All Shook Up

It seemed like not a week ago, within ear shot of SG-1, O'Neill, was chewed out royally by the CMO for not disclosing an upset stomach. O'Neill thought it was not worth mentioning but the doctor refused to allow him to lead SG-1 through the gate. Today's mission had them about two hours walk from the gate on a rather pedestrian world. He was again beginning to feel a bit unsettled when Teal'c addressed O'Neill. Teal'c felt compelled to take O'Neill aside and inform him that his symbiote was agitated. The writhing in his pouch was unsettling and might prove deadly for the symbiote and thus for the Jaffa. He was about to speak when the first rumbling tremor hit.

"What the fuck?" O'Neill turned to his second for information. "Carter?"

"It's...it's an earthquake."

"Earth?"

"Ah...a quake." She thought he was being pedantic. This didn't seem like the time, if ever there was.

"Back now! How stable do you think that Gate platform was? Anyone, anyone?"

The next rumble brought them to their knees.

Too many thoughts were running through O'Neill's mind. Should they drop their packs and high tail it to the gate? Then possibly they could wind up separated from the things they needed to survive. Should they find a stable spot and ride it out? It could be just the wrong spot and wind up falling into a fissure or have falling debris crush them.

Carter spotted the cause. Skirting the horizon was a moon almost the size of the planet.

She pointed in its direction.

"Tidal forces, sir. I think, don't know for sure...just..."

"Out with it, Carter." There was a urgency to his voice.

"Could get worse."

Shelter in place just went out the window.

"Fall back to the gate. Daniel with Teal'c. Carter with me. Double time and watch your step."

Daniel wanted to argue, there were things here he wanted to explore. Carter understood the reasoning. First and foremost keep your people safe. Each one of the pair could rely on the other and each pair could help the other if needs be. A bad fall or twisted ankle could jeopardize them all.

O'Neill was banking on whoever set up this Stargate had the foresight to place it in a stable area – bedrock and not near any fault lines. A guy could hope. Of course that could well have changed in the millennia since it was erected. Then again perhaps they set up exactly where they could observe the worst of the tidal forces. Last weeks stomach upset was nothing to the waves of concern churning through O'Neill's gut.

Not an hour later Carter was punching in the code after Daniel dialed the DVD to Earth.

Hammond was still in the Gate room consulting with the next team to depart when SG-1 came barreling through.

"Colonel?"

"Bad moon rising, sir!"