TITLE: Depths 0/4

AUTHOR: Lin, Mot and Terri

CATEGORY: action adventure, h/c

RATING: PG

SEASON: Three

SPOILERS: a few for "Crystal Skull" and "Legacy"

FEEDBACK: on or off list is welcomed

ARCHIVE: Heliopolis, Stargatefan, and anyone else who wants it, just ask first.

WARNING: None

SUMMARY: During an off-world dive, something goes wrong. . .(like that's a big surprise )

DISCLAIMER: No, we don't own the Stargate team, despite the fact that MGM and Showtime don't appear to want them anymore.

AUTHORS' NOTE: This story is a collaboration of three writers during a
weekend get-together. Written as a round robin, it was a challenge to see
if we could write an adventure story in a short amount of time with three
writers who possessed different styles. Let us know what you think!

Special thanks to our beta, Kelly!

(*Single quotes denote 'thought'.)

Depths

By: Mot, Lin and Terri

Part 1 of 4

//"Daniel?"

‘What? Who said that?’

"I’ve taken notes."

‘What? Where are you?’ The beam of Daniel’s headlamp slashed through the darkness. Movement caught his eye. Whipping his head around, he couldn’t find its source.

"I said I’ve taken notes. Just like Jack asked." The voice echoed, taunting him.

‘Who are you?’

The darkness didn’t answer.

‘Please. Who are you?’ Fear gripped Daniel’s chest, making his heart pound.

"You wanted to hear all about it. I’ve taken notes."

‘Nick?’ The darkness pressed in on him on all sides, threatening to crush him under its weight. Frantic, Daniel spun around trying to locate the source of the diminishing voice.

"It’s amazing Daniel. Simply amazing." The voice trailed into the blackness.

‘What? Nick, what are you talking about? Nick?’

"Follow the stairs. You'll see what I mean." The voice faded, leaving a terrible feeling of emptiness in its wake.

‘Nick, wait!" The fragile shaft of light lanced through the dark, searching. "Come back! Don’t leave me, Nick!’\\

***

(Sometime earlier)

"See here?" Daniel Jackson aimed his laser pointer at the projected photo on the screen. "Clearly there is writing on the stairs. It looks just like the Mayan symbols found on the steps of the temple in Copan.

"Of what?" Jack managed to get out around a jaw-popping yawn.

"The temple in the ancient city of Copan in Honduras. . .Mayan."

"Mayan? We’ve done that before, haven’t we?" Jack frowned.

"Yeah, when Nick. . .," Daniel’s voice trailed off, his eyes darting around the room.

"What does the writing say?" Sam asked from the other side of the conference table.

"I can’t tell." Focusing on the photo, Daniel pointed to an area where the temple stairs disappeared underwater. "See, the steps have been submerged. The data suggest that the steps go at least another sixty feet down."

"Is that important, Daniel Jackson?" Teal’c asked.

"Yes, very. If these symbols are like those found in Copan then they’ll tell us about the history of the culture."

"How?" Sam asked, curious.

"The symbols tell a story. It starts at the bottom and then works its way to the top."

"So we’d have to see the bottom to figure out what happened here," the blond woman guessed.

"Well. . .yeah."

General Hammond, who had silently observed his first team, finally spoke. "Dr. Jackson, do you think it would be worth the efforts of this facility to explore this planet further?"

"Yes!" Daniel's enthusiastic response cut into the General’s question.

"Uh. . .Sir, part of this temple is underwater," Jack stated, pointing at the screen.

"So? We can dive it," Daniel answered before the General could respond.

"Dive?" Teal’c frowned.

"Scuba," Jack clarified. He then turned his attention back to Daniel. "Last I looked I was the only one certified for that in our merry band."

"I can dive. . .took lessons in college," Daniel shot back.

"It's been a while, but I've done it before," Sam answered. "Dad took us to the Caribbean when we were kids."

"I can not. . .dive," Teal’c responded.

Jack allowed a chuckle to escape. "Junior pretty much guarantees that you’ll have absolutely no problem with it."

"Wait a second, I haven’t approved a mission," Hammond cut in.

"We have to go. We could learn so much about the Mayan culture if these ruins turn out to be what I think they are," Daniel argued, his enthusiasm getting the best of him. "The Mayan civilization holds some of the greatest mysteries of our time. We have to find out if the truth about the Maya is there."

"And we still know very little about the aliens associated with the Mayan temple where the crystal skull was found. This site might provide us with some answers as to who they are and what they can offer in our fight against the Goa'uld," Sam added, her eyes bright with the enthusiasm that she managed to keep under control, unlike her fidgeting teammate.

Hammond pondered the team and then looked at the projected picture. "Very well. You have a go."

*******

End Part 1

Depths

By Lin, Mot and Terri

Part 2 or 4

"Ah, a fine day for a dive," Jack took a deep breath and scanned the surrounding terrain. The team was standing on a grassy hill, only a few yards from the water's edge. The Stargate was just on the other side of the hill. Less than a quarter of a mile away, the temple jutted out of the water.

The day was bright, a cool breeze gently parted the Colonel's hair. Clouds reflected off the water, white bits of fluff surrounded by darkness. "Daniel, Sam, you ready? Teal'c?"

Daniel adjusted his gear, checking the video camera for the twentieth time. Sam was prepared as always. Both nodded. Behind them, Teal'c fidgeted, tugging at the neck of his wet suit. Sam reached over and adjusted his mask. The Jaffa had been quickly certified for diving, but he still looked nervous.

"Carter, you and Teal'c take the upper stairway. Daniel and I will go deeper. Keep an eye on everyone. Okay, campers, let’s do it."

As one, they descended the hill and pushed off into the water. The water seemed thick as Jack moved downward, the cold hitting his face as he submerged. Teal'c and Sam swam beside him to his left, Daniel to his right. After descending only a few feet, the team found it necessary to turn on their flashlights.

Soon the team was close enough to begin the study of the temple. Jack began to count the stairs as the team moved downwards. Twenty, thirty, forty…Jack paused and motioned to Sam and Teal'c. The pair split off and began to film the steps. He signaled Daniel and they went further into depths. Seventy, eighty, eighty-eight… they hit the rocky bottom. He grabbed Daniel’s arm and pointed to the stairs. The light on the archeologist’s head bounced up and down in acknowledgement. The camera’s red eye blinked on and began to scan the stairs. Jack settled back and began to watch for anything evil in the waters. Twenty minutes passed. He steadily swept his larger lamp back and forth as Daniel filmed. Above them, Sam’s slim form mirrored Daniel as the upper pair worked the top stairs. Jack had to fight an overwhelming urge to yawn.

A typically boring information gathering mission. He swam backward, then forward, performing a soldier’s water ballet as the others worked.

Suddenly, Daniel stopped. Jack ceased his dance as the scientist began to swim erratically. The man in front of him spun around, the light on his head bobbing up and down, his hands moving in speech, the camera lolling in the water. Quickly, he swam to see what Daniel was trying to say. Before he could reach him, Daniel struck off into the darkness. Jack looked up, swinging the lamp wildly at the two above him. No movement answered his signal. There were only two choices. He chose to follow.

*****

Teal’c watched as Major Carter methodically scanned the hieroglyphs carved on the stone steps. The bubbles from her mouthpiece caught the light from the underwater camera as she worked. Teal’c shifted the spotlight he was holding to better illuminate the area. As his teammate continued with her task, his eyes sought out the rest of the team. Their lights danced in the dark below his fins. He watched them bob for a minute before a cloud of small darting fish swirled between them.

Motion drew his attention back to his task. Major Carter had moved upward to begin recording the next step. He moved the spotlight into a better position to aid her. The camera moved steadily onward as she moved along the step. Teal’c eyed the surrounding waters for any sign of predators. Satisfied, he looked for the lights below him. One lone beam swept through the blackness. Turning his head, he searched for the second light, but found only the one and as he watched, that one headed off into the darkness.

********************

‘Damn it, Daniel, where in the hell do you think you’re going?’ Jack thought to himself, the breathing gear hampering his ability to shout out at the archeologist. Without any forewarning the younger man had disappeared into the depths, leaving the Colonel behind.

Jack doubled his kicking in an attempt to catch up to Daniel. Every time Jack came within arms reach, Daniel shot forward, out of range. The archeologist

was circling the temple’s perimeter. Something had definitely drawn Daniel’s attention. Jack peered into the dark water, but could see nothing out of the ordinary.

Daniel suddenly stopped swimming and Jack, in his haste to follow, swam into the man. He grabbed Daniel by the shoulders and turned him around so that they were face-to-face careful not to dislodge Daniel’s scuba gear. He cursed the restrictions of the regulator and mask. Even through the diving mask, Jack could see something was wrong. Daniel’s unfocused eyes showed no sign of recognition.

Daniel struggled against Jack’s grasp. Jack shook the man, the water subduing the movement. Still, there was no change in Daniel's blue eyes. It was as if the archeologist was in his own world. Jack dared to let go of the wriggling man long enough to point to Daniel and then point up. He needed to get Daniel topside to figure out what was wrong.

Before he could guide Daniel up, the archeologist pushed himself up and away from Jack, breaking his grip. Daniel’s fin caught Jack in the face, dislodging his regulator. Jack scrambled to put the mouthpiece back in place with one hand and stop the Daniel with the other, without losing his flashlight, but he was only successful in retaining his equipment. By the time Jack was breathing normally again all he could see was the trail of bubbles caused by Daniel’s fins as the younger man propelled himself away from the Colonel.

Jack cursed to himself and took out after Daniel once again. Daniel swam like a possessed man, his movements jerky. Then he stopped and turned to face the temple. Jack tried to see what had caught Daniel’s attention. At first he couldn’t see anything but the structure. However, he then saw what Daniel had seen. ‘No, Daniel,’ his mind shouted. He doubled his efforts to catch Daniel, but was too late. ‘Damn it!’ he mentally screamed as the archeologist disappeared into a two foot wide crevice in the temple structure. By the time Jack had reached the opening, his light could only make out Daniel’s fins disappearing into the blackness of the opening.

*****

The camera in Sam’s hand jerked wildly to one side as Teal'c grabbed her. He pointed urgently downward. Below, them, one light sped jerkily away from the base of the steps as the bearer hastily swam away. She looked into the Jaffa’s face, beyond the mask. The normally calm eyes showed no trace of fear, only concern. She pointed downward then flipped the camera off and began to swim down to the base of the stairs. Behind her, the bright light of the day dimmed as Teal'c swam in her wake.

After a moment, Sam could see a second swimmer. From their distance she was not able to tell which diver was the Colonel and which was Daniel.

The nearer diver moved off at breakneck speed. Within moment, he had grabbed the other swimmer. A struggle ensued. The fighting divers wrestled back and forth, their lights glinted off the dark wall as the two thrashed in the water. One broke off from the other and his light disappeared. The second light floated in the water, the swimmer now a silhouette. He was grabbing his mask, his mouthpiece floating in the water before him. In a sweeping motion, he had it in his grasp and was replacing it as Sam and Teal'c arrived.

Sam took his arm and turned him around quickly. It was O’Neill. The Colonel shook his head then pointed in the direction that Daniel had gone. He then nodded and signaled that he was going to follow the younger man. She took the cord he offered her and began to attach it to her gear. He pulled it back, indicating that it should be Teal'c instead. She nodded, and slipped the cord onto the Jaffa’s belt. O’Neill signaled her to stay with Teal'c, then pointed upward. If something should happen, they were to get out. She nodded again. He tugged at the rope on his belt, making certain it was snug, then disappeared through the crevasse after Daniel.

Long moments passed. They watched the cord play out slowly. Suddenly the water began to churn, the ground to shake. She shoved Teal'c away from the opening as the temple cracked and chunks of stone began to crumble from the wall. They reeled in the cord to get O’Neill back. Madly swimming away from the hole they pulled as pieces of debris began to fall. A huge bubble of air rose from the opening as the crevasse closed. Sam looked at the rope helplessly as it’s severed end slithered to the ground.

******

Jack checked the luminous face of his depth gauge. He had ascended several feet in his effort to catch Daniel, fighting the urge to speed after his teammate. He couldn’t take the chance on getting the bends. Nitrogen bubbles in the bloodstream weren’t any fun, and writhing in pain 60 feet under water wasn’t going to help him catch Daniel. He stared up through the water, searching for evidence of his escaping teammate. A darker shadow against a smear of light above him told him that Daniel was getting closer to the surface. Too close, too fast. Damn.

He had experienced a nasty few minutes earlier when the temple rocked. Debris had peppered his body, and the water had seemed to boil around him, obscuring his view. Once the quake ended, he hadn’t been too surprised when a sharp tug at the tether resulted in a broken line. Beneath his fins, he could barely make out the shapes of the rocks and rubble filling in the gap in the temple wall where he and Daniel had entered. Knowing that Teal’c and Carter were still out there set his mind at ease. They would either clear the opening or go back quickly for help. Either way, he knew he could leave it in their capable hands to hold up their end of this little misadventure. Right now he had to concentrate on locating Daniel.

He trailed his gloved hands along the jagged sides of the rock walls, feeling his way up. Counting under his breath helped him judge his ascent as well as distract himself from the thought of what was happening above him. What was going on with Daniel? Sure, on a good day he could be a little flaky, but this was beyond the pale. Something was seriously wrong. He looked up. Daniel’s fins were frantically churning the water above him. The erratic swimming worried him as much as the too rapid ascent. It spoke of more than a simple distraction. Jack checked the depth gauge. This was taking way too long.

Once more, he looked up, but this time there was nothing between him and the blue white of the sunlight filtering down from the water’s surface. Daniel was gone.

*****

‘Nick?’

The darkness didn’t answer.

‘Nick, wait for me.’

"Hurry Daniel. This is fantastic. You have to see it." The faint voice seemed to becoming from the smear of light above him. He pushed harder to reach it.

‘I’m coming, Nick, I’m coming."

The world seemed to tilt and shake, but Daniel ignored it. He refused to let anything get in his way. He was determined not to be left behind this time.

‘Wait for me. I’m almost there.’

*****

End Part 2

Depths

By Lin, Mot and Terri

Part 3 of 4

Teal’c began to pull rock away from the collapsed opening. For every stone he dislodged, another fell into its place. Sam could see the futility of the effort even though Teal’c seemed oblivious to it. She placed a hand on his arm to garner his attention. The Jaffa stopped his movement. Sam pointed upward indicating that the two should rise to the surface and get help for their trapped comrades.

Teal’c shook his head furiously. Clearly he did not want to abandon his rescue effort. Sam was insistent, though. She tugged on his arm and pointed to the surface again. Teal’c finally seemed to realize that the Major was determined.

He lowered his arms to his side and dropped his head slightly. Not even the scuba mask could hide his defeat.

Slowly, the two began their assent. It seemed to take a lifetime. Finally, they reached the top. As soon as Sam broke through the surface she removed her breathing apparatus and pulled her mask down. Teal’c surfaced next to her.

She pulled up the gauge on her tank. "I show that they only have twenty minutes of air left, max. Their reserve tanks should provide them with a few more minutes. That’s not a lot of time."

"We should not leave them," Teal’c responded. "They will not be able to escape on their own."

"We have to get help. Trying to get them free on our own will take too long." Sam looked at the gauge again. "Okay, I’ll go get help. You go back down and see what you can do. They’re going to need air soon and we need some way to get it to them."

"I will endeavor to create an opening."

"Don’t do anything reckless. The last thing we need is to get you trapped down there as well."

"I will be careful."

Teal’c placed his regulator back into his mouth and dove down, kicking away from the Major. Sam watched the Jaffa disappear into the depths. She then turned and began kicking furiously to the shoreline on the far side of the temple. She mentally calculated how long it would take her to get to the gate. It was just over the hill that overlooked the temple. If she ran at top speed she would be home in mere minutes. Unfortunately, mere minutes were all that Jack and Daniel had.

***************

Jack broke through the surface. He found himself between two rock walls, one seemingly a mirror image of the other. He then realized he was looking at a second set of temple steps. Apparently, the temple that they had been studying only a few minutes before had been built on top of another inner temple.

"Rosalita," Daniel gasped, the single word startling Jack. Jack turned around and found Daniel sprawled face down on the inner steps. The younger man was breathing heavily as if he had just run a marathon, his regulator lying on the stone beside him.

Jack yanked his mask and regulator off. "Daniel, what in the hell do you think you’re doing?"

Daniel didn’t act as if he had heard Jack’s words. "I see it, Nick. I see it," the younger man murmured.

"What? What did you say?"

Daniel suddenly cried out in pain and folded himself double, an arm wrapped protectively around himself. He started to slide down the stairs and back into the water. Jack pushed himself forward and reached out to grab his friend. He was hampered by his fins, but he hung on and push Daniel back on to the stairs. He pulled Daniel’s mask down and placed his hands on the side of his friend’s face. "Daniel, look at me."

Daniel’s eyes never made contact with Jack’s.

"Damn it, Daniel, look at me," Jack shouted.

Daniel finally focused on Jack. "Nick was here. Where is he?" He frowned and then took a few shallow breaths. "Did you see him?" He then bent over and groaned in pain.

Jack grabbed Daniel’s regulator and took a small breath. The air tasted oily and stale. "Crap!" He threw the apparatus to the side and grabbed Daniel’s face again. "Okay, Daniel, listen to me. We have a couple of problems here."

"Here. . .Nick was here," Daniel responded, his eyes darting as he struggled to break away from Jack’s hands.

"Listen to me!" Jack yelled, his voice echoing in the small chamber.

Daniel groaned again. "It hurts," he whispered.

"I know, Danny, I know." Jack patted Daniel’s face affectionately. "I think you’ve got the bends." Jack looked into the deep water. "Normally we wouldn't want to take you back down, but I don't see where we have a choice."

"Nick was here," Daniel whispered again as if not hearing Jack's words.

"No, Daniel, Nick wasn’t here. I think there’s something wrong with the air in your tank." He sat Daniel upright, grabbed his own regulator and pushed it into Daniel’s mouth. "Take a breath. We’ve got to get your head clear before we go back down."

Daniel spit out the breathing apparatus. "Can't go back," Daniel sighed. "Too tired." He started to fall backwards against the steps.

"No choice, Danny. We have to go back down." Jack jammed the unit back into Daniel's mouth.

Daniel took a breath. His eyes focused on Jack. He pulled the mouthpiece away. "Trouble?"

"Yeah, trouble."

Jack checked the time left on his tank. We only have about fifteen minutes of air. . .and we’re going to have to share that."

"I swear I heard Nick," Daniel mumbled, his hands moving in vague gestures. His eyes slid off toward the ceiling. "He was here."

"No, Daniel. Stay with me here."

"I’m sorry," Daniel’s eyes focused again on Jack. He took a deep breath and shook his head. "I’m, um, I’m okay now."

"Not your fault."

Daniel looked around at the chamber they were now occupying. "Oh my God, it’s just like Copan." He frowned and bent over again.

Jack unbuckled the tank straps from Daniel’s vest. "Sorry, but we don’t have time for a history lesson. We have got to get you out of here."

"Air’s fine in here," Daniel replied.

Jack looked up and saw several small openings at the top of the structure which allowed the sunlight from above to stream through. "Air courtesy of those, I think." He went back to stripping the useless equipment off of his friend.

Daniel narrowed his gaze at the overhead windows. "Just like the Mayan. Probably used them to track the stars and planets."

Jack slipped his own tanks off and then strapped them onto Daniel, moving as fast as he could. He then maneuvered Daniel’s mask back over his face and placed the regulator in the younger man’s mouth. "Breathe slowly and evenly." The blue eyes reflected Daniel’s doubt and fear.

"Okay, we’re going to have to share the tank." Jack’s words were calm despite the urgency of the situation. The air in the tank would not last long, and the emergency tanks that each man carried would only buy a few more minutes. "You remember how to buddy breathe, right?"

The younger man didn't respond. Daniel began to shake as ripples of pain coursed the length of his body. He held the mouthpiece to his lips and began to breathe as they descended the stairs. Jack was certain that the cold water was adding to his friend's pain when he tried to go back up, but Jack’s hand was firm and he didn’t have the strength to fight him and the cramps. Reluctantly, he descended. Jack took the air regulator from the injured man's lips and put it to his own, bubbles escaping his lips as he returned it to Daniel’s face. Daniel took a deep breath, then a second.

The water was getting darker now, the cramps lessening but he was still shivering with the cold. They sunk further into the depths. Jack finally could see signs of the bottom. He took the regulator back, sucked in a breath, then pushed it back into Daniel’s mouth. He checked his air gauge. The news wasn’t good.

******

Teal’c glared at the chunk of rock before him. Its stubborn refusal to move was pushing the limits of his patience. He brought his pressure gauge into his line of vision. There was little time left. O’Neill and Daniel Jackson would soon be in desperate need of a new air supply. Dismissing the rock in front of him, he decided to seek another way into the ancient temple.

He began to work his way along the length of the temple’s side. The beam of his spotlight probed every crevice, hole, and deep crack in the rock. None granted the access he sought. He pressed on. Major Carter would be back as quickly as humanly possible and he was determined to have located an alternate entrance before then.

******

Jack took another deep breath from the regulator and then placed it back in Daniel’s mouth. Jack knew that the two men had no choice but to proceed downwards. While submerging to lower depths couldn't reverse Daniel's cramps and disorientation, the damage might be minimized. The water was murky, dark and bone-numbingly cold. Jack directed his light down in the general direction of the crevice that had provided them access to the chamber. Jack prayed that he would see the welcome glow from Teal’c’s and Sam’s lights. However, the beam of his light revealed nothing but the solid wall and more blackness. Jack pulled Daniel closer, concerned by the lack of movement from the man. He flashed the light upward so the he could see his teammate’s face behind the diving mask. What he saw worried him.

***

End Part 3

Depths

By Lin, Mot and Terri

Part 4 of 4

Teal’c pulled away another rock and was finally met with a semblance of success. He could now see into the crevice that had swallowed Jack and Daniel earlier. After scouring the sides of the temple, he had found no other entrance into its interior. Concerned that the two men trapped inside would run out of air before an alternate route could be found, he had returned to the original site and applied every ounce of strength he had in removing the rubble blocking the mouth of the crevice. He had been so absorbed in his work that he had not detected the arrival of four divers approaching from behind until they were almost on top of him. Teal’c immediately recognized Sam in the lead, but was not immediately able to confirm the identity of the other three divers.

The diver behind Sam held up a spare oxygen tank. Teal’c realized that the man was offering the air to him. The Jaffa shook his head, declining the offer. Sam nodded and held the tank out so that Teal'c could slip it on his back. Reluctantly, Teal'c took off his spent tank and slipped on the new unit.

Teal’c pointed at the small opening he had opened in the rock. Sam looked inside, but saw no sign of life coming from within.

*****

While Jack sucked in another breath from the tank, his eyes caught a sudden flash of light from below. Relief overwhelmed the man. ‘It’s okay, Danny,’ Jack thought as he worked the regulator back into the younger man's mouth. ‘It’s gonna be okay.’ He desperately wished he could express the words of comfort to the injured man, but the environment limited communication. He squeezed Daniel’s arm hoping that the action would express security.

Jack guided Daniel to the opening from which they had previously entered the inner-chamber. He frowned as he saw the blockage. Sweeping his light across the rubble, he was relieved to find it wasn’t entirely sealed as he had first feared.

He peered into the small hole in the rocks and was taken aback when a blinding flash of light hit him in the face. Startled, he scrunched his eyes closed and turned away, shielding Daniel at the same time. He then carefully turned back to the opening, cautiously reopening his eyes. Once his vision readjusted, O’Neill was able to make out Teal’c’s face on the other side.

The light from the hole was blocked and Jack saw a cylinder object being pushed through. Another shot of relief coursed through his system as he recognized the form of an oxygen tank. He held the regulator of the new tank in front of Daniel’s face to let the younger man see that he was going to replace the spent equipment. He let Daniel take a deep breath from the nearly spent tank and then pulled the mouthpiece from his lips. Daniel didn’t really seem to register its absence and Jack was fearful that the man would try to breathe without the mechanism. Jack took one final breath for himself, and then he pulled the straps from the nearly empty tank off of Daniel’s shoulders, letting the empty tank drop. He then strapped the new tank onto Daniel’s back and placed the regulator in the injured man’s mouth. Daniel took another breath and did not appear to be any worse for wear from the switching of the tanks.

After a few breaths, Daniel seemed to rally. He handed the regulator to Jack on his own. Jack gratefully took a breath and then gave it back to Daniel. Another tank with a new mask came through the opening and Jack took possession of it and strapped it on. He pulled off his old mask and slipped on the new one. This new mask was specially designed. He realized what the new equipment would do for their predicament. "Teal’c? Sam?" Jack called out experimentally.

"We read you 5-by, Sir," Sam responded. "Are you two okay? What happened?"

"We have a situation here. Daniel’s sick. . . hurt. Bends, if I’m not mistaken."

"What happened?"

"I think his air was bad. In the confusion, he took off for the surface too fast."

"How is he now?"

"He was a little more coherent after we got some fresh air in him, but he’s still hurting."

"It’s going to take us a little while to clear this opening. Hang in there, Sir."

"We’re not going anywhere, Major."

"Right Daniel? We're not going anywhere." Jack turned his attention back to younger man. He could feel Daniel's shivers through his suit. The two men had been trapped in the darkness of the temple for far too long. Daniel’s system was definitely beginning to feel the strain of their misadventure. It was imperative that they get him to the infirmary and a decompression chamber as soon as possible.

"Daniel, you're still with me, right?" Jack asked, even though he knew that Daniel couldn't hear him. He squeezed Daniel's shoulder, hoping to see some response in the younger man's eyes. There was no indication that Daniel had felt the contact. Jack's stomach churned with worry. "Come on, Kid, don't do this. You were getting better just a second ago," Jack muttered. He pulled Daniel closer and placed his other hand on Daniel's regulator. He jiggled it to see if Daniel would respond.

Daniel jerked suddenly, as if he had been woken from a deep sleep. "Good boy," the Colonel whispered. He patted Daniel on the cheek.

Jack could see that Daniel's eyes were wide with fear. "It's okay, Danny. You're going to be okay. Just stay with me."

Amazingly, Daniel seemed to know what Jack was saying. His hand fumbled forward and grabbed Jack's arm. The young archeologist nodded, reassuring his friend that he was making every effort to stay in the present. Jack just hoped that their rescuers came through for them quickly. He had no desire to press Daniel's infamous luck.

As if hearing his prayers, the wall of rock broke loose. Jack pulled Daniel back a safe distance away. "Yes!" the Colonel exclaimed when he saw Teal'c and Sam positioned in the newly formed opening.

*****

"How’s he doing, Doc?" Jack asked as he sauntered into the infirmary. The doctor in question looked up from the chart in her hand.

"Everything is looking fine. All of his blood gases are checking out normal. His vitals are fine. He's said that he's suffering from a headache, but that's normal under the circumstances. I’m going to keep him here tonight as a precaution, but he’ll be fit for duty after a little rest."

"Thanks."

"I didn’t do that much. You guys were the ones who got in back in time. By the way, did you find out what was wrong with his tank?"

Jack shot an angry look at the woman. "Carbon monoxide contamination. Damn screw up. Some idiot didn't realize the air compressor was malfunctioning. We're lucky that we all aren't lying dead at the bottom of that temple." Jack took a deep breath, trying to calm his rage. "Can I see him?"

"Sure." Doctor Fraiser dismissed him with a smile. Jack ventured further into the infirmary. He found Daniel sitting up in bed, writing in his journal.

"How you doing?"

"After a lifetime in a decompression chamber, I feel fine. I don’t see why I need to stay here another night."

"You don’t have to understand the doctor’s orders. You just have to follow them." Jack pushed the clutter that was on the edge of the bed aside. "Stockpiling are you?"

"Sam brought me a few things earlier," his hand swept out to indicate the journal in his lap, the photos on the bed and several other books piled on the bedside table. The wrapper of a candy bar peeked out from under the pile.

"You’ve only got to survive the night. Fraiser is turning you loose in the morning."

"Good." Daniel’s long fingers picked at the edge of the blanket. "By the way, thanks." There was a hint of embarrassment in the expression of gratitude.

"No problem."

Daniel nodded, his eyes intent on his fingers twisting the blanket into a knot. "So I guess I lost it again."

"Again?"

"Like with Machello's little brain bugs. I guess everyone thinks I'm an absolute nutcase once again."

"No, Daniel. No one thinks that. Everyone knows what happened. This wasn't your fault. It was the carelessness of someone who didn't know how to do his job."

Jack sat on the edge of the bed. Daniel glanced up and then away. Nothing was said for several minutes.

"So who is Rosalita?"

Startled, Daniel looked up.

"Who?"

"Rosalita. You said her name in the chamber under the temple."

"Oh. Um, Rosalita isn’t a who. It’s a what. Rosalita is the name of the ancient temple in Copan. That chamber was just like the descriptions I’ve read."

"Is that significant?"

"It could be. I won’t really know for sure until I’ve had time to translate the inscriptions from the stairs."

"Carter is transferring the video from the dive. You’ll have plenty to work on when you get out of the infirmary."

"Good."

The silence returned as each man wandered into the depths of his own thoughts.

"Do you miss him still?" Jack’s question shattered the silence.

Daniel looked over at him. A ghost of a smile flitted across his face before he looked away again. "Nick?. . .Sometimes. He was never a significant part of my life. When he left again, it shouldn’t have been a big deal."

"But it was. You mentioned him several times while you were. . .uh. . .incapacitated."

"Yeah, I kinda remember that." Daniel closed his eyes for a moment. "I guess I saw his leaving as the loss of my last tie to any real family."

"See now, there is where you’re completely and utterly wrong."

"What?" Daniel turned puzzled eyes on his friend.

"Nick isn’t gone, he’s just out of phase, or something. Anyway, he’s planning on coming back."

"Yeah, I guess." Daniel's hesitance showed his doubt.

"And in the meantime, you’ve always got me," Jack spread his hands wide, grinning like an idiot. "What more could you ask for?"

Daniel blinked several times before an answering smile spread across his face. "What indeed?"

Finis

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