Ficlets: SG-1
These are two ficlets written in 10 minutes (each) on writerordie.com for a writerverse challenge. No post-editing was done, except for correcting spelling of 3 words in #1.
#1
Title: The First Word
Word Count: 419
Rating: T
Characters/Pairings: Daniel Jackson
Warnings:
Summary: Daniel struggles with what he needs to do
Notes: set sometime after Menace
Daniel banged his head, metaphorically anyway, as he looked at the taunting blank page in front of him. He knew what he wanted to say, needed to say, but something was holding him back. The first word, once he typed it he knew it would flow as naturally as water. But he needed to take that first step.
His fingers hovered over the keyboard and he closed his eyes, shaking his head. Dammit, he thought, and pushed back from his desk. He stood and paced around and around, walking by stacks of books, shelves of artifacts, and various mission accoutrements that he had piled in here to deal with 'someday.' His eyes blurred and he threw himself back into the chair.
He looked balefully at the computer screen again and hesitated. It didn't make sense, this was the right thing, the only thing for him to do. It hurt too much to be here, to feel the odd man out, to make a difference one day only to have it all blow up in his face the next. To never win.
But where else would he go? Where else could he go? Academia was out; he knew too much. He couldn't go and teach and write and study theories that he knew were incorrect and fell painfully short of any type of real truth.
Maybe they'd let him go back to Abydos. One last trip through the gate and he would be with his family... Sha're's family. He groaned. And every day would be a special hell / heaven for him, being in the place where he had met her, fallen in love with her, where he had made her laugh and cry, where she had shown him what love really was. It was both more than and no less than he deserved.
Abydos it was then. But still, he had to do this first.
The cursor blinked on the screen, his heart beating at nearly double its pace. What would they all say? Would they be disappointed, surprised? Would they even care? He and Jack had barely spoken about anything non-mission related since Reese.
He sighed and this time let his head fall with a thud onto the keyboard. He sat back up and erased the series of meaningless letters and replaced them:
Dear General Hammond,
It has been my honor to serve under your command for the past five years.
It is with regret that I must tender my resignation.
Sincerely,
Daniel Jackson
#2
Title: Assistance
Word Count: 389
Rating: T
Characters/Pairings: Sam Carter
Warnings:
Summary: Sam needs to find her team
Notes: set anytime Sam is a major
The sound of birdsong filtered through her mind, and she slowly stretched, feeling the muscle ache that comes with overlong sleep. Her eyes blinked open to see an unfamiliar ceiling that became an unfamiliar room as she looked around. She was struggling to sit upright when a woman came in and hurried over to help her.
"You must not strain yourself, Major."
"Where am I?" Sam asked. "Where's the rest of my team?" She was searching through her memory but could not figure out how she'd wound up here.
The woman averted her eyes. "I am Nehyal. I have taken care of you."
Sam tried to smile gratefully, not wanting to push too hard. "And thank you for that. But I don't know how I came to be here, but I was with three men. They would have been dressed similarly. Do you know anything?"
"Please, let me get you some refreshment," Nehyal offered.
Sam sighed, frustrated and a little scared. "I don't want refreshment. I want to know where my friends are."
"They are not here."
"I can see that. Do you know where they are, if they're okay?"
Nehyal looked back toward the open doorway and lowered her voice when she turned back to Sam. "They were taken away. They were sick, much like you."
Sam leaned closer to the young woman. "Why weren't we kept together? Where were they taken to?"
An embarrassed smile crossed Nehyal's lips. "Keep men in the same facility as the women? We could not. But I assure you, your men are being cared for and will be returned to you when you leave."
"My men? Returned to me?"
"I am afraid they are not well enough to attend you at this time, but should you need assistance, the Administrator has several that are not spoken for."
"Assistance?" Sam's eyes widened at the impish grin on Nehyal's face. "Oh my god. No! No! No assistance needed. In fact, I think we should just leave. Now. Can you arrange to have my t... my men meet me at the stargate? And assure me that no one else is seeking their 'assistance'?"
Nehyal nodded, confused but willing to overlook the stranger's odd manners.
"It will be done. All the same, we will miss them."
#1
Title: The First Word
Word Count: 419
Rating: T
Characters/Pairings: Daniel Jackson
Warnings:
Summary: Daniel struggles with what he needs to do
Notes: set sometime after Menace
Daniel banged his head, metaphorically anyway, as he looked at the taunting blank page in front of him. He knew what he wanted to say, needed to say, but something was holding him back. The first word, once he typed it he knew it would flow as naturally as water. But he needed to take that first step.
His fingers hovered over the keyboard and he closed his eyes, shaking his head. Dammit, he thought, and pushed back from his desk. He stood and paced around and around, walking by stacks of books, shelves of artifacts, and various mission accoutrements that he had piled in here to deal with 'someday.' His eyes blurred and he threw himself back into the chair.
He looked balefully at the computer screen again and hesitated. It didn't make sense, this was the right thing, the only thing for him to do. It hurt too much to be here, to feel the odd man out, to make a difference one day only to have it all blow up in his face the next. To never win.
But where else would he go? Where else could he go? Academia was out; he knew too much. He couldn't go and teach and write and study theories that he knew were incorrect and fell painfully short of any type of real truth.
Maybe they'd let him go back to Abydos. One last trip through the gate and he would be with his family... Sha're's family. He groaned. And every day would be a special hell / heaven for him, being in the place where he had met her, fallen in love with her, where he had made her laugh and cry, where she had shown him what love really was. It was both more than and no less than he deserved.
Abydos it was then. But still, he had to do this first.
The cursor blinked on the screen, his heart beating at nearly double its pace. What would they all say? Would they be disappointed, surprised? Would they even care? He and Jack had barely spoken about anything non-mission related since Reese.
He sighed and this time let his head fall with a thud onto the keyboard. He sat back up and erased the series of meaningless letters and replaced them:
Dear General Hammond,
It has been my honor to serve under your command for the past five years.
It is with regret that I must tender my resignation.
Sincerely,
Daniel Jackson
#2
Title: Assistance
Word Count: 389
Rating: T
Characters/Pairings: Sam Carter
Warnings:
Summary: Sam needs to find her team
Notes: set anytime Sam is a major
The sound of birdsong filtered through her mind, and she slowly stretched, feeling the muscle ache that comes with overlong sleep. Her eyes blinked open to see an unfamiliar ceiling that became an unfamiliar room as she looked around. She was struggling to sit upright when a woman came in and hurried over to help her.
"You must not strain yourself, Major."
"Where am I?" Sam asked. "Where's the rest of my team?" She was searching through her memory but could not figure out how she'd wound up here.
The woman averted her eyes. "I am Nehyal. I have taken care of you."
Sam tried to smile gratefully, not wanting to push too hard. "And thank you for that. But I don't know how I came to be here, but I was with three men. They would have been dressed similarly. Do you know anything?"
"Please, let me get you some refreshment," Nehyal offered.
Sam sighed, frustrated and a little scared. "I don't want refreshment. I want to know where my friends are."
"They are not here."
"I can see that. Do you know where they are, if they're okay?"
Nehyal looked back toward the open doorway and lowered her voice when she turned back to Sam. "They were taken away. They were sick, much like you."
Sam leaned closer to the young woman. "Why weren't we kept together? Where were they taken to?"
An embarrassed smile crossed Nehyal's lips. "Keep men in the same facility as the women? We could not. But I assure you, your men are being cared for and will be returned to you when you leave."
"My men? Returned to me?"
"I am afraid they are not well enough to attend you at this time, but should you need assistance, the Administrator has several that are not spoken for."
"Assistance?" Sam's eyes widened at the impish grin on Nehyal's face. "Oh my god. No! No! No assistance needed. In fact, I think we should just leave. Now. Can you arrange to have my t... my men meet me at the stargate? And assure me that no one else is seeking their 'assistance'?"
Nehyal nodded, confused but willing to overlook the stranger's odd manners.
"It will be done. All the same, we will miss them."