For almost a full minute neither of them spoke. Then Daniel pulled gently away. "Um – thanks" he said awkwardly. The images were fading and with growing embarrassment he realised that his cheek was pressed up close to Janet's left breast. Self-consciously he reached for his glasses and put them on with exaggerated deliberation, his cheeks burning. Janet's concerned features came into focus and he looked away quickly.
She perched on the end of his bed and looked at him sympathetically. "I'm here if you want to talk?"
Daniel briefly allowed the images to slip back into his head and then pushed them away hurriedly. "Er, thanks, but no." he said with conviction. Some things were best buried.
"Ok" Janet said, understanding but concerned by the haunted look in his eyes. "If you change your mind…" she left the sentence hanging in the air.
Daniel gave a tight smile and a small nod. "I'm fine."
"So" Janet continued gently scolding "was it masochism or bloody-mindedness earlier?" Seeing the frown of confusion she clarified "I don't prescribe meds just for fun. You need to take them."
"Oh" Daniel looked down with a rueful expression, feigning fascination with the blankets. He glanced up, "Um…try forgetfulness?"
"Riiigghht" Janet said slowly, "I assumed that the pain might be a bit of a clue…but hey…."
"Yeah" Daniel pulled a face, "it was – but by then I was busy."
"Hmm" Janet said. She was aware of the security developments and understood that Daniel's knowledge could be of use, but privately thought he'd been put under too much pressure. She was particularly unimpressed by the three hour deadline and General Hammond was not in her good books. She gave Daniel a probing look. "Are you in pain now?"
"I'm not actually sure yet" Daniel admitted slowly, still coming down from the adrenaline. He moved gingerly. "No, not really." The soreness in his side was uncomfortable, but the cramps had died back to a dull ache. The meds were doing their job.
"Good" said Janet, not completely convinced.
Daniel took a deep breath, "is there any er news?" He looked steadily at Janet with anxious eyes.
Janet shook her head. "No. Not as far as I know – on either count."
He wasn't surprised, but a surge of disappointment welled up regardless. He made as if to climb down from the bed.
"Not yet" Janet interjected quickly. "Since you are here, I may as well re-dress the wound first." Daniel figured it would save a trip back later and lay back obediently allowing Janet to swiftly checked him over. As the images of the dream continued to fade his mind cleared and he considered his priorities. He needed to speak to Hammond and find out if the security situation had changed. Then, assuming Hammond didn't want him doing anything else, he was going to work his way back through the historical record and find any and every reference to stargate malfunctions. Somewhere, there must be something of use! The problem was, the vast majority of his library concerned Earth's history, and that was unlikely to contain many references to stargates. He really needed was access to the Tok'ra's library, but obviously that was impossible. Ow! He flinched instinctively away as Janet poked hard at a particularly sore spot, and his muscles cramped in protest. He had already looked over the mission reports from the discovery of the Antarctica gate but perhaps looking back through Catherine's diaries would...
"Everything looks as it should." Janet said, her voice breaking into his thought "You've been lucky."
"Mmm" he mumbled in reply. "Un-merited good-fortune."
"What?" said Janet looking at him in confusion.
"'Luck'" Daniel repeated "derives from the middle-Dutch gheluc meaning good fortune." Half to himself he went on "To be lucky involves receiving benefits that you haven't earned or don't deserve." He looked up at Janet with a half-smile "So is my … urg" (he grunted as he sat up with difficulty) "unmerited good fortune that appendicitis saved me from being with SG-1?"
Janet folded her arms and gave him a disapproving look "you know that is not what I meant!"
"It's true though" Daniel insisted. He gave an awkward shrug "I just feel that I should be with them."