<< Previous | Story Intro | Return to Stories | Next >>

Sam looked around. One wall of the large room was that incredible window to the sea. Like Daniel had done in the other room, she walked up and touched what she thought would be glass, or a force field, totally amazed to see the result of her fingertips against the water in the small ripples that moved away from her. She wiped her wet fingers on her pants. What looked like columns lined two opposite walls of the room. She took them in at a glance, already suspecting what they were. There were seven control consoles in a circle in the middle of the room. In the center of those consoles was some sort of power source. It was round, and glowed and dimmed intermittently. She crossed the floor and examined each one of the consoles carefully. A cursory glance left her feeling totally out of her element. Closer examination provided enough recognition that with assistance, she would be able to use the computers to find the information that she needed.

The creature, who had introduced himself as Nir, watched her carefully. The memories of the human who was The Chosen, and the female, his mate, told them that this woman was able to repair any type of technology. Lieutenant Colonel Doctor Samantha Carter-O'Neill was the only reason that Gamma had been contacted. This woman was the hope of all of Oannes, if she did possess the knowledge of the machines of the Old Ones.

She had been correct about the pillars, they housed the same type of crystal circuitry that she had seen and worked with on several Goa'uld ships. She touched the side of one of the pillars. As she expected, three drawers opened. There were crystals in various configurations in each drawer. Then the power sources used by these…people…were similar to what the Goa'uld used, she surmised. She shook her head. It was possible that the Goa'uld had stolen the technology from these people, the Goa'uld were parasites on every level. Daniel said that Nem and his people had been around for thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands of years before the first ape-man walked upright in Africa. She reached for the radio on her shoulder. "I think I can fix this…it's similar to the technology the Goa'uld's use," she said quietly, her eyes still taking inventory of the crystals, noted the colors and placement of each.

"Is it possible that the Goa'uld stole the technology from the Oannes?" Daniel's voice asked.

Sam walked around the pillars, opened more of the drawers, examined them. "I think that's a very good possibility," she replied. "I've never seen these particular configurations. I'll have to study them for a bit, just to understand them, before I can even attempt any sort of repair."

"Roger that," Jack's voice replied. "We're getting a tour, so take your time."

She smiled. He must have found something interesting. She turned to face Nir. "I'll need time to study this. Do you have schematics that I can look at?"

"I'm sorry, Colonel Carter, I do not understand this word…ski-mah-tikx?" Nir replied, his huge hands with their long, clawed fingers worrying against one another.

"Um…drawings…pictures that explain what these machines are, what they do," she explained.

"Oh, yes! We do not understand them, I'm afraid," Nir said, hurrying to one of the consoles. He moved his hands over the lighted displays. He had spent hours staring at these drawings. Never had their meanings become clear to him.

She watched for a moment. "May I?" she asked, reaching for what seemed to be the main control.

"By all means!" Nir said, obviously pleased that she was taking over controls which he did not fully comprehend. He stepped back to allow the human to work. Fascinating species, he thought, watching her. So knowledgeable in such things. Perhaps not as primitive as the Leaders believed.

It took several minutes, especially when she kept becoming side-tracked with the amazing amount of technical engineering information in the data banks. Sam was attempting to commit to memory as much of the information as she could. It might take them years, but perhaps someday they would be able to utilize what she was learning.

She finally found what she was looking for. And groaned. To repair anything in this room, she would first have to find the two main systems. The systems were linked together, and functioned as one unit, but because of the size and amount of power that each consumed as well as produced, two redundant systems were necessary. And from what she had just found, the controls for each of the systems were in separate parts of the city.

Further searching confirmed her hypothesis. She would need two people in one room, two people in the other. She would have to talk two of her teammates through the process of shutdown and restart. And they had only a matter of seconds for the restart, before the entire power grid collapsed. Knowing what she did now, she realized that none of them could survive long in the cold, or the pressure from the depths they were in, that would ensue if that happened.

She studied the drawings, her incredible analytical mind memorizing each component, each step necessary to initiate the repair, and the information needed to carry out the actual repair itself. There was a daunting amount of information. Samantha Carter had always loved a challenge!

A  A  A  A  A  A

Daniel's heart was pounding in his chest. Three walls of this chamber were covered with cuneiform. Four low tables were laden with clay tablets. He dropped his pack onto the floor, his notebook already in his hand as he began to write a detailed description of the room. He was barely aware of the creature…Dym, he thought was the name that he had heard when the creature introduced itself on the walk to this archive…this amazing library. When Dym left the room, Daniel wasn't even aware of it.

"And on the fifth day of the Goddess Oan, the Heavenly Egg was given, and from it came the great people known as Oannes…this is incredible," he muttered to himself. He found the pad of tracing paper that he always carried, selected a section of text, and began to take a tracing.

"I think I can fix this…it's similar to the technology the Goa'uld's use," Sam's voice crackled from the radio on his shoulder, startling him slightly.

He frowned. The Goa'uld hadn't discovered, created, or invented a damned thing for themselves. Which meant…He reached up and keyed his radio. "Is it possible that the Goa'uld stole the technology from the Oannes?"

"I think that's a very good possibility," Sam replied. "I've never seen these particular configurations. I'll have to study them for a bit, just to understand them before I can even attempt any sort of repair."

"Roger that," Jack's voice responded. "We're getting a tour, so take your time."

Now he grinned, wondering what Jack could have found that was so interesting. He reached out to her, closed his eyes when he felt that sweet, soft touch against his mind. He caressed her, felt her caress in return. 'So you're getting a tour, huh?'

'Oh, Daniel, it's beautiful!' He could hear, feel her excitement.

'I take it that Jack is impressed.'

Her sweet giggle echoed in his mind. God he loved that sound! 'I guess so. It's peaceful here. Right now he's stretched out taking a nap.'

He laughed out loud. 'Sounds nice.'

'So are you surrounded by cuneiform?'

'Yep. Lots of clay tablets here as well.'

'Do you need help?'

'Not right now. Just take the chance to relax, Angel. I'll let you know if I need you.'

'Okay. Love you, Daniel.'

'Love you, Case.' He sighed contentedly, grabbed his camcorder, and began to record the text on the walls.

A  A  A  A  A  A

Casey felt her breath catch in her throat when they stepped through a double door at the end of the corridor, and out onto warm, white sand. A dome above them kept the ocean in check, leaving the city dry and the air breathable for the human guests. It was explained to them that the ocean usually flowed unhindered throughout the city. The dome served to protect the inhabitants from the icy cold and the pressure caused by the depth at which the city was built. Their guides told them that they were welcome to explore as much as they wished, excused themselves and left the humans standing alone on a stone pathway.

The buildings were made of what appeared to be concrete, and many had tall spirals on the top that resembled turritella shells. The colors that covered doors and windows were bright, many seemed luminescent. It was a breathtaking sight.

The three of them walked through what appeared to be some type of park, although without the loving touch of the seawater, the plants laid in heaps and piles of green, orange, pink, red, and yellow.

"Nice," Jack said. He found a clear expanse of white sand near the edge of the dome, dropped his and Sam's packs, and eased his frame to the ground. With a grin, he stretched out and put his hands behind his head, watching the fish that swam just a few feet away from him.

Casey and Teal'c made themselves comfortable as well. They could feel the weight of multiple stares, knew that they were being watched. It wasn't a threatening feeling, they could sense the curiosity. Once again the thought that these people were experts in the art of observation flittered across Jack's mind. Better at observation than interaction, he thought, thinking about how quickly their 'guides' left them.

"I think I can fix this…it's similar to the technology the Goa'uld's use," Sam's voice crackled from three radios, giving her voice an eerie quality.

"Is it possible that the Goa'uld stole the technology from the Oannes?" Daniel's voice asked. His too sounded odd, a bit unnerving as it echoed around them.

"I think that's a very good possibility," Sam replied. "I've never seen these particular configurations. I'll have to study them for a bit, just to understand them before I can even attempt any sort of repair."

Jack reached up and keyed his radio. "Roger that. We're getting a tour, so take your time."

"Technically, Jack, we'd have to be walking to be on a tour," Casey informed him, her green eyes full of laughter.

"Hey, I can tour from right here. All I have to do is turn my head to see something new," the older man argued. He was grinning. This was all right. Nice and peaceful.

She giggled. Felt Daniel's gentle touch, leaving her feeling warm and safe and loved. She caressed him, touching him as pleasing as being touched.

'So you're getting a tour, huh?'

'Oh, Daniel, it's beautiful!' She looked around her. Pulled out her camcorder, so that she would have pictures of the amazing city that surrounded her. She would share it with him, and she was sure that Emily would be just as entranced by this city as she was. Especially now that the "Little Mermaid" had become her new favorite 'princess'.

'I take it that Jack is impressed.' He was amused, she could tell.

She glanced at her CO and giggled. 'I guess so. It's peaceful here. Right now he's stretched out taking a nap.'

He was laughing now. 'Sounds nice.'

'So are you surrounded by cuneiform?'

'Yep. Lots of clay tablets here as well.' Knowing Daniel, he was in seventh heaven. Probably rushing around and trying to make up his mind where to start. He was always so darned cute when he was running around like that!

'Do you need help?' If he needed her, she was willing to give up this idyllic respite to help him record and take tracings. She would never be able to help him translate any of the writings, she had never seen Akkadian before.

'Not right now. Just take the chance to relax, Angel. I'll let you know if I need you.'

'Okay. Love you, Daniel.'

'Love you, Case.'

She laid back, and watched the fish as well. Something small and quiet began poking the back of her mind. Just enough that she was aware of its presence. She sighed. The poking usually meant trouble. No need to sound the alarm just yet. Until she knew exactly what kind of trouble they were facing, she would let her teammates enjoy themselves.

<< Previous | Story Intro | Return to Stories | Next >>