"Anyone care to explain again why I've spent the last seven hours counting way too many orange barrels and explaining the concept of road kill to Teal'c?" Jack asked, slowing down yet again as the four lane interstate narrowed to two for road construction.

"I believe Daniel Jackson wished to investigate something," Teal'c replied giving a herd of grazing cows a glance. When O'Neill had said he would show him his world he had not believed it would be so large…and so empty. During the long drive from Colorado Springs across Kansas he'd been struck several times by the apparent desolation. Sure they'd driven through a few towns, but nothing as large as Colorado Springs.

For the most part the trip had been a monotonous display of grass, cows, fields, hills and more grass.

Soon after driving past Peterson Air Force Base the majesty of the mountains the springs was nestled against had given way to rolling hills which reminded Teal'c of a wave swept lake.

When he'd been told Kansas was flat he'd expected something like the surface of a frozen pond. But this land was so folded and twisted he could easily imagine whole armies blindly passing within a few miles of each other.

In some of the regions that were flattened he'd stared in amazement at the wide variety of crops, all in their infancy, just a foot or two tall. Even the air was different, thicker and warmer than Colorado.

"Great. Daniel wants to go sight seeing and we get a road trip," Jack complained lightly.

"Colonel. Is now the time to remind you who went to General Hammond and told him never to let Daniel go off on his own, even on earth," Sam said from the backseat, her eyes closed in a vain attempt to doze.

"Major Carter is indeed correct," Teal'c said, remembering all too well Jack's reaction to returning from Minnesota to discover Sam and Daniel had gone after a goa'uld.

"Yeah. But this is Kansas not Egypt for cryin out loud. The biggest danger around here is slipping on a cow pie," Jack quipped, speeding up now that they were through the construction zone.

"Jack. You wanted to baby-sit," Daniel said, looking up from the book he was reading to watch the highway signs. Good, they were almost there. He thought. There was a part of him that resented Jack's attitude. Then again it did feel sorta good not only to get out of the mountain but also to have someone that gave a damn if anything happened to him.

And if this was what he suspected it was, it was going to turn the SGC on its ear.

"I have not seen those animals before," Teal'c remarked.

Daniel looked. "Wow. Camels? I didn't know they had camels around here?" he said, staring at the herd of beasts quietly grazing.

"Go back a few millennia and the plains looked more like the Serengeti," Jack said also glancing at the animals.

"Huh?"

"There used to be camels here. Mammoths and Saber Tooth cats too. Didn't you ever watch westerns? These plains used to be nothing but Indians and millions of buffalo. Up until a hundred years ago or so," Jack said, tapping the brakes to disengage the cruise control as they slowed for another construction zone. Geez for a state in the middle of everything with lots of nothing, they spent a lot of time repairing roads. "And if you go back far enough this was the bottom of an inland sea," he continued, thoroughly enjoying their blank stares. A quick glance in the rear view mirror revealed Sam grinning a bit in her 'sleep'. Ok so he owed her lunch when they got back. It was worth it to catch Danny slightly flatfooted. "You got directions to this place?"

Daniel obligingly rattled off a series of 'take exit number…turn right, then left at the barn, cross the crick and you can't miss it'.

Jack committed the first couple of parts to memory and tuned out the rest concentrating on not rear-ending the tractor-trailer in front of him.

<><><><><>

Nearly two hours later Jack stopped his jeep, pulling to the side of the gravel road. They were parked beside an old homestead, nestled in a small valley. The house was pretty much still standing but the barn wasn't so lucky and could be more accurately described as a big pile of firewood. What could have been a pump house or out house was also lying flat in the tall grass. The structure of the buildings and the large trees surrounding them told Jack that this place had probably been built well over a century ago. A few hundred yards away there was a creek, also well lined with tall cottonwoods.

"End of the line kids," he said, turning off the engine and undoing his seat belt. He got out, stretching and popping his back with the others following suit. "Ok Daniel, where exactly is this rock of yours you're so keen on?"

"Artifact," he corrected automatically. "The call I got said it was in the creek bed," he said pointing off at the creek.

"Cool. Hope you brought your waders," he said his voice sounding abnormally loud over the quiet chorus of buzzing bugs and birdcalls.

"Aah colonel," Sam said, eyeing the thigh high grass warily. "Four of us tracking down there would be sort of redundant." Not to mention that the grass looked like chigger heaven. She motioned towards the still standing farmhouse. "I think Teal'c and I will go look at the house.

Jack shot her a look that screamed 'chicken'. "Ok. But watch yourself. I'd hate to explain to Fraiser how one of you stepped on a rusty nail or something." He looked at his watch then at the billowing clouds gathering on the horizon. "We'll be back in an hour. I think the weather's going to turn on us."

Sam followed his gaze and she too saw the darkening clouds. Oh yeah. They were definitely in for an afternoon thunderstorm. "The weatherman did predict rain," she offered.

"Yeah. And even they have to be right once in a while," Jack quipped. "See ya in an hour," he said as they went their different ways.

<><><><><>

Jack followed Daniel down what he guessed to be a deer trail leading to the rushing creek. As they clambered down the short bank a small pile of pellets by a set of cloven hoof prints proved his suspicions correct. He watched Daniel glance both ways then head to the left. At least this was a rocky-bottomed creek, he thought looking at the fast moving clear water. Despite the high humidity and still sultry air it was slightly cooler here than in the unshaded grass.

He followed Daniel who was making his way through small saplings and weeds that took advantage of the abundant water source to grow.

"You do know where this rock is?" he asked, ducking under a huge cobweb occupied by an equally large spider.

"Of course. Jaime said she'd mark it," Daniel replied over his shoulder.

"Oh yeah. I'm sure. Big neon sign. What's the big deal about this rock anyway? And who's this Jaime chick?"

"She's actually…well she was a friend of Robert's. His messages got forwarded to me. She's aah…well an amateur anthropologist and she found something interesting. She thought Robert should come see it but…" Daniel shrugged.

"So we're here to see a fossil?" Jack asked, swatting at a dragonfly.

"Yes Jack. For once we really are looking for a rock," Daniel quipped, letting a branch snap back in his friend's face.

<><><><><>

Sam carefully stepped over the threshold watching where she put her feet. Though most of the house was standing she trusted the century old structure about as far as she could throw it.

Looking up she could see bits of sky through the well-ventilated roof. The main floor was divided into three rooms, each let a bit of sunlight flood in through long broken windows.

"This was once a fine home," Teal'c said, examining the stone walls. "If repaired it could still be habitable. Why would someone abandon it?"

"Most likely the kids moved out and mom and dad either moved on or died," Sam replied with a shrug examining a rusty bed frame set against a wall.

"This house was not passed down to the children?"

"Maybe they didn't have any. Or they didn't want it. Or maybe they weren't farmers. Teal'c there are thousands of old homesteads scattered around. Most of the time their owners just moved on. I mean there are still places where the government will give you land if you promise to live there. One thing the US has is plenty of space. Just not always where everyone wants to be though," she finished keeping an eye on a large wasp's nest, buzzing with activity. As she led the way into one of the other rooms, he heard the faint rumblings of thunder. Perhaps their weather forecasters were going to be correct this time.

<><><><><>

"Found it," Daniel shouted, pointing towards the length of bright orange tape tied to a branch.

"Well it's about time. Thought we were going to hike our way back to Colorado," Jack said, wiping sweat off his forehead. Seemingly unbothered by the heat, or perhaps he was immune to it, Daniel pushed aside a couple of branches and knelt down, searching the dirt. "So what's so special about this rock?" Jack asked, stepping closer.

"Jaime was out here, really just messing around killing time. Seems her boyfriend had dragged her out fishing and she was bored," Daniel said, ignoring Jack's pointed look. 'There was a lot of snow this winter and a lot of rain. So there was a lot of erosion. She found a strange looking fossil washed out of the bank."

"So?"

"So. She thinks it's a whole new species but wanted another opinion before she started a big hue and cry."

"Which is where Rothman came in."

"Exactly."

"So…she find the missing link?" Daniel brushed the dirt away and sat back on his heels. "What? Wooly Mammoth, T-Rex…Jimmy Hoffa?" Jack asked picking up on his friend's mood. He leaned in and peered over his shoulder. "Holy Buckets! Is that what I think that is?"

Daniel nodded, brushing a bit of dirt away from the fossil. He traced the edges of the large dorsal fin. "Jack…the Goa'uld may not have invaded earth…they may have been here all along," he said staring at the fossilized remains of a goa'uld queen.

<><><><><>

Sam vainly fanned herself with her hand, feeling the sweat drip down her spine and collect at the waistband of her shorts. "Man I forgot how hot 90 degrees with 70% humidity could be. At least in Iraq it was a dry heat."

"Iraq?"

"It's a desert. One hundred and fifteen in the shade, which there wasn't much of. But at least it wasn't humid. I can't imagine living out here with no air conditioning."

"Perhaps they acclimated or took refuge below," he said pointing out a small flight of stairs leading into a root cellar.

"I doubt it. Too many creepy crawlies. You know I guess it wouldn't be too bad if there was a breeze." Sam stopped as a sudden strong gust of wind rocked the house making the walls creak and dust rain down from the perforated roof. In an instant the sun faded and a bright flash of light burst through the window. "What the…" Sam stepped forward as a loud crack of thunder split the air.

Another large gust of wind pushed through the window carrying with it the unmistakable smell of rain. Sam looked out and stared. The once blue sky was gone, replaced by billowing, swirling gray clouds. She saw a white sheet of rain sweeping across the land towards them like a tsunami.

In seconds the relentless drumming of the rain, the howl of the wind and the deafening crack of lightning bolt after lightening bolt replaced the stillness of the abandoned house.

<><><><><>

Jack's mind was racing as he tried to imagine ancient earth not victims of an alien invasion but victims of what was basically friendly fire.

"We aah…Jack we need to get a team out here. Find out if there are any more fossils. I mean can you imagine what would happen if the world found out about the goa'uld? Then again I don't have to imagine it. I've seen it and it isn't pretty," Daniel said as a sudden gust of wind raised some dust and caused the branches to sway.

"What the hell?" Jack stepped back towards the stream to get a clear view of the sky.
"Danny we got bigger problems right now. Grab your friend and let's go."

"Jack I can't just rip a fossil out of the ground…"

"Ok fine. Leave it. But we gotta go," Jack insisted, grabbing Daniel's arm.

"Jack damnit. What's the hurry?" Daniel asked, puling his arm away. Just then the sky opened and sheets of hot rain washed over them, punctuated by a large crack of thunder.

"Oh nothing. I just think a stream bed is not a good place to be during a downpour," he quipped.

"Good point." Daniel turned and pulled the large rock out of its place. Fortunately the millennia old sandstone broke away easily. "Let's get Pandora and us somewhere drier," he said, shifting it in his arms.

<><><><><>

Sam stood by the pane-less window, using the wall as a shield from the blowing rain. "It's raining cats and dogs out there," she said idly.

"On Chulak we would say it rains Kanas and Felkas," he said with a small smile. Sam shot him a look back and giggled. She'd always suspected he got more of earth slang than he let on.

A series of small cracks drew her attention back out the window to see hail stones starting to mix with the rain. "Whoa," she said, watching them bounce off the ground, their velocity causing them to ricochet off the dirt.

Sam eased herself forward, fascinated by the sight of the storm. Thunderstorms were actually quite frequent in the mountains but large lines of storms marching relentlessly across the landscape were a phenomenon unique to the plains.

The hail and rain abruptly stopped and Teal'c instinctively looked up. "Kratha Ma'tak," he whispered, staring transfixed at the sky.

"What?" Sam asked, turning to him. She followed his gaze upwards and her eyes grew wide. "Oh Auntie Em," she whispered, staring at the swirling funnel descending from the wall cloud.

<><><><><>

Jack steadied Daniel as they hurriedly made their way back down stream, keeping a careful eye on the water level. It was rising but not by much given how hard it was raining. But he figured they didn't have much time before there was a bit of a flash flood.

He thought about climbing out right now but the banks were too steep and overgrown to be easily traversed.

"There," Daniel said, motioning with his head. Jack followed and saw the place where they'd climbed down was just ahead.

"Sweet. Ten more yards and we're home….ow!" Jack exclaimed as a hailstone hit him on his head. Seeing more and more falling he grabbed Daniel's arm and pulled him towards the high bank and thick brush. It meager protection but better than nothing.

They watched the hailstones tear through the trees, bits of leaves and branches joining in the show. The hail landed in the water with loud splashes and was carried down stream like miniature icebergs.

As quickly as it had started the rain and hail stopped like someone had turned off a switch.

"Well that was fun," Jack said, rubbing his sore head.

"I hope Sam and Teal'c are ok," Daniel said, nudging a hailstone with his toe.

"They're fine. Let's get out of here before something else happens. With all my luck Thor'll need something…"Daniel looked up and stared at the funnel descending from the clouds. He watched in fascination, as the natural monster lowered towards the earth, twirling and spinning like a dervish on speed. "…Or that damned Anise will come…Daniel what?" Jack followed his friend's gaze. "Oh my."

<><><><><>

Sam leaned out the window staring in morbid fascination as the small tornado made contact with the ground, dirt and debris swirling up, coloring the funnel gray.

"Incredible," she breathed. "I've never seen a tornado before…not a real one anyway. I mean I've seen them on TV but…all the energy exerted, it could power the gate for a week…and it's just a little one," She said unconsciously raising her voice over the howl of the wind.

As it swept past she leaned further and further out of the window and only Teal'c's steadying arm kept her from overbalancing and falling out.

"Perhaps the best course of action would be to seek shelter," he suggested also fascinated by the phenomenon. Chulak's climate was so cold thunderstorms were a rarity, tornadoes unheard of.

Sam shot him an incredulous look. "I am not missing this," she insisted, climbing out the window and walking around the corner of the house. With a roll of his eyes Teal'c followed her, to guard her back he told himself.

They watched the tornado make its way away from them wobbling like a drunken top. A few hundred yards away, the top ran out of energy and stopped spinning. At least that's what it looked like. In reality the vortex lost touch with the ground and was pulled back up into the clouds where it belonged.

No longer supported by a cushion of air, bits of mud and grass began to fall from the sky, the grass floating down like skinny green confetti.

Sam walked over to where the tornado had passed, kneeling down for a closer look. Most of the grass was still there but it had been twisted like a wrung out towel. "Ten feed wide. It was just ten feet wide," she enthused, standing back up.

"You two ok?" Jack called relieved to see the twister hadn't done much damage.

"We're fine sir. You?" Sam asked, taking in their slightly bedraggled appearance.

"Just a little wet. Hail of a storm huh?"

Sam looked at Teal'c and they both rolled their eyes silently, refusing to encourage him. Being trapped in a car with Jack O'Neill on a roll could be considered torture. "Daniel, what did you find?" she asked, watching him shift the large flat rock in his arms.

"He'll tell you in the car," Jack interrupted as lightning again illuminated the darkening sky, followed within seconds by thunder. "Let's blow this place before it…blows," he said fishing out his keys.

Teal'c stepped forward and took the rock from Daniel who smiled his thanks. "Careful with Pandora Teal'c."

"Pandora?" Sam asked, walking towards the car. "Daniel you're naming your artifacts?"

"It's a rock Carter. A big heavy rock that's opened a big honkin can of worms," Jack said, feeling a headache start that he knew had nothing to do with the hailstone.

~Fin~

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