Sticks and Stones - Chapter 6 - by Emma Nisbet (grnfield)
Tuesday – the next day. 12 days after the collapse.
The next morning I wake up in my quarters and take stock of my various aches and pains. My knee feels alright this morning, but of course I haven't actually tried to get up yet so that may change. My chest is a little stiff but nothing that I can't handle. All in all I reckon that I should be OK for my trip through the gate this morning, with Janet as my chaperone.
I swing my legs over the side of the bed and carefully pull myself upright. Hmm, my knee tells me that it still wants the support that it gets from the stick. Janet told me that I would need it for a fair while yet though and that under no circumstances was I going to step through the gate today without it.
I grab hold of the stick and go to use the bathroom. First I wash, shave and then get dressed. I'm glad I thought to get a set of BDUs delivered to my quarters the day before. I put them on now to save having to get changed again before we travel.
I look at the clock and find that it's way before I need to go and meet Janet. I can't just stay in here though so I'm going to see if the diminutive doctor has had breakfast yet. If I'm going to gate out to P7X-962, stick and all, then the commissary isn't going to beat me this morning - just as long as I'm not on my own. Everyone knows that I always eat breakfast with at least one of my team - well they're not available today so Janet will have to do as a replacement. Stick in hand I head off to the infirmary to find her.
I walk into the infirmary and think that it's surprisingly quiet in here. Truthfully I know that General Hammond has scaled down the off-world missions somewhat while Daniel's 'rescue attempt' is going on. I'm also aware that he won't get away with it much longer as the two week deadline is almost up.
Once the deadline is reached all the personnel will be recalled from P7X-962 and it's been arranged that the USAF will record that Doctor Daniel Jackson was KIA/BNR Category 5 (Killed in Action/Body not Recovered). I think Hammond had a part to play in that, Daniel was a civilian and not military after all said and done.
"Colonel, you're early." says Janet, walking over to me. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Breakfast." I state confidently. I look hopefully at her as I continue. "You and me have a date with the best that the commissary has to offer."
"OK, Colonel, I think I can take you up on that offer." she said. "I've been here since 05:00 so I had my breakfast oh-so-long ago. Have you taken your meds yet this morning sir?"
"No, Doc, I thought I'd get some food inside me first." I tell her. "I'm not feeling all that bad this morning…best I've felt first thing in the morning all week in fact."
"Hmm, well don't get too confident. It's still early days yet." she tells me.
"Don't you worry, Janet, I'm gonna take them." I assure her. "Don't want anything to jeopardise our trip through the gate, now do we?"
Janet nods her head and smiles. "I think that's a sound plan, Colonel. Now enough with the talking, let's get going. I've still got to get changed before I'm ready to go off-world. I see that you came clothed ready to go. Good idea."
We walk slowly down to the commissary and Janet grabs a tray before I get the chance. "Oh no you don't - not with the stick Colonel. We don't want any accidents this morning." she said with a stern look on her face.
"OK." I concede. I'm not here to argue and I agree with her that the trays can be a menace one handed.
Janet puts two plates on the tray and starts to pile a bit of everything onto one of them. She looks at me questioningly and I say, "Sure go ahead. Pick some for me as well, I'm not fussy!"
She smiles at this and adds a bit of everything to the second plate as well. I notice that my portions are quite considerably larger than hers but that hers are far bigger than any I'd ever seen Carter serve up for herself. I smirk slightly as I realise this. Janet obviously notices because she looks at me and asks, "What?"
"Oh, nothing. Just thinking about Carter." I reply.
"Hmm." Janet gives me a strange look and a knowing smile. "I see."
Wait a minute, that's not what I meant – I guess that's how it sounded though. Aw hell! "I…er…oh never mind." I splutter and I head off to select us a table.
"Colonel, what do you want to drink?" Janet calls after me.
"Oh" I call back. "…coffee please, strong and black." I see her roll her eyes at that but don't bother to comment.
Janet comes over to sit down, bringing the loaded tray with her. I see that I do indeed have coffee although it's definitely not back and there's no way on Earth I would ever call it strong. Janet sees me looking at it grimly and smiles. "Be thankful you've got it at all, Colonel. You're still on you're meds and still under my care remember. And…by the way…that's got real milk in it, not the usual creamer. It's a healthier option…and it tastes better too of course!"
I smile back, "Once a Doc, always a Doc – eh Doc!!"
"Yes, Colonel, something like that!" she chuckles. "Some habits can't be broken easily."
The commissary is pretty quiet for breakfast time and I'm glad about that. We eat our breakfast in companionable silence and I'm amazed at how much food the petite Doctor Fraiser manages to put away. Does the woman have hollow legs?
I finish with my meal and get out my meds. I put the pain killers back in my pocket unopened but Janet puts her hand on my arm and says "No, Jack, I want you to take a couple of those as well, even if you don't feel you need them at the moment. Gate travel's going to be hard enough on you today as it is, and I don't want to complicate things by adding any extra aches and pains into the mix."
I think about this and I can see that it makes sense. I reach back into my pocket and pull out the remaining bottle. I add the tablets to the three already on my tray and put all the bottles back in my pocket so I've got them with me when we travel.
I pick up my coffee, intending to wash the tablets down with it when Janet stops me. "Colonel, you should know better than that. I'm not going to sit here and watch you take your tablets with coffee. Let me get you a glass of orange juice." She gets up and is back with the orange juice before I have time to object.
I grin at her and down the last of my coffee before she can take it away. Then I take all my tablets with the orange juice like a good little Colonel.
"I've got to see the General before we go, Doc." I tell her. "I'm going up there now."
"That's alright, Colonel. I can get changed and ready while you're in with him. I'll meet you in the gate room when you've finished." she suggests.
"OK, I'll see you later, Doc." I say and we both leave the commissary and go our separate ways.
#
I knock on the door of General Hammond's office and wait for his call before going in. He tells me to sit down and asks me how I'm feeling. He tells me that he's spoken to Janet and that he's authorised her to go with me this morning. He admits that he wasn't 100 certain about allowing me through the gate but Janet's suggestion that she travelled with me was a solution that he would go along with. Hammond understands, he understands what it's like to lose men under your command and he understands why I must go back at all costs.
He brings me up to date on everything that's been happening on P7X-962 since I spoke to him on Thursday. Obviously I know from Janet (and the fact that the General didn't call me over the weekend) that nothing major has happened. But I need to know as much as possible before I go to the planet and see it for myself.
Apparently the work on the collapsed pyramid has been extremely slow going. Carter has arranged for a trebuchet to be constructed over the site for the removal of the larger stones. But without heavy duty, mechanical equipment – earth movers and the like – the progress has been painfully slow.
Carter's message finally got through to the Tok'ra and they sent a Ha'tak that was nearby. Carter had been working with them trying to modify the ring transporter in some way. The General told me this had to be abandoned though when the rocks they were testing it on were vaporised and the dust particles were spread all over the test site at near supersonic speed. Luckily the testing area was well out of the way of the pyramid complex and no-one was hurt.
Apparently the rings just aren't accurate enough without the ring platform underneath for them to lock on to. Fiddle with them, and then try to make them transport/dig through an indeterminate amount of rock, dirt and sand and they turn out to be completely unpredictable. They'd make quite an effective drill, I suppose, if you want to completely destroy anything in their path. This would completely defeat the object in this case though seeing as they would also vaporise Daniel without us even realising that we'd found him.
Thor – bless his little cloned heart – sent another ship to try and help locate Daniel. Whatever was in the rocks that messed up their sensors the first time round was tough stuff. The Asgard found that their modified scanners could penetrate a little farther through the rubble than before but they still couldn't find a body.
The General then stands up and I copy. He looks at me kindly and says "OK, Colonel, you can go now. I imagine that Doctor Fraiser will be waiting for you and the supplies will be leaving shortly. I wish that I could ask you to 'bring our boy home' but it pains me to know that is not going to happen this time. Please report back to me on your return, Jack."
I give him a nod and say "Thank you, sir, I will."
I then leave his office and head for the gate room, Janet, the supplies and the wormhole through to P7X-962.
#
Notes:
KIA/BNR (Killed in Action/Body not Recovered)
Category 5, Category unrelated to degree of enemy knowledge.
An individuals whose remains have been determined to be non-recoverable as outlined in Department of the Army Technical Manual 10-286, January 1964, section 39.
#
Janet, the supplies, myself and two marines are standing in the gate room awaiting final checks before the gate is dialled. The marines are here to escort the FRE, loaded with provisions and medical supplies, for use by the crew on P7X-962.
I am there to find the fate that befell my missing team-mate and best friend. Janet, well she's there to escort me through the gate and to get some closure on Daniel's final disappearance.
I'm nervous about what we're going to find when we get there so I dread to think what's going through Janet's mind at the moment. She's not all that used to gate travel – only usually going in a medical emergency where the adrenalin probably does away with her nerves. This time it's calm, there's no rushing, no hustle and bustle - just 'business as usual' in a strange way.
The thing is 'business' will never be 'as usual' again. I've had a quarter of my team ripped away from me – again. It's not like it's the first time it's happened but there's some sort of finality over it this time. When Nem planted the false memories in our minds we always had a nagging doubt that Daniel wasn't really dead. On Apophis's ship, we didn't have time to mourn his passing. By the time we got back to Earth and the adrenalin started wearing off we were all reunited again.
When Daniel ascended - after Kelowna – we knew that he was still around, just in a different form. The little flurries of air in the corridors at first, then came the occasional visits, when we were most in need. When we got him back properly – after his memories returned – we were whole again.
Now though, the team would forever have a chink missing from its armour – a chink the size of the Grand Canyon, if you ask my opinion.
Even when General Hammond gets us a fourth member, the gaping whole will still be there. Jonas may have taken Daniel's place the last time we lost him but he never really filed Daniel's shoes. Poor guy, I don't suppose we really gave him much of a chance to. He knew he was the outsider – the fourth member although not really part of the team. I have to hand it to him though, he never once complained about it – feeling guilty, no doubt, about his part in Daniel's untimely demise.
"Colonel O'Neill, Dr. Fraiser and the supply crew," General Hammond's voice booms over the intercom, "You have a go for gate travel."
The gate starts spinning and the chevrons start to engage.
I look up at the General – he gives me a gentle smile and closes his eyes momentarily as he nods his head in my direction. "God speed, Colonel…Look after him Dr. Fraiser." he adds, looking at the doctor.
"I will sir, I will," Janet promises as I turn away to watch the final chevron lock into place.
"Chevron Seven, Locked," Walter announces over the PA system.
I suck in a deep breath as the kawoosh shoots out from the gate and Janet moves up to stand close by my side. I look down at her and ask, "You OK?"
She looks back at me and replies, "I will be Colonel, don't you worry about me, Sir." She slips her hand into my free one and I give it a quick squeeze before turning my attention to the marines who are moving the FRED up the ramp and through the open wormhole. They follow it through and then it's our turn.
Keeping hold of Janet's hand I walk slowly up to the event horizon. I stop, turn to Janet and check with her, "You ready for this?"
She gives me a tight lipped smile, grips my hand even tighter and says, "As ready as I'll ever be, Colonel. Let's get this done."
With that we step through the gate together, still hand in hand – for moral support.