Sticks and Stones - Chapter 7 - by Emma Nisbet
The moment we emerge form the other end of the wormhole and step out onto P7X-962 I feel like I can't breathe - my chest is burning. I lean heavily on both my stick and Janet to stay upright as my knee gives way from under me.
Janet staggers a little as I stumble and calls out for help. Suddenly I feel my shoulders grabbed by one of the marines who were controlling the FRED until a few moments before. He helps me off the gate platform and, between him and Janet they sit me on one of the stone steps.
"Colonel, I knew this was a bad idea," Janet tells me as she holds my wrist, taking my pulse.
"Yeah, Janet." I gasp, "Just give me a minute to catch my breath." My voice, I'm dismayed to find, comes out just as raspy as my breathing.
"Slowly Colonel. Breathe slowly. In…Out…In…Out…That's it, keep it slow, don't gasp." Janet says soothingly.
I try to calm my frantic intakes of breath and after a couple of tense minutes start to feel a lot more human again.
"Sorry Doc, and thanks," I say, in much more my usual voice. "I know you warned me, but I never imagined it would be like that. I've been through the gate so many time before I guess I forgot what it actually does to the body."
"Yes, Colonel," she looks at me sternly, "…and you never listen to doctors orders, now do you?"
"I've said I'm sorry, Doc. Don't go all guilt-trippy on me now, please." I'm almost whining now – that's got to stop!
"Well, how about getting you up again? Do you think you can manage that?" she asks me gently, concern evident on her face.
"I reckon I'm up for that," I answer, "I might need a hand to actually get up though."
"Hey, Lieutenant Bowman," Janet shouts to the marine, who is standing not far from that bottom of the steps. I appreciate that he moved away to give me a modicum of privacy while Janet was looking after me, but thought to stay within earshot in case he was needed again.
He moves over to Janet as she hails him, she then directs him to my free arm as she takes my stick in one hand and my arm in the other. "On three, Colonel." she instructs and counts, "One, two, three."
Carefully Lieutenant Bowman and Janet raise me to a standing position and Janet hands me my stick. Bowman keeps a grip on my arm until I've got my balance, then tentatively moves aside without saying a word.
"Whoa, head-rush" I manage to say, "Remind me not to do that again, anytime soon."
"How are you feeling now, Colonel?" Janet asks me, "Are you in any pain?"
"My knee's letting me know it's still not anything like back to normal, but my chest's not too bad now. Nothing I can't handle, anyway." I answer, "Thanks again, Janet."
I wonder if I'm succeeding in looking guilty – that's what I'm intending anyway. It obviously works as Janet gives me a sympathetic look, moves over to my stickless arm and slips her arm through mine.
I raise my eyebrows at her. "Just for a little extra support, Colonel," she explains.
"OK, Doc. If you say so." I resign myself to being molly-coddled for the foreseeable future.
"Shall we?" I say, gesturing in the direction of the pyramid complex, with my stick.
"Lead on, Colonel. Lead on," she tells me and we start to walk slowly towards the ruins.
#
As we approach the ruined pyramid, I can't help but hear Janet's sudden inhalation of breath, followed by a soft "Oh my," as she looks towards the scene of devastation. I follow her gaze and utter a quiet curse myself.
There's no proper structure left as such. Just a few small sections of outer wall survive at the corners. The rest is literally just rubble and dist.
Carter's trebuchet is still in place over the main structure/pile of rubble and there's a large pile of stone over to one side that have obviously been moved from the ruined pyramid.
What I wasn't expecting was just how much there would be left that hadn't been touched. Hammond had told me that progress had been slow, but I hadn't realised just what that would really mean. Not until I saw what a mammoth task it was to basically remove every stone in the pyramid, until our goal – Daniel – was reached.
I could plainly see why the General had told me that there was no way we were going to be able to retrieve the body in just two weeks. Looking at the rate of progress, a couple of months may have made a decent impact – but a couple of weeks…not a chance.
"O'Neill," Teal'c rumbles as he moves towards us, with Major Carter at his side. "I am glad to see that you are well again." He's covered in dirt and grime and looks in need of a few hours of Kel'no'reem to recuperate from what has obviously been a labour-intensive week.
"Thanks, Teal'c. I haven't come alone, I was accompanied by the good doctor here." I say, patting Janet's arm and smiling down to her.
"Yes, Teal'c, he has. There's no way I'd have agreed to let him travel otherwise." she tells him, looking at me with a scolding expression on her face. "…and were my fears justified, Colonel?"
"Er, well…I guess so." I admit, "So anyway, Carter – looks like there's a long way to go here?" I ask, changing the subject away from myself.
"Sure is, sir," she says, looking despondent. "There's no way we can make much of an impact on the rubble in just two more days. The pyramids took hundred of slave, decades to build. What we're supposed to do in two weeks, with just a handful of SG teams, and no heavy lifting equipment…I really don't know, sir…"
I hear the hitch in her voice as she turns away. "Carter," I start to say, but she lifts her hand to silence me.
"Don't, sir. Just…just give me a minute," she says quietly.
She moves further away from us. I know she thinks that crying is a sign of weakness - due to her military upbringing - so I let her go. I don't comment but motion to Janet to follow her.
As Janet lets go of my arm, Teal'c moves to my side to replace her. I give him a grateful look, lean heavily on my stick and start to move nearer to the pyramid to speak to the other members of the SAR teams.
About twenty minutes later, Janet and Carter return. Sam looking decidedly worse for wear due to her crying episode. She looks at me, slightly embarrassed and says, "I'm so sorry, sir. I never meant for you to see me like that. It…it just hit me, suddenly…the enormity of what we've been trying to achieve here…"
She breaks off and I pat her arm. "Don't worry, Major. I'm sure most of us have felt that in the last couple of weeks. You've been here the whole time, haven't you?" I ask.
"Pretty much, sir, yes. After we…er…delivered you back to the SGC, I came straight back here. Dad's been here, with a ship…and the Asgard too," she adds.
"Don't worry, Carter." I tell her, "The General's filled me in on what's been going on. Now when was the last time you ate?"
"Breakfast, sir," she replies.
"Hours ago then, Major. I want you and Teal'c to take a break. Come and sit with Janet and myself and you can tell us everything in greater detail." I urge her.
We move off to the area where the tents are set up. Someone (Teal'c, I assume) has already erected one for Janet and myself, near to the one that Carter & Teal'c are sharing. I look wistfully at the arrangement. Carter and Teal'c always share, as do Danny and I. The only time that the arrangements have been any different was when Jonas was on the team after Daniel ascended. Teal'c shared with me, and Jonas with Carter. I didn't query it at the time – I know I didn't make Quinn particularly welcome in the team at first. Maybe he was just too nervous to share with me – or maybe Teal'c just thought that he needed to keep a closer eye on me during that time.
Once Daniel rejoined the team, and Jonas went back to Kelowna, Danny automatically went back to sharing with me and Teal'c returned to his rightful place without comment.
I see Carter and Teal'c watching me and notice a look pass between the two of them. I have a feeling that I've missed an entire conversation in the space of the last twenty seconds when I know a single word hasn't been spoken out loud. I shake my head and turn to the packs to get out the MREs and pull out the stove to make some coffee. While the water is heating, Carter starts telling me about the Asgard sensor problems, the modifications to the ring transporter and the manual work that the SG teams have put in while I've been out of action.
Once the food is ready the conversation peters out and we eat and drink quietly – each lost in out own thoughts.
After the meal, Teal'c returns to the site to haul more rocks, while Carter takes Janet and myself to the ring-transporter-come-drill test site.
I must say that thing was damned impressive in a totally destructive way. I wonder why the Goa'uld have never thought to use it as a weapon against the populace of any planet. They could cause mass extinctions if they so felt like by aiming it at fault lines in the planets crust.
The thought makes me shudder and I get a worried look from Janet. I assure her that it's nothing medical and make a note never to tell either her, nor Carter, about what I was thinking.
When the dusk starts to fall we move back to the tented area to eat our evening meal. We're all staying until Thursday, when everyone will have to leave. Janet told me earlier that she wanted me to recover sufficiently from the gate trip here before attempting to make another one, so that worked out alright in respect that I would have all day Wednesday to recuperate.
When the meal is cleared away we talk for a little longer before moving to bed down for the night. Somehow, I'm not surprised to find that Teal'c is in with me and the two women are sharing the other tent. I guess now I know what that silent conversation was about earlier. I can't help but be comforted by their concern for me, but think it's slightly creepy - they were remembering the same memories as I was at the same time.
I notice that Teal'c has settled, cross-legged, on his sleeping bag. He looks like he's going to Kel'no'reem for a while before actually turning in to sleep. I carefully get into my sleeping bag and bid him 'goodnight' before rolling over and falling asleep pretty much straight away. I guess the day must have taken a lot more out of me than I had realised before.