After the glue thing we went to P3Y-119, where the people tied us to a branch of a tree, and left us hanging for six hours.
Daniel came to check on us every half an hour making sure we weren’t thirsty or hungry, and apparently to throw pebbles at the Colonel. Nothing big that would hurt, just annoying. Sometimes Teal’c came too, and he would throw pebbles at me. And I thought he liked me.
When we were released from the tree, the Colonel and I gathered some large rocks and went for revenge. We chased our ‘teammates’ to the ‘Gate, forgetting to say goodbye to the natives in the process.
However, neither the Colonel nor I could hit Daniel and Teal’c!
Daniel ran so unpredictably that Jack couldn’t get a clear shot, while Teal’c would dodge the bullet, or in this case a rock, in the last moment. It was especially irritating how the former first prime of Apophis laughed at our inability to hit them. Though, when I think back at it, he might have been laughing at Daniel’s running. He did point at the ‘lovely’ archeologist.
Eventually when we reached the gate, there were no more rocks, and Daniel explained the Colonel’s lack of precision with one sentence: “I’ve been dodging staff blasts for years, a few rock’s is nothing.”
Then we went to the Korpa world, where we bonded over a few drinks, some smelly food and a campfire. It was actually a big party.
Of course, Janet insisted doing an analysis of everything that was to be consumed. It came out clear, but what Janet failed tell us was that they were alcoholic beverages, and it made a trip to the gate the next morning ohhhh so fun.
I’m sure it was just pay back for what we put her through with the glue.
When the hangover passed we went to the Tok’ra world.
Intense doesn’t begin to cover the ceremony there. The Tok’ra are a very passionate race. I remember saying on one occasion.
Jolinar’s memories, even her feelings, didn’t prepare me for it in the slightest.
I’ll never forget the flash in my father’s eyes when Selmac took over so that he wouldn’t do anything rash. After all, it was their ceremony and the Colonel and myself only agreed to participate out of courtesy. And really… Jack wasn’t the one to be blamed. We didn’t… I mean…we did… but… uhhh… it’s better not to think about it.
The thing that surprised me the most was when dad pulled me into a hug just as I was to step into the wormhole and whispered: “I just want you to be happy.”
Before I could ask what he meant by it, and reassuring him that I am happy, he pushed me through the Stargate!! What kind of a person does that!? A crazy one for sure.
And speaking of crazy… “Carter!”
“Sir?”
“You didn’t hear a word I said, did ya?” oy, the Colonel’s annoyed.
We’re not making eye contact. Not since yesterday, since the Tok’ra mission came to an end. I guess he feels just as exposed as I do. How I hate them and their little mind devices.
Not thinking about it, not thinking about it… “Sorry sir.”
He sighs. “It’s alright. So, you’re sure this is simple?”
“There’s no indication that the labyrinth is complicated so far,” I respond lightly, “I don’t think it’s actually a labyrinth at all. I mean, we haven’t really looking for a way out, just following a path.”
He nods, but I know he’s still suspicious. The way our luck is, it’s hard not to be.
This is our last mission and I couldn’t be happier. I don’t think I could take much more, and I sure need some time away from him. And by some I mean at least a week, just till I get some bearing on my raging emotions.
The Lasolian people have a tradition for newlyweds. They must go through the Labyrinth of Fear, that’s how Daniel translated it, and by doing so they should come to some great realization. Yeah… We were kinda worked up about the name of it, but Daniel assured us that the natives never lost anyone to the labyrinth, so we went.
It turned out that Daniel got it right this time, well… he always does, right? We were able to choose the right path very easily, as it took only one look to see if the turn would be a dead end or not. So far so good.
Except one little thing. We’ve been here for nearly three hours already, with no indication of reaching the exit soon.
“We should have asked how long this thing is,” the Colonel commented.
And I couldn’t do anything but agree. “Yeah.”
“I don’t know… it just seems too easy,” it’s not that the Colonel’s complaining, it’s just his suspicious nature.
I turn my eyes to him. “Maybe we just caught a break.”
He holds contact for a second, but than we both turn away. It’s way too soon to look into each others eyes. I wonder if we’ll ever be able to go back to way we were before.
Finally he snorts. “I’ll believe it when this is over.”
I can safely say that ‘the room’ has been unlocked and the key totally destroyed. The problem is that we didn’t want to open it… it just happened.
Hm… maybe we could just put a door made of trinium? With a naquadah bomb set to explode if we ever did get past the trinium.
But that would mean never to open it again… would we want to… not thinking about the room, not thinking about the room…
Damn the Tok’ra.
Okay, I can’t say that… dad’s a Tok’ra…
It’s all Jolinar’s fault! I thought I would be prepared, I thought… that it wouldn’t affect me since I know what I’m up against… but it did… and now… I don’t know…
Why am I thinking in dots!?
The one thing I do know is that I don’t want to be near him. To feel his presence next to me, or his eyes on me when I know I can’t enjoy those looks, when I have to call him sir – one little word I grew to love and hate for the exact same reason.
Most of all, I’m dreading the conversation I know we’re going to have, because we can’t go on a mission avoiding each others eyes.
“Carter,” he swallows hard. This is it. Why so soon? No, this isn’t right! Not now! Am I breathing? “How long have we been here?” his tone changed.
I am breathing. “Uhm,” I check my watch even though I know already, and regardless of the fact that the Colonel kept track of time, “three hours, sir.” Sir, sir, sir, sir, that’s a good word. Siiirrrrrr. Yes.
“How much longer?” he asks hastily.
“I don’t know sir.”
“You don’t know?” I can sense the teasing in his voice, and can’t help but smile. “Can’t you…” he waves his hand through the air, “calculate or something to determine how long it will take us to go through this?”
“No sir. Unfortunately, I didn’t take any measurements before we entered. And besides, I only saw one side of the labyrinth so even if I did know how wide it is, it would have made no difference because I have no idea how long it is,” I respond a little annoyed and I’m sure he caught on.
He checks one of the corridors and points to the other one that’s closed off, while I continue. “And even if I did know the exact length and width, there’s no way I could determine how much time would take us until we find an exit. We could be running around in circles and we wouldn’t even know it,” I’m babbling, and he’s letting me.
“So it’s impossible?” the Colonel wants to keep me talking, almost as if he’s scared of the silence. Frankly, so am I.
“Technically sir, I didn’t use the word impossible, and it’s not impossible, just very hard. But I promise you sir I will know how long it takes after we’re out of here,” I’m over doing the sir thing I just know it.
I smile and look at him. I didn’t mean to joke, I should’ve stuck to the facts, and not by any circumstances keep eye contact longer than a second … because that eventually leads to this… but nooooo, I had to look… it’s like looking at his soul.
He shifts his gaze and falls back a little, and I understand.
Boundaries. We have to keep our walls up, otherwise… Something flat connects with my face! “Ow!”
“Carter,” he calls out, but too late.
I stumbled to the floor, keeping a protective hand over my nose.
“Carter?” the Colonel knelt beside me, removing my hand and examining the ‘injury.’ “It seems fine,” his hands linger, then suddenly retreat as if burned. “Didn’t you see the wall?”
I would glare at him, but with what happened a second ago. Oh, the irony of my life.
“Look, Carter… we need to…”
Oh no. “Sir. Look,” I point behind him.
The end of the corridor expands in an oval room of some sorts. Fascinating. Isn’t it? Hm, an oval room at the end of a corridor… who knew.
I’m already at the door when the Colonel catches up. “Well this is different,” he says as we enter.
The moment we stepped into it, lights came on illuminating eight different doors. Each seemed to be made of different material, and had different writings on it, but without exception they were all sealed shut. There isn’t a door nub, they won’t budge… nothing.
Before the Colonel made any sarcastic remarks, some sort of a beam started scanning us.
“Carter?” the urgency of his tone made me even more eager to find the source of the beam, but it seemed to originate from everywhere.
“I…” at that moment the door to our left opened revealing the corridor behind it, and it seemed to have stopped the beam. “I guess it’s that way,” I shrug and point out the obvious.
The Colonel goes first, examining to see if there are some danger’s lurking from the opening, and I think he would be at ease if I could give him the answer as to what just happened. Since that’s not possible at the moment, because we just want this whole thing to be over, and it looks safe to proceed, he steps into the corridor with me at his heels.
oOo
An hour has passed and the thing is I’m really bored.
Keeping the Colonel from bringing up the subject I babbled incoherently about Einstein’s theories of relativity, black holes, solar flares and why we can’t predict them, for the better part of an hour, officially I’ve boring myself to death.
Although, I think I’m safe now. He’s bored as well.
We’ve lapsed into a silence.
“Carter?” the colonel’s command tone has me at full attention. “Do you hear that?”
For a second I don’t hear anything and than a slight buzzing. I nod.
“It’s been increasing since we left that room…” he explains and I can’t believe I haven’t noticed it.
The buzzing continues to climb in volume giving our walk an ominous feeling.
Ten minutes had passed when the buzzing became unbearable.
With fingers in our ears we noticed holes opening where the ceiling connecting with the wall.
“Run!” the Colonel yells over the noise which stopped abruptly.
The eeriness of the silence stopped us in our tracks, but the stillness lasted only for a second, because weapons instantly appeared from those holes.
The first blast went straight through the Colonel’s shoulder.
He staggered, falling to his knees and I immediately took hold of his good arm to help him up.
“Carter!” he barks, “Just run!”
I pay no attention to his words. I’ll drag him if I have to.
The second blast hits him behind the knee and the Colonels falls, but not before pushing me away.
I stumble for a couple of meters, but manage to stay on my feet.
The sound of something screeching and hitting the wall has me turned instantly.
Bars. There’s bars, like in prisons, dividing the space between us. Where the hell did they come from!?
“Carter! Go!”
“Not without you!” I shout back moving to the bars, trying to lift them… but they’re too heavy.
“That’s an order Major!”
I ignore him, my hands franticly going over the wall, looking for a switch.
I find nothing.
A now familiar sound of a weapon firing draws my attention.
The blast is moving towards Jack.
I can hear the sound of my heart. Thump.
It hits him in the back.
I never saw the weapon on my side activate.
Jack’s falling.
Thump.
I never felt the hit.
But I saw it in his eyes. I will die, and he will watch.
Thump.
Such sorrow.
I’m falling with him.
Can’t reach…
No air. Suffocating.
We’ve hit the floor.
…he’ll never know…
White light.
oOo
Suddenly I can breath.
My head snaps to Jack and he’s moving! His shoulder isn’t punctured, and he’s getting up.
I’m feeling fine as well.
“Carter?” Jack crack’s out like he’s not convinced this is real.
“Sir?” I don’t believe it either, but I notice that we’re out doors and that the labyrinth is behind him.
“Congratulations,” I hear the Lasolian leader behind me and turn. “You have now confronted your biggest fears and are ready to live with each other.”
I can’t believe my ears. The whole thing wasn’t real? We were never in any danger?
“Welcome back, guys,” Daniel states excitedly while helping me up.
“Do you,” Jack approaches the leader, grabbing the man’s collar, “have. any! idea what we’ve been through!”
“O’Neill,” Teal’c steps in and puts and arm on Jack’s shoulder. The one that was hit and made him fall. But it wasn’t hit, not really. He’s fine.
“We’re leaving,” Jack says after a moment roughly pushing back the Lasolian leader.
We head in the direction of the ‘Gate, while Daniel makes apologies.
It doesn’t take him too long to catch up. “Um… guys, what…”
“Daniel.” Jack’s tone is clear. We are not discussing this.
Daniel turns to me, but I just shake my head, looking dead ahead.
I will not cry.
tbc
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 ]