Chapter One
Two Months Later
There was nothing she loved more than stepping through that big
beautiful circle and taking on what awaited on the other side.
Even if it was sand. And sand. And sand dunes. And a beautiful greenish-blue
ocean.
She loved it.
Colonel Erickson gave them all their orders, and hers was to accompany
the scientist of the team, Doctor Ryan Sanders, to the section of caves a half a mile west. If his instruments detected the
naquadah that the UAV had picked up traces of, the American government was in for some primo goods.
"Guarding the gate again, sir?" Captain Autumn McCoy asked teasingly
as she picked up one of Doctor Sanders' duffel bags.
Erickson grinned, "Yes, I am. Problem with that, Captain?"
"Not at all. It just seems strange how you always stay behind while
I get stuck traipsing across alien planets on foot."
"You're just itching for a write up for insubordination."
Autumn laughed and set off with Sanders, "I'll radio you when we're
finished, Colonel."
"Don't take too long, you two.. It's hot out here."
"Yes, sir."
---
Autumn stood outside the cave entrance, P-90 held firmly in hand.
If there was naquadah in these caves, then there was definitely a good chance that the Goa'uld knew about, and also that they
would be coming for it. Then again, in her experience, if there was naquadah, there would also be a slave mining operation
going on. However, that didn't mean there weren't trace amounts--enough for the SGC to extract and put to good use, anyway.
"How's it looking in there, Sanders?" She called over her shoulder,
reaching up to wipe sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand. She was glad she’d worn short sleeves today, that
was for sure.
“Not sure yet, Captain!” The physicist called back from
the depths of the darkness, “I’ll let you know if I find something.”
Autumn nodded silently and sighed, staring out at the ocean on the
horizon. It was absolutely breathtaking, it’s color and clarity reminiscent of the Caribbean. Not that she’d ever
been there, but she’d seen photos, and this was even prettier.
The sun beat down hard on her, and she pulled her cap down lower,
wishing she’d remembered to bring her sunglasses. They somehow always managed to make their way out of her equipment,
no matter what. Damn her for always losing things. Oh well…atleast they weren’t a piece of million dollar equipment
that was crucial to the expedition.
Oh, how her mind wandered. She smiled and shook her head, focusing
her brown eyes on the ocean once more. It was moments like this that made her realize just how big the universe was, how infinite,
how endless. And how lucky she was to be a part of it.
Actually, how lucky she was to be alive. She’d had her fair
share of near death experiences, but recently she had been technically dead--no pulse, no heartbeat, no life signs--for eight
minutes and thirty-six seconds. It wasn’t something she discussed or chose to whine about. It was just something that
had become a part of her. Something that helped her realize how short life was, especially in her line of work, and how she
should take the time to enjoy the things she got to see and experience on a daily basis. Things no one ever dreamed about.
Things only seen or heard of in science fiction. Things ‘Star Trek’ never even thought of.
And it was all real.
Just like this heat. Damn, it was hot. Even to her, and she was
used to bracing 100+ degree summers growing up in Texas. She blinked as sweat trickled down her forehead and fell in her eyes.
Was it just her, or was the sand moving? Sort of waving and swirling…matching
the movements of the oceans crashing waves, the white foam washing up, meeting the sand, disappearing again, over and over
and over and…
She braced herself against the rocky exterior of the cave entrance
and emptied the contents of her stomach.
What the hell? She closed her eyes and sighed as she stood
upright. Was she really getting sick--literally sick--from the heat? That made her a total wuss, atleast in her book. Though
at the moment, she wasn’t sure she cared. The sand was still spinning, as was her head, and she had to close her eyes.
She didn’t feel like talking louder than she had to, so she clicked the radio attached to her shoulder, “Sanders?”
Several seconds passed.
“Nothing yet, Captain. I told you I’d let you know
if I…”
“Is there any way you could hurry it up?” Her mouth
was dry as she tried to swallow, “Things aren’t looking so good out…”
Silence.
“What’s going on? Captain? Captain? McCoy?!”
Her fingers loosened from the radio as she toppled forward, and
unable to brace herself, her head connected with the caves exterior as she fell to the ground.
---
“Unscheduled off-world activation!” Walter Harriman’s
voice boomed over the loud speakers as the sound of the gate activating echoed throughout the embarkation room.
“IDC?” Colonel Jack O’Neill asked bluntly as he
stepped up behind the chair of the gate technician.
Walter nodded, “It’s SG-9, sir.”
Jack exchanged glanced with Major Samantha Carter, who was seated
next to Walter, “They’re not due back, are they?”
“Not for another hour, sir.” Sam replied.
“Open the iris.” The booming voice of General George
Hammond demanded, and Walter nodded as he placed his palm on the pad to allow the travelers access.
Seconds later, Colonel Erickson burst through the puddle, Autumn
McCoy held tightly in his arms. “We need a medic!” He called painfully through heaving breaths. Hammond ordered
a medical team to the gate room, and Jack was already on his way down, the rest of the team following him. “What the
hell happened out there?” He asked, as he rushed to the ramp, helping the other colonel lie McCoy flat on the ground
carefully.
“Not sure what happened, sir,” Erickson said with a
shake of his head, his face red from heat and exhaustion, “She passed out and on the way down, hit her head pretty bad.”
Jack just then noticed the bleeding gash on her forehead. He frowned
painfully, “Ouch.”
The medical team entered then, and quickly placed her on a gurney,
one person checking her vital signs while another worked on stopping the bleeding.
“How long as she been unconscious?” Janet asked, stethoscope
to McCoy’s chest.
Erickson fought to think quickly, “She was unconscious when
we reached her location, then she was lucid five minutes afterward for about fifteen minutes. Ten minutes before we reached
the gate, she shut off again.”
“Alright,” Janet nodded and took hold of the gurneys
side bars, “We need to get her to isolation room 1, now. Erickson, I want the rest of your team up for check ups as
soon as possible.” She didn’t wait for his response as she and her team headed out of the gate room and toward
the nearest elevator.
Sanders was staring at her limp body on the gurney as they wheeled
her away, his face white as a ghost, “I didn’t think…I mean I thought…she was just so still…”
Jack regarded the younger man with empathy. He was a scientist and
fairly new to the Stargate program. He’d probably never seen combat, or combat related injuries. It wasn’t surprising
that something like this was enough to scare him into a near state of shock. Jack looked at Erickson, “You boys should
listen to the doc--get on up to the infirmary.”
“Yes, sir.” Erickson nodded and took Sanders by the
arm, leading him to the exit.
“McCoy…” Jack mused with pursed lips, his hands
in his pockets. “Carter, she’s the one that went missing with Daniel, right?”
Sam nodded, “Yes, sir. But that was over two months ago--you’re
not thinking the two are related are you?”
Jack frowned, then shrugged, “Nah--just wondered why the name
was so familiar.”
Sam laughed, “SG-9’s accompanied us on several missions
since. You almost always send McCoy off with Daniel whenever he finds something interesting.”
“Oh?” Jack raised an eyebrow, before turning to walk
away. Sam smirked, biting the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing.
