"Well, happy birthday, Sam," said Daniel.
"What?" she replied. "My 'birthday' would have been four months ago."
"I believe he refers to the anniversary of your construction, Samantha," observed Teal'c.
"Right," said Daniel, "so, technically it's mine and Jack's, too. Yours won't be for another couple of days, sorry, Teal'c."
Teal'c nodded.
"I can't believe it's been a year already," said sam, setting down the wrench she'd been using to open a rusted steam vent.
"We have accomplished a great deal," said Teal'c
"I'll say," agreed Daniel. "When we first got here, the place was falling apart. Now, it can almost run itself." Sam looked at Daniel thoughtfully. "What?" he asked.
"Run itself. . . you know, Daniel? You're not that far off," she said, getting to her feet and heading for the staircase.
"Sam?" asked Daniel, as he and Teal'c got up and followed her.
"I want to check something," she said, heading for the control center.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
They came upon Jack and Harlan sitting at the console. "What's up?" asked Jack as they approached.
"That last vent's taken care of," said Sam, coming around next to Jack to look at the computer display of the station. "And, I think that should be the last problem we encounter for a good while," she said, after a scan of the readout.
"Comtrya!" said Harlan gleefully. "Wallace would be so proud. Even at our best, the two of us alone could never do much more than stave off the most catastrophic of failures."
"Nice work," said Jack, sitting back and shying slightly away from his overjoyous associate.
"What's more," continued Sam, "I think this is the opportunity we've been waiting for."
"You're serious?" asked Daniel.
"What opportunity?" asked Harlan.
"That is indeed good news," said Teal'c.
"Tell me, just tell me, you're not playing some sick joke on me," said Jack, getting cautiously to his feet.
"Nope," said Sam, smiling. "I think this is really it. According to these readings, there are no major failures pending or even likely. And--this is the best part--even the automatic maintenance system is back up and fully functioning."
"Yes!" exclaimed Jack.
"What are you speaking about?" said Harlan more urgently. He had begun to suspect the reason for their excitement.
"Harlan, we need to talk," said Daniel carefully.
"What about?"
"About us staying here--"
"We have talked about all that," said Harlan, cutting Daniel off, and waving his hands, "a long time ago. When first you came here. You agreed that this station's survival meant our survival. You have stayed, and we have done so much."
"Yes, but now we've gotten to a sustainable level," explained Sam. "It can pretty much take care of itself now, which means we can spend our time doing more than just maintenance."
"But still, there is nowhere else to go," Harlan observed. "The emitter is here. We must remain with the power source. We must stay here."
The would-be explorers exchanged glances, not quite knowing how to break the news to their friend. "Harlan," said Sam finally, "I've been working on some designs for portable power packs."
"No, no, no!" Harlan pleaded. "You have told me of the dangers out there, of the Goa'uld. There is no need. Why would you risk your lives by trying to leave?"
"Because that's what we do, Harlan," said Jack. "We may not be able to lead our old lives, but we still have some desires of our own. And mine do not particularly include sitting around this station for the rest of my life."
Harlan seemed on the verge of tears.
"We're not trying to leave this instant," consoled Sam. "I haven't actually built anything yet. And we have a lot more to consider if we are going to start using the 'gate again. Besides," she said, "the best plans I've come up with so far are only for short-lived battery packs; they'd only last a day or two. So, we'd still be living here most of the time."
"But why must you go for even that long?" Harlan asked. "You might never come back."
"Because, there are still people we care about out there," said Daniel. "She may not be my wife, but somewhere, Sha're is most likely still Amaunet's captive."
"My wife and son--those of my counterpart," Teal'c corrected himself, "are, in all likelihood, still slaves of the Goa'uld, as are certainly millions of other Jaffa."
"Basically, Harlan," said Sam, "with our knowledge, and the increased abilities we have because of these bodies, we think we can do a lot more good out there than our human counterparts might be able to do. At the very least, we can explore, and find out what's going on in the rest of the galaxy. Aren't you at least curious?"
"I do not understand," said Harlan obstinately. "What is more important than survival?"
"Living!" said Jack. "At least, as much as a robot can."
"We're not going to disappear this instant, Harlan," Daniel affirmed. "But you need to get yourself used to the idea. Who knows? Before long you might even want to join us, and see what's out there."
"No, no, not me. Not through your stargate. This is my home. I will stay. And I hope you will all change your minds soon," Harlan said as he got up and walked away towards his quarters, shaking his head worriedly.
"That went well, don't you think?" asked Jack.
Sam shrugged, "as well as we could have expected, I suppose," she said.
"So," asked Daniel, "how long do you think before you can make those power packs?"
"If my design's correct, it should only take a day or so for the construction and tests," replied Sam. "But I meant what I said about other considerations," she added.
"Like what?" asked Jack.
"I was thinking; the duplication device contains an enormous amount of memory. What if, before we left through the 'gate, we made a sort of 'back up' of each of our consciousnesses?" Jack raised an eyebrow in disbelief.
Daniel stared wide-eyed. "Are you serious, Sam?" he asked incredulously.
"Well, think about it. That way, if anything did happen on a mission, we could always just sort of 'reset' to before we left, and cross that address off of our list."
"Assuming any of us made it back," provided Jack.
"Well," answered Sam, "in that case, at least Harlan wouldn't be left alone. He could recreate his 'companions' himself."
"Okay," said Jack, "let's say we do this 'back up' plan, what else do we need? You mentioned a 'list' of addresses? I think I forgot to bring mine."
"I've been working on that, too," said Sam. "I know the algorithm used to extrapolate modern 'gate coordinates from the Abydos cartouche. I also know the order in which they were entered into the SGC computers. So--"
"We go backwards," said Daniel.
"Exactly," continued Sam. "We start exploring planets in the reverse order that the SGC will be obtaining addresses. That way, we avoid running into anyone from earth, except by extreme chance."
"And you've got all of this in your head?" said Jack, both impressed and jealous.
"Yes, well, I was rather involved in the process," she said, actually blushing.
"I believe these are excellent means of proceeding," declared Teal'c.
"Sounds good to me," agreed Daniel. "Jack?"
"Let's do it," voted Jack. "What do you need from us?" he asked Sam.
"A volunteer, for starters. I'd like to make the power packs. . . internal."
"Internal, you say," repeated Jack.
Sam grimaced affirmatively.
"Why the heck not?" Jack said finally. "I'll do it. I'm probably the most stir crazy of the group, anyway."
"Have fun," said Daniel, glad not to have had to volunteer.
"Good luck in your endeavors," said Teal'c.
"Thanks," said Sam and Jack together.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Jack sat watching Sam work at her bench, occassionally running off to gather some spare parts for her so that she could keep at her task.
"So," he asked at last, "where, exactly, are these things going to. . . fit?"
"I've been going over our internal structures," she said, "and a lot of the chest cavity space is just for show. These bodies are a lot more efficient in terms of what we'd call 'internal organs.' With no need for a digestive system, or--"
"So, in the chest," summarized Jack, picking up one of the tools she wasn't using, and fiddling with it.
"Yes," replied Sam more succintly. She continued to work in silence with Jack looking on.
"We'll need a M.A.L.P.," Jack said suddenly, after about ten hours.
"I--" said Sam, "I hadn't thought of that."
Jack sat up straighter, with a grin. "Really?" he asked.
"Really," she said, smiling at how pleased he was with himself.
"Neat," said Jack, then slumped back down, chin in hand, to watch her work.
"How 'bout an iris?" asked Jack after a few more hours.
"I don't know how necessary it really is," said Sam. "We've had the 'gate essentially buried all this time, so anyone trying to dial would probably have thought this is a dead address. Once we start using the 'gate again, we only have to un-bury it for the period during which we're away. Unless someone tries to follow right behind us, we shouldn't have a problem."
"I see," said Jack, a little disappointed that he hadn't one-upped her again. "I guess every other planet survives without one; why should we be special?"
"It has been a useful tool on earth," she conceded.
"No, forget it," said Jack seriously. "What's the worst that could happen? Some Goa'uld gets a hold of a lifeless planet," he said, shrugging.
Sam worked on for a while longer, when Teal'c came into the lab. "How is your work proceeding?" he asked.
"A little rough, actually," Sam replied, concentrating. "Not quite up to the level I'd hoped for just yet. where's Daniel?"
"He is reading the chronicles of Altair," replied Teal'c.
"I'm not familliar with that one," said Jack.
"It is the complete record of Harlan's civilization, stored in the computer's memory," Teal'c explained.
"That's one way to pass the time," observed Jack.
"Well, we certainly will have a lot more free time," said Sam. "That in itself has got to be strange for Harlan. No wonder he doesn't want us to go; he'll be bored," she said, still wrestling with some stubborn components.
"What are you up to, Teal'c?" Jack asked.
"I am checking on your progress," he said, stating the obvious.
"Well, that's obvious," said Jack.
"I then intend to sleep."
"Sleep? You don't say," replied Jack, sitting up straighter. "You mean after all of that, 'our bodies do not require sleep, O'Neill,' and, 'as a Jaffa I never required sleep, O'Neill,' you're actually going to take a crack at it?"
"I am," Teal'c said, and departed without further explanation.
"Well, whaddya know?" said Jack after he'd gone.
"This change really might do us some good," Sam observed. "It's so unnatural to be stuck in an identical pattern for days and months on end. With no variation in associates, responsibilities, weather, you name it; only the type of emergency repair work that needs to be done."
"You saying you're sick of me?" asked Jack half seriously.
"No!" said Sam, "I didn't mean that. I was just making an observation."
"Ah, well, good," said Jack, "'cause I was still hoping we could 'associate' after we get our 'gate travels up and running."
After a moment, Sam asked, "what do you mean?"
"Hmm?" asked Jack.
"What do you mean, 'associate?'"
"I, uh, just," said Jack, "I happen to enjoy your company."
"Really?" said Sam.
"Yes, as a matter of fact," Jack replied, seeing her smile. "And," he continued after another minute, "I thought maybe we could spend some of that free time you mentioned together."
Sam stayed focused on the work in front of her, but Jack saw her cheeks color slightly. "As in the five of us?" she asked innocently.
"Actually," said Jack with uncharacteristic difficulty, "I was thinking about your free time. Singular. And mine."
"That--" she began, but was interrupted by Daniel bursting into the room.
"Guys, you've got to see this!" he said excitedly, running up to the work bench.
"Daniel!" yelled Jack, more angrily than he meant as he stood bolt upright where he had been leaning over Sam's work. "What?" he asked more calmly, but still annoyed. Sam kept diligently tweaking the assemblage of parts lying before her.
"The records in the computer; they're amazing!" he said. "I knew Harlan was old, but the recorded history of this planet dates back over twenty-five thousand years!"
"That sounds swell," said Jack, resuming his seat.
"That pre-dates any record of civilization on earth, Jack!" Daniel said, with undiminished enthusiasm.
"Wait a minute," said Sam, "Harlan said that this station was run by about a thousand people. You're telling me that a twenty-five thousand year-old civilization had only grown to that number?"
"No, the record describes a thriving planet with billions of people. But about twelve thousand years ago, their astronomers detected some kind of meteor cloud or long-period comet or something," Jack actually perked up at this, "and folks started making all sorts of doomsday preparations. This station was designed as a sort of bomb shelter for those original thousand."
"So what happened?" said Jack, now actually interested.
"The cloud or whatever passed around the planet with minimal damage from impacts, but the atmosphere was contaminated."
"Must've been a big cloud," observed Jack.
"So, that's where the planetary history ends, and this station's records takes over," concluded Daniel.
"And after realizing they'd be trapped down here, they began their transferrence research," surmized Sam.
"Actually, Hubald had been doing his research on the surface, in addition to designing the station, prior to the cataclysm. But his work was quickly accepted by the most of the folks after that realization," Daniel explained.
"Fascinating," said Jack, rapidly losing interest again, now that Daniel had skipped over the most engaging part of the story. "And what does this all have to do with us?"
"Well," Daniel said, "it's possible that there are other colonies still surviving elsewhere on the planet."
"It could be worth checking out," considered Sam. "If you're right, we might be able to offer them the only way off of this planet."
"It still all hinges on these power packs, though," observed Jack. "If we can't leave the station, we can't very well search the planet."
"Actually, I might have a solution," Sam announced, for the first time leaving the work bench, and sitting at a computer terminal. "A UAV," she said.
"What?" asked Daniel.
"An unmanned, aerial vehicle," said Sam, now typing furiously.
"Fancy name for a remote-controlled airplane," explained Jack.
"It should be relatively easy to build several, and we could send them out in search patterns to detect any signs of civilization," Sam continued as she typed, inputing the spec's for her latest project.
"Alright, you can keep working on the power pack," Jack said to Sam as she finished typing. "Daniel, go and soak up more of your historical records. And I'll get cracking on these UAVs."
Daniel nearly skipped out of the room. "Do you really think we'll find anyone else left alive on this planet?" Jack asked Sam once she'd resumed her place at the work bench.
"It is a possibility," she said. "Although it is unlikely that they all would have developed robotic bodies for themselves, a colony or colonies might have survived the old fashioned way," she concluded.
"Sounds worth checking out to me," Jack said, checking the UAV spec's once more, before tearing into the scrap heap they'd accumulated in the corner of the room.
"So," said Jack, after an hour or so of working on thier respective projects at either end of the work bench. Sam's power pack was glowing satisfactorily, and Jack had two recognizable aircraft structures in front of him, as well as electric motors and the beginings of reconnaisance cameras.
"So?" said Sam, looking up from her work.
"Whaddya think about maybe taking a break?"
"I'm not tired," Sam said unnecessarily.
"I know that," said Jack, "but I thought, maybe, we should enjoy some of our free time," he said, referring to their conversation before Daniel's arrival.
"what did you have in mind?" asked Sam, actually stepping back from the power pack, and giving him her full attention.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
"Sam? Jack?" called Daniel, coming into their apartments after another few hours of reading the computer's annals. The team had arranged for individual "recharging" quarters off of the main room which Harlan had originally provided. "You guys in here?" he said, looking into the various rooms.
"Daniel Jackson," said Teal'c in response. "Might I request you conduct your search in a less obtrusive manner."
"Sorry, Teal'c," said Daniel, turning and stopping by his friend's doorway. "Were you--were you sleeping?"
"I was endeavoring to do so," replied Teal'c.
"Wow, sorry, I didn't know," said Daniel, as Teal'c laid back down. "Oh, wait," he said before his friend drifted off, "have you seen Sam or Jack?"
"They were both in Samantha's laboratory when last I saw them," said Teal'c with closed eyes.
"Right," said Daniel. "Well, they're not there anymore, but the power pack and airplanes are, and--" he stopped when he realized Teal'c was not listening. "And, I'll just go and keep looking," he said, leaving.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
"Is this really your idea of a break?" asked Sam, clambering up the ladder behind Jack. They were in one of the upper-most sections of the station, and had been climbing for a good fifteen minutes straight.
"Tired?" asked Jack.
"You know I'm not," replied Sam, "but we have to be nearing the surface by now."
"You're absolutely right," said Jack.
"You're not planning on going out there, are you?" asked Sam incredulously.
"Of course not," said Jack, "I just want to show you something."
"What?" she asked.
"If I could just tell you, why would I have brought you all the way up here?" he asked in reply.
"I could think of a reason," Sam said under her breath, smiling to herself.
"What would that be?" said Jack.
Sam mentally kicked herself for not accounting for his enhanced hearing. "Just how much further?" she asked evasively.
"We're here," he said, stepping onto a high platform and offering Sam a hand up.
"Okay?" said Sam, looking around, and trying to discover the purpose of their cramped corner of the upper level.
"Here," said Jack, reaching up to a hand-crank. After a few turns, Sam saw a shutter sliding open above their heads. "Yes!" said Jack. "It's night."
Sam gasped, as the shutter came more fully open. They were looking out of a window at one of the most incredible night skies she had ever seen--even counting views from space itself. There were clouds, still faintly tinged with sunset, but the sky was already deep black, and stars and nebulae were piercingly bright.
"It's incredible," she said after several minutes. "When did you find this place?" she asked.
"About a month after we got here," Jack answered. This vent," he said, jesturing at a panel above his head, "was blocked near the opening. Of course, we didn't have time for stargazing back then, but I made sure not to forget where this window was. I'm thinking of building a telescope, now that we've got time to catch our breath."
"This is incredible," said Sam. "Thank you." She was still staring up at the sky, trying to find recognizable constellations based on her knowledge of the planet's location.
"That's earth," said Jack, leaning in next to her and pointing. "Well, it's somewhere in that cluster; we can't actually see it from here." Jack had evidently been giving their astronomical surroundings much more thought than she had over the past several months. "I'd wondered why it was such a sharp view," he continued, "but that stuff Daniel was saying makes sense. I bet a good chunk of the atmosphere was removed when that comet or whatever it was came by."
"And here I thought you hadn't really been listening to him," said Sam, turning to him with a smile.
"That's about all I did hear," he said, returning a grin.
"Thanks for this," Sam said again, not yet turning back to the window.
To her surprise, Jack raised a hand to her face. "My pleasure," he said, looking into her eyes.
Sam's breath caught, but she couldn't help smiling. "Jack," she said hesitantly.
Jack grinned even wider. Although they'd dropped the military ettiquette soon after their counterparts had first departed, they had somehow managed never to directly address each other by name. "Yeah?" he said, stepping closer, and moving his thumb over her cheek.
"I'm glad you brought me up here," she said, finding herself completely willing as his other hand made its way up her arm, and around her back.
"Anytime, Sam," he said, finally bringing his lips to hers.
She let her hands slide around his waist to his back, as they drew together. Sam couldn't help noticing that, although as far as the sensations were concerned she felt completely human, the kiss was pleasantly uninterupted by a need for air. It must have been five minutes or more before they slowly parted, breathing rather heavily, more from excitement than from exertion.
"A few hundred years of this could make a man want to live forever," observed Jack quietly, still holding her close.
Sam smiled. "It's too bad we didn't have any free time sooner," she said, wondering how they'd let a year pass without trying something like this.
"First order of business was survival," said Jack, eagerly continuing with the business now at hand.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Some time later, Daniel looked up from the computer, hearing footseps approaching. "There you two are," he said, seeing Sam and Jack. "Where've you been?"
"Stretching our legs," said Jack simply.
"Well, I was looking for you," said Daniel, not asking for further explanations. "There's some more in the records about other folks who were preparing for the end of the world stuf. There are even some locations given, where we might want to start our search."
"Great," said Sam, "we've almost got two UAVs ready to go already. We'll have to check it out."
"Have you seen Harlan?" asked Jack.
"No, why?" Daniel asked.
"I wanted to see if he would explain some more of the duplicating process," said Sam. "It might be a good idea to consider making our 'back ups' before we start trying out the power packs, let alone going through the 'gate."
"You think it's that dangerous?" asked Daniel.
"Better safe than sorry," said Jack, who had a particular interest as the guinea pig in question.
"Well, as far as I know," said Daniel, "he went to his room to sulk."
"Alrighty, thanks," said Jack, as the two headed off in that direction.
"Is something going on?" asked Daniel, before they'd gone far.
"What do you mean?" asked Sam, as they turned back to him.
"Well, for one, Jack, you seem. . . I don't know, happy," Daniel observed.
"Just glad to have some free time," said Jack, and he guided Sam back towards Harlan's quarters. Daniel could have sworn Jack had winked at her, and thought he caught a smile on Sam's face in response.
"Okay," said Daniel to himself, as he turned back to his research.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
"Harlan!" called Jack, as he and Sam approached.
*Sniff* "I am here," came a muffled reply from within Harlan's room.
Sam opened the door, and the two stepped in. Harlan was sitting on the edge of his recharging slab, looking at a picture of someone.
"Who's that?" Sam asked, coming to his side.
"Wallace," said Harlan, "before he died."
"Harlan, we don't want to leave you here alone," said Sam. "That's actually what we came to talk to you about."
Harlan's face lit up. "You have decided to stay? You will leave the stargate buried!"
"Not exactly," answered Jack.
"Then what?" asked Harlan, deflated.
"I'd like to know about the duplication system," said Sam. "It's obvious you're familiar with its workings, one, since you made us, and two, since you've been able to repair the minor damage we've suffered." Jack scratched at the right side of his face. "I'd like to know if it's possible to upload our consciousnesses, so that if anything did happen to one of us, we could make another copy."
"It is possible," answered Harlan, looking up at her. "It is possible, but I still do not like the idea. I have grown so used to you. I do not wish to start again."
"You wouldn't really be starting from scratch, though," observed Sam, "only from the last point at which we were 'saved' in the system."
Harlan sat for a while, thinking. "I will help you," he said at last. "If you are still determined to go away, I will help you do this. But I hope you will return; I do not think I could bear having to recreate all of you."
"Thanks, Harlan, you're a real pal," said Jack, for the most part sincerely.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
A few days later, Harlan and SG-1 stood outside of the duplication device, having just uploaded themselves. "Alright, now for the power packs," said Sam, producing four of the mechanisms.
"Right," said Jack. "You sure you know how this thing works?" he asked, indicating the chamber.
"It's really pretty simple, considering," said Sam. "You shouldn't feel a thing."
"Shouldn't," said Jack, mentally preparing himself for the installation procedure. "Okay, let's get this over with," he said, laying down inside the machine, with the power pack next to him.
"See you in a little bit, Jack," said Sam quietly to him, as she closed the door.
Jack was deactivated, and Harlan guided Sam through the procedure. She learned the ropes fairly quickly, and after about five minutes' work, the pack was installed, and sat flush with Jack's chest. "And now, to activate it, she said." Harlan, Daniel, and even Teal'c, unconciously stepped back a pace. Sam opened the chamber door, and pressed the two crystals on the face of the pack in a complicated sequence. "Combination lock," she explained to the onlookers, "to prevent tampering." The power pack lit up again, and Sam took her readings. "Everything checks out," she said. "Time to wake up," she said to Jack, and reactivated the unconscious form.
Jack blinked a few times, then sat up and rolled out of the chamber. "Cool," he said, looking down at the newly-installed device. He reached up to touch it.
"Careful!" shouted Sam, putting out a hand to stop him. "If you touch the two crystals simultaneously," she warned, "you'll self-destruct."
Jack instantly jerked his hands to his sides. "A bit melodramatic, don't ya think?" he asked, now more carefully inspecting the pack.
"I just thought some precautions were in order, in case we ever fell into enemy hands," she siad. Harlan moaned. "You don't need to keep it activated," she went on, "it'll recharge just like our bodies, so long as we're within proximity of the emitter here in the station. You activate and deactivate it using the same combination," she concluded, reaching up and demonstrating to the group.
"Alright," he said, "who's next?"
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
"So," said Daniel, climbing out of the duplication chamber, carefully trying not to touch his power pack at all. "What's our next step?"
"Exploration of the surface," said Sam. "We have ten UAVs ready to go. We've got the possible nearby colony locations from your research, Daniel, plus Jack and I have located some good air locks near the surface from which we can launch." Sam maintained a good poker face at this last bit, but Jack only barely concealed his grin. They'd been checking out a lot of the out-of-the-way, upper sections lately, but not for the purpose of exploring the station.
"Alright, let's get to work," said Daniel.
Jack and Teal'c brought two UAVs up to the air lock, while Daniel, Sam, and Harlan monitored from the control center. "Good camera feed," Sam called over the intercom, "You're go for launch." The aricraft were loaded into the air locks, and Sam engaged propellers and then rocket boosters. She piloted both vehicles simultaneously, following Daniel's directions to locate the nearby colonies.
Jack and Teal'c returned and came to stand behind the console and observe the search's progress. "Find anything yet?" asked Jack from behind Sam.
"Sort of," she replied. "We found one site, with some vents and solar panels, but it was obviously abandoned."
"I doubt that anyone had survived more than a few years in that one," said Daniel, "judging by the state of decay."
"where are you looking now?" Jack asked.
"About thirty clicks northeast, and twenty-five clicks to the south," replied Sam. "We're coming up on the only two other definite locations we have to go on. Anything else will have to be turned up by search patterns."
A monitor on the left displayed what looked like a large building on the horizon. "Can you zoom in?" asked Daniel.
"No, but I can get closer," said Sam, piloting the UAV in a slow downward spiral. "That doesn't look good," she said, after they got a better look at the building. It appeared to be an earthen mound, or bunker, with huge, metal doors across its face. One of the doors was caved in, as if from a meteor hit.
"Strike two," said Jack.
"I'm bringing that UAV back," said Sam. "The second bird should be coming up on its next location now."
They all watched intently, as what appeared to be smoke stacks came into view. As the UAV got closer, they saw that the stacks came out of the ground, indicating an underground structure. Unfortunately, most of the stacks were crumbled, and none were emitting any gases that the camera could pick up. "Negative on IR, as well," said Sam. "oh for three."
"That's still only a tiny fraction of the planet's surface," said Daniel. "We can't just give up."
"We won't," said Sam, "but that's the best we can do for now. I'll work up a search pattern, and see about extending the UAVs' range."
"We'll go get the birds," said Jack, gesturing for Teal'c to follow him back up to the air locks.
"Perhaps we really are. . . all that is left," said Harlan after watching the continuing UAV feed of the desolate landscape.
"Changing your mind about staying?" asked Sam.
"No, no, never!" he said suddenly. "I did not mean that. This is the only place I would want to be. No, I will stay here," he finished emphatically.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Daniel resumed his work combing through Altair's history, while Sam, Jack, and Teal'c began work on reconstructing their SG-1 weapons and uniforms.
"Remind me why we're going through all of this trouble, instead of just having you whip us up some cool laser guns or something?" Jack asked Sam, as he sat filling 9mm rounds with gunpowder for use with his newly-constructed MP-5 (modified, of course).
"Firstly," she said, "we're already quite familiar with this gear, and secondly, I have neither the tools nor the expertise to make 'laser guns,' or else Teal'c would be getting the staff weapon he'd requested," she concluded, pressing out some more bullets for Jack to fit.
"Additionally, O'Neill," supplied Teal'c, "equipping ourselves as SG-1 may have unforseeable benefits in earth's future encounters with the peoples we shall meet. We may gain them many allies, before our counterparts ever reach the planets we shall explore."
"Or, get them shot," observed Jack. "But, whatever; it'll work, I guess," he said continuing with his task. He looked around at their growing inventory. "I know we don't need MREs or canteens," he said after taking stock, "but what about radios?" Sam didn't respond immediately. "Sam?" Jack asked again.
"I was going to try and internalize those, too," she said, not meeting his eyes. Despite the simplicity of the procedure, Jack hadn't been too happy about the whole "deactivation and internal fiddling" that went along with the power pack installation. To her surprise, he wasn't complaining.
"Hmm," he said at last. "Now that's what I call tactical," he said approvingly. Sam smiled, and handed Teal'c the next batch of bullets.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Harlan stood at the base of the 'gate, fretting for all he was worth. "Please, do not go!" he begged one last time. "What shall I do without you here?"
"Harlan, we've been through this," said Jack, as Daniel entered the address on the DHD. "You'll be fine. We'll be gone a day, two at the most--you heard Carter. We can't last longer than that anyway."
"Ohhh," he whined.
"M.A.L.P. readings for P3X-403 look good, Jack," Sam said, coming up to his side.
"Let's go," said Jack, turning to the shimmering event horizon.
"Please come home soon," implored Harlan. Daniel gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder as he passed him on his way up to the 'gate.
"We will endeavor to do so," said Teal'c, taking point and stepping through the ring.
"See ya," said Jack, watching Daniel go, and then following Sam through.
The wormhole disengaged, and Harlan stood in the relative darkness alone. "Please come home soon."
*********************************
TE
Story Notes: Email: sj_author@yahoo.com
Archive: SJD, please
Spoilers for: Tin Man and preceding season one ep's; Double Jeopardy, too
Archive: SJD, please
Spoilers for: Tin Man and preceding season one ep's; Double Jeopardy, too
DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognisable characters, settings, etc, are the property of their respective owners. Any original characters and plots are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended. ... [ read more ]