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icarusThis is getting long, so the previous part is here.
The Walls of Jericho - 28 (from part 1 here)
by Icarus
"Indeed, Daniel Jackson. One cannot imagine SG-1 without you."
Sam yawned hugely and squeezed her eyes open and shut as she peered out of her tent around their camp, disconcerted by the dim light and stars. Her mental clock expected broad daylight, or at least some. It was morning after all.
"Oh for crying out loud…." Jack was saying. "That's completely out of context!"
Daniel was planted squarely in the middle of the campsite gazing up at the colonel with a mutinous glare. He looked like Cassandra after Janet had said no to getting her ears pierced. Only Sam didn't think Janet would want to deal with this. He vigorously stirred a sizzling skillet of reconstituted eggs with a spatula, though it was her turn to cook. Sam scratched the back of her head but had no argument with someone else - anyone else - cooking. Especially not Daniel. It might even be edible.
Reconstituted eggs… hmmm, well. Okay, maybe not 'edible.'
"And what would the appropriate context be, Colonel O'Neill?" Teal'c had continued implacably. "I was merely confirming that Doctor Jackson is an invaluable member of the team and would be difficult to replace."
"Yeah, Jack, what would that context be exactly?" Daniel goaded.
"You're the one talking about dying here!"
"No," Daniel said slowly, drawing out the syllable and blinking. "I'm talking about the difficulty of finding someone with precisely my qualifications. Dying was simply mentioned as one of the possible extenuating circumstances."
"Yeah? Well don't."
"Let's see… I speak twenty-three earth-based languages… several Goa'uld dialects, Ancient…"
"Hey, I speak Ancient."
Daniel gave the colonel a dismal look.
"Some." Daniel continued his steady stare. "Philates. It means… head or something," the colonel spluttered, then quickly recovered. "The point is none of us is irreplaceable. Not even me."
"Yes, but we weren't talking about you, were we?" Daniel gave the colonel a cold look.
"Are we talking about replacing Daniel?" Sam ventured with a puzzled frown.
"No!" Jack and Daniel shouted at once, then turned on each other.
"Oh? Glad to hear it, Jack."
"No one likes lobbyists."
"Ooooh-kay." Sam stepped aside carefully. She knew when she wasn't wanted. "Cheery place around here this morning," Sam murmured, exchanging a meaningful look with Teal'c.
Daniel scraped some eggs into plastic bowl and handed it to her. "Good morning, Sam."
The colonel rolled his eyes and kicked a little in the direction of the skillet. "And you can't just buy them off with some eggs."
"Ummm, red bell pepper," Sam hummed around a bite.
"Fresh," Daniel ignored the colonel. "Figured we'd need the vitamin C without the," he gestured to the sky as he searched for the word, "natural sunlight."
"I'm bought. Show me where to sign in blood." Daniel grinned with grim determination and handed a heaping portion to Teal'c.
"As am I." He settled the massive plate on his lap as he sat cross-legged. "I will participate in your blood ritual."
"Ever hear the phrase 'The army travels on its stomach,' Jack?" Daniel said.
"This is the Air Force."
Sam's fork paused, mid-bite, as Daniel scooped out a bowl for himself. "Doesn't the colonel get any?"
"He already had his." Daniel said it with curious emphasis, and Sam glanced between them.
Both men looked noticeably embarrassed. The colonel dug at the ground with the toe of his boot while Daniel pursed his lips and studied the spatula. He finally dished out a bowl for the colonel, not meeting his eyes. Then the colonel sat on the ground gingerly as far away from Daniel as possible, gazing off in the distance as if he had some important military reason for doing so. They ate in tense silence.
Sam took a deep breath. "We're, um, chipper today." She kept her eyes carefully on her bowl, scraping up a last few peppers. The colonel gave her a sharp look.
"Yeah, well, I'm not looking forward to my meeting with the general." He studied her with narrow eyes. The group abruptly sobered with the reminder of their failed mission, although the colonel's manner didn't change. It seemed he hadn't forgotten.
"I don't suppose anyone's interested in hearing some good news," she ventured.
"It had better be great news, because I'm the one who's gonna get his ass chewed out."
She gave him a sympathetic look. "I think we all will, sir."
"That's before Hammond's door shuts." The colonel's lips pressed together in a thin line.
"Sir, I think… while I was on watch last night I started thinking. The aliens' caverns were just convenient for us, a way we could kill two birds with one stone: we could develop relations with them," everyone looked away at this point, so she hurried on, "- and we could get our core readings. But sir, all we really need is access to one of these magma vents."
"Great. There's one right down there." The colonel pointed to one of the flat lava pans in the valley below, looking both bemused and pleased. "Do your magic."
She smiled. "I'm afraid that's just lava flowing over open rock. It's considerably cooler. We need to get to one of these active volcanoes and find a way in."
"We need to go inside a volcano." Daniel's voice was deadpan and his jaw dropped. "An active volcano?"
"Well, like I said, the aliens' caverns were considerably more convenient."
"Okay," Jack stood and clapped his hands. "Pack up, kids. We'll stop at the MALP for an equipment we need to locate one of these…" he gestured vaguely, "… air vent things."
"Do you think this is wise?" Daniel asked.
"I'm not seeing a lot of options here, Daniel."
"I'm no geologist, but it should be relatively safe. Most of the volcanoes in this range are in the shield-building stage. Like Mauna Loa in Hawaii," Sam explained. "So long as we have the proper equipment and don't bumble into a lava flow, we should be okay."
The next part is here.
The Walls of Jericho - 28 (from part 1 here)
by Icarus
"Indeed, Daniel Jackson. One cannot imagine SG-1 without you."
Sam yawned hugely and squeezed her eyes open and shut as she peered out of her tent around their camp, disconcerted by the dim light and stars. Her mental clock expected broad daylight, or at least some. It was morning after all.
"Oh for crying out loud…." Jack was saying. "That's completely out of context!"
Daniel was planted squarely in the middle of the campsite gazing up at the colonel with a mutinous glare. He looked like Cassandra after Janet had said no to getting her ears pierced. Only Sam didn't think Janet would want to deal with this. He vigorously stirred a sizzling skillet of reconstituted eggs with a spatula, though it was her turn to cook. Sam scratched the back of her head but had no argument with someone else - anyone else - cooking. Especially not Daniel. It might even be edible.
Reconstituted eggs… hmmm, well. Okay, maybe not 'edible.'
"And what would the appropriate context be, Colonel O'Neill?" Teal'c had continued implacably. "I was merely confirming that Doctor Jackson is an invaluable member of the team and would be difficult to replace."
"Yeah, Jack, what would that context be exactly?" Daniel goaded.
"You're the one talking about dying here!"
"No," Daniel said slowly, drawing out the syllable and blinking. "I'm talking about the difficulty of finding someone with precisely my qualifications. Dying was simply mentioned as one of the possible extenuating circumstances."
"Yeah? Well don't."
"Let's see… I speak twenty-three earth-based languages… several Goa'uld dialects, Ancient…"
"Hey, I speak Ancient."
Daniel gave the colonel a dismal look.
"Some." Daniel continued his steady stare. "Philates. It means… head or something," the colonel spluttered, then quickly recovered. "The point is none of us is irreplaceable. Not even me."
"Yes, but we weren't talking about you, were we?" Daniel gave the colonel a cold look.
"Are we talking about replacing Daniel?" Sam ventured with a puzzled frown.
"No!" Jack and Daniel shouted at once, then turned on each other.
"Oh? Glad to hear it, Jack."
"No one likes lobbyists."
"Ooooh-kay." Sam stepped aside carefully. She knew when she wasn't wanted. "Cheery place around here this morning," Sam murmured, exchanging a meaningful look with Teal'c.
Daniel scraped some eggs into plastic bowl and handed it to her. "Good morning, Sam."
The colonel rolled his eyes and kicked a little in the direction of the skillet. "And you can't just buy them off with some eggs."
"Ummm, red bell pepper," Sam hummed around a bite.
"Fresh," Daniel ignored the colonel. "Figured we'd need the vitamin C without the," he gestured to the sky as he searched for the word, "natural sunlight."
"I'm bought. Show me where to sign in blood." Daniel grinned with grim determination and handed a heaping portion to Teal'c.
"As am I." He settled the massive plate on his lap as he sat cross-legged. "I will participate in your blood ritual."
"Ever hear the phrase 'The army travels on its stomach,' Jack?" Daniel said.
"This is the Air Force."
Sam's fork paused, mid-bite, as Daniel scooped out a bowl for himself. "Doesn't the colonel get any?"
"He already had his." Daniel said it with curious emphasis, and Sam glanced between them.
Both men looked noticeably embarrassed. The colonel dug at the ground with the toe of his boot while Daniel pursed his lips and studied the spatula. He finally dished out a bowl for the colonel, not meeting his eyes. Then the colonel sat on the ground gingerly as far away from Daniel as possible, gazing off in the distance as if he had some important military reason for doing so. They ate in tense silence.
Sam took a deep breath. "We're, um, chipper today." She kept her eyes carefully on her bowl, scraping up a last few peppers. The colonel gave her a sharp look.
"Yeah, well, I'm not looking forward to my meeting with the general." He studied her with narrow eyes. The group abruptly sobered with the reminder of their failed mission, although the colonel's manner didn't change. It seemed he hadn't forgotten.
"I don't suppose anyone's interested in hearing some good news," she ventured.
"It had better be great news, because I'm the one who's gonna get his ass chewed out."
She gave him a sympathetic look. "I think we all will, sir."
"That's before Hammond's door shuts." The colonel's lips pressed together in a thin line.
"Sir, I think… while I was on watch last night I started thinking. The aliens' caverns were just convenient for us, a way we could kill two birds with one stone: we could develop relations with them," everyone looked away at this point, so she hurried on, "- and we could get our core readings. But sir, all we really need is access to one of these magma vents."
"Great. There's one right down there." The colonel pointed to one of the flat lava pans in the valley below, looking both bemused and pleased. "Do your magic."
She smiled. "I'm afraid that's just lava flowing over open rock. It's considerably cooler. We need to get to one of these active volcanoes and find a way in."
"We need to go inside a volcano." Daniel's voice was deadpan and his jaw dropped. "An active volcano?"
"Well, like I said, the aliens' caverns were considerably more convenient."
"Okay," Jack stood and clapped his hands. "Pack up, kids. We'll stop at the MALP for an equipment we need to locate one of these…" he gestured vaguely, "… air vent things."
"Do you think this is wise?" Daniel asked.
"I'm not seeing a lot of options here, Daniel."
"I'm no geologist, but it should be relatively safe. Most of the volcanoes in this range are in the shield-building stage. Like Mauna Loa in Hawaii," Sam explained. "So long as we have the proper equipment and don't bumble into a lava flow, we should be okay."
The next part is here.
