E is for Exchanges (G)
This is part of my contribution to the Daniel Alphabet Soup in honor of SG-1 Gen Fic Day.
Daniel, Sam, and Jack. It is whispered among the Goa'uld that the Tau'ri are telepathic... Rated G. ~420 words.
And thanks for the quick beta, Random!
E is for Exchanges
It is whispered among the Goa'uld that the Tau'ri are telepathic...
"Hey, Daniel!" Sam called from across the stone plaza. "Did you see this?"
Daniel straightened from his stooped position and turned his head. "What?"
"Come take a look."
With a last glance at the glyphs carved into the trapdoor, Daniel crossed the plaza to where Sam was fiddling with an exposed panel.
"See?" Sam pointed. "Isn't this the same thing as --"
"Oh, you're right!" Daniel squinted and carefully prodded a crystal. "From the time when you --"
"Exactly! And didn't you say then that it was --"
"Probably an offshoot of Ancient Mayan, which has to do with --"
"So I tried to get a reading on it, and look!" Sam stabbed a finger at one of her readouts. "It's almost exactly like the time when --"
"That's brilliant, Sam! But what if we shifted it over to --"
"Oooh, hadn't thought of that! Let me see."
She reached inside the panel with a tool and delicately manipulated one of the crystals.
"Try the fourteenth," Daniel advised. "The Mayan counted by thirteens, so --"
"So we want to get to the next group of numbers, of course!"
Daniel's finger drew a circle in the air. "They believed that everything was in narrow layers. Life and death..."
"Or the surface and underground?"
"It's definitely possible. Of course, if we'd --"
"I think that's it!"
The two of them whipped their heads around simultaneously and stared expectantly at the trapdoor. After a long, breathless moment, it obediently grated back to expose a staircase of worn stone, descending deep into the ground.
"Yes!" Sam and Daniel chorused in triumph.
Daniel started eagerly forward, with Sam only a step behind. He was only two steps away from the stairs, his hand fumbling for the flashlight fastened to his vest, when a shout cracked through the chilly air.
"Daniel!"
Daniel stopped at the head of the stairs, but did not turn round. "Jack?" he replied, his voice innocent.
Jack marched across the clearing towards Sam and Daniel, glowering. "Daniel!" he snapped again.
"Jack," Daniel shrugged. He did turn them, and crossed his arms.
Jack halted two feet away and narrowed his eyes. "Daniel."
"Jack." Daniel drew out the name, almost in a singsong, and gave him a pointed look.
Jack snorted with indignation. "Daniel!"
Daniel didn't quite roll his eyes, but he did uncross his arms so he could flail meaningfully with one hand. "Jack!"
"Daniel," Jack sighed, frustrated.
"But sir," Sam tried to protest, but Jack held up a warning finger to silence her.
"Aht!" he snapped. She subsided, a little sulkily, and Jack resumed with his main argument. "Daniel," he repeated, his tone weighted with menace. He tapped at his watch.
Daniel just shook his head. "Jack," he warned.
The two of them stared at each other for several seconds. Then Jack gave up.
"Oh, all right!"
Daniel's face lit up with a delighted smile. "Thank you, Jack," he said. "C'mon, Sam, let's go! We've only got fifteen minutes."
Daniel, Sam, and Jack. It is whispered among the Goa'uld that the Tau'ri are telepathic... Rated G. ~420 words.
And thanks for the quick beta, Random!
E is for Exchanges
It is whispered among the Goa'uld that the Tau'ri are telepathic...
"Hey, Daniel!" Sam called from across the stone plaza. "Did you see this?"
Daniel straightened from his stooped position and turned his head. "What?"
"Come take a look."
With a last glance at the glyphs carved into the trapdoor, Daniel crossed the plaza to where Sam was fiddling with an exposed panel.
"See?" Sam pointed. "Isn't this the same thing as --"
"Oh, you're right!" Daniel squinted and carefully prodded a crystal. "From the time when you --"
"Exactly! And didn't you say then that it was --"
"Probably an offshoot of Ancient Mayan, which has to do with --"
"So I tried to get a reading on it, and look!" Sam stabbed a finger at one of her readouts. "It's almost exactly like the time when --"
"That's brilliant, Sam! But what if we shifted it over to --"
"Oooh, hadn't thought of that! Let me see."
She reached inside the panel with a tool and delicately manipulated one of the crystals.
"Try the fourteenth," Daniel advised. "The Mayan counted by thirteens, so --"
"So we want to get to the next group of numbers, of course!"
Daniel's finger drew a circle in the air. "They believed that everything was in narrow layers. Life and death..."
"Or the surface and underground?"
"It's definitely possible. Of course, if we'd --"
"I think that's it!"
The two of them whipped their heads around simultaneously and stared expectantly at the trapdoor. After a long, breathless moment, it obediently grated back to expose a staircase of worn stone, descending deep into the ground.
"Yes!" Sam and Daniel chorused in triumph.
Daniel started eagerly forward, with Sam only a step behind. He was only two steps away from the stairs, his hand fumbling for the flashlight fastened to his vest, when a shout cracked through the chilly air.
"Daniel!"
Daniel stopped at the head of the stairs, but did not turn round. "Jack?" he replied, his voice innocent.
Jack marched across the clearing towards Sam and Daniel, glowering. "Daniel!" he snapped again.
"Jack," Daniel shrugged. He did turn them, and crossed his arms.
Jack halted two feet away and narrowed his eyes. "Daniel."
"Jack." Daniel drew out the name, almost in a singsong, and gave him a pointed look.
Jack snorted with indignation. "Daniel!"
Daniel didn't quite roll his eyes, but he did uncross his arms so he could flail meaningfully with one hand. "Jack!"
"Daniel," Jack sighed, frustrated.
"But sir," Sam tried to protest, but Jack held up a warning finger to silence her.
"Aht!" he snapped. She subsided, a little sulkily, and Jack resumed with his main argument. "Daniel," he repeated, his tone weighted with menace. He tapped at his watch.
Daniel just shook his head. "Jack," he warned.
The two of them stared at each other for several seconds. Then Jack gave up.
"Oh, all right!"
Daniel's face lit up with a delighted smile. "Thank you, Jack," he said. "C'mon, Sam, let's go! We've only got fifteen minutes."