Stargate SG-1: Escape

Chapter 1 - Gate Duty

"Man, this heat really sucks."

Sergeant Louis "Sully" Sullivan mutters under his breath as he scans the plaza. He looks for anything out of the ordinary, as if standing in a depressed metal bowl the size of a football stadium on an alien planet is ordinary.

The sun had risen less than an hour ago, yet the heat was quickly becoming unbearable. Drops of sweat trickle down his face and neck. He knows the trickles will soon turn into a stream and then a river. The early heat foreshadows how crappy the rest of the day will be. Only the slightest of breezes reaches the SG-4 team at the end of the sunken plaza. Unfortunately, it doesn't bring even the smallest bit of relief from the heat. Instead, it brings more humidity from a nearby ocean, the hint of saltwater mixing with the smell of decades-old garbage.

"What was that, Sergeant?" Captain Al Bundy asks.

"Nothing, Sir, just talking to myself."

The corners of the captain's mouth rise into a slight smile, "Oh, I could have sworn I heard something."

He pauses, scanning the opposite side of the plaza. "Standing here kind of reminds me of my first few weeks in boot camp. The heat there really sucked."

The sergeant gives a short laugh, "Yes, Sir, I bet you have fond memories. I know I do."

The captain and sergeant stand next to the stargate's dialing device, surveying the cityscape, at least what they can see. For reasons that Dr. Jackson could not yet explain, the builders of the city had placed the gate at one end of a football field-sized plaza. Dr. Jackson also could not explain why the builders had placed the plaza at the bottom of a three-story hole. The doctor thought the plaza might have been used as a receiving area for gate travelers, to ceremonially welcome dignitaries from other worlds. The presence of seats for the receiving crowd would have helped to prove that theory. Unfortunately, the perimeter of the sunken plaza, where the seats should have been, lies buried under two dozen feet of long abandoned and well-compacted garbage and debris. Thus Dr. Jackson's theory remains just that. Only two areas of the plaza are free of garbage. One is the well-defined path between the gate and the long ramp at the other end of the plaza. The ramp provides one of the two exits from the plaza. The second garbage free area lies around and behind the gate. A partially buried set of stairs behind the gate area provides the second exit from the plaza.

A thick accumulation of rust covers what isn't buried by garbage. Rust-streaked buildings, two and three stories high, line the plaza rim. Hundreds of windows, which once looked out over the plaza, are now just black holes, the glass long gone. The area is devoid of life. Even the garbage no longer attracts insects or the creatures that would feed on them.

The sergeant breaks the silence, "I was just wondering why we have to be stuck with gate duty. SG-1 never seems to get stuck with gate duty. Why is that?"

The captain nods his head. "Yeah, I'd be lying if I said I'd rather be here than at the negotiations, but there are two good reasons why we're here and they're there."

"And they are?"

"First, because O'Neill is a colonel. Colonels never get stuck with gate duty."

"Yeah, I hear that. What's the other?"

"Because Dr. Jackson is the only one who speaks their language."

"Ah, yes," The sergeant says. "I guess there is some benefit to being an archeologist."

"Yeah, it was a good thing Dr. Jackson was tagging along when SG-9 ran into the citizens here. Initial survey showed the city to be abandoned. They spent over a week wandering around before they literally ran into the locals. Fortunately, Dr. Jackson could speak the lingo. If he hadn't been with them SG-9 probably would have had to fight their way back to the gate."