As the Phoenix Dies
�This should be an easy mission,� I say casually as I zip up my vest. �Go through the Gate, take a look around, be back home by dinner.�
Across the locker room, Daniel fumbles with his shoelaces. �What, got a hot date tonight, Jack?� he snipes back good-naturedly. �Or just don�t want to miss that baseball game again?�
Oh, if only he knew. Carter and I have been planning a surprise party for the kid over the past week or so. I don�t think he knows that we know when his birthday is, but I have access to his file. He�s turning thirty-two this afternoon, but we�re going to throw a party like he�s never had before. We haven�t let Teal�c in on it either, but that�s because Jaffa apparently don�t celebrate birthdays. Plus we don�t want him giving it away to Daniel. He�s not quite one for subtlety amongst friends.
Carter�s getting him a new set of blank journals and some high quality ink pens. Specially imported from Egypt and imprinted with the Abydos chevron in each brown leather cover. She says it�s to remind him of both his homes, Egypt and Abydos. Personally I�m not sure if that won�t just depress him by reminding him that Sha�re is gone, but I know he�ll appreciate the thought if nothing else.
I�ve noticed how much the kid loves his chocolate and coffee, so I�m getting him a year�s supply of the highest quality Columbian dark roast I could find, as well as a box of German dark chocolate. Doc Fraiser�s going to kill me, but he deserves all the comfort food he wants.
The slamming of a locker door jolts me from my thoughts about tonight, and I casually sling my MP-5 across my chest. �All right campers, let�s move out,� I command, suppressing my amusement as they follow me like little baby ducks in a row.
�So what�s the name of this place again?� I ask as we enter the Gateroom. The inner ring is already spinning, the first five chevrons locked.
�P3X-866,� Daniel rattles off without the least bit of hesitation, then makes a face. �I�m serious, we should name some of these planets sometime.�
�Daniel, you remember the designations anyway,� I grumble, but inwardly I agree. I can never remember all those little numbers and letters together in the right order.
�Yes, but all I�m saying is that it might be easier for everyone to remember the planets by name rather than numbers � uh, not that you�d need to, obviously, but-�
Thankfully the kawoosh of the forming wormhole prevents him from digging his hole any deeper. �SG-1, you have a go,� Hammond says from the command room.
�Onwards and forwards,� I sing-song. �The sooner we get there, the sooner we can come back.�
The wormhole trip is dizzying as always, but I think I�ve perfected the art of not falling flat on my face. Daniel stumbles a bit beside me and then sneezes explosively. I can understand why a second later, when the smell of sulfur starts burning my nose. Looking around, I see nothing but sand and more sand, with smoking craters pockmarking the landscape. Two moons hang overhead, and I can see a faint glint of something ahead of us. �C�mon, let�s go see what we�ve got.�
Thankfully, there are no objections to this, and we unerringly head for the shining line. As we approach, I can see that it stretches way into the distance, and in fact looks very familiar. �Looks like some kind of ocean,� I comment.
Carter drops her helmet onto the sand and starts messing around with her samples while Daniel sets to videotaping the landscape. I�m not quite sure what he expects to find, but I�m betting he�s not going to find it. Scuffing at the gritty soil, I turn to scan the horizon for any potential threats.
Whoosh.
Heat.
�Argh! Jack, help! Help me!"
To part two: Risen From the Ashes
