That Bloody Seventh Day for fangirl_lizzie (SG1, PG-13)
Title: That Bloody Seventh Day
Author: bessemerprocess
Recipient: fangirl_lizzie
Fandom: SG-1
Rating: PG-13 for gore, character death.
Spoilers: Post-Broca Divide
Warnings: gore, character death, written for apocalyptothon
Note: Thanks to missstewart for the beta.
Disclaimer: Stargate and its characters do not belong to me.
Summary: On Sam Carter's seventh trip through the Stargate disaster strikes.
Maybe seven is an unlucky number. It was the seventh time SG-1 walked through the Gate. Nothing had seemed different; they had scouted the area and found no inhabitants, no sign of the Goa'uld. They'd returned to the DHD and Daniel had dialed Earth seven times before the Colonel stopped him. The eighth chevron never engaged.
The thought brings Sam to a dead stop every single time. She can never go back home, it just isn't there anymore.
Whatever happened, the Gate on Earth had been destroyed. SG-1 has become orphans of a dead planet. Cursed to wander the universe and never go home again.
She's learned a lot about her team since the Gate refused to engage. Teal'c, who should be the most alien of them, has become a friend, a team mate, a strong shoulder to weep upon when she can no longer hold herself together. He tells her one night, when they are sharing watch, of his wife and son. The wife and son he had never mentioned, hoping to keep them safe and keep himself in the fight. She tells him about her father and her brother, and how she had always wanted to be an astronaut. How gate travel just isn't the same as climbing on top of a rocket and hurtling yourself towards the stars.
Teal'c teaches them the basics of the Goa'uld dialect he knows, but only Daniel continues past "kree!" Daniel has two basic drives; learn more and write down what he knows in hopes of saving as much of the knowledge of the Tau'ri as he can. As they travel the gate network, Daniel buys paper and ink and transcribes things as diverse as The Book of the Dead and Jack Kerouac as best he can into his hand bound books. The Colonel worries about some of that knowledge getting out, but there are only three people in the universe who can read written English.
The Colonel worries about everything these days. He doesn't say anything, but Sam can tell. Gone are the days he resented having her on his team. He trusts her with his life, and realizing that had shaken Sam more than anything else since the Gate had refused to engage. It's the Colonel's mission to get them home; even now that Sam's pretty sure home must be gone.
The markets of Ilketesh are stunning. Merchants hawk their wares at the top of their lungs. Shining silver jewelry, feathered birds for the cook pot, books in languages not even Daniel can read. All of this makes her miss Starbucks and tampons and butter. Somehow, off world butter just doesn't taste the same at all. Daniel thinks it's because the cows are eating native grass, but the Colonel will swear up and down that the cows are really mutants and that gets them off arguing again.
Sam walks beside Teal'c trying not to let the barrage of color and the cacophony of voice distract her from their mission. On Ilketesh, you can buy anything, even a stolen al'kesh. The merchant tries to talk them into trading Daniel for the ship, but between the Colonel and Teal'c, they talk her down to the previously agreed upon price: twenty five zat'nik'tels that Teal'c had cached on the planet with the blue sheep.
It takes them almost a month to get the al'kesh ready and provisioned. The Colonel parts with their P-90s for maintenance on the al'kesh, Teal'c barters his staff weapon on Durleese for enough water for all of them for four months and she's the one who trades their C-4 for food. Daniel goes to the Land of the Light and returns with medical supplies and star charts. It's almost a day before she notices his hand bound books are gone.
Finally they're ready to leave. The al'kesh is packed and no one can think of any last minute procrastinations.
Sam has always wanted to be an astronaut, but the al'kesh is nothing like she imagined the shuttle would be like. She might as well as walking around a badly decorated office building with a star field screensaver on the main screen.
The trip is slow and boring. Daniel writes until he runs out of paper and then convinces Teal'c to tell him Jaffa folk tales. After the third day, Teal'c starts avoiding Daniel, so Daniel moves on to the Colonel. The Colonel decides this is the perfect opportunity to try and teach them all the offsides rule in hockey and Sam has to leave before she goes crazy too.
By the time they reach the outer edge of the solar system, Sam is afraid they'll kill each other out of boredom, but the mood changes as they fly by familiar planets. Pluto passes on the viewscreen and Daniel becomes quiet. The Colonel stills, sitting in the co-pilot seat, and watches the screen intently. Teal'c stands behind her in the pilot's chair, and she thinks she can feel the warmth of his breath on the back of her neck.
They pass Saturn and it's the first time humans have ever been this close to its majestic rings. When Mars looms large on the screen the Colonel starts trying to contact the SGC. There is still nothing when they settle into Earth's orbit.
They look at each other and she can see the dread in their eyes. Some one should have responded by now. Some one should have seen them. They aren't cloaked; Mauna Kea should be going crazy telling the world about the alien ship visible in orbit.
They circle the globe a few hundred times before deciding to land. Sam picks parking lot C at the Mountain. Both because it's mostly deserted and because it offers the most protect route into the Mountain. No where during the entire flight do they pick up a life sign.
The Colonel takes point out of the al'kesh, his sidearm in his hand. Sam had expected it to be quiet, but there are birds chirping and insects buzzing. No engine noise though, and the lack makes her neck hairs stand up on end.
NORAD is empty. No security, nothing. Something has gone terribly wrong here; she can feel it down to her bones.
They have to break into the SGC; at least the elevators are still working. The Colonel pushes the button for level 28 and they sink further into the Earth.
Level 28 is a mess of blood and bodies. No bullet holes though, just blood that must have poured from the deads' throats. Sam is kicking herself. They're not prepared for something biological. No masks, or suits, or self contained air supplies. They've probably been infected since the set foot on the planet.
The air recycling system makes the blood soaked air smell even worse, which Sam would've said wasn't possible. Daniel leans over and retches, but nothing comes up. The Colonel leads them towards the infirmary; he must know they're probably infected too.
The scene in the infirmary is even worse. They step over dead bodies as the Colonel leads them to Janet's office. It's miraculously empty. Sam knows Janet would've been out tending her patients until she couldn't stand either, so it's not all that much of a surprise that she's not present.
Janet's notes are laid out on her desk, as if she had left them there for them to find. Sam sees: hemorrhagic fever, no cure, genetically modified?, multiple disease clusters, terrorism? and 98% mortality rate.
She immediately knows why they couldn't dial in. The iris must be up. The SGC must have trying to protect them and the rest of the universe, but they'd walked back into the trap.
They don't find a single live person as they search the base and then head back to the al'kesh.
Three days in Sam begins to feel hopeful again. None of them are showing any signs of being infected for all that they tromped through infected blood and gore. Two weeks later, even the Colonel seems to think they won't get sick. They begin to discuss what to next.
That night Daniel starts coughing up blood. Six hours later the Colonel has joined in. Another three hours and she notices the first bloody spatters on her hand.
She doesn't know when Daniel died, she was delirious at the time, Teal'c tells her later. The Colonel dies not long after and Teal'c buries them together not far from the al'kesh. She lingers on. Teal'c wipes blood away from her lips and makes sure she drinks water and everything else is a blur.
Sam keeps expecting to die, but it doesn't happen. Slowly, she stops coughing and regains her strength. Teal'c holds her as she takes her first halting steps and helps her into clean clothes.
"What now?" she asks him.
"We keep going," he says.
They walk through the event horizon together.
Author: bessemerprocess
Recipient: fangirl_lizzie
Fandom: SG-1
Rating: PG-13 for gore, character death.
Spoilers: Post-Broca Divide
Warnings: gore, character death, written for apocalyptothon
Note: Thanks to missstewart for the beta.
Disclaimer: Stargate and its characters do not belong to me.
Summary: On Sam Carter's seventh trip through the Stargate disaster strikes.
Maybe seven is an unlucky number. It was the seventh time SG-1 walked through the Gate. Nothing had seemed different; they had scouted the area and found no inhabitants, no sign of the Goa'uld. They'd returned to the DHD and Daniel had dialed Earth seven times before the Colonel stopped him. The eighth chevron never engaged.
The thought brings Sam to a dead stop every single time. She can never go back home, it just isn't there anymore.
Whatever happened, the Gate on Earth had been destroyed. SG-1 has become orphans of a dead planet. Cursed to wander the universe and never go home again.
She's learned a lot about her team since the Gate refused to engage. Teal'c, who should be the most alien of them, has become a friend, a team mate, a strong shoulder to weep upon when she can no longer hold herself together. He tells her one night, when they are sharing watch, of his wife and son. The wife and son he had never mentioned, hoping to keep them safe and keep himself in the fight. She tells him about her father and her brother, and how she had always wanted to be an astronaut. How gate travel just isn't the same as climbing on top of a rocket and hurtling yourself towards the stars.
Teal'c teaches them the basics of the Goa'uld dialect he knows, but only Daniel continues past "kree!" Daniel has two basic drives; learn more and write down what he knows in hopes of saving as much of the knowledge of the Tau'ri as he can. As they travel the gate network, Daniel buys paper and ink and transcribes things as diverse as The Book of the Dead and Jack Kerouac as best he can into his hand bound books. The Colonel worries about some of that knowledge getting out, but there are only three people in the universe who can read written English.
The Colonel worries about everything these days. He doesn't say anything, but Sam can tell. Gone are the days he resented having her on his team. He trusts her with his life, and realizing that had shaken Sam more than anything else since the Gate had refused to engage. It's the Colonel's mission to get them home; even now that Sam's pretty sure home must be gone.
The markets of Ilketesh are stunning. Merchants hawk their wares at the top of their lungs. Shining silver jewelry, feathered birds for the cook pot, books in languages not even Daniel can read. All of this makes her miss Starbucks and tampons and butter. Somehow, off world butter just doesn't taste the same at all. Daniel thinks it's because the cows are eating native grass, but the Colonel will swear up and down that the cows are really mutants and that gets them off arguing again.
Sam walks beside Teal'c trying not to let the barrage of color and the cacophony of voice distract her from their mission. On Ilketesh, you can buy anything, even a stolen al'kesh. The merchant tries to talk them into trading Daniel for the ship, but between the Colonel and Teal'c, they talk her down to the previously agreed upon price: twenty five zat'nik'tels that Teal'c had cached on the planet with the blue sheep.
It takes them almost a month to get the al'kesh ready and provisioned. The Colonel parts with their P-90s for maintenance on the al'kesh, Teal'c barters his staff weapon on Durleese for enough water for all of them for four months and she's the one who trades their C-4 for food. Daniel goes to the Land of the Light and returns with medical supplies and star charts. It's almost a day before she notices his hand bound books are gone.
Finally they're ready to leave. The al'kesh is packed and no one can think of any last minute procrastinations.
Sam has always wanted to be an astronaut, but the al'kesh is nothing like she imagined the shuttle would be like. She might as well as walking around a badly decorated office building with a star field screensaver on the main screen.
The trip is slow and boring. Daniel writes until he runs out of paper and then convinces Teal'c to tell him Jaffa folk tales. After the third day, Teal'c starts avoiding Daniel, so Daniel moves on to the Colonel. The Colonel decides this is the perfect opportunity to try and teach them all the offsides rule in hockey and Sam has to leave before she goes crazy too.
By the time they reach the outer edge of the solar system, Sam is afraid they'll kill each other out of boredom, but the mood changes as they fly by familiar planets. Pluto passes on the viewscreen and Daniel becomes quiet. The Colonel stills, sitting in the co-pilot seat, and watches the screen intently. Teal'c stands behind her in the pilot's chair, and she thinks she can feel the warmth of his breath on the back of her neck.
They pass Saturn and it's the first time humans have ever been this close to its majestic rings. When Mars looms large on the screen the Colonel starts trying to contact the SGC. There is still nothing when they settle into Earth's orbit.
They look at each other and she can see the dread in their eyes. Some one should have responded by now. Some one should have seen them. They aren't cloaked; Mauna Kea should be going crazy telling the world about the alien ship visible in orbit.
They circle the globe a few hundred times before deciding to land. Sam picks parking lot C at the Mountain. Both because it's mostly deserted and because it offers the most protect route into the Mountain. No where during the entire flight do they pick up a life sign.
The Colonel takes point out of the al'kesh, his sidearm in his hand. Sam had expected it to be quiet, but there are birds chirping and insects buzzing. No engine noise though, and the lack makes her neck hairs stand up on end.
NORAD is empty. No security, nothing. Something has gone terribly wrong here; she can feel it down to her bones.
They have to break into the SGC; at least the elevators are still working. The Colonel pushes the button for level 28 and they sink further into the Earth.
Level 28 is a mess of blood and bodies. No bullet holes though, just blood that must have poured from the deads' throats. Sam is kicking herself. They're not prepared for something biological. No masks, or suits, or self contained air supplies. They've probably been infected since the set foot on the planet.
The air recycling system makes the blood soaked air smell even worse, which Sam would've said wasn't possible. Daniel leans over and retches, but nothing comes up. The Colonel leads them towards the infirmary; he must know they're probably infected too.
The scene in the infirmary is even worse. They step over dead bodies as the Colonel leads them to Janet's office. It's miraculously empty. Sam knows Janet would've been out tending her patients until she couldn't stand either, so it's not all that much of a surprise that she's not present.
Janet's notes are laid out on her desk, as if she had left them there for them to find. Sam sees: hemorrhagic fever, no cure, genetically modified?, multiple disease clusters, terrorism? and 98% mortality rate.
She immediately knows why they couldn't dial in. The iris must be up. The SGC must have trying to protect them and the rest of the universe, but they'd walked back into the trap.
They don't find a single live person as they search the base and then head back to the al'kesh.
Three days in Sam begins to feel hopeful again. None of them are showing any signs of being infected for all that they tromped through infected blood and gore. Two weeks later, even the Colonel seems to think they won't get sick. They begin to discuss what to next.
That night Daniel starts coughing up blood. Six hours later the Colonel has joined in. Another three hours and she notices the first bloody spatters on her hand.
She doesn't know when Daniel died, she was delirious at the time, Teal'c tells her later. The Colonel dies not long after and Teal'c buries them together not far from the al'kesh. She lingers on. Teal'c wipes blood away from her lips and makes sure she drinks water and everything else is a blur.
Sam keeps expecting to die, but it doesn't happen. Slowly, she stops coughing and regains her strength. Teal'c holds her as she takes her first halting steps and helps her into clean clothes.
"What now?" she asks him.
"We keep going," he says.
They walk through the event horizon together.