Heart's Desire

By Amy Griswold

An original publication of Fandemonium Ltd, produced under license from MGM Consumer Products.

Fandemonium Books, PO Box 795A, Surbiton, Surrey KT5 8YB, United Kingdom

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METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER Presents

RICHARD DEAN ANDERSON

in

STARGATE SG-1™

MICHAEL SHANKS AMANDA TAPPING CHRISTOPHER JUDGE

DON S. DAVIS

Executive Producers JONATHAN GLASSNER and BRAD WRIGHT

MICHAEL GREENBURG
  
RICHARD DEAN ANDERSON

Developed for Television by BRAD WRIGHT & JONATHAN GLASSNER

STARGATE SG-1 is a trademark of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. © 1997-2012 MGM Television Entertainment Inc. and MGM Global Holdings Inc.

All Rights Reserved.

STARGATE ATLANTIS is a trademark of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc.
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© 2004 - 2012 MGM Global Holdings Inc. All Rights Reserved.

METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER is a trademark of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Lion Corp. © 2012 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Photography and cover art: Copyright © 2012 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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J
ack O'Neill stepped out of the wormhole's chill and paused on the steps of the Stargate, taking a moment to take in the view.

“Whoa,” Daniel said from beside him. “It's a long way down.”

“We're a long way up,” Jack said. He could feel his ears popping at the pressure change, even though Colorado Springs was well above sea level to start with.

The Stargate was perched on a narrow butte, a bare shelf of stone that dropped off sharply on all sides into deep ravines. Across from the island of rock, a precarious path hugged the edge of a steep mountainside, winding downward out of sight. It began in a field that might have seemed like a reasonable place to start heading down the mountainside if it hadn't been on the other side of a ten-meter ravine.

“They did say they were going to send transportation,” Daniel said. “I was more thinking they meant ‘because our city is a long walk from the Stargate.'”

“It looks like, from here, you'd have to fly,” Sam said. “Which makes me wonder what kind of transportation they have in mind.”

“I believe I have found a means of descent,” Teal'c said. He pointed out what might charitably have been described as a staircase, carved out of the rock on one side of the butte. It wound around the side of the cliff toward the ravine floor somewhere below. The concept of handrails had clearly not occurred to anyone who used it.

“The idea of combining that with any kind of ‘transportation' doesn't excite me,” Daniel said. “I've been down into canyons on mules before, but…”

“I do not believe a pack animal would be capable of descending this staircase,” Teal'c said.

Daniel frowned. “It might be, but I'm not that sure I want to descend with it.” He glanced at Jack. “Or without it.”

“That's what they pay us for,” Jack said. Privately, though, he was sizing up the climb down and trying not to wince. He'd taken a staff blast right above the knee back on the prison planet of Ne'tu, and while Janet had cleared him for duty, he wasn't kidding himself that it was fully healed yet. If they had to climb that many steps, it was going to hurt getting down, and he didn't particularly want to think about coming back up.

The MALP was still resting near the gate, where it had been sitting when the curious locals had turned up to chat. They hadn't mentioned how much of a hike they'd had to get there. They'd seemed interested in trading, and offered to take an SG team to visit their king, who was apparently the only one around with the authority to make a deal.

Sam checked out the MALP while Daniel and Teal'c squinted down into the canyon below, looking for any signs of movement. Jack looked out across the jagged peaks, wondering where you'd put cities and farms. His eye was caught by a shadow moving oddly across the rocks, faster than the clouds, and he peered at it through his sunglasses for a moment. “Carter,” he said.

“I just want to take a look at these atmospheric readings,” she said. “The preliminary output from the MALP suggested some interesting weather patterns that we may want to get somebody to
—”

“
Carter
,” Jack said, and she finally raised her head. He jerked his head upward, and she followed his gaze.