Again
by
 
Travelling One
 
EMAIL: travelling_one@yahoo.ca
WEB: http://www.travellingone.com
RELATED EPISODES: Solitudes
SEASON: anytime
SUMMARY: A mystery on Earth, that only Daniel has the skills to solve. What he finds is the discovery of a lifetime.
CATEGORY: Drama, angst, adventure
SEASON: Any
DISCLAIMER: The theme and main characters have been borrowed from the Stargate SG-1 tv series, and are copyright property of MGM-UA Worldwide Television, Gekko Film Corp, Glassner/Wright Double Secret Productions and Stargate SG-I Prod. Ltd. This story has been written for entertainment purposes only. No copyright infringement is intended.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: The airplane segment was inspired solely by the author's personal experience. This story was first outlined 07/01, before rumours of a similarly-themed spinoff and long before SG-1's return to Antarctica in S6.
09/30/01
 
 
"I understand, General, not a problem…yes…I'll be right there." Daniel replaced the receiver, wondering why he was being summoned to Hammond's office so soon after having returned from a mission with SG-1. Just three hours earlier they'd arrived back hot and hungry, and weren't due to go off-world again for another three days. Hammond hadn't mentioned anything at the post-mission debriefing; was it just him, or all of SG-1? The general had used the phone, and not the PA system. Curiously, apprehensively, Daniel swallowed the rest of his coffee and headed to the elevator.
 
His arrival in the empty briefing room went unnoticed, and it was only after he'd been standing in the open doorway for a good three or four minutes wondering what the heck was going on, that General Hammond made his appearance.
 
"Thank you for giving up your down-time, Doctor. We'll wait just a few more minutes until the rest of your team arrives. You do have time to get a coffee," he added.
 
"Uh…no, that's alright, General," One question answered, Daniel was still a bit unnerved, as he moved to take a seat. "I've already had a few this afternoon."
 
"Trying to cut down, son?" General Hammond was obviously straining to make small talk.
 
"No, sir… not intentionally, anyway." Daniel's attention was at that moment redirected towards the doorway, his other three counterparts having arrived.
 
"General?" Jack's look was a combination of annoyance, suspicion, and just a touch of humour. "My feet were up on the coffee table, sir, cappuccino in my hand, and I was deciding whether to have the dream about the Hawaiian luau or the Grand Bahamas fishing contest during today's nap, …"
 
Daniel's tension eased up; go for it, Jack.
 
"Have a seat, everyone. I'm sorry to spoil your R&R, Colonel, but I have a mission request."
 
"A request, General? Not from the Tok'ra I hope." Jack wasn't looking so pleased.
 
"No, from the US military…from a Colonel Hope down at McMurdo, actually."
 
"Antarctica?" Three sets of voices responded with a questioning lilt, a rhetorical word though it may have been. All four SG-1 members were less than happily familiar with McMurdo Station in Antarctica, no fault of the military researchers in that location, who had been extremely helpful and efficient, as a matter of fact.
 
The general continued. "Some government researchers have been down there since your discovery of the second Stargate in that ice cave, SG-1. They have requested the presence of Doctor Jackson ASAP; it seems they have something down at the site that they want you to look at, Doctor."
 
Daniel's features registered surprise and deep curiosity. "Did they say what it was?"
 
"No. They didn't want to tell me anything over the phone." He surveyed the expressions on the others' faces. "The rest of you don't have to go, but I will leave that choice up to you. They need only Doctor Jackson's expertise, and I realize that you, Major, and you as well, Colonel, have good reason to not want to go back there."
 
Jack caught the major's eye, knowing full well that neither of them wanted to return to the cold memories of impending death in a long-buried freezer. His response made Sam smile. "I'll go with Daniel, General. I'm fine with it." Because on the other hand, Jack wasn't letting Daniel go down there alone, either. No way.
 
"I, too, choose to go with Daniel Jackson. I have no negative memories of the area, as we found O'Neill and Major Carter alive," Teal'c added.
 
Sam tilted her head in mock resignation. "Well, I'm not staying out of the action," she grinned. "I'll be fine, the place will be full of researchers and scientists this time," she rationalized, as O'Neill muttered under his breath, "…on second thought…"
 
General Hammond closed up the file folder on the table in front of him. "In that case, there will be an air force plane waiting to take you down at 1900 hours…I'm sorry I can't give you any more details than that, SG-1."
 
"That only gives us 90 minutes to get ready, sir." Carter was looking at her watch, oddly feeling the effects from their last mission receding as curiosity and adrenalin moved in to replace the fatigue.
 
Standing, Jack crooked up his elbow, holding it out for Sam. "Well Carter…ready for a trip down memory lane?"
 
Sam grimaced playfully. "The things we do for Daniel, sir…"
 
"Oh, Daniel…pack blankets," O'Neill advised. "Lots and lots of blankets."
 
______
 
Although the team was fully prepared with …blankets …regulation outerwear, heavy duty sleeping bags, and all other manner of winter equipment, (thank goodness it was late October and almost 3ºF), their arrival was viewed with amusement at the McMurdo base. Dotted with prefabricated homes and research quarters, the McMurdo site was a community befitting any rural township in middle America, with a few hundred researchers at this time of year.
 
"It's nearly spring here, Colonel. You do know we have a full setup down there and we keep the heat up at 68, don't you?" enquired Major Flaherty, chuckling, as he eyed their equipment.
 
"Uh…no, actually," retorted O'Neill, taken aback and somewhat annoyed. "Seems your people wouldn't give us squat, to say nothing of being entirely unhelpful." Didn't matter, he was happier being prepared than having to count on some other military…minds…to take care of him and his team. "So when do we leave and what's this all about?"
 
"Can't tell you what it's about, but one of our pilots can take you over in about half an hour. Just finishing refuelling. We take the Twin Otters down there now, they've prepared a skiway. The helicopters wouldn't hold the equipment they needed."
 
There was very little in the way of conversation during the hour-long flight to the cave, the site where the second 'gate had been found, but SG-1 seemed content to dwell within their own minds, the team members each reliving their own memories. Sleep had come for a while during the eighteen-hour flight to Antarctica, but more often than not they'd taken turns inadvertently lying awake, thinking of this mission that they knew absolutely nothing about. Jack hadn't flown over the area before, at least not while he was conscious, and he found the scenery to be overwhelming, as well as somewhat frightening. Blue waters dotted with white ice floes gave way to undisturbed ice and snow for literally hundereds of miles into the distance, hills and mountains, glaciers with blue-white peaks rising like scales on the back of some camouflaged prehistoric monster. Close your eyes then open them; this could look like endless clouds, but knowing it was snow was disquieting. Sam was staring out the window, seemingly locked in a daydream. Daniel appeared nervous, impatient, his brow furrowed, wondering what they could possibly want him for. Probably something to do with the Goa'uld Sam had uncovered in the ice of the DHD. Had this been a Goa'uld outpost?
 
_____
 
 
Jack pulled his hood tighter as he stepped out of the small Twin Otter, and Daniel instinctively wrapped his arms about his chest for added warmth. This place was damn icy, a lot colder than rocky McMurdo, and the wind was fierce.
 
Surveying the area with a quick glance, none of them could believe the changes that had taken place here within the past three years. A fully functioning camp had been set up outside the cave's entry hole, which itself had been enlarged to allow two humans at a time to enter by way of a temporary staircase, and the four semi-permanent huts were complete with heaters, tables, chairs, and supplies. Within the cave itself, tunnels had been carved out beyond what had previously been visible. Although a small heater was activated inside the cave, the temperature was set at 35ºF, just enough to keep the researchers, in their parkas and hats, from freezing, but cold enough to keep the ice from melting too quickly. With the bulbs giving off heat as well, a collapse of the cave system was not an effect anyone was eager to experience.
 
The SG-1 teammates were quickly introduced to all present: Doctor/Majors Wainwright and Judd; Colonel Hope; Captains Franklin, Rosewood, and Petrie.
 
"Welcome to I.C.1, boys…and Major Carter."
 
"I.C One?" Daniel queried.
 
"Ice Cave #1 is what it's been nicknamed over here." Captain Petrie smiled.
 
"Planning on finding another?" Daniel asked.
 
The officers looked at each other as if sharing a private joke. "You never know."
 
"So…what's going on here at …icy one?" O'Neill looked around. "No Goa'uld attack, I presume. Why the hurry?" His patience was no longer desiring to sustain its position on hold, and the fatigue of having been off-world for the past five days was catching up with him, to say nothing of an interminable intercontinental flight.
 
Colonel Hope eyed him with interest. "Getting right to the point, Colonel? I can handle that. Come with me, Dr. Jackson."
 
Daniel eagerly followed Hope as he led the way through the first tunnel, déjà vu, the rest of SG-1 directly on their heels. Judd, Rosewood, and Wainwright took up the rear.
 
As they entered the adjacent chamber, the newcomers' breaths came out as gasps at the sight before them. Whether in awe of the immensity of the room, the architectural sculpturing within it, or the fact that all this was here in the first place…on Earth…was irrelevant for the moment; it was, indeed, mind-numbing and awe-inspiring.
 
The room they found themselves in was a huge domed pentagonally-shaped cavern, and it was obvious that it had not yet been completely excavated. Nearly ice-free now, though, it was constructed solely of a pure white marble, with multiple layerings both on the walls and floor. Stepped areas led to what appeared, from modern man's point of view, to be white marble shelving, carved alternately into and out of the walls themselves. On these, rested what looked to be piles of books, their substance unidentifiable from this distance. Platforms rose at intervals, based at each pentagonal indent. These, too, were made of a white marble, shining still after all these centuries … or millennia. Apparently all furnishings of the room had disappeared long ago. At least, nothing was present during this recent excavation.
 
"Wow." Carter turned the full 360º, slowly, taking in the sight which was lit by electrical bulbs strung up from ceiling wires. The 100-watt bulbs still cast shadows in the immense space. "Have you found any technology buried around here?"
 
"I'm afraid not, Major," replied Colonel Hope, "otherwise we would have requested your help as well. We have found something for Doctor Jackson, though. Follow me." Hope continued through into another tunnel, a corridor, and stopped. All along the marble walls were panels… completely covered in markings. "Look familiar, Doctor Jackson?"
 
"Uh…no, actually…" Daniel gazed in awe at the imprints on the wall, fingering them gently. After all this time, so many were still perfectly preserved…like those hieroglyphic carvings in most of the Egyptian temples. "Although… although… a few of these symbols are Akkadian cuneiform…and wait…yes… here, this section is similar to Hittite pictographic…here we have Proto-Sinaitic … and some hieroglyphs…and … the Ancients?" Daniel squinted closely. "…these are all the first known written languages on Earth, well, except for the Ancients, that is…my God, this isn't Goa'uld... what is this place?" Daniel turned to stare at Hope, his wide bright eyes demanding explanations, something to make sense out of the amazing chaos on the narrow walls before him.
 
Jack's brow was furrowed, as he looked first at Daniel's bewildered expression, then at Hope's irritatingly smug one. Major Carter stood with her mouth slightly open, in confused partial comprehension. Teal'c, who had remained silent since entering the ice cave, revealed nothing of his thoughts as he looked upon the walls for evidence of Goa'uld domination. He found none.
 
"Can't tell you that, Doctor. We don't know. That is why we called you?" Major Judd's sarcastic tone went unnoticed by Daniel, if not by O'Neill.
 
"Have you been able to interpret any of this?" Daniel wasn't about to let the matter rest.
 
Judd looked at Wainwright in exasperation. "I'm a biologist, Doctor. Glen, here…Major Wainwright… is a physicist. You're the linguistic expert."
 
Jack cut in hotly. "Look, no one told us anything about what's been going on here, hell, we just found out about this place less than two hours before we hopped in that plane. So we don't know who you are, how long you've been at this, or what you do know. So, before jumping at Daniel again, what do you say you fill us in?"
 
The momentary silence was broken by Wainwright. "This is what we know, Colonel. Just what you see. We have no idea who built this place, what these writings say, or even how old it is. We found one Goa'uld, that one who was encased in the ice by the DHD. We believe you met him, Colonel? He must have come later, after or as this place was freezing up. Preliminary tests have dated him at four thousand years. Other than that, we've just been digging out the rooms and passageways. The interpretation, Doctor Jackson, is up to you."
 
Right. Staring at the walls before him and the chamber behind, an amazing and astonishing find no matter what world this might be, Daniel had to keep reminding himself that they were still on Earth. And that in Earth's known history, no humans other than these nine people beside him, definitely no present-day archaeologists, had ever seen this place before.
 
_____
 
 
The "books" that had been lying on the shelves turned out to be thin layers of marble, frozen together in blocks of ice. While a few of these had already been melted apart, the majority had been left for Daniel to deal with. As he gently melted and pried them free, he could see the same writings on these thin sheets as were on the walls in the corridor. These sheets, so thin as to be nearly translucent, had lasted through millennia. So as not to damage them, Daniel was working in the cold of the marble chamber, delicately using brushes and warm water. The gloves he was wearing hindered his progress, and, afraid of a tablet slipping through an inflexible covered grip, more often than not he would toss the gloves to the ground, only to put them back on within moments. As he worked, his eyes kept sliding back to the contents of those marble pages, bits and pieces of the ancient writings beginning to make some sense.
 
Teal'c was off in a far corner of the main cave, bundled in a warm blanket, engrossed in a state of kelno'reem. O'Neill was sitting by the heater, watching Major Carter re-rigging some light bulb wires to a small generator. The cave may have been more cozy than the last time he was here, but it still gave him the shivers, in more ways than one.
 
"Remind me again why I volunteered to fly out here with Daniel, Carter?" Jack watched his breath fold into soft clouds of vapour. Still couldn't make them look like rabbits, try as he might.
 
Sam came to sit beside him, rubbing her hands in front of the small heating system, before opening up the cover of her laptop. "Sir, you know you'd be pacing back and forth at the SGC for days if you'd stayed back, and eventually you'd be here anyway. It's only been two days. This could be the discovery of the century for Daniel. I mean, besides the Stargate," she smiled.
 
"Yeah…but it's cold."
 
Sam grinned. "It was a lot colder last time." She hesitated, the memory stronger than she'd thought possible. "And you could go into the main hut, it's comparatively tropical in there."
 
"Would rather be here freezing with you and Daniel, Major. Hope and his buddies give me the creeps."
 
"Well, soon they'll continue excavating the far room," she continued. "You could go into the hut then and get some decent rest."
 
"I've been doing nothing but resting since we got here, Major, unless you consider the hard work of making these little puffs into something more interesting than cotton balls." Jack watched again as his breath nearly froze in the air before him. "I'm bored stiff. No, make that frozen stiff. No, I think bored stiff does it…"
 
"Sir, you've been digging for almost two days straight."
 
"No, Carter. They don't let me dig. They make me watch them dig, shovel, drill, or whatever, and tell me not to scratch any of the marble."
 
"There's not much for me to do here either, sir. It's not like there's a lot of plant or naquadah samples coming out of the site."
 
"Well Carter…now we know why they only asked for Daniel."
 
"Right, sir."
 
"Tell me again why we volunteered to come down here with him?"
 
"Because he's Daniel, sir."
 
"Right …...Cards, Carter?… Ice dice?"
 
_____
 
 
Daniel rushed into the food preparation/dining hut, his eyes wide. The others were sitting around two small wooden tables, finishing the remains of the stew. One covered plate lay at an empty seat, the now-cold food still untouched.
 
"Daniel, it's about time you emerged. What's it been, four months?"
 
"Funny, Jack. We've been here four days, and I saw you this morning….A-nnd….I think I know what this place was." Jack could see Daniel's eyes shining, his lips trying not to turn up in that excited indication of accomplishment. He was keeping himself in check, despite his eagerness to share his discoveries.
 
"You can read the symbols?" Petrie inquired.
 
"I can. Yes…I can. Many of them, anyway."
 
"And? What was this place, then?" Wainwright was showing a slight impatience.
 
"Atlantis." Daniel's eyes were dancing, and this time his smile managed to escape for a brief moment.
 
As Daniel searched the faces of those around the tables to see how his news would sink in, he was aware he had been called crazy before, but this time…this time, he was positive what he was talking about. This time, he had the proof.
 
He heard some quiet chuckles, but they weren't from his SG-1 teammates. He saw Jack's glaring look, aimed at Wainwright and Judd.
 
"Get some sleep, Jackson," Judd commented. "And maybe you won't remember this in the morning."
 
"Shut up, Judd, and listen to him," maybe the cold had gotten to Jack, or lack of real sleep, or boredom, but no way was Daniel going to be spoken to that way. And no one, besides himself, got to dampen his friend's enthusiasm like that.
 
"Jack…"
 
"No, Daniel…they asked you to come here. You're here. Now they listen." Wainwright gave O'Neill a cold glare, then looked back at Daniel, saying nothing.
 
It was Captain Franklin who cut the ice. "Atlantis is a myth, Doctor."
 
"Do you have proof of that, Captain?" Daniel could've hugged Sam for that. Bless his team.
 
"What is this 'Atlantis', Daniel Jackson?" Teal'c inquired.
 
"It was a legendary continent, Teal'c, assumed to be…"
 
"In the middle of the Atlantic," Major Judd interrupted.
 
"…in the middle of the Atlantic." Daniel agreed. "Until 9000 B.C. Although many researchers have claimed it to be other places, such as off the coast of Greece, for instance, depending on their interpretations of Plato's writings. Others have vehemently denied the existence of such a continent, based mainly on lack of evidence. Although," he added. "what evidence they expect to have survived underwater for eleven millennia is beyond me. We're still digging up cities that were buried only a few hundred years ago."
 
Daniel had been pacing the room, hands playing with the air, grabbing at invisible molecules of oxygen. Now, he came to rest beside Jack, and sat in the unoccupied seat. The energy on his face, the exuberance and desperate need to convince the people around him, showed plainly in Daniel's body language.
 
"It's long been presumed that Antarctica was once free of ice; I mean there are maps, created long before seismic profiles or aerial images, that show Antarctica as partly ice-free. One of these was made by a 16th century mapmaker, Piri Re'is, and who knows where he copied it from, but some suggest they were in the library at Alexandria. And the magnetic poles of Earth are known to have shifted several times in Earth's history, indicating that many continents would have had much different climates than they do today. If the theory of earth crust displacement is correct, which is not the same as tectonic plate movement but much more rapid and sudden, Antarctica's climate could have been vastly different as little as eleven thousand years ago. And technically, Antarctica is in the middle of any ocean you want it to be in." Daniel paused not only to catch his breath but to take a good look around him. Everyone was still listening, even though a few faces did look like Senator Kinsey's when Daniel had mentioned alternate realities.
 
He continued. "But if you still don't believe me, there is something else that might convince you." Once again, Daniel paused, and this time he wanted a reaction. He was not disappointed.
 
"And that would be, what, Doctor Jackson?" Wainwright was still looking like Kinsey.
 
"The writings refer to this land mass ... Antarctica ... as Atlantis."
 
A little less Kinsey, now. And the chuckles, this time, came from the directions of O'Neill and Carter.
 
_____
 
 
Daniel had the slate-thin marble slabs in front of him on the table, this time in the warmth of the research hut, copying bits of the text and taking digital images. He spoke aloud as he worked, theorizing into his tape recorder. Jack watched the scientist's intensity and enthusiasm, trying to remember the last time he had ever felt that way himself. This was good, though; Daniel was on to something, something big, and he deserved this.
 
"Their main government buildings were made mostly of marble, quarried from a few distant sites. I'm trying to find the tablets that spoke of their transportation system, I know I saw that somewhere." Daniel glanced around for a few moments before continuing. "Anyway, uh, while other buildings such as houses and shops were made of stone and brick, they whitewashed everything to give the appearance of marble…must've looked like the Greek Islands," Daniel added under his breath.
 
He had been diligently working for six days straight, barely sleeping, but his enthusiasm remained fresh and spirited. Daniel was definitely gaining energy from his work.
 
"These tablets are written almost poetically… a lot of descriptive words about the beauty of the countryside and the cities as well. They had many large buildings, um, pyramids, I think, that reached 'heavenward', and they liked to show these off to visiting officials and countrymen. This says…um…this talks about visitors from many powerful surrounding continents coming to enjoy the beauty of the shining cities and blue waters of Atlantis. They mention visitors from the Nile." Daniel looked up. "Jack…do you know how long people have been searching for this? Do you know what this means?"
 
"Yup, Daniel, I do," Jack grinned. "It means your fellow archaeologists will soon be drooling with envy." How he wanted to see that. He'd even hold the video camera, while Daniel walked amongst them as they begged for forgiveness and threw coins at his feet…
 
"And they will not need to find out about the Stargate, as it is no longer here," added Teal'c.
 
"No… it means we have proof now that Earth had a highly developed civilization, with technology, many thousands of years before the known cultures of Egypt , China, or Central America. I haven't found dates yet, but if this civilization was thriving for several thousand years, even tens of thousands of years as some have suggested, we have to find out what happened, what destroyed it."
 
Bodies walked in and out of the hut to warm up, but for most of the past few days, the others had continued digging out and melting the ice of the central chamber. Every now and then, someone or other would listen to Daniel, or read what he was writing. Most of the time, however, Daniel had been feeling it was only Sam or Teal'c or Jack who really believed him.
 
"My god, Jack, they had everything we do. They had indoor plumbing, and heating systems, although they speak of mild yearly weather. Here, look, I found it… look at this. Oh, right, well listen to this, I mean." Daniel seemed to be rambling, in his excitement. Jack lifted up his eyebrows at Teal'c, who hid his slight amusement. Both teammates had a great deal of fondness for the eager friend in front of them.
 
"They would travel along shallow manmade canals in small boats made of metal; these boats held up to five people, and were directed along the narrow waterways by magnetized rods. These rods inhibited them from banging into the sides of the canal, I guess by manipulating magnetic poles, while another system of magnets pulled the vehicles forward. Changing direction was like … changing tracks." Daniel continued to peruse the marble tablets, silently now.
 
As the days passed, the crew continued to work within the caverns. Daniel had deciphered most of the corridor's panels, these were mostly names of prominent citizens and the building's history. 'Built in the year of abundance, when the great mooned planets were in alignment.'
 
The tablets spoke of the thriving cities. Opportunity had been plentiful and life had been good, although not without its altercations.
 
With the permanent panels deciphered as much as possible, and no new ones yet having turned up, SG-1 had been talking of returning to the warmth and comfort of the SGC, where Daniel could finish his work on the rest of the portable tablets.
 
And then Daniel found what he had been looking for.
 
_____
 
 
Captains Rosewood, Franklin, and Petrie, along with Colonel Hope, had been lounging around the food hut ...their kitchen and mess hall... basking in the relative warmth, escaping from the winds and bitter chill just outside the door. Their snoozing was interrupted by a loud exclamation.
 
"That's it!"
 
Eyes looked up.
 
"Um…sorry. But this. Listen: 'And in the night came the loud machines, mimicking ours of the air' …Ours of the air…wow, they had flying crafts? 'and they were those we knew of and dreaded, those of our myths of long ago, the ugly beings disguised in metal…the embers of their eyes were…not terrifying but…vulgar…' I think the Goa'uld came!"
 
Daniel continued for a while in silence. "Here's where they mention the beings erecting a transportation wheel of invincible metals ... the Stargate, I guess ...in their building of high government. They tried many ways to rid themselves of the Goa'uld, 'those who played at being gods', and nothing seemed to be working. They talk of asking for help from beings from other worlds…" Daniel paused, lips agape. "The Ancients? Or Asgaard?….Jack…you said Thor spoke of watching our world for a very long time."
 
"Go on, Daniel." Jack was still listening, as were the others.
 
Daniel continued. "But still the Goa'uld persisted. So…" he read on. "So…they used powerful …um…explosives, it seems. They set off these …bombs… under the land, I think in tunnels and in caves or mountains…where the beings maintained their flying crafts… but it backfired and the land split apart…Wow… It goes on to tell, very poetically, actually, about the horrifying effects that followed. There were chain reactions, a type of land or crustal shift, weather was affected, there were floods, and intense cold… the Goa'uld left but the territory was destroyed. People died. Those who could leave, were fleeing to neighbouring continents even as these tablets were being written. They speak of moving on, over waters to uninhabited lands, where they would be forced to start over again, using stones for tools and building with clay." Daniel thought for a moment. "The native Americans? They've left evidence over ten thousand years old in various parts of the U.S…" Returning his attention to the tablets, he summarized, "They talk about preferring to start life anew rather than go with the Goa'uld."
 
Daniel pause, and looked up. This time, all eyes were upon his, and no one made a sound.
 
"Somewhere in here," Daniel pointed to the six remaining tablets, "Is the answer to their level of technology, that brought down their land."
 
"How long will it take to decipher them?" asked Jack.
 
"About three or four more days, I guess." Daniel responded.
 
"Take them with us. It's time to go back."
 
"No." Colonel Hope was frowning.
 
"No?" O'Neill cocked his head in the direction of the officer.
 
"No. Those tablets stay here."
 
"Along with those notes of yours, Doctor, and the photos," Captain Rosewood added.
 
Daniel's eyes were wide as he looked at the men, searching for any indication that he could plead his case and win. He saw none.
 
"Why?" was all that came out.
 
"Because, Doctor Jackson, this is not an excavation we want the archaeological community to get wind of, at the present time. You are the only civilian on this team. And you will remain the only civilian who knows about this."
 
"But…but…we have to tell the world about Atlantis. They have the right to know. They don't have to find out about the Goa'uld… you can keep those tablets. Let me have the others?" Daniel had remembered how to plead.
 
After a brief silence, Colonel Hope responded noncommitally. "I'll think about that. For now, you can work on the rest of the tablets here, and then you and your team," he glanced at O'Neill and the others, "can return to the SGC."
 
_____
 
 
With Jack growing increasingly impatient, Daniel completed his work as quickly as he could. He was amazed at the engineering technology and level of scientific knowledge this civilization had possessed. They had surpassed the known ancient cultures in technical and architectural techniques as well as spiritual development, even though they likely had all been learning from each other. For the most part, they had been a peaceful civilization. But the coming of the Goa'uld had prompted them to use disastrous technology … such that it was equivalent to atomic devastation. Daniel realized the Tollans had a basis for their fears… had they been the ones to help the Atlanteans, who then ended up destroying their own continent?
 
"So, that's it?" Jack was Oh so more than ready to get back home.
 
"That's it." Daniel was somewhat downcast, his voice subdued.
 
"Daniel?" Jack wasn't sure how to handle this, exactly. "You did good. It's time to go. It's not every day someone uncovers a civilization that's been lost for millennia."
 
Daniel squinted his eyes. "I know that. It's just… I can't believe I'm here, Jack. Here, standing in the official center of Atlantis. I never thought I'd do anything like this, not in my wildest dreams. I mean, an ancient race in Egypt was always exciting enough, you know? And a lot more plausible."
 
"Even though no one believed you."
 
"Yeah." Daniel almost chuckled.
 
"Come." Jack gently tugged Daniel's sleeve. "We've hardly told Hammond anything. He's got to be pacing." He turned to Colonel Hope at the other end of the hut, determined to try his luck, for Daniel's sake. "So, Daniel takes the tablets that tell about the continent, right? That bit about the Goa'uld and end of the civilization thing, that suspiciously disappears?"
 
"'Fraid not, Colonel." Hope came out of the shadows. "It all stays here. Gets transferred to Area 51. And no one," he looked Daniel straight in the eye, "says a word without our permission. If and when we release this to the public, will be our decision, and we'll let you know."
 
"But…"
 
"We'll let you know." Hope was adamant. And then he moved out of the hut into the chilly air, leaving Daniel and the rest of SG-1 to stare at his retreating figure.
 
"Slime rodent. I knew I didn't like him," Jack retorted.
 
"I'm sorry, Daniel," Sam offered futile comfort. Even she had wanted the news to be released; she could well imagine how Daniel must be feeling. After all, he was an archaeologist, this stuff was his life's passion, no matter who did the digging.
 
Daniel remained silent. Shaking his head, he retrieved his bag and followed Hope's path through the doorway, diverting to the cargo-passenger Twin Otter that waited beyond.
 
_____
 
 
No one knew just what to say to Daniel, nor did Daniel try to make it easier on them. He just drifted within himself, every so often shaking his head. While the flight back to McMurdo was progressing quietly within, the turbulence was increasing outside, as the weather turned worse. The pilot informed the four passengers that he would be taking a slightly more circuitous and longer route, to bypass the localized storm.
 
Jack, seated behind Daniel, decided to use this time to approach his friend. "C'mon, Daniel. They never said they wouldn't share this, ever. Give them time, they'll filter some of the information, then eventually let you share the rest with the world. I can't see this staying classified, there's no reason for it to."
 
"There are Goa'uld involved."
 
"No one needs to know that." Hell, when had Jack started sounding like Daniel? He should be the one explaining how classified this is, not the other way around. But then again, why should it be? For years scholars had speculated on Atlantis and why it had been destroyed, Jack knew that much. Earthquakes, wasn't it? Volcanoes? They could still speculate on those. Or, they could say the Atlanteans had been fooling around with destructive weapons, which would still be the truth, and could help the world learn an important lesson at the same time… you know, that 'history repeats itself' stuff? Daniel was right; this knowledge did belong to the people of Earth, not just to the military. And Daniel really should be acknowledged for the way he figured out those writings. He really deserved credit for something, and this was absolutely…tellable, when you thought about it.
 
"It's okay, Jack. I'm used to this. It's happened before."
 
"I know."
 
"I know you know."
 
Jack gazed out the window, those blue-silver glacier humps definitely looking like some enormous prehistoric creature.
 
_____
 
 
The sound was frightening.
 
Whoever thought silence could be so terrifying?
 
Except, when you're in a ski plane far above land and the engines shut off, there is no worse sound than silence. Except perhaps the eery buzzing of the transmitter signal.
 
The pilot fumbled urgently, desperately, with the controls, but the silence remained.
 
They knew they were going down. Heading nose-first towards a glacier, the angle wasn't severe and the skilled pilot might still make it to the ground safely…landing elsewhere than inside a crevasse, or on a jagged ice ledge… something about switching fuel tanks, and then the quiet… what had gone wrong?
 
The team members stared rigidly out the windows as the glacier loomed closer, coming swiftly up to meet them, diagonally. Then with heads down, they held their breaths, grasping tightly to the seat in front, grasping tightly to their fear. In the next few moments, they would either live, or they would die.
 
_____
 
 
The plane landed harshly, ripping the ground beneath it, flattening its landing skiis but remaining more or less intact. Spinning on the semi-smooth ice and snow, the out-of-control aircraft headed towards high glacial and rocky outcroppings which would have smashed the machine completely, had it not spun twice more and stopped just short, finally catching in soft, deeper snow. Fuel leaked onto the cold white of the frozen ground…and that was all.
 
For some extended moments, there was nothing.
 
"Anyone hurt?" A soft, worried voice, belonging to someone from SG-1. Yes, that was Jack, flexing his limbs gently and finding everything in relatively normal working condition.
 
Slowly, recovering from the shock, quiet voices began to respond.
 
"I think I'm okay." Daniel. Where was that blood from?
 
"Ouch. Uh, just a sprain, I think. My wrist." Sam.
 
"I am fine, O'Neill. Just disturbed. My symbiote is agitated." Teal'c. Yes, of course Teal'c, that would definitely be Teal'c.
 
"Just some bruises. Bumped my head, but I think I'm okay." The pilot turned to view the others.
 
"Teal'c, see what you can do for Carter. I'll check the safety of the ice and snow outside. No one go far." Jack slowly steadied himself, rising and peering through the swinging door. Daniel followed. It was a short hop into the snow, and they seemed to be on solid ground.
 
"What the hell happened?" Daniel voiced both their thoughts, holding some snow to the dripping cut on his chin.
 
O'Neill and Daniel dazedly viewed the damage, the flattened skiis, the smashed windows, the bends and dents. The plane's nose was sticking into the air, while the tail was bent upwards at a disconcerting angle. The plane had come to rest at a precarious sideways tilt…and now they could see why. The ski on the opposite side of the plane had found its way into a long and deep, but narrow, crevasse.
 
"Oh… my." Daniel stared in realization. While too much movement inside the plane could sink them further, the crevasse could open up just from the weight itself.
 
Jack knew what his friend was thinking. "Our only other choice is to camp out here," he offered quietly.
 
The look Daniel gave him indicated that this alternative wasn't even thinkable; they weren't equipped with tents.
 
"It'll be okay, Daniel. We'll just have to try not to move around too much."
 
Looking around, Jack knew there would be little shelter one way or the other; if they weren't rescued soon, they would be in for a very cold wait in a metal box. Right now, the wind was fierce, the snow was blowing, and the temperature had to be down around -8ºF, not even considering the wind chill. The cold went right through his polar fleece jacket and wind parka, and he'd only been outside for a few minutes. His face already felt frozen. Considering the cloud cover and blowing snow, no rescue plane would yet be able to find them. "Come on inside, Daniel. Let's make a home in this thing. And watch where you step." Looking at the blood-covered lump of snow in Daniel's hand, he added, "You sure you're okay?"
 
"Yeah. Just need a bandaid." Placing his gloved hand on Daniel's upper arm, Jack nodded for his friend to turn back.
 
Returning to the plane, Jack thankfully pulled out the extra blankets and sleeping bags they'd brought. "We'll pile them on top of each other, and sleep close tonight. In the meantime, we should rig up something colourful outside so the search planes can find us. This plane might be red but it's half buried, and the blowing snow will dust it within an hour. "
 
"I'm afraid I can't reach anyone on the radio," the pilot had come to be with them. "It's broken." He looked down uneasily. "But they'll be expecting us in McMurdo in an hour."
 
"So they'll be out here soon, right? From McMurdo?" Daniel was hopeful. Spending the night here wasn't exactly a desirable thought.
 
"Maybe."
 
"But the transmitter signal…" Daniel countered.
 
"…just tells them we're in trouble somewhere, not our location, Daniel," Sam explained gently. "They'll still have to carry out a grid search. That could take time. We went off the designated course, so they don't know exactly where to look. And this storm will hamper their vision while it lasts, if they can fly at all in the next few hours."
 
A moment later, Jack interrupted the ensuing silence. "So. Let's get something rigged up outside. I'm freezing, the faster we do this the better." Nodding to the pilot, he asked, "Do you have any smoke grenades?" Each grenade would colour the snow purple.
 
"Yes, a few. But the wind and blowing snow will cover up the colouring pretty quickly."
 
"We'll use one at a time and keep setting them off."
 
There was very little else of any colour inside the plane, other than their clothing and blankets, and those certainly were not going anywhere. They emptied out their packs, and scattered those in a large circle on the ice. Then one grenade was set off, directly in the center. A lively purple area appeared, an aerial view bull's eye. But it could still be many hours before another plane or helicopter might find their whereabouts, a small purple dot in a wide white shadowed landscape, bordered by rocky outcroppings. In the meantime, they had to survive an approaching night. The long hours of daylight had not yet resumed in Antarctica, although night itself never got entirely dark this close to spring, a strange unearthly lingering twilight. But it would definitely get a lot colder in the approaching hours. Hopefully, they wouldn't have to wait that long.
 
Back in the plane, making as few movements as possible, they bundled up in whatever was left of their emergency cold weather gear. The stuff was great, if they didn't have to endure exposure for an extended period. After an hour, they were already beginning to feel the cold. Jack threw one more smoke grenade onto their fading bull's eye, before joining the others under the blankets.
 
As the teammates and pilot huddled together, shivering, Daniel began to notice other feelings he hadn't realized before. Many, many bruises, especially across his abdomen where the seat belt had held him in place. A few bumps, and a very stiff neck. But considering what the alternative might have been, he knew he could put up with these without complaint. He didn't mention it, even when the pressure from someone's... Sam's... chin touched a bruised shoulder. The extra warmth was worth it. And besides, he figured everyone else was going through exactly the same thing.
 
But God the night was growing cold, and the light was fading into wind, clouds, and duskiness. Jack realized that if he had been cold in that ice cave the first time, he hadn't known what cold was. He knew Sam must be reliving the very same memory, he could feel her shivering. Or someone, at least he thought it was Sam, sandwiched between himself and Daniel. But then again, it was probably all of them. They weren't going to make it through the night, were they.
 
And was that his imagination, or had he really felt the plane shift? Get a grip, O'Neill.
 
Yet he was extremely grateful for one small thing. That he had decided to accompany Daniel out here in the first place. He couldn't, didn't want to, imagine Daniel being here alone, having stood up to those military scientists by himself, and then enduring this cold and solitude in the frightening grip of oneness. Alone. Lying here tonight, by himself. Jack shivered, and knew it was only 50% from the cold. His mind drifted to the SGC, to standing in General Hammond's office with the rest of his team, being told by the man in his sympathetic drawl that Daniel's plane had gone down, and that a storm was keeping the rescue teams from searching. Oh god. They wouldn't even have known if he was alive.
 
And the SGC wouldn't know right now if they were alive.
 
It would help to sleep. Fall asleep, awaken to the sound of voices, rescuing them. Like last time. Only last time, it had been Daniel's comforting voice, while now all he heard from Daniel was the occasional sniffle and muffled grunt. He must be starting to feel his bruises too, Jack realized. "Anyone asleep?" his barely audible whisper rivalled the sound of the wind.
 
"I'm not."
 
"Nor am I."
 
"I think the pilot is, sir."
 
"Ah, well, a good sleep, and he'll be wide awake to fly us back in the morning." Sarcasm had its place. This wasn't it. The pilot likely had a concussion.
 
"Jack?"
 
"Yeah, Daniel?" The blankets were softly vibrating, and Jack knew it wasn't just Sam's shivering. Some of it was also his, and Daniel's. Did Teal'c feel the cold as they did?
 
"Considering we've only been lying here a couple of hours… I'm getting pretty nervous about this. Shouldn't they have found us by now?"
 
"They'll find us as soon as they can, Daniel. Look, don't worry. Go to sleep, and the night will pass before you know it." And world peace is settling in, our lakes are drinkable, and either of those things will probably happen quicker...
 
"Jack?"
 
"What?"
 
"You're a terrible liar."
 
"I know."
 
"I know you know."
 
After a brief silence, Jack spoke again, gently so as not to waken the pilot. At least the night would pass for one of them. "Move in closer."
 
As the others did as suggested, Daniel let out an audible groan.
 
"Sorry. Just bumped something painful."
 
"You okay? Want us to move a bit?"
 
"No. I'd rather be warm than free of pain."
 
"Sorry, Daniel. I don't think either of those will happen tonight. But if any of you don't wake up in the morning, you're off the team. Just remember that." Not even an option, kids.
 
_____
 
 
Daniel had never in his life been so cold. If this is what Jack and Sam went through when they were missing - what, three days? - I don't know how they survived, he thought. He could no longer feel his bruises through the cold in his body, thankfully he could still feel his body. Maybe not his toes, though. The shivering wouldn't subside, and he couldn't move in any closer to his teammates. Only Teal'c seemed to be resting somewhat comfortably. Outside, the wind was whipping its way around their tiny lump of protection. The small plane offered little in the way of insulation without its heat running, and the broken windows didn't help. Why wasn't that helicopter out searching for them? Surely it would have found them by now, the storm wasn't that bad, was it? They were searching…weren't they?
 
Unless their little mishap hadn't been an accident.
 
_____
 
 
Fear haunted Daniel as he listened to his teammates gradually succumb to sleep. The night was eerily noisy, their creaking metallic tent little match for the whipping wind, the frost itself coating the inner walls of their exposed chamber. Only the closeness of his friends' touch against his body kept Daniel from near panic. Perhaps they would make it through the night…but then what?
 
_____
 
 
The sound of a propeller, and then it was gone. Or had it just been the wind?
 
Daniel awoke slowly, taking a moment to remember where he was. The cold numbness was quick to remind him, and he realized he had finally fallen asleep, if just for a few hours. The inside of the plane was already beginning to brighten, and blowing snow had made nests beneath the broken windows.
 
Turning his head slowly, he could tell that the others were asleep. He'd leave them that way, it was better. And that probably hadn't been the sound of a helicopter at all, it had most likely been a dream. He was so stiff, numb. And why was there frost on Jack's eyebrows?
 
No, there.
 
He heard it again. "Jack?"
 
"Jack?" No answer. But the helicopter blades were unmistakably whirring. Daniel tried to sit up, realizing his arms and legs were like weighted rubber. Painful weighted rubber, and his chin throbbed. A few drops of blood escaped as he sat up; he'd need stitches on that. The blanket shifted as he moved, and Sam unconsciously tugged it back towards her.
 
"Jack?" Louder this time. "I think they're here."
 
There was a voice, and then it was outside the airplane, as the propped-up door was yanked open. Wide eyes looked straight at Daniel, surprised and relieved. "Are you people okay?"
 
"I…..think so."
 
Speaking into hand radios, "We have survivors," the S&R crew was inside immediately.
 
Hearing voices, Jack stirred, then his eyes blinked open. Realization came within moments.
 
And within few moments more, the four men and one woman were being basket-lifted into the hovering helicopter, and found themselves on their way back to McMurdo, where their USAF LC-130 was waiting.
 
The apologies were profuse. The search plane had had to turn back twice, and then finding the downed plane after the storm had been difficult. Only a partial red roof of the Twin Otter had still been visible.
 
The flight home was uneventful. Wrapped in blankets, they all slept most of the way, waking up only once or twice before reaching Colorado.
 
_____
 
 
Jack stared unbelievingly at the tv screen. It had been three weeks since they'd returned from Antarctica, and he couldn't believe what he was hearing.
 
"…in other news, military researchers have discovered possible evidence of an ancient civilization on the continent of Antarctica…"
 
YES! Surprise didn't cover it; Jack was downright thrilled, elated, even. He hadn't thought it would be this soon… he lifted the receiver to ring Daniel, then stopped abruptly.
 
"…the researchers, having found remains of what once may have been a dwelling inside a present snow cave, are not saying who or when these beings occupied this territory, but it may have been at a time when the Antarctic continent was partly free of ice. Colonel Hope and his team of five specialists say the remains have left no indication of technology or written records, and, given the amount of time that has passed and the present state of the continent, no further evidence is expected to be unearthed…. Colonel Hope summarizes his team's discovery in this way, and I quote, 'until the day that Antarctica melts and uncovers her true self, we will never know the whole story.' ….Now, let's go to George for the weather…"
 
Oh, Daniel.
 
For a few seconds, Jack remained staring at the tv screen, cordless receiver in his hand, a swarm of thoughts serenading his brain…should he maybe call the lousy bastards down at IC1? Or maybe whisk Daniel away to some isolated technology-less fishing cabin before he could hear the news… maybe call Hammond and ask what the hell was going on? But he already knew what was going on. Why not pretend to be a newspaper reporter, and call down to IC1 with leading questions and scare the hell out of Hope and his men… how about, 'I'm aware a Dr. Jackson flew down there to look at the site; isn't he a linguist?' Or, 'Why are your researchers all military, do you have something to hide?'
 
Instead, Jack just grabbed his jacket and car keys.
 
Who was he kidding. Daniel'd be home now too, and he'd be watching the news.
 
_____
 
 
Daniel would give a wry half smile, Jack knew, and though he would deny it, Daniel would be hurt again, denied acknowledgement of his discovery. A discovery the world deserved to know about, this time. Daniel had never received a well-deserved medal for his part in the destruction of Apophis's two motherships, even though it had been Daniel who had warned them all of the plot against Earth and had basically given his life for the cause. The world might never know he had deciphered the Stargate and opened space travel to the world of aliens. Perhaps he had not yet been able to vindicate himself in the eyes of his fellow archaeologists for his radical theories on the age of the pyramids, even though he had been right. And now, after discovering the long-lost mythical continent of Atlantis, Daniel had been robbed of the chance to show the world the extent of his skills, the wonder of his brilliant mind, his talent in his field. He had to be feeling hurt again. Alone and betrayed.
 
Daniel answered the knock on the door. "Jack? It's almost midnight. You've never com …oh. You saw the news, didn't you." Jack knew it wasn't a question he had to answer.
 
The tv was still on, and the two friends moved to the sofa. Daniel switched to the History Channel, then the Discovery Channel, giving undeserved concentration to a family of raccoons, while his thumb absent-mindedly rubbed the remote.
 
Jack watched him for a moment. Funny, didn't Daniel usually blink? "It isn't fair, is it."
 
Daniel broke his gaze from the screen. "That the world doesn't get to know about Atlantis?"
 
"You know what I mean."
 
After a pause, Daniel commented, "I don't need to be in the news."
 
"I'm not talking about the news. I'm talking about the archaeological community. Resurrecting yourself. I'm talking about you, Daniel."
 
"It doesn't matter."
 
"You weren't asking to prove aliens were in Egypt, Daniel. Just that a whole continent, lost long ago, really existed. They took it from you."
 
"It was never meant to be mine, Jack. Anyway, they're the ones who've been doing all the digging."
 
"So? Carter and I found the place. Actually, we were lost. You found the place. You did those interpretations. Without you, they'd still be down there thinking the Goa'uld overran some ice age penguin-farming colony. It 's yours."
 
"Well, Jack, all that's irrelevant now, anyway. They've denied the whole thing. It won't be of interest to anyone, and if their cover-up is ever accidentally discovered, they've already taken the credit…along with my notes."
 
"Except this time you have witnesses. Ones who don't work for Hope."
 
Daniel watched his own fingers playing wih the remote.
 
"Jack?"
 
"Yeah?"
 
"They wanted us out of the way, didn't they. We ... I ... know too much. They didn't trust me."
 
For a long moment, Jack didn't respond. He knew what was going through Daniel's mind. The same thing had occurred to him. "I don't think it was an accident, Daniel."
 
"But we can't prove anything."
 
"No. Who knows who's looking into it."
 
The two friends sat in silence, as raccoon cubs playfully batted urban garbage between their paws.
 
"I'm sorry. I nearly got us all killed."
 
Ah, Daniel. Don't. "Daniel… look at me… that was the military that did that, not you. You did your job. I should be the one apologizing to you. And maybe," he paused, "there was really a chance blockage in the fuel tanks." And it never snows in Colorado… and the planets they visit never have trees…
 
"Jack?"
 
"Hmm?"
 
"Thanks for coming."
 
"Thought you might need to talk." Jack touched his friend's arm, needing that reassurance for himself as well. He would always be there for Daniel, and knew that the respect and concern were mutual. Daniel, his dedicated and loyal teammate. His friend. Daniel, way too forgiving. He should be so angry right now, angry at the military, angry at his colleagues in the world of archaeology. He deserved better than this. But when his day comes, Jack swore, he'd be right there with him, eyewitness to the account, and he'd tell the world who Daniel Jackson really was. He'd tell them. Everything. He'd just have to make sure to survive until that day came. And to keep Daniel alive long enough to be there. To tell the world about the Stargate. And then, to tell them Daniel had found Atlantis. One day… one day.
 
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