Summary: Two planets are destroyed by earthquakes. Earth is next on the list.
Rating: PG13.
Warnings : Jacob gets hurt… although there is no surprise there :P. So does Malek :P
Author's Note: The epicentre of said quakes are right under where ppl are standing!!!!
Variety Pack Prompt: #53 - Earth
Thanks : to Marya for editing as usual.
Disclaimer: Jacob, Selmak, Malek and SG1 are not mine. I just borrow and play with them. They belong to MGM. Cept Jared, he's mine, all mine. :D Elise is also mine.
Earthquake
By Tels .
“An earthquake achieves what the law promises but does not in practice maintain - the equality of all men.” - Ignazio Silon.
The gate opened with a whoosh. Immediately the four guards sprung to their feet and drew their weapons. No one was due back and they weren't going to take any chances. Nothing happened for a minute or so, then three bound and gagged bodies flew out hitting the ground hard and remaining motionless. Then the wormhole itself started to fluctuate and destabilise. One more figure came through, landing just as hard. Then a massive energy wave came through the gate just as it shut down sending the guards to the ground also.
The underground base shook hard as the energy wave rippled through it. Malek looked up, grabbing the wall for support. <Earthquake?> he asked Jared.
<No> Jared replied.
<Ariel assault then perhaps?> he suggested, although that didn't seem right either. The shaking increased and part of the tunnel ceiling collapsed, a shard cutting his face deeply.
<Something else… you'd better send damage control teams out.>
Malek nodded and as the shaking stopped gave the orders that would send teams to every corner of the base. “And send to the gate too!” he finished. He touched his face gingerly. It would heal on it's on in time. Right now his people needed him.
Back on the surface Aldwin crawled to where the others had been tossed like the rag doll a child heedlessly discards once they have finished playing with it. He checked for a pulse but both host and symbiote were dead in each case. Then he crawled to where the others lay, the ones that had come through the gate just before whatever it was had happened. They were dead, apart from one.
His clothes had been torn off by the force of the blast which had followed him through the wormhole. His back was torn to shreds and his other injures extensive. Burns covered a fair part of his body and his shin bone protruded through the skin. He moaned and tried to move.
Aldwin put a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Don't move… I'll get help,” he said.
His eyes opened and glowed faintly as the symbiote retreated to try and heal the host. “I…”
“Don't speak.” Aldwin raised the communicator and called for backup and a healer.
“The others?” the voice was a hoarse whisper.
“Dead… I'm sorry.”
Jacob closed his eyes, the pain coursing though him becoming too much for him to bear. “I failed… I'm sorry.”
--- --- ---
Malek stood in the healing chambers counting the dead and injured as they were brought in. Still no one knew what had happened. All they knew was it was not an earthquake. He had refused to let anyone treat his face, it was a scratch. There were far more serious injuries that warranted attending to first. A commotion from the door grabbed his attention. Aldwin was brought in along with one other figure.
Elise rushed over to them.
Aldwin shook his head. “I'm fine,” he said. “See to Jacob.”
“Jacob?” Malek said moving swiftly across the room. <He wasn't due back for another three days!> He took in the naked form of his friend and the state of his wounds. “What happened?”
Aldwin began to explain as Elise started examining Jacob. He was unconscious and she wasn't surprised. Putting the scanner down, she continued her examination preferring the hands on approach. Sometimes it was easier to detect things by touch.
Malek looked at Aldwin as he spoke. Then he turned to one of the other Tok'ra. “Run to the gate and check the radiation levels. Also run resonance scans. Sounds like whatever hit us came through the gate.”
The Tok'ra nodded and ran off to do Malek's bidding.
Malek turned to Elise. “Well?” he asked as she pulled a sheet up to Jacob's waist.
Elise looked at him. “Fifty percent full thickness burns, the rest partial thickness. Cuts, bruises several broken bones, evidence of severe torture… the marks on his back are whip marks of some kind… I won't know more until I can clean him up. Both he and Selmak are unconscious, which can only be a good thing at the moment.” She took a deep breath. “Right now I can't say with any certainty that either of them will survive.”
Malek kept the shock inside. He nodded slightly. “Just do what you can…”
Elise looked at him. “It maybe an idea to get his daughter here if you can,” she said quietly.
Malek looked at her, his internal cry of grief echoed by Jared's. He nodded again. “I will do that,” he said slowly.
--- --- ---
Three Tok'ra stood at the gate when Sam and Daniel arrived. Sam had wanted to go immediately and Daniel insisted on going with her. The information she had received was sketchy. Malek hadn't wanted to go into detail on the comm link. She nodded at the Tok'ra. “Where's my father?” she said half expecting him to be there waiting for her.
“Malek will explain. He is waiting for you in his office.”
Sam looked at Daniel as they ringed down into the tunnels. “I don't like this,” she said. “Something's wrong… Why tell us to come as Dad needs me if he isn't here?”
“I don't know,” Daniel said. “But something's happened here. The floor is no longer in alignment with the walls and there's a lot of damage to parts of the ceiling.”
They reached Malek's office to find him trying to put it to rights. He was worried about the injured but had been chased out from under Elise's feet and so was trying to make himself useful. He looked up as he heard them come in. “Thank you for coming,” he said.
Sam looked at him. “Where's my Dad?” she asked cutting to the chase. “And what happened here?”
Malek looked at her. “We still don't know what happened. The base was hit by something. All we know is it wasn't an earthquake or aerial assault.” He paused. “Jacob is in the infirmary.”
Sam looked at him. “How badly was he hurt?” she said her voice almost a whisper.
“He's pretty badly hurt,” Malek said not wanting to lie to her. “But he was on the surface when this happened. The majority of his injuries appear to be from the mission he was on.”
“I want to see him!”
Malek nodded. “Of course… come with me.”
--- --- ---
As they walked, Malek explained as much as he could to Sam. The mission Jacob had been on had been a simple trade mission but as Jacob hadn't come round he wasn't in a position to say what had gone wrong. “The three that were with him along with three of the four guards at the gate were killed. Aldwin was on the surface but doesn't remember much after the gate activated.” He stopped as he reached the healing chambers. “Like I said, Jacob is very badly hurt and the healers have many wounded to care for.”
Sam nodded and moved past him into the chamber. She looked round, the normally hushed room noisy and bustling. She didn't see her father at first and then caught a glimpse as someone moved. “Dad!” she cried rushing over to him.
One of the healers held her back to prevent her from touching him.
Daniel reached her side and looked down at Jacob.
Jacob lay on his stomach, three of the healers working on the many burns that covered his body.
“Dad!” Sam cried trying to get free.
Elise looked up. “Your father and Selmak are unconscious,” she said gently. “Both life signs are very faint.” She gave Sam a run down of the injuries Jacob had.
Sam looked at her father and pulled out of the healer's arms. She took hold of Jacob's hand. Tears pricked her eyes. “Dad?”
Daniel took hold of her and gently pulled her back. “Give them room to work Sam… There's nothing we can do right now.”
She fought for an instant and then nodded, letting Daniel pull her slightly to one side.
Malek took the report pad from Adair and looked at it. His brow furrowed slightly. “That can't be right.” He looked up. “Do them again.”
“With all due respect Malek,” Adair began. “We don't…”
“Do them again!” Malek ordered firmly.
Adair nodded and headed from the room.
Daniel looked at him. “Is something wrong?”
Malek looked up from the pad. “I'm not sure. Whatever happened…” he broke off as the base began to shake again, this time accompanied by a grinding roaring sound.
“Thought you said it wasn't an earthquake!” Daniel said grabbing Sam and forcing her into the doorway covering her with his body as they both held on to keep upright.
Malek grabbed hold of something. “It wasn't… this however is!”
The tunnel began shaking hard as the tremor increased in intensity. Elise threw herself across Jacob's prone figure to protect him from the falling debris. She cried out as part of the ceiling collapsed, landing across her back.
“ ELISE! ” Malek shouted. Heedless of his own safety he staggered across the shaking chamber to her side. He fell several times, each time getting up and heading towards her.
As he reached her the shaking finally stopped. Malek tried to pull the beam off her but it was too heavy. “Help me!” he yelled.
Daniel and Sam rushed to his side and together they managed to pull the beam off of Elise.
Malek put a hand on her neck. “Elise!” he said.
She opened her eyes coughing as the dust flew thick in the air. “I'm okay,” she said pushing herself upright.
Malek shook his head. “Keep still,” he insisted grabbing a scanner. He ran his hand down her neck and spine and then ran the scanner over her.
Elise coughed hard. “I'm fine!” she insisted again trying to get up.
Finally satisfied with the scan results Malek laid a hand on her shoulder and helped her up.
She ran a hand over her face and then the back of her neck. “I'm okay,” she repeated. She coughed hard again, wincing slightly.
Sam immediately laid a hand on Jacob's neck. “He's alive,” she said.
Daniel straightened from where he'd checked the other two healers. “They're dead,” he said.
Malek closed his eyes briefly then opened them again. There would be time to grieve for them and all the other dead when this crisis was over. He looked at Sam. “Can you get to the control room?” he asked her. “I need to know what the seismographs read. The computers should be able to predict the next tremor and how big it is likely to be.”
Sam nodded and left the room at a run.
Elise turned back to Jacob. She wasn't as uninjured as she made out but had duties here which required her attention. She slid the healing device onto her hand and activated it. She had to get him stabilized and that meant healing most of the burns. The cuts and bruises including the deep lacerations on his back, although painful and unsightly weren't life threatening and therefore could wait.
Sam looked at the readouts and shook her head. She grabbed her radio. “Daniel put Malek on!”
“He's here.” Daniel handed Malek the radio.
Malek took the radio. “This is Malek… what have you found Colonel?”
“The seismograph indicated that last quake was what we'd term a 6.4… a pretty big one. If I am reading this right, whatever happened has destabilised the planet's core.”
“WHAT??” Malek said his normal unflustered image dropping.
Sam took a deep breath. “Our best estimate shows the quakes are just going to increase in magnitude until it either rips the planet apart or until the core settles.”
Before Malek could answer another earthquake struck. This time the tremor was intense but short lived.
“That one wasn't so bad,” Daniel said.
“A 5.4,” Sam replied. “But they are just gonna get worse. The new resonance scans indicate severe core instability. According to these readings some kind of energy beam came through the gate just as Dad's team gated back. It must have followed them through. It passed through the gate, the base and into the core of the planet.”
Malek closed his eyes taking all this in, his scientific mind working overtime. “How long have we got?”
“Impossible to tell…” Sam broke off as another earthquake struck the base.
Worse than the last the shaking tossed everyone off their feet. “It's a 7.5!” Sam shouted over the roaring sound.
Elise flung herself over Jacob again, her own safety meaning nothing to her.
More crystals fell from the ceiling. “Malek this is just going to get worse!” Sam repeated. “You have to evacuate your people now! While you still can!”
Malek nodded. “Agreed. Start the emergency evacuation!”
Immediately alarms began to ring throughout the underground complex. Malek made his way across to Elise as the shaking stopped. “See to the wounded and get them through the gate. Then follow.”
“What about you?” she asked.
Malek looked at her. “It's my base… I'm the last one out,” he told her. He looked at Daniel. “Help her get the wounded to the gate.”
Daniel nodded. He looked at Malek. “We'll go to Earth… that way we can send probes back to monitor things here and get you guys the medical help you need right now.”
Malek opened his mouth to argue but then nodded. “Very well. Go.”
--- --- --- ---
“Unauthorised incoming wormhole!”
Brig Gen Jack O'Neill looked up at the tannoy and got to his feet, moving swiftly to the control room. “Who is it?”
“SG1,” Walter replied.
“Let them in.” Jack watched for a second and then moved down to the gate room. He wasn't expecting what he saw.
Several Tok'ra ran through the gate carrying stretchers and helping the wounded. Jack recognised one of the injured as Jacob and went over to the comm system. “Med team to the gate room!” he ordered. He went over to the healer he recognised as Elise. “What happened?”
She looked up at him. “Earthquake… Malek ordered an evac… Dr Jackson said to come here.”
Jack nodded and looked over at the SF's. “Get these people to the infirmary!” He just hoped the rest of SG1 would come back unhurt. He moved onto the ramp, helping the injured Tok'ra down and away. A med team led by the CMO ran in and started helping with the more seriously injured.
--- --- --- ---
Another earthquake struck as the last few Tok'ra struggled from the tunnels via the rings. Malek dropped to his knees putting his hands up above his head as the roof caved in. He cried out, his senses slipping as a huge piece of crystal landed on top of him. He fell forwards, the rocks burying him as they fell.
Sam ringed to the surface with the last few. She sent them on to Daniel at the gate and waited for Malek. She glanced at her watch. “Come on!” she said as nothing had happened after a few minutes.
Daniel sent the last through and thumbed his radio. “Where are you Sam?!”
“Malek hasn't come up yet. Gonna go back down after him.”
“You don't have time!”
Another earthquake struck sending Daniel to the ground. This was by far the worst yet, the gate itself shifting slightly. “Sam we have to go now!” Daniel yelled. He shook his head. He turned towards the gate. “Jack we got problems here. Gonna shut the gate down and we'll redial. Keep the lights on.” Then he turned and ran back towards the rings.
Sam activated the rings and started searching for Malek. “Malek!” she called. The tunnels were full of dust and debris and walking was difficult without the constant shaking now.
Daniel ringed down and started looking for Sam. He pulled up his radio. “Sam? Where are you?”
“Heading towards the last place I saw Malek. He was checking the base. Go left from the rings.”
Daniel nodded and headed in the direction Sam had said. He noticed that the last earthquake hadn't stopped and hoped that the gate was still going to be there when they got to the surface. After what seemed like an hour but could only have been five minutes at the most, he saw a figure in front of him. “Sam!” he yelled.
Sam turned. “Daniel… the tunnels collapsed… I can't get though.”
Daniel reached her. “Then we leave… come back once it's safe.”
“There is no safe time… according to these readings.” Sam said looking at the pad in her hand, “We don't have long. The core instability is increasing… it's just going to rip the planet apart!”
“Then we go NOW!” Daniel said pulling at her.
“Malek is still here.”
Daniel looked at her. “Sam if he was under that when it fell he's dead. If he's the other side of that he's dead as we don't have time to dig him out! Come on!”
The tremor increased in strength sending them both to the ground. More crystals fell from the roof and surrounding walls.
Under the rocks the increase in seismic activity roused Malek from the darkness he'd been in. He came to, to find he couldn't move with what felt like three tons of rocks on top of him. One arm was pinned to one side of his body, the other under his face and his legs were somewhere he assumed. He couldn't feel them. <Jared?> he said worriedly.
<Here… I think… At least we got everyone off the base first.>
<Yes we did… fulfilled our duty to our people.>
<It hurts Mal… can't breathe…>
Malek checked Jared's body quickly, the realisation dawning on him. He closed his eyes. < I'm sorry… I can not free us and you are badly injured.>
Jared hugged Malek. <It's okay my friend… neither of us should have survived seventy years ago.> His thoughts turned to his wife, now long dead, killed with their unborn son shortly before he'd blended with Malek. <I'm coming Sue-Lyn> he whispered, knowing that he was dying but strangely not afraid as he wasn't alone. <Don't prolong it Mal> he said. <I never wanted a long drawn out death. It's been an honour to carry you… my friend.>
Malek hugged his host tightly. <I love you> he whispered making Jared sleep as he prepared to release the poison that would kill them both.
Sam looked at Daniel. “I am not leaving them!” she insisted. She turned to the rock fall and started trying to move the fallen crystals. “Help me!”
Daniel sighed and moved to her side. Even with the two of them it was going to take more time than they had.
“Daniel Jackson!” came a voice.
Daniel turned. “Teal'c… Malek is trapped behind here somewhere…”
Teal'c nodded and he and SG12 started to help shift the rocks. “General O'Neill was concerned when you didn't return.”
“So he sent a rescue… remind me to thank him.”
Sam pulled a rock to one side and looked in horror at what she uncovered. “He's underneath it,” she said grabbing hold of the hand she'd uncovered. “He's still got a pulse but only just.”
The others moved over to where she was and started moving the rocks with renewed vigour.
Sam squeezed the hand she was holding. “Malek!” she called. “Malek we're here… we're gonna get you out.”
Malek felt something touch his hand and grasp it. In his semi conscious state he wondered if it were a dream, one of Jared's memories seeping through from the dream he had given him of his wife.
Then he felt an increase in pain then air, cold air touching his arm. Then another tremor struck, far more violent than before and darkness descended again.
--- --- --- ---
Teal'c carried Malek as SG1 and 12 ran to the gate. He just hoped the gate was still standing. The last quake which Col Carter had said was a 10.5 had destroyed the rings just as they had reached the surface. A huge chasm opened up behind them, the entire area the base had covered just collapsing as the quake gained in intensity.
Daniel reached the DHD and hit the glyphs quickly sending the signal as soon as the vortex opened. Not waiting the obligatory 10 seconds, he ran through the gate intending to alert the medics.
The others followed close behind. Sam paused for an instant, turning to watch the devastation behind her… an awful thought occurring to her as she watched. From what little they knew her Dad and his team had returned early and in a hurry. What if they were trying to outrun this and the shockwave of the planet being destroyed had followed them through? What if that were going to happen again? What if…?
Sam turned and ran though the gate. “Close the iris and shut it down!” she yelled as soon as she hit the ramp.
Jack looked at her and then repeated the order to Walter.
Walter hit the console. “It's not responding!” he said. “There's some kind of electromagnetic energy wave coming through the gate.”
Sam turned and looked at the gate. The matter stream was starting to destabilise. She turned to Jack. “We don't shut this down the same thing will happen here as did on Malek's base!”
He looked at her and then tilted his head. Both of them ran to the control room. “Close the blast doors!” Jack ordered.
Sam sat at the console, her fingers typing in every command she could think off. Then she reached down and pulled the manual release for the iris. It slid closed but the gate would still not shut down.
The ground around the gate on Malek's base began to give way. Fire started to leap up through the open chasms as an unstoppable chain reaction in the planet's core began.
The gate room began to shake. Jack looked at Sam. “Carter!” he said.
“Working on it!” Sam said typing in a final command and hitting send.
The planet slowly began to explode, the energy wave flowing through the gate and open wormhole before the gate itself fell into the abyss, sending the full force of the planet's destruction though the vortex to Earth.
The iris began to buckle as the lead edge of the energy wave started to arrive. The whole mountain began to shake. Loose equipment and pens went flying across the room. Sam clung to the console, wishing she had been wrong about this.
Then finally the gate shut down as the computer responded to Sam's coding. The shaking didn't stop for another 10 seconds. Then Jack looked at Walter, letting go of the back of Sam's chair. “Get hold of the USGS… I want to know as much as they can give me! And I also want damage reports from all sections of the base.”
Walter nodded and grabbed the phone.
“And get Siler down there to check the gate!” Jack turned to Sam. “Walk with me Colonel. There is someone in the infirmary you should see.”
--- --- --- ---
Jacob had spent an hour at least lying as still as he could on his stomach staring up at the infirmary wall trying to take in what he had been told as they healed him. Elise had been running the healing device over his back trying to heal the numerous cuts he had there. She'd been trying to find out what happened but he'd remained tight lipped, not wanting to admit how much he had messed up and failed those that had gone with him.
Then Teal'c had come in carrying Malek and Elsie had rushed to try to help him. Jacob had tried to get up but it had hurt too much, almost to the point of him blacking out so he had laid down again and allowed one of the other Tok'ra to continue working on his back. From what little he had over heard Malek was barely alive and Jared was severely injured. He'd asked Teal'c who said Malek had been caught in a rock fall caused by a series of severe earthquakes.
Neither he nor Selmak could understand that. The planets were checked for seismic activity before a base was placed there as they were all too aware that tunnels and earthquakes do not mix. He wondered how many had been killed and watched as they worked on Malek. He saw Elsie turn away and cover her face in her hands and then closed his own eyes. Malek wouldn't survive if Elise were that upset. He knew she had been carrying a torch for him and Jared for sometime. However Malek seemed oblivious to it so she hadn't said anything or pursued it.
Finally they had healed him sufficiently for him to be considered out of danger and for Selmak to finish the repairs herself. He had dressed in the standard AF pants and black tee shirt and lain back down. He'd tried to comfort Elsie but she had made some excuse and taken herself back to Malek's side. He watched her for a bit, knowing she was in pain from the way she was holding herself but knew she'd refuse help while someone needed it more.
The base alarms went off again and then there was what felt like an earthquake. The whole base started to shake, the shaking growing in intensity, equipment flying off walls and tables and smashing to the floor. One of the medics immediately threw herself across him to stop him falling onto the floor.
<Earthquake?> Selmak asked.
<Not in Colorado > Jacob answered. <You don't suppose…> he broke off. <What have we done?>
His thoughts were interrupted by a voice calling his name. He opened his eyes and looked up into the worried face of his daughter. “Sammie,” he said, reaching out a hand to her.
“Dad,” Sam said squeezing his hand. “How are you?”
“Been better,” Jacob responded.
“You look better than you did on Malek's base.”
Jacob turned onto his side and pulled Sam down to sit next to him. “You were on Malek's base?” he said confused.
Sam nodded. “You and your team gated back seriously injured. Malek sent for me. Then all hell broke loose and we helped evac everyone here.”
Jacob looked past Sam to Jack wondering why he was here rather than assessing the damage following the quake. “What's wrong?” he asked.
Sam took a deep breath. “Some kind of energy wave followed you through the gate and destroyed Malek's base. The same wave followed us back here. Now we think we shut the gate down in time but we don't know.”
Jacob closed his eyes. <No…> he whispered.
Jack looked at him. “Jacob… we need all the information we can get…”
“How many dead?” Jacob asked quietly.
Sam looked at Jack and then back at her father. “Last count was fifty,” she said quietly. “That figure may well rise… until Malek comes round we won't know how many were on the base.” She looked over at Malek's unmoving form. Then she looked back at Jacob. “What happened Dad… we need to know so we can stop it happening here.”
“General O'Neill please report to your office!” came a voice over the tannoy.
Jack rolled his eyes. “I'll be back!” he said heading towards the door. But he wasn't. That was the last time Jack would get to the infirmary for the foreseeable future.
Sam watched him go and then turned back to her father. “Please Dad… I have to know.”
“I can't tell you Sam… as much as I want to I can't. The first person who should be told is Malek.”
Sam closed her eyes for a moment. “Dad what ever followed you back from that mission destroyed the Tok'ra base. It followed us here.”
Jacob looked at her. “If its here then it's already too late. You need to start evacuating as many people as you can.”
She looked at him horrified. “What??”
“If it's here… then Earth is doomed.”
Sam looked at him. “What happened Dad? The more you can tell us the more chance we have of stopping this.”
Jacob nodded and slowly started telling her what happened.
It had started out as a normal mission. Jacob and three others had left the Tok'ra base on a standard trade recon. The idea was to barter for much needed food supplies. Selmak had grumbled at it being a waste of her time. The oldest and wisest didn't do trade missions. But Delek had been very persuasive and promised to make it worth her while if she did. Ordinarily she'd have ignored him… she trusted him about as far as she could throw him and his host was just too pretty to be thrown. Or so Anise insisted.
Actually that had amused both Selmak and Jacob no end… seeing Anise pursue Delek. It was obvious she was attracted to him, although all that took was for one simply to be male as she had made a play for Jacob several times too. Delek however was oblivious to Anise's intents, whether intentionally or not no one knew but it was worth it simply to see Anise being frustrated by his lack of affection and just try harder.
But this time Delek had made an offer just too tempting to be turned down so Selmak had given in, not gracefully mind, but given in none the less. Half of her wondered if this was just another way to make her miss an important council meeting but it would be nice just to get off base for a while. Besides if she were trading for food it might just be palatable and edible for once. The rubbish they had to eat even made one of the hamburger and fries Jacob's grandchildren loved so much look enticing.
So they had gone on this trade mission but things had gone wrong fairly quickly. From the moment they entered the market things weren't as they seemed. They had been treated with suspicion from the outset. Jacob assumed this was because they'd arrive though the gate, but then the first of the tremors had begun. Each one had got worse, widespread panic had ensued. This was only made worse by the fact that Jacob and his team seemed to be blamed for what happened.
He had tried to explain that it wasn't their fault, but no one listened. The town elder was adamant that this stated when the gate was opened. That had never happened before and neither had this. Therefore this was purely the visitors fault.
Selmak had taken offence at this and Jacob had been unable to prevent her coming fore with eyes glowing to tell the town elders exactly what she thought. Unfortunately that just made things ten times worse as they assumed Jacob was possessed.
The tremors eased up and Jacob and the other Tok'ra were swiftly taken into custody to await trial and sentence. He berated Selmak harshly and ignored her apologies. The trial was short and unfair in Jacob's eyes and very reminiscent of the Salem witch trials. Which wasn't surprising as that's what they were accused of being. The three Tok'ra with Jacob were charged with being his familiars and taken out for trial by water. All three drowned while Jacob was forced to watch.
He then found himself being bound and tossed into the lake as well. He struggled under the water and then Selmak came fore. She could hold her breath longer than Jacob could and forced her way out of the bonds and to the surface, not realising by doing so she was sealing their fate. As she struggled to shore another tremor struck, far greater than any so far.
The already panicked townsfolk grabbed Selmak and bound her again, dragging her back into the centre of town. The bodies of the others were taken and dumped at the foot of the gate. The elder looked at Jacob. “You have been found guilty of witchcraft and possession,” he told him. “The demon will be beaten from your body and then you will be burnt for purification of your soul.”
Jacob paled and tried to pull free, protesting his innocence but they were too strong and had bound him too tightly. He could hear Selmak weeping within him, apologising over and over again. He was led to a stone in the centre of the town square and forced to his knees face downwards over the stone. His shirt was ripped in two and he was tied firmly to the cold rock. He tried to stop his body from trembling but his fear was so great he couldn't.
He forced himself to remain silent as the lashes fell. For the first ten he managed. After that the pain was more than he could bear, even with Selmak dulling as much as he could. He lost count of how many times the whip fell. Finally he passed out. Selmak remained conscious but there was little she could do. She had cost her host his life and for that she too deserved to die.
Jacob came round to find himself tied to a stake with piles of wood around him. He closed his eyes again taking a deep breath.
<Jacob I'm sorry> Selmak whispered. <I didn't mean for any of this to happen.>
<Its okay> he answered. <It's not your fault…>
<But it is… if I hadn't come fore like that…>
<Alright… it's your fault but its okay. I forgive you. Had to die at sometime right…> He took another deep breath. <Least the Goa'uld didn't get us huh?>
Selmak hugged him. <How come you're so forgiving? I wouldn't be.>
<Not gonna die angry at you Sel… where's the sense in that eh?>
<I guess… wasn't planning on dying… gonna live forever.>
Jacob smiled slightly. <Who wants to live forever? Forever is our today. Who waits forever anyway?> he whispered.
He could smell smoke now and feel the heat rising. <Sel…>
She hugged him tightly. <I'm here… it won't hurt much… I won't let it… we'll die long before the flames hurt us too much…Just enough to make them believe the flames killed us.>
<Thank you…> His thoughts turned to his daughter and his son and grandchildren. Tears fell for them, for how much his death would affect them. Then the heat got closer and there was pain. He cried out, screaming as the intense pain filled him.
Another tremor struck. It turned into a massive quake, throwing the stake to one side and away from the fire. Selmak took control, rolling herself on the ground to put out the fire. She could hear the townsfolk screaming and running as the quake got worse. Somehow she managed to get free of the ropes and pulled herself to her feet.
She watched as a huge chasm opened up, the houses and people falling into it. She ran towards the gate, losing her balance several times on the shaking ground hoping the DHD and gate would still be standing and working. They were. She punched in the address for Malek's base and as soon as the gate opened threw the bodies through. She could bury them later.
The earthquake increased and the wormhole started to destabilise. Then a terrible ripping tearing sound filled the air, and the violence of the tremor increased. Before her horrified eyes the very fabric of the planet seemed to tear and move apart. Turning she dived through the gate, feeling something pushing her as she fell.
Jacob looked at Sam. “And then I woke up here.”
Sam looked at him. “What aren't you telling me?” she said.
“Nothing. Maybe you should ask Malek… he's the scientist.”
“Dad… Malek is in no condition to say anything. So far at least 2 planets have been destroyed by this ‘whatever it is'.”
Jacob sighed and nodded. “Okay… but its need to know okay?”
Sam nodded. “Sure.”
“I need to use one of your computers.”
Sam helped him to his feet as a tremor shook the base. Short and sharp, it tossed things off shelves and people to the floor. Sam looked at Jacob. “How much time?” she asked.
“Six hours if we're lucky,” Jacob said grimly. “I really do need you to wake Malek.”
Sam shook her head. “He's unconscious… the Doc is pretty concerned…”
Jacob looked at her. “Wake him… I'll be in Jack's office. Bring him with you.”
“Dad…”
“Sam… just do it. We'll need him.”
Sam watched her father head from the room and headed reluctantly over to Malek's bed. She had to admit the Tok'ra looked awful. Most of the external wounds had been healed but there was still a vast amount of internal damage the healers and the base CMO were working on. She looked at Dr Lam. “We need him awake and up in General O'Neill's office,” she said.
Lam shook her head. “Not possible… unless you want him dead that is.”
Sam looked at her. “Dr… without him everyone on this planet will be dead.”
Elise opened her mouth to argue but closed it again. This wasn't her infirmary. She had no rights whatsoever here even if Malek was one of her people.
Lam looked at Sam and then at Elise. “What do you think?” she asked, not having enough experience at treating the Tok'ra although she was learning fast.
Elise shook her head. “It could kill him,” she said. “Neither of them are strong enough to be woken for several hours yet.”
Sam rolled her eyes. “We don't have several hours… without his help… this planet has six hours at the most before it rips itself apart like your one just did. I'll take him in a wheel chair if you want… just wake him up.”
Lam made the decision and hoping it was the right one gave Malek enough stimulants to wake him up.
Malek groaned as he opened his eyes. Then he closed them again. He felt awful. So much pain it was hard to know what hurt and what didn't, if in fact there was any part of his body that didn't hurt. He couldn't feel Jared at all. He heard someone calling his name and struggled to wake enough to respond. “Uh…” he managed finally opening his eyes again. He squinted in the bright light and tried to focus on the face in front of him. “Colonel Carter…” he whispered.
Sam nodded. “We need your help…” she said.
Malek closed his eyes for a moment and then forced them open again. “I will do my best,” he managed.
Sam and Elise helped him sit up.
Malek cried out involuntarily as pain ripped though him.
Lam gave him a shot of pain meds and then held the chair steady as Sam and Elise got him into it.
--- --- --- ---
In Jack's office, Jacob and Jack were sat in front of the computer. Jacob was working hard, allowing Selmak to input data as needed. There was a knock at the door and Jack looked up. “Come!” he called. He was surprised he was more or less keeping up with Jacob here, although he didn't pretend to admit he understood everything. Jacob fortunately realised this and was explaining in simple terms as he went though.
The door opened. Water stood there with a tall dark haired man. “General O'Neill… this is Dr Keith Bowden from the USGS.”
Jack got up. “Thanks Walter.” He held out a hand. “Dr Bowden, nice to meet you.”
Bowden nodded as he shook Jack's hand. “And you General.”
Walter stuck a file on Jack's desk. “The relevant paperwork Sir.”
Jack nodded. “Thanks. Can we get some coffee in here?”
Walter nodded and disappeared.
Jack motioned to the chair next to Jacob. “Have a seat Dr. This is General Carter. I have a couple more people coming in a minute.”
Jacob held out a hand. “Dr Bowden.”
“General Carter.” Bowden thought to himself how he'd gone his whole career never having met one general and now he'd met two in the space of a minute.
Jack looked at Bowden. “So what can you tell us?”
Bowden looked at him and then pulled a file from his briefcase. “The first quake was epicentred here,” he said spreading the papers in front of Jack. “Right under this mountain. As you can see it started off shallow and then deepened which in itself if unusual. The following ones have been getting deeper but more intense.”
There was a knock at the door and Jack looked up from the papers. “Come in.”
Sam opened the door and pushed Malek into the room. “General,” she said. “The Doc wasn't happy.”
“I bet she wasn't.” Jack got up and made a space for Malek at the desk.
Jacob looked over at him worriedly. <Sel?> he whispered.
<He looks dreadful> Selmak responded. She tried to keep her worries hidden but knew in reality she could keep none of her deepest emotions from her host.
Jacob hugged her. “How you feeling Malek?” he asked.
“Not good,” Malek whispered.
Jack quickly introduced Sam and Malek to Bowden and then nodded to him to continue his briefing.
As Bowden spoke Jacob tapped the data he'd brought into the computer while Selmak listened to the briefing.
Malek did his best to concentrate. He was worried about Jared and the pain meds really weren't making any difference to his pain levels at all.
Another knock at the door stopped things briefly. It was Walter with a tray of coffee. He'd brought tea for Jacob and water for Malek as the Doc had said that's all that he should really have.
Malek cradled the water. He forced his mind to concentrate on the problem at hand. The first thing they'd noticed here was an electromagnetic pulse that had hit the base. That had lasted perhaps 10 or 15 seconds before the first tremor, no doubt caused by the destruction of Halaria. He took a sip and then placed his glass on Jack's desk, watching the ripples on the surface.
Bowden finished his report. “The only abnormality, aside from the depth of the quakes is the spike in the electromagnetic structure of them.”
Jacob looked up. “How big a spike?” he asked.
Bowden pushed the papers across and showed him.
Sam looked at Jack. “Do you have the readings from the time this started?” she asked him.
Jack looked at her and then nodded. “They're on the computer,” he said. “Let me get a print off as well.” He lifted the phone and told Walter what he needed. Within two minutes it was on his desk. He sipped his now cold coffee, trying to keep up as the others poured over it. He looked over at Malek. He really didn't look right at all now, looked as if he were struggling to stay conscious.
Malek took a deep breath, pushing past the pain and increasing need to sleep. “Here,” he said pointing unsteadily to one set of figures. “That's the cause of the abnormality.”
Bowden looked at the figures. “It looks as if it could be.”
Sam nodded. “But what makes you so sure?” she asked.
Malek pointed to his glass of water. It was sat on Jack's desk, ripples still coursing back and forth across it. Then a tremor struck. Sam reached out for the glass stopping it from sliding off the desk. “But how do we stop it?” she asked.
“The same way it was started,” Jacob said suddenly. “By sending a massive pulse of negative electromagnetism.”
Jack laughed slightly. “Negative electromagnetism?” he asked.
Jacob nodded. “To cancel out the first.”
Jack looked at him and then at the others. “Will it work?”
Sam looked at Malek. “It should do… we'll need a while to work on it.”
Jack looked at his watch. “We've only got 2 hours left here Carter.”
Sam nodded. “Then we work fast Sir.”
Jack nodded and spent the next hour pacing his office and occasionally asking “Are we there yet?” He'd get a slight smile and a “No” from Carter but a steely rolled eye look from Jacob so eventually just shut up and let them work. He left his office and did a trip to the control room. The tremors were increasing in frequency and magnitude now and seemed to becoming world wide not just here.
Finally Jacob came out of his office. “We've done it,” he said. “You need to set up a MALP now with this on it. Sam and I will gate out and take it with us. Then we'll open the gate from our end and send the signal back.”
Jack nodded. “And this will work.”
Jacob shrugged. “We don't have much choice.”
Jack nodded. “Do it.”
Five minutes later Jacob and Sam were ready to go. They stood in the gateroom, kitted up and checking the equipment attached to the MALP.
Malek had been taken back to the infirmary and sedated before he passed out.
Jack had invited Dr Bowden to the control room to watch as the results came in and had even instructed Walter not to mention wormholes or anything that might give away the presence of the gate.
Bowden however had declined the offer, saying he needed to return to the office and could monitor the situation from there. He promised to contact Jack with anymore pertinent information.
Jack then went down to the gateroom to see Jacob and Sam off. He looked at them. “Take care,” he said. “If it doesn't work… just head to the Alpha site. No sense all of us dying.”
Sam opened her mouth to protest.
He shook his head. “That's an order Colonel.” He took a deep breath. “It's been a pleasure… God speed.” Then he hit the comm button. “Dial it up.”
The three of them watched as the gate started spinning. Jacob looked at Jack but didn't say anything. Finally the gate opened and Jack watched as the two figures moved up the ramp following the MALP. Neither of them looked back and so missed the final salute he gave them. Then as they disappeared and the gate shut down, another tremor hit sending him into the wall. He pushed himself up, ignoring the pain in his head and made his way back to the control room.
Walter looked at him as he came in. “You okay Sir?” he asked pointing to Jack's head.
Jack raised a hand and touched his head gingerly. It came away bloodied. “I'm fine,” Jack said. He watched the readouts. “How goes it?”
“They're there… should be ready to send the signal back in five minutes.”
It was the longest five minutes of Jack's career. The tremors were increasing. The last one had been almost a five. He knew from Jacob's data that once they hit a five there was no going back and the Earth was on a collision course with destiny.
Finally the gate began to spin. “Off world activation!” Walter said.
Jack nodded. “Defence teams stand down!” he ordered. He closed the blast doors and flicked on the gate room monitors. The blue of the wormhole flickered behind the iris.
“Receiving Col Carter's signal Sir,” Walter said.
Jack took a deep breath. “Open the iris… let's just hope this works.”
The iris spun open and Jack kept his eyes on the dials.
Another tremor struck, this time a long hard violent one. Jack clung onto the console. “Walter?” he asked over the roar.
“4.9” came the reply.
Jack shook his head. “Come on Carter,” he whispered. “Time to save the planet again.”
“Receiving signal,” Walter said.
Jack nodded. “Okay…Time to rock and roll.”
Walter entered the combination into the console.
Just as he did that a big earthquake struck. Everything that wasn't nailed down flew across the room or to the floor. Jack struggled to his knees watching the readouts on the console. This one was a 5.7. He closed his eyes. They were too late.
--- --- --- ---
Jacob and Sam sat on the hillside at the foot of the gate and waited. Jack had told them to wait six hours before even trying to gate back. The time had crawled past. Night had come and gone and neither had slept although both had tried, taking it in turns to keep watch. As the sky began to lighten, Sam picked at the sandwich she'd been given, pulling the crusts off.
Jacob watched her. “Nothing changes,” he said. “You'd play with your food as a child when you had something on your mind.”
She looked at him. “Surely if it had worked they'd have contacted us by now,” she said. “I was thinking about Mark and Laura and the children. Wondering if they were all together at the end or separated.” She pulled a bit more off the sandwich and ate it slowly. “What if we were wrong or too late?”
Jacob reached over and took her hand, not knowing what to say to comfort her. “I don't know Sammie,” he said quietly.
Sam looked at her watch. “Ten more minutes and we can try and gate back… Assuming there is a planet to gate back to.” She sighed.
“And if there isn't?” Jacob asked.
“Alpha site I guess,” Sam said, “That was General O'Neill's last order.”
Jacob nodded. “Yeah.” He looked up as the sunrise started to light up the sky. He finished his sandwich watching it then got to his feet and moved slowly over to the DHD. “Time to dial Earth,” he said slowly. He reached out pressing the glyphs slowly half afraid that it had all been in vain and that the Earth gate had been destroyed along with the planet.
Sam held her breath as she watched the gate spin. The seventh glyph was hit and the gate spun. She and Jacob watched, neither moving a muscle as the gate spun and finally locked into place. The wormhole kawooshed out and then fell back, leaving the rippling blue event horizon. Jacob looked at Sam and nodded.
She let out the breath she was holding and then raised her radio. “SGC this is Carter.”
Nothing happened.
Sam looked at Jacob. “SGC this is Col Carter… respond please.”
Then the radio cracked. “Col Carter this is the SGC. It's good to hear your voice.”
The voice changed. “Hey Carter… what kept ya?”
Sam beamed at Jacob. “Not much Sir… how's things?”
“Come back and find out for yourself… haven't dared look at your lab… my office is taking long enough.”
“We'll be right there Sir . Out.” Sam looked at Jacob and hugged him tightly.
--- --- --- --
Jack watched them come back though the gate and made sure the gate closed down behind them. Things were still a mess. The last tremor had caused a fair amount of damage but nothing repair crews couldn't handle. He led Sam and Jacob to the infirmary to get them checked out and then went over to Malek. He was still unconscious but beginning to respond now. The Doc had no idea how he managed to keep going as long as he did but Jack wasn't going to argue. They owed the man their lives and he just hoped they could save his in return.
All in all it had been a long day but things had turned out okay in the end. He glanced round the infirmary and then headed back to his office. It still looked a mess and was going to take several hours and several gallons of coffee to make it more or less straight again. This disaster had affected not only every country on Earth but human and Tok'ra alike. It had made them all equal and homeless in some cases. And had given them a unity they didn't think possible. Of course it wouldn't last but for a few short hours everyone was the same.
Jacob looked at the Doc and then over at Malek. “Is he going to be okay?” he asked.
Lam nodded. “I think so… your healer is adamant on doing all she can, but isn't right herself.”
Jacob nodded. “I'll go have a word.” He got up and went over to Elise. He put a gentle hand on her arm. “It's time for you to get seen to now,” he told her.
Elise looked at him. “I'm fine…” she began.
Jacob looked at the scanner in his other hand. “You have three broken ribs… that's not fine. Selmak and I owe you our lives. And we are grateful.” He took her hand, sliding the healing device off it. “It's time to let someone help you now.”
“But Malek…”
“But nothing,” Selmak insisted. “He'll be fine… let us help him and you now.”
Sam watched as her father managed to prise Elise away from Malek's bedside and onto one of her own. She knew the Tok'ra were gonna need help to find a new base and hoped that was several days away. That way she could spend time with her father.
Jacob glanced up and shot a smile across the room at her. He was hoping to spend time with her over the next couple of days. Maybe even head down the coast and spend time with the rest of his family too.
Selmak giggled slightly. <Course California is overdue for a big earthquake> she whispered.
<Had enough quakes to last a lifetime> Jacob retorted. <Would settle for sunset, the ocean and a large… coffee.>
Selmak thwapped him. <Forget the coffee> she said. <Maybe a beer instead.>
Jacob nodded. <So long as we're with family and the earth doesn't shake that suits me fine.>
Fin
© Tels 11 July 2006