Crosscurrents by Holdouttrout
Title: Crosscurrents
Rating/Warning: PG
Spoilers: Mention of Asgard, Ancients.
Your name: holdouttrout
Your recipient: moonshayde
Request details: Original SG-1 explore an underwater city and its people/culture. Didn't want: character death, explicit violence/language, and no AU/altered timelines
Summary: The SGC gets an invitation to an underwater city that seems to be more technologically advanced, but there's more going on than they think.
Notes: A huge thank-you to annerbhp, who told me what I already knew but didn't want to admit (and by doing so saved this story), and whose spell-check is infinitely superior to mine. Anything wrong is my fault as usual.
Jack was hanging around the gateroom the day they'd sent the MALP through to P4X-596. He'd known this particular planet was on SG-1's short list--the address had been on the cartouche, and Teal'c hadn't been there before--so he'd dragged a stack of reports to the deserted briefing room and kept an eye on the activity.
At least he looked productive.
He watched the gate activate and settle, prodded at the MALP mentally when it seemed like it was going too slow, and listened to the low hum of voices. Daniel and Teal'c were holed away in Daniel's lab, but Carter was down in the observation room, and Jack could hear her muttering to herself during the sparse seconds of transfer--until he heard an
"Oh, shit," from one of the technicians.
He was on his feet and down the stairs into the other room in no time flat.
"What is it?" He directed his question at Carter, and although she was frantically hitting buttons on her console and not looking at him, she responded.
"Water, sir. We're losing the MALP--it's not that deep, but there's no way--"
She cut off abruptly as the screen in front of them flickered to life, showing a picture of what were clearly man-made--or alien-made, he supposed--structures of some sort, in the water. They were sort of squat and bulbous, and it looked like they were connected by tubes of varying lengths. It was obviously a city, and while it didn't look new, it didn't look run-down, either.
The water itself made everything appear a deep blue, and lights shone through from the structure, making Jack realize that there were vast stretches of the city that were completely transparent, like glass.
Carter zoomed in on one of the transparent sections, and Jack saw several figures clustered there, looking and pointing toward the active 'gate, toward the camera. The picture was tilting slowly as the MALP fell.
"Sir," Carter said, "the MALP wasn't designed for this, and we're going to lose the picture--"
A face--almost human--leaped into view on the monitor. Several people, including Sam, yelped. Jack wouldn't have admitted it, but he felt a jolt of surprise and adrenaline himself. The eyes looked filmy, as if a thin cloth was pulled over them, but they still reflected curiosity as the person swam up to the camera and tapped it. Jack noticed that his fingers were webbed, and that there were intricate designs from his hand all the way up to his arm, and extending down a portion of his bare chest.
Just then, General Hammond came up the steps into the observation room, warned, no doubt, when they'd first made contact with the MALP.
He gasped. "What in God's name--"
Then, while everyone in the room was still gaping, the man smiled widely--more like grinned--and made a motion with his hands that could have indicated anything from "Come on over," to, "Sorry about your machine," and then the telemetry from the MALP stopped, and the screen went blank.
The wormhole shut down a second later.
Jack said, "Well, guess that's one planet we're not go--"
And the 'gate activated.
"Someone's dialing in, sir!" Carter said over the klaxon.
"Close the iris," Hammond ordered.
"Closing iris," Walter confirmed. The metal shield drew over the 'gate just as the final symbol activated, and the familiar pattern of light danced around the edges of the room.
Carter was reading from her screens again.
"Sir, we're getting a transmission. Audio... and visual?" She looked up, confused, and Jack remembered her saying once that any video transmission would have to match their own systems pretty closely for it to work at all. She checked the screen again, and said, "It looks like they're mimicking our MALP transmission from earlier."
Hammond and Jack exchanged a look. Jack shrugged. Hammond said, "Play it."
With the press of a button, they were looking in at a control room of some kind. There were several people in the background, but the most interesting person by far was seated in front of the camera, looking directly at them.
He was obviously the same man as before, and he was still damp. But now he was wearing a robe that came off one shoulder to display his tattoo, and his eyes looked clear and bright.
"Greetings! My name is Yil, of the Mer. I was working on the Shapa earlier when it was activated and your machine came through. It delighted me--we so rarely receive contact from anyone, and it is difficult for us to explore much, these days. We have recovered your equipment and would like to return it to you. I am also including some of our technology so that we may communicate without the loss of more of your valuable machinery. You may contact us whenever you wish, and maybe we can even arrange an exchange that would be beneficial to both our worlds."
"Should we open the iris, sir?" Walter asked General Hammond, who considered for a moment, then nodded.
"Do it. Station the guards."
The iris opened, and a dozen or so airmen took up their positions in the gate room. Everyone waited, but all that happened was that the MALP limped forward out of the event horizon and down the ramp. It was dripping water. When it was through, the 'gate shut down.
"Get a team in here to examine the MALP now," Hammond ordered. Carter nodded, and left to collect some of the scientists.
Hammond turned to Jack. "If this checks out, you might get to visit after all, Colonel."
Jack thought about the briefings that lay ahead and sighed. It was going to be a long week.
*_*_*_*_*
If Jack thought he had an idea of the fuss that would surround this mission, he had underestimated badly. Carter, when she had taken a look at the device returned with the MALP, started babbling excitedly to him about radio waves, transmitters, and power sources smaller than her thumbnail. Which admittedly--cool--but he still didn't have any clue what he was supposed to get from the conversation. He'd been sneaky enough to start meandering down to her lab while she talked, and as soon as she'd had an assistant within reach, she'd latched onto him instead, and Jack had escaped, only to be corralled by Teal'c and Daniel, who had, so far, only heard the basics and were eager for more details about the people and the environment. After Jack had explained that it seemed the people on P4X-596 lived in a facility conducive to breathing air, Daniel lit up and Jack groaned.
"Look--you can go ahead and enthuse, but can you find someone else to enthuse with?" he said, waving one hand. "I'm sure I'll hear enough at the briefings."
Daniel blinked, and said, undaunted, "Where's Sam?"
"In her lab with some..." his hands sketched out an object roughly the size of a shoe box "thing. Trying to make sure it's not gonna blow up, I'd guess." A terrifying thought struck him--a vision of Carter, the alien device on her workbench, bending over it to get a better look at the fascinating blinking light-- "I hope."
Teal'c didn't quite smirk. "I am sure that Major Carter and her team have taken precautions."
Jack regarded Teal'c. Teal'c gazed back, unperturbed. Daniel glanced between them and then said, "Fine. I'll ask her when I get down there."
Jack smirked, triumphant.
After that, the next few days were a blur of getting the okay on the alien object, redialing the planet, hours of talks with their people and representatives from the government, logistics meetings, "informal" meetings about the expense of a mission to an underwater world (fears which were alleviated when the delegation from the other planet assured them that the 'gate would be enclosed inside a large room in the city until their guests left), and then, finally, briefings on culture, mission objectives, and procedure.
It was undoubtedly the best-informed any first contact team had been before going through the 'gate. Oddly, this made Jack more nervous. He considered not actually reading the pre-mission report instead of just pretending not to, but gave in and slogged his way through it the night before their scheduled briefing.
Well--he skimmed it, anyway.
And, true to form, Carter and Daniel enthused about the mission through the briefing, filling in the details Jack had missed.
Carter was giving the run-down on the technological aspects of the mission, mostly remembering to stay on the highlights of the report.
"Yil has told us that he thinks it will be possible for us to examine their power structure, and to exchange some data on our different technologies. Their power sources resemble clunky versions of Ancient technology, actually, and I'm wondering if they might have adapted their current technology from an Ancient source.
"Then there's the city itself--from the data they sent us, it looks as though their cities are all underwater like this one, in shallow, protected areas just off the coast of the main continents. It seems that the land has been uninhabitable for some time, possibly from some sort of natural disaster. Whatever the reason, the Mer have been living in these cities for hundreds of years, and I'm sure there's a lot to learn about how they keep things running."
General Hammond nodded. "Dr. Jackson. Do you have anything to add?"
Daniel blinked. "Well, the culture itself is fascinating, and I'm very anxious to ask about some of the stuff I've found out..." He ruffled his papers and pulled out a photo, laying it on the table. It was a photo of a mural, which depicted a woman seated on a raised chair and a crowd standing before her. Around the woman were rays of light, and at her feet was a man, hunched over in what appeared to be agony.
"Now, normally, I'd say that this was a depiction of a Goa'uld that had conquered the planet, but there are several elements here that are unusual. I can't see enough detail to be certain, but I think this mural could offer some valuable information about the planet, and they might have more art like this."
Jack leaned back in his chair. "What good would it do to know what it says?"
Daniel frowned. "I don't know. But there's something about this that seems a bit off."
Teal'c raised an eyebrow in Daniel's direction as Carter and Jack stared at him.
General Hammond cleared his throat, and Carter jerked around to face him. He said, "Dr. Jackson, do you have any reason to believe that this mission is more dangerous than usual?"
Daniel shook his head. "No. No, I don't. Everything I've read seems fairly run-of-the-mill. They didn't think to give us their myths and legends," Daniel looked disappointed about this, and Jack had to exert his self-control not to look at Carter, "but their history is pretty comprehensive. They've been living in their underwater cities for over six centuries, and from what I can tell, they were too busy surviving for the first few to worry about fighting with each other, and then they couldn't find any reason to fight."
Jack twirled a pen between his fingers. General Hammond looked his way, and Jack shrugged. He couldn't see any reason to worry over a mural.
General Hammond said, "Alright. SG-1, you have a go."
Jack muttered, "Finally."
Hammond gave no indication he'd heard Jack, and Jack and Carter rose and saluted as the General went back into his office.
After he was gone, Jack turned to his team and said, "Let's get ready."
*_*_*_*_*
A little less than an hour later, Jack approached the Stargate, practically sauntering due to the lack of a heavy pack across his shoulders. The first things through the 'gate had been their supplies. The Mer had graciously offered to house SG-1 and had told them to send the equipment through first if they wanted.
Things like that made Jack feel very good about this mission. He kept his cap off and waited for Daniel, Carter, and Teal'c to catch up. When he felt them behind him, he stepped through and came out in a large room, his footsteps echoing in the nearly empty space. The walls were more than tall enough for the 'gate--not as tall as the gateroom back home, but still quite large. There were three Mer waiting for them just in front of the steps. One was Yil, and the others were a tall, formidable-looking woman and a shorter man.
Jack moved forward just in time to avoid Daniel walking into his back. A second later, he heard Teal'c and Carter's steps behind Daniel's.
Daniel moved around Jack, halting a couple of feet away from the three Mer. He smiled at Yil and inclined his head.
Yil returned the gesture, and his companions echoed it. "Welcome to Caen. We've all been looking forward to this meeting between our peoples." He indicated the woman with a gesture. "This is Syl. She is the person who knows the most about the technology in the city."
Jack swore he could feel Carter's interest perk up from behind him. He didn't quite roll his eyes, but nodded his head toward her, and said, "Major Carter. She's the person you'll want to talk to, Syl."
"Pleased to meet you," Carter said.
Syl smiled at her and bowed again. Her tunic revealed the start of a pattern similar to Yil's, but where Yil's was a deep blue, Syl's was done in a bright green.
"Syl is my sister," Yil said, "And this is Jimre--he's our expert on culture and history."
Jack thought that Jimre looked a little grim, but he, too, bowed, and Daniel returned the gesture as Jack introduced him. Jack was startled a bit by the Merin's eyes--he'd spent enough time around Carter's lab the last few days to have picked up that they had nictitating membranes, but it was still creeping him out.
When the introductions were done, Yil motioned for the team to follow him through the large doors behind the welcoming party. A long, low corridor stretched before them, and Yil said apologetically that the only room sufficiently big for the 'gate was in one of the lowest levels of the city.
"We have a bit of a walk in front of us. We don't use the 'gate ourselves--we find it difficult to acclimate to dryer climates."
It was quite humid inside the city, and Jack was glad they were only staying a few days.
"I'd be curious to know more about your people--especially your biology," Daniel said. "We've never seen anything like it."
Yil said, "All in good time! I thought we'd visit the control center first, and then have some refreshments before I let the others drag Major Carter and Dr. Jackson off to quiz them."
Carter started. "But your technology is so amazing! We couldn't hope to accomplish something like this."
Yil laughed. "Yes, our city is quite amazing. But it was our ancestors who built it, and much of the information for creating the technology was lost."
Carter and Jack shared a disappointed look, and Syl hastened to add, "My brother is being too modest. We've rediscovered much of what our mothers left untaught, but I am hoping to use your knowledge while you are here."
Jack rolled his eyes as Carter grinned, clearly excited at the prospect of a challenge.
They reached an intersection with another corridor and stopped. Syl said, "Jimre and I have duties to attend to before we can rejoin you, but we will see you soon." She and Jimre gave them brief nods and set off down the left-hand walkway, and Yil led the forward a few steps to another set of doors, where the control room waited.
The next four days passed in a rush of meetings, scientific babble, and, for Jack, extreme boredom. Oh, he met with Yil and the other leaders of the underwater city, but he still spent a lot of time staring out the windows at the colorful, tropical fish as they drifted by. One day they all got watch the Mer hunt, their strong legs propelling them through the water, their spears--shot from a type of pressurized gun--flashing in the strong light of the sun. Carter rhapsodized about the clarity and depth of the water for a while, but Jack stopped paying attention about the time she mentioned diffusion.
Teal'c was more interested in spending time with Yil's apprentices and learning more ways to beat people up, no doubt, and Daniel--
Jack sighed as he stumbled across Daniel and Jimre sprawled in yet another passageway. Jimre still looked pretty dull to Jack, but he seemed to have endless patience for Daniel's questions about the minutiae of life in Caen and the history of its people. Most of the history, however, seemed to be recorded on the interior walls of the city.
Even Jimre got tired of Daniel sometimes, though, and Jack had had more than one conversation that involved Daniel rambling distractedly and rifling through his notes. These impromptu lectures tended to end abruptly as Daniel talked himself into yet more questions and dashed off to find just one more mural.
On the fifth day, Jack caught Yil giving him strange looks, like he wanted to bring something up, but wasn't sure how to approach it. They were only scheduled to be in the city for a week, and Jack knew that Yil would have to say whatever was on his mind before they left.
The sixth day, Jack and Teal'c picked up Carter for breakfast.
Jack stuck his head into her open doorway, and Carter looked up from her computer, slowly focusing on the here and now.
"What do you think it'll be today? Fish? Or...fish?"
Carter grinned. "I'd say those are good guesses, sir."
They ambled down the hallways, lobbing jokes at Teal'c, who would acknowledge them with a tilt of his head or a smile.
They rounded a corner. "Oh, come on, Teal'c! That joke is a classic!"
"I do not see the humor in insulting people with the approximate physical characteristics of Major Carter, who is very intelligent."
"Thank you, Teal'c." Carter looked smug.
Jack rolled his eyes. "That's what makes it funny!" He stopped dead in his tracks. "Who is that?"
A figure was hunched on the floor of a small branching corridor. Suddenly, Jack saw the figure lean back and take a bite of something, and Jack recognized the familiar gesture.
"Daniel!"
Daniel looked up. "Jack? What time is it?" His clothes were rumpled, and he had circles under his eyes. He looked at his watch and raised his brows. "Wow."
Jack hooked a thumb back toward the main corridor. "We're getting breakfast. Coming?"
Daniel looked at the notebook paper and sketches strewn around him. "Oh. Uh...sure. No--wait."
He leaned over and grabbed a paper.
"Jack, I found it."
Carter stepped forward. "Found what?"
Daniel gestured at the wall. It was the mural he'd shown them at the briefing. It took up the entire height of the wall, and was easily twice as wide.
"I knew there was something weird about this mural. But until I saw it, here, I didn't realize just how strange it was. It doesn't fit with the idea of any Goa'uld we know of, and..."
"She's on a throne, ruling," Jack interrupted.
"And she's tormenting that man," Carter added.
Daniel waved an arm. "But there are way too many oddities. Look! The first thing I noticed is the crowd itself--notice that none of them are bowing? And then the woman--she's holding a plant in her right hand, which is probably an herb of some kind. And see how she's turning away from the man? She's ignoring him and refusing to give him the herb."
Daniel finished with a tone that let Jack know he thought the answer should be perfectly obvious. He opened his mouth, but Carter beat him to it, for once as confused as he was.
"But if she's not a Goa'uld, why wouldn't she help someone?"
Daniel looked started. "Oh. Because I think she's supposed to represent Eir." At their blank looks, he said, "A Norse goddess of healing. The legends say that she's the most skilled physician, in charge of the most difficult healings, even raising the dead."
This time, Jack saw where Daniel was going. "You think this Eir was an Asgard."
Daniel nodded.
Teal'c interrupted, "There may be many Goa'uld who would choose to use such a deity for their own ends."
"And she doesn't look very helpful to me," Sam said, glancing at the mural.
Daniel nodded and pulled out another photo, an enlargement of the one Sam held. "Look at the detail on the man's face, though."
Jack squinted in the dim light. It was evident that the mural was very old--there were large cracks that marred the surface, especially when seen up close. But it was also very detailed. And the most striking feature--
Carter drew in a quiet breath--she'd seen it at the same time Jack had.
The man's eyes were blurred, with the same lines radiating out from them that surrounded the woman.
Teal'c looked over Sam's shoulder at the man's eyes. "A Goa'uld."
Daniel was positively glowing. "And if he was, and if she was Eir and an Asgard, then that means this is the second planet that's circumvented the normal rules about protected planets and technology. Think of what we could learn from these people!"
Jack had to admit that having another connection to the Asgard could come in handy. And just the knowledge that the Asgard had ignored another protected planet's technology was valuable information.
Still..."This could be coincidental."
Daniel set his face stubbornly. "I don't think so. It makes sense."
"The Colonel is right, Daniel. We simply don't know enough about these people or their history to make that kind of judgment. Even if there is a connection to the Asgard, they may not know about it."
Daniel acknowledged Carter's point with a tilt of his head. "I'll ask Yil about it," he said, and when Jack caught his eye, added hastily, "Carefully."
Jack rolled his eyes, but didn't say anything else on the subject. They waited while Daniel whisked all his supplies and notes into his arms and then continued to the hall where everyone took their meals.
They sat with their usual group--Yil, Syl, Jimre, and another hunter, Dolin, who was a young female with only a half-pattern on her skin, meaning she was still an apprentice--perhaps the youngest Mer they'd seen during their whole stay. She was quiet and serious, but she'd taken a liking to Carter and had monopolized her time--when Carter found a spare moment outside of the Mer's science labs.
Dolin had taken the responsibility of fetching food for their guests. The first time SG-1 had approached the table and Dolin had risen to procure food for them, Major Carter had attempted a protest, but it seemed that as the youngest, Dolin was required to serve the rest of the table.
Today, she grinned at Carter when she came back laden with a large tray of fish and other food they grew inside the city. "Don't worry. I won't have to do this my whole life. Yil has made it clear that once I am litko, I may only serve myself."
Jack chalked Daniel's confused expression up to the unfamiliar word, as did Dolin.
She ducked her smooth, pale head and smiled as she sat down. "Litko comes after apprenticeship."
Carter leaned in. "So are you close to...graduating, then?" Beside her, Daniel asked Jimre a question, and the table divided neatly into halves, each side with their own conversation. Jack wanted to hear the answer to Carter's question.
Dolin looked puzzled, but then nodded. "I think so. Although you'd have to ask Yil--and he may not tell you, either."
She said this last part with a sly glance at Yil, but Yil kept a straight face. "You will be litko soon enough," he chided gently, and Dolin frowned.
Teal'c said, "Among the young, the desire is for accomplishment. Among the old, desire is for time."
The table fell silent. Jimre and Syl looked sharply at Teal'c, and Yil looked unnerved. Dolin was staring at him with wide eyes, her back straight and still as if she'd been frozen.
Teal'c cocked his head to the side.
Yil cleared his throat. "Yes, well. We have a long day ahead of us. Shall we get started?"
Dolin cleared the table as if afraid that someone else would speak.
"What did you say?" Daniel asked as they fell in behind Yil.
Teal'c frowned. "I am unsure."
*_*_*_*_*
That evening, Jack dialed up the SGC to report on their mission.
"It might not be the most exciting mission, sir, but the kids sure think it's interesting. Carter's nearly beside herself at the toys she's picked up, and Daniel--well--" Jack shrugged eloquently.
General Hammond asked, "And you're sure that there's nothing else going on?"
"There was an odd moment at breakfast this morning, sir, but Daniel thinks it was a simple social gaff."
"What do you think?"
Jack grimaced. "The Mer have been very hospitable, sir. I'd prefer not to jump to conclusions." It was possible it was just a misunderstanding of some kind.
There was a pause, and then Hammond said, "Alright then. But keep an eye on things. We'll see you tomorrow."
"Yes, sir."
The transmission ended, and the 'gate shut down.
Which is when things all went wrong.
Jack turned around to find Yil behind him, lacking his usual smile.
"News?"
Yil shook his head. "I'm sorry."
"For this morning? Hey--we all have our bad days."
Yil frowned. "No--I--" he started over. "I tried to convince the council that this was wrong, but sometimes sacrifices must be made."
Jack started looking for exits, but before he could move, he felt a sharp prick on his arm, and he whirled to find two Mer with blue tattoos watching him, one of them holding a small silver tube Jack supposed went with the new accessory he was sporting: a dart.
When he turned back, Yil's face swam. Jack fought to stay upright. "You bastard."
Yil was leaning over him now. "This isn't right. It wasn't part of the deal. But I can't go against them, either. I'm sorry."
Jack choked as he fell to his knees. The last thing he saw was Yil bending over him, and then his world went dark.
*_*_*_*_*
He came to in a cell. When he opened his eyes, he was immediately confronted by the light at the end of the tunnel, which quickly resolved into a bank of lights directly above his head. Unfortunately, the pounding behind his eyes didn't leave with his delusions.
"Okay, I better not hear any numbers," he groaned, rolling himself onto his side.
Directly across from him, both Carter and Daniel were holding their heads in their hands, both, thankfully, sitting up and conscious. Or at least as conscious as he was.
To his left, Teal'c was, naturally, regarding them calmly. "I believe this is our thirty-seventh incarceration, O'Neill."
Jack glared at Teal'c. "Helpful, Teal'c. Helpful."
He looked around. The cell was considerably better lit than most jails SG-1 had seen. There were four mats rolled up in one corner, and a small, half-screened toilet in the other. The entire front wall was barred, and Jack thought it looked the most like a traditional cell of all the places they'd seen. A yuppie, whitewashed cell, but definitely one that could have been on Earth.
Carter lifted her head. "What happened? One minute I was going over my notes from the day, and the next--"
Daniel rubbed at his temple. "I asked Jimre about breakfast. I wanted to know what Dolin had meant about "always" being the youngest."
Carter said, "I thought she just meant that there weren't any apprentices below her."
"But we haven't seen anyone younger than Dolin," Jack remarked.
Daniel raised his eyebrows. "Exactly. Jimre was telling me--before he stuck me with a needle--about the legends they have about what they call the Calamity. Jimre said that two gods came and fought over their planet and their people. They made the surface uninhabitable by using what Jimre called 'sun-weapons.'"
Carter looked grim, and Jack knew she was thinking the same thing he was.
Daniel continued, "They have a legend about a savior who came to their world and drove off the gods. Apparently, she 'struck them down and banished them,' and then offered the Mer a choice--relocation to another world, or relocation to the sea."
"Eir," Carter guessed.
"They call her Yir, but yes. I'd guess she was an Asgard, and this planet is a protected planet."
"Do you think it has something to do with us?" Carter asked.
"Yir made us wrong," a voice said from behind the bars. It was Dolin, and Jack hadn't noticed her coming until she'd said something. She hunched her shoulders and looked over her shoulder, obviously nervous that someone might come and find her.
She also looked a little sad. "We had never used the Shapa. We had taken Yir's words of caution to heart, and had left the galaxy to its own affairs. I'm the youngest Mer by many years. By the time I was born, our geneticists already knew what was happening and were trying, frantically, to fix it somehow. I am the daughter of two test subjects, and everyone thought they'd solved it. But I was just a fluke. There was no more time. Some people thought that genetic material from people more like our ancestors would help."
Daniel spoke quietly. "That's why you were so eager for us to visit."
Dolin nodded. "The plan was to take samples without you knowing. We did that the first night, while you were asleep. But the tests--," she took a shuddering breath. "You have to understand. Our people are desperate. They are dying. We are dying. Some think that if we have...specimens to study, our chances are better."
"You can't hold us here," Jack said.
Carter caught Dolin's eye. "Our people will come for us."
Dolin shook her head. "The Shapa will be moved--buried. They won't be able to connect tomorrow, and we know your people don't have ships that can reach us quickly."
At this statement, Daniel looked guilty.
Jack glared at him. He shrugged helplessly, and Jack had to roll his eyes and move on.
"Dolin," Jack said urgently. "We have to get home. You have to help us."
Dolin grabbed the bars, her long, webbed fingers tightening around them. “I can't. I'm not even supposed to be here.”
Teal'c, who had remained sitting when Dolin first appeared, stood slowly, calmly. “I do not believe that you want to leave us here. If you do, you know what will happen.”
No one spoke. Even Jack was wise enough to keep his mouth shut and let Dolin figure it out. Finally, her grip on the bars loosened and she looked up, her second eyelid fluttering back until her eye was clear.
"Yes," she said quietly. "I do. It is not right, what we are doing."
"No." Jack stood up. "It isn't."
Dolin nodded resolutely. "I thought--," she paused briefly. "I thought that you would be different. From us. I never liked being youngest. I was ready to do anything…"
Jack nodded, knowing the desire to make excuses. "Just get us out of here."
Dolin moved away from the bars and around the corner. In seconds, the bars unlocked with a clang, and Teal'c and Jack pushed them to the side.
SG-1 filed out of the cell and into the hallway, heading toward where Dolin stood. She gestured at the door in front of them. "When we get out of here, you must stay close to me. I know this area better than anyone--it's not often used, and I was in the habit of coming down here to think, to be alone. If we are lucky, the Shapa will still be inside the city, and we will reach it before they know you are gone."
Daniel snorted. "Like we're ever lucky."
Carter stifled a grin.
They moved quickly through the corridors. Jack had no idea where the cells were located in the city, but Dolin was sure of where she was going, and didn't hesitate at any of the intersections. The one time they heard footsteps, Dolin motioned them down a side passage, and the footsteps faded without even turning in their general direction.
Eventually, she led them through a door into a narrow hallway. "We can relax here for a moment," she said. "This place is quite hidden."
Jack said, "I don't suppose you can help us acquire our gear and weapons?"
Dolin shook her head. "Your things were taken to be studied by our scientists."
Carter grimaced, undoubtedly thinking about all of the data she'd acquired over the last few days being lost. Jack didn't need to look at Daniel to know that he had that half-resigned, half-pouting look he got whenever this happened to them.
Neither of them mentioned that they'd long been in the habit of copying everything they could each night to a more portable kind of memory device Carter had modified to hold large amounts of data, though Jack saw Carter touch a pocket and relax slightly.
Teal'c kept a watch down the hallway, and Dolin brought out a device that she held up to her ear--a communications monitor Jack had seen Yil use throughout their stay. As she listened, her face grew troubled. She put the device away swiftly and tapped Teal'c on the arm. He shook his head, indicating there was no one in the immediate vicinity.
She said, "They are planning on moving the Shapa in about an hour. It is an intensive effort, especially since they will bury it in the sands. But someone is being sent to check the cells. I'm not sure if we can make it to the Shapa before the alarm is sounded."
"We will use a little less caution, then," Teal'c said.
Dolin's mouth tightened. "We're almost there--we've come almost the whole way across the city."
Carter reached out, grasped Dolin's shoulder. "You'll be okay, right?"
Dolin smiled grimly. "Even if I am caught, they will not hurt me--I'm the last child."
Teal'c shot Jack a look, one Jack knew signified that he was hearing movement outside their room somewhere.
"Less talking, more moving," Jack said.
This time, although still quiet, they moved more quickly down corridors, Dolin holding the communications device to her ear, directly them down parallel paths more than once. Only sometimes did the team come close to the outside walls of the city-invariably as soon as they got a glimpse of the outside water, they'd veer back into white, featureless tunnels. Sometimes, it seemed as if footsteps were coming straight for them, only to veer away at the last moment, and Jack was very impressed by Dolin's ability to predict her people's movements, and by her knowledge of the city--Jack had a good sense of direction, but even he would have been lost within minutes in the white, featureless and window-less hallways.
Dolin was ahead of them, barely, when Jack saw her suddenly tense. She dropped the device, and said, "They've discovered you're gone. Run!"
She took off, and SG-1 broke into a run behind her. This time, when they heard footsteps, they didn't slow or stop. They blew past a group of green-tattooed scientists who stared after them, shocked. They were out of sight around the next corner before they heard a shout behind them.
Another corner, and another, and Dolin gasped out, “Almost there!” Jack thought the intersection looked slightly familiar, rounded the corner, and almost ran straight into Dolin's back. She had stopped dead in her tracks in front of Yil, who looked just as surprised as Jack felt. In his hand was a communications device.
He recovered as the other members of SG-1 halted beside Jack. They could overpower Yil easily, but not before he sounded the alarm. And the room with the 'gate was accessible to the outside-all the Mer would have to do would be open the access hatch and flood the compartment with water, and SG-1 would never get home.
“Dolin!” Yil said, his eyes narrowing, his fingers tightening around the device. “What are you doing?”
Dolin trembled, and Jack thought for a minute that she'd give in. Instead, she took a deep breath and straightened. “I'm helping them go home, Yil.”
Yil looked shocked. “Against your people's needs? You have worked for this chance your whole life!”
“You have spent the last days with them as I have. This is the right thing to do.”
Yil, angry, stepped forward into Dolin's space, but Dolin held her ground and looked him in the eye.
Without moving his head, Jack looked at Teal'c, who was closest to Yil and the hand that held the device. Yil lifted the device slowly. Teal'c tensed, ready to knock his hand aside. Yil hesitated, shot Teal'c a look, and lowered his hand.
“This is a mistake,” he told Dolin. “An apprentice should not threaten her master. You will never be litko if you help them.”
Dolin shook her head. “That doesn't matter. I had to act against injustice.”
A loud clang sounded in the corridor, and Yil startled, allowing Teal'c to grab the device from his hand.
Dolin looked up frantically. “They've started the process to bury the Shapa! We must be quick!”
Teal'c grabbed Yil and pushed him in front as they ran the last few meters to the room that held the 'gate. Dolin threw herself into the room first, then Carter, Jack, Daniel, and Teal'c.
Jack could hear mechanical noises from the walls.
“This cannot be good,” Daniel said, and Jack agreed. He just hoped that they could open the 'gate before the water came in.
“Carter!”
Carter was already headed for the DHD. “On it, sir!”
Jack asked, "Anyone still have a GDO?" To which everyone shook their heads. Alpha site it was, then--and Carter was already punching in the symbols. She finished and touched the center panel, and the 'gate whooshed outwards. Dolin and Yil flinched.
Another loud clank, and a seam of the far wall widened. “Get moving, kids!” Jack shouted, and Daniel and Sam dashed through the event horizon. Dolin took Yil's arm, and Teal'c moved to the 'gate's steps just ahead of Jack. As Teal'c disappeared, water began pouring in through the widening crack. There wasn't any more time, but Jack turned back to Dolin anyway.
"You're sure you'll be okay?"
Dolin nodded. "Yes. Whatever happens."
Jack regarded Dolin for a second. "Thank you," he said. And, before he could think better of it, he stepped into the 'gate himself, not looking back at the two figures left standing in the swirling water, waiting for their people to find their last hope gone.
*_*_*_*_*
General Hammond turned from the observation window to the four teammates seated around the briefing table.
"Our last attempt to dial the Mer's 'gate was unsuccessful. It is reasonable to assume they followed their original plan of burying the 'gate."
Teal'c said, "I do not believe the Mer will give up on their mission to acquire subjects."
Daniel nodded reluctantly. "We're talking about the extinction of their entire race. I can't imagine them not trying to find some way around that."
Carter said, "If they had only told us in the beginning--we might have been able to help them!"
Jack twirled a pencil between his fingers and frowned. He looked around the table at his team. None of them were happy about the way things had turned out. It was likely that they'd never see the Mer again--in a galaxy as big as theirs, there was plenty of room to avoid being found. But there might be a planet out there that wasn't so lucky...
Jack suppressed a grimace. Sometimes you saved the world, or someone else's. Sometimes...
General Hammond caught his eye, and Jack gave a little shrug.
Sometimes you weren't as lucky.
*_*_*_*_*
Rating/Warning: PG
Spoilers: Mention of Asgard, Ancients.
Your name: holdouttrout
Your recipient: moonshayde
Request details: Original SG-1 explore an underwater city and its people/culture. Didn't want: character death, explicit violence/language, and no AU/altered timelines
Summary: The SGC gets an invitation to an underwater city that seems to be more technologically advanced, but there's more going on than they think.
Notes: A huge thank-you to annerbhp, who told me what I already knew but didn't want to admit (and by doing so saved this story), and whose spell-check is infinitely superior to mine. Anything wrong is my fault as usual.
Jack was hanging around the gateroom the day they'd sent the MALP through to P4X-596. He'd known this particular planet was on SG-1's short list--the address had been on the cartouche, and Teal'c hadn't been there before--so he'd dragged a stack of reports to the deserted briefing room and kept an eye on the activity.
At least he looked productive.
He watched the gate activate and settle, prodded at the MALP mentally when it seemed like it was going too slow, and listened to the low hum of voices. Daniel and Teal'c were holed away in Daniel's lab, but Carter was down in the observation room, and Jack could hear her muttering to herself during the sparse seconds of transfer--until he heard an
"Oh, shit," from one of the technicians.
He was on his feet and down the stairs into the other room in no time flat.
"What is it?" He directed his question at Carter, and although she was frantically hitting buttons on her console and not looking at him, she responded.
"Water, sir. We're losing the MALP--it's not that deep, but there's no way--"
She cut off abruptly as the screen in front of them flickered to life, showing a picture of what were clearly man-made--or alien-made, he supposed--structures of some sort, in the water. They were sort of squat and bulbous, and it looked like they were connected by tubes of varying lengths. It was obviously a city, and while it didn't look new, it didn't look run-down, either.
The water itself made everything appear a deep blue, and lights shone through from the structure, making Jack realize that there were vast stretches of the city that were completely transparent, like glass.
Carter zoomed in on one of the transparent sections, and Jack saw several figures clustered there, looking and pointing toward the active 'gate, toward the camera. The picture was tilting slowly as the MALP fell.
"Sir," Carter said, "the MALP wasn't designed for this, and we're going to lose the picture--"
A face--almost human--leaped into view on the monitor. Several people, including Sam, yelped. Jack wouldn't have admitted it, but he felt a jolt of surprise and adrenaline himself. The eyes looked filmy, as if a thin cloth was pulled over them, but they still reflected curiosity as the person swam up to the camera and tapped it. Jack noticed that his fingers were webbed, and that there were intricate designs from his hand all the way up to his arm, and extending down a portion of his bare chest.
Just then, General Hammond came up the steps into the observation room, warned, no doubt, when they'd first made contact with the MALP.
He gasped. "What in God's name--"
Then, while everyone in the room was still gaping, the man smiled widely--more like grinned--and made a motion with his hands that could have indicated anything from "Come on over," to, "Sorry about your machine," and then the telemetry from the MALP stopped, and the screen went blank.
The wormhole shut down a second later.
Jack said, "Well, guess that's one planet we're not go--"
And the 'gate activated.
"Someone's dialing in, sir!" Carter said over the klaxon.
"Close the iris," Hammond ordered.
"Closing iris," Walter confirmed. The metal shield drew over the 'gate just as the final symbol activated, and the familiar pattern of light danced around the edges of the room.
Carter was reading from her screens again.
"Sir, we're getting a transmission. Audio... and visual?" She looked up, confused, and Jack remembered her saying once that any video transmission would have to match their own systems pretty closely for it to work at all. She checked the screen again, and said, "It looks like they're mimicking our MALP transmission from earlier."
Hammond and Jack exchanged a look. Jack shrugged. Hammond said, "Play it."
With the press of a button, they were looking in at a control room of some kind. There were several people in the background, but the most interesting person by far was seated in front of the camera, looking directly at them.
He was obviously the same man as before, and he was still damp. But now he was wearing a robe that came off one shoulder to display his tattoo, and his eyes looked clear and bright.
"Greetings! My name is Yil, of the Mer. I was working on the Shapa earlier when it was activated and your machine came through. It delighted me--we so rarely receive contact from anyone, and it is difficult for us to explore much, these days. We have recovered your equipment and would like to return it to you. I am also including some of our technology so that we may communicate without the loss of more of your valuable machinery. You may contact us whenever you wish, and maybe we can even arrange an exchange that would be beneficial to both our worlds."
"Should we open the iris, sir?" Walter asked General Hammond, who considered for a moment, then nodded.
"Do it. Station the guards."
The iris opened, and a dozen or so airmen took up their positions in the gate room. Everyone waited, but all that happened was that the MALP limped forward out of the event horizon and down the ramp. It was dripping water. When it was through, the 'gate shut down.
"Get a team in here to examine the MALP now," Hammond ordered. Carter nodded, and left to collect some of the scientists.
Hammond turned to Jack. "If this checks out, you might get to visit after all, Colonel."
Jack thought about the briefings that lay ahead and sighed. It was going to be a long week.
*_*_*_*_*
If Jack thought he had an idea of the fuss that would surround this mission, he had underestimated badly. Carter, when she had taken a look at the device returned with the MALP, started babbling excitedly to him about radio waves, transmitters, and power sources smaller than her thumbnail. Which admittedly--cool--but he still didn't have any clue what he was supposed to get from the conversation. He'd been sneaky enough to start meandering down to her lab while she talked, and as soon as she'd had an assistant within reach, she'd latched onto him instead, and Jack had escaped, only to be corralled by Teal'c and Daniel, who had, so far, only heard the basics and were eager for more details about the people and the environment. After Jack had explained that it seemed the people on P4X-596 lived in a facility conducive to breathing air, Daniel lit up and Jack groaned.
"Look--you can go ahead and enthuse, but can you find someone else to enthuse with?" he said, waving one hand. "I'm sure I'll hear enough at the briefings."
Daniel blinked, and said, undaunted, "Where's Sam?"
"In her lab with some..." his hands sketched out an object roughly the size of a shoe box "thing. Trying to make sure it's not gonna blow up, I'd guess." A terrifying thought struck him--a vision of Carter, the alien device on her workbench, bending over it to get a better look at the fascinating blinking light-- "I hope."
Teal'c didn't quite smirk. "I am sure that Major Carter and her team have taken precautions."
Jack regarded Teal'c. Teal'c gazed back, unperturbed. Daniel glanced between them and then said, "Fine. I'll ask her when I get down there."
Jack smirked, triumphant.
After that, the next few days were a blur of getting the okay on the alien object, redialing the planet, hours of talks with their people and representatives from the government, logistics meetings, "informal" meetings about the expense of a mission to an underwater world (fears which were alleviated when the delegation from the other planet assured them that the 'gate would be enclosed inside a large room in the city until their guests left), and then, finally, briefings on culture, mission objectives, and procedure.
It was undoubtedly the best-informed any first contact team had been before going through the 'gate. Oddly, this made Jack more nervous. He considered not actually reading the pre-mission report instead of just pretending not to, but gave in and slogged his way through it the night before their scheduled briefing.
Well--he skimmed it, anyway.
And, true to form, Carter and Daniel enthused about the mission through the briefing, filling in the details Jack had missed.
Carter was giving the run-down on the technological aspects of the mission, mostly remembering to stay on the highlights of the report.
"Yil has told us that he thinks it will be possible for us to examine their power structure, and to exchange some data on our different technologies. Their power sources resemble clunky versions of Ancient technology, actually, and I'm wondering if they might have adapted their current technology from an Ancient source.
"Then there's the city itself--from the data they sent us, it looks as though their cities are all underwater like this one, in shallow, protected areas just off the coast of the main continents. It seems that the land has been uninhabitable for some time, possibly from some sort of natural disaster. Whatever the reason, the Mer have been living in these cities for hundreds of years, and I'm sure there's a lot to learn about how they keep things running."
General Hammond nodded. "Dr. Jackson. Do you have anything to add?"
Daniel blinked. "Well, the culture itself is fascinating, and I'm very anxious to ask about some of the stuff I've found out..." He ruffled his papers and pulled out a photo, laying it on the table. It was a photo of a mural, which depicted a woman seated on a raised chair and a crowd standing before her. Around the woman were rays of light, and at her feet was a man, hunched over in what appeared to be agony.
"Now, normally, I'd say that this was a depiction of a Goa'uld that had conquered the planet, but there are several elements here that are unusual. I can't see enough detail to be certain, but I think this mural could offer some valuable information about the planet, and they might have more art like this."
Jack leaned back in his chair. "What good would it do to know what it says?"
Daniel frowned. "I don't know. But there's something about this that seems a bit off."
Teal'c raised an eyebrow in Daniel's direction as Carter and Jack stared at him.
General Hammond cleared his throat, and Carter jerked around to face him. He said, "Dr. Jackson, do you have any reason to believe that this mission is more dangerous than usual?"
Daniel shook his head. "No. No, I don't. Everything I've read seems fairly run-of-the-mill. They didn't think to give us their myths and legends," Daniel looked disappointed about this, and Jack had to exert his self-control not to look at Carter, "but their history is pretty comprehensive. They've been living in their underwater cities for over six centuries, and from what I can tell, they were too busy surviving for the first few to worry about fighting with each other, and then they couldn't find any reason to fight."
Jack twirled a pen between his fingers. General Hammond looked his way, and Jack shrugged. He couldn't see any reason to worry over a mural.
General Hammond said, "Alright. SG-1, you have a go."
Jack muttered, "Finally."
Hammond gave no indication he'd heard Jack, and Jack and Carter rose and saluted as the General went back into his office.
After he was gone, Jack turned to his team and said, "Let's get ready."
*_*_*_*_*
A little less than an hour later, Jack approached the Stargate, practically sauntering due to the lack of a heavy pack across his shoulders. The first things through the 'gate had been their supplies. The Mer had graciously offered to house SG-1 and had told them to send the equipment through first if they wanted.
Things like that made Jack feel very good about this mission. He kept his cap off and waited for Daniel, Carter, and Teal'c to catch up. When he felt them behind him, he stepped through and came out in a large room, his footsteps echoing in the nearly empty space. The walls were more than tall enough for the 'gate--not as tall as the gateroom back home, but still quite large. There were three Mer waiting for them just in front of the steps. One was Yil, and the others were a tall, formidable-looking woman and a shorter man.
Jack moved forward just in time to avoid Daniel walking into his back. A second later, he heard Teal'c and Carter's steps behind Daniel's.
Daniel moved around Jack, halting a couple of feet away from the three Mer. He smiled at Yil and inclined his head.
Yil returned the gesture, and his companions echoed it. "Welcome to Caen. We've all been looking forward to this meeting between our peoples." He indicated the woman with a gesture. "This is Syl. She is the person who knows the most about the technology in the city."
Jack swore he could feel Carter's interest perk up from behind him. He didn't quite roll his eyes, but nodded his head toward her, and said, "Major Carter. She's the person you'll want to talk to, Syl."
"Pleased to meet you," Carter said.
Syl smiled at her and bowed again. Her tunic revealed the start of a pattern similar to Yil's, but where Yil's was a deep blue, Syl's was done in a bright green.
"Syl is my sister," Yil said, "And this is Jimre--he's our expert on culture and history."
Jack thought that Jimre looked a little grim, but he, too, bowed, and Daniel returned the gesture as Jack introduced him. Jack was startled a bit by the Merin's eyes--he'd spent enough time around Carter's lab the last few days to have picked up that they had nictitating membranes, but it was still creeping him out.
When the introductions were done, Yil motioned for the team to follow him through the large doors behind the welcoming party. A long, low corridor stretched before them, and Yil said apologetically that the only room sufficiently big for the 'gate was in one of the lowest levels of the city.
"We have a bit of a walk in front of us. We don't use the 'gate ourselves--we find it difficult to acclimate to dryer climates."
It was quite humid inside the city, and Jack was glad they were only staying a few days.
"I'd be curious to know more about your people--especially your biology," Daniel said. "We've never seen anything like it."
Yil said, "All in good time! I thought we'd visit the control center first, and then have some refreshments before I let the others drag Major Carter and Dr. Jackson off to quiz them."
Carter started. "But your technology is so amazing! We couldn't hope to accomplish something like this."
Yil laughed. "Yes, our city is quite amazing. But it was our ancestors who built it, and much of the information for creating the technology was lost."
Carter and Jack shared a disappointed look, and Syl hastened to add, "My brother is being too modest. We've rediscovered much of what our mothers left untaught, but I am hoping to use your knowledge while you are here."
Jack rolled his eyes as Carter grinned, clearly excited at the prospect of a challenge.
They reached an intersection with another corridor and stopped. Syl said, "Jimre and I have duties to attend to before we can rejoin you, but we will see you soon." She and Jimre gave them brief nods and set off down the left-hand walkway, and Yil led the forward a few steps to another set of doors, where the control room waited.
The next four days passed in a rush of meetings, scientific babble, and, for Jack, extreme boredom. Oh, he met with Yil and the other leaders of the underwater city, but he still spent a lot of time staring out the windows at the colorful, tropical fish as they drifted by. One day they all got watch the Mer hunt, their strong legs propelling them through the water, their spears--shot from a type of pressurized gun--flashing in the strong light of the sun. Carter rhapsodized about the clarity and depth of the water for a while, but Jack stopped paying attention about the time she mentioned diffusion.
Teal'c was more interested in spending time with Yil's apprentices and learning more ways to beat people up, no doubt, and Daniel--
Jack sighed as he stumbled across Daniel and Jimre sprawled in yet another passageway. Jimre still looked pretty dull to Jack, but he seemed to have endless patience for Daniel's questions about the minutiae of life in Caen and the history of its people. Most of the history, however, seemed to be recorded on the interior walls of the city.
Even Jimre got tired of Daniel sometimes, though, and Jack had had more than one conversation that involved Daniel rambling distractedly and rifling through his notes. These impromptu lectures tended to end abruptly as Daniel talked himself into yet more questions and dashed off to find just one more mural.
On the fifth day, Jack caught Yil giving him strange looks, like he wanted to bring something up, but wasn't sure how to approach it. They were only scheduled to be in the city for a week, and Jack knew that Yil would have to say whatever was on his mind before they left.
The sixth day, Jack and Teal'c picked up Carter for breakfast.
Jack stuck his head into her open doorway, and Carter looked up from her computer, slowly focusing on the here and now.
"What do you think it'll be today? Fish? Or...fish?"
Carter grinned. "I'd say those are good guesses, sir."
They ambled down the hallways, lobbing jokes at Teal'c, who would acknowledge them with a tilt of his head or a smile.
They rounded a corner. "Oh, come on, Teal'c! That joke is a classic!"
"I do not see the humor in insulting people with the approximate physical characteristics of Major Carter, who is very intelligent."
"Thank you, Teal'c." Carter looked smug.
Jack rolled his eyes. "That's what makes it funny!" He stopped dead in his tracks. "Who is that?"
A figure was hunched on the floor of a small branching corridor. Suddenly, Jack saw the figure lean back and take a bite of something, and Jack recognized the familiar gesture.
"Daniel!"
Daniel looked up. "Jack? What time is it?" His clothes were rumpled, and he had circles under his eyes. He looked at his watch and raised his brows. "Wow."
Jack hooked a thumb back toward the main corridor. "We're getting breakfast. Coming?"
Daniel looked at the notebook paper and sketches strewn around him. "Oh. Uh...sure. No--wait."
He leaned over and grabbed a paper.
"Jack, I found it."
Carter stepped forward. "Found what?"
Daniel gestured at the wall. It was the mural he'd shown them at the briefing. It took up the entire height of the wall, and was easily twice as wide.
"I knew there was something weird about this mural. But until I saw it, here, I didn't realize just how strange it was. It doesn't fit with the idea of any Goa'uld we know of, and..."
"She's on a throne, ruling," Jack interrupted.
"And she's tormenting that man," Carter added.
Daniel waved an arm. "But there are way too many oddities. Look! The first thing I noticed is the crowd itself--notice that none of them are bowing? And then the woman--she's holding a plant in her right hand, which is probably an herb of some kind. And see how she's turning away from the man? She's ignoring him and refusing to give him the herb."
Daniel finished with a tone that let Jack know he thought the answer should be perfectly obvious. He opened his mouth, but Carter beat him to it, for once as confused as he was.
"But if she's not a Goa'uld, why wouldn't she help someone?"
Daniel looked started. "Oh. Because I think she's supposed to represent Eir." At their blank looks, he said, "A Norse goddess of healing. The legends say that she's the most skilled physician, in charge of the most difficult healings, even raising the dead."
This time, Jack saw where Daniel was going. "You think this Eir was an Asgard."
Daniel nodded.
Teal'c interrupted, "There may be many Goa'uld who would choose to use such a deity for their own ends."
"And she doesn't look very helpful to me," Sam said, glancing at the mural.
Daniel nodded and pulled out another photo, an enlargement of the one Sam held. "Look at the detail on the man's face, though."
Jack squinted in the dim light. It was evident that the mural was very old--there were large cracks that marred the surface, especially when seen up close. But it was also very detailed. And the most striking feature--
Carter drew in a quiet breath--she'd seen it at the same time Jack had.
The man's eyes were blurred, with the same lines radiating out from them that surrounded the woman.
Teal'c looked over Sam's shoulder at the man's eyes. "A Goa'uld."
Daniel was positively glowing. "And if he was, and if she was Eir and an Asgard, then that means this is the second planet that's circumvented the normal rules about protected planets and technology. Think of what we could learn from these people!"
Jack had to admit that having another connection to the Asgard could come in handy. And just the knowledge that the Asgard had ignored another protected planet's technology was valuable information.
Still..."This could be coincidental."
Daniel set his face stubbornly. "I don't think so. It makes sense."
"The Colonel is right, Daniel. We simply don't know enough about these people or their history to make that kind of judgment. Even if there is a connection to the Asgard, they may not know about it."
Daniel acknowledged Carter's point with a tilt of his head. "I'll ask Yil about it," he said, and when Jack caught his eye, added hastily, "Carefully."
Jack rolled his eyes, but didn't say anything else on the subject. They waited while Daniel whisked all his supplies and notes into his arms and then continued to the hall where everyone took their meals.
They sat with their usual group--Yil, Syl, Jimre, and another hunter, Dolin, who was a young female with only a half-pattern on her skin, meaning she was still an apprentice--perhaps the youngest Mer they'd seen during their whole stay. She was quiet and serious, but she'd taken a liking to Carter and had monopolized her time--when Carter found a spare moment outside of the Mer's science labs.
Dolin had taken the responsibility of fetching food for their guests. The first time SG-1 had approached the table and Dolin had risen to procure food for them, Major Carter had attempted a protest, but it seemed that as the youngest, Dolin was required to serve the rest of the table.
Today, she grinned at Carter when she came back laden with a large tray of fish and other food they grew inside the city. "Don't worry. I won't have to do this my whole life. Yil has made it clear that once I am litko, I may only serve myself."
Jack chalked Daniel's confused expression up to the unfamiliar word, as did Dolin.
She ducked her smooth, pale head and smiled as she sat down. "Litko comes after apprenticeship."
Carter leaned in. "So are you close to...graduating, then?" Beside her, Daniel asked Jimre a question, and the table divided neatly into halves, each side with their own conversation. Jack wanted to hear the answer to Carter's question.
Dolin looked puzzled, but then nodded. "I think so. Although you'd have to ask Yil--and he may not tell you, either."
She said this last part with a sly glance at Yil, but Yil kept a straight face. "You will be litko soon enough," he chided gently, and Dolin frowned.
Teal'c said, "Among the young, the desire is for accomplishment. Among the old, desire is for time."
The table fell silent. Jimre and Syl looked sharply at Teal'c, and Yil looked unnerved. Dolin was staring at him with wide eyes, her back straight and still as if she'd been frozen.
Teal'c cocked his head to the side.
Yil cleared his throat. "Yes, well. We have a long day ahead of us. Shall we get started?"
Dolin cleared the table as if afraid that someone else would speak.
"What did you say?" Daniel asked as they fell in behind Yil.
Teal'c frowned. "I am unsure."
*_*_*_*_*
That evening, Jack dialed up the SGC to report on their mission.
"It might not be the most exciting mission, sir, but the kids sure think it's interesting. Carter's nearly beside herself at the toys she's picked up, and Daniel--well--" Jack shrugged eloquently.
General Hammond asked, "And you're sure that there's nothing else going on?"
"There was an odd moment at breakfast this morning, sir, but Daniel thinks it was a simple social gaff."
"What do you think?"
Jack grimaced. "The Mer have been very hospitable, sir. I'd prefer not to jump to conclusions." It was possible it was just a misunderstanding of some kind.
There was a pause, and then Hammond said, "Alright then. But keep an eye on things. We'll see you tomorrow."
"Yes, sir."
The transmission ended, and the 'gate shut down.
Which is when things all went wrong.
Jack turned around to find Yil behind him, lacking his usual smile.
"News?"
Yil shook his head. "I'm sorry."
"For this morning? Hey--we all have our bad days."
Yil frowned. "No--I--" he started over. "I tried to convince the council that this was wrong, but sometimes sacrifices must be made."
Jack started looking for exits, but before he could move, he felt a sharp prick on his arm, and he whirled to find two Mer with blue tattoos watching him, one of them holding a small silver tube Jack supposed went with the new accessory he was sporting: a dart.
When he turned back, Yil's face swam. Jack fought to stay upright. "You bastard."
Yil was leaning over him now. "This isn't right. It wasn't part of the deal. But I can't go against them, either. I'm sorry."
Jack choked as he fell to his knees. The last thing he saw was Yil bending over him, and then his world went dark.
*_*_*_*_*
He came to in a cell. When he opened his eyes, he was immediately confronted by the light at the end of the tunnel, which quickly resolved into a bank of lights directly above his head. Unfortunately, the pounding behind his eyes didn't leave with his delusions.
"Okay, I better not hear any numbers," he groaned, rolling himself onto his side.
Directly across from him, both Carter and Daniel were holding their heads in their hands, both, thankfully, sitting up and conscious. Or at least as conscious as he was.
To his left, Teal'c was, naturally, regarding them calmly. "I believe this is our thirty-seventh incarceration, O'Neill."
Jack glared at Teal'c. "Helpful, Teal'c. Helpful."
He looked around. The cell was considerably better lit than most jails SG-1 had seen. There were four mats rolled up in one corner, and a small, half-screened toilet in the other. The entire front wall was barred, and Jack thought it looked the most like a traditional cell of all the places they'd seen. A yuppie, whitewashed cell, but definitely one that could have been on Earth.
Carter lifted her head. "What happened? One minute I was going over my notes from the day, and the next--"
Daniel rubbed at his temple. "I asked Jimre about breakfast. I wanted to know what Dolin had meant about "always" being the youngest."
Carter said, "I thought she just meant that there weren't any apprentices below her."
"But we haven't seen anyone younger than Dolin," Jack remarked.
Daniel raised his eyebrows. "Exactly. Jimre was telling me--before he stuck me with a needle--about the legends they have about what they call the Calamity. Jimre said that two gods came and fought over their planet and their people. They made the surface uninhabitable by using what Jimre called 'sun-weapons.'"
Carter looked grim, and Jack knew she was thinking the same thing he was.
Daniel continued, "They have a legend about a savior who came to their world and drove off the gods. Apparently, she 'struck them down and banished them,' and then offered the Mer a choice--relocation to another world, or relocation to the sea."
"Eir," Carter guessed.
"They call her Yir, but yes. I'd guess she was an Asgard, and this planet is a protected planet."
"Do you think it has something to do with us?" Carter asked.
"Yir made us wrong," a voice said from behind the bars. It was Dolin, and Jack hadn't noticed her coming until she'd said something. She hunched her shoulders and looked over her shoulder, obviously nervous that someone might come and find her.
She also looked a little sad. "We had never used the Shapa. We had taken Yir's words of caution to heart, and had left the galaxy to its own affairs. I'm the youngest Mer by many years. By the time I was born, our geneticists already knew what was happening and were trying, frantically, to fix it somehow. I am the daughter of two test subjects, and everyone thought they'd solved it. But I was just a fluke. There was no more time. Some people thought that genetic material from people more like our ancestors would help."
Daniel spoke quietly. "That's why you were so eager for us to visit."
Dolin nodded. "The plan was to take samples without you knowing. We did that the first night, while you were asleep. But the tests--," she took a shuddering breath. "You have to understand. Our people are desperate. They are dying. We are dying. Some think that if we have...specimens to study, our chances are better."
"You can't hold us here," Jack said.
Carter caught Dolin's eye. "Our people will come for us."
Dolin shook her head. "The Shapa will be moved--buried. They won't be able to connect tomorrow, and we know your people don't have ships that can reach us quickly."
At this statement, Daniel looked guilty.
Jack glared at him. He shrugged helplessly, and Jack had to roll his eyes and move on.
"Dolin," Jack said urgently. "We have to get home. You have to help us."
Dolin grabbed the bars, her long, webbed fingers tightening around them. “I can't. I'm not even supposed to be here.”
Teal'c, who had remained sitting when Dolin first appeared, stood slowly, calmly. “I do not believe that you want to leave us here. If you do, you know what will happen.”
No one spoke. Even Jack was wise enough to keep his mouth shut and let Dolin figure it out. Finally, her grip on the bars loosened and she looked up, her second eyelid fluttering back until her eye was clear.
"Yes," she said quietly. "I do. It is not right, what we are doing."
"No." Jack stood up. "It isn't."
Dolin nodded resolutely. "I thought--," she paused briefly. "I thought that you would be different. From us. I never liked being youngest. I was ready to do anything…"
Jack nodded, knowing the desire to make excuses. "Just get us out of here."
Dolin moved away from the bars and around the corner. In seconds, the bars unlocked with a clang, and Teal'c and Jack pushed them to the side.
SG-1 filed out of the cell and into the hallway, heading toward where Dolin stood. She gestured at the door in front of them. "When we get out of here, you must stay close to me. I know this area better than anyone--it's not often used, and I was in the habit of coming down here to think, to be alone. If we are lucky, the Shapa will still be inside the city, and we will reach it before they know you are gone."
Daniel snorted. "Like we're ever lucky."
Carter stifled a grin.
They moved quickly through the corridors. Jack had no idea where the cells were located in the city, but Dolin was sure of where she was going, and didn't hesitate at any of the intersections. The one time they heard footsteps, Dolin motioned them down a side passage, and the footsteps faded without even turning in their general direction.
Eventually, she led them through a door into a narrow hallway. "We can relax here for a moment," she said. "This place is quite hidden."
Jack said, "I don't suppose you can help us acquire our gear and weapons?"
Dolin shook her head. "Your things were taken to be studied by our scientists."
Carter grimaced, undoubtedly thinking about all of the data she'd acquired over the last few days being lost. Jack didn't need to look at Daniel to know that he had that half-resigned, half-pouting look he got whenever this happened to them.
Neither of them mentioned that they'd long been in the habit of copying everything they could each night to a more portable kind of memory device Carter had modified to hold large amounts of data, though Jack saw Carter touch a pocket and relax slightly.
Teal'c kept a watch down the hallway, and Dolin brought out a device that she held up to her ear--a communications monitor Jack had seen Yil use throughout their stay. As she listened, her face grew troubled. She put the device away swiftly and tapped Teal'c on the arm. He shook his head, indicating there was no one in the immediate vicinity.
She said, "They are planning on moving the Shapa in about an hour. It is an intensive effort, especially since they will bury it in the sands. But someone is being sent to check the cells. I'm not sure if we can make it to the Shapa before the alarm is sounded."
"We will use a little less caution, then," Teal'c said.
Dolin's mouth tightened. "We're almost there--we've come almost the whole way across the city."
Carter reached out, grasped Dolin's shoulder. "You'll be okay, right?"
Dolin smiled grimly. "Even if I am caught, they will not hurt me--I'm the last child."
Teal'c shot Jack a look, one Jack knew signified that he was hearing movement outside their room somewhere.
"Less talking, more moving," Jack said.
This time, although still quiet, they moved more quickly down corridors, Dolin holding the communications device to her ear, directly them down parallel paths more than once. Only sometimes did the team come close to the outside walls of the city-invariably as soon as they got a glimpse of the outside water, they'd veer back into white, featureless tunnels. Sometimes, it seemed as if footsteps were coming straight for them, only to veer away at the last moment, and Jack was very impressed by Dolin's ability to predict her people's movements, and by her knowledge of the city--Jack had a good sense of direction, but even he would have been lost within minutes in the white, featureless and window-less hallways.
Dolin was ahead of them, barely, when Jack saw her suddenly tense. She dropped the device, and said, "They've discovered you're gone. Run!"
She took off, and SG-1 broke into a run behind her. This time, when they heard footsteps, they didn't slow or stop. They blew past a group of green-tattooed scientists who stared after them, shocked. They were out of sight around the next corner before they heard a shout behind them.
Another corner, and another, and Dolin gasped out, “Almost there!” Jack thought the intersection looked slightly familiar, rounded the corner, and almost ran straight into Dolin's back. She had stopped dead in her tracks in front of Yil, who looked just as surprised as Jack felt. In his hand was a communications device.
He recovered as the other members of SG-1 halted beside Jack. They could overpower Yil easily, but not before he sounded the alarm. And the room with the 'gate was accessible to the outside-all the Mer would have to do would be open the access hatch and flood the compartment with water, and SG-1 would never get home.
“Dolin!” Yil said, his eyes narrowing, his fingers tightening around the device. “What are you doing?”
Dolin trembled, and Jack thought for a minute that she'd give in. Instead, she took a deep breath and straightened. “I'm helping them go home, Yil.”
Yil looked shocked. “Against your people's needs? You have worked for this chance your whole life!”
“You have spent the last days with them as I have. This is the right thing to do.”
Yil, angry, stepped forward into Dolin's space, but Dolin held her ground and looked him in the eye.
Without moving his head, Jack looked at Teal'c, who was closest to Yil and the hand that held the device. Yil lifted the device slowly. Teal'c tensed, ready to knock his hand aside. Yil hesitated, shot Teal'c a look, and lowered his hand.
“This is a mistake,” he told Dolin. “An apprentice should not threaten her master. You will never be litko if you help them.”
Dolin shook her head. “That doesn't matter. I had to act against injustice.”
A loud clang sounded in the corridor, and Yil startled, allowing Teal'c to grab the device from his hand.
Dolin looked up frantically. “They've started the process to bury the Shapa! We must be quick!”
Teal'c grabbed Yil and pushed him in front as they ran the last few meters to the room that held the 'gate. Dolin threw herself into the room first, then Carter, Jack, Daniel, and Teal'c.
Jack could hear mechanical noises from the walls.
“This cannot be good,” Daniel said, and Jack agreed. He just hoped that they could open the 'gate before the water came in.
“Carter!”
Carter was already headed for the DHD. “On it, sir!”
Jack asked, "Anyone still have a GDO?" To which everyone shook their heads. Alpha site it was, then--and Carter was already punching in the symbols. She finished and touched the center panel, and the 'gate whooshed outwards. Dolin and Yil flinched.
Another loud clank, and a seam of the far wall widened. “Get moving, kids!” Jack shouted, and Daniel and Sam dashed through the event horizon. Dolin took Yil's arm, and Teal'c moved to the 'gate's steps just ahead of Jack. As Teal'c disappeared, water began pouring in through the widening crack. There wasn't any more time, but Jack turned back to Dolin anyway.
"You're sure you'll be okay?"
Dolin nodded. "Yes. Whatever happens."
Jack regarded Dolin for a second. "Thank you," he said. And, before he could think better of it, he stepped into the 'gate himself, not looking back at the two figures left standing in the swirling water, waiting for their people to find their last hope gone.
*_*_*_*_*
General Hammond turned from the observation window to the four teammates seated around the briefing table.
"Our last attempt to dial the Mer's 'gate was unsuccessful. It is reasonable to assume they followed their original plan of burying the 'gate."
Teal'c said, "I do not believe the Mer will give up on their mission to acquire subjects."
Daniel nodded reluctantly. "We're talking about the extinction of their entire race. I can't imagine them not trying to find some way around that."
Carter said, "If they had only told us in the beginning--we might have been able to help them!"
Jack twirled a pencil between his fingers and frowned. He looked around the table at his team. None of them were happy about the way things had turned out. It was likely that they'd never see the Mer again--in a galaxy as big as theirs, there was plenty of room to avoid being found. But there might be a planet out there that wasn't so lucky...
Jack suppressed a grimace. Sometimes you saved the world, or someone else's. Sometimes...
General Hammond caught his eye, and Jack gave a little shrug.
Sometimes you weren't as lucky.
*_*_*_*_*